Chapter 4: Sorceress
Of course the demon lord instantly complied and took a shower. ((What were you expecting! Hahaha)) This girl had displayed strength that he just couldn't match at this time. He'd get her back once he was healed up but for now he knew once she got him into that bathtub there was no getting back up without help. The girl was sent out after a quick lesson in the strange knobs that controlled the 'shower'. He was left to his own devices.
He stared about the room, looking up at the round glasses set up along the top of the mirror...were they letting off light? He grunted as he pulled himself up onto the counter, staring at what he didn't know were light bulbs. Were there some sort of demons locked away into those bulbs? He placed a hand against the wall to support himself and slipped, hitting something on the wall. The lights went out, and he found himself on the floor again. Damn it!
He looked around, after staring at the bulbs he had weird greenish lights flashing in his eyes. But he could see about the room fairly well, it was his demon vision. He growled and rose up off the floor, staring at the switch on the wall. Reaching forward he wondered if he had broken it... Pushing it up he was startled when the bulbs came right back on. What the?
He flipped the switch a few times, On, Off, On, Off... Wow.. She had those demons trained well.
He turned his attention elsewhere, to the shower in particular. He'd had enough of all these odd contraptions. So he went over and leaned into the tub, turning the knob that she had told him turned on the water. His eyes widened as the spout below the knob started to pour out water. Reaching down he found it to be very cold... He turned the knob further and the water gradually became hotter. She was a sorceress, no doubt about it. Sick minded little child. What sort of demon did she have right behind this wall? He couldn't smell anything in particular...so who cared. He had a shower to take.
He reached down to the little piece on the spout that the woman had told him made it 'rain' and pulled it. Letting out a stream of curses as the hot water stopped coming out of the spout and instead started coming out of some sort of contraption hanging over him. It pelted him in the back of the head and he flung himself backwards. Whacking his head on the counter top behind him. Staring at the shower head, which was pouring out a jet of water and making the noise he recognized from earlier.
Kagome knocked on the door, "You better not be breaking anything in there", her voice called forward. Sesshomaru snarled in response. Rising to his feet. She had better stay the heck out and stop listening in on him. Her footsteps faded away as she returned to her desk and he sighed. His hip hurt from falling off the counter, and now his head hurt from cracking it against the counter in his attempt to escape the water when it had thundered on his back.
'I need to get out of this place. Seems the more she tries to help me the more I get hurt.'
She and her sorcery. Controlling youkai for the purposes of light and fancy spouts that pour out cold and hot water. Sick woman. Then an idea hit him. What if she was going to try and use him? To make him her little slave to assist her in having an efficient 'shower'. He growled. Best keep an eye on that girl. Her time seemed like a dangerous place. And it was unlikely he could get back to the Sengoku Jidai without her assistance.
The water was still running and he sighed, using his claw to slice off the bandages and turn to look at the four slash wounds across his stomach. They were healing like a human's wounds, that slow. He decided to blame this on Inuyasha's wench as well. He needed someone to blame.
After a while of examining the slashes, he went to the shower, removing the rest of his clothing and slipping in. Whatever sort of demon was heating the water they were doing a fine job of it. The warmth of the flow that went across his shoulders was very welcome and soothed his bruises muscles. He'd been banged up enough fighting with that girl.
Oh well, he pulled his hair over his shoulders, meaning to just let the water run for a while, cleanse his wound, and then get out. But the many colorful bottles littering the shower's shelves drew his attention. He reached across and picked up a small bottle, bringing it to his nose and giving a sniff.
He had found heaven in a jar. He took another big whiff. What was that? Spring Flowers with a hint of Rain? Oh... He stood in the shower forever, sniffing every single bottle. No wonder the girl smelt so good... Wait...when did he decide a human smelt good?
He shrugged, she did, so who cares? They were odd bottles, he stared at them for a while after replacing them on the shelf. He growled when another knock came on the door, "Water isn't free! Hurry up!"
Who did this girl think she was! He glared through the pink shower curtain in the direction of the door and then turned, baring his wound to the full force of the jet of water and wincing.
He grit his teeth and set to cleaning the wound. Out of the shower in record time and shaking a bit like a dog. Hah, she could enjoy cleaning up the wet mess. He grabbed the 'towel' she had laid out for him and found it to be very soft and fluffy. Wrapping it about himself he squeezed his hair out on the floor for another payback. Childish, yes. Fun, yes.
He put his pants back on and wrapped his hair up in the towel, exiting the room to see Kagome at her desk amidst a pile of huge books. Those heavy books must've cost her a small fortune... She turned towards him when he entered and flashed him a smile, which he did not return. The shower had helped his sore muscles and he went to the bed, sitting on it and trying to dry his hair with the towel, but with only one arm that simple task was made very difficult.
The girl rose to her feet, setting down a strange quill...or whatever it was, on the desk. She had been writing with it. She could read and write, she was educated then? Hmm. She walked over to him and he growled at her. Narrowing his golden eyes. She stopped and placed a hand on her hip, saying, "I need to rebandage your wound." He snorted and snatched the roll of wrap from her, clearly meaning to do it himself.
Once again, having one arm prevented him from being efficient in that area and he growled in frustration when the girl flashed him a smug look. "Now can I help you?" His long tail draped itself across the bed, the tip hanging over the edge and switching back and forth in a more catlike manner, showing he was irritated. He didn't what this sorceress touching him.
He finally gave up and rolled the wrapping back up. She smiled and picked up a jar of some sort of salve and asking him to lay down. He glared at her, gritting his teeth together to make that sound that she clearly didn't like. But he shifted and leaned back on his hand, not going to lay down, but as his tail whipped back and forth on the bedpost it was clear she was meant to do it, and do it fast.
She opened the little jar and he wrinkled his nose, that salve stank. But he made himself relax, looking indifferent. But even she was making faces at the smell as she dipped her finger into the putty-like substance and seated herself on the bed beside him, beginning to apply the cold medication.
He sucked in his stomach and grunted once, before relaxing. The salve was freezing compared to the hot water from his shower. But it felt nice. He'd never seen a salve quite like this stuff. It smelt just as bad as normal salve, but it was so smooth and clear.
She wiped her fingers off on her pants, some sort of heavy blue fabric. Jeans, Kagome would say. She closed the jar of salve and took the roll of wrap from him, leaning forward too close for comfort to begin wrapping it about his abdomen. She seemed undaunted by the closeness, perhaps she did this enough for Inuyasha that she didn't really care anymore. But her black hair hung over her shoulder and tickled his chest and it took everything he had to keep from pushing her away.
The girl finished her task soon enough and had done a fine job of it. That's what you'd get, traveling around with Inuyasha. Plenty of times to practice Healing. Hehehe. But she drew back after tying the fabric shut. And backed up to admire her handiwork before smiling at him.
His golden eyes met hers dully and then he sat up, looking at her with a serious expression. "You will answer some questions for me."
The woman shrugged and turned on him, heading towards her vanity to pull out her brush and run it through her hair a few times, saying, "Shoot." Whatever that meant... But she was clearly listening and so he supposed it meant he was to ask his questions.
"You lied to me about being a sorceress", he began. She turned and looked at him, arching a brow that clearly said, 'I did?' He continued, "You have many demons captive in that room. Tell me why you have them under your control. And how."
The girl did the last thing he had expected, she broke into laughter. He growled and popped his fingers, clearly he had been serious. Kagome sobered a bit and looked at him. "You're serious?" He nodded his head and she snickered again, unable to help it. "There are no demons in this time at all, Sesshomaru."
He snorted, she was lying to him with a straight face. He growled and shifted so to try and make himself seem more intimidating. But Kagome could hardly find a demon lord sitting on a pink bedspread with his hair up in a towel as being a threat. She just smiled at him with that amusement still in her eyes. It disgusted him. He was at her mercy in this time.
A knock came to the door and broke their staring contest. An older woman's voice coming through the door, "Kagome, dinner time." Both looked towards the door with interest. Who was this? He wondered. He began to rise to his feet but Kagome scurried across the room to the door and locked it. "I'll be down, but I'm not dressed yet! Stay out!"
Her mother rolled her eyes, "You can't take two showers, Kagome. I heard that water running for an hour and a HALF! Water isn't free. Now come down."
Kagome nodded, "I will." And then, making sure the door was still locked, rushing across the room to him. "I've got to go, stay in here! Okay!"
He glared at her. He was in pain from banging himself around the bathroom, and he was tired from all the fighting with this girl. He supposed he wasn't going anywhere anytime soon. So he just snorted and fell back onto her bed with a 'plop'. Stretching out so to ease the taut muscles under the bandage.
She smiled and then turned and went back to the door. Unlocking it and peeking out into a hallway before opening the door entirely and darting out, closing the door behind her.
He left his eyes cracked open, looking at the door. She didn't live alone then? Hmm. Maybe that woman would save him. He just had to make a bunch of noise and she'd come right up he bet.
But for now he just wanted a nap. Once again the demon lord dropped into sleep.