A Sister's Gift

Chapter 3 – Greeting the New Acquisition

“Mistress Sango... Mistress, are you awake?” FiChun asked as he knocked once more on the wooden door.

Sango roused from her pleasant dream of a smiling houshi, when an irritating sound kept repeating itself over and over. As she cracked an eye open, she could clearly see that the sun’s light had barely begun to shine. “Yes FiChun? Is there a problem?” She coughed a little to clear the lingering drowsiness from her throat that had just made her voice sound like that of an old man.

“Mistress, the new acquisition has awakened, and if I may say so mistress, he is in one foul mood,” FiChun called through the door. He hated to wake the mistress. She needed her rest, but the fierceness of this new taiyoukai, had been somewhat frightening. He himself, a powerful taiyoukai, FiChun normally scoffed at the predictable fits of the new acquisitions. Pity was the closest emotion that he could muster as they cursed and snarled their rage. However this time FiChun, the inuyoukai, had felt fear. Not something to be taken lightly, for only a handful of times in his two hundred years, had he felt the hated emotion.

FiChun waited patiently for his mistress to rise and dress. He knew that she understood the magnitude of the situation, since he had never came to her with this particular concern in all of his years of servitude.

Sango quickly made herself ready to face the day, grabbed her katana, and pushed it through her sash. She headed for the door, then in hindsight she went back to her nightstand. Sango hooked the little bottle to her sash just before pushing open the door and stepping into the hall. It would be a shame to put him under again, but if the need arose, she would be ready. She was greeted by her faithful servant, and briefly admired his handsome features.

Sango had acquired FiChun from a slave trader five years back. The human was brutal to his slaves and did torturous things to them as punishment for misbehaving. FiChun, a tall creature, with long black hair ending in golden tips, had caught her eye. He was muscular and strong, but his eyes were the thing that saved him from that hateful man. He looked upon her with such sadness and longing. His crystal blue gaze had trapped her for a moment, enticing the rude human male to make an unseemly remark about her wishing to rut with his taiyoukai. Sango purchased FiChun that day, but not before she beat that ningen bastard down into the dirt. When she finally came to her senses she had broken his nose and jaw. That wasn’t the worst of it though, his arm lay grossly disfigured with the white bone protruding several inches through the skin. Funny thing, when the guy gave her a discount just to leave.

The roars were almost deafening, and Sango began to wonder if the chains would hold this new one. The closer she got the more she became aware that the very walls of her building were vibrating with his powerful lunges. He was trying to break free with only brute force. A force that had been diminished to nearly nothing by the enchantment on his chains. She thought with worry, ‘If this is nearly nothing, then I fear to see his full power.’

Sango stepped in front of the taiyoukai’s cell. He immediately ceased his struggles, and stood glaring evilly at her. She took note that he was not even breathing hard. Sango glanced at the chains and cuffs, checking as best she could from her vantagepoint, for any sign of stress. She raised her eyes to his and was met by a mesmerizing golden gaze, which currently was shooting daggers of poison into her body. Though he now appeared to be calm, Sango could feel the rage waiting once more to be released. Hmmm. This was going to be a problem.

“What is your name?” Sango asked, hoping that he wasn’t some mindless beast without an intelligible language. She waited for his answer, but he made no move to speak. FiChun growled menacingly at the caged demon that refused his mistress request. Sango quickly patted his arm, to ease his rising anger. This did not go un-noticed by her new captive, who turned a look of pure disgust on the black haired inuyoukai.

Sango decided to lay it down straight for the newcomer. “Since you refuse to give your name, I will simply call you as you are behaving, ‘Beast’.” She silently praised herself as the renewed anger flashed through his eyes. ‘He knows exactly what I’m saying,’ she thought. Sango smirked and began again, “You have fallen prey to me, Beast, and I accept your gift of servitude.” She stepped back instinctively as he once more roared and lunged at the bars, only to be snatched back by his chained wrists.

“Beast, I know of your torment, and offer a prayer for you, that you may someday come to embrace your destiny. My name is Sango, and I am a youkai exterminator by trade. However, on occasion, I have reason to capture the stronger of your kind, for training to become a Protector.”

Sango was a little shocked when he suddenly spoke, “The only protection you will need, slayer, is from me.” His voice was a smooth as fresh cream, and so calm. A calm, which completely masked his unrelenting fury. Sango sighed. ‘Not very nice, but at least we are getting somewhere.’

“Be that as it may, your current situation can only be remedied by your cooperation in our program. I am a fair person, and I will never torture you or allow anyone else to. You are under my protection, and I give you my word that you will be well cared for,” Sango said as she tried once more to reason with the taiyoukai. ‘Damn... damn... damn... I knew this one was going to be trouble.’ Sango waited for his reply.

“Slayer, do not bother yourself with concern for my welfare, as it is your own safety that should now occupy your ningen mind,” the regal creature replied flatly.

Sango was beginning to lose her patience with this one, and decided to let him cool off. As she turned to walk away she held her head high and said, “Yeah, yeah. Like I’ve never heard that one before.”

FiChun never moved from his spot as his mistress walked away. His cold blue eyes were focused on the enraged taiyoukai in front of him. Once he was sure that the mistress was out of earshot, he began to enlighten this new creature on a few things. “Beast, as my mistress has so dubbed you, take head of my words.” FiChun narrowed his eyes menacingly. “There are worse things than what my mistress has in store for you. Much worse. If you ever threaten the life of my mistress again, I will not be as generous as she.” He then growled deeply as the new beast laughed sarcastically at his threat. “Mistress is a kind woman, who knows only the trade of her forefather’s. One can not blame this human woman for using her skills and being a survivor. I too, was once a wild apparition, living in the forests with no master. I will not lie, and tell you that I have not longed for those days of freedom. I have, but I was collected six years past, and spent one year of my life in a living hell. Tormented by an evil, wicked human male. Such as him gain self-assurance at the expense and pain of other’s. The Gods looked favorably on me one glorious day, and sent Mistress Sango to the filthy hovel of the slave trader. She exacted a revenge that I could only dream of and left that filth bleeding and broken in the dirt. She bought me, and I will give my life at any moment for taking me from that rancid, torture filled existence. She allows me freedom to roam as I wish. To hunt in these forests. To maintain a sense of dignity to this humiliation that played into my destiny. You would do well to give her the respect that she deserves.” FiChun did not wait to hear this taiyoukai’s response, instead he turned and followed the path back to the main house.

FiChun found his Mistress working off her temper in the dojo. He removed his restricting brown leather shirt, and pulled his haori down and slipped it on. He made ready to defend as the slayer focused her attacks on him. They sparred for over thirty minutes before she bent over panting, grasping her knees with her hands. FiChun raised a delicate ebony eyebrow at her teasingly. He laughed as she shooed at him. He walked over to retrieve his shirt when she breathlessly began to confide her concerns over the new youkai.

“FiChun, I fear I may have made a mistake with this one.” Sango said as she finally raised herself into an upright position. She caught FiChun’s look of annoyance at the mention of the recent acquisition. She shook her head in defeat. “I’ll let you in on something, FiChun. You see, my sister Kagome is to leave the village to visit the Emperor’s Personal Miko, which is a great honor for one so young as Kagome. She will be gone for two whole months.” Sango sighed deeply. “I fear for her FiChun. She and Kohaku are my family. I would go with her myself, but it is impossible for me to leave my duties for that expanse of time. That is the reason that I tracked the taiyoukai. I wished to give her a strong Protector, who will insure that she returns to us safely.”

FiChun listened respectfully to his mistress. Her concern for the little miko filled her voice with melancholy. He hated to know she worried of such things. “Mistress, if I may, I will gladly accompany the young miko on her journey.”

Sango smiled warmly at FiChun. Her servant, and friend. “Arigato, FiChun. I deeply appreciate you offering her your protection, but I must deny your request.” Sango grabbed up her things, and just before stepping out of the door, she turned and said with a smile, “I would simply be lost without you by my side! We’re just going to have to conform this taiyoukai, whether he likes it or not.” With that she was gone, leaving FiChun to feel a little burst of pride that his Mistress needed him so much.