Hello! It's been a long long time since I've uploaded a story here... I've actually been writing 3-4 different stories, but it takes a while since each one will interest me and I'll get a lot done on it until another one catches my interest. A habit I am trying, in vain, to break.
I do not own Inuyasha or the characters. I also do not own the songs I will use in this fiction.
~O~
I'd been serving under the esteemed demon lord Naraku for as long as I could remember. My mother had been a servant and her mother before her going on for generations. Being a demon gave Naraku an extended life, among other things. Enhanced hearing, smell, sight, strength, and power made him a foreboding entity.
Humans have served demons in their domains since man was created. To lure humans to their castles and entrap them with the intent of our familial lines serving them forever.
Once we got to a certain age the Lord would send us to a well-hidden location on his lands and essentially force us to 'Mate'. Once a year the same group would be sent to the caves until every female was impregnated, therefore continuing his servants' lines. We stayed there for a week being fed with food that would make us feel funny and then the events would begin. As the women who became pregnant gave birth they would carry their children with them while they resumed their duties. From the time the children could walk they would work, each year more responsibilities being piled on to their plates.
When we weren't in the caves the women and men were kept separate, only seeing each other in passing. Inside our individual wings we shared a room with people of like age, creating strong bonds with each other. We could see the others when the chores had been finished and the food was being served in the main room.
Lord Naraku had fewer servants than most other demons, why I did not know. Three girls my age, two my mother's age, and five women that could have been my grandmothers age all worked for Naraku. I didn't know how many men served the lord, but I had seen only one that looked like he could have been my age. My mother had been traded to a bear demon in exchange for the two girls that were my age and my grandmother had passed when I was a child, proving yet another cruel truth about humans in servitude; death was our only escape.
I had heard stories about a few men who tried to escape years ago, using the lull between guards to sneak out of the castle and dug under the wall behind the stables. The stable boy who I had seen momentarily saw the whole thing; the men reached the other side of the wall and then they disintegrated… not a sign of them anywhere.
No one has tried since then… not that I blame them; fear is a powerful tool.
My best friends, Kagome and Sango, were the girls who had been traded for my mother. Both dark haired beauties became Naraku's personal servants; following him around and doing whatever he asked of them. I simply took care of the royal rooms belonging to Naraku and his sisters, Kagura and Kanna. Kanna was simply a child but a demon nonetheless. No one knew the extent of her power, and most had been too afraid to find out. Kagura was the middle sibling, a wind sorceress. She took advantage of her serving entourage, making messes and forcing them to clean as she saw fit. My heart broke for the ladies who had to follow her around.
The rooms consisted of a sitting area, a bathroom, a bedroom, and a large balcony. Each of the rooms had been vastly different, which just showed how different the three siblings were. Naraku's room was dark all the time but his bedroom was regularly covered in blood, which made it the most unpleasant and time consuming place to clean. The linens, the walls, the floors, all had to be scrubbed and washed until they became their pristine selves again.
Kagura's room was very open, her balcony doors always wide open, the breeze blowing into her living areas, even in the dead of winter. I usually only had to make her bed, take her kimonos to the launderers, and sweep the leaves and dirt out of the rooms.
Kanna had the easiest room to clean and prepare; she actually makes her own bed and prepares her kimonos to be sent to the launders. I suspected it was because she had more to hide than her older siblings and felt that by doing her own cleaning she was able to know if someone came snooping.
All in all my chores weren't hard, but they took all day easily. On this particular day I had been scrubbing down Naraku's floors, having finished the linens and walls. When I knew I was alone I would hum and sing to myself, a decent way to escape my everyday horrors. Most of the songs I learned from my mother, adopting them to be mine when she had been traded. I felt I could connect to her even though I had no idea where she was…
"A beautiful voice…"
I gasped, turned on my knees to see Lord Naraku leaning against the door, a smirk on his face. I knew my eyes were wide and my jaw agape, but I couldn't think of anything to say to the lord as he straightened and approached me.
He crouched down, his fingers grasping my chin roughly. He moved my face this way and that, looking for something, I was sure.
"Hm. It seems your talent is wasted on the cleaning supplies and vacant rooms."
He chuckled darkly, standing up straight while maintaining eye contact with me.
"You will entertain my guests at the gathering this evening. If you do well I will see to it that you have an easier life than your human companions."
With that he left, sliding the door shut. I realized I wasn't breathing until his footsteps had faded far down the hall. I took a deep breath, shaking my body of the tremors that shook it. I had only met Naraku a couple of times, and none of them on such a terrifying level.
I finished my duties, heading to my rooms. As I arrived Kagome and Sango both ran up to me.
"Nakai! Naraku say's that he has a new job for you… We didn't hear what it was, but Lady Kagura was well… unhappy that you've been assigned this job."
Kagome gripped my shoulders, her eyes boring into mine. I nodded, reaching up to her hands with my own.
"Yes, Kagome. He heard me singing in his room while I was cleaning. He want's me to entertain his guests tonight. I think he tried to bribe me to do a good job, but it's not something I want to do… I'd rather just stick to cleaning the rooms."
"No!"
They both shouted at me, their eyes wide.
"Listen, Nakai, you must do well. Naraku is a demon and you've seen his room… I'm afraid to think what he will do to you if you fail. You'll be in front of dozens of demons and he chose you for your voice; if you do terribly he will kill you for humiliating him in front of his guests."
I considered this, knowing well enough that Sango is correct. I sighed, hanging my head slightly.
"Alright. Say I do well, what then? I just sing for these demons until I die?"
"I don't know, but Sango is right, Nakai. You cannot do poorly or he will kill you."
A knock sounded at the door, drawing our attentions. My heart raced as Sango opened the door. One of the elder ladies, Kaede, looked at us grimly, her voice quiet and gravely.
"Nakai, the time has come for ye to go."
I nodded, my chin up in feigned confidence. I felt Kagome and Sango grip my hands before I slipped out of the room. I followed Kaede in silence as we walked to a room right next to the great room. She ushered me in, gesturing at a kimono that rested on a chair. It was black with little white flowers scattered at the ends of the sleeves and bottom of the skirts. She helped my put it on, my rags taking the place of the kimono. She tied my hair into a loose bun, washing my face of dirt and grime. The skirt pooled at my feet, which allowed my to avoid wearing any shoes.
She skittered out of the room before we could share any words, a knock acting much like a warning for her. When the door slid shut one on the other side of the room opened up leading to a slightly lifted platform that would be my stage. I slowly walked towards it, ignoring the stares and whispers as I came into view of the crowd. My hands wove together in front of my as I faced the audience of demons. Glares and looks of disgust were thrown at me, but I ignored them the best I could.
Naraku sat at the far end of the room, his sisters on either side of him. He grinned evilly at me, sipping sake from his cup before standing.
"Fellow demons, this is the esteemed Nakai. She hails from a long line of loyal human servants and now, for you listening pleasure, she will sing for you."
He nodded at me, silently urging me to go on. I had no idea what song to sing, and my pause was obviously becoming annoying to the demons in the room. Feeling the warnings from Sango and Kagome deep in my soul I focused on the back wall, looking back and forth along its length as I started my song.
I can't see the stars anymore living here Bring on the wonder I fell through the cracks at the end of our street Bring on the wonder I don't have the time for a drink from the cup Bring on the wonder
Let's go to the hills where the outlines are clear
Bring on the song
I pushed you down deep in my soul for too long
Let's go to the beach,
get the sand through our feet
Bring on the song
I pushed you down deep in my soul for too long
Bring on the wonder
We got it all wrong
We pushed you down deep in our souls for too long
Let's rest for a while 'til our souls catch us up
Bring on the song
I pushed you down deep in my soul for too long
Bring on the wonder
We got it all wrong
We pushed you down deep in our souls, so hang on
Bring on the wonder
Bring on the song
I pushed you down deep in my soul for too long.
My heart was racing as I finished the song, its sad melody reminding me of my mother. This was the first song she taught me, a song I always thought was about the father I never met. I wondered if she actually loved him.
I finally looked at the crowd, their glares and disgust replaced by something akin to approval. Naraku smiled over the rim of his cup, reclined into his chair deeply. He stood slowly, walking through the crowd towards me. He stepped up onto the platform, his hand hovering over my back as he spoke of his pride and excitement to provide them with my songs for much longer. With that he lightly shoved me through the doors that I came in, sliding them shut behind me with a gut-wrenching smirk.
I changed out of the kimono, leaving it exactly how I found it. I moved quickly back to the servants quarters, tiptoeing to the room I shared with Sango and Kagome. They both jolted up as I entered and bombarded me with questions.
"What happened?"
"Was it scary?"
"Did Naraku do anything to you?"
"What was it like to be in a room full of demons?"
I covered their mouths with my hands, silencing their prodding.
"Okay, first off, I'm fine thanks for asking. As for what happened: I was led to a room with a beautiful kimono that I had to wear. Then I was led to a platform in front of all the demons where Naraku introduced me. I sang one song and was dismissed. I don't know what the demons thought of me, but they weren't as angry looking after I finished singing. Naraku just boasted about me to his demons after it was over and yes… It was terrifying."
Three years ago I became the singing human for the demon Lord Naraku. He kept me as a servant cleaning the royal rooms, and his demon gatherings became so regular I was singing ever other night for the same demons. They had discovered some favorite songs, which Naraku would have me sing. Every now and then he would allow me to sing a new song, but I was careful not to sing the same one too often, once every two months or so. I learned new songs from visiting servants whose masters were attending the gatherings.
For three years this routine continued, but I was nearing my twentieth year, which meant that my time for the caves was rapidly approaching. I had been alone with Naraku more times than I ever wanted to, but he needed to make sure that I knew who was attending the gatherings and he wanted me to know ahead of time what songs he would request of me. I intended to inquire about the caves when I saw him next. It wasn't that I wanted to go to the caves; I was terrified… but if it meant getting away from Naraku then I would take up the opportunity a thousand times.
~O~
There's the first chapter. It's really just a chapter to introduce the character and her lifestyle. In the next chapter we will start our journey into the thick of the story. I might change the rating as we go further into the story, but for now it'll stay at a T Rating...
The song I used for this chapter is Bring On The Wonder by Susan Enan.
Reviews are always welcome and I encourage them! They help motivate me to write... :D