Updated at: 4/19/17

I am making more changes because it wasn't going as I planned. again. omg.

Annnnd, I got rid of Tomu...mmm...he doesn't serve any purpose anymore so he's gone.

Chapter 1: Introductions

It's hot.

Isn't it just spring? Why is it this hot?

The heated mass of air that blew towards his direction isn't helping much either. He would actually prefer no wind. At least he wouldn't have to feel like he is sitting in front of a furnace the whole entire time. Plus, the hair plastered against his face is slowly ticking him off. Maybe he'll get his hair cut short soon. Soon, probably tonight. He really can't stand the stickiness that the hair gave off.

Konoe swept the sweat-soaked bangs away from his forehead, and it was much better. Then, he grabbed the loosened ends of his sash and tightened them in a pull. The knot came loose while he was cleaning the porch, and it was quite annoying.

But honestly, it's just noon and he's already getting a bit lightheaded. What happens if it is summer? Perhaps he'll die one of these days...from heat stroke. Speak of the devil, a sudden wave of dizziness hit him and he shook his head. This is bad. He went back to the interior of the house where there is shade and tied his hair back. Suddenly, a bell rang.

His ears immediately perked up and he faced the left. Gradually, a series of soft footsteps could be heard in a distance. His master must be back, probably with a guest.

He better get back to work.

Konoe hastily took his rag, dumped it into the bucket of fresh water that he had just pulled up from the well, and moved on to the interiors.

In the morning, he washes clothes — by evening, he is in charge of all the hallways, the dining room, the porch, and the living room. Work is always there. In the corner, by the side. Where ever you look, there is work. Finished with your laundry? No problem there's more. Finished with the porch? Then clean this room, clean that room. If you are caught not working, you are either punished right on the spot by a pole or even worse, you go a day without a meal.

It makes him sick.

And once again, he found himself stopping by the porch to get water. All the hauling of buckets really wears him down. He could already feel a dull pain coming from his shoulders. Slowly, he tilts the bucket and watched as the water swirled around like rodents, trying to find holes to crawl in.

By the time he finished wiping all the floors, the sky is dark. The day is finally over and he is extremely hungry. Every now and then, there are these hunger pangs that drives him insane. He quickly brought the empty bucket back to its original place, behind the closet, and he was off to the servant quarters, almost running.

When he arrived, he knocked the door three times and waited patiently for someone to respond to the door. After a brief moment, the doorknob turned.

"Konoe," A female cat with dark, blue hair called out.

"Lia," Konoe greeted with a slight nod.

She shifted her body and allowed Konoe to enter.

"Tonight's dinner is bread, potatoes, and roasted pork."

"Pork?" Why would there be pork? He is already so happy to the point of jumping when there is a serving of leftover bread. But pork...what is today, a holiday?

"Yes, apparently, a guest presented to our master as a gift and there is enough for everyone."

Wow. That guest must be rich.

Konoe nodded and said no more. He waited silently as Lia closed the door, then he followed her to the dining table; and as usual, the other servants are already eating. But then he noticed Joana is not present.

"Where's Joana?" Konoe said as he took the empty seat that was at the end of the table.

Joana is the head of the servants and she is in charge of making sure that the servants know what they are doing. She assigns them roles, meals, a room to sleep, and repairs all the house linens. She also makes sure that all the rooms are clean at the end of the day.

Lia looked at him, "She is still checking the rooms. It seems that earlier this afternoon, one of our servants angered the guest so Joana was assigned to replace him."

Konoe nodded.

"Here," Lia handed him the usual portion and it effectively cut off Konoe's thoughts.

"Finallyy!"

"Right! I swear...my back is going to break one of these days."

Konoe landed face down on his bed. It sure feels good. He stretched a bit, cracking a few joints here and then, and sat up. As much as he wants to sleep, he really has to cut his annoying hair.

"Where are you going? It's time for sleep," One of his roommates asked him.

"I want to trim my hair."

"Alright," she nodded, "Just make sure not to be too loud."

"I will," he gave her a small smile and left.

Dark. Gazing down at the hallway, he could only see black. He forgot to bring a light with him. But it's too annoying to go back and explain to his roommates and then come back out again. Maybe he'll just go. It's not like he doesn't remember how the paths go.

He needs a pair of scissors. But for some reason, he just couldn't find one. Normally, there would definitely be one in the drawer located next to the garden. However, even that location is bare. After running around the house trying to find the damn scissors, he decided to take a break and settled down on the porch. It's comfortable. Every few moments, a cool breeze blows by, bringing the delightful scent of spring to his nose. It's funny how early mornings are raging ovens, but late nights are refreshing like a soft blanket cool to the touch.

Some nights...some nights he would just close his eyes and curl into a ball, a tight ball, so tight it can't go any tighter. And wonder...wonder why has life turned out this way. He thinks about each day...what he needs to do, what he can do better and then realize what a miserable life he actually has. He wants to leave, forget about everything. But it's terrifying because every time someone escaped, they were always caught. Then, they were beaten till they can't walk and the next day they were back at work. He can't do it. Plus, he has already been here for five years, what's another five?

There is a man standing in front of his house. Konoe eyed the man suspiciously behind a tree. The stranger is wearing clothes that he has never seen before...completely black clothes. What is he doing? Is he a thief? The man is holding something, but he couldn't see it from this distance. While he was squinting his eyes, the man suddenly looked this way. A gasp escaped his lips. He instantly hid back behind the tree. He didn't see him right?

After a while, he decided to take a peek again, but this time, his grandma was at the door talking to the man. Konoe reckoned that the man probably posed no danger then. Hence, he came out from his hiding place and ran to his grandma.

"Grandma!" He called out. His grandma saw him, waved back, but she didn't return the smile. Instead, she looked sad.

As he got closer, he could see a fully packed luggage behind his grandma. Something's wrong.

"Grandma, are you going somewhere?" Konoe asked, eyeing the luggage curiously.

The older cat immediately broke into tears when she heard his question. She crouched and got down to Konoe's level and pulled him into a weak embrace.

"Listen sweetheart...there is no other choice. Grandma really wants you to stay, but there is no other choice..."

"Grandma, what do you mean?"

"Everything is going to be okay...it'll be okay. It's only a few years."

"Grandma?"

"It's going to go by so fast...it's just a few years. You'll see...Grandma is going to pick you up when the time comes."

What...

"It's just a few years..."

Is she saying?

"Ah-"

It hurts.

When he turned his palm around, there were blisters everywhere. He never knew blisters formed so quickly. It was just one night. He gently poked his palm. He flinched, it really hurts. Both hands hurt. But it doesn't matter because one day his grandma is going to take him home, and he would be fine. It's just a few years after all...a few years...everything is going to be fine.

But, he really isn't OK.

It was sad. Everything is unfamiliar. He was utterly confused. 'Where am I' he thought. Why was brought here? He doesn't know.

Then, he found out that he was actually sold as a servant for ten years of labor in exchange for a sum of money. It was quite laughable. Ten years is a long period of time, he'll be 18 by the time he is finished. By then, would his grandma still remember his face? Would things still stay the same at home? At one point, he hated his grandma for lying to him. He hated her! Soon, he wasn't holding just a "few years" as close to his heart as he used to.

The back-breaking work soon became the norm, and everything was fine. When he finally calmed down to really think about it — he figured...maybe his grandma had other reasons. Perhaps, his family acquired a debt, but he is not sure how the debt came about.

Konoe flapped and aired the linen, trying to get rid of the remaining liquid as best as he could before he took the freshly washed linen over to the drying rack.

One basket down. Four more to go.

He placed the washing board on the ground and was about to head over to pour the dirty water next to the well when someone called him out. It was Lia.

"What's the matter?" He ran up to her and wiped his hands on the back of his pants.

"Come with me."

"But I'm still doing laundry."

"Someone else will cover you. You currently have more urgent matters to attend."

Konoe furrowed his brows. What? What is more urgent than cleaning clothes and linens? But he couldn't bring himself to question Lia, so he just followed her without a word.

Wait. Is he in trouble? What did he do? He began to fret, and he bit his lips anxiously. Crap. Maybe he forgot to take out the trash in his master's room? That's...bad. Last time he did that, Joana took away his meal and that was straight up hell. Why can't he just properly throw away that damn trash!

As Lia led him, he slowly realizes that he was wrong. Instead of going to the servants' quarters, they are heading to the west quad, which is where all the guest rooms are located. Perhaps he will be assigned to customer care? But he is bad with customer service. Plus, Lia isn't the head maid, she is master's personal maid. So he is probably wrong.

He thought that he'll know the answer once he gets there, but he was mistaken. Instead, he was more confused. A large table filled with all kinds of food imaginable sat in front of him. Chicken, fish, fruits, you name it — it's there! It's the first time that he saw so many foods placed together. Not even the guests get such a lavish meal. That's when it came to him that he might be made a personal servant of some wealthy guest during the stay. What kind of rich bastar-

"This meal is for you."

Wait...what? Konoe stared at Lia like she has ten heads before finally proposing a question.

"Why?"

"The master ordered me to prepare this meal for you. And," she holds out a spotless, wealthy-looking outfit, "Please change into this after you have taken a bath."

"Oh...okay," Konoe was stunned. What is going on? Why is he being treated like a son of some wealthy bastard?

"I will accompany you during these events. Please ask if you have any concerns."

So...is he not in trouble? Judging by the events that were happening in front of him, it is probably not the case. He stared at the outfit in his hands. This is really suspicious. Is this a joke? He eyed Lia carefully while taking a seat in front of him.

Perhaps he is going to meet someone later? That's why he has to dress so nicely, right? And then some a foreign idea plunged into his mind, and his eyebrows shot up. Maybe...it's just a "maybe" though. Maybe his master is bringing him out to the city. He has heard about it before. Where servants are given an errand outside of this house. Is he assigned work?

With all those thinking, Konoe ended up not eating too much of the lavish food sitting right below his nose. He was too worried. Yet, at the same time, hopeful.

After he was done with his meal, he went to the showers, took a bath, and changed into the clothes that Lia handed to him. When he got out of the bath, Lia curtly told him to follow her and they turned into a dark corridor through the library.

As they walked down the dimly lit hallway, the clattering sounds and footsteps of the other servants disappeared, and all that was left were their own footsteps. It became strangely quiet and it felt weird. He felt out of place...like he doesn't belong here. After all, they (the servants) were specifically told not to enter their master's study room and bedroom. It was crystal clear, and no one bats an eye to those two rooms.

And he just couldn't shake away this feeling of unease. It was making him a bit nervous and worried. What's happening?

"Lia," he finally managed to ask after beating himself to it.

"Yes?" She looked back.

His mouth gaped, and he was ready to ask a question. But the moment he tried to say something, his mouth immediately dried up. So at the end, he just shut his mouth and stared at his feet.

Lia turned back to the front as well and acted as if nothing happened.

Suddenly, there was a faint sound. Konoe's ears steered towards the sound to get a better hearing. Murmurings? It seems like there are people talking. When he looked up, he noticed that he is fairly close to the study room. And as expected, once Lia reached the front of the door, she stopped and knocked softly with her knuckles.

"Who is it?" A voice responded.

"It's Lia," she spoke in a firm tone quite different from the earlier tone that she used to speak with Konoe.

"Come in."

Lia complied soon after and opened the door. The immediate light shift initially blinded Konoe, but it was only for a moment. His eyes gradually adjusted after that.

He saw his master and...another man. The stranger wore an awfully blinding red outfit, which does Konoe no good as his eyes have just adjusted. The man also has a pretty large belly, and the way that his head is significantly smaller than his body reminds Konoe of a fat rooster. He assumes the stranger to be his master's guest, but the smirk on the man's face makes him feel a bit uneasy.

"I have escorted him over," Lia spoke with her head down.

"Good," his master responded in a light tone. Then, with a wave of his hand, his master sent Lia out of the room.

Konoe's eyes followed Lia desperately as she made a polite bow. At that moment, it suddenly came to him that Lia wouldn't be there with him in this unfamiliar environment. He doesn't want that. He looked and looked and stared and hoped that Lia would turn around, but Lia walked straight out of the room, and the door clicked softly behind him.

He swallowed nervously.

He felt very much like a rat caught in an open field with no holes to crawl in. Everything is open wide. He couldn't stop picking his fingers. And certainly, he couldn't meet the two men in the eye. Thus, he began a staring contest between him and his shoes.

"Well, you've got something great here," the voice startled him.

"I suppose. If that's what you think," his master chuckled.

What are they talking about? His eyes darted up but quickly lowered down without really capturing a clear picture.

"What's your name?" The guest asked in a soft, gentle voice that sickens him.

"Konoe," he replied, nearly inaudible.

"Hmm..." The guest leaned back against the chair and stroked his small beard with his hand.

"What a plain name...I personally prefer something exotic, something more intoxicating...like a flower."

Konoe didn't know what to say. He only found something odd with this man.

"How old are you?" The question was suddenly brought up and Konoe felt even more uncomfortable.

"Thirteen," Konoe replied without looking straight in front of him. He gripped his arms, tight. Why is the man asking him these types of question?

It's like...

"Great," the man said swiftly with a hint of laughter in his voice.

"Well, what do you think?"

"Pretty good. Better than I have expected. But it's still too soon to say so."

It's like they are picking out the best livestock...

"Strip."

Huh? Konoe's head sprung up, eyes wide open in shock. Did he hear it right? His eyes darted to his master, as though he is searching for some disapproval. A command. But his master just stared back with no emotion, as though he is waiting for Konoe to carry out the request the stranger asked of him.

He bit his lips anxiously. His hands are shaking. With slow movements, he began undoing the sash that wrapped around his waist. But his fingers slipped, they are quivering too much. He can't even grasp properly anymore. 'Calm down,' he told himself. After the knot finally came undone, he lifted his arms and pulled the tunic off. Cool air immediately touched his body and he shivered.

"Your pants too," the man pointed out.

All naked? He clutched his pants tightly and his palms were sweating really badly. "Go on!" the man complained after a long pause. Konoe jolted in surprise towards the harsh sound and quickly removed his pants.

The guest ran his chubby fingers over his short beard and displayed quite the troubled expression.

"Hmm...a bit scrawny I would say, but he'll definitely hit off."

His master hummed in response and picked up his cup for another sip.

The guest twirled his fingers, signaling for Konoe to turn around, so Konoe faced his back towards them.

"Good, no scars," the man added.

Suddenly, the chair shrieked and Konoe's tail puffed up in response. He looked over his shoulder to find the guest walking steadily towards him.

"Open your mouth."

What?

"Open your mouth," the man repeated again, as though he believed Konoe didn't catch it the first time.

Why? Konoe parted his lips, confused at what the guest wants.

"Come on, wider," the man grabbed his face roughly and forcefully shoved his fingers into Konoe's mouth.

Konoe immediately choked to the unexpected intrusion. A taste so horrible that made his toes curl entered his mouth, and it instantly made Konoe felt like throwing up.

"Hmm, hmm, the teeth are fine," he could hear the man mutter under his breath.

The fingers left his mouth, but the bad taste still lingered.

"Perfect."

"That'll be great."

"I will pay you handsomely don't worry."

His master laughed confidently, "I never mentioned that I was worried."

They shook hands.

Something clicked in his head. Suddenly he knew what this is. He is being sold, but...he is not a slave. He is a servant.

"Well then, I'll leave tomorrow morning. Everything would be ready by then, right?"

"Of course."

"Great," the guest took his coat that was resting on the chair and left the room.

The room suddenly turned stock silent.

No. No...This isn't happening. This isn't-

"What are you doing? Put your clothes on."

"Lia," his master called.

Right after the call, Lia entered the room.

"Yes, master?" She bowed.

"Take him back to his room to gather his belongings and then take him to one of the closer guest rooms for easy departure."

"Yes, master," Lia bowed again.

His eyes burned. His vision is getting clouded. He tried to say something, but a lump formed in his throat. He swallowed. It's still there.

"W-wait...master..."

The larger cat gazed down at him with cold eyes. It was painfully obvious that this man does not give a damn about what Konoe was about to say.

"I-I am a servant," he announced. But the moment he met his master's eyes, all of his confidence vanished, causing him to look away shamefully.

"So? What of that?"

He forced himself to looked up.

"I am certain that I was brought here to serve you for ten years. I am free after that. I am not a slave," he finished and was a bit proud that he was able to carry out his speech smoothly.

His master looked at him with the same expression, no expression.

"Well then, from now on you are a slave."

He couldn't believe what this man just said. He could feel the heat rising up his face.

"B-but, I have a document-"

"Then that document is no more."

Konoe bit his lips. He suddenly realizes how powerless he really is. Before this man, he is powerless. Before his grandma, he is powerless. What is he? A convenient walking bag of cash? He has never made a choice on his own. It's so frustrating. He's so pathetic.

"Lia."

Something tapped his shoulders lightly.

.-..-. .-..-..-..-..-..-. .-..-..-..-.

Author's notes 1: I apologize for the confusing "guest" term. The majority of the uses refers to the fat man (which is someone who the master personally invited, not a customer.) If you haven't noticed Konoe is working in an inn/hotel.

Author's notes 2: I thought the following scene is pretty funny, but I didn't include it because Konoe here is too OOC.

Isn't this like that? That story where a farmer fattens up his turkey. And all along, his turkey thought the farmer is finally turning over a new leaf when in reality, the farmer is just fatting him up for a meal. It's that story, right! Oh jeezes! He is not being sold to some cat-eating rich folks, is he? He heard it somewhere. Wealthy landowners, love to purchase young, fruitful kittens for dinner. It's a delicacy. He's screwed...Isn't he.

"Lia..."

"Yes?"

"I need to poop."

"Alright, let me escort you to the public restroom."

"No, Lia. It's really nasty. My stomach hurts really bad. I'm sure you don't want to be perfumed by my shit smell. So just stay here."

"...no. Konoe, I must stay with you the whole time. If I must stand by the toilets then I must."

Damn it...that's not going to work.