[AU] This is a story, or at least snippets, of the daily life of Higurashi Kagome, a newly hired maid in London, and her interactions with the son of her employer, Inuyasha. And here she thought her job would be boring…
Disclaimer: The characters of Inuyasha are the property of Takahashi Rumiko. So get rid of those lawsuits… Shoo!
Maid in London
Chapter One: Surname first
It was because she was Japanese.
Higurashi Kagome paused. Or, rather, Kagome Higurashi. Her pen hovered over the application form as she realized she was writing her name in Japanese. And she wrote her surname before her forename. She pursed her lips. It was a habit. She left the Kanji as it was and wrote her name, slowly, in English.
She could almost feel the eyes of the receptionist on her back as she left the corporate building, some twenty minutes later.
It was because she knew Japanese, to be more precise.
She was applying to be the new maid in the Manor of Dogs. Well, it wasn't really called the Manor of Dogs, but that's what the tabloids called it. Yes, they were dog demons, but it was something about the entire family's character; the Lord's firm loyalty to his political party, his sons' behaviors out in society, and the men's inability to stay with one woman for long…
Not that she read the tabloids much.
Kagome waited for the light to change. She watched a Japanese man in a business suit on the other side of the street hail down a taxi. The black London taxicab stopped, and she heard the businessman say "the Waterloo railway station" with a heavy accent. A tinge of homesickness, but she was used to that by now.
Sure, she missed her friends, her home, the shrine, the cat, and her air conditioned bedroom…yet this was her life.
This was her choice.
…
They needed someone who was fluent in Japanese. She was younger than they had in mind, but apparently there weren't very many qualified candidates.
The Manor was close to her boiling flat. That was good—she had no plans of living in the servants' quarters. She wouldn't have to spend any money for a cab. She was short on pounds.
Kagome looked at the large, towering gates in confusion. When she had gotten the call to arrive half past nine at the front gate, she had assumed she would arrive to be redirected to a backdoor. Or at least one of the side gates…but there was no one. And she was beginning to feel self-conscious.
She was standing in front of a ritzy neighborhood…scratch that, this wasn't a neighborhood. Each house she passed had a front lawn as large as Ueno Park. Then again, this was to be expected from someone the Japanese media dubbed the Inu no Taisho.
A high profiled politician, Lord something or other, had caused a "great and sensational national scandal" some eighteen years ago when he left his first wife to marry a Japanese woman, a woman who happened to be related and still quite close to the current Emperor of Japan. When he visited Japan three years ago he made a splash in the Japanese entertainment industry by appearing in a cameo role in an award-winning movie (the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film). This generated a number of rumors, as well as a long list of money-hungry females claiming he had approached them for a romp in the sack, so to speak. His devoted second wife, to this day, never commented on the allegations.
Kagome sighed and examined at the scrap of paper in her hand. She then checked her watch. It was exactly half past nine. Maybe she ought to go to the back, though that seemed like an awfully long walk, and so early in the morning to boot…
She was midway through her mental list of excuses when a sleek black car slowly drove up the street. She heard the 'clink' of the gate behind her and she realized the car was approaching the gate. She gulped and quickly stepped away from the gate, suddenly grateful that she had decided to wear her best business casual outfit.
Maybe it's Lord…umm…Inu…
She discreetly watched from the corner of her eyes as the limo halted in front of the gates. She expected the car to slowly disappear past the gates—not for one of the tinted windows to roll down. Kagome quickly looked away, afraid she had been caught staring, and considered walking away before they set the guard dogs on her—
"What's your name?"
Kagome's jaw dropped and made a rather hysterical face before she composed herself and turned around to reply. The window was halfway down, revealing only the top half of the passenger's face. She looked into the amber eyes of a dog-eared man and she momentarily forgot why she was there. "I'm sorry, I'm waiting for someone…" her voice was barely above a whisper by the end of her meek response.
His dog ears tweaked. "That wasn't my question. What's your name?" He repeated. Thankfully, he didn't sound annoyed.
Kagome cast her eyes down. She felt like a child caught telling a lie. "Higurashi Kagome." Oops. There she went again, announcing her surname first.
She thought she heard a grunt before the limo door opened. "Get in."
That didn't seem like a wise idea. "I could just walk." To where, she had no idea.
Finally, the man's entire face came into view. The dog-eared man said, "Get in," very slowly, a shadow of an amused smirk gracing his lips.
She complied. Such a pushover, she berated herself as she sat in the limo. Across her sat the dog-eared man, currently reading something on his blackberry. She closed her eyes, feeling the effects of going to sleep so late. She had become something of a night owl ever since arriving in London.
Night owl. Something clicked in her head and her eyes snapped open.
Inuyasha.
The younger half-Japanese son well known for his regular visits to the local night clubs.
The car stopped and the chauffer opened the limo door. Inuyasha got out and gestured for Kagome to follow. She was met by an elderly Japanese woman.
"What a surprise," the old woman spoke, her words leaving her throat obviously sore. "Ye haven been unusually polite to escort her this morning."
"My mom would hate it if you collapsed on the front lawn, Kaede." With that Inuyasha left for the front door, but not without turning to glance at Kagome one last time.
"—do ye like it here?" Kagome caught the last five words of what Kaede said. Kagome wasn't sure if she was referring to the UK or the Manor.
Kagome also didn't realize there was a small smile on her face. "I love it," she lied.
Except, it didn't feel like a complete lie. At least, not right now.
…
AN: I am the author. I command you to review! (Whisper, rustle, mumble) What? It doesn't work like that?