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Copyrighting not intended
Sitting quietly in the dark, Konoka pulled the covers around herself tightly. She had woken up from a terrible nightmare and hadn't been able to fall back asleep. Since then she had been contemplating her situation, sorting out facts in her mind. She had been bought by a girl who seemed terribly nice, and from her past, most would think that it was a step up, but it wasn't. In fact, Konoka felt even more confused and fearful at her current household.
'I can trust her...can't I' Konoka thought, squeezing her eyes shut.
Setsuna's face formed in her mind, the dark hair framing the bright eyes filled with concern. Shaking the image away, Konoka went back to her thoughts. Everything around her seemed to suggest that Setsuna was telling the truth, but a part of Konoka remained suspicious, perceiving every little thing as a potential threat. It was that little voice in her head that told her otherwise, trying to convince her that everything was an act, and Konoka found herself believing it more and more as time passed
She let out a shaky sigh, wiping the cold sweat off her brow. Konoka barely remembered what happened during her breakdown, the memories overwritten by the harsh images from her flashback and the lingering fear. However, she did remember feeling something different, like a weight had been momentarily lifted off her chest just before she awoke in her bed. Konoka sighed, rubbing her arms, trying to remember that feeling. Maybe things aren't all what they seem. Finally, Konoka slipped off the bed, gasping slightly as she felt the cold marble beneath her feet. Grabbing the soft robe draped over the chair, Konoka slipped it over her shoulders, trying to smooth out the wrinkles in her outfit the best she could.
Quietly, she pulled opened the door, squinting as her eyes adjusted to the bright light once more. When she could finally see, Konoka left the room, quietly moving down the corridor. She had no idea where she was headed too, but her body just moved. She found herself back in the dining room, the sunlight just breaking through the clouds. Konoka let her finger trail over the windowsill, gazing out the window. There was the outline of the mountains in the distance, obscured by a light grey fog, bright green hills settled between the house and the mountains. It was so serene, so peaceful.
"K..Konoka-san?"
Jumping, Konoka whirled around, hand pressed on her heart, spotting Yue walking in, a book clutched in her hands
"Sorry. I didn't mean to scare you." Yue enquired, inching closer hesitantly "What are you doing up so early?"
Konoka shrugged, keeping her back pressed against the windowsill, watching Yue make her way to the table, the short girl almost heaving a sigh as she set the book down on the table.
"You mind if I sit here?" Yue asked quietly. When she saw Konoka shrug once more, she sat down, gingerly opening the book.
Konoka watched curiously as Yue slipped through the yellowed pages, dust flying with each movement she made.
"Would you like to join me?" Yue looked up from the book, feeling Konoka's watchful gaze
"I don't know how to read" Konoka turned red with embarrassment, wrapping the robe tighter around her body.
"I could teach you if you like." Yue offered, a smile gracing her features
"Really?" Konoka didn't want to sound too excited, but it was a chance to catch up on something she had been missing out on. She took a quick glance at the book Yue was holding and shuddered "No..No books." she added quickly
"Right. No books." Yue nodded, closing the thick book on the table. She remembered what happened yesterday, and she was not willing to see a repeat event. "Give me a minute."
Yue slipped out of the dining room, returning shortly with a stack of cards in hand. "Flashcards" She showed them to Konoka. "No books."
"No books." Konoka repeated to herself as she moved slowly towards the table.
By the time she sat down, Yue had already spread a decent amount of cards on the table, each one having a different word on it. "I'm not sure how much you know, so let's start by taking out words you know."
Konoka scanned the cards on the table. She reached for the first card, Come. Then the next card, Car. Konoka stared hesitantly at the cards, picking them out slowly, contemplating if she knew the words. She stared at the handful of cards that she had picked out, not much. Shyly, she handed them to Yue, who looked at them with a contemplative eye.
"We have a lot to work on." She commented, flipping through the cards, which were mostly one or two syllable words. "You remember your alphabets and phonetics?" When Konoka nodded slightly, Yue picked a card off the table. "Try to read that."
Staring at the card, Konoka tried to recall her alphabets "S.. Sii P..Peee Ooo Ne? Sipeoone?"
"Close. Try changing the p to a pu sound"
"Sipuoone" Konoka reread the card, then it clicked "Spoon!"
"That's right!" Yue smiled, flipping the card over to reveal the correct pronunciation, meaning and an image of the object. She set the card in a separate pile, and picked out another one "Here, try this."
"Ke..ha...ah...iii..re" Konoka slowly translated each alphabet to it respective phonetical sound, trying to find a match to a word she had heard before
"Right here," Yue pointed to the front of the word "It's spelt C H. when read together, they produce a TCH sound."
"Tch?" Konoka fumbled with the new sound, testing it out on her tongue "Tch..Tch Tch..ah...ii...re. Chair?"
She beamed when Yue nodded again, excitedly placing the card into the learned pile. They continued like this for a while, and soon Konoka found herself eagerly looking forward to the next card, her pile growing with each new word, as did her confidence with Yue.
"No No not Cha-oohs" Yue giggled madly "Kay-os. Chaos. Its pronounced Kay-os"
"But its spelt Cha-oohs" Konoka pointed out. "Who came out with such a weird pronunciation anyway"
"I was wondering what all the giggling was about"
"Mana-san!" Yue greeted the tall stranger "Gomen, were we being too noisy?"
Konoka fell silent, suspiciously eyeing the new stranger. Her skin was a tanned brown, long dark hair falling past her shoulders down to her lower back. She was dressed in a simple dark undershirt with a army green jacket thrown over. She sported a pair of dark jean shorts and knee high boots. She had two pistol holders, one attached to each hip, as well as a large sniper rifle strapped to her back. Needless to say, she was more than intimidating.
"No." she responded quietly, not as all what Konoka expected from the soldier "I was just making sure nothing is wrong."
"Ah. Mana-san, this is Konoe Konoka." Yue stood up, introducing the girl next to her "Konoka, that's Tatsumiya Mana-san. She's head of security along side Kaede-san."
Mana bowed curtly "I need to return to my patrols. If anything seems odd please let me know."
"Okay!" Yue nodded brightly, waving to Mana as she left the room. "Don't worry. Mana-san looks scary because she needs to protect us. She's actually really nice." Yue added when she saw that Konoka was staring at the floor quietly. "Shall we continue."
Konoka shook her head. Mana's appearance had scared the excitement out of her. Now, the fear and uncertainty had settled back in. Yue frowned lightly, but knew when to back off. "Hungry?"
Shifting slightly, Konoka nodded, not making eye contact. Yue patted her on the shoulder "I'll be back in a while with something."
Konoka eyed the stack of cards on the table, slowly lifting her hand and dragging it off the table. She dipped her head slightly as she reread the words she had picked up, her mouth turning down slightly as she forgot how to read them. She blinked slowly as she read each word, as though she was taking pictures with each blink. She looked up when Yue walked back in with a sandwich in hand, a cup of thick brownish liquid in the other.
"Here. It's simple, but it'll do." Yue left, returning with her own set, settling herself down and munching on her food.
Eyeing the sandwich carefully, Konoka peeled off the top layer of bread, coming face to face with a stack on mish-mashed ingredients. She spotted lettuce, a pinkish slab and cheese. She stared at the pink mash quietly, her head tilting slightly in an attempt to decipher what it was.
"Ham and cheese." Yue swallowed the food in her mouth to answer "It's edible. See?" She peeled back the top layer of her own piece, revealing the same ingredients.
Reassured, Konoka lifted the items and took a hesitant bite. It wasn't as bad as she had imagined, the ham providing a salty hint to the otherwise plain bread. She ate quietly, but her eyes kept darting to the suspicious mud-coloured liquid in the cup.
"Hot chocolate." Yue explained, spotting Konoka's odd behavior "It's real good. It's sweet."
Not wanting Yue to feel bad, Konoka pulled the cup closer to her, but did not attempt to drink it, yet. She finished her sandwich, then continued to stare at the cup, as though trying to convince herself to try it. Finally, much to Yue's delight, Konoka lifted the cup to her lips and took a small sip. She pulled back quickly, staring at cup once more, this time her eyes curious. Konoka took a another sip, more daring this time, and Yue couldn't stop herself from smiling when a bright smile formed itself on Konoka's face.
"Told you it was good!" Yue laughed "You've never had it before?"
Konoka shook her head, eagerly taking another mouthful of the sweet concoction. The clock chose to chime at that moment, catching the attention of the bookworm. Taking a hurried glance at the clock, Yue nearly knocked her cup over in an attempt to leave.
"Sorry!" Yue apologized quickly, yelling as she ran out the door "I need to finish up a report for Setsuna-sama before she leaves. When you're done just bring them to the kitchen!"
Konoka barely had time to wave before Yue disappeared round the corner. She turned her gazed back to the table, still covered in various flashcards. Konoka looked around, and quickly drained her cup, standing up to gather the cards together, setting them into a nice pile. She hesitated for a moment, contemplating. Reaching out to grab the stack, Konoka slipped them into her dress pocket before making her way quietly to the kitchen. Only, she had no idea where the kitchen was.
Quickly, the brown haired girl thought back to Yue. She had barely taken any time when she got the sandwiches, meaning the kitchen was fairly close. Konoka started to peek into the rooms near the dining room, finally finding the kitchen a couple of doors down. She slipped into the kitchen quietly, taking time to admire the large pristine kitchen.
It was empty, something Konoka was thankful for. She left the plate and the cup near the sink, doubling back to wash them thoroughly, spending time to find their proper storage locations. She had never needed to wash dishes, but felt the need to keep everything neat and tidy. She left the kitchen, wandering down the corridors, pulling out the cards to read as she did.
This became a routine over the next few days. Konoka would wake from an exceptionally bad nightmare, and she would make her way to the dining area where Yue would find her, occasionally joined by Nodoka. They would eat breakfast together before they went through the flashcards. In a few days, Konoka had picked up an astonishing amount of words. She had also began to enjoy the company of the two girls, no longer feeling wary of them, becoming much more confident and open in the mornings while they were together.
While it took her a while, Konoka had gotten used to seeing Mana patrolling around, the taller girl acknowledging her presence with a curt nod before continuing on her way. Mana was like a silent protector, and though Konoka was cautious at first, she soon relaxed, no longer tensing up when Mana showed up. Curiously, she had not seen Setsuna for the past couple days. Normally, new slaves are watched by their masters the first few days to make sure they keep in line. However, since being carried back to her room on the first day, Konoka had not even caught a glimpse of the young master.
"Konoka." Yue's voice shook her from her thoughts "You okay?"
"Yeah.. Just thinking." Konoka replied quietly, bring her gaze back to the cards on the table.
"Well, let's move on -"
"Yue. Nodoka." Mana's voice cut in sharply, startling the trio "Get ready the kit. Setsuna-sama will arrive at any moment."
Eyes wide, Yue and Nodoka nodded quickly, the two clearly rattled. "Konoka, sorry. We'll have to cut this short. Nodoka, take Konoka with you. I'll clear up and join you guys later."
Nodoka nodded, silently gesturing for Konoka to follow her. Not asking questions, Konoka just followed. They hurried down a flight of steps after winding through the corridors, ending up in a place that looked like a storage room.
"Hold this please." Nodoka pushed a box like object into Konoka's arms as she continued to pull out items.
"First aid kit?" Konoka recognized the iconic white cross emblazoned on the front of the faded red box, curiously filling her features "What do we need this for? Is Setsuna-sama hurt?"
Nodoka stopped rummaging, turning back to face Konoka nervously "Probably. Mana never tells us to get the kit if Setsuna-sama isn't hurt."
"Does this happen often?" Konoka pressed on, watching Nodoka double check the items in the box she held "It looks like Yue-san and you both know what to do."
"It happens more often than we'd like" Nodoka answered truthfully, stuffing a clean cloth into the bag, tossing out the old one. She shook the glass bottle she fished out, turning back to the shelves to grab a new one "It's usually not that bad, but sometimes things get a little out of hand." Nodoka whispered out the last part.
Closing the box, Nodoka grabbed it from Konoka and the two left the room. Nodoka brought Konoka to the front door, setting the box down on the table in the lounge near the entrance. She stood around fidgeting slightly, returning to the bag to count its contents. The sounds of a vehicle pulling up reached their ears, the door unlocking. Yue walked in, a grim look on her face.
"Yue-chan?" Nodoka asked hesitantly, not like the expression Yue sported.
Saying nothing, Yue pulled out a smaller box from the kit. Nodoka gasped, clearly knowing its contents. Konoka never had the time to see the inside of the tiny box, the sight of Setsuna walking in catching her attention.
"Setsuna-sama!" Nodoka moved over quickly, guiding her to the couch where she sat down "You're bleeding!"
Setsuna grimaced as Nodoka pressed a cloth to her split lip, wiping the blood away as she removed the mask sitting on Setsuna's face. Yue busied herself with unwrapping the bloody bandage around Setsuna's left forearm, her face twisting into a pained wince as she laid eyes on the wound.
"Konoka, could you pass me that box?" Yue pointed to the box she had just pulled out, carefully cleaning the blood away from the wound. "And a cloth and a the bottle of alcohol from the kit"
"Hold her arm would you?" Yue passed Setsuna's arm to Konoka once she had the items she needed
Gently, Konoka held the wounded limb, being careful not to touch the laceration. It was long and deep, splitting the flesh from elbow to wrist. Konoka nearly blanched when Yue turned back, a sharp needle and thread in hand.
"You're just going to do it?" Konoka squeaked, looking uneasily at the needle "What about that numbing drug thing" Konoka didn't remember the complicated sounding name, but she knew what it was supposed to do.
"Setsuna-sama doesn't like anesthetic." Yue shook her head, stealing a quick glance at Setsuna, who was leaning against the back of the couch, eyes closed tight.
"But.." Konoka panicked slightly, watching as Yue cleaned the wound with alcohol, Setsuna flinching from the sting of the cloth
"Don't move." Yue hissed.
Konoka couldn't tell if Yue was talking to her or Setsuna, but she held on tighter anyway. Setsuna seemed to be doing a good job of tolerating the pain, her jaw tightening as Yue pierced the skin with her needle. Konoka turned away, not wanting to watch Yue at work. She focused her eyes on Setsuna instead, sweat gathering on her brow as Yue stitched her up.
It must hurt. Konoka had never gotten stitches, but anything sharp was painful, she knew that from personal experience. Setsuna's arm twitched involuntarily each time the needle pierced the skin, and Konoka felt it tremble in her grip. She heard Setsuna suck in a painful breath as Yue hit a particularly tender spot. Konoka began to rub slow circles with her thumb, absentmindedly. She realized that Setsuna's hands were soft, but held rough scars in various places. Some felt particularly bad, like they had not been given the chance to heal properly,odd for a girl of Setsuna's standing.
Setsuna let out a shaky sigh as Yue tied the final knot, wiping it down once more before wrapping it tightly in a fresh bandage. As Nodoka and Yue packed up, Konoka sat right there next to Setsuna, wiping off the sweat that had formed.
"I'm bringing her to her room." Kaede spoke suddenly from her spot, walking over briskly.
She lifted Setsuna effortlessly, Setsuna's head leaning against her chest as she strode out, never looking back. Konoka stared after them, twisting the cloth in her hands.
"Don't blame Kaede too much." Yue sighed, resting a hand on Konoka's shoulder "She's been with Setsuna-sama the longest, so she's extremely protective of her."
Konoka nodded, turning back to help Yue and Nodoka pack up. "Is Setsuna-sama going to be okay?"
"Yeah." Yue nodded with a smile, wiping off the remaining blood on her hands with a cloth "She's not human. A wound like that wouldn't keep her down too long."
Setsuna was not human. Konoka had forgotten that fact. Even though she looked human, the only beings that garnered respect on this side of the world were those with power, those who were demons. Demons were creatures of pride, and they refuse to bow down to humans, instead relishing in making humans submit to their whims, thus the high demand for human slaves.
Konoka remembered the aura Setsuna had projected in the market, every demon scampered away from her, her being oozing power and respect.
"Don't worry." Yue repeated "Drop by her room if you're worried. You'll see that she's just fine."
Biting her lips, Konoka shook her head "I... I better not disturb her."
"Disturb her? You know what. You should totally visit her." Yue snorted, pushing Konoka out of the lounge "Maybe you can get her to sit still and rest. Go. Her room is just down that way. You can't miss it."
Before Konoka could say anything more, Yue and Nodoka left for the storage room, leaving her standing alone in the hall way. With nothing else to do, Konoka slowly made her way to Setsuna's room. She rapped her knuckles softly on the door, standing outside nervously. When no one replied, Konoka pushed open the door slightly, looking in. The room was dark, and the sheets tousled, but there was no sign of Setsuna anywhere. Konoka backed out, closing the door, continuing down the corridor.
"Setsuna, you need to rest!" a low voice echoed, its origins from a room two doors down, light spilling out from the gap
"I'm fine Kaede. Leave me be." Setsuna's familiar voice replied, a hint of annoyance in her tone.
"You got pretty torn up back there. This is no time to be working!"
Konoka peeked around the large door, spotting Setsuna by a desk, folder in her hand as she argued with Kaede.
"I'm standing on my own two feet aren't I?" Setsuna snapped, tossing the folder onto the desk "I'm doing just fine. Its just a flesh wound."
"Flesh wound?" Kaede retorted, "Like the other fleshwounds you got the last trip?" the sarcasm oozed from her words, and Konoka was amazed at how Kaede was speaking to Setsuna like they were equals.
"That had nothing to do with this!" Setsuna frowned "Drop it and leave me be."
"Setsuna!" Kaede spotted Konoka outside, stopping mid sentence. Setsuna followed her gaze, surprised to see Konoka outside her study. With a click of her tongue, Kaede disappeared, but not before shooting Konoka a harsh glare.
"Konoka. What are you doing here?" Setsuna sighed, dropping into her leather seat, rubbing her temples
"I'm sorry." Konoka whispered, inching into the room "I didn't mean to eavesdrop on your conversation."
"We're just... having a disagreement" Setsuna sighed once more, shaking her head.
"Shouldn't you be resting?" Konoka spoke quietly
Dark eyes hardened, but quickly softened as their owner remembered she wasn't talking to Kaede anymore. "I'm okay. You all should stop worrying about me. I heal quickly."
Silence fell over the room as Konoka had no idea what to say. She fidgeted with the hem of her dress, eyes cast on the floor
"Did Yue send you here to make sure I don't work?" Setsuna raised an eyebrow, watching as Konoka tensed slightly "Because if that true, its working pretty well."
"I'm sorry."
"Please stop apologizing. You have nothing to apologize for." Setsuna stood up from her chair. "I know she's worried. They're all worried." With one last sigh, she moved out from behind her desk "Let's go."
"Go?" Konoka squeaked "Where?"
"I don't know. Setsuna shrugged "I can't exactly work with you standing here staring at me, so I'm going to rest."
"I'm sorry."
"We'll need to work on that." Setsuna walked past Konoka towards the doors of the study "That whole 'I'm sorry' deal. From now on, no more apologizing unless there's a reason to, okay?"
"I'm sor... Okay" Konoka caught herself at the last moment
Setsuna gave a coy smile "That's better. You should get some rest too. You look exhausted."
Konoka nodded, pressing her lips together, not wanting to tell Setsuna about her nightmares.
"If it helps, come look for me, anytime." Setsuna turned back to face Konoka, her eyes twinkling with concern "We all get them. Sometimes it helps to be near someone else. Talk to someone. It might not seem like it would help, but it does."
Konoka didn't know why, but for the first time, she caught sight of the first few pieces of her life falling back into place.
