Thanks Carly for Beating!
Yakumo wonders if he was really asleep. It wouldn't surprise her if he wasn't. Because he seems to sense everything that makes her afraid, or on edge. He is truly a sadist where humans are concerned.
Even to the last one.
The one he shares his bed with.
Of course, it is a different type of sadism altogether. Sex is a powerful thing. Used to bring people to the heights of pleasure down to the worst of traumas. Yakumo can't explain what it is like, sleeping with him. On the surface he seems almost as though he is a considerate lover. He kisses, caresses, and holds her. He is never rough enough to cause her pain.
Even during that night in her father's lab.
The thought of her father begins to make tears prickle in her eyes. That is where the torture is: not in physical pain, but the inward torment that she is being pleasured by a creature that had the blood of her people on his hands. Including her own father.
The last human stares out the window, until the sky becomes a light purple, as her thoughts torment her. The sunrise was something she had dreamed of seeing for the last five years. The darkness had become almost a prison to her. But now she feels as though she was a fool for thinking that way.
She now realizes the darkness shielded her from the real darkness that existed in the world of the light. The darkness that is resting beside her right now.
Carefully, she gets up off the bed. All too aware of her nudity, she carefully makes her way to her wardrobe, as silent as she can. She knows it is foolish because he is likely awake, or wouldn't care about getting up this early.
A king must rise early for his duties after all. He wouldn't want to miss a moment of the world trembling before him.
Quietly, she opens her wardrobe to reveal a well-worn gray dress and soot-stained, formerly white, aprons. Carefully she changes into her scullery maid uniform, and secures the apron tie around her waist. Then she places the maid cap on, and ties it.
The uniform is devoid of any sexuality, not that Yakumo is complaining. But she does note it is not what one would expect for one who is technically a concubine to wear. It was already gray, but was furthered darkened by the soot, such stains never able to come out. Its length is right above her ankles, the sleeves are to her wrists, and the collar is just below her neck. The only thing that gives the thing any sort of shape is the apron.
Definitely not what one would expect of a concubine.
But no one would also expect a concubine of also serving as a scullery maid during the day. Fastening her shoes, her look is finally complete.
It is just in time for the sun is rising. Yakumo eyes on instinct squint. Being underground for five years in almost total darkness has nearly ruined her eyes for pure sunlight. In a way it is poetic irony. She can't take the sun like she used to, and she can't take the world as it is now.
But she doesn't have time for philosophical thoughts. Quiet as she can, she exits the king's bedroom to head down to the underground cellars to get to her work. She wonders if she'll ever get used to the Enterran guards' side glances at her as she passes through. Such dark looks from men with weapons.
All for the crime of being human.
She comforts herself with the fact they can't hurt her without Mushrambo's permission. Not until the Enterran King decides he is bored with his human pet will they lay their blades on her.
Yakumo doesn't know if she should dread it, or look forward to the release from this life.
She takes glances at the clocks on the way down. Just fifteen more minutes until the head of the maid staff decides she will be late. She hurries down the darkening staircase. Her eyes are now starting to hurt less with the lack of sunlight.
Finally, her descent is complete as she spots Mistress Heng, the head of the maids. Yakumo's stomach twists on instinct, as she knows what to expect from the lithe catlike Enterran. She comes up to her, and already the human can see the ever familiar look of disgust in the feline's eyes. Heng's DNA is taken from the Siamese cat, and Yakumo remembers the Disney movie, and now realizes how appropriate it was to label the species as the villains.
Heng looks on her with clear distaste as her tail twitches from where it sticks out behind her maid uniform. She looks at Yakumo as though she is the most disgusting thing that ever existed on the planet.
And she is right in a way. As the last human most of the world now sees her in that light.
"You are almost late, again," the Enterran spits at her.
Yakumo's blue eyes glance at the clock. She is five minutes early, and she knows that a good majority of the maids won't be here until half past six. But it doesn't matter. She knows that Heng will use this excuse for the same punishment she gives her every day.
"Since you were almost tardy, I have to give you the same punishment, again!" she hisses as though she is displeased, but Yakumo can see the clear joy in her elongated pupils. "You are not going to have breakfast until the rest of the staff is finished eating." With this she turns away with a flick of her tail.
"When will you ever learn? I guess it is only what I can expect out of your kind. Now get to work!" She begins to give her a list of chores that Yakumo knows it will take to nightfall to complete. The only reason Heng doesn't give her chores to last through the night is knowing it would displease the master, who expects her in his room doing her true duty.
Yakumo mentally memorizes the ridiculously long list of chores and gets to work right away. She knows it will be a long time before she gets to eat. The maids have taken full advantage of their boss' hate towards the human and will often lounge in the breakfast room gossiping and laughing, long after they have finished their meals. Usually she won't get to eat until sometime after ten. After that Heng will tell her since she ate so close to lunch she can't be hungry, so she also denies her lunch.
It won't be until late in the evening until Yakumo gets her second and last meal of the day. She knows that Heng would deny her even the second meal in a heartbeat if she wasn't worried about sending her to Mushrambo's bed hungry and weak. In the little over two months she's been here Yakumo has never had more than two meals a day.
In a way, living underground for the last five years with insecurity has made her used to going without rations. But with the sheer amount of physical labor she does the lack of regular food is taking a toll on her body. She knows she has lost weight. Mushrambo hasn't commented on it. At least not yet. She wonders if he'll say something once she gets to a state when he no longer finds her physically appealing, or just finally dispose of her, permanently.
Yakumo soon becomes too lost in her work of washing the stone floors of the kitchen with a brush and soapy water bucket to bother herself with such thoughts. The human doesn't notice the approach of the Enterran until she is right beside her. Yakumo braces herself for she knows something bad is about to happen. With not a moment's hesitation the Enterran snatches the back of her hair, and before Yakumo can even cry out, her head is dunked into the bucket of soapy water.
She struggles and flails as she is losing breath and the soap burns her eyes and throat. But her human strength is no match for even the weakest Enterran.
Finally, the attacker releases her hair as Yakumo is still flailing, and in her panic she falls over, taking the bucket with her. The water swooshes out, soaking her dress. She lays there, wet, cold, eyes bloodshot, and coughing.
"Stupid whore," her Enteran attacker mummers. "Always making a mess." She gives a scathing laugh as she walks away, leaving the human still gasping for air. Once Yakumo gets control back over her body she forces herself up.
This was far from the first attack she has suffered. And it won't be the last, not even today. Such cruelty has become a daily part of her life. Even then it is hard for her to get used to such hate directed towards her.
But she can't complain, or report that. Yakumo learned that on the first day, the hard way. Instead she goes to refill her bucket, and takes a moment to try to rinse the soap out of her eyes in a water basin. She quickly gets back to work.
Hours pass, and there is thankfully not another incident as the other maids get too busy to waste time bullying her. Finally, Yakumo's hunger becomes painful, and she can no longer stand, finishing up her chore. She looks up at the clock, and finds out it is twenty minutes past ten. She prays the last of the maids have left the mess hall so she can eat.
Quietly, she goes up the hallways to the mess hall, and tries to listen in. She knows very well that her presence would just make the Enterrans stay in there longer.
"You should have seen it, Xue!" comes a freshly familiar voice. Her recent attacker. "She just flailed like a fish, and laid there in the water." Laughter rings throughout the air. "And to think humans use to believe themselves so high and mighty and above us."
"Yeah, now we see what pathetic things they are, or were, now that she is in the lowest position here," adds a new voice.
"It is good that we remind her of her place. We don't want the human to think she is better than us since she is the master's whore." A snort comes.
"I can't wait until the king finally gets tired of her!" says the original attacker. "Just seeing her, among us, makes me sick."
"I don't understand why he hasn't gotten rid of her already! She is so plain! Even by human standards. He could easily have the most beautiful woman in the world!"
"I think calling her plain is too high of a compliment to her." All the female Enterrans share a final scathing laugh until Yakumo hears chairs move. The human quickly ducks behind a corner.
"We have had enough fun, back to work." She hears their footsteps leave the mess hall, and she doesn't dare move from her hiding place until she hears them no more. The human quietly makes her way to the door of the mess hall, and peeks in. Much to her eternal relief she sees no one there. She quickly goes in. The gruel is now cold, not that it tastes much better when it is warm. It is horrible tasting, but Yakumo has long since learned that flavor doesn't count much when you are hungry.
She sits down with the gruel and begins to eat, as quickly as she can before someone notices her and comes up with something she has to "urgently" do, then makes her leave her unfinished plate and keep busy enough until lunch began so she couldn't eat.
Try as she might she can't get the words the Enterrans said out of her mind. It hurts, to say the least. But it is something she has had to deal with daily for the last two months. She should have grown a thicker skin by now.
Many would say she had from looking at the outside. She would have cried if such words were spoken on her first day as a scullery maid, but now she doesn't. But it is not that she has grown a thicker skin. Yakumo is as tender and sensitive as she has always been. The words and cruelty are as sharp as daggers as they ever were to her heart.
It is just she has learned to suppress her inward emotions or the Enterrans will make it worse for her if they know how badly it affects her.
Much worse.
Yakumo quickly finishes her meal and goes back to work. While she is scrubbing a large pot she senses a presence over her. With great dread she looks up to see Mistress Heng, and her normal hateful look toward the human is replaced by a look of pure glee. Yakumo inwardly gulps, and tries her best to hide the fear that is building like lead in her stomach.
Had Heng found another excuse to punish her?
"You have been summoned to the king's throne room."
At this Yakumo's blue eyes widen and she can feel the blood drain away from her face. The lead that was building up in her stomach is now making her want to vomit.
She hasn't been to Mushrambo's throne room since she was first brought here by him. Since then she has only seen him in his bedroom. If he wanted her in his throne room it could mean only one thing.
He was finally going to put her out of her misery.
The sight of the human's face losing its mask to give way to pure terror fills the Enterran with pure joy. Clearly assuming the same thing the human is.
"Now," she says in the kindest tone of voice Yakumo has ever heard since knowing her, "clean your hands and face. You don't want to go in front of the king looking entirely like a drowned rat." She giggles at her own joke and insult. Heng turns away, still giggling.
Yakumo is frozen for several seconds until she is finally able to make herself stand on her shaking feet.
Without any thought she walks toward a basin and begins to scrub her face and hands clean with shaking fingers. She sees in the cracked mirror how white she has become.
Why is she so afraid? Wasn't she thinking earlier that it might be a blessing to die instead of the miserable life she was now living? There is nothing good about her current life, and there is no hope of it getting any better.
So why is she so afraid to lose her life?
Her only guess is that it is natural for anyone to face losing their life, even a horrible one. She emerges from the darkness of the lower chambers of the palace into the light of the main halls.
It seems once again the theme of darkness housing her from reality rings true. The light she is now seeing only serves to illuminate the way to her death. She stands as strong as she can manage. She thinks back to that night in the lab, where Mushrambo decided to spare her. At least back then—surely having a human in his bed would have grown boring by now.
She sees herself in a passing mirror and knows the Enterran maids are right. She is no beauty, not even by human standards. She is average looking. The thought doesn't make her upset. It is the simple truth.
But surely her plainness would make Mushrambo become bored with her that much more quickly. These thoughts, along with her death, follow her into the throne room.
She comes from the side hallway, not directly in Mushrambo's line of sight. It is likely a subconscious measure she had taken to make sure she is savoring her last bit of life. The throne room is in the style that was suited to a Japanese Shogun, even though they were on mainland China. Mushrambo controlled Asia (and was head over the rest of the generals), and Japan would have likely been where his castle stood, if not for the fact Japan had not fared well with global warming. Something else for Mushrambo to blame humans for.
When she enters the throne room she sees someone is before the Dark King. Immediately, Yakumo ducks behind an ornate pillar, in a rather pathetic bid to buy herself more time. Carefully peeking around from behind the pillar she sees the Dark King's guest.
It is perhaps the most beautiful woman she has ever seen, human or Enterran. Her blonde hair cascades down her head, her face is so pale and perfect that it looks as if it was carved out of marble. Her wings only add to the angelic look.
This must be the woman that Mushrambo is replacing her with. No man could resist a woman such as this.
"Tell me, General Rusephine, did you really think you could hide something like that from me?" comes the king's voice in the most furious tone she has ever heard from him. It makes her both shudder and confused. So Mushrambo isn't planning on taking this woman? Rusephine?
The Bird General! She remembers the radio call from the holdout cell in San Francisco (before it was discovered) giving them a list of the Enterran Generals and the lands they now ruled. If she remembered correctly, Rusephine was made General over the Middle East.
But what had she done to displease the Dark General so much? Yakumo listens in closer.
"I wasn't intending to hide anything from you, my king. I wanted the victory over King Nipper and Mechano City to be a surprise to offer you and the rest of us," comes her smooth reply to the furious king's anger. Yakumo is fairly impressed that she can remain calm in the face of Mushrambo's anger, something everyone from human to Enterran feared.
"Well, it was a long-waiting surprise considering I know you conquered Mechano City ten months ago, and only now tell me that I bring it up."
Now she sees Rusephine lose her composure as her mouth drops in shock. And if it were possible for her to be even paler she would have been a ghost.
"But-but—" She can't get the words out.
"How did I know? Is that what you are asking, Bird Queen?" Mushrambo's voice now has a rather mocking tone to it. Clearly enjoying the discomfort he was causing in his treacherous general. "You should know I have eyes and ears on all of you at all times. Never think any of you can hide something from me."
"My king—" comes Rusephine's frightened voice.
But Mushrambo doesn't give her a chance to make excuses before continuing. "Save your tongue. I knew what you were planning. You were planning to use the technology of the robots to advance your own civilization while leaving the rest of us in the ruins of our former slave masters. Probably planning to take over the rest of us once you thought you had an edge over me."
Rusephine begins to desperately shake her head. "No, my king, I was planning on sharing it with you! Just the two of us!" she confesses. "I just wanted to show you that I was worthy."
Mushrambo is silent a moment after the confession. Yakumo wonders if her words have somehow touched him. Perhaps an appeal to power would affect the one who had rightly earned the title of the Dark King.
She takes a further risk, and peeks her head further out from behind the pillar to get a look at Mushrambo's expression. He is actually smiling, and she sees Rusephine visually relax.
It only lasts an instant.
The Dark King smirks and raises his hands and lets out a powerful blast which knocks the Bird Queen through the air and onto the hard pavement, which breaks upon her impact with the ground.
Yakumo can't stand it any longer. Not caring about Mushrambo, she runs forward to the fallen general. She looks down to see her covered in blood and groaning in pain.
"Are you okay?" Yakumo asks. It is a foolish question to ask. She is obviously not, but it is what humans just say to people in pain. She takes a partly clean rag from her apron pocket, and presses it against a heavily bleeding open wound, trying to stop the blood as it soaks through the cloth onto her hands.
The female general groans in pain again and opens her eyes. She looks at Yakumo for a brief second, and then her eyes narrow.
"Human!" she cries out. Before Yakumo can give any reaction, Rusephine knocks her back with a thrust of her power.
Rusephine looks up at Mushrambo, her eyes now full of fury. She points to Yakumo with a shaking hand.
"That is her! That is the human you picked over me! This ugly, filthy, and raggedly dressed human!"
Yakumo manages to sit up, her body still rocking with pain after the female general's blast. She hears the footsteps and looks up to see Mushrambo approaching. His face is neutral as he walks between the human and the Enterran. He casts a glance at both of them before turning to Yakumo, and holds out a hand.
The human stares at it for a moment until she realizes that he is offering to help her up. With the slightest of hesitations she takes it, and is pulled up into Mushrambo's arms, with his hand on her back.
She is now looking at an even more furious Rusephine. With her bloodied, bruised, and angry face she is no longer the beauty that Yakumo first saw only moments ago.
"There is nothing more ugly than a woman who uses her outward beauty to cover up the ugliness inside her," Mushrambo states, but then smirks. "Though right now the outside is matching your inside."
The female general raises her hand to her face in a self-conscious gesture. The Dark King then removes his hand from Yakumo's back and steps forward, unsheathing his sword. The human's heart stops, and judging by the look on the female Enterran's face, so does hers.
"And there is nothing I hate more than a traitor. The only punishment worthy of it...is death." Mushrambo begins his slow walk toward the now pleading and soon to be former general.
Before Yakumo can even think she leaps forward and grabs the Dark King's sword hand.
"No, wait!" she cries, "I beg you. Please stop! Don't kill her." The shock of her voice is enough to make Rusephine stop pleading and pause Mushrambo, who now turns toward her.
"And why should I do that?" His voice, surprisingly, doesn't carry any anger at a mere human questioning his actions. It is neutral, with perhaps a touch of curiosity.
Yakumo thinks for a moment. "Because I want Enterrans to find a better way than humans! What you are doing is exactly what a human general would do! Remember that night in the lab where I prayed for your people to find a way of peace that humans couldn't? This is the time to try it! Please spare her life, my king."
The silence that followed Yakumo's request could have made even the air pause for reflection.
Mushrambo stares at Yakumo for a few more seconds before turning back to Rusephine, and walks forward with his sword still drawn. The human covers her face in anticipation of hearing the female Enterran's dying screams.
But instead Mushrambo speaks.
"I have actually found a better punishment for treachery, Rusephine. I am going to let you live. But I am going to make sure the generals, and the rest of the world, know that you only live because of the pleas of an ugly, filthy, and raggedly clothed human."
Rusephine seemed to relax.
"However, I still must make an example of you." He raiss his blade, and before Yakumo can even say anything, General Rusephine cries out in pain.
The Dark King has severed the wings of the Bird Queen. Rusephine is now on the ground, wailing in pain, trashing about. It is too much for Yakumo. She looks away, as Mushrambo has a screaming Rusephine taken out and brought to the medical area.
The human's stomach twists. She has never seen this much violence with her own eyes, never. She has seen and heard about Enterran atrocities through media. She has dealt with bullying, but seeing actual violence with her own eyes…she feels lightheaded.
Mushrambo doesn't even turn to her as he wipes the blood off his sword. But he orders her.
"Go to my bedroom, bathe, change, and rest."
Yakumo doesn't say a word as she goes to obey orders.
-
The next day she comes down to the cellars, slightly early as usual. But she knows it doesn't matter to Heng. The feline Enterran looks at her with her usual disgust.
"Almost tardy, as usual." She shakes her head. "You are not going to eat until the rest of the maids are done, again. Why can't humans ever learn?" Heng is about to give Yakumo her usual long list of chores, but is interrupted.
"A maid going without a proper meal to start the day? That won't do at all!" comes a British accent from behind.
Yakumo turns to see the fattest person she has ever seen, Enterran or human. He is a yellow feline Enterran in a pink sailor suit and blue ascot.
"But she is human!" Heng cries, and inwardly, Yakumo sighs, knowing that this Enterran will now turn against her like the rest of them.
"Why does that matter? Humans still need to eat."
Yakumo's eyes are as wide as saucers as she stares at the feline. An Enterran didn't...care...that she was human? Her mouth drops open. Heng's expression must mirror hers as she goes before the other feline.
"Surely, you can't mean that, Kutal! She is a human...you can't not side with a fellow feline against...a human of all things!"
While all Enterrans would side against a human any day, it was obvious that many preferred their own kind of Enterran whether it was bird, reptile, insect, or feline. It reminded Yakumo of school, where humans of the same race often ate at the same table. Being half-Asian and half-white often left her feeling somewhat confused on which side she should sit with.
"It is not siding against you, Ms. Heng. It is just humans have to eat too," Kutal replies to the still stunned Siamese-like Enterran.
"The other maids won't like sitting with a human," she tells him, making another excuse.
"Then she will just have to eat with me in the kitchen." Before Heng or Yakumo can react, the large Enterran takes her hand and starts to lead her away. Yakumo is too stunned to speak, as is Heng too apparently since she says nothing while the other feline leads the human away.
But Kutal isn't too stunned to talk, not at all.
"I am the new chef here," he explains, "I have made quite a name for myself in the culinary world, if I do say so myself." He goes on about his accomplishments, and travels around the world. Yakumo is still too stunned from the shock of an Enterran being this friendly. She hadn't seen any kindness from an Enterran ever. In fact, she hasn't seen any kindness since Mushrambo brought her here.
Finally, the rambling feline leads her into the kitchen. The width of the door is almost too small for him to squeeze through, but he somehow manages.
The human is greeted by the smell of delicious food which reawakens her hunger. Even back when she was living with her father, underground, getting a warm and delicious meal was a rare treat, usually reserved for special occasions.
Yakumo is still numb when Kutal urges her to sit down at the small table, even going so far as to pull out the chair for her! She listens as he goes on about the ingredients and spices that he has made the soup with, which only furthers the human's hunger. If this is a trick it would be the cruelest yet. To get her hopes up so high for kindness, only to have it destroyed.
Then a bowl of steaming vegetables and meat is set in front of her. The human's mouth begins to water.
"Bon appetit!" he announces with pride.
But a thought now comes to Yakumo. What if it is poison? And this is all an act to get her to eat this and kill her?
The chef notices her silence and asks, "What is wrong, my dear? Does the meal not appeal to you?"
The human looks up and finally says it. "I have never met an Enterran who was remotely kind to a human, but...you are...I don't understand."
Kutal smiles a little. "Let's just say I've had a bit of a different experience with humans than most of my kind."
Something in his tone tells Yakumo that he won't reveal it to her now. But perhaps...one day.
"Well go ahead, dear! Try it!" he encourages.
Yakumo looks down at the soup, and picks up a spoon. If it is poison she decides it doesn't matter. It would be good to die with just the thought of kindness.
Even if it was just a temporally illusion.
Without another thought she dips her spoon into the soup and takes a slurp. She lets the flavor settle on her tongue before swallowing.
"Well tell me, girl, how is it?"
The human looks up at the Enterran with the first true smile she has had in months, maybe years.
"It is delicious. You are a talented chef."
This seems to light up the feline's face. "How wonderful! By the way, dear, what is your name?"
"My name is Yakumo, and thank you for the soup."
"It is my pleasure, Yakumo."