A/N: Later update but more words.
Intrigue
Kagome's expression must have revealed her inward confusion as she entered the kitchen, Sango immediately noticing a difference in her friend's disposition. Her face was slightly pale as she set an empty, dirty dish beside the sink, her mind appearing to be preoccupied as her eyes were unfocused on what lay ahead of her.
"What happened?" she asked, stopping the basting of the supper meat over the large open fire pit. "You look like someone walked over your grave."
"I don't know" Kagome slowly answered as she walked over to the single chair of the room near the fireplace, shaking her head at the mystery which now presented itself. "Kanna talked to me."
"She did what?!" Sango exclaimed in astonishment, nearly dropping her basting brush in her surprise.
"She talked to me" Kagome repeated, not believing her own words. "I was just picking up the empty dish, and she suddenly grabbed my arm and spoke."
"What did she say?" Sango curiously questioned, returning to her work while still retaining an open ear to her friend.
"She said 'he's coming for you,' or something like that. I was so surprised I wasn't really paying attention" Kagome admitted, playing the scene over in her thoughts. "I asked her what she meant but Kanna just ignored me."
"I guess we shouldn't pay attention to her too much" Sango wisely advised, setting down her brush and moving over to the vegetable bin near the backdoor. "I've always overheard Kagura saying how the girl does have an imagination. Perhaps she was just playing with you."
"I guess" Kagome answered doubtfully, sitting back and sighing. "But I wish the supper time was over with already. I haven't even begun cleaning the house" she added, standing to her feet and taking hold of her trusted broom.
"Perhaps the manor isn't as bad as usual?" Sango suggested, giving her friend a hopeful smile.
"Doubtful" Kagome replied, shaking her head and walking toward the entrance to the hall. "You know how messy the mistress can be with her room."
"True" Sango reluctantly agreed, sighing.
"Well, see you later" Kagome spoke, bidding farewell to the cook as she began her household duties.
Kagome began her work, beginning with the usual sweeping of the grand hall and staircase. She sighed at the amount of cobwebs which had returned since her last cleaning, being mindful the large spiders didn't find retribution by falling upon her head. To her enjoyment, however, the mistress of the house was absent, blissfully leaving the maid to her duties without supervision. Occasionally Kagura did perform such..support for the young woman, often giving advise which ended in disaster for a fine object in the house but which the maid could not argue against.
Finishing her work downstairs after several hours of cleaning, Kagome stood at the bottom of the staircase looking upward. The second story loomed before her, intimidating in its size and the people which resided above. She knew well the mistress was slumbering within her bedroom, as was her usual habit, and Kanna rarely left her room. However, she could not merely abstain from dusting the rooms, particularly Kagura's, as the oversight would be noticed and disapproved by the master.
"Well, here goes" Kagome stated with determination, gripping the handle of her broom tightly and beginning her ascent.
Slowly taking the steps one at a time, Kagome arrived upon the long hall as the shadows began to lengthen. The sun was beginning its downward travel across the sky as she quietly walked along the hall toward the mistress' room. She decided to clean the master's bedroom while the light lasted, Kanna's room already draped in darkness and always difficult to clean.
Stopping before the large, intricate portal of the master room, Kagome knocked loudly enough to wake the mistress. She waited patiently for an answer for a few moments, wondering if she would need to repeat the process. However, a groaning noise and the shuffling of footsteps alerted her to movement beyond the door, presently the portal opening and revealing a weary pair of eyes.
"What do you want?" Kagura mumbled sleepily, blinking against the light from the hall.
"I need to clean the room, ma'am" Kagome explained nervously, the angered face upon her mistress a foreboding to her actions. However, to the maid's surprise the lady seemed to care little the interruption to her sleep, a pained expression crossing her face.
"Not today" Kagura grumbled, one of her hands reaching up and holding her forehead. "I'm not feeling well, so return tomorrow."
"Yes, ma'am" Kagome slowly replied, nodding her head as she half-turned from the door. "Is there anything I can do? Perhaps Sango could make you some soup?"
"No, I'll be fine" Kagura spoke with a bit more of her usual firmness, almost slamming the door as she apparently returned to her slumber.
Kagome gave one final glance toward the closed portal before moving to the opposite end of the hall, knocking on the guest bedroom door. She was unsure if the visitor was residing in his room for the time, but the lack of response to her remonstrations allowed her to enter the room. Cautiously though, in fear her call was not heard, she peeked her head into the room and looked about for the man. Sighing with relief as no one was in sight, she entered the space and began dusting the cobwebs from the high ceiling. To her vexation she could not reach some of the high rafters above, forcing her to peer about for a piece of furniture to assist her work.
Fortunately Kagome's eyes fell upon the large chair behind the desk, dropping her broom with a clatter and walking over to the needed object. However, her eyes could not help but drift over the many papers which littered the top, most written in foreign languages and thus indecipherable to her limited learning. She did notice, though, a number of the letters were addressed to a province upon the other side of the forest, and mentioned the routes and paths still familiar within the woods.
To Kagome's surprise, however, a sudden banging startled her from the desk, causing her to turn around at the noise. The visitor stood in the entrance to the room, his gaze unwavering as his eyes seemed to pierce her mind. She took a step backward, bumping into the hard desk, and held the broom protectively before herself. However, after a moment the man neatly shrugged and entered the room, smiling brightly toward her. Though try as he might, the young woman still felt an unpleasant chill travel up her spine as he stood before her.
"How do you do?" Setsuna greeted, taking her smudged hand and placing a delicate kiss upon her skin. Kagome was surprised the dirt didn't repel him, lordly as he appeared in both manner and dress. "I don't believe my kind host was hospitable enough to introduce us, but did I hear the lady address you as Kagome?"
"Y-yes" Kagome stammered, silently thankful when he let go of her hand. His lips were as cold as ice while his touch unnerved her further. "And I'm only a servant, so the master wouldn't really see a need to talk about me" she explained, puzzled why the man could not understand such a simple matter of court. "Unfortunately, I haven't finished cleaning your room" she embarrassingly admitted, giving a nervous smile.
"Quite all right" he answered, nodding his head as if in understanding. "If you don't mind, could you return tomorrow? I have some work to finish and I can't be disturbed."
"Oh, yes sir" Kagome quickly replied, nodding her head as she slowly side-stepped around the strange man. She nearly rushed to the door to escape his presence, an unfamiliar feeling of loathing rising in her with each passing moment. With her hand upon the nob, though, he spoke one final thought.
"If you could kindly not look upon my papers again, I would much appreciate it" he commented with an easy tone, though Kagome could hear the threat encompassed in the words.
"Yes, sir" she obediently answered, opening the door and leaving the stifling room.
Out into the safety and fresh air of the hallway, Kagome leaned back against the wall and breathed a sigh of relief. She could not fathom how the man had known what she had unwittingly done, though she could only assume a guilty look and her location had given him enough suspicion. Her respite through her thoughts was short lived as she realized there were several more rooms to be done, not excluding Kanna's dark abode. With a heavy heart she returned to work, cleaning the many cobwebs with as much speed and thoroughness as she could produce. Within a matter of minutes, and much heavy panting, she stood once more before the white child's room.
"Why do I do this?" she asked herself aloud as she politely knocked on the door, knowing there would be no answer.
True to form silence was her only reply, forcing Kagome to open the door and proceed into the dark bedroom. Nearly tip-toeing through the shadows, she noticed the little girl sitting as she had last left her.
"I'm sorry to disturb you, but I need to clean the room. Is that alright with you?" she asked the still figure, the small friendly smile slipping off her face as the child remained quiet.
Assuming the silence did not mean a refusal, Kagome quietly dusted about room, mindful of not tripping over the small girl in her eagerness to leave the miniature domain. She now almost dreaded the child to speak, Kanna's last words eerily remaining strong in her mind. To her joy the little girl remained quiet during her work, merely staring into the mirror as was her habit. Before she left the young woman picked up the empty place where food had once lain, nodding and smiling at satisfaction toward the child. At least she would not starve herself to death.
Approaching the door, plate in one hand and the broom in another, Kagome froze as a tiny voice suddenly whispered behind her.
"He knows you."
Quickly turning around, Kagome shivered slightly as she stared at the young child peering back at her with almost soulless eyes. She opened her mouth to reply to the strange statement but no words would come out, merely a breath of air emitting from her attempt. Before she could muster enough spirit to question the girl Kanna once more sank back into her usual posture, staring into the reflection in her mirror.
Slowly backing out of the room, Kagome nearly slammed another door as she rushed down the hall and to the kitchen. Sprinting into the room, Sango raised a brow in question as she loudly and roughly placed the dish down upon the table. Her breathing was shallow and her skin was pale, the color obvious even to the maid. Her eyes were wide with fright at the incidents which had taken place, first the fright with the visitor and then the speech of the pale child.
"Kagome, sit down" Sango gently ordered, catching her friend before she collapsed to the ground as her legs buckled beneath her. "Kagome, what's wrong!" she cried out now in fear, cradling the young woman in her arms as she pushed the broom from her hand.
"I-I'm sorry, Sango" Kagome apologized, slowly sitting up and shaking her head slowly. "I...I don't know what just happened but I was terrified."
"I'll say" Sango bluntly replied, giving her friend a penetrating stare of worry. "What caused you to nearly faint?"
"The visitor startled me when I was dusting his room and...and Kanna spoke to me again" Kagome slowly explained, rubbing her temple in frustration at her overreactions. "I don't know why they bothered me so much, but they just did" she added, trying to justify her actions to both herself and her friend.
"Maybe you're just tired" Sango suggested, helping Kagome to her feet. "I did wake you up this morning."
"Yeah, maybe that's it" Kagome agreed, though only half-heartedly. "Anyway, I feel much better now" she spoke, struggling to place a real smile on her face and almost succeeding. "When should dinner be started?"
"Right now, actually" Sango answered, taking one last glance at her friend before moving back to the open fire. "The meat is almost ready to cut and the vegetables are all laid out for slicing."
"I'll do those" Kagome offered, giving a small laugh. "I would only burn the meat if I tried to use the fire."
"Sango!" a voice suddenly cried out, a young boy rushing into the kitchen and smiling widely at the two women. "What are you doing?" he asked, peering curiously at the food laid about.
"Kohaku, you can't come in here" Sango sternly scolded, stomping toward him. She grabbed her younger brother by the shoulders and turned him back around toward the door, causing Kagome to give a bit of a chuckle at the scene before her. "Besides, your supposed to be at the stables. What are you doing here?"
"I was lonely, Sango" Kohaku insisted, trying his best to gently resist his sister's pushing. "And anyway, I was just wondering what was leftover from dinner..." he added with a hint in his voice, looking about at the fresh food cooking.
Kagome smiled at the two siblings, wondering at their interaction. She knew well how Kohaku adored his older sister, probably the reason why he had come to the kitchen. They had both arrived at the manor about the time Kanna was born, the mistress insisting on a better cook for her child. Sango had taken the job while Kohaku had been given charge of cleaning the stables and keeping the horses well stocked with food.
Unfortunately for the vexed Sango, her remonstrations toward her brother and his attempted removal would have to wait. Another distraction was coming toward them, one which carried interesting news.
"You'll never guess what we found out" Inuyasha announced as Miroku and he suddenly entered the room from the grand hall.
Kagome would have been glad to see them had it not been for the third companion, Kikyo. She followed the houshi into the kitchen, her eyes peering about her in some disdain but most of her attention placed upon the hanyou.
"What is it, Inuyasha?" Kagome answered while rolling her eyes, humoring his need for attention while trying to politely ignore the priestess.
"The old man sold all of Kagura's jewels at the capital" he divulged, grinning at the mistress' misfortune. The two woman uttered a gasp of shock while Kohaku whistled in his sister's arms, grinning innocently as Sango scowled down at him. "She was ready to kill him when he told her."
"Why did he do that?" Sango asked, finally relenting and releasing her brother. However, she caught him by the collar as he attempted to go for the meat over the spit, sighing as she took a knife and cut a bit off for him. "He knows how fond she was of them. They were from her family."
"Apparently the master cared little for the mistress' feelings" Miroku chimed in, inching close to the fire. "He informed her rather bluntly of the sale and she could not force him to buy the jewels back" he added, his hand slowly creeping toward the meat.
"Miroku!" Sango scolded, slapping his hand with a wooden spoon even as Kohaku, during the distraction, managed to swipe a few pieces of vegetables off the table.
"Bye Sango!" he called out as he bolted for the door and out into the grounds, waving to all with full arms of food.
"Argh!" Sango cried out as her voice filled with fury. "Miroku, if I catch you doing that again I'll make sure you don't get a meal for a week."
"But my dear Sango, how could I enjoy your cooking if you do not let me partake of the food while it is still warm?" he asked, grinning lecherously even as she felt a hand slide up her dress.
With a wild cry, and loud laughter from all watching, Sango smacked the wooden spoon across Miroku's head. He dropped to the ground with a cry of pain, rubbing the emerging bump as the cook stood threateningly over him.
"Well, we'd better be going" Inuyasha suddenly informed, more to save his friend then for a real reason. "See you at supper" he called out as he left the room, Kikyo silently following not too far behind him and Miroku.
"What a hentai" Sango grumbled even as she went back to her tasks, trying her best to hide the slice of meat she had taken for Kohaku.
"But you didn't knock him unconscious" Kagome pointed out with a grin, even as her friend's cheeks blushed again.
"Well, we'd better be getting to work" she commented, taking the meat off the spit and cutting off large chunks for the diners.
Kagome smiled at the cook's unease at her observation but her thoughts soon wandered back to her previous adventures on the second floor, and to the arrival of Kikyo with Inuyasha. She still felt a chill course down her spine at the man standing in the doorway and Kanna's eerie words, but the appearance of the mistress' handmaiden troubles her. Often times they were not seen together within the house, the mistress sorely disapproving of the help interacting in so intimate a way, but the couple seemed to have a reason to flaunt the unspoken rule.
Perhaps there were goings on which she would have to keep careful watch over.
