Kazuha bustled around the room, gathering the dirty laundry before handing it off to Aoko, who was waiting for it at the door. The laundry maid shot Heiji a warning glare, she'd already heard from Kaito about the prince's plans involving the new maid and she Was Not Amused. Heiji grinned back at her, not promising anything. Aoko rearranged the pile in her arms, sent him one last look and walked away. Heiji chuckled internally, that was Aoko for you, everyone's big sister.
"So, I haven't seen you around before." Heiji said, eyeing her from his position on his bed.
"Please do not start, Hattori-sama, I know of your reputation and I am not going to fall for it. I'm here to clean, nothing else." She said as she straightened things on his desk. Then she moved towards the bed. "Get up so I can remake to bed."
Heiji obeyed with a grin. She wasn't going to make this easy and he was glad for it, a challenge was just what he needed. She briskly striped the sheets off and then remade the bed, fluffing the pillows until they were to her satisfaction. Heiji followed her with his eyes, trailing them up and down her body as she moved about, assured this would be worth it. Her brown dress swung against the back of her legs as she bent over the bed and her hand absentmindedly went back to scratch at her leg, hitching the hem up a little higher.
"Don't be that way, I'm not so bad. What's your name? You obviously already know mine." Heiji asked, walking behind her as she grabbed a nearby broom and began sweeping the stone floor.
"My name? To-Kazuha, my lord." She said, stuttering slightly and Heiji noticed.
"You were about to say something else." Heiji stated and Kazuha sighed.
"My surname, my lord. But castle servants have no surname so I am merely Kazuha." She lamented.
"That's right, you weren't born here, were you? What village did you come from?" Heiji asked and she smiled.
"I came from no mere village. I lived in the city of Kyoto with my father until he passed away." She stated proudly, pride in her origins.
"So what was your surname before you came here?" Heiji questioned.
"I dare not speak it. I have no surname, I am merely Kazuha, the chamber maid." She said and Heiji's grin widened.
"I order you to tell me." He said, smirking and she scowled.
"Toyama Kazuha." She said and he nodded.
"That's a nice name. It looks as though you're finished here, Kazuha-san. Come back tomorrow at the same time." He told her and she bowed and started for the door. "Oh, and Kazuha-san?" she stopped. "Call me Heiji, Hattori-sama is my father and everyone calls me by my first name, even the children n the scullery."
She didn't turn around. "Of course, Heiji-sama." She said and walked out, closing the door behind her.
Heiji gave his now clean room a grin. His plan was working perfectly. His heart gave a minuscule throb in his chest and he disregarded it. He would not back down just because she was a nice girl, an innocent. In fact, that little fact meant absolutely nothing to him at all.
Yet he couldn't help but hear the voice that told him to give up, give up, give up, while he still could.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
And it will go down hill from here! Heiji just can't do right by himself, can he?
