Chapter Twenty
Sango, now considering herself Kagome's very new found friend, had taken it upon herself to show Kagome the entire manor. Having spent most of her time on the fourth floor, Kagome had not seen all the rooms the manor had to offer. Most were empty, considering there were no guests, but all were decorated finely. And, seeing as Kagome had been in the manor long enough, Sango believed a tour was well over due.
"Now on the first floor," Sango started, "are rooms such as the kitchen, dining hall, servant's quarters- as I am sure you already know- and the guard barracks. Not much to see down here really, but it is a start."
Sango led Kagome into the Dining Hall, which held a long shiny wooded table that sat dozens, it seemed. The crystal chandelier hung above, the table centered underneath. The walls were a deep red and there were painting along the walls. The dining hall had a nice view of the gardens below.
They bypassed everything else, Sango only gesturing to where the guard barracks were before moving upstairs.
"This is where you will find the rooms of Kikyo, Inuyasha, and Lord Sesshomaru. There is a gallery further down. We cannot go to any of the rooms, save the Gallery," Sango mentioned, pulling Kagome down the hall. Kagome admired the decorations quickly before Sango tugged her along.
On the third floor was where the guests were kept during their visits, along with a Library. Kagome had wanted to look in the library, but Sango hurried her along, trying to unsuccessfully convince Kagome that it was boring. In her father's manor, Kagome had found the library to be quite an interesting place, full of old tomes and books. She wondered if Sesshomaru's was as extensive as her father's.
After having seen the manor from top to bottom, Sango excused herself to attend to Kikyo and Kagome had to go back to her cleaning. Sango kindly told Kagome that if she needed anything, she would be available.
Kagome quickly darted in and out of the kitchen, a knife in hand. She hurried up the stairs, lifting up the hem of her skirt. The attire was horrible dirty, but Kagome did not mind. It was a lot nicer than what she had been used to wearing before and she did not miss the tight dresses she wore back at her father's manor.
Kagome once more walked by the portrait of the woman, Izayoi, entranced almost by the picture's gaze. It was silly, of course, considering the woman could not see anything. Kagome laughed to herself for thinking that a painting could be watching her. Kagome wondered if the painting back home was still in good shape. It would not have been worth much, but it was possible it had been ruined when the servants fled, though it was unlikely. The servants had admired the woman in the picture, unlike Kagome, whom they had feared. They had not liked her at all and as if to prove it, they had spread rumors after their jobs had been permanently terminated.
Kagome was able to loosen the lock so the door opened and closed without difficulty. Happy that the task was completed, Kagome moved down the hall to see Sesshomaru. Kagome noticed he was looking at something and realized it was Izayoi's portrait. She moved over to look at it herself, keeping a safe distance from him.
"You still fear me," Sesshomaru finally spoke, not looking at Kagome.
Kagome frowned. "I do not fear you at all, Lord Sesshomaru. I only do not trust you fully."
Sesshomaru turned to look at her. "I would like you to trust me."
Kagome was confused. "Why?" she asked. "I do my job as I should, what could possibly be gained from trusting you?"
"I am curious," Sesshomaru told her, "about you and I know you will tell me little of what I want to know if you do not trust me."
Kagome sighed. "What is it you want to know?"
"Where were you before?" Sesshomaru asked.
"I trust Sango and I do not tell her that. I will not tell you that," Kagome decided. "Any other questions?"
"What was your job before?"
"A maid," Kagome lied, "much like I am now."
"The cat Shippo brought home warmed up to you quickly," Sesshomaru stated quietly.
"Animals tend to like me," Kagome hedged, feeling uncomfortable.
"The cat already knew you. It did not even sniff you," Sesshomaru indicated.
Kagome whirled to look at him. "What are you suggesting?" she asked fiercely.
"You worked there, did you not? Is that where you came from?"
Kagome snorted. "That manor has been abandoned for quite some time from what I have heard. I was only on my own for a few days before you found me."
Sesshomaru frowned. "You are being quite secretive. I could throw you out for that. I, myself, do not know if I can trust you."
"Throw me out then, you will be doing yourself a favor," Kagome sniffed, walking away.
"Why?" Sesshomaru demanded.
Kagome turned to look at him, an indescribable emotion in her eyes. "He will be coming soon, I imagine. He may already be on his way," Kagome spoke dangerously low.
"Who?" He asked. Kagome smiled secretly. "That is not really any of your concern."
"He could be fought off," Sesshomaru insisted.
"You think too highly of yourself," Kagome chuckled darkly, "You do not know the power he holds in his hand. That very power would slaughter you; rip you into a thousand pieces. If you know what is good or you, you will send me away. If not, I will stay because I do not turn down a warm meal and a soft bed. I have been deprived of those pleasures for far too long to deny myself of them."
Sesshomaru reached out and grabbed her wrist, surprising them both. Kagome titled her head up to meet his eyes. "Let me help you," he pleaded.
Kagome jerked her wrist out of his hand and looked coldly up at him. "I cannot be helped, Sesshomaru. It is two years too late," she hissed. Kagome turned on her heel and continued her way down the hallway, not once looking back. She really should just leave, but she could not find the energy to do so. Kagome felt weak, which she hated. She felt useless and helpless and she wanted to stamp her foot childishly in hopes that it would all go away. Sesshomaru had looked like he actually cared and she hated that most of all! She was not someone to be pitied; she did not want to be pitied. It was not going to make her life any easier than it was now. Kagome circled back around and hurried down the stairs, running out into the gardens.
Kagome finally stopped in the stables, the horses neighing at her presence. A beautiful tan one with blonde hair and a white circle around its eye stamped the ground, shaking its head. Kagome smiled at the horse, petting it softly. The horse made a sound of contentment and Kagome wished that her father had taught her how to ride a horse. Sadly, she was not allowed out of the manor and the gardens were not an appropriate place to ride a horse.
Her father had a horse though, a large black one with a mean attitude. It had not liked Kagome and Kagome had not liked it. If she remembered correctly, the great horse had been given a Latin name, though she could not remember how to pronounce it.
As the sun set, Kagome left the stables, realizing she had not made any progress today besides the lock on the door. Angry with herself, Kagome vowed to work even harder tomorrow to make up for the lost day. Kagome hoped she would have the top floor completely cleaned before Naraku came to take her away. She wanted to leave something behind when she was ripped from yet another home.
A/N: Aww, so sad! :( Well, at least to me, I don't know about the rest of you. I bet some of you are pretty indifferent to those kinds of things…
But yay! I have over a hundred reviews! While to some that isn't a big deal, I'm like super happy! I mean, over a hundred. A hundred is a really big number. Also, I think it's really cool that people from all over the world read my story. Like, there are two people from Bahrain who have viewed my story. I don't even know where that is (sorry, you two people, I was never good with geography). I just think it's really cool how I can connect with those people and I don't even have to leave my room! :D
lakeya2700: I truly do want to be a writer; it's like a big dream of mine. I'll guess we'll see, won't we? :) And thank you again, you amazing person!
Kenilyn: Probably not the Sesskag you were going for, but I'm working towards it.
Katscratchstudios: Well of course! You see, I'm a dramatic person. I like to reveal things in the most BAM way possible, if you know what I mean.
Wren-lee: Yep, there is definitely some of that, but more toward the ending. Patience is key! :)
TearsDrippingDown: Haha, getting impatient, are we? :) Don't worry, it's coming up soon!
Alyce DreamEater: So, a cat named Cinderella who thought she was a princess? Huh, you definitely called that one. :) And was it a Russian Blue? I think those cats are just the cutest things! (/^.^)/
dragoneyes2005: I'm happy to know you find this story engaging. I always worry that at some points it's a little drawn out (and it probably is), but at least I kept your attention. :)
starmienight: Dang, you just went through it, didn't you? Has your hunger yet to be sated? :)
courtneykramer94: Well, here you go! Enjoy! :)
Azumigurl: Okay! Okay! Okay! Okay! Okay! Okay!
Taeniaea: Cool story, bro (I'm sorry, that was unforgivable but- I REGRET NOTHING).