If Only In Reality – Chapter 25 – "Pieces of Her"
The vision Kibou had lived through during the night got him to thinking a bit more thoroughly about the woman who he had become steadily drawn to throughout the past few months. The cryptic aura that surrounded her was what called to him. Having always enjoyed a good mystery as a child, Kibou jumped at the chance to solve the case as to why the Western Domain only had one human servant.
He remembered their first encounter like it was yesterday.
He was led through the house after the incident and to the royal studies where his new employer was waiting. Standing before said person now made Kibou ever more nervous and twitchy. The two men behind the huge desk were overwhelming indeed. Both had long white hair and piercing golden eyes; that's where the similarities ended though. The only way to tell the two men apart were their facial features; where one was sharp and cold looking the other appeared almost exact except his features were a hair more rounded off, giving the man a softer aspect. After the guard announced his arrival, he nearly jumped out of his skin when a new voice erupted throughout the room.
"I suppose you are our new human relations officer. As I'm sure you already know, I am Osamu, Beta of the Western Lands. To my right," He motioned, "Is my father, the Great Lord Sesshomaru, Alpha of these lands." The latter half bowed his head ever so slightly, just enough to kindly acknowledge his new employee's presence. Kibou expected to get right down to business, not see the two men heading towards the study's exit moments after he'd gotten there.
"If you will please follow us we will head to the dining hall. A good meal will start the evening off right before talking business don't you think?"
The young Beta didn't even wait for an answer before following his father, leaving poor Kibou following after them like a lost pup silently in their wake.
It was going to be a long night.
It truly did surprise him at how talkative the dinner guests were. From all he'd read and studied, demons higher up in the royal line were that much more stuck up and snooty, yet, that wasn't the case here. The feeling surrounding him was more like a family get together; one that had been a long time coming. Friends greeted friends with a resounding pat on the back while most of the women gathered into a corner like mice to dish out the latest gossip. When the announcement for dinner was made everything quieted down as people took what he supposed were their usual places. Kibou was surprised immensely though when he was given the honorary seat next to Lord Sesshomaru; a seat which was only reserved for the most honored of company.
All the guests held their conversations down to a murmur as the staff brought in their evening meal. It was the staff who had his attention now since he wasn't thoroughly comfortable with conversing with people he knew little about. Most of the staff was, obviously, demons; all ranging in different ages and breeds, but, it was the last of the personnel that emerged from the kitchen doors that curbed his gaze the most.
She wasn't like the others. Well, in a way she was because she was serving them but the similarities stopped there. From across the room she appeared to be elderly and possibly of an inu-youkai decent, but, as she began to make her rounds with her cart that was laden with various dishes filled to the brim with tantalizingly smelling food, it was then that Kibou noticed what she truly was. Though he did not know her name, it was obvious that she was not a youkai, but a human woman. This fact alone truly surprised him. It wasn't the fact that an elderly person was on the servant staff; he'd seen a few on his tour of his grounds that morning, but it was the fact that she was human.
Not once within the entire five hours that he'd been on the grounds had he laid eyes on a single human and yet, here she appeared now in nothing more than simple servant's garb and a food stained apron. Her gracefulness was surprising for one of such an advanced age. It amazed him how delicately she handled her utensils, how she always put the same amount of food on every plate, how she was careful not to touch any of the dinnerware. She really did seem to know her stuff.
There was just something odd about her though that Kibou didn't understand. He noticed how most of the other servants at least mingled a bit with the guests; putting in their two cents here and there while doing their duty. Not once did he ever see this particular woman greet anyone or laugh in jest at another's joke. His previous assumption that the chatter would pick up again once dinner was served was correct but he just couldn't understand why this single woman didn't have the gumption that the others did.
Unknown to him, the man at his right noticed his stares while the woman finished her rounds and made her way back into the kitchen; fixing, he supposed, was the next course of their supper.
"Ah, so ye noticed her did ye?" The man to his right spoke aloud with his thick Scottish accent; his comment alone startling Kibou out of his stupor and brought his attention to the seemingly middle-aged man.
"What do you mean?" Kibou asked.
The man beside him spoke again.
"Why the lass that just went into the kitchen of course! Pardon my manners though, let me introduce myself, the name be Ainsley," The man spoke proudly. "And I'm whose over the royal stables out in the back. When we get done with chow we could possibly head out to see the herd and even ride a bit, if ye know how that tis. Ye know youkai horses can be tricky little devils."
"No," Osamu interrupted. "Our new relations officer needs his rest before starting his duties tomorrow."
At this time attentions were brought again to the woman as she revealed herself from the kitchen; once again prompting his curious mind.
He always did love a good mystery.
The young man had taken it upon himself after dinner and drinks to make his way into the kitchen to search for the woman who'd taken up most of his evening thoughts. It was his intent to properly thank the girl (and the rest of the staff of course) for the wonderful meal they'd prepared.
He didn't expect to be treated so poorly though.
When he entered the room the familiar sounds of clanging dishes could be heard along with the rattling of pots and pans. Most of the staff had ignored him as he weaved throughout the narrow pathways but he was caught off guard when he was sharply stopped by a tugging on his shirt collar.
"And just what are you doing in here boy?"
A glance out of the corner of Kibou's eye showed him a common chef's hat that barely covered the cook's pointed ears. Kibou jerked himself out of the angry man's grasps before turning around and bowing respectively.
"I wished to thank you for the delightful meal you served tonight. It made the evening quite memorable for being my first day here. You did an excellent job head chef."
He didn't expect the sharp jolt of laughter that followed his complement.
"You need to be thanking her boy," He pointed across the room to the booming fireplace that had a figure hunched over before it. "She done most of the cooking."
It surprised him greatly to have the form the elderly woman revealed to him.
"I heard you cooked most of the food." Why did he suddenly have butterflies in his stomach? "I must say that it was quite tasty and…"
He noticed how she walked about him, grabbed a handful of carrots, and returned to the fire to chop them into the huge iron pot above the flames.
"She acts as if she can't even hear me. Why is she even still preparing food? And over a fire no less?"
He followed her again while she went about her business.
"Um… my name's Kibou and I'm the new human relations officer. Perhaps,"
"It will do no good talking to her hon." One of the women in the kitchen said.
"Aye, if she won't answer to any of us, why would she answer to you?" Her twin responded.
"Besides that she's just a crazy old woman anyways." A third spoke. "Why else would she be cooking over a fire when such a wonderful thing called the stove was invented!"
A fourth opened her mouth but was soon cut off from continuing when the doors to their workroom practically flew open, revealing a finely dressed woman from its mitts.
"How many times have I told you not to say things like that?!" She berated the staff. "Just because she can't do some things or does others her own way doesn't mean she still can't hear you!"
"Oh quit you're crying Azuka! Ever since you married that advisor and got out of this hell hole you've gotten all high and mighty."
Kibou quickly removed himself from the room knowing that when women got into an argument that it could turn ugly.
That didn't mean that he was finished with his investigation though.
Months flew by and Kibou adjusted to his job well enough. It wasn't easy at times, but he toughed through it. Memories of his first day never left his mind though. Every day he found out just a bit more about his little Miyu's past.
Did we forget to mention that he'd given her a name? Yes, he'd finally gotten annoyed at everyone calling her everything else but a proper name so he decided to give her one. At first he attempted to find out her real name but seeing as none of the staff knew it, she couldn't speak, nor could she seemingly write her name, he decided to just call her his little Miyu; his little lovely. At first he could tell that she didn't realize he was calling her that however, over time, the elderly woman grew to respond to the name and even twitch the corner of her mouth once in a while when he called her that; sort of in an almost half smile. It brought him joy to know that in some way he was brightening her life.
Many times though, Kibou's thoughts would trace back to the woman called Azuka. She'd been the only one he'd known of in all his time here that actually defended Miyu against her fellow co-workers.
And tonight he'd learn why.
"Why did you ask me out to the patio on such a cold night when there's a nice, warm party going on inside?" Azuka began.
"I wished to ask you a few questions and I didn't want the others chiming in their two cents."
"It's about Miyu isn't it?" She laid a hand on his shoulder.
Simple questions were asked first. How did you meet? Why did you defend her? Why do you care when the others don't? Etc. But it was the last set of answers to his final questions that really got him on edge.
"Do you know if she has any family at all? Anyone who would want to see her? What about…" He was silenced with one clawed finger being touched to his lips and emerald green eyes boring into his soul.
"I have been working for Lord Sesshomaru for the past seventy years; sixty of which were spent in the very kitchen day in and day out. Even then, when I started, she was an old woman and the kitchen staff treated her poorly. So I did as I was taught and reached out to be her friend and did as you are doing now. Let me put it this was Kibou; not once in the sixty years I worked that kitchen have I heard her utter a single sound nor seen a single soul come to visit her. I've watched her for years work herself to the bone and not once receiving a 'thank you' in return."
She paused to gaze through the patio doors to all of the couples dancing within the ballroom.
"You've seen how most of the woman had a gentleman caller for this party yet she did not. I know that you asked her as well yet refused you. I can almost guarantee that she's in the kitchen right now working and will continue on late into the night. As you've surely noticed, she doesn't take time to just enjoy life either."
A long pause was between the two of them as he thought over her words. A plan was beginning to formulate in his mind.
"So, you're saying that you know nothing about her past?"
"Nothing at all. Although I know not what she'd done to have to serve such a long sentence in Lord Sesshomaru's home, but, I do know that it surely wasn't worth sixty plus years of loneliness."
With that she ended the conversation and went back inside; not knowing that a deep, deep part of Kibou's soul (one that Kibou surely didn't know exist) made a vow that would change the future as everyone knew it.
"We promise to make your life better Kagome; a future that will surely make up for the last six centuries of heartache."
The young man didn't even hear the feminine answer to his soul's oath that was floating on the wind.
"I'll be waiting Inuyasha. I'll always be waiting."
*End Kibou memory flashback*
A/N ~ Total words ~ 2,329
Sorry for the late update. One of our friends found out he had cancer and tumors so it's been rough. I would like to ask everyone to please sign the virtual card I made for him. Simply find me on Deviantart (same user – daphneshaggydoo) download his card, sign it (like with a textbox in MS Paint or something) and save it somewhere online. Then send me a link to it so I can update it on Deviantart. I would really appreciate it if you did this for Kenny – he needs all the prayers he can get.
PLEASE LEAVE COMMENTS AND REVIEWS ~ FLAMES WELCOMED!