Chapter 5: Youhei
Sae stared in stunned silence at the face that reminded her so much of her own.
"Well, Satoru?" Youhei drawled, a superior look on his face. "No hug for your big brother?"
Shaking her head, Sae snapped out of her shocked state and started marching towards him.
Youhei smirked again, "I knew you-"
Sae punched him in the face.
"Satoru!" Asumi gasped.
"Satoru," Touya chuckled in amusement.
"Satoru," Youhei groaned behind his hands covering his nose.
"Don't Satoru me," Sae said haughtily, hands crossed over her chest. "I did nothing wrong."
"How can you say that?" Asumi asked in horror, as she took steps to stand by Sae's side.
"He's your brother."
Sae glared up at Youhei's pained expression. "A brother who neglects to come see me in the 2 months that we have been here! A brother who promised me he would at least TRY to keep in contact with me, but hasn't. And a brother-"
"Alright, alright we get it," Touya cut in, with a role of his brown eyes. "Lord, do you complain."
"Like a woman," added Youhei's muffled voice.
Sae glared turned murderous, "Almost as much as you do."
Asumi let out a surprised chuckle.
Sae flashed her friend a grin.
"Oh do shut up Satoru," Youhei scoffed, a hint of annoyance laced behind his words.
Before Sae could retort, Touya cut in smoothly. "Well, it is true, my friend. You do have a tendency of complaining when you get hurt."
Youhei finally removed his hands from covering his nose, only to pinch the top of it. "I do not," he retorted nasally.
Touya shrugged. "Deny it if you like, Youhei." And then turned towards Asumi with a charming smile. "And who would this lovely dove be?"
Asumi blushed.
Sae rolled her eyes. "Her name is Asumi," she said, giving Touya a warning look. "And she is my friend."
"Ah," a look of understanding crossed his face. "Does she fancy you then?"
"No!" Sae and Asumi said in unison. They looked towards each other in surprise, then blushed.
Touya chuckled. "I see. So are you saying that Satoru has no feeling towards Asumi? But most importantly, Asumi has no feeling towards Satoru?"
"No, we don't," Sae answered with a lift of an eyebrow. "We are very good friends and that's it."
"In that case," Touya murmured, with a casual smile on his lips. "I'll be needing you to move, Satoru," he finished and without warning pushed Sae from Asumi's side to take her place.
"Hey-!" Sae stumbled forward. Once on steady feet, she whipped around to glare to him, "How dare y-"
"Let it be," Youhei cut in a second before he appeared by her shoulder. "He doesn't even hear you anymore."
Watching the evidence play out before her eyes, Sae started to shake her head. "Fine," she mumbled and let be. It did appear as if Touya couldn't hear any voice but Asumi's stuttering one. And Asumi seemed to like the attention. Despite her high flush and quivering voice, her face still shined with awe at the handsome man's flirtatious attempts.
"He hasn't been around women a lot, has he?" Sae asked musingly.
Youhei shook his head. "No," he gave her a questioning look. "And you aware of this how?"
Sae shot him a look, "'It's obvious when he is flirting with Asumi."
"Now, now Satoru," Youhei said in a chastening tone. "That was not very nice. She is your friend, after all. Do you have no confidence in your own friend's charms?"
Sae hesitated, torn between loyalty to Asumi and being completely honest. "Well …"
Her twin finally grinned, which tugged at a nerve she felt growing annoyed. "Sae, you are too soft hearted at times," Youhei commented with amusement.
"Youhei," Sae hissed suddenly, pulling at his collar to be nose to nose. "Watch what you say!"
"What did I say?" he asked in bewilderment.
"Sae, "she hissed again, but in a quieter voice.
"Oh," he grinned apologetically, "Sorry, Satoru."
Her dark eyes narrowing, Sae tightened her hold on his collar. "And don't say my name with such sarcasm either, dear brother."
Youhei's grin broadened. "But I can't help it Satoru. You are far too easy to annoy."
"Yeah right," Sae scoffed, letting go of his collar and crossing her arms over her chest.
Youhei straightened his shirt before shrugging his shoulders. "You know I speak the truth," he said with a lift of his brow.
"Whatever," Sae muttered, ignoring the knowing look on his face.
There was a moment's pause before Youhei broke the silence. "So what have you been up to little brother?"
With a narrow-eyed look, Sae decided to ignore the amusement behind those words and answered the question instead. "Nothing much," she said with a casual air. "Just working around the castle and such. For the most part, all labor is going towards the upcoming house party."
Youhei was nodding his head. "I predicted as much. One of our general's has not stopped warning us away from the party and the lord's guests."
"Why?" Sae looked her question.
Youhei shrugged. "I don't know. I believe is has to do with the lords and ladies who will be attending and staying at the castle for a few days. I do not think they would enjoy the company of lowly soldiers from the village."
Sae made a silent O with her mouth and nodded. "Understandable, I suppose. But consider yourself lucky, Youhei. I've heard many stories from the servants around the castle and have discovered the dark secrets of many of the disappearances behind every forbidden tale."
"It is a good thing we will be far away from the nobility huh, Satoru?" Youhei joked, slapping her lightly on the back.
After tipping off balance, Sae straightened herself out and glared at her twin. "Do that again and I will hurt you."
Youhei smirked in return at the threat. "You may try, but it is highly unlikely that you will succeed. You are the size of a mere mouse, while I" –He patted his chest proudly- "am the size of a great dragon."
Sae scowled. "I am not the size of a mouse," she stated firmly, feeling that same twinge of annoyance she received every time anyone mentioned her small size. In either reference of being small for a boy OR a girl. It was belittling.
"Perhaps not," Youhei consented, giving Sae a moment of satisfaction … before squashing it. "But very close to it." The smirk was still in his voice.
"Am not," Sae sniffed testily, raising her nose into the air. "I could beat you with a sword any day."
It was Youhei's turn to scowl, "You just got lucky the last time."
"Oh really?" one of Sae's eyebrows rose challengingly. "Then why not put it to the test, hmm? Let us see who wins when you are more prepared. " A world of sarcasm was laced tightly around the last word.
"Fine," Youhei agreed readily, puffing out his chest proudly.
In which Sae poked him in the stomach and he deflated. Smirking, Sae nodded, "Fine."
"Touya!" Youhei suddenly called out and looked in his friend's direction.
Touya glanced towards the twins and raised his eyebrows in question, "Yes?"
"Lend me your sword," Youhei demanded, holding out his hand in expectation.
And although Touya readily slipped his sword out of his sheath around his waist, he still looked curious. "Why?" he finally asked upon reaching Youhei's side and handing him the sword.
"Because," Youhei began, taking the sword and giving it to Sae. "My brother and I will be having a duel right here and now."
"Oh Satoru, no!" Asumi gasped in horror, hurrying to Sae's side and grabbing her arm in earnest. "Your brother had been trained well for the lord's army, while you … you …" Asumi flushed at the look Sae was shooting her. "Have not," she finished weakly.
Youhei laughed, "You should listen to your little friend, Satoru, she clearly sees who the better swordsman is."
"Shut up, Youhei," Sae snapped at her brother, then turned towards Asumi. "He may have trained with the army, Asumi, but no amount of training could ever compare to natural born skill."
"But he will hurt you!" Asumi persisted, her fingers tightening on Sae's arm.
Sae rolled her eyes and pried Asumi's slim hands off her shirt. "No he won't Asumi, I'll be just fine."
"But …"Asumi continued to look worried.
"Come little one, he'll be alright," Touya promised reassuringly, gently grabbing Asumi by the shoulders and steering her off to the side. "Let us watch from a safe distance."
Asumi allowed him to turn her away, but kept looking back at Sae in concern.
"I'll go easy on him, do not worry Asumi," Youhei called out after her, smirking.
Sae scoffed and started marching over to the other end of the clearing.
Whistling, Youhei did the same; but with a more casual and unconcerned pace.
Sae ignored her twin's careless attitude and continued to make her way to the other end of the clearing. Within a few feet, she finally decided where to stop and she turned around to face her opponent.
"There is still a chance to change your mind," Youhei called out, already in his fighting stance, sword raised.
"Never," Sae called back, feeling her adrenaline begin to pick up for the upcoming battle.
"As you wish," Youhei consented and shifted on the balls of his feet.
Mentally grinning, Sae spread her feet apart on the earth and slowly raised the glistening sword to be level with her face. She calmly rotated her shoulders to relax them and flexed her curled fingers over the hilt of the sword; to get a better feel for its weight and strength. She could begin to feel her heart beat pick up rhythm. The blood in her veins ran hot throughout her body. And Sae knew she couldn't keep the anticipation of the upcoming battle out of her soul even if she tried.
"Touya, count down!" Youhei ordered, his own stance looking every bit as eager and ready as his twin's.
"Three!"
Sae took in a deep breath …
"Two!'
She slowly let it out …
"One!"
Her grip on the sword tightened …
"Go!"
And she ran.
Sesshomaru looked down from his tower window. His eyes followed the two young men in combat by the forest clearing. His arms stayed hanging loosely by his sides as he coldly observed the battle between the two siblings. He noted, with a familiar disdain for humans, that the brothers were skilled in the art of combat. Although it was expected of the eldest to know well the way of swordsmen; the youngest moved with grace and surprising skill. He wielded the sword as if it were familiar. As if he himself had been trained …
"My lord," came the low voice of a man with a jagged scar that ran along the left side of his face.
"General Nagasaki," The lord acknowledged in his toneless voice, never once taking his eyes from the window.
The general stepped stiffly into the dark, majestic room and remained rigid by the door. "I apologize for interrupting your rest my lord, but the servants are waiting to be assigned to your guests."
"Very well," The lord accepted the information coldly, dismissing his general with those two words.
Although he knew Lord Sesshomaru was not looking, General Nagasaki still bowed respectfully towards him and moved quietly out the door.
The room silent once more, Sesshomaru narrowed his glinting eyes on the smaller of the two fighters. He sensed something was off about the boy. He'd been pitifully small to have been placed in the army and was thus put to do women's work. From the beginning, Sesshomaru could sense a vulnerability in the boy's aura. He had dismissed it as a trait of a very young male. But looking upon his slight form now, it was surprising to see a boy so young wield a sword with such ease.
"My lord?" said a soft, husky voice from them large bed.
"Go back to sleep," Sesshomaru ordered coolly, his back towards the naked women in his bed.
"But my lord," the woman protested sensually, the husky tilt laced around her words. "I am in need to serve you, "–There was a teasing pause- "Again."
"You have already served me twice last eve and once this morn," His tone barely changed, with the exception of a strong hint of mockery.
"Once more could not hurt," she gently pushed.
After a moment's pause, Sesshomaru gave one more calculated look at the young boy before turning away from the window and gliding purposely towards the naked women sitting within the rumpled heaps of blankets. "Alright wench," he said chillingly, settling his naked body against the pillows and looking over the women's body. "You have one more chance to serve me before you are to leave."
With an eager expression, she licked her lips and climbed onto her lord's lap, sighing blissfully.
"Just give in, Sae," Youhei panted, dodging another one of her attacks. "You'll never beat me."
"You wish," Sae huffed, pulling back from her strike and anticipating the next move.
Youhei raised his arm and slashed down with his sword. When Sae had to duck and go down on one knee to block it, he smirked down at her. "Just admit it Sae, you will never be as good as me."
Sae grunted and pushed back with all her strength.
"No matter how hard you try, you cannot beat me," he continued tauntingly, easily breaking away from her shove and going back to a defensive pose.
Breathing harshly, Sae leaned back on one foot and raised her sword.
"No matter how long you practice, you cannot outmaneuver me," Youhei attacked first and went for her chest.
Although Sae blocked the blow with a twist of her sword, she began to feel exhaustion start to seep into her bones.
Youhei leaned in close to her face, their swords clashing together in between their bodies. "No matter what you do, little sister, you cannot win," he finished, out of breath despite his words.
Her chest heaved with her hard breathing but Sae still had enough strength to push away from her brother and get into her attack pose.
Taken aback, Youhei stumbled a bit before he was able to stable himself. "Luck," he muttered when Sae's lips curved the slightest bit.
Snorting, Sae took in a deep breath and went for where she knew he was the weakest. The knees. With a swift duck, Sae twirled on the balls of her feet and kicked her twin behind the knees with all her might.
"Ooof!" Was the only noise Youhei was able to utter as he fell straight onto his back.
Sae acted quickly. She stood, placed her foot on his chest, and pointed her sword directly between his eyes. "I win," she smiled, breathing rapidly.
With a groan, Youhei closed his eyes and laid his head back onto the green grass.
"Satoru!" Asumi's excited voice filled the air. "That was wonderful!"
With one last triumph smile for her brother, Sae took her foot off his chest and moved away from his body lying limply on the ground. Suddenly exhausted, Sae looked towards her thrilled friend and grinned tiredly.
"I did not know you were so good!" Asumi continued, as she hurried towards Sae's side. "How did you learn to fight like that?"
"Practice," Sae answered softly, leaning her weight slightly on the sword.
"Yes, of course," Asumi agreed, smiling brightly, admiration shining clearly in her eyes. "But the skill that you wielded was quite marvelous! I have never seen anything quite like it …" Her excited expression suddenly clouded with confusion. "Why were you not put into the army with your brother?"
Sae shrugged, her body still slumping in exhaustion.
"Because he is too small," came a grumbled reply, from the direction of Youhei's spot on the ground.
Sae scowled, "Am not."
Touya finally made his way towards his comrade's side and grinned. "He may be too small for the army, my friend, but he is certainly big enough to defeat you," he chuckled amusedly.
Youhei opened his eyes enough to shoot his teasing friend a glare, "Shut up."
Lifting his hands up in surrender, Touya backed away slightly, "I am just saying."
Ignoring their banter, Asumi came to stand by Sae's side and slipped under her shoulders. "Here, you can lean on me for support. You look quite tired," she said in sudden concern, putting one of Sae's arms around her narrow shoulders and wrapping her arm around Sae's waist.
"Thank you," Sae murmured, ignoring Touya's amused smirk.
"Is anyone going to help me up?" asked Youhei, sounding annoyed. "I am the one on the ground, here."
"Ah yes, of course," Touya answered immediately, holding out his hand for his friend to take.
Missing Touya's mischievous air, Youhei took a hold of the offered hand and prepared himself to stand ….
Only to be dropped back onto the floor when his anchor was suddenly snatched away.
"Opps," Touya said unapologetically, grinning down at Youhei's sprawled form. "That was my fault."
"Damn right it was," Youhei growled, glaring daggers. He ignored another of his friend's offered hands and lifted himself from ground instead, dusting himself off.
Sae laughed along with Asumi.
"Your brother is quite good too," Asumi added a few minutes later, seeming to be growing more confident in Youhei and Touya's company. "You both move with such skill and grace."
Youhei smiled warmly at her. "Thank you very much, Asumi, I'm glad you noticed."
Asumi blushed, "You are welcome, Y-Youhei."
Rolling her eyes, Sae felt some of her strength starting to return to her and took her arm away from Asumi's shoulders. "I finally caught my breath," she explained when she caught her friend's inquiring eyes. "I can stand on my own."
Nodding in understanding, Asumi moved slightly away from her side and laced her fingers in front of her.
The pose was so Asumi that Sae couldn't help but smile.
"We should be returning soon," Touya suddenly announced, looking up at the darkening sky.
"You are right," Youhei agreed, glancing up and then back at his twin. "I did not even realize it was getting so late." There was regret shimmering in his dark eyes.
"Yes," Sae agreed sadly, sighing. "I did not either. Asumi and I must go inside to be assigned to a lord and lady of the castle."
Abruptly, a dark expression passed over Youhei expression. "Why?" he demanded, looking suddenly very angry.
Confused by his behavior, Sae lifted her eyebrows in surprise. "Because we are to serve a specific lord or lady of the castle, depending on our gender. Asumi will luckily be serving them food" –Sae shot her friend a teasing look of envy- "While I will have to be taking a lady her things to their room … and whatever else she may ask." She added with a shudder.
"Satoru," Youhei hissed menacingly, grabbing her by the arm and dragging her away from the two confused looking friends. "I must speak to you."
"What?" Sae demanded once they were out of hearing range.
"How could you let this happen?" he practically yelled, throwing his arms up in anger.
"What are you talking about? Let what happen?" Sae was confused as she was annoyed.
"This!" Youhei spat, pointing down at the ground. "The situation that you now find yourself in! You cannot be one of the men who bring the lady's belonging to her room! Do you not know what they do with their so called servants?"
Realization suddenly dawning, Sae winced, "Yes."
That response clearly made Youhei angrier. "Then why are you one of those servants!?" he demanded, his face growing slightly red. "I told you to stay low and not call attention to yourself, but what do you do? You do the exact opposite of what I tell you!" He ran his hands through his hair in frustration. "How can I protect you if you do not do as I say?"
Although Sae knew the question was rhetorical, she answered anyway. "You do not need to protect me," she said stubbornly, crossing her arms over her chest. "I can protect myself just fine."
"Obviously not," he retorted mockingly. "Since you will be caught and hanged for sure once you are discovered."
"I will not," Sae shot back, now glaring through angry eyes. "I will be careful to avoid any situation where it involves me and a lady alone."
Youhei scoffed, "Impossible. The moment you bring her belongings to her room, you will be alone. And then … you will find yourself under very difficult circumstances."
Starting to feel worried, Sae shoulders slumped as the fight went out of her. "Truly?" she asked, for once sounding vulnerable.
Catching the scared note in her voice, Youhei sighed and threw a comforting arm over her shoulders. "Yes, Sae, unfortunately yes. But perhaps we can find a way to get out of serving one of the lady's … Do you think you can switch positions with another servants in the castle?"
Sae flinched, almost as if something hit her, "No."
"Why not?" he demanded, his eyes growing narrow.
"Because I already switched with one of the servants," she admitted weakly, feeling a little embarrassed by the fact.
"Are you telling me you were originally not one of the lady's personal servants?" There was the slightest bit of danger to Youhei's tone.
Sae swallowed the lump that suddenly grew in her throat, "Yes."
A deafening pause filled the air before Youhei pulled away from his sister and ran another hand through his hair. "I don't know if I should kill you now or wait till later so I may do it slowly and properly."
Sae sighed and spread her arms out wide, "Do it now and just get it over with."
Looking at her for a silent second, Youhei finally chuckled and shook his head. "Ah, little sister, I could never let you leave this world without me. When you go, I will surely follow."
Feeling a tug pull at her heart, Sae smiled at him, "Born together …"
"… Die together," Youhei finished, enveloping her in a quick hug before letting go.
"I'm afraid, however, that the time will come sooner than we planned," he said after a moment's silence, looking at the big imposing castle.
"No, it won't," Sae said in determination, staring at the castle with a look of defiance. "I won't allow it."
"Tomorrow night our guests will be arriving!" The general's voice boomed loudly throughout the walls of the great hall, his words echoing over the many heads of servants looking upon him. "And the lord expects everything to go perfectly! All servants will do as their told! All cooks will make no mistakes with the foods! All women will go without complaint! All men will follow orders! All of you will do things with perfection! If any one of you make a mistake, you will be severely punished!" He glared heatedly at all the heads of the servants standing bellow the staircase. "Or worse."
A murmur of worry went throughout the crowd, a similar feeling of unease at those words.
Sae could feel her palms start to sweat. She knew, out of all of the servants, she was the one most at risk of being "severely punished … or worse". Should she be found out, she had no doubt that she would be tortured and then killed for her deception. No one deceived the Lord of the Western lands and lived to tell the tale. The lord was known to hate the human race, so when one showed enough courage to defy him he had no qualms about killing them in a heartbeat. At least, it was what she had been told. But Sae knew she would be no exception. Women, in the lord's eyes, were to be bedded and discarded. Men were to be trained and be put in his army to fight. Nothing more, nothing less.
"All servants have been assigned and the dinner servants have been given their hours! Now take to bed and wake at the crack of dawn!" The gruff general finished, dismissing them with a slice of his hand.
With the noisy chatter of many people, the crowd started heading towards the sleeping quarters below the castle. Sae followed suit, with Asumi by her side, and filed out with the rest of the servants of the castle. Her body was exhausted and ready to rest but her mind would not stop flowing with troublesome thoughts. She could not stop herself from becoming stressed about the following day to come. The lady she had been assigned to was known to be one of the nastiest and most demanding ladies of the lands. She had gone through many male servants on her last visit and had even been rumored to have spent the night in the lord's bed. Sae hoped the last was true, for she dearly wished that the lord would keep the woman occupied instead of Sae having to do it herself.
"Are you worried, Satoru?" Asumi whispered quietly, hooking her arm with Sae.
"A little," Sae admitted, feeling the slightest bit comforted by her friend's gesture.
"Do not worry, Satoru," Asumi tried to assure her, smiling. "I will protect you."
The absurdity of that idea made Sae chuckle. "Yes, of course you will Asumi. Of course you will."
Smile growing wider, Asumi looked forward and continued to follow the crowd.
Her own smile slipping, Sae brooded over tomorrow's possibilities. And hoped that all would go well. If not for her sake, then for her twin's. For she had an ominous feeling that if she were to be sentenced to death, her brother would be right there alongside her. Dying at her side. And that, Sae swore, was never going to happen. No matter what occurred, Sae would not see her brother killed for her careless mistake.
It was but a few minutes before Sae parted ways with Asumi and followed the male servants to their quarters. The familiar dark corridors leading to the many rooms were lit with torches along the stone walls. When first arriving at the castle, Sae had thought it eerie and a bit frightening. There were many dark areas and passageways that were covered in shadow, making it impossible to see what lurked behind every corner. Having a fanciful imagination had not helped Sae's fears in the least. She had practically jumped every time she saw something move. It took weeks before she became accustomed to the servant's sleeping quarters. But now, walking along the dark hallways, felt familiar and strangely comforting.
"Hey Satoru," came the voice of Daichi, the source of all her problems. "Wait up!"
It took a lot of effort not to groan out loud, but Sae was able to fight against the urge and forced her feet to wait for her friend. "Yes?" she inquired politely, fighting another urge to smack his grinning face.
Finally making it to her side, Daichi shrugged. "Oh nothing, I just wanted to thank you again for the favor you are doing for me."
"I am not doing it for you," Sae muttered, not feeling particular kind towards her male friend. Had he not asked for the favor, Sae would not be in a life or death situation. It was true, had she given the favor more thought, she wouldn't have agreed to it in the first place. But that was neither here nor there.
"Really?" Daichi looked mildly confused. "Then who did you do it for?
"For all those innocent girls you have molested in the past," Sae retorted. "They need a break from your attentions."
Daichi blinked once, then twice before finally laughing out loud. "Ah, I suppose that's true," Daichi admitted in good humor, not looking the least bit ashamed.
Scoffing, Sae continued to walk towards her room that she shared with three other male servants and tried to ignore her brazen friend walking beside her. She did not feel very inclined to be particularly pleasant to Daichi. There was a small, childish part of her that wanted to take no blame for her current situation and put it on someone else's shoulders. Daichi, being the main and fairly easy target.
Easy because he had no clue he was being targeted.
Sae glared daggers at him.
Daichi, oblivious to Sae's black mood, continued to grin. "You cannot blame me though, my friend. Girls are such perfect creatures that it is hard to stay away from even one. Such soft skin, kissable lips, flawless features, well-formed curves, tight-"
"Okay!" Sae blurted out suddenly, feeling her cheeks flush. Leave it to Daichi to make her extremely angry one minute and desperately embarrassed the next. "I get your point. Yes, girls are very lovely."
With a smug look of knowing, Daichi elbowed Sae on her side. "You are rather squeamish when it comes to the opposite sex, are you not Satoru? And yet," His face become considering. "The women in the castle like you. Perhaps I will start acting like an embarrassed little boy and then I will have all the girls chasing after me instead of me going after them."
Although she knew he spoke mainly the truth, it didn't keep Sae from feeling a little bit insulted. "I do not act like a little boy," she said firmly, a hint of indignation in her voice.
"Whatever you say, Satoru," Daichi agreed unconvincingly, waving away her glare.
With a small grunt, Sae entered her room and went straight for her bed. She climbed onto the top mattress of the bunk bed, fell face first into her pillow, and waited for Daichi to become comfortable on the bottom bunk. When she heard him settle in, as well as the other two male servants in the room, she mumbled something to Daichi.
"What was that, Satoru?" Daichi asked, sounding amused.
Sae lifted her face away from her pillow, "I said you are just jealous."
"Yeah right!" Daichi snorted with laughter. "That would be like saying I was jealous of a girl and we all know that is not possible."
With the sound of her friend's snickering, Sae finally closed her eyes; a secret smile on her lips.
*Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of Rumiko Takahashi. The original characters and plot are the property of the author of this story. Any violence, perceived abuse, or negative behavior should not be taken literally. The plot is for entertainment purposes only. This author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any previously copyrighted material.