Thank you to those who read this. You made me quite happy.

Well, I realized I started a fic at a really bad time since finals are coming up and all. So please excuse me if I don't update after this chapter. I give you permission to yell at me if there isn't an update by January 28th.

This is a pretty pointless chapter. Read at your own peril.

Before I begin: I wish I were Rumiko Takahashi since I would own Inuyasha. But sadly I'm not.

Chapter 2

-Preparations-

Gentle rays glittered, filling the blackness with a soft glow. The stars circled, throwing their light around in sudden splashes of light. A girl appeared, walking sedately towards the middle. She curtsied and began dancing with a fluid grace. With her appearance, the wait was over. It was time.

The first thing I noticed when I regained consciousness was that my head hurt. It hurt a whole lot.

The second thing I noticed was that there was an old woman holding an empty silver pitcher, the content of which I correctly assumed was currently soaking me.

"Ah, good, you're awake. I'm sorry I had to resort to such drastic measures, but you didn't respond to my previous efforts.' Kaede smiled gently down at me.

Gingerly, I lifted myself up to a sitting position, wincing as I jarred my head slightly too much. It was only then that I realized I was in the most comfortable bed I ever had the fortune to be in. Heck, it was the only bed I've ever been in.

A rush of giddiness surged through me so that I had the urge to jump on the bed. That was before I suddenly remembered the old woman who had rudely woken me up.

"Um, who are you? What are you going to do with me? I'm innocent I swear! See, I just happened to um, find this handkerchief in the uh, garbage. Yeah, garbage! And uh, I thought since it was in the garbage, I could take it. Oh hell! never mind, please don't hurt me!"

I never did say I was brave. Sure, I lived on the streets, but that required more cunning than bravery. After all, in order to survive, you had to know how to run away and tell the perfect lies. Except, this time, it seemed my overly productive brain had shut down on me during my moment of utmost need.

"Worry not child. Master isn't really all that bad. In fact, he wouldn't have minded in the slightest if you had stolen any other handkerchief. You just had to choose the only one that matters."

"So, does that mean if I give back the handkerchief, I can leave?"

I prayed to the gods that the old lady would say yes. Sadly, the gods seemed to hate me.

"That depends on Master. Speaking of which, he has instructed me to clean you up. How are you feeling now? Better? Good, come along now. There is much work to be done before you will be presentable."

"Um, well, could I at least know your name first? And what exactly do you mean by making me 'presentable'?"

I didn't particularly like the gleam in the servant's eye as she prepared to answer. Her smirk did nothing to reassure me either.

"You may call me Kaede. I am Master's oldest servant. Up you get. Now the fun begins."

I groaned, willing myself to die. Why couldn't he have just killed me when he had the chance? Better yet, why did I ever come to this house, out of all the others I could've chosen from? And the question to top it all off: why was I even born in the first place?

Pushing away from the warmth over the bed, I swung my legs over the sides. Wobbling slightly, I followed after Kaede, who was disappearing from my sight.

"Oh, um, wait for me! My name's Kagome just in case you wanted to know."

Feeling myself stabilizing, I ran and caught up the old woman.

---

Sighing, I sagged lower in the comforting water. A light floral scent permeated the air. I assumed it was from the plentiful assortment of red and pink rose petals floating in the water. My thoughts drifted as the heat relaxed me.

Kaede had led me to a door where she stopped, opened it and pushed me. But not until after she wished me good luck.

I didn't understand until I saw the scary looking people holding brushes, soap, cloths and other items I couldn't even begin to name.

"So, what are you guys planning on doing to me?"

I, nervous of some bathing servants? No, never!

I flashed them my brightest smile, hoping I would survive this experience unscarred. One of them approached, soap and shampoo in hand

"Don't worry miss. You'll find out soon." She emphasized her words with a shake of the hand containing shampoo.

It was a continuation of my misfortune that they started by stripping me of my perfectly acceptable clothes. I can safely mark that as the most embarrassing moment of my life. After all, half the servants were males.

I was held in place by shock for at least a minute. Then things got loud.

"Ahhhh! Stop touching me. Go away. Please, I'm too young to be taken advantage of! You freaks, let me go. Why can't you all just crawl into a hole somewhere and die?"

In the end, they managed to throw me into the water. They weren't looking very happy about my tantrum so I guess throwing me belly first was revenge.

Now, here I was, perfectly content with just sitting and soaking. I guess that didn't satisfy the assistants.

"Lift your arms miss. We need to scrub you before you turn into a prune."

The girl glanced down at the brush she held in her hands, looked at me and stared at the brush again.

"Amaya, bring a larger brush. This one won't get rid of all the dirt."

Normally, I would've been offended, but she did have a point. You don't get that many opportunities to bathe if you were poor and homeless like me.

"Here you go Ume. It's the biggest one we have."

I gulped, seeing the brush Amaya had brought back.

"Ume right? Well, would you mind, and be gentle please? That brush is just a little too big for my liking."

"I'm sorry miss, I can't do that. Please hold still, this might hurt. We need to get all this dirt off you."

I wouldn't be surprised if someone ten miles away heard my scream of pain. Fortunately, after I was rubbed red, raw and shiny, Ume started shampooing my hair much more gently.

I relaxed as she worked to brush out all the tangles in my hair. Suddenly, I remembered the odd dream I had before Kaede dumped water on me.

It perplexed me. I often dreamed of stars. They were my favorite things. Every night as I wandered from place to place for a place to sleep, I would stare up at sky. The stars always seemed to smile at me and they became my source of comfort.

But this dream had been different. There was a tone of, seriousness and imminence my other dreams lacked. The familiar playfulness that accompanied my dreams did not exist in my last one.

"Miss, I'm done. Please get out of the water now. Follow Amaya and she will finish preparing you."

Ume handed me a towel, which I wrapped around myself. I followed Amaya obediently. She promptly lathered me with some sweet, floral concoction that left my skin smooth. Then she clad me in a simple dress.

"There you go miss. All ready to meet Master. Come, I'll take you to his office."

Dread filled me to the soul as I quickly remembered what the pampering had made me forget. The Lord. I still had to face him.

My steps dragged and I walked slowly after Amaya.

"Miss, Master doesn't like to be kept waiting and we spent enough time making you presentable already. Please hurry."

Amaya knocked on the door and tentatively opened it. She peeked inside and then her voice rang clear.

"My Lord Inuyasha is ready to meet you. Please enter now."

I was about to throw up.

Wow, I feel like my writing style changed. I don't know, maybe I'm just weird.