A/N: Well, here's the seventh chapter. Hm, it's already been a week, has it? Farther than I thought it'd be. Well, as soon as I'm done posting this, methinks I should work on ACE. Need to get that a new chapter, eh? Okay, just a few notes about this chapter. If there are any characters that are OOC, please let me know so I can go back and fix it. As for Yukina, who shows up later, she is supposed to be directly from Japan. This story takes place in France, so she'll have a different set of actions that go more with japan, 'kay? Also, she uses honorifics for people, so I'll mention them quickly.

Okay, she says stuff about the Toguro bros., but she calls them Ani-Toguro-san and Ototo-Toguro-san. That would be Elder Toguro (Ani-Toguro) and Younger Toguro (Ototo-Toguro). She also uses -sama when referring to the lord, which means 'sir' or 'lord'. -San she uses for Kagome, which is just the equivilant of 'Miss', 'Mrs.', and 'Mr.' all in one for convinience. Does that help some of you?

regretfully-yours-Cassy-chan: Randomness rules! I do like that movie, though I haven't seen it in ages. In my mind, I can picture just about anything. Really. As far as anime stuff goes, I can picture Hiei and Kurama singing in a band to Linkin Park songs. If that isn't wierd, I'll figure out something else! XD

Black Hands: Yessir! Or madam? I don't know, so how about I say 'Hai, sempai-sama!'?

Moondust Fireflash: Well, that's the beauty of my story. Literally. Thanks for calling it origional, but by the time I get done with it, it is going to be completely mutilated and I'm most likely going to be killed by my reviewers. XP Just a little peek of what my twisted mind is coming up with.

Four hours and a sore throat later, Kagome was still shouting, standing in front of her cell door. "And another thing! This cell is filthy! You'd think that keeping it clean would be a major priority, wouldn't you! I mean, think of the hygiene! I swear there are rats and all sorts of creepy crawlies up here. And cobwebs! What kind of castle tower has cobwebs? As soon as I get out of here, I'm filing a complaint! That's right. I'll get all of those people that are obsessed with tall, dark and not-so-handsome rich bastards to get over here and put a woman's touch into this place! It's pathetic!"

Her throat was sore, she was running out of things to say, and she was dying of thirst. Besides that, though, Kagome was feeling quite proud of herself. She didn't doubt the fact that the lord of the castle could hear everything she said, and she took pride in the thought that she was most likely driving him insane with her yelling. She took a moment to swallow, wetting her mouth slightly, before taking a breath to continue. She didn't expect the door to open in front of her.

Kagome shouted and jumped back, falling onto the ground and hitting her elbow awkwardly. Shaking her head, she looked up. She had been expecting the lord, or even Yuusuke. She certainly wasn't expecting a young woman. The woman was an odd creature, sporting baby blue hair and bubblegum pink eyes. Her outfit was an oddly cut blouse that might have been red at some point, but was so faded from washing that it had become a sort of off pink. Her skirt was a deep purple tone that looked like it was made of cotton. It flowed with the girl as she moved, hugging her curves nicely and obviously attracting the attention of any man that laid eyes on her. Her voice was higher than an alto, but lower than a soprano as she spoke with a foreign accent.

"Why, hello there! My name is Botan, and I'm here to bring you an offer from the master." She held out a delicate hand. Kagome took it, expecting to have her hand shaken, and noticed it was much softer than her own. She let out a small 'eep' as she was pulled to her feet with the help of the girl, now known as Botan. "Here's the deal. If you stop shouting, then the master has said that you can stay as long as you work. You don't work, and you are going to be thrown into the forest with little more than the clothes on your back."

Kagome blinked. "You mean he was finally getting tired of all of the things I said?" Kagome took her golden book, as it was dubbed a few moments before in her mind, and cradled it in her arms. "I can stay here? What about my family? They will really be worrying about me, and I just can't leave them without Buka. He helps my brother do his chores." Why Kagome was defending the very man who had beaten her many times in her not-so-distant past was beyond her.

Botan, smiling and nearly bouncing with energy, said, "There's not much that can be done about your family. See, there's this curse. I'm really not supposed to tell you about it unless you pledge your allegiance to the master, but I can tell you a little. This curse that's stuck to all of us, it means that we can't leave without permission. Call it an obedience thing," she laughed.

Kagome raised an eyebrow. What was wrong with this girl? It was like she was happy she was under a curse! "You mean to tell me that the only way I can get out of this cell is if I promise to work for that arrogant son of a bitch for the rest of my life?" Botan nodded. "Hell no! He insulted me, called me a thief, and threatened to kill me! Then he threw me into a cell just because I tried to leave!"

Botan raised her hands. "Calm down, the master really didn't mean that. He just gets a bit -touchy, you could say. He's not a bad master, either. As long as you stay off his bad side. And look at it this way; if you work here, you get room and board, plus you learn secrets that only the staff knows. Not to mention the rooms to explore, the garden in the summer time..."

Kagome shook her head. "There's only one way I would consider that, and that was if I could see my friends once again." Her head drooped. "I mean, I really didn't get a chance to say goodbye to them. My father forced me to go into the forest, and I wasn't able to tell Houjo, Kenshin and Kaoru where I was going. I miss them." She didn't mention the fact that she missed her kid brother, too, regardless of the fact that he treated her almost like her father. He wasn't abusive or anything, just didn't accept the fact that she was just as smart, if not more so, than he was. She had practically raised him, after all.

Botan cocked her head to the side and seemed to be listening. Or thinking intently, it was hard for Kagome to tell. "There may be a way, but it'd take some convincing. Or, rather, some clever and fast thieving. But I think he'd be willing to help you out, if that's your only condition." Botan straightened and addressed Kagome. "What do you say? Is it a deal?" She held out her hand again.

Kagome weighed her choices. She really didn't know what Botan was talking about. Thieving? He? Nevertheless, she began to weigh the pro's and con's of servitude. On the one hand, she could be sure she would never become hungry or lack a place to sleep again. On the other, she would be working for an arrogant ass. Then there was the fact that she would find out some things that had been eating at her curiosity. But she wouldn't see her friends or family again. She still had Buka with her, who was more of a friend to her than anything else since she had never really been able to go to market more than once every week or so. She wouldn't be able to run through open fields again. Or just sleep in on cold, winter mornings. She supposed it all came down to the fact of whether or not she wanted to find out more about the curse.

Curiosity killed the cat was the saying her mother always told her. Her reply had always been that she was glad she was human, then. Why break tradition now, when she hadn't for so long? Making her decision, Kagome took Botan's hand. "I do believe we have ourselves a deal, Miss Botan."

Botan smiled brighter than she had before. "Wonderful. Now, come with me!" Not letting go of Kagome's poor hand, she began to pull the raven-haired ex-prisoner out of the room and down a spiral staircase. "Now, there are a few things to know. There aren't really any dress codes, so you can wear whatever you feel like you can work in. Right now, you'll be working with Yukina on Keiko's orders. You address the master as 'sir' or 'lord', and anyone else by their first name. Keiko runs the household and will be putting everything together for your new room and wardrobe. Yukina will tell you anything else you need to know, including things about the castle and the curse."

Kagome began to get dizzy. They had broken out of the staircase somewhere around the dress-code part of the speech, and were now traipsing across monstrous halls and past large, closed doors. Kagome tried to keep up with Botan while remembering the way that they were going, but soon gave up when she tripped and almost fell on her face. She had never, in her entire life, imagined that one woman could be so chipper. It was against nature to be this happy, yet Botan was breaking the law and getting away with it.

As Botan concluded her speech, they came up to a small chamber door. It had a regular iron door handle and was made, like all of the others, out of some dark colored wood. Botan opened the door without regard for the occupants inside with a flourish. "Yukina!" she called in a singsong voice. "I've got a new recruit for you, straight from the outside world."

Kagome blinked. What was it with people and odd-colored hair here? So far, the only person Kagome had met with a normal hair color was Yuusuke. This new woman had sea-green hair that she kept back in a ribbon. Her eyes were red, suggesting she was also a demon. However, Kagome wasn't worried. This young woman's eyes held no malice or hatred in them at all. Much the opposite, in fact. her eyes were innocent and naive, much like Houjo's eyes were. Kagome's eyes were drawn to her outfit, for she had never seen the like. It was some sort of light green robe, tight enough that it would be horribly difficult to run in. The sleeves were almost blouse-like, except they dropped down to her knees. Her feet were clad in white stockings that were split into two parts, and sandals that stood about an inch off the floor. The dress-robe-thing was held in place by a thick strip of blue cloth running width-wise around her stomach. As she stood gracefully, Kagome was able to see that it tied into a bow at the back.

Her voice was soft and shy as she spoke. "Hello, Botan-san," she addressed the bubbly maiden. She turned to Kagome then, bowing with her hands folded in front of her. "It is nice to meet you." Kagome was slightly impressed by this girl, Yukina. She obviously wasn't from around here, probably not even from the same continent. Yet, she had a wonderful grasp of the language and culture it seemed.

She said as much, which made Yukina blush. "I really had a lot of time to practice--"

Kagome then realized that neither of them knew her name. "Oh, how clumsy of me. My name is Kagome Higurashii, from the village on the other side of the forest. It's nice to meet you, too, Yukina." Kagome turned to say the same to Botan, but the energetic whirlwind had blown away somewhere in between their introductions. That was a feat in and of itself, she hadn't made a single noise and she had been right next to Kagome the entire time.

Yukina smiled shyly. "Botan-san usually does that. Please, don't mind her." She lifted a hand and swept it out towards a chair. "Would you like to take a seat, Higurashii-san, and I can help you get settled?" Kagome blinked, but made her way to the offered chair. More of a stool, unpadded and lacking a back. However, it wasn't circle like the one at her home. "What would you like to know, or would you like me to show you what you'll be helping with?"

Kagome looked up. "Well, I'd really like to know more about the castle," she said, looking around. The room was furnished sparingly, with hardly anything obstructing the floor. There were a few scattered stools similar to the one Kagome was sitting on around the small room. A fireplace stood on one end of the room, empty for the moment. There was one set of windows opposite the fireplace, letting in streamers of sunlight to brighten the otherwise dank room. Kagome watched as Yukina took a place, not on a stool, but on a strange mat made of an unknown type of wood.

Yukina sat on her knees before addressing Kagome again. "I hope that you are comfortable, Higurashii-san. It is not a short story, but it will take some time to tell. You may find yourself regretting an uncomfortable position by the time I get about half-way through the tale. Are you ready?" Kagome shifted a little, then nodded.

"Alright. Quite a long time ago, probably close to or over one hundred years, the lord of this castle was turning eighteen." Kagome gaped at that, but held her tongue. Yukina didn't notice, or chose to ignore the shocked look on Kagome's face, as she continued. "For story purposes, I will use his true name of Youko Kurama-sama. So, Youko-sama was turning eighteen. His parents had died a while back, and so he was the overlord of the entire region. To give you an idea, his property ran from beyond your village to beyond the town you were heading to. His parents had never had a hand in his growing up, so he was spoiled and cruel. He had been running the palace unofficially for years, even before his parents had passed away. The only significance of his eighteenth birthday was that he was now the official ruler."

She took a breath and continued. "There was to be a giant celebration in his honor. We, that is to say, the household servants, were preparing for the ball that was to be held that night. A storm had been brewing earlier in the day, and finally broke an hour before sunset. There had been a knock on the door not even ten minutes after the downpour began, and it was answered by the doorman. An old woman had come upon the castle and asked for shelter from the rain. She was brought in front of Youko-sama, and offered a single rose as payment. Youko-sama scoffed at her before throwing her out into the night. She turned and told him that pretty appearances were only on the surface, and that true beauty was found within. He told her that if she didn't stop mucking up his castle and taking up his time that he would put her to death."

Kagome gasped. Hadn't that been what had happened with her? Yukina kept telling the story, and Kagome turned her attention back to her. "The old woman turned to him and Youko-sama laughed. He told her that if she wanted to glare, she had better find a more productive way of doing it. He closed his eyes for a moment, and there was a flash of light. Where the old woman stood, a young priestess now presided. She was breathtaking to behold, beautiful both to the men and women of the castle. When she spoke, her voice sounded like wind chimes in a light breeze. She told a shocked Youko-sama that she had seen he was unfit to rule. He was no better than the demons that lived in Hell itself, and as such, he would pay the price for his arrogance and cruelty. Without further ado, she cursed him."

"He tried to beg forgiveness, but she would have none of it. She told him that he would live out the rest of his life as a demon, unless he could find a way to break the spell. Youko-sama begged her to tell him how to get rid of it, how to break the curse that had befallen the castle. He must have looked thoroughly miserable, for she told him. She said that from that day forth, anyone who entered the castle could not pass the walls without his permission. He himself could leave when he chose, but he would never be able to leave the forest. Half of the staff would share his curse as a demon, and the other half would be immortal. To make sure that none of us killed ourselves to escape, she laid a second curse that said none of us could harm a living being without suffering. Even hitting someone would give us a headache that was almost as bad as a hangover."

"Then she said that the only way to break the curse was for Youko-sama to fall in love, and earn that person's love in return. There were conditions placed on him that made it impossible to have him use any of the staff to break the curse. They could not be from the castle. They had to learn to see past his demonic form, into his very heart. And they had to be human. That made Youko-sama howl with rage, but the priestess wasn't finished. She also handed him a budding rose. She told him that it would bloom until he was the equivalent of a twenty-year-old demon. After that, it would begin to fade with each passing day, completely dying on his twenty-first birthday, or the demon equivalent. If he could not earn love by then, he and his underlings would remain cursed to live forever in the forest."

"After that, she disappeared. The staff tried to flee, but her word was as good as ever. None of us could leave, and Youko-sama wasn't going to give permission any time soon. The forest darkened that night, filling with strange creatures that went after anyone who tried to find us. We were completely isolated, and there was nothing we could do about it. We began to adjust, those of us turned into demons getting used to our new abilities and the immortal people getting used to the fact that they didn't need to consume food anymore. We lived in hiding for years, until a small group of people-turned-demon appealed to Youko for them to try and find a suitable candidate to break the curse. Youko-sama gave them permission, and they set off. For days they heeded the word of the priestess, not wandering out of the dark forest."

"Then they began to lose hope. Nobody was coming into the forest anymore, and they needed to find someone for their lord. They tried to leave. The curse wouldn't let them, but it didn't stop there." Yukina took a shuddering breath, and then picked up where she had left off. "Something changed them, then. They weren't just demons, now. They were Hell's messengers, there to prey on any who would try and near the castle. The demon that attacked you was called Bui-san. There are three others out there besides him, none of which can die. Karasu-san scours the skies of the forest as a demon crow, Ani-Toguro-san was turned into some sort of water dweller to patrol the rivers and streams." Kagome blessed her mind for thinking to bring her own water when she heard that. "Ototo-Toguro-san became a tree-dweller, spying on the borders to make sure nobody enters the forest without their knowledge." Yukina grew silent as the story drew to a close.

End Chapter
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