When Haruhi awoke that morning it was to the smell of bacon and eggs. The sun was up and the stuffy air in the room was the sole factor that forced her out of bed. She stretched in a cat-like manner as she did every morning and pushed the covers aside so she could slide out of bed. Following the alluring scent of breakfast Haruhi slowly made her way to the kitchen area where she saw Nekozawa putting to plates of food on his small table.
"Oh, good," he said when he caught sight of her, "I was just about to wake you. Did you sleep well?"
Haruhi only nodded with her voice still caught in her throat, still unsure of what to make of her situation. Nekozawa held a chair out for her and she politely accepted. He then joined her on the other side and clapped his hands twice before digging in to his meal. Haruhi began eating as well, though by the time Nekozawa had cleared his plate, she was only half way through.
"So, I've been thinking," he began after he wiped his mouth, "you're the one that offered yourself to me, and I was wondering what exactly it is you thought you'd be doing here."
Haruhi thought about it for a moment before opening her mouth. "I, well…" she paused and Nekozawa nodded his head for her to continue, "it was a rash decision…I admit, but I figured I would be a…a servant of sorts to you."
"What kind of servant?"
"Well, the regular kind…I suppose; taking care of your home, running errands for you…those sorts of things." Haruhi opted for staring at her food rather than the man before her. She heard him sigh and lean back in his chair.
"Well, if that's what you really want to do…" he began; he smiled when Haruhi peaked with interest and finally lifted her gaze to him, "…but I was thinking of something different."
Haruhi continued looking expectantly at him.
"I was thinking you could be my apprentice." He gave another charming smile and waited for her to speak.
"…I mean no offense, but I don't know how comfortable I'd be learning black magick," she blushed.
"Well, that's not a problem. I could teach you other magicks - how to make potions and medicines for one thing, and I also know a good deal of white magick. Take a day to think it over; it'd be fun to have another sorcerer in my company, you know, especially one who would be my protégé."
"…I'll think about it, then…" Haruhi went back to her food and Nekozawa spoke again after she was finished. He did so as he was clearing the table.
"Your name is Haruhi, is it not?" he asked, "and I presume that you already know my name." Haruhi nodded. "Well, during your stay here I want you to call me Neko-sensei," he returned to his chair at the small table and looked at her.
"…Alright, Neko-sensei."
He smiled at the sound of it. Then he dropped it and a more serious expression came forth.
"Now, that we have that out of the way…I'd like to go over a few ground rules with you."
Haruhi perked up and sat up straight giving him her full attention.
"I am well aware of what you gave up when you made your decision and I hope you understand that there is no turning back now," he watched her heart sink, "you will not be permitted to return to your village or have any contact whatsoever with your family or former friends, ever again. Even though you came to me willingly, I shall escort you every time we leave the premises, and until I can trust you fully, I'll have a charm placed around the property to prevent you from leaving. You have full access to all of the buildings and rooms of my establishment, but please refrain from touching my personal items; this is for your safety above all else.
"I would like you to get acquainted with the animals in the barn as you will be their new caregiver. Don't remove their collars; I have a spell on the beasts to keep them calm and refrain from going mad in my establishment. For the next couple of weeks you'll be my shadow and learn of all I do when I do it. I want you to learn from me at a safe distance, and once I feel you've had enough preparation we'll move to some hands-on experience – this is provided you accept my previous offer. Also, I like to be on polite terms with others, so it would be in your best interest to do as I say and not raise your voice against me as it would be an ill choice to test my temper; I'm not as kind and merciful when I'm angry. Things get broken.
"Further more, on the rare occasion that I have a visitor, you need to keep yourself out of sight unless I decide otherwise at a later date. Do you understand?"
Haruhi nodded.
"Good," he said while smiling.
"But," she began, and Nekozawa dropped his smile, "I'll be lonely," she finished. Nekozawa stared at her for a split second before he started laughing.
"Oh, is that all? You won't be lonely; you'll have me, and when I'm gone you have the animals to keep you company, not to mention I have hundreds of books to keep you busy – both for entertainment and studying. Imagine that; you'll finally have proper schooling after staying here a while. I bet not many girls have that opportunity, eh? Especially pretty ones like you. I'll bet your parents expected you to get married soon and start a family with the first foolish suitor they met in your youth. Am I right?"
Haruhi blushed and looked down at her twiddling fingers. "We never signed any contract for an arranged marriage. My father wouldn't allow it. He and my mother managed to break the cycle and marry for each other and they wished for me to do the same."
"Well, good for them," he said, "at least that eliminates the chances of your betrothed gathering a group and hunting me down in an effort to rescue you. Without a doubt, I would win, but it's so much less troublesome if no one came at all."
"What about my father? What if he gathers a group and comes to my aid?" she asked.
"Oh, I don't think he will. He and your mother will be distraught at your sudden absence, but neither of them would dare neglect the baby in an attempt to find you, especially since you ran away."
"And how will they know I ran away? They might think I was kidnapped."
"Oh, I highly doubt that. You practically cleaned out your room, and if you really were kidnapped everything would still be left in your room. They might try and look for you, at a later date, but we shouldn't have to worry about that if your body turns up."
Haruhi snapped her head up to him and her eyes grew wide and her body became numb.
"Oh, not literally, of course," he added when he saw her expression, "but I can easily make a clay corpse. I'll even let you choose how you'll die, won't that be fun?" Her eyes began tearing up and Nekozawa quickly changed the topic. "I'll be taking you to the tailor later today to supply you with a new wardrobe. The outfit you wear over there will be the only one you'll get to keep – all of your other clothes will be disposed of accordingly. So, choose carefully. I won't have you looking like a heathen - you're not a farm girl anymore. You may take a moment to change in the bedroom; your bags are under your bed. We'll leave when you are finished."
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Naraku's Phoenix: Thanks to everyone who has reviewed so far and to all of this story's readers. I won't dally too much on author's notes each chapter as I have done in the past, so please know that I appreciate all of your support. I look forward to the continuation of this particular fan fiction, and any questions or concerns you address in a review I will be more than happy to send you a reply. Ja ne!