The place was monsterus! To say it was a castile might have been pushing it a little but it was pretty darn close! And it is there that Kagome Higurashi stood awestruck by the sight before her.
"Nice isn't it?" Miroku asked from somewhere to her left. She didn't bother turning around to make sure, he could wait. The thing they called a house couldn't. Miroku laughed coming up to stand beside her and pointing to the huge stained glass windows above the door. Her gaze followed in the direction his finger was pointing to the brightly colored glass. "Those came from an old church they were going to tear down in England." the figures of men and women forever captured in various stages of worship of their god stared back down at them. "I don't really remember where in England it was located, only that their here now. Oh and those,". He said pointing to the pillars framing the door, and Kagome's eyes again followed, "Are made from marble mined in Russia. Lady Haha loved it there. And the doors…well the doors are just hard wood from around here." He finished returning his hand to his side and turning to look at her.
"Wow," Kagome breathed still mesmerized by the sight.
"Yeah that about says it all huh?" He smiled at her still awed expression and started toward the doors, "Ok so the house has 29 rooms, 16 of which are bedrooms with there own bathrooms attached, 6 are public bathrooms, 2 are studies, 2 are lounges, 1 is the dinning hall, and the last two are the library and the kitchen. Got that?" He asked her over his shoulder.
"No." Miroku laughed at her lame tone and stopped at the front door.
"Well don't worry you'll get it in time. Right now we'll just go over it k? Now where did I put those-Oh! Here they are," He sighed withdrawing a set of keys before unlocking the door and handing them to her. "ok these are the keys to the whole estate. They open every door so DON'T lose them." Kagome gaped again as she walked inside and the 'entrance hall' came into view. The place was almost as big on the inside as on the out side. It almost seemed bigger if that were at all possible. And dark…very very dark. "Hmm.. It seems the powers gone out… wiring pretty old in here I guess " Miroku mumbled more to himself than to her.
"So now what?" Kagome asked unsure what was expected of her.
Miroku smiled at her from the doorway as Kagome ventured further into the hall. Gazing at naked human shaped statues and old, dusty landscape paintings as she went. "Well I have to head back to the office, but-" he added at her pale horrified expression, "-Kaede is probably still in the kitchen so you wont be here alone. She might even cook you something if your hungry." Kagome blushed in embarrassment. Miroku laughed then drawing her attention again. "There's nothing to be embarrassed about Kagome! Anyone would be a little uneasy in your shoes."
"Thanks Miroku," Kagome mumbled turning to stare at the painting she had been admiring a minuet ago, noticing that it wasn't so pleasing to look at anymore.
"I'll call someone to fix the wiring tomorrow. Until then you should get some candles from Kaede. She's down that hall and to the left." He said pointing to a dark hall at the back of the room. "Good night miss Higurashi," the slight clicked of the door closing was the only sound of his departure made.
And then she was alone…..
In a huge mansion…..
In the dark…
Kagome gulped. "Its ok girl your not alone," she mumbled her riding boots clicking on the marble white floors as she made her way to the kitchen. "Now we just head down here or was it here?" she asked herself coming to a crossroads. Two long dark halls lead off to the left and right. Kagome stared down both of them trying to find even the faintest trances of light. Crap.
"Its ok Its ok Its ok," she chanted thinking back to what Miruku had said, "Oh why wasn't I paying attention? Stupid painting!" she muttered cursing the useless painting and all of its find. A sound reached her then. A voice? She wondered following it to her right.
A soft song drifted back to her becoming louder with each step she took. Then suddenly two iron clad doors were before her. Kagome stopped and stared in wonder. A soft voice whispered word to a song Kagome had never heard in a langue she did not know. She stepped closer, extending her hand, fingers within inches of the golden handles. A loud booming crash shook the very ground nearly casing Kagome to lose her footing on the highly polished marble floors. Seconds later another followed sending bits of dust raining down on her kneeing form. Kagome jumping to her feet whipped around ran wildly back the way she had come, another booming crash following her.
She didn't stop running. Paintings and carving where a blur as she ran, not even noticing she had already passed the way out. Faster! Her mind screamed, I'm not going fast enough! Panting heavily she grabbed a small thin pillar to pivot around a corner. She did stop then nearly knocking down an elderly looking woman with a lit candle stick in her right hand. Kagome jumped back a gasp escaping her dry throat. They stood there staring at each other, silence like a think choking fog descending over them.
"You the Higurashi girl?" The elderly woman asked finally breaking the silence before it could reach its limit, and holding up the candle to light more of the hall. Kagome breathing slowed, as relief flowed thru here.
"Kaede?" Kagome asked still panting lightly. Kaede nodded. Kagome smiled. "On thank god I found you!" she said nearly collapsing with relief.
"Were you the one make all that noise?" Kaede asked narrowing her eyes slightly.
"No!" Kagome shouted waving her hands out in front of her as if to ward off a blow. "Ther-there was th-this door a-and this v-voice! I-I…"
"Well now you should be messin around with the ghosties now. They don't take to kindly to new comers." She frowned noting Kagome pale face, "now don't you go passin out on me now. I'm too old to be carryin some youngin around here so I'll just be leaven ye where ye fall."
"You said ghosts?" Kagome asked taking a small step into the light cast by the candle.
" Ah don't ye be worrien none about the ghosties girl they'll nay hurt ye just mess with ye a bit. Now ye look like ye could use a sound meal yeah?" Kaede asked smiling then and walked into a open door to her right. Kagome followed not wanting to be left in the dark. Kaede motioned to a stool across the room as she started grabbing old looking pots off an ancient looking stove and throwing them into the sink to be cleaned.
Kagome took the offered seat and watched the old woman work. She was fast for such an ancient looking woman. Kagome couldn't help but admire her.
"So youngen do ye know when the power be back on?" Kaede asked not even bothering to look up from her work.
"No," Kagome admitted sadly. But she sure hoped it would be soon. "Miruku said he'd call someone in the morning."
"Ah good, good." She said nodding her head over the sandwich she was making. "This place need some new lights too think ye can remember that?" She looked at Kagome arching a brow at her in question.
"Um…yeah sure," Kagome quickly agreed.
"Ah very good," She said turning back to her work and adding a little more mayo.
"Um…so about these ghosts?" She asked timidly. Kaede turned around and set a plate in front of her. Kagome nodded her thanks and took a small bit from the finely made tuna sandwich.
"Well what ye want to know about them girl?" Kaede asked taking the other half of the sandwich and biting into it.
"Where are they from? And why are they still here?" Kagome asked setting down her own half and leaning forward to her the gruffly speaking woman better.
"Well lets me see now." Kaede said taking another bite from her sandwich before continuing, "Well if I had to guess I'd have to say right around the end of the warring stated era. Its when this house was built you see." Another bite, "Lord Kenji Higurashi built it for his wife Lady Maiya Higurashi and their only child Riyu Higurashi who was about 5 at the time I think." The last bite disappeared behind her ancient lips. "Well every thing was just fine and dandy for a few more years and before ye know it the boy was a man of 17. Now right around that time war had broken out with the west and the boy with stars in his eyes when off to war in his fathers name." The forgotten sandwich from Kagome's plate found its way into Kaedes hand. " So there years later now 20 year old Riyu returned home a victor wielding his trophies for all to see. Dismounting his gallant steed he walked up to his family home and entered leaving his men to wait for his return." The last bit of Kagome's sandwich rejoined it's mate. "Not but 5 minuets later he was back pale as a sheet and running for all he was worth. People still say you can hear his desperate screams for help all the way down the drive." Kaede finished taking Kagome's plate and setting it in the sink with the other dishes.
"Well?" Kagome asked after a moment of Kaede's fussing over the dishes.
"Well what girl?" She returned cleaning another dish and setting it back in the cabinet where it belonged.
"What did he find?"
"Well his parents dead of course! Why else would he be hollerin for help?"
"They were dead?! But how?" Kagome wasn't really sure she wanted to know…
"Most folks around here think old lord Kenji found his wife cheaten on him and cut her up somethin good before killin himself. Some say it was the son wantin the title and land faster. No one really knows though. Sure did start a war though." She said finishing the last dish and starting in on the counters.
"So their death started a war? With who?" Kagome asked remove her elbows from the counter so Kaede could clean there.
"Well with the Takahashi's of course. Old lady Maiya was a Takahashi by birth after all and they weren't too happy about their daughter being all cut up like that." Tossing the used towel into the sink as well as her apron Kaede turned to face Kagome again. "They've been wanted this property and all the money that comes with is for generations now, I'd be careful if I were you girly." She said leaning in close to whisper. " They wont go easy on ye just cause yer a girl and you can bet they'll try anything to get what they want."
