Hoshiko had finished with the day's chores and was feeling a little light-headed. She decided that she was going to make lunch for herself and see if that didn't help things.

"Tsukishiro-sama," she called, tapping on his door.

A muffled curse could be heard from the other side of the door, then there was silence. Hoshiko waited patiently to the count of fifty before she knocked again.

"Tsuki-"

The door was flung open, and in the doorway stood a very disheveled and angry baku. His silvery hair had been pulled out of its ponytail and flowed around his shoulders, and he had taken off his cloak, wearing a strange shirt and shorts combination in its place.

"WHAT?" he hissed.

Hoshiko bowed respectively. "May I go the market to get some food?" she asked. "I'm sorry to wake you up."

Tsukishiro muttered something under his breath, then waved his hand dismissively. "Be back before dark." he grumbled, running a hand through his hair sleepily.

She bowed again, saying, "Thank you, Tsukishiro-sama," and left, hearing the door slam shut behind her and the squeal of old bed springs.

She loved going into the market. There were so many sights and sounds, so many people to meet. Since Tsukishiro didn't need to eat, there was never any food in the house, and Hoshiko was in charge of feeding herself.

She picked up a small keg of rice, and a basket of fish, paying for them both and smiling at the vendors. Being without any human company for a while could be tiresome, she thought. It never hurts to be among your own kind.

Suddenly, a cat came dashing through her legs and around her feet, where she tumbled down with everything falling ontop of her. The smell of fish was strong, as there was a salmon stuck to her face, and there was sticky rice in her hair.

"I'm so sorry!" a voice said, helping her up. "Naamu hates taking baths."

Hoshiko peeled the fish off her and smiled aplogetically. "It's alright," she said. "I'm fine."

The person who'd helped her up was a young man, probably somewhere in his early twenties. He wore elaborate robes and his hair was cut neatly. In his hand was a fancy cigarette that trailed smoke.

The cat who'd tripped her dashed by again, and he caught it, throwing himself down in the process. "Naamu!" he scolded. "Don't go around tripping people!"

Hoshiko stifled a laugh, and the young man looked up, smiling. "Here," he said, pulling out a coin purse that jingled loudly. "I'll pay to replace the food."

"Oh, no, it's okay!'" she exclaimed. "You don't have to go through the trouble-"

The man waved off her protests. "It's alright. My family's rich. I can spare the money. I'm Hifumi, by the way. Nice to meet you."

Hoshiko blinked and blushed. "Th-thank you.." she bowed quickly. "My name is Hoshiko."

"Hoshiko, huh?" Hifumi looked at her sideways. "I've never seen you around here before."

"I don't come to town a whole lot. I live up in the forest." she pointed towards the dense trees.

Suddenly, Hifumi's face darkened. "Are you sure it's safe up there?" he asked, concerned.

"What do you mean?"

"There's a baku that lives up there. His name's Tsukishiro." Hifumi paid for her fish, handing it to her, but not looking her in the eye. He seemed to be remembering something painful. "You should stay away from him."

Hoshiko blinked, then began to laugh. She tried to keep it down to a polite chuckle, but it slipped out a little more than she intended to. Hifumi's face turned red.

"What?" he demanded. "What's so funny?"

"I don't mind him," she explained through giggles. "Though it's nice of you to be so worried."

"He's not someone to joke around about, Miss-" Hifumi began, his face serious.

"Tsukishiro-sama would never do anything to hurt me." she explained. "I'm his servant."

Hifumi stared at her in utter shock. He turned his head to the left, then to the right, and leaned forward conspiratorily. "I get it," he whispered. "Alright, if you come with me, I can hide you-"

Hoshiko shook her head and smiled politely. "No, thank you." she said. "It's okay, Hifumi-san. Thank you for your offer. But I promised Tsukishiro-sama that I'd be back before dark."

She turned and began walking towards the trail, a new keg of rice and a new basket of fish in her hands. "Let me know if there's any way I could repay you for your kindness!" she called, bowing.

As she made her way back up to the house, she couldn't help but smile. Poor Hifumi. He was probably still wondering how on earth she'd managed to survive this long with someone as infamous as Tsukishiro. Still, his concern was nice, and a breath of fresh air compared to a baku's dull comments.