Kagome was jolted awake by a loud thump. She groggily rolled out of bed to find a sack of laundry beside her futon. She was the only one in the sleeping quarters even though it was hardly dawn. She had worn herself out the previous night, cleaning hallways until she practically collapsed into bed.
The rather bohemian lady of the house would be asleep at this hour, Kagome knew. Kimiko often stayed up late and slept during the day, leaving Kagome to interact mainly with other servants. Even though they seldom spoke to her without some tasks to delegate. With no-one to talk to, she simply did as she was told and tried to stay away from the radar of the demons. Fuyuki was the only one who, on occasion, engaged in short exchanges with Kagome, explaining her duties, recounting certain rules concerning the mansion or usually just bossing her around.
Kagome rubbed her wary face, grimacing at how rough her hands felt. Fuyuki stood next to her futon, arms crossed, casting a disapproving look at the human woman. Kagome had learned that Fuyuki was the head housekeeper and oversaw the large staff. Underneath her worked at least a dozen of housemaids, few laundresses, chambermaids, scullery maids, cooks, errand-boys, and various outdoor laborers Kagome had never met.
"Everyone has already eaten their morning portions. Get up; you have work to do," Fuyuki announced, nudging the sack of dirty clothes with her foot. Kagome knew this meant she would have to wait until dinner to eat again, as servants dined only twice a day – unless one was fortunate enough to be working in the kitchen. Suppressing a sigh, she prepared for another day of hunger and labor.
The mansion had been abuzz for the past week since Kimiko returned. There were rumors of a formal gathering since the head of clans had returned from the mortal realm, and the staff was busy preparing. The help needed everything to be spanking clean. Kagome found herself assigned to the most labor-intensive chores while the regular staff attended to other matters.
She was alone in the mansion's farthermost room, the wash-house, an austere space with a stone floor and a small fire-pit in the corner. A cauldron of water hung above the fire. Once the water boiled, Kagome hauled it to a wooden tub filled with clothes.
She poured the water over a bucking cloth that was draped over the mouth of the large laundry vessel. On the bucking cloth, there were piles of ash scattered. Meant to whiten the fabrics when diluted by the boiling water, she had been explained. The girl sweated and struggled with the enormously heavy, steaming bucket of water. It splashed unto the bucking cloth, mixing with the ash on top until beginning to seep through and down into the tub below.
Setting the bucket aside and wiping her sweaty brow, she contemplated her next move. She'd have to wait until later before she could stir the laundry. She sighed and went over to the fire-pit to smother the fire. Instead of doing so, she sat next to it, basking in the warm glow. She knew if she didn't report back to Fuyuki when expected, she'd get yelled at. But she was too tired to care, too hungry. Even her bones ached. The human had become exactly what she had been opposed to in the beginning. A laundry slave for demons. A grim smile tugged her lips.
Kagome had resolved to bide her time, keep her head low and do as told until she had mapped the place out. She'd learn the exits, familiarize herself with the layout of the city and make an escape as soon as the opportunity arose. She hadn't forgotten her objective. Which was to get back home. To the home where her family, her bed, her bathtub, stupid math books and a dog-eared nuisance awaited her. If she ever lost sight of that goal, this world would submit her to insanity. She was sure of that.
She stared at the heart of the fire, ignoring how the intense light was gradually blinding her.
'Why did Toga just leave me here?'
After completing her initial tasks, Kagome had been ordered to continue scrubbing down the seemingly endless hallways. Why were there so many rooms and corridors anyway when only Kimiko resided there, and she was gone half the time?
Kagome dipped her scrubbing brush into a bucket of water mixed with alkaline salts and flower oils. Each time her over-worked hands touched the water, the pain from her dry, cracked skin made her wince.
Two sarugami maids walked by, smirking at her plight. The taller of the pair stopped and stared at Kagome's reddened hands. "Oh, what's the matter, princess?" she cackled, looking at the other sarugami who walked next to Kagome's washing water.
"It looks like you are struggling there. Here, let me help you clean the floors," she offered and kicked the bucket over making the alkaline water splash all over the floor. The monkey maids laughed uproariously in unison.
Infuriated, Kagome jumped up. "What the hell is your deal?" she shouted, her fists clenched in anger. She was getting tired of being treated like dirt. She could tolerate the sneers, the whispers and cold shoulder treatment, but there was a line.
As she stood there, fuming, a thought crossed her mind. Did these small cruelties have layers she hadn't considered. Was their disdain merely rooted in her humanity, dismissing her as less than them? Or could the household staff know of her relationship with Toga, turning their animosity into something more personal? Had Kimiko divulged details of her… err, intimacy with Toga? Kagome's face flushed at the thought. She couldn't imagine Kimiko gossiping, but then again, she hardly knew the woman.
One way or another, she'd find her way out of this maze of contempt.
"I'm sorry princess, did that upset you?" the shorter maid asked with a smile, revealing sharp teeth making the expression look more predatorial than friendly.
"Not as much as this is going to upset you." Kagome gritted her teeth and focused her priestess energy. A vain and petty retaliation, she knew, but couldn't help herself.
Deep fuchsia pulsed within her, and a wave of her holy energy erupted from her chest and tips of her fingers.
The wide-eyed sarugamis tried to scatter but only managed to bump into each other. The pooling water on the floor was blasted all over the walls along with the pair of demon monkey maids. They slumped to the floor, dripping wet and groaning for their aching body parts.
Kagome was standing still, trying to even her breath and calm her racing heart. Her legs quivered slightly though she was too riled up to notice it. That would teach them.
It wasn't long before Fuyuki appeared from somewhere in a great hurry.
"What was that?!" She fumed from afar and came to a screeching halt when she saw two of her housemaids tangled with each other on the floor, only half conscious. Her sharp eyes bounced around the scene estimating the damage. Nothing seemed to be broken, even though half of the household must've felt that surge of holy energy.
The amami rabbit nearly bulldozed over Kagome as she made a mad dash at her. "You dim-witted creature," Fuyuki hissed, grabbing Kagome's uniform. "Never, ever use your powers here." She spoke in a low, menacing tone. For a while it looked like Fuyuki's head would spin off her shoulders like a firecracker, she looked simply so livid. But the demoness somehow managed to gather herself. The ears previously flatted against her skull, relaxed.
"My job is to keep you hidden," Fuyuki continued, releasing her grip. "If Kimiko finds out, she will have the hides of both of us." She sighed and seemed to deflate for a moment, then snapped back to attention. "I'll handle this. Go," she ordered Kagome.
Confused, Kagome hesitated. She couldn't tell if she should be grateful for escaping further reprimand or worried about possible consequences. Deciding to take what reprieve she could, she left the scene without another word.
Toga felt a gnawing sense of unease with each day that passed without any news of Kagome. His concern intensified as he considered the possibility that she might not even be in this realm. Despite having servants observing the Sesshoumaru mansion, no trace of her had been found. Equally troubling was that no evidence of her existence could be discovered in the mortal realm either. Was it possible she was in a realm beyond his reach?
His worst fear was that Kagome had remained in the mortal realm and met with some terrible fate. What if she had encountered neko youkais and been captured, or something even worse? And he was helpless to intervene.
Toga ran his claws through his hair, gripping his hair at the back of his head, and wallowing in despair. If anything had happened to her, the blame would lie squarely on his shoulders. He regretted ever bowing to his father's demands. Being exiled, away from the insufferable arrogance of his kin, would be easier to bear than being away from her.
For the umpteenth time, Toga closed his eyes, losing himself in a reverie where he could hear her soft gasps and see her rouge, plump lips caught playfully between her teeth. He imagined her intoxicating scent that burrowed itself deep into his marrow. He hissed at the memory. He'd make damn sure that next time he held her, she could not run away.
His daydreaming was interrupted by the presence of a servant nearing his chamber. Moments later, a ranidae announced himself.
Toga's posture straightened, anticipation filling him. The news must be about Kagome. His servants knew their lives became easily worthless dared they come and interrupt him with vapid news.
The servant knelt before Toga, offering a formal greeting, but the impatient lord merely gestured for him to proceed.
"Yes, get on with your news!"
The small toad nodded and rose to his feet. "Yes, milord, it's about your brother," he announced. "He's returning home."
Toga stared at the toad, momentarily struck dumb. The notion that the news might concern his long-exiled brother had never even crossed his mind.
"Onii-sama?" he finally managed to utter.