Fragile

Chapter 4: Disbelief

They arrived at Sesshoumaru’s home some time later. Aside from the distance there was also the morning rush-hour through Tokyo. Sesshoumaru’s home sat just outside the hustle and bustle of the busy city. Kagome was in awe at the size of the house; it was very large and sat far back on a large plot of land. There were forests still behind the house which were rare to see this close to the nation’s capitol. They pulled up into a long drive way and went to park in a large garage. Kagome followed as best as she could, trying to keep up with his long strides while her legs were still weak.

She followed him up to a beautiful hardwood front door and watched as he handed his suit jacket to a small woman standing just inside. Before continuing, Sesshoumaru turned to the woman and said in a bored tone, “Miss Higurashi will be staying with us for an undetermined amount of time. Show her to a spare room and alert the rest of the staff to her presence.” That said, he continued on his way without as much as a backwards glance at Kagome.

“Hello Miss Higurashi, my name is Mana. I’ll be showing you to your room and will answer any questions you might have. Please, follow me.” The young woman said with a deep, respectful bow. Kagome looked at her and automatically felt more at ease about staying in the grand home. Mana looked to be maybe a few years older than she with dark brown hair that was cut off at her shoulders and hung straight. Her eyes were a dark honey color and shone with genuine care and happiness.

“Please, call me Kagome.” Was all she said as she gave a small smile and followed Mana down a beautifully decorated hallway. Kagome looked at the pieces of art and hand-carved moldings around the ceiling and floor.

Along the way Mana stopped at a door to open it and deposit the jacket she was still carrying then turned to Kagome and said, “Lord Sesshoumaru has a beautiful home, doesn’t he?”

“Yes, but I don’t think I could imagine him living anywhere less extravagant. Mana, you seem happy enough working here for him even with the…well…indifferent way he speaks to you; why is that? I don’t know if I could be around someone who acted like that all the time.”

Mana turned to look at Kagome as she answered, “I am very honored to work for Lord Sesshoumaru. He is very particular about his work-staff. He has hand selected everyone working on the grounds and we have all been given job assurance for the rest of our lives. He may seem apathetic but he makes sure that we are cared for and we give him our respect and loyalty. My only family left is my younger brother and he was very sick. Lord Sesshoumaru approached me and told me that he was looking for a new head housemaid. When he told me of the job requirements and benefits I jumped at the offer. I’ve been able to pay for my brothers medical needs and put am putting him through school. Lord Sesshoumaru made all of that possible. What more could I ask for?”

Kagome was slightly stunned at hearing what the cold demon lord of the West had done for this young human woman. “I guess you really couldn’t ask for much more. I was just curious because I knew him a long time ago and he didn’t seem to care too much for humans-” Kagome’s hands flew to cover her mouth. She knew it was too late and the words had been put out in the open, but she couldn’t help but silently pray that Mana hadn’t caught it.

Mana turned around to see a very nervous Kagome with her hands over her mouth and eyes as wide as saucers. She just smiled and said, “Don’t worry Kagome. That’s one reason that we sign life contracts with Lord Sesshoumaru. We are informed of the existence of demons and we know of his…heritage, but we do not fear him. We show him the proper respect for someone of his rank and he treats us well. This is the room that you will be using during your stay with us. If you need anything at all you only need call for me, but if you will excuse me there are chores that need tending to for the time being.” With that Mana left Kagome standing next to a door as Kagome watched her retreating back.

Kagome was still a little dumbstruck at the information Mana had provided for her, but was relieved at the same time that she wouldn’t have to walk on eggshells around the staff. Kagome turned to the door and looked at it. Her new room was just on the other side and she was just praying that it wasn’t as small and plain as her last one. Taking a deep breath, Kagome opened the door and took in her new surroundings.

The room was beautifully decorated and quite large for a guest room. It had polished hardwood floors and cream colored walls. All of the trim was painted black and bright reds were used as accents. There was a large bay window with red cushions arranged to act as seating in the recess it created. On the same wall were glass French doors with red sheers over them. There was a western-style full sized bed against one wall that had cream colored sheets with a black comforter and red throw pillows. The top of the bed was about three feet off the ground and Kagome would have to jump to get into bed. She was in awe at the black vanity table with a large mirror that sat in a corner. There was a plush chair near a bookcase complete with a lamp to read by.

Kagome stepped fully into the room and spent a few minutes just looking around before she made her way over to the bed. The comforter was thick with down feathers; perfect for the cold winter months. A thought suddenly hit her, ‘Mama…I have to make sure they’re okay.’ Kagome made her way back to the door she’d entered through and peered out into the hallway. It was deserted. Deciding to make her way back the way she came, Kagome would peek into different rooms to see what was where. She eventually made her way back to the foyer and called out for Mana.

Not a full minute later Mana appeared around a corner with the same smile she was wearing earlier. “May I help you, Kagome?”

“I was wondering if there was a phone I could use.”

“Ah, yes. There’s one in the kitchen. Follow me. I can also prepare something for you to eat if you’re hungry.” Mana offered.

In truth Kagome was very hungry, but she’d been fed through that tube for so long she wasn’t sure what she would really be able to eat. “A bowl of soup would be nice, if you don’t mind.”

“Not at all, the phone is on that wall. Please have a seat while I fix your soup. Is potato alright?”

“Yes, that’s great.” Kagome said as she made her way over to the phone and dialed the shrines number.

It rang a few times before she heard, “Sunset Shrine, how may I help you?”

“Mama…” Kagome squeaked out. It was so good just to hear her mother’s voice and know that she was okay.

“Kagome?” Her mother questioned. “How have you been dear?” she asked in a happy tone. “I’m so glad that you finally got some time off from work to call home. Those nice gentlemen said that you would probably be very busy for a long time, but it’s just been so hard not having my baby at home-”

“W-what?” Kagome interrupted. “What men? Mama, what are you talking about?”

“A few months ago some nice men came to the house saying that you had been contacted to act as a sort of ambassador between demons and humans. I’m so proud of you, Kagome! They said that they would be needing your assistance for some sort of emergency and that we may not hear from you until it was resolved.”

“Mama…I…” Kagome didn’t know what to say. They had told her family she was working for them willingly. Surely these people knew that if she went home her family would know the truth and start asking questions. ‘They were never going to let me go…’ she thought. She suddenly felt as though a huge weight had been placed on her chest and it was getting harder to breathe. Hundreds of thoughts were going through her head as her mother’s voice brought her attention back to the phone.

“Kagome, are you alright?”

“Mama, if those men show up again and start asking you questions about my time in the past…don’t tell them anything. Don’t say anything about how I got to the past or what happened when I got back…don’t say anything. Okay? Will you do that for me?? I promise I’ll try to get home soon and I can’t explain now, but just do that for me and I’ll talk to you soon. I love you, Mama.” Kagome hung up the phone.

Kagome sat down at a nearby table and put her head in her hands. What was she going to do? It was obviously a miracle that Sesshoumaru had been able to make it out of the building with her. They never planned on letting her go back to her family. In all likelihood, if Sesshoumaru hadn’t come into that room this morning then she probably would have spent the rest of her natural, or not so natural, life in that tube. There were so many feelings coursing through her right now it was causing her to shake. There was disbelief at what would have happened to the rest of her life; sadness that she may never get to see her family again; happiness that she had actually made it out alive; frustration at the entire situation; and then there was the anger. The anger was turning into a consuming rage. For the first time since Naraku’s death she actually hated someone. She hated what they had done to her. They had torn her away from her family just when she was beginning to move on…and all for a reason that they had never even fully explained to her.

She could feel a heat rush over her body. She could feel her face flushing and tears stinging at her eyes. All of the anger was looking for a way to release itself and this seemed to be the best way for right now. Suddenly she heard a light clink in front of her and looked down to see a bowl of steaming potato soup in front of her and Mana standing beside her with a sympathetic smile.

Mana could tell that something was wrong with the girl. Tears ran down her flushed cheeks and her eyes were red. She hadn’t been able to hear the phone conversation, but knew that something about it had upset her. She didn’t want to pry into business that she had nothing to do with but gave Kagome a smile and said, “I’ve been through some hard times myself, Kagome. I know you haven’t known me long enough to trust me, but if you ever need someone to listen to your problems I’d be glad to help. Now, would you like anything to drink?”

Kagome sniffled a little before she shook her head and told Mana that she’d done more than enough. Turning back to her soup, Kagome took a few small bites while trying to reign in her emotions. Her thoughts were completely preoccupied and her gaze was on the small meal in front of her but she looked up when she heard a cup being set on the table and saw Mana walk out the door. Kagome looked over to the steaming cup and managed a smile as she picked it up and gingerly sipped the hot tea offered to her.