𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐤 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐦𝐲 𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐲!
𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐚𝐧𝐲 𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐬 𝐨𝐫 𝐪𝐮𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐛𝐞𝐥𝐨𝐰!

Chiho could barely fathom that she would be in such a luxurious setting, let alone another castle in such her short years on this earth. granted, the atmosphere in the castle bore an obvious idstance to what she felt in Kojitisu's manor, it was still one that she could relax in for whatever period of time she was to be here.

Regardless, she needed to adjust to the area, to the people, to the corridors and pathways that littered the castle walkways, and the demon maids that wandered to and fro around the castle.

from her guess, the ones she saw at the entrance were the only ones but she kept an eye out for anybody else that may or may not be employed at the castle to work for Lord Sesshomaru. the more the hallways twisted, the more anxious she grew finding her way to the kitchen.

"Oh, for Heaven's sake!" she cursed, leaning her hand against the wall, catching her breath at a staggering pace. She almost felt as if it were no use to pretend like she knew where she was going, because she didn't! And it was so silent inside, she couldn't even guarantee someone lurking around the corner to help her.

Why didn't I ask Sesshomaru to help me find the way to the kitchen?! she groaned, rubbing her face with her free hand. She took a breath, counted to 10 and focused on her senses yet again. She could already hear Jaken's lecturing tone ringing in her ears about how she would pity the name demon functioning like a human. it wasn't necessarily her fault, but she knew he was right.

all her life, she was treated like a human. in the fields with the other children wading through rice paddies and cleaning the stains off silk kimono to bring home a few sacks of meat and fish for their family. she didn't stay indoors, she didn't deter from any regular activities one would see a village child do, from fishing, to camping, to running around in the mud and coming home completely filthy!

She didn't need to know of any "senses" or "specialties", not until she was taken away from home and brought to the castle. And even then, her "specialities" weren't that to brag about at the dinner table with nobles and officers alike. if she could, she would rather keep the details to herself if the other demon girls were to ask her of the who's and what's of her activity.

But then the primary question danced across her head as she stood there, eyes closed and ears open: what about Sesshomaru?

Her lips turned upwards before spiking immediately downward. with a hard swallow, she recounted the times he would watch her while they rested in the forest. how his eyes wandered to her when he assumed she didn't notice. Without a doubt, considering he was the one Kojitsu offered her up to, he knew what role she played at the castle. a gussied up concubine ready to be bidded off to the highest auctioneer. and, although he was the highest one, he denied the prize. but his advances spoke of curiosity? but on another, his comments spoke of disgust.

"This is all hurting my head. . " she sighed, shaking her head at the recollections playing in her head. for now, she was going to continue with what Sesshomaru instructed her to do- regroup and focus on being her servant while at the castle. he mentioned prior to them arriving that sexual encounters were not included in the contract, so she could relax. for the most part.

She tilted her nose upwards, catching a whiff of a faint smell ahead. It was a mixture of sweet ginseng and bitter herbs being stirred around and around. with her nose still in the air, she proceeded to walk. one foot after another, she let her sense of smell guide her to the kitchen. and as the sounds of women giggling and pots splattering against the countertops grew louder and more pronounced, the more confident she felt that she was leading into the right direction.

Standing in the doorway, all the girls seemed preoccupied with the usual kitchen chores. chopping the vegetables, stirring the meat, gutting the fish, cleaning the utensils, boiling the water for tea. she almost felt like she was burdening them with such a small request until-

"Ah! Chiho! It's about time you showed up!" Riyuki's voice boomed from the corner of the kitchen. Chiho almost didn't wish she was spotted, as the girl jumped up from her stool, wiped her forehead free from the building sweat, and made a bee-line in her direction.

"Did Sesshomaru-Sama keep you too occupied?" Chiho hinted at the lecherous sing-song tone emanating from her lips. She didn't respond, but the faint redness in her cheeks didn't justify her opposing argument much either.

"Oh ho ho~ then that must be a yes!" she dreaded this response. The other girls remained focused on their tasks, but she could hint how they slowed down to hear any small tidbits shared between Chiho and Riyuki. to be fair, it was primarily Riyuki talking and Chiho making small coherent responses to signify she was listening.

"So I'm guessing Lord Sesshomaru told you to hang out with us for the rest of the day?" Riyuki wrapped her arm around Chiho, pulling her out of the kitchen and into the hallway.

"Actually no," Chiho shook her head in decline, making Riyuki cross her arms and raise her eyebrows curiously.

"He wanted me to actually see one of you girls to change my clothes?" She held her hands up to demonstrate how loosely fitting her clothes were on her small frame. Turning in a small circle, Riyuki got a full view of how ill-fitted and saggy the hems of her kimono were on her body. She didn't want to laugh, loudly, but when Chiho turned back to face her, Riyuki kept a neutral expression.

"Where did you get these clothes?" she pulled at the sleeve of her kimono, nearly wincing at the material fabric. cheap was a polite term to put the rough stitching and dull sheen reflecting off the kimono and onto her skin.

"It was from a small village on the way here." CHiho pulled at the sleeve self-consciously, tucking stray hairs behind her ear.

"The kimono Lord Sesshomaru and I initially walked here with was.. too heavy."

"Too heavy as in too whore-ish or too heavy as in too big?"

"Ah.. .'' Chiho didn't really want to pick between the two answers but felt no other choice. Jaken warned her of demon women being more "upfront" in their opinions versus the docile and doting mannerisms that the women she worked with proposed to others. it needlessly threw her off a little bit.

"Heavy as in too whore-ish. back at the old castle they made the concubines wear about 2-3 layers of clothing. for no reason, if you were to ask me."

Riyuki said nothing but put her hands on her hips, tilting her head to the side to study what she was saying.

"I don't know how much you know about our. . livelihood, but, yes, a lot of practices were dated and unnecessary."

"Hmm." She still had no direct response to her statement which worried Chiho. Did she say too much too soon?

"Well, I don't judge. So follow me, before dinner is finished."

Riyuki pulled Chiho by the hand, leading her down another corridor that was seemingly well lit in comparison to the corridor leading to Sesshomaru's chambers.

There was a muted pause between the two as they walked, the only sounds being their feet tapping against the wooden floorboards. everything inside of the castle was hushed, one could hear the flame from a candle briskly whipping back and forth or the crickets singing outside. She constantly questioned if there was any life here besides Sesshomaru, Jaken, and the maids.

"Don't mind the other girls," Riyuki's voice made Chiho jump, "They are just trying to get a feel of who you are. but they don't mean any harm. Lord Sesshomaru has saved each and everyone one of us in our own special way. So, when I say I don't judge, I don't mean it in a bad way. we all just have a story we would rather share when the time is appropriate than the time being forced upon us."

"I will say one thing, though." Chiho raised her eyebrows in response, focusing on her immediate words after that.

"Although what you considered to happen to you at your original home as "unnecessary", others may have very much preferred it. and, from what we were to gather about that place, you're lucky to be alive."

Chiho's heart dropped into her stomach. What did she mean by that?

"That Kojitsu is a bad demon. an embarrassment to all demons alike." Riyuki continued, answering her unspoken question.

She stopped in front of a delicately carved wooden door, digging in her breast pocket for a key.

"We were surprised Lord Sesshomaru even considered traveling that far for such a demon enthralled with vanity. but, honestly, after Rin, we try to keep our reservations on what the Lord will and won't do."

Riyuki affixed the key into its respective slot, turned it a few times until she heard a rather large click and pushed the door open to reveal multitudes of kimono hanging from rows and rows of hangers.

Chiho, mouth agape, walked inside with her pale-blue eyes bouncing back and forth from each adjacent wall. these- these were-

"The Lord outdoes himself, I know." Chiho's eyes bounced at Riyuki's again, this time with a mischievous smile slyly spread across her face.

"Which, I don't think I mentioned before, I am the oldest maid here. Despite my youthful appearance, I have been around for quite a while. and I'll be happy to help you "unlock" your powers as a demon. only if you feel comfortable, of course. can you guess what my power is?" Riyuki rocked from side to side, humming a merry tune as if she had a well kept secret under her fingertips.

"Um-" Chiho rubbed the hem of the kimono sleeve softly before returning her gaze.

"I'm not sure. Would it be strength?"

"Hehee, nope!" Riyuki placed a finger to the side of her temple and winked.

"I can read your thoughts and your memories!"

Chiho didn't really understand. "Read thoughts and memories, so how does that-"

"It doesn't really help me unless I get permission from the host. But I kinda of do it anyway. Sesshomaru doesn't really like it. But I know a lot more than he thinks I do."

"So. ." Chiho swallowed a lump in her throat, "Does that mean you-"

"I won't say yes and I won't say no," Riyuki responded in a singsong tone, "But you are definitely more demon than you think you are~ And your father is someone you- would- least- expect~"

"-"

"Enough of that for now," Riyuki continued, stopping Chiho in her path, "Pick a Kimono! I have a lot more of the manor to show you."

𝐄𝐍𝐃 𝐎𝐅 𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑

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𝐃𝐈𝐒𝐂𝐔𝐒𝐒𝐈𝐎𝐍 𝐓𝐈𝐌𝐄
𝚌𝚘𝚖𝚖𝚎𝚗𝚝 𝚊𝚗𝚢 𝚚𝚞𝚎𝚜𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗𝚜 𝚘𝚛 𝚝𝚑𝚘𝚞𝚐𝚑𝚝𝚜 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚑𝚊𝚟𝚎 𝚊𝚋𝚘𝚞𝚝 𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚌𝚑𝚊𝚙𝚝𝚎𝚛!

ᴄᴏɴɴᴇᴄᴛ ᴡɪᴛʜ ᴍᴇ ᴠɪᴀ ᴍʏ ꜱᴏᴄɪᴀʟ ᴍᴇᴅɪᴀ ʙᴇʟᴏᴡ:ɪɢ: @ᴀꜱʜᴇᴀ.ᴀᴍᴏᴜʀᴛᴡɪᴛᴛᴇʀ: @ɴᴀᴍɪᴠᴇɴᴜsᴛɪᴋᴛᴏᴋ: @ɴᴀᴍɪᴠᴇɴᴜs(ᴘʟᴇᴀꜱᴇ ᴅᴏɴ'ᴛ ᴀꜱᴋ ᴍᴇ ᴛᴏ ᴜᴘᴅᴀᴛᴇ ᴏᴠᴇʀ ᴀɴᴅ ᴏᴠᴇʀ ᴀɢᴀɪɴ - ᴛʜᴀᴛ'ꜱ ʀᴜᴅᴇ.)

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