“Punishment” by SangoShadowphoenix [Oneshot #32]
Title: Punishment
Author: SangoShadowphoenix
Theme: Wrinkle
Word count: 553
Rated ‘E’ for ‘Everyone’
Genre: General / prelude to more (aka, I think I’m gonna make this into a serial)
Alternate Universe. Some unidentified Japanese medieval period, though.
Disclaimer: InuYasha and its characters belong to Takahashi-sensei. Master-servant interaction is devotedly inspired by Cynthia Voigt’s Kingdom novel series. ( ß ß *shameless promotion* )
Summary: They can’t punish her for the crime, because she won’t admit she did it. They can, however, kill her anyway --- their Lord Sesshoumaru is notorious for killing off his maids, after all. Off they send Kagome to her new post as his lordship’s personal maid. Now, as long as he doesn’t bite off her head on the first day, Kagome is sure she can get through this. …Mostly sure.
No Warnings.
Author’s Notes: Mmm, first chapter of a serial. I hope. Though I’ve yet to decide if all chapters will be in response to lj community challenges. (For any who might’ve wanted to know. -__- )
* * *
The first time Higurashi Kagome faced the Lord Sesshoumaru in person, she was trembling in fear on the inside. She almost wished she had confessed to the accusation of stealing rice from the kitchens and taken the beating she didn’t deserve --- none of Sesshoumaru-sama’s personal maids ever stayed alive for more than a year.
“Sesshoumaru-sama,” she greeted, keeping her voice clear and her posture sure. She might be scared out of her wits internally, but she’d be damned if she were to admit to being a criminal when she wasn’t, and damned if she’d show how much he scared her senseless. Royalty respected confidence of this degree in servants --- no one liked snivelling idiots as their personal aides.
She received no response, and after kneeling there for a full incense-stick’s worth of time, Kagome decided enough was enough. She’d been a maid long enough to know what her tasks were, even if priorities and restrictions had been changed when she’d been ‘promoted’ to the rank of a personal maid.
Bowing one last time, Kagome stood while trying to discreetly straighten out the wrinkles that had set into her kimono from kneeling so long. Then, she quietly headed to the far end of the room --- she didn’t know him very well personally, so it was better, mortally safer, to work farther away first, and move closer if he didn’t show signs of… aggression --- and began to straighten the piles of documents on the far bureau, mindful not to rifle through them or place them anywhere other than where they had originally been.
By the time she reached his end of the study, where he was responding to missives, she had regained most of her confidence, fulfilling her tasks with a bit of a jump in her step, and after fluffing up the guests’ seat cushions, she moved over towards his desk.
His ink was nearly finished, so Kagome reached over to grind him some more. Suddenly, a clawed hand shot out, gripping her wrist in a vice-like hold, the study echoing with his angry growl.
“Girl, what do you think you are doing?” he demanded, acknowledging her presence for the first time.
Startled wordless, Kagome stared wide-eyed at the demon lord, then slowly, with her free hand, reached down to lift the discarded brush from the letter he had been writing, where the ink of the brush had begun to stain the paper with an unsightly black blob.
“My Lord,” she managed to reply, her voice tiny and breathy to her distracted ears. She held the brush respectfully towards him.
He stared silently at her --- and the brush --- for a long while. Finally, his eyes narrowed, and he released her, regaining his seat and irritatingly starting his letter anew.
Kagome swallowed, waiting for her breathing and her heart to catch up with the latest turn of events --- she was still alive. When she had gathered herself again, she bowed at him once for good measure, then slowly reached over again, this time picking up the ink bar without any unpleasant interruptions, and began to grind it on the ink tablet, slow and steady.
For the first two months as Lord Sesshoumaru’s personal maid, Kagome spent most of the time by his side, grinding ink for his words.
* * *
Author: SangoShadowphoenix
Theme: Wrinkle
Word count: 553
Rated ‘E’ for ‘Everyone’
Genre: General / prelude to more (aka, I think I’m gonna make this into a serial)
Alternate Universe. Some unidentified Japanese medieval period, though.
Disclaimer: InuYasha and its characters belong to Takahashi-sensei. Master-servant interaction is devotedly inspired by Cynthia Voigt’s Kingdom novel series. ( ß ß *shameless promotion* )
Summary: They can’t punish her for the crime, because she won’t admit she did it. They can, however, kill her anyway --- their Lord Sesshoumaru is notorious for killing off his maids, after all. Off they send Kagome to her new post as his lordship’s personal maid. Now, as long as he doesn’t bite off her head on the first day, Kagome is sure she can get through this. …Mostly sure.
No Warnings.
Author’s Notes: Mmm, first chapter of a serial. I hope. Though I’ve yet to decide if all chapters will be in response to lj community challenges. (For any who might’ve wanted to know. -__- )
* * *
The first time Higurashi Kagome faced the Lord Sesshoumaru in person, she was trembling in fear on the inside. She almost wished she had confessed to the accusation of stealing rice from the kitchens and taken the beating she didn’t deserve --- none of Sesshoumaru-sama’s personal maids ever stayed alive for more than a year.
“Sesshoumaru-sama,” she greeted, keeping her voice clear and her posture sure. She might be scared out of her wits internally, but she’d be damned if she were to admit to being a criminal when she wasn’t, and damned if she’d show how much he scared her senseless. Royalty respected confidence of this degree in servants --- no one liked snivelling idiots as their personal aides.
She received no response, and after kneeling there for a full incense-stick’s worth of time, Kagome decided enough was enough. She’d been a maid long enough to know what her tasks were, even if priorities and restrictions had been changed when she’d been ‘promoted’ to the rank of a personal maid.
Bowing one last time, Kagome stood while trying to discreetly straighten out the wrinkles that had set into her kimono from kneeling so long. Then, she quietly headed to the far end of the room --- she didn’t know him very well personally, so it was better, mortally safer, to work farther away first, and move closer if he didn’t show signs of… aggression --- and began to straighten the piles of documents on the far bureau, mindful not to rifle through them or place them anywhere other than where they had originally been.
By the time she reached his end of the study, where he was responding to missives, she had regained most of her confidence, fulfilling her tasks with a bit of a jump in her step, and after fluffing up the guests’ seat cushions, she moved over towards his desk.
His ink was nearly finished, so Kagome reached over to grind him some more. Suddenly, a clawed hand shot out, gripping her wrist in a vice-like hold, the study echoing with his angry growl.
“Girl, what do you think you are doing?” he demanded, acknowledging her presence for the first time.
Startled wordless, Kagome stared wide-eyed at the demon lord, then slowly, with her free hand, reached down to lift the discarded brush from the letter he had been writing, where the ink of the brush had begun to stain the paper with an unsightly black blob.
“My Lord,” she managed to reply, her voice tiny and breathy to her distracted ears. She held the brush respectfully towards him.
He stared silently at her --- and the brush --- for a long while. Finally, his eyes narrowed, and he released her, regaining his seat and irritatingly starting his letter anew.
Kagome swallowed, waiting for her breathing and her heart to catch up with the latest turn of events --- she was still alive. When she had gathered herself again, she bowed at him once for good measure, then slowly reached over again, this time picking up the ink bar without any unpleasant interruptions, and began to grind it on the ink tablet, slow and steady.
For the first two months as Lord Sesshoumaru’s personal maid, Kagome spent most of the time by his side, grinding ink for his words.
* * *