Prompt 225: Doing Nothing
Title: Fed Up
Author: britedark
Universe: pre-canon
Genre: angst
Word-Count: 967
Characters: Young Kaede and Sayuri (OC)
Summary: Kaede is mad about her situation.
Author's Note: This is a continuation of the "With One Eye" serial.
Fed Up
Kaede was fed up.
She liked her new clothes. She truly did. But, she had spent most of the last two days in the company of Satsuki and her friends, while they chattered and put together her new clothes from the fabric Sayuri had bought, and insisted on adding all sorts of extra bits to the clothing that were totally unnecessary, all the while asking Kaede questions about the miko (most of which she couldn't answer), or telling Kaede how lucky she was that Sayuri-sama was so willing to take such an interest in her.
Satsuki and the other women were very nice, but they were old, and they kept treating her like a little girl, not someone who was in training to be a miko (and who had been the only thing the village had in the way of a miko for months, on top of it!)
She'd wanted to scream.
And, all the while, Sayuri had said nothing about training, since that night after the swarm attack. No, she simply told Kaede to go stay with Satsuki, or Amaya the herbalist, while she took off with naginata and various bags of stuff, usually accompanied by one, or more of the men, and she stayed out until almost dark. When she came back, she ate, and immediately went to sleep, claiming exhaustion.
And Kaede wasn't even being allowed to cook! She was perfectly capable of cooking-well, simple stuff, like plain rice, or millet-but Satsuki had simply petted on the head, and told her that the village women were just making sure the new miko felt welcome. She hated being petted!
Enough was enough.
Kaede sat behind the fire pit, arms crossed, waiting, while a pot of stew simmered. She finally heard footsteps approach. Sayuri entered, carrying her naginata. Slipping off her sandals, she padded across the small room, setting the weapon against the wall. Pulling off the ribbon holding her hair, she dropped it on top of her clothes chest, and then moved over to the shelves holding the hut's modest set of dishes. Bowls and chopsticks went onto a platter, along with a long-handled serving spoon. Bringing the utensils to the square fire-pit, Sayuri knelt, picked up bowl and serving spoon, and reached out to dip up some of the stew. Only then, did she finally seem to take notice of girl sitting across the fire.
She blinked. "Kaede? Is something wrong?"
Kaede glared at her, hands on her arms tightening. "I'm tired of doing nothing," she stated. "I'm tired of being sent off to Amaya or Satsuki, I'm tired of being petted and told how lucky I am. You said you were going to teach me! But, you never take me with you! You haven't done anything! Kikyo took me with her all the time! I thought you were going to teach me!"
"I am," said Sayuri, staring at her, looking taken aback. "I plan to teach you."
"Then, why aren't you doing it?" demanded Kaede. "I'm tired of sitting around and listening to old women gossip!"
That statement earned a brief twitch at the corner of Sayuri's mouth. The miko hesitated a moment, then tapped the spoon against the top of the pot to clean it, and placed spoon and the bowl back on the platter. Leaning back, she placed her hands on her thighs.
"Kaede," she said after a few moments, "I'm not trying to neglect your training. But, talking with Yasuo-dono, it appears that my arrival has stirred up the youkai in the area. I've been spending most of the time renewing the warding and protection spells about the village-but I'm not as powerful as Kikyo was: it takes me more time and effort. And I've been attacked-repeatedly. Until I've finished renewing the spells; until things settle down, I don't really have the time to teach you. And I thought it would be safer, to leave you here in the village."
"But, I could help you!"
"How?"
Kaede opened her mouth, and found herself searching for words. "Uh-I-I-I could watch your back, when youkai attack! I've been practicing all summer, with my bow!"
"How accurate are you? Can you shoot out past my barrier? Will your arrow kill the youkai it hits?"
"Uh..."
"I appreciate your wanting to help, Kaede-truly, I do," added Sayuri quickly. "But Yasuo-dono told me how you lost your eye. I don't want to risk getting you hurt again, not when I don't know how well you can protect yourself, when I don't know how much you know, or can do. I don't think it will take me much longer to finish the spells-maybe another two days. I promise, once I'm finished, we'll sit down and work out what I need to teach you. Until then-can you please be patient a little big longer, Kaede?"
"But, there has to be something I can do now!" Kaede's hands were now down on her thighs, but tightly clenched.
Sayuri closed her eyes, her face looking pinched, or as if she were developing another headache. "Kaede..." she said after a long hesitation, then paused again. "Kaede." She opened her eyes. "Tell me what you can and want to do."
"Huh?"
"How can you help me that will not require leaving the village, or potentially putting yourself in danger?" When Kaede gave her a somewhat dumbfounded look, Sayuri gave a brittle smile, then continued. "You don't have to tell me right away. In the morning, tell me what you think are the best tasks for you: if they sound reasonable, I'll agree, and I'll inform Satsuki-dono. All right?"
Kaede still looked taken aback, but after a moment, she nodded. "I guess..."
"Good. Now, it's time for supper." Sayuri returned her attention to the stew.
Kaede said not another word, all evening.
Author: britedark
Universe: pre-canon
Genre: angst
Word-Count: 967
Characters: Young Kaede and Sayuri (OC)
Summary: Kaede is mad about her situation.
Author's Note: This is a continuation of the "With One Eye" serial.
Fed Up
Kaede was fed up.
She liked her new clothes. She truly did. But, she had spent most of the last two days in the company of Satsuki and her friends, while they chattered and put together her new clothes from the fabric Sayuri had bought, and insisted on adding all sorts of extra bits to the clothing that were totally unnecessary, all the while asking Kaede questions about the miko (most of which she couldn't answer), or telling Kaede how lucky she was that Sayuri-sama was so willing to take such an interest in her.
Satsuki and the other women were very nice, but they were old, and they kept treating her like a little girl, not someone who was in training to be a miko (and who had been the only thing the village had in the way of a miko for months, on top of it!)
She'd wanted to scream.
And, all the while, Sayuri had said nothing about training, since that night after the swarm attack. No, she simply told Kaede to go stay with Satsuki, or Amaya the herbalist, while she took off with naginata and various bags of stuff, usually accompanied by one, or more of the men, and she stayed out until almost dark. When she came back, she ate, and immediately went to sleep, claiming exhaustion.
And Kaede wasn't even being allowed to cook! She was perfectly capable of cooking-well, simple stuff, like plain rice, or millet-but Satsuki had simply petted on the head, and told her that the village women were just making sure the new miko felt welcome. She hated being petted!
Enough was enough.
Kaede sat behind the fire pit, arms crossed, waiting, while a pot of stew simmered. She finally heard footsteps approach. Sayuri entered, carrying her naginata. Slipping off her sandals, she padded across the small room, setting the weapon against the wall. Pulling off the ribbon holding her hair, she dropped it on top of her clothes chest, and then moved over to the shelves holding the hut's modest set of dishes. Bowls and chopsticks went onto a platter, along with a long-handled serving spoon. Bringing the utensils to the square fire-pit, Sayuri knelt, picked up bowl and serving spoon, and reached out to dip up some of the stew. Only then, did she finally seem to take notice of girl sitting across the fire.
She blinked. "Kaede? Is something wrong?"
Kaede glared at her, hands on her arms tightening. "I'm tired of doing nothing," she stated. "I'm tired of being sent off to Amaya or Satsuki, I'm tired of being petted and told how lucky I am. You said you were going to teach me! But, you never take me with you! You haven't done anything! Kikyo took me with her all the time! I thought you were going to teach me!"
"I am," said Sayuri, staring at her, looking taken aback. "I plan to teach you."
"Then, why aren't you doing it?" demanded Kaede. "I'm tired of sitting around and listening to old women gossip!"
That statement earned a brief twitch at the corner of Sayuri's mouth. The miko hesitated a moment, then tapped the spoon against the top of the pot to clean it, and placed spoon and the bowl back on the platter. Leaning back, she placed her hands on her thighs.
"Kaede," she said after a few moments, "I'm not trying to neglect your training. But, talking with Yasuo-dono, it appears that my arrival has stirred up the youkai in the area. I've been spending most of the time renewing the warding and protection spells about the village-but I'm not as powerful as Kikyo was: it takes me more time and effort. And I've been attacked-repeatedly. Until I've finished renewing the spells; until things settle down, I don't really have the time to teach you. And I thought it would be safer, to leave you here in the village."
"But, I could help you!"
"How?"
Kaede opened her mouth, and found herself searching for words. "Uh-I-I-I could watch your back, when youkai attack! I've been practicing all summer, with my bow!"
"How accurate are you? Can you shoot out past my barrier? Will your arrow kill the youkai it hits?"
"Uh..."
"I appreciate your wanting to help, Kaede-truly, I do," added Sayuri quickly. "But Yasuo-dono told me how you lost your eye. I don't want to risk getting you hurt again, not when I don't know how well you can protect yourself, when I don't know how much you know, or can do. I don't think it will take me much longer to finish the spells-maybe another two days. I promise, once I'm finished, we'll sit down and work out what I need to teach you. Until then-can you please be patient a little big longer, Kaede?"
"But, there has to be something I can do now!" Kaede's hands were now down on her thighs, but tightly clenched.
Sayuri closed her eyes, her face looking pinched, or as if she were developing another headache. "Kaede..." she said after a long hesitation, then paused again. "Kaede." She opened her eyes. "Tell me what you can and want to do."
"Huh?"
"How can you help me that will not require leaving the village, or potentially putting yourself in danger?" When Kaede gave her a somewhat dumbfounded look, Sayuri gave a brittle smile, then continued. "You don't have to tell me right away. In the morning, tell me what you think are the best tasks for you: if they sound reasonable, I'll agree, and I'll inform Satsuki-dono. All right?"
Kaede still looked taken aback, but after a moment, she nodded. "I guess..."
"Good. Now, it's time for supper." Sayuri returned her attention to the stew.
Kaede said not another word, all evening.