The Maid by Ruu-chan

Chapter One

She could remember seeing the face her mother glued on as she ripped out an advertisement from one of the light posts from the street. She could see her reading the paper, and staring dreamingly towards her freaked-out offspring.

"Kagome! I got a splendid idea! Hurry!" Her mother was too excited to even walk like normal people would; she was literally power jogging with grocery bags around her arms.

"Could you maybe slow down a little, mama? You do know that I'm carrying grocery bags, right?"

"No time for that, dear! Hurry, hurry, hurry!" Her mother smiled as she climbed up the steps up to the shrine. Kagome pouted and sighed mentally.

"Why is it that mama always had these perky mood swings all of a sudden?" Kagome asked herself. But Kagome swished that away from her mind and climbed up the steps with her mother. Her mom explained her everything during dinner and Kagome couldn't even believe that her mother, out of all people in this sad, sad world, would suggest such a thing!

"You want me... to work as a house maid... in Kyoto?" Kagome asked her mother softly. Her mother nodded as she held the piece of paper in her hands.

"Do you know how good that is?" she asked her daughter, "you get to work for one of the richest families in the country!"

"But in Kyoto, mama? So far away? It's already enough to not live in the shrine. And now we can't live in Tokyo either?!"

"No," she assured, "you go to Kyoto. Souta, grandpa, and I will stay here."

"What? You're not coming?" Kagome asked infuriated as she rose from her chair.

"It's only for the summer, Kagome," her mother said, "it's only a sixth of a year, if my math's correct."

"Still," Kagome sighed, "Why can't you come with me?"

"Money, Kagome. Money! We don't have it. We can only afford enough for you..."

"But I have to work as a house maid? I can't even clean my own room."

"We have the entire weekend to get started," her mother stated as she reached for her daughter's hands. "I know you can do this. You've been through a lot this year and you've been able to step through magnificently..."

Did she have to remind Kagome about that again? She just had to remind her of her no-good ex-boyfriend...

"Mama? Let's not talk about that, OK?" Kagome asked as she sighed again and looked down towards her empty plate. Her mother looked away, ashamed of herself for knowing better than to bring that up again. What was she thinking? She knew better.

"Sorry... I'm just trying to do what I think is best, dear. You know that, right?" her mother asked. Kagome looked at her mother finally, as she felt like she wasn't strong enough yet. She knew her mother was wrong when she said she 'stepped through magnificently'... Because the truth was that she hasn't; she still mourns for her former love. She couldn't get over him, and she didn't know why. She possibly couldn't love him since all he did was cheat on her with someone else... Why was she like this?

Her mother noticed her daughter's sudden change in expression as she saw her bite her lip hard and clench her hands hesitantly around her own.

"Why did he do this to me, mama?" Her mother's heart broke as she saw her tears tumble down her cheeks freely, "...what did I do wrong...?" Her mother guided her weeping daughter out of the kitchen and into the living room, as she endeavored to console her daughter the best way possible. But what things seemed, it wasn't really doing any good.

"It's not your fault, hun..." Kagome felt her heart slowly go at ease as she heard her mother whisper to her. "You did nothing wrong..." Kagome hugged her mother around her neck and dug her face into her shoulder, as she sobbed lightly in that warm embrace she always loved.

"It's gonna be all right..."

~*~*~*~

Kagome eventually got herself together that weekend, and spent the entire Saturday working on her stepping, her speech, and trying to bring back that so-called curtsy she had back in the old days of childhood. Souta kept making fun of her as she was acting like her own family was the one she was going to be hired as. Her grandfather couldn't recognize her since she seemed to be so sweet and delicate that day. School exams were finally out of the way, and she jumped with joy as she received her report card in the mailbox with all subjects A's and A+'s.

Then came the big day: June 10th. Her mother reserved her daughter's name on the list along with the many other girls wishing to work for the famous family with money aplenty. Kagome went by train to Kyoto around 4:00 pm and arrived at a building which was 5 minutes away.

She entered the building, took her name tag and number, and sat down in a chair aligned with many other girls like herself. She started play with her purse and her lucky pen in her mouth. She never knew why pens made her calm down so much, but all that mattered is that it worked...

It was finally 5:30 as girls were asked to come in one by one into the other room. Slowly and anxiously they all went, some in the verge of hysteria, and some filled with a confidence larger than the Niagara Falls. But after they entered that room, they would come out; many bawling like newborns and some with faces infuriated with anger. Kagome felt very sad for the melancholy girls crying. Maybe they needed this job for bigger reasons other than re-buying a home shrine. Maybe they were even worse in life that her. Who knows?

She looked at her watch with an affectionate face as she read 6:15 pm ticking rhythmically.

"Number 57, please?" A young woman called out. Kagome looked at her number and stood up. The woman grinned sweetly as she let the young girl enter the room. As she walked by the other girls going after her, she could notice a few of their faces sending her messages. Some said "Good luck!" and some shook their heads at the foolish girl.

The door closed...

"This is it..." Kagome thought as she sighed one last time.

~*~*~*~

The interview started, and Kagome really was impressed with herself as she answered all her question with a very placid calmness. She talked to the young woman as if she was talking to a stranger from the subway. She was normal, she was at ease, and she felt no pressure or fear.

Across from her eyes was a large mirror, at least 10 feet wide and a yard long in divided area. But there was something that young Kagome didn't know: Inutaisho Takashi and Kumiko Takashi were behind it in a secret room. These two people were the people who chose which girl was going to be hired for the job and which one was packing up and going home. They are the wealthy couple who the girl would work for.

The handsome taiyoukai stood up straight with his hand cupped under his chin, his eyes surveying the young girl.

"What do you think of this one?" he asked her, "you think she's worthy?" Kumiko didn't reply.

"What was her name again?" she asked. He put both his hands on his pockets and sighed.

"I think it was Higurashi Kagome?" he asked as he made sure his intellects were true. Kumiko looked at his motions for a moment and then looked back at her. A grin began to bend across her lips as she leaned her side towards Inutaisho.

"Ah. I see," she said. She kept looking at the girl with a very splendid shine in her eyes as she listened to her speak in her convivial and lively voice.

"She would really make quite a lovely singer," she commented.

"This is her first time she has worked as a maid. This is actually her first job ever. We can't hire someone inexperienced to such an employment. We have to hire the most experienced and the best in Kyoto."

"Dear, she came all the way from Tokyo, Japan. Do you know how much it costs to get here? And she's doing it for very legitimate and caring reasons."

"I've heard more pitying stories than hers. Trying to earn money to buy back a shrine is not a good reason, Kumiko." She knew what happened when he became stubborn like this. Nothing would ever change his mind; his philosophies were always true. Unless something contradicted them...

"You know what? Ever since I was a little girl, it never crossed my mind that something like that would happen to me. I never thought I had to leave it someday. I always thought I would live there, and I even dreamt of raising some children there of my own..."

The couple in the room focused again on the girl.

"Go on..." she said. Kagome paused for a second to gather herself. She then continued.

"My mother was born and raised in the shrine as well, just like her mother and her mother's mother and her grandmother's mother and so on... And since my mother had me, it's now up to me to continue the line of generations. And I don't want it ending with me... I want my children to live in that shrine, and I want them to be raised just as I was. It's been my dream since I was a little girl..."

"So you're applying for this job just for the continuation of your bloodline?" Kaede asked unbelievingly with a raised eyebrow. Kagome shook her head.

"No... I also... I also want to save up enough money to pay for college tuition..." she said. Kaede was very shocked when she heard this.

"You're in school?" she asked. Kagome blinked at her and nodded.

"Yes..."

As Kumiko looked at her husband, he kept on studying young Kagome and sighed.

"What?" he scolded.

"Now what do you think? Is saving up money for college and continuing the bloodline good enough reasons, or are you still refusing?" Inutaisho smirked a frown and rolled his eyes.

"Feh," he mumbled. Kumiko smiled.

"Is that a yes?" she said eagerly. Inutaisho looked at her.

~*~*~*~

"Well, Ms. Higurashi. You just wait here and I'll be back with your stats." Kagome looked at the woman confusedly.

"My stats?" she reiterated.

"I'm going to go see if it's thumbs up or thumbs down. Wait here, please." And with a grin she closed the door. Kagome felt relived to hear that door shut and finally had time to herself. Kaede's reaction to the college thing started to sink it anxiously in her mind. Was that bad? Was that good? The poor girl started grabbing her pen again and gripping it tightly, flowing the stress out of her veins.

But Kagome almost jumped when she heard the door open and close. Kaede's face was expressionless. But Kagome knew that the result was definitely a thumbs down for sure...

Kaede gave her a box and motioned Kagome to open it. Inside was a black and white short-sleeved buttoned chemise and skirt with a white apron and white tennis shoes and white stockings. Kagome's eyes widened towards Kaede. Was she really a maid now? Was she really?! Kagome's eyes trembled with joy. Kaede smiled at the official maid.

"Congratulations, hun. Your schedule and everything is in the box. You're to be in this room next week at 6:00 am sharp. If you have any questions, my number's in the sheet as well. All right?"

Kagome gulped excitedly as she beamed with amazing surprise towards the woman. She wanted to squeal with joy so bad, but she sustained herself and shook her head yes.

"Good. See you next week then," she said as she opened to door to Kagome and called the next number.