Chapter 92

The young master



Mai felt hot tea dripping from her hair and face, while the boy was grinning at her sadistically. She could hardly believe, what just had happened. Her confusion only fueled Akira's amusement.

"Oh, the floor is wet. Clean it." The little devil said in a monotone voice, making his way back to the place, where he was sitting earlier. He waved his hand and pointed the closet. "Rags and such are there."

The girl glared at him and clenched her teeth, horribly pissed. How dared he? To think, that a kid turned out to be sadistic bastard! Her first thought was to stalk to him a punch him with all her might, while yelling what was on her mind. Will all her willpower, Mai refrained herself – if she did that, she would get in trouble and draw unnecessary attention to her and Sesshomaru. For his sake, she had to endure everything and play a good maid, so that they could safely reach Saga. Oh dear, she really wanted to punch that nasty grin away from his face, surely she did. The girl repeated several times to herself to calm down and bear it. It was only for a week. A week and she would be near Saga.

Without a word, Mai stood up and made her way towards the closet. She grabbed one of the rags, got on her knees and began cleaning the floor out of the spilled tea, ignoring the fact, her head and the upper part of her kimono were soaking wet. She kept her head down, not to see the smirk on young master's face. She was afraid, that if she lifted it, she would throw this rag in his head. When she was done, she pulled up and sat on her legs. She noticed, that Akira went to the other room and sighed silently. Life was unfair – Sesshomaru was happily resting with master Sekiguchi, while she was stuck with the sadistic prince, working. To make the matters worse, she was worn out by the adventures along the way to Kanazawa. She would really use a good rest.

"Hey, you!" she heard the kid's voice calling her. Mai sent a poisonous glare at him.

"It's Mai." She said and saw the kid frowning, as he dumped a folded cloth onto her lap.

"Go wash it." He ordered her arrogantly.

The girl grabbed the piece of clothing and stalked out of the quarters, eager to get away from the little devil. She had the urge to scream from frustration, but held it. Damn, she would never say a bad word about Sesshomaru as a boss. Mai made her way down the stairs and had to stop for a minute, waiting for her eyes to accustom to the dim light. She looked around and walked along the corridor. She saw the stairs leading to the lowest level and a big room with numerous futons laying on the floor – she suspected, that it was here, where the soldiers and crew members sleep. Further she spotted a kitchen.
She recognized it by the fumes coming out through the closed door. There was nothing else here. The girl turned around and went back, looking more warily. And there it was – she missed the narrow door. She knocked and, when no one answered, she slid it open. No one was inside, but she was in the right place. Everywhere were folded kimonos, either blue or white. It was the beginning of a journey, so there wasn't a pile with dirty ones yet, but that would surely come later. Mai saw also a huge barrel with water and several bowls. She took the smallest one and filled it with water from the tap, careful not to use up more than necessary. She grabbed a soap and dumped the silk kimono into the bowl. She began rubbing the soap into the fabric.

"Ouch!" Mai hissed out, as she felt sharp stab of pain. The water in the bowl began changing its color to red. The girl pulled her hands out instantly and stared at them. Little streams of blood were flowing out of the numerous cuts on her palms. She furrowed her brows. What the hell was happening?

Carefully, she gripped the hem of the clothing, she was supposed to wash, and lifted it. Many shards of glass fell with into the water. Mai's eyes widened. The glass hidden in the fabric? She felt a shiver go down her spine – she just fell into a trap, set by the little devil. Maybe it could sound presumptuous, but she came to conclusion, that the brat tried to kill her, or at least injure. She clenched her teeth, as anger boiled in her veins. She wouldn't let that kid do such things! Being rude was nasty, but this surpassed everything. She grabbed the bowl and marched upstairs.

Once she was on the deck, the girl looked around, searching for a certain person. Finally she spotted him – Sasaki was yelling at one of the crew members. She approached him, looking like fury incarnated. Not bothering, that she was interrupting him, she shoved the bowl with wet kimono in his hands and brought her palms to his eyes.
 
"The brat did this!" she said angrily, before Sasaki had even the chance to open his mouth. "What sort of child does something like that?! Do something about this!"

"Silence!" Sasaki yelled at her and threw the bowl into the sea. "Get some bandages and go back to the young master. I will pretend, that I did not notice, how disrespectful you just were."

Mai glared daggers at him. Did the man intended to simply ignore the fact, that the daimyo's son was becoming a monster?

"But…" she began, but the nobleman interrupted her.

"If you do not like your job, the shore is not far away. You can take the lifeboat and we can say goodbye anytime." Sasaki said, fanning himself with an arrogant smirk on his face.

Mai sent him a last furious look and turned around, stalking towards the brat's quarters. She clenched her fists, feeling the warm blood dripping from them. Now she understood Sesshomaru, when he had those urges to murder anyone around and couldn't – she felt the same now.

"Hey, girl!" Mai turned around, when she heard a cheerful masculine voice. Its owner turned out to be the cook, a fat man with ever-present smile on his plump face. He waved to her and jogged in her direction, panting. "You're in need of bandages? Looks pretty bad, this injury of yours."

The girl nodded and followed the man to the kitchen. The cook bandaged her hands and made tea in the meantime. The man turned out to be a very sociable and talkative person, as he kept sharing personal information, jokes and rumors about the crew. In few minutes Mai learnt, that his name was Soji, he recited also the names of all crew members too, but she forgot them instantly. When the girl finished drinking her tea, she stood up, about to go back to her hellish work.

"Thanks for everything, but I have to go back to the brat." She said in a humorless tone. The cook nodded with compassion.

"I heard, that he's a malicious kid. Be careful, Mai." He said, forcing her to take a rice cake with her.

The girl thanked him politely and made her way to little Maeda's rooms, chewing the cake. Earlier the level was empty, but now, when the ship had its sails set, the narrow corridor became crowded with sailors and soldiers. Mai felt uncomfortably, having to push her way through them. She was nearly sure, that one of them touched her butt on purpose.

Then, an arm blocked her way, as one of the soldiers leaned against the wall, stopping the girl. She took a step back, but bumped into another soldier, who flashed a smile at her. She realized, that she was trapped.

"Let me through. I have to go to the young master." She said calmly, glaring upwards with confidence.
However, the men only laughed, as though she just said a good joke. The big one, who blocked her way scanned her up and down.

"You must feel lonely." He said in a tone, that was supposedly seductive, but rather made Mai nauseous. Slowly, she reached to the knife, she had hidden under her kimono, even though she was painfully aware, that she had no chance against several soldiers.

"Move. I'm betrothed." She hissed out, hoping, that this lie would chase them away. The big man arched his eyebrow.

"Betrothed? It's a shame." He said, faking disappointment. "I think, I'll live with it."

With this words, he reached with his filthy hands to touch her. Unfortunately for him, Mai was set on defending her chastity at all costs and swiftly grabbed the handle of the knife, unsheathing it fast, before she plunged it into his thigh. Then, she turned the blade to make a hole bigger, just as her dad instructed her, and pulled it out. The soldier stared down, shocked by the pain. The girl took advantage of his confusion and ducked under his arm, darting towards the stairs. She nearly reached it, when someone grabbed the back of her kimono, pulling her backwards. She gasped, unable to make a louder sound.

"WHAT IS GOING ON HERE?!" Suddenly, a low rumbling voice echoed throughout the corridor and the hold on Mai's clothes disappeared. She lifted her head and saw the general, who stalked to the source of all commotion with a face distorted by rage. He offered his hand to the girl and pulled her up.

"All right?" he asked her quietly. Mai nodded, moving herself behind his back, eager to get away from her attackers. The general scanned his retainers with angry gaze, taking more time to look at the wound, the girl managed to make.

"Seppuku." He said calmly. "If anyone touches this woman, he has to commit seppuku. Now, get your asses to the deck. Flagellation awaits you."

Then he turned his head to Mai and nodded with a smile. The girl smiled back and rushed to the stairs to get to the young master's rooms as soon as possible. The stay on the ship was getting more and more nightmarish with every passing minute…

The girl announced herself and slid the door open. She made a step inside, when her foot landed on something slimy and sluggish. Slowly, afraid to actually see it, she glanced down. Dead frogs. She stepped on dead frogs, that were placed in the entrance. The devil kid was trying her patience. Mai did her best to maintain a poker face, but it didn't came to her naturally, like to someone, she knew.

"I'm going to the fencing class." The young Maeda said, skipping over the dead animals and passing Mai by. "Clean the room by the time I come back."

Once he left, the girl took a look inside and froze in terror. The chamber looked like some crime scene. Everything – the floor, furniture, walls – were smeared with some unknown substance, the table was turned over, the clothes were laying in one huge pile in the middle of the room. Mai took a deep breath, reminding herself to endure the hardships without a word of complaint. She grabbed a rag and got to work, trying to ignore her sore hands.

The little monster came back, when she was just finishing. He looked around the cleaned room, frowning with disappointment, that she managed to make everything clean. Akira furrowed his brows, thinking about something intensely.

"Sushi. I want sushi. Now." He commanded, giving Mai a sly look.

The girl narrowed her eyes. Did he just say he wanted her to roll sushi? Is he out of his mind. Without gracing the kid with another look, she stalked out of the room, slamming the door behind her. When she was walking towards the kitchen, the sailors and soldiers were fleeing out of here way, mainly because the news about seppuku as punishment for touching her was already spread. However, her pissed look also may have left some impression.

Mai made the damn sushi, enjoying a moment of peace, as she was chatting with the friendly cook, who was making the dinner. Her fingers hurt like hell, but she just bit her tongue and kept on working. She took the food to young Maeda's chambers and sat by the table. She wondered, what Sesshomaru was doing. She hoped, that he didn't get himself in any trouble… The girl was so exhausted, that she didn't even notice, when sleepiness overtook her. Her head was approaching the surface of the table till she leaned against it and drifter to the sleep.


 
Mai woke up instantly, almost knocking over the table, as hot liquid was poured on her head. She rubbed her eyes to get it out of them and saw the sadistic brat standing over her. Apparently he was back and intended to continue making her life miserable. The girl understood now, why the previous maid was so desperate about quitting the job.

The brat picked up one piece of sushi and frowned, the look of disgust all over his face.

"What is that supposed to be?" he asked in a mocking tone, throwing it away onto the table. "It's horrible and ugly. Go to kitchen and make new ones."

Mai was twisting the fabric of her kimono under the table, the tea dripping from her wet hair. In her mind she imagined herself grabbing the back of the brat's head and slamming it with full force into the table, again and over again, till only a bloody pulp would remain of his arrogant face. She felt, that her patience reached its limits, even though she was trying. She really was – she doubted, that many people would endure a full day of humiliation, exhaustion and pain, like she did. However, she was only a human. The girl stood up and calmly gathered the food from the table.

"Are you sure, that you won't be eating the food, I made?" she asked dryly, holding the perfect sushi in her hands. A master chef wouldn't make it better.

The kid snorted and marched to the other room to change the clothing.

"Such rubbish? Of course not!" he exclaimed.

Mai acknowledged his answer and stalked out of the room, closing the door delicately. She went to the kitchen again.

"You again?" the cook Soji greeted her with wide smile. "The brat must be giving you hard time."

Mai smiled faintly and placed the plate with sushi in front of the fatty.

"It's for you." She said.

Soji stared at her and then at the food in disbelief. Such dishes were rather a rare treat for the commoners.

"Seriously?" he made sure, before gabbing one piece. Mai nodded and he stuffed it into his mouth, the expression of pure bliss on his face.

"Could you give me one serving of what you're having in menu?" she asked politely, frowning at the disgusting smell coming out of the huge cauldron. Soji stared at her.

"You sure?" he mumbled, still chewing the sushi. "It's a radish soup. It's so horrible, that even I'm not eating it."

Mai waved with her hand, making a dismissing gesture.

"It's alright. Just bring it on." She replied.

Once armed with the smelly soup, decorated with the extra – a fish's head, Mai marched back to deal with the little devil. She went in, politely and all, and placed the soup on the table before the young Maeda. The boy stared at it, the fish's head stared back. He frowned.

"What is it?" he hissed out, making clear, how angry he was.

Mai calmly folded her arms. She was used to dealing with a grown demon, so she wouldn't let a kid bully her anymore.

"Your dinner." She replied with a ironic smile.
Akira hit the table with his small fist, making the bowl rock dangerously.

"Don't mock me!" he shouted at the girl. "I want my sushi!"
Mai sat down casually and stretched her back, making the kid even more furious.

"I made you a meal, but you didn't want it." She reminded the boy calmly, talking slow, as to an idiot.
"So I've brought you, what everyone on this ship eats. If you behave like a spoiled brat and scorn the food, I make, that's what you'll get."

The kid's face turned red with anger, as he couldn't find any witty reply right away. He clenched his fists and glared at Mai.

"I'm your master! You have to do everything I want!" he yelled at her, obviously wanting to scare her. However, the girl only arched her eyebrow, looking more amused than terrified. After all, it took more than a hysterical child to scare her.

"Oh, really?" she asked sarcastically, tilting her head. She looked at the boy and decided to make everything clear to him. "Listen up, kid, because I'm not going to repeat myself. Here're the rules: I'm going to do the cleaning, cooking and such, but you have to respect me, be polite and no idiotic pranks allowed. If you don't like my rules, better get used to the radish soup."

After she finished, the young Maeda was gawking at her with disbelief, apparently surprised, that someone dared to talk to him like that. He clenched his teeth and sent her a death glare. Mai thought, that the brat reminded her mildly of someone she knew…

"Obey me or I'll have you punished!" the kid yelled, standing up and looking at the girl with superiority.

Mai decided, that it was best to ignore his insufferable behavior, as it was all about the attention. Thanks god, that Rin was such a nice child. The girl poured herself a cup of tea and took a sip.

"Hey, I'm talking to you, you stupid bitch!" the child kept yelling with somewhat desperate look in his eyes. Mai looked at him with mild interest, just as people are observing copulating stick insects.

"I think, you should get used to the radish soup." She offered her advice.

A weird sound escaped the young Maeda's throat, as he found himself at a loss of words.
Then, someone knocked and the door slid open. Mai turned her head and saw master Sekiguchi, accompanied by Sasaki. The old man had an unhappy face expression and was holding a handful of books and scrolls.

"It's time for your afternoon lessons, young master." Sasaki said, bowing deeply and pushing the elderly scholar inside. The girl noticed, that Sekiguchi was putting up a resistance – surely he didn't want to go anywhere near the hellish kid too. Sasaki looked directly at Mai and made a gesture to follow him. The girl got up and left the room, leaving the poor scholar trapped inside.
Once the door was closed, Sasaki stopped for a brief chat with her.

"The young master will now attend the lessons with master Sekiguchi and then I will instruct him about the politics. You are free to do whatever you please for the rest of the day." He said and began walking away. Then he stopped and pointed the nearby door. "I nearly forgot. Here is your personal cabin, right next to the young master's room."

Mai observed as Sasaki vanished behind the door, that was leading to the deck. A wide smile appeared on her face. It was afternoon and she was set free from the clutches of the little devil. Wonderful, given her situation. She was barely conscious, considering that she didn't close her eyes last night, so she would use a good sleep. Speaking of sleep, Sasaki mentioned something about her private cabin. The girl's smile grew bigger. Her own room with soft bed… sounded like a dream. She put her hand on the door, the only thing parting her from the luxurious interior and slid it open.
Her lid twitched, as she took a look inside.