Clocks (Akura Ou x OC)

Chapter 12: Not a Slave

I woke up to Yatori shaking my shoulders.

"What is it?" I asked softly. I looked at my watch and saw that it was twelve-thirty two. Yatori was waking me up for lunch. As much as I hated to admit it, I was hungry. I didn't want to eat anything Akura Ou had to offer, but I didn't have much of a choice.

I sat up groggily and noticed Yatori had his head down. I realized my shirt had shifted off and showed my bra strap again. He must think I am Akura Ou's property.

"I'm hungry, Yatori," I said softly.

He nodded and walked to the door, then waited for me to follow. I stood up and looked for my shoes. He seemed to realize what I was doing and ran to the wardrobe. Instead of my shoes, he pulled out a pair of zori. I shook my head.

"I want to wear my shoes, please," I said. Yatori's shoulders heaved in defeat before he went back to the wardrobe and came back with my sneakers. I put them back on and followed Yatori through the door. He led me through wide, winding halls until pushing open a door. We were in a large kitchen. It was very neat, as though it was never touched, and dusty, which cemented the fact that it was never touched. Yatori showed me where salted meat and fruits and vegetables were kept. It was clear these had only been brought in recently. Akura Ou had seriously prepared to leave me here alone, almost like he was leaving behind a pet. The thought put a bitter taste in my mouth. The oven was old and I realized I didn't know how to use it. I turned to Yatori.

"I don't know how to use this oven," I said softly.

He seemed surprised. I suppose that was fair. In this era, women were housewives who gathered fruits, cooked, and kept house. Yatori lit the oven and then looked to me expectantly. I had cooked before, but never with an audience. I had lived alone for the past three years after renting an apartment so I could leave orphanages behind. I found a cutting board and a knife. I went to the sink and noticed the clean water in it. As I said, Akura Ou was prepared. I hadn't yet been able to find an excuse to leave. I took a clean cloth and started washing off the knife and cutting board. I looked at the rest of the dirty kitchen. I sighed. I wouldn't be able to cook knowing the kitchen was this dirty. I took the cloth and soaked it in the water and rubbed it on a soap bar before turning to Yatori.

"Yatori, could you run back to the room and get something for me?"

He shook his head.

"I promise I won't leave. I'll be here cleaning the kitchen. I swear."

He paused and looked me over. I held out one hand. He waited a few more seconds, then nodded and shook my hand. 

"Grab my bag for me, okay?" 

He nodded, smiling a little, and hurried away. I scrubbed the counter until Yatori came back. I took out my phone and he looked at it curiously. 

"I'm going to play music with it," I said. He nodded, watching with confusion. Fortunately, I had my favorite songs downloaded. I picked one to sing along with.   

I continued scrubbing the counter as "Birds" played. Yatori listened, seeming awstruck and curious, but he seemed to find the music pleasant. He sat down by the door and watched me clean. I started singing at the chorus. He seemed to be smiling widely and I smiled back while I sang along. I turned my attention to the next counter area and scrubbed roughly to clean the grime until I could see the marble shining. I cleaned the sides of the counter and along the outside of the oven, enjoying the heat that radiated from it. I noticed Yatori's eyes were closed. I smiled. 

I continued to sing and I became very passionate in the song. I took a new cloth and soaked it before going to work on the floor. I looked up and nearly screamed again. Akura Ou was watching me, a smirk on his lips, with his arms crossed as he stood in the doorway.

"You seem calmer," he said.

I was silent. I was calmer. It was so peaceful and quiet in Akura Ou's home. Cleaning the kitchen alone was nice and I felt very relaxed.

"I guess I am," I said, standing up and throwing both cloths into an empty basket. 

"Good. You're cooking for us then," Akura Ou said.

"You and Tomoe?" I asked. He nodded.

"No."

"You don't get to say no," Akura Ou said.

"I'm not a slave. I won't do a thing you say if you demand it of me."

Akura Ou rolled his eyes and walked away. Tomoe came in the door and looked back at his brother before turning to me. He smiled.

"I've never seen Akura Ou so helpless before," he said, "He doesn't know what to do with you. He doesn't want to kill you, but he doesn't want to sleep with you, but he doesn't want to send you away. I don't know what to make of his behavior."

I felt my face growing warm at the mention of Akura Ou wanting to sleep with me, but I shook the idea from my head. 

"It's nice to see you again," Tomoe added.

I nodded.

"Oh, before I forget." Tomoe reached into the sleeve of his kimono and pulled out my paintbrushes.

"You're the one who grabbed them!" I said, taking them back and putting them in my bag.

"Yes. I thought keeping you around would be beneficial on the boring nights," Tomoe said, "So far, I am proven right."

I rolled my eyes and pouted slightly, at which, Tomoe smiled.

"I'll return your thread later," he said, "It is in my room at the moment."

"Fine," I said.

"Would it be too much trouble to ask that you cook for us?" Tomoe asked, "It was a long, tiring day."

"Sure," I said. I agreed mostly because I knew it would irritate Akura Ou that I listened to Tomoe instead of him. Even if he didn't know, it would still make me feel a little less like I was doing it for him.

"I have only one question," Tomoe said.

"Yes?"

"How were you playing that music?"

"Um..." I slowly picked up my phone, "It's like the time-keeping device I have, except it plays music."

"Where do you get these devices?" Tomoe asked.

"I brought them with. I'm not really from anywhere near here," I said.

"You will have to tell me about this place you come from," he said, "It sounds almost as interesting as you. Perhaps if I know about it, I could overlook destroying it."

I raised an eyebrow, "Sure, maybe sometime."

Tomoe nodded and walked away. He was violent like Akura Ou. The burnt buildings told me so. But he was also relatively docile. He seemed to be more so since the last time I saw him.

I finally took the knife and the cutting board. It was time to actually get to cooking. I washed my hands before taking a cloth and taking some of the meat. 

"Yatori, what kind of meat is this?" I asked the waking yokai. He blinked a few times before giving me his attention. 

"Is it beef?" I asked.

He shook his head. Hmm...

"Is it venison?" I asked.

He nodded.

"Ah," I said, taking the meat. I had never had venison before, but it was at least a kind of meat that humans ate. I had concerns. Fortunately and irritatingly, Akura Ou was prepared to have a human living with him.

I began to cut it into decently sized steaks and looked for a pan. I would have to play it by ear to decide how long to cook. This actually seemed fun.