When she heard the door to the dining room open, Nanami looked up and blinked in surprise, not believing her eyes when she saw who was carrying the tray containing her breakfast.
"S-Sakura?! Oh my gosh, I didn't recognize you for a second! You look so pretty!" she babbled excitedly.
Sakura blushed and looked away, somewhat embarrassed. "Thank you, Nanami-"
Suddenly, Tomoe seemed to appear almost out of thin air. Taking his fan, he struck Sakura's back, causing her to yelp.
"Your posture is awful. Stand up straight and square your shoulders; keep your chin up. Not making eye contact when someone is talking to you, particularly a god or goddess, is extremely disrespectful as well! Also, you must address Nanami as Lady Nanami or Nanami-sama since she is your superior!" Tomoe lectured, waving his closed fan about like a baton as he spoke.
"But you don't call her that." Sakura protested.
Tomoe scowled down at the redhead before whacking her on the head with his fan. "Don't argue with me. Now hurry up and give Nanami her food; she's probably starving after being forced to wait so long."
Sakura clenched her jaw angrily and glared up at Tomoe, who continued to scowl down at her in reply. Immediately the air in the room thickened to the point that it could be cut with a knife, causing a bead of sweat to drip down the side of Nanami's face as she squirmed uncomfortably in the tense atmosphere. Turning with a huff, Sakura raised herself to her full height as she had asked and attempted to walk forward. However, she squeaked in surprise when something wrapped around her ankles, causing her to fall forward and spill Nanami's breakfast onto the floor. Growling, she whipped around to see a familiar white snake rest on her leg, his little mouth curving into a smile.
"Oops, sorry!" he said cheekily, though he truly didn't seem the least bit sorry about it.
With an angry snarl, Sakura lunged to grab Mizuki but he quickly slithered out of the way only to be picked up by the end of his tail by Tomoe.
"And where do you think you're going?" Tomoe snarled, eyes narrowed.
A nervous gulp echoed from Mizuki's lips as he swallowed a large lump in his throat. Scowling, Tomoe tossed him back onto the ground.
"You and Sakura will clean this up immediately."
"What?! Why do I have to do it?! He's the one who tripped me!" Sakura exclaimed angrily.
Tomoe huffed in annoyance and rolled his eyes. "How childish. As a familiar, you will be tasked with cleaning many messes you do not make. Now get to work while I go remake Nanami's breakfast."
Sakura glared daggers at the back of Tomoe's head as he started to leave and muttered a few not-so-nice comments about him under her breath, but when he turned around, she hastily began to pick up the dropped dishes and place them back on the tray. Scowling suspiciously, Tomoe began to walk away, his eye fixed on Sakura till he left. Once he was gone, the redhead sighed in relief and wiped away the beads of sweat that had protruded on her forehead.
"You must really have a death wish to say things like that while Tomoe's in earshot." Mizuki's snickered as he slithered up onto the table.
"Shut up, Mizuki. Besides, aren't you supposed to be helping?!" Sakura snapped.
"I am helping; I'm overseeing." Mizuki smiled.
A low growl escaped Sakura's throat. "You little bastard. I outta-"
"Ah ah ah, please refrain from threatening me in front of Nanami-chan. I want to keep her as innocent as possible." Mizuki's said in a sing-songy voice.
Snarling, Sakura tried to grabbed Mizuki by the throat but he hastily dashed to hide by Nanami. Shaking her head, the goddess picked up the snake and looked him in the eyes.
"Mizuki's, stop teasing her and help." Nanami ordered sternly and gently placed him back on the floor.
"Fine. As you wish, my lady." Mizuki sighed as he shifted back to his human form and stood up. "I'll go get a mop and bucket of water. Sakura, you wipe up the spilled food."
"Don't tell me what to do." Sakura barked but she hastily began to gather the scraps into a pile with her hands. Mizuki's eyebrows scrunched together in confusion.
"Uh, what are you doing?"
"I'm picking up the food! What does it look like?"
"Why don't you just use the groom instead of your hands?"
Now Sakura was the one wearing a look of puzzlement. "The broom?"
Mizuki groaned and pinched the bridge of his nose. "I'm actually starting to feel sorry for Tomoe. I didn't think that was possible."
"Oh, you're so dramatic, Mizuki. Just go and get the mop and water; I'll show Sakura how to sweep." Nanami stated, rising to her feet.
"You don't have to do that, Nanami-chan! I'm sure Onikiri or Kotetsu could show her." Mizuki protested.
"It's fine, Mizuki. Now hurry up and go before Tomoe finds you slacking off."
With a nervous gulp, Mizuki scampered out of the room as fast as he could while Nanami opened a hidden closet and pulled out a broom and dustpan.
"Alright Sakura, you squat down and hold this in place while I sweep up the mess." she stated, handing the kitsune the dustpan. Sakura stared at it in confusion but did as she requested, kneeling next to the pile and placing the dustpan beside it. Smiling, Nanami easily swept the plate fragments and wasted food into the pan, humming as she worked.
"Thank you." Sakura stated as she picked the pan up once more. A faint blush dusted her cheeks. "Uh, what do I do with this?"
"Dump it in here. I'll have Mizuki put it with the rest of the garbage later." Nanami said as she grabbed a garbage bag and held it open for the fox. As Sakura dumped the contents of the dustpan into the bag, Mizuki reentered the room with a bucket and mop.
"I'm assuming you don't know how to use this either?" he said, nodding at the mop.
Sakura shook her head.
"Then listen carefully because I'm only going to explain this once. First, you dip the head of the mop in the water and then wring it out. After that, you mop up some of the mess, put the mop back into the water, and repeat from there."
"So, like this?" Sakura stated as she picked up the mop and repeated the actions Mizuki had just described. Nanami smiled happily.
"Yep, just like that. Just be careful of where you step so you don't-" she began but before she could finish warning the vixen, Sakura slipped on the wet wood and fell, hinting the ground with a heavy thump. "-slip."
Grumbling, Sakura stood up and dusted herself off. Hearing Mizuki snickering, she turned around and glared at him.
"What are you laughing at?" she snapped.
"The back of your kimono is soaked." the snake replied cheekily, giving her a closed-eyed smile.
Reaching behind her and feeling the fabric, Sakura cursed under her breath when she realized he was telling the truth. Scowling at the snake as he continued to laugh, she reached a cupped hand into the water and threw some in his face, catching him offguard.
"It isn't funny, so shut up." she snarled before turning her back to him, dunking the mop into the water once more and continuing to mop.
"Well someone can't take a joke." Mizuki grumbled as he wiped his face on his sleeve.
"Just leave her be, Mizuki. She's doing the best she can. She'll learn eventually; it'll just take time."
"I didn't take that long adjusting to the familiar life." Mizuki grumbled, rolling his eyes.
"That is because you are lazy and don't do any actual work." Tomoe grunted as he reentered the room. Inspecting the spot Sakura was mopping, he frowned and pointed at some seemingly invisible blemish on the floor. "You missed a spot."
Glaring at him, Sakura went over the spot and the returned the mop to the bucket. "I thought you said you were making Nanami more breakfast."
"I did. It's waiting in the kitchen at the moment. Why is the back of your kimono all wet?"
"I...slipped and fell."
Tomoe rolled his eyes. "Pathetic."
Sakura's nostrils flared angrily but she didn't say anything. Picking up the bucket, she turned to Mizuki. "What should I do with this?"
"Go dump the water in the grass outside and then return the bucket and mop to the closet in the hall. After that you can fetch me a cup of sake." Mizuki said smugly.
"Get it yourself." Sakura huffed. However, as she was leaving the room, she failed to notice Mamoru run out right in front of her and accidentally stepped on the little creature's tail. When he screeched in pain, she jumped in surprise, losing her grip on the bucket and accidentally pouring the contents down the front of the closest person's kimono. Unfortunately for her, that person was Tomoe. The entire room went deathly silent as Tomoe began to emit a dangerous aura that sent chills down Sakura's spine.
"I think you should run." Mizuki advised as he casually picked up the bucket.
He didn't need to tell Sakura twice. Spinning on her heels, the vixen tore down the hall as fast as she could, too afraid to look back and see if she was actually being pursued. Dashing down random passages and through random rooms, she eventually came to a dead end. As Tomoe's ominous footsteps grew louder and louder, she glanced around frantically for some way to escape. Seeing a door, she hastily dashed through it and slammed it shut.
"What are you doing in here? I didn't ask for room service." a voice said behind her.
Glancing over her shoulder, Sakura mentally kicked herself when she realized whose room she had chosen to hide in. Hiromi stared up at her with a blank expression on her face, her beautiful eyes rimmed with dark bags and framed by messy hair. Seeing the peacock in such an unkempt state was quite rare, especially since she was quite vain.
"You look like crap." Sakura said flatly.
"And you're rude. Now answer my question: why are you in my room? I don't like intruders."
"Trust me, if I had realized this was your room, I wouldn't have come in-" Sakura snarled, but her voice broke off when she she heard Tomoe's voice in the distance.
"... Stupid little wench. Just wait till I find her. She's going to regret ever setting foot in this house."
Hiromi's raised an eyebrow. "So, you've ticked off the other fox and are now trying to hide from him so he doesn't skin you alive."
"In my defense, he is totally overreacting. Now is there anywhere in here that I could hide?"
Hiromi glanced around at the almost completely empty room then back at the vixen. Glancing at the makeshift pile of blankets that had served as her bed the previous night, she thought for a few moments. Meanwhile, Sakura started to squirm as Tomoe's voice grew louder and louder as he drew closer.
"Hide here; I'll expect something later in return for this." Hiromi finally stated, pointing at the blankets.
Sakura's eyes narrowed. "If you think I'm going to break you out-"
"Don't be stupid. Why would I leave here? With my brother after my head, this is the safest place for me at the moment. Now are you going to hide or should I just yell for your hunter and tell him where you are?"
Grumbling under her breath, Sakura ran to the pile of blankets and hastily crawled underneath it. However, she nearly gagged as a sickly sweet smell invaded her nose.
"Is this perfume? Why is there perfume on your blankets?" she whisper-yelled at the peacock.
"It helps me sleep. Now shut up unless you want him to find you. He's right outside the door."
Sakura held her breath as the door to Hiromi's room slid open and Tomoe stepped inside, his vibrant eyes scanning every corner.
"Peacock, have you seen Sakura? I was certain I had cornered her in this wing of the house, and since the only other room at the end of this hall is empty, that only leaves your room." he said sternly, scowling at the she-yokai with an air of superiority.
"I haven't seen her." Hiromi lied.
Frowning, Tomoe's eyes shifted to the pile of blankets next to her before narrowing.
"What is under that pile of blankets then?"
Hiromi glanced at the blankets expressionlessly then at Tomoe. "Nothing."
Frowning suspicious, the fox stalked towards the pile; however, the minute the perfume reached his nose, he backed away coughing.
"What's wrong, Master Fox?" Hiromi asked.
"Whatever you put on those blankets smells awful. Throw it out." he grumbled as he backed towards the door. "There's no way she's hiding in here. That perfume would have sent her running."
Hiromi waited for Tomoe's shadow to disappear and then sharply kicked the blanket pile, making Sakura yelp.
"You can come out now." she stated flatly.
Grumbling under her breath, Sakura crawled out of her hiding place and collapsed onto the hardwood floor, the world spinning before her eyes as the perfume toyed with her brain. As she lied there groaning, Hiromi pulled a list out of the folds of her kimono and placed it on the vixen's stomach.
"In return for sheltering you, I would like you to get everything on that list and bring them back here to me as soon as possible." Hiromi said simply was she tried running her fingers through her tangled hair.
Sitting up, Sakura picked up the list and read through it, her scowling deepening with each line.
"What the heck?! A new kimono made with the finest silk? A golden hair ornament studded with sapphires? Slippers infused with shea butter and cherry blossoms? I am not getting these."
"Ugh, fine, then at least get me a hairbrush, some makeup, and a change of clothes. I feel like a street rat at the moment." Hiromi grumbled, rolling her eyes.
Clenching her jaw as she tried not to slap the prissy bird, Sakura stood up and made her way towards the door. However, as soon as she opened it, she nearly screamed when she found two piercing lavender eyes staring icily down at her.
"So you were hiding in here after all. I must say, I underestimated you." Tomoe stated bluntly as he reached out and grabbed the vixen by her wrist before proceeding to drag her down the hallway. "However, we don't have time for anymore games. You will clean the bathrooms next followed by the steps in front of the shrine."
"Why the heck do I have to wash the stairs?! They're outside!" Sakura protested, earning herself a glare from the fox.
"Because I told you to, that's why. By the time you manage to finish the stairs, I will likely have finished the rest of the housework so we will start you lessons regarding proper familiar behavior, starting with posture and grace. If you manage to do decent at that before the sun goes down, we will work on your kitsubeni and fighting skills." he snapped in reply.
Sakura gave an audible groan. "Great. Sounds like so much fun..."