InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Egypt Bound ❯ Last Train to Cairo ( Chapter 6 )

The Last Train to Cairo

Kagome waited patiently outside in the narrow, dingy hall. She couldn't believe what she had done; a poor girl like her had bought someone, which now meant that Sango was no freer from when they had first met. She was Sango's new "master"-a term that she could not wrap her brain around. Oh, sure she had seen girls brought into a life of service, many of her old neighborhood chums were now respectable ladies' maids; well, at least that's what her mum told her.

After Kagome turned thirteen she was told not to associate with those kinds of people; oh no, her mum sought only the best (which usually came around to what Mrs. Higurashi could afford after a dress sale) for her precious daughter. Mrs. Higurashi left no stone unturned when it came to preparing Kagome for marrying up in society. Kagome's old friends were pushed to the wayside (as far as her mother knew) to make room for her education. Although Hazel was a kindred soul, she couldn't skip rope with Kagome, or throw hoops.

It wasn't until Kagome turned seventeen that she found out the truth behind her mother's schemes, from a former friend, Nell. Nell had been Kagome's best friend since god-knows-when and had been brought into the life of service at the tender age of fifteen. One muggy day, Kagome ran into her on the street corner near one of the local pubs. She was shocked to say the least. Nell, whose lovely auburn locks and creamy skin had been the envy of the block, were now the desire of the millworkers who frequented the Old Well after dark. When she saw Nell, she asked what happened, and Nell informed her that her mother had accosted each and every one of Kagome's old pals, and let them know that they were unsuited for her lil' princess and that she didn't want her daughter associating with such guttersnipes as them. Since Mrs. Higurashi knew that many of their mothers and fathers worked in the mill, or as servants to the upper class citizens of Manchester, she could easily slip a nasty word to one of the wives or daughters; who would pass on the gossip to their father/husband, thus resulting in a docked paycheck, or unemployment. Being a popular dressmaker had its perks. Kagome's other girlfriends either had children, worked in the textile mill, or poked around the streets at night. She shuddered to think of what kind of life Sango would've had if she had never been hired as a ladies' maid on this vessel. As Kagome rolled this thought around in her head, she heard a commotion at the end of the hall. The little snub-nosed bugger who she had seen talking to Naraku on several occasions, was reprimanding a dark-haired maid.

"I told you to take care of him! Make sure everything went accordingly, but no! You just couldn't wait to muddle things up could you? Now get in there and do your job!" the lackey sneered at the brunette, who looked awfully familiar to Kagome from far away. "Now I hope you've packed your things, you have work to do in Cairo," he seized her by her shoulders and shook her,"and if your work is not satisfactory, I'll personally sell you to those dirty little Egyptians in the Red Blind District, understand?"

"Y-yessir, I-uh, I understand. I won't be so careless next time, I promise," she quivered.

"Damn right you won't!" He spat and stomped down the right side of the T-shaped hallway, not even glancing toward Kagome's way, for which she was very thankful. The girl, on the other hand, looked straight down the hall to Kagome's person, and scurried to the left-hand side of the hall. She seemed to look a bit ashamed that Kagome had overheard her conversation.

The metal door creaked and Sango slipped out, beaming.

"Well, is everything okay?" Kagome asked.

"Yeah, I guess it is," Sango replied, her grin subsiding.

"Is this what you want, Sango? To live as my servant?"

"I kinda thought we were more like friends with a similar goal. You know, like we have things we want to do but can't do them alone," Sango said quietly.

"You're right, " Kagome giggled, " I guess we are, aren't we? Well, let's make a promise to look out for each other, okay?" Kagome extended her pinkie finger towards Sango. Sango looked a bit baffled.

"Aren't we supposed to shake hands? What's the pinkie for?" she asked.

"Pinkie-promises are forever, didn't you know?" Kagome was mildly shocked that Sango had never heard of this sacred rite among friends.

"Are they kinda like bein' blood-brothers, only with no blood?"

"Yeah."

"Okay! I pinkie-promise you then!" Two pinkies locked and sealed their bond as each other's caretaker. An announcement sounded above them, alerting them to gather their luggage. Sango ran to her bunk and quickly started stuffing clothes into her valise. She tapped a panel at the head of her bed and slid it aside. Gingerly, she pulled out a small, black lacquer box; she opened it just enough to see a glimpse of gold and blood-red stone. Quickly, she shut it and placed it in the false compartment in her valise and resumed her packing. Five minutes later, she picked up her valise and joined Kagome, who had gone to her room to supervise the handling of her trunks.