Chapter 1: The Orders
She ran down the hall quickly. It took a lot of concentration to run and not trip over the various decorations scattered down the sides of the halls. Manami knew she had to get there quickly.
The halls twisted about and it took either an experienced visitor or hired help to get anywhere without getting lost. That’s why she was glad she had worked there all her life. Manami turned the corner sharply and stopped at the double sliding doors.
Manami took several deep breaths before she slid open the sliding door and stepped inside. She hated this room. It was large and empty. There was no telling what was lurking in the shadows. And, knowing the Sohma family, there were many secrets hiding there.
She took a seat properly on the pillow placed in the exact middle of the room. It was all she could do to keep her heart from racing any faster. She knew that Master Akito would be able to sense her fear. He would probably punish her for it. It seemed like he didn’t like fear. It was like he thought it made a person weak. There wasn’t anything she could do about it, though. Master Akito scared her. He always did.
The floorboards creaked, snapping Manami out of her thoughts. She was too scared to look up but she already knew who it was. There was silence as she waited for him to talk first. When he never did, she knew he was waiting for her.
“I-I was told you were looking for me, Master Akito,” she didn’t mean for her voice to sound so quiet and shaky. She tried to sound strong. Nothing helped though. The fear presented itself no matter what she did. “I came as fast as I could.”
He walked over and stood in front of her, “It wasn’t fast enough, Manami.”
She winced silently, “I-I’m sorry…”
“Never mind that,” Akito stood too quietly for Manami’s liking. She clenched the hem of her skirt for comfort. The flat tone of his voice hung in the air. “There is something I need you to do for me. Can I rely on you? It’s very important.”
Manami nodded her head quickly, her hair falling out of the loose braid, “Y-yes. You can rely in me to do anything.”
Before she knew what was happening, he had grabbed her by the arm and pulled her to her feet. His hand was cold, causing her to want to pull away. She gasped before she could stop herself.
“Manami, I need you to look after someone for me.” He pulled her closer. “It’s important that I know what he’s doing so I can keep a close watch on him. I can’t go myself, so I want you to go for me.”
All Manami wanted to do was ask questions. There was so much she wanted to know. But she knew she couldn’t ask anything. All she could do was nod and agree. There was just one thing she needed to ask, “Why? W-why me?”
He took her chin in his hand and lifted her head so she was looking into his eyes. “Because, you’re the only one I can trust, Manami. I know you’ll do what I ask you to. You always have.” There was an unusual chill in his voice, “I can still count on you, can’t I?”
She nodded her head slowly as she stared into his eyes, “Y-yes.”
The smile that came across his face seemed out of place. Like it wasn’t supposed to be there, “I knew I could.” He let her go and she felt her knees go weak from fear. She tried to catch her breath before she said anything else.
“Who is y-you want me to watch, Master Akito?”
He turned away from her and walked toward the sliding doors that opened to the back of the main house. “I want you watch Yuki. Tell me what he does so I can still keep that fear in him.”
Manami nodded again. “Yes, Master Akito.”
