Enslaved soul

Chapter 1

Happy Birthday Prince Kurama

Year: 3845 AW- 500 years since the end of the Aka War

Place: old Japan

Kurama groaned inwardly. 'This is not what I want to be doing,' he thought, glowering at the pedestrians that lined the streets. The stared curiously at the fancy car as it floated by them. 'I don't want a slave. All I want is a normal birthday party, where all of my friends come and we do things together.' Kurama thought of the few people he regarded as friends. First there was Yusuke, the poor bastard who's father had run out on his mother and himself when he was an infant, driving his poor mother to drink and use whatever drug she could get her hands in. Then there was Akane and her fiancé Ranma. The two ruled over the two kingdoms that were supposed to be ruled by their fathers. Lastly there was Kagome, the sweet, shy, raven-haired girl that Kurama had met on a field trip. All of them, Kurama reflected, didn't have slaves.

"Mother," he whined to the woman that was sitting across from. "Must I get a slave? None of my friends have them and they're doing just fine."

"I know Suiichi, but you're 18 now and your father and I agree that you need someone to take care of you now that you will be spending most of your free time learning how to rule the kingdom." His mother sighed and then continued. "Love, it's your birthday, just pick out three girls and we can go home." His mothers tone implied that she really didn't want to do this either.

"But Mother,-" Kurama started. His mother raised her hand to forestall any further comment.

"Kurama- Love- you are going to get no less than three slaves. Of the three, at least two have to be female with grades higher than ten in all the proper attributes. They will look slightly less than decent now, but they must clean up nicely. Also, they must obey your every breath. Is that clear?"

"Yes your majesty." Kurama snapped before returning to his former position and glowering at the common folk, wishing that it was one of them in the car, and he on the street.

"Your Majesties we are here." the driver announced monotonously. Kurama picked his head up and looked out of the window. They had stopped in front of a pair of majestically carved white marble doors. Upon further inspection Kurama noted that the building itself was made out of tons and tons of perfectly hewn marble. Kurama looked up it was a three story building, and deceptively innocent. With a mental growl Kurama followed his mother up the steps to meet his father who'd arrived a few minutes earlier.

Meanwhile, someone else was glowering at the world.

Hiei stumbled as one of the slavers, this one by the name of Murkuro, shoved him unceremoniously into a heavily warded cell.

"Maybe that'll teach you from trying that trick again. You puny little fire sprite." Murkuro laughed wickedly as he dangled the teardrop that Hiei's mother had given him at birth in front of him as well as his sisters.

"Murkuro, you bastard!" Hiei yelled lunging, attempting to beat the doors before they closed so that he could render Murkuro limb from limb. Once again they closed before he could get to them, leaving Hiei to snarl and bang the closed and warded doors with his bloody and bandaged hands. Tears fell down his cheeks. If Aka were alive today-

But that was it. If Aka was alive. If Aka was alive, Yukina would be alive, his best friend, Yoko would be alive, the world would have been destroyed, but the people that had survived the war would not have lost their spirits and would have happily worked together with Aka to rebuild it.

If Aka was alive.

That beautiful, courageous, strong hearted cat. She would do whatever she wanted, whenever she wanted even if it surpassed the laws that people resurrect within their own minds. Hiei couldn't help smiling at the thought, as he sank into one of the corners of his miserable 5x5 cell and stared at the frosted one-way glass. He didn't really want to see Aka's death all over again, just as clearly as he had the day it had happened. The memories started 15 years before the Aka War started. Hiei himself had been the guardian of the rambunctious little Hinoiri. She'd been a sprightly little kitten, bound and determined to learn any and all history, and science and mathematics. She read any book that she could get her hands on, not stopping in her reading until she'd finished it. After she'd finished the book she'd come running to him and tell him everything she'd learned. Hiei recognized the cat's desperate want to learn, so he started teaching her the way of the sword. She took to it like a fish took to water. Finally, at the age of ten, she commandeered one of the horses and started to roam around her kingdom at night when she thought Hiei was asleep.

One day about a week or two later she was caught by a farmers son, going out a bit later than usual to feed his father's horses. The boy, who was a fox, who went by the name of Yoko was only 2 years older than Aka. Soon they became fast friends. The Yoko after a year gave her the nickname Hinoiri, meaning sunset, seeing as how they always met at sunset, from that day on that was how Yoko would address Aka.

5 years later on the day of their meeting, Yoko found out who Aka really was. Earlier that day, without Aka's knowledge, her father had betrothed her to a prince from another country. Hiei, who by loyalty to the king, told him of her outings with the fox. Her father, who recognized that his daughter would probably come to love the silver-haired fox, if she didn't already, smiled, and told Hiei that as long as Aka realized that she was betrothed to another that she could sneak out any time she wanted to, in order to see her fox.

That night Hiei, for the first time, made himself known. He caught them in the middle of one of their sparring matches. They were laughing uproariously at the mistakes that they were making. Aka pushed Yoko off of his horse.

"Oh no you don't, you little cat!" he snickered not letting go of his friends wrist. Together they landed in a laughing heap. Suddenly they stopped laughing, they looked at each other, understanding what the other was thinking. They leaned forward and their lips met.

A sudden commotion out side diverted Hiei from his trip down memory lane. In a way he was glad that he was interrupted, but in some ways he was irritated that it had happened. Sighing he stood up and opened his Jagan. He had only enough power to see vaguely who it was that was causing the commotion. He sighed again when he saw who it was. Poor Inuyasha. There were strays on the outside that were treated better than he was. For the time being Hiei gave up on his little mental diary.

Kurama was tired of this already and he hadn't even set foot into the damned building. He growled at his parents to get a move on. Finally they did. They moved through the huge marble doors that led to Kurama's and any other slaves Hell.

The inside was the same as the outside. The same monotonous tone of white marble. On Kurama's right and left there were two wall-to-wall desks, yet again made out of, you guessed it, white marble. Kurama repressed the urge to gag. Kurama's father walked in. and looked around. After waiting for a moment or two he walked up to the desk and rang a bell. A few seconds later a thin, reedy, voice squeaked out from behind the counter.

"How are you this afternoon your majesty? May I be of any assistance to you today?"

The King's face split into a smile, "Ah Naraku," he said, "Nice to see that you are in good health. Actually you can help us. You see, it's my son's 18th birthday and we are here to get him a slave or two. As for me, I would like to know whether you have any new fighters in."

"Very good your Majesty. And since you are a most highly respected customer we are qualified to give you the best deals possible on the best fighters that we possess."

"But your fighters are always the best aren't they?" asked Kurama's father in a dry tone.

"For you, your Majesty, they always are." Both men laughed and Kurama just rolled his eyes. He was bored and the metallic, sanitized hospital smell of the compound was making him sick.

"Just let me call someone to escort her majesty and the prince to the female slaves and I'll be right with you. Karasu!" A giant of a man appeared from one of the four doors on the opposite wall. He was shirtless and scars covered most of his torso. His only piece of clothing was a pair of leather "breeches" and a cat-of-nine tails looped around his waist.

"Yes sir?" he replied in a Nails- being- dragged- down- a- chalkboard voice that made Kurama wince.

"Please escort her Majesty and the Prince to the females. As it is Prince Kurama's birthday, please ensure that you show them the best ones, and nothing less."

"Understood. And if I may, I would like to wish the Prince a Happy Birthday. Now if the Prince and her Majesty will be so kind as to follow me I will take you to the female slaves." The man said with sincerity so false, Kurama could taste it.

"Thank you," said Kurama just as insincerely as Togoro had. With a sigh he followed Togoro and his mother through one of the four doors.

45 minutes later

"Oh sweetheart, there has to be at least one that you like," the queen wheedled at her stubborn red-headed son. Kurama snorted. He felt as if he'd already seen every slave in the compound.

'They all look so dead,' he thought, looking into one of the little rooms where a girl sat, eyes devoid of anything, sitting so still in the middle of her room. She could have been called beautiful. If she'd been properly taken care of. Her slightly longer than shoulder length brown hair was dull and raggedy. Her face was thin and gaunt.

All of a sudden, as though she could feel his eyes on her, she looked up. Her eyes were dead, only holding the barest dying ember of hope. It died almost instantly. Kurama shook his head in disgust at the sight of the poor girl. "Must I really get a slave mother? Honestly, I'm old enough to make my own decisions."

"I know you are. Now decide which of the slaves you want so we can leave."

'If I absolutely must get a slave I'll find one that has a little spirit left,' he thought. 'Then maybe I can find it again for her. Suddenly something occurred to him. He turned swiftly to Karasu. "Karasu, do you have any female fighters?" he asked using the most demanding and authoritative voice he had.

Karasu burst out laughing at the question.

"Female fighters?" he was finally able to gasp out. "I beg your pardon, Prince Kurama, but where did you get that idea?"

"Just answer the question, damn it," Kurama snapped, not at all in the mood to play games, verbal or otherwise. Karasu was finally able to calm down enough to answer the prince's question.

"No sir. But, if you want to break your own, or have the challenge of training one, we have a trade off program, there are a few in the back. There is…one," Karasu said slowly, looking like he was actually thinking for once. "That little cunt Sango might do, or maybe number 39f4790sk. Hmmm."

"Let me see them," Kurama said promptly.

"Yes sir."

"Kurama, dear, I'm going to stay here and look at the rest of the girls. If I find any I think you'll like I will come get you, OK?" said the queen.

"Yes Mother," replied the prince irritably. He turned and followed Karasu through a door a few cells down.

"This hallway is where we keep all the female slaves in training or S.I.T.s for short. Mostly all of them are new, but there are always some bad ones that have to be returned for more 'training,'" explained Karasu . Karasu continued to explain something but Kurama took no interest. As they continued to walk Kurama looked into the passing cells some had slaves that were sleeping but most of them were empty. Here it smelled like stale blood, and to some extent one of the Companion Houses.

He finally came to a cell that drove him over the edge.

A/N- Ok people I'm sorry. This story was driving me up the wall with all of the stuff that was wrong with it. So I took the old version off. This time I actually have the dang thing written out (it takes up one entire 3 inch notebook! )

This story will be the "same" as it was earlier, but this time it might actually end up being something that's worth reading.

Again I'm sorry and I'd like to ask if you'd please bear with me (gulp). Black crystal rose.