Chapter One: Her Life
She couldn't remember much about her life before this. If she tried really hard she could picture a faceless woman with dark hair just like hers. Truth be told that woman meant nothing to her, but she still clung to that memory like a lifeline. Somewhere she had a family and a name. Oh god what was that name?
Squeezing her eyes shut, she tried her best to block out the grunting man on top of her. The way his sweat dripped on her skin, the metallic scent of her blood in the air, and his continuous painful thrusts against her pelvis made her sick. She wasn't even sure how she got to this point, it was all a hazy mess in her brain.
"Look at me you stupid slut." The man ordered in a raspy voice.
She didn't want too, she really didn't. She wanted to slip away into her mind and wait out this agony. This wasn't what she wanted, to be forcefully taken over and over again by nameless men night after night. A whimper escaped her lips as she clenched her eyelids tighter, her head moved on her neck like a broken toy as she turned away from him. She moved her hands to the demons chest and tried to push him off of her. But it was no use, he wasn't going anywhere.
"Look at me!" He roared as he swatted her hands away and grasped her chin roughly in his hand, forcing her to face him. "You will do as you're told!"
Slowly, she opened her eyes to looked at him. Willing the hatred she felt for him to shine like a beacon in the dark room.
His black eyes glared into her almost dead blue ones, there was still some fight in her. Not much but it was there in the very back of her gaze. That last bit of fight will be beaten out of her at some point. Of that he was sure. The Ox demon grinned at her, his teeth yellow and crooked. "This would be easier on you if you obeyed."
His hips moved faster, pushing his member harshly into her in a punishing manner. Her wounded back scraping against the wooden floor with each thrust. A cry of pain left her throat and she tried to pull her head out of his hand, this defiance only infuriated him and he moved his hand from her chin to her neck, keeping her still. He wanted submission. This was for his pleasure not hers, never hers. Those last few thrusts felt like eternity to her, her breath leaving her in small choking coughs from the pressure his hand was placing on her windpipe, making her head swim from lack of air. But soon he stiffened and let a guttural moan fill the room. She grunted in pain as he fell on top of her in a boneless heap. His large body crushing her beneath him. It was hard to breath, between his horrid smell, the pressure of him on her rib cage, and the hand that was still clutching her neck like a vise.
The Ox laughed as he pushed himself off the petite figure, watching in sick glee as she gasped for air when his large hand left her neck. Slipping out of her he moved to stand and walked away, leaving the naked woman on the floor, to clean himself off. The rustle of clothes and the sound of a zipper greeted her ears as she laid there coughing and staring at the dingy ceiling. Finally, it was over.
"You were a good fuck, slut. Just remember, next time you will keep your eyes on me." The demon growled as he walked to door lighting up a cigarette on his way and knocked.
Another man opened the door and the two talked for a moment. Money was passed from the Ox to the smaller man and then the demon pushed his way through the door leaving the bruised girl alone with the man who answered the door. The air was thick with the smell of cigarettes, blood, and sex.
"Come on Seventy," The man said as he entered the room, his braid swaying behind him. He had a dirty robe clutched in his right hand. The man leaned down and gently grabbed her arm to lift her to her feet. "Time to get you cleaned up."
Her breath hitched in her sore throat as she moved, stumbling a moment on her unsteady legs. Everything hurt. Her tiny hand grabbed onto his white t-shirt to keep her from falling and he didn't seem to mind as he grounded himself to help her stay up. His hand moved from her arm for a moment to drape the grungy and tattered cotton robe around her frame. Daring a glance up she breathed a sigh of relief, it was Bankotsu. Of all the men here he was the nicest to the girls. He wasn't the best man but at least he seemed to somewhat care about their well being.
His dark eyes watched her for a second as she steadied her breathing before he gripped her arm again and slowly lead her from the horrible room. The hall wasn't much better but at least it looked somewhat presentable. Old peeling wall paper and creaking hardwood floors, there were even ruined photos of long dead Geisha's held in frames on the walls. Small dim lights glowed from their homes on the walls, making it easy to navigate through the hall. A few more doors littered the walls, a couple were open while the rest were closed. Closed doors meant those rooms were in use. The cries of females and the grunting of males echoed in the hall like a morbid soundtrack of her life. The man with her nodded his head to a few of his associates that walked the hall waiting for a knock on the closed doors.
Bankotsu kept his grip light on her arm as he moved her down the pathway. Making a right at the end of the hall he opened another door that sat a little ways down and they watched as his hand disappeared into the inky blackness. With an easy flip of a switch light burst to life and the girl turned her head away from it. It was far too bright for her eyes. Carefully, the man lead her into the room, letting the door close with a small click behind them as he sat her on the dirty toilet lid. After a moment he turned towards the dingy tub and started the shower. His hand felt the water and nodded at the lukewarm temperature. "Alright Seventy, in you go."
Grabbing the sink next to her she moaned in pain as her body protested at the movement. With shaking hands, she slipped the robe off and let it pool around her on the tiled floor. Taking his offered hand she carefully stepped into the spray, gasping as the water hit her bruised and broken skin. She let her head fall forward as she placed her clenched fists against the wall, watching the water run down her body in pink rivers. Anger swelled in her chest as tears collected in her eyes as the blood and grime from the night was washed down the drain. Why? Why was this her life? Wasn't she was meant for more than this? A small sob escaped her lips as the tears forced their way down her cheeks when she closed her lids. That faceless woman was brought to the front of her mind, and a tiny barely there smile crept onto her face. That woman would have loved her. She knew that in her heart.
"Seventy," Bankotsu muttered, bringing her back to the present. "You don't have much longer. Hurry and clean up, then we will treat your cuts and get you to bed. You're done for the night."
Nodding slightly, she pushed herself up away from the wall and started to wash off. Grabbing the small bar of soap from the shelf in the shower she started to scrub herself. Her movements started out slow and then gained speed as she went, her nails scraped against her skin as she tried to rid her body of the Ox demons touch. She cried silently as she rubbed her skin raw in all the places that disgusting man had touched her. Her face, her arms, her neck, her legs, her torso, and her sex. All of it. Her body was bright red and angry from all the abuse it had sustained that night. She would have continued in her movements if Bankotsu hadn't have stilled her hands to take the soap from her. Letting the water wash away the sudsy mess, she sighed in defeat as he turned the water off.
Taking the clean towel he offered she dried off and let him get to work on the wounds the Ox demon gave her. He was a sadist and took joy in watching her pain. The whip marks on her back stung as he cleaned them with the mediocre medicine they had handy. Soon her back was covered in gauze as he moved around her wiping the bruises with some sort of ointment. Lifting her chin gently he glanced at the finger prints on her neck. Nodding his satisfaction, he grabbed a pair of panties and the black dress that all the girls wore and helped her into it. Nudging her towards the door, he leaned down to grab the used towel and robe from the floor depositing them in the laundry as he made his way out with her. His arm wrapped around her waist to steady her as she stumbled again.
Bankotsu took the lead again as he moved her back up the hall towards the torture rooms. At least that's what the girls called them. But he passed that area and continued straight into the maze that was the upper floor of the building. Talking a left he brought her to a door at the end of the path that hid stairs to the bottom floor and opened it with his right hand. His left arm was still on her waist. The door creaked open and he grunted as he urged her down the stairs and followed her in closing the door behind them. His hand moved from her waist to her arm to keep her upright as they descended.
The stairs ended and they continued down another labyrinth of hallways until they reached a door towards the back of the building. The number twelve glinted at her in the dim hallway light. Taking the key ring from his pocket he found the key for that door and slipped it in easily. A click was heard and the door opened slowly inward. The room was dark save for the small sliver of moonlight that reached through the the tiny basement window in the wall and for that the girl was grateful as she stepped into the room towards her bed. There was only two beds in the small room, one on the left and one in the right.
Her bed was a welcoming sight as she moved to it flipping the covers open so she could lay down. The bed on the right wall was empty for the moment. The girl that was there previously had left one night and never returned, that either meant she was sold or dead. Shivering at the thought she slowly crawled under her covers with a weak painful sigh.
Bankotsu watched as she moved to get comfortable in the bed. It would be hard to do with all the damage that her body had gained that night but she was able to do it. The thin sheets pulled over her small frame as she nuzzled into the bed. Nodding at her as she closed her eyes, he let the door close. The sound of the key turning and the lock clicked into place. "Goodnight Seventy." He mumbled through the door and the sound of his retreating steps down the hall put her at easy.
Closing her eyes the girl let the tears in her eyes fall. This was her life, and she hated it. There had been many times she had wished for the sweet release of death, this was another one of those times. Gripping her pillow in her hands she brought that faceless woman back from her memories. Her dark hair, her yellow sweater, and that white apron around her waist. How she wished she could remember that woman's face, somewhere she had a family, someone that loved her. Slowly, she drifted into sleep the memory of that woman her only connection to the outside world. A world she wished to escape to one day. Quietly, a voice echoed in her brain, a name. It had said a name! In a sweet voice it called to her, 'Kagome!'
Kagome? Was that her name? So it wasn't a number after all. She wasn't Seventy. She was Kagome.
A/N: So this is the first story I have uploaded onto this site in many years, please excuse me if I did something incorrectly. I am a bit rusty. Please let me know how you liked the chapter! I am starting to work on chapter two right now and hope to have it out in a few days. It's a bit dark now but I promise it will lighten up.