Series Title: In Chains||Story Title: One's Proper Place
Character: Shou
Word Count: chapter: 1,113||story: 1,113||Chapters: 1/30
Genre: Drama, Angst||Rated: PG-13
Challenge: Diversity Writing, J14, multichap with chapters between 1000-2000 words; One Character Boot Camp, #42, tame
Notes: This is an AU. More will be revealed in time.
Summary: Shou's life has taken the worst turn he can imagine, with his home destroyed and himself being trained as a slave. With escape a faint hope and no one around who cares, what chance is there that anything will get better?

Shou huddled up under the ragged blanket, pressing his back against the rough stone of the cell, and hated every moment of his life that led to this.

He wanted to call his captors names. He couldn't think of any that were strong enough. Even the worst language he'd heard before didn't compare to what they did.

At least he couldn't hear the screams from in here. Not all that clearly, anyway.

He ducked his head farther down and closed his eyes. If he moved too much, all of his injuries started to flare up again and pushed the thought of sleep that much farther from his mind. But if he didn't move, he knew he'd start to stiffen up and then when they came for him again, it would be even worse.

Maybe I should just... He froze at that and shook his head, ignoring the spikes of pain that shot through it as he did. He wasn't going to give in. He wasn't going to do what they wanted him to do.

His big brother wouldn't. He didn't know where Ryou was now, not after that stranger in the white outfit bought him. But wherever he was, Shou didn't have a single doubt that he wouldn't bow down to anyone.

So neither would Shou. He wasn't the kind of warrior that Ryou was – he wasn't a warrior at all – but he could at least refuse to bow down to them and do as he was told. Even if it ended up meaning his death…

They wouldn't kill him. Shou had to believe that. His stomach churned just to think it, but he'd heard them talking about how much they'd been paid for his big brother and how much they anticipated being paid for him, and apparently the amount was enough that they didn't want to risk losing it.

It didn't mean they wouldn't hurt him. No one had bought him yet, so they didn't have a stake in keeping him unscarred.

Yeah, after the last couple of sessions, he knew that he'd be scarred anyway. His back throbbed from the last beating and his legs ached from his hips to his ankles.

They talked a lot about him even when he was there, as if he wasn't smart enough to understand what they meant. Every word remained seared into his mind.

"Are we sure they're from the same family? They're so different."

"I know, but the records we took said they are. So he should have some potential, even if we can't see it yet."

"I don't know. I think we're better off just giving him basic training and letting whoever buys him decide on anything else. Just look at him. He's not fit for the arena, no matter what we do to him."

Shou recalled seeing them staring at him after that, with the same kind of measuring gaze that he'd seen people give horses or mules to determine if they were up to a job.

"You could be right there. All right, we'll give him the basic training and if he shows any particular aptitudes, we'll work it out from there."

Their 'basic training' involved being taught – or forced – to obey any commands given. Shou put his mental foot down. He didn't care what they called him, he wasn't a slave, and he wasn't going to accept being taught like one.

It didn't matter if he closed his eyes or not, since there wasn't any light in the cell anyway. That made sense, he guessed, since who would want their prisoner to grab a candle or a lantern or even one of those useful gems that shone light and use it against the guards when they were brought out for training?

But Shou closed his eyes anyway, because it helped him to think and to remember the days not that long ago, when he'd lived in his comfortable village with his brother and his friends.

How many of them had been caught in the raid? He didn't have the faintest idea. There'd been at least four wagons of captives that he knew of and he counted himself lucky that he'd been put in the same wagon as Ryou.

Worry for his brother kept him from resisting much during the long trip from the burning village to wherever this place was.

"Let us go!" Ryou slammed toward one of the invaders, but another unleashed a whip charged with electricity, slicing into his side. A second and a third with identical weaponry surrounded him, beating him until Ryou couldn't move. Then they'd chained him up like all the other captives and tossed him into the wagon.

That hadn't been all of it, either. Any time Ryou showed the least inclination to fight back, the lightning whips came out again. Shou hadn't noticed him being afraid of them, but a tiny part of him welcomed that someone took Ryou away before he could become afraid of them.

So when do they bring them out on me? It wasn't a thought he anticipated, but he wouldn't have been surprised if they'd tried those things sooner or later.

He could hear noises outside now, movement of booted feet and murmurs that he couldn't understand. Was it time for food already? He had no idea of what time it was in general, since he hadn't set foot under the sun properly since being dragged in here. Just room after room, that's what he saw, over and over. No windows, either.

The door swung open and there was a single span of three breaths before two burly guards – ones he knew after the last handful of days – stalked in and grabbed him by the shoulders, sending streaks of pain all through him.

"Time for your next lesson," one of them grunted, and Shou found himself dragged out of there. This wasn't even close to the first time he'd been returned to 'lessons' without a break long enough for food or rest, and he knew it wouldn't be the last.

He didn't bother talking to them. He'd learned quickly that the guards around here were chosen for their strength, their brutality, and their complete lack of caring about anyone around them who wore the slave collar like Shou did.

This couldn't last forever, Shou tried to tell himself, as they carried him through the hallways. Either he'd find a way to escape or he'd endure what they wanted him to learn and he'd end up sold or just...something would happen. He wanted the first choice more than any of the others. And he refused to give up a scrap of hope that he would get his chance.

To Be Continued

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