Disclaimer: NOT MINE! Wish I had been the genius behind Naruto, but I'm not. I just happen to own a computer and have some free time.
Spoilers: It's AU so probably not many... I think.
Rated: Will rate from PG-15 to NC-17, but for those younger/easily offended reader's out there, I do not recommend that you read this story at all. There isn't much that I can do to stop you, but I can warn you. This chapter is rated R for implied mature content.
Summary: Sold by his own kin, the raven haired youth finds himself bought and put at the mercy of a sick and twisted mind, rights taken and torment given. Can he maintain sanity through the darkness? Or be forever lost to the decay of his mind?..YAOI, OroxSasu, Kabu+Sasu, NaruxSasu(main pairing) - Jax is not good with summaries.
A/N: Other chapters will be longer. This is just a prologue.
Hushed voices muffled behind raised hands, small fits of giggles and laughter following jokes and comments, the occasional whistle or cooing noise, and-- He couldn't bare to acknowledge the rest. The probing hands that pressed against his body every so often or the questions concerning his.. virtue and status. He knew what they were wanting to know, and that furthered to loosen his tongue, and if it weren't for his restraints, he would have told them where in the hell they could shove those pompous musings. He was not some pet!
They didn't see it this way, however. All they saw was what could amuse them until it was broken. When that time came, when he no longer gave them the entertainment that they wanted, he'd be discarded or worse.. killed. That was the role most humans now played. The obedient, little pets who hung onto their master's every word and obeyed without question, never complaining or arguing. Demons reined, and humans begged. That was how life had become.
That was how he had come to be in this situation. Gagged with a disgusting rag due to his outbursts, leather collar snapped too tightly around his throat --bruising the alabaster skin beneath--, arms cuffed both behind his back and to a thin pole --which reminded him of strippers--, and nude from the waist up. His clothing, tight black pants that stuck uncomfortably to his skin, did nothing to hide the contours of his lower body and they rode so low on his hip... Well, the word indecent came to mind.
He was strewn up like a piece of meat for examination, and to those pausing to look him over, that was all they saw. A potential new toy... The only thing that had saved him from being bought thus far was the ridiculous price set on his virginity and the lack of respect he showed, even with his hands bound and mouth gagged. His eyes told enough to keep buyers away... So he thought.
It still puzzled him how he'd come to be made into a slave. Things had just happened too quickly for him to follow. One moment, he was the youngest son of one of the few remaining human families that still held wealth and respect. The next moment, his parents were lifeless, and he was being shoved into an iron cage. How these things had come about initially, he couldn't really say, but he did know who to blame. Those eyes that resembled his so would always haunt his dreams. The ultimate betrayal had transpired, and he'd never noticed. Not until scalding water was being poured over his naked form, making him presentable to go on display. That man would pay.
He would pay for everything that had and would happen to Sasuke. There would be no rest for his mind or soul until he saw him dead. He just had to.
"Trying to put your thoughts together, pretty boy?"
Dark eyes snapped up at the hissed comment, coming face to face with startling golden eyes, which upon further investigation, belonged to a very feminine looking demon. A man, though. A man with skin sickeningly pale, almost as if death had come, and he was beginning to rot. Heavy eyeshadow and a long cream hued robe with an overly-dramatic blue bow in the back. The guy was obviously out of his mind.
Unable to reply through the clothe, he settled for glaring daggers through his eyes. He knew that the look was easily read, though, he did not get the reaction he'd wanted. Or expected.
"So full of life, aren't you? That can be remedied, however," came the amused reply after a short laugh.
Sasuke had to fight the reflex to widen his eyes in shock, surprise, or horror. That wasn't the answer he was supposed to receive. Every other creature would sneer in disgust and stalk away from him, looking for a more obedient and submissive pet. They weren't supposed to want smug or arrogant or confrontational!
A guttural growl tore passed the make-shift muzzle to filter between himself and the man. He wouldn't be mocked so easily. Not be something that looked like this guy!
Again, it was the wrong thing to do.
The man before him gave another laugh before stepping closer to the bound boy, currently thrashing against his bonds. He wondered if the boy knew just how erotic a scene he made when he moved against that stiff pole like that? It was precisely what he was after.
"Now. Now. Don't go tiring your fragile body out too soon. I have quite a few plans for your sweet, little self," the man whispered, breath ghosting against the boy's cheek as he said those words.
A shudder raked down his spine, making him reel back mentally at what both the man's words and tone promised. Sasuke knew that it was something he would much rather live without, and for the second time since his life had turned upside down, he felt far too vulnerable and helpless. It wasn't a feeling that he was used to, and it only helped to make fear's presence known to him. Of course, though, he showed no outward signs of his struggle. The boy suspected that the demon would take much, too much joy from watching him squirm. So he held himself still, continuing to glare at the lanky figure.
Orochimaru simply chuckled again, a low and joyful sound, before stepping away from the human. Letting his eyes sweep down the toned but yet soft looking features of the young man, he hummed appreciatively before looking to the more crowded side of the shop. It didn't take long for his unholy eyes to rest upon the one he sought.
The owner of the establishment turned from an elderly looking woman to survey the occupants of the display room, quickly noticing the familiar face watching him.. while standing right in front of his priciest merchandise. 'The bastard had better not have defiled another one before buying,' the man growled within his own head before excusing himself from the woman and made his way towards the serpent-like demon.
"Orochimaru, I see you have your eye on one of my many toys for sale," the man snarled, smiling down at the shorter man. Rows of sharp and jagged fangs in clear view.
Orochimaru? Sasuke turned his head back to the demon who seemed to enjoy his aggressiveness, figuring that it must be his name. He tried to place it, to remember ever hearing of it, but he could find no memory of every hearing his name spoken. Hopefully, that meant that this one was not quite as vicious as the ones he had heard tales of, though, he wasn't holding his breath.
Instead, he refocused his attention on the man who'd bought him from his brother. He was a large demon, not in girth but in stature. He was over a good six feet, and his body was coated in blue-green scales, or at least what Sasuke could see was covered in scales, and he didn't care to look over the rest of the man.
Uneffected by the harsh tone of the shark-man, Orochimaru simply smiled what could easily be taken as innocent and content, though, there was something about that smile that told an entirely different story. A story of blood and pain.
"You noticed, did you?" he said mockingly at first, eyes sweeping back to and over Sasuke, taking in every angle and curve available to his eyes. And from the boy's clothing --or rather lack of-- he could see quite a bit. "Let's skip the pretenses. I'll take him, and I don't care of the cost or his.. personality. So why don't we take care of this as quickly as we're able so that I may get home, and you can get paid. Well, Kisame?"
The other man seemed to consider for a moment, at war with himself. He hated doing business with the smug snake, but he also liked the idea of getting more money into his hands. It was a hard decision, but seeing as how he'd be rid of his best pet --and able to raise the price without the other demon arguing-- with a bad temperament, and it wasn't like he'd have to be around Orochimaru for very long..
"Have it your way," he finally agreed, stepping around Orochimaru and pulling out the key for Sasuke's cuffs. "We'll iron out all the details in my office, and then you can go."
Sasuke couldn't believe his ears. He was being bought? By this man? This creature? He knew life was not fair, but it couldn't really be this bad, right? Something about the dark-haired demon made his insides knot up and cringe. There was something not right, other than him not being of the human breed.
As he watched Kisame near him, holding the key to his cuffs, he began to entertain the thought of running as soon as he was released. If he was quick enough, maybe he could escape. Maybe he could get away and never have to go through this. Maybe he--
His thoughts were interrupted as he heard two clicks, not even a second between first and the second. Kisame had moved quickly, having worked with trouble-some pets for some time now. It hadn't even taken him a moment to unfasten one cuff, get it around the pole, and reattached to the boy's wrist before the pathetic creature even realized what was going on.
Gripping the short span of links between the circular cuffs roughly enough to pull them harder against the boy's flesh, Kisame began pulling him unceremoniously towards a backroom set away from all of the spectators and items for sale. There was absolutely no care as he pushed through the door, shoving the human down into a plush chair, stepping around a large wooden desk to retrieve certain forms.
"Kisame, do be more careful. Some may not like their little darlings being handled so brutally," Orochimaru stated simply as he shut the door behind the trio, moving to take the seat beside Sasuke's, smirking at the obviously seething boy.
The scaled man didn't even raise his head or acknowledge Orochimaru's words. All he held for the peculiar man was ill-intent, and he felt the same for the beast's darlings, as he liked to called them. Ignoring the other two presences in his office, he rifled through the necessary forms, settling them in a stack before pushing them towards the serpent.
As papers were signed, money transfers arranged, and registrations given, Sasuke sat silently, simply watching the floor beneath his bare feet. Of course, it wasn't like he could really speak with the rag still tied around his head. He was having enough trouble not breaking down in front of the two creatures who saw him as nothing but something for their own enjoyment. His neck beneath the collar burned and itched and felt constricted; his wrists felt as if they might have been rubbed raw, and the pants were just too tight to sit in, riding lower on his hips and hugging even tighter. Everything seemed to be made just to make him even more miserable by this point.
"Sasuke?"
Eyes of a dark gray, bordering on charcoal, looked up as Orochimaru read his name off of one of the papers he clutched in his long, narrow fingers. Fingers that he knew would soon be on him. At that thought, his stomach clenched painfully, trying to expel all that he had eaten in the past several hours.
Fighting back the wave of nausea, he simply glowered at the demon, watching as he stood gracefully and smiled warmly down at Sasuke. The look really didn't belong on the man's pale face. It was at war with what he was, and what he obviously planned to do.
"Come along, Sasuke. It's time to get you home, pretty boy," he said as a hand ruffled the raven locks before fisting in it, forcing the boy to his feet less he lose some of the soft tresses.
"That's a good boy. Now keep up," Orochimaru chirped sweetly, clipping a simple leash to the collar the boy war, pulling him along behind him. At the door, though, he stopped as he remembered something. "Thank you so very much, Kisame. It's highly appreciated." His only reply was an either amused or bemused grunt. Probably a combination of the two.
The pale teen could only snarl behind the gag and wince as he was pulled to his feet and tugged towards the door, dreading what lay outside of this shop more than he ever did the shop. At least here no one reallytouched him. Not like what would happen. He was never naive; he knew why demons wanted human pets like him. Those who worked at the shop had taken great joy in going into detail for him, even. Sasuke held no illusions for what awaited him... He knew.
Eyes focused on them as they exited the room, some pets and some buyers. He could see the pitying and sympathetic gleam in the eyes of those like himself. The others seemed amused or dismissive of their presence, turning back to what they were doing. There were not enough words in the average vocabulary to voice his hatred and loathing for the hellish creatures who held his life in their hands or claws or-- Well, it wasn't them; was it? No.
Orochimaru would now be the deciding factor in how long he would live, and the guy hadn't seemed too promising as being a compassionate or understanding master. Not that he would ever think of the snake in such a way. No, he was no one's pet. No one's.
Thankfully, the demon currently abusing his neck with harsh pulls and tugs of the leash did not stop to talk or socialize with anyone, and soon, Sasuke was blinking his eyes against the glare of the evening sun. Even though he'd only been held in the shop for about a week or two --he'd lost track after losing conscious when he mouthed off to Kisame on the sixth day-- it seemed as though he hadn't seen the sun in months. It was a welcomed sight, even if he could no enjoy it as he was pulled further from the store entrance and towards a dark green car.
As Orochimaru paused for what seemed to be one of his other pets to open the door for him, Sasuke glanced back to where they'd come from. From the outside, the large building looked luxurious and quite lovely, but after being kept their for more than a day, he knew the truth. It was now a part of his hell in the past, and another portion had just begun.
Blunt force to the front of his throat caused him to gag and stumble into the car, followed by an amused Orochimaru.
"Did that hurt? My apologies, but you should really pay attention."
Gasping effortlessly around the gag which seemed to be making it more difficult to breathe now, Sasuke could still only glare at the demon. He'd be damned if he was to be the perfect, obedient pet that anyone expected!
Flicking his tongue out to moisten his lips, Orochimaru simply gazed at the seething youth seated beside him. Oh, he'd enjoy shattering this one's strong resolve. To watch him cower to the pain that was sure to greet him from this moment on. Sasuke was just what he had been looking for. Beautiful like a porcelain doll with delicate and yet sharp angles, and with a poor understanding of where he stood in this world. Venomous and lethal like any snake, but he could be tamed. He would be tamed, and Orochimaru would enjoy every agonizing second of the boy's sweet torture.
"Take us home, Kimimaro."
A/N: I'm not really sure how often I can update this because I do have a somewhat busy schedule. I do plan to finish and update as often as possible, though, so long as enough people show interest. Make your opinions on this known! Please comment so I know whether or not to continue this story. Critique is loved! Especially since I am too lazy to properly proof-read right now..