Word Count: chapter: 1,180||story: 2,293||Chapters: 2/30

Unrelenting eyes, gray as stormclouds, stared at him as Shou's two guards brought him into the training room. Despite his anger and his fear and his grief, he hadn't given up the fight, at least not within. His guards' grip remained far too strong for him to do anything other than hang between them.

They set him down in the usual place, fastening chains onto his arms so he couldn't even think about running away. Not that he thought that he would get far if he did. There were so many guards here; he'd seen most of them while being brought in.

"I don't know why you're giving us this much trouble, boy," the trainer spoke, voice cold and unyielding. "Others accept their fate. Even your brother did."

Shou drew in a sharp breath at the vaguest mention of Ryou. "Don't talk about him."

What he got for that was a quick smack across the cheek. "First, a slave only speaks when commanded to do so. Second, I will speak of who I choose. Third, refusing to admit the truth will only hurt you in the end. But we can speak of your brother another time. Today is about you and what you need to do: stop pretending you are anything but an ordinary slave."

The trainer circled him slowly, each step firm and determined. "If you accept what you are and work to be the very best at what you are, then we can sell you not just for a higher price, but into a position that you could enjoy."

Shou could see a slice of a smile across thin lips and while Ryou wasn't brought up again, he could feel the words that weren't mentioned: your brother enjoys his.

He didn't care. He didn't believe a word they had to say about Ryou and likely wouldn't have believed it even if Ryou stood in front of him and declared it himself.

"Now, we can see that you're not pretty enough for most people to desire you to warm their bed," the trainer said, standing in front of him again and giving him a very speculative look. "We haven't noticed anything magical about you, so that lets out anything to do with mages of any kind. They tend not to buy slaves anyway. At least not as apprentices."

Shou shuddered; he'd never had much to do with those who used magic, but the thought of what they might want one for conjured up images he didn't want to look at very closely.

The trainer hadn't finished, though. "Harpies or ogres might want you as a work slave. But you don't look strong enough for that, either, not for very long, and they like ones that can take some punishment."

Somehow that still wasn't making Shou any happier about all of this. Still the trainer kept going. "Perhaps the vampires could find you useful. But as small as you are… well, it's something to keep in mind."

Shou shuddered visibly at that, not caring if the trainer saw. He'd met a vampire once. It wasn't an experience he wanted to repeat.

"I see you know vampires." The trainer chuckled. "There are still other options for you. I'd consider that a last resort. Now." Once again the trainer stood in front of Shou and stared into his eyes. "What is it that you want to be? Your training will teach you not only to obey but to make use of what talents you have. You'll be so much happier if you work with what you've got. Could you have said so much for your life before? What would you have been then? A farmer? Someone's shop assistant?"

"I'd rather be one of those than someone's property!" Shou snapped. That got him another smack, the trainer as emotionless as always.

"Remember: you are a slave. What you might've been before doesn't matter."

Shou shook his head and won another reprimanding smack.

"Say it, boy. Say what you are now. Say who you are now. It's your only identity. The only one that you have or need or want."

Shou lifted his head, eyes burning, pushing back all of his fear and letting only his anger show. "I'm Marufuji Shou! I'm not a slave! I won't ever be a slave!"

This time the trainer raised up the stock of the small whip hanging from the finely tooled leather belt and cracked it across Shou's face.

"I'd rather not bruise you too much. But we have time for you to heal, if you're going to be this stubborn. And there are other places I can beat your lessons into you if I must. Now, again. Say it. Say it right this time."

Again Shou shook his head, harder this time. He lost track of how many times the trainer insisted that he say it, only that he refused every time, no matter how often punishments fell on him. As the pain mounted, he started to lose track of what was going on around him, his head spinning, his throat dry for lack of water, tears streaking his cheeks.

"Take him back to his cell." The words swam up out of the shadows surrounding him. "I'll work more on him tomorrow. Make sure his wounds are treated and he has something to eat. We're not going to get anything out of him if he dies on us, and I'd rather not lose the money."

He didn't hear an answer, but even in his haze of pain, Shou felt himself being unchained and carried away somewhere. He groaned, fingers clutching at whoever carried him, and heard a rough bark of a laugh.

"Boy, you're getting yourself hurt for no reason at all." It wasn't a voice he recognized, but he didn't know if he could've recognized his own at that point. "Why fight so much? It's not going to do you any good. Never does. I've seen tough ones fight before. They always break in the end. Might as well just cut your losses and do what you're told. Trainer's right, you know. You figure out what you're good at, what you're good for, and you can learn all about it and make a higher price when you get sold. Then you'll be valuable and someone won't want to get rid of you later as much. Valuable slaves are protected slaves."

Shou couldn't even drag up a groan at that. He didn't care, for two reasons. One, he refused to be a slave. Two, he hurt too much right now to care about anything.

"Here." The same rough voice, and now Shou found a cup or a glass of some kind held to his lips. "It'll help you with the pain, so you can eat and sleep."

If he hadn't needed it so much, Shou would've refused the painkiller and everything else. But with every bit of him aching after the trainer's attentions, he sucked it down and hoped it wouldn't take too long to work. He could use all the help that he could get.

To Be Continued

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