So far: Life as a slave isn't at all fun; as slaves of Suzaku, Yusuke and Kuwabara are subject to whatever their master decides. Kurama has already been sold to a different plantation...and the slaves know they will never see him again.
This Chapter: Ten years find Yusuke and Kuwabara grown up, and ready to face life's challenges. But an uncontrollable event may seperate the two childhood friends...
Chapter One:
Out of the Blue
Ten Years Later
The night was still. Crickets cheeped busily in the fields, chattering to one another in the bizarre language of crickets that we will never understand. Water poured noisily over stones as it raced down the path of a creek, but the water in ponds and barrels were still. Not even a breeze stirred to cool down the rough cabins made of logs and well insulated, much less to do anything about the inhabitants inside.
Yusuke sat on the porch of his house, brown eyes clouded in thought. There were no windows in his room, or the main room, or the girls room, so he had come outside to try to get cool enough to sleep. No such luck.
Inside the house, he knew, Kuwabara was sleeping soundly, probably muttering about something or other as he did so (they used to call him Kazuma, but the two boys decided Kuwabara sounded more mature). Nobody slept in the main room behind him, but to the left of that the girls were sleeping--Atsuko, Shizuru, and Shiori.
His mother, Kuwabara's sister, and Kurama's mother.
Yusuke had been thinking about Kurama a lot lately. He didn't know why, but somehow his thoughts kept drifting to the other boy. He didn't have very many memories of him--just of the three of them playing tag or some other childish game, or eating together outside by the creek when their mothers let them, or--the day he was taken away.
Why did slaves have to be sold? Besides Kurama, Yusuke knew of at least a couple other people who had fallen prey to the same fate. He had never known his own father-he assumed he'd been sold off when Yusuke was just a baby (since his mother never talked about it, Yusuke had no way of knowing). Both Kuwabara's parents had been sold to different plantations-his father to a certain Dr. Ichigaki's plantation a bit further south and his mother to Rando's further east. Coincidentally, Yusuke's female friend, Keiko, had come from Rando's plantation with her family in exchange (how that was a fair trade, Yusuke had no idea--he supposed Rando must have gotten some more of Suzaku's to make it fair). Kuwabara had fun teasing Yusuke about Keiko--and as much as Yusuke denied it he did feel different about Keiko. She was different, in some way Yusuke couldn't describe. But it was a nice different...
"Urameshi?" Yusuke turned to see Kuwabara standing in the doorway, orange hair sticking every which way, "What're you doing out here?" Kuwabara often called Yusuke by his surname. He varied from Urameshi to Yusuke, but usually used the former.
"Couldn't sleep," Yusuke replied, as Kuwabara came and sat down next to him, "It's really hot tonight."
"It'll probably be hotter tomorrow," Kuwabara remarked, "Working in the sugar fields."
"Yeah. The girls are lucky--they get to work up at the Big House. At least they'll be indoors."
"It's just as hot inside, Urameshi."
"Right." There was silence again, as the two stared out into the night.
"D'you miss him, Urameshi?"
"Miss him?" Startled, Yusuke turned to Kuwabara. "Miss who?"
"Kurama." Yusuke suddenly became very interested in the ground under their bare feet, and the building across the street, anywhere but Kuwabara's suddenly determined black eyes.
"Don't act like you don't, Urameshi!" Kuwabara exclaimed, suddenly, "I know you do! I hear you at night, muttering his name in your sleep--"
"I don't talk in my sleep, doofus!" (When Yusuke got upset or angry, he tended to insult people).
"Yeah you do! You didn't used to do it, you only started a few weeks ago. Anyway, you don't have to get so defensive. I was just askin'." There was another silence.
"I miss him too," Kuwabara admitted.
"What?"
"I said I miss him too. I don't remember him a lot, but-"
"I know." Yusuke sighed. "Me too." Silence reigned again as the two fourteen-year-old boys stared at the moon, both lost in thought.
..::--::..
They were up with the sun, as they had been almost every morning. Yusuke and Kuwabara, for all their talk the night before, barely exchanged a word as they splashed warm water on their faces and dressed in the bland, off-white pants the plantation provided them with, rolling the pants up for more comfort. The shirts they put on reluctantly--they'd need protection from the sun, even if it was hot. Having done this, they went into the main room where breakfast was waiting for them on the table.
The girls were already awake, all dressed in skirts and shirts of the same off-white color the boys had. Atsuko poured the coldest water they had into glasses, while Shiori and Shizuru sliced bread and cheese. Not the best breakfast, but it could be made without heating up anything, so that was why they had it.
"Did you sleep well?" Atsuko asked, as they sat down.
"Not really," Yusuke yawned, running a hand through his black hair casually, "Too hot."
"Well, what'd you expect?" Shizuru asked, putting cheese on bread and biting into it, "It is summer, after all."
"Don't talk with your mouth full," Shiori reprimanded her. Ever since the Kuwabara parents had been sold off, Atsuko and Shiori had sort of "adopted" the Kuwabara siblings. Shizuru, at her age of nineteen, pretty much ignored her.
So the day began and continued as it always did; breakfast and very little conversation, then each went off to their own work place (the girls to the Big House and the boys to the field) for another long and grueling day of work. As always.
The sugar fields were hot as they cut down cane and dragged it to the ends of the row to be picked up. Then back into the row, cut some more, drag it back, and go back for more. Again, and again, and again. All the livelong day, not even stopping for a lunch break. The only break they got was when the sun went down, and that didn't happen for hours.
But not today.
"I am so sick of this!" Yusuke grumbled, as he swung his scythe to cut another stalk of cane.
"Eight more hours," Kuwabara muttered, from the row behind him, "Onlyeight more hours."
"I hate this!" Yusuke grumbled to himself, forgetting the fact that he'd done this every year since he'd been ten, "I really really hate this!"
"Hey!" Genbu had come down his row to check on his progress, "Did I hear somebody talking?"
"No, sir," Yusuke called, chopping ferociously at the stalks. One wouldn't cut. "Stupid thing...stupid...stupid..." He swung harder, trying to cut through it. Still it wouldn't cut. "I HATE THIS!" A wave of heat erupted from the fields, washing over everything and drowning it out. There was a brilliant flash of blue light, and all the slaves ducked and covered their heads. Wind rushed over them, cutting into their unprotected arms, legs, and feet, whipping their clothing in all directions. Finally, finally, it stopped, and they all managed to look up.
Where stalks of sugar cane had stood before, there was nothing. The ground, however, was covered with them, squashed and matted, forming a thick carpet of sugar cane that was bleeding a sticky substance onto the ground.
What on earth had just happened?
..::--::..
Suzaku was hard at work doing calculations. There had been a good growth this spring; once all the sugar cane was harvested, how much "Four Saints Sugar" would they have? And then how much would they make? If there were roughlyone hundredstalks per row, andfifty rows per field (of which he had five), andfive stalks madeone bag of sugar, and each bag sold forten bucks...
"Master?" He looked up. The female slave who was standing in the door quickly averted her eyes, staring down at the floor, her brown hair falling over her face.
"Yes?"
"There's someone here to see you. She says she's from Toguro." Toguro? Now what could he want?
"Send her in." The slave bowed and left, and Suzaku turned back to his paperwork while he waited. He started and stared at his calculations; only five million? That couldn't possibly be right! He looked back over his work. Oh, there was the problem. He'd multiplied bya thousandwhen he should have been multiplying by...ten...he redid his calculations. There, that made seventeen. No, wait, that couldn't possibly be right!
"Lord Suzaku?" He turned to face the figure in the doorway.
"You must be Toguro's representative?"
"Bingo!"
..::--::..
"And that's why I have to leave!" Yusuke explained to his mother, as he shoved things in a sack bag, "I don't know what happened, but I know it was me! And since it ruined practically all the sugar cane Genbu'll be sure to tell Suzaku and then I'll be dead meat!!"
"Yusuke, calm down!" Atsuko said, from the doorway, "It was only one field, I'm sure there's something--"
"Didn't you hear me?!?" Yusuke wailed, pulling on his only pair of shoes, "DEAD MEAT!"
"Bingo, bingo, you win the prize!" Both turned towards the sound of the voice, and saw something very unusual.
A girl was standing there, her bright blue hair bound up in a high ponytail. Her candy pink eyes danced with amusement and hidden glee, and she was dressed casually in a pair of jean shorts and a light pink tee-shirt. She wore a solid silver bracelet on her right wrist. Since they'd never seen a girl wearing pants before, much less a girl with blue hair and pink eyes, staring was all Atsuko and Yusuke could do.
Yusuke recovered himself first.
"Who the heck are you?"
"Oh, I'm sorry!" She stepped into their cabin and bent in a quick bow, glancing left and right before straightening up and giving them a mock salute, "Botan's the name! Captain of the River Styx and guide to the Spirit World!" Her bracelet crackled, and she jumped, exclaiming in pain, "Ouch! Sorry, I'm Botan, current representative of the Great Toguro."
"Toguro?" Atsuko asked, "What does he want?" Botan turned to Yusuke.
"You're Yusuke Urameshi, correct?"
"Yeah," Yusuke said, incredulously, "What about it?"
"Then you're the one we've been looking for!"
"What does he want with Yusuke?" Atsuko asked. Botan laughed.
"I should think that was obvious!" Botan exclaimed, and bent closer, "What with your little power display not ten minutes ago, I'm surprised I got here first!"
"Here first?" Atsuko asked, at the same time Yusuke asked, "Power display?"
"Yes," Botan said, to both, "Anybody would want that much power on their plantation. Luckily, Suzaku hasn't realized it yet and signed all the papers. You're coming with me, Yusuke."
"Y-you mean leave?" Yusuke gasped, "Leave the plantation?"
"That's what it means!" Botan nodded.
"But--but--"
"Of course, if you want to stay here," Botan said, turning around and walking slowly towards the door, "And get in trouble with Suzaku for what you did to his sugar, not to mention have your power harnessed to do more destruction as such, I'll just go reverse the deal. Never mind that you could get proper training at our plantation--"
"Wait wait!" Yusuke exclaimed, "You mean, Suzaku couldn't punish me?"
"He can't: you're not his anymore. But if you don't want to--"
"Forget it! I'm coming!" She turned around, clapping her hands in approval.
"Oh, I just knew you would! Now grab your things, we have to leave if we're going to get anywhere on time!" Yusuke turned and grabbed his bag (which had everything he had in it) and followed Botan out of the cabin. At the door, he remembered his mother was still standing there, watching him. With a glance at Botan, he raced back in and grabbed her in a quick hug. She hugged him back.
"Tell them where I've gone," he muttered in her ear, "But I'll be back. Don't worry."
"Yusuke!" Botan called, from outside.
"I love you," he whispered, and let go of her. Silent tears ran down her face as she followed him to the door, then stood on the porch while he walked to where Botan was standing.
"Ready?" Botan asked him. He wasn't; but he nodded anyway. She flung out her right hand and her bracelet glowed a bright blue for a moment before a long oar appeared in her hand. Yusuke's eyes widened in surprise as she leveled it horizontal with the ground and got onto it, sitting sidesaddle on it as if it was a horse.
Her feet didn't touch the ground.
"Well?" she pushed, "What're you waiting for? Get on!" The moment had come at last; it was time to leave. Unsure of what he was doing, he hesitated.
That was long enough for the shouts coming from the field to reach their ears. It was Genbu, roaring his head off.
"WHEN I GET A HOLD OF HIM--"
"COME ON!" Botan shouted, "DO YOU REALLY WANT TO STAY AND GET BEATEN INTO LITTLE TINY PIECES?!" That did it; any hesitation Yusuke had was gone. Grabbing the oar, he swung his right leg over and sat awkwardly on it. His fingers tightened reflexively as they shot upwards. His mother shrunk, as did the cabins, and the little form of Genbu racing towards the slave quarters. He looked left and right over the sides of the oar, amazed at how small everything was.
Then the thought of finally getting away from Suzaku struck him, and he laughed at Suzaku's loss. So what if he'd destroyed abouta fifthof the plantation's sugar output? It didn't affect him; it couldn't affect him because he didn't live there anymore! How could this possibly get any worse?
"Goodbye, Suzaku!" Botan laughed, as they flew over the Big House, "On to Toguro!"
Oh. Right.