The Bars of the World
By: ShaJen
Disclaimer- We do not own any characters in this fanfic
Chapter 1
In the year 2037, all worlds past and present suddenly collided. They formed one big landmass. At the borders of each, terrain suddenly changed drastically. Beautiful grasslands became barren wastelands. Everything was in turmoil.
A lone man by the name of Bakura took control of all the worlds. Bakura was an evil mage who sought to slowly destroy all. He ruled with an iron fist that crushed entire civilizations.
He then decreed that all supernatural being would be banned from every part of every land. Demons, apparitions, and even angels, were forced from their homes. They were driven away or executed. Even humans with unnatural abilities were banned. All who resisted were killed or thrown into prison. None were safe.
A clan of mole demons dug an enormous underground cavern deep within the earth. Other fugitives took refuge there. Bakura's men couldn't find them, and those who did disappeared immediately.
Within their new home, the forbidden life forms created a resistance. They named themselves the 'Super-naturalists' and fought to overthrow Bakura. But Bakura's army was very large. Te remaining demons and such were unable to defeat such numbers. So the Super-naturalists retreated into the earth to wait for a more opportune time.
Then came the new generation. All the children born in that generation were strong, and joined the resistance early. They planned a massive attack on the capital city. At dawn one day, the Super-naturalists swarmed out of their hideout. Bakura's army was slaughtered and the city had risen to fight with the Super-naturalists.
It was then that Bakura released a powerful spell. The spell killed hundreds of thousands of fighters in an instant. Everyone, Super-naturalists and villagers alike, were forced to retreat once more.
Slowly, the resistance collapsed. Supernatural things were imprisoned or killed by the hundreds each day. Finally, a huge prison was built, and that's where our story truly begins.
11:46 pm, cell #118: Eight years later
Justina tested the wards on her cell walls again. They were getting weaker by the day. Soon, the guards would have to herd everyone outside. Perhaps then they'd all have a chance to escape. Nobody ever kept a watch outside. If there was a fight, so what? Who cared if one demon slaughtered another?
Quickly, Justina hopped onto one of her cellmate's shoulders. Since she was a lizard demon, and only a foot long with another foot of tail, she could sit on whomever she pleased. Most didn't care. Some, such as Kyo Sohma and Ryoga Hibiki, would not allow her on them. Stubborn mortals.
"Anything going on out there?" Naruto wanted to know. Justina leapt to the door to look out of the little barred space. The guard at the end of the hall was slumped in his chair, asleep.
"Nope," Justina yawned. "Same crap, different day."
Naruto ran a hand through his impossibly spiky, impossibly yellow hair. His dirty face held a bored expression.
"Man! Nothing's happened in days!" he complained. "Maybe later I'll go and visit Sasuke-kun. Not the best, but better than just sitting here."
"You'll just end up fighting again," Touya, the Ice Master, pointed out. 'It's obvious you can't talk to each other without starting a fight."
"At least it's entertaining," Justina yawned. "Can't argue with that."
"Good point," Touya agreed. He leaned back against the wall. "It makes for a good show."
"You're all barbaric," Sesshomaru growled from the corner.
"That's what happens when you've been here as long as us," Justina sighed. She hopped onto his shoulder. "You get so bored with nothing else to do but sit around and do nothing, you start looking for something –anything- to do. That's why everybody's always so eager to get outside. It's not boring!"
"Just how long has it been since you all lost your pride?" Sesshomaru demanded.
"It's not a pride-issue, Sesshomaru," Justina argued. "I've still got what's left of mine. Didn't have much to be proud of before I got here anyway."
"We're all just bored out of our minds," Naruto put in. "Maybe we've got a little less dignity with the way they treat us. Oh, well. When we've got a chance, we'll make every one of them wish they had given us royal treatment."
"Indeed," Touya added. "I'd like to take off a few heads for them trying to melt me."
"Is that possible?" Justina inquired, swishing her long black lizard's tail from side to side. Sesshomaru glared at her. Justina ignored him and continued to swish. Apparently, dog demon lords disliked lizard demons. After a few moments, Sesshomaru seized her by the tail and dropped her on her head. Immediately, Justina hopped onto Naruto's head.
"Yes, it is possible," Touya was saying. "I'm an ice demon! What do you think?"
"So when you melt, do you become a puddle of water?" Naruto asked.
"I don't know!" Touya exclaimed. "I've made it a point to never get melted."
Justina and Naruto laughed. At that moment, there was a very loud crash. A series of shrieks and growls followed. Naruto's mischievous green eyes turned in that direction. In one fluid bound, Justina was on the door.
"Hey! Get a load of this!" she laughed. "The guards are dragging a boy with white hair and dog ears down the hall! He just ripped a guy in half!"
In a flash, Naruto and Touya were looking through the bars in the door. Justina moved back onto Naruto's head.
"Hey! He's got dog-ears!" Naruto observed. Justina conked him on the head.
"I just said that, you idiot!" she growled in annoyance. She turned back to watch in fascination as the dog-eared boy ripped through guard after guard.
"Jackass! Put me down!" he yelled. "Claws of Blood!"
"That sounds like Inuyasha," Sesshomaru muttered.
"Your brother?" Justina inquired. "He does look like you. You've both got white hair."
"Do not compare me to him!" Sesshomaru snarled.
"Why not?" Justina yawned, swishing her tail again. "You're brothers. Big deal. He's a dog. You're a dog. Big difference."
"Heads up!" Touya warned. They all jumped back a moment before it opened. The guards heaved the struggling dog-boy inside. Light flared from the wards on the walls. Sesshomaru was nearly scorched.
"Dumb mutt!" one cried, nursing a missing arm.
"Who are you calling a mutt, dickhead?!" the dog-boy demanded. The guards shut the door.
"Welcome to prison," Naruto sighed. "Thanks for the little bit of entertainment. Who are you?"
"Hanyou! Where is the Tetsuseiga?" Sesshomaru demanded. The dog-boy only stared for a moment.
"A little one-track minded, there, Sesshomaru?" Justina mocked.
"How…when…WHAT THE HELL?! SESSHOMARU?!?!?!?!?!?!"
"The Tetsuseiga, Hanyou," Sesshomaru reminded.
"Yup. One-track mind," Justina confirmed.
"They took it from me!" the dog-boy growled. "And it's not like I just gave it to them! So stop giving me that haughty look!"
"Worthless hanyou," Sesshomaru mumbled.
"That was funny," Naruto told the hanyou. "You're Inuyasha, right? I'm Naruto."
"Who's everybody else?" Inuyasha wanted to know.
"Touya the Ice Master," Naruto explained, "And Justina the lizard."
"Nice to meet you," Justina yawned. She heard a rustling in the bushed just outside the window. "Time for me to make my rounds. Hiei's here." She hopped to the window. The shadowy figure that was Hiei stepped into the little bit of light.
"Hey, Hiei," Justina whispered. "How's life?"
"Fine," Hiei replied. He dropped a cloth sack in the dirt. "There's the mail. And a Hyuuga Hinata asked me to get this to her cousin. Do you know him?"
"Hyuuga Neji. Yeah, I know him," Justina answered, leafing through the letters. "He's the fatalistic, stoic one in cell #131."
Hiei handed Justina a small box. Justina shook it and heard something rolling around inside. She shrugged and stuffed it into the bag.
"So how's Botan?" she inquired. "Any better?"
"No, she is still sick," Hiei whispered. "She's worried. We can't find Yusuke. She would like you to look for him."
Justina studied the fire apparition. Her instinct told her what Hiei did not: Hiei was worried too.
"Sure, I'll look," Justina promised. "He's probably in here. Reckless idiot."
"I'll be back next week," Hiei promised. "I must go soon. They'll come around in a moment."
"Bye, Hiei," Justina chuckled. "I'd give you a hug, but I'm…yeah. You get it."
"Justina, who is that?" Hiei inquired, looking at Inuyasha strangely.
"That's Inuyasha," Justina explained. "Dog hanyou. Sesshomaru's little brother. Tore through half the guards on this floor! Really funny. You should have seen it! Even you would have laughed."
"A hanyou?" Hiei asked uninterestedly. "Worthless."
"You and Sesshomaru would get along very well," Justina informed him. "See you next week. Hey, next time you come, could you bring some sort of fruit, please? All I got to eat are insects, and the ones here are really skinny."
"Fine," Hiei muttered. "Good bye." He darted off. Hiei was one of the fastest apparitions around. It was no wonder the others chose him to be mail-runner. He was a former thief and could get in wherever he wanted.
"Mail time," Justina announced quietly. "Let's see…Naruto!" She began handing him envelopes. "From Iruka-sensei…Sakura…Hinata…Shikamaru…Konohamaru…Kiba and Akamaru, Shino…Kakashi-sensei…Gai-sensei…Choji…" She paused. "Good grief, Naruto! Just how many ninjas are in your buddy gang?!"
"Just give 'em here!" Naruto commanded. Justina threw him all his letters. She dug through the bag again.
"Here's for Touya from…who's Takiri? New girlfriend?" Touya snatched his letter from her hand. Naruto and Justina laughed.
"Nothing for Inuyasha," Justina mumbled to herself. "For Sesshomaru from Rin and Jakken, and nothing for Justina." She closed the bag. "Well, I'll be off. Later, everybody."
Quickly and silently, Justina went to the wall and shoved a single brick out of place. She slid her body through the hole and dragged the bag with her. As she closed the hole, she waved to a startled-looking Inuyasha.
As she entered cell #119, she was pounced on by a frantic Kagome.
"Is Inuyasha okay?" she cried. "He's not hurt, is he?"
"He's fine, Kagome," Justina sighed. "Here. Mail from your family. Souta' s developed a weird power too, you know. Just what the heck is with your family?"
"Can I see Inuyasha?" Kagome demanded, stuffing her letter in her pocket. "Please?"
"Fine by me," Justina yawned. "Just don't get caught. Go on."
Kagome pushed out more bricks until there was a hole she could fit through. Justina let her curiosity get the better of her. She stopped to watch the reunion.
"Inuyasha!" Kagome nearly screamed. She flung her arms around him, not noticing the strangled face he made. "I was so worried! Are you okay? You're not hurt? Is everyone else all right?"
"They're fine," Inuyasha cried, disengaging Kagome's arms. "Jeez! It's not like I went to the ends of the earth and back."
"I missed you, you stupid lug!" Kagome scolded. "I was worried about you! I have the right to do that, you know!"
"Well, I'm fine, okay?" Inuyasha growled. "Girls. They get so blubbery."
"I did miss you, Inuyasha," Kagome whispered, hugging him again. This time, she did it gently. "No matter what you say, I did miss you."
"Will you two shut up?" Naruto asked in an irritated tone. "If you have to make out, do it in another cell. Some of us are trying to read, here."
"What?!" Inuyasha cried. He shoved Kagome off of him. "It's not like that!"
"Sure it isn't," Naruto muttered sarcastically. He returned to his letters.
"Kagome, go back to your own cell!" Inuyasha ordered. Kagome's eyes turned angry. Inuyasha tried to stare her down, but wasn't prepared for what Kagome said.
"SIT!" Kagome commanded. Inuyasha collapsed in a whoosh and a thud. Everyone who saw it erupted in laughter. Naruto was rolling on the floor, breathless. Justina was practically immobile she was laughing so hard. Sesshomaru rolled his eyes and ignored them. Touya laughed, if not as hard as the others. Even Jonouchi, Ranma and Erutis in the adjoining cell were laughing.
"Kagome, that was great!" Justina complimented as Inuyasha picked himself up. "If you do that again, I want to be there to see it! I haven't laughed this hard in ages!"
Kagome stalked back to her own cell. The pride-hurt hanyou sat down against the wall and muttered something about stupid human females. Justina closed up the wall again and continued with her mail.
Just as she was about to enter cell #122, Justina had to duck because the guards were bringing in some new people. Everyone who had mail hid it immediately and Justina hid behind one of the large demons named George the blue Ogre.
There were a few new ones. George described them to Justina. One was the missing Yusuke. Another boy with spiky black hair held the hand of a red-headed girl. The last was a boy with brown hair wearing a red shirt. That one smelled like something canine.
The boy in the red shirt was thrown into cell #122. The red-head went to cell #104. Yusuke was stuck in cell #101. The other boy went to cell #130. As soon as the guards were gone, Justina continued into cell #122.
The occupants of cell #122 were an odd bunch. Now that they had acquired a new member, they all looked strange compared to him. Chou was a demon with an Australian accent. Most of the time, he was drunk, but always amusing. Ryoga Hibiki was an odd boy with no sense of direction at all. He was one of the few who minded Justina sitting on him. When splashed with cold water, he turned into a small black pig. Miroku was a young monk who supposedly had a weakness for pretty girls. Shippo was a young kitsune who was part of Miroku's party.
Justina jumped onto drunken Chou's shoulder.
"H'lo, Sheila," he hiccupped, using the Australian word for 'woman'. "An'ting new?"
"Mail time, Chou," Justina yawned. "For you from Rinku. For Miroku and Shippo from Sango…and strangely enough, Kikyo."
"What's she writing for?" Shippo squealed. "I thought she hated us."
"Maybe she's looking for Inuyasha," Miroku suggested. "That's probably it."
"From Ryoga from Akane," Justina continued. "And that's all I got for you. I'll be back in a week for your replies. Get busy!"
Carefully, she approached the new inmate. He looked frightened, and turned into a brown wolf in front of Justina's eyes.
"Nice trick," she commented. "I need your name and race. When the mail-runner comes for the new names, yours will be put on the list of those in prison. That way, your loved ones can write to you."
"I'm Toboe," the brown wolf whimpered. "I'm a wolf."
"You know, you shouldn't be scared of these people," Justina advised. "They're mostly harmless right now…unless you count Chou when he's mad and drunk at the same time. Doesn't happen often. He usually passes out before he gets that far. Nothing to worry about."
"I'm just scared," Toboe whispered. "I don't want my pack to get caught trying to get me out. They'll try…or at least Tsume will."
"Well, they're either brave or stupid to do that," Justina snapped. "Personally, I think it's the latter of the two. See you later." She headed for the next cell.
By the time she got all the way around to cell #101, Justina was tired. She had a little bit of mail left before she completed her circle of the prison. For the millionth time, she wished she wasn't the only one small enough to get through one brick without using much magic. But, her wish wasn't fulfilled, and the system was already set.
Cell #101 was where Yusuke and Vegeta were held. As soon as Justina moved the brick, she saw Yusuke was pacing. Vegeta, a very grumpy man, was watching him in annoyance. Justina knew she would have to do something about one or both of them.
"Hey, look!" she taunted. "Two idiots! Wow!"
"Who are you calling an idiot, Shorty?" Yusuke demanded.
"You, you idiotic dimwit!" Justina shot back. "Here, Vegeta. A letter for you from Bulma, and Trunks. Chichi sent a care-package, too. Actually, I think I mixed up yours with Goku's. Oh well. It's not like he knows the difference."
Vegeta said nothing as Justina tossed him the mail. Yusuke just stared at her.
"Who the heck are you?" he asked in a strange voice.
"I'm Justina, the resident mail-carrier," Justina replied, closing her bag. "Name and race, please. And hurry up with it, will ya? I gotta get back before dawn, and I've still got seventeen cells left!"
"Yusuke Urameshi," Yusuke supplied. "Human."
"Right," Justina sighed, jotting it down. "Maybe now Botan will stop freaking out. You know even Hiei is worried about you? In my book, that's a little much worrying. When Hiei starts to worry, things get serious."
"Hiei's worried? How is that possible?" Yusuke asked in disbelief.
"Good question," Justina drawled. "Maybe you can ask him next week. He's the mail-runner, but you probably already knew that." She turned to leave. "Don't kill each other, please. That won't do us any good. The resistance will need you both to get back up on its feet. You shouldn't be in here at all, Yusuke."
"It's not my fault I got caught!" Yusuke protested.
"Yes, it is," both Vegeta and Justina retorted before Justina exited through a brick-hole.
Around four o'clock a.m. Justina got back to her cell. She set the pad with the new names and the empty cloth sack outside the window under the bushes. Then, she crawled onto a sleeping Naruto's stomach and promptly fell asleep.