AN: Sorry it took me so long to update, but I hope you like this chapter! : )
Ch. 2
Misao had finally found the exit from the dingy and dark tunnel, and as she opened the concealed door, two hands shot out, pulling her to their body tightly and covering her mouth as she went to scream.
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As Gohei continued dragging Kaoru through the forest towards their camp, she stared aimlessly at the scenery. She did however notice the hungry stares the men were giving her the entire way, as if she were a scrap of meat to a pack of hungry wolves. But she could only ignore them, sending a few glares every once in a while. She had stopped sobbing an hour ago, as she had no more tears to cry. She had accepted her fate and didn't even care if she lived or died. It would make no difference to her; she had nothing left to live for.
Kaoru was pulled from her reverie when Gohei stopped abruptly. Looking around she realized that they were at their camp. She could still see the castle behind her and couldn't believe how close the band had been the entire time without anyone noticing.
'We sure need to hire some new lookouts,' she thought, but then grimly remembered that that would not be necessary, seeing as her kingdom was no more.
"Tonight we celebrate our victory in taking down the Kamiya kingdom!" Gohei shouted to his men who reacted with loud cheers. "Tonight, we feast."
"And drink!" someone hollered from the crowd, which was followed by even louder cheers than before.
"Of course we drink!" Gohei laughed as the men scattered to prepare for the coming feast.
'Maybe he'll just forget about me' Kaoru hoped, but her wishful thinking abruptly ended when he turned to her with a sly look on his face.
"And you're gonna cook our dinner," he told Kaoru as he grabbed her arm and pulled her towards their makeshift kitchen.
"Are you kidding me? I can't cook!"
"Of course you can, you're a woman! And if you refuse to serve my men, then you'll have to serve me privately later, if you know what I mean," he said as he stroked her cheek.
"Uh, cooking's fine." Kaoru answered in a hurry as Gohei started to walk away, leaving her guarded by two huge ugly men.
Kaoru gazed uneasily at the men as she prepared to cook.
'Well, he can't say I didn't warn him.'
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Misao ceased her struggle when she heard her capture whisper her name in her ear. She recognized that voice. It had to be her beloved......
"Aoooooshiiiiiiii!!!" She squealed when he released his hold on her. Misao flipped around to give her longtime love a hug and quick kiss. She then relayed the entire story to the king's head guard, as he had been out on a mission during the attacks, not missing the look of horror that broke through his usually stoic expression.
"Do you know what happened to Kaoru and the princes after you escaped?" he asked.
"I only know that they never came down the tunnel after me," she replied gravely.
"Then lets go see for ourselves. I am almost certain the castle is empty and the enemy has moved on," he said, his usual calm expression back in place. With a nod as her answer, the two headed back into the ruins of the castle, hoping to find any sign of their royal friends.
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Kaoru was weaving in and out of rows of drunken men with a pot of stew. Not only did she have to cook for these monsters, but she had to serve them as well. Almost every one of them made lewd comments and tried to grab her as she passed, but she could only ignore it and move out of the way of their roaming hands. They were apparently too drunk to even notice that not only was her cooking horrible, but that she had added several ingredients not required in the recipe, for some kind of payback.
She did notice however, that Gohei was not drinking much, probably to make sure someone was sober enough to make sure she didn't escape. When she got to his bowl, as she served him, a huge, hairy hand shot out and caught her wrist. He then pulled her into his lap, the pot falling to the floor and its contents spilling onto the ground. The more Kaoru struggled, the tighter Gohei's grip became, until she could barely move at all. This created enough of a scene to get the whole camps attention, which resulted in an uproar of comments and calls and eventually laughter.
Kaoru was angry. Correction, she was livid. Not only did this man destroy her family and home, but now he was humiliating her in front of his men.
"You're despicable," she spit out between clenched teeth. "You're a vile, horrendous, criminal who is not even worthy to serve me, much less touch me you...."
The slap resounded throughout the area as the men grew quiet, knowing even in their drunken stupor that things were gonna get ugly, probably not in the girl's favor. Kaoru was sprawled upon the ground, nursing her red cheek, and as she slowly pushed herself up, she was shaking from both pain and anger. Her eyes flashed several emotions at once as she glared at Gohei, who was looking rather smug for having just beat up on a girl.
"What did I say about respecting me earlier!" Gohei yelled at Kaoru. "You belong to me now, and you will do as I say! In fact, I think I need to show you you're place around here!" He then roughly pulled Kaoru up from her position on the ground, and started dragging her towards his tent.
As soon as the flap to his tent closed, Gohei pushed Kaoru onto his futon. He then positioned himself on top of her so that his weight was holding her down. By now Kaoru knew what he was planning to do and begin to thrash around in an attempt to get free. As Gohei started kissing and sucking on her neck, she did the only thing she could do: she screamed.
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The lone wanderer returned his gaze to the road ahead, and was surprised to find that smoke filled the entire sky. He quickened his pace, once he realized the source of all of the smoke, and was determined to help out in any way he could. He ran through the city gates and froze. Bodies and blood littered the street, as the fire finished off what used to be homes and businesses.
'This wasn't just an attack. It was a slaughter.' His eyes were swirling with anger and sadness, as he realized that no one had been spared. He continued on down the path, looking for any sign of life, but was at the base of what used to be the castle, when he sensed a large group of kis in the forest to his left. Anger flowed through him as he realized that these were the men responsible for the death of innocents. A scream pierced through the silence.
'They took a prisoner.' And with that thought, he used his god-like speed to follow the group of murderous beasts.
Thanks to everyone who reviewed, especially to SonJanusX for the helpful info!
