Freedom

Chapter1: Reality

I reject your reality and substitute my own

"No…"

"Everything dies…must you be so difficult?"

"Why do people die!"

His mother's arms wrapped around him but the little boy struggled. The arms tightened until her grip was painful.

"Let go!"

"Go…run…don't let them catch you…"

The boy strained against his mothers unnaturally strong grip, gasping for air as she continued to squeeze it out of him.

"He didn't run…look what will happen to him…you're smarter than he is…aren't you son?"

"Let go!"

"Never…ever…stop…"

"LET GO!"

The boy managed to rip himself from his mothers grip as it slackened and he ran from her, leaving her far behind him. Slowly the pressing darkness peeled back and the boy recognized the area around his village. There was no one in sight but that didn't discourage him. The world around him felt surreal and disconnected. He couldn't feel the sun that was shining down on him, nor could he feel the packed earth he knew was there. What was real…him or reality?

His breaths came out in short pants as he peered around what appeared to be his village. The faces of the villagers didn't change. They watched him impassively as he ran by them and the sky darkened.

The boy quickly found himself out of the village and past the statue like people who lived there. He found what he had been searching for in the middle of a small meadow just past the rice fields. The man he called father. The clouds continued to roll past the sun, creating creeping shadows on the ground. The men that had appeared out of nowhere to capture his father continued to bind him to two long, perpendicularly connected poles. They ignored the boy as his eyes connected to those of his father's; then the boy found his voice.

"No! Don't, he didn't do anything!"

As one the shadows descended upon him and through the haze of pain and horror he heard his father's voice. Rough and disturbingly soft, it bid him to listen.

"Run…don't let them catch you…"

The clouds were suddenly gone and Inuyasha could see his fathers figure in the distance. Blood ran down from the wounds in his hands and feet and his head remained bowed.

He wasn't moving…

"Never stop running…don't let them catch you…"

Inuyasha bit back another scream as indescribable pain ravaged him again, seemingly coming from no where. Slowly the shadows pulled the boy away from his father's beaten form but he could still make out his father's voice as if he were speaking right next to him.

"Never…ever…stop…"

Everything was enveloped in darkness and somewhere the boy could swear he heard his mother screaming…

Inuyasha jerked awake and looked around wildly, still in the clutches of the nightmare. He quieted his frantic breathing and willed the memory away. His heart continued to pound in his ears and he closed his eyes against the images. Phantom pain continued to haunt his limbs long after the erratic beating of his heart had calmed. For a long while Inuyasha sat there silently, in the little corner of the filthy slave-hut that was his home. And as he sat there dawn approached.

"Get up slaves! Time to work!"

Inuyasha narrowed his eyes against the sudden invasion of sunlight as the thin cloth that served as a door was pushed aside and the unfortunate slaves that were closet to the hut opening got hit with a generous amount of cold water. There was a mad shuffle to get away from the door and Inuyasha, from where he was in one of the back corners, suddenly found himself on a pile of at least three people. He grunted and tried to squish himself as close to the ground as possible. It wasn't working.

"…Inuyasha, what's going on?" He heard somewhere from his left. He really wanted to answer but someone else had just joined the growing pile on top of him and the only noise he could make was a whine.

After a few minutes the dosage of water stopped and everyone was ordered out of the hut. Inuyasha took a great gagging breath as his lungs were freed and peered around for the person who had addressed him before. The man was struggling to his feet, his short hair hanging down to his shoulders as his chest heaved.

"Well that was a wake up call," he managed to choke out looking up at Inuyasha with piercing, intelligent violet eyes.

Inuyasha chuckled as he attempted to catch his own breath, his own amber-gold eyes shining in amusement. "Wonderful…can I get a hand here? I took the blunt of it this time."

Inuyasha's companion reached down and helped tug him to his feet when the amount of space they had allowed it. Miroku was still smiling, even though he still sported the bruise he had received two days ago for not walking fast enough. It was fading and would be gone by tomorrow.

"It seems we're off to work."

"Seems so…" Inuyasha answered shortly, waiting until the small hut emptied enough to allow him outside.

It didn't take long and Inuyasha took a deep breath of fresh air.

"Trying to clear out your nose?"

Inuyasha wrinkled said appendage and glowered at Miroku. "If it was your nose you'd want to clear it too."

Miroku merely nodded and grunted softly as a shovel was pushed into his hands. The youkai sneered at Inuyasha as he stepped up to receive his tool.

"Well look who it is? How are your ribs today half-breed?"

Inuyasha's eyes narrowed. "Healed,"

"Lucky you…Opps, sorry about that…" the youkai dropped Inuyasha's shovel on the ground near his feet and sneered again. "Pick it up and get to work."

Inuyasha face blanked and he reached down to pick up the fallen shovel. The youkai took the opportunity to grind his heel into Inuyasha hand for a few moments before he barked at him to stop playing in the dirt and get out of the way. Miroku grabbed Inuyasha's arm before he could swing the shovel at the youkai's bloated head.

"I swear one day I'm going to kill all of them."

"Yes well, let's try to survive until then. Goshinki has the authority to have you killed and I'm sure he'd be happy to do it."

A low growl vibrated in Inuyasha's chest but he allowed Miroku to drag him across the small field where the slave huts stood and into the tunnel- like ravine were the quarry was. Miroku positioned Inuyasha in front of one of the stones before starting to chip at one himself.

"If you don't want to die…today…I would advise you to start working."

Inuyasha grunted and swung the shovel with much more force necessary, creating a loud bang that echoed through the quarry.

"Is your temper a demon trait or do you just like being angry?" Miroku asked as he too swung his shovel, chipping off a large piece of rock.

Inuyasha's face twisted and he didn't answer for a few moments. "Is being a wise ass a holy trait or do you just like being annoying."

Miroku smiled and swung his shovel again, making a noise that could rival Inuyasha's in intensity. "I'm not exactly holy…"

"And I'm not exactly a demon…" Inuyasha swung his shovel again.

"So you like being angry?" Bang

"Sounds right," Bang

"And I…" Bang "Like being annoying?" Bang

"Yep…" Bang

"Well I see you're angry today hanyou."

Inuyasha didn't pause. He continued to swing his shovel again and again even as he heard Goshinki uncoiling his whip. "We should make you angry more often. You get more work done this way."

The two slaves only paused long enough to wince as the whip slashed across both their backs at the same time. Miroku took a deep breath before continuing to swing his shovel, Inuyasha copying him a second later.

"You're not working hard enough! Move faster!"

The two of them didn't even pause this time but continued to chip at the rock, ignoring the fact that all the other slaves had stopped working to watch the two of this get beaten. Thankfully Goshinki stopped before he drew blood this time; he then turned to the other slaves.

"Why aren't you working!"

As soon as the youkai slave driver was out of ear shot Inuyasha let out a loud snarl.

"Fucking bastard…we didn't even do anything this time."

Miroku paused just long enough to stretch and roll his shoulders with a grimace. "We hardly ever do. You being half-youkai and me coming from a line of monks is enough."

With that Miroku picked up his shovel and resumed swinging it at the rock with much more force than before. Bang…

"So what were we yapping about?"

"I honestly don't remember…"

"Then Shippo shouted 'Kitsune-bi!' and the whole tree caught on fire! His mother got angry at him though and he had to go inside. I don't think he'll be able to play for awhile. But still isn't that amazing!"

"Riveting…"

Souta stopped hoeing the field to pin a frown on his sister. She continued to hoe her row and ignored him.

"You want to know what happened next?"

Kagome gave a vague nod of her head without even looking up. Souta's frown deepened and he continued to hoe his row, catching up to Kagome. "That weirdo Houjo, you know the one that liked you before his family moved, he came back and asked mom for permission to marry you."

Kagome nodded again before she paused. "Wait…what?"

Souta nodded and moved past his sister, trying not to laugh. "Yep, you have to go live with him now."

Kagome frowned and stared at her younger brother's back for a few seconds before she picked up a wad of dirt and chucked it at his head. "Brat, you shouldn't say things like that."

Souta shook dirt out of his hair before throwing some back at her. "I was trying to tell you something important but you weren't listening!"

Kagome dodged the tightly packed ball of mud that came flying at her and put on her most disappointed face. "You're not supposed to be throwing things Souta."

The boy paused and stared at Kagome like she'd grown another head. "What are you talking about? You…"

Kagome cut him off by clucking her tongue in mock shame. "I'm a girl too. Boys are supposed to respect girls."

Souta's mouth opened in shock as Kagome dropped her hoe and walked past him, still shaking her head.

"Wait a minute! Where are you going!"

Kagome paused to look back at her brother. "Going? I'm going to tell mama that you are a disrespectful, naughty child."

Souta's eyes widened in panic and he grabbed Kagome's hand, holding her back. "Wait no…I'll hoe the rest of the field by myself if you don't."

Kagome examined Souta's face carefully while in her mind she was chanting 'Idiot! Idiot! Score! Score!'. In the end she sighed and pulled her hand from his, shaking her head.

"Okay, but only if no one else finds out about this."

Souta gave a vigorous nod and began to finish the row Kagome had been hoeing. The young woman watched her brother for a few moments to see if he would get wise. When it became apparent that Souta truly was an idiot she stepped off of her family's small field of land and began to walk to the small house that they shared. Inside her mother was mending one of Souta's torn shirts. As soon as her daughter stepped inside she beckoned her over.

"Do you know what I heard today?"

Kagome sat down next to her mother and reached into the basket of clothes that needed to be repaired. She took out one of her torn skirts and settled herself down to mend it before shaking her head no.

"You remember Houjo don't you?"

Kagome's face twisted as she remembered what her little brother had said to her not minutes before that. She sighed before giving a little nod.

"It turns out that the village that his family moved to was searched through for slaves. He was chosen and sold into slavery."

Kagome paused and an odd look of anger, sadness and regret flashed across her face. "What about his mother, father and little sister?"

"His sister and father were taken with him but they left his mother. She's always had that bad limp."

Kagome sniffed but continued working, her eyes not moving from the article of clothing in her hands. "How did you find out?"

"His mother came back here. She couldn't survive in that village by herself." Kagome's mother sighed and put down Souta's shirt. "Sometimes I take this place for granted. No state official has been seen anywhere near this village since the rebellion, at least that's what your grandfather told me."

"He remembers the rebellion? How old is he?"

"Kagome! That's no way to talk about your elders!" her mother chided gently but firmly.

Kagome nodded and the small hut was quiet for the next hour or two as Kagome and her mother worked through the basket of ripped torn and, sometimes in Souta's case, shredded clothes. They finished a little before the sun started to set and the two women got to their feet and stretched.

"Kagome, will you go get some water? I need to start dinner soon."

Kagome nodded and grabbed the bucket near the door before pushing aside the reed opening and walking outside. The day had been a cool one and a refreshing breeze blew through the village as the sun began to dip into the horizon. A few people were doing the same thing she and her mother had been doing but had moved outside to enjoy the nice weather. She greeted a few people as she walked by and giggled with a few children as they showed her that they had found a small lizard on the edge of the village. She was just about to walk across the field and enter the small wood where the well rested when she heard someone call her name.

"Kagome, wait for me!"

She turned and saw another girl from her village running down the hill. She squinted against the sun and her face brightened when she recognized who it was.

"Sango!"

"Hello Kagome,"

Kagome embraced the other girl when she was close enough and if possible her smile grew even larger. "I didn't know you had come back yet. I thought you were going to be gone until the next spring harvest."

Sango smiled and shook her head. "Father decided that we had been away from home long enough."

Kagome squealed and hugged Sango again. "I've missed you so much! How'd trading go?"

Sango began walking into the trees and for the first time Kagome noticed that the older girl was carrying a bucket much like her own. She looked thoughtful for a moment before answering. "It went okay. We brought Houjo's mother back with us. Her whole family was sold."

Kagome gave a short nod as the two girls reached the well. "I know, mama just told me. It's so sad."

Sango sighed as she lowered her bucket. "I'm a little worried," at Kagome's confused look she continued, her voice subdued, "that village is a lot like ours. We have it good here but…but what if the state decides that our village isn't worth overlooking?"

Kagome's expression darkened for a moment. The clearing was silent as both she and Sango filled their buckets to the brim and began to follow the trail back to the village.

"I hope that doesn't happen." Kagome murmured, her eyes resting on her feet. "I know it might but…I just hope it doesn't."

Sango's eyes saddened as she realized that she had upset Kagome a little bit and she opened her mouth to reassure her but the sound of hove beats on the worn trail drew her attention. Both girls paused and turned slightly, looking out of the corners of their eyes down the trail.

A number of specks were moving closer to them, kicking up dust behind them. They were tightly grouped together; the trail was only wide enough for two horses to stand side-by-side. The thick wood flanking it on either side was difficult to maneuver though.

"Kagome…"

The younger girl's eyes were trained on the specks down the trail that were quickly turning into the figures of men.

"Kagome…"

They were now close enough that Kagome could make out the horses' riders, wearing the uniform of the state.

"Kagome!" She looked at Sango. The older girl's eyes were wide, her face suddenly pale. "RUN!"

They ran.

They dropped their buckets and jumped off the trail. They ducked under trees and jumped over ditches. They ran until their legs ached, until their lungs burned. They cleared the wood and began to make their way up the across the field. All they had to do was make it across there, then climb the hill on the other side. The safety of their village rested there.

Half-way across the field the girls' breaths became pants and their previously sure footfalls had become a staggered limb. It was then that the horses overcame them. One rider veered his steed in their path cutting them off as the other five formed a circle around them, trapping them.

"Well look at this." one sneered as he dismounted, walking closer.

Neither Kagome nor Sango moved. They were still sucking in gulps of air, their bangs slick with sweat from their sprint but their eyes were sharp as they stared down the men. As far as the two girls could tell, all five of them were youkai. That was a problem. If the men had been ningen the two girls could have had a chance of fighting them off and running to safety. They couldn't outrun youkai. There was no chance off escape.

The youkai who had stepped to the ground first watched their prey's eyes as they came to this realization and smirked.

"Are all the girls in that tiny village this pretty?" the man reached out to touch Kagome's face but she sidestepped, her nostrils flaring.

The men on the horses snickered and one of them called out. "Hey boss, we should take 'em with us."

The youkai known as 'boss' frowned, "I don't know. Girls this good can't be fresh. I bet they've been around."

Another youkai snorted from his horse. "So…we should get a nice price for them at Kitanai anyway."

Upon hearing that both girls started and Kagome tried to twist away from the youkai. "Let go of me! I won't let you take me there!"

The youkai's hand moved from her chin to her throat cutting off her screams. "You'll go anywhere I want you to."

Kagome clawed at his fingers as her eyes blurred. She would remember his face. She would remember him.

As Kagome's eyes darkened from lack of air she heard the youkai laughing and the sounds of Sango struggling stop. She barely heard the other girl's scream as her world plunged into darkness.

AN: Revised and reposted. Watch this space.