A/N: Today I am uploading this, and AGBG chapter one as my tribute to Monty Oum, the creator of RWBY. Lots of creating will be going on today as RT asks that people celebrate his life by being as creative as possible. I'm working on my RWBY Rock Cinder Fall for MCM London, and writing will be slowed substantially as I prepare for my first trip abroad. Thank you to all of my fans and readers for always taking a gander at my stuff.
WARNING: Contains violence, language, slavery, slave abuse, and peril. Reader discretion is advised.
With love,
Korrupted
DISCLAIMER: I do NOT own Sailor Moon, nor the characters. I am but merely a fan.
"Any slave who shall write for any other slave, any pass or free-paper, upon conviction, shall receive, on his or her back, one hundred lashes for the first offence, and seven hundred lashes for every offence thereafter."
- Alabama Slave Codes, 1833, section 33
The first few hours the duo traveled in amiable silence, both women taking in the scenery with a smile. However, when they broke for a quick meal, Minako finally spoke as she used her boot knife to cut a chunk of dried and salted meat to lay on the bread Ari had sent. "Makoto? I want to learn more about you, but I don't want to pressure you. So, I've been thinking up a game."
She gained an arched eyebrow, which prompted her to continue talking. "So, you and I take turns asking each other questions. You can opt to pass on answering as many as you want, but I have to answer all your questions."
Makoto swallowed her mouthful of meat and bread, frowning slightly. "That doesn't seem fair."
Minako held up a finger. "But I get to ask any question you decline again at a later time. So, what do you say?"
Emerald hues narrowed marginally, a nod being given after a slight shrug. "Alright. Sounds like a plan. You wanna start?"
A wide grin played across the whip wielder's lips. Finally, she was getting somewhere with her stubborn and irritable charge! "Alright. What's your favorite color?"
A gentle laugh. "Good! Something easy. Pink is my favorite color."
Minako blinked. "Really? I would have thought it was green."
The slave shrugged gesturing for the knife that was passed to her to cut another bit of meat with. "Oh, I love green too. Pink is just the one I love most of all." She waved the slice of food about as she thought. "How long have you been the owner of the brothel?"
"Hmmmm... Let's see." Tapping her lower lip, the blonde mentally counted. "Eight years? Give or take a few months."
Makoto stared at her in curious shock. "Eight years, huh? That's a long time."
"Yeah, it is. Oh! What's your favorite food?"
A frown as the shackled woman thought. "I think I like that meat loaf thing Ari makes. It reminds me of the Al'uri we had back in my village during gatherings." A smile coaxed onto her features, as if recalling a distant memory. "Maitym made one with a paste from big tomatoes and herbs slathered on top. It was always so good. I mean, Ari does a great job, but nothing could beat my maitym's." Green hues looked at her master curiously. "And what's your favorite food?"
The business woman grinned as they both began wrapping their foods again in cloth to return to their journey, glad for the unseasonable warmth that saved them from having to don their cloaks just yet. "Curry. I just love curry. Spicy curry, sweet curry, any kind." She replaced her boot knife after cleaning it, deciding to try for a more direct question. "How did you become a slave?"
"Pass."
The tone had been sharp for that single word, the entire powerful frame hidden under the green and brown tunic tense, a sense of anger and resentment radiating off of her though she halted her actions of checking her stirrups. Minako felt as if she was looking at the back of the newly shackled slave all over again, met with a cold hostility that she had no idea how to overcome. The blonde quietly watched her companion, gauging her to see if the wall that had been swiftly thrown into place would come back down or stay up. Finally the tension eased ever so slightly, and the auburn woman muttered darkly, "Pick a different question." Before mounting her horse.
Obediently, the smaller woman did. "How long have you been in Landenholt?"
"I think almost two? Yeah, about that." She looked back to ensure that her owner was also atop her steed, turning to lead the way once more. "Toddrick purchased me just outside of the kingdom, and I went back with him. I guess he thought I could be his whore, no offense to the girls, and when it was clear I would rather beat him to death with his own torn off limbs, he started to frequent the brothels."
"You said... He raped you once. Back when we first met." Minako cautiously prodded, leaning to the side slightly as she let the concern fill her voice. "Did he hurt you terribly?"
Makoto halted her horse, giving her master ample time to catch up to her. Blue eyes watched sun-kissed hands wipe at her eyes roughly, clearly debating if she would answer the question or not while fighting back tears. It hadn't been her turn, after all. "He drugged me. I couldn't move as well as I normally do, I couldn't fight back."
The stubborn woman was both angry and hurt, though she was more freely showing what hate she still felt for her old master. "I wanted to break his arms, his legs, anything. Yes, it hurt. It hurt my body and my pride. Do you have any idea what it feels like? To be just... there and used like a rag?"
"Yes, I do." Minako stated, looking at the distant trees. "Before I ran the Crystal Palace, I was just a worker there. Before that, I was working the streets."
There was a teary but confused look of shock from her charge, Minako laughing gently. "Don't look at me like that. I didn't pop out of the womb a Madam." Her gaze went back to the distance, her horse sensing her unease and fidgeting. "The streets are dangerous for young whores, and I found protection with some unsavory fellows. While they kept attackers away, there was a price to pay. I had to pay it with my body."
"How long did it go on?"
The question was rough, full of sadness and an edge of suppressed rage. "About three years." Minako's jaw clenched, her hands gripping the reins harder. "Three years of that hell to escape an even worse one. It was the lesser of two evils. But, then Madam Dalila Hartford found me and offered me a place at her brothel. And, I went." A broad smile swept onto her face, masking the pain that had been there moments before. "And the rest is history!"
"I'm... sorry. I didn't know." The slave muttered sadly, her expression sincere.
"We all have our pasts, Makoto. What happened to me doesn't define my whole being. Yes, it was terrible. Yes, I hated it. But without that part of my past, I never would have been offered a place with Madam Hartford. And then I wouldn't have been left the brothel, nor met you." She smiled kindly at the stunned brunette. "Everything happens for a reason, I suppose. The good, and bad. I'm not saying that rape, or anything like that is acceptable, because it's not. But our pasts, everything we have been through, it molds us into who we are now. For better or worse."
A quiet nod from the taller woman as they once again started moving along the terrain, the silence between them broken by another question from the blonde. "What weapons do you know how to use?"
"Short sword, daggers, long sword, buckler, mourning star, mace, axe, battle axe, lumber axe, katana, wakazashi, tanto, kuma, and most staff weapons." Were the rattled off things. "Where did you learn to use a whip?"
Minako blinked rapidly at the wide array of items, shocked that the slave was verse in such a number. "I uhhh... I was taught by Setsuna when I first joined the Palace. Most of the girls know how to use at least one weapon in case of an emergency."
"I can't imagine Serenity using a weapon."
The blonde laughed loudly. "That's because she can't! No balance, bad aim, horrible stance, clumsy as anything! She, Ami, and a few others aren't trained. But, Ami can -in theory- poison people with her training."
Makoto tilted her head as she tried to imagine the small healer poisoning someone, but the only ending to all of those images was the young woman furiously apologizing and trying to save them. The thought made her chuckle slightly, guiding her horse down the small hillside while the air between them softened slowly, the wall being removed once more one brick at a time. It was easier now for her to talk, less likely to spark directly to anger instead of mere irritation.
Minako could remember a time where the slave refused to even thin down the wall between them, only strengthen it to distance them further. Truly, it was a blessing that such a time had passed. "So, what were you before you were enslaved?"
"Pass." Was the terse reply.
The blonde licked her lips and tried again. "What would you like to do when you're free?"
Makoto glanced back at the fact that she had used 'when' and not 'if'. It meant that her master would do her best to see her freed in her lifetime. "I dunno. Baker, or florist? Maybe a guard if I really have to?"
Blue eyes were mildly amused. "Baker, huh? I think you would do well."
The auburn haired woman turned in her saddle. "How old are you?"
"Twenty six. I'll be twenty seven on the twenty third of October." Without missing a beat, she countered with, "When's your birthday, and how old will you be?"
Makoto blinked sadly several times, turning back around as she guided her horse into the forest. For a good several moments, the young businesswoman was certain that she would be met with a harsh 'pass'. Until her charge spoke in a soft, lost voice, the words breaking Minako's heart for her. "I... I don't know. I don't know either. Much was lost during my first three or so years of slavery. I lost track of days, months, even time. I think I may be about twenty eight. Perhaps younger. But... I can't say for sure."
Something so simple as a day of birth and age had been taken away from Makoto, the fact that it probably hadn't even been intentional doing nothing to make it less horrible. However the fire in emerald sparked back to life, the auburn haired female grinning. "But, I can find out roughly what time of year I was born when we get to my village. If not almost exactly what day."
Minako found herself smiling at the soft joy in the slave's words, at the ability she had to reclaim a part of her that had been lost. It was such a mystery how life had managed to not break this woman; no matter the trial, it was as if she was a storm that refused to die. A tempest that brewed stronger the more you tried to quell it.
They rode on until the sun began to set, making camp in a small glade to rest. In the morning, Minako found herself shaken awake by her charge, a wine skin of water pushed at her. In grumpy quiet, the duo ate, cleaned up, and then went back on the trail, entering the forest about midday. "So," Makoto's voice broke the amiable silence between them. "Ever fallen for any of your patrons before?"
The blonde whip wielder sputtered, her face a brilliant red at the very personal question. "W-well..." She knew she had to answer it. "Yes. Twice."
Before the shackled woman could ask more, she fired off a question of her own. "Any siblings?"
Emerald hues blinked, brown eyebrows furrowing in thought, as if she was struggling to recall the answer. "Yeah. An older brother. Son... Sai... Sanjay!" She snapped her fingers as she successfully said the name. "He died on a hunt when I was very young. I remember he had bright green eyes and very dark hair. His skin was a bit darker than mine since he was outside a lot more than I was back then." She laughed loudly. "I bet I'd be darker than him now, if he was still alive!" Grinning at her master, she inquired, "Who were the two you fell for?"
The businesswoman squirmed uncomfortably. "One... Well, you know him. Gareth Heltz, the Magistrate."
Makoto's jaw dropped. "But he's... Thirty nine!"
"I know, I know! He was one of my patrons when I was a worker. And we were very close." She covered her face with her hands until composure was regained. "The other was... Baroness Sirrah Rawlings."
The slave almost fell from her horse in shock. "No way! You... You're..!"
Ocean orbs narrowed. "Yes. I like both genders. I prefer women, too. Is that an issue?" She half-snapped, her face impossibly red.
"Pffft." The auburn haired woman chortled. "Nah. Just thought you were straight like Sets, Luna, Ari, Liz, Serenity, and Rei is all." She shrugged kindly. "What do I care who my master takes to her bed?"
"Oh, for Heildar's sake... You know I hate you calling me that." The smaller woman protested.
"Ah, but how else will I ruffle your feathers, Mistress Blondie?" Was the good natured jab.
"Well, have you ever fallen in love with someone?"
Makoto grinned back widely. "Not at all. No time, and less desire. I had a busy life before slavery, and it's illegal for me to pursue a relationship with a free person now."
Once again, Minako found herself curious about what her charge had done before she had been enslaved, but by now she knew better than to ask. The questions continued for the next few hours, the women stopping for the night in a clearing as the last rays of light went down. Makoto took up gathering wood while Minako pitched the tents, both making playful banter the whole time. Once more, they dozed peacefully and restarted their journey in the early hours. The air was growing colder as they traveled, and by the fifth day, they had developed a routine between them; Makoto would hunt in the morning while Minako slept, cook, then wake her master for a breakfast meal in silence or with only a few groggy words exchanged between them. The two of them would break down camp before packing up and mounting the horses once more. Bedding down saw Makoto collecting wood and hunting while Minako set up the tents, cook, and then call her master over to eat while talking about nothing in particular.
The air between them had eased greatly, the hostility that the green eyed warrior once radiated was gone aside from the few moments where she would cast up a wall when asked a question she didn't want to answer. "Are you loyal to a kingdom?" Minako questioned on their sixth day, tugging her cloak a bit tighter as the sun continued to sink lower. The cool weather was only getting cooler, and they were only starting on the first mountain.
"Actually, I was." The woman replied calmly. "Your king is the second one. I was loyal to this kingdom long ago."
"What do you mean 'this kingdom'? Aren't we in Newark?"
Makoto glanced at her companion curiously. "No. Remember that large rock that was carved we passed in that glen a day back?" The smaller female nodded. "That marked the boundary. We've been in Furaji for a while now."
"So, you're from a different kingdom altogether?" Minako was amazed.
"That's right. My village actually is so isolated though, that we never really belonged to a kingdom per-say. We just... Lived by ourselves. See, I'm a Kishu."
A Kishu. A mountain dweller. Minako vaguely remembered hearing of the old people through her years as a prostitute. It seemed that Kishu were an incredibly rare, yet hardy people, but for the life of her, she couldn't recall why they were such a small race of people. She had heard the more derogatory name for Makoto's people from the less savory bounty hunters too; Mountain Rats. They preferred to keep to their homes and live amongst their own kind, but it made others dislike their non-loyalty. And if they couldn't sway a village, a ruler usually then tried to kill them. Perhaps Makoto's home had sided with the king here to survive.
"I've never even met a Kishu before..." She breathed in awe. "So, you speak-"
"English and Katu, yeah. I also speak Raji." Makoto stretched atop her horse lazily. "You speak any languages aside from English?"
"Rei taught me some Japanese, and I know a little Raji." The blue eyed woman smirked. "But maybe you can help me with my Raji. I mean, we are in their kingdom after all."
The brunette half bowed in her saddle, grinning back playfully. "I'm here to serve, O great Master Minako."
Minako scooped up some wild berries from a branch and hurled it at her charge, causing the tan skinned woman to laugh happily. She couldn't get over just how pretty the sound was, nor how at times Makoto turned laughter into a full-body sport when she found something particularly hysterical. They found a location to camp, and they started about their routine, only this time Makoto helped pitch the tents and ensure the fire was roaring before lifting her make-shift spear for hunting. She had used her sword to turn one end of a long branch into a sharp point, and had proved to be highly adept with it. Just as she was getting ready to tell her master she was off, a soft hiss caught her attention from off towards the blonde.
Slowly, cautiously, Makoto eased her way closer to her master, the warm firelight casting an orange-yellow glow on her golden restraints. Her eyes widened as they spotted the creature responsible for the noise, speaking in a very neutral tone, keeping as still as possible. "Minako. Stop moving."
The blonde turned to face her charge, blue orbs turning down to see the rat viper bunched up only a scant seven inches from her feet. Her heart began hammering wildly, her body trembling slightly in fear. She wasn't afraid of snakes, just of being bitten by a poisonous one like this as any sane person would. "M-makoto..." She breathed, trying to keep as still as possible.
The brunette was glancing around, spotting a good sized flat rock before moving at a snails pace to pick it up. The viper turned to face her as her master froze, the hissing louder as it bared it's fangs at them. She didn't stop moving, the snake coiling in preparation to strike as she tensed in preparation to move quickly to kill it. It reared back, and the smaller woman couldn't help reaching out towards her slave in fear for her. "Makoto! Don't!" She pleaded in a shout.
The snake instantly turned and lunged at the whip wielder, the woman stumbling back in her haste to evade only to cry out at the sharp pain in her right leg. "Heildar damn it all!" Her charge shouted, lunging to grab the creature before it could bite her master again.
Minako was staring at her leg in horror, only vaguely aware of the hissing and struggles that lasted only another minute before a dull thud of a rock smashing bone was heard. She had been bitten! A rat viper had bitten her! Panic was setting in as Makoto rushed over, green eyes full of concern. "The bite, where is it?" She demanded.
A shaking hand pointed at the slightly torn fabric on her right calf just above where her boot ended, and the slave began to yank the cloth up as quickly as possible. She took charge of the boot knife and cut two large pieces of cloth from her cloak, tying the first piece tightly above the blonde's knee before wadding the second up and holding it in front of Minako's mouth. "Open." She commanded, placing it between her teeth when the blonde obeyed. "Bite down."
When her master had the cloth firmly held between her teeth, she lift the blade once more and made two 'x' shaped cuts on the punctures, then set the blade aside before pressing her lips to the cuts. She began to suck as hard as she could to try to draw the venom out, the muffled cries of pain from her companion filling her ears. After spitting out the bitter, tainted blood on the leaves beside her, the brunette returned to drawing out the poison as fast as she could, rushing to save her life. Once she had done the best as she could, her eyes turned up to look around for herbs to counter the toxins still inside the now crying woman, standing quickly. "I'll be j-just a minute or two, okay?" She panted.
However Minako shakily removed the cloth from her mouth. "Yuh... Your arm..." Nodding at a few small wounds bleeding freely.
"Just a f-few scratches. Don't mind them. Just, stay put." She urged, moving through the woods, boot knife still in hand.
As soon as she was far away enough, the slave yanked up her sleeve to look at the bites there, already feeling ill. She cut the wounds and began drawing at the venom as she hunted for herbs, halting to retch a few times. She knew she wasn't going to die; be sick for a few days, of course, but not die. Her people had developed a resistance from being bitten by the damn things for generations. It was Minako who could die.
Dizzy from the poison, the ill slave located several herbs and roots before returning, shivering slightly. As she set to work on boiling down the items, Makoto staggeringly carried her green-tinted owner closer to the warmth of the fire, her skin already a bit clammy. "Shit!" She seethed as she ground a bit of arrow root down, her vision swimming slightly.
Finally, she had the ingredients steeping in a large pot of water from her wine skin, turning to vomit just as her master finished doing the same. "M-mak-k-koto..." The blonde whimpered, prompting her tall companion to hurry over. "D-did yuh-you get b-b-bit-"
"N-no." The brunette lied, trying to calm the small Madam. "Just... A bit got in-t-to my system drawing it out of you. I'll be fine." She turned back to dip a wooden spoon into the vile solution she had brewed. "Here, d-drink this."
With one sniff, the injured woman scrunched up her face, leaning away from it. "Ugh... That s-sm-smells foul." She complained.
Makoto decided to take one for her master again, drinking the spoonful before coughing at the disgusting taste. "Jakli's spear, I forgot how nasty that is." She groaned, shaking with the effort it took to keep her stomach from expelling it. She took up another spoonful, once again holding it before Minako. "D-drink th-t-this. It will help after it makes you want to throw up, I p-promise."
'Well, at least she's honest.' Minako mused before drinking the murky liquid. As promised, it made her stomach churn and her mouth water in an attempt to expel it, but she knew she had to keep it down. If it hadn't been for the assurance, she would have gladly allowed her stomach to rebel, but as it was she found another spoonful shoved at her.
"One mo-more."
Minako shook her head adamantly. "No... It w-wuh-was horrid."
"Just one m-m-more, come on." The woman urged.
"N-nooooo..."
Emerald orbs hardened through the blonde's hazy vision. "Minako. Drink this. Now." Was the stern command.
It was a tone that the Madam had never heard her use before, but it likened to a mother telling her child that she would force the liquid down their throat if they refused again. So, she grudgingly opened her mouth and accepted the disgusting brew, swallowing it as she clapped both hands over her mouth in an attempt to hold it back. It was foul, vile, and generally unpleasant to consume, but it would be better than dying from the venom.
She felt another spoon pushed at her, but it was cool. "Jus-s-st water. Drink."
Happily she accepted, feeling more than exhausted. But a searing pain in her leg forced a scream to work it's way out of her, the stronger woman trying to hold her leg in place. "I'm c-cl-cleaning the wou-ound! Calm down!"
She kept screaming as the slave continued her task, but tried to dutifully remain as still as possible. At some point, she blacked out and time seemed to grow fuzzy to her. Everything started to become a series of tiny moments of clarity when she opened her eyes.
She felt a spoon pressed to her lips, drinking obediently before coughing at the wretched taste, a cool, damp cloth patting at her forehead lightly before she was out again.
It was dark outside and the fire was banked. She was cold, shaking, and sweating in the furs. A gentle hand tucked a few more furs around her, before she felt herself pulled against a taller form. Makoto must have joined her to help conserve body heat, a vague thought that the slave was shivering too worming into her mind before she was out again.
She was moving, but curled in a ball against something warm, strong arms around her loosely. Minako looked up to see Makoto staring ahead, her face only lightly covered in a thin veil of sweat. The blonde could feel the fur wrapped tightly around her, the saddle helping her perch against her charge. Slowly, her ocean hues drift shut once more.
Minako woke up again by a roaring fire, Makoto sitting close by, sharpening another wooden spear. "M-makoto?" She whimpered, the slave glancing up quickly.
An expression of relief washed over her. "Hey. How are you feeling?"
The Madam winced as she sat up. "Like I was working double shift at the brothel as a worker." She took a look around. "Where are we?"
"About a little more than halfway up the first mountain."
"But... How many days have I been out?"
Makoto walked over, lifting a wine skin to her lips to take a deep drink, her face turning into a grimace before she placed it to her master's lips. "Drink." As the blonde obeyed, she answered the question. "Two and a half days, you've been in and out of consciousness. I put your horse on a lead and continued on with the trip."
Minako drank the horrid brew without a remark, but sputtered at how long she had been unable to be aware of anything. Her face went red as she thought of something. "Wait, what about when I had to... You know..."
The auburn haired woman shrugged, moving to look at the bite on the blonde's leg. "You've got everything I've got. Besides, my first master was a fall-down drunk. You were far easier to manage."
The recovering woman looked at the unwrapped wound, the coloring still reddish blue at the punctures, though they were far less painful. "Hmm. Healing well." The taller woman mused before applying a thick, grey paste to the injury before wrapping it again. "You'll be sore a few more days, but otherwise fine."
Minako looked at the wine skin, then at the length of cloth around the brunette's arm. "You lied t-to me." She stated in a blank voice.
The stubborn slave stiffened. "I have no idea what you're talking about." She lied, her attention focused on the wrapped leg.
"Makoto, don't lie to me more." She stated warning.
"Don't be silly. I'm not- AHH!" The protest was caught short by a soft squeal of pain.
Though the action made her muscles screech in agony, Minako flashed one hand out to grasp the bandaged area, grimacing at the obvious discomfort it caused her charge. She let go just as quickly, her expression apologetic. "Makoto! How many times did you get bit?! Show me, please!" The injured blonde pleaded, shifting in spite of her own pain.
Fighting back tears from the throbbing injuries, Makoto slowly unwrapped her arm, not looking at her master. "Just three times. But, they're healing well. See?"
Indeed, the angry puncture wounds were healing soundly, if not better than her own mark. The tiny Madam frowned up at her slave. "Why didn't you tell me?"
A rueful smile lit her tan features. "Because you were poisoned, and really shouldn't be straining yourself. And Kishu have a resistance to rat viper bites." She shrugged, re-wrapping her arm. "I mean, too many can still kill me, but I am just more resistant to the toxins because my ancestors were too stupid to stop getting bitten by them."
"Please, don't put yourself in danger like that for me again." The woman worried her lower lip. "I can't stand the idea of you being hurt more."
The shackled woman laughed at her plea. "Nuh-uh. I promised Haruka that I'd keep you safe. I keep my promises."
At her words, Minako reached out and took gentle hold of Makoto's hands in her own, her gaze dropped to the dirt. "Mako, I know you are strong." She stated quietly, using the short version of the slave's name for the first time. "And smart, and resourceful, and incredibly brave, but please. I just..." She took in a shaking breath, slumping slightly with it's release. "Don't want to see you hurt more. You've been hurt enough by stupid masters, don't you think?"
She could feel the other woman shift slightly, still not looking up at her charge until a firm but gentle hand lightly took hold of her chin, easing the small whip wielder's face to look up. Their eyes met, stubborn green filled with a thoughtful musing as they locked with paranoid blue. "Well, it's a good thing I don't have another stupid master now, isn't it?" The woman humored, a gentle smirk tugging at her lips.
Minako calmed greatly at those words, her own uncertain smile playing across pink lips before she had to stifle a yawn. Her slave helped her lay back once more, the blonde wincing as together they shifted her bitten leg to be far more comfortable. "Minako?" The word sounded a bit unsure as the powerful woman fixed her auburn horsetail.
"Hmmm?" The hummed response was soft and sleepy.
"Why did you take me as your slave?"
Groggily, the Madam waved her hand dismissively. "Toddrick owed a substantial amount as you know. He started rambling when I caught him using counterfeit coins to repay his debt, and started offering me things in exchange for his life." Her voice sounded incredibly sleepy, her eyelids drifting shut a few times.
"He offered me his male servants, then you. I got worried since slaves had no rights. He said you were unruly," A worn out, lop-sided grin broke out onto her face. "which was an understatement. But I was scared that if it was true, you'd be killed by traders for being so spirited. Since I had already seized his assets, legally, you were mine." Her tone darkened. "Like nothing more than cattle. Or a pot. Or a rug. But even then, I was so concerned about proving I was different than him, that I forgot to treat you as a normal person. I was walking on eggshells around you, coddling, trying so hard to show you I was good, that I didn't bother getting to know you for far too long. So, I guess I took you to save your life, even though by making you me slave, I still am being nothing more than another master who just has their own agenda." Her entire face was as hard and sad as her voice. "I'm not even sure which is more unforgivable; being a cruel, violent master, or a coddling but unintentionally neglectful one."
There was silence from the tan skinned woman before Minako voiced an inquiry of her own.
"Can you ever forgive me for making you my slave?"
Stubborn green eyes looked at a guarded yet expectant face, ocean blue orbs swimming in tears. Months ago, Makoto would have been delighted to see the tiny woman cry, to have succeeded in getting under her skin as such, but now... Now it made her sad. She had somehow grown fond of her ditzy, ever-cheerful master. Enjoying her kindness, the knowledge that her opinions mattered and were valued easing away the hatred she once felt for her. She knew Minako was trying to see her freed at all costs, was not ever forcing her to do something, and constantly tried to ensure her safety. At some point after the entire Gavin incident, Minako Aino had stopped being her master and had become something of a friend.
Reaching out to tuck a lock of golden hair behind a pale ear, Makoto tried to look indifferent, but her expression was gentle. "You damn fool. Of course I do. I already have." Her mind flickered to the workers of the brothel. "You may be my master by law, but you've given me something I never dared to think I would have again."
Sleepily, her master blinked up at her, waiting.
"Hope. So, quit your moping and sleep so you can feel better. Alright, you idiot?"
With a soft chuckle, Minako nodded and rolled a bit to get comfortable, drifting off as her charge kept watch over her. This trip was far more worth while than she had ever dared to dream.
