Chapter 2
Slowly awakening to the awareness of a rattle of metal on wood and the jostling, thumping surface he lied on, Inuyasha cracked his eyes open. He moaned, pain stabbing into his head at each bump.
Gasps of delight and alleviated concern broke out at this. "Inuyasha! You're awake! We were worried about you."
"What?" he mumbled confusedly, opening his eyes more fully. Darkness still laid over the land, but it was lessened by several lanterns, each producing a small halo of light. They illuminated his surroundings, causing him to realize that he lied in the back of a wagon, surrounded by his friends and men swathed in black.
"We've been captured by these men," Kagome explained without prompting. She continued, "Shippo and Kirara were left behind, though. I'm worried about them."
"Our weapons are gone, including your sword, the Tetsusaiga," offered Sango.
Finally awake now, Inuyasha struggled to sit upright. He discovered the source of the rattle: chains bound his hands and feet together in front of him, one string between his wrists, another between his ankles, and a third connecting the others in the middle. Snapping his head up, he inspected the others' restraints. Sango's and Miroku's hands were bound behind their backs with chains, but Kagome's, oddly enough, were tied with rope.
"What is this? Who are these people?" Inuyasha demanded.
Miroku sighed, rolling his eyes. "I don't know. They won't tell us anything. I already tried."
The leader glanced back at this comment from his place in the driver's seat. Turning forward and appearing to consider something, after a moment he handed the reins to the man next to him. Twisting around again, he addressed his captives. "Silence!" Their heads snapped toward him. "You want to know what's going on? Very well… you've been taken by the most elite of merchants. We will soon arrive, and when we do, you will make us a great deal of money. But until then," and at this point he began talking to his men, "you four – make them silent. Their voices are grating on my ears."
An unnoticed chest pressed against the back of the driver's seat. One man opened it with a creak and extracted four rolls of fabric. He passed one length to each of the three men perched on the wagon's sides; the last roll he himself kept. The four advanced on their captives, cloth held out, and silenced them.
A further gesture from the captain told a crew-member to remove a long, inch-wide chain from the same chest. He did so, eyebrows lifted. Contemplating it for a moment, comprehension lit his face. He stood up and walked to Inuyasha, whose eyes opened wide. The man required assistance to subdue Inuyasha and his friends, who tried to stop him. Kagome and Miroku could sense its horrid, sordid aura. Inuyasha struggled mightily but was forced onto his side, alarmed eyes flickering, the only movement he could perform. Kneeling, the crew-member slipped the chain snugly around his neck, and locked it to the rest of its length. Anger ignited on Inuyasha's face as he understood: the man had fashioned a collar and a leash.
Held immobile, the company of friends could do little more than exchange looks as they continued traveling through the countryside. The hard wooden floor of the uncovered wagon scraped and bruised them. Rope and chains chafed skin, cloth cut into cheeks, and the constant jolting motion magnified smoke-induced headaches. Sleep was impossible.
But at last, they stopped. Forced at knife-point out of the wagon bed, Miroku, Sango, and Kagome wrestled their way over and down. Inuyasha worked his way to the side, slow and clumsy hobbled by loops of chain. Someone shoved the half-demon over the edge, jerking his head cruelly with the collar. Inuyasha grunted through the gag at impact with the ground. Kagome's eyes threatened tears, but she couldn't go to him with blade-wielding men between them. Miroku's and Sango's faces were etched with concern and fear.
"Get up, you filthy half-breed! Get up!" cried the man holding the leash. Impatient, he lifted Inuyasha up by his black hair, and pushed. Inuyasha stumbled, forced to take small, quick steps to catch his balance. His eyebrows shot downward angrily, and he glared at the man, jaw clenched tight.
Curious purchasers arrived to examine the newly procured slaves, as the line shuffled towards the torch-lit hillock. It was an aristocratic crowd – with soldiers of different liveries gathering around each lord – while all mingled around the base of the knoll. The captives were lined up in front of the throng and shown off before the crowd, as his or her desirable traits were described – muscles, literacy, fighting skills, et cetera. Then the bidding began.
"Now, listen up!" the captain announced. "We have to get this done before daybreak! The monk's starting bid will be Ұ75,000. This female warrior goes for Ұ100,000. The priestess – for Ұ55,000. And the half-demon goes for Ұ200,000."
The crowd loudly protested such steep prices, but was shouted down by the captain. "Hey! Either you want them or you don't! They're a prize catch. Worth every bit."
One lord stepped forward. "I'll take them all."
The crowd guffawed. The captain retorted, "Hear that, folks? Looks like this guy wants to take them from right under your noses!" He turned to the man, "What are you offering?"
The number uttered produced gasps among the people. "That's ridiculous! Who would offer that much on a first bid?" "Well, I sure can't match that." "Nobody can!" "What use has he for all of them?" "What impudence! I don't want to walk away empty-handed!"
The captain whistled to gain the crowd's attention. Silence swept over them. The captain's words rang out. "Going once, going twice…." No one responded. "Sold! We have a winner. And for such a generous price, we'll include the weapons our captives had with them. You have some time yet to take away your newly acquired property…so, enjoy!"
Inuyasha fumed silently. Slaves! Sold as slaves! Only on this one night could anything like this ever happen to him. Dammit! He hated his human form! He continued to seethe, glaring. As soon as dawn came – it would all be over. He had only to hold out until then.
The lord's soldiers replaced the "most elite of merchants" atop the hill. The men clad in black stole away into the night, save for their captain. He pulled the lord aside to speak privately for a moment and to be paid – in gold, of course. Two men returned from the blackness carrying the slaves' weaponry and handed them over. This task done, the three joined their comrades beyond the circle of light. The rest of the crowd grudgingly but quickly departed for their own destinations.
Once alone, the lord smiled a disturbing and altogether cruel grin. He motioned his soldier to remove the slaves' gags.
Instantly, Inuyasha began swearing and bellowing at him, while Sango, Kagome and Miroku shouted outraged questions. To gain control for his master one soldier seized Inuyasha's chain, and pulled backward and upward violently, choking him. He fell to his knees, clawing at the chain, his breath cut off.
"INUYASHA!" his friends shrieked in unison. Still bound, they surged toward the soldier. Sango was foot-swept and landed on her back with a thud. She cried out, her hands taking most of her weight. Miroku was punched in the stomach, and he doubled over, the breath knocked out of him.
"STOP IT! Don't hurt them!" Kagome screamed. The soldier behind her clouted the side of her head. She fell to her knees.
The lord watched this with calmness. "Are you quite done?" None of them could breathe an answer. "I'll take that as a yes. In that case, it's time for us to be off. Bring them along, men. Use whatever force you deem necessary." He started away, taking up one of the lamps on his way by. "Bring these, too… no sense in advertising our presence here. We can use the light to find our way home." After all, he was a practical man.
Miroku finally managed to take a breath. "Wait! Tell us what you're planning to do with us!"
The lord turned halfway back. Sango and Kagome looked up hopefully from where they lay. Inuyasha continued to thrash, brown eyes bulging, his face turning purple. His fingers were hooked over the chain, their tips changing colors also. The lord ignored him as he said, "Why, you're going to work at my castle. No more, no less." He turned forward and started walking, arrogantly holding his torch out for someone to take. A man scurried forward and seized it, lifting it high to illuminate the way through the darkness.
"Let the poor thing breathe," the lord added over his shoulder.
"Yes, my lord," replied the soldier.
Inuyasha's first gasp whistled. He collapsed to his side as he panted, clutching his throat. Kagome's sigh of relief ruffled her hair. His face faded to red, then to pink. The soldier allowed him to catch his breath a moment before yanking him up.
As they all staggered off amongst the soldiers, Inuyasha at last recovered enough to furiously ask, "Did that bastard just call me a 'thing?' "
After a brief consideration, Miroku said, "You know, he did. He must be prejudiced against half-demons." He continued to deliberate, "That other man knew you were a half-demon…. I wonder if they overheard our conversation right before they took us."
Sango said, "No wonder!"
"Humph. Like I don't get enough of that already. People running around screaming, 'Demon!'" He huffed disgustedly again.
"Oh, Inuyasha…." said Kagome softly.
He recoiled. "Hey! Don't look at me like that! I didn't ask for sympathy!"
She sighed.
They approached a caravan of waiting, mounted soldiers, a carriage and another wagon in their midst. The lord had already disappeared inside the former. They were forced unceremoniously into the latter, and journeyed the rest of the night to the lord's residence. Physically and emotionally exhausted, they managed to snatch a few hours' sleep this time, silently preparing themselves for the deliverance of the sun.
