By De Mouse

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STANDARD DISCLAIMER : All characters used in this story belongs solely to mouse-chan and only mouse-chan alone. Original plot that the story is based on is considered the property of mouse-chan as well. This fanfic does not make any profit of any kind since it is made only for personal entertainment. Please take note that this is purely fiction. Unauthorized duplication of this story is strictly prohibited.

WARNING : mild child trauma, a little bit disturbing since it concerns a child being sold.

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The sky was blue sprinkled with a handful of white puffy clouds. The sun was hiding behind a large cloud but its golden rays peeked out from the white edges allowing the land beneath it a touch of its warmth. It was a nice change from the gray weather that had invaded the summer.

Shin's bare feet rubbed against the earth as he walked across the large field. Tiny toes wiggled when they came into contact with the green grass that grew in abandon within the surrounding area. A childish giggle slipped pass the pink lips as he acknowledged the ticklish sensation. No matter how many countless of times he ran barefooted on the grassy plains, he could never get used to the prickly touch of the green blades.

The wind lady came back and playfully ruffled his hair. She sang to him how she pushed away the rain clouds, allowing the clear weather to come out and play. Her song caused the grass to bent backwards while the leaves on the old tree leaning against the large boulder to rustled back their response. At the final note, the wind lady pulled back cheerfully and flew over the fields, past the old fence that stood in an untidy line at the edge of the plains where the grass no longer grew. Her laughter tugged at him, making him wish that he could chase after his wind friend but Shin's mother had told him many times not to go near the old fence.

His siblings were playing under the tree. It was a spot where they normally spent their free time. Shin could see the younger ones molding figures from some wet mud. The few older ones were sitting on top of the large boulder while some were enjoying themselves on the large branches of the tree. Their clothes, like his, were brown and faded from countless of washings. There were patches of holes on shirts as well as an odd bit of colored cloth made its appearance here and there.

Cool fingers of his invisible friend touched his clothes and her call echoed through the wide valleys, telling him what lay beyond the old fence.

He grinned at the wind lady's tempting invitation; his small feet took a step forward to heed her calling. Unfortunately the wooden bucket that he was holding pressed against his legs, reminding him of the task that he had yet to accomplish. His young mind recalled what his mother would say if he discarded his chores again.

With a regretful smile, Shin continued towards the well that sat in the middle of the field. Once there, he carefully tied the rope onto the steel that ran across the bucket. His father had hit him hard when he had not tied the knot tight enough causing it to loosen while the bucket's descend into the dark depths. Satisfied that he would not lose another wooden bucket, Shin dropped it into the well while holding the end of the rope in one small hand.

As soon as he heard the distant splash, he quickly pulled the rope.

He tugged up the rope, panting a little since the weight was a little too heavy for a young boy. With a final gasp, he heaved up the wooden bucket and set it on the ground beside him. Shin then glanced into the deep gloom, taking care not to accidentally fall over. The young mind always wondered what lay in the shadows of the well. Sometimes he thought that someone was living down there, filling up the bucket whenever he sent it down. But his five-year-old common sense told him otherwise. Yet he still fancied the idea of fairies living just above the cool surface.

A frantic flutter of feathers caught his attention.

Blinking, he gazed at where the commotion was coming from. The chickens that had been pecking at the grains near the opening of the old fence were now scattering. Their squawks were loud enough to alert his parents. Shin hoped that the noise went unnoticed by his father who could be rather nasty especially if he was drunk.

He hurried to the fence, dragging the heavy bucket with him. Shin fervently prayed that it was not a fox that was attacking the chickens. The family had already lost five and his oldest brother was struck across the face for not taking care of the creatures. The five-year-old's brow wrinkled in concern remembering the red water that trickled down his brother's forehead. His mother had made a slight shriek at the sight while his father had gone back to his drink.

An unfamiliar sound reached his ears.

It wasn't like the wind lady's cheerful song or was it like the footsteps of his family members. Instead it thudded heavily against the earth. It reminded Shin of the time when he dropped a metal plate.

Curiously he peeked from his bangs and found himself looking at a tall beast. The creature snorted almost impatiently as it stared down at him. Shin made a gasp of surprise while stumbling backwards. His feet tangled with one another making him tumble to the ground. His hand let the handle of the bucket go in his panic. Water flowed out from the overturned object before it seeped into the earth. Shin paid no attention to the bucket. His young mind had made a connection with the creature that he was looking at along with the others that followed it.

A horse, he thought.

His faint memory of the short trip to the village town came back to him. He had seen similar creatures pulling carriages through the small town's dusty roads. Yet he could see the difference between these proud beasts and the thin things he had saw.

A large man got down from the saddle; his boots crunched as it touched the ground. The amour that adorned the man's back was very impressive. The dark green surface gleamed in the sun. The man's face was deeply tanned as though he spent many days under the sun. Dark eyes stared sharply at him, making him feel nervous.

Did I do something wrong, the boy wondered.

His mother had always told him that stern principles would come if he ever misbehaved. He hoped that the man was not one of the strict principles who took naughty children away to be punished. Shin worried his bottom lip. He knew that he had been on a moderately good behavior lately. He had not followed the wind lady down the secret valleys nor had he made fun of his little sister. A pucker appeared between his eyebrows as he pondered if climbing a tree was considered naughty.

After a heartbeat, he concluded that the activity was not wrong since he never gotten reprimanded for it.

Raising his eyes, he appraised the large man. Shin then broke into a cheerful smile. He had nothing to be afraid of since this man was not one of those scary principles.

As soon as he smiled, the large man nodded to one of his companions that was also wearing armor.

A cry floated across the green field. Shin turned immediately after hearing his mother's voice. His eyes searched out the small wooden shack that was his home. He could see his mother running from the house towards them. Her dark hair streaked with white quite wild as she ran. Shin supposed the wind lady had been up to her tricks again since his mother's hair was always neat. He frowned when his father too appeared from the house, following his mother closely. He looked at the old tree and felt rather startled when he did not see his siblings there. Not even a single person was playing under the old tree.

The wind lady sang to him, quelling his confusion.

"M' Lords," cried his mother, falling to her knees. The hem of her faded dress was now stained with the dark brown earth.

"Shhhh!," hissed his father as he too fell to his knees. His tone made the obviously distressed woman to cringe. Suddenly his attitude changed when he addressed the man in front of him. "M'Lords, how ca' me be of se'vice?"

Shin blinked, his previous confusion swelling up again. He had never heard his father talked so politely to anyone before. Bemused, he gazed up at the fluttering banner that the wind lady was playing with. The gold background along with the gorgeous red lion that stared back at him was mesmerizing. He cocked his head, admiring the rich colors. Shin had never seen such grandeur before in all his five years. His world consisted of the tiny shack, the old tree and the deep well at the edge of the field.

The only thing he had ever saw that resembled richness was the setting sun that painted the skies each evening.

Of course there were the chickens and the bony goat that lived just a few paces away from his home but that really didn't count unless he thought of the rather fun time he had with his other siblings as they chased the chickens around.

"Is he yours?" a deep voice asked.

Shin blinked as a heavy hand came to rest on his shoulder. He gazed up to the tall man who was still staring at him. Shin began to wonder if the man -was- a principle after all. A sob made his thoughts come to a stop. His mother looked as though she was about to cry. He couldn't really tell since her face was bent towards the ground. The boy wanted to go and make sure that his mother was all right but the heavy hand on his shoulder made it rather impossible to move away.

The wind lady left her game with the banner and came back to him. She smiled and sang him a song. Shin tried to ask her what was happening but the wind lady did not know. She shook her head, her song left unfinished.

"Yea' he is, M'lord," his father answered promptly. His voice sickeningly dripped with politeness and admiration that leaned towards the point of exaggeration.

"He doesn't look like it," replied the large man rather dryly.

"But he is ur's,"

"Indeed," retorted the large man. "Gray eyes are rare in these parts."

Shin glared upwards as his five-year-old mind managed to place some sense into the words. He had never been to school and had to pick up the basic words from snatches of sentences he had heard. But the wind lady had taught him how to see meaning in tones without understanding what was being said. He had a faint inkling on what the large man was trying to do but the knowledge only served to further confuse him.

The wind lady snatched his thoughts away with another song. She had promised to teach him the song of the sky after his chores. A little bit of annoyance seeped into his mind when he came to realization that the conversation was taking up his time with his invisible friend. The wind lady only laughed and sang a quiet song that sent the blades rustling as she waited.

"M'lords, what woul' you like o' him?" questioned his father. His wrinkled fingers were rubbing against each other. There was a smile on his old face that only appeared when he talked about what he would do if he were rich. His father's fingers caught a button on his old shirt. The round object that was hanging loosely from the cloth tore free.

Shin frowned knowing that his mother would not like that since he had heard her saying that they had no more thread.

"I will do nothing with the boy," the man snorted at the obvious implication, "He is the property of the Emperor and will now be called to his bidding."

His parents' foreheads touched the ground at the mere mention of the Emperor. Shin just stood there, frowning harder as he tried guessing what had just happened. Somehow the truth eluded him. The wind lady wailed, a haunting cry that made his goosebumps rise.

"For your pains," said the large man dismissively tossing a handful of gold coins into Shin's father's trembling palms.

Another man got down from his horse, picking up a bundle of red silk. Shin managed to touch the ends of the material. He marveled at the smooth texture. He remembered the large house in the town's village that hung the red silk proudly in the big living room. It was the only house that had that beautiful material.

The man gracefully handed it to his kneeling mother. At first she stared blankly at the material, her cheeks wet. Then numbly, she took it from the man.

"For your service to the Emperor," the armored man told her kindly.

Shin's mother glanced up at him then at Shin, tears welling up in her dark eyes.

Devastated at the fact that his mother was crying, the boy tore away from the large man's hand. He ran to his mother, embracing her with his small arms. She held him tightly, her shoulders shaking with her silent sobs.

"I hav' other daughters n' sons," his father wheedled.

"I have seen them," answered the large man with a slight shake of his head. He moved forward and effortlessly separated Shin from the sobbing woman. "Come now."

His iron grasp made it impossible for the five-year-old to break free. The large man swung him up onto the saddle. The smell of leather was new to the boy's sense of smell. He wrinkled up his nose and struggled. An arm incased in cold metal held him back from sliding off the horse. Desperation clawed at his stomach as Shin reached out towards his sobbing mother who was still kneeling on the ground.

A strange cry was pushed out from his throat but his mother did not move from her position.

"Go boy, you don't belong to us anymore," his father told him. The red silk had long been taken from his mother now was held in his father's greedy hands. "Go."

Tears stung Shin's eyes as the horses started up their brisk trot. He remembered the one time when he followed his mother to the village town to buy a packet of rice. Vividly, the image of coins being exchanged for the heavy bag of rice imprinted itself in his mind. Shin now understood what had taken place moments ago.

A muffled sob was the only thing that he could seem to be capable of.

He could see the curious faces of his siblings staring out from the only window in their home. He watched the tiny shack in the middle of the field and the two lone figures of his parents gradually became smaller and smaller. The tree and the large boulder vanished without a trace. He could no longer see the mud moulds that his younger siblings made. At last, the horses passed the end of the old fence and moved down the valley. The figures disappeared as if the earth seemed to swallow them up.

The wind lady sang another slow, one that was slow and haunting. Her voice traveled far, through the endless grassy fields of valley as the men took Shin away from the simple life that he knew.

~OWARI?~

Yet another one which mouse-chan is not sure if she should continue…*sighs*