Warning: This story is rated T for sex trafficking, prostitution, rape, shounen-ai/yaoi, abuse, and violence.

Chains

Chapter 1: Stolen

"I'm sorry, Allen. The law won't allow us to hire minors less than fourteen years of age," the man said. I nod and glue a smile to my face. "I understand, Mr. Tiedoll. Thank you."

Tiedoll returned the smile before he walked down the hall of the animal shelter. This was the ninth business I'd visited. No one would hire me because I'm only twelve. It sucks.

I walk out the door and make my way back to the hospital where my father laid in a coma due to a car accident. Doctors said he didn't show any signs of recovery.

"Hey, kid."

I turn to see an overweight man with an umbrella. His smile sends chills up my spine. "Are you looking for a job?"

"Yeah," I say. He takes a step forward. I step back.

"You're in luck. I have a business with no age requirements." He points towards a black van. "Plenty of kids get paid big bucks for it."

"What's the job?" I ask, still keeping my distance.

"Customer service," he says.

"Customer service?"

He nods. "You do manual labor for a few clients. One customer pays up to three-hundred."

I perk. "Really?"

"Yes, I wouldn't lie."

I look at the van. "How do I join?"

"Just come with me," he said. As he waddled towards the van, I follow. He opened the back door and gestured for me to get in. My foot had hardly touched the floor when I felt a hard shove from behind. In the darkness of the van with tinted windows, hands held me down while I kicked. "Help! Someone help m―!"

A towel is pushed into my mouth. "Shut up!"

It was a different man. From the number of hands on me, there were two men plus the man I'd met, who started the van. I'm flipped over to my stomach, a knee in the small of my back. I wince as my hands are bound with duct tape.

"You're ours now," one man whispered in my ear. I attempt to kick him, but my other captor duct taped my ankles together. An acute pain pierces my side, and I try to scream. Nothing came out other than muffled cries as tears well in my eyes.

Mana! Mana, please! Help me!

I cry out again, but this time, a hand grabbed the back of my head and banged in on the floor. It all went black.

oO_Oo_oO_Oo

A headache was the first thing I felt. Next was a cold, hard floor. Almost like concrete. The sound of voices followed.

"Do you think he's alright?"

"Lenalee, they wouldn't injury him too badly yet."

"But Kanda…."

"I've been here long enough to know that. They only care enough to keep us alive. We're worthless if we can't perform."

I pull at my bonds slightly and cough.

"He's awake!"

"Really? I didn't notice."

"Stop being a jerk and untie him."

"Get Lavi to do it."

"You know Lavi's too tired."

A curse. Then warm hands are on my wrists. The tape felt more like rope at this point, and I hiss.

"Relax."

The somewhat deep voice left no room for argument. I wince as the tape is pulled away, probably out of my skin. I roll over and look at my bloody wrists. It hurt to move.

"Stay still."

A boy knelt by my ankles, tearing the bonds restraining me. His blue-black hair hung as a dull veil around him and even in the dark, I could see his dark blue eyes fixed on my skin. Dirt, bruises, and scars covered him. His muscle shirt was torn in several places, as well as his jeans. His shirt barely came to his navel, and I could see his ribs easily.

He pried the last of the tape from my ankles. I sigh in relief and push myself into a sitting position. "Thank you."

He looked up at me. "What's your name?"

"Allen Walker."

"Kanda. Welcome to the underworld."

"Kanda!" the feminine voice from earlier scolded. A girl appeared, her hair black and short. Her body and clothes were in the same shape as Kanda's, but she wore spandex instead. Her long legs bore target-like scars, almost like burn marks. She looked at me. "Sorry, he doesn't work well with newbies."

"So he was joking?" I ask. She moved her gaze to the concrete floor. "No, he wasn't."

Kanda stood. "Ever heard of sex trafficking? Forced prostitution?"

I nod. "Y-yeah."

"It's worse than it sounds on TV," he says.

The sun shined through the single barred window. The room was like a cave, littered with dirty blankets. Close to a dozen other kids were in the shadows, watching me. There were bars over what looked like a tunnel, though I could see that it was a door.

The girl tried to change the topic. "I'm Lenalee, by the way."

I nod, but don't say anything. There was no point. But after a moment, curiosity got the best of me. "How…how old are you?"

Lenalee continued to stare at the ground. "Eleven."

I glance at Kanda, who had leaned against the wall. He muttered, "Fourteen." He paused. "What about you?"

"Twelve," I answer quietly.

"Ever had sex before?"

I shake my head quickly. He opened his mouth, but the lights in the barred tunnel came on. A tall, well-dressed man unlocked the cage door, a belt in his hand. "Get to your rooms. Now!"

Most of the kids, including Lenalee, ran past him into the tunnel. They disappeared behind different curves next to stocky men. Kanda pulled me up and walked towards the man. "Let the new guy work with me tonight, Tyki."

The man, Tyki, narrowed his eyes. "And why should I do that?"

"Think about the money. Two boys, one experienced and the other a virgin. You could charge five times as much."

Tyki's eyes bored into me. I inched behind Kanda a little.

"Fine, but if you try something, you'll get more than a new flare."

Kanda didn't reply. I closely follow the bluenette down the tunnel. The curves were actually doors. One of them read "Raven Dancer". Kanda walked into it and I darted in behind him, the door guard thoroughly creeping me out as the door shut.

Inside the room, two lamps lit the windowless space. A king size bed was in the center of the room, and Kanda sat on it. I stood next to him. "Um…what are we doing in here?"

"You do know what prostitution is, right?" he asked in reply. I nod. "Yeah."

He sighed. "Men are going to come in here, and we have to serve them."

"Serve them?"

"Let them rape us."

My eyes widen. "What are you talking about?! I thought that…that we had to work…or something!"

"Has anyone ever told you that you have a late reaction time?"

I go to the door and twist the knob. It didn't budge. I kick it. "Let me out!"

Arms pull me away. "It's no use. You'll get beaten."

Tears come to my eyes. "B-but…Mana…he's alone…."

Kanda dragged me to the bed and sat me down. "Then do what you can to stay alive."

"Why are you so calm?! Are you really okay with this?!" I cry. He shakes his head. "Are you a moron? No, I'm not okay with this. I've been here for six years. I learned how to act. It's not like I haven't tried escaping before."

I look up at him, his image blurry from my tears. "What…what happened…?"

He pulled his tattered shirt up. On the left side of his chest, there was a three carved into his skin and a half circle around it with lightning-like streaks coming from it. "Each flare is from a time I've tried."

There were close to two dozen of them.

I ask, "Will it hurt? When they…."

"Yes," he says. "It'll probably be the most painful thing you've ever experienced. I'll try to take as much of it as I can, but I can't keep you safe completely."

"You hardly know me. Why would you do that?"

"It has nothing to do with how well I know you. You're part of the family now. We take care of each other."

He stares off into space, and I say, "It doesn't seem that way."

"What?" Kanda looks at me.

"You act like a big brother. This 'family' doesn't take care of each other; you take care of them."

He pauses. "I guess you could say that."

The door opens. A man with platinum blonde hair walks in. "Well, who's this?"

I duck a little behind Kanda as he says, "He's the new one. Unnamed at the moment."

"Mighty cute," the man says. "My name's Jack."

"He's a regular," Kanda adds. I inspect Jack, but he seemed better than what I had expected. Key word is "seemed". Kanda leans down to my ear and whispers, "Compared to some of my other regulars, you got lucky. He'll be gentle."

Jack walked over to the bed and looked at me with dark green eyes. "You're a virgin?"

I nod and try to scoot behind Kanda. Jack smiled sadly. "I'm sorry you got dragged into this."

"Then why do you buy?" Kanda spat.

"I'm a scumbag pedophile. It's not something I'm proud of, and I don't like sex trafficking. That might make me a hypocrite, but at least I'm not rough like your other clients," Jack said. Kanda glared at him, but didn't say anything.

The first hour went by, and Jack left. It was disgusting. I wanted and needed a shower. If I had eaten, I would have vomited. My butt hurt, but not nearly as much as after Kanda's next client.

Then came the third customer.

"I heard you were a feisty one," the man snarled. Kanda glared at him. "Weird way of putting it. I just don't like being raped and beaten, so I don't know where you got the word 'feisty' in all of that."

The man walked over to the bed where Kanda sat. I huddled in the corner, still in recovery from the second client. I watched as the man straddled Kanda and flipped him over. After he looked to the side to keep from suffocating, the bluenette looked at me and mouthed, "Don't look. Close your eyes and don't look."

But I didn't. I stared in horror while the man pulled off his belt and struck Kanda's back. The young teen gasped. The second achieved a cry of pain. The man leaned down to Kanda's ear. "I want to hear you scream, to hear you beg for me to stop."

Kanda coughed and after the third strike, blood splattered the white sheets. Despite that, the bluenette growled, "I will never beg. Not for a sick sadist like you to stop your torture."

"Oh, you like it?"

Crack!

"You like the pain?"

Crack!

Kanda took all but a spanking for me. The fourth client liked me more than Kanda. The fifth got off on seeing us together.

After the sixth guy finished with Kanda and left, the guard told us to go back to the main room. It hurt to walk. Like every step I took, a thorn wedged itself further into me. Kanda didn't even limp, even after he'd been raped four times, two of those times much more roughly than the others, and been whipped with a leather belt. His clothes didn't hide anything, but it was the same for everyone. Except me. Other than my limp, I was pretty much perfect on the outside. My short-sleeved shirt and jeans hid the bruise on my upper arms and the inside of my thighs.

When everyone returned, I noticed a flaming red-haired boy next to Lenalee, wearing a black t-shirt and what looked like once white jeans. The girl leaned against him and whispered something. I could see the tears run down her cheeks.

Kanda sat away from the others, in a dark corner. The rest of the kids huddled together in a mound of dirty blankets. I move towards the bluenette and settle beside him. He looks at me, his eyes only visible by a tiny gleam. "Go sleep with them." He nodded towards the others. "It's warmer."

"But what about you?" I ask.

"I keep watch."

"Keep watch over what?"

"Sometimes, a customer will come in during the morning hours. I take care of those."

"You need sleep just as much as we do."

"Lavi splits it with me."

"Lavi?"

"The redhead taking care of Lenalee."

I nod. Kanda leans his head against the wall and stares at the cage door. I notice his grimace as he tries to get comfortable. I whisper, "Thank you, Kanda. For…doing what you did."

He sighs. "It was nothing."

I shake my head. "Stubborn moron."

"Shut up," he muttered.

A shiver runs up my spine. He glances at me. "Go get some sleep." He lightly nudges me towards the group in the other corner. "Go."

I press closer to him. "No, you helped me. Now I'm going to keep you warm."

"We'll see how long you say that. In a week, you'll be nothing but skin and bones. In a month, you'll have had your first real beating. In a year, you'll be a shell."

I shake my head. "No, I won't. I'll get back to Mana or die trying."

Kanda flicks my forehead.

"What was that for?!" I say.

"Don't throw your life around." He pauses. "I'm amazed you can even function properly. Most shutdown after the first night."

I look down at my wrists, covered in scabs. "I just tried to go somewhere else in my mind."

"That's the best thing to do."

I shiver again and yawn. Kanda says, "Go to sleep. Your nights will only get rougher from here."

Being careful not to touch of any wounds he might have that I can't see, I curl up against the bluenette. He slips an arm around me, and I let out a small purr.

Oo_oO_Oo_oO

The next morning, I woke up with more than one body pressed against mine. I open my eyes. Somewhere in the night, or morning, Kanda must have moved me into the big group. But he was still beside me, so I didn't mind that much.

"You'll have to change that," Kanda said. I glanced at him. "What?"

He kept his eyes closed. "You sleep like a rock. Bad habit in this line of work."

"Line of work?"

"Bad habit when you could get whipped for being asleep. Better?"

I wince. "Not really."

Cold hands slip under my shirt and up my back. I squeak, "Kanda?!"

"It's not me."

A girl with blue, spiky hair nuzzled into my chest. "Sorry…you're warm…."

I cover my mouth when I see the rest of her body, how frail and small she was.

Kanda's hand slithered over my hip and brought the girl closer. "Road. She's the youngest one of us."

"How old…?"

"Eight. Almost nine." He sighed. "She was born into the trade as far as I know."

I curl my arms around Road. "I'm so sorry."

"If you're sorry now, wait until they put her onto the list of girls who are allowed to have anal sex," Kanda said into my neck.

"You mean she hasn't already?"

"They like to wait until the girls are nine before they allow it. They charge extra," he says. "I didn't think Lenalee would ever stop crying after her first time."

"That's because it hurts, smart one," a feminine voice muttered from somewhere in the pile.

"Anyone know what time it is?" a boy asked.

I felt Kanda move beside me before he settled again. "Nearly sunrise."

"Kanda, will you give me a massage before my shift?" I recognize Lenalee's voice. "I think my backdoor ripped, and one of the guys was really kinky."

"Matthew?" someone asked.

Lenalee said, "No, he's new. Spencer, I think. He bought over two hundred extra in toys."

"I'm sorry, sweetie," the other girl said.

Kanda moved away from me. "If you want that massage, you better get up, Lena."

"I'm coming! I'm coming!" she said. There was a grunt, and she said, "Sorry, Daisya!"

A boy said, "It's fine. I didn't need that finger anyways."

I look over my shoulder to see Lenalee lay down on her stomach, a rag of a blanket between her and the ground. Kanda pushed up her shirt to reveal bruises, scars, and shallow, fairly recent-looking lacerations. As he worked his hands down her back and arms, he asked, "Is your lower back bothering you?"

She hisses momentarily before she answers, "Yeah. It wasn't bad the last couple of nights, but that Spencer guy made it start hurting again."

A few minutes later, the tunnel light came on, and Tyki appeared. "Day shifts. Come on!"

As two girls and four boys, including Lavi, rushed to the door, Lenalee stood and gave Kanda a quick kiss on the cheek. "Thanks. See you tonight."

He nods. "Just promise you'll come back."

She nods and darts off, narrowly avoiding Tyki's belt.

She never slows down. She doesn't know why, but she knows that when she's all alone, feels like it's all coming down. She won't turn around. The shadows are long, and she fears if she cries that first tear, the tears will not stop raining down.

So stand in the rain. Stand your ground. Stand up when it's all crashing down. You stand through the pain. You won't drown. And one day, what's lost can be found. You stand in the rain.

Author Note: So what do you think? I wish to know! For those of you who are reading The Lycanthrope Trilogy, I will be writing this mostly, so updates for that story will be few and far between. Sorry! My inspiration gave out on me. Also, I love ideas for songs! So please, Please, PLEASE REVIEW! "Stand in the Rain"-Superchick.