Welcome to a rather dark little story of mine! This idea blossomed after a nightmare I had a few weeks ago. At first I thought nothing of it, but like all ideas that spawn in my twisted head, eventually it took on a life of its own and just a few days later it had manifested into a full blown story idea. Honestly I wasn't sure if I was going to make this story M or not but eventually, after consulting with the original Outlast, I settled on a nice Hard T.

One major point I should bring up; Yuuki will be quite OOC at first. Eventually she'll develop into a character that more closely follows the canon, but at the beginning of this whole thing, she'll be at the lowest point in her life and as such won't be nearly as chipper as the Yuuki of ALO. But that's the fun of stories like this, isn't it? Seeing how you can make a character work, even in a completely different situation?-... I'm rambling again, moving on.

Pairings for the story: Kazuto X Yuuki, Eugeo X Tieze.

Enjoy!

Chains of Sorrow Chapter 1: Servitutem

"Will you rescue me? You can set me free, will you break these chains?

Stop me falling, will you rescue me? Give me air to breathe, help these eyes to see...

Will you come and rescue me?..." - Rescue Me, Eurielle

Her pounding heart, ready to burst from her chest.

Enraged yelling accompanied by the sound of the plasmic whip activating only feet behind her.

Her bruised and bloody feet slamming against the pristine metallic walkways as a distinct warmth overcame her shoulder, swiftly followed by the sickening sensation of liquid dripping down her ragged shirt and filthy violet hair.

So much information slammed against Yuuki Konno's neurons in that one moment. It was cacophony of sight and sound. Flashing neon lights and panicked screeches as she plowed through the crowded streets of blank, dodging and weaving around any standing in her way.

So bright, too bright. It was like a rainbow compared to her holding cell in 'The Basement'. It disorientated her, sending her equilibrium into a state of disarray that very nearly send her to her knees. Yet despite that, instinct forced her to push through the confusion, dominating her waking intentions like an electrical charge.

Run. Escape. Survive.

It was just a bit farther, only a scant few blocks from her current location. The Flooded District. The oldest known section of the Imperial Capital that had long degenerated into a haven for crime and lechery; ensuring it's reputation as the undesirable underbelly of the otherwise pristine profile of the grandiose city which towered above.

But most importantly, the only known safe refuge for someone like her in this damned city.

Her pursuer wouldn't dare to follow her there. A slave girl like her wouldn't be worth the dangers they would be forced to brave in the cramped alleyways of the Flooded District. Muggers, gangs, drunkards. The so-called 'worst of society'.

Yes, she would be at least a minutia safer amongst them. All she had to do was reach-...

Crack!

And with the burning sensation of plasma digging into the flesh of her back, those dreams of safety evaporated into the wind like a candle snuffed out by a malicious breeze.

She tumbled to the ground unceremoniously with a pathetic cry as her lungs emptied themselves of what little air they possessed. Her ribs burned and her heart pounded, as if beat upon by some unseen force.

Despite that though, Yuuki still found herself scrambling to turn her gaze skyward, hoping beyond all rational logic that someway, somehow, she had reached the sanctuary of the Flooded District...

...Only to for her heart to fall into the pits of despair as she found him in standing in place of salvation.

"You... You stupid-..."

The man was finely dressed, a collection of silks and fabrics that were easily worth more money than Yuuki had seen in her 18 years of life. His brown hair was slicked back over his head, which served to accentuate the low profile glasses adorning his face.

Of course his glasses were probably the only low profile thing about him...

Trinkets and baubles lined his thin frame, yet for all the gilded nothings that adorned him, Yuuki could see the malice that lurked just behind his gaze. The evil she had endured so many times before.

"You stupid little bitch..."

An evil that emerged all too quickly in her presence.

His whip crackled wildly as it lashed around on the finely crafted walkway, like some ill tempered snake lashing out towards her, "How dare you embarrass me like this, how 'dare' you!"

The plasmic beam struck her shirt, effortlessly burning through it to lick against the bare flesh of her now exposed shoulder, shocking her with the force of a taser.

It burned. She could feel her skin charring.

Another scar, no doubt.

"I'm sorry!..."

The man leaned down and grabbed her face, already bruised from previous beatings, with his free hand. He wore a sick smile, the same smile that he wore whenever he had even the smallest of excuses to lash out against her.

"What was that?!" The man struck her once more with the butt of the plasma whip, the metallic cylinder grinding against the burnt flesh on her shoulder, "I didn't quite hear you over the sound of all the property damage you've caused!"

She felt her eyes sting, tears threatening to fall, as he began to squeeze her jaw roughly. At this rate he would-... No! If he did that then it would be all over!

She quickly forced her lips apart in a desperate bid to appease the man.

"I'm sorry, Master Sugou-... Please; it hurts..."

"Shut your mouth!" His free hand struck her face, leaving a clear mark on what used to be perfect pale skin, "Shut your damn-..."

It seemed as if the universe halted in that one moment.

She hadn't intended it. It had been a flash of instinct; fight or flight. Her body had acted of its own accord, with no input from Yuuki herself.

Of course that probably meant little to the man who now stared at the rapidly swelling bite mark now marring his bony hand.

"Ah! You-... You bit me!"

"N-no! No, I didn't mean to, I-..."

There was an ominous silence as the man, Sugou, sat above her, unmoving.

Yuuki slowly sat up and reached out towards her Master's hand. Perhaps he realized it was an accident? She had certainly never lashed out against him before. Perhaps, just maybe he would overlook her accidental aggression, just this once?...

"...Ma?-..."

Her mind went blank for a few moments. The sound of enraged yelling was all that could reach her ears in the brief moments of numbness she felt as her head was slammed into the pavement repeatedly.

It hurt. It hurt so much, and yet somehow she couldn't find it in herself to scream out. It was like her body had abdicated to her assailant. Despite her desire to scream to the heavens, all she could do was whisper.

Even as her bloody saliva splattered against the pristine white walkways.

"Please... I-I'm sorry..." Yuuki attempted to mumble, though she honestly couldn't be sure if the words ever left her mouth, or if the only thing to leave it was the blood building up under her tongue, "I'm sorry-..."

She felt her head snap to the side as her body twitched pathetically. Had she been punched? She wasn't entirely sure anymore.

One thing she could be sure of though was her hand being, almost gingerly, lifted to the sky.

"We'll see how eager you are you steal from me without working fingers, eh?..."

At that moment, with those words leaving Sugou's mouth, her lucidity returned like a great wave crashing against the shore.

"It was just bread! Please, don't! I just took some bread!-... AH!"

"Just some bread?!" Sugou roared as he ruthlessly yanked her arm further into the air, clearly uninterested in the sound of her shoulder popping out of alignment, "I don't give a damn what it was! You stole from me! ME!"

His foot slammed down against her face, his beautifully designed shoe slamming against her skull with such force that Yuuki was certain she would be sporting a black eye in a matter of moments.

"Do you realize how much I do for you?!" Sugou spat through clenched teeth as he gazed down upon her with a look of what only could be described as absolute hatred, "You eat because of me! You sleep with a blanket because of me! You get all that a slave could possibly ask for, and you have the audacity to steal from me?!"

"I didn't-... I was just hungry..." Yuuki murmured, though the gnawing pain in her stomach paled in comparison to the wounds being dealt to her, "Th-the slave auction, Master. If my hand's broken for it, I'll-..."

"Beg then."

"H-huh?..."

"Beg!"

Of course. Of course that's what he wanted.

He didn't want an apology, that was foolish of her to assume.

She knew him well enough. She knew how much he loved to be verbally preened; how much he enjoyed exercising his power over she and the other slaves. How much he enjoyed watching them begging for mercy in the dirt.

"Please, Master... Please, forgive me for-..."

Snap...

Yuuki's throat burned as her voice escaped her like a banshee's wail.

She wriggled and fought, the air leaving her lungs like a deflating bag. It was all she could do to block out the rush of pain from her snapped finger.

"One finger down, four to go!-... Stay still!" Sugou's free hand seized her head, catching her long violet hair, matted in blood from beatings past, in his ruthless grasp, "I told you to stay still, dammit!"

Despite his complaints however, she had gone limp as a rag doll long ago. Her vision was blurring with the tears she'd fought to hold back only moments before.

He had another finger in his grasp.

It didn't matter. It was already over. Her chance; her only chance had been snatched away from her by her master's cruel hand.

She bit back a silent sob as he began to pull...

"STOP!"

Yuuki barely found it within herself to redirect her gaze to the source of the noise. It was a gruff voice, belonging to an Urban Cohort, an officer of the law, that stomped towards she and her master like a man on a mission; unrecognizable behind the imposing Aincrad Federal Enforcement armor he wore. The armor of those sworn to protect the citizens of the Empire with their very lives.

Yuuki couldn't decide if she should laugh at the irony, or curse the man's very existence.

It didn't matter.

She already knew-...

"Stop this insanity at once! Are you mad?!"

Sugou calmly stood, brushing himself off as he shot an uninterested glare in the officer's direction, "Is there an issue here, Officer?"

"I know it's an inconvenience," The man began as he strolled up to Sugou, the disdain clear in his tone, "But do refrain from physically reprimanding your property in public, you're getting it's blood all over the street; which has been recently cleaned, might I add."

And there it was. The dose of irony that always hit Yuuki like a punch to the gut.

'Property'. That's all she was. A possession to be used and abused as her owner saw fit. She was nothing but a pet or product, with fewer rights than even a dog in a cage.

"Apologies... I-..." Sugou's shoulders visibly slumped as he let out an uneasy chuckle, "I let my anger get the better of me."

If Yuuki was a braver girl, she would have laughed. The officer towered over her Master by at least a head or two, and sported a frame that put his to shame. It was almost humorous to see Sugou dwarfed in such a way.

"Well-... I suppose we all lose our temper from time to time. Go on, see it doesn't happen again."

"Yessir. Have a nice day."

The officers sickeningly pleasant humming drowned into the void as Yuuki watched him stroll away back into the crowd.

Her last hope had walked away.

No. No, there was never any hope for her. She knew from the very beginning.

She barely registered the pain surging through her head as Sugou hoisted her up to her feet by way of her hair, nor the hushed whispers of passerby's as she was dragged into a nearby alley.

"Now-..." Sugou's voice was laced with a sugar sweet venom as his figure blocked out the small traces of sunlight that dared to grace Yuuki's body with their warmth, "Ready to continue, little thief?"

"...Yes, Master..."

A foot against her back. Her injured hand yanked at an unnatural angle, pointing towards the sky once more as she hung there like a lifeless empty corpse, her empty stare towards the filthy alley floor.

These were the sensations she savored. Being yanked about? She was more than used to it. At least she could find comfort with the devil she knew before-...

...Snap...

Hell. This was hell. The light of hope had abandoned her to rot away in the darkness of sorrow. She was nothing. She was the ash of a fire. She was a lowly creature with fewer rights than a rat in the mud. She was an object to be abused. She was property...

She was a slave.

'Please... Someone, anyone-... Save me...'

So, how was was it everyone? Interesting enough? Do you hate Sugou even more now? Because I certainly do, and I wrote it. Either way, leave a review and let me know what you thought. I'll see you next time!