Of Song Birds and Sorrow

By: Suji

For: Sang-Mi

Group: SHINee

Pairing: JongEssa ((if anything….))

Rating: PG-13

Warnings: Violence, slavery and language

Summery: In the black market of a world known as Loushika, ((loo-she-ka)) Jonghyun is being sold as a high-priced ‘song bird’.

Words:

*~*NOTE: THIS STORY IS BASED OFF OF SHINEE’S LIVE LUCIFER REMIX CLIP WITH F(X). WHILE SEEING THE VIDEO IS NOT NESSICARRY TO ENJOY THIS FIC, IT MIGHT HELP TO INHANCE YOUR READING EXPERIENCE. ALL EVENTS HAPPENING IN THIS STORY ARE COMPLETELY FICTIONAL. I DO NOT OWN JONGHYUN OR SHINEE. PLEASE LEAVE YOUR COMMENTS AND LET ME KNOW WHAT YOU THINK- THANK YOU~!! <3*~*

Chapter I- Caged

            Vanessa stuck close to Suji’s side as they entered the dim and busy market place from the main entrance under the bridge.

Ever since she had moved in with her sister in the Black Plains half of Loushika, she had noticed that the landscape had left itself nothing short of its name. The Black Plains was a very dangerous area for people who didn’t know what they were doing, thus why Vanessa had choose to move in with Suji.

Vanessa and Suji were siblings born of distant royalty. However, at a young age, Suji was sent to investigate the Black Plains half of the nation while Vanessa was sent to investigate the Highlands half. Though they lived together in a neutral path of land between the two, serving as their boarders, just recently Suji had decided to move completely into the Black Plains for further investigation to enable herself to keep a close eye on the area and its people. Only a few days later, innocent and curious of the nations ‘dark side’, Vanessa volunteered herself into her sisters’ new home.

But now, with a free day at hand, both Vanessa and her sister had decided to head for the market. Though going to the market seemed innocent enough, Suji’s words had startled Vanessa;

“Stay close and never let me out of your sight. Talk to no one and hold on to any and every possession you have with or without you. We wouldn’t want you having to slave over a strangers’ hot stove or in their bed as a body warmer for the rest of your life now, would we?”

But before Vanessa could question her once about the frightening statements, Suji had turned and marched into the busy market place, Vanessa quickly in tow.

The whole place was dim and dingy, despite the thousands of people crammed into the place but everything was outdoors as so, after a while, the occasional zephyrs of cool air were more than welcome. As the two sisters made their way down the center of the market, weaving their way slowly towards the far right rock wall, Vanessa noted the odd verity of both people and items; dirty men and women with no shoes and only half of their teeth selling nearly rotted fruits and vegetables to survive all the way to men clad in rich silks and shiny gold selling leather books and new furniture. But what really caught the youngers’ eye the most were all of the beautiful and sometimes just strait up odd animals the market had for sale. From albino rabbits, tamed wild cats, and white owls to two-headed lizards, previously owned old pigs and horses and even the ocasional rabid dog- it was all there.

As Vanessa assessed her surrounds she came to the conclusion that if you want something, sure you could find it here…. But it was what you were willing to pay that would determine if you could have it or not….

Suddenly a beautiful female’s singing voice snapped the younger out of her trance and she glanced up. Just a few stands over, against the far right wall, was a fairly large caravan with a line of individually caged humans in front of it.

Without a thought in the world, Vanessa found herself drawn to the voice and began making her way towards the beautiful sound.

Once in the area of the caravan, she noted that the crowd was thinned considerably and, away from all the hustle and bustle, she could hear the voice much clearer. But as the woman’s short song came to a close, Vanessa became distinctly aware of the terrible noises that also surround the caged people. A man in a dark blue cape was standing at one of the last cages cracking a whip a beautiful blonde woman who was cringing and calling out slightly in pain.

“You sang better than the earlier!” He yelled at her as the couple watching from in front of the cage narrowed their eyes at her. “Now do it again and do it right!”

The man cracked the whip once more and with another cringe, the woman began to sing again.

Vanessa’s face contorted in pain and horror as she noted that none of the other caged singers looked in any better of shape. They all seemed to be either crying or shaking in fear, their eyes shining of pain and resentment.

“Vanessa!”

The younger jumped at the voice and spun around as Suji layed a hand on her shoulder. “You idiot! You could have gotten sold off or kidnapped or worse! I told you to stay close!”

Vanessa paused to slow her heart a moment before turning to face the cages again.

“Who are they?” She asked.

Suji dropped her hand and glanced up at the people.

“Their song birds. Not worth the price.” She shrugged dully and turned to walk way when Vanessa grabbed her sleeve.

“Their people.” She breathed oddly in both shock and horror but Suji only shrugged once more.

“Selling people is legal here- Something else I’m working on changing….” She explained. “Now common.”

“But…. I don’t understand…. Why them?” She managed as her eyes remained glued to the woman who had just recently stopped singing while the man in the cape began to discuss money with the couple.

“They’re song birds.” Suji tried again, turning now to face the cages as well. “They’re people stunningly beautiful in both the body and voice. They’re sold around here for an outrageously high price. It’s mostly only the wealthy that will buy them….”

As her sister talked on about how they were found and captured, Vanessa’s eyes locked onto a boy closer to her, his cage on a high pedestal. He was watching her.

“That boy…” She hummed and Suji cut herself off and glanced over at him a moment before shaking her head.

“Eh- He looks stubborn…. Not worth the money.” She concluded.

The boys’ eyes darted over to her in a short glare before watching Vanessa again with a neutral expression.

“Oh you don’t want him little miss….” Came a voice. The two sisters glanced over to see the man with the cape walking over with a rather expensive-looking staff in his right hand and Vanessa noted the woman, still in her cage, being loaded roughly into the couples wagon that had been brought around.

Suji shook her head; “Oh we’re not-”

“And why wouldn’t I?” Vanessa interrupted and Suji sighed, knowing another one of the girls’ stubborn streaks was coming up.

“He’s a tad feisty.” The man wrinkled his nose, tapping the boys’ cage now with his staff. “Beautiful face- obviously. Beautiful voice- one of the best I’ve ever heard. But if you can’t get him to sing, he’s not worth you’re time.”

He turned to a young woman in the cage next to the boys’ and beat the bars roughly with his other hand, startling a scream out of the girl.

“Now this one-”

“No.” Vanessa shook her head and the man frowned a moment before sighing and turning to the boy once more.

“Why don’t you sing for the lovely ladies, hm?” He cooed in a sickly sweet voice and suddenly all eyes were on the singer.

The boy turned and narrowed his eyes hatefully for a moment.

“ you.” He hissed.

“Oh common now, boy….” The man gritted his teeth up at him. “If you’re real good and really…. Really lucky, they much just buy you off of me…. You can still sing all you want, alright? Now sing for the girls and-”

The boy interrupted him by spitting harshly in his face with a growl.

The man closed his eyes against the saliva before wiping off his face and grabbing for a whip, but then;

“What’s your name?” Vanessa asked the boy and the man paused, whip gripped tightly in hand as the singer turned to her now.

“I’m-”

“You can name him whatever you like, dear.” The man interrupted him, taking a step forward now as he did so. “Why for the right price you can-”

But Suji held up a hand to the man who watched her nervously a moment before backing off once more.

“…. Jonghyun….” The boy suddenly hummed, expression softer towards her than it was towards the man only a moment ago. “My name is…. Jonghyun….”

“Jonghyun….” She smiled. “I like that name…. I’m Vanessa…. It’s nice to meet you…. I know that you’ve been through a lot but…. Is there anyway that you could sing for me? Just me…. No one else…. I just wanna hear…. Please….?”

Jonghyun stared long and hard at the girl before narrowing his eyes sideways at his captor and growling; “Only once…. That’s it….”

“That’s all I ask.” Vanessa interjected before the man could yell at him again and they both turned to her.

Jonghyun closed his eyes and sighed, hanging his head a moment before;

“Noona nomu yeppo….”

The melody poured out from the boys’ beautifully plump lips like crystal clear water strait from the holy river.

As he sang, a crowd slowly formed only a few feet back from where the sisters stood, drawn in by the boys’ beautiful voice.

Everyone stood in an appreciative silence for a long moment after the boys’ beautiful melody came to a close. He slowly lifted his head again and opened his eyes to Vanessa, their gazes locking and his expressional pled for help piercing through her heart as he did so.

 “500 pounds.” Came a voice from somewhere back in the crowd and everyone immediately went into a frenzy.

“600!”

“800!”

“1,200 pounds!”

“2,000 pounds!”

Vanessa turned to Suji frantically as the prices went up and up.

“Please Suji!” She nearly began to cry. “You have to get him!”

“Vanessa….” Suji hummed nervously. “I just don’t know if-”

“5,000 POUNDS!!”

“Please!!”

Suji sighed heavily once more, closing her eyes a moment before turning and raising a hand to the man in the cape.

“I will give you 20,000 pounds for this boy!”

The man nearly fell over as the rest of the crowd drew into a silence and slowly began to disperse at the far too high price range.

“Any higher? No?” The man asked quickly then; “Sold! To the beautiful ladies who got a stubborn donkey sing!”

To Be Continued....