"What?" I yelled down to her.
"Yoko's back."
"Oh." I said, lifelessly.
"You probably won't feel like jumping from tree to tree after he gets ahold of you." She said.
Honestly, I probably won't be able to walk when he done with me. Yoko wasn't known for his mercy. Or his patience, so I jumped down and followed Aiko into the front room of the fortress where Yoko was standing with his arms crossed. I swallowed hard and approached him slowly. He pushed me into a nearby room and locked the door.
"You know what I'm about to do, don't you?" He asked.
"Yes." I replied.
"You know why?"
"Yes."
"Tell me why." He said.
"Because I tried to escape."
"And nearly made me waste a lot of money. I didn't buy you so you could kill yourself, you stupid boy." He hissed.
I kept my mouth shut. I was stubborn but arguing with Yoko Kurama was a good way to end up dead. I figured just taking my punishment and getting out of his way would be the best way to stay alive. He looked really pissed.
He sat on the bed and pulled my arm so that I laid across his lap. The next five minutes were easily some of the most embarrassing of my life. I had never been punished this way, though I knew what it was. The bandits had a more violent approach to discipline. They'd smack me upside the head or punch me in the stomach but none of them dare do THIS to me. I wasn't the strongest in the camp but I held my own. What I lacked in skill, I made up for in bloodlust. They were all a bit frightened of me.
But not Yoko. He feared no one. As he sat me back on my feet, the intense stinging of my backside reminded me that this was his territory and his rules, not mine.
"Not a single tear." Yoko laughed, crossing his arms. "I'm impressed. Most of my servants have been reduced to tears by my lashings, but you took with dignity. I didn't expect that from such a tiny brat."
As much as I hated being called a "brat", I couldn't help but smile at the ego stroking. Although, I had whimpered once or twice on particularly hard whacks.
"You should go find Aiko now. I'm done with you until your next mess up."
I left the room and found Aiko not far away. She had tied her hair back which showed off her heart shaped face. I found it funny that her face shape slightly resembled mine and yet I hadn't noticed.
"There you are." She said, smiling. "Perhaps you would like to rest after enduring your master's punishment, hmm?"
"I'm fine. Don't go making a bit deal out of nothing." I scoffed, making my way toward the garden.
"No one granted you permission to go outside!" Kyoko yelled.
I didn't stop. To hell with her, I wanted to go outside and, damn it, I was going to.
"Disobeying already, are we?" Yoko's deep voice chuckled.
I stopped mid-step. I could detect the challenge in his voice. It was a challenge that I didn't want to take.
"You need to ask your owner if you may go outside." Yoko said.
I felt my fists clench involuntarily.
"I will do no such thing."
"Then do not go out or I'll use my rose whip this time."
He wasn't bluffing. Yoko Kurama did NOT bluff. I took a step away from the door.
"I want to go outside." I said softly.
"Please." Yoko hissed.
I took a deep breath and closed my eyes.
"I want to go outside, *please*."
The word felt heavy on my tongue but I managed to get it out easier than I had expected.
"You may." Aiko replied, calmly.
"That's better. You're not a savage anymore. You're not going to be allowed to behave like one."
I growled under my breath, bolted outside, and made my way into a tree. I took my frustration out on some birds, chunking rocks at them and knocking them out of the sky. I'd missed killing. I really preferred demons but birds would do for now.
"You have rather good aim for such a young demon." Yoko said from the ground.
"I'll take that as a compliment." I snorted.
"You should. I'm rarely impressed. I want to offer you a deal." He said.
"A deal?"
"Yes. I'm seriously considering training you. I sense great potential in you but you're still rough around the edges. I could fix that for you and mold you into a very powerful tool."
'
I nearly fell right out of that damn tree! The idea of getting stronger always peaked my interest and training with someone that I admired (even secretly) was an offer that I couldn't and wouldn't refuse. But before I rushed in like a fool, I calmed down and jumped to the ground.
"You said a "deal" so what do I have to do in return?" I asked.
"Good to see that you caught that. I want you to learn to control yourself. You're impulsive. Isn't that why you were kidnapped and put on the black market?"
I couldn't really deny that. "How?"
"I'm expecting you to first learn a little respect. You know better than tempt me but you do not respect my mate or my home, so when I feel like you've learned that I will begin teaching you, understood?"
The promise of getting stronger was too tempting to refuse. Who knows what he could possibly teach me? All I had to do was be a little nicer to Aiko? That wasn't that bad. I could manage to say please occasionally if it meant training under one of the three kings of demon world.
I sighed softly. "Understood."
"I'll give you a week to show some improvement." He informed me.
"All I have to be is obey for a week, correct?" I asked.
"That's right. There's no point in trying to train a child who can't even listen. If you can't listen to orders in the fortress, I have no reason to believe you will listen to them on the battlefield."
That made sense and seemed simple enough. Just stay out of the way for a week. Hell, even I could do that.