Don't get too hopeful :P

Chapter Seven

The next time Emma wakes up, Jashin is gone. She's a little disappointed, but not too much because now she can get out of bed without worrying of waking him, and also because she knows that he is generally busy.

After she gets out of bed, she realizes that Billy is gone. She peaks under the bed and glances around the room; but he's no where to be seen. She looks in the Dining Room, under the tables and chairs and in all of the corners, but he isn't there either.

When she looks into the Servant Room she sees Ben is on his hands and knees reaching under his bed with a hand wielding a sharp knife. Billy is backed up against the wall and looks around for an escape. Emma gasps, "Billy!"

Billy sees her and darts out from under the bed and runs up her leg and rests hanging on her back, peaking over at Ben. Ben stands up and glares with eyes watering from a bite-mark on his nose, "keep, keep that little freak out of here, of here!"

Even though he's barely 5 feet tall and is younger than her, Emma still feels afraid of the boy clenching a knife and glaring at her viciously. "I'm sorry, I'm sure he didn't mean any harm! And what were you doing trying to kill him like that?"

Ben's hand holding the knife starts shaking from squeezing the handle so hard, holding back violent anger. "He bit me, bit me, for no reason! He shouldn't even be, even be here! He has no right, no right, to even be here! I've been here far longer, far longer, than either of you! NOW GET THE FUCK OUT BEFORE I KILL THE BOTH OF YOU!"

Emma is surprised by his sudden outburst and quickly and quietly shuts the door and retreats to her room. She sets Billy down on the bed.

"Billy, can you understand me?"

Billy keeps eye contact with her.

"We really made that boy mad, so we're going to stay away from him for awhile, alright?"

Billy continues to keep eye contact with her.

"Please stay in our room, okay? That boy could very well hurt you if he sees you again, but I'm sure he won't come in here." She scratches the spot behind his left ear, "M-kay?"

Billy nips at her finger affectionately and slithers/crawls underneath the covers. Emma watches the blanket rise and fall as he breathes calmly.

Would Ben really kill them? He certainly acted like it, but he looked so young, Emma couldn't imagine him hurting anyone… at least not till now. She considers telling Jashin, but knows that would make Ben madder and doesn't want to get deeper into his bad side. And Jashin's pretty busy anyways… And she doesn't want to worry him. Ben's pretty small… she could probably take him on.

Emma walks out of her room and shuts the door carefully behind her to make sure that Billy keeps his word. She glances at the door to the Servant Room to make sure it's shut and quiet, and then walks out of the home and returns to the forest of stone trees and crystals. After she shuts the door behind her she waits for the few seconds necessary for the crystals to light up.

She spends several hours watching the crabs scurry around and catches one or two and studies them. They're pretty heavy… she wonders if they're actually made of pure pearl the same way the trees are made of pure stone.

She taps on one of the mushrooms and finds that they're made of a very soft wood. She thinks back to when Jashin was explaining the place and can't remember if he had said anything about the mushrooms. She walks around for a long time, looking for the tallest tree. And when she finds one that she decides is good enough, she climbs up it and just sits on the uppermost branches for quite awhile, just enjoying the clean, cool air and sight of the unlimited number of light blue crystals…

She stays there quite awhile until she starts to feel kind of dizzy and realizes that she hasn't eaten since when she woke up yesterday.

It takes her awhile to get back to the wooden door, but once she's there it's quick work to get the rest of the way to Jashin's home.

She cautiously walks inside to find the place to be completely silent and barren. She peaks into the Kitchen/Servant Room to make sure that Ben isn't there before entering.

She rummages around in the cupboards looking for some bread that isn't moldy since all the fruit is gone. She's looking in the lower cupboards when a shadow blocks the light, preventing her from seeing what's inside. As she turns around Ben grabs her wrist with such a strength that no child should hold. "I told you to not come in here." He growls.

"I was just looking for so-"

Ben cries out in pain when Billy bites through his left Achilles tendon. He turns eyes ablaze, and stomps down on Billy's head, killing him. Emma gasps as tears come to her eyes and she punches Ben hard across the face. Ben twists her wrist which is still restrained; spraining it; Emma tries to repress a muffled sound of pain. Ben raises his foot and kicks her hard in the stomach, causing her to fall back onto the floor. He sits on her stomach and repeatedly punches her in the face. Emma tries to block the blows and push him off of her but even though he's a child, he still holds inhuman strength.

Ben suddenly is yanked back and shoved up against the wall by his neck, "what the fuck are you doing?" Jashin demands harshly.

For the first time, Emma sees fear in Ben's eyes as he says, "I-I-… it was-… Emma-…"

Jashin throws Ben across the room so that he hits the stone wall beside the door, hard. "Get out of here. Now."

Ben tries to prevent it but he can't stop his face from screwing up as he tries not to cry. It just isn't fair. He had been here far longer than Emma, he had done nothing but served Jashin, he had never fought against him, he had come down to Hell, leaving the human world, just to serve him… And now Jashin would rather have this… this… girl. She had only been around for a few days and already Jashin cared for only her. Ben clenches his fists; he was going to get back at her if it was the last thing he'd ever do… He runs out of the room and out of Jashin's kingdom.

Jashin turns to face Emma, "Emma? Are you okay?"

One of Emma's eyes is swollen shut and she's got a bloody nose and lip, she tries to hide her face from Jashin so he won't think she's ugly as she tries to hold back the tears that want to come so bad. Jashin crouches down beside her and gently lays a hand on one of her arms that is covering her face, "Emma…? Come on. You're safe now. Please let me see you…"

Emma shakes her head "no" without letting her face being seen, "By pace… Ib's ugly… and Billy…"

It's difficult to understand her through all the blood, but Jashin manages to get most of it. "Emma, please, I can heal you, you'll be fine…"

Emma shakes her head again, but doesn't say anything this time.

Jashin hugs her tightly, being careful to not touch her face, "Come on, get up… I can heal up your face and then you can take a shower and everything will be okay."

Jashin helps her up and Emma keeps her head down. "Why don't you sit down on Ben's bed? I'll heal you now."

Emma sits down slowly on Ben's bed and hesitantly looks up at Jashin. Jashin sees the blood and tears running down her face and staining her clothes. He sees her swollen eye and broken nose. He sees her split lip and bruised cheeks; he barely succeeds in hiding his anger. Jashin controls his breathing carefully as he gently moves his hand over her face, leaving behind not a single bruise or cut. Emma's breathing sounds labored from the pain of the healing, but she doesn't let out a single sob. "Did he hurt you anywhere else?"

"My wrist, I think it's broken…"

Jashin takes her sprained wrist in his hands and moves everything back into its proper place before healing it. This time Emma can't hold back everything.

Jashin sighs, "Come on, I'll show you where the shower is." He leads her to his room, being careful to make it so she can't see any of the instruments of torture, and then to the side room where the shower is. She mumbles a thank-you as he shuts the door leaving her alone in the bathroom and him alone in his room. He looks down at the blood on his hands and tries to understand all of these emotions coursing through him. He had raped and beaten and tortured many, many girls, but he never felt these emotions before… so why did he feel it now for this one girl?

He trudges over to his bed and sits down, watching the door and listening incase she needed help. He hears the water turn on and fumbles with his fingers for all the time it takes her to clean off the filth of three days in Hell.

He couldn't fully grasp what was happening in his heart… He knew the feeling of wanting a girl, and he knew he wanted Emma, but the two just weren't the same. Could he keep her safe down in Hell? He wants to keep her with him, but… but what? He had never heard of a human being safe in Hell. He knew the demons in his kingdom wouldn't care… they'd probably just think that Jashin is keeping her as a servant. But if they actually came here they'd find that she has her own room with a bed and everything… they'd find that she was in good health and wasn't afraid or broken. What would he do if someone from outside his kingdom came? …well, no one had actually come INSIDE his home for several hundred years… His father had not come into the kingdom since he gave it to Jashin… so Jashin should be fine; Emma should be fine. …No! She is a human; a pathetic, worthless, weak human that is only here to be tortured and used. He looks up at the bathroom door again. She trusted him… she might even love him… and Jashin- NO! No. No. No. He had to make her give in. She trusted him, now all he had to do was get her to do what was needed…

He notices that the sound of running water has stopped and looks up to see Emma holding a towel up to cover herself as she stands in the doorway to the bathroom.

Jashin's brain freezes for a moment, but a few seconds' later words finally find their way out, "Do you need some fresh clothes or something?"

Emma stands there for another moment, seeming… uncertain at the least. Then she walks over to Jashin and lets go of the towel to wrap her arms around him as she kisses him, but the towel remains between them.

Jashin's eyes widen, but he quickly relaxes and put his hands on her bare back and presses her against him as he kisses her in return. She kisses him harder and squeezes him tighter and he can feel her body becoming tense with excitement.

Jashin suddenly realizes that this is it; this is what he's been waiting for. She trusts him completely. If she lets him do this, she'll be giving in to him and he'll be able to hurt her and allow others to hurt her too.

But he doesn't want that anymore…

His grip on her loosens and he stops kissing her. Emma tries to kiss him again but Jashin pushes her back. Emma takes the towel and slowly stands looking at Jashin. When he doesn't say anything she wraps the towel around herself and quickly leaves with tears in her eyes.

Jashin sits unmoving, once again frozen, mind completely blank.

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