I am back from my long hiatus! Who knew a full time job could suck even more time and energy than school! o.o Well, anyway, here is another chapter. Please enjoy!
Warnings: torture (of course)!
Disclaimer: I do not own YYH or any of its characters, nor will I ever!
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Before Kurama could utter a single word, the cell was bathed in the hallway's dim light, the crow's silhouette blocking the doorway. Disgruntled, the kitsune rose to his feet, not daring to spare even a glance in the Koorime's direction, afraid that it would make Karasu suspicious. His thoughts, however, were a completely different matter, and his mind replayed Hiei's words over and over again, analyzing every possible meaning. How long had the fire demon felt this way? And what exactly did "this way" mean? Just as he was about to give in to temptation, and catch the Koorime's gaze if only for a moment, the crow spoke up and Kurama's attention was quickly diverted to his tormentor.
"Pet, come along." Although Karasu's voice held its usual velvety smoothness, it was only a thin shell for the anger underneath, and Kurama moved quickly to obey, the stone door shutting with a thud behind him. The kitsune struggled to keep up with Karasu's brisk pace, but dared not fall behind. The crow's murderous intent was nearly tangible, and drawing attention of any kind to himself was nothing short of a death sentence.
With his focus on maintaing the harsh pace, and his mind on the Koorime, Kurama failed to notice the other demon's abrupt stop, finding himself mere inches from crashing into his tormentor. After backing up a few steps, the fox caught only a glimpse of the silver inlayed ebony door before the crow slammed it open.
As he stepped into the room, Kurama covered his eyes, the sunlight momentarily blinding after his extended stay in the dungeon. Once his eyes had adjusted, the kitsune's sight fixed on the lone figure kneeling in the center of the grand ballroom. He couldn't help but feel a pang of pity for the demon girl he had come to sympathize with, for he quickly realized not only what she had done to elicit such anger from the crow, but what the outcome of her mistake would ultimately be.
"Kneel and be silent." The words were spoken without so much as a glance in Kurama's direction, although the crow's hand gesture was enough to indicate which corner of the room he had intended. Kurama obeyed him automatically, trying hard to ignore the nagging voice at the back of his mind that mocked his every act of obedience. At the very least, he could justify moving away from the crow as an act of self-preservation. The tips of Karasu's hair were already turning golden, and while the crow never wore his infamous mark within the confines of his mansion, it was only when he was truly angry that he lost control over the transformation.
"Do you have any idea how angry I am slave?!" His words dripped with venom as he approached his unmoving pray. When Maya didn't answer, her eyes still downcast, the crow kicked her in the stomach. "Well?"
"I'm sorry master…" Her voice was soft and hollow, a clear indication that she too understood the consequences of her actions and knew better than to beg or oppose the crow.
"Sorry? You're sorry?" Karasu mocked, grabbing Maya by the throat, her feet dangling in mid air as she struggle to breath. "I saw you let him go on purpose! You helped him escape! The only thing I don't understand is why you would betray me!"
"I'm sorry….I felt…sorry for him" Her voice was barely audible as she tried to answer the crow before he suffocated her for good. "Just a kid…came to steal food…please master."
The answer only seemed to anger him more, and the crow threw her against the wall at full strength, her body leaving behind a noticeable dent as it rolled to the ground. She coughed, her breathing ragged, as she tried to adjust to the sudden inflow of air. "How dare you betray me, making such 'decisions' on your own? You are a slave, nothing more, and you will do well to remember that!" Karasu grabbed her again before she had even fully regain her breath, but thankfully by the front of her uniform this time.
"I think you have forgotten your place slave. Grown too accustomed to the privileges that I have graciously granted you. Perhaps you need a reminder as to how someone in your position is usually treated." Karasu hissed, his hand glowed over her collar for just a moment as he fully closed off any access to her demon energy. "Let's see how quickly you break with no access to your demon energy to soften and heal my blows."
Her eyes widened with fear. "Please master, I'm sorry, I'm sorry!" Maya's voice was filed with a desperation that made the kitsune's stomach churn, and he could no longer bear to watch the scene before him. He had experienced this firsthand enough times to know what was coming, and he had no desire to watch anyone else suffer at the crow's hands.
Instead, Kurama turned his eyes towards the window, in an unsuccessful attempt to block out the torture that ensued. While he could keep his eyes focused on the garden below, that did nothing to block out the sound of begging and screaming that anyone besides the crow would have found sickening. As the sun's journey across the horizon marked the passing hours, Karasu's desire for true punishment ceased. Still, the crow continued, now clearly indulging his own sadistic desire to test the 'limits of his toy'.
The screams and explosions finally ceased just as the sun was setting and Kurama's legs began to ache from the hours of kneeling. He dared to glance back at the two demons, instantly wishing he hadn't. Maya's once neat guard uniform lay in feeble rags around her body, almost to the point of indecency, and she was almost unrecognizable, covered in a nearly uniform layer of blood. She looked to be on the verge of passing out from the pain, the look in her eyes distant, and her body curled up and unmoving.
"Pathetic." Karasu sneered, looking disgusted. "You're absolutely pathetic. You should thank me for sparing your worthless life." Unsatisfied with her lack of response, the crow slammed his boot on top of the ribs he had shattered not too long before, seeming immune to the tortured scream that tore from her throat as the boot made contact. "Well? I'm waiting slave…"
"Thank you for sparing my life master." Her voice was raw from hours of screaming, but she forced herself to speak to avoid further pain.
It was a relief the crow seemed unwilling to grant her, as he put more pressure on her ribs, eliciting another scream from the girl. "That's not what I said. Were you not paying attention or do you purposely choose to disobey me?"
"No…I'm sorry… I…Thank you for sparing my worthless life master" Maya tried again, her eyes full of unshed tears.
The crow appeared satisfied at long last, as he removed his foot from her body. He calmly wiped his blood-soaked hands on a towel, seemingly unaffected by the torture he had just inflicted. When he processed to speak, his voice mimicked that of a impartial judge, calmly stating a prisoner's sentence.
"Since you cost me a slave today, you will take his place in the dungeon. No food. No water. At least until I decide you deserve it, or you die, whichever comes first." How much of Karasu's statement Maya really processed was debatable, however, as she was clearly on the verge of unconsciousness. At the very least the crow did not push for a reply again, a small mercy on his part.
After throwing the bloodied towel on top of her mangled body, as if merely adding one more piece of trash to the existing pile, he called for two of his guards who appeared within seconds. As they entered the room, their expressions turned from wariness to terror, but they did not dare speak. Either the crow didn't notice or didn't care, pointing to the now motionless girl on the ground. "Take "this" out of my sight and lock her down in the dungeons. Make sure she is hung upright in the center of the room. I want her to suffer to the fullest extent." Karasu's tone casual. As the guards moved to obey, however, he spoke again, as if adding an afterthought to his original statement. "I need not tell you that she is allowed neither food nor water. Inform the servants they are forbidden from assisting her in any way, and if anyone dares to get within a meter of the dungeons they will share her fate."
"Of course Lord Karasu." One of the guards replied, his voice almost trembling. It was no secret that demons made unreliable guards, but the kitsune doubted anyone would be foolish enough to go against the crow's wishes on this. Kurama had never seen the guards obey an order so quickly before, but then again, getting away from the crow was bound to be a powerful motivator. They no doubt knew what Karasu's golden hair meant, and that the crow was bound to be unstable in such a state.
Kurama almost envied them as they left the room, while he was now stuck alone with the crow. As Karasu turned to face him, the kitsune could not help the shiver that ran down his spine. Although the crow's hair was slowly returning to its usual straight black, indicating that he had regained at least some control over his anger, Kurama could not help feeling that something was still off. Even though he himself was an expert in disobedience, having experienced Karasu's fury on a nearly daily basis, he could not remember seeing the crow in a fouler mood than now.
Worse of all, the kitsune knew full well why the crow had taken the time to retrieve him from the dungeon, and it was not just his distrust of leaving the fox with Hiei. Karasu wanted to teach by example, to show Kurama the punishment for crossing his 'master'. Although the kitsune was no stranger to torture at the hands of the crow, watching it happen had left him feeling nauseous, and this time, there would be no sweet unconsciousness to take the feeling away. Instead, terror gripped him as Karasu stopped mere inches from his side, and the fox bit his lip to maintain his calm as the crow petted his hair like he would a dog's.
When Karasu finally spoke, however, his voice was drained and hollow, as if he had been the one enduring the torture. It was enough to make the kitsune meet his eyes, surprised to see weariness where usually only lust and amusement lingered. "I expect this place clean pet. Now, before it stains my floor permanently." Even the order seemed to lack spirit, and, unable to maintain his usual facade, the crow soon took his leave, whatever intentions he had planned for the kitsune gone with him, at least for the day.
Kurama finished the cleaning as instructed, finding the work almost meditative. Between the repetitive labor, the setting sun, and the deathly silence, his mind was free to wander, or, more precisely, focus on the Koorime. With but a few words, Hiei had awakened every feeling the kitsune had desperately tried to crush, and for the first time, those feeling were void of the sickening guilt that usually accompanied them. In all honestly, had the situation allowed for such behavior, the kitsune would have probably resembled a giddy human girl, excited by the prospect of 'finally being with her crush'. But while still under Karasu's 'care', the Koorime's confession was bittersweet at best. Kurama knew the price he must pay for their freedom, and that in the end, alive or not, he would be tainted. Even if Hiei still held any feelings for him, Kurama doubt he himself would ever be capable of having a normal relationship again.