Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha or any of its characters.

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Chapter four: Collar

Sesshomaru lay without moving for two days.

As night approached on the second day, he stirred.

While cradling his left arm, the demon sat up in achingly slow degrees.

With great effort, he managed to crawl over to the side wall.

His body jerked at the jolt of pain as his right shoulder touched the ungiving surface.

Biting his lip, the youkai leaned heavily with his back against the wall until the needling sensation passed.

The demon closed his eyes and rested from the tiring exertions.

He needed to think.

That woman...

That bitch...

If what she claimed to be held any truth, then the danger of his situation was undisputably grave.

He had heard mostly legends and stories of the witch.

Believing them to be mere myth, he had discounted the tales as pure fantasy. But now, it seems, he had been wrong in his assumptions.

The legends were vague but from what his mental gatherings could surmise , the woman had enough power to kill or control any youkai she desired.

Those stories, long ago, had been whispered by youkai in dark places.

They had spoken of her ageless beauty and timeless undertaking; the task of seizing demon souls and sealing them inside her little wooden box for eternity.

It had been unknown how the miko trapped her victims.

But now he knew. He had fallen into one of her snares.

The youkai opened his eyes and looked down at Tenseiga.

His sword had saved him, protected him from the spirit stealing mist.

And for once in his life, the inu youkai prince thanked his father for the gift.

But he had not come out of the confrontation unscathed.

The miko's power had ripped through him as if he were paper.

Her parting tap wounded him more than any battle he had ever fought in.

He didn't like this.

And his demon blood demanded her death.

The youkai growled, earning him an undesirable stab of pain through his chest.

He grimaced then shook his head slightly to clear his vision which had started to spin.

Something was wrong.

Whatever sorcery imprisoned him and sealed his demonic powers, had also interfered with his ability to heal at a normal rate.

These injuries should have healed in one day, but the feeling of raw muscle against jagged bone told him different.

By the rate his wounds were mending, he would not be able to stand for another three days at the most.

If the miko decided to return before that time, his chances of beating the witch were slim.

Anger sparked and he clinched his fist.

His thoughts turned scarlet as he imagined taking the witch and rending every piece of flesh from her body strip by bloody strip.

His lips curved in a malicious smile.

Yes. He would listen to her screams of torment for hours before he let her die.

The demons daydream of inflicting horrific torture on the miko vanished when a certain scent floated in from outside.

He determined the odor to be that of a fox demon; a kit to be precise.

A small rustle to the right of his prison confirmed that there was indeed something or someone close by.

Minutes passed.

The patter of little paws could be heard.

Sesshomaru turned his head to peer out through the iron like bars.

He heard the youkai sniffing around, probably trying to decide if his presence presented a threat.

A minute later, a tuft of auburn hair stuck out from around the corner.

Then two little fox eyes looked in.

Cautiously, the child moved around to the front of the trap, while keeping his gaze fixed on him. When he came within an arms length of the bars, he stopped. He tilted his head in curiosity then spoke. "Hello."

Sesshomaru looked away.

The inu youkai picked up the movements of the kit as his steps came even closer.

The child spoke again in a more anxious tone. "Are you..... hurt?"

The dog demon ignored the brat.

"Why are you in here?" the kit questioned.

Sesshomaru kept his gaze on the far wall. "Go away."

Then he picked up the scent of despair from the little fox.

"I am lost. I got separated from mother and father when we were attacked by the Thunder Brothers. Which way should I go to get out of this forest?....Please tell me." the child implored.

Sesshomaru let out a long breath. With no emotion he replied. "Follow the North Star."

The kits voice brightened some. "Thank you."

As he waited for the fox to leave, the smell of fresh blood tingled his nose.

His mouth watered.

He turned to see the kit rumaging in a leather pouch.

The fox child then pulled out two recently killed rabbits and pushed them through the bars. "Here...you can have these, I still have two more in my bag. Me and father were out hunting before.........well anyway....thanks for the directions."

The small kit then turned and left, heading north, towards his father's lands.

Sesshomaru stared at the freshly killed rabbits.

His stomach voiced its opinion on the matter.

Reaching over, the youkai picked up the meat and proceeded to tear into it.

After finishing the somewhat satisfying meal, he painstakingly moved to lay down, resting his head on his fur boa.

The inu youkai soon fell asleep.

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Sesshomaru woke to the lighting of day.

He sat up, noticing that his wounds had finally healed.

The demon concluded that he had slept for at least three days.

While standing, his muscles creaked from being unused for so long.

Gripping the solid bars, he looked out to the dense forest that surrounded the clearing.

The inu youkai raised his nose slightly then inhaled deeply.

Only the smell of the morning dew drying under the emerging sunlight filled his senses.

He listened; no crickets, no frogs, no birds. Nothing . It seemed even nature avoided this cursed place.

Then, he heard the faint sound of footsteps.

The demon waited.

Soon, a figure emerged out of the parting branches and stepped into the clearing.

Sesshomaru recognized the dark grey cloak.

It was her.

He watched the woman closely as she pulled her hood back.

She smiled at him. "I see that you haved.....healed. This is good. I hoped you would be alive upon my return. Sometimes, I can get.....carried away."

The inu youkai remained silent.

In a tone of mock innocence, the woman cooed. "Oh...something wrong? Can't speak? Cat got your tounge?"

Sesshomaru cleared all thoughts then forged a mental barrier.

The miko crossed her arms, still smiling. "I see, demon, that you have a few talents of your own. Very clever, closing your thoughts off to me. But it matters not. I do not need to hear or see your thoughts to know what your intentions are towards me. You want to kill me. I understand. It's not every day the Great Prince of the Western Lands comes upon an adversary who is more powerful than he. You will learn, youkai, that you are but an insect to the likes of me. I can crush you with my finger if need be."

The miko uncrossed her arms and looked at him intently. "But I do not wish to take your life. Your capture has offered me an opportunity to utilize some of your worthy abilities. You will be a useful tool to help aid me in my work. You, demon, will be my guardian, my servant, my slave, and my pet. You belong to me now. I am your master. And I expect your absolute obediance."

Sesshomaru stood very still, listening to the woman. He wasn't about to give the bitch the pleasure of knowing how her words affected him.

The miko then slipped a hand inside of her cloak.

As his body tensed in caution, the inu youkai prepared himself as much as he could for the unknown.

Reaching into the folds of her garments, the woman then pulled out a circular object which seemed to made of black iron. She looked the object over carefully, running her fingers over the outer edge. "This, my dear youkai, is how I am going to control you. Know this, Lord Sesshomaru, from this moment on, you will forever be a servant, if not to me then to whomever may own you in the future."

The female then smiled a wickedly wistful smile. "I have one hope, my beautiful prince. I do hope that this restraint will not drive you.......mad. It would be a shame if I were forced into a........... mercy killing."

Sesshomaru eased backwards, placating his panicing instincts that were steadily rising to an uncontrollable level. Even though his body pleaded with him to try anything to escape , he remained calm on the outside.

He knew there was no where to run. His situation just took a turn for the worse.

The inu youkai had a good idea what this miko had planned for him.

Other youkai had come under the control of miko's before. But in no journals or books had he ever come across any writings detailing the magics of one such as she.

This woman, the power she possessed and her appearance rivaled the angel of death.

And this dark angel, this bringer of pain, wanted him.

He watched in growing apprehension as the witch began chanting in a different language.

She held the black shiny ring out in front of her and closed her eyes.

Her words echoed louder, claiming all sound and air around him.

The ring rose up from her grasp.

It began glowing with an unholy luster and started to spin.

From what he could see, the ring broke into several pieces, breaking into a circle of whirling, spinning stars.

As the miko's voice grew louder, the dots of light spun faster and faster.

Then they broke away from each other and flew towards him.

The demon swiped his claws out in one last futile effort of defense.

But the small orbs of brightness only whipped around his talons as if they were only a nuisance.

The luminance grew brighter. While closing his eyes to the blinding radiance, Sesshomaru could feel his hair bristle at the prospect of imminent danger.

A weight manifested around his throat. It's coldness reminded the demon of the feel of steel against skin.

Suddenly, a strange sense of loss engulfed the demon.

As the flash of light died, the inu youkai opened his eyes.

His hands reached up to feel the foreign object around his neck. He clawed at the restraining metal but his nails only slid across the slick hard surface.

Sesshomaru glared at the witch "What sorcery is this?"

The woman looked down and seemed to be dusting off some invisable dirt from her cloak. "I would think that a well read youkai such as yourself would know a subduing spell when he saw one."

The infernal witch then raised a hand in the air and snapped her fingers.

The walls of his prison then fell away, disappearing into the ground while the roof only vanished.

He was free.

And he wished, at that very moment, to do two things: one, kill the miko and two, go back home. And he wanted to do them in that order.

The demon smirked at the wench who stood a mere ten feet from him.

He was going to kill her now.

But the youkai found himself unable to do so. His body would not comply with his overwhelming urge to rip the woman to shreds.

As the demon clinched his hands together in mounting anger, he felt hot liquid ooze from his tightened fists.

Damn it. he wanted to kill this....this....bitch.

Finding his desire to rend the life from the witch thwarted, Sesshomaru looked around. His need for revenge would have to wait.

The inu youkai prince wanted to go home, and put as much distance between him and this hell cat as possible.

But again, he realized that the wish to escape this nightmare would not be granted.

He was being held be magical means.

This is what she meant by control.

This spelled neck brace forced him to stay and froze all actions concerning his desire to kill or hurt the woman before him.

After giving an amused chuckle, the raven haired female sauntered over to him. "You are now bound to me, demon. I am your owner. You cannot harm me. You cannot escape me. You are mine, body and soul.."

Her hands trailed over his clothes offhandedly then smoothed over his boa. She then reached up to touch his face.

Sesshomaru jerked his head away.

The miko frowned "It seems I will have to.....teach you some manners, prince." As the woman walked away from him, she gave him a command "I have much to do, youkai. Follow Me!"

Sesshomaru only stared at the wench, he wasn't about to obey any of her commands.

A few seconds later, the metal ring around his throat began to tighten. It closed around his neck. He couldn't breath..... the demon frantically clawed at the constricting metal choker.

He dropped to his knees when a surge of power started at his throat and ripped over and into his skin.

Cool, damp earth bunched up under his palms as his talons dug into the mossy ground.

The intensity of the magical current sliced through his insides, making him spasm violently.

Sesshomaru kneeled lower, his nose only inches away from the decaying smell of the dead grass.

Fire consumed his flesh and his mind screamed in agony.

His thoughts scattered then slowly edged their way into an oncoming but welcomed blackness.

The inu youkai's silent whimpers died to only whispers.

But just as the pain intensified to a level beyond his will to endure, it lessened.

The metal around his neck loosened and he sucked in a much needed breath of air while his body jerked at the fading sensations of the vicious torture.

The miko's footsteps drew near and he heard her voice speak in an irritated tone. "Now you know what happens to you, demon, if you defy me."

She bent down, her lips close to his ear. "And I will tell you a little secret, my Prince. You defy my command more than once and the pain will only increase until your mind is nothing but an endless fog. You will become my puppet completely with the death of your spirit." Her cloak rustled, the sound of the cloth moving farther away. "I do not have time for this. Get up and follow me!"

Sesshomaru eased up slowly, spitting out the blood which had welled up in his mouth.

He stumbled once then began walking in the miko's direction.

While trailing behind the woman he realized he had no choice but to comply with her demands.

Becoming lost in the shame, the inu youkai prince wallowed in the disgrace of being a slave.

His wild freedom and untamed spirit was now locked away forever in servitude.

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Another chap finished in this saga. And it's going to get better. Well maybe not for our beloved Sess. But it will become more interesting. Hope you liked this chap and maybe it helped to give more insight as to what the spell does. I have had some problems explaining it. I almost kicked the story because I confused some people. But I decided to go on with it anyway and work around the problem. Hope you all were entertained.^_^ Comments? Questions? Please reveiw. Thanks to all who read and enjoy. The next chap of Captive Soul will be out Friday. Ja ne.

Review responses:

Shinoku: Thanks for the cookie! *munch munch munch* can I have an oreo next time? ^_^

fan of story: You like star wars? that's great! I was in love with Han Solo. I loved the romance between him and Leia. Now I am a die hard Harrison Ford fan. Anything with him is a winner in my book. And now you tell me your a teacher. I got a little self conscious when I read that. eeeps. Ah well, anywho glad you like the chap. ^_^

innuficcrzy: Ah, I would love to answer your questions but it will give some of this story away. sorry. review stealing demons? Man, don't let them boogers get anywhere near me.....*runs off to get the latest in computer virus protection from demons*

taskinLUDE: Glad you like the pandora idea. I just took her myth and fit it into Inuyasha's time. Thanks for the spelling info. I got it corrected. Well, sesshy didn't really panic on the tenth day. He was just a little worried.

Sake Girl Duelist: *raised eyebrow* "Super Soaker?" Flame Thrower! Hey if you could, burn the woman to a nice crispity crisp.

Many happy thanks to the others who reviewed. ^_^

My Reflection

Hino Rei

and Blue Demon