Raichu, if you're reading this, you should know I still plan on kicking your ass.

Chapter 6:

Sesshoumaru returned to his home mere hours after his departure, heading immediatelyfor Kagome's room. As he approached it became apparent something was wrong; magical energies were flaring like mad from her room. He found her, spilled across the threshold with her lower half still caught in the thrashing barrier. The magic only knew to do one thing--keep Kagome trapped in the room, and though she had passed the point of its effectiveness, it continued to exert a tremendous force on her.

Without wasting time on thought, he yanked her back into the room, slamming the door behind them. She was out of the barrier, but as he prepared to lower her to the floor he realized her breathing had stopped. He was suddenly terrified for her, realizing that her heart was still beating weakly. He pressed her to the ground, lowering his mouth to hers and forcing a breath into her lungs.

This seemed to shock her lungs into revival, and instantly she drew in a hasty breath of her own, as if she had just surfaced from a long dive.

Kagome was immediately aware of a numbing pain covering her whole body, even before her eyes open. She couldn't remember how exactly it had happened, but she was terrified as she realized she didn't seem to have control over her muscles.

She felt her body being lifted and pulled abruptly into a pair of strong arms. She fell against an armored chest and forced her eyes open. She caught Sesshoumaru's eyes, furious and intense, and knew that she had been caught. She dropped her eyes, tried to curl in on herself protectively with a quiet moan of defeat.

They stayed that way for a long moment, Kagome ridged in his grasp, trying to stall his anger. He was holding her increasingly tighter, his grip almost painful, and he was beginning to growl almost inaudibly, though she could feel the vibrations even through his armor. Wordlessly, he stood and carried her through the barrier, unresisting as long as she was in his possession. Kagome was to afraid to speak or move for fear of setting off whatever was building inside her demon captor.

Sesshoumaru carried her, almost blind with rage. It helped that she was submitting to him, clinging feebly to his chest. How dare she scare him like that? What was she thinking, trying to escape him? And who would she run to? His strong fingers curled like a vice around her barely-clad body, and she whimpered at the pressure.

He marched her back to a room he knew she would recognize. Surely enough, as soon as they entered the stone-walled chamber her breath quickened in panic. Making himself ignore her terror, he insistently put her on her feet, looking down at the girl coldly.

Kagome kept her balance, most of the feeling returned to her body since she had been freed of the barrier. She tried not to look around her, tried not to think about what Sesshoumaru would do to her. The last time she had been here, he had not seemed so angry. This time, she was almost certain he intended her pain.

She was half panicked, clinging to Sesshoumaru as he forced her out of his grasp. "Sesshoumaru-- please... I'm sorry."

He looked down at her, golden eyes icy, as she begged him with barely concealed terror. Her damp, frightened eyes and attempts to cling to him eased him slightly, but not enough. He held her firmly by her waist as he easily caught her wrists. He kept her pressed tightly against him as he walked her backwards against a wall.

"Please don't, Sesshoumaru-sama," he heard her beg in a small voice. "I'm so sorry, please don't hurt me."

He stopped when she was pressed against the wall. "Sorry?" He growled at her, dangerously low.

She nodded quickly. "I won't try to escape again. Please, Sesshoumaru-sama."

Never before had his urge to dominate her been so strong. He wanted to bite her, claw at her until she recognized his power over her. He wanted to punish her, if only for the fleeting fear she had caused in him. And then there were her other offenses.

He leaned in close to her, his head alongside hers. He nipped at her ear, causing her to jump, but she stayed cautiously silent except for her ragged breathing. "Who is your master, Kagome," he purred into her delicate ear.

"You are, Sesshoumaru," she quickly spoke the words he wanted to hear.

"And are you ready to obey your master?" His breath tickled her neck.

She had to try and calm him down, she knew. For her own safety. Her pride could come later. "Yes. Just please don't hurt me."

He released her hands, choosing to rest both hands lightly on her waist. "Turn around and face the wall, Kagome."

She bit her lip nervously and did as he told her, feeling his fingers slide around her circumference as she turned. He stayed impossibly close to her, not giving her even an inch to rebel. She looked at the stones, trying not to shake in his grasp. In an attempt to calm him, she smoothed her hands over his, brushing over his long graceful fingers. She could feel tears stinging her eyes again, threatening to spill.

"Now, Kagome, put your hands above you," she heard his low voice speak closely behind her.

Slowly, she raised both of her arms above her head. Sesshoumaru's body bracketed her closely from behind, his hair spilling around them both. He slid his hands up her sides and stretched her arms. His hand wrapped around her wrists, manipulating them into shackles above her that she hadn't even realized were there. Still, she knew better than to try and fight back at the moment. They were slightly too high; she had to lean on the balls of her feet and trust to the wall and the bindings for balance.

Her breathing seemed to echo off the stone walls as the trapped feeling enveloped her. She found herself pressed between the cold rock wall and a very hard place.

"You tried to escape me." His voice could make a mountain shake, without having to rise above a whisper.

Kagome said nothing, clinching her eyes shut.

"Perhaps you require another demonstration to show you who your master is." He slid the cord away from her waist, allowing it to fall loose. With it, he tied her hair into a quick braid and laid it over one shoulder. Kagome stood unprotesting, steeling herself for the worst.

"Now, Kagome, how shall you be punished?" He ran his hands over her shoulders roughly. "Firstly, I think these should go." Starting at her bound hands, he snagged a corner of each silk sleeve and began to drag his claws through the fabric with agonizing slowness.

Kagome winced as her clothing slipped off her in two three clean pieces like a sheet of rain. Her body was completely exposed to the cool air, and she could feel her hairs rise on her flesh. Her front was partially pressed against the cold stone wall, the tips of her breasts caught against the rough texture. She writhed against her bonds, whimpering slightly and refusing to look behind her at Sesshoumaru.

She felt the needle-sharp tips of his claws press into her stomach as his hands wrapped tightly around her waist. The points of his elaborate armor pressed into her back as he leaned forward, his breath tumbling against her ear. "Now," he hissed into her ear. "Listen carefully and cooperate, and I will be kinder to you." He let the tips of his claws drag across her stomach, hard enough to draw hair-thin lines of blood across her. Sesshoumaru's hands left her shaking as he drew away slightly.

The room took on a slightly green hue as a glow grew behind her. That toxic green light had been in all her dreams lately. The light that inslaved her, that impassioned her so that she thought she might explode from under her skin if she were not freed from it. Whether or not it actually caused her pain, it still seemed to set her aflame.

She twisted again, instinctively trying to yank her hands free. Sesshoumaru moved alongside her, picking up her chin and directing her vision. He watched his the green line of his whip reflected in her dark eyes. They widened in fear only a moment before narrowing again in defiance.

His voice made her insides twist rebelliously as he let his poison whip close enough so she could feel the heat of it. His free hand drifted down to squeeze her buttocks. "You will feel this five times tonight. Once for hurting yourself. One for trying to escape. And three more for doing all this for another man."

She growled at him. The little vixen had the guts to growl in her position.

"Ten then." He flicked his tongue lightly over the shell of her ear. "And what's more, you will enjoy this little punishment. You will accept me as your master and be grateful for you correction. Am I understood?"

"I won't!" she snapped back.

"Perhaps you forget, Kagome, how easily I could kill that hanyou." He smirked at her little gasp. "Yes, perhaps I should eliminate him. That would be the easiest way to solve this, wouldn't it? No one for my little mate to run away to. Unless you can prove to me that you can stay... loyal... while he still lives."

She stuck her chin out stubbornly. "I can." She was vaguely aware that she had just been maneuvered into a corner, but the sight of the whip and the reactions of her nude body to this cold captivity were clouding her mind. She knew she was bleeding, the thin cuts sending her into sensory overdrive.

He smirked. "Good. Then count them."

She heard the crack of the tip of the whip and the sound of it lashing across her flesh an instant before she felt the white-hot pain splitting her skin. She must have screamed, but the sound of it didn't seem to reach her ears. After the initial stabbing pain subsided, her flesh continued to burn, and it felt like slivers of fire were squirming through the wound--some version of Sesshoumaru's poison no doubt. She was beginning to suspect he had many.

His hand trailed down her backside, and she realized he was waiting for something.

"One." She put all of her energy into her voice, letting the chains take more of her weight.

The whip fell across her back again, lower this time. She was driven into the wall, her nipples rubbing against the rough surface as she tossed. She did not yell this time, but heard her own voice echo off the walls as she counted.

Kagome could hear his voice behind her, low and rhythmic, as he paused between strikes. The words seemed distant and surreal, but strangely exciting.

"You were very disobedient and you deserve this Kagome. You are fortunate you have a strong mate to discipline you."

She was driven against the wall again with the third stroke. The sound of his voice echoed in her mind even as she heard herself whisper, "Three." The squirming heat on her back was frighteningly stimulating, and against her will she recalled Sesshoumaru's order to enjoy her punishment. She hated him still-but the power he had over her was painfully exhilerating. The energy crackling in the air, the occasional ticklish drop of warm blood, the horrifying contrasts of temperature and texture on her body-it made her tremble and ache in ways she had never felt before. She realized that part of her was eagerly awaiting the next stroke.

Sesshoumaru watched as Kagome straightened again in her chains as best she could. Her breathing was heavy, and she waited in suspense, unable to see him, for the next blow. She was totally at his whim, and Sesshoumaru found that he rather liked this feeling.

When the fourth lash fell, he watched as she arched beautifully, pressing her bare body tightly against the wall as she pulled herself up off the ground by her chains. Her head fell back and she moaned out her count.

"Good girl," he hummed, pausing to let her squirm under the effects of his burning venom. "You should always be grateful for your mate's attentions. And you are behaving so well for your punishment. Perhaps you regret your transgression now?"

She hung for a moment, sorting out his words. She felt strangely warm at his praise...but regret? She wasn't sure what the honest response was anymore, and didn't know how to answer him. She wished he would stop waiting and get on with it. She fidgeted in her chains, and realized she was holding her body off the ground, her toes dangling just above the floor as she waited for the next blow. "I was... disobedient," she said heavily. "I deserve my punishment."

She heard him murmur approval and the whip fell again. He did not wait as long in between strokes now, and she jumped at each impact of the whip. The pressure was building inside her, every word and motion from Sesshoumaru increasing it.

"Beg for more, my Kagome. Show me how much you enjoy this."

Her body instantly responded, and her tormented cries began to echo off the stone as each stroke seemed to bring an explosion in her. The sensations sent delicious spasms through her body, wave after wave of intense burning energy passing over her.

Suddenly, the blows stopped and everything fell silent but her labored breathing. She writhed in the chains, still overcome by the passion he had ignited in her. Gradually her body slowed, and she belatedly realized she had just moaned ten.

She began to relax, still feeling the swimming pain of the welts. Large hands rested on her hips, and something rough and cool began to trace the wounds on her back. She sighed and leaned forward as Sesshoumaru licked the razor-thin lines of blood from her back, soothing her.

Sesshoumaru heard his mate's sigh and contented himself with the taste of her as she relaxed in his grasp. The scent of her arousal was strong, and he didn't resist the temptation of slipping his hand between her tired legs to feel how wet he had made her. She whimpered slightly, but did not protest as he gave her already stimulated bundle of nerves a little push, watching the shudder of pleasure run through her.

He ran his hand down her side, relishing the feel of her smooth skin. The taste of her was heavenly, the traces of her blood, the light sheen of sweat, and her own tangy flavor. She was still dazed from her punishment, but her muscles were beginning to tense up again as he continued to stroke her and tease her injured backside. The cuts were intentionally slim, and the blood had already stopped.

She struggled again, pulling futilely at her wrists. "Sesshoumaru," she whispered. "Let me down now?"

Kagome let her forehead fall against the stone wall as he began to take down her hair, long graceful fingers weaving through the dark waves as the tips tickled her sensitive bare back. Her breaths were long and deep as she tried to bring her body under her control again. The sound of her own voice was echoing in her ears still. She had practically been begging for his punishment, completely caught up in this game of power, pleasure, and pain. As her thoughts began to pool, she became more ashamed of submitting, of responding to his sadistic amusements. She tried to close off the intimate caress of his hand in her hair and the more insistent massage he had begun at her abdomen. She was only partially successful. He seemed to know how to fan the smallest embers within her into an all-consuming inferno, and there was nothing she could do to prevent being swept away. But that didn't mean she couldn't try.

Unfortunately, her musing had distracted her from the situation at hand, and when Sesshoumaru suddenly released her wrists she was unprepared to catch herself. She was unable to stifle a gasp as she fell into his waiting arms. He quickly wrapped her up securely against him, turning her so that she faced him.

She looked up into his face, trying to look as defiant and unaffected as she could. Feeling the warmth of her own skin, she was sure she must be blushing fiercely. She fought the urge to try and cover her exposed body. She desperately did not want to show him how much he had undone her--though she suspected he already knew, especially when he gave her that annoyingly provocative half-smirk.

The pout of defiance she gave him was infuriating even as it was alluring. He wanted to sink his teeth into her, to leave a mark so that maybe she would finally understand who she belonged to while he enjoyed the flavor of her.

One hand fondled her breasts while he held her possessively around the waist. Her body responded slightly as she pressed her already hard nipples into his hand. Still, she remained silent, unwilling to let her expression of stony defiance fade.

"What have you learned from your punishment, pet?" he asked her, a hard edge in his voice.

She didn't answer, even as he continued to play with her body until her heart was pounding.

"You were eager enough before," he hissed at her, becoming irritated at her deliberately refusing to respond. "Will you try to escape me again?"

Her eyes flickered for a moment, and he knew the answer without having to hear her speak. He growled then, yanking her close and raking his claws down her sides and stomach. His fangs were biting at her neck ungently, finally stirring her voice from her. He drove her back, lifting her and pinning her against the stone. Holding her resisting body up with his own, he swept her legs out from under her, forcefully wrapping them around him.

"Keep them there, bitch," he growled as he nipped at her ear. "If this is what I have to do to teach you where you belong, than I will. And if you insist on acting wild, I'll simply have to restrain you." His lips met hers forcefully, his tongue and fangs assaulting her fiercely. To his surprise, she kissed him back, her mouth moving in a passionate counter attack. His loins tightened hungrily, and as she began to put more violence into her kiss he realized she was trying to ward him off. She probably didn't realize that she had just increased his lust for her ten-fold, her little show of independence making him unbelievably hard. She was becoming aroused just the same though, the evidence of it was obvious with her core now pressed against him and her legs constricting around his torso.

His control was beginning to slip. He quickly brought himself back from the edge, rocking her against the wall hard enough to stun her for a moment. Her hands had wrapped themselves around his neck sometime during the tousle. There was a spot of blood on her flushed lips, though he wasn't sure who it belonged to.

She shook her head slightly, then looked boldly into his eyes. "I'm not going to let you have your way," she practically growled.

Sesshoumaru growled right back at her. "If you would submit, it would be your way too, bitch. I know you enjoy what I do to you. Yet you insist on fighting and still seek to escape." He cupped her ass as he pulled away from the wall, keeping her attached to him. With his other hand he tucked her body against his chest, growling at her when she tried to pull away. He picked up a few things and sped from the room with her, feeling her grip tighten at his speeds.

He unceremoniously dumped her on the floor of her room. She fell on her back and let out a pained moan but had little time to think before he was kneeled astride her hips, holding her down. He gripped her forearms tightly and held them to the ground. She squirmed and screamed as he licked and nipped his way up her body, pausing to take advantage of her ripe breasts and alert nipples. She arched off the mat like a bow, mewling at his torture. He stopped at her neck, leaning over her while he stroked the soft flesh of her throat with his claws.

"Defiant woman," he sniffed in derision. "If I cannot trust your loyalties, you leave me no choice." He lifted the restraint he had retrieved in front of her eyes, watching her fear and anger. He held a collar made of steel and tough leather, thick and sturdy.

Kagome immediately began to fight with renewed fervor, blinded of all thoughts but avoiding that collar.

He was having difficulty holding her without slicing her to shreds. Her smaller hands latched around his wrists, her nails digging. She heaved her body, unsuccessfully trying to unseat him. When her body rubbed against his obvious arousal, she started, giving him the opportunity to subdue her. The soft leather of the inside of the collar pushed her down and cut off most of her breath. She realized that if she stopped straining upwards she could recover her air, and her neck went limp as she resigned herself to this newest form of subjugation. She felt like a rag doll as Sesshoumaru secured the collar around her neck. A yelp escaped when he caught a piece of her hair by mistake, but when he shushed her consolingly she bit down on her lip.

He swiftly attached a light but strong chain to her, then left her on the floor as he looped the other end over a screwed hook. Wordlessly, he drove the base of the screw into the floor in the center of the room, then pounded on the hook to drive the point into the wood as well.

Kagome's hands flew to her throat as it began to sink in that she was now leashed to this small room. The collar fitted her snugly, and she had difficulty finding the seam with her fingers. She realized with dismay that it was firmly held on by some steel device that she had no hope of removing. Stifling a sob, she curled her arms around her knees and glared at Sesshoumaru.

He was unreadable, watching her with careful interest. Seeing her restrained calmed him, his anger subsiding as he realized she could no longer attempt to escape him. True, it did cover her beautiful neck from him, but this was only a temporary measure.

Still, her obvious sadness at being locked up tugged at him. She was not a soul easily stifled, and he understood that. A barely audible sigh passing his lips, he knelt down and wrapped his arms around her.

"Another punishment?" she asked bitterly.

"I only want for your safety and loyalty, mate." He stroked her hair and kissed her shoulder. "I will release you when you can behave properly."

She leaned into her hands and mumbled, "You treat me like a slave or a pet."

"You are so much more," he whispered huskily into her ear. "Very soon, you will see that."

~*~*~*~

Thanks for being patient everybody, I know the updates are slow. Your reviews are very much appreciated. This story probably won't be too much longer, a few chapters perhaps. I'm running out of *ahem* plot.

Please Review,

MorningBird