He laughed, licking some of the blood that stained the knife. He bent down before the cat, grinning again. "Now, who was I again?" He questioned, fingers lingering the knife slightly in a silent warning to the teenager to say a word wrong or out of place. "Who is you master, cat?"

Kyou bowed his head before Akito pulled his hair slightly again and bit his tongue, letting his tears fall slowly down his cheeks. "Y-you are." He choked out.

Akito grinned.

Chapter Five:

Hell.

That's what this place was. He was Akito's play toy. He was use, tainted and old. His body was broken but his soul and the fire that lit up in his eyes that gave him life was gone. He was an empty shell, something that was just…there.

"How's my little toy today?" A chilling voice said. No response was thrown back to his statement, not even a nasty retort to the teenager who had managed to take away everything he had worked so hard for. Kyou stared at the ground, head leaned over as his crimson eyes blinked, not even registering the pain that throbbed through his body.

The soft padding of footsteps didn't make him flinch or even struggle when a hand gripped his chin in a vice grip, yanking it up into the slight light of the room. His breathing hadn't increased nor did his pulse. Everything was as if he was sleeping. Akito's black hair hung slightly over his gleaming eyes as he looked at his pet.

Bruises riddled the many features of the once pride-filled cat. He had played the cat right into his hands, saying all the words and statements that Kyou's mind didn't even utter in his mind. Lashes from the whip that he used, studded or not, looked like mountain ridges on his back. The stained blood painted his back, falling off or running down his back when scabs were torn.

His bones showed through and it was obvious that he had been starved. His body gave up long after his soul. Dark circles hung under his eyes and his skin was a ghostly pale color. His once full face was now almost like a skeleton. His lips were cracked and parched, his voice seemed to no longer work.

"I do believe I have done an excellent job." Akito said idly. "Perhaps you're ready to be released and put into dear Tohru's care, neh?" Kyou didn't show any recognition to the name. The word freedom didn't register into his mind at all.

"Akito-sama." A voice said as a door was opened, spilling light into the dark room and letting the musk smell file slightly out of the room. The silhouette of a tall man was in the light from the outside world.

"Go away." Akito snapped sharply, moving so that the person's view couldn't see the broken form of the zodiac cat. The person opened his mouth to object but then stopped, Akito sending a spiteful glare at the person. "I said, go AWAY." He said this slowly to emphasize his point, letting the person catch on.

"Yes, Akito-sama." The person replied, being none other than the doctor Hatori. "I'll be waiting for you in your room for your checkup."

"Fine." The youth snapped angrily as he turned his back, signaling that he was through talking and the doctor's presence was no longer required or even wanted. The door closed silently and slowly, Hotari worried as he had a gut feeling that something wasn't right here.

"So, kitty cat," Akito hissed lightly at the cat who hadn't moved at all except for the rise and fall of his scarred and marked chest from inhaling and exhaling. "Are you ready to be free?" Kyou merely blinked and continued staring at the ground, his attention not holding for very long.

"I take that as a yes." Akito said snidely as he bent down, keys jingling as he unlocked the chains that held the broken body up and supported him. Kyou fell towards the ground and blinked as he registered the cold stones pressed against his cheek.

'Free…?' Kyou's spaced mind wondered vaguely.

TBC

BANG!!!

Okay, now that I have your attention, (grins evilly) I want to thank all reviewers. To put it plan and simple, lets just say that Kyou has been through one hell of a time. Imagine any torture techniques and that's what he's been through.

That's about it. Yep. Thanks for the reviews again everyone!

Red Tail