Sorry for the bit of a wait. I've been busy with things and getting my priorities in order. Plus, I can no longer update at school because the compys there are evil! They don't like me!

Sesshoumaru woke up, feeling that his chest was covered in something slimy. He tried to get up, but found that his entire body was paralyzed, save for the muscles necessary to breathe. He forced his hand to touch his stomach, where he could sense something festering, and came upon a yellowish-green substance. Zanmaru's poison.

"So, Were-Dog. You're awake?"

Sesshoumaru stiffened. His enemy was directly next to him.

"I broke your arm already, be thankful for that. And you can rest for a day. That's all I'm allowing you…"

Sesshoumaru spat at the older Dog.

"Feh! Do not be a fool. My brother, bastard that he knows he is, will still come and rescue me again…"

"Not this time. We covered our tracks very well, and our headquarters has changed location."

The younger taiyoukai growled. Zanmaru was no fool and that was a fact. For once in his life, he didn't know what to do, and it scared him…

"Dammit! He was right with us!"

Inuyasha was pacing the hut, ears flattened to his head.

"I said I was sorry!" Sango said softly. "I didn't mean it…"

"Sango!...Sango…I know it wasn't your fault…"

"Inuyasha? Are you really saying this?" Sango asked in amazement.

"Yes I am! And we need to find these damn hunters! I never knew what assholes led them, and I…that is to say…Sesshoumaru needs to rule because I…I…"

"You were not raised to," Miroku finished for him.
"Shut up…"

Inuyasha stared at the ground and that proved that Miroku was right.

"The next crescent isn't too far from now, either. It's about a week after the new moon…" Kagome said softly.

The Next Day

Sesshoumaru was considerably better—his wounds were merely slightly sore.

He got to his feet and began to run his paces. If he had to go against Zanmaru, even with the collar, he'd rather be prepped up.

After about 143 laps around the dungeon, he felt he was ready to stand up to his elders.

"Very peppy today, aren't we?"

That voice still had the effect of chilling Sesshoumaru's blood.

"You seem to not want to give in, I see. And I don't know if you should keep doing that. I could let you live, if only you gave in to me…"

Sesshoumaru stared haughtily at Zanmaru.

"I will not. I am not a door prize to be won."

"Subdue!"

He collapsed, yelling as the elemental pain made itself known once more.

He leapt at Zanmaru, who merely put his index finger and thumb together. The collar tightened.

"Hurk!"

"You do not honestly believe that my collar is so limited, pup? I can do a vast array of tricks with it, which I will demonstrate now…"

Suddenly, Sesshoumaru's mind cleared of everything, save one command.

Bite your tongue. Bite it.

He felt such a strong urge to comply that he did. Blood spilled into his mouth and he began to spit it out.

No. Swallow it all. Suck it out and swallow it all.

Once again, Sesshoumaru did as told, though he knew not why. If too much of his blood reached his stomach, it would purge itself of the liquid.

When this did happen and he began to gag, the voice commanded once more.

Hold it in. Don't dare let it come up, pup.

That voice. It was Zanmaru's!

"You bastard!"

He choked on his blood and began to throw up, despite the urges from Zanmaru's voice in his head.

"Leave…my mind alone…"

Do a triple backwards somersault. Do it now, or else…

Sesshoumaru found he could not disobey…

"Hah. Very good. And now break your arm for me."

Sesshoumaru wondered how he would respond…no! He must not respond!

"Make me!"

"Must you feel your own brother's pain to respond? Sesshoumaru, osuwari!"

Sesshoumaru felt himself being pulled down. He fought madly, but his face met with the stone floor very roughly. Only, unlike Inuyasha, he was thrown at such speeds his nose was nearly broken. He didn't move at all, having been knocked senseless.

Break your arm.

Involuntarily, he rose, walking to the wall. Very powerfully, he slammed his arm into the wall, feeling the bones splinter and crush. He gasped in pain and his mind went reeling as all of his pain assaulted him at once.

Hit it again. Keep hitting it.

But why, a voice of reason argued from Sesshoumaru's consciousness. Why do I want to do something that causes me pain?

Hit your arm…

No. I won't do it.

Do it or else!

I AM NOT A MASOCHIST!

DO IT NOW!

"I will not do it!" the real Sesshoumaru snarled.

"Won't you?" Zanmaru drawled. "I'll just have to be more persuasive then. Kokoro no Sesshoumaru!

Sesshoumaru fell to his knees. Only, his body didn't fall. His soul did; right out of his body.

"It's much easier for me to torture you this way, Sesshoumaru. Is this what you want?"

Sesshoumaru growled in his throat.

"Very well."

Zanmaru made a sign with his hand and began to chant. A large green fiery snake curled around him.

"You have just entered a world of pain."

The snake curled around Sesshoumaru, and the instant it touched his flesh, he yelled. The flames on his astral-form caused him more pain than he could ever hope to endure.

"Do you yield?"

"I…no…" Sesshoumaru retorted weakly.

Zanmaru's snake tightened, the flames burning Sesshoumaru not on the skin, but rather through the skin of his extremities and out the other end. Spiritual blood spurted from the gashes and he screamed once more in anguish. He couldn't take anymore; his eyes were red and bulging.

"Do you yield now?"

"I…I…"

"Beg me, pup. Beg me to release you."

"I…" Sesshoumaru repeated, unable to form words.

"Beg me to stop, slave. The pain can be a thing of the past. It will all go away."

"I…master…please…I beg you to stop it….please…I beg you…"

"That's better."

The snake uncurled from Sesshoumaru's astral-form.

"Kokoro no Sesshoumaru!"

Sesshoumaru's soul came back into his body and he gasped, drawing in breath that his body had obviously not done in his absence.

The wounds from before were still not gone. Rather, they had moved to his true body and now real blood was exploding out of the wounds at an alarming rate. He collapsed down…

"Will you behave? Tell me you'll be a good little slave."

"I will be a good…a good little slave…" Sesshoumaru groaned, flattening himself in submission. He was showing Zanmaru that he was the alpha male.

Zanmaru stepped onto Sesshoumaru's arm with all his weight and bent down. He roughly patted the younger demon's head.

"Good boy."

"But master…onegai…make it go away…you said…"

"I said the pain would go away. I did not specify when."

Zanmaru used the younger youkai's arm as a balance so that he could get up.

"Good night, slave."

Sesshoumaru said nothing.

"I said good night. Aren't you going to thank me for your lesson today? Aren't you!"

He kicked Sesshoumaru in the face, easily breaking his nose. The younger clutched his face, moaning in agony.

"Dank you, master. Dank you bor my lesson," he murmured through a broken nose, whimpering as his face bled.

He was broken now, and he knew that there was no escape from his fate.

R and R, pretty please everyone! Make 'em as long or short as you want, just leave 'em for me to read! I like to read them!