Rated M: Sexual Content, Violence

WARNING! This chapter contains rape, threats of greater/gang rape, and torture. For those who don't want to read the details, there is a summary available at the beginning of chapter 20.


Kioshi woke to the sound of the metal door opening. It was the same ninjas as before. It must have been a few hours since the last visited, because he was slightly refreshed. No one had come in immediately after the episode of pain hours earlier.

He doubted this wasn't due to ignorance. There was something taped to the side of his forehead, and a clamp was strapped to one of his fingers. These things were hooked to cords going to a machine.

Active technology could also be felt in one of the ceiling corners- likely a camera. The energy signals from this and the machine beside him went out through a sealed outlet in the room, the spiritual barrier allowing the specific energy signals to pass. The ninjas were probably all very aware that he'd activated the trigger seal.

One of the ninjas approached, and Kioshi tensed. This had been the one who had performed the unwanted stimulation and extraction hours earlier. Was the person going for another round?

"Do you need to expel solid waste?" The man asked.

Kioshi was still gagged, but he nodded. He had some bowel build-up. In response, the ninja slid back a hatch beneath his backside. Pushing out waste in front of others was something Kioshi was quickly getting used to, so he didn't hesitate. After finishing, water was sprayed up from below. The man then dried and wiped off the remaining excess with a cloth. "You can relieve yourself this way when instructed. This will be offered every 12 hours. If you do so before then, you will receive a high pressured body spray and be left to air dry. Understand?"

The dark tone made it obvious it was a threat.

Kioshi nodded. The process would likely be harsh and cold. The warning, however, wasn't necessary. Soiling the table would be more disgusting for him than for anyone else. It was actually nice that these people cared so much about sanitation. It probably wasn't out of sympathy. They likely just didn't want "their product" contaminated. But it was one less thing Kioshi had to suffer.

Being treated like a prized breeding bull actually wasn't that bad considering the other options. How long the treatment would last, however, was the worrying question.

How many Dojutsu's replications would be required for him to become disposable? Would these people wait to see if their efforts were successful before taking his eyes? His Dojustu was too powerful not to try to transplant.

They must be playing it safe. Removing such an ingrained and powerful organ had been known to cause seizures and heart attacks in both Hyugas and Uchihas in the past due to chakra imbalance. It could also be suspected that a removed Dojutsu could affect his seed in some way.

This was likely the only thing saving him from being taken apart at this point. That, or his captors wanted to do more research to increase the chances of a successful operation.

"I am going to remove your gag," the ninja said. "If you speak, it will be replaced, and you will receive hydration and nutrition through an IV. The same will happen if you refuse to eat or drink what is offered. Inserting directly into veins will cause fatigue, thirst, stomach cramps, and many other unpleasant side effects. You don't what that do you?"

Kioshi wanted to glare, but with the blindfold, all he could do was clench his jaw and stay silent. The man didn't deserve a polite response. That didn't mean the words wouldn't be obeyed though.

That seemed to be answer enough, and the cloth in his mouth was removed.

Ren then started to give him some small bites of bread and cheese and Kioshi chewed and swallowed dutifully. To his horror, while doing so, the others started another round of seed extraction. Seriously? Couldn't they wait a few minutes? Being pleasured while being handfed made this situation feel even more perverted.

It was impossible to swallow while this was taking place. Kioshi simply focused on breathing through the sensations. Thankfully, Ren didn't make a big deal of the pause. She fed him the rest of the food afterward and then gave him some water.

Kioshi was then left alone again, feeling disturbed and violated once more. He needed to get out of here! Insanity was slowly creeping in.

If only there was a way to combat the trigger seal… If he could do that, then he could at least have a chance.

There were still many theories on where he was. For all he knew, this could be Danzos work, and he was currently beneath Konoha, only seconds away from freedom. He doubted it. Most Root members were emotionless, which didn't exactly fit his captors, but it was a small hope. Danzo clearly didn't like him and wanted his power, and the man being involved would explain Sile's betrayal and fear. Blackmailing someone under you would be extremely easy.

Whatever the case, he needed to do something.

What did he have to work with?…He could use spiritual and mental chakra. This could scan people's locations and emotions, create genjutsu, or alert sensors to his presence. All these would be hindered by the barrier, however. He'd only be able to affect people in the room.

Was there a way to change his spiritual chakra frequency to pass through the block? Maybe, but not without making the chakra useless and unrecognizable.

What else?... The trigger seal would allow him to gather enough chakra to perform techniques briefly, but he'd already established that simply cutting his bonds wasn't enough for actual freedom.

Getting rid of the seals with a technique also wouldn't work. Time would be needed to gain strength afterward, and the action would be obvious to the people keeping tabs on him. He also didn't know if he could gather enough chakra to absorb the entire seal at once. Damaged seals often had unpredictable and violent reactions. Stealth aside, this could be fatal.

If only seals could be ignored or bypassed.

Wait a minute…The last word caused him to pause. Didn't portals bypass things? It was basically the definition of the word. Skipping over or ignoring physical space was what made all his Dojustsu abilities possible.

He suddenly had the ominous feeling something vital and obvious was being overlooked. Was he missing something here? Fuinjustu was powerful and not easily overcome. Kioshi's portals, however, had always conquered such ingrained markings without trouble. He might not be in a position to get getting rid of the seals directly, but perhaps he was looking at this the wrong way.

An idea came to him. It was crazy, but as he thought about it, he cursed himself for not thinking of it before. Portals could store chakra to be used at later points. This was proved time and time again by the ability to absorb and fire back techniques. He didn't need to get rid of the seals, he just needed to bypass them, storing his chakra in a different location!

The more he thought about it, the more he felt like this was something he should have thought of long ago. Could he actually use his dimensional realm as an extended core?... If such a thing was possible, then it would be a hack like no other. It was well known in the ninja world that chakra became corrupted once used. It was either transformed or infected by outside elements once unsealed. This made a person's core reject it.

Only special bloodlines or techniques could store chakra outside of a core. Chakra was still corrupted in these cases though and could only be used in certain ways.

But what if chakra was absorbed BEFORE leaving its sealed area of creation? The energy could then be used to recharge a core! Unlike chakra techniques, pure chakra was completely versatile. The energy could be used to create hundreds of techniques, hundreds of portals! And all in a single battle!

This technique was possible with his Dojutsu. His golden realm was large, and when linked to a portal, the portal wouldn't affect his physical body. This meant it could enter and absorb the pure energy from within.

Subconsciously, Kioshi must have pushed the idea away. It was the only explanation why he hadn't realized this amazing possibility. The danger of letting a portal near his core had been ingrained in him from a young age. He'd also been kept busy and rarely had chakra to spare, not needing to get rid of any excess energy. It had always seemed more efficient to store chakra from others.

But that had been a mistake. His Dojutsu had been neglected. That much was obvious now. He'd been so focused on learning other ninja techniques, seeing his Dojustsu as a crutch, that he hadn't entertained enough thoughts towards it. Bloodlines were the most sought-after things in the ninja world. There was a reason for that. If proper exploration had been given, then he wouldn't be in this situation!

Kioshi took a few calming breaths. Beating himself up about it now wouldn't help. The technique could still help him.

The first thing he needed to do was to resist the draining seal. Then he could see if his theory was correct.

Kioshi surrounded his core with spiritual chakra to stop his physical chakra from leaking out. When the energy was doubled, he stopped, knowing this was the threshold of the trigger seal, and then directed the saved chakra through his veins and into his eyes.

A purple wisp was pushed out through his eyelids and blindfold and came out the float around in the air. Thankfully, the spiritual energy was invisible to others.

He then sent the wisp down into his core and spun it into a portal. From experience, he knew a thick layer of flesh would hide an activated portal's glow from sight in normal light conditions. Due to the fact that there was monitoring equipment, he hoped that light in the room was a factor.

A small amount of energy was taken by the portal and the technique was quickly deactivated.

His head was swimming by this time. The combination of creating the portal and absorbing energy with it made him go into the second stage of chakra exhaustion. Luckily, he didn't pass out.

Unconscious might cause an alert. This had to be avoided at all costs. Any suspicion would result in more hindrances. He'd need to be careful not to take too much.

He would also need to be patient. The energy absorbed was meager, so if this worked, then it would take a while to gather the proper amount of energy. Any attempt of escape needed to succeed. If not, the tactic would be exposed. There wouldn't be any second chances.

Could patience be afforded though? Was there enough time?

Hopefully, his usefulness would last…

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Long weeks passed, and hundreds of miles away, Itachi Uchiha knelt in the Fire Kage's office. It had been three months since Kioshi had left the village. Two of those months had declared the trading team missing.

"Lord Hokage, please allow another mission."

The old man sighed. "I am sorry, but it would be unwise at this point. We have already pushed boundaries with our investigations. It is best to leave things to espionage until we receive more information."

Skilled teams, including Itachi's, had been sent out to search for Kioshi. It had shown little results. Possibilities ranging from a powerful sea monster to many varying ninja parties could have caused the disappearance.

Whatever had happened, it had went down on the way to Kiri. Both the rebels and the Mizukage seemed genuinely angry that they had not received the promised supplies. One side was either good at lying and had ambushed the trade mission, or both truly had zero interaction and the ship never arrived. Witnesses had confirmed that the vessel had set off from fire country without delay.

The fact that the Uchiha heir came to beg for the investigations to continue attested to Itachi's anxious feelings on the matter.

Sadly, there was nothing Hiruzen could do. He wanted Kioshi back as well, but accusing and forcing their way into other nations without proof or information was unwise and would just damage relations.

The ship had vanished without a trace. Ports had been visited and likely currents had been scanned for debris. Nothing had been found. There was also no chakra radiation or physical scents to follow. Too much time had passed. It was one of the reasons why alert signals were so important.

Why hadn't Botan sent a message? The jonin had been specifically selected as one of Kioshi's protectors due to the speed and endurance of his summons. It seemed that whatever had happened, it had happened too quickly to respond properly to.

"Then may I ask permission to investigate the matter further on my own?" Itachi asked.

"You wish to join espionage?" Hiruzen sighed. "Surely you understand that this is the only way to have a measure of success?"

"Yes. If that is what it takes."

Hiruzen shook his head at the young Uchiha's resolve. "I'm sorry, but I can't allow it. You are not trained for it, and your father would not approve. Your clan needs you. You are the Uchiha heir and have certain responsibilities, especially in these times."

Itachi bowed his head lower, knowing this was true. The Uchihas and the village were growing farther and farther apart with each passing day. His father had pushed him to become an Anbu to spy on the Hokage. And now the Kage was using him in turn as a double agent to keep updated on the clan's actions and feelings. This was currently keeping Konoha from a civil war. Going off to other countries for long periods was out of the question.

"It is also dangerous to trespass alone into hostile lands with your face and a bloodline," the Hokage continued. "You could easily be exposed or recognized, and there would be no way for us to deny involvement."

Itachi clenched his fists tighter, but the deeper dip in his head showed resignation.

"One person can do little in this situation." Hiruzen comforted. "The search area is too large. Have faith in your fellow ninjas. We have espionage agents present in every country. I promise you will be one of the first notified once we find a location. Then action can be taken."

"Thank you, Lord Hokage," Itachi said softly.

Hiruzen nodded. "You are dismissed."

000000000

Far away, Kioshi was in a much more hopeful mood. For the past ten weeks, he'd been steadily storing away his chakra. This was done by resisting the drain seal up to the trigger threshold and then creating a portal that absorbed a bit of energy.

This could be done once per day. Twelve hours between his captor's visits were spent holding, storing, and replenishing energy, and the other twelve were spent sleeping off the strain and exhaustion. This was so he was always at that proper energy level when they arrived.

Despite the slow building process, things were going well. Kioshi had gathered enough chakra to fill his core to its full amount. This was a huge achievement. Worst come to worst, he'd be able to fight back at his usual A-rank strength.

This wouldn't be enough to have a true chance of escape though, so he continued. A red portal had been created to test his escape plan. The result was promising. The pure chakra had burst out and meshed with his core energy seamlessly. Now Kioshi just needed hundreds more.

To make things easier when the time came, Kioshi connected a purple wisp to the same bubble before every activation. Putting everything into a single bubble would remove the need to create hundreds of wisps and portals to fill his core. This would save energy and focus.

The bubble was getting extremely long. This was good, but it took an extreme amount of effort to get to this point. His exhaustion must have been assumed to be depression because no one seemed to suspect anything so far.

The conclusion wasn't entirely wrong. Months of immobility and violation wasn't pleasant, but at least there was an end in sight. Kioshi decided that he'd gather enough chakra to fill his core 5 times. Then, he would tunnel his way out of here. The goal was the thing that kept him going.

000000000

Months passed, and with time, the ninjas who visited became agitated. Their emotions were ones of frustration, worry, and disappointment. It became worse and worse with each visit. There was only one thing that would cause this. Their efforts were not bearing fruit.

Kioshi didn't know if he was worried, hurt, or relieved by this. Infertility had been a disability of his back on earth. Having it carry on into this world was hard to consider, but the disability was currently stopping these people from receiving a reward for their actions.

Was fatherhood never in his future? A sense of loss and pain rose up once again at the possibility. There was always adoption, but it just wasn't the same. Konoha would be displeased just as much as himself and his captors once this fact was realized. It was often hinted that a new powerful clan was hoped for and expected.

Maybe medical ninjutsu could help? The thought gave some comfort. Many things were possible in this world that couldn't be achieved elsewhere. With enough research and examination there was a good chance of finding a solution.

That would have to come later though. He had to escape first. Right now the disability just made death or torture much more apparent.

000000000

Time passed, and the frustration and agitation of his captors grew and grew. The emotions were rising in Kioshi as well. Time was running out.

Every day chakra was stored away, but progress was slow. The feeling of danger was getting harder and harder to ignore. Should he escape early? No. He needed to stick to the goal unless absolutely necessary. Every ounce of power would be needed. It could be the gap between success and failure. There would be some sort of warning, right?

Unfortunately, that didn't prove to be the case. Kioshi had just finished a round of absorbing one day when the door to the cell crashed open.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!" A deep, angry voice bellowed.

Kioshi tensed. His mind was in a fog from the lack of chakra, but he was aware enough to know something was wrong. Powerful killing intent filled the room. The chakra signature and voice were something he'd never experienced before.

His blindfold was ripped off. The brightness of the room made him squint even with his eyes closed.

"LOOK AT ME BOY!"

A large hand grabbed his chin and turned it forward, holding it painfully tight.

"ANSWER ME!" The grip tightened, causing Kioshi's jaw to snap and crunch together. He jerked and let out a strangled scream.

"Lord Raikage! He only has the strength of a civilian! We need him alive!"

Kioshi continued to writhe in the man's grasp. The pressure didn't release.

"THIS BOY HAS MADE A FOOL OUT OF US! I WILL NOT STAND FOR IT! NOW TELL ME THE TECHNIQUE YOU ARE USING!" The man seemed to be speaking to Kioshi again. "I KNOW YOU ARE DOING SOMETHING WITH MEDICAL NINJUTSU! IF NOT, WE WOULD HAVE HAD SUCCESS BY NOW!"

Kioshi gurgled and choked on blood and fractured teeth. The man seemed to realize the state was not good for answering because the grip disappeared and Kioshi was allowed to turn his head to the side and spit out the liquid and bones. He groaned and twitched afterward, the sharp initial pain taking a while to die down.

"No matter," the man huffed in irritation. "How you've been doing it is unimportant, but this mockery and deception will not go unpunished! Countless hours and resources have been sacrificed to bring and keep you here. You will learn your place."

Kioshi choked again. The Kage must have seen this as a protest because he growled. "Don't try to deny it! Healers have confirmed the patterns. We placed a chakra detection device near you to be sure. You perform something on your body every day after you are visited. You are purposely damaging your seed. Admit it! Scan him!"

Kioshi was vaguely aware of his most hated healer coming up to him. It must have been the person that the Kage had addressed. The man was the one who gave the most orders and was the one who did the bulk of the extractions, so Kioshi deemed him the medical leader.

A wash of spiritual chakra was felt.

"His chakra levels are extremely low. Some has definitely been released."

"So it is confirmed." The Kage said darkly. "I told you to watch him closely. This is a failure on your part."

"I'm sorry My Lord." The medical ninja swallowed.

"Humm…" the Raikage said. "Be thankful that I am forgiving. I will assign a sensor to watch him closely from now on. In the meantime, the boy will learn what follows disobedience. Drug him. I want him moved."

A needle was soon inserted and the angry voice and presence faded away.

000000000

When Kioshi came back to consciousness, he was upright and hanging off the ground by his wrists. Not a lot of time had passed, seeing as his chakra levels were still extremely low, and his arms weren't numb from the painful position yet.

"Wake up boy. Lord A is not happy with you," a male voice mocked, a double-tap to his cheek sending ripples of pain through his mutilated jaw.

Kioshi groaned.

"Man, he really did a number on you, huh?" The man acknowledged with false sympathy, then brightened. "But don't worry! By the time I'm done with you, you'll have many other pains to focus on!"

That didn't sound good. Certain injuries would be detrimental to his escape plan.

Kioshi checked his chakra levels again, hoping that the last examination had somehow been wrong. Sadly, the low level remained. He was still a few hours away from being able to create a portal.

Dammit! Out of all the times for this to happen! A certain amount of chakra was needed to access his dimensional realm to his saved energy. Right now, he was completely helpless!

"I was told I could do as I pleased as long as all your organs stay healthy and functional. This means I can't touch your eyes or any other interesting areas, but I'm sure we can do some pleasant things to make up for it."

Kioshi wanted to say that he was innocent…that they had got it all wrong! But what good would that do? Even if mouth movement was possible, half of the statement would be false. He wasn't innocent. He'd been making moves to escape. That was worse than the current accusation. At least this way he wouldn't be seen as an immediate threat.

"Now what should we try first, hum?" The man asked, walking away and clinking some things around on a table. The sounds seemed to be purposely made to cause fear.

Kioshi took a deep breath and let it out slowly, trying not to rise to the bait. What did Konoha teach him about torture? Oh right. Separate your mind and body. Have your consciousness retreat far away. Focus on something single and simple.

Kioshi picked the stars. He'd always liked to go out on cool fresh nights and look at them. It was also something he could easily imagine under the blindfold's black canvas, an item which had recently been replaced.

"None of that," the man admonished with amusement. Something hard and solid connected with one of his kneecaps at the words. The bone exploded into small pieces, chakra being used to enhance the blow. The pain was too much, and Kioshi was immediately brought out of the peaceful state. He screamed and then convulsed, trying to keep further reaction contained as he swung slightly in the air. His jaw wasn't structured enough to open, so shooting pain flared through it as well as it tried to move.

"I can feel your emotions," the man said. "Your punishment will be a lot worse if you ignore me."

Kioshi swallowed. This should have been expected. The man was an elite sensor. The dense spiritual chakra had been detected the moment after waking. Mental escape would be impossible.

Another hit from the metal rod caused his other knee to shatter. Kioshi screamed again through a closed mouth, the sound being muffled.

"You got to scream louder," the man chuckled. "I can't hear you."

What a monster! Kioshi internally glared. The image of the torturer's mutilated body seemed very appealing right now.

"Ahh, so you do have some fight left in you," the man smiled. "Good. That means I have something to break."

The man hummed as if in the examination as Kioshi groaned and rotated back and forth in the air. The single chain between the boy's manacles and the ceiling had wound up and then spun back in the opposite direction from the momentum of the last blow.

The man spoke again once the chains calmed to a minuscule sway. "I must admit, defying the Raikage was a brave move. Brave, but foolish. Even if you weren't found out, making yourself useless would have eventually led to your demise. Surely you knew this? Are you really so loyal to Konoha? They obviously hold no such loyalty in return."

Kioshi signed wearily, anger retreating to pure exhaustion. So physical torture was not the only thing on the list. The man wanted to brainwash and break him mentally as well.

"Last I heard, Konoha has stopped all searches. They hope you are dead. Did you know that? You are a hindrance in enemy hands. You hold no value. Do they hold this view towards all their shinobi, I wonder? Is that why your friend left?"

The last statement got Kioshi's attention. What was the man talking about?

"Oh, so you haven't heard?" The man asked in mock surprise as if Kioshi was regularly updated on news. "Itachi Uchiha. He was one of your genin teammates, right? I've heard you two are close. He and Konoha haven't been seeing eye to eye lately."

"What happened!" Kioshi panicked internally. Though he had a feeling he already knew.

"It seems this acquaintance of yours is now a missing-nin," the man said, confirming Kioshi's fears. "The village pushed him to insanity. He snapped and murdered his entire clan. It's truly sad when you think about it. What kind of abuse would lead someone to do such a thing?"

Kioshi's heart sank. No… He was supposed to prevent this! Itachi didn't deserve to be pushed to such measures! And all those Uchiha…Shisui… Sasuke…For the first time in a long while, tears rose up, coming out and soaking his blindfold.

"Interesting…You don't appear surprised," the man said in true puzzlement. "You immediately believed my words...Why?…Did you already know of your village's corruption? A loyal Uchiha wouldn't have betrayed it otherwise."

Kioshi hung his head. The man was right…Danzo was an evil that should have been exterminated long ago. He'd waited too long. And Hiruzen was just as guilty for being ignorant and incompetent. Damn ninjas and their greed and weakness! Damn Kumo for keeping him here! For all his "seer" abilities, nothing had changed!

"You know…" the man said, sensing his despair and growing anger. "You don't have to be our enemy… I can talk to the Raikage for you. Perhaps you could both come to an arrangement. If you prove loyal, he might even be willing to give you and your friend a decent place to live. Life as a missing-nin is dangerous and lonely, and surely you wish to be in someplace more comfortable and safe yourself as well. You could both start a new life."

The sincerity in the offer made Kioshi's heart boil, anger centering on the lightning nation in full. They were now known to be the ones behind his capture. Really?! After all that was done! Was Kumo seriously being presented as a savior!...As something with higher values! Botan had been killed, and Kioshi had been suffering for months on end simply because the cloud village wasn't satisfied with their current power!

The man must have felt his disgust because he sighed. "Oh well…It was worth a try. I guess Konoha ninjas are as stupid as they say… Unlogically loyal and deluded. Such a shame…I had some hope for you."

A rough hand touched Kioshi's stretched bare side and pulled clockwise, spinning him in the air again like a trinket. "Now where would be a good place to continue…Humm, I've already disabled two limbs. I might as well move on to the rest. Can't leave a job unfinished."

Kioshi's heart beat faster. Please…No… His hanging legs were still pulsing waves of agony. Attacking something under strain would be ten times worse!

His emotional plea was ignored as the metal rod hit one of his elbow joints at a side angle. The joint exploded on impact. The initial pain made Kioshi see white behind his eyes for a moment, then he let out another muffled scream.

Kioshi instinctively pulled up with his other arm to relieve the pressure. There was a gap between the injured bone now, the upper and lower part of his arm separating. His torturer wasn't in the mood for mercy, however, because the supporting arm was soon hit as well. The pain from the jerk of the one-inch fall made him pass out.

A bucket of ice water was soon thrown in his face, causing Kioshi to jolt back to reality.

"Don't fall asleep on me. Where not done yet."

The boy sobbed. More?... This was worse than any genjutsu or injury he'd ever experienced. Kioshi understood now how torture could break even the strongest of men. His sanity threshold was quickly being reached.

A hand touched his side again. This time it didn't spin him but ran up and down his bare skin gently, causing certain alarms to flare. The man then came up behind him, much too close for Kioshi's liking, and whispered in his ear. "Do you like that?"

Kioshi swallowed. No… Please…Not this too. Was the man really suggesting… The hand trailed around and came to rest on his backside. It squeezed. For a moment Kioshi forgot about his injuries and twisted away in panic. The action ignited a new round of pain, and the man chuckled. "Apparently not."

Kioshi was gasping through spasms, trying to get his breath under control. He was relieved when the man finally moved away. "You know, I find it interesting that people often value their pride over their limbs. Such a great amount of fear for such a simple action. Truly puzzling. You should be desensitized to such things by now. But I guess you've never experienced a full violation. Would you like me to oblige?"

No…the boy answered mentally, though there wasn't much hope the wish would be obeyed. The man wanted him broken.

"Well, I guess that's good then," the man shrugged. "I'm not into boys."

Kioshi raised his head. What?

"Yes, even I have preferences," the man smirked. His tone then turned dark, coming close and breathing in his face. "But don't think that the threat can't be carried out. I've done worse for my village, and I have many friends who would be more than willing to have a good time. I could get you tag-teamed for days on end without pause. That would be fun, wouldn't it? Especially with that broken jaw."

No…

"Then don't interfere with Kumo's business again!" The man snapped as if hearing his thoughts once more. "This is your only warning. Mess with your seed again, and you'll find both of your holes filled with some. Understand?"

Kioshi didn't have the strength to nod and just hung his head. The man must have felt his defeat because he backed away. "Good. Since this is your first offense, I will go easy on you. There will only be one more thing inflicted. Once you pass out, you will then be returned to your cell. I won't wake you."

Thankyou… Stockholm syndrome was already creeping in from the small mercy. Kioshi tried to will his body not to send out more adrenaline to make unconsciousness come easier. Whatever was planned, hopefully, it would be quick

Something was heard being grabbed from the table. There was soft brush and a few scrapes were heard across the wooden surface.

The question of what it was was soon answered as the object whistled through the air and snapped across his back. The whip had many strands, each embedded with sharp bits of glass. Kioshi instinctively jerked away. The motion ignited in his broken bones along with the new pain and a scream vibrated in his throat.

The flogging continued until his back, behind, and thighs were covered thoroughly with deep weeping gashes. Kioshi sometimes only spasmed in response due to the quick succession of strikes, having little time to catch his breath. Thick streams of blood ran down his legs and dripped off his toes, splashing into the pool of ice water below, likely turning it red due to the amount.

The pain then faded away. Kioshi didn't know if this was from shock or blood loss, but he was grateful for it.

Peace was granted in unconsciousness.


A/N: Well I'm glad that's over! The last two chapters have been difficult to write, but I want to stay true to what I believe would really happen in this type of situation. Thanks for all the reviews. It helps me fix mistakes or motivates me to keep going. I'll post again in a few weeks!