Summary: A LOT happens in this Chapter

It rained while Hyakkimaru was trapped in the sack, and though the cloth obscured has already limited vision, and prevented him from escaping, it did not keep out the cold and miserable rain droplets, not that it could make his situation any worse, he was already having the worst day of his life.

He heard Chijoku no Jō, and at least four of his henchmen talking, joking laughing, and of course complaining about the rain as their cart traveled, they acted as though Jō's beating and kidnapping him had been just another day; the most mundane thing in the world.

Nimuru was silent, but Hyakkimaru could still see the light of his nasty red Aura through the holes in the fabric of the cloth that now-imprisoned him.

He closed his eyes and prayed silently; " please, Tahomaru… make it back safely, and find someone, Papa, Priest Biwamaru, Dororo, anyone… please someone save me from these demons…"

The rain began to die down, and he felt the top of the sack lifted up, he felt himself being hoisted from the cart, and dragged into a building; at least the air inside was warmer, and dryer.

Suddenly he felt himself being dumped from the sack, and onto the wooden floor; the sudden movement reminding him of just how badly his chest was hurting, he gave an involuntary Yelp and began gasping for air; in small mercy of respite; his captors ignored him in these moments while he struggled to catch his breath, as they argued amongst themselves over who would stand watch outside their hut.

"Stop your arguing already!" Jō finally ordered. "Shinji will take the first watch, and then Michi!"

Jō's gang was informal, but his men never questioned him once he gave an order.

Shinji grumbled and went outside into the cold.

Hyakkimaru now heard the footsteps of two of the henchmen coming over to him, they grabbed him by his wrist and hoisted him into the air, so that his feet no longer reach the ground.

"Well well well," said Jō, putting his grimy finger under Hyakkimaru's chin, and lifting his head;

"You look just like a fine bitch you know that? But at the same time…" he said now leaning closer, and Looking Hyakkimaru in the eyes, "you have that stupid proudness in your eyes! You must think you're so great, don't you!? Why I'll bet you've never been 'broken in before'..."

Jō began to pace around his captive; Hyakkimaru shivered an apprehension and tried his best not to cry… every Aura around him was nasty, and now his own disgust and terror threatened to betray him.

"Such a pretty little piece of meat aren't you?" Asked Jō "but I can see that you're still looking down on me, I'm getting those vibes from you, you must think that just because you got your body back and are now living in a palace that you're better than guys like me…"

He now leaned down again, whispered into Hyakkimaru's ear, causing him the shutter and close his eyes tightly as he could. "Your kind is perfect, pretty, proud little things like you are my favorite people to break."

He ripped off Hyakkimaru's Yukata, and now stood behind him with a long, thin bamboo stick.

He swung back, and poor Hyakkimaru began to feel it's painful sting! He screamed in pain! Tears flowing down his cheeks, Jō was relentless! Striking him across his bare back, thighs, calves, buttocks, until his thrall's entire backside was covered in red marks, some of which bled, and dripped down onto the floor, while Hyakkimaru trembled and sobbed pathetically.

Jō let the bamboo stick fall to the floor, and took in this site.

Just then, Shinji poked his head back in; "Hey Michi" he called, "why don't you come out here and switch with me?"

"Hell no Shinji! It's wet and cold out there!"

"You jackass! You're supposed to guard after me!"

"Who are you calling a Jackass!? You've only been outside for five minutes! Suck it up crybaby Shinji!"

"What did you say!?"

"ENOUGH!" A booming voice interrupted from the back, and all four of the men looked over to Jō, standing there with a crazed, lustful look in his eyes…

"All of you… Go outside for a while"

The four men understood, and then they all smiled. "No problem boss"

They left the hut, passing a smiling Nimuru as they exited the door.

"Hey boss, save some for the rest of will ya?" One of them called over his shoulder.

"Don't be a fool Seki" Tsutomi scolded playfully. "Boss Jō always shares with his men"

"Hahaha! True that" said Shinji, "while we wait, let's open up some Saki shall we?"

The men all cheered in agreement, as the door was closed behind the three individuals in the room were now Hyakkimaru, who was curled into a ball with his hands over his head, Jō who stood over him, and Nimuru who watched it all from the corner.

"Please… please don't hurt me..." Hyakkimaru begged shakily "Please… don't… hurt… me…"

These words fell on deaf ears; Jō was quite animalistic when it came to his own desires, in that sense, he was just as much a demon as any of the other demons Hyakkimaru had fought in the past.

He knelt down beside the boy, and then grabbing his shoulders; roughly rolled him onto his back, and he pinned him there; feelings of disgust crept into Hyakkimaru's throat as Jō zeroed in on his face, his foul breath amplified by his heavy breathing and panting, he began to lick and slobber all over the boy's face and neck, Hyakkimaru could do nothing but bite his own lips and shut his eyes as tightly as he could; Jō then went from licking to biting, while Hyyakimaru did his best not to gag out of sheet disgust. Jō's fingertips crept along Hyakkimaru's torso, down to his midsection, before he grabbed the waistband of his loincloth, and ripped it off!

Hyakkimaru screamed! He kicked desperately and try to cover himself with his free hand!

Jō just laughed and grabbed Hyakkimaru's ankles, he held them together in his left hand and pinned them over Hyakkimaru's chest, and with his right hand, he began to pull down his own loincloth.

"N-NO!" Hyakkimaru shouted, sensing what was about to happen, even though he could not explain or understand such things, the bile he felt, and his instincts told him that Jō was about to do something very very wrong to him! He desperately tried to kick and flail his legs and managed to slip them out of Jō's fingers, he tried to stand up and run, but Jō grabbed his ankle again, and he fell flat on his face, his arms in front of him.

Hyakkimaru screamed with pain, as Jō stepped on his leg, injuring it.

"Now now little one," he said mockingly as he pressed his face into the ground; "We can't have you running away from me, you won't want to be missing out on this"...

Outside, the four Henchmen who had accompanied Jō on this misadventure we're busy celebrating, and staving off the cold, the way that they had always done; by drinking.

"Ya'know, I still don't quite get that Nimuru guy," Seki thought aloud, "why does he want us to mess up that kid?

"Who cares what the reason is?" answered Michi, "so long as we benefit."

"But how are we benefiting?" aked Tsutomi, "all the Boss did was suddenly say that we were going to go after these kids and take Nimuru with us, its not like Nimuru is paying us to do this"

"So what?" said Shinji, "we do things like this all the time, it's just another day"

"You guys shut up for a minute" Michi hushed them. "Someone is coming"

The four gangsters were still sober enough to take this seriously, there were no paths to their Hut, it should have been unfindable, so naturally, they went to check this man out.

A man with a heavy dark cloak obscuring his figure and a jingasa hat obscuring his face was walking through the woods, towards their hut.

"Where do you think your going old man?" Shinji asked him abrasively as the four of them crowded him

"This is no place for civilians" Michi began as he blocked his path "If you know what's good for you, you'll just find a different ro-" before he could finish his sentence, the man drew his sword swiftly, giving Michi a deep cut into his chest, the men were all stunned, and while he still had the element of surprise; the stranger rushed Seki and cut him down before he had time to draw his sword!

Now Shinji attacked him from behind!

He blocked Shinji's sword, but a slash from Tsutomi cut his side!

He jumped back, and now Shinji and Tsutomi were both pressing him! But the Man did not let up, when Shinji tried to get behind him again, and at that moment where he left Tsutomi unguarded, the man took his chance, and lunged in!

Tsutomi skillfully parried the thrust of the man's sword, but his second attack cut him across his solar Plexus!

But as Tsutomi fell, he made one last attack on the man, stabbing him through the edge of the abdomen, the man cried out in pain, but was not yet done, Tsutomi's blade had wounded him but missed his vitals. Now Shinji came at him again, screaming as he charged! Shinji's attacks were angry and aggressive, he had just seen this man cut down three of his friends.

This man was obviously skilled with a sword and managed to graze Shinji's right elbow and collar, and lightly puncture his left arm, but Shinji wasn't done, he cut the man's side… deeply.

The man fell to his knees, still holding his sword, but no longer raising it.

Shinji laughed and walked over to his defeated foe. "Say goodbye you old fucker!" and he raised his sword to finish him off, but Shinji's arrogance had now cost him the battle; before Shinji could bring down his blade, the stranger's blade went into a very painful part of his body, and traveled up through the hip, the stomach and into the spine.

Shinji's sword fell out of his hand, his throat filled with blood, how eyes nearly popped out of his skull with pain and terror, as the man yanked the sword out of him, and Shinji fell to the ground, as the man rose to his feet.

He ignored his wounds and made his way to the hut, and he barged in, to a disturbing site…. Chijoku no Jō had his organ out and was clearly of the intention… to rape his son.

"Lord Daigo," said Nimuru calmly, "I am quite disappointed to see you here"

"I already told you..." Kagemitsu said panting "I can track you demons anywhere, and you!" he said pointing his blade at Jō "Step away from the boy!" His voice was rough and full of indignation, and his face showed it to "I've already despatched your Henchmen! And now I'll finish you right here! Chijoku no Jō!"

"Shinji, Seki, Michi and Tsutomi were no ordinary thugs," Nimuru thought to himself "all for of them were good fighters, to think that this old man still had it in him"

While Nimuru might have seemed mildly annoyed that things weren't going as he had planned, Jō looked absolutely livid. He was glaring daggers at Kagemitsu, he let go of Hyakkimaru, stood up straight, and pulled his loincloth back up. Kagemitsu held his Katana out in front of him, as Jō lumbered angrily towards him, Kagemitsu charged at him, but Jō caught the wrist of his sword hand, Kagemitsu cried out in pain, as Jō snapped it!

Kagemitsu's Katana fell to the ground, and Jō snapped the blade under his foot! "What's wrong Daigo!?" he said as he backhanded Kagemitsu in the face, the force of the slap was worse than a punch, Kagemitsu stumbled back, the inside of his cheek cutting against his teeth,

"C'mon Daigo! Is this the best you can do!?" -another slap!- "You can do more than this can't you old man!?" he slapped Kagemitsu around some more, pushing his back to the door of the hut, "You're telling me that my friends were all killed by someone as weak as you!" Jō yelled angrily, as he punched Kagemitsu in his already wounded abdomen!

Kagemitsu now lost his footing, and fell to the floor, he tried to get up, but Jō's massive foot stepping on his head kept him down.

"You're going to die for what you did," he said coldly, "I'm going to make you suffer, you worthless old-" he stopped mid-sentence, as his eyes widened in shock, he turned his head to see what was behind him; Hyakkimaru still lying on the floor, had managed to reach up and stab him from behind with his own ōdachi!

Jō screamed, and fell to his knees, his hands shaking, he clutched at his bleeding liver, he gasped for air, before giving a final groan, and falling to his side.

Supporting himself against the wall; Kagemitsu rose to his feet, he walked over to where his son lay, and helped him up, and father and son stood in that room, both now supporting each other in their wounded states, neither one of them had ever imagined that they would be saved by the other.

"Its alright Hyakkimaru," Kagemitsu said to the trembling boy, he took off his cloak and covered Hyakkimaru's small body with it, as the child resigned himself to lean on the man who had been the cause of most of the mystery in his life before, and who was now his savior, but there was little time for reflection here.

They both saw it at the same time, Nimuru was standing on the other side of the room, and for the first time either of them had seen, he wasn't smiling.

He began to walk slowly across the room, at the sight of this; Hyakkimaru involuntarily went limp and fell into his father's arms. Kagemitsu picked him up and fled out the door with him; he climbed onto one of Jō's horses, and still holding onto his son, rode off at full gallop.

However, Nimuru did not pursue them, he had not been walking towards them in the first place; he stopped at where Chijoku no Jō lay on the ground, choking on his own blood.

Jō looked up at the demon now standing over him, he raised his hand to him and begged him to save him. "Please… Great Nimuru… Please don't let me die"

"You're not going to die," Nimuru said coldly, "not for a long time. I must give you what you deserve, and then I will allow you to die"

The realization of absolute terror sank into Jō like icicles, as he watched the Demon take on his Leopard form... before he dragged him down to his realm.

The sky was beginning to change color now, just like it had when Hyakkimaru had been kidnapped the day earlier, the horse rode on until it could ride no more, and Kagemitsu Daigo, slumped over, and dismounted; he collapsed just as soon as his feet touched the ground.

Hyakkimaru himself now dismounted, and rushed over to his father's side, Kagemitsu was bleeding badly, he had been stabbed, and cut in several places, but the worst wound was on the side of his stomach, the wound he had suffered from Jō's henchmen... There was no way a wound like this would heal in time.

"You're dying… But why? Why?! Why did you do this to save me?!"

"Hyakkimaru… before you were born, I saw things… things that made me lose faith in-" He was interrupted by a fit of coughing, as his throat began to fill with blood.

"There is no time for excuses!" He declared! "Hyakkimaru, in the hall of hell, you told me not to become a Demon…" he took out the statuette of the Goddess of Mercy… "It was too late for me… but..." and he grabbed Hyakkimaru's arm and looked him square in the eyes "Hyakkimaru! Watch over Tahomaru!... see to it… that he doesn't become like me…."

his voice began to trail off… he could no longer hear it… he had lost his strength to speak, he could only see the image of his son crying, saying something to him…

"It wasn't too late for you father! You're not a Demon!" he just barely managed to choke out between sobs.

Although Kagemitsu could not hear him; and as the image began to fade, and darkness began to cover his vision, he felt his life slipping away… and Daigo Kagemitsu's final thoughts passed through his head.

"I remember now… I never apologized to Hyakkimaru… for what I did…. I am going to be dragged down to hell for sure..."

Notes: For the record, I did NOT intend for this to be snuff or porn anything like that (Heaven forbid), I just like to write horrible characters. (maybe I should see a shrink)