Hey guys, guess what? (smile) I got a review from shiorifoxiesmom!!!!! And I fangirl squeed… (sweatdrop)
Anywho! (happy face) Yeah.. I've been neglecting updates. I know I always make excuses, but things have been hectic and such lately.
Anyway, that doesn't matter because this is the next chapter! Yaaaay!
By the way, there was quite a landslide when it came to voting yes on torturing Hiei. But! As I care for all of my readers, I made the scene somewhat mild. (Ah.. I can hear the groans of complaint now) Oh well, it had to be done.
The Lord of Roses and the Shackled Dragon
Chapter 5: Battered and Broken
Blades, daggers, swords; even an iron maiden- all of these littered the cruel room buried deep into the earth. More complicated devices of torture littered the floor and walls of the place, all of them reeking of dried blood, tears, sweat, and the gods could only guess at what else. There were chains hanging from every wall, and some from the ceiling. These were obviously intended to hold demons in place as weapons were thrust into them, their flesh torn; devices violating their very being.
The thorned, ebony whip tore through flesh as it fell continuously upon the victim's back. Crimson rain splattered the uncaring cement, painting it like a demented easel. "Why won't you scream?!" the shriek fell from angelic lips, twisting over porcelain razor blades.
Blood trickled down the tortured's face, wetting his dry eyes as if he were crying crimson tears. He was utterly silent, his expression blank. Deep in his eyes burned a shallow fire- a black hatred waiting to consume those who would cause him pain.
A banshee scream erupted from the woman brandishing the whip. The loud echoes of shattering bones echoed through the room, yet still the wounded demon remained enveloped in silence. The sadistic female leaned down by her prey, a sickening smile plastered on her face. "I will break you, my dear slave... I will make you scream."
Slowly, he turned to her, his crimson eyes burning more intensely. She leaned back, a smirk on her face. The condescending look was quickly replaced by one of indignant disgust as the slave's saliva dripped down her beautiful cheek.
Slap! Blood flew from his lips, splattering once more on the tainted floor. He turned to glare at her once again, and she cut his chains, allowing him to fall the five feet to the mercilessly cold, hard floor. She strutted out the heavy iron door, peeking in once to blow a kiss to her victim before leaving, locking up behind her.
He stared into the darkness, unseeing. There was a horrible silence that pounded into the ears like a jackhammer. Then there was a soft clicking sound at the door before it slowly swung open.
Kurama's wide emerald eyes sadly drank in the sight of splattered blood, torn flesh, and broken bones. As the smells of torture invaded his nostrils, he couldn't fight down his disgust. Even worse, he couldn't help but feel that he was to blame for this atrocity.
"Hiei.." the sad, desperate whisper escaped the fox's lips without his noticing. When the fire demon didn't respond, Kurama rushed forward in search of signs of life. Blank eyes rolled up to stare at the lord, no comprehension in the nearly lifeless orbs. Hiei was broken, as Kurama knew the slave had been so many times before.
Blood showered the dungeon floor as Kurama plucked Hiei from the lake of crimson. "I'm so sorry, Hiei…" the fox whispered to the broken doll in his arms. "If I'd known, I.."
With a soft shake of the fox's head, he carried the smaller demon away. Away from the pain and torture the fox had caused, away from the darkness of the dungeon. And Kurama couldn't help but must at how fitting it was that he wielded a thorned flower. Beautiful, delicate, but its thorns tore through anything that came too close.
Weeks passed with Kurama slowly nursing Hiei back to health. The lord's plants should have healed the fire demon within a couple of days, but the wounds from Aina's whip could not be healed so easily. Nevertheless, the fox tried his best and it was likely that, in the end, Hiei would be left with only a few pale scars marring his small body.
The slave had never spoken to his master, never been social, but Kurama was sure that the two of them had previously formed a weak bond in there short time together. After the torture, though, Hiei became even more distant than before he was brought to the lord's home. Where there had been nonverbal communication before, now there was nothing; simply a blank stare into the distance. The fox began to wonder just how broken the fire demon was.
"Hiei, I've brought you food," Kurama said softly, balancing two bowls of steaming stew. The slave didn't move, didn't make eye contact, even as one of the bowls was presented to him. The fox-lord frowned sadly. "Hiei, you really have to eat. You're becoming too skinny, and I think you're developing a fever." Thoughtlessly, the fox brushed the back of his hand across Hiei's sweaty forehead.
"Agh!" A crash echoed through the room as the bowls landed on the floor, the food splattering both demons. Louder than the crash, though, was the growl erupting from the fire demon's throat. Blood trickled down his chin from where his teeth were clamped down on his master's forearm. Kurama's teeth were lightly piercing his own lip as he attempted not to cry out again.
"H-Hiei.." the fox stuttered, a rarity for one so noble. "Please… I won't hurt you. I'm sorry.."
Crimson eyes widened as light came to the slave's eyes. He seemed to suddenly take note of his actions, quickly releasing the fox's arm. He wiped the blood from his lips on the back of his hand, panic overtaking his features. He backed away from Kurama until he hit the wall, slouching down into a defensive crouch.
"Hiei, please!" Kurama's voice was more desperate now. "Calm down!"
Their eyes held each others as Hiei's breathing slowly steadied and he fell to the floor, an exhausted stance. He slowly ran his tongue over his teeth and lips, tasting the remnants of his master's blood. Kurama watched in fascination as this happened, unable to look away.
Slowly, cautiously, Hiei stood up and began to move toward Kurama. The fox stayed as still as possible, not wanted to scare the other away. When he was close enough, the fire demon tilted his head awkwardly to attempt to see the arm he had bitten. Kurama offered him a better view, and, without moving, Hiei inspected the angry wound.
No emotion crossed the slave's face, no look of remorse or disgust at what he had done. He stared at the fox's face has his small hand slowly reached out toward the bite mark, running a finger through the drying blood. He brought it back to his face, delicately touching his tip of his tongue to the liquid before wiping it away on his clothing and going to rest in the far corner of the room.
Kurama stood in awe, staring at the little slave glaring at him from across his bedroom. He couldn't quite comprehend the fire demon's actions, but he could only interpret the gesture as one of apology. He couldn't help but hope that this was a sign of a developing relationship between the two of them. He went to sleep in peace that night, though the slave stayed curled in a ball in the corner.
It was near morning when Kurama was awakened by a voice in the back of his mind. 'Kit! Hurry! Wake up!'
Hearing this, the fox jolted up in bed, quickly looking searching the room for enemies. Not finding any, his blinked his bleary eyes in confusion. 'Yoko..? What is it?'
'Open your eyes, baka! Our little pet's gone!'
Hearing this, Kurama was out of bed within a matter of seconds. Soon he was searching the building top and down, not finding any signs of the fire demon. After his inspection, he rushed to the gardens, sending energy to his plants to see if they knew where the slave had wandered off to. There were traces of his energy on the plants heading away from the castle, but the wards sewn into his back made the signal too weak to follow.
Despite Kurama's best efforts, he realized with despair that Hiei could not be found that night. He vowed that, even if it consumed years of his life, he would not stop searching until the slave was found.
Yeah, that just happened. XD
So, I'm not sure how I'm going to go about completing this story. I'm not certain whether I should switch between Kurama and Hiei (one perspective for alternating chapters) or do something else. I know I don't want to reveal any of Hiei's thoughts until he speaks, though, so that makes this even more challenging. If you have any ideas, please let me know.
Sorry this chapter's rather short, but at least it's up, right?
Review? (grins)