Chapter 7

Author's note: Thank you to all of my dedicated reviewers and readers. I am very sorry that this took so long to update. It's been pretty busy lately but I'm on holidays now so I hope to update regularly. I hope that you all enjoy this chapter and I look forwards to hearing your opinions of it!

Button eyes stared with cold detachment as Kanda lay among the toys. He didn't know when he had been returned to the room which had first served as his cell. He didn't know how long he had been with the Queen. He didn't know what time it was, what day it was or even what week it was. Time no longer held any bearing on his life. There was pain, the mission, pain, the Queen and then more pain.

After the electricity had come fire and after fire came more water. Kanda had stopped breathing many a time then. After the water came the lash of a whip then poison. The poisons had seemed to have been the Queen's favourite for she tested many types on him. Kanda had died so many times. He hadn't thought there was even that much of his life left but he kept coming back to life again and again.

The Queen was laughing even now as she etched lines of blood in his skin. The sharper weapons were her newest application for her toy. He had almost forgotten his own name because of the large number of times she had called him that. He had stopped protesting the use of the title long ago. She didn't listen anyway and Kanda's voice couldn't hold for more than a syllable anymore.

The knife scraped against his rib; a thin line traced into bone. Kanda felt his eye twitched but gave no other reaction to satisfy the Queen. His reactions had been dulling more and more as a lack of pain became a thing of the past. He could see that the Queen was losing interest. He wondered how she would try to kill him. As far as he knew, she had tried everything bar starvation and dehydration. Perhaps that was the next step. She could just leave him here to wither. Even Kanda didn't know if his curse would survive such hardship.

Another knife entered his abdomen and Kanda stared blankly at the wall as it was pulled from top to bottom. A third knife laid his chest open. Kanda felt his fingers twitch in response but his gaze didn't change. He could hear his blood dripping to the ground as the western showers dripped during use. There was a warmth that seared down him like fire and Kanda could feel his lungs restricting already. Vision dulled and he could feel his dulled eyes closing. New pain forced them open again and Kanda moved his head enough to see the newest knife that was buried in his chest. The pommel stuck out from where Kanda imagined his heart was. He convulsed, coughing crimson liquid and then there was the familiar return of nothingness.

The Queen watched with a flash of interest. It was only a flash for once the exorcist had finished his death throes there was nothing more to be intrigued about. She waited for his return, hoping that whatever it was that was keeping him alive would come into effect quickly. Red was staining the other toys that dotted the room and she could see that her servants would have a hard time trying to get the crimson river drained from the carpet.

Her toy had become more and more boring recently. The screaming had stopped when she had taken to the whip and there had been no pleas whatsoever. Recently, even the agony in his eyes had turned to a blank stare equal to those of the plushies that inhabited the room. His death throes were the only thing that got a reaction involving pain from him. If there were no more screams to be heard when the exorcist was alive then death was the only time when the Queen could be entertained. The Queen wasn't sure how much longer that would last either. Her prey had been so feisty when she had first played with him but even his attitude had dulled. He would be of no further use soon.

Perhaps she should just hand him over to the Earl. He would surely have some questions to ask. The Queen doubted that her toy would answer the Earl. If the exorcist had any of his previous personality left, it was his stubborn refusal to give entertainment to her. She highly doubted that information would be any different. Then again, the Earl had his ways. She wondered if she would be able to watch as the Earl interrogated her toy.

A gasp bought her attention back to the toy. Eyes that had been open in the shock of death closed as the exorcist tossed and arched back. The wounds began leaking new blood and she watched in fascination as the gashes started closing. Knowing from experience that the exorcist would not return to life whist the knife was still in his heart; she pulled it roughly from his body and watched as blood trailed from an open mouth. The arm that had taught her such things was still hanging uselessly, the limb facing the wrong way as it cracked incessantly in an effort to relocate itself.

She saw colour returning to the previously pale face as the damaged heart began to beat again. Another caught breath sounded and then revived eyes opened again. As they took in the stained surroundings, the Queen watched them dull to detachment again. She grinned, her lust for the exorcist's screams revived once more. She leaned in to whisper in his ear as he panted for breath.

"You, my toy, I will never tire of," and, for once, the statement was the truth.