A/N- thanx as always to my reviewers, really sorry for those who thought Jaken was gonna get the crap beat out of him like he deserves... anyway, short chapter, won't be a while till i update again cuz i'm goin on a trip Wooo00OOoo Hoo0oo! NEw York! anyway, ummm thank you for the response etherealmm, i never know how far i should take Juuroumaru's intelligence. so read, enjoy, don't flame.
Just as the pulse was slowing down and the large yellow eyes beginning to glaze over, a forceful hand jerked Juuroumaru back so hard he fell backwards. He blinked dazedly up at a fury of white and piercing gold eyes. The name registered in his mind and he gaped up at Sesshoumaru who was glaring fiercely down at him. The intense anger was short-lived, however, for Sesshoumaru's gaze quickly switched from him to his bleeding servant.
He knelt beside him, a slight frown on his otherwise perfect face. Working quickly and efficiently, he pulled Tenseiga from the white sash at his hip. Juuroumaru sat up in wonder as he watched Sesshoumaru pause for a moment, staring at a point just above the toad's head. Then, with a single downward stroke, he cut through some invisible force and the toad suddenly sat up gasping.
Sesshoumaru, seeing the toad was more or less okay, he stood and sheathed his sword. Jaken was on all fours, still gasping and trying to regain his breath. Finally he looked up, tears in his eyes as he stared with awe at his lord. "S-sesshoumaru-sama! You saved me! My lord, you saved me!" his voice was breathless with shock and admiration. He collapsed at Sesshoumaru's feet weeping and snuffling.
Sesshoumaru however, was ignoring Jaken entirely. His focus was instead on Juuroumaru, slumped against the far wall. His eyes were rapidly refocusing and his senses returning to him. The smell of blood and the flesh in his hand had gone away for some reason, which confused Juuroumaru greatly.
He looked around vacantly, his eyes still adjusting. As his gaze traveled across the carpet, he was suddenly confronted with a pair of black, leather boots. His eyes slowly traveled upwards until he met the fierce golden eyes of Sesshoumaru. Sesshoumaru's mouth began moving and it took a moment for him to comprehend what the youkai was saying.
"….not to harm yourself or the servants in my home." Juuroumaru blinked, his mind fuzzy.
"Yes!" piped up a voice from behind Sesshoumaru. "Sesshoumaru-sama, he showed great disrespect for your name!" Now safely behind his lord, Jaken's voice had lost its stutter.
Sesshoumaru ignored the voice from behind. "Juuroumaru… did I not tell you the consequences of harming my servants?"
"Yes, tell us what Sesshoumaru-sama said you little ingrate!" Juuroumaru's gaze flicked towards the sickly green creature behind Sesshoumaru, irritation pushing through the murkiness of his fear.
Juuroumaru's tongue darted out to wet his slightly parted lips.
Never once breaking the steady gaze with which he fixed Sesshoumaru, he stood up until he was at eye-level with him. "You told me you would punish me if I harmed one of your servants," he said solemnly, lacking the meekness his voice might've held had he not been so pissed off at the toad demon.
"That's right!" snapped Jaken, his eyes filled with mirth and triumph.
Sesshoumaru glanced over at Jaken who decided he had crossed a line and quickly bowed his head submissively. Sesshoumaru ignored this and walked over to Juuroumaru. Juuroumaru tried not to wince, preparing himself for the blows he was sure would follow.
Sesshoumaru paused in front of him before moving around him towards the door. Juuroumaru assumed he was to follow or else Sesshoumaru would not have made such a pointed stop in front of him. Throwing an angry glare at a very smug Jaken, he followed Sesshoumaru out of the room and into the hallway.
The whole way to their destination, Sesshoumaru never once spoke to him and didn't even acknowledge he was following at all. This was unnerving for Juuroumaru, whose resolve not to be afraid was quickly diminishing. By the time they reached a rather familiar looking door, he was trembling and keeping a good distance in between himself and the inu youkai.
His wrist was firmly grasped and he was forced into a room which he recognized immediately as the windowless one Sesshoumaru had put him in before. Heavy chains still adorned the scarred bed frame and it wasn't until they had reached the bed that Juuroumaru realized what was to happen. Before he could even begin to fight, Sesshoumaru had forced him downward. Juuroumaru desperately tried to wrench his wrists from Sesshoumaru's hands but only succeeded in chaffing his tender skin.
Uncouth snarls and cries accompanied his desperate attempt to avoid the inu youkai's chains. He brought one knee up and kneed Sesshoumaru in the jaw. His only reaction was a grunt as Sesshoumaru forced the first wrist into the shackle, firmly locking it into place. Juuroumaru's vigorous fighting was starting to slow down as the second click of the shackles signified that it to had fallen into place. The last two cuffs were put on with little resistance other then Juuroumaru's cries and feeble straining.
Sesshoumaru threw one cold look at him before leaving and locking the door. Juuroumaru lay panting and sobbing on the bed, desperately throwing his weight against the shackles that only bit further into his skin. In between choked cries, he begged for Sesshoumaru to let him go- that he'd be good, he swears! Please, please if Sesshoumaru would just take off the shackles…
His only response was a cruel voice in his head that could've been Naraku's, Sesshoumaru's, or even his own; he didn't know, telling him that this was his place and he should never have forgotten it.
He cried himself to sleep, bruised and bloody, dreaming of a terrible, cruel monster, clothed in white silk.
A/N- umm well bye!
