InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Want To Be Your Slave ❯ Inuyasha's Master ( Chapter 4 )

A/N: Heeeehehehe *evil smile* Not quite what everyone was expecting ~_^Once again, thank you all for the amazing reviews. You guys made the plot bunny bite so I just had to write this now, even though I have a college assignment to submit tomorrow which I have yet to start. ^_^

Enjoy!

_________________________________________________________________ __________________

Chapter 4 - Inuyasha's Master

"Yuta, stop."

The cold female voice made all of the boys look up from the entertainment. Raia was coming towards them, face grim. The tall, formidable looking female with dark blue-black eyes and flowing wavy black hair gave even the most wayward bullies a pause. They had seen what she could do when really pushed - a few of them still had scars to show. Yuta frowned.

"What-"

Raia cut him off.

"Lord Sesshoumaru orders Inuyasha to be brought to him."

Inuyasha's eyes widened. Yuta scowled.

"Sesshoumaru has nothing to do with him. Didn't Inu no Taisho refuse to give him the hanyou?"

Raia raised an eyebrow. "If you have any objections, you better take it up with Lord Sesshoumaru. Maybe you would like to tell him that he's out of line?"

Yuta fell silent. With all his arrogance, even he wasn't suicidal enough to do that. Taori, who had been looking forward to the forthcoming excitement, didn't appreciate their entertainment being taken away.

"What does he want with a hanyou? Is he really that desperate that he can't get anything else?"

Inuyasha flinched at the words and this drew the others' attention to him. Sanjo smirked. He raised a hand to strike him but it was caught but Raia. The fluid movements and quick were those of someone who had been in as well as broken up, many fights. Her eyes were cold.

"Lord Sesshoumaru has ordered me to bring Inuyasha to him. He will not be pleased to know that you lot have been roughing him up."

Her grip on Sanjo's arm tightened and Sanjo looked away.

Having worked at the place for many years, Raia was experienced and respected by everyone. Around 35 years in human terms, everyone knew that Raia was strong and also very loyal and would not tolerate any nonsense from a bunch of punks. Yuta, Taori and the others knew better than to get on her bad side because she always made good her threats and they were not at all anxious to face Sesshoumaru's ire.

Raia looked at the hanyou on the floor. "Come with me, Inuyasha."

Inuyasha stood up quickly and followed her. Yuta stepped in his way, sneering.

"You may be Sesshoumaru's golden boy for now, dip shit, but once he bores of you, you're gonna pay." He leered at Inuyasha who drew back a little. "You don't belong with some fancy Lord, hanyou, you belong with us -beneath us."

Inuyasha's eyes widened. He knew it was true, of course. He didn't belong with a great Lord such as Sesshoumaru. He didn't deserve to be even near him. Lord Sesshoumaru would tire of him soon and then, he would be back here - if the Lord didn't kick him out of the castle.

"Inuyasha," Raia called, without turning around. Yuta moved out of the way and Inuyasha followed her, glancing back fearfully at the laughing boys.

_________________________________________________________________ _______________________

"Umm….where exactly are we going?" Inuyasha asked in a small voice. Raia didn't look at him.

"Lord Sesshoumaru has ordered for you to be cleaned up and placed in his rooms."

Inuyasha's eyes widened. "In his rooms?"

Raia felt a small smile twitch on her lips. "Yes. But first, we need to have you bathed."

She led him to a small bathing area where some sour faced servant girls were waiting. Raia gave them a warning look. "If Inuyasha gets hurt in anyway while in your care, you all will answer to Lord Sesshoumaru."

The girls bowed to her and Raia left. As soon as she was gone, the servants turned to Inuyasha, looks of disgust on their faces.

"I can't believe I have to touch a hanyou. Oooooh, I'll have to bathe at least thrice to get clean."

Inuyasha's ears flattened and he bowed his head.

"Ugh! What does Lord Sesshoumaru want with such a pathetic thing?"

Inuyasha shut his eyes tightly. "Ummm…please, I will bathe by myself. You don't have to-"

One of the girls struck him harshly across the mouth. "Be quiet, runt!" she hissed. "You want Lord Sesshoumaru to punish us, don't you?"

Inuyasha shook his head, tears brimming in his eyes. "No! I-"

The girls clucked their tongues impatiently. "We don't have all day, you brat! Hurry up and undress so we can get this over with…"

_________________________________________________________________ ________________________

Inuyasha looked nervously around and tried not to fidget in his new clothes.

He had been given a very thorough bath. The girls were rough and his skin was raw and his ears were hurt from their hard scrubbing. His hair had been washed and brushed carefully so that it looked clean and rather shiny but his scalp was hurting because of the rough way in which they had brushed his thoroughly entangled hair. Then thy had dressed him in these clothes that he felt were a little too big for him. The red haori's sleeves were longer than his arms. He was sure he looked ridiculous.

Then they had taken him to Raia who had led him to this room. Before entering the room, he had been blindfolded and placed on something soft, his wrists tied together in front of him and Raia had ordered him to remain in the kneeling position and not to move or try to get up. He must wait patiently for Lord Sesshoumaru to come to him when he felt like it.

Inuyasha was not used to these confining clothes or even to being still for this long. The thing that he was kneeling on was soft so it was not painful or uncomfortable but having worked all his life, staying still like this was driving him nuts. Since he had no work to keep him occupied, melancholy thoughts filled his head.

Did the demon Lord think that a bath and grooming would improve his ugly looks? Surely, once Lord Sesshoumaru saw him here like this, he would be disappointed and angry because, he, Inuyasha, did not look good at all. On the contrary, he looked quite hideous and dirty. He did not know how to behave in front of such extremely powerful people. He tried to be as courteous as possible, of course but surely that was not enough. He had no talents and no skills and worst of all, he was a half-demon. Didn't Lord Sesshoumaru know that his chambers were being tainted by him?

He felt tears gathering in his eyes again and he rebuked himself for crying over something so silly - of course Lord Sesshoumaru, Prince of the Western Lands would not want a slave such as himself. What was there to be disappointed about? That was life - it always was and always would be.

Inuyasha grew more miserable by the minute. He wished Lord Sesshoumaru would come quickly and get it over with. If he was going to face rejection, he would rather it happened fast. It was less painful than waiting here like this. Then he collected himself. But it was not up to him to decide that. Lord Sesshoumaru probably had better things to do than see him. It was the Prince's right to keep him here like this as long as it pleased him and if it pleased the Lord to keep a slave waiting, it was not Inuyasha's place to question him.

Then, Inuyasha heard the door open and felt Sesshoumaru's powerful aura come closer. He whimpered.

_________________________________________________________________ _______________________

Sesshoumaru was in a very good mood. He had given orders to have Inuyasha brought to his room. No doubt, the servants would wonder at this, considering Inu no Taisho's decision but they knew better than to question him. Sesshoumaru could hardly get through the day's work, so impatient was he to see his new toy.

So, when he finally entered his rooms to find Inuyasha kneeling before him - blindfolded and whimpering, he was pleased, to say the least. Leisurely, he entered his chambers and went about his routine, completely ignoring the hanyou.

Feeling the powerful demon nearby, Inuyasha began to squirm. He couldn't see so there was no way of knowing whether Lord Sesshoumaru was angry or disgusted or what. What was he planning to do with him? Would he throw him out right away? Would he beat him?

"Inuyasha,"

Inuyasha was startled on hearing the deep, velvety voice very close.

"M-my Lord…"

One hand softly caressed his ears and all of a sudden, Inuyasha felt very warm. "Do you know where you are, Inuyasha?"

Inuyasha turned his head towards the hand and the source of the voice. "I-In- in your chambers, sire?"

Sesshoumaru was amused. Then the blindfold was gone and Inuyasha slowly blinked his eyes, trying to gain focus in the semi-lit room. Then he gasped.

Surely this humongous place could not be called a room?

It was huge; big enough to fit an entire house in it. Inuyasha had never, in his wildest dreams, imagined a place like this. Everything in the room was huge: There was a vast bed in one corner of the room, situated hear a tall window reaching nearly upto the very high ceiling but Inuyasha could not see it properly because he was kneeling and the bed was a bit high; there was a big wardrobe and a big mirror framed with magnificently carved silver; on the floor was thick, soft carpet; on the opposite side, the floor was at a slightly lower level - here, in front of a roaring fire, there were two massive armchairs and a couch; an elegantly designed table in the centre of the arrangement held a bottle of wine and a couple of glasses.

Inuyasha's stared, hardly daring to blink. Dark, deep colors were dominant in the room - the carpet was ochre yellow with beautiful designs; the armchairs and the couch were a deep wine-red and the table was of some kind of a dark wood. The whole atmosphere in the room was of quiet elegance and luxury. The colors balanced each other out well and the whole picture was one of beauty and calm. There was nothing flashy or showy -everything here was undoubtedly priceless but it was all in impeccable taste. It seemed somehow fitting to Inuyasha that the dangerous, powerful prince should have a room like this - one that exuded a quiet kind of power.

Sesshoumaru smirked on seeing the wide eyed look of wonder on Inuyasha's face.

"You will henceforth be staying here, Inuyasha."

Inuyasha's head snapped to him in surprise. "Here?"

Sesshoumaru gestured towards the thing he was kneeling in. Inuyasha looked up and around him. He was kneeling in a big, soft round…bed? No, it was more like a basket - a basket with a soft mattress and silk sheets. He looked up and saw a light woven arch going from one side to the other. His eyes widened. It was a puppy basket!

Sesshoumaru smiled inwardly at the look on his face. Kneeling, Inuyasha barely reached up to the demon Lord's knees. The Prince reached down and tilted Inuyasha's chin with two clawed fingers to look up at him. Inuyasha was mesmerized by the light golden eyes radiating such power.

"I told you you're my little puppy, Inuyasha. Puppies stay in their Master's room."

Inuyasha blushed and looked away.

"T-thank you, Master," he said shyly.

"Hmm." Sesshoumaru stared intently at the joyful, timid pup. Inuyasha blushed all the more under the demon Lord's scrutiny.

Before Inuyasha could say anything, Sesshoumaru lifted him lightly by the back of his haori, much as how one would lift a little puppy and walked over to one of the big armchairs by the fire. Inuyasha shivered pleasantly at the heat provided by the fire - but also due to something else.

Sesshoumaru sat down into the armchair and gently dropped Inuyasha on the rich, plush rug near his feet. Inuyasha looked up at him with wide eyes and tilted his head to the side in a puppyish manner. Sesshoumaru was charmed. The puppy looked delectable in the oversized haori and baggy hakama. The tiny hanyou dwarfed in comparison to everything in the room and Sesshoumaru found that he liked the effect. He let a small smile grace his lips as he looked down at the adorable little hanyou.

"Tell me about your day, Inuyasha. Was it good?"

Inuyasha gasped. The Lord of the Castle was asking him how his day was? Why would he be interested? Then he remembered the incident with Taori and the other bullies and the servant girls and his ears drooped. He had to remember this was all temporary - Lord Sesshoumaru would get tired of him soon and then he would be back with them. He could not allow himself to get used to this.

"Yes, my Lord."

But Sesshoumaru had seen the sad look in the hanyou's eyes.

"Do not lie."

Inuyasha jumped at the cold command and bowed quickly, forehead touching Sesshoumaru's boots. He had not even realized when the Lord had freed his hands.

"I-I beg your forgiveness, Master...I just-"

"Look up, puppy."

Inuyasha looked up cautiously. Sesshoumaru did not seem that angry.

"What happened?" One long clawed finger traced the light bruise on his left cheek where the servant girl had struck him.

Inuyasha whimpered. He didn't want to name them because they would doubtlessly be given a light warning or reprimand and when Lord Sesshoumaru sent him back, they would have their revenge.

Sesshoumaru frowned at Inuyasha's hesitancy.

"I promise they will not hurt you again, little one. Tell me what happened."

Inuyasha could not disobey the Prince. He stared at the intricately patterned rug.

"Some of the servant girls…they- one of them hit me."

He felt Sesshoumaru's aura spike with anger and he hastened to explain.

"I-it was really my fault, my Lord. You see, they were full demons and they were angry at having a half-demon amongst them s-so they- they were just angry…"

Sesshoumaru was moved by this hanyou's attempt to defend his tormentors. Did the child really believe he deserved such treatment?

"Do you think they were justified in beating you, puppy?"

Inuyasha's ears flickered at the nickname. He really liked it. He chewed his lip as he tried to answer.

"I-I didn't enjoy it but they- they're older and superior to me…I mean I didn't mean to but they felt I had to be punished so-"

Sesshoumaru growled and in one swift movement, Inuyasha was sitting in his lap, Sesshoumaru's arm wound possessively around his waist.

"Let me make this clear to you, hanyou." Inuyasha winced at the word. Sesshoumaru's grip tightened.

"I am your Master, puppy, and therefore only I am allowed to punish you - not the servants, not Raia, not even Inu no Taisho."

Inuyasha gasped. Not even Lord Inu no Taisho?

Sesshoumaru looked quite angry. "Those servants will pay. I am your only Master, Inuyasha; you will obey only me and those whom I order you to obey. No one else has any right to lay a hand on you."

He pulled Inuyasha closer and Inuyasha blushed at the proximity and Sesshoumaru's comforting, possessive words. Dare he believe them? He began squirming. Sesshoumaru stilled him forcefully.

"You are my hanyou. I am can call you whatever I want but if anyone else insults you in any way, you will tell me and I will deal with them. Do you understand?"

Inuyasha nodded and blushed. "I am really yours, My Lord?"

Sesshoumaru seemed satisfied. "Yes, only mine."

Impulsively, Inuyasha threw his small arms around the demon Lord, eyes shut tightly. Sesshoumaru's eyes widened briefly and then he returned the embrace, crushing the small hanyou to himself. Why did it feel so right?

"Mmm. You have had a long day. Go to sleep, puppy."

Inuyasha's eyes widened and he tried to pull back but Sesshoumaru did not release him. Would the demon Lord really allow him to sleep in his lap? One hand caressed the top of his head lightly, smoothing back the downy ears. Inuyasha sighed happily as he felt drowsy. He really was very tired.

Sesshoumaru looked at the little hanyou in his arms and felt an unusually strong urge to protect and possess him - hold him tight and never let him go. Then the puppy yawned cutely and snuggled into his chest.

"Yes, Master," Inuyasha murmured sleepily, almost asleep.

Sesshoumaru held him close, staring into the warm, cheerful fire.

Inuyasha may be hesitant to tell him the whole truth but he was well aware of most demons' attitude towards half-breeds: they were considered dirty, low and a pain. He knew because he had shared this opinion till he saw Inuyasha - the innocent, guileless pup sleeping so trustingly in his lap. He could not understand how anyone could bear to hurt the tiny puppy-like hanyou - even he, whose ruthlessness and heartlessness were legendary, was moved.

Sesshoumaru knew his father held compassion for all creatures but from his mother and various other demons, Sesshoumaru had come to despise all half-breeds and humans. And he also knew how hard Inu no Taisho had tried to enforce discipline and kindness towards weaker creatures in the palace. But people were, after all, people and no matter how much he wished, Inu no Taisho had other matters to deal with and could not devote time and attention to every individual complaint. As a result, in the servant's quarters and with the rest of the staff, the rule of the jungle existed. Those who were of one mind overruled those who were any different. Weaker creatures like hanyou inevitably suffered. Therefore, for the sake of the half-breed as much as the demons, Inu no Taisho refrained from employing any human or hanyou servants at the palace; it would be nearly impossible to keep anyone from harming them.

Sesshoumaru frowned. If Inuyasha was to stay in the palace, he would have to make sure that Inuyasha was safe. Even knowing that it was to be expected, Sesshoumaru was still furious. How dare anyone, least of all servants, dare go against his orders and harm what was his? Inu no Taisho had once said that despite anyone's best efforts, till the change came from within, it was nigh on impossible to make everyone treat a hanyou well.

But Lord Sesshoumaru was not just anyone; there was a reason why he was so feared and respected. Inuyasha was his and the servants would have to be taught a lesson in humility.

Sesshoumaru lifted the sleeping hanyou in his arms and laid him gently into the puppy-basket. Then he soundlessly left the room and went to his study. There, he summoned Raia.

_________________________________________________________________ __________________________

A/N: Wouldn't we all like to own a little Inuyasha-puppy? =^.^=