InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Want To Be Your Slave ❯ A Demon Lord's Wrath ( Chapter 5 )

Warning: This chapter will contain violence, some shota, yaoi. If you are not comfortable with this, please leave.

Chapter 5 - A Demon Lord's Wrath

Yuta, Taori and the others were longing around as usual, doing no work. Their parents had many a times tried to get them to do some useful work but they had refused saying they were meant for bigger and better things than being servants. Like minded boys of the same age had banded together to form a small gang; they had dreams of making it big someday so why waste time on something as tiresome and demeaning as work?

Yuta was lying on an old, worn-out couch at their usual den, feet propped up on the back of a chair. Taori stood facing the window and the others were scattered around the room, thinking up mischief for the day.

The door to the den opened and Taori turned, frowning. Not many would dare come to this place uninvited.

It was Raia. They all looked at her questioningly.

"Lord Sesshoumaru summons you," she told them.

Yuta uncrossed his legs and straightened up, frowning. "What? Why?"

Raia kept her face carefully neutral. "It has something to do with the hanyou.

Yuta gave her a disbelieving look, a sneer twisting his features. "The brat ratted us out?"

Raia looked at him in amusement. "No, not him."

Yuta frowned. "But then who-?"

Raia looked at him steadily and Yuta snarled furiously. "You!"

Raia was unperturbed. "Yes."

Taori spit out the blade of grass he was chewing on. "What's this all about? Why would you snitch on us?"

Raia raised an eyebrow. "Lord Sesshoumaru demanded to know. Would you dare lie to the son of the Western Lord?"

All of them fell silent. It was true; they wouldn't. The Prince of the Western Lands was not known for his patience - or his gentle methods.

Raia turned away. "You better not keep him waiting."

Yuta sighed and got to his feet, trying not to show his apprehension. "Alright let's get this over with."

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"Inuyasha."

The low, deep voice woke Inuyasha out of his slumber.

He slowly opened his eyes and blinked. He took a moment to remember where he was. When he did, he couldn't believe it. Lord Sesshoumaru had not kicked him out! Instead, he had given him a bed- well, a basket - of his own. Surely that meant that he was planning to keep him, at least for some time!

He sat up and yawned cutely, turning wide, sleep-dazed eyes on the Lord who was sitting in an armchair. Sesshoumaru kept his face impassive but he was charmed. Damn but the brat was adorable when he woke up!

Inuyasha's basket was placed near the foot of Sesshoumaru's bed and the armchairs and the fireplace were on the other end of the room, so Inuyasha turned quickly towards the Lord and bowed. He looked curiously at the servant standing behind Sesshoumaru who was carrying something on a platter.

Sesshoumaru beckoned Inuyasha closer and glanced at the servant. She placed the platter on a low table near the lord. Inuyasha looked at it - it was a beautiful black collar with silver work - some characters in kanji that he couldn't read. Inuyasha cautiously approached him and Sesshoumaru pulled him into his lap. Inuyasha's eeped.

Moving Inuyasha's long white hair over one shoulder, Sesshoumaru placed the collar around Inuyasha's neck. Inuyasha shivered as his fingers came in contact with the skin on his neck. The demon Lord did not fail to notice the reaction. Inuyasha looked at the collar and then at him, eyes wide.

"This collar marks you as my property, puppy."

Inuyasha gasped. Did the demon Lord really want to show everyone that he owned a half-breed pet?

Inuyasha touched it gingerly and then moved his neck experimentally. The collar was thick and heavy and the silver cool to the touch but it was not uncomfortable - it was obviously made from some very high quality material. It covered his neck and throat and Inuyasha found the weight comforting.

"Thank you, Master," he whispered blushing.

Sesshoumaru pulled the hanyou's hair back in place once more, one hand lingering to caress his lower back. Inuyasha once more blushed at the contact. "You are not to remove that, Inuyasha. If you do, you will be punished."

Inuyasha nodded vigorously. He had no intention of ever taking it off.

Sesshoumaru let him off his lap and got to his feet.

"For now, you are coming with me."

He turned and walked away. Inuyasha followed quickly.

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Yuta, Taori and the other bullies entered the large room. It was tastefully furnished giving a clear message of the wealth and power of the owner. But there was only one throne-like chair in the room. There were no other seats or chairs.

This was the room where complaints of subjects were addressed if the matter concerned a large number of people. Raia gestured for them to wait in one corner with a bunch of servant girls. The room was very crowded - it seemed the entire castle's servants had been gathered there-

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In a different part of the castle, the Lord of the West, Inu no Taisho was irritated. Why weren't there any servants around? Had they all decided to slack off all at once? He gritted his teeth. Had discipline in the castle really gone so lax?

Frustrated, he called Raia.

"Where are all the servants?" he demanded.

Raia bowed. "Lord Sesshoumaru has summoned them to the Hall, my Lord."

Inu no Taisho frowned. Sesshoumaru?

"All of them?" he asked, rather incredulously.

Raia nodded. "Yes, my Lord."

"Do you know why?"

Raia averted his eyes. "I…believe it has something to do with the hanyou…"

Inu no Taisho turned towards the direction of the Hall. He had to find out what his son and heir was up to this time…

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The guards announced the arrival of the heir of the Western Lands and everyone bowed low, anxiety knotting in their stomach, glancing surreptitiously at the demon Lord's face, trying to gauge his mood.

Face expressionless, Sesshoumaru did not glance at them but made their way to the throne like chair at the head of the room and sat down.

But to the shock of all the occupants of the room, a tiny hanyou hurried after the Lord and stood next to the chair. Sesshoumaru glanced on the floor near his feet and Inuyasha sat down happily. Ignoring everyone gathered, Sesshoumaru looked at the hanyou intently and laid a hand over his head, playing lightly with his ears. Inuyasha closed his eyes and sighed contentedly.

All the inhabitants of the room fidgeted uneasily at the display of affection to the worthless hanyou. The Lord was so far disregarding their presence completely. There was a collar on the hanyou's neck with Lord Sesshoumaru's insignia. Was he more than just a distraction? Had the demon Lord really claimed him?

Yuta exchanged looks with Taori, both thinking the same thing. The fierce Lord had gone soft…showing such affection to a lowly hanyou? Such a shameful display for the son of Inu no Taisho. Taori wrinkled his nose discreetly and smirked, glancing at Inuyasha and then Yuta. Yuta returned the smirk.

Sesshoumaru's eyes snapped up and locked with Taori's. Taori's heart stuttered at being on the receiving end of the notorious Sesshoumaru death-glare.

"You. Come here."

Glancing subtly on either side to confirm that the Lord was indeed talking to him, he stepped forward hesitantly but defiantly.

"My Lord?"

Sesshoumaru stared at him languidly. "Is something amusing?"

Taori swallowed nervously. "N-no, my Lord…"

Sesshoumaru was looking at him quite calmly. "Perhaps there is something you wish to say?"

Taori could not help but glance at Inuyasha but he didn't say anything.

"Yes? Is it about Inuyasha?"

Sesshoumaru's amiable and encouraging tone gave him courage. "It- it is just that…the hanyou, milord…will he be returning with us?"

Sesshoumaru tilted his head slightly. "With you?"

Taori once again eyed him nervously. "He is a servant of the palace, isn't he milord? At least Lord Inu no Taisho said-"

Before he could blink, Sesshoumaru had him raised by the throat. Several of the room's inhabitants cried out and stepped back involuntarily.

"Yes?" he asked Taori softly. "What did he say?"

Taori choked, trying to splutter something. Sesshoumaru squeezed his neck tighter. Negligently holding him by the throat, he let his gaze sweep over the other occupants of the room. Yuta had turned pale and some of the servant girls were shivering. Turning his attention back to the struggling demon in his grasp, Sesshoumaru released him abruptly. Taori fell to the floor in an ungainly heap and took in urgent gulps of air. Sesshoumaru looked down at him disdainfully.

"What were you saying, filth? After the way you treated Inuyasha, you have the nerve to ask if he will be sent with you to suffer more abuse at you hands?"

Taori groaned but said nothing, glaring in hatred at the demon Lord. Young and rowdy, he, like everyone else, had heard the tales of the young Western Lord - his fierceness and short temper and how he suffered no disobedience. Privately, he had always thought they were a bit exaggerated.

"M-my Lord, we didn't know…tha-that the hanyou…that is you-"

"Did not know? You did not know that Lord Inu no Taisho does not tolerate despicable bullying and cruelty in his castle? Or did you think you could get away with it?"

Taori frowned. "W-We did not mean any harm, my Lord. We were just playin' around…"

Sesshoumaru stared at him steadily. "What were you planning to do? Rough him up and claim that he got into a fight?"

Taori looked away. That was a bit too close to the truth.

Sesshoumaru looked up to glare at the servant girls. "And you. I give you a simple task and you see it as an opportunity to mistreatment him. Just who do you think you are?"

The girls huddled closer together and flinched.

Sesshoumaru's voice was deadly. "You think you vermin are so far above a half-breed but really, you are nothing. Lord Inu no Taisho, as your Lord and Master, commands absolute obedience and if any of you, in your conceit think you can get away with such behavior, you are greatly mistaken.

He let his gaze sweep over the room. "If any of you here wish to challenge the Western Lord's rule, speak up now!"

Everyone was silent. Sesshoumaru waited.

"Are you so cowardly that you need to intimidate a child to feel worthy?"

A deathly, foreboding chill settled as Sesshoumaru's cold, furious aura permeated the room. Some of the weaker demons felt faint.

In the demon society, stronger demons dominating over weaker ones was the natural way - the more powerful demons claimed the superior position in any relationship and looked after the weaker ones; the weaker demons, in turn, showed respect and obedience towards those stronger than them - it was the way the hierarchy functioned. As a half-breed, Inuyasha had to pay obeisance to all demons but the demons had no right to ill-treat him so. It sickened the demon Lord that these servants thought they had the right to treat him as they liked. It took a special level of spinelessness to be cruel to a child.

"Is there anyone here who dares challenge me honorably?"

No one said a word. Of course they would not dare challenge him; no one was idiotic enough to think themselves equal to the Lord's strength. Even without years of grueling training as a warrior, Lord Sesshoumaru's raw, demon energy was enough to frighten the daylights out of them.

They exchanged furtive looks. They could not figure out why he was being so protective of the half-breed.

As a pureblood royalty and the heir of the Lord of the West, Sesshoumaru was above everyone in the demon hierarchy and as such, it was inconceivable for everyone else to imagine how such a powerful Lord sought to associate with a half-breed child. In their minds, they equated the status and strength of the slaves with the power of the owner - if the slave was strong, it reflected on the strength of the Master at being able to subdue him. So, only the weakest demons would accept a half-breed slave - everyone knew that hanyou were little better than humans.

Sesshoumaru looked at them disdainfully. "Consider this a warning." His icy voice was deadly. "If I hear a single word against Inuyasha, if anyone dares even whisper an affront to him-"

His hand glowed a poisonous green and the servants once again recoiled.

"-I will tear your tongues out." The room had gone deathly quiet, the servants hardly daring to breathe.

Sesshoumaru turned away.

"Now get out- all of you!"

The servants jumped at the command, scurrying towards the door. Yuta went over to Taori to help him up.

"You alright, man?" he murmured.

Taori winced, rubbing his neck. "Yeah, kinda." Taori's pride was stinging from being humiliated in front of everyone. Moving close to Yuta, he whispered low. "Who would have thought the dirty half-breed would be so damn much trouble?"

And before he could blink, the doors of the hall slammed shut and Taori was back in Sesshoumaru's grasp, tongue held securely between a clawed thumb and forefinger.

"I warned you," Sesshoumaru said softly, a slight smile gracing his lips.

Then Taori's screams echoed in the Hall and Sesshoumaru released him, allowing him to crumple onto the floor, his tongue held delicately between his claws. The other servants gasped and a few of them screamed. The demon Lord had literally ripped his tongue out.

A few of them swallowed uneasily, glancing at the hanyou sitting silently on the floor near Sesshoumaru's chair. Would he really go to such lengths for the sake of a half-breed? But no one was brave enough to voice the thought.

Sesshoumaru looked calmly at the servants, holding up the severed appendage. "It seems you imbeciles do not understand unless taught a lesson." He carelessly threw the tongue on the floor. "Next time, death will be the outcome."

The doors creaked open slowly and glancing nervously at the demon Lord, the servants silently filed put. The last ones in the room were the servant girls who had bathed Inuyasha and Taori and his friends. Taori was still on the floor, a hand across his mouth. Eyes wide, he was in shock. Lord Sesshoumaru had really made good on his threat. The demon Lord had definitely not gone soft.

"You."

They all froze, turning slowly towards the Lord.

"You all are henceforth banished from the palace. You will join the construction laborers building the Southern castle."

The servants gasped in despair. The Southern castle was being constructed on the other side of the kingdom. As construction workers, they would be required to work in the hot sun, doing hard manual labor. A palace servant's life was comparatively easy and paid much better.

All of them, except Taori and Yuta, fell on their knees glancing up pleadingly at the Lord. "P-please forgive us, milord, it will not happen again…"

Sesshoumaru glanced down at them coolly. "Yes. It will not. Now leave before I reconsider not killing you here and now."

They got to their feet quickly and scuttled away. Yuta led a groaning Taori slowly towards the door, glancing in hatred at Sesshoumaru.

Sesshoumaru narrowed his eyes. Did this brat have the insolence to meet his eyes so disrespectfully? "Do you have something to say, boy?"

Yuta gritted his teeth at being addressed as boy. Surely the demon Lord could not be that much older than him!

"N-no, my Lord."

"Hmm…be careful, then." The demon Lord's eyes burned into the servant's willing him to look away. Yuta sweated, trying to maintain the eye-contact. "Impertinence will not be tolerated. Or do you wish to suffer the same fate as your friend?" Yuta swallowed nervously and looked down unable to withstand the power in his eyes much longer.

"No, milord," he murmured defeatedly, head bowed.

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Inu no Taisho watched the scene play out from his hiding place with a small smile on his face. Yes, Sesshoumaru would surely be a great ruler some day. His son already knew how to establish his command - not everyone could be made to understand with simple explanations and requests and it was a Lord's job to keep his subjects under control. Fear was a powerful motivation to keep cowards in line.

Without alerting his son to his presence, he returned to his chambers.

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Inuyasha had so far remained silent through the whole scene. But now that it was only him and Sesshoumaru in the room, he felt the tears gather in his eyes. The demon Lord had done all this for him? He was used to facing abuse and mistreatment; he took it as a part of life as a hanyou. He had always thought that was the way of the world - the strong dominated over the weak; half-breeds had to submit to whatever treatment a demon gave them - it was not his place to question or complain. He should be grateful to even be allowed to live - at least that is what he had always been told.

Was Sesshoumaru really going to protect him from everyone? Of course, he knew that the Lord was powerful enough to do so but he had never thought he would be so concerned over a slave, a pet. After all, weren't slaves only there to please their masters? Why was Sesshoumaru being so…nice? He, Inuyasha, did not deserve this. The Prince had already saved his life and given him a home. There was no way he would be able to pay off his debt.

"Inuyasha, come."

He glanced up hurriedly at the Lord who was leaving the room and hastened to follow.

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Once back in his chambers, Sesshoumaru could not understand why the little hanyou was so downcast and miserable.

"What is the matter, Inuyasha?"

Inuyasha jumped at the smooth, deep voice.

He was sitting at his usual place by Sesshoumaru's feet near the armchair. Sesshoumaru was reading some papers and would occasionally pet his head or play with his ears. Right now, however, Inuyasha's ears lay flat on his head and as the demon Lord failed to say anything, Inuyasha had grown more miserable by the minute, till the Lord's voice shook him out of his reverie.

"N-nothing, my Lord."

Sesshoumaru glanced at him casually. "I have warned you to not lie to me, pup."

Inuyasha blushed at being caught and looked down. "I-it is really nothing, Master," he assured him. He did not want to worry the demon Lord with his petty concerns.

Sesshoumaru tilted the hanyou's chin up to meet his eyes. "Something is troubling you. What is it?"

Looking into the demon Lord's intense eyes, Inuyasha could not deny it anymore. "I-I just…with those servants today…wh-why did you…defend me?" he swallowed nervously. He did not really have the courage to question him.

Sesshoumaru frowned. "Why? What do you mean why?"

Inuyasha fidgeted. "Y-you didn't have to, Master…I-I already belong to you and-and I am a mere slave so-"

Sesshoumaru smirked. So this was what it was all about. He felt like tormenting the hanyou a little by making him say it out loud.

"So?"

Inuyasha looked down dejectedly. "You have…already done too much for me, Master," he said softly. "As long as I live, I will never be able to repay you…"

Sesshoumaru was amused. Repay him? The little hanyou thought he could repay him?

Suddenly, Inuyasha was picked up and plopped down into the demon Lord's lap, Sesshoumaru holding his chin firmly in his hand, staring mischievously into the scared half-demon's eyes.

"Who says I want you to repay me, hanyou?"

Inuyasha gasped and his eyes snapped up.

"Slaves have to remain in service of their Masters till they discharge their debts. Maybe I want you as my slave forever, having to do as I command you…"

Inuyasha blushed, squirming as the dominating words stirred something in his lower belly. His heart beat faster.

Sesshoumaru's hand on his back wandered lower and grabbed his firm little ass. Inuyasha jumped at the sensation of having the Lord's strong fingers near his crack, not understanding why it felt so pleasurable.

"Do you want to be free of me, half-breed?" the demon Lord whispered hotly in his ear, crushing Inuyasha's small body into his chest.

Inuyasha shook his head, mind reeling from the foreign sensations in his body, his as yet innocent mind not recognizing the feeling as arousal.

Sesshoumaru slipped his haori off his shoulder, leaning in to place small nips on his neck. Inuyasha cried out and tried to push him away.

"M-my Lord, please…I-I'm dirty…"

Sesshoumaru nipped him a little harder and captured his thin little wrists in one large, clawed hand. "Mmm…perhaps I like you dirty…"

Inuyasha squirmed even more, seeking some form of contact on his nether regions unconsciously grinding onto the demon Lord's leg. Sesshoumaru growled, pleased at his pet's innocence.

He grabbed a fistful of his hair and tilted his head back in forced submission, not that the tasty little hanyou wasn't entirely submissive already.

Soft lips and deadly fangs grazed down his exposed and vulnerable neck and Inuyasha shuddered, helpless and immobile in the predatory demon Lord's grasp.

"You are mine to do with as I please, hanyou…perhaps it is time you learn that…"

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A/N: I'm evil ^.^