Captured Soul

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Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha or any of its characters.

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Chapter four: Collar


Sesshomaru lay without moving for two days.


As night approached on the second day, he
stirred.


While cradling his left arm, the demon sat up in achingly slow degrees.

With great effort, he managed to crawl over to the side wall.

His body jerked at the jolt of pain as his right shoulder touched the ungiving
surface.

Biting his lip, the yi lei leaned heavily with his back against the wall until the
needling sensation passed.

The demon closed his eyes and rested from the tiring exertions.

He needed to think.

That woman...

That witch...

If what she claimed to be held any truth, then the danger
of his situation was undisputably grave.


He had heard mostly legends and stories of the witch.

Believing them to be mere myth, he had discounted the tales as pure fantasy.

But now, it seems, he had been wrong in his assumptions.

The legends were vague but from what his mental gatherings could surmise , the woman
had enough power to kill or control any youkai she desired.


Those stories, long ago, had been whispered by youkai in dark places.

They had spoken of her ageless beauty and timeless undertaking; the task of
seizing demon souls and sealing them inside
her little wooden box for eternity.

It had been unknown how the miko trapped her victims.

But now he knew. He had fallen into one of her snares.


The youkai opened his eyes and looked down at Tenseiga.

His sword had saved him, protected him from the spirit stealing mist.

And for once in his life, the inu youkai prince thanked his father for the gift.

But he had not come out of the confrontation unscathed.

The miko's power had ripped through him as if he were paper.

Her parting tap wounded him more than
any battle he had ever fought in.

He didn't like this.

And his demon blood demanded her death.

The youkai growled, earning him an undesirable stab of pain through his chest.

He grimaced then shook his head slightly to clear his vision which had started to spin.

Something was wrong.

Whatever sorcery imprisoned him and sealed his demonic powers, had also
interfered with his ability to heal at a normal rate.

These injuries should have healed in one day, but the feeling of raw muscle against jagged
bone told him different.

By the rate his wounds were mending, he would not be able to stand for another three days at
the most.

If the miko decided to return before that time, his chances of beating the witch
were slim.

Anger sparked and he clinched his fist.

His thoughts turned scarlet as he imagined
taking the witch and rending every piof fof flesh from her body strip by bloody strip.

His lips curved in a malicious smile.

Yes. He would listen to her screams of torment for hours before he let her die.

The demon's daydream of inflicting horrific torture on the miko vanished when a certain
scent floated in from outside.

He determined the odor to be that of a fox demon; a kit to be precise.

A small rustle to the right of his prison confirmed that there was indeed
something or someone close by.

Minutes passed.

The patter of little paws could be heard.

Sesshomaru turned his head to peer out through the iron like bars.

He heard the youkai sniffing around, probably trying to decide if
his presence presented a threat.

A minute later, a tuft of auburn hair stuck out from around the corner.

Then, two little fox eyes looked in.

Cautiously, the child moved around
to the front of the trap, while keeping his gaze fixed on him.
When he came within an arms length of the bars, he stopped.
He tilted his head in curiosity and spoke, "Hello."

Sesshomaru looked away.

The inu youkai picked up the movements of the kit as his steps came even closer.

The child spoke again in a more anxious tone. "Are you..... hurt?"

The dog demon ignored the brat.

"Why are you in here?" the kit questioned.

Sesshomaru kept his gaze on the far wall. "Go away."

Then, he picked up the scent of despair from the little fox.

"I am lost. I got separated from mother and father when we
were attacked by the Thunder Brothers. Which way should I go
to get out of this forest?....Please tell me." the child implored.

Sesshomaru let out a long breath. With no emotion he replied. "Follow the North Star."

The kits voice brightened some. "Thank you."


As he waited for the fox to leave, the smell of fresh blood tingled his nose.

His mouth watered.

He turned to see the kit rumaging in a leather pouch.

The fox child then pulled out two recently killed rabbits
and pushed them through the bars. "Here...you can have these,
I still have two more in my bag. Me and father were out
hunting before.........well anyway....thanks
for the directions."

The small kit then turned and left, heading north, towards his father's lands.

Sesshomaru stared at the freshly killed rabbits.

His stomach voiced its opinion on the matter.

Reaching over, the youkai picked
up the meat and proceeded to tear into it.

After finishing the somewhat satisfying meal, he painstakingly moved to lay down, resting
his head on his fur boa.

The dog demon soon fell asleep.


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Sesshomaru woke to the lighting of day.

He sat up, noticing that his wounds had
finally healed.

The demon concluded that he had slept for at least three days.

While standing, his muscles
creaked from being unused for so long.

Gripping the solid bars, he looked out to the dense forest that surrounded the clearing.

The inu youkai raised his nose slightly then inhaled deeply.

Only the smell of the morning dew drying under the emerging
sunlight filled his senses.

He listened; no crickets, no frogs, no birds. Nothing . It seemed even nature
avoided this cursed place.

Then, he heard the faint sound of footsteps.

The demon waited.

Soon, a figure emerged out of the parting branches and stepped into the clearing.

Sesshomaru recognized the dark grey cloak.

It was her.

He watched the woman closely as she pulled her hood back.

She smiled at him. "I see that you haved.....healed. This is good. I hoped you would be alive
upon my return. Sometimes, I can get.....carried away."

The inu youkai remained silent.

In a tone of mock innocence, the woman cooed. "Oh...something wrong? Can't speak?
Cat got your tounge?"

Sesshomaru cleared all thoughts then forged a mental barrier.

The miko crossed her arms, still smiling. "I see, demon, that you have a few talents
of your own. Very clever, closing your thoughts off to me. But it matters not. I do not
need to hear or see your thoughts to know what your intentions are towards me. You want
to kill me. I understand. It is not every day the Great Prince of the Western Lands comes
upon an adversary who is more powerful than he. You will learn, youkai, that you are but
an insect to the likes of me. I can crush you with my finger if need be."


The miko uncrossed her arms and looked at him intently. "But I do not wish to take your
life. Your capture has offered me an opportunity to utilize some of your worthy abilities.
You will be a useful tool to help aid me in my work. You, demon, will be my guardian, my servant, my slave, and my pet. You belong to me now. I am your master. And I expect your absolute obedience."

Sesshomaru stood very still, listening to the woman. He wasn't about
to give the miko bitch the pleasure of knowing how her words affected him.


The miko slipped a hand inside of her cloak.

As his body tensed in caution, the inu youkai prepared himself as much as he
could for the unknown.

Reaching into the folds of her garments, the woman pulled out a circular object
which seemed to made of black iron. She looked the object over carefully, running her
fingers over the outer edge. "This, my dear youkai, is how I am going to control you.
Know this, Lord Sesshomaru, from this moment on, you will forever be a servant, if not to me, then to whomever may own you in the future."

The female smiled a wickedly wistful smile. "I have one hope, my beautiful prince.
I do hope that this restraint will not drive you.......mad. It would be a shame if I were
forced into a........... mercy killing."

Sesshomaru eased backwards, placating his panicing instincts that were
steadily rising to an uncontrollable level. Even though his body pleaded with
him to try anything to escape , he remained calm on the outside.

He knew there was no where to run. His situation just took a turn for the worse.

The inu youkai had a good idea what this miko had planned
for him.

Other youkai had come under the control of miko's before. But in no journals
or books had he ever come across any writings detailing the magics of one such as she.

This woman, the power she possessed and her appearance rivaled the angel of death.

And this dark angel, this bringer of pain, wanted him.

He watched in growing apprehension as the witch began chanting in a different language.

She held the black shiny ring out in front of her and closed her eyes.

Her words echoed louder, claiming all sound and air around him.

The ring rose up from her grasp.

It began glowing with an unholy luster and started to spin.

From what he could see, the ring brintointo several pieces, breaking into a circle of
whirling, spinning stars.

As the miko's voice grew louder, the dots of light spun faster and faster.

Then they broke away from each other and flew towards him.

The demon swiped his claws out in one last futile effort of defense.

But the small orbs of brightness only whipped around his talons as if they were
only a nuisance.

The luminance grew brighter. While closing his eyes to the blinding radiance, Sesshomaru
could feel his hair bristle at the prospect of imminent danger.

A weight manifested around his throat. It's coldness reminded the demon of the feel of
steel against skin.

Suddenly, a strange sense of loss engulfed the demon.

As the flash of light died, the inu youkai opened his eyes.

His hands reached up to feel the foreign object around his neck. He
clawed at the restraining metal but his nails only slid across the slick hard surface.

Sesshomaru glared at the witch. "What sorcery is this?"

The woman looked down and seemed to be dusting off some invisable dirt from her
cloak. "I would think that a well read youkai such as yourself would know a
subduing spell when he saw one."

The infernal witch raised a hand in the air and snapped her fingers.

The walls of his prison fell away, disappearing into the ground while the roof
only vanished.

He was free.

And he wished, at that very moment, to do two things: one,
kill the miko and two, go back home. And he wanted to do them in that order.

The demon smirked at the wench who stood a mere ten feet from him.

He was going to kill her now.

But the youkai found himself unable to do so. His body would not comply his his
overwhelming urge to rip the woman to shreds.

As the demon clinched his hands together in mounting anger, het hot hot liquid ooze from his
tightened fists.

Damn it. he wanted to kill this....this....bitch.

Finding his desire to rend the life from the witch thwarted, Sesshomaru
looked around. His need for revenge would have to wait.

The inu youkai prince wanted to go home, and put as much distance between him
and this hell cat as possible.

But again, he realized that the wish to escape this nightmare would not be granted.

He was being held be magical means.

This is what she meant by control.

This spelled neck brace forced him to stay and froze all actions concerning
his desire to kill or hurt the woman before him.

After giving an amused chuckle, the raven haired female sauntered over to him.
"You are now bound to me, demon. I am your owner. You cannot harm me. You cannot
escape me. You are mine, body and soul."

Her hands trailed over his clothes offhandedly then smoothed over his boa.
She reached up to touch his face.

Sesshomaru jerked his head away.

The miko frowned "It seems I will have to.....teach you some manners, prince."
As the woman walked away from him, she gave him a command. "I have much to do, youkai.
Follow Me!"


Sesshomaru only stared at the wench, he wasn't about to obey any of her commands.

A few seconds later, the metal ring around his th beg began to tighten.
It closed around his neck. He couldn't breath..... The demon
frantically clawed at the constricting
metal choker.

He dropped to his knees when a surge of power started at his throat
and ripped over and into his skin.

Cool, damp earth bunched up under his palms as his talons dug into the mossy ground.


The intensity of the magical current sliced through his insides, making him spasm
violently.

Sesshomaru kneeled lower, his nose only inches away from the
decaying smell of the dead grass.

Fire consumed his flesh and his mind screamed in agony.

His thoughts scattered then slowly edged their way into an oncoming
but welcomed blackness.

The inu youkai's silent whimpers died to only whispers.

But just as the pain intensified to a level beyond his will to
endure, it lessened.

The metal around his neck loosened and he sucked in a much needed
breath of air while his body jerked at the fading sensations of the vicious torture.

The miko's footsteps drew near and he heard her voice speak in an irritated
tone. "Now you know what happens to you, demon, if you defy me."

She bent down, her lips close to his ear. "And I will tell you a little secret, my Prince.
You defy my command more than once and the pain will only increase until your mind
is nothing but an endless fog. You will become my puppet completely with the death of your
spirit."

Her cloak rustled, the sound of the cloth moving farther away. "I do not have time for
this. Get up and follow me!"


Sesshomaru eased up slowly, spitting out the blood which had welled up in his mouth.

He stumbled once then began walking in the miko's direction.

While trailing behind the woman, he realized he had no choice but to comply with
her demands.

Becoming lost in the shame, the inu youkai prince wallowed in the disgrace
of being a slave.


His wild freedom and untamed spirit was now locked away forever in servitude.
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Another chap finished in this saga. And it's going to get better. Well maybe not
for our beloved Sess. But it will become more interesting. Hope you all were entertained.^_^
Comments? Questions? Please reveiw. Thanks to all who read and enjoy.