Part 1: Rebel's Submission

        Nether-spirits gathered around the dark citadel. There were only a few humans in the Dynasty Realm, most were either Warlords of Master Talpa's Dynasty, or young men hopeful for high ranking positions. These humans that had been captured were rebels against Talpa's rule. Foolish upstarts who were as good as dead.
        One of the whips lashed out and struck one of the rebels on her back. She flinched, but didn't cry out. Tears welled up in her golden eyes refusing to fall. She couldn't cry. She couldn't let all of those who looked up to her down. She was their leader. One of them at least.
        She felt another crack, followed by the slow ooze of a warm liquid. Again, she made no sound.
        "That's enough," a harsh voice called to the solider. The Dark Warlord of Venom sat high on his horse. This small band of twenty had been given to him as a present from Talpa. Sekhmet had all ready decided to make the six women slaves. The fourteen men would all have to die. His eyes turned to her. She looked back at him with defiant eyes. "Which one is she?"
        "She is the daughter of the rebel leader," the solider answered. "We have been having some trouble getting her to move along with the others."
        Sekhmet looked at her again. She wore a head full of amber colored hair. Some of which fell into her eyes. "Have her bound to a wall in my chamber."
        "Hai Lord Sekhmet." The solider pushed its way through the crowd over to her.
        Her eyes narrowed as she was pulled away from the others. Her friends. Her comrades in arms. She had the sinking feeling she was never going to see them again. Her eyes locked with Sekhmet's. "I will never yield to Talpa, or any part of his Dynasty," she spat as she was being dragged off.
        A cruel smile spread across Sekhmet's face. "On second thought, have her prepared for me. I shall return shortly."
        Her eyes widened as she read his look. "No, anything but that," her mind screamed. She took a deep breath as she was pulled into the citadel of the Dark Warlord of Venom.

        "What do you wish of me, Sekhmet?" Talpa asked.
        Sekhmet knelt respectfully as he made his request. "The rebel leader's daughter. I wish for her to be mine, but she will be hard to break. May I use the Nether-Spirits to aid the process?"
        Talpa's eyes glowed in thought. "I have seen her in battle. She may be harder to control than you realize. Let her die along with her father and brothers."
        "But Master...."
        "Do you dare to defy me?"
        "No Master, never. But keeping the leader's family alive, and punishing them until they submit will serve you better, than by killing them instantly," Sekhmet said quickly.
        "Yes, perhaps. You will have your aid. Now go until I need you again," the demon emperor said before disappearing.

        She was brought into his chamber. Her hands were held firmly behind her back, but she still struggled. She saw Sekhmet standing in front of her. Her eyes narrowed as they locked with his. "You'll have to kill me before I kneel to you," she spat. The solider holding her, kicked the back of her knee caps, making her fall to her knees.
        Sekhmet folded his arms. "Leave," he told the guard. Once the solider left, Sekhmet looked at the young woman. "What's your name Rebel?"
        "It's too good to be spoken by you and your type," she snapped. When the Dark Warlord's eyes narrowed, she smirked.
        His eyes narrowed even more as he figured out her plan. "Very well." Sekhmet walked to the door and opened it. "Bring me one of the males," he shouted. After giving his orders, Sekhmet turned to her. "Your plan won't work, I won't kill you, but you will suffer."
        They sat in silence for a short while, when a guard brought in a medium sized man with long matted black hair. Sekhmet took the man away from the guard and forced him to kneel, facing the female upstart. "I will say this only once more. Tell me your name," he ordered putting a knife to the young man's throat.
        Her eyes widened as the knife slowly started to draw blood. She knew the young man across from her. He had just turned sixteen. He looked like a man, but was still just a child. His fear showed in his dark eyes. Another trail of blood started down his neck as the knife slowly started to move. "Yuriko. Ogawa Yuriko," she said quickly.
        Sekhmet smiled evilly and quickly slit the boy's throat. He heard Yuriko's gasp as blood fell on her face and pale green kimono. "Yuriko. That's a lovely name for an annoying little witch like you." He let the boy fall dead and smiled at her fear and horror. Sekhmet grabbed her by her shoulders and picked her up. "And an intriguing witch you are," he said kissing her hard.
        Yuriko tried to push him away, but failed. As his tongue entered her mouth, she bit down on it drawing blood.
        Sekhmet broke the kiss and punched her. Before she could fall to the floor, he tossed her onto the soft bed. The more she tried to fight him, the more she failed. "No, I won't let you," she grunted. She kneed him in his groin. She pushed him off of her and dove for the knife still by her fallen friend. As soon as her fingers gripped the knife, she felt Sekhmet pull her hair. She stood straight glaring into his eyes. "I won't let you touch me," she said driving the knife toward his stomach.
        He grabbed her wrist and forced it behind her back. With a grunt placed Yuriko over his shoulder. He carried her small fighting frame out of the room and sighed. He'd forgotten. His citadel didn't have a cavern to house Nether-Spirits.
        Sekhmet teleported to a cavern just East of his citadel. He looked at the spirits there and nodded. "Do what you like with her. Just don't kill her." With that, Sekhmet chained her to a wall and walked away.
        By the time he walked to the mouth of the cavern, Sekhmet heard something that made him smile. Yuriko screamed.
        "Just kill me. Please. No!" her voice echoed.

        A century passed before Sekhmet returned to the cavern. He found Yuriko still hanging where he left her. Her hair had been chopped off at her neck. Her clothes were in shreds and almost cover in blood. He looked at her carefully and lifted her face.
        Her golden eyes slowly opened as she felt a human touch on her cheek. She looked at Sekhmet pitifully. By the look in her eyes, he saw something that pleased him. She was completely broken. Sekhmet leaned forward and pressed his lips against hers. His eyes widened when she eagerly returned his kiss. He pulled away from her and forced himself to frown. "You will stay here another year," he said coldly.
         She sobbed softly, not making any effort to protest his wish. Her eyes shut slowly as she lowered her head, accepting her punishment. Yuriko felt Sekhmet move away from her. After a while, she assumed he had left. She tried to take a deep breath, and flinched. She had been hanging there for a hundred years. Yuriko even doubted that her arms and legs still worked.
        Sekhmet watched her from the shadows. She couldn't move much. Her shivers were the only indication that she was still alive. His eyes narrowed as four Nether-spirits entered her body.
        Yuriko tried to scream. Her true voice left her forty years ago. Only a jagged whisper came from her throat. Two other spirits started using telepathy to pelt rocks at her.
        "So that's how they cut her," Sekhmet thought. He saw Yuriko crying freely and realized what was happening to her. They were raping her spirit. "This has gone on every night for an entire century," he told himself looking at the once willful upstart. "She will learn in time But not here. The Nether-Spirits will kill her before she is of any use to the Dynasty, or me."
        For Yuriko, the pain stopped. She couldn't see what was going on. One of the rocks cut her just above her left eye, causing blood to flow freely from it. Her right eye was already swollen shut. One of the first rocks thrown had struck her directly in that eye.
        She felt as if she were dreaming. First, she was falling. The sensation then changed. She was being pressed against metal. In the distance she heard a man's voice mumbling something. She tried to move closer to the warm metal and mumbled one word. "Arigato."

        Yuriko slowly woke in a dark room. She barely remembered hanging in the cavern as the Nether-Spirits tried to kill her. Her left eye stung, making her close it quickly.
        "The healing ointment is what's stinging your eyes," Sekhmet said hearing her gasp. He turned and saw her trying to move into a kneeling position. "Lay down. And stay that way until I tell you," he commanded. He picked her up and laid her gently on the soft bed roll. "Do you remember your name?"
        She shook her head, fearing to use her voice.
        "Answer me."
        "No Master," she said hoarsely.
        He smiled as he looked down at her. She was learning very well. He decided to let her have her first name. "You were called Yuriko."
        "Yuriko, I remember that... barely."
        Sekhmet sat next to her and pushed her hair out of her eyes. "Don't force your memories. They will come back to you." He leaned forward and kissed her. He was pleased when she slowly returned his kiss. He pulled away from her and looked her over. All of her cuts were healing slowly. Soon it would be as if they were never there. "I have to leave for a while. Master Talpa wishes for me to go on a mission. The other slaves will tend to you and teach you how to serve. I will expect you to be as servile then as you are now. Otherwise you will spend the rest of your life in the cavern with the Nether-Spirits." He saw her right eye widen with terror. "As long as you know your place, you will stay here."

        It was another hundred years before Sekhmet returned. Yuriko smiled as she heard his voice in a near corridor. She knew she had been a rebel. Her complete memory had returned to her over the time that had passed. She also knew she was thought of as a traitor, but she didn't care. Lord Sekhmet was saving her from the deaths her father and brothers shared.
        Sekhmet walked into his chamber and saw Yuriko kneeling. He had almost forgotten what she looked like. Almost. He walked past her to his private bathing chambers and was slightly surprised. "How did you know to do this?" he asked.
        "There was word of your return," she said. Her voice had returned, only to be soft and weak. "One of the others said that when you return from your missions, you always want a hot bath ready for you."
        Sekhmet smiled to himself. "She has learned well." He shed his sub-armor and stood in the door way between the two chambers nude. He looked at Yuriko and saw her blushing with her eyes locked on the floor. "Haven't you ever seen a man before?" he asked in a voice that was just shy of cruel.
        "O... only my brothers... w... when we were small, Milord." Yuriko blushed even more than before when she saw Sekhmet standing over her.
        "So you have never been taken?" he asked picking up Yuriko by her shoulders.
        Yuriko looked at the floor, and focused on it. She could feel his gaze on her face, but wouldn't look at him. "No Milord," she whispered. She felt him turn her face and soon found herself gazing into his eyes. "What would you wish of me?" she asked softly.
        Sekhmet leaned forward and kissed her. He moved his hands to the side of her face, just before he bit down on her tongue. He pulled away from her as she covered her mouth. "That was for the first time I kissed you," he said lowly. Sekhmet turned and walked into the bathing chambers.
        She stood in shock for a few moments. She then carefully looked into the bathing chamber. She frowned when she saw a number of sores and welts across his back. Yuriko lowered her head and went to retrieve the healing ointment.
        Sekhmet heard Yuriko moving around in the bed chamber. He turned his head and saw her pulling out a small jar of healing ointment. He closed his eyes and saw how different she was from when she first arrived at his citadel. She wasn't rebellious, but she was taking liberties. He sighed as he leaned back against the tub. She was only taking liberties because she was trying to please him. "And she was still beautiful," he thought randomly.
        "Yuriko," he called. "Come here and wash my back."
        She quickly walked into the chamber and climbed to the edge of the tub. "Do you wish me to enter the bath, or do you wish me to do it from here?" she asked shyly.
        He looked at her. Her hair fell around her shoulders, her hands sat in her lap. The pale green kimono she wore seemed to bring out her beauty. Suddenly, Sekhmet's back was the last thing on his mind. He stood and looked into her eyes. He grabbed the back of her neck and kissed her passionately.

        Yuriko sat up slowly as she woke up. She never would have thought that it would happen to her. After a hundred years of being Sekhmet's lover, she was with child. "He'll never let me keep it," she thought as tears started to sting her eyes. "If he does let me give birth, Emperor Talpa would take it from me."
        Sekhmet walked into the bed chamber and looked at her. She had been acting differently the past few days. He sat next to her and kissed her shoulder. "I have to go on a mission for Master Talpa," he said softly.
        She looked at him. He had changed over the last few years. He was still her master, but there were times, like now, when he truely seemed to care about her. "When will you be back?"
        He shook his head. "I don't know. When I get back, I want you to be ready to serve the other Warlords."
        "Yes Milord," she whispered. She kissed him gently and watched as he disappeared. Yuriko sighed. This was her chance. When he was gone, he wouldn't return for years. Yuriko quickly dressed and teleported.
        She stood in a large cave and looked around. "Makoto," she said lowly. Yuriko started to walk further into the cave when she felt a large hand wrap around her throat and pin her to the wall. Yuriko looked into a pair of bitter red eyes.
        "You were supposed to be dead," the man holding her hissed. "After all of this time, you dare to return here?"
        "Ma... Makoto, I need your help," she choked out.
        "You let our father and brothers die at the hands of these bastards, and now you're standing here alive, and they were killed long ago. Why are you here?"
        "Please... I'm with child. Makoto, I know you can get me out of the Dynasty. This is all I 'm asking you."
        His eyes narrowed. He then released her. "Come with me," he said lowly.
        Yuriko followed Makoto until they reached a thin ray of light. She looked at the ray and saw that it was a staff. She looked at her eldest brother and saw a tall man in the shadows.
        "She's finally come I see," the man said. He walked out of the shadows and over to her. "She's carrying his child?"
        "Hai," Makoto grumbled. He looked at Yuriko with pity. "She has to leave here. They'll kill her if they find out."
        The man looked at her and nodded. "She will never be able to return."
        Yuriko looked at him. "But Master Sekhmet," she said quickly. She looked at Makoto when he frowned at her. "Gomen," she whispered.
        "You'll be okay. I'll get you to some place safe until you have your child, then you will have to defend yourself. Do you understand me?"
        As she looked at him, Yuriko realized she was looking at the same man who had defeated Talpa himself. She then nodded. The past centuries were to be forgotten if she were to survive. She now had a child to care for. "I understand. Take me to the Mortal Realm."