Collared (Uzuzen) (Uzui Tengen x Agatsuma Zenitsu)

Chapter 4

Summary: Zenitsu is brought to the Butterfly Estate.

Zenitsu's heart beat fast. He was exhausted, tied up, blindfolded, and in pain. Pure terror ran through his veins. He was going to die, wasn't he? The last night on the road had been pure torture. As soon as his healing powers kicked in enough to make him aware of his surroundings, the man that captured him would slash him again, and Zenitsu would lose his consciousness.

"My, my, what a surprise! I asked for only one demon yet you bring me two. What did I do to deserve such generosity?" A soft feminine voice chuckled, coming from somewhere in front of him.

Under normal circumstances, Zenitsu would have been drawn in by such a sweet melodious voice. Nothing delighted him more than listening to the beautiful sounds of the world. Yet, there was something strange about the sounds of the human woman in front of him. Her voice seemed calm and even carefree, yet... her heart, there was something uncanny about her heartbeats. His keen ears picked up on...anger. Why was she angry inside?

"Thank that idiot crow." The slayer that captured him spat while shoving Zenitsu to his knees. "It followed me all the way back to the estate. "

Was that it? Was he finally going to behead him? W-would it be painful to feel the metal biting into his neck, the same way it sliced clean his wings? It honestly terrified Zenitsu to the core. He cringed in his bindings when he felt Uzui's fist tighten in his hair. And no matter how much he tried to prepare himself for his demise, HE WASN'T READY TO DIE.

"Uzui Tengen bullied by a crow...? That must have been quite the show."

God damn it, why anger him!? Wasn't Zenitsu's situation bad enough already? The demon expected a searing burst of pain, but the slayer only scoffed in response.

" Shame you weren't there to see it! I'm done. The pretty bird is yours now. Not my problem anymore, have fun!"

Pretty bird. Zenitsu came to hate that nickname, that mockery coming from that despicable man. He had addressed him like that numerous times in an arrogant tone. H-how dare he treat Zenitsu like that, an innocent demon that just wanted to survive.

"Now, don't act rash and leave so soon. I still need some little details." Zenitsu heard the sounds of papers being ruffled. "Might as well study this one after I'm done with my current project. Did you notice anything worth sharing during his capture?"

"I didn't notice any blood art. Regenerative powers are slow on large areas. Overall a weakling but has a great running speed."

Of course Zenitsu couldn't use his blood art. It took time for his cells to generate electricity and to concentrate it at his fingertips. He was still working on his speed, but with enough concentration, the electricity ball did significant damage. But he didn't even have enough time to breathe with Uzui on his tail ready to slash his neck. That damn slayer even lured him to the forest so that he wouldn't be able to take off flying. Zenitsu's brain only told him to run for his life, no fighting back. He supposed that now he was paying the full price for that.

The demon tensed when he heard light steps approaching him. They belonged to the human woman who walked around him and finally stopped behind his tied arms.

"I see. Are these stubs on his back? What was here before?"

"Wings."

"Hmm. What about his eyes?"

"Nothing unusual."

"Interesting. His flying ability makes it almost impossible to release him in the training forest. I'll have to see if he is useful in any other way."