Hi there! Froggy here. This'll be the first chapter of my fic! There are several more chapters to come. It does have a plot, honest! xD So... Read and enjoy. If you like a particular pairing, keep it in mind and you'll be bound to find at least some evidence in the story. x3

Anyway, enough of me. Read on!

Chapter 1

"Kotaro?"

"Sasuke, look at the stars."

"Kotaro, will you stop for a second?"

"They're twinkling. It's like they're waving to us."

"Kotaro, you sound like Hotaru. Cut the crap and tell me what you dragged me over here to talk about."

Kotaro paused, turning to look back at the boy. So different in appearance, and perhaps in mind. But his eyes were the same as they had always been. The same as his.

He sat on the ground and looked at Sasuke, storing every detail in his mind. Silvery-blue hair, moving in the slight wind that had picked up. Pale, flawless skin. Those fierce amber eyes, staring straight at him; the almost undetectable shivering hum of Shibien, recently become a part of his being.

Sasuke stared at him. After a while, Kotaro looked back to the stars. "So beautiful..." he murmured.

The wind swept around them. A chill ran up Sasuke's spine, and he looked at Kotaro, slightly unnerved and not knowing why. "If you're not going to tell me what you dragged me out here for, I'm gonna go. I slept in a tree last night; I'm tired."

"You always sleep in trees, Sasuke-kun."

"Yes, but when Yukimura decides to climb up with you and keeps falling out, you don't get much slee-"

He stopped suddenly. Kun? Since when have I been Sasuke-kun to Kotaro?

Kotaro was looking once again at the stars. "Yes... maybe you should go," he said quietly, almost to himself.

Again, the unnatural chill ran up Sasuke's spine. "Kotaro?"

"Go."

"Kotaro, what -"

Suddenly, the older boy was on his feet. "I said GO!"

Sasuke stepped backwards. There was an aura around Kotaro, and it wasn't his own. "What's happening?" Sasuke watched in horror as Kotaro's skin began to shift and change beneath his eyes. "Kotaro! What's happening?!"

An inhuman roar broke the night's silence, and the boy stared at the monster his friend had become. His jaw had elongated, teeth sharpened; his skin was still changing, shifting shades of green and brown. Vines burst from his wrists and twined around him. As he held his hands palm-forwards towards Sasuke, they snaked forwards, hissing, hungry for the small boy's blood.

"A... K-Kenyo..."

His feet were frozen to the ground. He couldn't move.

"How...? Kotaro... what... Why...?"

Another roar. The birds nesting in a nearby tree woke in alarm and took flight; and Sasuke followed their lead.

Running blindly, dodging trees, hearing what had once been Kotaro crash through the forest behind him. Shibien was shivering in its sheath; if those vines held blood, it wanted every last drop.

Sasuke kept running. Unaware of where he was running to.

No, this path was familiar. He was heading to the clearing where they had camped last night; where Yukimura and Saizo were still sitting with the others.

He increased his pace but felt a vine wrap around his ankle, and crashed to the ground. He kicked hard. It tightened; he let out a cry of pain as a disturbing crack rang out. Pushing Kotaro's face out of his mind, he struggled to his feet - keeping his weight on his uninjured foot - and drew Shibien with a hiss. One of the vines snaking towards him was cut in half, and a deep red liquid sprayed across the ground. The Kenyo let out a scream and Shibien thrummed with pleasure.

The next moment, however, there was a sharp pain in Sasuke's back. He watched, frozen, as a thin vine burst from his front, the detached tendril snaking right through him and back to the Kenyo.

He pressed his hands to his ribs, gasping in pain. Looking up, he saw a thick vine fly at him and knock him sideways into a tree. Stars flew across his vision. When they cleared, someone was standing in front of him, facing the plant.

"Yukimura...?"

Several more figures appeared. Blinking, he identified Saizo, standing beside and slightly behind his master; Benitora, wielding Hokurakushimon; Akira, twin swords drawn, and Hotaru, flames dancing around his fingers.

Unexpectedly, Yukimura turned from the plant, sheathing his blade. He walked towards Sasuke. A thin trail of mist followed him, swirling around Sasuke and Yukimura to obscure them from the plant; Saizo's work.

Yukimura knelt quickly in front of him. "Sasuke, poor child, what happened?" The faint, but familiar smell of sake surrounded him, as usual. He reached forwards and began to quickly and efficiently bandage the wound from the single vine, feeling gently for broken ribs. "You were lucky. Can you stand?"

Sasuke stood. Yukimura put a hand on his shoulder, then turned back and walked through the mist, which curled off to each side and vanished. Sasuke followed, to immediately jump back with a curse as someone was hurled over his head to hit a tree with a crack.

He turned to see Saizo doubled over, a combination of black hair and bandana hiding his face. Yukimura glanced back, then ran at the plant in fury. Several vines were cut off before he was forced back, and Akira ran to take his place. Benitora was preoccupied with the vines which had wrapped around his Hokurakushimon, and one of his arms. Sasuke blinked to see Kyo appear, Yuya and Okuni at his side; immediately, they ran to join the fray. Familiar rounds from Yuya's gun rang out and splashes of red burst into the air.

Sasuke was dancing around the plant like a silhouette, mist trailing him and obscuring the Kenyo's vision again. His blade flashed in and out and several vines hit the floor. Despite this, he was still more preoccupied with dodging the deadly tendrils than attacking; Kotaro's Kenyo was powerful. More powerful than they'd seen before.

This point was proved as a vine hit Kyo in the chest, a ripple going through it before he was blasted back across the clearing made by destroyed trees. Yuya ran to him. "Kyo! KYO!"

His eyes flickered open and she gasped, joined quickly by Okuni. "Kyoshiro?!"

"Y-Yuya-san! I-" His eyes flickered again. "I -" A tremble ran through him, and his eyes flashed back to red. "Kill that bastard..."

Okuni pulled his top aside, staring at the image of a green twining vine just below his left collarbone. "What is that...?"

A high-pitched scream rent the air. A vine had curled around Yuya and lifted her into the air. She struggled, gun lying on the ground below. "Let me go! Let me GO! Let me -"

CRACK.

Everyone turned to stare as a spurt of blood shot from Yuya's mouth. Her eyes widened, then deadened, then were hidden as she fell forwards, middle crushed hopelessly by the vines.

"YUYA-SAN!"

Okuni was barely a foot behind her, having leapt up in an attempt to sever the vine. She shot thin, sharp threads through it, wild with fury, until another vine caught her by the middle. Benitora, still furiously fighting with the vines which had wrapped around him while he stared in disbelief at Yuya's body, had to look away as Okuni suffered the same fate as the blonde. The plant dropped them unceremoniously on the floor and turned to Akira and Hotaru, who were using fire and ice in turn to burn away vines.

One of the vines pinned Hotaru to the ground. Another was poised above him. Akira turned to cut it and was thrown several feet away by another. Sasuke was still shivering, transfixed by the blood spreading from Okuni and Yuya. He tore his sight away and saw the vine dart down towards Hotaru. Suddenly he was directly in front of what had been Kotaro, between all the vines and blood. Staring at his eyes, he saw no familiarity.

It was then that Shibien tasted the blood of the forest Kenyo.

Hope you enjoyed. Lots of angst to come in later chapters. I'll update ASAP, but I'm kinda lazy. x33 And procrastinatey. Still, I can procrastinate homework with this, so it'll get done quicker!