24.4.2008
A/N: Wee! An update! Hope you like it.
Chapter One:
Choosing Sides
"Doesn't that foolish girl ever know when to shut up?"
"I mean it, Kyo! Where did you put it now?"
The red-eyed samurai merely wore his usual, "I don't give a shit," face, clearly ignoring her as always.
Fuming Yuya growled her frustration and went back to where Benitora had picked a fight with Sasuke over who got the last roll. At least there was someone around here she could bully and get away with a satisfactory result.
Pausing their battle, both Benitora and Sasuke looked on as she sat down, "What's the matter Yuya-han?"
"Kyo took my wallet… again."
"Aww, Yuya-han," the tiger began, giving Sasuke a look that said they would continue their feud later, "Kyo-han's had your wallet for two days now."
Now sporting a nice red replica of Yuya's hand on his cheek, Benitora sat back as Akira chimed in, "You'll never learn, will you?"
Mumbling something in response, Benitora didn't even seem to notice tat Sasuke had stolen his roll after all. He was too worried about Yuya-han. She just seemed so… un-her. It was enough to make him upset with Kyo, too.
Couldn't he lay off the teasing for one day? Just one? Yuya knew they would head out soon — Kyo seemed restless over at his spot by the small stream — but she just didn't feel like moving. Ever. What was the point anyway? All she ever did was slow everyone down. Kidnappings, murder attempts… all done under the claim that she was Kyo's most prized possession.
Mibu assassins certainly did have quite the sense of humor, didn't they? Prized possession… ha!
She'd wandered a little ways from the group, but she just wanted some alone time for once. Of course, whenever she wanted to be alone, she usually got attacked.
No rest for the wicked, it seemed…
And Kyo would definitely know all about that. At times she was sure he prided himself on it.
Rustling off to her right grabbed her attention, and she debated whether or not to investigate, though Mibu assassins didn't usually make noise…
"Get off me!" A female voice. More rustling, "Please, stop it, you're hurting me!"
That decided it.
Not caring at all for her safety, Yuya drew her three-barreled gun, readied it to fire, and sped through the undergrowth, aware of footsteps behind her but not caring at the moment, too intent on saving whoever was out there.
"Shut up, no one cares; no one's going to save you." A man's voice hissed, Yuya coming to a halt and hiding behind a tree, trying to catch a peek at the attacker.
He was a tall man, probably six feet three inches tall at the least, while his victim was only just barely over five feet, struggling against him and raking him with her nails and biting whenever she could… until he captured both of her wrists in one of his, looming over her like a thundercloud over a sapling, her kimono ripped and slightly bloody.
Taking careful aim, Yuya waited for the attacker to sit back up again, she finally got her chance and fired, a bullet catching him just on the side of his left arm, the sound of gunfire causing the woman to scream, her face covered in blood from a wound above her right eye.
Scratch that. She didn't have a right eye. At least, not anymore.
Yuya turned her attention to the attacker, his light brown hair loose about his shoulders, clutching at his injured arm as Benitora, Sasuke, and Akira appeared.
"What happened, Yuya-han?"
"I caught him," she said, jerking her gun barrel in the man's direction, "attack her…"
The woman on the ground — bloody and missing her right eye — cried out despite her wounds, "Attacking me? He was trying to untie me! The attacker's over there, dead, as he should be."
Following the young woman's gaze, Yuya saw the body of a gruff man with a needle sticking out of the back of his neck, hakama around his ankles.
"Oh no…" Yuya muttered, Benitora rushing to catch her as she fainted.
"Um, I don't mean to interrupt, but… a little help would be nice…" The young man said, still clutching his arm and looking sheepish.
Later that night…
Green eyes opened as she woke to a pounding headache. What in the world had happ-…?
"He was trying to untie me!"
She had shot a man. An innocent man… if that didn't mark her as worthless, what did?
"Y-Yuya-han? Are you awake?"
She turned onto her side, not wanting to talk to anyone right now but unable to stop herself from replying, "Go away…"
"Aww, c'mon Yuya-han," the tiger sighed, kneeling beside her, "we all know it was an accident."
"He was innocent."
"Everybody makes mis-…"
"Kyo doesn't," she half snapped, "Kyo never makes mistakes, because Kyo's perfect, right? He must be to have so many admirers, right?"
Realizing he wasn't going to be able to reach her right now, Benitora left her alone. Someone came and took his place. Two of them.
"We forgive you."
The voices were familiar and unfamiliar at the same time, so much so that Yuya had to look over her shoulder to see who had spoken.
A man with his left arm in a makeshift sling.
A woman with bloody bandages over her right eye.
Yuya looked away, "No you don't."
"I do," the man said softly, "really. I would've assumed the same thing."
"Of course you would. You're a pervert." The woman stated in a partially indignant tone.
"That's the beside the point."
"And he doesn't deny it…?" The woman muttered.
"Please, Shiina, Yuya-san — yes, we've heard of you — please believe us when we say we forgive you. It was an honest mistake."
Sitting up to face them, Yuya still got shivers when looking at their injuries, "Really?"
"Really," the man said, bowing slightly as his light brown hair fell over his jade eyes, "I'm Shirogane, Toge. This is my friend…"
"Shira. Nomori, Shira. Please we are to meet you." The young woman smiled softly.
"We would even like to hire you for your services." Toge smiled.
"W-What? What for?"
Shira touched her fingertips to her cheek, just beneath her missing eye, "To find the man who took my eye."
Yuya was puzzled and she knew it was noticeable in her voice, "You mean damaged, ne?"
"No, I mean took. Cut it out of its socket and ran away with it as it bounced about in a tin cup. He ran away, leaving his partner to do as he pleased with me. When you heard me screaming, Toge was already taking care of him. That other man took my eye. I want it back."
Blinking her confusion, Yuya attempted to change the subject, "So… what are you doing all the way out here?"
"We were supposed to be following the man who ended up stealing my eye. That plan didn't work out too well. He had valuable information and somehow got behind us."
Toge smiled, "Our, er, employer won't be happy when hefinds out we're gonna take longer than expected."
"He can wait," Shira scoffed, "without us to do his dirty work, he's nothing. No matter what he holds over our heads, we do what we want, when we want. Sooner or later, he'll see what side we're on, and when he does, I will laugh."
Toge sniffed, looking from Shira to Yuya and back again, "Um… whose side are we on, anyway?"
Shira's one gray eye hardened, "Ours."