Bandits and Bounties

The air grew colder as the road that led to Kyoto climbed higher into the mountains. Before long Yuya began to notice the decaying remains of carts and the occasional body tumbled off the side of the road, telltale signs that they had entered bandit territory. When they made camp she set a few traps around the forest clearing to warn them if anyone approached. Then she set about making dinner and realized that her store of meat was nearly gone because of Kyo's unsanctioned snacking. Sighing, she dumped the rest in the pot with some vegetables and balanced it over the fire.

She sat with a wince and gingerly removed the dressing on her leg. The wound was sore but healing quickly in spite of her having spent the day walking. As Yuya applied ointment and a fresh bandage she offered up a quick prayer of thanks to whatever god had seen fit to bestow her with the ability to heal more quickly than the average person.

When she had finished she insisted on changing Kyo's bandages, and once again she was impressed by how quickly he was healing. In spite of all the moving around he had done his wounds were only partially torn open and had already started to knit again. After Yuya tied up the new bandages Kyo pulled her into his lap and slid his hand up her thigh.

A sharp elbow to the ribs elicited a satisfying grunt of pain. Yuya jumped up and rounded on him with her hands on her hips.

"You'd better stop that nonsense if you'd prefer your dinner in a bowl instead of dumped on your head," Yuya warned.

"You're not very pretty, but I like your spirit," Kyo said with a smirk.

Yuya shook her head in disgust and served up their meal, wondering why she was even bothering to cook for this ruffian. She contemplated setting another trap between them but her instincts told her it would be a waste of time. He would be able to get around it. Sighing, she settled in for the night with a knife clutched in her hand.

She slept shallowly as was her habit, wary of lowering her defenses too much. The past days had been hard traveling though, and the thin air of the mountains made it even more taxing on the body. In the late hours of the night Yuya's control wavered and her breathing deepened as she was pulled into the embrace of a dream.

Dappled sunlight streamed through the forest canopy; in the warmth of early summer the moist air was ripe with the scent of moss and fertile earth. Yuya crept along the soft ground, putting all of her focus into not making a sound. Engrossed in the act of moving stealthily she was completely unaware of the boy stalking up behind her.

The flicker of a shadow in the corner of her vision was all the warning she had before he was on top of her. She let out a yelp of alarm and twisted under his weight, doing her utmost to at least land a punch on the larger opponent she knew she couldn't defeat. Kotaro laughed as he caught her fist, then he hopped up and pulled her to her feet, smiling as she glared at him.

"You're getting better at moving quietly, but your situational awareness is still awful. You'll never make it as a ninja," the boy chided gently.

"I will too! Just because I got a late start training doesn't mean I won't ever catch up," Yuya pouted.

"It would be better if you didn't, I like you the way you are," Kotaro said, his face suddenly serious.

Yuya felt the blush staining her cheeks pink and turned away in embarrassment. He took her hand gently and leaned forward. She closed her eyes and held her breath as she felt the soft brush of lips against her cheek.

"Come on, we should get back before they start to think we got lost," Kotaro said.

Yuya woke with a start, her fingers reaching up to touch her cheek as she felt hot tears threatening to form in her eyes. She hadn't thought of Kotaro for years. The pain of loss returned to her strongly and she clenched her hands into fists as she fought it back, stoking her anger instead. She would avenge him, she would avenge all of them, and then the pain wouldn't haunt her so.

Kyo was watching her with one eyebrow slightly raised. She took a deep breath and smoothed her face, rising and shaking out her blanket in a businesslike manner. Neither spoke as they broke camp and prepared for another day of travel.

When they approached the settlement at the base of the mountains Yuya could see the gleaming white walls of a small castle and speculated about how many soldiers would be stationed at such an outpost. When they got closer, Yuya saw a large sign with various notices posted on it. A group gathered near one of the notices talking about it. She drew closer to investigate.

When she caught sight of the bounty poster a monstrous face straight out of a nightmare with red eyes and vicious fangs stared back at her. Under the hideous countenance was a message about a bounty of one thousand gold coins for anyone who could kill or capture the criminal Demon Eyes Kyo. Yuya's eyes widened in surprise and sudden interest as she moved closer to read the details below the picture. According to the author, Kyo had murdered hundreds of men and even massacred an entire castle town single handedly.

Yuya turned with a laugh to ask her companion about the outrageous charges and realized that he had kept walking and was nowhere to be seen. Cursing, she pushed her way out of the gawkers and hurried into the town. Her palms began to sweat as she took in the number of soldiers about. With a sinking feeling she made her way toward a crowd gathering down one of the side streets.

She could hear people muttering about gold coins and red eyes as she pushed her way through the group. Emerging at the front, she saw Kyo leaning casually against the porch of a small shop, drinking sake. With an exasperated sigh she went to his side and tried to pull him up.

"We've got to get going. Everyone in this town is looking to trade your head for that gold," she said.

A worried looking man came to the front of the shop, wringing a rag between his hands as he looked from Kyo to her and back.

"Can't leave until you pay this guy for my drinks," Kyo said, polishing off the bottle and setting it down next to two just like it.

Yuya contemplated knocking him out and leaving him for the townsfolk, but decided that it would probably end in a lot of unnecessary bloodshed. She sighed and paid the man before herding Kyo along towards the eastern gate of the town. He was more trouble than he was worth, but she couldn't leave him to spark a massacre if there was something she could do to stop it. She was honest enough with herself to admit that she was also beginning to feel an intense curiosity about her mysterious companion. His eyes, his strength, and the unbelievable claims about his past, the more she was around him the more she wanted know about him.

When they got close to the gate Yuya stopped in her tracks, staring at the large gathering of armed men that stood in their way. Wondering if there was an alternate route out of town she saw that Kyo had continued walking forward without hesitation. The men pointed and began to shout. Bowstrings thrummed and arrows started to fall around Kyo.

He drew his sword and cut a path through the arrows, ignoring all injuries to himself as he danced among his enemies. After watching for a stunned moment, Yuya sprang forward to help, drawing her sword and attacking the archers from behind. As shouts spread though the town they felled the last of their enemies and Yuya pushed Kyo toward the gate. He frowned at her for a second before shrugging and heading for the road out of town.

"They're just going to chase us, you know," he said.

"That's what I'm hoping for," Yuya replied, tossing a paper-wrapped package under one of the torches burning inside the dark confines of the gate.

Once they passed through the gate, Yuya left the disposal of the guards outside to Kyo. She picked up a rock and turned to hurl it at the torch. She waited only a moment to be sure that her aim was true before rushing to Kyo and pulling him to the side of the gate where they would have some shelter. The men running towards them did not even have time to realize they were in danger before the burning torch ignited the package. It exploded with a blast that shook the ground and made the gate collapse. They were both knocked to the ground by the force of the explosion.

"Come on, we've got to get out of here before they make their way around from a different gate. We'll have to stay off the road for a while," Yuya said, scrambling to her feet with her ears ringing.

For a moment Kyo looked at her with mild surprise, then pushed himself up and followed her into the trees. They ran through the forest, listening to the yells of the men searching for them. More than once Kyo suddenly stopped and turned to confront someone who was getting too close, but as the shadows began to grow long the sounds of pursuit faded and they were finally able to stop to rest.

Yuya bitterly regretted not having time to shop for supplies or even buy street food to eat on the road. She was totally out of dried meat and only had some old carrots to munch on before they curled up to sleep without a fire.

The next day they continued moving through the woods, careful not to make noise and always listening for voices or other signs of humans. By afternoon Yuya was beginning to feel a bit less nervous.

She was just beginning to relax when rustling sound in the bushes made her blood run cold. A rabbit hopped out into the clearing and she breathed a quiet sigh of relief before pulling out a knife and throwing it with expert precision to kill the plump animal.

They followed the sound of flowing water to a river where Yuya was relieved to find a bank so steeply curved it was nearly a cave. There she made a small fire to roast their dinner and in the fading light she treated the wounds that she and Kyo had received during the fight the day before. She grimaced at the number of gashes and cuts on his body, feeling increasing amazement that he was alive at all.

"Why is there such a large bounty on your head? You didn't really slaughter a whole town, did you?" Yuya asked as she worked.

Kyo said nothing but she could feel his muscles tense under her hands. He clearly didn't want to talk but she wasn't ready to drop the subject.

"Was it a garrison town? Did you anger a lord?" Yuya pressed, trying to think of a reason someone would be accused of such an outrageous crime.

His silence persisted and the air around him seemed to grow thicker with his displeasure. She glanced up when she was done tying the last bandage and felt her heart skip a beat. His crimson eyes seemed to glow in the reflected light of the fire.

"Why are your eyes that color?" the question was out of her mouth before she could think.

Kyo frowned down at her silently. His face was unreadable but the tension in his shoulders broadcast his unwillingness to speak on the subject. Curiosity burned inside Yuya, his fearsome fighting style and ability to heal so rapidly marked him as something more than human, she wanted to know more about him.

"You're not really a demon, are you?" Yuya asked uncertainly.

"What if I am?" he growled.

Yuya swallowed nervously at the menacing aura surrounding him. An unreadable expression flickered across his face for a moment as he held her gaze. Yuya wondered if he had asked himself that very question many times before.

A shifting log sent a shower of sparks into the air and drew her attention back to the fire. Yuya noticed that their dinner was ready. Grateful for the distraction, she moved closer and carefully pulled the sizzling rabbit away from the flames.

"This just has to cool a bit and then we can eat," she said, glad for an excuse to change the subject.

Kyo's eyebrows drew together skeptically and he reached for the rabbit without hesitation. He tore a leg off of the animal and began munching on the steaming meat. Yuya was shocked that he wasn't burned. Her surprise quickly turned to dismay as the animal began to disappear into her companion's stomach before she could even touch it safely.

"Stop! I didn't kill and cook that just for you," she said, snatching away what was left and blowing on it so that she could have a chance to eat some.

Kyo shrugged and licked his fingers before leaning against the embankment and nodding off. After finishing the rabbit and carefully extinguishing the fire, Yuya also curled up to sleep.

They rose before the sun and followed the river downstream, keeping to the riverbed for the small cover it provided from the road above. They emerged from the forest by midday. The warm sun combined with the sound of the water lulled Yuya into a content and relaxed mood as she admired the beauty of the spring wildflowers and the joyful singing of the birds.

It finally felt like they might have some peaceful travel for a while, until an unusually thick reed wobbled toward their side of the riverbank and a man burst from under the water and threw a flurry of knives at them. Yuya leapt back and drew a pair of her own knives, while Kyo drew his sword and charged forward.

The assassin threw a handful of sand into Kyo's eyes and rushed past him to attack Yuya. She was surprised by his focus on her and driven back for a moment while Kyo cursed and shook his head as he tried to clear his eyes.

Yuya's awareness of everything around her faded as her attention focused entirely on the man in front of her. She could tell by his dress and demeanor that he was a ninja and she knew that if she didn't use all of her skill she wouldn't survive this fight.

She went on the offensive, throwing both knives as she charged and drew her sword. Yuya was determined to get some answers out of this man, and knew that in order to do so she had to finish the fight before Kyo cleared his eyes and killed the assassin. Her first strike towards his neck was blocked and she turned it into a thrust toward the eye, which he narrowly avoided by flipping backwards out of her reach.

She followed him closely, not allowing any room for him to get his bearings as she struck for his head, shoulder, and then stabbed downwards to cut deep into his thigh. He managed to twist his body so her strike was shallower than she had intended, but his leg was hobbled and he was now on the defensive. Yuya pressed her advantage, catching one of his knives with the curve of her blade and flicking it away.

She saw the glint of sun on steel as his other weapon came upward toward her undefended belly, but she quickly brought her sword down and he lost both his weapon and hand. As the assassin stared in agonized surprise at his bleeding stump of an arm, Yuya kicked him in the face and pinned him to the ground with her blade at his throat. Yuya let out a small sigh of relief, glad that she would be able to ask some questions this time.

Kyo was charging with his own sword bared. Seeing that she had already won the fight he frowned in disappointment. Yuya suppressed a triumphant smile and glared down at the man who had tried to kill her.

"Who hired you?" she demanded.

"I won't tell you a thing," the man replied.

Yuya narrowed her eyes and moved her blade from his throat to just below his eye.

"How about I take one of your eyes and then ask again?" she said, pressing the tip of the blade to the soft skin of his lower eyelid. He remained silent until she increased the pressure enough that a drop of blood began to trickle down his cheek like a tear.

"Fine! Fine, I'll tell you, just stop," he pleaded, his voice broken.

Yuya lifted her blade but kept it at the ready, nodding for him to continue.

"I was hired by a mercenary named Kaito," he said.

"Why?" Yuya pressed, narrowing her eyes.

"You killed his lover, Renji," the man said, his eyes flicking nervously between her face and her weapon.

"Surely that's not the only reason, tell me everything!" Yuya said, lowering her blade threateningly.

"There's nothing more I can tell you! He didn't say anything more than the killer of his Renji had to die!" the man wailed, raising his hands in a posture that was both pleading and defensive.

No matter how hard Yuya pressed, he continued to insist that he knew nothing of any other connections. She was forced to accept that he wasn't going to give her any useful information. She got up with a sigh, and when her guard was lowered for just a moment, the man suddenly attacked. Yuya didn't even have time to bring her blade up before Kyo had drawn his sword and separated the man's head from his shoulders.

"Thank you," Yuya said, letting out an unsteady breath.

Kyo's smug smile made her regret her show of gratitude, but she quickly shook it off and searched the body for clues. Other than a few stashes of coins she found only weapons and poison. They soon moved on, following the river towards the center of the narrow valley.

Yuya watched Kyo's back as he walked ahead of her. Countless questions swirled through her mind but she held her tongue. She wasn't ready to provoke his anger by pressing him quite yet. Unable to solve the puzzles surrounding her companion her restless mind turned to a darker subject.

There were no guarantees that she would be able to pick up a trail among the information dealers in Kyoto. If she found no clues there she would be left directionless, her quest for revenge once again stymied by a lack of leads. The mere thought made her chest tighten, but she refused to give up even if success seemed impossible.

Yuya's desire to avenge the village that had sheltered her as a child was her reason for living. With no family, not even any memories of ever having had a family, the village had been everything to her. When her adopted family had been taken from her in the most violent of ways she was left with nothing but sadness and anger. If she didn't have that anger to cling to the sadness would drown her. So she nurtured her hatred for the men who had stolen her happiness and swore to kill them some day.

Taking a deep breath, Yuya banished her uncertainty and reaffirmed her dedication to her goal. She had picked up the trail once before, she would find it again. No matter how long it took she would find the men responsible and kill them with her own two hands. If she found nothing in Kyoto she would move on, maybe heading south into the more lawless territories she had not yet searched.

Kyo slowed ahead of her and she looked around curiously. They had reached an area where the river was shallow enough to ford. Kyo headed out into the water and Yuya followed with a sigh. When they reached the other side Kyo struck out across the valley toward the mountains to the west. When they rounded a curve in the river and saw a village ahead Yuya stopped in dismay and looked around for a path that would keep them unseen.

Kyo kept walking toward the settlement without concern and before Yuya could even attempt to turn him away he was spotted by a villager. The man waved to them in greeting and, hoping that things didn't turn out like they had in the castle town, she waved back and started walking again.

"Good afternoon, it's rare to see travelers around here," the man said as they grew closer.

"I'm a wandering healer and I came to see if anyone in your village needed help," Yuya replied smoothly.

The man looked quizzically at Kyo and Yuya said that she had hired him to deter bandits as she moved from village to village in the mountains.

"Ah yes, the bandits have been terrible this past year. Please come in, there is a child in need of your services," the man said.

As they followed him into the village the man ruefully told them about the harsh winter and difficulties caused by bandits in the forest where they used to freely hunt for meat. Yuya made sympathetic noises, all the while looking around for signs of an ambush. Kyo scanned the village and made a beeline for the place most likely to serve sake. Yuya frowned after him but decided not to say anything.

The villager brought her to a small house where a worried mother led her to a young boy who lay on a futon. Thoughts of ambushes and bounties disappeared from her head as she knelt by the sick child's side. He had a high fever and was covered in a sheen of sweat. Yuya asked his mother to boil some water as she began to concoct a medicinal mixture of herbs from her pack to help him fight the fever.

She made an initial dose that was extra strong, letting it steep while she made several smaller doses and wrapped them carefully in paper. After feeding the bitter brew to the child she instructed his mother how to prepare and administer the rest of the medicine.

"He is a strong boy, with some help he will be able to recover completely," Yuya assured the anxious woman.

"Thank you so much, but how can I repay you? We have no money to spare," the woman said, tears welling up in her eyes.

"To be honest, my companion and I need food more than money. Even a single meal would make our travels much better," Yuya replied, her stomach choosing that moment to growl in emphasis.

The woman looked relieved and headed off toward the kitchen. While she waited, Yuya gently wiped the sweat from the boy's face and spent some time fussing over him until his mother returned with several packages of rice balls. Yuya thanked her and wished her and her family well before heading back out into the village to find Kyo.

She half expected to hear the sounds of fighting when she left the house, and was pleasantly surprised to find the village still peaceful and Kyo relaxing and drinking sake. He frowned grumpily at her insistence that it was time to move on. When the owner of the establishment emerged with an expression half nervous and half hopeful, she pulled out her coin purse and paid Kyo's bill with a sigh.

It was late afternoon by the time they headed out of the village. Someone asked if they would like to spend the night but Yuya declined with an excuse about needing to reach the next village soon. She wasn't able to breathe freely until there were plenty of trees between them and the habitation and they hadn't heard any sounds of pursuit. They made camp in a clearing next to the small river, forgoing a fire since they had rice balls to eat.

As they munched away in silence a familiar odor came to Yuya through the trees. When they were done she ordered Kyo not to follow her and went to investigate. Following a stream with cloudy water, Yuya found her way to a series of small ponds with the distinctive, sulfurous smell of hot springs. Dipping her fingers into the water she let out a quiet exclamation of delight.

Looking around to be sure that Kyo hadn't followed her, Yuya put up her hair, quickly stripped, and waded into the deliciously warm water. She sighed with contentment as the heat instantly helped relieve the tension and soreness in her muscles. The wounds she had received just a day before were already well on their way to healing, and she vigorously scrubbed at the dried blood and road dust accumulated from their travels. Scooping up the warm water to let it wash her skin clean she reflected that it felt like weeks since she had taken a bath, even though her last had been the night before she met Kyo.

The mere thought of the man made her feel as if those unnerving red eyes were watching her. Telling herself it was just her imagination she scanned the trees around the pond. Doing so revealed Kyo, lounging on a rock and unabashedly watching her bathe. Yuya pulled a small knife out of her hair and threw it at him, lowering herself into the water for the small privacy it would afford. Kyo dodged the knife casually without changing expression.

"What part of 'don't follow me' didn't you understand?" Yuya yelled angrily.

"I just came to see what was taking so long," he replied.

"Your concern is not appreciated, now go away!" she snapped at him.

"What if I want to take a bath too?" Kyo asked.

"You should because you stink. Just do it after I'm done," Yuya said, turning her back on him resolutely.

He chuckled but stood and moved back off into the trees toward their camp. Yuya sighed and tried to relax in the water but couldn't get the possibility of him returning out of her mind. She scanned the trees before getting out of the water and drying herself off quickly, dressing again, and returning to the camp, where despite his claims about wanting a bath, Kyo was already sound asleep.

In the morning Yuya was awakened by the sound of muttering. Looking around groggily she realized that Kyo was talking in his sleep. Rising curiously, she peered over at him and the anguish twisting his face shook her to her core. Without another thought she rose and knelt at his side to shake him awake. Having been plagued with nightmares for years she instinctively moved to release anyone else from such suffering.

When her fingers came in contact with Kyo's arm his eyes snapped open. One moment she was leaning over him as he lay on the ground, and the next she was on her back and Kyo was on top of her. His hands were twisted in the fabric of her kimono so tightly the fabric pressed against her throat and cut off the air to her lungs. Shock warred with terror inside of Yuya as she looked up at his snarling face and struggled to breathe.

He blinked down at her as the remnants of the dream cleared from his mind and he realized what he was doing. With a disgusted snort Kyo released Yuya and sat up, running a hand through his hair. She quickly moved away from him, shuffling back across the ground and putting a hand to her neck.

"Don't do that again," Kyo said flatly.

"You were having a nightmare," Yuya replied in a small voice, feeling the need to explain her actions.

"And, what, you wanted to rescue me from it? You're lucky you're not dead," he replied, lowering his brows to give her a dark look.

She swallowed nervously. His words were not a threat, just a plain statement of fact.