Sorry sorry, I didn't mean to take this long to put up the next chapter!

Thank you for the reviewssss and to all those who've added me on their Alert and Fav!!*so happy* I will respond after this chapter.

The chapter is alotttt longer than the first three..I think the next will be just as long…hope you don't fall asleep halfway…T.T

ENJOYY

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

"Yuya…"

The woman who was named after the word that escaped Kyo's lips in a soft murmur that did not match the rage in his hypnotic crimson eyes was momentarily disconcerted by this rare occurrence. Did Kyo just call her name? Why did the two syllables by which she, since birth, had learned to respond to by any person that uttered them cause a strange warming of her blood, a sudden spurt in her heart rate from a strange mixture of fear and…desire?

The name was unfamiliar on his lips as he uttered it and her name had come out as a soft beckoning, not as a threat as he had intentioned it to sound. And that set him on edge.

But Onime no Kyo being…well, Onime no Kyo, despite his slightly distracted, muddled mind, was still able to assess his advantages over the situation. For some reason, the woman was dumbfounded. Hell, he was as well, what with his mouth calling her name even though his brain did not acknowledge it. How irritating. But for what it was worth, he had found what he had been looking for.

The opening.

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

An opening.

Kyo pounced, trying hard to ignore the excruciating pain that flashed, stinging and clawing even more than the initial contact of Muramusa's sword on his flesh. But it was nothing compared to the elation he was feeling as wind cruised along his skin as he sprinted towards Yuya, with full intention of simply snatching the katana and then leaping away from her, all in the blink of an eye. Only then, would he bring the fear into those deep forest green eyes. They would stare up at him and he would make sure she trembled, he would make sure that the next time she –

She disappeared.

How the f-

Kyo swore, a chain of expletives colourful enough to turn the dead in their graves across a fifty kilometer radius, as he felt a searing burn on his back that almost blinded him with an explosion of light that came across his vision.

Despite her vow to inflict pain on him, Yuya was feeling slightly guilty as she sidestepped the attack. The fact that she'd managed to avoid him was enough to tell her that Kyo's body was sustaining incredibly serious injuries that were beyond a human's capability to survive. Be objective, she reminded herself. Her hand came down onto Kyo's exposed back as he passed her in her sidestep, and Yuya pasted a large cloth of disinfectant onto the bloody gashes that marked his back and winced, somehow expecting his skin to sizzle at the contact of the potion.

Hissing, Kyo dug a foot into the ground, spun around and shot once more in Yuya's direction, and in doing so blood spilled from wounds that were widening from the exertion of his muscles.

This needs to be done quickly thought Yuya as she took her stance and concentrated on anticipating Kyo's next move from the tell tale drops of blood that fell to the ground a split second before every shift he made.

Kyo grinned, baring his fangs as he feinted left, right, capturing the surprised look on the woman's face.

"How long do you want to play, little girl?" Yuya spun at the soft purr of his deep voice in her ear.

Yuya knew that if he had been in a slightly better shape, she would have never been able to pull this game off. If he had been in his normal state, she might as well have bowed down in defeat before even breathing 'go'. But still, like a wild cat, he circled silently around her, playing and taunting her into a little trap.

Kyo pounced again, only to find himself reeling with pain when Yuya swiped the cloth of disinfectant across his chest. The tight burning sensation as if hooks pulled at his skin to close the bloody gashes were agonisingly delicious. When he looked down, he saw the wounds begin to close, excruciatingly slow, until all that remained were narrow slits. It hurt like hell, his vision blurring with the painful stretch of his skin, but he loved it.

That had been a blind swing, more reflex than strategy. Yuya was sure Kyo knew that and she bit her lower lip trying to prevent herself from gulping audibly. She watched in slight horror as his skin took on a life of its own, pulling, stretching its way to close the gashes. Where she had reached him, the rivulets of blood had dissolved with a disgusting sizzling sound. Kyo was shivering, his skin bristling lightly, but his stance remained confidently predatory and the snarl on his face only made him even more demonic than he already was.

Did his fangs just grow longer?

"Why are you so stubborn?" Yuya asked.

"And you are…?"

Yuya grit her teeth. "I am trying to help you, you useless demon. Your brain must be leaking along with all the blood around here."

"Oh?" Kyo mocked, "is Dogface worried for the great handsome Onime no Kyo?"

She bit back a squeak when Kyo appeared in front of her, so close their chests were almost touching; so close that when she tipped her head up to see him sneering down at her, their noses almost bumped. Yuya found herself getting a little side tracked as her mind veered from her golden goal of pain, to awe at the well-built samurai that stood too close to her for his own good. Tempted, she was so tempted to close that molecular distance between them, let her hands run along the strong broad shoulders, down the hard planes of his bare chest, lower, lower to his belt…

Something wrapped itself around her neck.

No! While she was thinking what she could do with her hands, she'd forgotten about what he could do with his!

Kyo watched the woman with interest as Yuya did nothing apart from staring back at him when he had come up in front of her. When he'd brought up his hand and grabbed the long column of her neck, he had the distinct impression she'd gotten herself lost somewhere. Now he was squeezing harder, and still she remained still, despite her frantic pulse ramming at her neck against his hand.

This had been too easy. Strangely, instead of feeling victory he was disappointed. Why had he expected so much of her in the first place? Why had he wanted her to win, to show him that she was worth his spilling blood and indirect training? How useless this feeling of anticipation.

And now he was just angry.

"Futile," Kyo hissed, his eyes narrowing. "Maybe I should end your useless, insignificant existence."

To bodily harm a person – demon, Yuya corrected – one has to accept injuries as well. She remembered well from Yukimura and Kyo's fight when the latter had taken the single daring step towards the playful samurai as said samurai swung his katana in what should have been a fatal blow. Yukimura's sword had gotten to its mark, but he himself had sustained equally bloody injuries from Kyo.

A single step had changed it all.

Yuya took a step of her own.

Without releasing the heavy katana from her grasp, Yuya gripped Kyo's wrist as hard as she could. With a push from both of her legs, and leverage of his strong arm, Yuya wrapped her legs around Kyo's hips, tightening her hold as she crossed her feet at his back.

She had to take advantage of the fact that Kyo had released her neck out of what she saw as surprise in his widened crimson eyes, a slight part of those lips of his. She had to ignore, and that was the hardest task of all, harder than the physical exertion she was about to put into this move, that her yukata had parted and had ridden up her legs so that what wrapped around Kyo's bare hips was her own flesh. And his hard, lean stomach was pressed against…

STOP!

Yuya arched backwards, her arms locked straight as she pulled Kyo with her in her backflip. Once her palms found purchase on the hard ground beneath her, Yuya bucked and unlocked her legs throwing the stunned samurai hard against the bouldered ground.

Somewhere between having slim creamy smooth legs ride him, being begrudgingly aware of the delicious way she was grinding herself against him, and then suddenly being launched into the air, Kyo managed to regain his orientation. Damn the woman! Using her female attributes to distract him. Still, it wasn't unpleasant. And as his anger over his disappointment in her abated, it only flared further when that last thought voiced itself through an annoying ache in his groin.

Whilst he felt his skin rip as he skidded to a stop against the ground, Kyo came to a completely out-of-topic conclusion. Brothel. The next village they got to, he was hitting a brothel. And then the woman would meet sudden death by his hand.

He rose slowly, keeping his head down, letting his unruly raven hair cover his eyes as a predatory chuckle rose in his throat.

Watching Kyo, Yuya wiped her bloody hands, cut from the sharp pebbles that littered the cave floor, ignored the sting, leveled her breathing and played her next card.

Pulling out a small bamboo bottle with a strange wooden screw-on top from the folds of her lapels, she held it in front of Kyo. "Just let me treat you, and I won't have to hurt you."

She'd found it in Kyoshiro's medicine box she'd been lugging around. She had seen the young man use it on the wounded children they had come across during their initial travels. Yuya had seen how Kyoshiro had pressed on the little button on the top and how liquid had sprayed from it. It had frightened her, and the first time she had tried it herself, the sudden pshht had caused her to throw the thing in the air and scuttle for cover as if the little tube was possessed.

Now, it was her weapon.

Obviously, Kyo thought nothing of it as he unleashed, metres away from her, a stifling tornado of qi at her. Like the first time he had appeared, waking up from an involuntary slumber, all his pented fury and murderous intent had been released in a single storm. Yuya had shivered of fear, as she was doing now. Her legs had threatened to fail, as they threatened to fail now.

"And how," Kyo's voice droned lazily in pure arrogance, "do you plan to harm me with that?"

Once where she would have heeded her survival instincts, this time she refused.

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

Yup the fighting isn't over yet…this is just the beginning…Sorry if it's a little bit slow, but I really really wanted to set up the phase between the katana being stolen and the fighting…well, not really fighting…more….

.v Yay!! I am glad you like the story…as for the weather, MUHAHAHAH…*an idea pops in her head*, if can control weather,..can I make Kyo real???? :p!

ThunderXShadowHahaha yes, Kyo certainly does need to learn to respect his woman…Although we all know that he does. He respects her enough to give her time to fight him….I lovoovevve Kyo!

SilverWingx*There are two chapters left after this one….Yeah for a random scene it is quite long….but I didn't want to jam it all into one page…

Eiriloveshuichithank youuu!

iWantToHateHimI'm hoping I can keep it up..:p

insane-dumbass as you can see…..continuation! glad u like it!

Xxdark wolf girlxXupdated!!

MicheleKuchikiwill do! With reviewers like you and the rest –WILL DO!

Chaotic Angel7updated!!

AutumnsFallheheh..hope u wont be disappointed

IllegitimiYay thank yu!!!!!

Kaeru-samaI AM HONOURED!!!!!!!!