Thanks, as always, for continuing to read this crazy fic of mine and taking the time out to review. I hope you enjoy reading this chapter as much as I enjoyed writing it.
Let's try this again because I feel like such a bum sometimes for not responding personally to every review I get. I want to give thanks to these kind people:
Tashime, zeniko, DarknessFlameWolf (special thanks for reviewing pretty much every chapter :hugs:), cha cha, Onime no Kyo13, Face, karin23, The Narrator (me luv ya' long time :hugs:), paisita, YuyaSama, fan girl 666, Paradigm08 (glad you approve and thanks for helping me do a better job on fixing mistakes :hugs:), JD, SinTotchi, LavenderSkies, Lady Seiryu, Erica, SweetestChick, phoenixkid, shakiya, twilight09, luna-magic-2005, Helena, Eve, Biminigirl15, SSJ04 Mewtwo(Meant to tell you I love you name – have you played Diamond and Pearl yet?), bartender, Kaeru-sama (you always make me smile :hugs:), peckforever, VirgoSapphire, FlowerGirl, DmonXtrmN8r, badbunny1818, solarise777, Jay Sasaki, StringxDolly, bluetinkerbell, shadow of the lost, Sagitarious Devil (Bon and Yuya as a couple:shudder:), Alex E. Tracer
Quick note:
A "tsukesage" is a kimono that can be worn by both married and un-married women. They are normally printed on below the waist but not always.
A "yukata" is a summer kimono that can be worn by both men and women. As far as I know, Yuya wears a yukata because of the flowers printed all over it but I could be wrong.
"Zouri" are a type of footwear worn by both men and women. They can be flat (usually for men) or at an angle, like heels are, (for women). Yuya's shoes are this type, I'm pretty sure.
"Tabi" are thick socks usually worn with formal wear.
Midori no Me
Chapter Twenty
Odd Mistakes and Devious Traps
Mahiro swore softly to herself as she moved forward and stopped behind the wall with Kyo on the other side. She had avoided putting her plan into motion earlier because Hidetada-Sama – she could never get the hang of calling him "Benitora" – was still in the room with Kyo and she didn't want her cover blown. So, she settled, instead, on waiting until her lord had drunk himself under the table – as he always did because his alcohol tolerance was pitiful – in order to trail after Kyo whenever he left. It felt like forever to the kunoichi before the Thousand Killer emerged from the room but she maintained her vigil nonetheless. She had waited four long years to get her revenge - what were a few hours more?
During her wait, she toyed briefly with the idea of locating Kyo's little girlfriend and taking her out of the picture. It would certainly be fitting revenge to have him walk in on the body of someone he cared about - the same way she had when he murdered her sister. However, it wasn't the girl she bore a grudge against and - while she could suppress her conscience when needed - she refused to stain her hands with the blood of an innocent. She refused to be like Kyo.
After a few hours, Kyo had exited the room, at last, and in an obviously foul mood. There was a small frown on his face and she had followed him, wondering what had him so perturbed. The Kyo she knew rarely expressed what he was feeling on his face. Stranger still, was the fact that he appeared to be looking for someone or something. At first, she thought he was looking for a woman for the night since his female companion appeared to have left – the Kyo she knew had hardly been monogamous. But he completely ignored the women who batted their eyes at them and teasingly ran red-lacquered nails over his arm in invitation.
Something here just wasn't adding up.
Kyo had left behind alcohol and women? What in the world for? She followed him silently, skillfully avoiding the men who sought to grope her in passing – she was disguised as a whore, after all – and trying to fit the pieces of the puzzle together. Perhaps it was a good thing that she had waited because he wasn't acting quite like the Kyo in her memories. Who knew what surprises he might have in store if she ran headlong into a confrontation with him?
Her inner musings had been disturbed when she heard a woman scream Kyo's name in a clear sign of distress. Her quarry had taken off like a shot, following the direction of the voice, and she had picked up her pace as well while maintaining her distance.
Door after door was thrown open in his haste and she slipped through each one once she was sure he wouldn't be able to see her. At last, he had stopped inside of one room in particular which brought her to her current position of standing outside of said room to see what she could catch from its occupants. Tilting her head closer to the wall to better hear, she caught one sentence from Kyo, his voice slightly raised in surprise "Bon, what are you doing here?"
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Yuya didn't know what to make of the situation. She had been minding her own business as she waited to see what would come of her little experiment. Would Kyo seek her out even when she wasn't in trouble? Or would he only come when she was a damsel in distress who needed saving? She'd had a neat little trap all laid out for him when he returned. Well, it wasn't so much a trap as it was a reward for him if she could prove that he thought about her when she wasn't around.
Her "reward" had taken a fair amount of money – Kyo had put her in charge of their funds - but she was pleased with the results. She had gone shopping for a bit once he and Benitora took off and now she sported a beautiful, indigo blue tsukesage kimono with tiny, birds interspersed with tall lily stems printed along the bottom. Her obi was white as well, with tiny blue birds dyed along the bottom and top to match her kimono. There were even a pair of tabi to go with the kimono and she had smiled when she slipped them on.
Growing up, she and her brother hadn't had much in the way of funds and she had never really had the chance to dress-up. And now, they were on a journey to who-knows-where. If Kyo could buy a kimono – and a very nice one it was with its fine black fabric and a yin-yang symbol printed on the back – then so could she. However, who knew who or what they would encounter and there might come a time when a well-dressed young woman would be necessary.
Of course, she couldn't wear this particular get-up all the time, so she had purchased a new pink yukata – even though it was a bit late in the year for it. It had been inexpensive but cute nonetheless with white flowers printed all over it. She had chosen a wide, dark blue obi with a broad, pale blue stripe around the bottom. There were dark blue concentric circles printed on the light blue part and she had bought new zouri to go with both kimonos. Her knives were tucked safely in a new holder that was wrapped around her thigh and her gun was stashed in the room they had rented for the night along with the rest of their belongings.
Now, bringing her mind back to the present, she wondered all of this had been such a good idea. After shopping, Yuya had come back to the brothel, let her hair loose to fall down her back, and waited for more than an hour for him to return to their room. She had gone to such great lengths to look nice and the anticipation of his reaction when he found her was eating away at her. Her impatience had finally grown so great that she swallowed her disgust at the thought of wandering around this house of sin and decided to go in search of her wayward companions.
She hadn't gotten very far – though she did have to fend off a few men who couldn't resist reaching out to touch her unusual golden tresses and trying to grope her – when she found herself scooped up from behind and unceremoniously tossed over a well muscled shoulder.
"A pretty girl like you shouldn't be wandering around without a man to show her a good time," a jovial voice had said, "name your fee and I'll make sure you'll be singing my name for years to come tonight."
'He thinks I'm a prostitute!' her frantic mind screamed as she heard her captor slide a door open and then close it behind them. Since the man below her was obviously strong, escape was unlikely, so she did the only thing she could. She screamed the name of the one man who she knew could save her.
"KYO!"
What happened next was completely unexpected.
The man abruptly let go and she slid backwards – bottom-first – over his shoulder, landing with a painful thump on her rear. Looking up she took in a face that was neither handsome nor ugly. The man before her was rugged – and massive - with a faint shadow of a beard dusting the tip of his square chin and shoulder-length, steel-grey hair framing his face. He had an eye-patch covering the right side of his face and his one visible eye was fixed on her with a look of amazement.
He stepped forward and opened his mouth as if he were about to say something but the shoji door slid open behind them and she heard a very familiar voice ask, "Bon, what are you doing here?"
Yuya whirled around and scrambled to her feet, swiftly making her way over to Kyo before turning around to see how this strange turn of events would unfold. It was strange enough that Kyo had shown up so quickly but she most certainly hadn't thought that Kyo would actually know the behemoth of a man who had snatched her up.
The one-eyed man's single eye darted from her to Kyo and back again, before a highly-amused grin spread over his face and he said slyly, "Sooo, got yourself a new girl huh? Here I've been trying to track you down for the past few years and you were living it up with that cute piece of fluff stuck to your side. Whatever happened to Sakuya? Did she finally get sick of you and leave?" he let out a loud bark of laughter and Yuya had to clap her hands over her ears. Didn't the man have any sort of volume control?
"Get to the point Bon," Kyo growled, his hand casually positioned near his muramasa.
"Hey, hey, hey, no need to get so testy. If you're wondering why I'm here, I'll explain in all due time," the giant replied, holding his hands up in a placating gesture, his grin still firmly in place.
'What is going on and who in the world is Sakuya?' Yuya's eyes darted from one man to the other, trying to figure out what in the world was going on. There was a tension in this room. If it had been a few weeks ago, when she was nothing more than a young girl living with her brother, she probably wouldn't have noticed it. But after traveling with Kyo and watching his interactions with each of his opponents until now, she knew that there was something happening here. It was like a preliminary battlefield was being drawn up before her very eyes. They were challenging each other in some way, she just knew it. Yes, the man named "Bon" was smiling and Kyo's stance made it seem as if he were demanding nothing more than an explanation but there was no doubt in her mind that he was ready to do violence to the man before him with or without provocation.
She shifted just a tiny bit closer to Kyo - her hand loosening her obi where it was tied behind her back so that she could have easy access to her knives - and found herself pinned beneath the gaze of the one-eyed man.
His smile widened just a bit and she noted that the corner of his eye crinkled, letting her know that he was the type of person who laughed often in addition to loudly.
"This is a battle between men, kitten, no need to bring out those claws," he said and she blinked in surprise, the meaning of his words dawning on her. 'How did he know that I had knives hidden on me?' she wondered.
Bon's smile turned into a grin at her dumbfounded look before he looked at Kyo again, the light of battle clear in his one eye.
"We have plenty of catching up to do, don't we Kyo. Let's say we have a little chat, man to man, and catch up on old times, eh?"
She felt more than saw Kyo relax slightly and give the man an answering smirk, "Hmph, yeah, why not."
His tone was casual, too casual, and she almost jumped when the Thousand Killer turned and spoke to her next, "Girl, make yourself scarce."
"But Kyo…" she began.
"We'll be fine. I don't need a brat like you worrying over me. Just don't wander too far…" he paused and she watched as he perused her form with those red eyes of his.
"And woman," he continued, "we will talk about how you've chosen to spend my money."
She flushed in embarrassment and moved to leave before hesitating and looking him in the eye again.
"Kyo," she said softly, placing a hand on his arm, "thanks for coming." She willed him to read the gratitude and worry she had for him in her eyes.
Something passed through so quickly in his gaze that she didn't have time to read it but she took in a deep breath as he placed a hand on her shoulder, his thumb lightly caressing the base of her neck out of sight of the other man. For all intents, it looked like he was merely pushing her towards the door but she sucked in a quick breath when he gently ran his thumb over the faint protrusion of bone at the bottom of her neck and whispered so quietly that she almost didn't catch it, "I'll deal with you later."
And then his hand was gone and the door was sliding closed in her face, she hadn't even realized that she had obliged his guiding hand by walking backwards to the exit. She covered her face with her hands and let out a muffled growl, that no-good Demon Eyes Kyo was entirely too skilled at making her lose her head. She blushed, recalling his words ant the feel of his hand on her neck.
For a certainty, she would insure that "later" wouldn't entail her giving "it" up, not until she knew he was committed to her and they had some kind of permanence in their relationship. However, that didn't mean that he wouldn't test that resolve – he already tested her when he did things like this. Also, she wasn't about to forget the mention of a woman named "Sakuya". Who and what was she to Kyo? If Kyo had something he wasn't telling her, she fully intended to drag it out of him.
Letting out a tiny huff, she turned and surveyed the corridor before her. As tempting as it was to stay here and wait for Kyo, who knew how long it would take and she needed distance between the two of them anyways so that she could gather her wits. She could go and see what Benitora was doing but she didn't really know where the he and Kyo had gone off to and it was dangerous to wander about for too long with all of the randy men wandering this place.
"Excuse me, miss."
Her mental ruminations were interrupted by a soft voice behind her and she turned, blinking in surprise at the sight that greeted her eyes. A woman was standing there before her. She was dressed like one of the other prostitutes here but - whether it was the way she held herself or the sheer politeness in her tone - Yuya got the impression that this woman was no more a lady of the night than she was.
The other woman was taller and – Yuya noted with some chagrin – definitely more endowed than she in both the chest and hips department. Her hair was the deep black of a raven's wing and contained a riot of curls that twisted around her shoulders and – oddly enough – curled upwards towards the top of her head without any discernable clip to keep it in place. Her eyes were the soft brown of a doe's but there was a look in them which sent chills down her spine. It was completely unexpected and she blinked in surprise, noting that the look had disappeared when her eyes were open once more. 'Did I perhaps image it?' she wondered.
Since it was hardly practical to stand out in the hall staring at each other, she gave the strange woman a small, if reserved, smile and asked, "Is there something I can help you with?"
The other woman returned her smile but it held little warmth and Yuya went on guard, her eyes darting to the side to see if she could find the closest exit. If this woman was an enemy, she wasn't about to go down without a fight.
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At first, Mahiro was just going to hang around and eavesdrop for a bit but the opportunity presented to her was just too much to resist. She had contacted one her fellow ninja and sent him on his way with a message to Ieyasu about Kyo's presence in his city. The Sho-Gun would most definitely be interested in knowing why and how the legendary Thousand Killer had come to Edo. It didn't look like Kyo would be coming out of the room with that other man any time soon so she might have to forgo her vengeance for another time. Killing the girl was out of the question - she hadn't sunk quite that low just yet - but that didn't meant that she couldn't take the girl's measure. Who knew, it might be possible to use her to implement another plan and trap Kyo in a different way.
So here she was now, staring at the girl after having caught her attention. The kunoichi hadn't really seen the girl up close before, and she was a girl - barely on the cusp of womanhood. She was not at all Kyo's type. Her breasts weren't particularly large and her hips were small. Not to say she didn't have curves, because she did, they were just…petite. However, she did have a pretty face. Not beautiful per se, but…fresh was the best way she could describe her. Her hair was a beautiful shade of gold and she wondered if the girl had a bit of foreign blood in her. The young woman's eyes certainly weren't in the norm but they were, perhaps, her most captivating feature. They were the deep emerald shade of summer grass and they positively radiated vitality and innocence, tempered with caution.
The caution, she supposed, probably came from traveling around with Kyo but, oddly enough, she had the feeling that this girl was untouched. Maybe it was because she knew that any woman who succumbed to Kyo was likely to lose any and all innocence they had left and so it should have been impossible for this girl to maintain those clear, guileless eyes of eyes. For a brief second, she felt a sharp, hot stab of jealously that Kyo might care about this, this little brat when he could have had her but it was quickly banished when she realized that the girl had picked up on her negative emotions and was putting herself on guard.
'And don't forget, you have to get revenge for Mayumi,' she reminded herself.She had not survived through the last four years to falter now and she certainly didn't need the last remnant of her feelings for Kyo getting in her way. She forced herself to smile at the girl, no, young woman -if she thought of her opponent as a girl, she would be hard pressed to keep any feelings of guilt at bay. Besides, Kyo's woman might have been young but, she was definitely of marriageable age.
She did feel just the tiniest bit guilty, however, as she saw the blonde look from side to side in apparent search of an exit. That guilt allowed her to put a leash on her darker emotions and she made herself relax, even managing to soften her smile into something genuine.
"Please, there's no need to be afraid, miss," the kunoichi said softly, watching her prey to see how she would react.
Apparently, the girl was the trusting type because she relaxed just a bit at her tone and asked, "Well, I don't exactly know you, so perhaps you can understand why I might be a bit nervous."
"Of course," Mahiro replied, "and I should not have come across as so hostile. It's just, there was a particular man that I was following and he led me here," well, she was telling the truth, she just left out the part where she was following him so that she could take his life.
"A…particular man?" the beginnings of a frown appeared on the blonde's young face.
"Yes, a handsome man with long, dark red hair and - you won't believe this – red eyes."
"Oh, I don't know about not believing you," the young woman replied, "in fact, I think I know exactly who you are talking about," there was a definite edge to her voice now.
"Oh, is he yours then? Your husband perhaps?" Mahiro highly doubted that Kyo would tie himself down to any woman in such a way, but she had to examine it from all angles to see if she could make sense of the situation.
The young woman blushed and averted her eyes, telling the kunoichi that if she and Kyo weren't married, she certainly wasn't averse to the idea. This girl was reminding her of the Mahiro she had been four years ago more and more and she suddenly felt uncomfortable with pumping her for info.
"W…ell," the blonde drew her words out, "I wouldn't say that he's my husband."
"Oh, is he your lover then?"
If possible, she flushed an even deeper shade of red and shook her head with an emphatic, "definitely NOT!"
Mahiro chuckled - this young lady was amusing if nothing else. It was obvious that she had it bad for Kyo but she seemed to be fighting it. On the one hand, she knew that Kyo was bound to disappoint her but on the other, she truly felt for her. She knew firsthand how hard it was to be a woman in love with a warrior like Kyo.
"So, why were you looking for him again?" the green-eye woman broke into her thoughts.
"If you must know, I thought he looked like a likely prospect for this nights work."
"Ex…excuse me? A likely prospect? You don't mean…?"
Mahiro let out a little laugh that was only half-fake, this girl was truly a gem and Kyo definitely hadn't touched her yet. It was odd but not the oddest thing she'd ever seen, since Kyo had never moved to that point with her either.
"Yes," she said, allowing her laughter to subside gently, "a likely prospect. You must admit that he is more man than most, right Miss…?"
She hesitated before speaking her name softly, "My name is Yuya and I wouldn't really know how Kyo compares to most other men. By the way, you are…?"
"Sakura. So, his name is Kyo, is it? Well, most women would just have to take one look at your Kyo to realize that a night spent with him would be all they could ever hope and wish for," she knew full well that her statement could be interpreted two ways. Either it would seem that Kyo would make a fantastic lover or that he was one-night only type of man. It was as much a warning as she would allow herself to give to the innocent woman before her that she shouldn't get her hopes up too high. Then again…this Yuya seemed to be…special and observant, too, because her next words caught Mahiro by surprise.
Instead of asking how she could possibly know how other women would see Kyo, Yuya looked her dead in the eye and asked seriously, "Why would you call him my Kyo? I never said what my relationship to him was and we've barely been together since we arrived at this broth…I mean place."
The kunoichi cursed herself silently for slipping but maintained her outer composure, schooling her face into a knowing look that would match her next words, "Well, I merely assumed that he was yours since you are on a first name basis with him and you get so flustered when I inquire about your relationship. Perhaps your love for him is unrequited?"
She let out a little laugh before winking conspiratorially to put the blonde at ease, "I'm just teasing. If you really want to know…I, along with half of the people here, heard you scream his name."
"Oh…," Yuya looked down and fiddled with her fingers, biting the corner of her lip in obvious mortification – as if her blushing face weren't proof enough, "…I hope I didn't disturb you."
"No, not at all," she said out loud. 'At least, not in a way that I can tell you about, Yuya-san,' Mahiro thought to herself.
"It's just that, I wish I could have a man who would come running like that if I called. You should have seen him move," she was telling the truth in this. If she hadn't been a ninja, she would have had a hard time keeping up. Again, she felt that brief pang of jealousy knife through her. She wasn't at all sure if Kyo would have come for her with the same haste he came for Yuya if she had cried out like that.
Some of the pain she was feeling must have shown on her face because the next thing she knew, two soft hands were cradling one of her own damaged ones and their owner was looking up at her with worry in her clear, green eyes.
"I'm sorry," Yuya said softly and she actually meant it too, though she could have known what she was apologizing for.
The ninja fought against the instinctive urge to jerk away because she knew that even though she had covered over the discoloration on her hands and arms with a special type of paint that matched her skin tone, her hands were still scarred. They weren't the soft fingers of a whore who had no other work but to entertain men. However, the girl seemed not to notice and Mahiro chalked it up to simple ignorance or innocence, they could be used interchangeably in this situation.
"I…I'm fine," she said, growing more and more uncomfortable with the entire situation. She could have been cold towards Yuya if she had been a complete she-dog, like many of Kyo's previous women, but she wasn't. There was such kindness and warmth coming from this tiny girl before her that she could completely understand why Kyo would keep her around. And it was that very knowledge that made her feel low for what she was about to do. 'Mayumi, please forgive me for this,' she prayed silently as she said her next words.
"You are very kind," she murmured as she removed her hands from Yuya's and reversed the situation by gripping them gently in her own, "I know it's getting late but I have a bit of time before more customers arrive. Won't you sit down and have tea with me."
As if sensing the trap that was about the close in on her, Yuya hesitated and glanced over at the door leading to the room where Kyo was. 'Please, don't make me use force on you,' Mahiro pleaded and let out a tiny sigh of relief when the younger woman shook her head and shrugged before giving her a sweet smile.
"Yes, Sakura-san, I think I might enjoy a cup of tea with you very much."
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Kyo savored the look of surprise on Yuya's face as he closed the door before turning to look at his old "friend." He would probably carry that look, as well as the sight of her in that exquisite kimono, with him for a very long time. How he longed to show her exactly what she made him think when he saw her looking so delicious but there were other matters to attend to and it was best if she were out of harms ways.
'There's always later,' he reminded himself with a faint smirk.
"Man, Kyo, I never thought I'd see the day when you settled down with one woman. She's got you good and whipped, hasn't she?" Bontenmaru grinned, his entire body radiating smug satisfaction.
"You know, your head's looking more and more like an unnecessary decoration, Bon. Need me to lighten your load?" Kyo growled. In his memories, and even now, Bon had been the only person who could provoke him so much that he lost his composure. He was also probably the only person who knew him well enough to know when he was pushing his limits. A man of action, Bontenmaru preferred to use his head as little as possible and let his fists do the talking but his age made him fairly astute when it came to reading emotions. Somehow, the Thousand Killer had never been good enough at hiding his feelings to keep Bon from calling him out on them.
"Haw, haw, haw!" Bon fairly bellowed when he laughed, "You still talk a big game Kyo, but last I heard you were dead. Care to tell me why you're still alive and as crazy as ever?"
"I don't have to answer to you on that," came the cool reply, he was feeling decidedly uncharitable after walking in on the big man and Yuya earlier.
In his usual irritating fashion, Bon immediately picked up on his annoyance and grinned saucily, "Don't tell me you're still mad that I hit on your little kitten earlier. Your tastes have really changed haven't they…," he paused and seemed to reminisce on something before continuing, "then again, maybe you haven't changed that much. Tell me, how much like Sakuya is she?"
Kyo met the frank gaze of his former companion and didn't know how to respond. The other Kyo of four years ago knew Bon very well and remembered having enjoyed – as far as it was possible for someone like him – his presence. But the Kyo he was now didn't know the exact way to deal with the man before him. His memories were still incomplete and he had nothing to draw on except bits and pieces. He knew who Bontenmeru was, he knew that they had fought together and had fun in a friends-who-would-someday-kill-each-other type of relationship. He also knew that if anyone could help him it would be Bon but he hated the sense of helplessness that washed over him.
A tiny bit of frustration at the thought of relying on someone else leaked through and brought a scowl to rest on his face. His reply to Bon's question was sharp, "I wouldn't know how she compares to Sakuya." He didn't truly remember exactly who Sakuya was but he certain that the girl in his memories – the one who roused his anger every time he thought of her - was she.
Despite the holes in his memory, he was smart enough to realize that, right now, his strength was nowhere near enough to compare with the Kyo of old. He would have trouble defeating Bon as he was, so now he was faced with a dilemma. They could spar back and forth all day with words or he could – and he swallowed his distaste at the thought – sit down with Bon and fill him in on his situation. But first he needed to know why bon was here.
Looking around the room, he espied a container of sake and a couple of cups to go with it. There was a low table off to the side and cushions on either side.
"This your room, Bon," he asked, changing the subject abruptly.
"Yeah, I came out to find myself a woman," was his reply, "Why do you ask?"
Kyo sighed and forced himself to relax as he walked over to the table and sank down on one of the cushions placed on the floor. Bon gave him surprised look before shrugging and taking a seat as well.
"Let's have a drink then," Kyo said, "like you said earlier, there's a lot of catching up we need to do."
Bontenmaru quirked a brow at Kyo's odd behavior before shrugging again and giving Kyo a wide grin. He reached over to the sake jar and poured a cup before handing it to Kyo. After pouring himself a drink he leaned forward, resting one beefy arm on the table and said, "Yeah, we do have some catching up to do. Why don't you start by telling me where you ran off too four years ago, eh?"
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Darn-it! I didn't get to put as much romance as I wanted to but I couldn't see any way of Bontenmaru and Kyo's reunion short. I wanted more fleshing out on Mahiro as well. Poor thing, she's truly a sweetie at heart but revenge just twists people doesn't it? BTW Yuya hasn't forgotten about her desire for revenge either. As usual, please read and review.
I picked up one of my very first fanfics again - a Sess/Rin one called "Ties of Blood" - and I was juggling the both of them. I'm trying to work out a system where I write about a page for each per day but it isn't perfect. If I'm not in the mood to write I come out with crap. ::sigh::
Hopefully, there weren't too many errors in this. I've come to the realization that I miss errors a lot when I re-read the fic because I know what the sentence I'm reading is supposed to say. It's crazy but I really do think that my mind substitutes mistakes with the proper spelling/grammar and I miss them entirely because I've seen some pretty obvious ones even after I've re-read the fic and posted it on Fanfiction. I am such an oddball.