Sorry for the long wait. It's for the usual reason, namely "Life". Thanks for sticking with me and being patient, many hugs and kisses for that.

Thanks to:

wateveruwannacallme, Zashera, Tashime, little Indian, Serena530 (Honey, you made my day and don't worry about not being number 10 on the review list I still appreciate you taking the time out to let me know you are enjoying this fic. You're right, the meeting between Yuya and Muramasa is going to be interesting), tsukamei (didn't want to include your e-mail :3, there's a bunch of Akira for your reading pleasure here), shakiya, ThunderxShadow, MiharuShounji, CrazedYuya/KyoFan88, YuyaSama, SolarGuardianChick, Kura-sama, Atradis, StarianPrincess, angelgurl6244, bluetinkerbell, inxcharacterx, Duyung, FlowerGirl, SSJ04 Mewtwo, SweetestChick (chatting with you made my day), luna-magic-2005, Syolen, Biminigirl15, Sunny, Derra, battenburg, sexyinumama, Shelly, fan girl 666, shadow of the lost, Sagitarious Devil, onerous, peckforever, quivering quill, LavenderSkies, midnight blue08, Remember the Dead, MaraSeti, DarknessFlameWolf

Notes: Lot's of Akira in this chapter. He's honestly one of my favorite characters to write because he's so complex. The only people who match him in complexity are Yukimura, Kyo, and – to an extent - the Red King (I still don't have a full grasp on his character so please forgive me for any OOC-ness on his part).

Anyways, enjoy the chapter.

Midori no Me

Chapter Twenty-Five

New Threats and Old Flames

Part One

'Sometimes,' he thought, 'being the king is incredibly boring.'

He sat there on his throne and contemplated his next move. Even though he was called the former Crimson King, or Sendai-Sama, he didn't see much of a difference in the way he was treated. How easily he had fallen back into the role of the all-powerful and mysterious ruler of the Mibu. He sighed and twisted himself around so that his legs were dangling over the arm of his throne. If Fubuki had been there he would have been making that stern face he always made with the tiny little vein that popped out at his temple. His four Elders could be so incredibly stuffy sometimes but he adored them nonetheless. They were his children after all, just as every child born on Mibu lands could be considered his progeny since he was their ruler. Well, all except for the imperfect creations that Hishigi had been churning out for many years now as part of his Mibu Reconstruction Project.

They were all so clever, his dear little Elders. So loyal, so powerful, so obedient they all were…but they lacked something. There was a certain fire that was missing which he had only ever found in his two chosen successors. Oh, he loved Fubuki's deviousness and Hishigi's intelligence. He admired Yuan's resilient spirit and his carefree outlook on life. And Tokito, precious Tokito, was adorable and deadly all at once which made for interesting meetings. However, none of them were as fascinating as Kyo and Kyoshiro.

Kyoshiro was a paradox. The man was loyal to the Mibu to the point of blindnesss, but the king knew him better than he knew himself. He was quite aware of the fact that his dear servant struggled constantly with a sense of right verses wrong in regards to the things his people did. This latest assassination - the death of that rogue Shaman Nozomu - had shaken his most precious warrior in some way but he wasn't quite sure why except that it something to do with Kyo and the girl who was reportedly traveling with him.

Letting out another sigh, he shifted his legs again and sat cross-legged on the wide seat of his throne, resting his head on the hand and elbow braced against his throne's armrest. He had to admit that even he was curious about Kyo and the human woman following him. He knew quite well that there had been something between the Demon-Child and Sakuya at one time but he had long since seen to it that all memories of their little fling were erased. Kyo was stubborn and Sakuya had loved him to the point that she would do anything for him if she felt it was in his best interests – even if it meant betraying his trust and helping Hishigi to erase his memories.

Of course, he hadn't had Kyo's mind wiped simply because the he had a thing for one of his most valuable subjects. No, he had hoped that by removing the memories of Muramasa and his dissident teachings, the Demon-Child would have been more open and susceptible to his role in Sendai's plans as his successor candidate next to Kyoshiro. Unfortunately, it hadn't worked quite as well as he would have liked. After ridding Kyo of his memories, they had decided to test him by throwing him in the middle of the battle at Sekigahara to see whether his impressive fighting abilities were still intact. In an incredible display of prowess, he had cut his way through the men surrounding him and earned the name of "Demon Eyes Kyo the Thousand Killer" - and all in one day, no less.

In hindsight, he probably should have brought Kyo back to the Mibu lands after that but he had been curious as to how Kyo would react to his now unfamiliar surroundings. He had decided to allow his precious Demon-Child to wander the land and reach his own conclusions about the seething mass of humanity. Humans were imperfect, weak, selfish, ignorant, and a number of other unflattering things so he thought that it would become obvious to Kyo within a short amount of time exactly why they needed to be eliminated.

To put it mildly, Kyo hadn't done what was expected of him and yet, even that didn't come as a shock to the Crimson King. Kyo had always been a wild sort and though the loss of his memories had somewhat tempered him – and the operative word was "somewhat" – he still fought against everything Sendai threw against him. One after the other, Kyo defeated the Mibu assassins sent after him until their king decided to send Nobunaga and his lot to whip him into shape and bring him back. That hadn't worked out either and he'd had to resort to using Kyoshiro to either capture him or put him down. His final assassin had opted for the latter and Sendai had briefly mourned the loss of such a powerful successor as Kyo until Kyoshiro came back with the news that he was still alive and moving around with a human girl.

Though Demon Eyes Kyo was a constant source of frustration, Sendai still admired his strength and believed that he would make a prime King…if he could be molded. That was where Kyoshiro came in - he fully intended to continue pitting the two of them against each other to build up both of their strengths and force Kyo to come to him. However, there was little doubt in his mind that Kyo would not come quietly which was why he ordered Fubuki who, in turn, ordered Shirei to have someone keep an eye on Kyo and give him a push in the direction of Aokigahara.

From what he had heard, Nobunaga's vassal – Shindara - had sent off a female spy – Izumo no Okuni – to gather information about Kyo and there was someone else tailing her in turn. He smiled at that, his subjects were so deliciously devious and, as long as none were foolish enough to turn that deviousness on him, he was more than content to let them do as they pleased. Of course, it was next to impossible to keep secrets from him and he knew the names of pretty much everyone involved in his plans surrounding both Kyo and Kyoshiro but he did so enjoy seeing his dear children working so hard for the glory of himself and their fellow Mibu. Still, there was something bothering him about the girl travelling with Kyo.

With the memory of Sakuya out of the picture, he hadn't thought that the Demon-Child would find another woman to hinder him unless she was someone as unusual as Sakuya had been. Was this human girl also a Shaman? He thought that they had gathered them all into the Mibu lands but what if he had missed one? According to Kyoshiro, she had been connected to Nozomu, and if that were the case, she might know of his secret. It was dangerous knowledge for anyone to have and he simply couldn't take the risk of anyone - besides a select few - and an outsider at that knowing his most intimate secret. But, he didn't want to kill her just because she might or might not know about him. It wouldn't do to rouse Kyo up if he had formed an attachment to the girl. That would really throw a hammer in his plans.

What he would do, he decided, was have his informants check her out and make sure that she was with Kyo when they finally met once more. He would see for himself just what made her so interesting to Kyo and if it turned out that she was indeed a Shaman, well she would either belong to him and the Mibu or she would die.

With that settled, he stood and stretched, adjusting his glasses and humming a jaunty tune to himself as he went off to his study. There was an interesting scroll about the legend of the eight-headed Orochi that he was just dying to sink his mental teeth into – supposedly it had been written by an actual eyewitness. There wasn't much else for him to do but play the waiting game for now and he saw no need to let his hobbies – those that didn't involve controlling the fate of the world – fall to the wayside.

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Yuya craned her neck back and stared up in awe at the gates opening up before her. The Shogun's crest was etched deeply into the wood and painted a bright red which, uncomfortably, reminded her of blood. She frowned slightly and hoped that the comparison wasn't a premonition of some sort. Of course, she didn't doubt that Kyo would make it through the day but her heart still beat just a little bit faster when she thought about the fact that today was the start of the actual tournament.

The day before, they had participated in the preliminary fights – well, she watched from the sides while the others competed – and Kyo had breezed through his opponents in a matter of seconds. In fact, he had taken out about two thirds of his competition before they could even be organized into pairs and Bontenmaru had had a fit because his fun was spoiled. His temper, along with Kyo's patented apathy towards his irritation had led to yet another glaring match between the two and ended with Bon being laid out with yet another well placed fist. Later that evening, Bontenmaru had leered at her over his sake cup and told the inhabitants of their room that Kyo was still upset 'cause he'd kept the two of them from their "vertical sparring match". Yuya had been mortified when it dawned on her exactly what "vertical sparring" was and Bontemaru now sported two black eyes and a knot on his head from Kyo's "reply" to his smart-mouthed remarks.

Yuya hung her head and sighed. The two of them were like brothers with a chronic case of sibling rivalry. She was positive that she'd never seen Kyo so lively outside of battle except when they were just traveling by themselves and even then his mood had varied between withdrawn and annoyed, with a spattering of lasciviousness. He'd become even quieter after fighting with White Crow and demonstrating that he was much more than human.

Whatever the case, she was somewhat awed to find out that Bontenmaru was none other than the Date Masamune – the One-Eyed Dragon. She didn't know much about the world outside of her village but she knew about Bon's family and their aspirations to be the rulers of Nippon. What had further surprised her was the relationship between Bon and Kyo. Apparently, he had been part of a gang of warriors who had traveled with Kyo in his foggy past and called themselves the Four Emperors. So far Bon had been pretty closed-mouthed about who and where the Emperors were, telling her that they were each doing their own thing as far as he knew and nothing more. It didn't take a genius to realize that the five of them hadn't parted under the best of circumstances.

The young woman sighed again, the mysteries surrounding Kyo just got deeper and deeper. Shaking her head, she directed her eyes forward and squinted against the light to see just what they were up against. Green eyes widened as they took in the massive courtyard with a ring drawn in the packed earth and warriors of the Shogunate jostling each other on all sides to get a look at the competitors.

"Are you excited, ojou-san," murmured a sweetly seductive voice next to her ear and she jumped, snapping her head around to stare at the owner of the voice.

It was Yukino, a beautiful but odd woman that had also breezed through her opponents, though not in quite the same way Kyo had. She had seemed friendly enough, chatting animatedly with Yuya while they waited for the preliminaries to be finished. Yuya hazarded a glance at Kyo but he was ignoring her, as he had for the most part for the past two days, and she let him be, assuming that he was just trying to concentrate on the tournament. Besides, it would be a lie if she didn't say that she was just the tiniest bit relieved that his focus wasn't on her. It had shaken her to her core when Benitora was protesting her attendance at the tournament and all it had taken was one look from Kyo for her mind to be made up about going. Odd that she had known he was remembering his promise to protect her when their eyes had met. Odder still that she had instinctively known he would always protect her as long as she let him and didn't give up in her trust in him. Was there any other answer she could have given to his unspoken question but a resounding "yes"?

She had long since realized that Kyo preferred to speak with actions rather than words and she didn't doubt that he cared for her in some way, shape, or form because…well, she was still here. And she definitely couldn't discount the incredible way he had kissed her after she came to from her drug-induced sleep.

"Oh, what's this ojou-sama," Yukino purred, "Now, what naughty tings could you be thinking to make your cheeks so red, hmm?"

"N…nothing," Yuya said hastily, reaching up and rubbing at her cheeks as if that would somehow erase her blush.

Yukino chuckled and followed her gaze to Kyo, a knowing smirk on her lips. Yuya looked at the tall woman and wondered what was going on in her head. She was pretty enough but woefully flat in the chest area and there was definite tomboyish air around her that most men would have been simultaneously attracted and repelled by, but she still flirted with pretty much everyone. She seemed to have taken a special liking to the people in Kyo's group – asking questions here and there and laughing at most everything they said. Unsurprisingly, she focused a lot of her attention on Kyo but the oddness came in when she decided to stare at Yuya instead. In fact, she spent just as much time watching her as she did Kyo and Yuya wavered between amusement and discomfort. She was used to men staring at her but a woman was a whole different ball game and she did her best to ignore the pointed stares Yukino gave her, as if she was the most interesting thing the female warrior had ever seen.

"I see… Tell me, ojou-san, does that fascinating red-haired warrior know that you have a thing for him?"

Yuya stared at her with widened eyes and opened her mouth to deny it but the other woman held a finger to her lips and gave her a kind smile, "Ah, ah, I'm good at detecting lies and even if a wasn't, I can tell that you aren't very accomplished in the art of untruth. I've been watching you these past couple of days, your eyes almost never stray from him so please don't try to deny it. Whatever the case, don't keep your feelings to yourself forever. Sometimes, the greatest gift a man like your Kyo can ever receive is the love of a beautiful woman like you, who would obviously follow him to the ends of the earth."

"How do you…,"she began but Yukino interrupted her again.

"I've been around and I've seen many things. Nothing," and her voice lost all traces of amusement, "hurts more than losing the person you love before you even realize how much they mean to you because you're too busy doing other things and living a selfish life. I never told the person I loved how I felt and I probably won't be able to until I die and we meet again in the next life."

Yukino's smile abruptly came back and she placed a hand on the back of her head, "Well, as long as I don't come back as a roach or something," she chuckled at her own joke.

Yuya smiled then began to laugh at the joke as well, garnering the attention of the others in the group. Kyo glanced her way with a question in his red eyes and she smiled at him in return to let him know that all was well. He snorted in response and turned back to the ring, waiting for the Shogun to make an appearance and announce the match-ups for the first round of the tournament.

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Okuni hated her.

She was certain that if the blonde, brat had been any woman other than the one who held Kyo's heart, she would have enjoyed her company and might have even been able to become friends with her. The spy could tell just from watching her that she was pure, untainted, and kind. So kind that she had both the former Emperor – Bontenmaru, if she remembered correctly - and the errant heir to the Tokugawa empire eating out of the palm of her dainty hand - her dainty, young, nubile hand.

Okuni hated her because the girl made her feel old and ugly.

The informant knew that she herself was beautiful, sinfully so, and the very epitome of any man's deepest, darkest fantasies. And yet…the girl – whose name was Yuya Shiina, according to the wanted posters out on both her and Kyo - made her feel like a hag. It wasn't that the younger woman was particularly beautiful in the physical sense. Oh, she was pretty enough but her body hadn't fully matured just yet. She still had the roundness of face that a child would have and her movements were still gangly, as if she was not quite used to the changes her body had been going through since the onset of puberty. But, the thing about Yuya that trampled on her self-esteem was not her outer appearance but rather her inner beauty.

The girl was absolutely radiant. Okuni had been following them for the past few days and she could tell with certainty that Yuya's inner light shone in even the little things she did. Things like pausing and falling behind Kyo's group to help a child that had fallen down or stopping to help old men and women carry their things. Okuni had expected Kyo to snap at the girl, to tell her to hurry up and stop slowing them down, anything to keep her from believing that he actually cared for the girl and what she thought. Demon Eyes Kyo, the demon she loved above all others, had said nothing. No, instead he paused and waited for her, his red eyes roving the crowd to insure that no one was around who would do the little brat harm. Naturally, he made it look as if he was merely impatient for her to get a move on, but the spy knew better just as she knew that – while only pretty now – the girl was going to be a beauty in a few years time. Her potential was clear to see whenever the light hit her just right or she turned a certain way and Okuni knew that Kyo was more than likely aware of that fact as well.

From her vantage behind Kyo's little crew she could observe the things he did that even the rest of his group probably didn't know about. Her sharp eyes missed nothing of the way they interacted with each other. Case in point, Kyo usually walked at the head of the group but sometimes he would slow his pace to walk beside the girl who usually trailed at the back.

During one of those times, she saw him surreptitiously reach up behind the girl and lightly rub the very tip of the coarse, white ribbon that kept her hair tied back. Afterwards he had very, very subtly sank the tip of his finger a few millimeters into the ponytail just below her ribbon. In what could only be called a secret caress, he then moved his finger through the first layer of her hair, pinching it lightly between thumb and forefinger and letting the strands play over his knuckles before withdrawing one more. He had only performed that particular act on an especially crowded day and though it had appeared to last forever to her jealous gaze, to anyone else it was so quick as to have seemed accidental. The girl hadn't noticed a thing and he had reclaimed his place at the head with no one else the wiser.

Her heart had taken a beating the past two days and it was taking less and less effort for her to convert her hurt into anger and hatred. However, it was no longer directed at Kyo alone. She was growing to despise the girl and she looked forward to the tournament that was going to be held. Currently, she was ensconced among the "ladies" who often gathered to watch such events. Whores vied for attention, greedy to have the distinction of being chosen by whoever came out on top as the victor. A few had cast incredulous looks her way because of her Miko robes but they shrugged and ignored her after a while, probably assuming that she was doing some kind of role play since some clients were fond of such things.

Okuni had situated herself among the prostitutes the day before and her heart had pounded as she watched Kyo in action during the preliminaries. She hadn't been able to take her eyes off of him and neither had the twittering chits, who began to exchange ideas on how they could possibly catch hold of the rumored "Thousand Killer". There were more than a few who said they wouldn't care even if he killed him because a roll in the futon with a man who was so obviously good with his hands would be worth it.

It had taken a great deal of control not to pull the hair out of each of their empty little heads for daring to think that Kyo would spare even a second glance at them. Besides, she outshone them all in the looks department and she had every intention of using them to work her wicked way into Kyo's group where she could do the most "good"...for herself. As long as the object of her desires remained fixated on that little girl, she would ensure that there was nothing the Mibu wouldn't know about him. His every move, his every word, his every breath was going to be reported and she would make his life and that of his girl a nightmare as she slowly tore the two of them apart.

A tiny voice told her that Kyo had moved past her and his memories of her were gone anyways because of Sakuya; so why was she trying to ruin his relationship with Yuya? She throttled it immediately as she turned her memories towards the misery of her current life and the hurt Kyo had caused her by his rejection.

She knew she was wrong but her heart ached so much that it was easy to push her conscience aside for the sake of vengeance. For so many years she had been living with the pain that filled the place where Kyo had been and she was ready to end it by any means possible, no matter how dirty or underhanded.

So it was that she watched the tournament commence and waited for her opportunity to approach Kyo, therefore putting her plan in motion.

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"Oh my, he's so handsome," a young lady said off to his right.

"Poor thing, I haven't seen him open his eyes yet since he's been standing there. He must be blind," said another woman.

"I bet his eyes are beautiful, even if he is blind," replied the first.

Akira listened, with faint amusement, to the women currently across the busy street as they spoke in what were supposed to be hushed tones. His extra-sharp senses picked up their conversation easily and he both applauded and cursed his heightened sensitivity to sound. He had been unsure, at first, as to whether or not going blind was the right choice but he had grown so accustomed to it that he doubted he could have become the man he was today if he hadn't. The only downside was that he had to expend a bit of extra effort to block out the massive amount of information that his other four senses were constantly sending his way. He could care less what other people thought of him but listening to idle chatter, whether intentionally or not, was a good way to figure out who he could use and who he couldn't and he knew immediately that he could use the two women.

Adjusting the twin swords sucked into his sash, he drifted in a seemingly aimless pattern towards the spot where he had heard the women speaking. He was careful to purposely bump into a few people on his way towards them and he allowed his face to settle into a look of determination with just a slight bit of helplessness, as if his inability to see was a horrible burden that he had no choice but to bear. Even though he could have danced circles around any of the people in the crowd without ever bumping into a soul, he knew how to tug on the proper heartstrings when the time called for it.

The youngest of the Four Emperors was well aware of what the women would see when they looked him. To them, he would appear to be nothing more than a handsome young man who had been dealt a cruel hand by fate and had nothing else to hold onto but a few shreds of pride. From the comments around him after he had forsaken his eyesight, he knew that he looked a few years younger than his nineteen years of age and that he was good-looking. When he had been a child in his early teens and trailing after Kyo like a worshipful puppy, he had never given much thought to how useful his looks would be later in life. However, he was quite happy that the promise of masculine beauty - that he had glimpsed from time to time in his own childish face whenever he took the time out to examine himself in the streams them crossed - had indeed come to fruition.

It wasn't that he was particularly vain about his looks - after all, he couldn't even see himself - but he had learned a long time ago that if he were ever going to catch up to Kyo, he would need to have his wits about him and use every tool at his disposal. After Kyo left, he had taught himself how to manipulate and control others. As far as he was concerned, anyone who wasn't called Demon Eyes Kyo amounted to nothing more than a tool to be used. It was a cold philosophy from a young man whose heart was frozen solid. The only person who could move him and pull out all of the emotions that he had locked away in his heart was Kyo.

He had lost everything when his village was destroyed and his innocence had been stripped away along with his baby fat from years spent in the company of Kyo and his fellow Emperors. Through it all, his fear of Kyo had turned into anger, then resentment, then admiration which, in turn, gave birth to a deep rivalry with his idol that Kyo had done nothing to discourage. He adored Kyo like the perfect older brother he'd never had but in his heart of hearts he wanted to surpass him or to at least be his equal. It had been a constant struggle to balance out his feelings of unworthiness with his viciously competitive nature. He wanted to be stronger than Kyo but he also wanted the Thousand Killer to remain on his pedestal so that he could worship him forever. Kyo was his family and his savior rolled into one and he hadn't had time to allow anyone else into his life because his goal always had been and always would be Kyo.

If he thought about it, though he resented Kyo for leaving, he was grateful in a way. Four years ago, he had hit a plateau where he wasn't getting any stronger and he had been tearing his mind and body apart wondering why. By leaving, his idol had given him the push he needed to surpass himself and grow in ways he'd never even dreamed of. Akira hadn't realized just how much he'd been clinging to Kyo's shadow until the living legend removed his self from the picture. His feelings of anger and betrayal had given him the strength to start making his own decisions and live his life how he wanted.

Now he wanted to be the best, not because Kyo was the best, but because he himself wanted it more than anything else. Akira was a man driven by that single thought and he never really gave consideration to anything else. He had no time to meet some nice woman and settle down to start a family. Truthfully, he didn't even know much about women save that they generally fell into three categories in his society: whores, wives, or tired-out workers. Kyo had been very well acquainted with women in the first category but those types of females had never appealed to him. The few times he had bothered to think about ending his solitary existence by finding a woman, he had gone no further than to ponder on what he would like out of her personality. He generally didn't care about looks since he wouldn't be able to see her anyways but he did want someone who was intelligent, strong-willed, and loyal. If he ever took the plunge it would have to be with a woman who could match his own determination, though the likely-hood of that happening was slim to none.

The concept of love was a novelty to him - nothing more than a pretty fantasy that never came true in the real world and he wasn't foolish enough to seek it out when it held no guarantee of a return for all his troubles. To put it simply, he didn't understand what it meant to love and the closest he'd ever come to it had been the brief but intense camaraderie he'd shared with the other three Emperors and Kyo.

'Kyo,' he thought to himself as he arrived on the other side of the broad street and pretended to stumble his way towards the wall of the nearest building.

'What has changed you so much that you're traveling with a woman when you swore you cared for nothing but being the strongest?' he touched the tips of his fingers to the wall and spread his palm out along its surface, acting as if he actually needed it to feel his way around. His feet carried him towards the two women he'd heard earlier and he heard them whispering amongst themselves.

"Oh, oh, he's coming this way," said the first woman he'd heard.

"Look how helpless he is, feeling his way around," remarked the second.

"Do you see those two swords tucked in his waist? Of course, there's no way he's any good with them without his sight. The poor dear must use them for show to keep anyone who would take advantage of him at bay."

Akira forced himself not to sneer at their comments – it was to be expected. He had carefully cultivated a façade of helplessness for the two women to ensure their cooperation in his plan. As he made his way forward in a slow gait - with just the right amount of steel in his back to make him look like a young samurai of good breeding who had nothing to support him but his pride – he thought deeply on his next move.

'I could approach him directly but who knows how he's changed,' Akira thought to himself.

'Perhaps I should use the girl to find out about him.' It was a sound enough plan if, if, he played his cards right. The girl was unlikely to be aware of the fact that he'd had a hand in her status as a wanted woman. His plan to bring Kyo back to the fore on the wanted list had been of immeasurable help in helping him to track Kyo down and the girl was an added bonus. People might not remember Kyo's face unless they were afforded the opportunity to look into his unique eyes but the girl, from what he heard, had the coloring of a foreigner. The town of Edo was abuzz with rumors that the legendary criminal was participating in the Shogun's tournament and that the girl he'd been seen around town with was a murderess with a price on her head.

He knew that she was innocent of the crime she stood accused of but that was of no consequence to him since she too was nothing more than a means to an end - that end being Kyo of course. The youngest of the Four Emperors decided that the first thing he would need to do was separate her from Kyo and then make his move. Akira would find out for himself what made her so special and if it turned out that she was dragging Kyo down, she would be eliminated like the obstacle she was. He wanted a chance to fight with Kyo - after so many years of separation - so that he could show him how strong he'd gotten. Not once had Kyo ever acted as if a child like him could ever be a challenge but all of that would change this time, he swore it to himself.

When he was just a few feet away from the woman he lurched forward away from the wall and purposely bumped into the nearer of the two women. Stopping dead in his tracks, he bowed his head low and said in as polite a tone as he could muster, "Ah, my deepest apologies, I did not know you were there."

"Oh, no problem, you're fine, I should have moved aside given your…er, condition," it was the second woman who spoke.

"Yes, but I can be so clumsy," he replied softly, giving her a shy smile and conjuring up a slight blush on his cheeks by holding his breath until his lungs were just starting to feel the pinch.

He heard the sound of cloth rustling against cloth and by the slight alternation tone, he surmised that one of the two women had a weave to her kimono that was more coarse than the other's and she was currently elbowing the second woman, likely in her back.

"See," the first woman whispered in a low voice that Akira could hear quite clearly, "I told you he was handsome."

"Mm, hmm," replied the first one before she cleared her throat and directed her attention back to the young man in front of her.

"Well, young sir, since you seem to be having…um, difficulties going where you need to go, perhaps I can help you?"

'Too easy,' Akira thought to himself as he turned up the wattage on his smile just a bit but furrowed his brow slightly, as if he weren't sure if his pride would allow him to accept her offer.

"That's kind but I wouldn't want to impose…" he paused long enough for her to take her cue and interrupt him before he could go further.

"Oh, no, no, no, it would be my pleasure," and she practically purred the word "pleasure".

She suddenly grabbed his hand and he refrained from yanking it out from her grasp the moment she did, reminding himself that he needed her.

"I thank you then, for your kind offer," he said in a voice laden with gratitude.

"No problem, young master. Where would you like to go?"

"If you don't mind, I wanted to attend an even I've never been to before. Though these eyes of mine are useless, I wish to at least feel the atmosphere of a real tournament. My destination is the Shogun's tournament."

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Thanks for reading, I hope you liked it. People are going to do some serious converging in the next few chapters and our ice prince just might find out that he isn't as immune to a woman's charms as he thinks. Stay tuned and, as always, please tell me what you think.