It is unusual to think that the most uncontrollable and selfish killer who kills for his own satisfaction has a weakness…one and only.

It's unusual to think that the greatest warrior of the Mibu clan has a weakness…one and only.

And allthemore to think that the heir of the Tokugawa family has a weakness…one and only.

Shiina Yuya.

Torn (by three men)..

A/N: Hontou ni arigatou for all the reviews!! As I scanned some web sites, I found out that Migeira had caught my heart...hehe.. and Kyoshiro did so as well. I'm looking forward to making more pairings like MigeiraOkuni or whatever. And since many of you requested a YuyaAkira (and one of YuyaYukimura), I can't promise that. Sowee!! n,n But if I feel like researching fics of them so I would know how it's done, I would love to do those. n,n No promises, okie?

Review Replies: kuroro lucifer, laughs I really appreciate your review! Yep, Kyo is really kawaii ne? I really should have wrote the part when he bought the flowers... n,n Happster360, thankz a lot! Hope you'll get to read this one. n,n shadowcat15, arigatou! btw, Tanabata Day is a Japanese festival, the Festival of the Weaver Star. Ayumi Omoide, hehe, thank you! Really, KyoshiroYuya fics are rare ne? Akira and Yuya would be nice too. Hopefully, I may write something about them soon! No promises though. Hehe. xgirlrogue, although Kyo-chan seems to despise romantic mushy stuff, he sure is ne? n,n Cesia Illuser, arigatou!! n,n Nikui-chan, Uy! Miracle! You reviewed my fic! Hahaha... joke lang. thankz so much tomodachi! huggles Aeris, Wow! I didn't expect that though. sheepish grin thank you for that! Yup, as mentioned, I'll try to research a lot on Akira. Gomen, but I've only seen the anime, not the manga. Hehe… let's see what I can do with that YuyaxAkira fic shall we? n,n Starian Princess, Hii!! grins A Filipino huh? Kumuzta!? Salamat po sa review!! bows Hmm... YuyaxYukimura? I honestly don't consider that as an odd pair at all. Pero, I'll see what I can do ok? n,n Arigatou! FILIPINOS RüLe!! Placid Snowflake, blushblush Glad you loved it! finalfantasylover, Nyahaha! Thankz so MUCH for the review! I know your name naman! But…grunts I dunno how to speLL it…ehehe… PROMISE! I really do! nods knowingly hehe…you take care, too. Thanks again ha? Of course, we've already been friends naman. That is, after I literally oogled and stared in awe at your drawings. Wehehe. Takari-san, Yup! Benitora is the monk guy. hehe.. and oh, shrinks in guilt ala pa po me nka review sa fic mo. ( GOMEN!! If I have time, I will! Ate Syao even reprimanded me for being lazy…ahehe… that's my nature naman e… ;P

Chapter Two: Under the Rain

"KYOSHIRO!"

Shiina Yuya stood by the bridge, waiting for the young medicine man to catch up. He ran hurriedly, panting as the bounty hunter sighed in disappointment.

"You're so slow!" she reprimanded him. "Have you any idea how annoying it is to be waiting for a slowpoke like you?"

Kyoshiro Mibu tucked his shoulders in, withdrawing himself and looking up at the infuriated woman with his azure eyes. He clutched his wooden medicince kit, looking awfully frail. "You just have no idea how heavy this is…"

The bounty hunter raised an eyebrow. "Well you can't expect us to be by Muramasa-san's house if you're always complaining. Jeez, I have no business there anyway! Why do I have to accompany you there?" As she turned her back, a closing remark was added, "Baka."

"Gomen, Yuya-san. I need you there," he replied almost with a tone of desperation. "Lady Sakuya has been expecting me since last week but I never had the time to be considerate enough to visit her. Since you're friends and all, I was hoping she wouldn't get mad…"

"Kyoshiro-kun, Lady Sakuya will not get mad at you at all," she explained, not looking at the young man as she proceeded to the forest. "You know about the fact that she has developed a certain liking toward you."

He followed her, a bit preoccupied with that fact as well. He scratched his head sheepishly and replied, "S-Sou ka…"

Yuya stopped dead on her tracks, looking around the trees with a very worried look. It wasn't of concern, that's for sure. It was of uneasiness. Be it being alone with the medicine man or she just had a slight hunch that they were…

"Yuya-san?" Kyoshiro questioned, curious after she had stopped talking.

The bounty hunter muttered something he couldn't hear quite well. A mutter which he was sure that made her more and more frustrated. She turned to him with a creased forehead.

"PLEASE tell me you know the way to Muramasa-san's house."

"W-Wait…don't tell me…"

She took in a couple of deep breaths. "I cannot panic…not now!"

The young man's eye twitched. "Yuya-san?"

"Baka! You're so slow!" her voice raised, but even through that firm tone, Kyoshiro could see the unbelievabeterror reflected by her emerald eyes.

He smiled.

A smile of reassurance that unexpectedly sent a shade on Yuya's cheeks. "Daojoubu," he reassured her, facing North. "I guess it's alright to be lost. Look on the bright side, we're together-"

Before Kyoshiro could even finish his sentence, Yuya had hit him HARD on the cheek. "I'm not some idiot to depend on you. Don't you remember when we were attacked by only-God-knows-what and you couldn't even fight back?" She frowned in annoyance. "And when those wolves…and-"

"Okay! Okay! So I get chills every once in a while," he admitted, raising his hands up in a gesture to let her stop reminding him about the past. He sighed as he looked around the forest, which was almost sucked out of light as the sun began to set. He rubbed his swollen cheek. "If we camp here…"

"—we'll surely be eaten by something."

"Err…yeah…" He bit his lip, feeling a bit underprivileged.

Yuya took a seat on one of the big bolders nearby, making herself feel comfortable. "But then again, I appreciate your personality more than that of Kyo's," she spoke out of the blue. "I may feel well-protected when he's around, but I can't even have a decent conversation with him without a debate."

She turned to Kyoshiro. "You're just different…"

He let out a chuckle, putting down his medicine kit gingerly. "We are two completely differet persons," he explained. "I have released another part of me who can live independently without a human heart that has the most important aspect…feelings." He ran his fingers through his raven hair, facing Yuya with the nicest pair of blue eyes she has ever seen. "I won't let him out again. That's a promise."

She couldn't help but be impressed. "But promises are meant to be broken."

"Not this time."

"Sou?" asked the young woman with a smile.

"Hai," he replied with utter determination.

Her eyes softened, "Arigatou…"

His eyes softened as well, "Anything to keep him from hurting you."

Hurting you. Was Onime no Kyo hurting Shiina Yuya?

He's not, thought the bounty hunter as she averted her gaze. At least, not in the physical sense…

She just had something unnoticed for the demon; something Kyoshiro knew nothing about. But it didn't matter now. Now that Kyoshiro vowed to restrain the man inside him from coming out. Then again, he also knew that Kyo had something for Yuya as well. He feared that their feelings would be mutual; that they would be same.

Because he felt something for Yuya stronger than anything he has ever come face-to-face with.

"Yuya-san, I think you should rest now," Kyoshiro suggested, gathering a couple of firewood on the spot. "I'll watch over you for the mean time."

"H-Hai," she replied as she hopped down the boulder and made her way under a tree, watching Kyoshiro light a fire with some matches.

Just after that, there was a long silence. Nothing was exchanged except for unseen gazes and unheard murmurs and thoughts. They didn't know why, but as they stared up at the sky, it seemed as if the stars were about to engulf them in an abyss, one that had no way out.

Perhaps the silence was all it took to make them appreciate each other's company...

Kyoshiro made his way beside Yuya, who was still gazing up at the starry sky. Despite the dark clouds which were probbably going to promise rain, she could still enjoy the beauty of the heavens, watching them closely and with admiration.

"Yuya-san..." he whispered quietly.

She blinked, then turned to the Mibu heir. "Hai?"

"What is it about you that makes me feel so...funny?" he asked, his eyes fixed on the cold ground below. "I mean, you're not this silent at all."

Yuya chuckled. "What? Is it a sin to be?"

"N-No." Kyoshiro shook his head, "You're just too silent. I'm not used to it at all."

"What's there to talk about anyway?" she asked, a bit curious of the topic he had put up. Really, what was there to talk about? They have been through so many things that almost all questions have been answered. So many problems faced that they felt they could stand through anything by now.

He shrugged. "About Onime no Kyo again..."

"Hmm?" she looked at him expectantly. But she couldn't hide the uncomfortable feeling about the topic.

Onime no Kyo.

The demon.

The assassin.

The murderer.

And yet, the other half of the good-natured Kyoshiro Mibu.

"I need to know something," continued the blue-eyed man.

Her chest tightened. He was going to ask her about something she didn't want to answer; something she wasn't even ready to reply.

"There's nothing to know." Yuya stood up to leave, flashing a remorseful look on Kyoshiro. "...I just have be alone for a while."

With that, she left him, proceeding deeper into the forest. He wanted to apologize, but had absolutely nothing to say at all. As he watched her disappear in the darkness, he heard the heavens stomp with thunder. And before he even noticed, rain poured incessantly everywhere.

Stupid... he thought. How could I have been so stupid?!

He bit his lower lip aggressively, hissing curses and regrets. No one could hear him, though, except for the rain itself. Realization then dawned into him when he had nothing more to blame but himself. It was his fault in the first place.

All his fault.

He frowned and clenched his fists. "Yuya-san..."

Without further hesitation, he stood up to catch up on her. She must be mad, he thought sadly, working his way through the forest. I never should have raised that stupid topic anyway!

Just as he was about to cry out loud, he noticed a figure approximately six feet away from him. His eyes softened. "Yuya-san..."

She turned to him, her emerald eyes visible despite the heavy shower. They stood there, completely soaked because of the rain. The cold ground emanated the sweet smell of the soil, giving life to the surroundings. The rain embraced them, never missing a single spot left dry.

"I know you'll kill me later," he said out loud in bitterness, walking closer and closer to the young woman. "And...I promise...I won't regret it." He stood three feet away from her.

"So I hope you won't, too." He took another step closer.

Two feet more...

Kyoshiro took in a deep breath as Yuya watched him in confusion. What was he trying to say?

"Yuya-san..."

"Kyoshiro-kun?" she replied.

"Yuya-san!" One more foot to go...

"What?" her eyes widened.

He paused in front of her, gazing involuntarily and tenderly at her beauty. He knew from the very start that he desperately wanted to hold her so bad. So bad, in fact, he sometimes could not help himself but break down in revulsion of his being. He thought of himself as the most poor of poor; the most pathetic of pathetic human beings to have ever walked on the surface of the eath. That is, if he couldn't do it now.

He has the chance...right now! It's now or never.

"YUYA-SAN!" his azure eyes flapped open. And from that moment, the distance between them reduced to nothingness. All that was replaced was Kyoshiro's arms wrapping Shiina Yuya in a gentle embrace...

And his lips covering hers completely.

The rain continued to pour. But they both stood there, never vulnerable for even a second. He kissed her and nothing more. With all the love and longing, that is.

Sometimes, silent yearnings are rewarded in the most unlikely of places, even under the rain, lost in the forest.

OWARI

A/N: pouts I didn't like the ending of this one-shot so I am utterly sorry. Me did this fast-paced so I had no other choice. n,n sighs Anyway, please review. I'm not really in the mood for fluff. Ehehe... and do forgive me for updating quite late! Peace aWt!

Mendori-chan is signing off with a big grin for finishing this one-shot before Ma'am Maggie's birthday, Sept.8!! Hapee biRtHdaY ma'Am!!