Disclaimer: I do not own SDK. Don't sue me: you won't get anything that will cover the lawyer's bill.

Review Replies...

The Muses Tk and Zv: Yeah, well... I promise that the Okuni/Yukimura paring will be explained sooner or later. I swear. Thanks for reviewing!

yami1: Thank you, I'll try.

Ginny-cry: You'll have to wait for reactions, gomen...

Squiggles: I promise that the Yuki/Okuni pairing will be explained! Well, I'm not a huge fan of angst and love triangles, and Kyoshiro/Yuya just doesn't seem to fit in my little world. I don't think that he can handle her temper very well. As to pairing up Hotaru... I have no idea. I don't know him very well. I only follow the story through manga and other fanfics, so I've really only known him for two volumes. Thanks! (and thanks for the promise of more reviews! Reviews make authors like me write more) :P

xgirlrogue: Yeah, it's all a conspiracy, isn't it. Et tu, Kyoshiro? Thanks for reviewing!

Shinomori Kyo: Yeah,I'm trying to keep most everyone in character, but this is an AU, so every once in a while, OOC will rear its ugly head and attack someone. :sigh: haha Oh well.

dmg: I am so glad that you like it! I try to update every two days or so, btw.

Rin Amaru: Thank you!

Satri: I'm sorry for the long paragraphs, and I can empathize with the lack of patience. I know that I have definite tense problems, but I'm trying to work them out... I'm only a sophomore (soon to be junior) in high school, but it's summer, and my academic brain is on vacation. Oh, and pertaining to the POV switches, believe it or not, I've actually had people come up to me (my friends, actually... gomen guys!) and ask what the heck was going on with that. So I've decided to write it in. It is a little juvenile, but I just want to do it so that no one is confused in the least (well, as little as possible). Thanks for the review, constructive criticism is always welcome (but flames are not! Grr... demons. not you) And I don't take offense.

Thank you to all of my reviewers and all of the anonymous readers. On with the story!

Chapter Two: Choice

"Shiina Yuya!"

My head snapped up and I was pulled from my half-built igloo by the voice of one of the watchers. I glared at him and glanced around for a moment. All of the girls had turned to stare at me, some were even looking rather hostile. I looked out of the cage and noticed why they must be in such a bad mood. The new men were gone. They probably found something better in a different cage.

"Shiina Yuya!" The watcher was staring at me and obviously demanding that I come with him, and quickly, if his tone of voice was any indication. I stood up, brushed up my old, plain kimono, and gave a warning glare towards the girls in front before I walked towards the short man dressed in deep purple.

I knew enough about standard interview procedure to know that my hands would be tied to show submission to my perspective buyer, so I held them out in front of me, presenting them to the watcher. Of course, they would normally be tied with ribbon or lace, but mine, of course, were metal. They decided to cuff me after I untied the ribbons and pummeled some filthy old lecher. He deserved it too. Anyway, after the watcher cuffed me, he tied a very sturdy rope to the chain in between my lovely metal bracelets and used it like a leash, keeping a good five feet in front of me.

This man had been here long enough to know to keep well out of kicking distance. He locked the door to the cage and walked away, tugging me with him. I, of course, tugged back, decidedly being as stubborn and disagreeable I could. He braced himself after taking a feeble stumble backwards, and then yanked on the rope harder, pulling me along. I tensed my arms just to see him flinch, then I smirked and walked forward very slowly. I kept my head held high and my eyes hard and glaring at any man that glanced in my direction. I take great pride in my handcuffs. They show that I am stronger than those pathetic girls. These men are afraid of me, and I know it. I'm not afraid of any of these jackass perverts in here, I could easily get out. But, it's what's outside that worries me. Everyone's out there. Perverts, politicians, police, rapists... well, everyone that visits here, just a hundred times worse.

Oh, damn. We've finally arrived at Hell's Gate, or the door to the interview room. Let's see what idiot went against the watcher's warning and summoned me

here this time...

Kyoshiro Mibu's POV

Yukimura-san, Bontenmaru-san, Hotaru-san and I were all seated patiently in the "interview room" of this particular facility. I don't want to think what a standard interview is composed of, seeing as there are a lot of very comfortable looking couches and pillows and even what looks like a pallet scattered about the

room. Kyo had already left, having no desire to look at, speak to, or feel for a woman. I didn't feel like arguing with him right now. Either way, I have a good feeling about this girl, she reminds me of Sakuya a bit. Just a bit though, I'll have to talk to her to find out more. If she's like her at all, I'm going to buy her and give her to Kyo as a present, I don't care if he hates her or not.

Oh, the door's opening. I suppose that would be her then... Well, I should think that that rope and those handcuffs are rather unnecessary, what happened to

the traditional ribbons? The guard saw me staring at the bindings and explained in a shaky voice, timid thing.

"This... woman... um... She untied the ribbons once, and... um... tried to choke her interviewer... and then tried to beat him to... death... um... are you sure you want to-"

"Yeah," Bontenmaru-san cut him off. "This chick's sounding better by the minute." The girl in question's head snapped towards the large man and glared fiercely. If looks could kill, Bontenmaru-san would be castrated, decapitated, and sliced into quarter-inch ribbons. She certainly has spunk. Yukimura-san glanced at the guard and motioned towards the door.

"You may leave. We won't do anything drastic." The guard bowed and edged towards the door, but not before I stopped him.

"Take the handcuffs off. They really aren't necessary."

"But, sir! They're for your own protection."

"I assure you, we don't need it." The violet clad man watched me nervously before shuffling over to the girl. She held out her wrists to him, smirking a little as he shuddered, and he unlocked her cuffs from as much of a distance as he could manage. He took the rope and the handcuffs with him when he left.

She was still watching us, assessing us, and she shifted her gaze around the room as often as she could. She was making sure that no one was trying anything. Very wary, this one. I saw that she was still standing in a rather stiff fashion, so I gave her my most disarming smile (still nothing in comparison with Yukimura-san's) and gestured to a small chair on her side of the room, placing a table between her and us.

"Please, Miss, sit down." Her glare shifted quickly from Bontenmaru-san to me. She seemed to fight with herself on whether to argue or comply, but eventually the latter won out and she seated herself very slowly, making sure to keep her eyes on us. I smiled again and looked pointedly at Yukimura-san, who, I guessed, had the best chance of getting through. He has quite the reputation as a woman charmer, of course. He caught my glance and winked at me.

"Well, Fair Maiden, would you please honor us with your name?" He gave her his most charming and innocent smile which, I'm sure, can and has charmed the pants off many men, as well as women. A valuable skill that Yukimura-san has used a great many times: either to disarm an opponent or charm valuable information (and fun, when he was single) out of women.

This woman, on the other hand, did little but glare at him and seem to try to think of what he might get out of knowing her name. Apparently she didn't think that it would do much harm at the moment, so she answered. "Shiina." A last name, obviously. Yukimura-san smiled again.

"Well, it's very nice to make your acquaintance, Shiina-san, but, pardon me for asking, do you, by chance, have a personal name?"

She sparked then. Her eye twitched once, before a soft smile appeared on her face. It could actually rival Yukimura-san's, but her smile belied her mood. "No, sir. Shiina is my only name."

Yukimura-san smiled back, playing coy, and arched a thin eyebrow. "But, Shiina-san! You must have a personal name, everyone does. Example, when introducing myself properly, I would say: 'Hello, my name is Sanada Yukimura-san. It's a pleasure to meet you!'"

"Well, Sanada-sama," she stressed the honorific, "it is often considered proper for the gentlemen present in the room to introduce themselves first. It's one

of the first lessons in etiquette." Her smile didn't falter, but her eyes were watching him, wary and cold.

Yukimura-san appeared shocked, and he stood quickly (making her hands twitch) and bowed deeply to her. "Oh, Fair Maiden, I apologize for my rudeness!" He stood again and waved his hand in my direction. "This is Mibu Kyoshiro-san." I bowed as well as I could seated, trying not to intimidate her by standing. He gestured to Bon-san next, then to Hotaru-san. "And this is Date Masamune-san, also called Bontenmaru, and he is Mibu Keikoku-san, or Hotaru." Bon-san waved amiably at her and Hotaru-san inclined his head in her direction. She smiled at all of us, this time, she closed her eyes to give an impression of trust. Very,

very unlikely.

"It's very nice to meet you all. My name is Shiina Mika." Liar. A very pretty liar, but she's not making an effort to hide it.

"We've given you our names. Our full and real names. Even a horse would know that she should give her real name in return. It's not fair that you should have more information than us." Hotaru was glaring at her now. Her cold facade slipped and she shuddered a bit at his monotone statement and his stony eyes. So she could be intimidated. Kyo would use that. Maybe a little too much... Well, at least she wasn't passed out or crying, just a little stiff, and her smile's faded.

"Well, Hotaru-kun, that was rude. I apologize, Shiina-san, but Ho-" He was cut off.

"Shiina Yuya." Yukimura-san looked at her, a slightly confused smile on his face, trying to look as innocent and stupid as he could.

"Beg pardon?" Her smile had faded and she was looking rather harsh and serious, tired of playing Yukimura-san's game.

"Do you enjoy being stupid, Sanada-san? My name is Shiina Yuya. Ask me another damn question and get it over with."

I have to admit, she would certainly be a new challenge for Kyo... equally, he would be a challenge for her as well. Yukimura-san seemed a bit taken back

for a moment, so Bon-san took over.

"How old are you?"

"Sixteen, almost Seventeen."

Hotaru-san stepped in. "A bit... old for the Academies... aren't you?"

"A bit rude for a Mibu, aren't you?"

"Why are you still here?" Yukimura-san cocked his head to the side innocently. She sniffed delicately.

"It's not like anyone wants a woman who fights if you try and rape her."

I must admit, that one hit me off guard.

"Rape you?" Yukimura-san voiced my thoughts. "Has someone tried to do that to you, Yuya-chan?"

"Five minutes and it's Yuya-chan, now is it? Yes, girls from here get raped all the time. You're not a newborn, Yukimura-san, you should know that. Why do you think that this interview room has a bed? Perverts practically live here, you know."

I spoke up. "So, Yuya-san, is that when you tried to kill your interviewer? Did he try to... hurt you?"

"Why do you care?"

"Because it's wrong."

"Tell that to the rest of the world."

Bon-san stared at her curiously. "Well, how does that make all men dirty pervert bastards? It was just one asshole, and-"

"Five."

"Huh?"

"It was not one asshole, it was five. I've been here for over two years, I've had more than one interview. No one else wants to talk."

Bon-san opened his mouth again to try to argue his case on the behalf of men, but I cut him off, not wanting to start another argument. "Well, Yuya-san, where were you raised?"

"Rolling Meadows Academy." She glanced away, staring nonchalantly at the wall.

"I hear that Rolling Meadows is one of the best academies available. Did you like it there?"

"No."

"Why not? Everyone seen in Rolling Meadows is a fine, happy young lady."

She smiled ruefully. "Everyone seen there is only everyone they want you to see."

"Oh really?" Yukimura-san raised his eyebrows again. "And what don't we see?"

"..." She looked a little nervous now, staring alternately at me and Yukimura-san. I decided to change the subject.

"If you're never chosen by anyone, Yuya-san, hypothetically, of course, what will they do with you?"

"In a year or two, when I turn eighteen, they're going to send me away. To somewhere, I don't know where. But anywhere is better than here or a harem, I suppose."

It was at this moment that I made my decision. I was going to buy this woman and hook her up with Kyo if it was the last thing I did. When she spoke of an escape from this place, her face lit up the room, and I think that even Hotaru-san was moved.

When she spoke of her dream, she smiled.

And she was beautiful.

To be continued...