THE SEARCH IS OVER
It's been three days since Sasuke, his young ninja, and he talked over the phone. The young ninja had promised to show up today. Gathering much information and details about their leading lady, the woman the young ninja adore so much and also the reason why they were all here, Yuya Shiina. And it has also been three days since he had told others that Sasuke will show up within today from a far place away from his search. But he didn't tell them what news he will bring once he show up. He just pretended he had no idea what's the outcome of his search for the last month and that they didn't have enough time to talk for too long because of some unnecessary obstacles, which is only a bluff. But seeing how they react, he was sure they didn't buy his reason and didn't believe him when he said he has no clue. Gladly, they didn't insist on forcing the truth out of him, maybe because they didn't want to hope for nothing and risk angering the Demon, if the outcome will turn out to be negative.
He heard some footsteps approaching toward him, which made him lift his head from resting on the chair his been sitting beside a window, his been observing the view outside the window while lost in his own thought before he heard the footsteps.
"Yukimura-sama" Said the man which was the one approaching him. Cover in black, even the face. A common ninja outfit. The man name is Saizo Kirigakure, one of the Sanada Jyuuyuushi and also a very good ninja. Saizo choose to follow him in this journey he had decided to participate.
"What do you have?" he asked. If it were any other normal day then he'll sure be teasing his poor ninja by now.
"Sasuke has arrived" Saizo replied.
So the young ninja has arrived at last. The much anticipated arrival that may lead their search to an end or may start another journey and another battle. But if he were to be asked, he'll choose the later. He was tired of being bored in this strange place. They had been staying here for a whole year yet they didn't even meet anyone interesting or challenging. But he doesn't mean that he wanted miss Yuya to be in any danger, he knew deep inside that he had grown fond of the woman, he just want to make this journey worth a while.
"Then where is he?" he asked again.
"The Demon summoned him as soon as he arrived and he also ask for your presence, the others has also appeared"
He guess he has no say to his young ninja being summoned directly to the Demon eyes than to him. The Demon has been losing his patient while waiting for the arrival of Sasuke, anticipating positive information maybe.
"Then he will have my presence, while I want you to wait for new orders. Something will happen for sure" he said with a tone of matter of fact.
"Yes Yukimura-sama" Saizo answered before disappearing out of thin air.
Then he also proceeded to the meeting room where they gather every once a month to share what's the outcome of they're every search. They had been staying in a very tall and luxurious building in the middle of Tokyo while staying in this weird place. They manage to stay here by the use of the Demon's tactics, nothing is impossible when it comes to the Demon, and they were living a luxurious life having every need provided to them by the use of the money the Demon also gather though he had no clue what tactics the demon did use. It was obvious the Demon really want to find Miss Yuya to the point where even this weird place won't stop him from doing so.
He found the others in silence sitting beside each other around a long table when he got to the meeting room. The anxious expression can be seen in their faces except the Demon that is emanating a dark aura around the room.
"I was expecting a more cheerful gathering" he said while trying to lighten the dark aura surrounding the room.
"Well, your young ninja won't start talking until you're here" muttered the man with a bandana while glaring at Sasuke.
"What can I say, he doesn't want me being left behind" he was smiling at Sasuke when he said those words but the young ninja didn't return the smile or even look at him. In fact, he even looks mad. Well, maybe because Sasuke didn't expect the others and the Demon to be welcome his arrival like this, he was more expecting a normal arrival without anyone taking a special notice at him. But Yukimura can't do anything to that; everyone had been suspecting the young ninja because of his long absence which is rare and suspect that maybe he had discovered something.
"Start talking now" The Demon said to Sasuke with a tone full of authority and impatient. But Sasuke remain silent.
"Do you want me to drag the words out of your mouth, servant?" Now the Demon is mad, they can clearly see the reason why they had been calling him Demon and not by name for this whole year, and also because the aura surrounding him had been going darker and darker every passing day in this whole year without a single word about Miss Yuya.
"Tell us, Sasuke" maybe the young ninja will talk if he asked him himself.
"I found nee-chan" Sasuke muttered.
Everyone gasped except the Demon but the surprised in his face was clear, even without Sasuke addressing Miss Yuya by name the Demon and everyone understood who he means. The Demon wasn't expecting it to be this kind of information maybe, everyone didn't. That's why the shock was clear in their faces with the exception of Yukimura, Sasuke had told him three days ago. Instead, they were more expecting information about some clues of Miss Yuya's where about and maybe some lead on how to find her, Yukimura guess.
The first to recover from the shock was the man with the bandana, too excited to know where Miss Yuya is "then where is she? How did you find her? Is she alright?" he asked eagerly and looking happier than ever.
Sasuke look unhappy seeing how the man with a bandana looks so happy. Yukimura was guessing Sasuke was thinking of his reasons for hiding things, not wanting them to scare Miss Yuya.
"She's here in Tokyo, I found her by accident, and yes, she is well" Sasuke muttered again. Still, everyone heard him.
"Then what are we still doing here? Let's go get her; I'm sure she had been so lonely and alone while we were not around." But everyone remain silent and unmoving from their position while the man with a bandana blurted those words eagerly. They sense that there is a problem base on how Sasuke react toward every question they ask.
"Aren't you happy to hear from her?! What's kind of reaction are these?!" the man with a bandana was losing his temper already.
"Shut up red tiger"
"Shut up Benitora"
Both Sasuke and the blind man in their group said at the same time, which anger Benitora the man with a bandana and the one who holds the title of being the red tiger. But before Benitora could respond to them the Demon ask Sasuke another question, recovering his composure once again.
"How did you find her?" this time, his tone is unreadable. Maybe he still can't grasp the fact that Miss Yuya's where about has been located.
"I found her by accident a few days ago; I just accidentally saw her stepping out of the store where I was passing" Sasuke answer, directly looking at the Demon's eyes.
"What?! A few days ago?! Does that mean you've been hiding her where about for all those time you've been away?!" Benitora asked once again and completely losing his temper.
"Shut up servant!" The Demon hissed at Benitora, which leave Benitora no choice but to just listen and shut up, though doing it against his will.
"Then why isn't she here with you?" the Demon's tone is still unreadable, which means if anybody is willing enough to risk his life by battling the demon right this moment where his temper is right at the top then try and interfere the Demon and Sasuke's conversation now.
"I've only been observing her and talked to her once" Sasuke's responded to the Demon with unreadable tone as well.
"Explain everything" The Demon just said.
Sasuke is left no choice but to talk. The Demon and the others want everything now and can't wait and he understand that pretty well. They were all worried and searching for her. Everyone has their connection to his nee-chan. And his nee-chan is the Demon's number one servant as well as his life. Yes, she is the Demon's life; if not then they won't be here by now trying desperately to search for her.
"As I said, I found her by accident then started watching and observing her every action and surrounding before approaching her once" then Sasuke told them the same thing he had told his master over the phone three days ago. On how his nee-chan acts very used to this place, how she interacts with the people here, seemingly having a memory problem, and other small details.
But the Demon just tilted his head and urge Sasuke to continue when he stop talking, knowing there's still more that Sasuke haven't said that holds the best part. And the others remain silent while listening to his every word and waiting for the next as well. Even his master, Yukimura-sama, seems to be waiting for the continuation in which he doesn't know because it happens after their conversation over the phone. So he decided to continue from where he lefts off.
"Then I approach her three days ago to confirm whether she's really having a memory problem or just trying to be one of the people around here." he paused, waiting for anyone to ask question or respond but nobody did. They continue to remain silent, giving him the stage all for himself.
"And when I had finally talked to her then that's when I finally confirm that she is really having a memory problem, not amnesia, because she treats the people here like they had known each other for too long and acts natural to this strange place, Like she's been here for more than a year. And we have been erased in her memory but be replaced by others instead because instead of recognizing me, she even ask me who am I." To this, he earns a reaction, especially with Benitora whose mouth and eyes grew wide, while the others give a surprised look. But they still remain silent, which let him continue.
"And when I told her what my name is then that when I was completely positive there was a force that stopping her from remembering us, the same force that preventing us in the past from finding her, even though we have already searched every area in Tokyo and all over Japan, base on her reaction.
And for the past three days after I talked to her I continued to observed and watched her and the people surrounding her, specially the woman named Midori who seems so very close with her, and even her so called parent after they arrived from some place. But everyone acts normal and very ordinary, nobody seems to have any power to prevent us or change her memory, though they act very over protective toward her.
But according to them and to the information I gathered, they act very over protective toward her because of some accident that she encountered a year ago. Just when she had disappeared from our sight" as he finished talking, the silent still remain but this time they remain silent not because they're waiting for more but because everyone was lost in thought. Trying to run every word he had said in their memory and form some answer and ideas.
"Does this mean if we try to approach her she won't even recognize us like Sasuke?" Benitora said losing all the eagerness and happiness he has just a while ago.
"Who could have done this to her? Damn . . . I'll kill that person for sure. Nobody has the right to toy with Miss Yuya's memory, and erasing us . . . how could I approach her now, tell her it's me, her benitora . . . and how-"Benitora was cut off from continually muttering out loud his every thought with the Demon's unreadable tone again.
"Leave"
Everyone straighten up and start leaving the room one by one. Sasuke and the others all know that the Demon need's some time alone for himself to grasp what Sasuke had told him and the others. Knowing this fact made the search end but start another much bigger problem because knowing his nee-chan where about yet also knowing she doesn't even know who they are is the worse scenario they can even imagine. But the Shiseiten who remained silent all this time remained in the meeting room with the Demon. They all look unreadable.
But Sasuke didn't have enough chance to hear what are they going to talk about or if they are going to share some of their opinion or plans that they had formed to the Demon because he was already out of the room. And truthfully, he rather wants to get out of this place and be alone at once than to listen to them. He has more thinking to do himself and more planning to form.
*** It's 1:30am before I was completely finished with this chapter //whaaa.. That was sure tiresome ... Hehehe../ Now please review and tell me what you think about my story so far.. Was it good? Was it bad? (Please not the bad one) LOL… And I'll gladly welcome any advice or opinion from you . . . weee . . . Yuya wasn't in this chapter so I really hope you still enjoy it . . . ***
