Chapter Nine:
On a Journey

Yuya felt a twinge of guilt in her chest, and she couldn't identify why. It wasn't as if she'd caused his sudden lapse of memory, despite the fact that she'd arrived yesterday and that also happened to be the last time he'd ever remembered anything from before Sekigahara. She had nothing to do with it. She made sure to repeat it a second time just for good measure.

Taking another look at the two of them, she saw that Tamanori-san had come out to greet them. He was wearing his usual men's kimono, his hair wet from probably having been in the bath house or something. She leaned closer to better hear what they were saying.

"You're on your way, then?" Tamanori-san asked, raking his fingers through his wet hair.

Both boys answered simultaneously, "Hai."

"Good, good. I hope to hear from you often. What should I tell those who would seek you?"

Toge smiled, "Just tell 'em that we went on vaca-..."

"We died."

Both Toge and Tamanori-san did a double-take, and Yuya had to stifle an exclamation, "What!"

"All right, I died and Toge is attending my funeral after which he will never be seen walking among populated areas ever again," Shinda said, turning to go to the gates that would take he and Toge outside of the boys' home, "we'll be going now."

Toge barred the way with his arms outstretched, "Hold it! Does this mean we're not coming back here?"

"That's right."

"Then why didn't you gimme more time to pack!"

"What are you? A woman? Need to pack all of your knickknacks and memories? I said we're going. At least I didn't kill you off, though the idea has its merits right about now," Shinda said, a hand knife suddenly in his right hand, "out of the way."

"No! I like it here, and you told me the other day that you liked it, too! I'm not leaving!"

"We don't have a choice, you idiot. Do you think I want to leave the one place I ever thought I was safe? Well it's not safe, not anymore."

"Are you saying...?"

"That's right," Shinda snapped, pushing Toge out of the way with his aura, "we've been found."

There was an odd silence, and even Yuya — perched up high though she was — could feel the tension in the air, a tension Tamanori-san attempted to cut through, "Best be on your way, then. Though I know the chance is highly unlikely, I do hope to see you again. Try to stop by if you can, even if you can't let me know it's you."

"I'll try." Toge said immediately, and the look on Shinda's face was, to Yuya, unreadable.

"I... I," Shinda began, apparently unable to meet the elder man's gaze until he tried again, "you know I can't promise you anything, and I wouldn't even if I could. As I told you earlier, I might as well be dead. It's better that way. I came to you here, wounded or ill beyond healing, and I died in the middle of the night. You burned my body and Toge fled the night after. End of story."

Tamanori-san nodded, "Very well. Will you at least think of your time here? Maybe think of the brief moment of peace you had here? Kagane-sama told me there may be a time when you decided it was time to leave. I suppose I only wished it hadn't come so soon."

"I've tarried here long enough. I don't need to burden anyone else with my existence. I need to find out what this means." He said, pulling out an old, wrinkled piece of paper with the words 'Suzaku-san' printed on it.

Toge's eyes narrowed in concentration at the piece of paper, "Where'd you get that? Was that there when you woke up?"

"Hai. When I woke, I found this in my hand. I need to know what it means, why I have it, and who gave it to me. All it tells me to do is to make my way someplace, and then wait there. Doesn't tell me how long, why, or anything. Just tells me to do it. Apparently whoever gave it to me didn't know that I don't follow orders very well." Shinda smirked, his orange eyes glinting gold.

Up on her perch, Yuya had to wonder what in the world was going on. Someone had given Shinda a piece of paper addressed to 'Suzaku-san', and, by the looks of the paper, Shinda had 'woken' a few years ago, whatever that meant. So did that mean Shinda went by the name Suzaku? Or was he just supposed to deliver the message?

Having had enough mystery and intrigue for one day, Yuya snuck from her hiding place and went back to her room, glad that she hadn't run into anyone along the way, or else she knew she'd have been questioned as to whereabouts she was coming from. Unbeknownst to Yuya, however, a certain pair of demon eyes had watched her leave.

He'd been watching her out of the corner of his eye while really only half listening, just as he usually did. He spoke when spoken to, and sometimes not even that. Let her think she'd been the only one to know of her spying. Let her think she'd been the only one to hear the exchange from down below.

The demon eyes blinked, but another pair of eyes blinked at the same time.

One pair orange, the other pair red.

Their gazes met across the distance that separated them, and in that small crossing of visual paths, both knew most everything they needed to know about the other. They gave the barest of nods, and turned to part ways. The red pair turned to the group that followed him — he refused to say that the group was one he traveled with. They followed him.

"We're leaving tomorrow." He said, resting his sword between his knees as he sat down.

"Where to, Kyo-han?"

"The Sea of Trees."

Those that followed him nodded, but only two knew the significance of such a destination at this point in time. Akira and Bontenmaru gave small smirks, each of them eager to leave for their own personal reasons.

--------------------

"So, uh, Shinda-sama?" Toge asked once as he and Shinda had passed the gate and were headed into the forest to wherever it was Shinda's note said to go.

"What?"

"You never told Tamanori-san where it was we were going. Mind tellin' me?"

"I didn't tell him because I didn't wish to worry him. He's getting old, he doesn't need that sort of worry."

Toge gulped, "What about me, though, huh? Can you tell me?"

"If I must," he said, bracing himself on a tree trunk before stepping over a large boulder as he turned to look over his shoulder, "we're going to the Forest of Death."

"You can't mean...?"

He nodded, "Of course I do. We're going to Aokigahara, the Sea of Trees."

((Sept. 5, 2006)) A/N: Finished this yesterday, I hope you like it & apologies for deleting the chapters from the first version of this story, but I was tired of seeing 15 chapters when really there are only 9. I do hope you enjoy this version better, as I do, but not everyone has the same tastes, ne?

I want to say something about the end of this chapter, when it says: "Unbeknownst to Yuya, however, a certain pair of demon eyes had watched her leave," I never specify which demon-eyed man is watching her, & you're left to guess whether it's Kyo or Shinda. Though it's led to believe it's Kyo since I later say that "he" turned to the ones that followed him, I just want to say this:

They were both watching her, hence why I wrote: "One pair orange, the other pair red." It just makes sense, ne? So I hope you don't get confused as to who saw her leaving her hiding place. They both did.

Thank you!

O-chan