"Do you love me because I am beautiful? Or am I beautiful because you love me?"
-Unknown
"Third Desire"
By: FenixPhoenix (Giselle González)
Chapter 8: "Waking"
Kudo Akinari knew the tide had changed the moment the rest of his warriors turned tail and left. No matter, he would deal with their insubordination later. He and his two partners were sufficient anyways. It was taking longer than expected, granted, but he would kill his opponent and then move to cut the other in half as well!
His grip on his sharp knives tightened and he fought the urge to cut his hair short. It had never annoyed him as much as it did right now. Sweat trail down the sides of his face. He brushed at it absently, wishing to keep it out of his eyes. He scanned the field, afraid the Demon Eyes will materialize behind him again. The first time had been a surprise too many and he would not have it repeated.
"Munyo Jinpu Style," came Onime no Kyo's deep voice, "Satsujin Ken! Shin!"
Akinari tensed when the Sakura petals that had been swirling around him dispersed into ashes. Even though he could not see the fire that had caused the change, he could feel it. The fog transformed form a white screen to a crimson one, bringing the smell of death and decay with it.
Akinari heard a loud intake of air. Someone was panting tiredly beside him. His thin, moist lips quirked upward in a victorious smirk. Kyo was an imbecile! He'd just given his position away!
Akinari spun around, with a sharp knife on either hand. He used the momentum to gain speed, slashing the man who had tried to attack him.
-o0o-
Yamada Masaki's dark orbs darted from side to side. Those damn petals kept whirling around his body, as if each of them were bees circling a pot of honey. It was difficult to see beyond an inch of where he stood. It was disconcerting to say the least. He could run, he knew, towards the edge of the screen… but the problem was he did not know where that was anymore.
No, he would not waste his energies searching for a way out. He would be patient and wait. Kyo was a fighter, his bloodlust known far and wide. He would get sick of the standstill long before he did. He would make a mistake, a noise, an attack -something! And Masaki would get him then.
"Munyo Jinpu Style," Kyo's voice echoed all around him. "Satsujin Ken! Shin!"
Everything changed. Pink became black, white became red, heaven became hell. Masaki smiled. Yes, this was more like it! He knew Kyo had gotten tired when he heard light steps coming from somewhere beside him, approaching him. Someone was trying to get close to him, huh? Well, well, Onime no Kyo was trying to catch him off guard! But Masaki was better than that.
Hell, his sense of hearing was as keen as a dog's. So Masaki moved towards the noise, towards the presence he could not see but which he could feel. Another step and the fog parted, allowing him to see his opponent standing just before him, giving him his back.
I found you, Onime no Kyo!
He raised his sharp sword high above his head, his tongue savoring the moment his blade would bathe with the thousand-men slayer's blood. He brought it down with all the strength he could muster. He may not have been as fast as Kyo, but he was definitely stronger. He would end this with one blow!
Hot. Sharp. Fast. Pain shot from somewhere around his chest as he felt an object plunging into his solar plexus. Simultaneously, his blade connected with exposed skin. The thought that he had at least hurt Kyo renewed his strength. Shifting his weight, he kept pushing his blade into the figure, trying to ignore the blade that was being pushed inside his chest, blinding him with pain.
He would die, at least that much he could tell, but he would not die alone.
-o0o-
Suzuki Reiji charged the samurai –what was his name? oh yes, Kenji!—once more. He had replaced his twins kamas with a lethal kusuri-gama since his left arm was useless after a well-placed slash. Though he could barely hold the silver chain of his weapon, he was still skillfully slashing the air around him.
A single thought echoed in his head. 'Wipe his smile'. He repeated the line again and again, like a mantra. His opponent proved bothersome. He kept dodging every attack that came his way effortlessly, mockingly almost!
"It seems Kyo has finished his battle."
Reiji was startled by Kenji's statement. What did he mean? Was this man only playing with him? Or was he, perhaps, waiting for Kyo to come to his aid?
"I'm sorry," Kenji smiled in that fucking gentle manner that was driving Reiji insane. "My time is running out… so, if you excuse me." Kenji became a blur. In a blink, he was beside him, whispering in his ear like a lover would. "I'll kill you now. Good night, Susuki Reiji."
Razor sharp pain blossomed in the pit of his stomach. Hazel eyes widened and then lowered, taking in the image of the crimson blade that was coming out his body. He screamed when the blade was pulled out and Reiji fell to his knees, pain making his body twitch violently.
The last thing Reiji saw, was that smiling face with those blue eyes; eyes that were not merry; eyes that held absolutely nothing in their depths. For some reason, that last thought brought him some comfort as his life slipped away.
-o0o-
Onime no Kyo smiled at his handiwork. Though they were on the edge of their life, he couldn't help gloating.
"You both saw it too, didn't you?" Kyo didn't try to hide his amusement. "The red mirage."
The red atmosphere that had enclosed them disappeared. Kyo watched his opponents' faces closely. Both men were shocked by the image that greeted them. Akinari's dagger had perforated his friend's solar plexus. The blade lost beneath a dark layer of, once brown, now crimson, skin.
Masaki's sword, meanwhile, had sliced Akinari in half -his blade reaching down all the way to his crotch. Neither man uttered a word or made a noise. They probably hadn't even noticed the time when death had claimed their lives. They were nothing now, saved maybe grotesque statues used for bloody decoration.
"I see," Kyo turned his attention to Kenji. "So this is the famous illusion technique. It is a shame I was not able to appreciate it completely."
"Don't worry, I'll be happy to show it to you firsthand," Kyo offered sadistically.
"Oh, that is so very kind of you to offer," Kenji smiled. "I think I will have to decline for the time being."
"And why is that?" Kyo asked drily, his hand still clutching the hilt of his sword.
"I believe there is a far more important matter you need to attend to first, isn't there?"
Kenji turned around and began to walk away without a care in the world. The tender lullaby he had been crooning before he had encountered the warriors on the street, making its way back to his lips.
Perhaps in another time under different circumstances, Kyo would have followed him and finished him for his 'boldness'. But, much as it pained him to admit it, the man was correct. He didn't have time to deal with him. There was something -someone much more important that needed his immediate attention.
His hand shot towards his chest, searching for the small bag that had been safely kept between the folds of his kimono.
"Yuya," he whispered, and broke into a run in the opposite direction Kenji had taken. A deep and hidden part of him hoped he wasn't too late.
-o0o-
Sarutobi Sasuke inspected her from head to toe.
"Who are you?" he asked her, sitting on the other end of the table, his hands never leaving his sword.
"Higa, Natsuki," she replied while making tea. "A servant of Kenji-sama. One of many."
"What are you planning? Why did you stop fighting?" the last question had been bugging him ever since she had asked him to wait for her master to come back.
"I have been ordered neither to fight nor to kill. So, if I killed you Kenji-sama would probably get angry at me," she explained handing him a cup, which he did not accept. "Is something wrong?" she asked innocently.
Sasuke glared. If there was an ulterior motive to any of this, she was hiding it well.
"You think…?" She giggled softly, reaching for the cup. "It's not poison." She lifted it in emphasis and brought it to her lips. She drained it in two gulps.
Sasuke was left without words; confusion plaguing his every thought. The only thing left to do, he realized, would be to wait for Sakaki Kenji to arrive.
-o0o-
Akira felt Kyo's presence making his way towards them. He had been sitting by Yuya's side the entire time, hoping she would open her eyes. Yet, she never did.
He stood up and slid open the shoji screen just in time to let Kyo step inside.
"Leave," he ordered as he sat near the brown wooden medicine box that had once belonged to Kyoshiro.
"You are wounded," Akira pointed out.
"It is not mine," Kyo lied, not putting too much effort into it.
Akira knew when to push and when to back away. With a sigh, he turned around and walked out, closing the door behind him.
-o0o-
Onime no Kyo cursed when he noticed that many of the ingredients that were suppose to be liquid had dried and become solid. So that after mixing them, he ended up with a rocky pill instead of a potion.
Kyo reached for a wooden bottle of water that was sitting on a nearby table. He shook the container, glad to find it halfway filled.
"You better wake up after this," he growled through gritted teeth, the wound on his back aching. "I actually went through bloody trouble to make this!"
His hand slid underneath her head. Gently, not wishing to hurt her, he pulled her into a semi-sitting position, propping her against his frame. He used his free hand to prod open her lips and pushed the pill in. He picked up the water bottle and put it to her lips, tilting it slowly. Unfortunately, things didn't go as smoothly as planned. Yuya coughed, spitting a mouthful of water and the bloody pill right in his face.
"Damn it, woman!" he hissed, retrieving the soggy pill and drying his face with his sleeve. "You had to get sick, didn't you?"
Never in his life had he ever felt so angry and worried at the same time. In fact, he had never experienced the horrible feeling of uncertainty or concern before he had met the fragile female that lay feverish on his arms.
He hated her! He hated her for making him worry about her. He hated her for getting in trouble. He hated her for being in danger and he hated her for trusting him…
It had all started that moment, after all. It was when he learned she trusted- not Kyoshiro, not the one-thousand men slayer, not 'Onime no Kyo', but him; the man that existed below all those things and behind all those names and titles.
He would save her again, damn it. He would save her just like all those other times. He would not let her get away because she was his servant and he had not given her permission to become ill –much less die!
Determined to see this through, he took the pill and popped it, this time, into his mouth. He took a deep breath, gathered a mouthful of water and then proceeded to lock his lips with hers. He worked her mouth open and blew the water with the pill into it. When the water had successfully propelled the medicine into her throat, he pulled back almost reluctantly.
Truth was, he felt strange… He was, perhaps for the first time, scared because he had never felt like this before. It was not that he was afraid of having contact with women. No. That was ridiculous. In fact, he was a master when it came to one-night-stands. Yet, that was all they had been; a one-night moment with no place for actual feelings.
In comparison to all those times, this felt definitely different. This hadn't even been a real kiss and still he'd liked it. Worst! Now he harbored the absurd desired to feel her lips on his again. He yearned to taste her again.
He stood up and shook his head as if trying to shake away the feeling that ached for the promise of her touch. The abrupt movement sent a shock of pain through his battered body. For a moment, she'd made him forget about his wound.
Crimson eyes came to rest on a package near Yuya's things. He walked towards it and opened it. A black kimono, with red trimmed edges, was folded neatly inside. He took it out, remembering the time when Yuya had presented it to him right after she had bought it. He'd said nothing back then and he regretted it.
He wondered for the twentieth time why she had gone to the trouble to purchase it. Why had she wanted him to have it? Was there a deeper meaning to this Samaritan action? He swore to himself that one day he would ask her and so she couldn't die. She could not leave him because he was still curious about her reasons. It was not only that, though. Truth was, he still wanted to know more about her and them and this, this he felt towards her.
He turned to look at the unconscious figure one last time before stripping off his clothes. He retrieved some bandages from the medicine box and began to treat his wound. After he was done, he moved towards Yuya. He regarded her from a reasonable distance. This girl was special in her own little way. She frightened and thrilled him. One word from her could frustrate him or amuse him. So what was he supposed to do with her now that he'd accepted this?
Kyo sighed, not wishing to think too hard about this. Not right now, at the very least. He was tired. So he took a seat beside her, choosing his position carefully. He was near enough to hear her breathing but far enough to still maintain his 'sanity'. Only then, did his lids dropped tiredly, allowing him to succumb into some much needed sleep.
-o0o-
Shinna Yuya was still looking at her trapped clones, trying to figure out what they meant, asking them what they wanted. They never responded. All of them just continued to stand there, some repeating one same phrase again and again. Suddenly, a crack appeared in the surface of one of the glass cages.
Yuya let go of the hand of the child that had been saying something about forgetting the past. She moved towards the flawed box and realized that the figure inside was the one with blushed cheeks. It was the girl who'd realized her feelings for Kyo.
"What does this mean?"
A gush of wind swept her off her feet as soon as the question had rolled down her tongue. Her lips felt strangely damp and warm and before she knew it, everything disappeared.
Yuya closed her eyes. When she opened them again, she was greeted by the image of Kyo. He was sleeping beside her in a sitting position -his sword leaning against his shoulder, his chest moving up and down, his breaths soft and deep.
Hey gaze bored into the frame of the man before her for a silent while. When realization of who he was hit her, she quickly but quietly sat up and changed her position to the one she should have when being in his presence. She folded her legs and sat on them, her hands placed one on top of the other on her lap. In that same position, Yuya waited for her master to wake and impart his orders. After all, she lived only to obey.
To be Continued…