Author's Notes: I am very sorry for the long absence. University was a bit demanding this semester and I went to some personal tragedies. I would like to dedicate this story to my two Grandparents who died just recently (Felipe Guajardo and Isauro Gonzalez). ~Enjoy the grand finale!
"Let the world stop turning; let the sun stop burning; let them tell me love's not worth going through. If all falls apart; I will know deep down in my heart, the only dream that mattered has come true… in this life, I was loved by you."
-Bette Midler-
"Third Desire"
By: FenixPhoenix (Giselle González)
Final Chapter: "Desire"
Onime no Kyo no longer knew what to think or how to feel. Hatred, sadness, happiness, excitement, independence, freedom, bloodlust, confidence and fright mixed and split and intertwined with memories of Yuya.
What was he to do? What was she to him? Why had Kenji walked into their lives and messed them up in such a way that he felt completely lost for the very first time? More importantly, why did he want to say 'how much would you give me for her' and couldn't?
"Wouldn't it be easier for you, Onime no Kyo, to give her away… to drive her as far away from you as possible as to remain heartless?" Kenji tempted.
Kyo's hand gripped the hilt of his blade so tight, that his knuckles turned white. Damn it! It made sense, it did! But fuck it! He didn't want to hear this right now, especially from this man! A man whose very existence was an insult to Kyo!
Despite how irritating he was, Kenji's words rang true. There was no denying that. Did he want to get rid of her because she made him weak -because she made him feel? Was that it? Was that answer to the enigma that had become his life recently? Was this knowledge the key to his release… the salvation of the beast that was the men slayer?
No! He refused to have his life figured out by this pest! What did this man know? Kyo's life was his own! Nobody told him what to do!
He turned to Kenji and smiled sadistically. "I'll keep her because now I know you want her."
Oh, if only he himself could believe the lie! Because that was all it was, a half-baked lie.
"Really…? Is that the only reason?" Kenji pursued with that ever present smile. Only, now that Kyo looked at him more closely, did he noticed the smile never reached his eyes.
Before he could think of a way to use this new information to his advantage, a ninja materialized out of nowhere holding a sharp chisa-katana (1). The figure moved with unbelievable speed, hostility evident. Kyo's eyes widened when he realized that he wasn't charging him but the un-moving Yuya!
Kyo barely managed to intercept the attack. Steel clashed against steel, but the warrior did not budge. Kyo smiled, wishing to scare the man off, but he seem neither impressed nor scared.
Kenji's eyes turned to look at a nearby tree. He blinked with deliberate slowness, causing another ninja to appear armed and ready to charge.
The warrior Kyo was still engaged with used his free hand to hold onto muramasa's sheath. Only then did the second warrior launch his attack. Kyo cursed, realizing that there was nothing he could use to parry the attack that was coming.
Damn them! Who did they think he was? Kyo was nothing if not extraordinary!
So just before the blade could cut even a hair of Yuya's head, Kyo let go of the sheath and used his naked hand to protect her. Blood poured out of his palm in thick beads. It ached like a bitch, but still he persisted in holding onto the blade.
Kyo laughed when he noticed stupefaction cross the man's eyes. They hadn't expected this, did they? Kyo was protective of what was his, and it was about time they learned that. Kyo would do anything and everything to keep further harm from befalling Yuya! Getting hurt in the process meant nothing to him. Not anymore…
"Enough!" exclaimed Kenji, prompting the ninjas to retreat.
Kyo's instincts were sharp and he began to sense more presences gathering around them. They weren't hostile, not yet, but Kyo knew that could change at any second. They were skillful, probably more ninjas waiting in hiding for their master to give them the signal to attack. Yet, what worried him the most was the fact that he was not their target.
"Do you understand it now, Kyo?" Kenji approached him unafraid of retaliation.
Kyo forced his body to relax. He wanted to give the impression that he was confident and even bored. Yet, not once did he lower his defense. He wouldn't dare put Yuya's health at risk in order to save his pride.
"Understand what?" he prompted nonchalantly.
"How she has crippled you," Kenji answered.
-o0o-
Shinna Yuya was standing in the middle of a black place surrounded by multiple caged figures. Her eyes were incapable of focusing on anything as the conversation between Kenji and Kyo resonated throughout the place. It was not until the last of Kenji's phrases ripped the barrier that separated her from them, that she heard a crack coming out from an already fracture box.
Intrigued, Yuya walked towards her other self. She stood right in front the cage, her eyes gazing at the blushed cheeks of the woman behind the glass. She inspected the crack closely, finding it longer, with more veins that before. She placed her ear to the glass and sure enough, she could hear the drumming of the caged woman's racing heart.
What does this mean?
Suddenly, there was another crack. Yuya turned to the genesis of the sound. Her eyes came to rest on the box trapping her feelings of worry over Kyo. She noticed that the figure inside was punching the glass, trying to free herself, indifferent about the blood coming out from her torn knuckles.
Yuya gave a step towards her. She wanted to help her but something held her back. She looked down at the previously empty space beside her to find the blond child. He was holding her hand, small fingers squeezing, demanding her undivided attention.
"Don't!" the boy pleaded. "You are happier here!"
She knelt before him, gazing at his deep, blue eyes. She didn't know what to say to him. She opened her mouth but nothing came back. What filled the silence were the faint voices coming from the creviced boxes. It was her voice, which even coming in whispers were louder than whatever she could say to this little one.
"Leave him," the child begged, tears forming in his eyes. "Please, I want you to meet me one day. Please… don't leave me."
-o0o-
Onime no Kyo fisted his wounded hand, trying to stifle the flow of his blood. It still tickled between his fingers, dropping onto the floor in constant beads.
"Look at you, Onime no Kyo," Kenji pointed at his wound in emphasis. "Look at how weak she's made you." When Kyo stared at him blankly, he chuckled softly. "Have you felt them?"
Kyo's eyes jumped from one spot to the next, demonstrating his ninjas could not conceal their presence from him.
"I know as well as you that if it was not for the girl you would have already killed them all," Kenji admitted, a queer sadness keeping his smile from reaching his eyes.
"Who says I can't do it right now?" Kyo scoffed, forcing the pain of his wound the back of his mind.
"You do," Kenji argued with half a shrug. "You know that if you were to attack one of my ninjas the other ones will attack your only weakness."
"I have no weaknesses," Kyo hissed, almost believing it himself.
"Oh, but you do! If I were to send them to attack the girl again you would do everything in your power to stop them, would you not?"
"I have no weaknesses," Kyo insisted through clenched teeth.
"Then prove me wrong!" Kenji challenged, causing a dozen of his ninjas to jump out of their hiding places.
-o0o-
Shinna Yuya gasped when she heard Kenji's challenging words. They resonated inside her cage of darkness, drowning all other sounds. Her eyes widened in fear and she let go of the boy's hand as though the touch burned her.
Oh, God! She could see it! The ninjas were closing in on them -closing in on him! What was she thinking? How could she do this to him? Why had things turned out so bad! She'd vowed never to be a burden, to never endanger him! Yet, she'd pushed him into an impossible situation and it was up to her to get him out!
She shut her eyes, tears squeezing out and rolling down blushed cheeks. All around her the boxes exploded, glass shattering around her like crystal rain. She heard the pieces tingling like bells as they fell, the sound echoing through time and space.
It was time to wake up. It was time to break free. It was time to be brave!
When she opened her eyes, she was standing behind Kyo, fully aware of who she was and what she needed to do.
"STOP!" she yelled at the top of her lungs, "PLEASE STOP!"
All movement ceased. The ninjas stopped dead on their tracks with swords still raised. She saw Kyo's widened gaze falling on her and, past him, Kenji's.
"You…" she could tell Kyo wanted to say something else, but he seemed for the very first time tongue tied. In any other circumstance she would have given him a hard time about it, but she couldn't bring herself to do it now. There was something she needed to do which required all her concentration… and her courage.
Yuya's eyes welled with tears. She tried to keep them caged, but they flowed down her face anyways. She attempted to swallow a sob, but the cruelness of her fate ripped it out of her very throat.
"You have everything," she told him, gripping the fabric of her Yukata as if to keep her heart from jumping out and surrendering itself to him. She had to do it, though. She had to stop being selfish… she had to set him free!
Onime no Kyo didn't like where this was going. He didn't like those tears running down her face. He didn't like the sobs that wrecked her body, leaving her trembling like a leaf. He was tempted to make her stop because he knew! God, he knew that whatever she was about to say would hurt him.
But he didn't. He couldn't stop her. He pride was too stubborn, his tongue too numb, his mind too hazy, his body too heavy to move!
"Y-you have everything you desired," she pointed out, her tone desperate.
Don't do this! Kyo tried to scream, but nothing came out of his throat. In fact, his lips didn't even move. Damn his pride, which rendered him silent! Unable to ask her to stop, he wished she would beg him stay… so that he would not be the one forced to ask this of her.
"You recovered your body," her hands kept brushing tears away, only for them to be replaced by new ones, "and you killed Kyoshiro." Her emerald gaze was filled with such sadness that it made him want to close his eyes. He didn't want to see this! He didn't want to hear this! "So why do you keep me with you? What am I to you?"
Shinna Yuya held her breath in anticipation.
This was it. She had finally asked him. Her heart was beating a mile per second with fear and excitement. His answer could break her in such a way that she may be scarred more terribly than the night her brother was murdered, yet she had to know. She wanted to know!
The pause stretched and she wondered if he would ever answer. She searched his eyes for the words he dared not speak. She found nothing there. His eyes were unreadable and they shattered all of her remaining hopes.
She couldn't! She just couldn't stay anymore and wait for him to feel something for her. Her heart was tired. Deep inside, she just wanted to be loved. Did she not deserve to be treasured? Did he not deserve to be free of burdens, even if that burden was herself?
Yuya understood in that moment what all her dreams meant. What she had seen and lived within her mind was a probable future. A future she could have if she were to let Kyo go. She would live in a wooden house atop a hill. A beautiful Sakura tree would bloom just outside their home. Every afternoon, when the weather was good, she would sit at the foot of the tree and she would set her gaze on the horizon. The grass underneath her feet would feel warm and soft. Some days, she would lie there and watch the sunset, reminiscing about her time with Kyo.
And just when she would want to cry for the future that could have been, a boy would run out of the house. He would giggle and call to her, throwing his little arms around her neck. He would shower her with loving kisses, drying her tears and quelling her pains. Thus, that toddler would be her hope… that child would be her legacy. He would be her bond to Kenji and the wind to blow away the ashes of her memories with Kyo.
Yes… It was time to stop being selfish. It was time to set him free. It was time to move forward. It was time to let go…
Onime no Kyo watched Yuya's eyes harden. She nodded in his direction, as if in acceptance of whatever she saw in his face. She forced a small smile to part her lips. Then, without a word, she began to walk. For a moment, he thought she would throw her arms around him, but she didn't. She continued onwards, passing him by. His eyes followed her movements, his body spinning around until he was watching her retreating back. In front of her stood Kenji now. Kyo imagined her eyes looking straight into his just like she had done on a not so far away morning.
Would she truly leave him once and for all? Would he be the one watching her back as she walked away? Would he let her go? Could he let her go?
Kyo watched in horror as Yuya shortened the distance between her and an awaiting, smiling Kenji. She was leaving him! Each step she took brought her closer to Kenji and further away from him!
A step and an image popped into his head, vivid in its detail.
"Stupid Jerk!" he heard and saw the girl with her fists clenched and a look of distaste marking her futures.
Another step.
"Kyo… be careful," he saw the girl's worried look as her hands unconsciously gripped the fabric of her kimono.
"Help…me," he watched her murmur as she stood a blink away from death.
Another step followed by a faint sob.
"Shut up, Benitora!" he watched the girl knocking Benitora to the floor with one swift punch to the shoulder.
"I will also go! You can't stop me," he saw the girl's determined look as she took out her weapon.
Another step.
"Onime no Kyo," he noticed her cheeks blushed furiously as he groped her body with lustful hands.
Another step.
And he remembered the feeling of his lips on hers. The maddening sensation of getting lost in her warmth…
Another step and it was just too much. This could not happen. She could not leave him! He would not – could not let her leave! Because… Kyo released his sword and sprang into action.
Shinna Yuya heard some shuffling behind her and almost lost a step. She was about to chance a glance back, when she felt a pair of strong arms wrapping around her shoulders. She froze, unsure as to what had happening, afraid that she would misinterpret his sudden actions.
Yet, the arms pushed her back, so that she was leaning against a warm, hard chest. She closed her eyes at the sensation of his hot breath ghosting across the back of her neck, making her hair stand on end. She was melting… and she couldn't care less about the consequences.
"Ask me again," he commanded in a whisper, his lips brushing against her oversensitive ear.
What? What did he want her to ask him? Her mind tried to adapt to the changes. Everything seemed foggy. He repeated his command and it became clear. Her eyes softened and she forced her sobs down as she enquired again, one of her hands touching his arm lightly.
"What am I to you, Kyo?"
"You are my third desire," he admitted softly, honestly, tenderly.
Onime no Kyo felt Yuya's small, shaking hands closing around each of his wrists. His eyes widened in confusion and fright when he felt her pulling free from his grasp. Was this it? Was he too late?
Yuya didn't move away, though. Instead, she seized the front of his Kimono and, without hesitation, she pulled him to her. Kyo relinquished control, allowing her to do with him as she pleased. He locked his eyes with her until their faces were but a fingernail apart. Only when her eyelids closed and her lips touched his, did he closed his eyes as well.
Kyo tried to keep his instincts in check. He didn't want to scare her off, but her touch was maddening and before he could stop it, his senses had gone crazy on him. His enemies were completely forgotten in the wake of her hunger and his.
His arm slid around her waist and he pushed her flush to him, deepening the kiss. It was incredible! He loved the sensation of her mouth on his. He loved how her warmth seemed to envelop him in a level of intimacy that he had never felt before. She was made to fit his arms perfectly. That was her place! She was his home.
When they parted for breath, Kyo realized they'd been left alone. He hadn't even felt Kenji's and his ninjas' presences disappearing, or hear them walk away for that matter.
"He's gone," Yuya said between happiness and relief.
"A pity," Kyo shrugged, scanning the area a second time for good measure. "I was looking forward to slitting his throat."
"Maybe another time," cut in the cheerful voice of Yukimura as he came into view followed closely by Sasuke, Akira and Benitora; a devious smile plastered on all their faces.
"So that means Yuya-han will never love me?" Benitora whined. His was the one smile that looked strained.
Kyo glared at the man. "Don't you dare try to touch my woman," he threatened and, as if to emphasize his point, he took Yuya's hand and pulled her along as he set off to look for a less crowded place.
"Where are we going now?" asked Benitora, trying to catch up.
"Get lost," Kyo warned, deciding that the only one he needed in his life was walking right beside him.
.:..FIN..:.
Story Written by: Giselle González
© Samurai Deeper Kyo is property of Akimine Kamijyo; is directed by Junji Nishimura and is distributed by Studio Deen.
Story's notes:
(1) Chisa-Katana: Shorter Katana; the normal is, more or less, 61 cm long while the Chisa-Katana is a bit longer than the wakizachi (30-61 cm long). Reference: Wikipedia- Katana- Classification by length.
:…:Other Samurai Deeper Kyo Stories:…:
+-+Serpent's Curse+-+
"I will strike were it will hurt the most and you will not see it coming." There is no stronger pain than the one inflicted to the heart. KyoxYuya. Sequel to "Third Desire".
+-+Teaching the Art+-+
When Yuya asks Kyo to teach her his specialty will he, in turn, learn hers? YuyaxKyo . One-shot.
+-+Weeping Sky+-+
Sometimes comfort can come in the strangest of ways given by the most unusual person. When Yuya cries, Kyo realizes he doesn't really like it. ::Yuya x Kyo:: One-shot.