Special Chapter: The story of Kenji has been added as a bonus.
Author's Notes: First off, let me begin by apologizing for taking so long to write the special chapter so many asked for. I had a lot of things going on and it was, until now, I found the time, and most importantly, the inspiration to write this.
Also, I am thrilled and surprised to have found so many people who like this story. To all those who reviewed and faved this story, I thank you deeply and hope this chapter answers some of your questions.
That said, enjoy the special chapter!
"I did not ask for the life that I was given, but it was given nonetheless. And with it I did my best."
-Mr. Eko (Lost)-
"Third Desire"
By: FenixPhoenix
Special Chapter: "Wounded Heart"
It was early when Sakaki Kenji arrived at the small cemetery; his hair whipping behind him as the wind hollered in echo of his misery. He skimmed the names carved upon the tombs he passed by. He wasn't here anymore. His mind was wandering through a time that had come to pass too quickly.
Finally, he reached the place he had been looking for. A bitter smile, so strange in his face, graced his features as he placed a single, white lotus flower atop the stone that bore 'her' name.
"It has been a while, Masaki," he whispered, afraid that if he were to voice her name louder, his heart would shimmer as it had done the first time he had visited her resting place.
He sighed and opened the bottle of sake he had brought along. Kneeling before her, he filled the cup embedded on the stone before taking a gulp of liquid from the bottle.
"I miss you," he admitted, his voice shaking.
Kenji would have stayed a while longer, had a presence not disrupted his solitude. He stood up, slowly and calmly, with an expression void of emotions as his eyes came to rest upon a tree that stood ten paces away from him.
"May I help you… Yukimura-San," he said, a smile spreading across his face as the mention man stepped out from behind the ancient tree.
"My, my, Kenji-San," Yukimura greeted merrily, "You are as good as Kyo."
Kenji tilted his head, accepting the compliment before asking with a light hearted tone, "But tell me, to what do I owe the honor of your visit this time? Did Kyo send you to find me, perhaps?"
Yukimura shook his head, "The last time I saw Kyo he was heading out town with Yuya-San," he explained playfully; his eyes studying Kenji's face for a reaction that never came, "However, I am still intrigued with you."
"With me? And why would that be?" Kenji said as he began to walk away with Yukimura by his side.
"Well, yes. You see, you are as strong as Kyo and yet you did not fight him. You really wanted Yuya-San and yet you were quick to let her go. And now, as I have come with the hope of finding out what your true intentions were, I see you sharing a cup of sake with the spirit of a woman."
Kenji's eyes filled with a sadness he could not contain. His defensive mechanism, though, prompted an enigmatic smile.
"It is… a long story," he said with a sigh.
"I have time," Yukimura said with a smile of his own.
Kenji thought about his words for a while as they continued their journey in silence. By the time they'd reached his house, he'd taken a decision. His only hope was that he would not regret it later.
Kenji would tell him. He would tell Yukimura about what had happened to him, for perhaps this was the path that would eventually guide him towards redemption. Atonement was, after all, what he had been looking for when he met Yuya. And it had been that, what had prompted him to help Kyo…
"Come on in," he said as he opened the door, leaving his sandals on the doorway and indicating his visitor to do the same.
Kenji led the way towards a room that had a small table and five cushions around them. He placed the bottle of sake on the wooden surface of the expensive furniture and immediately after, taking two cups from a cupboard that stood on one corner, he filled them and offered one to Yukimura.
Kenji closed his eyes trying to order his tumultuous thoughts for this would be the first time he would share the events of his past. For maybe, just maybe by doing so he would make amends with his actions and finally be able to move forward into the future…
"I was once like Kyo," he began as Yukimura leaned forward, taking in every one of his words. "Selfish, blind, arrogant and filled with horrifying blood lust…"
-o0o-
Sakaki Kenji wiped the blood of off his blade.
"What of the rest of the Koga Clan?" he asked.
At his feet lay five bodies amidst mud, blood and missing limbs. Yet, though the image would have horrified even the devil himself, Kenji stood at ease among the dead. He inspected his body, satisfied to find none of the blood coating him was his. In fact, he barely had a scratch.
It was natural to be intact. After all, he wasn't called the God of death for nothing. He was war personified, and he would have it no other way.
"They're all dead, Sakaki-Sama," a black clothed ninja with the most striking amber eyes answered as she knelt before him; her attire dirty and bloodied. She, among all of his men, seemed to be the one least shocked by the image. She was also the only one unafraid to approach him right after a fight.
Kenji smirked in triumph. Another Clan had been annihilated and he was quickly becoming unstoppable. All those who dared declare themselves the strongest where now dead. No one was stronger than him and anyone who disagreed would be hunted down like the dogs they were. Life was truly beautiful!
"Gather the warriors, Masaki," he ordered with a smile. He could already taste the feast of victory to come! He noticed how she flinched when she regained her feet. She was either exhausted or she'd been badly hurt. Kenji shook his head and shrugged the concern off. What did he care anyways? He was only interested in keeping the strong with him. If she couldn't keep up, then she would have to stay out of his way.
"It shall be done," she said, marching through the battlefield like a conqueror. Kenji smiled. That was more like it. His eyes followed her as she shepherded the warriors who were standing idle, dispatching them to see his orders followed.
When they were all finally together, they sat on the table where, seconds ago, their enemies had been waiting for dinner. A man down the table broke into a lively song. Kenji cheered alongside his men, ordering sake to be replenished whenever it was about to run out.
Chaos soon began to reign over order and, though it was Kenji who had won the battle, he was the only one who did not drown his mind in Sake or filled his stomach with food. It was not his style. The only thing that would satisfy him was blood, everything else seemed petty and inconsequential.
That did not mean, however, that he would force his men to do the same. Kenji liked allowing them to have their fun. It made them more loyal, in a funny way. Every time they drank to him, Kenji made it a point to thank them with a smile and a nod of the head. It seemed to do the trick and keep them happy.
Kenji had been relieving some portions of the battle when Masaki Inoue called him.
"Sakaki-Sama," he turned his complete attention on her. She was his best warrior and, as such, the most valuable in his eyes. If he desired it, Maskai would kill every man who was at the moment cheering him as the greatest warrior and she would do it without any regard for her own life.
She was loyal but most importantly, she possessed skills which had been extremely useful during past times. She was his spy and his assassin. She was his ninja and his bodyguard. She was his shield and his sword… And she was his. His own. His property…
"What's this, Masaki?" he leaned forward intrigued when he noticed the youth Masaki was holding by the elbow.
The boy was around sixteen years old; a lad too skinny in his eyes to be a warrior, or of any use at all. Or at least, that was what he'd thought before he'd examined him closely. Though his body told a tale of weakness and inexperience, his eyes were those of a furious, untamed beast.
He smiled at the impertinence of the boy, who instead of begging for mercy, looked him in the eye with intact pride.
"I found him on Koga's room," she explained, cursing when the boy's sudden jerk rattled a wound she hadn't had the moment to tend.
Kenji tilted his head and asked flippantly, "Masaki, did this boy managed to hurt you?"
Masaki's eyes turned, for a second, to stone. "He attacked out of nowhere," she admitted reluctantly, "I have no excuse. I let my guard down before finishing my inspection of the room."
Kenji was satisfied with her answer. He would take honesty over momentary weakness. He switched his attention to the feisty boy. What to do with him? Should he give him to his men for them to have some fun with him? Or should he finish what he started and end with his life the line of the Kogas?
"A man who managed to hurt my strongest warrior deserves to grow old and strong," Kenji decided; locking gazes with the brooding boy. "So I will let you go, kid… and I will wait until you are strong and then… then I will come for you with all my fury and I will make you suffer for having had a second chance."
Something in the boy's dark gaze screamed defiance. Kenji could not have that. So he took the knife he'd been using to cut his meat and, with a quick movement, slashed the boy from below his right eye down to the middle of his cheek. Blood poured out the wound, covering his face. The boy stayed silent, even when his eyes flared with indignant anger.
"That is for you to remember," Kenji said, his voice loud for all his men to hear, "and for me to recognize you when the time comes… Now, go," Masaki disengaged her fingers from the boy's arm, "before I change my mind."
And the boy did. Kenji smiled when the boy didn't break into a run. Instead, he walked with his head held high, displaying the undimmed arrogance of being the last of the Koga Clan.
-o0o-
Yukimura raised his eyebrows in open surprised. Kenji smiled sadly. Yes, he'd once been cruel, crueler than even Kyo himself.
"What happened to the boy?" Yukimura asked after a while, snapping Kenji from his silent reverie.
Kenji smiled, "He grew…"
-o0o-
Sakaki Kenji grinned sadistically at the warrior before him. It was the boy! He'd grown tall and his limbs had acquired muscles which gave him a lean, yet nevertheless, impressive look. The youth would have been strikingly handsome, if not for the scar that disfigured his features.
If there was something Kenji could not forget, even after all this time, was the look in his eyes. Those eyes glared at him in different colors… the right one as dark as night and the left one the color of rusty blood.
"What a surprise," Kenji stated in all honesty, "I would have never thought you would come to me, Koga boy."
The boy's lips pressed into a thin line and his eyes turned cold.
"My name is Koga, Takeshi," he announced, "and I have come to extract my revenge."
Kenji tilted his head, surveying him. He took in every detail of the man, from the brown mat of hair atop his head to the black boots on his feet, "Really? I cannot wait," he unsheathed one of his katanas gracefully and presented the tip to his opponent.
Just as he had done this, Masaki and five more ninjas had made their presence known by stepping out of the shadows, intent on killing the boy if he gave them leave.
Takeshi smiled awkwardly, as if this was the first time he did it, "I will hurt you like no other can," he stated with a confidence which further sparked Kenji's curiosity and excitement.
"The kitten has grown a bold lion, has he?" Kenji taunted jeeringly. "So tell me, how is it that you plan to hurt me? For, mark my words, you will not be able to land a single blow on me."
Kenji's words earned from the boy a grin that widened so much, it distorted his features
"Oh, but I will land a blow," he said; his every word draped with excitement, "and it will be such a blow that you will be left shivering in pain and horror… For I will attack a place you have not guarded… a place you expose so easily and yet you do not defend at all."
Kenji laughed, "Is that a threat?"
Koga shook his head, "No, that is a fact."
"Then if you are so confident in this… why don't you do it? Why don't you attack the invincible Kenji and see if your words are true and your plan possible!"
"It will be my pleasure," Takeshi hissed, his eyes widening with anticipation as he charged him.
Yet, Takashi had only given three steps his way, before he briskly changed direction. He propelled himself forward, choosing a different target. A target that was not ready for what came… A target Kenji had not foreseen…
Masaki had been kneeling on the floor, still waiting for an order to engage. By the time she realized what was coming, it was too late. She managed to pull one of her katanas free, but Takeshi was already on top of her.
Kenji must have screamed something because his throat was aching. Masaki's eyes widened in horrified shock as Takeshi pulled her forward, into his arms. Kenji saw it as if in slow motion. Masaki's fingers slackened, her sword slipping her grasp, falling upon the floor.
Takeshi was holding her, still grabbing the hilt of his dark bladed knife. He'd plunged the entire length into the middle of her back. Masaki's legs turned to jelly, a grunt coming out of her partly opened mouth. Kenji saw the serpent tattoo on Koga's arm rearranging itself, as if it had come to life for a second, before being frozen again.
Kenji's instincts kicked in. He freed his blade and moved towards the fucking boy. Takeshi jumped back in time to avoid his blade and smiled in triumph before, throwing a smoke bomb at his feet, he disappeared.
"FIND HIM!" Kenji ordered, for the first time feeling his anger overwhelming his normally calm demeanor.
Then, remembering the cause of his rage, he turned to Masaki and went to her. He knelt beside her; his blue eyes filled with the most profound worry… a worry he had never felt nor shown towards anyone before.
"I am alright," she assured, touching her back in search of the knife that had been lodged there not a moment past.
"What are you talking about? You are bleeding profoundly," he argued, sweeping her off her feet and taking her inside the house whilst yelling for a physician to follow.
He lowered her onto his own futon gently and, turning her around, he cut the back of her blouse with his sword, careful not to harm her further. The physician came in immediately after. He knelt before the girl, his bag open with every tool at his disposal.
"Let us wipe the blood first," he said, taking the towel from a basin that had been brought in and squeezing it dry.
"I'll do it," Kenji said, taking the towel from the man. He didn't want anyone else touching her more than was strictly necessary. It was absurd of him to feel this way now, but there it was. She was him, and he felt unmistakable jealousy at the thought of her body being handled by someone else.
"I am okay, Sakaki-Sama," she insisted, trying to get up.
Kenji pushed her back down and kept her in place with a firm but nevertheless gentle hand. Once he was certain she would not move, he continued wiping the blood off of her back with careful movements. Suddenly, before his very eyes, his strongest warrior had become a fragile crystal.
"What the-," Kenji frowned when he finished wiping her back. There was no wound on her back anymore, which was impossible considering all the blood. Not to mention he'd seen it, he'd seen the knife plunging into her.
So, what was the meaning of this? And if it had not been hers, whose blood was that which he'd just washed?
-o0o-
"You are telling me he did not wound her?" Yukimura asked, surprised by the twist.
Kenji shook his head sorrowfully, "He did… but I simply did not see it…"
-o0o-
Sakaki Kenji's relief at Masaki's safety lasted only for a day. After which, he isolated himself in his room, ordering that no one was to disturb him. Kenji sat on his futon, pondering his feelings.
What to do now with the girl? She was his best assassin, his best tool… but when had that changed?
It irked him to realize that Masaki's presence had changed him! He had unknowingly given her the power to crush him! Hadn't he been careful about this? Had he not closed himself to all so that he may remain forever alone, selfish and powerful?
So then, what was he expected to do? His heart was set on her and, because of that, he could not send her away. At the same time, he could not use her anymore! The single thought of losing her sent a wave of pain through his entire being, leaving him shaking with fear! So, he could not have her around! He could not afford to love her anymore for that would certainly mean the destruction of all his work!
After hours of wracking his brain for a solution, everything boiled down to this: He could not send her away but he wished not to have her stay. He could not live without her so he 'must' never live with her…
Enlightenment came to him. He would hold her inside the house, never to leave it without his permission while he looked for the man who knew of his only weakness. By killing Koga, this knowledge would stay hidden in his heart, never to be spoken of again.
So Kenji did it so. He gathered all his warriors and sent them in different directions to look for Koga's trace. He had made it clear he did not wish for anyone to engage him.
"He's my prey," he'd told them, threatening them with a painful death if they forgot it.
While Kenji waited, he was careful to keep himself apart from Masaki. By confining himself to his room, he hoped his feelings would eventually lessen and then maybe even disappear. He needed to be who he used to be. He wanted to be the man without weakness… the warrior without a heart. Yet, his feelings did not go away. To the contrary, they grew and grew, becoming a burden that was harder to bear with each passing day.
Almost four weeks later, he could take it no more. Half of his men had returned without news of Koga's whereabouts and had, immediately, departed to search other places. Kenji's spirits were down on the floor when he finally made his way to Masaki's quarters.
This was the third time he had gotten as far as to stand behind her door, fighting the urge to knock or kick the door down. This time, however, he did not even try to contain his feelings.
One of his servants had reported to him yesterday, informing her about her status. He'd admitted that two weeks ago Masaki had seemed 'lost' and that more than once she had stared into nothingness, as though she had fallen asleep. By the middle of that week, she had begun to black out for five minutes every day and whenever she woke up, she would have forgotten one thing or another of her past.
But a week ago she had begun to get fevers at night and she would shake with cold and pain for almost an hour before she became quite still. Then, she would sleep soundlessly for the rest of the night. This, above all else, had at last worried him enough as to allow his fear to overcome his plans.
Kenji neither knocked nor tore down the door, though. He opened it slowly and stepped inside. Masaki's eyes widened when she saw him. She was wearing a with night robe that was so thin he was able to see the curves of her body underneath it.
"Sakaki-Sama," she tried to stand, but gave up after a while. She was too weak to try to hide her discomfort.
Kenji felt a lump in his throat. She was slimmer, paler and had two black half-moons under her eyes. The happiness in her seemed to have fled and what sat before him was but a ghost of the girl he used to love. Yet, when her eyes locked with his again, he saw the flash of adoration and the sparkle of the girl that still wished to impress him. No, she was still her. The girl –no, the woman his mind could not release.
He closed the distance between them and hugged her tightly, feeling his eyes hot with tears that he dared not shed.
"What is the matter, Sakaki-Sama?" she asked, confused and worried at the same time.
"Why do you get worst instead of better, Masaki?" he asked with a shaking tone. And it was until then, when his eyes moved to her back, that he saw the black spot underneath her tunic.
Frowning, he took his knife out and cut across part of her gown. He pried the fabric open and stared in horror at the image below. A black tattoo had appeared on Masaki's back. It depicted a serpent going around a blade that was awfully familiar to his own. The serpent's body had, by now, twisted three times around the blade and the only thing missing was its head.
"I just noticed it a week ago," she said as she pushed him away from her so that she would be able to look him in the eye, "a twist for every week…"
"Why didn't you tell me!"
Masaki smiled sadly, "How could I?"
Kenji cursed loudly. Oh, God! It was his fault! He had given orders not to allow Masaki near his person. He wanted to spin the wheels of time, to go back and punch himself on the face. He regretted his choices for the first time in his life.
"There is still time," he said, standing up with determination.
He had never seen the mark before but he'd heard rumors about it. It was the curse of the black serpent and the only way to break it was to kill the man who'd made it. And that man was Takeshi Koga…
"It is too late," she said, destroying, with her words, his plans, "Tomorrow this week ends and I… I will be-"
"Don't say it!" he interrupted her angrily but, as hard as it was, he knew, deep down, that she was right. He was late… and she would die…
His hand shot towards his eyes and he fell to his knees. He'd been called a monster, a beast… yet in the end he was a man; a man whose heart was breaking and aching and hurting.
So his fear had at last come true. The thing that no one would have thought possible had been achieved. The beast had been tamed, the monster slain and the man… the man had been conquered!
"You cannot leave me," he wanted to order, but it came out as a plea. "You are never supposed to leave me!"
He felt her hands wrap around him; her lips kissing his forehead, "I have always been yours, Kenji," it was the first time she called him by his name and yet it felt right, "but you have never claimed me…"
He turned to her; his cold blue eyes melting under the fire in hers.
"Claim me now," she said, "claim me now, for I can still feel."
So he did. He pulled her towards him and kissed her with a desperate passion that, for that moment, stripped away all feelings but that one of unparallel love. He tore the clothes off her back and explored every part of her body with his lips, feeling his lust increase as she helped him take off his clothes.
He took in every detail of her body; ever smiled she gave he photographed with his mind and every giggled, every breath he locked in his heart. It was the most incredible experience. Kenji had had sex before but he had never made love and the difference was astonishing. He kissed her again and again and let her hands wander through his body and smiled whenever a mischievous grin parted her lips.
But the experience was over far too quickly. As he lay with her on his arms he felt her body tense. Then she began to shake and her lips turned blue and cold. He felt his eyes water as he held her close, whispering soothing words into her ear. When the episode had passed and the shaking subsided, he felt her tears upon his chest as daggers to his heart.
"Promise me something, Kenji," she whispered softly.
"Anything," he whispered; tears running freely down his cheeks. Her end was near and he was so damn scared… so damn impotent…
"Promise me you will not let this happen to anyone else," she said, "Promise me that if you ever find a couple like us, you will help them see how much they need each other before it is too late. Promise me that you will become a peaceful warrior; fighting only to protect… and in return," a sob overcame her, "in return I will keep you safe from above…"
Kenji hugged her tightly, "I promise…"
"Then, let me give you my last gift," she kissed him on the lips and he felt something there. A power he could not quite understand, "use it well… and find happiness… my love…"
"I love you, Masaki…" he whispered biting his lower lip when her last tear was shed.
He closed his eyes when he felt her back moistening. Inspecting it, he noticed the face of the serpent had appeared; wine eyes looking right at him while tears of blood… her blood ran down the ruby eyes…
Five minutes later, her blood was drained and her life had come to an end.
That day, Kenji buried Masaki beside his own family, keeping the space beside her empty, reserving it for the day he would join her in the afterlife. After that, when he'd returned home and had stepped inside his room, did he noticed someone was there. The last of the Kogas was seating on his windowsill, a curious look upon his face.
Kenji had not the energy to unsheathe his sword. He was tired… and in pain.
"She died because of you," Koga said, "I did not wish to kill her but it had to be done."
Kenji stared stoically at the boy, waiting for him to state the real reason for his visit.
"Are you going to kill yourself, Sakaki?" he asked with honest curiosity.
Kenji shook his head.
"Why not?"
Kenji smiled, "Because it was my life she loved… and because she gave me a mission I cannot turn down."
Koga seemed to ponder his words for a while, as if trying to understand them. After a while he gave up and standing up, he said, "Good. Every day you live you will suffer your loss and every day you suffer my family will rejoice in the afterlife."
"Then let it be so," Kenji whispered, watching the boy who had taken everything from him walk away unchallenged, until he disappeared from view.
-o0o-
Sanada Yukimura's eyes lowered to the cup in his hand. He understood it all now…the man, his promise, his sins and his deeds.
"So you never wanted Yuya-San," he concluded.
Kenji shook his head. "Oh, but I did," he admitted softly, "She was my second chance… my redemption," he closed his eyes for a while. "She would have given me happiness if she had stayed with me."
"But still you let her go!"
"Because she realized who she wanted," he answered, "she broke Masaki's spell… she passed her test."
"What test?"
"Staying with Kyo and choosing the uncertainty of life over secure happiness," Kenji stood up. "I am tired, Yukimura-San," he stated, "You can stay if you wish. I will put my servants at your disposal, but I'm afraid I'll have to leave you for the evening."
"I understand." Yukimura watched the man leave and whispered, "Good night, Kenji-Sama…"
.:..FIN..:.
Story Written by: Giselle González
© Kenji Sakaki, Masaki Inoue and Takeshi Koga are property of Giselle González and were created for the purpose of telling this story.
Author's Notes: Anyhow, don't forget to review! Also, a sequel to Third Desire is now available. Check it out in my Profile Page under the name of "Serpent's Curse".