Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN SAMURAI DEEPER KYO. But the characters not featured on the original Samurai Deeper Kyo manga and anime belong to me and so does the plot of this story. Anyone can write an inspiration from this but please do not take the story as your own. Thanks~...happy reading ^.^

Chapter 5 – Through your looking glass

Time passed quickly and before Yuya could re-check what the month was it was already April time for Sakura blossoms to bloom in the streets and bring warmth of colour in the air.

Yuya was getting ready for school something which she never thought she'd ever do in her life. As she readied herself she debated on whether to go and visit her new workplace before she goes to school or after. Yuya then proceeded to take the pager locking her eyes on them intensely as she remembered Henry's pleas.

"Wait until you are contacted and do not cross paths with him". His words are getting more and more suspicious and disturbing as she imagined all sorts of out of the norm scenarios, such as being a vampire or something cliché like that. After thinking about it more, she supposed being a professor meant that he would be in school earlier than the students but perhaps they operated differently and so opted for visiting after school instead.

Having not been in the country after such a long time. Yuya had lost her way and expended a lot of her time asking for directions, who would have thought that the public transports could only take her as far as at the bottom of a mountain. And where the heck did this mountain even come from? Who knew there was something like this in the city? Well it was about 30 minutes outside of the city. But Yuya had never heard of a school standing on the other side of a mountain, she's never been to one but she has heard a lot about them. Maybe schools here in Japan were really like this she thought.

As Yuya was thinking at the end of these thoughts, she noticed her surroundings. The foot path was aisled with the most beautiful trees she had ever saw and lined with sakura blossoms at each side. The leaves from the flowers created a beautiful setting, something which one would normally see in a wedding or one of those romance movie Megumi always watches. After what seemed like a lifetime of walking she finally arrived at the gates. They were huge, golden and so grandeur looking with complicated patterns and as she looked ahead, she saw an enormous school big enough to fit the British Parliament building five times. The architecture of the building was similar to how grand palace buildings were made in Europe much like the Palace of Versailles.

"Can I help you?" Yuya was taken out of her reverie by a beautiful woman who surprised her. She looked like how some Japanese gentlemen would describe a yamato nadeshiko, with ebony black hair, fair skin, lithe figure and slightly slanted monolid eyes. Although she had an exotic aura about her despite being Asian. Yuya thought perhaps she was half Japanese.

"Ah, hai gomenasai. I'm a new student at this school". She answered bowing slightly.

"Oh I see. That would explain the uniform. But it does not explain why you are in this part of the school".

"Eh?" Yuya replied thinking she might have ended up in the wrong school after all.

"This entrance is only meant for the staff members' the student entrance is at the front of the school on the other side". She gestured towards her right.

"Eh? Go-gomenasai. I did not know the bus driver only told me to go straight down this path". Yuya looked ahead at where the woman was pointing at and gestured to her back as she mentioned the bus driver.

"It would seem that is what happened. Well never mind here come in" she pressed a button on the side walls of the gate, and a small passageway on one side of the gate opened. "Go down that path over there, keep following it and it should lead you to the front of the school. From there a teacher will be able to guide you". She smiled at Yuya before excusing herself and walking back to the school building.

"Ah hai, thank you very much" she bowed and proceeded towards the path where the woman directed.

Arriving at what looked to Yuya as the front of the school because of the way the building was designed she almost bumped into one of the teachers who was greeting the students enthusiastically.

"Oh I beg your pardon, I wasn't looking." She bowed deeply "I'm new here so-"

"Oh~ So you're the one…how interesting. Well come now little one. I will lead you to the staff room. You the most beautiful skin I have ever seen, tell me what cream do you use?" There was amusement in the reply and as Yuya lifted her eyes she saw another beautiful woman but had a more androgynous beauty and looked much more foreign than Japanese. She had long titanium blonde hair with slanted fringe uncovering her eyes. Her eyes were a faded pansy colour set with dark mascara lashes and wide rouge bow lips. Yuya thought she was a model at first with an air of confidence and with an hourglass figure who would doubt her being one. Her beauty was a contrast to the previous woman and if they were at a beauty pageant together it would probably be a draw.

After arriving at the staff room a stout administrator introduced herself who asked her a series of questions and provided her details of her school year.

"So you are Miss Shiina Yuya, correct?" Yuya nodded in confirmation. "Very well then, have you brought your identification card, ah, excellent".

"Right then before anything else can you fill this in, just some further information to acquaint us about you." Yuya then took the paper and started filling in her basic information, name, age, date of birth, hobbies, address, telephone number, parents (which she crossed out) and wrote her grandfather's name under 'guardian'.

"Would that be all?" she asked as she handed it back to the stout sharp looking woman, who answered "Yes so far" and proceeded to type more things in her computer raising her slanted eccentric glasses every now and again to reposition in her nose.

"Right then Shiina-san before I can hand in your timetable, I need to ask what subjects you'd like to major in, that way we can accommodate your schedule based on the subjects you have chosen". She explained finishing typing the information on the computer.

"Major in?" Yuya was very much confused, she thought you can only study non-compulsory subjects once you're in second year and then you start preparing for entrance exams in college in third year.

"Isn't high school studying compulsory academic subjects, well until the second year?" she asked.

"Well yes in general students are to study the basic academy subjects and in the second year that's when course content and course selection is more individualised. But the curriculum here is different than the public and other private high schools. Well apart from the obvious that this is an academy, our curriculum also differs from the rest. And in this sub division of the academy, the course content of high-school or secondary school is evident on the first year. We try to accommodate individual's courses based on their abilities from the entrance exams." She explained at the same time vigorously typing something in the computer.

"What do you mean?" Yuya asked and wondering what on earth she could be doing with the computer that needed her to be typing as if her life depended on it.

"Well we provide the basic academy courses for students as well as individual courses that they want to study or possibly major in to make their transition easier once they get to college. Although the number of subjects they can study depends on the individual score on their entrance exam. The lowest scorer is allowed one subject they wish to study and the highest scorer is allowed three. Although having three additional courses means you'd have to be a genius and have all the spare time in the world." She scoffed and turned the computer screen towards Yuya showing the different subjects available for high school students. "Feel free to have a look at the different courses we offer whilst I make a few copies of your paperwork."

As she exited the room Yuya heaved a sigh. Who knew getting admitted to high school was this time consuming and troublesome. Looking at the time it was already 8 in the morning and Yuya thought she could be at the restaurant by now earning money to pay for bills instead of being here. Honestly all these courses in the computer was giving her a headache just looking at them.

Although she supposed studying a subject she had slight interest in wouldn't be so bad. So she browsed until she found Arts and History, Medical Science didn't sound too bad either. Maybe that would help her in looking after her grandfather.

"So was there anything that took your fancy?" the woman asked and placed leaflet and booklet in front of Yuya who had a questionable expression. "Oh those are more information regarding the school and whatnot that you might need. It's compulsory that every student be handed one. And make sure no one else gets their hands on it. They provide information about the school that public is not allowed to know. It's all about discretion, understand?" And Yuya could only nod in return.

"Umm well Medical Science sounds interesting…and maybe Art or History? I don't know yet…" she sighed.

"Oh well that's perfectly reasonable, you are entitled to three. It would seem that you are one of the top scorer in the entrance exam." She said as she took her glasses off revealing small chocolate brown eyes set with clotted dark mascara lashes, that it made her already thin lashes that much more evident.

"Yes, well that's a surprise in itself, but I don't think I want to major with three courses. I just simply don't have the time. And I really don't think I would be able to cope, I hope you understand." Yuya said in good humour afraid of making trouble for others.

"Oh! No that's quite alright." The woman was quite surprise by Yuya's honesty, normally students would boast about it pompously and demand this and that. She somehow felt that Yuya was different from the students and teachers in this school, she almost seemed normal in her eyes.

"Well you know what, how about you take Medical Science and Art History? I can even place you under the best professors teaching those courses." She said as she opened a new window on her computer showing the curriculum for these two courses.

"Yes that does sound interesting, oh and look it has a small number of hours per week compared to other courses. This is perfect, that way I would still have enough time in the afternoon and evening. Oh thank you so much umm"

"Ms. Tanaka. It's Mai Tanaka Yuya-san" with a soft look in her eyes, Yuya thought they would get along just fine "and I am part of the administration team for secondary students as well as part of the librarian admins for the secondary division."

"Well thank you so much Tanaka-san. I appreciate all your help."

"Not at all. There, I've printed you two copies of your timetable and the curriculum for all your courses including the basic academy subjects, you can pick it up on your way out from the printer. I hope to see you around, Yuya-san." She stood up and shook Yuya's hands "Me too Tanaka-san."

"Please, I just want to talk. Let me explain" she trembled in the brinks of tears. She hated how lacking her control was over her emotion whenever she was in front of this man, yet she also couldn't distance herself from him. "You wouldn't return my calls and when we see each other you always leave right away. Kyo I just want to talk."

She searched his enigmatic eyes for any signs that tells her to continue and she probably did because he remained silent and still, standing proud and tall with both his hands in his trouser pockets, yet indifference was evident from him.

"Three years ago…I-I, yes I already knew then but it wasn't like I wasn't ever going to tell you. I had it all planned out and it-it was supposed- things were going great but then…I'm sorry Kyo. I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to keep you in the dark I-"

"Sakuya, I told you to forget about it. I have to go and Kyoshiro is waiting for your call." The charismatic man turned to leave but Sakuya still sought after him taking his arm and gently caressed it.

"Wait please," she timidly said as she looked at Kyo under her lashes but she saw nothing in his expressionless handsome face and broke taking several steps back away from him she burst in tears "You're still exactly the same! I should have known you would never change! You were the one who refused Kyo! I did everything I could but still it wasn't enough for you! Do you know how it feels to always be the one giving and get nothing in return for it? Did you expect me to wait?! I-"

"Left, left, east, east no~ I think it's supposed to be right, alright so right, west, right, ri~ght, wait no so if that was right, there, then would this path be on the left?! No it can't be that would mean that this would be north and that was south, but she said this was north, so~ that means this is south. Right?! Right! So south and then turn…left?! Hmph! Oh I give up!"

Sakuya was unceremoniously interrupted by a passer-by whose almost entire upper body was hidden from what looks to be a map and talking to herself no less. All previous pent up emotion and tears just vanished in a cloud of smoke from her that left her with a strange empty feeling as if she was unsatisfied. And the passer-by still had no clue that she just made her way in between herself and Kyo and in the middle of their confrontation, that she couldn't believe what she was seeing. Was this some sort of a set-up? How clueless could this person be that she was still muttering to herself?

"Excuse me?" Sakuya cleared her throat towards their intruder who immediately lifted up her head from the map.

"Oh, I'm sorry-Oh! It's you from this morning. Remember? We met when I was looking for the school entrance." Yuya exclaimed, happy that there was someone she recognises who would hopefully lend her a helping hand.

"Ah, yes. What-what are you doing here?" She muttered and eyeing Kyo every now and again who was staring at the girl.

"I'm sorry am I in the staff only area again? I was trying to find my way to the secondary division but I seem to have gotten lost again, would umm, can I trouble you for a direction? Please?" Yuya timidly said the latter part as she began to sense a suspicious aura around the woman who seemed to be looking passed her.

And when she was about to turn around to see whether there was anyone behind her, although she couldn't sense anyone, the woman grabbed her attention saying rather loudly "No! I mean yes of course, the secondary division is through that path and it's the building on the west wing." Sakuya pointed behind to her left and plastered on a soft smile as she made her way to the walkway Yuya had just taken before hearing Yuya's reply.

"Thank you very much" Yuya answered unsurely to empty space the woman previously stood and walked towards the direction of the secondary building thinking. Well that was odd…

"So~ how's your first day going? See, I told you, you'd love it. Isn't the school amazing!" Yuya shook her head in amusement.

"I haven't even said anything yet and besides you haven't even seen the school." She replied holding the phone between her ear and shoulder as she looked through her folder.

"Yeah well neither has 90% of the population. Hey aren't you supposed to be in class? Are you skipping?! Vesta Yuya Noel Shiina it hasn't even been-"

"Megumi-san would you relax we're on a break" she chuckled "and how on earth did you know my full name…I heard that!" Taking her phone in her hand she frowned.

"Yeah Henry here told me who was told by your grandfather and we had a little help from the manager how to pronounce alien names".

"Hey!" Yuya grumbled hearing snickering laughter on the other side.

"On a serious note kid. Why have you not told your grandfather about this?! Henry and I thought he would have been the first person you'd tell about going to school".

"I couldn't, besides I just don't want to raise his hopes up. You know he can't be under any stress" she sighed and reposition her sitting position under the sakura tree so that she would be leaning against it.

"Yeah but wouldn't it make him happy instead of being stress about it?" The tone on Megumi's voice lost all of its cheer adamant on trying to get to the bottom of what Yuya was thinking.

"I will tell him just not now okay?! I promise I'll tell him just maybe until I have properly settled in and when his operation finishes." She said quietly.

"But that could be-"

"Please, Megumi-san…" a muttered plea came before she hang up on the phone as she tried to distract her mind on menial things.

"Just make sure you don't regret it." Yuya nearly jumped out of her skin as a voice she hardly recognised came out on top of her. And as she turned her head up towards the branches of the tree, there she saw a young man spread out on top of a thick branch with a mischievous smile on his face that made his eyes close together.

"Who?" came her reply as she tried to study the man. He was wearing the school uniform well from what looks to be the blazer of a school uniform but a printed shirt underneath with a tiger. Auburn red hair could be visible from underneath the bandana on his head and instead of the school shoes he was wearing an army boots. If she had to rate his fashion sense it would certainly be on the eccentric side.

"The name's Benitora sweet cheeks" he said jumping down from the branch and right in front of her completely disregarding Yuya's comfort zone "and you must be my bride to be" he grinned making his eyes completely unrecognisable.

"The name's Yuya and if your bride is anywhere near here be sure to give her my condolences." Yuya made her way to pick up her things but stopped when he made to grab her timetable.

"Ouch! Your cute and funny, oh and would you have a look at that we have homeroom together it must be fate" he handed her timetable back and eyed her. From what he saw when his eyes were fully opened they were dark brown and just like she thought small too, like the cute kind. And instead of having the smug playboy confident man he was trying to portray it made him look like a cute little kid in Yuya's eyes.

"Well they do say fate works in mysterious ways~" and with that she made her way back to the school building leaving a smitten Benitora behind to gaze at her retreating form into the building.

Before turning into the corner Yuya took a glance back at the sakura trees in amusement, who knew there was a rebellious teen at this so called 'prestigious' school for the elite. Fate indeed~ she mused and before she could ponder anymore about Yuya was staring at the ceiling. And before she could ask herself what happened a voice that seemed to invoke a sense of burning sensation uttered "you really should be looking at where you're going" she turned her head to look at where the voice came from and was met with "dog face".

"You?!" she screeched that even hurt her own ears "what are you doing here?!" she muttered fiercely at the man who annoyed her day in and day out for the last several weeks. It was one of the main reason that Yuya wished for April to come so she could no longer be tortured by this insatiable man.

"Did you follow me? How did you even manage to enter into this school? No I don't want to hear it-uh no! Listen here mister this is a school where students learn-uhpapap shh-and I can assure you this would be the last place where sake can be found. Now-look I said I don't want to hear it, now as I was saying if I were you I would really find the exit before you get kicked out of here and before I call a professor." She huffed and was about to make a move when she was suddenly heaved right against the man's body, which felt hard and muscular against her own soft and slim figure.

Yuya was about to utter in protest but she lost all voice of reason when she was suddenly eye to eye with the man she swore she would duck head first in a bowl of sake. That's when she noticed how familiar they seemed to her, crimson like the moon shadowed in blood, yet something deeper was there underneath the indifference, arrogance and danger they exuded. She saw a glimmer of broken softness, something alien yet ever so familiar, it drew her closer suffocating her in their richness, wanton…but not at her…Hurts..this wasn't for her Wait! What? She screamed in her head and shaking her head vigorously Yuya placed all the strength she could manage in her arms pushed herself away from him.

"What do you think you're doing?" she huffed erratically hungry for much needed air.

"It's nice to see you too dog face. That's the bell, try not to get lost." He smirked and walked off leaving a frazzled Yuya behind to collect her thoughts and herself because for some reason she felt as if she had lost herself not direction wise but as if herself was just taken.

Trying to get herself organise Yuya stacked her books on top of her desk and was about to take a pen out when it jumped right of her hand as her body did.

"Sorry did I scare you?"

"You again? Do you have to scare the life out of me?!" She turned to meet the same monkey man on the branch with that still mischievous smile plastered on his face that made his small eyes even smaller.

"Oh don't worry sweet cheeks I'll protect you." Yuya sarcastically smiled in return and proceeded to sit down.

"Guess it wasn't just homeroom we had together, see what I told you?! Fate." Though in truth he begged the administrator to change one of his majors into Art History and not even caring which one was exchanged. This was because he saw on Yuya's timetable that she had Art History most of the time during the week as well Medical Science, but that was something he couldn't stand, not even for love or so he proclaimed.

"Or an unfortunate coincidence." She replied in hush as the teacher was about to enter.

There was a sturdy short man accompanied by the same woman she saw this morning the yamato nadeshiko. As she stood in front the teenage boys began to whistle and howl admiring her 'physique'.

"Ahem! Now students, this is-yes Miss Sakuya Nobunaga, there's no need to shout she's-AS I'm sure you all know is an assistant professor majoring in History at the college division. She has kindly volunteered to share with you all some of her knowledge during the Edo revolution. I expect the same respect as you have shown me to be given to Miss Nobunaga. Am I clear?" He demanded and handed her some notes before turning around and saying "She will be teaching you for today as I have a meeting to attend".

"It's nice to meet you all. Now then shall we get started?" she smiled with hooded eyes turning towards the board.

As she busied herself Yuya had an inkling that Nobunaga-san was somehow keeping an eye on her. She wondered why and was distracted by an enthusiastic Benitora.

"Can you believe it? The Sakuya Nobunaga teaching us for a whole hour? Man~ just thinking about the possible headlines in the school newspaper tomorrow would have the entire first year cohort in their seats! And once again will be headlining it alongside the flower of the entire school. Ah~ Thank you~ Thank you~" He waved towards his invisible adoring fans.

Before she could comment the lecture began. At first it went rather smoothly until of course they were set up in teams for a group work and Yuya's not the suspicious kind, she would normally be known as the naively trusting kid but she knew inequality when she saw it.

Her team was the only one that had to write 1000 words on every possible clan during that time and analyse the different strategic decisions during the revolution in less than 30 minutes. That's at least a whole two weeks' worth of assignment. And every time she was about to answer a question even when there was no else who had their hands up she was completely ignored.

"What on earth did I do?" she complained after school to a busy Megumi cleaning the bar. After talking on the phone with her grandfather's new consultant Yukimura-san, Yuya wanted to vent this unfamiliar frustrations out.

"Well as they say there's nothing more lethal than the scorn of a jealous woman" she said in between puffing her cigarettes.

"Who the heck said that?!" scrunching her nose as she picked up a strawberry mint on the counter.

"It means she might have been jealous" she paused at the expression on Yuya's face and exclaimed "Don't look at me like that!"

"Well what on earth could she be jealous of? I mean the whole class practically worshiped this woman as soon she left! As they say she's the living embodiment of a yamato nadeshiko, the entire school's flower…and here I thought she was so nice after helping me out." Yuya muttered the latter parts as she cradled her chin in her hands leaning on the counter.

"Ah-huh" Megumi narrowed her eyes as suspicion bubbled in her gut. Her guess was that the woman probably saw Yuya as a threat after possibly seeing the true beauty on the girl and fearing that she might loose her school title began her childish actions.

"Okay, maybe I'm just being paranoid and thinking too much about this you know. Maybe she was stressed, I mean she was a bit unnerved in the afternoon when I saw her the second time and when I bumped into her right after bumping into that exhausting man!"

"Sure kid, just cover your back"

"What is that supposed to mean?" she mused stuffing her mouth with strawberry mints at the counter top.

"Nothing, it means stop being such a klutz and look where you're going" and before Yuya could protest a grocery bag was shoved right in front of face "Here take this, Henry said go to that apartment and start your housewife-ouch-I mean housework duty. Apparently, the owner won't be back until late this evening so be sure to get home before then." She laughed as Yuya smacked her arm humorously.

A/N: Okay I think I'll stop from there. By the way Sakuya fans out there don't be angry, she's not as mean as initially portrayed. Thanks for reading and my apologies for any grammar mistakes or misspellings. I'll try to make extra time for critiquing my work next time but until then, I hope you enjoyed reading this despite its many shortcomings.

Feel free to comment, review, favourite or all of the above ^_-. Ja ne~