"But love is blind and lovers cannot see/ The pretty follies that themselves commit;/ For it they could, Cupid himself would blush/ To see me thus transformed to a boy."

-William Shakespear (1564-1616)-

"Serpent's Curse"

By: FenixPhoenix (Giselle González)

Chapter 8: "Impotence"

Onime no Kyo sipped at his sake. Two weeks had gone by faster than Kyo would have liked. He had had no information about the progress -or lack thereof- of Yukimura and Kenji, but he did not regret his decision of staying with her. Kyo remembered the time vividly…

-By the end of the first week, Kyo noticed as they lay together that a tattoo of a blade had appeared on her back. Upon further inspection, he realized -while Yuya was deep asleep- that it was his muramasa blade the one imprinted there. Instinctively, he held her tighter, wondering -with unbidden and unwelcomed fright- if this was meant to remind him that he'd done this to her, even if indirectly. That he, Onime no Kyo, was her reaper…

The following week, Kyo decided to take her out of the gloomy Inn. If indeed these were her last days –although he refused to believe that- he would not want her to be inside a dark room. Kyo took her first to a nice restaurant. He had no idea when he had last eaten in such a fancy place but he realized, as she sat before him with a look of unbound surprise, that he did not mind it.

Of course, perhaps because he was not used to be looked upon with such adoration -or maybe because he was simply uncomfortable whenever the words 'sweet' or 'kind' were used to describe him- he balanced it with snide remarks.

"You should not eat too much," he advised solemnly just as she began digging into a piece of chocolate cake, "You'll get fatter and uglier."

Yuya's eyes became slits. She sent him such a glare that, despite the venom in it, made him smile. In a strange way, to him, it meant that she was more alive than dead.

"I hate you sometimes," she confessed, pushing the plate away.

Then, like she'd done a few times before, she stared into nothingness and went completely still. Her eyes glazed out, looking empty… Kyo cursed at the constant reminder that she was dancing with death and he could do nothing but watch in impotence. After five minutes, she snapped back from wherever she'd gone. Not wanting to worry her, Kyo acted as though nothing had happened and pushed the discarded plate towards her.

"I already paid for it," he said, "So you better eat it, woman. Do you think I'm made of gold or something?"

Yuya managed to see through his harsh words because she smiled at him and continued to enjoy the rest of her cake, unaware of the worry that filled Kyo's mind and heart.

Two days later, Kyo went to shop with her! Yes, the great Onime no Kyo, a thousand-men slayer had walked beside his woman as she peeked in all the stores that the small town had to offer. By the end of that day, she had acquired two brand new yukatas and a new outfit for Kyo -which consisted on a wine colored gi which matched his short hair and black hakamas. Naturally, Kyo did not thank her or even made an effort to hide his boredom. Yet, deep down inside, he was thrilled to see her so alive. It did not matter how many hours he had to wait for her to try outfit after outfit, at least she was happy.

Plus, Kyo had to admit it was worth it when he'd joined her in the fitting room -despite her protest and the shop-owner's look of disbelief. That time, well… it had been difficult to fake boredom. Regardless of all that, the five minute drawbacks persisted. The episodes even appeared more often as the second week drew to a close.-

By the third week, she had worsened. Yuya would stop in the middle of a sentence, courtesy of the episodes. By the time it was over, she would blink a couple of times in disorientation and look around her wonderingly. Then, she would say she had forgotten what she was saying and would try, unsuccessfully, to hide her worry and fear. During those times Kyo tried to reassure her by playing out his script. He would say that it was due to the fact that she was getting old or something along the lines that would imply it was natural, while angering her at the same time. Yet, they both knew better than that. Their bickering was becoming just as forced as her smiles and his reassurances.

By the fourth day of that week, Kyo would take Yuya by the waist whenever they left the Inn. He would excuse the action by saying that she was so clumsy she would probably fall if it wasn't for him, yet the truth was that she was passing out without her even knowing it. She would be looking at something and then, 'bam'. She would black out for around five minutes at random intervals. And with the impotence that was beginning to clutch at him tighter and tighter, he could do absolutely nothing but wait.

But where the fuck was Yukimura and the rest? Was the fact that they had not returned a clue that they had found nothing? Was this it, then? Did he have to let her die? Would he watch as she was taken away from him passively? Already the tattoo had spread and the body of the serpent was almost complete. The scaly, black body had twirled around the blade two times! Now the only thing missing, he knew with frightful certainly, was the its head!

"Kyo…," she was looking at him concerned across from him. They were sitting on the grass, under a sakura tree in full bloom. He couldn't help it. He pulled her close, wrapping his arms around her, holding her tightly against his chest. He couldn't lose her! He wouldn't!

Shinna Yuya squeezed his arms. His action spoke loud and clear of the desperation building inside him. Though she tried to keep up the façade of strength, she could not hold in the tears any longer.

"I'm happy," she told him, twisting in his arms in order to hug him back. "Right now… I could not ask for more."

She saw him bit his lower lip, felt his arms trembling and heard his heart racing. She knew that if she looked him in the eye, she would see them glazed with tears. She didn't, though. She knew he wouldn't want her to witness his pain; she knew he didn't want her to think him weak.

"Don't be stupid," he whispered hoarsely. He cleared his throat before adding louder, "You will always ask for more… it's your nature and I will have nothing else."

She bit her lip, but a sob escaped her. More tears came out and then she was shaking, pressing her face into his chest, trying to muffle her frustrated sobs. She didn't want to die! She didn't want to leave him!

"I'm going to save you. That's what I do. That's in my nature," he assured her, surprising her with his confidence. He kissed her forehead and added, "And when I do save you… You need to stay out of trouble. This is getting ridiculous."

She laughed at his words and closed her eyes, loving how his whole body seemed to wrap around her in a protective cocoon. Right now, she was content, but Kyo was right… she would soon ask for more, because she would not die. She must not die…

-o0o-

Sanada Yukimura smiled when he stepped inside the small, disheveled room. It had taken him long, but at last he'd found Koga's hiding place.

"Spread out and search for him in the surrounding area," he ordered. The twelve ninjas he'd brought along nodded then disappeared.

Yukimura and Saizo -the latter whom he had signal to stay with him- began to look around the place, hoping to find something that would give them a clue as to how to stop Koga. Yukimura noticed how one wall was completely bare and approached it with caution. He moved across its length, knocking at intervals. Eventually, a hollow sound greeted him. He turned to Saizo, who came over and inspected the spot.

"Here," he said, pushing at a segment of the wall.

A hidden compartment popped open and Yukimura pulled Saizo aside to take a look. A book laid inside. He pulled it out to study it. There was a picture of a white anemone on the indigo, leather cover.

"Could it be, Sanada-sama…?" Saizo whispered, looking at the book.

Yukimura scanned its contents and, after a couple of minutes, sighed.

Saizo must have mistaken the sound for disappointment because he enquired, "It does not work, Sanada-sama?"

Yukimura smiled, "I don't know." Showing him the book, he pointed out, "It's written in Latin."

Saizo frowned, "So… what do we do?"

"Get Kenji and tell him to meet me back in my room."

Saizo left to do as told. A couple of hours later Yukimura's room was filled with warriors. Benitora, Sasuke, Natsuki and Akira had followed Kenji when they'd learned that Yukimura had found Koga's hiding place.

Sakaki Kenji walked past them and took a seat beside Yukimura. He took the offered book and examined its contents. After Masaki's death and, thanks to his obsession with the curse that killed her, Kenji had learned enough Latin to be able to read it. His interest increase with each page turned. At some point, a page stole his complete attention. He must have studied it for more than an hour before he leaned back on his seat and began methodically massaging his eyes. The sun was already disappearing and the strain of reading with the light of a single candle had taken a toll, producing a mild headache.

"So?" prompted Akira, breaking the silence.

Kenji gave a short laugh that sounded, in Yukimura's opinion, bittersweet.

"This Clan is surrounded by such irony," he said.

"Is that a good thing?" asked Benitora.

Kenji stood up. "I know what must be done now." As he walked out the room, he whispered to himself, "Now I understand… Masaki."

-o0o-

Takeshi Koga stood in the place where he'd seen, not long ago, Yuya and Kyo embracing. He smiled awkwardly and caressed the spot where they had sat.

"You should have seen you face, Onime no Kyo," he whispered with glee, "It was worth all my pains!"

He felt so happy he could not contain it. So he stood up and began dancing on the spot, moved by the rhythm of his excited heart.

"Now wither away, my stupid flower, wither away!" He laughed; all thoughts and feelings of guilt completely cast aside.

To be Continued…