Disclaimer: Kamijyo sensei is the genius behind this whole thing, not me. Although I wish he would get to the Kyo/Yuya resolution…argh, just call me obsessed.

Note: Spoilers…in a way. No particular time-frame, but after Yuya's *spoiler* life-threatening episode. I might have confused myself with the manga and anime at some point, so please forgive me for that, but this meant to be based off the manga more than the anime.

To Be With
written by: da*mouse ®

It had been a long day of traveling and battling – as usual. Everyone was slumbering, needing their well-deserved rest. Everyone, that was, with Yuya as an exception.

She could not sleep. These days, she had come so close, too close, to death. It was, to say the least, unnerving for her, and she found that sleep did not come to her as easily as it did in the past.

Throwing off the blanket off her body, the bounty hunter stood up, taking a moment to getting used to the stinging sensation in her stiff limbs. Quietly, she made her way to a spot further away from their resting place, needing a few moments of peace and reflection to herself, and not wanting to disturb her friends.

Tiptoeing among her sleeping companions, she couldn't help smiling at Benitora's well-aimed foot towards Akira's abdomen. Akira, on the other hand, had his right arm stretched out in his sleep, fist directed at Benitora's stomach. Even in sleep, those two could not leave each other alone.

When she was well away from them, where she would not disrupt their rest, Yuya stretched her arms above her head, letting out a small sigh. So much happened since that fateful day she met Kyoshiro…they happened so fast, so swiftly, sometimes she wondered had it been a mere dream. If she had thought being a bounty hunter was perilous, the danger was nothing compared to what she had faced up till now.

Kyoshiro…whenever she thought about the kind-natured medicine peddler, it was always followed by a huge wave of anger, sadness and confusion, for the young girl could not forget her dream, if it was one, where she saw him killing her brother. Something in her told her that what she had seen was not in dreamscape, but reality. Kyoshiro did kill her brother, but as for the whys, hows…she would never know until she saw him again. And she had no idea when will that be.

These days, she did not allow herself to think of Kyoshiro much. In fact, as time went by, thoughts of Kyoshiro were gradually diminishing, only accompanied by thoughts of her brother. She thought of him more often…he who saved her life.

She, Shiina Yuya, was still alive right this moment, all because of one man – Kyo. Onime no Kyo, slayer of a thousand men, knowing none of emotions such as love, pity, kindness…he killed without mercy, men and women alike, and yet, he chose to fought for her. Her, a woman he called ugly, stupid, pathetic, irritating, his slave…the insults went on and on, but then, he saved her.

Why? That one single question repeated itself in Yuya's head, nevertheless, she could never find a reassuring answer, only guesses. Improbable guesses, too, some of them.

She shivered, as a cold breezy wind blew past, for she was wearing one of her thinner kimonos. She rubbed her arms, trying to generate some kind of warmth for herself.

"Are you trying to catch your death out here, you stupid woman?" A cold, harsh voice interrupted her quiet solitude.

She whirled around, and saw a tall figure standing with his back to a tree, not too far from where she was. Red eyes gleamed under bangs of dark hair. "Kyo!" she exclaimed, surprised that he was up, and asking him so. "Why are you not…wait a minute." Her green eyes narrowed. "What did you just call me?"

"Go back to sleep." The young man said indifferently, ignoring her question, for he knew that she heard him perfectly well.

It had always been this way between them, he would upset her, she would get angry and demanded he repeated himself and he never would, often adding another few insults. And Benitora or Bontenmaru would have to refrain her from wanting to strangle him…Yuya smiled to herself suddenly. It might seem ridiculous and silly to be feeling this way, but it had almost become a cycle for her, a cycle that was familiar in a weird and oddly comforting way.

"You're one who should be sleeping. You've had a long day." she reminded him.

"None of your damn business."

Concern for Onime no Kyo was better fed to the wolves. She could feel her infamous temper on the verge of flaring as she prepared herself for a snappy retort at him.

"You just overcame an ordeal. You should be worrying about your own rest." He added quietly, and then lifted his pipe, smoking it in an impassive manner.

She was once again struck by his words.

Kyo was…unexplainable. Unpredictable. Capricious. She simply could not read what the broody man-slayer was thinking at times like these. Ruthless, callous insults directed at her, and then adding in a sentence bordering on concern to throw her into a kaleidoscope of confusion, trying to figure him out.

For a long moment, they stood there in silence, her looking at her feet and thinking of something to say, him smoking his pipe and presumably forgotten that she was standing there.

Yuya took a deep breath, and then questioned him, needing to resolve the matter in her mind.

"Kyo…why did you save me? Why did you try so hard…?" she asked quietly, an uncertain note in her voice. She wasn't sure whether she should be asking him…or just be silently thankful…

He blew a circle of smoke into the air. "I owed you."

"You risked your life to save me…why?"

His blood-red eyes then bored into her green ones, and for one single moment…she felt a strange sort of deep connection, and then he looked away. "I told you, it was because I owed you."

"Is that all?"

The said demon laughed then, a dry, sarcastic sound. "What else do you think there is?"

Yuya had no answer to that question.

"Look here, ugly." He said flatly. "You, as my slave, do not have my permission to die. And you will not die before that."

She was rendered speechless, a rare feat.

Kyo put his pipe away and picked up his Murumasa, which he had propped against the tree during their short conversation, if you could call it one. He turned to go back to the campsite, where everyone was.

"Besides…"

His low voice broke into her thoughts, the strange, slightly subdued tone in his voice causing her to look up at him. He regarded her steadily, and his lips twisted into a small smirk.

"…I don't want you to die."

With that, Kyo walked off, not looking back, leaving Yuya staring at his back, with an opened mouth. He had done it again…toying with her mind must be one of his favorite past times, next to insulting her.

And yet…those words sent a torrent of warm comfort through her, despite her uncertainties.

Fatigue suddenly settled in her. She had used up too much of her energy just thinking. Heading off where Kyo had gone, she made her way back to the campsite, her mind still occupied.

Once upon a time, Shinrei had asked her why she trusted him so much. He was the hated Onime no Kyo. He enjoyed killing, and the sight of blood. How could she put her faith in such a man?

The answer was…she didn't have an answer herself. Truth was, Yuya only knew that she held utmost belief in him, in everything he did, in everything he said, but she didn't have a reason why. It was an instinctive gesture to her. It didn't matter that he was a blood-thirsty murderer, for her it simply didn't matter. What she had seen of him of their travels together led her to believe Kyo was much more than he made himself out to be. There was much in him that no one understood. She just trusted him, plain and simple.

She would have trusted her life with him, and she did. She believed him when he said that he would save her, although she didn't know why he would. But she believed him, to the very last moment when the pain was so excruciating, when blood was spewing out of her mouth, she still had faith in him.

And whatever his reasons were, he didn't let her down. At the cost of risking his own life, he fought for hers. And that was not the first time he had put his life on the line because of her.

Suddenly, Yuya knew that although she still did not completely understand Kyo and all he did, she was content with that, and she was content with just trusting him.

Kyo was already asleep, back against a tree, when she reached the site, she could tell from his deep breathing and the relaxed slump of his shoulders. Slowly, she lowered herself in front of him, looking at him intently, knowing that she risked waking him up, and facing his wrath.

But he would never hurt her.

The blonde-haired bounty hunter studied the contours of his face, chiseled structures, lashes that framed his now-closed red eyes, and the perpetual slight scowl on his face that was present even in sleep.

Murumasa's words echoed in her head.

Travel with Kyo…Yuya-san. He might not know it, and neither would you understand it, but he needs you. Be with Kyo…be with him…

She would never admit it to anyone else, and she could barely even admit it to herself, but she knew. She knew that she…

"Thank you, Kyo…"

She got up, beginning to make her way towards her own sleeping place, when she paused, and turned back to the sleeping Kyo.

"I will be with you."  She said softly, her voice the barest of whispers, for it was not meant for his ears.  "I promise you that."

As Yuya settled down and drifted off to a dreamless sleep, she didn't see a ghost of a smile flickered across Kyo's face, which then disappeared as quickly as it came. 

I will be with you…always…

-Finis-

da*mouse ®
posted April 4th 2004

SDK has its own category! *cheers*

Urm…I guess this is really nothing original, just a write-up of Yuya's thoughts, or what I think she was thinking anyway. ^^ I had wanted work on the Hotaru piece for my Kyo collection, but gosh, he's just really hard to capture and I didn't want to do it carelessly…Hotaru's too cute for that. Heh.

Just wanted add something more to this fanfic category, but dang, I am just so hung up on Kyo/Yuya. Will work on thoughts of other characters and stuff…once I get the time and inspiration. Anyway…if anyone happened to read this, please review/comment/flame/criticize/whatever with a thousand thanks. Thank you!