Don't Let Go
By Starian Princess

Yuya has been swept away in a time warp, sending her years into the future. With no memories of her past and how she got there to begin with, she finds herself adapting to a new life. But Kyo's not just going to stand around and watch. It's up to him now along with Yukimura, Kyoshiro and others to get her back.

Chapter 1 - I'll Find You

The piercing light of the new day's sunshine made her eyes flicker open. She could hear birds chirping outside her windowsill and for some reason that made her smile. Today would be a beautiful day.

She rolled off her futon, stretching her arms wide and giving a big yawn. Her vibrant green eyes met her reflection in the large vanity mirror resting beside her newly-pressed uniform, and she furrowed her brow. Was she forgetting to do something important?

"Yuya-chan!" A shrill voice sounded outside her door. Oh right; cooking duty. Akane was going to skin her alive, she was more than certain.

She groaned. What time was it? She took a quick glance at the alarm clock sitting beside her head and she grimaced. 7:10. Not good.

"Yuya-chan!" There it was again; her death sentence. It always made her wonder if perhaps her friend had swallowed a microphone when she was kid. That girl, despite the fact that she was shorter than Yuya- and apparently looked timid even-, had one hell of a voice and temper.

She was taking her time too much now, for a pounding had started on her door.

'In a few days, that old rickety thing's going to break… again.'

She sighed. "Kane-chan, I'm coming! I'm coming already!"

There was an utterly dramatic sigh of relief on the other side as it had obviously been done on purpose to get her attention. "Oh, and I thought that you had finally gone and died."

She rolled her eyes. A beautiful day indeed.

There was a growl, yes, a feral growl. And it didn't take a genius to know that Onime no Kyo was pissed,very pissed.

"Kyo-san, you have to be patient. We're almost there." Yukimura didn't seem to mind at all. He was in an annoyingly playful mood today, it would seem.

"Hn." And it was that that strikingly made the red-haired demon stop his animalistic behavior of frustration.

It was a marvel that Kyo could actually even be so patient, Saizo pondered as he watched the thousand man slayer from the corner of his eye. 'Considering, of course, where we're headed.'

But the reason why they were going there was probably reason enough. Kyo absolutely hated the fact when his possessions were taken from him.

"I owe you one, Kane-chan." She smiled cheerily as they walked in casual strides towards the school building. After all, she had gotten out of doing kitchen duty.

"Hmph. You owe me more than a million, Yuya." And her brunette friend had pouted. It was true though. She did owe Akane so much more. It had all started with that fateful day about a month ago.

"We're here!" Yukimura seemed to have gotten even more chipper than usual. Perhaps it was because he had highly enjoyed making the demon-eyed slayer twitch uncontrollably. Or maybe because, in a way, he wanted to get this over and done with as well.

They were on a mission; a mission that involved retrieving something very precious. And as Saizo looked at his companions, he noted that these men were probably as worried as Kyo was about getting it back. No, gettingher back.

"I've been expecting you all." It was almost like a thin strand of air, her voice. It highly irritated him. And the man standing behind her wasn't helping either.

"Kyo." The nuisance tilted his head in greeting. But he was bent on ignoring him as much as possible.

"Ah, Kyoshiro-san, so this is where you've been hiding all this time. I can't say that I'm surprised." Yukimura had interjected and he found himself smirking in satisfaction. The carefree ninja was actually fun having around after all.

"Yukimura-san, I have certainly not been hiding, if that is how you have perceived the situation. I merely stopped by, not a few moments ago in fact, just as the rest of you are here." It wasn't much of a reaction but seeing the Mibu ticked, that was a picture-perfect moment in his book.

"So I can presume that you are here for the same reason as us, Kyoshiro-san?" He stopped and turned to stare at the former medicine man. Was he really here for the same purpose? Did he really care that much?

"Of course." The answer was simple enough but it had made his blood boil. He was just about to retort when Sakuya chose that time to clear her throat and get everyone's attention. How he wanted to wring her neck too, that woman.

"Kyoshiro will be of very much help if he partakes in this operation, Yukimura-san. I suggest you take him along."

What were they getting at? There was just no way he would be subjected to taking that man with him. How could he honestly even care what happened to her? Where had he been when she was taken away?

Kyo could somehow understand everyone else's situation. Benitora cared. He'd trailed after the girl ever since they had first met. Akira cared. He had deliberately told him that he had just wanted to make up for all that he had done. Yukimura cared. The ever-smiling Sanada, he could tell, was probably just as frustrated as he was for not being able to protect the girl. Sasuke cared. Obviously, the little ninja boy misses his nee-chan. And even Migeira cared. Well, at least he'd cared enough to connote that since she had been sent to some different timeline, it would greatly affect the balance of the world.

And he, Demon Eyes Kyo- the thousand man slayer known for his cunning-bordering-ruthless behavior? He frowned. Of course he cared. Period.

But did Kyoshiro care? After getting their rightful bodies back, did he still hold those few memories with her that close to heart? The thought made him sick. If the woman knew, would she have accepted the Mibu rather than him? He decided that he didn't want to be around for the answer. The best thing to do then was to keep that bastard from coming with them.

Wait, where were they going?

In light of the unspoken question dangling in the air, Sakuya chose to speak again.

"I have found a way to send you all to where she is."

"That's good news, Sakuya-san." It was Yukimura again as well who had answered.

"But there is a grave problem." Ah, however there is always a 'but'.

"And what might that be?" Everyone except Yukimura and Kyoshiro turned to him. No one had expected Kyo to say anything.

"After you get to the particular destination, you will only have a limited amount of time until you return. And so you should have been able to locate her and bring her back to the meeting place I will set before that given date."

"Or else?" He gritted out.

"Or else all of you will end up being lost in that world as well. The rescue will have been for nothing."

The odds were high, but everyone seemed to resolve that they could beat them. They were going to bring her back.

'Shiina Yuya, I will find you.'

-TBC-