Fic - Six Things that Didn't Happen to Shiina Yuya
Title: Six Things that Didn't Happen to Shiina Yuya
Author: xskadi
Character/Pairing: Kyo/Yuya, Akira/Yuya, Shinrei/Yuya, Okuni/Yuya
Rating: PG for lime
Summary: Everything is possible.
Notes: Written purely to exorcise my what-if demons.
1.
Yuya hadn't said a word to her brother in days. After seeing him mow that man down in the alley-he was a kind man, a gentle man-nii-sama wouldn't do that! He wouldn't!-she couldn't bring herself to look him in the eyes.
"Yuya," Nozomu said. "Kyoshi-he was a bad man. He would have killed me, and you too. I did-what I had to." His voice was choked with emotion; she almost believed him.
Eventually, she was married off to a man twelve years her senior and had five children, two of which died before they reached their first birthday. Whenever her brother looked at her, she felt as though he were apologising for her whole life.
*
2.
"Come on! Beg, and maybe I'll kill you quickly!" Onime no Kyo said. She could hear the laughter in his voice-she was nothing more than another insect for him to step on. Yuya felt powerless. Yuya didn't like feeling powerless.
"Come on… beg."
So, she headbutted him, knocking him back a few feet. (She knew that this wasn't because of her strength, but rather because he was too surprised that she fought back to keep his balance.) "I'd never beg to scum like you! If you're gonna kill me, then do it! I have to find the man with the scar on his back. If I don't kill him, then I might as well be dead!"
His eyes went dark with rage, and he replied, "An odd choice for your last words. No one lives after speaking to me like that."
And then Kyo cut off her head, spat on her corpse, and walked away.
*
3.
"Um, Bontenmaru-san…"
"Yeah, Yuya-chan?"
"I was just wondering… where do babies come from?"
Instead of the explanation she'd been expecting, he crowed triumphantly and said, "All right! The great Bontenmaru-sama hasn't lost his touch! No need to be coy, Yuya-chan, I'll give you a demonstration!"
"Now, now, Bon-chan," Yukimura cut in, taking Yuya's hand. "That's no way to treat a lady. If you'll come this way, Yuya-san, I'll be glad to explain everything to you. Bon-chan has a bad habit of ripping obi in his haste to get down to, ah, business, and yours is so lovely-I'd hate to see anything happen to it."
"What does my obi have to do with anything?"
"Now, hold on just a minute! Are you trying to defile my precious Yuya-han, Yukimura-han?! If anyone's going to instruct her in the fine art of makin' babies, it's gonna be me!"
"Why, Tora-san, how could you even suggest such a thing?"
Yuya shot a pleading look at Sasuke, who was standing off to the side, looking just as bewildered as she was.
A very familiar aura of (blood) lust was fast approaching the group of bickering men. "Are you three presuming to argue about who gets to… teach… my servant?" Kyo asked, looming threateningly over everyone in the general vicinity. Granted, said looming was lost on Bontenmaru, as Kyo was shorter than him, but everyone else took a step back.
Fortunately, Okuni chose that moment to conveniently return (Yuya momentarily wondered how long the older woman had been listening outside the door) and took the momentary lull in… conversation… to remove Yuya from Yukimura's grasp and pull her out of the room. "Don't worry, Yuya-san, I'll explain everything to you. And you'll even get a demonstration."
*
4.
"Won't you come with me? I'll give you true happiness."
Akira's voice was hypnotic, and she couldn't help but be drawn in by it. She wasn't unhappy with Kyo, but she certainly wasn't happy with him, and Akira looked so kind, smiling at her even with her gun pressed against his abdomen. Plus, he didn't drink or molest her. And he reminded her of her brother, except when he didn't.
What she wanted most in the world is revenge for Nozomu's death (even if it meant killing Kyoshiro), but it wouldn't mean anything if she wasn't happy afterwards. And, he would probably kill her if she didn't accept. Or leave her there. That would be the same as killing her, though. She didn't doubt that he would do it-he did it to his own comrades.
"Okay," she says. "I'll… go with you."
His hand was warm as he guided her out of the ice fortress.
*
5.
Being a prisoner of the Mibu wasn't nearly as bad as she thought it would be when Shinrei kidnapped her. She had expected to be thrown into a dank, filthy dungeon with rats and bad food, but instead, she was living a room more luxurious than she could have dreamed of, the only disgusting rat that came around was Shinrei himself, and she got three square meals a day.
If she weren't a prisoner, and didn't have to remind herself daily of this, she would the happiest she's ever been. There was a very kind man named Taihaku who reminded her of Bontenmaru that came around twice a week to try to teach her how to play shogi. He didn't think less of her when she burst into tears at the sight of the board (shogi was Kyo's favourite game; sometimes he would hustle people when the bounties were dry and they were running low on cash) when he first pulled it out.
Yuya was getting very good at shogi.
Sometimes, Shinrei would visit and inspect her room, wrinkling his nose the rumpled sheets, dirty laundry, and used bathroom, as if he didn't eat, sleep, and shit like she did. These visits were always short and filled with them pointedly ignoring one another, until-
"Taihaku says that you've been sleeping fitfully of late," he said stiffly, leaning against the door.
Yuya managed to ignore him for about five minutes, fidgeting all the while, and replied, "The dreams are all about your water dragons. They're bursting out of my chest." She gritted her teeth and continued, "Is it really necessary to keep this curse in me? I mean, I know you gave Kyo extra time in exchange for my life-but-"
He crossed the room faster than she can see and stood over her threateningly. "Would you like me to terminate the agreement and kill you now?"
She jutted out her chin in a show of defiance, but couldn't stop the waver in her voice as she says, "N-no, but… you have me in your power, right? You can kill me anytime you want."
Yuya could taste the tension in the room.
Shinrei ducked his head down and kissed her with a gentleness that she never associated with him. Before she could think to pull away, he was halfway across the room-how did he do that?-and saying, "Maybe… I don't want you to die."
That night, her dreams were of white hair and red eyes.
*
6.
Yuya was too weak to walk. Kyo had to carry her.
While Yuya wasn't very happy with the arrangement, Kyo only complained once that she was hurting his shoulder because she was fat and heavy-which she so wasn't-and took to contradicting himself by fondling her backside every five minutes.
Kyo veered towards the perfectly trimmed bushes.
"Kyo," Yuya growled as he set her on the grass behind them, "what are you doing? We have to get to the first gate! Fast!"
He knelt behind her and started working at her obi. That explained a lot.
"This is quite possibly the most inappropriate time to try to seduce me," she added when he didn't reply. "My time is running out!"
"Exactly," he replied. "This might be the only time I-we ever get to do this."
"What if I don't want-!"
He finished untying her obi. His breath was hot against his ear as he slid her kimono off one shoulder and told her, "You want this. Believe me, you want this."
Well, okay. Maybe she did. Just a little; just the tiniest bit. But…
"What if someone sees us?!" she cried out while he was shrugging off his own clothing.
"Then they'll see us. Let the bastards watch."
Yuya couldn't bring herself to be annoyed at his arrogance.
Author: xskadi
Character/Pairing: Kyo/Yuya, Akira/Yuya, Shinrei/Yuya, Okuni/Yuya
Rating: PG for lime
Summary: Everything is possible.
Notes: Written purely to exorcise my what-if demons.
1.
Yuya hadn't said a word to her brother in days. After seeing him mow that man down in the alley-he was a kind man, a gentle man-nii-sama wouldn't do that! He wouldn't!-she couldn't bring herself to look him in the eyes.
"Yuya," Nozomu said. "Kyoshi-he was a bad man. He would have killed me, and you too. I did-what I had to." His voice was choked with emotion; she almost believed him.
Eventually, she was married off to a man twelve years her senior and had five children, two of which died before they reached their first birthday. Whenever her brother looked at her, she felt as though he were apologising for her whole life.
*
2.
"Come on! Beg, and maybe I'll kill you quickly!" Onime no Kyo said. She could hear the laughter in his voice-she was nothing more than another insect for him to step on. Yuya felt powerless. Yuya didn't like feeling powerless.
"Come on… beg."
So, she headbutted him, knocking him back a few feet. (She knew that this wasn't because of her strength, but rather because he was too surprised that she fought back to keep his balance.) "I'd never beg to scum like you! If you're gonna kill me, then do it! I have to find the man with the scar on his back. If I don't kill him, then I might as well be dead!"
His eyes went dark with rage, and he replied, "An odd choice for your last words. No one lives after speaking to me like that."
And then Kyo cut off her head, spat on her corpse, and walked away.
*
3.
"Um, Bontenmaru-san…"
"Yeah, Yuya-chan?"
"I was just wondering… where do babies come from?"
Instead of the explanation she'd been expecting, he crowed triumphantly and said, "All right! The great Bontenmaru-sama hasn't lost his touch! No need to be coy, Yuya-chan, I'll give you a demonstration!"
"Now, now, Bon-chan," Yukimura cut in, taking Yuya's hand. "That's no way to treat a lady. If you'll come this way, Yuya-san, I'll be glad to explain everything to you. Bon-chan has a bad habit of ripping obi in his haste to get down to, ah, business, and yours is so lovely-I'd hate to see anything happen to it."
"What does my obi have to do with anything?"
"Now, hold on just a minute! Are you trying to defile my precious Yuya-han, Yukimura-han?! If anyone's going to instruct her in the fine art of makin' babies, it's gonna be me!"
"Why, Tora-san, how could you even suggest such a thing?"
Yuya shot a pleading look at Sasuke, who was standing off to the side, looking just as bewildered as she was.
A very familiar aura of (blood) lust was fast approaching the group of bickering men. "Are you three presuming to argue about who gets to… teach… my servant?" Kyo asked, looming threateningly over everyone in the general vicinity. Granted, said looming was lost on Bontenmaru, as Kyo was shorter than him, but everyone else took a step back.
Fortunately, Okuni chose that moment to conveniently return (Yuya momentarily wondered how long the older woman had been listening outside the door) and took the momentary lull in… conversation… to remove Yuya from Yukimura's grasp and pull her out of the room. "Don't worry, Yuya-san, I'll explain everything to you. And you'll even get a demonstration."
*
4.
"Won't you come with me? I'll give you true happiness."
Akira's voice was hypnotic, and she couldn't help but be drawn in by it. She wasn't unhappy with Kyo, but she certainly wasn't happy with him, and Akira looked so kind, smiling at her even with her gun pressed against his abdomen. Plus, he didn't drink or molest her. And he reminded her of her brother, except when he didn't.
What she wanted most in the world is revenge for Nozomu's death (even if it meant killing Kyoshiro), but it wouldn't mean anything if she wasn't happy afterwards. And, he would probably kill her if she didn't accept. Or leave her there. That would be the same as killing her, though. She didn't doubt that he would do it-he did it to his own comrades.
"Okay," she says. "I'll… go with you."
His hand was warm as he guided her out of the ice fortress.
*
5.
Being a prisoner of the Mibu wasn't nearly as bad as she thought it would be when Shinrei kidnapped her. She had expected to be thrown into a dank, filthy dungeon with rats and bad food, but instead, she was living a room more luxurious than she could have dreamed of, the only disgusting rat that came around was Shinrei himself, and she got three square meals a day.
If she weren't a prisoner, and didn't have to remind herself daily of this, she would the happiest she's ever been. There was a very kind man named Taihaku who reminded her of Bontenmaru that came around twice a week to try to teach her how to play shogi. He didn't think less of her when she burst into tears at the sight of the board (shogi was Kyo's favourite game; sometimes he would hustle people when the bounties were dry and they were running low on cash) when he first pulled it out.
Yuya was getting very good at shogi.
Sometimes, Shinrei would visit and inspect her room, wrinkling his nose the rumpled sheets, dirty laundry, and used bathroom, as if he didn't eat, sleep, and shit like she did. These visits were always short and filled with them pointedly ignoring one another, until-
"Taihaku says that you've been sleeping fitfully of late," he said stiffly, leaning against the door.
Yuya managed to ignore him for about five minutes, fidgeting all the while, and replied, "The dreams are all about your water dragons. They're bursting out of my chest." She gritted her teeth and continued, "Is it really necessary to keep this curse in me? I mean, I know you gave Kyo extra time in exchange for my life-but-"
He crossed the room faster than she can see and stood over her threateningly. "Would you like me to terminate the agreement and kill you now?"
She jutted out her chin in a show of defiance, but couldn't stop the waver in her voice as she says, "N-no, but… you have me in your power, right? You can kill me anytime you want."
Yuya could taste the tension in the room.
Shinrei ducked his head down and kissed her with a gentleness that she never associated with him. Before she could think to pull away, he was halfway across the room-how did he do that?-and saying, "Maybe… I don't want you to die."
That night, her dreams were of white hair and red eyes.
*
6.
Yuya was too weak to walk. Kyo had to carry her.
While Yuya wasn't very happy with the arrangement, Kyo only complained once that she was hurting his shoulder because she was fat and heavy-which she so wasn't-and took to contradicting himself by fondling her backside every five minutes.
Kyo veered towards the perfectly trimmed bushes.
"Kyo," Yuya growled as he set her on the grass behind them, "what are you doing? We have to get to the first gate! Fast!"
He knelt behind her and started working at her obi. That explained a lot.
"This is quite possibly the most inappropriate time to try to seduce me," she added when he didn't reply. "My time is running out!"
"Exactly," he replied. "This might be the only time I-we ever get to do this."
"What if I don't want-!"
He finished untying her obi. His breath was hot against his ear as he slid her kimono off one shoulder and told her, "You want this. Believe me, you want this."
Well, okay. Maybe she did. Just a little; just the tiniest bit. But…
"What if someone sees us?!" she cried out while he was shrugging off his own clothing.
"Then they'll see us. Let the bastards watch."
Yuya couldn't bring herself to be annoyed at his arrogance.