Thanks to: darklover (Thank you so much for taking the time to read the chapter. I am very happy that you enjoyed it. I am doing my best to stay safe along with my family and it isn't too bad so far as they are very sweet munchkins and my dear husband helps too.), New Fan (Thanks for reading and taking the time to let me know your thoughts. To answer your question, I do have a sequel in mind where the kids are adults and I hope to get this story finished and wrapped up by the end of the year. I'm going to finish Hotaru and Yuan's fight in this chapter. And I am hoping to have everyone face off against each other within the next five chapters. We are very close to the end of this story.)

Author's note: Hotaru means firefly in Japanese. Keikoku means Mars (Apparently Mars is the planet of war and fire in Japanese, though I'm still a bit unclear on how it translates to Keikoku.)

Also, this chapter has not been proofread as I am trying to get this puppy done since you all have been so patient. You have been warned. ;-)

Kurenai Kioku

Chapter Sixty-One

Second Chances and Secret Selves

"That's pointless, Shinrei. Stopping the flames might save his body, but it won't bring back his soul."

The first thing he heard when he woke up was Yuan chiding his brother and Hotaru immediately deduced why he was soaking wet now even though his last memory was of Yuan's fist slipping beneath his guard and tearing through his chest while his body burned up from the inside out.

He had died.

At least he had been made to believe he was dead. He reached up and felt the spot where Yuan should have pulverized his heart and breathed a sigh of relief at the smooth skin he encountered.

No. Not dead at all. He had been given a second chance. His friends had given him an extra life to use.

He took another deep breath and then another and his elation at being alive filled him with power. His ki swelled and he felt his strength flowing back to him and then some.

Not even death had stopped him. Yuan had used his ultimate technique on him and yet he could still fight. There was nothing to fear now.

His surroundings began to glow and he realized with a start that the light was coming from him. With it came warmth and he gloried in the fact that he was no longer in that blindingly white place, moping over a defeat that had felt inevitable.

There was a split second where Yuan and his two siblings - who had put in an appearance while he was out for the count – started to whirl around to face him, but he was too fast. It was as if his feet had sprouted wings because he was moving faster than he ever had, sword in hand and feeling every bit like an extension of his body.

He swung the blade and Yun-Yun wasn't quite fast enough this time. His master dodged to the side, putting a fair amount of distance between the two of them, but Hotaru's blade still caught him across the temple and drew blood before he was clear.

His sodden clothes clung to his frame and he frowned, sending a glare over to his brother who was staring at him with a shocked expression.

"I told you that I hate water," he groused as he heated the air around himself to dry the fabric and tendrils of steam began to roll off of him.

He expected his brother to say something annoying and preachy about how he should be thanking him for interfering and dousing the flames but, for once, the silver-haired man said nothing. Rather, he kept up that expression of complete amazement and Hotaru wondered if his brother had finally realized just how awesome he was. He certainly felt awesome. Actually, "awesome" didn't begin to describe how he felt.

He felt…unstoppable.

And he had to let Yuan know that he wasn't going to back down. Not now and not ever.

He shifted his gaze to take in his teacher and began to speak slowly and clearly, to ensure his master understood where he was coming from.

"We aren't done, Yun-Yun. If I want to protect what's precious to me, I have to keep going. That's what Kyo and the rest taught me. Without them, there's no point in being strong. No point in even living. Wanna' know why I like the name Hotaru? It's because I want to shine my best and protect my beliefs to the last breath, even if it's for a short lifetime just like a firefly. That's how I want to live my life and I won't let you get in my way."

It was probably the longest he'd ever spoken all at one time, but he figured now wasn't the time to be tight-lipped about his thoughts and feelings. If he didn't speak his piece now, Yun-Yun wouldn't understand how serious he was. Wouldn't see that he was his own man now.

"Look at this kid. Back from the dead and still ready for more. I've heard of an idiot's luck and you are proof of it," Yuan said, licking the corner of his mouth to remove a fleck of blood.

"Still, I have to admit that your spirit is brighter than ever. Your soul is on fire. And I have to wonder if it's really just luck that allowed you to come back from the brink of death."

"How many times do I have to say it Yun-Yun? It's because of my friends. You can break my soul as much as you want but Kyo and the others will always bring me back. I am Hotaru. And Hotaru is not so weak that he would die here."

"Yeah, you keep saying the same thing over and over. So, I guess this new awakening and that crimson eye are both Demon Eyes Kyo's doing as well, huh?"

Hotaru blinked and stared at him, uncomprehending what he meant by that statement. He rotated his head from Yuan's siblings to his friends watching from the sidelines as he tried to understand what on earth his former teacher was talking about. Everyone was still staring at him as if he were some sort of freak and he furrowed his brow, feeling just a bit irritable because it was like they saw something he could not. Were they not happy that he wasn't dead after all?

"Eye? What eye, Yun-Yun?" he asked when no one spoke up.

"Keikoku…," Angelica's hesitant voice broke through his momentary confusion and he turned to see her pulling a small compact from her pocket.

She was staring at him almost as strangely as Shinrei was, but her expression was gentle. And it wasn't until she opened the device and showed him his own reflection in the tiny mirror therein that he finally understood why everyone was staring.

His face was still painted with his Chikewai markings, but that wasn't what caused him to march over and snatch the compact away from her so that he could get a better look at himself.

Rather, it was his right eye.

It was red. And not like the "red eye" he got when he accidentally poked himself and it turned his whites a pinkish color.

This was a single crimson iris staring back at him.

He, Hotaru, had a red eye. Red just like Kyo's eyes. The same irises that Shinrei had admired as a kid.

Pleasure at the discovery shot through him and he couldn't stop himself from smiling because now he understood where this newfound power had come from. He also couldn't resist shooting his brother a supercilious grin because he now had something his brother didn't and that put him ahead in their eternal rivalry.

Shinrei probably didn't even know why he looked so smug, but he reacted anyways with a waspish, "What is that snotty look for? What's wrong with you Keikoku?"

"It's Hotaru," he absently corrected him, but not even his brother's refusal to use his current name could dampen his spirits.

"Oi, oi, don't get too excited, brat. It's just your ancestors shining through. Basically, it's atavism," Yuan said and Hotaru stared at him, wondering why his former mentor was the only one who didn't seem surprised.

"I guess I can tell you one last story before you die, Keikoku. Once upon a time, in the way distant past, every member of the Mibu clan had crimson eyes."

Everyone in the room let out a gasp but Yuan paid them no heed and continued as if he hadn't just casually dropped a bomb of epic proportions on them.

"Eventually those crimson eyes disappeared as the generations passed. No one knows why, but every once in a while, someone is born with the crimson eyes of our ancestors. Honestly, I'm not surprised that you have the eye since you have the blood of a Mibu elite flowing through your veins by virtue of your stuck-up pops. It probably came out now because your subconscious has awakened."

"Wait a minute, then where does that leave Demon Eyes Kyo and the Former King?" Shinrei asked, his golden eyes focused intently on the Elder, "Are they exhibiting this atavism you speak of? I've certainly never read about these eyes existing in the Mibu of old and I've only heard them spoken of as a sign of misfortune. If it is just a question of latent genetics, then why were we all taught to fear them? Why would they have disappeared in the first place? And if even Keikoku has them, are there others with crimson eyes as well?"

They were all valid questions, but Yuan merely replied with a cryptic, "Maybe…maybe not."

It was obvious that the Taishirou was hiding something but Hotaru was not particularly interested in digging any deeper. He was certain that he finally had enough power to beat Yuan and he didn't want to waste any more time lest the crimson eye leave him as suddenly as it had come.

"None of that matters now," the blonde man said, and Yuan took his cue, gathering his ki instantaneously as Hotaru launched himself at his old master with more speed than he had managed to muster thus far.

"I'm going to win," the younger man said as he swung his sword at his opponent's throat.

"Woah there!" Yuan exclaimed as he dropped below the arc of the blade.

Hotaru read his moves perfectly and bent down as well as well, digging the tip of his sword into the ground below and using it to leverage his attack into a sweeping kick that forced Yuan to go completely airborne to avoid him.

His mentor twisted in the air above him and the hairs on the back of the younger combatant's neck tingled, telling him that Yun-Yun was counterattacking.

This too was calculated and with his heightened senses, Hotaru predicted in a split second that the other man was going to try and break his neck with a well-placed kick since it was the closest appendage now that both his feet were off of the ground.

As before, Yuan's reaction speed was fast…

…But, not fast enough for the new Hotaru.

He slid to the side, avoiding the blow and maneuvering himself into the Elder's blind spot with incredible ease as he swung his blade again. As before, the other man twisted away and still Hotaru managed to draw blood.

Even with his eyes covered by that ever-present red sash, the blonde could read the shock on the older man's face and he smirked. He was getting faster and faster with each attack.

The minute his feet touched the ground, Yuan was in his face again with another attack and Hotaru flitted away from those deadly fists like they were in slow-motion and attacked him from behind.

More speed.

The Taishirou turned to meet him and he wasn't there because he had already moved to attack his back in its new position once more.

More power.

Hotaru's sword caught him before he could fully dodge and the number of cuts on his old master increased by one yet again.

Yuan wasn't smiling anymore. Instead, the air hummed with tension and the muscles around his mouth stood out in stark relief as he grit his teeth in frustration.

"Freakin' brat! Quit flittering around," he roared.

He knew even before the Elder started to move what he would do next and when the other man began a barrage of punches that were so quick that it was if he had multiplied in number and surrounded his pupil. To their observers, it looked as if each hit was connecting directly with Hotaru's head and face and he heard his friends gasp and cry out in concern as the force from the blows pummeled the arena, tearing chunks of stone out of the very floor and filling the air with a fine mist of pulverized rock.

However, they needn't have worried because, just like before, he was there every step of the way and he felt a sense of calm as he slipped behind Yuan and countered each blow with a slash of his sword, drawing blood every single time.

"You're too slow, Yun-Yun," he said to his old master as Yuan staggered back and crouched low, partially obscured by the cloud of debris. Blood was flowing freely from the numerous cuts his pupil had inflicted on his body.

"You're strong, but this makes me stronger," Hotaru said and he felt a sense of peace at setting those words free.

He was not above putting on a show of bravado – faking strength even when his body was a complete wreck was second nature to him and had been since he was a child. But this was something different entirely. This was the sort of inner calm one gained when they knew their place in the world. No longer was he a loose cloud that drifted from one place to the next, looking for the meaning of his existence all by himself. Now, he had a place and that was at his friends' side.

Yuan wasn't allowed to take that from him.

He grabbed ahold of that strength and held it close even when his ex-teacher melted into the clouds only to reappear in front of him, that hand tattooed with the symbol of his Genshigo at the ready.

Hotaru felt the sensation of his chest being torn apart yet again and it was even worse this time because he kept tearing into him. Over and over until he could feel his soul quiver as it tried to tell him that there was no way he could survive this.

For a moment, that endless field of white that had so entrapped him before rose in front his eyes and he heard Yun-Yun gloating again in the background, informing him that he couldn't beat a Soul Eater like him no matter how strong he got.

Telling him that he was going to die for real this time.

Hotaru couldn't accept it. Rather, he wouldn't accept it. Even as that bleak whiteness tried to swallow him up again, he remembered that his friends were there and thus, there was nothing for him to fear. They hadn't permitted him to fall down and stay down before and neither should he.

In that moment between life and death, it felt as if there were multiple hands supporting and cradling his very soul and suddenly, he realized that he felt no pain. The moment that his heart and mind accepted that, the rest of him fell in line and he opened his eyes to a clear shot at Yuan's back.

Because he thought the battle was already over, the Elder was completely unprepared when Hotaru's sword entered his back and exited through his chest.

A deathly silence fell over the room and, as his opponent gasped wetly from the blood filling his lungs, Hotaru said gently, "You see Yun-Yun…as long as I believe in my soul that it doesn't hurt, then it doesn't. And if I believe I can break free from your trap…then I can. No matter how many times you use that attack on me, I can always come back."

He could feel the way Yuan's body trembled through the sword and his own hands shook as well. Not from fear, but because he hadn't prepared himself for how much it would hurt him as well.

After all, Yuan was kin - more so than Shinrei and his real sire had ever been. He had been a stern father and teasing older brother all rolled into one and he was also the man who had given him the name that his own dad couldn't be bothered to bestow on him. No matter how much he knew it would come down to this one day, it still pained him to end things like this.

"It hurts me to do this Yuan," he said as firmly as he could, knowing that it was cold comfort.

"But I am going to win this time."

"Kei…koku," his mentor gasped as he jerked his body forward, freeing himself from the blade.

The white-haired man's knees hit the ground and he clutched the side of his head as he muttered, "More luck."

Hotaru didn't let him even finish the thought as he interrupted him with a stern, "Luck doesn't strike twice, Yun-Yun. This is all me. My power is my own and I've won this battle."

"Still so cocky," Yuan spat as he gained his feet once more and Hotaru tensed as alarm bells went off in his head.

Yuan braced himself and started to raise his ki at an alarming rate and Hotaru staggered back from the sheer amount of force he was exerted. He had to remind himself that this man was still one of the Four Elders. A wound that would have been a mortal one on any other man would surely not be enough to bring his old master down. Unlike most opponents, Yun-Yun actually could back up his trash talk.

The ki he gave off continued to swell outwards and the ground around him peeled away, tearing the stone from beneath their feet and forcing Hotaru to bring his own ki to bear so that he could keep his footing.

"Even if heaven falls to earth, you will never surpass me, Keikoku!" Yuan yelled and the ground actually shook, as if to punctuate his words and the fierce display of power.

Anthony and Angelica relocated out of the way and yet, Hotaru stood there transfixed. He had never seen Yuan lose his cool, nor had he even faced so much power all at once.

It was terrifying. It was exhilarating.

The younger man couldn't stop himself from smiling. Yuan was taking him seriously and he didn't hesitate to step forward so that he could meet him head on. Not as a student but as an equal at long last.

The fight became fast and furious then. Yuan's fists flew faster than he'd ever seen them move and his sword did the same. They went blow for blow, drawing blood and decimating the ring in the process.

"You won't beat me yet!" Yuan taunted.

"I will!" Hotaru shouted back.

They moved back and forth, strikes moving between them with deadly speed and accuracy. And yet, the longer they fought the more they began to look the same. Even with the tense atmosphere, it became clear to their friends that the two men were thoroughly enjoying themselves.

Hotaru's lips were stretched into a grin of vicious delight and Yuan's expression echoed that sentiment. Years of competition and setbacks melted away until there was just the two them - brothers by virtue of battle and opponents who each respected the power of the other.

Time passed in the blink of an eye while they duked it out until they each staggered back for a moment and stared at each other, shoulders heaving and bodies bleeding from too many wounds to count.

Hotaru spat blood to the side and swiped his free hand across his lips as if that could stop the cuts there from bleeding as he stared at the spot where Yuan's sightless eye were hidden beneath his blindfold.

"I gotta' give it to you, Keikoku. You've got the right stuff. In fact, I'll go so far as to say you are an incredible fighter," the Elder said in between heavy breaths.

"If you understand that, then I know you can see the truth in what I say. You don't have to leave your friends behind just to be strong. So, come on and quit the Four Elders already, Yun-Yun."

It was a bold request but one he felt needed to be said. Yun-Yun was his family. He didn't want to have to kill him.

"Sorry Brat, but that just ain't a part of plan," his former mentor said and Hotaru wondered if he imagined that there was a tinge of regret in his voice.

"And even though you're strong, you still aren't as strong as me!" Yuan exclaimed and the blonde man marveled that, even now, he could still gather so much ki.

"This is the end of the road, Kid! Matter Is Void – All Is Vanity!"

'Of course, Yun-Yun would have more tricks,' Hotaru thought in consternation just before the unexpected attack slammed into him.

He couldn't block it this time.

One, two, three, four…he lost count of how many kicks Yuan landed on his body. His attack was relentless and Hotaru winced as wounds opened up across his body. Unlike the previous attacks, these kicks were as effective as if Yuan had taken a sword om hand and started peeling his hide off.

If he wasn't likely to be dead by the time his body hit the ground, he would have admired the tearing precision of Yuan's kicks. Only the man who had raised him to be an expert swordsman using nothing but his fists could have accomplished such a crazy attack.

He went weightless all of a sudden and Hotaru knew he had been knocked back. His blood rushed in his ears and then even that sound grew muted and he realized that he was losing consciousness. The whiteness was there at the edges of his vision yet again and he knew if he closed his eyes and gave himself over to it, he would never wake up again.

His lids lowered for just a moment and his hand came up, fingers grasping for something indefinable. Exhaustion tugged at him and his body wanted to give up and rest. It was so quiet and Yuan was there, standing over his form and looking down at him with a pained expression.

No.

He couldn't give up yet. His friends had helped him before and he had to show them that he was worth it.

"It can't end here," he wasn't sure if he had spoken the words aloud or merely thought them, but it was of no account.

Yuan had set him on this path as a child and this was his last chance to go beyond it and therefore beyond him.

"I'm not going to lose!" this time he was sure the words were real and he grabbed ahold of his own ki and dragged every bit of it that he could from every drop of blood in his body. Either he would defeat Yuan or die trying.

His body cried out in pain as he forced himself into a kneeling position. He ignored it and thrust his sword into the air above his head with both hands.

"Keikoku Inferno!" he shouted as he pushed his ki out all at once.

The air around him caught fire and expanded outwards into a massive ball of flame that swallowed both his body and Yuan's. He vaguely heard Angelica urging his companions to get out of the way and he mentally apologized to them, but desperate times called for desperate measures.

The flames raged for a moment and then dissipated as quickly as they had come and he sagged down, clutching at his chest because his heart felt as if were about to burst in his chest.

A shadow fell over him and he heard Yuan say in his ever-confident voice, "I'm still here, Keikoku."

Hotaru raised his eyes to the Taishirou and couldn't even muster up a smile as he saw the flames licking across his opponent's clothes. He was so tired…but he had won.

Yuan simply didn't realize that he had already lost.

"No matter how powerful you become, you won't catch me, Keikoku. And even though these pitiful flames won't stop burning," he slapped at the tiny sparks marching across his clothes, "these stupid things aren't enough to hurt me."

It was about time.

Although it hurt him to do it, Hotaru finally managed a tiny grin just as Yuan's expression changed and his back arched in pain. As if oil had been poured on them, those "stupid" little flames burst to life and Yuan's entire shirt caught on fire.

Within a second, the pieces disintegrated, revealing Hotaru's handiwork.

As the Elder Writhed in pain, Hotaru stared at Hono Chikewai marks that he had burned into his master's flesh and explained with painstaking care what he had done.

"Those are the flames of the planet Keikoku, burning brightly for all eternity. Those flames weren't there to hurt you, Yun-Yun. They were there to forcibly bind Hono Chikewai onto your skin and set your blood on fire. If my flames can't reach you from the outside, then they can burn you from within instead. And not even you can stop that."

Yuan swore in frustration and staggered about, as if that could stop his body from burning up.

"When did you learn this," he demanded.

Hotaru thought a moment before answering honestly, "Ever since you gave me the name Keikoku, I've been working a move that would live up to it. I wanted to use it for the moment I ran past and eclipsed you, Yun-Yun."

"If I am to be a firefly, then I have to be one with a light that burns brightly just like the name you gave me. No one, not even you, is allowed to smother my flame."

It was a simple but poignant statement and he closed his eyes, listening to the sounds of his flames as they consumed his mentor and the way the other man gasped in pain.

In the background, Yuan's siblings cried out in concern for their big brother and he didn't bother to tell them that there was no way for Yun-Yun to stop his attack.

Left unchecked, the fire would burn Yuan to ashes from the inside out, but he wasn't quite the same person that he had been. There was one thing he had learned from Kyo and he sighed resignedly, smiling a little as he raised a weary hand and snapped his fingers lightly.

Keikoku would have left Yuan to die, but Hotaru had already made his point.

As swiftly as they had come, the flames engulfing Yuan were banished and the other man collapsed.

Once again, the room grew silent as Yuan fell to his hands and knees, panting and wheezing as he spat out angrily, "Stupid brat. Are you looking down on me by sparing my life like this?"

Hotaru was too tired to argue so he said quietly, "I just made my decision, that's all. I never wanted your life, Yun-Yun. Just victory."

Closing his eyes for a second, the younger man sat back and took a much-needed breath before he looked over at his battered mentor and said with a grin, "I think I prefer this kind of strength."

"An idiot to the bitter end," Yuan bit out and Hotaru was so tired that he couldn't do more than blink as the Elder suddenly lurched towards him with his Genshigo primed and ready.

All he could see was that accursed tattoo on the back of Yuan's hand coming towards him as his master yelled, "Don't you dare give me that attitude, Keikoku!"

The wavy symbols filled his vision and then the knuckles they were inscribed on were moving past his face and he felt the release of ki as Yuan launched his signature move.

His former master was so close that he could feel his breath against his ear as he whispered, "Genshigo".

The young man lurched away clumsily, fumbling for his sword in a belated attempt to fend off this dangerous invasion of his personal space.

However, he needn't have worried that an attack was imminent because Yuan immediately sat back and let all of the air out of his body in a long 'whoosh' that carried obvious strains of relief on it.

Hotaru blinked, then looked at where the Elder had aimed his Genshigo and his eyebrows rose at the sight of a small cat sitting there with a dazed expression in its slit pupils. He hadn't noticed it before, and it seemed complete overkill to use such a strong technique on an animal that was no match for him.

"Seriously. I've been waiting forever for a chance like that," Yuan said, fanning himself tiredly as he turned his head to face his pupil.

White teeth gleamed in a mischievous grin as the sly man spoke with a voice that was a far cry from the imperious tones he had used throughout their fight.

"Now then, looks like we can have a proper talk, Kid."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"No."

Kyo kept his eyes trained on Shindara's face as he rejected his ill-timed request and admired the fact that the man didn't even flinch. He simply returned his gaze with a flat expression that told him absolutely nothing about what he thought of his refusal.

"Ah, but Kyo-San, please think about that young girl over there," Yukimura pleaded gently, inclining his head towards that blonde, curly-haired terror in pink who seemed bent on tormenting Sasuke.

Red eyes shifted away from the nobleman and watched as the teenager shot the child-turned-woman a steel-edged, golden glare. He wasn't quite close enough to hear what the young ones were saying but it was clear that she derived great pleasure from ruffling the shinobi's feathers. Whatever sorcery that had aged her physically had not changed her personality. Breasts or not, she was still a kid at heart and Sasuke's hard looks bounced right off.

"Her situation is not horribly far off from what you just went through with little Aiko-Chan. If we remove these last remnants of the Juunishinshou, surely that can only be a help to us? You know Hishigi won't leave them out of play."

The man had some audacity to invoke that nightmarish ordeal that Hishigi had put his daughter through. And it was on the tip of his tongue to tell him he could piss off with trying to guilt trip him into stopping to help this brat he barely knew. Still, he held his tongue and clicked it in annoyance instead when Muramasa shot him a look of pride at his show of restraint.

He wasn't an idiot. The similarities were obvious enough to send a surge of anger racing through him when Yukimura had shown up with Shindara and Antera in tow. Ebb and flow. Rage, then calm.

She was not Aiko. His daughter was far away and more-or-less safe with her brother and Hotaru's adopted brothers and sisters surrounding her.

If there was anyone he was worried about, it was Akari. The shaman had grown pale the moment he laid eyes on the two members of the Juunishinshou and was conspicuous in the way he tried to appear as if he wasn't staring at Antera in particular. His friend seemed to shrink in on himself while Yukimura and Shindara laid their concerns at his feet, as if he didn't already have enough crap on his plate without running off to play savior to this girl who had been an enemy not so very long ago.

There was a story there, he was sure of it.

Question was, did he want to hear about it when he was itching to continue on?

Somewhere out there, he could sense an intense battle raging between Hotaru and someone with an immense amount of power. However, the fate of his friend wasn't what made him antsy since he knew Hotaru could handle himself.

Rather, his primary concern was that each moment, each breath he spent here was one not spent advancing towards his wife and the two-faced demon who held her captive. His entire body felt tense and he couldn't seem to shake the feeling that something horrible was happening to her at the moment.

Perhaps it was his natural paranoia that heightened his anxiety. Or, perhaps he was just perturbed because they were swiftly approaching the final showdown with the king and his strongest minions. Maybe it was because he had always felt that he was more suited to villainy and now it felt like he was being cast as some sort of hero.

Why else did people keep asking him for help? Like he had all the answers when he just wanted to move.

If they keep holding you back, you could just kill them.

The dark thought came out of nowhere and he froze, eyes shooting towards Muramasa who was listening to Yukimura intently. There was nothing in his demeanor that made him think that his adopted father had heard the wicked thought and Kyo rubbed the back of his neck, as if he could erase that weird impulse.

The Thousand Killer was feeling tense and irritable and he wished that Yuya were here. He was always calmer when she was around. Things in his messed-up head made more sense when he looked into those honest green eyes. She never judged him, not even when he was in the throes of bloodlust. And when she was near, he could drink her in with his eyes and hands, breath in her scent and her goodness.

They're keeping you from her. Get rid of them. They are beneath you.

Once again, it was like there was another version of himself. A creature of blood and darkness that wanted freedom and grabbed onto whatever thought, whatever motive it felt would set it free. He wanted Yuya back, so it offered her to him in the most direct way possible. Go through his friends and claim what was his. He could have anything and everything he wanted as long as he handed control over to this other Kyo.

Tenrou warmed in his hand.

A warning.

He had been told what this was. It was his brutal inheritance as the last of the True Mibu. He understood what it was now after his talk with the First King. All the pieces were falling into place now that he had climbed even higher and learned Genbu. There was just one more technique he had to learn to master his fighting school. More power was just around the corner and every cell in his body knew it.

But he hadn't been prepared for how much more seductive that inner demon would become as his strength grew. Before, Yuya had been by his side and there wasn't anything for it to offer him that would truly tempt him to slip the leash he kept on his baser nature.

But Yuya wasn't here, was she?

His heart ached with wanting for her and that tantalizing voice whispered to him that he could have her just as soon as he cast aside his pretense of being a man and embraced his destiny as a demon god. He could move forward and kill anything that got in his way including these so-called friends with their cloying rules and morals. Why should he help those who were weaker than him? What need did he have of a conscience when he was destined to become a god and could make his own rules?

Even if you come to her bathed in the blood of your friends, Yuya will still love you.

"It's no use trying to track the left-over Juunishinshou in Hishigi's lab. They're long gone," Kyo said and winced internally at how abrupt his words sounded even to his own ears.

All eyes turned to him and he continued speaking as if there were nothing wrong with him. As if he hadn't just briefly entertained killing them for even slightly inconveniencing him with another side quest.

"I don't sense them anywhere near the lab. I think they're already in play."

"That makes things more complicated then," Yukimura said.

Kyo cocked a brow and answered succinctly, "Not really. Anyone who gets in our way is destined to be cut down. Nothing's really changed, has it?"

The older man blinked then let out a light laugh that grated on Kyo's nerves because it was such a contrast to the heaviness of his own thoughts. The man had no idea how close he had come a moment ago to losing his head.

Kyo was losing his own head but in a completely different direction and he pointedly ignored the worried look on Muramasa's face. His teacher knew him too well and he didn't want to have to explain his feelings. He barely understood them himself.

Or perhaps it was that he understood it all too well.

It was a sobering thought.

"We need to move. You two, either help or stay out of the way," he ordered Antera and Shindara.

The young woman jumped a bit but nodded eagerly and nudged Sasuke in his side when he didn't respond quickly enough, as if he were deaf and hadn't heard the exact same words.

Shindara watched him for a moment before nodding as well and saying softly, "I will follow your lead."

Somewhere in that gently-worded statement was a second meaning. Those dark eyes hadn't left him - not even once - and Kyo had the feeling that out of everyone in that room, he was the only one who suspected how the dangerous situation had turned just a minute ago.

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Another chapter, another battle out of the way. I actually didn't switch up Hotaru and Yuan's fight as much as I originally planned to since I re-read the manga and realized that it was pretty perfect as is. We are in the home stretch now to the final showdown between Kyo and friends versus Kyoshiro and the two remaining Elders and the Former King after that. Next chapter Yuan has some explaining to do and we check on Yuya and possibly Kyoshiro and Sakuya. I actually look forward to writing the part when Kyo has to overcome the worst version of himself. Thanks again for reading, please let me know your thoughts.