Author's Note:

This is an Alternate Universe SDK fic, it was written as a practice novel and everything but the character appearances and personalities is original. Some character backgrounds are similar to the original story, others are totally different. I tried to hit a lot of the same beats as the source material in a new and different way, but this is a fundamentally different story. Yuya is a lot tougher and she has a more important role in the central plotline, Kyo is a bit younger and still has some growing to reach the level of badassery that he's known for. I hope you enjoy the story, I had a lot of fun writing it.

Prologue

The masked man watched from the shadows, taking care not to be seen by the samurai walking along the forest path. The young man's black kimono and hakama had been made of fine silk, but were worn and tattered from years of wear. Short, unruly black hair framed his face. He walked with his back straight, a hand on the hilt of his sword. His distinctive crimson eyes showed neither fear nor surprise when a group of armed mercenaries burst from the undergrowth to surround him, the edges of their weapons glinting in the dappled sun.

"Demon Eyes Kyo, we're here for your head and the one thousand gold coins that it will bring," a man brandishing a rusty sword said as he stepped forward.

The samurai said nothing, his mouth twisting slightly in irritation as he surveyed the opponents facing him.

The leader signaled to attack and his men charged. Kyo smoothly dodged the first strike as he drew his weapon and casually sliced through the tendons on both wrists of the sword wielding leader. The man screamed as his weapon dropped from his now useless hands. In a fluid movement, Kyo pivoted and drew his sword down the back of a second opponent before returning to the first and finishing him with a quick slice to the throat.

Realizing that he was no easy prey, the rest of the bandits attacked at once, yelling in fear and anger as they charged. Kyo moved like a shadow in their midst, always on the attack as he felled one opponent after another. He didn't even attempt to avoid all of the blades seeking him out. As his blood began to flow, a fierce grin broke out on his face.

While he was fully focused on the group fighting in close quarters, an archer hiding among the trees nocked an arrow and aimed. The arrow thudded into Kyo's back just below his shoulder and he staggered slightly. The men surrounding him shouted to finish him off and lunged forward as one.

Gritting his teeth in sudden anger, Kyo began hacking through the poorly trained bandits like a woodsman through brush. All the while he was dodging and cutting the arrows that continued to fly toward him. With the power of his anger fueling him, the crimson eyed samurai was unstoppable. His blade carved through flesh and bone and the forest clearing was stained red with blood.

The three remaining attackers all lunged simultaneously. Kyo dropped low to the ground to avoid a cut to his neck and attacked from below, slicing up the leg and abdomen of the first before turning and cutting across the torso of the second. The last man standing didn't even have time to realize he was alone before losing his head to a final strike.

As the last bandit fell, Kyo turned toward the archer. His crimson eyes glowed malevolently and bloodlust radiated from him like heat from a fire. Reaching over his shoulder he snapped off the shaft of the arrow protruding from his back as he stalked across the clearing. The man dropped his bow and drew a sword, stepping forward. The clang of metal on metal rang through the trees as the men tested each other's skill. Kyo drew blood from the man's upper arm and then just above the knee, while the archer got in a shallow cut along Kyo's ribs and another near the shoulder.

They separated for a moment and Kyo feigned an opening which the man went for with the intention of finishing the fight. Kyo deflected the blow with his sword. He then turned his own blade and struck quickly, cutting his attacker from shoulder to navel. Blood fountained from the gaping wound and the shock quickly faded from the man's face as he fell, lifeless, to the ground.

Kyo grimaced as he cleaned and sheathed his sword. He walked a few steps down the road before his strength gave out and he collapsed among the bodies of the bandits who had tried to kill him.

The masked man, who had been watching with interest, soundlessly turned away from the bloody scene and disappeared into the forest.

Chapter One: Crossed Paths

Yuya took a deep breath of the morning air as a breeze tossed her blonde hair. The spring weather was cool but the promise of summer heat made it something to cherish. The path ahead of her wound gently across a valley and disappeared into forested hills. She had set out at the first light of dawn and meant to reach her destination by afternoon, so she was not feeling very accommodating when an old friend appeared on the road, rushing towards her from the direction of the forest.

"Yuya! Yuya is that you? Thank all the Gods, there is a man up the road who needs a healer!" the blonde man said as he approached.

"Sorry, Muramasa, I don't have time right now. There's a doctor in the village down the road that can help," Yuya replied, attempting to avoid being entangled in something that she sensed was going to be a lot of trouble.

"You must help, he will die without treatment soon." The seriousness in his tone took Yuya by surprise.

"It's not just another broken bone?" she asked warily.

"Arrow wound and multiple deep cuts. He is dying, Yuya," Muramasa said, turning to lead her to the patient.

"Well, why didn't you say so sooner?" Yuya replied in exasperation, hastening her steps to keep up.

As they entered a clearing not far into the forest, Yuya's breath caught at the scene in front of her. Ten men lay dead on the ground and an eleventh was breathing shallowly. He had a broken arrow sticking out of his back. As she rushed to his side she noticed the face of one of the corpses and froze in her tracks.

There was no mistaking it. It was the last man on her list: the only one who could possibly tell her who had been responsible for the destruction of her village. Overwhelming frustration welled up inside her for a moment, but she quickly forced it down and turned back to the dying man.

She checked on his breathing and the location of the arrow and was relieved to see that it was lodged in his shoulder blade and the wounds he suffered were not as grave as they first appeared. Yuya quickly set about removing the arrow, ordering Muramasa to hold the man still as she did so. She worked confidently and efficiently to clean and stitch his numerous wounds, before applying ointment and covering them with bandages. While her hands were busy she noted the strength of his breathing and felt sure he would heal well as long as infection was prevented.

Muramasa disappeared into the woods to retrieve his wagon, leaving Yuya alone with her patient for a moment. Sitting back, she took stock of her work and nodded in satisfaction. Then her eyes wandered around the clearing and she shook her head. Anger and frustration over losing her target warred with amazement that this single warrior had apparently defeated the entire gang by himself. Running her eyes over his body she noted the staggering number of old scars and thought that it must not have been his first fight against a group.

Muramasa returned with his wagon and they moved the cargo to one side so they could put the wounded man onto the bed and drive him to the nearby village. Once in the village, they went to the inn Yuya had slept in the night before and had some of the workers help carry the unconscious man into a room.

"Thank you for your help, Yuya. Once again, I am in your debt. Now, I really must be moving on or I will miss the trade fair," Muramasa said.

"Not so fast. You're not going to stick me with the bill again. None of the people you have asked me to help have ever had the money to pay for my services, and this one doesn't look likely to be the first," Yuya said flatly.

Muramasa turned back with a sigh, pulling a coin purse out of his kimono.

"You were so much cuter when you were little. You were always happy to help and never asked for money," he said wistfully.

Yuya laughed as she took the coins he pulled out and said, "You're getting senile, old man. I was never that nice."

Muramasa laughed with her for a moment before bidding her goodbye, climbing up into his wagon and whistling at the horses to get them moving. Yuya turned back to the patient lying in the room, crossed her arms, and frowned. His breathing had steadied, though his face was pale.

She sat at the edge of the room and rested her back against the wall, sighing. Her thoughts returned to the face of the dead man she had been hunting for nearly a year, and the anger began to bubble up inside her again.

After she had lost her home, her quest for vengeance had been little more than a dream for long years. Until one day a few years ago she had happened to overhear the bragging of a drunkard. A one-armed drunk was telling tales of his time as the leader of a band of mercenaries. He alleged they were feared throughout the land and they were asked to participate in a raid on a ninja village.

As she listened to his story, a way for her to get revenge came to her. It would be impossible to kill all of the men who participated in the attack, but if she could find the leaders - those most responsible - their deaths would pay in some small way for the destruction of her home.

She had returned after dark to question that mercenary. Before she finished him off he had told her that he never learned the name of the lord who had hired him and could only remember three other captains. This was the most information she had ever possessed. Now she had three names. Three famous mercenary leaders she could track. She was persistent and determined, and now she was also hopeful.

Her search led her to Renji of the Iron Fist, a man still leading a skilled band of mercenaries. Yuya was able to successfully enter his room unseen, but Renji was much tougher than the drunk had been and she was forced to quickly kill him when he sounded an alarm. She escaped with her life but hadn't managed to get any names from him.

The next man on the list, the Devourer Kunimasa, had been captured and executed by a local lord. The final name was that of the man who her current patient had dispatched earlier that day: Genrou the Wolf. She sighed and rested her head against the wall. She had no idea where to resume her search for clues. Her limbs felt heavy and her eyes slid shut as her frustration turned to gloom.

Yuya did not know she had fallen asleep until she woke with a start. Someone was looming over her. It took her a moment to realize that the futon in the center of the room was empty and her patient was standing in front of her. He stood with his arms crossed, his lips twisted in a slight frown and one brow raised as his eyes roved over her face and body. He wore only his hakama, his chest still exposed except for the bandages she had applied.

As she rose to her feet, Yuya saw that his eyes were blood red. Her heart skipped a beat. Something about those eyes was both frightening and magnetic at the same time. Like a raging fire, they held both beauty and danger.

"What are you doing up? You should be resting," Yuya said, adjusting her clothing as she attempted to regain her composure. She instinctively pressed her back up against the wall as the man leaned closer.

"This is your work?" he asked, gesturing to the bandages covering his torso.

"It is," Yuya said, wondering if she could escape by sliding along the wall, making her way toward the door.

The man put a hand on the wall between her and the door. She looked back at his face, wondering why the urge to get away from him was so strong. Besides his crimson eyes he seemed normal; a young warrior with that air of arrogance common among samurai. Yuya had dealt with plenty of men who thought they could intimidate her just because they were bigger or higher born. She lifted her chin defiantly and met his unnerving gaze squarely.

He smiled slightly and then deliberately placed his other hand on her breast and squeezed. For a shocked moment Yuya stood frozen. Her face turned red. She dropped out of his reach and sprang across the room. Spinning to face him she pulled a knife out of her sleeve and drew it back.

At that moment the door slid open and a girl entered balancing a tray holding a bottle of sake and a pair of cups. She looked from Yuya's defensive crouch and bared weapon to the samurai, who pivoted on the ball of his foot and sat with his back against the wall. He gestured imperiously to the girl to bring him the sake. As she put it down he caught her wrist and leered at her.

"Why don't you stay and pour for me? I could use a more feminine companion," he said, looking not at the serving girl, but at Yuya.

The girl stammered an apology and backed quickly out of the room, giving Yuya one last wide-eyed look before she shut the door. The man sighed and poured himself a drink, which he quickly tossed back and followed with another. Yuya relaxed slightly but didn't put her weapon away, still feeling unsettled.

"Why did you kill that man? Genrou the Wolf?" she asked.

The only answer given was a small quirk of an eyebrow.

"Did you hunt him down, or was he after you?" Yuya persisted.

The samurai downed another cup and swirled the bottle to judge the amount of liquid left.

"Does he have any surviving companions? Do you have any clues about his hideout?" her voice began to rise in frustration, despite her best efforts.

"Why won't you answer any of my questions?" she was beginning to sound frantic even to herself.

Without saying a word the man poured the last of the bottle down his throat. He then threw the empty bottle at Yuya, who caught it expertly and drew back her knife to throw.

"Get me another bottle and I'll tell you what I know," he said.

Yuya let out an angry sigh as she put her weapon away and stalked out of the room. She returned with a fresh bottle. Her maddening patient proceeded to drink the entire thing before saying, "He tried to kill me because he wanted money."

He rested his head against the wall behind him and promptly fell asleep. Yuya clenched her teeth in anger and resisted the temptation to kick the infuriating man in the ribs. She decided he should be able to finish recovering fine on his own. Besides, she couldn't stand being around him a second longer.

Grabbing her belongings, she left the inn and wandered through the town until the savory aromas from the food vendors caused her stomach to growl loudly. She purchased a pair of rice balls before finding a comfortable spot to sit. While she ate her lunch she tried to think of what she could do to pick up the trail.

Her thoughts kept slipping back to the man she had helped that morning. His interference had stopped her in her tracks and his attitude made it all the more aggravating. If there was any justice in the world he would be forced to help her exact her revenge. But Yuya was well aware of how rare justice really was.

Resolving to forget about him and do her best to find a new lead, she stood and resettled her belongings before turning to the east. Most of the day had passed but she did not feel like spending the night in this town. She would find a spot to sleep in the forest and start searching for Genrou's hideout in the morning.

Once beyond the town Yuya felt a bit better. Deciding on a course of action helped alleviate the feeling of having been stymied. In spite of this setback she was determined to pick up the trail and complete her quest for vengeance. She made camp at the edge of the forest, a short distance from the spot where the ambush had occurred earlier.

Yuya woke early and found the scene of the fight without trouble. The bodies had been removed but the dried blood was still obvious. Yuya did her best to read the footprints to determine what had happened. The traces of the battle were mostly scuffed and muddied by the tracks she had made with Muramasa, as well as those left by the group that had tended to the bodies. She was close to giving up in frustration when she heard the sound of footsteps approaching. Yuya stood up slowly as she surveyed the armed and rough looking gang.

"Well, well, what do we have here?" a man wearing an eye patch asked.

"It appears to be that pretty healer girl who helped Demon Eyes Kyo after he killed our brave leader," another replied, running a thumb along the blade of his sword.

"You're companions of Genrou the Wolf? Wonderful, I have some questions for you," Yuya said pleasantly, trying to hide her excitement at having a lead fall into her lap so soon.

The men laughed coarsely as they moved to encircle Yuya. She waited for the right moment and then sprang into action. She let fly two knives, which buried themselves to the hilt in the chest and throat of the men closest to her. Drawing two more knives, she threw one into the eye of another man. She then used the other to deflect a sword blow before dodging behind the man to slice through his hamstring and stab him in the base of the neck. Yuya deftly removed the knife as the man fell limply to the ground and turned to face the remaining thug, the one-eyed leader of the group.

"Now, do you feel like answering my questions or would you like to join your friends?" Yuya asked in a much harsher tone.

"Impressive. I think we could use someone with your talents," the man said.

"Too bad I work alone. Can you name any mercenary groups Genrou cooperated with in the past?" Yuya replied.

"You can be our healer and my woman. How does that sound?" the man said, ignoring her questions as he moved closer.

"Unacceptable. Answer me or you'll be joining your friends, I want a name," Yuya said.

The man grinned as he looked her up and down and then suddenly lunged at her with a pair of large knives. Yuya jumped back and threw a pair of her own knives. He deflected one and the other glanced off his chest with the sound of metal on metal. He was wearing chain mail under his clothes and his skills were far better than his companions had been.

Yuya narrowed her eyes, tossing her belongings out of the way before drawing her short sword and stepping forward with her weapon poised to strike. The man charged and she leapt into action. Feigning an opening, she lured him into lunging, giving her the chance to slash at his face. He managed to jump backwards out of the way at the last second. He came at her with a barrage of powerful thrusts and slashes with both blades and it took all of her skills to defend herself from the flurry of blows.

Yuya was backed into a muddy area. Her foot stuck for a moment, throwing her off balance so that she did not have time to bring up her weapon to defend against the next blow. She could see the thrill of victory in that one eye looming over her when suddenly a blade came slicing out of nowhere. The bandit's head cocked at a very unnatural angle before toppling off his shoulders to the ground. Yuya jumped backwards as the body fell toward her. There stood her wayward patient, the bloody blade of his sword resting on one of his shoulders and a cocky grin on his face.

The brief surge of relief at her life having been saved vanished as Yuya realized that once again she was out of clues and once again this man had killed someone she desperately wanted to interrogate. Those crimson eyes shone in the dappled light of the forest and she remembered with a shiver the name the bandits had used for him; Demon Eyes Kyo.

"What are you doing? I needed him to answer my questions!" Yuya said, trying to mask her fear with irritation.

Kyo looked annoyed. Turning away he cleaned his sword before re-sheathing it and leaving the clearing.

"Hey! Don't just walk away from me, I'm talking to you," she said, cleaning her own sword before hurrying over to gather her possessions.

Glancing around the clearing, she considered letting him go so she could continue her study of the traces of the fight. A sudden rumble of thunder heralded the coming of a storm. In a few brief moments raindrops began to fall on the already muddy ground. With a sigh Yuya abandoned any hope of finding the bandits' hideout. Heading for the road, she pulled a cloak from her bag and slung it over her shoulders and head.

Before long she caught up with the crimson eyed man and slowed her pace to match his, walking along behind him. His clothing became soaked and began to drip with rain. The thought that someone who was healing from grave wounds should not be out in such weather crossed her mind, but imagining his reaction to that advice made her hold her tongue.

By the time the storm passed and the afternoon sun reappeared, Yuya had begun to feel a strange instinct that following this man would lead her to the answers she sought. No matter how she looked at it the idea made no sense, but for some reason it refused to go away. As the light began to fade, Kyo made his way off the road to rest at the base of a tree. She followed.

He watched in silence as she set about putting down her things and getting out some dry tinder and wood to make a fire. She filled a pot with water from a canteen and carefully propped it over the flames. After adding some dried meat and vegetables to the pot, she got out her medical kit and insisted on changing Kyo's bandages.

He grumbled but finally stripped to the waist and let her remove the old bandages, soaked with both rainwater and blood. When she was done Yuya took in a sharp, surprised breath. The wounds which had been so severe the day before were healing remarkably fast. She knew that her skills were good but this was far beyond anything she had seen before.

She looked up at his face for a moment and those crimson eyes held hers. The unusual color was frightening and yet for some reason strangely attractive. Feeling her cheeks warm she looked down and returned to her work in a businesslike manner. As she tended his wounds she had to marvel at the sheer number of scars crisscrossing his body. He couldn't be much older than twenty years, yet he must have been through thousands of battles. Her finger unconsciously traced along the length of a particularly angry looking scar that stretched from his ribs to his hip.

Kyo sucked in a breath and caught her hand. She glanced up and felt her heart skip a beat at the intensity of his gaze. The air between them felt thick and charged. Yuya swallowed nervously and pulled her hand away before hurriedly tying the last bandage and moving away from him.

She tried to calm her pounding heart as she put her equipment away. By the time she had finished the contents of the pot were beginning to smell ready. She proceeded to fill two bowls. Avoiding meeting his eyes, she handed chopsticks and one bowl to Kyo before sitting and falling ravenously to her own dinner.

After their meal Kyo leaned his head back against the tree trunk and closed his eyes. Yuya cleaned up and put her cooking things away. She then eyed the already sleeping man dubiously for a moment before curling up on the opposite side of the fire.

In the morning, Yuya opened her eyes to see the fire burned out and Kyo gone from the spot where he had slept. She sat up quickly and looked around for her bag, which was sitting open in Kyo's lap as he munched on her supply of dried meat while casually reading her painstakingly gathered notes. She leapt up and tried to snatch them away but he dropped the meat and fended her off with one hand as he continued to read.

"How long did it take you to learn all of this?" he asked.

"I was searching for Genrou for almost a year," Yuya said petulantly.

"Ha! A year! And then I killed him the morning you were going to find him. No wonder you were hysterical," Kyo chortled in amusement.

As Yuya tried to decide on whether she should kick him or yell at him he leaned back against the tree and assumed an insufferably arrogant expression.

"You're lucky I killed him. You would've died if I hadn't," he said.

Yuya pursed her lips and stalked around him to gather up her things in silence. She then turned with a flip of her hair to march out of the clearing and back to the road. As she moved deeper into the forest she fumed about Kyo's conceited attitude and irritating behavior.

The roiling emotions in her mind evaporated the instant she sensed bloodlust and a killing blow aimed at her heart. She dropped out of the way and pivoted to face her attacker while drawing her sword. A blade whistled through the air where she had been a mere moment before. She could see the surprised widening of the assassin's eyes as she lunged upwards at him with her own weapon poised to strike. He managed to flip backwards out of the way of her attack, and then he assumed a fighting stance.

"Impressive. I was certain that I would kill you with the first blow," he said.

"I don't have time to die. There's something I must accomplish first," Yuya replied coldly.

"That's too bad, because your accomplishments all end here," the assassin said, before charging.

Yuya moved to the side slightly, narrowly avoiding the blade of the man's sword as she cut towards his neck with her own. Instead of defending, he twisted his blade and stuck upwards towards her ribs. She was forced to abandon the attack and jump away to avoid the strike.

He charged again and Yuya was forced back as she defended against an aggressive series of blows directed at her head and shoulders. He then dropped low and a slice to her thigh caught her by surprise. She cried out in pain as she felt the blade cut deep but in that same moment she saw a clear opening and struck downwards, cutting through the man's shoulder and neck. Yuya used her good leg to propel herself away from the enemy, still holding her blade at the ready as she saw him slump to the ground.

Yuya began to lower her sword. She heard the sound of footsteps and brought it back up into a ready position as she looked for the next attacker. She was surprised to see not another assassin but Kyo approaching through the trees.

"How are you going to get answers out of him?" he quipped, glancing down at the dead man.

"He probably didn't know anything, anyway," Yuya shot back.

She limped over to her pack so she could clean her sword and then tend to her leg. The cut was deep, but luckily did not damage any veins or tendons. As she proceeded to clean and stitch the wound she could feel Kyo watching her and she did her best to ignore him. In spite of her best efforts she glanced up, saw his eyes lingering on her thigh, and was distinctly aware of how much skin was exposed while she worked.

"Enjoying the view?" Yuya asked in exasperation, hoping her face wasn't as red as it felt.

His eyes wandered up to her own and his lips twisted into a crooked smile, "It's not bad, but I've seen better."

Yuya shot him a glare and firmly tied a bandage in place before closing her kimono and putting her things away. She continued to ignore Kyo as she searched the body of the man who had attacked her for clues. Other than a fat coin purse there was little to be found. Yuya slipped the money into her kimono. As she stood to leave, the pain in her thigh caused her to wince.

Yuya saw that Kyo had already started walking northwards along the road. With no clues and nowhere to look for them Yuya decided to head in the same direction, along the road toward Kyoto. She told herself that it was because there was a thriving information selling community there, but her eyes kept being drawn back to the man walking in front of her. There was something indefinably magnetic about him, even though a voice deep inside her was still screaming at her to run away.