A Guardian’s Possession
The Guardian Heart Crystal Series
Smashwords Edition
Copyright 2010 Amy Blankenship
The Legend of the Heart of Time
The worlds may change… but true legends never fade.
Darkness and light have constantly battled since the beginning of time. Worlds are formed and crushed beneath the feet of their creators, yet the ongoing need for good and evil has never been in question.
However, sometimes a new element is thrown into the mix. The one thing that both sides want, but only one can have.
Paradoxical in nature, the Guardian Heart Crystal is the one constant that both sides have always strived to attain. The crystalline stone has the power to create and destroy the known universe, yet can end all suffering and strife in the same breath. Some say the crystal has a mind of its own… others say the gods are behind it all.
Each time the crystal has appeared, regardless of the world or time, its guardians have always been ready to defend it from all who would use it selfishly. These guardians, though different in background, have always worn the same faces and loved with the same ferocity.
One girl stands in the center of these ancient guardians, the object of their affections, and she holds within her the power of the crystal itself. She is the bearer of the crystal and the source of its power. The lines however blur, and guarding the crystal slowly changes into guarding the priestess from the other guardians.
This is the wine from which the heart of darkness drinks. It is the opportunity to make the guardians of the crystal weak and susceptible to attack. The darkness craves the power of the crystal and also craves the girl as a man would crave a woman.
Within all dimensions and realities lays a secret garden known as the Heart of Time. There, a statue of a young human priestess kneels. She is surrounded by an age-old magic that keeps her secret treasure hidden and well preserved. The maiden’s hands are outstretched as if waiting for something precious to be placed in them.
Legend says that she is waiting for the powerful stone known as The Guardian Heart Crystal to return to her.
Only the Guardians know of the true secrets behind the statue and how it came into existence. Only one spirit possessed the coveted stone and she is the one true treasure. A priestess that both sides would try to claim… no matter the consequence.
This time, however, the lines start to blur and overlap… merging two universes in a single timeline. The souls are the same, yet different outcomes result in hearts changing… therefore altering the destinies set. Dreams become reality and reality becomes dreams. Eventually, it is hard to tell the difference between the two. What is real and what is not?
Hyakuhei’s darkness begins a battle within itself, the true guardian striving to be heard amongst the screams tearing apart his soul.
A young priestess places herself, both body and soul, on the line with only her heart and the Guardian Heart Crystal to guide her. Secrets are kept and true hearts are hidden beneath layers of ice and wickedness. Once more the battle between good and evil begins anew… sending the destinies of those involved into chaos.
Two Guardians battle their own hearts as well as each other to protect the priestess. She is the center of their world and each seeks to make her what she was meant to be… a Guardian’s Possession.
Chapter 1 “Feathers of Midnight”
Dark feathers left a path in the night sky as Hyakuhei flew within the raging storm he had created… his anger forming the core of it. Lightning and thunder mimicked his mood as the rain hid the truth of his torment. His ultimate power was to thrive on the authority of the demons he battled then took inside his being… but he had not expected it to backfire in such a way as this.
His target had been an easy demon to overcome and consume into the void that was his soul. But the sprite had hidden a piece of the shattered guardian heart crystal deep within its mind. That power allowed the dream demon to survive within him and it was now trying to get its revenge.
Hyakuhei’s black eyes became a shade darker as he wondered if that had not been the demon’s true intent all along… to break him from the inside. The lowly dream demon thought to give him… nightmares! In his rage, Hyakuhei had mistakenly taken the dream sprite into his body to silence it forever… only for it to torment him now from within.
The demon had unchecked power Hyakuhei had not expected. It held within it the power to see the true past that even he had not been aware of. Things that had happened in another time and place… alternate realities. With such a power, Hyakuhei should have known it possessed one of the sacred crystal’s talismans.
Now the demon chose to torment him with visions when he closed his eyes to the world around him… sleep had now become a place of trickery.
The unwanted memories left his blood heated to a painful degree by creating a longing in him that he had forgotten… a craving for the auburn haired priestess that would forever elude him. The hunger he had felt was unbearable now, a reminder of ultimate betrayal from the last place he ever expected it… love becomes something evil once it has been taken away from you.
Ebony hair obscured his angelic face as he screamed out in fury, “How dare you show me the past when there is nothing I can do to change it!” The sound of his voice was lost within the thunder that resounded around him. It thundered deafeningly in response to his anguish, almost taunting him to continue. Lightning flashed, illuminating his face briefly, bringing his beautiful features to stark reality.
He had awakened but an hour ago to the night sweats that accompanied dreams of her. He’d once held her… touched her. His ebony eyes narrowed in anger. She had let him love her and she didn’t even remember. That alone was far more painful than the dreams, yet even now they had their own lives that fate had once again intertwined.
The recurring dreams never finished… the ending always eluding him, making him want to see and feel more of the bittersweet tormenting tale. The most evil vengeful thing the dream sprite could have ever done was make him want her again. He’d supposedly moved beyond it, embracing the creature he’d become in her name. Even now he dared not confront it for fear of losing himself to the suffering of his own soul.
Hyakuhei felt his anger ebbing as he listened to the mischievously whispered voices within him. The countless evil entities contained by him, demons that willingly did his bidding, converged on the dream sprite… fighting an inner battle that did not last long.
The dream demon was forced to bend to its new master’s will, if only for as long as the invisible chains could hold it. He knew the demon could still taunt him with voices and seductive images, but he also knew he could now use that borrowed power to share those memories with the priestess.
Hyakuhei’s lips curved slightly in a tainted smile knowing he could now use the dream sprites power for his own advantage. He would feed the priestess dreams of what they had once shared a millennium ago… planting himself within her nightly imaginings and mixing memories with the strange bond that held them linked even now within the present.
His hand rose in front of him… holding what would help him. The slivers of the guardian heart crystal he had collected lit up, reflecting the bolt of lightning that passed right above him. As he watched the tiny crystals glitter to life, her image appeared as a reflection in them. His eyes caressed the softness of her face and the ruby redness of her full lips. He would now become a master of illusion.
“I will have you again.” He whispered sullenly before evil crept back into his voice. “Priestess, I’ll get inside your mind where you can not escape me or the memories of your own past… our past!”
The shattered pieces of crystal glowed within his palm as their now tainted power crossed worlds and realities to find the priestess within her own world… where she slept.
*****
Over a thousand years in the future, in her nice warm bed, Kyoko lay sleeping… but the silence of sleep became disturbed with flickers of images and sounds as she tossed and turned. The confusion broke as the sounds and movements became one within her mind and she was lost within the strange nightmare.
She broke out in a cold sweat, as the dream became almost real… too real as it pulled her in.
Kyoko could hear the enemy’s scream of denial just as she passed out. She had done all she could. She’d kept Hyakuhei from acquiring the guardian heart crystal the only way that she had known how. Her last thought was sadness… she had shattered the Guardian Heart Crystal and now… she couldn’t go home.
Hyakuhei looked down at the girl who’d spoiled all his carefully laid plans. He had made them all think he was dead… no longer a threat, then he’d silently waited.
He knew as long as the priestess was with her guardians, she was too powerful to approach. So he had hid himself and suppressed his power, playing dead, waiting for her to make the mistake of being alone. She would be weak and vulnerable… enabling him to take the Guardian Heart Crystal from her.
It had all worked out perfectly. She’d been alone within the heart of time gardens… ready to go back through the time portal now thinking the dangerous game was over… the game they’d played for several years with no winner. He’d been within inches of what he wanted more than anything.
Hyakuhei stood above the beautiful virgin priestess, his raven dark hair flowing like silk down the length of his body, brushing against his calves and still fluttering in the breeze created from the shattering of the Guardian Heart Crystal.
He was every bit as beautiful as a dark angel, but within him beat the many hearts of enraged demons. He wanted to kill the Priestess for what she had done, but he wouldn't… he couldn’t as his eyes caressed the face he loved. The starlight streaks that coursed from the shattering of the Guardian Heart Crystal were still lighting the sky… it was too late.
Hyakuhei knew her protectors would come for her. His brother’s children would once again try to save her from him… and history would repeat itself over and over. The heavens had sealed their fate millenniums ago… only to offer up the continual chance of changing that same fate.
His angelic face turned into a sneer. The guardian’s would not find their priestess this time. Swiftly, he cradled her limp body within his arms. No one yet knew he was alive and for now he would leave it that way. He would not harm her… instead Hyakuhei decided… this time… he would keep her.
Again masking his evil aura, he used his power and opened a small black void and stepped inside, taking Kyoko with him through the gateway. The portal silently closed behind them… erasing all clues of the truth. When the guardians came for her, they would simply believe she had gone home, abandoning them to their land of demons.
Kyoko jerked awake in bed wondering where the nightmare had come from. She searched around the room with wide frightened emerald eyes making sure it had not been real… that Hyakuhei was not there. She could still feel him touching her, and strangely enough, she missed that touch. Yet at the same time, she wanted to erase the memory of it. She pulled the covers up around her in confusion.
Hearing the silence of the house, Kyoko knew she would never get back to sleep, so she made the biggest mistake of her young life… she decided to head back into a world of demons in the middle of the night. Being with the guardians would be the only thing that would make her feel safe again.
It was only a couple minutes later that she found herself on the other side of the heart of time looking across the clearing that surrounded the maiden statue. She sighed now that she was over a thousand years away from the bed she’d just had the nightmare in. But still, she could feel the dream haunting her as if it were waiting on her to go back to sleep.
It taunted the recesses of her mind, plaguing her imagination with images that were too corporal to let go. Shaking her head, she took a deep breath and drank in the familiarity of her surroundings.
Huge white stones jutted up from the ground in remembrance of the magnificent castle that had once housed the gardens known as The Heart of Time. The wind rushed through the limbs of the surrounding trees, lending a soft sound to the quiet darkness.
Seeing lightning flash way off in the distance, Kyoko turned her emerald eyes to the east. She shivered wondering how something so beautiful… could be so dangerous. Even against the dark sky she could see the clouds blocking out the stars. The lightning danced across the clouds like spidery fingers giving the distant storm a sinister appearance.
Kyoko blinked when she saw the lightning converge on one place in the clouds. It formed a tiny ball of light before blowing out like a tiny starburst. She wasn’t surprised by this phenomenon… having seen things more shocking than a lightning cloud. What caught her attention was it kept happening.
“What am I doing here?” she asked the statue of the priestess who looked so much like her, knowing she wouldn’t get an answer. The angry clouds from the approaching storm had not made it this far yet and the moonlight shone down as if it were spotlighting the maiden shrine.
Kyoko stepped closer, examining the extraordinary detail of the statue and wondering at it for the hundredth time. They were almost exactly alike… she and the statue… but it had been carved over a thousand years ago. Once again, she asked herself who could have put it there and why? How could something be carved with a face that no one had known or seen prior to its creation?
Kyoko sighed again wondering what she was doing. It was almost midnight and she had told the guardians she wouldn't be back until morning. But while lying in her soft bed, in her relatively safe world, she couldn't sleep due to some sixth sense telling her that things were about to change. Whether those changes were for the better or for the worse, she couldn’t say… and the dreams of the enemy weren’t helping.
Her thoughts pivoted between the guardian heart crystal and the shattered talisman it had become. As always, her daydreams and nightmares shifted through the guardian’s that she had never asked for, and the dangerous demons they brought with them.
Her thoughts instantly turned to Hyakuhei, their enemy. She couldn’t understand how someone so strikingly beautiful could be so cruel and dangerous. Kyoko saw another flash of lightning streak across the sky in the distance. She cocked an eyebrow reminding herself that looks could be deceiving.
Beautiful or not… just like lightning, Hyakuhei was very dangerous. She knew that as Hyakuhei collected pieces of the scattered talisman, he became that much stronger… even though he was extremely powerful to begin with. He already had the ability to take the weaker, lowborn demons within himself and thrive on their dark power. He could also release that power with devastating affects when the time was right… like in battle.
With ability like that… why would he bother with the guardian heart crystal? What would he have to gain by gathering the talisman? Did he truly believe he would gain everything he desired once it was complete and in his possession? Again, those were questions that only led to more questions and secrets that were never meant to be known.
Kyoko looked into the stone eyes of the maiden wondering what secrets it held. Reaching up with her hand, she touched the marble cheek gently and asked, “Hyakuhei seems almost unstoppable even without the help of the talismans, so why is he trying to find them?” Silence…
Realizing she was once again talking to a stone object, Kyoko clamped her mouth shut so she would keep her thoughts to herself. “Gee, I really need friends.” She mumbled. Lowering her hand, she turned her back to the shrine that transported her between worlds.
Resuming her thoughts, she bit her bottom lip as she pictured the enemy within her mind. As Hyakuhei gained more of the scattered talisman, he became more dangerous to deal with. She knew if he ever gained all the pieces of the talisman, he would then be able to breach the barrier between the demon and human world. This was the true answer to her question.
If that happened, neither world would be able to stop his deadly obsession with the power of darkness. “I won’t let that happen, you know.” Her shoulders dropped with the weight of keeping that promise.
Her mind shifted back to the dream she’d had less than an hour ago… the same dream that left her in a cold sweat and bolting upright in her bed. The sounds and feelings of the dream had been so real that she could have sworn she’d really been there. It was as if she was watching it all happen and feeling it at the same time.
“But that’s impossible… right?” she glanced back toward the statue as the memory of the dream came back to haunt her. Hyakuhei had captured her in her dream and although she had fought him… did she really stand a chance?
Kyoko blinked hoping the remembrance of the dream would vanish. She didn’t want to feel the fear that she knew would come with the vision that bordered closer to a nightmare. Seeing the maiden statue staring back at her, it dawned on her. Whether it had really happened in the past or was truly just the memory of a dream… it was still a memory in the fullest sense of the word.
She felt the images crashing back toward her, making her feel like a deer caught in the headlights. Her eyes slid closed again as if fate were demanding that she remember it all… even remembering the enemy’s thoughts. This time it was not the same visions as the last.
In the dream, she’d come through the heart of time. But instead of the guardians being there waiting on her, it had been the enemy… Hyakuhei. As she turned to flee back the way she had came, he’d reached out and grasp her wrist in an iron grip to halt her flight. No matter how hard she fought to get away from him… it seemed the more she struggled, the closer he got.
He reached his other hand out and gripped her chin to raise her frightened eyes to his and she stopped struggling the moment their eyes locked. Instead of the cold black eyes of the enemy, she was looking into warm brown eyes.
“Welcome back,” Hyakuhei whispered softly just as his lips descended on hers.
Kyoko pinched herself so hard that it made her jump and the daydream came to a sudden stop as if she had turned a power switch off. Were the daydreams and nightmares trying to warn her of some unknown fate or had it already happened and was reminding her of the mistake? Either way she hoped the next time she closed her eyes to sleep… it would be dreamless.
“Kissing Hyakuhei…” she put her hands on her hips as if to lecture herself, “what in the world is going through your mind girl?” she felt like a traitor just for saying it out loud. “That’s… that’s almost as bad as kissing Kyou for crying out loud.” She smirked at the comparison even though it wasn’t that funny.
“Lack of sleep will do that to you.” She mumbled still fussing at herself. “It also causes one to have full fledged conversations with themselves.” She continued before sighing in defeat. “I need a vacation.”
However, despite her vocal ravings, the mental image of kissing Kyou jumped to the forefront of her mind and wouldn’t go away. A rush of warmth traveled from the top of her head to the tips of her toes. She wondered where these thoughts had come from. Again the picture popped up out of nowhere and she made an almost physical effort to push it back down.
With an unsuppressed shiver, Kyoko’s mind did a boomerang back to the five brothers whom were predestined to be her guardians in this dangerous world… or so they said. Her thoughts became centered for a moment on Kyou, the oldest and most powerful of the five brothers. Kyou presented himself just as dangerous and unnerving as his evil uncle Hyakuhei.
To everyone, even to his brothers, Kyou was an enigma. With the beauty of an archangel, he hid within himself the power to destroy or heal this demon-racked world. But she could tell by his cold demeanor that Kyou cared not for either alternative. It was as if he had decided that his evil uncle wasn’t his problem.
She was kind of glad Kyou didn’t travel with the group but kept to himself. Kyoko had only seen him a couple of times since accidentally becoming their priestess and most of those times she had only seen him from a distance… those encounters had been disturbing enough.
She still didn’t know a lot about Kyou but sometimes wondered if he thought he was too good to be around his brothers… or was it her that he avoided at all cost?
Kyoko lifted an eyebrow thinking out loud again, “Well, it’s probably for the best anyway, because all he and Toya do is fight when they’re within seeing distance of each other… and Kyou pretty much ignores his other half siblings.” She heaved a sigh, knowing he seemed to hold a grudge against her for being the priestess he’s supposed to protect.
“It’s not like I need his help.” Her thought flashed back to the past. Upon their first meeting, Kyou had narrowed his golden eyes at her saying that she was nothing but a weak human and not worthy of his protection. Right before that, he’d been even more frightful.
When she first came into their world by mistake… Kyou and Toya had tried to kill her, thinking she was trespassing through the heart of time with the help of their uncle. It was the guardian heart crystal that had shielded her from their attack and that’s what started this whole mess.
Somehow, while the guardian heart crystal was protecting her from the brothers, it had shattered into the four winds… sending the demons within their world into a destructive frenzy. If the demons that roamed this world collected enough of the shattered pieces, then they could have the power to cross into her world and plunge it into chaos.
She and the guardians would have to find the talismans before the demons did or all would be lost.
Since then, the five guardian brothers had realized that she was the true priestess of the guardian heart crystal and therefore… very much under their protection. Kyou was the only one of the guardians that kept his distance from her. The few times they had crossed paths, she had the sensation that he was more of an enemy then an ally. His golden eyes seemed so hard and cold when he had looked at her… as if destroying her was more to his liking.
Toya had told her once that Kyou thought humans to be beneath him. That was putting it mildly. In Toya’s own words Kyou was a ‘self-centered, conceited asshole that couldn’t develop a heart if his life depended on it’. Kyoko would remember this occasionally and it always brought a smile to her face. For some reason, the aloof demeanor Kyou possessed just seemed… right.
“He definitely wears it well.” She said aloud.
The other four guardian brothers had readily placed her under their protection while they searched for the talisman before the demons of their world gathered them and used their powers for wickedness.
Toya had appointed himself as her closest watcher and protector. He covered up that closeness with the fact that she had started this mess by bringing the crystal back to their world to begin with. But then again, she could have pushed the matter by saying that if he and Kyou hadn’t attacked her when they first met, it wouldn’t have shattered to begin with. It just wasn’t worth saying anything though… Toya’s temper always gave her a headache and made her irritated.
He still acted annoyed with her but sometimes she got the feeling maybe he loved her a little too. He just chose to often hide those feelings behind the huge chip he had on his shoulder… a chip she’d really like to knock off every once in a while. Maybe it would actually give him a better attitude about the whole thing.
She smiled softly at the thought of him. To her… Toya was fast becoming her best friend and maybe even a little more. Kyoko could feel the slight blush spreading across her cheeks. Toya had saved her life many times since the day the guardians had tried to kill her.
They had created a very strong bond and even though she and Toya still argued a lot, that bond bordered very close to a deep love. It was as if the crystal knew the feelings they hid for each other because it had somehow chosen Toya to be the only one who could follow her back into her world when the other guardians couldn’t breach the time portal. That had spurred some rather humorous arguments between the brothers. Kyoko was convinced they did it on purpose just to make her smile.
The other three brothers Shinbe, Kamui, and Kotaro all held a place in her heart as well. Kyoko’s lips lifted in a fond smile, which left her where she was now. Here she stood, all alone, in the middle of the night, in a land where demons roamed freely. Sometimes she wondered if she didn’t need her head examined.
‘More like needing to be locked up in the loony bin somewhere, in a room with rubber walls’, she thought sarcastically. Not wanting to disturb the guardians just yet, Kyoko grabbed hold of a vine and climbed up to sit on one of the surrounding white rocks.
Just because she couldn’t sleep didn’t mean she needed to wake them up. It was way too late and still way to early. Looking up into the night sky, she just sat there, enjoying the view of the lightning bolts that didn’t seem to be getting any closer.
Kyoko’s fingers rose to the small pouch she wore around her neck where some of the talisman they had gathered safely rested. She was unaware that as she touched the binding, a soft florescent blue light radiated from it and the direction of the cool breeze quickly began to change.
*****
Nearby, Kyou's head tilted as a tainted scent that was caught in the wind of the approaching storm drifted toward him. Hyakuhei was near. He narrowed his golden eyes as the breeze shifted, now coming from the direction of the heart of time. That scent, he gritted his teeth… the priestess and the power of the guardian heart crystal.
His hands fisted at his side as anger flashed across his expression causing a small growl to be heard in the stillness of the surrounding forest. She was alone and unguarded. How dare she be at the shrine at this dangerous hour unprotected! Why were his brothers not with her? Kyou closed his golden eyes and inhaled deeply of the women-child that traveled with his siblings.
Within his minds eye, he could see the image of the priestess he and his brothers had become guardians of. Auburn hair… startling emerald eyes, it was as if the beauty of the maiden statue had come to life and color. She should have never come to this world with the guardian heart crystal. Neither she, nor it, belonged here.
If he could, he would toss her back through the portal and destroy the statue but to do so would be a bastardization of everything his father Tadamichi had built. Despite his desire, it seemed this point was now very moot.
The dangerous power his uncle continued to gain was her fault. Had she not known what would happen? If she were the true priestess, she should have known to stay away from this demonic world. His father had died because he had closed the time portal and this small human girl had undone everything he had sacrificed his life for. It had all been for nothing.
His father had told him to protect the human’s… all of them. But why? Why would he now protect the very human who had been stupid enough to open the portal between their worlds. Why did his father care so much that he gave his life for them?
Kyou had tried to frighten her and send her screaming back into her world. But much to his disbelief… she had to be the only female who seemed to not fear him for more than a few fleeting seconds at a time. When he’d first come upon her not so long ago, she had stood there, chin held high, pointing a spirit dart straight at him as if she, a mere human, could fight him… and win.
He’d vowed to protect the guardian heart crystal and the time portal, but never a small human girl. His brothers may have agreed to it, but he had never. Humans were weak, foolish creatures that feared him. Why did she have to be different? Why did she not fear him? Why did she repeatedly stand before him, a symbol of everything defiant?
Kyou leapt from the tree he’d been sitting in and stood to his full height. He could feel his heart beat loud and thumping under his skin… his guardian blood demanding that he go to her. It happened every time she was near and that only angered him more. His instinct was a force that was stronger than his will.
Her lack of fear only attracted him to her, and of late, she had somehow consumed his thoughts… along with his dreams. He’d stayed away from the group for that reason alone. How dare that girl plant herself so deep within his thoughts? He would teach her not to enchant him with her insolence and humanity. She was nothing to him except the priestess of the crystal… she had no business here within his reach.
Kyou’s body tensed as he felt a shift in the balance of good and evil approaching the unaware priestess. His face was calm… the calm before the storm. His silver hair swayed in the constant breeze as his senses picked up what danger was about to come upon her.
*****
Hyakuhei tilted his head back, letting the storm of his own making rage around him. The wind swirled, ruffling his clothing and whipping his midnight hair around his beautiful face. His ruby eyes cracked open when the wind brought a scent to his nose that was not of the rain and sky.
An expression of euphoria crossed his features and he dipped his ebony wings downward in a powerful stroke to gain altitude. His gaze lingered in the direction of the Heart of Time while a sinister smile slowly appeared on his lips. She was here… the priestess that tormented him so.
“Ah, priestess, so you are alone and unprotected.” He whispered. “Wait for my arrival, my beauty… I am coming for you.”
Demons began pouring in droves from Hyakuhei’s body as he released them to do his bidding. A maniacal laugh escaped his soft lips and his eyes were wide, shining with the light of borderline insanity. The sky became black with his slaves as they zeroed in on the maiden statue and the object of purity within its gardens.
*****
Lowborn demons were already being drawn to her and the scent of power she held. They were only drones sent to keep her from fleeing, Kyou could feel the presence of his uncle not far behind them. Hyakuhei had discovered her unprotected presence and was coming for her. He would not let Hyakuhei have her.
Kyou glanced up as a shadow passed across the light of the moon announcing their arrival. All night sounds stopped as wings appeared behind Kyou, sending a furious spray of golden feathers across the clearing his silent form stood in. His long silver hair swayed in the wind as he readied himself for the fight to come.
“So be it.” The words left his lips in an answer to his own tormented thoughts.
She had put herself in danger once again and it left him with no choice. He decided if his brothers were going to be lax in their duties, then he would take the priestess from them. If this was the idea they possessed of protection, then they deserved to have her taken away. But first… he would destroy the evil stalking her.
Chapter 2 “Fearless”
Unaware that the storm was now growing closer, Kyoko felt the breeze cool her heated skin and welcomed it with a soft smile. Closing her emerald eyes, she enjoyed the solitude of the night before heading to Sennin’s and joining the guardians that slumbered there.
Sennin’s daughter, Suki, had become her closest female friend on this side of the time portal and her hut was where the group stayed when they weren’t traveling across the dangerous lands looking for the shattered fragments of the guardian heart crystal. Suki had been with them from the very start, even though she wasn’t a guardian.
Kyoko smiled thinking of Suki and the one guardian that never left her friend’s side… Shinbe. He was one of the five guardian brothers. He was also a letch and very much had a thing for Suki. With midnight blue hair and eyes of amethyst, it was all Suki could do to continue to fight his advances.
Her smile widened wondering how much longer Suki could hold out. Suki may be stubborn but Kyoko knew just how stubborn a guardian could be once he set his mind to something.
Kyoko and the youngest guardian, Kamui, would often go into laughing fits as Suki tried her best to keep Shinbe in line without admitting she liked him. Kamui had a great sense of humor and she loved him like a brother. The color of Kamui's eyes would change with his mood but she didn’t think anyone noticed but her.
When Kamui smiled, it was true happiness and very contagious. But deep down, Kyoko sensed something more… something he hid from everyone… even himself. He was a guardian but he wasn’t a true brother like the rest of them. Their father had adopted him when he was a small child and no questions had ever been asked as far as she knew.
Sometimes Kamui’s eyes would shine with secrets and knowledge she couldn’t even come close to comprehending. For one so young, it was almost as if he held the weight of the entire universe on his shoulders. It made her want to protect him just as much as he protected her, even though he was in no way weak.
Shaking her worries for Kamui from her mind, Kyoko was left with Kotaro, the more lively of the group and Toya’s self proclaimed competition. Almost from the very beginning Kotaro had claimed Kyoko for his own… constantly proclaiming that she was his woman. This always got a rise out of Toya regardless of the situation. She knew Kotaro was joking but Toya always took him so seriously.
With dark wind blown hair and ice blue eyes, Kotaro was a handful. He was constantly calling her ‘his woman’ no matter how many times she denied it. He was a prince within his own territory and spent much time there, protecting it from the demons within his realm. Most of the time all he would have to do was just flash those bright eyes of his at her and she’d melt into a puddle.
He knew what strings to pull with her to get almost anything he wanted. Sometimes she wondered if every one of the guardians didn’t have her wrapped around their little fingers in one way or another. The group very seldom saw him though. Her thoughts came full circle back to Kyou. Being first born… his abilities and powers surpassed his brothers.
“Kyou,” Kyoko shivered as the name left her lips. He didn’t like her… or anyone else it would seem. He often acted more like an enemy than a brother to Toya. Those two gave the words ‘sibling rivalry’ a new meaning. Out of the five brothers, Kyou was definitely the strange one and the one to avoid at all costs. He was even more hostile than the demon plagued land he lived in.
Giving up on her scattered thoughts, Kyoko opened her emerald eyes and slid off the stone only to stop dead in her tracks. There… not twenty feet from her stood Kyou. He looked almost angelic except for the dangerous expression in his golden eyes.
‘Speak of the devil.’ She thought to herself.
The darkness that surrounded them seemed to illuminate his body… giving him a haunted appearance. Kyou's silence was thunderous. He looked as if he was considering something and Kyoko had a feeling she wouldn’t like what ever the result was.
Kyou watched her face become pale because of her alarm and savored her intoxicating scent. For once… she should fear him. She should also fear the demons he had just destroyed to protect her. His eyes bore into her as he remembered the dangerous monsters he’d just eliminated. If they had gotten to her…
The muscles in Kyou’s jaw flexed angrily at the very thought of a demons claws touching her. Still… she did not run, nor did she scream. Would she scream if she realized Hyakuhei was on his way? Such fearlessness was not in her best interest. As his thoughts darkened, her lack of fear only served to inflame him further… stoking the fires of the odd rage and passion he had for the priestess.
Kyoko stood completely still. She didn't know how to take his hauntingly beautiful image. She was too scared to move and she dared not utter a sound knowing anything she did could put her life in danger. She wasn’t so sure he had forgiven her for bringing the guardian heart crystal back into his realm.
She could feel a chill slowly crawling its way up her spine… not stopping until it reached the back of her neck and spread out from there like icy fingers of warning. She took a step backwards before she realized it and stopped herself from taking another retreating step. She knew that would be considered showing fear and she had been taught by her grandfather at a young age to hide such fear. Her grandfathers words came back to haunt her, “Showing fear only makes you an instant victim.”
Trying to fight the creeping sensation, Kyoko closed her eyes for a second. But when she opened them again, Kyou was nowhere to be seen, causing her to be even more terrified. Again the teachings of her grandfather haunted her, “Never let the enemy out of your sight or you will not see the coming attack.”
"Kyou?" She whispered his name as fear laced her voice. She then felt his hot breath on her neck and heard him inhale long and slow as if testing her scent.
Slowly, with her eyes wide open, expecting death any second, she tilted her head sideways, stopping only when her cheek touched his silky one. She gasped and tried to throw herself forward only to feel his arm go around her like a steal band, slamming her back against him and knocking the breath from her.
Kyoko's sudden fear was making it harder for her to regain that breath. She decided that she now knew what a panic attack really was and wondered if she was going to hyperventilate. This was the one person she feared more than Hyakuhei, though she had kept that little fact to herself. She had never been within touching distance of him… she definitely liked it better that way.
Her scent now surrounded him, intoxicating him. Kyou could smell her untainted scent mixed with fear, getting stronger and heavier the longer he held her imprisoned against him. Finally… she was showing the fear he demanded but still she did not scream. Her first mistake had been that small step she had taken away from him. Just that simple gesture had heated his guardian blood in ways he hadn’t felt in a very long time.
The lids of his golden eyes momentarily closed while images flashed before him too fast to decipher, all the while, the ghostly sound of her voice screaming… whether in fear or something else was hard to tell. All he did know is he did not want to hear it.
Maybe he needed to hear that sound to rid himself of the spell she had put him under. Something told him that it wouldn’t matter one way or the other. Deep inside his guardian’s heart, Kyou knew he wanted her and he was not one to be denied. A slow dangerous smile graced his perfect face as she started to struggle against him. He quickly caught one of her wrist in a light grip as she jerked.
Kyou nuzzled her neck and then took in a sharp breath when she rubbed up against him trying to free herself. "You are encouraging me," He growled low in his throat and brushed his lips against the delicate flesh of her neck. His heated blood challenged him to claim her as his own.
Kyoko couldn't help the chills the sensation of his lips gave her. Was he trying to seduce her or was he going to kill her after all? She stopped struggling and went perfectly still not sure if she liked the sound of what he had just said and knowing she didn't want to piss him off. Something told her that he was only trying to scare her.
'Smart girl,' Kyou contemplated to himself, but still she was not screaming and he was touching her… how odd. His arms loosened into a softer hold as she looked up over her shoulder at him curiously, her fear starting to subside.
Kyou got his first up close glance at her emerald eyes and the reaction startled him. She was looking at him as if he were a man… not a guardian lord. Her inability to show proper fear of him was confusing and that alone angered him. Her lack of fear had been what put her in danger tonight in the first place.
It was also why Hyakuhei was on his way to her right now thinking he could steal her away in the middle of the night. Even at this great a distance… he could feel the malicious intent of his uncle. With his hearing as sensitive as it was, he could almost hear the caress of the wind against ebony feathers. This was something for her to fear… among other things.
Fear… he could teach her that.
He would teach her the reality of his world and show her why she should never have entered it. The Guardian’s, his brothers… her protectors… they were not here to save her now. He would instruct her in various ways the true meaning of fear. His golden eyes shone wickedly in the waning moonlight as an idea came to him.
Kyou reached around her body, sliding the palm of his hand slowly downward in a caressing motion until it rested against her thigh at the bottom of her skirt. He then slid it up and under the loose cloth. He could feel the heat coming from her soft skin scalding the palm of his hand.
Her whole body shivered at the light touch as she tried to twist out of his hold. The motion caused him to form a tighter grip on her. He slid his other hand across her rib cage meaning to only teach her the lesson of being caught alone and without protection so she would be wise not to do so again.
Once again his instinct was stronger than his will, something within her called to him… making him want. Kyou could feel the heat radiating from her and his highborn blood stirred dangerously out of his control. Becoming confused, he suddenly did not want to let her go.
He would never know if the warning was for him or her. Dipping his lips closer to her ear, Kyou breathed one word. "Run."
In Kyoko's mind, fear gave way to panic when his arms loosened. She could be very obedient when the time was right and now was that time. She shot forward with no thought except to escape. Her mind screamed Toya's name repeatedly but not a sound came from her lips. Every sound she would have made seemed to be lodged in her throat, leaving it echoing only in her own ears.
If she could just get closer to the village and Toya, she would then have a chance of him hearing her and saving her from his deranged brother. She mentally pleaded with herself to wake up even though she knew this was too real to be a dream.
She nearly groaned out loud when a raindrop hit her proving she had been right… this was no dream she could wake up from, the storm had finally reached her. Glancing quickly over her shoulder she slammed into what felt like a wall and stumbled backwards with the impact.
Seeing the white billowing silk shirt only a step from her, she sprinted in another direction… now running away from the village where the guardians slept and the only hope she had of someone saving her. She knew Hyakuhei used to be a guardian but somehow had lost himself to the demons he once fought… becoming the enemy. Kyoko wondered if the same thing hadn’t happened to Kyou without anyone realizing it.
Kyoko caught a glimpse of white to her right and shifted back toward the village hoping to now have a chance to get to Toya. Her heartbeat was so loud in her ears it was deafening. Somewhere she knew the gods were laughing at her as the sky opened up and let loose its rain with a ground shaking crash of thunder.
Why? Why was he doing this? Why didn't he just kill her instead of torturing her first? She knew she didn't have a chance of out running him. She was also aware of the fact that he was going to stop her before she got to safety, but that didn't stop her headlong rush for it.
Kyou watched her get closer to the village and decided to let her think she had half a chance of escaping for a minute. It would only make it better when he caught her. Then another scent hit him. His brothers. No! He would not allow it! They had failed in protecting her and because of that, she would now stay with him no matter what. His highborn blood demanded it.
Kyoko could feel the sudden change in him. She felt Kyou’s aura closing in on her and she screamed, this time unable to hold it back. The sound rang like a death bell throughout the forest as a hand clamped over her mouth and an arm went around her waist tightening, cutting off her air supply as she was once again slammed back against his chest. Her feet were now dangling a couple of inches from the ground.
*****
Toya glanced up at the darkening night sky just as the first raindrops came. Tonight was a bad night… he could feel it clear down into his soul. His eyes matched the color of the lightning that danced across the darkness as the storm closed in.
Unable to sleep while Kyoko wasn't with him, Toya had climbed onto a high branch of a tree on the outskirts of the village to keep watch. All he could do was wait until dawn and then go meet her in the gardens of the heart of time. If he had his way… she never would have gone home to start with.
The ground shook with a rumble of thunder but Toya’s eyes widened… his hearing picking up a terrified scream within the storm. That scream had taken his breath away. “Kyoko?” What was she doing back here at this time of night without telling him first?
His eyes instantly turned to molten silver as his protective instincts went into overdrive. He’d never heard her that scared, even during battle. His heartbeat flew as his silver wings sprang to life and he took off almost too fast for the human eye to detect.
"Kyoko!" The worried cry ripped from his throat.
*****
Shinbe stood outside Suki’s hut no longer able to sleep. His nightmares would not allow it. Amethyst eyes locked on the forest that held the heart of time portal. Something was wrong, he could feel it… it had nothing to do with the oncoming storm that now raged over the forest.
“Kyou?” What was Kyou doing so close? For a very long moment, Shinbe’s throat refused to work and his breath halted in his chest as he stared into the distance. He could feel her… Kyoko was back. His midnight blue hair swayed in the stormy winds that brought the scent of his brother’s anger with it and his fist clinched. She was not alone… Kyou was with her!
After his heartbeat had decided to return to its regular rhythm, he grabbed his staff that was leaning against the doorframe. Shinbe knew he didn’t have to call for the others, he could already feel them standing behind him. Amethyst wings spread out around him as his feet left the ground.
Kamui quickly followed suit, leaving a trail of multi-colored dust in his wake. Kaen roared to life lifting Suki up to join in the chase.
*****
"No!" Kyou's voice was stern as if scolding her for something he didn't approve of. Not this time. He would not be denied this time. He wanted to touch her before, during the heat of battle, but he never had. Something had warned him the contact would be dangerous to them both so he had refrained.
This time he would appease his true nature. Her soul had plagued him long enough. She was the only female to ever face him in battle or anywhere else and not run in fear. He tightened his arms to still her struggles.
He knew his brothers loved her… but Toya was in love with the priestess. It made him angry for his brother to be close to something he desired for himself. He still could not understand why Toya hadn't mated with her but instead left her free and defenseless. Did he not realize the enemy could take her away? The mere thought of Toya taking her as his own sent a wave of possessiveness through his arms as he held her.
Kyou knew Toya had heard her scream for help. He could feel the silver guardian getting closer at an alarmingly fast rate. Not only would he teach her not to wander out alone at night… he would also teach his naive brother a lesson for letting her do so.
With a quick thought, he created a shield he knew his brother could not break through. He looked down at the girl whose emerald eyes were wide with the fear he had caused. Kyou removed his hand from her lips only to replace it with his lips… cutting off her cry. He claimed her mouth in a hard, hungry kiss, relentless in his quest. It was too late to give her back.
Kyoko instantly began struggling against him, gasping for breath. What was he doing? She had never been kissed before and this was not what she had dreamed of as her first kiss. She cried out against his lips only to be invaded.
Kyou thrust his tongue into her warm mouth as he held her face still, his fingers entwined in her silky auburn hair. His other hand slipped back under her skirt caressing the skin across her hip before feathering across her pelvic bone then lower.
He watched in fascination as her wide eyes instantly closed and she whimpered into his mouth. Kyou could feel her confusion of desperately wanting him to stop but unknowingly wanting more as he brought her body to life with feelings she never had before. There were many things he would teach her this night.
His golden eyes glowed when a white-hot surge of desire shot through him and into his loins as he pressed himself against her soft hip. He had not meant to take it this far… what had he done.
Toya’s adrenaline rush provided him speed until his vision caught a faint blue glow coming from within the darkness of the forest. He quickly landed, skidding to a halt when he found them. A fluorescent blue barrier surrounded Kyou and his hostage, crackling with dangerous energy. What met his eyes shattered him and filled him up with fury at the same time.
“Kyou!” Toya roared in anger. Grabbing his daggers in a firm grip, he crossed the glowing blades. The power within the twin daggers pulsed to life causing a shockwave out around him… sending his hair blowing back and revealing the rage that showed on his face.
Toya screamed as he lunged at the barrier and slammed his blades against it, only to be repelled backwards when energy bolts shot from the surface of the shield. His body slammed into the trunk of a huge tree, stopping his flight. He growled as he slid down the rough bark
Picking himself up off the hard packed dirt, Toya watched angrily as his brother continued kissing Kyoko. He then noticed the muscles of Kyou’s arm bunching slightly and followed the motion downward to his hand. Seeing his brother’s hand beneath her skirt, rage hit him square in the chest! The muscle movements of his arm could only mean one thing. That rage amplified while his brother continued, knowing he was watching.
“Kyoko!” Toya could feel his guardian blood begin to boil as he screamed her name. Kyoko was his and he would not let Kyou touch her this way. “Damn you bastard!” Again a wave of energy swept out around him, sending dirt and debris into the trees from the shock wave.
Kyoko's mind was tormented as her body began to betray her. She pounded on Kyou everywhere her small fist could land until she had to grasp the front of his shirt to hold on because her knees were weakening. She pushed against his chest as hard as she could but only succeeded in making him deepen the intoxicating kiss and giving his stroking hand more access.
She heard Toya scream her name and knew he was close enough to see her but Kyou wouldn't loosen his grip on her. The kiss became more demanding as her whimpers and frantic movements became more intense. She kicked out at him only to have her leg now trapped between his. Becoming frustrated she tried to bite him but that didn’t work very well either.
He wasn't hurting her. Instead, what he was doing felt so good… it was unfair torture. Never once had she ever considered Kyou capable of a kiss. For it to be so alluring was… the very thought caused her mind and body to wage war as she still tried to gain her freedom.
Kyou was enjoying her determination to fight him but he could sense that she was growing confused with her reaction to the kiss and the pleasure he was giving her. Her young untouched body craved it even as she fought him with all her meager strength. It gave him even more satisfaction knowing Toya was now watching from outside the shield he had created around them.
He could feel her responding to his touch and nearly groaned as her body betrayed her further. Her whimpers becoming more pronounced as her body blazed. She had not given in. She still fought him but it did not matter for the choice was made. He had taken it too far to turn back now.
Kyou’s eyes turned to lock with Toya's, wanting him to see, to watch him awaken her untamed passion. The expression on Toya’s face… the look in his eyes at that moment. Yes, now his brother knew the price he paid when he took his eyes off the one he was supposed to be protecting. In Kyou’s mind… it served Toya right to lose her.
Her gasps were enough for him to almost lose the control he was hanging onto by a thread. It was intoxicating to say the least. Toya would know what it felt like to want something his brother had and knowing it was out of his reach.
Kyou could feel her struggles becoming weaker and knew why as he felt her try to keep from pushing herself tighter against him. Her back was arched now and her eyes were closed, her long lashes draping over flushed cheeks.
Just as she reached the summit of the mountain he had forced her to climb, he removed his mouth from hers as she cried out into the night sky. Kyou’s face held no expression but his eyes glowed as he watched, feeling the heated flesh of her body tight against his. He had only touched her… such passion hid deep within the priestess.
Kyoko’s confusion broke and she jerked her head up to glare at Kyou. His angelic appearance belied his evil deed. He was no better then his evil uncle Hyakuhei. She felt the full force of her mortified anger override any fear she still had. She struck him hard across his cheek then gasped when she realized she had probably just signed her death warrant.