Raging Hearts

Raging Hearts
Amy Blankenship

Raging Hearts

The Guardian Heart Crystal Series Book Three

Amy Blankenship

Copyright © 2009 Amy Blankenship

English Edition Published by Amy Blankenship

Second Edition Published by TekTime

All rights reserved.

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 have 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 striven 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, its guardians have always been ready to defend it from all who would use it selfishly. The identities of these guardians remain unchanged and they love with the same ferocity regardless of the world or dimension.

One girl stands in the center of these ancient guardians and is the object of their affections. She holds within her the power of the crystal itself. This is the bearer of the crystal and the source of its power. The lines often 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 the girl as a man would crave a woman.

Within every one of these dimensions and realities you will find 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. Before the five brothers drew their first breath their ancestors, Tadamichi, and his twin brother, Hyakuhei, protected the heart of time during its darkest history. For centuries, the twins protected the seal that kept the human world from overlapping within the demon realm. This task was sacred and the lives of the humans as well as demons had to be kept safe and secret from the other.

Unexpectedly, during their reign, a small band of humans accidentally crossed over into the demon world because of the sacred crystal. During a time of turmoil, its powers caused a rip in the seal that had separated the dimensions. The leader of the human group and Tadamichi had quickly become allies, making a pact to close the rip in the seal and keep the two worlds locked away from each other forever.

But during that time, Hyakuhei and Tadamichi had both fallen in love with the daughter of the human leader.

Against Hyakuhei’s wishes, the rip had been repaired by Tadamichi and the girl’s father. The strength of the seal had been increased tenfold, separating the dangerous love triangle forever. Hyakuhei’s heart was shattered… Even his own blood brother, Tadamichi had betrayed him by making sure he and the priestess were separated by eternity.

Love can turn into the most wicked of things once it is lost. Hyakuhei’s broken heart turned to malicious anger and jealousy causing a battle between the twin brothers, ending Tadamichi’s life and splitting their immortal souls. Those slivers of immortality created five new guardians to take guardianship over the seal and protect it from Hyakuhei, who had joined the demons within the evil realm.

Imprisoned within the darkness he had become, Hyakuhei cast out all thought of protecting the heart of time… instead he turned his energy toward banishing the seal completely. His long midnight locks, reaching past his knees and a face belonging only to the most seductive, belied the true evil hidden within his angelic appearance.

As the war begins between the forces of light and dark, a blinding blue light is emitted from the sanctified statue signaling that the young priestess has been reborn and the crystal has resurfaced on the other side.

As the guardians are drawn to her and become her protectors, the battle between good and evil truly begins. Hence the entrance into another world where darkness is dominant within the world of light.

This is one of their many epic adventures…

Chapter 1 "Dangerous Kisses"

"I just need to go home for a day or two." Kyoko sighed to herself as she leaned back against the bark of a huge tree. She drew her legs up in front of her and laid her chin on her knees as she sat between the tree’s outreaching roots. To say she was miserable would have been an understatement.

She was tired, dirty and getting aggravated because they hadn't run across any talisman in the last several days. That was a fact that had Toya sulking. Their small motley group had decided to take a break for a couple of days. Kyoko cocked an eyebrow knowing it was either take a break or strangle each other. She blew her bangs out of her eyes silently agreeing.

Suki had taken off for the closest town to see an acquaintance about more slayer weapons. Shinbe had taken off after her, walking next to her with his hand coming up behind her as if to feel her butt. The smack that followed had been the highlight of Kyoko’s day. She smirked knowing Shinbe had just not wanted Suki wondering around the countryside by herself. He was only trying to protect her but instead of saying that, he simply pretended to be the letch they all knew and loved.

Looking around, she noticed Kamui must’ve taken off with Kaen again. He’d been doing that a lot lately. Kyoko smiled to herself wishing she had that same freedom. Kaen was a fire sprite and could turn from human form into a dragon at will. Kamui would then climb onto his back and they would fly all over the land, sometimes staying gone for days at a time.

Glancing over at Toya, who was leaning against the tree beside her, Kyoko noted that his head tilted down quickly when he saw her look his way. 'He’s watching me again,' Kyoko thought to herself as she felt heat rise into her cheeks. He’s been acting strange for the last couple of weeks… but then… when doesn’t Toya act strange? She grinned at her own joke.

She glanced away as her hand came up to touch the small sack attached to the long leather strap she wore around her neck. She could feel the small slivers of crystal hidden within the thin leather. Her thoughts instantly turned to Hyakuhei, their enemy. She couldn’t understand how someone so strikingly beautiful could be so cruel and unpredictable. Kyoko cocked an eyebrow reminding her self that looks could be deceiving… especially in a land overrun with demons.

As Hyakuhei collected pieces of the talisman he became stronger, even though he was extremely powerful to begin with. With the ability to take the weaker demons within himself and thrive on their power, he became more dangerous with every battle. If he ever gained all the pieces of the talisman, he’d then be able to breach the barrier between the demon and human world. If that happened, he would let the demons into her world and the humans wouldn’t stand a chance.

Toya had been leaning there, pretending he was asleep for almost an hour now, waiting to see what Kyoko would do. After all, it wasn’t like he had anything to do now that he’d been overruled on continuing the talisman hunt. His breath seized in his chest as he watched her face tilt up to the sunlight and he felt his stomach clench.

It seemed everything she did lately made him think about… keeping her. Toya silently wondered if once this was over, if she would just go back to her world and forget all about him. Sometimes he found himself wishing this war would never end and that’s another reason he’d agreed to allow this break. His golden eyes softened with a hidden longing as she stood up and her long, silky auburn hair started blowing in the breeze.

Kyoko had never been good at sitting still for too long and her nerves were already starting to fray from boredom. Needing something to take her mind off the mess she’d made in this world, she stood up and started for a nearby path.

"Toya, I'm going to go for a walk, okay?" Kyoko called over her shoulder as she took off… to where, she didn’t know. She bit her bottom lip when she didn't hear him following her. Fine… she didn't want him to come on a walk with her anyway. She cocked an eyebrow at the silent lie. They’d been walking for days so why in the world was she doing it when she didn’t have too. No wonder he hadn’t offered to keep her company.

She slowed down, sulking. Toya had been acting so odd lately. She was getting whiplash from the sudden changes in his personality and was tired of obsessing over it. Kyoko decided to just keep going until she was so tired she’d just sleep for the next couple days.

Toya stood up, wanting nothing more than to follow her. He shoved away from the tree and took a step to do just that, than stopped mid-stride. He leaned back against the tree in a huff. "Oh no, I’m staying right here… where it’s safe." He breathed through clinched teeth forcing himself not to follow her like a stalker.

It was all he could do today to keep his distance anyway. He didn’t sense any demons nearby and figured she’d be safe for a while. The silver guardian inhaled deeply as he slid down the tree and settled against it. Kyoko’s scent was still in the clearing and it was driving him crazy.

It happened every time he spent too much time alone with her. He’d start acting weird and she’d get mad, than he would say something stupid and make it worse. If he knew for sure she wouldn't reject him, then he’d reach out to her like he’d wanted to do since the first moment he had saw her. Toya glared down at his hands wondering why every time he tried, something happened to ruin it.

Kyoko walked for quite a while thinking bashing thoughts about the male population in this world and her own world. The splashing sounds of cascading water brought her attention back to her surroundings. Looking around, she saw a crystal clear pool of water with a small waterfall constantly feeding it.

“It’s amazing how in a land of monsters, some things can be so beautiful,” She whispered in awe. Her emerald eyes lit up as she took it all in. Not sensing anything in the water that might hurt her or want to fight, Kyoko started stripping, knowing they were a long way from any type of village.

She couldn't believe her luck coming across this all by herself and she wasn't about to let the opportunity pass her up. Sticking her toes in first to test the water, she nearly melted finding it naturally heated.

Kyoko waded into the water and splashed it up on herself, loving the cleansing feel of it. She’d been so spoilt in her own world, taking for granted that she could take a hot shower whenever she wanted. This world was a completely other matter. Stepping closer to the waterfall, she let it shower down on her hair and felt more tranquil then she had in a long time.

She loved having something to think about besides Toya for a little while. She was tired of being in a funk because of him and his mood swings. Lately, all he had to do was look at her and she would blush. That made her angry. He was all about finding the talisman and killing demons.

When Toya faced the demons, sometimes he could be more frightening then the evil he was fighting. Truth was, most people thought Toya hated everyone… it was just his personality. She was constantly reminding herself that he was far from human and didn’t live by their rules… none of the guardians did.

However, sometimes she would get a glimpse of the man behind the guardian. It was in those rare moments that he seemed different… softer. He would accidentally do something that proved he cared for her more then he let on. He was the only one of the five guardians that could cross the Heart of Time into her world and she wondered why. Did it mean something? Were they secretly linked together more than her and the other guardians?

Kyoko huffed to herself in disappointment because she was still thinking about Toya after deciding not to. She scrubbed her skin and hair until it shone and then laid back on the surface of the water. She wasn’t ready to abandon such a lovely place just yet. There was no telling if she’d ever see it again.