A Guardian's Possession

Kyoko closed her eyes and tilted her head to give into his soft caress as she nodded. That sounded like it was the right answer though she didn’t remember the demons that had given chase. “Oh, okay.” she whispered as she sank into his warmth.

"Kyoko, would you like to go outside? I would like to show you something." He slid his palm slowly down her arm until her small hand was within his.

Kyoko wondered why she felt so weak. ‘Yes, sunshine… That’s what she needed to clear her head.’ For some reason, she felt out of place but couldn’t put her finger on the dilemma. She only nodded to Hyakuhei, trusting him to take her out of this dark beautiful dungeon.

Hyakuhei tightened his strong arm around Kyoko pressing her to his side and rose above the stone floor. In turn, he felt her wrap her arms around him, clinging to him so she wouldn’t fall.

"I will not ever let you go Kyoko," He whispered in her ear as he touched her chin gently knowing she would not hear the double meaning within his words. Her face turned up to his and she loosened her hold. He glided out of the cave and then straight up but not too fast so he wouldn’t frighten her. He landed on the soft ground in the sunlight.

Kyoko looked around at the leaves. The forest offered speckled shade to them and everything was so bright as her emerald eyes adjusted to the light. She let go and took a step out of the circle of his arms. What was she doing here? What was she missing? She glanced at Hyakuhei still feeling a little confused. Wasn’t she looking for something she had lost?

"Kyoko, will you still help me find the fragments of the guardian heart crystal before the demons can use them to break through the portal?" He watched as her eyes lit up in understanding. He was glad she didn’t yet remember her true guardians. The spell he had on her was strong and as long as nothing prompted the memory, the enchantment wouldn’t confuse her.

Kyoko smiled. Yes, that’s what she was here for. Looking for the talisman.

"Yes Hyakuhei. The shards. I almost forgot." She closed her eyes and tried to detect any of the crystals untainted energy nearby. After a moment, her eyes opened and she pointed. "About half a mile that way Hyakuhei and its alone." She smiled glad it wasn’t inside a demon… well, not that she could tell.

She let him take her back into his strong arms as he lifted them off the ground and took them in the direction she indicated.

They found the fragment quickly and when he asked to hold it for her, she didn’t think twice about giving it to him, although something gnawed at her memory. She sighed, closing her eyes again and instantly detected another fragment… but this time it wasn’t alone. This time it was contaminated with darkness.

She reached behind her for her crossbow but her hand came up empty. She frowned wondering where she had left it as she felt a hand on her shoulder.

"Kyoko, do not worry. I will keep you safe. Just tell me where it is." He knew she was looking for her weapon but that was a memory he also wanted her to forget. He knew the power behind the spirit darts and it was a power he did not want near him.

He let her show him the direction of the shard and that led him to a shadow demon that was feeding off the power of the sliver of crystal. Pushing Kyoko behind him, Hyakuhei cast a barrier around her so she would be safe while he pretended to fight the demon. It was such a splendid creature and its power was enormous now that it had the talisman within it.

It may have been a simple shadow demon once upon a time, but now… now it resembled a black dragon. It would be a shame to just kill the beast but he could not take it into his own body and savor its powers in front of Kyoko. She wouldn’t understand and it may trigger the memory that he was indeed the enemy.

Using his powers over demons, Hyakuhei made quick work of ending its life. Seeing the splinter of crystal fall, he picked it up feeling the small slice of power Kyoko had just unknowingly given to him.

The corners of his lips turned up as he looked back at Kyoko. Releasing her from the protection barrier, he once again took her in his arms. He knew he was deceiving her into being with him but suddenly he didn’t want it to be a lie. Leaning down toward her to block out the rest of the world, he lowered his lips to hers.

*****

Hyakuhei’s growl echoed as he reached out toward the darkness just as the dream ended. The haunting laugh of the dream master was the only thing that greeted him within the cave as he watched the flames from the fire turn several shades of color before the licking flames twisted into a dark shade of black to match his mood.

How dare the dream tempt him so… making him notice the loneliness.

Chapter 6 “Deadly Escape”

Kyoko awoke with a start just as the memories of what had happened came rushing back to her like a confused tidal wave. She could almost swear that she could hear the echo of Hyakuhei’s angry roar as she slipped away from the dream and it gave her cold chills. It was his scream still ringing in her ears leaving her eyes wide with shock.

The dream had found her again and somehow she knew it was waiting for her to close her eyes once more. Her fingers trailed up to softly touch her lips and something within her wondered if she fell asleep again… if the dream would start out with that same kiss. She wrapped her arms around herself, strangely missing the heat.

Wondering how long she had been sleeping, she glanced toward the window. From the height of the moon and all the stars she could see it was still the middle of the night but getting closer to dawn with every heartbeat. It was no wonder her mind was trying to make Hyakuhei her savior when her real savior was becoming so dangerous. This was all Kyou’s fault.

So much had happened in such a short amount of time that she wasn’t surprised she’d cried herself to sleep. Her mind and body wouldn’t let her sleep but only a few minutes at a time till she found a way out of this mess. It was already getting hard to decipher what was reality and what lay only within her own mind.

‘Just who the hell did Kyou think he was?’ Kyoko mentally lashed out as she rose up on her elbows. She needed to get away from this place and him as soon as possible.

Looking around for something to wear, Kyoko spotted a white silk robe lying on a low table by the large pillow. Her gaze roamed the rest of the room hoping to find something more to wear. She knew the silk of the robe wouldn’t provide her much covering and this was the north for heaven’s sake… She would freeze.

Blowing her bangs upward in disappointment, she climbed across the pillow and stood reaching for the robe. Slipping it on, she marveled at the silky softness of it against her skin. It was so light it felt as if she hadn’t put anything on. If she hadn’t been a captive here… she might have actually liked this place.

Tying the silk around her, Kyoko snuck to the window and looked out already planning her escape. The moonlight provided enough light to see by but enough darkness to maybe try to get away.

Leaning out the window, she looked down the three-story drop in denial. Seeing the deep crevices in the outer rock wall, her lips quirked in a childish smile. She knew after being with Toya for so long that she would be able to climb down. “Hopefully without falling,” she contradicted herself in a whisper.

She had to run as far away from Kyou as possible before he took something from her that she was not offering.

Kyoko sighed inwardly as she made a silent wish. ‘Toya… I need you.’ The words seemed to echo within her and somehow she felt maybe… just maybe Toya had heard her. Memories untold seeped through her mind… Toya would never let her fall. Her lips parted in wonder for a moment before she shook the feeling off as imagination.

She gripped the windowsill to steady her nerves. Straightening her shoulders and finding her courage, she decided she wasn’t holding out for a savior because even she knew Kyou was a force to reckon with. She really didn’t want Toya putting himself in that kind of danger. She also knew the longer she waited, the more of a chance Toya would try to rescue her.

Kyoko climbed up on the ledge and threw her legs over. Turning around, she slowly felt for footing in the wall. She grimaced when the stone felt like it was cutting into her bare feet, but she would go through anything just to escape.

As carefully as she could, she made her way down the side of the castle. What took only a few fleeting moments felt like hours. She spent the whole climb fearing being caught, but when her feet finally touched the ground all other thoughts fled except getting as far away as possible.

Looking up at the window, she backed away from the wall half expecting to see Kyou appear and snatch her up again. She couldn’t go through another one of his ‘punishments’ as he called it.

That thought spurred her into action. Kyoko turned and ran like Hyakuhei’s demons were after her through the surrounding maze of gardens and statues. Without stopping her headlong rush for freedom, her eyes took everything in, marveling at the surreal beauty of it even within the darkness.

Only the fear of being found by Kyou kept her going when her lungs started burning and her legs cramped. She was startled when she made it to the end of the grounds only to find a very potent barrier shimmering with a luminous blue hue. She knew it would take all her priestess powers to break through something Kyou himself had made.

Once more she looked over her shoulder at the imposing structure Kyou called home. There was no doubt in her mind he would know what she was doing if the barrier was brought down. She only needed to make an opening just big enough to let her through.

Biting her bottom lip, she reached out one shaky hand and touched the surface of the barrier to test its strength and was rewarded with a slight shock wave that passed warningly through her body. It didn’t hurt her… instead; it felt like the barrier was trying to tell her that there was unknown danger on the other side and for her to stay inside where it was safe.

She smiled in surprise realizing the shield was more for protection than to cause bodily harm… at least from the inside of the barrier. She had no doubt that if someone or something tried to get in from the outside without permission … that’s where the pain would be.

She gave pause as the dream came back to her… the barrier Hyakuhei had placed around her for protection from the dragon he had fought… it also was only to keep her safe and she had felt safe… strange that she would think so softly toward the enemy.

“I mean no harm… please,” Kyoko whispered as she again touched the barrier. To her amazement, an opening appeared and she quickly stepped through the milky-blue mist just as the shield closed behind her. It had given her exactly what she needed.

Turning around to see if the barrier had really closed behind her to erase the fact that she had escaped, Kyoko was startled to only find a desolate overgrown forest and no lush grounds or castle anywhere in site. It looked as if gloom and sadness had descended to silence all living within its tangled web of limbs.

Would Kyou know if someone breached the barrier he had placed around his home? Would some kind of alarm go off to alert him? She felt fear slither across her at the very thought of what he would do when he found her missing after warning her not to leave. Kyoko cocked a shaky eyebrow knowing she wasn’t going to be stupid enough to wait around to find out if the ice prince had a sense of humor or not.

From there, she ran as fast as she could over the unstable ground and toward the unknown. Kyoko could feel the undergrowth of the forest tearing at her robe and skin. She ignored the branches as one scraped her cheek and others caught her hair and legs as her headlong flight continued.

Her feet were screaming at her to stop as she continuously stepped on small pebbles and thorns. She could feel trickles of liquid running down her arms and legs but didn’t look to see if it was sweat or blood. If she stopped he would catch her!

Looking back over her shoulder to make sure she wasn’t being pursued, Kyoko realized in the darkness of the forest… he could have been right behind her and she would never have seen him. The thought was chilling and made her move faster.

She didn’t really know where she was, but on instinct, she stayed straight and prayed she was getting farther from the castle and from the possessive guardian that Kyou had become. Her foot caught on something stiff and the ground came up hard and fast. The impact made her disoriented for a few seconds, her breathing fast and shallow.

Staying on hands and knees, Kyoko tried to catch her breath and slow her pounding heartbeat. Her body ached and she knew there were more wounds on her knees… they stung as only skinned knees can. She listened to the sounds around her and noticed the sounds had stopped… that frightened her.