A Guardian's Possession

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 inhaled deeply of the woman-child that traveled with his siblings.

Within his mind’s 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 the barrier his father Tadamichi had protected. 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.

Tadamichi wanted 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 Tadamichi 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 and 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 translucent 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 dearly. 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. Sometimes Kamui’s eyes would shine with secrets and knowledge she couldn’t even come close to comprehending. For one so pure of heart, 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 livelier of the group and Toya’s self-proclaimed competition. Almost from the very beginning Kotaro had claimed Kyoko for his own… constantly telling the others 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 windblown 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 blue 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.

“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 ghostly appearance. Kyou's silence was thunderous. He looked as if he was considering something and Kyoko had a feeling she wouldn’t like whatever 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 felt 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 grandfather’s 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.