Chapter 2 “Fearless”

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.

The lids of his golden eyes momentarily closed while images flashed before him too fast to decipher as he imagined 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.

Or… 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 lips 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 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 enough not to do so again.

Once again his instinct was stronger than his will as 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. His amethyst gaze 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!

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. Translucent 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’d 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 human 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 gazed 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. The moment he tasted her 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 as he held her face still, his fingers entwined in her silky auburn hair. His other hand slipped back under her skirt caressing the smooth skin there before he encountered the soft cotton between her thighs.

He watched in fascination as her wide eyes instantly closed and she whimpered into the kiss. Kyou could feel her confusion of desperately wanting him to stop but also wanting more as he brought her body to life with sensations she’d never felt 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 the soft roundness of her 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. Slinging his hands downward by his sides his daggers slid into existence. Grabbing the sacred weapons 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 roared 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 boiled 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. He was now cupping her between her legs in a rhythmic grip that made her feel like she was riding his hand… it was unfair torture. Never once had she ever considered Kyou capable of a kiss… much less such a bold touch. 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 priestess side blazed to life… the side of her soul that belonged only to the guardians. 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 gaze 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 this way.

Her gasps were enough for him to almost lose the control he was hanging on to 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 his hand where moist heat now radiated from her. Her back was arched 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 letting her seductive cry echo around them. 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 as she felt herself throb against his hand and she jerked her head up to glare at Kyou. His angelic appearance belied his evil deed. He was no better than his uncle Hyakuhei. She felt the full force of her mortified anger override any fear she still had. She raised her hand and struck him hard across his cheek then stilled when she realized she had probably just signed her death warrant.

When the sound of the smack faded, Kyoko raised her chin in defiance as the rain hummed against the outer shield of the barrier. “I hate you,” She hissed as humiliated tears sprang to her eyes.

Kyou was unaffected and made no move to let her free as his gaze locked with her now angry frightened one. Whether they liked it or not, his guardian blood had chosen her and because of that… they were both doomed. Kyou liked the smell of her anger. It was like an aphrodisiac to him but he felt the hot knife of jealousy as she turned her attention to his brother.

Toya's eyes were now hid behind the bangs of his silver streaked midnight hair as he watched them. He knew he could not break the barrier Kyou had created but he had heard her words. She hated Kyou and it was up to him to release her from her bondage.

"Kyou!" Toya’s face lifted to show silver eyes of rage. "We are her protectors… her guardians. Give her back to me! Now!" his voice was harsh and grating within the sound of the pounding rain.

Kyou still watched Kyoko. He slid his palm against her cheek caressingly as his golden eyes bored into hers. "So possessive," He whispered as if talking to himself, still watching the fire shoot from her eyes. The fact that she now feared him even less because of her anger made him smile inwardly.

Shifting his gaze back to his brother’s, Kyou’s eyes narrowed dangerously but his voice remained cold and void of feeling. "It's too late. You were lax in your protection of our priestess for her to be alone in the shrine this late at night."

Kyoko tried to shove away from him but his hold tightened. "Let me go you, you jerk!" She looked back over her shoulder at Toya wanting to scream his name, needing his help. But her lips stayed sealed, not wanting the brothers to fight.

She knew Kyou was strong but she also knew if angered… Toya’s strength was limitless. A battle between them would be far too dangerous. Still, she couldn’t help the pleading look that shimmered within her emerald eyes… that look alone was a silent scream for him to help her.

As if reading her thoughts, Kyou grabbed her chin and brought her attention back to him where it belonged. "Never," he growled out watching her eyes widen in alarm. Then, taking his fingers to the pulse of her neck, he pressed, catching her as her body went limp and she silently slid against him. He almost regretted putting her to sleep… almost.

Toya knew his brother was stronger but still… he had no right to take her. He could read the odd desire in Kyou's eyes as he looked at Kyoko. "What do you think you are doing? Damn it! Just give her back to me… I have always protected her." He waited as his brother just stared at him.

Kyou could feel what his brother could not. The evil was closing in on them in the form of Hyakuhei and his minions. This would be another lesson for his dear brother to learn the hard way.

Toya released his pent up breath as his hands tightened into fist at his sides. "What are you thinking Kyou? She is our priestess!" Still not getting a response Toya whispered, “I thought you said humans were beneath you… why did you do… that?”

Kyou’s face remained calm and his voice softened for a fleeting moment as if talking to a wayward child, “If you take your eyes from her then she will be taken away from you. You brother, do not know the meaning of true protection.”

Kyou had already turned his attention back to the limp girl in his arms. His brother loved her but had never told her, how ironic. She loved his brother but… he intended to steal that love. He wanted it… craved it and would not be denied it.

His golden orbs turned back to Toya as his voice hardened. "Hyakuhei’s near… can you not feel him? She would have been in danger. You left her untouched, unmarked, unprotected, and alone… waiting for him. I will not make the same mistake."

Toya watched as the shadow of Kyou’s golden wings shimmered to life, destroying the barrier that had surrounded them the second the powerful feathers touched its surface. He screamed in denial as Kyou disappeared with Kyoko in his tight embrace. The sound ricocheted, leaving nothing behind but the roar of the storm that still raged across the forest.

He knew he had failed her for now, but he would find a way to free her from his brother. Kyou was right for scolding him for his lack of surveillance over Kyoko, but to kiss her… touch her like that… then take her from his protection. Why?

Toya’s blood boiled as the echo of Kyou’s threat resounded within his mind. “Unmarked?” He prayed Kyou didn’t mean that he would take Kyoko as his mate just to protect her. Toya growled at the very thought.

“No way!” He shouted at the now empty space. He was the one always by her side, not Kyou. Kyou hated humans and had never showed any interest in Kyoko. Why would he suddenly do something so rash? The very air surrounding Toya became alive with suppressed fury as his guardian powers rose dangerously with his anger.

“Kyou damn it! I won’t allow it!" Toya’s voice could be heard throughout the forest.