Chapter 4 “Double Trouble”

Chapter 4 “Double Trouble”

Kyoko sat up on the pillows staring at the door that had slammed only a few seconds before. Her thoughts were frozen on the reason he said she was there. Kyou wanted her to teach him human emotions? Why would the prince of ice want to know human emotions? And why would he want to learn them from her?

She raised her hand to her lips still feeling the tingling sensation his kiss had caused. Kyoko's eyes narrowed as she lowered her hand thinking. 'One thing is for sure! Kyou knows two emotions already… anger and conceit.'

***** Hiroki and Hiraru opened the door peeking in, looking for the pretty girl. There had never been a girl in the castle or at least one that they had ever seen. It had been a long time since they had even seen another human among them. They were so used to only seeing Kyou that it had never dawned on them that they were missing out on anything till now. Now they couldn’t keep their curiosity at bay.

Looking at each other when they didn’t see anything straight away, they leaned forward a bit more to fully see the pillow the girl had been lying on. Seeing that she was still there, they scrambled in almost falling over each other in the process.

Kyoko’s eyes brightened considerably when she saw the twin boys. They were so adorable and again she wondered how someone like Kyou could have these two beautiful children in his company. It just didn’t fit his cold personality.

In their rush to her side, one of them tripped but luckily landed on the edge of the pillow instead of the unforgiving marble floor. Kyoko couldn’t help it and laughed, taking him up in her arms and placing him back on his feet. She watched the other twin run up and hug his brother. Their cheeks were pressed together looking at her with identical smiles. They were so adorable and reminded her of her little brother when he was small.’

“Be careful,” Kyoko admonished. “You shouldn’t run across such slick floors. My name’s Kyoko.”

"Hiya Kyoko. He is my brother Hiroki…” “And he is my brother Hiraru.” They finished each other’s sentences.

“It’s very nice to meet you,” Kyoko nodded.

“You’re very pretty,” Hiraru said quietly.

Kyoko mentally squealed at their cuteness but held it in. “Thank you Hiraru, I must say you two are very handsome too.”

They both blushed sweetly and Kyoko was finding it harder to keep from hugging the life out of them. She glanced toward the door then back at them. “Do you know where Kyou is?”

Hiroki and Hiraru gave each other a knowing look. “I think she likes him,” Hiroki whispered.

Kyoko's lips parted but nothing came out and she blushed.

“Her cheeks are red,” Hiraru said. “Mommy’s cheeks always turned red when Daddy would hug her. Do you think Kyou’s hugged Kyoko?”

Kyoko resisted the urge to fall over and bury her face in the pillow. ‘He’s done more than hug me,’ the thought steamrolled through her head. Trying to distract herself she noted the smudges of dirt on the boy’s hands and grinned. Boys would be boys and it looked like these two had been playing outside.

Kyoko reached out and lifted Hiroki's hand turning it palm side up. “Been playing in the dirt have we?” she winked.

“We need to take a bath now,” Hiraru informed her knowing Kyou never had dirty hands. The twins looked up to him and wanted to be just like their hero. “Will you come take a bath with us?"

Kyoko shook her head, “I don’t think that would be a very good idea.” She faltered when the twins each took a hand and attempted to pull her to her feet.

“Kyou won’t mind,” Hiroki said. “Once he sees how pretty you are when you’re clean maybe he’ll hug you.”

Kyoko’s eyes widened again and she groaned mentally. She didn’t want Kyou to hug her… she wanted Kyou to let her go. That’s when it truly dawned on her… the children didn’t know she was being kept against her will.

The little twins smiled innocently at her, pulling her toward the door. Her resolve to stay right where she was shattered when she saw their dirty bare feet. She wondered who bathed and took care of them. All the little things her mother used to do for her, that she took for granted, had not been given to these beautiful boys.

Kyoko didn’t know what to do so she just nodded and followed the children out the door and down the hall. At the moment it was a plus just to get out of that room. There were large tapestries and paintings lining the walls… more than a few Kyoko wouldn’t have minded taking a closer look at but she wasn’t about to make an appointment. She had an ulterior motive… find a way out of the castle and back to Toya.

The tiny hands holding hers continued to pull her down the hall to a set of white marble spiral steps. The stairway was so steep Kyoko tightened her grip on the children’s hands not wanting to see them trip and fall in their haste. At the bottom they led her through a set of double doors. Kyoko felt the change in temperature and humidity… she blinked in surprise and looked around with her lips parted in awe.

The room was enormous with a tantalizing hot spring bubbling comfortably in the center of the stone floor. The stone stretched all the way to the walls where it was lined with soft fluffy cushions creating a very comfortable setting. Under the right circumstances… it could have been considered romantic.

Following the wall, she craned her neck noticing it went all the way up through the center of the castle, leading to different wings and letting in the breeze and sunshine. If it were raining, she’d be wet right about now.

“Well, at least this is closer to being outside than I was,” she glanced down and smiled when both the boys looked up at her curiously. “It’s beautiful,” She nodded not wanting to worry them with her own ramblings.

Kyoko remembered Toya once telling her that Kyou lived in a luxurious setting… this alone confirmed it. She couldn’t tell just how big the castle was, and she wasn’t really sure she wanted to find out. It was bad enough she was having trouble remembering how she got to this room.

Following her line of vision back down to the spring, she noticed there where soft materials for drying and steam rising off the heated water. She had come to absolutely love the small hot springs they often ran into in this world but this was … the best thing since sliced bread. In ways, it was even better than what she had in her modern world.

It seemed almost too good for just general use and she wondered if this were someone’s personal bathing area. She shivered when the idea that this could be Kyou’s private bath entered her mind. Taking a quick look around to be sure, she breathed a sigh of relief upon determining he was nowhere around.

Kyoko looked down at Hiroki and Hiraru nervously. "Are we supposed to be here?"

They smiled, jumping up and down with excitement. "We wanted Kyoko to come with us like Mommy used to do!" With that… the twins preceded in stripping and running into the water, giggling in delight.

Kyoko’s jaw dropped. ‘Like mommy used to do?’ She blinked several times wondering how two children so sweet and innocent had survived without their mommy and how it was that they had wound up living with the prince of ice.

***** Kyou paced back and forth within the walls of his room wondering what he was going to do with Kyoko. He wasn’t worried about Toya and the others, but the fact that Hyakuhei had gotten so close to her didn’t make him happy. If he hadn’t gotten to her first, what would have happened?

Shaking his head he growled at the question. He knew exactly what would have happened. Hyakuhei would have seduced her and then used her to gather the talisman and open a portal into her world. He could still remember the softness within her voice as she said Hyakuhei’s name in her sleep. That thought alone was enough to make him want to fly into a rage. His uncle did not deserve to touch… would NEVER touch what was his.

He stopped pacing and stared into space. His… he very much liked the sound of that. The only problem he faced at the moment was gaining more of her trust and making her see that he was the only one that would ever have the ability to protect her the way she was meant to be protected. In order for him to accomplish this, he needed to keep her beside him and make sure she remained so.

He knew he could force her to stay but he also realized that would only make her hate him. He had worked most of his life at keeping humans at a distance, but Kyoko… he didn’t want her distant at all. If she never left the castle, then evil could never reach her. He wanted her to want to stay willingly, like the twins.

A very brief smile graced his lips thinking of the human children he had accommodated within his home. The expression vanished when his mind flashed back to the past… keeping the twins had been an accident.

The humans that had been stranded in this world, millenniums ago, had had to fight the demons of this world in order to survive. But often they were killed off at early ages because of their weakness, so the population had not grown by much. Those that did survive to adulthood often spend their entire lives fighting the demons that plagued this world.

The guardians and stronger humans within this world tried to keep them protected but they couldn’t always be there at the right time.

Such was the situation with the twins. Not long after the guardian heart crystal had been shattered, Kyou had heard of a village near his castle being attacked by the underlings of his uncle and he knew there must have been a talisman there for Hyakuhei to show such interest. On top of that, the village was within his territory and therefore under his protection. Unfortunately, for reasons he still had not discovered, he had not sensed the demons closing in until it was too late.

By the time Kyou had arrived, the village was under attack by several airborne fire demons. The twins had been the only ones left and that was only because their parents had hid them in a cavern under their hut. Had he not heard their cries under the burning shelter…? Kyou found it difficult to think about that part of it which constantly led him to a confused state.

Having pulled them from the wreckage, he had noticed the twins both had been adorned with a necklace made from the shattered pieces of the guardian heart crystal. The twin’s crystalline blue eyes had matched the color of the jewel that hung around their neck as they cried for the family that had been taken from them.

He had stood there looking around the destroyed village as the twins clutched at his legs, hiding their faces against him.

Kyou had thought it strange that both fragments had been in the shape of a teardrop… how ironic as he looked around the village that had been slaughtered leaving behind the very reason it had been demolished. Had the guardian heart crystal somehow hid the children from the monsters that had come for them? Considering the unknown nature of the crystal and the many secrets it contained… it wouldn’t have surprised him.

Knowing others would come for the tainted necklaces, Kyou quickly removed the fragments from their necks. He tried convincing himself repeatedly that it was part of his duty as a guardian to protect the talisman but, again, emotion constantly swayed his decisions. Later, looking back on the event, he had to stop from associating himself and his brothers with the twins. Like the children, they had no family except each other.

Already hiding feelings for Kyoko, it had made him curious about humans, so when the twins had tried to toddle behind him… wanting to follow him… he realized they too would die without his help.

Something about the tearstained faces and the way they looked up at him made his chest feel tight and heavy… he would not leave them. The decision made, he had turned and swept them up in his arms and brought them home behind the walls where demons could not find them. He would watch after the human siblings and learn the secret of why the guardian heart crystal protected such a race.

Shaking the memories from his mind, he pulled the chain out from his shirt and glanced at the sphere that rested there. The fragments of the crystal he had taken from the children.

He raised it up to eye level to watch the small teardrops float within the barrier he had given them. Such beautiful slivers of blue crystal that seemed to swim in a sea of tears they had caused. Tears he knew the twins still shed for their lost family, though they were coming less often than before. Occasionally, while resting, one or both would attempt crawling into bed with him to sleep. He did not understand this aspect of comfort but he allowed it, curious.

Slipping the necklace back into its hiding place, Kyou retreated back to the room he had placed Kyoko in and opened the door. Without stepping a foot inside, he could feel the room was empty and his anger grew. He had not told her she was free to leave. His expression hardened… She would have to learn her place if he was to protect her.

He inhaled slowly, detecting the scent of the twins mingling with hers. He walked on silent feet to one of the two balconies that lined the hallway just outside her room. This one led to the center of the castle and he looked down toward the hot springs that lay within.

Seeing her again, Kyou felt his anger cool. She had not fled as he had first thought. He silently watched her from the shadows as she spoke with the siblings.

***** Kyoko walked to the edge of the enclosed hot spring, still undecided on whether or not she should be here watching the twins bathe or trying to find a way out of the castle completely. Seeing the children’s carefree happiness eased her worries for a few minutes. As long as they were with her nothing would happen… right?

Letting her mind relax, she sat down on the stone lining that surrounded the heated water, sticking her feet in while watching the set of human twins. She was still curious as to how the little children came to be here, with Kyou. "Hiroki, Hiraru, where is your mommy and daddy?"

The twins stopped splashing and turned to Kyoko with a tilt to their little heads. "The village was attacked and everyone disappeared in the flames.” Hiroki took a piece of cloth from the side, dipped it in a bowl on the side of the spring, and started rubbing his little body.

Kyoko was surprised to see that it made lather as he rubbed his skin. So, the twin’s parents were dead? "How did you come here to be with Kyou?" She watched Hiraru wade to her smiling.

His little face tilted up to Kyoko’s and she could see warmth in his eyes. "The demons would have taken us too but Kyou stopped them and now we get to stay with him." he turned and splashed water on Hiroki, getting rid of the soap while he continued to answer her question. "The demons can’t find us now. They can’t even see this place, Kyou said so.” Kyoko watched Hiroki struggle to wet Hiraru’s hair and lather it.

’So… Kyou had saved them and now he watched after them much like a father would?’ Kyoko’s eyebrows forwarded in confusion. That did not sound like the Kyou she had come to fear. Her gaze softened for a second wondering if she really knew him at all. ‘An ice prince with a heart?’ she giggled at her own joke.

Noticing the stream of soap making its way toward Hiraru’s eyes, Kyoko decided to offer her assistance. "Would you like for me to help you wash your hair?"

When the children nodded and laughed, Kyoko got up her nerve and removed her clothes then slid into the water to help them, completely ignoring the fact that at the moment she was supposed to be trying to find a way back to the other guardians and far away from the guardian who had become her jailor.

***** “How was I supposed to know Kyoko was coming back through the time portal in the middle of the damn night?” Toya yelled up at the sky as if Kyou could still hear him. It had taken Shinbe a while just to get him this calm.

They had all panicked at first when light traces of red started filtering into Toya’s irises. When Toya started to destroy select trees around him, they had decided to step back a moment and let him work off some of his anger instead of letting it build up to such a dangerous level.

“And Hyakuhei showing up like that… she could have been kidnapped!” Toya continued to rage in confusion as his eyes turned silver in anger then reflected back to gold as worry reentered his mind. He looked back at the spot where Kyou had held her within the barrier against her will.

“What am I saying? She WAS kidnapped. Damn it!” he growled broodingly.

Shinbe was Toya’s opposite… he remained calm in the face of their missing priestess. “Kidnapped or saved?” He questioned as his hand tightened on his staff in uncertainty. What was Kyou thinking? He was sure there was more to this story than Toya was telling them.

His amethyst gaze watched Toya’s every move in hopes that his cursed demonic side would stay dormant. The last thing they needed was Toya’s demon blood taking over and making the situation worse. “Kyou has never been known to be nice… even when he was actually helping. Maybe he took her just to keep her safe till Hyakuhei left.”

Toya clinched his fist knowing the others hadn’t seen what he had seen. He didn’t want to tell them. Somehow… saying it out loud made it that much truer but they had a right to know what their older sibling was up to. “Kyou isn’t bringing her back.”

“Why not?” Kamui spoke for the first time since Hyakuhei had disappeared. “He is a guardian… one of us. Why wouldn’t he bring her back to us?”

Suki listened quietly while the brothers tried to sort it all out. She was still in shock with the fact that Kyou had shown up at all. Up till now, he had pretty much stayed out of this war as if it wasn’t his problem. Her hopes rose at the thought that maybe now he had decided to help but Toya’s next words made her cringe with dread.

“Because he wants her all to himself… the selfish bastard wants her for his own. He’s never touched another woman that I’ve ever seen like that… which means he’s probably chosen her for his mate.” Toya stopped pacing realizing what he had just said.

His eyes changed back to pure gold as he lifted them to look at the others. Shinbe’s jaw was dropped and Suki’s eyes were the size of saucers but it was Kamui he was most worried about. Kamui’s eyes were hidden behind untamed purple hair as the boy stared at the ground but Toya could see his fingers clinched into fists.

Toya started to take a step forward but stilled when Kamui took a step backward. “Don’t touch me!” Kamui’s voice had changed and the sound gave everyone a very uneasy feeling.

“Kamui?” Toya gritted his teeth hoping Kamui would be able to hold it in for now. The boy was the most innocent of them all but only because he had chosen to forget the truth about his own past.

“Don’t fall asleep Kyoko,” Kamui whispered warningly knowing the danger she was in if Hyakuhei and the dream demon could reach that far.

The puddles left behind from the rain seemed to shimmer with liquid speckled hues all around Kamui. “Hyakuhei wants her… Kyou wants her… what makes them any better than all the demons that want her?” Kamui’s voice quivered as his untamed hair swayed in the wind that seemed to be blowing only around him.

Suddenly the shadow behind Kamui took a different form causing the others to take a step back.

With a burst of energy that rippled the air and water around him, Kamui screamed, “They can’t just take her from me!” A shower of glitter fell from translucent wings that rebelliously appeared across his back.

Finally raising his tear filled eyes, Kamui glared at the others as the tips of his wings took on an ominous dark tinge. He shook his head as his voice became dangerously soft. “Fathers… brothers… it doesn’t matter. They can’t have her.”

The guardians shielded their eyes from the flash of light that swept out from where Kamui stood. When they lowered their arms… Kamui was nowhere in sight.

“Why do I have a feeling he didn’t go after Kyoko?” Shinbe stated still wondering at the strange darkness that had appeared at the tips of Kamui's wings. That wasn’t a good sign.

The words Kamui had spoken, ‘fathers and brothers’ chilled Toya’s soul and confirmed his destination. “Because he’s gone after Hyakuhei!”

Shinbe’s shoulders slumped in defeat. “I will go after Kamui, you go find Kyoko. Right now, Kamui needs the voice of reason and I’m the best one for the job at the moment.”

Suki watched as they both took off in different directions as if forgetting all about her. She then noticed Kaen still beside her. “I guess we should head back to the hut and wait on them to return.” She shrugged knowing she would only slow Shinbe down if she tried to follow him.

She turned to walk away but noticed Kaen hadn’t moved. Stepping back around in front of him her lips parted in awe.

Kaen had tears in his eyes as he stared off in the direction Kamui and Shinbe had gone.

***** Hyakuhei entered the chambers of the cave he had been staying in. This was the perfect hiding place… deep within the ground while they searched for him above. His translucent black wings shook away the tension of the flight then retreated as if they had never been there.

He looked around the majestic beauty of the cave… this is where he would bring her. He was right under their noses and they didn’t even know it. Hyakuhei sat down on the black fur robe he had spread out near the low burning fire to rethink his strategy.

Kyou had ruined his plans of capturing the priestess while she was alone in the gardens of The Heart of Time… but plans changed. Now that she was only with one of the guardians instead of all of them, it would not be so hard to steel her away. His eyes darkened with intent as he reached for the very thing that had let him know she had been alone near the maiden shrine.

Just like in the dream… the plan could have been the same. He could feel the dream demon inside him even when the other demons where silent. It was waiting for him to fall asleep. Hyakuhei closed his eyes remembering the nightmare demons he had overtook in the past. He had used their nightmares to torture others and make them experience their worst fears… now the deception was turned back on him tenfold.

Being able to share this torture with the priestess had turned this weakness into a weapon.

Hyakuhei held the mirror of souls within his angry fist. Seeing only his reflection peering back at him, he demanded to know the whereabouts of the missing priestess. The mirror only showed him the image of twisted branches and stormy weather. Why would Kyou take the priestess to a place that seemed covered in despair? He knew the possessed mirror could only tell the truth but at the same time… Hyakuhei knew it lied unknowingly.

He mentally called to several of his demonic servants to do his bidding … sending them in search of her true hiding place since they were expendable. He knew Kyou’s fortress lie somewhere within the northern lands. The castle had disappeared from existence during the war between him and his brother Tadamichi. The demons he sent into that area would wreak havoc on villages and draw out the guardian lord.

He would allow Kyou to unknowingly lead him to the priestess he was shielding. As he peered into the tainted glass the reflection changed… but not by his control. Hyakuhei’s eyes hardened as a vision of multihued dust covered the looking glass in warning.

“So… Kamui, what will you do?” he asked just as Kamui came into focus within the mirror. The boy’s eyes turned to look directly at him as if he knew he was being watched. “Are you looking for me? Be careful what you wish for… son.” Hyakuhei warned.

“No father… It is you that should be careful,” Kamui hissed in retaliation.

“So… you have given into the memories?” Hyakuhei held the glass closer to his face as the corners of his lips turned up in a dangerous hint of a smile. “Kamui… if you really want to keep your priestess, then you should join me. Take your rightful place beside me and we will make her forget the other guardians together.”

Kamui stopped in midair knowing exactly what his father had meant. “I am nothing like you or your monsters. One day the demons you thrive on will turn on you father… you think it is you in control of them. You lie to yourself even when you are losing.”

They both could hear the echo of laughter as the dream master fought its restraints. Kamui knew its powers bordered on mystical and that was something that could not be controlled… even by Hyakuhei.

“You belong to me… not them,” Hyakuhei hissed at the image. “That is a truth even you cannot bury forever.”

“I will never betray my friends!” Kamui screamed as he broke the link between him and his father.

Hyakuhei tossed the mirror into the fire when it exploded from Kamui’s anger. The fragments became like liquid silver and slithered over the burning wood. They gathered into a puddle and slowly formed back into the familiar shape, hardening into the enchanted mirror… as if it had never broken.

Hyakuhei lay back on the dark fur as traces of colorful glitter shimmered within the cave. “So, your powers have grown. We shall see Kamui… we shall see.”

***** Kyou leaned against the balcony, staring down into the hot springs that he had enclosed within the center of his castle. His eyes were still locked on his lost and found priestess. She looked happy for the moment and it dawned on him… she belonged here. He felt his blood begin to heat when Kyoko started disrobing. He watched her firm breast rise as she pulled her shirt over her head… his eyes began to glow liquid gold.

His knuckles turned white as his grip tightened on the banisters. He closed his eyes for a brief moment trying to press down the urge to go to her. When he opened them again, he nearly growled. What was she thinking? She was completely naked.

Kyou watched as she stepped into the warm water. She intrigued him with her innocence. Why did she have this effect on him when no other human did? None had ever turned his head but here he stood … craving a human and only Kyoko would do. How could one be so pure and unconsciously seductive at the same time?

She was beauty incarnate all wrapped into one tiny human package. He growled low in his throat. What if one of the servants that lived within his castle walked in on her? She had unknowingly exposed herself to any of the men servants who happened by. Kyou sent a silent message to all within his castle to avoid the hot springs or they would suffer his anger as a result from disobeying. If he learned that any had spied on her prior… there would be no escape from his wrath.

She should not have come to the bathing room without his permission. Sure, it was true that the servants within his castle stayed hidden, for he did not like to see them unless he called for them. Still, he would have Kyoko’s body seen by no one but him. He would have to teach her to behave. A ghost of a smile chilled his lips as he watched.

Once Hiroki was finished with his bathing, the little boy wanted to help Kyoko wash her hair. So, Kyoko let him. She had to lower herself in the water up to her neck so he could reach the long auburn strands. The sensation of his small fingers rubbing her hair and scalp sent her into a very relaxed state. Hiraru soon joined them and Kyoko tried not to laugh as they argued over who was going to rinse.

Finally, Kyoko solved their argument by dunking under the water. When she came back up she was greeted with adorable whining noises. She giggled again and they smiled brightly before starting a splash war with one another. Kyoko moved to the other end of the spring and sat down on a rocky outcropping under the water to watch them.

Her mind was at ease for a short time as she listened to the echo of the children’s voices while they played within the water. Realizing what she was doing instead of staying focused on what was really going on, she quickly washed herself. When she turned around and started rinsing off Kyoko noted the twins getting out of the water.

The little boys had strange looks on their faces as if they were concentrating on something. Little did she know they were listening to Kyou’s silent command. She bit her lip when they nodded as if answering someone.

”We have to go get dressed now." Grabbing some oversized cloths from a pile, they quickly wrapped the soft material around themselves.

"It’s time to eat." Hiraru yelled over his shoulder as he grabbed Hiroki’s hand and the small twins skipped from the room.

Kyoko stood in the water in shock as she felt little needles of fear start to climb her back and she squeezed her eyes shut, a sick feeling in the pit of her stomach. Somewhere she knew the gods were laughing at her.

She should have known better than to just follow the children here without asking questions. Kyoko started for the side of the spring hoping to make it back to her room before ‘Mr. Double personality’ noticed her gone. She needed to hurry, her fragile ‘security blankets’ were gone and she was unprotected.

As she stepped from the water and started for the huge towels, she heard a low growl directly behind her. The next thing she knew… hands from nowhere wrapped around her naked ribs and she was pulled back against a silk covered chest as her feet left the floor.

Kyoko instantly looked up to see Kyou’s face. Instead of the anger she had expected to see, his face was calm… almost too calm. She looked down at the floor watching it get further away from them. Yep, the gods were having an all-out laugh fest over this one.

Her lips parted as she glanced back up seeing he was taking her to a balcony. He didn’t even land but glided in through the opened doors and back to the room she had started out in. He finally stopped once they were over the huge pillow she had woken up on.

Kyoko waited to be dropped but he did not release her, nor was he hurting her by holding her too tight. She noticed his hands were soft as they touched her bare skin. Kyoko’s eyes widened. Her bare skin! Oh… how could she have forgotten so quickly? She was still naked from bathing.

Her arms instantly crossed over her chest self protectively and she felt all her muscles tense up, waiting as he held her as if undecided on what to do with her. She could give him a big fat hint if he wanted and that would be to PUT HER THE HELL DOWN!

Kyou’s eyes almost slid shut as he felt her softly rounded curves pressed against him creating havoc on his senses. He noticed when she tensed up and it brought his mind back for a moment... But still he did not release her. He had always prided himself on control and here would be a good chance to test his control of her and teach her another lesson at the same time.

"Did I give you permission to leave this room?" His voice was cold and unyielding.

Kyoko’s eyes widened as her heartbeat thumped in her chest, kicking against her ribs so hard she knew he could feel it. Thinking quickly, ‘what would be the best answer?’ she said in a small voice, "I don’t know the rules." She cringed knowing that playing dumb would be the best option at the moment.

She knew for a fact that right now was not the time to fight for her rights because of her lack of clothing. It wasn’t that she would win if she tried. She just wanted down and him gone so she added in a soft frightened voice, "I’m sorry.”

When he heard her soft sweet voice, it engulfed him, making him inhale as sensations pooled in his nether regions. This would be dangerous if he pushed the test too far. He felt the rage of her disobedience leave him but the rage of his want remained tenfold.

"The first rule is you never go anywhere without my permission unless you want to be punished," His voice softened to take the sting from his words, but still he felt her flinch.

Kyoko's throat went dry. "Punished?" She didn’t mean to whisper the word. It just slipped out and she felt her heart start to flutter in fear. She instantly deleted the picture of Kyou spanking her from her deranged mind not wanting to even know where the insane flash had come from.

"Yes, I will punish you." The palm of Kyou’s hand caressed her flat stomach and slowly made its way down as his knee came up on the inside of her thigh to spread her legs. In a movement to fast for her to try and deflect… the palm of his hand cupped her womanhood as his powerful blood tried to take over.

"Like this,” His fingers massaged her bundle of nerves right above her entrance and the shock of it had her instantly arching away from him, with a soft cry she bucked against him trying to evade his hand.

The sensual movement was almost his undoing and he hissed in her ear. "If you do not stay still… I will have to punish you more." He could feel himself growing hard and was relieved when she strained away from him but stayed still, her fear of what he would do keeping her from fighting him.

Kyoko’s eyes closed. She thought he had meant to hurt her when he said punished but this was almost as bad. Did he not realize he was more disturbed than Hyakuhei? This made her lose control of her body and took her will from her as all her heat pooled to where his fingers were working their magic. She didn’t want this regardless of how her body reacted but couldn’t help her reactions to it.

He was still holding her in midair with her back pressed against him and his fingers were working back and forth, stimulating her so much that she almost wished he would have spanked her instead because this was creating a different kind of pain… delicious pain that gnawed hungrily at her. She gasped and a moan slipped out as his fingers slid between her lips to push one up inside her.

She groaned when he slid it in only to take it back out again. She felt the liquid heat pool around his finger as he thrust it back inside her tightness making her cry out. Her eyes started burning with the familiar sting of tears but she held them back. In the back of her mind she was screaming at herself to stop acting like she was enjoying Kyou’s punishment even though she was.

The scream became louder and finally she couldn’t ignore it anymore. "Please, please stop, I can’t take it anymore."

Kyou listened to her cry and he knew she was in pain with need of release. Her virgin body, so new to this pleasure, it wouldn’t take much more to bring her over the peak. He watched her head arch back against him as he pumped his finger into her hot tightness in rhythm.

He leaned his head forward and licked the arc of her neck… tasting her. He felt the rush of the instinct to bite her and make her his forever. He satisfied that feeling for a moment by sucking some of her soft skin into his mouth to leave a slight red mark on her. She tasted so good. He could smell her scent all around him as he pressed his swollen hardness against her soft thigh.

Kyou growled in defeat… He knew he was the one losing this battle.

Kyoko felt his hand leave her and she slid down his body to the pillow below. She was still whimpering and squeezed her thighs together trying not to rock. Her senses were so alive that it was almost painful. She grabbed one of the smaller pillows and hugged it close, trying to hide her body from him. She was afraid to look up at him. Afraid he would be able to see the need her body was crying for.

Burying her face in her arms, she rolled so she was lying half on her stomach as though to hide from him further.

He watched her try to hide from him and the loss of her in his arms was cooling his raging blood. He realized he had no control over this and remembered what had been written within his father’s scrolls.

Tadamichi had warned that guardians were different from humans when it came to choosing a mate… that the guardian’s highborn blood would do the choosing and there would be no stopping it. His father, Tadamichi, had been talking about his and Hyakuhei’s rivalry over the same mate at the time but Kyou had understood the underlying meaning. The warning pertained to every guardian… not just the twins.

That had been the last scroll written by his father but the humans trapped within this realm had continued the story.

His uncle had turned to the dark side because he had been separated from the one whom heaven had fated to be his soul mate. The young Priestess the maiden statue had been made in the likeness of… the same maiden statue that mimicked the priestess lying below him at this very moment. They could have very well been the same woman… but time proved they were not.

They were identical in looks proclaiming Kyoko as a direct descendant of the priestess his uncle had chosen for his life mate. Were he and his uncle so different? Had Hyakuhei’s powerful blood been his downfall in the end? Was Hyakuhei now mistakenly placing Kyoko in the place of his lost love? He wouldn’t allow that.

Kyou floated closer to her, dipping his lips to her ear. He didn’t want her to fear this. He wanted her to want it. What he used as punishment now was only kindling the fire that would keep her with him… forever.

He reached out stroking her hair lovingly. "In order to keep you safe from the demons… from Hyakuhei, you have to obey me Kyoko. I do not want to hurt you so I will punish you like this… and more if you do not behave."

“Then let me go,” She whispered. “You say you don’t want to hurt me but you treat me no better than he has. I’d rather have him touch me knowing that he would kill me after, than you touch me not knowing.”

“My dear Kyoko, I have no desire to kill you. As your guardian I could not… it would go against all I stand for. You are meant to be protected by the guardians and I am a guardian. To let you go would only send you away without a guardian’s protection. That I cannot allow. The punishment stands.” He gripped her head between his hands to keep her still and pressed his lips against the top of her head before turning to leave her to think about her punishment.

“Hyakuhei is also a guardian,” Kyoko whispered defiantly knowing he could hear her even if he didn’t acknowledge it.

Part of him knew she was right but he wasn’t about to admit that to her. He wanted to fly into a rage at the mere thought of Hyakuhei touching her as he just had, but refrained. He needed to put space between them in order to keep his own passion under control. He turned his attention to the window.

He could feel demons closing in on his lands from all sides. Had Hyakuhei found out where he was keeping the priestess? No… he had only sent them in search of her. He gazed back at Kyoko not wanting anything to interfere. He would stop them before they came any closer to his possessions.

Kyou moved almost too fast for the human eye and when Kyoko peeked up at him… he was gone.