Chapter 6 “What Demons Fear”

Chapter 6 “What Demons Fear”

Kyoko had just finished putting away her new clothes when the doorbell echoed making her jump. Rushing downstairs, she looked through the peephole and saw a delivery guy holding five large boxes of pizza. Opening the door, she frowned knowing it was a mistake. Before she could say anything, the guy held a hand up to stop her.

“I know you didn’t order the pizza because the family across the street ordered it for you. It’s a welcome to the neighborhood gift.” He smiled and handed her the boxes. “And they already paid for the pizzas and left me a huge tip.” He nodded and headed back for his car.

Kyoko smiled nervously then looked across the street. Seeing long silver hair flashing in the porch light she knew that could only be Kyou. All the guys from school were out on the porch looking across the street at her. Kyoko’s lips curved into a real smile. She waved at them then motioned for them to come over.

“And we have our invite,” Shinbe nearly purred as he started down the steps.

Toya reached out and cuffed him on top of the head. “If you don’t behave over there, then it will be our last invite.”

Shinbe narrowed his eyes and turned on Toya. “Who died and made you the only one who could touch her? She’s just as much ours as she is yours, you prick.”

“We all died you stupid fuck.” Toya backed Shinbe the rest of the way down the stairs as silver started to swirl within his eyes. His voice became dangerously low as he growled, “You’re so damned horny that I can smell it.”

“And you have such a hard-on for her that you’re picking fights,” Shinbe snapped then turned and joined the others who were already halfway down the driveway.

Toya growled in annoyance knowing Shinbe was right, but that didn’t mean he had to like it. He heard a voice laughing inside his mind and knew it wasn’t his. Jerking his arms down by his side he caught up with the rest of them.

“I had no idea it was you guys living across the street!” Kyoko said in astonishment when they came up on her porch. And to think she’d been jealous because their house looked so full of life, while hers looked lonely. Suddenly she didn’t feel so isolated. “Come on in. How long have you guys lived next door?”

“Ever since you…” Kotaro cut Shinbe off. “Around fifteen years.” Kyou leaned in and took the five oversized pizza boxes from her arms. She raised an eyebrow when she realized she was following him through her house and he seemed to know the layout better than she did. He didn’t even look when he flipped the light switch on in the dining room.

Seeing her curiosity, Kamui stepped closer to her with a distracting smile, “I think the same people who built our house also built this one. The rooms are the same.” His eyes brightened for her benefit as he looked out the sliding glass doors. “But you don’t have to share your pool with four brothers.” He looked back at her blinking like he was trying not to cry. “Man, I feel so deprived.”

Kyoko laughed, “Well, you’ll just have to come over and swim in this one.” She laughed again when his frown turned into a smile. “I’ll get the drinks and plates.” She turned but Shinbe blocked her way.

“You eat,” Shinbe nodded. “It’s your welcome home party, so I’ll get the drinks.” He then leaned close and whispered as if it were a secret, “If you’ll turn and look… you’ll agree that plates would be a waste of time.”

Kyoko glanced at the table and could see everyone already had a piece of the pizza in their hands, eating it like the finger food it was meant to be.

Toya scooted his pizza box between his chair and the open one beside him. “It’s the best pizza around. If you let it get cold, you won’t be able to fall in love with it like we have.” He took a huge bite to prove his point and chewed like he was in heaven as Kyoko sat down beside him.

Shinbe brought the drinks and everyone dug in. Kyoko ate two pretty big slices before turning down the offer to grab another one. “Maybe we should save some for you to take home to your parents,” Kyoko remarked.

“Parents?” Toya repeated like it was a foreign word.

Kyou kicked him under the table to shut him up. “Our adoptive father took off on an extended trip yesterday. That’s one of the reasons we enrolled at the high school.”

“He just left you guys alone?” Kyoko wondered if that thought bothered them as much as it did her.

“We’re old enough to take care of ourselves and told him he didn’t have to worry. He owns houses in several countries where he places orphaned children and provides for them,” Kamui added.

“Well if you have to have a father… why not make him a good one.” Toya jerked when Kyou kicked him again. He glanced up at Kyoko to make sure she didn’t notice then sent Kyou a warning glare. Why was it that he was the only one who had a problem with lying to their priestess?

“Besides, we’ve been brothers for so long that it’s become real,” Shinbe smirked at the way he’d worded that. “I don’t think death could even tear us apart.” His grin got even bigger when Kamui almost choked on his pizza.

Wanting to warn Kyoko about the demons without giving the truth away, Kyou broke into the conversation. “It’s usually very quiet this far from town, but being surrounded by woods does have its dangers along with its beauty. I feel the need to warn you that we have seen wolves, panthers, and even an occasional bear among the trees. If you ever feel the need to go exploring, please come get us so you will have protection.”

Kyoko nodded then frowned, turning to Toya. “That reminds me. Did you find anything in the auditorium today? I tried to follow you in but you locked me out.”

Toya shrugged easily, “I didn’t want to take the chance of you getting hurt if some wild animal had been in there. It could have been something worse than an animal. It’s happened before at that school… strange things leaving claw marks on the walls and destroying rooms.”

“Actually, it seems to happen all over town. I’m not just trying to scare you either. It’s common knowledge. Although if you just moved here, you wouldn’t know that,” Shinbe expanded on what Toya had started.

Kamui's eyes lit up, understanding what Toya and Shinbe were doing. “Yeah, this place is almost as famous as Roswell, New Mexico. People have blamed bizarre events on everything from ghosts to aliens. The feds come through here every once in a while checking out paranormal reports. No one knows if they’ve ever found anything though.” He shrugged but kept a worried look on his face so she would take him seriously.

Kotaro added his two-cents to the ploy that wasn’t far from the truth. “Some of the townspeople have been injured then not been able to remember what happened. Others have described it in detail but no one believes them. Then there are those who have died by unexplained methods.”

“Stop,” Kyou said softly seeing the apprehension in her eyes. “I don’t think she needs to hear the coroner’s reports. We are sorry Kyoko. We’ve been doing our own investigations into the mysteriousness of this area and we’re not trying to scare you… only warning you to be careful.”

“I believe you,” Kyoko sat up a little straighter thinking about her grandfather. “The same thing happened to my family right here in this house.” As soon as she said it she really wished she hadn’t. She inhaled trying to steady the heartbeat that had suddenly gone out of control. “Okay… wow.” Kyoko looked up at them with a weak smile. “I wonder if it’s too late to go back to boarding school.” She was only half joking and that really bothered her.

“If a safer place is what you want… you should just move in with us,” Toya’s voice was dead serious.

Kyoko looked from one brother to the next, waiting on one of them to laugh at the idea… but they were all simply waiting on her reply. She didn’t want to go back to the prison she had come from, with Mrs. Crap as the warden. She’d lived more in one day than she had in years of that place.

“Maybe I’m just letting my imagination run away with me. I’m not used to living alone like this, but I’ve always dreamed of coming home. As far back as I can remember, I just wanted to know I belonged somewhere… that someone had once loved me.”

Toya's gaze searched hers as she talked about someone once loving her. She was right. She’d been very cherished by more than just her family.

“I’ve finally found home… I don’t wanna go.” Kyoko glanced through the open doorway at the picture above the fireplace in the next room. “Tama could still come home… just like I did.” She secretly hoped that maybe her grandpa had hidden him away somewhere with orders for him not to be told until he was seventeen, just like he’d done with her. “There’s someone missing from that photograph.”

“Your grandfather,” Kyou nodded.

Kyoko’s eyes widened as she looked up at him. “How did you know about my grandfather?”

“We might as well tell her… I think she needs to know,” Shinbe spoke up but it was Kyou he was looking at. If anyone could skirt the whole truth and still give her the info that would bind her to them, it would be Kyou.

Kyou sighed and reached across the table, taking Kyoko’s hand in his. “I wasn’t truthful with you earlier. We don’t want you to be alone because… it’s not animals that we have seen lurking in the woods surrounding this place.”

Kyoko jerked her hand out from between his and started to rise from the table. “I don’t want to hear this.” She felt a hand grip her forearm and she turned to glare at Toya. “Let go of me.” She said from between gritted teeth.

“I can’t let you go,” Toya growled unaware that the gold in his iris’s now swirled with silver. When she gasped, he gritted his own teeth, “You’re the only reason we’re here.”

“Demons,” Kyoko kept her gaze on his eyes accusingly. “My grandfather thought it was demons that killed my mom and dad. Was he right?”

“We are not demons,” Kamui said in the silence, knowing what she was thinking. Seeing the power shining in Toya’s eyes, he knew they were walking on thin ice. Standing up, he flattened his palms against the table and said in an earnest voice hoping Toya was still stable enough to listen to him. “Toya, if you don’t want her to be afraid of you, then you have to let go of her arm.”

Seeing the fear and anger in her eyes directed at him, Toya fought the urge to shake her. Instead, he did the last thing anyone expected. Kyoko’s chair fell over as he pulled her flush against him. “I’m not a demon Kyoko… I am what demons fear.” He wrapped his arms around her feeling the anger within him calm, at the same time his blood heated with the contact. “We all are and we’re here to save you.”

Kyoko’s face was turned to where she could see the others. They’d all rose from their seats the moment Toya had pulled her into his arms. She wanted to be frightened of them, but all she could feel was warmth and security. She laid her cheek against Toya’s chest somehow knowing she belonged there.

“The truth…” she whispered. “I want to know the truth. Was it demons that killed my family? Do you know what happened to my brother? Will they try to kill me?”

It was Shinbe who answered her last question first. “We came so far to find you and have waited fifteen years for you to come home. It will take a lot more than demons to take you away from us.” His eyes began to glow an unnatural amethyst as he whispered, “We are your guardians.”