Chapter 6 _Misunderstandings_

Chapter 6 "Misunderstandings"

After finding grandfather and telling him that Shinbe was awake, Kyoko got her backpack and loaded it down with all the things she knew her friends would like. She packed beef jerky for Toya, chocolate bars for Kamui, and of course everyone’s favorite, chewing gum.

As an afterthought, she put in some bottles of soda and chocolate covered almonds for Suki and Sennin. Kyoko grinned, feeling better now that she knew Shinbe would be well again soon. Still… she would have to have a heart to heart with Toya about fighting and the fact he could have killed his own brother. She silently wondered how Shinbe could have come through the heart of time. The shrine would not have let him pass without a reason.

“Probably so I could break up the fight,” Kyoko mumbled under her breath.

She also added the typical supplies she would bring them, like bandages and aspirin. Looking around the kitchen, she wondered if she should check on Shinbe one last time but decided not to. It was hard enough already to leave him. She could still see the pleading look in his amethyst eyes, as if he was begging her not to leave, but she’d only be gone for a few hours. He’d be fine with grandfather and Tama. Zipping up her backpack, she headed for the shrine house.

***** The small group had spent the last couple hours trying to find Shinbe. They couldn’t even pick up his trail so they had no idea where to begin looking for him. They could only assume the worst, even though they couldn’t find evidence of any wrong doing. It was literally driving them crazy with worry. To make matters worse, Toya had never returned to the hut that evening and it left them thinking that maybe he was behind the disappearance.

When he hadn’t returned after several hours, Suki was positive it was the latter. With Kyoko still gone, it made it all seem that much worse. “I swear if Toya ever comes back, I will kill him myself,” Suki sobbed into her hands as Sennin comforted her.

Kamui sat beside her silent as thoughts of Shinbe lying dead coursed through his mind. But he would know if Shinbe had died… wouldn’t he? He and Kaen had known something was untold as soon as they had stepped foot in the clearing… something about the vibes in the area reeked of anger and something else he couldn’t quite put a name to.

Another piece of evidence was the fact that some of the boulders around the maiden statue had been unearthed. ‘And where was Kyoko?’ This thought caused Kamui to wonder just what exactly had happened… was Kyoko hurt too? She hadn’t come back yet, and he was starting to worry. He sighed knowing Kaen was still out looking.

“Hello, anybody home?” Kyoko said in a cheery voice as she opened the door to the hut. She immediately saw how distressed Suki was. Shedding her backpack at the door, she ran to Suki. “What’s wrong? What’s happened?” she dropped to the floor next to her friend because Suki never cried… she was to tuff for that girly stuff.

Suki sniffled and wiped at her eyes with the back of her hand. Her lips parted and she tried to speak, “Oh, Kyoko.” She turned away from her and sobbed again, unable to tell her friend her fears.

Sennin put his hand on Kyoko’s shoulder, looking at his daughter, then spoke in a quiet voice, “Kyoko, can I talk to ye outside.”

Kyoko looked from Sennin, back to Suki, then stood up slowly. ‘Something must be seriously wrong,’ Kyoko mused worriedly. ‘Had something bad happened to Toya, or did they hear some news about the disappearance of Suki’s brother Hikaru?’ she had a very, very bad feeling creeping across her spine.

She followed Sennin outside. “What is it Sennin? What’s happened?” Kyoko never thought for a second that they were concerned about Shinbe. She thought Toya would have told them where to find him.

Sennin turned his back to Kyoko, knowing that he was going to have to deal with yet another heart breaking scene. It was too much for him. It was going to break Kyoko’s heart to find out Toya may have killed Shinbe. He decided to just tell her their fear.

“Kyoko, we believe Toya has hurt Shinbe… and we cannot find either of them,” his voice sounded even more aged than normal, and laced with sadness and a touch of defeat. He waited to hear the shrieks of pain that were soon to come from his young friend. When they didn’t come, he turned, just in time to see Kyoko going back into the hut.

Kyoko sat on the floor next to Suki and put her arms around her friend, “It’s okay, Suki. Shinbe is fine.” She rocked her friend, “somehow… he came through the heart of time with Toya. He’s injured, but he’s going to be okay.”

Suki stopped breathing for a moment, then with a gasp she pushed away, glaring at Kyoko as she wiped a hand across her eyes. “Shinbe… is not dead?” she continued to stare at Kyoko.

Kyoko frowned, “No, he has a lot of injuries, but he’s not dead. I came back to let you know he is recovering.” She silently wondered why Toya hadn’t told them what happened.

Kamui listened to Kyoko’s words and wondered at them. Now he knew why he couldn’t sense Shinbe… he wasn’t even in this world. He left the hut to find Kaen so they could call off the hunt. He wished his other brothers, Kotaro and Kyou, would show up and somehow help him fix whatever was going on. His thoughts turned back to Kyoko.

“As long as they are only hurting each other and not her,” Kamui whispered but the tightness in his chest still didn’t ease. If he had to… he would protect her all by himself.

Suki stood up. “He, he’s been with you all night, Kyoko? We, we saw Toya with blood on his hands,” she stuttered and paused, anger building within and directed at Kyoko for keeping it a secret.

Kyoko stood up, “Where is Toya anyway? When I get my hands on him, I’m going to…” Suki cut her off mid-sentence.

“He’s been with you all this time? Shinbe has been with you in your time?” Suki’s voice held a note of accusation, and Kyoko was dumbfounded. “You waited this long to come tell us. Didn’t you think we’d be worried about him?”

Kyoko shook her head, “I’m sorry, Suki. I didn’t want to leave him until I knew he was…” She saw Suki’s face getting red and backed up.

“All night? Most of the morning we searched for him, fearing he was dead or lying injured somewhere! Now you come back all happy, telling me he’s with you!” She pointed an accusing finger at her friend. “You should have come sooner. You should have… ” She broke off, a sob leaving her body, relieved that Shinbe was okay.

Kyoko put her arm around the girl to comfort her. “I’m sorry, Suki. I didn’t think. His injuries were pretty bad. I was afraid of leaving him until he woke up. I was so worried I was going to lose him.”

Suki pushed away from Kyoko, her anger peaking once again at Kyoko’s words. “You… thought you were going to lose him?” she stared at Kyoko blinking back her tears. “Just what were they fighting about, Kyoko? Were they fighting over you?”

Kyoko was startled by the question. She didn’t know how to answer. She couldn’t tell Suki that she had kissed Shinbe, and that Toya saw them. This was Suki, her friend who was secretly in love with Shinbe. Guilt washed over her. Was she betraying her friend? She looked down at the wooden floor, suddenly finding it very interesting.

She wasn’t in love with Shinbe but she …. ‘Geez, what am I thinking?’ She balled her hands into fists, getting aggravated at herself for thinking about Shinbe that way, when the one that truly loved him was standing right in front of her. She had to know how Suki really felt.

“Suki, are you in love with Shinbe?” she asked quickly, not meaning to evade the subject of why the two guardians had fought.

Suki turned her back, her cheeks turning red at the question. Was she in love with him? She wondered. Yes, she had feelings for him. But in love, the way Kyoko had proposed? She shook her head. She would never love any man. Especially not Shinbe. That was just out of the question. Maybe she could love him if they were successful at killing Hyakuhei, and erasing Shinbe’s curse. But… no, she just couldn’t fall in love with him. She couldn’t deal with any more heartache.

Confused by her own feelings, she turned back to Kyoko, “You’re avoiding the question, Kyoko! I asked if they were fighting over you? ” Now she was the one avoiding a question, but it was one she honestly didn’t want to answer, or think about.

Kyoko sighed, shrugging her shoulders, “I don’t know. Didn’t Toya tell you what happened?” She glanced toward the door wondering why he wasn’t there. “Where is Toya anyway? Is he alright?” Kyoko got a sudden chill, realizing Toya’s absence was what had kept them from not knowing what happened.

Suki exploded, “What?!! Toya took off after we found him. His claws were covered in blood, Kyoko! He was… ” Suki was cut off as Sennin came into the hut.

“Will ye stop your hollering, Suki?” he sat down on the mat and picked up a stick, poking at the fire in front of him. “Kyoko, come sit. And tell us what ye know.”

Kyoko looked to Suki. She didn’t like her friend being angry with her. Why were they all fighting amongst each other all of a sudden? They had always stuck together and defended each other … something just wasn’t right. She sat down and began telling them what happened, from the time at the spring, to Shinbe’s appearance in her time.

Of course, she didn’t tell them about the kiss, just that Toya was angry because she was in her underwear.

“Well, that’s it really. He finally woke up right before I came here. He’s in really bad shape though.” she shook her head, looking down at her hands. “Grandfather says it’s going to take at least a couple days before he can get up and start moving around again.”

Suki’s head snapped up, “What? He can’t stay in your time!” She instantly lowered her eyes, feeling strange again. Where had this jealousy come from all of a sudden?

Sennin put his hand on Suki’s arm, “Calm down, ye wouldn’t want him to travel back if he is still injured.”

Suki sighed, “But that’s too long. We can take care of him just as well here.” She didn’t like the fact that the group was split up.

Sennin chuckled, “Ai, but to get him here, he would have to travel through the heart of time. The stress of doing something not allowed might be too much for his injuries.”

Kyoko stood up, “I really hate to leave, but I only came back to let you know he’s okay. I better get back there before grandfather and Tama drive him crazy.” She picked up her backpack and smiled nervously as Kamui came back in the hut, their eyes locking.

Kamui couldn’t help it as he pulled Kyoko into his arms and hugged her tight. He was in much better spirits now that he knew Toya hadn’t seriously hurt Shinbe. When Kyoko hadn’t come back, he had thought the worst.

“I’ll keep my eyes on them from this side. You go bring our Shinbe back,” he smiled, love dancing in his multihued eyes. He had wanted to let her know that he wasn’t mad at her like Suki was.

Kyoko smiled up at him as she handed him a box of chocolates, “Now don’t eat it all too fast. I don’t want you to get a tummy ache.” She ran her hand through the silky purple highlights in his hair and hugged him back. She was thankful at least one of them wasn’t holding this against her. Kamui had always had the softest heart.

She whispered close to his ear so Suki wouldn’t hear, “If Toya comes back, tell him I need to see him.”

Kamui nodded his head.

Suki sat with her back to Kyoko. “Tell Shinbe he better get well fast.” She sniffled and Kyoko suddenly felt really guilty. Letting go of Kamui, she set the stuff she had brought for the others by the door, not wanting to bother Suki again right now. She knew she would find the supplies and goodies later. She said goodbye, then headed back to the shrine alone, wondering where Toya was.

***** On the other side of the time portal, Shinbe lay in bed with his eyes closed, trying to drown out grandfather’s senseless babble with his own thoughts. ‘When was Kyoko going to return to rescue him?’ he laughed like a madman in his mind. Yup, she was the only one who could save him now.

Even with his injuries, he couldn’t stop thinking about her. This must be God’s way of paying him back for his sins. He was well aware that if Toya had known the whole truth, he would not be breathing right now.

The others, including Toya, had always assumed that he wanted Suki only because that was exactly what he’d wanted them to think. Suki wanted nothing to do with romance and that had made her safe… unknowingly playing a huge part in his lie. He started to drift back to sleep as visions of Kyoko in his arms flashed through his mind.

***** Kyoko walked slowly back toward the maiden shrine with mixed feelings. Why had Toya run off? And now she felt selfish for making the others worry for so long. It’s just that she’d thought Toya would have told them what had happened. This whole thing was starting to get out of control. They still had to find the scattered talisman and Hyakuhei was out there somewhere probably plotting all their deaths. At the moment, the whole gang seemed to be splitting up.

Toya watched Kyoko as she made her way back to the shrine. He’d smelled her arrival and sought her out when he’d noticed Shinbe was not with her. So the amethyst guardian was still in Kyoko’s time… and now it looked like she was going back to him.

Since returning, Toya had held up in a cave not too far away. He wasn’t sorry for the fight with Shinbe, but he hadn’t meant to hurt him as bad as he had. But would Kyoko believe him? His golden orbs watched her from the darkened tops of the trees. He knew he would have to talk to her before she went back to Shinbe.

Kyoko looked up, realizing she was already at the heart of time. She’d been so lost in thought that she hadn’t even been paying attention. She sighed, then raised her chin drawing courage and decided she would have to have a talk with Shinbe when she got back.

Kyoko stopped in her tracks when she saw a flash of movement from the corner of her eye. Before she could blink, Toya was standing between her and the shrine. He was looking at her hauntingly through the stray bangs that had fallen down to shield his eyes, his hair and clothes still fluttering from the quick landing.

Why was it that he could do the strangest things and her whole body would light up like an electrical shock wave was passing through it. The handful of butterflies flittering around in her stomach seemed to go on a mating frenzy. She didn’t know what to say or do so she stood still trying to read his expression. She could see all kinds of emotions, everything from guilt, to anger… even a hint of depression.

Finally finding her voice, though it sounded scared even to her own ears, she spoke, "I… Toy-ya?" Her eyes widened when his face snapped up into view and his eyes locked on hers. Kyoko didn’t mean to take a step back but she’d done it without thought. When she noticed his eyes narrow at seeing her retreat from him, she steadied herself to face him. Timidly, she took a step forward to let him know she wasn’t afraid of him.

Toya watched her silently, sensing fear in her. When she backed away from him, it made him angry enough that he actually felt his blood start to heat up. He waited to see what she would do and calmed when she again stepped closer, taking back the distance she’d created. He didn’t want her to fear him.

"Kyoko," his voice was steady and stern, "you know I would never hurt you." His hands fisted at his sides. "I know you know it," his voice was demanding.

Kyoko bit her bottom lip hearing the strain in his voice. Yeah, she knew he wouldn’t purposely hurt her… but she also remembered the fact that Hyakuhei had done something to his blood that made him extremely dangerous when angered. Drawing a steady breath, she started slowly walking toward him. "Where have you been?"

Toya could hear worry in her voice and his eyes widened, wondering at it. Had she been worried about him? He’d thought she would only hate him after what he had done. He’d driven himself sick just thinking about it.

"How is… Shinbe?" he gritted his teeth against the name.

Kyoko frowned, "He’ll live. But it’s gonna take a while for him to be well enough to come back. I haven’t even had a chance to ask him what happened, so why don’t you tell me. Why did you… do that?” Her voice trailed off for a moment and then she whispered, "Suki and the others thought he was dead." Her voice raised a couple notches becoming accusing, "You could have at least told them where he was."

She looked behind him at the maiden statue, avoiding his gaze. The rawness of his eyes was too much for her to take right now.

Toya felt cold and hot at the same time. The feeling itself was disturbing. All he could think about was that she would hate him, and that was the one thing he couldn’t handle. And the thought of her being alone with Shinbe in her time, was also too much for him to swallow. Especially after the things his brother had said. It was the same thing as threatening her.

Kyoko watched the emotions changing in his golden eyes, now darkening with thought. He was deadly calm, which was starting to creep her out. She took a couple steps, as if to go around him to the shrine, but he moved to block her and that rattled her even more.

"Look, if you’re not going to say anything, then I’m going back to check on the damage you did to your brother Shinbe," she yelled at him.

Toya couldn’t take it. In the blink of an eye, he had her, holding her trapped within his arms, his every instinct telling him not to let her go into the heart of time… back to the untrusted guardian.

"Kyoko, wait," his voice was still a little harsh and he tried to soften it as he felt her stiffen against him. "Kyoko, you don’t know why we fought. You don’t know what he said. You can’t trust him. I don’t trust him. He has changed, and I don’t like it."

Kyoko felt his arms tighten around her and she knew he was serious. Toya had never lied to her… but it just didn’t make sense. She tried to lean back in his arms to see his eyes. "What do you mean? He is the same as always."

Toya growled low in his throat, "No, Kyoko, he has hidden it from you. There’s something going on with him and I don’t know what it is, but I can feel it. He’s hiding something." Toya hoped she would hear his words and not just think he was making an excuse for beating him up.

Kyoko frowned. She had noticed little things about Shinbe. But to her, the changes had not been bad, but she knew Toya had very good instincts so she wouldn’t just dismiss it completely. Just to make sure she sighed, "You’re not just saying that because of the kiss, are you?" She felt Toya's chest vibrate against her.

"That kiss,” Toya growled and reached up to grasp her chin in his hand, bringing her face to his. There was one question that had been eating at him. "Kyoko, why would you kiss him for saving you, and not me? I don’t understand." His eyes lowered to her pouting lips and before she could reject him, he slashed his lips across hers, feeling for the first time her silky lips against his.

When she gasped at the sudden attack on her senses, Toya deepened the kiss, searching her reaction. He could hear her heartbeat speed up, and he could also feel her body heating up.

Kyoko was getting the kiss she had always wanted, but somewhere in the back of her mind, she couldn’t help but think it was for all the wrong reasons. Was he kissing her because Shinbe had? ‘No, this was wrong.’ She pressed against his chest for more reason than just lack of air.

"Wait Toya," she gasped. "Stop, I can't think."

Toya smirked, relaxing his arms but not releasing her, "That’s a good thing, Kyoko." He’d felt something with the kiss, and it made him feel better knowing she did too. Maybe he wouldn’t lose her to Shinbe after all. He remembered the threat Shinbe had taunted him with.

"Shinbe should not be fully trusted. I’d rather you stay here with me and just let your family take care of him for now," his eyes drew hers in a silent plea.

Kyoko frowned, "No, I have to go back. He only woke up a few minutes before I came here to let you guys know he was going to be okay." Guilt crept up on her, "Besides, I feel like it’s my fault you guys fought, so I’m going to take care of him until he gets better, then I’ll bring him back." Her eyes narrowed, "And we have to get along if we are going to find the rest of the talisman."

She poked a finger into his chest and finally took a step back, out of the circle of his arms. "That means no more fighting. Do you understand? You almost killed him." Her eyes searched his for the truth.

"Then I’ll go back with you," Toya said tightly, folding his arms inside his sleeves and standing at his full height. "Shinbe reeks of guilt, and I don’t know why." Secretly, he was glad she hadn’t yet spent time alone with him, considering he’d just woken up. "I don’t trust him alone with you."

Kyoko blinked, "There is no way you’re coming anywhere near Shinbe right now. He’s still in a lot of pain, and you are the one that made him that way.” She wasn’t trying to be mean … she just wanted to keep them separated for now. "I’ll make you a deal. I’ll come back tomorrow and give everyone an update, if you promise me that you will go back to the group."

Seeing the stubbornness enter his eyes she looked down at the ground for a moment then whispered heavily in the air, "We are still a group… aren’t we? We still need to find the talisman before Hyakuhei does."

Toya's eyes glittered dangerously. "If he does something, and I’m not there… I can’t protect you and,” His voice raised a couple notches, "I’m your protector, not him!"

Kyoko's head snapped up at his words. It wasn’t often that Toya let his heart show but she could see it so clearly in the rare moments that his defenses fell.

She smiled, trying to calm him down, "Look, Shinbe is way too weak to try anything, so don’t worry. I’ll be back tomorrow." She took a couple steps toward the heart of time and saw him move to stop her.

"Toya!" she yelled, holding up her hand and casting the Taming spell.

Kyoko softened her voice, "Look, I know you don’t trust Shinbe, but at least trust me. I’ll be back tomorrow night. Everything will be fine… you’ll see." With that, she touched the hand of the maiden and vanished. She could still hear his string of curses as the heart of time took her to the other side.

Kyoko frowned thoughtfully as she found herself within the shrine house. She could still see the damage that had been done during their fight. As she turned around, she placed a locking seal over the maiden’s hands, deciding it was better to be safe than sorry.