A Light In The Heart Of Darkness - Amy Blankenship 2 стр.

“You foolish child, you thought to save your sibling by killing me? You can barely hold your blades now, much less attempt to take my life.” Hyakuhei sneered then his face turned placid, his anger suddenly gone. The night breeze lifted the ends of his long ebony hair making it look like it was alive.

“You never had a chance little one. I will help you to rest so that you will feel pain no more.” Hyakuhei murmured, his eyes softening toward the wounded man like a father scolding a wayward child.

Silver eyes flashed red in anger at his words. “You will never have my brother, you son of a bitch! As long as he has breath in his body, Kyou will not let you win, nor will I!” Toya screamed as he charged at the figure clad in black in a last attempt to save his immortal soul.

Hyakuhei disappeared in the blink of an eye before Toya’s dagger could penetrate the cold heart hidden deep inside his ageless body. Piercing red orbs gleamed, hungry to spill the blood of the young man who thought to defy him.

His dark form levitating high above… paused for just a moment before descending to attack his prey.

Toya’s senses were screaming danger as he felt the approaching threat to his existence but he was not skilled enough yet to pinpoint where his attacker was coming from. He searched around frantically but with his senses now dull from the loss of blood from his wounds… along with the wound hidden inside his heart, Toya felt his fear rising.

His heart ached from the words thrown at him by his so called ‘father’. “I cannot let you win, you monster. My brother’s life depends on it.” Toya whispered through his labored breathing, making the words thunder within his own ears.

A sliver of fear shot up his spine as he looked up towards the night sky. His eyes grew wide in terror at the sight that he only knew from the giving end… never from the receiving. ‘So… this is what it’s like.’ The thought filtered through his tormented mind.

He tried to move but was held immobile by an unknown force. Their eyes locked in a deadly stare. Red eyes pierced his very soul and Toya knew death was coming.

The scream lodged in his throat was replaced by a gurgling sound. His silver eyes faded back to gold and met the crimson red eyes of his murderer, as time seemed to stop. His body began to feel numb as he slowly looked down between their bodies.

Tears fell from Toya’s eyes as their bright gold color began to fade. ‘I have failed you, please forgive me… Kyoko… Kyou,' were his last thoughts as he drew his final breath.

He could feel his heart beat getting further and further away as the pain faded. Mysteries unfolded with his final heartbeats as he silently whispered in uneasy wonder, “Kyoko… how long have you been here?”

Watching with a sick sense of pleasure, the figure clad in black with blazing red eyes smiled in satisfaction. He slowly lowered them both to the hard packed earth. His clawed hand embedded deep in the chest of the young man with eyes like the sun.

Hyakuhei viciously ripped out the heart that had stopped beating.

Staring into Toya’s lifeless eyes he whispered, “I always wondered what Kyou’s eyes would look like when he cried… I wager they will be beautiful.” He leaned down and kissed Toya’s forehead before rising to turn and face the man who had just landed a short distance behind him.

A sadistic smile graced his lips as he held out the bleeding heart and waited for Kyou to close the distance between them. “For you my pet, now there is nothing to come between us.” His voice carried across the night breeze.

Kyou’s eyes narrowed in disgust as he looked at the fresh heart that was being held out to him. Had Hyakuhei been undead for so long that to him death was a gift?

Disgusted, Kyou turned away from the disturbing vision. He had sensed his brother’s anguish and had come to investigate. Instead, he found his so called ‘father’ and he could no longer sense his brother’s aura.

Something was terribly wrong and Kyou could feel the nerves within his body prickle his skin in warning

He could not see the owner of the heart that still dripped its life from the hand of the ancient vampire since Hyakuhei blocked his view. It annoyed him to be detained from searching out his younger brother. He had not laid eyes on his sibling in over a year but tonight… he knew Toya had needed him. It must have been important for Kyou to have felt the calling so strongly.

Sensing the anticipation in the man before him, Kyou’s golden eyes locked with Hyakuhei’s. “Whose soul did you steal this time?” he asked with contempt in his voice.

“Why don’t you come and see, my pet? I’m sure you will be most surprised. It is my gift to you.” A knowing smile lit his shadowed features as Hyakuhei stepped aside… leaving a clear view of his victim. Extending his hand leisurely toward Toya, he turned to look down at the corpse on the ground.

Kyou’s gaze followed Hyakuhei’s as he slowly took a step closer, confused at the importance of this victim’s identity. His golden eyes widened at the crumpled form lying in the dirt as an ominous jolt of alarm crawled up his spine. His heart began to race when he saw the familiar shiny silver highlights running through midnight black hair, now matted with blood and dirt as it lay across the man's face as if to hide his true identity.

He felt his entire being scream in rage and denial at the knowledge that he was now looking at his missing brother’s slaughtered form.

“NO!” Kyou threw back his head and roared. Tears filled his eyes as he turned to face the one responsible. “What have you done?” He snarled as he shot forward, stopping mere inches from his brother’s killer. His sun gold eyes bled red… elongated fangs bared like a rabid dog. Flexing his clawed hand he waited for the confession with barely restrained rage.

“Only what I should have done from the beginning… remove the one who did not appreciate you as I do.” Hyakuhei’s expression softened for a brief moment as he watched his favorite child.

He had given Kyou all his attention and affection since giving him the gift of dark immortality… but still Kyou had not been happy. It was the sadness in Kyou’s golden gaze that had attracted him so… the loneliness within him was lovely and mimicked Hyakuhei’s own melancholy. He had then turned Kyou’s brother, Toya, in hopes of winning his prized possession’s devotion. But… that had only upset Kyou more.

Hyakuhei watched the bittersweet tears forming within Kyou’s eyes and knew he had been right… Kyou was most divine when he cried.

At that moment, something deep within Kyou snapped as a mournful, earth-shattering cry tore from his body. In a blind rage, he attacked his brother’s murderer, fangs bared and claws slashing. “I will tear out your heart and leave your body to be ravaged by the creatures of the night for what you have done!”

Deftly, the wicked man dodged the attack and in a blur of black had Kyou pinned to the ground. With a calm that did not reflect in his ruby red depths, Hyakuhei leaned in close, his gaze locked on the face that haunted him so… the face of his own brother.

“I did what was necessary for us. Toya did not want you to have my gift and sought to take it away from you. You will understand in time.” He murmured as his soft lips brushed fleetingly across snarling ones as he spoke those words.

“I did what was necessary for us. Toya did not want you to have my gift and sought to take it away from you. You will understand in time.” He murmured as his soft lips brushed fleetingly across snarling ones as he spoke those words.

With a strength that he did not realize he possessed, Kyou forcefully threw the offending man twenty feet from his shaking body. He swiped his forearm across his mouth in disgust as he growled dangerously.

“Now, now, little one, calm yourself,” the man cooed as he stood and dusted himself off. His eyes blazed with promise as his body shimmered slightly, and then faded backwards into the night. “I will be watching… waiting for you… my pet.”

Kyou’s world shattered around him as he looked down at his brother’s lifeless body. ‘I will avenge my brother’s death and spend eternity hunting you if I have to. When I find you, you will pay for this… Hyakuhei...’

He lowered himself shakily to his knees and gently lifted Toya’s body to his chest… cradling his head gently. His little brother's hair had fallen away from his face making Kyou’s vision blur as he tried to hold back the flood of tears with no success. It looked like Toya was simply asleep… peaceful for the first time in way too long.

He watched as his tears dripped onto Toya’s cheek and Kyou felt his heart fracture. Clutching his beloved brother tightly against him, Kyou whispered in an unsteady voice, “Toya, please forgive me… for not making it here in time.” His breath shuddered from him as he squeezed his eyes shut in pain. “I knew you needed me… I should have saved you.”

Kyou’s mind raced back to the day Hyakuhei had turned him into what he was now… the day after his father’s death. Kyou had known Hyakuhei had only wanted him… and Toya had only been a small child. So to protect Toya… Kyou had left with his uncle even as his little brother had cried for him not to leave.

He could still remember the distrust shining in Toya’s big golden eyes as he glared up at Hyakuhei for daring to take his big brother away from him. It was the memory of that haunted look that had helped Kyou stay away from his sibling for several years… to protect him.

As Toya had gotten older, Kyou had found himself yearning to see him… secretly visiting him and watching from a distance… watching his brother live the life he couldn’t. Watching Toya from the shadows had been Kyou’s only happiness during those dark days. He had often snuck into Toya’s bedroom… to watch him sleep.

Had he known Hyakuhei was following him and watching him watch Toya… he would have never put Toya in danger like that. His uncle had turned Toya because he had thought that was what Kyou had wanted. It had been his fault that Toya had died the first time.

Toya had fought their uncle, during the turning and after. As their arguments became more vicious, Kyou had tried to keep Hyakuhei’s attention away from his brother. Then Toya had started talking about a cure for vampires… the Guardian Heart Crystal. He had sworn he would find it and cure them both.

Toya had found his cure… in death.

Doing his best to avoid looking at the now empty cavity where his brother’s heart had once resided, Kyou stood and carried Toya’s body away from the scene to give him a proper burial.

He could no longer feel Hyakuhei’s presence but knew he was close, watching him somehow… always watching him. Kyou understood now that he would have to leave, go into hiding until he was strong enough to defeat the evil that had stolen the only thing he held dear… his little brother. He slipped past the darkness leaving the clearing in total silence.

Kamui breathed a soft sigh of relief when the brothers were gone and lowered his invisibility barrier from around Kotaro’s battered form. Looking down at the Lycan, Kamui knew it would take a while for Kotaro’s wounds to heal… not just the wounds to his body, but the wounds that now lay deeply imbedded within his heart as well.

“Come on,” Kamui whispered, pulling one of Kotaro’s arms across his shoulders and helping him stand. “Hyakuhei has not gone far and I need to get you out of the open.” His eyes shimmered the color of rainbow dust as he tried to withhold his own tears. It was in vain for he could feel them sliding down his cheeks in hot trails.

So much had been lost in the span of only a couple of deadly hours… he now knew what darker than dark truly was. He would not lose Kotaro as well.

“I didn’t hate him that much,” Kotaro whispered, looking dejectedly toward where Toya’s body had lain just moments before. They had both loved Kyoko and she in turn held affection for both of them… never choosing one over the other when they were fighting… until tonight. The fates had only given him a few short hours… at least Toya had not known.

His hand curled into a fist and tightened. Toya would have been mad… but he would have been alive. “I would rather face his anger… not this… not this.” His voice faltered.

They had both tried to protect her but now Toya… Kotaro’s ice blue eyes swam with unshed tears, “I never hated him.”

“He knows you didn’t,” Kamui said leading Kotaro in the direction of the only safe place he knew… the wizard, Shinbe’s home. He needed to tell their friend of Toya’s fate… and Kyoko’s. Shinbe would somehow know what to do, he always knew.

“I’ll kill that bastard Hyakuhei,” Kotaro snarled as he pulled against Kamui’s restraint, his Lycan nature coming to the surface. “He killed her… he killed Toya because of her. When I find him, he’ll wish he’d been born human.”

As if the wind had been knocked out of him, Kotaro’s body shuddered. He knew Toya was a lot stronger than he had ever acknowledged but without Kyoko to protect… Toya had lost his will to fight. Hyakuhei had known that before the fight had ever started.

Toya’s grief had made him hotheaded… impatient. “If only he had waited… a few more moments. Kyou could have saved him.” Sadness hung on every syllable as Kotaro wiped angrily at the tears that silently left trails down his cheeks.

“I wanted to save them both… Kyoko,” the pain of his weakened body was too much as he closed his glowing ice blue eyes and gave in to the nothingness that would soothe the pain for a short while.

Kamui nodded as he lifted Kotaro’s limp body and carried him. “You have done enough. Rest for now.” He whispered. “It’s my turn to do the saving.”

Chapter 2

In the predawn hour, Kamui hovered above an unmarked grave. The two men standing on each side of him were all he had left. He had watched Shinbe use his telekinetic powers to remove the earth from Toya’s grave and widen it enough for two bodies.

Shinbe and Kotaro now both wore the same expression… sadness and stubborn strength. Kamui knew they were trying to stay strong for him but he could see through to the melancholy they both hid.

They all stared down at the grave… the painful reality of it all sinking in. Things were not supposed to end this way… the good side wasn’t supposed to lose… or die. Shinbe had helped them come to a decision on what to do. Retrieving Kyoko’s body, they had brought her to the grave where Kyou had laid his brother and buried them together.