Kyoko sighed again wondering what she was doing. It was almost midnight and she had told the guardians she wouldn't be back until morning. But while lying in her soft bed, in her relatively safe world, she couldn't sleep due to some sixth sense telling her that things were about to change. Whether those changes were for the better or for the worse, she couldnât say⦠and the dreams of the enemy werenât helping.
Her thoughts pivoted between the guardian heart crystal and the shattered talisman it had become. As always, her daydreams and nightmares shifted through the guardianâs that she had never asked for, and the dangerous demons they brought with them.
Her thoughts instantly turned to Hyakuhei, their enemy. She couldnât understand how someone so strikingly beautiful could be so cruel and dangerous. Kyoko saw another flash of lightning streak across the sky in the distance. She cocked an eyebrow reminding herself that looks could be deceiving.
Beautiful or not⦠just like lightning, Hyakuhei was very dangerous. She knew that as Hyakuhei collected pieces of the scattered talisman, he became that much stronger⦠even though he was extremely powerful to begin with. He already had the ability to take the weaker, lowborn demons within himself and thrive on their dark power. He could also release that power with devastating affects when the time was right⦠like in battle.
With ability like that⦠why would he bother with the guardian heart crystal? What would he have to gain by gathering the talisman? Did he truly believe he would gain everything he desired once it was complete and in his possession? Again, those were questions that only led to more questions and secrets that were never meant to be known.
Kyoko looked into the stone eyes of the maiden wondering what secrets it held. Reaching up with her hand, she touched the marble cheek gently and asked, âHyakuhei seems almost unstoppable even without the help of the talismans, so why is he trying to find them?â Silence was her answer.
Realizing she was once again talking to a stone object, Kyoko clamped her mouth shut so she would keep her thoughts to herself. âGee, I really need friends,â She mumbled. Lowering her hand, she turned her back to the shrine that transported her between worlds.
Resuming her thoughts, she bit her bottom lip as she pictured the enemy within her mind. As Hyakuhei gained more of the scattered talisman, he became more dangerous to deal with. If he ever gained all the pieces of the talisman, he would then be able to breach the barrier between the demon and human world. This was the true answer to her question.
If that happened, neither world would be able to stop his deadly obsession with the power of darkness. âI wonât let that happen, you know.â Her shoulders dropped with the weight of keeping that promise.
Her mind shifted back to the dream sheâd had less than an hour ago⦠the same dream that left her in a cold sweat and bolting upright in her bed. The sounds and feelings of the dream had been so real that she could have sworn sheâd really been there. It was as if she was watching it all happen and feeling it at the same time.
âBut thatâs impossible⦠right?â she glanced back toward the statue as the memory of the dream came back to haunt her. Hyakuhei had captured her in her dream and although she had fought him⦠did she really stand a chance?
Kyoko blinked hoping the remembrance of the dream would soon vanish. She didnât want to feel the fear that she knew would come with the vision that bordered closer to a nightmare. Seeing the maiden statue staring back at her, it dawned on her. Whether it had really happened in the past or was truly just the memory of a dream⦠it was still a memory in the fullest sense of the word.
She felt the images crashing back toward her, making her feel like a deer caught in the headlights. Her eyes slid closed again as if fate were demanding that she remember it all⦠even remembering the enemyâs thoughts. This time it was not the same visions as the last.
In the dream, sheâd come through The Heart of Time. But instead of the guardians being there waiting on her, it had been the enemy⦠Hyakuhei. As she turned to flee back the way she had come, heâd reached out and grasps her wrist in an iron grip to halt her flight. No matter how hard she fought to get away from him⦠it seemed the more she struggled, the closer he got.
He reached his other hand out and gripped her chin to raise her frightened gaze to his and she stopped struggling the moment their eyes locked. Instead of the cold black eyes of the enemy, she was looking into warm brown eyes.
âWelcome back,â Hyakuhei whispered softly just as his lips descended on hers.
Kyoko pinched herself so hard that it made her jump and the daydream came to a sudden stop as if she had turned a power switch off. Were the daydreams and nightmares trying to warn her of some unknown fate or had it already happened and was reminding her of the mistake? Either way she hoped the next time she closed her eyes to sleep⦠it would be dreamless.
âKissing Hyakuheiâ¦â she put her hands on her hips as if to lecture herself, âwhat in the world is going through your mind girl?â she felt like a traitor just for saying it out loud. âThatâs⦠thatâs almost as bad as kissing Kyou for crying out loud.â She smirked at the comparison even though it wasnât that funny.
âLack of sleep will do that to you,â She mumbled still fussing at herself. âIt also causes one to have full-fledged conversations with themselves,â She continued before sighing in defeat. âI need a vacation.â
However, despite her vocal ravings, the mental image of kissing Kyou jumped to the forefront of her mind and wouldnât go away. A rush of warmth traveled from the top of her head to the tips of her toes. She wondered where these thoughts had come from. Again the picture popped up out of nowhere and she made an almost physical effort to push it back down.
With an unsuppressed shiver, Kyokoâs mind did a boomerang back to the five brothers whom were predestined to be her guardians in this dangerous world⦠or so they said. Her thoughts became centered for a moment on Kyou, the oldest and most powerful of the five brothers. Kyou presented himself just as dangerous and unnerving as his evil uncle Hyakuhei.
To everyone, even to his brothers, Kyou was an enigma. With the beauty of an archangel, he hid within himself the power to help destroy or heal this demon-racked world. But she could tell by his cold demeanor that Kyou cared not for either alternative. It was as if he had decided that his evil uncle wasnât his problem.
She was kind of glad Kyou didnât travel with the group but kept to himself. Kyoko had only seen him a couple of times since accidentally becoming their priestess and most of those times she had only seen him from a distance⦠those encounters had been disturbing enough.
She still didnât know a lot about Kyou but sometimes wondered if he thought he was too good to be around his brothers⦠or was it her that he avoided at all cost?
Kyoko lifted an eyebrow thinking out loud again, âWell, itâs probably for the best anyway, because all he and Toya do is fight when theyâre within seeing distance of each other⦠and Kyou pretty much ignores his other siblings.â She heaved a sigh. He seemed to hold a grudge against her for being the priestess he was supposed to protect.
âItâs not like I need his help.â Her thought flashed back to the past. Upon their first meeting, Kyou had narrowed his golden eyes at her saying that she was nothing but a weak human and not worthy of his protection. Right before that, heâd been even more frightful.
When she first came into their world by mistake⦠Kyou and Toya had tried to kill her, thinking she was trespassing through The Heart of Time with the help of their uncle. It was the guardian heart crystal that had shielded her from their attack and thatâs what started this whole mess.
Somehow, while the guardian heart crystal was protecting her from the brothers, it had shattered into the four winds⦠sending the demons within their world into a destructive frenzy. If the demons that roamed this world collected enough of the shattered pieces, then they could have the power to cross into her world and plunge it into chaos.
She and the guardians would have to find the talismans before the demons did or all would be lost.
Since then, the five guardian brothers had realized that she was the true priestess of the guardian heart crystal and therefore⦠very much under their protection. Kyou was the only one of the guardians that kept his distance from her. The few times they had crossed paths, she had the sensation that he was more of an enemy then an ally. His golden eyes seemed so hard and cold when he had looked at her⦠as if destroying her was more to his liking.
Toya had told her once that Kyou thought humans to be beneath him. That was putting it mildly. In Toyaâs own words Kyou was a self-centered, conceited asshole that couldnât develop a heart if his life depended on it. Kyoko would remember this occasionally and it always brought a smile to her face. For some reason, the aloof demeanor Kyou possessed just seemed⦠right.
âHe definitely wears it well,â She said aloud.
The other four guardian brothers had readily placed her under their protection while they searched for the talisman before the demons of their world gathered them and used their powers to attack.
Toya had appointed himself as her closest watcher and protector. He covered up that closeness with the fact that she had started this mess by bringing the crystal back to their world to begin with. But then again, she could have argued the matter by saying that if he and Kyou hadnât attacked her when they first met, it wouldnât have shattered to begin with. It just wasnât worth saying anything though⦠Toyaâs temper always gave her a headache and made her irritated.
He still acted annoyed with her but sometimes she got the feeling maybe he loved her a little too. He just chose to often hide those feelings behind the huge chip he had on his shoulder⦠a chip sheâd really like to knock off every once in a while. Maybe it would actually give him a better attitude about the whole thing.
She smiled softly at the thought of him. To her⦠Toya was fast becoming her best friend and maybe even a little more. Kyoko could feel the slight blush spreading across her cheeks. Toya had saved her life many times since the day the guardians had tried to kill her.
They had created a very strong bond and even though she and Toya still argued a lot, that bond bordered very close to a deep love. It was as if the crystal knew the feelings they hid for each other because it had somehow chosen Toya to be the only one who could follow her back into her world when the other guardians couldnât breach the time portal. That had spurred some rather humorous arguments between the brothers. Kyoko was convinced they did it on purpose just to make her smile.
The other three brothers Shinbe, Kamui, and Kotaro all held a place in her heart as well. Kyokoâs lips lifted in a fond smile, which left her where she was now. Here she stood, all alone, in the middle of the night, in a land where demons roamed freely. Sometimes she wondered if she didnât need her head examined.
âMore like needing to be locked up in the loony bin somewhere, in a room with rubber wallsâ, she thought sarcastically. Not wanting to disturb the guardians just yet, Kyoko grabbed hold of a vine and climbed up to sit on one of the surrounding white rocks.
Just because she couldnât sleep didnât mean she needed to wake them up. It was way too late and still way to early. Looking up into the night sky, she just sat there, enjoying the view of the lightning bolts that didnât seem to be getting any closer.
Kyokoâs fingers rose to the small pouch she wore around her neck where some of the talisman they had gathered safely rested. She was unaware that as she touched the binding, a soft florescent blue light radiated from it and the direction of the cool breeze quickly began to change.
*****
Nearby, Kyou's head tilted as a tainted scent that was caught in the wind of the approaching storm drifted toward him. Hyakuhei was near. He narrowed his golden eyes as the breeze shifted, now coming from the direction of The Heart of Time. That scent, he gritted his teeth⦠the priestess and the power of the guardian heart crystal.
His hands fisted at his side as anger flashed across his expression causing a small growl to be heard in the stillness of the surrounding forest. She was alone and unguarded. How dare she be at the shrine at this dangerous hour unprotected! Why were his brothers not with her? Kyou inhaled deeply of the woman-child that traveled with his siblings.
Within his mindâs eye, he could see the image of the priestess he and his brothers had become guardians of. Auburn hair⦠startling emerald eyes, it was as if the beauty of the maiden statue had come to life and color. She should have never come to this world with the guardian heart crystal. Neither she, nor it, belonged here.
If he could, he would toss her back through the portal and destroy the statue but to do so would be a bastardization of the barrier his father Tadamichi had protected. Despite his desire, it seemed this point was now very moot.
The dangerous power his uncle continued to gain was her fault. Had she not known what would happen? If she were the true priestess, she should have known to stay away from this demonic world. His father had died because he had closed the time portal and this small human girl had undone everything he had sacrificed his life for. It had all been for nothing.
Tadamichi wanted him to protect the humanâs⦠all of them. But why? Why would he now protect the very human who had been stupid enough to open the portal between their worlds. Why did Tadamichi care so much that he gave his life for them?
Kyou had tried to frighten her and send her screaming back into her world. But much to his disbelief⦠she had to be the only female who seemed to not fear him for more than a few fleeting seconds at a time. When heâd first come upon her not so long ago, she had stood there, chin held high, pointing a spirit dart straight at him as if she, a mere human, could fight him⦠and win.
Heâd vowed to protect the guardian heart crystal and the time portal, but never a small human girl. His brothers may have agreed to it, but he had never. Humans were weak, foolish creatures that feared him. Why did she have to be different? Why did she not fear him? Why did she repeatedly stand before him, a symbol of everything defiant?
Kyou leapt from the tree heâd been sitting in and stood to his full height. He could feel his heart beat loud and thumping under his skin⦠his guardian blood demanding that he go to her. It happened every time she was near and that only angered him more. His instinct was a force that was stronger than his will.
Her lack of fear only attracted him to her, and of late, she had somehow consumed his thoughts⦠along with his dreams. Heâd stayed away from the group for that reason alone. How dare that girl plant herself so deep within his thoughts? He would teach her not to enchant him with her insolence and humanity. She was nothing to him except the priestess of the crystal⦠she had no business here within his reach.