A flash of lightning silhouetted the dark wings of the enemy as he shimmered to life right in Kamuiâs path. Hyakuheiâs long midnight hair lifted in the current caused by his sudden descent. His ebony eyes locked with Kamuiâs causing the guardian to jerk back in his headlong rush to rescue Kyoko.
âPoor child⦠have you lost something?â Hyakuheiâs voice held a note of concern but his ebony eyes gave his true intentions away. Drifting forward, he reached out to touch Kamuiâs pale cheek, only to laugh when the guardian shot back several feet to avoid the contact.
âAlways so skittish.â Ignoring the other guardianâs still on the ground, Hyakuhei stalked the sparkling eyed boy as he retreated, âCome now Kamui, how will you ever truly beat me⦠if you do not have your priestess with you?â He knew the boyâs fears better than anyone. His lips hinted at a sadistic smile. After all⦠he was the one who had taught Kamui all those fears.
Kamui nearly choked on the panic that was rising higher by the moment. Seeing the monster in front of him was almost as bad as sensing the hidden monster inside⦠the dream demon. He could feel it there in front of him behind the face of his enemy, memories of nightmares he had long since buried came back to haunt him as he fought the urge to flee the man before him.
Feeling Kamuiâs terror flood the area Shinbe shouted, âLeave him alone, traitor!â Raising his staff, he used his telekinesis to send an onslaught of rocks and earth at their uncle to distract him long enough for Kamui to escape.
With a wave of his hand, Hyakuhei created a barrier for the projectiles to harmlessly bounce off, his black eyes turned to the amethyst guardian in anger. âDo not interfere with something you have no knowledge of dear nephew.â
Kamui dropped to the ground, landing on his feet as he pushed the dark memories back hoping they would stay hidden for a while longer. They were his secrets to keep and keep them he must. Kamui blinked⦠his eyes turning back to their normal glittering state. He would never remember what Hyakuhei dared him to remember⦠he glanced back at the other guardians wishing the lie were true.
Toya had seen enough and he snapped. With speed faster than the human eye could detect, Toya seemed to disappear and reappear behind Hyakuhei. Wrapping his arm around the enemyâs neck in a death hold he growled, âAnd what the hell do you think you can do about it⦠dear uncle?â
Hyakuheiâs eyes became slits as he realized Toyaâs anger had released the power that equaled his own. Seeing that Kamui had escaped his reach for now, he smiled deceivingly. âHow do you intend to stop me when you canât even protect one small girl? You have already lost.â
He knew he could still torture the priestess with the seductive memories hidden deep within the dreams. The dream sprite would see that they stayed linked. Sooner or later⦠she would come to him willingly. Kyou would not have her for long. Even now he could feel her sleeping⦠waiting for him to join her in her dreams.
With a wicked laugh, Hyakuheiâs body vanished leaving Toya to once again scream in rage.
*****
Darkness surrounded Kyoko in its murkiness and somehow she knew she was once again asleep. Reality faded into the background and she cringed inwardly, knowing the dream had found a way to continue. She tried to fight it⦠to wake up so it couldnât reach her but the lull of the dream world was too strong.
Time and space had no meaning as the dream became real to her. Kyoko felt warm, almost too warm and the sensation was making it hard for her to wake up. She struggled to try to shake the darkness that left her so weak and lost. Moving her fingers beside her, she felt the softness of fur. She became aware enough to realize that she was lying on some kind of pelt.
Opening her eyes, she looked at a stone ceiling and let her vision trail across it to the stone walls that surrounded her. She was in a cave of some kind. Light flickered in all colors around her from a small fire that was only about ten feet away. It was truly breathtaking as only the dream could be.
She tried to sit up but instantly regretted the movement, lying back as slowly as she could. Her head hurt and she was weak⦠as if all the strength had just been zapped from her. What had happened?
Her lips parted as the memories started coming back to her. This time she sat up quickly not caring about the pain, still she held her head in her hands hoping to steady her vision.
It looked like she was deep within the earth because of the crystal formations along the ceiling and walls. There was only one entrance that she could see and it was small so the fire was doing a good job of heating the room. No doubt without it, the cave would have been very cold.
Closing her eyes again and rubbing her temples she tried to think rationally. The Guardian Heart Crystal⦠She had shattered it to keep Hyakuhei from obtaining it. That was the last thing she remembered. Opening her eyes again, she could see clearer.
Glancing down, she realized she was laying on fur the color of midnight. Kyoko groaned⦠Hyakuhei had her. She knew it. Why else would she be lying on what appeared to be a black fur robe deep within a hole in the earth... only Hyakuhei could be that demented.
She wanted to cry but knew better, because if she did give in to the fear⦠she might never stop crying. Checking her body for injury to keep her mind off her fears, she realized she was unharmed and instantly felt better. If Hyakuhei were going to kill her⦠he would have already done so⦠right? She shivered at the lingering question.
Looking all around, Kyoko felt better seeing that she was alone. If she were going to try to escape, now would be the time. She just hoped she had the energy it would take to flee the cave without Hyakuhei knowing.
Crawling up on her hands and knees she steadied herself. It took all of her strength just to push herself into a standing position. She fought the wave of dizziness that swept over her. What had he done to her? Or was it the shattering of the crystal that had stolen her stamina. She felt like she was lost in a dream and only hoped it was true.
She didnât mean to be a baby but she would give anything right now for one of the guardians to come and save her. After being in a world full of demons as long as she had been⦠nothing much scared her, but right now⦠she was silently terrified.
Kyoko turned her attention to the opening of the cave. While it was light within the cave, it looked awfully dark on the other side of the opening. She made her way closer to the exit almost scared of what she would find on the other side.
She could feel the temperature difference as she reached the opening. She could even feel the cold trying to enter the warm room and it almost made her want the warmth of the black pelt she had been lying on. Glancing back over her shoulder, she contemplated returning to the warmth but quickly banished the thought.
âNo,â Kyoko thought stubbornly as she rubbed her arms to keep them warm. She had made it this far, she wasnât about to turn around and go back for it. Besides⦠it was Hyakuheiâs and needing it seemed wrong. He was the enemy.
She took another step, which brought her within the shadowy doorway, and she had been right. It was so dark. Kyoko raised her eyes to find a small stream of light coming from way above. From what she could tell, she was quite a ways from the surface. Staring at the light to avoid looking back at the darkness, she noted the fact that it must be morning now.
With a quiet sigh, she wondered how long she had been out of it. She bit her bottom lip hoping that she hadnât slept for days or something like that. The thought of being alone a mile under the earth was creeping her out and the thought of Hyakuhei being with her down here was more than just creepy.
She nodded to herself thinking, âItâs definitely time to scram before the devil shows up to throw me in the fire.â Inhaling deeply, she steadied her fright knowing she didnât have an alternative⦠but how was she supposed to get back to the top?
Kyoko took another step into the darkness, hoping to get a better view but what happened next took her breath away. She couldnât even scream. There was no floor for her foot to touch. She instantly lost her balance and was falling. She wordlessly watched the small shaft of light above her getting farther away.
Closing her eyes, Kyoko reached for the light as she waited on the impact. Out of the darkness warm arms came around her to slow her fall. She didnât care who it was as long as she wasnât falling any more. Her muffled cry echoed off the stone walls as she clung tightly to the muscular shoulders, her fear set in realizing she could have died.
She could feel the warmth coming off the person whose strong arms held her safely against a broad chest. She could hear something that sounded like soft wings as they rose upward toward the entrance to the room she had just fallen from. Fighting the urge to press closer to the body that had saved her, she started concentrating on how much lighter the walls appeared.
As the light came closer, Kyoko was almost too scared to look up, knowing already who had her, but morbid curiosity brought her emerald eyes to the face attached to her lifeline. Her fears where renewed. His perfect face turned toward her as his long dark hair hovered around them in waves. If evil had a name⦠that name would be seduction.
"Hyakuhei," her voice was laced with alarm and gratitude at the same time. It was his fault she was here but also⦠he didnât have to save her when she fell. Why had he done that? How could she fight such an enigma? A small breeze hit her back and she realized they were close to the small cave she had originally awoken in. Had she really fallen that far?
She didnât say a word as his feet landed on the floor without a sound and he carried her bridal style back to the fur pelt and sat her down. He then lowered his body to sit in front of her. Kyokoâs nerves were in a knot by the time he was settled. It wasnât helping that he just stared at her as if he were deep in thought. She bit her bottom lip knowing it would be useless to run.
She gazed right back at him as if sizing him up. If she didnât already know how evil he was, she would have thought of him just as strikingly beautiful as Kyou⦠except where Kyou had light coloring, Hyakuhei had dark coloring. Both men were powerful and very dangerous with looks that could kill but she knew better than to get taken in by seductive beauty.
She also knew not to show this traitorous guardian fear. So steadying her nerves, Kyoko raised her chin a notch and looked at him defiantly. "I donât have the crystal so why did you bring me here?" She was glad her voice sounded stronger than she felt and drew courage from it.
Hyakuhei ignored the priestess's question while he stared at her for a moment. This girl intrigued him on many levels. He knew she had great power but he also knew she had no idea how powerful she really was. She didnât even realize her fall had slowed down before he had caught her in his arms. If he had let her fall, no doubt she would have landed softly on her feet.
His power had grown since the last time they had come face to face. This time finding the Guardian Heart Crystal would be easier because she would help him locate the shattered fragments. His mistake before had been his obsession with only the crystal. This time he wanted both⦠her and the crystal.
âWhy do you fear me so?â Hyakuhei whispered softly as he brought his hand up to touch her cheek and was surprised when she barely flinched. She was showing him that she was not scared of him, not realizing he could smell her fear rise when he reached out to touch her. She was right to be frightened but he would make her forget such fears.
With the skin contact and her wide eyes staring into his, he entered her mind, giving her the feeling of comfort and safety. He had put spells on her before but she had always broken them. This time it would be a spell that left her feeling no danger and she would have no cause to break free of it even though she probably could if she tried hard enough. This was the thrall of a vampire demon he had recently taken into his soul.
The corners of his sensual lips turned up in a hint of a smile as she curiously watched him and her scent of fear receded.
Kyoko should have known better than to let him touch her but she was trying her best to show no fear. As her heart pounded in her ears she began to feel strange. He had yet to try to hurt her and for some reason⦠she understood that was not his intentions at all. She felt safe with him and she also felt sleepy. She turned her cheek into the palm of his hand and lowered her lashes.
âHyakuhei,â She whispered, glad she was no longer alone within the cave.
He felt her tire and crawled closer to gently lay her back on the soft midnight fur. Hovering above her he straddled her body and stared down at the vision he now had caged under him.
âIt is I whom you will love Kyoko⦠my touch, my voice⦠my kiss.â He lowered his lips to hers as she fell asleep⦠Tonight he would let her body and mind sleep and he would keep contact with her to strengthen the bond of the thrall. He would make her want him to the point of physical pain so she would have no choice but to seek him out and feed the craving.
He lay down beside her, drawing her body within his arms, inhaling her scent. He smiled to himself knowing she was such an innocent⦠just a woman-child really. He had no desire to change that tonight. His body tightened around her possessively. She was pure and oblivious to the fact that she was now under his control while asleep within a dream. She was his!
Several miles away Hyakuhei tossed and turned as he dreamed the same dream as Kyoko⦠the dream demon now had them both within its clutches and they didnât even know it. The demon laughed silently at the chaos it had created. Oh, it was undoubtedly under Hyakuheiâs control but its mind remained untouched. For how long was still an unknown and it sought to strike back at its jailer while it could.
The sliver of crystal within the dream masters spirit gave him the power to look deep within Hyakuhei⦠so deep he could see through The Heart of Time and into another reality. Past or future world⦠it didnât matter for it was the truth and he would use it against the dark one that had chained him.
He would feed the memories into both Hyakuhei and the priestess so they would know defeat not once⦠but twice. This was the land of demons and the demons should always win.
*****
Kyou carefully held Kyoko in his arms even though she was asleep. He had put some distance between Hyakuhei and the priestess but somehow⦠it was as if Hyakuhei was still within touching distance of her. His guardian blood roared in response to these thoughts while he held her a bit tighter to himself.
Lifting a hand to cup her cheek, he felt foreign warmth start to spread through him when she turned her face slightly into his palm. His golden eyes hardened when she whispered a name in her sleep. She had said the enemyâs name so tenderly.