Chapter 10 "True Lies"
Toya walked out of the cave holding Kyoko against him as tenderly as he could. Seeing Kyou still standing near the entrance had the tender hold changing to one of possessiveness. He just wished everybody would have left them alone and let them enjoy each other for a little while, that none of this would have happen to her. He watched Kyou wearily, wondering if he would still try to take her from him.
Kyou didn’t turn to acknowledge the fact that Toya had come out of the cave, nor could any emotion be detected in his voice as he said indifferently. "It would not be good if you were attacked while holding the girl so I will stay with you until we reach our brothers.” Without saying another word, Kyou slowly walked in the direction that would lead them to Shinbe and the others, knowing Toya would follow.
Kyou had much to think about. He’d come to a conclusion today, that he did in fact know what love was because he saw it in the actions of his little brother. To think that Toya could teach him something like that was humbling. He had showed him that there was also power to be had in the emotion called love and that power comes when protecting the one you love.
When he’d seen firsthand Hyakuhei’s vision of himself and Kyoko, he knew he would not have done it like that but at the same time he realized himself, that to Kyoko it would be the same either way. Kyou watched his brother from the corner of his vision.
Toya’s attention was focused on the girl. Yes, it was best he had stayed with them until they reached the others. What Toya would never understand was that he did not only want Kyoko’s body. He wanted her love and he wanted to protect her from harm. He would not mate with her until she craved it. For now, he would just make sure she was safe.
Kyou entered the clearing, ignoring the gasp coming from the others until Toya came into view behind him. He turned to his brother who needed to be warned. "Watch her, for when she awakens the nightmares Hyakuhei gave her may still be real to her confused mind. The spell was so powerful that even we were able to see the false memories.”
With one last gaze toward the girl in his brother’s arms, Kyou pushed off the ground and disappeared from sight.
Toya had been in a trance the whole way back, not taking his attention from Kyoko until the parting words from his brother slowly sank into his conscious. 'She might think the nightmares are real?’ Holding her to him, he motioned for the others to keep their voices down as he stepped over to a tree beside the fire and sat down. Leaning against it, he cradled her waiting for her to wake up.
Suki and Shinbe had heard Kyou’s warning and although they didn’t understand, they were glad Kamui was asleep for now. If he’d been awake, he would have rushed Toya wanting proof Kyoko was all right. They didn’t ask questions, there’d be time for that later. For now, they were just relieved Kyoko was back among them.
Shinbe gazed up into the night sky silently wondering what had transpired. Even though Toya and Kyou had obviously saved her, he felt a disturbance in the pit of his stomach and knew things were still unsettled between the brothers. His knuckles turned white as he gripped his staff a little tighter, fighting the need to take Kyoko away from this madness.
They all sat in silence and finally drifted off to sleep leaving Toya alone with his thoughts.
Toya closed his eyes thinking about what Kyou had said. He was still amazed. Today was the first time Toya had felt like they were real brothers and although he would not let Kyou know it, the feeling was one he liked. His thoughts kept coming back to the warning Kyou had parted with. Kyoko may wake up confused, not knowing which part of her memories were dreams and which was the truth.
There was nothing he could do but wait. And if that was the case… The thought of Kyoko thinking he’d done that to her was already breaking his heart so he tried to turn his thoughts back to the night before. He would remind her of the love they’d shared. He would make her understand that his love for her was real and for life.
Another thing that entered his thoughts was the power he’d possessed when he was trying to free Kyoko from Hyakuhei’s clutches. Never had his power soared so high. He may have even been strong enough to battle Kyou and win. And it was his love for Kyoko that had done that. He glanced down at Kyoko to see her staring up at him in confusion.
Toya watched her cautiously. They both stayed perfectly still for just a moment before she quickly rolled off his lap and pushed herself to her feet. Toya also stood… ready to grab her if she decided to bolt. He just watched, trying to judge what she was thinking by the emotions that were crossing her face.
Kyoko glanced over her shoulder to see that the rest of the gang were waking up and staring at her with strange looks as if they didn’t know what was going on. She swung her gaze back to Toya noting that he looked like he would try to grab her if she moved away from him. She didn’t understand how she had gotten here. She’d been in the cave where they’d made love and Toya had said Kyou was … that she belonged to both of them… to all of them. Her attention returned to the other guardians before flinching and looking away.
Kyou had come to her as Toya said he would and Kyou had... A lone tear traced down her cheek and she heard Toya swear.
Seeing the tear slide down her cheek he knew exactly what she was thinking. "Damn it!" His voice sounded harsh even to his own ears and he watched her flinch. He could feel his anger growing but not at her. No, his anger was directed at Hyakuhei.
Kyoko looked over toward Kamui and saw Kaen coming toward her. As calmly as she could, she backed up from Toya and whispered, "Kaen, I need you." Without another second passing or any questions asked, Kaen changed quickly into his larger form, the fire shooting out from his feet.
Toya sprang forward yelling. “Kyoko! No!” But Kyoko had already jumped on the dragons back and Kaen took off, feeling Kyoko’s need to escape quickly.
Toya took off in a blur. He knew just where Kyoko was headed. She was heading home, away from him and the nightmare she still thought was real. He had to stop her before it was too late. Once again, he was surprised by the speed that he could now travel. Looking up, another string of curses could be heard coming from him when he noticed Kaen was already out of sight.
Hot tears were coursing down Kyoko’s cheeks as the wind blew her hair back exposing the fact that she was crying. She didn’t understand how she’d wound up back with Toya. Where had Kyou gone? And what were the blimps of memories she had of Hyakuhei? Had Hyakuhei saved her from Kyou? She remembered Hyakuhei saying that he would protect her. Then she couldn’t remember anything except waking up just now.
Kyoko couldn’t help it, everything was wrong. Putting her arms around Kaen’s huge neck, she started to cry hysterically not knowing what to believe. She was pulled away from Kaen so quickly that the dragon didn’t even have time to react before she was too far away. Someone was holding her so tightly that she couldn’t breathe and slowly, she quit struggling and passed out.
Kyou had tightened his arm across her ribs, making it hard for her to breathe for a reason. He had wanted her passed out so she would not fight him. This was not her fault and he did not want to scare her any more than she already was.
He’d had stayed within seeing distance of Kyoko when he’d left her with Toya. He knew illusion spells were hard to escape from and that had been what Hyakuhei had been counting on. So, when Kyou had watched Kyoko bolt and Toya chase her, he had his proof that she still thought the illusions to be real. Although his face showed no emotions, inside, his heart was bleeding. He did not want Kyoko to have that memory of him. He would have to put a stop to this.
Shifting her body into a more comfortable position, Kyou headed to a place that very few knew existed… his hidden home. As he came to a very dense area of the eastern lands, it looked impassable as he flew over it. He whispered a chant that only he understood and the scenery changed. To be precise, he had crossed a barrier. Looking down, he saw his castle. Not even Toya knew of this place.
Gliding lower and entering one of the upper windows, he took Kyoko to his chambers and gently laid her down on his bed. As he rose back up he stilled taking in every detail of her lying in his bed. For the first time in his ageless life, a hint of longing could be detected in his expression before he growled softly.
Turning, he went to another room that housed an array of potions and selected a small purple bottle with a cork in the top. This was the elixir that would erase the lie from history. If he gave it to Kyoko, she would forget the memories of anything that had happened within the last couple days.
He entered his bedchambers with the bottle tightly clinched within his hand. She was now sitting up and when she saw him, she instantly started to panic. Jumping off the bed, she ran for the door, only to come up short when Kyou blocked her path.
He watched her gaze turn to the window in desperation. Knowing it was several stories up, he readied himself to stop her from trying to get to it. Just as she started to run for the window, Kyou pulled the stopper on the bottle. He grabbed her and let her fight him with everything she had. He quickly poured the liquid into his own mouth before grabbing her chin and forcing her lips to open for him. The liquid slipped from his lips to hers and Kyoko’s struggles slowed.
Lifting her once again into his arms, he stared down into the face that would forever be branded into his memories. As her eyes closed and the confusion left her, he still did not release her. Would she forever haunt him?
Kyou did not know how long he stood there watching her before he laid her back on the bed. She would sleep for a while as the elixir erased the spell from her memory. Crawling up on the bed beside her, he pulled her deep into his arms and held her the way he often did in his dreams.
***** Toya had reached the clearing of the heart of time in a panic until he inhaled the scents around him and realized Kyoko had not made it there yet. He sat down against the base of the maiden statue to wait. The feeling of panic began to grow as the hours slowly slipped by. Finally giving up, he was in rare form by the time he made it back to the others. What was even more disturbing was finding Kaen there with them asleep.
He didn’t know what had happen to Kyoko, all he knew was that she wasn’t going home and she thought he’d betrayed her. "Damn it! I have to find her before something else bad happens to her.” Toya practically hissed.
Kneeling down beside Shinbe, he shook the amethyst guardian needing answers. "When did Kaen come back?” he softened his voice trying not to wake the rest of the gang. Right now, he didn’t feel like dealing with their questions… especially when he didn’t have the freakin answers.
Shinbe glanced up to see that it was almost morning. He’d waited long into the night for Toya to return but finally gave up knowing time would move faster if he went to sleep. He hadn’t even been able to go looking for her because that would have left Suki alone. Kamui had taken off with Kaen to search the area she had disappeared from.
"I had hoped she was with you. Kaen came back late last night really upset and without Kyoko. Did you not find her?" he sighed knowing that was a stupid question.
"No, but my instincts tell me that she isn’t too far from here… but where I don’t know." Toya glanced over his shoulder as Suki and Kamui stirred. He stilled himself as they both started asking questions at the same time. He quickly interrupted them, not wanting to waste the time it would take to satisfy them with answers that would still leave her missing.
"Look, I can move faster if I’m on my own. So can I count on you guys to go back to Sennin’s for now? When I find her I’ll meet you there.” His gaze focused on Shinbe noticing the hard set of his lips.
Suki slid up next to Shinbe looking at Toya. She’d never seen him so worried before and she felt that it would be best if he quickly found Kyoko. Putting her hand on Shinbe’s shoulder she nodded, "We’ll be fine. Just go find her." She cringed noticing Kamui had silently left the campsite to search for her again.
“We will be waiting,” Shinbe said as he glared in the direction Kamui had snuck off in. That wasn’t fair… he could find her of given the chance.
Toya nodded knowing Kaen would shadow Kamui’s every move and hopefully keep him out of trouble. Taking a step back from them, he let his true identity emerge. Silver feathers sprang from his back matching the color within his eyes and he lifted into the air. He could run faster than he could fly but right now he needed to feel the wind and search it for Kyoko’s scent.
***** Kyoko's head hurt. She’d been awake for over a minute but her head hurt so bad that she didn’t want to open her eyes yet so she just laid there, trying to remember what had made her head hurt so badly.
A soft moan escaped her lips as she opened her eyes. She immediately shut them again raising her fingers to rub her temples. She felt the soft silky material under her and lowered her hand to slide her fingers across it. It felt like she was lying on a feather mattress with silk sheets. Someone put their hand behind her head and raised her, pressing a cup to her lips without saying a word.
As soon as the liquid touched her lips, she raised up taking the cup and trying to drink it greedily. She opened her eyes and found Kyou sitting beside her with his hand still pressed between her shoulder blades supporting her. Sitting the rest of the way up only brought her closer to him so she quickly scooted over a couple inches to create distance.
“Kyou?” she started to glance around the room she was in but quickly jerked her sight back to him distrustingly.
A slight fear laced her voice, but Kyou could tell that she wasn’t that scared of him. At least not as scared as she’d been the day before. Her eyes held a hint of awe in them for him… not hate. Kyou removed his hand and turned to set the cup down, hiding the thankful smile from her.
"How did I get here, Kyou? Where’s Toya?" She watched as he turned back around from setting the cup down. His face still held no sign of emotion but his eyes, was it her imagination or did she see a hint of softness there? She remembered the kiss he’d given her at the spring and she froze, hoping he hadn’t kidnapped her. Sennin had told her it was now time to choose a mate before one was chosen for her.
Kyou watched her without answering. He wanted to give her time to remember what she would. He’d see how far the elixir had taken her back, for the potion affected some differently than others and after all, she was only human. Seeing that she was through putting her thoughts together and had focused her attention back on him, he thought it best to answer a question with a question for now.
"When is the last time you remember seeing me?" It was a simple question, not giving anything away or influencing her answer. When she didn’t frown or shrink away he assumed the drug had worked. Then he noticed her body temperature rise and the heat of a blush cross her cheeks.
"The hot spring," Kyoko said a little breathlessly, without looking up into his face. Why was he asking her such a strange question? She remembered his kiss and two others, Toya's and Kotaro’s, but that didn’t explain why she was here. Finally getting up the nerve to look at him, she raised her chin a notch. "Kyou, please tell me… why am I here and how did I get separated from everyone."
Kyou was secretly happy with her answer. He knew she loved Toya but for now… in her own mind, she was still unmated. "I saved you." Was all he said, leaving her to draw her own conclusions.
Kyoko knew Kyou was a mystery in himself, but for some reason, she felt he was telling the truth, although he obviously wasn’t going to give her any details. No matter how much of an enigma he was… he was still her guardian.
She looked down at her hands in her lap and whispered, "Thank you, Kyou." When he leaned toward her, she quickly glanced up at him with question shining in her emerald eyes. Her lips parted in surprise as she saw him dare a small smile before quickly hiding it.
He reached out his hand to her face, running his thumb over her bottom lip. "I don’t want your thanks… all I want is a simple kiss from you and I’ll return you to your protectors. But… if you ever need me… I will be there Kyoko.”
Her eyes widen as for the first time, she felt Kyou's true feelings. She could see it in the fire in his eyes, hear it in the way he said her name and feel it as he leaned forward. At first, when his lips ghosted across hers, she was reminded of the hot springs. Kyoko lightly pressed her hands against his strong chest remembering the kiss he’d given her before vanishing.
Kyou placed his hand behind her and pulled her against his hard form, tilting her head back with slight pressure. The kiss was no longer ghostly as he demanded entrance, licking and sucking at her lips.
His breath was hot, causing Kyoko to shiver in response as he held her tightly and she opened to him. A growl of satisfaction escaped him as he felt her surrender.
She groaned when he drove his tongue deeply into her as his thumb passed along her cheekbone in a lover’s caress. Wanting to taste her skin he eased up on the kiss, only to kiss his way down her neck before tracing the path back up to dive again between her lips in a rhythm that shattered her mind.
Kyou felt the impact of the kiss as if someone had landed a mortal blow to him. The need to immerse himself deep within her rose up to test his control. Distantly, he thought about making love to her and then giving her more Elixir to make her forget… but he knew that would never be enough. Once he had her, he didn’t think he would ever be able to give her back so with one last hungry thrust of his tongue, he swiftly ended the kiss, pulling back to stare into her dazed eyes.
"I did not use a love potion or a spell. What you are feeling for me is real and lives deep within your heart," he whispered almost amazed that it was not a lie. For now, Kyou knew he must get her to the other guardians. He could already sense them close to his castle, though he doubted they knew it. Toya was not with them.
Kyoko smiled and nodded knowing what he said was the truth. She inhaled sharply then giggled when he swiftly lifted her from the bed and headed for the window. Within moments she was looking down at her group.
Shinbe was the first to see them as Kyou and Kyoko appeared in front of them, seemingly out of nowhere. "Kyoko!" All three took a step closer then stopped at the dangerous expression on Kyou's face.
Kyou glared at them before releasing Kyoko to them. "If you do not take better care of her, next time I may not return her." Gazing down at his priestess, he locked eyes with her not wanting to let her go.
Kyoko smiled up at him with no fear and softly replied to what he’d said earlier. "I will remember your words. Thank you." She leaned up on her tiptoes, placing a chaste kiss to his cheek before stepping away and heading toward her friends. By the time she had turned back around Kyou was gone.
***** Kyou sniffed the wind catching the scent of his brother and shot in that direction, landing in front of him so fast Toya had to skid to a halt to keep from colliding with him.
"What the… Kyou!" he inhaled slowly before turning angry eyes upon his brother. "You had her, didn’t you!"
Kyou kept his face calm. "You should thank me brother, for I have saved her." He watched as a look of confusion crossed Toya's face. "But… I have good news and bad news for you,” Kyou said indifferently so Toya would not sense his pleasure.
Toya had a bad feeling that he wasn’t going to like this. "Out with it, damn it! What have you done to Kyoko?" He just wanted to get to her as soon as possible. "Where is she? I can smell her on you."
Kyou nodded. "The good news is she no longer remembers any of the nightmare images Hyakuhei caused. The bad news is she does not remember anything from the last few days, including the fact that you are mated."
Toya just stood there, too stunned to speak at first, then looking up at Kyou, he whispered in denial, "But she wears my mark on her."
"She does not know it’s there, nor does she remember making a choice.” Kyou understood what Toya was going through and sighed. "Is this not better than her thinking you betrayed her? It was the only way to fix it." He turned to leave but Toya's voice halted him.
"Where is she?” Toya asked softly.
Kyou didn’t look back at him but in a calm voice answered, "She is waiting for you with the others, not far from here. You must not try to get her to remember. Just accept it and let her choose one more time." With the last word, Kyou disappeared, leaving Toya racing desperately toward Kyoko.
