A Guardian's Possession

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Her attention returned to Kyou noticing he had not moved a muscle. Again the remembrance of her earlier thought came back to haunt her… ‘He’s just as dangerous as Hyakuhei. How could someone so beautiful be so evil?’ The darkness of the room made his aura seem to glow disturbingly brighter as if mocking her thoughts.

Again, the same feeling of knots in her stomach returned just like in the dream. Closing her eyes tightly, she fisted her hands on the pillow and prayed this was just another dream… that she would wake up back at the maiden statue and Toya would be standing over her yelling about her stupidity for coming back in the middle of the night. When her eyes slid open she swallowed fearfully, comprehending that this was very real.

When he actually spoke, it startled her so much that she flinched at the melancholy voice. Her emerald eyes widened at the reaction knowing she’d just messed up again by showing him fear… this was not good.

"I will not hurt you… if you behave." Kyou stared blankly into her eyes waiting for her reaction to his words. He then smirked inwardly when she glared at him. `Good.' He thought to himself. She was not going to scream in fear of him… not at least while she was still so angry.

Kyoko glared daggers at him as she remembered what he had done… and right there in front of Toya of all people. How could he have done such a thing? Lifting her chin Kyoko hissed, "And what makes you think I would ever behave myself?"

Kyou nearly lost himself when the demand flew from her pink lips. By the gods, she was determined to defy him to the very end. Despite his initial dislike of her, she had to know it was not his desire to end her existence. If that were the case, she would have died at his hands upon their first meeting. Her defiance was heating his blood again… forcing him to make a physical effort to concentrate on the task at hand.

Kyoko’s eyes suddenly dropped from his. She couldn't compete with the intensity of his gaze. Not at that moment. Not with her heart beating so hard. The strange look in his golden orbs scared her more than fighting Hyakuhei himself.

"You will behave if you want to go back to Toya and the other guardians," He said confidently as if stating a fact. He narrowed his gaze as her eyes snapped back up to his. So… she thought she was going to argue did she? He certainly hoped so. If he had anything to do with it… she would never set eyes on Toya again.

“Who do you think you are?” she demanded rising to her knees in front of him. “You put your hands on me… touched me in ways that I didn’t want. I don’t care what you want or have to say, take me back to Toya you… you perverted letch!”

Kyou suddenly leaned forward making Kyoko fall back into her original position and he savored the mixed scent of her fear and excitement.

"You will stay here with me until I deem otherwise. If your so called Guardians cannot be there to protect you, then they do not deserve the responsibility." Kyou’s temper blazed as he remembered how close she had come to death from the demons he had destroyed before taking her. This was for her own good. If he had not found her in time, she would be with Hyakuhei right now instead of under his protection.

Kyoko's lips parted in confusion, "Why do you want me to stay here with you?" It was then she realized just how close he was while leaning over her. She watched the way he was breathing and she blinked… for a moment, it looked like his shirt went nearly transparent in the light. Mentally shaking her head, she met his gaze waiting for an answer to her question.

Before Kyou could answer, the door to the room opened and two small children ran in smiling and giggling. They looked to be around six years old. The boys had untamed blonde hair that stopped just past their shoulders. They were identical twins.

Kyou abruptly sat upright, momentarily, wearing an expression of someone with his hand caught in the cookie jar. Kyoko didn’t even know that look was even in his repertoire. She knew she’d never forget it… where was a camera when you really WANTED it?

She cocked her head to the side knowing they were human children and twins at that. Why were they here… with him?

"Kyou, you are back." They called out his name while running closer. Noticing Kyoko they stopped, their eyes widening with shy curiosity.

"Kyou, is she staying?" they turned wide clear blue eyes up to stare at Kyou.

Kyoko watched Kyou. He didn't even look at the small twins as he answered them.

"Hiroki, Hiraru," He said in a deadpan voice.

"Yes?" Came the sweet replies.

"She is staying. Now leave us for the time being." Kyou's cold calm voice didn't faze the twins as they smiled at Kyoko then suddenly ran forward, closing the distance between them.

Kyoko expected to be pounced on. Her eyes widened in surprise when they stopped short of reaching her and climbed into Kyou’s lap, hugging him for all they were worth. Again the expression on Kyou’s face was priceless making her wonder just how much she really knew about him. The twins jumped back laughing when Kyou abruptly growled deep in his chest before they turned around and skipped out of the room.

Kyoko looked back up at Kyou. "Why are they with you?" He simply stood before her, elegant and infuriatingly beautiful. She figured he wouldn't answer and was surprised when he did.

"They want to stay … and I let them," he replied with the same blank stare he had given her earlier. Towering over her, Kyou noted the look of surprise that crossed her face. His gaze trailed down her cheeks to pause on her lips… full, almost pouty lips.

Kyoko didn't know what to think about his answer. "Why do you let them when you hate humans?"

He loved to watch her lips move. Kyou leaned closer to Kyoko, coming within inches of her face. "They are not smart enough to fear me." His voice was low and smooth. His eyes rose from her lips becoming deadlocked on hers.

Kyoko swallowed, leaning back just a little but the pillow didn’t allow too much room to do so. What did he mean… that she was not smart enough to be scared of him? She could tell he wouldn't hurt her so she didn't flinch from him. "Then why am I here?" she cocked an eyebrow at him.

"Because you are also not smart enough to be scared of me," His voice got softer as he watched her face so close to his. It amazed him how much her emotions showed on her face.

Kyoko wanted to lean back a couple more inches trying to create space between them. "Do you want me to be scared of you?" she asked cocking an annoyed eyebrow. She inhaled when his eyes seemed to unnaturally glow even more within the shadowy room. She suddenly forgot what had led to this conversation.

"As long as you behave, you have no reason to fear me. For now," He reached his hand out to touch her cheek only to slowly lower it when she suddenly drew back out of range. The light from the window behind him reflected within her eyes. Did she realize how seductive she looked with her childlike innocence and her melancholy lips? He sat back away from her, his gaze narrowing once again.

Kyoko watched him curiously. "Kyou… why am I really here? I need to go back to the other guardians and continue hunting the missing talismans." She couldn't tell what was up with him and it was starting to officially freak her out. He still didn't answer her and the butterflies in her stomach where breeding as she waited.

After a minute of watching him just stare at her, Kyoko finally put her hand down on the pillow and pressed herself up to a standing position.

Kyou was oh so tempted to let her lean up into him but after treating her body so seductively earlier, he knew to do so would break any sort of trust he’d gained. He leaned back and let her rise to her feet.

Feeling a little off balance trying to stand on the oversized pillow, Kyoko put her hands out to balance herself as she glared defiantly down at him. "Okay… If there is no reason for me to be here then I want to go back." She went to take a step but before she knew what happened, she was on her back staring up at a very angry looking Kyou. ‘Well… at least I know his face isn’t made of stone,’ she thought to herself.

Kyou had grabbed Kyoko's ankles and as she landed he’d pulled her toward him. He was instantly on top of her, staring down into her face. Her hands were pressed against his chest and he could feel the crystal’s power building within her palms but she didn’t release it. ‘Good,’ he thought to himself.

"Do you think I took you for nothing? You were in danger and didn’t even know it!" he informed her darkly.

“Danger,” Kyoko nearly growled at him. “I was fine until you showed up!”

He breathed hard trying to calm his temper and his rapidly beating heart. He did not want to hurt her but she would not leave yet. Someone had to keep her safe and he did not trust his brothers to do that after their negligence. “You will not leave until I learn what I need to know from you.”

"What do you want to learn from me?" Kyoko pressed her hands against his hard chest and pushed, trying to get him to back up so she could sit up again. When she figured out he wasn't going to budge, she glared at him in frustration.

She was starting to lose her own temper with the `prince of ice' she thought to herself, causing a slight hysterical grin to cross her features. Her fingertips tingled with her power and she reined it in since he had made no real threat to her… yet.

Kyou again watched the emotions cross her face in amazement, though he showed no evidence of being amazed. He put his hands on her shoulders and gave her a slight shake. "That… I want to learn that."

Kyoko frowned at him. Now what the hell was he talking about?

He shook her again, "And that, I want to know that."

"What?" She yelled at him, getting angry. Kyoko gave him a strange look wondering silently if he had seriously lost his mind.

"Yes that, all of that and this too." He pulled her to him and slashed his lips across hers in a searing kiss.

Kyoko gasped when he took her by surprise and slipped his tongue past her lips bringing his body closer to hers, tasting her. In her panic… the crystal’s power faded and she pushed against him but her strength had no real will.

Kyou chose this time to release her when her struggles ceased. He had made his point even if he was the only one that understood it. His gaze never left her face as she fell back against the pillow, her cheeks flushed. The picture would forever be imprinted in his mind. Her breasts rising and falling with each deep breath. Her lips slightly parted. Her long auburn hair fanned around her in waves.

It was the look of innocent seduction… making his loins tighten and swell. She was already his… only she didn’t know it.

Kyoko put the back of her hand to her lips in an attempt to bar him from doing such a thing again. Now she was angry. She didn't understand. He wanted to learn what from her? "WHAT are you talking about? WHAT do you want me to teach you?" she asked the questions with a shaky voice feeling like he was trying to drag her into his insanity.

When she didn’t get an answer quick enough, she cocked an annoyed eyebrow at him and hissed, “Go take a flying leap.” She then wiped the back of her hand across her mouth as if to rub away the sensation of his kiss.

Losing his patience with her, he turned to leave the room. Why didn't she understand? Why didn't she see that he wanted to know her? He couldn’t release her now… unprotected from Hyakuhei. The enemy had gotten so close to her that he was now haunting her dreams… he would not allow it.

Kyoko screamed at him. "I want to leave! Let me go! If I don't know what you want from me, then I can't help you!" She watched as he stopped, his back stiffened but he didn't turn to face her.

Kyou knew what he wanted from her but for now, this would have to do. "I want you to teach me your human emotions." He walked toward the door. "Maybe then… I will understand why I am bothered with protecting one."

He left, firmly closing the door behind him. Once in the hallway outside the room, he leaned back against the wood of the door. ‘That was … strange,’ he thought with a raised eyebrow. He quickly straightened up and looked around him to make sure no one had witnessed his moment of weakness.

Kyou stood there for a moment, thinking. If he could get her to stay… even if it was only for a while, he would have time to try to get her to love him. It was time to admit what he was up to… at least admitting it to himself. He wanted to keep her. For once in his long life, he wanted something his brother Toya possessed.

He wanted the priestess for his own… wanted to be the one to protect her. Was this what they call love? His eyes darkened attractively. Deep down inside… he knew emotions, but only he was aware of that fact. He just hadn’t had a reason to tap into them in so long that they had become dormant. He smiled secretly. If she wanted to leave him… then first, she would have to get to know the real him.

First, he wanted to know what human love was and she would be the one to show him. In order to do that … she would have to fall in love with him. His highborn blood had already chosen her as his mate and he could not change that. No matter how hard she fought him… he would only fight harder.

Kyou’s eyes grew brighter with the thought of her coming to him willingly. He wanted to feel all those emotions. He knew why his father and brothers thought humans where so interesting… worth protecting. They thought each and every one of them were different and in some way intriguing. He found it easy to ignore most humans… but not the priestess. She was the enigma among the humans.

It had been a long time since the lord of the guardian realm looked forward to anything…. But this was a battle he did not intend on losing.

Chapter 4 “Double Trouble”

Kyoko sat up on the pillows staring at the door that had slammed only a few seconds before. Her thoughts were frozen on the reason he said she was there. Kyou wanted her to teach him human emotions? Why would the prince of ice want to know human emotions? And why would he want to learn them from her?

She raised her hand to her lips still feeling the tingling sensation his kiss had caused. Kyoko's eyes narrowed as she lowered her hand thinking. 'One thing is for sure! Kyou knows two emotions already… anger and conceit.'

*****

Hiroki and Hiraru opened the door peeking in, looking for the pretty girl. There had never been a girl in the castle or at least one that they had ever seen. It had been a long time since they had even seen another human among them. They were so used to only seeing Kyou that it had never dawned on them that they were missing out on anything till now. Now they couldn’t keep their curiosity at bay.

Looking at each other when they didn’t see anything straight away, they leaned forward a bit more to fully see the pillow the girl had been lying on. Seeing that she was still there, they scrambled in almost falling over each other in the process.

Kyoko’s eyes brightened considerably when she saw the twin boys. They were so adorable and again she wondered how someone like Kyou could have these two beautiful children in his company. It just didn’t fit his cold personality.

In their rush to her side, one of them tripped but luckily landed on the edge of the pillow instead of the unforgiving marble floor. Kyoko couldn’t help it and laughed, taking him up in her arms and placing him back on his feet. She watched the other twin run up and hug his brother. Their cheeks were pressed together looking at her with identical smiles. They were so adorable and reminded her of her little brother when he was small.’

“Be careful,” Kyoko admonished. “You shouldn’t run across such slick floors. My name’s Kyoko.”

"Hiya Kyoko. He is my brother Hiroki…” “And he is my brother Hiraru.” They finished each other’s sentences.

“It’s very nice to meet you,” Kyoko nodded.

“You’re very pretty,” Hiraru said quietly.

Kyoko mentally squealed at their cuteness but held it in. “Thank you Hiraru, I must say you two are very handsome too.”

They both blushed sweetly and Kyoko was finding it harder to keep from hugging the life out of them. She glanced toward the door then back at them. “Do you know where Kyou is?”

Hiroki and Hiraru gave each other a knowing look. “I think she likes him,” Hiroki whispered.

Kyoko's lips parted but nothing came out and she blushed.

“Her cheeks are red,” Hiraru said. “Mommy’s cheeks always turned red when Daddy would hug her. Do you think Kyou’s hugged Kyoko?”

Kyoko resisted the urge to fall over and bury her face in the pillow. ‘He’s done more than hug me,’ the thought steamrolled through her head. Trying to distract herself she noted the smudges of dirt on the boy’s hands and grinned. Boys would be boys and it looked like these two had been playing outside.

Kyoko reached out and lifted Hiroki's hand turning it palm side up. “Been playing in the dirt have we?” she winked.

“We need to take a bath now,” Hiraru informed her knowing Kyou never had dirty hands. The twins looked up to him and wanted to be just like their hero. “Will you come take a bath with us?"

Kyoko shook her head, “I don’t think that would be a very good idea.” She faltered when the twins each took a hand and attempted to pull her to her feet.

“Kyou won’t mind,” Hiroki said. “Once he sees how pretty you are when you’re clean maybe he’ll hug you.”

Kyoko’s eyes widened again and she groaned mentally. She didn’t want Kyou to hug her… she wanted Kyou to let her go. That’s when it truly dawned on her… the children didn’t know she was being kept against her will.

The little twins smiled innocently at her, pulling her toward the door. Her resolve to stay right where she was shattered when she saw their dirty bare feet. She wondered who bathed and took care of them. All the little things her mother used to do for her, that she took for granted, had not been given to these beautiful boys.

Kyoko didn’t know what to do so she just nodded and followed the children out the door and down the hall. At the moment it was a plus just to get out of that room. There were large tapestries and paintings lining the walls… more than a few Kyoko wouldn’t have minded taking a closer look at but she wasn’t about to make an appointment. She had an ulterior motive… find a way out of the castle and back to Toya.

The tiny hands holding hers continued to pull her down the hall to a set of white marble spiral steps. The stairway was so steep Kyoko tightened her grip on the children’s hands not wanting to see them trip and fall in their haste. At the bottom they led her through a set of double doors. Kyoko felt the change in temperature and humidity… she blinked in surprise and looked around with her lips parted in awe.

The room was enormous with a tantalizing hot spring bubbling comfortably in the center of the stone floor. The stone stretched all the way to the walls where it was lined with soft fluffy cushions creating a very comfortable setting. Under the right circumstances… it could have been considered romantic.

Following the wall, she craned her neck noticing it went all the way up through the center of the castle, leading to different wings and letting in the breeze and sunshine. If it were raining, she’d be wet right about now.

“Well, at least this is closer to being outside than I was,” she glanced down and smiled when both the boys looked up at her curiously. “It’s beautiful,” She nodded not wanting to worry them with her own ramblings.

Kyoko remembered Toya once telling her that Kyou lived in a luxurious setting… this alone confirmed it. She couldn’t tell just how big the castle was, and she wasn’t really sure she wanted to find out. It was bad enough she was having trouble remembering how she got to this room.

Following her line of vision back down to the spring, she noticed there where soft materials for drying and steam rising off the heated water. She had come to absolutely love the small hot springs they often ran into in this world but this was … the best thing since sliced bread. In ways, it was even better than what she had in her modern world.

It seemed almost too good for just general use and she wondered if this were someone’s personal bathing area. She shivered when the idea that this could be Kyou’s private bath entered her mind. Taking a quick look around to be sure, she breathed a sigh of relief upon determining he was nowhere around.

Kyoko looked down at Hiroki and Hiraru nervously. "Are we supposed to be here?"

They smiled, jumping up and down with excitement. "We wanted Kyoko to come with us like Mommy used to do!" With that… the twins preceded in stripping and running into the water, giggling in delight.

Kyoko’s jaw dropped. ‘Like mommy used to do?’ She blinked several times wondering how two children so sweet and innocent had survived without their mommy and how it was that they had wound up living with the prince of ice.

*****

Kyou paced back and forth within the walls of his room wondering what he was going to do with Kyoko. He wasn’t worried about Toya and the others, but the fact that Hyakuhei had gotten so close to her didn’t make him happy. If he hadn’t gotten to her first, what would have happened?

Shaking his head he growled at the question. He knew exactly what would have happened. Hyakuhei would have seduced her and then used her to gather the talisman and open a portal into her world. He could still remember the softness within her voice as she said Hyakuhei’s name in her sleep. That thought alone was enough to make him want to fly into a rage. His uncle did not deserve to touch… would NEVER touch what was his.

He stopped pacing and stared into space. His… he very much liked the sound of that. The only problem he faced at the moment was gaining more of her trust and making her see that he was the only one that would ever have the ability to protect her the way she was meant to be protected. In order for him to accomplish this, he needed to keep her beside him and make sure she remained so.

He knew he could force her to stay but he also realized that would only make her hate him. He had worked most of his life at keeping humans at a distance, but Kyoko… he didn’t want her distant at all. If she never left the castle, then evil could never reach her. He wanted her to want to stay willingly, like the twins.

A very brief smile graced his lips thinking of the human children he had accommodated within his home. The expression vanished when his mind flashed back to the past… keeping the twins had been an accident.