Cursed Hearts

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*****

Wanting to see his sister for himself, Tama sat on the three-foot tall brick wall in front of the high school. He glanced at Hyakuhei, who was leaning against the brick right beside him though Tama knew no one else would be able to see him since he was a shade. So far he’d been silent as they both watched the students entering the school.

With his skater-boy haircut and new clothes, Tama blended in with the other students as he watched and waited. His emerald green eyes where hidden behind the darkness of his thoughts for a moment as he felt the power of the guardians pass close by and enter the school. He didn’t look at them for risk that his loathing would show.

Last night, he’d sent one of his demons to watch her house and alert him if his sister left. Sometime in the early morning hours, one of the guardians had killed it. As the demon’s master… he’d felt its violent death. He knew controlling demons wasn’t the same thing as having pets so it didn’t bother him when one died. Sometimes, he felt like killing them himself when one of the demons would escape their power and injure a human… or worse.

Feeling a spike in the energy around him, he turned his head to see a girl walking away from a taxi that had pulled up to the front of the school. Tama’s lips parted knowing without a doubt that it was Kyoko. She had long auburn hair with large, loose waves that bounced as she walked. Part of it was up in a ponytail near the top of her head, while the rest was left hanging almost to her waist. She glanced toward him with bright emerald eyes then quickly looked away as if she were nervous.

Hyakuhei kept his aura hidden as she neared them. Just seeing her again so soon sent a sudden need slamming through him. He could hear Tama’s heartbeat speed up as the boy whispered in his mind… ‘It’s here, isn’t it?’

‘Yes.’ Hyakuhei’s voice was a mixture of emotions as memories resurfaced to haunt him. ‘It is time to leave our present for the guardians.’

Tama gave a wicked smile as he reached up and pulled the black widow off his shoulder, setting it down on the brick beside him. He watched as Hyakuhei passed his hand across the poisonous arachnid, making it look more like a caress then what it truly was. The shadow that the spider cast in the morning sun opened its blood red eyes.

*****

Kyoko was a nervous wreck as she walked into the building. It felt like someone was watching her and the sensation left cold chills across her arms. This place was nothing like the boarding school. Some of the kids she just passed were doing everything from smoking cigarettes, to making out right there in front of the school. As if that wasn’t enough… what they were wearing made her feel almost inferior.

Nearly losing her nerve, Kyoko turned around and put her hand against the door wanting to make a run for it. Looking out at all the students, her eyes returned to the boy sitting alone. She’d noticed him watching her as she’d gotten out of the cab and he was still watching her. He was taller than her, but around the same age, with a lethal body that the alternative fad didn’t quite hide.

He reminded her of something that you know is dangerous, but you craved it anyway. Seeing the sun glint off his eyes as he tilted his head, she could have sworn his irises changed from black to bright green. Figuring it was just her imagination, Kyoko turned around and sighed knowing it was time to face the music.

Trying to avoid eye contact with anyone, she headed for the glass doors with the word OFFICE posted beside them. She tilted her head at all the girls that were milling around the doors looking in and whispering. She caught all kinds of remarks from, look at that ass, to I call dibs.

Once she was inside the room with the door closed behind her, Kyoko glanced around noticing it was even noisier in here than it’d been out in the hall. She started toward the long desk but pulled up short seeing several students in front of her.

The secretary clucked her tongue in annoyance. “I haven’t even had time to check the fax machine yet so you’ll just have to take a seat until I can get your schedules together.”

“Our schedules are already approved and should be with the rest of the paperwork.” Kyou’s voice was icy. If the old woman had known him better, she would have been tripping over herself to do as he asked. With a glare at the fax machine, it clicked on and started printing.

Kyoko’s gaze locked on the guy whose voice had given her the shivers, but as soon as she took the sight of him in, her lips parted. No wonder there was a throng of girls peeking in the doors. He had the longest hair she’d ever seen on a guy and it was white-silver… not like the color of an old man's, but soft and vibrant looking. His clothing was that of a rich kid and it seemed he was used to getting his way. The smile he gave the secretary was wicked and cold, but his face was sheer perfection.

He looked like he should have been at a photo shoot somewhere for those Calvin Klein underwear ads. Her cheeks heated up when his expression instantly softened and he glanced toward her as if he’d heard her thoughts. Kyoko took a step back, looking away from him. The carpet was much safer to look at.

“Are you Kyoko Hogo?” The lady practically yelled from behind the desk.

Kyoko’s gaze jerked up and she nodded, not liking the spotlight.

“Here is your schedule.” The lady held the paper out but kept her eyes on the guy in front of her. “Your lawyer had the forethought of sending your information last week instead of last minute.” Her voice couldn’t have been sweeter if sugar had been poured on it. Kyoko knew the sarcasm was meant for the guy she had been arguing with and not her.

“You may go on to your first class.” She waved Kyoko toward the door then turned back to the others, “I can’t believe I have six new enrollments to do in one day.”

Kyoko turned and rushed for the door only to find one of the guys holding it open for her. She had been embarrassed enough, so without even looking directly at him, she quickly murmured, “Thank you,” as she slipped past.

She stepped back out into the hall and put several feet between her and the drooling girls before she finally felt the tension level plummet. Looking down at the piece of paper then back up at the huge hallways, Kyoko noticed them leading off in different directions, even up the steps. “Great… so how am I supposed to find room 101?”

“Up the stairs and the first door on your left,” Tasuki said as he leaned over her shoulder looking at her schedule. “Hey! We actually have the same classes.” Watching her whirl around like he’d scared her, Tasuki gave her his ‘I’m so innocent’ smile. “I’ve never seen you here, and I know what a screw-up that office can be. So, I thought I would come over and introduce myself in case you needed some help.”

He stuck his hand out. “Tasuki… and you are?”

Kyoko couldn’t help the smile that tugged at her lips as his warm hand took hers and held it. Curiosity entered her mind feeling like she knew him from somewhere. She blinked when the feeling didn’t disappear although she knew there was no way she had ever met him before now.

His hair was so dark that it had strange blue highlights running through it in the light and it hung in haphazard layers past his shoulders. She could see a dangling cross earring peeking out one side and thought he looked like the lead singer of an 80’s rock band. One of the girls at her school had constantly been in trouble for smuggling rock posters in and putting them up in various places around campus.

“Kyoko,” She gave him her first name since that was all he had offered her.

“And the teachers claim that I’m not good for anything.” His smile was brilliant as he waved his hand toward the stairs. “I can now prove them all wrong by keeping you from getting lost today.”

Kyoko thankfully followed him up the stairs as he kept talking about the teachers, who gave homework and who didn’t. When they entered the science class, she noticed it was set up with double desks.

“Yeah,” Tasuki frowned. “Everyone already has a partner. The school has a thing about putting double desks in every class.” He shrugged, “but the desk beside mine is empty.”

Kyoko was just happy that the teacher simply smiled at her then looked away instead of introducing her to the class. Finding a science book already on the desk, she quickly got herself organized as the rest of the students slowly filled the chairs. Tasuki was the last one standing since he was flipping through her book pointing out what chapter they were on.

“Tasuki… quit trying to pollinate and take your seat.” The deep male voice came from the front of class making Kyoko turn several shades of red when some of the students turned to look at them. “She may be new, but from the look of her previous grades, I don’t think her lack of a partner will hurt her.”

“If she needs a partner…” Shinbe walked into the class like he belonged there, “… then I will volunteer.” He handed a slip to the teacher and started for the only empty seat in the room.

While the teacher looked over the paper, Kyoko’s eyes widened and she moved her stuff out of the chair beside hers. He instantly reminded her of Tasuki because they seemed to have the same hairstyle. But this guy’s eyes weren’t soft brown like Tasuki’s… she could have sworn they were amethyst. Where Tasuki tried to look like a rock star, this guy didn’t have to try… he simply did.

“Will you share it with me?” Shinbe locked his gaze with hers as he took his seat.

“Heh?” Kyoko so elegantly replied. Why had her temperature just gone through the roof?

“Your book,” Shinbe smirked wondering what she was thinking. “There seems to only be one.”

“Oh. Yes.” Kyoko nodded sliding the book between them as he slid his chair right up against hers. She silently wondered if it was a rule somewhere that the new girl had to blush all day long.

Looking past him at Tasuki, she noticed her new friend’s smile had vanished and he was rapidly tapping his pencil against his desk as he stared a hole in her new partner. He wasn’t the only one staring. It seemed every girl in the room decided they needed something out of their book bag so they could turn and look.

Shinbe placed an elbow on the desk and leaned in to block her view of the guy he’d seen lead her up the stairs from the office by the hand. “Looks like you’ll have a partner after all. Name's Shinbe,” He winked wanting her full attention.

An hour later Kyoko was almost sad to see class come to an end. Shinbe had turned out to be a lot of fun as they did that day’s science experiment. Only their table and Tasuki's table had gotten it right.

Shinbe picked up their shared science book the same time she did. Placing his hand over hers, he pulled her toward him. As she stared up at him with those big emerald eyes, it was all he could do not to wrap his arm around her waist and bring her flush against him. “I’ll keep this,” his voice was husky then evened out as he added, “Since there’s no homework.” His thumb caressed the back of her hand as he listened to her heartbeat speed up.

Kyoko nodded, feeling herself go weak in the knees, then pulled her hand away from his reluctantly. There was something about him that made her want to crawl up in his arms and that was just disturbing. She turned around to grab her backpack off the floor but noticed someone else’s arm already reaching for it.

Tasuki scooped the book bag up before she could and quickly squeezed in between her and Shinbe. “Ready for calculus?”

Kyoko nodded glad for the distraction. “Never.” She laughed at the look on Tasuki’s face.

Tasuki caught on to the joke, rolling his eyes and groaning. “Yeah, every time I think I have math figured out, they throw something even stupider up on the chalk board just so they can laugh at me.” He grabbed Kyoko’s hand, pulling her behind him, “Come on, I’ll show you the way to hell.”

Shinbe watched them leave with his eyes narrowed on the hand that was holding hers so possessively. “He thinks he knows what hell is, eh? I can show him the real thing.” Shinbe whispered jealously under his breath. He shrugged off the need to break the boy's fingers.

Closing his eyes for a moment, he let his powers fan throughout the school in a wave as he searched for any signs that demons were on the prowl. When the wave passed Kyoko and her friend, Shinbe frowned. It wasn’t that the boy was a demon… the aura was strangely familiar.

In the next classroom, Tasuki started to take her toward the table he knew was open but suddenly stopped in his tracks. Kyoko followed his gaze, and everybody else’s in the classroom. Her eyes widened seeing the long silver hair of the guy she’d seen arguing with the secretary. As if sensing he was being watched, his head slowly turned and his liquid gold eyes captured hers and held her immobile.

“How many new people do we have starting today?” Tasuki asked no one in particular.

“Six,” Kyoko answered him remembering what the secretary had said.

“My seat is way up here,” Tasuki said broodingly as she slowly walked past him.

Kyoko felt a sense of déjà vu when she noticed one math book and that he had already slid it between the two seats as if waiting for her. She pushed the thought aside thinking maybe the teacher had asked him to share it with her before she’d come into the room. The closer she got to him, the more disturbed she felt. It was as if every hormone in her body had just stood up and taken notice.

When she sat down, he scooted his chair closer and she felt heat creep into her cheeks. Looking out across the room she noticed a couple of the girls were now frowning at her. Knowing this was going to be the longest class in history, Kyoko closed her eyes and rubbed her temple.

As soon as the math class started their assignment, Kyoko struggled to remember how to do the problems even though she’d learnt this the year before at the boarding school. Seeing Kyou’s hand nearly flying across the page, Kyoko sighed inwardly having become stuck on the second problem.

The teacher was walking the isles and noticed Kyou was almost finished with the page. “I see you have already learned how to do this Kyou. Would you do me the favor of helping explain it to Kyoko?” The teacher smiled sweetly but didn’t wait on an answer as she turned up the next row of students.

Kyoko was mortified. She stayed completely still as she watched him push his own papers away. When he leaned toward her to draw hers closer, a lock of his hair slid across her hand. Feeling the cool silkiness, Kyoko confirmed her worst fears… she was so going to fail math this year.

The corners of Kyou’s lips tilted in the barest hint of a smile as he heard her thoughts. Leaning down so he could look her directly in the eyes, he placed his hand over hers and whispered, “I won’t let you fail.”

By the end of class, Kyoko had remembered how to do the calculus problems. They’d even finished that night’s homework assignment before class was over. Déjà vu knocked again when he offered to keep the book for them. Seeing Tasuki waiting for her next to the door, she hurried.

“Do you really have home economics?” Kyoko asked him to keep herself from looking over her shoulder at Kyou.

“Sure. As a matter of fact, it’s mostly guys taking the class this year.” His eyes sparkled as he winked. “We men have to know how to cook for our sweethearts and keep them happy.” Tasuki smirked, “Besides, we get to cook almost every day so it’s kind of like getting a snack before lunch.”

“Ha! So the truth is finally out. I knew there was a reason I wanted to take this class.” Kyoko gave him a cheeky smile knowing she needed this class probably more than the others. Until last night, she’d never been allowed in a kitchen and wondered if she would even be able to fake it enough not to become the class clown. Now that she was cooking for herself… it was either pass the class or learn to love Cheerios.

This class was set up completely different from all the others. There were tables and chairs like in a lunchroom instead of desks.

“No assigned seating.” Tasuki wiggled his eyebrows and quickly led them to a table toward the back of the room. The whole right side of the room was made up of everything they needed to cook, including five stoves. Kyoko quickly looked around counting five tables and assumed each table would be cooking together.

Two other guys joined their table and Tasuki introduced her to Yohji, who looked like an all-around American jock. When he asked the name of the other guy, Kyoko realized he must be one of the new students. Again she felt like she was drawn to him by some invisible magnet that only worked on new students.

“Hi,” she whispered as he smiled and nodded. He was just as striking as the two other new guys she’d met this morning. His hair was awesome… it was dark and light at the same time, with amethyst highlights all over the place. It was shoulder-length but untamed, like he’d been in a windstorm and his eyes… they weren’t a color… they were every color, and she could swear they sparkled with unnatural light.

He seemed to be looking at her just as hard as she was looking at him. When their gaze met, Kamui smiled a smile that would have won the devil himself over.

“Would you two please get a room?” Yohji complained, causing Tasuki to growl and Kamui to laugh.

“Only if we can lock you in it,” Kamui smirked at Yohji when he stiffened. He tried not to laugh out loud when the thought struck him that the jock was claustrophobic. “I was just choosing the person I was cooking for. What’s wrong? Jealous? Do you want me to cook for you instead?”

Yohji shrugged deciding to go with it, “Only if it makes you happy sweetheart.”

Tasuki sat back in his chair watching the new boy watch Kyoko. They were wrong. It wasn’t Yohji that was feeling the needles of jealousy. Maybe it was time to get to know the competition. He glanced over at the happy smile on Kyoko’s face and decided he’d best come up with a plan.

“Today we will be making Halloween candy from scratch,” the teacher announced as she passed out the recipes.

“And now we get to eat the heads off of monsters!” Kamui added as if he had just won the lottery. When Kyoko started laughing with him, Kamui felt his blood heat up and he found himself fighting the need to reach for her. He silently wondered if his brothers were fighting that same craving.

Each one of them picked a different Halloween-shaped cookie cutter and made ten cookies each, placing them on an oversized pan. When they were done, it was Kamui who was there to take the pan out of the oven. Seeing Kyoko’s pumpkin shaped cookies were badly deformed, he whispered a quick word in some forgotten language as he drew the pan out of the oven.

“How did that happen?” Kyoko asked in awe as he brought the pan to the table. Her cookies were perfection and the guys cookies looked like five-year-olds had done them.

“And this is why mostly guys take the class,” Kamui smiled as he took a bite out of Kyoko’s cookie then blinked when he heard a faint growl come from Tasuki. Taking a better look at the guy that had appointed himself Kyoko’s bodyguard for the day, Kamui tilted his head at the sense of foreboding.

Chapter 4 “Bad Boys and Romeo”

Lunch was next and when Tasuki got in the cafeteria line, Kyoko glanced out the large glass windows and started toward the outside eating area. Seeing tables scattered everywhere on the concrete, she looked past them and notice a of couple picnic tables under beautiful shade trees.

Needing a few minutes of solace to calm down from all the morning's excitement, she picked the biggest tree and sat down at the base of it, facing away from the school.

Hyakuhei leaned against the tree beside Kyoko, though he knew it was a moot point to do so. His eyes were dark, without any emotion at all and his lips held no hint of his mood. He was already tired of being invisible to her but he knew he had to bide his time. How could he comfort someone that didn’t even know he was there?

Reaching into the backpack, Kyoko pulled out the small soft cooler that she’d stuffed full of grapes and relaxed against the smooth bark of the tree. Hearing a motorcycle close by, she glanced up. A guy wearing dark shades, dressed in black, with long layered hair slowly road by the curb. She couldn’t see his eyes, but she could tell he was looking directly at her.

She couldn’t decide if it was because she hadn’t been around the opposite sex, or if it was simply the fact that this school was full of guys that would graduate only to become super models. She could just picture the guy on the motorcycle on the cover of some movie about sexy bad boys. She ate a couple of her grapes and closed her eyes trying to block out the yummy site. Her hormones had already taken a licking today and she was starting to feel bent.

It wasn’t like any of this really shocked her because at the boarding school she had gotten away with one thing… reading. When the other girls would go to the public library, she would always give the one infatuated with rock stars a list of books to get for her. She would then take the cover of a Shakespeare book and wrap it around the book she was reading so no one would know her guilty pleasure… Romance books of all kinds.

She’d started out with historical romances where the Indian would kidnap the white girl and take her to his teepee, keeping her there until she fell in love with him. Then she had branched out to paranormal romance… vampires were also known to kidnap the girl and keep her until she fell in love with him. Those books leaned closer to erotica and she blamed them for her hormones being out of control now.

For the last year, she’d been reading every kind of paranormal romance she could get her hands on and the darker the better. Kyoko blew her bangs out of her eyes knowing her innocence was gone… if only mentally.

Hearing the school bell, she cringed, realizing she hadn’t even eaten more than three grapes. Stuffing the container back into her book bag, she was startled to find a hand reaching down to help her up.

Tasuki knelt down in front of her as he took her hand. “Are you ready?” he slowly smiled when he noticed she got the same look on her face for him as she did with the new guys. Maybe he hadn’t lost after all.

Kyoko returned his smile, “Lead me to Shakespeare.”

“How did you know?” Tasuki looked confused.

“Because I couldn’t get lucky enough to think the world literature class would allow us to read a vampire series.” She laughed when he cocked a dark eyebrow. When they entered the class, Tasuki pointed at the empty desk in the back, then went to see if the teacher had an extra copy of Romeo and Juliet.

Kyoko was already seated and getting out her notebook when the chair beside her scraped across the floor. She glanced up and her breath caught in her throat. The guy she’d seen watching her from the back of the motorcycle during lunch was throwing his leather coat across the back of the chair.

Tasuki turned from the teacher with the copy of Romeo and Juliet in his hand when he noticed Kyoko was no longer alone. “I just can’t win, can I?” he asked the air in front of him as his grip tightened on the defenseless book.

“Excuse me?” the teacher asked thinking Tasuki was talking to him.

Tasuki glanced over his shoulder, “I don’t guess you would happen to have two copies?” He motioned toward Kyoko’s desk.

“We did have extra copies, but it seems someone broke into the supply closet and raided the 12th grade books last night. Strange though… it’s hard to believe someone would want a bunch of math and science books.” The teacher shrugged as he turned around and started stacking the papers on his desk.

Tasuki took a step forward before realizing just what the teacher had said… Math, science, and the Romeo books were missing? Now that was odd. He looked at the guy beside Kyoko suspiciously. “What do you know about all these new guys that showed up today?” He quickly asked.

“Not much. Just that there are five of them… adopted into the same family and all in the same grade. They’ve been home schooled up until now.” He laid the papers back down on his desk and shrugged, “Just ask them to share.”

Tasuki’s shoulders slumped and he was suddenly feeling out numbered. As he closed the distance between them, he felt a little taller at the smile Kyoko gave him. Handing her the book he leaned down and whispered next to her ear, “There’s only one copy… sorry. But if there is homework then we can both use my copy and do it together.” He hid his smile when the guy next to her flashed a dark look in his direction.