Defy Not The Heart

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*****

Toya was still fighting his jealous mood as he slowly walked to the shrine. He had every intention of following Kyoko and straightening this out. He couldn’t stand thinking she was mad at him.

His senses spiked, telling him he wasn’t alone. He glanced up to find Shinbe leaning back against one of the surrounding boulders left over from some forgotten castle that used to stand here. His hands were neatly tucked into his trench coat with his staff lying across his lap. He was leaning his head back with his eyes closed, as if sleeping.

“Wake up, you stupid letch!” Toya yelled at him, now more annoyed than ever.

Shinbe cracked open one sleepy eye, then closed it again, “What do you want, Toya?”

Toya fumed, “What do I want? I want to know what the hell you’re doing sitting here.”

Shinbe opened his eyes and quirked an eyebrow at his sibling, “Am I not allowed to rest?”

Toya narrowed his gaze at him, “Since when do you come to the heart of time to rest?”

Shinbe slowly stood up, readying himself, just in case. He knew Toya was a hell of a lot stronger. But he also knew he wasn’t as weak as Toya thought him to be. Their powers were just different.

“I came to say goodbye to Kyoko. After the way you treated her, we’ll be lucky if she ever comes back. Just what is going on in that pea brain of yours anyway?” Shinbe's calm voice held a hint of the agitation he’d been hiding.

Toya gave a soft growl, knowing what Shinbe said was true. Maybe, just maybe he did overreact, but still, he saw them kiss. Kyoko kissed that lecherous guardian. The scene played in Toya’s mind again and his soul screamed, ‘No, it was Shinbe kissing Kyoko, not the other way around.’

He turned his back to Shinbe, “I don’t know what you’re up to guardian, but if you ever lay a hand on Kyoko again… I’ll kill you.” With that, Toya took off into the air, leaving only a single silver feather fluttering in the breeze.

Shinbe sighed and sat back down, leaning against the stone when he heard Kamui’s playful laughter in the distance. A few moments later, Sennin, Kamui, and Suki came into the clearing, holding baskets of herbs and vegetables the old man had been foraging for.

‘They must have met him on the way back to the hut,’ Shinbe reasoned.

Sennin was the old man whom owned the hut they stayed in when they were near the shrine. Sennin had raised Suki and her brother all by himself when his wife, their mother, had been killed by demons during an attack on the village. Suki was too little to remember the mother she favored but she’d been the best human demon slayer within the realm.

To the village, Sennin was a medicine man, but the guardians knew the truth. He was a master at casting spells, and knew way more than most humans within their realm. Shinbe smiled sadly as he watched the old man come closer.

“Why do ye look so glum, Shinbe?” Sennin asked as he approached. He squinted at him with his ageing sight. The amethyst guardian had been acting a bit odd lately… and that was saying a lot because in his opinion, all the guardians were naturally a bit odd.

Shinbe stood up just as they approached, as if he’d been waiting on them, instead of almost getting into a fight with Toya.

Suki looked behind him at the maiden shrine, “Did Kyoko go back home already?”

Shinbe stared blankly at her before responding, “Yes, yes she did.”

Kamui stopped searching through the basket for something to eat and looked intently at Shinbe, his smile disappearing and turning to worry. “Why’d she leave?” Then as if the thought just dawned on him, his eyes narrowed, “What did Toya do this time?”

Shinbe reached his hand out and put it on Kamui’s shoulder to calm him down. He knew Kamui hated it when Kyoko went back to her time, just as much as he did. “It’s okay Kamui. She’ll be back soon,” or at least he hoped so. He inwardly groaned.

Suki looked troubled. Kyoko had come back sometime during the night. She hadn’t even had a chance to talk to her except for a few moments this morning. “So, did she have to Tame him?”

Shinbe glanced over at the girl and smirked, “I’m afraid so. Toya is not in a very good mood.”

“I imagine he is not. Do ye know what they disagreed upon this time?” Sennin squinted at him as he shifted his basket and began to walk towards the hut. Suki followed behind with Kamui, who was once again dipping into the basket for food to snack on. Shinbe followed behind trying to think of how to respond to the question.

“Does Toya think he needs a reason to yell at her?” Shinbe shrugged his shoulders, as if he didn’t have a clue, all the while hoping no one could sense his guilt.

Toya sat in a tree next to Sennin’s hut and listened to their banter as they approached. He heard Shinbe’s comment and wanted to beat him to a pulp. But after he thought about it, it was best not to tell them what he’d seen. His eyes glowed with silver sparks as he thought about the kiss. Deciding to hold it in for now, Toya leaned back in the tree and closed his eyes, pretending to be asleep.

“Are ye awake, Toya?” Sennin called up to him.

Toya continued to ignore the old man. It wasn’t like he owed him anything.

Sennin paused wanting to make his point anyway, “Ye sure did it this time. Ye couldn’t wait until she was back for a while longer?”

Toya leaned forward and glared at Sennin, “Shut up, you old man. You don’t even know what you’re talking about.” He jumped down and headed towards the forest.

Shinbe sighed with relief. He was worried that Toya would tell them about the innocent kiss, and he’d have to explain. ‘Did I think innocent?’ he thought to himself feeling something heavy settle in the pit of his stomach. If it was so innocent, why did he keep thinking about how soft her lips were when they pressed against his? At that thought, he groaned and went into the hut.

Kaen, an ally to the guardians, better described as a fire sprite, appeared before Kamui with a grin. He often helped train Kamui and was very protective of him during battle. It helped that Kaen could change from human form into a dragon… it made the training that much more intense. They practiced sparring outside the hut as Sennin and Suki glanced at each other.

Suki shrugged her shoulders and they entered the hut. Shinbe was lying on a mat, propped up on his elbow with his back to them. They watched him, but neither said anything about his depressed mood. Suki started the cooking fire, while Sennin prepared the food for dinner, both glancing over at him as he sighed.

*****

Toya stayed away from the hut all day, until the sun began to sink low in the sky. He approached silently as he heard Sennin and Suki talking quietly. His enhanced guardian hearing picked up every word whispered from their lips.

“Do you think he’s sick, Sennin?” Suki asked worriedly as she stared at Shinbe, who was still lying on his blanket, sound asleep.

“Ai, he ate not a bite,” the old man answered as he cleaned the dinner bowls.

“I sure hope he’s not coming down with something. Without Kyoko’s help, we’re really going to need him tomorrow when we go looking for the missing talisman,” Suki shrugged as she unrolled her sleeping mat.

“Ai, I will make him some herbal tea when he awakens.” Sennin didn’t think the guardian was sick because they had such high immunity to human illnesses. Truth was… he had never known one to become ill. It had to be something much deeper than that.

His old brown eyes sharpened as he thought of the missing talisman. Since the guardian heart crystal had been shattered, the small slivers talisman had been popping up everywhere, and usually in the wrong hands. Any weak demon that held a talisman became strong and very dangerous. Hyakuhei’s evil army seemed to be growing every day. Lately, he had felt the evil getting closer.

Toya stood outside the hut debating whether or not to go in, when he heard his name mentioned.

“I wonder what Toya was so upset about that it made Kyoko want to go home,” Suki stifled a yawn.

Sennin nodded, “Ye would think he’d have learned his lessons by now. We need her just as much as we need the guardians.”

Suki sat down on her mat, brushing aside some imaginary dirt, “Well it didn’t take him long to make her angry. I bet he said something about her smelling like alcohol.” She turned to glare at Kamui when she heard muffled laughter coming from him. Picking up a comb Kyoko had given her, she threw it at him, hitting him on the head, “I thought you were asleep!”

Sennin laughed at the two as he walked to the door, “Goodnight Suki… Kamui.”

Toya stood outside the hut. He’d forgotten about Kyoko smelling like alcohol. So, he didn’t have to tell them what really happened, although it would be nice to get Shinbe in trouble with Suki. He grinned. She’d be so angry with him she’d beat him into the next century.

Jumping into the tree, Toya let out a laugh at the thought of Suki smacking Shinbe, knowing his brother would never lift a finger to stop her.

Chapter 5 "Dangerous Jealousy"

Kyoko was miserable. All she could think about was Shinbe and Toya and that stupid kiss. She lay under the soft covers wide-awake, pondering how she could possibly want to be kissed by either of them. One was Shinbe, the lecherous guardian that flirted with every woman he came in contact with. He’d probably had more women than she could count on her hands, yet just the thought of his kiss sent her swooning.

The other was Toya, who yelled at her for little things and tried to always be the boss of every move she made. Still, sometimes he could be so sweet. They both could. She thumped her head back against the pillow and sighed. It was strange how she used to think of only Toya before she went to sleep, but for a while now, the thoughts had been slowly changing to Shinbe. Shinbe… She drifted off to sleep dreaming about him yet again.

*****

Shinbe awoke in the middle of the night covered in sweat, another dream. He whimpered as he stood up. Why did he have to keep thinking about her? She was driving him over the edge. He looked around making sure Suki and Kamui still slept. Slipping through the room like a ghost, he exited the hut, and took a deep breath looking up at the sky. That’s when he noticed Toya staring down at him from the lower branches of the tree right in front of the hut.

“What?” Shinbe didn’t want another confrontation right now, but the way Toya was glaring at him was just irritating.

Toya sniffed the air and growled, sensing Shinbe’s arousal, “What are you doing, guardian?”

Shinbe bowed his head and placed his fingers against his temple as if he were getting a headache, though that was impossible for an immortal. “I am going for a midnight stroll, not that it is any concern of yours.”

Toya growled again, jumping down from his perch above Sennin’s hut. He walked around Shinbe as if stalking his prey. “I’m sure you are,” Toya continued circling him.

Shinbe watched him out of the corner of his eye, a bored expression on his face, but mentally ready for Toya to strike. “I don’t know what you are implying, Toya. But if you don’t mind, I really don’t need you to hold my hand.”

Toya stopped his intimidating circling, and appeared directly in front of Shinbe so fast it caused a breeze. “Stay away from Kyoko, you hear me? If I think for one minute, you touched her… ” He jerked his arm down by his side and let one of the twin daggers form in his palm as he narrowed his gaze on the other guardian, “I won’t think twice about killing you, brother or not.”

Shinbe couldn’t stand Toya’s heavy-handedness, “Yes, I understand. Now, if you don’t mind.”

Toya moved to the side, letting Shinbe pass. ‘I don’t trust that guardian,’ Toya thought to himself.

Shinbe walked into the forest. He didn’t care where he was going. He just wanted to get as far away as possible from Toya’s knowing eyes. Yes, he knew Toya would kill him when he found out what he did, but at least he’d die a happy man. He sighed looking up into the star filled night, “Aw, Kyoko. Why did you have to leave? Damn Toya.” He swung his staff out in front of him and growled. “Damn you.”

Shinbe kept on walking with no intention of going near the shrine, but that’s where he wound up anyway. He stood at the edge of the clearing, knowing he shouldn’t be there. Toya was probably following. He glanced around self-consciously for any signs of his hot-tempered brother. When he didn’t sense him anywhere, he slowly made his way towards the maiden statue.

He stood in front of the statue, looking at the image of Kyoko from the past, daydreaming, and never hearing the footsteps that came up behind him.

“What the hell do you think you’re doing here, guardian?” Toya called in a low tone from behind. He startled Shinbe so much that he lost his balance and almost fell into the arms of the maiden, had Toya not grabbed him by the arm.

“Toya, you really have to stop sneaking up on people like this,” Shinbe said with a growl as he shook off Toya’s hand.

“I told you to stay away from Kyoko. I don’t know what’s going on in that head of yours, but if I have to knock some sense into you, I will,” Toya’s eyes sparked madly in anger at the thought of his brother, harboring feelings for Kyoko. Not in this lifetime, not if he had anything to do about it.

Shinbe had had enough of Toya’s threats. He just snapped. “What the hell!” he swung his staff at Toya, who jumped back out of the way. “You’ve had a million chances with Kyoko, but you always chose to close your eyes to it. Now you want to tell her whom she can be with? Whom she can kiss?” he laughed but it sounded angry. “It isn’t going to happen, Toya. You lose.” Shinbe shook his head and steadied his staff, ready for the oncoming rampage. He knew just what Toya was capable of but he was tired of backing down.

Toya stared at Shinbe in shock. He couldn’t move. He knew he couldn’t use the twin daggers… if he did, he would kill his brother. His eyes began to bleed molten silver as they narrowed on his sibling, “What did you just say? Are you telling me ‘you’ want Kyoko?” Toya growled as he added, “You are nothing but a lecherous guardian. Kyoko would never have you!” He lunged at Shinbe.

Shinbe dodged Toya’s swing and stood his ground, “Do you think she’d still want you, when all you do is try to control her and act like you don’t give a damn about her feelings?” He dodged another of Toya’s blows and laughed. “Getting slow…” his voice darkened, “or did I touch a nerve?”

Toya stood staring at Shinbe. Why he didn’t call the twin daggers out, he didn’t know. But he wanted to spill Shinbe’s blood, desperately. He didn’t need blades to do that. “You have no right to talk about what I do,” Toya’s tone was deadly as he lowered his head, his bangs shadowing the red tint that was creeping in with the silver that had already taken over his irises.

Shinbe quirked an eyebrow at Toya. “Ha, so I did hit a nerve. How interesting. The silver guardian does have feelings… he feels for his priestess. But you have no right to tell Kyoko whom she can kiss. After all, like she said, she doesn’t have a boyfriend. So, the way I see it, she’s fair game.” Shinbe shrugged, turning around and glancing at the shrine.

Toya took that moment to lunge at Shinbe, “Damn you, don’t turn your back on me!” He hit Shinbe hard, sending him tumbling, his staff sailing across the clearing.

Shinbe was quick on his feet and rolled, standing up to face Toya. His long, midnight blue hair swayed in the breeze as his amethyst eyes glowed dangerously. Both guardians were silent for a moment as they faced each other in anger. The grass around them and the maiden statue shimmered with an unnoticed aura left over by the enemy.

Weaponless and at a disadvantage Shinbe placed his hand in front of him, palm up as he called on his guardian powers. The boulders around them started to break loose from the ground they had been trapped in for so long. He knew he didn’t have time to complete the spell when Toya charged at him again. He tried to move out of the way, but felt his legs buckle as he hit the side of the maiden statue.

The heavy rocks plummeted back to the ground as Toya crashed into him, grabbing him by the throat. Shinbe grabbed the front of Toya’s shirt as they both tumbled into a sea of warm blue mist.

Instead of landing with a thud as Shinbe expected, he felt himself wrapped in a soft blue light. His first thought was that he must have been dying, since Toya had been strangling him just before they fell. Coming out of the slow motion, the mysterious mist disappeared and they did land… hard. Toya’s hands were still around his neck.

As his senses came back to him in a rush, Shinbe reached his hands up between Toya’s arms and was able to pry the guardian’s hands off him.

Toya landed on his back as Shinbe pushed him away. That’s when he realized where they were. “What the..?” Toya stared up into the darkness, seeing the roof above his head. They had slipped into Kyoko’s time? Shinbe was in Kyoko’s fucking time? “No!” Toya growled as he pushed himself off the wooden floor and glared at Shinbe. None of the guardians had ever made it through the heart of time, except him. He was the only guardian allowed here. Jealousy sizzled in Toya’s blood.

“Now I’m really gonna kill you!” Toya charged Shinbe again, getting a blow in to the side of his head.

Shinbe wasn’t as weak as he looked though. He shook his head as he reached a leg out, quickly fell and kicked Toya in the side, and sent him tumbling.

Toya growled as he landed sideways against the shrine wall.

Shinbe leaned against the wooden wall panting hard, trying to catch his breath. His coat was torn in places, and his head was throbbing from Toya’s blow. He glanced over at Toya, who looked none the worse for wear… his only expression was mad as hell.

Toya crouched down and yelled, “You are not allowed here!” He shot toward Shinbe again, but hit the wall with a thump when Shinbe moved out of the way at the last second.

Toya may have been stronger, but Shinbe was faster. As he dodged, Shinbe turned and fired a life force blast that would have hurt a god.

Toya slammed backwards but his anger kept him from feeling a thing. He wiped the blood from his lip as he glared at Shinbe with mercury eyes. He needed to calm down, but even as the thought entered his mind, rage pushed it back out. What he wanted was to hurt Shinbe, real bad. He watched as Shinbe leaned, with his palms on his legs panting and took that opportunity to grab him by his coat, tossing Shinbe out the shrine house door.

Guardians couldn’t be killed… least that was the theory… it was a lie. Hyakuhei had killed their father and no one was immortal. Shinbe slid across the gravel before rolling to a stop then stood up, wiping blood and grime out of his eyes.

*****

Kyoko lay in her bed wondering what had startled her awake. She could hear thumps and muffled growls so she just assumed grandpa was up late watching TV. She nearly jumped out of her skin when Tama burst into her room.

“Kyoko!” Tama pointed towards the window. “Som…. somebody’s fighting in… the… the courtyard,” he barely stuttered the words out as Kyoko ran to the window to look out. She couldn’t really see anything because they had obviously taken out the light post that stood near the edge of the yard.

Tama stood next to her, staring out into the courtyard, just as a flash of red and black appeared closer to the house where the light was coming from the porch.

He pointed, “Its, its…”

“Toya!” Kyoko yelled as she felt panic grip her. What was he fighting… a demon… in her world? She watched as he was suddenly lifted up in the air and thrown backwards into the huge tree she used to climb as a child. Problem was… she didn’t see anything throw him unless he was fighting a ghost.

“Tama, go wake grandfather. I have to help Toya.” She quickly grabbed her spirit bow and took off out the door as Tama stood there in shock.

She ran barefoot into the courtyard, a spirit dart already notched in the bow. Trying to see her target before she released the spirit dart, she was shocked to find not one guardian, but two. That stopped her dead in her tracks.

“Shinbe,” Kyoko whispered as she watched him crumble against the outside wall of the shrine house. It felt like she could feel the impact the same as him except it left a huge dent in her heart. She caught movement coming from the side and flashed her emerald eyes toward it. It was Toya, and he was about to charge Shinbe again.

Tossing down her bow, she threw up her hand to cast the Taming spell that only worked on the silver guardian.

“Toya! No!” Kyoko screamed.

Toya had been in mid-flight when he suddenly plummeted to the ground like a ton of bricks, burying his face into the hard earth.

Kyoko ran to Shinbe, skidding across the grass in her rush. Falling to her knees beside him, her lips parted knowing he was in bad shape. “Shinbe, are you all right?”