Defy Not The Heart. Amy Blankenship

why are you asking? Did something happen?”

      Kyoko blushed. Standing up, she walked to the window and looked out, “No, I just was curious where you were when I returned.” She swung around, smiling, hiding what was on her mind. “I just seem to remember you helping me from the shrine and back to Sennin’s hut,” she lied. She didn’t remember how she got there at all.

      Shinbe sighed, closing his eyes. He had to digest this information. So she remembered something… what else did she remember? Now he was beginning to feel sick to his stomach. If she remembered that, she probably remembered what he did too. Or was she’s starting to suspect that maybe it wasn’t a dream. He needed to be careful for now.

      He wanted to get up and fix the mess he’d caused but the pain in his head had slowly been getting worse instead of better and right now it was blinding. He felt himself sinking further away no matter how hard he tried to fight the oncoming darkness.

      Kyoko glanced back at him. His eyes were closed and his breathing seemed to even out. “He’s fallen asleep,” she whispered softly then sighed. No more questions for now, he needed to rest. She turned back to her desk and sat down, picking up his clothes to finish sewing it but her eyes were burning because she’d been awake for so long. She laid her head down on the desk, his long trench coat still gripped in her hands on her lap, and she fell asleep.

      *****

      Toya stood in front of the maiden statue, cursing Kyoko. She’d sealed the heart of time, and he was unable to break the spell. Why the hell did she do that? She needed protecting from that damn letch. Didn’t she understand that?

      â€œDamn it Kyoko!” he yelled as if she could hear him on the other side. Toya tensed as he sensed a presence and prepared himself. Kyou? What the hell did he want? He waited for his brother to appear.

      Kyou stood at the far end of the clearing, his clothing billowing in the breeze. Tucking a loose strand of silver hair behind his ear, he approached Toya. “You call to the priestess?”

      Toya’s hand flexed as one of the twin daggers slipped into existence due to his agitation. “Yeah, what about it?” he wasn’t in the mood to be bullied by his older brother.

      Kyou looked past Toya, towards the shrine. “Am I not allowed to be concerned about my brother’s fate?” his expression was emotionless as he continued to stare at the maiden statue suspiciously. He sensed old blood on Toya and identified it as Shinbe’s. He was also sensing Kyoko’s scent, mingled with the guardians.

      â€œSince when do you care?” Toya took a step toward Kyou.

      Kyou sniffed the air, narrowing his eyes at Toya. “You failed to claim the priestess as your mate?” His eyes glinted with undisclosed laughter, “How foolish of you to allow our brother to try and claim what is yours.”

      Toya growled low in his throat, “What are you talking about, Kyou?”

      Kyou could sense the grass was tainted, even if he could not see its evil aura. “Being a guardian, your senses are weak,” he turned his back on Toya and began to walk back towards the woods as his golden wings appeared across his back.

      â€œCome back here, Kyou! What are you talking about?” Toya yelled behind him as Kyou took off towards the sky.

      He smirked down at Toya, “You are foolish, little brother. You should never underestimate the enemy.”

      Toya turned to glare at the shrine, angry that he could not pass through it. Kyoko’s scent still hung thick in the air. He took off towards the cave he’d been staying in since his return from Kyoko’s time. He didn’t want to face anyone right now. He only hoped that when Kyoko returned, she’d be able to smooth things over within the group.

      But for now, he wanted to be alone to ponder what Kyou had said. He knew Kyoko would never be with that lecherous guardian through her own will. But if Kyou was right and Shinbe dared to touch her, the next time, he’d be dead.

      *****

      Kyoko was startled awake by Shinbe’s moans. She rushed to his bedside, placing her hand on his forehead. He was sweating profusely and burning up with a fever at the same time. “Not good… oh this is so not good,” She whispered as she grabbed the bottle of aspirin and poured some water in a glass. Her hand was slightly shaking at the fact he was, for some reason, getting worse.

      â€œShinbe,” she gently shook his shoulder, attempting to wake him long enough to get the aspirin in him. “Damn,” she mumbled the word softly then she placed the glass back on the table when he wouldn’t wake up and ran from the room, now beginning to panic.