Chapter 10 “Wicked”
Kyoko paced back and forth in the bedroom where Tasuki had said her personal items had been placed. She opened the suitcases and cringed when she saw all of her underwear neatly folded on top. Deciding not to think about just who’d packed the bags for her, she removed an ice blue tank top and black short shorts. Putting the suitcase in the closet to unpack later, she started pacing again.
Tasuki had told her to go ahead and take a shower but she’d insisted he go first. She was tempted to go into the bathroom and fish the door key out of his pants pocket. Why in the hell did he have a bolt lock that needed a key no matter which side of the door you were on? It would be her luck though, that Tasuki would hear her and yank open the shower door.
Kyoko shivered at the prospect of seeing Tasuki naked. She frowned thoughtfully wondering if that would be a bad thing… would it fix everything if she gave herself to Tasuki? Would that make her forget… him?
Shaking her head, Kyoko approached the bedroom window and slowly pulled back the curtain. She looked this way and that, searching for her stalker but couldn’t see him at all. With a sigh, she let the curtain drop and nearly jumped right out of her skin when Tasuki came up behind her.
“He’s probably given up and gone home,” Tasuki stated. “The sun will be up in a couple hours.”
“That’s not what I was looking for,” Kyoko retorted
Tasuki gave her a look that said he didn’t believe her and turned to walk away. That was when Kyoko noticed Tasuki wasn’t wearing anything but a towel.
“Why aren’t you dressed?” Kyoko demanded while crossing her arms over her chest. “That’s indecent.”
“Indecent you say?” Tasuki asked with a quirk of his eyebrow then looked down. “Since when are towels indecent?” He looked back up at her with a grin, his amethyst eyes sparkling with amusement. “I can take the towel off if it bothers you so much.”
“GET DRESSED YOU PERVERT!” Kyoko screeched and closed her eyes trying not to laugh.
Tasuki chuckled and left the bedroom. Kyoko let her shoulders droop in relief… that is until the towel came sailing in through the door, landing innocently on the carpet.
“Tasuki!” Kyoko growled.
Tasuki was suddenly right there in front of her. Kyoko’s eyes betrayed her and slipped down to look at Tasuki’s bottom half. Thankfully, he was wearing a pair of sweatpants but nothing else.
“Don’t look so disappointed Kyoko.” Tasuki said deviously. “I can take them off at any time.”
Kyoko glared up at him, “Since when did you become so perverted?”
“Since I found myself locked in a single bedroom apartment with you… for the whole night,” Tasuki said as if it was a mere fact of life. Then he added, “Or I could be lying and have always felt this way toward you.” He shrugged.
“Okay, now you’re just messing with my head,” Kyoko accused. “You want me to forget him. What you don’t seem to understand is I’m already on my way to doing that.”
“Are you sure about that?” Tasuki asked.
Kyoko frowned, “Of course I’m sure.”
“Then why were you searching for him out the window when I got out of the shower?” He inquired.
“Oh, for the love of... I was making sure he was gone,” Kyoko grumbled. “I swear, you’d think I was on trial for something.” She grabbed her clothes and stomped into the bathroom, slamming the door behind her.
Tasuki waited until the water in the shower started running before pulling back the curtain to look outside. His amethyst gaze met a blood red one just a mere two feet away. Tasuki continued to meet the creature’s gaze, refusing to show any kind of weakness. The glass started to tremble between them but didn’t break… making Tasuki smirk victoriously.
“Keep trying,” Tasuki goaded. “You won’t get through this barrier.”
He let the curtain fall and smirked again when something hit the glass but didn’t break it. Walking back into the living room, he plopped down in front of the television to see what was on. Flipping through the channels, he found a horror movie and stopped to watch.
Nothing like a good vampire movie where all the vampires die.
***** Kyoko stood in front of the bathroom mirror, glad to finally have a reason to be alone. She knew there would be no chance that she could go back to her own apartment. Tasuki would refuse for very legitimate reasons, but that didn’t mean she had to like them. Plus, all of her stuff had been moved in here, so she supposed she was here to stay.
When she had initially mentioned just going to her apartment long enough to take a shower… Tasuki had actually glared at her. She was going to argue until he asked how she expected to do that when her old place was full of workers and there was still broken glass everywhere. The topic had been dropped and Kyoko was now resigned to her fate… living temporarily with Tasuki.
She was starting to get sleepy even though it wasn’t even daylight yet. Wondering what time it really was, she reached under her small pile of clothes and picked up the cell phone from the counter. Turning it on, she saw it was a little after five o’clock in the morning on the display. Her eyes widened when she noticed her mailbox icon was flashing and accessed it… she had sixteen messages.
‘And probably every one of them from grandpa,’ She thought to herself.
Hearing movement in the other room, she leaned into the shower and turned it on… feeling like a kid doing something they were not supposed to. She heard the television come to life and smiled knowing Tasuki had settled down to watch it. Hearing the screams, she figured he’d found some cheesy horror movie to occupy his time.
At least it would keep him busy and out of the bathroom… the pervert.
Pulling the dress off, she glanced in the mirror looking to see if she was healed yet. Now that all she had on was panties, she turned around looking everywhere but could see no more signs of the fight that had happened in the alley the night before. She hadn’t been hurt that bad, but she also hadn’t expected to heal this quickly.
The phone started to vibrate in her hand, startling her. She checked and saw she now had seventeen instead of sixteen messages… the last one was a text message. She frowned knowing grandpa didn’t even know how to use text. Pressing her lips together, Kyoko retrieved the message and stared at the four words on the display.
‘Come to the window’
Kyoko placed the phone down on the counter as the chill bumps raced up her right arm… the same arm that was only a couple inches from the sheer curtain that was separating her from the window.
“Come to the window?” Kyoko cocked an eyebrow. “I don’t even know who the hell you are.”
Before she could talk herself out of it, she reached over and moved the curtain aside. The steam from the shower had already fogged up the window and she watched as letters started appearing on the glass.
‘Hyakuhei’
Kyoko tried the name out with a whisper and as if by magic the steam evaporated, leaving the glass crystal clear. His face was calm and his eyes were once again the softest brown she’d ever seen. The ends of his long ebony hair lifted slightly in the breeze as he hovered there… watching her watch him.
She placed her hand on the glass as all the feelings she had been avoiding since he left her on the roof came rushing back with a vengeance.
Hyakuhei hovered closer and placed his hand on the opposite side of the glass, directly over hers… the connection was instant. The barrier Tasuki had placed around the apartment vanished with a flash of blue. Hyakuhei’s lips parted as he realized their need for each other had canceled out the barrier spell.
Kyoko blinked as he disappeared. She watched as his handprint slowly faded from the glass and the steam rushed back in to block her view of the outside world. Suddenly feeling cold and empty, she opened the shower door, sliding out of her panties, and stepped into the cascading hot water.
Closing her eyes, Kyoko turned her face upwards; letting it rush over her as she remembered the night she’d made love to him… to Hyakuhei. She could now remember every touch, every caress, and it was making her chest hurt and lightning strikes were starting to race down her body from the inside.
Kyoko wrapped her arms around herself as she leaned backward.
Having already shed his clothing… Hyakuhei appeared behind her as she leaned back and he wrapped his arms around her, entwining his fingers within hers. As she turned her head and looked up at him, he leaned down close to her ear and whispered, “Shhhh.”
Taking her hand, he began gliding it across her body in gentle caresses. “No one has to know.”
Kyoko laid her head back against his shoulder… feeling his hardness pressed against her lower back. ‘No one has to know.’ The words echoed within her mind like a saving grace. Wanting to see him, she turned in his arms and looked up at him… allowing herself to really see him… this time without the anger or suspicion blinding her.
“Why do you keep coming for me?” She asked as her eyes traced the water on his lips… lips that were coming closer with each breath.
“You already know why,” He answered. Then with all the softness of a raging storm, his lips descended on her as he leaned down, wrapping his hands around her outer thighs and lifted her to straddle his waist. He could feel the long tresses of her hair as it touched his cheek and he swiftly turned, pressing her back up against the wall of the shower.
Kyoko slipped an arm above him and found a handhold as her fingers wrapped around the stainless steel pipe of the shower. She could feel his hard length pressed between them, reaching all the way up to her belly button.
‘Just for a few minutes… no one has to know.’
Gripping the pipe in desperation, she raised herself up until the thick head of him was straining upward against her core. When she felt the growl within his kiss, she pushed herself downward… fast and hard.
Hyakuhei ripped his lips from hers as his breath left him through gritted teeth. Struggling for control, he opened his eyes to see her lips parted in a silent scream. Placing his palm against the wall beside her head, he used his other hand to lift her and bring her back down on him again. As she gulped for air, her lips slammed shut and her eyes focused on him… right where he wanted them.
Kyoko watched his face and the mastery within its seduction as he raised her up and she took him over and over again. Twisting her fingers within his hair and holding on as if she were drowning, she opened her mouth to cry out but he surged forward and stole the cry from her… keeping the silence within the shower.
Knowing he was out of time and waiting to join her as she came for him, Hyakuhei pressed her down as he pushed upward as hard as he could, growling as he felt himself pumping into her at the same time as she squeezed around him, sucking him dry.
After staying in that position for what seemed forever, Kyoko finally fell forward… still wrapped around him as she laid her head on his shoulder breathing heavily.
Hyakuhei hugged her to him, running his hand up and down her back in a soothing motion. He moved back, taking her with him as he looked up into the shower… letting it wash the sweat from both of them. Their mating had been almost violent in its need and he was not disappointed. This was something she could not hide from him no matter how much she denied her feelings.
“We can’t keep doing this,” Kyoko whispered even as her arms tightened around him. She wanted to cry knowing Tasuki was just beyond the door waiting on her. Slowly, she let go of him and slid down his body until she was standing on her own. She was scared… not of him, but of herself.
He gazed down at the crown of her auburn hair and smelled the salt that was starting to blend in with the scent of their passion. He could feel it… she was already pulling away from him even though she was still right there in front of him.
Hyakuhei reached under her chin and brought her face up. Seeing her eyes closed and her teeth nibbling on her bottom lip was frustrating. He didn’t want the night to end this way but the sun would be up any moment.
“Kyoko… look at me.” He kept his voice low but his tone threatened to get louder if she didn’t obey. She didn’t let him down as her eyelids flashed open, showing him those tear filled emerald orbs. “You are the only thing I can see… even when you’re not there.” He dipped to her lips for a fleetingly soft kiss then whispered, “If you give me a chance… I will protect you from everything you fear.”
Kyoko closed her eyes still feeling the softness of his lips against hers but knew he had vanished.
***** Kyoko slowly opened the bathroom door, thankful it didn’t squeak and noticed the living room light was off. She smiled softly seeing that Tasuki had fallen asleep on the sofa. No wonder he hadn’t come to check on her. She tiptoed to the television and started to turn it off but paused in mid-reach.
Turning to look at the flashing lights dancing across his face, she felt melancholy wash over her. He looked so angelic with his dark hair fanned out over the small throw pillow that was tucked underneath his head. If she turned the television off… he might wake up and be able to tell something was amiss. After what she’d just done, she didn’t think she could handle his questions or the hurt that was sure to be behind them.
Reaching up, she took the cover off the back of the sofa and laid it gently across him. He was in such a deep sleep, but why wouldn’t he be? Since calling her two nights ago, she doubted he had had the time to blink… much less actually sleep. Tasuki, her fearless protector in many ways… the thought made her smile miserably.
“Kyoko…” Tasuki whined quietly in the fit of some dream. “Come back.”
Kyoko’s eyes softened even more and the heartbreaking smile slowly disappeared from her face. The longer she watched him sleep… the worse she felt. She was giving him nightmares for heaven’s sake. Her bottom lip started to tremble and she backed away. How could she do this to him? He only wanted to protect her… be with her.
When they were kids, all he could talk about was that when they grew up… they would be married. All those years, he’d protected her from bullies in the schoolyard, kept away the boys that only had one thing on their mind… and now he was the voice of reason. He felt it was his duty to remind her of hers and she couldn’t blame him for that.
Turning, she fled to her room slowing down only long enough to gently close the door behind her. As she removed her hand from the knob, she noticed it had a lock on it. Looking up, she also noted another lock. Her breathing started to slow down and she locked both of them before flipping off the lights.
The room was bathed in the soft light coming in from the windows but she didn’t mind… it just reminded her that dawn was well on its way. Moving over to the bed, she climbed on top of the covers and curled up in a ball, just as silent tears started to cascade down her cheeks. She didn’t know why she was crying, but at the same time there were a million things she could blame it on.
Somehow… she knew that if she didn’t let it all out, then her heart would splinter into a thousand pieces. She closed her eyes and felt her body start shivering from the pent up sadness and frustration.
Why did this have to happen to her? If she’d followed her gut instincts and told Grandpa where to put his advice… she wouldn’t be in this predicament. But then again, she couldn’t really place the blame on him. He didn’t force her to give her virginity to a total stranger and he certainly didn’t tell her to get drunk and have sex with a vampire.
Calm stole over the room and she sighed, feeling her entire body sag into the mattress beneath her.
Amni stood at the foot of her bed silently listening to her pain. He could smell his sire’s brother clinging to her skin and knew he’d been right. Hyakuhei would do nothing but bring her suffering and the scent of her tears was all the proof he needed. Looking back at the bedroom door, he saw that she had also locked herself away from the human in the next room.
His expression softened when he heard Kyoko sob very quietly. She obviously didn’t want the human to hear her but he couldn’t figure out why. Most women he knew wanted comfort at times like this… but his Kyoko was different. He paused as a serene smile appeared on his face. His, he liked the sound of that.
Kyoko opened her eyes and knew she was no longer alone. She quickly ran the back of her hand across her face, wiping away the tears. Sitting up, she half expected to see Tasuki standing there but jumped in surprise when it was Amni’s face she saw.
Swallowing the last of her tears, she looked closer and noticed how sad he looked. Kyoko had never seen him like this before and it bothered her. That expression didn’t sit well on him and she wanted it gone.
“Amni… what’s wrong?” She whispered.
“You would ask me what’s wrong when it is you spilling from the inside.” He walked around the side of the bed and crawled up on the mattress with her. Not wanting to give her a reason to fight him, Amni merely leaned back against the headboard instead of reaching for her as his instincts told him to do.
“Don’t you wish it would go back to the way it was a week ago? No one interfering… no one making you cry,” His voice was soft and comforting.
Kyoko laid back down on her side and sighed wistfully; unable to give him a true answer to the question… it was a moot point now. Instead, she whispered the one question that wouldn’t give her peace. “It’s too late… so where do I go from here?”
“You can go with me Kyoko.” Amni suddenly felt the desperation coming back as he turned to her. “We could leave this place and never look back. I could save you … if you would let me.”
Kyoko stared at him with wide eyes. At this point, she really wished she could just forget everything and disappear. It sounded… nice.
‘No one would ever see me again.’ She thought to herself. ‘I could find a place somewhere to call my own and forget about vampires, blood and violence.’ Kyoko sighed longingly and curled her legs tighter to her body, unintentionally looking vulnerable with the movement. She knew the response she would give him… regardless of what she really wanted.
“I can’t just run away.” Kyoko felt even more guilt wash over her because of the temptation.
“Why not?” Amni fisted his hands in his lap wanting her to choose him as her savior… he didn’t want to force her. “Because of him?” His voice turned a shade darker and the temperature within the room started to plummet as an aftereffect of his reawakened power.
“No!” She was horrified that he could see through her on that kind of level. “Because the city needs me,” Kyoko defended herself trying to understand why Amni was acting so strangely.
“The city needs you? What the hell are you Kyoko…? Batman?” Amni asked incredulously. “There’s only one thing in this hellhole worth saving and it’s lying next to me… wanting to join me and run away from it all.” Amni waved his hand in the air angrily as if dismissing the rest. “You don’t owe this forsaken city anything… and you sure don’t owe him a damn thing,” He finished with a scoff.
“Hyakuhei,” Kyoko repeated the name she had only learned a couple hours ago. “What do you know about him?”
Amni’s eyes narrowed. So, she wanted to know about the vampire lords? Tadamichi and Hyakuhei… the twins were both the same person as far as he was concerned. Something about their souls were so similar it seemed more like a double personality than separation.
“He is the most powerful demon among us and with that power comes deception and trickery.” Not able to hold back any longer, Amni turned and grabbed her by the shoulders, ready to shake some sense into her. While taking Tadamichi’s blood, Amni had felt Tadamichi giving him all the information he needed about Hyakuhei and the prophesy of what would happen if Kyoko returned his feelings.
“Don’t fall for him Kyoko… he will only consume you.” He closed his eyes as though in pain and took a deep breath. “Please, don’t destroy yourself for him… he will shatter you if you remain close to him.”
Amni’s distorted reality made it easy for him to blend Tadamichi and Hyakuhei into the same person. “If you don’t believe me then just look at me… he did this to me. He is the reason you have to put your life on the line every night. In our world, he is a wicked god… a true blood demon with no master of his own because he is the master.”
Kyoko’s gaze locked with his cobalt blue eyes and noticed the red creeping in from the corners. “Amni… it’s not true.” Her voice started to rise as she detected the change in him. Had Hyakuhei really done this to him? Had Hyakuhei tainted him somehow?
“Don’t look at me like that Kyoko.” Amni growled then pulled her into his arms so she couldn’t see his eyes. “I asked you to let me save you, but the truth is… I am the one who needs saving after tonight. I am ashamed of what I have done.”
“What happened?” Kyoko struggled, trying to get free but his arms were like steal and she felt her fear raise another notch. Her eyes widened realizing it wasn’t her fear she was detecting… it was his. It was like he was suddenly fighting for his life.
Amni dipped his lips to her ear wanting her to know how far he would go for her. “I took my masters blood so I would have the strength to fight for you… and now it is ripping me apart from the inside. This will happen to you if you stay with him.”
Kyoko couldn’t help the cry that echoed within the room as she wrapped her arms around Amni, no longer trying to escape his hold. Running her hand down his silky blond hair, she clutched him to her, knowing she was the blame for this.
“Oh god… Amni no… I’m here Amni… it’s okay. We will find a way to beat this together.” She felt the tears come harder as she wondered if they weren’t all wrong. Maybe it was her who was the true enemy… destroying everything she touched… everyone she touched. She had wanted to keep the humans in her life safe… she hadn’t thought that she would be a danger to Amni. She was wrong.
She had become a danger to everyone she touched… mortal and immortal.
In the living room Tasuki bolted up from the sofa in a cold sweat. Jumping up, he grabbed his staff from the door knowing the spell had long since vanished. Within the blink of an eye, the bedroom door was forced open from its hinges, making a loud bang as it crashed into the wall.
All Tasuki could see was that Kyoko was crying and his amethyst eyes locked on his target as he surged forward with lethal intent.
“No!” Kyoko screamed as she held her hand up to stop him. Tears streamed down her cheeks as Amni pulled away, letting her get a glimpse of his eyes. They had returned to the former grace of sky blue now lined in their own crystalline tears. She gasped when she noticed how steady they were… calm and fixed and with purpose.
“Forgive me Kyoko,” Amni whispered then turned to glare at Tasuki. “You cannot keep her from me!!” He yelled out as he let her go and sprang from the bed.
Tasuki held the staff in front of him like a shield as Amni advanced at a dangerously rapid pace. Thinking he would have to fight for his life, Tasuki gripped the weapon like a sword but to his amazement, Amni brought his hands together, catching it in its descent.
A physical and metaphysical struggle ensued. The staff began to glow amethyst against Amni’s palms but the blonde refused to let go as he was slowly twisting the staff to the side trying to pull it from Tasuki’s grasp without harming him.
Kyoko scrambled off the bed, ducked under the staff and quickly wedged herself between the two. Placing a palm against each of their chest, she pushed then growled when neither one of them budged.
“Damn it!” She screamed as she grabbed a handful of both their shirts. The two people she trusted more than anyone in the world and they were getting ready to take that from her too? “Don’t you understand? If you hurt each other… I will never forgive you. I love you both!”
Tasuki hesitantly let up on the power he was pouring into the staff until the glow faded completely. Amni also pulled back on the amount of strength he was using and soon they were just standing there, staring angrily at one another. Amni finally released the staff and lowered his hands to his sides before taking a step back.
Tasuki lowered his staff but didn’t take his eyes off the vampire in front of him. Reaching past her, he shoved Amni. “You love him? How could you love… that?” He asked in disgust.
Amni didn’t fight back as her words echoed within his head. She had said she loved him and as far as he was concerned… that was the only thing that mattered.
“We are on the same side. If you can’t face that fact, then you cannot save her.” Mimicking Tasuki, he leaned over Kyoko and shoved him hard enough to knock him back against the wall as he growled, “We don’t need you.”
Tasuki hit the wall hard enough to make the curtain flutter in the breeze… letting in the faint morning sun. There was an echoing hiss and the curtains fluttered once more. Before Tasuki could right himself, Amni had already vanished.
“What the…” Tasuki shook his hair out of his eyes then grabbed Kyoko by the shoulders and turned her around, pushing her against the same wall he’d just vacated. He braced his arms on either side of her body as if he sensed she might run. Minutes passed, hours… or maybe it was just a couple heartbeats. He tried to calm down knowing his emotions where breaking all kinds of speed barriers.
“Tasuki… you’re scaring me.” Kyoko kept her voice calm even as her bottom lip trembled.
“Scared of me Kyoko? I’m not dangerous… I’m in love with you and that’s beyond dangerous.” He lowered his head to the wall just above her ear, trying to refrain from banging his forehead against the wall. Pushing and pulling at the same time, he gritted his teeth and finally backed up.
“Are we finished with the unwelcome visitors Kyoko?” He raised pain filled amethyst eyes to hers and waited.
Kyoko slowly nodded then darted around him toward the bed and crawled under the covers this time. She closed her eyes as she pulled the cover up over her head and shivered. She came to the conclusion that Tasuki could be just as frightening as vampires when he had a mind to be.
Since her door was broken, she didn’t know if he had left or if he was still standing just where she’d left him… something told her that she was better off not knowing.
***** Kyoko awoke within a dream; feeling like she’d finally gotten what she was craving… peace. She sat on a small hilltop overlooking a meadow full of the most beautiful flowers she’d ever seen. She had been here many times when she was a child lost in dreamland. Leaning back against the base of the only tree there, she searched the colors for her favorite blossom… the silver one.
A soft breeze started blowing and Kyoko smiled and held her hands up, cupping them and catching the multicolored dust floating down from above her. “Kamui?” She hadn’t seen him in her dreams for so long. As an adolescent, she had dreamed of him often… him and sometimes his brothers.
The shadow of angel wings spread across the ground but as she looked up, all she could see was Kamui as he descended. His hair was tousled as always… giving him a very boyish appearance. He didn’t look much older than her and his eyes always sparkled with mischief and laughter.
“Have you missed me?” Kamui asked as he sat down beside her and leaned over to give her a kiss on her soft cheek.
“Oh Kamui,” Kyoko cried out and threw her arms around him, holding on as if her life depended on it. “Where have you been? I thought I’d lost you,” She mumbled against his neck. “You were gone for so long.”
Kamui reached around her and ran his palm down her soft hair. “Sometimes it’s hard to get away.” He hugged her to him knowing he wouldn’t be able to stay as long as he wanted to.
“Kyoko, I need you to listen very carefully to me.” She pulled back to look at him and he placed his palm against her cheek. “I can’t protect you right now but there is someone who can if you let them… you will have to follow your heart to know who needs to be saved and who can save you.”
Kyoko nodded as her thoughts automatically drifted to Amni.
Kamui pressed his forehead against hers wanting to help her as much as possible before he was forced back into his realm. It was always so hard to visit her like this then have to leave her.
“Don’t be too hard on Amni… this is not his fight. But be careful with him.” He pressed his lips to hers in a gentle kiss. “It is his master that deceives you.” Kamui felt the tear slide down his cheek and held on to her tighter as he went numb. “Love can’t lie.” His voice whispered as he slowly faded from her embrace.
Kyoko sat up with a small cry, her arms reaching out for him. Her eyes slowly opened and she saw glitter floating around the bedroom in the faint light through the curtains. She smiled sadly as it slowly faded out of existence making her wonder if it had ever been there to begin with.
Laying back down and pulling the blanket over her head, Kyoko went back to sleep hoping Kamui would still be there, waiting for her… he wasn’t.
***** Miles below, within the underground catacombs Tadamichi jerked up in his bed feeling the temperature in the room drop. A sudden breeze swept through his bedchamber setting him on edge. There were never drafts in the catacombs… Tadamichi had designed them that way. His acute hearing heard soft weeping on the mysterious gust before all fell silent and still once more.
Rising from his bed, Tadamichi let the coverings fall from his nude form as he walked to the center of the room. His eyes narrowed the slightest centimeter and the candles flared to life… illuminating the statues. He looked the guardians over one by one but paused in surprise when he finally reached Kamui.
The guardian was the same as before but what held Tadamichi’s attention were the tears. They had once again begun to fall.
