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Title of series … The Guardian Heart Crystal series
Title of book… A Light in the Heart of Darkness
Author... Amy Blankenship
Drawing by Seifer-sama

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The Legend of the Guardian Heart Crystal

The world may change… but true legends never fade.

Darkness and light have constantly battled since the beginning of time. Worlds are formed and crushed beneath the feet of their creators yet the ongoing need for good and evil has never been in question. One cannot exist without the other.

However, sometimes a new element is thrown into the mix. The one thing that both sides want but only one can have.

Paradoxical in nature, the Guardian Heart Crystal is the one constant that both sides have always strived to attain. The crystalline stone has the power to create and destroy the known universe yet can end all suffering and strife in the same breath. The crystal only appears in a world for a short time, then disappear without a trace.

Some say the crystal has a mind of its own, others say the gods are behind it all.

Each time the crystal has appeared, regardless of the world or time, its guardians have always been ready to defend it from all who would use it selfishly. These guardians, though different in background, have always worn the same faces and loved with the same ferocity.

One girl stands in the center of these guardians, the object of their affections, and she holds within her the power of the crystal itself. This is the bearer of the crystal and the source of its power. The lines, however, blur and guarding the crystal slowly changes into guarding the girl from the other guardians.

This is the wine from which the darkness drinks. It is the opportunity to make the guardians of the crystal weak and susceptible to attack. The darkness craves the power of the crystal and also the girl as a man would crave a woman. Hence the entrance into another world where darkness is dominate within the world of light.

Mythical creatures rise from this darkness though not all wish to obtain the crystal for its power. Some born in instinct wish to still guard the sacred crystal, though they do not know what it is they’re guarding.

For some, the spilling of blood and death is the only way to defend this treasure. For others, they remain silent, watching and waiting for the day that the balance of good and evil is restored to their former glory. And yet, some were born into a world of light only to be claimed by the darkness; forced to live off the life giving force that binds every living creature.

There is one immortal that knows all outcomes, his powers can see into each universe yet he can do nothing but watch and pray.

Darkness has fallen upon the world again and the guardians are unknowingly called forth. Creatures of myth they are thought to be but in this reality, they are far more real than people think. Only when the moon is high will these creatures, these guardians, battle the evil that seeks to overtake the world and the girl who holds ultimate power… the light in the heart of darkness.

Chapter 1 “First Blood”

Over a thousand years ago…

For centuries the red moon had always been a sign of the bringer of death. Those who saw the deadly sight hid for fear of losing their lives to the powerful lull of endless sleep it promised. In the distance a spine-chilling cry was heard from miles around as a blood red moon sat high in the midnight sky.

In a clearing two lone figures stood, one wounded, breathing heavily with one of his twin daggers clinched in his hand, the other towering menacingly over him, a malicious smirk gracing his inhumanly beautiful face. Predatory red eyes gleamed in the full moon light awaiting his victim’s next move. Hyakuhei’s unnaturally pale skin seemed to glow in the night, giving him the appearance of an angel of death.

“You have killed us without death!” The silver streaked dark haired man snarled, baring his elongated fangs. His gold dust eyes burned in loathing for the man standing before him. Once his friend… his own fathers brother… now his mortal enemy. “You bastard!”

“You say that now with conviction but I gave you eternal life, trained you and cared for you. Loved you and your brother as my own.” Red eyes flashed in anger at the insolent, would be, child before him.

“You call making us into monsters… love? You stole our lives away! You turned me to try and force my brother into becoming yours! You lied to us, saying you could reverse the curse if we would join with you.” His breath left him in an angry hiss as he continued.

“If it wasn’t for your twisted fascination with my brother, we would be normal human beings, living normal lives as a family, not the blood thirsty creatures of the night that you made us into!” Bitter tears poured from Toya’s eyes in anger and betrayal… turning them eerie silver.

“Your fathers death left you under my care! You and your brother are mine and I have always taken what belongs to me. I will have his obedience once I have finished with you.” Hyakuhei’s clawed hand flexed in anticipation, eager to feel the younger man’s blood drip from their deadly tips. “It is you that has betrayed your own flesh and blood!”

Toya swung around in a circle listening to the hated voice as Hyakuhei shimmered and disappeared only to reappear on the other side of him. He knew the deadly vampire was only playing with him but Toya wasn’t afraid anymore. That fear had died with her…

"Why did you kill her?" Toya demanded, his voice a soft hiss filled with anger and despair. "Did you think that by killing her you would gain the crystal? Never! She refused to give you that power and it pissed you off. Didn’t it Hyakuhei!” he screamed as he pivoted, trying to follow his enemy as Hyakuhei circled him with deadly intent.

“It wasn't a secret that you wanted her for your own.” Toya’s hand tightened on his dagger in fury as he remembered the haunted looks… the stalking… the murder.

“Anyone with eyes could see the way you looked at her when you thought me or Kotaro wasn't paying attention.” His breath left him with a sob as he swayed for a moment knowing he and Kotaro had both loved her… they had fought Hyakuhei and each other for her. No one had won.

“Kyoko was mine and will always be mine!" Toya shouted, his anger at losing the one he had decided to call his own and loved dearly… she was gone. She had been the light in the darkness that his world had become.

She was the reason he had defied Hyakuhei. Now his reason for defiance was gone and Toya felt the fire in his soul rise to a deadly temperature. He had found her lying lifeless with a small dagger piercing her heart. Deep inside he knew… he and Kotaro had both known Hyakuhei had somehow… killed her.

Hyakuhei’s black eyes became a shade darker as he gazed upon his brother’s youngest son in contempt. “Ah yes, the elusive guardian heart crystal… such a power does not belong to a foolish child like you. The most powerful beings have searched for the guardian heart crystal… did you think you were the only one dear boy? Not only vampires but also immortals and wizards and even werewolves share in that desire to gather such a power.”

“Do you not realize what would happen if the Lycan had clamed her first?” Hyakuhei’s eyes bled crimson at the thought of Kotaro, leader of the Lycan tribes gaining such a power. He would not stand by and let such a treacherous thing happen.

“No, careless boy, I have already taken care of the priestess who carried the crystal within her.” Hyakuhei’s eyes hardened at the thought of the small lie.

In truth… he had not murdered the girl. She had committed suicide to keep him from obtaining the crystal. He’d had her in his grasp, ready to claim the power she held within her. The power that would’ve allowed his darkness to walk within the light… and feed upon it.

His fingers still tingled from the briefest touch of her skin. Her emerald eyes had clashed with his for a mere second in defiance. Too late, he’d seen the dagger in her hand as it swiftly disappeared into her chest. He could have turned her and shared it all with her but… she refused his generous offer.

The brave yet foolish woman had believed that by killing herself, she would lock away the power of the crystal from him forever. Forever was such a long time to try and hide from him.

“She will be reborn!” Toya screamed in anguish, knowing he had failed at protecting her from Hyakuhei’s wrath. His guilt at not being there to save her was eating him alive inside. She had known he was a vampire… a creature of the night and still… she had not turned her back on him. She had befriended him instead. Kyoko had trusted him with her very life.

Toya’s mind flashed back over the time he had known her… ‘It had not been long enough!’ he silently screamed in denial.

He had only known her for such a short time; six cycles of the moon. When he had first met her… he had only wanted the crystal… the crystal she hadn’t even know she was carrying at first. But he could see it shining inside her… calling to him. Then something had changed. Toya found himself trying to protect her instead of taking the crystal from her.

Since she had stepped into his dark world, Toya had found the truth behind the legend of the guardian heart crystal, things even Hyakuhei did not realize. He had wanted to tell his brother the secrets but Hyakuhei had made it impossible for him to find Kyou in time… now it was to late.

“You will never have it’s light in the darkness… I will find Kyoko again and the crystal of legend. I will return us to normal and eliminate the evil you have brought upon this world!” Toya’s voice was harsh with his need for vengeance.

“She will live again and I will be there waiting for her.” A lone silver tear slipped down his cheek unnoticed as he yelled, “Together! She and I will free Kyou from you!”

Hyakuhei stepped closer to Toya, a dark chuckle coming from deep within his chest. “Oh yes, my dear Toya, she will live again. The crystal will come back into this world and I will be the one to claim not only the power, but the girl as well. I am sure I can find something to occupy your brother’s time until that day comes.”

Toya growled, “You keep your sick notions to yourself. I’ll find a way to make us normal again. And you…I’ll make you dead!” Toya ended in a shout as the wind began to pick up causing a wicked howling noise to sweep across the clearing.

The dagger in his hand flashed in an arc of silver light, barely catching the dark robe that graced Hyakuhei’s body. Toya couldn’t believe how fast he’s opponent was but his brow was furrowed with determination. A second dagger appeared in his other hand and he swung with it, followed immediately by the first.

Hyakuhei dodged the deadly blades with the centuries of training he’d endured. Humans were such easy creatures to defeat and Toya, though changed, was still very much human in his way of thinking… still a child within a vampire's eyes.

He would admit that somehow, his protection of the priestess had aged Toya’s power to almost the same level of an ancient. Taking the priestess away from him had severed two purposes. Without his reason to fight… Toya’s power had diminished greatly.

Hyakuhei’s left hand lashed out, somehow trapping both of Toya’s wrists in a crushing grip. Toya had no way to defend himself when the vampire’s right claws slashed across his cheek.

Silver eyes clashed with crimson ones for a suspended moment in time as Hyakuhei retracted his claws. His lips hinted at a tainted smile as he reached out to gently stroke the wound he had just given so viscously. “Tis’ a pity to mar such perfection… so much like your brother.” He licked the drops of freshly spilt blood from his finger before adding, “but I can not have your rebellious love distracting Kyou from me.”

Feeling his wrists being released, Toya took a step back and tried to block the next attack coming for his torso. He grunted in pain when blood spilled from the gashes left on his chest. Pressing an arm to the wounds, his golden eyes widened as he staggered back and this time… Hyakuhei let him.

Toya could feel the broken bones in his wrists grinding against one another and had to concentrate just to keep his daggers from falling to the ground. Looking up at the man he hated more than life, Toya tried to shake off the pain knowing this wasn’t a game… even the undead could die.

“You foolish child, you thought to save your sibling by killing me? You can barely hold your blades now, much less attempt to take my life.” Hyakuhei sneered then his face turned placid, his anger suddenly gone. The breeze lifted the ends of his long ebony hair making it look like it was alive.

“You never had a chance little one. I will help you to rest so that you will feel pain no more.” Hyakuhei murmured, his eyes softening toward the wounded man like a father scolding a wayward child.

Silver eyes flashed red in anger at his words. “You will never have my brother, you son of a bitch! As long as he has breath in his body, Kyou will not let you let win, nor will I!” Toya screamed as he charged at the figure clad in black in a last attempt to save his immortal soul.

Hyakuhei disappeared within the blink of an eye before Toya’s dagger could penetrate the cold heart within his ageless body. Piercing red orbs gleamed in hunger to spill the blood of the young man who thought to defy him. His dark form levitating high above paused for just a moment before descending to attack his prey.

The silver-eyed man’s senses were screaming danger as he felt the approaching threat to his life but he was not skilled enough yet to pin point where his attacker was coming from. Toya searched around frantically but with his senses now dull from the loss of blood from his wounds… along with the wound hidden inside his heart, Toya felt his fear rising.

His heart ached from the words thrown at him by his so called ‘father’. “I cannot let you win, you monster. My brother’s life depends on it.” Toya whispered through his labored breathing.

A sliver of fear shot up his spine as he looked up towards the night sky. His eyes grew wide in terror at a sight that he only knew from the giving end… never from the receiving. ‘So… this is what it’s like.’ The thought filtered through his tormented mind.

He tried to move but was held immobile by an unknown force. Their sights locked in a deadly gaze…Red eyes pierced his very soul and Toya knew death was coming.

The scream lodged in his throat was replaced by a gurgling sound. His silver eyes faded to gold and met the crimson red eyes of his murderer, as time seemed to stop. His body began to feel cold as he slowly looked down between their bodies.

Tears fell from Toya’s eyes as their bright gold color began to fade, ‘I have failed you, please forgive me… my brother,' were his last thoughts as he drew his final breath.

He could feel his heart beat getting further and further away as the pain faded. Mysteries unfolded with his final heartbeat as he silently whispered in acceptance, “Kyoko… how long have you been here?”

Watching with a sick sense of pleasure, the figure clad in black with blazing red eyes smiled in satisfaction. He slowly lowered them both to the hard packed earth. His clawed hand was embedded deep in the chest of the young man with eyes like the sun.

Hyakuhei viciously ripped out the heart that had stopped beating.

Staring into Toya’s lifeless eyes he whispered, “I always wondered what Kyou’s eyes would look like when he cried… I bet they will be beautiful.” He leaned down and kissed Toya’s forehead before rising to turn and face the man who had just landed a short distance behind him.

A sadistic smile graced his lips as he held out the bleeding heart and waited for Kyou to close the distance between them. “For you my pet, now there is nothing to come between us.” His voice carried across the night breeze.

Kyou’s eyes narrowed in disgust as he looked at the heart that was being held out to him as if it were a mere present. Had Hyakuhei been undead for so long that to him death was a gift?

Disgusted, Kyou turned his head away from the disturbing vision. He had sensed his brother’s distress and had come to investigate. Instead he found his so called ‘father’ and he could no longer sense his brother’s aura.

Something was terribly wrong.

He could not see the owner of the heart that still dripped its life from the hand of the ancient vampire since Hyakuhei blocked his view. It annoyed him to be detained from searching out his younger brother. He had not laid eyes on his sibling for in over a year but tonight… he knew Toya had needed him. It must have been important for Kyou to have felt the urge so strongly.

Sensing the anticipation within the man before him, Kyou’s golden eyes locked with Hyakuhei’s. “Whose soul did you steal this time?” He asked with contempt in his voice.

“Why don’t you come see, my pet? I’m sure you will be most surprised. It is my gift to you.” A knowing smile lit his shadowed features as Hyakuhei stepped aside… leaving a clear view of his victim. Extending his hand slowly toward Toya he turned to look down at the corpse on the ground.

Kyou’s gaze followed Hyakuhei’s as he slowly took a step closer, confused at the importance of this victim’s identity. His golden eyes widened slightly at the crumpled form lying in the dirt as a sliver of alarm crawled up his spine. His heart began to race when he saw the familiar shiny silver highlights running through midnight black hair now matted with blood and dirt as it lay across the mans face as if to hide his identity.

He felt his entire being scream in rage and denial at the knowledge that he was now looking at his missing brother’s slaughtered form.

“NOOOOO!” Kyou threw back his head and roared. Tears filled his eyes as he turned to face the one responsible. “What have you done?” He snarled. His sun gold eyes bled red… elongated fangs bared like a rabid dog. Flexing his clawed hand he waited with barely restrained rage.

“Only what I should have done from the beginning… remove the one who did not appreciate you as I do.” Hyakuhei’s eyes softened for a brief moment as he watched his favorite child.

He had given Kyou all his attention and affection since giving him the gift of immortality… but still Kyou had not been happy. It was the sadness in Kyou’s golden gaze that had attracted him so, the loneliness within him was lovely. He had then turned Kyou’s brother Toya in hopes of winning his prized possession’s devotion, but that had only upset Kyou more.

Hyakuhei watched the bittersweet tears forming within Kyou’s eyes and new he had been right… Kyou was most divine when he cried.

At that moment something deep within Kyou snapped as a mournful, earth-shattering cry tore from his body. In a blind rage, he flew at his brother’s murderer, fangs bared and claws slashing. “I will tear out your heart and leave your body to be ravaged by the creatures of the night, you son of a bitch!”

Deftly, the evil man dodged the attack and in a blur of black had Kyou pinned to the ground. With a calm that did not reflect in his ruby red depths, Hyakuhei leaned in close, his gaze locked on the face that haunted him so.

“I did what was necessary for us. Toya did not want you to have eternal life and sought to take it away from you. You will understand in time.” He murmured as his soft lips brushed slightly on snarling ones as he spoke those words.

With a strength that he did not realize he possessed, Kyou forcefully threw the offending man twenty feet from his shaking body. He swiped his forearm across his mouth in disgust as he growled dangerously.

“Now now, little one, calm yourself.” The man cooed as he stood dusting himself off. His eyes blazed with promise as his body shimmered slightly, and then faded into the night. “I will be watching… waiting for you… my pet.”

Kyou’s world shattered around him as he looked down at his brother’s lifeless body. ‘I will avenge my brother’s death and spend the rest of my undead life hunting you if I have to. When I find you, you will pay for this… Hyakuhei...’

He lowered himself shakily to his knees and gently lifted Toya’s body to his chest… cradling his head gently. His hair had fallen away from his face making Kyou’s vision blur as he tried to hold back the flood of tears. It looked like he was simply asleep… peaceful for the first time in way to long.

He watched as his tears dripped onto Toya’s cheek and Kyou felt his heart fracture. Clutching his beloved brother tightly against him, Kyou whispered in a unsteady voice, “Toya, please forgive me… I did not make it here in time.” His breath shuddered from him as he squeezed his eyes shut in pain. “I should have saved you.”

Kyou’s mind raced back to the day Hyakuhei had turned him into what he was now… the day after his father’s death. Kyou had known Hyakuhei had only wanted him and Toya had only been a small child. So to protect Toya… Kyou had left with his uncle even as his little brother had cried for him not to leave.

He could still remember the distrust shinning in Toya’s big golden eyes as he glared at Hyakuhei for daring to take his big brother away from him. It was the memory of that haunted look that had helped Kyou stay away from his sibling for several years.

As Toya had gotten older, Kyou had found himself yearning to see him… secretly visiting him and watching him from a distance… watching his brother live the life he couldn’t. Watching Toya from the shadows had been Kyou’s only happiness during those dark days.

Had he known Hyakuhei was following him and watching him watch Toya… he would have never put Toya in danger like that. His uncle had turned Toya because he had thought that was what Kyou had wanted. It had been his fault that Toya had died the first time.

Toya had fought their uncle, during the turning and after. As their arguments became more viscous, Kyou had tried to keep Hyakuhei’s attention away from his brother. Then Toya had started talking about a cure for vampires… the guardian heart crystal. He had sworn he would find it and cure them both.

Toya had found his cure in death.

Doing his best to avoid looking at the now empty cavity where his brother’s heart had once resided, Kyou stood and carried Toya’s body away from the scene to give him a proper burial.

He could no longer feel Hyakuhei’s presence but knew he was close, watching him somehow… always watching him. Kyou knew then that he would have to leave, go into hiding until he was strong enough to defeat the evil that had stolen the only thing he held dear… his little brother.

Kamui breathed a soft sigh of relief when the brothers were gone and lowered his invisible barrier from around Kotaro’s battered form. Looking down at the Lycan, Kamui knew it would take a while for Kotaro’s wounds to heal… not just the wounds to his body, but the wounds that now lay deeply imbedded within his heart as well.

“Come on,” Kamui whispered, pulling one of Kotaro’s arms across his shoulders and helping him stand. “We need to get you out of the open.” His eyes shimmered the color of rainbow dust as he withheld his own tears. So much had been lost in the span of only a couple deadly hours… he would not lose Kotaro as well.

“I didn’t hate him that much.” Kotaro whispered, looking dejectedly toward where Toya’s body had lain just moments before. They had both loved Kyoko and she in turn held affection for both of them… never choosing one over the other.

They had both tried to protect her but now Toya… Kotaro’s ice blue eyes swam with unshed tears, “I never hated him.”

“He knows you didn’t.” Kamui said leading Kotaro to the only safe place he knew… the wizard, Shinbe’s home. He needed to tell their friend of Toya’s fate… and Kyoko’s. Shinbe would somehow know what to do, he always knew.

“I’ll kill that bastard Hyakuhei,” Kotaro snarled, his Lycan nature coming to the surface. “He killed her…he killed Toya because of her. When I find him, he’ll wish he’d been born human.”

As if the wind had been knocked out of him, Kotaro’s body shuddered. He knew Toya was a lot stronger then he had ever acknowledged but without Kyoko to protect… Toya had lost his will to fight. Hyakuhei had known that before the fight had ever started.

Toya’s grief had made him hotheaded… impatient. “If only he had only waited… a few more moments. Kyou could have saved him.” sadness hung on every salable as Kotaro wiped angrily at the tears that silently left trails down his cheeks.

“I wanted to save them both… Kyoko,” the pain within him was to much as he closed his glowing ice blue eyes and gave into to the nothingness that would sooth the pain for a short while.

Kamui kept silent as he lifted Kotaro’s limp body and carried him to Shinbe to be healed. “Rest for now.” He whispered. “It’s my turn to do the saving.”

*****

In the predawn hour, Kamui hovered above an unmarked grave, the two men standing on each side of him was all he had left. He had watched Shinbe use his telekinetic powers to removed the earth from Toya’s grave and widen it enough for two bodies.

Shinbe and Kotaro now both wore the same expression… sadness and stubborn strength. Kamui knew they were trying to stay strong for him but he could see through to the melancholy they both hid.

They all stared at the grave… the painful reality of it all sinking in. Things were not supposed to end this way… the good side wasn’t supposed to die. Shinbe had helped them come to a decision on what to do. Retrieving Kyoko’s body, they had brought her to the grave Kyou had laid his brother in and buried them together.

Toya would have wanted it that way.

Kamui had been unable to carry Kyoko’s body to the gravesite once they found it. The blood surrounding her wasn’t what bothered him. It was just heartbreaking to see someone so kind and pure, once possessing so much light within them that it hurt your eyes to look… lying there with their eyes open and sightless.

Sensing Kamui’s shock and seeing his hands trembling, Kotaro had stepped in and lifted her lovingly into his arms, trying hard to ignore the stiffness in her limbs as he did so. He couldn’t bring himself to feel anything except anger and sadness at that moment. If he had let the rest of it in… how much he had loved her, his knees would have buckled… the grief weighed so much.

Seeing the look on Kamui’s face was enough to help him control his own emotions. Kamui was not human nor was he creature… what ever he was… his heart was shattering. The immortal still hadn’t gotten used to seeing people die so this was really hard on him. Kotaro decided to make it his business to watch over him from now on, even though he probably didn’t need it.

Kamui wiped a few tears from his eyes, trying to be strong like Kotaro and Shinbe. His untamed purple hair ruffled in the wind as he looked down at the freshly turned earth. He had taken off his own robe and gently wrapped them in it to heighten the power of the spell he was about to cast.

Closing his glittering eyes he laced his fingers together as wings sprouted from his back in a flurry of feathers that shimmered with colors so intense they were unknown to the human eye.

Shinbe and Kotaro took a startled step back suddenly understanding just what Kamui was… the word angel hovered on their lips but he looked so sad. Like an angel with a broken heart… a fallen angel.

The very air around Kamui swirled into a vortex surrounding him in a fluorescent blue light as he chanted the spell that would allow both Toya and Kyoko to be born again.

“One thousand years it will take…
This time we abide for your own sake…
Then two humans it will make…
With your rebirth will come the light…
All of us immortals will unite…
Only then will we stand and fight”

As the vortex circled Kamui, one glowing feather from each illuminated wing loosened and sprang forward within the cyclone… landing on the grave. The feathers lay on the soft soil for a few brief moments before sinking into the ground to merge with the souls of his friends.

“Until we meet again, Kyoko… Toya.” Kamui whispered. “Maybe the next life will be in a better and far brighter time.”

Shinbe remained silent next to him, wanting nothing more than to shed tears himself but he couldn’t afford the luxury. Hyakuhei was still out there and he knew the black-hearted vampire would eventually come for him. The enemy would know what they had done. He would erase all the traces he could for now.

Reaching into his pocket, Shinbe pulled out a small amethyst bottle filled with ageless magical powder. Lightly sprinkling the ground, he walked a circle around the grave to protect it from all prying eyes. The ground instantly turned solid to hide the location of the new grave.

Shinbe’s eyes lit up with the same amethyst color as he whispered words only he could understand.

He felt an age-old bond of brothers who had fought an eternal battle with darkness sear through his soul becoming a symbol of protection upon the grave. Above the resting place of his friends blossomed flowers without any seeds being planted. Blooms of five colors appeared on thorny vines… silver… gold… ice blue… amethyst… and shimmering rainbow dust.

“I am taking my leave.” Shinbe said after a long silence. He didn’t want his presence giving away the location of the others and knew it was time to move on. His amethyst eyes darted back to the bush of strangely colored flowers knowing Toya and Kyoko were now protected from Hyakuhei and the spell would not be disturbed.

For now… it was all he could offer them besides sorrow.

Kamui looked up at the wizard, shocked at this new development. “What? But…why?” his eyes widened in a moment of panic… would everyone leave him now? Wasn’t losing Toya and Kyoko bad enough?

Feeling Kamui’s fear rise, Shinbe placed a steady hand on his friends shoulder and tried to explain, “You know as well as I that Hyakuhei will eventually learn what we have done here.” he looked over Kamui’s shoulder at Kotaro knowing the Lycan would understand.

“You will be able to escape his ever-watchful eyes… but I do not have that kind of power. I will be able to hide but I am unsure as to how long.” Shinbe released a long sigh and looked up at the moon hanging low in the sky.

“I will board the next vessel going west, over the ocean. There I will have a better chance of keeping my identity safe from Hyakuhei and perhaps even find a way for my own soul to reincarnate at the same time as our dear friends.” He secretly hoped what he was saying was the truth. They would need him when the time came.

Kamui glanced down at the grave below him then back up at his amethyst-eyed friend with more calmness then he had felt since the nightmare of the night had started. He did not want Shinbe to be the next victim so yes… he understood. He gently plucked a rainbow feather from his right wing and pressed it to Shinbe’s neck.

Shinbe gasped as it started to glow brightly before absorbing into his skin. He looked down and saw the briefest outline of the feather just below the collar of his robe.

“That’ll help you along.” Kamui said with a smile and gave Shinbe a tight hug in understanding. He wouldn’t lose Shinbe for long… no matter what.

“We will see each other again my friend.” Shinbe whispered before pulling away from Kamui’s embrace. He nodded to Kotaro knowing the Lycan would look after Kamui for all of them, then disappeared into the surrounding darkness.

“You ready kid?” Kotaro asked quietly as he kept his back to the grave knowing he could not stay. Shinbe was right… the farther away they were, the better protected the spell would be.

Kamui wanted to scowl at the nickname Kotaro had given him but didn’t have the heart. His heart was buried in the dirt at his feet and, if it took ‘til the end of time, he would see Hyakuhei pay for his crimes.

“Yeah,” Kamui said, wiping an arm across his eyes. “I’m ready.”

Kotaro placed an arm around his shoulders and led him away. The Lycan found that he could shed no tears for the woman he had loved with his entire being. His soul felt as if someone had yanked it from his body, ripped it to shreds and only returned half of it.

If the spell Kamui and Shinbe had come up with worked, he would see his beloved Kyoko again. He couldn’t help but smile at all the antics he and Toya’s reincarnation were bound to come up with to win her affections. He would gladly fight over her once again if only Toya would come back.

‘This time I will be the one you choose.’ Kotaro thought sadly and fought the urge to look back at the grave. ‘A thousand years is a long time to wait but I’ll be there for you…Kyoko.”

Over a thousand years into the future… Present Day

A lone figure stood tall and proud on a rooftop of the tallest building overlooking the crowded city below. His features never betraying the heart wrenching memory of his only brother’s body lying alone, lifeless on the cold, hard ground, centuries ago. His once warm, beating heart gripped in the claws of a sadistic monster that had created them both.

He had done everything within his power to separate himself from the evil that secretly surrounded him. Just like the human’s of this world he only feed off the animals that nature provided. Even though the darkness was all he was allowed as is the curse of a vampire, he would never become what his uncle had intended.

Within the last several years something within him stirred… a longing that he couldn’t understand and hadn’t felt in over a thousand years.

Memories never forgotten, replayed in Kyou’s mind of a once innocent young man that had filled his life with happiness even within a world of darkness. Toya… He had been so full of life… with laughing gold eyes and the ignorance of a child. Once again it brought a pang of guilt to his heart for not being able to protect his younger brother.

Sun gold eyes that had grown hard from hundreds of year’s of loneliness, bled red at the remembrance of a promise that he had yet to fulfill… every decade that passed by, Kyou had grown that much stronger. Many times he had come close, but the object of his hatred and wrath eluded him at every turn.

He would not rest until the vile creature he sought writhed in agony at his feet and his soul cast into hell where it belonged.

Leaping from the building, Kyou continued his search as he had for so many centuries. Hyakuhei would pay with his very life for taking the only one that ever mattered to him or ever would. His brother was forever lost and would never return.

“Toya…” Kyou whispered as he disappeared into the night, leaving the image of an avenging angel…

Description
Title of series … The Guardian Heart Crystal series
Title of book… A Light in the Heart of Darkness
Author... Amy Blankenship
Drawing by Seifer-sama

[link]

The Legend of the Guardian Heart Crystal

The world may change… but true legends never fade.

Darkness and light have constantly battled since the beginning of time. Worlds are formed and crushed beneath the feet of their creators yet the ongoing need for good and evil has never been in question. One cannot exist without the other.

However, sometimes a new element is thrown into the mix. The one thing that both sides want but only one can have.

Paradoxical in nature, the Guardian Heart Crystal is the one constant that both sides have always strived to attain. The crystalline stone has the power to create and destroy the known universe yet can end all suffering and strife in the same breath. The crystal only appears in a world for a short time, then disappear without a trace.

Some say the crystal has a mind of its own, others say the gods are behind it all.

Each time the crystal has appeared, regardless of the world or time, its guardians have always been ready to defend it from all who would use it selfishly. These guardians, though different in background, have always worn the same faces and loved with the same ferocity.

One girl stands in the center of these guardians, the object of their affections, and she holds within her the power of the crystal itself. This is the bearer of the crystal and the source of its power. The lines, however, blur and guarding the crystal slowly changes into guarding the girl from the other guardians.

This is the wine from which the darkness drinks. It is the opportunity to make the guardians of the crystal weak and susceptible to attack. The darkness craves the power of the crystal and also the girl as a man would crave a woman. Hence the entrance into another world where darkness is dominate within the world of light.

Mythical creatures rise from this darkness though not all wish to obtain the crystal for its power. Some born in instinct wish to still guard the sacred crystal, though they do not know what it is they’re guarding.

For some, the spilling of blood and death is the only way to defend this treasure. For others, they remain silent, watching and waiting for the day that the balance of good and evil is restored to their former glory. And yet, some were born into a world of light only to be claimed by the darkness; forced to live off the life giving force that binds every living creature.

There is one immortal that knows all outcomes, his powers can see into each universe yet he can do nothing but watch and pray.

Darkness has fallen upon the world again and the guardians are unknowingly called forth. Creatures of myth they are thought to be but in this reality, they are far more real than people think. Only when the moon is high will these creatures, these guardians, battle the evil that seeks to overtake the world and the girl who holds ultimate power… the light in the heart of darkness.

Chapter 1 “First Blood”

Over a thousand years ago…

For centuries the red moon had always been a sign of the bringer of death. Those who saw the deadly sight hid for fear of losing their lives to the powerful lull of endless sleep it promised. In the distance a spine-chilling cry was heard from miles around as a blood red moon sat high in the midnight sky.

In a clearing two lone figures stood, one wounded, breathing heavily with one of his twin daggers clinched in his hand, the other towering menacingly over him, a malicious smirk gracing his inhumanly beautiful face. Predatory red eyes gleamed in the full moon light awaiting his victim’s next move. Hyakuhei’s unnaturally pale skin seemed to glow in the night, giving him the appearance of an angel of death.

“You have killed us without death!” The silver streaked dark haired man snarled, baring his elongated fangs. His gold dust eyes burned in loathing for the man standing before him. Once his friend… his own fathers brother… now his mortal enemy. “You bastard!”

“You say that now with conviction but I gave you eternal life, trained you and cared for you. Loved you and your brother as my own.” Red eyes flashed in anger at the insolent, would be, child before him.

“You call making us into monsters… love? You stole our lives away! You turned me to try and force my brother into becoming yours! You lied to us, saying you could reverse the curse if we would join with you.” His breath left him in an angry hiss as he continued.

“If it wasn’t for your twisted fascination with my brother, we would be normal human beings, living normal lives as a family, not the blood thirsty creatures of the night that you made us into!” Bitter tears poured from Toya’s eyes in anger and betrayal… turning them eerie silver.

“Your fathers death left you under my care! You and your brother are mine and I have always taken what belongs to me. I will have his obedience once I have finished with you.” Hyakuhei’s clawed hand flexed in anticipation, eager to feel the younger man’s blood drip from their deadly tips. “It is you that has betrayed your own flesh and blood!”

Toya swung around in a circle listening to the hated voice as Hyakuhei shimmered and disappeared only to reappear on the other side of him. He knew the deadly vampire was only playing with him but Toya wasn’t afraid anymore. That fear had died with her…

"Why did you kill her?" Toya demanded, his voice a soft hiss filled with anger and despair. "Did you think that by killing her you would gain the crystal? Never! She refused to give you that power and it pissed you off. Didn’t it Hyakuhei!” he screamed as he pivoted, trying to follow his enemy as Hyakuhei circled him with deadly intent.

“It wasn't a secret that you wanted her for your own.” Toya’s hand tightened on his dagger in fury as he remembered the haunted looks… the stalking… the murder.

“Anyone with eyes could see the way you looked at her when you thought me or Kotaro wasn't paying attention.” His breath left him with a sob as he swayed for a moment knowing he and Kotaro had both loved her… they had fought Hyakuhei and each other for her. No one had won.

“Kyoko was mine and will always be mine!" Toya shouted, his anger at losing the one he had decided to call his own and loved dearly… she was gone. She had been the light in the darkness that his world had become.

She was the reason he had defied Hyakuhei. Now his reason for defiance was gone and Toya felt the fire in his soul rise to a deadly temperature. He had found her lying lifeless with a small dagger piercing her heart. Deep inside he knew… he and Kotaro had both known Hyakuhei had somehow… killed her.

Hyakuhei’s black eyes became a shade darker as he gazed upon his brother’s youngest son in contempt. “Ah yes, the elusive guardian heart crystal… such a power does not belong to a foolish child like you. The most powerful beings have searched for the guardian heart crystal… did you think you were the only one dear boy? Not only vampires but also immortals and wizards and even werewolves share in that desire to gather such a power.”

“Do you not realize what would happen if the Lycan had clamed her first?” Hyakuhei’s eyes bled crimson at the thought of Kotaro, leader of the Lycan tribes gaining such a power. He would not stand by and let such a treacherous thing happen.

“No, careless boy, I have already taken care of the priestess who carried the crystal within her.” Hyakuhei’s eyes hardened at the thought of the small lie.

In truth… he had not murdered the girl. She had committed suicide to keep him from obtaining the crystal. He’d had her in his grasp, ready to claim the power she held within her. The power that would’ve allowed his darkness to walk within the light… and feed upon it.

His fingers still tingled from the briefest touch of her skin. Her emerald eyes had clashed with his for a mere second in defiance. Too late, he’d seen the dagger in her hand as it swiftly disappeared into her chest. He could have turned her and shared it all with her but… she refused his generous offer.

The brave yet foolish woman had believed that by killing herself, she would lock away the power of the crystal from him forever. Forever was such a long time to try and hide from him.

“She will be reborn!” Toya screamed in anguish, knowing he had failed at protecting her from Hyakuhei’s wrath. His guilt at not being there to save her was eating him alive inside. She had known he was a vampire… a creature of the night and still… she had not turned her back on him. She had befriended him instead. Kyoko had trusted him with her very life.

Toya’s mind flashed back over the time he had known her… ‘It had not been long enough!’ he silently screamed in denial.

He had only known her for such a short time; six cycles of the moon. When he had first met her… he had only wanted the crystal… the crystal she hadn’t even know she was carrying at first. But he could see it shining inside her… calling to him. Then something had changed. Toya found himself trying to protect her instead of taking the crystal from her.

Since she had stepped into his dark world, Toya had found the truth behind the legend of the guardian heart crystal, things even Hyakuhei did not realize. He had wanted to tell his brother the secrets but Hyakuhei had made it impossible for him to find Kyou in time… now it was to late.

“You will never have it’s light in the darkness… I will find Kyoko again and the crystal of legend. I will return us to normal and eliminate the evil you have brought upon this world!” Toya’s voice was harsh with his need for vengeance.

“She will live again and I will be there waiting for her.” A lone silver tear slipped down his cheek unnoticed as he yelled, “Together! She and I will free Kyou from you!”

Hyakuhei stepped closer to Toya, a dark chuckle coming from deep within his chest. “Oh yes, my dear Toya, she will live again. The crystal will come back into this world and I will be the one to claim not only the power, but the girl as well. I am sure I can find something to occupy your brother’s time until that day comes.”

Toya growled, “You keep your sick notions to yourself. I’ll find a way to make us normal again. And you…I’ll make you dead!” Toya ended in a shout as the wind began to pick up causing a wicked howling noise to sweep across the clearing.

The dagger in his hand flashed in an arc of silver light, barely catching the dark robe that graced Hyakuhei’s body. Toya couldn’t believe how fast he’s opponent was but his brow was furrowed with determination. A second dagger appeared in his other hand and he swung with it, followed immediately by the first.

Hyakuhei dodged the deadly blades with the centuries of training he’d endured. Humans were such easy creatures to defeat and Toya, though changed, was still very much human in his way of thinking… still a child within a vampire's eyes.

He would admit that somehow, his protection of the priestess had aged Toya’s power to almost the same level of an ancient. Taking the priestess away from him had severed two purposes. Without his reason to fight… Toya’s power had diminished greatly.

Hyakuhei’s left hand lashed out, somehow trapping both of Toya’s wrists in a crushing grip. Toya had no way to defend himself when the vampire’s right claws slashed across his cheek.

Silver eyes clashed with crimson ones for a suspended moment in time as Hyakuhei retracted his claws. His lips hinted at a tainted smile as he reached out to gently stroke the wound he had just given so viscously. “Tis’ a pity to mar such perfection… so much like your brother.” He licked the drops of freshly spilt blood from his finger before adding, “but I can not have your rebellious love distracting Kyou from me.”

Feeling his wrists being released, Toya took a step back and tried to block the next attack coming for his torso. He grunted in pain when blood spilled from the gashes left on his chest. Pressing an arm to the wounds, his golden eyes widened as he staggered back and this time… Hyakuhei let him.

Toya could feel the broken bones in his wrists grinding against one another and had to concentrate just to keep his daggers from falling to the ground. Looking up at the man he hated more than life, Toya tried to shake off the pain knowing this wasn’t a game… even the undead could die.

“You foolish child, you thought to save your sibling by killing me? You can barely hold your blades now, much less attempt to take my life.” Hyakuhei sneered then his face turned placid, his anger suddenly gone. The breeze lifted the ends of his long ebony hair making it look like it was alive.

“You never had a chance little one. I will help you to rest so that you will feel pain no more.” Hyakuhei murmured, his eyes softening toward the wounded man like a father scolding a wayward child.

Silver eyes flashed red in anger at his words. “You will never have my brother, you son of a bitch! As long as he has breath in his body, Kyou will not let you let win, nor will I!” Toya screamed as he charged at the figure clad in black in a last attempt to save his immortal soul.

Hyakuhei disappeared within the blink of an eye before Toya’s dagger could penetrate the cold heart within his ageless body. Piercing red orbs gleamed in hunger to spill the blood of the young man who thought to defy him. His dark form levitating high above paused for just a moment before descending to attack his prey.

The silver-eyed man’s senses were screaming danger as he felt the approaching threat to his life but he was not skilled enough yet to pin point where his attacker was coming from. Toya searched around frantically but with his senses now dull from the loss of blood from his wounds… along with the wound hidden inside his heart, Toya felt his fear rising.

His heart ached from the words thrown at him by his so called ‘father’. “I cannot let you win, you monster. My brother’s life depends on it.” Toya whispered through his labored breathing.

A sliver of fear shot up his spine as he looked up towards the night sky. His eyes grew wide in terror at a sight that he only knew from the giving end… never from the receiving. ‘So… this is what it’s like.’ The thought filtered through his tormented mind.

He tried to move but was held immobile by an unknown force. Their sights locked in a deadly gaze…Red eyes pierced his very soul and Toya knew death was coming.

The scream lodged in his throat was replaced by a gurgling sound. His silver eyes faded to gold and met the crimson red eyes of his murderer, as time seemed to stop. His body began to feel cold as he slowly looked down between their bodies.

Tears fell from Toya’s eyes as their bright gold color began to fade, ‘I have failed you, please forgive me… my brother,' were his last thoughts as he drew his final breath.

He could feel his heart beat getting further and further away as the pain faded. Mysteries unfolded with his final heartbeat as he silently whispered in acceptance, “Kyoko… how long have you been here?”

Watching with a sick sense of pleasure, the figure clad in black with blazing red eyes smiled in satisfaction. He slowly lowered them both to the hard packed earth. His clawed hand was embedded deep in the chest of the young man with eyes like the sun.

Hyakuhei viciously ripped out the heart that had stopped beating.

Staring into Toya’s lifeless eyes he whispered, “I always wondered what Kyou’s eyes would look like when he cried… I bet they will be beautiful.” He leaned down and kissed Toya’s forehead before rising to turn and face the man who had just landed a short distance behind him.

A sadistic smile graced his lips as he held out the bleeding heart and waited for Kyou to close the distance between them. “For you my pet, now there is nothing to come between us.” His voice carried across the night breeze.

Kyou’s eyes narrowed in disgust as he looked at the heart that was being held out to him as if it were a mere present. Had Hyakuhei been undead for so long that to him death was a gift?

Disgusted, Kyou turned his head away from the disturbing vision. He had sensed his brother’s distress and had come to investigate. Instead he found his so called ‘father’ and he could no longer sense his brother’s aura.

Something was terribly wrong.

He could not see the owner of the heart that still dripped its life from the hand of the ancient vampire since Hyakuhei blocked his view. It annoyed him to be detained from searching out his younger brother. He had not laid eyes on his sibling for in over a year but tonight… he knew Toya had needed him. It must have been important for Kyou to have felt the urge so strongly.

Sensing the anticipation within the man before him, Kyou’s golden eyes locked with Hyakuhei’s. “Whose soul did you steal this time?” He asked with contempt in his voice.

“Why don’t you come see, my pet? I’m sure you will be most surprised. It is my gift to you.” A knowing smile lit his shadowed features as Hyakuhei stepped aside… leaving a clear view of his victim. Extending his hand slowly toward Toya he turned to look down at the corpse on the ground.

Kyou’s gaze followed Hyakuhei’s as he slowly took a step closer, confused at the importance of this victim’s identity. His golden eyes widened slightly at the crumpled form lying in the dirt as a sliver of alarm crawled up his spine. His heart began to race when he saw the familiar shiny silver highlights running through midnight black hair now matted with blood and dirt as it lay across the mans face as if to hide his identity.

He felt his entire being scream in rage and denial at the knowledge that he was now looking at his missing brother’s slaughtered form.

“NOOOOO!” Kyou threw back his head and roared. Tears filled his eyes as he turned to face the one responsible. “What have you done?” He snarled. His sun gold eyes bled red… elongated fangs bared like a rabid dog. Flexing his clawed hand he waited with barely restrained rage.

“Only what I should have done from the beginning… remove the one who did not appreciate you as I do.” Hyakuhei’s eyes softened for a brief moment as he watched his favorite child.

He had given Kyou all his attention and affection since giving him the gift of immortality… but still Kyou had not been happy. It was the sadness in Kyou’s golden gaze that had attracted him so, the loneliness within him was lovely. He had then turned Kyou’s brother Toya in hopes of winning his prized possession’s devotion, but that had only upset Kyou more.

Hyakuhei watched the bittersweet tears forming within Kyou’s eyes and new he had been right… Kyou was most divine when he cried.

At that moment something deep within Kyou snapped as a mournful, earth-shattering cry tore from his body. In a blind rage, he flew at his brother’s murderer, fangs bared and claws slashing. “I will tear out your heart and leave your body to be ravaged by the creatures of the night, you son of a bitch!”

Deftly, the evil man dodged the attack and in a blur of black had Kyou pinned to the ground. With a calm that did not reflect in his ruby red depths, Hyakuhei leaned in close, his gaze locked on the face that haunted him so.

“I did what was necessary for us. Toya did not want you to have eternal life and sought to take it away from you. You will understand in time.” He murmured as his soft lips brushed slightly on snarling ones as he spoke those words.

With a strength that he did not realize he possessed, Kyou forcefully threw the offending man twenty feet from his shaking body. He swiped his forearm across his mouth in disgust as he growled dangerously.

“Now now, little one, calm yourself.” The man cooed as he stood dusting himself off. His eyes blazed with promise as his body shimmered slightly, and then faded into the night. “I will be watching… waiting for you… my pet.”

Kyou’s world shattered around him as he looked down at his brother’s lifeless body. ‘I will avenge my brother’s death and spend the rest of my undead life hunting you if I have to. When I find you, you will pay for this… Hyakuhei...’

He lowered himself shakily to his knees and gently lifted Toya’s body to his chest… cradling his head gently. His hair had fallen away from his face making Kyou’s vision blur as he tried to hold back the flood of tears. It looked like he was simply asleep… peaceful for the first time in way to long.

He watched as his tears dripped onto Toya’s cheek and Kyou felt his heart fracture. Clutching his beloved brother tightly against him, Kyou whispered in a unsteady voice, “Toya, please forgive me… I did not make it here in time.” His breath shuddered from him as he squeezed his eyes shut in pain. “I should have saved you.”

Kyou’s mind raced back to the day Hyakuhei had turned him into what he was now… the day after his father’s death. Kyou had known Hyakuhei had only wanted him and Toya had only been a small child. So to protect Toya… Kyou had left with his uncle even as his little brother had cried for him not to leave.

He could still remember the distrust shinning in Toya’s big golden eyes as he glared at Hyakuhei for daring to take his big brother away from him. It was the memory of that haunted look that had helped Kyou stay away from his sibling for several years.

As Toya had gotten older, Kyou had found himself yearning to see him… secretly visiting him and watching him from a distance… watching his brother live the life he couldn’t. Watching Toya from the shadows had been Kyou’s only happiness during those dark days.

Had he known Hyakuhei was following him and watching him watch Toya… he would have never put Toya in danger like that. His uncle had turned Toya because he had thought that was what Kyou had wanted. It had been his fault that Toya had died the first time.

Toya had fought their uncle, during the turning and after. As their arguments became more viscous, Kyou had tried to keep Hyakuhei’s attention away from his brother. Then Toya had started talking about a cure for vampires… the guardian heart crystal. He had sworn he would find it and cure them both.

Toya had found his cure in death.

Doing his best to avoid looking at the now empty cavity where his brother’s heart had once resided, Kyou stood and carried Toya’s body away from the scene to give him a proper burial.

He could no longer feel Hyakuhei’s presence but knew he was close, watching him somehow… always watching him. Kyou knew then that he would have to leave, go into hiding until he was strong enough to defeat the evil that had stolen the only thing he held dear… his little brother.

Kamui breathed a soft sigh of relief when the brothers were gone and lowered his invisible barrier from around Kotaro’s battered form. Looking down at the Lycan, Kamui knew it would take a while for Kotaro’s wounds to heal… not just the wounds to his body, but the wounds that now lay deeply imbedded within his heart as well.

“Come on,” Kamui whispered, pulling one of Kotaro’s arms across his shoulders and helping him stand. “We need to get you out of the open.” His eyes shimmered the color of rainbow dust as he withheld his own tears. So much had been lost in the span of only a couple deadly hours… he would not lose Kotaro as well.

“I didn’t hate him that much.” Kotaro whispered, looking dejectedly toward where Toya’s body had lain just moments before. They had both loved Kyoko and she in turn held affection for both of them… never choosing one over the other.

They had both tried to protect her but now Toya… Kotaro’s ice blue eyes swam with unshed tears, “I never hated him.”

“He knows you didn’t.” Kamui said leading Kotaro to the only safe place he knew… the wizard, Shinbe’s home. He needed to tell their friend of Toya’s fate… and Kyoko’s. Shinbe would somehow know what to do, he always knew.

“I’ll kill that bastard Hyakuhei,” Kotaro snarled, his Lycan nature coming to the surface. “He killed her…he killed Toya because of her. When I find him, he’ll wish he’d been born human.”

As if the wind had been knocked out of him, Kotaro’s body shuddered. He knew Toya was a lot stronger then he had ever acknowledged but without Kyoko to protect… Toya had lost his will to fight. Hyakuhei had known that before the fight had ever started.

Toya’s grief had made him hotheaded… impatient. “If only he had only waited… a few more moments. Kyou could have saved him.” sadness hung on every salable as Kotaro wiped angrily at the tears that silently left trails down his cheeks.

“I wanted to save them both… Kyoko,” the pain within him was to much as he closed his glowing ice blue eyes and gave into to the nothingness that would sooth the pain for a short while.

Kamui kept silent as he lifted Kotaro’s limp body and carried him to Shinbe to be healed. “Rest for now.” He whispered. “It’s my turn to do the saving.”

*****

In the predawn hour, Kamui hovered above an unmarked grave, the two men standing on each side of him was all he had left. He had watched Shinbe use his telekinetic powers to removed the earth from Toya’s grave and widen it enough for two bodies.

Shinbe and Kotaro now both wore the same expression… sadness and stubborn strength. Kamui knew they were trying to stay strong for him but he could see through to the melancholy they both hid.

They all stared at the grave… the painful reality of it all sinking in. Things were not supposed to end this way… the good side wasn’t supposed to die. Shinbe had helped them come to a decision on what to do. Retrieving Kyoko’s body, they had brought her to the grave Kyou had laid his brother in and buried them together.

Toya would have wanted it that way.

Kamui had been unable to carry Kyoko’s body to the gravesite once they found it. The blood surrounding her wasn’t what bothered him. It was just heartbreaking to see someone so kind and pure, once possessing so much light within them that it hurt your eyes to look… lying there with their eyes open and sightless.

Sensing Kamui’s shock and seeing his hands trembling, Kotaro had stepped in and lifted her lovingly into his arms, trying hard to ignore the stiffness in her limbs as he did so. He couldn’t bring himself to feel anything except anger and sadness at that moment. If he had let the rest of it in… how much he had loved her, his knees would have buckled… the grief weighed so much.

Seeing the look on Kamui’s face was enough to help him control his own emotions. Kamui was not human nor was he creature… what ever he was… his heart was shattering. The immortal still hadn’t gotten used to seeing people die so this was really hard on him. Kotaro decided to make it his business to watch over him from now on, even though he probably didn’t need it.

Kamui wiped a few tears from his eyes, trying to be strong like Kotaro and Shinbe. His untamed purple hair ruffled in the wind as he looked down at the freshly turned earth. He had taken off his own robe and gently wrapped them in it to heighten the power of the spell he was about to cast.

Closing his glittering eyes he laced his fingers together as wings sprouted from his back in a flurry of feathers that shimmered with colors so intense they were unknown to the human eye.

Shinbe and Kotaro took a startled step back suddenly understanding just what Kamui was… the word angel hovered on their lips but he looked so sad. Like an angel with a broken heart… a fallen angel.

The very air around Kamui swirled into a vortex surrounding him in a fluorescent blue light as he chanted the spell that would allow both Toya and Kyoko to be born again.

“One thousand years it will take…
This time we abide for your own sake…
Then two humans it will make…
With your rebirth will come the light…
All of us immortals will unite…
Only then will we stand and fight”

As the vortex circled Kamui, one glowing feather from each illuminated wing loosened and sprang forward within the cyclone… landing on the grave. The feathers lay on the soft soil for a few brief moments before sinking into the ground to merge with the souls of his friends.

“Until we meet again, Kyoko… Toya.” Kamui whispered. “Maybe the next life will be in a better and far brighter time.”

Shinbe remained silent next to him, wanting nothing more than to shed tears himself but he couldn’t afford the luxury. Hyakuhei was still out there and he knew the black-hearted vampire would eventually come for him. The enemy would know what they had done. He would erase all the traces he could for now.

Reaching into his pocket, Shinbe pulled out a small amethyst bottle filled with ageless magical powder. Lightly sprinkling the ground, he walked a circle around the grave to protect it from all prying eyes. The ground instantly turned solid to hide the location of the new grave.

Shinbe’s eyes lit up with the same amethyst color as he whispered words only he could understand.

He felt an age-old bond of brothers who had fought an eternal battle with darkness sear through his soul becoming a symbol of protection upon the grave. Above the resting place of his friends blossomed flowers without any seeds being planted. Blooms of five colors appeared on thorny vines… silver… gold… ice blue… amethyst… and shimmering rainbow dust.

“I am taking my leave.” Shinbe said after a long silence. He didn’t want his presence giving away the location of the others and knew it was time to move on. His amethyst eyes darted back to the bush of strangely colored flowers knowing Toya and Kyoko were now protected from Hyakuhei and the spell would not be disturbed.

For now… it was all he could offer them besides sorrow.

Kamui looked up at the wizard, shocked at this new development. “What? But…why?” his eyes widened in a moment of panic… would everyone leave him now? Wasn’t losing Toya and Kyoko bad enough?

Feeling Kamui’s fear rise, Shinbe placed a steady hand on his friends shoulder and tried to explain, “You know as well as I that Hyakuhei will eventually learn what we have done here.” he looked over Kamui’s shoulder at Kotaro knowing the Lycan would understand.

“You will be able to escape his ever-watchful eyes… but I do not have that kind of power. I will be able to hide but I am unsure as to how long.” Shinbe released a long sigh and looked up at the moon hanging low in the sky.

“I will board the next vessel going west, over the ocean. There I will have a better chance of keeping my identity safe from Hyakuhei and perhaps even find a way for my own soul to reincarnate at the same time as our dear friends.” He secretly hoped what he was saying was the truth. They would need him when the time came.

Kamui glanced down at the grave below him then back up at his amethyst-eyed friend with more calmness then he had felt since the nightmare of the night had started. He did not want Shinbe to be the next victim so yes… he understood. He gently plucked a rainbow feather from his right wing and pressed it to Shinbe’s neck.

Shinbe gasped as it started to glow brightly before absorbing into his skin. He looked down and saw the briefest outline of the feather just below the collar of his robe.

“That’ll help you along.” Kamui said with a smile and gave Shinbe a tight hug in understanding. He wouldn’t lose Shinbe for long… no matter what.

“We will see each other again my friend.” Shinbe whispered before pulling away from Kamui’s embrace. He nodded to Kotaro knowing the Lycan would look after Kamui for all of them, then disappeared into the surrounding darkness.

“You ready kid?” Kotaro asked quietly as he kept his back to the grave knowing he could not stay. Shinbe was right… the farther away they were, the better protected the spell would be.

Kamui wanted to scowl at the nickname Kotaro had given him but didn’t have the heart. His heart was buried in the dirt at his feet and, if it took ‘til the end of time, he would see Hyakuhei pay for his crimes.

“Yeah,” Kamui said, wiping an arm across his eyes. “I’m ready.”

Kotaro placed an arm around his shoulders and led him away. The Lycan found that he could shed no tears for the woman he had loved with his entire being. His soul felt as if someone had yanked it from his body, ripped it to shreds and only returned half of it.

If the spell Kamui and Shinbe had come up with worked, he would see his beloved Kyoko again. He couldn’t help but smile at all the antics he and Toya’s reincarnation were bound to come up with to win her affections. He would gladly fight over her once again if only Toya would come back.

‘This time I will be the one you choose.’ Kotaro thought sadly and fought the urge to look back at the grave. ‘A thousand years is a long time to wait but I’ll be there for you…Kyoko.”

Over a thousand years into the future… Present Day

A lone figure stood tall and proud on a rooftop of the tallest building overlooking the crowded city below. His features never betraying the heart wrenching memory of his only brother’s body lying alone, lifeless on the cold, hard ground, centuries ago. His once warm, beating heart gripped in the claws of a sadistic monster that had created them both.

He had done everything within his power to separate himself from the evil that secretly surrounded him. Just like the human’s of this world he only feed off the animals that nature provided. Even though the darkness was all he was allowed as is the curse of a vampire, he would never become what his uncle had intended.

Within the last several years something within him stirred… a longing that he couldn’t understand and hadn’t felt in over a thousand years.

Memories never forgotten, replayed in Kyou’s mind of a once innocent young man that had filled his life with happiness even within a world of darkness. Toya… He had been so full of life… with laughing gold eyes and the ignorance of a child. Once again it brought a pang of guilt to his heart for not being able to protect his younger brother.

Sun gold eyes that had grown hard from hundreds of year’s of loneliness, bled red at the remembrance of a promise that he had yet to fulfill… every decade that passed by, Kyou had grown that much stronger. Many times he had come close, but the object of his hatred and wrath eluded him at every turn.

He would not rest until the vile creature he sought writhed in agony at his feet and his soul cast into hell where it belonged.

Leaping from the building, Kyou continued his search as he had for so many centuries. Hyakuhei would pay with his very life for taking the only one that ever mattered to him or ever would. His brother was forever lost and would never return.

“Toya…” Kyou whispered as he disappeared into the night, leaving the image of an avenging angel…