LITMIR.BIZ

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legit. That was the first time she’d noticed how nice he smelled.

      She shivered at the memory, and the warm object around her waist tightened. She slowly wrapped her arm around the warmth, and froze when she heard the distinct rustle of material.

      â€˜What? Rustle of material? Did dreams rustle like robes?’

      Kyoko was suddenly wide-awake. Slowly, she barely opened one eye to stare in confusion at the bluish-gray trench coat her hands were entwined with. And she… shot up like a rocket, knocking his arm away with a thud. And he, he… moaned and rolled over onto his back.

      Kyoko was panic stricken, looking around from side to side. No one else was here and this most definitely was not a dream. Shinbe was sleeping on her mat. She had to think. What, what was going on? She stared at him frozen to the spot.

      â€˜It was just a dream, right? Get a hold of yourself Kyoko.’ She thought frantically. ‘Where was Toya? Suki? Kamui? Kaen? Where had everyone gone?’

      She nearly jumped out of her skin when Shinbe moaned in his sleep and tucked his hands inside his trench coat. When she’d jumped up, she had taken the blanket with her. Kyoko blinked, and then blushed guiltily. ‘He was cold.’ She was cold too now that she was standing. She remembered feeling like she was freezing off and on while trying to sleep.

      Is that why he’d lain down beside her? To keep her warm? Her blush deepened. ‘Aww, that was so sweet,’ she shook her head from side to side. ‘No, no, no! What am I thinking? Not sweet, not sweet,’ she sighed, smiling softly at him. ‘I give up.’

      She slowly, cautiously bent down, gripping the blanket, and froze when he suddenly moved in his sleep. She stood back, waiting to see if he would wake up. He didn’t. So, she quickly threw the blanket over his sleeping form, grabbed her bag, and then made a mad dash for the door.

      Shinbe opened one eye as he watched her retreat. Once she was out of sight, he laughed inwardly, 'Another lucky save.' Then he frowned wondering why he didn’t have a handprint on his cheek… or a crack in his skull. He slowly stood up and counted to ten, then followed to see where Kyoko had gone.

      Once outside, Kyoko leaned against a nearby tree realizing she should have probably stayed in bed. Her heart was pounding and her body was sore all over. She bent down massaging her legs. She remembered dancing with Tasuki last night after she’d ate the tainted fruit but it felt more like she’d been hit by a truck. A nice hot soak in the hot springs would ease the muscle cramps.

      She once again made a mental note to never eat fruit at a party again. Then a thought struck her. Toya will pick up Shinbe’s scent on her clothes. Ahh! The last thing she wanted to do was get Shinbe in trouble when he didn’t even do anything. She stumbled away from the hut, groaning at the lingering hangover but determined to wash not only her pain away but her clothing too.

      *****

      Toya growled deep in the back of his throat as he surveyed the village they had come to. He gritted his teeth knowing they were too late. The village was in shambles. It seemed that no matter what they did lately, they were always one step behind Hyakuhei and his demons. He scowled, searching the village for survivors.

      "There must have been a piece of the talisman hidden here for him to have bothered destroying the whole village." Toya's golden eyes grew dim with worry.

      "We need to help them," Suki said softly as she walked into the village with Kamui by her side. She bent down to check on a crying child that seemed to be sitting there lost and alone.

      For a moment, Toya closed his eyes to the familiar scene as his blood boiled. He knew Hyakuhei had almost every piece of the talisman in his possession and didn’t care whom he hurt to get the rest of it. After all, Hyakuhei had even killed his own brother. Now the guardians were trying to protect Kyoko from the same murderer.

      If Hyakuhei succeeded in collecting all the pieces of the crystal, he would be able to break into Kyoko’s world and take many demons with him. They couldn’t let that happen. He felt a cold chill crawl up his spine and knew something was wrong.

      â€˜Kyoko,’ the word echoed within his mind like a warning.

      "You two, stay here and help. I have to go check on Kyoko, now!” Toya shouted, tearing off in the direction they’d come from. He knew something was not right… he could feel it clear down to his soul. He should have never left her without his protection, not with Hyakuhei’s demon spawns so close. He couldn’t shake the fear of losing the other half of his heart.

      "I won’t let him touch you," Toya vowed in his headlong race to reach Kyoko, before danger did.

      Chapter 3 "Kiss of Jealousy"

      Kyoko set off in the direction of the hot spring. She was tired, sore, and couldn’t wait to just be able to relax in steamy water. She stumbled on a rock and wondered if it was going to take weeks to get her balance back after getting drunk only one time.

      â€œDamn it… Geez, now I sound just like Toya,” she said to herself with a giggle.

      Shinbe followed quietly, peeking out from behind trees ever so often. He had to stifle the laugh that threatened to escape him when he heard the comment about her sounding like Toya. It was great to find out he wasn’t the only one in the group that held complete conversations with their self. If he was crazy, then they made a great couple. He stayed back long enough to let her gain some distance between them.

      Finally getting to the secluded hot spring, Kyoko rummaged through her bag. Finding what she needed, she arranged her bathing supplies by the side of the water. She quickly undressed, easing her aching body into the steaming water. “Umm, this feels so good.” She closed her eyes and rubbed her legs, trying to ease the tightness that were slow in leaving. Finally satisfied, she lay back in the water and completely relaxed.

      Shinbe leaned against a tree as he watched in fascination of her daily ritual. She was graceful and pure… he suddenly felt guilty again for his actions. He turned his back to the scene and placed a hand over his heart where the pain seemed to tighten.

      He shouldn’t be here… he was not a good man. She was going to hate him when she realized what he’d done to her. He frowned as the weight on his chest became that much heavier. But still, he couldn’t resist the urge to turn around and stare longingly. He sighed longingly as he watched her sink into the water.

      â€œThis is so much better than the small bathtub at home in the modern world,” Kyoko broke the silence as she glanced around. It was more like a hidden swimming pool really. This spot was so peaceful and secluded. Trees and small shrubs surrounded the hot spring, giving her absolute privacy. ‘The stone ledge on one side would be nice for sunbathing.’ she thought randomly with a smile. She hummed in contentment as she floated on top of the water.

      After floating in the water for a moment, she decided she’d better get on with the cleansing part. She lathered her hair then ducked under the water to rinse, coming up with a splash, only to put more stuff on her hair and do it again. Then before getting out, she took time to scrub her clothes clean, hoping the sun would dry them quickly.

      Sneaking closer, Shinbe watched intently from the security of a bush about ten feet away. He took in the curves of her body. Gods, she was beautiful… like a goddess emerging from the spring. She tied a cloth around her upper torso before wrapping one around her hair then ever so slowly she dried her body.

      He’d watched her bathe in secret many times before, but never been able to stick around long enough to enjoy this part. Usually someone came looking for him before she had time to finish. He sighed as she slowly ran the cloth down her long legs. Pain found him causing him to grit his teeth as she put on those small pieces of clothing that covered her most precious places. It was all he could do not to take the few steps that would put her within reaching distance.

      A crunching sound suddenly came from the opposite side of

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