Kotaro deposited her next to Toki and Hoto, and held her for a fleeting second as he searched her face. Giving her a saddened smile, he turned to the brothers. “Protect my Kyoko with your lives.” He quickly turned back to the raging battle, intent on destroying as many demons as he could to keep her safe.
Pain rivaling a mortal wound sliced through Shinbe when he lost sight of Kyoko as she fell from Hyakuhei’s grasp. The need to be by her side immediately warred with his relief that she was no longer held in the clutches of the madman in front of him.
Returning his attention to Hyakuhei, Shinbe fought the heart stopping panic that threatened to consume him. The thought of Kyoko’s falling form being the last image he had of his love before this battle, which he feared to be his last, was
