Hisoka's place wasn't as bare and impersonal as it had been in the past, but it had needed lots of coaxing from Tsuzuki's part to change that. The younger shinigami had rented the medium-sized, one-bedroom apartment with its live-in kitchen complete with furniture and had never added any personal items -- until Tsuzuki had insisted on bringing an innocent little potted plant. Hisoka wasn't the person to attach himself to small mementos and Tsuzuki had finally shut up. It didn't stop him from bringing flowers or the occasional potted plant with him when he stayed at the place. Hisoka took the gifts, sighed, shook his head, but he treated them gently and lovingly. The plants were growing wonderfully and the whole place looked much nicer to his partner now.

Today was like other days they had been here. Tsuzuki was working on his report, Hisoka was reading up on something, and the general atmosphere was one of relaxation and peace. Kisses and gentle gestures had been exchanged throughout the day, and Hisoka was more relaxed today than usual.

Tsuzuki watched his partner from the corner of his eyes, receiving a wordless little scowl, and he grinned in return, focusing his attention back on his work. But his mind was wandering, remembering the very first time they had been together, not much after the memorable 'sleeping naked with Tsuzuki in a hotel bedroom' incident.

Occasions like these had been rare. They had needed much time to get acquainted with the very thought of physical intercourse and while Tsuzuki had touched, kissed and stroked him, had brought Hisoka to climax with his hands and once with his mouth, it had always been a tense moment. Tender intimate touches had been foreign to Hisoka and he was only slowly relearning his definition of sex. Muraki had taken him by force, had equally forced his 'tenderness' on him, had given a teenager pleasure while the boy had fought his tormentor, and Hisoka's mind needed to wrap itself around the fact that this pleasure could be different when it came from Tsuzuki.

Tsuzuki in turn had needed to learn as well. His experience was solely with his partner and Hisoka's warped foray into sexual intercourse.

Sometimes days had ended with Tsuzuki leaving or, when they had had dinner together, watched a movie or just spent some quality time in a park, with each of them heading for his respective home. And then the day had come -- the day Tsuzuki had sensed a very subtle change in mood of his younger lover. On a day very much like this one they had been sitting together, going over reports and Hisoka had been tense. The kisses had been tolerated, the caresses, too, but there had been nothing else. So, when he had finally finished the last of his reports he had just gathered his stuff and prepared to leave.
 

//"Tsuzuki?"

The soft voice surprised him and he looked at his partner. "Yes?"

Hisoka was looking at him from the couch where he lay on, reading. "You're leaving?"

The older shinigami walked over to him, smiling tenderly. "Yes. I think it's time. I'm done and it's late..."

Hisoka's eyes held a strange expression and Tsuzuki, on a whim, leaned down, placing a little kiss on his lover's lips.

"Stay," Hisoka whispered when they parted, his hand coming up to rest lightly against Tsuzuki's chest.

"It's late..." Tsuzuki repeated.

"Stay."

"Hisoka..."

"Stay the night," his partner whispered.

Tsuzuki saw the deeper meaning of the words in those suddenly very expressive, emerald eyes and reared up, but he didn't get far. Hisoka's hand was knotted into his tie and he was mercilessly pulled down. Flailing his arms he tried to catch his balance, but it was too late. He landed on his smaller partner and suddenly his lips were caught in a clumsy but determined kiss.

Strong but slender hands ran over his shirt-clad chest and sides, encountering the waistband of his slacks, and Tsuzuki felt panic rise.

No... no! Too soon!//
 

Tsuzuki felt his cheek turn a little pink with the remembrance, especially when thinking about his very own guardian angel...
 

//Touda had fallen asleep, dead to the world, after a straining day. Well, make that week. A lot had to do with Sohryu and his sudden mood change and Touda was working damage control at the moment while secretly wondering if he could get away with strangling their leader. Something was going on with Sohryu and it wasn't good.

Well, he would get behind it soon -- or else!

The spike of panic hit him in the middle of a dream and he startled awake, blinking in confusion as to where the emotion was coming from. The room was dark, the windows open, the night outside clear, and his lover was sleeping comfortably at his side. Touda sat up slowly, running a hand through his longish hair, trying to pinpoint the problem.

Actually, it was easy.

"Tsuzuki," he groaned and fell back into the pillows.

Byakko made a sleepy noise and turned to him, red eyes open and filled with dazed sleepiness.

"Touda...?" he mumbled, not really awake.

"Nothing. Go to sleep."

"'Kay." And Byakko was already curling up under the sheets, sliding back into sleep.

Touda closed his eyes and sighed. He carefully probed the link and determined the source of Tsuzuki's sudden emotional outburst, finding it still the same as when he had first gotten a whiff of it.

And that's the reason for the panic? Good Gods!

::Just do it already!:: he snarled at his master, who was trying to run from the best thing that had ever happened to him.

Tsuzuki gave a whimper of indecision but Touda ignored him.

::Do it or leave it, but stop involving me!::

And with that he closed his eyes and pulled the blanket around him. The link was closed with shields and the fire serpent huffed.

Shinigami!//
 
 

Still, Touda had checked up on him the next morning as he woke, and Tsuzuki had almost felt the broad smile blossoming on the shikigami's features. Tsuzuki had been laying in Hisoka's arms, in Hisoka's bed, asleep, radiating happiness.

Tsuzuki smiled, feeling warmth coil inside him. It had been their very first time, in fact Tsuzuki's first time ever, and Hisoka had been -- gentle. Though the young man had been the one with the bad experience he had been the one in control, too.

 A pillow hit Tsuzuki square in the face, pulling him out of his thoughts.

"You're daydreaming," Hisoka scowled.

"Yep," Tsuzuki grinned, enjoying the both the faint blush and the faint smile on his younger lover's face. Hisoka was much more comfortable with them being together now, had even taken him before.

Tsuzuki watched Hisoka return his attention toward his readings, but there was a little hesitation in his movement now. Tsuzuki put his report aside and slid beside his lover onto the couch, catching Hisoka's lips in a long and sweet kiss.

"I was just thinking about how much I love you, ‘soka," he whispered, knowing very well his lover would read his emotions.

Hisoka scowled again --

-- and pushed him back onto the couch.

° ° °

When Tsuzuki walked into the office the next morning he was exuding the air of someone who had had a very... good night. Terazuma, who had been in early, looked up from his second coffee and had to hide a smirk. He knew exactly what had brought on that pleased and outright glowing expression on his colleague's face.

It was an open secret that Hisoka and Tsuzuki were an item, though no one actually knew how close they had gotten. At work Hisoka was his professional self and Tsuzuki touched him no more than was normal. So the rumor mill had boiled. Terazuma had kept out of it, not interested. Ever since Sohryu, though, he had taken an interest in Tsuzuki and he had watched. Now he could almost smell it.

"Good morning," Terazuma greeted the other man, smirking more as he was treated to a full wattage smile.

"Hello, Terazuma!" Tsuzuki called cheerfully.

"Good night, too, eh?"

Tsuzuki blinked, a slight blush creeping over his cheeks. Terazuma snickered to himself.

"Well, all I can say is 'finally'. You two took long enough."

The other shinigami stared at him, drawn between embarrassment and denial.

"I can almost feel it on you, Tsuzuki, so stop trying to hide your happiness. It's good for you, believe me."

"W..what?"

"Getting laid."

Now the cheeks were reddening more. "Terazuma..."

Terazuma chuckled, shaking his head, then turned back to his coffee. Tsuzuki hesitated, then sighed, and walked over to the coffee machine, pouring himself his own cup.

* * *

He would have to be blind not to notice the changes in Sohryu, Rikugo mused thoughtfully. He would have to be absolutely blind to the sudden tenderness of the man's touch, to not notice the hands stroking over his skin instead of just digging into his hips while Sohryu reached his completion, and to not see the soft expression in the dragon's normally so cool and detached eyes.

He had changed; for the better. Not just in their still rather wild encounters, more a fight than any sexual contact, but also in his daily affairs. It had started some time after the pardon of Touda, after the whole fiasco with the erotic dream the serpent had sent their master, setting off an avalanche of effects. Touda's pardon had somehow also pardoned Sohryu, allowing him to... live again. He had turned from the unreachable leader to the man he had been before his family's death, before Keijin and Aya had been killed.

The changes had continued, had always chased each other in succession after the arrival of a certain shinigami. Terazuma Hajime. Ever since the man who had been unwillingly possessed by a parasitic shikigami had come here, there had been only two more encounters between Rikugo and Sohryu, and both had been almost tender.
Rikugo had a good idea what had happened, and when the relationship had made it more or less official, he had simply smiled. There was a tinge of sadness to his smile, to his acceptance. No, he hadn't loved Sohryu, and he never would. No, he had harbored no feelings for the dragon. Still, it was like a good-bye. He recognized the seriousness of this relationship and while it was unheard of for a shikigami and a shinigami to be more than fighting partners and friends, well, why not?

So it surprised him that a few days after Terazuma had left GensouKai once again to return to his dimension, Sohryu exhibited the first signs of his old self. And the change for the worse continued. Rikugo watched it with a frown that deepened every day, and he was reluctant to hazard a guess as to what had happened.

It had to be connected to Terazuma.

Something had gone wrong.

Terribly wrong. This wasn't just a bad mood; this was the old Sohryu, the cold, untouchable dragon, the Protector of the East who denied himself any kind of private life, who spent days upon days in the office, who seemed to never tire. It was the man Rikugo had been glad to see leave. It was the man he had fought with over puny little things, the man he had had sex with. They had never made love, just satisfied a primal need, without tenderness, without a word afterwards.

Now that man was back.

And he was also back in Rikugo's palace.

The moment Sohryu stepped into his study and closed the door behind him, those cold eyes sizing him up, radiating aggression and lust, Rikugo knew what was to come.

This time he wouldn't play along, though.

If this change had been launched by something that was between Sohryu and his shinigami lover, there was no way in Hell that the astrologer would play substitute or be the victim of the dragon's fury.

The imposing figure walked over to him, each step measured, the lithe body moving like a great cat. A predator.

Rikugo felt his aura flare. He wasn't prey.

"No," he said softly as Sohryu entered his personal space.

That drew the other man up short. "What?" he demanded.

"I said no, Sohryu. Not this time. Not again."

Delicate blue brows dipped, the eyes narrowing dangerously.

"I don't know what's going on, but I refuse to be your whore any more!"

Sohryu snapped back as if he had been hit. "You're not my whore!" he snarled.

"Oh? For the last years we had sex. You came here or I came to you; we shared nothing but a primal moment of lust and need and hunger. That was that. A carnal desire that has nothing to do with love." Onyx eyes narrowed in turn. "I understood it. I consented to it. I confess to needing it just like you. You're good in bed, Sohryu. And your looks aren't a turn-off either. But not today, not ever again!"

Sohryu snarled silently. "Don't tell me you changed your mind about needing it!"

"No, I didn't. I changed my mind about the reason. I was an outlet for your frustration, for your deeper emotions, and I took the same ones out on you. Like I said, I understood. This frustration," he gestured at the dragon, "is different. This isn't about you or me, Sohryu. It's about your frustration with something else."

Rikugo met the stony expression head on and added,

"If I have to make a good guess, it's about Terazuma."

That got him a reaction. A very definite reaction. Sohryu's aura flared and he glared daggers at the astrologer.

"Leave him out of it!"

"Why should I?" he dug into the now open wound. "He's the reason you came here, looking for a quick roll in the hay, right? Why? You grew tired of your shinigami lover?"

Now the aura spiked dangerously. Rikugo knew he was playing with fire.

"Or has he decided you're not worth the effort?" he delivered his final blow.

"Shut up!" the dragon yelled and for a brief moment Rikugo feared he would attack. "Shut the hell up! You have no idea... you have no idea at all!"

A tremor went through the tall form and suddenly he whirled around, leaving the study, banging the door shut. Rikugo remained behind, shocked, a fine shudder running through him. For just a moment he had been afraid that this would be the final straw for Sohryu to truly attack him. It had been close.

And it had shown him one thing: this was about Terazuma. The sad thing was, he also believed it wasn't that Sohryu had dumped the shinigami and moved on. No, this was a man who felt an incredible pain, was suddenly alone, and Rikugo wondered if Terazuma knew what he had done. For once he wished he could talk to Tsuzuki the way Touda did, to gauge the situation, see what was happening in the other world.

Because Sohryu was turning dangerous. He was close to the edge and had nearly toppled over. The next time, it might not be such a close call -- for whoever was the recipient of the dragon's fury.

° ° °

Touda walked into the study and stopped halfway, eyes on the sole figure at the large desk. The study was wide and high, airy, and the high windows let in a lot of light. It was free of clutter, except around the desk, and the bookshelves and sideboards didn't take much light from the sandy brown walls. All in all, it was a soothing atmosphere, very relaxing, and the view was amazing.

Still, the lonely occupant of the room had no eyes for the beauty. Actually, his eyes were closed and he was sleeping with his head on the desk top, white hair spilling over important papers and reviews, statistics and reports.

Touda approached the desk and smiled slightly at the picture. He hadn't seen his lover all week, mostly because Byakko had been busy with his quarter of GensouKai. He had rarely spent a day at the palace, and the nights had been rather lonely and quiet for the serpent shikigami who shared such a great part of his life with the other man. Today had been the day Byakko had returned from the farthest most region of his lands, looking tired and beat. Still, he had immediately gone to his office, the servants flocking after him, and when Touda had gone to bed, alone, there hadn't been a sign of his lover.

After two hours he had gotten up and searched for his missing partner, finding him here.

"Byakko," he coaxed softly, shaking one slender shoulder.

There was a soft mutter and red eyes blinked open. Confused, the tiger looked at him.

"Touda?" he mumbled.

"Yes, it's me. Let's get you to bed."

There was hardly any protest, just a wince here or there as the younger shikigami stumbled to his feet and into Touda's embrace. The other smiled a little, keeping him steady.

They managed to walk the silent corridors and enter the bedroom without an accident and Touda helped Byakko strip. The tiger yawned and willingly collapsed onto the bed, then curled up and drifted off to sleep again.

Touda settled down beside him, studying the young, smooth features of the man he loved. Either in sleep or awake Byakko looked far from the powerful God he was. He was young, yes. Barely five hundred years. Compared to him, Touda was... old. He smiled humorlessly. But his age had nothing to do with his position and his power. He was a force to be reckoned with, a powerful opponent and a fierce warrior.

The serpent shikigami stroked gently over the white hair, secretly delighting in the softness, the silky feel, the warmth of the body next to him. Byakko had done something to him that he couldn't put into words. He loved him, that was for sure. He loved him with an incredible strength, with a passion that shook the whole foundation of Touda's world. It was a love that had overrun him, that had blown him away, and that amazed him.

It was simply Byakko. Full of energy, bouncy, wonderfully lively and warm, sparkly and bubbly and... Byakko. A wind shikigami but completely unlike Keijin. They were like day and night in that regard. Where Keijin had been a calm center for Touda, a steady rock in a turbulent sea, Byakko was that sea. He pulled Touda with him, made him live life, made him experience life, and he never grew tired.

I love you, Touda thought and let his hand travel over the warm skin, down the muscular planes of his lover's side. I love you down to that obnoxious tail of yours.

Well, he loved that tail as well. He liked the silky fur, the purr he managed to get out of his lover when he stroked it.

A year now, he mused. A whole year now since they had gotten together. A year that had changed him, that kept changing him, and he couldn't deny that he liked it. He wanted to be here, in this palace, in this bed, with his lover. He wanted to feel this strength. It gave him so much strength in turn.

Stretching out beside him, Touda let the warmth and the gentle breathing lull him into a doze.

* * *

Byakko had had it.

In the last months, Meifu time, that is, Sohryu had slowly but surely undergone a transformation for the worst. The man who had finally started to unwind again, who could relax, who could leave the office and the palace for hours on end, had reverted back to the work-a-holic Byakko hated to see. Sohryu was suddenly closed off from the others once more, snapped his orders, buried himself in work and whatnot, and he withdrew more and more. Talking to him was straining because he was simply just barking orders or coolly dismissing the other Commanders.

Touda had started to grow silent around him, his frown now ever-present, watching the God with narrow eyes and waning patience.

Well, Byakko's patience had waned to nothing and he knew something had to be done.

Finding Sohryu proved to be complicated. He had left his office and was apparently on his way to Tenkuu, wanting to check something in the computer room deep inside the castle's bowls. Byakko walked after him, intent on getting answers.

Whatever it took.

"You should not corner him, Byakko," Touda said quietly as he walked at his lover's side.

"I'm not going to corner him, I'm going to ask him a few questions as to what the heck is going on!"

"An educated guess would be that it involves Terazuma. Ever since the shinigami left again, Sohryu's been like this. And he hasn't been back in all that time."

Red eyes glanced at the dark-clad serpent. "Did you ask Tsuzuki?"

"No. It's none of my business."

"It is our business, Touda, because Sohryu's crappy attitude and rising temper is affecting all of us!"

The golden eyes narrowed a little, but Byakko ignored him. He had found Sohryu.

"Sohryu!" he yelled.

The dragon stopped just outside Tenkuu's walls and turned slowly, his cold, distant eyes taking in the younger God.

"I am busy, Byakko," he told him coolly.

"Yeah, you always are. Busy, busy, busy. But not too busy to make a complete asshole out of yourself!"

Byakko felt Touda wince at his side, but the serpent was silent.

Sohryu's brows drew down and his eyes narrowed dangerously. There were lines in that normally smooth and handsome face that had been permanently carved into his expression ever since... yes, well Terazuma had left GensouKai.

"What's wrong with you, Sohryu?" Byakko demanded. "What's going on? You've turned cold! What happened between you and Terazuma?"

Now those eyes grew into dangerous slits and Sohryu hissed softly.

"Watch your mouth, tiger!"

"Why? You gonna pull rank on me? News flash! I am your equal!"

Sohryu's fingers flexed a little and Byakko felt a change in his aura.

"Is it Terazuma?" he pressed on nevertheless. "If so, damnit, get a grip on yourself, Sohryu! You are our leader! You..."

He never finished that sentence. There was a flare of power, an incredible explosion of it actually, and within a split second there was a wall of glistening blue scales rising up in front of him, and a gleaming talon came down toward the stunned tiger.

Byakko had no chance. Stunned, overwhelmed by the sudden spike of aggression, he only saw the claws race toward him.

There was a hideous, wet sound, a sound of muscles tearing under an immense force, of tissue surrendering to the impact of a predator's claws with its prey -- followed by the dry crack of breaking bones.

Something hot and wet splashed over Byakko, whose red eyes opened wide in horror, meeting breaking golden ones. Touda collapsed forward, mutilated, violated, broken, and Byakko unfroze, catching the severely injured man.

"NO!" he roared, blood staining his hands and clothes.

The white tiger literally saw red as he took on his animal form and attacked the blue dragon.

° ° °

It happened from one second to another. Tsuzuki was leaning against the desk, sipping at a cup of black coffee, eyeing some donuts, when he suddenly lost all color and collapsed with a scream of agony. The cup shattered on the ground into a dozen pieces, coffee splashing everywhere. Terazuma was out of his chair in a second, eyes wide, staring at the other shinigami in horror as Tsuzuki screamed in pain and curled in on himself, arms wrapped around his middle.

"Tsuzuki?" he exclaimed.

What the fuck...?

The door was pushed open and Hisoka stormed in, stumbling back against the wall the moment his eyes fell on the writhing form of his partner. He grew almost as pale as Tsuzuki, gasping, clutching his head.

"No..."

Tsuzuki whimpered softly, moaning a name. "Touda..."

And Terazuma understood. Something had happened to the fire shikigami; something bad.

The older shinigami began to convulse, hands clawing into the ground, and he was at his colleague's side in an instant, keeping him from harming himself.

"Tsuzuki!"

There was only a new cry of pain, followed by harsh pants for air. "Hurts... blood..." Tsuzuki rasped.

"Pull yourself together!"

The voice was like a whiplash and Terazuma's head snapped around, looking wide-eyed at the slender young shinigami standing beside the two men. Hisoka's green eyes were burning with shared emotions, but also with a resolve that spoke of his determination.

"You need to get your shields up, Tsuzuki! Tune him out!"

Dilated violet eyes met intense green ones and Terazuma watched the drama unfold. Hisoka was willing his older partner to break through the input from Touda's side and gain control.

"Tsuzuki!" Hisoka snapped.

A blink. A whisper of breath. Tsuzuki suddenly closed his eyes and grew lax, breath shaky.

"He... was... hurt..." he stammered, voice just a breathy whisper. "No... chance... no... so much... blood... pain..."

Hisoka knelt down next to Terazuma, but he wasn't touching his partner. For a good reason. The empath would get blasted with the full power of this emotional thunderstorm.

"Tsuzuki!" he whispered harshly. "You need to get control! You're the only one!"

Tsuzuki groaned, pale as a sheet, sweat beading his forehead, and his hands were clenched into fists. His knuckles were white with the force.

"Tsuzuki!" Hisoka snapped.

"Touda..." Tsuzuki whimpered.

"He needs you!" Hisoka insisted. "But he needs you whole. He needs you sane! Push the pain away. Tsuzuki... Asato..." The voice had dropped into a coaxing, cajoling whisper. "You can do it..."

"Hurts..."

"I know. Just try... You're stronger than that..."

Terazuma watched, waited, and finally those strange eyes opened, meeting his red ones. The two men looked at each other, Tsuzuki breathing hard, Terazuma just frozen in shock by the sudden reaction.

By now others had crowded around them. Wakaba was there, as were Tatsumi and Watari. Hisoka looked up, meeting the cool, blue gaze of the Shadow Master.

"Something happened to Touda. I think we need to leave immediately."

Tatsumi nodded slowly. "GensouKai."

Another nod.

Fingers curled around Terazuma's wrist, the grip surprisingly strong. "You, too," the shinigami whispered.

"W...what?" he stammered.

Tsuzuki swallowed several times as if he was about to throw up. A shudder went through him.

"Please?"

Terazuma didn't know why, but he nodded.

°

Getting Tsuzuki upright wasn't easy. His knees threatened to give way and he fell against Terazuma the moment he took a step. The shinigami grabbed the shaking body, but Tsuzuki cried out as if in pain, and Terazuma almost drew back.

"Phantom pain," Hisoka whispered, looking strained. "He feels what Touda feels. It's bad, Terazuma. Very, very bad."

Tsuzuki's hands clawed into the other man's clothes and he tried to get control of himself. With a groan he finally straightened and his eyes took on a determined note.

Still, it was Wakaba who opened the Suzaku Gate and helped them through.

° ° °

The sight before him was as terrifying as it was amazing. Terazuma stared at the gigantic blue dragon, eyes wide, mouth agape. Sohryu was magnificent.

And he was injured.

His leathery wings were in tatters, bleeding from multiple slashes and cuts. His scales were criss-crossed by more marks, and his claws were bloody. Some of that blood was not his. It belonged to the black-clad shikigami currently lying in a pool of his own blood.

Terazuma swallowed.

Touda lay motionless in his human form, clearly unconscious, and a huge, white tiger stood over the fallen man, snarling at the dragon. Sohryu bellowed a challenge, claws rising again to attack. There was an almost mad light in those reptilian eyes.

"NO!"

Tsuzuki's voice was like a thunder clash, cutting through the air, freezing the image for a moment. Terazuma found himself paralyzed, staring at the shinigami who had moments ago been barely able to stand on his own two feet. Now he did stand, without swaying, his face like made of stone. Pale, the violet eyes the only touch of color, framed by dark hair, Tsuzuki's face looked alien, not at all like the easy-going, smiling shinigami he knew.

The dragon turned its wedge-shaped head, eyes narrowing, baring impressive teeth, each as long as a human was tall. Terazuma felt the blood leave his face at the sight, but Tsuzuki just looked at the furious, blood-lusting creature. His shikigami, the most powerful of the four Gods...

Tattered wings unfurled and blood splashed onto the ground. Tsuzuki was small and insignificant in front of the gigantic dragon.

"SOHRYU!" he yelled, and the violet eyes gleamed with a power Terazuma had only experienced once before.

The dragon bellowed again, a challenge if Terazuma had ever heard one. Power bristled around it, incredibly strong and lethal, but Tsuzuki didn't move a muscle. And then he felt it.

Darkness.

Terazuma heard himself gasp as he watched his colleague. Tsuzuki seemed to be surrounded by it, a dark aura that flared and crackled, that hissed and spat, and that seemed to taunt the dragon to attack. It wasn't the magic of a shinigami, at least none Terazuma had ever seen. It was something so powerful, it fried his senses, it overwhelmed him, it ate away at his own power. The Black One whimpered, scrambling away, wanted nothing more than to run, and it was the first time Terazuma felt his otherwise so fierce shikigami tremble.

A claw descended. Violet eyes rose and met reptilian ones.

The former cop gave a cry of denial and stumbled forward to push Tsuzuki out of harm's way.

The claw never touched the small human. It stopped centimeters above the dark head and for a lifelong second, neither moved. Inhuman eyes bore into dragon-eyes, challenging. Terazuma held his breath.

The dragon snorted, suddenly looking confused. The claw fell to the side and the wings drooped.

"Sohryu," Tsuzuki whispered, his voice so soft, so gentle, it touched not only the violent shikigami but also the shinigami watching it all.

Sohryu rumbled.

"Sohryu..."

The massive head lowered and there was a warning growl from Byakko, but he didn't interfere.

"Sohryu, stop," Tsuzuki murmured soothingly.

Terazuma watched, seeing the dragon come closer, the snout now hovering in front of his master, and Tsuzuki touched it. His hand was steady, his eyes fixed on the powerful God, but he was terribly pale. Blood stained the ground all around them, still running liberally from the slashed wings, but the dragon's attention was only on his shinigami. Terazuma had an inkling of appreciation of what Tsuzuki had faced throughout his challenge of this magnificent creature. The battle must have been cataclysmic... and Tsuzuki had won. He had mastered this God.

"Everything's okay," Tsuzuki said, voice coaxing, hypnotic. "Everything's fine. Change, Sohryu. Trust me."

A shiver raced through the magnificent being.

From one second to another, the huge dragon changed into the well-known, slender human form of Sohryu. Terazuma was running toward him before he was even thinking of doing something other than staring. Sohryu was covered in blood, the red fluid oozing from countless wounds, and his face held an expression of stunned horror.

"Ts... tsuzuki..." he moaned.

The dark-haired shinigami smiled tenderly. "Everything's gonna be okay..."

And then Sohryu collapsed. Terazuma wasn't fast enough and Tsuzuki held the tall shikigami in his arms, sinking to the ground. He cradled him close, like a lover, and Terazuma felt a moment of jealousy, then it was blown away by his deep worry. Tsuzuki caressed the pale face, now starting to shiver.

"Hajime?" he whispered, looking at him.

So helpless, so needy, so pleading. From one second to the next the creature of darkness, that lethal force Terazuma had seen for the first time, was nothing more than a vulnerable human being. Someone who was asking for his help, needing his support, and he couldn't even think of denying it to him.

Tsuzuki was glancing at where Byakko was standing next to the unconscious Touda, looking lost and hurt himself. Tsuzuki was drawn between the injured man in his arms and the injured one bound to him in so many ways.

"I'll take care of him," Terazuma whispered, meeting the still steely violet eyes.

He took the shikigami from his master, who nodded at his colleague.

Tsuzuki stumbled over to Touda, making a soft noise of pain, now trembling more. Byakko shifted back to his human form, pale but composed.

There was help coming, other shikigami racing to the battle field, but Terazuma could only look at the bloody scene. His lover was out cold, resting in his arms, wounded. Tsuzuki knelt in a pool of Touda's blood, uncaring of it soaking into his clothes, pale as a sheet but still so very much composed. Byakko, showing injuries himself, was at his side, talking softly. He didn't look much better than any of them.

And then the helpers arrived and Terazuma was swept away by the tidal wave of hands and voices, coaxing him to let go of Sohryu, guiding him from the horrifying scene.

° ° °

He had never figured Sohryu to look vulnerable. Sure, after sex he had looked so... so relaxed and so much younger than when he was 'in the office', but never vulnerable. Never frail. Never close to the breaking point.

Terazuma stroked a long strand of blue hair out of the pale face, sighing softly. He would never have figured that Sohryu could lose it like this. He seemed so much in control, so absolutely sure of himself and the world. Nothing could touch him... nothing... But something had.

Terazuma had touched him.

"Fool," the shinigami murmured, shaking his head. He wasn't even sure who he was talking to, himself or the injured man.

Sohryu had been treated by Rikugo, who had looked harried and exhausted by the time he had arrived in his leader's chambers, blood clinging to his robes. Terazuma could think of only one person who had been treated first and it made him sick to think of the damage Touda had had to suffer.

"How is Touda?" he had asked quietly while watching the shikigami work.

"Hanging in there. He lost a lot of blood and Sohryu broke close to all bones in his body."

Terazuma felt guilt creep into his consciousness. He should have... he could have... maybe...

Sohryu was sleeping at the moment. His body was regenerating and from the looks of the cuts, they would be healed by tomorrow. The bruises had already faded. Most of the damage had been superficial, scratches and bruises and cuts.

He longed for a cigarette. Terazuma stared at the ceiling of the room, pushing down the nicotine craving. He rarely smoked now, only when he was upset. Well, he was upset now. Others had suffered because of their stupidity. Others who weren't even involved. Others who just worried about Sohryu...

There was a soft gasp from his side and his attention immediately returned to the prone man. Sohryu's eyes blinked open and the slightly blurred gaze came to rest on the man beside him.

"Hajime?" Sohryu mumbled.

"Yes, Sohryu. I'm here." He took one slightly trembling hand and smiled at his lover.

There was confusion in those beloved eyes. "Why are you here? Why... I don't feel good..."

"You had a rough day," Terazuma answered softly.

Frown lines appeared and Sohryu clearly tried to remember what had happened.

"Touda...?"

"Alive. Rikugo patched him up again."

"I... hurt him... why?"

"Like I said, rough day. I don't have all the details and you shouldn't really..." He stopped as he watched his lover.

The dragon swallowed, then grew even more pale. Eyes widened in horror. "Tsuzuki!"

Sohryu tried to get up, whimpering and gasping in pain, but he still struggled.

"He's okay. Just a bit wasted." Terazuma put a hand on one slender shoulder, keeping Sohryu down. "He's with Touda, probably sleeping. He wasn't hurt."

But he had looked just as bad. Terazuma had no idea what had come through the bond, but if it was just a fragment of the agony Touda had experienced, it was too much.

"No! I couldn't... have... I hurt him!"

Again the dragon tried to rise and again it was quite easy to push him down. "Sohryu, calm yourself. It's okay. He's fine. You didn't lay a hand on him."

"Why?" Sohryu whimpered, looking so lost and so very young all of a sudden. "What did I do? Why?"

Terazuma soothed his injured lover, stroking over the wonderful hair, down his smooth cheek. "You had a rough day," he repeated. "Go to sleep. I'll tell you when you're better."

Sohryu looked at him, vulnerable, open and so... needy. "Stay?" he whispered.

"I will." He leaned down and kissed his lover gently. "Go to sleep."

And the shikigami surrendered to his soft order. His eyes slid shut, the tall body relaxed, and Terazuma watched him sleep, lost in his own thoughts and feelings as he remained in the chambers with his lover.

° ° °

Byakko looked at the two men he loved, now currently occupying the same bed space, one curled up close to the other, both asleep. Rikugo had treated Touda's wounds, which were extensive. Sohryu's talons had cut deeply into Touda's unprotected, human body, injuring him in the worst way, and the blood loss had been dangerous. He needed time to heal and while he was in a better shape than the last time he had lain in that bed, hurt, it wasn't any less serious.

Tsuzuki had been awake and conscious until Rikugo had finished, then he had simply collapsed. Byakko had caught him, carrying him into the large bed, where the young shinigami had almost instinctively curled up next to his injured bonded shikigami.

Byakko rubbed over his tired eyes, feeling the stings of his own healing wounds, but they were nothing compared to Touda's.

Anger rose. Anger toward Sohryu. It was squelched when Tsuzuki made a soft noise, sounding like a nightmare, and the white tiger walked over to the shinigami. He crawled onto the large bed and simply curled around him, wrapping his tail around the sleeping form. Tsuzuki quieted down, sighing softly, and Byakko smiled.

* * *

Touda woke to a world of pain and he wondered what had ridden him to step in front of a mad dragon. His body ached, his broken ribs shifted against each other, and he was dizzy with blood loss. Turning his head, aware of a presence beside him, his hand twitched a little. It shifted and he touched the pale hand lying closest to him.

Tsuzuki shifted himself and violet eyes cracked open, meeting golden ones.

::Touda?' :: he whispered.

::Hey::

The presence of his friend moved closer in his mind, exhausted and just as much in pain as Touda himself. It was phantom pain, transmitted from the injured shikigami, but both their shields had been shattered by the sudden blast of agony from Touda.

::'S okay:: Tsuzuki whispered and snuggled closer, his forehead resting against Touda's upper arm.

He didn't reply, just closed his eyes and held the shivering presence, needing the comfort as much as Tsuzuki.

° ° °

It was how Touda woke the next morning. Well, with one addition. A silver-haired, red-eyed God was curled up on the couch not far away from the bed. Somehow it reminded the fire serpent of events not too long ago. Back then he had been injured by Suzaku's attack, had nearly died, had found himself waking up to Tsuzuki and Byakko's presence.

Touda looked at his lover, smiled, then turned to the shinigami at his side. His body still ached, but the healing factor had kicked in full force. Broken bones were mending, muscles knitting back together again, and his mobility was increasing. Right now he just turned to study the pale face of his master and he reached out with one hand, fingers trembling slightly, and touched the harried looking features. Even in sleep Tsuzuki was experiencing the echoes of the agony Touda had gone through.

As his fingers caressed the smooth skin, Tsuzuki moved sleepily, violet eyes blinking open. He smiled as he recognized the being close to him.

::Touda:: he murmured.

Touda smiled reassuringly and patiently waited as Tsuzuki took inventory, pushing himself up in a sitting position.

"Are you in pain?" Tsuzuki asked, looking like death warmed over himself.

"I'm fine, Tsuzuki." He clasped one slender hand. "I apologize for flooding you."

It got him a weak smile. "It's not like you had a chance to stop yourself. I'm okay. It's just an echo, not like the real thing."

His eyes were on the multiple bandages, some of them showing dark flecks of dry blood.

"I'm healing," Touda reassured himself.

There was a sleepy noise coming from the couch and suddenly Byakko was looking at them with slightly sleep-glazed eyes. A smile spread over his features as he saw that Touda was awake.

"Hey, you're up? Thirsty?" he asked immediately, getting off the couch with more energy than either of the other two men had at the moment.

Touda had no chance to say no as he was offered some water and he had to confess that it felt good on his parched throat.

"How's Sohryu?" he asked.

Byakko's mood changed from one second to the next. His tail slashed the air like a whip and his brows drew down, the youthful face now etched with an unfitting, dangerous scowl.

"I don't know and I don't care!" he spat.

Tsuzuki winced like he had been hit by that whip of a tail, shrinking back. "Byakko," he stammered.

"He attacked us for no reason!" the white tiger went on, furious. "He nearly killed Touda!"

"No..."

"I don't care what his moods are or what problems he has! I don't care who he thinks he is, but he either gets it together or I'll make sure that something like this won't happen again!"

By now Tsuzuki was pressed against the headboard, breathing hard. Touda reached out, caught the trembling presence, wrapping his own weak shields around him.

::Shhhh....::

"Byakko!" he snarled in the real world.

Red eyes flared with emotions, then suddenly dimmed to their normal light as the shikigami took in the distraught man.

"Tsuzuki..."

Huge eyes looked at him, reflecting all those emotions raging through the young shinigami.

"Tsuzuki, I'm not angry at you..." Byakko soothed, taking him into his arms. "I'm just so angry at Sohryu. He's our leader, I respect him, but he lost it... He can't have the luxury of that. If it hadn't been Touda... if it had been a low level shikigami... he would have killed him or her."

Fingers dug into the light shirt and Tsuzuki sobbed dryly, emotionally wide open and too vulnerable to control any of his reactions right now. Byakko pressed a little kiss on the tousled head.

"Don't hurt him," Tsuzuki rasped brokenly. "Please, Byakko... we can solve this... we can help him..."

The white tiger smiled tenderly and Touda, despite his own anger and pain, had to mirror the soft expression. This was just like Tsuzuki.

"Please..."

"I promise," Byakko whispered. "I promise because it's your wish. I promise because you want me to."

Touda felt Tsuzuki slip away again and his own exhaustion from regenerating was taking him along with his master. He raised a hand and touched Byakko, who smiled tenderly at him. His lover knew how exhausting regeneration was, and he knew that Tsuzuki took priority a the moment.

The shinigami was placed back onto the bed again, asleep, and Byakko leaned over, brushing a gentle kiss over Touda's lips.

"You okay?" he murmured.

"Getting there. All of us. Remember your promise," he whispered back.

"I won't do anything to Sohryu," Byakko agreed. "Just don't expect me not to kick his ass... verbally... the next time I see him."

Touda smirked. "Get in line. I've got first dibs."

The tiger chuckled, the long, striped tail moving lazily, much calmer now. "Go get well."

"Yes, Lord Byakko. As is your wish."

Byakko playfully tousled his still growing hair. "If you were just so compliant every day..." he teased, then kissed him again.

Touda had no energy left to spar verbally. He fell asleep with the sensation of the kiss and Tsuzuki safely wrapped inside the bond.

° ° °

There was nothing of the great leader, the Protector of the East, in the man who stood in the private chambers of Byakko and Touda. Dressed in simple clothes, face pale, hair held back in the plainest of bonds, Sohryu could have been any shikigami. But he wasn't. He was still the Azure Dragon, a God, and their leader. In his eyes, though, there was nothing of the proud being left. His whole body spoke of a pain so deep, it was threatening to destroy him.

Not like the rage and aggression that had already eaten away at him. This was silent, deep inside, and Touda knew it only too well. He had felt the same not long ago. Back then he had believed he had hurt his master, which he had to a degree, and he had believed Tsuzuki had abandoned him. It had launched an unstoppable avalanche of self-loathing and destruction.

Sohryu had lost it, had lost his control, and he had attacked Byakko, almost killing Touda in the process. Twenty-four hours later the black shikigami was conscious but not yet completely free of pain, and it would probably take another day for him to heal enough to attempt mobility.

Byakko's expression was far from friendly as he allowed their leader access to his most private room, something he had only done because Touda had requested him to let Sohryu enter.

Looking at the man he knew since he had been a child, Touda wanted nothing more than to help, but he knew this battle was none he could fight for Sohryu. He was a Divine Commander and a warrior, but the fight was on a soul-deep level, a matter that was between the proud dragon and the man who had accompanied him here. Touda's golden eyes rested on Terazuma Hajime, taking in the pale face, the red eyes that showed so much guilt and regret, and the unlit cigarette he twirled between his fingers.

Terazuma was nervous, but he had come with his lover. Touda knew that what Sohryu felt for this shinigami was true, was real, and that it had a chance, if both men decided to be honest with each other. Well, Sohryu was honest; had been honest. It had been the shinigami who had turned and run away, leaving behind a man who hadn't loved since Aya had died in the Black Fires.

As Sohryu approached, Byakko's tension grew, the long tail flicking back and forth, the whole man almost vibrating with suppressed anger.

"Touda..." Sohryu started. "I... apologize. I cannot put into words what I feel at what I did. I can only hope you accept my apology because there's nothing else I can give you."

Touda met the agonized, blue-gray eyes. "Now you know what it feels like," he said softly.

Yes, now Sohryu knew what it felt like when something snapped and the world blacked out around him. He hadn't lost the one he loved in the way Touda had five centuries ago. He hadn't held the tortured body, looked into the broken eyes, and he hadn't torched half of GensouKai with an unstoppable fire, but he had felt the same emotions Touda had back then.

The dragon lowered his gaze, eyes closing.

"Sohryu."

The eyes met Touda's, hesitant, still so broken, so pained, and Touda sighed softly. This would need time. But he wouldn't leave Sohryu alone in this; they needed him, he needed them. Touda considered himself a friend, the five centuries in Tenkuu's depths aside. They had been best friends once and he held a deep respect for the man.

We'll get through this, he thought, relaying those silent thoughts to the man he knew so well. If you let us help, if you and Terazuma finally decide on what's to be.
Sohryu nodded once, then his gaze came to rest on the second occupant of the bed. Touda felt Tsuzuki's sleepy mind, not awake but also not completely unaware. He had slept almost non-stop, recovering with shinigami speed from the shock of the echoes that had come through the bond.

* * *

Terazuma watched his lover as Sohryu approached the bed where Tsuzuki was still dozing. The other shinigami looked so fragile, vulnerable, so completely different from the façade Terazuma had been shown in the last three decades he had by now known the man. He only knew Tsuzuki as a slacker, a man who liked to evade work, who had one of the coziest districts, a man who commanded twelve shikigami and had such an incredible power, but he never used his full potential.

He had never understood why.

Until recently.

Sohryu sat down on the mattress and Tsuzuki moved sleepily as it dipped under the weight. Amethyst eyes cracked open, blinking, then a slow smile spread over the pale, exhausted features.

"Sohryu..."

The dragon caressed the tousled hair, the fair skin, and he smiled tenderly. Terazuma had never seen that smile, not even directed at him. He was witnessing something that was exclusively between master and shikigami. It was a love that had nothing to do with sex, with intimacy on a physical level. It was unconditional, gentle and very strong.

He remembered those words from long ago. Shikigami wanted their master's love. It was what Sohryu wanted, too. He loved Tsuzuki, would sacrifice his life for him, and he wanted his approval. The mighty dragon, the independent being, was bound to this shinigami and served and protected him.

And months ago he had wondered why none of Tsuzuki's shikigami had ever attacked him, seeing him as weak, trying to dissolve this bond. He would never have seen Tsuzuki Asato as a strong man, but he was. His psychic powers were incredible and they were the reason those twelve followed him. There was a silent fascination, a loyalty, an unconditional love that Terazuma had never seen before.

"My apologies, Tsuzuki," Sohryu whispered, infinite sadness in his voice. "I never meant for you or anyone else to get hurt."

The caressing hand was caught, slender fingers curling around it. Tsuzuki's smile was still there, tender and forgiving.

"I hurt you through my actions," the dragon murmured.

"I'm fine, Sohryu."

Violet eyes drooped and Tsuzuki was already sliding back into sleep. Sohryu leaned down and placed an affectionate kiss on the smooth forehead, then carded his fingers into the dark hair, his touch tender and almost parental, yet with a hint of a lover. Terazuma didn't know what to feel. Jealousy? Amazement? Awe?

Tsuzuki sighed a little and curled up on his side, already mostly asleep again. Touda, who hadn't moved the whole time, just slipped in closer and gathered the recovering form of their master close to him, like a protector.

Terazuma stood frozen, aware that what he saw was something deeply ingrained in these powerful beings. Protect the master. Protect Tsuzuki.

And Sohryu had caused that pain that was currently the source of this protectiveness. The dragon had to be in pain.

Sohryu met the golden eyes of the one he had physically abused, nodding once, and Touda smiled briefly.

"Go. Rest. You need it," the black shikigami rumbled. "And if I hear you coming back to the office before the week is over, I'll personally kick your ass out of there."

Sohryu chuckled a little. "Do I have to remind you who I am?"

"Do I have to remind you that I never cared?"

Both locked gazes, then Sohryu bowed his head in acknowledgement. He rose slowly and Terazuma unfroze as he saw his lover sway a little. Sohryu was still tired and recovering himself.

He touched one arm, felt Sohryu straighten, and he let go, aware that this proud man didn't want to appear weaker than he was. He had made it here under his own power, he would leave just the same.

°

When they were finally in the privacy of Sohryu's chambers, blue-gray eyes closed and Sohryu seemed to collapse into himself.

"Sohryu?" Terazuma asked, stepping closer.

Lines of pain and exhaustion had been carved into the handsome face and when Sohryu opened his eyes to look at him, there was a deep desperation inside him. And a need. Terazuma took the hurting shikigami in his arms, felt lips brush over his, and he responded.

"Don't leave," the dragon whispered.

"I won't," he promised, not resisting the hands that undressed him.

"Love you," Sohryu murmured, kissing him again, pushing their bodies together.

Terazuma groaned and closed his eyes at the sensation of skin against skin, of the sinewy length he knew so well moving against his own body. He had missed this. He wanted this. He wanted this man.

He loved him.

"I love you," he replied, burying himself in the sense that was Sohryu, feeling his touch, his lips, his very presence everywhere.

He ran his fingers through the long hair, marveling at its silky feel. All his senses were now wide open, taking in the man he loved, and he let himself fall into the powerful presence that so desperately needed him.

I love you, Terazuma thought.

° ° °

Sohryu slept. Naked, long hair bound back in a haphazard pony tail with strings upon strings, he rested on his back, one hand flung outward. His face was smooth, unlined by age, with just a few shadows of the pain he had suffered. Exhaustion had wiped away those dark thoughts, had let him fall into the depths of sleep, and Terazuma was glad for it.

They would have to talk later.

Talk a lot. Terazuma smiled sadly. Talk for real.

I love you. I don't want to see you hurt, but I hurt you with my actions. I thought it was the logical way, the only way. Maybe I'm wrong. Maybe we can make this work.

Because if they failed... He shuddered. He had seen what it had caused. Sohryu loved him, needed him, and for Terazuma this relationship had been an eye-opener.
But how can we live together? he thought sadly. A shikigami and a shinigami... There was a first time for everything...

° ° °

He had come out here to think, to clear his head, to try and straighten out what he felt.

Elbows resting on his knees Terazuma closed his eyes, inhaling the bitter smoke from his cigarette, fighting the contrary emotions that were welling up inside him, emotions he thought he had buried a long time ago, together with the bitter memories.

I am not gay, he thought, more desperate now. I am not. But I love him. So very, very much.

So much had happened, so much pain and hurt... because of him. Because Sohryu loved him.

And I love him. I do. I tried to run, but I couldn't. He's there, inside me, and I love him.

He stubbed out the cigarette, feeling sick from the taste. He had smoked for so long now, had only given it up because Sohryu had finally convinced him that his shikigami suffered from it... and Terazuma had found himself caring about the Black One.

Like he cared so much about Sohryu.

Yoshi...

Terazuma groaned and shivered.

Gods, he hadn't thought of Yoshi for... decades. Why did this have to come back now?
 
 

"Shimamoto Yoshiteru."

He looked up in confusion when he heard a male voice that sounded like silk sliding over a smooth surface.

"Excuse me?"

"Shimamoto Yoshiteru. My name. You must be Terazuma Hajime, therefore we're supposed to be together."

Dancing brown eyes were laughing at him as he stared at the other young man, the blankness of his mind obviously showing on his face.

"Working together. S comes before T, therefore we're supposed to sit together through this lecture."

"Ah... uhm, sure."

God, was he blushing?! The other boy -- he couldn't be much older than he himself, twenty-two tops -- slipped into the seat at his side.

"You can call me Yoshi."

"Hajime."

"I know."

Yoshi smiled.
 

He and Yoshi had become friends, very good friends, to be precise. And Hajime was thankful to have a friend who didn't seem to give a damn about his last name. The surname "Terazuma" meant a lot in those days, with his grandfather a celebrated commissioner on his way to retirement, his father stepping up the ladder in a rush -- they were a family of cops, and the only reason he had attended the academy was because it was expected of the eldest son of the Terazuma clan.

His name had opened doors -- and closed others, more private ones. Rookie cops had problems in making friends anyway, and being a Terazuma didn't make it easier. He hated it.

But Yoshi didn't care about his name.

Thankfully he worked the same precinct, though they weren't partnered to each other.

Terazuma had no idea when he had started to -- notice several things. Very small, innocent little things like the way Yoshi's hair reflected the sun or how there would appear little golden sparkles in his eyes when he was upset. And he liked his company, liked having the other man near.

It concerned him.

And then there was that fateful day, that day he was packing up his stuff to move into his new apartment, away from his parents, and Yoshi was helping. They were laughing and making fun of each other, when he happened to stumble over a box and -- he still had no idea how it really happened -- landed in his friends arms on the bed.

Suddenly those laughing brown eyes were really close, as was the other man's body, and Yoshi's arms were around his waist, and he could even smell his friend and then Yoshi wasn't laughing anymore. It had been the proverbial moment when the world seemed to stand still for a split second before it decided to turn on its axis -- it was the split second before he felt Yoshi's lips on his.

Too stunned at first to do anything Terazuma froze for a second, but then he had felt himself react, respond, digging his fingers into his friend's shirt, and all of a sudden everything made sense. When Yoshi pulled back he smiled gently, brushing some strands out of his eyes, and Terazuma wanted nothing but to repeat the -- kiss. Yoshi had kissed him. He smiled back, reaching up to pull his friend down on him again -- and met the icy stare of his father's eyes.

Terazuma sighed and stomped on the already cold cigarette. His father had strictly refused to talk about the ‘incident', but he had pulled some strings, because the next day Yoshi was gone, transferred into a run-down precinct at the very end of the world, or so it seemed to young Hajime.

He had argued, fought, even threatened his father, but the argument had always been the same -- Terazumas were cops, and Terazumas weren't like ‘that'. The emphasis put on the last word held disgust and revulsion, but Terazuma had known he was a big disappointment to his father anyway, so it hadn't pulled him down too much.

Only once had his father lost it, and that had been when he had stated that since he had kissed another man and loved it, he seemed to be very much ‘like that'. That argument had ended in two broken ribs and lots of cuts and bruises; and Terazuma still wondered if his father would have beaten him to death if his mother hadn't made an appearance, silently reminding her husband of his duties as head of the family.

She had bandaged his ribs and cupped his face, telling him she loved him but he should obey his father. And then she had slipped him a note.

‘Go, if you must', she had said, ‘but it won't do you no good.'

It had been Yoshi's address.

When his ribs had healed enough that he had been ready to travel he packed a few things and jumped into the next train, eager to see his friend, talk to Yoshi, no matter what. He had been ready to quit the job, to say good-bye to his family and former life, commit himself to... yes, his very first love. His heart had hammered in his chest when he had finally knocked on Yoshi's door.

He remembered, as if it had only been yesterday and not almost forty years ago, the young woman who had opened the door, looking at him questioningly. She had smiled warmly when he had asked for Yoshi with an embarrassed stutter, and announced that her husband wasn't at home.

Poor woman had looked greatly confused when he had simply turned and left, not reacting to her offer to leave a message or wait for her husband.

When the headache and nausea from his successful attempt of drinking himself into a stupor had subsided Terazuma had understood that his father had won. Would always win, no matter what. Because he was a Terazuma, and Terazuma's weren't like ‘that'.

He had never seen Yoshi again

And he had buried his feelings for this special person deep, deep inside him. Because he wasn't gay. Terazuma's weren't like ‘that'.

Damn.

But now he was. And there was no father to beat him for it, no motherly advice, no family honor. He had left that behind when he had died.

Sohryu had fought for him. Sohryu loved him. Sohryu needed him.

I love you, he thought, trembling.

Terazumas weren't like that.

But he wasn't a Terazuma any more, right?

* * *

Almost forty-eight hours after the incident, Terazuma walked down the long, open but roofed passage way that led from the palace along the inner garden and yard to a small but beautifully crafted landscape forest. There were hardly any flowers here, just old trees that gave shade and cool spots throughout the hot summer days. It wasn't mid-summer yet and the days were still cool enough to feel comfortable. Sohryu had once mentioned that sometimes summer could be sweltering hot. Shikigami didn't influence the weather or the seasons; they just enjoyed nature as it was.

Terazuma's eyes swept over the small park and came to rest on a lone figure sitting on the curving bridge that spanned over the river that divided the land. Dressed in his habitual black, just GensouKai style now, Tsuzuki gazed into the running water, eyes half-closed, a faraway expression in his so strangely colored eyes. His hair was as unruly as always, but he appeared thinner. It had only been two days since they had come here, racing through the gate, Terazuma dragging the trembling man along, fear gnawing at his insides. In those two days Tsuzuki had transformed from the cheerful, smiling colleague he knew and loved to hate to a powerful, determined warrior who had tamed a dragon, to a wounded soul.

Touda was fine, was up and walking and apparently already complaining a lot. He would be completely healed in a day or two. Sohryu, well, he had a lot to work through, but Terazuma planned to help. Last night had been a start. A passionate, warm and loving start. He could still smell his lover's scent, could feel his kisses and touches, and it made him crave for more.

Stepping out of the passageway and walking over to the bridge, Terazuma chewed on his unlit cigarette, eyes still on the slender man he had despised for so long. In the last weeks he had gotten to know him a little and discovered that there was a lot underneath what Sohryu had called a façade. He saw that now.

And I'm a detective? he mused darkly. No wonder I needed my name to account to anything in that job. Everyone probably knew more about Tsuzuki Asato than him.
He had started to work on that deficiency.

Walking onto the bridge he finally stopped beside the seated shinigami, then gracelessly plopped down beside him.

"Hey," he said gruffly.

Amethyst eyes looked at him, the weight of the world in them, but the smile on Tsuzuki's face was welcoming and warm. Child-like, in a way, Terazuma thought with a pang. He had never really looked into those eyes. He had been deceived by the front this man presented to everyone.

"Hello, Terazuma."

"How's Touda?"

"Fine," was the soft answer. "Shikigami heal quickly."

Like shinigami. But some wounds took longer. The deep cuts and multiple fractures wouldn't just simply fuse shut again.

"You got a really good hit from that, huh?"

A shrug. "Touda wasn't prepared for it and his shields shattered."

Neither were you. You weren't prepared to be bonded to that fire serpent, nor for the pain that came later on.

Another shrug. "It's okay. We're okay." Terazuma was given a bright smile, but Tsuzuki's eyes reflected his pain.

"It's not your fault, Tsuzuki," he heard himself say. "You couldn't have known how Sohryu felt. Your only link to this world is Touda and he didn't know either." Terazuma tore the cigarette from his lips. "It's my fault. I was stupid."

"You weren't stupid," was the simple reply.

Terazuma snorted. Yeah, right. He was the very definition of stupid!

"Did you talk?" Tsuzuki asked.

He sighed. "Yeah, kinda."

"But you found no solution?"

"Not yet."

Both men fell silent and Terazuma played with the cigarette.

"Tatsumi knows now," the former cop muttered.

Tsuzuki was silent, waiting, almost holding his breath.

"We talked. He told me that as long as it doesn't influence my performance as a shinigami, he's okay with it."

"He can't just...!" Tsuzuki started to protest.

Terazuma stopped him, smiling. "He's okay with it, Tsuzuki. He's just being careful. I know the problem is the distance between us. I can't just go home and have Sohryu be there. We can't have a date for a movie or dinner, we can't sit together in the evening. Our relationship is complicated. Sohryu lives in a different realm and to get there, I need to use the Gates. Wakaba can't always be there to open them for me."

"I can," Tsuzuki said quietly.

"I appreciate the offer." And Terazuma truly did. He had never thought of asking him. "But this will get to all of us sooner or later. We have to find another solution. Sohryu is the leader of GensouKai. It's not a job where he can just drop everything on a whim and leave to see his lover."

Terazuma took out the cold cigarette. He felt somewhat down, but he had known about the problems; he had consciously decided to enter this relationship... because he loved the man.

"We'll find a way," Tsuzuki said quietly.

He hoped so. He truly hoped so.

° ° °

Sohryu had noticed the quiet and thoughtful way his lover was these days. He noticed the indecision and he waited. There was nothing else to do anyway. Terazuma loved him, he knew that. The shinigami had stayed in GensouKai ever since the incident, but something seemed to be haunting the young man, and it wasn't that Sohryu had nearly lost it over the prospect of a permanent separation.

It was more.

And three days after things had settled, he finally got an answer. They were at their lake again, sitting in the warm sun underneath a tree.

Terazuma shifted a little uncomfortably, all but chewing on his unlit cigarette. Sohryu had seen him do that a lot lately. The ever-present pack was almost empty, and he had never lit a single cigarette, but he kept on chewing on it till it was a soggy mess and then discarded it with a disgusted growl.

"Sohryu... I guess there's something I've to explain to you. Why I ran, I mean."

"You already did."

"Yeah, but... there's more about it, and I just realized it." There was a little sigh. "It's not just because... you know, the distance. I think we can work on that. I ran because... not only because of the difficulties concerning our different... uh, cultures. But because I love you."

Sohryu cocked one eyebrow quizzically. He knew that. He knew Hajime loved him and it was the best thing that had ever happened to him since Aya.
"You see, the thing is, I..." Terazuma inhaled deeply before he continued, "there was someone once... his name was Yoshi..."

Sohryu listened as his lover revealed a part of his life to him that had been everything but pleasant, and his heart ached for the man at his side, especially when Terazuma spoke about his father's reaction to an innocent kiss.

The dragon had to admit he still had problems grasping the human concept of ‘gay' or ‘het', but he had understood that some humans took a vast interest in this notion. Shikigami simply didn't care if the person they loved were of a special gender, and it would never occur to parents to beat their children within in inch of their lives simply because they didn't approve of the chosen partner's gender.

"I never had the chance to tell him... and afterwards... I'm not gay. I mustn't be. My father made sure of that. But yet I love a man, and it was... frightening?"

Red eyes gazed at him, and there were no guards this time.

"Do you fear what you feel, Hajime?" Sohryu asked quietly.

"No, I... it was a little overwhelming. I don't know how to... what to expect, you see?"

Sohryu smiled warmly, cupping his lovers face gently. "How about we learn together?"

He leaned in for a soft kiss.

"Did I ever tell you about my late wife and son?" he asked.

"You...?"

"I was married once, yes. Her name was Aya, and she knew how to drive me crazy like no one else before..."

° ° °

It was one of those nice, lazy evenings that Tatsumi liked so much. Take-out food from a very good restaurant, a mystery movie on TV, and his lover snuggled close. Yes, he liked those evenings.

"Seii?"

"Hm?"

"I've been thinking."

Oh-oh, Tatsumi thought. He had known Watari Yutaka long enough that these words could mean imminent doom. Especially for the non-scientific in the room, which was, well, him.

"About...?" he prompted, aware he was signing his death certificate, so to speak.

"Terazuma and Sohryu, their problem with crossing dimensions to see each other."

Bingo. Gray matter meltdown.

"And?" Tatsumi felt brave today.

"There might be a solution. It involves a good load of research and I might not be able to make it work right away, but... there is a distinct chance to actually open a private portal for Terazuma and let him into GensouKai without threatening the dimensional stability of either realm, or endanger the inhabitants by allowing unwanted persons to follow Terazuma on the trip."

Tatsumi looked at his lover, noted the excitement in the golden eyes. "A private portal? Like a private gate? There are only four and they are heavily guarded..."

"Yes, exactly." Watari sat up. "You see, if we can make one that's only keyed to Terazuma, to his person, and no one else can use it, either to get in or out..."

"You think you can do that?"

A vigorous nod. "You remember those wormholes Tsuzuki told us about? The Shisa fell through one and couldn't go back. They were random and occurred more often in the realm of GensouKai without connecting to either Meifu or the world of the living. One of them hitting the world of the living was remote. I think every 200 to 300 years. But," he held up one finger, "if there's one thing we learned from the wormholes, it's that they can pierce through dimensional walls and connect the worlds in a one way trip."

"You want to create a miniature wormhole?" Tatsumi asked, aghast.

"No! Of course not! That's too dangerous! But we could employ wormhole research to do something different. Terazuma carries a shikigami, right?"

"Right."

"Shikigami can cross from GensouKai into Meifu."

"Yes, but..."

"I know, Seii, I know. The Black One's a parasitic type and bound to Terazuma, which is the beauty of it!"

Tatsumi blinked. "Now you lost me. The lion can't go into GensouKai *because* he's bound to a host."

"Yep."

"And... that's good?"

"Yes!"

Tatsumi shook his head. "You lost me."

Watari grinned brightly. "It's so simple! Kokushunkei is from GensouKai, so returning to GensouKai once he's freed is deeply routed inside him. He knows GensouKai; it's his home. Now, if we use that in-built homing device, his instinct, and enable Terazuma to cross with him -- but give control over the process to Terazuma, bingo! We have the solution!"

Watari was almost bouncing in place. He truly glowed with excitement.

"You want to... what?"

"Seii, it's easy! All I need to do is find out Kokushunkei's frequency, if you want, and then I need someone from GensouKai to incorporate it in a program that combines wormhole technology with gate frequencies, and we need a device that stores that data. I've already got an idea..."

Tatsumi placed a finger on the runaway mouth. "Taka?"

"Hmpf?"

"How many lab explosions do I have to expect?"

That got him a glare. "I don't blow up my lab as a rule!"

"Good. You think you can really do that?"

"Yeah. I just need someone working with me in GensouKai. I could ask Tsuzuki..."

"Okay."

Golden eyes glowed. "Really?"

"Really."

Watari hugged him, planting a stormy kiss on his lips. "Thanks."

Tatsumi just smiled and leaned down for another kiss, this one slower, more sensual.

Watari slid deeper into the couch and sighed, his arms wrapped around Tatsumi's broad shoulder, legs spreading to accommodate the other man. Tatsumi didn't any more prompting.

Things heated up from there on.

* * *

The suggestion that Watari had to scan the lion hadn't sat well with Tatsumi. Kagankokushunkei, despite Terazuma's claims that they were working well together by now, was still an unknown variable. Past encounters had been rather violent. So it was with a bit of trepidation that the Shadow Master watched the proceedings in one of the huge yards of the judicial building.

Terazuma had been stunned by the idea to outfit him with a kind of personal key into GensouKai, based on his shikigami's natural affinity with the other realm, but he had been willing to assist. Like Sohryu and even Tsuzuki, Terazuma wanted nothing more than to find a way to have his lover as close as any of the others were with their respective others. Wakaba wouldn't always be able to open her gate. She had a job to do and opening gates wasn't it.

Tatsumi watched as Terazuma became the Black One, the black lion shikigami with red eyes and large, leathery wings. The lion blinked and rumbled, apparently a little confused as to why his host and master had let him out. There was no one to fight.

"Hello, Kokushunkei," Watari greeted him, smiling brightly. And then he started to explain the procedure as if he was facing a normal student of cross-dimensional gate technologies 101.

The Black One tilted his head, attentive, showing no aggression, and when Watari held up the scanner, the massive head lowered to sniff at it.

Tatsumi held his breath.

Nothing happened.

A gust of air ruffled Watari's blond mane, then the lion just rumbled. The wings stayed folded, the aggression in the box.

"Great!" Watari exclaimed. "So just relax. It'll take a while."

And the scan began.

°

It took the best part of an hour before Watari was done with the proceedings. In that time, the Black One lay down, front paws crossed, wings folded, tail flicking lazily. His blood red eyes were drooping and he was watching the small shinigami walking around him with lazy interest.

003 had taken an interest, too, fluttering around them, hooting excitedly. Now and then Kokushunkei made a few soft rumbling noises and it seemed he was talking to the tiny owl. 003 finally landed on the large head -- and promptly sank through the fluffy mane with an owl exclamation of surprise.

Watari looked up from his notes and sighed. "003!"

Unconcerned he reached up and plucked the tiny owl out of the black mane, putting her onto his shoulder. She shuffled a little, hooting her indignation. Kokushunkei growled softly and peered at the tiny bird now perched on the scientist's shoulder, then snorted.

003 tumbled off, Watari's hair was ruffled even more, and the lion mewled a little, sounding playful. It was the beginning of a number of interplays between the two so different beings, and all Tatsumi could do was watch in wonder.

° ° °

Watari was beaming when he walked over to where Tatsumi still watched, alert and ready to intervene should the black lion attack his lover.

"Relax, Seii," Watari laughed, giving him a brilliant smile. "He's a kitten." Watari smiled tenderly as he looked at he big, black shikigami. "He looks cute."

Tatsumi stared at him. "What?!"

The lion was still basking in the sun, stretched out on one side despite the leathery wings and it had to be comfortable or he wouldn't be purring continuously. His eyes were closed, the paws outstretched, flexing now and then as he expressed his relaxed mood, and the tail lay still. No nervous flicking or twitching.

"Look at him. He's okay, he feels fine, he's completely at ease."

"That's the shikigami that destroyed the library!"

"Well, not alone," Watari said with a mild reproach. "Sohryu did his share. It's really okay, Seiichiro. Terazuma learned a lot lately and by just looking at him you can see the changes."

Tatsumi sighed. Yes, okay, so the lion was peaceful, but parasitic shikigami were temperamental and easily slipped from relaxed to attack-happy.

Wakaba, who had manned the other end of the huge yard walked over to them, still keeping an eye on the lion. But she smiled, almost proudly, too.

"You done?" she asked.

Watari nodded. "Yes, I've all the data I need. The next step is all lab work."

Wakaba hefted a backpack in her hand and nodded. "Then we can get Terazuma back."

Unconcerned, she walked over to the lion, calling out to him. The Black One raised his head, yawned, which showed off rows of sharp, long teeth, and then he suddenly shifted. Within the blink of an eye they were looking at a stark naked Terazuma who gratefully took the clothes from Wakaba and dressed.

Watari just grabbed Tatsumi's arm and pulled him away, leaving the other shinigami to themselves.

"I'll be in the lab," he announced.

"Okay. Just don't fall asleep in there again," Tatsumi teased.

"Uh-huh. Very funny, Mr. Work-a-holic. Anyway, this is important. Statistics are just plain boring."

"Statistics are what keeps this place running," Tatsumi argued good-naturedly.

Watari huffed. "Riiight." He placed a quick kiss on his lover's lips. "Later."

And then he was gone.

Tatsumi smiled a little and watched the blond man disappear in the building. Finally he turned to where Wakaba and Terazuma were still talking, the young woman looking excited. She was smoothing her partner's clothes, a wide smile on her features and her eyes alight. Terazuma just appeared his usual, gruff self, but he wasn't changing into the lion, which showed how much he was in control now.

Tatsumi hoped there was a solution to the problem. He knew how bad it would be for him to be separated from Watari. He loved him dearly, needed him close, and he wanted the choice to be with him whenever they felt like it. Terazuma had no such options.

Fingers crossed, he thought as he nodded at the possessed shinigami. Terazuma just nodded back, then they both went their own way. Tatsumi had matters to take care of and Terazuma had his own cases.

° ° °

Byakko walked into the depths of Tenkuu, heading for the main computer room that gave direct access to the heart of this world, to all its outposts, to the energy lines running through GensouKai. It was a restricted access room, in the bowls of the sentient palace that was one of Tsuzuki's shikigami and a Divine Commander like himself. No one who had no business being on this level could even reach the place. Tenkuu's insides were like a maze and the palace could shift walls, rooms and whole floors at will. It made for a complex and sometimes entertaining stay.

Looking over to the access station, Byakko felt something cold touch him at the sight of the black-dressed figure, seemingly suspended in mid-air, sitting on an invisible chair, with power lines and cables running from him into the ground. Touda was busy typing on the flat, transparent keyboard that hovered in front of him, his eyes on the equally flat, angled screen above.

What had Byakko freeze was the sight of the visor covering his lover's eyes, the cables attached to it, and the golden eyes he loved so much hidden behind the tinted plastic.

It looked a lot like the control device.

He swallowed and forced himself to move.

Touda turned his head at the approach and gave him a brief smile before returning to his work. Numbers, letters and strange symbols flashed across the left half of the screen while the right one had been segmented into two halves. One showed a diagram, the other a wire model of what had to be a wormhole.

"Hey," Byakko greeted the fire shikigami, trying to divulge from what he saw how far Touda had come.

"Hey. I'm almost done here."

He nodded. "Just looking in on you."

"Afraid I got lost in Tenkuu's labyrinth?" Touda teased as his fingers flew over the keys and more equations appeared.

"Nah. Only Tsuzuki can manage that."

A chuckle. "True."

"So, any progress?"

"Actually, a lot. Watari has finished the device and we're just getting ready to upload the data. If Terazuma agrees, we can run a test tomorrow."

"With him as the guinea pig?"

"Of course. It's been made for him and Kagankokushunkei. We can test it no other way."

Another equation was finished and the image of the wormhole on the bottom right hand shifted a little, bulging first, then shrinking to a tiny dot.

"Sohryu will be thrilled."

A shrug.

It took Touda another hour to finish his part of the job and he finally uploaded everything from the GensouKai mainframe into Meifu where Watari would now begin the integration of the complicated program into the miniature control device.

Disconnecting himself from the machines, Touda rose and stretched a little. He took off the visor and Byakko breathed a sigh of relief, looking into those wonderful eyes once more. Touda wrapped an arm around his waist and pulled him close.

"It's not like before," he said softly, kissing him gently.

"I know. Just... seeing you like that... it brought up some bad things. I don't want you to be controlled like that ever again."

"Neither do I. It's a necessity though, if I want to work effectively. And the cyber-visor has no influence on me."

Byakko nodded, quite aware of that. "Let's go," he only said.

They left the silent computer room and not much later stepped out of the sentient palace into the sun.

* * *

The first trial was... trying. Watari had fiddled with the device the whole night and Tatsumi knew that all his lover's knowledge, energy and brainpower was in this small key to GensouKai. But they still had to try it out and there was only one person to test it: Terazuma.

"So... what do I do?" the possessed shinigami asked warily.

"It's actually quite easy. All you do is enter the area code," Watari explained, smiling at him, "and the device does the rest. It homes you in on GensouKai."

"Area code?"

"A four digit number. Like a pass code. Not really necessary, but it keeps you from accidentally hitting the key button and ending up over there without wanting to."

"Ah." Terazuma understood safety measures. "And the code?"

"Your pick. Just enter the four numbers, hit 'ok' and then they're stored in there. Even if all of us know the code, none of us can use it. It's your shikigami that's important for this."

Terazuma nodded and typed in the four numbers, then 'ok' and waited. A small screen told him the area code had been accepted.

"Now what?"

"Type the code, then hit the small black button on the bottom left side. It should open up the gate," Watari explained and then stepped back. "Good luck."

He would need it.

Tatsumi and Watari watched in silence as Terazuma entered the code. At first nothing happened, then there was a hiss of magical energy and they were faced with a huge, black lion.

"Oh no!" Watari exclaimed.

The lion's eyes glowed red and it roared in anger and pain, wings unfolding with a snap.

Tatsumi felt the shadows stir, surrounding the angry shikigami, and he waited. The lion snarled, shaking his head as if to dislodge something, pawing. Watari swallowed, clearly confused.

"I don't understand..." he murmured and pulled out a device that looked like a pocket calculator. "Something's not right..."

Tatsumi saw the move before the Black One even made it. "Taka!"

There was an owl screech, a startled cry, and shadows shot forward, blocking the huge paw and the whole shikigami as it attacked the blond scientist. Watari rolled over the hard stone of the yard, 003 fluttering around him, screeching at the Black One, while the lion roared in fury, fighting the shadows that held him.

"Don't hurt him!" Watari yelled at his lover, scarmbling to his feet. "He's just confused!"

Tatsumi had no intention of harming the shikigami, but he also wouldn't let go.

From one second to another the lion disappeared and a very much naked and dazed Terazuma stood in its place, breathing hard, trembling.

The shadows disappeared with a whisper.

"Let me guess," the shaken man whispered hoarsely. "That didn't work..."

Watari was shaking, too. "No," he confessed. "Not at all."

Terazuma sank to his knees, one hand holding his head.

"You okay?" Watari asked, worried all of a sudden.

Tatsumi followed his lover, careful of the still dangerous man, but 003 showed no hesitation as she flew around him, hooting softly.

"Headache," Terazuma confessed.

"Let's go inside," Tatsumi said calmly. "We'll figure out what went wrong there."

And they did, supporting a shaky Terazuma who was covered by Watari's labcoat.

°

The second attempt was a little less volatile and wild, but no less painful for the main party involved. While the Black One didn't come out this time -- and they had Wakaba there just as a precaution -- the gate didn't work again. Terazuma literally ran into a wall. He bounced back from the dimensional barrier and hit the next solid object to stop his flight, which was a wall. He collided with a resounding crack.

Watari's reaction was one of startled surprise and mortification at causing his colleague harm again.

"I'm sorry," he whispered as they sat in the hospital wing and he was bandaging two broken ribs that would be healed by tomorrow. "I thought it had just been a little bug. Looks like it's much worse. I... I'm truly sorry. If we had a way to test it on an object first, I wouldn't..."

Terazuma stopped him with a held up hand. "I'm fine, Watari. No real harm done. I know I've got to be the test person, and I know you don't mean to hurt me in the process. It's okay. I want this."

Golden eyes held steady red ones.

"I want to be able to see Sohryu," Terazuma said softly. "Without asking either Wakaba or Tsuzuki all the time. I want to be able to get there -- with the key you and Touda developed."

The blond nodded. "I understand. We will get it to work. I think I need to talk to Touda. Maybe the programming's a bit off..."

"You do that, I'll get some rest." Terazuma slid off the hospital bed, suppressing a wince. "See you tomorrow."

Watari's sad golden eyes followed the injured shinigami. He understood the need to be with one's lover. Just thinking that Tatsumi would be separated from him by a dimensional barrier, depending on gates and Tsuzuki to see each other... yes, he understood. And he would make this work.

Somehow.

° ° °

It took three more attempts and another week for the device to work properly for the first time. Watari was ecstatic when he heard from Tsuzuki that Terazuma had arrived. Tatsumi had the living daylights hugged out of him by his excited lover and a kiss was planted in his lips that spoke of a celebration tonight.

In GensouKai, a slightly rattled Terazuma was greeted by his shikigami lover. Sohryu was dressed in his usual outfit, the regal, stately appearance of a leader. Blinking, trying to get his bearings while the Black One did the same, Terazuma exhaled softly.

"It worked," he whispered.

Sohryu closed the distance and leaned down a little, kissing the slightly open lips. "Yes, it did. Welcome to GensouKai."

Terazuma laughed breathlessly. It had worked! It -- had -- worked! He looked at the small electronic device that appeared as innocent as a cell phone. Watari, you're a genius!

Someone joined them and Terazuma gazed into a pair of golden eyes. Touda looked at him, features neutral.

"Tsuzuki and the others are asking if you're okay. I suppose you are."

He nodded. He felt fine; a bit dizzy but fine.

Touda's hard eyes didn't change, just grew more intense, then he turned and walked away. Terazuma had a problem handling the black shikigami, but thankfully the interaction was on a minimum level whenever he was here.

Sohryu's gentle, loving touch drew him out of his thoughts. "You should test if you can return as well," he advised.

"Yeah." He grinned a little. "See you later, I hope."

And with that he dialled home.

° ° °

Watari was proud like a new parent. His ‘baby', the Key, as he called it, worked perfectly fine. Any residual dizziness that Terazuma had experienced the first few times, had disappeared. His visits to GensouKai went smoothly and without a hitch.

Snuggling against Tatsumi, enjoying the warmth of their afterglow, Watari felt good. Not just because of the sex, but also because of his success. It was good to be successful, to have created such a device, to be of help. He usually just tinkered around, invented strange little things, but not this time.

"You brain is going to explode," Tatsumi muttered.

Watari blinked. "Huh?"

Sleepy blue eyes blinked at him. "I know that expression. You're thinking about something again. The Key, probably." He yawned a little. "And your head is going to explode if you keep doing it."

Watari leaned down and brushed his lips over his lover's. Tatsumi was somewhere between asleep and awake, but he responded.

"You did well, Taka," the Shadow Master murmured and smiled. "Now go to sleep."

"Yes, Mom." It felt good to be needed, to be useful.

° ° °

In GensouKai, Sohryu looked at his lover. Terazuma was out like a light. Naked underneath the bed cover, black hair tousled, features relaxed, he looked young and innocent. Sohryu smiled to himself.

Right!

Pushing a rogue strand of hair out of his face, the dragon shikigami leaned back against the headboard and just watched the man he loved, the man he had fought for not to lose, and the man he wouldn't let go. Terazuma Hajime; shinigami. He would never have thought that his partner would be a shinigami, let alone a man. He had had male lovers before, but this one was special. This was the one, he mused. He felt it deep down inside.

And it was what made him happy. Tsuzuki had remarked on the changes in him, as had Byakko and Touda. Even his own children had said something to the effect.
The changes weren't just because of Terazuma, but also because of the latest events, because of Tsuzuki, because of Touda, because of Byakko. All of them.

He smiled more.

The future looked good, not just for him.