Author's Voice of Warning (aka Author's Note):
English is not our language; it's German. This is the best we can do. Any mistakes you find in here, collect them and you might win a prize |g| The spell-checker said everything's okay, but  you know how trustworthy those thingies are.....

ARCHIVE: yes
TYPE: yaoi
WARNINGS: character death (not one of our main ones...)

Based on the GensouKai Arc scanlations of Hanayume 2001 found at this site:

http: / / www.geocities.com / yamiflash /

The Five Generals, Watari's involvement in the Mother project, some events with Kurikara are taken from here. We took what we needed and ran with it, as we usually do. This is semi-canon in parts, the rest is our on-going series.
 

RATING: R, for violence
PAIRING(s): multiple
FEEDBACK: empty inbox seeks emails
 
 

Five worlds existed in separate realms.

There was Heaven, the realm of the angels, and of course Hell, the realm of devils and demons. Each was reigned by their respective Lord.

Between them stood Meifu, the place where the souls of the living were judged before they went either to Heaven or Hell. The shinigami, the angels of death, were the executive force of Meifu. They were sent out to retrieve lost souls, souls about to be claimed by devils, and to fight against Hell for each and every soul. Their work place was ChiJou, the world of the living, which was unaware for most parts that there were beings like them.

Last but not least came GensouKai, the home of the shikigami. Among all of them, the shikigami were the only ones who lived in a digital world, a place where they had found refuge when the world of the living had pushed their realm close to extinction because of the rapid growth of science and humanity as such. Shikigami worked as partners with the shinigami, though not every angel of death had such a being.

Some had one.

Normal was two or three.

Only one shinigami in all Meifu commanded twelve, and those were the most powerful of them all – the Divine Commanders.

Tsuzuki Asato was one of the oldest shinigami in the Shokan Division and until a few years ago he had been one among many. He had been seen as lazy, childish, too caught up in sweets and other goodies, always ready to shirk his duty. He hated writing reports and had one of the calmest regions to take care of.

Until a few years ago...

Things had changed rapidly in those past few years. Relationships had developed, friendships had formed, old beliefs had been destroyed or forever altered, and Tsuzuki had proven to be a lot more than what he showed to the outside.

To everyone.

Tsuzuki was vitally important to the survival of the five realms, he was the pivotal point of all power, he wielded that power, and it was all wrapped up in that innocent package. No one had known about his importance until the day he had almost died because of a virus that had struck down Touda, killing the shikigami bonded to him through Enma-Daiou's intervention.

That virus was the reason why Watari Yutaka, shinigami and certified genius, owner of three doctorates, an agile mind that was intrigued by anything and everything, had started his research into the origin of this strange infection. Touda had been infected throughout the days he and Watari had worked on the Key, the access device created for Terazuma. With the Key, Terazuma was no longer forced to rely on the regular Gates into GensouKai. Touda had been working on the GensouKai side, Watari on the Meifu side, and together the Key had become a success.

But it had also started an avalanche of events.

By now, after so much time had passed, Watari knew that the avalanche had started a long time ago. Probably right around the time of Tsuzuki's death.

The blond sat back and chewed on his lower lip.

Terazuma's detective mind had been a great help in discovering new and mostly scary facts. They had taken apart the occurrences of the last fifty years, starting with when GensouKai had entered the digital world. That had been the moment when Tsuzuki's role had been forever changed. He commanded the twelve Divine Commanders, and with it the Council of the four Protectors. The Protectors had been responsible for moving GensouKai into the world of the Net, and only because Tsuzuki had supplied them with enough psychic power had they been able to accomplish this feat.

Shinigami profited from the strength of their master. Tsuzuki was exceptional. Very much so. His strength supplied all twelve with more than they had ever felt before, it had enabled them to survive in their new realm, stabilize it, balance it in the Net. Should this psychic energy link die, the twelve would no longer be able to keep GensouKai from drifting away from the other realms.

Watari had been baffled and scared by this, mainly because of the coincidence.

GensouKai had become unstable right around the time the last of the twelve, Touda, had become Tsuzuki's shikigami. Byakko had been the first over seventy years ago, and the others had followed, some by accident, some by challenge.

Tsuzuki had saved the shinigami world by accident, too. No one had known.

But the Golden Emperor, the Lord of GensouKai, should have been able to tell.

No one knew the Emperor. No one had seen him since the wars that had raged through GensouKai. Not even Sohryu, the representative of him, had ever seen him face to face.

Another mystery.

As they dug deeper and deeper, Watari was convinced that this was one complex and dangerous enterprise they were undertaking. They were trying to find answers and only had more questions, and his fear always somersaulted when he remembered the authorized access to his computer that had wiped the only copy of the strange computer virus that had nearly killed Touda.

Only one person could access his computer.

Well, two, actually. Of those two, one was a super-computer. The other was the Lord of Hades himself.

Watari shivered.

003 hooted softly and nibbled at his hair.

"Yes," he murmured and stroked over the tiny head with a finger. "I know. But... what other explanation is there?"

Another hoot and she hopped closer.

Watari smiled sadly.

He was startled by the door banging open and Tatsumi running into the room. For a second the shadows quivered and Watari swallowed hard.

"Terazuma has disappeared!"

The blond paled dramatically. "What?!"

Blue eyes were ablaze with emotions. "He left for GensouKai and only the Black One arrived. Terazuma isn't either in Meifu or in GensouKai and we can't locate him in the world of the living. We're already looking."

Watari began to tremble. "Enma's name..."

° ° °

Sohryu stared at the sight before him with wide, disbelieving eyes. He felt the same surprise from the man who had accompanied him.

"Kagankokushunkei," Touda whispered and it sounded like a curse.

The huge, black lion lifted its head from its paws, rumbling softly. The large bat wings lay limply at his side, the dark fur glistened in the sun, and the red eyes held a strangely dull expression.

Sohryu couldn't sense Terazuma in the lion, so this wasn't a simple transformation to let the lion roam free. And Hajime had never come here in his lion form either.

The moment the gate had opened, Sohryu had been alerted to his lover's arrival, but when he had gone out to meet him, there had been no one. Only the lion.

"Something's wrong," Touda growled and walked over to the impressive shikigami.

The lion whined a little, looking far from aggressive.

"Where is he, cat?"

Another whine, followed by a wuffling sound. The wings shook weakly.

Sohryu paled.

Touda just stared at the lower shikigami in astonishment.

"Impossible," he murmured.

Terazuma had started the jump with the lion inside him, using his shikigami's innate power to come to his home realm to navigate, coupled with the Key Watari had made him. Nothing could go wrong; nothing had ever gone wrong. Terazuma and Kagankokushunkei were fused together until Terazuma either ascended or died. Nothing could separate them.

But only the lion had arrived.

Terazuma was gone.

Touda's eyes took on a faraway expression, then closed slowly as he sank quickly into the bond he had to his shinigami master.
 

::Tsuzuki!::

There was a startled yelp, then the powerful presence of his friend was there, quizzical. ::Touda?::

::Is Terazuma in Meifu?:: he demanded.

::Huh? Terazuma? No, I don't think so. He wanted to visit Sohryu. Why?::

Touda swallowed a curse.

::Touda?::

::The lion arrived. Terazuma didn't::

::What?!:: Tsuzuki's presence grew. ::Where is he?::

::I wish I knew. Are you sure he isn't in Meifu?::

::I'll look:: he promised. ::I'll get back to you. Tell Sohryu to sit tight.::

Touda almost smiled, then pulled slowly back as not to hurt his master. When he opened his eyes, he was looking into the stormy ones of his oldest friend.

"Tsuzuki is looking for Terazuma."

Sohryu rumbled a little and was about to turn when Touda grabbed his arm.

"And he told me to tell you not to come to Meifu. Tsuzuki is taking care of things there. He'll get back to me the moment he has something." Golden eyes glanced at the lion not far away. "We have to take care of the Black One."

Sohryu followed his gaze, looking at the lower shikigami. His lover's shikigami.

"Yes," he murmured.

Touda clapped him on the back. "Let's go. Leave the rest to our master for now."

As strange as it sounded, it was the best to do. Tsuzuki was a lot more than he appeared to be and he was quite capable of handling the Meifu side of things.

° ° °

Hands clapped in the mockery of an applause and silvery eyes shone in the soft light of the room.

"Bravo," Muraki chuckled. "You actually did it."

The slender, handsome figure of Enma-Daiou turned to his sole companion in this vast space of no-time and smiled. It was a chilling smile, cold and calculating.

"It isn't victory yet."

"It never is." Muraki leaned against a precious marble pillar that had been made by the most talented of all artists, hewn in the most expensive of marble. It was cool and smooth against his skin, the coolness seeping through his simple, white shirt.

Enma smiled more. He walked over to the other man and those infinite, black eyes met inhuman silvery ones.

"Do you still think your plan will succeed?"

Muraki smiled coldly. "I am a master."

"Never forget your place with me, though," was the soft addition and slender but strong fingers pushed fine strands of hair out of the human's face.

"Never," Muraki purred.

He was pulled into a hard kiss that ended in a bite that clearly told him his rank and position.

"Let me go?" he whispered as a hand slipped around his waist, pulling him closer to his master and lover.

"Hm, I think I have to," Enma replied roughly, then kissed him again.

This time it wasn't a simple kiss. It was deep and demanding and its force pushed Muraki against the pillar, one of those slender but vice-like hands around his wrists as they were pushed above his head, the other inside his pants. He closed his eyes and groaned loudly.

"Later, you can go," Enma whispered.

His reply was sealed with another kiss that took his breath away.

° ° °

Tsuzuki ran into the lab and came to a sudden stop as he took in the presence of both Tatsumi and Watari. 003 hooted a greeting and he gave her a brief smile. The ex-angel was perched on a shelf, watching them.

"Terazuma..." he started.

"Disappeared," Tatsumi finished.

Tsuzuki nodded. "I just heard if from Touda. Where is he?"

"We don't know," Watari said softly, looking worried. "The lion is in GensouKai?"

"Yes. He's confused and Touda says he refuses to move from where he landed. Right now they have Tenkou and Kijin watching him."

"I'll scan the realms," the scientist told them.

"You can do that?" Tatsumi exclaimed.

"Well, in a way," was the slightly hesitant reply. "You know I experimented with the wormhole technique and created the Key."

The Shadow Master nodded, frowning slightly, arms crossed.

"And... and to work with wormholes, you have to understand how they connect to the realms. I, errr, well, I developed a scanning system to find out where each realm is in relation to another at a specific moment in time."

Watari twisted his hands. He wasn't as enthusiastic about it as he usually was. Tatsumi just stared at him, paling slightly, and there was an almost visible dark cloud gathering over his head.

"How close did you scan them?" he demanded.

"Uhm..."

"Watari!"

Watari ducked his head between his shoulders. "I discovered it by accident, Tatsumi," he hurried to add. "I wasn't planning on doing anything with it! It was just something... well... a by-product, you know. Like a lot of things. Like the Key. Wormholes are so interesting and when I heard from Tsuzuki that they started appearing randomly in GensouKai, I wanted to understand why. And it was in my free time, too!"

Tatsumi almost growled, blue eyes flashing. Tsuzuki laid a hand on his friend's arm.

"You can find out where Terazuma is?" he asked.

"I can tell what route he took. The Key is his exit, the lion his entry point. The Key enables him to leave, the lion takes him along on the ride and delivers him to Meifu. I can discover his heading and what other realm was close. He might have ended up there. Realms are like gravitational holes in space. When he got separated, he was probably pulled to the closest realm." Watari beamed, though his eyes were still filled with a little fear as he looked at his lover, who happened to be his boss, too.

"Do it," Tatsumi just ordered.

Watari nodded and set to work. Tsuzuki leaned against the wall, face uncharacteristically serious. Opening the link to Touda, he let his friend know what was happening on their side and getting an update on GensouKai.

* * *

"Terazuma opened a gate here," Watari explained and stabbed at a point on his map.

It was a rough sketch that consisted of five spheres. Each looked a bit more elliptic than spherical, but that didn't matter. What mattered was the science behind it. Watari had never been a great artist, but he was a genius in his special fields.

"He used the Key, as usual, and initiated the jump. What should have happened as that he left Meifu," Watari circled one of the spheres with a finger, then drew a straight line to another sphere, "and ended up in GensouKai. He has done it dozens of times and the artificial wormhole, combined with the shikigami he carries, are a safe way to travel."

"It didn't happen," Tatsumi added.

"No. Kagankokushunkei appeared in GensouKai, but Terazuma didn't. They separated for reasons unknown and while the shikigami followed his instinct to return to his home realm, Terazuma was left afloat. Here."

Another general circling of the spheres.

"The closest realm I could find that was near Meifu at the time and that might have interfered with the transfer is here."

The finger landed on a crude ellipse.

"Hell."

Tatsumi froze. "What?!" he exclaimed.

Watari's face was serious, showed no trace of humor. "Heaven was too far away, as was the world of the living. There is only Hell."

Tsuzuki, who had listened silently, his face as uncharacteristically serious as Watari's, moved forward, gazing at the drawing.

"You sure?" he asked quietly.

"No. I can only be sure if someone goes there and asks."

Tatsumi paled. "Are you mad?! We can't go into Hell!"

"But Terazuma might be there!"

"We can't go there!" the Shadow Master repeated.

"No, we can't," Tsuzuki interrupted the next reply, which had Watari gaping.

"Tsuzuki..."

"But I know someone who can," he added with a fine smile.

"Huh?"

"I know someone who could help find him in Hell if we have a way inside. I have to ask him, but I think he would say yes."

Tatsumi opened his mouth, then closed it again. Finally he just shook his head. "Do I want to know where you know such a person from?"

That got him a bright Tsuzuki-style smile. "Nope!"

Tatsumi rounded on Watari and gave his lover a sharp look. "Which brings me to the question, how do you know how to open a gate into Hell?" he demanded.
Watari fiddled with a pen. "Uhm. It came up throughout an experiment," he answered lamely.

"It came up? A doorway into the middle of Hell?!"

"Not into the middle, really..."

"Watari!"

The blond ducked a little. "Well, maybe I was a bit over-excited and got carried away."

A soft hooting came from one of the lab shelves and 003 gave her friend a dubious look, a look that was mirrored by Tatsumi.

"Wherever it came from, it can help!" Watari added quickly, a smile accompanying the words. "Seii... please... Terazuma is most likely in Hell and we can get him back!"

"Not we. Definitely not you," Tatsumi muttered and looked at Tsuzuki again. "Do I want to know who this person is you have in mind?"

Tsuzuki shook his head. "Nope. It's better if you don't. Like I said, I need to ask him first. But if he says yes, we can go, right?"

The Shadow Master rubbed his aching head. "I know it'll get me into deep trouble, but yes, you can go. I'll deny knowledge of this madness as long as I can."

Watari smiled brightly and was suddenly in front of the slightly taller man, giving him a chaste kiss. "That's my Seii. Thanks."

Tatsumi cleared his throat, but the next move was also taken from him by his lover as Watari stole a real kiss that ended in flushed cheeks and arms around each other's waists. Tsuzuki only smiled, always happy when his friends were.

"So, when are you going to ask that person?" Tatsumi asked.

"Right away." Tsuzuki hesitated.

"Can I come along?" Watari wanted to know eagerly. "We have to move fast and I can bring my equipment with me."

There was a strange, guarded expression on Tsuzuki's face, then he nodded. Watari smiled more and started to gather his things. As they left the lab and Tatsumi walked back to his office, Tsuzuki turned to Watari.

"I need to call someone else," he said.

"Oh?"

"Uhm, Rikugo."

"Why?"

"I think it's best if he's there, too," Tsuzuki answered vaguely.

Watari frowned a little but only shrugged. "Sure. Okay. Whatever."

Tsuzuki nodded and concentrated on the bond to contact Touda. There was no sense in a Summoning since that would have Rikugo here in battle form, and there was no need for that.

::Touda, I need a favor...::

° ° °

Sohryu was in his private chambers, unable to decide whether to shake from fury or from fear. No one dared to approach him, no one had disturbed him since he had come here. He looked far from his regal self and while he had managed a dozen crisis of the same dimensions in the past, lately too much had happened in too short a time.

Terazuma was in Hell. At least they suspected he was. And if he was...

Hell didn't tolerate intruders. Since no one had found any trace of Hajime, he was either still there or had been thrown out and was lying somewhere, injured or worse.
The very image made his stomach turn and he closed his eyes, willing his body to listen to his commands.

He was the representative of the Emperor. He couldn't break down.

The door opened without anyone knocking and Sohryu whirled around, aura flaring with rage at the audacity of whoever was visiting. Cool, golden eyes met fiery blue-gray ones and Sohryu felt himself deflate at the presence of his oldest friend.

"Tsuzuki contacted me," Touda reported calmly. "It seems that Watari has found a way to breach the realms and send someone into Hell to look for Terazuma."

Sohryu blinked. "What? Tsuzuki...?"

"No, not our master You can believe me that I wouldn't let him go. It seems he knows someone who can."

The dragon frowned, but Touda didn't elaborate. The serpent's eyes swept the room.

"You done holing up in here?"

Sohryu shot him a dark look, but Touda was completely unfazed.

"We still have another problem on our hands, Sohryu. Kagankokushunkei."

"What about him?"

"He hasn't eaten since he came here, he isn't moving, and while he looks like a depressed cat, I doubt he is. Something's wrong."

"Which would be? Aside from missing his master?"

"He was violently torn apart from Terazuma," Touda reminded him. "It must have left traces. Someone should examine him."

Sohryu nodded tiredly. "Have Kochin or Taimo do it."

Touda's brows dipped at the dismissive tone of voice. "And you are going to mourn and sulk here for the next few hours?" he challenged.

Sohryu growled. "I can do what I want, Touda," he snapped.

"No, you can't! You are our commander, Sohryu, in case you have forgotten. You represent the Emperor in a time of constant change. I know this is personal and believe me, I feel with you!" Touda explained forcefully. "I would be the same if it had been Byakko – and it was him too often lately! And because of what happened we need you out there, not in here pining over your lover!"

The dragon eyes flared and the aura sparked. Touda didn't budge.

"He isn't dead yet!" he added viciously, like a last strike.

Sohryu flinched. Touda just turned on his heels and stalked out of the room.

Silence descended.

After a while, Sohryu smiled humorlessly.

"No one would dare talk to me like you do, Touda," he whispered into the empty room. "Thank you."

He left the private chamber, ready to meet whatever came head-on.

° ° °

Tsuzuki walked into the Palace of Candles, immediately aware of the presence coming closer, of the familiar aura of the master of this place. The Count was wearing his mask, just like expected, rendering him invisible except for the white gloved hands and the half mask.

"Tsuzuki," he was greeted warmly. "What a pleasant surprise." Then he turned his attention to the two men accompanying him. "Watari... Rikugo..."

If he was surprised by the presence of the shikigami, he didn't say it.

"Count," he answered formally, then glanced at Watari whose mystified expression hadn't changed ever since the appearance of Rikugo and their trip to this remote place. "I'm here on official business. Can we talk? Privately?"

He could almost imagine the frown that was hidden behind the shield the mask created and the Count nodded. "Of course. Follow me."

They entered one of the many rooms, the one room that was more or less the main study of the Count, and the master of the Palace turned to them, fingers interlaced.

"How may I be of service?"

Tsuzuki inhaled deeply, then began to explain what had happened, how Terazuma had been lost in transfer and only the lion had arrived, how Watari had finally found out which realm had been closest to his trajectory and the moment he mentioned Hell, Tsuzuki knew that the Count realized where this was leading.

"You can open a gateway into Hell?" he asked, the mask turning to Watari.

The scientist nodded, smiling a little. "One of my more successful experiments, but we can't go through without an invitation of the Lord of Hell, which we won't get. Only a demon can enter his home realm."

"That's why we're here," Tsuzuki added carefully.

The Count was silent, then turned abruptly and looked out the window. "Do you know what you're asking, Tsuzuki?" he asked quietly.

"Yes, completely, but it's our only chance. Will you help?"

There was another lengthy silence as the masked man stared into the landscaped garden, the wide expanse of the maze and the adjoining forest. His hands were clasped behind his back.

"Do you trust him?" he finally asked.

"Yes. Watari can keep a secret."

The blond nodded. "Sure can."

"Even from Tatsumi?"

Watari flushed. "I'm not spilling my guts to him whenever we meet! Only because I know something doesn't mean he does so, too!"

The Count turned and his invisible eyes bore into the younger man. "I have to trust you on this, Watari Yutaka, because it's the only way we can help Terazuma – if he is in Hell."

"You can," Watari said seriously, then he shot Tsuzuki a quizzical look.

"Me and Rikugo know already," was the soft answer.

"Know what?"

The Count reached for his mask and Tsuzuki glanced at his friend. Watari's eyes widened and his mouth opened, but before he could react the mask was off and he was looking at the man underneath it. Red eyes in a handsome, young face met golden ones. Black hair fell in a tousled style, and the slightly pointed ears reminded of Terazuma's signs of shikigami possession. Dressed in his usual formal wear, the Count didn't look like many imagined him to be. Tsuzuki had known the truth for a while now, and he had kept the secret.

003 hooted softly. She had been absolutely silent ever since they had entered the palace, sitting on her friend's shoulder, almost hiding in the wild curls of blond hair. Now her huge eyes were even larger, fixed on the visible form of the Count.

Watari's mouth snapped shut and he tried to comprehend what he was seeing. The aura only Tsuzuki had ever perceived as so close to his own was now flaring fully, identifying the Count as what he truly was.

003 bristled slightly, but she remained where she was.

"You... you're....?"

Ryu smiled a little, not moving from where he stood. "I'm a demon, Watari. At least more or less. It's a long story and let's say I started out human and ended up this way."

"But... you're working for Enma Daiou!"

"Yes. He and the Lord of Hell came to an agreement. It was a deal where I wasn't asked and I'm serving my time... well, eternity, here."

Watari was reeling.

"Ryu's the only one who can make the step, who can go into Hell and see if Terazuma actually ended up there," Tsuzuki explained.

"You'll do it?" Rikugo asked, speaking up for the very first time.

Ryu nodded. "I'm your and his only chance, right?" A weak smile played over the smooth features. "Tell me Enma knows about this?"

Tsuzuki grimaced. "We're on our own."

A soft groan. "Great. Then again, what more can he do to me?"

Rikugo stepped over to the slender man and cupped his cheek. "This is voluntary, Ryu. No one's forcing you to do anything. If you say no, we'll find a different way."

He swallowed. "But there isn't one, right? This is your only idea..." Red eyes met Watari's and the scientist nodded reluctantly. "I'll do it," Ryu whispered. "Just... open the doorway."

Rikugo leaned down and brushed his lips over his lover's and Tsuzuki saw Watari's shock deepen.

"They're...?"

He nodded. "Yep."

"Oh." Watari was trying to cope with all the news and finally visibly composed himself. One of his trade-mark grins spread over his face. "Well, then! Let's get to work!"

Tsuzuki chuckled. Watari began to set up his laptop and typed away, chewing on his lower lip as he did so, fingers flying over the keys. Tsuzuki glanced over where Rikugo was still with Ryu, talking softly, now and then touching the demon. He smiled softly at the sight, proud of how far they had come, how much had changed for the better.

He was quite aware of the fact that Ryu was far from healed. He was a very damaged soul, but Rikugo's continued presence was a healing force. It might take decades or centuries for Ryu to be the man he had once been, but Tsuzuki knew he would do everything to help him.

°

It took Watari barely fifteen minutes to set everything up. It looked easy in a way, like a child's game, but it was a serious matter and Watari's expression was a mirror of his inner tension. He was about to create an artificial wormhole from the Palace into Hell, sending Ryu through, and nothing about it could be taken lightly.

"Ready?" he asked the Count, who looked as tense as the scientist himself.

Ryu smiled humorlessly. "Not really, no, but let's do it."

Watari nodded and put in the correct sequence.

* * *

It was a different world but still the same. Ryu knew he had stepped through a wormhole that connected Meifu and Hell, and he was in Hell, but nothing he saw was any different from where he had been. Around him, there was the Palace of Candles. His home, his prison, the place he knew inside out.

Ryu smiled humorlessly as he took in the perfect replica of a building he had spent two millennia in. Yes, perfect. Absolutely.

Hell was a realm where nothing was what it seemed. It shaped itself to the mind of the person using it. There was a general basic look, but it wasn't the hostile landscape with rains of fire and endless chasms everyone thought it was. It wasn't much different from Meifu or GensouKai in that regard, but it was Hell. And Hell was what everyone made of it.

Those banished here to eternally serve their sentence would end up in their personal hell, a space that read their minds, shaped the matter around them to reflect what was hell for the individual, and for Ryu, hell was his prison.

He walked out the main door and looked at the landscape. A replica as well, with no blade of grass amiss. Only one thing told him that this wasn't Meifu...

Ryu looked around, feeling his demon blood rise to the sensation of being home. This was where the creature he had absorbed had come from. This was...had been its home. And because he reacted so strongly to it, he knew he had successfully managed to go into Hell. That and the fact that he couldn't feel the Palace around himself. The Palace was a semi-sentient being, connected to its Master, able to shape itself to his will, and that was gone.

Now the blood reacted and it called out.

"Ah, the lost sheep returns."

He turned and looked at someone who hadn't been there before. It was a man, not much taller than him, with glasses perched on his nose, dark eyes glinting behind them, and dressed in... a brown tweed suit? The man smiled at him.

"Who are you?" Ryu asked, then tilted his head. "Scratch that. I know who you are. The Lord of Hell."

The man in the tweed suit smiled more. He looked like the bookish type, at home in an office, a paper pusher, a calculator on legs, a book keeper. Still, the eyes were off. The eyes and the aura. It gave Ryu the creeps and the coldness permeating his soul had nothing to do with the fire of Hell.

"I am Astaroth. And you are Ryu, the demon slayer. You took in one of mine, erased his existence and made him into you. Quite an accomplishment, I have to tell you. Few humans have that power, but you were more than a master at it. You did what few of your kind dream of."

Ryu didn't respond, just met the inhuman eyes levelly.

"This place brings it out, doesn't it?" the Lord of Hell asked casually. "You can hear the call of the wild nature of your other self. You want to be what Enma-Daiou never allowed you to be."

A grin made Ryu shiver.

"Poor guy. Your true self sealed. Cruel punishment. Let me help you with that."

Astaroth snapped his fingers and suddenly something ripped through Ryu, something tore at his very core, turned it inside out, curled under his skin, crawled along his nerves and sizzled through his mind.

His mouth opened for a scream.

Knees distended, skin broke and deformed and there was a sharp pain as something exploded out of his back. His agonized cry echoed inside the realm and he dug his fingers into the ground. Horrified he looked at what they had become. Claws. Sharp and taloned, the skin of his hands and his forearm... his whole arm... everything.. was suddenly a leathery-scaley mass, like a hard shield.

"Now you are what lies inside you," the Lord of Hell chuckled. "Now we can proceed."

Ryu was panting, on his knees, the pain only slowly ebbing away. All his joints ached, his head was pounding, and an unusual weight on his back was pushing him down. He turned his head and to his horror discovered a pair of large, bat-like wings. His hands were no longer human; they were clawed, armored... ending in taloned hands. His color was a dusky blue on black. He could see it on his arms and legs – and his tail. A long tail ending in a stinger.

His demon self.

He was glad there was no reflective surface because he would probably have nightmares of his true self, looking into a face that was no longer his own.

"So, Ryu, what brings you here?" Astaroth asked pleasantly.

He glared at the powerful being. "You seem to know everything, why ask?" he ground out.

"You are rather impertinent for one in such a precarious and vulnerable position." The Lord of Hell chuckled. "But I like impertinence. I believe you would get very far in my realm. I can think of a few positions..."

"Not interested!" Ryu managed to fold his wings and sat back, trying to gain a sort of balance.

"Probably not. Too bad, too bad." The tongue clicked once and the intense eyes held an expression of regret. "You are still owned by Enma anyway. Wouldn't want any political conflicts over such a fine specimen."

Ryu snarled softly.

"Temper, temper. So... ask your questions. You came here, such a long way, and you shouldn't go home without the answers."

He staggered to his feet, towering over the smaller man, but Ryu had no illusions as to who would be the winner should he be foolish enough to attack the Lord of Hell.

"A shinigami was lost in transfer between Meifu and GensouKai. He was separated from his shikigami, which got into GensouKai. The realm closest to the artificial wormhole was Hell. I want to know if you had any unannounced guests."

Astaroth studied him silently, then smiled slightly. "Why should I tell you?"

"Because you don't keep unwanted guests, as well as souls that don't belong here," Ryu shot back. "Only judged souls end up in Hell and stay here. You wouldn't keep an innocent, let alone a shinigami."

A chuckle. "So true. They're more trouble than they're worth. Well, you're right with that, but no one came here either."

Ryu stared hard at him. "No one?" he repeated.

"No one. I was aware of something happening outside my realm, true, but no unauthorized entry was registered, aside from you."

The Lord of Hell wouldn't lie, Ryu knew. Keeping souls who didn't belong here was a bureaucratic nightmare and forcing them into Hell was just the same. Only the judged ones resided here. Anyone else was either a tolerated guest, visitor or an intruder. All were dealt with accordingly.

"The wormhole didn't touch Hell?"

"No. It was close, but it didn't connect." Fingers interlaced and the bespectacled eyes glinted. "Now, if that's all, I think we should get back to our daily business. Your visiting hours are over, Ryu. Drop by again should you feel like coming home for a while. Homesickness can be cured."

A smile was added to the sweet words and Ryu gritted his teeth.

"Not likely."

"Never say never. Now..." The grin widened. "Good-bye. Give my regards to Tsuzuki. I knew his father well. Too bad his time came so soon."

And Astaroth snapped his fingers.

There was a brief rushing sound, a sensation of being sucked into a tunnel, then Ryu disappeared into darkness.

° ° °

The gate opened with a rush of power, spewing out the only traveler. Watari had a satisfied, pleased smile on his face that the experimental idea had worked, but the smile was wiped off the moment he saw what had come through.

It was only for about five seconds that he saw it. Tall, clawed hands and feet, armored, winged, horns... and red eyes that defied the term 'human'. He saw the creature of Hell, took in the long tail with its sharp blade at the end, the pointed ears, the fangs, and the fear broke through with a vengeance. Watari stumbled back, gasping, the palm top cluttering from his numb hand.

Demon! his mind screamed. Demon!

Memories flashed back at him.

"Shinigami," the devil growled over the din of the alarms.

 Watari's eyes shot open wide in shock and he scrambled back. A devil! The devil! The thing that had tried to kill him before!

 Baal - here!

 In Meifu!

 An energy blast raced toward him and he sprinted out of the way, the shelves around him exploding into a shower of burned paper and metal debris.

 "You are mine!" the devil screeched.

 Watari was flung forward as the creature hit him again and he felt bones crack under the impact. Pain shot through his leg, his back, and he spat blood.

 "I waited long enough," Baal whispered, towering over him, baring long fangs. "You will be a very tasty meal."

Watari started to tremble more.

No, no, no!

Watari felt the breath leave his lungs as he was thrown against the wall, the bricks breaking under the impact. He slumped to the ground, groaning softly. The demon jumped and he felt its claws dig into his leg.

He screamed in pain.

Blood gushed from the deep puncture wounds, joining the blood already pooling around him from numerous injuries. His body was trying to heal itself, but there were too many wounds, too deep, and something was keeping his body from responding quickly. The scientific part of his mind told Watari that the demon's saliva was probably poisoned, stopping or slowing down the healing.

"Weak creature," the demon whispered, its hot breath brushing over his blood-matted hair. "Pathetic."

Watari swallowed hard. His experience with demons had been rather... unpleasant lately, and the appearance of Baal, as well as the fact that Watari's own soul had been sold to Hell by his former best friend had left marks. A lot of them.

And they hadn't healed yet.

The creature shifted. There was an inhuman cry as wings shrunk back into the twisting, writhing mass of muscles, as limbs returned to a human anatomical shape, as the horns disappeared. It happened in seconds, but it was the most horrifying and painful thing Watari had ever seen.

The screams would follow him for days.

Collapsing onto the ground, curling up with whimpers of pain, a very human looking Ryu had his eyes closed and was shaking uncontrollably. Watari stared at the naked man, the man who was a demon. He hadn't really believed it until the moment Ryu had passed through the Gate and hadn't been pushed back by the barriers. He had never given it a thought that the Count would have a demonic look as well. The red eyes... had been almost normal.

Now...

Watari drew a shuddering breath, unable to tear his shocked gaze from the groaning man who was barely able to keep himself from shaking.

Demon...

There was a difference between knowing that the Count, Ryu, was a demon, and then seeing him in his true form.

Rikugo knelt down next to his lover and wrapped his coat around the naked figure. Red eyes opened, clouded, almost delirious with the agony he had gone through.

"Demon," Watari whispered.

Tsuzuki was suddenly at his side, face pale but composed. "Watari?"

"How... how can Enma let something like that live here?" the scientist whispered, shell-shocked, still not able to think clearly. "This creature..."

"His name is Ryu!" Tsuzuki said harshly, voice low and cutting through Watari's haze like a blade. "He is a man!"

"A demon," Watari repeated, feeling cold.

"Watari, snap out of it!"

Strong hands grabbed him, shook him, and he blinked as amethyst eyes bore into his golden ones.

"Yes, Ryu's a demon! So am I, for that matter! I just don't look it! Get a hold of yourself, Watari! Now!"

The scientist took in a shuddering breath, then pushed back the memories and his emotions.

"I... I just didn't expect him to... well, look like one," he murmured.

He gazed at the barely conscious form, cradled in Rikugo's arms, the shikigami's fingers stroking over the unruly, black hair. He was whispering softly to his lover.

"He does. And I saw him for the first time, too, in case you're wondering," Tsuzuki told him firmly. "Now snap out of this!"
 
 

Tsuzuki walked over to where his shikigami was still holding the man in question. Ryu was conscious, but he seemed to be in pain. Red eyes glowed with the intensity of it.

"Hey," Tsuzuki greeted him softly.

"Hey. I'm back."

"So you are." An unspoken question hung in the air and one look into the agonized eyes told Tsuzuki that Ryu was far from okay or fine.

"He doesn't have him, Tsuzuki," the Count whispered. "I talked to the Lord of Hell and Terazuma never made it there. There was a disturbance, but no wormhole connected with the realm."

"Shit," Tsuzuki muttered, realizing what that meant.

Terazuma was adrift in Limbo.

"Sorry," Ryu murmured.

"Not your fault." Tsuzuki gave him a smile. "Thank you for trying."

He squeezed one cold hand and Ryu nodded at him. Tsuzuki shot Rikugo a look and the shikigami nodded. He would take care of the totally exhausted man. The shinigami turned back to his colleague, pleased to note that Watari had somewhat recovered from his shock.

"Watari?"

Watari tore his eyes away from the two men. Ryu, wrapped up tightly in the long coat of his lover, was leaning heavily against Rikugo, barely able to walk.

"I... I need to go through my data again," the scientist mumbled.

"And we need to tell the others what happened."

Watari nodded, still working through his shock. Tsuzuki grabbed him by the arms and held the amber eyes with determined violet ones.

"Yutaka," he said firmly.

"I... Tsuzuki..."

"We need to focus! You need to focus!"

"Yes... I... of course." Watari shook himself, running a hand over his hair. "It was just unexpected. My track record with demon is rather... uhm... bad."

Tsuzuki gave him a sympathetic look. "I know. But Ryu isn't a demon or devil like the others. He's like us."

Watari smiled wanly. "Yeah. Sorry."

"It's okay. Just... give him a chance."

"Okay."

"Good. Let's go then."

"I'm staying."

That had Tsuzuki stop dead in his tracks. "What?"

"I'm staying here, Tsuzuki. My equipment is already here and I need to run some data."

The amber eyes held a firm expression, not to be swayed from what Watari thought had to be done, and Tsuzuki met the hard eyes with a smile.

"You sure?" he only repeated once.

Watari nodded. "Yes, Tsuzuki, I'm sure. Terazuma is out there, in Limbo, lost and probably already suffering from the effects. We need to find him and the only way to do so is to continue looking. I can do that from here."

It was also the safest place. Watari had a few suspicions as to what had happened to Terazuma, why he had disappeared, like kidnapped, and if his suspicions were correct, the Palace was the only place where he had a measure of safety. The Count was the master of this place and no one, not even a Lord of Hades, could enter if Ryu denied him access.

"Okay," Tsuzuki agreed. "You do that. I'll see Hisoka, tell him what we found. I'll let Tatsumi know as well."

Watari watched Tsuzuki leave. The uneasy feeling residing inside his stomach was increasing, but he had no time to ponder every theory he had, turn it over and over in his head. It would only make his brain explode.

* * *

Enma had never planned on the bond to work so perfectly. He had triggered Tsuzuki, but since the shinigami had been too unstable, he had given him Touda as a counter-weight. The black shikigami, the hell serpent, had been perfect. Ruthless, cold, a killer, and powerful. He had been tamed by a master he had never battled but who he respected, a shinigami he obeyed and was exclusively loyal to. It had been a match made in heaven, so to speak. Enma had never been more elated than the day Tsuzuki had stumbled over the shikigami and offered him his freedom, then taking him on as his final and twelfth.

Enma had never planned to let it proceed that far, for the bond to become so tight and near-unbreakable. Since forcing the bond to break would result in the death of both, Enma had tried to remove Touda by using the virus. It hadn't worked because Tsuzuki had ended up dying with Touda.

Enma needed Tsuzuki to develop his powers because time was literally running out on him. He had a decision to make, a fateful decision, and he knew there was only one solution to his dilemma, a dilemma that had begun over a century ago. He needed Tsuzuki with his powers undone, ready to take a place no one else could. It was too soon, yes, but he had no other choice.

Everything had led to this.

From the day Tsuzuki had been born as a hybrid demon, a child that should have been impossible to be conceived by a mere human woman, to the day he had died by his own hands, Enma had watched him. He had studied this fascinating specimen, had seen the potential, and he knew he could never allow this soul to vanish in either Heaven or Hell. Tsuzuki was perfect and when he had taken his own life, there had been no way that he would not become a shinigami.

So Enma had sat back and watched, had witnessed the pain and the guilt, had seen all the ups and downs, and he had watched the power evolve. Tsuzuki had won four Gods and eight Commanders, had bound the Divine Commanders to him and through it allowed the council to move the adrift realm into cyberspace. Tsuzuki had become interwoven with GensouKai's fate.

The problem was, Enma had overlooked a few grave problems. He had never given them enough thought. Tsuzuki had latched onto Touda as an anchor, had balanced his soul, had grown stronger, and Touda had given the young man what he had been missing. The day Enma had triggered his shinigami, he had made a mistake by bonding him to the killer. He knew that now.

Tsuzuki's incredible psychic power had stabilized GensouKai, yes, but the Gods were unable to hold GensouKai in place should that power ever cease. Another problem since all worlds were so closely interwoven that the downfall of one had terrible consequences.

For Enma to have success he needed Tsuzuki to use his powers without Touda balancing, stopping or buffering him.

So he now had to bring out the big guns, he had to move fast.

This was his last chance.

And he had started the avalanche that would either be his own fall or his final victory.

° ° °

Watari had thrown himself into his research, wading through the data collected when they had briefly opened the wormhole into Hell, and he was trying to find a way to locate Terazuma should he really be in Limbo. Time was running out if he was. And because of that, he was feeling the pressure.

He was currently alone in the room he was using for his work. Rikugo had had to return to GensouKai, Watson was off somewhere, and the Count...

He bit his lower lip as the images of what the man really was flashed through his mind.

A demon. The Count was a demon, in the service of Enma-Daiou, a prisoner of this place, and Rikugo's lover. So many contradicting emotions ran through the blond and he tried to shake them off. There was no time for this!

 "I didn't figure you to stay," a soft tenor drew Watari out of his thoughts.

He turned and looked at the unmasked man. There was hardly anything demonic about him now. Still a bit on the pale side, the only reminders of who this handsome person was behind the perfect façade were the red eyes and the minimally pointy ears. Dressed in a simple, white shirt and black pants, he still looked regal and like this was where he belonged exactly, but nothing demonic showed. Not a whiff of an aura that spelled danger.

That he was still unmasked surprised Watari, but not as much as he had thought. It was a matter of trust and the fact that it was no use anyway. He had seen Ryu; he knew what he was underneath that mask and underneath that perfectly beautiful human exterior.

"If you don't mind," Watari only said.

A chuckle escaped Ryu. It was an almost sad sound and didn't match the GQ model exterior. 003 hopped to the edge of the table, head tilted, as she examined their host.

"No, Watari, I don't mind. You can have all the space you want. Call for Watson if you need something."

"Ryu!" Watari called as the slender man turned to leave.

Ryu stiffened and shot him a wary look that hurt more than anything else. "Yes?"

"Uhm, I could need help."

It was the proverbial oil branch. For a breathless moment Watari feared it would be declined, then Ryu smiled a tiny little smile.

"I'll do what I can," was the careful reply.

And he breathed again, fighting against his irrational fear that this was a servant of Hell, and nodded.

° ° °

Watari was, mildly put, astounded as to how sophisticated everything was in the palace. The terminal he was working from was first class, the latest of the latest, and powerful – though nothing could match a direct access into Mother. That sad realization had struck him after the first two hours. Whatever he tried, the sophisticated security was bringing him down again and again, despite Ryu's adeptness in handling these matters, in keeping them safe, in erasing their tracks as Watari ploughed through the levels.

Since the last time he had tried to hack into Mother, things had changed. Not just one password, no. Several levels had been replaced with new ones and Watari was getting nowhere fast.

The only progress he made between attempts, fiddling with the access, was getting to know the Count as the man behind the mask. He was fascinated anew again and again.

"It's no use!" Watari muttered after the latest attempt and sank back into his chair with a frustrated growl.

Ryu, looking a bit exhausted himself, leaned against the terminal and regarded it with shadowed eyes.

"You are good," he finally said.

"Not good enough."

"You managed to get all the way to the center."

"Only to be rejected because of the wrong password again!" Watari jumped up and paced the spacious room. "It's like the last time! I get to the last level and before I can look at the code, they start flipping it around. With the time limit we're on, I can't just have a go at it like I normally would. I need direct access! It's the only way."

"Direct access?"

Watari's amber eyes were hard and decisive as they met inquisitive red ones. "I have to access Mother directly, without a terminal between us."

"Mother is located underneath Enma-Daiou's palace," Ryu pointed out.

"I know."

"And you know how to get in?"

A slow, almost menacing smile was on the normally so easy and smiling face. "Yes."

Ryu tilted his head. "What if they changed those passwords, too?"

No questions as to how he even knew them, Watari thought.

"They can change passwords all they want," he said. "They cannot chance the recognition code of a Mother to her children." He tapped against his temple.

Ryu's delicate, raven-wing brows rose. "I see. But if you go, if you leave this place, you'll be unprotected, Watari."

Watari stared at him and the other man smiled faintly.

"I've been around long enough to understand quite a few things by now. And lately, those things have been happening too often and too frequently, involving always the same people. Something is happening, I know it. Something that's responsible for Terazuma's disappearance. You're here because the Palace is neutral ground, because I can protect you, even though you fear my other side, the demon I am."

Watari opened his mouth, then snapped it shut again. "It's the only way," he murmured. "I have to go, Ryu. I have to. For Terazuma's sake. Only Mother can scan the Limbo. With her help, I can locate him."

"And the Five Generals will let you enter?"

Now the menacing smile was back. "Oh yes..."

Ryu chuckled and nodded. "I wish you luck, Watari Yutaka."

Watari gave him a nod in return. "Thanks. And thanks for your help, Ryu."

He hurried out of the palace, heading for the heart of Meifu, the palace of Enma-Daiou. He knew it might be a suicidal move, but it was Terazuma's only chance.

°

Ryu stood at one of the windows and watched the disappearing figure. He knew he could have stopped the shinigami easily, lock him in the palace, but it had never been his intention. Terazuma's life depended on Watari's success, on his genius, and the young man was a genius.

"Watson?"

"Sir?" a gravely voice replied at his knee level.

He glanced at the misshapen gnome, his loyal servant and companion of such a long time. "Deliver a message to the Shadow Master. Tell him where his partner is going and that he is needed."

That was all Ryu could really do.

"Yes, sir."

Watson waddled off, leaving his master alone in the endless seeming place. Ryu stayed at his place at the window, gazing out over the so peaceful landscape.

° ° °

Tatsumi was in his office, pacing, stopping, pacing again, then stopping once more to look at the wall clock. It had been hours since Tsuzuki and Watari had set out to go wherever they had gone. Tatsumi had drunk pots of tea, then switched to coffee, and had finally ended up eating several donuts for the sugar rush.

He was just considering another mug of very strong and very black coffee when there was a knock. He opened the door and his eyes fell down... to about his knee level.

"Watson? What can I do for you?"

"I have a message," the gravelly voice answered his question. Watson held out a small, white envelope.

Tatsumi took the envelope and looked at the clean, precise writing. His name.

"Thank you," he said.

Watson inclined his head and disappeared again. Tatsumi closed the door and walked back to his desk to read the letter.

Tatsumi,

Watari has left for Enma-Daiou's palace, more precisely the Mother computer lab.

Tatsumi stared at the words. Watari had what?!

He will need you there. Go after him. Protect him.

There was no signature, but he knew the handwriting. The letter had come from the Count. Why? Why had the Count...?

He pushed that question aside and grabbed his suit jacket. He hurried out of the almost deserted office building. Whatever Watari was doing at Enma's palace, Tatsumi would be there to help if help was needed.

* * *
 

The last time he had been here had been long ago. Decades. A life time ago. Not a shinigami's life time. A human's.

Watari Yutaka gazed at the innocent looking door that was the gate into a world no one knew about. It was a world where he had been introduced to five very special people, five shinigami who only answered to Enma-Daiou, who worked closely with the Lord of Hades, who were specialists brought in for only one purpose – the creation of Mother.

Back then, Watari had been innocent. Truly innocent. He had just died, had become a shinigami, but instead of being one of many to work in Meifu, he had been selected to become one of few. Very few, very special.

The creators of Mother.

Touching the ancient door, Watari felt it thrum with power, Mother's power, and it tickled his senses. It washed over him, checked him out, scanned him, and it approved of him.

The door creaked open.

Yes, he had been young and idealistic, killed in a lab explosion, unaware of what had led to that. Until recently, he hadn't known the truth. Today he knew and today he was here...

Back where it had all started, five decades ago.

His steps were unnaturally loud as he passed through the silent, seemingly endless and empty corridors. They were neither. They would end in the heart of the Mother complex, and he knew there were eyes on him. He was being scanned again and again, but he never felt it. He only sensed the presence of the super computer as he drew nearer.

A child was coming home.

He was many things for Mother. A child, a father, a teacher, a creator. He had done everything back then, everything in his considerable power, and he had made something incredible, something impossible, come to life.

Watari finally stepped out of the corridor and into a large room. He was already expected by four people.

They hadn't changed in the decades he had been gone. They were still the same. But he was no longer who he had been. It wasn't working for the Shokan Division that had changed him. It was everything else, everything that had happened in the last years.

"You're back!" the young woman among the four breathed, smiling widely.

He wordlessly walked past them, heading straight for the heart. For Mother.

"Watari!" a voice boomed.

He didn't stop.

Someone was running after him and his arm was grabbed. A strong hand clamped down on it.

Amber eyes, cold as ice, met dark ones that blazed with emotions.

"You think you can just come back like that?" the man challenged.

Watari smiled emotionlessly. "I have, haven't I?"

"You left without a word, without a reason! You turned your back on us, Yutaka!"

"I did what I had to do."

"You deserted us!"

Watari's aura was like frozen shards of water, harsh and cold and cutting into everything. The other let go of his arm, gasping in surprise.

"I did what I had to do," Watari repeated. "You did the same."

"And you think you can just waltz back in here?" a third voice challenged him.

He met the green eyes, smiling coolly. "Yes, I can. I am still one of the Five, or has that changed? I am still the Chief Researcher."

The other four exchanged uneasy looks and Watari knew that ever since he had left after the completion of the project, nothing had changed. The Five Generals had become four, with one of them now working as a simple angel of death for the Shokan Division, and no fifth member had ever been added.

"Pathetic," he murmured.

The man's aura bristled. "How dare you..."

"I'm going to see Mother," Watari announced, nothing of his old self remaining. "And don't even think about stopping me."

Only one could stop him, and that was Enma-Daiou. But Enma hadn't moved a finger to prevent his approach or his access. Watari prayed softly that it would stay that way.

As he strode past the stunned man, he felt the others make way, too.

The doors to the main chamber slid open without a sound and he never stopped as he took the last steps into a place he had left so many years ago.

"Hello, Mother," he whispered as he looked at his creation.

He was home.

° ° °

Enma had watched the ever-progressing proceedings with interest, but he had allowed himself to become distracted. Some of his servants had frantically reported that Watari had entered the lab, had reconnected to Mother, and it had been too late for the Lord of Hades to intervene. The moment he had gotten wind of the shinigami's plan, it had been too late. Of course, none of the remaining Generals had tried to stop their former boss from doing what he had come to do. They were too much in awe, held too much respect for him, to do so.

Watari Yutaka was with Mother again. He would soon enter her realm. Enma knew the game was almost up; he was running quickly out of time.

° ° °

Muraki looked at the unconscious shinigami at his feet, smiling to himself. The clothes were ripped, singed and burned, there were spatters of blood, but the boy was still alive.

"You have grown strong," he murmured appreciatively.

His fingers stroked over the pale skin, pushed back light brown hair from the smooth cheeks, and his lips widened into a much larger smile.

"We're going to have so much fun," he promised darkly. "And then we'll both watch as he comes to you rescue."

He picked up the limp form and called upon a power that had never been human in origin. Nothing about him was human any more. Everything but his soul had died already. He was a toy, a pet, a servant, but when he had fulfilled his duties, he would be free.

Muraki gazed at the slack features and chuckled.

"Let's start this little game."

° ° °

He had never done something like this here in Meifu before.

There had never been any need.

And Tatsumi would never have thought that such a need would ever develop. As it was, he stood just off the main plaza that stretched in front of Enma-Daiou's palace, eyes closed, his shadows prowling and searching and scouting ahead of him. They slithered across the ancient stone, into cracks, underneath the perfect exterior and into the walls that beheld an eternal power. They sought tiny openings and touched brittle stone here or there, until they slithered over the very foundation of a place Tatsumi had only entered a few times before. He was surprised that there were no barriers that repelled him, but he didn't give it too much thought. And then he struck gold, so to speak.

A door.

Set into the high wall at the east side.

Tatsumi approached it warily, looking out for any kind of opposition, but there was none. His shadows slithered over the door, into the cracks, found an opening mechanism on the inside and moment later it opened before him.

The Shadow Master entered.

° ° °

Tatsumi had expected a lot more opposition than the pitiful security he had beaten so far. It was like a last attempt to stop someone who, according to whatever had preceded his arrival, would be allowed to enter anyway. So when he walked into the chamber, he barely gave the unfamiliar surroundings a second look.

Only when a young woman stepped into his way did he stop.

"Where is he?" Tatsumi demanded, the shadows dancing around him in preparation to strike out at whoever posed a threat.

"You are Tatsumi Seiichiro," the woman addressed him.

Blue eyes narrowed into a frown. "And you are?"

"Call me Fuki."

She was barely tall enough to reach his shoulders, with long, straight hair, huge eyes that were a deep, dark brown, and dressed in rather simple but yet expensive clothes.

"You are one of the Five?" he asked coolly.

Fuki nodded.

"Where is Watari?"

"He has entered Mother."

Tatsumi looked around and found three more people looking at him. All were men, they were of various age, and they had various expressions. The tallest and broadest of them held a look of disgust, the round glasses sliding down his nose, the golden chain attached to them glinting in the artificial lighting. He was wearing a lab coat but looked more at home in a wrestling arena than a lab. The other two were much younger, had longish hair, one black, one brown, and were likewise wearing lab coats.

They were part of the Five Generals; they were the defense and the control of the Mother computer.

"You cannot help him," one of the younger men told him, now coming closer. "No one can."

"I want to see him," the Shadow Master said and the shadows twitched a little.

Fuki gave him a sad smile. "Yashido is right. Yutaka has entered the mind of his creation. Not even we could go where he is going. Only he knows how to get inside and back out again without losing himself."

His creation? Watari had created... Mother?

His disbelief must have shown because Fuki nodded. "He was our Chief Researcher before he left. Watari was one of us."

He had been a General, Tatsumi thought faintly. Enma's name...

He pushed those thoughts aside. Now wasn't the time to be influenced by this. Now was not the time to think about possible connections, implications or explanations. Now was the time to act.

"I want to see him!" he demanded.

The tall, broad-shouldered man chuckled derisively. "He might have let you come here, deactivating the really big defenses, but there's still us."

Watari had... deactivated the defenses... for him?

The shadows congealed more at the veiled threat of the other man. Tatsumi pushed his glasses slowly up his nose.

"I wouldn't recommend angering me," he replied politely.

The bigger man grinned nastily. "Why? You think you can get past us? Because that's what you have to do. Watari is one of us and he belongs to us, whatever he came here for."

The expression in Tatsumi's eyes turned glacial at the words of ownership. "Watari doesn't belong to anybody," he snarled.

"He sold himself to the project," the younger man only said with a slight sneer. "He came back and that is enough for me. He is part of the system and he won't ever be free of Mother. Neither of us. He is where he belongs and you will leave now."

The shadows trembled with tension, about to be unleashed.

"I don't think so," Tatsumi whispered harshly.

"The Shadow Master has spoken," the other man mocked. "Well, Mr. Secretary – and yes, we know who you are – let's see what you have."

Tatsumi's smile was feral.

It had been a while since he had truly fought with his shadows, the last time against Muraki, and even that hadn't required much power. He felt them twitch under his restraint, ready to be unleashed.

"Gladly," he murmured.

° ° °

In an instant, the world had changed.

First there had been nothing but blackness, then the lights came back, rushing by like some kind of simulator game, streaks of blue, white and red, merging, twisting, spiraling. Little yellow and green bubbles and stars popped up, exploding, spraying grains of light, then dying again.

Images appeared around him. First nothing but space, unknown planets rotating lazily beneath his feet, asteroids streaking by, the twin suns blazing cold heat. The space image faded and Watari almost imagined setting down with a little thud as the new landscape unfolded around him. It was incredible, awe-inspiring.

Watari took an experimental step forward, his brain having not problem working with this new environment. He was standing on some kind of platform, a walkway just in front of him. There were similar walkways all around him, as well as fantastic bridges that stretched over endless rows of buildings or snaked between towering spires. The buildings were gigantic, larger than life, and clearly made up from someone's imaging system. Nothing like this could be real. Tiny windows dotted the structures, some illuminated, but most of them dark. Nothing moved in this strange landscape.

In the distance, a mountain range rose to meet the orange-brown sky, the peaks strangely greenish yellow. The colors here were completely off. Watari walked over the first bridge. Underneath him, broad, watery bands of light flowed. They had different colors and there seemed to be something inside the water, but it was hard to determine what it was. All the rivers flowed into the same direction, some faster, some slower.

I'm back, he thought with a faint, almost reminiscent smile.

Watari looked around a realm he hadn't seen in ages. It was a place that was alien and home in one. It was a place he had shaped and which had changed afterwards all on its own, but it had never changed completely. He still saw the roots he had put in here, the place where everything had begun.

<welcome>

It wasn't a voice. It was more like an emotion, with images, with a sensation like a caress.

Watari smiled. "Hello, Mother."

Mother was more than a mere machine. She had been nothing but parts before Watari Yutaka had been introduced into the Mother program, before he had wrapped his mind around the complex problem of creating a machine that could do what Enma needed to be done. With the growth of humanity, things had changed in all realms. More souls were born every day, many died through wars like the world had never seen before, through epidemics, through new sicknesses, and while the realms had been able to handle the workload for a while,  they were under such pressure that things were quickly falling apart. More and more souls were lost, never registered or simply never died because of it, so Enma had made a giant step forward by creating a super-computer.

Mother.

A machine to run Meifu, to protect it, to uphold the shields, to work the defenses, to keep track of everything and everyone. A mere machine couldn't handle this. Even all the Cray Computers in the world couldn't manage this.

Watari had been the one to solve the problem. After his death he had been whisked straight into the research labs. He had been promised unlimited research equipment and supplies. He had gotten them, and his genius had latched onto the problem like a dog onto a bone, ready to tear everything apart to solve this matter. He had been young, idealistic, a true genius with three doctorates and a bright mind that wouldn't stop until it reached success.

He had done it.

He had given Mother Life.

It was his gift, his power as a shikigami, and when he had used it on the super-computer, he had breathed life into the greatest of all inanimate objects ever to exist.
Feeling the computer's touch in his mind, feeling that particular connection come to life, Watari inhaled deeply. It had been too long. He wasn't really used to the connection and something sizzled painfully along his nerves. Part of him was glad that he had pocketed the special pills before attempting this; he would need them later or risk a total breakdown. Right now, in this virtual world, the pain was only an echo, a reflection, of what his body would later go through.

Mother recognized him as one of her own, as a child, as an extension of herself, and no security programs tried to attack him. Direct access. Totally direct access.

Just him, his mind, and Mother.

Back when he had been in the Mother program, when he had been made the Chief Researcher and with it one of the Five Generals, he had been offered this chance to touch minds with his creation, but he had declined. He had succeeded Kazei Reina, the Chief Researcher who had hired him, who had snatched him away from the Shokan Division to be part of this.

It was then that he had left. He had turned his back on the research program, on his prime project, and on the Five Generals. He had come to be one of the shinigami of the Shokan Division. Watari had never looked back, had never regretted it, but now he had returned.

And he regretted that.

It was necessary, but it was also painful.

Pushing those thoughts aside he let his mind drift through the subroutines, the memory modules, the levels, the folders and files and programs.

Unlike in a real world, Watari seemed to cover great distances with just a few steps and from one second to the next, he was standing in front of a chasm. It was deep, completely black, and seemed to stretch endlessly from left to right, cutting a deep wound into the otherwise smooth landscape. The city was suddenly far behind him, nothing but a skyline against the strange sky. There was a single bridge leading over the abyss.

"You have grown," he murmured.

Mother hovered next to him, awaiting his commands. Watari smiled a little.

"Well, let's begin."

And he crossed the bridge.

* * *
 

The fight was brutal.

Tatsumi moved with speed and litheness, evading attacks, blocking some, his shadows hissing toward his attackers. He had already taken out one of the four, the man named Yoshido, but the big guy was tenacious and he was powerful. One blow had flung the glasses right off Tatsumi's face, leaving a deep cut that had nearly taken out an eye, and he was bleeding copiously. His healing power was taking a back seat to his fighting power, but he had to balance it or he would simply keel over from blood loss.

"Not so tough!" his opponent mocked and gathered magic for another strike, but this time Tatsumi was ready.

The fire ball arced back as it hit his shadow wall, right at the other young man and hitting him straight into the chest. He hadn't seen it coming. With a cry he collided with the wall behind him, going to his knees.

"Bastard!"

Tatsumi just smiled, a grimace more than a true smile, blood everywhere. His clothes were singed, slashed and torn, but so were the others. The room around him looked like a tornado had been through.

"You think you are so strong?" his opponent yelled. "Well, how about you fight us without your shadows!"

Lights glared into existence, so bright it hurt, so bright it burned, and so bright that there wasn't a shadow to be seen. Tatsumi drew a trembling breath, his mind feverish with so much power that raced through him. He was reaching his limit, though that wouldn't stop him. Limits could be overcome.

The Shadow Master still remembered the very first time he had ever used his shadows under the guidance of his sensei. He had been so very young back then, dead for only two years and working as a shinigami. His teacher had discovered that he could control shadows just a few weeks prior to this training session and it had both shocked and elated the other man. Shadow Masters were rare, their magic powerful and dangerous, and those who couldn't train their minds to utter discipline were usually consumed by their own weapons.

That day he had felt something inside of him wake. It was something terrible, something hungry and dark; something feeding on his anger and rage, his feeling of helplessness and inadequacy. But it was also warm and gentle, the sharp edges just a diversion, and it was there, inside him, part of him.

Blackness.

All devouring.

All enveloping.

Slick darkness.

Shadows...

Shadows were everywhere, even throughout the brightest day. He had learned how to detect them, to feel them, to weave them as he wanted them to. There wasn't a tendril that escaped his notice, that wasn't under his command, and he wielded them with total precision.

His sensei had been thrilled to have such an adept student.

And he had pushed his limits until there was nowhere else to go.

Tatsumi smiled humorlessly. There was always a way to surpass a limit, he knew. Always.

Today he would prove it.

"There is no light without shadow," he whispered, feeling the shadows everywhere.

The lights were coming from overhead.

Fool, he mused.

The room might be bathed in shadowless illumination, but there were always shadows. If not visible, then invisible, and right now they were directly underneath his last three opponents.

He touched the living, breathing blackness, the darkness that was shadows, and his mind took control of every single molecule of his weapon. He reached deeper than he ever had, coaxed even the slightest trace of shadows into bloom, and he let it feed off his strength to grow and become what he needed. Tatsumi felt his body sing with the power he wielded, felt every nerve ending screech with the energy it endured, and then he let it rip free. The energy lines inside his body, those that channeled his shinigami magic, opened to the rush and onslaught of a magic they had never had to suffer, but he ignored the warning signs.

"Kei!" Fuki cried in realization, just before Tatsumi let the man's own shadow roar upward like a vengeful underground creature.

Kei yelled in surprise and pain.

His cry was soon echoed by the other two.

Tatsumi had to evade a new attack as Fuki tried to stun him, still fighting off his shadows, but it had been a half-hearted aim since the girl was busy untangling herself from what was tying her down. He let his weapons dance between the spears of power from his opponents, never to be touched, deflecting harmful energy coming his way and destroying what was a threat.

And then there was another scream. A scream from a voice Tatsumi knew, from a man he loved so deeply, he would fight whoever was in his way, and he froze in shock.

"Yutaka!"

His power peaked, pushed to the limit, overcoming that last wall and finally tearing down the last line of his defense. He felt his magic spike and then flow over the final boundaries, opening whatever energy lines it could find in his body to use, tearing out of him in a screeching mass.

Like an immense wave, shadows boiled out of the floor, the corners, wherever they had been banished by the light, and Kei gave a strangled scream as they drowned him, pushed him away. Tatsumi was already moving, running toward where the cry had come from, and he heard another rough scream, filled with pain.

"Taka," he breathed. "No!"

The eyes were no longer the color of the sapphire sky. They were cold orbs of determination, glistening with the power no longer contained inside a man who had been nothing but strict control for all his life. Deep inside whirled a silver whirlpool that mimicked the black, twisting mass that was all around him.

The shadows destroyed what was still whole and tore down what was still standing as their master ran to where he had heard his lover and partner scream in so much pain.

° ° °

Mother, the heart JuOhCho intelligence.

She had access to all security and access levels. She was present in the world of the living to gather information, and she dealt out assignments to the Shokan Division. She was more efficient than the old methods. Enma had had to develop her because of the rapid growth of humanity, the sheer number of souls to manage. No person could do it alone, not even the Lord of Hades with his limitless power. To stop his own depletion of resources, time and management power, Enma had brought Meifu into the next century, so to speak.

Mother was the mirror image of the Palace of Candles. She recorded the history of humanity, she kept track of all souls and reported anomalies, like missing souls or those who had died but hadn't let go. That was when the shinigami went out to try and find the errant soul. The Master of the Palace only recorded the names, as well as birth and death. He was a bookkeeper, an assistant manager. Mother was everything, including that.

And she contained absolutely everything; simply everything. From the first spark of life to the first human, the first soul to ever live and die, everything about the first of the Gods, the first Lords, the first Masters, the first Enma. She was a universe of knowledge.

Watari had been connected to that vast mind before, but only throughout her creation. He had turned a lifeless assembly of computer chips and wires into this. He had given her magic, he had connected her from the physical plane to the metaphysical one. He had extended her limit until she was limitless, until she was as vast as the realms, and only one physical access point had remained: the lab underneath Enma-Daiou's palace.

Now, being inside this vast, endless mind, Watari had access not only to the data he needed. He also absorbed everything else. Things brushed past him, things that piqued his interest, things that, combined with what he had found out lately, made a suddenly horrifying sense. He felt his mind stretch, felt it want to dive into the infinity that was Mother, attracted to it like a moth to the flame. And it would be just as deadly. He hadn't been here for too long. Any wrong step and it might end in a catastrophe.

Watari tried to concentrate on finding Terazuma, locate him in Limbo, but it was close to impossible to ignore the knowledge around him.

<connect> Mother whispered. <link established>

And he kept absorbing it.

<absorption rate approved>

No! Enma's name, no! He couldn't...

But she kept touching his mind, kept touching their connection, kept... updating him.

<configuration complete>

Mother, no!

<access granted>

Watari was flung into the core unit, screaming in fear and pain as his mind tried to compensate as it had done in the past. It was like getting back onto a horse, but the horse was a lot bigger and he felt arthritic. It hurt and it was impossible to hold on and it... it...

Hurt!

His whole body spasmed inside the virtual reality. Watari felt himself trying to compensate, but it was like throwing a bucket of water onto a burning building.

Suddenly, thing were so clear. Knowledge was there. Knowledge and realization and shock. The truth about it all, about the plans, the deceit, the problems, the instabilities, Tsuzuki's true role. The plans for his friend's future.

So... cold and calculating and terrifying.

"Why?" he whispered, stunned, ignoring the pain.

Mother couldn't answer that. She was a logical being, still a computer despite her sentiency. She couldn't show him the future either, only the facts, what had entered her mainframe.

Watari shuddered and gathered his racing mind.

"Show me Terazuma," he requested, his voice lost in the wide expanse of cyberspace. It wasn't his voice either that activated the search, it were his thoughts.

It didn't take long from here, at the heart of Mother.

Encased in a thin layer of protective shielding, Terazuma drifted between the realms.

"Gotcha," he murmured.

He began to pull back, separate himself from the system, and his mind exploded into agony once more.

Not used to this, he thought dimly. Too long. Way too long...

Oh gods...

* * *

Tatsumi would never forget the sight of his lover, so many wires and tubes leading to and from his body in that strange contraption he half stood, half lay in, or the sound of Watari's hoarse scream. The slender body arched, the tubes falling away, leaving faint marks, and the wires retracted. There were miniscule traces of blood, but the incisions and punctures healed. Watari slid boneless to the ground, no longer held upright, and Tatsumi's shadows surged forward to catch him.

The Shadow Master trembled as he sank to his knees beside the shivering form.

"Taka?" he breathed.

Golden eyes cracked open and Tatsumi gasped softly as he looked into the well-known eyes that had a strange vertical slit now instead of a round pupil. But whatever had happened to Watari's eyes, they still reflected something Tatsumi was familiar with.

Pain.

He cupped the pale face gently. "Taka," he murmured. "What have you done, you idiot?"

The blond moaned and the eyes slid shut, the lithe form trembling more.

Tatsumi heard and even sensed the others coming after him and his shadows hissed to life again, forming a black wall around him and Watari.

Suddenly the amber eyes snapped open again and Watari blinked once, twice, almost sleepily. The vertical slits were still there.

"Taka," Tatsumi whispered.

The sandy brows dipped into a puzzled frown. "Seii?"

The voice was weak, hoarse, slightly wavering.

Tatsumi knew he was smiling a very stupid smile. "Yes."

Watari blinked more, like trying to clear his sight. "Why are you here?"

"Because you were idiotic enough to come here alone, without protection."

Tatsumi looked into the eyes of the man he loved so deeply and he found a sliver of something he had never seen there before. That sliver grew and manifested the moment Watari took in the others behind the wall of shadows.

"We need to go," he murmured and tried to get up.

It was a brief attempt because he fell back almost immediately, moaning slightly.

"Calm down, Yutaka. You went through a lot..."

Watari shook his head, almost panting with the effort to get up. "No. Need to go. Now!"

He made it to a standing position but fell half against his lover. Tatsumi sighed. Watari could be so stubborn...

His lover fumbled with something in his pocket and Tatsumi frowned at the small bottle of pills.

"Taka?"

"It's to help with the pain," was the answer. "Like a pain-killer."

He swallowed several of the greenish-white pills.

"You're hurt," Watari suddenly murmured, looking and sounding mystified.

A quizzical hand tried to touch the long cut in Tatsumi's face. The Shadow Master took it gently, pushing it away.

"I'm fine, Taka. Really."

Those strange eyes raked over his bloodied, cut and bruised form, saw the numerous injuries, the torn clothes.

"They... they tried to stop you. Oh..."

"I'm fine. I'm more worried about you."

Watari smiled faintly. "Don't be."

Blue eyes reflected misgiving, but the blond's next attempt to stand on his own staved off another argument. Watari gritted his teeth and the tremors increased, but he wasn't collapsing.

"Drop the shadows," he whispered.

"Taka."

"Drop them."

Tatsumi frowned, but he did as his lover requested. Four pairs of eyes glared at Tatsumi, but he refused to react to them.

"Watari," Fuki began.

"I don't have time for that," was the cold reply and Watari pushed past the young woman.

Where he suddenly took the energy from, Tatsumi had no idea. He marveled at how fluidly Watari moved, as if he hadn't just been close to breaking.

"Watari!" she called.

Kei stepped in his way. "You leaving again? Just like that?"

Tatsumi felt himself tense, but the blond just looked at the much bigger man with such a quiet authority, it shadowed even Tatsumi's innate power to make the most hard-headed of employee quiver in fear.

"Yes, I am. Just like that, Kei. Just like then."

Kei bared his teeth in a silent snarl, but he didn't move when Watari passed him. Tatsumi followed, impressed, confused and even a little fearful.

"Taka?" he inquired when they hurried down the corridor that led away from Mother.

"No time, Seii. Not now. I know where Terazuma is and we have to hurry."

"He's in Limbo?" the Shadow Master hazarded a guess.

"Yes."

"How do you want to get him out of there? Not by another wormhole!"

Watari grinned almost manically. "No. By sheer force."

But not even that smile could hide the pain in Watari's strange eyes, the way he was fighting his breakdown with whatever he had as reserves inside him. Tatsumi just stayed with him, ready.

° ° °

Making contact with Meifu hadn't been easy. Tsuzuki was nowhere to be found. Neither Tatsumi nor Watari could go there just like that, but in the end they had tracked down Wakaba and she had opened the Suzaku Gate, sending the Tengus through with Watari.

The scientist had been to this realm only a few times in is existence as a shinigami and it was an incredible and awe-inspiring place. 003 had been left at home in Meifu with Tatsumi. The pills were working, keeping his body blessedly but unaccustomedly numb. He had had to swallow a few more just before entering the Gate and Watari knew he would pay for this later.

Finding the shikigami best suited for the task had been easier, though. His entrance had been detected and he was already expected by the impressive, battle-ready form of Suzaku herself.

"I know where Terazuma is," Watari blurted urgently. "I need to see Rikugo or Taimo, or even better, both! They can help us get him out!"

Suzaku's eyes widened and she unceremoniously grabbed his arm, pulling him along.

° ° °

Rikugo listened to the shinigami's detailed explanation, which was brief, to the point, and without any unnecessary fleshing out. Watari's face was a serious mask, his amber eyes steady. There was something strange about his expression, though. Something so intense, so unlike anything Rikugo had ever seen in any shinigami, even Tsuzuki, and it made him uneasy. Then there was the fact that Watari appeared to be in some sort of pain. That he was taking some kind of medication didn't really help either with that perception.

"The Mother computer found his location?" Rikugo repeated what Watari had told him.

"Yes. I know you have questions and I'll answer them afterwards. Right now we have to get him out. He's in Limbo and every minute he spends in there, he's taking one step closer to oblivion."

There was a soft rumbling sound from behind him and Watari glanced briefly at the towering form of Sohryu, but he wasn't swayed, nor did he show much fear.

Rikugo nodded. "I understand the urgency, but we have to send someone through to grab Terazuma and return him into the realms. Limbo is a dangerous, deadly space. One misstep and he will die. They both will die."

"I'll go," Sohryu growled.

"You will not!" Rikugo shot back.

Auras flared and Watari's eyebrows shot up.

"You will stay here!" the astrologer growled, facing off against the Protector of the East. "You are our leader, the representative of the Emperor. You can't head off into what might be your death!"

"I might die every time Tsuzuki calls me, too!"

"That is different!"

"How so?"

Rikugo's eyes were sparking with fury. "This isn't a fight against a devil or a demon or magic. This is Limbo, Sohryu!"

"And it's Terazuma!"

"I know that!" The power level rose and Watari edged carefully away from the two dragons.

"Good," a new voice said quietly. "Since you do, I'm going."

Three pairs of eyes fell on Touda, who was leaning against the wall, arms crossed, smiling coldly.

"Touda..." Sohryu began.

"Don't even start with me," the hell serpent interrupted him and pushed away from his place. "I'm going and that's final. If I have to beat it into your thick skull, so be it. Rikugo is right. You know it, I know it." Golden eyes were hard and unyielding as the former First General held Sohryu's furious look. "I'm going,"

Sohryu hissed softly, bristling more. It was two against one, but even those odds would not stop the Protector should he truly answer the challenge spoken by both Rikugo and Touda.

"Sohryu," Touda repeated, voice softening. "We both know how you feel. We both have people we love dearly and who we would want to save. But you are needed here and you need to exercise the right to delegate, despite your personal feelings. Let me go."

Sohryu stared at him, then finally deflated a little. "I hate this," he whispered.

"I know," the serpent repeated. "But I will get him out of there. I promise." A small smile creased the thin lips.

Sohryu just nodded. "Okay."

With that he stepped aside and the power levels in the room dropped immediately. Rikugo briefly closed his eyes in relief, then looked at Watari, who had watched the match from a respectful distance.

"Let's do this," he only said.

° ° °

Rikugo was a powerful Earth shikigami; a dragon on top of it. Born centuries ago, taught by no other but the Protector of the North, Genbu, he was a teacher, an astrologer, and a warrior. Even now that he had lost so much of this power due to the decision to cut off his hair, to take his aura down and undo what decades, even centuries of growth had gathered in strength, he was an opponent to be reckoned with. Not just because he was a Divine Commander; he was one of Tsuzuki's shikigami and his master's psychic power gave him an extra edge.

He also possessed a unique talent. Born with six instead of two eyes, the two additional sets gave him a special sight. Two eyes were directly above his onyx ones, right on the forehead, and they were a deep red, reptilian, with a slit pupil. The second set was in the palms of his hands and were rarely used for a scan.

Rikugo's Sight was special, able to penetrate a mind right down to the soul, to See into another being and discover the truth. He never used it without permission unless it was either an emergency or as a defense. Rikugo had high morals and his ethics forbade him to invade someone's privacy.

Now he would attempt to Look somewhere else. Not into a soul but right through the natural barrier around GensouKai and into the fabric of space where the other realms existed in their separate bubbles.

Rikugo inhaled deeply and concentrated. The plan was very simple. He would Look and locate Terazuma, then place a beacon into the fabric of the realm. Taimo would then fling his considerable magic at that beacon and pierce through. The faceless shikigami would have to uphold that flow of energy while Rikugo would latch onto the rip and hold it open by force.

It sounded easy.

It was far from it.

Rikugo felt Taimo's power rise with his own, so very different but still with the same strength. The astrologer opened his other eyes, piercing through the fabric of reality and Looking into Limbo. He flung a spear head of power toward the barrier and Taimo's energy followed it. The moment the spear head struck the barrier and was about to dissolve, Taimo's power hit head-on and sizzled across the fabric.

There was a ripping sound and suddenly there was an opening. Rikugo let his power rise more, grabbed the edges, kept it open, and Taimo piggy-backed his own onto Rikugo's energy, supplying him with more strength.

"Touda, now!" the astrologer shouted, already starting to feel the strain.

He barely saw the black streak of lightning that jumped into the rip.

Taimo gave an exclamation of surprise and suddenly the power surge from the magician was cut off, and Rikugo felt the reality rip snap back into his face. He was slammed back by its impact and landed on the ground, briefly stunned. Someone touched him and he felt a strong aura, radiating concern, and when he opened his eyes, he looked into the pale face of Sohryu.

"Rikugo?" the dragon asked softly.

"I'm fine," he murmured.

Lately, there had been few times when that had been true. Sohryu helped him to his feet and the intense eyes examined him. Rikugo gave him a brief smile that had never been more real. Too much had happened between them in the last years, too much had changed, and their relationship had changed profoundly with it.

"Taimo?" he asked.

The magician was already on his feet, his face as invisible as always, a black hole in the cowl. Kochin was at his side and the two were talking softly. Rikugo opened his other eyes and Looked at the spot where Touda had disappeared through.

"Rikugo?"

He detected a faint tremor in Sohryu's voice, the worry coming through the façade again, and he turned back to the dragon.

"He got him," he only said.

Sohryu's relief was almost palpable.

°

Touda had had little time to think about the incredible pressure, the emptiness, the darkness, and the cold. He had only concentrated on getting into Limbo, on grabbing the motionless human form protected by a thin layer of almost dissolved energy, and breaking through the other side with the momentum that had carried him through Limbo. He was in his serpent form, which was most likely the only reason why he had survived this stunt, and when he crashed into Meifu, he literally tore apart what he encountered.

Thankfully it was a remote spot, but there was still a building.

A palace.

The Palace of the Candles.

Why he had come out here was anyone's guess, but the second the muscular coils of the hell serpent came to rest, protectively wrapped around his precious cargo, Touda felt the power of the Candles.

Maybe it was because he had been here before.

Maybe he had recognized the power signature.

Maybe it was pure chance.

Anyway, he lay in the wide and high entrance hall, bricks and mortar and precious tapestries raining down on him; sometimes an occasional tile shattered close by.

Touda was breathing hard, his wings quivered with the cold of Limbo, his feathers were frosted over, his eyes closed. He felt Terazuma in his coils, felt his life force, felt his weak aura, but he couldn't move.

"Touda?"

One yellow eye cracked open, exhaustion racing through him.

Ryu was there, unmasked, staring at him in shock and horror. Another tile crashed down and nearly hit the master of the Palace. Ryu almost impatiently waved one hand and there was a shift in the building as it tried to heal the damage.

"What...?" the Count stammered.

"Tera...zuma..." Touda murmured and tried to move his coils. They slid heavily apart, stiff and inflexible, it was almost painful.

"Enma's name!" Ryu whispered and quickly climbed over the scaly barrier to the limp, unconscious shinigami.

Touda just lay there, watching, regenerating. A faint smile crossed his features.

He had made it.

Yellow eyes closed tiredly.

He – had - made – it.

* * *

The apartment was a battle field. Nothing was where it had been, nothing seemed to be whole, and the walls looked scorched. Shinigami power, magic, had struck everything in its reach, had burned and shattered and destroyed. Tsuzuki could still feel the echoes of it.

Hisoka's power.

He knew what it felt like. It was something he had quickly grown accustomed to. It wasn't just the magic Hisoka had been given when he had become a shinigami, but also his empathic abilities that could strike out at a target and stun it if he used it for that. It was tiring for the young shinigami and he had rarely used it before, but once or twice Tsuzuki had been witness to it.

"Hisoka?" he called, fear in his voice.

What had been able to come into Meifu, invade their private apartment, and do this? What had triggered such a massive defense? And why had no one noticed?

Like so many things had gone unnoticed, a little voice reminded him. Like so many unexplained phenomena had struck them in the past.

"Hisoka!"

The bed was slashed, feathers everywhere, the filling spread all over the floor. The hardwood floor as such had seen better days, burned and scorched and full of cracks and deep grooves. A large crack went all the way up the wall to the ceiling where it had brought down the lamp.

"Hisoka! Where are you?"

He couldn't sense his partner anywhere. There wasn't even the faintest whiff of a presence, only remnants. Hisoka had been here, and he had disappeared.

And then Tsuzuki saw the blood.

Pools, droplets, smears.

"Hisoka..."

He approached the bed, careful not to step into the blood, and his stomach froze into a cold knot as he discovered something underneath the torn bed sheet and feathers.

A rose.

Deep red, exquisite. A single rose with a long, perfect stem, and sharp thorns.

There was a small envelope next to it, covered in down. Tsuzuki picked it up, hands shaking. His name was on it, written in perfect handwriting.

I have your little partner, Asato. You can have him back if you meet with me. We have so much catching up to do.

There was an address and a signature.

Tsuzuki felt suddenly very, very cold.

Muraki.

Muraki had... he had come here... to Meifu... and he had taken Hisoka... and he wanted to meet him... Muraki...

The old nightmare from years ago broke free and the shinigami sank to his knees in the chaos that surrounded him. He felt nauseous, sick, like he would throw up any minute. Muraki... The man who had changed him forever, who had turned his life upside down, who had left such deep scars, and who knew about his past.

Whose grandfather had treated Tsuzuki until the day the young man had ended his miserable existence.

Whose deeds so far had only brought terror and pain.

Who had taken Tsuzuki and killed him over and over again, had wanted his body, his shinigami abilities, to experiment with.

Whose hands had been on his skin and who had... who had taken Hisoka.

Hisoka, who had died because of Muraki. Who was carrying the curse his human self had been forced to suffer under, that had killed him, and even as a shinigami he couldn't be free.

"Hisoka," Tsuzuki whispered, lips numb.

And Muraki had come to Meifu to take his 'puppet', his victim.

"Not again. Not AGAIN!"

His habitual black coat fluttered behind him like bat wings as Tsuzuki left the trashed apartment. Within the blink of an eye he was gone, crossing from Meifu into the world of the living.

An avenging angel. An angel of death.

° ° °

The first thing that registered was the coppery taste in his mouth. He needed a few seconds before his muddled brain recognized the taste as for what it was – blood. His own, he realized, if the pain of barely healed wounds was a indicator. Hisoka sucked a lungful of air into his lungs when the attempt to move resulted in another flash of pain and rolled around as far as his bounds would allow to cough up a splash of blood that had blocked his airways. Damn, the empath mused groggily, wondering for a second if anybody had noted the license plate number of the truck that had hit him when his brain provided him with the true reason fir his current condition. A blurry image ... silvery hair ... cold eyes ... Muraki.

And he hadn't even sensed him.

Why the hell hadn't he sensed him?

There had been a simple knock on his door and when Hisoka had answered the impact of a magical blast had send him flying into the next best wall. A second later the doctor had been all over him and he had fought back with everything he had – which wasn't little. He had ended in a bloody heap on the bed anyhow, the hated form of Muraki holding him down and sneering into his face, as his hand had slid over his body.

"Awake again, my doll?" the satiny voice of his tormentor cut into hid thoughts. Hisoka stared into the cold silver eye and fought down his involuntary fear response.

"What the fuck do you want, Muraki?" he snarled, letting anger replace the rising panic. He wasn't thirteen anymore, he was a shinigami and he had enough of running, goddamnit.

Muraki tsked. "My, my, what a language, my own. Does that suit you? I don't think so."

A ray of light reflected on the silvery blade of the scalpel as Muraki raised a hand.

"Let's do something about that, why< don't we, as we wait for your lover, hm? I always wanted to know if in a shinigami the vocal cords replace themselves – or the heart ... "

Hisoka looked into his nemesis's eyes and his heart sank with the horrific realization – there wasn't  any cold calculation in Muraki's face anymore. He looked into the eyes of a man who was far gone, who hadn't anything  to lose anymore. Hisoka didn't get the chance to scream when the blade sank into his throat and cut off his voice before it sank into his chest.

° ° °

Ryu knew he had a problem. First, there was a gigantic, black snake lying in his palace. Touda was barely conscious, twitching now and then, and he was radiating cold. The cold of Limbo.

Terazuma was out like a light, just as cold to the touch, and Watson had carried in hot bottles and blankets to warm the man up. There were no open wounds, but the shock to the shinigami's system had probably been immense. He had been torn apart from his shikigami and flung into the blackness that was Limbo, protected by a thin layer of ever-dissolving energy.

Ryu studied the suddenly so different features of the man he had known for three decades now. Terazuma had always been the possessed shinigami, the man with the red eyes, the black stripes under his eyes, and the pointed ears. As well as a growly attitude and a temper to match it. He had been very self-controlled when it came to archery and his job, but whenever he had collided with Tsuzuki, sparks had erupted. It had been a violent firework of clashing personalities.

That had changed. Like to many thanks.

And Tsuzuki had been the one who had been the central point of it all.

Ryu smiled a little. He knew how much he owed this man already, and he would never be able to repay it.

"Warm up a few more bottles, Watson," he said softly. "Just to be ready. We have to stabilize his body temperature."

The servant nodded and hurried off.

Ryu sighed softly and smoothed the woolen blanket. When Watson returned he left him to watch their patient and walked back down outside to where Touda was. The Palace was hesitantly repairing itself, mostly because the shikigami was still half laying in two rooms at once, the wall shattered and a pile of rubble left and right of the snake form.

"What to do with you?" he murmured.

There was no answer.

And the next question came immediately: where was Tsuzuki? He had expected him to come running the moment his bonded shikigami had crashed into the Palace of Candles. As it was, no one had come. And it wasn't as if the arrival of the hell serpent hadn't set off a dozen alarms.

No one was here.

No one at all.

What is going on here? he thought again.

Well, whatever it was, he had someone to take care of. Terazuma was already being treated and now Touda was the next in line. He had to warm him up and though there weren't enough blankets in this realm to cover the massive body, he and Watson would try their best to raise the serpent's body temperature somehow.

° ° °

Muraki had chosen a remote place for the final showdown. He knew what he would soon face, what would be triggered, and there was no use luring Tsuzuki into the middle of a lively city. The young man would be too worried about killing the living to truly unleash his potential. So he had come here, into this remote place where no trace of human life had remained.

OmniFair was an abandoned compound that consisted of several large fair halls, some smaller side buildings, and a lot of open space between them. Fifteen years ago, this ground had been the center point of every large fair, from technology to exhibits to simple fun fairs.  The endless, empty concrete parking lots were proof of that, as were the abandoned Ferris wheels and supply stores farther outside the immediate center. Five years ago, a new fairground had been built, better equipped, very modern, easier to reach by bus and rail, in the immediate vicinity of an airport. OmniFair had closed completely after a valiant struggle to attract customers with a year-round fun fair.

Now rats scurried through the empty, yawning halls. Rubble and decaying material piled in some corners, the perfect hiding place for the vermin.

In one of the buildings Hisoka hung bound in his chains, unable to free himself from the special construction that could hold even an angel of death. Muraki studied his doll, smiled as he saw the curse flare on the creamy skin.

"Did he enjoy touching you?" he whispered.

There was no answer.

Hisoka had still not regained consciousness, though his heart had started beating again. Blood was drying at the foot of the cross-like construction, the boy still spread-eagled for Muraki to touch him however he wanted.

"He's coming for you. Soon your partner will be here and it will be over."

Placing two fingers under the bloody chin, Muraki pushed up the boy's head.

"Are you already trembling with excitement?" He smiled. "I am. Oh yes, I am..."

And then he felt the power of an angel of death draw near.

"Right on the hour," Muraki murmured. "Punctual. Very, very punctual. Too bad you can't watch, Hisoka. It would be so perfect."

He let the head drop back onto the equally bloody chest and turned to leave. He was ready to take the last step in this life-long game.

° ° °

Tsuzuki stood in what must have served as storage or personnel rooms when the fairgrounds had still been in use. There were shower rooms, now dry and defunct, the tiles already dropping off the walls; empty rooms, rooms where a lot of equipment had been shoved into, all of them covered in dust; and the locker room, which connected two buildings. The locker room was a long rectangle, endless rows of metal lockers standing in neat lines, and the small overhead windows bathing everything in a weird light. Dust and grime had blinded the windows over the last decade.

He carefully picked his way along one row. Most of the lockers were closed, but some stood open and he peeked inside. Nothing. Smiley faces laughed at him from other locker doors, and one open door had a halfway ripped off pin-up girl from an old calendar glued to it.

There was no sound except his own, light steps as he finished the row without any interruption.

Tsuzuki could feel Muraki's presence. He could feel the tell-tale aura of magic.

The door to the next building was unlocked and he pushed it open. He was outside once more, opposite Hall 14. The huge numbers were painted on the former fairground hall, the paint now flaking.

Tsuzuki crossed the open ground, following the traces of Muraki, aware that this was most likely a trap. He didn't really care. Muraki had his partner and he would pay for it.

The hall as such was huge and it had large windows on the ground floor. They were all grimy, so he was unable to sneak a look inside.

He entered.

The hall must have been some kind of food pavilion once. There were several small booths at one end, tables and chairs lined up in a wide area around them. Colorful ribbons had been woven around the wood and steel constructions, some of them badly bleached through time. The other half of the hall was a giant playground for kids. Or had been. There was a large indoor sandbox, several wooden animals fixed on large, sturdy steel springs for kids to ride on, and assorted other, old playground stuff. Signs telling the visitors where the restrooms where and which door led to what building outside hung precariously on their rusty nails.

Tsuzuki remained next to the door, very, very careful of walking into a trap. Nothing moved; everything was dead silent. He walked almost soundlessly ever deeper inside and made his way over to the children's playground, feet sinking into the soft sand. There was barely any litter around, just the dust covering the grainy ground. Suddenly he stopped, eyes narrowing. The playground was mostly a sandbox with upturned timbers, some old roots, and the wooden animals on springs. It had been created in a gently sloping pattern, small mounts of sand here or there..... and the mounts were what disturbed him.

Before Tsuzuki had any chance to think any further, sand exploded left of him and something jumped straight at the shinigami.

Magic flared, his own responded, and he whipped out ofuda to repel the demonic creature that tried to snap his head off. It easily dropped dead at his feet, but several more came at him.

And then the power rose even more.

There was a roar, a soft voice chanting an incantation, and across the hall Tsuzuki saw the hated figure of Muraki.

The doctor smiled amiable, a dragon rising behind him.

"Hello, Tsuzuki. And welcome," the silver-haired man greeted him. "You're just on time."

The dragon screeched toward him, wild and untamed, but still under Muraki's control. Tsuzuki jumped aside, anger mixing in with the fear he had felt all the way over here.

"I think you have come for your beloved partner, correct? He is here, waiting for you. He was quite... entertaining."

Tsuzuki felt something inside him twitch in anger. "Where is Hisoka?" he demanded.

The human smiled amiably. "Why, here..."

He made a little gesture and a drape that had been hanging like a partition in the hall dropped.

Tsuzuki froze as he took in the sight.

Hisoka.

Blood.

Everywhere.

Wounds not yet healed.

Shackled and chained and tortured and...

"No!"

"He didn't even cry out," Muraki chuckled. "He has become quite a man, in every sense of the word."

Tsuzuki felt something inside of him creak under the pressure that was rising inside him.

It wasn't just the fact of Hisoka's kidnapping right now that snapped the camel's back. It was everything. Too much had happened to him and his friends in the last months and years. Like Byakko, who had just now started to recover from his ordeal. The devil possession had hurt the wind god's soul, had nearly destroyed his mind, and in the wake had scarred not only him but everyone around him. Like Rikugo, who had reduced his aura and his power by cutting his hair. Like Touda, who had just recovered from his own problems, from the almost fatal virus that had threatened to kill Tsuzuki, too.

There was also Sohryu, who had finally, after centuries, discovered the truth about the death of his first born son and his wife Aya. It had resulted in a pardon for Touda, but the emotional pain had settled deep inside. At least he had found a new happiness with Terazuma.

Who was now missing.

Tsuzuki felt his fury turn into rage.

Someone had taken Terazuma, kidnapped him, and left him in Limbo. He could have died!

Like Touda.

Like Byakko.

Even Sohryu, struck down by grief, by his anger, by his rage.

So many people had suffered.

Now Muraki had topped it all by making such a timely reappearance, taking his partner from him.

And Tsuzuki cried soundlessly in rage.

His aura flared, his energy rose like a storm, his magic sizzled, and Tsuzuki was no longer willing to stop it. He felt no buffer from Touda, nothing at all, and his next scream was on the mind-plane.

Revenge.

It was all he wanted.

For all his past suffering at Muraki's hands. His approaches, his murderous touch, his killings. Muraki had forced him to take lives... he had manipulate dhim... he had tortured human beings, had used them, abused them, had carved a curse into Hisoka's skin.

Silver eyes, a pale face, the long thin strands of hair covering the artificial eye. The lips were twisted in a malicious smile.

"You'll pay," Tsuzuki whispered.

Hisoka was still, like dead. So much blood, so much pain still around him. The curse glowed vividly on the pale skin.

"Hisoka," he whispered.

Darkness trembled around him.

His partner, his responsibility, the only one who had accepted him. The only one who had stayed. Hisoka, who was his lover, his partner, who was everything to him.

-- Unable to protect those important to you

-- That is your weakness.

In his mind, the bond shut down, walls rose, and Touda, who didn't respond at all, was separated from his master.

"You'll pay," Tsuzuki repeated, his voice icy cold and emotionless.

Muraki chuckled. "Really? How do you want to pay my debts to you, Asato? With my body?"

The leer was there. As was the offer.

Tsuzuki felt nauseous, but the feeling drowned in his fury. Muraki had always tried to get him laid. He wanted to possess his body, his soul, everything, and once he had nearly had success.

No more.

It was over.

Tsuzuki Asato gave himself to the blackness that had opened up in his soul. He looked into the abyss, saw the fire in there, the black fire, the demonic fire. His father's heritage. He watched the demon rise and embraced it, for the first time not shying away.

He didn't care what happened afterwards.

The dragon serving Muraki was the first to perish, the dozen other creatures hiding within the playground came next.

°

There was no stopping what had started. It was an incredible wave of power, rising out of the slender man in the black suit. Eyes, hard and cold like diamonds, the color of amethyst, fairly glowed from inside. Black hair moved in the wind the darkness created as it rose, as it licked and hissed and sizzled for something to touch, to destroy.

Muraki gazed at the awe-inspiring display and smiled. It wasn't his usual cold and calculating smile, the sneer of a predator who finally had his prey where he wanted it. It was an almost sad expression.

"Asato," he murmured.

It was like a prayer, a vow, an oath, a calling, a summoning.

He stood before the avenging angel, knowing he had succeeded in his plans.

And he would be free.

Tsuzuki let go of a force that had slept inside him all of his life, that he had felt ever since becoming a shinigami, that had been his curse. He felt it roar past him, felt its mindless hunger, and he surrendered to what he was. He surrendered to the demonic heritage, the part that made him non-human, that set him apart from everyone else. He surrendered to something he had no more control of.

His eyes never strayed from his prey, but he was completely aware of the unconscious form of his lover and partner, of Kurosaki Hisoka, the one he would forever protect.

The power was his to use to fulfill his promise, to eradicate this creature from all realms.

Muraki.

His nightmare.

The power screeched around him like a banshee, erasing the sun, roaring and twisting, hissing and snapping as it spread everywhere, then even the last shred of humanity disappeared from Tsuzuki's eyes.

It struck.

It burned.

It shattered and destroyed.

It eradicated whatever it touched.

° ° °

In GensouKai, the Protector of the East was fast becoming a bundle of nervous energy and barely controlled temper, though by now the temper outweighed the nervousness. There had been no beep from either Touda or Tsuzuki, not had anyone heard anything from anyone else in Meifu. No one knew whether Touda had arrived safely, whether Terazuma was hurt or even still alive.

Rikugo watched the other dragon pace ceaselessly, only stopping to glare at the closed doors. No servants had dared to enter without any news about the missing two.

"Sohryu, stop it," the astrologer finally said sharply.

Blue-gray eyes glared at him.

"I know you're worried, but they'll be fine."

"How do you know? Have you Seen it?" Sohryu sneered, aura flashing briefly.

"No, but Terazuma is no longer in Limbo. That much I could See."

Sohryu huffed. "That means little. He could be anywhere now. He could be hurt!"

"It doesn't help him if you work yourself into a rage here, then."

Rikugo had no idea why he had followed Sohryu into the dragon's palace, why he was keeping his former political opposition company. Then again, maybe he did. If this had been Ryu, he would be just as frantic. He would want someone with him, just to anchor himself in that person, just to have someone to yell at, and who was better for Sohryu to yell at than the one person he had always argued with in the past?

"I know how you feel. If it had been Ryu..."

"It wasn't!" Sohyu exploded. "It was Hajime! And he was separated from his shikigami by force! Someone tore them apart and left him adrift!"

The aura struck out and hit Rikugo's, which had flared in defense. It was a harmless blast, but should Sohryu seriously lash out, Rikugo knew he might not be powerful enough to stop him.

Before he could argue again, there was a sudden spike from somewhere else. It was a connection that wasn't physical, not even purely mental, but spiritual. It was a psychic link to their master, a bond that allowed them to feel his presence, that gave them his power and his strength. Now it literally exploded with energy.

With darkness.

With the untamed demonic force that resided inside Tsuzuki Asato.

In the past, that darkness had been buffered by Touda and it had never reached that critical level.

Now it had.

And it tore free.

Sohryu's eyes widened and he gasped painfully, going down on his knees as his body was unable to handle the output.

Rikugo was even worse off. Since he had cut his hair he had lost power, and with it the resistance to certain attacks. All six eyes flew open and he screamed in utter agony as the power raged through him, touching his soul and tearing through his core. His own power screeched and let lose, thankfully flaring upward. The roof creaked and groaned, then went up in a pile of dust and smoke.
 

All over GensouKai central, the Divine Commanders experienced that rush, some able to buffer it, others collapsing under the strain. The worst off were Tenkou and Kijin, who simply lost consciousness, while Genbu, Taimo and Daion were able to shake off the effects without much trouble.

°

Rikugo lay curled up on the ground, trembling hard, his energy lines overloaded with the power rush he had experienced and was still suffering from. Something was coming through from Tsuzuki that was far beyond normal and possible.

So dark.

So harsh.

So sharp.

"Rikugo!"

He tried to concentrate on the voice and blinked his eyes open, gazing at Sohryu, who looked a lot worse for wear. His hair was mostly undone, his robes wrinkled, and he was pale as a sheet. He was trembling, too.

Rikugo managed to sit up, but he almost collapsed again. Sohryu grabbed him and held him upright.

"Tsuzuki," the astrologer stammered.

"Yes." The other dragon sounded just as shaky.

Servants were rushing into the room, stopping as they saw the two on the floor, shaken and radiating the remnants of the rush. Above Rikugo, the roof now featured a new sky light.

"The others..." the blond whispered. "Your children... Go..."

Sohryu's eyes widened in shock and he stumbled to his feet, pushing off helpful hands. "Where are Tenkou and Kijin?" he demanded.

There were voices, answering his sharp questions, and Rikugo started to drift off again, totally exhausted by the rush. He still felt the almost painful thrum and if it was painful for him, it must have been hell for the children. They might be a part of Sohryu, had been born from his and the Emperor's energy, but they were still young.

Closing his eyes, concentrating on simply how to breathe, Rikugo drifted off. He was so damned tired all of a sudden.

° ° °

In the Palace of Candles, the giant hell serpent started awake with a howl. The large head shot up, crashed into the roof, and the tail smashed into a just repaired wall that immediately crumbled under the impact. Ryu, who had been tending to their still unconscious second patient, raced into the demolished hall.

Touda's wings were fully spread, leaving deep grooves in the wall, and his eyes were holding an unholy fire. His jaws clicked dangerously.

The hell serpent hadn't been aware of Tsuzuki's loss of control because, as if someone had timed it, he had been in Limbo the second Tsuzuki had freed his innate powers. And he had been close to unconsciousness immediately afterwards. Now, startled out of his exhaustion, he reached for the bond and ran into a wall of such proportions, he howled in rage.

::TSUZUKI!::

He wound and twisted in the confines of the building, wings beating frantically.

::NO!::

The darkness was free, the power was running unchecked, and he had no access to his master's mind from here.

"Touda!"

The voice was small compared to his hisses and roars, but the moment a cold, sharp slice of black shadows slapped him, he whirled around, snarling. His attention was on the so insignificantly small shinigami who dared to challenge him.

Ice blue eyes met fiery red ones. Shadows danced around the man, black and hissing and snapping, like Touda's hellish aura.

"Tsuzuki is in the world of the living," the Shadow Master called. "Watari and I can take you with us, but you have to change into your human form!"

Touda snarled again.

"Do it or you'll be stuck here!" Watari added.

And he did. Eyes now golden, alive with that unholy fire, he allowed both shinigami to touch him, tolerating their auras encasing him.

Then there was the rush of a transfer.

°

Ryu gazed at the Palace, sighing deeply.

Total wreck, he decided. Again.

Well, it could have been worse.

The building would repair itself and he had something much more important to take care of. Terazuma was still unconscious and very weak.

The master of the Palace of Candles walked back into the guest room where Watson was still holding the first aid kit that would make any surgeon weep with appreciation. He settled down on the mattress next to the shinigami and looked at this patient.

Terazuma Hajime, the way he had looked before his possession. Round ears, the stripes were gone, and when he had checked the eyes there had been dark brown ones instead of red. All signs of his possession had disappeared for now, but the moment he and the black lion were reunited, things would be back to what they had been.

"Prepare some light soup," Ryu told Watson. "I think our guest will be hungry when he wakes."

Watson bowed briefly and waddled off.

° ° °

Sohryu looked at his children, now sleeping in their beds, Tenkou curled up close to her older brother. She had cried herself into sleep, suffering from the overload that had brought even their father to his knees. The dragon stroked over the dark blue hair that was a mirror of his own.

Tenkou whimpered softly and he whispered her name, humming tenderly. She quieted down and Sohryu sighed.

All of them had suffered from the blast and they still were. This wasn't something brief, some kind of surge.

Something had happened.

Something terrible.

None of them had been Summoned by their master and Sohryu feared for Tsuzuki. With Touda absent they didn't even have a link to him.

Darkness, he thought. Tsuzuki's darkness.

He had only felt it once, when he been bested in the challenge he himself had begun, and that had been a tiny fragment of what had washed over him now.

A tremor passed through him and he grit his teeth. Tenkou whimpered again and Kijin moved restlessly. They felt the surges all the more acutely because their resistance was so low.

"It's okay," he calmed them. "It's okay."

The door opened and Sohryu didn't have the strength to glare at the possible intruder. Byakko, pale as a sheet, and Suzaku, who didn't look much better, looked tentatively inside.

"How are they?" Byakko wanted to know.

"They feel what we feel," he answered, voice rough.

"Something has happened to Tsuzuki," Suzaku murmured.

"And we don't know what because Touda is gone. Maybe I should go to Meifu," Byakko offered.

Sohryu raised his head again from his vigil over his children, meeting the pain-filled, red eyes. Byakko was suffering like all of them.

"I can make it!" Byakko added, as if answering the dragon's silent thoughts.

"We are in no shape to go anywhere," Sohryu answered. "Not like this."

"Sohryu...!"

"Byakko, no."

"But Tsuzuki is in danger! We all can feel it! Something happened and Touda... Touda's not here, and we haven't heard from Meifu, whether he arrived or not! Let me go!"

"Byakko, I can't."

The aura flared briefly. "Then stop me," the tiger snarled and whirled around, stalking away.

Sohryu slumped a little, his hand still resting on Tenkou's small body. He felt her vibrate with the echoes from Tsuzuki. He couldn't stop Byakko and he wouldn't.

"Can I stay?" Suzaku whispered and came carefully closer.

He nodded wordlessly and she settled down beside Kijin, stroking over the unruly blue hair. No words were lost between them as they guarded the youngest of the twelve, and Sohryu actually prayed that Byakko would find an answer.

°

For the tiger, the problem wasn't finding Tsuzuki. It was getting into Meifu. The constant bombardment of power had weakened him and the moment he tried to jump, he crashed into a wall and was repelled. He mewled softly as he fell to his knees, a headache flaring into a migraine.

And then the next power surge from Tsuzuki nearly eradicated all thought.

° ° °

Muraki gazed into the once human eyes of his opponent. He lay on the ground, looking up, the gray sky above him, promising rain.

He smiled.

Rain.

He liked the rain.

Clean and cool against his skin, washing away the pain and blood and scars, washing away his sins and his past, leaving only what had remained unchanged from the day of his birth.

His soul shivered under the cold, calculating eyes of Tsuzuki Asato, or what had remained of the man. Muraki knew what he was facing. This was what Enma had wanted; this was what could be shaped by the Lord of Hades into what he so badly needed.

"Tsuzuki," he whispered, ravaged lips moving slowly.

He tasted blood.

His blood.

And he smiled.

The black coat snapped like ethereal wings around the slender form, and Muraki thought he saw those shadows spread, become real wings, but maybe it was only his imagination.

Somewhere in this chaos was Hisoka. His doll. His puppet. His toy.

Like he had been the same, Enma-Daiou's plaything. From the day of his birth he had been cursed to end like this. Because of his grandfather's experiments, because of his parents' madness, because of his cursed family and their search for immortality, for power, for everything humanity should not ever consider having.

Muraki had no regrets.

His soul wept softly.

Yes, maybe one regret. Oriya. He had said good-bye to his oldest friend already, the only one who had never judged him, who had tried to be a friend, who had been a friend, who had been loyal.

A friend.

Sometimes more.

Sometimes not even that.

Looking into those cold eyes, regret washed over the scarred soul.

To see you like this... I wish I hadn't triggered you, Muraki thought faintly. Because there is no going back. Because he has won now. He will shape you. He will take away what you were, Tsuzuki.

"Kill me," Muraki whispered out loud.

The hair was moving in the magical wind, stirred by the sheer energy the darkness created. The cold amethysts flickered a little as the old Tsuzuki pushed forward.

So beautiful. Tsuzuki had always been beautiful.

"Kill me, Asato. Please."

"Why?"

"Because I want to finally be free."

I'm a fallen angel, a faulty product. I should not have born, but I was. I should never have existed, but I do. I cannot die. I cannot live. My life was just an experiment.

Muraki smiled more. For the first time in what felt like an eternity, his mind was free of the madness. This was him, his true self. This was what he could have been.

"Please, Tsuzuki, save me. Release me!"

Give me peace.

For years his mind had been controlled, filled with thoughts that were as mad as they were cold and terrible and logical, and he had been like possessed. Now, at the end, for the first time in this unplanned and ungodly existence, his thoughts were clear. They were his own.

I'm sorry, Oriya. You were right. You were always right. And you were my friend. I wish I had that moment now with you, to tell you what you meant to me. You said I existed like a mechanical doll. I did. I always did. It was obsessed and possessed. It was my family curse.

"Please," he pleaded softly.

Tsuzuki knelt beside him, the pale finger caressing his bloody face. The amethyst eyes showed this strange mixture of absolutely dark power and human compassion. Soon the latter would vanish.

"Why did you do this?" Tsuzuki asked.

"I had my reasons."

He gazed into the face he had dreamed of, a face he had imagined when someone else had taken his body, had possessed and claimed him as his. Tsuzuki had been his hope and his light and he had been his unreachable dream. Now this dream touched him gently and tenderly for the very first time.

Muraki chuckled and a gurgle escaped his chest. "You don't know how I dreamed of you touching me this way," he whispered. "You kept me alive."

"Why did you do this?" Tsuzuki repeated, eyes fixed on his.

"Because I had to." Blood covered his white teeth, making them look grotesque. "We are so much alike, Asato. I was an experiment of my family, of madness. You were an accident of a demon raping a human woman, and fathering an impossible child. Neither of us should have been able to exist. You were a freak occurrence. Demons rarely, if ever, father hybrids. I was genetically engineered by my own grandfather."

Muraki coughed again and blood frothed at his lips. Tsuzuki wiped it away, his thumb ghosting over the bloodless lips.

"We are the same," the scientist murmured. "It's why I ask you to release me from this parody of a life. Give me a chance to repay."

Muraki had no illusions as to where his soul, should it even survive death, would go.

Tsuzuki's hand rested on his torn and cut chest. He felt the power contained in that touch.

"Do it," he managed.

Free me.

"Who saved you?" Tsuzuki asked.

Muraki laughed, then coughed again. "My master."

"Who?"

He smiled more. "Give me freedom, Tsuzuki. I cannot tell you more."

The amethyst eyes bore into him. "You will die with that knowledge."

"Yes."

And the power consumed him as he gazed into the violet crystals that were Tsuzuki's eyes. He held that look, clung to that beautiful color as his body finally returned into the nothingness where it had always belonged, as his unholy life ended.

Thank you, he thought.

You're welcome, Kazutaka, a voice whispered, filled with such sadness that he could almost see tears.

And then there was nothing but the eternity of darkness and even that was reduced to nothing as he allowed himself to let go.

* * *

They had come right into the heat of the battle, had watched demonic servants perish in the darkness that was Tsuzuki's power, and they had sought cover from the painfully snapping aura that destroyed everything it touched.

Tatsumi had witnessed the fall of Muraki, had watched the life drain from the mad man's eyes, and he had watched the last conversation between two enemies. He had seen the light die, but he had seen a new one come to life.

Muraki had asked Tsuzuki to release him.

He had wanted to die.

His body had disappeared, evaporating under the power Tsuzuki wielded. And now his friend rose, the energy wafting like giant, misshapen and ever-moving wings behind him. The cold eyes showed no more sign of Tsuzuki being in there. This was... not him.

He appeared ethereal, the face pale and like made of porcelain. Beautiful and deadly, graceful and divine. Tatsumi had rarely been in the presence of Enma-Daiou, but that was what he felt now. He gaped at the new Tsuzuki, at the man who had been triggered to release his heritage, and a cold shiver raced down his spine.

Not far away lay Hisoka, unconscious, covered in blood and healing wounds, all inflicted by Muraki. It had been the sight of his partner that had launched this and Tatsumi was under no illusions whether or not they could even get to Hisoka to check on him. He prayed the young shinigami would be all right.

"We have to stop this!" Watari shouted, eyes aglow with determination. "We have to stop him from losing himself in this!"

But how? Tatsumi thought faintly.

How could they stop something that had the power of Enma-Daiou?

He briefly closed his eyes, steeling himself against what was to come.

The answer was easy: do it whatever way possible.

"If I can get into his mind, I can throw the switch," Touda rumbled, his own golden eyes glowing wildly.

Tatsumi could only guess what was happening through the bond.

"He's blocking me, has erected shields, but if you can weaken him enough that I can get past his defenses, I can knock him out."

"Are you sure?" Watari demanded.

"No." A humorless smile graced Touda's pale lips. "I only felt his power rise once before and it nearly tore me apart. This is different. This is everything. The link is blocked and I think I know what to expect behind those walls. Can you distract him enough for me to get to him?"

Watari swallowed hard and looked at his lover. Tatsumi just nodded.

"We'll do what we can."

The shadows stirred, gathering, growing in mass and strength. Twice within a short amount of time he would go to his limits, Tatsumi mused. Even now he could still feel the ache of his abused body where shinigami magic had bruised the energy lines within his body. The shadows reacted as fluidly as ever to his commands, and he would use them to his fullest power, but it would probably knock him out cold. Or worse.

It would be suicide.

There was a flutter of tiny wings and a determined hoot. 003 landed on Watari's shoulder and nipped at his hair. The blond smiled weakly.

"All of us, huh?"

All of them.

Tatsumi let the shadows gather.

Yes, suicide.

He smiled humorlessly.

And the only way to maybe get their friend back.

° ° °

It was a battle of never before seen proportions. Tsuzuki was more than a match for what was facing him, and he was facing it with cold efficiency. Like an immovable guardian he stood in front of the crumbled form of Kurosaki Hisoka, shielding him, defending him, completely on automatic. Watari understood the need to protect a loved one; he would do the same if this was Tatsumi, but in Tsuzuki's case it was lethal.

Shadows boiled toward the creature their friend had become, the calculating, cold and demonic force that destroyed what they threw at him. Muraki's actions had released the power and no one could stop it. Tatsumi's face was a mask of concentration, fierce, hard, the blue eyes fixed on his target. There was hardly any movement from the man as he guided his shadows in the precise attack, like a surgeon wielding a scalpel.

It was deathly fascinating to watch, to see the mastery of such a lethal force, to see the elegance, and it was quite clear that only decades of control and training could yield such results. Watari had never seen his lover in full battle, without losing control of himself but not holding back his strength. Tatsumi was a scary man if he wanted to be, but he was a terrifying warrior, too.

Watari channeled power into the playground toys, life exploding through the dead wood, steel and plastic, and creating temporary warriors to weaken Tsuzuki, to breach his shields, for them to somehow knock him out.

Tatsumi let the shadows attack again, but this time it was as if Tsuzuki had expected them. He raised one arm and Touda shouted a warning, but it was too late. The incredible force of Tatsumi's attack was stopped and flung back at the Shadow Master, who was barely fast enough to create a protective wall of more shadows. Watari heard his partner's groan of pain, but instead of falling back, Tatsumi doubled his efforts. His eyes were long past the stage of a human expression. The blue was mixed with a strange silver color Watari had never seen before, turning the Shadow Master into an ethereal, dangerous and quite inhuman looking figure.

Like whips and projectiles of incredible speed, the shadows lunged at their target, draining their master with the effort to maintain his defenses, and only because Watari looked closely did he see the first signs of exhaustion.

We're losing, the scientist thought, horrified. And he's not even breaking into a sweat.

A bright light exploded not far away and Watari gaped as 003 entered the hellish battle. She had been an angel once, something Watari had never known until she had saved his soul from a devil. She had resigned from her celestial position as a guardian angel and had become a shikigami. He had never seen her fight; he had never called upon her in a battle.

Now he did see her, and she was magnificent. The tiny owl was tiny no more, nor was she still an owl. She was large, about the size of a horse, with magnificent wings. She had paws, fur, feathers, a long tail, and an eagle's head. Her fur was dark brown, as were the feathers, and it glinted with a faint, reddish highlight here or there. She opened her beak and screeched a challenge.

Tsuzuki turned his head and looked at the shikigami griffon. 003 launched herself at him, the bright light of before reappearing and with a beat of her wings she lanced it at the demon they were facing.

"003!" Watari called, fear racing through him, and the toy warriors grew in rank and size.

In the wake of the light, Touda surged forward, his snake form gigantic and fearsome, but like all of them, he couldn't get past his master's defenses.

The light touched the demonic shields.

Something wavered.

Something sizzled.

There was a loud crack and Tsuzuki stumbled, just about able to evade a slice of shadow hurtling his way. Amethyst eyes flared and he made an abrupt gesture with one hand.

Tatsumi's shadows rallied to his defense, able to withstand the first blasts, but then even that wasn't enough any more. In absolute horror Watari watched as the black wall was decimated, as shadows fell under Tsuzuki's attack, a black wall that hadn't even fallen for the Five Generals. Energy sliced at Tatsumi, cutting into his clothes, drawing blood.

He knew he was screaming his lover's name, but Watari couldn't hear his own voice over the cacophony of demonic power versus shadows. He witnessed his lover's defeat, saw blood blossom on his clothes, watched as the realization of his imminent loss dawned on the exhausted secretary's face.

With a cry of pain, Tatsumi went down on one knee as Tsuzuki ruthlessly cut at him and a final blow snapped his head around. Glasses flew off the battered face, breaking on the ground.

Again.

Tatsumi dropped like a stone, eyes rolling back into his head.

Watari screamed in denial. It was more like a sob than a real cry.

Tatsumi lay unmoving, bloodied and seemingly broken, eyes closed, hair matted with blood, the glasses shattered.

"Nonononono," Watari chanted in his mind and out loud.

003's energy blasts battered against the demonic shields that now showed the first cracks. Touda hissed and Watari blinked as he witnessed the giant serpents strange attack. Touda curled around the demonic shinigami, hissing, rumbling, humming, his wings spread out, eyes aglow, and suddenly Tsuzuki tilted his head upward, looking into the reptilian eyes.

Watari held his breath.

Black wings quivered.

003 was suddenly flung back and tumbled head over heels, landing hard, hooting painfully as she reverted to her owl form. Watari was on his knees, trembling.
Tsuzuki still looked at Touda, then his gaze moved to take in his opponents, his friends. Touda hissed in pain and tightened the coils, but he never touched his master, who was in his own, personal bubble of cracked shields that still held.

Watari could only imagine what was happening on the mind-plane.

°

Hisoka woke with a start. Emotions raced across his empathically very receptive mind and he instinctively raised his shields, though not before he had identified the origins.

Tsuzuki. But not like the Tsuzuki Asato he knew. So hard and cold and dangerous and black and painful...

Touda. Trying to break through, trying to talk to his master, in such pain himself and still determined to do the impossible.

Muraki. Remnants of his nightmare, the terror of his childhood, the specter that had haunted him even after death. Those emotions were fleeting, fading, as if they weren't really there any more.

Hisoka opened his eyes and blinked.

The sight that greeted him was... impossible.

Tsuzuki stood within the black coils of the fire serpent, pale as a sheet, eyes literally glowing with the power he had inside him. Touda was hissing softly, feathers bristling, golden eyes wild and untamed. He was radiating heat. A lot of it. So much that Tsuzuki should actually be burning, but he wasn't. Touda was holding his master, but he was losing quickly now. All his own darkness and power was nothing compared to what Tsuzuki had at his disposal, at what he had already thrown at the others.

Hisoka stared at the unconscious, bleeding Tatsumi, at Watari who was barely able to still stand.

His disbelieving eyes went to Tsuzuki again.

His partner.

Tsuzuki seemed to shiver and another surge of dark force touched them all.

Touda groaned softly and suddenly Tsuzuki broke free of the confines, the hell serpent collapsing into a small heap of arms, legs and torn clothes, unable to maintain his battle form. Still he moved, got to his knees, tried to stand.

"Tsuzuki," Hisoka whispered, straining to keep his shields up.

He had been under an immense emotional pressure, the return of Muraki opening old wounds and new ones just the same. He had survived the torture. He had endured the touches, the silky words, the hunger in those unnatural eyes. He would endure this as well.

He wanted to touch his partner and lover, feel him, but he knew it wouldn't be a good idea. Right now Tsuzuki Asato was an overload waiting to happen. He was lost, almost gone, in the ocean of limitless power that was his heritage.

And no one could stop him.

The others had weakened Tsuzuki, but not even Touda had managed to break into the steel ball his mind had become. He had cracked the shields, but he had been repelled.

Hisoka inhaled sharply.

He squared his shoulders, gathering what power he still had, collecting it into one sharp spearhead to fling at his target.

"Tsuzuki," he whispered and met the inhuman eyes.

They had always been like this. A violet color that no other human had. Tsuzuki had been born like this, an aberration, suffering from the taunts of other children, being beaten and laughed at, being pushed away and alone. He had demonic blood in him, a lot of it, actually, and powerful at that.

But for Hisoka, Tsuzuki Asato had been more than a man with strange eyes. He had learned to look past the difference, past the child-like façade, and he had discovered something a lot deeper. He had found a warm, caring personality. He had found a core of steel. He had found a sharp, quick mind. He had found a soul suffering from his past, from the nightmares, from his heritage, and from loneliness.

He had found his partner and lover. Asato.

"Asato," he said the name out loud and took the first steps toward the man who wore his lover's face.

The eyes never shifted, the power never spiked. He was being watched by a predator. Hisoka knew he was prey; easy prey. But he was also who Tsuzuki had protected, had always protected.

"It's over," Hisoka went on, voice soft, like talking to a skittish animal.

He was talking to a dangerous creature, though. Lethal. Precise. Strong enough to beat back the attacks of two powerful shikigami and a Shadow Master.

"I'm safe. Muraki is gone. You can come back. I want you back. I want you, Asato, not this. Please come back."

He walked ever-closer, never taking his eyes off Tsuzuki. Touda was watching him, kneeling not far away, frozen in place. He had done what he had been able to, being the one most intimately linked to Tsuzuki, but he hadn't succeeded.

Hisoka swallowed a little as he entered the immediate core of the power that was Tsuzuki. It was cold and smooth, like silk, but he knew that it could tear him apart in a second.

"Asato..." he pleaded. "Come back to me..."

He needed an opening. He needed to see Tsuzuki in those cold eyes before he could act.

"Asato..."

There was a flicker, but nothing concrete.

"You saved me. It's over," Hisoka repeated. "Muraki is gone. You were there to protect me. But I need you now, too. I need you to hold me. Please, Asato. Please..."

His shields were strained and Hisoka stumbled a little, gasping softly. Tsuzuki twitched and the flicker was more pronounced, a tiny piece of his old self breaking through at the sight of his lover's distress.

"...soka...?"

Hisoka knew it was now or never. He had only this one chance and he used it, whatever the cost for him. His hand reached out and he touched the cold, pale skin of his lover, cupping the beloved face, soaking in the moment. He gazed into the warmth that surfaced for a second, knew he was looking at Tsuzuki, and he acted.

The empathic shard shot right into Tsuzuki's mind, destroying the shields that had been cracked under Touda's attack. Without that, Hisoka knew he would never have stood a chance.

Tsuzuki's eyes widened in shock.

His mouth opened in a scream that never happened.

Inside his mind, everything crumbled, collapsing in on itself, burying Tsuzuki's consciousness underneath.

There was a last defensive spike of power that flung Hisoka away.

Tsuzuki swayed, then sagged into himself, collapsing to the ground.

Silence descended, only broken by the fizz of dispersing energy and the sizzle of Touda's still rather active aura. The serpent's expression was wild, dangerous, the eyes still glowing. Energy crackled around him as he tried to close down the link that had let some of what Hisoka had flung at his lover through.

The darkness was still everywhere and with his shields now too thin to protect him much longer, Hisoka felt every spark of it. He curled up, moaning softly.

* * *

Watari was shaking as he looked at the unconscious form of his best friend. Tsuzuki looked like he always did – just with an edge. A sharp, biting edge. An edge that was inhuman, that was more than just demonic, and he shivered again.

"He's still on full power," he whispered, head throbbing painfully and he knew it wasn't just from the magic he had just performed. All the pills in the world couldn't stop what would happen soon. He was down to the last five anyway. He swallowed them quickly.

Touda was sitting next to his shinigami master, exhausted like everyone, but there was determination in those golden eyes.

Watari knew this wasn't over. What he had seen and heard and touched in Mother told him that unless Tsuzuki took control of who he really was, he would forever be a victim. In his current state, a single trigger was enough to start this all anew.

"We have to protect him," he murmured.

"From what?"

Watari turned and smiled thinly at his lover. Relief rushed through him, quickly followed by so much worry and shared pain at the sight. Tatsumi looked groggy, his face and body covered in blood and so many healing wounds. It was a slow healing due to his excess use of his shinigami magic, and his body was struggling to heal. It would take a while and from the looks of it, Tatsumi was barely even conscious, but the simple fact that he was awake and mostly coherent gave Watari some relief.

"I'll explain it to you, after we get Tsuzuki back home."

"Where to at home?"

"The Palace of Candles."

Tatsumi blinked dazedly. "What?"

"Don't ask, please? Take Hisoka to the medical wing in Meifu, Touda and I will get Tsuzuki to the Palace. When I get back, we'll talk."

The Shadow Master was mystified, but he nodded. Watari read a million questions in the blue eyes that looked even more intense without the glasses as a small barrier, but he was thankful that Tatsumi was holding back.

Touda rose, Tsuzuki in his arms. Demonic power was wafting off the duo in waves and both Tatsumi and Watari winced. It was becoming more and more difficult to be around their friend and from the way Hisoka was moving restlessly, he felt the same.

"Go," Watari whispered to his lover.

Tatsumi briefly squeezed his shoulder, then picked up their unconscious empath and left for Meifu. He stumbled a little, but sheer willpower drove him on. Among them, he was best suited to be around Hisoka right now, who was probably wide open and his shields almost down. Tatsumi was the one person who was most in control of his emotions and therefore perfect to keep an eye on the youngest of the shinigami.

The blond turned to Touda. "Ready?"

"Yes," was the rumbled answer.

Watari initiated the jump back into Meifu and the hell serpent followed.

° ° °

They had brought Tsuzuki to the only place where he was safe, as well as to the only person who, aside from Touda, was currently able to stand being near the demonic aura the shinigami was radiating. Even while unconscious there was no mistaking what Tsuzuki was, Ryu thought with a faint frown. The darkness was alive, hissing and snapping and tickling his senses, and there was a faint sizzle everywhere.

Tsuzuki was a demon, hadn't reverted to his shinigami self, the gentle being that had such a terrible secret lying within him, and the demon was defending himself even in this state.

Watari had insisted that Tsuzuki had to remain inside the Palace of Candles and while Ryu had yet to get a straight answer out of the blond he suspected it wasn't a pretty one. It had something to do with Tsuzuki's continued safety, that he could only become his old self again without the danger of... what? Ryu didn't know who exactly was a danger for Tsuzuki, but his best guess, and possibly the only answer, was Enma-Daiou. He had known the Lord of Hades for over two thousand years. He was a cold-hearted bastard when it came to the survival of Meifu, and too much had happened to Tsuzuki and those around him for it not to be Enma.

Watari hadn't come inside the Palace with Touda. The scientist had been barely able to keep himself upright, let alone return to the Shokan Division without a major accident, and Ryu felt his worry increase. A lot had happened in the last hours and Tsuzuki's triggering was only the beginning of what would happen now.

°

He was only too right, as was proven to him a few minutes later. There was a spike of power and suddenly those amethyst eyes snapped open.

The aura flared.

The darkness rose.

It seemed to lick around the room, searching, then finding, and it gained strength.

And Ryu cried out as the seal broke, as his demonic side was freed, as his blood boiled with a power that was purely hellish in origin. He doubled over, clutching his stomach and his back exploded into fiery agony as his wings broke free. Claws instead of fingers, a scaly blue hide, red eyes that fizzed with power, and fangs that gnashed in agony of the transformation.

Not again, shot through his head, the thoughts mingled with the pain. Please, not again...

But it had happened again. He was his true self once more, and it hadn't been any more pleasant than before.

He panted harshly and raised his head, looking straight into the demonic eyes of Tsuzuki Asato. Nothing had physically changed about the man. He was still Tsuzuki, pale-skinned, dark-haired, his eyes just of a different color than a normal human's, and dressed in his black outfit.

But the aura... it was incredible. Ryu had never felt anything of the like. Never.

"Tsuzuki," he whispered.

The expression was inhumanly cold and it reminded him of looking into a similar face, narrow and beautiful, but reflecting the wisdom of the universe, the knowledge of Time.

Enma... he thought, horrified.

A third presence entered the room and Ryu discovered Touda, who stared wide-eyed at the scene of the two demons looking at one another.

"Shit!" the shikigami cursed.

Rather apt summary of the situation, Ryu thought and straightened, his wings rustling. The golden eyes were briefly on him, but Touda showed no reaction to the demonic appearance. He either knew or he refused to be shocked by such occurrences.

Tsuzuki ignored them both and started to walk toward the exit. There was a dark fire in his eyes, something that scared Ryu more than his brief visit in Hell had been able to. Whatever was going on in that mind of his, he was like an avenging angel on a mission.

"Close the doors!" Touda hissed and Ryu did, instructing the Palace to lock down. Not just the doors; completely.

Tsuzuki stopped and turned, looking at him. "Open the doors," he commanded calmly.

The voice made Ryu shiver.

"You can't leave," he argued, watching Touda slowly approach the dangerous creature the shinigami had become.

"I will go," was the simple reply.

"To do what?"

Keep him talking, Ryu thought frantically.

"I will make him suffer."

"Who are you talking about? Muraki is dead!"

"Enma-Daiou."

Oh double shit...

Touda had frozen, his face chalky in the light of the Palace. "Asato," he whispered.

Ryu had no idea if the bond between them was even working any more, but right now he hoped so.

"It's what he wants," the demon argued desperately. "You're playing by his rules!"

"Not any more. He dared to touch Hisoka. I cannot forgive that. Nor can I forgive the pain he spread before." The amethyst eyes flared. "You know that pain."

Ryu shivered a little. Yes, he did. Emotional pain. A lot of it.

"Tsuzuki, no," he whispered. "I can't let you go."

"You cannot stop me."

"I can try."

Who was he kidding? He might be a pure-blooded demon, unlike Tsuzuki, but his powers were no match for what Tsuzuki Asato had become. Tsuzuki wasn't simply a demon now; he wielded a power that had been... changed. He was a hybrid and should have watered-down blood. He should be weaker than the real thing. But he wasn't.

The moment those hard, emotionless eyes turned on him, he knew he had no chance. A snowball in Hell would have a higher survival rate. A pale hand rose and finger snapped.

He was flung through the air and crashed into a wall, groaning softly.

Damn.

Okay, off with the kiddy gloves. He could at least slow him down with his powers. Now that the seal was broken, now that he could give in to the blood rage and thirst, he would use whatever resources he had to make Tsuzuki stop. Or give Touda enough time to come up with a different plan.

Red eyes flared with demonic energy and he felt his body react to a power he had never truly wielded completely. But instinct and his birthright were enough. Instinct took over and he attacked.

It was foolish.

He was facing a being who held a power that would soon be equal to Enma-Daiou's and that fact was driven home immediately.

The fight was furious, vicious, neither demon giving much ground. Ryu might not have been born a demon and hadn't lived in his demonic form at all in the millennia he had been trapped here, but instinct did the work for him. Instinct and a soul that had been born in Hell.

Still, despite the fact that Tsuzuki was already weaker than before, had been struck down already, he was more than a match for him.

Ryu screamed in pain as shards pummeled his body, penetrated his armor, and finally tore apart a wing. He heard bone snap under the force and he was barely able to whimper before he was sent hurtling into the table and ended up against the wall once more.

Breathing hard, agony racing through him, he gazed at the slender form that hadn't even moved much. Tsuzuki's face was an emotionless mask as he regarded his 'work'. Finally he turned and approached the door.

Still walking. Slower, but walking. Bleeding, but upright.

Enma's name, what did it take to make him fall?!

Ryu concentrated, felt the Palace respond, and the door began to barricade itself. Tsuzuki stopped and looked at the barrier. Then his eyes were on Ryu again.

"Fool," he whispered.

And the retaliation was terrible.
 
 
 

Touda had watched from the sidelines as Tsuzuki had launched his attack on the Count, and he was both impressed and horrified. His master's fighting power was incredible. The sheer force was a terrible thing that destroyed whatever it touched. Ryu was only still alive because Tsuzuki was no killer and because he was a demon. Touda had felt that darkness before, he had cradled it in his mind before, he had stopped it, buffered it, balanced it, but it had only been part of what he was facing now.

::Tsuzuki:: he whispered through the bond, reaching for his friend. ::Stop this. You cannot do this::

The violet eyes turned from where they had looked at the broken and bleeding demon, to gaze at Touda, who didn't flinch away. Tsuzuki couldn't continue like this much longer. Hisoka's blow had shattered his mind before, had made him fall. He regenerated quickly, but even that couldn't sustain him without end.

He was running on adrenaline. He was running on emotions.

::Touda::

The voice was cold and made of ice, so sharp it hurt to hear it, but Touda grit his teeth.

::I know you're hurting:: the fire serpent went on. ::I know Enma inflicted a lot of pain::

::Muraki reeked of him::

::But you're now playing by his plans!::

::He will die::

::And then what? You'll take his place? You want to become the cold-hearted bastard he was?::

Tsuzuki hesitated and there was a flicker in those eyes. Touda felt a sliver of hope as he sensed the indecision. The demon was losing its footing and the man Tsuzuki had always been, the caring soul, was returning. But only in little steps.

::No...::

::But you will! Remember what he said? You will be next in line! Don't do it, Asato! I beg you!::

More indecision and Touda knew he had to strike soon. If Tsuzuki recovered from this moment, he would leave and no one and nothing could stop him. The serpent had no illusions that he could truly stop or buffer his master now. This was beyond anything he had ever thought possible. Hisoka had shown him that a surgical strike could break through, could momentarily restrain their friend, and because it had been done before, Touda had a chance to do it again.

::Tsuzuki... I'm so sorry:: he murmured and then flung what power he had at the mind connected to his.

It was a lot.

It bore the mark of desperation.

And it hit the shinigami dead center. Already weak shields collapsed and broke, and Touda still drove forward, tuning out the screams, until Tsuzuki collapsed into his ready arms.

::Sorry:: he murmured, tears even in his mind voice. ::I cannot let you fall like this, Asato. I'm your guardian. He might not have planned it this way, but it's what I am. I'll always protect you::

Closing his eyes, exhaustion racing through him, the black shikigami held him close, trembling minutely. He wasn't done yet, he knew. He had to go into that shredded mind and find Tsuzuki, guide him through the hatred and pain and power surges, and bring him back to control what he was or this would never end. The hatred would drive Tsuzuki on. He would heal his wounds, mental as well as physical ones, and he would try to leave once more.

Tsuzuki could control his power. Touda knew it. He was simply afraid of what lurked deep down inside him.

I'll show you, he thought tiredly. Just trust me...

°

Ryu knew he had lost consciousness somewhere throughout that agony because when he came around, Tsuzuki lay on the ground, cradled in the arms of Touda. The fire serpent was pale, sweat glistening on his brow, and he was trembling with exertion. Dull, golden eyes met pain-filled red ones.

The demon stumbled to his feet and almost collapsed again. His shredded wings were on fire, his legs couldn't really support his weight and his clawed fingers dug into the wall to keep himself upright. There was blood everywhere.

"We can't go on like this," Touda whispered, exhausted. "I have to go in and find him."

And he had to fight against the power that was so destructive, so painful, only two beings were able to bear it.

Ryu nodded slowly, feeling his body thrum with the response from a new wave of demonic energy coming from Tsuzuki. The Palace was acting according to his thoughts, the walls thickening, reinforcing.

"Watson, leave," he ordered and the misshapen gnome nodded obediently. He had been watching the ceaseless fights and struggles from the side.

"Can you hold him should he gain consciousness?" Touda asked flatly.

Ryu gave him a weak smile. "I can try."

The golden eyes held a myriad of emotions, coupled with pain and tiredness. Still, they were drilling into the red ones they were facing, and finally Touda nodded.

"Good luck," Ryu murmured as the shikigami settled against the wall, his precious burden in his arms, and closed his eyes.

As Touda sank into the bond, Ryu checked the Palace, still reinforcing everything around here, sealing them in.

° ° °

Touda knew Tsuzuki's mind. He had been bound to it for so long now, he felt right at home. Tsuzuki's mind was both a gentle sea of warmth and a sharp chasm of power. He was human and demonic. He was a warrior who hid behind a tender, loving façade.

And his mind reflected all of that.

There were the nightmares and the happy memories. There was his past and the present. There were the connections to the other eleven, and there was the direct bond to Touda.

And Touda moved through that mind, looking for his friend. Somewhere in here, in this vastness, was Tsuzuki.

We need you, he thought. Come back. Don't give in to what Enma triggered.

There was a shift in the mind and suddenly Touda felt like he was under scrutiny. Something or someone was watching him. Closely. Very, very closely.

::Tsuzuki:: he whispered, using the bond despite the fact that he was in the other mind.

"Leave this place," a cold, emotionless voice commanded.

::Not without you::

Something shaped itself out of the mind-plane. It was a shadow of Tsuzuki, barely even him, with hard, violet eyes.

::You are an intruder.::

::I am your shikigami,:: Touda countered. ::We are bonded. I serve only you. Your will is mine.::

"You cannot stop me," his master spoke out loud, his voice coming through the bond as well.

"No, probably not." Should Tsuzuki strike out at him for real, Touda would die.

"He dared to touch what I protect. He hurt everything," the Tsuzuki figure whispered, voice filled with hate.

"And if you act upon those emotions now, you will lose to him."

There was no warning as the figure moved, but Touda managed to evade the strike that tore into the mind realm.

::Tsuzuki, please!::

Again the cold expression was on him.

::You say you are mine::

::Yes::

::You serve me. I am your master. Your will is my will, yet you disobey me::

Touda squared his shoulders, showing no submission. ::You are my master:: he repeated. ::I love you. I serve you. It is my duty to be your sword and shield, to protect your life... But right now, you are not who I submitted to.::

A slow smile curved the pale lips into a shadow of a real smile. "Do you challenge me, serpent?"

Touda felt cold all of a sudden. "If it is the only way to end this," he answered, voice almost numb.

"You chose your fate, serpent."

Not as strong as he had been right after he had been triggered but still powerful, Tsuzuki turned and attacked again.

° ° °

He had lost.

Enma-Daiou stood in his inner sanctuary, a puzzled but also faintly amused expression on his perfect features. All his servants had been sent away, as well as whatever representatives had come to see him. He was completely alone.

Never before had he ever considered that he might miss the taunting, malicious voice of Muraki, pointing out the errors and flaws in his plan now.

Muraki.

He was dead. For real this time. His body had been destroyed and his soul resided in stasis to await judgment. It would be his job to deal out Heaven or Hell to his plaything, but right now, Enma couldn't care less.

Right now, he was watching a struggle that might either give him a breathing space or spell his doom in the moments to come.

Tsuzuki had been triggered and it had been such a powerful blast, such incredible darkness, as the demonic force tore free and surpassed even what the Lord of Hades had predicted.

You are worthy, he thought. To be my successor. To take my place.

But he didn't plan to die to make that possible. He still had another job waiting. Another realm.

Enma's long, well-manicured fingers slid over the glass globe that glowed softly. A hazy mist filled the globe, twirling gently.

Touda was by now achieving the balance that had been there before. He was taming the beast and Enma was watching, smiling faintly. Even with the bond now active again, with Touda fighting the creature that wanted to kill Enma-Daiou, Tsuzuki would forever be changed. He would remember that power, he would remember the rush, and he would one day follow his heritage.

And if Enma hadn't had to push the development, the slow evolution would have delivered him his successor. Now he had created an enemy.

The darkness twisted and snapped, fighting against Touda, and Enma was impressed by the resilience of the hell serpent.

"You are the most dangerous of them all. You are his worthy partner, opponent and shikigami," he murmured,

Turning away from the globe, Enma strode across the silent room and toward the secret chamber that existed in no-time, the place where he had kept Muraki, where he had listened to his pet's sinful voice, had tasted his body and soul. Now there was no trace of the bed, the chains or the passion left. It was an empty bubble, but from here, he could see more. He could see everything. He could feel Mother as she processed data, he could feel the vast infinity of space, and he could feel the end of the fight inside Tsuzuki's mind.

Sitting back, Enma-Daiou closed his eyes.

It was over.

And it was only the beginning.

° ° °

It felt like they had fought for hours, neither winning nor losing in the beginning, but now Tsuzuki was tiring out. He wasn't limitless; he wasn't invincible. He was only a human being with a power that came from his father's side.

Touda panted painfully as he pushed himself to his limits. He winced as he heard Tsuzuki's scream of pain. There had been no other choice but to lash out with everything he had to stun the already injured mind so closely interwoven with his. Wild, amethyst eyes looked at him without seeing anything. Tsuzuki was in a fighting fury, throwing all he still had, and which was formidable considering the injuries and signs of exhaustion, at his attacker.

"Tsuzuki, stop!" he tried again and was rewarded with a physical blow to the chest.

While it smarted, it hurt his friend more than him. Touda desperately caught the hands and twisted Tsuzuki around so he was resting with his back against Touda's chest. His arms were crossed in front of his own chest, immobilizing him somewhat. Tsuzuki threw his head back and it crashed into Touda's face. With an angry snarl, he tightened his hold and heard Tsuzuki hiss in pain. It pained him just the same, but he had to quiet him down.

"Tsuzuki, it's me, Touda," he whispered into his master's ear. "You are safe. Calm down. It's okay. You are safe." He repeated it over and over again.

Please let this finally be over now, Touda thought desperately.

He knew he couldn't go on much longer. Neither could Tsuzuki. What they had thrown at each other would have killed lesser men.

Like a challenge fight, part of him thought darkly. Touda had never been challenged by Tsuzuki. He had voluntarily submitted to the shinigami when Tsuzuki had freed him. Of course, it had been one of the many demands of the Council, among them the visor that had cut him off from his powers. But he would have done it anyway.

Touda would never forget the moment the cell doors inside of Tenkuu had opened, when the chains had broken, and he had looked into the warm, gentle face of the man who had entered his prison. There had been no fear, no apprehension, just the smile and the offer.

To be his.

To be Tsuzuki's.

Not in these words, but he had felt it. He had felt the aura thrum in synchrony with his own, had felt the brief surge of a darkness that was like his own power, and he had been unable to tear his eyes away from that face.

No, they had never fought. He had only heard the tales of past challenges, and he had been astounded to find Sohryu among the bested Divine Commanders under Tsuzuki's command. The dragon was the most powerful of them, and he had lost.

Today, in this very moment, Touda knew he would have lost as well. Whatever he would have tried to do, Tsuzuki would have survived, would have won his loyalty, his obedience.

Suddenly the body in his arms grew limp. "Touda?" Tsuzuki whispered, sounding weak and broken.

Touda smiled and allowed himself to relax more, cradling Tsuzuki in his hold. "Yes, it's me. You're safe."

"Safe?"

"Yes."

Touda held Tsuzuki tightly, feeling the lean body tremble uncontrollably. He rested his chin on the dark head and continued to softly reassure him that he was safe now, that everything was going to be okay.

"What are you doing here?" Tsuzuki whispered.

His eyes were closed and Touda felt Tsuzuki's hand curl around his own wrist.

He smiled. "Saving your sorry butt."

A dry chuckle escaped him. Blurry eyes fell on his face.

"Thank you," he breathed, slumping against him.

Touda protectively laid his hand and arm over the dark head, feeling the tremors increase. After some time, Tsuzuki quieted down, going limp, his ragged breathing still a bit uneven. They simply sat together for a while. Touda was secure in the knowledge that Ryu could protect them, even though the demon was in probably the same bad shape, but he still controlled the Palace. All that counted for him right now was that Tsuzuki was alive, that he was here. Touda had no intention of ever letting go again.

* * *
His body began to revert back to its human shape, now that Tsuzuki's powers had finally been cut. He bit back a scream as his wings were forced inside, the broken appendages pure agony for him to bear. He stumbled and slid down the wall, leaving a broad, blood smear. His whole back was an open, bleeding wound. Each breath was a challenge.

Watson made a reappearance, his misshapen face full of worry, and Ryu smiled tiredly.

"Get a message to the others. But warn them to come here."

"Yes, sir," was the immediate answer and the servant disappeared again.

The decision whether or not Tsuzuki would be safe from whatever had tried to take him awake was not up to Ryu, not even up to Touda, but the demon suspected that while they had battled the darkness that had changed their friend.

Later. Later he would find out. Later he would ask.

Now... now he just needed to heal, like all of them.

And around him, the Palace repaired itself.

° ° °

Sohryu startled awake out of his doze when he felt the non-stop feed of power snap and break. It was like being able to breathe again and he inhaled deeply, his soul trembling with relief. On the bed, Tenkou finally fell into a resting sleep and Kijin followed her, while Suzaku sagged against the headboard, eyes closed, face pale.

"It's over," she whispered.

Sohryu nodded. He only wished he knew what had happened. He wanted to know how Hajime was, he wanted to see him, he wanted to check on everyone, but his body demanded rest. Closing his eyes he allowed his mind to finally quiet down enough to slip into sleep, to regenerate.

° ° °

Watari was asleep. Finally. On Tatsumi's bed, under several blankets, still mostly clothed. Tatsumi looked at the tousled blond head and smiled with exhaustion. He felt so tired as well, his whole body aching from exertion, from channeling so much power and controlling such an amount of shadows, but he just couldn't sleep. Not after what had happened, what was still happening.

Terazuma was back and currently drifting in and out of sleep, too weak to do much more than eat and sleep anyway. Sohryu had appeared in Meifu a few hours ago and he was refusing to leave.

No one but Tsuzuki would dare to order him to do so anyway.

But Tsuzuki was in no condition to do so at all. He was still at the Palace with Hisoka and Touda by his side, recovering.

He shivered, feeling so abominably cold. Regeneration of his body had jumpstarted only slowly since he had again given up speedy healing for more fighting power. There was a mumble from his lover and Watari snuggled closer to him, arms tightening around Tatsumi's chest.

"Sleep," a drowsy voice murmured.

"I can't."

Because there is so much I need to understand. Like your own position in this, Taka. Who are you? I thought I knew. I thought you had told me. But there is so much more. You were one of the Five! You were the Chief Researcher and you gave life to Mother!

Sleepy, amber eyes peeked out from under the blond curls.

"Sleep, Seii," Watari whispered, his own eyes reflecting so much pain and sorrow. "Right now, that's what we need. Later, we talk. I promise."

But they had already talked and it was what had Tatsumi in pieces.

Watari reached up and cupped the pale face with one hand. "Seii..." he implored.

Blue eyes closed in desperation and Tatsumi felt the caress even more intensely. "Taka..." he whispered.

"We will get through this," Watari promised. "Sleep."

And exhaustion dragged him down. Safely ensconced in his lover's arms, Tatsumi Seiichiro allowed his mind to finally surrender – but his dreams were another matter.

° ° °

Tsuzuki wanted to scream at the suffocating darkness that surrounded his mind. He had thought he'd gotten away, but he was mistaken. He sought to find his way through this nightmare and his body tried to force itself out of its prison.

Power churned at the edges of his consciousness, alluring and cold and dangerous and demonic.

He looked into the eyes of his other self, of the demon.

A voice whispered to him, but it couldn't be heard over the panic his mind projected.

The link to Touda.

Shields.

So many shields.

I hurt Touda, he thought as memories flashed by. I hurt Ryu. I... killed Muraki.

-- 'Please... release me, Tsuzuki. I beg of you. Give me freedom.'

-- 'Thank you.'

He sobbed softly at the memories. As much as he had hated and feared this man, he had never thought about cold-bloodedly taking his life.

-- 'I am a failed product. Give me your mercy.'

It hurt so much feeling the icy blackness coming from the bond, telling him he was alone. His body wanted to react by fighting, but he was too weak. His breathing pattern changed; it became rapid. He was beginning to find it hard to get the air he needed into his lungs.

A hand touched his face and he couldn't help but jerk away from it. The voice began to talk to him then, calling his name and telling him that he was going to be fine, that he was here with him now. His mind finally forced the scream to leave his body. His pain-filled form began to fight. He couldn't stop it. It was more a reaction than a request. He wanted it to stop but it wouldn't. He tried to ward off the hand touching him, but something was keeping him down.

Hands gripped his face and held it tight. A voice began to whisper in his ear, but he couldn't calm down; the fear was too great. He struggled even harder. The hands still held his head in a vice-like grip and finally words filtered through.

"Asato.... you're safe....."

Hisoka?

"Open your eyes."

His body went limp and he tried to force his eyes open. It was an effort. The blurry image that greeted him turned into face.

"'soka...?" he whispered, his voice rough and weak.

"Yes. You are safe, Asato. Relax."

The green eyes filled his whole field of vision, so deep and calm and filled with more than was possible. They held emotions that threatened to overwhelm Tsuzuki.

"'soka..."

 "It'll be okay," his partner said softly, those emerald eyes drilling into Tsuzuki's blurry ones.

"...stay...?"

"Forever."

He smiled a little.

"...thank you..."

With that, sleep claimed him again.

° ° °

Hisoka sat at Tsuzuki's bedside in one of the many guest rooms in the Palace of Candles, wondering how often that had happened lately. Well, it hadn't been such a long time since the last bedside vigil, when Tsuzuki had battled the mirrored effects of a virus that had struck down Touda.

How long ago had that been?

He didn't know.

He sighed and reached for one lax hand, stroking over the slender fingers, noting how unblemished, how unhurt Tsuzuki was this time. No harm had come to him physically, but he had completely exerted himself.

Hisoka shuddered as he remembered the darkness that had come forth, the power that had leveled most of the OmniFair grounds.

"You're so powerful," he whispered, for the first time no longer envious.

No, there was nothing to envy. Tsuzuki was bearing a curse, just like he had until recently. With the death of Muraki, that curse had been lifted. Hisoka felt little like celebrating right now. Tsuzuki had always been living a life on the edge each time he used that power, each time Touda pulled him away from the final step into the uncontrolled rage that could mean the end of them all. He was controlling something he feared, something he didn't want, and Hisoka understood that wishing for that kind of power on his part was foolish.

Now, that power had been unleashed, had been triggered by Muraki's actions. Hisoka had yet to understand so many things about what had happened.

How could Muraki have entered Meifu undetected?

-- the same way those devils had managed, a voice murmured.

Why had Muraki wanted to trigger Tsuzuki and then asked of him to take his life? What had been the plan? Why Tsuzuki? Why had all that happened just recently and not in the last seventy-plus years? Touda had become Tsuzuki's shikigami so long ago... why had he been bonded to him only just recently?

So many questions, but he had at least one answer.

Power meant nothing. Power was just the easy way out. Tsuzuki was doing more without those powers than others with theirs. His fear to use what he could had made him into what he was today, and in Hisoka's eyes he was the bravest shinigami to walk this realm.

"I love you," he murmured and leaned over, kissing the pale lips.

Tsuzuki was suffering from total exhaustion. He was healing inside and so was Touda, who was never far from his master. Right now he was curled up and sleeping in the bed next to Tsuzuki's, face lined with exhaustion, pale, and with shadows under his closed eyes. One hand was outstretched, spanning the gap between the two beds that had been pushed next to each other, and touching Tsuzuki's other arm.

Hisoka finally crawled into the bed with Tsuzuki and closed his eyes. Feeling his lover close, feeling those familiar emotions again, not the aberration of before, he allowed his mind to relax.

° ° °

Ryu had recovered quickly after Tsuzuki had nearly taken him apart. His demonic side was taking care of that, and it wasn't like he could really die. But he had also grown quiet, had pulled away, even from Watson, and the gnome was growing more and more worried about his master. Touda and Tsuzuki were mostly sleeping, and Hisoka didn't leave his lover alone.

The Count was hiding – from himself.

Hugging himself, the slender man was leaning against one of the high windows, staring out into the distance, his mind flashing back again and again to the moment of pain when his true self had broken through. The seal had dissolved the first time when he had entered Hell and he had become the demon that he had absorbed over two millennia ago. It had been agony.

Back again in Meifu, he had once again shown his human façade, thanks to the reinserted seal. Only Enma or a being of the same power could forever remove the seal, and Astaroth had only triggered him without shattering what locked the demon inside the beautiful human body. It had been a game for the Lord of Hell, showing Ryu who he was, dangling that horror in front of him.

Tsuzuki's attack had ended that brief respite. Ryu had never been the least disturbed by his appearance, but now the red eyes told him what lurked in there, what he was.

A creature of Hell. A monster.

Ryu shivered and screwed his eyes shut. He had seen little of himself, but he had felt the thing inside, the insidious, terrifying strength, the power, the violence and the lust for... more power.

He felt so sick.

The pain echoed through his mind and he groaned softly. His stomach clenched and his insides twisted in pain.

There was a shift in power in the Palace and a moan of denial left his lips.

No, not him. Please...

But there was no mistaking who had entered. His lover's aura was unique.

Ryu bit his lower lip and straightened with an effort. It was bad enough that he had guests here, but he could at least hide behind the mask. For Rikugo... there was no barrier. He could see him. It was his ability.

°

Rikugo realized from the moment he looked at his lover that something was terribly wrong. First, there was the mask. Ryu never wore it when they were together. Then there was the aura. It felt... sick. He had heard briefly from Touda about the attack, but the serpent had been rather close-mouthed. Rikugo had thought it to be exhaustion and worry about Tsuzuki.

Now he wasn't so sure.

"Ryu?" he asked softly.

"Hey," was the tremulous reply.

"Ryu, take off the mask, please?"

Rikugo had no problem seeing the Count as Ryu, but he wanted his lover to voluntarily show himself.

Shaking fingers took off the half-mask and Rikugo felt shock settle. Gods, he looked bad. Pale, haggard, like he hadn't slept for a very long time.

"Ryu?" he queried.

"I'm okay," was the reply.

Sure...

"Ryu?" he asked again.

Those red eyes held his for a moment, then dropped. Rikugo stepped closer, but Ryu moved back.

"Ryu, what's wrong?"

"Everything," was the soft answer.

Everything... like Ryu himself. He had been his true self for the very first time, had been to Hell, the home realm of the creature he had become, and Rikugo had seen the demon form.

"This is about what happened," the shikigami murmured and his lover flinched. "Ryu, I knew what you were. Not from the first day on, but I saw you once. Briefly. In your full form."

Ryu paled and stared at his lover. "W-when?"

"When you lost it. When you attacked Tsuzuki in front of me. I Looked at you and for a moment two images overlapped. I saw you and I saw the creature of Hell."

Ryu stumbled a few steps back until he collided with the wall. He was trembling with the reaction to Rikugo's words.

"No..."

"I saw you, Ryu. I accept what you are."

"How can you? How can you love this monster?" he yelled. "I'm your worst enemy! I could... I could kill you... if I ever lost control of myself completely..."

Rikugo closed the distance between them, looking down into the terrified eyes. "You lost it once and it was very much completely. You attacked Tsuzuki, but you never once turned into your other form. Only Hell can do that. The seal Enma-Daiou put on you prevents that."

Ryu closed his eyes, shivering more. Rikugo pulled the stiffening form into his embrace.

"I love you, Ryu. I saw what you are, I know what you are, and I love you."

"Why?" came the soft whimper.

"Because I do. Do I need a reason to feel as I do?" Rikugo placed a gentle kiss on the pale lips, feeling each quiver. "We've been through so much and I will always be at your side, Ryu. I love you."

--

Ryu cursed himself for his weakness as he clung his lover, seeking his warmth, his reassurance, and Rikugo just gently kissed him, holding him. He couldn't understand why Rikugo even touched him any more. He was a monster and scared by himself, of himself... How could the shikigami even trust him?

"I Looked, Ryu," came the soft whisper. "I Saw and I accepted. You're no monster. I love you. You're a man. I love you."

Tears tracked down his cheeks, emotions from the last twenty-four hours breaking through. The horrifying discovery of what he was still echoed in his sleep and he was terrified of the creature laying dormant inside. Rikugo kept him in his embrace until Ryu finally detached himself. He drew a deep breath and steadied himself.

"Ryu, I don't lie," the shinigami said calmly. "And I love you. Never doubt it."

"I'm just... scared, Rikugo. Of myself. I knew what I am... but I've never seen it before. Never felt it..."

"Now you know. You can be stronger because of it."

"I'm not so sure."

Rikugo's smiled. "I am." He gently tugged his lover with him. "C'mon. I think you could need something nice to eat."

"Rikugo..."

"Ryu," he said firmly.

The demon sighed. "Okay... okay."

° ° °

Byakko stretched, feeling sore muscles complain, but it was a good feeling. He was still tired, exhausted from the strain of the last few days, but he was still happier than before. He knew that Touda was okay, that he would remain with Tsuzuki until their friend was better. Tuszuki himself was sleeping a lot, like Touda, and he was his old self once more.

What had launched the outbreak was still not clear. The name Muraki had come up once or twice, and while Byakko knew that Muraki was a sore spot for Tsuzuki, he couldn't believe that their master would truly lose himself in the darkness like he had over him.

No, there had been more. There had to be more!

He was sure that answers could be found, but for now everyone had to recover.

Walking into the main room where the servants had prepared a meal, Byakko had the niggling feeling that this had only been the beginning. Something had finally broken free, and it wouldn't be tamed again.

Whatever it was, they were all ready. The first alert had been Tsuzuki's loss of control. Now... now everyone was apprehensive, wary, and ready to fight back – against a faceless enemy.

An enemy that had been around for a while now.

Byakko took his place and the servants poured tea and offered food. He nodded at them to leave it to him. He wanted to be alone, read the news scrolls another servant had delivered, and he wanted to think.

There was a lot to think about.

And it all made some strange kind of sense. Everything. Even his own, personal problems.

Byakko knew he had to talk to the others soon.
 
 

To be continued in Empty Spaces