AUTHOR: Macx and Lara Bee

DISCLAIMER: not mine. Definitely not! I just play with them and hope I tread on no one's toes.

Author's Voice of Warning (aka Author's Note):
English is not my first language; it's German. This is the best I 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

WARNINGS:

TYPE: yaoi

RATING: NC-17

PAIRINGs: several!

FEEDBACK: empty inbox seeks emails <g>
 
 

Tentative fingers ran over the lacquered wood railing, touched the gilded ornaments, explored the vine of a plant that grew up the side of the observatory and bloomed in a gentle pink color. He smelled an air that was nothing like what he had breathed in the last two thousand years, he saw a world he had only read about, and he was here in body, not just in a dream.

Rikugo had described his home to him and Ryu's very vivid imagination had given it form. But even that fantasy paled compared to the real thing.

He was in GensouKai, in his lover's realm, in his palace, and he was... free. Just for a few hours; two days to be precise, but it was freedom like he hadn't felt it in so many millennia.

The sky was the same blue color, but still not the same. There were clouds, but not the ones he had watched as he had spent boring afternoons lying on the grass of the wide-spread gardens. He was in a new realm, could explore, could see things he had never seen...

Ryu exhaled shakily and felt his fingers tremble where they touched the wood. He curled them into a light fist, closed his eyes, and willed the tremors to subside.

He had arrived together with his lover just two hours ago and he was still feeling the shivers. He was a prisoner who had his first freedom and the world was suddenly so much larger than the Palace and the palace grounds. It was overwhelming, it was frightening, and it didn't help that whoever passed by knew exactly what he was. Unlike Tsuzuki, whose human half smoothed out the demonic side, Ryu was a full-blooded demon, even if he had started out a human being. The seal that kept his powers in check didn't dampen the aura that had bloomed to its full potential the moment he had arrived here. For whatever reason...

Shouldn't have come, he thought again, a thought that hadn't left him alone for the last two hours.

And he wouldn't have, if Tsuzuki hadn't been such a literal pain for days... weeks... for four months! Whatever free time the shinigami had been able to make, he had come to the Palace to pester and wheedle and cajole and outright threaten Ryu into leaving.

Enma-Daiou had granted him a forty-eight hour time window to leave his prison, his Palace, but only under one condition: Tsuzuki would take his place. The first time they had switched, things had ended in pain. Tsuzuki had been caught by the candles' magic, had been confronted by nightmarish visions of Muraki, and he had nearly broken over it. Back then, Ryu had decided there would be no second time. He wouldn't chance his friend's sanity again. He wouldn't leave to follow his own pleasures, knowing fully well that Tsuzuki suffered the nightmares.

But Tsuzuki had been persistent.

Rikugo in turn had been very patient, never pressuring him into leaving, never bringing up the topic. His shinigami master had been doing the job for him in a way. And he had finally managed it.

Ryu sighed and leaned against the pillar, wishing Rikugo was here, but something had come up and the astrologer had had to pay a visit to one of the other shikigami.

So here he was, alone, suffering from fear of wide spaces. He smiled humorlessly to himself. He had never been claustrophobic in his restricted prison, the Palace and the adjourning grounds, but here, in this limitless realm, he was suddenly the opposite.

Welcome to your agoraphobia.

Gods, he was so messed up. Sometimes he wondered what Rikugo saw in his fractured mind, what he saw in his torn soul, that he stayed with him. The shikigami had gone through so much already with the wreck of a lover he had. What was it that bound him to the immortal being?

Ryu grit his teeth.

No, I'm not going to fall into that pit again. We had that out. He loves me. He knows me. He truly Looked at me and didn't turn away in disgust.

But it was hard to exist knowing that there was someone who had seen him without all barriers, who had looked past the mask and seen the tortured, twisted and perverted creature he was -- and still stayed on.

Ryu blinked furiously and hugged himself, feeling achy and exhausted. He wanted nothing more than to be with his lover, have him wrap his arms around him, feel that strong presence, and adjust to this change in his life.

So pathetic, he thought faintly. Two thousand years old and utterly pathetic.

There was a noise behind him and he whirled around, too on edge by the newness, the feeling of being threatened by the mere existence of so much space. While he had power, it was a passive form, restricted by Enma-Daiou even here. He could defend the Palace, nothing more. Only then did his demonic powers rise. Otherwise he was a weak human being whose only advantage was that he couldn't die, whatever was thrown at him.

Ryu's eyes fell on a small shikigami, old, using a wooden walking stick that was about his size, dressed in the expensive clothes of a high representative.

He didn't need to ask who he was facing. Ryu knew everything there was about GensouKai; he had had a long time to read the books. He knew them all. By name, by rank, by designation. He knew their powers, their affiliation, their status.

"Genbu," he greeted the God.

"Enjoying your stay?" the small shikigami asked casually.

"Ah, yes."

"It can be a bit overwhelming."

He swallowed. "I agree," Ryu answered. "But it's nothing that doesn't quiet down after a while. It takes some getting used to."

Dark eyes from under bushy eyebrows looked critically at him and Ryu wondered what was going on in that old head. Genbu was Rikugo's sensei, he was the Protector of the North, one of the four most powerful shikigami, and he was one of the oldest of the twelve Divine Commanders. Ryu knew he would never meet any expectations from anyone because of what he was and who he was. Rikugo must have mentioned him to his sensei, and Genbu could sense the demonic aura.

The arms crossed over his chest tightened and he wanted to be away from here. For millennia he couldn't have cared less what others thought. Now, with Rikugo being so very close to him, meaning so much to him, Ryu didn't want his status to reflect back on his lover. He was a demon, the enemy, and Rikugo...

The sick feeling spread. It was almost a physical pain now.

"Since my student was called away and cannot take care of his guest, would you like to join me for tea?" Genbu interrupted his wild thoughts.

Ryu blinked. "I'd be honored," he replied formally, pushing his unease aside.

Genbu grinned toothily and turned around. "Then come along, young one."

And he did. He followed the shikigami into a large room almost on the other side of the palace where tea was served by silent servants that didn't give him even a cursory look. Neither did they look at their master.

° ° °

Genbu watched his guest, the man his student had chosen as his partner, and he made up his own image of who Ryu was. The most tell-tale of all signs for a shikigami was the unmistakable aura. Where Tsuzuki had a little flicker of demonic presence that only surged when he truly used what powers he had been born with, Ryu radiated his demonic heritage quite openly -- if he let his aura go, that was. Currently he was tugging it close, wrapping it around his slender form, and only someone who approached him could feel his difference.

Genbu knew that the man wasn't a creature of darkness, but he had absorbed a devil and become one himself.

Ryu looked no less different than a shikigami would and the red eyes were no more strange than any eye color would be to the God. Genbu was no one to judge by appearance; it was foolish to do so. He concentrated on looking what lay underneath, just like Rikugo did, and he had found the same his student apparently had.
Ryu was a very fascinating man, with a gentleness that broke through when the caution finally made way for interest, when the wariness dissipated, and despite the injuries to his soul he was remarkably intact. Genbu knew the man's past from what Rikugo had told him, and he was surprised how well the Count held up for himself in this realm. There were tremors now and then, little flinches, and he was radiating his unease, but he was trying.

He was a fighter.

No one else would have survived two thousand years of imprisonment without going insane, and being able to love again. Yes, he saw the attraction, he saw what Rikugo had seen, and since his student had a special sight, too, he must know what there was to know about this fascinating being.

Ryu cast a glance at his watch and a pained look crossed his features.

"You still have time," Genbu remarked casually. "The forty-eight hours aren't up yet."

Red eyes snapped up and looked at him in shock, and the old shikigami smiled.

"I know about it from Rikugo. Don't worry. You'll be back on time."

There was no answer.

"Don't you think so?"

"I... I feel unwell leaving Tsuzuki in my position. He's trapped in the Palace, and he's trapped in a deal he made with Enma-Daiou..."

"Tsuzuki will be fine. He's strong."

"I don't doubt his strength, Genbu, but I doubt his sanity when it comes to striking a deal with Enma-Daiou over me."

Ah, here we go.

"He had his reasons." Genbu sipped at his tea.

"I think it was his compassion and his heart," Ryu muttered. "He got too close to me." A wry, cynical smile crossed his lips. "A while ago I would have loved him to be close to me, but that changed. I was too late, I saw it too late. He started to see me as a friend and it's what drove him into this deal."

Tsuzuki fought for his friends, tooth and claw, and he would go up against whatever opposed him to be there for them.

"True. That is what makes him Tsuzuki. He cares."

"He shouldn't care for me!" Ryu snapped.

"Why not? You are his friend, are you not?" The dark eyes held the unsteady red ones.

Ryu opened his mouth, then closed it again, his argument dying unheard. He just shook his head.

"Ryu, you are worth it," Genbu voiced it, answering it, and the demon stared at him in mounting shock. "You are my student's partner. Rikugo chose you. He would not chose someone unfitting for his companionship. I can see why he loves you. I can see what he sees, though not as deeply. I can see why Tsuzuki feels loyal to you, why he did this. You are worth it. Every living being is. Enjoy the chance you have been given."

Ryu clenched his hands around the cup, then lowered it carefully. "Thank you for the tea," he whispered hoarsely and rose. "I... need to go."

Genbu didn't stop him, just sat there and stroked his beard, thoughtful. "You're still learning what it means, young one. You're still trying to understand yourself."

Ryu was unaccustomed to many things in his new life. He was unable to deal with the true meaning of his freedom, with being free, with actual friends who would stand up for him.

He needed time -- and Rikugo.

Genbu finally rose and left his palace, determined steps leading him to where a certain dragon was keeping Rikugo unnecessarily away from the one person who really and truly needed him right now.

* * *
 

Touda didn't have a good day. His bond to Tsuzuki was wide open, all barriers down, and the serpent shikigami was keeping eagle eyes on his friend and master, on the one he was sworn to protect with every fiber of his being. Tsuzuki was currently holding up quite well in the Palace of Candles, though there had been moments when Touda had been close to going there to help him battle his demons.

::I can do it!:: Tsuzuki insisted again and again. ::It's okay, Touda::

It wasn't. Touda saw little in the arrangement that was 'okay'. Tsuzuki was deliberately exposing himself to nightmares and horrors and shadows that looked and sounded like Muraki, just so Rikugo could have his... lover with him.

The black shikigami snarled softly to himself, feeling Tsuzuki react to his anger.

::Touda, please!::

::It's stupid! You're trapping yourself in your nightmares voluntarily, Tsuzuki!::

::Rikugo loves Ryu. And Ryu deserves his freedom:: the shinigami argued.

Tsuzuki was currently in the winter garden, drinking tea, watching the sunset. Watson was there, too, keeping as much an eye on his current 'master' as Touda was through the bond.

::It was my deal. I made it with Enma. If you want to be angry at someone, be angry with me::

Touda grumbled to himself. He couldn't be angry with Tsuzuki. Never for long anyway, and that immediate anger at what foolishness had made Tsuzuki make this deal had already evaporated. Right now he was simply aggravated, feeling the pressure from the bond because of the too low shields, and his own frustration at his inability to truly help.

::Ryu needs this, Touda:: Tsuzuki reminded him.

::So what?:: was his defiant reply.

A smile answered him and suddenly Tsuzuki was very close, hugging him through the bond. ::You were a prisoner once, too:: the shinigami whispered tenderly. ::You know how he feels. You were in his shoes::

Touda sent him a glare. ::Don't compare me to a demon!::

::I'd never do that:: was the light reply. ::It's just a few more hours. You could raise the shields, you know?::

More defiance rose. No, he wouldn't!

Tsuzuki brushed over the dark core he was connected to and smiled warmly. ::Thank you for everything, Touda::

The serpent stuffed his hands into his pockets, glaring at the ground as he walked through the silent streets of GensouKai center. He understood Tsuzuki's need to help others to be happy. He was a contradiction, Touda mused. An angel of death who wanted people's happiness. It was what caused Tsuzuki so much pain sometimes, but in the last years, things had evened out. His friend was growing, developing, overcoming incredible obstacles in his way, and he was rising to the occasion again and again.

Of course he wasn't against Rikugo's happiness. The older shikigami had gone through enough to warrant some happiness. Touda knew the recent events had drained Rikugo physically as well as mentally, and he had saved the serpent's life by almost dying himself. Touda was thankful, but why did Rikugo's happiness mean Tsuzuki's pain?

Growling to himself, he almost didn't notice when someone just barely managed to evade him.

A dangerous aura touched his own. Tightly coiled around its owner, barely an inch away from the skin, but still so very powerful. Powerful enough to incite a hellish fire inside the serpent shikigami.

Golden eyes narrowed as he took in the slender form of a demon who was the source of all his anger.

For a brief moment Touda felt nothing but emotional fury at the being who really couldn't be blamed for this, but the brief moment was enough.

"You!"

°

Ryu had been lost in thought. Walking through the streets, along winding paths that led from one palace to the next, he tried not to think of what was probably happening in the Palace of Candles.

Tsuzuki...

Oh Asato, I'm so sorry...

His aura quivered and he reined it in, wincing as the power prickled over his skin. What the mask had done for millennia he was now doing to himself. He was hiding.
Genbu had told him that Tsuzuki was strong, and Ryu knew he was. No one else could have suffered so much and still come out so wonderful as Tsuzuki. His aura alone gave Ryu what he needed, and it showed the demon that his friend was okay.

But for how long?

It was a mistake. A mistake to come here. A mistake to cave in. I can't even stand being here because of... because there are no walls. I'm phobic... damaged... beyond help...

He had tried and he had failed a second time. It was all he needed to know. Nothing else mattered. He would gladly remain in the Palace for all eternity now. One day Rikugo would tire of him, of having to come to Meifu, and then life would probably be the same as before, interrupted by only a few spells of insanity.

Ryu smiled wryly. Exhaustion crept through his body, and it had nothing to do with physical exertion.

You won, Enma. You won...

That was the moment he nearly ran into a tall, immovable object and his eyes widened as he discovered Touda. The fire serpent looked far from happy and in his black clothes he was a menacing appearance. Golden eyes narrowed and Ryu felt the aura of the most dangerous of all shikigami flare.

"You!" Touda hissed.

"Touda..." he started as a greeting, but stopped when the hands flexed into fists.

"What do you want here?" the serpent demanded.

"I apologize. I didn't see you. I was lost in thought..."

Ryu remembered Touda's almost hateful expression when Tsuzuki had given in to the shadows, had been overwhelmed by his nightmarish fear, and he knew that at the moment, meeting Touda wasn't really a good choice.

"Lost?" the serpent echoed angrily. "You have no idea about loss!"

"I..."

"Go back to Rikugo instead of stealing Tsuzuki's time out here!"

"Rikugo was called away," Ryu snapped back, tired and feeling his own anger rise.

"Then you should leave as well!"

"I'm still a guest."

"A guest whose time is running out," was the vicious reply and the golden eyes flared more. "Do you have any idea what nightmares are in wait for Tsuzuki? Do you think about him at all as you wile away your time here?"

"He did it freely," Ryu argued, the exhaustion making his aura sizzle a little.

"He did it out of guilt!" Touda roared. "He did it because he wants to make everyone happy, including you! A demon! He's taking your punishment."

Ryu stared at him, feeling each word hit home.

Guilt.

Punishment.

His guilt. His punishment. Not Tsuzuki's. Never Tsuzuki's...

"I can feel what he's going through, demon. I know it. Last time he was crouching in a corner, crying, after twelve hours! He sees it all again and again. Not just Muraki," the hiss was now a low, hateful whisper, "but everything. He sees his crimes. He hears their calls. He hears it all and he cannot escape because you -- are -- here!"

Ryu began to tremble. "He wanted me to go..." he said numbly.

"Because he's Tsuzuki. Because he's a gentle soul and wants your happiness. Because he's a dreamer! He's an idealistic fool!"

Ryu looked into those hard, golden eyes, all the nightmares of before rising. He saw the disgust and the hatred, he saw Touda's pain and with it Tsuzuki's. He saw what the man he still loved felt. He saw him crumble and fall and suffer for something he hadn't committed.

"So while you saunter around here without the one you came here, you might want to think about the sacrifice someone else makes each and every time!"

Touda turned on his heels and stalked back into the room, leaving a severely shaken Ryu behind.

He felt himself starting to tremble more and Ryu wrapped his arms around his body. He was cold, he was exhausted, dizzy... and he couldn't stop thinking about everything. He had tried to suppress his demonic aura for the time he had been here, had gathered it close around his body and it hurt. It was what exhausted him. It was what hurt so much. He was denying himself, he was denying what he was, and he was denying his true purpose.

He was a prisoner; his name had been erased from the books. He was nothing and no one, and Tsuzuki was taking a punishment meant for him.

He shouldn't be here.

It had been a mistake.

Stumbling feet took him to the closest building and he collided with the hard stone wall, unaware of the rough surface scratching over his skin.

Enma-Daiou had set this up for failure and it had failed.

He smiled humorlessly. Gods, he had been such a fool. A messed up fool. He was damaged beyond repair, beyond help, and it had been wishful thinking to be able to go to GensouKai, to be with his lover.

Ryu screwed his eyes shut against the nausea and the dizziness. The tremors were growing worse. The aura frizzed a little, then a jolt raced through him, making him gasp.

Too long. He had no control of it and it had been too long since he had allowed himself to be himself.

He should leave. Go away from the here, back to his home, to the safety of the Palace. He shouldn't burden anyone. Not Rikugo, not Tsuzuki...

He was the Count, a prisoner, a criminal, a demon. He was no one else. He would have to depend on Rikugo's visits, on his patience, his willingness to come to him.
Touda's angry words had cut into him like a sharp knife; a glowing hot, sharp knife. And they had opened his eyes.

Foolish dreamer.

Ryu had never minded being what he was because there had never been anyone but him. He had been alone; there had been no lover. Now he had Rikugo and the insecurities raised their ugly heads. He was no fitting partner for such proud and elegant being. Rikugo was a Divine Commander; Ryu was... without an existence, without a name, and he was a demon.

He had to leave.

He had to go back and forget about all of this.

He had to return.

But without Rikugo and a Gate, he wouldn't be able to. He was stuck here, the time ticking by, counting the minutes and feeling worse with every passing one.

Stumbling on, feeling lost and alone, Ryu took no notice of where he was moving.

Forty-eight hours... and still so many left. Tsuzuki was probably going through hell and he had no way to go and help.

Sorry...

He couldn't move. His shaking body refused to act and he sank heavily against the wall, starting to slide down. He gritted his teeth against the nausea once more. He so much wanted to throw up.

I'm only thinking about my fears. Touda's right. But I left Tsuzuki in my place. I know he hates the candles, he hates the shadows for what they can do to him; the illusions. What did he see the first time? How much worse will it get after each visit? They won't stop with just Muraki. They'll dig deeper, feel out his every fear. Until there is only Fear itself.

Enma had known that Tsuzuki would be unable to uphold his end of the bargain. Even with his bond, with Hisoka as a partner, and with the support of his friend he was still fragile. Deep down inside that warm, wonderful soul was a last horror and the Palace would find it.

Tears streamed down his fears and a soft moan left his bloodless lips. The demonic aura flared, breaking apart, making his cry out weakly in pain and relief when the hold was broken.

What have I done?!

There was a soft voice, calming and soothing and gentle. He felt something settling on his shoulders, wrapping around his cold body, and he tried to move away from the presence. His body refused to act. Warmth enveloped him, a blanket or a coat, and he was pulled against an unfamiliar body.

"Shhhh," someone whispered. "It's okay. Let's get you inside."

Ryu tried to fight, but he couldn't really manage the necessary strength.

He surrendered to the gentle hands.

°

He had been witness to the encounter between Touda and Rikugo's lover. Byakko knew that his partner was under a lot of pressure from the open bond, something he did voluntarily and refused to even dampen just a little, and he was truly volatile at the moment. It was one reason why Touda had left the palace and the white tiger, seeking peace and quiet. That he had run into Ryu had been no one's fault.

Ryu had born the brunt of the culminating anger and fear and emotional turmoil.

Byakko had heard only a bit of what Touda had flung into the demon's face, but it had been enough. The damage was done and immediately visible. Ryu was breaking apart before his very eyes, and Byakko knew enough about the fragile state the former human was in to realize that this was bad.

He grabbed Touda, who snarled in surprise, and flung him against the palace wall, glaring at the serpent.

"Not a word!" he growled. "You did enough. Get Rikugo! Wherever he is, get him here. I don't care if he's in  a meeting with Sohryu or the Emperor himself!"

Touda just took one look at the white tiger's hard expression, then nodded and left, still radiating anger, but it wasn't really active anger any more.

Byakko hurried over to the huddled man, saw the tears, took in the chalky complexion, and he felt the so tightly controlled aura finally break. It felt painful, sick, mistreated even, and while it was demonic, it was barely enough to make him wince. Byakko had faced his share of demons and his latest experience was far from positive. It had been the beginning of a rapid decline in a lot of things, but he had battled through. And Ryu didn't fall into the enemy category. Feeling this aura was... okay. Byakko felt no defensive reaction in himself.

You're different from the one who did this to me.

A moan came from the pale lips and Ryu hunched over, shaking harder. The wind god removed his long coat to drape it over the thin figure.

Really thin, not just slender.

Gentle hands stroked over the narrow shoulders, felt the increasing tremors, and he whispered soothingly. Ryu's eyes were screwed shut and he whimpered as Byakko drew him into a protective embrace.

"'S okay," he murmured, like calming down a child. "It's okay... I'm not here to hurt you."

* * *

Byakko sighed and looked at the now fitfully sleeping man... demon. He was as thin as Tsuzuki had been after the Kyoto disaster, and his eyes had expressed just as much need and despair. The difference to Tsuzuki was that the shinigami was his master and his whole aura was an innocent, soothing caress. This man was older, much older, even than Byakko himself. His aura was clearly demonic and there was a life experience radiating from him that spoke of pain and guilt. A guilt unlike Tsuzuki's.

Ryu was a prisoner, a man sentenced by Enma-Daiou over two millennia ago, and he was still serving that sentence. He had been broken many times and the scars showed. For his age, he was incredible vulnerable and teetering at the edge more often than not. The Palace had been his home, a place he was a master of, where he felt secure. Here, in GensouKai, he was a stranger. A demon. People shunned him, evaded him, because of his aura.

Byakko frowned a little. The aura was curled tightly around the man again. He was trying to suppress his natural energy field and that had to be exhausting. Even while unconscious or asleep, he was automatically collecting those painfully broken shards back into a tight bundle, to hide.

Just because everyone was staring at him?

No, he decided. Because he wanted to disappear. Blend in.

The wind shikigami sighed softly, worry rising. This was bad for one's health. That and the fact that the only person Ryu trusted here, Rikugo, had been called away right after their arrival.

Byakko shook his head in dismay.

"What are you doing to yourself?" he murmured. "Why can't you let go even when your body needs the rest?"

Touda had dropped a few more remarks, still not quite happy about Ryu's presence, but at least he had calmed down more than before. They would have to talk about this animosity. Only because Tsuzuki had decided to take Ryu's place, Touda couldn't just fling all his negative emotions that came from the open bond at the most vulnerable of them.

Rikugo was at Ryu's side, now and then stroking over the lax hand, an arm or the head. He looked shocked. He had already been on his way to his place when Touda had gotten him. Apparently Genbu had ended the meeting, declaring that Rikugo was needed somewhere else, and Sohryu hadn't put up much of a fight. Byakko felt a little surge in healing energy and Ryu moved, murmuring.

"Let go," Rikugo whispered, almost pleading.

Another surge and suddenly the aura flared again, though it was hardly more than a breath. Rikugo immediately caught hold of the frazzled strands, held them, kept them from instinctively coiling around the injured demon.

"Trust me," he begged. "You're safe. Don't hide."

An arm wrapped around his waist and a pair of soft lips descended on Byakko's neck. He leaned back against the solid form behind him and Touda kissed him once more.

"Sorry," the fire shikigami murmured.

Byakko smiled a little. He knew his lover was rather blunt sometimes. And he was the recipient of Tsuzuki's emotions. It was part of the reason why he had been so cruel. Still, they would have to talk.

"He's sleeping?" Touda asked quietly.

"Yes. But he needs to heal."

"You're okay with him?"

The question was asked on so many levels, but he just nodded. Yes, he was okay with him. In Rikugo's life, in Byakko's palace, with Tsuzuki's role in his presence here.

They watched, Touda over Byakko's shoulder as the white tiger leaned against him, arms wrapped around his lover's waist from behind, as Rikugo murmured to the distraught demon, using his abilities as best as possible to untangle the aura, and finally, finally!, Ryu relaxed. Byakko felt the demon's energy field pulse softly, expanding around him as it should, and he smiled a little.

Rikugo looked up, appearing haunted, and when Byakko silently gestured for him to come with them, he reluctantly nodded.

°

"It's my fault," Rikugo murmured, sitting on the couch, looking strangely small and lost.

Byakko handed him a mug of tea. It was served in a roughly cut mug, not the ceremonial small tea cups his servants used when there was an official meeting.

"Thanks," the astrologer murmured, wrapping his fingers around it. "I shouldn't have left."

"Sohryu asked for you," Byakko told him gently. "He's still your boss, right?"

A grim smile. "Sadly, yes."

The tiger didn't comment on it. He knew that a lot had changed lately and that Rikugo had started to look at Sohryu with different eyes. And Sohryu had eased up a lot.

"But Ryu's out of his own realm, his Palace, for the first time in two millennia, and I leave him to his own devices. I knew he wasn't all that balanced. He needed me and
I..."

He closed his eyes.

"I'm sorry."

"Hey, it's okay. He's a nice guy."

Rikugo gave him a surprised look.

"He has to be. I mean we didn't really talk and all, but you love him, and I can see how much he means to you."

Touda shot him a glance and Byakko grinned at him.

"Thank you;" was Rikugo's soft answer.

"You can let him sleep it off here. Me and Touda will be somewhere else." Hard, red eyes brought the message across to the shikigami in question and Touda just grimaced.

"Byakko, I..."

"It's okay," the tiger repeated. "He needs time to adjust. And he needs you right now."

With those words Byakko rose, looking at the rather startled astrologer with a warm smile. He then grabbed his lover by one arm and pulled him away.

Rikugo just stared after the two and finally sighed deeply. With his mug he returned to the guest room, settling down beside his curled up lover.

"Oh Ryu..." he murmured. "I'm so sorry. I didn't think. I'll make this up to you. I promise."

° ° °

His memories of the last hour before his breakdown were rather sketchy. He remembered the tea with Genbu, he remembered running into Touda, and that was about it. Oh, and emotions. A lot of negative ones.

Ryu sat outside in the Zen garden of Rikugo's palace, feeling like a total idiot. Weak and pathetic, and disgustingly so. Still a slave of Enma, still a prisoner, still.. different. He gathered his aura around him as he noticed some of the servants glancing his way, and the sick feeling that had been less after waking up, strengthened again.

"Don't," a gentle tenor murmured and he rather felt than saw Rikugo with him. The astrologer's aura increased, stroking over his own coiled one. "You're hurting yourself again."

Ryu shook his head. "I'm sorry, Rikugo. It wasn't a good idea to be here. We might want to spend the last day in Meifu..."

"That would be counterproductive."

"But..."

"Let them know who you are," Rikugo told him, voice even. "You are who you are. Don't be ashamed of what is you."

"This isn't me!" he insisted.

"You are a demon, Ryu. You are my lover. You are who I want to be with, who shares my bed, my palace, my life."

He had to tear his gaze away from the onyx eyes that spoke so strongly of Rikugo's emotions.

"The servants know. All shikigami here know," the astrologer went on.

"I'm hurting you," he whispered. "I see that now. Touda was right. You and Tsuzuki..."

"You're hurting neither one of us. It was Tsuzuki's free choice and it was mine, too. Touda had no right..."

"He has every right," Ryu interrupted him. "He feels Tsuzuki's pain. He feels it all!"

"Because he won't keep up his shields!" Rikugo shot back. "The stupid serpent would be in a much better mood if he just trusted our master!" He sighed a little and looked into the demonic eyes. "I fell in love and I stand by my decision. I love you. I want you. I want to be with you."

Rikugo let their lips touch, a kiss that was barely a real contact at all.

Ryu inhaled shakily. "I can't do this, Rikugo."

"You can. You are strong."

"No." He shook his head.

"I know you are. You just need time to adjust. I shouldn't have left you, Ryu. I brought you here and I didn't consider what I knew... that it was your first time outside Meifu. I'm sorry."

Ryu shook his head again. "It wasn't your fault. You were called away. I understand it."

"I don't," Rikugo answered and caught his mouth again. "I didn't take you into consideration. It wasn't very hospitable of me. Nor was it necessary."

Ryu started to answer the kiss with a little more strength and when Rikugo's hands glided over his body, he moved closer.

"I'm not leaving again," the dragon murmured. "There's so much I want to show you."

Ryu smiled a little. He still felt shaky, he still felt like an outcast, completely lost in this world, and he didn't dare to let his aura flare, but at least a tiny part of him began to experience a kind of safety with Rikugo.

I love you, he thought, the emotions almost overwhelming. I'll try, Rikugo, I'll try...

° ° °

Tsuzuki had started to browse through the thousands of books in the vast library of the Palace of Candles. Watson was keeping him supplied with sweets and tea, and he was in heaven. Well, not really, but it was bearable.

Hisoka had appeared a few hours ago and was by now glued to his lover's side, going with him wherever he went, be it to the Candles or just to walk around the palace. Right now he was reading, surreptiously keeping an eye on Tsuzuki as he paged through an old book.

It was throughout those almost pleasant hours that Touda's presence spiked. Tsuzuki froze, turning his attention inwards, searching for the reason. Their barriers were completely down and the spike had been one of anger and ill-disguised disgust. The second he met the black presence halfway through the bond, the book he was holding fell from Tsuzuki's hands.

"Asato?” Hisoka asked, immediately worried.

There was no reply, mainly because Tsuzuki had shut out the real world and was looking at what damage had been inflicted in GensouKai.

::Touda!:: Tsuzuki exclaimed.

Touda growled. ::Don't start...::

::Why were you so cruel to Ryu?:: his master demanded, voice harder than usual.

::Because he's the one who puts you through so much misery!:: was the angry reply.

Tsuzuki's presence fluctuated with emotions. ::He has nothing to do with this, Touda!:: Tsuzuki snapped, anger rising. ::I made the deal, knowing fully well what to expect. Ryu never had a choice. I knew the risks!::

The serpent growled again, but Tsuzuki wouldn't let up.

::And if you raised your shields, this wouldn't affect you so much that you take other people's heads off!::

::Are you ordering me to raise the shields?:: he demanded.

Tsuzuki sighed deeply. He never had liked ordering his shikigami. In the past, there had been only one or two situations that had needed him to actually use his right as their master to have them obey his commands.

::No, it's not an order:: he replied softly, touching Touda's presence gently. ::I'm only asking you to as a friend. I know you want to be here, protect me, but you can't. And keeping the barrier down completely will only hurt you in the end::

::Tsuzuki...::

::I know:: was the tender reply and Touda found himself hugged fiercely. ::I love you, too:: he murmured. ::Please raise at least the rudimentary shields. I'm fine. I can handle the last day. Hisoka's here, and you're not far::

Touda held his young shinigami master, then sighed deeply. ::All right:: he gave in and let the basic shields rise.

Tsuzuki's answer was a warm wave that had Touda close his eyes and relax, sighing softly.

::Be nice to Ryu, okay?::

He muttered something and Tsuzuki grinned a little, then pulled back. Touda resisted the urge to follow. Tsuzuki was strong, stronger than each and every one of them. He could do this.

##

The moment he pulled back from the bond and the first basic shields rose, Tsuzuki became aware of his lover's presence. He felt the grip Hisoka had on his arm, looked into wide, green eyes that reflected what the empath had ‘heard' and felt, and he drew the younger shinigami into his arms.

"Hisoka,” he murmured. "Sorry.”

"Idiot,” was the only reply.

Tsuzuki smiled tiredly. "Sorry,” he repeated.

"Not you. Touda.”

Dark eyebrows rose and Hisoka just scowled. Tsuzuki leaned down and brushed a kiss over his partner's lips, feeling very thankful for Hisoka's continued presence here. It did a lot for his peace of mind, and it was nice to know there was a friendly face, someone he could come to should the nightmares overwhelm him once again. He hadn't seen much of the shadows, but they were there, and the power of the Candles was unbroken.

Hisoka's hands in his shirt tightened and Tsuzuki closed his eyes, resting his chin on the light brown hair.

"Thank you,” he murmured. "For being here.”

"Where else would I be, silly?”

Tsuzuki smiled faintly, just holding on, enjoying the closeness, and Hisoka let him. Tomorrow Ryu would be back and knowing him, he would be hours too early, cutting his own free time short because he felt so guilty. In time they would get the other man to truly enjoy himself, to use up his forty-eight hours. For now, having Ryu come in early was expected.

"Come,” Hisoka suddenly said and detached himself from Tsuzuki, pulling him along.

"Where to?”

"Outside. I want to watch the stars.”

Tsuzuki shot him a startled look, but he followed the younger shinigami. Hisoka was rarely one for romantic overtures and watching the stars fell into that category.

The moment they were in the garden, settling near a fountain, Hisoka snuggled in close.

"Relax,” he coaxed, and Tsuzuki wrapped his arms around his lover.

It was a nice night, it was inviting and warm and gentle and so very... calming. The water gurgled in the background, above the starts shone brilliantly against the night sky, and on the soft grass, Tsuzuki and Hisoka enjoyed each other's presence, silent, wordless.

* * *

He should be exhausted to the point of a coma, but he wasn't. His body might be tired, but his mind was running around in circles, hyped-up, unable to find the necessary peace to climb back into the bed where his lover was sleeping.

Ryu cast a look over his shoulder into the darkness of the palace, then turned back to the other darkness that was all around him; the darkness of night.

Rikugo had made love to him, slow and gentle and oh so tender, and he had briefly forgotten everything connected to his first night in GensouKai, but that had come back the moment his body had calmed down and his mind had unwound out of the myriad of emotions that accompanied his climax.

GensouKai.

His first day had ended in intense sex, a day where he had seen so much without actually visiting all the sights and places, a day where he had had tea with Genbu, one of the four Gods, and a day where he had realized, for the first time, what this whole deal meant for him.

Freedom.

And it scared him so much. Not just because Tsuzuki would take the fall should he fail to return on time, no. Also because of the unlimited space that his mind could no longer comprehend. He was a lifelong prisoner and he had a whole realm to visit now. It created misfires in his mind, it produced a short-circuit, and it made his body tremble with the physical reaction.

It was also the day where he had had his first breakdown outside the Palace, away from Enma-Daiou who might have interfered, and he knew that he wasn't out of the woods yet. His mind wasn't able to deal with it all, and whenever he quieted down long enough, the unbidden thoughts came.

There was a soft noise behind him and he whirled around, his heart hammering in his chest from the panic that had overwhelmed him once before. Ryu tried to fight it each and every time, he had suppressed it in front of his lover when they had arrived, when they had walked through the palace, but it still came. And tonight, feeling so much and trying not to think of the consequences, he was slowly falling apart.

Blond hair, dark eyes, dressed in a light robe -- Ryu fought the panic even harder as his lover joined him outside the palace on the small balcony that overlooked the front yard.

"Ryu?" Rikugo questioned softly.

"Just getting some air," he whispered, voice shaky, and he cursed himself for it.

The tall shikigami approached slowly and Ryu repeated the silent curse that all he wanted to do was embrace this man, have him wrap his arms around him and protect him. He wasn't weak! He was a two thousand year old man! He was a demon, damnit!

And still his mind was so very human, as was his fragmented soul, and he needed the reassurance, and the love.

Rikugo did embrace him and he shivered more, but not from the cold. He felt his lover's touch, his soothing caress, and he heard a gentle voice telling him it was okay.

"It's not," he groaned. "This isn't me!"

"It is you. It is the you that has been freed and is trying to cope with it. I knew this might happen, Ryu, and I want to be there for you."

He groaned softly, burying his head in the silky robe.

"Let me," Rikugo begged softly.

The demon couldn't do anything but simply nod, and a feather-like kiss was placed onto one temple.

"I love you," Rikugo murmured. "I want to help you."

When Ryu looked up, their lips were suddenly locked in a deep, tender kiss, and he held on to the so much stronger form of his shikigami lover.

Ryu loved him with just the same intensity, needed him even more, and he wanted this to work, but it would take time.

"We have time," Rikugo whispered when they parted.

"Forty-eight hours," Ryu replied.

"No. There is no limit."

"But..."

Rikugo framed his face and smiled. "Forty-eight hours where you can roam freely, and the time between each forty-eight hours for me to be with you in the Palace."

Ryu stared at him, then smiled shakily. Yes, the forty-eight hours were for him, not Rikugo. And his lover did come visit whenever he could.

"We can make this work," the astrologer insisted.

"We can," Ryu echoed.

If Tsuzuki could fight his demons, so could he. He wouldn't let any of them down. Not Tsuzuki, not Rikugo.

I won't let you win, Enma.

° ° °

Terazuma Hajime, one of the few shinigami possessed by a shikigami, walked down the wide path that led between the two huge lakes toward the island in the middle where both met, then snaked off toward the wide expanse of grass and wooded area. He loved this place. It was vast and free, though not as wild as the lion inside him sometimes wanted. His shikigami was always drawn to the outermost regions of GensouKai where civilization had not turned nature into a landscaped mockery of what had been before. The Black One, now in balance with his shinigami master he possessed, was much more open about expressing his emotions ever since they had reached an agreement. He would suggest a little flight, some time in the wild, just letting him roam freely, and Terazuma agreed.

Today though, there was no wilderness adventure. He was heading for his meeting with Sohryu, who had been kept busy lately, and he was looking forward to a little time off with his lover. It was when he reached the island with its pagoda and benches and luxurious spread of blooming flowers that he discovered that he wasn't the only one out to enjoy the day in this peaceful environment.

Someone else was there, sitting at the shore of the island, legs pulled up, arms around his knees, face to the sun, his eyes closed. The breeze coming in from the lake ruffled the black hair that looked tousled and wind-blown already.

Curious, Terazuma wondered who he was. He had never seen him here before and from his style of dress he wasn't actually a resident of GensouKai. Or he was one who preferred Western style clothing to the more traditional garb the shikigami wore. As he stood and watched, he picked up a faint ripple along his outer senses. He was used to sensing shikigami everywhere, especially the twelve very powerful Divine Commanders of which one was his partner. What he picked up here was... different.

The Black One rumbled deep in his mind, moving uneasily.

Terazuma felt his eyebrows climb when a pair of fiery red eyes met his and the man blinked, apparently surprised to see him here. And maybe it was his imagination, but did he look afraid for a second.

They just looked at each other, neither man moving a muscle, and then Terazuma resumed his way toward the wooded area at the other end of the lake. His mind pondered the puzzle of this stranger; well, he might have to ask Sohryu about it.

° ° °

The second time Terazuma saw the man was a week later. He was dressed differently, in an almost formal suit with a white shirt, but there was no mistaking the red eyes and the strange aura tickling his senses. The man was standing inside the observatory, looking at astrological charts, and Terazuma was hidden in the shadow of a huge oak tree that grew close by. Just as the shinigami was about to decide whether to approach the stranger or continue his way, a new player appeared.

Rikugo came up behind the dark-haired stranger and Terazuma's eyes widened in surprise as the astrologer wrapped an arm around the slender waist of the visitor and pulled him to rest against his body. The other did so willingly and turned his head, capturing the blond in a gentle kiss that expressed a lot about their relationship.

Terazuma filed it away, his detective mind pondering the puzzle. The dark-haired man was no shinigami, he wasn't a simple human either -- and how could a human find his way into the dream realm? -- but he also wasn't a shikigami. Rikugo seemed to be very close to him, which was also a puzzle, and they also knew each other for a while from the casualty of their encounter.

Sliding around the tree, using the shadow not to be seen, the shinigami picked his way among the smaller trees and walked thoughtfully back to Sohryu's palace. He really had to ask his lover if he knew who the man was.

* * *

It was the fourth time for Ryu in GensouKai and by now he had grown bolder, felt more secure in the world that was still rather alien for him, and he had begun to explore. Rikugo couldn't always take time off from his work, and Ryu had reassured him that he was fine. He was finding a balance and he was finding stability. That Tsuzuki was handling the Palace a lot better had a lot to do with it, too.

It was on this stroll through the many parks and gardens that he ran into him. Not literally; not like with Touda. Ryu had been admiring a beautifully arranged rock garden with a water fountain when he felt the aura and turned.

"So you are the demon, hm?"

Ryu faced the tall, handsome shikigami and immediately realized who he was. It wasn't the aura alone. It was everything. Sohryu. The Azure Dragon of the Sky, the Protector of the East.

"I guess," he replied warily.

So far he had met only a few of the Divine Commanders. Byakko, Touda and of course Genbu. The others were either busy or didn't seek him out, which was fine with the demon.

"You don't look like one."

"You don't look like a dragon either," Ryu replied and could have bitten off his tongue the very next second.

He was talking to the representative of the Golden Emperor, the designated ruler of GensouKai. Great. Wonderful. Step on his toes, he muttered silently to himself.

Sohryu actually smirked. "We both hide well."

"I'm not hiding," Ryu replied almost defensively.

"I suppose not. Your aura gave you away."

Ryu pulled it more tightly around him, which made the dragon frown. He knew he was radiating his heritage, but it had gotten better. People were getting used to him. Not everyone, of course, but the tolerance had grown.

Blue-gray eyes looked him up and down. Ryu felt like Sohryu was checking him out.

"I hope I'm not trespassing. I was just... looking around," he explained carefully.

There had been no privacy signs and he had done his best not to venture onto palace grounds, especially not the palace that was in the center of it all.

Sohryu smiled a little. "No, you're not. This is a public place. May I show you around?"

Ryu hesitated. The leader of GensouKai was offering him... a guided tour?

"I... thank you for the offer," he answered politely, "but I guess you have... errr... more pressing matters to deal with than a visitor..."

Sohryu's smile stayed, but the eyes grew a little more intense. "Not at the moment. You could say I declared you to one of my matters. I'd like to get to know the demon one of my commanders has fallen in love with. The demon who seems to come here regularly."

Ryu sighed. Great. Thankfully Sohryu hadn't confronted him the first or second time he had come here, because it would most likely have left him a gibbering wreck.

"I could send you my references and my resume. Would probably be quicker," he muttered.

Sohryu chuckled. "Maybe, but I hate paperwork."

A black eyebrow quirked. "So I heard."

"Tsuzuki," Sohryu only commented.

"Yes, we talk quite a lot."

"About me?"

"Among other things."

Sohryu just inclined his head in an invitation to come with him and Ryu did. He fell in step beside the slightly taller shikigami, surprised how easy it was to talk to someone who was normally seen as unapproachable, cold and without emotions.

°

Ryu had no idea how much time had passed, but his conversation with Sohryu had been rather pleasant. Of course, the dragon had asked him a few very personal questions, but all in all it was nothing he wouldn't have expected from the Protector of the East. He was the one being responsible for all of GensouKai in the absence of the Emperor -- which was a permanent absence -- and Ryu was an intruder of sorts. A demon, nonetheless.

It was while they were close to a small pond that Ryu felt a familiar aura flare and before he could react, a rather furious looking Rikugo was facing a very calm Sohryu.

"What do you want here?" the blond demanded.

"I was just talking to Ryu," Sohryu replied pleasantly.

Rikugo gritted his teeth. "You never just talk! He is my guest! You have no right to question him!"

"I have every right, Rikugo," was the slightly more cold reply. "He is a demon which is a possible threat to GensouKai. I was confirming his alliance myself."

Rikugo's aura flared and Ryu's brows rose with it, surprised by his lover's temper. Normally the astrologer was a rather balanced and calm individual, but somehow Sohryu seemed to be pushing buttons Ryu had been unaware of.

So he watched the encounter with interest and confusion. Sohryu's presence was awe-inspiring. His demonic half could feel the power in the God, could feel his strength and his distrust of the new-arrival, but there was also a core of softness, something that was willing to give him the benefit of a doubt. It was something he had felt in their conversation, which was now just a lot clearer than before.

The strange thing was the posturing of the two dragons against each other. Rikugo was positively bristling, spoiling for a fight, while Sohryu freely emitted waves of dominance. He was clearly telling his subordinate that should he try for a fight, he would take the challenge -- and beat him with it.

There was a tug at his pants and Ryu looked away from the verbal fight, straight into a pair of large blue eyes that had no visible pupil, framed by a round, child-like face. Long, dark blue hair was elaborately piled up and there were a dozen decorative elements woven into the long hair. The child, because she was a child, was dressed in wide robes that seemed too large for her. The sleeves fell over her hands, of which one was holding on to his leg, the other was clutching a crumbled paper bag.

"Do you want to see my ducks?" the girl asked.

Ryu blinked, slightly confused. "Ducks?"

"Yes. They had babies. They are really cute. Come!"

And with that she hurried off to the lake not far away. Ryu cast a look at the two dragons, who were still very much at it, then shrugged and followed the girl. Let those two battle it out, he mused.

The lake was more of a pond, but it had a family of ducks. There were two grown ones and a clutch of six little ones. The girl was beaming at him when he crouched down beside her.

"That's Aka," she explained and pointed at the mother duck. "And the other is Naka. He is the father," she added.

Ryu had no experience with children per se. The last time he had had interacted with a child had been two thousand years ago, in a village that no longer existed, among people of who he had killed many by just existing as he was. He pushed those thoughts aside.

"Aka's babies are Kuro, Marui, Saza, Yoshi and Toku."

"That's five," he pointed out. "What about the little one over there?"

The girl shrugged. "I haven't named her yet. Do you want to give her a name?"

"Are you sure it's a girl?"

She beamed. "Yes."

Ryu looked at the tiny duck, trying to think of a name. "What do you think of Mori?"

The child nodded enthusiastically and held out her paper bag. Ryu took it and found it was filled with crumbs and something that looked like dried seaweed.

"I'm Tenkou," the girl introduced herself. "You want to feed them with me?"

"I am Ryu," he returned the favor. "And I'd be honored."

Tenkou climbed onto his lap as he sat down, completely innocent in her behavior, not the least scared of an aura she might or might not feel, but perfectly friendly to a stranger anyway.

"They're fighting because of you, right?" she asked after the first handful of duck food was thrown. Ryu tensed a little.

"I guess."

"Don't worry. They fight often."

"Really?"

"Yes. Since I can remember."

"Oh."

"It's not bad,” Tenkou added. "They fight and they make up and they fight again.”

Like an old couple, shot through Ryu's head and he was drawn between amusement and a stab of unexplained jealousy.

"Is it because you're a demon?" came the next very precise shot out of the blue.

Ryu clenched his hands around the crumbs. So she did know. She was a shikigami and she had probably felt his aura because he still couldn't suppress it completely. He gathered the wayward emissions of energy, which resulted in a frown on the child's face.

"I'm not afraid of you;” she declared.

"No?”

"No.” Those large blue eyes were suddenly looking at him and Tenkou gave him a warm, full smile. "You're the first demon I met, too. I like you."

"Not all demons are like me," he cautioned her.

She was a shikigami and as such, when she was all grown up, might one day be challenged and won by a shinigami. She had to know that demons weren't like Ryu.

"I know, silly! Rikugo taught me everything. He's my teacher, you know. He knows everything! And I know that demons are dangerous, but you aren't. I like you. And Rikugo likes you, too."

Oh great. Even the kids knew.

"He's nice. You're nice, too.”

Ryu had no reply for that. She was a child, what did she know? She had no experience with his kin and Ryu himself didn't pride himself on his forced heritage.

° ° °

Two dragons faced off against each other, one livid, black eyes sparking, the other radiating a lot more calm but still appearing the more dominant of the two.
Rikugo, eyes narrowed behind his reading glasses, suddenly frowned. His gaze darted to the empty spot where his lover had been moments ago and where now there was... no one. Ryu was gone.

"Where...” he began, confused, Sohryu forgotten.

The blue dragon frowned likewise and suddenly started to smile. "Over there.”

Rikugo followed his gaze and his eyes widened. Speechless, stared at the scene. There he was, his lover, Ryu, the demon hybrid, the one person he loved more than anything else, and he was feeding ducks with Tenkou. It was a peaceful scene, so totally at odds with the emotions he had felt until a minute ago, the aggression against the perceived threat of Sohryu.

A hand landed on his shoulder and briefly squeezed it. It was a rather unusual gesture for Sohryu, as was the expression on his face. It was warm and calm.

"You and him... you fit," the more powerful shikigami said softly.

It sounded like a blessing. Rikugo blinked at the dragon, who was grinning at him.

"Sohryu?"

"He is a demon, I can't ignore that, and it will take getting used to, granted. Take care of him. You might not find someone like him again."

Rikugo tried to understand. Sohryu was... he had said...

"Why?" he asked, mystified.

The blue-gray eyes were unreadable. "Because he makes you happy, Rikugo. Something no one has ever done before." And with that Sohryu walked over to the pair at the lake to gather his daughter.

Rikugo was dumbfounded. He knew that if things had been different in the past, there might have been a chance for him and the other dragon, but the odds of two dragons having a lasting, loving relationship was close to nil. Even if positive emotions had accompanied their relationship in the past, the rather volatile escapades, it wouldn't have survived.

* * *

Ryu had just thrown the last breadcrumb, watching the ducks chase it in the water, when a strong aura announced the arrival of the Protector of the East. Tenkou, who was still on his lap, beamed at the awe-inspiring figure.

"You two done?” Sohryu asked almost casually.

"Yes,” the girl acknowledged. "Look, father, they're all healthy!”

Father?!

Ryu felt his heart miss a beat. He knew all the twelve Divine Commanders and of course he knew that one was called Tenkou, but he had never expected her to be a little girl! Not in his wildest dreams! The books didn't mention it. They had never mentioned it!

Sohryu, apparently oblivious to his shock, let his daughter explain about the ducklings, about their names and how Ryu had named the last one. Tenkou turned to her new friend and smiled openly.

"Bye!” she called. "You're nice,” came the addition before she turned and skipped off.

"Uh,” Ryu murmured.

Sohryu smirked, one eyebrow rising, then he followed his child without another word.

Ryu rose slowly and his red eyes met the onyx ones of his lover. Rikugo still radiated aggression, but it was getting better. Dusting off his pants, he joined him.

"Rikugo?" Ryu asked casually as they began to walk away from the duck pond.

"Yes?"

Ouch. Don't bite your own tongue off.

"Care to tell me why you tried to take Sohryu's head off over a perfectly innocent conversation?"

"I didn't take his head off,” was the almost sullen reply.

"Uh-huh. From your behavior you might think Sohryu was about to molest me.”

The blond head snapped around and black eyes stared at him in shock. "What?"

Ryu grinned a little, putting a playful note in it. "To me it looked like Sohryu was challenging you over me, and you were ready to defend a mate."

The astrologer's shock didn't subside. If anything, it grew. "Ryu...? I..." His features hardened. "Sohryu won't touch you ever!"

Whoa. Okay. Now here was a declaration of possession like there was no other.

"Well," he went on lightly, "then again I could also say you two looked like an old couple after separation."

Rikugo blanched and turned away.

Bingo.

Oh well, he hadn't thought his lover had been sleeping with anyone but another shikigami anyway, though he hadn't guessed it might be Sohryu.

"So you slept with him?" Ryu asked calmly.

Rikugo was silent, then nodded. "It was... for mutual relief."

"It usually is."

A wry smile crossed the handsome features. "You wouldn't say that if you had been there."

"Would I have wanted to be?"

"No," was the soft reply. "It was desire, but not love. It was a feeling of dominance and power and anger and pain and taking out the frustration of politics on each other. Sohryu and I, we don't see eye to eye on most things. We oppose each other and in a way I enjoy riling him up."

Rikugo gave him a little smile, a quirk of the mouth.

Ryu looked at his lover with a completely new understanding. Hell, his late collection of porn had included some very heavy dominance flicks and he knew exactly what Rikugo was talking about, but he just couldn't imagine this gentle being letting someone else...

He chased the image away. Too many nights satisfying his primal lust in front of a TV had given his imagination a very good head start on what there might have been.

"Tsuzuki once told me that we need each other, that Sohryu needs the opposition, and that I need it too. I don't want his job, but I also can't just stand by and watch him do things as he does."

Ryu watched the astrologer thoughtfully, hearing a lot more out of the words than Rikugo probably wanted to reveal. The shikigami felt threatened by the other dragon, especially when it came to his partner, and while Ryu was touched about those deeper emotions, it also made him shiver.

"So what's this?" he asked, aware that what he was about to say would be more than provocative. "A fight over the possession of me? Who gets me? Or a way to get back at him? Rile him up some more?"

Black eyes widened and Rikugo stared at him in utter shock. "NO!"

Ryu almost stepped back when that powerful aura flared.

"You're not an object to be used!" the blond snarled. "Never! I told you so before..." He stopped and forcefully calmed himself down. "No, Ryu, it's nothing of the like," he finally said. "Sohryu just... he usually catches me the wrong way, whatever he does, and the moment I saw him talking to you I saw red. The mere thought that he might harm you..."

"He wouldn't and he didn't. We had an actually quite nice conversation." Ryu had felt no aggression from him.

Rikugo exhaled slowly, looking still too tense and very tired all of a sudden. "I know," he murmured.

The demon stepped up to him and wrapped his arms around his lover, pulling him close, cupping the back of his head with one hand.

"It's okay, Rikugo. In a way it's flattering. You being jealous tells me I'm not just living a dream where I'm loved, a dream that could end any moment now."
Rikugo held him tightly. "I love you," he murmured. "Never doubt that."

In his messed up mind he did. He had so frequently, on his own, pondering the what ifs and what nots. All of this, even with the pain that had accompanied the changes, had been too good to be true. Two thousand years of hardly any friendship and suddenly he had Tsuzuki making deals with the Lord of Hades over his freedom, and he had a partner who hadn't given up on him after a few days of fun.

"As long as you stop bristling whenever I meet someone who doesn't approve of me or gives me a strange look," he answered softly. "I know my aura sets them off; I know I'm an intruder."

"Ryu..."

"Shhh." He put a finger on his lover's lips. "I found I don't care. I'm here with you and for you. I have forty-eight hours at a time and I want to enjoy it. I'm not moving in, I'm not trying to take a place here. I just want to be with you."

Rikugo leaned down and captured his lips in a gentle kiss.

° ° °

"How come there's a demon in GensouKai?"

Sohryu's head snapped up from the papers he was studying and startled blue eyes met very calm red ones. Terazuma met the surprise with a calm expression.

"What?” the stammered.

"You know what I'm talking about, Sohryu. You know there's a demon in GensouKai. I met him. It took me a while to classify his aura, but it finally clicked.”

Dark blue eyebrows dipped into a frown, then Sohryu let the papers sink onto the table. "It's a special case."

"I figured. Demons usually don't roam around here unpunished. So how come?" Terazuma wanted to know, taking a seat across from his partner.

The dragon hesitated a moment, then shrugged a little. "It started with Tsuzuki..."

"Tsuzuki? Why am I not surprised? What does he have to do with this?" The shinigami shook his head in fond amusement.

"He was the driving force behind the deal that allowed Ryu to come here to visit Rikugo." Sohryu stopped.

Terazuma smirked a little. "I saw them together, love. I know."

"Ah. I see."

"So... Rikugo fell for a demon. Hardly normal, I'd say."

"It isn't. Nothing about it is."

"And Tsuzuki made it possible for him to come here?"

"He made a deal that allows Ryu to leave Meifu for forty-eight hours."

"Whoa, hold on!" the possessed shinigami exclaimed. "Meifu? Leave Meifu? There are no demons in Meifu!"

"There is one," the dragon replied. "And I'm surprised you don't know him."

"Huh? Me? My experience with demons is very limited, thankyouverymuch! Should I know him?"

"Yes. He was imprisoned in Meifu."

Terazuma stared at his lover in shock. "What?"

There were close to no prisons in Meifu. There was no need for them. And a devil... a demon... no way! This was getting weirder by the second.

"Tsuzuki made a deal for a demon that comes from Meifu to leave there and come here?" he clarified.

"Yes."

"Because this demon, Ryu, is in love with Rikugo?"

"Yes."

Terazuma felt his head starting to swim. Sure, Tsuzuki was one of the most unusual men he had ever met. From day one they had been at each other's throat. Terazuma had been about the only shinigami to get such a rise out of the other man. Back then he had been rather proud of this, today he knew what a fool he had been. Both of them, actually. It had been one reaction to another's action and vice versa, and it had taken him three decades to break that vicious cycle. He owed his relationship and probably his sanity to Tsuzuki, who had done everything to help them.

"And you.... you tolerate him here? Sohryu, he's a danger to GensouKai!" he finally exclaimed.

"No. That's why I tolerate it. Ryu isn't dangerous here. His powers were sealed. As I understand it, his history is rather complicated and the only people who know about it are Tsuzuki and Rikugo." Sohryu held the astonished, red gaze. "Leave it at that, Hajime. Ryu is our guest and he is rather good for Rikugo."

Another shock coursed through Terazuma. Sohryu hardly talked about Rikugo as such or his private life in particular. Those few words were... an immense confession.

Even today Terazuma couldn't really fully understand what had been between the two dragons. It had been sexual, sure. It had been intense and wild, but not love. Sometimes he wondered, though. Sometimes he thought that with a few more decades, there might have been something, though he knew that two dragons never matched. And Sohyru and Rikugo were as mismatched as possible.

"He is?" he finally echoed.

"Yes."

"Okay..."

Puzzled, Terazuma leaned back. His professional mind was tickled by the mystery of this demon from Meifu.

A lot.

Sohryu rose and leaned closer, kissing him gently. "Leave it be,” he murmured again.

Terazuma buried his hands in the silky folds of his lover's robes. "I'm a detective,” he teased.

"You were a detective. You're now a shinigami. This isn't a case, Hajime. Ryu is part of Rikugo's life. As such, he comes here once in a while.”

"Which you tolerate and sanction and actually think is good for your rival of many years.”

"He's not a rival. He is my opposition.”

Hajime smirked, but he didn't comment on it. He just caught Sohryu's lips in another kiss.

* * *

He couldn't let it rest. His mind was turning the puzzle and mystery of the demon Ryu over and over again and again.

The demon was a creature of Hell.

The demon had been or still was a prisoner of Meifu. According to Sohryu he was allowed to leave once in a while to visit other realms, mostly GensouKai.

Terazuma knew of no prisons in Meifu. There was no need for them because shinigami took no prisoners and he had never heard of one of their own committing a crime. Even if one did, he would be either ascended or there were other ways to deal with him.

Meifu... prisons... What was strong enough in Meifu to even hold a demon?

His powers were sealed. The words echoed in his mind. Only one person had enough power to do that, and that was Enma-Daiou. And the palace of the Lord of Hades was probably the only place in all of Meifu where a demon might be held for a while.

No, Terazuma decided. No way. There was no reason at all to do that! Hell would probably send armies against Meifu should one of their own be held here. Killing each other was one thing, but holding a shinigami in Hell was as unthinkable as imprisoning a demon in Meifu.

After four days of turning those ideas over in his head, Terazuma began a new approach.

Rikugo had come to Meifu a while ago and they had all known about it to an extent. There was no way a shikigami could hide here for long, aside from really masking his or her powers, and Rikugo hadn't. So Terazuma began to retrace the steps of the astrologer and earth dragon.

He had been with Tsuzuki, of course. Often, regularly, whenever he arrived, but he hadn't stayed with his shinigami master.

Employing the finely tuned senses of his black lion, Terazuma began to almost literally sniff out the trail the dragon had left.

It led him to the Palace of Candles.

Repeatedly.
 
 

Sitting on a patch of grass, looking at the Palace in the distance, Terazuma frowned, deep in thought.

Rikugo came here.

Every single time he came to Meifu he had also been here.

Why?

The Palace was nice to look at, sure. It was a master piece of architecture. The Count was a gallant host, too, if he held his lecherous streaks in check. Terazuma had never had much trouble with the strange master of the place because the Count's whole attention had been on Tsuzuki, who he pursued like his long lost love. It was amusing sometimes.

So what would Rikugo...

The thought struck him out of the blue and he almost forgot to breathe.

No way! No freaking chance!

But what did he know about the Count anyway? Aside from the obvious, that was. And the obvious was never what reality was like. That was something Terazuma had learned by now, thanks to Tsuzuki.

So... was it possible that the Count was a demon?

The simple thought boggled the mind.

If he was a demon, why had no one ever felt it? Why had Enma employed him as the Master of the Candles, a job that was as difficult as it was important. Any demon who had access to the candles would delight in the possibilities. So why use one? Why imprison one here? And how come the Count had never registered as a demon with any single one of them?

The questions were endless and Terazuma couldn't wrap his mind around the facts.

And why would Tsuzuki want to free him? Why would he fight for this man? The Count was nothing but a lecherous old man -- at least that was what he showed to the outside.

Terazuma remembered the slender, dark-haired man with the handsome features, the red eyes... That was him? That was the man behind the mask? He couldn't believe it. It was impossible. The Count was everything he hadn't believed him to be, but the facts.. the facts were... unshakable...

This man was the Count, and the Count was a demon called Ryu, who was in love with a shikigami, Tsuzuki's shikigami. Rikugo.

Rubbing over his aching head, Terazuma felt the lion's confusion at his troubled mind. For the shikigami that possessed him, the whole situation was simple. Love was an emotion and if a demon felt it for a shikigami, so be it.

He's a demon, cat! Terazuma growled in his mind. Demons are the enemy and we fight them.

The black lion rumbled softly. He knew the Count and he didn't see any danger in him.

Terazuma raked a hand through his tousled hair. Oh well... He would have to talk to Sohryu. Just get it out in the open and hear what his lover had to add. Maybe he would confront Tsuzuki with his knowledge one day, but not now.

He rose to his feet and took out the Key, his access into GensouKai.

Sohryu might not know much more than he had already told Terazuma, but it would be good just to use his lover as a sounding board. These news... these facts... it really was mind-boggling.

He activated the key and jumped.

° ° °

"For all your scheming and planning, you have yet to succeed.”

The dark eyes narrowed at the slender man who lounged on the wide-spread bed. Silver eyes, framed by equally silverish hair, shone with the taunt.

"You tried to trigger Tsuzuki and give him some rudimentary control by binding him to Touda,” Muraki ticked off at his fingers. "You succeeded at first, but you lost him nevertheless. You never accounted for the strength of the bond, the balance and the calmness it gave dear Asato. His demon heritage is so much more than you ever expected it to be, and Touda is so much closer to him than you could ever guess. The most dangerous of all shikigami bound to the most dangerous of all shinigami. A wonderful combination.”

"It was a minor set-back.”

"Oh really? I'd say it was a catastrophe since all your careful scheming and planning with my family and Tsuzuki's birth went down the drain,” Muraki added with a  vicious smile. "My grandfather delivered him to you. Young, innocent, needy, desperate, suicidal, so vulnerable...”

Muraki smirked at Enma's narrowing eyes.

"It's not like it was your last failure. Like... Watari. Allowing a devil to enter Meifu the first time to claim the soul promised to him was daring. Angels can be such a pain in the butt, right?”

Another glare and the expensively robed figure turned to gaze at the world only he could see from here.

"Touda not only proved to be a very stabilizing factor in Tsuzuki's life, he was also pardoned because of that stability. He got himself a lover in form of the Protector of the West, and your attempts on breaking the bond almost resulted in total chaos for all realms. You call that a working plan?”

Enma seethed silently at the words, but he wasn't striking out at the man who was no more than a prisoner to him, a pet, a toy.

"It's a miracle no one has found you out yet, too, though Watari and Terazuma looking into the computer virus could prove to be a bit... distracting.”

"I'll deal with them.”

"Whatever you do, it won't work. You want Tsuzuki to lose himself in his demonic side, but Touda is in your way. You want GensouKai to weaken, you want them in confusion, but the strength of all Protectors is a thorn in your side.”

"That can be changed.”

"You tried it before,” Muraki reminded him.

Enma turned slowly, the handsome, beautiful face a mask of barely contained fury.

"You let a devil possess Byakko, you turned a blind eye on the possessed human entering the Palace of Candles, you bet on your little hybrid demon breaking apart, but wherever you strike, someone strikes back. It all revolves around Tsuzuki, the one person you want and need for your plans.” Muraki folded his hands behind his head, grinning insolently. "The very person you can't risk losing to insanity or death. I can give him to you.”

"As you just reminded me, I don't need a broken wreck,” Enma growled.

"I have more finesse than that.”

A dark eyebrow rose and the smirk on Muraki's lips grew.

"You work your plan, you let me do the rest,” the slender man added. "I'll give him to you; not broken... but open for your plans. I can make him lose his reservations, I can bring out the darkness and I can bring out the one you need.”

The dark eyes in the beautiful face regarded him thoughtfully. There was a barely restrained fire in those eyes that sent a thrill through the genetically engineered human on the bed. Enma's gaze spoke of his power, of the ancient mind behind the ageless face, of his ruthlessness and his mercy in one. Enma-Daiou was no vengeful god; he was no mad man. He was a calculating being with a big problem on his hands, a problem he needed to solve in the near future. He had to prepare Tsuzuki for a task that Enma hadn't planned on for a while. He had hoped for a few more decades, to shape his chosen shinigami, but events had sped up.

Things were changing.

Time was running out.

Muraki was quite aware of his minor role in this play, which was far from a game, but he had his own survival in mind. As long as he pleased this powerful entity, he would live. Enma needed his services, but the requirement wasn't just a plaything for his bed. Muraki had many talents.

"One chance,” Enma said calmly, walking over to the prone figure. "You want one chance and you will bring Tsuzuki to me?”

"Yes,” Muraki purred.

"One chance,” Enma murmured, gazing at the slender form with a familiar hunger in his black eyes.

Muraki knew what awaited him. He smiled invitingly, meeting the harsh lips in an equally harsh kiss. His body craved that contact, needed it, was conditioned to respond in kind, and what was sick and perverted for others was totally normally for him. He spread his legs, intention clear, and felt the chains materialize around his wrists, pulling his arms over his head, spreading him for Enma's eyes and hands.

The Lord of Hades smiled predatorily.

"One chance,” he promised before he took control of their game.

Muraki closed his eyes and sank into the sensations of their encounter. Deft, nimble fingers closed around his arousal, stroked and teased and had him writhing against the bonds.

One chance.

-- The fingers slid deeper and he groaned in expectation.

He would use it his chance.

-- The fingers penetrated him and Muraki strained against the chains, gasping.

Enma slid onto him, playing with him.

-- "Mine,” a velvety voice whispered before something else entered him roughly.

He would win, Muraki promised himself. And he would survive.