CHAPTER 1

Barbatos walked towards Ikutachi's room. He'd told his Anima lover that he was playing poker with the guys, but instead he'd been planning a little surprise. They been up and down recently; fight after ridiculous fight. They were never mad long, and the part where they made up was always worth every second of their argument. But, not matter how amazing their sex was, there was one thing Barbatos knew for certain. He was ready for more.

His beautiful lover came into view; a book in his hand as usual. He was wearing a pair of reading glass and mumbling to himself as he thumbed through the pages. Barbatos smiled. He couldn't help it. It was a natural reaction. The kind you had when all the piece of your world suddenly come together perfectly.

"Evening beautiful."

Ikutachi looked up, clearly startled by his sudden appearance. His expression was one of surprise, but Barbatos could see the spark of love in the Anima's eyes.

"I thought you were out for the night." Ikutachi said, closing the book in his hand.

"Change of plans." Barbatos shrugged.

Ikutachi frowned; his suspicion obvious. "But it's poker night. You never miss poker night."

"True, but I have other plans this evening. There's something very important I need to do."

Ikutachi smiled slowly, walking slowly towards Barbatos. "Would this very important something have anything to do with me?"

Barbatos slid his arms around his lover, pulling him close. "Everything important in my life has to do with you, so I guess it's safe to say the answer is yes."

Ikutachi buried his face in Barbatos' shirt, inhaling deeply. Barbatos placed a kiss atop his head, his excitement and certainty growing by the second.

"I need to shower first." Ikutachi said, sliding his free hand into the opening between the buttons of Barbatos' shirt. "But you're welcome to join me if you'd like."

Barbatos took Ikutachi's hand out of his shirt, bringing it to his lips and placing a kiss on his knuckles.

"There will be time for that later," he replied, "but there's some place I want to take you first."

Ikutachi looked up at him; his lips forming the delicate pout that meant they should definitely have sex first.

"Trust me." Barbatos continued, brushing a thumb across his lover's full lips.

Barbatos led Ikutachi out to the gardens. The sun had set and the clear night sky was alight with brightly glowing stars. It was a bit chilly, but there was a gentle breeze that warmed the air. A table and two chairs had been set out underneath the moonlight. The table top was adorned with variety of tray covered foods, and an unopened bottle of Ikutachi's favorite wine.

"What's all this?" Ikutachi asked, instantly on guard.

"Just a little something I threw together. Do you remember this place?" Barbatos asked.

Ikutachi chewed his lip in thought, looking around the area as if it would jar a memory. "Should I?"

Barbatos chuckled softly. Of course the Anima wouldn't remember. "Let's not worry about the details right now." He said. "Why don't we sit down and eat. Maybe it'll come to you."

Dinner was a quiet event, the two of them eating in silence as they enjoyed the simplicity of each other's company. When you'd been with someone for a certain length of time, the pressure to fill every moment with conversation was no longer necessary. You just… know what the other is thinking.

"I remember now." Ikutachi said, dabbing his mouth with the napkin then reaching for his glass of wine.

"Do you?" Barbatos asked, placing his fork and knife onto his empty plate.

Ikutachi gave him a playfully irritated look, taking a small sip from his glass before continuing. "This is where we first met, isn't it? I was standing just over there," Ikutachi said, pointing just a few feet away from the table. "And you called out to me from right about where you're sitting now."

Barbatos smiled. "So you do remember."

"Of course," Ikutachi replied matter-of-factly. "It took me a minute, but only because it was so long ago."

"It wasn't that long ago." Barbatos defended.

Ikutachi snickered softly, taking another small sip of wine. "I'm confused though." he continued. "We met in the winter, so this can't be the anniversary of the day we met. And since we've only officially started dating recently, it can't be the anniversary of when we became a couple." Ikutachi pinned Barbatos with a suspicious frown. "So what exactly are we celebrating?"

"Do we have to have a reason to celebrate?" Barbatos replied, answering the question with a question.

"No, but we could've done all this in one of our rooms. There's no need to go such lengths with me, Barbatos. If this is some ridiculous attempt to woo the pants off of me, it was completely unnecessary."

Barbatos sighed. In his lover's mind, romance was nothing more than tool used to reach one's ultimate goal. In this case, sex.

"I'm well aware of that, my love, but every once in a while it's nice to do something like this. It helps keep our relationship fresh and new."

"I suppose." Ikutachi mumbled; a slow blush creeping into his cheeks.

"You suppose, huh?" Barbatos teased. "Did you enjoy yourself?"

"Yes."

"And you would like to do something like this again."

The blush in Ikutachi's grew, changing from rosy pink to a lovely shade of red. "Yes."

"Then mission accomplished." Barbatos got to his feet, walking around the table to help Ikutachi out of his chair. "Come, let's walk the gardens. I know it's one of your favorite things to do."

Ikutachi reached took Barbatos' hand, lacing his delicate fingers with the Phantom's large calloused ones. The Anima was trembling slightly; his nervousness a welcome sight. Ikutachi could be warm and kind-hearted when he wanted to be, but he had a reputation of being cold and unapproachable. His bluntness and cold logic could be a bit much for people. In fact, a few of the daemons in the mansion had taken to calling him the Ice Queen. It was a lucky thing that Barbatos knew better. Ikutachi was full of life and love; fire and passion. And to Barbatos' never-ending satisfaction, the Anima belonged to him.

"It's such a lovely evening." Ikutachi said, resting his head on Barbatos arm as they strolled one of the garden paths. "Autumn is in the air. The first frost will be here soon."

"How can you tell?" Barbatos asked.

"It's simple really." Ikutachi replied. "This world exists in cycle of life and death. My spirit is in tune with that cycle. I can feel its ebb and flow." He drew Barbatos over to a nearby patch of flowers, pulling him down to crouch with him. "You see this flower," Ikutachi asked, gently lifting an unopened blossom. "You might not recognize it now, but in a few weeks you will."

"It's a spider lily." Barbatos announced. "They grow all over the place."

"Wow," Ikutachi said with a proud smile. "I'm impressed."

Barbatos' heart stuttered through several beats, his eyes trying to sear the memory of Ikutachi's smile into his mind. He rarely saw the Anima show such an expression, and whenever he did, Barbatos made it a point to savor every blissful moment of it. There was nothing in this world he wouldn't do to see that smile every day. Nothing…

"This flower," Ikutachi continued, completely oblivious to Barbatos' reaction, "like any other living creature, can sense the change in season." He lifted the bud gently with his fingertips. "You might not be able to see it yet, but this lily has already started the process of blooming. It's just waiting for the perfect moment."

"And you can tell all that just by touching it?"

"It has nothing to do with touch." Ikutachi replied. "It's about energy. Even as we speak, the energy of this flower is growing. It is full of life that is waiting to burst forth." Ikutachi rose to his feet, pulling Barbatos up with him. "But you see that tree over there?"

Ikutachi slipped his arm around Barbatos' waist, pressing their bodies together. He pointed to a towering maple tree, and although Barbatos wanted to focus on the conversation, Ikutachi's delicious scent was making every one of his senses go haywire.

"That tree's energy is fading." Ikutachi continued. "With autumn fast approaching, its leaves will change to all manner of yellows and reds. Although the tree will fight to maintain its energy, the drop in temperature and loss of moisture will force it to yield. The leaves will fall as a result, and it will enter into a deep sleep."

"But it's a cycle, right?" Barbatos asked, placing a light kiss on Ikutachi's temple. "It will wake up once Spring returns."

"Exactly right," Ikutachi replied. "There are cycles with in cycles, but they are all a part of something much bigger."

"I love it when you talk like this." Barbatos said. "I feel like I get to see some hidden part of you that no one else gets to see."

Ikutachi immediately stiffened, pulling away from Barbatos and walking on ahead.

"What did I say?" Barbatos asked, jogging to catch up.

"Nothing."

"It's not nothing." Barbatos took Ikutachi's hand again, sighing with relief when the Anima didn't snatch it away. "I wish you would just talk to me," he continued. "I want to know what's going on in that pretty little head of yours, but I'm not a mind reader, you know?"

"Thank the Heavens for that small mercy." Ikutachi muttered.

"And why is that?" Barbatos asked. "Are your thoughts about me so terrible?"

"Of course not," Ikutachi insisted shyly. "In fact, you'd probably be disgustingly happy about my thoughts of you."

Barbatos stopped mid-stride, halting Ikutachi with him. The Anima looked back at him; his expression cool and collected minus the flush of color in his cheeks. That was the one sign of Ikutachi's love for Barbatos that he couldn't hide.

"There's something I want to ask you, Iku." Barbatos began; his heart racing with excitement and anticipation. "It's something I've wanted to ask you for a while now, but I couldn't seem to find the right time or place."

Ikutachi frowned. "Okay," he said slowly. "Should I be worried? I feel like I should be worried."

"No," Barbatos said reassuringly. "It's is a good thing; I promise. I planned this whole night just so I could ask you this."

Ikutachi took a step back, shaking his head. "I knew it! I knew you had some ulterior motive!"

"And that's a bad thing?"

"I don't know. I supposed it depends on what you're going to ask."

Barbatos laughed loudly. "You, my love, certainly know how to ruin a moment. Come here." He took Ikutachi's hand, pulling him into his arms. "You and I have been through a lot together; more than most couples go through in such a short time. We fight and argue, but no matter how many times we've tried to ruin this relationship, we always find our way back to one another."

"You're scaring me, Barbatos. What are you..."

Barbatos didn't give Ikutachi a chance to finish the question, claiming the Anima's mouth with his own. Ikutachi fought to push him away, but his efforts were half-hearted. He sank into Barbatos' embrace, sighing longingly as he wrapped his arms around Barbatos' neck. Only when Ikutachi was completely at ease did Barbatos break the kiss.

Ikutachi was breathing heavily; tiny clouds of steam forming with each burst of air from red-kissed lips. He clung to Barbatos, looking up at him with through a haze of lust and desire.

"I love you." Barbatos whispered, falling deeply into the Anima's beautiful amber eyes. "And I want to spend the rest of forever with you."

"I love you, too." Ikutachi replied breathlessly. "Now kiss me again."

He leaned forward, but Barbatos held him at bay. "Do you want to spend the rest of forever with me, Iku?"

"Yes." Ikutachi replied impatiently. "You know that, I've told you."

The Anima tried to kiss him again, but Barbatos stopped him once more. "Then marry me, Iku. Let's make our love official."

And just like that, all the passion between them evaporated; the fire in Ikutachi's smoldering gaze completely extinguished.

"No." Ikutachi said firmly.

"N-no?" Barbatos stuttered, stumbling back as if the Anima had physically struck. "But I thought… You just said… Why not?!"

"I-I just… can't. I-I'm sorry