A/N: I feel like I should give a weirdness warning for this (and maybe all of my fics, LOL). This is the second in the three-part mini series, Laws of Motion. (Nerdy much?) It follows Inertia, and will bridge the gap between that and the planned sequel, Reciprocal Actions. It'll probably make more sense if you read Inertia first.
This is not a particularly shippy fic. Mostly, it just explores the dysfunctional not-quite-a-relationship between two cunning but damaged people.
Murata, Yuuri says, is a bit of a playboy. He's always scheming to get girls' phone numbers and goes on a lot of casual dates with a lot of people. Unlike his friend the Maou, Murata Ken doesn't shy away from sexual attraction at all.
He is, in short, a big flirt.
"How can you date three people at once?" Yuuri exclaims as they walk around the mall. It's just the two of them, browsing the shops after a Saturday cram school session, but Murata is still looking toward a group of girls at the food court. Yuuri sighs in exasperation. "And apparently that's not enough? I know you like to flirt, but I never thought you were that type of guy."
Murata adjusts his glasses and turns to face his friend. "None of the people I'm dating are exclusive with me, either. We're not serious about each other."
"Doesn't that feel kind of empty, though? To just play around with people like that... I can't imagine how you'd be able to start a stable relationship that way."
It's times like these that the wisdom in Shibuya's soul shines through, Murata thinks, but he chuckles at the innocence mixed in with the inquiry. "I'm not really looking for anything other than a good time, Shibuya. We should enjoy our bachelor years! Oh, but wait - you're already tied down with Lord von Bielefelt, and you even have a kid together."
"Geh! Don't remind me!"
"I'm just giving you a friendly suggestion to solve your own relationship problems before they explode. Maybe when you've dealt with the issue and find yourself in a loving, completely consensual relationship, you can come back to give me some advice, but for now..."
"For now, let's check out the sporting goods store!"
As Yuuri speeds off to look at running shoes and baseball bats, Murata lets his teasing smile slip off his face. He follows along at a leisurely pace, thankful that he won't have to explain himself.
In recent years, he's become quite promiscuous. There was the beautiful Christine, who was... an AV actress, to be polite; a porn star, to be blunt. Now he is Ken, who dates three girls at once. Perhaps it's a way for him to escape the loneliness without the wrenching pain that accompanies the loss of someone truly dear to him. Perhaps.
Murata Ken has never been in a serious relationship, but most of his former incarnations had. It always hurt to lose them; even if he was the one who passed away first in that particular life, it hurt to know he would have to live on. Murata honestly doesn't want to analyze that part of himself. But he supposes it's something like survivor's guilt.
Murata finally approaches Yuuri, who's debating between two pairs of shoes. "The blue one suits you better," he says.
"You think?"
"Yeah. You're always wearing blues and greens. Red would clash with the rest of your wardrobe, and Mama-san would never forgive me for letting her Yuu-chan's non-existent fashion sense get even worse."
"Shut up!" Yuuri flushes adorably bright. "Besides, I've been saving up for this blue pair, but I don't have enough. Meanwhile, my current pair is about to get a few holes... So I really should just get the red ones because they're on sale, but-"
"But you have your heart set on that one," Murata finishes for him with a sagely nod.
"Right! It's perfect! So comfortable and durable, and, like you said, won't clash with my clothes."
"It's The One."
"Yup."
"Your One True Love..."
"Exact- What?" Yuuri screeches, and the look on his face is priceless.
"Pfft! You totally fell for it," Murata snickers.
"Oi! How did we go from shoes to romance? And I know you're making fun of me for what I said before, but I'm sticking to it! It might just be my mom's influence mixed with what I've seen on TV, but there are definitely some people out there who are soul mates! Definitely!"
Yuuri pouts, but Murata just grins. "Like who? Matsudaira Ken and his wife? Sorry, Shibuya, but your favorite actor just got divorced and re-married, and now he's traded in his katana for shaking his hips dancing the Matsuken Samba."
"Don't make fun of Matsuken!" Yuuri shouts. "He's the only reason I saved you from those bullies! Granted, the gold lamé kimono was pretty lame, but he's just going through a mid-life crisis!"
Murata's eyebrows raise imperceptibly. "Your pun was also pretty lame. Been hanging around Lord Weller quite a bit, I see," he mutters under his breath. Shibuya, of course, is too dense to pick up his implications.
"Huh?"
"Nothing, Shibuya. Maybe you're right about the soul mates thing - not for Matsuken, but a few lucky people out there." He pauses to let out a shaky breath. "I suppose I'm just a bit jaded about love..."
"No way, Murata. I'm sure you've found your soul mate before. You are hideously old, after all. You'll find her reincarnation again, I'm sure of it." With that, Yuuri places the shoes back in their boxes. "What are a few holes?" he says with his disarmingly sweet grin. "I'll save up a little more for the ones I really want."
They exit the store, and Murata thinks that Shibuya is right. Once upon a time, he had found that person. But what if that soul was now gone forever? What if he was too late?
What if...?
They're sitting by the fountain, enjoying a light lunch outdoors. The warm spring breeze ruffles his hair, but gently blows hers until the long strands glitter in the sunlight. For Ulrike, who isn't allowed to leave the temple grounds, this is as close as she can get to the outside world. Here, as they talk, she can imagine his exploits as her own, and for a few brief moments, she is not a caged bird.
"And then, Geika? Did you meet her? What was she like?"
"Oh, I met her, all right, and then I understood why all my classmates were drooling over her. The exchange student's name was Hilda, and she was blonde and very leggy. She was smart and sweet, too, so I asked her out."
"Oh, my goodness! How bold of you!"
"We went out a few times before her semester was up. Alas!" Murata feigns dramatics by clutching his chest. "It was not meant to be."
Ulrike, whose heart is that of a young girl despite her actual age, is especially fond of romantic stories. She sighs in contentment and longing. Of course she had accepted her lot in life, but she could never stop wishing for a normal life as well. "Ah~ If I could leave the temple, I would love to visit Geika's school. All the people there sound so wonderful!"
"And all the boys would go wild over you, too," he winks.
"Oh my!" She places her hands on her blazing cheeks. he's such a flatterer!
Murata smiles indulgently as he finishes his cup of tea. However, he feels a change in the currents around them, which signifies that he's managed to pique Shinou's curiosity. Although he carefully hides his expression behind the glare of his glasses, Murata smirks in the back of his mind. It was just like Shinou to get jealous over an ex-flame even after they had been apart for a hundred times longer than they had ever been together. Literally.
He turns his attention back to Ulrike. "I've begun seeing someone else, though," he says as he pours himself another cup of the fragrant tea. The shrine maiden's eyes widen as she gasps, excited to hear more of his adventures. "Mmm, yes," he continues, "he's a famous photographer. We met at an art show."
While Ulrike gushes about how exciting that must be, Murata's mind is churning out another scheme. She looks to him expectantly, and his expression flickers back to politely engaged.
"Actually, my boyfriend and I have been making a lot of progress lately. I suspect he'll ask me to accompany him when his European gallery opens. I should go with him, don't you think? It'll be like a honeymoon!"
Ulrike giggles and blushes as usual, and then- Suddenly, she screams. She drops her teacup and shouts into the nothingness, "Shinou! Shinou!"
The priestess says she cannot feel Shinou's presence. He's blocking her out.
Murata doesn't see Shinou for months.
It's only when he marches into the inner sanctum and accuses Shinou of being a spoiled brat that he gets a response.
"Are you done sulking yet?"
Shinou solidifies before him, all his wild power blazing around them.
"You wouldn't be playing this game if you knew how much I loved you. You are mine, Daikenja." He spits magic when he speaks.
No, not quite. The magic is leaking out of him, like a sluggish, draining, festering wound in Shinou's soul. The god's anger is aggravating this injury - this cut that will not heal. Murata turns to leave without a word. He has confirmed his suspicions.
"Don't you dare leave! I'm not finished with you!"
Magic lashes out around him, crackling. Blue whips of lightning blast at the walls and leave charred marks. Choking, magic-infused air buffets him from all sides, like he's in a tornado. But still, Murata pushes forth. When the roaring waves of magic try to block his path, he walks right through. The magic flickers out of his way at the last second, as he knew it would. Shinou cannot bear to hurt the soul of his Daikenja. Murata takes advantage of this knowledge to make his escape.
And Shinou howls.
He's barely at the castle gates before Shibuya barges out and grips his arms. "Are you okay? Are you okay?" he asks a million times. "I felt some weird magic coming from the temple. Are you okay?"
All Murata can say is, "Don't worry, I'll handle this."
He gives Shinou a week to recuperate. A few days before Shibuya has planned to return to Earth, he makes one last trip to the temple, tersely greets Ulrike and the other shrine maidens, then asks to be left alone. He sits alone in the inner sanctum, alone in Shinou's makeshift heart. Shinou is silent, but there.
Murata begins by telling him a story.
"On Earth, there's a myth about a god named Indra. He was the king of the gods in a certain pantheon. But one day, Indra angered a great sage, who cursed the god so that his testicles fell off. It's funny, but that's actually a popular version of how the story goes. Stories like that used to be very common, and they reminded us that even gods are not infallible. Even you are not infallible."
What Murata holds back from saying is, "I know this because I knew you when you were mortal. I loved you when you were mortal." What he stops himself from even thinking is, "I wish you were still that mortal." Instead, he continues with a prophecy.
"You will die, Shinou, and not like how others die. Souls weren't meant to stay still as yours has. It's obvious to everyone that you're not as powerful as you used to be. You need to recharge your maryoku every time you assume a physical body, and most of the time you can only manage to make a body tiny enough to sit on my shoulder. Ulrike does most of the seer work...because you've lost your Sight, haven't you? You don't even have the strength to speak to me now, after that explosion last week. Without Soushu's tainted power in you, it's only a matter of time before you lose everything and your soul is completely destroyed through stagnation."
Murata sits there on the steps leading up to the temple's core, silent, eyes closed, taking in all that he can of Shinou in the air around him. And then he gets up and ends it with a declaration as he's walking out.
"I don't want to see that happen to you. The people don't need you anymore now that they have Yuuri, but more importantly... I want you to come with me."
As Murata steps outside, he feels a wisp of stray magic brushing across his lips like a lover's thumb, or perhaps like the press of a lover's tear-streaked cheek. He brings his fingers to his lips and blows a farewell kiss to the wind.
And then the presence is gone.
The temple.
Is empty.
And it is just. Like in the ancient myths. The Great Sage fells a god with a different kind of force. He never raises a fist nor even lifts a finger.
"Goodbye, Shinou. I'll be waiting."