Author's notes: Had fun writing this as usual. Enjoy! Thank you for the reviews!

Warning: Some violence, profane and sexual language, and nudity.


All afternoon long it's me with the same song
You left a light on inside me, my love
I can remember the way that it felt to be
Holding onto you

- Excerpt from "Like A Song" by Lenka


After he told them about Kijin's words, the Tengu prophecy, and his thoughts on it, Tsuzuki was met with varying reactions, mostly disbelief. He held up his hands to try to catch his shikigami's attention before they started arguing. "Look, we don't know what's coming, so—"

"Tsuzuki, Hosogyokumon hasn't been heard from in a millenia. What makes you think that he'd invade us now? He has no allies." Suzaku stated evenly, arms crossed and feet shoulder-width apart. The others he had called on looked at him anticipating a serious response.

"He's a Snake right? He was banished from Gensoukai, his home." Tsuzuki ticked two fingers up. "The only thing I don't know is whether he was banished because he was immortal. Any ideas?" Looking at Byakko, Tsuzuki raised his brows in askance.

Byakko shrugged and scratched behind his furry ear. "I died between then and now, so I don't remember."

All the others shook their heads too, but Genbu clacked his staff down to get their attention. "I remember that fight. He was banished because of something unspeakable he had done, not because he was immortal." The old man chortled. "Back then, we let the humans deal with our messes. What they lacked in spiritual power, they adapted with their reflexes and sharp wit."

Tsuzuki held his breath as Genbu swayed a bit before coming back to attention. "He called himself the Immortal One back then, oh yes. He has lusted after power for as long as I have known him, and his greatest conceit was his near-invincible ability to regenerate, an ability which is a hundredfold greater than even your shinigami ability Tsuzuki. If he is to come back here, we can only slow him down, not stop him."

The serious look on everybody's faces was too much for Tsuzuki. "We can't give up! He was beaten before, so...!"

"By the traitor Kurikara," Kouchin said simply. "We cannot release the Dragon King to eat the smaller fish. It would be too perilous to—"

"He's not a bad guy! I met him, but I'm even more sure that he wouldn't want to see Gensoukai overrun by this guy!"

"Tsuzuki, we understand that your gentle heart wishes for peace more than anyone else, but we cannot let a war criminal of his standing back into Gensoukai. Even if he has given up the war, his followers remember it and would—"

"Enough," Taimou's clear voice cut their bickering off. "We must take a vote now. Who sides with Tsuzuki?"

Genbu raised his staff, but none of the others lifted a finger.

Harrumphing, Genbu set his staff down; well aware of Tsuzuki's hurt reaction, the wizened shikigami turned towards the only one he would allow to call on his power. "They fear the bogeyman. This lot was the same when you went to retrieve the great and terrible Serpent. Perhaps, the one we call traitor is a changed man. Perhaps not. For now, I know that fear has beaten us, and we must live in fear of our own shadow. Hah!" With a derisive snort, the hunched form walked away, the clack of his cane more pronounced than usual, his long bone-white hair trailing after him.

Gazing across the heads of each of the shikigami remaining, Tsuzuki heaved a disappointed sigh. "Well, do whatever it is you need to do to prepare. I'm going to go make some charms."

He walked away, feeling even more disheartened when the others didn't even try to call him back but instead huddled together talking frantically amongst themselves.

By nightfall, Hisoka had still not come. He had managed to hit his head again and had laid unconscious for a few hours, before waking up. Tsuzuki was fed up with everything. He was tired of sitting around waiting and pining. Fully stocked on fuda, he had little else to do as Tenkuu became abuzz with activity with various servants running about.

Feeling Hisoka grow heartsick for him with a liberal dose of worry and jealousy for someone else's happiness, Tsuzuki stepped out into complete darkness, using the faint light of the candles inside to help guide him to the courtyard.

"This should be a good place." He stood with his feet together, his spine straight and his chin tucked down as he clasped his hands together in prayer. He had thought long and hard about this and the words he would say, but knew that whatever he planned wouldn't necessarily come out when he started summoning.

"I beseech thee, of the Thirteen Gods that protect me..."

The wind kicked up around him as a ruby-orange light engulfed him. So far so good...

"With keen knowledge, the sharp truth strikes..."

"Let thy arrows pierce through my enemies..."

Shifting his fingers as he carefully enunciated the words that floated from somewhere within him, he felt the answering call echo.

He stepped back opening his arms wide. "I summon you before me, Hisoka!"

He stayed very still as a heavy mist rolled in, and suddenly an outline of a giant, golden glowing eel appeared before shifting into a recognizable figure, something small and extremely bright hanging from some kind of string against his partly-bared chest. Hisoka was dressed in a dark-colored hakama, the kimono-top slipped down and off his left arm in a bowman's ready stance. A dark ruddy red glow clung to his frame, and his eyes glowed green like a cat's.

"Hisoka, am I glad to see you!" Tsuzuki jogged towards him arms wide open, but he stopped when the creamy-white, lacquered yumi was nocked and drawn partway, aimed towards his feet.

The bowman was above all wary and perplexed. "You are not my Master. How did you call me?"

Tsuzuki faltered, hands up horribly reminded of that first encounter with the gun. He also sensed the relief in the stranger in front of him that the one who had called him was not the terror he was expecting. "Hisoka..."

With a loud sniff, the bowstring was slackened as he pointed his bow farther at the ground, and Tsuzuki felt written off as a possible danger. The stance was fluidly shifted in such a dignified, beautiful manner, despite the single-mindedness of his aim. The bow was up again pointed into the mist like he could see through it. "Who goes there?" barked the bowman.

Tsuzuki held his breath. It's probably—

Without warning, Hisoka released the arrow, which whistled through the air, and re-nocked before Tsuzuki could blink. He fired again and again, while Tsuzuki stood uncertainly as Hisoka attacked. He could feel that none of his shikigami had been hurt, but what if it was someone else?

His worries were allayed when a large, muscled figure raced out of the mist, knocking the released arrows from the air and cocking a meaty arm back as he bounded closer to the bowman.

"Touda! Don't hurt him!"

As the bowman hopped back and held the yumi in one hand, Tsuzuki heard the unmistakable sound of a short blade unsheathing just as Touda rocketed the arm out.

Hisoka shoved the white bow up, and it deflected the punch in a flash of light as he spun on a toe and slashed into Touda's side. Completing the twist, Hisoka jumped gracefully away, his kimono fluttering as it caught the wind.

"Touda!"

Despite the injury, Touda was too fast, and the kick that connected this time shattered the pale-white yumi. As the delicate bow snapped and dispersed like glitter, Hisoka dropped the blood-darkened blade, weaving on his feet. The ugly amber glow left his small frame.

Shaking his head as if waking from a bad dream, Hisoka held his head, groaning.

Tsuzuki was already by his side setting a heavy, steadying hand on his shoulder. "Hisoka?"

Dropping his hands to suddenly cover up his bare shoulder with the kimono top, Hisoka swiveled his head to him blinking blindly in the dark. "I feel sick."

"You just had a big shock to your system." Tsuzuki wrapped his arms protectively around him in the dark, remembering how Hisoka hated it. Concern for his faithful shikigami, however, had Tsuzuki turning his head to look at Touda as he wrapped the extra-long cloth hanging from his belt around his waist.

"Touda, are you okay?"

"Yes, Master. It will heal shortly." Without another curt word, the imposing shikigami stepped back into the darkness and was lost to Tsuzuki's eyes again.

"Tsuzuki!" Various feet running towards him, a lantern held aloft with a long-staff, bouncing high above them.

Suzaku had her sword out. "Where's that damned serpent? What did he do to Hisoka?"

Slight shoulders tensed beneath his arms, but Tsuzuki didn't let go sensing a primal insecurity that the phoenix's anger was directed at him. "He went off somewhere. Hisoka's fine. He's feeling kind of sick from being summoned."

She growled and set her sword alight, running into the darkness using her flaming sword to guide her.

"He'll be alright once he sleeps it off," informed Byakko, helpfully. "The first time's the worst."

"Are you okay?" Holding the stick with the lantern carefully, Tenko peered up at the back of the form in Tsuzuki's arms.

Taking a slow, deep breath, Hisoka broke from Tsuzuki's loose hold and turned to her. "I will be."

She smiled up at him. "I'm glad you're back!"

Hisoka reciprocated with a tired smile of his own, and Tsuzuki was astonished. Hisoka barely smiled, even less when he was tired!

"I'm all for playing in the dark, but our meal's still sitting in the Great Hall!" Byakko interjected cheerfully.

So, they headed to the dining hall, where an interrupted midnight feast laid.

Hisoka settled into a chair next to Tsuzuki, while the latter piled up food for himself and then for his partner. Byakko was further down the table gorging down food much faster than was healthy.

Picking up a fork and holding it awkwardly because of its bulky handle, Hisoka looked at the heaping mound of sliced meat.

"So, where did you end up going?" Tsuzuki said in between bites of bread rolls.

"After going to Mount Koho and meeting the king, I passed through the plains of the Dominion of the Shoki with my shikigami. Then we went to Mount Kurama talked to some Elders, who asked me to invite you back to see them." Hisoka took a drink from the cup. It was orange juice. "After staying the night there, we passed through a valley and spent the night at the fairy village of Honey, and then finally arrived back at Mount Koho the following afternoon, last afternoon." Hisoka speared some kind of dark meat and took a nibble of it. It just wasn't as tasty as the melt-in-your-mouth fish that he'd had at the King's feast.

"Wow, that sounds like fun. I've never met fairies before. What are they like?"

"Peaceful with powerful magic. You would like their buttercup nectar."

"Buttercups are poisonous, aren't they?"

Hisoka shrugged. "It didn't taste like poison."

Sohryuu slammed through the closed double doors on the end of the dining hall. "How dare you summon a traitor's bastard into our midst!"

Stiffening as if he'd been hit, Hisoka looked in the dragon's eyes for the first time since almost getting skewered with a puzzled expression on his face. "'Traitor's bastard'?" he echoed. Having already been summoned like a shikigami, Hisoka couldn't deny his heritage, but the choice of words started a fire in his gut and anger flooded into his head.

Byakko's ears twitched, but he stayed seated watching what would play out.

Tsuzuki stood up and quickly intercepted the pissed off dragon clutching a sword. "He's my partner and I was worried about him. I have every right to do so since he is my shikigami, too."

Sohryuu sucked in air suddenly at the lie of omission. "He didn't respond to you! He should be put in Tenkuu's dungeon immediately, knowing what he is!"

"You know I won't allow it."

"Until your contract with him is completed, Tsuzuki, I will not allow this rogue half-breed to run free." Sohryuu's even tone was heated with anger.

Before either Hisoka could snap or Tsuzuki could order the contrary from happening, a young girl's shout got their attention.

"Father, no!" Tenko threw herself into the dragon's robes and fisted her small hands into the fabric. "Hisoka didn't hurt anybody. Please stop! Please?"

Like a tree weighed down with ice, Sohryuu bent over and gently pried her hands from his clothing. "Tenko..." His voice, however, softened considerably.

"He didn't hurt anybody." The young shikigami's eyes were filled with tears. "Why do you hate him so much if he didn't hurt anybody?"

The blue-haired shikigami knelt, still holding her hands in his left hand as he brushed an errant bang of hers to the side. "His sire is a dangerous one, and I want to keep you safe."

"I am safe, Father."

He slipped his hands away from his daughter and stood up wearily, directing his words to his contemptible master. "Confiscated materials from Rikugo's chambers suggest that the banished First King's son holds the key to our future. Whether that future is destruction or salvation, is unknown."

A distressed Tenko attached herself to his robes again, so Sohryuu was forced to move back another pace, eyes on Hisoka's face. "Do what you will, bringer of the flowering winds." He turned stubbornly away and walked the three steps to the double doors with a clinging Tenko stumbling after him.

Tsuzuki had lost any appetite he had had. Kijin was right. Sohryuu had changed since Hisoka's appearance. Where once he had been proud and steadfast, he was barely restrained and finicky. He turned to Hisoka, who eyed him disdainfully.

"How long have you known that I was part god? What does he mean by 'traitor's bastard'? And why was he talking about a contract?" Hisoka's voice raised incrementally after each word, until Tsuzuki's ears rung. He could feel the fear though undercutting his anger like a flood washing out a fire.

"After I told him you were an empath and we had a bond, and he said that you had to have shikigami blood in you to manifest the ability. That was almost right after you left." Tsuzuki took a breath. "As for the traitor, there's a story about a shikigami named Hosogyokumon who got banished from the Gensoukai a long time ago. He's the one that's going to come back any day now and cause lots of problems." Tsuzuki stopped. "I won't bore you with too many details, but you might resemble that guy and it... bothers Sohryuu."

"He detests me, Tsuzuki, with every fiber of his being. I can see it in his eyes."

Tsuzuki didn't argue the point. "As for the contract... I'm not sure. When I first summoned you, you had a yumi. You didn't even recognize me. You seemed kind of pleased to see that I wasn't someone else though..." Tsuzuki rubbed his head.

"Sounds like his contract belongs to someone else already." Byakko piped in suddenly, startling Hisoka.

Tsuzuki's hand stilled. "If the bond is directed through the 'curse' laid on Hisoka's body, then Muraki owns the contract."

Hisoka's blood chilled in his veins. "He can summon me?"

"I need you to think back. Did he ever mention anything... non-human about you?"

"No. Nothing like that other than the creepy 'doll' moniker."

"He didn't know," Tsuzuki stated.

Shocked silent, Hisoka practically resonated unease and turmoil.

"So, what curse are you guys talking about?" Byakko asked curiously.

The shinigami exchanged looks. Hisoka nodded. "They've changed from how they were before." He pulled back the sleeve of his dark blue kimono, and Byakko made a noise of indignation.

"He Marked you!" The tiger sounded like he wanted to gut someone.

"What?" Tsuzuki had never heard of the term.

Byakko snarled, "This Muraki guy, he"

"Made me submit body, soul, and mind by force," came Hisoka's cool voice cutting Byakko's rant before he got carried away. "This is a true slave contract, isn't it?"

"Yes." The rage was still there, simmering in his tone of voice. "He could make you do anything. Any disobedience is impossible for you." Sky-blue eyes widening, Byakko turned abruptly on Tsuzuki. "Don't complete the contract!"

"Huh?" Tsuzuki blinked. "Why not?"

"You love him, but do you want to make him your slave? Even if you didn't mean to force him, with that contract completed all of his actions would be under your command!"

Rikugo's words came easily into his head as if summoned. "Co-dependence would assuredly prevent you from being left alone... true happiness would never appear for either of you."

This moment was what Rikugo had tried to warn him about. Tsuzuki's mouth went dry, sickened by the thought of Hisoka being such. "Of course not!"

"Good, maybe it will continue to unravel on its own. I'm glad I didn't misjudge you, Master." Byakko's muscled arms suddenly wrapped tightly around Tsuzuki, while his master patted him on the back.

"Don't call me that Byakko. You know I hate it."

Pulling back suddenly, Byakko's tail curled up. "I should go tell the others!"

Grabbing his wrist, Tsuzuki held him. "Don't Byakko. This is too personal."

"But..." The tenor voice trailed.

"I don't want that stigma," Hisoka said bluntly.

Byakko hesitated then nodded before grabbing his hand fervently. "I will keep your secret. If you need anything else, just ask! I'm going to check on Suzaku. She might need rescuing."

The calloused fingers slipped from Hisoka's, and using his excuse Byakko raced from the room, leaving the two alone.

"Well that explains why I could summon you." Tsuzuki sighed, despondently. "I met two of the three qualifications. It's a damn good thing I didn't rush anything."

Eyebrows creased, Hisoka frowned at him. "What, our relationship?"

"Yeah. I can't know what your 'submission of body' entails. So for now, kissing is out, but cuddling should still be fine. We did that before, and it didn't clear as a qualification."

A flush spread across Hisoka's face as he felt his body react. Not now! "Don't talk about it like that!"

"You ready to go to sleep? I can get someone to make up another bed for you." What if I touched you in my sleep? Oh, shit. What if I sleepwalk?

Red-faced, Hisoka stood up suddenly, turned away from him. "Put me in another room. It solves all our headaches."

It was only then that Tsuzuki realized that he was sensing that Hisoka was turned on by his words and unspoken thoughts. That realization was picked up by Hisoka who, despite wanting very badly to run far away, decided to stand very still.

"Tenkuu, I need a room with windows situated right next to mine with a door. Send someone to furnish it now."

"Yes, master." There was a low rumbling from far off before it stopped.

Dropping a hand on his shoulder, Tsuzuki directed him forward, speaking quietly. "If you don't take care of that, you'll get blue balls for a couple of hours until your healing powers kick in." Then he took his hand away, walking past him, leading him to the area where his room was.

Feeling strung out, Hisoka was too mortified to respond because Tsuzuki had broached the topic and because he had intimate knowledge of something like that. Standing at the door to 'his' room, Hisoka stared at Tsuzuki as he bid him good night across the hall and closed the door behind him.

When he felt himself swell more down there, he practically ran into the room, slamming the door. This was not going to be a 'good night' at all as skin flushed hotly in demand, the Marks burning.


"We are at the Eve of the Immortal One's entrance, Father. I know you are unsettled, but if you remain strong we will defeat him together. I will take the armies you have called now and cast out Hosogyokumon once again!"

"Kijin, it is patience we need right now. This is our stronghold. To leave it would be folly."

"I understand. But what of Hisoka? To leave him unchained and out of our control..." Kijin stopped. "His name means 'Secret', Father, and, sooner or later, the well-hidden secret will be exposed for what he is, Gensoukai's enemy."

Sohryuu looked solemnly out the balcony, Tenko's words ringing in his ears. "Time will tell us what we need to know."

"But waiting may end up destroying us!"

The Blue Dragon gripped the quill in his hand. "Be silent and follow my instructions, Kijin! We will stay fortified here. Tsuzuki will have to be out of sight before we can do anything about the half-breed."

"Yes, Father." The reluctance to agree shined in the Truthsayer's eyes.


Ken blinked down at the silver metal wristband on his still-tattooed arm. "Hey! I finished my end of the deal. You're here, and now I can go back home!"

A short, red-maned shikigami in human form stood in front of him with a matching clasp on his right arm. "You can go when I release you from the contract, punk. Not before then."

"Aw, man. Who the hell did I piss off to get landed with you eighteen years ago?" The muscled man moaned into cupped hands.

"Shut the hell up, kid. I ain't gonna listen to your complaining right now." The furry-eared, red-eyed man with strange markings on his face was completely in the buff smoking nonstop, and chained by the ankle with heavy metal links four feet away to a petite, but busty, female with black eyes and human ears decked out in what was left of an old, rusty samurai apron. Sitting on the ground, she kicked her feet out, unhindered by the heavy chain, and croaked out laughter at the smoker's reaction.

"Who the hell are they anyway?" Ken asked the Dragon King's back.

"The human I have no idea, but the other was my right-hand commander and morale booster during the war, Kagan Koku Shungei."

"The name's Terazuma Hajime. Who the hell are you?"

"What an attitude coming from a naked guy." Ken scratched his chin. "If he's human, what's with his ears and eyes?"

"Bad match or forced contract. Those are Shungei's eyes, ears, and tribal markings. He's a shinigami. Normally, a human would die from such a terrible match."

"I see," Ken intoned solemnly rubbing his chin. "So, shinigami exist..."

"Kid, I asked you a damn question!" The naked man shouted at him, but didn't budge from his perch on the boulder.

The youthful female laughed again and kicked her feet like a toddler.

"And stop laughing, you damn beast!"

Ignoring the angry guy, Ken glanced back at the bright white portal. "Why hasn't it closed yet?"

"Time moves faster on this side. So what feels like a few seconds on Earth feels much longer over here." The fierce scarred face of the somewhat grown, teenaged Kurikara stared menacingly at Terazuma before looking at his comrade on the ground. "Shungei, guard the gate. Ken and I are heading after Hosogyokumon."

She made a 'hah!' noise and saluted.

Saddling the motorcycle, Kurikara revved the engine. "Get on now or get dragged by our link. Your call."

Quickly, the much larger man sat behind him. "This baby wasn't built for two bodies—!" Ken cursed, arms grabbing around Kurikara's shoulders as the motorcycle did a wheelie, unfurled and folded into a gigantic, metal dragon right underneath his legs. Then it whipped its head down and charged straight off the cliff.

"Holy shit! This is freaking AWEEEESOME!" The scream echoed back to them as they disappeared off the cliff's edge, swooping up at a much greater distance away, the wings flapping and skimming through the clouds.

Terazuma chuckled. It was the only amusement he'd had since waking up here naked.

He looked at 'Shungei' as she doodled in the packed dirt next to her. "Why are we chained up like this, while they get those manacles?"

Pointing at the human ears on the side of her head, she fluttered black eyes behind black bangs and grinned somewhat crooked, very human teeth at him. It was freakish. The damn Summons looked similar to how he'd envision his daughter, except those were his ears, his eyes, and his teeth!

"Hajime!"

He turned at once at the sound of her voice. "Kannuki, what the hell are you doing here?" The portal winked off behind her and the shikigami beside him sat up straight and expectantly.

Wakaba gasped dropping the knapsack beside him, throwing open her arms. "Kuro-chan!"

Jumping up and barreling into her, Shungei smiled holding her up and hopping up and down, while Wakaba held on tightly very unsure until she was set back down in one piece. "I didn't expect to see you like this!"

With a bow, Shungei and made a humming noise that went up and down a few times as if to say 'hello, dear!'. Her thick black braids were among un-braided strands of flat hair, which swung about as she straightened.

"If you were so friendly, why did you always transform when Hajime touched girls?"

The Black Lion frowned, growling a little and thumped her foot that had a heavy manacle above it on the ground.

"Oh! Maybe you were jealous?"

Raising a finger and shaking it, Shungei latched onto Terazuma and proceeded to sound very pissed off. Terazuma did his best to smoke and ignore the behavior as if it was worse to react than not to.

It left Wakaba looking very confused. "Why won't she tell me?"

"Seems she can't."

Standing upright, Shungei nodded and opened her mouth. The nub of tongue waggled side to side just behind her teeth.

Wakaba gasped holding her mouth. "What...?"

Closing her mouth with a snap, the shikigami wrapped strong arms around the frightened miko and nuzzled her face as tears sprouted in Wakaba's orange eyes.

"I heard from the cheeky brat who was inside that guy named Ken that she was a 'morale booster' in some war here. I'm guessing her side lost, and they cut her tongue out." He took a deeper whiff of cigarette. "No talking, no more morale booster. Fucking harsh since I'm guessing she's been passed between shinigami since then. I had strict instructions to never set foot here. As long as I did that..." He made the mistake of looking up and his face met with the soft curves of a female chest. Flailing, he dropped his cigarette as he was hugged and swung side to side.

"Kuro-chan, put him down!"

With a cheerful hum, she did as commanded.

Relieved to finally start breathing again, he coughed, grounding out. "Can I get some damn clothes on now?"

TBC.