Beta: Tegthe
A/N: First, I'm running late because of irl. Then, decides not to work. And then I don't have time to even see the computer for to days. Urrrrrrgh. Anyways, here's the new chapter. I'm not mentioning here or in the future how it it went for Toko and Tsukumo when it came to their run-away Duras - I leave that to your imagination. (Personally, I think they got it. I mean, Tsukumo's ears are amazing.)
Anyways, hope you enjoy again, thanks so much for reasing and sticking with the story!

Chapter 21 – Sick or gifted

All messed up
And slightly twisted
Am I sick or am I gifted

Bzzt. Bzzt.

Shusei lifted the phone from the wooden table where it lay, briefly eyeing his partner before clicking the button and bringing the cell to his ear.

"The man died." Takashiro's voice was flat, void of emotions – he didn't feel any unnecessary sympathy towards the deceased human being. After all, the man had brought it upon himself, more or less – he had summoned the mid-villain, letting it take control of his body. That was how the whole mess had begun – never mind that the person might not have agreed with the demon's ideals afterwards.

Shusei swallowed a lump that had risen to his thoughts before closing his eyes. "Thank you for notifying us", he answered after a moment, voice void of emotions.

"Shusei." The Giou clan's leader's voice was more caring and softer than it usually was – he did care about the Zweilts after all. Maybe not as much as he should've, but still, he didn't think about them only as pawns in chess. They were that too, a critical asset to win the war, but Takashiro had known them for such a long time – how could he not possess a single bit of care towards them?

Even if he was cruel enough to call their souls back time and time again, denying the eternal rest every single soul needed.

"You did the right thing."

Takashiro still stood behind his words – it was true that they would have avoided multiple deaths if the two Zweilt had just killed the Duras when they had first encountered the demon – but the boys knew it already. There was no point in saying it over and over again, especially since the message had gone through already.

"Thank you", Shusei answered politely before hanging up. His eyes shifted from the silent phone to his partner, who was sitting on the dark couch, awaiting the answer. "Well?"

"He's dead", Shusei told Hotsuma, laying the phone back on the table. The brunette youngster didn't miss the pained look in his partner's eyes, but didn't comment on it.

"Shit!" was the only thing Hotsuma let out, burying his fist in the innocent sofa beneath him.

As if what had happened had been his fault – as if he'd been the one to deliver the mortal blow.

"You have no need to feel guilty", the brunette quietly told his partner, eyes on the figure that hung its head, fingers slipped between each other's, hands coming to rest on his long legs. As Hotsuma's gaze snapped back to Shusei, the boy continued, voice calm and even. "I was the one who killed him, after all."

That was the truth.

Shusei didn't know where all these demons - more like mannequins – had appeared from, but he had a good guess. The Duras had found them before they found him. Shusei had located the demon a couple of hours ago and Takashiro had told the pair to go and take care of this mess.

But, apparently, this was exactly what the Duras had wanted. They had walked straight into its trap.

The mannequins weren't hard to destroy, but there were plenty of those monsters around – and sometimes, it wasn't the skill that mattered, but the numbers.

Shusei might've been able to find the real Duras with his 'Eye of God', but the mannequins didn't give him time or opportunity to use it. Hotsuma couldn't help with that either, even if the boy was able to burn some of them with ease – there was just too many of them.

It was in the midst of the chaos that the Duras decided to make its move – to try and get revenge for its partners – and launched itself towards Hotsuma.

"Hotsuma!" Shusei yelled, fear evident in his voice. It was like watching things in slow motion – the Duras launching itself towards Hotsuma's unguarded back. The boy did hear his partner's warning, but couldn't turn – he was still too busy with the too many mannequins.

Shusei sliced the nearest monster in half, realizing that he'd never make it in time – there was no way for him to get to Hotsuma before the Duras, neither was there enough time to use the exorcism spell.

So it came down to two choices – to take the Duras down, the human along with it, or let it hurt Hotsuma.

It wasn't even a choice.

"Cry Crow Diomedes." A light blue sphere appeared, changing its shape from a sphere into eight thick needles. The needles changed into spears as they flew through the thin air, hitting the Duras with an incredible force. The Duras screamed as it was pushed back as the black spears pierced through it, pinning it against the nearest wall.

Shusei paid a price for that hit though – a mannequin's long nails sliced through his skin, leaving bleeding, angry red marks behind.

"Burn, creatures of hell!"

The monsters nearby Shusei went up in flames as he lifted his gaze to meet his partner's. Hotsuma was still having a hard time with those monsters near him, but he had given enough of an opening for Shusei to make another move before needing to go back to defense mode again.

More light blue spheres appeared as Shusei nailed his gaze on the Duras that was miserably trying to get away, to tear off the spears that were piercing it, nailing it to the wall.

"Exorcise and bind."

The spheres hit the ground near the demon, forming a circle. The light blue light emanated, forcing the Duras out of the human's body as it was caged behind black bars.

The Duras already knew what was coming – it had seen what happened to its partner.

Instead of trying to get out or screaming futilely, it just locked its gaze with the Zweilts. "The war has just begun. I hope you suffer worse than death in master Reiga's hands!"

"Hotsuma."

The younger boy tsk'd, eyeing his partner – the mannequins were already next to useless because their controller was trapped with powerful magic. "Burn in the flames of hell."

A blazing inferno appeared out of nowhere, swallowing the demon, burning the Duras quickly – not even ashes remained.

"Shusei, are you-"

When the Duras was gone, its mannequins along with it, Shusei let his magic disappear – the cage and the spears. The only thing he didn't take down yet was the barrier – it was better to see the poor human's condition first.

"I'm alright", the older boy answered, cutting his partner's words short, starting to walk towards the human he cruelly had speared.

The human body dropped to the ground as the spears disappeared – at least the poor man was unconscious.

Shusei kneeled down beside the unconscious body, pressing his fingers on the man's neck – the pulse was there, but it was weak.

It didn't take a genius to understand that now when the Duras and its magic were gone, the man was bleeding badly. The only good thing was – at least from what Shusei could see – that he hadn't damaged the internal organs. But then again, he was no doctor.

Hotsuma wasn't as calm as his partner – after all, despite what Takashiro had said, they had still hurt a human being. "What do we do?" There was worry lingering in those words, spiced with rising fear that lay beneath.

Shusei pulled his fingers away, rising up to his feet, looking at his partner. "Call an ambulance." He paused, eyeing the man lying on the ground. They couldn't afford being seen on the crime scene – even Takashiro might not be able to talk their ways out of it. Besides, there was nothing they could do for the man – nothing but hope for the best.

Shusei called off the barrier as his partner made the call. After that, he touched Hotsuma's hand, gently pulling his anxious partner away from the scene. "Let's go. There's nothing else we can do."

Despite their hopes, the man hadn't made it, after all. Whether it was due to the amount of blood he had lost, or internal bleeding, Shusei didn't know. It wouldn't have been a miracle if he had pierced something important anyway – he hadn't really paid attention at that point, and he was no doctor.

Not that any of it mattered, really.

The man was dead and there was nothing in the world that could bring him back.

And that was Shusei's fault.

Too bad Hotsuma didn't agree on that. "But –"

Shusei silenced him by pressing his finger on the younger boy's lips – thus stealing an unnecessary touch – and then speaking, voice deep and calm. "Don't worry about it." He pulled his hand away – if he didn't, even someone as blind as Hotsuma might notice the depth of his feelings that went further, much further than just friendship. Shusei had harbored these feelings in their previous lives as well – he didn't know how much Hotsuma remembered, but they had been lovers more than once. They had even been married – when Shusei had been a girl – but just once.

"I was the one who killed him, not you." Those words slipped from his mouth with such ease – it wasn't the first or the last time Shusei understood that something wasn't right with him. That he probably lacked something important as a human being. "So don't blame yourself."

Hotsuma just stared his partner for a while, trying to absorb and understand the information that was just thrown at him. Unfortunately, he could only see the surface – only hear the spoken words. The blonde grunted as he leaned back on the sofa. He wasn't as bothered with an unknown person dying as he probably should've – what bothered the blond was that the man was dead because of them. Because they had killed him. Maybe Takashiro was right and there was no way to save everyone – that was fine – but the blonde didn't want either of them to become murderers because of that.

But what's more, he didn't like the way his partner acted – like it was all his responsibility. "Don't take all the guilt to yourself", Hotsuma blurted out, golden eyes serious. "We're both at fault here."

Shusei was taken aback by those words, and very nearly touched his own chest, the scars that still lingered.

But aren't you the one who's always blaming himself?

Instead of speaking his thoughts, Shusei chuckled, eyes warm as he looked at his partner. "Is that so?" Without waiting for an answer, he stepped away from couches, making his way towards his own room before he would take a step into something where they couldn't come back from. "Good night."