Author's Note: Day J-5. Even if you've been alternating between this and "Jade," I suggest reading this and the next chapter together. They're meant to be together anyway.
Warnings: Spoilers for "Lost in Jade" and Kyoto Arc. Tsu/Touda
Disclaimer: Yami no Matsuei is the property of Matsushita Yoko - I'm just borrowing a few things. The plot is all mine though.


Black Dove
III. Hawks

Tsuzuki smiled to himself as he watched Touda sleep. Apparently they had both fallen asleep again after their . . . morning activities. His watch said it was half past eleven, not that he really cared. Indeed, he was feeling very much disinclined to move away from Touda's semi-possessive arm. But they had already missed breakfast and it was likely nothing short of Tenkuu's stodgy loyalty to preserving Tsuzuki's honor that had kept Suzaku at bay for so long. She had probably worked herself up to an impressive level of wrath after an entire morning of stewing. And as much as he might wish otherwise, it was unlikely his new relationship with Touda would do anything to appease the pheonix shikigami's ire. If anyone were to ask him, in fact, he would have placed even odds that the knowledge that Touda was now Tsuzuki's lover would only make Suzaku even angrier.
His lover. There was still a tinge of unreality to the whole situation, despite the rumpled linens that were doing precious little to cover him, the protective arm that cradled his shoulders. Touda was among the twelve most powerful gods in GenSouKai and though immortal, he had chosen a human for his lover. Well, nearly human. Once again, Tsuzuki worried if this was truly what Touda wanted, or if the dark and brooding shikigami was only doing what his master commanded.
"You worry too much, sensei."
Tsuzuki started, twisting around to gaze up at visored eyes and an amused smile.
"You could at least try calling me 'Asato,' Touda," he murmured, trying to deflect the other man's concern.
"This morning doesn't change that you are still my master; nothing can change that. It would be improper for me to call you anything else, sensei."
"That's fine when the others are around, but when it's just us . . . you didn't seem to have this problem earlier."
Touda started to say something, then stopped, distracted by something his more acute senses were telling him. Tsuzuki sighed and waited.
"Someone is coming," Touda murmured. "From the anger in the aura, probably Suzaku."
"Well, we skipped breakfast and as much as she worries about me, she probably knows I'm here."
"And probably means to interfere."
"Quite likely, yes," Tsuzuki agreed, fighting off another sigh. It was no secret that Suzaku and Touda fought over him nearly daily even when he wasn't visiting GenSouKai. He had once considered ordering them to stop bickering, but in the end he had decided against it. Suzaku would ignore his orders, leaving Touda unable to defend himself against her without breaking the rules of his parole.
"If she thinks she can take you from me, then she is very wrong," Touda said with quiet possessiveness. Tsuzuki was tempted to do more than just kiss Touda but by then even he could hear the approaching footsteps. An angry staccato that made no indication that it would let anything stop it. Annoyed but not about to be caught out by his own shikigami, he pulled himself out of bed . . . and sighed in frustration at the rumpled mess that was his clothes. There was no way he could face her wearing those. Without a word, Touda handed him a plain tunic before pulling on his own, more formal one. Tsuzuki was grateful that it was only a short tunic; Touda wasn't all that much taller, but he was bulkier. The black garment would have only reached just below Touda's waist, but on him it was more than halfway down his thighs. Like borrowing clothes from an older brother.
"TSUZUKI ASATO!"
"If she storms in here. . . ."
"TSUZUKI ASATO!! I KNOW YOU HEAR ME!!!"
Her anger was almost a tangible thing as Suzaku threw open the outer door, a bitter tang to the air that preceeded her into the bedroom. An anger that only made Tsuzuki more determined to put an end to the feuding that had so obviously gotten out of control. Bad enough that they thought they could fight over him like children with a favorite toy, but that Touda's right to privacy should be so casually dismissed. . . .
Suzaku actually stopped short when confronted with the sight of her master in one of Touda's tunics. It required very little insight to figure out what had happened, and as Tsuzuki had halfway predicted, Suzaku's rage only increased to new levels. He could almost see the spectral fire dancing about her as she glared at Touda, sword in hand.
"How dare you," she hissed, glaring at the snake shikigami with venomous eyes. But if she had expected her rival to be any more compliant than usual, she was quite wrong. Arms crossed in the picture of cold indifference, Touda merely glared at her, but the sudden flicker of purple fire along one lamp's wick was not lost on Tsuzuki.
"It is not your place to question," Touda replied icily.
"If the Golden Emperor knew. . . ."
"Knew what? That I am even further bound to his will?"
"His will? And what happens when you get tired of whatever game you're playing now?"
"You would dishonor our master by calling this a game?" Touda snapped. For a moment, Tsuzuki considered interrupting the two shikigami, but the purple fire had returned, licking at the wicks of two lamps this time. That was more than enough to give him pause. With only the visor in place . . . how much of Touda's powers were still bound into that slip of metal and plastic?
"Don't push me, shikai no hakaisha! If the others knew you weren't restrained. . . ."
Purple fire danced through every lamp in the room as Touda uncrossed his arms and stepped forward to tower over Suzaku, imposing even in his partial state of undress.
"Do not doubt that, were I not restrained, you would not be standing here, saying such things, Suzaku!" he rumbled in frigid warning. While Tsuzuki doubted Touda would actually lose his control, the half dozen hissing lamps were enough to make him worry. Had he been wrong to remove as many restraints as he had? Touda hadn't exactly assured him that his powers were controlled with the visor in place, only that without it, the temptation to unleash the full force of his wrath would have been too great.
Interjecting himself between the two fire shikigami, he placed a calming hand on Touda's chest, waiting for him to meet his eyes before turning to glower at Suzaku.
"You're out of line, Suzaku."
"But. . . ."
"You think I don't know what I'm doing?"
"I didn't say that. . . ."
"Then . . . what? Why are you here?"
"When you missed breakfast . . . we were worried about you. . . ."
"As if Tenkuu would allow anything to happen to me. Try again."
"You deserve better than his scorn!"
"How dare you. . . ."
"Touda, let me handle this," he warned, glancing up at visored eyes, unsurprised at the rage he saw smoldering there. "You have no right to intrude, Suzaku."
"I am sworn to protect you. From all dangers."
"And you honestly think I need that protection even here, in GenSouKai?" he asked, feigning incredulity; Tsuzuki knew full well what she meant. He wasn't about to let her get away with it.
"With Touda as one of the twelve? Yes!"
"You think, with all of the restraints on his freedom, that he would do anything to harm me?"
"Snake gods cannot be trusted," she muttered stubbornly. "He tried to kill you once already!"
"At my command!" Tsuzuki snapped, surprising even himself with how easily he was able to refer to the events in Kyoto. He had wanted to die . . . and Touda was the only one of his twelve who would have followed his final order, bound as the shikigami was to Tsuzuki's will, though it would have cost him everything. How selfish he had been then!
"You . . . you were upset, sick,"she murmured guiltily. "You didn't know what you were saying. . . ."
"I knew exactly what I was saying," he said crisply. He closed his eyes as Touda slowly rubbed his back, soothing. Taking deep breaths, he gathered himself before opening his eyes again.
"But. . . ."
"And nothing in this world, not even your oath to me, gives you the right to invade Touda's privacy."
"Privacy? What privacy? He's a criminal! He has no right to expect any such thing!"
"He is one of the twelve; he has the same right to privacy as anyone else. To say nothing of my privacy. You had no right to force your way here."
Suzaku remained silent at that, unable to argue. More than anyone else in Tenkuu, Tsuzuki's privacy as master should have been inviolate. While he appreciated Suzaku's concern, he still intended to have Tenkuu explain just why he had allowed his personal privacy to be breached. Particularly for such a petty matter as Suzaku's hatredof Touda.
"You have fought with Touda since I freed him, taking exception to everything about him. You don't have to like him, but you will stop this stupidity. I am ordering you to stop picking fights with him."
"If he starts --"
"He won't. And neither will you. Do I make myself clear, Suzaku?"
"Hai . . . sensei."
The last time he had seen her that angry was when he had persisted in trying to free Touda against her advice. That was also the last time she had called him sensei. It had been months before she had forgiven him for that and even so he had never been sure if she had indeed forgiven him or had just learned to accept a distasteful truth.
"We were worried about you," she murmured after a moment's silence, though whether it was a final attempt at justification or not, Tsuzuki wasn't certain.
"You can tell everyone I'll be putting in an appearance at lunch, promise," he said with a smile, hoping to soothe her ruffled feathers at least a little bit. "And if you run into Byakko, could you have him drop off some clothes? You know, so I can at least have something to wear until mine are cleaned. . . ."
"You do look pretty ridiculous," she agreed with a faint smile.
"I was trying to avoid saying that," he said, holding back a laugh. Tsuzuki smiled up at Touda, to take out any bite in his words, but if his lover had even heard him, he was giving no sign of it. A momentary frown and then Tsuzuki sighed, shaking his head; Touda had an undeniable knack for tuning out. Though he did wonder what had so captured the shikigami's attention that he was willing to relax his guard around Suzaku.
"I'll have Byakko bring you something. Don't forget lunch. And open some windows; something in here stinks."
A wink and a pat on the cheek and Tsuzuki could almost forget that she had ever been angry. Almost. But even with her gone, the faint odor of sulfur lingered, a reminder of Touda's own anger. Tsuzuki glanced over at the hellfire shikigami, verifying that he was still lost in his own world before opening the door out to the rear garden. Closing his eyes, he smiled at the warm sunlight streaming down onto his upturned face. In the two and a half years since partnering with Hisoka, he had all but forgotten how peaceful and refreshing it was to just visit GenSouKai. The quiet of Tenkuu, the subdued peace of the gardens that surrounded and enfolded the palace complex . . . he should have brought Hisoka here months ago.
Sighing contentedly, Tsuzuki opened his eyes as he leaned against the jamb to survey the garden. Like the rest of the palace, there was an air of formality to it, but without the sterility of Touda's too perfect apartment. A gravel and stone walk meandered through manicured beds of roses of every variety Tsuzuki had ever heard mentioned and a few he never would have imagined. It was filled with vibrant ripples of color, pale pinks fading into mellow peaches or darkening to reds so deep as to be almost black. A trellis arch was silently calling to him, climbing white roses nearly obscuring the bench beneath it. He could hear the faint music of a fountain or perhaps a small cascade into a fish pond. He was just pushing off the door jamb to investigate when strong arms wrapped around him from behind.
"Thank you," Touda murmured as he drew Tsuzuki back against his chest.
"Back are we? What had you so distracted anyway?"
"There are . . . many things I have never told you. . . ."
"If you don't want to answer my question, just say so," Tsuzuki sighed, intending to pull away, but Touda's arms tightened with a tiny noise of denial.
"Without explanation . . . I would not want you to think wrongly of me, nushi."
"Che, I think I preferred when you insisted on calling me sensei," he grumbled, lightly swatting at Touda's encircling arms.
"If you keep interrupting, we'll miss lunch."
"Then skip to the point."
"Did you ever bother to learn about the source of shikigami powers, or do you just use our power in place of your own without considering its source?"
"I resent that. . . ."
"Resent what? That we replace a power you're too terrified to use?" Touda asked quietly. "A power that has given you dominion over the twelve most powerful gods in all of GenSouKai. Why shouldn't you use our power?"
"I resent the implication that I'm some sort of irresponsible, power-hungry maniac who gives no regard to the shikigami who have sworn themselves to his service."
"It was not my intention to imply such a thing," Touda sighed. "But it's easier to explain my abilities if I know how much you know."
"I remember SohRyu lecturing once about the balance of powers, but . . .," Tsuzuki trailed off with a half shrug. As much as he respected SohRyu, the guardian of the east tended to be a dry and boring lecturer.
"An elemental force such as the Four Guardians are balanced by definition, drawing equally from light and dark," Touda explained quietly, holding Tsuzuki in a way that prevented the shinigami from turning around. "But for the rest of us, we are born of one side or the other, drawing power from only one aspect of the whole. They hate me for the hellfires that mark me as different from them. Because I was once. . . ."
Touda trailed off, as if unwilling to admit to a distasteful truth. Tsuzuki leaned back against Touda's chest, hugging the arms that enfolded him. Perhaps it would be better to wait until after lunch, but he suspected this was something the shikigami needed to tell him. Even though he half suspected he already knew what he was trying to confess.
"Because your power draws from the Makai?" he asked quietly.
"Because I was born of the Makai, because I once sought power for it's own sake . . . and because once born of the dark, one is forever linked to it."
"Wha-what? What are you saying? That . . . that you're still part of the Makai?!? That you mean to betray me?!"
Tsuzuki tried to pull away but Touda wouldn't allow it. Instead, he turned him around, the anger obvious even through the visor, an anger that tried to hide the hurt beneath it.
"I will never betray you!"
"Then. . . ."
"A million years ago, yes, I could have ruled there. Perhaps should have, but I failed. And for my failure, I was banished to this place, long before the rise of man. The war? My own doing, in a stunted quest for more power. A quest now abandoned, for I need nothing more than to serve you, sensei," Touda murmured, hesitant fingers sliding through Tsuzuki's hair.
"But you said. . . ."
"There is . . . a current, a collective link, if you will, that runs through the very fabric of the Makai," Touda explained.
"Then the Makai know everything you've d--"
"No," Touda interrupted, shaking his head, "it doesn't work that way. I can only sense it when one of the Makai is near and not even the high lords of the Makai could do more than dream of reading me. They might know I was near, and fear that truth, but nothing more. I told you, I will never betray you. . . ."
Touda drew Tsuzuki into a brief kiss before releasing the man with an amused smile.
"Gossiping demons sometimes have amusing tales. Byakko has been and gone; perhaps you should see what he left before you miss lunch as well?"
"You mean before we miss lunch. Don't think I'm letting you squirm out of this, Touda!"
His lover only smiled enigmatically, something Tsuzuki was fairly certain was not a good sign. Not necessarily a bad one either, but still . . . he could have shown a little more enthusiasm. Then again, maybe not. As Tsuzuki had to keep reminding himself, Touda was not a social creature . . . and would likely never be, even if he wasn't hated by nearly every other shikigami residing in Tenkuu.
"You're worrying again," Touda murmured, shocking Tsuzuki into dropping the pants he had been holding. Byakko wasn't quite the same size, and his taste in clothes was a bit louder than he liked - even the tiger god's boxers were bright colors and ridiculous patterns - but then again, beggars couldn't afford to be too picky. At least the selection had been fairly wide. With a bit of searching he had managed to find a very bland pair of jeans and a similarly unadorned grey t-shirt, though he had been a bit surprised to discover that Byakko even owned such things.
"I'm not worrying, I'm jus--"
"You're worrying," Touda interrupted, resting a finger against Tsuzuki's lips. The shikigami was already fully dressed and armored, which struck him as being nothing short of miraculous, considering he hadn't been looking through Byakko's clothes for that long. And unfortunate, given the thoughts that were suddenly making lascivious laps about his head.
"Later," the other man said, smiling as he dropped his fingers from Tsuzuki's mouth. "You promised to put in an appearance. Can't have you becoming a liar now, can we?"
"All right, all right," he conceded, pulling on the jeans swiftly to hide the annoyingly bright blue batik boxers. "And don't think I won't keep you to your promise. . . ."
"Have I promised anything?" Touda asked with faux surprise. Unable to stop himself, Tsuzuki's hand wrapped around the back of Touda's neck, drawing his lover into a scorching kiss that promised a great deal all by itself.
"Would I lie?" he whispered, only bare centimeters from his lover's lips. He actually shivered as Touda's laughter brushed against his cheek, a single set of claws running teasingly up his back.
"Later, Asato," the visored man whispered, his breath warm on Tsuzuki's face for a moment before the contact was broken. "We have all the time we could desire. . . ."
All the time we could desire. . . . Tsuzuki wondered if that could really be true. Another day and a half and Rikogou would have Hisoka home. Or at least have a good idea where his partner was. They'd probably have some time off while Hisoka was recovering from his latest ordeal, but after that, it would be back to casework. But he could still visit Touda between missions. And perhaps . . . perhaps when he finally became too weary to carry forward any longer, they'd let him stay in GenSouKai. If Touda still wanted him.
Claws tripped up his back, silently alerting him that Touda was still watching him. Watching him and somehow knowing what he was thinking. The bond of power between master and shikigami? Could it give one who knew how special insights? He didn't know and as he was gently herded towards the dining hall, the aroma of fresh-baked apple pie pushed aside any serious worry. Time enough for that later.