Feline eyes in a youthful, usually smiling face regarded the sight
in front of him. Spiky white hair shone in the sun. Sitting Indian-style,
the long, black and white striped tail twitching, the short hairs standing
up on end and giving it twice the normal size, Byakko wondered what to
think of it. The surge of power had been unmistakable Tsuzuki's, but it
had held such a desperate, almost forced quality, Byakko's fear for his
friend had immediately peaked.
As Tsuzuki's first shikigami it usually fell to him to stay close to his so-called master, a man who insisted he was, if at all, their equal, and not even worthy of their loyalty. All his twelve shikigami begged to differ, but getting through that hard head that was filled with so much self-consciousness and guilt, his self-perceived worthlessness, was near-impossible. All twelve of them knew that Tsuzuki was far more than he seemed, but few had ever had a true glimpse of his power. Those who suspected had never told him anything; it was something he had to discover and accept at his own pace.
It looked like someone had helped that development process along.
The one now cradling the unconscious shinigami in his arms belonged to those who had known, and probably the only one who knew just what lurked behind that friendly, cheerful and sometime very childish façade.
"What happened?" Byakko broke the silence.
Eyes hidden by a tinted visor met his and Touda smiled coldly. "He was triggered."
Byakko knew that.
"By Enma himself," the other shikigami added.
"Well, shit," the tiger muttered.
"Apt description."
"Why?"
Touda snorted, attention back on the man in his arms. He was sitting on the ground, back against a large boulder, Tsuzuki cradled in a protective hold. One hand, sheathed in a dangerous, metal glove, tenderly caressed the man he had sworn eternal loyalty to.
"Because he's a bastard," the serpent finally replied.
"I know that," Byakko grumbled, which got him a smirk from the other. "Hey, I've been with Tsuzuki almost from day one and let me tell you, something was going on even back then. He was hiding from himself and the world, but Enma-Daiou knew exactly who he had made a shinigami. He's got plans."
"Of course he does." Touda tenderly finger-combed the longish strands. "Tsuzuki is special in many ways."
"Uh-huh. So… Enma triggered him and he ended up here. Do I need to ask why?"
In a way he knew. Touda's very presence here, as well as his status as a shikigami serving Tsuzuki, spoke volumes. Byakko had only once asked how his friend had found the black serpent, who had, theoretically, been locked away for all eternity inside Tenku, with no one even having a clue where he was. His name had been erased from all lists. Not just deactivated but completely removed.
But Tsuzuki had found him. Somehow, the slender young man who seemed to be such a far cry from a powerful angel of death, had walked into the palace with determined strides and right to the cell where Touda was kept. The very person who could get lost in a heartbeat had gone to a well-hidden place and offered his hand, his very soul, to a dangerous criminal.
To everyone's shocked surprise, Touda had offered the same in return without hesitation. Submitting to the will of the Emperor to be released only if he wore the control devices, the lethal shikigami had joined the ranks of Tsuzuki's allies. He was fiercely and undeniably loyal to Tsuzuki. Even if everyone else was against him, even though he was with his back against the wall, he would never forsake that loyalty.
Tilting his head, Byakko gazed thoughtfully at the pair in front of him.
"You felt him."
"I always do."
"We all do, to a degree," the tiger murmured. "But you… he called to you and you answered. It's what Enma wanted. Darkness calls to darkness."
There was a briefly startled expression in the visored eyes that was clearly visible on the rest of the face. Then Touda growled softly.
"Enma had no right to force the issue."
"You knew it would happen."
A shrug. "I knew it could happen. The moment we met, I realized it. The attraction was immediate."
Byakko nodded, tail twitching a little. "So… it's done now?"
"It's raw, painful and new," Touda answered, in a rare open mood at the moment. "He needs to heal first for it to have the wanted effects."
Feline eyes bore into the visor. "And you?"
"That is of no consequence."
The red eyes darkened in reproach. "It is, Touda. It always was, but now it's even more important for the two of you. Tsuzuki will feel it and he will need you."
"He always had me."
Byakko smiled. "Yeah, he always did." His tail twitched again and he grabbed it, running gentle fingers over the still upset fur.
Tsuzuki moaned softly, drawing their attention to the slender figure, looking so small and vulnerable. Touda's black-clad form, his hidden eyes, his metal-clawed fingers, appeared threatening in comparison, but Byakko knew that the other shikigami would sooner die before he hurt the young man safely in his arms.
Amethyst eyes cracked open, blinked, then blinked again, and finally locked on the one above him. They widened, one hand twitched, and then a tentative smile stretched over the pale lips. Byakko could almost see the healing lines, the way wounds knitted and broken scars closed once more. The darkness inside Tsuzuki, that incredible power, called out and received and answer from the other force so close to him, and they twirled around each other in an intimate dance. Byakko watched in fascination but without the slightest trace of jealousy.
"T… Touda?" Tsuzuki whispered, voice weak and unsure.
Those dangerous but extremely gentle claws caressed the soft skin of his face. "Yes."
Byakko held his breath as the inhuman eyes widened fractionally, as memories came back to their friend, and then Touda suddenly found himself with an armful of sobbing human. He closed his arms around him held him tight, resting his chin on the dark strands of hair that stuck out in every direction.
Byakko met the shielded eyes and smiled calmly, still stroking his tail as if to soothe himself.
"Hurts," Tsuzuki managed and shivered.
"I know," Touda murmured, never faltering in his caress.
"Why?"
"I don't know."
Tsuzuki buried himself in the safety and warmth of the one being who responded to his despair more than any other of his shikigami. Byakko watched the harsh lines around the black serpent smooth out, the indifferent face reflecting the pain the shinigami in his arms radiated. Tsuzuki moaned softly again, twitching a little, and ripples of pain raced through him. His body was adjusting to the newly-found power.
"I could kill him for what he did," Touda rumbled.
Tsuzuki's hands clenched into the black clothes. "No," he breathed. He sniffled a little. "No, Touda. Please, no…"
Never stopping his caress, Touda gazed at him. "He did it deliberately. He wanted to finally trigger you."
"Please…" Tsuzuki repeated.
The serpent sighed softly. There was no way any one of them could deny their master anything. Those eyes had power.
"Okay," he agreed. "I won't rip him apart."
Tsuzuki relaxed a little, smiling, and snuggled into the gentle embrace once more. "You're here," he murmured.
"I'm always here."
Byakko smiled tenderly at the softly voiced answer.
"You're closer now." Tsuzuki swallowed a little. "I can… feel you." He winced once more, but the pain seemed less intense now.
Touda rested the clawed hand on Tsuzuki's head, features neutral.
"It feels… nice. Better. Warm."
Byakko had to grin at the serpent's expression when he was called 'nice and warm'.
Tsuzuki finally raised his head and sat up, slow and almost deliberate. There was a shift in his features and suddenly he reached out, cupping the shikigami's face, his own expression serious, serene.
"Thank you for your acceptance," he whispered.
Byakko sat silently, waiting, holding his breath. Touda placed a hand over the one on his cheek and curled his fingers around it.
"I would accept no other."
Tsuzuki's smile was brilliant, chasing away the lines of pain. It was the smile they all cherished, what drew them so magically to the young man. Byakko felt his own heart lift at the sight and when the amethyst eyes suddenly fell on him, the smile growing even more, he felt himself respond in kind.
As Tsuzuki's first shikigami it usually fell to him to stay close to his so-called master, a man who insisted he was, if at all, their equal, and not even worthy of their loyalty. All his twelve shikigami begged to differ, but getting through that hard head that was filled with so much self-consciousness and guilt, his self-perceived worthlessness, was near-impossible. All twelve of them knew that Tsuzuki was far more than he seemed, but few had ever had a true glimpse of his power. Those who suspected had never told him anything; it was something he had to discover and accept at his own pace.
It looked like someone had helped that development process along.
The one now cradling the unconscious shinigami in his arms belonged to those who had known, and probably the only one who knew just what lurked behind that friendly, cheerful and sometime very childish façade.
"What happened?" Byakko broke the silence.
Eyes hidden by a tinted visor met his and Touda smiled coldly. "He was triggered."
Byakko knew that.
"By Enma himself," the other shikigami added.
"Well, shit," the tiger muttered.
"Apt description."
"Why?"
Touda snorted, attention back on the man in his arms. He was sitting on the ground, back against a large boulder, Tsuzuki cradled in a protective hold. One hand, sheathed in a dangerous, metal glove, tenderly caressed the man he had sworn eternal loyalty to.
"Because he's a bastard," the serpent finally replied.
"I know that," Byakko grumbled, which got him a smirk from the other. "Hey, I've been with Tsuzuki almost from day one and let me tell you, something was going on even back then. He was hiding from himself and the world, but Enma-Daiou knew exactly who he had made a shinigami. He's got plans."
"Of course he does." Touda tenderly finger-combed the longish strands. "Tsuzuki is special in many ways."
"Uh-huh. So… Enma triggered him and he ended up here. Do I need to ask why?"
In a way he knew. Touda's very presence here, as well as his status as a shikigami serving Tsuzuki, spoke volumes. Byakko had only once asked how his friend had found the black serpent, who had, theoretically, been locked away for all eternity inside Tenku, with no one even having a clue where he was. His name had been erased from all lists. Not just deactivated but completely removed.
But Tsuzuki had found him. Somehow, the slender young man who seemed to be such a far cry from a powerful angel of death, had walked into the palace with determined strides and right to the cell where Touda was kept. The very person who could get lost in a heartbeat had gone to a well-hidden place and offered his hand, his very soul, to a dangerous criminal.
To everyone's shocked surprise, Touda had offered the same in return without hesitation. Submitting to the will of the Emperor to be released only if he wore the control devices, the lethal shikigami had joined the ranks of Tsuzuki's allies. He was fiercely and undeniably loyal to Tsuzuki. Even if everyone else was against him, even though he was with his back against the wall, he would never forsake that loyalty.
Tilting his head, Byakko gazed thoughtfully at the pair in front of him.
"You felt him."
"I always do."
"We all do, to a degree," the tiger murmured. "But you… he called to you and you answered. It's what Enma wanted. Darkness calls to darkness."
There was a briefly startled expression in the visored eyes that was clearly visible on the rest of the face. Then Touda growled softly.
"Enma had no right to force the issue."
"You knew it would happen."
A shrug. "I knew it could happen. The moment we met, I realized it. The attraction was immediate."
Byakko nodded, tail twitching a little. "So… it's done now?"
"It's raw, painful and new," Touda answered, in a rare open mood at the moment. "He needs to heal first for it to have the wanted effects."
Feline eyes bore into the visor. "And you?"
"That is of no consequence."
The red eyes darkened in reproach. "It is, Touda. It always was, but now it's even more important for the two of you. Tsuzuki will feel it and he will need you."
"He always had me."
Byakko smiled. "Yeah, he always did." His tail twitched again and he grabbed it, running gentle fingers over the still upset fur.
Tsuzuki moaned softly, drawing their attention to the slender figure, looking so small and vulnerable. Touda's black-clad form, his hidden eyes, his metal-clawed fingers, appeared threatening in comparison, but Byakko knew that the other shikigami would sooner die before he hurt the young man safely in his arms.
Amethyst eyes cracked open, blinked, then blinked again, and finally locked on the one above him. They widened, one hand twitched, and then a tentative smile stretched over the pale lips. Byakko could almost see the healing lines, the way wounds knitted and broken scars closed once more. The darkness inside Tsuzuki, that incredible power, called out and received and answer from the other force so close to him, and they twirled around each other in an intimate dance. Byakko watched in fascination but without the slightest trace of jealousy.
"T… Touda?" Tsuzuki whispered, voice weak and unsure.
Those dangerous but extremely gentle claws caressed the soft skin of his face. "Yes."
Byakko held his breath as the inhuman eyes widened fractionally, as memories came back to their friend, and then Touda suddenly found himself with an armful of sobbing human. He closed his arms around him held him tight, resting his chin on the dark strands of hair that stuck out in every direction.
Byakko met the shielded eyes and smiled calmly, still stroking his tail as if to soothe himself.
"Hurts," Tsuzuki managed and shivered.
"I know," Touda murmured, never faltering in his caress.
"Why?"
"I don't know."
Tsuzuki buried himself in the safety and warmth of the one being who responded to his despair more than any other of his shikigami. Byakko watched the harsh lines around the black serpent smooth out, the indifferent face reflecting the pain the shinigami in his arms radiated. Tsuzuki moaned softly again, twitching a little, and ripples of pain raced through him. His body was adjusting to the newly-found power.
"I could kill him for what he did," Touda rumbled.
Tsuzuki's hands clenched into the black clothes. "No," he breathed. He sniffled a little. "No, Touda. Please, no…"
Never stopping his caress, Touda gazed at him. "He did it deliberately. He wanted to finally trigger you."
"Please…" Tsuzuki repeated.
The serpent sighed softly. There was no way any one of them could deny their master anything. Those eyes had power.
"Okay," he agreed. "I won't rip him apart."
Tsuzuki relaxed a little, smiling, and snuggled into the gentle embrace once more. "You're here," he murmured.
"I'm always here."
Byakko smiled tenderly at the softly voiced answer.
"You're closer now." Tsuzuki swallowed a little. "I can… feel you." He winced once more, but the pain seemed less intense now.
Touda rested the clawed hand on Tsuzuki's head, features neutral.
"It feels… nice. Better. Warm."
Byakko had to grin at the serpent's expression when he was called 'nice and warm'.
Tsuzuki finally raised his head and sat up, slow and almost deliberate. There was a shift in his features and suddenly he reached out, cupping the shikigami's face, his own expression serious, serene.
"Thank you for your acceptance," he whispered.
Byakko sat silently, waiting, holding his breath. Touda placed a hand over the one on his cheek and curled his fingers around it.
"I would accept no other."
Tsuzuki's smile was brilliant, chasing away the lines of pain. It was the smile they all cherished, what drew them so magically to the young man. Byakko felt his own heart lift at the sight and when the amethyst eyes suddenly fell on him, the smile growing even more, he felt himself respond in kind.