AUTHOR: Macx (with Lara Bee)
DISCLAIMER: not mine. Definitely not! I just play with them and hope I tread on no one's toes.
Author's Voice of Warning (aka Author's Note):
English is not my first language; it's German. This is the best I can
do. Any mistakes you find in here, collect them and you might win a prize
g> The spell-checker said everything's okay, but you know how
trustworthy those thingies are.....
ARCHIVE: yes
WARNINGS: Tsuzuki ouchies, Violence
FOCUS: Tsuzuki, Sohryu
RATING: PG-13
FEEDBACK: empty inbox seeks emails g>
The noise in the large throne room like office was deafening. Servants
were checking statements, reports and bellowing orders to their assisstants.
Machines were humming, printers spitting out endless amounts of paper,
and here or there one of the many office workers was muttering about a
computer not working correctly.
In the middle of this chaos and noise sat a tall, slender man, dressed
in multiple layers of richly decorated robes. Long, blue hair, held back
by a golden metal clasp that showed just as many exquisite ornaments as
the robes, fell down his back. Sharp eyes scanned over the latest reports
from all over GensouKai, eyes that could instill fear into his servants
and personal assisstants, but could be warm and loving when turning to
his children.
Sohryu, Protector of the East, water dragon shikigami, and leader of
this world, was an impressive man, and no one to be thwarted.
A fine line of pain appeared on the smooth forehead and Sohryu lowered
the report, fingers massaging his aching head. His shoulders were tense,
his eyes were burning, and sometimes he had to read over a sentence more
than once. He had no idea since when he had been here, in this hubbub,
but it was taking its toll.
He was becoming short-tempered. His assistants were already scurrying
around like frightened mice and it wasn't getting better.
Sohryu closed his eyes and tried to calm himself, but somewhere deep
inside the temper was still building. The noise wasn't helping and neither
was the work load.
There was a presence beside him all of a sudden. He felt it, he touched
it unconsciously, and the shikigami didn't really need to turn around to
identify the visitor.
"What do you want, Tsuzuki?" he asked gruffly.
Not exactly how a shikigami should address his master.
There was a rustle of clothes, the warmth was suddenly very close,
and then something was placed onto his reports. It was a simple white plate
with a piece of cake on it. Chocolate cake, to be precise.
Sohryu's eyes narrowed, then his head whipped around and met the warm,
wide smile of Tsuzuki Asato. He had no idea when the young man had arrived
in GensouKai, but here he was.
In his office.
Bringing him… cake?
"What's the meaning of this?" he demanded.
Sohryu noted that his assistants had fled the area, that he was alone
in his small center of barely controlled chaos in the middle of the office
that was still busy.
Cowards!
"You should take a break," Tsuzuki answered calmly.
"I don't have time for that!"
"Then make time."
So simple. The words were soft but with an underlying edge of steel,
and there was an expression in those amethyst eyes that spoke of the threat
to make it an order.
"Tsuzuki…" he growled menacingly.
"Sohryu, please."
And the words had the same effect as always. Caring, warm, tender,
they touched his heart and soul. They awakened his protective instinct
as a shikigami to his master, even if said master refused to be called
one.
"Just… try the cake. Chocolate does wonders for the soul."
He sighed deeply. There was hardly anything he could deny this special
person. As much as he despised himself for feeling what he felt, it was
a good thing. He belonged to this man and he didn't even mind.
Sohryu looked at the cake, then huffed slightly. He rose abruptly,
startling Tsuzuki a little, grabbed the plate of cake and disappeared into
his back office in a flurry of robes. His assistants didn't even dare to
ask where he was going, they just took over matters with practiced ease.
"Why are you here?" Sohryu asked as he placed the cake onto the table
and turned to tower over the shinigami.
Tsuzuki just smiled and it had the effect to immediately disarm the
dragon without conscious effort.
"I thought I'd drop by, pay a visit… I haven't been here for so long,
I kinda missed you all."
Only you, Tsuzuki, Sohryu thought in wonder. Only you.
Other shinigami only called upon their shikigami in battle; Tsuzuki
came to GensouKai to talk, have fun, and simply be around them. In a rare,
open moment he had once told Sohryu that it was like a balm for his soul.
He felt at peace here, didn't have to meet anyone's expectations because
they knew him as who he was, and he wasn't judged.
Sohryu had listened to the open words with amazement.
I'll never understand you, he had thought back then. There is so much
to you.
Settling down on a chair, he studied the cake, then used the fork to
try a piece.
It tasted wonderful. Smooth, rich, sweet… and part of him truly savored
the dark, creamy taste.
He felt himself relax.
Amethyst eyes were regarding him, smiling, pleased, and full of warmth.
The handsome face was relaxed, free of lines of worry or pain. He liked
that expression and Sohryu found himself smiling a little.
"It's good," he heard himself say.
Tsuzuki beamed now. "Told you."
He chuckled and looked at the other man over the top of the fork that
was holding the next bite of chocolate delight. "So you came here to bring
me chocolate cake."
A nod. "Byakko mentioned how stressed out you were. I thought you might
like it."
Sohryu licked his lips. So Byakko had told Tsuzuki the Protector of
the East appeared stressed out? Why?
"You should take it easy, you know," Tsuzuki added. "You have assistants."
Sohryu's eyes narrowed. "That from someone who likes to slack off from
work. I don't take it as advice."
Tsuzuki's face took on a hurt expression. "I'm not as stressed out
as you, Sohryu."
"Your definition of work differs from mine."
Tsuzuki's face took on a more serious expression and he tilted his
head a little. "I'm not running a disivion or even the whole of GensouKai,"
he said quietly. "But I understand already that taking time off can do
wonders for the soul."
Sohryu found himself lost in those fascinating eyes, like so many times
before. He masked his affection for Tsuzuki, tried to hide it from the
others, but there was no doubt about his feelings.
The dragon rose and looked down into those innocent eyes that could
be so hard and unyielding, completely different from the man who behaved
like such a child at times, who believed in people, who tried not to see
the darkness but was still very much aware of it. Tsuzuki was a rare treasure
and he would guard him.
Water shikigami were protectors. He was a God on top of that.
Slender fingers cupped one cheek and he stroked his thumb over the
pale skin of his shinigami.
"I'll try to be more conscious of my… stress level," he said softly.
"Well, I can still bring you cake, y'know," Tsuzuki replied mischievously.
"Or get one of the others to do it."
Sohryu's lips twitched in a smile. Secretly he prefered Tsuzuki's company,
but he would never say it out loud.
Their partnership had started out on a rough road, one that had nearly
killed Tsuzuki because Sohryu had been blinded by his anger at this man.
He had hated the very thought of a God ever serving one of those annoying
angels of death, and then Byakko had been bound to one. Soon, Suzaku and
Genbu had followed, just like Rikugo, who wasn't a God but a very powerful
shikigami.
Sohryu's memories of those early days were now very painful and shaming.
He had nearly killed this special person, and not even his fellow Gods
had been able to sway him from his intent to show the lowly human that
no one messed around GensouKai, challenging Gods, without having to answer
to him.