At Sohryu's wave Rikugo came forward again.

Byakko tensed. He felt Tsuzuki's aura coil, the darkness grow, while the man himself looked close to an emotional breakdown.

Rikugo lifted his hands and – Byakko's eyes widened – took off the visor with two soft clicks.

Touda blinked into the bright light of the courtroom, looking all confused and lost, searching for Byakko for an explanation the tiger didn't have. Then his eyes fell on Tsuzuki, who could only gape.

"You have repaid your debts to the society of GensouKai," Sohryu said softly, "and are hereby fully rehabilitated. You are given back your rank and name – which by the way means you are back under my command – and released as a free man, Divine Commander Touda. This hearing is closed. Dismissed."

Touda stood rooted to the spot. Adrenaline coursed through him, called by fear and desperation, the sheer tension of what was about to happen to him. He felt the air touch his face, could see without restriction, and he felt his power. All of it. He had always felt it, but only like behind a wall he would never be able to breach.

He was… whole.

Confused eyes sought out his master, felt the same confusion resonating inside the bond. Violet met golden.

Touda… Oh Gods!

And then he had Tsuzuki wrapping his arms around him, crying with happiness.

He didn't understand.

He was… free?

His arms held the bubbling shinigami almost automatically, unprotected eyes roaming through the hearing room. He saw his lover sitting on the bench, frozen, just as stunned, mouth open.

He was free.

Yes! Tsuzuki cried through the bond, almost sobbing.

Free.

He didn't understand. He didn't… Why?

And then Byakko stood before him and Tsuzuki let go, letting the tiger hug him. He felt the warmth of his lover, felt the tears, heard the sobs of joy.

"You're free!" the wind shikigami whimpered happily. "Free!"

He was free.

It settled. A little.

Free.

Red eyes filled his view and then a mouth crushed his as arms wrapped around his neck, holding him. Touda answered the kiss, feeling his own emotions starting to rise.

"You're free!" Byakko whispered breathlessly when they separated.

His arms were still around his neck, holding him close.

"Free, free, free! You can move here! You can have your own place! I mean, only if you want to. There's room for you at my home. You can have your own room, or we can knock down a wall and enlarge the bedroom. Or you can build yourself a home close by."

Touda felt something bubble up inside of him at the endless torrents of happy babbling. Red eyes glowed with undisguised joy and Byakko was vibrating with unreleased tension that tried to find an outlet.

"We can keep the cabin as a getaway, you know. Like a holiday place. We can spend a weekend there…"

Touda couldn't stop the bubble of laughter escaping him. Adrenaline had a strange way of interacting with emotions that he had long since believed dead.

He laughed.

For the first time since Keijin's death he felt like it. Truly and utterly joyful. And then his mouth closed over Byakko's, sealing the mile-a-minute tongue.
Byakko gave a moan of approval.

###

Sohryu had been the last to leave the hearing, stopping at the door as he felt Tsuzuki come up to him. The shinigami's eyes were glinting suspiciously. Hands stuff into the pockets of his pants he looked up into the blue ones of the dragon.

"Sneaky bastard," he said amiably.

Sohryu inclined his head, accepting the chastising name. "I apologize for putting you through this, Tsuzuki."

Tsuzuki huffed a little. "You have a flair for the dramatic, don't you?"

"I did what had to be done."

He glanced back into the room where Byakko was holding Touda, the two men as close together as they could physically be. He saw and felt Byakko's happiness, the glow around the wind shikigami strengthening by the minute. He saw the tender expression in Touda's face, the love… and he witnessed the first peels of deep, true laughter that was followed by a kiss.

Byakko melted into the kiss, his tail wrapped around the two men in a clear sign.

Tsuzuki elbowed him a little and nodded toward the exit.

"Let's go," the shinigami said quietly.

Sohryu smiled, a smile tinged with sadness. He remembered his son, Keijin's smile, his warmth, his affection, the way he had always looked at Touda. He hadn't been the bundle of energy that was Byakko, nor had he been as powerful, but he had one thing in common – Touda's love. His devotion, his adoration and his protection.

I was a fool not to see it. A narrow-sighted fool.

The dragon followed Tsuzuki, the doors closing after them, giving the two men some privacy. Outside, Tsuzuki inhaled deeply, face turned toward the sun, eyes closed. When he looked at Sohryu he held an expression of utter peace.

##########################

Suzaku hadn't approached Tsuzuki ever since the day the shinigami had told her in no uncertain terms that he had disapproved of her actions against Touda. Since then she had tried not to be in his way, had respectfully kept her distance, and except for the hearing she hadn't seen him. Even then he hadn't really looked at her.

That Sohryu had reevaluated the pardon, had actually cleared Touda of his crimes, had been as surprising and shocking to her as to everyone, but like the others she had looked at the evidence and seen the mistakes they had made in the past. She herself had been part of the jury condemning the fire serpent. It had been her first verdict, her first action as the new Protector of the South that time, and she had never looked back.

Because it hurt to look back.

And it hurt to think of her rash attack, of how she had injured the other shikigami who hadn't defended himself at all.

Touda had never defended himself.

It had been their game. A simple, daily game, a routine. She would attack him, spar with him verbally or physically, and then leave him again. Suzaku knew that Touda was physically stronger than her, and he was fast, but he had no power to back up his moves, and he had never been the aggressor.

That had been her. Every single time.

She would swing at him with her sword, he would move out of the way, she would curse him, he would not reply, and that was it.

A routine. A healthy routine to work off her emotions, her aggression.

The last time she had nearly killed him. She hadn't stopped to think about her actions; she had done what had been their interaction for decades now.

Suzaku twisted her hands in anger at herself and apprehension of what she needed to do. She had nearly killed the shikigami bonded to their master, the one soul that could upset Tsuzuki more than anything, that might be the trigger to an avalanche no one wanted to kick lose.

Steps alerted her to someone approaching and when she sensed the familiar aura she rose to her feet. The powerful phoenix, the Protector of the South, felt like a little girl as she waited for the one she needed to talk to.

Tsuzuki stopped when he saw her, surprise on his features, and Suzaku wanted to cry as she discovered the sad, violet eyes. The shinigami who had always looked upon her so lovingly now radiated as much apprehension as she felt.

"Tsuzuki," she began, just in time remembering not to address him as 'master'. "I… please don't hate me!" she blurted.

Those wonderful eyes widened and he was with her in a flash. "Suzaku, no!" Tsuzuki cried. "I don't hate you!"

"I didn't want to hurt him! I never wanted to cause him harm! I wasn't there long enough to see the injury and I had thought he would move, like he always did. I just wanted to… I mean, he had hurt you so badly with the dream, and I was angry and furious and so… disappointed… and so I did… I…"

Tears gathered in her eyes and she hugged herself. The proud Commander, the fierce warrior, was nothing but a small child now. She loved Tsuzuki dearly. Not like a mother, not like a lover, but like a big sister. She protected him because it was her oath as a shikigami who had lost her challenge, but the oath had long since been replaced by unconditional love. Tsuzuki had not just won her strength, he had won her heart and soul with his innocence and warmth.

Arms encased her, embraced her, held her against a warm, solid form. Soft lips kissed her head, then Tsuzuki rested his cheek against hers.

"I don't hate you, Suzaku," he whispered.

She hesitantly wrapped her arms around the slender body, feeling more sobs rise.

"I was afraid when I saw the blood. I was scared so badly, I said things to a lot of people I shouldn't have. I was also confused about myself, my feelings for Hisoka, and about your love for me. You all love me and it honors and scares me."

"I would never hurt you," Suzaku whispered.

"I know that, Suzaku." He gently forced her to look into his eyes and she blinked away her tears. "I know it. I love you, too, Suzaku. All of you. No exception. I forgive you if you forgive me for treating you so badly."

She gave a sobbing laugh. "It was your right as my master, Tsuzuki."

He shook his head. "I had no right at all." He ran a gentle caress over her cheek and she leaned into the touch. "I want to close this chapter, Suzaku. It happened and we learned from it."

She nodded. "Thank you."

She brushed her lips over his in a loving caress. Tsuzuki smiled a little and finally they separated. Suzaku felt much better than before, though she knew there was one last thing she had to do, and that was to apologize to the one being she had nearly killed.

For now the phoenix accompanied her friend and master as he strolled through the gardens, safe in her knowledge that she was still accepted by Tsuzuki, that he still loved her.