Part II -- Development

The apartment was small, a one bedroom affair with a pantry kitchen and a tiny excuse for a balcony. The hardwood floor and the brick walls were a plus, though. It was rustic in its look and belonged to several dozens of its kind in an old warehouse district that had been abandoned and later restored as a living area.

Sitting on the slightly beaten looking couch, Terazuma Hajime stared out the window, one of many cigarettes of the day between his lips. The ash bin was overflowing with the butts and he had spent more than enough money on supplying his nicotine habit in the last two weeks. They tasted terrible. Always had, always did, always would, but right now he couldn't care less.

A mug of by now cold coffee stood on the low table next to the couch, untouched. Caffeine didn't help at all. Neither did the smoking, for that matter, but he didn't stop anyway.

Sohryu had lied to him.

Those lines kept running around in his head. Sohryu had lied, had deceived him, had played him.

Terazuma stubbed out his cigarette and stood abruptly, pacing the small confines.

The shikigami had played with his emotions, had used him... and he had fallen for it. He had opened up to a complete stranger -- so not his usual behavior -- had let him touch him in ways no man had ever touched Terazuma before... and he had slept with him.

He screwed his eyes shut, gritting his teeth. It had been good. It had been so incredibly good, and the argument and protest of ‘I'm not gay' was slowly getting weaker. He was a shinigami. To hell what anyone thought of him! To hell with prejudice! He could do whatever he wanted in his private time... even sleep with one of Tsuzuki's shikigami...

Red eyes opened and blearily gazed at the busy world outside.

"Why was I so stupid?" he moaned. "Why me?"

He took another cigarette, lit it, and there was a little whine from the shikigami inside him. He was about to lash out, tell the stupid cat what he thought it could do with its protests, but then he stubbed out the cigarette.

It wasn't the lion's fault. It was his own. He had let his guard down, he had let his need take over, and for a brief time it had been so good to have someone touch him.

An image of Sohryu appeared, a tentative, quizzical message from his shikigami.

"No," he whispered. "That's over."

Another whine, but the Black One curled up, confused.

As was Terazuma. His emotions were so confusing, so strange, and he didn't like it. Sohryu had done something to him, and that was why the lie had hurt even more.

Leaning his head against the wall, Terazuma wished he could just wipe it all away, forget about those days. He couldn't. It had been too good.

So he had to live with the pain.

° ° °

Two weeks had passed since Terazuma's return from his forced vacation. Wakaba had been overjoyed to have her partner back again, but she had also noticed the changes. First of all, and most positive, was that there seemed to be a manner of more self-control. It had shown itself when she had hugged him without really thinking about it -- and he hadn't changed.

So GensouKai had worked its magic somehow, had balanced him, had started to even him out, smooth some ruffled fur. But there was also a new kind of tension and the bristling toward Tsuzuki had taken a turn for the worst. Poor Tsuzuki had no idea what was going on and he was completely clueless as to why Terazuma was even more aggressive toward him than usual.

He seemed to despise him for simply existing. Just entering the shared office was reason for Terazuma to growl and the tension rose. Verbal stabs, snide remarks and derogatory attacks multiplied. It grew worse each day and there was only a brief reprieve when one of them was on a case.

"Why don't you mind your own business, you brainless moron?" Terazuma snapped and glared at his hapless colleague.

Tsuzuki bristled. Two weeks of constant abuse had worn him thin. Very thin. Verbal sparring had taken on an even nastier touch and by now he felt the whole situation was reaching its peak.

"I would, if a certain mutant wasn't so hair bent on being in my way all the time!" he snarled back.

Terazuma bristled in turn, staring at him, baring his teeth. "Who are you calling a mutant, idiot? How about you look into a mirror first and then call other people names? I wonder why Enma took pity on you and made you a shinigami! No one else would have taken you, huh?"

Tsuzuki recoiled, feeling something inside him rise to that remark. Sore spot. Very sore spot.

"At least I wasn't stupid enough to be saddled with a parasite!" he whispered harshly.

"No, you have twelve of them! Did they take pity on you, too? Do you like having twelve personal servants, slave master?"

The darkness rose and Tsuzuki felt no inclination to control it. The hateful words hurt -- a lot. It was the accusation against his shikigami, against him, that he would abuse them, that he had enslaved them.

"We settle this now! Once and for all!"

"Yeah, why don't we! I'll show you who's superior!"

"Hajime!"

The call cut through the air and Wakaba sprinted down the corridor, placing herself between the two combatants.

"Hajime, stop!"

"He started it!"

"You were the one who assaulted me!" Tsuzuki snapped back.

A hand curled around his wrist, pulled him back with force, and he glared at the one who dared to interrupt. Green eyes looked back coldly, a pale face set in a decisive mask.

"Tsuzuki, stop it!"

"Oh, lover-boy comes to rescue you!" Terazuma taunted.

The darkness crackled dangerously.

"Tsuzuki!"

Something inside the furious shinigami rose, but it wasn't the power that was threatening to cut lose. It was like a weight pulling it back down, a cool, firm touch.

:Tsuzuki:

He was pulled back further away from Terazuma, who had Wakaba moving him in the opposite direction. Tsuzuki growled softly, then tore his hand out of Hisoka's grasp, feeling anger and an old pain swirl inside him. Touda held back the innate power that made him so dangerous, counteracting all spikes, calming the waves.

:Tsuzuki?' : the shikigami asked.

:I'm fine:

Ignoring Hisoka, he walked briskly down the corridor until he reached an intersection, then blindly just went down one way. It wasn't until he had reached one of the outmost sections of the judicial building that he stopped and leaned against the wall, inhaling deeply.

"Shit."

:A good summary of the situation: Touda remarked wryly. :What happened?' :

:Terazuma happened! Over the last weeks he's been homing in on me like a cruise missile, always spoiling for a fight. Today... today was the last straw: He sank down the wall and took a few more steadying breaths. :Ever since he came back from GensouKai, something has changed. He's... well, he's even worse than before... Touda? What happened over there?' : he asked softly.

Silence.

:Touda?' :

:Nothing happened:

Okay, that had been too fast. The anger still present, Tsuzuki turned his full attention toward the bond, not holding back what he felt. And it was a lot right now. Terazuma had hit several raw nerves and sore spots. He had hit Tsuzuki where it not only stung but was pure agony.

:Do I have to come over and ask you in person or are you gonna tell me the truth?' :

A sigh answered him. :He found someone over here: he finally said. :They grew close. Intimately close:

Tsuzuki blinked in surprise. He hadn't expected that kind of explanation. :Oh. Well, that's great! Uh... there are only shikigami in GensouKai.:

:Obviously:

:So, Terazuma found a shikigami girl-friend:

Touda hesitated.

:Touda?' :

:Yes:

:Who is it?' :

:Uhm... well...:

:Someone I know?' :

:Yes:

:Ah. So, who's the lucky lady?' : Tsuzuki asked curiously, the anger almost evaporated.

:It's not... a lady:

Silence.

:Ah. Okay. Well, he always had a problem with women touching him. So... a man?' :

:Yes:

:Terazuma... and a man. Well, okay...: Tsuzuki shrugged. :Why the aggression then? Why me? Did they break up?' :

Touda sighed deeply, shifting a little. :Terazuma found out who the man he slept with was:

A frown :He knew he was a shikigami, right? I mean he has to be stupid not to realize that:

:It's not that: was the quiet answer. :He never knew who he was in this realm, Tsuzuki. He didn't know his position:

Tsuzuki frowned more. :Come again?' :

Touda exhaled slowly. :If you had slept with your first male partner and then found out he's not only a high level shikigami, a Divine Commander, but also the leader of the realm you're currently in -- and a colleague's shikigami... well, I guess you'd be pissed as well:

Tsuzuki's jaw hit the floor. For a full minute his mind was torn between a total blank and shock.

tbc...