Terazuma didn't know how deep the relation between Sohryu and Touda went, but from what he had learned in the past it had gone deep.
But somehow he got the impression that there was something else Sohryu was concerned about, something that affected his role as leader of GensouKai.
"When did you last sleep?" he asked his lover, running a gentle hand over the robe-clad back.
Sohryu sighed and briefly leaned into the touch. "I don't know," he replied honestly.
"Maybe you should give it a try?"
A wry smile. "It's not like I find much sleep, Hajime. Whenever I close my eyes I see Touda, burning up with this virus."
"You can't help him by destroying yourself."
Terazuma was just about to reply when the door was opened and a soldier entered. He was a messenger, carrying a scroll.
The soldier bowed deeply and handed Sohryu the script roll. The dragon acknowledged it with a nod and Terazuma watched as his lover unrolled it and started reading. And paled.
"Sohryu?" Terazuma asked, suddenly deeply worried.
There was a lump of foreboding forming in his stomach that only deepened when he saw Sohryu close his eyes briefly, fingers clench around the paper in his hand.
"Sohryu? What happened?"
The dragon looked up and Terazuma swallowed- it was no longer his lover he was facing. This was the Protector of the East, the Azure Dragon.
"You have to pack whatever things you have here. You will leave GensouKai within the hour," he said tonelessly.
"Sohryu?" Terazuma was speechless with shock.
"This isn't to be discussed." Sohryu turned to leave, his back rigid with tension. "I'm sorry, Hajime," he whispered, almost too low for him to hear- and then he was alone.
Terazuma stood thunderstruck.
°
GensouKai was one of five worlds. There were Heaven and Hell, of course, the two opposing sides. There was the world of the living where the souls both realms fought about came from. Then there was Meifu, the home of the angels of death who worked for the Lord of Hades to retrieve lost souls, and it was where they were judged to be sent to their final destination- Heaven or Hell. And then there was GensouKai, the dream world, home of the shikigami, ruled by the Golden Emperor.
All worlds were closed off against each other, except the world of the living, which could be entered easily enough. Demons, angels, shinigami and with them their shikigami could manifest there. All worlds drifted in Limbo, sometimes coming close to each other, but collisions didn't happen. There were Gates into the four that were closed-off, four exactly from Meifu into GensouKai. They were guarded by priestesses and no unauthorized access was allowed or tolerated.
Political relationships connected Heaven, Hell, Meifu and GensouKai and while humans believed there was an eternal fight between Good and Bad, it was more like a political stage where demons and devils tried to bargain for souls with their owners, shinigami fought to rescue lost souls and bring them to Hades to be judged. The Lords of each realm interacted on a regular basis and while their employees, minions, subjects and servants fought each other, the powerful beings battled it out in the world of bureaucracy.
GensouKai, the GensouKai of today, was a virtual world. Decades ago, when the realm had started to become unstable, when humanity had had no more room for them, the shikigami had moved their world into the Net. They had done the only thing they could with the growing instability of their home- go somewhere else and severe all connections, allow only four Gates to remain working.
The choice hadn't been made lightly. It was the growing technology and science that had forced them to step back and back and back until they were with their backs against the wall, and now it had proven to be the only refuge anyone could think of. It had been a hard time and it hadn't helped improve Sohryu's opinion of humanity.
The Emperor's order to move the whole of GensouKai had taken them all by surprise, had shocked the most powerful beings in this world, but they had followed the order. Technology was their enemy, but technology was also their savior. It was so laughable.
The world of dreams, the world of illusions, existed in electronic minds, and while little had changed, it had been too much in Sohryu's opinion. It had taken him too long to accept that this meant their survival and he had changed. Colder, walling himself off from others, hating humans, distrusting the whole lot, he knew he hadn't made the best decisions back then, but he had seen it through.
Someone had pulled him out of this. Someone whose insistent warm presence had been with him ever since the fateful day Sohryu had made the mistake to challenge a shinigami out of the anger that had developed and resided in him because of too many events. He had lost to Tsuzuki Asato, but he had won so much more. And Tsuzuki had worn away his defenses. The 'puny human' he had lost to had proven to be his lifeline and savior in the time to come.
Now the most precious life was fading, together with Touda, and things were culminating.
Sohryu slowly walked toward the throne room, trying to grasp the depths of the orders he had received. Though he was the leader of GensouKai there still was the Emperor above him. True, he seldom interfered with what Sohryu decided was best for GensouKai- but when he did, it usually meant there was something really bad going on. And now, in a situation like the current - Touda ill and probably dying, taking Tsuzuki with him - an order like this... it made his stomach knot and twist.
And not only because it meant he presumably wouldn't see his lover again.
Because the Emperor had ordered all shinigami to leave GensouKai immediately, had ordered Sohryu to close down all four Gates and lock them. This action would result in the only connection the endangered GensouKai had to any of the other worlds to be severed. They would become adrift again- and there was no telling what would happen then.
° ° °
The result of Sohryu's order couldn't be missed. Not only Terazuma had been told to leave, but every other shinigami as well. There was confusion spreading in Meifu, but requests to talk to the representative of the Golden Emperor were turned down.
"What is going on?" Tatsumi murmured, standing in his office, staring out of the window. "What the hell is going on?"
Had it already come this far?
GensouKai had closed down. There was no getting in. Wakaba had tried opening a Gate, but she was denied, as were all other priests. She was unable to contact the Tengu, which had never happened before. All key strokes to get into the virtual world were returned as 'unknown command' and Wakaba was close to crying.
Shinigami demanded to know what was going on and Tatsumi expected Enma-Daiou to finally reveal what was happening to the other divisions. But no explanations came. Only a select few knew the truth and they had been told not to talk about it.
Things were getting worse.
There was a knock on the door and Watari's blond head appeared in the crack.
"I got it!"
Tatsumi blinked. "You have an anti-virus?"
"Yep!"
"Will it work?"
A grimace. "I couldn't go and try it on another shikigami, Seii. We have only one patient," Watari scolded him.
"Point taken. But we have a problem."
"I heard. Sohryu closed down GensouKai."
"Yes. We can't go there to get the anti-virus to Touda."
Watari smiled slyly. "We can't, but I know someone who can. Terazuma Hajime."
Tatsumi was thunderstruck. "Terazuma?"
"Sure! He doesn't use a regular Gate and Sohryu can't control it. His Key will open a wormhole into GensouKai." Watari's smile dimmed a little. "The problem is we don't know how far Sohryu has removed the realm already by severing all connections. It might be either too late to jump there, or Terazuma might not get back."
Tatsumi sank back in his chair, exhaling sharply. "Damn..." He rubbed his forehead.
"But he's our only chance, Seii. Our truly only one. We have to ask him."
"I know."
And he made the call.
° ° °
Terazuma listened to Watari's explanations, to his only solution and he realized the dangers.
"I sent a probe across," the blond explained. "GensouKai is still within your reach. The Black One can easily compensate for the growing distance, but... I can't insure you can return."
"It might be one way, hm?" Terazuma muttered.
"Yes," Tatsumi said calmly. "Most likely you will be stuck in GensouKai. If the anti-virus doesn't work, the realm will be lost to us, with everyone inside."
"I understand."
He did. And he knew he was their only chance. It was a strange feeling, but sitting here, in Meifu, separated from his lover and aware that he might never see him again, this choice was the better. At least he could spend his life time with Sohryu, should GensouKai survive the separation. If not, he would perish with him. It was preferable to becoming... a widower.
The thought made him smile darkly.
But he also did it for Tsuzuki, who lay comatose in the medical wing. There had been no chance in his condition to the better. Like Touda he was dying.
Terazuma turned to Watari.
"Give me the anti-virus. I'll do it."
The scientist's expression was solemn as he reached into his coat pocket and pulled out a silver disc. He handed it over to Terazuma.
"Good luck," he said softly.
tbc...