It was in the early hours of dawn that Sohryu finally called their meeting quits. The recent events, among them Touda's near-death, as well as Tsuzuki's, and the unbalancing of the whole of GensouKai warranted a lot of new protocols. Touda understood how delicate their situation was and while Hell wouldn't start attacking them, GensouKai had enough problems without having the enemy breathe down their necks. Hell had enough to deal with all on its own to bother with a weak realm that might warrant a take-over.
Stretching, looking around the quiet palace yard, Touda yawned a little. Sohryu had given him a whole list of things that needed checking within the next few days, some of them even involving Tsuzuki to a degree, which was why it fell into Touda's area of expertise. He was the only shikigami so intimately connected to their master.
A master who was the pivotal point of five realms, Touda mused. A strong young man with the power of a demon and the soul of a human being who had suffered so much. Almost automatically he checked on him, finding Tsuzuki asleep, in Hisoka's arms. The serpent grinned and pulled back, not to wake him.
Touda walked down the path that led to the main entrance and would be his way home. Suddenly he saw a flash of white and stopped. A frowned crossed his features and the golden eyes narrowed. He could see perfectly well at night and what he had seen had looked like... Byakko?
The serpent scanned the surrounding semi-darkness for another second before he decided to better be safe than sorry and turned on his heels. Should it turn it had only been a trick of the light or he was seeing things he could return home anyway. If not well, that was to be seen. Touda was too paranoid thanks to his experiences that he would simply shrug and walk away. And since he was back to being in Sohryu's service again the dragon would have to put up with being interrupted. Not that his position or lack thereof had ever stopped him from saying what was on his mind. He was probably the only one to do so, aside from Rikugo.
He stepped back into the palace.
Touda heard the noise of shattering glass and splintering wood along with the angry growl of an animal and he started to run.
The sight that greeted him was one he would never have thought he might see. Attacks on the highest of the shikigami in GensouKai was a rare occasion. In the early times of the realm, when there had been feudal fights, it had happened, but in the last millennia, things had smoothed over. None of the lower ranks tried to usurp a higher position. And ever since all twelve were bound to one shinigami, those thoughts had died a quick death. The twelve Divine Commanders were strong; stronger than before. Tsuzuki gave them a strength that was unrivalled.
Fights among themselves were unheard of. There were sparring lessons, but not life or death confrontations. And aside from Rikugo and Sohryu, there were no true rivals, and even the two dragons only sparred on a political level.
So seeing the Protector of the West attacking their leader was something that stunned Touda for a whole second. He couldn't believe his eyes. Byakko was in his tiger form and he had apparently surprised Sohryu, who looked a bit stunned and disheveled.
Sohryu was strong, he was a dragon, he was fierce, but in his human form he was also more vulnerable than in his dragon one. The room was too small for the Protector of the East to act as a dragon, but Byakko fit in nicely.
And the tiger was ready to jump the dazed man.
Touda acted without thinking. Despite his equally huge size he initiated the change and the gigantic black serpent almost blew the walls out of the room. As it was, he managed to crack them, as well as the roof. Byakko roared in anger when he was suddenly caught in muscular coils.
"Byakko! Touda yelled.
His partner and lover hissed and spit and clawed, the sharp talons sinking into the serpent body with ease. Touda snarled, but he didn't let go.
"Byakko, what are you doing!
There was a mad light in those red eyes, but suddenly it seemed to turn colder, more vicious, and the lips pulled away from sharp fangs. Touda all but shuddered when he felt a whiff of... something... demonic...
What!
The tiger's teeth sank into his body and he clenched his jaws, blood running down the length of the black body, each wound painful but not really dangerous, but since Byakko showed no signs of calming, the amount of injuries was taking on an alarming count.
"Byakko, stop!
I don't want to hurt you, Touda thought desperately, trying to wrap more and more of his body around the other, to trap him in his coils, but it was difficult. Byakko was twisting like mad.
One vicious blow stunned him and Touda drew back a little, giving Byakko the moment he needed to free himself. The tiger didn't waste a second and made for the still human figure of Sohryu, who had watched it all with horror and confusion, only now overcoming his initial shock of being attacked from an unsuspicious source.
Touda was fast.
And he had a dragon to protect.
Their leader. His friend. His commander.
And he sank his jaws into the neck of Byakko's fur.
The tiger screamed, but it wasn't pain. It was anger... fury... rage. Touda almost recoiled from the taste that hit him. This wasn't Byakko... It was to a degree, but there was something else, something bitter and harsh and evil and dark...
"Devil! he hissed.
And the devil inside his lover was growing stronger and more restless.
Touda gave the how and why a devil had come here little thought. He knew only one thing: devils and demons had a time limit. It was impossible for them to stay inside a shikigami forever, unless the soul of that shikigami had died. That wasn't the case with Byakko. A soulless shikigami would shrivel up, fall apart, decay. The tiger was strong and healthy, and aside from smelling very much like a spawn of Hell now, he was himself.
So Touda held on to Byakko, whose struggles were growing weaker, trying to keep him from Sohryu. The devil was losing, expending all his strength to free his host from the serpent, and with it weakening himself.
And then it was over. Just like that. There was one loud screech from the writhing tiger, then the whole body seemed to freeze, stiffen, and finally shrank to its human form. Byakko fell to the ground, wreaked by cramps and shivers, and a mewling cry escaped his lips that finally turned into a shriek. A gaseous cloud formed over the young shikigami. It took on shape and size, but not true mass.
Touda saw the form of a devil, twisting, discorporated, unable to hold himself together, and it was howling loudly. Finally it dispersed, unable to exist outside Byakko's body, the form it had possessed.
There was nothing but silence, broken by Touda's harsh gasps and the soft drip-drip-drip of blood falling onto the floor. Inside, Touda felt the pressure from Tsuzuki as his friend tried to pierce through the shields the shikigami had erected to keep the other from suffering with him. The hell serpent changed form almost automatically and staggered over to his lover, who wasn't moving. Eyes closed, face haggard and pale, Byakko looked like...
No!
Hands that were covered in blood touched the pale neck and Touda collapsed to his knees when he felt the pulse, thready but there.
"Touda!
He managed to raise his head, met blue-gray eyes, but no sound left his lips. His body was just now reacting to the horrors, to the pain, to the wounds that were numerous on his body.
Sohryu was at his side, kept him from falling face first onto the ground, and he heard the sound of running feet. There were suddenly numerous servants, loud voices, and Sohryu bellowing his commands. Touda didn't care. His golden eyes were on his lover's form and one hand covered Byakko's, curling weakly around it. The entire battle had only lasted for a few minutes.
What happened? Touda thought faintly. Why did a devil possess you? When? How could he manage to control you, Byakko?
The world was fading and he barely felt the gentle touch of a familiar shikigami. Rikugo was there and he willed him to look at Byakko. Touda knew that with a little rest he cold heal his injuries. But Byakko...
And then there was nothing but darkness.
tbc...