The tiger sat stiffly at the table, listening to Sohryu's report, his statistics, his orders and everything else. Byakko knew how important it was to make sure Tsuzuki was protected as best as possible by the shikigami he commanded, even when they weren't called upon to aide in a battle, but part of him couldn't suppress the panic that was creeping up his spine from the sheer proximity of Rikugo.
The astrologer's usual place was left of Byakko. It had always been. He had never had any trouble with it either.
Until...
Until he had started to remember things that were too horrifying to ever reveal to anyone. He hadn't told Touda or Tsuzuki. He didn't plan on telling them either.
Rikugo was calm, a rock in a turbulent sea as always, arguing with Sohryu over some matters, accepting other decisions without batting an eye. It was the Rikugo they knew, but Byakko remembered him as someone different, too.
So the panic crept on. And grew. Multiplied...
His fingers clenched into fists, his aura was pulled tightly around him as if not to provoke the other shikigami in any way, and he refused to look at him.
Byakko prayed for a quick end of the meeting.
Touda sat in his customary place, listening to Sohryu detail to the others what he and Touda had worked out over the last days and weeks. He knew the dragon's words inside out, so his attention was drawn again and again to the silver-haired God who was his lover.
Byakko was coiled as tightly as a spring, his eyes were fixed on a spot ahead of him, and he was too pale for Touda's liking.
The moment the meeting was over, Byakko rose and hurried out of the room. Touda frowned, about to follow, then caught Rikugo's pained expression. The astrologer looked just as bad as Byakko, maybe even worse, and he was trembling a little. He hurriedly gathered his papers and disappeared.
Touda found Sohryu frowning, then their eyes met.
Yes, something was wrong. He didn't need to hear it to know the truth. Something between Rikugo and Byakko.
Not that his lover would talk to him about it. He was keeping silent about that particular problem, and it was a problem.
What is going on? Touda thought darkly.
° ° °
The council meeting had been the last straw to break the camel's back. In this case, the back had been Rikugo's.
Sitting in the observatory, eyes closed, he pushed the balls of his hands into his eyes, breathing hard. Rikugo had never felt such fear in a shikigami, such loathing and hatred and anger and aggression, than in Byakko. It was all colliding in a volatile mixture.
The meeting had been barely over when the young tiger had literally fled the room, and Rikugo had done the same. He could still feel the panic in the other, as they had sat side by side, listening to Sohryu. In the beginning he had been able to lose himself in his arguments and counterpoints to Sohryu's topics, but when matters had settled and they had changed over to another topic, Rikugo had been hard pressed to ignore Byakko any longer.
He fears me. He loathes me. He truly believes I did this to him! Why?
Had he ever made the child feel unwell? Had Byakko felt threatened? Molested? Had he wanted to run and come back because Rikugo was his elder, a teacher, and something of a guardian?
If yes...
The tall figure shuddered and nausea rose inside him. He wanted nothing more than to forget it all, help Byakko erase those memories, but what if the devil had worked with actual fears? What if this twisted version of the truth stemmed from true feelings?
No... he begged. Please, no... it couldn't be...
What if it is?
It was too much.
Rikugo jumped up and barely made it into the bathroom before he had to throw up.
Shaking, feeling so sick and tired, he sank down the ornate wall.
What if Byakko had always felt like this? What if he had pushed those thoughts and fears aside, to live normally with Rikugo's presence, and the devil had unearthed them?
His arms wrapped around his stomach, cramps hitting him. He wanted to throw up again, but there were only dry heaves.
No... no, no, no... I never... I wouldn't ever... I only felt for a student of mine once in all my life, and that was brief. And he wasn't a child. He was a young man.
Rikugo almost started to hyperventilate.
It was as if the devil had known about it, twisting something personal.
Did I ever give Byakko reason to feel unwell in my presence? Did I ever get too close? Did I... did he feel like this? Was he afraid of me?
Closing his eyes, he stayed in the private bathroom for a long, long time.
Something had to be done. He had a decision to make, and he knew it wouldn't be pleasant.
°
Not far away in the palace, another one was aware of what was going on. Genbu didn't have all the facts. He didn't know the reason behind Byakko's strange behavior, only that it had to do with the possession. Some nightmares that still lingered.
And it had to do with Rikugo.
The old God pursed his lips and stroked over his long beard.
His student was suffering greatly from this, just like Byakko, and he was falling apart.
Something would have to give soon.
Something would break, and he feared it was Rikugo.
° ° °
He was watching from afar. In a private room, away from interference. This was his inner sanctum, a place where no servants dared to come. Ever. It was his refuge, his study, his entertainment chamber, and the window into a world no one knew he had access to.
He watched and he waited, and lately he had found himself cursing softly under his breath.
"Failed, hm?"
The voice was cool, filled with mockery, a little gloating, and he gave it only a cursory attention.
He hadn't failed. His plan just needed to be adapted. There had been too many variables and while some experiments had yielded the expected results, those experiments had also run out of control in some stages.
"It's all going according to plan," he murmured.
A chuckle. "Really? I doubt it. You made mistakes, didn't have all the facts, and you handled it like an amateur."
He turned, looking at the other presence with him, an equally cold smile on his lips.
"Why don't you let a professional handle this?" the other asked. "Isn't that why you keep me around?"
"Professional?" he echoed. "You failed before, my pet."
"No, I merely had setbacks. You never had all the information, despite knowing Tsuzuki so perfectly well. I gave you what you wanted and you couldn't make it work."
"But you could."
Silky laughter was his answer.
The eternally beautiful figure glided closer. "Tell me then."
°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°
And before anyone threatens to kill us... To be continued in Phoenix ;)