(goes down under the enthusiastic reviews for part 1). Wow! Okay, I can take a hint... you hated the Bete Noircliffie ;) Just be glad I was so anxious to start with Phoenix, even if some people will threaten to kill the authors after, most likely, chapter 4... But we easily ressurect ;)

It was like a niggling feeling that hadn't left him alone for two days now. Tsuzuki had spent a week in the world of the living, tracking down a group of souls that had gotten lost, and while it hadn't been a difficult task, it had been time consuming and tiring. Hisoka had been at his side the whole time, a guide, a friend, a partner, and so much more.

They had truly grown into a team, both in body and mind and spirit. Tsuzuki trusted his partner implicitly, had for a very long time, but now that trust was finally sealed. Too much had happened, too much had rattled their foundations, but they had only grown stronger, persevered, had come out changed.

So it was after the second day he had been home that his senses were finally bothering him so much that he took some time off to do something he had rarely done in the past before-- he sought a calm place and sank into what others might call a meditative state. For Tsuzuki it meant tuning out the outside world and following his senses. It didn't so much include employing the powers of his demonic heritage but to follow the magic his shinigami body held.

What he found was surprisingly a familiar aura. A shikigami aura. Not as strong and powerful as he knew it from his countless visits to GensouKai, but it was unmistakable.

"Rikugo?" he murmured, stunned.

What was his shikigami doing here? And why did he come across so weakly? Why hadn't he come to Tsuzuki upon arrival?

Questions spinning in his mind, Tsuzuki followed the echo of the aura, homing in on it with some difficulty.

What he found shocked him deeply.

Tsuzuki looked at the huge, bronze-colored dragon, taking in the red, reptilian eyes, the large wings- folded at his side- the sharp claws digging into the ground, and the pain-filled aura surrounding the mythical being.

"Rikugo," he whispered, aghast, coming closer.

The dragon seemed to wince, drawing back. He was a magnificent being, just like all dragons, and Tsuzuki felt the pride to call him his friend swell again. But it was dampened by his worry as to why Rikugo had chosen this remote area, this unpopulated and wild landscape, as a hiding place.

"Change?" he requested.

Looking up the huge being gave him a crick in the neck.

"Please?" he added.

There was a soft rumble coming from the shikigami, then the dragon form wavered, shimmered, and finally turned into the well-known human appearance of his friend.

Tsuzuki was shocked to look at the man he had always seen as strong, tall, proud and invincible. Now Rikugo looked like the slightest breeze could topple him over. His face was pale, the eyes dull, his expression haggard. He was no longer dressed in his wide, expensive robes but a simple sweater and jeans that only enhanced how thin he had become. Not that he had been very heavy to begin with, despite his size.

And his hair...

The hair was... gone. The long braid had been cut off, leaving him with a barely mid-back length. The hair fell listlessly, looked as dull as his eyes, and was bound back in a loose tail.

"Oh dear Gods... Rikugo..." Tsuzuki whispered, aghast. "Who did this to you!" he demanded.

The onyx eyes evaded him. "No one," was the whisper-soft answer.

"No one...? You... you did this yourself!" Tsuzuki couldn't but stare open-mouthed at his friend. "You cut off your own hair? Why? Rikugo... why!"

He stepped closer to the suffering shikigami and suddenly the taller man's knees gave way. There was a soft gasp and the blond collapsed. Tsuzuki was just fast enough to catch him, going to his knees with the weight in his arms that was no real weight at all. He wrapped his arms around the thin shoulders, heard the sobbed whimper, and just held him close.

"Oh Rikugo..." he murmured, stroking over the formerly so wonderfully long and heavy strands.

Rikugo was a dragon; his power lay in his hair. For him to cut it off... he had taken his own power down, had reduced his aura, his endurance, his abilities in a fight. He was still a Divine Commander, no doubt. Like Touda he belonged to the most powerful and dangerous, but he had... crippled himself. Badly.

"Why?" he repeated softly.

Rikugo seemed to bury himself deeper into the protective embrace, shivering. "For his protection," he answered roughly, voice sounding like sandpaper.

"His? Who?"

"Byakko."

Another tremor and the hands clenched into Tsuzuki's coat.

"He can't take this. He can't be around me. I'm the enemy. I never wanted this, Tsuzuki. I would never do this!" The last was a desperate cry.

Tsuzuki held on, held him tightly, one hand stroking over the curved back.

"I would never hurt him... he was a child..." Rikugo sobbed. "How... how can this thing do that to him! How can it... violate him and use me? I never laid a finger on him, Tsuzuki! Believe me!"

"I believe you," Tsuzuki answered calmly, though he had no idea what was going on.

Tears ran down the pale cheeks and the shinigami was shocked by the complete breakdown. Rikugo was so strong, had always been there, had been his anchor, had been his rock. Rikugo had given him a hiding place, a warm spot to collect himself, to calm his frazzled nerves, but he had never thought what all of this could do to the man who had done so much for them all. Rikugo had never complained, had willingly served, had poured his energy into this.

No one had asked him if he was okay. No one had cared.

No, wrong.

Tsuzuki cared. About each and every single one of his shikigami, but Rikugo had hidden his pain so well.

He pressed a little kiss on the white-blond head.

"I'm so sorry," he murmured. "So sorry... I should have been there. I never considered... I never thought about it..."

Rikugo held him tightly. "Not your fault."

Tsuzuki chuckled weakly. "You're always so strong. Like Sohryu. I never considered what this would do to you." He cupped the pale face, looked into the black eyes, smiling tear-fully. "You're all so strong..."

Rikugo blinked, the pain and the horror quite visible in his eyes.

"We should leave," the shinigami continued. "Go home."

"No!"

He stopped, surprised.

"No, please... I would like to... stay, Tsuzuki. I ask nothing else of you but let me stay here."

"Here? In this place?"

"Meifu."

"You want to remain in Meifu?"

A shaky nod, coupled with a pleading look. "Please..." Rikugo begged.

"I never had any intention to send you to GensouKai. I just wanted to take you to my place. I have a little apartment here..."

The astrologer gave him a watery smile. "Oh. I thought..."

"You can stay as long as you want," Tsuzuki said, caressing the cool skin, repeating the words Rikugo always said when he sought shelter with him.

° ° °

He got him to the small apartment he had in Meifu when he didn't or couldn't return to his place in the world of the living. Rikugo was a dead weight in his arms as he materialized in his bedroom, and he put the slender form down on the bed, never stopping his gentle caress. Rikugo's eyes were closed, his breathing shallow, and he still looked pale.

"Rikugo?" he said softly.

Onyx eyes cracked open and Tsuzuki smiled reassuringly.

"Where...?"

"My home. You can stay here as long as you want and need. Just... relax... sleep."

Rikugo nodded slowly, his whole aura still radiating need, and Tsuzuki stroked over the blond head until his shikigami closed his eyes again, dozing off. Tsuzuki let his fingers trail over the long strands; shorter than before. Cut off. It was like cutting off a limb. Rikugo sighed softly, curling up, and Tsuzuki smiled. He remained until the breathing pattern indicated that he was asleep, then he walked into the kitchen and made some food. He knew he had to call someone to check on the man, and finally Tsuzuki decided to send one of the ofuda birds for Watari. The little magical creature flew away in a hurry and Tsuzuki returned to the bedroom, carrying light food and water.

The moment he entered once more, Rikugo woke. The light sleep had been interrupted once more and Tsuzuki realized how bad off the shikigami had been lately if he couldn't even sleep deeply.

"It's me," Tsuzuki said and sat down on the mattress, immediately touching the other man again, calmly stroking over the cool skin. "It's okay."

Rikugo closed his eyes once more, instinctively burying closer to Tsuzuki as his master caressed him, enveloped him in his aura.

It was how Watari found his soon-to-be patient. Tsuzuki had felt the other shinigami and had lowered the guards around the apartment, letting him in. Watari took one look and his expression changed from curious to worried.

"That's..." he started.

"Rikugo," Tsuzuki nodded. "He came here a few days ago. I didn't sense him; only now. Please... take a look at him...?"

Watari approached carefully, gazed at the curled up form of a normally so self-assured and powerful earth shikigami, and set to work.

"He's drained of energy, Tsuzuki. Dehydrated, malnourished, his system is under a lot of stress, and I doubt he has slept for more than an hour or two lately." Watari pushed back a strand of blond hair. "He's in a bad shape and what he needs is rest."

"I'll make sure he does."

"I know." Watari smiled a little. "But I'm also worried about his psyche. Something happened and it's eating away at him; worse than anything else."

"He said a few things," Tsuzuki murmured. "It's got something to do with what happened in GensouKai."

And maybe he would find out. For now it was enough to know Rikugo was okay, would be okay, and that nothing was seriously wrong with him on a physical level.

You're always there for me, he thought. Let me be there for you now.

tbc...