Tsuzuki had sworn Touda into silence about what had happened. He would tell Ryu first, then come to GensouKai and deliver the news to Rikugo in person.
Tsuzuki knew that by all rights, he should be with his partner and lover on this beautiful day. The sun was out, the trees were blooming in gentle, pink and white colors, there was a fresh breeze blowing, and it was a weekend. No work, no office, no pending cases, nothing more important than private time.
But here he was, on the roof of the Palace of Candles, gazing out over the widespread landscape around him. There was nothing for miles. Just forest. Somewhere in the distance was the Judicial building with all its bustle of undead life, of eighteen shinigami in the Shokan Division who had all gone home, except for those working their cases over the weekend because they were close to ending them. There were all those assistants, secretaries, typists, archivists, delivery boys and girls, all the employees a normal business had, right down to the kitchen staff. If he didn't know better, Tsuzuki might just believe he was in the world of the living.
Well, Meifu was like a mirror image of it anyway.
Somewhere out there he had his own place, a place he spent time at now and then when he didn't go to the world of the living to enjoy two days among people who were still alive. Or be with Hisoka, his partner, now his lover, the person closer to him than anyone.
Except maybe one.
No one could get as close as Touda with the bond they shared.
On this beautiful day now he was here, on the roof of the Palace, looking at one of the only two beings living here.
Face turned to the sun, black hair ruffled by the wind, the man looked completely relaxed, almost at peace. He had foregone his usually so formal wear, now only dressed in black pants and a white shirt. The top buttons had been undone, the sleeves rolled up.
Tsuzuki studied the face he had come to accept in the last weeks. It was a face he had longed to see for close to seventy years, a face hidden by invisibility, a face that didn't fit his image of who the man behind the mask was.
There was a name going with that face, a name that gave nothing away about the man himself, but it was a better address than the formal title, though even that wasn't really formal any more. It had been the only way to address him, that was it.
Suddenly the man turned his head and the closed eyes cracked open, revealing blood red irises. Non-human but still so much more humane than what they symbolized. Like Tsuzuki's eye color, these showed the demonic heritage, though unlike Tsuzuki who had been born with it, the Count hadn't been. He had absorbed a devil in a vain attempt to free himself from a vicious curse he had brought upon himself. He had become that devil, at least to a degree. He had its power, its eyes, its aura, and whenever he dropped the shields completely, the slightly pointed ears were another addition.
"Shouldn't you be off to enjoy the weekend?" came the soft question, accompanied by a little smile.
Tsuzuki shrugged and sank down beside the Count.
No, wait, he told himself. He's Ryu. The man who was invisible to all was the Count. The man he was looking at, who he had gotten to know in the past weeks, who meant something to one of his shikigami, that was Ryu.
Rikugo was good for Ryu. So much had changed ever since those two had gotten together. Tsuzuki knew about the fears and pains, about the lingering thoughts of the man he was now looking at, that Rikugo would one day tire of having to come here to see him. Ryu was bound to the Palace and Palace grounds. He was a prisoner. This was his punishment.
But Rikugo loved him. Tsuzuki firmly believed there was a solution for this.
"I want to ask you something, Ryu," he finally said.
Red eyes cast him a curious look.
Tsuzuki didn't know why he suddenly felt so at ease with the very man who had sexually harassed him at every possible opportunity, a man who had made advances, who had tried to get him into bed - or hadn't he? How serious had Ryu been?
The question had been spooking around his head lately.
The Count hadn't so much as touched him in an intimate way, let alone said something, ever since... well... a while. Before Rikugo had appeared on the scene. There had been nothing at all. Tsuzuki hadn't really noticed it until the relationship with Rikugo had come up.
"What?" the master of the Palace asked.
"Were you ever serious about what you said to me in the past?"
Raven eyebrows shot up. "Said what?"
Tsuzuki smiled slightly. Ryu was buying time. He had seen a flash of shock cross that handsome face.
And Ryu was devilishly handsome. It was part of the deal he had made so long ago with a creature of Hell. He was handsome, beautiful... perfect.
"When you said I'd have to repay my debts with my body. When you advanced on me, touched me... kissed me."
"I never kissed you," Ryu interrupted him quickly.
"Are you sure?"
There was a little flash again, this time of regret. Tsuzuki was hazarding a guess here because he couldn't clearly recall what had happened when he had been quarantined at the Palace, but he thought he remembered soft lips touching his forehead. A gentle, loving kiss.
"Are you?" Tsuzuki repeated.
The red eyes held an expression of fright, then they turned away.
"I wanted to kiss you," he murmured. "But I didn't. I never did."
Tsuzuki let it slide. "Ryu, were you serious?" he repeated an earlier question-
A soft sigh escaped the demonic entity. "Why do you want to know?"
"I'll answer your question when you answer mine."
Another sigh and a shake of the head. Ryu smirked a little as he glanced at Tsuzuki.
"You've learned. As to your question, yes, at the time I was serious. I would have slept with you. When I say I was desperate it doesn't bring across what I felt, Tsuzuki. You weren't just a quick roll in the hay for me. I wanted you at my side because you were so much like me. I firmly believed that you would understand, that you would..."
He stopped, gazing out over the garden below once more. His hands clenched a little and the blood-red eyes tightened.
"When you came to Meifu, I felt your arrival. It was like a ray of sunshine in my miserable existence. Your smile, your eyes, your very presence... you gave me such hope and warmth. I wanted to have you for myself. I know it's sick to think that way, but..." A shrug. "I am a pervert. Two millennia don't pass by without leaving marks on your soul. In my case, there are holes the size of the Grand Canyon."
"You stopped," Tsuzuki remarked quietly.
"Because I finally understood that you were not meant for me, Tsuzuki Asato. You gave me life, you gave me a reason to continue... not that I can die anyway... but you brought me back from another edge of insanity."
Ryu smiled a little as he looked at him.
"I owe you a lot, my friend. More than you ever owed me. Like I told you before, the debts are paid. There's nothing left."
Tsuzuki studied the ancient being. He had tried to think of the life this man had led here, the loneliness, and it had turned his stomach, had boggled his mind. Two millennia without being able to leave, without more companionship than one servant and the few visitors who came here.
"If you're worried about Rikugo... I don't plan on doing anything to threaten the best thing that happened to me - aside from your arrival. I am faithful, Tsuzuki. I swear I am," was the whispered addition.
"I know that. I never doubted that." Tsuzuki smiled at the quizzical expression. "I never worried about it. Anyway, Rikugo's his own person; it's his private life. His decision, too. And I think you're good for each other."
Ryu's eyes widened a little. Tsuzuki knew it sounded like a blessing and in a way it was. Then a playful smile crossed his lips.
"Was I ever close?" the demon teased.
Tsuzuki tilted his head. "Yes, once."
"Oh?"
"After Kyoto. Here, in this Palace. When I saw Muraki, the illusion of him anyway."
Ryu's eyes sobered, his whole expression did.
"You could have had me back then. I wouldn't have struggled or tried to run. I was too exhausted, I just wanted to rest."
Tsuzuki pulled his knees up, wrapping his arms around them. The memories of that day were still burned in his mind.
"I would have given everything, my body, my soul, to forget. Even for a brief moment." He smile darkly. "I would have slept with you, Ryu. You could have had me... but you didn't take me. You held me, but you didn't..."
There was a sharp hiss and suddenly Ryu was before him, grabbing his twisting hands, red eyes burning into his violet ones.
"Stop that!" At Tsuzuki's flinch he gentled his tone. "Stop it, please! You were vulnerable back then, that I know. I also know I could have done everything and you would have said yes, but never ever believe I would abuse your trust!"
He reached out and caressed one cheek in a tender gesture. Tsuzuki shivered under the touch. Not because of fear or revulsion. It was like back then, after Kyoto, throughout the masquerade. He felt the aura, so familiar, so much related to him.
Demon calling to demon, he thought.
And it wasn't really bad. He didn't fear it. It was soft and gentle and loving.
"There is still that much honor in me left," Ryu whispered intensely.
Tsuzuki met the serious red eyes, then he smiled a little. "There's more, Ryu. You're not as bad as you make yourself... and us believe it."
The demon sat back, chuckling, the hand falling away. "You think you know me?"
"Yes."
Ryu shook his head, amusement in his eyes.
"Enma-Daiou opened my mind to you."
The demonic eyes snapped up, widening, then Ryu rocked back and hissed softly. "NO!"
"He showed me your life, Ryu."
Ryu started to tremble, stumbling away from Tsuzuki, and the shinigami rose. "No, no, no..." he whispered like a mantra. "Nononono..."
"Ryu... please!"
"How could he! He could this bastard do that!" the Count yelled. "He has no right...!"
"No, he didn't. It was his last weapon against my decision to help you. He failed." Tsuzuki felt a dark smile of satisfaction rise on his lips. "He only strengthened me in my resolve to see this through."
"Tsuzuki... what did you do?"
Tsuzuki caught the suddenly shivering man and smiled calmly. "It's okay, Ryu. Everything's okay."
Wide eyes looked at him; wide eyes so filled with disgust and anger and fear, it hurt the younger shinigami.
"I know you and I trust you. I have faith in you and I know you are good for Rikugo. I trust you with myself, with everyone who is in your presence. Because I know that Ryu is not the Count."
Ryu was breathing hard, pale as a sheet, and suddenly he closed his eyes, almost sagging into himself. Tsuzuki stepped forward and wrapped the slender man into an embrace. Taller than him, he was still just as thin and wiry, and he felt the tremors rippling through the body. He caressed a hand over the slender back and smiled as Ryu carefully held on to him.
"Thank ... you..." Ryu managed.
Tsuzuki pressed a little kiss to the temple closest to his lips. "You have nothing to thank me for."
Suddenly the slender form stiffened and Ryu pushed back, red eyes narrowing.
"Enma... showed you my past as a last weapon against what decision!" he demanded.
"I made a bargain for your freedom. Well, temporary freedom."
Tsuzuki hadn't believed that Ryu could pale even more. "W-w-what?" he whispered.
"You can leave the Palace for forty-eight hours in a row. You can go and see Rikugo in GensouKai, or you two can look around Meifu." Tsuzuki smiled widely. "Isn't that great?"
The other man swallowed hard. "But... someone has to be here..."
"Yep. Me."
"What!"
And Tsuzuki told him the details of the arrangement. Ryu looked like he had been run over by a bus. His eyes were wide, his mouth hanging open, and Tsuzuki felt the tell-tale aura flicker.
"No. By the Powers, no! Tsuzuki! How... how could you do this? You idealistic fool!" the master of the Palace finally yelled. "How could you sell yourself to him? It's what he wants! He's playing you!"
"No, he isn't," Tsuzuki replied calmly. "And it's a done deal."
"I'm not going anywhere!"
"Ryu..."
"I'm staying! I can't do that to you, Tsuzuki! I can't leave you here and have fun somewhere else...!"
"Ryu..."
"Rikugo knew what he was getting when we got together! We can live with it. I can live with it. I won't let Enma run his little games with you, too!"
"Ryu!"
The demon stopped, startled, blinking once. Tsuzuki felt the darkness inside him whisper softly, roused by his emotions.
"Ryu, I made that deal because of his little games! I won't allow him to control you! I won't allow him the satisfaction of... of... taking control of you like this again! This is your freedom and I want you to use it!" Tsuzuki almost yelled, his voice raised now. "Even if I have to kick you out of here! By force!"
"But... your cases," Ryu argued weakly.
"We'll make this work," was the promise.
"Tsuzuki..."
"We will make this work!" he repeated firmly.
The dark-haired demon sank onto the roof, visibly shaken. "You're such a fool..."
Tsuzuki crouched down beside him, touching one shoulder. "No, Ryu. I'm sick and tired of the manipulations. I'm fed up with his games. He has you in his hands, but once in a while, for forty-eight hours, you and Rikugo can truly be like all of us."
Ryu screwed his eyes shut, the slender body starting to tremble. "Oh, Gods, Tsuzuki..."
He wrapped his arms around the ancient being, felt the increasing tremors, and to his only moderate shock he heard the first dry sobs.
Two millennia without freedom.
Two millennia...
So damn long. So thrice-damned long!
As Ryu had stated, Rikugo was the best thing that had ever happened to him, and Tsuzuki would see to it that Enma wouldn't destroy this.
° ° °
Rikugo looked at him as if Tsuzuki had lost his mind. Well, maybe he had.
:You have: Touda snarled, still not very happy about the whole deal.
:Touda: he murmured gently. :I told you it'll be okay:
There was an angry huff.
"Tsuzuki..." Rikugo finally said. "Why...?"
"I told you: because I want you two to be happy. I don't want Enma to win this one."
"But... the price..."
"I don't mind spending a day or two at the Palace."
As long as there were no shadowy monsters wearing the face of Muraki...
Touda's presence increased at the thought of the one person who scared... terrified... Tsuzuki more than any devil or demon from Hell. They had seen neither hide nor hair of the doctor ever since he had disappeared, taken away in a flash of white light, but Tsuzuki knew he wasn't dead.
Because Hisoka still carried the curse.
:I'm fine: he whispered and hugged his shikigami briefly.
:Sure you are: was the tender rumble.
"Asato," Rikugo drew his attention back to him, now standing in front of the smaller shinigami.
Those black eyes were filled with awe, with warmth, with love, and so much worry. Tsuzuki smiled at his friend, resting a hand on the robed chest.
"I'm happy for you. I'm happy for Ryu," he said softly.
The astrologer wrapped his arms around his master and pulled him close, resting his chin briefly upon the tousled strands of hair. "Thank you, Asato."
"You're welcome." Tsuzuki briefly reveled in the warm aura of his shikigami, then pushed reluctantly away. "Now... how about you two start making plans?" His eyes twinkled. "Ryu's never seen anything outside the Palace. You've got a lot to catch up to."
Rikugo chuckled and nodded. "Yes, he does. We both have, actually. And I think we'll start with a few beautiful places in Meifu."
Tsuzuki grinned widely. "Great!"
Black eyes regarded him steadily and Rikugo smiled softly. "Yes. I'll never be able to repay you for this, Tsuzuki. Thank you."
Tsuzuki just shrugged, suddenly looking a little bit self-conscious.
Touda rumbled his continued displeasure, but there was nothing he could do. And he had been there, with Tsuzuki, had helped him.
:Everything will be fine: Tsuzuki assured him. :Everything:
tbc...