Touda stroked over the soft striped fur of his lover's tail almost involuntarily. Byakko had curled up at his side, using his stomach as a pillow for his head and was dozing lightly. The serpent regarded the young man thoughtfully, noting the faint lines that had appeared around his lover's eyes lately and sighed inwardly. The past few months hadn't been easy on either of them, first him fighting against a deadly virus, then learning about their master's role in the balance of the five realms, then Byakko and Rikugo and the devil, and then ... then the truth about their Emperor's death and Enma-Daiou's plans for Tsuzuki which had almost succeeded. The darkness within their master had been freed and within a hair's breadth he had lost himself in it. Touda still shuddered when thinking about the fight it had needed to pull Tsuzuki back into sanity, away from the abyss that had threatened to swallow up everything that was good and gentle in the shinigami. He hadn't talked to Byakko about it, but it had been the first time for the hell serpent to try touch the darkness, dive into it. It had been even more terrifying than jumping into the nothingness of Limbo. But it was over now, everything was back in order and life could go on.
Ri-ight.
Who was he kidding?
It had taken its toll on every one of them, had even ended rather well for the most of them. Rikugo finally finding peace and love, even if his lover was a sentenced criminal and demon – Touda grinned humorlessly – Sohryu having a partner to support him with the truth of his father's death, Muraki finally been put to peace and Tsuzuki ... well, Tsuzuki had a lot to deal with, knowing that he would be the next Lord of Hades the moment Enma-Daiou would ascend. And Byakko ... Touda caressed the soft fur again, smiling when the tail twitched in his hands. Byakko had matured. The tiger had been a lot less bouncy lately, a lot less enthusiastic.
He missed his cat.
The runaway mouth, the eager bounce and the mischievous sparkle, the way Byakko would glomp him every now and then when he would come home and had news to tell or when he simply wanted to get laid or cuddled. Touda had learned what a sensuous creature the tiger was and he had learned to pay attention to that fact – he could caress his lover for hours, listening to the soft rumbling purrs, watching Byakko stretch lazily under his hands or writhe with pleasure and breathe his name. None of that had happened as of late, and he dearly missed it. Damn, he had gone without that for centuries, why miss it after a few weeks?
Because he loved.
Loved his little tiger.
Byakko's breathing pattern changed against his stomach and he felt the tiger's body start to vibrate with a very deep, almost inaudible purr. Red eyes cracked open, gazing at him sleepily as Byakko woke slowly.
"Hi," Touda muttered, feeling the tail twitch in his hands some more.
"Hi, too," Byakko answered and stretched, the purr increasing.
"You haven't done that for some time," he murmured, making no attempt to rise from his position on Touda's stomach.
"There wasn't exactly the time and occasion for it," Touda replied, his fingers leisurely wandering up the tiger's tail to the backbone, noting with satisfaction how the red eyes slid shut halfway and the breathing hitched as he rubbed the spot right above the quivering tail. It was quite a hot spot for his feline lover, and Byakko reacted immediately, pressing his back against his hand and moaning softly, purr increasing in both speed and tone.
"Roll onto your stomach," Touda suggested, "I'll give you a backrub."
The weight on his stomach vanished a split second later as the tiger stretched out at his side, tail twitching expectantly. Touda's hands glided over the strong backside in long steady strokes, hearing Byakko hum in appreciation. He had missed touching his lover like this, Touda admitted to himself as he brushed the long white strands of hair aside and placed a soft kiss on Byakko's neck. The tiger sucked in his breath and he stopped for a second, but the purr didn't falter. Continuing his task slowly, Touda mapped the beloved body, adding a few nips and kisses into the mix, watching as Byakko melted into the mattress, moaning softly every now and then.
They hadn't been together in months and even if Touda had no idea what had happened to his lover during the time of his possession he knew it had been more than just bad, influencing many people. Rikugo's short hair was a living reminder, and Touda was still reeling with the shock of the Earth dragon mutilating himself. For Byakko, because the powerful aura had sent the tiger into the next best corner, whimpering in fear. Touda remembered vividly. It had cut into his heart that he had to witness, unable to help, to do anything but be there, should Byakko need him.
And there had been more than one night the tiger had snuggled up to him to sleep, twitching and moaning with nightmares every other night. Touda had just pulled him close, whispering reassuring words into his ears until the body had stopped trembling and Byakko settled down again without even waking. It had been some time, but the nightmares had vanished, their sleep undisturbed lately. Life was back to normal once again.
Uhn-hn. Think again.
"Touda..."
Byakko's moan pulled him back to the task at hand, and he concentrated on his beautiful lover again. The tiger was trembling under his hands, his fingers clenching and unclenching in the sheets like a big cat. Touda leaned forward and placed little nips and kisses onto the enticing neck, feeling Byakko pant into the pillow, his body pressed back into Touda's but held down by the weight of the serpent, the long tail trembling with excitement.
"Touda ... " he pleaded, and Touda felt himself respond rather forcefully to his lover's proximity and arousal.
Reaching around Byakko's slim waist – had the tiger lost weight during the past weeks? – he unfastened the loose silk pants, brushing with his fingertips over the hardness he found there, smiling as Byakko's hips and tail twitched as he slowly pulled it down.
Byakko rolled onto his back and carded his fingers through his hair, pulling him on top of him and crushing their lips together as he pressed his naked body against Touda's.
"Touda," he whispered between kisses, "want you."
"Byakko, you're not yet ... "
"Now, Touda. Now! Need you..."
Touda had never been able to deny his little tiger anything. But not without giving him the proper attention he deserved, loving the taste of the smooth skin, every moan and squirm, and the little breathless cry when he finally slid into his lover's body. Seeing Byakko lost in the throws of his passion again was even worth the burning scratches on his back when the tiger threw his head back with a hoarse cry and dug his fingers into his back with the force of his completion.
°
Byakko in his arms and still reveling in the afterglow of their first encounter after a long time Touda felt as if the world was finally in order again. Byakko purred and shifted in his embrace, demanding a lazy kiss before he snuggled against his shoulder again.
"Touda?"
"Hm?
"Touda... I... I really needed that."
"You could've just asked."
Byakko slapped his arm playfully. "No, I couldn't. I... I want to apologize and thank you."
"What for"
"For your patience. You never asked ... I wouldn't have known what to tell you if you had."
"And now you do?"
"Yes. I can talk about it now."
"Does it have anything to do with ... Rikugo cutting his hair"
There was a little hesitation and then he felt Byakko nod.
"Yes. A lot."
And the tiger talked.
°
Touda closed his arms around the slender form of his lover, placing a gentle kiss on the white head when Byakko snuggled closer, silently thanking every deity there was that the devil had already perished. He would have loved to tear the damn thing apart – literally.
"Why are you telling me now?"
Byakko inhaled. "I am able to finally. The vivid memories are fading, I only remember it like one would remember a bad dream – it's not much more than a dark feeling and a glimpse of something every now and then. I don't know if I'll completely forget in time or if this is the best it will get, but I can handle it now. Rikugo has Seen it, too. He won't ever forget. And I want you to know. You are my lover, you have a right."
"You have dealt with it all alone?" Touda asked quietly, fighting down the feeling of outrage at the thought of someone violating his beautiful lover... again. And Rikugo of all people... no, not Rikugo. The astrologer had nothing to do with it, he was a victim himself, a tool for a devil to... rape Byakko. And the tiger had been alone, suffering through it alone... just like... like... his mind clamped down on the very thought before it could be voiced. Byakko... he ran a hand over his lover's back in long soothing strokes, relieved to feel the rumble of a soft purr.
"I wasn't alone, not really. I could have asked for help any time, but I just couldn't, you know? Tsuzuki was there for me. And you."
"I didn't do anything," Again.
"No, that's not true. You were there, just like you always were. You didn't watch me, waiting for any sign of breakdown or something, and you let me do what I needed to do, even when I wanted to be alone. I didn't talk to you earlier because I had to deal with it on my own first. I love you, Touda."
Soft lips claimed his and Touda responded gently, though his mind was whirling. Byakko... alone, in the clutches of a devil, and he hadn't been able to call for him... Touda closed his eyes and breathed in and out deeply, forcefully closing down the lid on the deep void where his dark emotions were already starting to boil.
° ° °
In a realm that was neither Heaven nor Hell, two beings met over a cup of tea. Asteroth smiled at his celestial counterpart and the Lord of Heaven inclined his head in a greeting.
"How's it going?" Asteroth asked amiably.
"The same way it is with you," was the level answer. "Though I doubt something like this can shock you."
"Oh, I don't know. It surprised me, at least. Enma played us for centuries and he played us well. Lived a double life, too." He lounged in his chair. "Now we got the mess and have to make something of it."
"As it is, there is only one way to deal with this."
The Lord of Heaven frowned minutely as he sipped at his cup. "You know you cannot kill Enma-Daiou. That is not the way of things."
"No? Too bad. Then again, if we get rid of the current Enma, we'll get a new one... and we both know who that will be."
There was a fine smile. "You're quite impressed with him."
"You can say that again. Technically, he's also my second-in-command, but that's something we keep overlooking in Hell."
"Good for you."
"I think it's good for all of us."
"The energy of the Golden Emperor is still there," the Lord of Heaven announced. "It needs a new host, a new Lord of GensouKai, and it can only be one of that realm. A shikigami."
Asteroth tapped a finger against his chin. "Yes, a shikigami. So we keep our scheming Enma-Daiou, but we need a new Golden Emperor."
"For the realms to survive, yes. We need a successor."
The Lord of Heaven placed the cup onto the table, serious eyes looking at the Lord of Hell.
"They know it already. And they will choose one of their own. As for Enma-Daiou, we will keep a very close eye on him."
"How?"
A smile formed on the celestial lips. "I have an idea..."
tbc...