One of the rare Author Notes :)

All righty... Sohryu and his kids. Keijin is Lara's and my creation. He's not canon. Tenkou and Kijin are canon and weren't really born in the sense of the word. The Emperor gave Sohryu part of his power to fight in the war against Kurikara, but the energy was too much for Sohryu to handle. Part of it depleted into the air and became Kijin; another depleted into the sea and created Tenkou. So actually, they are little copies of Sohryu, born without a mother, and not as young as they look, though Tenkou mostly behaves like a little kid. They have a connection to their father. Kijin coudl feel Sohryu's anger when he attacked Hisoka in the manga.

Yes, you noticed correctly, Tsuzuki only has 11 shikigami left. He actually never did want all the 12 but ended up with them anyhow. In our fanon story it was necessary for him to have them all because only that way GensouKai could be saved. I'm not sure how the author of the manga had planned it all.For us, this worked perfectly. And yes, there's now a void. The twelve are the most powerful, protecting GensouKai, and the fourProtectors each have a quarter of the realm to watch over. A new 12th must be found to keep the balance.

The Genbu thingy. Yes, Byakko got his name from his father, as did Sohryu. We think Suzaku was born to a Suzaku, too. We also believe it's not necessary for a powerful shikigami, or a Protector, to have an heir they gave birth to. In our universe Touda was born to low level shikigami and developed into the shikigami he is today. Unlike the Emperor's powers, a Protector's powers don't just transfer into an heir. Someone gets born as the successor, having the necessary power level and abilities that qualify him as a Genbu. Until then, Rikugo is the stand-in. It has to be an Earth shikigami, too, which brings us to Tenkou and Kijin. Tenkou is water and a possible heir, if she wants to, toSohryu's place. She could become a Sohryu. Sohryu means 'blue dragon', so it's more of a title, really. Our Sohryu was born as a very powerful dragon, a water shikigami, and was named Sohryu because it was clear he would follow his father. Kijin is air and could succeed Byakko.

Oh, very compliacted :) I hope I haven't bored you. I won't go any deeper into this. I might drone on and on and you fall into a coma :P

For now we have Rikugo and an empty space (Hah! Hint at titel...!) that needs to be filled. Other voids are being filled in the next few chapters... And you can still keep guessing as to what will happen to Enma-Daiou :)

It was both a good-bye party and the festivities of Genbu's ascension. All of GensouKai central was celebrating the rise of the Protector of the North to the position of Golden Emperor, and Genbu's palace had been scrubbed to almost glow with an inner light. The shikigami in question looked his usual self.

Small, bald, his beard long enough to step on, sharp eyes hidden under bushy eyebrows. He had just about managed to ward off his servants and stop them from dressing him in splendorous robes that would make him look like a peacock.

The buffet table was endless, food never ceasing, and servants walked among the many shikigami present. There were also other guests, most of them shinigami.
One of them was Tsuzuki Asato. He had exchanged his black suit for a more traditional GensouKai outfit, though he had stayed true to the black color. Hisoka had grudgingly done the same, though he had refused to wear anything with bright colors. There were also Watari and Tatsumi, who was now the official new head of the Shokan Division, as well as Terazuma with his work partner Wakaba. She was chatting with her Tengu friends in one corner while Terazuma was holding on to a glass of alcoholic beverage, visibly unwell among the party participants.

Tsuzuki walked over to him, smiling. Red eyes narrowed in suspicion, though Terazuma's body language was relaxed.

"How's the Black One?"

"Just as itchy as me to get out of here. This is too much," Hajime growled unhappily.

"How about a walk outside?"

Terazuma hesitated for a moment, then just nodded. He left the glass on an empty tray that a servant quickly carried away. Both men left he huge banquet hall and stepped into the relative silence outside.

Hajime inhaled deeply, closing his eyes briefly.

"Feels good," Tsuzuki agreed.

"I hate crowds." Terazuma pulled out a cigarette, put it between his lips, then tore it out again. He threw the poisonous vice away with a growl. "Hate it."

"Me, too," was Tsuzuki's reply. He was glad that his friend had found a way to accept the lion back and that they were merged again. "It's a little much."

"A little? Try a lot!"

"Yeah." Tsuzuki pushed himself up onto a stone banister and looked out over the garden before them. "Everything is changing."

Terazuma copied his move and pushed one leg under the other. "Well, not everything. You're still around," he answered gruffly.

"Had your hopes set high?" he teased.

"Kinda. But I'm glad you're okay," Terazuma answered and smiled at him.

Tsuzuki nodded. "But we all changed. Nothing is as it was."

"It's good. We finally know why and because of whom. I'm just... angry. There were no consequences for Enma and we still work for him. What stops him from trying once more?"

"Our knowledge. We were unaware of his manipulations, now we know."

"And you know."

Tsuzuki chewed on his lower lip. "Well, some changes I could live without."

"You're about as different as me," Terazuma declared. "We're all freaks, Tsuzuki."

"I'm the freak who has a power inside of me that makes me next in line for Enma-Daiou's title."

"You wanna tell me I have to suck up to you now? Forget it."

Tsuzuki chuckled. "No."

Terazuma glared a little at him. "You might have the power, but you're not Enma. And even if one day, far in the future, you will succeed him, you won't be the same."

"It comes with the job."

"You're not like him," Terazuma insisted.

Violet eyes met red ones and finally Tsuzuki smiled a little. "Thank you."

Terazuma snorted dismissively.

They sat quietly together, listening to the voices drifting toward them from the inside, and Tsuzuki's face took on a faraway expression. Terazuma just glanced at him, but he didn't comment, just stayed with his friend until Tsuzuki finally hopped off the banister.

"I'm hungry," the shinigami declared. "I think I'll try some of that home-made pie."

Terazuma chuckled. "You're impossible."

But he followed him inside.

° ° °

The party drew on, everyone was having fun, but Tsuzuki was growing more and more depressed. He knew that at the end of this day, Genbu would be gone. The bond was already gone. He could no longer feel the gentle waves of his oldest shikigami. And he could feel them all, their presence, their connection to him, though none as close as Touda.

:Asato: the serpent murmured and he leaned into the touch. :Cheer up. It's not a funeral:

:Sorry: he replied, fighting down his emotions. :It's just... after so long... it feels like it. I hate losing any of you:

:He won't be gone, only ascended:

Violet eyes met golden ones and Touda walked over to him, leaving Byakko to chat amiably with someone. Tsuzuki smiled bravely.

"I just need a little time," he said when Touda was at his side.

The hell serpent held out a chocolate treat for him, but Tsuzuki declined. He hadn't really eaten much, his stomach constricting each time he thought about the reason for this party.

Touda frowned a little. "You turning down free food... it's serious, hm?"

Another watery smile and suddenly he found himself in a tight hug. :He hasn't died: Touda whispered ferociously. :He will be with us, as our Emperor, and I, for my part, can't think of a better one:

:I know:

"Oh, such a long face."

Tsuzuki flinched at the voice and looked guilty at Genbu, who was smiling up at him. "Sorry," he murmured again.

Touda released him, moving back to give the two men private time.

Genbu shook his head. "Don't be. Emotions were always your strong point, my friend."

Tsuzuki blinked and stared into the face of his eldest shikigami. Genbu smiled, gently patting his leg.

"I don't want you to go," Tsuzuki whispered. "I don't want to lose you."

"You won't."

"I don't want to be that important, Genbu. I never wanted to be special, I can't be..."

He almost choked on the tears that welled up in his eyes.

"But you are. You have always been. Look around you, Asato. Look closely."

Tsuzuki blinked the blur away and did what Genbu had said. There was Touda, a dark stoic presence in the background, his meanwhile long raven black hair ruffled by a gentle breeze, one hand lying on the shoulder of his white-haired companion, who leaned back into his touch automatically.

Byakko had matured profoundly during the last two years, had experienced a lot of ugly things, but there was still the bounciness, the openness in his bright smile and the mischievous sparkle in those huge red eyes that Tsuzuki had missed for some time was back. The tiger smiled at him warmly, reaching to his shoulder and placing his hand over the one of his lover.

There was Terazuma, staring at him as gruffly as ever until he smirked – which turned into an open loving smile as his red eyes strayed to the man standing at his side, wiping away the grumpiness and leaving only a young man in love. Sohryu, leader of all GensouKai, in his impressive official attire answered that smile briefly before looking at Tsuzuki, and he wondered why he had ever feared the dragon. The coldness that had turned the blue-gray eyes into frozen marble, the lines of bitterness around the dragon's mouth and eyes were gone and he looked - youthful.

And Tsuzuki suddenly realized that his shikigami was young, younger than Rikugo, that only the burden he had had to bear alone for much too long had weighted the man down.

Speaking of him – onyx eyes met violet ones. Rikugo's hair hadn't grown out again after he had cut it for Byakko's sake, but it was long enough to braid it – which the astrologer hadn't done today. The white blond strands were open like Touda's, showing the world that the dragon didn't see the need to hide anymore. Only Ryu was missing, unable to leave Meifu since the deal with Enma-Daiou still stood. Tsuzuki would have to be at the Palace of Candles for him to leave. As much as Tsuzuki regretted that, too, Rikugo had reassured him that he was okay. He and Ryu were just fine with the arrangement.

There was a movement to his right and when Tsuzuki turned he spotted Suzaku, smiling at him like everybody else and leaning back into the embrace of... Tsuzuki blinked in surprise and shook his head inwardly the very next second. Who was he to judge as long as they were happy? And they sure looked that way.

A tug at his sleeve took his attention back and there she was in front of him, blue eyes wide offering him a fragile looking flower. Tsuzuki hugged little Tenkou thanks and she giggled, bouncing back to her brother's side. Kijin, spitting image of his father, took her hand and guided her back.

'hoot'

With flapping wings, a little soft feathered weight on his shoulder, a tiny owl announced herself.

"003?"

The former ex-angel nibbled gently at his earlobe and returned to her companion's shoulder hooting softly when Watari gently caressed her breast feathers, observed by a tenderly smiling Tatsumi Seiichiro.

"Do you see, Asato?"

"Genbu?"

Tsuzuki looked at the God, utterly confused.

"You are special. To them. You made a difference, to each and every one of them."

"How... Genbu, I'm not that important, I'm just... there is so much... "

"True, you bear darkness. Half of your existence is darkness. But what about the other half? Did you ever think about that? You bear darkness, but you bear light also. And," the small God winked, "the deeper the shadows, the brighter the light, right?"

"Genbu..."

"Believe in yourself. You have a power far greater than anything you ever inherited from your father. You have a gift."

Something smacked him upside the head before Tsuzuki could respond and he yelped in surprise. Turning he looked into the deep emerald eyes he loved so much.

"Idiot."

Hisoka scowled, but there was no anger in the softly uttered word, and Tsuzuki couldn't help the chuckle that escaped him at this display of – normalcy.

"Hisoka!"

And he threw himself into his lover's arms, knowing he would be caught.

Genbu smiled and nodded at him, then walked off to talk to the others, too. Tsuzuki just held on tightly to his lover and Hisoka let him, very much aware of Tsuzuki's emotional state right now.

"Idiot," he whispered again, voice soft and loving.

Tsuzuki smiled and kissed him. "Your idiot."

tbc...