What comes after hell?

Enjoy~

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Chapter 5

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Steeped in the tense silence of the fever's final night, Haruka was lightly leaning against the table his master was still tied to. The fits Kantarou fell into bounced erratically between unadulterated rage and heart wrenching sorrow. Occasionally punctuated by glares and noises that seemed simply evil. A few times he had been tempted to remove the gag to make out what the human was saying, but he knew he couldn't risk it.

He had managed to convince Youko to get some sleep a few hours ago, but he was fairly certain she was still awake. Listening closely in her room for any sounds that would signal a change of any kind. When Kantarou had finally worn himself out as night settled after half a day of rambling and struggling, Youko took advantage of the quiet moment to quickly bandage the severe rope burns and cuts that were a result of the human's resistance.

She even took great care in making certain that he had eaten before she agreed to rest despite the lack of appetite the tengu had.

Haruka didn't feel like doing much of anything. Not since Kantarou had fallen ill. He kept the writer in sight at all times as the sickness continued to claw at the human. Now he felt a strange need to be in contact with him. It nagged at him constantly until he could no longer resist touching him.

His hand lightly rested on the scar that marred the human's chest. He took comfort in the steady beat underneath the soft skin, and the way the narrow chest rose and fell with every rasping breath. It was an unconscious motion that everything living creature did, but Haruka had never known how meaningful a simple breath could be. The thought of that constant beat suddenly stopping and the chest growing still frightened him. Especially since there was so much he didn't know about his master.

He had no idea how old Kantarou even was. He knew he was older than Hasumi, but by how much? How much time did he really have left with the human if Kantarou did survive this curse?

"Not if.. When.. When, dammit.." Haruka growled to himself.

His mind still kept telling him that his master was a liar. Would it really be that far of a stretch to lie about his fate? He hadn't even told them about the curse in the first place. Why would he tell if it was bound to be fatal?

He didn't want to think such things, but it was a possibility. 'This.. Could be the last time I see him..'

That thought was all it took. Suddenly the emotion that he had been fighting tooth and nail to hold back was cracking through. His eyes began to sting with tears as his throat tightened to the point of strangling him. Haruka leaned forward and carefully rested his head on the covered stomach. His gaze locked onto the circular patterns he was tracing on the soft skin with his fingers directly over the human's heart.

'I want to feel you hold it in your hand...'

A harsh chill rolled down his spine on recalling the gruesome command. It was worse than when the human told him to take the crimson eyes. Visions of red soaking every part of Kantarou continued to fly through his mind. 'Kantarou always said red was his color...' he mused, unaware of the tears that slowly began to fall from his eyes.

His tear laden eyes slowly slipped shut for a moment. He took a deep breath and tried his best to remember every detail of his master. The mesmerizing depths of his eyes. The softness of his pale skin. The way the candle light made his silvery hair glow. His musical laugh, and his maniacal cackling after a particularly evil plan. The comfortable warmth from the small body that was slowly lulling him into sleep.

'Wait a minute...'

Haruka's eyes snapped open as he sat up straight. He looked closely at the human's face only to discover the fevered flush had diminished significantly. Holding his breath in anticipation, he lifted his hand and brushed away the sweat damp hair.

His eyes grew wide when the temperature was down to a more tolerant level. "His.. His fever broke... Does.. Does that mean it's over?" he asked the silence around him. The only thing that seemed to answer was the human's raspy breathing.

Since nothing was around to tell him otherwise, Haruka let out a deep breath of relief. "Dammit... Stupid human. You had me scared." Haruka muttered as he prodded lightly at Kantarou's side.

He was startled when the pokes provoked an annoyed grunt from the writer. Kantarou shifted uncomfortably on the table and groaned around the gag still tied in place. A light tug to both his bound arms and legs made the human stiffen slightly. His jaw seemed to move around the gag in his mouth as if he was trying to figure out what was going on. After a few moments, the dark lashes parted and crimson eyes moved around sluggishly.

When they finally settled on him, Haruka was relieved to see the recognition in the normal shining depths. "Kantarou?"

The pale brows furrowed in confusion, but Kantarou remained still. As if awaiting for an explanation.

He hesitated for a moment longer, but Haruka finally reached out and untied the handkerchief. After it was pulled from his dry lips, Kantarou moved his jaw a bit to work out the stiffness. After a soft pop and a grunt of discomfort, Kantarou looked back to his tengu. "Haruka...?" The crimson eyes widened slightly at the gravelly state of his voice. "What's going on? Why am I tied up? And why do I feel like someone beat the hell out of me?" he questioned, occasionally having to clear his throat to make the words sound correctly.

Haruka's heart rose and fell within an instant. On the one hand, his master seemed to finally be better. On the other...

"You don't remember?"

Kantarou frowned at how his questions were answered with another. "I.. Don't think I do... I was thinking that I was being offered up as a sacrifice to some random cult thing. But then I saw we're still at home..." A slow smirk suddenly curled his lips as his eyes had that evil glimmer. "Haruka... Were you trying to take advantage of me after a drunken stupor? How naughty." he teased on a chuckle.

The accusation would have literally ruffled Haruka's feathers if he wasn't completely thrilled to see that coy expression back on his master's face. "Heh.. No, I'm afraid that isn't the case. But now that you're okay, I'll untie the ropes."

"Now that I'm okay..?" Kantarou repeated in bemusement. He watched the tengu release his wrists, and hissed in pain as he brought his arms down to his chest. "Shit.. What the hell happened?" he asked, eyeing the bandages around his sore wrists.

Haruka moved to the other end and quickly untied the slender ankles from the table. "I'll explain later. Right now do you need anything?"

The consideration was a bit strange to Kantarou. As was everything else. When he winced as he tried to sit up, he was startled when Haruka was instantly by his side to help him. Once he was sitting upright on the table he tried to mentally take stock of himself. "Well.. My throat is killing me... And I'm starving.." he muttered while trying to work the stiffness out of his arms and neck.

He barely had time to stretch before he was suddenly scooped into a pair of strong arms. "Haruka?!" Kantarou yelped, his arms immediately wrapping around the tengu's shoulders.

Haruka took a deep pleasure in the way his master held onto him. "Just carrying you to the kitchen. I'll make some tea and explain what's been going on."

'What the hell..?' Kantarou blinked at the kind gesture, but nodded silently as he held on. 'Why is he being so nice..? What the hell happened to me?' As he was carried through his home towards his kitchen his eyes caught something strange on the tengu's neck. When he saw that it was a mark his eyes widened only to narrow deeply. 'Who the hell marked my Haruka?!' his mind growled.

He was ready to point it out and demand answers, but was stopped when the arms holding him tightened slightly. Drawing him closer to the tengu's strong chest. It was more than likely an unconscious gesture, but it made Kantarou's heart pound.

Deciding to let the matter slide for now, Kantarou let out a soft sigh and let his head rest on the strong shoulder. 'Enjoy it while it lasts...' he told himself silently. Relaxing into the embrace, Kantarou drank in the warmth that his precious tengu so readily offered.

'Haruka...'

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"So he doesn't remember anything, huh?"

Relaxing back on the warm roof tiles, Haruka folded his arms behind his head as he watched the fluffy clouds roll by. "Nothing. He doesn't even remember his friend contacting him for help at that village. It's like the last two week have been wiped from his memory." he answered quietly.

The news made Sugino frown as he leaned over to watch Kantarou seated on a blanket having tea with Rosalie and Youko in the back garden. The way the human was laughing and whispering something to the little girl made him tilt his head curiously. "So everything's back to normal? That's good." He glanced towards his friend expectantly. "Right?"

Haruka was silent for a moment before his eyes slid closed. "Yeah. Everything's good."

The complacent tone made Sugino's eye twitch slightly. "Did you tell him everything?" When the demon eater's brow furrowed slightly, Sugino felt like throttling him. "You didn't tell him..."

"I told him what he needed to know, Sugino." Haruka's eyes opened and locked on a wispy cloud above him. "He was delirious. He had no idea what he was saying, or what he was doing. It doesn't matter because, as far as I'm concerned, nothing happened. Leave it at that."

The stubbornness that laced the cold words was enough to make the mountain god groan in frustration. "So that's it. You chalk it all up to the fever." Sugino shook his head and pinched the bridge of his nose tightly.

He took a deep breath to calm himself, and let it out slowly. "Look... I'm not gonna tell you what to do... Hell, I probably should be cheering the decision you made on... But ignoring it is just going to make things more tense between the two of you." When he glanced back towards the black tengu he saw that he had Haruka's undivided attention. "You found out first hand how fragile his life really is. If you really plan on staying loyal to him for the remainder of his life, you have a bigger decision to make."

A frown formed over Haruka's delicate features as he sat up a bit. "What?"

Sugino folded his arms over his chest and looked back to the tea party in the garden. "Are you going to keep him at a distance, or are you going to be a part of his life?"

Haruka felt his chest tighten slightly. "Sugino?"

The mountain god met the confused gaze calmly. "There's no middle ground, Demon Eater. The two of you are bound by the name he gave you. You can either try to become a vital part of his life and see what happens, or simply serve him with nothing more than that name to guide your actions. Commitment or detachment. Companion or slave. The decision has been yours from the beginning." Sugino gave a slight nod towards the garden then pointed at the bewildered tengu. "You have to ask yourself now before the chance slips by you... Which path will you regret more when you watch him take his last breath?"

When it was put in such stark terms, Haruka forced himself to sit up and think seriously. His attention turned to the back garden when he heard his master's musical laughter accompanied by Rosalie's rare giggles. Kantarou was flat on his back in the grass with Rosalie's teddy bear slapped over his face like he had been attacked by it. Youko was ranting about something that clearly embarrassed her, but once she was done complaining she too was overcome by giggles.

Soon Kantarou was sitting up, and once the teddy bear was pulled away it revealed one of his radiant smiles. They were rare, but it was a sincere smile that always stole Haruka's breath away. 'If I never got to see that smile again..'

The longer the demon eater was silent, the more Sugino wondered if he may have pressed things a bit too much. 'I really shouldn't get involved at all.. But after everything I saw... That human means more to him than I think he'll ever know..'

"I think he would make a very beautiful tengu."

Sugino nearly fell over at the random statement. "Wait.. What?" he asked with a tilt of his head.

A slow smirk curled Haruka's lips. "I think Kantarou would make a beautiful tengu... With his pale skin and those ruby eyes..." He seemed to pause and nod as if he was agreeing with himself. "Yes. He would be quite the sight."

When the idea became lodged in Sugino's head, he found himself shuddering hard. "Ugh... Just picturing that psycho with that much power makes my skin crawl..."

Haruka's smirk seemed to grow as he nudged his friend in the side lightly. "You don't agree that Kantarou would make a good tengu? Come on.. What kind of robes do you think he would have with those pretty white wings?"

It was clear that the demon eater wanted him to play along, so Sugino let out a weary sigh and took a long look at the frustrating human. He tried to get an image of what Kantarou would look like, and for some reason it was surprisingly easy to picture. "Red... He would be wearing lots of red and silver. With several strands of prayer beads around his neck and wrists."

The description had Haruka raising a brow. "That was a bit specific. Have you thought about this before?" he teased lightly.

"What?! No! I.. I just mean.. That's something he uses a lot! It only makes sense that he would carry them after the transformation!" Sugino yelped indignantly.

The quick answer had Haruka chuckling. "You always know how to cheer me up, Sugino."

He wanted to be pissed, but hearing the demon eater laughing again did brighten Sugino's own spirits. So he settled for blushing and glaring in annoyance. "That human is a bad influence on you.." he muttered.

To which Haruka readily nodded. "I know. I believe I'm beginning to like it."

Sugino frowned, but soon covered his face with his hands and groaned loudly. "Dammit.. The two of you are going to be the death of me.."

"You would only be so lucky." Haruka mused. Just to hear the growl it tore from the white tengu.

His gaze soon settled back onto his healthy master. 'Hm.. I think Kantarou's influence can be a good thing as well as bad.'

When he heard that beautiful laugh once more, Haruka didn't care either way.

He had his master back.

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TBC

Decisions, decisions.

Later~