The receptionist at the medical clinic in Shimabara was speechless. She'd returned to her desk to find several men, all wearing dark suits, all very unconscious, lying sprawled over the chairs in the waiting room.
Most salarymen restricted their drunken binges to Friday or Saturday nights so they could recover in bed the next day. How irresponsible of them to drown their sorrows so early in the working week.
A knocking sound came from below. "Ahem!"
She peered over her desk to find a little old man with a long beard and bushy eyebrows that drooped over his eyes. In his hand he held a granite staff.
"I wish to place these humans in your care. May you treat them with the respect and consideration they have manifestly failed to demonstrate for the Earth that sustains them." He bowed once, then turned around.
"Wait! Who...who are you? How did you find them?"
"They are vandals who have turned the elements against each other, using Metal to gouge Earth and defile Air. The Earth responded in kind by rebuking them for their blasphemy." He stamped the staff on the ground, and a tremor shook the premises. "Now I must go to work and nourish the Earth in the limited time I have left."
Watari spent the evening in his laboratory. Amid the reassuring hum of the computers, the bubbling of a chemical potion, and the occasional flutter of 003 preening her feathers, he mixed solutions in test tubes and scribbled notes.
"You owe me a month's worth of sweets for this, Tsuzuki," he muttered. "Hair analysis normally takes several days in the land of the living. If it wasn't for my ingenuity, state-of-the-art facilities and dedication to the advancement of modern science..."
He paused, holding one test tube to the light. A bit cloudy. He flicked the tube with his fingertips to disperse the mixture.
"If only he'd taken the time to ask me in advance, I could have recommended taking a blood sample. There are standardised ranges in the literature defining normal and abnormal mineral levels in serum. But in hair? It's highly controversial, unless you're looking for long-term heavy metal poisoning. What I really need for an accurate mineral analysis is a teaspoon of blood."
003 ruffled her feathers and shook her head.
"What's the problem? It's not like they haven't played with sharp objects together. Tsuzuki should know how to handle him - more or less. Probably." Watari did his best to sound convincing. "Well, lucky for Tsuzuki his body heals so fast. Okay, let's do a trial run."
He began pouring a sample from one test tube into a measuring cuvette, then placed it in a spectrophotometer to take readings. The machines hummed, the computer screen lit up, and the attached printer buzzed into life. Satisfied, Watari followed the same procedure with the other samples. When he was done, he took a closer look at the printout.
"Hmm. I'm not getting any measurements at all." Watari drummed his fingers. "I did follow the extraction procedure to the letter. Let me try a new test sample." He pulled at his own hair, winced, and took out a couple of strands. "The sacrifices I make for my work. Now I need another experimental subject, 003. May I have one of your feathers?"
003 went into a panic. She flapped her wings and hovered in mid-air.
"Stop! You'll contaminate the samples if you keep that up!"
003 landed on Watari's mass of wavy blond locks. She replied by pecking at his scalp.
"Oww! Stop that! I've already donated one of mine!"
003 roosted herself out of harm's way on Watari's head. She ruffled her feathers in displeasure, then began preening her wings.
Something ticklish brushed Watari's forehead and floated down to land on his notebook - a single plume.
"Aha! That's more than enough for my needs. I knew you wouldn't let me down. Now let's get to work!"
Tsuzuki materialised inside Muraki's bedroom. Within his arms Muraki remained a dead weight, his silver head nestled in the crook of Tsuzuki's shoulder. At his feet was the restless grey cat.
"Genbu can't help lecturing everyone about his pet topic. Not that I don't appreciate what he's trying to do." He laid Muraki on the bed in a sprawled heap. "But it's not the time and place. Thank goodness he agreed to return to Gensoukai."
The cat leapt on the bed by Muraki's side and nuzzled one of the ruby earrings. "He is weak. He drained the Earth energy you gave him this morning. He needs nourishment."
Tsuzuki propped the wooden cane by the nightstand and shrugged out of his coat. "I know. That's why we're here." After tossing it on the floor, he unbuttoned the restrictive waistcoat.
The cat watched, tail lashing. "Will you awaken him?"
"When I'm ready." The waistcoat fell to the floor. Tsuzuki loosened the bow tie.
"He must be awake to receive nourishment."
"Naturally." Lips quirked in a rueful smile, Tsuzuki sat on the bed to remove Muraki's shoes and socks. "Tell me about your relationship with Muraki. Do you serve him out of obligation in return for food and shelter?"
The cat leapt on the nightstand. "I serve no one. I await the unveiling of the immeasurable Light, the purest light in which no eye can look."
"Immeasurable light..." The same words Saagatanus had spoken before his demise. Tsuzuki took off Muraki's glasses and peered through them. "Is Muraki this light you're talking about?"
"The one you call Muraki is the witness to the Light. He bears witness so others may come to know of its existence." The cat lay on its stomach, tail twitching. "For the Light is without name or limit. The Light is pure, incomprehensible and eternal. All things exists within the Light, and the Light exists in all things. The Light is the source of life-giving life." It began to sing, its thin voice rising and falling:
"Those who wait on
the Light shall renew their strength;
They shall mount up
with wings like eagles,
They shall run and not
be weary,
They shall walk and not
faint.
Glory be to the Light!"
When it was finished, it stared expectantly at Tsuzuki.
Tsuzuki felt the hairs at the back of his neck stand on end, and his shoulder blades tighten a little. "You...are you praying?"
The cat bowed its head.
The Light it described - omnipotent, existing beyond the realm of time and space, bestowing life and restoring power - this didn't sound like a demon. A major shikigami perhaps? The divine four under his command could release limitless energy, thus giving life...but they resided within the virtual world of Gensoukai. And why would they listen to a demon's prayer? They only answered to him...didn't they?
Tsuzuki folded Muraki's glasses and placed them on the nightstand. "I never knew a demon who believed in prayer."
"The one who bears witness to the Light taught me." The cat glanced forlornly down at Muraki. "Awaken him. He cannot bear witness with his eyes closed. He cannot give praise with his lips sealed."
Tsuzuki tugged his bowtie free and undid his collar button. The room felt warmer than before. "If he's only bearing witness to the Light, then what's the meaning of the light in his false eye?"
"The Light exists in all things. He removed his right eye so he may see the Light."
"You mean...you mean Muraki..." Revulsion gagged the words in his throat. "He...he did that to himself?"
"In his entire state, he was bereft of the Light. It was necessary for him to cast his eye away so he may see."
Tsuzuki brushed the silver hair from Muraki's forehead. The distorted eyelid drooped but failed to cover the eye beneath, leaving the pure white sclera visible without the coloured iris.
"Why?" He let the silken strands fall through his fingers. "Why deface yourself like this?!" He glared at the cat. "Why?!"
"Better that one of his organs perish than his entire body be cast into darkness, out of reach of the Light."
Did Muraki mutilate himself for the sake of his insane quest? The callous way he'd desecrated Saagatanus's corpse...a repeat of an act he'd already performed on himself. The thought made Tsuzuki ill.
He focused on removing Muraki's blood-splattered trenchcoat, then the jacket - rolling Muraki's body back and forth as he removed the sleeves from each arm. "Who told him to mutilate himself? Who gave such a terrible order?"
"He performed this deed so he may see--"
"Bullshit!! How's he meant to see when he's missing one eye?!"
The cat lowered its head. "He wants to be one with the Light."
"How dare anyone ask such a horrible thing of another person? And how dare he do this to himself?!" He clutched the side of Muraki's sleeping face. "All life is precious! Yours is no exception! How could you maim yourself when you keep telling me how fragile the human body is? This is beyond madness, even for you."
"There is no reason to grieve." The cat's voice was a plaintive mewing. "The Light protects and nourishes him. The Light will not forsake--"
"Look at him!" Tsuzuki snapped. "See how pale he is! No healthy person should look like this!"
"The Light is the giver of life. What the Light takes away it will return ten-fold." The poor feline did its best to flatten itself in a posture of abject submission. "Awaken him so he can give thanks and praise."
"He tells me nothing but cryptic riddles. He brushes aside my questions. And today he's shown that he won't listen to my commands." His gaze lingered over Muraki's features. He looked several years younger with his face in repose - more human and fallible. Without his condescending sneer and arrogantly arched brow, he didn't look like the Muraki he knew. "At least I've learned something from this." He pulled both coat and jacket free from Muraki's body, and flung them on the floor. "I've learned his true feelings for me."
The cat pricked its ears. "Have you?"
"Yeah." Tsuzuki stood up. His shoulders were aching. "I could use a drink."
The lights flashed on as he entered the spotless kitchen - a convenient luxury for the man who had everything. Yet Muraki lived the life of a recluse. No family. A few friends, and he couldn't even recollect their faces. Despite his apartment of minimalistic elegance, his prestigious sports car, his brilliant career - Muraki led a lonely existence.
All these trappings of wealth - a different kind of gilded prison to the one Tsuzuki knew in Meifu, but a prison all the same.
Tsuzuki found a bottle of red wine in one of the cupboards. Using the waiter's corkscrew from the cutlery drawer, he carefully opened it the way Muraki had demonstrated last night. Cut the foil with the knife. Twist the corkscrew coil in the cork. Gently lever it out. With a soft pop, the cork came out in one piece.
He let out a sigh of relief. Success.
With the bottle and a full glass, he ventured back to the bedroom. Slowly he took sips to savour the taste - rich and full-bodied as he remembered. He placed the bottle on the nightstand beside the cat, then stretched his legs out on the bed next to Muraki's sleeping form, the glass cradled in his hands. Muraki's head rested innocently against his hip as it followed the dip of the mattress.
"You told me the Light exists in all things." He took a thoughtful sip from the glass. "Does that apply to the Darkness as well?"
The cat gazed at him, unblinking. "The immeasurable Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness will never put it out."
"Fine." Tsuzuki rubbed his forehead. Muraki had obviously given the cat lessons in riddle-speak. Carefully he tried to reason with it. "But where there is Light, there must be Darkness too, right? When Light falls on an object, a shadow naturally forms behind it--"
"Do not speak ill of the Light! The Light must be worshipped and glorified!" The cat lashed its tail, clearly impatient.
But Tsuzuki's mind had seized on an idea. Shadows. Darkness. The thickening fog obscuring Muraki's memories, dulling the pain of the friends he'd lost...
Tsuzuki turned pale, and his fingers tightened over the wineglass.
"Awaken him!" the cat yowled. "Awaken him so he can give praise to the Light!"
"Quiet. Praise feeds ego, not power. If this Light is as great as you claim, why doesn't it awaken him now?" He leaned over Muraki and caressed the silver hair. "Right now, Muraki has nothing to be thankful for." His fingers drifted across the angular jaw and thin lips, along the prominence of the pointed chin down to the knot of his tie. "Tonight I will put this Light of yours to the test."
Muraki didn't move. He allowed his tie to be removed, and his collar and the first few buttons of his shirt to be undone.
Tsuzuki paused for a moment to admire the flesh laid bare. At this angle, he was viewing Muraki's face upside down. He drank in the sight of the slightly parted lips, the underside of his lifted jaw, the slight flicker of the pulse at the base of his neck...
This unguarded vulnerability in sleep - a side of Muraki he would never see while awake.
"You once told me you collected dolls, but I bet none of them ever looked as handsome as you. I wish..." Tsuzuki's wistful tenderness gave way to a bleak sadness. "I wish a doll was enough to satisfy me."
He dispersed the knockout spell with a hand over Muraki's eyes. Muraki didn't stir.
"One with the ineffable name, forgive him his sins and bring him to your everlasting Light," the cat sang. "Lead him not into temptation, but deliver him from evil."
"Your light has its work cut out for it there," Tsuzuki muttered.
"He thirsts!" the cat cried. "What do you expect of one who has waited for so long?? Why do you cast him out when he cries out for the enduring food and drink only you can provide? Does his belief count for nothing?"
"What does he believe in ?" Tsuzuki shot back. "Am I anything more to him than a food source and a good lay? Does he respect me? Does he trust me? Does...does he even like me?"
The cat bowed its head.
"You understand my scepticism, don't you?"
"You must ask him these questions," the cat said. "Nourish him so he may speak for himself."
But how to nourish a man too exhausted to feed? A couple of suitably lewd methods occurred to him, but he suppressed those thoughts. He refused to take advantage of Muraki in his weakened state - that would be sinking to Muraki's level. If he was to ever succeed in mastering Muraki, he needed to master his own base instincts.
He tapped his finger against the bowl of the wineglass, thinking.
...a covenant is much, much more. It is a binding alliance ratified by blood...
Food is not what I require for sustenance. A familiar must feed from its master to survive. So must I feed from you.
This day I cleanse you with water, but there is one who will come after me, one whose name I am not worthy to utter; he will replenish you anew with all five of the elements...
Three...the number for abundance and generosity and food.
The Light is the source of life-giving life.
Preposterous. Outlandish. But if Muraki and his cat genuinely believed it to be true...
Tsuzuki took one more sip, then propped himself alongside Muraki. He pulled down Muraki's jaw to open his mouth a little.
"Take this, and drink. This...this is my blood."
He tilted his head, and pressed his wine-wet lips against Muraki's unresisting mouth.
Muraki's eyelids flickered against the side of Tsuzuki's face - a delicate sensation like the fluttering of a butterfly wing. His lips parted a little, seeking more of the heady flavour.
Tsuzuki was charmed. Muraki kissed like a young boy, innocent and receptive and pliant. His eyes remained half-closed in that state between dreams and consciousness. Tsuzuki flattened one palm over Muraki's chest. "Let this be a new start...between us."
He slid his tongue within, flicking and teasing. His lips clung against Muraki's, persuading them to come to life. Of their own volition, his fingers began to caress the lean ribcage and clench the material of his shirt.
How could Muraki remain asleep? Surely he was pretending, wasn't he? The urge to be more aggressive was proving difficult to resist. Tsuzuki felt his shoulders ache, and it wasn't solely due to the strain of supporting his body weight with one elbow. With his teeth, he playfully nipped at Muraki's lax mouth.
"Awaken now. Let us make...a new covenant."
A low rumble vibrated against Tsuzuki's stroking fingertips. The sound reached his ears - a deep growl of a lion waking from slumber.
Muraki opened heavy-lidded eyes. "Are you serious?"
"Yes. You challenged my authority, and you were thwarted by my hand. As the victor, it's time for me to claim my prize." He leaned over to pick up the wooden cane by the bed, and used the handle to stroke Muraki's cheek. "You."
Muraki's grey eyes glittered. "A triumph achieved by sleight of hand is no triumph at all." But he turned his head towards the cane, daring Tsuzuki to continue. "You seem as well as always, I see..."
"Were you hoping I'd die?"
"Not at all, Tsuzuki-san..." He tried to shake his head, and grimaced. "But I do believe I had the right...to let off a little steam. All my careful preparations...ruined by your games."
"Didn't I already tell you?" Tsuzuki leaned closer. "You are not to kill again. If you are to have any hope of being by my side, you must renounce your murderous ways for good."
"I was about to present my finest offering...a bouquet of bloodied corpses to bring glory to your name..."
The cat sat up, tail twitching, and began to sing: "Through him, with him, in him, in unity with the Light, all glory and honour will be ours, for ever and ever."
Muraki closed his eyes. "As it is spoken, may it come to pass."
"Enough with the prayer meeting, you two! If your cat wants to do more singing, it can visit a karaoke bar--"
"It is right to give thanks and praise!" the cat hissed.
"The right thing for you to do is shut up. As for you..." Tsuzuki shook Muraki's shoulders to make him open his eyes. "Your 'offering' was an excuse to indulge your own bloodlust. You are never to do that again!"
"My bloodlust? I don't do this for myself alone." His good eye gleamed with mischief. "What about your bloodlust, hmm?"
Tsuzuki wasn't going to be sidetracked by taunts. "Tell me how long you've been bound by kagetsu magic."
Muraki's face turned to stone.
"The dark shadows obscuring your memories must have been created by a powerful kagetsu spell. My fuda wasn't strong enough to break it. Is this the same magic that shields you from shikigami attack--"
"Heresy!" the cat yowled. "You dare insult the one who bears witness to the Light!"
"I'm after the truth! I want to know who did this! The impenetrable power that can withstand a shikigami's energy, the power that consumes all others within itself..." He turned to Muraki, his gaze intense. "No kagetsu power I've seen is capable of this."
"Your secretary is little more than a babe," Muraki mocked. "He will never unleash the full scope of his power because he recognises the paucity of his skill. But the fault is not entirely his. The one who taught him has been niggardly in his training."
Tsuzuki sat up on the bed, his back resting against the headboard. Trickling heat sizzled down his spine, and the air seemed thicker around them. He picked up the cane and held it between his bent knees to hide the tremor of his hands. "You call him weak, but he was strong enough to send you running before."
"What chance does a fallible mortal stand against an angry God of Death? His volatile display of aggression revealed the limited mastery of his powers." Muraki absently scratched at the drops of blood staining the cuffs of his crumpled shirt. "I assessed the situation, and decided on a strategic retreat before he lost complete control of himself."
"That would never happen! As a kagetsu master, Tatsumi would never unleash the full force of his powers on a whim! He's more rational and disciplined than I could ever hope to be--"
"He's weak and fragile, a coward beneath his bravado. Why else was his tenure as an active shinigami so short? He left you to reap the lost souls on you own using your shikigami, ne? He never used his kagetsu powers during an investigation because he knew he wouldn't be able to--"
"That's not true! He...he knew my shikigami couldn't work in the presence of kagetsu magic! He was doing it for me - that's why he held back." Yet his defence sounded hollow. Somewhere within Muraki's insinuations was a bitter kernel of truth. "Tatsumi did his utmost, which is all I could ever ask for. He always gave me support when I was feeling low. Using his powers, he tried to ease my pain and lift my mood when I was down. He...Tatsumi is a good person. I know he is." Tsuzuki gripped the handle of the cane. "I won't listen to you while you insult him. We may not be working partners, but he is still a close friend!"
Muraki's lower lip curled. "Such touching loyalty." He turned away and sat up, legs hanging over the side of the bed. "Very well. Let us see if he will show you the same loyalty when the full moon rises in three nights' time."
Only three nights. Tsuzuki's chest tightened. Once he would have interrogated Muraki in a vain attempt to extract more information, but he knew better now. He thought back to his dream on a bed strewn with rose petals, his body marked by red lines, seduced by Muraki's expertise. Only five nights ago, but it felt like a lifetime.
In his dream, he had to be chained to the bed to endure Muraki's caresses. Now he lounged on Muraki's bed of his own free will, no longer his prey - but not an equal either. Yet.
Tsuzuki reached out to touch one of Muraki's hunched shoulders. Even with his back towards him, Muraki exerted an irresistible magnetic appeal over him. The living flesh was warm through his shirt, the muscles twitching at his touch.
"Don't be jealous of him. I'm here, aren't I?"
"So you are." Muraki eyed the clothing strewn on the bedroom floor. "Along with the chaos you leave in your wake."
Tsuzuki splayed his fingers across the expanse of one shoulder. With his thumb, he dared to massage the taut muscles at the nape of Muraki's neck, soothing away the tension. Feathery tendrils of silver hair tickled the back of his hand. So soft and delicate...so unlike the man himself. Tsuzuki had the inexplicable urge to curl his nails into the solid flesh until he drew blood.
"I meant what I said earlier about a new covenant between us. If you agree to my terms, I will guarantee you the nourishment you need."
"So you claim." Muraki glanced dismissively over his shoulder. "But I only tasted wine on your lips, not blood. Your words are meaningless as long as you remain locked in ignorance." He lowered his head in his hands, distancing himself from Tsuzuki's touch. "And you've given me a terrible headache with your knockout spell - another sign of your sadistic cruelty towards me."
"Sadistic cruelty? You dare...accuse me...?" Tsuzuki was spluttering at the injustice. "That's nothing compared to your enforced amnesia of your friends, and the madness that drove you to remove your eye! You want to know what sadistic cruelty is? Go look at yourself in the mirror--"
"Heretic! Infidel!" the cat shrieked. It leapt into Tsuzuki's lap and clawed wildly at his shirt.
"Stop it!!" Tsuzuki tried to pick up the squirming mass of fur and claws. "Muraki, tell it to get off me!"
Muraki ignored him. He stepped over the discarded clothes and opened the curtains by the window.
"Do not speak ill of the one who bears witness to the Light!" the cat yowled.
Tsuzuki gripped the furious cat by the body. "Listen to me! Where is this wondrous Light you speak of? Why hasn't it answered any of your prayers? Muraki gave up an eye for it, and what has he got to show for his sacrifice?"
"Do not take the name of the Light in vain!" The cat wriggled and twisted and scratched Tsuzuki's hands to no avail. "The ways of the Light are not ours to comprehend! Only a disbeliever would put the Light to the test!"
"Then call me a disbeliever, because I don't believe. And unless he begins to give me an explanation instead of spouting lies, I have no reason to believe or trust a word he says. You hear that, Muraki?"
Muraki gazed out the window, head lifted up, transfixed by the moon high above the horizon. His palms were flattened against the glass, his entire body motionless. The silvery moonlight cast an ethereal white light over his features. He shut his eyes, basking in its glow. A serene smile curved his lips.
It disturbed Tsuzuki. He was assailed by a creepy sense of deja vu.
Squirming free of his hands, the cat jumped off the bed and scrambled to the security of Muraki's legs.
Muraki let out a deep satisfied sigh. His shoulders fell, and the tension seemed to ease within him.
"What are you doing?" Tsuzuki asked.
"Nothing a disbeliever like you would appreciate."
The words were a red rag to a bull. Tsuzuki slid his feet to the floor and strolled to the window. The moon peeked out between woolly tufts of clouds, its white light streaking them grey and white.
"Then explain it to me." He chose to lean against the full-length glass, facing Muraki instead. The unbuttoned part of his shirt gaped open when he folded his arms - a detail not missed by Muraki's roving eye.
"No other celestial body symbolises the passage of time more vividly than the moon. It is a heavenly reminder of the curse of mortality. From a crescent-shaped sliver it emerges from the dark to form a golden disc of perfection, only to be overwhelmed once more by the devouring darkness."
"Only until the next lunar month, when it begins the cycle all over again." Tsuzuki's voice was dry. "The darkness doesn't overwhelm it for all time."
"Really? Why, Tsuzuki-san...so it is." Muraki's tone was one of feigned amazement, yet his sidelong look gleamed with calculating intent. "You're still able to acknowledge truth when the mood takes you, ne?"
Tsuzuki lifted his chin. "I'm just stating an obvious fact."
Muraki smiled. "Ahh, but it took thousands of years for humanity to grasp the mechanical principles behind the moon's mysterious phases. Your 'obvious fact' owes much to the knowledge accumulated since the dawn of mankind. Long before the advent of rational science, humans accepted the moon as the marker of the seasons and tides. It told them when to set sail and cast their nets for fish, the best time to sow seeds and harvest crops. It was a powerful entity telling them how to live their lives. Is it any wonder ancient cultures deified the moon as a symbol of fertility and plentitude?"
"No wonder at all." Tsuzuki had not forgotten the nightmarish dream of his mother gazing at the moon with him and his sister. The memory and Muraki's jarring words gave him no reassurance - only an ominous foreboding.
"But most importantly of all, the mutable moon taught humanity a valuable lesson about life and death." Muraki returned his gaze to his distant subject. "The moon's mutable appearance, unlike the constant sun, was symbolic of the passage of life: birth, maturation, decay and death. The full moon never remained full for more than a day - the shadows were all too eager to claim it again. But the darkness could never vanquish the moon for long. Within a few days, a new moon would emerge, unbowed and unbroken - a miraculous resurrection from the dead, no less." His intent gaze swung to Tsuzuki. "In the sacred moon, humanity discovered its most ancient symbol of eternal life."
Tsuzuki couldn't move. He felt strangely dizzy, as if the ground was shifting beneath him.
I will give you a name! You will be Gyokuto-sama!
"When we first met you were a tightly-furled bud: fearful, fragile, your talent trapped within you." Muraki lowered his head close, his voice a husky croon. "Tonight you stand before me with your lovely petals unfurled."
The florid flattery wrenched Tsuzuki back to the present. He turned his head away, just in time to avoid the impending kiss.
Muraki's lips grazed a flushed cheekbone. "Each night you come to me, the moon swells a little more. As it waxes into perfect fullness, so my dreams approach fruition..." His warm breath tickled Tsuzuki's ear. "And so will you."
Tsuzuki pushed him back. "Gazing at the moonlight too much has fried your brain. Your actions tonight prove how much you must hate me."
Muraki had the grace to look surprised. "'Hate' is a rather strong word, Tsuzuki-san--"
"Hate is the exact word! You're driven by hate. It's the only emotion you know, aside from lust. A heart filled with hate must feed on itself to survive - it can't admit love of any kind. Is that why you allowed those shadows to mask your memories?" The realisation sent a chill down Tsuzuki's spine. "This kagetsu spell that binds you...helped you become what you are now..."
"I was reborn by steel," Muraki countered coolly, "wielded by your own hand, remember?" He turned away from Tsuzuki, his gaze shuttered. "This is a tedious discussion. Yet again you continue to deny your own culpability in my fate."
Tsuzuki seized Muraki's arm from behind. "You chose it! You entered into a covenant and shed your eye! And for what? To find this imaginary Light? To experience the perpetual boredom of eternal life? You're the fool, Muraki! Tell me how the Light has rewarded you? It doesn't strengthen you! It doesn't answer your prayers! You've been forced to humble yourself before me - a person you openly loathe. It couldn't even alert you to my fuda illusion spells! You fell for them all hook, line and sinker! This Light of yours is useless!"
"You are a cheat! I will never acknowledge a victory achieved using subterfuge and deception!"
"And you're a sore loser. You were the one who claimed you were mine, ne?" Tsuzuki stroked along a taut bicep to grip one solid shoulder, then pulled Muraki close from behind. The scent of Muraki's aftershave teased his nostrils. Tsuzuki couldn't resist nuzzling his nose against the muscular throat. "You've taunted me with those words over and over - tonight it's time to show me the proof."
"You want me to submit to a fool like you?" Muraki's sardonic drawl, low and deep, seemed to resonate into Tsuzuki's very being.
"Call me what you like. I don't care what you think." Tsuzuki's voice was soft, conspiratorial. "I'm nothing more than a dog to you anyway." He pressed his lips against the bare skin, his tongue tracing slick whorls over the flesh. "So I may as well act the part. I have nothing to lose." He slid his hands up along Muraki's torso.
Muraki shivered. "No." He clasped Tsuzuki's hands, but made no move to remove them.
"You've already used up your Metal energy in that fight. You're tired and weak now. You need to feed again, ne? Come to bed...and I promise you a banquet later." Tsuzuki slid his teeth playfully along Muraki's shoulder, through the shirt. Muraki's hatred wasn't strong enough to overcome his lust. As long as Muraki remained a sexual hedonist, Tsuzuki knew he held a carrot that might lure him into submission. "A private, intimate feast for two..." His palms stroked Muraki's chest.
"I'll believe it when I see it."
"Fine." Tsuzuki grasped the fabric and pulled hard. The shirt buttons popped free, one by one. "Allow me to convince you."
Muraki bowed his head without protest. Unseen to Tsuzuki, his false eye began to glow.
Watari read over the latest printout. A big grin lit his face. "It works! It works!" He held the papers up so 003, perched on his head, could read it too. "See those bars? Those are the mineral readings from your feather sample! I can't say for sure if your essential mineral levels are normal, but at least I can conclude you've got no evidence of heavy metal poisoning."
003 peered down then hooted loudly in triumph.
"Well, I know you wouldn't eat such things anyway, but it never hurts to make sure." Watari threw the papers to one side, and picked up another printout. "The readings from mine are here. See? All the essential minerals are present - no toxic metals in my system either." He threw it on the pile with the other papers. "So why can't I get a single reading from his sample?? I've already made a second batch for analysis, and still nothing registers!"
003 roosted herself on Watari's shoulder and hooted again.
"Mmm. A good point. Hair treatments could affect the results. That's one of the reasons why hair analysis is not widely used for assessing nutritional status and mineral deficiency." Watari sighed, and held up the clear plastic bag containing the rest of Muraki's hair sample. "I suppose I could run an analysis on the older sample...but on its own, I can't make a comparison."
Watari frowned to himself. Failure of any kind irked him immensely. Ever since childhood, he had been lauded by his teachers as a prodigy. He had become accustomed to getting results, finding answers, solving problems. All mysteries, however big or small, eventually revealed themselves under the spotlight of his incisive mind.
Only once in his life had he drunk the bitter dregs of failure. To a man who prided himself on the strength of his intellect, the taste had proved fatal.
Watari squeezed his eyes shut. He didn't want to remember. It was all in the past - the past he never discussed with anyone. The past he'd vowed to forget.
He would never know failure again. Thanks to Enma's generosity, he would always have the funds to purchase any piece of equipment he desired to satisfy his curiosity. If he ever had a question to ask, he was free to consult the extensive database of human knowledge contained within the memory banks of the JuOhCho supercomputer. And if he wanted to give form to a passing whim, a few quick strokes of a pencil on paper was enough to bring it to life.
He dropped the hair sample to the lab bench, and clutched his temples against the impending headache.
A feeble, error-prone human brain was a small price to pay in return, wasn't it?
003 peered at his face in worry. She nibbled his ear to rouse his attention.
Watari grimaced. "Sorry, 003. Too many late nights, I guess. I'll get an aspirin, okay?"
He was almost at the doorway when he saw it - a shadow retreating away from him.
003 saw it too. Her talons tightened on Watari's shoulder for a moment, and then she bounced up and down, hooting in greeting.
Watari sagged with relief. "Is that you, Bon?" he called out. "If you wanted to come in, you just had to knock."
Hisoka shuffled through the doorway, hands in the pockets of his jeans. "How did you know it was me?"
"I didn't, but 003 doesn't miss a thing." Watari smiled brightly. "So tell me, what are you doing here at this late hour?"
"I was going to ask you the same thing." Hisoka's green gaze was accusatory.
"Well, I was just satisfying my scientific curiosity on a small problem when I got caught up in a most annoying technical glitch--"
"You're helping Tsuzuki with a secret case, aren't you?"
"Well, with the way it's going at the moment it's not much use to anyone." Watari eyed Hisoka's thick chestnut brown hair. "But you know, you might be able to help me with it."
Hisoka blinked, taken aback by Watari's easy manner...and his rather cryptic reply. But surely Watari had to know what was going on. Tsuzuki wasn't making regular lab visits to take part in silly sex-change experiments anymore. Hisoka knew something big was happening - and he was determined to find the truth.
"All right. What do you want me to do?"
In the semi-darkened room, Muraki reclined against the pillows on his double bed. His shirt was ripped to the waist, his trousers unzipped at the crotch. His pale muscular torso, previously marked by Tsuzuki's violence, now bore the saliva-slick kisses of his passion. His heavy-lidded eyes were slitted in pleasure, his lips curved in a satisfied smile. He combed back his silver hair with a careless hand.
He looked every inch a man abandoning himself to sensual pleasure. In another time and place, he could have passed for an emperor enjoying the attentions of his favourite concubine.
"I imagine there is...little nourishment to be found, ne?"
Lying between his thighs, still dressed, Tsuzuki swallowed down as much of Muraki's erection as he could handle. When his throat protested at the bulk, he eased back to concentrate on the sensitive crown. His tongue swirled over the slit, greedily tasting the salty-bitter precome, while he milked the straining shaft with a firm, steady grip.
Lying on the nightstand, head resting between outstretched paws, the cat saw everything.
Muraki exhaled, his nostrils flaring. He reached across for the wineglass on the nightstand and took a slow sip. "Your efforts, though admirable...are futile. I seriously doubt...I can compare..." His fingers tightened around the stem of the glass. "...to this excellent vintage..."
Tsuzuki lifted his head free. "You should have a taste...before you make such judgements."
"How do you propose I do that?" Muraki lifted a brow. "Do you want me to engage in the act of auto-fellatio?"
It took Tsuzuki a few seconds to realise exactly what Muraki meant. "That's...that's not humanly possible!"
"It's not impossible," Muraki corrected, all seriousness, "but the degree of spinal subluxation required to maintain such a posture would make a regular practitioner prone to spondylolisthesis, a potentially serious spinal disorder." At Tsuzuki's wide-eyed expression, he changed the topic. "In any case, I would never allow myself to be caught in such a compromising position."
"You've tried it!" Tsuzuki sat up on his knees, laughing like a boy. "Come on! Prove it to me!" He grabbed a bemused Muraki by the shoulder. "I want to see!"
"There's an easier way." Muraki sat up and took hold of Tsuzuki's jaw with his free hand. He leaned close, his head tilted to one side, his gaze lingering on Tsuzuki's grinning mouth. With the tip of his tongue, he traced the outline of Tsuzuki's mouth, delicately lapping at the residue with the fastidious attention of a cat.
This gentle caress held Tsuzuki spellbound. It felt so affectionate...so tender...
"Mmm." Muraki released his jaw, then swirled the wineglass and took a sip for comparison. "An interesting combination of flavours...but I declare this wine the winner."
Tsuzuki grabbed Muraki's hand and drained the glass himself, then kissed Muraki hard. He didn't want Muraki's tenderness. His tongue lashed Muraki's own, urging him to taste even more of himself. Kneeling forward, he forced Muraki back against the pillows and lay on top.
Muraki growled. He removed Tsuzuki's trouser braces, and yanked the shirt off his shoulders. "You grow so bold. How you kept your true nature bottled up for so long...I will never know." He slid his hands over Tsuzuki's back. "The skin here burns like fire."
Tsuzuki removed his own shirt, then yanked off Muraki's trousers. "You're going to come for me. I'm going to claim every inch of you." He squeezed the proud erection for emphasis.
"Ahh...I've given up so much of my essence...and all you do is demand even more."
"You only have yourself to blame. You're the one who made me addicted to this - to you." Tsuzuki's hand began to massage the shaft faster, relishing the way it throbbed and twitched within his grasp. "Tonight I'll feed from you...enter deep inside you." He pressed his lips along the growling throat. "This will be my reward...for bringing you to heel."
"I only withheld my power by choice so you would have a fighting chance. If I were at full strength, you would never have thwarted me."
"Poor Muraki." Tsuzuki bit one of his nipples. "Losing to me must be a terrible blow to your pride, but I'll do my best to ease your pain." He slid down until his mouth was poised over Muraki's groin, then slowly lowered his mouth. The thickness slid against his tongue, past his lips, twitching as it nudged his inner cheek.
Tsuzuki closed his eyes. He allowed it deeper until it nudged the back of his tongue. Twisting his head, he began to stroke the shaft and crown using his tongue. He used one hand to caress the vulnerable testicles beneath, gently massaging them between his fingers.
Above him, Muraki trembled. He lifted his knees a little and guided more of his cock deeper into Tsuzuki's mouth.
Tsuzuki withdrew, chuckling. "You love this, ne?" He kissed Muraki again, encouraging him to taste himself. "I know I do." He took the wineglass from the nightstand and upended it over Muraki's groin.
The remaining wine trickled over the straining erection, making Muraki flinch. "Such a waste..."
"Added flavour," Tsuzuki retorted. He lowered his head and took the cock in his mouth. Wine and precome - the taste made him delirious. He swallowed the cock deeper, drawing in his cheeks to create the same kind of suction Muraki once used on him. When Muraki began to thrust his pelvis forward, Tsuzuki held him down by one hip and slid precome-slick fingers behind the testicles to stroke the smooth perineal flesh.
"No." Muraki's voice was slurred with lust. "Must feed." His hips jerked in time with Tsuzuki's greedy mouth. He grasped Tsuzuki's hair. "Feed me."
Tsuzuki slid his fingers to the opening of Muraki's body. He circled the orifice, making it twitch. His mouth worked furiously, suckling Muraki's cock as if it held the sweetest nectar.
Muraki tried to sit up. "Stop!"
Tsuzuki no longer cared. He headbutted Muraki down, then thrust two fingers deep inside his ass, searching.
Muraki hissed. He twisted against the sheets, a hooked fish fighting for freedom. He pulled at Tsuzuki by the roots of his hair.
From the safety of the nightstand, the cat huddled in a ball and shut its eyes.
The pain made his eyes water, but Tsuzuki wasn't about to give up. He suckled like a starving beast yet stroked from within with a firm gentle touch. The solid buttocks twitched against his hand - he stroked them as best he could, soothing their anxiety. What he lacked in experience he made up with an intimate thoroughness that galvanised Muraki into squirming resistance.
Muraki gasped, his chest rising and falling with his erratic breaths. One of his heels pressed against Tsuzuki's hip in protest only to tremble and slide away. His tugging fingers in Tsuzuki's hair slowed, their rhythm unconsciously matching the thrust of the fingers deep inside him. Tsuzuki's suction over his groin remained a rich source of delight, a more than enjoyable diversion. The tension in his muscles eased a fraction.
"Relax," Tsuzuki whispered. He nibbled the crown with his lips. "Listen to me for once. Listen to your body."
Muraki lifted up one knee for leverage, hips rocking forward. His cock nudged Tsuzuki's lips for entry.
Tsuzuki parted his lips and welcomed him in again. The thrusting of his fingers became deeper, more daring. He slid past the clenching muscle ring, his fingertips exploring this most secret of places. Muraki rarely vocalised his enjoyment, but he gave much away with the restless way he quivered and twitched against the sheets.
Tsuzuki refused to relent. He stroked the length of his fingers in and out, twisting his fingerpads around - searching for the place that gave his prize the most pleasure.
Without warning, Muraki's cock stiffened to maximum fullness.
"You--" Muraki tensed. A low, helpless moan came from his throat. He gripped Tsuzuki's shoulders, his nails scoring Tsuzuki's upper back over and over with bloody lacerations.
Warm fluid filled Tsuzuki's mouth. Gulping as fast as he could manage, he swallowed as much as possible. Salty-bitter...yet a very sweet triumph. He kept his fingers inside, stroking over and over. His neglected cock pressed tightly against his trousers. The burgeoning ache of arousal was no match for Muraki's petty scratches.
Defeated in the battlefield, now subdued in the bedroom. Muraki was his for the taking.
Tsuzuki lifted himself up, panting for breath.
Muraki's gaze was dreamy. His silver hair lay in disordered array against the pillows. His hands were flung over his head in tightly balled fists.
For a man who had put up a fight, Muraki looked incredibly pleased with his defeat.
Tsuzuki could feel his cock swelling at the sight. "Spread your legs for me."
Muraki uncurled both fists. Each palm was covered in downy feathers of the purest black.
"What...what the hell is that?"
"Don't you know?" Muraki propped himself up on one elbow. "They come from you."
Tsuzuki reached behind his shoulder, and came away with soft tufts of bloody feathers. "Shit." From his shoulder blades to the midline of his upper spine, downy feathers replaced skin. "How did this...No! This is a trick - an illusion! They're not real!"
"They are yours, and they are beautiful." Muraki brushed a handful against Tsuzuki's horrified face. "Even as your mind resists, your body knows the truth. Why else did you come to me and feed so avidly? Your body knew this was the fuel you needed for the sprouting--"
"I don't want them! Get them off me!" Tsuzuki clawed at his own back and shoulders, tearing off handful after handful of feathers. The prickling pain only became worse - new feathers grew out of his skin to replace them. "Do something! Use your nails! Scratch them off!"
"Hush." Muraki embraced him. His hands stroked Tsuzuki's back, ruffling the patches of feathers and prickling skin. "I bet these wings will look beautiful on you."
Tsuzuki clutched him in desperation. "Please! You don't want to awaken this monster!! Drain my energy before it's too late!!"
Muraki kissed his forehead, soothing him as he would a child. "Soon the day will come when you will take flight. But since the moon is not yet full, I will let you sleep a few days more. Swear to me that you will partake of my body and blood in return."
Tsuzuki nodded wildly. "Yes, yes! I swear it! Just stop it growing!"
"You need only say the word..." Muraki tore his nails down Tsuzuki's back until he gasped. "And your will is done."
He pushed Tsuzuki on the bed so he laid face-up. He then straddled over Tsuzuki on all fours, his face directly over Tsuzuki's clothed crotch while simultaneously giving Tsuzuki a full view of his own reawakening erection. He tore at the fly to free Tsuzuki's cock, then swallowed him in one fluid gulp.
Tsuzuki exploded. His hips bucked into Muraki's ravenous mouth. Aftershocks of delight shook his entire body. The pain in his back was banished by the intense orgasm that seized him. He reached out blindly, and found himself milking the shaft of Muraki's thickening cock all over again.
The trigger and the cure for his every sexual need. The bane of his existence.
Tsuzuki watched it grow in his hands, alive and eager. It tilted down, the crown pointing towards him in silent demand.
This was responsible for the sprouting feathers, he told himself. Drinking the source of Muraki's rich, heady essence was the cause of all his ills. From now on, he'd just let Muraki suck him off. That was the safest option...and no less enjoyable.
Trembling, he lifted his head to watch Muraki moving his head up and down, lips gliding along the length of his cock. Velvet warmth squeezing him, caressing him, welcoming him...sucking him dry.
The exquisite pleasure shredded rational thought. This glorius suction was making him rise up a second time, more than ready to let fly once more.
Tsuzuki fell back on the bed. This felt too wonderful to keep to himself. He had to reciprocate this ecstasy or go stark raving mad.
Tsuzuki grasped Muraki's ass, urging him down. He opened his mouth wide and welcomed Muraki in his mouth.
Muraki made a deep purring sound. He doubled his efforts suckling Tsuzuki in return.
Pleasure multiplying pleasure - there was no other way to describe the joy of sucking and being sucked in turn. Tsuzuki became dizzy with it. Trapped beneath Muraki, joined at mouth and cock, he felt his own body quiver under the onslaught of sensations too exquisite to bear, but unable to break the circuit of mind-blowing pleasure flowing between them. To his bemused mind, it felt like he drank from his own cock, so perfectly was he attuned to the man poised above him returning the favour.
The barriers between them crumbled to dust. The titles of human and shinigami became meaningless. Their rivalry was void, their conflict irrelevant. They were more than equal - now they were indivisible.
United into one being. Melded in body and mind. Striving as one towards a common goal...
It was a nightmare come true.
Tsuzuki wrenched his mouth free and shoved at Muraki's hips, urging him off. When Muraki refused to stop feeding, Tsuzuki shoved his knee into Muraki's jaw, sending him tumbling across the mattress.
"What...Tsuzuki..." Muraki's voice was husky, indistinct. His false eye shone with a brilliant white light.
Tsuzuki tried to do up the fly of his trousers - no easy task when his cock insisted on standing at attention. What was he thinking? This was the man who hated him. This was the man who had tried to kill him several times.
Why on earth would Muraki help him eradicate the feathers? Muraki was the cause of it! His assistance would certainly carry a terrible price, for he never did anything unless it furthered his own schemes. He had to be mad to trust Muraki again, let alone seek to be Muraki's equal.
The light in the false eye dimmed. Muraki's glassy stare hardened into chilling ice. "You tease. You think you can string me along at your whim without paying the price?"
"I've paid plenty." Tsuzuki stumbled to his feet and almost fell over the pile of clothes on the floor. Desperately he tried to gather his wits about him. "You fed from me. You've exposed my shameful secret." He picked up a stray shirt and put it on. "What more do you want?"
A musical chime interrupted them. The cat sat up, ears pricked.
"You expecting another victim?"
"Ignore it," Muraki bit out. "It's of no consequence."
"How do you know if you don't answer it?"
"A caller impolite enough to visit at this hour doesn't deserve a reception. If it's important enough, they can reach me by phone."
But Muraki didn't have a phone - neither a cellphone or a fixed line in this apartment. Tsuzuki had searched high and low the other day.
A man without a phone was a man who didn't want to be found. A man with a secret. A weakness.
Tsuzuki picked up the cane and sauntered out of the bedroom. The cat jumped down to follow him.
"Your back is still moulting," Muraki jibed. "I haven't finished administering my remedy yet."
The chime came from an intercom speaker panel situated by the lift doors. There were several small buttons above it. Tsuzuki squinted at the writing.
"Return to him," the cat mewed. It scrabbled at his ankle. "He needs to feed so he can bear witness."
From the bedroom doorway, Muraki shrugged into a yukata. He froze when he saw what Tsuzuki was up to. "Don't touch it!"
Tsuzuki jabbed one button with the handle of the cane. A small screen lit up to reveal a man with long dark hair and an angular face. He stared down the camera along the length of his aquiline nose. "Muraki? Muraki! I know you're hiding in there! Let me in!"
This face - he'd seen it before during the Kyoto investigation. His voice was identical to the one he'd heard in Muraki's shadowy memories. "Hey, isn't he a friend of yours--"
Muraki grabbed his shoulder and flung him to the floor. "I told you not to touch it!"
The cat dashed under a nearby chair for protection.
"Whatever you say." Tsuzuki focused his magical power instead. The intercom unlock button clicked to release the front door.
Muraki ripped off the entire panel using his bare hands.
"Too late." Tsuzuki rolled to avoid the flying circuitry. It missed his head by a few inches. "He's in the building."
Muraki hauled him up by the collar. "You dare defy me after all I've done for you?" Murderous fury distorted his face, from the feral intensity in his good eye to the beginning of the snarl curling his lower lip.
Tsuzuki felt only relief. Homicidal rage was the one emotion from Muraki he knew he could handle. "Someone has to shatter that conceited mask of yours. Acting the manipulative bastard only gets you so far. In the end, you're no more exempt from pain and suffering than anyone else in this miserable universe."
Muraki's grip loosened on his shirt. His burning stare cooled into brooding contemplation.
"You do things for me only because it suits your purpose. It all comes down to you in the end." Tsuzuki pulled free and turned away. "It must infuriate you to see your carefully-laid plans disrupted, ne? Especially when it's done by a despicable fool who's no better than a dog."
"Are you doing this to teach me a lesson?"
"Oh, I wouldn't dream of it." Tsuzuki picked up his cane and twirled it around his wrist. "But I believe your friend has the key to succeed where I've failed."
"Succeed?" Muraki's tone was menacing. "At what?"
"This is your chance for freedom." Tsuzuki flashed his brightest smile - the surest way he knew to barricade his heart. "Don't waste it." He began to disappear.
"Tsuzuki-san!" Muraki found himself clutching thin air. "Tsuzuki-san!" He whirled around in a fury of motion, mentally scanning for Tsuzuki's vibrant presence - the spiritual equivalent of his animated personality.
Nothing. He couldn't sense his presence anywhere in the room. His hands clenched into helpless fists.
The cat peered out from under the chair. "He has the power to mask his emanations. He may still be observing you."
"Most likely." Muraki observed the flashing lift indicator. "Voyeurism seems to be his favourite hobby, ne?"
He needed a cigarette to ease his temper. After retrieving his lighter and a pack from the bedroom, Muraki sat down on the sofa. He placed a cigarette in his mouth and flicked the lighter. It wouldn't work.
The cat jumped up beside him. "He gave you a working one blessed with Fire--"
"I remember." Precisely enunciated to terminate further talk.
He tied the sash of his yukata to conceal his modesty, and crossed one knee over the other. It was rare for him to have another hard-on so soon after climax, but not at all unwelcome. This was a sign of the pure energy that now flowed within him, giving him renewed strength.
Only Tsuzuki's divine essence could achieve such a miracle. Now he had feasted on it, no substitute would ever do.
The lift door slid open. A tall man swept into the room, his straight dark hair fanning out behind him, his kimono robes swirling about in a dazzling blur of violet and crimson and gold. "Muraki!"
The cat stared, impressed at the dramatic entrance. Even Muraki managed to lift an eyebrow.
The visitor came to a stop before the sofa, several feet from Muraki. His narrowed eyes searched Muraki's face, as if he wanted to make sure he was not mistaken.
"Why, Oriya. What an unexpected sur--"
"I came to settle a grudge!" In a single motion, Oriya unsheathed his katana. He held the tip of the blade inches from Muraki's throat. "A grudge over how you disappeared for months without telling any of us where the hell you were. Do you know how worried we've all been? Ukyou-chan spent weeks in Kyoto searching the streets for you! Your manservant Sakaki-san takes immaculate care of your residence while he awaits any sign of your return!"
Muraki eyed the steel for a long thoughtful moment. "Should I take this as a sign you're pleased to see me?"
"Pleased?" Oriya spat out. "Why would I be pleased to see a guy like you again? It would be kinder to show them your rotting corpse than explain your callous disregard for their feelings!"
Muraki snorted. "Your antiquated sense of honour will prove to be your undoing one of these days. You should have lied to them and saved yourself the journey. But now that you're here, you may as well make yourself useful." He held up the unlit cigarette between his fingers. "Would you happen to have a light?"
Oriya clenched his jaw, battling the urge to strike. The tip of the katana edged closer to the underside of Muraki's jaw.
The cat arched its back. Muraki rested a firm hand over it. His calm, steadfast gaze did not waver from Oriya's face.
Seconds passed. Neither man moved a muscle. Their eyes were locked in a silent battle of wills.
"You overestimate the depth of our friendship," Oriya muttered. "Not to mention my patience with your games."
"Not really." Muraki's lips curved in the faintest of smiles. "In the event that your temper overcomes your honour, I'm counting on my guardian angel of death to come to my aid."
Oriya's jaw dropped slightly. He stepped back and sheathed his weapon. "I see. You should've told me you had another visitor."
Muraki shrugged. "He took flight at your less-than-civilised arrival."
"Well, well...so you're still playing with fire." Oriya walked over to the window, hands on his hips. "You stubborn ass. You haven't learned a single lesson from the Shion University disaster."
"There's one important difference this time," Muraki told him, chuckling. "This time the fire is more than ready to play with me."
Notes:
- Sorry yet again for the delay in updating.
- The cat's sung prayer borrows heavily from Isaiah 40:31 (New King James Bible version). The 'eye' reference is also Biblical (Mark 9:47). Several of the cat's responses are taken from the Roman Catholic mass and the Lord's Prayer.
- Thanks to Gengkotsuya for her help! And thanks too to the readers who've written such encouraging feedback!
- Karadin has done a lovely pencil sketch of Muraki and Tsuzuki admiring a snowflake - please check my website for the link! There's also a link to a sexy Mu/Tsu art by Annachuu!