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Empty Spaces	By : Macx Category: Descendents of Darkness/Yami No Matsuei > General Views: 3188 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own Descendants of Darkness (Yami no Matsuei), nor any of the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
- 1-Empty Spaces
- 2-part 2
- 3-part 3
- 4-part 4
- 5-part 5
- 6-part 6
- 7-part 7
- 8-part 8
- 9-part 9
- 10-part 10
- 11-part 11
- 12-part 12
- 13-part 13
- 14-part 14
- 15-part 15
- 16-part 16
- 17-part 17
- 18-part 18
- 19-part 19
- 20-part 20
- 21-part 21
- 1
- 2
TITLE: Empty Spaces

Sequel to Pawn

AUTHOR: Macx and Lara Bee

DISCLAIMER: not ours. Definitely not! We just play with them and hope
we tread on no one's toes.

Author's Voice of Warning (aka Author's Note):

English is not our language; it's German. This is the best we can do.
Any mistakes you find in here, collect them and you might win a prize |g|
The spell-checker said everything's okay, but you know how trustworthy
those thingies are.....

TYPE: yaoi

WARNINGS: direct sequel to Pawn

RATING: R

PAIRING(s): multiple

FEEDBACK: empty inbox seeks emails

I. Meifu: The Truth

The realms were still echoing with what had occurred in Meifu. It could
be heard everywhere and even in Heaven and Hell the Lords had listened
up. In GensouKai, Enma knew he had lost. He was sitting in his empty palace,
all servants sent away, and he was waiting.
He was waiting for the consequences he knew that would come.
There was a breathing space for now, a few days maybe, but things were
now in motion. The avalanche had gathered speed and it was about to destroy
him.
Dark eyes set in a handsome face, ethereal and beautiful and inhuman,
roamed around the empty room. In a way he missed his companion of so many
years. He had liked their verbal sparring, and he had enjoyed the sex,
to put it very clearly.
Muraki's soul was still in Meifu, awaiting judgment, but Enma couldn't
care less. He was awaiting his own judgment and it would happen soon.
Heaven and Hell had noticed.
GensouKai would soon know the truth.
He smiled humorless and in a swish of robes he moved across the emptiness.
His future would be interesting.
As interesting as Tsuzuki Asato's.
° ° °
Sohryu gazed at his lover with a fond smile on his lips. Despite all
the pain and emotional upheaval, he hadn't lost the ability to do so, to
smile. Terazuma shot him a half-hearted glare. Even with his now dark eyes,
he still managed to bring it across quite well.
Terazuma remembered little of the events, only that he had wanted to
go into GensouKai and then... nothing. He couldn't even recall the forced
separation or his time in Limbo. Sohryu was thankful for little things.
Touda's brief jump into that lethal space had been enough to give the serpent
nightmares already. They had talked only once and Touda's expression had
been stony and pale when he had briefly told Sohryu about it.
"What?" the shinigami demanded.
"Nothing," was the soft reply and Sohryu took his lover's hand, entwining
their fingers. "I'm just happy."
Terazuma's features softened. "Yeah."
"You're alive."
"What about the Black One?"
"Tenkou and Kijin are with him."
It was all Sohryu wanted to say right now. Terazuma would hear about
that particular problem soon enough. Right now he only wanted him to recover,
to heal.
He leaned forward and kissed him and Terazuma answered the contact readily.
He drew Sohryu close as he sank back into the pillows and the dragon allowed
himself to be cradled to the shinigami's chest. His eyes closed and he
drew a shuddering breath.
"I was so afraid I had lost you, Hajime," he whispered.
Strong fingers carded into his hair. "You haven't. I'm not that easy
to get rid off."
Sohryu chuckled. "Yes."
Terazuma continued the tender caress. "How is Tsuzuki?"
"Sleeping. Hisoka and Touda are staying with him. I can still feel the
power rush, but it's getting better. He's returning to normal." Sohryu
shivered again. "It was so close, Hajime. So very close."
And there were still so many questions. Watari had only answered a few
and so many more had risen. The blond had promised to give them every detail
of what he had discovered inside Mother, but right now they had to heal.
"I know," Terazuma murmured, burying his fingers in the long, blue hair.
"I love you," Sohryu added shakily.
And he couldn't lose him. Not someone else. Not Hajime.
The grip tightened. "Sohryu..."
Sohryu blanketed the other man, wanting to be physically as close as
he could be without being naked, and Terazuma only held him as the dragon
finally released the tears that had threatened to fall ever since the beginning.
He had to be strong. For his lover, for his friends, for his people, for
his children, and for his master and friend. But not right now. For a moment,
he could be weak; and he could be weak in Hajime's arms.
Terazuma whispered softly to him, soothing him, stroking his hands over
the slender back. It was all he did, all he could do.
° ° °
It was dawn in Meifu. The sun was peeking out behind the hazy clouds
in the slate gray sky, not yet strong enough to warm but enough to spend
a little light to chase away the darkness. Morning dew clung to the grass
and flowers. In the distance a water fountain gurgled softly, the only
artificial sound in the awakening of mother nature. Birds chirped, there
was a rustle of small animals in the bushes, and here or there a few insects
lingered.
It was an illusion of perfection, but it was a perfect illusion. Nothing
here was real. The insects, the birds, the animals in the bushes. Meifu
had no fauna or flora as such. It had what the realm was creating, but
it had never been born naturally. Weather, day and night, tides, everything
was just a mirror of the world of the living.
Like the shinigami were mirrors of their former alive and human selves.
At the edge of this illusion stood a huge building, a palace, the only
building at all in the vastness surrounding it. Nothing moved, no one seemed
to be awake, but still there was an unholy thrum of life. Millions upon
millions of lives, actually.
Tsuzuki Asato felt them all. He had always been sensitive to the Candles,
to the souls that were born and died, that were his duty to guide into
Meifu should they get lost. He was one of the shinigami chosen for it.
He had never liked killing though. Taking a life that still hung on
to its former existence, maintaining a human façade after the body
was already gone. Killing this person had weighed heavily on his soul.
Tsuzuki blinked into the rising sun and smiled a little. It was a far
cry from his usual, carefree self. He wondered if that would come back
one day.
His memories of the events of the last twenty-four hours were crystal
clear. Nothing hazy, nothing questionable, nothing strange. He knew what
had happened; he knew what he had done; he knew...
But the knowledge didn't break him.
The darkness had receded once more, had become the core of his being,
his ultimate power, but a strange kind of calmness had remained. This was
him. He was a half-demon, his father had been a powerful demon in Hell,
and he had inherited that power. He felt no fear of that, no horror of
using it, though he was far from accessing that darkness any time soon.
Tsuzuki rested his head against the wall behind him. A slight breeze
played over his skin, refreshing and strangely vitalizing.
He had hurt people when he had been triggered, when he had lost himself.
He had even killed a man.
Muraki was dead.
By his own hands.
By Muraki's request.
Even those moments were clear despite the rage he had felt.
It was all there.
Strange.
Everyone was protecting him. He was being kept safe in this place, in
the Palace of Candles where no one could enter without the permission of
the Count. Ryu had been absent ever since Tsuzuki's awakening, but Touda
was never far, be it through the bond or physically. Right now the hell
serpent was sleeping, which was good, and the bond pulsed gently.
He had hurt them all. Touda had suffered a lot; not just in the last
twenty-four hours but before that. He needed to recover and Tsuzuki would
try to keep his side of their strange link as calm and peaceful as possible.
Hisoka was also still asleep, curled up in the huge bed in one of the countless
guest rooms.
There was a soft pulse of a presence, an announcement of it actually,
and Tsuzuki turned his head, meeting red eyes in a handsome face. Ryu,
without his mask, without his habitually very formal clothing, was standing
not far away. His face was expressionless, but his eyes held a question.
Tsuzuki smiled. "Hello," he said softly.
Ryu approached, the demon neither wary nor overly exuberant. It was
a strange kind of respect he showed. Ryu was his host, his friend, and
he had done as much harm to him as to anyone else, though him he had hurt
physically as well.
"How are you?" Tsuzuki wanted to know, checking the aura surrounding
the other man.
They were so much alike, but still more different than that. Both were
of demonic origin. Tsuzuki by birth, Ryu by his own fault; a deal with
a demon gone wrong. Ryu felt like kin, felt safe, had always felt safe
despite his sexual overtures as the Count. Tsuzuki had never had an explanation
for it until a few months ago. And Ryu, like Touda, was now his protection.
Against Enma-Daiou.
The Lord of Hades had instigated all of this and Tsuzuki had yet to
understand why. In his triggered state he had felt the power, the faint
connections, but he had yet to make sense of it all.
"Fine," Ryu now replied.
He smiled a little.
Tsuzuki answered that smile with one of his own.
"I never wanted to hurt you, Ryu."
"I healed, Tsuzuki."
Yes, he had. A few faint traces remained of what Tsuzuki had done, and
he knew the pain had been excruciating. Ryu was immortal, couldn't die,
not even by such terrible wounds, but the mind was another matter.
"I can see it all. I can feel it. I can remember it," he murmured. "Nothing
has disappeared. It's like seeing a movie with yourself as the main character."
Ryu settled down beside him, raven wing eyebrows rising a little. His
aura seemed to strengthen and Tsuzuki felt it touch his own. It was careful,
quizzical, but still so very protective. He stayed still and waited, then
relaxed into the touch of Ryu's presence against his.
There was nothing sexual to it; it was just... protection. Friendship.
Needing to know he was safe. Ryu was reacting with an instinct he had had
for over seventy years. The moment Tsuzuki had become a shinigami and walked
into Meifu, the Count had felt his presence, had reacted to him, and even
now, after Tsuzuki had grown so much more secure and stronger, he still
did it.
"I can feel the darkness and it no longer scares me, Ryu."
"I think that's good."
"It's like... like getting to know another me, but it's not a monster.
It's just... me."
It made no sense sometimes, but right now, it was perfectly logical.
Silence descended between them and Tsuzuki looked at the other man,
taking in the fine lines of past pain and stress. Rikugo was constantly
moving between Meifu and GensouKai, and Ryu accepted his partner's absence,
but it was weighing heavily on him. He had been put through the wringer
ever since Tsuzuki had discovered who he was for real, ever since he had
fallen in love with Rikugo, and even now, after everything, there was no
real time to take a breather.
Whatever had triggered all this, it was still there. Tsuzuki was safest
at the Palace and Ryu was his guardian.
"You were always just you, Asato," he murmured.
"With a few extras," was the faintly amused reply.
"I'm glad you're okay," the master of the Palace added softly.
Tsuzuki gave him a more open smile. He was okay, he was healing, and
he was protected by his friends. For whatever reason Enma-Daiou had wanted
to have him, he had lost that fight, but he was still out there, still
Tsuzuki's Lord, and the shinigami hoped that if push came to shove, Ryu
wouldn't get hurt again.
Because if Enma set his mind on entering the Palace against the Count's
will, he would do whatever was in his considerable power. For now they
had a breathing space, a time to gather their strength and lick their wounds.
"I won't let him get you," Ryu's hard voice entered his thoughts.
Tsuzuki looked at his friend, saw the resolution in the red eyes.
"Ryu..."
The demon shook his head. "He won't lay a finger on you as long as you
are here. He has no jurisdiction on these grounds."
"Thank you, my friend."
Ryu smiled a little. "You'll always be safe her, Tsuzuki. From me and
from anyone else."
Violet eyes that reflected what the shinigami had gone through darkened
a little. "I was never afraid of you and I'll never be. I know you love
me, I know you protect me, and it's something I'm very grateful for."
The other man was speechless for a moment, then looked away, uncomfortable.
"How about breakfast?" he asked, changing the topic, needing to change
it.
Tsuzuki rose and they walked inside. The moment they were in the building,
Ryu took the mask out and placed it on his face. Tsuzuki felt his stomach
constrict at the sight, or lack thereof as his friend became invisible
again. Hisoka had never seen the demon and it was Ryu's sentence to remain
behind the mask.
A gloved hand came to rest on his forearm. "Asato," Ryu murmured calmingly.
"It's not fair," he just replied. "It hurts to know that you can never
be free, Ryu. You did so much and I can't even repay you with more than
a little freedom."
"You gave me more than I could ever hope," Ryu stopped him, caressing
his face. "You are a miracle in my life, Tsuzuki Asato. I lived because
of you. Your innocent, pure soul..."
Tsuzuki wanted to deny it. He had done nothing but get this man forty-eight
hours of restricted freedom. But he could never show his face to the world.
Yes, he had found a partner in form of Rikugo who loved him, who he loved
in turn, but... it was so little. Ryu had fought and suffered and nearly
broken apart, but no one aside from a select few would ever see the face
behind the mask.
Then he suddenly understood. Ryu had lived... Ryu had found a reason
to stay sane when Tsuzuki had entered Meifu for the first time. It had
been sick, perverted lust back then, but also a deep need underneath that
layer. A need and craving that was beyond anything physical.
"Ryu..."
A gloved finger on his lips silenced him. "Shhh, Asato. I'm happy. Believe
me, I am. And we won a little victory over Enma. Don't spoil it by thinking
'what if'."
Tsuzuki lowered his gaze. He just wanted everyone to be happy, even
now, even after everything that had hurt them, after their lives had been
turned upside down.

Ryu gathered him close, hugging him, and he felt the warmth of the
other demon. It was like so long ago, at the masquerade, when the Count
had soothed him.
"You're only human," he now heard familiar words.
He chuckled sadly.
"Come. Let's eat."
Tsuzuki swallowed his misery and followed the other man. When he looked
up he discovered Hisoka watching them. The younger shinigami walked down
the stairs and nodded at the Count.
"Slept well?" Tsuzuki asked brightly, trying to push away the sadness.
Hisoka frowned a little as he watched the Count disappear into the dining
room ahead of them.
"Hisoka?" Tsuzuki tried again.
"What is he?" the empath simply asked.
Tsuzuki stopped. "Our host?" he evaded a direct answer.
"Don't play with me. It's not the first time I felt it. Right now, when
he touched you, I felt it again. It was right after we brought you here
that I sensed it. It was brief, but it was there. He's... different."
"Hisoka..."
Green eyes gave him a hard look. "You know what he is?"
It wasn't even really a question.
"Yes. I can't tell you and neither can he. It's his sentence. Just...
just accept it. We are his guests and he will protect us."
"Which is kind of hard to accept." Hisoka chewed his lower lip. "He
tried to get you into his bed more often than not and now he's what stands
between you and Enma?"
"In a way."
Another silence. Hisoka's eyes were hard, unyielding, and Tsuzuki tried
to project his trust in Ryu, that they were truly safe.
"Okay."
Tsuzuki breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank you, Hisoka." He drew his
lover into a kiss. "I wish I could tell you. I really wish he could."
"Let's just get breakfast," was all his partner said and pushed away.
Tsuzuki smiled more as he followed him into the dining room where the
Count was talking softly to Watson. Touda was already there, a silently
scowling presence. Tsuzuki felt his mental touch and gave him a warm hug
through the bond.
::I'm fine:: was the gruff reply.
Tsuzuki nodded, aware that the hell serpent had recovered, though there
were still a few echoes from the stay in Limbo.
Rikugo joined them a few minutes later, radiating the calmness Tsuzuki
so badly needed, and while neither he nor Ryu showed it openly, Tsuzuki
felt their touch, their connection. If not for Hisoka, all of this would
be a lot more open, but as Ryu had said, it was his sentence. He had shown
his face to too many people already.
They all sat down for an extensive breakfast that Watson had whipped
up, and Tsuzuki lost himself in the conversation, the banter, the feeling
of a moment of peace.
Things would heat up again soon enough.

tbc...
- 1
- 2
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Empty Spaces