Spinning Fate's Threads

Author\'s note: For those of you who have never seen/read Yami no Matsuei, Descendants of Darkness here in the States, a little information. Tatsumi, Watari, Hisoka and Tsuzuki are all shinigami or death gods, if you will. Some shinigami have shikigami, think other worldly beings they can summon to help them fight, i.e. Suzaku and Touda in this story.



***



Catarina snarled and strode toward him. Had he been an individual who was easily threatened the look on her face alone would have sent him scurrying out the door. As it was, he was enjoying that look immensely. There was something so raw and primitive in her gaze and it appealed to his darker sense of self.



“Get out, Isaak!”



“But I’ve only just arrived, little bird. Why would I leave now when the most interesting part of the show is about to start?” he said, watching her chest heave in anger was oddly appealing to him.



“The show’s over. Leave!”



“You wound me! Fine, I’ll go,” he said, smirking. “But I will say I was correct in one assumption concerning you. You really are delicious.” With that, he bowed to her and opened the door just as a vase shattered at the right side of his head. He left the room smiling smugly.



A few minutes later he entered the suite he and Dietrich shared, still with the same smug little smile on his face. Dietrich looked up from his book and raised his eyebrows.



“Dare I ask?”



“I’ve just been enjoying the company of a certain little bird,” Isaak said, lighting one of the thin clove cigarettes he was so fond of.



“I’d be careful of that if I were you. You might find yourself full of holes courtesy of our Mistress’ consort.”



“Hmmm. Possibly. But it will be well worth it when she comes to me.”



Dietrich laughed outright at that statement. “What makes you so certain she’ll come to you when I doubt she sees you as anything more than a blood sucking cockroach to be ground under her heel?”



“Let’s just say I know her better than she knows herself at this point.”



****

Takara was walking in one of the many gardens with Hisoka. They had been talking for what seemed like hours, catching up on each other’s lives as they managed to see so little of one another being halfway across the world most of the time. They had managed to walk the whole length of it and were headed back toward the main hall when she turned to him with a very serious expression on her face.



“So, what do you think?”



“I think he’s right after a certain fashion. Though I don’t think it would hurt to do it again if he’s interested and he certainly seems to be. I also think it would be a good idea to tell his mother.”



Takara sighed heavily. “I don’t know if that would be such a good idea just now, Hisoka. She’s been having stupid amounts of trouble with the packs lately. Mostly the younger ones not really understanding why they have to keep their abilities under wraps. I’m afraid this would just upset her even more.”



“I don’t think it will upset her so much as it will piss her off,” Hisoka said, remembering vividly the few times he had met the queen of the Volos clans.



“Oh, yes. Let’s tork off the supreme Alpha female by telling her that overzealous humans not only kidnapped her son while he was injured and battle weakened but also shoved part of his brain into a battle android. That’ll go over well. The human race wouldn’t last out the hour after that.”



“You may be right there,” Hisoka said. “Something else I probably need to tell you and Mom about though.”



“Oh? What is it?”



“It seems that some of the Methuselah in our area have started making deals with the higher ranking demons.”



“That could get nasty in short order,” Takara said. “For what reasons?”



“No idea yet. But it’s making the shikigami edgy along with the rest of us. Suzaku and Touda have decided to be here in case something bad happens during the adoption ceremonies.”



“In what capacity? Why would those two be here if there isn’t any real threat? It isn’t as though anyone who would cause problems can get in here without at least a hundred people knowing.”



“You know how they are. They take their duties to Mom as seriously as they take Asato’s orders.”



“Good gods, this is getting out of hand. If we can manage to resurrect Yohji and Ran then the whole gang will be here.”



Hisoka laughed and shook his head. “Only our family could manage to make a simple adoption ceremony into a three ring circus. From what I can feel when I’m around Abel, this better get done soon before he has a nervous breakdown. Mom does tend to take on those who are psychologically damaged. My husband as a case in point.”



***



Blaze and Gun stood a few feet away from the table, both shaking their heads and staring in mild, not to mention slightly appalled, wonder. Abel and Tsuzuki were sitting across from one another, talking between bites and eating as though they wouldn’t have food for the next hundred years.



“Hmm. Maybe we should warn the servers not to get anywhere near them until they finish licking the plates?” Blaze said.



“That might not be a bad idea. Dear gods, here I thought Tsuzuki could eat,” Gun said, shaking his head while watching Abel devour the contents of an entire pie plate.



“You might have to get a second job just to feed Abel, Gun,” Blaze said teasingly. Gun looked at her askance and she laughed. “Oh, please! It’s obvious to anyone who has eyes that you’re crazy about him and vice versa. So, what’s the problem?”



“He isn’t ready for that yet,” Gun said, avoiding looking Blaze in the eye.



“You mean ready for a relationship or ready for that?”



“A little of both. As far as anyone knows he’s never been with another man before and there is a definite difference in the schematics of a relationship like that.”



“I don’t think it’s really that much different. Maybe in the physical sense but certainly not in the emotional one. I know it’s really damn scary to love someone and not know exactly where your headed. Love isn’t a rational thing by any stretch of the imagination.”



“No it isn’t. Speaking of things that are really damn scary,” Gun said, nodding to his left.



Blaze turned her head and watched one of Tsuzuki’s shikigami winding his way through the crowded tables toward them. It amused her tremendously that everyone standing scrambled to get out of the way.



“He does tend to do the pissed off snake aura really well,” Gun commented, watching as Touda neared them. “But damn, he’s gorgeous.”



“That he is. I tend to like snakes though, considering one of my brothers is the world serpent.”



“Where are Jormun and Fen? I haven’t seen them since they dropped Circe and everyone off.”



“Probably making preparations with the other side of the family. Dear gods preserve me!”



“I think it might be better if they preserve Abel before he has a nervous breakdown.”



“Too true.”



Touda had paused in front of Blaze, letting them finish the conversation before speaking. He put one fist over his heart and inclined his head to her. Like Tsuzuki, she never allowed him or Suzaku to bow to her.



“Sovereign, the rest have arrived,” he said. Touda’s silver eyes briefly flicked to Tsuzuki, whose mouth was so full he was incapable of speech. His lips twitched a little but he didn’t smile at his master.



Tsuzuki finished chewing and swallowed heavily before motioning Touda to sit next to him.



“C’mon, have something to eat, Touda. It’s really yummy,” he said, stuffing an entire roll into his mouth.



“No. Thank you. I’ve eaten,” Touda said, eyes turning to Abel, who still had half a bagel hanging out of his mouth. He turned back to Blaze, offering her his arm. “If I may escort you to the others, Sovereign.”



“Far be it for me to refuse a hot man who wants to take me somewhere with him,” Blaze said, putting her hand in the bend of his arm.



One of Touda’s eyebrows went up briefly. “I’m presuming you mean hot in the literal sense.”



Tsuzuki nearly choked on his roll and stared wide eyed at his shikigami. “Touda made a joke? Sort of. Hell must have officially frozen over.”