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Truth of Darkness	By : KiraDouji Category: Descendents of Darkness/Yami No Matsuei > General Views: 2219 -:- 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
- 2
- 3
- 4
Chapter: Three: Echoes of the Past

Pairing/Character/s: Sohryu, Touda, Tsuzuki, Suzaku, Kurikara, Kijin, Tenkou, various others.

Disclaimer:
The author holds no license of nor makes claims to any of the characters,
concepts, or story the above originated from in any way. The characters are
used without permission of the original creator for the sake of entertainment
only. No profit is gained from the writing found hereafter, nor any personal
credit taken for the character designs, personalities or concepts stemming from
the original story used. All situations below, unless otherwise stated, have no
bearing on the creator�s original work, and are solely the creation of the
author based on personal interpretation of the above mentioned works or are
parodies exempted from copyright laws. It is the responsibility of the reader
to observe all warnings before proceeding to the fiction below, as it may
contain any number of situations, themes, ideas, views, or lifestyles not
suitable for those under the age of 18 or which may be contrary or offensive to
the beliefs of some. In the event that the following is the author�s original
work, or contains an original character, the author holds the copy write and
should be contacted before either is used or distributed in any way. All
questions and comments concerning the written work or otherwise can be made
directly to the author.

Warning/s: Spoilers, but if you've made it this far, you already knew that.

Word Count: ?

Summary: The understanding of curent problems creates paths that breach topics long since left on the wayside of time.

Author�s Note: I write too much Bleach, yes, I know. But here's chapter three anyway~ Enjoy!

Echoes of the Past

�We can draw lessons from the past, but we cannot live in it."

- Lyndon B. Johnson

Sohryu closed the book with a sigh
and looked up, his eyes met by the spines of many more books fortifying his
desk. It certainly would have been much easier if all the knowledge in these
tomes, scrolls, books, journals and loose papers had been transferred over to
electronic storage� or if he knew what he was looking for in the first place.
But never one to shrink back in the face of a challenge, the dragon lord had
rolled up his sleeves and begun digging through the deepest reaches of the
library. Like so much of Gensoukai, Tenkuu was a strange dichotomy of ancient
and modern: it�s archaic library matched by the
elaborate computer system running alongside. Although most of the inhabitants
that did liveed outside of Tenkuu used little in the way of modern technology, they
certainly were adaptable� unlike so many of their leaders.

The dragon lord frowned and glanced
over two crisp pieces of paper recently covered in his elegant scrawl. One
related in meticulous detail each event leading up to, during and immediately
proceeding the four previous wars, while the other contained incomplete
timelines of Touda�s movements for the same timeframe. If Tsuzuki couldn�t tell
him, and Touda refused to� then he would figure it out on his own. Taking the
paper marked in data, Sohryu scribbled in a note towards the beginning of the
page about the murder of the opposing faction�s leader before regarding both
parchments with an even, thoughtful gaze.

All the timelines were intended to
provide were prompts for his memories , since he had
lived through the events... had felt and fought in every conflict. He could
distinctly remember the rise in tensions between the Emperor and those loyal to
him and those who disagreed with his tactics.
He didn't enjoy recounting those times, and this certainly was not the
most helpful for his supposed goal of resting.It was
rather hard to take an objective look at everything, but the ability to do so
despite all other factors was one Sohryu had cultivated over his many years in
charge of the masses.

And it was with that frame of mind
that he noticed the beginning of the trail. During the first war those in
dissention were not rallied together until the very day war broke loose across
Gensoukai� yet it was that very day that they had lost their leader. In his
younger days, Sohryu had attributed the death to a fanatic on his side of the
dispute merely overreacting or even some kind of political maneuvering. The
faction had unified under the banner of death. His eyes slid to the paper concerning
Touda�s information� Five days before and two days after the war began, his
notes proclaimed �Unaccounted For� in deep black letters. With a small frown,
Sohryu pulled out one book he was very familiar with: his own journal, or at
least the one he had kept during those years, and sifted through the pages
until he found the date he was looking for.

� Despite the overwhelming and
unforeseen attack, we were able to fortify Tenkuu and force the faction beyond
city lines. �. Even with all the tensions aroused during the past months all
out war was never even a conjecture. They seemed to come to the conclusion
swiftly enough, though, for the moment their leader fell, they raised arms
against our lord: something Yako would never have
condoned in life�

Sohryu stopped reading and looked
back at his timelines. Perhaps he could discount it as a coincidence if it had
only occurred once, perhaps but� a week before the beginning of the second war,
to the day after it began, his own script proclaimed �Unaccounted For� in
sweeping letters across the timeline of Touda�s movements while on the paper
concerning the timeframe of the war, many tidy notes relayed the gruesome
details of the mass murder of the enemy leader�s entire clan. It had been a
short war, waged by an insane shikigami and her zealots, but it decimated the
landscape and took the lives of thousands of innocents caught in the cross
fire. The official documents on the matter concluded that Niran
had been driven into a murderous rage upon finding her mate with another, and
the subsequent destruction of her family and entire clan the fault of the
madness that settled into her shocked mind. Sohryu could easily call the image
of the young wind shikigami to his mind� never the ruthless, insane general
that led her armies to nothing but destruction, but the kind spirit who had
peacefully led the Hirogane clan for hundreds of
years prior to their complete eradication. Although� another part of his mind
tugged impatiently towards the memory of
their peaceful coexistence with humans and the Hirogane
clan�s infamous strategies for using loopholes to avoid the full weight of the
Emperor�s law.

Sensing another headache and large
amount of emotional stress looming larger the more he read, Sohryu stood up and
pushed himself away from the desk. Despite his intent to leave the theories at
his desk while he found lunch he couldn�t help wondering that if� just if what
he was slowly piecing together was impossibly true� what role had he played and
what was the true reason Touda was so adamant he never find out in spite of all
of Tsuzuki�s imploring?

�Tsuzuki!�
Kijin looked up from the papers he�d been reading in time to see his sister
quite literally pounce the surprised shinigami. Said shinigami landed
ungracefully on his butt, arms full of an overly excited dragon. Kijin
chuckled.

�Hey there princess,� Tsuzuki smiled
brightly and gave her a hug. �What�re you up to?�

Tenkou
pushed herself back to her feet in front of Tsuzuki. �You�ve been hiding
lately! It�s not fair,� she pouted cutely; �I wanted to see you too!�

Smile still easily in place, Tsuzuki
moved to his feet but crouched down so he was still at Tenkou�s
height. �I�m sorry� I�ve been so busy lately, Tenkou,
you wouldn�t believe how stubborn your father can be,� he joked.

Tenkou
giggled, sending a furtive glance at Kijin. �Father�s always like that.� She
beamed at Tsuzuki, �He wants to be strong for us.�

With a light sigh, Kijin tucked the
papers under his arm, and stepped in before Tenkou
said much more, glancing down the hallway a bit before turning his light smile
to Tsuzuki. �How are you doing now, Tsuzuki? Still busy?�

�Eh-� Tsuzuki rose to his normal
height, hand behind his head. �Well, just out for a walk with Touda, really.�

Kijin blinked, and looked behind
Tsuzuki again, noticing form the first time the dark form of the fire shikigami
leaning against the wall, arms crossed, gaze hidden by the ever-present visor.
�Ah.� He recovered quickly, though, and turned his attention back to Tsuzuki. �We�ll
leave you to your walk, then: I need to get these papers to the council room to
keep things moving-�

Tsuzuki furrowed his brow slightly,
�Isn�t that your father�s job?�

The young dragon gave a real smile
then, and answered, �He�s been in his room all day, Tsuzuki.�

�What-�

�Resting.�
Kijin clarified. �Like you asked him to.� Tsuzuki just
looked at him incredulously, a look so dumbfounded it brought chuckles from
both dragons.

�He listens to you, Tsuzuki!� Tenkou giggled. �You should close your mouth before your
face gets stuck like that.� Tsuzuki�s
jaw snapped shut.

�Ahh� I�m
glad�� He stammered a bit embarrassedly, hand back behind his head
self-consciously.

�Come on, Tenkou,�
Kijin guided gently and began walking again, shortly passing a servant headed
in the opposite direction. She gave him a short bow without breaking her step.

But the quietness of the hall broke
again with a flurry of excited flames. �Tsuzuki!�

The shinigami braced himself for
another tackle, but cracked an eye open at the hallway in the direction Kijin
had just come from and was met instead with the frantically waving form of
Suzaku. He let his defense down a little, curious.

�Tsuzuki!
We did it!� She was beside him in the next second, excited embers dancing
around her feet absently as she gave him a big hug.

�Did what?� Tsuzuki managed, if a
bit muffled, while trying to stay on his feet.

�We found him, Tsuzuki! We found Hisoka!�

Violet eyes widened and Suzaku was
at an arm�s length in an instant. �Where? Where did
you find him? Where is he now?!�

�This way, come on!� Suzaku nearly
crowed, turning around and dragging Tsuzuki down the hallway by his arm. Not
that he particularly minded, of course.

A soft touch on his arm drew Touda�s
vision from the disappearing form of his master to the gentle form of a
servant. He arched an eyebrow. �Do you need something?�

�Lord Sohryu has requested your
presence, sir,� she explained quietly. At Touda�s continued silence she
prompted gently, �Now, if at all possible.�

Touda tilted his head slightly,
regarding the small woman for a moment as he thought about the strange request.
�Where?�

The woman looked away, �I am to take
you to him if that is all right.�

�� Then lead.�

Sohryu looked up as the door to his
personal chambers opened, allowing only the slim form of a serpent shikigami
through before they were closed again. He hadn�t exactly been looking forward
to this, but a feeling of accomplishment stirred in him when Touda�s gaze met
with his. Mistrust and wariness crackled between them, one in familiar
surroundings, and the other just barely in the room. Touda crossed his arms and
for once Sohryu wished he could track the other�s eyes through the visor.
Finally, he sat up a bit straighter and gestured lightly for Touda to walk away
from the doors a bit.

�I assume Suzaku found Tsuzuki,
since he is not with you.�

Touda frowned and quickly halved the
distance between them. �Just as you intended. What is
this about, Sohryu?� Unseen, the shikigami�s serpentine eyes scanned the book
covered desk, catching the titles on some, and the age in others. He fisted his
right hand to keep from tensing up too noticeably.

Centuries of meetings and
interrogations had taught Sohryu how to gauge the reactions of people fairly
easily. Even without being able to see Touda�s full expression, he could tell
the serpent had already figured out what this meeting was about� and didn�t
like it one bit. �Many things have been left unexplained� far too many,� he
began, eyes never leaving Touda as he spoke. �I think it�s time we fixed that.�

�Why are you suddenly so interested
in the past, Sohryu?� Touda crossed his arms again. �You were never too
concerned with it before. What does it matter, after all?� The malice in his tone
did not slip out, rather he willed it.

Sohryu�s expression changed
slightly, darkening as he replied. �One way or the other� the truth needs to
come out.� Touda tensed completely.

�You were listening-�

�You disagree?� Sohryu cut in
mid-growl. �What is it you�re guarding? It�s certainly not the Emperor�s
honor-� even without a direct view of Touda�s eyes, he could tell the fire
shikigami�s gaze had intensified at that. Sohryu frowned again. �You were never
one to defend it, Touda.� The snake made no move to refute the point, so he
continued to press. �What do you hide? Are you afraid I won't accept the facts
you've told Tsuzuki?�

�Since when did you ever accept
facts that went against your beliefs, Sohryu?� Touda bit out caustically.

The dragon lord narrowed his eyes,
ire raised. �Even if I don�t like it, I can�t ignore what facts the case
presents. But until such a time as my beliefs have been disproved, I will
remain loyal to them.� He glowered, continuing. �Loyalty.�
The word was spelled out as though to a child.�It may be a foreign concept to you...�

�Loyalty?!� Touda uncrossed his
arms angrily, fisting both hands as they swung down. �What would you know about loyalties I�ve
held? All you know about me is what the Emperor told you!� His gaze burned.
�Every loyalty I�ve had, we have shared, Sohryu.�

�And the thousands of people you murdered? You held loyalty to them?�
Sohryu snapped back, voice raised but not quite yelling. �All the ones who were
loyal to our Emperor, like I... you held that loyalty, Touda?�

�I served the Emperor just as
closely as Tsuzuki-�

�Then I should expect betrayal
again?�

�He betrayed me, Sohryu, not the reverse!� Touda growled, trying to calm himself
down. Furiously pointing at the desk between them, he continued, �You�ve done
the research, you are aware of the facts. You know what happened with your own
son, you were there when he was finally destroyed! Are you so blind? What more
do you need
from me?�

Blue eyes simmered angrily across
the desk, but Sohryu made no move to repeat Touda�s angry gestures. �The facts? Every war began with death, Touda, why?�

�Why do you think?�

�I have my theories. You are here to
tell me the truth of it.�

Touda closed the remaining distance,
placing his hands on the edge of the desk and leered across it at the
infuriating dragon lord. �Would you even believe me if I told
you?�

�You can continue to fantasize about
your unfair persecution all you like, but that's all it is. My duty is to
discover the truth, and you are certainly not assisting me with your sophomoric
behavior.�

�The truth?
You and the rest believed in my guilt readily enough, back then.�

�Is that why you never bothered clearing your name
since you were freed?� Sohryu parried, maintaining his calm demeanor despite
the tension.

�I killed and tortured the entire Hirogane clan in front of Niran
before the start of the second war. I broke her sanity and intentionally sent
her on a path of crazed bloodshed.� Touda said flatly. �Do you believe that,
Sohryu?�

The harsh words spoken so easily
made Sohryu clench his jaw before he could reply in kind. Instead, he managed
to answer with, �Would you tell Tsuzuki that was the truth?�

�I would and have answered every one
of Tsuzuki�s questions.� Touda hissed back.

�Then I trust Tsuzuki's judgement.� Sohryu
locked his piercing gaze with Touda�s hidden one. �At one time I would have
believed you without reassurance. Do you have any idea what kind of suffering
your actions caused?�

�I am not without eyes, Sohryu.�

�At least in equivalence to the pain
you caused innocent people is the suffering of those who held faith in you,
Touda. We relied on your strength and when it was most needed� you failed.
Sometimes it is necessary to kill someone so that others may live; I don�t
believe either of us disagrees with that. If your actions were based on this
concept, why is it you seem to regret them? Regret stems from guilt, after all.
If your conscious was clear you would feel neither. Rather, you are burdened
with your past. At the same time, though, you have not attempted to rectify it.
Is your blood really so cold?�

�I am a creature of death, Sohryu,�
Touda growled lowly, �my power brings destruction, my fire breeds death. My
nature cannot be changed, only my will moved. In all things until now my will
has been forced.�

�What is it you�re fighting for?
This land has always sought peace, but you were never a zealot of such ideals.
Is it freedom then? Yet, you claim your will until now has been forced, and you
refuse time and again to bring resolution to these mysteries. So which is it?
Neither?� The dragon lord pushed.

�Freedom.�
The answer was immediate. �Peace without freedom is nothing but a prison. That
was how the Emperor ruled, and I chose a long time ago to no longer be apart of
that. I do not regret living through everything that happened � everything that
I did � because it allowed me to live to finally be able to stop him. Kurikara does not regret it, I won�t let Tsuzuki regret it,
and eventually you�ll understand why I submit to your chains. Those are my
beliefs. Will you, as the
Emperor once did, try to take away my freedom of mind as well,
Sohryu?�

A long silence grew between them as
Sohryu considered the other man before finally replying, �There will be a
private hearing in two days time: your presence is expected. Will I have to
send for you?�

�I�ll come. Whatever it is you�re
after, you�ll have. One way or another.�

If it had been Tsuzuki�s choice he
would have �swept� into the room, but since it was Suzaku�s
they �burst� into the room. If he had really cared, he would have noticed that
said �burst� nearly unhinged the doors and almost gave four servants a heart
attack. But neither thing, nor anything else for that matter, was as important
as the sole occupant of the large bed in the center of the room.

��Hisoka��

The already rather shaken healers
and servants hastily scrambled out of the shinigami�s
path. Even the Guardian of the South ceased her over-enthused dragging and
stepped aside to allow Tsuzuki to approach the bed under his own power. None of
this ever reached his mind, though, as it was still processing Hisoka�s current state which was unfavorable to say the
least. The healers had already done what they could on a scramble: bandaging
what they could see, setting what they couldn�t. Not to say they weren�t good
at their trade, just that they weren�t quite sure how to approach someone who,
while suffering from a few major injuries, remained dead to the world because
of reasons no one could identify.

Tsuzuki sank down on the mattress,
reaching out hesitantly before gently brushing the golden hair out of his
partner�s eyes. The red runes of his curse poked out from under the bandages as
if defiantly staking claim on the boy. Tsuzuki ignored them and leaned closer.
His vision was far too blurry anyway. A closer ear revealed a strong heartbeat
and easily drawn breath. The shinigami�s body sagged
in his relief and he turned to watch Hisoka�s
sleeping form.

�Hisoka�?�
He frowned worriedly, wiped at his own eyes and moved closer. �Hisoka?� The boy�s injuries were
bad, certainly, and perhaps exhaustion would keep him down for a while� but
hadn�t it been a while since they found him�? Tsuzuki sat up and turned around
to face the rest of the room. �How did you find him?�

�One of my scouting parties found
him in the desert earlier today,� Suzaku explained, moving closer to Tsuzuki.
�They brought him back to my place, someone there recognized him and sent him
here and notified me. That was a few hours ago, though, and they said he hasn�t
so much as batted an eyelash the entire time.� She wrapped an arm around
Tsuzuki�s shoulder. �But don�t worry, Tsuzuki, between all the talented people
here we�ll bring him around, you�ll see.�

Tsuzuki leaned against his
shikigami, letting her soothe his nerves at least a little bit. �At least he�s
back�� He whispered, eyes sill locked on the young boy
lying still as death on the bed. The healers crept forward again, setting to
work figuring out what condition their patient suffered from.

�That�ll never work.�

The healers leapt back again, most
of them shocked, all of them ready to flee upon seeing the room�s newest
occupant. Tsuzuki looked over his shoulder, slightly surprised to see the sword
spirit. �Kurikara�?�

�I told you before: I�m not letting
any one interfere with my challenge.� Kurikara shot
back, striding over to the bed. �You�re all fools if you think it would be
anything as simple as a physical one.�

Tsuzuki pulled out of Suzaku�s protective hold and intercepted the sword spirit
on his way to the bed. �What did you do to Hisoka?�

Kurikara
raised an eyebrow, ��bout time you got some backbone.� Before Tsuzuki could
react, the sword shikigami had moved behind him and next to the bed. Kurikara reached out and touched Hisoka�s
forehead. �Get up.�

Eyelids twitched, fingers stirred,
eyelashes fluttered and a small groan escaped Hisoka�s
lips before he opened his eyes again. His right hand came up instinctively,
shielding his unused eyes from the bright light of the room. �Hisoka!� Tsuzuki moved closer, only to be held back
by a strong arm.

�If you do anything to that boy-�

�I told you not to interrupt!� Kurikara barked before Suzaku could finish her threat.

Hisoka
blinked in confusion, and slowly sat up, wincing when he found the various
wounds in his body. He caught Tsuzuki�s worried gaze and sat up a bit
straighter before continuing his appraisal of the room, his gaze eventually
falling on Kurikara and staying there. In the ensuing
silence Kurikara smirked. �You�re a quicker learner
than your partner at any rate.�

�Well?� Hisoka
offered gruffly.

�I�ve decided to help you.� Kurikara announced with a roguish grin. The remainder of
the room stared. �You just better get some more friends fast, because I�m only
helping you when I want to help you, got it?�

Hisoka
shared a complicated gaze with the shikigami for a moment and then nodded. Next
thing he knew, he was being crushed against his partner�s more than ruffled
clothing. �Tsuzuki! Ow! Hey!
What�re you doing?! Can�t you see I�m injured?!�

Tsuzuki loosened his hold and let Hisoka sit back up, but didn�t let go of him. �Don�t ever
do something like that again, Hisoka! You scared me
to death! I thought� I thought-�

�Well, you were wrong,� Hisoka rolled his eyes at Tsuzuki, not missing the waves
of relieved convern
splashing clear over his mental barriers
with a vengeance. Tsuzuki pulled him close again, this time careful of his
injuries but at the same time holding him tightly. He had to admit: it felt
pretty good. Relaxing ever so lightly, Hisoka let
himself lean into Tsuzuki�s relieved embrace.

Touda closed the door after Kurikara left the room unnoticed. �You�re taking a
Shinigami?� he asked, watching the door rather than the man the comment had
been directed at.

Kurikara
paused, not bothering to turn around. �We�re not done yet, snake.� He tilted
his head up as if watching the sky through the vaulted ceiling rising high
above him. �He survived just barely, but not by strength, so I will help him,
but not as his shikigami. Nothing is that black and white.�

Touda looked at the ground, still
half upset over the conversation he�d just had. Of course, now his power was
abysmally low because he had used it to move to Tsuzuki rather than take the
time to find him. Both things made him irritable and vague words of warning
certainly weren�t going to help his mood. He opened the door again and walked
in without as much as a backward glance.

Suzaku�s
eyes locked on him the moment he entered the room, but instead of attacking him
she just crossed her arms and gave him a hard glare before returning to her
vigil of the two young men on the bed. Touda remained in the back of the room,
his gaze also held by the shinigami. The was no love between him and the boy,
at least he didn�t care for him beyond
Tsuzuki�s desire to protect the young man.For
his own part, Hisoka made it quite clear he did not
appreciate the serpent shikigami in the least. All the same� the kid looked
pretty beaten, and Tsuzuki was allowing himself a rare moment of real emotion.
It would only be a matter of time � Touda sighed.

Hisoka
made sure to keep his eyes closed so he wouldn�t remember how many people were
watching. He hurt. A lot. His body was screaming at him dispite
how he simply remained in his current
position. His curse thrummed annoyingly on his skin as his mind raced to rebuild his vastly
depleted barriers. Quite simply, he was exhausted. �Tsuzuki.�

The other man blinked back relieved
tears so his partner wouldn�t see and looked down at Hisoka.
�Hm?�

�Can we go back to Meifu?� Hisoka half-asked, looking away.

Tsuzuki paused a moment and then
rubbed Hisoka�s back lightly. �Yeah� we can.�

The wind blew gently about the
gardens of Tenkuu, paying no mind to the speed of its inhabitants as they
scribbled down notes, folded laundry and cooked food just a little bit quicker.
It kicked up loose flower petals despite the lack of children to be entertained
by such things,and, it
ruffled hair far too short to be played
with. Touda kept his gaze downcast, only
acknowledging the wind by watching it bend the grass in front of him.
Surrounded by full bushes and flowers in full bloom, all the glory of Gensoukai
laid out like a gracious carpet around Tenkuu, all he could do was give
attention to the simplest part.

He shifted slightly, re-crossing his
arms, and looked up at the branches of the tree he was leaning against. The sun
poked through in spots, illuminating he leaves with false halos. That�s all
light ever was anyway, just an illusion� a powerful one: one that trapped
people and bred traitorous hope. There was no reason for him to be this deeply
in thought: just look at what happened the last time he�d made a decision after
a long consultation with himself! It was one of the perks in having others
above you, in charge: they made the decisions, you just had to follow. It had
been a blessing after being left alone for five hundred years. A soft voice to guide him; to direct him. His only interest
lay with that voice, nothing else. Even after he was freed, he hadn�t given a damn about the state
of Gensoukai, though he knew what was going on as well as any of the other
generals. He hadn�t had any personal interest in the politics the rest of Tsuzuki�s
shikigami seemed so caught up in. He would just wait for Tsuzuki's needs, and
in between, he simply lived. Away from Tenkuu, away from
almost everyone else, in a small village forgotten by nearly all of Gensoukai.

But it couldn�t last. It hadn�t before
and there was no reason it would now. Eventually his mind caught up with him
and here he was again: back under some tree, staring up at the leaves as if
waiting for the answer to all of his problems to fall out of its boughs. It
never happened so easily, though, not for him. Tsuzuki had taken Hisoka back to Meifu yesterday and would presumably be
staying a while, no doubt having to explain the entire situation while at the
same time keeping an eye on his partner. Touda couldn�t help checking his bond
with Tsuzuki every few minutes; just to make sure he wasn�t too bad off. The
strength and type of bond between shikigami and shinigami depended on the related party's power levels and
similarity to one another For the fire
serpent, it had been a very deep, strong connection, owing not only to his and
Tsuzuki�s vast power and the similarity in their nature, but also to Tsuzuki�s empathy and Touda�s need for stability at the
time. As such, he�d always been able to more closely monitor his master than the
others. It wasn�t anything terribly detailed, but if Tsuzuki�s emotions ever
spiked so high (or low, as circumstances might dictate) that his power reacted�
Touda would feel the echo.

Thankfully, all the snake shikigami
could sense from
Tsuzuki�s end was the usual dormant pool
of energy. Someday, he had vowed long ago, he would talk to Tsuzuki about that.
If things kept going at the pace they were, though, it�d be sooner rather than
later. Touda sighed, his mind
kept wandering. He had no doubtthat the hearing Sohryu had scheduled for tomorrow
morning had been put together after he knew Hisoka
was back. It had been made obvious during their last meeting that the dragon
had purposely called for Touda when he knew Tsuzuki would be otherwise occupied
and that he intended to keep the shinigami out of the proceedings. He�d known
since he walked into the god�s chambers, but at the same time hadn�t said
anything to Tsuzuki about it. There would surely be more than just Sohryu at
the hearing, of that he had no doubt, but it still felt like something personal
between the two of them.

It was true that they had worked
together before: technically Sohryu was in charge of all Gensoukai, which meant
that Touda had inevitably worked for him, and while they hadn�t been the best
of friends, there had been a feeling of mutual respect between them. To some
extent, it was still there. The serpent shikigami could still remember the
first time they had met. Not only had it been his introduction to the leader of
his nation, but also the first time he had ever met another with power to rival
his: his first contact with a god. The title was debatable according to some,
but the utter power he�d felt within the dragon lord was as unmistakable then
as it was now. And power wasn�t a stagnant thing: it grew as you did, it aged
as you did and it matured as you did. For all of them it had only increased
throughout the ages, but the power of the gods was something incredible from
the beginning. Not only in Sohryu, but also Suzaku, Byakko and Genbu: anyone with that title debatable or not, held it for
that very reason.

But even in the beginning he had
always been given similar standing. He had been deployed as a high general just
as the rest of them. The respect he had for the person capable of running all
of Gensoukai had been returned. Touda closed his eyes.

�At least in equivalence to the
pain you caused innocent people is the suffering of those who held faith in
you, Touda. We relied on your strength and when it was most needed� you failed.�

Touda slid down the side of the
tree, bending his knees as he sat on the ground and put his head on his arms.
Sohryu may not have thought he�d gotten anywhere the day before, but his words
had stayed with the serpent . The dragon lord was never
one to misplace words: everything he said was carefully weighed beforehand. He
had wanted the phrase to make an impact and Touda was loath to admit that it
had. There had been trust� how long had it been since he betrayed that trust?
Since his power had failed him? Since he had failed all of them?

He just couldn�t do it anymore. Touda
exhaled heavily, letting the breeze cool his skin and empty his mind. Is this how it is? Will I always have a
limit? Will I always surrender when I meet it? A wry smirk twisted his
lips. No, that wasn�t it. Tsuzuki had just been right. It was time� He lived
for that man, didn�t he? Why was it taking him so long to follow his will? As
much as he knew and understood Tsuzuki, the same could be said the other way.
The shinigami was just right. The time for secrets was past. Well then� the
serpent lifted his head, and leaned back again to enjoy the brilliant spring
day.
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Truth of Darkness