The Imaginings of a Feeble Mind

Disclaimer: I don’t own these characters. They belong to Matsushita-sensei and rest assured, she’d be pissed if she ever found out what I was making her characters do at night. They should all be ashamed of themselves. –wags finger-


“Imagine a mind in that condition given almost eighty years worth of festering time, suddenly breaking loose of its moorings. It’d be like a full scale massacre. Nothing compared to what any of us have done or have seen in our lives…”

Touda frowned noticeably and stepped back to the threatened shinigami, ignoring the way more slithery purple tendrils raised from his master’s body, seemingly dangerous but inheritantly docile, doing no more than arching up as if to ward off a predator. The hellfire shiki bent at the waist and scooped the smaller man into his arms, straightening back up and cuddling him to his broad chest before heading for the chamber doors. They opened for him with a quiet rumble and he started the lengthy walk to Tsuzuki’s private rooms, a place Tenkuu had set aside for him should the violet-eyed man decide to stay for a long period of time.

Long legs made short work of the trudge, approaching the man’s quarters in less than two minutes, his face flicking up to the ceiling as if looking for permission before the walls shuddered around him and the door swung open, revealing a tastefully decorated living space, everything done in blues and golds. The bedroom part of the space was divided from the front room by a beaded curtain, also done in mixed shades of blue and yellow, Tsuzuki’s favourite colours when in Gensoukai. The snake placed his master down on the bed, right atop the blankets instead of tucking him in, remembering a moment years ago when the shinigami had unintentionally wrapped himself up in them during a fit similar to this one, nearly choking himself to death.

He loosened the man’s yukata and let it fall open around his chest, watching the slow, uneven breathing as his chest rose and fell. Touda sat himself down on the edge and watched his master thoughtfully, curious about what they were to do if the man’s darkness was unleashed, the shikigami’s own powers being as strong as the hidden demonic ones Tsuzuki carried, but not so powerful that he could stop him if he did indeed rampage. He lifted his right hand and went to rest it on the dull form of his sometime lover, one of the thin whisps of energy stopping him as it wrapped around his wrist and slowly tugged it away from Tsu’s head, giving a soft hissing sound the snake could barely hear. He hissed back slightly in anger, tearing his arm away and swatting at the offending curl of power.

It lashed back at him before disappearing back underneath the collar of the robe, its counterparts surrounding the man’s body also disappearing in their own way, whether it be up into the darkness of the robe’s shadows, or simply fading into nothing. Touda snorted and stood again, his mind on the golden emperor as he left the pained young man to his restless unconsciousness, feeling slightly guilty for the first time in decades. He closed the heavy door and left it unlocked in case SohRyu had to check on him, quickly running for the doors to the palace and taking to the sky, hurriedly heading to the emperor’s home to speak with him. It was unheard of for someone as dangerous and untrusted as Touda to be allowed entrance to the creature’s chambers but the guards responded right away once they knew the situation, admitting him without so much as a second glance.

The room was bathed in light as it always had been, candle sconces burning brightly from every angle as he walked down the long, carpeted laneway to the lord’s seat, a visual not unlike that of Enmadaioh’s own residence in Meifu, a tall and wide curtain covering the entire north wall. The dark shiki bowed slightly before standing to his full height before the curtain, arms at his side’s and head up, a defiant look on his face. He knew the emperor would be unhappy to see him but it mattered not, Tsuzuki’s wellbeing the only thing on Touda’s mind. He cleared his throat discreetly and waited for the godly creature to acknowledge him.

The voice that came was dark and melodic, the slight intonation of superiority not lost on Touda’s ears as he bowed slightly before straightening again.

“You know not why you come, Touda of the black flames. The shinigami known as Asato is beyond your help.”

There was a small shudder to the curtain as the shadowed figure behind it stood from its throne, an attendant running quickly to hold what looked like a tunic aside so it could descend the steps and remain behind the wall of cloth.

“You, who disobeyed your orders and destroyed countless lives. You who threw yourself into a massacre of unknown proportions, only to come out a felon, unwanted by your own kind and hidden away forever. What could you possibly hope to achieve by coming to me, your accuser? You know not of your own foolishness, shikigami.”

The dark apparition turned around and walked back up the shadowed stairs, replacing itself in the high backed chair and huffing quietly, the air of danger still filling the room as Touda watched carefully. It had been ages since he last stood before the emperor, his inner fear still taking centre stage as he tried to remain stoic.

“My lord emperor, I come only for the sake of the man. This is not a cry for help, nor leniency. It has no regards to my own plight which you have forced upon me. I only wish for him to be taken care of, for his soul to either be calmed as it once was, or to be relea…”

The snake god’s words were cut off by a loud blast of sound that came from behind the curtain, the cloth flapping crazily but never lifting high enough so that the observer could see the hidden lord, his knees almost buckling as a sharp pain shot through his head, nearly dropping him to his knees.

“You dare to ask me, to release a power such as that into the depths of Gensoukai?! Has your freedom caused you to become so idiotic?! His power far exceeds that of yours, Touda! Have you no cares for the other residents of this beautiful land? Do you not know of the massacre that occurred the last time his soul was set free?”

The slightly angered shikigami only stared, his mouth open as if he meant to retaliate for his words but slowly closed it and dropped his head in silence. He knew what had happened. He knew what he was asking was ludicrous. With a snort he promptly turned his back on the lord god and walked back outside, the attendants at the doors giving him an incredibly dirty look as he passed them without so much as a word. Within minutes he was back out and hurrying to Tsuzuki’s rooms, his path hindered only by a bright blue and white streak of fury that appeared before him, blue hair flying every which way as it settled from its owner’s sudden movement.

Touda stared SohRyu in the eye for less than a second before he was pushed back bodily by strong fists against his shoulders, the sharp growl from the blue haired dragon actually thrilling him as he looked at him. The man was practically seething with rage, his face drawn into a nasty grimace and his hands at his sides, clenched tightly enough for the claws to dig into the palms.

“Tell me you didn’t just visit the emperor, Touda! Tell me you didn’t beg for Tsuzuki’s life! I know very well what you’re thinking, and releasing that cursed demon is not a choice we have to make!”

SohRyu shuddered slightly before visibly calming, his entire body relaxing as he stepped closer to the irritated hellfire snake and raised his left hand to touch the side of his face, cupping Touda’s cheek and caressing it lightly with his thumb.

“I know you care for him Touda, but he has to fight his own battles. Let his mind wrestle with its own demons. You know as well as I do that if we release Tsumibito into Gensoukai, not even your fire could save us.”

Touda blinked behind his visor and was about to answer with a dry, witless remark but was cut off once again, his head whipping to Tsuzuki’s door as the wooden barrier was torn off of its hinges, the dark purple haze immediately filling the corridor as it poured from the blown out orifice. He threw himself into it without even looking back at SohRyu, stepping over the charred door and entering the room with a heavy heart, suddenly fearful that the presence would harm his lover instead of simply surround him. Once inside he cringed both physically and mentally, the sight of Tsuzuki slowly standing up from the bed with the demonic power rushing from him like waves of smoke hurting him. He made three steps inside before he was buckled down with pain, his hands flying to his head as he let out a bloodcurdling wail, a mirrored one resounding from the outer hallway as SohRyu clutched his head in much the same manner, his knees giving out and instantly dropping the proud dragon to his knees.

Touda looked up from his low crouch, his eyes wide behind the ever present visor as he regarded his master as he had never seen him before, the normally smiling visage of the onetime human now a smirking, swirling face of evil, his eyes glowing brightly as he retied the yukata and walked towards the prone snake. He let out a chilling chuckle, one reserved for serial killers and madmen, one adopted by his far away nemesis, Dr. Muraki. One hand rested against his side while the other lifted to hold above Touda’s head, palmside down as the dark power flowed around it, circling his hand and forearm like a well twisted bit of ribbon. It crackled as the hand neared the shikigami’s head, the stark purple intertwining with Touda’s black locks, as he lowered the hand enough to grip tightly, making the creature cry out in shocked hurt and pain.

Across all of Gensoukai the various shikigami employed by the violet eyed shinigami stopped what they were doing, be it training or relaxing, or even being close with their loved ones, and fell screaming to their knees, curling up and shuddering as an unknown pain struck them where they could not defend themselves. Even the great palace Tenkuu, with its strong, seemingly unbreakable exterior, shivered from the shock of it all, the walls creaking and shifting angrily as it was attacked for no apparent reason.

The demon Tsuzuki simply smiled as he inflicted the suffering once given to his previous prey upon his closest allies, his lips pulled back in a grin so wide his teeth shone in the bright purple light, a chuckle bubbling up from his throat as he laughed at the plight they now faced.