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. Dirty little buggers…–wags finger-

Notes: I added a well-known character to this chapter simply because I love him. His disappearance from the end of the anime and subsequent invisibility in the following manga made me want to write him in. Also, I’m, sorry it’s taken me so long to update this. I’ve become encompassed by new fics, work and family life. Things keep changing.

The memory ended, Touda sighed softly and shifted Tsuzuki so he was lying on his side, carefully curling his much larger frame up against the man’s back, his right arm draped over the shinigami’s waist protectively while the left cushioned him from the hard stone floor. They had lain together like this for an entire day afterwards, neither of them willing to move after such an encounter. Touda almost smiled behind the soft hair of his intense lover, his breath mingling in the light brown strands, wanting to be away from this evil place but unable to leave with his master.

Bright eyes turned to gaze upon the door as footsteps approached, the snake god’s body tensing as he awaited their visitor. He could hardly believe anyone would bother them down there and although he enjoyed the silence, he wanted to be out of the darkness, if only to coddle his lover in the privacy of his own rooms. A hint of familiar spiritual haze kissed his mind before recognition kicked in.

The young shinigami’s eyes opened just as Touda began to hiss softly, the noise turning into a light snarl as he held the smaller body even tighter against his chest, slowly shifting to be in a sitting position, his powerfully muscled legs on either side of his lover, another strong barrier against the wicked world. A chuckle from the doorway caused Tsuzuki to peer over, tears already forming in his eyes as he lowered his gaze immediately, his chin resting on the ruined shirtfront.

The image was a nightmare for the mentally disturbed guardian, Touda’s visage a swirling mass of hate as the well read being spoke.

“Your protectiveness astounds me, creature. Does my appearance cause you such turmoil? I assure you, I’m not here to harm him.”

In one swift movement, the dark fire shikigami was on his feet, his right arm holding Tsuzuki behind himself as he threatened with his left, the limiter devices keeping him from forming any sort of spiritual energy that he could use against the pale skinned visitor.

“Ahh, your restrictions are still in effect I see. How delightful. I only have a short time before your lord finds me here anyway and your interference wouldn’t have been tolerated.”
The diabolical doctor chuckled to himself as he unbuttoned the front of his suit jacket and then the dress shirt beneath, revealing snow-white flesh that bared marks of an even paler hue, crisscrossed lines that bore an uncanny resemblance to the licks of a well-heated flame. The distinct mark of a long healed wound sat along his left-hand side, his thumb gently rubbing at it as he hissed in mock pleasure.
“You know what these marks symbolize, snake. You put them there yourself. This one however, is the work of our dear Tsuzuki. I’ve forgiven him his transgressions. His body and soul are still worthy enough of my love.”

Touda sunk back slightly as he lifted his eyes from the marks to the man’s face, his lips pulled back as he growled angrily, his extended hand flexing the clawed fingers dangerously.
“Your love is not what Tsuzuki needs. It is unfortunate that you should show up at this time. He is…unwell. Enmadaioh-sama has imprisoned him here because of his most recent outburst.”

“I know of it. I am forever aware of his mental leanings, regardless of their darknesses. He is mine after all. A discarded child he remains, only waiting for his rightful owner to come and claim him. The time has come and it has taken me a long time to finally be able to return to this place. I was drawn to the sudden strengthening of his darkness. I’m able to make him better again. Would you trust me with his care?”

A deep chuckle of his own issued past the occasionally loving lips, Touda’s body language betraying his seemingly calming demeanor.
“I would not trust you with an enemy’s care. Your idea of love sickens me.”

Muraki redressed himself as he laughed softly, keeping his mismatched eyes on the dark god as if still somewhat fearful of him.

“And yours, Shikigami? A sexual relationship with your master is frowned upon by the golden emperor, is it not? Do you keep him happy? Does it please you to see him in a state of mental distress so terrible that he allows his darkness to consume him?”

“You are treading on unstable ground, human. I suggest you make yourself scarce in an immense hurry.”

To the knowledged members of Tsuzuki’s flock, Muraki was no ordinary human, Touda’s mind slowly processing this point as he realized the living man had appeared in Gensoukai. And, that he had lived through the fires of Hell themselves, emerging with only the barest of scars.
The great snake gave a shuddering hiss and turned to scoop his young lover up, keeping himself between Tsuzuki and his once captor as he made his way to the door. Casting a glance over his right shoulder he silently challenged the silver haired physician, watching as the man bowed and allowed him to pass, hardly an exchange happening between them.

“You cannot leave the building, creature. Enma has the shikigami on guard for just such an escape attempt. My dealings with your kind in the past have given me a buffer to their magical aspects and an insight into their minds, should I so desire to take a peek. Tenkuu is no different. It is afraid for its newest charge. The same fear it showed for you when Tsuzuki came to claim you. It is not I who it will try to destroy, should he be taken from his rightful place.”

The short haired demon turned and glared at the palely dressed bastard, his eyes hidden but still smoldering with hatred as he backed towards the far set of stairs this time, unwilling to turn his back on such a damnable man. The violent shikigami knew when he had been bluffed and this was not one of those times, two more colourful flecks of cognizance slowly appearing within his suddenly troubled mind.

One he knew to be SohRyu, the graceful dragon walking slowly, then hurrying towards the dungeon the moment Touda’s foot stepped over the threshold between the inner sanctum and the stairs that lead to the upper floors. He had been caught by the palace’s silent alarm, a mental signal that alerted the other shikigami to mishaps within its stone walls.
That was the second coloured signal he had received, amplified by the visor’s capabilities and in truth, an unwanted intrusion. Knowing that his time was already short, Touda swallowed his loathing and turned from the pale human, moving quickly up the stairs and nearly bowling the blue haired shikigami leader over, his dark eyes wide with fright at the sight of his master held so tightly within the snake god’s grasp. His hand flew to the functional sword at his side, drawing it halfway from its sheath as he snarled menacingly and flashed a pair of viciously sharp canine teeth amongst his normal pearly whites.

As far as SohRyu was concerned, the warning was for Touda’s theft of their master, the other shikigami already assembling outside of the building to apprehend the creature as he made his daring escape.

“Let him go, Touda. His suffering has to end somewhere. Just…let me have him and I’ll let you walk away. The others won’t be so lenient. Please!”

The once shunned shikigami shook his head and tried to give his former lover a baleful look and failed, the visor cutting off his ability to use his eyes as a form of expression. His fingers clutched Tsuzuki’s forearms and their sharpened tips punctured the delicate flesh, blood beginning to flow freely from the tiny marks. The scent of it reached both creatures’ nostrils and each breathed deeply of it, the smell of power permeating the room before Touda took the chance and turned away again, throwing himself down the corridor towards Tenkuu’s main exit.

He cast one last glance over his shoulder to the brilliant dragon, giving him a mental command that belied the fear he felt, trying to save his comrades even while saving his lover.

// The white human is in the dungeon. He tried to take Tsuzuki with him. Please deal with him, Soh. I cannot remain here. //


The Eastern guardian blinked before understanding, his feet carrying him quickly down the stone steps before he faced the bane of his master’s existence, the genius doctor, Muraki Kazutaka. The man smiled warmly and bowed as if honoured by the god’s presence, his clothes as immaculate as Soh had remembered, their last meeting hardly a glimmer anymore in his mind.

“Good evening, lord dragon. I assure you, I have no qualms with the inhabitants of this lovely place. My prey has been driven from the flock it seems. I will bid you good day and hopefully, your emperor will not be upset by this turn of events.”

SohRyu’s hand, already on the sword, dragged it the rest of the way out and dashed forward to lunge at the well dressed human, a blast of hot but sweet smelling air encompassing him before he landed in a heap against the corridor’s ending wall, the clearing smoke affirming that his opponent had indeed fled. He growled in anger and thrust his weapon back into its place, picking himself up and brushing the regal robes free of the clingy sublevel dirt.

“Enmadaioh-sama should have known that that man was here. How could he have snuck into Gensoukai undetected? And Touda…gods, he’ll be hunted for kidnapping Tsuzuki…”


It was easy for the dark serpent to avoid his fellow shikigami as he left the living building from an exit seldom used by any creature, Tenkuu’s weak attempt at locking the door staved off by one large hand against the aging wood and a powerful push. The material blew apart and splintered, the immobile god groaning its pain throughout its halls as walls and floors shifted.

He ran through the field where he and his master used to stalk SohRyu and his children, playfully tossing dirt up onto the little knoll. It was a memory long past as Touda hurried towards the clearing where Tsuzuki would have appeared in the digital world, breaking the rules slightly as he endured a sudden burst of pain in his temples and summoned the gateway, forgoing the gate guardians and jumping into the swirling vortex. The pain was no doubt Enmadaioh’s last attempt at stalling him, more than likely enraged beyond measure at Touda’s willingness to defy him.

Directing its reappearance while inside, the hellfire shikigami signaled it to show up in Tsuzuki’s living room, wanting his master to be safe while he pondered the outcome of his actions. The gate opened above the man’s couch and he set down upon the fluffed cushions with his charge draped across his arms, his eyes still open but there hadn’t been any response from him since he had started crying from Muraki’s appearance.

He set the light body down on the couch and walked to the bedroom where he fetched a heavy pillow and the blanket from the foot of the bed, using both to make his master more comfortable as he surveyed the apartment for any intruders, knowing full well that the light coloured human could appear anywhere he desired.
Convinced that their space was safe, Touda settled down on the edge of the cushions and ran a shaking hand over the violet eyed one’s forehead, smoothing his hair back from his eyes as he gazed upon the man’s serene face, wondering how such a beautiful creature could hold such evil inside of himself. He leaned forward and pressed a light kiss to the furrowing brow, purple orbs staring up at him, the shine within them still not entirely that of the lover he knew.

“You kept him from me again, Touda. How come you bother with me? I’m just a demon in disguise. I can feel it welling up inside me. You’re in danger if you stay here.”

“I’m not leaving you again. The others will be coming after me very soon and I don’t want to leave you alone. I know this may not be the best place for you considering your possessed state, but I could not leave you in Tenkuu’s care. I nearly went mad within its walls.”

“Ahh…sou ka…” The violet in Tsuzuki’s eyes flared for a brief second before the lids closed over and the small body went slack, his spiritual energy still there inside Touda’s mind, a small space occupied by the beautiful swirling colours. He knew when the man was in trouble because of the colour shift and slowly, so very slowly, the violet and blue that sat dormant for most of their lives together, started to shift towards red.
It was a subtle change and when Touda finally noticed it, after three hours of aimlessly tidying the man’s apartment to keep himself occupied, the colour had become to vivid that it almost clouded his vision. It was almost like looking through a crimson fog. Blinking and even toying with the adjusting mechanism on the side of his visor, Touda still couldn’t get it to clear, panic rising in him as the hairs stood up on the back of his neck.

The fire creature threw aside the sheets he was busy unfolding to remake Tsuzuki’s bed and hurried to the man’s side, halting at the door with his mouth open, the sight beyond the wooden threshold causing him to cry out in anger and fright.

Tsuzuki sat on the floor about ten feet from the couch, his head buried between his knees and his arms folded over it as if shielding himself from some terrible force, the room completely filled with a mixture of purple and red haze. It was the chakra, of the demon within his gentle master. The red signifying instinct, survival and security. The violet, a connection to the divine. A misaligned but correct assumption that Tsuzuki’s mind and soul were fighting with the demon but were also so attuned to its behaviour, that it resembled a mirror through which Tsuzuki’s entire life reflected.

Touda whispered to himself without realizing he was speaking aloud, his hands shaking as he lifted them to hold himself against the doorjamb.

“It’s safe within its haven but it wants to escape because of its power. He’s holding it there. He wants to be inhabited by it. Enma save us. Tsuzuki still wants the Tsumibito to be part of him…”


A/N: The descriptions of the chakra colours are from the official chakra chart used by the Brahma Upanishad and the Yogatattva Upanishad . I was looking through the colour levels and was shocked by the similarities between its scale and Tsuzuki’s spiritual colours.