The bonds that hold, For Cazuki

[Cazuki]

"Yes you look quite endearing. The pose looks like something that would have anyone dropping to their knees and salivating over you...truly impressive"

The words kept repeating in Hotaru's mind, impressing themselves just as deeply as the image of Raiza sitting in his bed with his clothes and rocking it all the same.

'Truly impressive'? He called me, truly impressive!?

It seemed that, in his shock, Hotaru had completely ignored the tone of sarcasm in his partner's voice. Instead, he found himself battling down the creeping blush that threatened to turn every patch of exposed skin red. Despite his figure and relative attractiveness, not many people had seriously complemented Hotaru. Kinoue had been a rare exception, but his compliments had always been in the way of a father or brother than a potential romantic interest. In short, it was kind of his ultimate weakness. He noticed his tail was banging against the wall, sending short thudding noises through the apartment. He forced it to stop, swearing under his breath.

 

When Raiza came swaying up to his side - still wearing his shirt, mind you! - he'd thought he'd gotten through the worst of it.

"Kotetsu is more than aware that I can and will take care of myself if I need to, no matter the state of which I might be finding myself at the moment. You have no need to worry. And as I have said before, if you do not want him to openly engage you in a fight, stay behind me. I will handle him."

Yeah, that made sense. Hotaru hated to admit it, but starting a fight wasn't going to be the best option right now. He'd eventually make it up to Kotetsu himself, but until that time came, it made the most logical sense for him to play weakling and let his partner deal with the diplomacy.

 

His ears twitched when he heard the light release of air and he would have commented on it if Raiza hadn't turned his attention directly to him with his name. It probably wasn't the first time he'd said his name, but it sure felt like it when he said it like that. Hotaru shivered despite his warm coat. Reacting to all the less-than-subtle, but still insanely hot, signs, Hotaru leant away from Raiza, suddenly more intimidated by the smaller man than he'd ever been when he was angry. His brown eyes widened and his fur started to stand on end. He swore that even the white of his pelt was turning red at this rate.

"I would have liked what I had seen better if you would have removed your coat. You shouldn't hide a body that can wake the desires of anyone who looks at it. It is quite cruel of you."

Oh, fuck me... And was he god-damn purring? Hotaru wondered briefly if it was possibly to die from heat stroke blushing. Luckily, nothing else decided to respond to... whatever he was feeling right now, but he could tell it was close.

"Perhaps next time I'll offer to teach you exactly how you can raise your appeal in my eyes........or maybe I'll just give you a little show."

Okay, NOPE!

 

NOPE! He was not taking this! At all!

Hotaru clamped his mouth shut, fangs dangerously close to drawing blood, he was biting his lips so harshly. He didn't even try and control his blushing anymore, which went all across his face and down his neck and up to his ears, which had leant forward to their maximum, trying to apparently capture every single word. His eyes had slit, focusing on every detail of Raiza's face, from the small smile that causing his legs to melt to his darkened, half-lidded eyes that were threatening to do something very embarrassing to him. Raiza's fingers were leaving trails of heat on his chest where they touched, the scar underneath throbbing in protest. His tail was beating at the wall again.

Traitor... He grumbled internally.

 

And just like that it was over. As suddenly as he'd begun his assault, Raiza retracted, turning away and having the absolute gall to look at him disinterestedly.

"Shall we get going? I'd rather we not get there too late. I have much to do".

Wait, had he just-? He did!

Watching Raiza leave, Hotaru allowed himself a small, deep growl, his face reddening for a whole different reason now.

Oh that little-

Hotaru stopped himself before he thought something he regret. That had been... something? He didn't know quite what it was, but Hotaru was now finding it even harder to not think about how attractive Raiza was. Which was just great.

Why did you curse me, Kinoue? Is this like some test or something? Please tell me.

Nothing responded. Doubtless Kinoue was laughing his ass off wherever the hell he was now.

 

Taking a few deep breaths, Hotaru checked he had everything he needed and hadn't gained something rather embarrassing. Then he let, locking his door behind him and following Raiza. Despite how childish the sentiment was, Hotaru knew then that Raiza had basically declared a war... and it was a war that Hotaru was determined to win even if it cost him his life and his dignity. He sped up his pace, matching Raiza.

He had absolutely no idea what he was going to do. Maybe an insult or-

Considering the size of Raiza's current clothing, it wasn't surprising it would reveal his neck a little. However, what was surprising was how that sight affected Hotaru.

 

In that moment, something old came back from the dead, growling from deep in Hotaru's core. His body moved on instinct, closing the gap between him and Raiza, approaching him from behind. He placed a firm hand on Raiza's hip, stroking down it with his front close to, but not touching Raiza's back. He leant his head down, placing his chin on Raiza's shoulder. His voice was a smouldering growl, at least an octave lower than his usual voice. His mouth was right next to Raiza's ear.

"Don't tempt me, Rai~" he growled. "Or you might just find out how much of an animal I can be~" On the word 'animal', Hotaru bumped his lower half sensually against Raiza's. Not a grind, but close. He felt a primal urge to lick and bite the ear-lobe in front of him. To mark Raiza for testing him. However, he only blew hot air into it, chuckling in a darker tone than his sual laughter. "Think about it~"

 

As quickly as the feeling came, it passed, leaving Hotaru dumbfounded at himself. Where the hell had that come from!? He quickly detached himself, blushing to high heaven and stuttering.

"U-uhm, I-i... Sorry!"

He ran past Raiza, pelting down the stairs like his life depended on it. Which it probably did seeing how he thought Raiza would react. He made it down to the bottom in record time, huffing and panting. He was so dead. Like, really, REALLY dead. He could hear the funeral march now. He prayed to whatever deity existed that if he made it through today he'd... not do something! Sleep less? (No, that would just be unnecessary torture.) Eat better? (But fast-food man!) Stop thinking his partner was so stupidly attractive!? (... Surprisingly, Hotaru was starting to feel less guilty for that one).

 

Either way, he stayed at the bottom floor, ers back and tail between his legs, waiting for his fate and just hoping that Raiza would be more merciful if it was a public place.

[GodofMischief]

Feeling strangely content with himself for essentially putting Hotaru in his place, Raiza didn't even entertain the thought of looking back to see if Hotaru was alright or if Rauza had managed to.....well break him, he supposed. The other Inugami was much too cocky for Raiza's likes and though he was not at full strength at all, he wasn't just going to roll over and let the other male do anything he wanted. There were other ways of winning a war aside from using physical strength. Seduction and mental prowess were essential when it came to gaining victory, it was a side talent they had learned at the Academy. Raiza's didn't think that Hotaru could have possibly forgot about that.....then again, the other Inugami was still quite the fool in the eyes of the smaller canine.

 

Letting his tail wag leisurely behind him, the ruby eyed Inugami allowed himself a moment to remember just how truly red Hotaru's face had gotten. Honestly, it was quite laughable. He had seen people blush around him on many occasions, but Hotaru had done more than just blush. The man had quite frankly almost turned his whole skin complexion into that of a tomato's. In all his years in the field, Raiza's had never seen a person turn that particular shade of red. It was hilarious and it made his tail wag just a bit faster to know that he had pulled one on Hotaru. Hopefully it would make the man think twice before he tried to flaunt his body in front of Raiza's again.

 

Hearing the sound of footsteps behind him, the Inugami flickered his ears briefly in wonder on how Hotaru appeared to have followed after him with only a momentary delay in response. The man recovered quickly, Raiza's would give him that, but he was very prone to being affected by random displays of seduction. It was a weakness Raiza's wouldn't allow either of them the luxury of forgetting.

 

Freezing when a hand found purchase on his hip, the long haired Inugami's body went stiff as alarm bells went off in his mind. Something had changed. If not by the sudden touch from Hotaru, then how he positioned his chin on his shoulder, dangerously close to the area most vulnerable to a canine. Hearing the deeper tone of voice and feeling the proximity of the other's body, Raiza's had to fight the urge to squirm out of the other Inugami's hold. And yet, the more the other spoke and the more his words clicked in Raiza, it was like a war was going on in his mind. One part was still fighting to make him squirm free and the other was causing a strange weakness to grow in him. Something he had never truly felt around anyone.

 

His knees felt oddly weak for some reason and his ears didn't hesitate not even a moment from lowering down into what could be thought of as a level of submission. By sheer will alone Raiza didn't tilt his head to one side and bare his neck all the more, as instincts and this heat pooling in his stomach, was making him want to do. To say that his blush almost compared to the one Hotaru had sported moments ago, would have been right on the dot. And when the man bumped his lower half to Raiza's, it took his whole determination to bite back the keening sort of whine that suddenly wanted to explode out of him. It was both embarrassing to feel and shocking to acknowledge that he wasn't disgusted by the closeness of the other male, not like he would be with a stranger. It was almost like he welcomed it, and that in itself had his heart galloping in his chest and a sharp inhale showing the tell tale signs of his disbelief of his body's reaction.

 

However, before he could properly respond to the other male. Before he could slam his brain into working mode again to develop a typically snappy and sarcastic reply, Hotaru moved away from him sharply. Gazing back at him surprised when Hotaru stuttered a quick apology and raced off, Raiza's found himself rather alarmed that his breath was beginning to come out in soft pants. Reaching a hand up to his face to feel for himself the burning blush that covered his whole facial features, the Inugami swore under his breath with a soft growl.

 

He was not weak, he wouldn't allow this man to toy with him like this. He didn't have time for the strange feelings running through him. He had agreed to work with Hotaru in order to complete his rewvenge, nothing else. And damn it, he wouldn't allow Hotaru to make him start having strange emotions towards him. He'd be damned before that happened.

 

Giving himself a quick and good shake from head to toes, Raiza's grumbled softly under his breath before willing himself follow the path Hotaru had taken. Shoving the strange sensations down, he climbed down the stairs slowly, ever mindful of his reconvening body and his somewhat chaotic state of mind. It took a few minutes for him to reach the other canine and when he did, Raiza froze, unsure what exactly to say when his heart began to jackhammer again by just seeing the other man. Growling under his breath, Raiza scowled and shook his head again to try and gather himself as he padded up to Hatoru.

 

There was a small tick in his jaw when he finally stopped in front of the white furred Inugami and again, he found himself at a loss of what to say. "Next time you try something like that, I'll will rip your tongue out of your mouth and make you eat it, mutt" he snapped softly even though there was no ignited heat to his words. He was just seeking shelter from his embarrassment behind his ever present rage. It was the best he could truly do at the moment.

 

"Lets go" he added in a rather clipped tone after that, sweeping past the other male and headed out of the closed in space towards the open streets.

[Cazuki]

May it never be said that good and merciful beings do not exist in this universe!

 

Hotaru stood in place for a few moments, taking deep breaths to try and steady his rapid heart-beat, internally contemplating the proverbial bullet and very much literal fangs he had just avoided being on the business end of. He kept his ears low, even as Raiza passed him by, his partner's words bouncing around his skull. Normally, he might bring up some smart comment or witticism, and it hadn't passed him by that Raiza seemed a lot less... agressive than Hotaru had been expecting. After all, if it had been only a night before, Hotaru had little doubt that Raiza would have made good on his threat, leaving him drowning in his own blood. In contrast, the threat and the curt demand was almost like an admission of friendship. Almost. Hotaru's tail couldn't help a few small sways, probably picking up on the small streaks of happiness running through Hotaru's mind. Hotaru gripped onto those small pieces, letting them remind him of all the things he had to be thankful for and, more importantly, on all the new things he had to do. Taking a final moment to contemplate what had just happened, Hotaru consigned the past, and all the confusing feelings that came with it, to the past. His white ears raised to their normal, relaxed state and he gripped his fist, briefly tracing the huge scar that crossed across his chest over his shirt and coat before he swung round on one foot and cheerfully bustled to Raiza's side.

"Wait up, Rai!"

 

Luckily, Raiza hadn't gotten too far away. Hotaru knew that officers and Inugami alike were well-briefed on the general layout of their precincts and with Raiza's experience he didn't doubt that he knew the city very well. However, Hotaru knew more about the workings of streets than any creature should ever know. It was both one of his greatest strengths and weaknesses as an Inugami. When he reached Raiza, he wasted no time in leading them through the streets. Unlike their walk here from the Department, getting to the main road was a much shorter distance, mostly free from side-streets and unlit corners. The main road was busy with the sounds of traffic and people, everyone hustling to their respective jobs or schools or colleges. The city was truly a vibrant place.

 

Tsumachi (or Machi as it is often referred to) after the civil war was officially split across 12 different 'Sectors' that marked out the major landmarks and functions of those locations, each Sector of a varying size. A few notable onces were Sector-A, B, C, D and L. Sector-A was one of the smallest sectors, but unquestionably the richest one in the whole city. It was there that you could often find celebrities, fancy hotels, casinos and other entertainment attractions. When visitors thought of Machi, they thought of Sector-A. Sector-B is the antithesis of A, being one of the largest and poorest Sectors. In the shadows cast by the garish lights of Sector-A, crime was an accepted reality in the areas. While crime was certainly not limited to that area alone, it was a commonly known secret that Sector-B was where you ended up if you were homeless or were in a bad place. It was also where Hotaru spent his early life. Sector-C, where they currently stood, was where the 'locals lived' so to speak. It's a residential district, filled to the brim with apartments and other housing estates. Sector-D is one of the many varying business districts and is also covered with a small scattering of governmental buildings such as the Department and the Academy. Finally, Sector-L, is on the very fringes of the city. It's function is not really clear, but it you could often find some small good bars there to have a drink and it was probably the most rural of all the sectors. A village at the edges of a metropolis.

 

Hotaru breathed deep. He instantly regretted the decision as a car passed by, causing fumes to clog his throat. He coughed, bending slightly as he tried to force out the noxious gas.

"Shit..." he coughed again, banging his chest lightly. "They really should invest in Inugami-safe cars..."

People filtered around him and Raiza, some glaring at them as they went on their ways while others just ignored them entirely, passing by like water around rocks. While Inugami weren't exactly common outside of the governmental sectors, they were well-known and numerous enough that most humans usually accepted them as a part of life here, as useful and humble as the ground they walked upon. There were some notable exceptions bu-

BEEP!!

 

Hotaru almost jumped out of his skin, swivelling his head to the direction of the loud horn. Darn his kind and having hyper-sensitive ears! He was all set to glare at whatever was making the noise until he found a familiar face looking back at him from behind a glass window. Hotaru's face brightened instantly.

"Rei!" He exclaimed, waving enthusiastically at portly bus-man, who simply smiled back knowingly. Hotaru snickered, turning to Raiza with his signature grin. "Hey, com'on Rai, let's go!" Without thinking, he reached for Raiza's wrist, a part of him dimly rationalising it as the most efficient way of getting through the crowd without getting lost. He gently tried to pull him along, steering them towards the bus that was waiting patiently at the side-walk for them.

"Rei! How ya doin'?" Hotaru called as the doors hissed open, letting him step up.

Rei was a man of short stature and large proportions. His blue eyes were big and bright, lending a lease of life to his smile-wrinkled skin and rapidly whitening hair. His voice was gruff from years of smoking, but still held a light edge that made him sound a man scant of 30 rather than one of close to 64.

"Nothing much, Taru." It was a nickname that only Rei called him. He said it suited Hotaru better. "Missed the bus again, eh? This is my second time through today! And you missed us yesterday as well!"

Hotaru laughed, rubbing the back of his neck with one hand while keeping the other loosely around Raiza's wrist.

"Yesterday just wasn't my day! And I'm not late! I got special permission this time. I wouldn't even be here if it weren't for this workaholic here."

"Sure, sure." Rei nodded sagely, clearly believing none of it.

 

Someone shouted in the back. "Can we move it already! I'm gonna be late for lunch if you keep chatting all day!"

Hotaru and Rei looked at each other, shrugging and laughing like this was a regular thing - which it was. Rei had been Hotaru's go-to for transport since his first Academy days. They had a silent agreement. If Rei saw Hotaru, he'd wait, even if it made the bus a little late and in return Hotaru would come with pick-me-ups and a good conversation.

"All aboard!" Rei declared, pressing a button on his dash. Hotaru climbed the rest of the way in, quietly pulling Raiza behind him with a warm smile directed back at him for reassurance.

 

Once the bus pulled away and they entered the low of traffic, bound for Sector-D, Rei started talking again, keeping his eyes on the road.

"Why don't you two take a load off over there?" He inclined his head to a pair of seats close to the front of the bus that, as of yet had not been taken. Technically they were meant for storing luggage and they weren't as comfortable as the other seats, but it worked all the same. Letting go of Raiza's wrist, Hotaru shuffled into the seat closest to the window, staring expectantly at Raiza. Rei continued. "We've got ten minutes to talk, so how about your friend introduce himself, eh? Nice to meet you, son. The name's Rei Mine, though all folks basically call me Rei. I'd greet you properly but well," he flexed his hands demonstrably around the large steering wheel, "policy and all that."

[GodofMischief]

Releasing an all suffering sigh when Hotaru's cheerful voice greeted his ears only moments after Raiza had passed him, the snow furred Inugami cast the man a mildly annoyed glare before turning his attention forward again. He was still trying process exactly what it was that made him feel oddly a bit jittery around the other Inugami. Normally, Raiza wouldn't give much thought to others he considered pains. He didn't like to waste his time with annoyances and he kept himself rather closed off to all that he didn't consider family. And that was just about everyone aside from Kotetsu, Natsume, Inari, Kaname and Kinoue. The director and those close to the leader of the Division were friends of Raiza's through Kinoue, he supposed, but he had never fully opened up to them as he had to his family or "pack". Now Hotaru came along and things had become so different. The man was bringing about some changes both around and in him that Raiza didn't know if he fully welcomed. It was unnerving to say the least and it almost made him want to return to the kennel where everything had been simple and people had left him in peace for the most part at least.

 

Ignoring the glares they received as they walked down the streets, Raiza flickered his gaze over at Hotaru when the other Inugami coughed as he took in the fumes of a passing car. "As if the humans would ever be that considerate about us. They wouldn't go out of their way to make our lives easier" he commented rather drily as he turned his gaze forward again. Raiza was a name well known throughout the city. Both in Sector B where he had spent a good portion of his youth growing with Kotetsu and Inari after they had lost their families, as well as the other Sectors after he had partnered with Kinoue. The pair had been top of their Department and people both knew that and acknowledged it. For the most part, he was a respected Inugami, both among the others of his kind and humans alike. However, it seemed that his time in the kennels and his loss of Kinoue had made people begin to forget exactly who and what he stood for. It was only a matter of time before Raiza gained his strength back and reminded them exactly why he was one of the best.

 

Hissing softly and flattening his ears on top of his head at the sound of a loud horn, Raiza followed Hotaru's action and turned sharply towards the source of the noise. His glare could have magnified to the intensity that could melt walls had his eyes not widen a second later when Hotaru clamped a hand around his wrist and pulled him towards the direction of the bus that appeared to be waiting for him. Giving his wrist a light, half hearted tug in a minuscule attempt to get the other man to let go, the snow furred Inugami looked down as a mild blush dusted his cheeks while he allowed Hotaru to tug him alone. He wasn't ecstatic to be getting in a bus but he knew he really didn't have much of a choice.

 

Grumbling softly under his breath when he was pulled into the long vechile, Raiza's ears did a full rotation on the top of his head while he listened acutely to all the voices inside the bus and flickered his gaze over all of them as well. Despite the mild blush, he sported a scowl of distaste in what could have been described as serene features. When he had been with Kinoue, they had never rode on a bus. Kinoue had had his own car and they had used it every time they had traveled from home to the Department. It had made Raiza feel a bit more comfortable than being around unfamiliar people...especially in his weakened state. Nevertheless, he supposed he'd have to deal with this change as best as he could. It's not something that would kill him, no matter how much he didn't truly enjoy it all that much.

 

Looking away from Hotaru's reassuring look, something that caused an uncomfortable tightening in his chest, Raiza paid the bare minimum of attention on the conversation between the two men even though a small trickle of...jealousy perhaps, flickered through him. He knew Hotaru had friends, with his personality, it would be hard for the man not to have friends, and yet Raiza couldn't understand why he felt so annoyed by the warmth between his current partner and the human. Logically, he didn't think anything too intense was between them. The human was quite older than them and....well he was human, plus he didn't think Hotaru would be attracted to a human like this. However, he barely knew Hotaru so he couldn't be certain. He had seen stranger things in his line of work. So for now, he smashed down his confusing emotions to simply huff and roll his eyes when Hotaru sat down and then looked at him expectantly.

 

Sitting down slowly beside Hotaru, Raiza gracefully wrapped his tail around his thin frame to rest it on his lap while he crossed his arms and closed his eyes in an attempt to cool his inner turmoil and return his thoughts to how he usually kept them without distractions. "It is quite alright and it is a pleasure to meet you, Mine-san" Raiza greeted the human when he introduced himself in a friendly manner. Though the man had told him what people usually called him, Raiza was more comfortable addressing him by his last name until he got a bit more familiar with the man.

 

"My name is Raiza, former Inugami of Ukitake Kinoue. I suppose it could be said that I am Hotaru's current partner for the time being" the Inugami introduced himself a moment later, his tone quite monotonic as he kept his eyes closed to the world.

[Cazuki]

Rei hummed at Raiza‘s greeting, not passing comment about the proper speech. He kept flexing his hands around the wheel, stretching the tendons so they wouldn‘t freeze up or cramp. Hotaru watched the exchange, his own tail curled twice around his right leg. He tilted his head in questioning when he noticed Raiza had closed his eyes to the world as he spoke. A bolt of unease shot down Hotaru‘s spine. He hadn‘t bothered to ask if Raiza was comfortable taking the bus, or even if he was motion-sick. However, he quietly calmed himself down, reasoning that if Raiza really was the type of person to become motion-sick, he would have put up much more of a fight, or informed him in some way. Beside him, the conversation continued.

 

“My name is Raiza, former Inugami of Ukitake Kinoue. I suppose it could be said that I am Hotaru’s current partner for the time being.”

Hotaru stiffened, ears perking up at those words. Had Raiza just called him what he thought he did? A face-splitting grin broke out over Hotaru’s face, completely unbidden. His tail uncurled from around his leg, lightly batting his leg and Raiza’s thigh. Oh, Hotaru was not going to let him forget that so easily.

 

“Oh!” Rei’s tone rose. “So you’re that Raiza?” He chuckled, a smile hidden from the current angle. Hotaru had a distinctly bad feeling about this. “I remember your… uhm… partner? On the news… I’m sorry for your loss.” His tone was genuine, seeped in the intonation of a man who had gone through enough grief of his own to at least fractionally understand the grief of others. Hotaru could attest to it, having been around when Rei’s elderly wife passed away from breast cancer. “Not like I pity you or nothing… that officer did a lot for this city, so for him to go like that… it’s a tragedy.”

Rei quickly moved on, either because they were rapidly reaching their location or because he didn’t want to dwell on the rather depressing subject. After stopping and letting some passengers on and off, he moved on. He laughed.

“Hey, Raiza-san? You wanna know something interesting about your ‘partner’?” Hotaru’s tail stopped wagging instantly and he broke out into a cold sweat.

“Wait, R-!” Rei interrupted him.

“Taru has been talking about you for a long time. Heheh,” the man’s frame jostled with laughter. “He would get drunk off his ass and when I’d drive him back he’d be like ‘Who’s this Raiza guy anyway?’ He’d talk about what happened if you two ever met and he’d say-”

“Rei!” Hotaru actually whined. Rei broke out into explosive laughter, but thankfully didn’t complete his statement.

“Anyway! Make sure you look after Taru won’t ya? He’s a lightweight reckless young’un with a big heart and a wild spirit.” Hotaru sighed, long and loud, burying his face into his hands. Maybe this hadn’t been his best idea ever. He knew Rei meant well, and that he wouldn’t give anything too much away, but still there were somethings he wasn’t willing to talk about or explain, at least not yet if not ever. He was Raiza’s partner, - the thought brought back some of his previous joy - and so he couldn’t be like he’d been before. He’d promised that to himself the day Kinoue made him promise to look after him should anything happen.

 

After a few more minutes of comfortable silence, the bus stopped.

“Sector D, Department!” Rei exclaimed, looking over at Raiza and Hotaru again, a slightly smaller, warmer smile on his face now. “You two look after yourselves and I’ll be seeing you again!”

“See you again, Rei. And thanks for waiting up.” Hotaru made his way past Raiza and into the aisle, walking towards the front of the bus. He cast a glance to Raiza to make sure he was following before he made his way off the bus entirely, landing on the pavement outside the Department.

“You ready, ‘Partner’?”

[GodofMischief]

Keeping his eyes shut even when Rei began to speak about Kinoue, Raiza held back the urge to sigh while he paid close attention to the words. The wound was still much to fresh for him to be able to accept the kind words of strangers about the loss of his Handler. It hurt to hear Kinoue mentioned in the lips of another and it hurt to understand that many people knew what had happened to him that night a month ago. However, Raiza didn't react. Instead he kept himself composed and silent for the most part. He would save all he was bottling inside for a later date when he had those responsible for killing Kinoue, in his grasp. For now though, he simply took in the man's words before parting his lips to comment lightly "What happened, happened. There's nothing we can do to change the past. But I thank you for your words". His tone was grateful for the man's kind words as he took note that the man spoke as if he understood just what Raiza was going through, however, it was also a tad bit dismissing and absentminded as he distanced himself from thoughts of Kinoue.

 

Having been paying mild attention to the beat of Hotaru's tail against his leg, something that had been happening since Raiza verbally confirmed about being Hotaru's partner, Raiza slowly opened his ears and turned his attention fully on Rei when the man made a comment that captured his atention. By the way Hotaru's tail had instantly stopped wagging, the snow furred Inugami could only guess that whatever was about to be said would be quite amusing. A small smirk found a place on his face as he kept his eyes on the bus driver when the man began to speak.

 

Unable to stop it, Raiza released a smooth laugh as his tail began to wag quite a bit on his lap when Rei's words were stopped by a whine coming from the Inugami at his side. "Come now, Hotaru, surely whatever you used to say about me mustn't have been that bad...There's no need to be shy about it" Raiza chuckled, eyeing the other man with clear amusement in the red hue of his eyes. It wasn't every day he heard news that amused him, especially not recently, but if it was news that brought about mortification in his current partner, then the younger Inugami was all ears.

 

"I will do my best to keep him safe, Mine-san. Kinoue seemed to care about him quite a bit and I will honor his memory as best as I can. Should he become too unreasonable, I will bring him to you for you to handle. I'm sure he'll listen to you more than me" Raiza responded with a small smile while his tail gradually came to a stop again to lay comfortably on his lap. Despite that, his eyes were a bit warm when they gazed at the clearly embarrassed Inugami. Even without fully wanting to accept Hotaru just yet, Raiza could not deny that the man was endearing in some regards and it was clear that he too had people that cared for him a lot.

 

Getting to his feet slowly when the bus finally stopped in front of the Department, Raiza followed Hotaru off the bus after saying a quick "Thank you" in Rei's direction. Feeling his muscles lose their tension the moment he was in the open air again, Raiza inhaled a deep breath of air while gently reaching up to brush his bangs out of his eyes.

 

"I suppose I am" he mussed and no sooner had those words left his mouth that a familiar voice called out to him from the doors of the Department. "Rai-nii!" Inari's cheerful voice rose to greet them as the small Inugami raced over to launch her against Raiza, wrapping her arms around his middle when he stumbled back a step before returning the hug gently. "Good morning, Rai-nii. And Ina-kun, good morning to you too!" Inari greeted then cheerfully as she pulled back from Raiza after a few seconds. Looking at his cloths, her floppy ears twitched with amusement as a little giggle left her lips. "Goodmorning you two. I'm glad to see that the pair of you are looking rather well this morning. I honestly didn't think you show up this early" Kaname's voice soon joined them as the tall woman followed in her Inugami's steps, albeit a bit slower. Hugging Raiza tightly for a moment, Kaname made a small statement about his cloths in one white furred ear, which had the man stuttering before she turned to greet Hotaru with a gentle hug as well.

 

"Hey you piece of shit punk!!" Kotetsu's shout vibrated around them as the massive Inugami stormed towards them, his golden eyes locked and burning holes through Hotaru. Flattening his ears slowly, A low growl rumbled out of Raiza's throat as he carefully placed himself between Hotaru and the livid Inugami. With his eyes wide in surprise at Raiza's slightly defensive stance in front of Hotaru, Kotetsu lowered his own ears before growling "What are you doing Rai? Step aside....that punk needs to learn a lesson in manners. He can't just take what doesn't belong to him" Kotetsu grumbled as Natsume appeared just a few feet behind him with a worried frown on his features.

 

"You're being unreasonable, Tetsu. I was not harmed in any way yesterday when Hotaru left with me. There is no need for you to be picking fights with someone who has done no wrong" Raiza growled back, eyes defiantly glaring back at the golden stare of the bigger male. "He took you without your consent and he insulted me, I do believe that calls for a beat down" Kotetsu snarled softly, taking another small step forward only to stumble back when a deep throated snarl left the usually monotonic Inugami's throat. With his fur puffed up and the tips of his hair lifting as well, Raiza looked almost twice his size as he glared Kotetsu down. "That's enough. We have better things to do than indulging in petty fights. We were trained bettter than this Tetsu" Raiza hissed softly as his best friend took another step back with a mildly annoyed growl of his own.

 

"Fine....have it your way, I still don't like him though" he mumbled grumpily before huffing out a breath and holding out his arms "Can I at least get a good morning hug". Hesitating for a moment to reassure himself that Kotetsu would not charge the moment he let his guard drop, Raiza exhaled a heavy breath and after a second, moved forward towards Kotetsu. Sinking into his pack mate's arms, which wrapped around him tightly in greeting, Raiza briefly nuzzled into the larger male while he enjoyed the feeling of security Kotetsu always seemed to provide. Feeling a hand ruffle his hair, Raiza glanced over at Natsume's affectionate expression before the Handler turned to shout out a brief goodmorning towards Hotaru. The tension that seemed to have filled the air had vanished in the last few seconds as Kaname sighed softly before saying "Now that that's settled and Tetsu won't kill anyone, shall we go inside?"

[Cazuki]

"Come now, Hotaru, surely whatever you used to say about me mustn't have been that bad...There's no need to be shy about it."

"You wouldn't be saying that if you were in my position." Hotaru mumbled under his breath, hoping Raiza would let the moment drop and not ask about it again. He doubted he would anyway. After all, Raiza had made it quite clear that he and Hotaru were only working together because it was the best, if not only way, that Raiza would be able to find and bring justice to those who had killed Kinoue... Hotaru could understand the sentiment. Flashes of a face appeared behind Hotaru's eyelids, which he barely realized he'd closed. He had unfinished business with the Sakame Organization.

 

"Rai-nii!" Hotaru opened his eyes, taking in the small inugami running towards them, almost barreling Raiza over with a propelled hug before turning to Hotaru and greeting him. He grinned back at her,

"Hi there Inari! Sorry for skipping out on you early last time, but you know how m'lord," Hotaru pointed a thumb at Raiza, "can be!" Inari giggled, though Hotaru couldn't exactly tell if that was because of the joke or the fact that everyone could see the clothes Raiza was wearing were very definitely not his. He hoped it was the former and cursed his lack of hind-sight, blushing slightly. This was going to raise some awkward questions, wasn't it?

 

"Good morning you two. I'm glad to see that the pair of you are looking rather well this morning. I honestly didn't think you show up this early."

Hotaru followed Kaname with his brown eyes, watching as she hugged Raiza and whispered something in his ear. Hotaru blushed further, guessing what the comment was about, based on Raiza's own stuttering. He couldn't stop the thought that Raiza looked a little cute when he was flustered, much the same as he couldn't stop his heart jumping when he'd heard him laugh on the bus earlier. This kid was gonna kill him, wasn't he?

He accepted Kaname's hug, holding her firmly in his own grip. He wasn't a stranger to physical touch or affection. Indeed, back at the Academy, he was the one who instigated most of the physical contact, whether that be play fighting in the mess hall (he'd won, by the way) or just lazing around outside, jumbling together into a pile. He couldn't deny that he kind of craved this kind of closeness to people. It made him feel safe and real. He wondered distantly if Raiza felt the same.

 

He let go of Kaname instantly when he heard Tetsu roar. Despite all his logical sense telling him to stand still and simply let Raiza deal with it as planned, when Tetsu growled at him his pupils slit, brightening as he distanced himself and hunched down, ears flat against his skull and a deep growl reverberating in his throat. He was already looking for weak-spots, determining his first and fatal attack when Raiza stepped between them, blocking his view of the bigger Inugami and breaking Hotaru out of his instinctual stupor. He straightened out again, deciding to just keep staring at Raiza's back. He wasn't good at not reciprocating in these kind of situations. It came with the territory of being a highly empathetic individual, sensitive to anyone's emotion. He needed something to focus on beside the tense atmosphere. So he focused on Raiza's back, watching the play of muscle under his slightly-too-big shirt and the way his fur rose with his impatience at Tetsu. Hotaru felt dimly happy that Raiza was actually doing this for him, even though he knew it was probably just for the mission.

 

"Fine....have it your way, I still don't like him though. Can I at least get a good morning hug?"

The words jolted Hotaru back into looking at Tetsu, who was now holding Raiza in his arms. His tail floofed outward, annoyance making Hotaru fist his hands. He was sure Tetsu was looking smugly at him when Raiza nuzzled into his hold and that was probably why Hotaru was annoyed. Probably? Hotaru suddenly started to feel a tingle in his arms. The kind of feeling you'd get when you felt something should be there but wasn't but your body tricked you into feeling its absence more. He flexed his hands, making to grab for something that wasn't there.

 

"Now that that's settled and Tetsu won't kill anyone, shall we go inside?"

Hotaru smiled at Natsume, laughing.

"Trust me, no-one's happier about this than I am!" He cast a glance at Tetsu, who was still holding Raiza. He flattened his ears slightly, this time in an apologetic gesture. "I'm... uhm... sorry about how things went down last time big guy... exhaustion and aggravation are never a good mix." He moved towards the front door, nodding at Kaname and Inari as he approached the threshold. "I suppose we should, m'lord wanted to continue training after all." He smiled at Raiza, the smile a bit different to how it was with the others. It was smaller, softer. Maybe Kinoue had been right putting him with Raiza. He felt he could trust him. Even if he was a bit too much like he was. "You ready for me, Rai-chan~?"

[GodofMischief]

"I suppose" Raiza murmured softly about Hotaru's words as he examined the man briefly. He knew Hotaru must hold plenty of secrets he didn't want to bring to light yet. The fact that Kinoue had never mentioned the man while he lived was enough to tell Raiza that there was a reason for the secrecy. However, if they were going to be partners, at least for the time being, then he'd have to get to know the other Inugami better....even if he wasn't entirely jumping with joy at the thought of that. He would try though, not only for the sake of his self proclaimed mission, but for the tentive sort of friendship that might develop between them now that they were working together.

 

Relaxing in Kotetsu's arms as his best friend simply held him for a long moment, Raiza felt his inner annoyance calm now that the situation wasn't as deadly as it could have been. He knew that the largest Inugami would not consider offering his friendship to Hotaru until the man provided himself, but at least he wasn't being as volatile as he tended to be around people he wanted to tear to shreds. The monster of an Inugami was making an effort and that was all that mattered for the time being, even if Raiza could tell that he was being rather smug about his obvious closeness to the other Inugami.

 

"Whatever punk. Just watch yourself, that's all I'm going to say" Kotetsu grumbled before winching and casting half hearted glares at both Raiza and Natsume when the human whacked him on the back of the head and the smaller Inugami elbowed him in the gut. "Behave" the pair commanded, gaining them a scoff of annoyance while Kotetsu crossed his arms over his chest and looked away childishly. That action left his Handler sighing and shaking his head as he murmured about his endless suffering under his breath. Despite that, it was clear how much Natsume cared for Kotetsu by the fact that he grabbed the Inugami's tail and gave it an affectionate tug, earning himself a small smile.

 

Huffing and rolling his eyes at Hotaru's question, Raiza cast him a rather dry look while saying "As if I'd actually have to be ready to face someone like you", his tone rather haughty but lacking a bite to it. It was almost as if he speaking that way out of habit instead of actually meaning anything by it. The fact that the smile Hotaru directed to him didn't help matters much, left the Inugami wondering why he was being so mellow tempered with the older man.

 

A fact that was not missed by his pack.

 

"Rai-nii is being nicer to Ina-kun....That's kinda new" Inari spoke up quickly, tilting her head to one side as she gazed at both of them curiously. "I know, I've noticed that since they arrived. Coupled with the fact that Raiza is clearly wearing cloths that don't belong to him and Hotaru seems to be rather affectionate with his smiles towards him....it makes me wonder" Kaname put in just as thoughtfully even as mischief sparkled in her green eyes while she watched both Raiza and Hotaru. "W-What are you all talking about? You've clearly lost you're minds if you think I remotely like him as a human being" Raiza stuttered, glaring at the two women who wore grins on their face.

 

"Really Rai? I mean we wouldn't judge you if you guys got to really know each other when he took you home yesterday. I mean that's how most bonds start off....Handlers and their new Inugami need to some alone time before accepting each other, it's only normal.....of course, that would also lead to becoming potential mates...." Natsume put in his own two cents, not even a second later while Kotetsu seemed to choke on air and bend over coughing his lungs out while he glared at Hotaru.

 

Feeling his face burning under his pack's words, Raiza crossed his arms defensively and flattened his evenly burning ears on top of his head as his glare multiplied in power having been clearly fueled by his embarrassment. "There's nothing to be embarrassed Rai-nii. That's how Kaname and I did it and Tetsu-nii and Tsume-nii did it that way too.....Besides, Hotaru's handsome, he would suit you and Kinoue-nii would approve" Inari pipped from where she had gotten closer to Hotaru and was circling him only to stop in front of him and peer up at him with playful interest and curiosity. Behind her, both Kaname and Natsume nodded wisely while Kotetsu managed to catch his breath with the help of Natsume pounding on his back and growled softly towards Hotaru and the idea in general.

 

"You have all clearly gone off the deep end while I've been away. There's no way that's happening. He's my partner for this mission and this mission only, after that we're done so get your heads out of your asses before you let your thoughts wonder any further" Raiza hissed, though it was more out of embarrassment that anything else as he spun on his heel and all but stormed into the building, brushing past Hotaru with a cold glare.

 

Following after him quickly, Kotetsu snarled softly as he passed Hotaru while Inari skipped cheerfully behind them, winking up at the older Inugami. Enterlocking her arm through his, Kaname leaned against Hotaru as she gently pulled him into the building with Natsume at her side. "He likes you, you can bet your ass on that" she chuckled while appeasing him with a curious look "I'm surprised you've managed to get him to ease up this early. I was worried he'd probably try to kill you during the night".

[Cazuki]

Well, at least now Hotaru wasn’t staring at his imminent death. Hotaru sighed, releasing the tension he didn’t even know was there. He probably could have dealt with Kotetsu if he had been foolish enough to charge him. After all, he was a trained Inugami and he knew that his speed would win out over Kotetsu’ brawn… probably. However, it wouldn’t have been a quick or bloodless fight… and Hotaru didn’t want to know how his new prospective team-mates would react if he brutally killed one of their own. No. He’d promised Kinoue that, as long as it wouldn’t lead to the death of Raiza or himself before he’d completed his mission, he wouldn’t kill anyone.

 

Hotaru’s ears flicked when he saw Natsume pull Kotetsu’s tail. Didn’t that usually hurt? He entertained the thought of what Raiza would do if he tried that. Immediately, his mind returned the image of Raiza making good on his earlier threats and cutting out hid tongue, leaving him to choke on his own blood.

Yeah, no. Not a good idea. He decided, ignoring the dim flicker of a possible alternative, more in line with Raiza groaning and glaring at him with flushed cheeks.

 

"As if I'd actually have to be ready to face someone like you."

Oh? Hotaru’s smile turned sly, tilting into a crooked grin. Is that a challenge Rai? You know how bad I am with challenges~

 

When Inari and Kaname spoke, Hotaru’s ears pricked up, quickly understanding the innuendo. He opened his mouth to correct them, but Raiza beat him to it.

"W-What are you all talking about? You've clearly lost you're minds if you think I remotely like him as a human being."

Hotaru deflated a tiny bit, ears flattening and tail hanging limply behind him. That was abit harsh, wasn’t it.

“Love you too Rai.” He grumbled under his breath, annoyance tingeing the words. He honestly hoped Raiza would hear him too, just so he’d blush more. Flustered was a good look on Raiza, which had absolutely nothing to do with what’d happened earlier this morning or how Hotaru had thought of him before he’d met him. Not at all.

 

When he caught Kotetsu’s eyes, he let a glimmer of smugness enter his expression, mirroring his look from earlier.

Eat my dust, big guy. He thought, keeping his face flat the whole time.

"Really Rai? I mean we wouldn't judge you if you guys got to really know each other when he took you home yesterday. I mean that's how most bonds start off....Handlers and their new Inugami need to some alone time before accepting each other, it's only normal.....of course, that would also lead to becoming potential mates...."

Hotaru’s face fell again, a bright blush tingeing his face. He stuttered ineffectually. It was obvious to anyone who bothered to take note of Hotaru that he was strong-willed and stubborn… except when it came to affection. Especially when it came to sexual relations, Hotaru was actually quite shy. After all, he’d never been taught that kind of thing. So, for now, that kind of affection was a strange, scary beast for him. He remembered vividly the conversations other Inugami would have at the Academy, talking about their adventures, real or imagined.

”Hey, what about you Hotaru?”

“Hmm? What about me?”

“You ever done it? Bet you got those bitches falling off you left and right man.” Hotaru would blush and quickly try and move the conversation along. He did not, in fact, have ‘bitches falling off him’. He’d barely even thought of the idea and honestly, he preferred not to.

As if to prove him wrong, his mind reminded him of what’d happened this morning. Of how cute Raiza looked in his clothes in the sunlight, sleeping on his bed. Of how frustratingly attractive he looked when he flirted with him in his apartment. And finally of how much Hotaru had wanted to… do something when he had Raiza in his hands, keening under him. A glint of something dangerous passed through Hotaru, going all the way from his brain to his lower stomach. He quietly yipped, tail floofing in slight distress. What the hell was that? Inari standing in front of him made him refocus his eyes, shutting away the dark, burning sensation that made his limbs feel heavy and light at the same time.

 

"There's nothing to be embarrassed Rai-nii. That's how Kaname and I did it and Tetsu-nii and Tsume-nii did it that way too.....Besides, Hotaru's handsome, he would suit you and Kinoue-nii would approve"

Hotaru’s tail twitched into a wag at that. He was ‘handsome’? He’d been told it before, but it was still nice to hear. Agh, how touch and attention stared was he!?

“Uhm… thank you?” He replied. His heart sank a little at the implication of Inari’s words. Had Kinoue and Raiza…? Maybe? Did it matter now? Hotaru shook his head, telling himself it didn’t. Kinoue was - he refused to use the past tense - his best friend and hero. Raiza was his charge and partner.

 

"You have all clearly gone off the deep end while I've been away. There's no way that's happening. He's my partner for this mission and this mission only, after that we're done so get your heads out of your asses before you let your thoughts wonder any further."

Hotaru was half-tempted to make a smart comment, but kept his mouth firmly shut as Raiza brushed past him, fixing him with a cold glare.

What did I do?! He internally objected. However, he contented himself with the idea that at least Raiza was talking about killing himself every five minutes like he had yesterday. That was a victory if nothing else. He tried not to react when Kotetsu passed him and felt a shiver of unease travel up his spine when Inari winked at him. That girl knew a lot more than her innocent face let on, didn’t she?

 

Letting himself be pulled along by Kaname, Natsume boxing him in on the other side, he listened, blushing again. Nah, Raiza didn’t like him. At least, not like other people liked Hotaru. It was different. Rawer maybe?

“I…” He almost said ‘I thought he would too’. He opened his mouth again. “He…” ‘He’s a firecracker’, really? The blanket tucked over him and Raiza treating his wounds reminded him of someone. “Raiza’s a nice guy… it would’ve happened with anyone.” He turned his eyes to the floor, hoping to avoid Kaname’s searching green eyes.

 

Slowly, the crew made their way to the training area, guiding Hotaru through the unfamiliar halls. As they reached one of the several rooms that stretched along one long corridor, Hotaru gently extracted himself from Kaname’s hold.

“Thanks for the help guys.” He smiled and nodded at them, even Kotetsu. He walked into the room, glancing behind him at Raiza. “Com’on ‘partner’, let’s see if you’re hurt anywhere.” He reached a hand out to him, ignorant of what the gesture looked like. For him, it was simply an invitation. “You said you could beat me up right? Kinoue told me you look pretty cool when you fight. I wanna see it for myself.” He ignored the part of his brain that reminded him of the untold number of times he’d grumbled about Kinoue’s compliments in his head, determined that he would best his rival. Raiza didn’t need to know that particular detail.

[GodofMischief]

Grumbling under his breath as he stormed into the Department with Kotetsu and Inari at his heels, creating the formation that was as natural as water to them, Raiza glared fruitlessly at the space in front of him. If he had known that his staying one single night with Hotaru would have amounted to this level of teasing, he would have put up an even bigger fight. Honestly, Raiza couldn't say that he absolutely hated the other male. That wasn't it. He just couldn't bring himself to accept him yet. He was still very much an outsider and Raiza didn't let his guard drop for just about anyone, no matter if Kinoue had hand picked him. Even so, the snow furred Inugami couldn't deny that he was softening around his new "partner", as much as that unnerved him. Especially after having known him for just a few hours. There was just something welcoming about Hotaru that was hard to ignore...even if he fought the feeling with tooth and nail. The man confused him, that was the best way Raiza to think of the situation.

 

And what about that yip he had heard from Hotaru moments into the teasing. It had been soft, but Raiza's keen ears had taken note of it above Kotetsu's coughing and the others teasing comments. Frankly, Raiza had no idea where that sound had come from but it had been endearing in a way and it had captured the smaller Inugami's attention for only a moment until he was distracted trying to defend himself again.

 

Flickering his ears at Kotetsu's soft, clearly annoyed mumbling that seemed to be a healthy mix of words and growls, along with Inari's quiet giggles, Raiza cursed his fate for the hundredth time. Obviously, Kinoue had left him behind to suffer the torture of all these idiots. In fact, he was sure his former Handler was probably teasing him as well wherever he was...the thought itself had Raiza narrowing his eyes in irritation.

 

Walking just a few feet behind them, Kaname hummed thoughtfully at Hotaru's words even as she exchanged a glance with Natsume who shrugged lightly from where he was flanking Hotaru's other side. "I wouldn't exactly say that Hotaru, Rai wouldn't behave like this around just anyone. He generally wouldn't waste his time with someone that holds no interest to him. You'll see in time....something tells me that you'll be extra special in no time" Kaname smiled as she said this, her eyes drifting to the three canines that walked in front of them with a air of pride and confidence surrounding them. Hotaru might have been a new piece to their little family, but she had a feeling he would fit right in in no amount of time.

 

When the arrived at the training room, both Kaname and Natsume smiled lightly at Hotaru before stepping over to take their spots beside their own Inugami. For Raiza's part, the man stared long and hard at Hotaru's offered hand for a moment before rolling his eyes at it. As if he needed the man to hold his hand and lead him into the room. The thought itself made his ears lower a bit with annoyance, nonetheless, he didn't react too aggressively. Instead he strode forward, brushing past Hotaru and lifting his tail enough to snap it somewhat gently against the man's chest. "I'm not a female, a pup, not an invalid, I can walk into the training room without someone holding my hand" he growled but yet again, there was no real fire to his words.

 

Feeling his lips twitch up when he heard Kotetsu chuckling under his breath and Inari trying valiantly to hide her giggles behind her hand, Raiza walked towards the middle of the large training space while Kaname called out to them that they would be watching from the observation room at one corner of the space.

 

Rolling his shoulders gently to work some of the kinks out on his underused and stiff muscles, Raiza exhaled a heavy breath when he finally reached the center. In no way was he in top condition, his body had lost a good amount of weight and his muscles had weakened. Not only that, but his wounds would no doubt slow him down as well and the fact that he would be fighting in cloths that were to big for him, would only impair his movements all the more. However, this wasn't the first time he had fought under less than appealing circumstances. He wasn't about to wuss out.....no way in hell.

 

Bouncing in his toes ever so slightly, Raiza brushed his long braid over his shoulder and focused his attention on what it would take to take his opponent down. He was not weak and he would show Hotaru just that, no matter the cost. These physical conditions would not hold him down.

 

Turning his gaze over to Hotaru, Raiza crouched slightly, putting his weight mostly on his heels as he smirked challengingly at the other male. "Come Hotaru, show me exactly how good of a Duel-Weilder you are. I do hope you don't disappoint me" the man huffed before vanishing in a blink of an eye, just like that, almost as if he had never been there.

 

You see, a Reaper's greatest ally was their speed. They were the assassins of the bunch, and as that, it was their job to be there a moment and then gone the next. They moved like ghosts in the wind, never heard or felt until it was much too late and their target was dead before he or she even hit the ground. As injured as Raiza was, his speed wasn't as fast as it could have been but in no means was he slow either. Weakened or not, he would be a challenge to take down.

 

Keeping an eye on Hotaru as he circled the room, the pure white Inugami rounded close to the male to barely nick the back of his arm before he was a distance away again, pausing several long feet from Hotaru. "Show me the power in you, let me see if you're even worth of being classified as part Reaper as well" he called out to him calmly, muscles already tense and ready to take off again.

[Cazuki]

"I'm not a female, a pup, not an invalid, I can walk into the training room without someone holding my hand."

"Hmm-hmm." Hotaru hummed affirmatively as Raiza brushed past him, smiling at the tail beat on his chest, acting as a subtle sign to follow.

And who was the one who took my hand yesterday, eh? He thought, though he stifled it seconds later. There was no reason for him to say that and die today. Anyway, it wasn't like he didn't appreciate the trust small gestures like those represented and it was far from right for Hotaru to make his partner uncomfortable or unduly aware around him. So he'd keep stum... until they were alone again.

 

Hotaru retracted his hand, spinning on one heel to walk further into the training room. The room had been specifically made for paired training, padding extending across all the walls and floors. The lights above were bright, simulating a sunny day. Hotaru dimly remembered that these sorts of rooms could be adapted to create various battle scenarios in different light conditions. The drains on the ground suggested some weather conditions could be replicated as well. In one raised corner of the room, a one-way window looked out on the scene, clearly an observation deck.

Hotaru's muscles pulsed involuntarily, the atmosphere seeping into his body and mind. He both hated and loved the feeling of his muscles tightening, focus heightening and all his vital signs dimming.

 

During combat, Berserkers are traditionally taught to focus all their energy, steadying their muscles. Berserkers often have high pain tolerance and to some extent can control the look of their own bodies, temporarily activating strength and speed that usually is not needed in non-combat situations. Blood flow is also generally increased, energizing all muscles. Any good Berserker is taught to temper this ability, switching between different modes and priorities based on their role within a group.

 

Hotaru's smile, usually ever-present, set into a relaxed line, only slightly quirked now. His pelt flared, standing almost on end as his body reacted to his instincts, muscles relaxing into a heavy state that made them appear about a third larger than usual. Hotaru breathed deep, seemingly ignoring Raiza as he kicked off his shoes and calmly slipped off his jacket. He rolled up his sleeves, even whistling a tun as he prepared himself. The atmosphere around him deepened, a silent intensity swathing off Hotaru.

"My offer of a massage is still there if you want it, Rai. You seem tense."

He swept his feet across the floor, humming at the feeling as he settled into his stance.

Okay, so from the top. Legs apart, feet in. Hands up, shoulders down. Watch, but not for too long.

He didn't even feel the nick on his arm as Raiza passed, the atmosphere intensifying even more around him. He'd been told in the past that squaring up to him was squaring up to the Grim Reaper, like all the oxygen had been sucked from the air. Hotaru spun his tail around his waist, acting like a belt.

So, you've fucked up. Kinoue's voice stipulated. Hotaru looked at Raiza, brown eyes slit and contracted, glaring hard into him. The enemy isn't down. They see you.

"Show me the power in you, let me see if you're even worth of being classified as part Reaper as well."

A small growled rumbled in Hotaru's chest, but it wasn't one of anger. It was a challenge. He flattened his ears, baring his fangs and grinning at Raiza. He wouldn't be easy to take down and Hotaru had no doubts that he would fail. But still, he couldn't help the giddy excitement. He was fighting his rival! For the first time.

"Aw, you're teasing me Rai. How-" Hotaru broke off halfway through his sentence. One moment he was there and the next, it was only an after image. Hotaru appeared again in front of Raiza, intense atmosphere completely gone and simply... void. "Silly of you."

 

Not wasting a moment, one arm shot out to Raiza's shoulder, tapping against. Using the power balled in Raiza's muscles, his other hand shot out, open in a palm. He smacked Raiza's solidly on his solar plexus. Placing a foot behind Raiza's he kept close, pushing their bodies flush against each other. Pushing Raiza off-balance and out of stance he swung him down to the ground, guiding him part of the way so as to not hurt him too bad. As quickly as he approached, he retreated, laughing again, a deep, breathy laugh.

"Point? How about we get creative? Kinoue taught you some of his moves right?"

[GodofMischief]

Seeing the change come over Hotaru, Raiza tensed slowly, ears lowering in a slight sign of nervousness while those ruby eyes watched his opponent closely. He knew how Berserks changed during battles, Kotetsu was in that group and he had seen his friend shift appearance time and time again. Yet what he was seeing in Hotaru though, he didn't understand why it unnerved him so much. The difference in size, the disappearance of the other Inugami's easy smile....the way he seemed to almost sink into this new shape of his body, it had the white furred canine taking a momentary pause. He replayed what had been his primary plan as he kept his eyes on the threat that was now in the room. Things had just gotten ten times more interesting and at the same time, more troubling. It seemed things wouldn't be as easy as he had thought at the beginning.

 

Freezing when Hotaru disappeared from where he had been only to appear right in front of him, the man only managed a small growl of warnings at the sudden empty feeling the other man brought forth with him. Not even a moment later, he found himself flat on his back, a soft grunt escaping his lips even if he suspected that Hotaru had prevented him from hitting the ground too roughly. Staring up at the ceiling for several seconds even after the man retreated with a laugh and began to speak, Raiza's mind wracked itself with options. As he was, Hotaru would wipe the floor with him. Of that he was sure, the speed and strength this other man was using was alarming. However, Raiza wasn't going to throw in the towel just with this small display. No, he wasn't weak. He would show Hotaru exactly why he had been Kinoue's partner. Why he had become a legend at the Academy at such an early age.

 

Hearing Hotaru's words of Kinoue and about the moves the man might have taught him, it suddenly clicked. Of course. It all flooded back to him in just a second.

 

Rai-chan, you're too tense kiddo! Just let go. We're not going to get anywhere with you fighting the natural instincts of a Reaper. It's in you're blood, kid. Let go, stop thinking and let go. You got this...show me and everyone else what you're made of. Show everyone just how special your bloodline is" Kinoue's warm tenor filled his head almost as if the man was crouched right beside him. In fact, Raiza could almost feel the gentle stroke of the man's large hand between his ears. "Just let go, Rai. I have you. I'll bring you back, don't you worry".

 

Feeling something release inside him as he embraced those words and allowed himself to follow their order, Raiza let his eyes slip closed even as he gingerly rolled to his side and slowly pushed himself up to his feet once more. It felt strange to let go of the tension he seemed to constantly live with. It had been a while since he had allowed his control to fall. Yet, it was strangely relaxing...almost as if a weight had been lifted off his shoulders and he could move freely. Behind him, his tail slowly began to wag at a steady pace for what seemed like no reason.

 

Lifting a hand to brush some imaginary dirt off his borrowed cloths, Raiza slowly lifted his head in Hotaru's direction as his eyes blinked open to reveal his slitted pupils. However, that wouldn't have been strange had the red color of his eyes not seemed to swirl and move in a circular motion almost as if it was molten lava.

 

It began slow but within seconds a full fledged grin had found purchase on the face of the remotely monotonic Inugami. Chuckling rather loudly, the smaller male tilted his head to one side, almost appearing to examine the other Inugami in the room. "Forgive me, Hotaru.....I suppose I may have underestimated you a little bit" Raiza spoke in a voice that seemed too light, almost too cheerful for what had been normal for him.

 

"Creative hmmm? I guess we can do that. Kinoue did teach me some moves but they weren't too complicated. More or less, he helped me become the perfect personification of what a Reaper should be....though I think I might have scared him a little every now and again" Raiza hummed as he continued to brush himself off, finishing at his rump while he bounced lightly on his toes.

 

In a blink, he was gone. If not for the merest appearance of what could only be described as a streak of light in the air, the man would have been invisible. Racing towards one of the closer walls to him, Raiza leapt up on it and pushed up with the grace and speed of his group. He knew without the help of other things around him, he wouldn't be able to knock Hotaru around effectively, so he used his resources. The momentum he gained from pushing off the wall would do for now as the long haired canine performed a graceful arch in the air, touching down with one leg just slightly next to Hotaru while he whipped the other around the round house kicked the other man in the gut, using enough force to push the man back a few paces.

 

With the unnerving grin continuing to settle on his face, Raiza calmly lowered his leg back to the ground to join his other limb while watching Hotaru with almost childish curiousity. "Neh, Hotaru? Have you heard the rumors about my mother. Many say that she used to belong to the Sakame Organization. That she was one of their dogs until she met my father and they fell in love. It's said that that was why my parents and their Handlers were killed.....Of course I wouldn't know anything for sure, I was just a pup when Mama and Papa's murder happened in front of me. But it's said that Mama had the same unique talent that I do. She could release the constant control she had over her Reaper nature and become the personification of Death itself. It's kinda cool to be able to kill without feeling a hint of remorse....I like it" Raiza.....giggled, his tone becoming more and more filled with what seemed like the crazed madness of a disturbed child.

 

"Kinoue noticed this the first time I flew into a rage in front of him" Raiza commented and then he was on the move again. Wasting no time, he rushed Hotaru, wrapping a clawed hand around his neck and using the same move Hotaru had used before, placed his foot behind the bigger male's foot while using his momentum to topple them both over. He didn't move away when he had Hotaru down though, instead he plopped his backside right down on the older male's stomach and kept his hand wrapped around Hotaru's neck. Not tight enough to cut off the flow of air, but firm enough for it to be a warning as his other clawed hand lightly traced a sharp nail down Hotaru's chest to rest it over his heart.

 

"Kinoue saw potential in me. He took me in after the Academy even though other Handlers feared me. He taught me how to both control myself and release myself. He was my best friend....my father figure. He was the only one I felt truly and completely safe with....even when with my new siblings" the Inugami stated softly, grin growing smaller but not fading as he stared down at where the nail of his finger pressed right above Hotaru's heart. "Do you know how it feels like to have a Bond be broken. It's sacred, you know. The bond created between Handler and Inugami.....it's something that should never be broken. Bad things happen when it's broken. It feels like your heart has been ripped out of your chest. Like you lungs have frozen over and you can't catch enough air. It hurts almost as if someone has forced you to swallow down acid and it has ignited into a fire that spreads through your whole body. The constant presence of our Handler's link to you disappears and everything turns into hell, and then.....nothing. Everything goes numb and you can't feel anything anymore.....It's almost as if you aren't even alive, it feels so weird, kinda irking really" he sighed, those swirling eyes appeared to be a blank canvas....holding absolutely nothing inside them for a few long moments.

 

"And then you came along..."Raiza suddenly released a crazed little laugh as he raised his eyes up to Hotaru's once more. "Kinoue would have liked you and I together....he seemed the type to be one of those idiot humans" he grinned widely again. Tilting his head almost innocently to one side, Raiza kept that same unblinking stare on Hotaru while saying "But you see....it's not that simple.....I can't just accept you as my partner when you haven't proven your worth. If I don't like you, I won't work with you. Heck, I'm better off killing you or watching you die than letting you become a bore in my task"

 

Leaning forward now, pressing his body smoothly against Hotaru's larger frame, Raiza scooted up just a bit to bring his mouth against one of those white canine ears. "So do you're best to dominate me. Or do your worst....it's really up to you. Prove to me that you're worth keeping around....make me want to have you around and maybe.....just maybe, we might have the possibility of a new bond.....Anything else and I'll just find a different way of being Sakame down and trust me, I'm just full of ideas on how to do just that" Raiza whispered devilishly, parting his lips to nip at one of Hotaru's before placing both hands on the man's chest and with the agility and grace of a cat, flipped himself over Hotaru and pranced away, sinking feeling into the shadows when the lights in the room grew quite bit dimmer.

[Cazuki]

If there was one thing Hotaru hadn’t been expecting from Raiza it was for him to start laughing and smiling at him. It was disconcerting and Hotaru felt everything inside him tense, waiting for Raiza to make a move. Before Hotaru had been accepted into the Academy, Kinoue had briefly trained him personally, keeping to dark alleys or abandoned parks to ensure they weren’t seen. He’d gone through the basics, training Hotaru on technique and control. Hotaru couldn’t count the number of times he’d become overly frustrated and leaped for the Handler’s throat, only to be deflected every time.

”You’re strong Ina. But you fight too much like a beast. You want to be human right?”

 

The way Raiza just relaxed, brushing himself off. It reminded him of… a monster. He grit his teeth, tensing when he saw the motion of Raiza’s eyes. Was this who Raiza really was? What the streets had turned him into? What Sakame had done? Hotaru’s heart dropped in a way it hadn’t since he’d first heard about Kinoue’s death on the news a month ago.

“Those bastards.” he whispered,

“Creative, hmm? I guess we can do that. Kinoue did teach me some moves but they weren’t too complicated. More or less, he helped me become the perfect personification of what a Reaper should be.” Kinoue had taught him that? No, that couldn’t be right. Kinoue had always taught patience, justice, honour. He would never-

Within moments Raiza was at his side and Hotaru hacked as he was kicked clean across the room. His scars were starting to burn.

Fuck not now, please not now.

 

Raiza’s words came in fits and starts, the sounds interrupted by Hotaru’s impending panic attack.

“-my mother. Many say that she used to belong to Sakame…killed… in front of me.”

Hotaru’s heart palpitated and he broke out into a cold sweat, breath shortening. He looked up and he wasn’t in a training room anymore, it was a dark alley. He was naked and cold and bleeding from a huge gash along his chest. He was dying. He looked desperately for someone, but found he was alone, aching in the cold rain and wind that would be his executioner. He’d fucked up. The enemy had gotten away. He’d let them go.

“It’s kinda cool to be able to kill without feeling a hint of remorse… I like it.”

His fur was red, drenched in blood he knew wasn’t his, though it was slowly being joined by it. It was crusted with age and stank like death itself. It wasn’t him, it was someone else. Neither Inugami or man. A monster. He was a monster. And monsters without a use should be put to death.

 

He didn’t offer any resistance when Raiza pushed him back, crumpling like a sack of potatoes. The impact jolted him out, refocusing him on Raiza who was straddling him, gripping his throat with enough force to bring him back, but with enough laxness that he wasn’t choking. A claw traced to his heart, pushing into the largest scar on the front of his body. His breath hitched.

“Do you know how it feels like to have a bond be broken? It’s sacred, you know? The bond created between Handler and Inugami… it’s something that should never be broken.”

Instinct took over and Hotaru growled, his pupils flints as he glared Raiza down. Bonds? They were a curse.

”Ina… Hotaru… I’m glad you trst me that much but… I have Rai. But you and me will always be family, alright?”

Hotaru stared up into Raiza’s blank eyes and he felt a kindred spirit in there. Someone who was lost in their past.

“And then you came along…” Hotaru’s ears pricked up. “Kinoue would have liked you and I together… he seemed the type to be one of those idiot humans.”

“Kinoue wasn’t an idiot.” He growled, temper flaring. Shit, he needed to bring himself back- Hotaru jolted as Raiza brought himself even closer. Hotaru bit his lip, stopping a whimper before it appeared.

“So do your best to dominate me. Or do your worst… it’s really up to you.”

Almost as soon as Hotaru had registered Raiza’s weight on him Raiza lifted himself off, pacing off to the side. Hotaru jumped up, righting himself but not going back into position. Instead, he hung loose, like a puppet with almost every string cut.

Instinct clawed up his back, kicking his brain into overdrive. Kinoue’s and the Academy’s training was thrown out, giving him two options: Kill or Die. After all, wasn’t that all someone like him was worth?

 

He closed his eyes and listened, hearing the deathly silence of the room, the pounding of his own heart. He swore he could even hear his scars throbbing under his shirt, reminding him of he was. He wasn’t Kinoue, no matter how much he tried to be. He listened and eventually he found it, the soft patter of Raiza’s heart-beat. He charged forward, fast as shadow as he pin-point Raiza in the darkness. He leapt at the man, knocking them both unceremoniously to the floor.

“This enough dominance for you!?“ He roared.

Without thinking he went for Raiza’s throat, clearly intending to end the fight here and now.

”Promise me you’ll protect him, won’t you? I know it’s a lot to ask but… if I’m gone, he might… well… break? I… I’m not the best Handler in the world and I… Ina, I need you to do this for me. Let Rai become a better man than I could make him, alright?”

 

Hotaru stopped, fangs mere inches from Raiza’s soft skin. His pupils unslit and a strange calm descended onto him. He glanced at Raiza. A Raiza that needed his help. Without speaking, he shifted, gathering the Inugami into his arms and pressing his head to his chest where he could hear his heart-beat. He braced his arms along his back, curling around him and letting his tail trail around Raiza’s back until he was basically encapsulating him in his warmth.

“You loved him so, so much, didn’t you? I’m sorry Rai. I’m sorry. I’m-” he hiccuped. “I won’t ‘dominate’ you partner. You… you don’t want to see where that road leads… Rai, I promise I will be here for you. I will fight with you and for you and we will get justice.” He tightened his hold, not caring if Raiza clawed him or bit at his throat. He would not move. “Com’on Rai, I need you back partner. Come back to me, to all of us. If it takes it, I will prove myself a thousand times over but this isn’t how we should do it. It hurts Rai.” His scars throbbed. “It hurts when all you have is dominance and submission. We’re more than that Rai, all Inugami are. We aren’t monsters. We’re people. You’re a person!” He buried his head into Raiza’s neck, bringing up one hand to scratch at Raiza’s hair between his ears. “Come back. Come back, I’ve got you.”

[GodofMischief]

Watching the play of emotions on the face of the Inugami he held beneath him, Raiza couldn't help but find it amusing. I mean, in the state that he was, he found everything quite entertaining. Hotaru seemed to be fighting a harsh battle between staying in reality and sinking into memories of his past. Honestly, it was fascinating to watch....not that he could bring himself to care much. To be truthful, he was questioning himself as to why he didn't just kill the man while he held him in such a vulnerable position. It would be really easy if he put some thought to it. Just dig his nails into Hotaru's neck and pull his jugular out...sure it would be messy and he'd have the bother of blood stains on his borrowed cloths, but one annoying presence would have been taken care of before it become a to large thorn on his side.

 

However, he found that he couldn't bring himself to do it. Maybe it was because somewhere inside his mind, he knew Kinoue would have disapproved. Hell, he could even hear his human's voice now when Kinoue went through the process of telling him when letting go of control would be acceptable.

 

"Rai....I'm going to tell you this until the day I die. Just because we're working to see just how far you can go when you lose control, doesn't mean I want you doing it constantly. We're only going to use it during emergencies. It's not the most reliable phase you go into and it can be dangerous for everyone else around if I'm not close enough to pull you back" Kinoue had said as he sat on the chair of his desk, staring at the white furred Inugami who perched comfortably at the edge of his desk.

 

"If you don't want me doing it often, then why are we bothering experimenting with that state of my mind? It'll be useless in the end, Kinoue" Raiza replied with a roll of his eyes.

 

"It's something we're going to have to practice with. It's as much part of you as the air you breath. I'd rather have some vague kind of understanding about this other side of your nature. It's better than you losing control at any given time and me not knowing what to do. Just remember, no letting go unless I'm with you. I can't just step back and let you have too much fun" Kinoue chuckled, reaching out to gently flick one pointed, furry ear on the top of his Inugami's head.

 

Blinking out of his own memories when he felt a shift in the air a few seconds after he had let Hotaru go and slipped into the realm of the shadows, Raiza's grin grew a bit even when he felt Hotaru approaching. Letting the man topple them into the floor, Raiza didn't attempt to get loose even when Hotaru began to close the distance between his neck and the other Inugami's sharp teeth. Instead of struggling like any logical human and canine would have done at the scene of such an obvious danger, Raiza lay docile underneath Hotaru. A soft giggle escaping him as he watching in fascination the threat of a death looming. He had no reason to struggle. There would be no fun in that, he preferred toying with death...after all, he had done it so many times while he had been on the streets.

 

Waiting with unsettling excitement to feel those fangs close around his throat, to feel the touch of death that he had begun to miss for such a long time now, Raiza's grin vanished when Hotaru stopped his attack and seemed to look at him with a new light.Growling truly indignant now when Hotaru gathered him up in his arms and wrapped around him, Raiza snarled a hate-filled sound before shoving his hands against the chest of the larger man. Pushing with all his might against the bigger Inugami, Raiza furiously squirmed around almost like a livid feline, snarls rising in volume to gradually form words. "You giant idiot....let me go! Let me go, right now! I should kill you. I should rip you apart! I should make you choke on your own blood! You're a horrible excuse for an Inugami! Just like every other mongrel here! We were created to kill, it's in our blood....you can't fight what's in our blood!" He growled viciously, venom coating his words as he continued to shove desperately against Hotaru's hold. His motions chaotic and borderline mindless despite his claws never once digging into the warm flesh under the cloth covered chest. A fact he seemed to not even notice.

 

He didn't want to come back! He didn't want to return to having to control his will. To having to fight to breath against the agonizing, cripppling pain he refused to allow the world to see. He just wanted to be free. He didn't need control to enact his revenge. He just needed his teeth and claws. He didn't need to think, he didn't need to feel. He could go back to how he had been before Kinoue had found him and his two friends. He could simply just exist without having to think or hold his true nature back behind mental walls.

 

Stopping his struggles slowly as a full fledged laugh erupted from him, Raiza shoved him a hands against Hotaru's chest one last time before saying in a quiet but almost hysterically delighted voice "You know....you and I aren't so different. I can see what Kinoue must have thought when he first spotted you. But you see, the only difference between us is that you fear the darkness in your heart, while I embrace it! You're afraid of become the monster so many people whisper Inugami can become. I live to feel that monster grow inside me! It's who you are, Hotaru, there's no need to be afraid of who you are!" Raiza laughed, shoulders shaking with the intensity of it.

 

It took a few long minutes but finally, the laughter died down to an almost dull chuckle as Raiza let himself go limp in Hotaru's arms. "Alright.....I suppose I'll let you have it your way. I'll let you bring my control back....but Hotaru.." he whispered, smile remaining on his face even as his voice dripped with icy particles "I will find every one of them. I'm not fighting for justice....I'm fighting for revenge. I'll show them how it feels to live without a heart. I'll show them how torturous it is to wake up each day. I'll make them understand what true pain is. And when they have nothing else to lose, when I have taken everything they hold dear...I'll rip them apart, one by one and I won't let them die until I hold their still beating hearts in my hand......that I promise you" his chuckled, eyes dropping a little and voice growing quieter and quieter with each word, almost as if he was getting sleepy or something of the sort.

 

It was a slow process coming back, he could feel Hotaru's head against his neck and he could feel the scratch between his ears. His mind registered what Hotaru had said even while Raiza had been in his wild state. Slamming the door to his feral side had always been a task for him every time he let go. However, he found that Hotaru's warmth, his presence helped quite a bit, as did his touch. Something that was so similar to Kinoue yet not.

 

Feeling the tension he usually carried in him, gather again in his thin frame, Raiza exhaled a heavy breath even while leaning a bit more fully into Hotaru's embrace. Lowering his head to rest his forehead on Hotaru's shoulder, Raiza's ears lowered slowly and his tail fell limply against the ground. Hesitantly, hands gently grasped handfuls of Hotaru's shirt, almost as if to anchor himself as his eyes returned to their usual state.

 

"I'm sorry" he rasped softly, voice weary "I shouldn't have done that....That wasn't fair to you". Feeling the corners of his eyes begin to burn when he took in the entire situation and memories of Kinoue began to resurface, Raiza exhaled a shaky breath while appearing to bury a bit closer into Hotaru's hold, body shaking with small tremors. "I can't be who you want me to be, Hotaru, I'm not strong enough" the slighter canine struggled past his pride and suffocating sadness to say this. "You're not the one who has to prove himself. You have nothing to prove. Kinoue chose you as a friend and he loved you, you shouldn't have to prove anything else to me. But Hotaru, I can't do this without Kinoue. I need my Handler, I can't do this without him with me. He promised he wouldn't leave me too" Raiza whispered, fingers tightening around the handful of shirt he had in his grasp.

 

"I don't know what to do anymore. Nothing makes sense....being a person doesn't make sense anymore. It hurts too much, and I don't want to have to live with this. You deserve a better partner.....it's your right to have a better partner. You shouldn't be chained down with me, it's not fair for you. Kinoue saw the potential in you, and I'm seeing some of it now. You have the ability to change so many lives. You understand so much more than what you let on. You've suffered enough to make you the Inugami you are today. You'd be fine with another canine....not someone who has no desire to live past his revenge. Kinoue might have chosen you, but it was selfish of him to make you my babysitter" Raiza pushed out, eyes closing tightly as he gave his head a light shake from where he still had it rested on Hotaru's shoulder.

 

"I don't know how to let you in. I don't even know if I can. All I know is that I don't want to hurt you.....You were precious to Kinoue. You meant something important to him. I don't want to hurt the last thing that binds Kinoue to us....You don't deserve that" he whispered, trying for the life of him to push this grief down and get it together again. He wasn't this emotionally open, this wasn't who he was. And yet, he found that he couldn't bring himself to be cruel to Hotaru at the moment. He just didn't have the mental strength in him to do that.

[Cazuki]

It turned out not to be overly difficult to stop Raiza from wrenching out of Hotaru's grip. Reapers are fast and deadly, but their greatest weakness is when they are trapped, especially by something that can match or negate their speed and stealth advantage. Hotaru didn't even feel any clawing like he had the day before. He supposed sardonically that was a step-up. He waited quietly, continuing his petting even when Raiza leant into him.

"I'm sorry." Those quiet words were somehow even more upsetting than the angry screeches. Was Hotaru really doing the right thing, shutting off that side of Raiza's personality? It didn't seem like it, from the way that half was reacting. It was growing restless and unstable, no longer tempered by the master that had once probably held it under lock and key. But what else could he do for now?

 

In his hold, he could easily feel Raiza's soft tremors and hands curled in the material of his shirt, rumpling it. Hotaru relaxed, his hold now becoming less of a rigid cage and more of an actual embrace, molding against Raiza's body while his arms held him in a little less tightly but still tightly enough that he wouldn't just drop him.

"I can't be who you want me to be, Hotaru, I'm not strong enough. You're not the one who has to prove himself. You have nothing to prove. Kinoue chose you as a friend and he loved you, you shouldn't have to prove anything else to me. But Hotaru, I can't do this without Kinoue. I need my Handler, I can't do this without him with me. He promised he wouldn't leave me too. I don't know what to do anymore. Nothing makes sense....being a person doesn't make sense anymore. It hurts too much, and I don't want to have to live with this."

Hotaru remained silent, letting Raiza express his emotion. Knowing what he did about him, this was something incredibly uncommon for Raiza, to let out his emotions this way. Kinoue had often told him how somber he was all the time and how he would rarely if ever just drop his guard and tell someone what he was honestly feeling. Kinoue had never told him about the feral side of Raiza, and possibly for good reason. Right now, Hotaru couldn't find the strength to be mad at Kinoue. He continued to pet Raiza, the scratching slowing down into smooth, broad petting motions, fingers tangling through Raiza's soft white pelt. Hotaru hummed, oddly content with the feeling. So his fur was as soft as he'd thought.

"I don't know how to let you in. I don't even know if I can. All I know is that I don't want to hurt you.....You were precious to Kinoue. You meant something important to him. I don't want to hurt the last thing that binds Kinoue to us....You don't deserve that."

 

Hotaru waited for a few moments, waiting for Raiza to pick up his speech again. When he didn't, he opened his mouth and did the one thing that he thought he could. He talked.

"Rai... Raiza... Raiza Ukitake... The Mad Dog of the Academy, The Storm, Reaper Class... Bonded Inugami of Kinoue Ukitake..." He whispered the string of names and titles into Raiza's ear, then pulled back. He blinked, took a deep breath and then-

Raising his hand off of Raiza's head he smacked the Inugami's cheek, probably not enough to hurt, but enough for Hotaru to focus. He laid his hand out along Raiza's cheek, rubbing the spot in soothing circles and looking deep into his red eyes with his own determined brown.

"You. Are. A. Bad. Dog." He enunciated every syllable, trying to seep every ounce of his sadness, anger, frustration and relief into each word. He paused, gliding his hand back up to Raiza's head he kept petting his absentmindedly, sighing. "But I have to admit you are a much better person than I ever thought you would be..." Hotaru chuckled. "I guess my self-proclaimed rival has beaten me again, huh? Geez, Rai, why do you always have to be so cool!? You're-" He paused. He didn't want to go into a tirade right now. "It's... It's okay not to know what to do or not know what you are. You're in grief. You lost someone who made you who you are, who raised you and protected you, fought with you and loved you. It's okay not to know if you can really let me in right now, or if you ever can for that matter."

Hotaru looked around, trying to gather his thoughts as calmness slowly started to return to him.

"I could have left you behind. When I saw that news-story, I could have said no and left you. Let you stay in that holding cell and die of starvation. I could have broken my promise to Kinoue and he would be none the wiser." He stared into Raiza's eyes again. "But I didn't. Because I chose to be here. I chose to keep my promise and I chose to become involved with your life. It ain't got anything to do with deserving or fate or whatever the fuck. I lost faith in that from the moment I was fucking born. I chose to find you Rai and now I am choosing to stay with you, no matter what it takes. And whatever holy fucktard in the sky wants to say about that can go suck on an egg because I am choosing not to leave you until I choose to. You get what I'm saying? You don't have to accept me or let me in if you don't want to. But I will not leave you behind. And you're right. I'm afraid. I'm afraid of someone who isn't me. Something that isn't Hotaru Ukitake. You don't need to be anything for me Rai, because I am with you for better or worse. You can break as many times as you like in front of me and I will bring you back each and every time because you are a bad dog and a great person. That is what Kinoue always told me and that's what I can see now." Hotaru smiled, the easiness from before returning.

"So basically, you're stuck with me 'til my giveafuck stops working and even beyond that. Because I don't want to be Kinoue replacement. I don't want to be your master. I want to be your 'Partner'. I want us to have a bond that will hold and not some flimsy replacement of something I would never hope to match. Raiza, I want all of you to be here, fighting with me to take down those bastards who killed our master." He chuckled. "You with me? Not like it matters, because a fool like me doesn't listen anyway." He replicated Raiza's voice, intentionally hamming up his proper speech with a ridiculously posh accent. "Also, there is absolutely no way you are stopping me petting your head from now on~ It's so soft and fluffy I'm going to die~" Hotaru's eyes widened.

Shit, inner thoughts, inner thoughts!

 

"Uhm... ignore the last part!" He blurted, face reddening with a deep blush.

He started laughing, tugging Raiza close to at hide himself before letting his tail and the arm that wasn't stroking Rai's head fall to his side, allowing him to move if he wished while rocking them both soothingly from side to side, humming. This was probably a very entertaining show from the observation deck i the corner, though luckily both Raiza and hotaru were mostly concealed in darkness.

[GodofMischief]

Winching at the somewhat light snack of his cheek, Raiza's eyes narrowed as he got a retort ready but whatever he was about to say, quickly died on his tongue when Hotaru laid his hand again on the his cheek and began to rub circles on it. Unsure what to do at the moment, Raiza kept his ruby colored eyes on the other man even as he inclined his head just a bit to lean a hint towards the touch. Hotaru was becoming more and more intriguing, that was for sure. From the way he had called out all of the younger Inugami's nicknames, to the way he was looking at him now and declaring his was a better person than he was a dog. Exhaling a heavy sigh, Raiza didn't fight those words. He knew that the canine side of his nature, his feral state, was less than appealing. There was a reason he tried to keep that side of his personality under lock and key. Kinoue had always helped him stay under control, at the moment though, Raiza had to admit that he was unstable and that was probably why he had allowed his feral nature to roam free for a few moments. It had been a mistake....but maybe it was best that it happened.

 

Hotaru had handled it remarkably well and Raiza couldn't fight the effect his voice had had in bringing him back to reality. No one but Kinoue had been able to bring Raiza back from the edge of insanity when he let his fierce canine side of his persona out. It seemed that Hotaru had the same talent as Kinoue had had....Interesting.

 

"I have no idea how I'm....cool. And I'm decently certain that I didn't win this, at least not completely" he huffed though allowed his eyes to close at the feel of the petting resuming on his head. Feeling his tension start to seep out of his shoulders as the stroking continued to bring peace to his turbulent mind, Raiza kept his ears up and focused on the words the older of the two was saying. He hadn't meant to get so emotional or open up like he had, it was just not something he did, but he had wanted to tell Hotaru exactly how he felt while his walls were down. He didn't want the other male to continue to walk around quite blind about who was to be his partner. His first actual partner at that.

 

Blinking his eyes open a bit reluctantly when he heard Kinoue's name, Raiza listened intently to the other man's words as he explained how he had chosen to stay when he didn't have to. He listened to the man's promises that he would stay. That he wanted all of Raiza focused and fighting at his side. That he wanted a bond strong enough that could face all that would come and not be a replacement for the bond he had had with the man he still loved as a father after death had torn them apart.lostening to all this, Raiza didn't know exactly what to think or say. A small childish part of his heart wanted to negate all the words said to him. Everyone left him in the end so Hotaru had to be lying when he said he'd stay .

 

And yet....Raiza wanted to believe him. Or at least try to. Especially when Hotaru said "our master". Yes, he supposed that in the end, Kinoue had belonged to both of them and it would be both their jobs to avenge him.

 

"You are indeed a fool and I know you'll come to regret this day and your decision some day in the future. However, for the time being, I suppose there is no talking you out of having it your way. I will work with you and we'll see where the road takes us. After all, I don't think there's much else we could lose" Raiza commented with a heavy mixture of dryness and fond exasperation in his words. He knew things wouldn't be sunshine and rainbows, but hopefully building their partnership wouldn't be too bad of a deal.

 

Tension returned to his relaxed form in Hotaru's arms when the man put the words "soft and fluffy" attached to stroking his head as the man was currently doing. Releasing the handfuls of shirt he had been grasping almost like an anchor. Raiza shoved against Hotaru's chest that instant and sent him a less than impressed glare. "Attach the words soft and fluffy to me again and I swear by the Gods, Hotaru, that I will castrate you to show you how soft and fluffy I am" he growled softly, and though he squirmed in Hotaru's hold, it wasn't anything too fierce.

 

"I believe that the others might be having the time of their lives imagining what we must be doing in the shadows, let me go, will you. I'm not a child that needs to be cradled and kept safe. We have more pressing matters to tend to than spend any more time discussing feelings and the such" he grumbled, pushing the other man away a bit. He was surprisingly reluctant to leave the warmth of Hotaru's arms and his kind touches, however, he knew that it wouldn't be wise to indulge in all those things for too long. They had a long way to go still with their partnership and this was only the beginning.

[Cazuki]

Chapter 2

 

The Alley was dark. It wasn't special in any way. It was like any trash-filled, rotten, horrendous alley you could find in Sector B. But, for now, this was his cage. He sat on the ground, a small collar wrapped around his throat. Ironically, the small piece of leather was very elaborate. A symbol covered in flowers and faux-jewels. His chains laid on the side of the road. He learned to stop running off long ago, but they were still there. A reminder smeared in blood and rust. He didn't have the words to describe how he felt. All he could think of was that it was cold and getting colder.

 

Oh right... it was the Cold Time. He didn't really know what others called it but that's what he called it. Little flecks of white, clear water fell from the sky and danced on his bare skin before melting. The more that fell and the longer he lay there, the less they melted so if that wasn't a symbol of him dying he didn't know what was. Oh yeah, he was dying. How could he forget, with the huge new wound bleeding out onto the alley floor around him, staining the slush? He knew who'd done it. He hadn't been surprised, but when he tried to remember who it was all the came out was static. Well, it didn't matter. This was The Alley. His Alley. The Alley where a nameless would die.

 

Clunk!

Someone! He raises his ears weakly and growls. Tries to move but can't. Can't move...

"Raaa..." he gurgles, trying to look past his bare chest and to the shaded figure at the end of The Alley. So much for it being just his... now some street thief was going to pick his body. Not like he has anything left except the collar.

"You're alive... hmm... I didn't expect that..." the voice is new. he may not remember many things but he remembers the important things. This figure is new. The figure comes closer, coming into the light. He's a human man, young and smiling. "Hey, Inu-san, you speak?"

"Whaaaa..." he growls.

"So I'm guessing not really? Well, I guess I'll do the talking then. Name's Kinoue and you, my furry friend, are about two ticks from doggy heaven." Despite everything, he smiles. He's heard those words before.

"Heaven... not for me..."

"Ah, there we go!" Kinoue advances closer still, close enough that now he could hit him even on his back like this. "But yeah, you're probably right Inu-san. I've been following you for a while." He roars, reaches out a clawed hand and swipes at Kinoue, catching him on the arm and sinking in. He chuckles.

"Heaven... not for you..."

Admirably the man doesn't beg. Doesn't even whimper. Just says.

"Probably." And before he can think, a hand has whipped out and bashed the side of his face. He whimpers, lolls and falls asleep. "Night-night, Inu-san."

 

-------------------------------------

 

Jumping back into awareness is painful for Hotaru. Quite literally, as he finds himself on his face yet again having fallen off the couch that has been his bed for the last week. He groans and look up. It's still dark and only his heightened sight can let him see the clock that tells him it's 1 in the morning.

It's been almost a week now since Hotaru and Raiza started training together and they'd become acquainted. Raiza was healing quickly, his strength coming back surely though he supposedly was nowhere near his optimum output. Hotaru could believe him. Since their first training fight, Hotaru had been cautious of pushing Raiza too far. A maiden he was not, but a dangerous beast he was and Hotaru wanted to give them both time to work through what had happened and adapt to it. It had taken a few days for Raiza to be given his stuff from his previous lodging and while Hotaru didn't know all that was in the various boxes that had arrived h knew at least Raiza had some of his own clothes now. It was both a relieving and disheartening realization.

 

But right now, Hotaru wasn't considering all of that. Instead, he was shivering, either from the night chill or the nightmare. He couldn't really remember much of what'd he seen but of what he could he could remember red and cold and white. He braced himself on quivering arms. He hated when this happened. He touched below his eyes and felt tears. Of course. This was a common reaction. Pushing himself off the floor, he paced over to the kitchenette counter. Reaching into a cabinet, he bought out a small bottle of pills. Prescription for sleep. He rarely had to take them nowadays but it was good to have them. On the label it read 'Hotaru Ukitake'.

 

He swallowed one with a bit of water and sighed. Those should let him sleep for another 6 hours, unless his metabolism destroyed the chemicals faster than usual. Silent, he slide out of the kitchenette and to his room. Just to check on him, he soothes internallt. Just to make sure he's still there. He opens the door to his room and looks inside. He doesn't know if Raiza is awake or asleep but he is there, under the covers. Hotaru sighs, his mucles relaxing. He stumbles forward, hovers on the edge of the bed and then sits down.

 

"Rai... I can't sleep..." He feels like he should be embarassed saying it, but he isn't. It's a fact. He flops down onto his side, no even bothering to cover his half naked torso with the duvet. He simply lies there, turning to face Raiza. "Can I sleep here again...? Please? It's big enough for us both..."

[GodofMischief]

Feeling his ears flicker a bit at the sound of the door cracking open, Raiza quietly angled his ears towards the direction of steady breathing and where he felt the eyes of the Inugami he was gradually accepting as his new partner. Things still weren't amazingly easy between them, Raiza still had a few issues to work through and he was still coming to terms in forcing himself to accept the other canine as a partner and not just a temporary replacement. All in all though, Raiza hadn't been minding Hotaru being around all that much. The man knew to give him his space and he didn't pressure Raiza. They still trained together and were becoming surprisingly good at reading eachother, which helped ease some of the unrest in the younger, more stoic of the pair. He still wasn't willing to forget Kinoue, but he was beginning to come to terms with the fact that he didn't really mind having another individual to stand by his side again in the place Kinoue once held.

 

Opening his eyes just a fraction at the sensation of Hotaru sitting down on the edge of the bed before flipping down into it seconds later, the smaller Inugami released a soft sigh before forcing his slightly sluggish mind into function. Raising himself up to an elbow, he glanced over at Hotaru and internally thanked the darkness that hid the mild tint of pink on his cheeks at the sight of the half naked torso that the Inugami seemed to have no care in hidding. Forcing his eyes off the man's torso, Raiza raised his ruby eyes to focus on the troubled brown eyes that looked back at him from a handsome face he had gotten used to having around these past few days. Though in the past he might have put up a fuss and insisted the man leave the room and head back to the couch, he found that he didn't really mind having the other man sleep beside him....Perhaps he was growing softer, who knew, all he was aware of was that something had disturbed Hotaru enough to pull him out of his sleep and that had the usual no nonsense Inugami feeling sorry for the man.

 

"Do as you wish, as long as you let us both get back to sleep, I don't care. Use whatever means you must to get some rest, we have a long day of training tomorrow. Just be sure to cover yourself with the duvet, you'll catch a cold if you don't and I honestly don't think I can handle you while you're ill" he responded quietly, eyes still studying the other man curiously while he waited for him to get settle in. Despite that he still didn't fully believe what Hotaru was going to stay with him for the duration it would take to avenge their human, Raiza felt that he could understand the other Inugami a bit more now that they were spending so much of their time together. He was reluctant to admit that he could see why Kinoue had chosen Hotaru after he had already had a canine companion. There was something about Hotaru that just drew people to him. Regardless of his horrible past, something that probably was one of the reasons he woke up so ridiculously some nights, the man had a light inside of him that shone brightly and Raiza doubted it would ever fade.

 

With a soft exhale of air, the ruby eyed Inugami slowly sank back into the bed draping his tail comfortably over his hips under the duvet and turning his back calmly, tiredly towards the other man in the room. "Get some sleep" he said again before adding "And know that should anything trouble you or keep you from sleeping properly, I am willing to lend you an ear. It's not healthy to keep dark memories locked in your mind...at least that's what Kinoue often said".

 

Keeping one ear angled just a bit in the direction of Hotaru to insure the man would do as he was instructed, Raiza slowly closed his eyes again but did not fall asleep. No, he wouldn't sleep until he knew that Hotaru had allowed sleep to claim him again. Perhaps it was silly, but he wanted to reassure himself that the man was getting proper rest before he allowed himself to nod off into oblivion.