A DIFFERENT LOOK
by Taisa
http://dungeon.taisa-labs.com/

Original story:	Monday, July 19, 1999
Revised:	Friday, March 10, 2000


This borders on yaoi, but a shocking turn of events changes Zenki and 
Goki -- possibly forever!

**********


	"Are you sure, Akira-kun?"
	Akira nodded with certainty and braced himself in his chair, 
gripping the arm-rests tightly.
	"Last chance..." Chiaki warned.
	"Do it." Akira shut his eyes and prepared for the worst.
	Chiaki shrugged and walked around behind him.
	Expecting her to begin, Akira was surprised when he felt her 
breath on his ear.
	"Are you suuuuuuure?" she probed in an ominous whisper.
	He turned to look at her. "I'm not asking you to kill me or 
anything! Master, just do it, please!"
	"But it's almost winter, and it'll be getting cold, and it'll 
take forever to grow back, and are you SURE you want me to CUT YOUR 
HAIR!?"
	"Master!" Akira pleaded.
	"Alright, alright. You had your chance. Just don't blame me 
when Zenki makes fun of the lack of a tan on the back of your neck." 
And with that, Chiaki took a handful of Akira's thick, silken blue hair 
in her hand -- *snip* -- his lovely locks went tumbling to the floor.
	Chiaki sighed.
	Akira sighed.
	It was so beautiful, she thought.
	It made him look like a girl, he thought.
	So what if Zenki made fun of him? She knew he only did it 
because he was insecure and had to put Goki down to reassure himself of 
his own 'manliness.'
	It meant everything when Zenki made fun of him. For the 
hundreds of years he had known him, Goki had done everything he could 
to be accepted by Zenki. Nothing seemed to touch the demon lord, 
though. This mixed with the onset of Akira's puberty had made Goki more 
self-conscious than usual.
	"If Zenki dares say anything about your hair this time," Chiaki 
reassured with another snip, "I'm gonna set HIS hair on fire!" She 
playfully took a disembodied lock of Akira's hair in her hand and 
pretended to call the Spell of Flames.
	Akira laughed at the notion.
	Before long, Chiaki was clipping away the final wild strands 
that stood between Akira and his affirmed masculinity. She left his 
bangs longer than the rest, parting them slightly off-center. In the 
back she had feathered it. Standing before him, and gently sweeping 
his bangs behind his ears, she noticed just how striking Akira's 
facial features were -- especially without all that hair blocking the 
view. She smiled at her work and stepped back, folding her arms. She 
nodded and grinned, two ego treats away from patting herself on the 
back.
	Akira saw her expression and smiled, suddenly glad of his 
decision. He hopped out of the chair and to the mirror in the bathroom.
	"Ah! Sugoi, Master! That's great--thank you!!"
	Chiaki grinned and began cleaning up. It really was great, if 
she did say so herself.


	"Oi, Goki, what's with the 'do?"
	Akira smirked, leaning back against the wall.
	"Did Chiaki do that to ya? I can tell -- looks like a blind man 
with a butcher knife attacked ya," Zenki grumbled, not wanting to admit 
that it looked better.
	Akira's expression did not change. He was very content with the 
decision. And he rather enjoyed the fact that it drew a reaction from 
Zenki.
	Zenki sat down on the porch near Akira, crossing his legs and 
leaning back on his palms. He sniffed the air and made a face when he 
couldn't smell anything interesting.
	Grandma Saki came out -- "Ah, Zenki-dono, Goki-dono, here you 
are. Dinner is ready." She paused a moment. "Goki-dono, you've cut your 
hair! Oh, how handsome you look," she praised him before going back 
inside.
	"I'm gonna be sick," Zenki threw in a couple gagging noises to 
emphasize his point.
	Finally, Akira had to laugh. He pushed himself up, patted Zenki 
on the head as he walked by, and stood in the doorway. "Come on, 
Zenki-san, it's dinner time." He stepped inside.
	"Feh." Zenki had suddenly lost his appetite. He retreated to 
the roof.


	Some time later, Zenki's ears perked when he heard footsteps on 
the old wooden shingles. He was half asleep on the roof of the shrine.
	"It's just me," assured Akira, sensing Zenki's sudden alertness.
	Zenki let his guard down, closed his eyes again, and resumed 
pretending he was the only one on the earth.
	Akira sat down close to Zenki -- so close they almost touched. 
Zenki didn't flinch. It seemed to Zenki that Goki was the only constant 
in an inconstant world. As obnoxious and damaging to his ego Goki was, 
his presence was comforting when everything else seemed to never stop 
changing. Even if they hadn't always been... the word "friends" didn't 
seem to fit... they had known each other longer than any human could 
fathom. Goki was something that no human -- not even Ozuno -- could 
take away from him. Zenki had sort of accepted that there would always 
be Goki. There had been times when he didn't even notice when Goki was 
nearby -- as if the sound of him, the smell of him, had become as 
routine and expected as breathing.
	"You didn't come to dinner..."
	"What powers of perception you've developed over the last 
millenium, Goki, you must be proud."
	Akira frowned.
	"Ne, Zenki-san..." he nudged the miniature demon lord.
	"Ne yerself," he grunted in reply.
	"Ne..."
	"Is there an echo in here? Whuddya want, Goki?"
	"...Nothing," Akira flopped back, laying next to Zenki.
	"Then shut the hell up."
	Several silence-filled minutes passed. Then--
	"Zenki-san..." a soft whisper, too close.
	Zenki opened his eyes and stared with confusion at Akira, who 
was bending over him.
	"N-Nani!?"
	"Zenki-san, what do you *really* think of my hair?" the whisper 
quieted.
	"It's n-not that bad, I guess," Zenki said, not looking at 
Akira.
	Akira smiled and slowly shifted his body so that he was right 
over Zenki, on his hands and knees, leaving very little space between 
them. "Zenki-san, please look at me..."
	Zenki had been alive long enough to know what was going on. 
What he was unsure of at this moment, however, was whether or not he 
wanted it to continue. Something about the proximity of Goki to him 
right now felt very natural. They were the same -- Goki and he. But 
something inside Zenki screamed for it to stop and go back to the way 
it was. It was the change. Now, even Goki was changing -- he was no 
longer the constant comfort. He became a new threat.
	He would not look at him. "Get offa me, *Akira* -- little boy, 
what do you think you're doing?? I'll kick your damned ass if you don't 
move it!"
	"'Akira'?" he laughed gently. He closed his eyes, and in a soft 
flash of light, Zenki saw the familiar form of Goki.
	Goki might not have continued, except the only protest Zenki 
gave was verbal. Goki understood Zenki better than anyone, and knew him 
well enough to know that Zenki's words were empty if he did not act on 
them. Zenki's body never lied.
	He put a finger to the demon lord's lips, and Zenki was frozen 
in place. Goki rested his body on top of Zenki's and brushed a cheek 
against his.
	So warm... So warm and secure... The night's cold chill left 
Zenki's body as he was blanketed in Goki's protective light -- the 
light of the Friend of Humans... the light of Zenki's friend. Zenki had 
never felt the protection of anyone else... not like this. He had 
always been the one to protect.
	What Zenki expected to happen, did not. Goki kissed his 
forehead and held him like a little brother, and this felt more natural 
than anything to Zenki. They fell asleep together on the roof, both 
more comfortable in that moment than they had been since their 
reawakening.
	Zenki had been alone for so long -- but he had not really. 
There had always been Goki. There would always be Goki. He was thankful 
for that.


END.