Chapter 1

"Getting perverse pleasure from paperwork again Tatsumi?"

Steely blue eyes glanced up slowly from the budget forms he was currently reviewing, and up into Kiowaki Sanja's amused golden ones.

"Sanja-san, to what do I owe this pleasure?"

"Nothing really. Just checking in over here." She floated over to his desk and took a seat on top of the polished wood rather than the chair that was placed before the desk for that exact reason. His left eye twitched slightly at the action, but his face remained blank otherwise.

Kiowaki Sanja, head of the psychic division, was not afraid to say or do what she wanted, damn the consequences. It was those qualities in her that Tatsumi respected the most, because he could not find it within himself to do the same. He had to think of the consequences. He had to look out for everyone's welfare.

"How's Tsuzuki?"

He looked at her, wondering why she was asking, but she seemed sincere in her concern. And they were close enough that he wouldn't lie to her.

"He's doing as fine as he possibly could."

She tilted her head. "He has a partner?" Everyone knew about Tsuzuki's inability to keep partners.

"Yes, But for how long…" He trailed off and she got the idea. "Is there something you wanted?" He asked finally because no matter what she said, Sanja always had a reason to appear in their division.

"Well, I wanted to tell you about the new shinigami I got four months ago." The look in her eyes was soft, and Tatsumi had to wonder what kind of person the shinigami was to inspire such a look from her, a woman that was not one to really care for another, even in her own division.

He adjusted his glasses and looked at her. While in the Shokan division they all were able to summon something or the other, the psychic division dealt with shinigami that had psychic or mental powers.

Seeing the silent question in his eyes she smiled. "His name is Kurosaki Hisoka. He died at the age of 16 for mysterious reasons, though we believe he was murdered. What's so special about him you ask?" She leaned over to look dramatically into his eyes. "He's an empath, one with telepathic abilities, and possibly more. He's the first empath we've had in seventy years Tatsumi. Oh, we've had people with, catalyst telepathy, telepathy, psycho kinesis, clairaudience, telekinesis, and whatever else, but we've never had an empath, and a powerful one at that."

Tatsumi paused, everything else a blur except for the very fact that the boy was apparently an empath, one that could read emotions…if so, then maybe he could-

"Don't even think about it." Sanja hissed, her golden eyes turning frosty. "I know you want to help Tsuzuki, but I don't want that man near Hisoka!"

He was up in a flash, hands slamming onto the surface of his desk. "If you have something against Tsuzuki-"

"I don't! I think Tsuzuki's a nice guy like everyone else, but I don't want him around Hisoka. I know you know this Tatsumi, but Tsuzuki is too emotional, too guilty and self hating for me to allow him anywhere near Hisoka!" She jumped from the desk, eyes hard as she walked to the door. "And if I catch him near him, I won't hesitate to dispose of him." And she was gone with a hard slam of the door.

Tatsumi slowly sunk into his seat, a worried frown on his lips. Tsuzuki was one of the most powerful shinigami, but so was Sanja.

……………

Green eyes glanced up from the book he was reading as the front door slammed open, startlingly everyone into various forms of chaos. Sanja stormed in, and Hisoka could feel her anger, deep and searing and he couldn't stop himself from flinching, and from the way everyone else was drawing back, there was no doubt that they felt or sensed her anger as well.

Her golden eyes softened abruptly once she caught his flinch and she smiled, raising her mental shields. She patted him on the head.

"What are you reading this time?"

He shrugged. "Some history."

"I never did get how you could read such boring stuff."

He wanted to ask her why she was so upset, but he hesitated. He had only been with her for four months, but she had taken a liking to him that he couldn't understand. She never let him work with anyone but her, he didn't even have an official partner. Hell, he was more important to her in four months than anyone in this division that had known her for decades.

Sanja could clearly hear his question in her mind, she was a telepath after all. "Nothing to worry about little one, just an annoying old friend of mine."

She didn't quite understand herself with this boy, but as soon as she had seen him, she cared for him. It was something in the way he looked so blankly at everyone, feeling what they felt yet not feeling anything for himself. She wanted to know who could have hurt him so, to make such a young child as jaded as he was, and she soon found herself thinking of him as her own.

And to think that Tatsumi wanted this boy to help Tsuzuki, she sneered. She would not allow them to hurt her child over that man. Sanja didn't hate Tsuzuki, she never could, but he was much too dangerous for her liking. There was something dark in him, something really nasty and she refused to let that darkness near Hisoka.

"Sanja?" Hisoka peered up at her in silent concern, and she smiled once more and smoothed the hair away from his face. It had taken quite some time before he allowed her to do this, and now he was used to it, if only because he knew he was safe from any repercussions, due to her powerful shields.

"Sanja!"

The telepath looked up as Airi ran up, long brown locks flying around his handsome face.

"A new case just came up!"

"What? I could have checked on that when-"

"But this one is important!"

She sighed, the guy could be so dramatic when he wanted to be. "Okay, what's so important about it?"

"We work with the Shokan Division on this one, apparently-"

But she wasn't listening. Her world had had narrowed down upon those words "Work with the Shokan Division," with newfound horror. They couldn't have…did Tatsumi have something to do with this.?No, he couldn't have, she was panicking over nothing. Hisoka didn't have to-

"And they need an empath on this case, hey, are you feeling okay?"

………..

His first step into the Shokan Division building was a very strange one. Not only was he completely surrounded by overprotective shinigami with Sanja in the lead, but the feelings he was reading was unlike anything he had ever felt. People here were happy, really happy, and their was so much feeling-

Wait, he was backtracking. He shook his head, feeling strange, not quite faint but not all right either. Why were these people so happy? Not even his division was like this. He was brought out of his thoughts when a man appeared before them, and Hisoka found himself hiding behind Sanja, she was taller anyway, because this guy was intimidating.

His mind was like a black hole, sucking up everything and returning nothing, and his eyes were so cold.

"Sanja." The man greeted coolly.

"Tatsumi." The woman greeted just as coldly.

Was this the old friend Sanja had been speaking about?

"Oh stop being such a stiff Tatsumi! Welcome to the Shokan Division, I'm Yutaka Watari, your friendly neighborhood scientist and physician!" A tall, but friendly looking man said with long golden hair and eyes. He seemed to buzz around with excitement around the stern looking man, creating a strange picture.

Tatsumi rolled his eyes, sighed because he had too, and pushed his glasses further up his nose.

"To those that don't know me, I am Seichiro Tatsumi, the Shokan Division's Secretary."

"Why don't we get down to business?" Sanja suggested but was shot down as Watari sped towards her. "Let's go introduce everyone to each other!" He grabbed her hand and pulled her away, and that was when Tatsumi's eyes landed on him for the first time.

Those blue eyes widened with recognition, and Hisoka had to wonder why. He had never seen the man before today.

"You must be Kurosaki Hisoka."

"Yes, Tatsumi-san." He said politely, bowing.

The secretary smiled slightly. "Well-"

But before he could finish what he was saying the door was flung open and Hisoka, who had yet to move from it, was thrown forward as something crashed into him from behind.

He closed his eyes, waiting for impact because there was no way he could save himself.

Warm arms closed around him and feelings full of concern and worry flooded him. When he opened his eyes, he found himself resting snugly against a chest. His eyes slowly trailed from that same chest, passing the neck to slowly lock onto the most beautiful colored eyes he had ever seen. Amethyst.

"Are you all right?"

"Hisoka!"