Done for the 30 Quills livejournal group... Based on the Devil's Trill arc. Reviews are loved!
Theme(s): Theme #24 - "You are not the person I thought you were."
Pairing: Tsuzuki Asato and Kurosaki Hisoka
Fandom: Yami no Matsuei / Descendants of Darkness
Disclaimer: Yami no Matsuei and all of itscast do not belong to me in anyway... unfortunately.
'It's not him... It's not him...'
The chant echoed through the younger boy's mind as he nervously chewed his lower lip, mismatched emerald eyes fixed on the plain white door. A thin strip of light shone through the crack at the bottom, the sound of running water just audible from the bathroom beyond. The man who should have been his partner was in there, claiming to have gone for a shower. The man who looked just like Tsuzuki, from the ever-messy chocolate brown hair to the exotic violet-hued eyes. But it was a lie - that 'man' was not him.
No, it couldn't be him. Tsuzuki would have known that Chief Konoe's favourite souvenir was some disgustingly sweet confection. He would not have dismissed him so casually, nor ignored him when he'd supposedly bought their boss the wrong item. Tsuzuki would have worried about him, have realized that something was amiss and asked if he was alright. But this imposter did not.
It had been at that moment that he had taken the initiative to get Hijiri out of there; the boy was so wrapped up in gratitude that he didn't notice the subtle change in the man. But Hisoka did. And if this wasn't his partner, then the oblivious boy was in danger again... Perhaps even moreso than before.
He still wasn't sure just when he'd begun to realize there was something off - perhaps it was something about his eyes. The usually bright and happy look was gone, replaced with a colder look, frighteningly similar to that of his own killer. A look of evil. It had struck him even before he'd sensed the lack of emotions... It was just - wrong. It had weighed heavily on him since then, worry creeping into the corners of his mind, nagging at him, struggling to be heard. Who was this, if not Tsuzuki? Where was his real partner, and would he ever return to them? To him?
...It must have been the canine demon, Saagatanasu - the one that Tsuzuki and Byakko had supposedly defeated. It must have infected his body somehow, just as Watari-san had said... but how?
The water stopped.
Hisoka tried to swallow the lump that formed in his throat, absently fiddling with the buttons of Hijiri's pale pink shirt. Would the demon see right through him? Would he see through his amateurish attempt at an illusion spell on his eye, or the false brown hair of his wig? Better yet, what would happen when - if he did? He was after Hijiri - but a demon who managed to somehow ensnare Tsuzuki would have no problem dealing a novice shinigami like him...
He gripped the window sill tightly, trying to keep his nerves calmed and collect his mental shielding; he did not know the extent of this creature's power. The last thing he needed was for his empathy to give him away. He would take down this bastard when he could, but right now, there was something else that needed to be done...
The squeak of a doorknob, the creak of hinges.
'Just remember... It's not actually him...'