My Pretty Doll

Tsuzuki sat on the couch in front of the television set. His slightly turned his face to the left to stare at the grandfather clock. Only two more hours before Tatsumi would come home from work. Then they could have dinner, and maybe Tatsumi would be in a good mood and let him have ice cream. With the remote controller in his hand, he faced the blank television set again. Only more hours. Two more hours. Two whole hours. He waited in silence. Was everything always this quiet here? He could hear the drops of water dripping from the sink to the unwashed dishes. Outside he could hear the soft clanging of the sprinklers and the water as it hit the grass. The ticking and tocking of the clock started pounding into his ears. Tick tock. He covered his ears and glared at the clock. Tick tock. It's hands don't seem to be moving. Tick tock. What's wrong with the clock? Why is it still ticking if the hands have stopped moving? "No," Tsuzuki begged the clock, "stop. Please stop." Tick tock. The clock began to tick even faster, yet the hands of the clock still would not move. With one hand still covering one of his ears, he used the other to turn on the TV in hopes of drowning out that miserable noise. Tick tock. He turned the volume up to its maximum. Tick tock. His breathing became labored. What is wrong with that wretched clock? Why won't it leave him alone? Tick tock. Tick tock. His chest began to ache, and clock ticked even faster…faster. Tsuzuki dropped the remote; it fell and the ground swallowed it up. The TV in front of him disappeared as well. Everything in front of him vanished, including the clock…yet the ticking will neither slow down nor cease. The pain in his chest became unbearable. He tried to swallow down the pain as he clutched his heart, meanwhile the ticking grew louder…and louder…

"No," Tatsumi said to the voice on the other end of the phone, "He's not awake yet."

"Do you know what triggered it?"

"No, unfortunately. He kept on mumbling something about a grandfather clock. We don't have a grandfather clock."

"That's strange. He seemed to be doing well for the last couple of weeks."

"I wish he would tell me what goes through his mind when he goes through these spells."

"Well, don't worry. Take as much time off as you need. I'll cover for you until Tsuzuki gets better. It's best not to leave him alone."

"Arigatou, I'll talk to you later." Tatsumi hung up the phone and sat by Tsuzuki's side. Tsuzuki's eyes slowly started to open. "You're finally awake," Tatsumi smiled down on him, "how are you feeling." Tsuzuki's eye remained on Tasumi for a second, then it wandered around the room. "What were you looking for," Tatsumi asked.

"Finally," Tsuzuki whispered, "finally, that sound is gone." His eyes closed again and he went back to sleep.

Tsuzuki opened his eyes and took a deep breath. Is that breakfast he smelled? He took another deep breath to take it all in. Yep, it's definitely food he smelled. What is was exactly, he couldn't tell. He leaped out of bed and got dressed. He was about to leave his room when he heard a knock. Tatsumi enter the room with a tray filled with yummies.

"Ohaiyou," Tatsumi greeted him and motioned for him to sit down. "You can eat here this morning," he said as he handed him the tray of food.

"Gomen ne Tatsumi," Tsuzki said after he finished gulping down his breakfast. "I didn't mean to make you worry. I didn't mean to be so troublesome."

"I don't find you troublesome at all." Tatsumi smiled ate Tsuzuki, "It's been a while since we've done some shopping. I'll let you buy whatever you want today."

"Really?" Tsuzuki's eyes twinkled, "I want lots and lots of yummies."

"All right then."

Tsuzuki carried and much sweets and junk food in his arms as he could as he and Tatsumi strolled down the streets.

"Huh?" something in the store window caught his eye. It was the most beautiful thing he has ever seen. The doll stood about sixteen inches high with short golden locks of hair. What really caught his attention however, were the doll's eyes, two glistening emeralds. He took stepped closer until he could see his own reflection in those eyes.

"Do you want that doll?" Tatsumi asked, and Tsuzuki nodded. "Let's go check it out then."

"Irashai," the dollmaker greeted them. "How may I help you?" Tsuzuki stared at the dollmaker. He gave him the creeps. One of his eyes were hidden behind his platinum blond hair, and Tsuzuki didn't know what to make of his other eye. He never trusted anyone whose eyes he couldn't read. And so, he didn't say anything.

"That doll on display in front," Tatsumi spoke for him, "the one with the green eyes, my friend here wants to buy it."

"That would be Hisoka," the dollmaker informed them.

"We'd like to have Hisoka then."

"I'll get one from the back for you. Excuse me for one moment." A few minutes later he came back the Hisoka doll." Tsuzuki happily picked up and looked into its eyes. He frowned, quickly put it back down and shook his head. "What's wrong?" the dollmaker asked. Tsuzuki gently tugged Tatsumi's sleeves and pointed to the Hisoka doll in the display window. The dollmaker smiled, "that doll is for display only. It's not for sale." Tsuzuki pouted, and Tatsumi sighed. In one day, Tsuzuki is going to spend entire life savings.

"How much?" Tatsumi asked. "I'm willing to pay three times its original price."

"Very well, then." The dollmaker removed the Hisoka doll from the display window to wrap it up for his customers. Tatsumi wrote him a check, and they left the store..

In the car on the way home, Tsuzuki quickly unwrapped Hisoka.

"Tsuzuki," Tatsumi asked, "why did you insist on having the doll on display. They're the same thing anyway."

"No they're not," Tsuzuki shook his head, "they're completely different." He looked into the doll's eyes and found himself. He couldn't see anything in the other doll's eyes. "They're not the same thing at all."

"As long as he's happy, as long as he's happy," Tatsumi muttered to himself while trying to ignore the void in his wallet, "as long as he's happy, as long as he's happy."

"Did you say something Tatsumi?" Tsuzuki asked.

"Uh, no. It's nothing."

By the time they got home, Tsuzuki was exhausted. He wanted to head to bed right away. Tsuzuki hugged Hisoka tightly as he slept. This doll that Tatsumi paid three times its original price for was currently his most prized possession. Everyone was trying to help him, and he believed that this doll will help him get better, and he'll be healthy again.

"Get off me," something kicked Tsuzuki in the knees, "baka, let go of me!" Another blow knocked Tsuzuki off his bed. Still in a daze, he got back up and jumped back into bed. He heard a yelp and was knocked out of bed again. That was enough to wake him up, but apparently he was still dreaming. He closed his eyes and opened them again.

"Huh?" Tsuzuki rubbed his eyes, but he still saw him. "Hisoka?" The doll that was only originally sixteen inches tall had somehow become life size.