Disclaimer: Yami no Matsuei does not belong to me. I'm just borrowing for a bit.

Rule of Gold

By Amberle-chan

"You just have to do for Tsuzuki what Tsuzuki did for you."

Tatsumi's words kept echoing in my head.

What Tsuzuki did for me.

When I returned to the hotel room we were sharing, I found myself sitting on the bed next to his and watching him sleep.

"You just have to do for Tsuzuki what Tsuzuki did for you."

I didn't know what to do. What was I supposed to do? Was I supposed to comfort him? How did one comfort someone else? I had never been taught how to comfort someone, and no one in my entire 16 years of existence had ever comforted me.

I didn't know what being comforted meant until I was dead.

Until I met Tsuzuki.

"You just have to do for Tsuzuki what Tsuzuki did for you."

Was I supposed to speak quiet, gentle words? Was I giving enough comfort if I just sat by Tsuzuki's side as he remembered a tortured past and claimed he wasn't human?

Was holding him in an awkward embrace and telling him that he was human giving him comfort?

I wasn't sure. I didn't know.

All I did know at that moment was that I had to get Tsuzuki out of the bitter cold, snowy night.

The task proved to be harder than I thought. Tsuzuki was clinging to me as we stood up, his body still feeling the effects of all the alcohol he had ingested. I could hardly bear his weight as we stumbled down the street.

We had managed to walk a single block when I spotted the empty playground, and one of those funny little stone slides that the kids played on. I led Tsuzuki over to it and got him to crawl underneath it. It wouldn't be warm, but at least it would protect us from the snow until Tsuzuki was capable of walking on his own.

I edged in after him, sitting down with my legs out before me.

Tsuzuki reached for my hand, grasping it tightly and laid his head in my lap.

I stared down at him in astonishment. No one had ever done that before.

On any other day, at any other time, I would have been jumping up, scrambling to my feet, asking what the hell he was doing.

I didn't move, though.

This felt right.

Without even thinking about it, my hand began to brush through his hair, lingering in the dark strands for a few moments, until it slid down to his back, moving in slow, soothing circles. Tsuzuki's hold on my other hand tightened as he pillowed his cheek against it.

I stared out at the softly falling slow, feeling an odd sensation, an emotion that I had never felt before.

I was content.

Yes, I was still worried about Tsuzuki and what had occurred earlier in the evening, but a growing warmth had begun to fill my being as I sat and held Tsuzuki, overwhelming my anxiety and pushing it aside.

It felt wonderful.

I liked feeling this way. I wanted to revel it.

Tsuzuki's voice broke into my silent contemplation of this new, wondrous sensation.

"Hisoka, am I human?"

I knew there was only one answer to give. It was the only one my contented heart was capable of giving.

"Yes, you're human."

He curled up tighter next to me, murmuring, "I'm human, I'm human."

"You just have to do for Tsuzuki what Tsuzuki did for you."

It was then that I realized that I had done exactly that.

The End.