"It'll be too obvious." Smirked Hisoka as all eyes's looked toward him.
"There's no way I'll pass for a twelve year old. No way. No how." He was
just a little too smug . . . almost to the point of impertinence.
"I'll do it!" Yipped Inu-Tsuzuki happily.
"Tsuzuki." Interrupted Hisoka with bare bones patience. "Do you understand if you take this case you will be required to do more paper work eventually?" And I will be required to dress and act, as a 12 yr old, was the unspoken requiem.
"But it's Harowiin Hisoka! Harowiin!!!"
It was Watari who attempted to explain Tsuzuki's enthusiasm.
"All Hallowtide, the feast of the dead in Pagan and Christian times, signaling the close of harvest and the initiation of the winter season. The Celts believed that every year on the last day of October, the souls of the dead visited the earth."
"A western holiday?" Asked a perplexed Hisoka and Watari nodded. This still didn't really explain much.
"Children get candy Hisoka." Added Watari with a sweatdrop.
"It's also the day when anyone with even a hint of spiritual energy decides they can contact the dead, human sacrifices, demons, that sort of thing. . . ." Commented Tatsumi conversationally as though they were discussing the advantages of paper vs plastic. "The western department takes care of most of that stuff, our role is strictly prevention and damage control if anyone actually succeeds in raising a demon - but that hardly ever happens. . . "
"So what exactly does this investigation involve?" Sighed Hisoka morosely.
** * ** ** ** * ** ** ** * ** ** ** * ** ** ** * ** ** ** * ** ** ** * ** ** ** * ** ** ** * **
Hisoka scowled in a particularly unbecoming way. This was of course the objective of scowling.
"Stay still, Kurosaki-kun!" Chided Saya tying the last bow on Hisoka's little Bo-Peep costume.
Hisoka had the feeling he had bought this upon himself. When Tsuzuki had happily gulped down one of Watari's potions to bring him to physical age 9, Hisoka had been left with the less-potential-for-humiliation position as guardian. Watari and Tatsumi had both agreed Hisoka would need to be less threatening if he was going to appear to be vulnerable enough to target as a potential sacrifice. Hisoka doubted this, history suggested rather the opposite even (as pretty boys tended to scream victim louder than girls anyday).
* ** *** *** ** *** *** ** *** *** ** *** *** ** *** *** ** *** *** ** *** *** ** *** *** *
"Oneechan! Oneechan!" Squealed Tsuzuki happily latching onto Hisoka's leg in a fashion far too familiar for Hisoka's liking. If they weren't on Chijou. . . no scratch that. . . if they weren't in public on Chijou, Hisoka would have happily kicked him off, however people were watching. Secretly he wondered how many of those women would be cooing over them if they realized he was a boy and the cute little one glomping his leg was older than all of them put together.
"Trick or treat!" Cried Tsuzuki joyously running off to bug the women. In an attempt to make Tsuzuki look as tempting as possible as a sacrificial lamb they had literally dressed his as a lamb. Presumably this was the extension that left Hisoka in the Bo-peep costume. The logic must be sound, mused Hisoka as Tsuzuki begged for candies - he himself was tempted to kill Tsuzuki already.
"Sankyuuuu!" Cheered Tsuzuki clutching his bag against his chest and trotting off to see which new victims he could find. He deftly ducked as Hisoka went to hook him again with his Bo-peep staff which he was getting far to adept at for Tsuzuki's liking.
Hisoka decided it was the wise move not to come between Tsuzuki and candy and flopped onto the grass while Tsuzuki ran from person to person collecting free treats. Sitting had involved more effort than he originally intended in the overly poufy skirts but he managed it with only minor injury to his dignity. Shortly Tsuzuki came prancing over, emptying out his bag to sort through the booty.
"I hope you're not going to eat all that at once, little boy." Remarked Muraki. "Oh my! If it isn't Hisoka-kun and Asato-chan!" He added with a feigned expression of surprise.
Hisoka scowled while Tsuzuki obliviously kept sorting the colours in a bag of jellybeans, ostensibly removing the black ones distastefully.
Muraki was at a loss as to what to do. Normally in this situation he would sidle over and cop a feel which almost always got Tsuzuki's attention, but somehow grabbing a 9 year olds butt in a park full of doting parents was not something he would get away with, even if he had all the PhD's in Japan.
Hisoka just hoped Muraki was too distracted with Tsuzuki to notice the dress.
Tsuzuki found a candy bar (obviously the pride of his collection since he clutched it to his chest excitedly before pouncing on Hisoka). "Ne, Hisoka! Hisoka! Look. . . !" Tsuzuki froze, one little hand still clutching Hisoka's lacy collar. "You!" He exclaimed vehemently pointing with the candy at his mortal foe.
"Konbanwa, Asato-chan!" Declared Muraki casually as the candy shook in his face with repressed fury.
Hisoka managed to spare a glare from Muraki to glare at Tsuzuki as he settled onto Hisoka's lap, fretfully glancing at the other candy which was irrevocably closer to Muraki than himself.
"What are you doing here?" Demanded Tsuzuki, idly playing with the bell tied to his neck with a pink bow (that matched the one on Hisoka's staff, Saya and Yumi were suckers for detail).
"Can't I just be out for a walk on this fine evening?" Even Tsuzuki had the sense to look skeptical. "You wound me!" Exclaimed Muraki dramatically to his unmoved critics.
Yes, as much as Hisoka would definitely like to be wounding Muraki right now (or at any other time for that matter) he managed to restrain himself for the sake of their cover.
"Go away!" Demanded Tsuzuki snuggling into Hisoka's skirts. "We're supposed to be undercover!" He p unctuated the sentanc eby pullin gHisoka's skirt over his head. "Some bad guy is gonna try and raise a demon or something and we have to stop them!" He whispered conspiratorially when Muraki made no move to leave.
"Oh? Hmm. . . it could be anyone. . . " Muraki agreed, pretending to scan the crowds for anyone suspicious looking. "Hmmm. . . "
Hisoka followed Muraki's gaze. Nothing interesting, just the normal for a park. Sakura tree's, hospital in the distance (presumably were Muraki came from). Hmm. People missing in park full of Sakura next to hospital, sociopath doctor at crime scene. Something awfully familiar about all of this.
"Aha! I think I know who you're looking for!" Declared Muraki breaking Hisoka's line of thought.
"Who? Who?" Piped Tsuzuki eagerly, with the unspoken promise of more trick or treating if they solved this case soon enough.
As Hisoka feared, Muraki pointed to himself with a predatory grin.
Then everything went mercifully black.
"I'll do it!" Yipped Inu-Tsuzuki happily.
"Tsuzuki." Interrupted Hisoka with bare bones patience. "Do you understand if you take this case you will be required to do more paper work eventually?" And I will be required to dress and act, as a 12 yr old, was the unspoken requiem.
"But it's Harowiin Hisoka! Harowiin!!!"
It was Watari who attempted to explain Tsuzuki's enthusiasm.
"All Hallowtide, the feast of the dead in Pagan and Christian times, signaling the close of harvest and the initiation of the winter season. The Celts believed that every year on the last day of October, the souls of the dead visited the earth."
"A western holiday?" Asked a perplexed Hisoka and Watari nodded. This still didn't really explain much.
"Children get candy Hisoka." Added Watari with a sweatdrop.
"It's also the day when anyone with even a hint of spiritual energy decides they can contact the dead, human sacrifices, demons, that sort of thing. . . ." Commented Tatsumi conversationally as though they were discussing the advantages of paper vs plastic. "The western department takes care of most of that stuff, our role is strictly prevention and damage control if anyone actually succeeds in raising a demon - but that hardly ever happens. . . "
"So what exactly does this investigation involve?" Sighed Hisoka morosely.
** * ** ** ** * ** ** ** * ** ** ** * ** ** ** * ** ** ** * ** ** ** * ** ** ** * ** ** ** * **
Hisoka scowled in a particularly unbecoming way. This was of course the objective of scowling.
"Stay still, Kurosaki-kun!" Chided Saya tying the last bow on Hisoka's little Bo-Peep costume.
Hisoka had the feeling he had bought this upon himself. When Tsuzuki had happily gulped down one of Watari's potions to bring him to physical age 9, Hisoka had been left with the less-potential-for-humiliation position as guardian. Watari and Tatsumi had both agreed Hisoka would need to be less threatening if he was going to appear to be vulnerable enough to target as a potential sacrifice. Hisoka doubted this, history suggested rather the opposite even (as pretty boys tended to scream victim louder than girls anyday).
* ** *** *** ** *** *** ** *** *** ** *** *** ** *** *** ** *** *** ** *** *** ** *** *** *
"Oneechan! Oneechan!" Squealed Tsuzuki happily latching onto Hisoka's leg in a fashion far too familiar for Hisoka's liking. If they weren't on Chijou. . . no scratch that. . . if they weren't in public on Chijou, Hisoka would have happily kicked him off, however people were watching. Secretly he wondered how many of those women would be cooing over them if they realized he was a boy and the cute little one glomping his leg was older than all of them put together.
"Trick or treat!" Cried Tsuzuki joyously running off to bug the women. In an attempt to make Tsuzuki look as tempting as possible as a sacrificial lamb they had literally dressed his as a lamb. Presumably this was the extension that left Hisoka in the Bo-peep costume. The logic must be sound, mused Hisoka as Tsuzuki begged for candies - he himself was tempted to kill Tsuzuki already.
"Sankyuuuu!" Cheered Tsuzuki clutching his bag against his chest and trotting off to see which new victims he could find. He deftly ducked as Hisoka went to hook him again with his Bo-peep staff which he was getting far to adept at for Tsuzuki's liking.
Hisoka decided it was the wise move not to come between Tsuzuki and candy and flopped onto the grass while Tsuzuki ran from person to person collecting free treats. Sitting had involved more effort than he originally intended in the overly poufy skirts but he managed it with only minor injury to his dignity. Shortly Tsuzuki came prancing over, emptying out his bag to sort through the booty.
"I hope you're not going to eat all that at once, little boy." Remarked Muraki. "Oh my! If it isn't Hisoka-kun and Asato-chan!" He added with a feigned expression of surprise.
Hisoka scowled while Tsuzuki obliviously kept sorting the colours in a bag of jellybeans, ostensibly removing the black ones distastefully.
Muraki was at a loss as to what to do. Normally in this situation he would sidle over and cop a feel which almost always got Tsuzuki's attention, but somehow grabbing a 9 year olds butt in a park full of doting parents was not something he would get away with, even if he had all the PhD's in Japan.
Hisoka just hoped Muraki was too distracted with Tsuzuki to notice the dress.
Tsuzuki found a candy bar (obviously the pride of his collection since he clutched it to his chest excitedly before pouncing on Hisoka). "Ne, Hisoka! Hisoka! Look. . . !" Tsuzuki froze, one little hand still clutching Hisoka's lacy collar. "You!" He exclaimed vehemently pointing with the candy at his mortal foe.
"Konbanwa, Asato-chan!" Declared Muraki casually as the candy shook in his face with repressed fury.
Hisoka managed to spare a glare from Muraki to glare at Tsuzuki as he settled onto Hisoka's lap, fretfully glancing at the other candy which was irrevocably closer to Muraki than himself.
"What are you doing here?" Demanded Tsuzuki, idly playing with the bell tied to his neck with a pink bow (that matched the one on Hisoka's staff, Saya and Yumi were suckers for detail).
"Can't I just be out for a walk on this fine evening?" Even Tsuzuki had the sense to look skeptical. "You wound me!" Exclaimed Muraki dramatically to his unmoved critics.
Yes, as much as Hisoka would definitely like to be wounding Muraki right now (or at any other time for that matter) he managed to restrain himself for the sake of their cover.
"Go away!" Demanded Tsuzuki snuggling into Hisoka's skirts. "We're supposed to be undercover!" He p unctuated the sentanc eby pullin gHisoka's skirt over his head. "Some bad guy is gonna try and raise a demon or something and we have to stop them!" He whispered conspiratorially when Muraki made no move to leave.
"Oh? Hmm. . . it could be anyone. . . " Muraki agreed, pretending to scan the crowds for anyone suspicious looking. "Hmmm. . . "
Hisoka followed Muraki's gaze. Nothing interesting, just the normal for a park. Sakura tree's, hospital in the distance (presumably were Muraki came from). Hmm. People missing in park full of Sakura next to hospital, sociopath doctor at crime scene. Something awfully familiar about all of this.
"Aha! I think I know who you're looking for!" Declared Muraki breaking Hisoka's line of thought.
"Who? Who?" Piped Tsuzuki eagerly, with the unspoken promise of more trick or treating if they solved this case soon enough.
As Hisoka feared, Muraki pointed to himself with a predatory grin.
Then everything went mercifully black.