Chapter 1

The case was supposed to be a simple one.

Tsuzuki frowned down at his tea and pastries. He was sitting alone in a cosy little coffee shop while his partner rested back in their hotel room a block away. Hisoka was suffering from a headache brought on by the over use of his empathic talent and Tsuzuki had left so that he could rest in quiet, and hopefully get some sleep.

They had been sent back to Nagasaki to find the soul of one Totohome Nitsku, who had not arrived for judgement after his death, but what was supposed to be a simple retrieval had become the equivalent of looking for a needle in a haystack.

Unfortunately, it was only through Hisoka's empathic sense that they were even able to detect the faintest trace of their missing soul, and when those traces led them to a busy downtown hospital, the empath had overloaded quickly. It seemed that was nearly impossible to open yourself to one emotion while blocking out all the others, but Hisoka had tried.

Still frowning, Tsuzuki popped another sweet into his mouth. So far this case had left him feeling rather useless. Until they found what they were dealing with, there was little he could do.

Though rather lost in his thoughts, Tsuzuki was surprised when his attention was caught by a young woman heading towards the counter. He gazed at her, wondering what about her had drawn his attention.

She was petit and slender, straight black hair pulled back into a ponytail hung down nearly to her waist. The beige suit jacket and skirt she was wearing looked expensive, at least from the back, and there was something about the way she moved…

The clerk handed her a coffee and took her money, and the young woman turned.

Tsuzuki quickly averted his eyes as he realized he'd been staring at her. He heard her footsteps as she passed by his table and he lowered his eyes to his pastries. He got the impression of her sitting down a few tables away from him.

He took a sip of his tea, looked up… and froze.

She sat facing him. The same eyes, a brown so dark they were almost black, nearly indistinguishable from the pupils. The same pert nose, the same bow-shaped mouth. Her delicate hands were the same as he remembered, with long slender fingers, short but well kept nails. Her skin pale, like light cream.

She cocked her head and raised a curious brow at him; even her expressions were familiar.

Tsuzuki blushed as he realized that was staring again.

"I'm sorry," the young woman smiled at him tentatively, "have we met?"

Tsuzuki gaped like a fish, even her voice was exactly the same. "Could I ask what your name is?"

"I'm Murata Rika."

Tsuzuki swallowed heavily. "No, I don't think we've ever met. Please excuse me."

Tea and pastries forgotten, Tsuzuki fled the small café.

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Hisoka lay on the uncomfortable hotel bed; absolutely still, breathing steadily, and hoping for sleep to overtake him and ease the pounding in his head.

He could feel the faint presences in the rooms around him; the occasional passer-by in the hallway. He was glad that Tsuzuki had stepped out as each noise, each shift in the emotional atmosphere, was a spike in his brain.

So he was more than a little surprised when he heard the door to the room open and slam shut. He knew it was Tsuzuki, but the man had his shields up so strongly that Hisoka hadn't even felt his approach.

Hisoka waited for the sound of Tsuzuki's footsteps coming into the room, but there was no noise. After five minutes, Hisoka cracked an eye open and turned his head slightly.

Tsuzuki was standing at the entrance of the room, leaning against the door, his intense gaze locked on the floor in front of him.

Even without being able to sense his partner, Hisoka could see his distress. "Tsuzuki? What's wrong?"

Tsuzuki looked up at the softly spoken question. "Oh, sorry." Pulling himself away from the door, he headed to the bed opposite Hisoka's. "I didn't mean to wake you up."

"You didn't." Gritting his teeth, Hisoka raised himself up on his elbows. "I wasn't asleep. So what are you so upset about?"

Tsuzuki shrugged. "It's nothing, I just saw someone I thought I knew."

Hisoka regarded his partner closely as Tsuzuki sat on the edge of his med. He didn't know who Tsuzuki could have run into that could have caused him such distress, unless it had been Muraki, but Tsuzuki didn't seem to be afraid, just upset. Tsuzuki shot him a pleading look, and with a sigh, he let the matter drop.

Slowly lowering his head back to the pillow, Hisoka let his eyes fall shut again. He felt the vibration as something settled against the mattress, then all was still. The only noise was the sound of Tsuzuki breathing, and it was soothing. Before he'd realized it, Hisoka had drifted away into sleep.

Tsuzuki sat on the floor next to Hisoka's bed and leaned against the mattress. Even without contact, he took comfort from Hisoka's nearness. He needed that reassurance.

The meeting with Murata Rika had left him shaken.

It was almost like seeing Ruka walk straight out of his memories, as if wishing for something long enough and hard enough could make it real. Even her name was similar! Flickering thoughts of reincarnation ran through his mind and he shook his head to clear them away. It meant nothing. That this girl looked like his long dead sister meant nothing. It was probably just one amazingly large coincidence.

He would probably never see her again…