Title: The Violin String

Warning: TsuxHi, TsuxHiji

Author's Note: This is actually a repost. This came out a long time ago, and I found it, hidden among my files! So I decided to scoop it out, and edit it. So I did! I just had fun with it, and here you go. Hope you like it as much as I enjoyed editing it.

Prologue:

"Proven to work wonders and miracles, it helps those body conscious people lose those nasty cellulites and still let you eat the sweetest cake without the worries! Ladies and gentlemen, presenting 'CreamPuffsAndDreams'! Ta-da!" Watari shouted before grandly removing the curtain that covered the object. 003, his pet owl, flapped his wings on cue and a shower of confetti rained upon them all.

The JuOhChoh stared in silent wonder at Watari and his newest and latest invention. Oddly enough, his new 'invention' was actually nothing but an eggbeater.

A complicated, deadly-looking eggbeater.

Kanoe-kacho and his second man, Tatsumi Seichiiro, just shook their heads, the vaguest hints of smile playing at their lips. Kurosaki Hisoka, the pretty but testy blonde, was standing solitary in a corner, started muttering something about a mad scientist who was desperate enough to create eggbeaters that would alert the CIA from below.

Fortunately for Watari though, he found that he also had an enthusiastic audience. 003 was hooting proudly, and was clapping his short wings. Meanwhile, a Tsuzuki with a long swishing tail behind him approached the scientist gaily.

"Oi, Watari! You have the most marvelous invention. Why won't you let me test it?" Tsuzuki asked, suddenly holding out a plate from out of nowhere and biting a fork in anticipation. Watari happily yelped, turning on his invention, and proceeded to tell how his marvelous invention worked, and whipping up a cake in the process. Kanoe sighed, and turned to Tatsumi.

"Tatsumi-san, please tell your glutton co-worker to proceed to my office once their tea party is finished."

"Hai."

Asato Tsuzuki sat fully contented beside Hisoka. Watari's new invention was simply too good. Watari-san had made him five different cakes, with the promise of low-fat dressing and cream. Tsuzuki licked his lips, and elbowed Hisoka. He leaned closer, and whispered in his ear.

"Ne, Hisoka? Do you want some cake? I saved some especially for you."

Hisoka didn't respond. In fact, he barely looked at him at all. Tsuzuki tried again, louder this time, hoping to distract him and pay attention to him instead.

"Hisooka-chan! I still have cake! And it's chocolate too! Do you want it?"

"Urusai!" Hisoka whispered sharply back. "I'm trying to listen!"

"Meanie." Tsuzuki sat forlornly, blowing a strand of hair that fell in his purple eyes. He gave Hisoka one last side-long glance, admiring the graceful neck, the green eyes and the silky blonde hair. But Hisoka caught him, and after blushing a deep shade of red, he glared at him. Sighing, Tsuzuki gave up and finally paid attention to the meeting.

Kanoe was speaking at the front of the room, looking serious.

"…so it happens that the number of bodies kept increasing alarmingly. But the thing is, it's no ordinary human killing. Their souls remained trapped."

"When you say 'trapped', does that mean their souls can't proceed to Meifu where they're supposed to go?" Watari asked absently, still fiddling with his CreamPuffsAndDreams.

"Precisely." Tatsumi answered, pushing his glasses up his nose.

"The killer does not particularly choose his victim's gender. At first, the killer seems to go after young females, but lately, the number of dead males as well has increased, too."

"How can you be sure that their deaths are linked together? We may be looking at a double murder, considering the number of dead bodies." Hisoka asked, shrugging his shoulders.

"Good question. Tatsumi-san, please open the projector." Kanoe ordered. Tatsumi opened the projector.

There were a couple of sudden intakes of breaths, as an appalling picture of a young woman strangled went up in the screen. The young woman's face was blue and purplish, as if choked to death. And sure enough, the young woman had a thick piece of string was still wrapped around her neck which was tied so tightly that it went past through the young womans's skin and into her flesh. Blood dripped from it.

But what make the picture so horrible were the eyes. Her eyes had sort of popped out of her sockets literally. The eyes' expression was of shock, and deep fear.

"Who did this!" Tsuzuki muttered darkly under his breath. From beside him, Hisoka started to feel Tsuzuki's anger, and the self-inflicted guilt that he knew all too well. Hisoka's heart went out to him, and he wanted to comfort him. But as always, he held back for reasons even he couldn't explain. Sure, things had changed immensely since that Kyoto arch episode, but still he couldn't actually change the way he acts around him. Hisoka didn't realize that he was staring at Tsuzuki long enough until Kanoe cleared his throat, and eyed him meaningfully. Hisoka blushed and dropped his eyes to his lap.

"As you can see, the victim was strangled to death. But the curious thing is that the killer didn't use an ordinary string. The killer used a violin string."

"Violin string?" Watari asked, surprised. His invention was momentarily forgotten.

"Yes, a violin string. And not just an ordinary violin string at that, the string came from their own violins. These victims weren't just killed the same way; they have the same profession as well. They were all professional violinists." Kanoe said, throwing a plastic package which had a violin string inside. Tsuzuki grabbed it, and he and Hisoka studied it.

"According to the investigations, the victims were killed during their practice."

"How do they know that?" Hisoka asked. Tatsumi answered him.

"Well, their pieces were still in their respective stand, which signals that they were practicing during their time of murder. Also, their violins were smothered with the victim's fingerprints, indicating that they were recently used. Violinists usually clean their instruments after each use. However, our killer seems to be very smart, so as he didn't leave even a single fingerprint."

Everybody was then silent, lost in their own private thoughts.

Kanoe spoke up. "Here's the order then. Tsuzuki and Kurosaki, go over to Kanagawa where the murders were done. Then proceed to 'String Masters', a local violin house where one can practice his piece, and gets to be a part of the recital that happens every year. One soul is rumored to be in there, disguising itself to be a live human being. We don't know whether it is a male or a female. Your assignment, Tsuzuki and Kurosaki, is to find that soul and find the murderer."

Tsuzuki and Hisoka nodded, standing up.

"Well, I expect the both of you to leave as soon as possible. Tatsumi-san, you're in charge of their expenses. I'll leave this to you." Kanoe said, and left the room. Tsuzuki immediately turned to Tatsumi.

"Tatsumi, do you know that I value you and your friendship?"

"Yes Tsuzuki, I know."

"So you know me very well as I know you, ne Tatsumi?"

"Yes Tsuzuki, I know you well."

"So you know that I love to eat sweet and delicious foods?"

"Yes Tsuzuki, I do."

Somewhere in the background, Hisoka rolled his eyes. Tatsumi was falling for Tsuzuki's trap. Tatsumi could really be a pushover where Tsuzuki was concerned. Tsuzuki could have easily wrapped Tatsumi in his cute, little pinky.

"So…… so……. You would give us a larger amount of allowance this time for food? Won't you, Tatsumi?"

Oops. Bad choice of words.

Sure enough, Tatsumi suddenly straightened his back which had fallen into an arc by talking to Tsuzuki, and his eyes blazed. He pushed his glasses violently at the tip of his nose.

"30 dollars a day, and that's it. No dessert, no overspending."

"But Ta-Tatsumi!"

Tatsumi's eyeglasses menacingly gleamed.

"And no buts."

Tsuzuki deflated, tears leaking from his eyes. Watari came up to him.

"Don't worry Tsuzuki! CreamPuffsAndDreams will help you!"

Hisoka rolled his eyes once again, and watched his partner bounced up and down, wolfing all the cake that Watari made.

"Bon! Have some cake too!"

"No thanks, Watari-san, but we have to go."

"We have to go?" Tsuzuki asked through a mouthful of vanilla cake.

"Of course, bakero! We still have to pack and discuss our plans."

"Our plans?"

"Tsuzuki!"

"But the cake-"

"TSUZUKI!"

"Hai, hai…. You are so mean to me Hisoka-chan!"

"Whatever. Now, let's get the hell out of here."

t.b.c.

A/N:

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