Author's Note: I had the urge to write a Silent Hill fanfiction the other day, and thought the Yami no Matsuei guys would be great candidates to send to the town. I'm so cruel. Anyway, since the point is to dive into the minds of the characters and their darkest nightmares, I thought the best way to write this would be from each character's perspective. The perspective will change between Tsuzuki, Tatsumi and Hisoka throughout the story, but each change will be marked clearly (see below) and (hopefully) transitioned smoothly. Oh, and since this is Silent Hill, prepare for character torture. I love the guys though, I really do! Please don't kill me!
---Tsuzuki Asato---
"Tsuzuki-san, Kurosaki-kun, the Chief has a case and would like to see us in the meeting room."
I look up from the computer screen where I had been typing up a report from my last case, not really wanting to stop writing it. I had actually been into my work. The case turned out to be rather sweet, one of those heartwarming ones that make being a Shinigami a little easier. Hisoka and I had been sent to find a missing soul. It turned out the girl, who was only 20, didn't know she was dead and was still wandering the living world. It had happened in her sleep, peacefully and without pain. Ever since she was born, her health had been frail, and illness had overpowered her that night. Since it had been such a peaceful death, she was not aware of it. When she couldn't find her brother in the house later on, she panicked and searched for him. She was about to try to contact the police when Hisoka and I found her. Hisoka explained to her that she was no longer alive, and, surprisingly, she accepted it easily. That was when she told us about her frail health and how she hadn't expected to live long, about how her parents had passed away a couple years ago in a car accident, how she was now in charge of taking care of her 15-year-old little brother and please, please could she tell him something before she left. I almost cried listening to her story (Hisoka later called me a sap, but I know that he felt the same way I had about it, he was just better at hiding it), and Hisoka and I agreed to let her briefly see her brother so she could pass on with a clear conscience.
Not too long after, she found her brother, who had been moved to his aunt and uncle's house after his sister was found dead. She told him that she loved him, and she would continue to watch over him with their parents, and to live a good life. He told her he would, that he loved her and that he would see her again someday. At that point, I actually did cry because it was just so heartwarming. Hisoka told me to knock it off before I made it harder for them, but I think he was trying not to cry himself. While I did feel guilty for taking such a wonderful person from the living world and away from her brother, she had actually thanked us for helping her pass on. Hisoka told me that she was looking forward to seeing her parents again and had no fears. His empathy is very accurate, so that relieved my guilt.
"Tsuzuki, let's go!"
Ooops, and now he's yelling at me for taking too long. Tatsumi is standing in the doorway, waiting for me to get up and Hisoka looks about ready to yank me out of my seat.
"Sorry, I'm coming!" I say as I get up and follow Tatsumi to the meeting room.
"Why can't you be more into your work when you don't have other work to do?" Hisoka asks, shaking his head at me.
"I couldn't help it, it was just so beautiful!"
"Now you sound like a teenage girl who just finished watching a chick flick."
"Oh, come on, you know you thought it was sweet too."
Hisoka doesn't respond, as we are now in the meeting room and taking a seat to see what case we are being given next.
"I know you two just got back from a case," the Chief says, looking over at me and then Hisoka, "but there is something urgent that needs to be taken care of. I need you three to go to America."
"America?!" Tatsumi, Hisoka and I spurt out in unison. The Chief holds up a hand, silencing us so that he can continue explaining.
"It is a highly unusual case, but it is necessary. There have been several disappearances in a town there, and none can be explained. There is nothing to be found of the victims either, body, spirit, nothing."
"So why don't they give the case to the Shinigami in charge there?" I ask, thoroughly confused.
"They have. The problem is, the two Shinigami sent on the case have also gone missing. We have been asked to look into it and try to find the missing Shinigami, which is why I am sending you three out."
"You are sending me as well?" Tatsumi asks, not used to field work, "But, Chief-"
"Tatsumi, please, I know you are not used to it, but I feel it is best if you go as well. Two Shinigami have disappeared, so we need to be careful. Your control over shadows and ability to use the Shadow Dimension may be what prevents two more Shinigami from going missing."
Tatsumi hesitates, but bows his head. "I...understand."
"You are to catch the plane at nine tomorrow morning. The flight is about 14 hours non-stop, and when you arrive in America it should be around ten in the morning. You can check into a hotel there until you are recovered from the flight and ready to investigate the town called Silent Hill. Since I don't know how long it will take, you will have to get back on your own. Any questions?"
It's silent as we all think about the mission ahead of us. A trip to America? While the trip sounds kind of fun to me (I've never been to America) the case itself sounds dangerous. Shinigami didn't just disappear, especially two of them. Working in partners was supposed to help prevent that, so what had happened? I can tell the others are worried as well. Tatsumi keeps fidgeting nervously, Hisoka is staring at the table, and the Chief keeps looking between us with a deep frown.
"I'm sorry to send you three out like this, but if anybody can solve this, I believe it's you three." The Chief hands Tatsumi three sheets of paper, probably the confirmation for our plane tickets. "That is all. You are dismissed for the remainder of the day to prepare. Be careful."
I'm waiting for Tatsumi to argue against taking the rest of the day off, but, surprisingly, he doesn't. Instead, he simply nods, tells the Chief that he'll contact him when we settle into the hotel, and walks out. I look over at the Chief and give him a reassuring smile.
"Don't worry, Chief, we'll be okay! Especially with the three of us!"
He grins in return, but it doesn't quite reach his eyes. "I'm counting on you three."
Hisoka and I leave the room and meet back up with Tatsumi. The case already has him stressed, it's written all over his face. I can't help but wonder if part of the reason he's against this is because of me. We've never had to work together since the partnership was broken. I know Tatsumi has a hard time dealing with me sometimes. I feel really bad about it, I hate making him upset. I'll have to do my best to make sure I don't make things hard for him.
He sighs. "We'll have to meet up before we leave for the airport."
"I can pick up Tsuzuki to make sure he's up and ready on time." at this, Hisoka glances at me before turning his attention back to Tatsumi, "Then we can head over to your house from there."
Tatsumi nods. "Yes, that sounds like a good idea. We will leave no later than 7:30 to make sure we have plenty of time at the airport once we get there."
I smile, trying to lighten Tatsumi's mood, if only just a little. "Okay, we'll be there! See you tomorrow then. Sleep well, Tatsumi."
Tatsumi gives another nod, but doesn't say anything and walks away.
Hisoka and I head back to our office to gather our things. My unfinished report is still up on the monitor of my computer. Figuring I can finish it on the plane, I quickly e-mail the document to myself, open it up on the laptop, save it there, then shut both machines down. Technology is so convenient these days. Instead of lugging around all that paper, I can just put everything on the laptop and then print it out later. Typing is so much quicker and easier than writing too. Sure beats when I first became a Shinigami and there were no computers. I'm still not very good with them, but I know how to do the basics.
With my stuff packed up, I get my coat on and follow Hisoka out. Our houses aren't that far apart from each other, so for most of the way, we are both headed in the same direction. Tatsumi's isn't that far either, but he had left before us. For about half of the walk, neither of us say anything. Hisoka is worried about the mission too.
"Well, we have an interesting trip ahead of us." I say to break the silence.
Hisoka glares at me from the corner of his eye. "Don't take this too lightly. This isn't one of our normal cases."
"I know that, but spending all day worrying about it isn't going to help us."
"Tsuzuki, two Shinigami went missing. They even called us from Japan instead of handing the case to other Shinigami who live in America! This isn't a field trip, this is a big deal. The only reason I can think they'd call our department is because you can control twelve Shikigami and Tatsumi can control the shadows, the former of which is unheard of among any other Shinigami, the second being exceedingly rare to the point that Tatsumi is one of two who has that kind of power. They are calling on those with unusual powers because they don't think anybody else can handle it!"
"I know, Hisoka, I know. I'm worried too, but if we stay in this mood all day, it'll only stress us all out and wont help us any. We have plenty of time to plan, for now we just have to get ready." I smile and Hisoka looks away.
"Easy for the King of Procrastination to say."
By this time, we've reached the point where we have to part ways. Hisoka doesn't seem to be in much better of a mood. I'm kind of worried about leaving him like this. He has nightmares easily, and I don't want him to be up all night. He's told me I worry too much about him before, but I can't help it! I'm just looking out for his health!
"I'm coming to get you just after seven tomorrow, so you better be up and ready. I'll get there early enough though so that if you aren't, we won't be late waiting for you to get ready."
"I'll be up! Come on, I wouldn't make you and Tatsumi wait! Don't you trust me?" I say with a pouty face, still trying to lighten up the mood slightly, though I am serious about not wanting to make Hisoka and Tatsumi wait for me. For a brief moment, it looks like the corners of Hisoka's lips are pulling up into a slight smile, but then there is no smile. Maybe it was just my imagination. He really does need to smile more. I swear, one day I'm just going to pull at his cheeks and force him to smile. He'll yell at me, of course, but it will be funny nevertheless.
"Trust you to get up in the morning? Not really." This time, he actually does give me a little smirk. Hah, so the muscles really can move that way! And here I was beginning to think his mouth was etched into a permanent frown. It begins to fade, however, as the brief moment of playful teasing is overshadowed by the anxiety of the coming case. Still, I keep a smile on my face.
"Well, see you tomorrow then, Hisoka. Sleep well."
"You too." Though we both know neither of us are going to sleep well tonight.
I turn and head down the road to my house.
"Don't forget, 7:00!" Hisoka yells to me without looking back.
Yes, yes, seven o'clock! I wont forget!
---Tatsumi Seiichiro---
A flight to America to investigate a town in which not only the living have disappeared in, but a pair of Shinigami as well. In all my time working for JuOhCho, I have never heard of such a thing. Everything about this case just screams danger. Even the Chief is worried out of his mind. If he wasn't, he wouldn't have sent me along. I have done very little field work recently, mainly functioning as the secretary, yet he felt the need to send me along because of my abilities as a Shadow User. And to be working with Tsuzuki-san again...
Ever since breaking the partnership, I haven't done any fieldwork with him. Not that there has been a need, especially now that he has Kurosaki as his partner, but I don't think I could have worked with him again if I tried. It's just too hard for me, and I think it is for Tsuzuki now as well. To see the pain in his eyes when things do not turn out good or when he feels responsible for the loss of a life...it's just too much for me to bear.
And yet, I accepted. I didn't say anything against this twisted case, I didn't suggest somebody else go along in my place. Perhaps it's because I know this could be extremely dangerous that I agreed to come along. I want to protect Tsuzuki and Kurosaki. Working in a group will be unusual, but perhaps it won't be that bad. After all, Kurosaki will be there, so working with Tsuzuki will be easier. Plus, if anything should happen to Tsuzuki, Kurosaki will be able to help. I won't need to worry about losing my ability to think clearly and make a wrong decision.
I glance over at my alarm clock. Eleven-thirty. I should probably get some sleep. That is, if I can sleep at all.
---Kurosaki Hisoka---
Fog. Fog everywhere, and no sign of either Tsuzuki nor Tatsumi. Why does it feel so lonely? So empty? I need to find them. I can't stand this feeling of loneliness, and I'm worried something might have happened to them. Yet, not matter how far I walk, I'm not progressing at all. Why can't I move forward? Now there is a dull buzzing noise in the distance. An alarm, as if warning me of something. It's getting louder, closer, louder still, as if something is approaching, something dangerous, something deadly...
I awake with a start to the buzzing of my alarm clock. Six-thirty already? Ugh. I fumble with the clock and manage to switch the alarm off. Sitting up, I stretch and let out a yawn. How many hours of sleep did I get last night? Three? I don't remember what time I fell asleep, just that I was tossing and turning the majority of the night. I finally had fallen asleep, then had a nightmare that woke me up. I can't seem to recall what it was now, but apparently I managed to fall asleep again. I vaguely remember looking at the clock several times during the night, most of which were the early hours of the morning. At least, I think I looked at the time...or was that a dream about not being able to sleep? I've had those before. Sometimes it's hard to separate dream from reality when you wake up in the middle of the night, barely conscious before slipping back into sleep again. Ah, it doesn't matter now anyway. I'll probably fall asleep on the plane. At least, I hope I will. I've never been on a plane before, so I don't really know what to expect. Here's to hoping I can at least get in a nap.
Still tired, I get up, take a shower, get dressed, brush my teeth and hair, grab my suitcase (we don't know how long the case will be, so packing for a few days is always a good idea), and head out the door. I hope Tsuzuki got up like he said he was going to. I really don't want to have to stand there ringing the doorbell and banging on the door until he wakes up. Unless he forgot to lock his door, in which case I think I'd go jump on him. He wouldn't expect that. It might actually be funny.
In only a few minutes, I'm standing at Tsuzuki's doorstep. Time to see if he managed to drag himself out of bed. I ring the doorbell once and wait. Much to my surprise, the door actually opens. Even more surprising is the fact Tsuzuki's dressed, with the exception of a tie.
He smiles. "Hisoka! I'll be ready in just a minute, just gotta brush my teeth. We are going to get breakfast at the airport or on the way, right? I didn't get to eat yet..."
Of course he's worried about breakfast. I swear there is nothing that man enjoys more than food. "Yes, Tsuzuki, we'll get something before we get on the plane. Now finish getting ready so we can go to Tatsumi's."
"Okay, I'll only be a minute! You don't need to stand out there you know, come in until I'm ready."
I don't really see the point in going in if we are only going back out in a minute, but I follow him in anyway. He tells me not to worry about taking my shoes off since he'll be quick and motions to the couch, so I take a seat while he scurries off to the bathroom to finish getting ready. Taking a look around, it's obvious that cleaning was not on his list of things to do before leaving. His rug needs to be vacuumed and I can see a few dirty dishes still in the sink. Ew, is he really going to leave those there?
Figuring it will only take as long for me to clean those dishes as it will for Tsuzuki to finish getting ready, I walk over to the sink and start washing his dishes. I probably shouldn't be cleaning for him, but I can't stand the thought of dirty dishes sitting there for a few days while we are gone. Tsuzuki comes back out just as I'm scrubbing the last two plates.
"What are you doing?"
I roll my eyes. "What does it look like I'm doing? I'm cleaning these dishes. No way you are leaving them here for however long it takes for us to do this case. That's disgusting. I actually planned for you to have not been ready when I got here just in case, but since you were, I had time."
"Hey, give me some credit! I told you I'd be ready! I don't lie!"
"Fine. You were right. What do you want me to do, buy you a cookie?"
"Yes, a cookie sounds good, actually." I can hear the grin in Tsuzuki's voice. It was actually a rhetorical question, but whatever. I probably should have known better than to ask that and not expect a yes. Whether he knew I didn't actually mean it or not, he'd still answer.
I put the last dish in the strainer to dry, wipe my hands on the hand towel and turn to face Tsuzuki. "Okay, next time we see cookies for sale, I'll buy you one. Though, if you think about it, I should be the one getting the cookie since I just washed your dishes." Not that I actually want a cookie, I'm just teasing him.
Tsuzuki follows me out of the kitchen and back into the living room, where both our suitcases are. "We'll buy each other a cookie."
"Doesn't that defeat the purpose? Then we might as well be buying ourselves cookies."
"Not really. It's not so much spending the money on the cookies as it is getting them for each other. Sure, we could just buy our own, but that takes away the purpose behind it of doing for each other."
I shrug. I guess he's right, though I wouldn't have thought of it that way. Actually, that happens often. Sometimes I admire his way of thinking, how he always tries to make others happy. He can find the smallest gestures of friendship in things that others wouldn't think of, like his cookie exchange idea. He needs to be a bit nicer to himself, though, but I'm working on that. Now I can't help but notice how the mood has gotten a little more lighthearted despite our looming mission. I guess Tsuzuki manages to have that effect even in situations such as this.
We are heading to Tatsumi's now, earlier than I expected, which will probably surprise Tatsumi as well. Tsuzuki continues to try to remain in good spirits, though I can tell he's nervous too. Hopefully everything goes smoothly. Guess I'll find out soon.
---Tsuzuki Asato---
After getting through security, eating breakfast and waiting for about a half hour, we finally got to board our plane. Tatsumi was happy to make it early, despite having to wait. All three of us are tired; I don't think anybody got much sleep last night. I had gotten some and am alright for the time being, but I'll probably end up taking a nap sometime during this flight. I know Hisoka is going to fall asleep soon though, he looks exhausted.
With the way the seats are arranged, having only two seats next to each other, the three of us can't sit together. Hisoka says he doesn't mind sitting alone, but Tatsumi insists he sit with me. Luckily, the seat beside Tatsumi is left empty after everyone has boarded, so we can switch around if we want to talk without Tatsumi having to turn around.
Soon after we are settled, the little television screens come down and they go through all the safety procedures. A few minutes after that, everything is finally ready and the airplane takes off. Once we are comfortably in the air, I get the laptop out and turn it on. Might as well finish that report. A quick glance after the last paragraph I wrote and I remember exactly where I was. A couple more paragraphs in, and Hisoka's head falls onto my shoulder. He shifts, trying to get comfortable, which is clearly not working.
"Ah, Hisoka, hold on a second."
He sits up groggily and I check the seat arm between us to see if it moves. It does, and I put it up to make it more comfortable for Hisoka. He mutters a thanks and lays his head back down on my shoulder. It still doesn't look like the most comfortable way to sleep, but given the lack of room, there isn't much choice. I pull the shade on the window down to make it a little darker for him and go back to my report. I don't get far before I'm yawning. Maybe a nap is a good idea. I save the document, shut the laptop down and try to fall asleep myself. I wonder what's going to happen once we get to Silent Hill? What are we going to find? Different scenarios start flashing through my mind, none of which are good. Are the Shinigami still on their mission and just somehow lost contact? Were they killed? It takes a lot to kill a Shinigami, not something a normal human could do. What if we were up against demons or something?
Hisoka suddenly groans and I glance over. Oops, those thoughts are affecting his dreams. I quickly banish all negative thoughts about the case and grasp his hand, trying to calm him down. I don't want to have to wake him up, but I will if I can't stop his nightmares. His fingers close on my hand and he visibly relaxes. Good, I don't have to wake him.
"Is he okay?" Tatsumi asks, looking back at Hisoka with a worried expression.
"Yeah, he's fine now."
Tatsumi turns around and goes back to whatever work he was doing on his laptop. I yawn again and put my head back. I try my best to keep my mind off the case, for Hisoka's sake, and close my eyes. Now if I can just...fall asleep...