Sorry, people. Just some spacing and grammar updates. Feel free to review though... (hint hint) I don't know if anyone else read my other story, but the characters are a bit different in this one. Please enjoy!
"Kurosaki, may I speak with you?" Tatsumi was standing next to the desk that Hisoka normally shared with Tsuzuki, who was probably looking for something to snack on right about now.
Hisoka nodded and stood up to follow Tatsumi back to his office. It had been just over two weeks since the disaster Muraki had caused with Tsuzuki and things were finally starting to get back to normal. Tsuzuki had been a little quieter than normal, but that was to be expected after all that had happened. Hisoka hoped that he would be his normal happy self soon. Work was just no fun without Tsuzuki, no matter how annoying he got. Tatsumi closed the door that separated his room from the rest of the office.
"Sit down, please. I want to talk to you about Tsuzuki." Tatsumi sat down across from Hisoka. "I'm sure you've noticed Tsuzuki has been acting a little strange lately. He is hiding it well, but I'm still worried."
Hisoka listened to Tatsumi, wondering what he was supposed to do to help. "I called you in here because there is a new case in your area. I need you to keep an eye on Tsuzuki for me." Hisoka nodded. He normally watched Tsuzuki on assignments anyways to keep the budget down. It wouldn't be too hard to stick with him. He wasn't exactly the stealthiest person in the world.
"All right. I just wanted to give you a heads up." Hisoka nodded and stood up, bowing to Tatsumi on his way out the door. So they were being given a new case. Hisoka sat, waiting for Tsuzuki to come back so they could get their assignment.
"Finally! What took you so long, Tsuzuki?" Hisoka had given up on his work and opened a book from the library when his partner finally showed his face. Tsuzuki stood there spaced out for a second before shaking his head and smiling.
"Sorry! There was a really yummy all you can eat cake sale and I just couldn't pass it up. Then I fell asleep when I went back to my apartment to change shirts." Tsuzuki looked more tired than when he had come in this morning. Hisoka wondered if he was having trouble sleeping or something.
"Come on, the chief wants to see everyone in the briefing room." Hisoka stood up and Tsuzuki followed him into the cold white room in the back.
They entered and had a file shoved at the two of them before being seated at the table.
"This case is nothing out of the ordinary for you two, just routine field work. There is a small town near your district where… well, unpleasant things have been happening to the souls there. They cross over to this side twisted and mangled, so I need you two to go investigate. I can send Watari or Tatsumi with you if you want someone to help…" Hisoka was about to open his mouth to accept the help, but noticed Tsuzuki shake his head slightly to the side.
Instead, Hisoka said, "No thanks. We will be in touch, but I think we can handle this on our own." Tatsumi looked a little unconvinced, but let it drop.
"Okay then. Get going as soon as possible. I expect you to leave tomorrow morning, after you finish all of your work for today. I expect you to finish your full hours!" Tatsumi smiled as he said this because loved ordering Tsuzuki around as a joke. The two partners stood up and left the room, Tsuzuki not meeting anyone's eyes on his way out.
"Um, Tsuzuki? Is everything all right? You seem a little down." Hisoka ran after Tsuzuki after work and caught him before he left. Tsuzuki smiled at Hisoka and shook his head. Instead of feeling reassured however, Hisoka got mad.
"Why can't you trust me? This is what happened last time! We're partners right?" Tsuzuki's face fell. Great. Hisoka thought to himself. I wasn't going to bring up what happened last time. Tsuzuki sat down in the small hallway.
"I just don't want everyone worrying about me. You and Tatsumi are the worst, but everyone else is walking on glass around me and I'm sick of it. I can take care of myself; I'm not some small child." He was shaking by then, and when he looked up, Hisoka saw tears on his cheeks. "I just don't want to cause you all extra trouble." Hisoka laughed. Tsuzuki stood up, wondering what was so funny.
Hisoka saw the affronted look on his partner's face and said, "Well of course you cause us extra trouble. You're Tsuzuki, aren't you?" He reached up to wipe the tears from Tsuzuki's face. "Now don't cry anymore. If you want to convince people you don't need help, stop acting like a little kid."
Tsuzuki was staring at Hisoka with his mouth open, but then ruffled the young blonde's hair and said, "Hey, look who's talking, shorty." Hisoka ducked away. He kept on a happy smile until they got outside and transported to their separate apartments.
When he got home, Hisoka heavily sat on his couch. When Tsuzuki had touched him, emotions had nearly overwhelmed him. He had felt all of Tsuzuki's pain and sadness and knew that he was not nearly as healed as everyone thought. Hisoka didn't know what had happened the three days that Muraki had held Tsuzuki captive, but he could tell that it was still paining Tsuzuki.
Tsuzuki also went home, but was met with a different sight than Hisoka's clean room. Instead, the apartment was a disaster. There were clothes strewn everywhere and stains on the floor from spilled food and drinks.
Tsuzuki had momentarily been put in a better mood from being with Hisoka, but the depression came crashing back down on his at the sight of his apartment. He stumbled to the kitchen and pulled a bottle out of the fridge, popping off the top and clearing a place at the table for him to sit. He was desperately trying to stem the flow of memories that had progressively been getting clearer and clearer with every passing day.
It was a mix of his early childhood that he had thought he locked up and those days spent chained up in front of Muraki. The alcohol helped a little, but Tsuzuki knew that when he closed his eyes and went to sleep, the dark dreams would plague him. The blood of the past and the sins of the present would not let him rest even for a moment. He stood up and looked around for his bag. He grabbed a black duffel and stuffed a change of cleanish clothes along with a sleeping bag (because he never knew what hole Tatsumi would make him stay in) and some basic toiletries. He zipped it up and set it by the door then headed out for another night of trying to escape his demons.