Disclaimer: Original characters & story belonged to Yoko Matsushita-sensei

'thoughts, memories'

"spoken words"

--- memory event ---

Title DON'T GO AWAY

Chapter 1 From Gravah Park

"That was a good thing that rarely happens, was it?" The amethyst-eyed shinigami chirped at his younger partner who barely paid attention on whatever the man has said. "Since we have finished our assignment, how about we..."

"No," the blond empath snapped. "If you were thinking about using the remaining cash we have for those apple pies or sweets, Tatsumi-san certainly will go mad. He should be glad, if you, of all people, saved the remaining money for the next assignment."

The boy did state his point. Sometimes he really had sympathy towards the secretary, who had a hard time dealing with the budget difficulties each day, since the Shokan Division had a certain shinigami who couldn't keep his hands off destroying properties and always crossed the line of how to use the limiting amount of budget.

"Tatsumi wouldn't know. Besides, we still have one day before we should get back to EnMaCho and report our work. We haven't even gotten a glimpse of which place Tatsumi prepared for us to rest in. It might be good this time! And today's almost six, it's getting dark. We better stay here tonight and leave tomorrow morning. Isn't that better?" The chocolate-haired man tried to persuade his partner to stay just to have the boy glare back at him.

"That's a lame excuse; we could have just teleport back, baka."

They were in Nagasaki, taking a stroll along when Tsuzuki yet refused to return to Meifu after they had completed their assignment, which happen to be lucky enough to clear it in no time. Find the lost soul, contact the higher ups, and case resolved. Pretty easy; no doubt that Kachou wouldn't assign them to do something tough now, seeing how they have just recovered from the Kyoto incident a few weeks ago.

However, for Hisoka, the difficulties might be that it may bring back the unpleasant memories. Realizing this, Tsuzuki concernedly glance over Hisoka who walked by his side.

--- Being Muraki's captive, bleeding to death by the psychotic doctor's hands, was used as bait. Worse than anything, to be forced on the edge where haunted memories flood back when it was better left unknown. A memory which the 16-years-old boy could never spend his lifetime coping with, or even a hard time to cope in his afterlife. ---

Still, all the boy wanted was just to know the truth.

"Baka," the boy abruptly mumbled.

"Huh?" Tsuzuki couldn't understand what Hisoka meant.

"Don't worry about me; you worry about your...apple pie." The emerald eyes looked away, thinking to himself that his elder partner wouldn't either preferred it if he was told to worry about himself.

"Umm, are you really OK, Hisoka?" The man inquired.

"I told you, don't worry, I'm fine. By the way, this place doesn't sound bad as you may think that I think," answered Hisoka. After all, it was the place where Tsuzuki came to save him, where he asked Hisoka to be his partner forever.

Tsuzuki paused in his stride, a warm smile spreading across his face. "I'm glad if you feel that way, Hisoka. Because I like this place; it's where I met you."

The young shinigami abruptly stopped strolling at some distance ahead of Tsuzuki. He didn't turn back, didn't make any movement, and didn't reply to Tsuzuki's statement. When Tsuzuki announced suddenly that he was hungry, the boy just nodded, thanks to his hair which now had grown longer, enough to cover his reddish face.

"Oi! Oi! Keep in mind, don't get so drunk that you have to sleep here!" Hisoka scowled at his elder partner who now took the sa-ke gulp after gulp until he couldn't support himself to sit up right and was slumping on the restaurant table, his cheeks rosy with alcohol.

"No more, Tsuzuki," Hisoka took the glass off of Tsuzuki's hand.

"Mou, Hisoka," the man grumbled.

"No buts. We're leaving, before you really have to sleep here," the boy motioned the waiter for the bill.

"Watch your step, drunkard!" Hisoka hissed as he struggled to carry the bigger man over his slim shoulders. Tsuzuki merely staggered at each trod.

"Ne...Hisoka..."

"Just shut up and walk," the boy grunted.

Tsuzuki peered at the huffing boy, "meany..."

They came across the park a few blocks away from the hotel, when Tsuzuki finally missed his step, causing both of them to crumble down to the ground with the boy's small yelp. Hisoka tried to adjust his position, muttering, "baka" as he shoved his drunken partner off himself in sitting position.

The man merely murmured something that the boy could neither make out nor care about anyway. He let out a sigh while he put Tsuzuki's arms around his shoulders again. "Come on, get up." Both of them attempted to get to their feet but failed to do so. "Baka! I should've knocked you off in the first place! Before you had more of those things!"

The boy glared at the clumsy man. Tsuzuki began to chuckle softly at the boy's action, which caused Hisoka to get even more frustrate. He felt the blood rise to his cheeks. "This isn't funny, TSUZUKI ASATO!"

"Ne, Hisoka, let's just take a break here for a while," the drowsy man whispered. To the boy's exhaustion, he agreed and managed to drag Tsuzuki to the nearest public bench in the open park. Hisoka sat up straight, with his elder partner beside him who languidly slumped onto the boy's shoulder.

"Tsu...Tsuzuki!" The boy would have yelled louder if there weren't people around.

'What's with this all of the sudden? Did he have a nervous breakdown or something? He'll never normally do things like this. No...I can't sense any negative feelings from him. But…all he feels now is…comfy?'

He gasped softly when Tsuzuki slumped down even further and ended up on his lap, amethyst-eyed slowly drifting close and falling asleep. Emerald eyes widened, his pale cheeks turning into crimson red even more than the alcohol does to the sleeping man in his lap.

The blonde was about to yell and swat his partner away but stopped dead in his tracks when he noticed Tsuzuki's lips parted a little, curving upward into a small smile.

'Just like a child. You should stop calling me that when you yourself were acting like one.'

Hisoka put the thought of protesting a man at the back of his mind. His emerald eyes softened as it rested on the childish man, now totally ignoring of what people might think of them.

Somehow this brought back more of his memories. Of the Kyoto incident when Tsuzuki had been vulnerable after Muraki had told him he wasn't human.

--- After Hisoka had stopped the amethyst-eyed man from hurting himself, the man wouldn't let go of him. Together, they stumbled through the heavy snow until they came across the park.

Hisoka helped Tsuzuki to walk under the small concrete bridge where children used to play. Either because the snow was too hard to get through or that they were too tired, especially Tsuzuki.

Abruptly, Tsuzuki couldn't support himself to stand anymore; he slumped across Hisoka who intended to catch the man before both of them were on the ground. The empath sat himself up in the sitting position when Tsuzuki was already on his lap, his hand holding onto Hisoka's tightly, his eyes once always filled with joy and laughter were now dimmed and...lost. As Tsuzuki almost fell out of his lap, the boy pulled the man closer, up into a more comfortable position. Still, Tsuzuki didn't let go of Hisoka's hand for any seconds.

Hisoka didn't really have any idea of what he could possibly do to comfort the broken man. So he did the same thing Tsuzuki had done the one time he had cried. Hesitantly, he raised his hand and stroked gently on the chocolate brown hair. And Tsuzuki had calmed down.

The weather was cold but they were warm.

At that moment, Hisoka was willing to let Tsuzuki have his lap to sleep or even sob in until morning came, if Mariko has not happened to appeared. ---

The empath was brought back from his thought when he heard the man murmured. 'He couldn't just stop chattering even in the sleep.' Hisoka studied his partner.

'He looked so...young, despite his age.'

Green eyes softened as they closed in exhaustion.

"Hmm," the shinigami stirred, his eyes clumsily flickering open. His vision was a little blurred, by the sa-ke he has had. It took time to focus, and then he realized the world he sees was in its inclined horizon.

He turned his head to the side, facing upward the night sky overhead. Above him was the young pinkish pale face of a boy who appeared to be sleeping, his head tilted to the side upon his small shoulder. Tsuzuki didn't make any movement. His eyes gaped at his younger partner above him who had his back pressed against the bench in a sitting position.

He was in Hisoka's lap. The man couldn't help but loss for thought of how the boy could have allowed it. What took him by surprise further was that he feels the empaths's small hand on his hair.

He lay there, unable to move, afraid that the slightest movement might wake the boy up and then he'd lose his moment. He settled his gaze upon the sleeping face. The boy's fair skin created a glowing complexion as the warm moonlight bathed him. His ash blond hair seemed even lighter than usual. Tsuzuki found himself drawing to those looks.

At some point, the wind blew. The tall trees in the park swirled from side to side, its leaves shuffling. Cool winds hit the boy's face, and his eyes fluttered open immediately. The young empath looked around, recalling the current situation, he looked down. And then…

THUD!

It happened so fast that Tsuzuki couldn't regain his position; he was already on the cold ground. Hisoka had suddenly stood up, causing the man in his lap to fall over.

Tsuzuki clutched his neck, "Oww, that hurts...," then he looked up confusingly at the standing boy.

"Baka-yarou! If you were already awake, then why didn't you get off?" Hisoka yelled at the top of his lungs. The few people who walked by threw their glance on the two shinigamis in surprise and curiosity but generally didn't care too much anyway, except for a few girls who kept their giggling to themselves. And Hisoka tried his best to ignore them.

Tsuzuki could only look at the boy who was flushed all over from the cheek to his ears. Tsuzuki kept a small smile to himself which didn't go unnoticed by the empathy.

"What's so funny?" Hisoka growled. Tsuzuki merely looked at the boy, shaking his head side to side. "Nothing, thank you for your offering, Hisoka" he grinned happily.

"Urr! You're the one who fell into my...lap! And I'm just too exhausted to...carry you...off me! Just get up and let's head back! Baka!" Hisoka growled as he turned and stomped out of the park.

The tall shinigami was up on his feet, the smile still plastered on his face. Dusting off his black trench coat, he trod after his partner and fell over in the process, taking not more than three steps.

Hisoka's eyebrow above his closing eyes twitched in irritation, he whirled around. "Just stay there, drunken idiot, I'll go bring you some drinks to sober you." The young boy rushed out into the night.

"Wait! Hisoka!" Too late; Tsuzuki had lost sight of the small figure. He didn't have any much choice but to obey the boy since the alcohol held him back down.

"What a Baka..." Hisoka mumbled, reaching down and grabbed two cans of cold drink from the vending machine. The boy signed inwardly, turning to dart back to the park. 'Is this what he wants? Staying over night on earth and getting drunk? What if I'm not with him when he's drunk?' Hisoka's thought was abruptly cut off when he bumped against a bigger figure as he made a turn at the corner.

Pale hands belonging to the man Hisoka has just ran into attempt to catch the boy's arm to prevent him from falling flat on his back. Two cans of drink now rolled on the ground until the man picked them up and handed them to the boy who was mumbling his apologies.

The place was dark. Hisoka couldn't see clearly while he reached for the cold drinks and was about to thank the man. The murky clouds moved aside, revealing the round moon behind it with the color of sanguine. Blood red.

At the moment his hand touched the cold cans, emerald eyes widened in shock as they recognized the owner of those ivory pale hands. The cans came crashing back down to the ground again.

Standing in the very front of him was a man dressed entirely in white, platinum blond hair and piercing silver eyes. "Kids shouldn't drink coffee, especially before bedtime, Bouya."

"What took him so long? He should've been back by now," Tsuzuki stared up at the night sky.

Tsu...zuki...

Amethyst eyes widened, he stood up from the bench immediately, feeling the tension in his head. He couldn't fight the urge of being drunk as he managed to make his way out of the park. The shinigami tried to clear his mind and focused on his every step. His head turned left and right. With that, he ran as fast as his right state of mind could offer.

'Hang on, Hisoka. I'm coming!'

To be continued

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