Title: A Devil's Bargain

Rating: R

Characters/Pairing: Muraki, Watari, hopefully will be MurakixWatari

Chapter: 1?

Spoilers: Through Kyoto arc and the Watari centric information released from Kamakura Hen

Summary: One hundred and fifty six years after the events in Kyoto, Watari finds himself celebrating his two hundredth birthday alone. That is that day when he is assigned his new partner, and a series of demon attacks against the shinigami begins.

Will Watari and his new partner, Dr. Muraki, be able to defeat the demon before the balance between life and death is tipped, or will they kill each other first?

Notes: If all goes well this will be MurakixWatari, but if they don't want to get together then they wont.

Part 1

That is a right you need not waive.
I did not boast, and I shall not regret it.
As I grow stagnant I shall be a slave,
Whether or not to anyone indebted.

-Faust

It had been difficult, Muraki admitted, to out wit a devil. He had only been twenty when he sold his soul. Young, stupid, and easily tricked by the clever Mephistopheles, Muraki had been given a purpose and the means to go through with it. Yet in the end Tsuzuki summoned the fire serpent Touda and all hope of revenge was lost.

Despite the terrible blow, Muraki still had a goal. The devil had failed Muraki, and Muraki never paid for poor service. Of coarse Muraki wasn't dumb and knew Mephistopheles would want his payment regardless, but the devil had unwittingly given Muraki enough resources to serch for a loop hole. Unfortunately for the doctor after decades of searching none could be found, and even with his greatly extended life span Muraki began to lose hope.

That is when he came. He was a being Muraki hated more than the demon laying claim to his soul and his half brother combined. He gave Muraki an offer he couldn't refuse. One that would put his soul in the hands of the one he hated more than anything, but would free him from the torments of hell. Muraki accepted.

One hundred and fifty-six years after the incident in Kyoto, a shadowed figure gave Muraki a glass of wine. Giving a rueful smile, he lifted the glass to his lips, and swallowed all of the blood red drink.

Seconds later the glass fell out of his limp hand.


Watari in general was a happy and energetic person. He loved life, or in his case afterlife, and never saw the need to be depressed. Many considered him the life of Meifu; others would call him annoying. This did not mean he was without his own personal troubles, money for his research being one of them, but brooding over them seemed a waste of time and energy. At least until his two hundredth birthday.

On the day of the 200th anniversary of his birth, Watari decided to brood, and he felt silly doing it. After all it wasn't just any birthday, not many ever reached 200 even among the shinigami. So a celebration was called for, and gregarious as Watari was he could not turn down an excuse for a party. In fact he had begun the preparations to do so, but when he made the list of those he wanted to invite he found him self unable to continue.

Tatsumi, Tsuzuki, and Hisoka, the first three people on his list could not come. They couldn't even celebrate with him if his survival depended on it. They had all ascended to the beyond, something not fully explained to the shinigami despite their nearness to it. Some how he never really realized they were gone, immersing his self deep in to research instead of admitting the facts. He was ashamed at not tackling the problem sooner, but even now he dreaded the admittance that he was alone. Sure he had others in the office, but Saya and Yuma were always stuck in Hokkaido and he had never been to terribly close to Wakaba and Terazuma. The other shinigami were so young that he had nothing in common, and while he was friendly with all of them he didn't click with any of them.

Now his lab was full of birds, a well known trade mark of his, and they did provide him with company. Yet he wondered if he was transforming into the avian equivalent of a cat lady. Add to that his research comprised mostly of failure, though some failures he found quite humorous, and he still hadn't developed his sex change potion. Which all left him wondering why he continued on if he was alone, becoming too eccentric, and had failed on his afterlife goals. He felt of these were worthy topics of brooding; even if Watari could not quite get the condescending corner of his mind to stop laughing at him.

Watari had worked him self up in to quite a mood, enough to rival a teenager, or so he thought, when a knock on his lab door interrupted him. Frowning in displeasure Watari stood and opened the door, to see a short man waiting patently.

It was Konoe's new secretary, who for one reason or another grated on Watari's nerves. Pasting a smile on his face Watari addressed the secretary, "Good afternoon Kudo, do you need anything."

Kudo frowned slightly, and attempted to give Watari a stern look as he answered. "I sent a message to you three hours ago that the chief wanted to see you ASAP, but you didn't come."

"Did you?" Watari asked, and looked at the door board.

Sighing Kudo replied, "Yes I did, Watari-san, and the chief wants to see you now."

Watari waved his hand dismissively, "I'll be there in a few minutes."

"But..."

"See ya.' Watari closed the door.


"What took you so long?" Konoe shouted as Watari entered his office. "Do you have any idea what time it is?"

"Ummm, 1:30"

"Wrong it's 3:30. I sent you a message first thing this morning, and then I sent Kudo after you an hour ago."

Rubbing the back of his head Watari apologized. "Sorry boss, I kinda lost track of time."

Konoe's face softened, "Look I know today is probably rough, but I wanted to warn you about you new partner."

"Partner?" Watari blinked in surprise, "Why would I need a partner? I haven't had a case in three years."

Konoe sighed, "We are not giving you a partner, because of your work load. We're giving you a partner because you are the only one who has any idea what the man is capable of."

Narrowing his eyes Watari asked, "Just what are you partnering me with?"

A timid knock on the door interrupted, and Konoe, answered. "What is it Kudo?"

The secretary entered, and said, "Watari-san's new partner has arrived."

Konoe looked at his watch and whispered, "Right on time." Looking back up to Kudo he said, "Let him in."

The secretary opened the door, and told the man on the other side to come in. As the man walked in the office Watari blinked in surprise, and whispered, "Muraki?"