Please enjoy! This is a Tsuzuki/Hisoka fanfiction and the rating might go up later if you guys want.

Hold on to Me

by Fangirl66

Chapter One: Second Chances

"Everybody get down!"

An array of curses followed the muffled warning as a blast of fire shot above their heads. Suzaku was firing crazily at a six-tailed demon cat, larger then a house, that was leaping and bounding into the sky as if it were a regular sized cat chasing a normal bird. Byakko was trying to assist the fiery falcon but he had his own problems in the form of two demonic hell hounds tracing his every move.

"Tsuzuki!!" Hisoka cried as he attempted to go to his partner nearly getting blown to bits by a stray fire blast courtesy of the still frantically shooting Suzaku. The demon cat hissed as one of the fire bird's random shots actually made contact but the victory was short lived when the cat regenerated and struck back.

"No Hisoka! Tsuzuki can handle himself, you will only get in his way!" Tatsumi yelled over the noise of the multiple explosions occurring only a few yards away.

"Tatsumi, he can't hear you!" Watari screamed from the shadow user's left. They both watched in horror as the young empath began to navigate the dangerous battlefield in front of them. "Do something! He's going to get himself killed!!"

Summoning his shadows, Tatsumi stretched them as thinly as possible before rapping them around Hisoka and dragging the distraught boy back behind the safety of Watari and himself.

"No, no!" The blonde-haired boy struggled fruitlessly against his restraints. "Tatsumi, I need to be with him! I can't lose him now!"

Watari enclosed the struggling boy in his arms, "Bon, there's nothing you can do."

"No! We can't just abandon him! Muraki will…Muraki will…" Tears leaked from emerald eyes as he stared imploringly up at the man holding him tight. Watari just shook his head hopelessly; like Hisoka, he too was without any powers to help Tsuzuki.

"I know bon, I know."

Hisoka raised his eyes from Watari's hysterical visage, to Tatsumi's equally distressed expression. "We have to do something, Tat—!"

"Goddamn it, shut up! You think I don't know that?! Right now, instead of crying like a child, I'm trying to figure out the best way to help Tsuzuki without becoming a liability to him!"

Hisoka flinched, Tatsumi had never, ever lost his cool to that extreme. "Tatsumi!" Watari growled in a dangerous, uncharacteristic fashion. "Don't you dare talk to him like that! We are all scared, that gives you no right to take it out on him!"

A low rumbling started shaking the ground, making the smaller rocks and debris that covered the ground vibrate along the surface. Suddenly both Byakko and Suzaku disappeared at the same time that Muraki's demons let out painful screeches of protest as the were sucked back down into the very depths of the underworld.

"AHHH!"

All three heads snapped towards the source of the double yell, un-mistakingly Muraki's and Tsuzuki's, that echoed like a death sentence around them.

"Tsuzuki!" Hisoka summoned all the control his inexperience could produce and released a powerful wave of psychic energy, breaking Tatsumi's shadowy chains that had gone slightly limp after Tsuzuki's pained cry.

"Hisoka!" But it was too late, the small empath was already bolting up the steep slope littered with the burning aftermath of demons and foliage. Rocks slid out from underneath his sneaker-clad feet as he continued to climb to where his partner had yelled.

When he reached the top he surveyed the damage done by the two formidable descendants of darkness, searching for a crop of brown hair or the slight flutter of a black trench coat.

He saw none.

"No." Hisoka whispered to himself. "No, No, NO! TSUZUKI!!" He dropped to his knees, hyperventilating as his eyes still roamed the barren wasteland before him.

"Hi-cough-soka?"

Eyes snapping towards the noise, Hisoka almost sobbed in relief when he saw the battered image of the purple-eyed male slowly making his way over a ridge that the young blonde had over-looked in his haphazard seeking. Tsuzuki seemed to be dragging a half-dead Muraki by the collar as he walked.

Hisoka let out a strangled cry as he ran, knocking them both down when he jumped on his partner, forcing the brunette to release his hold on Muraki's coat to break their fall. Clutching his partner's tattered clothes, the empath cried into Tsuzuki's chest. "I thought—God Tsuzuki, it was like Kyoto all over again. I thought I had really lost you this time."

"I'm sorry."

Hisoka gripped the sides of Tsuzuki's collar more harshly, giving him a little threatening shake. "Yeah, well, you better be! I nearly died of worry over your idiotic ass!" The violet-eyed man smiled gently up at the smaller male still straddling his hips.

"Typical bon, only worried about his ass."

Hisoka jumped and immediately removed himself from atop the brunette to address the new comers. "Shut up, Watari!"

Tatsumi seemed to have calmed down quite a bit, now approaching the still sitting form of his ex-partner in his classic, aloof manner. "Are you alright?" He said in a smooth voice, gently ruffling chocolate-brown locks.

"I'm good, but we need to get him checked out." He indicated Muraki with the slight tilt of his head in their fallen enemy's direction.

"I say we let him die. He deserves it." Hisoka said angerly, glaring down at the broken body before them.

"No, this Muraki doesn't." Three surprised gazes flitted to the smug Tsuzuki sitting cross-legged by their defeated adversary.

"What are you talking about?"

Tsuzuki grinned. "I exorcized Muraki."

The proud puppy-tized version of Tsuzuki paused for reaction, giving them all the thumbs up.

"WHAT!!"

The brunette held up a hand. "Muraki is a half demon, right? Well I exorcized his demonic half, leaving only the pure, human part behind."

"But…just because you took away the bad influence, doesn't make him good, Tsuzuki." Watari said rationally.

Tsuzuki shook his head stubbornly, "No." He said firmly. "You're wrong, Watari. You have no idea what it's like to be part demon. I suppressed that part of myself, while Muraki's humanity was too weak to do so. I think…I think he'll be different now."

Tatsumi nodded in slight understanding. "We'll talk about this more when we return, and get you checked out, okay?" He urged insistently, wrapping the five of them in his shadows as to safely transport them to the Maifu infirmary.

On their arrival they were instantly separated, Tsuzuki and Muraki being taken to the more intensive care facility, while Hisoka, Watari, and Tatsumi were herded in the direction of the 'boo-boo fixing' ward, where all non-serious injuries or in other words kiddy injuries were mended.

Hisoka sighed, This is so embarrassing, He couldn't help but think as the nurse stuck yet another fluffy-rainbow-cloud band aid on him.

"Oh don't look so bummed, bon! That really is a good look for you!" Watari said adoringly as he caught sight of the band aid patched across the young blonde's nose. Hisoka nearly threw up at the gooshy feelings he felt and the very loud thoughts of 'Aww bon looks so cute!' coming from Watari through his empathy.

"Watari, it's too early for me to be having thoughts of homicide. So if you could please not do this to me, I would greatly appreciate it."

Watari giggled but nonetheless backed off, instead choosing to engage the nurse currently placing his bandages in a conversation about his own puppy-dog band aids.

"There you go, dear, all done." The rounded face of the nurse invaded his vision, smiling kindly at him before she bustled off to tend to Tatsumi.

Hisoka quickly exited the ward, ignoring Watari's calls for him to come back, and headed in the direction of the main office, intent on getting Tsuzuki's room number.

"BON! ROOM 109! CAN YOU HERE ME? ONE-O-NINE! Geez I'm only trying to help and he still treats me like crap!"

Hisoka rolled his eyes at the older blonde's childish antics before turning left in the direction of the rooms starting in the hundreds. He reached his destination in under five minutes, slowly and quietly opening the door as to not disturb his partner if he had fallen asleep.

Upon entering the room, Hisoka noticed two things:

One; Tsuzuki was awake,

and Two; so was Muraki.

Hisoka's spine stiffened in fear as he felt the prickle of the curse marks as they seared a path of blood-red along his skin. Luckily he was wearing modest clothing, sufficiently hiding the shameful marks from view. Hisoka's hands tightened into fists as both half demons turned towards the door, his eyes locking with Muraki's now matching silvery blue ones.

"Hey, 'Soka! I like your band aid!"

The empath felt a familiar tightening in his chest; he was scared. He wanted to run to Tsuzuki and bury himself in the safety of the elder shinigami's arms but at the same time he wanted to run as fast as he could in the opposite direction just to put some distance between himself and the mad doctor.

Hisoka swallowed thickly and forced himself to speak. "What the hell is he doing in here?!" He managed to spit out viciously as he ripped his gaze off of the silver-haired man and onto the brunette before him.

"I asked him to be transferred--But don't worry 'Soka! They took precautions!" Tsuzuki smiled dumbly as he indicated the handcuffs that were connected to Muraki's wrists and ankles.

Hisoka stared, disbelievingly, at the stupidity of his partner.

"They really are quite thorough." Muraki said with a smile giving the handcuffs an experimental tug to prove their authenticity.

"You fucking idiot."

Hisoka had only made it out of the room and down the hall before a hand on his elbow stopped him.

"Don't touch me!" Hisoka shouted coldly while attempting to dislodge his arm from his partner's grasp.

For once Tsuzuki didn't do what Hisoka asked, instead, his hand tightened on the younger's jerking limb. He fixed the smaller male with an uncharacteristically, serious expression. "Hisoka, I need you with me on this."

"On what?! Convincing everyone that, that monster is human? No way, Tsuzuki, no way!"

The brunette's expression turned pleading, "Please Hisoka."

The empath dropped his gaze from the other's face as to hide the tears now forming in emerald eyes. "H-how can you ask that of me? After everything he did to me, you want me to defend him?"

Tsuzuki gently slipped a hand under the blonde's chin, tilting Hisoka's head to meet amethyst eyes. "I would never ask that of you, never Hisoka. But I truly believe that this is a different man 'Soka, different from the man that did all the horrible things to you." Tsuzuki's arms embraced him, tightening as the younger male began to shake. "Please Hisoka, I...I need your support to do this."

"Tsuzuki, I can't look at him and not see a monster."

Hisoka started, breath catching in his throat, when he felt the gentle pressure of lips pressing softly on his hair. "And what do you see when you look at me? A monster?"

"Goddamn it, Tsuzuki, no! You are human, and nothing like that bastard!" Hisoka pushed slightly out of the embrace so he could look into his partner's eyes to gauge his emotions, Tsuzuki's mental barriers were up to high for his empathy to get a read on any of his feelings.

"You consider me human only because my humanity was strong enough to stop me from giving into my demonic nature. Now, I've just given Muraki the same chance. Please Hisoka--"

"No." Hisoka had heard enough. He was done. "No."

The blonde pushed out Tsuzuki's arms and began to back away. "I can't follow you on this, Tsuzuki, I can't." And with that said he ran down the hall and out of sight, leaving a dejected and depressed Tsuzuki in his wake.


Oh no! Muraki's come between them! On the one hand Tsuzuki wants to give Muraki's humanity the chance it never had because he sort of related to him in a way but was he really asking too much from Hisoka? I mean Muraki did rape and kill him, it's perfectly understandable for him to refuse.

I'm curious, so Im posing a question to the readers: Who's side are you on? Tsuzuki's or Hisoka's?

Please review or I will not update!!!!!