Decompression

1. Catharsis.

T: The first fic in a long while, partially because other, non anime, fandoms have stolen my time and partially because I wanted to make sure that I've hit a few duff notes recently…moving on, however, expect to find angst, fluff, slash, a smattering of things both anime and manga verse, oh and potential spoilers for anything in anime. I own nothing that you see here other than the plot.

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Crisp, cotton, sheets, the scent of disinfectant on the air and the sound of Tsuzuki's gentle snoring somewhere in the darkness at his back.

Caught in the odd point between sleep and full consciousness he finds himself dwelling over how such simple things have become as the greatest of comforts, finds himself at last confronting the reality that has been left to him in the wake of Kyoto.

He dreams now not of the blood red moon, the pale shower of sakura and the chill of the night air against his skin, but rather sharp, dry, heat, the sting of smoke in his lungs and the terrible, unforgettable, scent of charring skin.

Where once the sight and scent of the infirmary had woken a nervous anticipation and clawing sense of claustrophobia in his heart, he now found this sensation sparked by the thought of being rid of such things.

In the tiny world that he currently inhabited he is as no more need to explain his actions on that desperate night that he has any other. Once he is outside he will be made to cage the act of reckless impulsiveness in words, will have him mark down his every movement with the cool, clinical, detachment needed for bureaucracy and that will, he knows, make it somehow…

…less.

He finds himself twisting a little then, finds himself at last opening his eyes in order that he might take in the sight of his partner's sleeping face.

He looks somehow older in this light, the odd shadows cast by hair and facial features, adding the years that death stole away.

Since the moment that he had woken in this bed after the Incident he as yearned only to cross the scant divide between them and again furl his arms about the other…has yearned, for the first time in either this life or the last, for the simple security that only touch offered.

It is a compulsion stilled not only by the fear of somehow hurting the other but also for the simple fear of the power of that desire…of the terrible, chaotic, swell of emotions he feels always now while within the other's company.

A faint sound from Tsuzuki has him flushing, blocking the emotions away and swiftly rolling himself back away from the elder.

Warm, pleasant, feelings as sunlight against his skin and then the mussed enquiry of,

"Are you awake, 'Soka?"

For a moment he seriously considers staying perfectly still and taking the easier escape, however, he has not, apparently, come so low as for his pride to let such spinelessness go and he finds himself instead responding,

"Hn, who can sleep with you snoring like that?"

A hurt little noise, akin to that made by a lonely puppy, the rustle of sheets and then the other is there at his side, amethyst eyes shining with entirely false tears,

"Neh, you don't mean that, right, 'soka?"

Flushing he punts the other gently to the floor and enquires, "Idiot! Who would believe something like that and even go so far as to react to it in such a childish manner?"

"Ah! It seems my two favourite patients are up and about!" The statement is made with a sing song cheer matched both in Watari's surface emotions and the smile all but splitting his lips.

"Oh, Watari…I was just having the teeniest stretch and entirely not over exerting myself in any way shape or form!" Tsuzuki remarks as he slowly edges his way back into his bed.

"Don't worry, Tsu, you're officially lecture free from here on in."

A cold chill claims him at the simple remark and, sitting himself up, he enquires,

"What does that mean, Watari?"

"You're both well enough now that your being here is now officially a 'drain on resources', also it seems that an assignment has come up that Kanoe-kaichou wants you to handle personally."

A dark, terrible, name springs instantly to mind at that and, feeling now altogether nauseous, he says,

"I'll go get dressed."

"Calm down, Bon." Watari says as he catches a hold of his wrist a mere moment before he can transport, "It's nothing to do with…him…and Kaichou's pretty keen on seeing you asap, therefore I thought it'd make more sense for the clothes to come to you rather than visa versa."

A snap of his fingers and 003 is struggling through the doorway, her slight form almost comically weighted down by the suit bags tied, carefully, about each leg.

Skipping back over to the owl Watari releaser her of her burden, gifts her with some undisclosed treat or another and then allows her to settle somewhere amid the shear mass of his hair.

"I want you to come back here the instant either of you get any sort of alarming twinge and, Bon, make sure you're idiot of a partner changes his dressings on a regular basis, ok?" The enquiry is a deliberate tease intended to lighten the mood and he makes a mental note to thank the scientist for the unexpected kindness the next that they are alone.

Once Watari has left them again to their own devices Tsuzuki opens each bag and, once he has determined which is his own, he begins to cautiously work his way out of the silken pyjama set that has, for what seems a lifetime, been his day to day attire.

He knows that he should be following suit and yet, for an instant, he is caught by the movement of mussel against mussel, by the stark contrast of tan, tan skin and the bright white of medical gauze.

A sound, somewhere off in the veritable maze of corridors, starts him back to himself and, flushing, he spins to face the wall.

Precisely five minutes later they're crossing the threshold of Kanoe's office, only one edge of gauze, barely visible beneath the line of Tsuzuki's cuff and the impossible scent of smoke lingering still in his nose, as signs that things have ever been anything else.

Kanoe responds to them, as always, with a warmth that he supposes other's would name, readily, paternal affection and, chuckling a little, he gestures to the empty chairs opposite his own and says,

"It seems that Watari-san might have been a little over enthused in the part that I gave him."

"Kaichou?"

"Sorry, sorry, it seems I've developed the terrible habit of starting conversations half way through. My father was the same and it used to wind me up so very terribly that I swore that I'd never do the same…still that's age for you." Flashing them a smile layered with the edges of regret and fondness he associates always with nostalgia, Kanoe waves his hand in a clearly dismissive and says, "Anyway, the truth is that I bribed Watari into finding a way to get you two here without too much drama."

"Then there is no case?"

"Correct, Kurosaki-san."

"So then why are we here?"

"Decompression."

"You're really not making any sense, Kaichou." Tsuzuki remarks as he lifts a hand to move his fringe, momentarily, from his field of vision and shifts a little in his seat, both clear outward indications of the agitation currently drifting off of him.

"As things stand now the both of you have a subconscious fear of going back up topside, it's understandable given the circumstances, but it makes putting you back onto active duty entirely unthinkable." Kanoe remarks as he pushes a novelty check book in Tsuzuki's direction, "In order to 'make things better' I've arranged for the two of you to visit Nagasaki, not at any real expense, I'm afraid, but hopefully the city should be a little quieter than the last you saw it."

The casual mention of what had been their very first case as partners stirs an emotive state within Tsuzuki that he knows he shall never get around. Thus, feeling more than a little played and greatly perturbed, he sighs a defeated sigh and enquires,

"Where are we staying?"

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T: Next chapter next week at the latest. Hate it? Love it? Press the review button!