Yami no Matsuei is the property of Matsushita Yoko. This is my eighth Yami no Matsuei fanfic, and I post it here to commemorate my ten years of posting at . I don't know if that's a good thing or bad thing, lol. People have different hobbies, I guess. Some people play golf, I write fanfiction. It's almost freakish to think of how much has changed in the past ten years. I'd certainly like to think my writing style has matured since my first fanfic.

This isn't exactly an original idea, and I've seen a few birthday fanfics here already. But I wanted to give this a try in any case. Anyways, the warnings here: Hisoka POV, so Hisoka being Hisoka, lol. Possible OOCness and fluff. Thank you for making things fun for me, and I hope to keep writing here no matter how much time goes by!

Make a Wish

It was three in the morning when I received a disturbing phone call.

My cell phone was charging on my bedside table, and it suddenly emitted a disgustingly cheerful ringtone. I groaned, and buried my head underneath my pillow. Muttering a few swear words I blindly reached out and pressed 'stop' to hang up on the collar. Satisfied with the silence, I tried to get back to sleep.

Except the damned thing wouldn't stop ringing!

It would be better for me to just turn it off. Cell phones were such a hassle anyways. Still, I tried to ignore it and go back to sleep.

The sixth time it rang; I grabbed it from the side table and flipped it open. "What the HELL do you want, Tsuzuki?"

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY, 'SOKA-CHAN!" Tsuzuki screamed loudly on the other line, as though it were the middle of the day and not early morning.

"…What?" I yanked on the propped up calendar on the side table to take a look at the date. Mindful that it was still 3am, I made sure to check the right date.

It was Monday, October 17th, 2011.

I almost threw the calendar across the room. Instead, I carefully set it back down and barked into the phone. "Tsuzuki, today is the seventeenth! My birthday is October eighteenth! EIGHTEENTH!"

"…Oh," Tsuzuki said after a long moment. I growled in irritation, but then he burst out again. "Then Happy Birthday TOMORROW!"

I hung up on him, and this time made sure to turn the phone completely off. I dropped it back on the side table and buried my head underneath my pillow again. I tried to will my mind and body to go back to sleep, but Tsuzuki's loud cheerfulness pulsated in my head. I couldn't focus on sleep.

Swearing profusely, I shoved aside the covers and stormed into my bathroom. I turned on the cold faucet and splashed icy water all over my face. The shocking numbness was enough to finally take my mind off of my idiotic partner, and I straightened as I turned off the faucet.

My dripping face was caught in the mirror's reflection as I stood up fully. My eternally sixteen-year-old face stared back at me. I shook my head and grabbed a hand towel, scrubbing the water from my face as I turned to head back into my bedroom. Though Tsuzuki's phone call was incredibly annoying, it reminded me of something very painful.

Tomorrow, I was going to be thirty-one years old. Even though I'd looked sixteen for the past fifteen years.

"Fifteen years," I mumbled aloud, taking a seat on my bed. "That much time has really gone by?"

I didn't know if it was because I was dead, but it didn't feel like very much time had passed. Everything always felt very much the same to me. It didn't help that the people who surrounded me didn't age, either.

Because we were all already dead.

I closed my eyes, preventing myself from journeying back to the time that caused my death. So much had happened since then, and many…disturbing things had been revealed about my family. I remembered how shamed I was that Tatsumi and Watari knew about my family, but at the same time there was a horrifying relief that I finally knew those dark secrets.

And…it further horrified me to realize that the fate I suffered at Muraki Kazutaka's hands…when he raped me and cursed my body to suffer in agony for three years…that this was a pleasant fate compared to what had been awaiting me as the Kurosaki heir.

Stop it, I told myself, shaking my head. There's no use dwelling on such things. Think about your present, and what the future is going to hold.

I stiffened against the bed. I had told Tsuzuki my birthday. I knew he had called me this early for a reason other than wishing me a Happy Birthday. Did he have something planned? When I walked into work later on that morning, what was going to happen?

Something foolish. That much I was certain of.

"SURPRISE!"

I hated it when I was right.

Poppers exploded in my face, and confetti was thrown at me the minute I walked into the Shokan Department. After Tsuzuki's idiotic phone call I was barely able to get back to sleep. I had wanted to get a cup of coffee before I finished my latest report.

But now I knew that wasn't going to happen.

"HISOKA-CHAN!"

My body recoiled in horror as Yuma and Saya linked their arms into mine and bodily dragged me into the department. A huge banner was hanging from the ceiling that said 'HAPPY BIRTHDAY KUROSAKI HISOKA!' followed by a couple of hearts. Colorful streamers hung from the ceiling, and confetti covered everyone's desks. Terazuma looked absolutely irritated by the chaos in our department, but he was about the only one who did. Wakaba was laughing and smiling and Tsuzuki waved to me from his desk.

"Our birthday present to you!" Yuma shouted, shoving a dress under my nose.

"Pink House's 'Birthday Princess' dress!" Saya explained unhelpfully.

Oh God…it was nauseating. The dress itself was baby pink and covered with lace and bows, and baby blue ribbons hung from it. Who the hell would wear such a thing?

"Happy Birthday, Bon!" Watari cheered. He shoved a cup of coffee into my hands. "A birthday treat just for you!"

"No thank you," I snapped, slamming the cup onto a nearby desk. Knowing Watari, he'd probably spiked it with one of his potions. "And I'm NOT wearing the dress!"

"W-What?" Yuma sputtered. Her eyes filled with tears. "But you must, Hisoka-chan!"

"We spent fifty-thousand yen on it!" Saya added. "You HAVE to wear it!"

"No!" I finally managed to break free of them, but I turned my attention on Tsuzuki. "WHY did you tell everyone my birthday was today?"

Tsuzuki shrugged. "It was an honest mistake, 'Soka-chan—"

"My birthday is tomorrow! Tomorrow!" I snapped at him. I realized too late that I made a grave mistake.

Yuma and Saya glomped me once again. "That's good! Then we can keep trying into tomorrow to make you wear this dress!"

"This means we can leave the decorations up a little while longer!" Wakaba said cheerfully. "This took us quite a while to pull off!"

"Yes, yes!" Watari encouraged, grabbing the cup once more and shoving it back into my hands. "Now drink up, Bon!"

"Tatsumi-san!" I shouted, struggling against the idiots who were smothering me. "Tatsumi-san, where are you?"

At that moment Tatsumi entered the department. He looked like he was taken aback by the decorations, and he straightened his glasses. "I was sure your birthday was tomorrow, Kurosaki-kun."

"It is! But this ahou—" I jabbed a finger at Tsuzuki. "Told everyone my birthday was today!"

"It was an honest mistake!" Tsuzuki whined.

Tatsumi watched the chaos in front of him for a long moment before he sighed heavily. "Everyone, get back to work. Kannuki and Terazuma, I have a new case for you both today."

"Great!" Terazuma snapped, jumping up from his desk. "Send us out right away!"

"And Kurosaki-kun," Tatsumi added over his shoulder. "You're free to leave on your trip whenever you like."

"A-Arigato," I stammered automatically, feeling Yuma and Saya let me go. It took a moment for Tatsumi's words to sink in. "Wait, w-what? What trip?"

"Tsuzuki-san has told me," Tatsumi said. "That he wanted to do something special with you for your birthday. So I agreed to allow you two to go to Hakone for two days."

I was facing Tatsumi's desk in his office. I couldn't help but gape at him. "E-Excuse me?"

"You've both had a string of very hard cases recently, and you haven't taken a vacation in well over a year, Kurosaki-kun. So I'm willing to allow you both this chance, but don't expect this to happen often."

I shook my head, unable to really comprehend the situation. "So…Tsuzuki arranged a trip to Hakone for my birthday?"

"Correct," Tatsumi said, smiling slightly.

"But how can he afford this?" I demanded. "Last time I checked, his 300 years of docked pay isn't up yet!"

Tatsumi shrugged and smiled. "Tsuzuki-san showed me the brochure for the hotel you both will be staying in. It looks like he paid for it in advance. I'm not at liberty to discuss other employees' finances, but it looks like, for all intensive purposes, that he has this covered, Kurosaki-kun."

I sighed heavily, my shoulders drooping. "I really wished he told me about this!"

Tatsumi shrugged. "It's just like Tsuzuki-san to want to spoil you, Kurosaki-kun. I would recommend taking advantage of it, because he usually spends what little money he has on himself."

"But you have to know that he planned this trip just for himself!" I pleaded with Tatsumi. "Since it's Hakone, the hotel we're staying at will have onsens! Tsuzuki loves onsens, whereas I don't like them!"

Tatsumi folded his hands on his desk. "I don't necessarily think Tsuzuki-san is doing this for himself, Kurosaki-kun. He must feel he's doing you a favor. He tends to get into a mindset that people like the same things he does."

I knew this quite well from experience. Tsuzuki would often buy me ice cream, or little green trinkets, thinking that I liked ice cream, or I liked the color green. Never mind that all of those were things he liked!

But…I knew it was more naivety than selfishness. I probably needed to look at this trip from a more positive viewpoint. He'd probably given this a lot of thought, and if I belittled him for it, it would hurt him deeply.

"All right," I conceded, sighing again. "I'll go with him on this idiotic trip that he disguised as a birthday present to me. How long is this supposed to last, anyways?"

"Two days," Tatsumi supplied. When I gaped at him in shock, he only shrugged. "He wanted longer, but I told him we couldn't afford the loss of manpower for so long. Plus, I realized his finances could only afford so much. So go ahead, Kurosaki-kun. You've worked so hard until now. You've earned this personal vacation."

How personal could it be when I had Tsuzuki of all people tagging along with me?

Three hours later, I was standing in the lobby of the onsen Tsuzuki had reserved for us.

"…Wow," I said to myself, looking up at the giant chandelier hanging overhead.

"'Soka-chan, come on! Hurry!" Tsuzuki cheered, standing at the front desk to check us in.

I shook my head in disbelief and hefted my overnight bag over my shoulder. "Baka…"

The hotel clerk was laughing at Tsuzuki's enthusiasm. "It's always nice to see a pair of brothers get along so well!"

Tsuzuki laughed loudly. "Oh, we're not bro—"

"Arigato," I cut in quickly, jabbing Tsuzuki in the ribs. "We get along great."

"Your room is ready for you. You've reserved the traditional-style room, correct?"

"Hai," Tsuzuki said cheerfully, though he was nursing his side slightly.

As we followed the clerk to our room, I gave Tsuzuki a sideways glance. "Traditional room?"

"This hotel offers western-style rooms and traditional," Tsuzuki explained. "But I thought you would like the traditional-style, with the futons and tatami mats."

I shrugged. "I'm fine either way."

Tsuzuki continued to smile at me. "I'm glad to hear that."

The room really was amazing. I liked to hear the crunching of the tatami mats beneath our feet. The two futons were huge and looked very comfortable. We could see the garden outside, even though it was raining, and it looked amazing.

"We have two onsens available in the hotel," the clerk told us. "They're open daily for different genders, but we also swap which ones are available for each gender at the start of the day so that the guests may enjoy both during their stay."

"Arigato," Tsuzuki said. He began unloading his bag.

"There are two yukatas available in the drawers," the clerk indicated before she left.

"This is going to be sooooooooo much fun, Hisoka!" Tsuzuki positively squealed at me. "Just you wait!"

I rolled my eyes. "Whatever." I walked over to the dresser to look at the yukatas. What I saw caused my brow to rise.

There were two of them, yes. One of them was dark blue and very large, while the other one was pale pink, and much smaller! What the hell? Weren't they aware that two guys would be occupying this room?

Tsuzuki hopped over to me and saw the yukatas. Oblivious as usual, he grabbed the big blue one. "Oh, this one will fit me just fine!" he glanced at the other one. "That one looks about your size, 'Soka-chan!"

I slammed the drawer shut. "I'm not going in the onsen."

"WHAT?" Tsuzuki hollered. He grabbed me by my shoulders. "But you have to! It's so relaxing! You'll be missing out on so much!"

"Where's the phone?" I ignored Tsuzuki as I went looking around the room. "They left the wrong kind of yukata here for me!"

"But it looks like it would fit you," Tsuzuki said.

"It's intended for a woman!" I snapped at him over my shoulder. "They left the yukatas in here for a couple, not two guys!"

Tsuzuki's shoulders drooped slightly. "It'll be fine, 'Soka-chan…"

I barely heard him in my anger.

I yielded no results from management over replacing the yukata. Since it was raining neither of us was in much of a mood to go outside, so we went and got lunch in the dining area. It was buffet-style, with both Japanese and Western food, which I could tell pleased Tsuzuki immensely. I kept it simple, with a bowl of rice, fish, and miso soup. Tsuzuki however got a huge mix of Japanese and Western food that filled two plates.

"So, what do you think of the place?" Tsuzuki asked me.

"It looks very relaxing," I admitted, albeit reluctantly. The dining area had giant windows to showcase the outside garden and trees. "But we seem to be a bit isolated."

"The hotel's close to a volcano," Tsuzuki told me.

"Hai, but I didn't see any other house coming up here."

Tsuzuki shrugged. "I thought you would like a setting without a lot of people nearby to affect your empathy."

I blinked in surprise. I knew he'd design this trip with mostly his wants and needs in mind, but he'd also kept me in mind, too. The onsen had quite a few guests, but it wasn't overcrowded. It barely affected my empathy at all.

"…Arigato," I said after a long moment.

Tsuzuki's face brightened once more. "Let's dig in! Then we have to try the onsen!"

I sighed heavily. "I'm not walking around here in a woman's yukata, Tsuzuki! I might get kicked out of the men's onsen!"

"Nobody's going to mind!" Tsuzuki reassured me. "Everyone's here for their own vacations and won't pay attention to us!"

I glanced around the dining hall out of the corner of my eye. Almost every woman present, even married ones, was looking at us. A few even pointed to us and blushed timidly. Whether Tsuzuki realized it or not, we were drawing attention to us.

"Still," I said finally, turning back to him. "If I have to go in the onsen, I'll do it much later when no one's around."

Tsuzuki's face fell slightly. "B-But what's the fun of going in an onsen if we don't do it together?"

"I don't want to be around other people," I told him sternly. "I'd rather do it alone."

Tsuzuki began to droop once more before he nodded. "Okay…"

Back at our room Tsuzuki tried to coax me once again to go to the onsen with him, but I still refused him. After awhile he changed into his yukata and went off by himself.

I could feel his disappointment and dismay lingering even after he left the room. The painful feelings were almost too much for me. Not just because of my empathy, but because I felt…just a little guilt.

When I was alone in the room, I went into the bathroom. I reached for my sleeve, and my stomach did flip-flops when I saw that my hand was shaking. After a moment, I pushed the sleeve up to my elbow.

I sucked in a sharp breath at what I saw, and I closed my eyes. "I knew it…"

The markings had resurfaced. At times they came and went, but they use to pop up when Muraki was nearby. I reached out with my empathy, suddenly feeling panic. But I couldn't sense Muraki in the general vicinity. I was only too relieved for this.

Muraki…the markings on my body were the marks of the curse he'd put on me. Whenever I saw them it was a reminder of every horrible thing he'd done to me. Even now, fifteen years after I died, I still didn't understand why he did what he did to me. How was I supposed to help stumbling upon him murdering someone when I was just thirteen years old?

…No. I had to stop it. I shoved my sleeve back down and shook my head. It'd been years since we'd seen Muraki. He wasn't dead; we certainly would've found out if he was. But he was a constant presence in Tsuzuki and me because of the horrible things he'd done to both of us.

But…it was what tied Tsuzuki and me tighter together.

I rubbed at my arms self-consciously and looked at my reflection in the mirror. I knew Tsuzuki had been hurt that I didn't want to go into the onsen with him, but I didn't like people seeing my body. I didn't know if it was part of some lingering trauma, but I preferred being alone in onsens. Plus, if anyone saw my marks…

"Hisoka?"

Tsuzuki's voice in the room brought me back to awareness. I brushed myself off and left the bathroom. "You're back already?"

"The water is really hot, but so refreshing!" Tsuzuki's skin had turned pink, but he looked very relaxed and happy. "The rest of the hotel is getting ready for dinner, so there shouldn't be a lot of people at the onsen. Why don't you go now?"

I gave him a wary look. "Just how many people were down there when you went in?"

"…Three or four." Tsuzuki walked over and sat down at the table. "But like I said, most everyone will be at dinner now. I'm going to order some chilled saké for myself. Do you want me to order any drinks for you?"

"No, I'm fine." Noting that Tsuzuki wasn't getting out of his yukata, I realized with horror that if I went down into the onsen that I would be going down there in a woman's yukata! Tsuzuki had better be right that most of the people were at dinner!

I couldn't help but swear though as I yanked the accursed yukata out of the drawer and stormed into the bathroom. Embarrassing myself this way wasn't the ideal way I wanted to spend my birthday!

Clunk! Clunk! Clunk!

The getas I was wearing seemed to echo down the hallway, and I was afraid I was going to draw more attention to myself. Thankfully, I reached the onsen reserved for men without incident. Only a few people saw me, and unfortunately they'd all been men. But…but by the way they looked at me, and the fact that one of them winked at me, I'm certain they thought I was a GIRL!

But it was as Tsuzuki said; the onsen was deserted because most everyone was at dinner. I quickly opened my robe to check the markings. They were still there, but they looked faded. Nobody would be able to notice them unless they looked very closely at me.

There was nobody in the hot water, another good sign for me. I quickly prepared myself by dousing the hot water over me. Still wary that someone might come in, I slid into the water when I was ready. The heat sent a sudden chill down my body, but my body also quickly relaxed.

I sat there for a few moments, enjoying the silence. I could feel my mind relaxing too, because I was so far away from work. I didn't take vacations, other than the company vacations that I went on with all of Shokan, because I didn't see the need for them. Even though I was a loner, I was aware that if I took vacation time I would only be by myself. And…I didn't like being by myself. I certainly would've never taken this vacation to Hakone unless Tsuzuki was with me.

I didn't mind the overload of work, but when I finally did relax even I could admit that I needed it.

A few minutes later I was drying off and pulling on my yukata. I could see Tsuzuki's complaints about the water; I was clear-headed now, but I also felt overheated. And the last thing I wanted to do was pass out right here where anyone could see me.

As it turned out, it was probably the best time to leave the onsen, because five middle-aged men came in to try it. One of them gave me an inviting glance, and I picked up the pace to get out of there.

Tsuzuki's face was flushed from drinking saké when I returned to the room. "Konbanwa!" he cheered for me. "How was it?"

"It was…pleasant," I said. I could still feel the heat of the hot spring on my skin and took a seat at the table. "Here, pour me a glass too."

Tsuzuki looked worried before he wagged his finger at me. "You aren't that good with alcohol, 'Soka-chan!"

"I'm not a kid anymore," I retorted back. "I'm thirty-one—or at least I will be tomorrow! Now, are you going to pour me some saké or will I do it myself?"

"Okay, okay…" Tsuzuki picked up the jar and poured it into the small saké cup in front of me on the table. I picked it up and quickly drank it down. The saké was icy, and it burned straight down my throat, and…

…Shit.

It felt like my head had been cracked open. I groaned and clutched at my head, curling into a fetal position underneath the covers. Why…WHY did I still have a poor head for alcohol? Was it because I was eternally sixteen?

I didn't remember anything after that one glass. I didn't even remember going to bed. I may as well have been sucker-punched unconscious. Did I pass out after one drink, or was I awake and drunk?

I cracked open one eye, and squeezed it shut. It was still early; tiny rays of light were leaking into the room, but it was too much for me. Ugh…this was too awful!

"Happy Birthday!"

Tsuzuki didn't shout; it was a simple proclamation. But the words rattled in my brain and made me nauseas. "Not so loud!" I wailed, hugging my arms to my head once more.

"Saa, it looks like you still have a weak head for alcohol." I remembered that Tsuzuki drank a lot last night, but he didn't sound hung-over at all. "I did warn you about it…"

"I get it!" I snapped at him. "Do you have any coffee, or something?"

"I just ordered some to be brought up." I suddenly felt Tsuzuki's hand through the comforter, stroking my hair. "Just relax a little, Hisoka. I have a few plans for today."

My stomach did an unexpected flip-flop from those words. "…What kind?"

"For starters, I want to see the volcano!" Tsuzuki cheered, and I caused me a greater headache. "We can take a gondola up to the volcano, and see all the neat shops up there! It's overcast right now, but it's not supposed to rain until much later!"

"Where the hell's the coffee?" I yelled, burying my head underneath the pillow.

Coffee did almost nothing to squash my hangover, and it didn't help my ego any that said hangover was brought upon by a single glass of saké. Well, at least I was able to keep my breakfast down.

It was overcast, and I couldn't even see the sun anymore. But we took a bus up to where the gondola station was so we could see the volcano. There were a handful of other people from the hotel with us, and some kids from a local elementary school on a field trip. Their incessant chattering didn't help my headache at all.

Otherwise, it was a pleasant ride up. The ascent started over a grove of trees, so it didn't occur to me for awhile just how high up we were. Suddenly, the trees ended at a cliff, revealing a massive drop into a huge valley of geysers and volcano springs. It took me by surprise, but it was a pleasant surprise at least.

Once the ride was over, we stepped outside and were nearly knocked off our feet by the huge gusts of wind. Tsuzuki grabbed my arm and dragged me to a nearby souvenir shop, and for once I was happy with his eagerness.

The souvenir shop was what I could've expected from being next to a volcano. Volcano trinkets and mascots lined the walls. I rubbed a hand over my face, wondering for the umpteenth time what the hell I was even doing here.

"Hisoka!"

Irritated, I spun around. "Wha—"

"Eat this!" Tsuzuki cheered, shoving a black rock into my hands.

I raised the black rock between my fingers and glared at it. Then I glared at Tsuzuki. "What the hell is this, Tsuzuki?"

"A volcano egg!" Tsuzuki said cheerfully. "They said if you eat one, you'll live for fourteen more years!"

I sighed shortly. "I don't think I have to worry about that, Tsuzuki."

Tsuzuki suddenly gave me his signature pouty-face. "B-But I thought you would like it, 'Soka-chan!"

"Fine, I'll eat it!" I snapped, shoving it back to him. "Hurry up and pay for it!"

"WAIII!" Tsuzuki skipped off to purchase the eggs.

I sighed heavily and rubbed at my head. There wasn't anything that really interested me in this shop, but Tsuzuki continued hopping around the shop like a child. "Baka—"

"Can't you try to smile a little more?"

I looked over my shoulder to see two middle-aged women standing at a display. I didn't like eavesdropping, but one of them looked absolutely miserable.

The miserable one shook her head. "I-I'm trying, but this isn't how I intended to spend my fortieth birthday. Trips to Hakone just aren't exciting for me anymore."

"We could've gone someplace else," her friend said sternly. "But you said nothing when I suggested Hakone. Why are you so depressed?"

"Because I'm spending my fortieth birthday alone!" the woman fumed. "I'm not married, I have no children, and I have a college degree I can't get a job with! This isn't how I envisioned my life! Oh…" her shoulders drooped. "When I think about how much I've missed out on…and the way my life is…I don't feel like celebrating."

"You're just tired," her friend tried to soothe. "Let's go back to the onsen—"

"I'd rather go home!" the woman tore away from her friend and stormed out of the shop.

The friend shook her head and sighed sadly. "How do you think I feel? I'm the exact same as you…"

I stood there as the two women left. I wasn't the type of person to wear my emotions on a sleeve, but…I began to think. I looked back towards the registers, where Tsuzuki was happily buying our volcano eggs. Even though he was so childish, it was easy to see that he was trying to make sure I had a good time.

Maybe I was being too unreasonable with Tsuzuki? After all, he'd gone to this much trouble to help me celebrate my birthday and he didn't ask me for any money. I usually spent my birthdays alone (preferably alone because of the idiots I worked with), but Tsuzuki seemed determined that I not be alone on this day, and that I have fun.

I took a deep breath and let it out slowly. Being around Tsuzuki as long as I had been made me too familiar with him. It was hard to deal with him at times, especially with my empathy. At the same time though, I didn't want anyone else for a partner. I'd almost lost him once and didn't want to lose him again, and though he annoyed me constantly I knew he was genuinely trying to show me a good time.

Maybe because the birthdays I'd had when I was alive had been less than fulfilling.

"'Soka-chan!" Tsuzuki hurried over to me, waving the volcano eggs. "I got 'em! I got 'em!"

I shook my head at his enthusiasm, but I forced a small smile as I took an egg from him. "Arigato, Tsuzuki."

Tsuzuki looked startled for a moment before his face glowed with a bright smile. His happiness pulsated out of him and it was almost nauseating. "Let's eat them right away!"

"Sure." We stepped outside, starting to peel our eggs. Tsuzuki was faster than I was, quickly throwing the black egg shells into a nearby trash bin.

"Here's to another fourteen years of life!" Tsuzuki announced loudly. He sank his teeth into the volcano egg, but his face immediately turned green. "Bleeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeh!"

His reaction gave me a rough idea of what I was in for when I tentatively bit into my egg. My senses recoiled at the sharp bitterness of the egg, but I chewed my piece quickly and swallowed. I then shoved the rest of the egg into my mouth and chewed and swallowed it and trying to avoid tasting it.

"Ugh!" Tsuzuki groaned, scraping at his tongue with his fingers. "It's so bitter and awful! Sugar would make it better!"

"How would sugar make a hard-boiled egg better?" I asked him bluntly. The egg itself was settling into my stomach like a rock. Was this part of its supposed longevity?

Tsuzuki looked at the egg mournfully. "I don't like it, but I want those fourteen years…" he shoved the egg into his mouth and quickly finished it.

"Let's go up and see the volcano," I said. I was surprised by the sudden tightness in my chest.

"WAI!" Tsuzuki cheered. He took off running ahead of me.

I slowly followed him, but I could feel myself smiling again. I quickly realized what was causing it.

Tsuzuki's belief in the longevity of these volcano eggs. Even though he was dead, he wanted to eat it and gain fourteen years. Such a simple thing was suddenly so uplifting to me. Because for so long, Tsuzuki had a suicidal personality. It was the method in which he had died. I had seen it firsthand and somehow managed to save him.

Just…just to hear him be so excited about living longer incited a feeling of relief in me. And…something else I didn't want to think about.

Rain started pouring by the time we got back to the hotel. Tsuzuki wanted to go back into the onsen, and experience the other bath.

And he put a firm emphasis that I had to go with him.

"It's midday," he tried to reassure me, dragging me to our room. "Most of the guests are going to be out and about."

I wanted to yell at him again, but I reminded myself that he was trying to show me a good time. I just sighed and shook my head. "Fine, I'll go—"

"WAIII!" Tsuzuki suddenly glomped me right there in the hallway. He nearly knocked me over. "'Soka-chan! You're going to enjoy it, I know you will!"

"But!" I snapped, shoving him away. "But if there's one person other than us I'm not going in!"

Tsuzuki looked a little crestfallen, but he waved his hand. "I got it."

Fifteen minutes later we were at the second onsen, which had yesterday been reserved for female guests. I peeked into the changing area and didn't see anyone. And I didn't see anyone's clothes in the buckets. Tsuzuki seemed beside himself with glee, which was mildly embarrassing. I quickly removed my yukata and stormed passed him into the onsen.

I looked down at my arm as I reached for the bucket of hot water. The mark was completely gone. It certainly helped to make me feel better, because I didn't want to deal with that on my birthday. I quickly prepared myself and was sitting in the water by the time Tsuzuki came in.

"There's no need to rush, 'Soka-chan." He was pouting as he prepared himself. His skin turned bright red all over from the hot water. He kept shivering in between douses, as though the water was cold.

I realized I was staring at him and quickly looked away.

Oblivious, Tsuzuki came into the water beside me. A little too close for my liking. "See? Isn't this fun to do this together?" his voice echoed off the walls.

I scooted away from him a little. "…Sure."

"Our department needs to take more vacations like this," Tsuzuki continued. He started to stretch his body out. "Kachou needs to stop picking our vacations by throwing a dart at a map of Japan."

"Aa," I admitted. I cupped some water in my palm and rubbed it across my nape. "That last vacation, in the middle of the ocean off the coast of Okinawa, was not an ideally good time."

Tsuzuki laughed. He spread his legs out. "We end up vacationing in the ocean a lot."

His lower leg brushed against my thigh. The simple contact felt like a brand on my skin. I immediately stood up. "I'm finished!" not caring I was giving Tsuzuki a full view of my body; I hurried out of the water.

"B-But we just got in!" Tsuzuki complained.

"I'm overheating!" I snapped over my shoulder. I quickly toweled off and hurried into the changing area. I couldn't help but rub self-consciously at my leg.

"Ack!" then I walked headlong into an overweight man in the changing area, also naked! Could this day get any worse? "I-I'm sorry!"

The man paused for a moment, long enough to look me over. The fact that he even did that made my skin crawl. "It's no problem," he drawled slowly.

My eyes quickly darted around the room for my robe, and I was afraid to turn my back on the man.

"He—WAUGH!" the man suddenly lost his balance and fell flat on his butt.

I saw a faint blue tail whish across the floor and I blinked. Tenko? I wondered.

"You'd better watch where you're going, sir." Tsuzuki came over and knelt beside the man. He was in his yukata and I took the opportunity to spot and grab mine. "It's such a slippery area, you might break something."

I paused as I finished tying up my yukata. It was a tone of voice I didn't hear in Tsuzuki often. It was one that promised violence.

The man swallowed thickly, and quickly stood. "R-Right. I have to look where I'm going." He grabbed his own robe and took off running out of the onsen.

Tsuzuki stood up and came over to me. "Are you all right?"

I jerked my head in a nod, embarrassed that I was in such a situation. "I think he was harmless, but you can't tell with some people."

"Harmless or not, he made you uncomfortable." Tsuzuki smiled at me. "You shouldn't be uncomfortable on your birthday."

I sighed, and rubbed a hand over my face. "Arigato, Tsuzuki."

Tsuzuki shrugged. "Byakko wanted to come out and save you, but I think a tiger would've been too much. Tenko worked fine here."

"I-I mean…" my face became hot from embarrassment, but I knew I could blame it on the onsen. "Arigato, for this trip. I haven't been very grateful about it, but I am having fun."

"Ah," Tsuzuki said. He smiled again. "You're welcome."

It was strange…but it felt like the smile he gave me in that moment was one of his most genuine smiles of all.

To my surprise, Tsuzuki announced he wanted to eat in the room and not in the dining hall. So we ordered room service and ate privately in our room.

"It's your birthday celebration!" Tsuzuki cheered as different plates of food were loaded onto the table. "I made sure to get your favorites, 'Soka-chan!"

I stared blankly at the food. One plate had tonkatsu strips covered in barbeque sauce, another had yakisoba, and there was a giant bowl for boiling beef and other vegetable. I don't know where Tsuzuki got the idea that any of this was my favorite foods because I preferred food with subtle flavors!

But, I didn't say anything. He was in a good mood, and he was paying. "How are we supposed to eat all of this, Tsuzuki?"

"We'll manage!" Tsuzuki started plucking tonkatsu onto his bowl of rice. "And if we can't finish it, I'll summon Byak—"

"No!" I snapped. "Don't summon your tiger-Shikigami!"

"But he wants to wish you a Happy Birthday!" Tsuzuki pointed out.

"I get the picture, just don't summon him! He'll destroy this hotel, and then Tatsumi-san will really be on us!"

"Okay, okay!" Tsuzuki waved his chopsticks and smiled. "Hurry up and eat! As the guest of honor, you have to eat first!"

But you served yourself first. Rolling my eyes, I scooped some yakisoba onto my plate and sample it. It wasn't as heavily-seasoned as I thought. "This is good," I admitted.

Tsuzuki ate three-quarters of our food. I sampled a little bit of everything, but my stomach was so sore! "No more," I wheezed, waving a hand in defeat. "I don't think I've ever eaten so much food."

Tsuzuki didn't even look stuffed. "Hang on, Hisoka. There's one last thing you need to receive!"

I glared at him as the hostesses cleared our plates away. "What the hell else can you possibly give me?"

"This!"

A white cake was placed down in front of me. Five candles were lit on it, and written across it was 'Happy Birthday, 'Soka-chan!'. I looked up at the hostess who placed it, and she was smiling at me. "Happy Birthday."

I gaped at Tsuzuki, and then at the cake. "You got me a birthday cake?"

Tsuzuki shrugged. "It's your birthday."

"Tsuzuki…" I placed a hand beside the cake. "I don't like sweets. You know this."

"I know," Tsuzuki said. "But this cake isn't so sweet. I asked them not to add anything extra sugary. It's sweet, but it's a plain cake." He smiled. "Go ahead and make a wish."

I stared down at the blazing candles. Make a wish? For what? I was already dead. What could I possibly wish about? I certainly didn't know of anything that I personally needed.

I looked at Tsuzuki. He was still smiling at me, and it was a very soft smile. I seen all of his expressions, and every mask he used to shield his feelings. I knew when his smiles were fake, and when they were real. On this trip, he'd smiled for real a lot, but I knew that some of them had been fake. Because I had made him uncomfortable.

I would rather he'd be more honest with me.

I wish to always see a real smile on Tsuzuki's face.

I took a deep breath and blew out the candles.

Everyone cheered all around me, but I didn't look forward to eating the cake. Thankfully the room cleared except for Tsuzuki and me, and I forced myself to pick up the fork. Just one bite, I told myself. It can't be as bad as that volcano egg…

I took a piece of the cake onto my fork and quickly put it in my mouth. It was sweet, sweeter than Tsuzuki had insisted it was. But thankfully it wasn't as sweet as I thought it would be and I was able to finish the mouthful.

"How was it?" Tsuzuki asked me.

"You finish it," I said, shoving the cake towards him.

"But it's your birthday cake!" Tsuzuki insisted, though his eyes were shining.

"I'm full," I reminded him. "But it really wasn't as sweet as I thought."

Tsuzuki feigned a disappointed sigh. "Well…if you insist…" he proceeded to inhale the whole cake, and I just rolled my eyes.

"MMMMM!" Tsuzuki happily wiped his chin. "That was good!"

"I'm sure it was," I said blandly.

"Wait." Tsuzuki's face suddenly looked strange. Before I could react he came over to my side of the table and cupped my chin in his hand.

I glared at him in confusion. "What are you doing?"

"You have some frosting on your face," Tsuzuki teased.

"Oh." I reached up to wipe it away. "It's—"

Before I could even touch it, Tsuzuki leaned in and licked frosting off my chin! I stiffened where I sat, as he licked from my chin to the corner of my mouth. An unexpected shiver overtook me, and a strange heat formed in my stomach.

He leaned back, still smiling at me. "Did you have a good birthday?"

I broke free of his hold, and raised my hand. I wanted to wipe my chin, but hesitated to do so. "Why did you do that?"

He looked confused. "Because I love you."

'Love' was a word he could throw around very easily. It wasn't the first time he'd told me he loved me. Still, my heart began pounding unexpectedly. "…I see."

"It's the whole reason I wanted to go on this trip with you," he continued. "I know your birthdays were never celebrated when you were alive, and you usually take me out to dinner or something for my birthday. I just want to spoil you."

My hand touched my chin then, but it lingered there. Being an empath I could feel his sincerity, but it made me uncomfortable. With my twisted family history, nobody in my family ever showed me love. To have it from someone I'd been working with for so long, was…

"Tsuzuki—" I began.

Tsuzuki leaned in and kissed me.

He tasted sweet, but very masculine. Under normal circumstances I might've pushed him away, but now my fingers were digging into the sleeves of his yukata. His hand cupped the back of my head, and he pulled me harder against him.

After a moment, the kiss broke. My face felt so hot and I tried to duck my head.

"Do you see?" Tsuzuki rubbed his fingers into my hair. My scalp began to tingle. He was usually so naïve and immature, but…"I know that you suffered greatly, but you didn't push me away. You know you can trust me, right?"

I nodded stiffly. "Aa."

"Then…" he pulled me in for a tighter hug. "Will you let me end your birthday on a pleasant note?"

Despite the surprising subtlety, I knew exactly what he meant. But I also knew that Tsuzuki meant a lot to me. I wanted him to stay by my side and I wanted him to continue being my partner.

And, I made my birthday wish about him. I wasn't an open person, but even I could recognize that he meant a lot to me.

"Hisoka?" he was prompting me for a reply.

I swallowed thickly, and spoke before I could stop myself. "All right."

We returned to work the next morning. It felt awkward for me to leave on a trip in the middle of the week, but I felt relaxed, and…happy, even. Someone cared enough about my birthday to treat me to something as big as a trip. And though we…ended the trip sharing a futon, I felt it had been well worth it.

Though I couldn't help but sit at an angle at my desk.

"HISOKA-CHAN!"

I stiffened in my seat. Oh no…

"Wear the Pink House dress!" both girls were on me once more and I couldn't shake them off. "You have to! It's a fifty-thousand yen dress!"

"TATSUMI-SAN!" I hollered loudly. "Tatsumi-san, please give us an assignment!"

"Hey!" Tsuzuki whined. "We just came back!"

Tatsumi observed all of this over his glasses and smiled sympathetically. "I'm sorry, Kurosaki-kun, but things in your district are very slow. Terazuma and Kannuki are currently on our biggest assignment right now."

"Send me to assist them!" I pleaded.

"But you just came back," Tatsumi said. "Why not relax and do some paperwork to help get you settled back in?"

"But I was only gone for two days!"

It was futile. Even if things had gotten so much better for me, the…negatives constantly outweighed the positives in my after-life.

The hotel Tsuzuki and Hisoka stay at is based off an actual hotel I stayed at when I was in Hakone. It was a beautiful place, but it rained the whole time I was there! ;_;

Thanks for reading! And here's to hoping I'm still writing for another 10 years!