Somewhere In Time
Part One: Your Nightmares Are My Pain

During the last couple of months, there were a lot of deaths in Japan; because of that the JuOhCho was very busy. All the Shinigamis are very tired and cranky from overwork. Even the forever-cheery Tsuzuki lost his tolerant and complains, "Tatsumi is such a slave driver." Unluckily, Tatsumi takes this moment to walk pass. The tired secretary asks with a cold glance, "Who is the slave driver?"

"I'm sorry, I don't mean it. You're tired too. I just didn't sleep for days and I'm running out of sugar." Tsuzuki apologizes. Tatsumi's cold glance melts and he apologizes to the other, "I know you're all very tired. Sorry for all the extra work last month."

"Tatsumi, can we please have a company vacation? We haven't have one for a long time." Tsuzuki asks with his cute puppy face. Tatsumi gives Tsuzuki a hesitative look.

"Don't you think we deserve a vacation, Tatsumi? We worked so hard," pleads Watari.

"Hisoka worked just as hard as the two of you and he didn't ask me for vacation." Tatsumi says to the two pleading shinigami.

"Hisoka is too tired to ask." Says Watari as he points to Hisoka. The teenage shinigami has fallen asleep on his desk while doing paperwork.

"Tatsumi, Hisoka is totally exhausted. He can so use a vacation. Please? He came here for a long time already and we never take him anywhere. You know he is not going to go on a vacation unless we take him." Tsuzuki says.

Tatsumi looks at the sleeping Hisoka and says, "Fine, I'll give. You guys all worked very hard. We can have a vacation at Tokyo."

Tsuzuki and Watari cheer and dance together behind the sleeping Hisoka. Tatsumi can't help but smiles at the two dancing Shimigamis. The Summoning office echoes with laughter when suddenly, Hisoka jumps up and starts screaming in fear.

"No! Stop it! Get away from me! Leave me alone!" The horrified boy screams frantically. The screaming is so scary it sends chill to all the other three shinigamis' bones; they all stand there stunned. Tsuzuki is the first one who snaps out of it. The purple eyes shinigami grabs his small partner and shouts, "Soka, you're having a nightmare. No one is hurting you here!"

Hisoka looks around. The teenager's eyes are filled with fear and pain. Tsuzuki tightens his hold on Hisoka and says, "see, we're all here. No one is gonna hurt you. We'll protect you. Everything is gonna be fine."

Hisoka finally quiet down after he realizes he is not in danger. He looks at the other three and apologizes, "sorry I scared you. I don't mean to be a bother."

"It's no bother. Are you okay?" asks Tsuzuki softly as he lets go of Hisoka. "I'm fine. Don't worry about me," answers Hisoka as if nothing happened. Tsuzuki hates it when the boy closes up like that; he wishes Hisoka will just talk to him.

Hisoka tries to sit back down at his table to finish the paperwork but Tsuzuki holds Hisoka's arm and stops the boy. "Soka, please go back home and get some sleep. I can finish the paperwork for you." Tsuzuki says worriedly.

"I am alright. I can finish the paperwork." Hisoka assures Tsuzuki. Tatsumi takes the papers from Hisoka's desk and says, "Watari and I can take care of the paperwork. Why don't you let Tsuzuki take you back home so you can sleep?"

Tsuzuki, who is still holding Hisoka's arm, pulls the young shinigami gently and leads the boy out the door. Hisoka doesn't want to go; but still he follows Tsuzuki out the office's door because he can feel how much the other threes worry about him.

It's a rainy night out and the cold weather makes Hisoka shivers. Tsuzuki feels an urge inside his heart to pull Hisoka's tiny body close and keeps the boy warm. But Tsuzuki knows Hisoka doesn't like to be touched. Why can't Hisoka open up? Why do Hisoka always have to shut everyone out?

Tsuzuki remembers holding Hisoka in the office earlier. It's such a nice feeling, to hold Hisoka tight in his arm, to protect Hisoka from harm and to keep Hisoka contented. All Tsuzuki wants is to be there for Hisoka, but the young boy never let Tsuzuki do so.

Since Tsuzuki can't get close to Hisoka, he takes off his coat and puts it over Hisoka's shoulder. Hisoka looks at him and says, "There is no need for you to do that. I am a shinigami now, I will not catch a cold." Tsuzuki smiles kindly and replies, "but you can still feel cold, right? So you keep the coat."

"Thank you." Hisoka says. In truth, the petite shinigami is glad to have the warm coat around his cold body. Tsuzuki is happy to see Hisoka doesn't shiver anymore. As the two of them continue to walk, Tsuzuki sees their reflections on the window of a shop on the street.

Tsuzuki walks up by Hisoka and looks into their reflections again. Even though Tsuzuki is about 2 feet next to Hisoka, it looks like he is right next to Hisoka in their reflections. The black hair shinigami's heart light up as he pretends Hisoka is his lover and the two of them is having a romantic stroll down the street.

Tsuzuki imagines that he is on a date with Hisoka and he has his arm around Hisoka lovingly. The purple eyes shinigami fantasizes placing his lips on Hisoka's cute little cold ear to keep it warm while whispering loving words into it as other pedestrians on the street looking at them with jealousy. Feeling how silly it is, Tsuzuki chuckles at himself.

Hisoka suddenly feels like something is missing. The young shinigami then realize he can't feel Tsuzuki with his empathic power. The older shinigami had put up a shield because he can't let Hisoka know what he is fantasizing. Hisoka stops and looks at Tsuzuki. "Is everything okay?" Tsuzuki asks the when he sees Hisoka stops walking.

Hisoka looks at him strangely and asks, "how come you put up a shield all of a sudden? What were you thinking?" Tsuzuki blushes and lies, "Nothing! I'm not thinking about anything. I just like to put up a shield once in a while so you don't have to be bombarded with my feelings all the time."

"You don't have to do that. We work together so I am use to sensing you around me by now. I feel strange that I can't hear your thoughts all of a sudden, especially while you snigger like that." Hisoka says. Tsuzuki laughs embarrassedly and says, "I'm sorry, was I loud?"

Hisoka nods and says, "I can hear you sniggering all the way here…and you are blushing really red, too." Tsuzuki opens his mouth but nothing comes out. What can he say? He can't exactly tell Hisoka 'I'm giggling and blushing because I'm pretending I'm on a date with you!'

Hisoka looks at Tsuzuki, waiting for some words to come out from the open mouth. The fuda user looks around, point to an ice cream shop and says, "ice cream! I'm thinking of a nice, sweet ice cream sundae…" Hisoka looks at the ice cream shop and says, "Let's go and have some ice cream. It will be my treat."

The two of them walk into the ice cream parlor and sit down. Tsuzuki orders an ice cream sundae since that's what he said he wanted. Hisoka just orders a cup of hot green tea. "You're not having any ice cream?" Tsuzuki asks Hisoka. The youngster shakes his head and answers, "No, it is too cold for me to eat ice cream ."

Tsuzuki feels bad that he makes Hisoka sits there for him. "I'm so sorry. I should have gotten you home so you can sleep. Now you have to wait for me to eat my sundae." The purple eyes shinigami apologizes. Hisoka shakes his head and answers, "Take you time and enjoy your ice cream. There is no need to hurry. I am not tired. I don't need to sleep."

Tsuzuki then realizes Hisoka doesn't want to go home at all. The young boy doesn't want to sleep even though those beautiful green eyes look so tired. The dark hair shinigami knows really well why Hisoka rather stay out on the cold street than go home to the warm bed. Every time when the boy closes his eyes, nightmares come and haunt him.

Every night when Hisoka sleeps, he dreams of the time Muraki tying him up, raping him and carving his body with that bloody knife. The small boy feels all the pain, fear and suffering over and over again. Tsuzuki curses Muraki. How can the silver hair man be cold-hearted enough to do something so cruel to a boy like Hisoka?

"Is there something wrong? You look bumped. A sad face does not suit you." Says Hisoka when noticing Tsuzuki isn't eating any of the ice cream at all. Tsuzuki slaps out of his angst self, beams his bright smile and says, "The ice cream is so yummy! Hey! You will be proud of us! While you were sleeping, Watari and I made Tatsumi take us out on a vacation! We're all going to Tokyo! Isn't that great?"

"It sounds wonderful." Hisoka answers. The Empath wonders why Tsuzuki keeps shielding his feelings and thoughts.

TBC…