When the Sakura Stops Falling – chapter 2

It had been just over a month since Tsuzuki and Hisoka had been sent to retrieve the soul of Ukyou Sakuraiji, true to his word the purple eyed shinigami had spoken to his chief privately. Just as he told Muraki he would do, Konoe had been surprised at first but had patiently listened. Of all the employees in the summoning division it was Konoe who knew Tsuzuki the best, and he knew how important it was to the man that those who were innocent didn't suffer. Naturally Hisoka had been upset that his partner had instead of waiting for him at the agreed rendezvous point and time had instead returned to Meifu on his own. He was even more annoyed to discover upon his own eventual return after searching aimlessly for his older more experienced partner to find he had solved and closed their case. Which basically meant he had been dragged all over the offices, been fawned over and ogled by various women who reminded him of the dreaded Hokkaido shinigami Saya and Yuma for well, nothing. It had a taken a week for him finally calm down and start talking to his co-worker again, and even then it had taken an intervention from the feared secretary who controlled the wages with an iron fist, Tatsumi. So while he was still a little annoyed about being ditched, he also respected the shadow master a lot more and redoubled his efforts to put up with his idiot of a partner. Even if he had been more distracted recently then he usually was, and his empathy kept telling him something was wrong he knew the older male wouldn't tell him. Nothing really new there then he thought to himself as he finished up a report on the last routine mission they had been sent on. Looking over to see his partner staring off into space, such events had become increasingly more common the green eyes shinigami had noted. If he wasn't staring off into space he could be seen staring at an ever-present piece of card with a wistful expression, only to pocket it when he realised he'd been spotted. As such nobody in the office knew what the card meant, but they were certain it was linked to what was bothering their co-worker who was currently in Tatsumi's office.

"Tsuzuki-san I've been aware for some time now that there is something bothering you, something which seems to be distracting you from your work." Icy blue eyes, regarded him over the large desk which dominated the secretaries office.

"It's nothing honestly Tatsumi I'm fine. Thanks for being concerned about me but I'll be alright honestly." The older shinigami's natural instinct to try and placate his former partner came out in full force. It wasn't that he didn't appreciate the concerns of those he worked with; it was more a case of he felt a little guilty. Guilty for feeling sympathy for a man who he felt he really shouldn't be feeling sorry for, and he doubted Tatsumi would understand even if they were good friends. The shadow master wasn't so easily fended off however, his expression becoming more serious as he raised a hand to push his glasses up the bridge of his nose. A habit which meant he was getting annoyed or he was feeling unsure of himself. Unfortunately there was never a way to tell which it meant until it was too late, in the cases where he was annoyed.

"Tsuzuki…" he replied in a quiet but deadly serious tone, "We've known each other for quite some time now. Naturally as your co-worker I have an active interest in your welfare, but I also worry for your well being as a friend. Young Kurosaki-kun does so as well, it's not fair to keep things from him, he is your partner and you need to be able to work together as a team." The brown suited man paused, to reflect on what had already been said. This wasn't supposed to be a reprimand there were no rules against employees keeping private matters to themselves after all. He eyed the other man sitting across from him, and sighed to himself. Busying himself with tidying up a slightly chaotic stack of paperwork on his desk as the silence became thick inside the small room. Trying to avoid the inevitable appearance of an inu-tsuzuki which normally followed anyone showing they cared, and this time was no exception.

"Tatsumi is really worried about me?" the purple eyed guardian of death asked in a child-like tone of voice. Sure enough when Tatsumi raised his gaze he was greeted with the sight of a chibi Tsuzuki with white dog ears, tail and even paws. "Tatsumi is a really good friend to me that makes me really happy!" he chattered on to himself happily as Tatsumi tried to suppress a small smile as he watched him bounce out of his office into the main work space of the summoning division. Once in the main working area the chibi brunette quickly made his way over to his partner and sat down at his deck with a happy expression. Hisoka didn't need to have seen the older man to know he was there because the man's happiness was pouring off of him in waves.

"What has gotten into you all of a sudden?" he asked disinterestedly, he really just wanted the other to calm a little bit. The strength of his emotions was coming off a little strong for his empathic senses to handle. Unlike others in their place of work who found it endearing when Tsuzuki got like this, the youngest member of the summoning division found it out right annoying. Not to mention distracting. He scowled at the taller man as he continued to stare off into space, humming happily to himself and decided he had had enough for one day. "Baka!" he snapped, "I'm going to do some research in the library, stay away from me until you've calmed down." Without waiting for a reply or any kind of response the teenaged guardian of death stiffly got up and stormed out of the main work space.

ooOOoo

Meanwhile back down on Chijou a certain silvery blonde doctor was sitting alone in his home in Tokyo, a glass of wine in one elegant hand and a phone in the other. The handset was currently being held away from his ear, the voice of the person on the end of the line clearly audible regardless. As they shouted and hurled insults and accusations at him, none of which he tried to refute or defend himself from. He had expected such a reaction from his other surviving school friend.

"You really are piece of work Muraki! You know that don't you?" Oriya raged down the phone at the doctor, "Ukyou and I searched high and low for you before you miraculously appeared on my door step. Only for you to take off again once you regained consciousness and now after the poor thing is dead and buried. Now you call me and ask for my help?" the wakadanna of the Kokakurou had put up with many things from the white clad man but he really was not in the mood for any more of his games. "Why can you not let it go? It's over everything was destroyed in that fire forget about him for your own sake. Please Muraki I'm asking you to let it go as your friend. There is no need to continue on like this."

ooOOoo

Tsuzuki felt a little guilty about driving his partner away from his desk, but he really needed to see the chief and he desperately did not want Hisoka of all his co-workers to find out the truth. Over the past month since that fateful mission he'd been talking to his boss Chief Konoe in the strictest confidence about the young woman's case. So far it would appear fate hadn't made a liar out of him and for that he was grateful but it still left one other more pressing problem. He couldn't stop thinking about the doctor. Couldn't stop dwelling on how different he had acted, how human he had been. So he went to the one person in the whole of Meifu he felt he could trust no matter what, Konoe.

Even if the chief did occasionally give him a hard time over small things, he'd still known him longer then anyone else he worked with. It was with these thoughts running through his head that he found himself standing outside the chief's office. Knocking lightly on the door, he waited patiently to be invited in. It wasn't long before the familiarly gruff voice of the chief came filtering through the wood.

"Come in!" the pale blue suited shinigami shouted as he became aware there was somebody waiting to see him. A few moments later he was met with the site of rather sombre looking Tsuzuki looking at him imploringly from the door frame. "Aaah! Tsuzuki, come in come in. Please sit down, tell me what is bothering you? This isn't about that woman you came to be about is it? I've already told you, I have spoken with the count and he's met with Lord Enma…"

"Actually chief it's about Muraki-san; I know he has caused us a lot of problems, myself especially. Not to mention his history with Hisoka, but I can't help thinking that maybe we can use this situation. Perhaps I could… I mean perhaps we could persuade him to focus on being a doctor again? On saving lives like he obviously once believed in, instead of destroying them." The purple eyed shinigami had moved quickly from his position by the door way as the chief had been talking. Cutting his superior off in mid sentence to make his case for what he wanted to, hands slammed down on the piece of office furniture in a display of seriousness and strength which was most unlike him. Even if he was the only shinigami to have achieved the feat of controlling twelve shikigami. So unusual it was for Tsuzuki to be witnessed having a moment of such a serious nature even Konoe was taken aback. Firstly because the shikigami user was infamous in Meifu for his happy go lucky slacker attitude towards work and secondly, since when had Tsuzuki ever used an honorific when referring to Muraki? This was what was currently preoccupying the older man's thoughts.

"Tsuzuki I'm not sure I understand what it is you are asking me to do here." Konoe straightened his tie a little unsure of himself. "It is true we have been aware of the Muraki family for some time now. They are a fine lineage of doctors if somewhat willing to bend the rules and take risks to further medical knowledge." He paused to check his coffee cup for any remaining dregs of coffee only to come up empty. "From what I have seen the latest and most likely now the last of their line. Is more daring then his predecessors, and given his obsession with you I fail to see what you think you can do."

"It's precisely because he is so fixated on me that I think if anyone could snap him out his delusions it would be me." The younger man replied, following his boss out of the office to the break room where he was hoping to get a refill on his coffee. "Before I saw him in the hospital I never would of believed for a moment that he could have feelings for anyone. You should of see him… he looked so lost, I've never known him to be anything but confident. He always has control, he's manipulative to a fault and he never gets scared, not even when I tried to destroy us both." He paused in his argument as they entered the break room not wanting to say something in front of a certain pair of co-workers he didn't want to know about his current thought processes.

"Be that as it may, I still do not see a reasonable justification to send you to Tokyo to keep tabs on him. He is not in your jurisdiction, and how can we possibly be sure it is not a trap?" The chief continues to argue with his employee against the idea, pouring himself a fresh cup of coffee and motioning for the other man to join him at the table of the empty room. "You know the rules better then most Tsuzuki, shinigami have to work in pairs."

"To keep an eye on each other, to make sure that they don't interfere with the loved ones they have left behind." Tsuzuki finished for him with a sigh. "But it's not like I can tell Hisoka about this chief he'll hit me and tell me I'm an idiot." He whined resorting back to his chibi-inu form. "And Tatsumi won't agree to help me either, please chief is there no way you can get me some sort of special permission?" he pleaded with his boss giving him the puppy eyes look for full effect. Unfortunately for him, Konoe had known him far to long now to be seriously effected by this and continued drinking his coffee with a thoughtful expression.

"There is nothing I can do, but you could always ask the count if he would help you? It's well known he is awfully of fond of you." Konoe rubbed his chin as he considered any over options which might be open to his employee. "Other then that all I can suggest is that you find some way to involve young Kurosaki in this, or find somebody else who can partner with you then come back to me. Now if you'll excuse me I have important work to be getting on with back in my office." Before the other shinigami could say another word the higher ranking of the two abruptly stood and left. Leaving the younger of the two feeling rather dejected as he remembered his meeting with the doctor back in the small hospital. Feeling defeated he stayed seated at the small table with his head in his hands, unaware of the passage of time until a young voice broke him out of his self imposed contemplation.

"Thought I would find your lazy ass in here baka." Hisoka scolded his partner as he entered the room, on his way back from his time in the library. "It's a good job we're not on a case at the moment or Tatsumi would be on your case by now. Come on I'll walk back to our work station with you so it won't look odd that neither of us were at our desks ok?" The green eyes teen barely gave his brunette partner a chance to respond never mind react before he started to make his way for the door. His empathy clearly indicating that the other shinigami was troubled by something or other, but that was nothing new considering he'd been sensing such feelings for the past month. Besides he had already decided to wait for his partner to come to him for help and he was going to stick to that. Trailing behind him looking very much the part of death warmed up in his trademark black suit and white shirt with black tie, Tsuzuki mumbled something himself incoherently before he brightened up. Hisoka's talk about being reprimanded for not being at his desk had given him an idea, now all he had to do was get the crazy scientist shinigami known to most of Meifu was Watari to agree to help him.

"Erm, Hisoka? Can you cover for me a little longer I just remembered something really important I need to ask Watari about. So I'm going to swing by his lab. Thanks you're the best partner a guy like me could ask for." He didn't leave any room for protests, simply mussing the smaller male's hair and running off down the corridor in the direction of the lab, and Watari.