Chapter 2

Tatsumi slapped the file folder down on his desk and glared at it. In spite of his strong work ethic and eye on the bottom line philosophy, he wished that Hisoka had taken the extra day he had offered. Then he would have had an excuse to hand this case to a different team.

Not that Kamakura was part of Tsuzuki and Hisoka's Cho, but the personal nature of the case demanded that it be brought to Hisoka first. Between the youth's stubborn pride and sense of responsibility, Tatsumi doubted that he would allow the case to he given to someone else.

He glared at the file some more, rather hoping it would burst into flames, dissolve, get sucked into a worm hole, or something of that nature.

"Knock, knock!"

Tatsumi looked up to see Watari leaning in the doorway of his office, an amused smirk turning up the corners of his mouth.

"I don't know what that file did to you, but it must have been truly evil for you to look at it like that!"

Tatsumi pushed the file across his desk towards Watari in invitation. "Apparently there is evidence of a severe haunting at the Kurosaki family estate, possible demonic involvement. We've been asked to check it out."

"Huh." Watari picked up the file and began paging through it. "You think Bon will take it?"

Tatsumi felt himself relax just a little, Watari understood the complexities of the situation without him needing to explain all the little details. "Of course I expect Kurosaki-kun will take it, as much as I might wish otherwise."

Watari looked at Tatsumi and cocked his head, nearly upsetting 003, who had been hiding beneath the spill of hair over his shoulder. "You're worried about him?"

Tatsumi scowled. "I worry about all my colleagues."

"That's so sweet!" Watari cooed, "and it makes us feel so special!" He turned his attention back to the folder. He was quiet for several minutes, except for the flutter of paper as pages were turned. As he read, Watari's cheerful expression faded, and by the time he set the file down and pushed back to Tatsumi, he was frowning, his amber eyes pensive. "How much was Bon told about his parents' deaths?"

Tatsumi sighed. "I believe that the Count's message said only that their flames had gone out."

"You aren't going to let him read that, are you?" Watari gestured towards the folder, looking mildly disgusted. "Normally I don't have a problem with descriptive gore, but those were his parents!"

"I am aware of that." Tatsumi leaned back in his chair, adjusting his glasses. "What would you suggest?"

"How about you sit on that for a couple of hours, I'll whip up something in my lab to test on Bon, and once he's sent home you can go ahead and assign that wherever the heck you want!" Watari was surprised when Tatsumi quietly considered the idea for several long moments before shaking his head.

"No, it wouldn't work, nor would it be ethical."

"Ethical?" Watari exclaimed incredulously, and pulling the file back towards him, flipped it open. "Victim one; Kurosaki Nagare, eviscerated, contents of stomach cavity removed and found spread over a four foot distance from the body. Victim two; Kurosaki Rui, dismembered, limbs found at various points of a locked room, uterus removed, fetal matter found on the walls and floor, placenta discovered in a cherry tree approximately 150 yards from the main house. How would allowing bon to read this be ethical? There are pictures Tatsumi!"

"I am aware of that," Tatsumi said coolly, "but the fact of the matter is that by rights, the case needs to be presented to Kurosaki-kun first, before being handed over to another division." He hesitated, suddenly looking a little unsure, "but perhaps we should remove the photos before letting him see the file. We can tell him we have them and he can decide if he wants to see."

~XXX~

"So, what's the case?" Tsuzuki asked apprehensively. He hadn't been apprehensive until he and Hisoka had come into the briefing room and he'd seen the ferocious frown on Watari's face. Whatever was going on, Watari was Not Happy about it, and that made Tsuzuki apprehensive.

Tatsumi placed a folder on the table, Hisoka reached out for it, but Tatsumi pulled it back slightly. "We received this case this morning. It is not in your area, so you are not obligated to accept it."

Hisoka quirked a brow in question, but Tsuzuki frowned, he had a better idea of what was going on than his younger partner. If they were being offered a case outside of their area, either the shinigami who covered that area were already out on assignment, or the case involved one of them personally; and Tsuzuki couldn't think of anyone who was currently out of the office.

"So why are we here?" Hisoka asked.

"The case concerns your family's estate," Tatsumi informed him, finally lifting his hand from the folder.

"My parents…?" Hisoka inquired in a carefully neutral voice.

"No," Tatsumi glanced quickly over at Watari, who frowned at him, and back to Hisoka. "Your parents souls passed through judgement without any problems, but there are now reports of unusual disturbances that resemble a severe haunting at the Kurosaki estate."

Hisoka pulled the file towards him, but Tatsumi spoke again before he could open it.

"The details of your parents deaths are included in the file, as well as three others. There are also pictures of the scenes that we have removed for the time being, they were quite disturbing."

Hisoka hesitated and Tsuzuki took advantage of the moment to get to his feet. "Hisoka? Could I talk to you alone for a minute?"

Hisoka looked up at him surprised, but nodded and followed him out into the hallway.

Tsuzuki closed the door and looked around to assure that the hall was empty. "'Soka, I think you should turn this case down and let the regular team cover it."

Hisoka crossed his arms over his chest and frowned at the floor for a long moment before looking up. "And if I don't?"

Tsuzuki sighed in frustration. "Hisoka, I really think it's a bad idea…"

Hisoka bitter laugh interrupted him. "Actually, I think it's a bad idea too, but there are things in that house… My family; I have to go, I have to make sure it's over!"

Tsuzuki slumped slightly and nodded. "Okay, if you're sure…" He looked up at Hisoka hopefully, but Hisoka's eyes were steady. "I'll go grab the file and meet you back at our office."

"Fine." Hisoka turned and headed briskly down the hallway.

~XXX~

Tatsumi and Watari exchanged a hopeful glance as Tsuzuki led his temperamental partner out into the hall.

Tatsumi leaned close to Watari. "Perhaps our earlier concerns were for nothing, Tsuzuki may be able to defuse the situation for us."

Watari looked thoughtful for a moment. "I still think you should have let me feed him something from the lab."

Tatsumi sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose between his thumb and forefinger. "Would you please refrain from experimenting on your co-workers?"

"Would you prefer I experiment on my superiors?"

Tatsumi blanched. "Heaven forbid!"

They both looked up at the sound of the door opening and watched Tsuzuki walk up to the table, he didn't look happy.

"Well?" Tatsumi asked.

"We'll take the case." Tsuzuki stated in a neutral voice and reached for the folder.

Tatsumi and Watari exchanged another look before looking back to Tsuzuki.

"Very well," Tatsumi reached into his jacket and pulled out an envelope which he handed to Tsuzuki. "These are the photos that were removed from the file. I suggest you don't show them to Kurosaki-kun unless there is a dire need. Everything else is in the file. Should you need back-up, contact Watari or myself immediately."

Tsuzuki nodded, tucking the envelope away in a pocket and took the folder.

"I don't like this…" Watari said softly as Tsuzuki left the room.

~XXX~

Hisoka stepped into the office he shared with Tsuzuki and closed the door. He leaned against it, his head in his hands and drew a long shuttering breath.

He didn't want to go back to Kamakura, back to that house where he'd been raised. Back to the place where he'd been ostracized and hated, to the beginning of his end. Tsuzuki was right, it was a bad idea. But all the same, there was no way he could let anyone else go. He didn't want to let anyone else know about how he'd been raised, about his family, about the curse…

His family had been cursed generations ago, he knew that; and to know about the curse was to be caught up in it. Bad things happened to the Kurosaki's and everyone around them.

Hisoka pushed away from the door and moved to his desk, he could feel Tsuzuki approaching and wished there was some way to keep the violet-eyed man from getting involved in his mess.

Tsuzuki walked in and crossed the room to stand in front of him. He could see and feel the concern radiating from his partner.

"Are you ready for this?"

Hisoka swallowed hard at Tsuzuki's question. "Before we go, there are… there are some things I need to tell you about…" It was harder than he thought, he really didn't want to do this. "…about my family."

~XXX~

Tsuzuki followed Hisoka quietly through the cherry trees surrounding the Ju on Cho. It was rare to see Hisoka's mask of stoicism so completely gone, but now his partner was practically radiating agitation.

Hisoka's distress caused an answering echo in Tsuzuki. If he could have gotten away with it, he would have pulled the younger man into his arms and held him until he was calm, but Tsuzuki knew that his irascible partner would not likely accept the comfort. It was a minor miracle that Hisoka had admitted a need for company the night before.

Finally Hisoka stopped walking and turned to face him. "When I was young," he began, and then looked away, his hair falling over his eyes as he lowered his head. "Sorry, this is a little hard, I was raised not to talk about the family." He gave a short, brittle laugh. "Or to the family for that matter."

"Just tell me what you can." Tsuzuki told him softly, trying to sound reassuring. "However you can."

"When I was really young," Hisoka began again. He ran a hand through his hair, and then began to pace back and forth in front of Tsuzuki. "My father told me of how our ancestor, Kurosaki Ren, defeated the Snake God, Yatonogami When he did this, he saved the village from destruction, disease, and famine, but Yatonogami's wrath was turned on him and he cursed our family."

"Your family was cursed?" Tsuzuki asked. "How?"

"My father never said, but I used to hear to the maids talking in the hallways. They'd talk about how all the Kurosakis were doomed to die young. How the Kurosakis often died violent and horrible deaths, like my father's first wife."

"His first wife?"

"She was my mother's twin sister. I heard that she committed suicide after her baby… died."

Tsuzuki heard Hisoka's slight hesitation before the last word. "How did the baby die?"

"There was a rumour that my uncle killed her. I never found out if it was true or not, but the things that happened in that house…"

"That might not have anything to do with a curse though…"

Hisoka shook his head. "The curse is real. There are things in that house, on the grounds, the pond, my father's room, the dojo… You can feel it."

Tsuzuki clenched his fists. His family had been cursed, he had been cursed, had anything in his little partners life ever gone right?

"Yes," Hisoka said softly, not looking back. "I died."