Wow. I usually wait a whole year to update but I'm on vacation. =). First time I don't have to apologize about the wait. Short chapter.

~NsBd

Sheep's Skin Chapter 4:

'Yes.' Hisoka answered languidly.

Hisoka's hands moved with none of the indolence conveyed by his voice. They moved quickly, removing Tsuzuki's trench coat and letting it drop to the ground and then diving for his white buttoned shirt.

"Please…" Tsuzuki whimpered as Hisoka nibbled up the side of his neck.

'Shhhh'

'Please stop,' and Hisoka did. His hands moved off of him quicker than they had approached as if electrocuted and from the look on Hisoka's face when Tsuzuki turned to face his assailant, it wasn't far from the truth. Hisoka looked as ashen and pale as the pristine alabaster that made up the walls of the mansion. His shaking hands were brought slowly to eye level as if he had never seen them before.

'Hisoka?'

At the sound of his voice, Hisoka's widened eyes jumped from his hands to violaceous eyes and then rolled back as he crumbled to the floor. Tsuzuki was there in an instant, shaking his unmoving body and calling his name loudly. Finally, he hefted the still form into his arms, wrapping it in his fallen trench coat and quickly left the library.

Tatsumi found the boy's room easily. The various "Keep Out" signs written in scraggly handwriting and posted all over the door were easy enough indicators that he was in the right place. He tried the door knob and turned it easily. Unlocked.

'Strange. Most teenagers with "Keep Out" signs wouldn't leave the door unlocked. Might have been in a hurry.'

Opening the door told Tatsumi this would be a lot harder than he thought. The room was spotless. The Takai family with all their opulence obviously had a maid, but it looked like the kid was very particular about where he put his things.

Ten minutes later, Tatsumi still didn't know what exactly what he was looking for and he still hadn't found anything notable. He went to check the closet. It was smaller than he thought it would be and dark as hell. Pulling out his miniature flashlight keychain, Tatsumi let the light ghost along the walls and corners, looking for any clues. Freak! There was nothing here.

He went to back out of the closet but found (after he almost broke his ankle) that his foot was caught on something. 'Goddamn kids!'

It was clear that he was going to have to do some acrobatics to get out of this one after several seconds of frustrated flailing didn't work. Sticking the flashlight in his mouth, he tilted it downward so he could see his foot and placed his free hands on the back of the closet.

He put most of his weight on his hands, preparing to wrench his foot free. And never got the chance to. The wall fell through and Tatsumi fell with it. He landed harshly, no doubt making a lot of noise. Groaning, he picked himself up and dusted his ass off.

'Where the hell am I?' he grabbed the flashlight from where it had fallen and shone the light around. A false wall? He looked behind him. The wall was made of paper. The sublet he'd stumbled onto didn't make the closet much bigger but a more believable size.

The flashlight took a second sweep of the area and landed on a square outlining on the back wall (the real one). It was fairly small and Tatsumi kneeled to examine it. Upon further inspection, it was revealed to be a small door, maybe big enough for a dog to fit through.

He tried to open it but it was locked.

'Shit.' He reached into his jacket and unclipped a bobby pin from his shirt. Always handy, he picked the lock with little difficulty. Opening the door, a black metal box with a latch was unveiled. He could tell that it was recently opened. He lifted the lid and pulled out a plastic baggie with some sort of gray powdery substance inside.

He couldn't tell what it was. He would have Watari check it out later. After making sure there wasn't anything else in the little compartment past the door, he replaced the baggie, closed the box, and made his way out of the closet.

He checked his watch; fifteen minutes had passed. It was time to rendezvous with the others. He stepped out into the hallway and almost ran into Tsuzuki who looked stressed and carried a limp Hisoka in his arms.

'What the hell happened?' Tatsumi asked, though it sounded like he really didn't want to know.

'Hisoka; he… he just collapsed.'

Tatsumi sighed. In his many years of service to the Ministry of Hades, rarely anything surprised him anymore. 'We're done here. Let's round up Watari and go.'

Tsuzuki nodded jerkily but kept his eyes on the pale figure he held and followed the secretary into the living room. Watari was waiting there for them with a big smile on his face that did not wane upon seeing Hisoka.

'Let's go.' And to the butler who stood off to the side he said,

'Please inform the Takai's that we are leaving.' The butler said nothing but eye the detectives as they left the manor and more importantly the black box Tatsumi held under his arm.

Okay see you guys next time! Dont forget to review on your way out. Chu!

~NsDb