A/N: Again, usually don't do these, but I am sorry this chapter took so long; thank you so much for your reviews – you have no idea how happy it makes me to read them! Consensus seems to be that you guys like the long chapters, which is good because I like to write them, so I'll keep shooting for 8k words or so per chapter.

Much love for lamiabeauty, LillianeDeMalvrier, and Oh Govna (I really like that username btw xD)

Chapter title, Tama o Haku, means "Breathes Pearls" or "Breathing Pearls".

Tama o Haku

Hisoka's mind slowly shifted back and forth underneath what felt like a cover of darkness, or from behind a thick rain cloud, and as his awareness rose he realized he could feel something. It felt like … Warmth – sunlight … Outside. Strange; last he remembered, he had been doing something, in the shade, he thought … … It also occurred to the blond that it was strange he felt so warm, and yet it was so dark – until he realized that his eyes being closed likely accounted for that. Slowly, hazy green eyes cracked open slightly, before immediately closing again, because on the other side of his eyelids was a seemingly endless expanse of blinding whiteness.

"It's alright …" a voice said quietly, slowly, as if it were whispering in his ear from a hundred different angles at once. The blond frowned a little when he heard it – it wasn't a voice he recognized. "You can open your eyes – I am sorry for all of the light. I wasn't expecting you to wake so soon." Hisoka's brow furrowed slightly at the languid voice, but after a pause his green eyes opened hesitantly, and he found that indeed – there was no more light to a blinding degree, but instead an almost soft glow to his surroundings, which was far more forgiving to his retinas. Once his eyes focused, he realized that there was someone sitting in front of him. The form was much larger than he was; possibly big enough to even dwarf Tsuzuki when set side by side. The figure was draped in what looked like yards of fabric, mostly white, with other colors added in to break up the monotony – and from the figure's back came two large shapes that Hisoka couldn't really identify at first … But once he stared for a while, he realized what they must be. Wings.

"I admit, it would have been far more … ideal … had you not seen me at all …" that indolent, dual-voice spoke again, almost tickling his eardrum with how quiet and close to him it was, even though the form he was seeing in this strangely comfortable void was clearly several feet away at least. "My kind attempts to stay hidden as best we can – even from someone that is no longer entirely mortal, such as yourself …" Head cocking to the side a little, Hisoka tried to get a good look at this person, but realized that really, their visage was clouded, almost as if in the shade, and for all the detail in their clothing he could make out, it was hard to see anything of their face, except the mouth, which wasn't moving. Angels … are very rare … he thought to himself as realization dawned on him.

"You're … an Angel?" Hisoka couldn't believe what he was hearing, and the disbelief was evident in his tone. However, he was only met with a warm, slightly amused smile that drew itself across the figures lips.

"Is there … something that stops you from believing …?" the blond blinked; the slightly echoing whisper in his mind was difficult at best to get used to … But after a moment his hair swayed as he shook his head 'no' slowly.

"I … guess not," he said skeptically – it was clear he was not convinced. "Where are we?" Hisoka asked suddenly, changing the subject entirely. He would decide if he believed the allegation later; right now he was more interested in the fact that the last thing he remembered now that he was more aware was being horribly savaged by bees in the shade of that cluster of pine trees. The recollection of all those tiny, angry bodies crawling all over his skin, in his mouth, through his hair, not to mention being mercilessly stung, made his flesh crawl.

"Inside your mind – while your body heals," came the response, and Hisoka's brow furrowed once again – he was about to ask for clarification, but the 'angel' beat him to it. "As I said – you are awake slightly earlier than anticipated … ideally, you'dve woken when your body healed enough to sustain your consciousness; but it's not quite ready yet …" Hisoka shook his head.

"What? That doesn't make sense – that's never happened before; when my body needs to heal, I –"

"Tell me," the voice interrupted, and something in it's tone made the perpetual sixteen-year-old pause, "have you ever contracted hundreds of stings from bees sent by a demon specifically intended to kill you?" Green eyes blinked, momentary non-comprehension clouding his features before he pushed it back behind his customary neutral scowl.

"What do you mean 'sent by a demon'?"

"The demon I've been searching for," the voice responded, back to it's slow, echoing drawl, "evidently realized that you were searching as well, and took the news … less than favorably, shall we say …? And, apparently decided to do something about that."

"Wait – demon you've been searching for? So, you're the one that's been –"

"Trying to stop humans from dying needlessly at the hands of an escaped demon, whose business seems to be trading lives for lives?" the 'angel' offered. Green eyes narrowed slightly.

"So then … You know what demon has been doing this …?" he asked slowly, still painfully suspicious. He felt more than saw the almost apologetic shaking head.

"Unfortunately no – I believe I know what type of demon is causing these problems … But I have yet to discover its name so that it might be banished or destroyed …" Hisoka paused, trying to figure out what to say next, when the voice continued, "because I am at a higher spiritual frequency than normal humans can perceive, my investigation has come to a sort of stand-still, if you will …" the voice trailed off, and for a while, there was a silence before Hisoka spoke up in his aloof tone.

"Well, if you're in my mind right now, can't you just show up in other people's heads and find out whatever you want to know?"

"It's …. more complicated than that," the slow voice replied, trailing along through the words at a lackadaisical pace. The blond wasn't sure he believed that answer, but he also didn't really care one way or another if this being found out or did not find out what was happening with these victims, because it was his case – his and Tsuzuki's.

"Perhaps …" Hisoka's attention was drawn back to the figure at the interjection; there was a hesitation in the voice now, almost thoughtful in it's loftiness, before it continued, "you and I could assist each other?" the shinigami's eyes narrowed slightly; so, a bodiless being of some kind or another wanted to team up with Hisoka to help in his investigation …? If that didn't sound extremely suspect, Hisoka didn't know what did.

"Thanks," the blond said curtly, "but I already have a partner, so, I think I'll pass." There was more hesitation that the blond could almost feel after these sharp words, and for the first time the figure shifted slightly, though the mouth that the teenager could see didn't change in the slightest.

"I won't intrude …" the 'angel' pressed gently, with a vague indication of what Hisoka interpreted as an amused smile, which irked him. "And, since you can't seem to really focus on me even when you're looking for me, I won't be in the way either …" the sixteen year old paused a moment thoughtfully, and then the meaning dawned on him.

"You were the presence? The one I couldn't touch in the house …?" his tone was accusatory, and a small, indulgent nod was the response Hisoka received. After another bit of a pause, the mildly infuriating being said,

"I already told you; my kind are on a higher frequency than humans are able to perceive. The fact that you even noticed my presence at all tells me that you must have some sort of blessing –" Hisoka's snort cut the sentence off right there; he'd nearly burst out laughing bitterly at the suggestion that anything good had ever come from his empathy.

"You don't believe that you are blessed …?" silence was the only response that came from the shinigami participant in this conversation, and that silence stretched on for what seemed like a very long time before it was once again broken by the being that Hisoka still couldn't see the face of. "Then believe this, and perhaps you will trust what I say. You are looking for a sun demon."

"Hisoka? Hisoka!" the exclamation received a groggy sort of noise in response as green eyes blinked open slowly, and he felt a familiar wave of nausea when his body was jerked upwards into what he would later identify as a hug. There was some vague discomfort, including the fact that his skin felt too tight for his body, and it was far too hot in the room, but there wasn't any overt pain that he could identify, which was good – he thought that maybe he should have been in a little pain … Oh right; because of the bees … he thought to himself dryly as he tried to dislodge himself from his partner, who was the one clinging to him like a small child.

"Ts'zuki …" he muttered, shoving at the violet eyed shinigami's head weakly – he was being gripped so tightly that he was having a difficult time breathing. Eventually his vision cleared up a little, and the lights that were too bright to see through dimmed a bit. He was in the infirmary at the ministry, in an unfortunately familiar bed. "… le'go …" Hisoka managed before his hand fell away from the brown strands of hair he had in his loose grasp; though this time, his partner did as he had asked … Which was good, because he was just starting to perceive the sheer volume of anxiety and worry being pressed down on him from the older shinigami, and if he was exposed to direct contact with that for much longer, he was sure he was either going to be physically ill or pass back out again.

"You had us worried, Bon," (1) he vaguely registered another voice speaking to him as he was poked and prodded, and Hisoka realized after a few disoriented moments that it was Watari, and he was checking the blond's vital signs. For once his eccentric hyper-ness was dialed down a few notches, and it allowed for a more serious note in his actions. He was smiling at Hisoka, who managed to decipher this after a light was shown into his eyes, which he protested, but the red head insisted was necessary.

"You've been asleep for nearly a day." I don't understand; you weren't having an allergic reaction to the bee stings – that many shouldn't have done so much damage to a shinigami … Hisoka heard the thoughts before he could help it as Watari put pressure on the skin of his wrist to check the teenager's pulse against his watch before he could stop himself. Hisoka almost let slip that that was because a demon may or may not haev sent the bees specifically to kill him. At least, that's what the angel had said, if he was believing that that had actually been an angel …

However, he stopped before he opened his mouth. Not only would he sound like he had completely lost all sanity and credibility because his source was a voice in his head essentially, but if he told them that he thought a demon may have targeted him, they might take Tsuzuki and him off of the case. Not only would they drown the blond in worry for the rest of eternity, but … Well, his partner had been at his desk, itching to escape the confines of his cubicle space – that, and the idiot really enjoyed gardening and being outdoors… Hisoka didn't want to take that away from him if he could help it.

And besides, he didn't even have any proof that there was something after him. As far as he knew, it was heresy.

"A day …?" was all Hisoka could think to ask, voice groggy with disbelief as the red headed 'doctor' continued to poke and prod him. A nod was the only response this time as he managed to focus now on the shinigami of the Kyoto region without too much difficulty before he glanced over at his partner, who was a few feet away from the bed, watching. Noticing the younger Shinigami looking at him, Tsuzuki blinked and then apparently decided that the blond wanted to know about the case because he said,

"When you were stung … I brought you here as fast as I could … And left a note explaining that I had to take you to be treated because of the bee stings … Since yesterday was Friday, they won't miss us if we don't go back until Monday …" he sort of trailed off here; it seemed to Hisoka like Tsuzuki didn't want to suggest they were going back so that it put pressure on him to get well sooner, but he didn't not want to suggest that because he didn't want his partner to be anxious that they weren't going back or something … The conflicted feelings were tangible even across the room.

Please; as if Hisoka was going to sit in this hospital bed for any longer than he already had …

It had taken a good deal of insistence, as well as countless stubborn assertions that he was fine now, and he just wanted to get back to work to take his mind off of being stung hundreds of times. It had also probably helped that he'd mentioned that he might have an idea of what kind of demon they're after, though that was as of yet the most information he'd given out on that subject. He hadn't wanted to mention 'sun demon' if it wasn't something that existed … Eventually, after Watari had continued to examine and question him until he was contented, they had been allowed to leave the infirmary with the warning that he had been pretty injured, so his healing factor might be a little on the fritz. Basically take it easy, don't get hit by any cars, etc.

His partner, however, was slowly grating on his nerves, though he was being as patient as he could manage. To be fair, he had just been unconscious for twenty-four hours, according to his fellow shinigami, and he could see how that might be a little nerve wracking. But, Tsuzuki was basically doing the equivalent to hovering over him, back and forth, constantly checking that Hisoka was still sitting there, and that he was alright.

The blond had been researching in the Gushoshin's library for what was probably hours now, looking for information on sun demons – it was a long shot as far as he was concerned, but he wanted to prove the 'angel' wrong so that he could forget about what was probably a histamine induced hallucination. Especially since not only had he never heard of a 'sun demon' before, but for everything he knew about demons, the name seemed a little counter-intuitive at best … However, about an hour or so earlier, he had hit his first tiny glimpse of information on something called a 'Daemon Solis', which roughly translated from Latin, meant 'demon of the sun'. When he'd come across it, his green eyes had stared in shock and disbelief for a long minute before he immediately started searching with renewed vigor. And eventually, what he started to piece together from fragments of books was startling …

"So … You never did tell me what you're looking for …" Tsuzuki asked the question quietly, so he wouldn't startle his partner. He had been sitting in relative silence for most of the time that Hisoka had been pouring through the books he removed from the shelves as he discovered them. Blond locks swayed as Hisoka's head swiveled back and forth, skimming the page that was in front of him quickly but diligently, flipping it as he came to the end and continuing on.

"Sun demon," he responded dispassionately, distracted by something he thought may be worthwhile to jot down. At this answer, which was the first time the blond had deemed to say anything in almost the whole time they'd been sitting there, no matter what questions he was asked. Tsuzuki paused, and Hisoka could nearly taste his confusion … A vague sigh preceded his explanation of, "they're associated with a stylized sun; specifically the points that come off of it that are supposed to represent it's rays – they have nothing to do with actual sunlight." When he had found out that there was such a thing as a 'sun' demon, finding out that little tidbit had made the concept seem much more permissible in his mind. He continued to skim the page in silence, assuming he'd answered the brunet's question accurately and informatively enough that he wouldn't ask any more.

"… Why do you think it's a sun demon?" apparently this was not the case. He didn't glance up from the text he was skimming, closing that book a few moments later and moving the small pad of paper he was taking sparse notes on. He could set a new book on top of the one he'd just finished with.

"Because …" he half muttered, trailing off for a second as he read. Then, realizing he had been saying something he continued, "because … of the victims." He couldn't say the first answer he thought of, which was something along the lines of 'because of the bees' – he didn't even want Tsuzuki to think that he'd been some sort of target. It wasn't like the answer was a lie; it just wasn't exactly the whole truth.

"Um … 'Soka …? What do needles have to do with the sun …?" The brunet put his hand on the back of his neck as he said this, and he kept his tone light hearted; he was trying to tease his partner a little, to get him to lighten up. Ever since they had come to the library, Hisoka had been extremely serious. This attempt, much like any other previous one, failed miserably. Green eyes kept skimming the page in the book he was reading, jotting down another note again when he found something else that might've been useful. Absently, he responded,

"Sun demon is a misnomer," he explained, turning the page, "the reason they're called that is because they are associated with, and control … sharp things, like the rays of the stylized sun. Needles, thorns, stingers, knives – anything pointed is within it's jurisdiction." That's why it would have been able to send bees after me and use needles; it can use both, he added the thought but made no indication that there was an end to the sentence that he didn't mention aloud.

But, as promising as this lead seemed, when he looked at what notes he had, he realized they were sadly … Lacking. For all of the time he'd spent looking for information, he barely had three short, scrawled pages of information in his tiny note pad. Nowhere near enough to make a sound conviction on, and he was getting stiff from sitting in the same position for so long. Stretching a little, he sighed under his breath; he wasn't going to find anything else out now.

"I'm going to back to Unzen," he announced in a quiet voice, though it was certainly loud enough for Tsuzuki to hear in the silence of the library. At this, the brunet perked up; he had been bored the entire time he was there, when he wasn't watching Hisoka – he was like a little kid. Every now and again he'd flip through a book or look at something with the intention of helping his partner's research, even if he had no idea what he was looking for. But the violet eyed shinigami immediately ended up getting distracted, or more often worried about Hisoka spontaneously for no reason. This of course hindered whatever he had set out to do afterwards, and he'd go back to wallowing in boredom. Until he realized he could attempt to be useful, and started flipping through a book again.

Lather, rinse, and repeat ad infinitum.

Hisoka went to pick up the handful of books that had actually proved to be useful in his searching, but Tsuzuki beat him to half the pile, taking three of the five books and leaving two for his tired partner to carry. He didn't bother arguing with the brunet; he just took the books that were left. He then located one of the Gushoshin brothers, to let them know what he was taking, in case they needed it for something while he had it out. That done, he was at liberty to go back to Unzen in order to continue his research and prepare for the next day's work …

Black; everything is black …

I'm walking through the darkness alone … …

But I'm not alone.

I think someone is here.

If I look, somehow I know that I will see something stark and white against the darkness; someone, wearing a red kimono. I turn my head up and unsurprisingly I see her – him. It. Standing in front of me. Wearing a red yukata and worn geta that seemed … Familiar, somehow. Short, dark hair framed the face I couldn't see – but I knew that didn't matter. Somehow I know that the figure is staring at me; watching me. This whole time, I never stopped walking forward – even though I wasn't telling my body to move. My feet took steps of their own accord.

Eventually, I am aware of a sound; a heavy, strange sound that I'm not accustomed to … and after a few moments, I realize - it's breathing. Heavy, slow breaths, and they aren't coming from me … But there is another sound as well. A much more rhythmic sound – in time with those deep breaths … And as I glance down, I see what the source is. There is a trail of perfect, white spheres two staggered a straight lines between the two of us, connecting us together.

They looked like pearls.

As I watch, they roll into my feet, lightly tapping against the toe of my shoe and disappearing. And, almost as if the pearls are making my feet move, when one of them touches my foot, that foot picks up and moves forward, toward this person…

And then, I realized what the source of these pearls were; the person standing across from me, in the yukata; they pearls fell with the breaths… Almost as if they were breathing them out. She looks as pale as death; her skin is white, there are dark gray shadows under the eyes that I can't see – but I can see a mouth. And at first, it's neutral, but as I approach it slowly stretches into a smile. The expression is almost unsettling, and I feel apprehension twist in my stomach – I want to stop moving towards the child-sized figure, but I can't stop as long as those pearls keep coming …

But then, she – he, it – started to cough as I approached, pausing and shaking as their lungs violently spasmed, coughing up lungfuls of pearls.

"O-oi … Are you alright?" I heard myself asked, and I felt myself bending down slightly, so that I was eye-level. Something is wrong, I suddenly realized. Everything is wrong. At that moment, the faceless person turned, and I noticed that poking out of the darkness that was where her eyes would have been were thin silver streaks –

Needles.

But I am distracted because in response to my question, I can just barely make out a whisper as she falls forward and disappears.

"Welcome …"

Hisoka woke up slowly, glancing over at the clock automatically. Four-thirty again, he thought absently as he rolled onto his side; once again he had a dreamless sleep. It was definitely a strange trend that had developed, that was certain but … At the same time he couldn't say he was upset about it. Staring at the ceiling for a while, he decided that he might as well get up, since prospects for going back to sleep seemed unlikely at best if you took a look at the pattern he seemed to be developing. Walking stiffly into the washroom, because for some reason his body ached, he realized that he felt a little clammy, so he went to the sink to splash his face with some cold water. However, he paused when he saw his reflection in the mirror.

Hisoka … didn't look so good, even he had to admit. There were dark circles under his eyes; it looked like he hadn't been sleeping at all. Which was strange because he'd been sleeping really well lately, even if he did get up weirdly early. His whole body hurt for some reason – he wasn't sure why; maybe he slept wrong or something? He also didn't seem to be able to kick the habit of waking up in the middle of the night as if he were having bad dreams, but he supposed if he wasn't actually having nightmares then he didn't care. Leaning on the sink with his elbows, he pushed his hands against his elbows.

Not that it really mattered, but this was going to make Kendo practice difficult.

Sighing, the blond dried his face and hands off and went out into the hotel room, mechanically retrieving his uniform and changing into it and silently walking out into the yard. At the moment, he felt as though a light breeze would probably be able to knock him over, so it occurred to him as he fastened his jikatabi that maybe he should meditate a little first to get a better handle on his body. Walking over to a small stone bench that sat in the middle of the weedy garden, Hisoka carefully set his practice sword on it before sitting down next to it cross legged. And just moving into that position made him wince a little. The blond shinigami sighed to himself as he sat up straight and closed his eyes, focusing on his breathing. In … … one … In … … two … he started counting breaths on the exhale to help center himself.

/Your body is still recovering from the attack … Perhaps you should just meditate for today …?/

Hisoka started slightly, green eyes snapping open as he looked around. He didn't see anyone in the area … … So what the hell was that? … … After he was satisfied that there was no one in the vicinity, and he scrutinized his surroundings for a good minute or two, he suspiciously closed his eyes again. In … … one … … In … … two …

/If you're not in a relaxed state, you can't hear me …/

… … Hisoka recognized that voice, though it was quieter now, presumably not to startle him out of meditating again. It took a moment to identify it, but it was that low, languid tone of the self-proclaimed 'angel' that the young shinigami had assumed was a fever dream or something. Immediately the blond considered going back to EnMaCho to see what sort of exorcism Watari could perform before Tsuzuki woke up so that the older shinigami wouldn't worry, but before he could get up, the voice spoke again.

/Have you found anything on Sun Demons yet?/

At those words Hisoka paused; he didn't know how exactly to respond to the question. Mostly because, previous to meeting this supposed 'angel', he hadn't even known there was such a thing as a sun demon … And the more he learned about the modus operandi of this particular type of demon, the more convinced he was that it was what they were searching for. But that didn't necessarily mean he should trust anything this disembodied voice was telling him, now that it seemed like he wasn't actually hallucinating. … Where are you? He eventually asked suspiciously, presuming that this thing could hear his thoughts. If he couldn't see where this 'angel' was, then he really was going to Watari.

/I told you – you won't be able to see me … But I'm here, if this helps?/

The perpetual sixteen year old paused in his breathing when he felt something warm on his shoulder. It almost felt like someone putting a hand on his shoulder, and he looked despite the warning that he wouldn't see anything, and unsurprisingly, he didn't. However, something about the more or less tangible feeling of something there calmed Hisoka's nerves a little. Only a little though. Alright; now why should I believe you're some kind of 'higer being' – angel, or whatever you want to call it?

/Well, don't I get to ask you a question …?/

The blond was about to answer in the negative, probably with something rude, but he didn't really get the chance. Either the voice knew that it wasn't going to get a word in edgewise if it didn't interrupt, or it didn't care what Hisoka's response might've been.

/Why don't you think your gift is a blessing? The only reason we can communicate at all is because of it./

The young shinigami's temper rose just slightly here. After the life he'd lead, made mostly a hell because of this disease – this curse – he'd been born with … That question just made him irrationally angry, especially coming from something who didn't know him and had no business asking it. Because it's always been a burden., he snapped, and then immediately continued, my turn; give me one good reason why shouldn't I get an exorcist.

/… Well … because it wouldn't work …? I'm not possessing you or anything; I'm just trying to have a civil conversation … /

Hisoka was not amused by the response. True it wasn't possessing him, but it was annoying him, and he was sure that there was something he could do about it. If Watari couldn't do anything, he was sure someone at EnMaCho could do something …

/Why has it always been a burden …? It could be such a beautiful gift, if it's not misused …/

Though his eyes were still closed, the shinigami's brow furrowed slightly. Apparently it didn't want to drop the subject … Though it seemed odd for talk like that about his empathy – as if he had some sort of authority on the subject. … What do you know about it? He snapped, still annoyed and now considering getting up and going back to the office. He doubted Tsuzuki was awake yet, so he probably had some time …

/Well .. considering that it's one of my abilities, this 'curse' that you refer to as empathy … I think I might know … enough?/

This made the shinigami pause without meaning to, and apparently the silence was taken as a tentative opening to continue talking, because that is what the 'angel' did.

/I don't mean to assume, but … do … you want me to explain how to use it properly?/

"Hisoka?" the blond shinigami gasped sharply in surprise when there was a sudden noise very close to him, green eyes snapping open and nearly falling off of the bench he was stationed on. The only reason he didn't was because whoever had spoken put their arms out and caught him before he could fall too far. Looking around wildly for a moment because he'd been so surprised, he realized quickly that it was his partner that had him, and he calmed immediately.

"I … I'm sorry, 'Soka," Tsuzuki said quietly as the blond pulled away from him and snatched up his kendo sword. He wasn't so much mad at the brunet for sneaking up on him as he was that Tsuzuki had been able to sneak up on him. He didn't usually meditate that deeply. "I just – you've been out here for a long time, so I was wondering if you'd … Fallen asleep …?" Please. Hisoka was a scant foot away from his partner, and he didn't need empathy to tell that that line was a lie. He'd been worried; plain and simple. So why don't you just say that to me …? He thought irritably, though all he did outwardly was shrug.

"Just meditating; what time is it?" Hisoka's tone was dismissive, and he didn't exactly mean it, but his patience was wearing thin quickly. It was almost like he was tired, but he didn't feel it, and he'd slept fine. Tsuzuki paused a moment before checking his wristwatch.

"Almost seven-thirty," was the response, and that made green eyes widen marginally. He'd been sitting out here for nearly three hours … … It felt like it hadn't even been thirty minutes. However, he brushed it off and didn't say anything as he went to move past the taller male.

"Do you feel alright, Hisoka …?" the question made the blond, who was walking back toward the ryokan, pause a moment in his tracks. The way Tsuzuki asked that – it was almost like he'd noticed something was wrong, but he thought Hisoka hadn't. Well, I already know I look like death warmed over, thank you, he thought as he brushed it off and just nodded, muttering,

"I'm fine," before continuing on to slip off his shoes deftly and go back inside. He could feel his partner's eyes on him, and it made him uneasy … … Well, actually, no – now that he thought about it, it wasn't his unease he was feeling … It was coming from … … somewhere else. But as far as he could tell, there was no one else around – this little traditional hotel was so small and run down it was little surprise that they were currently the only guests staying in it. Glancing around one more time before he entered their room, he went to change out of his kendo uniform. He hadn't done any practicing, but his body was still stiff for whatever reason, so it was probably a good idea to just rest for today. Not that he'd mention anything of the sort to Tsuzuki, because that would only give him cause to do more unnecessary worrying …

"Hisoka?! Where are you going?"

"OUT!" he shouted, slamming the rickety door to their hotel room hard enough that it was a miracle it didn't fall off the wall. It opened a minute later behind him, and he heard his partner calling after him, but he didn't care. He either needed to blow off some steam or his head was going to explode, and he could not be around Tsuzuki anymore. He just couldn't believe Tsuzuki; he had said he was fine – so why wasn't his partner just letting it go? Yeah; ok fine, he was unconscious for a day or so. But he felt back to normal – he wasn't sick, maybe a little tired. It wasn't like he had suggested they go till up the lawn again; all he had said was maybe they should go back to the house and look around. And the brunet had flipped out. In so far as Tsuzuki ever did, which basically he got very serious and sternly said 'no', which pissed the blond right off because he hated being treated like a little kid. Whatever; I'll go look around myself – it's not like he needs to be there or anything, he thought irritably, glaring at the concrete as he waited on the corner for a light to change. Green eyes were narrowed in anger, and he had his hands shoved in the pockets of his jean jacket as he started to stalk across the street. His only warning was a -

- loud noise before suddenly he fell forward onto his hands and knees hard. It felt like something had slammed into his back, and knocked him down. Rolling over, stunned and wrists stinging, he realized the background noise he'd heard had been a car beeping it's horn … Most likely because it had been about to run Hisoka over.

"Are you alright, young man …?" glancing up, he realized there was an old woman speaking to him, but he didn't respond. A couple other people's attention had been caught, and the car had pulled over – Hisoka could see someone taking off their seatbelt to get out. There was concern coming from all angles suddenly as people started towards him, and their thoughts were a jumble of questions about his wellbeing and what had happened … It was making his mind spin and he'd only been exposed to it for a second. He was starting to feel hot and nauseous, and that wasn't because he'd almost been put in a very painful position a few moments ago … Scrambling up off of the ground, he started off quickly – drawing attention to himself was not something he liked to do. At the moment, his body was on auto-pilot, which in retrospect would seem ridiculous because that was what had gotten him into this situation in the first place. But, he couldn't help it – he was sort of in shock. It wouldn't have killed him, but Watari had warned him that, among other things, getting hit full on by a car would be a bad idea in his still-healing state …

Walking quickly and at the same time aimlessly through the small town and away from the roads when possible, he eventually made it to the shoreline. He hadn't meant to make it there, but then, he hadn't really been looking to get anywhere besides away, so … In that respect he'd done what he wanted. The blond was also breathing a little heavily – he had been walking pretty fast without stopping for … Well, he didn't know how long he'd been walking, actually.

Looking out across the beach to the water, the wind picked up a little, cooling the light sheen of sweat on his forehead and making him shiver slightly. Letting his wrists hang inside of his pockets, he stepped down onto the sand, feeling his sneakers sink in slightly before he started walking slowly. Listening to the salt water wash up on the sand helped to calm his nerves slightly; he was still reeling – that had all happened so fast … He'd just been so angry he hadn't been paying attention … I'dve been hit if it wasn't for … … pausing in his thoughts, he went back to that moment – why hadn't he been hit …?

Something had knocked him out of the way… But what? When he'd turned the only thing that had been behind him was a car. Thinking back and replaying the scene as he remembered it, it took a few runs of it to realize that there was something he hadn't noticed at first. Probably because of the blaring horn – he hadn't noticed a sound. He had had a warning of sorts … It was a sudden /Look out!/ … and the words came over the background noise, so Hisoka hadn't noticed it before. Slowing to a stop, he might have realized who'd said it, suddenly.

He opened his eyes, narrowing them suspiciously and glancing around a moment before he saw a secluded outcropping of rocks set away from the road. Looking at it for a long moment, the blond's thoughts were rolling around in his head like pebbles in the surf. The easiest thing to do, if it had been what he thought it was, was to just ask … But talking to a disembodied figure seemed like a really dumb idea. Dumb to the point of possible endangerment of his life; if Tsuzuki knew he was talking to things he couldn't see – and at that thought, his temper flared up. Why does it matter what he thinks? The irritated thought occurred to him; Tsuzuki would think it was a bad idea that he walked all the way to the shore like he just had, but he felt perfectly fine. He just insisted on treating Hisoka like a child – he was capable of making his own decisions.

Walking over to the large rocks slowly, he sat down on a smooth one and let out a breath. On some level the blond couldn't even believe he was doing this – he had probably just imagined it. In fact, he was sure he likely had. And it probably was a bad idea honestly; if he even got a response. Which he probably wouldn't. Which made this a waste of time. … So why was he trying to center and count breaths? I'm probably crazy … he decided as he focused on his breathing to help him to relax into a meditative state.

/Are you alright?/

Was the first thing he heard, a quiet whisper, presumably so as not to startle him out of relaxing again. Honestly, Hisoka was surprised to hear the words. He hadn't expected the being to be around at all, so he didn't say anything at first. Was that you? The meaning was implied in the blunt words, so Hisoka didn't explain any further.

/ … … You were upset. You didn't see the car./

Hisoka paused a long moment. Suspicions somewhat confirmed, that still didn't explain one thing that was bothering him. … Why could I hear you? I wasn't meditating, the shinigami insisted, somewhere between agitated and on edge about that fact.

/You … heard?/

There was a pause before Hisoka felt himself shrug almost unsurely – was he not supposed to …? He realized he could feel a small degree of uncertainty and confusion, but it wasn't coming from him … And there wasn't anyone else around.

/ ... Miten hän voi kuulleet …? / (2)

Hisoka felt his nose wrinkle; what the hell was that …? It had sounded almost like absent mutterings, but not in a language that he knew. His confusion seemed to garner attention.

/You … were able to hear that too …? Your gift is much stronger than I thought …/

The young shinigami's closed eyes narrowed slightly. Stop calling it that, he immediately snapped without necessarily meaning to. He was still in a bad mood from arguing with his partner and then nearly becoming road kill. If he hadn't been so distracted; he'd been reeling from feeling all that trepidation from his partner, and then getting angry about it; it felt like he had been swimming in it. He could probably still feel it on his skin if he cared to try—Wait … didn't you say you could tell me how to control it? The blond cut his own thoughts off when this occurred to him. After what could almost be called a surprised pause came the response.

/… No; I didn't say that./

However, before Hisoka could express his annoyance, the voice continued.

/I said I could tell you how to use it. Not control it; at least, not the way you're thinking./

He let out a sharp breath, which was probably half way between a snort and a sigh. What was the difference? Use – control; it all meant that maybe he could stop things like this from happening … If he didn't know when Tsuzuki, or anyone else, was upset on his behalf … Maybe he wouldn't be so irritable all the time. And maybe he wouldn't pick so many fights with his partner.

/If you try to 'control' it by your definition, you'll just be repressing it; eventually it will either hurt you or become … explosive./

Well, that sounded dangerous. But, Hisoka had tried to shove it down before and it hadn't really worked out for him. It hadn't gone as bad as 'explosively', but suffice to say it had been a massive waste of time and effort on his part. Alright then, he answered, what's the difference? If it sounded alright … Maybe he'd hear this 'angel' out. It wouldn't hurt to let him talk, Hisoka supposed.

/Well … if you accept it; allow it to become part of you instead of rejecting it … You will be able to stop other things from affecting you. It won't be such an … Invasive burden./

He paused as he took in these words; at least it didn't sound too good to be true. If this thing had said 'yeah; I can make everything stop for you with the snap of my fingers', then Hisoka wouldn't have thought twice about figuring out an exorcism or something. But … It sounded like it would take work … And it sounded like it was going to be difficult, not that everything in his life leading up to this point hadn't been already. And … afterwards, I wouldn't have to constantly feel what other people feel …? Or know what they're thinking …? He asked almost hesitantly, mulling this idea over in his head back and forth, trying to find something to question … And not really finding anything.

/Yes./

The response was a simple, one word – but it was a good word. It was a convincing word. Alright … but first … tell me your name. The blond wanted to know that much at least. He still wasn't entirely convinced this was an 'angel', though it was making a decent case for itself if it did end up telling him how to control (re: use) his empathy, but … It was never good to talk to anything unless you knew it's name. It was sort of … a supernatural insurance policy, since a name gave you power over something.

/Of course. You would say my name as Hakumi./

Tsu zu ku …

(To Be Continued …)

Footnotes:

1 – Just an affectionate pet name that Watari calls Hisoka in the Japanese manga/anime; it's basically the same as him calling Hisoka "kid".

2 – Ok; so this isn't actually Enochian … xD It's Finnish; I just picked a random language to get the point across that what Hisoka heard were words, but not words he understood.