[[Sorry for the delay. The site made it so I couldn't update anything for several days. It seems to be fixed now, though. ^^
Midnight Blizzard: Strangely, after I posted that last chapter, I was like "wait, I feel like the next chapter should be the end. How do I have three whole chapters of material left? Oo" I then skimmed the remaining chapters and went "oh, that's how." So, yup, two more chapters after this one and the story is complete. Also, I've noticed that including Saki in a fic is the best way to keep people from reading it. ^^; I've got next to no views on The Rat That Bites and Head Games...]]
Tsuzuki had been unable to relax during his entire shift. Thankfully, Muraki didn't show up again. When Tsuzuki returned home after his shift, however, he noticed that there was someone slumped against his door. At first, he worried that it was Muraki, but as he cautiously came closer, he realized that the person didn't have silver hair. The next thought that crossed his mind was that the person might actually be the body of someone that Muraki had killed, so he ran up the steps for a closer look.
The person looked up as Tsuzuki approached, and then gave a little wave with one hand. "Hey."
"Ah, you're..." Tsuzuki gulped and took a step back. "Hisoka."
Hisoka stood up. "Don't worry," he said. "I'm not here to do anything to you. I needed to get away from him and this place seemed like the last place he'd look for me. Can I come inside?" He jerked a thumb in the direction of the door behind him. "I'm pretty hungry, and it's starting to get cold out here."
"Ah, sure," Tsuzuki said, getting out his keys. He didn't care if this was a trap or not. As Terazuma said, there was no way out of this for him. Even if Muraki was using Hisoka as some sort of bait, turning him away might lead to Muraki being more direct. He might as well try to help this kid out just in case his story was true.
When Tsuzuki unlocked and opened the door, Hisoka thanked him and slipped past. "This is a pretty nice place," he marveled, looking around.
"Make yourself comfortable, and I'll cook us something to eat," Tsuzuki said, heading into the kitchen. He flinched as he saw the Noh ticket and rose still sitting there, and quickly stuffed them into a drawer. "So what brings you here so late at night?" he asked.
"I'm running away," Hisoka said with a shrug. "I'm done with Muraki."
"I see," Tsuzuki said as he started gathering ingredients. "Can't you just go home to your parents? I'm sure they're worried."
"My parents never cared about me," Hisoka replied as he flopped into a chair. "I'm sure they're grateful I'm gone."
"You're Kurosaki Hisoka, aren't you?" Tsuzuki asked hesitantly.
Hisoka's eyes widened. "Eh? How did you know that?" he asked.
"I was curious so I had a friend look into you. That's all," Tsuzuki explained as he chopped vegetables. "I know a few things about your life now, so I understand why you don't want to go back. I'm sorry you went through all that."
"It's fine now, I guess." Hisoka said with a shrug. "I'm used to being treated like that. I'm more sorry for you. You're not used to people like Muraki." He sighed and leaned back in his chair. "I know what he plans on doing to you. He wants to make you into something similar to what he made me. So I was wondering if you wanted to run away together or something."
"Huh?" Tsuzuki paused in his cutting. He didn't even know what to say in response to something like that. "But... I barely know you. And... similar to you? What?"
"Well, first off, I'm not his 'boyfriend.'" Hisoka said. "I'm more just a fuck toy. In public, he acts like it's some romantic, loving relationship, but really, I just have to let him do whatever he wants to me. I can't fight back. Some days, he whores me out to maintain peaceful relationships with other yakuza. That's what happened the day when you ran into him at the cafe. He sent me to go fuck some rival gang member that he'd wronged recently in order to make things right. And sometimes, he hurts me for no reason or when I'm upset with him. Recently, I stopped talking because he made me mad, so he brought home a bunch of roses and stuck the thorns in me until I forgave him, and then we had what he called 'make up sex.'"
Tsuzuki gulped as he remembered selling Muraki those roses.
"But yeah," Hisoka continued. "If he gets you, those are the kinds of things he'll do to you, which is why I want to leave him behind and take you with me."
"I can't just drop everything and leave, though," Tsuzuki muttered.
"Then you're just waiting for him to come get you," Hisoka replied.
Tsuzuki sighed and dumped all the chopped ingredients into a pot. "I just don't know what else to do," he said. "Anyway, how do I know for sure that you're not leading me into a trap?"
"Because I'm going to tell you right now, I originally came here under his orders to lure you to him," Hisoka said. "But I'm not going to do that. This is my one chance to get free, and I don't want someone like you to take my place. You wouldn't be able to deal with him."
Tsuzuki sighed and thought for a moment. "Can I call a friend first?" he asked. "My coworker, he usually gives me pretty good advice and such. This is a pretty big thing you're asking me to do, after all."
Hisoka shrugged. "Go right ahead," he said. "As I said, I'm not here to trick you. Just don't mention me on the phone. I don't know if Muraki has it bugged or not. I'm going to be pretty quiet too, just in case."
His phone being bugged wasn't a thing Tsuzuki had considered, and the thought unnerved him. "Alright," Tsuzuki said. "I guess I'll just text him instead, then." Tsuzuki pulled out his phone and quickly texted Tatsumi. "Come over fast. It's an emergency." He sent the message and then returned to cooking.
"So what are those marks?" he asked after a long pause.
"Hm? My tattoo?" Hisoka asked, glancing down at his arms. "It's a mark Muraki uses to claim people as his."
"How big of a tattoo is it?" Tsuzuki asked. "It looks like it spreads to at least part of your chest."
"It covers all of my chest," Hisoka replied. "And my back, and my legs. It's a full-body tattoo. Muraki takes it very seriously when he claims people. He doesn't want the mark to be too easy to remove or hide, after all."
Tsuzuki grimaced, trying to imagine how painful a full-body tattoo like that would be. His phone went off just then. Tsuzuki checked it and saw that it was a message from Tatsumi. "Be there soon," it said. Tsuzuki closed his phone and went back to focusing on his cooking. He hoped that he made enough so that Tatsumi could have some too if he were hungry.
"So," Hisoka said after another pause in their conversation. "When's dinner?"
"Ah, I'm just finishing it up. Let me dish you up a plate." Tsuzuki answered. He finished his cooking and dished up two plates. "Here, let's eat at the table," Tsuzuki said, taking his food to the small dining table. There were two seats there – one for himself and one in case he ever had guests. However, guests were a very rare occurrence for him.
"Alright." Hisoka got up and joined him at the table. "I'm starved!" The moment he sat down he snatched up the silverware and took a huge bite. However, the second the food hit his tongue, his face fell. Barely able to finish chewing and swallowing, Hisoka finished that one bite and then shoved the plate away.
"Is something wrong?" Tsuzuki asked, looking down at his own food. It had seemed fine to him, although maybe just a tad on the salty side.
"Nah, I'm fine," Hisoka said, covering his mouth. "I just wasn't as hungry as I thought I was. I think I'm just going to take a nap until your friend gets here. Um, but before that, where's your bathroom?"
"Uh, just down that way," Tsuzuki said, pointing.
"Thanks. Ergh..." Hisoka got up and staggered down the hall.
Tsuzuki watched him go and then took a bite from Hisoka's plate and tasted it. He then shrugged and returned to his own meal. It seemed just fine to him.
