11. Comprehension.
T: Yet another cliff-hanger (at some point I'll stop them I promise) but apart from this warnings remain the same. I own nothing you see here other than the plot bunny and its baggage! Also, randomly, I wished to thank all those reading this beast and specifically Laustic and IchikoKitsuneKoumori for their constant reviews and support!!
Meghanthepagan: Say things like that and I'm likely to get a big head! Hope this chapter's worth the wait!!
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He has gone home in order to wash up and also so that he might sleep somewhere a little more comfortable than a waiting room chair.
He has just closed his eyes when there is a flurried knock upon his front door and, aware that it could well be news of his cousin's welfare, he pulls himself out of bed and heads for the doorway.
Upon opening it he is greeted with the sight of Tsuzuki in a state of disarray, his purple eyes dilated with fear and his skin drained of its colour. However, other that this, the other looks well and, relief swamping him, he pulls the man into a hug.
"I truly believed that I would never see you again…that that man would realise how much of a threat you are and 'dispose' of you."
"He will not hurt me." The words are numb of emotion and, concerned, he enquires,
"Is everything alright, Tsuzuki?"
"No." The confession seems to lift a little of the elder man's 'burden', for, emotion clear again in his voice, he says, "You do not need to worry about my problems, however."
There is a moment of silence as he waits for the other to ask the inevitable question and, once it becomes clear that such a thing will not happen on its own, he says,
"I went to Hisoka the moment that I left the hospital…I thought, perhaps, that he would 'come back to himself' if he knew that you had placed yourself into danger."
"Yet that did not prove the case." There is detachment clear again in the other's tone and, his patience frazzled by fatigue, he all but snaps an enquiry of,
"What happened between my aunt and yourself? What was said between you for her to accuse you of the doctor's crimes and for you to have separated yourself from this case and from Hisoka?"
"Why would she say such a thing, utter such a terrible lie?" The question is a subtle evasion of the one that he had posed and yet, for the moment, he chooses not push the other on this fact, to allow the elder man to move a little at his own pace. Thus he says, "Perhaps we are best discussing this inside," as he steps a little to one side.
Settling onto the western style sofa that dominates the living room Tsuzuki visibly relaxes and, sounding a little more 'himself' the other informs him,
"When I left the mansion she believed, as ourselves, that Muraki was responsible for 'changing' Hisoka. Indeed she had come to some understanding beyond that and had formed some purpose from that comprehension."
"Something must have occurred after that time…" He trails as he recalls something that his aunt had said to him and, anger heating his blood, he says, "She went to talk to my uncle, to discuss her 'revelation' with him and he turned her mind around, made her believe you the enemy."
"'…if anything were to make him less than he should be…'"
"Tsuzuki-san?"
"It is something your aunt said to me after I told her of what was happening, something that made me so very uncomfortable for reasons I could not, at the time, understand. Now, however…"
"Yes?"
The other runs a hand through his hair and, looking every inch the professional detective, he enquires,
"What if your uncle had known that Hisoka would develop an empathic gift, that he would become 'something other' than a normal human being? What if the individual who told your uncle this terrible truth offered a way to remove those powers from Hisoka? For the assurance that the Kurosaki name remains free of blemish I am assured that your uncle would have done almost anything, would even have lied to his wife about Muraki's true nature." The other allows him a moment to process this information, to understand what it is that he is pressing towards, then he says, "There are three very important questions that need to be answered if this theory is to hold strong. Why has Muraki suddenly chosen to lease the control he has had over Hisoka's powers? How much does Hisoka's father know of Muraki's true nature and, finally, what is it that Muraki has gained from all of this?"
"It seems you need to talk to my uncle." He is assured that he has kept his voice neutral and thus he is a little unsettled with Tsuzuki enquires,
"What is wrong, Hijiri?"
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T: Small update gap (I've gotten behind on my buffer again!) thus no chapter until wed…hopefully it'll be worth the wait! In the meantime review!!
