Okay, more Muraki in this chapter, for those of you who can stand him. Just a little more, but I'm trying to ease myself off the deep end of his…Muraki-ness. Sorry, laustic, it probably won't be really interesting till next time.

Disclaimer: Maybe it is mine. (sound of a gun clicking behind my head) Then again, maybe not.

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Neina stood at the curb of the street outside of the meeting hall, waiting to hail a cab. She was still tense from seeing him, unconsciously rubbing her hand against her pants leg when she thought about him.

'Muraki is here. I've met him now, the one who…' she took a deep breath of the chilly London air to steady herself. She wanted to hit something, to feel it crack beneath her knuckles and relieve the stress they felt right now.

"Having a trouble getting a cab to stop?" She jumped a little and looked up. Muraki was standing right next to her, smiling with narrowed eyes behind his glasses. She stopped breathing for a second and he chuckled. "Forgive me, Miss Haguro. I didn't mean to startle you. I was merely curious how you knew my colleague, Dr. Mafferie. You seem too young to be his girlfriend."

Neina breathed again, attempting to keep it slow and calm. "Uh, yes. I mean, no, he was my doctor a few years ago and always a good friend."

He nodded and looked her over, that smile never leaving his face. God, she wanted to swipe it off with a good punch. "I see. You seem very familiar. Have we met before now?" She ground her teeth but did her best to smile.

"No, I don't think so, Doctor. I'm sure I would remember you."

His smile grew but his eyes narrowed even more. "Yes, I'm sure I would remember you as well. Good afternoon, Miss Haguro." He bowed slightly and abruptly turned and left.

Neina watched him go down the street away from her and the convention hall. Her foot took a small step in the same direction before she stopped herself. '…if you were the one to fight his battle, he probably wouldn't forgive you,' Tsuzuki's words rang in her head.

'It's his fight…he's old enough to fight his own battles…I'll just go back to the hotel and get ready for dinner tonight. Yeah, that's what I'll do.' She turned and headed around the corner, hoping she could find a taxi there or a subway entrance.

"Oh who the hell am I kidding?" she growled, coming back around the corner and quietly marching in the direction Muraki went. She could feel residual traces of his consciousness, though her shields were still perfectly erected to block out any thoughts or emotions. But even when she opened them the tiniest bit, she didn't get any new information. 'He's good,' she thought begrudgingly as she followed the trail around a corner. And then she stopped, mainly because the trail stopped, just abruptly in the middle of the alleyway. "Damn! Where did he go?"

Neina never noticed the shadowed figure perched on the roof above like a vulture in white, smiling at the newest player in his game.

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Tsuzuki looked up as the door connecting their and Neina's room suddenly opened. "Hey, I'm back. Sorry if it took a while but WHAT THE BLOODY HELL?!" The last was directed at the heaps and piles of paper bags all over the room, many smelling faintly of sugar or spices of some sort.

"Heh, hi Neina, welcome back. I did a little shopping while you were gone," he grinned sheepishly at her incredulous stare.

"Where, Candyland?" She toed one of the bags out of the way so she could move further into the room. "And didn't I tell you to rest? Your jet-lag's gonna be a bitch later."

"I'll be fine! I've survived dozens of hangovers and demon attacks, so this jet-lag thing won't be so bad."

Neina snorted but then looked troubled. "Where's Hisoka?"

"He just got in the shower," he pointed towards a door at the other end of the room, where the sound of running water could faintly be heard.

"Good, I need to talk to you alone." She picked her way carefully through the maze of bags and sat down on the bed next to him. "Give me your hand."

"Huh?!" Tsuzuki flushed a little. "Neina, you're a nice woman, but—" Tsuzuki reeled after she punched him swiftly in the eye.

"Get over yourself! I still consider myself blissfully married, you damn egoist. I just want to shield our conversation from him," she jerked her head in the direction of the bathroom. Tsuzuki blinked, the black eye already healing, and took her hand. He felt as if he was suddenly covered in heavy but not uncomfortable over coat.

He looked at Neina, who was staring off into space collecting her thoughts, and marveled yet again how she resembled his partner. 'I wonder if this is how his hand feels,' he thought. 'Long fingers that trap you willingly. Cool and delicate…like porcelain. But slowly warming in my touch. Ack! What am I thinking, she can probably hear me!' He looked up, ready to see the glaring daggers of an offended mother, only to see her still staring at nothing.

Finally she took a deep breath and looked him in the eyes. "Muraki is here."

It took a moment to register the words. "What?" he still asked, hoping he had registered them wrong.

"Muraki is here. I saw him today. I spoke with him," he felt her hand tighten like a vice. "He's attending the same conference as Kelton. I'd forgotten that you said he was a doctor."

There was silence for a moment. "What exactly happened?" he asked seriously. If it had been any other moment she would've been surprised that he could be serious, but she knew this wasn't the time.

"I bumped into him, literally, walking out of Kelton's temporary office. He offered me hand up…" she rubbed her free hand furiously against her pant leg until Tsuzuki stilled it with his in the fear she would rub off her skin. "I didn't realize who it was till I was standing again."

"How did you recognize him? You'd never met till then."

"Remember when I was pulled into Hisoka's mind, after that dragon attacked?" He nodded. "Well, saw a few choice memories in there. Including…" her throat constricted and it was obvious she felt violently ill. Tsuzuki rubbed her back sympathetically. It must've been hard, watching your own son raped by a mad doctor. "I don't think I can forget that face, ever."

"Did you do anything?" he asked after a pause.

She laughed bitterly. "Yeah, I made small talk. And I tried to follow him, but he got away somehow. Gods, but I wanted to dig into him with my sword. Right there, in front of Kelton and hundreds of other people, just gut him like a fish." She laughed again and ran her hand up through her banes. "But I remembered what you said. That it' Hisoka's fight and I shouldn't fight for him.

"I understand that better than you might think, Tsuzuki. I took revenge for my parents and my teacher on the organization who ordered them killed. I didn't do it alone, but neither did anyone fight my battles for me. So I understand what he wants. But I also don't want him to be in danger! I want to protect him. He's my only…" She trailed off sadly and bent her head.

"What should we do?" he asked, trying to think.

She was silent for a moment. "What would Hisoka do?"

"Huh?"

"Hisoka. What would he do if he knew Muraki was here? You know him better than I do," she added quietly.

Tsuzuki thought and then grimaced. "Probably go looking for him."

"Then we do nothing."

"Nothing?" he asked in amazement.

"Yes, nothing." She looked him in the eyes. "He doesn't know I know you two. He had no reason to follow me. And I don't want them meeting, not if it will result in a fight. He has the advantage right now, since I'm not used to all the changes the city has made and neither one of you has ever been here. He's had weeks to learn the mapping and could win thanks to that advantage."

Tsuzuki nodded, knowing she made sense. "So why tell me? Why not just keep it to yourself?"

She laughed again, this time half amused half rueful. "I need you to keep an eye me and make sure I keep my own advice!" She kept laughing until it sounded almost manic. "Gods…I wanted to kill him. Just kill him so none of us would ever think of him again. He was so close…right next to me….didn't even know who I was or how much I hated him for everything he did. I could've just…" She sighed and shook her head, shaking away her temporary dementia as well. "Well, C'est la gar! Or such is war," she explained to his perplexed face.

He nodded, smiling his best reassuring smile to ease her anxiety. She smiled back, just as the bathroom door opened and Hisoka stepped out in a fresh set of clothes. He was toweling his hair and, looking up to see them holding hands, arched his eyebrows. They looked at each other before Neina flipped his hand over and pretended to examine it.

"And this is your head line, which denotes knowledge and wisdom. I'm not surprised it's so short, to tell the truth…"

"Hey!" he pulled his hand back with growl and Neina grinned impishly.

(I pulled that palm thing out of thin air, i really don't know anything about it)

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Hisoka finished knotting his tie, pulling trying to keep from strangling himself. It wasn't like his windpipe wouldn't heal, but he did want to be remotely comfortable during dinner with Neina and this man, Dr. Mafferie. And Tsuzuki's snoring wasn't helping his nerves right then.

"Baka! Now's not the time to sleep! Finish getting ready." He grasped the end of the blanket and pulled up as hard as he could. Tsuzuki rolled and fell with a thump the floor between their beds.

"Owwwww….Hisoka, that hurt…" he whined from the other side. Hisoka growled low in his throat at his partner's antics.

"He's right, Tsuzuki. Finish getting ready or we'll be late for dinner." Hisoka turned his head and felt his jaw drop involuntarily. Neina stood in the doorway between their rooms, a burgundy dress hugging her curves beautifully. A black wrap came around her shoulders and was clasped in the front by a large ruby broach in gold working. Her hair was pinned up so that it looked shorter, but wisps still trailed off to the side. And her lips were stained a deep red, almost as deep as her dress.

"Okay, okay, I'm just so tired all of a sudden…Whoa! Neina, you look great!"

She smirked and chuckled a little. "Thanks. Now hurry it up and I might treat you to a dessert." Tsuzuki was suddenly ready and at the door, faster than either blond could follow.

"What're we waiting for? Let's go!" He was out the door and bounding down the hallway before he even finished.

"I just dug my wallet's own grave, didn't I?" she asked.

"Yeah, I'm afraid you did." She laughed and looked him up and down.

"My, my! I'm not the only one who looks good tonight." Hisoka blushed and Neina just smiled as she led the way out.

Outside they made their way down the street side by side. They received many stares from both sexes, men leering at Neina and woman (sometimes the other men, it is London after all) blushing or smiling at the two men at her sides. Neina just kept smiling while Hisoka blushed or tried not to notice. Tsuzuki was oblivious to it all.

"Okay, I we just need to cross the street up ahead and it's a straight shot to the restaurant", Neina said.

"Great! I'm tired again all of a sudden…" Tsuzuki yawned and Neina rolled her eyes.

"Well, if you had taken a nap after our arrival, you wouldn't be so tired. Jet-lag is when you're not used to the change in time-zones so your body wants to sleep on your home's schedule."

"What?! Why didn't you tell me earlier?"

"Don't yell, Tsuzuki, people are staring." 'At least more than before,' Hisoka added mentally. It was getting rather uncomfortable for him.

Neina glared at the taller man. "I figured other issues were more pressing."

"Yeah right, you just wanted to see me get all tired miserable!"

"No, that was just a bonus," she laughed at Tsuzuki's indignant face and walked a little farther ahead of them. Her mind went back to her meeting with Muraki. Was he really here on such an innocent case as a medical conference? From what she had heard of him, that wasn't his style. Then why…

"Neina, get out of the street! The light's green!" Hisoka yelled. She looked up in shock to realize she had walked out into the middle of the street, with a fast sports car coming at her like shot in the dark. Neina turned and dove for the sidewalk, grasping Tsuzuki and Hisoka's outstretched hands so that they pulled her to safety.

"Are you okay, Neina?" they both asked. She was panting and looked a little frazzled as the car zoomed passed not a second later.

"Y-yeah. I'm not usually that unaware … Shit, that was close. I was almost a goner!"

"Why? Couldn't you just heal yourself if you got hurt?"

"Not if I die first!" They both tilted their heads and Neina grimaced. "I'm not a shinigami, geniuses! My healing isn't natural, it doesn't just happen. I have to consciously activate it with a spell. And if I'm unconscious or dead…" They both paled. "Yeah. It's kind of like drowning. If I'm knocked out in the water, I can't swim to save myself, you see. Trust me, I've had plenty of near death experiences to compare to."

They nodded and waited for the light to change this time before crossing the street. Kelton was waiting for them outside the restaurant dressed in a nice suit and tie. He smiled when he saw them. Neina smiled and jogged to meet him. She slowed however when a woman stepped out from behind Kelton. She was a middle aged woman but lovely, with dark brown hair swept up into a bun with thin braids trailing from it. Her skin had an olive tone to it but her eyes showed obvious Japanese descent. Her dress was black and strapless with an onyx choker around her neck.

Neina's eyes were huge when the men caught up. "Runa…Haruna-chan!!!" Neina yelled and propelled herself forward to hug the woman around the shoulders. "Ye dead gods, Haruna, it's you!!"

The woman laughed and hugged her friend back. "Hello, Neina-chan! It's so good to see you too." Neina stepped back and brushed at the tears that clung to her lashes.

"Meh, I'm such a crybaby lately! Oh!" she turned and pulled Hisoka and Tsuzuki forward. "Boys, this is the very dashing Kelton and this is my best friend, Haruna Aopsocopolis." The both face faulted and everyone laughed.

"Just call me Runa. It's a hell of a lot easier than trying to pronounce Greek."

"This is Tsuzuki Asato," Neina continued. "And this is Hisoka," she said proudly. Runa looked stunned for a moment before smiling.

"Gods, he looks just like both of you, if that makes any sense." Runa shook his hand and then Tsuzuki's.

"Well," Kelton said. "I'm sorry to ruin the mood, but I'm starving. May we go in and eat?"

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"No way!" Tsuzuki laughed. Dinner had gone by relatively quickly, surprising for such a ritzy establishment, and they were now enjoying some after dinner conversation. Mostly about Neina's past and consequently the pasts of Haruna and Kelton. "Was your hair really bright red twenty years ago?"

Kelton smiled rather proudly. "Yep. Dyed it every month because I loved the color so much. But I had to stop a few years ago. People give forty-years-olds strange looks when they walk around with bright red hair."

"People gave you strange looks when you were in your twenties," Runa and Neina said together. They laughed and both had to marvel at the picture they made. Neina seemed more alive somehow with her old friends at her side.

Dessert was brought out, much to Tsuzuki's delight. The entire table had ordered a rich chocolate cake to share. That is if they got any away from the amethyst eyed man.

"So, what was the Dark Guard like?" Hisoka asked. He was curious if it was anything like the bureau.

"Pure madness," they all replied matter-of-factly. Sounding like it already.

"Remember that time Newt created a space-time paradox in the basement?"

"Do I! Attila the Hun was not a happy camper." Neina laughed at the shinigamis' expressions, even though she was entirely serious.

"Newt?"

"Our resident Watari," Neina explained. "We had a Tatsumi too! But we called him Schroeder. But praise the gods, we did not have a Yuma or a Saya!" Sounded like heaven now.

"What about us?" Tsuzuki asked.

Neina tilted her head in consideration. "We had a dog…" she said innocently.

"Hey!" both Kelton and Tsuzuki said indignantly. Everyone was momentarily confused, save for the blond woman who was smiling at a private joke.

"Well, from what I gather, Hisoka reminds me of you," Runa said. Neina and her son exchanged glances. "Not just the looks, I mean, although that is a tad freaky. But he reminds me of you when you first enlisted. Doesn't talk much, rather broody…"

"I am still here," Hisoka grumbled.

"Neina was broody?" Tsuzuki asked.

"Oh yes. I remember when you first came, I was trying very hard to make friends with you. But some of those looks you gave me…yeesh! I thought you were trying to set me ablaze!"

"That's because I was. You were a bit much for me to handle back then. Come to think of it, if you look at Runa when we first met, she was Yuma and Saya!" Hisoka shuddered.

"I feel I've been insulted." She took a sip of her wine and smiled. "Lord, I'm frightened to think what you would've been like if Hokuto hadn't tamed you."

"I was not 'tamed'. I was subdued and befriended…and later wedded. There's a difference."

"All I know is that you stopped trying to bite the head off of everyone the moment you met them."

"Yeah," Kelton laughed. "She usually waited until the second or third day to do that!"

There were many more conversations and stories exchanged, Neina catching up with what had happened with her friends over the last twenty years, Runa pretending to be in a huff over her friend's youthful appearance, and much laughing. There was even an instant when Hisoka tried to hide a small laugh behind his hand, to which Tsuzuki began yelling loudly as to whether anyone in the restaurant had a camera. He'd had a lot to drink by then.

Outside the restaurant they breathed in the cool night air. Tsuzuki had one hand on Hisoka's shoulder, the alcohol beginning to take its toll. Hisoka was grumbling about his partner's behavior as he did his best not to bend under the weight.

"Maybe it's time we head in…" he said a little louder.

Neina arched her eyebrows at the state of affairs. "Actually, I need to talk to Kelton and Runa about something. Why don't you escort drinky here back to the hotel and I'll follow in a couple of minutes. You can take care of yourself. If all else fails just toss 'em in a ditch and walk away."

"Hey! I'm not drunk and I'm not deaf either. So both of you shut up!" His head fell forward with a groan and everyone sweatdropped.

"I'll see you back at the hotel," Hisoka said.

"Right! And let's go sightseeing tomorrow. There's a lot of London to see in three days." He nodded and started off back in the direction of the hotel.

When they were a good distance around she turned and started walking, motioning for her friends to follow. They knew that look and followed silently. When they were in a park not far away she stopped and they huddled in a small circle.

"What's up Neina? You look tense," Kelton said. "If it's about Muraki, I know you're usually right about this sort of thing so I'm not trusting him. Didn't trust him much before either, he's kind of creepy…"

"No, it's not about him. Although I'm relieved to hear that." Neina delved into her handbag and brought up the scrap of cloth she had recovered from the anima-fied corpse in Avalon the month before. She held it out to them and they both froze with their eyes wide open.

"That's…the Erasers' emblem." Runa said faintly.

"Yeah. I found it on the remains of one of the men who attacked Avalon, twenty years ago." They both narrowed their eyes in contempt at the insignia. "If this means what I think it means we could be in trouble."

"Correction, we could be in trouble." Neina tilted her head at Runa in confusion. "We got older. You however are still young and fit."

Her eyes narrowed in worry. "If the Erasers are back, we'll have to put them down again."

They nodded. Neina received their addresses and phone numbers before they said goodnight. She walked back through the park savoring the night air, feeling lighter than air. Everything seemed alright for a moment. Until she passed by a crowd gathered around an alley.

"What's going on?" she asked the nearest person. He turned, his face drawn and pale.

"There's been another murder! A girl, right here…I live across the street, man! It could've been me!" Neina remembered reading about this earlier in the morning, about the new Jack the Ripper. She highly doubted this man would've fit the killers M.O. since he usually went after female prostitutes, but she did feel sorry for the woman under the cloth. She was sure either Scotland Yard or the English Gods of Death were looking into it though, so she moved on. She had learned long ago that getting involved in cases that really didn't involve you often made things far worse.

Neina paused a few feet away. 'Didn't they say Muraki did this sort of thing now and then?' She glanced back, watching as the Bobbies loaded the girl into the ambulance. She shivered and continued on, hoping she was wrong.

Walking back to her room, she ran into Hisoka coming from the ice maker. "I'm guessing that's for Tsuzuki," she said, gesturing to the bowl full of ice water.

"Yeah. I'm gonna try and sober him up a little before he falls asleep. He's really annoying when he's hung over."

"More so than usual? Here, let me come in. I had to deal with many an alcy in my days." She followed him in to see a miserable Tsuzuki lying limp as a rag doll on his bed.

"How much did he drink again?"

"Three bottles of merlot and half a chardonnay."

"Hmmm…this may be beyond my power." Tsuzuki groaned and rolled over.

"Hey, Hisoka, when did you get a pretty twin?" he slurred. "And with such big—"

"The next word out of your mouth had either be 'smile' or 'eyes' or so help me you will die tonight, drinky!" she grated. Hisoka blushed and put the basin down on the nightstand.

"Neina, maybe it would be best if we all just went to bed," he said. Nodding, she walked back through the adjoining door and paused for a moment. "Something wrong?"

"No, just forgot to put up the do not disturb sign. They made my bed, threw me for a minute." She laughed and shut the door, her eyes immediately hardening. She walked over and glared at the note lying on her still rumpled bed. Neina valued her privacy, she never forgot the do not disturb sign. The sound of wind drew her attention and she looked to see the window wide open and leading out to the balcony.

Turning back, she picked up the note and squinted at it, her glasses still in her purse.

To The Dragon of the West

I invite you to a meeting , tomorrow at midnight beneath the wheel of fate. Come, or I will take the green-eyed boy or amethyst eyed man in your place. And I cannot guarantee you will get them back.

Yours truly, an admirer

P.s. Dress appropriately.

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Yes, it is finally done!! You would not believe how hard this chapter was to write. I had no inspiration for five days and then bam! I type all this out in two nights. Go me!!

So, who sent the note? Muraki? Or does someone else know Neina's in London?

REVEIW!!! I love hearing from all of you, especially now that i turned off the no anonymous reviews button. (honestly, i don't know if that will make a difference, but yeah...) And i'm still accepting suggestions!