Author's Note: Gah, to my readers, I'm sorry! I said this update wouldn't take long, but I ended up taking over a month to update it anyway. OTL Student teaching ended up taking up my time and I wasn't able to work on this. And then, when I did get to working on it, I ended up rewriting almost the entire chapter. I hope this chapter makes up for the wait! Thank you to those who are still reading and to those who reviewed last chapter! The next one will be the last. I am, however, considering a sequel. Until then, I hope you enjoy this chapter!


Tsuzuki did not look like himself. Instead of the usual suit he sloppily wore, he was clad in long, dark robes. Deep purple patterns lined the black fabric, a purple sash tied around his waist. But, even more than the change in clothes was Tsuzuki's face. He held a hard, stern expression that looked completely foreign to Hisoka. It was an expression that didn't fit on the normally compassionate man's face. Looking at it both scared and deeply troubled Hisoka.

As his partner glanced at him, the empath felt a burst of sorrow and regret peek through his otherwise carefully guarded composure, but that was quickly locked away, leaving Hisoka to feel nothing from the older man.

"Tsuzuki-sama..." The nogitsune bowed his head in respect, transmitting to both Tsuzuki and Hisoka. "This boy shouldn't be here. He is an intruder with ill-intent."

"Tsuzuki!"

Tsuzuki held his hand up, silencing both the demon and Hisoka. "I will deal with him personally. Please, return to your regular duties." After dismissing the nogitsune, Tsuzuki turned his head in Hisoka's direction, though his eyes were looking elsewhere. "Come with me."

Confused and frightened, but determined, Hisoka followed his partner through a pair of large doors at the end of the hall. They closed behind them, giving them privacy from the demons. It wasn't until now that Hisoka realized Tsukiori was no longer with him.

"You shouldn't be here." Tsuzuki said, back turned to Hisoka.

"Tsuzuki, what the hell do you think you're doing?"

"I'm doing what I have to do. This is my place. The demon realm has the leader they were seeking. They won't be bothering the humans or you Shinigami any longer."

The way Tsuzuki addressed the Shinigami as something he no longer was stabbed at Hisoka. Not only had he left Meifu, but he was no longer even considered himself a Shinigami. He had worded his sentence, whether purposely or unconsciously, in a way that cut his ties from everyone- humans, demons, and Shinigami. He was completely isolating himself.

"You idiot..." Hisoka clenched his fists, shaking from the intense mass of emotions he was personally feeling. "What makes you think you can just up and leave us? What could possibly have possessed you to walk away like that?"

"I don't belong in Meifu. This is the best place I can possibly exist. Now, please leave. You can report what's happened to the Chief, let them all know." Though Tsuzuki was trying to suppress his emotions, Hisoka could hear his voice shake. He couldn't see the man's face, but he knew the mask had cracked, revealing the pain his partner was trying keep hidden.

"I'm not leaving without you. Stop being stupid and come back with me!"

"I said go!" Tsuzki yelled, still not turning to look at Hisoka. The despair in his voice was clear now, and Hisoka knew he had lost his composure.

"No." Hisoka said simply, taking a step forward. "You don't know what you are doing. I'm not leaving you."

It was taking all Tsuzuki had not to break down. His confrontation with Hisoka was becoming too much to handle, his emotions warring with each other, tearing him apart from the inside. "I do know what I'm doing! Now get out! Go! I don't want to see you ever again!" His voice cracked at the last sentence, the weight of his own words crushing him.

Hisoka froze, staring at the back of Tsuzuki in disbelief. Never did he think he would hear those words from Tsuzuki. Even knowing it wasn't what Tsuzuki truly wanted, it hurt. Still, he knew it was hurting his partner to say such a thing. He could feel it in his partner's emotions, which were no longer locked away.

As he opened his mouth to respond, the sounds of the doors behind him being thrust open interrupted him. Just as he turned around, two pairs of strong arms grabbed him, yanking him back.

"Under orders of Lord Ashitarote, you are to be apprehended for trespassing, Shinigami."

Tsuzuki turned around, alarmed at the sudden intrusion. "Let him go!"

One of the demons looked up at him, cold yellow eyes showing no respect for his ranking. "Do you dare defy the orders of Lord Ashitarote?"

"I...what are you going to do with him?"

"He is to be locked up while the Shinigami Realm is contacted. Normally, he would be executed, but Lord Ashitarote wishes to avoid further conflict."

"There's no need. I already spoke with him, and he was just about to leave."

One of the demons laughed. "It doesn't matter whether or not you spoke to him. Lord Ashitarote's orders are absolute, and he will not be allowed to simply leave after breaking in to the demon realm unauthorized. He is lucky he isn't killed on the spot."

"Tsuzuki!" Hisoka yelled, trying to pull away from his captors, only to find himself yanked back and the grip on his arms painfully tightened.

For a second, Tsuzuki glanced at Hisoka, then quickly averted his eyes, looking instead at the demons. "If he is harmed, we would face retaliation from Meifu. It would be best if he was released as soon as possible and let go, unharmed."

"The Shinigami will be held captive until a representative from Meifu comes to retrieve him. If he cooperates, then he will be fine. Should we not receive an answer, however...he will be killed."

Tsuzuki knew that, if Meifu was contacted about this, at least Tatsumi and Watari would make sure he was safely returned to Meifu. He feared the repercussions Hisoka might face, though it couldn't be worse than anything he himself had ever done. As much as it hurt him to do this, perhaps it was the best way. It made sense for Lord Ashitarote to not harm Hisoka in order to avoid further conflict with Meifu. If Hisoka wouldn't be hurt at all, it seemed like the best option. Despite Tsuzuki's position, his word meant nothing against Ashitarote's, and he feared what the Demon King might do to Hisoka should Tsuzuki disobey him. In speaking out on Hisoka's behalf and trying to help him, he could possibly inadvertently make the situation worse. All he could do was allow Hisoka to be locked up and make sure nothing happened to him until he was safely back in Meifu.

As the demons began dragging Hisoka away, Tsuzuki said nothing. He couldn't watch, and he didn't trust himself to open his mouth to say anything.

Hisoka struggles were futile against the demons, and all he could do was desperately yell out for his partner. "Ts-Tsuzuki! You idiot! You don't know what you are doing! Listen to me, Tsuzuki! Come back to us! TSUZUKI!"

The younger Shinigami's cries were cut off as the doors slammed shut behind them. Silence once again fell upon the room as Tsuzuki stood there, alone. Whether he had made the right decision, he didn't know. It seemed like the best way, yet he knew it still wouldn't be easy for Hisoka.

Tsuzuki cursed himself. Even having left Meifu, he still continued to cause problems. He sank to his knees and sobs wracked his body. As much as he tried to remain emotionless, he couldn't deny the pain he felt for Hisoka. He slammed his fist against the stone floor, cursing his very existence. It seemed that, no matter what, something bad would always happen.

Though, at least Hisoka had a chance. He would still be safe. Tsuzuki hoped that, perhaps now, Hisoka would give up on him. If Hisoka didn't associate with him anymore, then the younger man would be free from the danger he was put in by just being around Tsuzuki. He hated hurting Hisoka, but, in the long-run, it would be better for the empath, and that was what was important. In the meantime, Tsuzuki would have to do all he could to ensure he made it safely back to Meifu.

-xxxxxxxxxxxxx-

Hisoka yelped as he was tossed roughly into a cell. The door was locked, and the demons walked away, laughing. The Shinigami leapt to his feet and pulled out an ofuda. Aiming to break the door down, he released a burst of energy. All his attack managed to do, however, was kick up dust and alert the demons in nearby cells. There was some angry growling accompanied by hysterical laughter.

A demon in one of the cells across from Hisoka stood at the bars of his own cell, looking at him with a crazed smile. "Look at the little Shinigami, trying to break free. These cells are reinforced so that not even demons can sneak out. There's no way a tiny thing like you could break it! Hah hah hah!"

Tossing a glare at the demon, Hisoka only managed to make it laugh harder until it doubled over, holding its stomach. Infuriated, the Shinigami kicked a wall, stubbing his toe and frustrating him further. With an aggravated cry, he let himself drop to the ground in a corner, brought his legs to his chest and buried his face in his knees. He absolutely hated being so powerless, being trapped in a prison cell, and in the demon realm, no less. It wasn't as if he was unused to being locked up- most of his childhood was spent in a cell. What frustrated him even more, however, was Tsuzuki.

What was the man thinking? He didn't belong with the demons, he belonged in Meifu. How could he just stand there and completely ignore everything Hisoka was saying to him? After all they had been through, was this really the choice he would make?

The empath had been able to sense the conflict within Tsuzuki. He knew his partner didn't want to be doing all of this, but then why was he?

"I don't want to see you ever again!"

It was something Hisoka never thought he'd hear come from Tsuzuki's mouth. He didn't believe it, as he could feel the despair from his partner as it was spoken, but the fact was that he'd still said it. Was he so desperate to get Hisoka to leave that he was willing to completely cut ties with him?

Had this happened earlier in their partnership, Hisoka would have given up. He would have left Tsuzuki here and let their partnership be severed. But, this was not back then. He couldn't leave the distraught man here. He couldn't abandon the person he needed most in his life. Despite what had happened, he still had to try. Before he left the demon realm, he would be sure to bring Tsuzuki to his senses. He'd get his partner back to Meifu if he had to tie him up and physically drag him back. Until he saw Tsuzuki again, however, he could only wait for a chance to make a move.

-xxxxxxxxxxxx-

Night had fallen, and Tsuzuki had retired to bed. The last thing he could do, however, was fall asleep. Events from the day replayed over and over in his mind as he tried to figure out what to do. Images of Hisoka locked in one of the cells kept haunting him, and to know he had condemned his partner to that was tormenting him. But, this was the best way, wasn't it? Hisoka wouldn't be hurt, and he'd return to Meifu. Then, he would forget about Tsuzuki, and they would all move on like he was never there. But, how could he be sure nothing would happen to Hisoka in the meantime? While he believed Hisoka wouldn't be harmed in order to avoid conflict with Meifu, what if they thought of an excuse to harm him? Ashitarote had quite clearly threatened Tsuzuki with Hisoka's well-being, and now the Demon King had exactly what he needed to keep Tsuzuki from stepping out of line.

It was late, and Hisoka should be asleep by now. Perhaps he could just check in and make sure nothing had happened.

Tsuzuki got up, and quietly began making his way to the prison cells in the basement of the palace. Luckily, there weren't many guards in the actual palace itself- the protection outside of the palace was enough for keeping out any intruders. He knew where the ones nearest him were, so it was easier to avoid them. The main problem would be getting past the guards of the prison.

Before he had time to think up an excuse for his being there, he was already down the basement stairs and at the entrance to the prison.

"Halt! What reason do you have for being here?"

Tsuzuki froze and turned to the guard that was addressing him. "Er...um, I've come to speak with the Shinigami that intruded earlier."

The burly demon's cold gaze didn't let up. "We have received orders from Lord Ashitarote to let none see him unless otherwise instructed. Not even yourself."

"I wanted to make sure he fully understood the conditions. I wasn't able to give a full explanation earlier before he was apprehended. I thought that, if I explained what was going on, he would be less likely to cause trouble so that he would be safely returned to Meifu." The explanation did make some sort of sense, or so he hoped. He actually had no plans of speaking with Hisoka- he believed it would lead to more harm than good- but he wanted to make sure he was still unharmed.

The guard looked at Tsuzuki for a long moment before speaking again. "If you do anything other than your stated intentions, I will make sure you are removed and Lord Ashitarote is informed. I will let you by, but, regardless of your rank, I do not fully trust you, Shinigami."

Tsuzuki gave a small nod and walked forward. He was glad for the darkness in the prison, as it would hopefully prevent Hisoka from recognizing him. Making sure he kept his thoughts and emotions behind a thick wall, he glanced through the cells, searching for Hisoka's. He found the young Shinigami near the back, curled up in a corner on the floor, asleep.

The scene was a painful one to witness. Tsuzuki could only hope that Meifu sent somebody to come get him soon. Walking up to the bars, Tsuzuki leaned his forehead against one of them, still wondering what his best course of action was as he looked upon the person locked up, the person he cared for more than anything.

Hisoka suddenly stirred, and, before he had time to react, emerald eyes locked with amethyst, and Tsuzuki froze. He slowly stepped back, ready to run away, when Hisoka lunged forward, grabbing hold of his wrist through the bars.

"Tsuzuki, you moron!" Hisoka hissed, trying not to yell loud enough to gain the attention of the demons, but also unable to keep his voce at a whisper. "What the hell do you think you're doing!"

"I...I want you to understand...that you are not to do anything. You're going to be picked up and brought back to Meifu safely. If you cooperate...then nothing bad will happen...you'll go back where you belong...safely." Tsuzuki was trying his best to keep emotion out of his voice, though it was near impossible for him to not show some form of concern.

'Dammit, idiot! Listen to me!'

Tsuzuki stared, having heard Hisoka's voice despite the fact the young man clearly hadn't said anything. It was like before, when they first started the case and he had heard Hisoka's thoughts, much to the empath's surprise.

For a moment, Hisoka was confused at Tsuzuki's confusion before he was able to pick up on his thoughts.

'You...heard me?'

"Yes..."

Hisoka's grasp on his partner's wrist tightened. He assumed the physical contact was what was helping him to transmit his own thoughts, similar to how it enhanced his ability to read the thoughts of others. Why it was working, he wasn't sure. It wasn't the first time, however, as he, too, remembered when it had happened at the beginning of their case, and when they had been able to converse mentally when they first met after they had synchronized their powers. It was something he had only done with Tsuzuki. 'If you can hear me, then listen to me! Stop being a total moron and come back with me!'

'I...I can't. Please, Hisoka, just forget about me and go! I told you, I...don't want to see you anymore!'

'Then why are you here? If that was true, you wouldn't have come! You could have just sent one of the other demons to give me your message! If you don't want to see me, then you could just walk away and leave me here!'

Tsuzuki stepped back, causing Hisoka to slacken his grip. "Just...do as I say. You'll be picked up soon."

Hisoka thought Tsuzuki might actually walk away, but, despite the man's attempts to put distance between them, he was still within grasp. 'You don't know what you are doing!' Hisoka transmitted, regaining his grip on Tsuzuki's wrist. 'You think this is going to solve everything, but you're only seeing half of it! You're so busy focusing on the worst things that could possibly happen that you aren't doing what you really want to do! I won't let you push me away. I don't care what you say, I'm not leaving here without you!'

The younger man's stubbornness was completely breaking what little resolve Tsuzuki had. The force behind his words was too strong to ignore. Did Hisoka, then, need him after all?

'I won't abandon you.'

"What's going on?" A booming voice suddenly called out, breaking the mental connection the two Shinigami were sharing.

"I-I was just talking to-"

The guard walked up to the pair and took hold of Hisoka's hand. "Here, let me help you." Wrenching his hand away form Tsuzuki, the demon snapped four of Hisoka's fingers, causing him to cry out in pain as he withdrew his arm.

Tsuzuki turned to the guard. "What- what are you doing?"

"Helping the Shinigami keep his hands to himself."

"I gave no order for you to touch him!"

"Lord Ashitarote gave us permission to do what was necessary to keep the Shinigami in line. You spoke to him, did you not?"

"I did, but-"

"Then your business here is done. Please return to your chamber, Tsuzuki-sama." The demon regarded Tsuzuki in a mocking tone, clearly not accepting his position among them.

Hisoka made a move to grab for Tsuzuki again, but the demon grabbed his arm, this time breaking his wrist. "Know your place, Shinigami!"

Unable to see Hisoka hurt any longer, Tsuzuki retaliated on the demon with an attack of his own, knocking it back to the ground.

"Leave him alone!"

"You disgusting half-breed! You dare oppose the word of Lord Ashitarote? I will kill the both of you right here!"

Realizing what was going to happen, Tsuzuki turned his attention back to Hisoka before the guard had a chance to get back up. "Hisoka, stand back!" As soon as his partner had gotten out of the way as much as possible, Tsuzuki summoned up enough strength to blast the cell door apart. "Get out of here! I'll hold them off, but you have to go now!" He knew his actions would be seen as betrayal against Ashitarote, and, whether the Demon King wanted him to keep the position or not, Hisoka would not make it out unharmed. His actions would be taken as assault, and he could then be executed.

"I told you, I'm not leaving!"

"You'll be killed!"

"I'm not abandoning you, Tsuzuki! I told you before, and I'll tell you again: I'll follow you wherever you go. I won't leave you!"

"Hisoka..." Tsuzuki remembered back to Kyoto, when his partner had gone through hellfire just to tell him that he cared. Hisoka had knowingly risked his life to get to him, and even accepted the possibility he could die. He had told Tsuzuki that he did belong somewhere, that, even if there was nowhere else for him to go, he could stay with Hisoka. That the only place Hisoka belonged was in Tsuzuki's heart. To try push him away, even for his own protection, had been a terrible mistake. Now, once again, his partner was risking his life to bring Tsuzuki back with him, or die trying.

"You realize we could both die here, right?"

Hisoka looked the older man dead in the eyes. "You realize I don't care, right?" It wasn't dying with Tsuzuki that he feared- it was living without him.

"Pathetic Shinigami!" The demon roared. By now, the other guard had come to see what was going on. Both demons rushed forward. Before they could get close enough, Tsuzuki summoned up enough power to knock the both of them back to near the end of the hall. As soon as they were out of the way, Hisoka grabbed the older man by the hand and pulled him forward, once again making it clear that he was taking Tsuzuki with him no matter what.

The two ran up the stairs and down the corridor, hoping to make it out before any more demons got in their way. Not knowing the layout, Hisoka had let Tsuzuki take the lead. Their escape was blocked by a group of demons. As they turned around to try to find another route, they found the demons had converged on them from that side as well, effectively trapping them. Tsuzuki and Hisoka found themselves back-to-back, outnumbered and out-powered.

The nogitsune that had stopped Hisoka before stepped forward, transmitting to both Shinigami. "Tsuzuki Asato, you have betrayed us all. For treason against Lord Ashitarote, you will be executed."

Without waiting another moment, the fox demon attacked both Shinigami at once. Tsuzuki quickly retaliated, sending out an attack that interrupted the nogitsune. Realizing they wouldn't last long at all against the demons, Hisoka quickly raised a shield using a spell he had created before coming.

"Can we summon Shikigami in the demon realm?" Hisoka asked quickly.

"Yes, but it will take more energy than it would normally."

"Then I'm going for it. Take this." Hisoka handed his partner the ofuda, the exchange causing a temporary lapse in the shield. It was strengthened again before the demons could do damage, however. The strength of the shield impressed Tsuzuki- it was clearly not a basic spell, and he recognized the writing on the slip of paper to be Hisoka's. He realized his partner had created his own, powerful defensive spell, and was quite impressed. It was not the time to discuss that, however.

As Hisoka was busy summoning his Shikigami, the demons increased their offense, hoping to stop him before the Shikigami was called. Despite Tsuzuki's best efforts to improve its defense, the shield was cracking. It was quickly reaching its limit, and once it was broken, the demons would have time to attack them directly before another shield was raised.

Just before the barrier shattered, Hisoka finished the summons. Kurikara appeared with a mighty roar, causing all of the demons to step back, surprised. At Hisoka's command, the Shikigami attacked, sending a mighty blast that incinerated many of the demons before him almost instantly. Some that were spared ran away in fear.

The nogitsune, having been on the other side, quickly launched a powerful mental attack on Hisoka. The Shinigami cried out, the pain from the attack breaking his concentration and causing his connection with Kurikara to begin to falter.

"Fool! Don't be so weak!" Kurikara roared, pulling on Hisoka's energy in order to maintain his presence in the demon realm. The combination of the extra energy being drained from him and the mental assault was putting a large strain on Hisoka. As much as he tried to hold his concentration, he was finding it difficult to focus on anything. If it continued any longer, he felt his head might explode from all of the pressure.

Realizing what was going on, Tsuzuki turned his attention to the fox. A blast of his own caused the nogitsune's attack to cease, sparing Hisoka and Kurikara. Angered, the dragon retaliated. With a cry, the nine-tailed fox was killed.

With all of the demons either killed or having retreated to find reinforcements, the path was momentarily clear.

"Hisoka, we have to go now! We can't stay in this palace!"

Hisoka took a moment to respond, trying to catch his breath. "Where are we going?"

"Anywhere away from Ashitarote. We have to avoid facing him!"

With a nod, the younger Shinigami turned toward his Shikigami. "Kurikara, I need you to get us out of here."

While the idea of ferrying two Shinigami around wasn't exactly an appealing one, he couldn't ignore the command of his master. "Get on."

Lowering himself to the ground as much as he could, he let the Shinigami get on his back. After Hisoka had climbed on, he reached out his hand, helping his partner up. He gripped Kurikara as best he could while Tsuzuki wrapped his arms around his waist.

"Hold on tight." With both men settled, Kurikara took off, speeding through the large corridors, tail slamming into walls and pillars on the way, leaving a broken trail in his wake. Demons that had been on their way to try to stop them had to dive out of the way as the mighty dragon flew by. In a matter of seconds, Kurikara had shot out of the entrance to the palace, taking to the sky.

They flew a good distance in silence before Hisoka finally found a spot to land that he deemed safe and had Kurikara take them down to the ground. As he dismissed Kurikara, he stumbled, Tsuzuki being the only thing that kept him from falling.

"Are you alright?" Tsuzuki asked, keeping his hands on his partner's shoulders as he stood.

"Yeah...just a little tired...I'll be fine, don't worry about it." He looked around with a frown. They were in the middle of nowhere- the palace was just a speck in the distance- and he had no clue how to get back to the living realm. "Tsuzuki...do you know how to get out of here?"

"No...don't you?"

Hisoka shook his head. "Tsukiori helped me get here, but I don't know where she went." He suddenly grew alarmed at what could have happened. What if she had gotten captured? He wanted to make sure she was alright, but he couldn't leave Tsuzuki. Tsukiori had said that she knew what she was doing- he hoped she was right.

"We'll have to hide out here until we can find a way back." He regarded his partner for a moment, who was silently staring at the ground. His thoughts were all over the place, but regret and self-hatred were loud and clear. "Tsuzuki, are you alright?"

"Hisoka...I...you..."

Stepping forward, Hisoka closed the distance between them and wrapped his arms around his partner. "Don't do that to me ever again. Don't leave me again. We're going back to Meifu, the both of us." Hisoka simply stood like that, happy just to have his partner back, to be so close to him. Too many times he had almost lost the one person he'd ever allowed to get close. He couldn't let that happen anymore.

"Hi-Hisoka..." Tsuzuki wrapped his arms tightly around the younger man. "I-I'm sorry, I..."

Before another word could be said, Hisoka abruptly pulled back and swore, alarming Tsuzuki. "They found us."

Turning around, Tsuzuki saw a large group of demons making their way towards them. There were enough to comprise a small army. Escaping by air wouldn't be possible this time- some of the demons could fly as well, and Tsuzuki knew they were swift. This time, there was no escape.