Look! She finally wrote another chapter, I guess we don't have to lynch her right away…

Maybe next time!

Well, she was all prepared to let the heroes of the story find their way home together and have a happily ever after, but I couldn't allow that… it's too soon, there has not been enough suffering yet.

So, she owns nothing, she never will, and there are quotes from both the anime and the magnas scattered throughout Hisoka's dream.

And if she takes this long to get the next chapter out, don't worry, I'll kick her!

-Jennamarie's evil twin-

Chapter 12

The sakura petals were falling from the trees in a thick cloud, swirled around by an errant breeze. So thick that they almost obscured the figures huddled together at the base of THAT tree. He hurried towards them, brushing the clinging petals out of his face

The chains, the chains were corroded. The chains were cracked. And he could feel a sense of urgency running through him, he could see it mirrored in two other sets of green eyes. He grabbed the chains and pulled with every ounce of strength he had.

"I want to go home!"

With a loud crack the chains broke, and he was falling backwards with the sakura petals, falling…

He closed his eyes expecting the ground to hit him.

But he was still falling.

"This is your first assignment, there has been an abnormal rise in the number of unnatural deaths in Nagasaki, you are to go to Chijou and investigate, your partner will join you there."

"Partner?"

"Shinigami work in pairs…"

He was still falling…

"Don't move!"

"Aren't you mistaking me for someone?"

"Keep your hands up, turn around slowly."

Sill falling…

"You idiot! Why did you come to save me? This is a trap!"

"It doesn't mean I can leave you like this!"

"Tsuzuki…"

Falling…

"Why for me? Why…? I'm …just"

"Because you're my partner."

It hit him.

Hard.

It was too much all at once, it HURT!

Memories of pain, hurt, loss and betrayal…

Memories of hope, warmth, comfort and love…

It HURT!

"Your pale skin goes well with your red blood."

"I want to help Tsuzuki too!"

Chocolate brown hair falling haphazardly over violet eyes filled with warmth and promises, arms that wrapped around him…

Arms that wrapped around him, silver blue eyes leering at him from a pale face shrouded by pale hair under a blood red moon, pain and fear…

"You hate him this much, even after death? You still hurt this much even now? Doesn't that prove that you'll be cursed forever?"

Somewhere he was screaming…

Then, mercifully, it began to fade…

Becoming numb…

And he sank into a void of blackness…

Come to me my poppet…

XXX

Tsuzuki watched the nurse putter around the room straightening things up, putting things away, generally keeping herself busy in the small room while presenting a small problem in his plans to leave with his partner. He let out a deep sigh and the nurse turned to look over at him and give him a reassuring smile.

Hisoka shifted in the bed and made a small noise, drawing the nurses' attention to him.

"What in the world is that?" The nurse asked as red lines began to glow against his pale skin.

Tsuzuki floundered, what could he tell her?

Hisoka began to move restlessly in his sleep, suddenly green eyes shot open and he began gasping for breath.

"Hisoka!"

The nurse shoved Tsuzuki out of the way and leaning over the bed pressed a red button there. "Tsuzuki-san, could you please leave the room?"

Tsuzuki shook his head in a blant refusal. "I'm not leaving."

The nurse shot him a glare, but didn't repeat her request. She grabbed and tried to restrain Hisoka's arms which had begun to twitch sporadically as he tried to draw air into his starving lungs.

Tsuzuki moved forward as Hisoka began to struggle in earnest, but before he could move the nurse away from his partners' side, the door flew open and several more people rushed into the room, doctors nurses, orderlies, they all seemed to be franticly busy the moment they entered the room.

"What's happening?" One doctor asked, taking charge of the situation, brushing the nurse and Tsuzuki aside as he attempted to aid the gasping youth.

"His doctor sedated him but he's gone into respiratory distress," the nurse supplied.

"Who's his doctor?"

The nurse opened up her mouth t reply then flushed as she realized she didn't have the doctors' name.

"That man was not his doctor!" Tsuzuki grated out harshly.

The doctor spared a quick look over his shoulder. "And who are you?"

"He's Hisoka-kun's brother." A helpful voice supplied from the doorway.

Tsuzuki and the doctor both turned to see a young woman standing in the doorway. "Who are you?" Tsuzuki and the doctor asked at the same time.

"My name is Kano Shiori, I brought Hisoka here."

The doctor nodded curtly before turning his attention back to Hisoka.

Tsuzuki looked closely at Shiori. "Have I met you somewhere?"

Shiori blushed slightly. "I hit you with a potted plant."

It still took Tsuzuki a moment to make the connection. "I remember! You were Hisae's student!"

Shiori nodded. "Until her brother died."

Tsuzuki nodded. And when we stayed at Hisae's place, Hisoka introduced himself as my little brother!

The thought drew Tsuzuki's attention back to his partner and he turned in time to see the orderlies using the sheet under Hisoka as a sling under the doctors' direction "…and lift…" Raising him gently they moved him over and lowered him gently onto a gurney.

"Hey! Where are you taking him?"

Hisoka's eyes were closed and he seemed to be unconscious once again.

"We're taking him to a different examination room, one with more equipment so that we can figure out what's wrong with him."

"No! Wait…"

Before Tsuzuki was able to finish voicing his protests, Hisoka had been wheeled out of the room and whisked down the hallway.

Tsuzuki moved to follow but his path was blocked by an orderly. "Sir, I'm afraid that you can't go with them now, don't worry they'll…"

Tsuzuki pushed past the man into the hallway, but the gurney that had born his partner was already out of sight.

"Tsuzuki-san?" Shiori reached out and touched his arm. He looked down at her.

"He'll be fine, the doctors will take good care of him, why don't we go back out to the waiting room?"

Tsuzuki shook his head in frustration. "He doesn't need a doctor. There's nothing they can do for him. If I could just take him home…"

Shiori laughed slightly. "It seems the two of you are on the same wave length anyway!"

"What do you mean?" Tsuzuki asked, giving her a quizzical look.

"That's how he came to be traveling with me, he said he wanted to go home and I just happened to be going in the right direction."

Tsuzuki looked down the hallway, trying to decide which direction he should try. "Did he say where home is?"

Shiori actually did laugh at that. "I asked him that exact question and he told me home is where Tsuzuki is."

"He said that?" Tsuzuki asked, tuning back to Shiori with hopeful eyes.

Shiori nodded, wondering at how a person could look happy and sad at the same time.

Tsuzuki took Shiori's hand and gave it a squeeze. "Thank you for your help, and if he doesn't get a chance to say it himself, I'm sure that Hisoka thanks you as well."

Shiori smiled. "I'm glad I could help."

Tsuzuki returned the smile before hurrying away.

XXX

The orderlies had only just moved Hisoka into the new bed when the door to the examination room was pushed open and a man in white entered the room.

"Excuse me sir, but you can't…" The doctor began.

"I am Dr. Muraki, and the bouya here is a patient of mine." Muraki moved over to the side of the bed and looked down on the silent form lying therein. "I'll take over his care from here."

The doctor gave Muraki a speculative look, but reluctantly retreated. "Very well. Do you need any assistance?"

Muraki gave the man a reassuring smile as he shook his head. "No, it's fine. This is not uncommon, for the bouya to 'pitch a fit' as they say. I have dealt with it before and he'll be alright. For now, I'll stay with him."

The doctor looked relieved. "Alright then." The doctor bowed his head slightly and left the room followed by the orderlies and nurse.

Muraki closed the door behind them when a moan drew him back to the bed.

Hisoka blinked, only to find Muraki looming over him. He scurried backwards only to come up against the head of the bed, images of the night when he was thirteen flashed through his mind, memories of being tied with strands of woman's hair cutting into his flesh, nearly bled to death as Muraki leered at him, Muraki taking Tsuzuki away in a hail of falling feathers and…

Muraki shielding him from the shadow creatures attack, opening his eyes to a gentle kiss on his forehead to find Muraki hovering above him. Trying to push away his own conflicting emotions, Hisoka grabbed onto his anger, glaring at the doctor.…

Muraki smiled softly in the face of the empath's rage. "So you're finally awake."

Hisoka let out a hissing breath and Muraki chuckled. "Aren't you happy to see me?"

"I trusted you." Hisoka spat out the words, leaving a better taste in his mouth. "Tsuzuki warned me not to, Watari warned me, but I put aside everything you've done and trusted you!"

"And therein lies the rub, eh bouya? You've changed in the time you've spent in Tsuzuki-san's presence. You've lost some of your cynicism, forgotten some of the lessons you learned as a child, and it has made you vulnerable."

"You tricked me." Hisoka accused.

"You let me." Muraki returned and then fell back into a chair beside the bed. "But that's not why I took you away with me."

Muraki looked up and Hisoka's eyes widened. There was something indefinable in his eyes, and a lingering sorrow deep under the darkness that was Muraki's soul…

He was sad?

"What did you do to me?"

Who am I?

Muraki felt a slight frown touch his lips. "Not much really, I just suppressed your memories of the last six years."

Hisoka was frowning himself, he had spent over a week in Muraki's company and the man had been, not his usual sadistic self anyway. "But, why?"

Why am I?

Muraki shrugged slightly, as if to say he didn't understand it himself. "I wanted to keep you."

Hisoka scowled. "I am not a possession!"

But I want to be myself!

Anger, rage, desire, and hate rolled in the darkness that he pulled around himself like a cloak.

THEN YOU WILL SUFFER FOR IT.

Hisoka felt the out pouring of negative emotions from Muraki too late, the man's hand lashed out and grabbed a handful of his hair, using it to pull his head back 'till their eyes met.

"You are mine! You were mine before death and you remained mine after. When I had nothing else I still had you! When I knew nothing else I still knew that you were mine!" Muraki's other hand reached out and gripped Hisoka's wrist, the curse flaring to life under his hand, traveling over the length of his body. Hisoka struggled frantically against Muraki's hold to no avail, the pain was becoming more intense. Darkness spread through his vision.

Before the darkness could claim him utterly, he heard the door slam open.

"Let him go!"