Tsuzuki moaned from his throbbing headache as he woke. He shoved his face into his pillow and closed his eyes tightly, waiting for the feeling of his hangover to subside.
"That's what you get for drinking so much, Tsuzuki-san."
"Nani?" Tsuzuki said weakly, lifting his head from his pillow cautiously as to avoid any blinding light. "Tatsumi? What are you doing here?"
"Your apartment was the closest so we all stayed here, I hope you don't mind." Tatsumi said calmly. "The lights are off." He assured him.
"We?"
"Watari, Hisoka, and myself. Terazuma went home."
"What...what happened last night?" Tsuzuki sat up slowly.
"Terazuma says you were yelling at him to apologize for calling Muraki names just before you passed out." Tatsumi said causally.
"Apologize?" Tsuzuki asked, faking innocence.
"Hai. Do you know why you did that, Tsuzuki-san?"
"No." Tsuzuki lied.
"Perhaps it has something to do with the amount of alcohol you consumed last night." Tatsumi reasoned.
"Hai. Probably."
"Is Tsuzuki up yet?" Watari appeared behind Tatsumi.
"Hai."
"Morning Tsuzuki." Watari beamed.
"How can you be so cheerful this early in the morning?" Tsuzuki moaned.
"I've been up longer than you and my hangover is almost totally gone." He grinned. "Time to get up Tsuzuki!"
"Be quiet." He groaned, falling back into his pillow. "Too early."
"But Tsuzuki, its noon." Watari smiled.
Tatsumi walked over to the bed, tugged off the sheets, and shook Tsuzuki lightly. "Tsuzuki-san, get up, take a shower, get dressed, and come out of your room. We'll have brunch ready for you when you're done."
"No." He pouted, hiding under his pillow.
Tatsumi stole the pillow away from Tsuzuki's clutches and smiled softly at him. "We'll have apple pie with brunch."
Tsuzuki grinned and sat up slowly. "OK."
A faint smiled appeared on Tatsumi's face before he left the room. Watari closed the door and walked over to sit down next to Tsuzuki on the bed. He smiled.
"Nani?" Tsuzuki questioned the quirky scientist.
"How are you feeling?" Watari grinned.
"What is it Watari?" Tsuzuki urged him to get to the point.
"You n' Muraki...and how your in lo..." Before he could finish Tsuzuki was instantly on top of him, covering his head with a pillow and staring intently at the door. Somehow, Watari managed to pry the pillow off his head and stare at Tsuzuki.
"Are you nuts?" Tsuzuki whispered angrily.
"Gomen. Was I speaking too loud?"
Tsuzuki's glare was answer enough.
"Are you positive, about your feelings for Muraki I mean?" Watari asked.
Tsuzuki's gaze softened and he smiled. "Hai."
"Muraki Kazutaka?" Watari raised a suspicious eyebrow.
Tsuzuki laughed lightly. "Hai."
Watari sighed in defeat. "There's no changing your mind?"
"No." Tsuzuki grinned.
The scientist made a disgusted noise and pushed his friend off as he stood up.
"Watari...I'll have a talk with Kazu. I want you to see how much he's changed." He smiled at the blonde. "I'd like it if you two could get along."
Watari sighed and stared at his friend for a moment. "Fine. But only for you, Tsuzuki."
Tsuzuki bounced up and hugged his friend. "Arigato, Watari!"
"You're welcome." Watari smiled lightly.
"WATARI! Let Tsuzuki Get Up On His Own!" Tatsumi yelled from the other room.
"Yea! We Need Your Help Out Here!" Hisoka growled, then the sound of dishes clattering and something breaking was heard. "Gomen Tsuzuki!"
Tsuzuki giggled and rushed into the bathroom. Watari sighed as he watched his friend retreat into the bathroom before leaving.
He blinked. Hisoka was sitting on the floor surrounded by dishes of all sorts, and Tatsumi was clearing the counter of the spilled ingredients from the breakfast he was making. Watari smiled. "Are you two ok?"
"Stop grinning and help us." Hisoka growled.
"It would seem Tsuzuki-san isn't a very organized person." Tatsumi stated. "But then again we already knew that."
"If you'd waited I could have told you where everything was." Watari told them.
"Nobody likes a smart...never mind." Tatsumi decided not to finish.
"What's up with Tsuzuki, Watari?" Hisoka asked, standing up slowly.
In the background the shower started up. "He's feeling better." Watari told them, forcing a smile.
"I'm worried about him. He's been acting weird lately." Hisoka stated. He began to put away the fallen dishes.
"We'll ask him at brunch." Tatsumi told him.
Hisoka nodded. "It's better to ask him questions when he's happy and has his mouth full." Watari nodded in silent agreement.
************************
"Morning Hisoka! Morning Tatsumi!" Tsuzuki grinned, plopping down into a chair at the table.
"Good Morning Tsuzuki-san." Tatsumi smiled slightly at the other shinigami.
Hisoka said nothing as he set the table.
"How was your date the other night, Tsuzuki-san?" Tatsumi asked.
Tsuzuki blushed slightly. "I...It wasn't a date." He mumbled.
"How was it?" Watari encouraged with a smile.
"Fine." He shrugged. "The play was good and the food at the restaurant was excellent."
"How old is she again?" Hisoka asked.
"Thirty-one, the same age as K...Muraki." Tsuzuki corrected.
"I didn't know Sensei was thirty-one." Tatsumi observed, serving Tsuzuki some eggs.
"Ah...Hai. Ukyou told me that. I didn't know that either."
"What else did she tell you about Muraki?" Hisoka asked, sitting down in the chair on Tsuzuki's right.
"Anou...She said he had a half-brother who was...conceived only a few months before Muraki himself. She says she doesn't know much about him but that he was killed shortly after Muraki met him. She said his name was Shindo Saki."
"I'll look him up later." Tatsumi informed them. He set the plates of food down on the table and sat on the other side of Tsuzuki.
"Tatsumi, don't you think it's strange that we've been running into Muraki quite a lot lately? I mean we haven't seen him since Kyoto almost an entire year ago, and suddenly he just pops up and we're seeing him everywhere now." Hisoka questioned.
"I suppose it is rather strange, but then again we did go to see him the other day." Tatsumi said.
"But that was just one time." Hisoka explained.
"True." Tatsumi sighed.
Watari glanced at Tsuzuki.
Tsuzuki smiled. "Can we talk about something else?" He asked.
"Of course. Gomen, Tsuzuki-san. I forgot about your connection with Sensei." Tatsumi smiled reassuringly.
Tsuzuki blushed slightly, thinking of something different entirely. "Hai."
"So..." Hisoka nudged Tsuzuki with his elbow. "Did anything special happen on your date?" He smirked slightly.
Tsuzuki's blush deepened. "Hisoka..." He pouted.
"Well?" Hisoka asked.
Tsuzuki opened his mouth to say something.
Tatsumi interrupted him. "Kurosaki-kun, I don't think it's appropriate to talk about that during breakfast."
"Arigato, Tatsumi!" Tsuzuki beamed.
"Tsuzuki-san can tell us all the details after breakfast." Tatsumi said with a strait face.
"Juicy details!" Watari cheered.
"Eat your breakfast, Watari." Tatsumi told him.
Watari nodded and began to gobble his food.
Tsuzuki whined. "I don't want to have a guy talk."
"Too bad." Hisoka shrugged before placing a bite of eggs and waffles into his mouth.
***************************
Tsuzuki sat on his couch surrounded by Tatsumi, Hisoka, and Watari. Tatsumi sat on his left, Hisoka on his right, and Watari sat on the coffee table before him.
"Well?" Hisoka asked.
"Nani?" Tsuzuki asked innocently.
"What happened on your date, Tsuzuki-san?" Tatsumi asked.
"N-Nothing." He stuttered. "We went to the play, we had dinner, I walked her to her car and that was it." He shrugged.
"Liar." Hisoka mumbled. "I stopped by your apartment that night to see how it had gone and you weren't home." Hisoka told him. "And it was pretty late, too."
"I guess Saya, Yuma, and Wakaba picked out the perfect suit." Tatsumi smirked slightly.
Tsuzuki's jaw dropped. "I didn't though..."
"So? Dish, Tsuzuki! What happened?" Watari asked.
Tsuzuki narrowed his eyes at Watari. 'He knows damn well what happened. I already told him.' He sighed. 'I suppose it's an act.' "I swear nothing happened." Tsuzuki pressed. "Except...she did kiss me on the cheek before she left."
"Left for her job the next morning, right?" Watari giggled.
Tsuzuki growled slightly. "No! After dinner, when I walked her to her car."
"Sure." Hisoka rolled his eyes. "No use in lying to an emapth, Tsuzuki."
"But I swear I'm telling the truth." Tsuzuki whimpered.
"The sympathy act won't work this time, Tsuzuki-san." Tatsumi told him.
"Hai!" Watari beamed. "We want the truth." Secretly Watari wanted him to end up confessing about Muraki, but he also wanted to see what kind of lie he'd come up with if he didn't.
"But that is the truth! I swear nothing happened between me and Ukyou!"
Hisoka's jaw dropped. "Did you dump her and go find someone else?" He tried.
Tsuzuki's eyes nearly popped out of his head. "How long have you known me for, Hisoka?"
"To tell the truth, I don't know that much about you really." Hisoka shrugged.
"Quite true." Tatsumi agreed. "You're a very private and therefore mysterious person, Tsuzuki-san."
"Well for your information I'm not that kind of person." Tsuzuki snorted. "Even ask Watari."
Tatsumi and Hisoka turned curiously to Watari. Watari automatically panicked. "Nani?" 'He can't ask me! He's put me in enough trouble, keeping a secret from Tatsumi is so hard. Whenever he stares at me like that I swear I'm going to spill something, and if I do Tsuzuki will never trust me again…he'll also kill me! But then again if Tatsumi finds out about them and then figures out I knew and didn't tell him, he'll kill me. Ah! What to do?' He laughed nervously. "Tatsumi, what about this whole predicament with the murders Muraki committed?"
"Don't change the subject, Watari." Tatsumi said simply. "Besides, that case has been solved."
"But what if he does it again?"
"Then we'll go through the usual paperwork and such." He told the blonde scientist. "Now stop trying to change the subject, Watari. What do you know of Tsuzuki-san's night out? If I remember correctly you said he told you about it." Tatsumi quirked an eyebrow slightly.
"I…I don't remember?" He tried.
"I can tell you're lying, Watari." Hisoka nearly growled. He was kind of interested in this.
"As can I." Tatsumi told him.
Watari whimpered and scratched the chin of the owl on his shoulder. "It was a private conversation, it's none of your business." 'I hate doing this.'
Tsuzuki jumped from his spot on the couch and hugged the blonde in front of him. "Arigato, Watari!"
Tatsumi pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose. "I suppose we were being a bit intrusive."
Inu-Tsuzuki nodded in agreement. "Hai!"
"It's not that often we get to have a guy talk like this, us being dead and all." Hisoka shrugged.
"I don't mind having a guy talk, just not at my expense." Inu-Tsuzuki told him.
"What is so embarrassing about it, Tsuzuki-san? Unless you have something to hide." Tatsumi paused for a moment. "Tsuzuki-san, would you happen to know why we've been running into Sensei so often lately?"
Tsuzuki hesitated. "No."
"Why are you so nervous?" Hisoka asked.
"Me?" Tsuzuki asked.
"Hai." Hisoka nodded.
"I…" His phone rang. Tsuzuki stood up, walked over to the phone, and picked it up. "Hello?"
"Hello, Asato."
'EEP! NO, NO, NO! Kazu you have perfect timing. Damn it!!' "Hello."
"I hope I didn't catch you at a bad time. I'll be finishing my shift at the hospital early today and was wondering if you'd like to join me for dinner, if you don't already have plans that is?" Muraki asked from the other end of the line.
"Hold on a second, please." Tsuzuki told him.
"Of course." Muraki said pleasantly.
"Who is it, Tsuzuki?" Hisoka asked.
He smiled. "I'm going to take this in my room. Be right back!" He quickly bounded out of the room. "Gomen, Kazu."
"It's all right."
"My friends are over right now so I can't go out now."
"I meant tonight, Asato." Muraki told him. "By the way, how are you feeling?"
"Fine, arigato." Tsuzuki told him. "I'll come tonight."
"Good. I need to talk to you about something."
"Oh?" Tsuzuki sounded worried.
"No, Asato, it's good news." He assured with a chuckle.
"Oh Good!" Tsuzuki cheered.
"Who is there with you right now?" Muraki asked conversationally.
"Watari, Tatsumi, and Hisoka." Tsuzuki told him.
"What about that man you kept fighting with last night?"
"Nani? Oh you mean Hajime-chan! He went home last night." Tsuzuki told him.
"Tsuzuki! What's going on?" Hisoka called.
"I got to go, Kazu. I'll see you tonight." Tsuzuki whispered. "I'll meet you in the park at seven, right?"
"Hai. I'll see you tonight." Muraki told him. "Bye."
"Bye-bye." Tsuzuki smiled to himself and hung up the phone.
"Gomen!" Tsuzuki apologized to his friends as he put the phone back into its cradle.
"Who was it, Tsuzuki-san?" Tatsumi asked.
"One of those stupid telemarketers." He lied.
"Oh." Tatsumi stood. "Well we should get going. I'll see you tomorrow, Tsuzuki-san?"
"Anou…Oh! The annual company picnic tomorrow, I forgot about that. Of course, I'll see you all tomorrow." Tsuzuki smiled.
"Bye." Hisoka nodded to Tsuzuki and stepped out the door.
"Bye-bye!" Watari beamed, and then bounced out the door after Hisoka.
"Goodbye, Tsuzuki-san." Tatsumi said following his co-workers out the door.
"Bye!" Tsuzuki grinned; he closed the door behind them and then crashed on his couch.
*********************
"He was talking to someone." Hisoka told them. "I don't know who it was but I heard him say he was going to meet them in the park tonight at seven."
"We'll follow and check it out. He's been acting rather strangely lately." Tatsumi informed them.
"Is that a good idea?" Watari asked.
"Hai. It's for his own good." Tatsumi said.
"All right then." Watari shrugged. 'I said I wouldn't say anything, I never said anything about stopping people from finding out on their own. Let him clean up his own mess.'
"We'll meet in the park at six thirty." Tatsumi told them. "I'll ask Terazuma to come as well."
"All right." Hisoka nodded.
"Kay." Watari agreed.
"That's what you get for drinking so much, Tsuzuki-san."
"Nani?" Tsuzuki said weakly, lifting his head from his pillow cautiously as to avoid any blinding light. "Tatsumi? What are you doing here?"
"Your apartment was the closest so we all stayed here, I hope you don't mind." Tatsumi said calmly. "The lights are off." He assured him.
"We?"
"Watari, Hisoka, and myself. Terazuma went home."
"What...what happened last night?" Tsuzuki sat up slowly.
"Terazuma says you were yelling at him to apologize for calling Muraki names just before you passed out." Tatsumi said causally.
"Apologize?" Tsuzuki asked, faking innocence.
"Hai. Do you know why you did that, Tsuzuki-san?"
"No." Tsuzuki lied.
"Perhaps it has something to do with the amount of alcohol you consumed last night." Tatsumi reasoned.
"Hai. Probably."
"Is Tsuzuki up yet?" Watari appeared behind Tatsumi.
"Hai."
"Morning Tsuzuki." Watari beamed.
"How can you be so cheerful this early in the morning?" Tsuzuki moaned.
"I've been up longer than you and my hangover is almost totally gone." He grinned. "Time to get up Tsuzuki!"
"Be quiet." He groaned, falling back into his pillow. "Too early."
"But Tsuzuki, its noon." Watari smiled.
Tatsumi walked over to the bed, tugged off the sheets, and shook Tsuzuki lightly. "Tsuzuki-san, get up, take a shower, get dressed, and come out of your room. We'll have brunch ready for you when you're done."
"No." He pouted, hiding under his pillow.
Tatsumi stole the pillow away from Tsuzuki's clutches and smiled softly at him. "We'll have apple pie with brunch."
Tsuzuki grinned and sat up slowly. "OK."
A faint smiled appeared on Tatsumi's face before he left the room. Watari closed the door and walked over to sit down next to Tsuzuki on the bed. He smiled.
"Nani?" Tsuzuki questioned the quirky scientist.
"How are you feeling?" Watari grinned.
"What is it Watari?" Tsuzuki urged him to get to the point.
"You n' Muraki...and how your in lo..." Before he could finish Tsuzuki was instantly on top of him, covering his head with a pillow and staring intently at the door. Somehow, Watari managed to pry the pillow off his head and stare at Tsuzuki.
"Are you nuts?" Tsuzuki whispered angrily.
"Gomen. Was I speaking too loud?"
Tsuzuki's glare was answer enough.
"Are you positive, about your feelings for Muraki I mean?" Watari asked.
Tsuzuki's gaze softened and he smiled. "Hai."
"Muraki Kazutaka?" Watari raised a suspicious eyebrow.
Tsuzuki laughed lightly. "Hai."
Watari sighed in defeat. "There's no changing your mind?"
"No." Tsuzuki grinned.
The scientist made a disgusted noise and pushed his friend off as he stood up.
"Watari...I'll have a talk with Kazu. I want you to see how much he's changed." He smiled at the blonde. "I'd like it if you two could get along."
Watari sighed and stared at his friend for a moment. "Fine. But only for you, Tsuzuki."
Tsuzuki bounced up and hugged his friend. "Arigato, Watari!"
"You're welcome." Watari smiled lightly.
"WATARI! Let Tsuzuki Get Up On His Own!" Tatsumi yelled from the other room.
"Yea! We Need Your Help Out Here!" Hisoka growled, then the sound of dishes clattering and something breaking was heard. "Gomen Tsuzuki!"
Tsuzuki giggled and rushed into the bathroom. Watari sighed as he watched his friend retreat into the bathroom before leaving.
He blinked. Hisoka was sitting on the floor surrounded by dishes of all sorts, and Tatsumi was clearing the counter of the spilled ingredients from the breakfast he was making. Watari smiled. "Are you two ok?"
"Stop grinning and help us." Hisoka growled.
"It would seem Tsuzuki-san isn't a very organized person." Tatsumi stated. "But then again we already knew that."
"If you'd waited I could have told you where everything was." Watari told them.
"Nobody likes a smart...never mind." Tatsumi decided not to finish.
"What's up with Tsuzuki, Watari?" Hisoka asked, standing up slowly.
In the background the shower started up. "He's feeling better." Watari told them, forcing a smile.
"I'm worried about him. He's been acting weird lately." Hisoka stated. He began to put away the fallen dishes.
"We'll ask him at brunch." Tatsumi told him.
Hisoka nodded. "It's better to ask him questions when he's happy and has his mouth full." Watari nodded in silent agreement.
************************
"Morning Hisoka! Morning Tatsumi!" Tsuzuki grinned, plopping down into a chair at the table.
"Good Morning Tsuzuki-san." Tatsumi smiled slightly at the other shinigami.
Hisoka said nothing as he set the table.
"How was your date the other night, Tsuzuki-san?" Tatsumi asked.
Tsuzuki blushed slightly. "I...It wasn't a date." He mumbled.
"How was it?" Watari encouraged with a smile.
"Fine." He shrugged. "The play was good and the food at the restaurant was excellent."
"How old is she again?" Hisoka asked.
"Thirty-one, the same age as K...Muraki." Tsuzuki corrected.
"I didn't know Sensei was thirty-one." Tatsumi observed, serving Tsuzuki some eggs.
"Ah...Hai. Ukyou told me that. I didn't know that either."
"What else did she tell you about Muraki?" Hisoka asked, sitting down in the chair on Tsuzuki's right.
"Anou...She said he had a half-brother who was...conceived only a few months before Muraki himself. She says she doesn't know much about him but that he was killed shortly after Muraki met him. She said his name was Shindo Saki."
"I'll look him up later." Tatsumi informed them. He set the plates of food down on the table and sat on the other side of Tsuzuki.
"Tatsumi, don't you think it's strange that we've been running into Muraki quite a lot lately? I mean we haven't seen him since Kyoto almost an entire year ago, and suddenly he just pops up and we're seeing him everywhere now." Hisoka questioned.
"I suppose it is rather strange, but then again we did go to see him the other day." Tatsumi said.
"But that was just one time." Hisoka explained.
"True." Tatsumi sighed.
Watari glanced at Tsuzuki.
Tsuzuki smiled. "Can we talk about something else?" He asked.
"Of course. Gomen, Tsuzuki-san. I forgot about your connection with Sensei." Tatsumi smiled reassuringly.
Tsuzuki blushed slightly, thinking of something different entirely. "Hai."
"So..." Hisoka nudged Tsuzuki with his elbow. "Did anything special happen on your date?" He smirked slightly.
Tsuzuki's blush deepened. "Hisoka..." He pouted.
"Well?" Hisoka asked.
Tsuzuki opened his mouth to say something.
Tatsumi interrupted him. "Kurosaki-kun, I don't think it's appropriate to talk about that during breakfast."
"Arigato, Tatsumi!" Tsuzuki beamed.
"Tsuzuki-san can tell us all the details after breakfast." Tatsumi said with a strait face.
"Juicy details!" Watari cheered.
"Eat your breakfast, Watari." Tatsumi told him.
Watari nodded and began to gobble his food.
Tsuzuki whined. "I don't want to have a guy talk."
"Too bad." Hisoka shrugged before placing a bite of eggs and waffles into his mouth.
***************************
Tsuzuki sat on his couch surrounded by Tatsumi, Hisoka, and Watari. Tatsumi sat on his left, Hisoka on his right, and Watari sat on the coffee table before him.
"Well?" Hisoka asked.
"Nani?" Tsuzuki asked innocently.
"What happened on your date, Tsuzuki-san?" Tatsumi asked.
"N-Nothing." He stuttered. "We went to the play, we had dinner, I walked her to her car and that was it." He shrugged.
"Liar." Hisoka mumbled. "I stopped by your apartment that night to see how it had gone and you weren't home." Hisoka told him. "And it was pretty late, too."
"I guess Saya, Yuma, and Wakaba picked out the perfect suit." Tatsumi smirked slightly.
Tsuzuki's jaw dropped. "I didn't though..."
"So? Dish, Tsuzuki! What happened?" Watari asked.
Tsuzuki narrowed his eyes at Watari. 'He knows damn well what happened. I already told him.' He sighed. 'I suppose it's an act.' "I swear nothing happened." Tsuzuki pressed. "Except...she did kiss me on the cheek before she left."
"Left for her job the next morning, right?" Watari giggled.
Tsuzuki growled slightly. "No! After dinner, when I walked her to her car."
"Sure." Hisoka rolled his eyes. "No use in lying to an emapth, Tsuzuki."
"But I swear I'm telling the truth." Tsuzuki whimpered.
"The sympathy act won't work this time, Tsuzuki-san." Tatsumi told him.
"Hai!" Watari beamed. "We want the truth." Secretly Watari wanted him to end up confessing about Muraki, but he also wanted to see what kind of lie he'd come up with if he didn't.
"But that is the truth! I swear nothing happened between me and Ukyou!"
Hisoka's jaw dropped. "Did you dump her and go find someone else?" He tried.
Tsuzuki's eyes nearly popped out of his head. "How long have you known me for, Hisoka?"
"To tell the truth, I don't know that much about you really." Hisoka shrugged.
"Quite true." Tatsumi agreed. "You're a very private and therefore mysterious person, Tsuzuki-san."
"Well for your information I'm not that kind of person." Tsuzuki snorted. "Even ask Watari."
Tatsumi and Hisoka turned curiously to Watari. Watari automatically panicked. "Nani?" 'He can't ask me! He's put me in enough trouble, keeping a secret from Tatsumi is so hard. Whenever he stares at me like that I swear I'm going to spill something, and if I do Tsuzuki will never trust me again…he'll also kill me! But then again if Tatsumi finds out about them and then figures out I knew and didn't tell him, he'll kill me. Ah! What to do?' He laughed nervously. "Tatsumi, what about this whole predicament with the murders Muraki committed?"
"Don't change the subject, Watari." Tatsumi said simply. "Besides, that case has been solved."
"But what if he does it again?"
"Then we'll go through the usual paperwork and such." He told the blonde scientist. "Now stop trying to change the subject, Watari. What do you know of Tsuzuki-san's night out? If I remember correctly you said he told you about it." Tatsumi quirked an eyebrow slightly.
"I…I don't remember?" He tried.
"I can tell you're lying, Watari." Hisoka nearly growled. He was kind of interested in this.
"As can I." Tatsumi told him.
Watari whimpered and scratched the chin of the owl on his shoulder. "It was a private conversation, it's none of your business." 'I hate doing this.'
Tsuzuki jumped from his spot on the couch and hugged the blonde in front of him. "Arigato, Watari!"
Tatsumi pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose. "I suppose we were being a bit intrusive."
Inu-Tsuzuki nodded in agreement. "Hai!"
"It's not that often we get to have a guy talk like this, us being dead and all." Hisoka shrugged.
"I don't mind having a guy talk, just not at my expense." Inu-Tsuzuki told him.
"What is so embarrassing about it, Tsuzuki-san? Unless you have something to hide." Tatsumi paused for a moment. "Tsuzuki-san, would you happen to know why we've been running into Sensei so often lately?"
Tsuzuki hesitated. "No."
"Why are you so nervous?" Hisoka asked.
"Me?" Tsuzuki asked.
"Hai." Hisoka nodded.
"I…" His phone rang. Tsuzuki stood up, walked over to the phone, and picked it up. "Hello?"
"Hello, Asato."
'EEP! NO, NO, NO! Kazu you have perfect timing. Damn it!!' "Hello."
"I hope I didn't catch you at a bad time. I'll be finishing my shift at the hospital early today and was wondering if you'd like to join me for dinner, if you don't already have plans that is?" Muraki asked from the other end of the line.
"Hold on a second, please." Tsuzuki told him.
"Of course." Muraki said pleasantly.
"Who is it, Tsuzuki?" Hisoka asked.
He smiled. "I'm going to take this in my room. Be right back!" He quickly bounded out of the room. "Gomen, Kazu."
"It's all right."
"My friends are over right now so I can't go out now."
"I meant tonight, Asato." Muraki told him. "By the way, how are you feeling?"
"Fine, arigato." Tsuzuki told him. "I'll come tonight."
"Good. I need to talk to you about something."
"Oh?" Tsuzuki sounded worried.
"No, Asato, it's good news." He assured with a chuckle.
"Oh Good!" Tsuzuki cheered.
"Who is there with you right now?" Muraki asked conversationally.
"Watari, Tatsumi, and Hisoka." Tsuzuki told him.
"What about that man you kept fighting with last night?"
"Nani? Oh you mean Hajime-chan! He went home last night." Tsuzuki told him.
"Tsuzuki! What's going on?" Hisoka called.
"I got to go, Kazu. I'll see you tonight." Tsuzuki whispered. "I'll meet you in the park at seven, right?"
"Hai. I'll see you tonight." Muraki told him. "Bye."
"Bye-bye." Tsuzuki smiled to himself and hung up the phone.
"Gomen!" Tsuzuki apologized to his friends as he put the phone back into its cradle.
"Who was it, Tsuzuki-san?" Tatsumi asked.
"One of those stupid telemarketers." He lied.
"Oh." Tatsumi stood. "Well we should get going. I'll see you tomorrow, Tsuzuki-san?"
"Anou…Oh! The annual company picnic tomorrow, I forgot about that. Of course, I'll see you all tomorrow." Tsuzuki smiled.
"Bye." Hisoka nodded to Tsuzuki and stepped out the door.
"Bye-bye!" Watari beamed, and then bounced out the door after Hisoka.
"Goodbye, Tsuzuki-san." Tatsumi said following his co-workers out the door.
"Bye!" Tsuzuki grinned; he closed the door behind them and then crashed on his couch.
*********************
"He was talking to someone." Hisoka told them. "I don't know who it was but I heard him say he was going to meet them in the park tonight at seven."
"We'll follow and check it out. He's been acting rather strangely lately." Tatsumi informed them.
"Is that a good idea?" Watari asked.
"Hai. It's for his own good." Tatsumi said.
"All right then." Watari shrugged. 'I said I wouldn't say anything, I never said anything about stopping people from finding out on their own. Let him clean up his own mess.'
"We'll meet in the park at six thirty." Tatsumi told them. "I'll ask Terazuma to come as well."
"All right." Hisoka nodded.
"Kay." Watari agreed.