I am so sorry for the very long wait this chapter has been in coming, but the story has not been abandoned! Many thanks to everybody who has had the patience to stick with it; and not lynch me!

Chapter 21

Tsuzuki stood alone in the flickering red steam. Any fear he may have felt at finding himself alone in the nightmare was tempered by the relief of knowing that Hisoka was safe. Hisoka was awake, and Freddy could no longer harm him.

Guilt, on the other hand, was making it's presence clearly felt. It went against everything he was to strike someone he cared about. But, he thought with a quick flash of optimism, I'll have the rest of forever to make it up to him after Freddy's been defeated.

Holding on to that hope, he pushed away the guilt and focused on his surroundings, trying to catch a glimpse of the hellish spawn somewhere in the eerily lighted haze. "Where are you Kruger?" He yelled.

There was a long drawn out screeeeech of metal on metal. It echoed and reverberated around him making it impossible to locate where it came from.

Tsuzuki's hands tightened into fists, and he spun around, wary of attacks from behind. He slowly backed up until his back was to broiler, somewhat protected by the size of the thing and the burning heat it emitted.

"Come out!" He shifted into a defensive position. "Come out and face me! There's no one else left, this is my dream now!"

The grating shriek of metal on metal made a shudder run down Tsuzuki's back, and he pulled put a fuda, holding it between his fingers in front of him. He braced himself, his back uncomfortably close to the scorching heat of the broiler behind him.

There was a sudden groan of abused metal, and Tsuzuki gasped as arms wrapped around his waist and pulled him backwards into the flames. The grate slamming shut, closing Tsuzuki in the inferno.

A single slip of paper fluttered softly to the floor as laughter echoed around the now empty space.

XXX

"Bon!"

Hisoka blinked. Watari was staring at him, a needle protruding from one hand. Wakaba and Terazuma stood across the room, their attention also riveted on him. He was sitting on a bed identical to the one in his hotel room. He held his hand to his cheek, his eyes impossibly wide, he could still feel the sting where Tsuzuki had hit him.

"Bon, are you okay?"

Looking up at Watari, Hisoka nodded slowly, not sure if he was telling the truth. He then looked down and saw his partner laying beside him and decided that he had just lied, he was far from okay.

Tsuzuki was soaked in blood, as was the mattress beneath him. His injuries were already mostly healed, but is was obvious the damage had been as bad as it had in the dream.

In the dream…

Hisoka flinched and looked back at Watari, examining him closely. "Is this real?" he asked, suddenly not trusting that he was really awake. He tried to reach out to Watari, to get a sense of the scientist's emotions, but he felt fuzzy, out of focus. Frustrated, he let his gaze stray across the room and was surprised to see Wakaba and Terazuma standing close behind him, he hadn't sensed their presence at all.

"Is what real?" Watari asked, confused.

Hisoka took a few deep breaths, trying to push back near panic, and flinched as he felt a hand touch his shoulder. The touch proved helpful though, and he was finally able to faintly feel Wakaba's familiar presence through the contact as she spoke.

"You're awake Hisoka-kun, this isn't a dream."

Hisoka nodded in acknowledgement, not really convinced, then tilted his head. "What's burning?"

All four shinigami turned towards Tsuzuki in tome to see a greyish, wispy smoke drifting up from his clothes just before they burst into flames.

I have to be dreaming… Hisoka grabbed the blanket and yanked at it. He used what he could pull free to beat at the flames.

I have to be dreaming… "Wake him up!" he shrieked at Watari. "Now!"

I have to be dreaming! He'd had this nightmare before, Tsuzuki was burning! Please let me be dreaming!

Watari thrust his hands into the flames to grab Tsuzuki's arm and plunged the needle into it, depressing the contents quickly, before the syringe was destroyed by the consuming heat.

"Here!" Terazuma was standing in front of an open closet from which he'd pulled an armful of blankets. In three long strides he'd crossed to the bed and flung the blankets over Tsuzuki, and Watari and Hisoka pushed down on them, trying to smother the fire.

Suddenly the blankets flew out, forcing Watari away and knocking Hisoka off the bed. The flames flared to a new height, and then died. The smell of charred cloth and skin hung heavily in the small room. Hisoka pulled himself to his feet as quickly as he was able, choking slightly on the odour.

The blankets had settled back on the bed and the body lying there. Hisoka grabbed the blankets and pulled them back.

Tsuzuki lay on his back, his eyes open and blinking at the ceiling. His trench coat was little more than ash, and large holes had burned through his clothing revealing raw and blistered skin. He shifted, and then groaned. "Ouch."

"Tsuzuki…" Hisoka breathed as his legs failed him and he let himself sink down beside the bed. It was going to be okay, Tsuzuki was awake, he was awake, and he was never going to sleep again… Please let me be awake…

Watari moved back to the side of the bed and began to poke and prod at Tsuzuki gently, his own hands shiny and red, but healing quickly. "Can you get up?" he asked Tsuzuki while looking over the worst of the burns. "The bed's a bit of a mess, and we should get you back to Meifu." He leaned closer, then leaned back, waving his hand in front of his nose. "You smell like barbeque!" he said accusingly.

Tsuzuki chuckled weakly. "Sorry," he rasped. Gingerly he pulled himself into a sitting position with Watari's help. He wobbled for a moment and then steadied, looking around. "'Soka?"

Wakaba gestured helpfully to the floor in front of her, and Tsuzuki leaned over to see the blonde head leaning against the side of the bed. "'Soka, are you okay?"

"I'm fine," came the nearly inaudible reply. Tsuzuki recognized it as a lie and evasion, but didn't want to press the issue right there in front of everyone.

He leaned farther across the bed and reached down to touch Hisoka's shoulder, but before he could make contact, a hand grabbed his wrist and pulled hard. Tsuzuki cried out as he was pulled off the bed, slowly healing burns blazing in pain as he hit the floor. Laying flat out, facing the bed, steel blades flashing towards his eyes…

Tsuzuki scrambled back, only narrowly avoiding the razor sharp claws. Beady black eyes glared at him maliciously from a twisted visage in the shadows underneath the bed.

"Tsuzuki? Wha…"

Tsuzuki grabbed Hisoka and yanked him away from the bed as Freddy crab walked out of the narrow space, his movements jerky, quick and spider-like. Hisoka's eyes widened and he skittered back with Tsuzuki.

Wakaba let out a shriek and Terazuma shouted. "What the fuck is that?!"

"What is what?" Watari asked loudly, moving forward. He come to an abrupt stop as Freddy unfolded into an upright stance, each movement seeming convoluted and wrong, limbs bending in unnatural angles.

Wakaba whimpered slightly and took a step back. Terazuma moved to place himself in front of her. Tsuzuki pulled Hisoka tightly against him, barely wincing at the pressure on his injuries. Watari moved a step closer wanting a better look at the man standing there, brown slacks, a dirty red and green striped sweater, the glove on his right hand heavy with the steel blades that extended inches beyond his fingertips. A dirty and battered fedora rested over a face so distorted by burns, scars and rot that it was barely recognizable as human.

And the black eyes glittered with hatred as he glared at Tsuzuki.