III: Partner
(Watari's POV)
Watari was walking down the hall towards his labs, when he heard his name hollered behind him. Turning around, he saw Maykai running towards him. Smiling, he greeted the light brown haired shinigami as he came to a stop in front of him catching his breath. "Hello, little one." he greeted, still smiling down at Maykai as the young man finally recovered from his run and straightened up. "You need me for something I take it?"
Maykai nodded and smiled back faintly. "Hai, Watari-san. I was just informed to bring your new partner to meet you, but I think you should speak to him first before he comes inside."
Watari blinked in surprise. "Partner?! When did this happen?"
"Apparently, yesterday. Enma-Daioh-sama seemed to insist that he be paired with no one but you strangely enough. The only reasons given, were that Enma-Daioh-sama wished him to be with someone who knew him and someone he trusted. I think there might be another reason, but I don't know for sure.." Maykai finished speaking with a slight shrug of his shoulders and a small frown.
Watari's smile faltered slightly and he glanced away from the young man to look down the hall for a moment silently. "Where is he now?" he asked quietly, glancing briefly back at Maykai.
"Outside, in the sakura. I think he likes them, because he didn't want to follow me after we reached them and to tell the truth I didn't want to force the issue." Maykai gave a small shiver as he turned away to go. He sighed softly before speaking again, looking up at Watari. "Another thing you should know Watari-san.." he paused and hesitated. ".. he hasn't realized he's dead yet and he's set on having revenge on his killer."
The young Shinigami left then, leaving Watari staring in silent shock at his back. After a moment, Watari snapped out of the light daze he was in, turning to walk down the now empty hallway to the outside of the building and the sakura trees that lined the path. As he walked through the trees, their white and faint pink blooms drifting down around him, he wondered how hard the person would take the news that they were now dead and a shinigami. Knowing his luck, not well. He sighed softly as he continued onwards looking through the trees for the person. He then heard a voice carrying mellifluously through the trees and followed it.
"As soon as this 'person' they want me to help shows up, we'll see if what he needs my help for, and if its aligned with my own goal, then fine.. we'll work together and then I'll look for Oriya and we'll track down that bastard and kill him. Of course if whatever he wants doesn't line up.. then he'll just have to wait."
Watari tilted his head slightly as he got closer to the voice and began to see an outline of a person pacing back and forth underneath the trees. As Watari gained ground, he could tell it was a man slightly older than he had been when he had died, the man had silvery white blonde hair that barely brushed the collar of the white trench coat. Watari slowed down as recognition slowly set in. Amber-gold eyes widened as he finally stood close enough to make out the pale white skin and slim hands gesturing absently as the man spoke to himself and paced. "Muraki?!" he gasped out weakly in surprise.
The doctor immediately stopped in his tracks and looked towards Watari, visible silver eye widening slightly before narrowing faintly as he turned to face Watari. "You're the one they want me to help?" he asked, his tone faintly surprised and wary.
Watari stared at Muraki for a moment in plain shock before shaking himself out of it. "Hai, we're apparently supposed to be partners now." he said and then hesitated before walking towards Muraki and continuing slowly. "Muraki-sensei, do you know where we're at?"
One silver eye watched him from behind the glasses for a moment. "No, but I suppose you will tell me, correct? Not to mention just how close is it to Kyoto? I need to speak with my friend, Oriya, about something I need to do before 'we' begin anything."
Watari sighed and looked down before looking back at Muraki. "You're not in the living world any more, Muraki.." he said quietly and then hesitated as the eye narrowed further behind the glasses. "You're in Meifu," he winced slightly at the dark look that had suddenly entered the doctor's expression. "Gomen, Muraki-sensei.. but you're dead."
That statement received an unexpected reaction and Watari sighed as Muraki jerked back from him, obviously startled. The doctor shook his head and then ran a pale hand through his silver blonde hair silently, giving Watari a look at both of his eyes. Watari had expected to see the false eye of Muraki's or no eye at all, but what was there was his natural eye, silver in color like the other only there was something wrong with it. As Muraki turned to look at Watari straight on with both eyes, he saw what it was. The right eye was blind.
Then as his amber eyes locked with the frightened silver ones he was suddenly thrown into fire. It was everywhere around him, he could feel it burning his skin and he could feel the blistering heat of the flames. Watari screamed as it consumed him and then found himself back under the trees, his hands clenched in the petal covered green grass below him.
Staring at his hands silently, he was surprised not to see them burned and blackened like he was sure they should have been, lowering his head slightly to rest against the ground, he felt his hair fell down around his face, assuring him that it was also still there. Watari then heard his name yelled and recognizing the voice he leapt to his feet, ignoring the tears beginning to build in his eyes and run down his cheeks he ran towards it calling out for the person it belonged to.
"TATSUMI!"
Watari soon felt himself slam into the brown clad chest and clutched the suit jacket lapels tightly in his hands, as he buried his face in Tatsumi's chest. He felt a pair of arms hold him and he breathed in the scent of sandalwood that was in the jacket, trying to forget what he'd seen and quiet the shivers still running down his spine.
