It was the middle of the night, and a dreary one at that. Tsuzuki's brow furrowed as he studied the pictures of the girls in his hands. They had been mutilated something terrible, with limbs missing here and there and all with sinking purple flaps of skin for eyelids. Dear God, their eyes had been plucked out of their skulls! The dark haired Shinigami dammed his tears and looked to Hisoka. The boy seemed to be trembling with rage.
"Dammit! It's Muraki! I know it is!" He screamed, slamming his fist onto the wooden railing. They were staring out at the sea in their usual spot, with a faint mist clinging to their clothes.
"We can't jump to conclusions like that, Hisoka." Tsuzuki cooed, draping one arm around the green eyed boy's shoulders. Oh, he wasn't fooling anyone. He knew it was Muraki, it had come to be expected. But, Tsuzuki couldn't let that be the case. The doctor killed so that Tsuzuki would come to him, so he could touch that supple skin, kiss those ruddy lips… The Shinigami shuddered at the thought.
Sensing something amiss in his partner, Hisoka glanced up at Tsuzuki. "Tsuzuki? What's wrong?" He asked, his voice rather expressive of his building concern. Muraki was a plague to the poor man, always planting seeds of guilt and self-hatred in the Shinigami's mind. Tsuzuki simply shook his head and gave the boy's shoulder a quick squeeze. "Nothing at all, don't worry yourself!" The purple eyed man cheered, shooting Hisoka a bright smile. "Do you mind if we go get something to eat while we think the case over? I'm starving."
Hisoka shook his head and grinned impishly. "Tsuzuki!" He yelled. "That's all you ever think about!" The boy accused, pointing his index finger at the Shinigami's nose. Tsuzuki's eyes grew wide as he removed his hand from Hisoka's shoulder to place them on the side of his own waist. "That just isn't true! I think about you too!"
Blushing slightly, the boy blinked and scowled at Tsuzuki. "And what if I said I didn't want to go out to eat!? What if I said I'd rather stay here!?"
The purple eyed Shinigami pouted and folded his arms across his chest. "Well… I'd…" Tsuzuki mumbled, his voice rather unsure. Instead of shouting at his simple partner, Hisoka laughed and punched the taller man in the bicep painfully. "C'mon, let's go before you start crying!" He teased maliciously, smiling.
Rubbing his upper arm, Tsuzuki glared at the boy. "That hurt!" He complained, turning around to walk towards the small café he was planning to go to. Upon opening his eyes once more, Tsuzuki paled as a familiar white form materialized before him. "Muraki!" He yelled through gritted teeth.
Muraki smiled and let out a rueful giggled. "Tsuzuki…" The Doctor purred, inching his way over to the purple eyed beauty and took his usual post around Tsuzuki. "You get even more beautiful every time I see you, with that life-giving hatred pumping through your veins. How I love it…"
Exploding at the pale man upon seeing the scuffle, Hisoka pounded his fists into Muraki's chest. "Leave Tsuzuki alone!" The Empath commanded. Peeling one white hand from the frightened Tsuzuki's neck, the Doctor touched the warm skin of Hisoka's cheek. "See what I see, feel what I feel. This is my body, this is my blood." Muraki hissed breathily, feeding images into the green eyed boy's imagination.
Hisoka screamed loudly, blacking out and falling limply to the ground. Tsuzuki struggled in Muraki's hold, lashing out at his captor to reach the crumpled Shinigami on the ground. "HISOKA! HISOKA!"
Laughing once more, the silver eyed man clung tightly to Tsuzuki, planting a gentle kiss to his cheek. "Yes, scream for him. You have the most delightful scream."
Tsuzuki, having finally managed to break away from Muraki's clutches, cradled Hisoka's wilted body in his arm. "Hisoka…" He cried to himself, turning a hate-filled scowl up at the Doctor. He, in turn, smiled and dropped a white piece of paper onto the ground. "The girls are here. Come, I'll be waiting. Waiting for you is always sweet torture."
After Muraki vanished from the scene, Tsuzuki shook the Hisoka's shoulders, doing everything possible to wake the boy. Was Muraki actually strong enough to blank Hisoka's sensitive mind? He prayed not. Rather suddenly, Hisoka sprung up and out of the Shinigami's embrace, swiveling his head from side to site to look for his attacker. Discovering he was gone, he sank to his knees, an utterly miserable look of his visage.
"Hisoka… You're alright?" Tsuzuki asked, slowly rising to his feet to watch over his partner. "Yes, Tsuzuki. I'm fine…" The reply left something to be desired, as it was very weak and unconvincing. Crawling over to Tsuzuki's legs, the boy clung to the soft fabric of the Shinigami's pants. "Tsuzuki…" Hisoka whined angrily. "I hate him! I hate him so much!"
Holding Hisoka in his arms a second later, the Shinigami smoothed ashen blonde hair and sighed his own tears away. "I know, so do I. We'll… We'll get rid of him."
******
Walking stealthily into the large, abandoned acropolis that Muraki had suggested, Tsuzuki scanned the scene for any evidence of the poor girls. It came in the form of throaty noises that sounded more like the screech of a rusty door than that of human screams. The Shinigami headed in the direction of the cries, wondering what he was to find. By the pictures he had received from Kaicho, the victims were dead. Muraki must've brought fresh ones to keep Tsuzuki interested.
Following at Tsuzuki's heels, Hisoka cleared his throat loudly. "Tsuzuki… Do you think he's here? I can feel those eyes bearing down on me."
The dark haired man shook his head. "He's not here, Hisoka. He won't show up until he's given a chance to make an entrance…"
Rounding a corner, Tsuzuki nearly cried out as he saw the victims from the photos, writhing and screaming on the floor. Those empty sockets oozed blood now as the girls slammed their heads into the cold stone, hoping to end their eternal suffering. Hisoka screamed and clung to Tsuzuki, burying his face in the black cloth of the man's coat. The dark haired Shinigami couldn't turn away from the sight, his mouth hanging open as he watched their agony. "Muraki! He screamed in anguish. Reacting to the sound, the living corpses rolled in the two men's direction, screaming even louder now and attempting to form words which were horribly muffled by the gags over their mouths.
Stepping out of the shadows, the afore mentioned culprit smiled sadistically and poised himself against one of the decrepit pillars. "Do you know why I removed their eyes?" The Doctor asked, adjusting his glasses casually. "There was no other way to match the color of your eyes. Those sunken sockets, such a marvelous color…" He whispered.
Tsuzuki pushed Hisoka away, an enraged expression dominating his face. "Hisoka! Run!" The Shinigami warned, charging at Muraki with all the force he could muster. Catching the man's wrists, Muraki smirked viciously and clicked his tongue. "Tsk, tsk, tsk… So quick to anger. My devotion doesn't touch you?"
Fed up with the man's velvet voice, Tsuzuki screamed, suddenly summoning Touda, the Tern Snake. As black flames devoured the acropolis and everything in it, Hisoka screamed and fled back into the inferno. "TSUZUKI!!! TSUZUKI!!!" He frantically shrieked, ripping through the area with a speed he hadn't known he possessed.
Tangled in each other's arms, Muraki let out a loud, clear laugh. "Tsuzuki! The martyr! Come to take me to Hell with you!" Using all of his energy to keep Muraki from escaping, the Shinigami's purple eyes glazed. "But you won't be killed! You're too strong, you know!" The doctor cackled triumphantly. "At least I die in your arms, Tsuzuki!"
The fire was eating the pale man away, his skin had begun to crisp, leaving black scorch marks on his perfectly white countenance. Suddenly, Hisoka burst through a small patch of flames, with small burns covering his body. "TSUZUKI!" The boy flung himself at the dark haired man, hugging hopelessly to him. The three beings, all clinging together in the black flames, twisted and turned against the excruciating heat of Touda's fire.
Snaking one hand to grip Hisoka's face, Muraki smiled ruefully and threw his head back. Feeding a clear burst of power through the Empath, Muraki's body became a bonfire in itself and erupted gloriously. Tsuzuki, his face stained with tears, stared blankly at the destruction around him.
*******
Waking up in Juu-En-Ma-Cho's infirmary, Tsuzuki yawned and opened his eyes. He suffered from an array of burns on his nearly flawless body, wincing when movement shot bolts of pain through his limbs. He began to remember what had taken place, the eyeless corpses, the black flames and… Hisoka…. Springing up from the bed, Tsuzuki ignored the stinging agony that accompanied every frantic step he took to try and find his partner.
"Tsuzuki-kun!" Watari yelled, rushing over to the purple eyed man's side. "Tsuzuki! You need to stay in bed! You can't hope to recover from such dire injuries if you're bounding around like this! Lay back down!" He reprimanded, dragging his patient back to his hospital bed.
Clenching his teeth, Tsuzuki glared at the blonde scientist. "Where's Hisoka!? Where is he!?" The Shinigami demanded, slamming down onto the soft, white sheets. Watari blinked and smiled, placing a finger to Tsuzuki's lips. "Well, he's a couple of beds down, behaving like a GOOD patient!"
Tsuzuki's face lit as a few tears cascaded down his gently rounded cheeks. "Really?! He's alright!" He cheered, wrapping his arms around Watari's middle. "Yeah, he's okay. Muraki messed him up quite a bit, put him into a coma. I thought it was hopeless, but due to my brilliance, he should make a full recovery!"
The Shinigami blinked and fell back into his bed, a troubled look in his eyes. "So… He'll be alright?" He asked tentatively. "Well, yeah. It'll put him out of commission for a long time, Muraki pulled quite a number on him, but within a couple of months he'll be right as rain." Watari sighed and patted Tsuzuki on the shoulder. "But I gotta warn you, they're giving you a new partner, and no one's happy about it…"
"What?" Tsuzuki asked, his eyebrows knitted together. "I'm getting a new partner?"
"Yeah, but it's only temporary, once Hisoka's better, they'll reassign him." The scientist comforted, pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose. "But… Like I said, I'm not so thrilled over-" At that moment, the hospital door creaked over as a blindingly white form strolled through the thresh-hold of the room.
Tsuzuki's eyes widened as his jaw hung open, an intense rage flooding his entire body. "MURAKI!" He screamed.
"Hello… Partner."
"Dammit! It's Muraki! I know it is!" He screamed, slamming his fist onto the wooden railing. They were staring out at the sea in their usual spot, with a faint mist clinging to their clothes.
"We can't jump to conclusions like that, Hisoka." Tsuzuki cooed, draping one arm around the green eyed boy's shoulders. Oh, he wasn't fooling anyone. He knew it was Muraki, it had come to be expected. But, Tsuzuki couldn't let that be the case. The doctor killed so that Tsuzuki would come to him, so he could touch that supple skin, kiss those ruddy lips… The Shinigami shuddered at the thought.
Sensing something amiss in his partner, Hisoka glanced up at Tsuzuki. "Tsuzuki? What's wrong?" He asked, his voice rather expressive of his building concern. Muraki was a plague to the poor man, always planting seeds of guilt and self-hatred in the Shinigami's mind. Tsuzuki simply shook his head and gave the boy's shoulder a quick squeeze. "Nothing at all, don't worry yourself!" The purple eyed man cheered, shooting Hisoka a bright smile. "Do you mind if we go get something to eat while we think the case over? I'm starving."
Hisoka shook his head and grinned impishly. "Tsuzuki!" He yelled. "That's all you ever think about!" The boy accused, pointing his index finger at the Shinigami's nose. Tsuzuki's eyes grew wide as he removed his hand from Hisoka's shoulder to place them on the side of his own waist. "That just isn't true! I think about you too!"
Blushing slightly, the boy blinked and scowled at Tsuzuki. "And what if I said I didn't want to go out to eat!? What if I said I'd rather stay here!?"
The purple eyed Shinigami pouted and folded his arms across his chest. "Well… I'd…" Tsuzuki mumbled, his voice rather unsure. Instead of shouting at his simple partner, Hisoka laughed and punched the taller man in the bicep painfully. "C'mon, let's go before you start crying!" He teased maliciously, smiling.
Rubbing his upper arm, Tsuzuki glared at the boy. "That hurt!" He complained, turning around to walk towards the small café he was planning to go to. Upon opening his eyes once more, Tsuzuki paled as a familiar white form materialized before him. "Muraki!" He yelled through gritted teeth.
Muraki smiled and let out a rueful giggled. "Tsuzuki…" The Doctor purred, inching his way over to the purple eyed beauty and took his usual post around Tsuzuki. "You get even more beautiful every time I see you, with that life-giving hatred pumping through your veins. How I love it…"
Exploding at the pale man upon seeing the scuffle, Hisoka pounded his fists into Muraki's chest. "Leave Tsuzuki alone!" The Empath commanded. Peeling one white hand from the frightened Tsuzuki's neck, the Doctor touched the warm skin of Hisoka's cheek. "See what I see, feel what I feel. This is my body, this is my blood." Muraki hissed breathily, feeding images into the green eyed boy's imagination.
Hisoka screamed loudly, blacking out and falling limply to the ground. Tsuzuki struggled in Muraki's hold, lashing out at his captor to reach the crumpled Shinigami on the ground. "HISOKA! HISOKA!"
Laughing once more, the silver eyed man clung tightly to Tsuzuki, planting a gentle kiss to his cheek. "Yes, scream for him. You have the most delightful scream."
Tsuzuki, having finally managed to break away from Muraki's clutches, cradled Hisoka's wilted body in his arm. "Hisoka…" He cried to himself, turning a hate-filled scowl up at the Doctor. He, in turn, smiled and dropped a white piece of paper onto the ground. "The girls are here. Come, I'll be waiting. Waiting for you is always sweet torture."
After Muraki vanished from the scene, Tsuzuki shook the Hisoka's shoulders, doing everything possible to wake the boy. Was Muraki actually strong enough to blank Hisoka's sensitive mind? He prayed not. Rather suddenly, Hisoka sprung up and out of the Shinigami's embrace, swiveling his head from side to site to look for his attacker. Discovering he was gone, he sank to his knees, an utterly miserable look of his visage.
"Hisoka… You're alright?" Tsuzuki asked, slowly rising to his feet to watch over his partner. "Yes, Tsuzuki. I'm fine…" The reply left something to be desired, as it was very weak and unconvincing. Crawling over to Tsuzuki's legs, the boy clung to the soft fabric of the Shinigami's pants. "Tsuzuki…" Hisoka whined angrily. "I hate him! I hate him so much!"
Holding Hisoka in his arms a second later, the Shinigami smoothed ashen blonde hair and sighed his own tears away. "I know, so do I. We'll… We'll get rid of him."
******
Walking stealthily into the large, abandoned acropolis that Muraki had suggested, Tsuzuki scanned the scene for any evidence of the poor girls. It came in the form of throaty noises that sounded more like the screech of a rusty door than that of human screams. The Shinigami headed in the direction of the cries, wondering what he was to find. By the pictures he had received from Kaicho, the victims were dead. Muraki must've brought fresh ones to keep Tsuzuki interested.
Following at Tsuzuki's heels, Hisoka cleared his throat loudly. "Tsuzuki… Do you think he's here? I can feel those eyes bearing down on me."
The dark haired man shook his head. "He's not here, Hisoka. He won't show up until he's given a chance to make an entrance…"
Rounding a corner, Tsuzuki nearly cried out as he saw the victims from the photos, writhing and screaming on the floor. Those empty sockets oozed blood now as the girls slammed their heads into the cold stone, hoping to end their eternal suffering. Hisoka screamed and clung to Tsuzuki, burying his face in the black cloth of the man's coat. The dark haired Shinigami couldn't turn away from the sight, his mouth hanging open as he watched their agony. "Muraki! He screamed in anguish. Reacting to the sound, the living corpses rolled in the two men's direction, screaming even louder now and attempting to form words which were horribly muffled by the gags over their mouths.
Stepping out of the shadows, the afore mentioned culprit smiled sadistically and poised himself against one of the decrepit pillars. "Do you know why I removed their eyes?" The Doctor asked, adjusting his glasses casually. "There was no other way to match the color of your eyes. Those sunken sockets, such a marvelous color…" He whispered.
Tsuzuki pushed Hisoka away, an enraged expression dominating his face. "Hisoka! Run!" The Shinigami warned, charging at Muraki with all the force he could muster. Catching the man's wrists, Muraki smirked viciously and clicked his tongue. "Tsk, tsk, tsk… So quick to anger. My devotion doesn't touch you?"
Fed up with the man's velvet voice, Tsuzuki screamed, suddenly summoning Touda, the Tern Snake. As black flames devoured the acropolis and everything in it, Hisoka screamed and fled back into the inferno. "TSUZUKI!!! TSUZUKI!!!" He frantically shrieked, ripping through the area with a speed he hadn't known he possessed.
Tangled in each other's arms, Muraki let out a loud, clear laugh. "Tsuzuki! The martyr! Come to take me to Hell with you!" Using all of his energy to keep Muraki from escaping, the Shinigami's purple eyes glazed. "But you won't be killed! You're too strong, you know!" The doctor cackled triumphantly. "At least I die in your arms, Tsuzuki!"
The fire was eating the pale man away, his skin had begun to crisp, leaving black scorch marks on his perfectly white countenance. Suddenly, Hisoka burst through a small patch of flames, with small burns covering his body. "TSUZUKI!" The boy flung himself at the dark haired man, hugging hopelessly to him. The three beings, all clinging together in the black flames, twisted and turned against the excruciating heat of Touda's fire.
Snaking one hand to grip Hisoka's face, Muraki smiled ruefully and threw his head back. Feeding a clear burst of power through the Empath, Muraki's body became a bonfire in itself and erupted gloriously. Tsuzuki, his face stained with tears, stared blankly at the destruction around him.
*******
Waking up in Juu-En-Ma-Cho's infirmary, Tsuzuki yawned and opened his eyes. He suffered from an array of burns on his nearly flawless body, wincing when movement shot bolts of pain through his limbs. He began to remember what had taken place, the eyeless corpses, the black flames and… Hisoka…. Springing up from the bed, Tsuzuki ignored the stinging agony that accompanied every frantic step he took to try and find his partner.
"Tsuzuki-kun!" Watari yelled, rushing over to the purple eyed man's side. "Tsuzuki! You need to stay in bed! You can't hope to recover from such dire injuries if you're bounding around like this! Lay back down!" He reprimanded, dragging his patient back to his hospital bed.
Clenching his teeth, Tsuzuki glared at the blonde scientist. "Where's Hisoka!? Where is he!?" The Shinigami demanded, slamming down onto the soft, white sheets. Watari blinked and smiled, placing a finger to Tsuzuki's lips. "Well, he's a couple of beds down, behaving like a GOOD patient!"
Tsuzuki's face lit as a few tears cascaded down his gently rounded cheeks. "Really?! He's alright!" He cheered, wrapping his arms around Watari's middle. "Yeah, he's okay. Muraki messed him up quite a bit, put him into a coma. I thought it was hopeless, but due to my brilliance, he should make a full recovery!"
The Shinigami blinked and fell back into his bed, a troubled look in his eyes. "So… He'll be alright?" He asked tentatively. "Well, yeah. It'll put him out of commission for a long time, Muraki pulled quite a number on him, but within a couple of months he'll be right as rain." Watari sighed and patted Tsuzuki on the shoulder. "But I gotta warn you, they're giving you a new partner, and no one's happy about it…"
"What?" Tsuzuki asked, his eyebrows knitted together. "I'm getting a new partner?"
"Yeah, but it's only temporary, once Hisoka's better, they'll reassign him." The scientist comforted, pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose. "But… Like I said, I'm not so thrilled over-" At that moment, the hospital door creaked over as a blindingly white form strolled through the thresh-hold of the room.
Tsuzuki's eyes widened as his jaw hung open, an intense rage flooding his entire body. "MURAKI!" He screamed.
"Hello… Partner."