Something was wrong. Hisoka never ever let him eat things from the mini bar
before. Tsuzuki half-heartedly ate the rest of the chocolate and nuts. . .
they just didn't taste as good without someone telling you not to. Tsuzuki,
in an attempt to return them to their full-flavored glory had tried to
conjure an imaginary Tatsumi.. but it just wasn't the same. He looked
morosely at the half eaten chocolate bar, considered not finishing it at
all. . . 'Who am I to deny my nature?' He stuffed the rest of into his
mouth.
Watching.
Watching. . . but not scolding.
It had been like this for about an hour now.
Poor little guy. . . he'd had quite the shock earlier when the hotel had got their twin booking messed up and tried to give them a double. Well it was all a mistake but it got sorted out and they got a twin after all. Really Tatsumi would have accepted the extra cost of the room without too much complaint since the place was pretty cheap anyway. And now Hisoka was all stressed out and acting weird. He'd been hissing at people! Hissing!
"Hisoka?"
No response. . . he wasn't even pretending to read a book like usual.
"Ne. . . Hisoka?"
"Ha. . . Hai?"
Tsuzuki frowned. Now Hisoka was all flushed and stuttering. . . was he getting sick? Was there something Muraki had done? Tsuzuki decided exactly what he needed to do.
"I think we should get some sleep. So we won't be tired and stuff."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Hisoka was having the most wonderful dream.
He was asleep (as you tend to be) and Tsuzuki came over and said something. . . and hugged him, and touched his face.
"I hope you feel better soon 'Soka."
But. . . I feel fine.
"Don't get too angry with me."
This isn't how this dream usually went, Hisoka thought with irritation. . . there was usually a lot less talking and a lot more... Angry, why would I be angry? Unless. . . you did something. . .
Hisoka sat bolt upright in bed. Reaching out empathically. . . nothing. He could pinpoint the couple two doors down and the manager in his office but.. Tsuzuki had left the building. Angrily he pulled the sleep fuda off his forehead, wondering if Tsuzuki had mispelt it. . . but apart from the shockingly poor Kanji, it looked fine. . . yet curiously it had neither worked nor disintegrated.
. . . and what was that god-awful ringing in his ears? Sheepishly he answered the phone.
"Bon! I'm glad I caught you!" Exclaimed Watari on the other end of the line.
"Watari."
Watari could have shivered at the sound of Hisoka's voice, if he wasn't completely oblivious to such things. Not to mention like most of the people at the office he'd grown immune to Hisoka's... erm... attitude.
"PMS?" He wanted to ask. Instead he settled for "Bon! You have to warn Tsuzuki for me, I don't think his ofuda will work in his current. . . er. . . form!"
"WHAT?!?!" Screamed Hisoka through the phone. "Why?"
"Because it's essential to the plot line!"
"But he's gone to face Muraki alone! He could be killed!"
"It's not all bad Bon, he can still.. . . Bon? Bon?" Watari tried desperately but Hisoka had already left trying to intercept Tsuzuki. Baka desu.
******************************************** * * * *
Sneakers it seemed are called sneakers cos they were good for doing sneaky things. Things like spying and stuff. Tsuzuki congratulated himself (again) for the burst of brilliance that had suggested he use Hisoka's shoes instead of his own. . . after all they were about the same size now. Maybe if he stayed this way forever they could share shoes. Tsuzuki was always losing shoes. . . not to mention socks. Hisoka's socks always matched. This could be a very good thing indeed.
.. . . and after all it wasn't like he wouldn't be back before Hisoka even knew he was gone. He giggled to himself as he imagined Hisoka's face when he returned, case solved. He'd probably say something like:
"Baka! I told you not to go out on your own!"
or
"Idiot! You risked yourself and the mission - AGAIN!"
or maybe
"I'm glad to see you found some more practical footwear."
Hehehehehe. . . . wait. . . . Hisoka would never say that last one. Sweatdrop. Mortified, Tsuzuki climbed out of the bush he'd convinced himself he had been hiding in up till now. Well. Maybe it would have been better to go with the invisible thing after all. And maybe he should have been paying attention - the guy was dressed in white. . . which did kind of make him super visible even in low light. . .
"Ano. . . "
"I apologize. . . " Because I'm going to kill you shortly. "I should have realized sooner that telling you that story would make you come here. There are bad elements in this area at night." Like. . . oh I don't know. . . psychopathic serial killers?
"TSUZUKI?" Yelled Hisoka running through the bushes into the opening. Muraki, a little surprised by the sudden outburst drew a switchblade to his now-hostage.
"De ja vu, Oya?"
A tumbleweed skittered by.
Hisoka had a theory about tumbleweeds. They were neither native to Japan nor particularly prevalent. Yet whenever an extremely tense moment was occurring one seemed to tumble by. A low-level shikigami perhaps? Well heck. . . if Rico was a cactus. . .
The tumbleweed was blown another few meters before it pooped out of existence.
Five minutes later Muraki and Hisoka were still eyeing each other warily. Muraki looked at his watch disapprovingly. Before raising a speculative eyebrow at Hisoka.
Sweatdrop.
"If he was coming he'd already be here." Hisoka explained nervously.
"Ah." Muraki nodded, the boy wasn't lying. He seemed to think about this a bit before sighing. "I suppose I'll have to take you hostage too."
"Shouldn't one of us stay here to pass along the message to this guy you're waiting for?" Asked Tsuzuki hopefully. That was the thing about hostages. . . the bad guy only really needed one alive so tended to kill the other one as an example. Muraki seemed to consider this for a moment.
"No. . . I think a message should suffice." After all two hostages were better than one. He took out a prescription pad and pen, deftly turning Tsuzuki around so he could lean against her back to write it.
"Can I read it?" Asked Tsuzuki when he'd done.
"No." Muraki stated firmly, the tiniest hint of a blush on his cheeks.
"It might need to be spell checked or something. . . " Suggested Tsuzuki.
"No!"
".. . . you just don't want me to see the little hearts!" Sniffed Tsuzuki.
"There are no hearts!"
"I could feel the pen! There was too!" Accused Tsuzuki.
".. . . you do realize I'm probably going to kill you, right?"
"I definitely got that impression after you drew the knife on me. . . "
"So shutup and let me finish my ransom note."
"Ooh. . . . So it's a ransom note now.. . . what are you going to ask for?" Asked Tsuzuki raising her pinkie to the corner of her mouth. "One million doll.. . . erk." Muraki, sick of the constant babble now had Tsuzuki in a headlock, which didn't apparently shut her up, but at least reduced it to furious mumbling. Definitely an improvement.
"Well come along Oya." Chided Muraki pinning the note (discretely folded over) to a Sakura tree.
".. . . you expect me to just follow you willingly?"
Muraki glared at him.
"You can come willingly or I can make you come.. . . which I did understand causes you pain. Normally I wouldn't mind causing you pain, but I'm a little preoccupied right now." He replied tensely as Tsuzuki sunk her teeth into his arm. . . .. again.
******************* * * * * * * *
"Baka! I told you not to go out on your own!" Hissed Hisoka as soon as Muraki had left the room, presumably to go medicate those bitemarks.
"Demo. . . . How was I to know my Fuda wouldn't work on him? Or you?" Wailed Tsuzuki, tears starting to flow.
Muraki re-entered the room moments later. Ah good. Obviously the boy had explained the situation since the girl was finally starting to act like a real hostage.
************** * * * * * * *
"Ah! Too tight! Too tight!" Cried Tsuzuki as an increasingly irritated Muraki tried to tie her wrists.
"At least you get to keep your dignity!" Moaned Hisoka who had been stripped down to just his jeans and tied to the wall (with human hair) in Muraki's makeshift basement-come-torture chamber.
Muraki was wondering if perhaps gags weren't in order.
"Couldn't you just.. . . not tie me.. . . I won't try to escape. . . . Much.. . . " Tried Tsuzuki huskily in that shojo way with flower petals and tears and everything. Chibi-imaginary-Hisoka currently had his howitzer pointed at his own head. Baka desu.
Muraki was regretting not having a greater quantity of female hair right now, since the vixen was obviously exerting some power over him. He just wanted to hug her and squeeze her and love her to death. Well the death part was in character but the rest. . . .
"What the hell are you doing? Stay away from her!" Screamed real Hisoka as Muraki came dangerously close to touching his Tsuzuki again.
Twitchmark. No.. . . two hostages definitely had its disadvantages too. Thankfully a loud crash from outside diverted his attention.
"Well it's about friggin' time." Murmured Muraki going to investigate.
************* * * * *
"Bon! Tsuzuki!" Exclaimed Watari throwing the door open.
"WA~TA~RI!!" Two sets of watery eyes fastened lovingly on their savior. For about a microsecond.
"This is all your fault!"
"Did you bring anything to eat?"
"Did you come alone?"
"Erm. . . . not exactly.. . . 003 is outside creating a diversion so I could come rescue you. . . I figured something like this might happen!" He nodded to himself as if this was all just part of the greater experiment, which knowing Watari, it might well have been.
"Untie me!" Begged Tsuzuki, still in shojo mode, causing Watari to stumble in fear.
"That's.. . . really impressive Tsuzuki.. . . you've adapted better than I calculated. . . . But then I guess you had Hisoka to help.. . . "
"JUST UNTIE US ALREADY!" Yelled Hisoka not liking what that inference was inferring.
"Hai, hai!" Replied Watari in that genki way that not even being in a psychopath's basement-come-torture chamber trying to rescue victims could dampen.
"How did you find us?" Asked Tsuzuki.
"Ah. Well when I rang Bon earlier and told him there may be. . . . complications. . . . with your fuda he mentioned Muraki so I just went to the nearest Sakura Grove and there was this naughty letter telling me where to go. . . . well actually telling Tsuzuki, but you get the point!"
"Aha! I knew it was something nasty.. . . " Snickered Tsuzuki.
Muraki, with a major twitchmark on one temple grabbed the letter from the scientist with the hand that wasn't holding a squawking 003.
"Who the hell are you?" He asked coldly. Was this the boyfriend?
"Aha! I'm a shinigami too!"
Muraki looked unimpressed.
"Take this! My special ability!" Watari took out a pad of paper and a pencil drawing a stick figure and holding it triumphantly in front of Muraki's face. Said stick figure flipped Muraki the bird.
Muraki still looked unimpressed.
*********** * * * * * *
"I had a harder time restraining the vermin." He confided to Tsuzuki as he tied the third hostage alongside Hisoka. 003 had given up trying to escape as well it seemed and had flown into the rafters to await her masters return to the land of the conscious.
Watching.
Watching. . . but not scolding.
It had been like this for about an hour now.
Poor little guy. . . he'd had quite the shock earlier when the hotel had got their twin booking messed up and tried to give them a double. Well it was all a mistake but it got sorted out and they got a twin after all. Really Tatsumi would have accepted the extra cost of the room without too much complaint since the place was pretty cheap anyway. And now Hisoka was all stressed out and acting weird. He'd been hissing at people! Hissing!
"Hisoka?"
No response. . . he wasn't even pretending to read a book like usual.
"Ne. . . Hisoka?"
"Ha. . . Hai?"
Tsuzuki frowned. Now Hisoka was all flushed and stuttering. . . was he getting sick? Was there something Muraki had done? Tsuzuki decided exactly what he needed to do.
"I think we should get some sleep. So we won't be tired and stuff."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Hisoka was having the most wonderful dream.
He was asleep (as you tend to be) and Tsuzuki came over and said something. . . and hugged him, and touched his face.
"I hope you feel better soon 'Soka."
But. . . I feel fine.
"Don't get too angry with me."
This isn't how this dream usually went, Hisoka thought with irritation. . . there was usually a lot less talking and a lot more... Angry, why would I be angry? Unless. . . you did something. . .
Hisoka sat bolt upright in bed. Reaching out empathically. . . nothing. He could pinpoint the couple two doors down and the manager in his office but.. Tsuzuki had left the building. Angrily he pulled the sleep fuda off his forehead, wondering if Tsuzuki had mispelt it. . . but apart from the shockingly poor Kanji, it looked fine. . . yet curiously it had neither worked nor disintegrated.
. . . and what was that god-awful ringing in his ears? Sheepishly he answered the phone.
"Bon! I'm glad I caught you!" Exclaimed Watari on the other end of the line.
"Watari."
Watari could have shivered at the sound of Hisoka's voice, if he wasn't completely oblivious to such things. Not to mention like most of the people at the office he'd grown immune to Hisoka's... erm... attitude.
"PMS?" He wanted to ask. Instead he settled for "Bon! You have to warn Tsuzuki for me, I don't think his ofuda will work in his current. . . er. . . form!"
"WHAT?!?!" Screamed Hisoka through the phone. "Why?"
"Because it's essential to the plot line!"
"But he's gone to face Muraki alone! He could be killed!"
"It's not all bad Bon, he can still.. . . Bon? Bon?" Watari tried desperately but Hisoka had already left trying to intercept Tsuzuki. Baka desu.
******************************************** * * * *
Sneakers it seemed are called sneakers cos they were good for doing sneaky things. Things like spying and stuff. Tsuzuki congratulated himself (again) for the burst of brilliance that had suggested he use Hisoka's shoes instead of his own. . . after all they were about the same size now. Maybe if he stayed this way forever they could share shoes. Tsuzuki was always losing shoes. . . not to mention socks. Hisoka's socks always matched. This could be a very good thing indeed.
.. . . and after all it wasn't like he wouldn't be back before Hisoka even knew he was gone. He giggled to himself as he imagined Hisoka's face when he returned, case solved. He'd probably say something like:
"Baka! I told you not to go out on your own!"
or
"Idiot! You risked yourself and the mission - AGAIN!"
or maybe
"I'm glad to see you found some more practical footwear."
Hehehehehe. . . . wait. . . . Hisoka would never say that last one. Sweatdrop. Mortified, Tsuzuki climbed out of the bush he'd convinced himself he had been hiding in up till now. Well. Maybe it would have been better to go with the invisible thing after all. And maybe he should have been paying attention - the guy was dressed in white. . . which did kind of make him super visible even in low light. . .
"Ano. . . "
"I apologize. . . " Because I'm going to kill you shortly. "I should have realized sooner that telling you that story would make you come here. There are bad elements in this area at night." Like. . . oh I don't know. . . psychopathic serial killers?
"TSUZUKI?" Yelled Hisoka running through the bushes into the opening. Muraki, a little surprised by the sudden outburst drew a switchblade to his now-hostage.
"De ja vu, Oya?"
A tumbleweed skittered by.
Hisoka had a theory about tumbleweeds. They were neither native to Japan nor particularly prevalent. Yet whenever an extremely tense moment was occurring one seemed to tumble by. A low-level shikigami perhaps? Well heck. . . if Rico was a cactus. . .
The tumbleweed was blown another few meters before it pooped out of existence.
Five minutes later Muraki and Hisoka were still eyeing each other warily. Muraki looked at his watch disapprovingly. Before raising a speculative eyebrow at Hisoka.
Sweatdrop.
"If he was coming he'd already be here." Hisoka explained nervously.
"Ah." Muraki nodded, the boy wasn't lying. He seemed to think about this a bit before sighing. "I suppose I'll have to take you hostage too."
"Shouldn't one of us stay here to pass along the message to this guy you're waiting for?" Asked Tsuzuki hopefully. That was the thing about hostages. . . the bad guy only really needed one alive so tended to kill the other one as an example. Muraki seemed to consider this for a moment.
"No. . . I think a message should suffice." After all two hostages were better than one. He took out a prescription pad and pen, deftly turning Tsuzuki around so he could lean against her back to write it.
"Can I read it?" Asked Tsuzuki when he'd done.
"No." Muraki stated firmly, the tiniest hint of a blush on his cheeks.
"It might need to be spell checked or something. . . " Suggested Tsuzuki.
"No!"
".. . . you just don't want me to see the little hearts!" Sniffed Tsuzuki.
"There are no hearts!"
"I could feel the pen! There was too!" Accused Tsuzuki.
".. . . you do realize I'm probably going to kill you, right?"
"I definitely got that impression after you drew the knife on me. . . "
"So shutup and let me finish my ransom note."
"Ooh. . . . So it's a ransom note now.. . . what are you going to ask for?" Asked Tsuzuki raising her pinkie to the corner of her mouth. "One million doll.. . . erk." Muraki, sick of the constant babble now had Tsuzuki in a headlock, which didn't apparently shut her up, but at least reduced it to furious mumbling. Definitely an improvement.
"Well come along Oya." Chided Muraki pinning the note (discretely folded over) to a Sakura tree.
".. . . you expect me to just follow you willingly?"
Muraki glared at him.
"You can come willingly or I can make you come.. . . which I did understand causes you pain. Normally I wouldn't mind causing you pain, but I'm a little preoccupied right now." He replied tensely as Tsuzuki sunk her teeth into his arm. . . .. again.
******************* * * * * * * *
"Baka! I told you not to go out on your own!" Hissed Hisoka as soon as Muraki had left the room, presumably to go medicate those bitemarks.
"Demo. . . . How was I to know my Fuda wouldn't work on him? Or you?" Wailed Tsuzuki, tears starting to flow.
Muraki re-entered the room moments later. Ah good. Obviously the boy had explained the situation since the girl was finally starting to act like a real hostage.
************** * * * * * * *
"Ah! Too tight! Too tight!" Cried Tsuzuki as an increasingly irritated Muraki tried to tie her wrists.
"At least you get to keep your dignity!" Moaned Hisoka who had been stripped down to just his jeans and tied to the wall (with human hair) in Muraki's makeshift basement-come-torture chamber.
Muraki was wondering if perhaps gags weren't in order.
"Couldn't you just.. . . not tie me.. . . I won't try to escape. . . . Much.. . . " Tried Tsuzuki huskily in that shojo way with flower petals and tears and everything. Chibi-imaginary-Hisoka currently had his howitzer pointed at his own head. Baka desu.
Muraki was regretting not having a greater quantity of female hair right now, since the vixen was obviously exerting some power over him. He just wanted to hug her and squeeze her and love her to death. Well the death part was in character but the rest. . . .
"What the hell are you doing? Stay away from her!" Screamed real Hisoka as Muraki came dangerously close to touching his Tsuzuki again.
Twitchmark. No.. . . two hostages definitely had its disadvantages too. Thankfully a loud crash from outside diverted his attention.
"Well it's about friggin' time." Murmured Muraki going to investigate.
************* * * * *
"Bon! Tsuzuki!" Exclaimed Watari throwing the door open.
"WA~TA~RI!!" Two sets of watery eyes fastened lovingly on their savior. For about a microsecond.
"This is all your fault!"
"Did you bring anything to eat?"
"Did you come alone?"
"Erm. . . . not exactly.. . . 003 is outside creating a diversion so I could come rescue you. . . I figured something like this might happen!" He nodded to himself as if this was all just part of the greater experiment, which knowing Watari, it might well have been.
"Untie me!" Begged Tsuzuki, still in shojo mode, causing Watari to stumble in fear.
"That's.. . . really impressive Tsuzuki.. . . you've adapted better than I calculated. . . . But then I guess you had Hisoka to help.. . . "
"JUST UNTIE US ALREADY!" Yelled Hisoka not liking what that inference was inferring.
"Hai, hai!" Replied Watari in that genki way that not even being in a psychopath's basement-come-torture chamber trying to rescue victims could dampen.
"How did you find us?" Asked Tsuzuki.
"Ah. Well when I rang Bon earlier and told him there may be. . . . complications. . . . with your fuda he mentioned Muraki so I just went to the nearest Sakura Grove and there was this naughty letter telling me where to go. . . . well actually telling Tsuzuki, but you get the point!"
"Aha! I knew it was something nasty.. . . " Snickered Tsuzuki.
Muraki, with a major twitchmark on one temple grabbed the letter from the scientist with the hand that wasn't holding a squawking 003.
"Who the hell are you?" He asked coldly. Was this the boyfriend?
"Aha! I'm a shinigami too!"
Muraki looked unimpressed.
"Take this! My special ability!" Watari took out a pad of paper and a pencil drawing a stick figure and holding it triumphantly in front of Muraki's face. Said stick figure flipped Muraki the bird.
Muraki still looked unimpressed.
*********** * * * * * *
"I had a harder time restraining the vermin." He confided to Tsuzuki as he tied the third hostage alongside Hisoka. 003 had given up trying to escape as well it seemed and had flown into the rafters to await her masters return to the land of the conscious.