Chapter 9
Tsuzuki stared in shock at Byakko. "Are you crazy?! That's Muraki, I can see him clearly!!"
"Muraki is the one that put you in this illusion!!! That's Hisoka over there!!!"
Tsuzuki narrowed his eyes at the unmoving form. He walked towards it and knelt down. Grabbing a fistful of hair, he lifted up the head. "See? This is Muraki."
Byakko growled. "That's Hisoka!!!! You're not looking hard enough!!!"
"I don't know what you're saying!!!"
Look...
"Huh?" Tsuzuki looked around. "Who said that?"
"Who said what?" asked Byakko.
Clear your head...
Tsuzuki rubbed his head. "Someone's talking to me."
"I am."
"No, I mean-"
Look...
"??" this time, the voice indicated to look at the prone body on the floor. Only now it seemed to a spectral mess. "What's going on?!"
Byakko said nothing, just watched.
See what you cannot see...
Tsuzuki looked around. That voice sounded all too familiar. "Rei-chan?!"
Look now with what you can see...
Tsuzuki looked back at the spectral mass. It was gradually disappearing, forming into a person. Definitely not Muraki.
He slowly approached the person as it became clearer. So clear that he could identify them.
His eyes widened in horror, his jaw hanging. "It can't be...oh no..."
It was Hisoka.
Rei groaned and fell to her knees. The illusion was broken.
Tsuzuki looked completely shocked. Byakko had this 'I told you so' look on his face.
Suddenly, there was a sharp yell behind her, and a heavy body slammed into hers. The breath was knocked out of her as her body smashed into the floor, her head absorbing most of the impact.
"Ow," she groaned, trying to painfully sit up. It was then she registered the person who had slammed against her.
Tatsumi gritted his teeth in pain, favoring his left side. The wound would heal in seconds, but a decent amount of dark blood came out. Had he been a human, the wound would've been fatal.
"I take it he's not letting up?" Rei asked weakly, trying to clear her vision. She was seeing five Tatsumi's.
Tatsumi forced himself to his feet as his wound healed. "I'm sorry. Any damage?"
"I have a concussion that's due to disappear in a few minutes. I'll try to stay out of your way 'till then."
"How are Tsuzuki-san and Kurosaki-kun?"
"Hisoka-chan is still unconscious, which worries me. But Asato-kun seems fine. I pulled his mind out of the illusion."
"Good work. Go check to see if Kurosaki-kun's all right. I'll try my hardest to fight off Muraki."
"Right." She forced herself to her feet. "Just...try to look where you fly after you get hit, okay?!"
"Okay." He started in Muraki's direction.
Muraki rolled his eyes. "I'm getting bored. I'm wearing you out, which makes you less fun. I think I'll kill you now."
Rei kept her balance as she went in Hisoka's direction, nearly tripping over her own feet.
Tsuzuki knelt beside Hisoka's prone form. "What...what have I done?"
Byakko sighed. "It's not your fault. Muraki locked you in this illusion."
"I should've done something. Just anything against Muraki. But no. I did this to Hisoka. Not Muraki, me. And he isn't waking up..." he shook the unmoving boy. "'Soka-chan!! Please wake up!! It's me!!! Tsuzuki!!!" He held his breath, waiting for the boy to respond to him. He was able to breath again when the boy stirred slightly. But there was no other response.
"He's alive," said Byakko with visible relief.
"Asato-kun!!!" yelled someone from far away. Tsuzuki jerked his head at the voice. A faint figure approached them at a running speed. After squinting for a while, he could easily identify the person.
"Rei!!!" he called. "I need your help!!!"
As the girl grew closer, he noted the fact that she was swaying slightly. When he reached his side she fell to her knees, visibly dizzy,
"Rei?"
"Just a concussion," she said, eying Hisoka. She touched his forehead, and then shook her head. "Shit, I don't think I have a clear enough head to do this."
"??"
"Come here. We gotta wake him up."
"How?"
"I'll show you. Put both of your hands on his forehead."
Tsuzuki complied. Rei then put both of her hands over his. "Now concentrate."
He gritted his teeth as he felt a draining sensation in his body, but he kept concentrating.
"Now," said Rei. "Hisoka, you need to snap out of this. Muraki is going to kill all of us."
Hisoka's teeth gritted, but no other response came from him.
"Asato-kun," hissed Rei. "Speak to him!"
Tsuzuki gulped. "'Soka-chan, please wake up! I'm so sorry for what I did!! Please forgive me!"
Hisoka groaned softly.
"He saw an illusion too," said Rei.
Tsuzuki didn't hear her words. "I know I'm a whiny kind of guy who acts younger than I am." He swallowed. "But I know feelings. I know that you've made me so happy. Even without realizing it, you've given me a purpose. All these years all I've ever thought of was all whom I killed and how much I wanted to die. Then you came to me.
"Even with you cold demeanor and stubbornness, you've been so good to me. I don't deserve someone like you. If it hadn't been for you, I would be dead now." Tears were spilling down his face. "You gave me a reason to live. YOU'RE my reason to live. I..." he choked. "I love you. I love you so much it hurts! Please come back to me! Please..."
More moans came from Hisoka, his chest heaving slightly. Then, he relaxed. But didn't wake up.
Tsuzuki moaned in pain, and lowered his head. "It didn't work..."
"No," said Rei. "He's just asleep now. Just leave the rest to me." The darkness around them started to crack. "He'll wake up in a few minutes." She smiled at him. "He heard you, Asato-kun. You saved him."
Tsuzuki sighed in relief, and then scrubbed the tears off his cheeks. "Thank you, Rei-chan."
"I owe you the thanks. Without you, he wouldn't have woken up."
The darkness shattered like glass. They were back in the warehouse.
Tsuzuki looked around. "We've been here the whole time?!"
Rei nodded. Then her eyes widened. "Duck!!!"
"Huh?" Tsuzuki turned, but Rei shoved his head down as Tatsumi flew past them into the wall.
Tatsumi tried to get back to his feet. "I'm getting too old for this..."
"Tatsumi?! You're back to normal!" observed Tsuzuki, with a hint of disappointment.
Tatsumi slightly brightened when he saw Tsuzuki. "Welcome back, Tsuzuki-san. How is Kurosaki-kun?"
"Fine," said Rei. "He'll awaken soon."
"So you broke my illusion," said Muraki. "How interesting. So, who wants to step up to the challenge now?"
Tsuzuki stood. "All of you, head back to Meifu. I'll deal with Muraki on my own."
"You can't!!" cried Rei, standing straight up. "What if-"
"I'll be fine. With all of you here, you are all prone to attacks. Please go back there. I'll see you later."
Tatsumi's brow furrowed in worry. "Tsuzuki-san, I won't leave you to such a perverted doctor."
Tsuzuki waved his hand. "I said I'd be fine. Now please go."
Rei sighed sadly, then nodded. "All right. I'll pray for you."
"Hongou-chan!" snapped Tatsumi.
"Thank you, Rei-chan," interrupted Tsuzuki.
"Don't thank me," she told him. "Just come back alive. After your heart-felt confession to Hisoka-chan, you better not die."
"I won't, I promise." Tsuzuki turned to his Shikigami. "Bya-"
The white tiger was boosting Hisoka onto its back. "Oh, I'll be right back Tsuzuki-san. Just going to take him back to Meifu."
"I can do that," said Rei.
"Well, I want to." with that said, Byakko was gone.
Tsuzuki laughed nervously. "That's Byakko for you."
"When did he get so clingy to Hisoka-chan?" wondered Rei.
Suddenly, a fireball flew past them. The Shinigami looked at the wreckage caused by the fire, then back at Muraki.
"I can hardly wait to face you, Tsuzuki-san," announced Muraki. "Just don't test my patience."
"I just remembered," said Rei. "Shirou's still over there!" she pointed to the still unconscious boy on a table behind Muraki.
"I'll get him back," said Tsuzuki. "Just go!!"
Tatsumi threw up his hands. "Just come back alive."
When the two Shinigami departed, Tsuzuki turned to face Muraki.
"Are you ready, Tsuzuki-san?" asked the insane doctor.
Tsuzuki didn't answer him. "Since Byakko hasn't come back yet, I'll have to call upon another Shikigami. Come forth, Suzaku!!!"
EEK!!!!!!! Another long update!!!! Well, you all understand and I thank you for that. I just got out of a minor case of writer's block. I plan to update within the next few weeks. If I don't, you can yell at me. See ya later in chapter 10!!! ^_^
Tsuzuki stared in shock at Byakko. "Are you crazy?! That's Muraki, I can see him clearly!!"
"Muraki is the one that put you in this illusion!!! That's Hisoka over there!!!"
Tsuzuki narrowed his eyes at the unmoving form. He walked towards it and knelt down. Grabbing a fistful of hair, he lifted up the head. "See? This is Muraki."
Byakko growled. "That's Hisoka!!!! You're not looking hard enough!!!"
"I don't know what you're saying!!!"
Look...
"Huh?" Tsuzuki looked around. "Who said that?"
"Who said what?" asked Byakko.
Clear your head...
Tsuzuki rubbed his head. "Someone's talking to me."
"I am."
"No, I mean-"
Look...
"??" this time, the voice indicated to look at the prone body on the floor. Only now it seemed to a spectral mess. "What's going on?!"
Byakko said nothing, just watched.
See what you cannot see...
Tsuzuki looked around. That voice sounded all too familiar. "Rei-chan?!"
Look now with what you can see...
Tsuzuki looked back at the spectral mass. It was gradually disappearing, forming into a person. Definitely not Muraki.
He slowly approached the person as it became clearer. So clear that he could identify them.
His eyes widened in horror, his jaw hanging. "It can't be...oh no..."
It was Hisoka.
Rei groaned and fell to her knees. The illusion was broken.
Tsuzuki looked completely shocked. Byakko had this 'I told you so' look on his face.
Suddenly, there was a sharp yell behind her, and a heavy body slammed into hers. The breath was knocked out of her as her body smashed into the floor, her head absorbing most of the impact.
"Ow," she groaned, trying to painfully sit up. It was then she registered the person who had slammed against her.
Tatsumi gritted his teeth in pain, favoring his left side. The wound would heal in seconds, but a decent amount of dark blood came out. Had he been a human, the wound would've been fatal.
"I take it he's not letting up?" Rei asked weakly, trying to clear her vision. She was seeing five Tatsumi's.
Tatsumi forced himself to his feet as his wound healed. "I'm sorry. Any damage?"
"I have a concussion that's due to disappear in a few minutes. I'll try to stay out of your way 'till then."
"How are Tsuzuki-san and Kurosaki-kun?"
"Hisoka-chan is still unconscious, which worries me. But Asato-kun seems fine. I pulled his mind out of the illusion."
"Good work. Go check to see if Kurosaki-kun's all right. I'll try my hardest to fight off Muraki."
"Right." She forced herself to her feet. "Just...try to look where you fly after you get hit, okay?!"
"Okay." He started in Muraki's direction.
Muraki rolled his eyes. "I'm getting bored. I'm wearing you out, which makes you less fun. I think I'll kill you now."
Rei kept her balance as she went in Hisoka's direction, nearly tripping over her own feet.
Tsuzuki knelt beside Hisoka's prone form. "What...what have I done?"
Byakko sighed. "It's not your fault. Muraki locked you in this illusion."
"I should've done something. Just anything against Muraki. But no. I did this to Hisoka. Not Muraki, me. And he isn't waking up..." he shook the unmoving boy. "'Soka-chan!! Please wake up!! It's me!!! Tsuzuki!!!" He held his breath, waiting for the boy to respond to him. He was able to breath again when the boy stirred slightly. But there was no other response.
"He's alive," said Byakko with visible relief.
"Asato-kun!!!" yelled someone from far away. Tsuzuki jerked his head at the voice. A faint figure approached them at a running speed. After squinting for a while, he could easily identify the person.
"Rei!!!" he called. "I need your help!!!"
As the girl grew closer, he noted the fact that she was swaying slightly. When he reached his side she fell to her knees, visibly dizzy,
"Rei?"
"Just a concussion," she said, eying Hisoka. She touched his forehead, and then shook her head. "Shit, I don't think I have a clear enough head to do this."
"??"
"Come here. We gotta wake him up."
"How?"
"I'll show you. Put both of your hands on his forehead."
Tsuzuki complied. Rei then put both of her hands over his. "Now concentrate."
He gritted his teeth as he felt a draining sensation in his body, but he kept concentrating.
"Now," said Rei. "Hisoka, you need to snap out of this. Muraki is going to kill all of us."
Hisoka's teeth gritted, but no other response came from him.
"Asato-kun," hissed Rei. "Speak to him!"
Tsuzuki gulped. "'Soka-chan, please wake up! I'm so sorry for what I did!! Please forgive me!"
Hisoka groaned softly.
"He saw an illusion too," said Rei.
Tsuzuki didn't hear her words. "I know I'm a whiny kind of guy who acts younger than I am." He swallowed. "But I know feelings. I know that you've made me so happy. Even without realizing it, you've given me a purpose. All these years all I've ever thought of was all whom I killed and how much I wanted to die. Then you came to me.
"Even with you cold demeanor and stubbornness, you've been so good to me. I don't deserve someone like you. If it hadn't been for you, I would be dead now." Tears were spilling down his face. "You gave me a reason to live. YOU'RE my reason to live. I..." he choked. "I love you. I love you so much it hurts! Please come back to me! Please..."
More moans came from Hisoka, his chest heaving slightly. Then, he relaxed. But didn't wake up.
Tsuzuki moaned in pain, and lowered his head. "It didn't work..."
"No," said Rei. "He's just asleep now. Just leave the rest to me." The darkness around them started to crack. "He'll wake up in a few minutes." She smiled at him. "He heard you, Asato-kun. You saved him."
Tsuzuki sighed in relief, and then scrubbed the tears off his cheeks. "Thank you, Rei-chan."
"I owe you the thanks. Without you, he wouldn't have woken up."
The darkness shattered like glass. They were back in the warehouse.
Tsuzuki looked around. "We've been here the whole time?!"
Rei nodded. Then her eyes widened. "Duck!!!"
"Huh?" Tsuzuki turned, but Rei shoved his head down as Tatsumi flew past them into the wall.
Tatsumi tried to get back to his feet. "I'm getting too old for this..."
"Tatsumi?! You're back to normal!" observed Tsuzuki, with a hint of disappointment.
Tatsumi slightly brightened when he saw Tsuzuki. "Welcome back, Tsuzuki-san. How is Kurosaki-kun?"
"Fine," said Rei. "He'll awaken soon."
"So you broke my illusion," said Muraki. "How interesting. So, who wants to step up to the challenge now?"
Tsuzuki stood. "All of you, head back to Meifu. I'll deal with Muraki on my own."
"You can't!!" cried Rei, standing straight up. "What if-"
"I'll be fine. With all of you here, you are all prone to attacks. Please go back there. I'll see you later."
Tatsumi's brow furrowed in worry. "Tsuzuki-san, I won't leave you to such a perverted doctor."
Tsuzuki waved his hand. "I said I'd be fine. Now please go."
Rei sighed sadly, then nodded. "All right. I'll pray for you."
"Hongou-chan!" snapped Tatsumi.
"Thank you, Rei-chan," interrupted Tsuzuki.
"Don't thank me," she told him. "Just come back alive. After your heart-felt confession to Hisoka-chan, you better not die."
"I won't, I promise." Tsuzuki turned to his Shikigami. "Bya-"
The white tiger was boosting Hisoka onto its back. "Oh, I'll be right back Tsuzuki-san. Just going to take him back to Meifu."
"I can do that," said Rei.
"Well, I want to." with that said, Byakko was gone.
Tsuzuki laughed nervously. "That's Byakko for you."
"When did he get so clingy to Hisoka-chan?" wondered Rei.
Suddenly, a fireball flew past them. The Shinigami looked at the wreckage caused by the fire, then back at Muraki.
"I can hardly wait to face you, Tsuzuki-san," announced Muraki. "Just don't test my patience."
"I just remembered," said Rei. "Shirou's still over there!" she pointed to the still unconscious boy on a table behind Muraki.
"I'll get him back," said Tsuzuki. "Just go!!"
Tatsumi threw up his hands. "Just come back alive."
When the two Shinigami departed, Tsuzuki turned to face Muraki.
"Are you ready, Tsuzuki-san?" asked the insane doctor.
Tsuzuki didn't answer him. "Since Byakko hasn't come back yet, I'll have to call upon another Shikigami. Come forth, Suzaku!!!"
EEK!!!!!!! Another long update!!!! Well, you all understand and I thank you for that. I just got out of a minor case of writer's block. I plan to update within the next few weeks. If I don't, you can yell at me. See ya later in chapter 10!!! ^_^