A/N: Hmmmm . . .well here is the first chapter of my crossover fic, and I must say it didn't turn out nearly as good as I wanted it to. However every time I revise the damn thing it just gets worse, so I've decided to just start posting and to hell with it. Anyway many thanks to Sakata Ri Houjun, Moonraven, and my other reviewers for their encouragement. (Sorry moonraven, I just couldn't bear to break up Tsuzuki and Hisoka, they're one of my favorite pairings ^_^)
This is a crossover with Gravitation. You don't necessarily have to have any knowledge of Gravitation to read the fic but if you guys want I'll post a little summary of Gravitation in the next chapter.
I'm writing it from a number of points of view, hopefully this won't be too confusing.
If the formatting is weird it's because I wrote this in MS word first, since I don't have a composing program on my computer that I like.
Pairings: Tsuzuki/Hisoka, Yuki/Shuichi (possible Ryuichi/Tatsuha I haven't decided)
WARNING: This fic has Yaoi, that's MalexMale, or homosexual, love people. There, I've told you, so don't bug me about it later.
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(Hisoka's POV)
I woke up tonight as I had every night since the Kyoto incident, shaking and cold with a scream frozen on my lips. I sat up and hugged my knees to my chest, waiting for the shaking to stop.
This was a familiar routine for me. When I was alive, after my parents locked me away, I would curl up like this. It reminded me of my mother's embrace and I would close my eyes and pretend that it was her arms around me instead of my own. I would do it in the hospital too, when my dreams were plagued by a nameless, faceless terror. After I died, and learned the truth about my death, the nightmares grew worse. The memory of my rape and torture would replay in my mind night after night, like a broken record.
Then the whole affair in Kyoto happened, ironically enough, right when I felt I was starting to get a grip on things. It was bad enough that I had to deal with Muraki, watching Tsuzuki loose it like that was the final straw. Any emotional stability I had achieved by that point went completely out the window. The only thing that got me through was the knowledge that I couldn't save Tsuzuki if I was an emotional wreck myself. Even afterward, while we were both in the hospital, I managed to keep Tsuzuki from finding out about my nightmares. It helped that he was too sedated to realize that I stayed awake most of the night.
So here I am, too scared to do anything but huddle in my bed. Its no wonder Tsuzuki doesn't trust me with his problems, I can't even handle my own.
The pounding on my door woke me from my thoughts and I got up, a bit unsteadily, to answer it. I didn't have to wonder who it was, only one person ever came to see me before work.
"Hisoka!" I braced myself for the wave of emotion to phase into me. The surface emotions were the first; excitement, hunger, and a sleepy sort of happiness. Then came the others, the emotions I'm sure that Tsuzuki didn't want me to feel; anxiety, fear, guilt, pain, sadness and need . . .need for . . .me?
Don't go there, I told myself harshly as I felt my face begin to heat up. I hate this stupid blush reflex with a passion but at least it would cover up the pallor caused by my lack of sleep.
I opened the door, feeling my face fall into it's familiar scowl. I didn't have to fake the expression either. I could feel a slight headache begin to pound behind my eyes, telling me that Tsuzuki had been at the sake bottle again.
There he was, standing in front of my door, rumpled and beautiful.
I did not just think that.
"Tsuzuki," I sighed, "we still have an hour before we have to get to work." I said, pointing out the obvious. I saw his expression fall and that little wrinkle begin to form between his eyebrows. I felt worry now, directed at me.
"Are you ok Hisoka? You don't look so good."
"Tsuzuki . . ." I said, giving him the 'now I'm pissed off and impatient' look. The worry didn't go away but at least he changed the subject.
"I thought we could go out and get breakfast . . ."
"Ok." I gave up, I just didn't have the heart to argue with him today.
" . . .I mean, since it is our first day back on the job I thought we could celebrate . . .ok?"
"Yeah, just let me get dressed."
"Great! I heard about this new pastry place . . ."
* * *
"I still don't see why we have to deal with it." I said as Tsuzuki looked mournfully at the pile of sweets that Tatsumi had taken hostage. No help from that corner. I looked over at Watari, but he was having a once sided conversation with his newest mechanical creation, so I decided not to bother. It looked like it was just me against Tatsumi. Damn.
"This guy was killed in America right? So it's not even our jurisdiction." Ok, maybe I was making a big deal over nothing. I agreed with Tatsumi to an extent, we weren't ready to jump back into the deep end. But a case that was over ten years old? That was just insulting.
Besides, Tsuzuki was making puppy dog eyes at Tatsumi and it was pissing me off.
Not that I was jealous or anything.
"The victim was a Japanese national." Tatsumi said, purposefully avoiding Tsuzuki's gaze. "Since his soul has somehow made it's way back to Japan we are the ones responsible for returning his soul to Meifu." I wasn't going to win this battle and I knew so I decided to give in gracefully.
Taking the file from Tatsumi I thumbed through it while he divided the sweets evenly among the five of us. Personally I didn't think Tsuzuki needed any more sweets but Tatsumi always fell prey to the kicked puppy look.
"Kitazawa Yuki," I said, scanning the section on the victim's personal information. "It says here he sold his student for ten dollars and then watched as he was raped." I closed the file, disgusted. This was one soul I wouldn't feel bad about hunting down and dragging to Meifu. I could feel my disgust echoed in my partner, drowning out the guilt he would normally have felt on one of these cases. Was this why we had been given this assignment?
"How did he die?" Tsuzuki asked, all business now.
"The student shot him. Thirst for revenge is the only thing we can think of that would tie him to the mortal world."
"But after ten years?" I asked, dubiously. Tatsumi shrugged.
"Some say it is a dish best served cold." I wasn't sure I believed that.
"The student is a famous writer now, who, coincidentally enough, writes under the name Eiri Yuki. Keep an eye on him, and if our drifter does show up . . .well you know what to do."
* * *
(Yuki's POV) (A/N: Yuki refers to Eiri Yuki/Uesagi unless otherwise indicated)
"Yuki, I'm leaving!" The voice sang from the hallway. As always, Shuichi was painfully awake and cheerful this morning.
"So leave already," I mumbled into my pillow, trying to remember exactly why I let Shuichi live with me. It is simply not fair that I had to fall in love with such a hyperactive individual. Then again, I learned at an early age that life is rarely fair.
"Yuki?"
Gods, if only I could find a way to bottle some of that energy. Hopefully I'll be able to get back to sleep after Shuichi leaves.
"Yuuuukiiiii, did you hear me?" Shuichi's voice called from the doorway. Out of the corner of my eye I saw a bright eyed, pink haired boy peek in at me.
Well there went that plan.
"I HEARD you!" I yelled, now fully awake. I sent a pillow flying in his direction hoping that he would take the hint and leave already. There was a muffled thump and a chuckle.
"Ok, just making sure." Shuichi replied, turning to leave. "I'll try to be home early today so don't eat without me."
I turned my face back into the pillow, not bothering to answer. It was nice to be able to feel his lingering warmth on the sheets and to smell his scent on the pillow.
I knew from experience that I wouldn't be able to get back to sleep and I wouldn't be able to get any writing done. So I decided on my usual morning regimen, drink coffee, smoke, and brood.
Something I did very well.
* * *
(Tsuzuki's POV)
"There he goes, you better hurry if you want to catch up with him." I said, pointing at the pink haired whirlwind that had just blown past us. Hisoka made no move to follow him. It didn't take an empath to figure out he was upset. I just hoped it wasn't me he was upset with, that was one thing I didn't think I could handle right now.
"I don't see why I should bother with this." Hisoka said, looking back at me with an accusing emerald gaze.
He really is beautiful, I thought, looking at him fondly. I remember thinking that when I first met him. Although I told myself then that it was merely aesthetic appreciation. Now, I'm starting to wonder.
"Tsuzuki, are you even listening!?" Oops, Hisoka was yelling at me now.
"Sorry Hisoka, I was thinking." I said sheepishly.
"I said, having me baby-sit Shuichi Shindou is a waste of time. The ghost of Kitazawa Yuki is going to go after his killer, not his killer's lover."
I tried to sort through my own tangled emotions. Hisoka was most likely right, and it was a risk, splitting us up like this. Shinigami work in pairs for a reason after all. I just wanted this case to go right, I wanted to prove to myself that I could still do my job.
"I just don't want anyone to die this time." I didn't really want to say that, it just kind of came out. I could tell Hisoka didn't expect it either, because he was looking at me with a very strange expression on his face.
"You could do it." He said finally, although I don't think that was what he really wanted to say. I shook my head.
"You're just the right age to pass for a Bad Luck fan. Besides, we'll still be together at night, and that's when he's most likely to attack." I don't think I convinced him but he went off after the musician anyway. I turned back to the apartment building, content to wait and observe the flow of people. I would do this one right, I promised myself, I wouldn't let anyone else die.