iThe title of this one is from the Barenaked Ladies. Sorry this is so late. I've been really busy these days. This is where the chapters start to get long because I don't want it to be 1000 chapters long. ^_^ Also, beware of more unauthorized OCs. I swear he wasn't meant to be in there. This chapter is dedicated to Xandra-'nee-chan. Enjoy!/i

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Chapter Four: Hidden Sun

Konoe-kachou and Tatsumi have called an emergency meeting. Since I'm still healing, everyone is crowded in my room. Luckily, the room isn't small.

Kachou is standing in the middle, in front of my bed. He has his hands clasped behind his back, and he's very serious. "The Mansion of Candles has reported that life spans all over Japan has shortened dramatically. There is no pattern to it, either; however, it seems that the only ones that haven't been dying have some sort of useful magical powers."

"Hiryuu..." I murmer, my garnet eyes narrowing.

Tatsumi nods at me. "We suspect that it is Sekihei Hiryuu causing all this, but we can't be sure. We have no knowledge of his powers."

"Of course, he's sure to be more powerful than Muraki," Watari injected, adjusting his glasses. There is an unwontedly serious look on his face. "After all, he did create it."

"But why would he make up the story about Saki...? Or everything else?" Hisoka asks.

"Saki? Who's Saki?" I ask. My memory of the past few months have been erased. I only remember everything up to the end of our last mission, with Tsubaki-hime.

Hisoka, Watari, Tatsumi, and Konoe-kachou exchange glasses. "I want to know, dammit," I say, my voice getting louder.

"I promise to tell you later," Hisoka says quietly so the others wouldn't hear, "But not right now. Wakaba-chan and the others should not know about this."

I eye the green-eyed Shinigami for a moment, then nod.

"Anyway, the story about Saki was probably just to give Muraki-the-robot a past and a reason for it not to have its left eye," Watari continued.

'Of course,' I think bitterly, 'Muraki wouldn't have been as freaky if he had his left eye.'

"And the only ones without a mission are Kurosaki-kun and Tsuzuki-san. Tsuzuki-san is obviously bed-ridden, and Kurosaki-kun cannot go alone. So we have a new partner for him," Tatsumi says.

What the hell?! Hisoka and I exchange bewildered looks. "But I can go with Hisoka!" I start to protest.

"No, you can't, Tsuzuki. You're still very weak." Watari looks over at me, concerned. "But I promise that once you are up to par, you will be able to be Hisoka's partner once more."

I settle back, still disturbed by this turn of events. For some reason...I feel jealous?

Why? Is there a reason to? I've been passed over for a partner so many times, I've become immune.

So why do I feel jealous?

Tatsumi opens the door, revealing a tall man. His braided hair goes up to his waist, and it's dark purple with shocking light blue stripes. His eyes are a warm navy blue. "Hisoka, this is Setsuna Fukakai, your new partner."

Setsuna-san tilts his head and smiles warmly at us all. "Hey, all!"

Hisoka glares distrustfully at the navy eyed man. The new Shinigami arches a slim eyebrow at Hisoka.

"Sand, emeralds, and daisies. See, you aren't as mean and harsh underneath." Setsuna-san suddenly grins at the younger Shinigami, who stares at him in surprise.

Watari grins. "Kaze-kun can tell what people feel like. Apparently, Kurosaki-kun feels like, well, sand, emeralds, and daisies. It comes in handy when trying to tell who you can trust, ne, Kaze-kun?"

Setsuna-san nods, switching his attention to me. "Amethysts, fire, and cookies? You, my new friend, are one of the strangest combinations I've seen ever."

So I feel like fire, amethysts, and cookies? Makes sense, in a weird way. "...I can tell," I say, finally regaining my voice. "Asato Tsuzuki."

He smiles at me, about to say something before Hisoka bursts out, "Why is a man who doesn't even have a power that would come in handy during battle, with dyed long hair, be my partner?"

Silence falls over the room, before Setsuna-san starts, in a low voice, "Doesn't even have a power that would come in handy? You shouldn't underestimate people, Kurosaki-kun. And my hair has nothing - uinothing/u/i - to do with this. So do not attempt to hate me just because of my appearance."

"Why should I not underestimate you? Honestly. What other talent what might you have?" Hisoka says, his voice dripping with sarcasm.

"Not only do I have my sixth sense of what people feel like, I am also accomplished in onmyoujitsu, which is what you use in battle, Kurosaki-kun, is it not?" Setsuna-san's eyes are narrowed into slits.

Hisoka stays silent, glaring at the Shinigami.

"Ne, ne," Watari tries to loosen the tension in the room, "The mission is going to start in your area, Nagasaki, okay, Kurosaki-kun?"

Konoe-kachou, who stayed silent other than the beginning of the meeting this whole time, starts to shake his head. "There has been a change of plans, Watari-san. The Gushoshin have found records of Hiryuu in Tokyo and Kyoto. Those are the two places you will start looking in."

Setsuna-san's eyes widen, and he gulps. "Tokyo and Kyoto..." he murmers, almost to himself.

"Is this a problem?" Tatsumi asks him.

"N-no, not at all," he says hurridly.

"Fine. When do we start?" Hisoka directs that question at Kachou.

"You will report here tomorrow morning, and will get your instructions and where to stay. I expect that the both of you will not kill each other, understood?" Kachou eyes both Setsuna-san and Hisoka.

Setsuna-san's eyes are still wide. "U-understood..."

Hisoka snorts before responding with the obligatory "understood".

I sink back into the pillows as everyone leaves.

I can tell that there is something in Setsuna-san's past in Tokyo and Kyoto that he isn't telling us.

But what?

Before I fall asleep, I think that if Hisoka and Setsuna-san don't kill each other, then it will be a great miracle.