Yiihaaaa...!! Thank you so much for the feedbacks!! *glomps happily* the more reviews I get, the more fun this piece to write, ehe.. *hint hint*

standard disclaimer applied
warnings: Muraki x Tsuzuki, OC, angst, dark, supernatural, PG-13
special thanks: Tiggy for beta effort, could never finish it without ya! ^__^


Daughter of The Darkness Part 2
by Kaz (kazutaka@otakumail.com)

"So, this is it, huh?" Tsuzuki knelt to the ground beside the empty alley. It was dark in there although it was the middle of afternoon. The dark alley felt so cold; not to mention that it smelled bad, kind of a mixture of cheap booze and trash. The amethyst-eyed shinigami turned to look at his partner, who was busily checking for the remnants of the blood staining the dirty ground.

The moment Hisoka touched the dried blood, his face turned pale and his eyes widened in shock. Tsuzuki felt himself shiver. It wasn't a good sign; Hisoka was an empath, he could've seen anything the victim had seen that night. And if it really was Muraki...

"Hisoka?!" Tsuzuki pushed the boy slightly until his hand no longer touched the ground. "Are you okay?"

The green-eyed shinigami fell on his side and groaned, "...just..." He hissed, "...just... WHAT THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING?!"

Tsuzuki closed his ears with his two hands, his face making a sorry look. "Gomen... I thought that you saw Muraki or something..." He eeped and shifted closer to the boy who was now busily rubbing the dirt from his jacket. "Gomen..."

Hisoka tsked, green eyes glaring at him in annoyance. "No, I can't see clearly. It seems like the victim didn't see the killer... He was attacked in the darkness. And I don't think that it was Muraki either."

"Eh?" Tsuzuki' eyes widened, "...so it's not him? Could it possible if he used someone else like he did with Maria Wong and his other victims?"

"Probably."

Tsuzuki's eyes wandered along the empty corridor to the small street just before the alley. The street was just too far from the place the victim had been found; no one could have possibly seen the murderer. There was something strange about this murder, it seemed like a trap. Almost like the Kyoto case where Muraki killed all the victims just to lure him there. The only person he could think of doing all this is Muraki. And as Hisoka said, he was still alive, somewhere in Japan.

"Tatsumi said that the hair DNA didn't match a hundred percent with Muraki's, right?" Tsuzuki started.

Hisoka turned to him and nodded, "but there's that seventy percent possibility. It could've been someone related to him."

"Where is Watari when you need him anyway?" Tsuzuki groaned, "he said that he'd finished the level 4 test in another two hours..."

The younger shinigami could only scowl and lazily walked out to the street. "While we wait for him, we could eat some lunch in the nearest cafeteria, don't you think?"

The violet eyes brightened, and Tsuzuki hastily followed his young partner. "Yosh! Let's eat as mush as we can and let Tatsumi take care of the bills...!!"

"Such a childish revenge, Tsuzuki ..." Hisoka yawned, but inside feeling really glad that his shinigami friend had started to be himself once again, not some mother hen protecting his chick. Although he kind of worried, thinking about what Tatsumi would do to him after they went home and he saw the bills for this trip.

* * * * * * *

"Tired already, Ukyou?" Muraki smiled to his sweet fiancée who was flopping herself onto the park bench. He sat beside her, holding her grocery bags for her in one hand. "I can take you home now if you want."

Ukyou just chuckled, leaning back against the bench and taking a deep breath. Her long wavy hair was unraveled and the dark-colored eyes shone brightly under the afternoon sun of Tokyo. She always felt content every time she shared a day with her fiancé. He was always so nice, caring, loving... Although they had been friends since they were little, she couldn't help but smile every time her eyes met his. He was amazingly handsome, with skin as white as milk, and the beautiful silvery hair that made him look like an angel.

"It's been a long time since we spent some time together, Kazutaka..." she whispered, leaning her head to the man's shoulder.

"Aa..." The man smiled and caressed her temple lovingly, "But don't you think you should get some rest now? You don't look too well..."

Ukyou beamed and stood up, "It's not every day that I can spend a day with you like this," she winked. "After you recovered from the accident you kept working in the hospital. You didn't have time for me..."

The man chuckled, "It's not like that, Ukyou... You know that I'm busy... And after a long vacation in Kyoto I just need to take care of some things in the hospital..."

"Hai, hai, I understand..." She nodded, "Maybe you're right though... I'd better go home now and get some rest. It's been a while since I had the chance to go out like this... Maybe we should go have dinner next time, Kazutaka?"

"Of course, Ukyou..." Muraki leaned in and kissed her forehead. The woman giggled and took her grocery bags from the man's hand. "You don't have to take me home. I know that you have to go back to the hospital now..."

Muraki smiled, "It's okay, I'll take you home."

"No, Kazutaka. And you know that you can never win against me," she chimed, flipping her hair graciously. "I'll take a cab."

And before Muraki could stop her, a taxi pulled over. Ukyou waved as she got inside, giving him the gesture to call her that night. Muraki waved back to her and watched the taxi as it drove its way along the busy street. Sighing, he walked back to the parking lot. Maybe he would find some work to do at the hospital and that surely would keep him preoccupied in something, at least until tonight. He didn't have anything to do anyway...

He was just going to make the turn when suddenly something bumped into him and almost made him lose his balance. It turned out to be a little girl, about six or seven years old. Muraki couldn't see her face because it was hidden under long silvery bangs. Her red dress contrasted dramatically with the color of her fair hair. She apologized to him in a very soft tone and kept looking down at the ground.

"Are you okay, little girl?" Muraki knelt before her, touching the side of her arm. He was slightly shocked as he felt the girl's emotions through the simple touch. She was shivering for some reason he didn't quite understand.

Fear... Loneliness... Confusion...

"I'm sorry, Sir..." The girl said again, before finally finding the strength to pull away. She started to walk away from him, but Muraki didn't let her get away that easily. She had something different from every other human he'd ever met and he intended to know why. He grabbed the little girl's arm lightly; enough to make her body turn to face him again.

The girl was startled; she let out a small wince before lifted her head to face him. The doctor gasped in surprise as she saw her. No, it wasn't her sweet adorable face that shocked him to the bones. But it was that pair of amethyst eyes she had. She stared at him with a slight fear, her eyes widened in shock.

"You are..." Muraki didn't have the chance to finish his words as the girl yanked his arm and ran away. He froze in his spot, could barely move from the sight he just seen. That girl had the same eyes as that shinigami, Tsuzuki Asato. It wasn't just a coincidence that the girl had such beautiful amethyst eyes.

He stood up and started to walk in the direction the girl had run, smiling to himself. There was something strange about the little girl. Something he was curious to find o... Maybe it was the strange aura in her that attracted him so. Or maybe it was those amethyst eyes that matched with his beautiful shinigami.

He took another turn as he passed the park, eyes narrowed as he saw the crowd before him. Someone had fainted. A little girl. More specifically, a girl with red dress. He couldn't believe his luck.

And then he heard the voice. It was déjà vu. It couldn't be... It was too good to be true...

"Is there a doctor around here?!"

Oh yes, he recognized that wary-toned voice. He remembered the long dark coat the man had as he knelt on the ground beside the girl. The brown hair that felt like the finest silk. And the most beautiful violet eyes he had ever seen…

The man had the girl's head on his arm, holding her hand as if he didn't want to let go. His violet eyes shone with wariness. Muraki took a step closer, and then crouched before him.

"I am a doctor," he said calmly, eyes looking straight into the other man's. "Long time no see, Tsuzuki san."

-tbc-

=kaz misaki=