Chapter 1: Ichino Kashi
"Tsuzuki! Tsuzuki!" the chief called out inot thin air as if waiting for something to appear in front of him. Breaktime and as usual, Tsuzuki can't be found anywhere in Enma-Cho even though Tatsumi, Hisoka, and the chief himself plastered his desk with countless reminders about that meeting.
"Obviously, the call of sweets, once again, prevailed." Tatsumi said with a knowing smile.
"If only the call to him by his job is as strong and commanding as the call to him by his food, then there wouldn't be much trouble in Enma-Cho, would there?" he replied angrily. "Tsuzuki!"
Tsuzuki materialized in the corner of the conference room and stepped up behind the chief.
"Yes, chief?" he said knowing how dangerous it was to bring the attention to himself but still did so.
"Where have you-- wow..." the chief trailed off at the sight of the sugar puffs Tsuzuki brought with him. Tsuzuki was ready with his ammunitions. Who in heaven, earth or in Enma-Cho can resist sweets?
At the sound of the chief's voice, Tsuzuki left in a hurry stiuffing every bit of cake he ordered into his mouth, not noticing the icing left on his nose and on the sides of his lips.
"Domo... and wipe that icing off your face, Tsuzuki." the chief said kindly and passed the suger puffs around the table. "Let's get on with business shall we?" he said throwing a glare at the giggling Watari enough to shut him up. "We have been recieving hints of untimely deaths for the past few months and the souls never fail to come on the time said. They have been listed under normal deaths, however, there is nothing normal about their deaths. Accidents cannot be predicted but it seems that the 'accidents' that these unfortunate individuals participated in have been 'prepared' and 'planned for'. Most of these people 'pass out' and get run over by a truck, 'pass out' and die... all of them pass out before meeting an accident but there is no trace of poison in them, none whatsoever."
"Do they have anything in common?" Tatsumi asked.
"Aside from the fact that they are all females? None whatsoever." the chief answered. "As of now, we have been recieving hints on the death of another person. Her name is Ichino Kashi. We hope that this would be the last. Tsuzuki, Hisoka, we would like you to watch over this person *while* solving the source of this." and with the final tone, he dismissed them all and brought with him the remaining sugar puffs.
"Jiyuutei, right?" Hisoka asked as he followed the chief out of the door. Tsuzuki blinked. Why does he keep doing that? ____________________________________________________________________________ _______________
Jiyuutei at three indeed. They did not expect to find her so soon. She was sitting on one table at the corner of the cake shoppe eating what seems to be chocolate mousse, Tsuzuki's personal favorite. Her silver hair and amethyst eyes were unmistakable, just like the pictures posted around bulletin board in the chief's conference room.
Tsuzuki turned around to call Hisoka's attention but he was already walking toward the woman. But something stopped in his tracks. It was the sight of Muraki entering the shoppe door. Kazutaka Muraki, the person who killed Hisoka years ago, the person in pursuit of eternal life, and probably the most insane person who ever existed. Muraki saw them and recognized their presence making both Tsuzuki and Hisoka back away. But they didn't seem to be the reason they were there. It seems that Ichino Kashi was the reason. Hisoka stared both the silver headed people in front of them. They silvery texture of their hair was unnatural but it seemed natural to both of them. It has not the look the hair of old people but more like the look of fairies' hair, basked in enchantment. But it was that hair that Hisoka has learned to despise. The hair of the evil thing that killed him years ago. He refused to admit that that thing was a man for he knew that he was not. He could not believe that such a hair could possess someone so beautiful.
Tsuzuki and Hisoka sat on the other end of the shoppe bot wanting to be near the mad man but not really wanting to leave their charge with him. They knew she was safer in the hands of a serial killer other than Muraki's. He was worse than just any serial killer and much dangerous than a hungry beast.
"He is behind this." Hisoka said grinding his teeth and clenching his fists. "I am pretty sure he is behind this."
Tsuzuki shuddered at the thought. It had been years since their first encounter with Muraki and they knew that he was not just human. Hisoka saw it with his own eyes, as did Tsuzuki, only he was not in the proper state of mind to remember, how Muraki revealed bright white wings and disappeared to nowhere, how Muraki called upon supernatural beasts to do his bidding, and how he was standing there after being inside the compound, wounded and bleeding surrounded by the fire of the Tern Snake, the Fire that engulf even the Shinigamis. If that fire did not kill him, then what will?
They watched Kashi and Muraki in the corner and narrowed their eyes to the image of Muraki as they have never seen before.
"Do you know those men?" Muraki asked Kashi, throwing them a smile that Kashi did not see.
"Nope." she said without looking up.
"How would you know?" he asked amusedly at the girl sitting in front of him. "You haven't even glanced at whom I was pointing."
"That two men at the other side? A blond kid and the older one in a trenchcoat?" she said looking straight to his eyes.
Muraki smiled in amusement but more of an unbelievable look, shaking his head as if to say, How did you do that?"
"Woman's perspective... Wider..." she grinned, placing both her pointing fingers together side by side and pulling them apart in an arc, to show how wide a woman's perspective can be.
Tsuzuki watched them attentively, his eyes never leaving Muraki's hand for a moment. A little slide of hand may prove fatal to Ichino. Muraki's a doctor, a man of science. It won't be surprising if it turns out that he used poison to kill all those women, an untraceable poison at that.
"Come on, let's get out of here, shall we? I, um,... well, those men are staring at you... and..." Muraki said almost shyly.
"... And I suppose you are the only one whose allowed to *stare* at me?" she asked with a smile.
"Well, as your boyfriend, yeah." he replied playfully, as a matter of factly.
"Really?" she said leaning on the table and pulling his tie to close the space between them. She planted a small kiss on his lips which made all the hair on Hisoka's back stand up. He didn't hear the conversation but as an empath, he felt that sudden rush of feeling in the lady. It bothered him how anyone can love such a monster.
Kashi made a move to stand up, followed by Muraki who escorted her out with a hand at the small of his back.
Hisoka had no way of knowing what Muraki was thinking or what he was feeling. The spell that closed that connection between them was still working in him, a spell that Muraki had placed on him with the carved wounds on his body. He had no way of knowing if he loved her or not, if she was part of his bizarre plans to ruin the world of whatever.
They rushed out of the shoppe in pursuit of the couple but as soon as they got out, the two silver heads were gone.
"Kso! We lost them." ____________________________________________________________________________ ________________
"Tsuzuki! Tsuzuki!" the chief called out inot thin air as if waiting for something to appear in front of him. Breaktime and as usual, Tsuzuki can't be found anywhere in Enma-Cho even though Tatsumi, Hisoka, and the chief himself plastered his desk with countless reminders about that meeting.
"Obviously, the call of sweets, once again, prevailed." Tatsumi said with a knowing smile.
"If only the call to him by his job is as strong and commanding as the call to him by his food, then there wouldn't be much trouble in Enma-Cho, would there?" he replied angrily. "Tsuzuki!"
Tsuzuki materialized in the corner of the conference room and stepped up behind the chief.
"Yes, chief?" he said knowing how dangerous it was to bring the attention to himself but still did so.
"Where have you-- wow..." the chief trailed off at the sight of the sugar puffs Tsuzuki brought with him. Tsuzuki was ready with his ammunitions. Who in heaven, earth or in Enma-Cho can resist sweets?
At the sound of the chief's voice, Tsuzuki left in a hurry stiuffing every bit of cake he ordered into his mouth, not noticing the icing left on his nose and on the sides of his lips.
"Domo... and wipe that icing off your face, Tsuzuki." the chief said kindly and passed the suger puffs around the table. "Let's get on with business shall we?" he said throwing a glare at the giggling Watari enough to shut him up. "We have been recieving hints of untimely deaths for the past few months and the souls never fail to come on the time said. They have been listed under normal deaths, however, there is nothing normal about their deaths. Accidents cannot be predicted but it seems that the 'accidents' that these unfortunate individuals participated in have been 'prepared' and 'planned for'. Most of these people 'pass out' and get run over by a truck, 'pass out' and die... all of them pass out before meeting an accident but there is no trace of poison in them, none whatsoever."
"Do they have anything in common?" Tatsumi asked.
"Aside from the fact that they are all females? None whatsoever." the chief answered. "As of now, we have been recieving hints on the death of another person. Her name is Ichino Kashi. We hope that this would be the last. Tsuzuki, Hisoka, we would like you to watch over this person *while* solving the source of this." and with the final tone, he dismissed them all and brought with him the remaining sugar puffs.
"Jiyuutei, right?" Hisoka asked as he followed the chief out of the door. Tsuzuki blinked. Why does he keep doing that? ____________________________________________________________________________ _______________
Jiyuutei at three indeed. They did not expect to find her so soon. She was sitting on one table at the corner of the cake shoppe eating what seems to be chocolate mousse, Tsuzuki's personal favorite. Her silver hair and amethyst eyes were unmistakable, just like the pictures posted around bulletin board in the chief's conference room.
Tsuzuki turned around to call Hisoka's attention but he was already walking toward the woman. But something stopped in his tracks. It was the sight of Muraki entering the shoppe door. Kazutaka Muraki, the person who killed Hisoka years ago, the person in pursuit of eternal life, and probably the most insane person who ever existed. Muraki saw them and recognized their presence making both Tsuzuki and Hisoka back away. But they didn't seem to be the reason they were there. It seems that Ichino Kashi was the reason. Hisoka stared both the silver headed people in front of them. They silvery texture of their hair was unnatural but it seemed natural to both of them. It has not the look the hair of old people but more like the look of fairies' hair, basked in enchantment. But it was that hair that Hisoka has learned to despise. The hair of the evil thing that killed him years ago. He refused to admit that that thing was a man for he knew that he was not. He could not believe that such a hair could possess someone so beautiful.
Tsuzuki and Hisoka sat on the other end of the shoppe bot wanting to be near the mad man but not really wanting to leave their charge with him. They knew she was safer in the hands of a serial killer other than Muraki's. He was worse than just any serial killer and much dangerous than a hungry beast.
"He is behind this." Hisoka said grinding his teeth and clenching his fists. "I am pretty sure he is behind this."
Tsuzuki shuddered at the thought. It had been years since their first encounter with Muraki and they knew that he was not just human. Hisoka saw it with his own eyes, as did Tsuzuki, only he was not in the proper state of mind to remember, how Muraki revealed bright white wings and disappeared to nowhere, how Muraki called upon supernatural beasts to do his bidding, and how he was standing there after being inside the compound, wounded and bleeding surrounded by the fire of the Tern Snake, the Fire that engulf even the Shinigamis. If that fire did not kill him, then what will?
They watched Kashi and Muraki in the corner and narrowed their eyes to the image of Muraki as they have never seen before.
"Do you know those men?" Muraki asked Kashi, throwing them a smile that Kashi did not see.
"Nope." she said without looking up.
"How would you know?" he asked amusedly at the girl sitting in front of him. "You haven't even glanced at whom I was pointing."
"That two men at the other side? A blond kid and the older one in a trenchcoat?" she said looking straight to his eyes.
Muraki smiled in amusement but more of an unbelievable look, shaking his head as if to say, How did you do that?"
"Woman's perspective... Wider..." she grinned, placing both her pointing fingers together side by side and pulling them apart in an arc, to show how wide a woman's perspective can be.
Tsuzuki watched them attentively, his eyes never leaving Muraki's hand for a moment. A little slide of hand may prove fatal to Ichino. Muraki's a doctor, a man of science. It won't be surprising if it turns out that he used poison to kill all those women, an untraceable poison at that.
"Come on, let's get out of here, shall we? I, um,... well, those men are staring at you... and..." Muraki said almost shyly.
"... And I suppose you are the only one whose allowed to *stare* at me?" she asked with a smile.
"Well, as your boyfriend, yeah." he replied playfully, as a matter of factly.
"Really?" she said leaning on the table and pulling his tie to close the space between them. She planted a small kiss on his lips which made all the hair on Hisoka's back stand up. He didn't hear the conversation but as an empath, he felt that sudden rush of feeling in the lady. It bothered him how anyone can love such a monster.
Kashi made a move to stand up, followed by Muraki who escorted her out with a hand at the small of his back.
Hisoka had no way of knowing what Muraki was thinking or what he was feeling. The spell that closed that connection between them was still working in him, a spell that Muraki had placed on him with the carved wounds on his body. He had no way of knowing if he loved her or not, if she was part of his bizarre plans to ruin the world of whatever.
They rushed out of the shoppe in pursuit of the couple but as soon as they got out, the two silver heads were gone.
"Kso! We lost them." ____________________________________________________________________________ ________________