AN: ~cackles evilly, poses~ I have achieved complete surprise and
shock! MWAHAH! ~coughs~ ahem. Anyway.thanks for the two reviews! Also.I
have no idea how to write Muraki or the murders.so there may not be much of
that going on in the fic ^_^""""""" I apologize for a bit of OOCness in
this chapter but.I couldn't resist!
Morien Alexander- Yeah. 'Soka-kun is a girl.but think of all the fun I'm gonna have with this!! ^_^
Asidian- ~giggles~ Well, Oriya kind of makes sense.he won't ask any questions, and hey, he's best friends with Muraki, he's pretty much immune to oddity. Plus, if any of the shinigami came around, he could lie for Jade ^_^ As for the other shinigami..Tsuzuki needs a new partner, ne? ~evil grin~
Konoe read the letter in front of him, then looked up at Watari and Tatsumi. Watari seemed very anxious, and Tatsumi, as always, looked calm for a situation such as this.
" She's coming back tomorrow. Remember, not a word to Tsuzuki. We don't want this to get any more spread around than the three of us. She'll probably be a little unstable and stressed, so.tread lightly. I've talked with the Earl, and we have reason to believe that because she's back in her original.form.she may be more powerful than she was as Hisoka. And she may not know how to control it." The other shinigami nodded.
" Well then, I guess we'd better prepare for our newest member of the team! Or..well.you know..ah, nevermind." Watari deadpanned, walking out of the room.
" Are you sure that this will work? Tsuzuki may be dense at times, but he's not stupid. He's bound to figure it out eventually." Konoe sighed.
" If he does, then we'll help Jade explain it to him as best we can. But until then, let's just leave her to her own devices. If she does tell him, then it will be for her own reasons." Tatsumi nodded, bowed, and left. Konoe glanced out the window.
" I only hope that she can accept it."
Tsuzuki yawned, waiting for Konoe to start speaking. They had all been called into a meeting, but so far nobody had said anything. He was getting bored, and he was hungry. Tatsumi walked in and closed the door behind him, nodding at Konoe, who proceeded to clear his throat. Finally!
" As you all know, Hisoka has taken some time off, leaving Tsuzuki- san without a partner. We've searched around, and now I'd like to introduce our.newest.member of the team." Tsuzuki blinked. Konoe actually looked confused! But soon he was distracted by the door opening. Looking back, Tsuzuki believed that everybody except for Konoe was shocked.
" Hello minna." A girl walked in, smiling shyly, eyes darting around the room as she made her way to the 'front' of the room. She held a clipboard loosely in her hands, resting it against her leg as she leaned back against the wall. Tsuzuki swallowed. Her hair was loose, and hung around her elbows. She was wearing a business suit, but.it didn't really seem like it was meant for business. It was a gray tweed skirt that ended around her calves, with a white ruffled blouse peeking from the neck of a matching tweed jacket that was closed corset style, one piece of black leather material overlapping the other with a single button. (If you've seen Moulin Rouge, it's kind of like her gray outfit that she wears when they sing "The Show Must Go On.") She gave another little smile and went on.
" My name is Kuro." she paused for a split second, blinking.
" Kuromana, Jade. Pleased to meet all of you." Jade bowed, then shot a glance at Konoe.
" Yes, pleased to meet you as well. Now for the other introductions. This is Watari-san, he's our scientist and lab experimenter, as well as our nurse. Tatsumi, whom you've met, is our secretary slash bookkeeper. Tsuzuki, over there in the corner, is your new partner." Tsuzuki waved enthusiastically, puppy ears up and tail wagging. She giggled.
" Kawaii." He blinked at her, and she stammered, cheeks turning slightly pink.
" Ano..um.gomen nasai!" He smiled, waving it aside.
" Don't worry about it. I get it all the time!" Watari bent over in a flurry of snickers, and Tatsumi was covering his mouth. His ears drooped and he popped out of chibi-mode.
" You guys are so meeeaaannnn!!!!!"
Jade looked around their office. Not much had changed. Looking out the window, she smiled briefly. 'I wish I was really on vacation.'
" And that concludes the tour! Make yourself comfortable.I'm sure 'Soka-chan wouldn't mind you using his desk." Tsuzuki finished up cheerily, sitting at his own desk. She raised an eyebrow, and then settled on the edge of her desk.
" Thanks for the tour, Tsuzuki-san. I'll probably still get lost, but at least now I sort of know where I'm going." She smiled at him again, setting the clipboard she was holding down onto the desk. 'Ok. How to tell Tsuzuki that the girl in front of him is Hisoka. Or.was.ugh, not even I know right now!' The silence was broken with a disjointed rumbling. Jade blinked, looking at Tsuzuki, who was blushing faintly.
" I'm hungry. Want to go to Earth and get something to eat? Because you're new, we get the rest of the day off." Jade bit the inside of her cheek to keep from laughing. Nothing phases that guy. She stood, brushing her bangs out of her eyes.
" Sounds like a plan Tsuzuki-san." He looked over his shoulder at her, coat halfway on.
" Just one thing. It's just Tsuzuki, don't worry about the attachment at the end. Sounds to formal for partners, right?" Jade colored slightly, hiding it by lowering her head as she pulled on an overcoat.
" Hai. Where do you want to eat?" She glanced over at him as they left the building. 'Stupid female mind.he's even cuter now! Wait! Stop. I did NOT just say that..'
Jade stifled a sigh as Tsuzuki dug into the pastry before him. 'How did I KNOW that it was going to be a sweets shop..' The thought didn't stop her from scooping a spoonful of chocolate covered ice cream, but still.
" Ah, it's too bad Hisoka wasn't here. But then, he didn't really like sweets much." Jade suppressed another sigh. 'Apparently I was more popular than I thought.' She popped another spoonful of ice creamy goodness into her mouth. 'Mmmmmm.chocolate has the power to make everything better..' She smiled, and the rest of the afternoon sped by.
The sun was just starting to set as they walked back to the office. Jade was smiling slightly, and she couldn't remember why. 'Well, I've probably screwed myself royally.' she thought wryly. She thought that as Hisoka she could keep what she felt a secret even to herself, and it proved practically impossible. In her female state, well, Tsuzuki was..as girls her age often said...incredibly hot. 'But just because I said he's hot doesn't mean that I like him. Nope. Perfect working relationship.' She looked up at the sky. 'Heaven help me.' The silence was starting to grind her nerves. Which was surprising. Usually silence was comforting.
" The sakura petals are beautiful, hm? It's hard to believe that they'll always stay like this." Jade caught a falling blossom while she was talking, cradling it carefully in the palm of her hand. She was focused on the blossom, so she didn't see him nod in agreement. She only saw the hand close over her own, making her crush the blossom.
" Yeah, they're really pretty. And even though some people might argue that they're continually dying." He opened her hand, and the scent of the blossom floated towards her nose.
" They don't realize that things stay beautiful, even after death." Jade felt heat rise to her face as his hand stayed on hers. 'Just breathe.'
" S-so ka?" She stammered out, eyes glued to his hand under hers.
" Mmhm! But do you want to see something prettier than a sakura blossom?" She looked up at him in surprise as he took his hand away. She held it with her other hand, fighting the blush that she had. He stood quietly for a moment, bathed in the reddish glow of the setting sun. 'Well, he already has the blossom beat...' She gasped quietly as a sparrow flew over to him and landed on his shoulder. 'That's right.I forgot that birds like Tsuzuki.' Slowly, he made his way over to her, taking the bird onto his finger, petting it gently.
" You have to be really gentle with these guys.they get scared easily." Tsuzuki whispered, keeping his eye on the bird and moving towards her. She nodded.
" Have you ever held a bird before?" He looked at her, and she shook her head, tongue stuck to the roof of her mouth. 'Breathe, breathe, breathe.' she now chanted that like a mantra. He shrugged, and then walked past her. She frowned slightly. 'Nani? Just where did he think he was going?' The question was answered when she felt warm air whoosh by her ear.
" Hold out your hands like you were gonna hold water." She gulped, following his instructions. He brought his arms around her sides, the bird still whistling happily on his finger. Gently, he nudged it into her hands.
" Now, open your hands a little more, give it a little more room.like this." He took her hands again, and pushed down on them slightly. 'What's with him? He never acts like this! He'd better not be under some creepy spell that Watari put on him 'cause I swear I'll kill them both.' She glanced at the sparrow and couldn't resist. She let herself smile.
" Well, am I right? Birds are much prettier than cherry blossoms, I think." Jade watched as the sparrow took off. 'Well, I guess you do learn something new every day.' Tsuzuki seemed to break out of whatever had a hold on him and moved away from her. Part of her was glad, but most of her was disappointed.
" Sorry about that, guess I got a little close. It's just better to experience it right up close than from a distance, you know what I mean?" Jade nodded, yawning. Tsuzuki glanced at his watch.
" Waaaaaaa it's late!! Did Konoe set you up with your apartment?" Jade nodded reluctantly. He grabbed her wrist and pulled her forward, running at a fast speed.
" I gotta get you home so that you're not tired in the morning! I'm sorry for keeping you up so late!" She ran with him, getting an odd feeling of déjà vu. Oh well, that can't be helped.
Once at her apartment, they stood awkwardly for a moment until Jade spoke up.
" Thanks for this afternoon. I had a lot of fun. See you tomorrow morning Tsuzuki!" Waving, she opened her door from behind and slipped inside. Sighing, she leaned against the closed door for a moment. Today had been perfect. She only wished that the rest of her afterlife would be as nice. She held her hand again as she got into bed. Jade wouldn't classify that afternoon as a date, per say, but it was the closest thing she'd ever had to one, and if all dates went like that, then she couldn't wait for her first real one.
" Tsuzuki.."
Morien Alexander- Yeah. 'Soka-kun is a girl.but think of all the fun I'm gonna have with this!! ^_^
Asidian- ~giggles~ Well, Oriya kind of makes sense.he won't ask any questions, and hey, he's best friends with Muraki, he's pretty much immune to oddity. Plus, if any of the shinigami came around, he could lie for Jade ^_^ As for the other shinigami..Tsuzuki needs a new partner, ne? ~evil grin~
Konoe read the letter in front of him, then looked up at Watari and Tatsumi. Watari seemed very anxious, and Tatsumi, as always, looked calm for a situation such as this.
" She's coming back tomorrow. Remember, not a word to Tsuzuki. We don't want this to get any more spread around than the three of us. She'll probably be a little unstable and stressed, so.tread lightly. I've talked with the Earl, and we have reason to believe that because she's back in her original.form.she may be more powerful than she was as Hisoka. And she may not know how to control it." The other shinigami nodded.
" Well then, I guess we'd better prepare for our newest member of the team! Or..well.you know..ah, nevermind." Watari deadpanned, walking out of the room.
" Are you sure that this will work? Tsuzuki may be dense at times, but he's not stupid. He's bound to figure it out eventually." Konoe sighed.
" If he does, then we'll help Jade explain it to him as best we can. But until then, let's just leave her to her own devices. If she does tell him, then it will be for her own reasons." Tatsumi nodded, bowed, and left. Konoe glanced out the window.
" I only hope that she can accept it."
Tsuzuki yawned, waiting for Konoe to start speaking. They had all been called into a meeting, but so far nobody had said anything. He was getting bored, and he was hungry. Tatsumi walked in and closed the door behind him, nodding at Konoe, who proceeded to clear his throat. Finally!
" As you all know, Hisoka has taken some time off, leaving Tsuzuki- san without a partner. We've searched around, and now I'd like to introduce our.newest.member of the team." Tsuzuki blinked. Konoe actually looked confused! But soon he was distracted by the door opening. Looking back, Tsuzuki believed that everybody except for Konoe was shocked.
" Hello minna." A girl walked in, smiling shyly, eyes darting around the room as she made her way to the 'front' of the room. She held a clipboard loosely in her hands, resting it against her leg as she leaned back against the wall. Tsuzuki swallowed. Her hair was loose, and hung around her elbows. She was wearing a business suit, but.it didn't really seem like it was meant for business. It was a gray tweed skirt that ended around her calves, with a white ruffled blouse peeking from the neck of a matching tweed jacket that was closed corset style, one piece of black leather material overlapping the other with a single button. (If you've seen Moulin Rouge, it's kind of like her gray outfit that she wears when they sing "The Show Must Go On.") She gave another little smile and went on.
" My name is Kuro." she paused for a split second, blinking.
" Kuromana, Jade. Pleased to meet all of you." Jade bowed, then shot a glance at Konoe.
" Yes, pleased to meet you as well. Now for the other introductions. This is Watari-san, he's our scientist and lab experimenter, as well as our nurse. Tatsumi, whom you've met, is our secretary slash bookkeeper. Tsuzuki, over there in the corner, is your new partner." Tsuzuki waved enthusiastically, puppy ears up and tail wagging. She giggled.
" Kawaii." He blinked at her, and she stammered, cheeks turning slightly pink.
" Ano..um.gomen nasai!" He smiled, waving it aside.
" Don't worry about it. I get it all the time!" Watari bent over in a flurry of snickers, and Tatsumi was covering his mouth. His ears drooped and he popped out of chibi-mode.
" You guys are so meeeaaannnn!!!!!"
Jade looked around their office. Not much had changed. Looking out the window, she smiled briefly. 'I wish I was really on vacation.'
" And that concludes the tour! Make yourself comfortable.I'm sure 'Soka-chan wouldn't mind you using his desk." Tsuzuki finished up cheerily, sitting at his own desk. She raised an eyebrow, and then settled on the edge of her desk.
" Thanks for the tour, Tsuzuki-san. I'll probably still get lost, but at least now I sort of know where I'm going." She smiled at him again, setting the clipboard she was holding down onto the desk. 'Ok. How to tell Tsuzuki that the girl in front of him is Hisoka. Or.was.ugh, not even I know right now!' The silence was broken with a disjointed rumbling. Jade blinked, looking at Tsuzuki, who was blushing faintly.
" I'm hungry. Want to go to Earth and get something to eat? Because you're new, we get the rest of the day off." Jade bit the inside of her cheek to keep from laughing. Nothing phases that guy. She stood, brushing her bangs out of her eyes.
" Sounds like a plan Tsuzuki-san." He looked over his shoulder at her, coat halfway on.
" Just one thing. It's just Tsuzuki, don't worry about the attachment at the end. Sounds to formal for partners, right?" Jade colored slightly, hiding it by lowering her head as she pulled on an overcoat.
" Hai. Where do you want to eat?" She glanced over at him as they left the building. 'Stupid female mind.he's even cuter now! Wait! Stop. I did NOT just say that..'
Jade stifled a sigh as Tsuzuki dug into the pastry before him. 'How did I KNOW that it was going to be a sweets shop..' The thought didn't stop her from scooping a spoonful of chocolate covered ice cream, but still.
" Ah, it's too bad Hisoka wasn't here. But then, he didn't really like sweets much." Jade suppressed another sigh. 'Apparently I was more popular than I thought.' She popped another spoonful of ice creamy goodness into her mouth. 'Mmmmmm.chocolate has the power to make everything better..' She smiled, and the rest of the afternoon sped by.
The sun was just starting to set as they walked back to the office. Jade was smiling slightly, and she couldn't remember why. 'Well, I've probably screwed myself royally.' she thought wryly. She thought that as Hisoka she could keep what she felt a secret even to herself, and it proved practically impossible. In her female state, well, Tsuzuki was..as girls her age often said...incredibly hot. 'But just because I said he's hot doesn't mean that I like him. Nope. Perfect working relationship.' She looked up at the sky. 'Heaven help me.' The silence was starting to grind her nerves. Which was surprising. Usually silence was comforting.
" The sakura petals are beautiful, hm? It's hard to believe that they'll always stay like this." Jade caught a falling blossom while she was talking, cradling it carefully in the palm of her hand. She was focused on the blossom, so she didn't see him nod in agreement. She only saw the hand close over her own, making her crush the blossom.
" Yeah, they're really pretty. And even though some people might argue that they're continually dying." He opened her hand, and the scent of the blossom floated towards her nose.
" They don't realize that things stay beautiful, even after death." Jade felt heat rise to her face as his hand stayed on hers. 'Just breathe.'
" S-so ka?" She stammered out, eyes glued to his hand under hers.
" Mmhm! But do you want to see something prettier than a sakura blossom?" She looked up at him in surprise as he took his hand away. She held it with her other hand, fighting the blush that she had. He stood quietly for a moment, bathed in the reddish glow of the setting sun. 'Well, he already has the blossom beat...' She gasped quietly as a sparrow flew over to him and landed on his shoulder. 'That's right.I forgot that birds like Tsuzuki.' Slowly, he made his way over to her, taking the bird onto his finger, petting it gently.
" You have to be really gentle with these guys.they get scared easily." Tsuzuki whispered, keeping his eye on the bird and moving towards her. She nodded.
" Have you ever held a bird before?" He looked at her, and she shook her head, tongue stuck to the roof of her mouth. 'Breathe, breathe, breathe.' she now chanted that like a mantra. He shrugged, and then walked past her. She frowned slightly. 'Nani? Just where did he think he was going?' The question was answered when she felt warm air whoosh by her ear.
" Hold out your hands like you were gonna hold water." She gulped, following his instructions. He brought his arms around her sides, the bird still whistling happily on his finger. Gently, he nudged it into her hands.
" Now, open your hands a little more, give it a little more room.like this." He took her hands again, and pushed down on them slightly. 'What's with him? He never acts like this! He'd better not be under some creepy spell that Watari put on him 'cause I swear I'll kill them both.' She glanced at the sparrow and couldn't resist. She let herself smile.
" Well, am I right? Birds are much prettier than cherry blossoms, I think." Jade watched as the sparrow took off. 'Well, I guess you do learn something new every day.' Tsuzuki seemed to break out of whatever had a hold on him and moved away from her. Part of her was glad, but most of her was disappointed.
" Sorry about that, guess I got a little close. It's just better to experience it right up close than from a distance, you know what I mean?" Jade nodded, yawning. Tsuzuki glanced at his watch.
" Waaaaaaa it's late!! Did Konoe set you up with your apartment?" Jade nodded reluctantly. He grabbed her wrist and pulled her forward, running at a fast speed.
" I gotta get you home so that you're not tired in the morning! I'm sorry for keeping you up so late!" She ran with him, getting an odd feeling of déjà vu. Oh well, that can't be helped.
Once at her apartment, they stood awkwardly for a moment until Jade spoke up.
" Thanks for this afternoon. I had a lot of fun. See you tomorrow morning Tsuzuki!" Waving, she opened her door from behind and slipped inside. Sighing, she leaned against the closed door for a moment. Today had been perfect. She only wished that the rest of her afterlife would be as nice. She held her hand again as she got into bed. Jade wouldn't classify that afternoon as a date, per say, but it was the closest thing she'd ever had to one, and if all dates went like that, then she couldn't wait for her first real one.
" Tsuzuki.."