AN: Ta-daaaahhhh!!! ^__^ Here's the next chapter, enjoy ^^
Oh yeah, didn't place a disclaimer last time..not that anybody really cares.I want to own Tsuzuki..^__^
Kimitha- Heh, so you're saying my leaving it at a cliffhanger worked? ~evil grin~
Morien Alexander- Heh, isn't it though?? I didn't like writing the dream sequence.it was creepy -_-''''
(Recap)
To prove her point, two arms wrapped around her, just like in the dream.
" Hello Hisoka." Jade's eyes widened.
(end flashback) * * * * * * * * * * * *
Jade tried to free herself, scowling and fighting the panic she felt. Muraki, however, seemed low on patience and brought a hand to her neck, squeezing just enough to make her feel dizzy.
" Now, now, we can't have you acting like that, Hisoka. How are you enjoying your freedom so far?" She could almost hear the smirk in his voice. Stilling herself, she forced a sound out of her throat.
" Muraki. I'm warning you now. I have not had a good day, and I am not all that excited to see you. So leave." Searching her mind frantically for a way to get out of this situation, she alighted on one, very iffy, hope. Another low chuckle rang through the room, and she could almost hear her name being called.
" Come now, let's not delude ourselves. There's no way you can win." Jade closed her eyes, forcing herself to breathe deeply and concentrate on what Tatsumi had told her earlier. 'Just concentrate, and it will happen.' Letting her body go slack, she frowned as Muraki took it for compliance. 'Baka!' Eyes flying open, she snarled at Muraki.
" Duck." He blinked at her in confusion. A light of understanding began to dawn in his eyes, just as the lamp shattered on his head. Stumbling away with a curse, Muraki let her go. Jade took the opportunity to run to the door of her apartment, hurling anything she could think of at him. 'That'll teach him to try and-" Her train of thought was interrupted as a blunt object made white lights flash under her eyelids. Closing her eyes, Jade gathered her energy as the darkness threatened to overwhelm her. * * * * * * * * * * * *
Tsuzuki was still looking around outside with Suzaku when a panic- filled cry tore the air, sounding almost animalistic in it's nature.
" TSUZUKI!!!!!" Eyes widening, he was about to order Suzaku to go to Jade when the apartment complex exploded in a blaze of firey torture, cries from nails torn out of their boards renting the air, waves of heat crashing down around him. Another roar, guttural and enraged, filled the sky. Tsuzuki stumbled back, moving his hand from his eyes to see what was happening to the apartment building. If Jade was still in there..a startled gasp behind him cut his thoughts off. Watari stood behind him, almost completely pale.
" Tsuzuki-san..look!" Pointing back to the demolished building, Watari's hand shook slightly. Tsuzuki frowned, slowly trailing his gaze back to the rubble. It was very hard to get the scientist shaken up so badly about something like this. And when he looked to the blaze, he understood why.
" Cerberus..? And..Ifrit??" Shock knew his voice, covering it with a thick blanket. 'But.but.that's impossible! They're monsters of Hell, not Meifu! Not even I could control one of those things, let alone two! They refuse to be controlled..so why are they here? Muraki must have.' Ignoring Watari, Tsuzuki burst forward in a run.
" JADE!" The heat forced him to stop a few meters from the flames. Squinting, he peered into them, trying to find her. If Hisoka could do it, then so could he. Besides, they were starting to get smaller..right? A snarl made him look up. One of Cerberus's head was glaring down at him, lips pulled back to reveal teeth larger and pointier than was probably good for Tsuzuki's health.
'Shinigami.' A single word was all it snarled out, eyes narrowing.
" What did you do to Jade?!" Tsuzuki was past caring. Jade was his partner, just as Hisoka was.still was. And if Muraki was trying to hurt her.
'White-haired man. Took her with him. Tried to stop him, but.' For a moment, he could have sworn he saw a faint trace of amusement and pride flash through the monsters eyes.
'Our cub blew up the den.' Tsuzuki blinked. 'They have a cub.?' He was getting confused, and Ifrit was still roaring, though he was somewhat subdued. Another head of Cerberus swung down, panting.
' He means that when Jade was knocked unconscious by that man she gathered the last vestiges of her power and released it, not even realizing that she did. The energy rush called us, and we came. However, it also caused the building to explode, giving the man a chance to get her and leave. Our cub is powerful, but she has not been taught properly yet.' He was sure he was going to faint from shock. It wasn't Muraki that had called them..it was Jade. * * * * * * * * * * * *
Muraki scowled, watching the sleeping figure on the couch. Try as he might...he couldn't touch her. Cursing quietly, he continued to glare, a hand creeping up to feel the bumps forming on his head. One large one in particular. Gaze back at the girl, he frowned once more. Perhaps it was not wise of him to give her back to herself, but it was one of the few things he hadn't attempted to get Tsuzuki with. The girls eyebrows pulled into a frown. He smirked slightly. 'Even if she DID somehow manage to call those two, she's going to have a hell of a headache when she wakes up. If she ever wakes up, of course.' That thought, at least, brought a small amount of comfort to his battered ego. Not even Tsuzuki-san had given him that much trouble. It was one of the few times he had underestimated somebody. He assumed that because she was a girl, she would become confused and frightened, but instead she had readily accepted the fact that she had once indeed been Hisoka, and Hisoka had been her, and moved on. He didn't count on her powers increasing, either. A groan interrupted his musings, and he glanced at the couch. Again, he had made a mistake. Muraki had assumed she'd remain unconscious for at least a day.
" Itai...mou.." Jade sat, rubbing her temples, eyes still shut. A startled gasp, and he sat quietly as blue eyes snapped open and surveyed the room, delicate mouth twisting into a frown. A fire grew in her eyes as she slowly turned to him. Crackling once, it was confined as blue ice-fire narrowed dangerously.
" Muraki." She spit his name out like it was poison. Muraki just grinned, standing.
" Hisoka." The shield that had protected her was down. * * * * * * * * * * * *
Watari paced, Tatsumi leaned against a desk, and Tsuzuki was almost in tears, puppy tail wagging frantically.
" We gotta go get her back!! Watari, you have to get 'Soka-chan!" He was confused, as well as slightly annoyed. Watari and Tatsumi had practically refused to go and get Hisoka. Surely his vacation wasn't THAT important? Unless.
" Watari, is something..is something wrong with Hisoka?" The blonde scientist flinched slightly, guilt overwhelming his features for a moment. That was when Tsuzuki realized that something was wrong.
" Hisoka...he's not on vacation, is he?" Silence reigned across the room. Tsuzuki frowned. Why didn't they just tell him in the first place? Surely it would have been easier..Hisoka wanted a new partner, that was all. It wasn't so bad..his shoulders drooped.
" Why didn't Hisoka tell me he wanted a new partner?" Watari and Tatsumi blinked at him.
" Tsuzuki-san, he didn't want to switch partners. Some.er..family matters came up, and he had to leave. Rather unexpectedly. We didn't want you to be concerned, and he expressed his own about you knowing why he left." His shoulders drooped further.
" Doesn't he trust me? Even after all this?" Tatsumi sighed, adjusting his glasses. Walking up to Tsuzuki, he placed a hand on his shoulder.
" Tsuzuki, perhaps we should discuss this after we get Jade back. After all.creatures from Hell can't be comfortable in Meifu." Glancing out the window, Tsuzuki conceded. The two monsters had refused to go back to wherever they came from, concerned about their 'cub'. It still unnerved Tsuzuki to hear them call Jade that. It made it sound like she was a demon or something. Of course, this point had been quickly dispersed by them after Tsuzuki repeatedly questioned Cerberus about it. But it didn't mean he had to like it.
" I suppose.but where are we even going to start looking? I mean, he could be anywhere!" Watari walked over to the window, looking into the courtyard.
" Maybe they could help." * * * * * * * * * * * *
The room was a mess. Upturned furniture, walls with gaping holes in them, and broken glass provided the picture of a battlefield. And truly, it was. Muraki was glad he lived in an actual house. Otherwise he was sure the cops would have been there well over and hour ago. While this thought ran through his head, he dodged a skillet, frowning.
" Muraki! I'm gonna kick your skinny arse all the way to Hell!! And I'm going to make you stay there!" His idea certainly wasn't turning out well at all. After re-applying two curse lines after he managed to knock her out again, she had woken up. Needless to say, she was not pleased. If he could just get her outside, then he could summon a hydra and be done with it. However, that also ran another risk. The other Shinigami were certainly looking for her. A hydra isn't always the most subtle creature, either. Moving to the side, he watched a lamp go sailing by, wincing slightly as a shattering sound was heard.
" Stop moving, damn you! Just let me kill you!!" Jade yelled, eyes narrowed. He supposed that it was either because she was insane, frightened, or unbelievable maddened to the point of enragement. A chair clipped his shoulder, and he strode over to a set of daggers displayed on the wall, breaking the glass and selecting one, throwing it at the girl. A smirk of satisfaction graced his lips as it zinged against her cheek, a deep red line cutting across her face. An energy, dark and angry, light and happy, flared, and the tv was hurled at him. 'Or,' he supposed, 'It could be all three.'
" Jade, is there really a need to go to such.extremities?" He could see her eyes narrow at the trace of annoyance in his voice, but things stopped floating. Almost immediately, the coffee table crashed to the ground, and she stood, panting, fists clenched tightly.
" Extremities??? EXTREMITIES?!?!?!? What the HELL do you know about extremities!!! Listen. I've TRIED being patient. I've TRIED sucking it up and pretending that this.this.." She was gesturing wildly to herself at this point, " THING HASN'T BEEN BUGGING ME!!!" A pale eyebrow raised itself.
" I. Don't. Like it! I don't like the mood swings, I don't like feeling weak, and I don't like being protected!" She caught herself just as he smirked, a hand going over her mouth, eyes widening. So that was why she was so..irate.
" Of course. Nobody likes being captured, but it's different for you." Muraki purred out (as only Muraki can ~rae~) and moved closer to her, continuing.
" But it's always been an issue, hasn't it? First, as a child, you were too weak and frightened to overwhelm me when I placed a glorious piece of art on your skin." She flinched, rubbing a hand over the arm that was pulsating with red light.
" Then, you were too weak to fight off the effects of the curse, dying as Hisoka. And again, even after death, you needed somebody to protect you, right boy?" Jade grumbled at the nickname, and he forced her to look up, a hand under her chin. Blue eyes widened beneath a sheen of tears. 'Ah, so she didn't realize I was so close, hmm?' The thought nearly made him chuckle. Leaning close, he whispered into her ear.
" And now..you need to be protected again, don't you?" A shudder, of either revulsion or fear, rocked her body. Smirking, he pulled back.
" You should be thankful I'm not on office hours, Jade. Otherwise I would have had you pay me." Her eyes narrowed once more, shaking. Blinking once, he looked at her, carefully. And wondered why he didn't notice it before. * * * * * * * * * * * *
To say that Tsuzuki was uneasy would be a bit of an understatement. After all..a shinigami riding on the back of a beast of Hell isn't the most usual situation in the world. Behind them, Byakko and Suzaku followed, intent on keeping up to the three-headed guard dog. Behind even them, Ifrit lumbered along, occasionally roaring. He was more intelligent than he seemed, but still...a big monster with red fur and horns wasn't something you wanted to mess around with. Cerberus skidded around a corner, Tsuzuki holding on for dear life, when a house came into view. Really, it wasn't surprising when the hackles rose on the giant dog, or the growl came from its throat. Possibly the whitest house that Tsuzuki had ever seen, it rose into the night sky, the blood-red tiles on the roof giving a haunting mental picture of blood on snow. Windows were very few on the rising center 'tower', presumably leading to an attic. Knowing Muraki, however, it was probably someplace much more sinister than that. The only other thing that marked it as his was the chair that was suddenly shot out of a window, scattering broken glass onto the ground, sparkling in the moonlight. If possible, Cerberus ran faster, skidding to a stop by the window, all three head growling and snapping their jaws. Ifrit bellowed again, making Tsuzuki wince.
" Muraki! Let go of me you stupid psychopath!!" Tsuzuki almost smiled in relief, a warmth spreading through his stomach. If Jade could yell and hurl chairs through windows, that meant that he hadn't done anything to her..yet. Hopping off of Cerberus, he raced to the window.
" JADE!" A muffled grunt issued from the window, and he climbed through, blinking at the sight before him. Jade was still in her pajamas, the gown ripped and tattered around the ankles, and one long sleeve was torn off. She had a very satisfied look on her face, and Muraki was trying not to double over, a pained expression on his face. Tsuzuki blinked.
" How'd you like THAT, boy?" She smirked again at a hidden joke, then turned, spotting him. Tsuzuki bit back a gasp. Eyes that usually shone blue were dulled, glassy, and plain tired-looking. A look of relief covered her face, and a weak smile tugged at the corners of her mouth.
" Tsuzuki.." The dark-haired shinigami moved forward, and hesitated just in front of her, not sure what to do. Her arm was..glowing faintly. A whine came from the window, and Jade flicked her gaze towards Cerberus, smile widening.
" I'm glad.that you came." Tsuzuki nodded, silent. A low chuckle rasped from her throat, and she closed her eyes, slumping forward. In a panic, he placed two fingers against the pulse on her neck, breathing only when he felt the erratic thump of the vein against them. Gathering her into his arms, he cast one look at Muraki, eyes hard, and backed away to the window. Ifrit kneeled down, cradling the girl in his hands. Compared to the size of both the monsters, she looked so..fragile. Byakko sniffed at her hair in concern, and then licked the side of her face. Tsuzuki turned back to the doctor, voice low, eyes serious.
" Muraki..we are far from over this. You hurt Jade, and broke into her apartment. Even though you try to use other people to get to me, you won't win. I'll never forgive what you've done to Hisoka, or to Jade." Muraki just chuckled weakly, standing up and rubbing his shoulder slightly.
" Really, Tsuzuki-san. Why bother distinguishing between the two?" With that cryptic message, Muraki simply disappeared. Cursing, Tsuzuki frowned, looking at the mess.
' Shinigami. Come. Our cub needs to go back to the den.' Looking up at Cerberus, he nodded, glancing at Jade once more.
" She'll be ok, right? I mean, he didn't do anything..bad..to her, right?" Cerberus pulled its lips back in what he thought was a grin.
'She'll be fine. Just tired. We shall wait until she wakes up. Then, we will go to our dens. When she needs us, she will call us.'
Once more, Tsuzuki climbed onto Cerberus. Ifrit walked over to him and offered Jade. Taking her gently in his arms once more, holding her to him. Jade secured snugly against him, they began the journey back to EnMaCho.
Oh yeah, didn't place a disclaimer last time..not that anybody really cares.I want to own Tsuzuki..^__^
Kimitha- Heh, so you're saying my leaving it at a cliffhanger worked? ~evil grin~
Morien Alexander- Heh, isn't it though?? I didn't like writing the dream sequence.it was creepy -_-''''
(Recap)
To prove her point, two arms wrapped around her, just like in the dream.
" Hello Hisoka." Jade's eyes widened.
(end flashback) * * * * * * * * * * * *
Jade tried to free herself, scowling and fighting the panic she felt. Muraki, however, seemed low on patience and brought a hand to her neck, squeezing just enough to make her feel dizzy.
" Now, now, we can't have you acting like that, Hisoka. How are you enjoying your freedom so far?" She could almost hear the smirk in his voice. Stilling herself, she forced a sound out of her throat.
" Muraki. I'm warning you now. I have not had a good day, and I am not all that excited to see you. So leave." Searching her mind frantically for a way to get out of this situation, she alighted on one, very iffy, hope. Another low chuckle rang through the room, and she could almost hear her name being called.
" Come now, let's not delude ourselves. There's no way you can win." Jade closed her eyes, forcing herself to breathe deeply and concentrate on what Tatsumi had told her earlier. 'Just concentrate, and it will happen.' Letting her body go slack, she frowned as Muraki took it for compliance. 'Baka!' Eyes flying open, she snarled at Muraki.
" Duck." He blinked at her in confusion. A light of understanding began to dawn in his eyes, just as the lamp shattered on his head. Stumbling away with a curse, Muraki let her go. Jade took the opportunity to run to the door of her apartment, hurling anything she could think of at him. 'That'll teach him to try and-" Her train of thought was interrupted as a blunt object made white lights flash under her eyelids. Closing her eyes, Jade gathered her energy as the darkness threatened to overwhelm her. * * * * * * * * * * * *
Tsuzuki was still looking around outside with Suzaku when a panic- filled cry tore the air, sounding almost animalistic in it's nature.
" TSUZUKI!!!!!" Eyes widening, he was about to order Suzaku to go to Jade when the apartment complex exploded in a blaze of firey torture, cries from nails torn out of their boards renting the air, waves of heat crashing down around him. Another roar, guttural and enraged, filled the sky. Tsuzuki stumbled back, moving his hand from his eyes to see what was happening to the apartment building. If Jade was still in there..a startled gasp behind him cut his thoughts off. Watari stood behind him, almost completely pale.
" Tsuzuki-san..look!" Pointing back to the demolished building, Watari's hand shook slightly. Tsuzuki frowned, slowly trailing his gaze back to the rubble. It was very hard to get the scientist shaken up so badly about something like this. And when he looked to the blaze, he understood why.
" Cerberus..? And..Ifrit??" Shock knew his voice, covering it with a thick blanket. 'But.but.that's impossible! They're monsters of Hell, not Meifu! Not even I could control one of those things, let alone two! They refuse to be controlled..so why are they here? Muraki must have.' Ignoring Watari, Tsuzuki burst forward in a run.
" JADE!" The heat forced him to stop a few meters from the flames. Squinting, he peered into them, trying to find her. If Hisoka could do it, then so could he. Besides, they were starting to get smaller..right? A snarl made him look up. One of Cerberus's head was glaring down at him, lips pulled back to reveal teeth larger and pointier than was probably good for Tsuzuki's health.
'Shinigami.' A single word was all it snarled out, eyes narrowing.
" What did you do to Jade?!" Tsuzuki was past caring. Jade was his partner, just as Hisoka was.still was. And if Muraki was trying to hurt her.
'White-haired man. Took her with him. Tried to stop him, but.' For a moment, he could have sworn he saw a faint trace of amusement and pride flash through the monsters eyes.
'Our cub blew up the den.' Tsuzuki blinked. 'They have a cub.?' He was getting confused, and Ifrit was still roaring, though he was somewhat subdued. Another head of Cerberus swung down, panting.
' He means that when Jade was knocked unconscious by that man she gathered the last vestiges of her power and released it, not even realizing that she did. The energy rush called us, and we came. However, it also caused the building to explode, giving the man a chance to get her and leave. Our cub is powerful, but she has not been taught properly yet.' He was sure he was going to faint from shock. It wasn't Muraki that had called them..it was Jade. * * * * * * * * * * * *
Muraki scowled, watching the sleeping figure on the couch. Try as he might...he couldn't touch her. Cursing quietly, he continued to glare, a hand creeping up to feel the bumps forming on his head. One large one in particular. Gaze back at the girl, he frowned once more. Perhaps it was not wise of him to give her back to herself, but it was one of the few things he hadn't attempted to get Tsuzuki with. The girls eyebrows pulled into a frown. He smirked slightly. 'Even if she DID somehow manage to call those two, she's going to have a hell of a headache when she wakes up. If she ever wakes up, of course.' That thought, at least, brought a small amount of comfort to his battered ego. Not even Tsuzuki-san had given him that much trouble. It was one of the few times he had underestimated somebody. He assumed that because she was a girl, she would become confused and frightened, but instead she had readily accepted the fact that she had once indeed been Hisoka, and Hisoka had been her, and moved on. He didn't count on her powers increasing, either. A groan interrupted his musings, and he glanced at the couch. Again, he had made a mistake. Muraki had assumed she'd remain unconscious for at least a day.
" Itai...mou.." Jade sat, rubbing her temples, eyes still shut. A startled gasp, and he sat quietly as blue eyes snapped open and surveyed the room, delicate mouth twisting into a frown. A fire grew in her eyes as she slowly turned to him. Crackling once, it was confined as blue ice-fire narrowed dangerously.
" Muraki." She spit his name out like it was poison. Muraki just grinned, standing.
" Hisoka." The shield that had protected her was down. * * * * * * * * * * * *
Watari paced, Tatsumi leaned against a desk, and Tsuzuki was almost in tears, puppy tail wagging frantically.
" We gotta go get her back!! Watari, you have to get 'Soka-chan!" He was confused, as well as slightly annoyed. Watari and Tatsumi had practically refused to go and get Hisoka. Surely his vacation wasn't THAT important? Unless.
" Watari, is something..is something wrong with Hisoka?" The blonde scientist flinched slightly, guilt overwhelming his features for a moment. That was when Tsuzuki realized that something was wrong.
" Hisoka...he's not on vacation, is he?" Silence reigned across the room. Tsuzuki frowned. Why didn't they just tell him in the first place? Surely it would have been easier..Hisoka wanted a new partner, that was all. It wasn't so bad..his shoulders drooped.
" Why didn't Hisoka tell me he wanted a new partner?" Watari and Tatsumi blinked at him.
" Tsuzuki-san, he didn't want to switch partners. Some.er..family matters came up, and he had to leave. Rather unexpectedly. We didn't want you to be concerned, and he expressed his own about you knowing why he left." His shoulders drooped further.
" Doesn't he trust me? Even after all this?" Tatsumi sighed, adjusting his glasses. Walking up to Tsuzuki, he placed a hand on his shoulder.
" Tsuzuki, perhaps we should discuss this after we get Jade back. After all.creatures from Hell can't be comfortable in Meifu." Glancing out the window, Tsuzuki conceded. The two monsters had refused to go back to wherever they came from, concerned about their 'cub'. It still unnerved Tsuzuki to hear them call Jade that. It made it sound like she was a demon or something. Of course, this point had been quickly dispersed by them after Tsuzuki repeatedly questioned Cerberus about it. But it didn't mean he had to like it.
" I suppose.but where are we even going to start looking? I mean, he could be anywhere!" Watari walked over to the window, looking into the courtyard.
" Maybe they could help." * * * * * * * * * * * *
The room was a mess. Upturned furniture, walls with gaping holes in them, and broken glass provided the picture of a battlefield. And truly, it was. Muraki was glad he lived in an actual house. Otherwise he was sure the cops would have been there well over and hour ago. While this thought ran through his head, he dodged a skillet, frowning.
" Muraki! I'm gonna kick your skinny arse all the way to Hell!! And I'm going to make you stay there!" His idea certainly wasn't turning out well at all. After re-applying two curse lines after he managed to knock her out again, she had woken up. Needless to say, she was not pleased. If he could just get her outside, then he could summon a hydra and be done with it. However, that also ran another risk. The other Shinigami were certainly looking for her. A hydra isn't always the most subtle creature, either. Moving to the side, he watched a lamp go sailing by, wincing slightly as a shattering sound was heard.
" Stop moving, damn you! Just let me kill you!!" Jade yelled, eyes narrowed. He supposed that it was either because she was insane, frightened, or unbelievable maddened to the point of enragement. A chair clipped his shoulder, and he strode over to a set of daggers displayed on the wall, breaking the glass and selecting one, throwing it at the girl. A smirk of satisfaction graced his lips as it zinged against her cheek, a deep red line cutting across her face. An energy, dark and angry, light and happy, flared, and the tv was hurled at him. 'Or,' he supposed, 'It could be all three.'
" Jade, is there really a need to go to such.extremities?" He could see her eyes narrow at the trace of annoyance in his voice, but things stopped floating. Almost immediately, the coffee table crashed to the ground, and she stood, panting, fists clenched tightly.
" Extremities??? EXTREMITIES?!?!?!? What the HELL do you know about extremities!!! Listen. I've TRIED being patient. I've TRIED sucking it up and pretending that this.this.." She was gesturing wildly to herself at this point, " THING HASN'T BEEN BUGGING ME!!!" A pale eyebrow raised itself.
" I. Don't. Like it! I don't like the mood swings, I don't like feeling weak, and I don't like being protected!" She caught herself just as he smirked, a hand going over her mouth, eyes widening. So that was why she was so..irate.
" Of course. Nobody likes being captured, but it's different for you." Muraki purred out (as only Muraki can ~rae~) and moved closer to her, continuing.
" But it's always been an issue, hasn't it? First, as a child, you were too weak and frightened to overwhelm me when I placed a glorious piece of art on your skin." She flinched, rubbing a hand over the arm that was pulsating with red light.
" Then, you were too weak to fight off the effects of the curse, dying as Hisoka. And again, even after death, you needed somebody to protect you, right boy?" Jade grumbled at the nickname, and he forced her to look up, a hand under her chin. Blue eyes widened beneath a sheen of tears. 'Ah, so she didn't realize I was so close, hmm?' The thought nearly made him chuckle. Leaning close, he whispered into her ear.
" And now..you need to be protected again, don't you?" A shudder, of either revulsion or fear, rocked her body. Smirking, he pulled back.
" You should be thankful I'm not on office hours, Jade. Otherwise I would have had you pay me." Her eyes narrowed once more, shaking. Blinking once, he looked at her, carefully. And wondered why he didn't notice it before. * * * * * * * * * * * *
To say that Tsuzuki was uneasy would be a bit of an understatement. After all..a shinigami riding on the back of a beast of Hell isn't the most usual situation in the world. Behind them, Byakko and Suzaku followed, intent on keeping up to the three-headed guard dog. Behind even them, Ifrit lumbered along, occasionally roaring. He was more intelligent than he seemed, but still...a big monster with red fur and horns wasn't something you wanted to mess around with. Cerberus skidded around a corner, Tsuzuki holding on for dear life, when a house came into view. Really, it wasn't surprising when the hackles rose on the giant dog, or the growl came from its throat. Possibly the whitest house that Tsuzuki had ever seen, it rose into the night sky, the blood-red tiles on the roof giving a haunting mental picture of blood on snow. Windows were very few on the rising center 'tower', presumably leading to an attic. Knowing Muraki, however, it was probably someplace much more sinister than that. The only other thing that marked it as his was the chair that was suddenly shot out of a window, scattering broken glass onto the ground, sparkling in the moonlight. If possible, Cerberus ran faster, skidding to a stop by the window, all three head growling and snapping their jaws. Ifrit bellowed again, making Tsuzuki wince.
" Muraki! Let go of me you stupid psychopath!!" Tsuzuki almost smiled in relief, a warmth spreading through his stomach. If Jade could yell and hurl chairs through windows, that meant that he hadn't done anything to her..yet. Hopping off of Cerberus, he raced to the window.
" JADE!" A muffled grunt issued from the window, and he climbed through, blinking at the sight before him. Jade was still in her pajamas, the gown ripped and tattered around the ankles, and one long sleeve was torn off. She had a very satisfied look on her face, and Muraki was trying not to double over, a pained expression on his face. Tsuzuki blinked.
" How'd you like THAT, boy?" She smirked again at a hidden joke, then turned, spotting him. Tsuzuki bit back a gasp. Eyes that usually shone blue were dulled, glassy, and plain tired-looking. A look of relief covered her face, and a weak smile tugged at the corners of her mouth.
" Tsuzuki.." The dark-haired shinigami moved forward, and hesitated just in front of her, not sure what to do. Her arm was..glowing faintly. A whine came from the window, and Jade flicked her gaze towards Cerberus, smile widening.
" I'm glad.that you came." Tsuzuki nodded, silent. A low chuckle rasped from her throat, and she closed her eyes, slumping forward. In a panic, he placed two fingers against the pulse on her neck, breathing only when he felt the erratic thump of the vein against them. Gathering her into his arms, he cast one look at Muraki, eyes hard, and backed away to the window. Ifrit kneeled down, cradling the girl in his hands. Compared to the size of both the monsters, she looked so..fragile. Byakko sniffed at her hair in concern, and then licked the side of her face. Tsuzuki turned back to the doctor, voice low, eyes serious.
" Muraki..we are far from over this. You hurt Jade, and broke into her apartment. Even though you try to use other people to get to me, you won't win. I'll never forgive what you've done to Hisoka, or to Jade." Muraki just chuckled weakly, standing up and rubbing his shoulder slightly.
" Really, Tsuzuki-san. Why bother distinguishing between the two?" With that cryptic message, Muraki simply disappeared. Cursing, Tsuzuki frowned, looking at the mess.
' Shinigami. Come. Our cub needs to go back to the den.' Looking up at Cerberus, he nodded, glancing at Jade once more.
" She'll be ok, right? I mean, he didn't do anything..bad..to her, right?" Cerberus pulled its lips back in what he thought was a grin.
'She'll be fine. Just tired. We shall wait until she wakes up. Then, we will go to our dens. When she needs us, she will call us.'
Once more, Tsuzuki climbed onto Cerberus. Ifrit walked over to him and offered Jade. Taking her gently in his arms once more, holding her to him. Jade secured snugly against him, they began the journey back to EnMaCho.