AN: Yay!!! Thanks to everybody who reviewed, especially since I take
so long to get my butt typing the chapters.^^"" On with the story!
~dramatic pose~
Anonymous- Thanks for the reviews, I'm glad that you liked my fic enough to read the chapters all at once ^_^ Look forward to more chapters at a theater near.oh shoot..um.at a site near you! Actually.only this one.but..~gets hit over the head by Jade and dragged off~
Panatlantic- Doesn't matter if you repeat yourself ^_^ I'm glad you like him, I was never quite sure if I got him into character or not.or maybe I didn't and you like him anyway ^_^"" Happy new year and merry Christmas (belated) to you too ^_^
Asidian- ~giggles~ I know, isn't there? :P Heheh.I didn't want people to misinterpret that kiss and pound me ^_^" Glad you like the side relationship :P Who knows where it shall go.~shoddy lightning effects in the background~.I need a bigger budget for when I feel evil.;-;
Yamatoforever- Yay, another person who likes my Oriya ^^ hehe.I like the sound of that.~Oriya walking around with a collar on, grumbling~ heheheheh.ahem. I wonder about the relationship too.still wobbling between outcomes :P or I could just be saying that to keep you reading, who knows? ~cues the evil atmosphere effects, nothing happens~...drat -__-" Thanks for reading, come again ^_^v
Tsuzuki had left Jade's building with a sigh, walking down the lane and watching the sakura blossoms fall. Wincing slightly as he recalled the memory of her and the bird, he ran a hand through his hair. What had she been thinking then? Was she thinking like Hisoka, or Jade? And if she was Jade..was that when she started to care about him? Or did she love him from the beginning as Hisoka? Ah, it was all so confusing.looking forward, he saw something he did not expect. Jade was walking into EnMaCho. Smiling. Arm in arm with Tatsumi. Not that he was jealous or anything, of course he wasn't.
" Thanks for the day off Tatsumi-kun." He blinked. Tatsumi.giving somebody the day off? Had the whole world gone crazy?
" You're welcome, Jade. However, the day seems to be over.would you like me to take you back to your apartment? It's still.damaged, however. We managed to repair most of the explosion, but there are still scorch marks, and a broken window." The secretary pushed his glasses up, for once not walking around with a file in hand. She grinned, shaking her head.
" Thanks, but it's ok Tatsumi-kun. I'm a big girl, I can take care of myself." He nodded, going into the building. Tsuzuki panicked. As soon as she turned around she'd see him. Then it was too late. She watched him for a moment, face unreadable.
" Evening, Tsuzuki-san." Jade walked by, almost touching his shoulder as she went. Tsuzuki blinked. That was it? Not that he really wanted to get into another screaming match, but still. Closing his eyes briefly, he gave a minuscule nod.
" Hi." The footsteps behind him paused for a moment, and he turned. Her back was still towards him, and she was running a hand through her hair.
" Have a nice day." * * * * * * * * * * * *
Muraki was nearly exhausted. He had used the last bit of energy he had to transport himself away from Saki and into Meifu, which took quite a bit of work. Looking around the room he was in, he almost groaned. It was both good, and very, very bad. He heard the door slam open, and then after a moment, slam shut.
" Uuurrrrrrrhhhhh. Why, of all people, did I have to run into HIM?!?!?!" Unable to keep awake, Muraki passed out on the bed, unaware of the girl storming in and slamming to a halt, staring wide-eyed at him.
" ...I need to call Tatsumi-kun." * * * * * * * * * * * *
As a group, they stared at Jade's bed. Then they looked over at Jade, questions in their eyes. She shrugged.
" I just came home and found him like that." Watari grinned.
" You make it sound like he's a pet or something." She blinked at him for a moment, then shuddered violently.
" Please don't." Wincing, she whapped him over the head. 003 hooted indignantly, then settled again on Watari's shoulder. Jade looked over at Tatsumi.
" Should we tie him up or..something?" Tatsumi looked just as confused as the rest of them.
" Honestly Jade..I do not know. This is.most unusual." Jade rubbed her arm, watching the sleeping doctor. Why was he here? And allowing himself to sleep.unless he was injured more than she thought after the battle.
" Saki." A low murmur escaped the white-haired man's lips, and she tensed, reaching forward to touch Muraki's head. 'Saki?' Staggering, she clutched her head, eyes screwed shut at the violent torrent of feelings that burst forth. There was so much hate, so much darkness..when he had placed the curse on her so many years ago, she had felt some of it, but it was blanketed, as if behind a wall. Now..sinking to her knees, she curled her head close to her knees and wrapped her arms around her legs, trying to shut out everything. It was too much! How did somebody live with that much.
" Darkness." Cries of alarm sounded, and she felt herself getting caught as she gave into the hate and fear that surrounded her, sinking into oblivion. Concern and worry pricked at the edges of the dark, but she was so hopelessly lost..so lost...a lost soul. * * * * * * * * * * * *
Tsuzuki watched as Tatsumi shifted Jade and picked her up, her head against his shoulder, breathing heavily. He still remembered when he was taking her from Muraki's, holding her almost in the same position. Why did he keep going back to things like that? Sending an apprehensive look towards Muraki, he looked back to the secretary.
" Where are we going to keep her?" Tatsumi frowned slightly, shifting Jade's weight.
" We are not going to KEEP her anywhere, Tsuzuki-san. We are going to bring her to the infirmary where she can remain under our protection." Tsuzuki winced slightly at the reprimand in the secretary's voice. Watari nodded.
" Sure thing, Tatsumi. But.what are we going to do about HIM?" 003 hooted again. Tatsumi shrugged.
" We will keep surveillance on the apartment. I'll assign people to- " He was cut off as a fierce roar, tripled, shook the room. Running to the window, Tsuzuki saw Cerberus pacing outside, looking less than pleased. Looking back at the group, he sighed.
" I'll go talk to Cerberus. I don't think we need guards anymore."
Once Tsuzuki made his way out of the apartment, he was staring into the three growling heads of the guard-dog from hell..literally. Fighting the oncoming of a heart attack, Tsuzuki stared back.
" Jade. Where?" Shrugging, Tsuzuki pointed up to the blasted out window.
" Up there. Tatsumi's taking her to the infirmary. Don't worry, don't worry. She just touched Muraki's hair and collapsed.something about darkness. Tatsumi picked her up." Two of the heads looked convinced.
" Muraki? Why is he here? Does he want to hurt Jade again?" Tsuzuki just shook his head.
" We found him on Jade's bed, out cold. We were hoping that you'd watch him for us while we guarded Jade, actually." A head peered down close to Tsuzuki, sniffing him briefly. A sad look flickered through it's eyes, and then the head raised itself to the window.
" Yes.yes, we shall guard this Muraki. Then we will find out why he wishes to hurt our cub." By the tone of voice Cerberus had, Tsuzuki almost pitied Muraki. Almost. He was about to leave when a paw crashed down in front of him.
" Tsuzuki. Why did you make Jade cry?" He blinked, looking up at the dog. A stab of guilt ran through him. He had made her cry? Sure, they had argued, but Hisoka and him argued lots of times. Of course, he never told Hisoka the things he said to Jade.
" I.." Cerberus snorted.
" Stubborn, snarly male." Tsuzuki blinked, and Cerberus was gone, a shadow flitting by the window in Jade's apartment. * * * * * * * * * * * *
Thump. Thump. Thumpthump. Thumpthumpthumpthumpthump.she swore that her brain was physically vibrating.
" Uuurrrrggghhh.." She half-expected a chibi to attack her the minute she cracked open her eyes. When none came, she breathed a sigh of relief, tinged with pain. Of course he wouldn't come. Blearily opening her eyes, she had to concentrate a moment before the face by her shoulder swam into view. T.Tatsumi?? After panicking a moment, Jade forced her heart to calm down. Turning her head, she took in her surroundings. Why was she in the infirmary..? Moving carefully so that she wouldn't wake Tatsumi up, she stretched, feeling and hearing the cracks and pops in her back. 'Ow.' Something moved on the end of her bed. Peeking over the covers, she nearly burst out laughing. In order to accommodate the building, Ifrit had shrunk himself to roughly the size of 003. Seeing her awake, he was making his way up to the edge of the covers.
' Jade is better?' The question was revealed in a burst of soft colors as the beast touched her cheek. Smiling slightly, she shrugged.
' Not really but..better than I was, Ifrit.' The creature nodded slightly, glancing over at the sleeping form of Tatsumi.
'He brought you in here.you were asleep. Stayed watching you while Watari went to get the Earl. Fell asleep.' Smiling slightly, she looked at Tatsumi again. He had forgotten to take his glasses off. It seemed now, that he was one of the few she could depend on. After all.once you open yourself to somebody, it's easy to get hurt by them. Passing a hand tiredly over her face to banish her thoughts, she nearly shrieked when she saw Tatsumi staring back at her, confusion lapping over her. 'He didn't realize he fell asleep..'
" Jeez Tatsumi-kun! Warn people before you do that!" Tatsumi sat up, blinking slightly.
" All I did was wake up." Jade chuckled.
" Yeah, well, warn me anyway." A low chuckle answered her, and Tatsumi stood. Suddenly Jade paled, clutching the blankets.
" Muraki.he's still here??" So far away, and she could almost see the gray edges creeping towards her.
" Yes. He has yet to wake up. Cerberus is guarding him, for the time being. I do not approve of this, however." Steeling herself, Jade stood, still in last night's clothes.
" I want to talk to him."
Anonymous- Thanks for the reviews, I'm glad that you liked my fic enough to read the chapters all at once ^_^ Look forward to more chapters at a theater near.oh shoot..um.at a site near you! Actually.only this one.but..~gets hit over the head by Jade and dragged off~
Panatlantic- Doesn't matter if you repeat yourself ^_^ I'm glad you like him, I was never quite sure if I got him into character or not.or maybe I didn't and you like him anyway ^_^"" Happy new year and merry Christmas (belated) to you too ^_^
Asidian- ~giggles~ I know, isn't there? :P Heheh.I didn't want people to misinterpret that kiss and pound me ^_^" Glad you like the side relationship :P Who knows where it shall go.~shoddy lightning effects in the background~.I need a bigger budget for when I feel evil.;-;
Yamatoforever- Yay, another person who likes my Oriya ^^ hehe.I like the sound of that.~Oriya walking around with a collar on, grumbling~ heheheheh.ahem. I wonder about the relationship too.still wobbling between outcomes :P or I could just be saying that to keep you reading, who knows? ~cues the evil atmosphere effects, nothing happens~...drat -__-" Thanks for reading, come again ^_^v
Tsuzuki had left Jade's building with a sigh, walking down the lane and watching the sakura blossoms fall. Wincing slightly as he recalled the memory of her and the bird, he ran a hand through his hair. What had she been thinking then? Was she thinking like Hisoka, or Jade? And if she was Jade..was that when she started to care about him? Or did she love him from the beginning as Hisoka? Ah, it was all so confusing.looking forward, he saw something he did not expect. Jade was walking into EnMaCho. Smiling. Arm in arm with Tatsumi. Not that he was jealous or anything, of course he wasn't.
" Thanks for the day off Tatsumi-kun." He blinked. Tatsumi.giving somebody the day off? Had the whole world gone crazy?
" You're welcome, Jade. However, the day seems to be over.would you like me to take you back to your apartment? It's still.damaged, however. We managed to repair most of the explosion, but there are still scorch marks, and a broken window." The secretary pushed his glasses up, for once not walking around with a file in hand. She grinned, shaking her head.
" Thanks, but it's ok Tatsumi-kun. I'm a big girl, I can take care of myself." He nodded, going into the building. Tsuzuki panicked. As soon as she turned around she'd see him. Then it was too late. She watched him for a moment, face unreadable.
" Evening, Tsuzuki-san." Jade walked by, almost touching his shoulder as she went. Tsuzuki blinked. That was it? Not that he really wanted to get into another screaming match, but still. Closing his eyes briefly, he gave a minuscule nod.
" Hi." The footsteps behind him paused for a moment, and he turned. Her back was still towards him, and she was running a hand through her hair.
" Have a nice day." * * * * * * * * * * * *
Muraki was nearly exhausted. He had used the last bit of energy he had to transport himself away from Saki and into Meifu, which took quite a bit of work. Looking around the room he was in, he almost groaned. It was both good, and very, very bad. He heard the door slam open, and then after a moment, slam shut.
" Uuurrrrrrrhhhhh. Why, of all people, did I have to run into HIM?!?!?!" Unable to keep awake, Muraki passed out on the bed, unaware of the girl storming in and slamming to a halt, staring wide-eyed at him.
" ...I need to call Tatsumi-kun." * * * * * * * * * * * *
As a group, they stared at Jade's bed. Then they looked over at Jade, questions in their eyes. She shrugged.
" I just came home and found him like that." Watari grinned.
" You make it sound like he's a pet or something." She blinked at him for a moment, then shuddered violently.
" Please don't." Wincing, she whapped him over the head. 003 hooted indignantly, then settled again on Watari's shoulder. Jade looked over at Tatsumi.
" Should we tie him up or..something?" Tatsumi looked just as confused as the rest of them.
" Honestly Jade..I do not know. This is.most unusual." Jade rubbed her arm, watching the sleeping doctor. Why was he here? And allowing himself to sleep.unless he was injured more than she thought after the battle.
" Saki." A low murmur escaped the white-haired man's lips, and she tensed, reaching forward to touch Muraki's head. 'Saki?' Staggering, she clutched her head, eyes screwed shut at the violent torrent of feelings that burst forth. There was so much hate, so much darkness..when he had placed the curse on her so many years ago, she had felt some of it, but it was blanketed, as if behind a wall. Now..sinking to her knees, she curled her head close to her knees and wrapped her arms around her legs, trying to shut out everything. It was too much! How did somebody live with that much.
" Darkness." Cries of alarm sounded, and she felt herself getting caught as she gave into the hate and fear that surrounded her, sinking into oblivion. Concern and worry pricked at the edges of the dark, but she was so hopelessly lost..so lost...a lost soul. * * * * * * * * * * * *
Tsuzuki watched as Tatsumi shifted Jade and picked her up, her head against his shoulder, breathing heavily. He still remembered when he was taking her from Muraki's, holding her almost in the same position. Why did he keep going back to things like that? Sending an apprehensive look towards Muraki, he looked back to the secretary.
" Where are we going to keep her?" Tatsumi frowned slightly, shifting Jade's weight.
" We are not going to KEEP her anywhere, Tsuzuki-san. We are going to bring her to the infirmary where she can remain under our protection." Tsuzuki winced slightly at the reprimand in the secretary's voice. Watari nodded.
" Sure thing, Tatsumi. But.what are we going to do about HIM?" 003 hooted again. Tatsumi shrugged.
" We will keep surveillance on the apartment. I'll assign people to- " He was cut off as a fierce roar, tripled, shook the room. Running to the window, Tsuzuki saw Cerberus pacing outside, looking less than pleased. Looking back at the group, he sighed.
" I'll go talk to Cerberus. I don't think we need guards anymore."
Once Tsuzuki made his way out of the apartment, he was staring into the three growling heads of the guard-dog from hell..literally. Fighting the oncoming of a heart attack, Tsuzuki stared back.
" Jade. Where?" Shrugging, Tsuzuki pointed up to the blasted out window.
" Up there. Tatsumi's taking her to the infirmary. Don't worry, don't worry. She just touched Muraki's hair and collapsed.something about darkness. Tatsumi picked her up." Two of the heads looked convinced.
" Muraki? Why is he here? Does he want to hurt Jade again?" Tsuzuki just shook his head.
" We found him on Jade's bed, out cold. We were hoping that you'd watch him for us while we guarded Jade, actually." A head peered down close to Tsuzuki, sniffing him briefly. A sad look flickered through it's eyes, and then the head raised itself to the window.
" Yes.yes, we shall guard this Muraki. Then we will find out why he wishes to hurt our cub." By the tone of voice Cerberus had, Tsuzuki almost pitied Muraki. Almost. He was about to leave when a paw crashed down in front of him.
" Tsuzuki. Why did you make Jade cry?" He blinked, looking up at the dog. A stab of guilt ran through him. He had made her cry? Sure, they had argued, but Hisoka and him argued lots of times. Of course, he never told Hisoka the things he said to Jade.
" I.." Cerberus snorted.
" Stubborn, snarly male." Tsuzuki blinked, and Cerberus was gone, a shadow flitting by the window in Jade's apartment. * * * * * * * * * * * *
Thump. Thump. Thumpthump. Thumpthumpthumpthumpthump.she swore that her brain was physically vibrating.
" Uuurrrrggghhh.." She half-expected a chibi to attack her the minute she cracked open her eyes. When none came, she breathed a sigh of relief, tinged with pain. Of course he wouldn't come. Blearily opening her eyes, she had to concentrate a moment before the face by her shoulder swam into view. T.Tatsumi?? After panicking a moment, Jade forced her heart to calm down. Turning her head, she took in her surroundings. Why was she in the infirmary..? Moving carefully so that she wouldn't wake Tatsumi up, she stretched, feeling and hearing the cracks and pops in her back. 'Ow.' Something moved on the end of her bed. Peeking over the covers, she nearly burst out laughing. In order to accommodate the building, Ifrit had shrunk himself to roughly the size of 003. Seeing her awake, he was making his way up to the edge of the covers.
' Jade is better?' The question was revealed in a burst of soft colors as the beast touched her cheek. Smiling slightly, she shrugged.
' Not really but..better than I was, Ifrit.' The creature nodded slightly, glancing over at the sleeping form of Tatsumi.
'He brought you in here.you were asleep. Stayed watching you while Watari went to get the Earl. Fell asleep.' Smiling slightly, she looked at Tatsumi again. He had forgotten to take his glasses off. It seemed now, that he was one of the few she could depend on. After all.once you open yourself to somebody, it's easy to get hurt by them. Passing a hand tiredly over her face to banish her thoughts, she nearly shrieked when she saw Tatsumi staring back at her, confusion lapping over her. 'He didn't realize he fell asleep..'
" Jeez Tatsumi-kun! Warn people before you do that!" Tatsumi sat up, blinking slightly.
" All I did was wake up." Jade chuckled.
" Yeah, well, warn me anyway." A low chuckle answered her, and Tatsumi stood. Suddenly Jade paled, clutching the blankets.
" Muraki.he's still here??" So far away, and she could almost see the gray edges creeping towards her.
" Yes. He has yet to wake up. Cerberus is guarding him, for the time being. I do not approve of this, however." Steeling herself, Jade stood, still in last night's clothes.
" I want to talk to him."