The Wound That Never Heals
Chapter 3
Hisoka felt an uneasiness he had never felt in a long time. He had felt sure that something bad is going to happen soon. The last time he had felt like this was the night when Muraki- damn it, why was I thinking about that bastard? Hisoka clamped shut his jaw in anger. He took a deep breath to steady himself. God, why does it has to be him? It can't be him. He hurts even when he has to tell somebody that they're supposed to die. How can he be destroying souls?
DNA never lies. Watari's voice came to him as he desperately tried to find something wrong with the case. He couldn't. Damn it. Wait a minute, there is one circumstance in which DNA will lie. That's it. That has to be it. Yet, it couldn't be. He had to talk to Watari. Right now. Hisoka got out of the infirmary and made his way to Watari's lab.
~*~*~
Mariko started running again. The footsteps behind her got louder and louder. It seemed to start and stop when she did. Mariko was panting profusely and a stitch was developing. Once again, Mariko stopped and listened. With horror and a sinking sensation in the pit of her stomach, she realized that this time, the footsteps did not stop with her. Without wasting another second, Mariko ran for her life.
The red moon was coming out of the clouds again when Mariko suddenly felt a hand on her right shoulder. Without a warning, the hand pulled and she was jerked rudely backwards. She landed painfully on her back, completely winded. Mariko clutched her sides and opened her mouth to regulate her breathings. However, she couldn't seem suck in any air. Panic well up unconsciously as she tried harder to breathe. Staring up at the sky, Mariko had to admit that the moon was a beautiful red colour, like the colour of fresh blood, sensual and inviting. Just then, a shadow fell over Mariko. Clouds? Mariko's oxygen-deprived mind thought weakly. It was a face. It's owner reached out a hand and pulled Mariko roughly to her feet.
Mariko was finally able to draw in breaths. She studied the face in front of her. It was the face of a man, a handsome man at that. In fact, he could almost be described as pretty. It was a fair, lean face half covered with black fringe. However, try as they might, the black fringe could not hide the jewel feature of the face. The astonishing pair of amethyst eyes. He was a tall, handsome man, Mariko decided as she slowly backed away from him, with piercing eyes. The purple eyes seemed to bore right through her. "Thanks," Mariko muttered uncertainly as she further widened their distance. With voice so soft that she thought she had imagined it, the man in black trench coat replied, "I like my prey to have more fight in them. It would make the killing more pleasurable"
Mariko sucked in her breath. She turned around immediately and took to her heels. Just a little more, just a little more and I would be in the city. She encouraged herself. She did not see the man smirking at her flight. She did not see him jump suddenly into the air, black trench coat spread all around him, like the wings of bats. She did not see him flying straight for her. She only realized when he landed solidly in front of her, blocking her only way to safety, sealing the rest of her life away.
~*~*~
"Watari-san," Hisoka called out as he poked his head into the scientist's lab. At a first glance, he found it empty but suspiciously full of smoke. Covering his nose and mouth with his hand, he let himself into the room. "Watari-san?" he called again as he inspected the lab. Finally, he headed towards what looked like a makeshift bed. True enough, Watari was on it, fast asleep, for once.
"Tatsumi-san……… need more budget………. agarose gel ran out………. can't do DNA test, need more TAE buffer as well……… won't blow up lab again……… onegai," Watari uttered incoherently in his sleep. Hisoka suppressed a grin and shook the blonde scientist gently. When he did not stir, he shook him with more force. Watari sat up suddenly and looked at Hisoka. Then he promptly sank back into his bed. Hisoka, with a force that surprised even himself, yanked Watari out of his bed. A few minutes later, when Watari had finally sobered enough to form coherent sentences, he asked Hisoka very nicely what the hell is he doing in his lab at this time of the night.
"Watari-san, there's something very important that I have to tell you. It's regarding the case," Hisoka said seriously. Watari yawned and stretched. Hisoka ignored him and continued. "You could be wrong. DNA can lie." Watari was immediately alert. "What did you say? I'm wrong?" Hisoka took a deep breath. "Yes, you seem to have forgotten that twins have the same DNA. So it could be another person instead of Tsuzuki."
Watari stroke his chin purposefully, obviously deep in thoughts. "Bon," he finally said, "So does Tsuzuki have a twin I don't know of? We know he has a sister but the DNA of siblings will also differ." Hisoka sank to the ground, depressed. So this information was not helpful to them at all, unless the baka really has a twin. Well……… that was quite impossible, wasn't it? He turned to leave, "Oyasumi Watari-san. Sorry for waking you up." Watari smiled at him brightly in response. "Don't worry, bon, we will find evidence that he's innocent. Maybe all this is just a misunderstanding. Go to sleep, bon." Hisoka nodded sadly and headed towards the infirmary.
~*~*~
Mariko backed away slowly from the man. "What do you want from me?" she cried frantically, never once taking her eyes away from the amethyst ones. The man chuckled. Mariko winced. The sound was too deep and smooth to come from the tall, handsome man. "Your soul," he said in that same soft whisper. Mariko gasped and tried once again to run away. However, this time, before she could move another inch, his hand shoot out with lightning speed and grasped her neck in a deadly grip. Mariko tried to beat his hand off. He was just too strong. Desperate, Mariko began to claw at his arm. She drew long bloody scratches along his arm but he did not even flinch. To her horror and amazement, the scratches slowly closed and healed, leaving only hints of places where dried blood had once been.
Mariko was slowly fading away. Her futile struggles were becoming weaker and weaker. Her oxygen-deprived body felt faint and all that filled her vision was the blood red moon behind the man. Slowly, she felt herself being raised off the ground. Her legs kicked at the air in protest. The man chuckled in that horrible voice again. "Didn't they tell you that resistance is futile?" Mariko closed her eyes. She couldn't even swallow. Suddenly, the hand on her neck tightened. Mariko's throat made no sound but her body protested violently. /Just like a beautiful goldfish on land, gasping for air/ With a smile, he squeezed harder. The dark, silent night was pierced by a sickening crack as the spine broke. The neck was reduced to a mess of blood and tissues. The woman, dead.
Tsuzuki smiled at his latest accomplishment and waited patiently for the soul to appear. The soul will linger for sometime around the body before it departs for its holy journey to The Judgement. Only very well trained eyes would be able to see the soul at this most vulnerable stage. After it, the soul would be untouchable. His patience finally paid off as the thin wispy apparition appeared over the body. It gradually grew stronger and more solid. Tsuzuki approached the soul with respect. He never understood why nobody noticed that when a soul appear, all life was subdued. There would be almost complete silence as all life treated the soul with utmost reverie. The soul stared at him with vacant eyes. Once rid of the body, the soul will lose the ability to think, until The Judgement. Until then, it will rely completely on the most basic ability of all creatures – instinct.
The soul turned back to its body and hovered over it. Tsuzuki grinned almost lazily and suddenly concentrated. Deep inside him, he was searching for his hidden powers. The powers that everyone had taken so much pains to hide. Reaching all the way inside, he summoned the dark powers, the demonic powers. His face contorted as the enormous power tried to surface. A dark purple circle, several shades darker than his eyes, appeared around him and enveloped him. When he emerged from the circle, he was a different man. His eyes blazed with hellish fires and his body smothered with devilish smoke as he gained mastery over the demonic powers. Yet, this power could not be used without leaving a mark. Little did he know, a tiny 'X' was carved into his palm every time he used it.
He looked over at the soul, which had shuddered visibly. He smirked and unleashed his powers. The soul staggered as the blinding purple light reached it and eventually devoured it. Inside the circle created by Tsuzuki's power, the soul couldn't resist any longer. With a loud wail, it exploded. As the purple light subsided, the sky was filled with a soft yellow light. Closing his eyes, Tsuzuki could almost hear the Earth herself singing in sorrow for the lost soul. For a single moment, he felt all life cease to breathe as they shed universal tears for the soul. Perversely enjoying himself, Tsuzuki was lost in the heavenly music.
He was completely unaware that behind the sakura tree that was to the left of him, two figures were watching him in morbid fascination. The man was amused but the woman was not. She frowned. "Why does it have to have so much blood?" The man, clothed entirely in white, laughed in amusement. It was a deep and smooth laughter, like the pleasant sound of the beritone saxophone. "Doesn't it make it all the more interesting?" The woman's brilliant purple eyes flashed indignantly as she regarded the sadistic man standing beside her. Finally, she shrugged. "Well, I suppose it would do him good if he got used to it." "Of course, you have his best interests at heart," the man countered. The woman's beautiful face creased into another frown as she said, "You do realize I can tear your mouth apart, Muraki?" The man snickered. "Of course I do, dear Ruka-chan."
~*~*~
In his apartment, Tsuzuki finally fell into the clutches of real sleep.
~*~*~
Hisoka woke up to see the bright sun streaming in from the widow. With a moan, he realized he must have overslept. Before he could get off the bed, Watari burst in. Seeing that Hisoka was already awake, he gave him a huge grin. "Ohayo! Bon. I checked with GushouShin, they confirmed my belief that Tsuzuki did not have a twin. His only relatives were his parents and his sister. If you're ready, we have to set off immediately." His voice took on a worried tone. "There has been another murder last night. We need to get to the murder scene as soon as possible."
Hisoka frowned. He felt guilty there had been another murder, yet he was hesitant to investigate. Finally, he shrugged off his uneasiness. "Ok, give me two minutes to get changed." Soon, they were on their way to Chijou.
"So bon, this is the place," Watari finally said as they flew over a large sakura forest. Watari landed lightly on the ground. Hisoka followed shortly behind. The moment he landed on the ground, he dropped to his knees in pain. Watari rushed to him in alarm. "What's wrong, bon?" Hisoka gritted his teeth and finally let out a soft moan. "Bon?" Watari asked again gently. Hisoka got up slowly and said through clenched teeth, "I'm all right. It's just that this place has too much sadness. What could be causing this tremendous sorrow?" Watari hesitated. "Well, I've heard that souls are supposed to be the holiest things in Chijou, Meifu and Makai. They are the essentials that made up every being, from angels to demons. Angels free souls while demons consume souls. That's why when a soul was destroyed, all life will mourn it and cry for it. At this place, nine souls have already been destroyed. It's no wonder there's so much sadness."
Hisoka listened silently. Determination seemed to flash in his eyes. "Bon?" Watari asked uncertainly. Hisoka turned to him with a grave expression. "We need to stop whoever that's doing this right? To prevent more souls from being destroyed, we need to. Whoever it is, we must stop it. Let's go." Watari studied the wise young man perpetually stuck in the body of sixteen. He felt pity for him and a new admiration.
When they reached the scene of murder, a lot of policemen and passers-by had arrived. With a nod at each other, they turned invisible. They slipped past the police and came to the body covered with white cloth. Nearby, they heard an old man telling the police how he found the body. "It was very scary. I was sweeping this lane, as usual, at about 7 in the morning when I smelt the smell of blood. The smell of blood, I tell you. I followed the smell and saw a lot of blood seeping into the ground. I walked a little further and I saw the woman. It's horrible, I tell you, whoever is the killer must be very strong. He squeezed the neck until the neck was gone. I only saw the head hanging by a few tendrils of flesh onto the body. Blood was everywhere……… "
Hisoka and Watari exchanged a purposeful look. Hisoka tried to stretch out his empathy. He felt nothing. A total blank. Curious and mildly alarmed, he let down his shields completely. Still nothing. Despite the number of people around him, he felt nothing. No happiness, no sadness, like a blank wall. Seriously alarmed, he bent down and touched the corpse. Again, nothing. Hisoka panicked. He was supposed to feel the last lingering memories of the victim and the last emotions she felt. How could he feel nothing? This was not supposed to happen, unless his empathy was gone. His eyes threatened to water at the thought. Despite all the trouble his empathy caused him, he had grown attached to it. He was familiar with constant feel of human emotions and the slight buzzing of the noisy people. So why the heck would he be feeling nothing and hearing nothing now?
Hisoka swallowed painfully and finally withdrew his hand. Abruptly, he grabbed Watari's hand and ran out of the crowd. A safe distance away, they materialized and Hisoka started blabbering. Watari put up and hand to steady. "Whoa, hang on, one thing at a time. What were you saying?" Hisoka took a deep breath to calm himself. "Watari-san, I think my empathy is not working. I could not sense the lingering memories and emotions of the deceased and when I stretch out my empathy, I couldn't even pick up the emotions of the people around me. What the hell is happening?" Watari gaped at him. "Your empathy is not working?" He scratched his chin thoughtfully. Finally, he opened his mouth. "Well, I can attribute it to three things. Firstly, your empathy could really be gone, which is quite unlikely. You still had it yesterday, didn't you? Secondly, the dampening effects of the soul. And lastly, someone has deliberately put up a dampening zone to block you empathy."
When Hisoka looked confused, he started to explain. "Well, I'm not sure about this but the remains of a destructed soul is very powerful. It will absorb all the sadness the world has given to it. Hence, I think the emotions that it contains have gone to the extreme that it will have a dampening effect on empathy or any attempt to sort it out. Either ways, we just have to get out of the dampening zone and your empathy will return to normal." Hisoka nodded mutely and followed Watari as he walked further and further away from the crowd. He stretched out his empathy. Nothing. They walked further away. He was beginning to get a fuzzy feeling. They walked a bit further away and his empathy was back on full blast.
Watari grinned at the relieved expression on the young empath's face. "Now bon, I want you to stretch out your empathy and tell me who had been here before." Hisoka nodded and concentrated. He felt fear and unease. "Mariko." "Yes, that's the woman who was killed. Who was with her?" Hisoka concentrated further. He couldn't detect any other emotions. His brows fused in irritation. Watari noticed his difficulty and tired to help. "Hisoka, if you can't find any distinct emotions, try to look for familiarity. Do you find anything familiar? Is there someone you know?" Hisoka winced at the implication but he did as Watari advised. Yet, for quite sometime, he couldn't find anything. He was getting tired. Suddenly, he picked it up. Black trench coat……… black fringes……… astonishing amethyst eyes. Hisoka's eyes widened as he realized.
With a strangled whisper, Hisoka uttered, "It's Tsuzuki! It's really him!"
--------------------------------------------------------------
A/N: well ppl, I finally survived enuf to come back. Cliffhanger. I know. Well, the updates frm now will be fast [I hope] but it will depend on the no. of reviews I get, of coz. If the number is too discouraging, I mite juz abandon this fic. Im serious. Ok, in a bad mood. Its abt 2 am. Why am I still up? I really gotta sleep. Bye ppls. Really huge thanks to all those who reviewed. Sorry too sleepy to thank everyone individually. Everyone pls review and review and review. Thanx a lot.
Disclaimer: nothing fancy diz time. Im really sooooo sleepy. Yami doesn't belong to me.
Ok everyone, im finally going to sleep. Good nite. Happy reading my story. Once again, pls review.