Chapter 4, in which stuff happens. Eat your heart out, A. Milne.

Tsuzuki had taken too long.
After he had left, Watari had gone back to his research, finally isolating the part of the explosive that caused the strange effect on Shikigami creatures. He had since added it to every mixture he could, and was anxious to test it. Of course, he couldn't, without Tsuzuki around, and was starting to become nervous with the amount of time Tsuzuki was taking. Tsuzuki had stood up to Muraki before, and had been perfectly alright, but that could not erase Watari's feelings of ominousness. He had expected a triumphant Tsuzuki returning with Hisoka, begging Tatsumi for time off so he could help Hisoka recover from whatever Muraki had done to him. The quiet was depressing, and Watari went to find Tatsumi.
He was startled to discover that Tsuzuki had taken even longer than he had thought; Tatsumi had left for home, and it was well past midnight. This new revelation heightened Watari's nervousness, and he was quickly on the phone with Tatsumi.
"Hm.Watari? Now? Isn't it kind of late.?"
"No, it's about Tsuzuki! He's not back! He went by himself to find Muraki and I told him to wait but he didn't and now he's gone-" Watari was interrupted by a suddenly alert Tatsumi.
"I'll be over there in a minute, just wait. And prepare any weapons you might have." With that, Tatsumi hung up, his abrupt tone putting Watari even more on edge. Quickly, he ran back to his lab.

Hisoka awoke slowly, his mind temporarily blocking out the memories. He ached terribly, and noticed, again, that he was still in the same situation that he had been in for almost four days now. Then the memories of Tsuzuki came back.
He shut his eyes tightly, not wanting to give in to the pain. He had to think! Where was Tsuzuki? More importantly, where was Muraki? Was he with him? What would he do to Tsuzuki.What wouldn't he do to Tsuzuki. Hisoka cried out, hit with the helplessness of the situation. It was his fault! He hung his head, ashamed, and quickly began spiraling downward, his own guilt, sadness, and the fatigue from Muraki's torture overcoming him. He couldn't do anything...
He heard a cry, and his head snapped up. Tsuzuki? Could it be? Maybe it was just his imagination, but it was enough to snap him out of his despair. He had to help him, somehow.
He quickly gathered strength, and searched again with his empathy, trying to find Tsuzuki this time, instead of Muraki. He expanded his senses outward, hoping that Muraki hadn't taken Tsuzuki too far.
He was rewarded, and he finally sensed Tsuzuki. He "knew" Tsuzuki, having known his emotional pattern ever since the incident at Nagasaki. He shrank back at first, wary of whatever pain Muraki had inflicted on Tsuzuki while Hisoka was unconscious. Then, he dredged up the few times in his life he had been happy, and content, and tried to relay those positive feelings to Tsuzuki.
He remembered the time when Tsuzuki had told him that he'd always protect him and Hisoka's hope when Tsuzuki was nice to him. He dredged up all the comforts that Tsuzuki had shown him, and gave these positive things to Tsuzuki's psyche. Hisoka felt himself getting dizzy, but he couldn't stop, he had to help Tsuzuki! He imagined the feeling of strength, and the emotion of contentment, and tried to imprint on Tsuzuki everything beneficial that Hisoka could think of. He showed Tsuzuki the precious things that it had taken Tsuzuki so long to teach him. He began to sense a reaction in Tsuzuki, a deep emotion that Hisoka couldn't place, but one that made him feel stronger for having instigated it. This was so unlike the hatred and pain he had projected on Muraki before...He closed his eyes tightly and began to lose himself in the sea of emotions.
Suddenly, his eyes flew open as he felt a cold steel slice through his midsection. He looked up at the angry face of Muraki, as he withdrew the knife, and hot pain seared him as his own stomach acid burned his intestines. He struggled to keep from crying out, but it was made easier when Muraki grabbed his face, bringing it close to his own.
"You are not allowed to play with my tools!" He slammed Hisoka's head against the wall as he released him, and Hisoka blinked hard, trying not to black out. The wound in his abdomen was healing, but the burning of the acid had not abated. Tears blurred his vision as Muraki turned his back on him, walking away as if Hisoka were nothing. The world began to swirl around him as the fatigue from using his technique came upon him, and he struggled to hold onto something concrete so he could stay awake, and help Tsuzuki. He would never stop trying, as long as Muraki did not kill him.

Watari, followed closely by Tatsumi, ran into the dilapidated building, each of them straining to pick up any sign of their coworkers. Tatsumi had brought nothing, but Watari held several vials of his new explosive, just in case Muraki was here and put up a fight. Watari's owl fluttered around his head, helping as another pair of eyes to find Hisoka or Tsuzuki. Suddenly, the owl darted down a long hallway, hooting excitedly. Watari picked up his pace, straining to keep his owl in sight, until he saw what the owl had seen-Hisoka, tied to a wall, and hanging limply with eyes unfocused.
"Oh, Hisoka!" He ran to him, struggling to pull apart the cords that restrained him. They cut Watari's fingers as he did so, and he fumblingly pulled out a small pocketknife, slashing them to free Hisoka.
"Can you hear me? Hisoka, say something!" Watari's tone summoned Tatsumi, who took one look at Hisoka and turned to Watari, his eyes frozen.

"Take care of him. I'll find Tsuzuki." With that, he ran ahead, Watari's owl following him.
Watari began examining Hisoka, taking his pulse and checking his breathing. Why wasn't he responding? Hisoka's eyes were unfocused, as if he wasn't aware of what was happening around him. Did he even know that Watari was here?
"Tsu.zuki..Don't..fight." Hisoka breathed quietly, as if actually communicating with Tsuzuki. Watari held him worriedly, panicking that perhaps Tsuzuki had been hurt as well. He worked to clean the blood off of Hisoka, cursing the fact that he hadn't accompanied Tsuzuki, and had left Hisoka here that much longer.
"Well, so I see you didn't learn your..." Muraki trailed off as he saw Watari, with the limp form of Hisoka in his arms. He smiled, and then began again, as if Watari wasn't there. "Hisoka, why don't you fight anymore? Have you forgotten what I taught you?" He approached menacingly, and Watari stood up, cradling Hisoka. He had never fought Muraki before, and with Hisoka in his arms he couldn't reach to get to his vials of explosives. Muraki smiled, as if knowing this, and moved gracefully, summoning a twisted creature, a three headed worm that spewed acid. He laughed as it loomed over a terrified Watari.
"I suppose if my student won't fight for me, I can do it myself." The creature roared as it pulled back, and Watari was forced to dive out of the way as it crashed into the place where he had been standing. Hisoka was thrown from his arms as the shockwave gave Watari's leap more distance, and landed sickeningly on the concrete ground. He groaned once, and then finally his eyes shut as he passed out.
Watari was luckier, and rolled to his feet, glancing worriedly at Hisoka's still form before pulling out one of his vials, facing Muraki with a courage he didn't feel. The building shook as the worm thrashed angrily at having missed its target, and reared back again. Watari closed his eyes in silent hope and threw the vial.
The explosion rocked the building in its foundations, and even Muraki lost his balance. The worm shrieked, an earsplitting sound, before shaking as if being squeezed by an invisible hand. Suddenly, it began to shrink in on itself, curling up as if in pain. Muraki glared at Watari, no longer amused. He raised his hand for another attack, and Watari backed up towards Hisoka, not knowing what Muraki was planning but knowing that he could probably weather it better than the unconscious boy.
Before Muraki could finish, a shadow wall surrounded him, cutting off his access to Watari.
"What have I told you about messing with my Shinigami?!" It was the voice of Tatsumi, and he raised more shadows, spear like this time, and flung them at Muraki. Muraki leaped out of the way, but the shadow spears glanced him, causing blood to stain his white jacket. He doubled over, still glaring, but he knew when he was outnumbered.
"Good luck finding your precious Tsuzuki!" He spat, and vanished in a flare of light.
"Tatsumi!" Watari yelled happily, and then his voice changed to worry. "Did you find Tsuzuki?"
"No," Tatsumi replied angrily. "I came back when I heard the explosion. How is Hisoka?"
Watari looked over at Hisoka sadly, and walked over to him. "He's alive, but he's been hurt badly. And there's something wrong. He was awake before, but he acted distant, like he was preoccupied.
Tatsumi looked worried as well, but stern. "Can you wake him? Maybe he knows where Tsuzuki is." Tatsumi was not one to waste resources, as long as they could be helpful, and he was anxious to find Tsuzuki. He didn't want to find out what Muraki may have done to him.
They both walked over to Hisoka, slowly, so as not to startle him. "Hisoka," Watari said calmingly, shaking his shoulder gently. "Can you hear me? We need you."
"Hisoka!" Tatsumi yelled, leaning down near him. "Wake up!"
Hisoka's eyes flew open suddenly, and he looked unmistakably panicked. Watari quickly intervened. "'Soka, it's us! We're not going to hurt you, what's wrong?" Hisoka looked around for a moment, his panic not leaving him. His eyes focused on Watari, finally, and he relaxed before curling into a little ball, ashamed of his nakedness and vulnerability.
"Hisoka" Tatsumi said, firmly, but with an aura of gentleness. "Do you know where Tsuzuki is?"
Hisoka curled up tighter, hiding his face from the two. He couldn't tell them what he did, that it was his fault! He had to find Tsuzuki, then it would be over.His thoughts seemed jumbled and confused, and he began reaching out, not focusing on Tsuzuki this time, but the path that he could take to find him. His willed himself to focus on paths that Watari and Tatsumi could take, rather than willing his mind directly to Tsuzuki. Finally, he found him, and before he could help it, he tried to relay to Tsuzuki hope, trying to tell him that it would be alright. As soon as Tsuzuki sensed him, he threw up his walls, and Hisoka sensed conscious panic before receding. He was awake now, but he would not accept his help. He probably hated him, and Hisoka began to cry, hating himself for what he had done. Tsuzuki was right to hate him.
"Hisoka!" Tatsumi yelled and shook him, and Hisoka came back to himself, repeating what he had seen in a monotone, his voice muffled by his hand that was covering his face. He told them all he knew, and he heard Tatsumi running to find Tsuzuki before the fatigue from his technique overtook him. The world swirled around him, and he closed his eyes tightly, trying to will it away. He felt Watari's hands picking him up, and a calm voice saying something, before he blacked out.

Okay, I lied, this isn't the final chapter. There will be one more, probably pretty short, after this. Hey, five is a nice number of chapters to have, right?