"Oh Tsuzuki...please tell me this is some sort of sick joke," Tatsumi breathed after Tsuzuki told him what had happened.

Tsuzuki shook his head as his eyes remained closed and guilt continued to wash over him like wildfire.

"I'm not. Hijiri was my mistake and Hisoka hates me now."

Tatsumi shook his head. "I'm sure that's not true. He reads minds right? Well, would he have seen your sorrow?"

Tsuzuki shrugged slowly. "If he did, he didn't say anything. He probably does but he's just hurt. I don't blame him. I really messed up this one, haven't I? Go ahead, call me whatever you want."

Tatsumi placed his hand comfortingly on his friend's shoulder, sensing he wanted comfort more than anything. "No you haven't, and I will say no such thing. Everyone makes mistakes, even mistakes like this."

"Oh yeah? And they all react the same way Hisoka did?"

Tatsumi tipped his head in thought. "Hmm, perhaps. Just goes to show how much he really cares for you. He's just hurt. Give him time."

"Time..." Tsuzuki whispered. "Time is a very precious thing. Time is something I don't have right now."

"You have forever, literally, to make up with him, Tsuzuki. Wherever he is right now, I guarantee he's wishing you were there with him."

"Do you think so?" Tsuzuki asked quietly, looking back into the bright blue eyes of his former partner.

Tatsumi flashed him his familiar cheery grin. "Of course."

Suddenly, Tsuzuki threw his arms around him, pulling him into a hug. He had no idea Tatsumi could be serious about work, a penny pincher, and such a good person to talk to all at the same time.

Tatsumi accepted the hug, and returned it lightly. The last time he had done this, was when they were in the hotel room not too long ago. He was glad, if anything, that he could help out his fellow friend when in need.

"Thank you Tatsumi. I knew I could always come to you for help."

Tatsumi's cheery grin remained, blue eyes sparkling. "Anytime. If I can't make you happy like Hisoka can, at least I can help you out in other ways."

Tsuzuki smiled small, breaking the hug.

"You should try to find him. If he's not in Meifu, it'll be easy to track down his location from there. Watari invented some sort of tracer that he calls the "Shinigami Situate", but has not yet tried it out. Brace yourself if you want to be the first victim."

Tsuzuki laughed. It felt good to laugh like that.

"No thanks, I'll just start here on earth, then move my way to Meifu."

Tatsumi chuckled, pushing his glasses to his face. "Alright, suit yourself. Probably better that way. Knowing Watari-san, the invention has a hazardous mechanism that self-destructs the first time you use it."

"I'll keep that in mind," Tsuzuki said, remembering how dangerous some of Watari's odd inventions are.

Tatsumi checked his watch. "Well, it's time for me to report back to the chief. I'll see you later."

He teleported the moment he saw no one else in sight. When he was gone, Tsuzuki turned on his "Hisoka Locator" and concentrated. He remained that way for a few seconds, before breaking out into a jog, getting to the main street. "Okay...Hisoka...Hisoka...why can't I pick up your location?" he wondered aloud in a whisper, looking back and forth, staying alert. His feet took him back to the square they were in earlier and he started from there. Lately he had been good in sniffing out where his partner was, but he somehow managed to suppress his power so he couldn't get even a hint on where he was. Unless he was under some type of magic barrier. He had recalled how they had that conversation about magic barriers when he taught Hisoka how to form one with the spells.

"Why would you be under a barrier, Hisoka?" he continued aloud, not giving up until his koi was back in his arms. "Duh, that's obvious, you know all about Hijiri...I don't blame you for not wanting to come to me. I've really blown your trust to pieces. If only I could tell you how much it hurts me."

********Flashback**********

Hijiri pulled Tsuzuki slowly into a hug. Tsuzuki closed off the rest of the way in a flash of lightning and a sob. It broke Hijiri to hear his friend in this manner. Hisoka had driven Tsuzuki to the breaking point, where he wanted and desired mental and physical attention from one of his closest and most trusted friends.

"I don't know what I did wrong..." Tsuzuki whispered, leaning his head into the crook of his neck. "Hisoka's like going through some teenage phase or something! He won't talk to me or even notice my existence! Whenever it's time for us to do an assignment, he finds an excuse not to go with me, making me have to pair up with someone else!"

Hijiri drew him in closer. "It's okay. I'm here for you. I made that a promise to you a while back. We're friends and if there's anything...you...need...why are you looking at me like that?" he questioned as Tsuzuki drew his head up and stared into the emerald orbs before lightly brushing his finger across his cheek with a smile.

"I never realized how cute you were until now. You're like Hisoka in so many ways."

Hijiri gasped slightly, staring back into the amethysts with a taken back fear. "Tsuzu—"

Before he could finish, Tsuzuki's mouth was plunged onto his, showing no holding back.

__________________

Tsuzuki sat up, finding himself naked under the single white sheet, covered in sticky fluids all in the midsection and his legs. Sadly, he looked to his left to find a body that wasn't Hisoka, but Hijiri. Hijiri was turned to the opposite side, back facing Tsuzuki. He breathed low and contently without a fear in the world as he slept soundly. Tsuzuki pushed back the sheet, awaking him automatically.

"Wha...oh, Tsuzuki, what's wrong?" the green eyed boy asked, looking over his shoulder quickly. He woke up so very easily at the slightest sounds. "You scared me."

"Hijiri...what have I done?" Tsuzuki stared into the palm of his hands as if he were to see answers in them.

"I relieved you of your pain. We're friends, remember? I offered my body after you kissed me. You accepted."

"Why?" Tsuzuki cried, covering his ears and clenching his eyes shut. "You...you KNEW about Hisoka! How...could you?!"

Hijiri took his hand back. "I wanted to help you. You had so much emotion built up. I'm sorry. I didn't like to see you that way. You're too much of a good person, Tsuzuki."

After a pause, Tsuzuki sighed. "No...it's not your fault. I didn't stop. I guess I saw Hisoka in your eyes...it made me keep going. I'm sorry I yelled. I didn't mean it."

Hijiri wrapped his arms slowly around the body of his friend, resting his head on his shoulder.

"It's okay. I still love you."

*********End**********

"Love," Tsuzuki scoffed at the memory. "What's love mean anymore? All that happens are heartbreaks and stupid shit like I did."

He had entered a huge level of depression. It was so bad that he didn't go into his hyper mode on his way past the cakes and sweets in the window at the bakery that Tatsumi would end up paying for because he had spent the hotel room money. Him and Hisoka would be stranded because he couldn't help himself.

********Months Before**********

"Way to go, moron!" Hisoka chided, punching his lover at the shoulder. "Now what will we do for the night?"

Tsuzuki shoved a piece of apple pie into his mouth as the two walked through the empty park.

"Don't worry, 'Soka," he said with a mouthful. "We can always sleep under a tree, unless you're afraid to get recognized."

Hisoka eyed him. "Kiss my ass if you think I'm sleeping under a tree on the ground of all places!"

Tsuzuki smirked and looked down at Hisoka's backside. "Bend over and we'll see what we can do."

He yet received another blow to the shoulder in the same spot. "Pervert."

********End*********

"But of course, you won and we did end up staying in a hotel," Tsuzuki said aloud. "That was a year and a half ago, our first official night together. It blossomed at first, but then it all started falling downhill gradually. I could have stopped it I suppose, but I had to go and be the worst mess up a relationship has to offer. What can I possibly do to express my sorrow this time?"

____________________

Muraki stood up and clothed himself. Hisoka lay curled up in a ball, struggling not to let loose tears. Muraki donned his white trench coat and turned to face Hisoka.

"Little One, you were being a little too reasonable for me. I guess you really want to rid the universe of Tsuzuki after all. But first...we must make it so he can sense where you are. It wouldn't be no fun if we had to look for him instead of him looking for us, would it?" he concluded with a smirk.

Hisoka rose and dressed. It would take Tsuzuki two seconds to get to him once he knew where he was. Hisoka promised himself that once he saw Tsuzuki, he wouldn't fall under his own spell and think the way he used to. He now belonged to Muraki. He was Muraki's pet and would do anything the silvery-haired beauty asked him to.

His eyes closed when he felt a hand rest on his shoulder. "Soon, Little One, very soon."