Rinoa Redcloak: Sorry about that. I was in a trance at the time… And sleep deprived… Well, I realized that before I read your review. Thanks… ^_^
Not so innocent bystander: Thanks for reminding me! I'm still new to this kind of thing so please bear with me. Thanks anyway! ^_^
Warning: I'm still trying to keep my mind working… SO please be gentle… Or I might just blow up and die.
Disclaimer: blah blah blah blablah blah. Sincerely.
How hard could it be?
Chapter One: Crash into Me
They have been walking for about an hour, and still they haven't found the hotel they were supposed to stay in until Tatsumi gives the go signal. Tsuzuki had apparently lost the paper where Tatsumi wrote the hotel's address and name on legibly. Hisoka got so angry because they had two unusually large bags and no lunch yet.
They were supposed to disguise as a student (Hisoka), and (Tsuzuki), as a teacher. Since they went to Tokyo right away, Tatsumi still hasn't gone too clear about the papers yet, not that Hisoka had to do anything about it because Tsuzuki's going to do the job of presenting them. He just doesn't want to sit all day doing nothing.
At last, Tsuzuki had contacted Watari and had gotten the hotel's name and address. They unpacked as they reached the hotel. Hisoka immediately took out a laptop and watched the video.
"Asato-kun…"
"Hmm? You rarely call me by my first name."
Tsuzuki said from beneath a pillow.
Hisoka blushed a bit.
"Just look at this and tell me what you think about it."
He said, a hint of agitation in his voice.
"Hai, hai…"
The video played up to the part when the assassin slits the butler open and breaks the camera after giving it the finger.
"That is one agitated assassin…"
"No… I can't read his emotions but while I as watching, a sudden sadness flickered somewhere for a split second…"
"AH! 'Soka-chan, I just remembered that there's a new bakery here! Oh please, can you come with me? I want to get some cinnamon…"
Tsuzuki the puppy dog pleaded on his knees, his huge eyes gilled with a look of can-I-please-go-out-because-I-really-craving-for-sweets-right-now look. Hisoka let out an exasperated sigh and said,
"Okay. But you'll go by yourself. I'll go alone."
A few minutes ago, Tsuzuki was hopping with joy towards the shop. Hisoka walked by himself at the park… he didn't want to course his way through a sea of people in the streets. He had brought with him the file regarding the assassin, and his laptop, of course, foe looking for some info in the web. He found a place under a tree, maple, and settled on the grass.
After a while of unsuccessful info gathering his battery had been drained enough for him to go back to the hotel and recharge it.
"I should've charged the battery before we left… Sigh…"
Hisoka looked at his watch. Ten minutes to 12pm. They had arrived a bit too early than the estimated time, though they had a hard time looking for the hotel. At least he could have some time to roam around. He double-checked the room before locking the door and head for outside.
Hisoka silently and quickly walked past the people. He avoided crowds, because of his empathic ability. He could feel emotions of people. The person he knows who could put up a barrier to keep his emotions is Tsuzuki.
He went to the public library and looked for some things that could be useful to their case. He walked in the middle of bookshelves. Too bad they didn't file some police cases in the library, old or new. He went to the very back of the library, where the old books were stacked. He opened the door of that section. It was quite dim at the back because of the old fluorescent light that kept blinking in between seconds.
He scanned the shelves, looking for interesting things, until he collided with somebody much smaller than his body frame. Hisoka falls and feels some books land on his stomach. A muffled sound escaped from the person at his feet. Hisoka regained himself and picked up the books. It was a girl who had collided into him. As he had observed at his first glance, she is definitely younger than he is. Technically, or not technically.
"Are you all right?"
Hisoka said as he reached out a hand.
"I was before you came crashing into me."
The girl said. She ignored Hisoka's hand and got up by herself.
"Don't you people even look where you're going?"
How rude. Hisoka thought to himself.
"Actually,"
"Don't tell me. I know, you're thinking I'm rude and that you really can't see where you're going because that light is at its end, but can't you even sense?"
The girl said, as she picked up the books on the floor, her voice dribbling with sarcasm.
It was quite dark, Hisoka could not see that much, and the girl still had the nerve to say that to him?! He tried reading her, but he can't.
"Are you trying to read me, or are you trying to stare holes into me? What? No apology? I know you're waiting for mine. But should all guys be like this? Rude?"
Hisoka doesn't know if she was the one reading him or if he was the one trying to. It's as if she had read everything in his head at the time.
She looked as if she was pouting, but Hisoka was sure she was joking, the way her hands were placed at her sides comically.
"Shit… they should really be fixing the lighting here, ne?"
"I'm sorry…"
She laughed; her voice sounding artificial through the room, her laughter seeming as if she was programmed to. Or was it just Hisoka's imagination?
"It's okay." She said. "I was only joking around… trying to break up some stiffness in this library… and I think I just found my first victim. I'm sorry too. You must think I'm rude…"
"See you around then. Ja, kio-tsukete." She started to run around and leave.
"Wait… uh… you dropped these…"
Hisoka handed her the books. Her hand grazed the surface of his skin and Hisoka still did not feel a thing. They were cold. Sort of like empty.
"Gee. Thanks… Stranger…" She smiled. He watched her go. Then she was gone.
Hisoka was, again, left alone. He continued scanning the books, but his mind was somewhere else, thinking high up in the sky. Even I could not know what his mind contains. Why didn't he feel anything though? Tsuzuki was the only one he had known so far who could keep his emotions concealed… He headed for the front doors, trying to dodge a crying kid with a tantrum.
He ran fast as he could, back to the hotel room, just in time to answer the phone.
"Hello?"
"Bon! How is everything?"
It was the blond shinigami's voice, oozing with genki-ness. (Hisoka could not believe Tsuzuki's and Watari's genki-ness sometimes.) There was a distant explosion, somewhere behind Watari, Hisoka suspects.
"Hold on a sec bon--- Don't worry Terazuma… That's… Oh my… I'll fix you up in a while! Bon, still there?"
"Yeah."
"How's it going? Did you arrive safely? And why are you breathing like that? Is somebody after you?"
"I just came from the library, trying to avoid a nasty kid with a tantrum."
Hisoka looked at his watch. 1pm.
"Tsuzuki should be back by now. He said he'd be at the new sweets shop."
"Oh. That Tsuzuki never misses eating from a store. I actually liked the idea of stopping by a shop when we were still partners, but doing it always became a peeve."
"Why sis you call anyway? Got any leads?"
"Nope. But Tatsumi found some info. Small amount of it, but it might help" Watari shuffled some papers.
"The assassin is tricky. To make it short because I still have to fix Terazuma up, two letters: K and E. But here's what's odd: At first when I looked at the case, I thought "why is this assigned to us?" now I know. One soul of a victim, could not remember how he got killed. But he did remember one thing. And all the rest of the victims' souls. The last thing they saw was two clear emerald green orbs that were sort of in a trance."
"You mean trance, like possessed?"
"Something like that."
Hisoka looked at the distance. Just then, a happy-looking Tsuzuki walked in, carrying a box.
"'Soka-chan, I---"
"Shhhhh!"
Hisoka put up a warming finger.
Tsuzuki placed the box on the bedside table and took off his trench coat. He climbed on the bed and watched Hisoka gracefully walk back and forth. He was twirling the telephone cord around his index finger. Just like teenagers he see. Just like a kid. But he is a kid. But he never let others see him as 'just a kid'. Technically, he was 23, if you counted death years. (Aki: Yoshi! Still good! I can still--- urk --- Please. Stop. Cho---king. Me. Thank. You.)
"Okay. I'll be contacting you when I get some info. Bye."
Hisoka put down the phone and sighed.
"That was Watari-kun." He said.
"What did he say?"
Hisoka explained what Watari had said. "Two clear emerald green orbs…" Hisoka repeated. "And the victims forgetting how they were killed."
"Hmmm… A 'K' and an 'E' can be a name." Tsuzuki said.
"There're a lot of names. Where will we start?"
"'It can be a place…"
"Whatever. We'll figure it out tomorrow. Are those paper works for the school ready?"
"Yeah… The papers are done. Hisoka… Can I ask you something?"
"What?"
"Do you really want to take up on this assignment? Because… you might want have a hard time coping up with the students…"
"Yeah… So? Why?"
"You might want to know what teenagers your age do… to be able to get some info around some things… To make conversation easier… In order for people to not suspect you…"
"So…? Just spit it out! What're you trying to say?"
Hisoka was beginning to get very irritated. He didn't like things to be broken down piece by piece.
"I brought some things for you to read and listen to."
Tsuzuki pointed at the box on the table.
"I'll be reserving a dorm room for you today."
He got up and wore his trench coat. He looked as if he was to say something, but hesitated.
"I'll be back at around 4." He said instead.
Tsuzuki smiled. Then he was gone.
Hisoka took the box to his bed and opened it.
"He's… so silly. What are these useless---"
His voice trailed off. There in the box were Cds, DVDs, mp3s, books and magazines.
"These are useless."
Hisoka said. But he kept it in his suitcase anyway… He resigned to his bed and closed his eyes. He had too much things in mind. Right now, he was thinking of things we could not know of.
---to be continued---
A/N: Hello! Sorry about my paragraphing… I was in a trance… The title of the song is a song from the Dave Matthews Band. I'm a music fan. ^_^ Reviews! Please! The girl would be playing a very important part in both Hisoka's and Tsuzuki's life.
Pity Tsuzuki… Wahh!
Thanks to Rinoa and not so innocent bystander for their reviews.
P.S: DO you think Tsuzuki is better with the uke? Why and why not?
Girl: Either which he is still kawaii….
Aki: You're right. ^_^
P.S.2 You're going to hate the girl though.
Girl: Omae wa kurosou! Remember your dreams of being a shinigami? Your wish is my command…
Aki: STOP! OKAY! FINE!
P.S.3 I'm not changing my statement. OW! (Sweat drops.) Just kidding. That girl has a sad history. Please don't kill me. ^_^*