How hard could it be?
A/N: To those who have reviewed yet again, I thank you!!! *claps* I am so pleased that you guys are still reading my work, even though it's not that good. I believe I can do much better, but emotional problems and school activities kept jumping in my way, making me a bit stressed and disable me to give my most creative work. *sigh* I'm sorry to say, my fics are going to be very late. *groan* Really sorry. But hey, I'm still fourteen! You could still wait for my works after… um… say… a year, after my birthday? Hehehe. Just kidding. I'll try to submit updates during the vacation, and I promise to you that I'll do much better.
Great news!!! I have a beta now, and it's my… drum roll my English teacher!!! Yey! Sorry, my shallowness is shedding. Anyway, since he said he'll do it, and keep on editing my other works, if he doesn't get bored with it and all, that is. Till then!!! Reviews! I can't live without them!!! A-R-I-G-A-T-O, minna-san!!!
Oh yeah, I think I'll switch back to the third-person perspective again, but maybe a few POVs can be nudged in. it's kinda hard for me. But I'll try to furnish it for you dear readers… Oh yeah, my other beta would be my best friend… drum roll please he agreed already… so… duo-chan!!! Yes, the one Kori kept on mentioning. Vengeance is sweet, but friendship goes in the way and is much sweeter than I thought. Just like Milky Way chocolate bars… Mmmm… Yummy… My fave…
Arigato, again, minna-san! Take care and please do not cease to read and review!!! I thank you all… read the continuation of this message at the end of the chapter for more information and more insane questions… thank you.
Dangerous Minds: Does the name Michelle Pheiffer ring a bell? Enjoy!!!
For Duo-chan: Wode airen, (I know you did not understand that, but it's Chinese if you wanna know, Mandarin, find out.) I cannot deny that I am still not over um… about that thing… and I know you think that Enish-kun and I am together again. Yes 'tis true, because were still BEST FRIENDS and I miss that thing between us. Were not really together, as in together, so please I hope you… come back. Even though it seems impossible, I want you to come back. Aishiteru… Semapi.
By the way: Takenori's real first name is Miko, not Tsuneo, sorry for the typo!!!
Disclaimer: Yadda yadda yadda. Bah blubber blah. Wah wah wah. Sincerely.
Chapter 8
Dangerous Minds
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1
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There is life beyond the gloom. And so, that was what Kasunagi Ai thinks. She runs onto the lawn, her dress left on top of her bureau, and was trying to persuade the nanny on letting her wear her casual clothes, just for even once a day. Of course, the usual answer to her plea was no, and she retraced her steps up to the foyer, where a man, puffing a cigar, sat. He looked up at her and smiled. The smile was so rare that it looked ugly on him. She had never seen him smile since the last time she---
"I have good news for you," A sneer crawled over his dark lips, replacing the previous one.
Ai remained silent. Whatever good news this man brought was foul to her ears. He always started with that introduction. He'll say he has good news, but instead, its either disgusting, revolting, or morbid. She always cringed whenever she heard the word he usually made her do. She did her job, yes. But it made her feel emptier everyday. This is a very strange occupation for a child her age, but no one really knows her work. A teenager who worked like an adult? That can't be; but who knows her age? Who really knows her? This man in front of her, and her mentor, knows her well… Well enough to make her do the tasks properly. Well enough to make her do work, though she hated it, she had no choice. Her fate is in their hands. She waited as he put down the cigar and started to tell her the new assignment.
"Yes. To business: Since you have successfully confused them, I want you to finish it. Now, tonight, you shall attend the ball, a gala held in a specific place. I shall give you the destination later, in case eavesdroppers are around and try to take your spotlight. Ruin your act. The play will be taking place after ten minutes of the introduction speech said by Kori, and you shall act right away once the curtain drops. That would be all. Retaliations?"
She just looked at him, no reaction passing her face, no words coming out of her mouth, but a curt nod instead. The man smiled and dismissed her; she went to her chamber, picked up the Erh-hru, and started to play a song. It was not composed by anyone else but herself, and as she walked towards the window, a single tear fell from her eye.
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2
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Tsuzuki awoke the next morning. He was quite disoriented, because of the fever, and he looked around the blank white walls of the room, the blinding light overhead showed no signs of letting him see, and he sat up, with much difficulty. He glanced at the window and saw the beautiful sakura blossoms falling down from their branches. He blinked a few times.
He was in JuuOhCho. The beautiful flowers were the most recognizable view from where he was, and he now remembers where he is. He was feeling rather hot, and he wanted an ice cold bath at the moment. He coughed, and glanced at his surroundings. This was Watari's lab. He had been rushed here last night when he arrived shivering and wet. It was about 7:00 pm, and he was glad that Watari stayed overnight to work on his new concoction. The lab looked the usual; though this was a separate room, the scientist's mess still reached it: Paper crumpled or not, clean or dirty, files, folders, pencils, pens, littered the floor. He stood up. He found Watari immersed in front of the computer again. He was doing some investigating about the case also, and there was a body on the screen. Blood and… There was something that caught his eye--- something recognizable from where he stood. There was no mistaking it. He knew it by sight, and sense.
He lunged at Watari, all pain forgotten, yanked the screen to face him and there, as visible as day in his eyes, was a strand of white-silvery hair--- Muraki. His face went rigid. His eyes contained anger, and Watari could only look at the man in front of him. He was amazed at Tsuzuki's strength. A fever usually took a while since he is a shinigami, but as he touched him, Tsuzuki's temperature had gone down so fast, and it even beat an ice-cold tub filled with ice, literally.
"Muraki." Tsuzuki mumbled. Watari looked at the screen where he was pointing and zoomed in to take a closer look. He looked at the amethyst-eyed and nodded. He resumed his seat, and as Tsuzuki pulled a seat beside him to have a better look, he decided to ask about last night.
"So, Mr. Tsuzuki Asato, what brought you here in the middle of the night, after the rain and into my lab?"
"I… had some… Where did you find that picture?"
Tsk. Tsk. Pity. He was changing the topic. It concerned the green-eyed soul back there in his dorm room, Watari knew. He grinned. He knew, because Tsuzuki was mumbling his name in his sleep as Watari took his temperature. He replied instead of asking furthermore. Step by step should do it…
"Oh, this one? This was the last victim's body. Found just last night. I haven't informed you, since this was connected with the previous one, but it was found after the matter was over and I'm re-examining it for medical purposes… Muraki, you say?"
"Yes. There is no mistaking it."
Silence.
Watari kept on tapping on the keys to search for other pictures and information. He grinned. Since he was almost all-knowing, and a scientist, these matters came in a ritual, sort of like a routine, and he knew that each close person he talks has this pattern, and this was Tsuzuki, and he had known him for as long as he can remember. Being a hundred and three, Tsuzuki didn't look so old and he seemed to have become… much better than before. He was different ever since Hisoka came into their lives. He gave Tsuzuki a reason to live, to move on, and Hisoka managed to bring him back when he was engulfed in his own nightmares. And he knew that Hisoka needed tsuzuki, because of the bond they share together, and the way they look, act… everything, Watari had observed closely and only one thing came into his mind: They like each other though they are afraid to admit it.
Three… Two… One…
"Watari…"
Bingo.
"Yes, Asato-kun?"
"Whatwillyoudoifyousuddenlysaidsomethingordidsomethingyouknowtheotherpersonmightdislikebutyouhavethisurgetoreallydoitandthenhetellsyouthathehatesyounand---"
"Whoa! Slow down!!! What if you said or---what? Go slower, okay?"
Tsuzuki sighed and breathed. He mumbled the same words, but slower, and it was harder than listening to him the first time, that Watari just held up his hand to stop Tsuzuki who was now fidgeting uneasily in his seat, twirling a pen in his hand.
"Let me guess… it's about bon, right?"
Again, the same ritual, then a forced "Yes," escaped his cherry lips.
Watari grinned. He faced the monitor, clicked shut down, and turned to face him again. He beckoned him inside the room; made him lay down back on his bed and whispered.
"We'll talk about it later, when you're ready, okay?"
Tsuzuki smiled. He nodded like a small child, closed his eyes, and drifted into the land of nod…
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3
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"To live or not to live, that is the question…" Ai said to herself as she stood there, on a platform, looking at her self at the mirror, wondering how long this ceremony would take... She picked on the satin of her gown as the dressmaker spun her around, taking measurements and jotting them down, his face a look of pride as he believed that he was a famous designer, and a very good one indeed. Ai told herself not to laugh at his sight. (Better not to mention anything.) She sighed again, as she twirled a strand of long white-silvery hair dangling from her bun, blinking under the light of the sun coming through her window. She sighed once more, as a sign of annoyance, counting the minutes as she waited for the man to finish pinning, making adjustments, discussing the color with Kori, who seemed uninterested, and kept himself busy with a book, trying to make conversation with the impatient child. She kept on tapping her foot on the wooden platform, trying not to move her arms and head, but she couldn't help but look outside the window, and down at the lawn, to watch the maid's daughter play with the ducks from the lake.
A rasp sound escaped the man's throat, calling her attention, and in turn she gave him a scowl, and stood once more, rolling her eyes at Kori as he looked at her.
"Why?" He was smiling.
"Because I hate dressing up."
"But you look wonderful."
"Yeah, right."
"Seriously, why don't you believe your uncle?"
"Because you're trying to flatter him and make him do his work better keeping his attention to me, so that he won't see you creeping at his back with a knife poised and about to strike, slice him to pieces, take out his skin, and feed him to the wolves..." She said sarcastically.
The man turned around quickly to look at Kori only to find him chortling in his seat.
"Don't worry, she was just joking."
Ai huffed. Her eyes were the most stunning part of her body, besides the long hair, which changed color every now and then; her face changed also, only her eyes remained the way they are, luminous, mysterious, a clear shade of emerald green, shying the person looking at her from what was really within. She was no ordinary girl, deadlier than the usual girl-next-door, feigning innocence on her face, the look of a porcelain doll possessing some kind of power, her skin pale as the moon, her lips pink as a blossom. She was known as the popular one, but because of her unusual personality, her silence, and the look in her eyes, people in her school tend to shy away from her.
"Why can't I just wear something ordinary? Why do I have to look stunning? Smashingly beautiful, the one that stands out in a crowd?"
"To get his attention."
"I want to kill him."
"Don't worry." Kori smiled. He looked back in the book he was holding. "Shhh." The picture inserted halfway in one of the pages fell on the side of his chair, and as he picked it up, Ai saw a glimpse of that unfortunate soul: Brown-haired; that was her father's hair color. She cringed, remembering her dream.
"You know him?" Kori asked her.
"No. You do, right?"
"Yes, he is quite a good student. Nice grades, fluent in English."
"Better than me?"
"No, you're still the best."
"Oh. Good."
The conversation died, and she continued to wonder how long the man would take. Finally, the man said "Very well," and she let out a sigh; she immediately stripped off the dress from her body, dropped it on a nearby chair and walked casually out of the room, while the maids went in and assisted the man on the arrangements. Kori followed Ai out of the room, holding the book, and mumbled a few words, in case the others would hear, before giving her a smile and turning the other way, heading for the stairs that led to the lobby, and she, Ai, went down the other staircase, leading out into the lawn.
It wasn't chilly that day, and it wasn't unusual for those living in that manor to see Ai garbed in her usual dress code, implied by the big boss, and she couldn't retort. This was unfair, you see, but the consequences were much heavier than her self. She seemed to not mind the outfit, because it still enabled her to move freely, because of the material, but it somehow made her look more mysterious and paler than usual under the light of the sun. She was donned in long-sleeved black fitted turtleneck, and black jazz pants, completed by the laced-up black military boots... the pants were straight-cut, not flared and her long hair fell around her shoulders, draping over it like snow covering the ground. Her eyes resembled the color of her surroundings before the snow covered it: eternally green, but instead of having life, hers was empty. She walked slowly, her hands behind her back; the air did not stir, the birds were chirping, and how she wished to be somewhere else. And her memories came flooding back, but she ignored it, trying to abscond from it, trying desperately to live with out it. But she can't. It was forever there, wherever she went. Whatever she did, it always haunted her. And it hurt her more than a bullet embedded in her chest.
She wondered what would happen tonight. She had this peculiar feeling that something was going to happen. She continued to walk on the snow-covered earth, and finally lied down, her mind drifting to another place, another time…
Then, it was then that her mind suddenly dissolved and a prophecy unfolded, like a movie in her head, playing what was hidden in the future, tangled in her thoughts, and that was then when realization struck her:
Power
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4
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Tsuzuki awoke later that afternoon. How is Hisoka? He wondered. In the corner of his eye, he was aware of Watari. He was standing over him with a huge smile and a huge cup of tea. He was grinning from ear to ear, waiting for Tsuzuki to say something.
"Uh…"
"You seem to have gone better. Are you ready to talk about it now?"
Tsuzuki knew what Watari was referring to. And slowly, painfully, but bravely than before, he told the blond scientist what has happened the night before.
"Tsk, tsk, Asato-kun. Why did you do that?" Watari's grin became a concerned smile.
"Because… I was… I dunno. I was just not thinking…"
"Awww…" Watari put down the mug on the bedside table, and embraced the amethyst-eyed man who looked down at his hands.
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Hisoka awoke the next morning, feeling ass if he hadn't slept at all. The snow was falling, and it looked as if the students wouldn't be coming today. He dressed up and watched as two birds flew past his window, looking for a place to stay in. He sighed. Last night was awful. He had been lying down on the same spot, in the middle of the room, surrounded by the clutter, his mind drifting to thoughts. He fears that he had lost him forever.
He tried to shove away the memories from last night, and proceeded to his class. He was late, naturally, since he left like, and hour or two later. Kori Anderson was teaching that day. Some of the teachers had been stuck in traffic and some of them had been down with the flu. The students were much more quiet, Hisoka observed, during Tsuzuki's class. Kori was just discussing some things. Whenever Tsuzuki taught, the air was happy; it's not that Kori wasn't a fun teacher; it's just that Tsuzuki's cheerful personality was more… contagious and intoxicating. Kori stayed with them for three subjects in a row, including his, four.
Hisoka noticed something different about him. He had a different air around him. Hisoka let his shield down and tried to read him, and he sensed something he could not understand. He didn't put his shields down any longer, because now, Kori had announced a free time class, and the students had gone to their feet shouting in glee.
He wondered where Tsuzuki could be. So after classes, he went to the hotel. But he wasn't there. There was only one place he could think of right now: JuuOhChou. Tsuzuki was there. He knows.
As he reached the office, the usual air surrounded him. Tatsumi, stern as always, busy over some papers, calculator in the other hand. The case was slow, he knows that and they know that too, but they couldn't do anything yet because they were lacking leads.
He turned a corner, toward Watari's lab; Wakaba said she saw Tsuzuki there that day and was sick, so, before he entered, he stood at the doorway, mustered all the courage to tell Tsuzuki the truth, and turned the knob.
It was as if time had suddenly stopped as he saw it: Watari wrapped in a hug by Tsuzuki. He gaped at the sight. Tsuzuki seemed to notice, and as he looked up, he saw the Hisoka running from there. He shouted, and got up, ran after him, not minding the pain in his sides. Watari stood there, put a hand on his forehead, and shook his head. He knows that Hisoka had taken the scene in a negative point of view.
"Yare yare desu ne…" He watched Tsuzuki disappear from his lab.
"HISOKA!" Tsuzuki shouted again. Hisoka was ahead of him, and he had gone out the main doors of the building, running under the rain of flowers cascading from the branches.
He seems to have found something else…Hisoka thought as he went down to earth. Tsuzuki could not do anything now. He collapsed on his knees and looked after Hisoka. He was gone. Now he knows he had really lost him. Just when he had his hopes back up.
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5
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Silver hair flowing freely with the wind blowing through the window of the empty house. Sitting on a plump red cushion laid down on the newly waxed wooden floor of the well-lit room was a man draped in white clothing. He sat upright, quite pale and was meditating, thinking, wondering. His status was fine, he was known as a very sufficient being; a high-ranking person, honored with his name followed by –sensei and –san, and has a brilliant mind… Its brilliance causing havoc to the world it lives in. He is a professional, a person with intelligence and sophistication. Mingled with dangerous wit, and a cunning personality, enables him to weasel his way out of trouble, causing the inferior to submit to his will and power. He strikes fear to those who stare into those eyes, as cold as they are, and they suffer something that lasts forever.
His occupation is known to help those in dire need, gasping for breath on their bed, gripping the sheets holding on to their lives, their hearts trying to fight the agony of giving up. He is an excellent person for the job, but he had a different goal for being one. Majoring in medicine, he is, was an excellent student, and there was only one thing that drove him to achieve such thing: it was the desire to take revenge, because to him, vengeance is sweet.
He is not immortal, but he does not fear the fate he will be facing, and he admits that. He does not have the powers of the gods, and he does not desire it that much. He just likes the sound of blood dripping on the floor, the way the knife shines red and silver, the way the bullet's speed takes an entity down by a single blow, and how he loves the smell of fear and pain. He believes, that Death is just a mere path that he leads those unknowing and unfortunate to tread upon and he enjoys to see them cry, wither, die. As far as I know, his obsession of the amethyst-eyed shinigami has died down a little, but he is still the psychopath we know. He is now retiring in his friend's place, a house where he usually went to before and after each execution, to inform the master of the house what he has done, to support, encourage, consult. Oriya has been very kind to him ever since, and he figured that he wouldn't mind having a psychopathic murderer bitch who just loves the way a person cowers in fear and scrambles away from him while he stalks them and puts them to sleep permanently.
Muraki isn't that bad these days. He is quiet most of the time, thinking, just thinking, reading, and he rarely goes out of the house. He doesn't mind the noise, he doesn't mind anything, and who was he to complain? That isn't his house.
That day, there was something occupying his mind. And that thing has come.
There was a knock on the door. He smiles, and opens his eyes.
"Come in."
"Hello."
Muraki Kazutaka looked at the person that had come in. His smile grew wider, and he stands up. A teenager donned in jeans and a shirt with words written on the front, cursing the way her boss works… She runs forward, a package in hand, and he embraces the doctor, all dignity and poise forgotten. She breaks down, saying how she missed him, and how she longed for her sensei's presence again.
"Kazutaka-sama!!!"
Her shrill voice cannot contain the excitement in her heart. Her tears splashing down the man's front and she suddenly let go as though she had touched a hot stove.
"I'm sorry…" She looks away.
"Hello to you, Muraki-san."
"How nice of you two to drop by, and see me… Thank you."
Muraki said as another person came into the room. This time, it was a man in a business suit, green eyes showing from underneath the gloom and dark of the doorway. The drapes that covered the windows blocked out the sunlight from outside, and the ash-blond girl stood beside the man by the doorway.
"This little girl had been bugging me ever since, and had successfully convinced me by putting a pistol beside my head last night. In a very severe tone."
The man emerged, revealing his face. He was young, and his identity is hidden for now. His hair blond also, his complexion was like caramel, and his smile was brilliant.
"I see. It's okay, my child, come here. Muraki reached out a hand.
The girl walked towards him again, shook Muraki's hand, but Muraki pulled her close to him, returning her previous embrace. Juts like you and me, he is also human, and he was genuinely glad to see the girl. Her family had helped him when he was in trouble once, and the man with her, was someone he owed a long time ago. All this forgotten because of the man's kind nature; this girl, had once helped him a lot, and she had adored him. He had helped her out too, something she would die for to repay him.
"I still keep your treasure." She mumbled.
"Good. So, what will you do today?"
"Blow up a fuse."
"Good… So---
"Please do not mention any names, so as to be safe, Kasutaka-kun,"
"Very well. What brings you here?"
"We just thought that you would like to be of help for us."
"Help? What kind of help?"
The girl made a slashing motion on her throat. Muraki understood. Murder. He had to think about it. He suddenly wondered if this little girl would be doing the action.
"I'll have to think about it,"
"If you want to talk about it, you can go to this place." The man handed a piece of paper with his gloved hand, words written on its surface.
"Who should I look for?"
"I'll be there to look out for you, any day. If not, somebody else will be." The girl said.
"That would be all." The man said. "Have a nice day, Kazutaka-kun."
"Ja, sensei." The girl gave him one last embrace, and followed the man out of the house.
"Good bye… My sweet…" Muraki's eyes flickered dangerously. Another chance… To draw attention to himself… Actually, just to kill.
~To be continued~
A/N: Hello hello! Another chapter finished. I should be thanking Duo-chan for giving me something to write about… VENGEANCE!!! Morbid as it sounds, I'm planning to give you gory details. Everything would be revealed soon. Just connect bits and pieces, and you'll have an answer… Anyway, I have nothing to say anymore… But a few questions first before I go away and kill somebody:
1.Would you like Claire's background?
2.Would you like to kill Kasunagi Ai? Kori?
3.Would you love to know who the assassin is?
4.Would you guys like to know if Tatsumi saw that incident in the lab?" ^_^
5.Would you like me to stop writing?
Till then!!! RR! I love you guys!
P.S. Please don't kill me. ^_^*
P.S.2 I love Muraki Kazutaka as much as I love to write. Anyway, I thought that he would be much better now, showing his… ahem… sentimental side… he is still the bitch you know, but I love him I love him!!! Waaah! Just Please don't kill me! I love the man! Actually, in most quizzes I take, the possibility that I always get the bad guys or the cute bad boys, or killers is much bigger than the reverse. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this chapter as much as I enjoyed writing it for you guys.
Yours truly,
Aki Konoe ^_^