Chapter 4: Snow

It had been two months since Tsuzuki began working at West Wind and the snow was beginning to fall. Late December had expressed its presence with the sudden explosion of red and green signs and cards with silver glitter. Winter was starting its shift. The residents at the institute were throwing a Christmas party as they usually did every year. Some of the residents didn't really care if it was Christmas or the end of the world, yet Konoe being a good hearted man felt it was the least he could do.

Tsuzuki could see the lights from the Christmas tree from outside the hospital. A faint glowing aura around it seemed to appear because of the fog and ice accumulating on the windows. With a package in hand he walked carefully up the icy stone steps to the doorway. The building was warm compared to the stinging cold outside, Tsuzuki smiled as he gave the Christmas decorations the recognition they weren't getting. People, mostly faculty, crowded the recreation room and were socializing to familiar Christmas songs.

"Tsuzuki, you came to visit!" Sherry, one of his coworkers beamed. "I would have thought you would take advantage of your vacation time and visit family or something…"

"Oh no, not this year however, I am planning to meet a friend." He said in his typical charming way, "Is Hisoka around?"

She smiled a bit, "Oh good, I was afraid that no one would visit him. Poor thing's been in his room all day. Anyways, don't forget to take some of these cookies home with you tonight, we have a ton."

"Oh don't worry, I will." He said with a wink which caused the small woman to giggle.

"Hisoka?" Tsuzuki called as he knocked on the door. The last couple of months Tsuzuki found that he had great company with Hisoka and tried to visit with him whenever he could. No matter how far he was from him those green orbs would pull him back to that beautiful room with its lush green plants. Often he would lose track of time daydreaming about their conversations and the ones they might have.

"Tsuzuki, what are you doing here?" Hisoka said with surprise as he saw his smiling friend across from him.

"I just felt like I should stop by to wish you happy holidays." He said as he pulled the gift covered it shiny doves and bells from his jacket.

"Oh…" Hisoka gave a sad sigh.

"What's wrong?"

"I didn't get you anything…" He said looking down, "I can't take this its-"

"Don't worry about it!" Tsuzuki said with an assuring tone. "I wanted to get something for you, the best gift for me is for you to accept it."

Hisoka took the gift from him and looked down at it, "Here, come in." he said as he opened the door wider for his friend to enter. Tsuzuki took a seat on Hisoka's bed by the window and just stared eagerly at Hisoka who was just staring at the package.

"Open it." He lightly commanded.

Hisoka ripped away the shiny paper to reveal a wooden rectangular case. He undid the little latches on the side to reveal a set of watercolors and some brushes.

"Oh…thank you…" Hisoka said as he tried to hide his smile from the older man but Tsuzuki caught it and smiled back.

"I figured you might be running out of paints. I want you to paint something nice…Like maybe you could paint that one picture you just recently did in pen."

"Ok." Hisoka agreed as he went over to his desk to pull out the said picture. It wasn't unusual for him to start drawing when Tsuzuki was there. Tsuzuki said that he enjoyed being around him even if they didn't talk, so some days he would just sit on Hisoka's bed and watch him draw.

"Tsuzuki…" Hisoka crumpled the paper a little in his hand and looked up so his bangs got out of his face.

"Yeah?"

"Why do you bother coming to see me?"

"Why?" He repeated questioningly "Because I like you."

"No I mean how come you don't see your family. Its Christmas Eve don't you have more important people to see?"

"No, my family isn't around anymore, really. My older sister kinda' disowned us some odd years ago and moved away somewhere. My father left not too long after and my mother died two summers ago. But don't get the wrong idea its not like your not import-"

"I'm sorry I shouldn't have asked…" Hisoka murmured just enough that he could be heard.

"No it's ok; it's not as bad as it sounds. I'm probably just a little melancholy from the weather you know…it's always so dark and all…" His sentence drifted off a little as he stared out the window next to him. Hisoka looked to his friend, he could see his expression through his reflection in the window. It was a sad one. He got up and sat next to him on the bed Tsuzuki just looked at him a little puzzled. "You know," The boy said as he stared at the floor "It may always be dark out but not completely dark. The snow will always be white…" He looked over to the violet eyed man to see him smiling back.

"That's very true…" Tsuzuki said with a chuckle a little amazed at how wise his friend was for his age, "So, how come you're not out socializing with the rest?"

"I don't really do well in big crowds."

"How come?" Tsusuki tilted his head to the side.

"Too many strong emotions, I don't have to touch people to feel strong emotions so when in a room with a lot of them it's a little overwhelming."

"Oh. I guess that wouldn't be too pleasant."

"Yeah…"

"Well," Tsuzuki said as he felt a lull in the conversation, "I should get going..." The two stood up from the bed and paused for a moment expecting something to happen but both not quite sure of what it was. There had been more and more of these moments lately it seemed and it always made Hisoka feel odd. "Ok…" Hisoka said trying to break the silence "Thank you for visiting me, I really appreciate it."

"No problem at all." Tsuzuki gave a smile.

"Oh and could you do me a favor?" Hisoka asked as he placed his new watercolor set on his desk next to his sketch pad.

"Sure."

"If you see Mizuki out there tell him that we'll meet on Wednesday at eight."

Tsuzuki stopped for a moment not quite sure whether he should ask what was going to go on at eight but decided it was none of his business but there was something unsettling about Hisoka doing anything with that man. Mizuki was smart but arrogant and he was always hitting on the female workers. He didn't care what people thought of him, it was safe to say that Tsuzuki thought he was a scumbag.

"Uh…Yeah, I saw him out there on my way in… I'll be sure to tell him." He lingered in the doorway a little as if to say something but erased the thought, "Well I'll see ya."