AN: I realize it's been a long time since I updated. I blame it on exams and the summer job from hell. Anyway, here's the next chapter.

Again, I'm pleading for anyone who wants to join into RPs, visit lostboyvideo. com/phoenix/ I promise it'll be fun.

Chapter V

Undercover

Watari was stewing when he reached his lab. Or maybe stewing wasn't the right word for it. Fuming seemed much more appropriate for the way he was feeling. So many things had gone wrong the past few days. Granted, sleeping with Muraki was the worst of it, but it was undeniable that it had been Tatsumi's words that had driven him to it. It could all be lain at Tatsumi's feet. The way the older man only came to him if he needed something; using him… it made him feel horrible. And then the man actually had the nerve to call him useless!

It wasn't only that though. Tatsumi had called him a failure as well!

He'd been a good scientist. Despite everything that had happened in life… and in death, he was adamant about that. He'd been able to improve upon a lot of things with his work. And how many other people could claim they'd gotten their PhD before they were twenty-five. Sure, he'd be clumsy, and he'd taken risks he probably shouldn't have, but his employer had been able to overlook that.

But then he had failed… his parents thought his work was pointless… his fiancée had only been with him to use him… it was his fault he'd left the gas on overnight in the lab so that when he'd turned the lights on the next morning…

But then he had failed… was a failure… it just wasn't something a friend should ever bring up.

Slamming his hand hard down on the counter, Watari caused the newly replaced panes of glass in the cupboards to vibrate. He was wallowing in self-pity, and what's worse, it was about something that had happened nearly a quarter or a century ago. He couldn't change what had happened in the past; only strive to make up for it. It made him angry that he could feel so sorry for himself. He was even more angry with Tatsumi for making him feel like that.

But it kept getting better. The secretary didn't even think he was capable of doing the assignment on his own. He thought he needed a partner to help him so that he wouldn't screw things up… as though he couldn't handle anything more than a well-placed prank or a cup of coffee.

Opening on of the cupboards in the lab, Watari muttered to himself. He rifled through the miraculously undamaged contents, trying to find his clipboard and a clean change of clothing. He hadn't gone home after his encounter with Muraki. He hadn't had time to get changed. Yet that wasn't the real reason. He'd already been late. Another half an hour couldn't have made a difference. He simply hadn't been in his right mind, moving in a trance until Tatsumi had come to speak with him… and then he'd just been angry.

He was in a clean pair of pants and in the process of pulling his shirt over his head when Tsuzuki… eternally cheerful Tsuzuki came in carrying a plate of pastries from the break room.

"You didn't look like you were feeling very good when you came in, so I thought I'd bring you some…" The older shinigami trailed off when he saw his friend's bare torso. Watari was thin. That fact had never been questioned. Neither had the fact that he was very pale. It was just surprisingly more evident when compared to the fact that the blonde's upper body was littered with dark bruises and various bite marks.

"Watari… Ah…?" the violet eyed man sputtered.

Watari shrugged the shirt on and offered his friend a sheepish grin. "I fell down the stairs," he offered simply, and the added when Tsuzuki looked sceptical, "And accidentally bit myself."

"Um… alright…" was the reply as Tsuzuki gave his friend a weak smile, and a pastry.

Shaking his head, the scientist busied himself with putting on socks and shoes. "No thank you, I've already eaten…"

A faint blush crept onto Watari's pale cheeks when he trailed off. He'd had breakfast in Muraki's house after he'd woken for the third time. The good doctor had been up before him and made breakfast in bed. He couldn't help but feel guilty over that, because of everything the silver haired man had done, and what he represented. But right then, it was overridden by the fact that no one had every made him breakfast in bed, and no one had ever called him beautiful. Not even his…

It was simply impossible to connect in his mind the mass murderer and the charismatic man he'd met in a bar. Simply put, in his mind, Muraki and Kazutaka we two different men.

As long as I can keep the two separate in my mind I'll be able to maintain my sanity, he thought to himself before adding, And as long as I don't let something like that happen again.

Tsuzuki continued to look at him oddly as he considers things. Looking at Tsuzuki, the blonde felt his heart sink. Even if he could keep the two sides of Muraki separate in his mind, it didn't change the fact that he'd screwed up again… Always failing those around me.

"Ah, Watari…" Tsuzuki tried to catch his friend's attention.

Watari's attention did snap back to the other shinigami, and he flashed the man a brilliant, though entirely forced, smile. It managed to look believably sincere however; enough to fool Tsuzuki. "I'm sorry, I just have a lot on my mind."

This seemed to take Tsuzuki aback. It hadn't been what he was expecting. "I… ah… guess that's understandable… quite a bit going on for you…" The brunette trailed off, and Watari didn't need his friends gesture to know his friend was talking about his lab, though whether it was the destruction of it, or Tatsumi's words… "Actually, Hisoka and I were wondering if you wanted us to come with you to Kyoto. We have to stop there anyway, and we thought you might like the company."

Watari's eyes narrowed, and his lips pursed in anger; Tsuzuki wasn't offering company, he was offering help. He didn't have a partner, so obviously he wouldn't be able to complete his assignment. He was too much of a "flighty failure of a scientist."

The blonde tried to keep his voice from sounding too biting, bue he couldn't help but let some of his anger and annoyance show through. "No thank you, Tsuzuki. You and bon have your own sector to work on. I don't need you two babysitting me."

Tsuzuki literally took a step back from the impact of the words. It didn't take the blond scientist two seconds to realize how painful his words were; especially not with the hurt expression on his friend's face.

Biting the inside of his lip, Tsuzuki turned to leave, muttering over his shoulder, "I just thought you might like the company."

He couldn't understand the younger man. He was being pushed away when it seemed as though Watari needed him the most. It was obvious the other man was n desperate need of a shoulder to lean on. Still, if Watari wanted alone time, Tsuzuki would give it to him. Like Hisoka said before, if Watari wanted to talk to him, he knew where to find him.

Watari couldn't help but cringe, realizing he was being an ass. Tsuzuki was hardly one to ever have ulterior motives. He was just being unreasonable and over sensitive. He sighed as be pulled his hair back and turned around. "I'm sorry Tsu. I just… have a lot on my mind right now.

Nodding, Tsuzuki seemed to accept the blonde's excuse. "Just remember that I'm always here if you need someone to talk to."

Tsuzuki didn't wait for Watari to reply. He just took it for granted that the blonde would take him up on the offer.

As it was, Watari did nod, though in his heart he knew he never would. Not about this at least…

Leaning with his back to the wall, Hisoka waited for his partner to leave Watari's lab. It might not be any of his business, but he knew something wasn't right with their usually optimistic scientist. It wasn't so much what he felt through his empathy, but through the way the blonde was always on the defensive, and the way he carried himself. Something was simply off…

What was worse was that the scientist, who was normally good at guarding his emotions so as to not cause Hisoka any discomfort, was even more reserved and guarded than before. In a way it made him feel more uncomfortable than if the blonde's emotions had been open for him to read. At least that way he wouldn't constantly be wondering what Watari was feeling.

Tsuzuki stepped out of the lab, his face lined with worry.

"What happened?" Hisoka didn't need to see is partner's face to know the older man was worried. His emotions were like an open book, if he only wanted to try and read them. Compared to Watari, Tsuzuki's openness was unbelievably refreshing.

"Watari is keeping secrets."

Hisoka rolled his eyes. "A person without any secrets would be frightening."

"Yes, but Watari never had secrets before. At least not ones that are this conspicuous. He's open. He doesn't keep secrets like this. It's not normal.

Sighing, Hisoka replied, "I know what you're talking about, but there isn't anything we can do. It's not your place to pry. And I'm sure he'll settle things in his own way, and tell you when he's ready."

"But I want to know now," Tsuzuki whined. "It's just not right."

Hisoka raised one eyebrow.

"But I guess you're right…"

The irony of the whole situation was that deep down inside, Hisoka felt like his partner did. Something was definitely wrong with Watari, but the emerald-eyed boy was just too afraid to dig deeper and find out why. He didn't want to have to face the skeletons their digging unearthed.

Watari self-consciously adjusted his lab coat as he appeared in the hospital. He wasn't normally one for undercover work, preferring to stay in his lab. He hoped he wouldn't blow it. He didn't want another failure on his mind; another failure to make up for. He already had more than enough of those to deal with.

Carefully opening the door, he stepped out of the small room and into the hallway. He made his way towards the front desk, making silent observations as he went; where supplies were stored, what time the nurses made their rounds, where the janitor's closet was… The best way to go unnoticed was to look like he belonged.

He'd chosen that particular hospital because it was fairly large; one of the largest ones yet to be hit by their mysterious, soul consuming villain. It only seemed likely that if their suspect was to attack in Kyoto again, this would be where he struck, somewhere a sudden death wouldn't be looked upon with suspicion. If there were going to be more attacks in Kyoto, the suspect would certainly attack there, and sooner, rather than later. All Watari would then need to do was search for patters between the cases, and wait patiently for the attacker to strike again. If he was lucky he might even catch the killer in the act, or he would find the pattern and figure things out from there.

It was a challenge, and Watari loved challenges, no matter the type.

His firs plan of attack was to determine all of places that would house individuals who fell within the attackers target range: the elderly, and infants. The two most obvious places would then be the maternity and geriatric wards. The blonde decided to begin with the former.

The best way to capture the villain would be to trap it where it struck, so Watari decided to place the entire floor under a ward. That way if the attacker tried to steal one of the children's souls, he could be trapped there for at least several minutes, giving someone enough time to either stop him, or capture him.

Closing his eyes, the scientist drew on something deep within himself. He chanted the incantation under his breath. Where Tsuzuki would use his fuda, Watari preferred to rely on himself. Though there were other people much more talented at this in the department, Hisoka for one, he was still capable, it would just take him a little more time, and a little more energy.

It was a complicated process, but he managed to finish within a reasonable amount of time. Erect the ward, tie it to the room, erect another, and tie it to the children's souls. Then came the difficult part, erecting barriers. A barrier to tie the second ward back to the first, preventing any free souls from leaving the room. It was complicated because it couldn't prevent the souls from departing through natural means, and it couldn't be permenant. Finally, he needed to set up a dormant, more physical barrier, one that was tied to both wards that would only kick in if the culprit attacked.

Watari opened his eyes, a pleased smile on his face. There was something that wasn't going to fall apart on him. Something that proved he wasn't a complete failure all the time.

If only he'd remembered how tired it would leave him.

Taking a deep breath, he stepped back from the window and managed not to sway overmuch. Overmuch being the operative word. He felt as thought a weak breeze might knock him over.

Or a ball.

He went crumbling to the floor. Looking stupidly at the small red and blue ball that collided with his stomach, Watari tried to catch his breath. A small child, no more than five or six followed the ball. She stopped in front of the scientist with an odd smile or her face.

"What are you doing on the floor, Mister? You might catch a cold."

Pulling himself up off the ground, the blonde swayed as he looked at the girl. He offered her the ball, but wondered what she was doing there without anyone looking after her.

"I'm fine," he replied with a bright smile. "But where are your parents? Are you lost?"

The little girl shook her head, giggling. "I'm visiting my grandpa. He had surgery. My mom says his soul is to go to a better place though." She bounced once and stared intently at Watari's face. "Are you going to go to a better place?"

The child bounced again on the balls of her feet and then was off, ball in hand. The scientist stared at the girl's back, utterly confused. That was a really strange thing for a child to ask, and it made him feel uncomfortable. What would happen to his soul if he died?

He shook his head to rid himself of the depressing thoughts, and headed up to the geriatrics unit. The second he got there, however, the power went out.

Muraki had arrived at work late as well that day, but he'd had more time to prepare; a shower, a change of clothes, another cup of coffee. He'd even read the newspaper.

Watari was a mystery to him. Despite only having a few encounters with the blonde, he was fairly easy to read and understand… but then there were parts of him that Muraki couldn't fathom at all: like the previous night, or that morning. Why did the blonde come to him? Why was he so anxious to leave? Why was he afraid?

The blond haired beauty was a mystery, but he was a delicious one, and one that Muraki would take a great deal of pleasure in unravelling.

If only I had some way of contacting him. If I dared approach him…

That was the main problem. The blonde was very much like a cat. It simply wouldn't do to chase him. More to the point, it would only drive him away. Muraki had tried it in the beginning, but it had become painfully evident that if he wanted the blonde he was going to have to convince the man first that he wanted it too, and next that it was his own idea.

For someone who was accustomed to simply taking what he wanted it was surprisingly frustrating… and for some reason, undeniably attractive. There was something about having to wait, about not being in full control… the suspense, the spontaneity, the surprise... It only served to make the blonde more desirable.

He only hoped he didn't have to wait too long to see Watari again. He might get impatient, and that wouldn't be fun… for either of them. Quite the contrary, in truth.

A faint smile formed on his lips as he thought about all of this. If only the inane nurse prattling on beside him about who knew what could hear what he was thinking. He had to bite back a little laughter as he watched him swoon over some polite flattery he'd paid her.

"What do you think, doctor?"

He had no idea what she was referring to , so he smiled charmingly, and she swooned again. "I think you're distracting me form my work."

I'm really thinking about how much I'd like to be screwing that lovely blonde than standing next to you.

The nurse giggled cutely, not knowing what was on Muraki's mind, and scampered of. The silver haired man sighed in relief, and then inhaled deeply. He'd been late for work, so now he had to move quitckly to make up for it.

He was about to finish his rounds when suddenly the power went out and the hallway went pitch black.

He froze, waiting for the emergency generator to kick in. When it didn't, he began to worry. That should never happen. It wasn't just that, however. There were things moving about in the darkness. Unnatural things. Or would supernatural be more appropriate. They moved in and about one of the patients rooms.

The lights flickered back on, but not before Muraki felt one of the things brush against him an into another door. Then it simply disappeared.

And then there was the sudden sound of a flat line. Doctors and nurses shouting out "Code Blue!" More doctors and nurses came in, defibulator ready, trying to revive the old man.

They couldn't resuscitate him, and it struck Muraki as odd. The man was due for release that very afternoon. Just a minor surgery, and he'd recovered brilliantly. His chart even stated that he was healthy. Not even the shock of the power outage should have induced a heart attack. Something simply wasn't right.

Muraki had his greatest shock of the day when he saw Watari standing by one of the elevators in a daze. It was surprising enough that the blonde was there to begin with, but he looked as though he'd just seen his own ghost.

"Did you know him?" Muraki felt it polite to ask.

Watari shook his head numbly, making it evident that he wasn't entirely there. Almost too softly, he whispered, "This isn't natural."

It was only through great self-control that Muraki was able to keep from showing his surprise. It wasn't often something surprised him, or that he didn't know something. He'd been drawn to the blonde for purely aesthetic reasons, not knowing anything about him. The prospect of finding more out was rather appealing. Even that simple mystery was interesting.

But know there was something more; something surprising. For the first time he could remember, he was curious. Could Watari see what he saw, or was it something more? It was a nagging curiosity. He needed to know.

And since he wasn't the resident doctor for the room it wasn't up to him to inform the next of kin that a man who was supposed to be released that very day had died of myocardial infraction. And this just after he'd been declared of perfect health.

Grabbing the hand of the stunned, and stunning, blonde, Muraki led the other out of the hospital. It was strange, because even outside the hospital Watari didn't snap out of it. Dazed, the blond was malleable. What was stranger though was that Muraki didn't feel inclined to take advantage of it. Quite the contrary, it would ruin the challenge.