A/N: Hello everyone! See? I updated in time!!! Yay me!!!
I thought I'd throw around a comprehensive timeline; so that you have an approximate idea of how things are. In 'CLOCKS', Hisoka mentions that he's been a shinigami for 25 years. I don't think that if people were to reincarnate, they'd do it immediately, you know what I mean? And considering Konoe is the principal, and he should be around 40, I make it as if the boys were born approx. 25 years after they passed on, and Konoe was just reborn first because of the role he had to play because of karma and stuff. This *is* kinda important. So I thought I'd mention it.
And I thought I'd tell you, this story *will* have original characters. Two or three, with names and all. It's just that they are necessary and important, but they won't be playing a starring role, so don't worry about it.
One more thing and I'll leave you alone. Hisoka is an empath, right? I know he feels things strongly when he touches something, but being as the 'empathy' is something more on the supernatural lines, I assumed- for this story, at least- that he could *feel* emotions that weren't just emitted by humans. Say, like a ghost's or a demon's? And he could be actually *touching* a spiritual being, without seeing it, right? *-* It's a bit of poetic license, if you will. Forgive me if you don't agree.
And Yay! I bought the Nagasaki arc, lalalala....I wanted the devil's trill but they didn't have it T-T
Enjoy!
A SMILE UPON MY FACE
Tatsumi Seiichirou, head of the student council amongst other- more obscure- things, feared no one; listened to no one and what was more frightening about him, lost his seemingly calm exterior to no one. No one but- and it was a big but- Tsuzuki Asato and Watari Yutaka.
Some even guessed it was that very peculiarity about those otherwise harmless boys, what had allowed them to become Tatsumi's friends in the first place. That had given the two boys quite a reputation as well; being friends with the most feared boy in the entire school was something that quickly earned them the respect- as well as the mistrust- of most their classmates.
For Watari and Tsuzuki though, the phenomenon was just a little bit unexplainable. If asked out right they'd both say they didn't really know why or how they'd gathered the nerve to even try to befriend Tatsumi. It had just happened; they didn't understand it more than anyone. They appreciated it, though. Tatsumi's friendship had been the chance for them to know the boy better and, against all odds, be even more frightened by him.
It was always nice to know they had Tatsumi on their side; that was for sure.
That morning though, neither knew for certain if the boy *was* on their side. At least not at that moment, while they walked just a few steps behind the blue eyed boy; not just to keep their distance, mind you, but because Tatsumi was just walking too dam fast.
Watari and Tsuzuki were both doing a perfect impression of a chibi: eyes real big and shimmering with fear, bodies shrank to the size of a ten year old's. Really, if Tatsumi hadn't been so busy being bitchy, he would have found them to be too cute for his own health.
They both heard Tatsumi grumble to himself about stupid, immature friends that never know when to stop eating candy. It hadn't been the first time during the long walk that was going from the dorm building to the main. At least, while they'd crossed the park, it seemed as if they had more of an escape rout, should Tatsumi's one last screw were to finally loosen in his head and...like, eat them, or something.
"I'm not going to have a good day." Tsuzuki whined; in a very, very hush voice.
Watari nodded sadly, eyes closed and a few curls bouncing up and down in front of his eyes at the movement.
"We never should have eaten the stack of sweets for an entire week. How am I going to ask Tatsumi for more money? I need more sweets now; plus a new notebook!" he also whined/whispered.
Tatsumi didn't turn, so he was surely not listening. The sole mention of money would have surely made him turn around in rage. Tsuzuki for his part, frowned a bit at the last of Watari's words.
"Another notebook? Didn't he gave you one on Friday? You couldn't have spent it in one day of school!" he said, scratching his head in confusion.
"I spent it all drawing." Watari half lied.
So yeah, everyone knew he didn't know how to draw, though everybody also knew he still tried. But it was sort of embarrassing to say you spent your school supplies to make blue prints for a gadget that served to slice food, ne? Jason-kun, it was called. You know, like Jason...from the movie? It was clever!!
003 squeaked from his breast pocket, batting her wings as well as she could in such a small place and reprimanding him for the lie. He squeezed the poor animal until it was quiet again and gave Tsuzuki a nervous little smile.
"So...anyway..." Tsuzuki gave him a strange, sort of knowing, look and changed the subject. "Did you have a chance to talk to 'Soka-chan?" he begun anxiously "Did you ask him why he hates me so much?"
"No..." Watari shook his head. "He locked himself in the bathroom and didn't come out. It was a good thing I'd showered already!!"
Tsuzuki slumped his shoulders and sighed.
"Oh, ok." was all he said.
Watari took pity on him and patted his back.
"He doesn't hate you, Tsuzuki-chan. He's just got a hell of a temper, that's all. You'll see everything will be a lot better once we see him in class."
At that very moment, just as those last words left the blond's mouth, Tatsumi came to a stop in front of the infirmary's doors. The blue eyed boy turned around and eyed them both carefully and thoroughly. Then he smiled a sinister smile and closed his eyes as he pushed his glasses up his nose.
"You better find a way not to piss Hisoka off anymore, Tsuzuki-chan..." he said in a warning voice, making the other two boys back away in fear.
"W-why, Tatsumi-chan, love?" Tsuzuki said with what it had to be the sweetest yet more nervous smile he'd ever conveyed in his life while his skin turned three or four shades paler.
"He'll be your lab partner this year, Tsuzuki. I don't care for sweet eating bakas to help me with chemistry. And Watari Yutaka," again, his tone was enough to kill a dead man from a heart attack. This time it was Watari who paled. "... if you, for a split second, think I'm giving you as much as *half* a cent this week, the you truly are deranged."
Tatsumi opened the door to the infirmary and walked in, leaving the other two standing like stone statues, in complete shock- and why not, relief at the fact they were still breathing.
Tsuzuki was the first to react. Watari saw his friend's eyes turning *huge* and so filled with tears that could very well flood the school if he wasn't careful. The blond knew better than to take Tatsumi's ramblings seriously, but Tsuzuki was too sensitive for his own good.
"He...he..." the older boy stammered. "He dumped me!!!!!!" he wailed/exploded in tears. "Tatsumi-kun you're too cruel, too cruel!!!!" He shouted as he ran, with his arms up in the air for dramatic effect, through the halls of the school.
Watari shook his head as 003 squeaked softly, very confused. The blond patted her head.
"It's ok, 003. We just have to talk to the baka and then the meanie and then to the other meanie and make them work things out and hope we can get some money in the process. Either that or you're eating leftovers until next week."
003 lowered her head sadly, knowing that the chances of Watari getting money were as slim as him actually building something that worked. He noticed this, and gave the little bird another comforting pat.
"Have a little faith in me, 003. After all, aren't I always the one patching things up for them?" He sighed a little sadly and 003 rubbed her head comfortingly against his finger. "That's Watari Yutaka for you; the mediator," he whispered as he went to find Tsuzuki.
---------------------------
Tatsumi leaned against the heavy doors behind him and sighed.
'Now, that was harsh even for you.' He berated himself, feeling frustrated. 'Then again, maybe I should feel thankful that my temper seems to be acting up this morning.'
Otherwise he might have never found a way to tell Tsuzuki about the business with the lab. He knew how it would go. He'd suggest it and Tsuzuki would plead and whimper and he'd end up giving in. This was for the best.
And he also knew he needed the proverbial distance. To see how they interacted with other people. No, no matter what you think, he hadn't decided it so that he could spend time with Watari. That was just an fortunate bonus.
He wasn't even questioning his behaviour just then. It might have been hard to control, but there was no doubt in his mind as far as the cause went. Tsuzuki and Watari, and the fact that they could manage to make him lose his cool so easy.
Just that was more than enough to get him pissed; imagine how he'd be if you added having to hide the fact that he'd liked it.
Composing himself, he straightened the load of files in his hands and scanned the room with his eyes to find the person he'd gone there to see. In plain sight, the infirmary was empty. Taking a few experimental steps inside, he cleared his throat loudly waiting for some sort of reaction.
When he didn't get one, he placed the files on top of the desk and took on exploring his surroundings. He already knew the infirmary- as well as every corner of the school- by heart. What he was looking for was signs of the new nurse's previous presence; whatever piece of evidence that could provide him with the smallest of insights about the nurse's character.
After all, appearances weren't as deceiving as everyone thought, and you could tell a lot about a person with the smallest of their objects, if you were as much an observer as he was.
The first thing that caught his eye was a portrait on top of the desk. It was a no brainer, he thought. Most people place some sort of object on their work place that reminds them of their lives off work as soon as they get there. To somehow make that place their own.
The funny thing about the picture was that it had to be at least sixty years old. It was a little girl, about five years old, with a beautiful smile on her face and a holding a teddy bear close to her. Why would anyone keep a photograph of a girl that had to be practically an old woman by now? Specially since- according to the file- this nurse wasn't a day over thirty.
The next thing he noticed said a lot more about the subject than the first- or so he thought- but was a very unpleasant discovery. Under the exam table, Tatsumi found a small, glittering object. It was a small ruby prism, attached to a delicate silver chain that ended in something that- to him- looked like a fishing hook. It was then that, with a disgusted frown on his face, Tatsumi Seiichirou concluded he'd found an earring.
'Oh good heavens help us if they hired a woman!' he thought indignantly.
Konoe certainly hadn't mentioned this development; not even a word of warning, for what he'd assumed, logically, that it was a guy. This was wrong!! A woman!! In an all-boy's school!! Every single student will mysteriously found themselves with some ridiculous dolence every hour of the day just to go to the infirmary!!
Well, not *every* student. He knew he wouldn't want to be dealing with her. He didn't get women and as little as he saw of them the better. Call him misogynist; they just made him nervous.
'Not only a woman; a slacker too...' he thought, glancing at his watch. 'I've been waiting for ten minutes straight for this...this...person to appear!!'
But then he caught a glimpse of something on the hanger that made his theory- as well as his distress- crumble. He berated himself for getting side-tracked by such a small piece of evidence to miss a so much bigger one. Right there on the hanger rested a black- very male- trench coat.
Now all he was left to think about was the causes for the man's absence. There were two options, he figured, eying the piece of jewellery in his hand. Either the man was fond of cross-dressing and now was busy putting on a more appropriate outfit for his job; or he was entertaining a woman during working hours.
'Let's hope he's just a drag queen.' He let out a weary sigh and sat himself on the exam table. Out of boredom as well as curiosity, Tatsumi picked a few of the files in the pile he'd just brought in. There wasn't anything new there; just a report on which students needed special medications or precautions. For example, the file he was looking at the moment was of one of the freshmen. Fujima Kazahaya; who suffered from asthma and some allergies.
Boring.
He begun flipping through the files one after the other; completely violating those kids' privacy but not really caring. He was in a place where he could do that; had to do that, really; '...boring, boring, dead boring...Oh, Miyasaki-kun had a V.D? That's curious...boring, boring...'
He stopped short at one of the files in the middle. This wasn't just a medical file, it was the entire file of one of the students; grades, conduct,. background; everything about him. One student who curiously enough, suffered from no illness whatsoever. The guy didn't even need glasses.
Kudou Kenji; age 15. Tatsumi didn't know the boy intimately, but he was aware of him. In fact, if he remembered correctly, he'd been involved in an awful fight with everyone's favourite bully, Hiyama-san, just before the vacation started. Fight meaning Hiyama had beaten the crap out of him and a teacher had seen him. Hiyama-senior had pulled some strings and what should have been reason enough to expell the bastard turned into a 'fight'.
The knowledge that Kudou-kun had been reprimanded for the incident as well made his stomach turn. Maybe he could pull his own 'strings' and have Hiyama banish from the face of the earth? But he was digressing. Why would Kudou-kun's file end up in this pile?
He was in the process or studying the file up close when the door opened rather loudly, startling him and making him drop the papers, causing them to spread all over the floor.
He'd been caught red handed.
------------------------
It was so dark. It wasn't supposed to be this dark, Hisoka thought dazedly as he held onto the wall for support. Not so dark and the air wasn't supposed to be this heavy either.
He knew he had to have gotten himself lost. How, he didn't know. He was just walking through the halls towards the classroom one moment, and trapped in this sort of macabre maze the next.
His sight was blurred, but then again, there wasn't much he could see anyway. His chest hurt with an unbearable pressure. It was choking him and he would have screamed for help, if he had had any air left in his lungs to do so. He wasn't one to rely on the kindness of strangers; he'd much rather work through his problems alone. But he could already feel his strength leaving him; if someone didn't come and got him out of wherever he was soon, he wouldn't make it.
It wasn't a physical lack of air, he realised detachedly while what had been a blur of his sight a moment before, turned to blindness. What he was feeling was...evil. Pure, overwhelming, evil. Not even an emotion; no emotion could feel so strong. This was real; real evil choking him to death and he couldn't do anything to defend himself.
'This is ridiculous!' His dimming rebellious spirit screamed. The last time he'd come remotely close to feel something like this had been one time when he'd gone with his family to visit his grandmother's grave and they had been burying someone just a few meters away. He could feel the darkness surrounding the coffin and he figured he was feeling either the emotions of the deceased or of those who'd come for him. This couldn't be happening! He was in school, not a graveyard!
But whatever was slowly squeezing the life out of him was definitively *not* from this world.
Eventually, Hisoka collapsed to the ground, unable to fight anymore. It was when he felt all his other senses beginning to numb as well that he heard what he thought were hurried footsteps; so far and distant that he didn't know if it was because his hearing was diminishing or because the person was, indeed, too far to notice him; to save him.
In one last attempt to fight, he managed to whisper 'Help' to the unknown saviour, as soon as he recognised that the person was getting closer to him. Someone touched his shoulder and a distant voice asked him if he was alright.
He *knew* this was his last chance; he *knew* this person had to take him away from that place ASAP. Still, drowning as he was in that overwhelming darkness, he recoiled instinctively from the touch. it was a conditioned response. Touch was never good when he had no control of himself.
--------------------
Tsuzuki was panicking. He'd been running away from Tatsumi and his temper, meaning to go to class and brood about it there, when he found Hisoka crumpled on the floor of the main hall, with his face in a rictus of pain that made him wince in sympathy.
He knelt down next to him and inspected him with his eyes. The slender boy wasn't injured, as far as he could see, but his unfocused gaze and his muffled 'Help' were enough to tell him that he wasn't ok.
"Hisoka! For god's sake, what's wrong?! Are you ok?!"
When he didn't get an answer, he tried to pick the boy up and carry him back to the infirmary; he obviously needed medical attention. But Hisoka recoiled with a hiss as soon as he'd touched him.
Tsuzuki backed away a little, with a pained expression. Even when he was obviously in a lot of pain, Hisoka would refuse his help?
"You really hate me that much?" he whispered, half angry with Hisoka for being so stubborn. A small whimper escaped the boy's lips and Tsuzuki, changing his expression from hurt to determination, picked the boy up in his arms. "You may hate me all you want; I won't leave you all alone here, no matter that you kick me afterwards."
To his surprise, after Hisoka struggling a bit against his grasp, the boy settled in his arms just fine- almost pleasantly, he noted- and he could begin walking torth his destination as fast as he could.
He hadn't walked three steps that he felt Hisoka stir slightly. He looked down at his charge and saw his eyes clearing up a bit and looking at him confusedly, though with relief.
"Tsuzuki?" he asked in a small voice.
In spite of his utter concern, Tsuzuki managed to smile and nod.
"Yup! I'm your prince charming now; I've rescued you!"
Hisoka sighed and closed his eyes with a smile, whispering 'Baka' before passing out.
-----------------------
Oriya woke up with a start at the loud bang of the door closing. He, with his heart beating a hundred miles per hour, sat upright in bed, feeling very disoriented and still half asleep.
When his eyes cleared up a bit and he was able to focus them without worsening his growing headache, he saw the causal of his start. Muraki, his back to him, was leaning against the door, breathing heavily.
"Senpai?" he asked confusedly. After the night before, the last thing he'd expected was to find Muraki awake at...he glanced at the alarm clock...8 a.m?! He hadn't even slept two hours!
Muraki didn't turn around immediately. Something was wrong, Oriya realised.
"Senpai, are you ok?" he asked again, his voice a little louder.
"I'm ok, Ori-chan." The white haired boy finally turned around, walking to where he kept the few of his mother's dolls he'd brought with him. "Sorry if I woke you up." He said with an apologetic, yet empty smile.
He grabbed the smallest of the dolls, a porcelain baby with beautiful blond curls and 19th century clothing, and begun detachedly stroking it's hair.
"Why are you up? I thought you'd sleep until dinner time after last night." There was something about Muraki...about his stance, that Oriya didn't like one bit.
"I needed to go for a walk. I couldn't sleep." He put the doll down and looked at the window. Again, he smiled, this time relieved, and again looking like the warm hearted boy Oriya loved so much. He waved Oriya a hand dismissively and sat on his bed, taking off his coat and revealing his pajamas. "I think I'll try again now, if you don' mind. I'm really sorry I woke you, Ori-chan."
"It's ok." Oriya said, laying back down, but refusing to fall back to sleep.
He waited for the steady rise and fall of his friend's chest to get out of bed and walk to the window himself; curious at what had caught Muraki's attention. There, the sight that met him left him confused to say the least.
Out in the yard, a few police cars were gathering around the school, as well as an ambulance. With a frown he turned to look at his friend and then at the coat now resting crumpled on the floor. Oriya almost yelps.
"Oh god, senpai. What did you do?" he whispered with a pained tone.
Muraki's coat was stained with red.
~Tsuzuku~
I know that we jump into the action a little suddenly in this chappy. But this is not even the beginning of the mess. It's just a sneak peak. And if something wasn't clear, I will explain it, but feel free to tell me what you want me to explain, in case I forget something. After all, everything is quite clear in my head, but you can't read my thoughts, lol.
Another thing. Will you like me to e-mail you when I post a chappy? I never update on the same day, and it'd save you the time of having to look for it. It's just a suggestion. tell me, and I'll do it.
Now to the reviews!!
63, wow, guys; you have no idea how much it means to me.
Lina: No, he's not one of our boys. He's just 'blood stained guy N°1' lol. But just cuz the dead guy isn't one of the boys, doesn't mean our boys aren't in danger, mwahahaha!! And about the snow, I know I'm missing out on a lot. Down here it actually gets cold enough to snow, but since the sea currents are too humid, it melts in the sky before it reaches us. A bummer, eh? Once I almost took a train in the middle of the week (expensive train, to a place 600 km. away from here that, btw, looks like Scotland's highlands) just to see the snow. But in the end I couldn't. I'll do it someday, though.
And bring on the fanart! I don't care if it's crappy!! (I'm sure it's not, though) I wanna see!!
Fahm: Comments like yours are what keep me writing this fic. You have no idea how hard and mind boggling it is to try and keep them IC when they're interacting on a whole different level. I'm tired and I have a headache! *whimpers* And why is it I seem to attract the Tatari fans a lot more than the Tsusoka fans? Not that I mind. I'm just curious *.*
Not so innocent bystander: Ok, here's more blood...er, fic, I mean. Lol, don't worry, as long as I know ppl are reading, you can just say 'hi there' and I'm happy. (To the rest of you, this doesn't mean you can shorten your reviews, lol)
LYK: Again, a Tatari fan. Maybe I write Tatari better? Maybe there's not enough angst here for Tsusoka-ers? *huggles Tatari fans* I don't care. And Tatsumi is so hot when he's dangerous and scary, ne? I luv him so much!!! And Watari too!! And Tsuzuki!! And...Ok I'll stop now. *wipes drool of her face* Oh and I forgot to thank you for reviewing ADT; arigatou ne!
Starlighthime: Hey there new reviewer!! *new-reviewer secret handshake* Thanks for reviewing the other fic too. I think Muraki is hot with the psycho thing and the eye. I love psychos, *sigh*. Anyway, YNM is just too much bishieness for one's health, ne? A word of advice? Not so much as a writer, but as a reader. Don't rely too much on other people's characterizations. Not everyone gets them right and you may fall into fandom patterns that aren't always good. Check a few fics to get an idea, but what really works for me is watching/reading the original until it pours out my ears and I end up dreaming about it. Over and over again until it's a part of you. But that's just me, and I ain't the best; so you do what works for you. And let me know if you post it, cuz I'll sure as hell wanna read it.
Dodger-chan!!!!!!!!!!!! Hello my old friend, long time no see!! I'm bouncing up and down with happiness, even tho you can't see me!!!! Thanks for reading this too!! Luvs ya!
Mel-chan: Sorry for shortening your name; my fingers hurt from typing T.T. As soon as I figure deviantart out, I'll look for your friend. It took me near two hours to understand enough to be able to register, lol. And Yue can be so darn hard to draw!!! I love to draw, and he's so beautiful! I've tried, really, but he always comes out wrong. So no worries. I have no scanner either. I even went as far as to draw my own manga, but I never post it, as I wanted, on my site because, again, I have no scanner. T.T And there are programs for fic addicted ppl, but I've tried them and they don't work. Being a fic addict is just too much fun to recover!!! *-*
Kyraille Faye: Well, at least it didn't eat your review? Are you sure you didn't do something to piss them off? Like stealing their candy or something? And lol, you're the only one who mentioned the girl. I hope I'm not overstepping my boundaries with this original characters. I never know. I don't really like OC, but I love writing them, so it's confusing and scary. And don't worry, I wouldn't be caught dead wearing a red slitted dress, so rest assured she isn't a Mary Sue. (In fact, for some insane reason, if I ever write a MS I'm sure it would end up being a guy...I'm not gay, I swear!) I went and ran and tried to join your Tatsumi club, but no one answered me yet, *sniff*. I thought Tatsumi needed our support, but I think I'll try and join the Watari one too. And lovely those pics you have up there, all of them. I thought I'd mention it.
Ok, peoples, Ja ne!!
I thought I'd throw around a comprehensive timeline; so that you have an approximate idea of how things are. In 'CLOCKS', Hisoka mentions that he's been a shinigami for 25 years. I don't think that if people were to reincarnate, they'd do it immediately, you know what I mean? And considering Konoe is the principal, and he should be around 40, I make it as if the boys were born approx. 25 years after they passed on, and Konoe was just reborn first because of the role he had to play because of karma and stuff. This *is* kinda important. So I thought I'd mention it.
And I thought I'd tell you, this story *will* have original characters. Two or three, with names and all. It's just that they are necessary and important, but they won't be playing a starring role, so don't worry about it.
One more thing and I'll leave you alone. Hisoka is an empath, right? I know he feels things strongly when he touches something, but being as the 'empathy' is something more on the supernatural lines, I assumed- for this story, at least- that he could *feel* emotions that weren't just emitted by humans. Say, like a ghost's or a demon's? And he could be actually *touching* a spiritual being, without seeing it, right? *-* It's a bit of poetic license, if you will. Forgive me if you don't agree.
And Yay! I bought the Nagasaki arc, lalalala....I wanted the devil's trill but they didn't have it T-T
Enjoy!
A SMILE UPON MY FACE
Tatsumi Seiichirou, head of the student council amongst other- more obscure- things, feared no one; listened to no one and what was more frightening about him, lost his seemingly calm exterior to no one. No one but- and it was a big but- Tsuzuki Asato and Watari Yutaka.
Some even guessed it was that very peculiarity about those otherwise harmless boys, what had allowed them to become Tatsumi's friends in the first place. That had given the two boys quite a reputation as well; being friends with the most feared boy in the entire school was something that quickly earned them the respect- as well as the mistrust- of most their classmates.
For Watari and Tsuzuki though, the phenomenon was just a little bit unexplainable. If asked out right they'd both say they didn't really know why or how they'd gathered the nerve to even try to befriend Tatsumi. It had just happened; they didn't understand it more than anyone. They appreciated it, though. Tatsumi's friendship had been the chance for them to know the boy better and, against all odds, be even more frightened by him.
It was always nice to know they had Tatsumi on their side; that was for sure.
That morning though, neither knew for certain if the boy *was* on their side. At least not at that moment, while they walked just a few steps behind the blue eyed boy; not just to keep their distance, mind you, but because Tatsumi was just walking too dam fast.
Watari and Tsuzuki were both doing a perfect impression of a chibi: eyes real big and shimmering with fear, bodies shrank to the size of a ten year old's. Really, if Tatsumi hadn't been so busy being bitchy, he would have found them to be too cute for his own health.
They both heard Tatsumi grumble to himself about stupid, immature friends that never know when to stop eating candy. It hadn't been the first time during the long walk that was going from the dorm building to the main. At least, while they'd crossed the park, it seemed as if they had more of an escape rout, should Tatsumi's one last screw were to finally loosen in his head and...like, eat them, or something.
"I'm not going to have a good day." Tsuzuki whined; in a very, very hush voice.
Watari nodded sadly, eyes closed and a few curls bouncing up and down in front of his eyes at the movement.
"We never should have eaten the stack of sweets for an entire week. How am I going to ask Tatsumi for more money? I need more sweets now; plus a new notebook!" he also whined/whispered.
Tatsumi didn't turn, so he was surely not listening. The sole mention of money would have surely made him turn around in rage. Tsuzuki for his part, frowned a bit at the last of Watari's words.
"Another notebook? Didn't he gave you one on Friday? You couldn't have spent it in one day of school!" he said, scratching his head in confusion.
"I spent it all drawing." Watari half lied.
So yeah, everyone knew he didn't know how to draw, though everybody also knew he still tried. But it was sort of embarrassing to say you spent your school supplies to make blue prints for a gadget that served to slice food, ne? Jason-kun, it was called. You know, like Jason...from the movie? It was clever!!
003 squeaked from his breast pocket, batting her wings as well as she could in such a small place and reprimanding him for the lie. He squeezed the poor animal until it was quiet again and gave Tsuzuki a nervous little smile.
"So...anyway..." Tsuzuki gave him a strange, sort of knowing, look and changed the subject. "Did you have a chance to talk to 'Soka-chan?" he begun anxiously "Did you ask him why he hates me so much?"
"No..." Watari shook his head. "He locked himself in the bathroom and didn't come out. It was a good thing I'd showered already!!"
Tsuzuki slumped his shoulders and sighed.
"Oh, ok." was all he said.
Watari took pity on him and patted his back.
"He doesn't hate you, Tsuzuki-chan. He's just got a hell of a temper, that's all. You'll see everything will be a lot better once we see him in class."
At that very moment, just as those last words left the blond's mouth, Tatsumi came to a stop in front of the infirmary's doors. The blue eyed boy turned around and eyed them both carefully and thoroughly. Then he smiled a sinister smile and closed his eyes as he pushed his glasses up his nose.
"You better find a way not to piss Hisoka off anymore, Tsuzuki-chan..." he said in a warning voice, making the other two boys back away in fear.
"W-why, Tatsumi-chan, love?" Tsuzuki said with what it had to be the sweetest yet more nervous smile he'd ever conveyed in his life while his skin turned three or four shades paler.
"He'll be your lab partner this year, Tsuzuki. I don't care for sweet eating bakas to help me with chemistry. And Watari Yutaka," again, his tone was enough to kill a dead man from a heart attack. This time it was Watari who paled. "... if you, for a split second, think I'm giving you as much as *half* a cent this week, the you truly are deranged."
Tatsumi opened the door to the infirmary and walked in, leaving the other two standing like stone statues, in complete shock- and why not, relief at the fact they were still breathing.
Tsuzuki was the first to react. Watari saw his friend's eyes turning *huge* and so filled with tears that could very well flood the school if he wasn't careful. The blond knew better than to take Tatsumi's ramblings seriously, but Tsuzuki was too sensitive for his own good.
"He...he..." the older boy stammered. "He dumped me!!!!!!" he wailed/exploded in tears. "Tatsumi-kun you're too cruel, too cruel!!!!" He shouted as he ran, with his arms up in the air for dramatic effect, through the halls of the school.
Watari shook his head as 003 squeaked softly, very confused. The blond patted her head.
"It's ok, 003. We just have to talk to the baka and then the meanie and then to the other meanie and make them work things out and hope we can get some money in the process. Either that or you're eating leftovers until next week."
003 lowered her head sadly, knowing that the chances of Watari getting money were as slim as him actually building something that worked. He noticed this, and gave the little bird another comforting pat.
"Have a little faith in me, 003. After all, aren't I always the one patching things up for them?" He sighed a little sadly and 003 rubbed her head comfortingly against his finger. "That's Watari Yutaka for you; the mediator," he whispered as he went to find Tsuzuki.
---------------------------
Tatsumi leaned against the heavy doors behind him and sighed.
'Now, that was harsh even for you.' He berated himself, feeling frustrated. 'Then again, maybe I should feel thankful that my temper seems to be acting up this morning.'
Otherwise he might have never found a way to tell Tsuzuki about the business with the lab. He knew how it would go. He'd suggest it and Tsuzuki would plead and whimper and he'd end up giving in. This was for the best.
And he also knew he needed the proverbial distance. To see how they interacted with other people. No, no matter what you think, he hadn't decided it so that he could spend time with Watari. That was just an fortunate bonus.
He wasn't even questioning his behaviour just then. It might have been hard to control, but there was no doubt in his mind as far as the cause went. Tsuzuki and Watari, and the fact that they could manage to make him lose his cool so easy.
Just that was more than enough to get him pissed; imagine how he'd be if you added having to hide the fact that he'd liked it.
Composing himself, he straightened the load of files in his hands and scanned the room with his eyes to find the person he'd gone there to see. In plain sight, the infirmary was empty. Taking a few experimental steps inside, he cleared his throat loudly waiting for some sort of reaction.
When he didn't get one, he placed the files on top of the desk and took on exploring his surroundings. He already knew the infirmary- as well as every corner of the school- by heart. What he was looking for was signs of the new nurse's previous presence; whatever piece of evidence that could provide him with the smallest of insights about the nurse's character.
After all, appearances weren't as deceiving as everyone thought, and you could tell a lot about a person with the smallest of their objects, if you were as much an observer as he was.
The first thing that caught his eye was a portrait on top of the desk. It was a no brainer, he thought. Most people place some sort of object on their work place that reminds them of their lives off work as soon as they get there. To somehow make that place their own.
The funny thing about the picture was that it had to be at least sixty years old. It was a little girl, about five years old, with a beautiful smile on her face and a holding a teddy bear close to her. Why would anyone keep a photograph of a girl that had to be practically an old woman by now? Specially since- according to the file- this nurse wasn't a day over thirty.
The next thing he noticed said a lot more about the subject than the first- or so he thought- but was a very unpleasant discovery. Under the exam table, Tatsumi found a small, glittering object. It was a small ruby prism, attached to a delicate silver chain that ended in something that- to him- looked like a fishing hook. It was then that, with a disgusted frown on his face, Tatsumi Seiichirou concluded he'd found an earring.
'Oh good heavens help us if they hired a woman!' he thought indignantly.
Konoe certainly hadn't mentioned this development; not even a word of warning, for what he'd assumed, logically, that it was a guy. This was wrong!! A woman!! In an all-boy's school!! Every single student will mysteriously found themselves with some ridiculous dolence every hour of the day just to go to the infirmary!!
Well, not *every* student. He knew he wouldn't want to be dealing with her. He didn't get women and as little as he saw of them the better. Call him misogynist; they just made him nervous.
'Not only a woman; a slacker too...' he thought, glancing at his watch. 'I've been waiting for ten minutes straight for this...this...person to appear!!'
But then he caught a glimpse of something on the hanger that made his theory- as well as his distress- crumble. He berated himself for getting side-tracked by such a small piece of evidence to miss a so much bigger one. Right there on the hanger rested a black- very male- trench coat.
Now all he was left to think about was the causes for the man's absence. There were two options, he figured, eying the piece of jewellery in his hand. Either the man was fond of cross-dressing and now was busy putting on a more appropriate outfit for his job; or he was entertaining a woman during working hours.
'Let's hope he's just a drag queen.' He let out a weary sigh and sat himself on the exam table. Out of boredom as well as curiosity, Tatsumi picked a few of the files in the pile he'd just brought in. There wasn't anything new there; just a report on which students needed special medications or precautions. For example, the file he was looking at the moment was of one of the freshmen. Fujima Kazahaya; who suffered from asthma and some allergies.
Boring.
He begun flipping through the files one after the other; completely violating those kids' privacy but not really caring. He was in a place where he could do that; had to do that, really; '...boring, boring, dead boring...Oh, Miyasaki-kun had a V.D? That's curious...boring, boring...'
He stopped short at one of the files in the middle. This wasn't just a medical file, it was the entire file of one of the students; grades, conduct,. background; everything about him. One student who curiously enough, suffered from no illness whatsoever. The guy didn't even need glasses.
Kudou Kenji; age 15. Tatsumi didn't know the boy intimately, but he was aware of him. In fact, if he remembered correctly, he'd been involved in an awful fight with everyone's favourite bully, Hiyama-san, just before the vacation started. Fight meaning Hiyama had beaten the crap out of him and a teacher had seen him. Hiyama-senior had pulled some strings and what should have been reason enough to expell the bastard turned into a 'fight'.
The knowledge that Kudou-kun had been reprimanded for the incident as well made his stomach turn. Maybe he could pull his own 'strings' and have Hiyama banish from the face of the earth? But he was digressing. Why would Kudou-kun's file end up in this pile?
He was in the process or studying the file up close when the door opened rather loudly, startling him and making him drop the papers, causing them to spread all over the floor.
He'd been caught red handed.
------------------------
It was so dark. It wasn't supposed to be this dark, Hisoka thought dazedly as he held onto the wall for support. Not so dark and the air wasn't supposed to be this heavy either.
He knew he had to have gotten himself lost. How, he didn't know. He was just walking through the halls towards the classroom one moment, and trapped in this sort of macabre maze the next.
His sight was blurred, but then again, there wasn't much he could see anyway. His chest hurt with an unbearable pressure. It was choking him and he would have screamed for help, if he had had any air left in his lungs to do so. He wasn't one to rely on the kindness of strangers; he'd much rather work through his problems alone. But he could already feel his strength leaving him; if someone didn't come and got him out of wherever he was soon, he wouldn't make it.
It wasn't a physical lack of air, he realised detachedly while what had been a blur of his sight a moment before, turned to blindness. What he was feeling was...evil. Pure, overwhelming, evil. Not even an emotion; no emotion could feel so strong. This was real; real evil choking him to death and he couldn't do anything to defend himself.
'This is ridiculous!' His dimming rebellious spirit screamed. The last time he'd come remotely close to feel something like this had been one time when he'd gone with his family to visit his grandmother's grave and they had been burying someone just a few meters away. He could feel the darkness surrounding the coffin and he figured he was feeling either the emotions of the deceased or of those who'd come for him. This couldn't be happening! He was in school, not a graveyard!
But whatever was slowly squeezing the life out of him was definitively *not* from this world.
Eventually, Hisoka collapsed to the ground, unable to fight anymore. It was when he felt all his other senses beginning to numb as well that he heard what he thought were hurried footsteps; so far and distant that he didn't know if it was because his hearing was diminishing or because the person was, indeed, too far to notice him; to save him.
In one last attempt to fight, he managed to whisper 'Help' to the unknown saviour, as soon as he recognised that the person was getting closer to him. Someone touched his shoulder and a distant voice asked him if he was alright.
He *knew* this was his last chance; he *knew* this person had to take him away from that place ASAP. Still, drowning as he was in that overwhelming darkness, he recoiled instinctively from the touch. it was a conditioned response. Touch was never good when he had no control of himself.
--------------------
Tsuzuki was panicking. He'd been running away from Tatsumi and his temper, meaning to go to class and brood about it there, when he found Hisoka crumpled on the floor of the main hall, with his face in a rictus of pain that made him wince in sympathy.
He knelt down next to him and inspected him with his eyes. The slender boy wasn't injured, as far as he could see, but his unfocused gaze and his muffled 'Help' were enough to tell him that he wasn't ok.
"Hisoka! For god's sake, what's wrong?! Are you ok?!"
When he didn't get an answer, he tried to pick the boy up and carry him back to the infirmary; he obviously needed medical attention. But Hisoka recoiled with a hiss as soon as he'd touched him.
Tsuzuki backed away a little, with a pained expression. Even when he was obviously in a lot of pain, Hisoka would refuse his help?
"You really hate me that much?" he whispered, half angry with Hisoka for being so stubborn. A small whimper escaped the boy's lips and Tsuzuki, changing his expression from hurt to determination, picked the boy up in his arms. "You may hate me all you want; I won't leave you all alone here, no matter that you kick me afterwards."
To his surprise, after Hisoka struggling a bit against his grasp, the boy settled in his arms just fine- almost pleasantly, he noted- and he could begin walking torth his destination as fast as he could.
He hadn't walked three steps that he felt Hisoka stir slightly. He looked down at his charge and saw his eyes clearing up a bit and looking at him confusedly, though with relief.
"Tsuzuki?" he asked in a small voice.
In spite of his utter concern, Tsuzuki managed to smile and nod.
"Yup! I'm your prince charming now; I've rescued you!"
Hisoka sighed and closed his eyes with a smile, whispering 'Baka' before passing out.
-----------------------
Oriya woke up with a start at the loud bang of the door closing. He, with his heart beating a hundred miles per hour, sat upright in bed, feeling very disoriented and still half asleep.
When his eyes cleared up a bit and he was able to focus them without worsening his growing headache, he saw the causal of his start. Muraki, his back to him, was leaning against the door, breathing heavily.
"Senpai?" he asked confusedly. After the night before, the last thing he'd expected was to find Muraki awake at...he glanced at the alarm clock...8 a.m?! He hadn't even slept two hours!
Muraki didn't turn around immediately. Something was wrong, Oriya realised.
"Senpai, are you ok?" he asked again, his voice a little louder.
"I'm ok, Ori-chan." The white haired boy finally turned around, walking to where he kept the few of his mother's dolls he'd brought with him. "Sorry if I woke you up." He said with an apologetic, yet empty smile.
He grabbed the smallest of the dolls, a porcelain baby with beautiful blond curls and 19th century clothing, and begun detachedly stroking it's hair.
"Why are you up? I thought you'd sleep until dinner time after last night." There was something about Muraki...about his stance, that Oriya didn't like one bit.
"I needed to go for a walk. I couldn't sleep." He put the doll down and looked at the window. Again, he smiled, this time relieved, and again looking like the warm hearted boy Oriya loved so much. He waved Oriya a hand dismissively and sat on his bed, taking off his coat and revealing his pajamas. "I think I'll try again now, if you don' mind. I'm really sorry I woke you, Ori-chan."
"It's ok." Oriya said, laying back down, but refusing to fall back to sleep.
He waited for the steady rise and fall of his friend's chest to get out of bed and walk to the window himself; curious at what had caught Muraki's attention. There, the sight that met him left him confused to say the least.
Out in the yard, a few police cars were gathering around the school, as well as an ambulance. With a frown he turned to look at his friend and then at the coat now resting crumpled on the floor. Oriya almost yelps.
"Oh god, senpai. What did you do?" he whispered with a pained tone.
Muraki's coat was stained with red.
~Tsuzuku~
I know that we jump into the action a little suddenly in this chappy. But this is not even the beginning of the mess. It's just a sneak peak. And if something wasn't clear, I will explain it, but feel free to tell me what you want me to explain, in case I forget something. After all, everything is quite clear in my head, but you can't read my thoughts, lol.
Another thing. Will you like me to e-mail you when I post a chappy? I never update on the same day, and it'd save you the time of having to look for it. It's just a suggestion. tell me, and I'll do it.
Now to the reviews!!
63, wow, guys; you have no idea how much it means to me.
Lina: No, he's not one of our boys. He's just 'blood stained guy N°1' lol. But just cuz the dead guy isn't one of the boys, doesn't mean our boys aren't in danger, mwahahaha!! And about the snow, I know I'm missing out on a lot. Down here it actually gets cold enough to snow, but since the sea currents are too humid, it melts in the sky before it reaches us. A bummer, eh? Once I almost took a train in the middle of the week (expensive train, to a place 600 km. away from here that, btw, looks like Scotland's highlands) just to see the snow. But in the end I couldn't. I'll do it someday, though.
And bring on the fanart! I don't care if it's crappy!! (I'm sure it's not, though) I wanna see!!
Fahm: Comments like yours are what keep me writing this fic. You have no idea how hard and mind boggling it is to try and keep them IC when they're interacting on a whole different level. I'm tired and I have a headache! *whimpers* And why is it I seem to attract the Tatari fans a lot more than the Tsusoka fans? Not that I mind. I'm just curious *.*
Not so innocent bystander: Ok, here's more blood...er, fic, I mean. Lol, don't worry, as long as I know ppl are reading, you can just say 'hi there' and I'm happy. (To the rest of you, this doesn't mean you can shorten your reviews, lol)
LYK: Again, a Tatari fan. Maybe I write Tatari better? Maybe there's not enough angst here for Tsusoka-ers? *huggles Tatari fans* I don't care. And Tatsumi is so hot when he's dangerous and scary, ne? I luv him so much!!! And Watari too!! And Tsuzuki!! And...Ok I'll stop now. *wipes drool of her face* Oh and I forgot to thank you for reviewing ADT; arigatou ne!
Starlighthime: Hey there new reviewer!! *new-reviewer secret handshake* Thanks for reviewing the other fic too. I think Muraki is hot with the psycho thing and the eye. I love psychos, *sigh*. Anyway, YNM is just too much bishieness for one's health, ne? A word of advice? Not so much as a writer, but as a reader. Don't rely too much on other people's characterizations. Not everyone gets them right and you may fall into fandom patterns that aren't always good. Check a few fics to get an idea, but what really works for me is watching/reading the original until it pours out my ears and I end up dreaming about it. Over and over again until it's a part of you. But that's just me, and I ain't the best; so you do what works for you. And let me know if you post it, cuz I'll sure as hell wanna read it.
Dodger-chan!!!!!!!!!!!! Hello my old friend, long time no see!! I'm bouncing up and down with happiness, even tho you can't see me!!!! Thanks for reading this too!! Luvs ya!
Mel-chan: Sorry for shortening your name; my fingers hurt from typing T.T. As soon as I figure deviantart out, I'll look for your friend. It took me near two hours to understand enough to be able to register, lol. And Yue can be so darn hard to draw!!! I love to draw, and he's so beautiful! I've tried, really, but he always comes out wrong. So no worries. I have no scanner either. I even went as far as to draw my own manga, but I never post it, as I wanted, on my site because, again, I have no scanner. T.T And there are programs for fic addicted ppl, but I've tried them and they don't work. Being a fic addict is just too much fun to recover!!! *-*
Kyraille Faye: Well, at least it didn't eat your review? Are you sure you didn't do something to piss them off? Like stealing their candy or something? And lol, you're the only one who mentioned the girl. I hope I'm not overstepping my boundaries with this original characters. I never know. I don't really like OC, but I love writing them, so it's confusing and scary. And don't worry, I wouldn't be caught dead wearing a red slitted dress, so rest assured she isn't a Mary Sue. (In fact, for some insane reason, if I ever write a MS I'm sure it would end up being a guy...I'm not gay, I swear!) I went and ran and tried to join your Tatsumi club, but no one answered me yet, *sniff*. I thought Tatsumi needed our support, but I think I'll try and join the Watari one too. And lovely those pics you have up there, all of them. I thought I'd mention it.
Ok, peoples, Ja ne!!