A/N: Again, long chapter. I'll be updating as usual since everyone seems to think I should (for which I'm glad). I'll keep the AN and the answer to the reviews shorter than usual tho, from now on, because it seems FF.net, is now messing up with that too. First were lemons, now Author's notes? What's next? Only straight pairings? *shudders*
I took some liberties with Tsuzuki, I hope you don't mind. Also, there might be some (much) Watari nonsense here; sorry about that but I couldn't stop myself. Everyone seems to be about to have a nervous breakdown on this chapter. I wonder if I'm projecting.
Anyway, just in case, I think I should clarify this so it won't get confusing:
"Blah", as you already know, are spoken words.
'Blah', are thoughts, you know, a mind voice.
~'...Blah...'~ is a memory, ok?
Enjoy!!
A SMILE UPON MY FACE
"So..." by this point, Tsuzuki knew his voice was nothing but a whisper. Not only he had a hard time processing what he'd just heard. Hisoka confiding in him lifted a weight of his shoulders; one that the purple eyed boy had been carrying for way too long not to feel exhausted now that it was gone. Even if it was temporary. "You can really know what I feel?"
Hisoka nodded patiently. Tsuzuki could tell the younger boy was nervous; he needn't be an 'empath', or whatever, to know that. Even if what Hisoka had told him was a lie or a delusion of the boy- and somehow he knew it wasn't- it wasn't something easy to go around confessing to people.
"Sometimes I can even tell what other people are thinking." Hisoka said wearily, and Tsuzuki noted the boy also looked tired. "But just as long as they're thinking about something that stirs up their emotions." Hisoka paused, and seemed to ponder on something. Tsuzuki was about to ask when he continued. "Do...Do you want me to...prove it to you?"
The older boy shifted uncomfortably on the floor. That wasn't what he'd call 'an appealing idea'. Hisoka reading his emotions was the last thing he wanted. For both his and Hisoka's sake. Which it meant he'd have to trust Hisoka's word; but it wasn't like the green eyed boy had given him any reason to believe he would lie.
"That's ok. I believe you." Tsuzuki laughed nervously. "I'm not sure I want you knowing what I feel. Is not that I don't trust you, it's just..."
Hisoka interrupted, averting his gaze from Tsuzuki's.
"I don't have a choice. I can feel them even if I don't want to."
That took Tsuzuki aback, you can imagine. Oh, how he tried to *not* feel the apprehension that followed Hisoka's comment! He really did appreciate what the boy had done...*was* doing for him. But if he could know how he felt, if just for a moment he could know what he thought...
He felt the urge to just get up and run as fast as he could. He might have done just that, if Hisoka hadn't spoke again. His expression didn't show any emotion, but the green eyes were filled with so much loneliness and sadness, that Tsuzuki felt bad for feeling awkward about him.
"I know that it's an awful thing to know about someone." he begun in an even tone that sounded way too controlled. "How can you trust me now? You're always going to feel like I'm spying on you; like you have no privacy around me. I understand that."
"'Soka..." the older boy whispered. He wanted to say it wasn't like that, that he could understand and accept it. But he wasn't sure it would be the truth.
"No, it's ok. I can't blame you. That's why I don't tell anyone. I know if I did, I'd be a freak in their eyes. I know what it feels like, Tsuzuki; to keep your true self from others so you won't be so alone. But in the end, it's even lonelier, isn't it?"
A heavy silence fell over the two, both of them avoiding looking at the other. Tsuzuki didn't know what to say, for fear of screwing things up. But one thing was certain. Hisoka was right. And the green eyed boy did share that with him. Hisoka knew what it was like to feel like that and it wasn't because of his 'empathy'.
He wanted to say he didn't think Hisoka was a freak though. Because he really didn't. What fault did he have to have been born that way? That was one thing they didn't share.
He wasn't innocent.
Could he really tell Hisoka what haunted him? Even after that confession, Hisoka could still be horrified if he told him. After just finding someone that knew what it was like to keep such a heavy burden of a secret, he didn't want to lose Hisoka's friendship.
He was cut out of his musings by Hisoka getting up. The younger boy dusted his clothes and smiled sadly at him.
"I didn't tell you this to force some sense of obligation on you to tell me your secret. I just wanted you to know I understand." he turned to leave, but stopped and added. "I hope we can still be friends? Maybe?"
That snapped Tsuzuki out of it. He'd been given the perfect opportunity to talk to someone. He wasn't throwing it away. Before Hisoka had time to take the first step, he fumbled upwards and took hold of the boy's wrist.
Hisoka stared at him wide eyed and Tsuzuki knew he didn't have to explain his actions.
"You know?" he begun, letting go of the boy's wrist. "My eyes aren't just this colour because of a pigment accident." Hisoka nodded, as if motioning him to go on; Tsuzuki took a deep breath. 'Don't screw this up, baka!' he berated himself. "I...I can see things."
He waited to see if Hisoka understood what he meant; which apparently, he hadn't.
"What do you mean? Of course you can, they're eyes. That's what they're there for!" Hisoka said, appearing a little more confused than annoyed.
Tsuzuki had to laugh at that.
"No, silly. I can see things...that I shouldn't. Like...ghosts and stuff."
"Oh." Hisoka made an apologetic gesture, then frowned. "Oh?"
The older boy took back his place on the floor, indicating Hisoka that it would be a long talk and he wasn't even close to telling him the real issue.
"Yeah. I can't always see stuff. It's not like...like you. I can stop it if I want."
"I see..." Hisoka frowned again. "So, what's the big problem then? You don't have to see anything if you don't want to."
Tsuzuki sighed.
"There was someone...a long time ago..." 'I don't have to tell him *everything*' he thought. "Someone I cared about that got really sick. She was everything to me; all I had left and..." He could already feel the tears forming. "We tried everything to make her better. The doctors said there wasn't any explanation for her illness. So I knew...I knew it had to be something else, you know?"
"A...A ghost?" Hisoka was starting to look uncomfortable. Tsuzuki didn't know if it was the story or his feelings; he even thought Hisoka might be scared of ghosts, until he realised in spite of his efforts, he'd started to cry.
He wiped his eyes as best as he could and smiled sheepishly.
"I'm sorry. I..."
The younger boy shook his head, cleared his throat and looked away.
"It's...ok. Go on."
"I've always known I'm not...entirely human." At Hisoka's disbelieving stare, he amended. "Not like alien or anything...but there are other things... Demons. And I wasn't alone in that belief. She was the only one to defend me when others harassed me about it. Turns out, the ones who said I should die were right. I...I killed her...I didn't...I didn't mean to, but..."
He tried to choke the sob down, but it burned on his throat and cut off his air supply; the tears were stinging in his eyes and he felt like he was about to burst if he didn't do something. He tried to speak; to continue, but it was useless.
A gentle hand on his back and he couldn't stop himself. He forgot about proper behaviour and politeness. He just buried his face on Hisoka's chest and cried; noting distantly the boy's awkward attempts to sooth him.
*~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*
The last of the evening lights had died a few minutes before, but darkness didn't bother neither of the two people sitting on the edge of the roof of the main building.
"So..." the man begun, taking off his fake glasses and eyeing his 6 o'clock muffing appreciatively. "What did you find?"
The girl beside him, with her legs hanging loosely from the ledge, shrugged and tapped her fingers on the cement surface; not out of annoyance, but merely because she had trouble keeping her hands still.
"Nothing much. Cops are totally clueless- which in turn is good for us." She said, a little boredom seeping through her tone.
"I see." The older man said, his mouth half full with the pastry. "What about the victim?"
"The only thing I could come up with is that the victim was involved in a fight with the kid a while back. He was one of a group of four that ambushed Kenji and beat the crap out of him. Other than that, they didn't have any connection."
"Well, that makes sense. Maybe it was part of the deal; to get back at them? Though I'm sure this is not what Kudou-kun had in mind. Are you sure it was the same demon?"
"Yes, of course. The soul just wasn't there and he'd done the same ritual. Took the liver and splint out while the victim was still alive and...I think, well..." She paused. She wasn't delicate or anything, but her partner *was* eating, after all.
He simply took another bite and nodded.
"He ate them?" he finished the phrase, still chewing.
"Uh-huh..." She answered wrinkling her nose, astonished at the man's stomach.
"What about the spell?" he said, offering a bite; which she, of course, refused with a disgusted frown.
"The seal were there, painted on the wall with the victim's blood. The cops think it was some religious crime. I wonder if they'll bother to investigate far enough so they see the connection with the case in Osaka."
"We'll have to wait and see, I guess." he focused his attention back to the muffing and smiled.
Aome watched him eat for a bit longer in silence. Her partner didn't even like sweets that much. But every day, exactly at 6 p.m., he'd have the same muffing. The ritual was more or less sacred and she knew she'd spoil it for him if she said anything before he was finished.
It wasn't long before he gulped the last bit down and wiped his hands with his wrinkled lab coat. He was always such a pristine prick, seeing him this loosened was priceless. Though it did make her wonder about the reason for such a relaxed attitude.
"Ok, so..." He begun, stretching his arms a little. "That's all? That's pretty much the same that happened to the kid's parents, ne?"
Aome cleared her throat. She was a lady. No one ever told her she'd have to be dealing with such obscure matters when she joined in. Sure, a few spilled guts, a splint eating demon; that was ok. This was an entirely different matter.
"Well... not quite." she stammered.
"Oh?" the 'nurse' stopped mid-stretch, blinking comically. "What do you mean?"
"Well,...the boy...the victim..." Aome fumbled with a lock of her hair, gathering the courage to say the words. It wasn't being overly dramatic; it was a hard new to break even if she was only talking to her partner. "He was...uhm...." She took a deep breath. "Hewasraped." she said hurriedly, looking away.
If she'd looked at her partner's face at that moment, she'd seen the flash of hurt and sadness crossing his eyes. But as it was, she didn't. She only turned her head back to look at him when he, without a word, stood up from his spot on the roof and started to walk away.
"Jii-san?"
Her partner stopped walking and though he didn't turn to face her, he delicately put on the purple-lensed glasses to hide any possible expression from his eyes and cleared his throat.
"I think it's time I pay Kudou-kun a little visit. Wouldn't you say?"
"So soon?!" she practically yelped. "We're supposed to be investigating, ne? We should stay out of it until we're sure!! What will the boss say!!?"
"The boss..." he paused for emphasis, his tone turning a bit angered. "is *not* the one having his body used to kill his own parents and rape his classmates. Is he?"
Aome wasn't one to take it well when other people scolded her; whether they were right or not. She stood up, walked in front of him and, with one hand on her hips, used the other to wave a finger accusingly at her partner.
"Look now. How do you know the kid is being controlled?! Why, you think you know everything, don't you? For all we know, Kudou-kun isn't even the host!"
"Oh, so the demon killing his parents was just a coincidence?" the older man used a healthy amount of sarcasm. "He's the one. And I bet you my soul the boy has to see everything his body does, and can't do anything to stop it." he paused, gazing sadly at nowhere in particular. "That's how it always is. In any case," he cocked his head, smiling innocently, "I'm the one who gets to decide what we're gonna do. See you at dinner." he waved good bye to her, starting to walk away.
Aome stared at his retreating figure burning wholes on his back and feeling extremely frustrated.
"Mou, what would I do with that lousy soul of yours anyway, Jii-san?" No one could hear her now, but she didn't care. She mumbled all the way back to their hotel room about stupid people and even more stupid demons.
*~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*
~'...Have you ever been in love, Watari?...'~
What kind of question was that?
'What kind of question *is* that??!'
Watari was doing a great job at being completely freaked out and appearing deadly calmed. In fact, if the baffled look 003 was giving him had anything to do with it,- she was perched on the seat in front of him, but the guy actually sitting there didn't seem to notice- he was doing a great job!
That or he was just making an ass of himself...
Bleh, who cared!!? He felt like his heart had grown twelve times it's original size and he could even feel his lungs being squashed against his ribcage with each pump, making it very hard to breathe.
'Pay attention, pay attention!' he thought, and even his mind voice sounded high pitched. 'If you focus on what Konoe is saying then you won't have to think about what...what...'
~'...Besides, he's not the only one I love, you know?...'~
This was getting tiresome.
'Ok, ok, let's be realistic, here!' His brain said, and Watari could hear the strain of his own mind voice. 'Who could that person be?!'
'Maybe it's you...er...me!!' his oversized heart cheered, elated.
'Shut up, shut up!!' His brain interjected, 'Don't you see he's...er...I'm, trying to be rational about this?!'
'But if it's not...us, then who?' his heart said, childishly.
Watari stood a side, so to speak, as his brain and heart argued. He wondered idly, if he wasn't his heart, or his mind (he could very well hear them both) what the hell was he?! But of course, he was already too confused to dwell on that. After all there were...yes, four voices talking on his head at the same time.(*)
'Well, lets see...' his brain carried on, 'Tsuzuki is out, unless he's schizophrenic.'
'Maybe I'm schizophrenic?' Watari interjected and was rewarded with a loud 'Shut up!' from both his brain and his heart.
'Maybe Muraki? You know how people who hate each other are already half way to loving each other...' his heart said, acquiring an erudite tone.
'Don't be silly. Muraki is too much like him. Opposites attract, after all.'
'You have a point there...Ori-chan? No, they barely talk to each other.'
'What about Konoe? He's old and wrinkly but some people like that and thy spend so much time together...'
~'...Have you ever been in love, Watari?...' ~
That was it.
'Gaaaaaaaah!! Shut up, all of you!!!' he put his face in his hands and all but choked a whimper.
"Are you ok, Watari?"
The blond blinked. You have to understand that, having all those voices in his head, when he actually heard Tatsumi talking to him it took him a few seconds to realise Tatsumi was actually *talking* to him. The comforting hand the older boy had placed carefully on his shoulder had certainly been of help, though.
How could he'd forgotten that the blue eyed boy was sitting right next to him?!? The smile was fast on his lips and he turned to his friend, showing how 'ok' he was, even if it was an utter lie.
"Hai, Tatsumi. I'm fine! Just a little tired." he chirped a little too enthusiastically; and a bit too loud as well, since he distinctively heard five people shushing him. Or maybe there were three people shushing him and the rest was the voices in his head? Ugh...
In any case, Tatsumi was eyeing him with concern and Watari just prayed the earth would open up and swallow him.
"Are you sure? You look a bit anxious."
'Hah! Anxious!? Drop a bomb on me like that any time, Tatsumi. I'll show you anxious!!'
"No, Tatsumi. Seriously, I'm ok." Yeah, sure, why not? The blond started to play with a loose thread from his blazer manically, avoiding Tatsumi's worried stare.
Tatsumi hesitated, still looking at him with that nerve wracking concern. Why did he keep looking at him like that?! Did he know how much what he'd said affected him? The only way he could know that was if he knew of his feelings for him. 'Oh dear, oh dear.' Watari found a new reason to freak out.
'As if I didn't have enough already!!'
If Tatsumi knew, but didn't feel the same, then it would be awfully embarrassing! And if he didn't know, but he did feel the same way, it would be most inconvenient!! And that stupid thread wouldn't come off!!!
"Watari, if this is about..." Tatsumi begun gently, but Watari decided he was not ready to hear what he was about to say. Not that he had any idea, but it was a conspicuous way to start a phrase.
"You should keep an eye on the door for Tsuzuki." the blond pointed out, knowing it was a low strategy.
Tatsumi frowned, looking frustrated. But Watari saw the precise moment when his worry over his boyfriend won over. He turned his head towards the door and Watari sighed in relief.
"Where the hell is he, by the way?" Tatsumi whispered obviously to himself. "Well, at least Kurosaki-kun is with him. I hope he hasn't gotten himself in trouble."
'Yeah right, you love someone else. Sure Tatsumi...'
The 'realisation' that his friend was probably just confused and there was no chance in hell all his dreams were about to come true was strangely relaxing. It seemed to work as a cathartic for all the stress that he was feeling. The principal's voice in the background begun to sound like nothing but funny noises as the blond felt all the energy being dragged out of his body.
He sat there, feeling deflated and high, almost comatose, his eyes getting heavier by the minute. Last thing he registered coherently was 003 cocking her head at him, as if he'd completely lost it, or something.
Smart bird, that one.
*~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*
Hisoka didn't know for how long they'd been there. It had been at least five minutes since Tsuzuki's uncontrollable sobs had finally quieted down. And though at first he hadn't known what to do with himself- a boy a year older than him that he didn't know all that well, was crying helplessly into his chest, after all- now he found the situation almost comforting.
Tsuzuki was so quiet now that Hisoka wouldn't have been surprised to find him asleep. The violet eyed boy was resting his head on his lap; a position way too intimate but one that Hisoka wouldn't dare to protest about. He gently stroked the boy's hair, finding it almost natural to sooth him now. As if he'd done it a thousand times before.
He still wanted to know the end of the story. He could guess, but he was most likely to be wrong. Though, for what he'd gotten of Tsuzuki's thoughts and emotions- as erratic as they were- it hadn't happened exactly as the older boy had said. The violet eyed boy wasn't as guilty as he felt.
He wouldn't dare to ask Tsuzuki about it, though. He never wanted the older boy to feel so lost, *ever* again. The intensity that Tsuzuki's emotions could have were down right scary. How could he live with himself feeling like that?
That was a question he found the answer to in a way that had him wishing it had went unanswered. Gazing down at Tsuzuki, he saw his arms curled protectively around himself. His shirt sleeves- that Hisoka had thought were way too long for him- had lifted up just enough so that he could see the scars.
Hisoka wanted to cry.
'Why do I care so much?' he asked himself. 'He's alive. Whatever happened before I knew him shouldn't bother me!'
It didn't matter to him, though. If Tsuzuki had accidentally killed someone or if he'd shot them in cold blood. If he was a manic-depressive suicidal or if he'd cut himself shaving. Hisoka could feel how guilty and miserable he felt; how much it hurt him.
He would never judge him. Specially without knowing the whole story. If only he could show Tsuzuki that he knew he was a good person...If only he could help him before it destroyed him. Because, somehow he knew, it would destroy him.
He felt the wetness of his cheeks and tried his best to wipe them. Apparently, Tsuzuki hadn't been as asleep as he'd thought. At the movement, the older boy turned to rest on his back and stared at him with puffy red eyes and a confused expression.
"'Soka?" his voice, raspy after so much crying, cracked.
"It's ok, I'm ok." he laughed nervously. "If we keep this up, we'll flood the school up."
Tsuzuki snickered.
"Yeah..." he closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "I'm sorry."
"What for?"
"You know..." he motioned to his face. "The scene and everything."
"It's ok. Do you feel better?" he asked gently, absentmindedly brushing Tsuzuki's bangs.
The older boy smiled wickedly.
"Can't you tell?"
"Baka! I was trying to be polite!" he swatted the other's arm, but still ended up laughing. Resting the back of his head against the wall, he let out a sigh. He felt drained, but not necessarily in a bad way. Tsuzuki was still there. He wasn't treating him like a freak, he wasn't shunning him.
And by the looks of it, Tsuzuki was feeling exactly the same way. With a sigh of his own, Tsuzuki snuggled closer to him. Tsuzuki, as it seemed, was one of those persons who craved physical affection. Not once the older boy had questioned that this virtual stranger was touching him so freely. Not that Hisoka could really think of Tsuzuki as a stranger any more. Still, he decided to storage that bit of information for later.
"I'm just amazed you're still talking to me." Tsuzuki whispered, though he smiled, and Hisoka was quick to mirror it.
"Same here. What a pair we make, eh?"
Yes, he didn't need to actually feel that Tsuzuki felt better. There was laughter in his eyes when he looked at him; and Hisoka liked that.
"Yeah...Thank you, though." The older boy took his hand in both of his, squeezing them lightly.
Hisoka couldn't help but to blush and stiffening a little.
"You're welcome. And if you ever feel like...like..." 'Like telling me the rest', but the words just wouldn't leave his mouth.
Tsuzuki seemed to have caught on the idea though.
"You're the one I'll go to, if that's ok with you?" he asked a bit fearful.
"Yes." Hisoka smiled warmly. Realising that they'd been sitting in the middle of the hall for at least half an hour, he eyed his watch and frowned. "Hey, what do you say we get some coffee? I don't think we have a chance of catching that speech anymore."
Tsuzuki perked up, clasping his hands together and getting a strange gleam in his eyes. Hisoka thought he looked a lot like a puppy.
"Ok! Coffee and...and donuts!!! I'm starving!" the older boy cheered.
Go figure.
"Baka."
*~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*
"...I compel you, if you have any idea of who this person might be, do not hesitate to inform me or a teacher. Do not hide because of some delusion of camaraderie. This person could kill again, and the next victim is the one you owe some sense of honour to, not a murderer. There is evidence pointing at one of the students as the culprit so, rest assured, the cops will find him regardless. This way you could be saving us all a lot of time and you might be saving someone's life..."
'Evidence...they have evidence' Oriya thought, over and over again, feeling his heart beat quicken.
The speech made sense. Every part of Oriya *knew* what the principal was saying was correct. Had it been any other person on the planet, including his own father, he'd pay heed to it. Not with Muraki, though.
Was his friend's life not worth saving too? Wasn't he as important as any other student in that school? So yeah, Muraki might or might not have killed someone. But even if that was the case, wasn't it obvious that his friend needed help? Who'd help him should he end up in a reform school? For all he knew, Muraki could end up being trial as an adult!
No. Even if he found Muraki with a bloody knife next to a corpse, he'd not rat his friend out. Not before trying everything in his power to bring his friend back from whatever hell he'd let himself be dragged into.
But if they had evidence, that meant that maybe it was out of his reach to help him. He glanced at Muraki sitting next to him, hoping his friend wouldn't notice. The silver haired boy was looking straight ahead, eyes fixated on the stage, with a lopsided smile on his face.
Did Muraki know that he suspected of him? Did he not cared that he was about to get caught? He hadn't even asked about the coat; the bloodstained coat that he eventually had to burn because the stain just wouldn't come out. He could just hope no one would pass through the back of the gym for at least long enough for the smoke to clear out.
It didn't matter. Nothing mattered more than keeping Muraki out of harm's way. Keeping that goal in mind was all that mattered and all he could do to stop himself from thinking too much about what he was doing. He certainly didn't approve of either his or Muraki's actions, but circumstances had left him with no other choice. He'd kill for him, should it come down to it.
'Please, Kazutaka, don't let it come down to it.' Oriya thought gravely, as he quietly rose from his seat.
He intended to leave without being noticed, but a hand seized his wrist as soon as he'd taken the first step towards the exit. The hand was squeezing so tight and it had pulled so hard Oriya feared it would break. It took him a tremendous effort not to yelp on the spot.
Oriya turned his head and found that it was indeed Muraki who'd stopped him from fleeing, and was now looking at him with a curious expression; never loosening his grip on the dark haired boy's wrist.
"Where are you going?" Muraki whispered amiably, though he was inflicting enough pain on Oriya to make his eyes water.
Oriya simply smiled the best he could.
"Senpai, I'm just going to the bathroom."
Muraki reluctantly released him, eying him suspiciously for a few more instants before focusing his gaze back on the stage. Oriya let out a sigh of relief and nursed his sore wrist as he hurriedly made his way to the door.
He was practically running by the time he reached his room. He begun searching madly for his cell phone, fearing Muraki might have followed him. A few books fell from the desk before he actually found it and, with shaky fingers, begun to dial.
It seemed an eternity, but it was actually just two rings before a perky female voice was heard.
"Moshi moshi! Oriya residence."
"I need to speak with my father." he said curtly, disgusted at the knowledge of who exactly had picked up the phone. Once he took over business, he'd *never* bring the work home, so to speak.
"Oh! Oriya-sama! It's Mibu-kun!" He heard the 'lady' cheering.
Oriya heard more murmurs and what it sounded like the ruffle of cloth and he was already to throw up. He waited for a few seconds before his father's baritone voice spoke.
"Mibu-san." he said as curtly as Oriya had spoke to the geisha. It was amazing that his father could still sound so serious and intimidating, when Oriya knew he had a hooker on his bed.
"Father." he begun, respectfully. "I am sorry to disturb you, but I need to ask a favour of you."
~Tsuzuku~
(*) Count them, Tatsumi's voice from his memory, his brain, his heart and his own...See? *holds four fingers up* Four.
Wow, 19 reviews?! Oh, ok ok, so 3 were for the interlude and 2 were by the same person, but that's still...uhm...15 reviews!!! You people are cwazyyyyyy!! ^-^
Lina: Glad you enjoyed the Tatariness. If you update, I'll read. And I don't think your drawings were crappy at all!! No crappiness whatsoever!! Hugs ^.^
LYK:*sigh* It just keeps getting worse and worse, my life. But I won't get depressed. Thanks for saying it though. I'm glad you're enjoying all the pairings!! Hugs to you too.
Kyraille: That must be a pretty good friend you have!! And yes, Muriya is just irresistible. So dark but heartfelt, if it's done right. I just admire Oriya's devotion. Lets hope my OC are still interesting by the end of the fic, though. Ne? More hugs, I am in a hug mood today. ^-^
Fish1: Good luck on those midterms. And Tatari is just the greatest. I don't care if it's a fandom pairing, they're made for each other.(Your stuff rocks, but I said that already)
Kaiser-chan: I'll take the puking comment as a compliment ^.^ I know what you mean though. And the FF.net stuff was because it was probably the first day. It was only higher than what it had to be because I updated on Monday but then took the chappy down again. FF.net usually takes up to an entire day to let people read my stuff without problems. (Yay, you're still reading!)
izumi: Yay, you're still reading too?! *sigh* And well, not everything was revealed (actually very little ^-^;) I hope you weren't disappointed.
Kara-Angitia: *puts on a childish, pre-schooler expression* Wouldn't Tatsumi charge a fee for keeping the rotation of the earth stable? Who's paying it? Hugs!
not so innocent bystander: Ok, you're Nsib now...Jk, I can write your name just fine. Gomen for saying it was long. And I won't be shortening the chappies after all.
dodger-chan: Sheep are not very important but little lambs are so kawaii!! Muraki is a blast to write, but also so very complicated. As I said once, Muraki ain't really *that* evil in this fic, and to keep him IC is very hard. Hugs.
azdriel: You have to help me now. If the 'kun' is something you use to an inferior, how do you call an equal when you're so young? Cuz Tsu-chan is on the same class as 'Soka. Though he is older. Maybe Hisoka still has to call him senpai? Thanks for pointing that out, though. and for your pwetty review too!!
Mel-chan: Here, another bright day...I mean update! Update! Gee, you shouldn't inflate my ego so much. Huggles. ^_^;
Fahm: That's ok! I was surprised you were still reading tho, and I love surprises so, if you wanna pop up every fifth chappy or whatever, I don't mind ^.^ About Tsuzuki, there's this conversation about it on one of my Yahoo groups, so I wanna know, Did you watch the anime or read the manga? It could help me build a theory as well as to tear it apart. I don't mind. Thanks for all the nice things you said!
xXLil Yu JahXx: As I said, I hope you weren't disappointed by the 'secret' and all. There's still time though. Why don't you trust Midori-san? *pouts* Just cuz he's hiding a BIG secret, (heh heh) doesn't mean he's a baddy!
Loki's Rose: I'm glad you could enjoy the Tatariness last chapter in spite of it's, shall we say, *frustrating* quality? I think the Tatari part of this fic will be getting somewhere before Tsusoka...Though maybe not before Muriya...I really don't know yet. This things write themselves!! Hugs!! ^.^
Anna: Ok, ok, I'll address each item separately ^.~
1) Though Hisoka is not my favourite, that's just because everyone in YNM is so darn cool! And I agree with you. There's a lot more to Hisoka than meets the eye. He's fun to write but dangerous, cuz I could easily make him OOC.
2) As I said before, this isn't *entirely* AU. More like a possible future fic. So the Tatsumi on this fic (though he doesn't remember it) has gone a long way since the one in the manga. That's why I thought about the little interludes. It would make things easier to understand.
3) Was that enough or did I disappoint you?
Anyway, thanks for such a lovely review.
So much for keeping them short, eh? Ugh, I hate restrains...As if I didn't have enough already...
*cheers up instantly*
Ja ne!
I took some liberties with Tsuzuki, I hope you don't mind. Also, there might be some (much) Watari nonsense here; sorry about that but I couldn't stop myself. Everyone seems to be about to have a nervous breakdown on this chapter. I wonder if I'm projecting.
Anyway, just in case, I think I should clarify this so it won't get confusing:
"Blah", as you already know, are spoken words.
'Blah', are thoughts, you know, a mind voice.
~'...Blah...'~ is a memory, ok?
Enjoy!!
A SMILE UPON MY FACE
"So..." by this point, Tsuzuki knew his voice was nothing but a whisper. Not only he had a hard time processing what he'd just heard. Hisoka confiding in him lifted a weight of his shoulders; one that the purple eyed boy had been carrying for way too long not to feel exhausted now that it was gone. Even if it was temporary. "You can really know what I feel?"
Hisoka nodded patiently. Tsuzuki could tell the younger boy was nervous; he needn't be an 'empath', or whatever, to know that. Even if what Hisoka had told him was a lie or a delusion of the boy- and somehow he knew it wasn't- it wasn't something easy to go around confessing to people.
"Sometimes I can even tell what other people are thinking." Hisoka said wearily, and Tsuzuki noted the boy also looked tired. "But just as long as they're thinking about something that stirs up their emotions." Hisoka paused, and seemed to ponder on something. Tsuzuki was about to ask when he continued. "Do...Do you want me to...prove it to you?"
The older boy shifted uncomfortably on the floor. That wasn't what he'd call 'an appealing idea'. Hisoka reading his emotions was the last thing he wanted. For both his and Hisoka's sake. Which it meant he'd have to trust Hisoka's word; but it wasn't like the green eyed boy had given him any reason to believe he would lie.
"That's ok. I believe you." Tsuzuki laughed nervously. "I'm not sure I want you knowing what I feel. Is not that I don't trust you, it's just..."
Hisoka interrupted, averting his gaze from Tsuzuki's.
"I don't have a choice. I can feel them even if I don't want to."
That took Tsuzuki aback, you can imagine. Oh, how he tried to *not* feel the apprehension that followed Hisoka's comment! He really did appreciate what the boy had done...*was* doing for him. But if he could know how he felt, if just for a moment he could know what he thought...
He felt the urge to just get up and run as fast as he could. He might have done just that, if Hisoka hadn't spoke again. His expression didn't show any emotion, but the green eyes were filled with so much loneliness and sadness, that Tsuzuki felt bad for feeling awkward about him.
"I know that it's an awful thing to know about someone." he begun in an even tone that sounded way too controlled. "How can you trust me now? You're always going to feel like I'm spying on you; like you have no privacy around me. I understand that."
"'Soka..." the older boy whispered. He wanted to say it wasn't like that, that he could understand and accept it. But he wasn't sure it would be the truth.
"No, it's ok. I can't blame you. That's why I don't tell anyone. I know if I did, I'd be a freak in their eyes. I know what it feels like, Tsuzuki; to keep your true self from others so you won't be so alone. But in the end, it's even lonelier, isn't it?"
A heavy silence fell over the two, both of them avoiding looking at the other. Tsuzuki didn't know what to say, for fear of screwing things up. But one thing was certain. Hisoka was right. And the green eyed boy did share that with him. Hisoka knew what it was like to feel like that and it wasn't because of his 'empathy'.
He wanted to say he didn't think Hisoka was a freak though. Because he really didn't. What fault did he have to have been born that way? That was one thing they didn't share.
He wasn't innocent.
Could he really tell Hisoka what haunted him? Even after that confession, Hisoka could still be horrified if he told him. After just finding someone that knew what it was like to keep such a heavy burden of a secret, he didn't want to lose Hisoka's friendship.
He was cut out of his musings by Hisoka getting up. The younger boy dusted his clothes and smiled sadly at him.
"I didn't tell you this to force some sense of obligation on you to tell me your secret. I just wanted you to know I understand." he turned to leave, but stopped and added. "I hope we can still be friends? Maybe?"
That snapped Tsuzuki out of it. He'd been given the perfect opportunity to talk to someone. He wasn't throwing it away. Before Hisoka had time to take the first step, he fumbled upwards and took hold of the boy's wrist.
Hisoka stared at him wide eyed and Tsuzuki knew he didn't have to explain his actions.
"You know?" he begun, letting go of the boy's wrist. "My eyes aren't just this colour because of a pigment accident." Hisoka nodded, as if motioning him to go on; Tsuzuki took a deep breath. 'Don't screw this up, baka!' he berated himself. "I...I can see things."
He waited to see if Hisoka understood what he meant; which apparently, he hadn't.
"What do you mean? Of course you can, they're eyes. That's what they're there for!" Hisoka said, appearing a little more confused than annoyed.
Tsuzuki had to laugh at that.
"No, silly. I can see things...that I shouldn't. Like...ghosts and stuff."
"Oh." Hisoka made an apologetic gesture, then frowned. "Oh?"
The older boy took back his place on the floor, indicating Hisoka that it would be a long talk and he wasn't even close to telling him the real issue.
"Yeah. I can't always see stuff. It's not like...like you. I can stop it if I want."
"I see..." Hisoka frowned again. "So, what's the big problem then? You don't have to see anything if you don't want to."
Tsuzuki sighed.
"There was someone...a long time ago..." 'I don't have to tell him *everything*' he thought. "Someone I cared about that got really sick. She was everything to me; all I had left and..." He could already feel the tears forming. "We tried everything to make her better. The doctors said there wasn't any explanation for her illness. So I knew...I knew it had to be something else, you know?"
"A...A ghost?" Hisoka was starting to look uncomfortable. Tsuzuki didn't know if it was the story or his feelings; he even thought Hisoka might be scared of ghosts, until he realised in spite of his efforts, he'd started to cry.
He wiped his eyes as best as he could and smiled sheepishly.
"I'm sorry. I..."
The younger boy shook his head, cleared his throat and looked away.
"It's...ok. Go on."
"I've always known I'm not...entirely human." At Hisoka's disbelieving stare, he amended. "Not like alien or anything...but there are other things... Demons. And I wasn't alone in that belief. She was the only one to defend me when others harassed me about it. Turns out, the ones who said I should die were right. I...I killed her...I didn't...I didn't mean to, but..."
He tried to choke the sob down, but it burned on his throat and cut off his air supply; the tears were stinging in his eyes and he felt like he was about to burst if he didn't do something. He tried to speak; to continue, but it was useless.
A gentle hand on his back and he couldn't stop himself. He forgot about proper behaviour and politeness. He just buried his face on Hisoka's chest and cried; noting distantly the boy's awkward attempts to sooth him.
*~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*
The last of the evening lights had died a few minutes before, but darkness didn't bother neither of the two people sitting on the edge of the roof of the main building.
"So..." the man begun, taking off his fake glasses and eyeing his 6 o'clock muffing appreciatively. "What did you find?"
The girl beside him, with her legs hanging loosely from the ledge, shrugged and tapped her fingers on the cement surface; not out of annoyance, but merely because she had trouble keeping her hands still.
"Nothing much. Cops are totally clueless- which in turn is good for us." She said, a little boredom seeping through her tone.
"I see." The older man said, his mouth half full with the pastry. "What about the victim?"
"The only thing I could come up with is that the victim was involved in a fight with the kid a while back. He was one of a group of four that ambushed Kenji and beat the crap out of him. Other than that, they didn't have any connection."
"Well, that makes sense. Maybe it was part of the deal; to get back at them? Though I'm sure this is not what Kudou-kun had in mind. Are you sure it was the same demon?"
"Yes, of course. The soul just wasn't there and he'd done the same ritual. Took the liver and splint out while the victim was still alive and...I think, well..." She paused. She wasn't delicate or anything, but her partner *was* eating, after all.
He simply took another bite and nodded.
"He ate them?" he finished the phrase, still chewing.
"Uh-huh..." She answered wrinkling her nose, astonished at the man's stomach.
"What about the spell?" he said, offering a bite; which she, of course, refused with a disgusted frown.
"The seal were there, painted on the wall with the victim's blood. The cops think it was some religious crime. I wonder if they'll bother to investigate far enough so they see the connection with the case in Osaka."
"We'll have to wait and see, I guess." he focused his attention back to the muffing and smiled.
Aome watched him eat for a bit longer in silence. Her partner didn't even like sweets that much. But every day, exactly at 6 p.m., he'd have the same muffing. The ritual was more or less sacred and she knew she'd spoil it for him if she said anything before he was finished.
It wasn't long before he gulped the last bit down and wiped his hands with his wrinkled lab coat. He was always such a pristine prick, seeing him this loosened was priceless. Though it did make her wonder about the reason for such a relaxed attitude.
"Ok, so..." He begun, stretching his arms a little. "That's all? That's pretty much the same that happened to the kid's parents, ne?"
Aome cleared her throat. She was a lady. No one ever told her she'd have to be dealing with such obscure matters when she joined in. Sure, a few spilled guts, a splint eating demon; that was ok. This was an entirely different matter.
"Well... not quite." she stammered.
"Oh?" the 'nurse' stopped mid-stretch, blinking comically. "What do you mean?"
"Well,...the boy...the victim..." Aome fumbled with a lock of her hair, gathering the courage to say the words. It wasn't being overly dramatic; it was a hard new to break even if she was only talking to her partner. "He was...uhm...." She took a deep breath. "Hewasraped." she said hurriedly, looking away.
If she'd looked at her partner's face at that moment, she'd seen the flash of hurt and sadness crossing his eyes. But as it was, she didn't. She only turned her head back to look at him when he, without a word, stood up from his spot on the roof and started to walk away.
"Jii-san?"
Her partner stopped walking and though he didn't turn to face her, he delicately put on the purple-lensed glasses to hide any possible expression from his eyes and cleared his throat.
"I think it's time I pay Kudou-kun a little visit. Wouldn't you say?"
"So soon?!" she practically yelped. "We're supposed to be investigating, ne? We should stay out of it until we're sure!! What will the boss say!!?"
"The boss..." he paused for emphasis, his tone turning a bit angered. "is *not* the one having his body used to kill his own parents and rape his classmates. Is he?"
Aome wasn't one to take it well when other people scolded her; whether they were right or not. She stood up, walked in front of him and, with one hand on her hips, used the other to wave a finger accusingly at her partner.
"Look now. How do you know the kid is being controlled?! Why, you think you know everything, don't you? For all we know, Kudou-kun isn't even the host!"
"Oh, so the demon killing his parents was just a coincidence?" the older man used a healthy amount of sarcasm. "He's the one. And I bet you my soul the boy has to see everything his body does, and can't do anything to stop it." he paused, gazing sadly at nowhere in particular. "That's how it always is. In any case," he cocked his head, smiling innocently, "I'm the one who gets to decide what we're gonna do. See you at dinner." he waved good bye to her, starting to walk away.
Aome stared at his retreating figure burning wholes on his back and feeling extremely frustrated.
"Mou, what would I do with that lousy soul of yours anyway, Jii-san?" No one could hear her now, but she didn't care. She mumbled all the way back to their hotel room about stupid people and even more stupid demons.
*~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*
~'...Have you ever been in love, Watari?...'~
What kind of question was that?
'What kind of question *is* that??!'
Watari was doing a great job at being completely freaked out and appearing deadly calmed. In fact, if the baffled look 003 was giving him had anything to do with it,- she was perched on the seat in front of him, but the guy actually sitting there didn't seem to notice- he was doing a great job!
That or he was just making an ass of himself...
Bleh, who cared!!? He felt like his heart had grown twelve times it's original size and he could even feel his lungs being squashed against his ribcage with each pump, making it very hard to breathe.
'Pay attention, pay attention!' he thought, and even his mind voice sounded high pitched. 'If you focus on what Konoe is saying then you won't have to think about what...what...'
~'...Besides, he's not the only one I love, you know?...'~
This was getting tiresome.
'Ok, ok, let's be realistic, here!' His brain said, and Watari could hear the strain of his own mind voice. 'Who could that person be?!'
'Maybe it's you...er...me!!' his oversized heart cheered, elated.
'Shut up, shut up!!' His brain interjected, 'Don't you see he's...er...I'm, trying to be rational about this?!'
'But if it's not...us, then who?' his heart said, childishly.
Watari stood a side, so to speak, as his brain and heart argued. He wondered idly, if he wasn't his heart, or his mind (he could very well hear them both) what the hell was he?! But of course, he was already too confused to dwell on that. After all there were...yes, four voices talking on his head at the same time.(*)
'Well, lets see...' his brain carried on, 'Tsuzuki is out, unless he's schizophrenic.'
'Maybe I'm schizophrenic?' Watari interjected and was rewarded with a loud 'Shut up!' from both his brain and his heart.
'Maybe Muraki? You know how people who hate each other are already half way to loving each other...' his heart said, acquiring an erudite tone.
'Don't be silly. Muraki is too much like him. Opposites attract, after all.'
'You have a point there...Ori-chan? No, they barely talk to each other.'
'What about Konoe? He's old and wrinkly but some people like that and thy spend so much time together...'
~'...Have you ever been in love, Watari?...' ~
That was it.
'Gaaaaaaaah!! Shut up, all of you!!!' he put his face in his hands and all but choked a whimper.
"Are you ok, Watari?"
The blond blinked. You have to understand that, having all those voices in his head, when he actually heard Tatsumi talking to him it took him a few seconds to realise Tatsumi was actually *talking* to him. The comforting hand the older boy had placed carefully on his shoulder had certainly been of help, though.
How could he'd forgotten that the blue eyed boy was sitting right next to him?!? The smile was fast on his lips and he turned to his friend, showing how 'ok' he was, even if it was an utter lie.
"Hai, Tatsumi. I'm fine! Just a little tired." he chirped a little too enthusiastically; and a bit too loud as well, since he distinctively heard five people shushing him. Or maybe there were three people shushing him and the rest was the voices in his head? Ugh...
In any case, Tatsumi was eyeing him with concern and Watari just prayed the earth would open up and swallow him.
"Are you sure? You look a bit anxious."
'Hah! Anxious!? Drop a bomb on me like that any time, Tatsumi. I'll show you anxious!!'
"No, Tatsumi. Seriously, I'm ok." Yeah, sure, why not? The blond started to play with a loose thread from his blazer manically, avoiding Tatsumi's worried stare.
Tatsumi hesitated, still looking at him with that nerve wracking concern. Why did he keep looking at him like that?! Did he know how much what he'd said affected him? The only way he could know that was if he knew of his feelings for him. 'Oh dear, oh dear.' Watari found a new reason to freak out.
'As if I didn't have enough already!!'
If Tatsumi knew, but didn't feel the same, then it would be awfully embarrassing! And if he didn't know, but he did feel the same way, it would be most inconvenient!! And that stupid thread wouldn't come off!!!
"Watari, if this is about..." Tatsumi begun gently, but Watari decided he was not ready to hear what he was about to say. Not that he had any idea, but it was a conspicuous way to start a phrase.
"You should keep an eye on the door for Tsuzuki." the blond pointed out, knowing it was a low strategy.
Tatsumi frowned, looking frustrated. But Watari saw the precise moment when his worry over his boyfriend won over. He turned his head towards the door and Watari sighed in relief.
"Where the hell is he, by the way?" Tatsumi whispered obviously to himself. "Well, at least Kurosaki-kun is with him. I hope he hasn't gotten himself in trouble."
'Yeah right, you love someone else. Sure Tatsumi...'
The 'realisation' that his friend was probably just confused and there was no chance in hell all his dreams were about to come true was strangely relaxing. It seemed to work as a cathartic for all the stress that he was feeling. The principal's voice in the background begun to sound like nothing but funny noises as the blond felt all the energy being dragged out of his body.
He sat there, feeling deflated and high, almost comatose, his eyes getting heavier by the minute. Last thing he registered coherently was 003 cocking her head at him, as if he'd completely lost it, or something.
Smart bird, that one.
*~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*
Hisoka didn't know for how long they'd been there. It had been at least five minutes since Tsuzuki's uncontrollable sobs had finally quieted down. And though at first he hadn't known what to do with himself- a boy a year older than him that he didn't know all that well, was crying helplessly into his chest, after all- now he found the situation almost comforting.
Tsuzuki was so quiet now that Hisoka wouldn't have been surprised to find him asleep. The violet eyed boy was resting his head on his lap; a position way too intimate but one that Hisoka wouldn't dare to protest about. He gently stroked the boy's hair, finding it almost natural to sooth him now. As if he'd done it a thousand times before.
He still wanted to know the end of the story. He could guess, but he was most likely to be wrong. Though, for what he'd gotten of Tsuzuki's thoughts and emotions- as erratic as they were- it hadn't happened exactly as the older boy had said. The violet eyed boy wasn't as guilty as he felt.
He wouldn't dare to ask Tsuzuki about it, though. He never wanted the older boy to feel so lost, *ever* again. The intensity that Tsuzuki's emotions could have were down right scary. How could he live with himself feeling like that?
That was a question he found the answer to in a way that had him wishing it had went unanswered. Gazing down at Tsuzuki, he saw his arms curled protectively around himself. His shirt sleeves- that Hisoka had thought were way too long for him- had lifted up just enough so that he could see the scars.
Hisoka wanted to cry.
'Why do I care so much?' he asked himself. 'He's alive. Whatever happened before I knew him shouldn't bother me!'
It didn't matter to him, though. If Tsuzuki had accidentally killed someone or if he'd shot them in cold blood. If he was a manic-depressive suicidal or if he'd cut himself shaving. Hisoka could feel how guilty and miserable he felt; how much it hurt him.
He would never judge him. Specially without knowing the whole story. If only he could show Tsuzuki that he knew he was a good person...If only he could help him before it destroyed him. Because, somehow he knew, it would destroy him.
He felt the wetness of his cheeks and tried his best to wipe them. Apparently, Tsuzuki hadn't been as asleep as he'd thought. At the movement, the older boy turned to rest on his back and stared at him with puffy red eyes and a confused expression.
"'Soka?" his voice, raspy after so much crying, cracked.
"It's ok, I'm ok." he laughed nervously. "If we keep this up, we'll flood the school up."
Tsuzuki snickered.
"Yeah..." he closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "I'm sorry."
"What for?"
"You know..." he motioned to his face. "The scene and everything."
"It's ok. Do you feel better?" he asked gently, absentmindedly brushing Tsuzuki's bangs.
The older boy smiled wickedly.
"Can't you tell?"
"Baka! I was trying to be polite!" he swatted the other's arm, but still ended up laughing. Resting the back of his head against the wall, he let out a sigh. He felt drained, but not necessarily in a bad way. Tsuzuki was still there. He wasn't treating him like a freak, he wasn't shunning him.
And by the looks of it, Tsuzuki was feeling exactly the same way. With a sigh of his own, Tsuzuki snuggled closer to him. Tsuzuki, as it seemed, was one of those persons who craved physical affection. Not once the older boy had questioned that this virtual stranger was touching him so freely. Not that Hisoka could really think of Tsuzuki as a stranger any more. Still, he decided to storage that bit of information for later.
"I'm just amazed you're still talking to me." Tsuzuki whispered, though he smiled, and Hisoka was quick to mirror it.
"Same here. What a pair we make, eh?"
Yes, he didn't need to actually feel that Tsuzuki felt better. There was laughter in his eyes when he looked at him; and Hisoka liked that.
"Yeah...Thank you, though." The older boy took his hand in both of his, squeezing them lightly.
Hisoka couldn't help but to blush and stiffening a little.
"You're welcome. And if you ever feel like...like..." 'Like telling me the rest', but the words just wouldn't leave his mouth.
Tsuzuki seemed to have caught on the idea though.
"You're the one I'll go to, if that's ok with you?" he asked a bit fearful.
"Yes." Hisoka smiled warmly. Realising that they'd been sitting in the middle of the hall for at least half an hour, he eyed his watch and frowned. "Hey, what do you say we get some coffee? I don't think we have a chance of catching that speech anymore."
Tsuzuki perked up, clasping his hands together and getting a strange gleam in his eyes. Hisoka thought he looked a lot like a puppy.
"Ok! Coffee and...and donuts!!! I'm starving!" the older boy cheered.
Go figure.
"Baka."
*~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*
"...I compel you, if you have any idea of who this person might be, do not hesitate to inform me or a teacher. Do not hide because of some delusion of camaraderie. This person could kill again, and the next victim is the one you owe some sense of honour to, not a murderer. There is evidence pointing at one of the students as the culprit so, rest assured, the cops will find him regardless. This way you could be saving us all a lot of time and you might be saving someone's life..."
'Evidence...they have evidence' Oriya thought, over and over again, feeling his heart beat quicken.
The speech made sense. Every part of Oriya *knew* what the principal was saying was correct. Had it been any other person on the planet, including his own father, he'd pay heed to it. Not with Muraki, though.
Was his friend's life not worth saving too? Wasn't he as important as any other student in that school? So yeah, Muraki might or might not have killed someone. But even if that was the case, wasn't it obvious that his friend needed help? Who'd help him should he end up in a reform school? For all he knew, Muraki could end up being trial as an adult!
No. Even if he found Muraki with a bloody knife next to a corpse, he'd not rat his friend out. Not before trying everything in his power to bring his friend back from whatever hell he'd let himself be dragged into.
But if they had evidence, that meant that maybe it was out of his reach to help him. He glanced at Muraki sitting next to him, hoping his friend wouldn't notice. The silver haired boy was looking straight ahead, eyes fixated on the stage, with a lopsided smile on his face.
Did Muraki know that he suspected of him? Did he not cared that he was about to get caught? He hadn't even asked about the coat; the bloodstained coat that he eventually had to burn because the stain just wouldn't come out. He could just hope no one would pass through the back of the gym for at least long enough for the smoke to clear out.
It didn't matter. Nothing mattered more than keeping Muraki out of harm's way. Keeping that goal in mind was all that mattered and all he could do to stop himself from thinking too much about what he was doing. He certainly didn't approve of either his or Muraki's actions, but circumstances had left him with no other choice. He'd kill for him, should it come down to it.
'Please, Kazutaka, don't let it come down to it.' Oriya thought gravely, as he quietly rose from his seat.
He intended to leave without being noticed, but a hand seized his wrist as soon as he'd taken the first step towards the exit. The hand was squeezing so tight and it had pulled so hard Oriya feared it would break. It took him a tremendous effort not to yelp on the spot.
Oriya turned his head and found that it was indeed Muraki who'd stopped him from fleeing, and was now looking at him with a curious expression; never loosening his grip on the dark haired boy's wrist.
"Where are you going?" Muraki whispered amiably, though he was inflicting enough pain on Oriya to make his eyes water.
Oriya simply smiled the best he could.
"Senpai, I'm just going to the bathroom."
Muraki reluctantly released him, eying him suspiciously for a few more instants before focusing his gaze back on the stage. Oriya let out a sigh of relief and nursed his sore wrist as he hurriedly made his way to the door.
He was practically running by the time he reached his room. He begun searching madly for his cell phone, fearing Muraki might have followed him. A few books fell from the desk before he actually found it and, with shaky fingers, begun to dial.
It seemed an eternity, but it was actually just two rings before a perky female voice was heard.
"Moshi moshi! Oriya residence."
"I need to speak with my father." he said curtly, disgusted at the knowledge of who exactly had picked up the phone. Once he took over business, he'd *never* bring the work home, so to speak.
"Oh! Oriya-sama! It's Mibu-kun!" He heard the 'lady' cheering.
Oriya heard more murmurs and what it sounded like the ruffle of cloth and he was already to throw up. He waited for a few seconds before his father's baritone voice spoke.
"Mibu-san." he said as curtly as Oriya had spoke to the geisha. It was amazing that his father could still sound so serious and intimidating, when Oriya knew he had a hooker on his bed.
"Father." he begun, respectfully. "I am sorry to disturb you, but I need to ask a favour of you."
~Tsuzuku~
(*) Count them, Tatsumi's voice from his memory, his brain, his heart and his own...See? *holds four fingers up* Four.
Wow, 19 reviews?! Oh, ok ok, so 3 were for the interlude and 2 were by the same person, but that's still...uhm...15 reviews!!! You people are cwazyyyyyy!! ^-^
Lina: Glad you enjoyed the Tatariness. If you update, I'll read. And I don't think your drawings were crappy at all!! No crappiness whatsoever!! Hugs ^.^
LYK:*sigh* It just keeps getting worse and worse, my life. But I won't get depressed. Thanks for saying it though. I'm glad you're enjoying all the pairings!! Hugs to you too.
Kyraille: That must be a pretty good friend you have!! And yes, Muriya is just irresistible. So dark but heartfelt, if it's done right. I just admire Oriya's devotion. Lets hope my OC are still interesting by the end of the fic, though. Ne? More hugs, I am in a hug mood today. ^-^
Fish1: Good luck on those midterms. And Tatari is just the greatest. I don't care if it's a fandom pairing, they're made for each other.(Your stuff rocks, but I said that already)
Kaiser-chan: I'll take the puking comment as a compliment ^.^ I know what you mean though. And the FF.net stuff was because it was probably the first day. It was only higher than what it had to be because I updated on Monday but then took the chappy down again. FF.net usually takes up to an entire day to let people read my stuff without problems. (Yay, you're still reading!)
izumi: Yay, you're still reading too?! *sigh* And well, not everything was revealed (actually very little ^-^;) I hope you weren't disappointed.
Kara-Angitia: *puts on a childish, pre-schooler expression* Wouldn't Tatsumi charge a fee for keeping the rotation of the earth stable? Who's paying it? Hugs!
not so innocent bystander: Ok, you're Nsib now...Jk, I can write your name just fine. Gomen for saying it was long. And I won't be shortening the chappies after all.
dodger-chan: Sheep are not very important but little lambs are so kawaii!! Muraki is a blast to write, but also so very complicated. As I said once, Muraki ain't really *that* evil in this fic, and to keep him IC is very hard. Hugs.
azdriel: You have to help me now. If the 'kun' is something you use to an inferior, how do you call an equal when you're so young? Cuz Tsu-chan is on the same class as 'Soka. Though he is older. Maybe Hisoka still has to call him senpai? Thanks for pointing that out, though. and for your pwetty review too!!
Mel-chan: Here, another bright day...I mean update! Update! Gee, you shouldn't inflate my ego so much. Huggles. ^_^;
Fahm: That's ok! I was surprised you were still reading tho, and I love surprises so, if you wanna pop up every fifth chappy or whatever, I don't mind ^.^ About Tsuzuki, there's this conversation about it on one of my Yahoo groups, so I wanna know, Did you watch the anime or read the manga? It could help me build a theory as well as to tear it apart. I don't mind. Thanks for all the nice things you said!
xXLil Yu JahXx: As I said, I hope you weren't disappointed by the 'secret' and all. There's still time though. Why don't you trust Midori-san? *pouts* Just cuz he's hiding a BIG secret, (heh heh) doesn't mean he's a baddy!
Loki's Rose: I'm glad you could enjoy the Tatariness last chapter in spite of it's, shall we say, *frustrating* quality? I think the Tatari part of this fic will be getting somewhere before Tsusoka...Though maybe not before Muriya...I really don't know yet. This things write themselves!! Hugs!! ^.^
Anna: Ok, ok, I'll address each item separately ^.~
1) Though Hisoka is not my favourite, that's just because everyone in YNM is so darn cool! And I agree with you. There's a lot more to Hisoka than meets the eye. He's fun to write but dangerous, cuz I could easily make him OOC.
2) As I said before, this isn't *entirely* AU. More like a possible future fic. So the Tatsumi on this fic (though he doesn't remember it) has gone a long way since the one in the manga. That's why I thought about the little interludes. It would make things easier to understand.
3) Was that enough or did I disappoint you?
Anyway, thanks for such a lovely review.
So much for keeping them short, eh? Ugh, I hate restrains...As if I didn't have enough already...
*cheers up instantly*
Ja ne!