A/N: I DID IT, I DID IT!!! *dances around in merriment* I GOT IN!! Yeah!!! *holds up two fingers in a victory sign with a stupid grin on her face*
I think I should explain the delay for this update. I owe you guys that much. Same thing kinda happened to me around the holidays; difference being that time around I was too distracted, and this time I was too focused on something else. If I have to be honest, I totally lost track of the story. By the time I sat down to keep on writing it, I had to reread it complete. My mind just wasn't on it. Now, if I hadn't received so much support from you, I'd have let it lay there abandoned in my hard drive for weeks until it started bugging me again. But I couldn't do that to you, so I sat down and wrote and wrote, and didn't like it and started over until I got the rhythm of it again. That's why it took this long. Sorry guys.
Check out the beauuuuuuutiful piece of fanart that Fish1 made for this story. It's really lovely. Just go here:
http://www.geocities.com/evolution2476/asumffish.jpg
And now, you've been so, so patient with me, here's the chappy!!! I luv you guys forever and back!!
Enjoy!!
A SMILE UPON MY FACE
Muraki noted idly that he'd spent at least the last 72 hours walking the halls of the school. He figured that, if it had still been present, that would have been the moment in which his conscience would have told him to run the other way. He smiled inwardly; the voice just wasn't there anymore.
It didn't take a genius to figure out where this boy was leading him to. And though he still felt bad for whoever owned the body he was about to see- he wasn't that far gone yet- his curiosity was stronger.
The white haired boy had already realised who the boy was, but he also knew that the one talking to him, the one leading his way, was not him; what he was, Muraki didn't know; but he had a few ideas.
What was really starting to bug him was the silence. No need to make the situation more dramatic than it is, ne? But what do you talk about with an evil creature possessing someone's body?
"I'm curious about something." he begun noncommittally. "I'd say that your choice for victims is...shall I say, peculiar? Is that what he wanted or are you doing it to torture him?"
The boy stopped walking and looked at Muraki with the most fake of innocent expressions.
"Him? I don't understand."
Muraki smirked. This was fun.
"The one who's body you're occupying?"
The boy laughed wholeheartedly now.
"I wasn't wrong about you, was I? You really are smart." he pushed the door to a storage room open. It was dark and, since they'd come from the sun filled halls, it seemed even darker. It took Muraki a second or two to adjust his eyes. When he was able to discern the contents of the room, he spotted the limp figure lying against the furthest wall. Again it was naked and covered in blood. The terror stricken face did make Muraki want to look away in something akin to remorse. He didn't, though. "Beautiful, isn't it?"
"A fucking work of art." Muraki spat bitterly. "You never answered my question."
The boy knelt next to his victim and gently brushed the blood soaked bangs away from his face.
"Humans are curious. When they want something, they hardly think of what it'll take. The end justifies the means and all that. I'm simply doing what he asked of me, in the worse way I can think of. Technically? Yes, this is what he wanted. Of course, if he's satisfied or not, I don't care."
"I hope you didn't come looking for me to offer me a deal. You'll understand your credibility has dropped a notch." his tone dripped with sarcasm.
"I think you're too smart for that. You don't need me offering you heaven for your soul, ne? But you *do* want something, don't you? And nothing comes for free; not in this world, not in mine."
It was the weirdest of feelings. He wasn't justifying his actions in his mind. He knew what was going on and just how sick and fucked up it was. There was nothing wrong with his ability to discern good and evil. He just... didn't care.
"Ok," he said, closing the door of the storage room and turning on the light bulb, "What is it you think I want...and what's the price?"
--------------------------
"Be still. This is gonna sting a bit, ok?"
Watari winced a little as Tatsumi disinfected a nasty looking but nonetheless harmless gush on the boy's shin. Thankfully, there were no broken bones and no permanent damage. Hisoka knew though, that to open such a wound on a person's leg, the kicks must have been rather brutal.
He observed the scene from his spot next to the door to his and Watari's room, mindful to keep his distance. Again he felt like an outsider, but this time he had good reason to. There were so many emotions floating around the room, and not one of them had something to do with him.
Tatsumi was whirling with pent up rage and frustration, as well as an overwhelming compassion and affection towards the boy whose knee he was now patching up so expertly. You'd never have guessed it from the stoic look on his face, though.
Watching such control, Hisoka thought he wouldn't be surprised if Tatsumi was eventually able to control his emotions so much, not even he was be able to tell. Of course, that probably meant that eventually- unless something changed, of course- not even Tatsumi would know his own heart.
Yet seeing him work on Watari's wounds, Hisoka thought he could detect a desire to let go of his inhibitions; to open up to the blond. A feeling that, strangely enough, every contact with Tsuzuki managed to subdue.
Watari, for his part, was feeling mostly humiliated; that made even Hisoka want to go and wrap his arms around the poor kid. That someone had erased that room-lightening smile from his roommate's face was enough to make Hisoka's blood boil. So embarrassed he was, that Watari wasn't even registering Tatsumi's proximity, when Hisoka knew- even after just three days- that the blond was head over feet for the blue eyed boy.
Then there was Tsuzuki. He was a completely different matter. Hisoka could feel himself starting to blush just by looking at the older boy. Everything about him was beautiful, he admitted in the privacy of his thoughts. And not only physically- though he sure was. The amethyst eyed boy was bouncing around- looking rather silly, by the way- and offering to help Tatsumi out every two seconds, now and then stopping to reassure Watari that everything would be ok.
Coming from anyone else, the platitude would have sounded empty. Coming from anyone else, it would have pissed Hisoka off. But Tsuzuki *really* believed it. His concern and desire to help were genuine and had no other motive than cheering Watari up.
Tatsumi was helping because he had- or at least Hisoka thought he did- *very* strong feelings for the blond. Tsuzuki though, would have helped even if it had been stranger. Hisoka didn't understand it, certainly didn't approve of it- he knew people so selfless could only get hurt- but Tsuzuki's purity was overwhelmingly comforting.
When you're an empath, you don't have to wait so long to have feelings for people. As hard as it is, you get to know their hearts a lot faster and, while the rest takes weeks, even months, to grow attached or even love someone, an empath develops feelings a lot faster. It's a matter of what you feel around people; if it's pleasant, you'll like them, if it's not, you'll avoid them.
Tsuzuki had become almost addictive though. Around him, Hisoka felt safe. He felt like he was finally complete. It was like something beyond his control; something that had been decided way before they'd met. It was scary as hell.
He couldn't stare at Tsuzuki that openly, though. As much as Hisoka found himself *needing* the older boy's company, he still had a boyfriend and was still somewhat of a stranger. So he focused his attention on the little bundle in his arms. Surprisingly enough, the little bundle was also spreading strong emotions around like candy.
Who'd think a bird as small as that one could feel so strongly about her injured master? She wiggled in his arms for the thousandth time, trying to fly off to where Watari was but, of course, Hisoka couldn't let her do that. She was wounded too, after all. During the 'attack', or so Watari had said, she'd sorta made a kamikaze style dive at Hiyama's head, and ended up with a broken wing.
He patted her head soothingly. He wasn't about to *talk* to a bird to reassure her, but he still felt sorry for her. She let out an indignant squeak that made Hisoka smile and resignedly settled in his arms again. She really cared about her master.
As if all the emotions going around weren't enough, there was still one other source. These feelings came out rather stronger than the rest, but Hisoka figured it was simply because he was closer to their owner.
Next to him was Oriya. Apparently the dark haired boy also felt like an outsider. For what Hisoka knew, Tatsumi, Tsuzuki and Watari formed some sort of tight group; a group that had welcomed him with open arms and that felt strangely right to him, but of which he'd probably never be a part of completely. He just didn't share all those years of hardships and confidences. They were a family.
Oriya felt that way as well. At the moment, Hisoka felt how out of place his companion thought himself to be. He also felt the longing for being part of something like that; a feeling he could relate to all too well.
But there was something else coming from the ancient looking boy. Risking getting caught, Hisoka glanced up at him, only to find him staring at Tatsumi intently. Now, Hisoka *knew* Oriya didn't have a thing for Tatsumi, but everything about him, from the expression on his face to the emotions emanating from him, screamed unrequited love.
The green eyed boy remembered then, the impression he'd gotten from Tatsumi and Muraki that first day at the cafeteria; that sensation of the two boys having more in common than they let on. Before that day, Hisoka hadn't seen Oriya apart from the white haired boy. Maybe what he was feeling from him was directed to his friend, and not Tatsumi.
But of course, being an empath was far from being a telepath. He couldn't know that was why Oriya was ogling Tatsumi for sure- at least not without Muraki around-, unless he asked. It happened his curiosity was actually strong enough for him to do just that. It was only a matter of finding the right way to do it.
Clearing his throat, he subtly took a step closer to the other boy.
"So,..." Well, it *is* a popular way to start a conversation. "Are you good friends with Watari-san?"
His tone had been hushed enough so that the others wouldn't hear it. Now that not even Oriya was giving any sign of having heard, Hisoka wondered if maybe it hadn't been *too* hushed. For some reason, gathering the courage to speak a second time was a lot harder, so he looked back down at 003, frowning.
He'd already resigned to getting no reply- he had no intention of repeating himself- when Oriya's voice came as no more than a whisper.
"Watari-san is good friends with everyone."
When Hisoka turned his head back to look at him, Oriya gave no indication of having said anything at all. In fact, he was still staring at Tatsumi with the same expression on his face. For a moment, Hisoka doubted his own ears.
"Yes, he is, isn't he?" he ventured, "It's hard to believe someone wouldn't like him."
"Those guys," Oriya lowered his eyes at last, Hisoka could see the anger in them, "Those guys can't dislike him. They don't even know him. The only reason they do it is because they think Watari-san is defenceless."
Hisoka smiled sadly, nodding his agreement.
"He's not that helpless though. I'm sure he knows how to make a stink bomb."
Oriya laughed quietly then; a nice, musical laughter.
"You're probably right! I'm sure he's just too nice to do it though. Maybe you could convince him?" Hisoka matched Oriya's snort. The younger boy got that wistful look on his face again, and Hisoka felt the sort of envy that invaded his companion when Oriya glanced back at the group. "At least he has friends though. I've seen those goons picking on guys that have no one to cheer them up afterwards."
Hisoka could recognise an opening when he saw one.
"I'm sure that's why they are envious, too; besides the fact that he's some sort of genius. It's easy to feel envy when you meet people so lucky, isn't it?" he hoped his tone revealed that he wasn't passing judgement; that indeed he felt that envy too.
Oriya shrugged and lowered his eyes again.
"Not everyone can find that sort of friends."
"You have, though. Muraki-san and you are pretty good friends, ne?"
Oriya opened his eyes wide, staring at him half in surprise, half in annoyance. But he never replied, he just went back to staring at Tatsumi and Hisoka knew that, though he'd confirmed his suspicions, the conversation had ended there.
Oriya gave Hisoka a weird feeling. The green eyed boy couldn't help feeling sorry for him, and he didn't understand why. All of them, from Tsuzuki to 003, gave Hisoka the creeps- in a sort of good way, though. I was like an endless deja vu. He was feeling things for them that were *not* justified by the mere three days of acquaintance they had.
For god's sake, even the nurse felt familiar! But he, himself, felt different in this whole 'deja vu' thingy. Like now he was able to help them all. As if ... at some point he didn't remember, he'd been bound, and now his boundaries were gone.
He probably just needed a shrink.
----------------------------
A cup of warm coffee steaming between her fingers, Aome sat on top of her partner's desk. Good thing she wasn't wearing a skirt that day; she wasn't in the mood of keeping the femme fatal pose. Shoulders slumped, she sighed and took a sip.
"I can't believe it. All this work, down the drain."
The man in front of her, who was pacing the infirmary rather anxiously, removed his lab coat and threw it carelessly to the floor.
"Have you talked to the Gushoushin? Any news, any suspects?"
She put the cup down next to her and dug through her jean pocket for a crumpled piece of paper. Aome smothered it on the table and presented it to her partner.
"Three suspects." she pointed at the first illustration, a three headed snake with membranous wings. "Eneas, a demon of Astherion's army. He's first class so he's unlikely to've taken this kinda job, but he has a flare for eating his victims' insides in satanic rituals. He's old fashioned."
Next there was a drawing of a humanoid demon, his greenish skin and sickening yellow eyes giving him away. Aome went on. "Then there's a low class demon, Sashiel. He was there from the beginning, but never amounted to much. They say he's resented of his superiors and has a tendency to imitate their M.O's when working to show them he's as good as them. Or as bad, whatever. So he's capable of pretty much anything."
The last looked like a cherub. His body was that of a little boy, which made it impossible to believe he could be one of the forces of evil. He even had a set of clear, feathery wings to match his angelical looks. "This one here is Micah. This is the only illustration available of him, but don't let appearances deceive you. He's actually quite brutal. His field of work usually includes broken hearts and scorned lovers. Quite a romantic, this one."
"I don't understand," Midori cut in, "None of these guys looks at all like the thing I saw in Kenji's room and, from what you're saying, neither fits the profile completely!"
"Now, now, don't get your knickers on a twist." Aome patted his shoulder and earned herself a death glare. "The three have the ability to use shadows as a mean of transportation and adopt whatever form they like. But in that form they're pretty harmless. They need possession of an earthy creature to work."
Midori frowned.
"So it can be any of them?"
Aome nodded.
"In order to tell which of the three is the one, we need a motive."
He sat next to her and watched the paper intently for a few minutes. Aome could almost hear the wheels inside his head working. What she hadn't mentioned was that her research had led her to a very interesting bit of info. While checking the possible suspects' profiles, she also checked their associations; with which demons they worked in teams, if they belonged to any 'infernal' factions. Even demons were social creatures, after all.
She'd done it to make sure she wasn't missing anything. And she'd found something curious. There were actually seven demons that fit the profile her partner had told her to look for. But these three had something in common. They were all acquainted or associated in some way with another demon; one that already had a record in JuoCho.
The curious part? That demon had been involved in a case a good 90 years before, and go figure, her partner had been involved. What was more, he'd been alive at the time!
Checking the files of the shinigami involved in that case, she couldn't help to notice certain resemblance. They looked awfully familiar. Now, Aome knew when she needed to be discreet. Sure, she wanted to go running to her boss to ask about it; but if this thing blew over, she might never find out all the details. No, she had to find out for herself.
"You know?" her partner distracted her from her thoughts. "Kenji might not be the one who summoned the demon, but he sure has something to do with all this. He might lead us to the real thing. Don't you think?"
"Yeah," she rose from her seat and patted his arm. "See? Not everything is lost. I'll go follow that kid around," At her partner's look she lifted her arms defensively. "Invisible, of course. What, you think I'm that stupid?"
He sighed.
"No, I'm sorry. You actually did a wonderful job with this research." Surely noticing he'd been uncharacteristically nice to her, he was fast to amend himself. "For a newbie, that is."
She swatted his arm and pouted before making a dramatic exit. She made a graceful turn- the kind that would have had her dress flow around her, if she'd been wearing one- lifted her chin and rolled her eyes. She muttered an 'asshole' just as the door closed behind her.
-------------------------------
Tsuzuki was at a lost. He pressed the soaking towel to his boyfriend's cheek in hopes that it would ease the pain of his jaw, a frown decorating his brow.
Approximately five seconds after Tatsumi had finished patching up Watari's knee, he'd fled the room, dragging him along. Tatsumi could be the most paternal guy in the world, to the point of being down right annoying. He'd never leave Watari alone at a time like this.
For days now, he'd been acting way too strange. He was bitchy at times, broody at others. If he'd been a girl, Tsuzuki would have thought he was pregnant or something. That last thought made him smile, picturing Tatsumi with a round belly and a maternity dress.
A rush of tenderness swept through him at the thought and, with his free hand, Tsuzuki brushed Tatsumi's bangs softly. It was nice to take care of his boyfriend for a change. Just the day before he'd been pondering on the exact same thing, and now fate had handed him the opportunity to know how that felt like; even if it wouldn't last.
Tatsumi grumbled a little under the touch, but Tsuzuki wasn't discouraged. For days now, the blue eyed boy seemed to be even annoyed by any kind of display of affection coming from him; it wasn't as if Tatsumi had any reservations about showing affection himself, and that's why Tsuzuki wasn't worried.
But maybe he should have been. Tatsumi was actually being *too* affectionate, if he thought about it. A lot more affectionate and a lot less talkative. Everything around him was changing and he couldn't understand how, exactly; not even worth trying to figure out the why.
He turned the towel around, so that the side that hadn't been warmed by Tatsumi's skin would be against his cheek. There was a nasty bruise coming from under the younger boy's chin and all up to his nose. It looked like it hurt a lot and Tsuzuki frowned again.
Tatsumi had snapped back there, hadn't he? Maybe there was something really wrong with his boyfriend. Maybe he was going through one of those teenage crisis? The blue eyed boy was never good at dealing with emotional turmoil.
Though thinking that he could even go through a teenage crisis sounded a bit ludicrous- what with Tatsumi being so mature and all- maybe it was so, and since it was in itself, such a ridiculous concept, Tatsumi was even more lost about how to deal with it.
Tatsumi lifted one hand to hold the towel in place and Tsuzuki knew his helping had come to an end. He sighed resignedly and let his boyfriend do as he wanted; still, placing a hand on the base of his neck in a gentle caress. This time, Tatsumi didn't recoil.
"Do you feel any better?" Tsuzuki asked, kissing the top of his boyfriend's head.
Tatsumi nodded and took Tsuzuki's hand, leading him to sit on his lap, which Tsuzuki did; gladly. When he did though, and he was able to look into Tatsumi's eyes, he saw that there was, indeed, something troubling him terribly. He waited, hoping that he'd tell him; that for once, Tatsumi would confide in him.
"Tsuzuki?" came the blue eyed boy's muffled voice.
"What?"
Tatsumi looked down gravely.
"We... I think we need to talk."
Tsuzuki's heart skipped a beat. That was the last thing you wanted to hear from your boyfriend, wasn't it? He tried to remain cheerful, though; still, he snuggled a little closer to him, as if afraid he would disappear.
"What about, love?"
The younger boy cleared his throat and took a deep breath, gathering his courage.
"Do...do you love me?"
The question was as surprising to Tsuzuki as it was ridiculous. Hadn't he showed Tatsumi that he loved him? Hadn't he said it a million times? It hurt, he realised, to be asked that. Surely it was only Tatsumi feeling down about something. It happened to him all the time, didn't it? He smiled the best he could, and nodded.
"Of course I love you! You know I do!! Don't you?"
'Don't you love me?' was what he really wanted to ask.
Tatsumi let out a frustrated sigh.
"I'm sorry. Let me rephrase that. What do you love about me, exactly?"
Again, the question came as a surprise.
"What do I love about you? What do you mean?"
"I mean just that. There must be something about me that makes you love me more than you love, say, Kurosaki-kun?"
Tsuzuki laughed then, relieved and hugged Tatsumi tight, startling the other boy.
"You're jealous?! Boy, you had me scared for a moment there!" He kissed Tatsumi's good cheek and stared at him tenderly. "Is that it? Are you jealous of 'Soka 'cause we talked?"
Tatsumi did smile a bit. With his free arm he circled Tsuzuki's waist possessively.
"A little, yes. But... " his face sobered up. There was so much sadness in Tatsumi's eyes, it made Tsuzuki short of breath. "but the question still needs to be answered, Tsu. Tell me; tell me that it wouldn't be the same for you if we were just friends. If I tell you that I don't wanna be your boyfriend anymore, but that I'll still be there for you as I have and I wouldn't love you any less. Tell me that it wouldn't be enough."
The intensity of Tatsumi's gaze was overwhelming, letting Tsuzuki know that there was no way to joke his way out of this one. But why would he want to do that? It was a fair question, wasn't it? One he should not have any trouble answering honestly. He felt his eyes welling up with tears.
"Is that what you want? You want us to be just friends? Because... because... I understand if that's what you want. I..." Passing the ball to the other team; good strategy, wasn't it?
Tatsumi let go of the towel and buried his face on the crook of Tsuzuki's neck, hugging him tight.
"Don't do that." he whispered, shakily. "Please, answer my question."
"I don't know how." Tsuzuki admitted, holding on to the younger boy for dear life.
"It's easy." Tatsumi pulled away slightly, giving him the saddest of smiles. "Think about it this way. Am I in your every thought? When you think about your future, am I in it? If there was someone else in your life; someone that made you feel complete in a way I *know* I don't..." Tsuzuki wanted to interrupt, to deny that, but Tatsumi held up his hands, stopping him. "Let me finish. I know you love me. But lets be realistic. Who don't you love?" At Tsuzuki's incredulous glare, Tatsumi smiled. "Besides Terazuma-san and Hiyama-kun. We were what? Fifteen and sixteen, when we started dating. Do you think we'll be together forever, otherwise you'll die alone in a very Shakespearian way?"
By asking that, Tsuzuki knew that Tatsumi was telling him he didn't mean all that to him. He did feel his heart shattering into a million pieces, but he realised that it would have happened as well, if his boyfriend had been anyone else.
Any other day, Tsuzuki would have whimpered and cried and pleaded for Tatsumi to believe that he was his one and only reason for living. Though he felt the tears starting to fall from his eyes, he knew he'd hesitated to reply, because Tatsumi was right.
Ironically, it had been Hisoka the one to plant the seed of doubt in his heart.
His silence seemed to be answer enough to Tatsumi, who nodded sadly, a few tears forming in his own eyes.
"Tsuzuki, I think we should..."
The door slammed open, startling them both. Tsuzuki almost falls from Tatsumi's lap. It was the nurse, Midori-san, with a very concerned look in his eyes.
"Are you guys ok? Everything's ok?"
The older man sounded terribly distressed; so much he didn't even noticed their compromising position. His concern must have been spiked up by seeing them both crying, though. Tsuzuki stood up, wiped the tears from his eyes and walked up to him.
"Yes, we're ok. What's wrong?"
Midori let out a sigh of relief and shook his head.
"There's... there's been another murder. Tatsumi-kun, I need to walk you to the principal's office?"
Tatsumi nodded and rose from the bed, his eyes locking with Tsuzuki's. Tsuzuki was in shock, and Tatsumi seemed to realise. He looked at Midori.
"I'll be out in a minute, ok?" The older man nodded and stepped out of the room. Tatsumi put his arms around Tsuzuki and gazed down at him worriedly. "Are you ok?"
Tsuzuki smiled.
"No." he answered simply, Tatsumi sighed and kissed him softly on the lips.
It felt so final. Tsuzuki refused to let go of that kiss, deepening it as much as he could without hurting Tatsumi, though in his desperation, he was sure he'd hurt him anyway. Maybe for the same reasons he'd done it, Tatsumi didn't pull away. Tsuzuki could feel that Tatsumi was as desperate to never let go as he was, and it hurt him even more.
When they finally pulled away, Tatsumi stroked his cheek tenderly.
"I do love you. Don't ever think I don't."
Tsuzuki held onto Tatsumi's hand for as long as he could. The blue eyed boy walked through the threshold and Tsuzuki watched as his fingers slid off his own. When their fingertips finally separated, Tsuzuki knew in his heart, it was over.
He closed the door behind Tatsumi, and slid to the floor as he was unable to stop the heart wrenching sobs that escaped him.
~Tsuzuku~
I'm really scared about that last bit. Don't hate Tatsumi for this, ok? I actually tried to be faithful to the manga, when he ended their partnership, but at the same time making Tatsumi be a bit more considerate. I am sure I screwed it up, though. -.-;
Thanks so much again for all your support. It meant the world to me and I was really thinking about you guys when I took those damn tests. And thanks for being so patient. You guys rock!
azdriel: Bueno, acá hay mas pistas, eh? Seguro que lo vas a adivinar antes de que lo diga. No es tan dificil!! Gracias por la oferta! Casi y te mando un mail para pedirte ayuda, je je. Poco mas y no entro por ese estupido examen de castellano!! Besos.
LYK: I see the bullies have provoked very negative reactions! Like I care about their physical integrity, lol. I was bullied myself, it sucks. So feel free to avenge Watari anyway you like. I'll make sure to take some revenge myself. It'll be therapeutic. Ori-chan is indeed a cutie, ne? And all of you guys wishing me luck actually helped! Can you believe it?! Stress I won't die from. I invented stress, you see? I'm sorta immune...lol. *twitch*
Kara Angitia: Ok, now you're ninja Kara: the avenger of bullied mad scientists!! *scary* But yeah, you're like a fairy! Always with flowery things all around you and popping out of nowhere to protect Tari-chan! Hugs.
Nsib: How did you do? How did you do? I couldn't wish you luck, but I was doing it in my mind, so it sorta counts! I hope you did ok...no, I'm *sure* you did ok! Hugs.
Fish1: Thanks for wishing me luck, thanks for the beaaaauuuuuuutiful picture, thanks for saying you like my Oriya, thanks for writing such pretty things and drawing so prettifully as well!! You are a *genius* *bows down to her idol* You so so so so rock...*is starting to sound like a broken record*
Coatl-chan: If you want I can tell you who Midori is...as well as who the guy from the pick on DA. But if you think it's fun to guess, then more fun to me!!! Thanks for wishing me luck and all. You're another genius!! So many geniuses....*hug*
LinaLau: Remember me? *sniff* I've been so busy lately, I've been neglecting my li'l sis. Forgive me? (that's why I never get to keep any friends...I'm such a sucky friend *sniff*) I always pictured Tatsumi as a bit of a time bomb...I just get that impression from him. Like he's repressing so much one day he'll just snap? Poor dear. Anyway, I await that pic anxiously! (never had my own cheering squad *blinks*) Hugs.
Mel-chan: You'd think that after speaking Spanish my whole life it would be easier, ne? Still, I think Spanish grammar is like, the hardest after the French. And I wanna learn French...I must be crazy... Thanks so much for wishing me luck. (You're god...er...good, heh heh)
Loki's rose: Hi!!! I missed you! But it's ok, I know you're there. I still appreciate you wishing me luck! You rock! Glad you're still enjoying this.*glomp*
lyn: Hey! Capitulo 38??! No creo, no creo. Maximo 24. Como una serie de TV? Pero si, esto es medio larguito, eh? Con decir que es el fic mas largo que he escrito! Pero ya estoy demasiado metida para dejarlo a medias. Y mas fanart? *faint* Amo, amo, amo el fanart que me hiciste. Amo el fanart, punto. Yo seguro no me quejo si lo haces. Voy a hacer como si fuera 100% para esta historia, total?...je jeje. Yo también me manejo con theria y SC. Pero esos links q' me diste no los conocía! Tal vez uno, no estoy segura. Si me baje parte del GenSouKai una vuelta. Que distintos que están dibujados! Irónicamente, YNM se esta haciendo popular, y eso va a hacer que muchos no podamos leerlo mas. Lo mismo me paso con Gouhou Drug, un manga de Clamp. Es muy bueno, pero Tokyo pop lo publica ahora en yankilandia y por eso no hay mas scanlations. Apesta, si me preguntan. Casi no hay scanlations en español, y de aquí a que Ivrea publique uno de esos, va a hacer frío en el infierno. Bueno, esto se hizo largo...jejeje, como el fic -.-; Besos y gracias por desearme suerte!!!
JA NE!!!
I think I should explain the delay for this update. I owe you guys that much. Same thing kinda happened to me around the holidays; difference being that time around I was too distracted, and this time I was too focused on something else. If I have to be honest, I totally lost track of the story. By the time I sat down to keep on writing it, I had to reread it complete. My mind just wasn't on it. Now, if I hadn't received so much support from you, I'd have let it lay there abandoned in my hard drive for weeks until it started bugging me again. But I couldn't do that to you, so I sat down and wrote and wrote, and didn't like it and started over until I got the rhythm of it again. That's why it took this long. Sorry guys.
Check out the beauuuuuuutiful piece of fanart that Fish1 made for this story. It's really lovely. Just go here:
http://www.geocities.com/evolution2476/asumffish.jpg
And now, you've been so, so patient with me, here's the chappy!!! I luv you guys forever and back!!
Enjoy!!
A SMILE UPON MY FACE
Muraki noted idly that he'd spent at least the last 72 hours walking the halls of the school. He figured that, if it had still been present, that would have been the moment in which his conscience would have told him to run the other way. He smiled inwardly; the voice just wasn't there anymore.
It didn't take a genius to figure out where this boy was leading him to. And though he still felt bad for whoever owned the body he was about to see- he wasn't that far gone yet- his curiosity was stronger.
The white haired boy had already realised who the boy was, but he also knew that the one talking to him, the one leading his way, was not him; what he was, Muraki didn't know; but he had a few ideas.
What was really starting to bug him was the silence. No need to make the situation more dramatic than it is, ne? But what do you talk about with an evil creature possessing someone's body?
"I'm curious about something." he begun noncommittally. "I'd say that your choice for victims is...shall I say, peculiar? Is that what he wanted or are you doing it to torture him?"
The boy stopped walking and looked at Muraki with the most fake of innocent expressions.
"Him? I don't understand."
Muraki smirked. This was fun.
"The one who's body you're occupying?"
The boy laughed wholeheartedly now.
"I wasn't wrong about you, was I? You really are smart." he pushed the door to a storage room open. It was dark and, since they'd come from the sun filled halls, it seemed even darker. It took Muraki a second or two to adjust his eyes. When he was able to discern the contents of the room, he spotted the limp figure lying against the furthest wall. Again it was naked and covered in blood. The terror stricken face did make Muraki want to look away in something akin to remorse. He didn't, though. "Beautiful, isn't it?"
"A fucking work of art." Muraki spat bitterly. "You never answered my question."
The boy knelt next to his victim and gently brushed the blood soaked bangs away from his face.
"Humans are curious. When they want something, they hardly think of what it'll take. The end justifies the means and all that. I'm simply doing what he asked of me, in the worse way I can think of. Technically? Yes, this is what he wanted. Of course, if he's satisfied or not, I don't care."
"I hope you didn't come looking for me to offer me a deal. You'll understand your credibility has dropped a notch." his tone dripped with sarcasm.
"I think you're too smart for that. You don't need me offering you heaven for your soul, ne? But you *do* want something, don't you? And nothing comes for free; not in this world, not in mine."
It was the weirdest of feelings. He wasn't justifying his actions in his mind. He knew what was going on and just how sick and fucked up it was. There was nothing wrong with his ability to discern good and evil. He just... didn't care.
"Ok," he said, closing the door of the storage room and turning on the light bulb, "What is it you think I want...and what's the price?"
--------------------------
"Be still. This is gonna sting a bit, ok?"
Watari winced a little as Tatsumi disinfected a nasty looking but nonetheless harmless gush on the boy's shin. Thankfully, there were no broken bones and no permanent damage. Hisoka knew though, that to open such a wound on a person's leg, the kicks must have been rather brutal.
He observed the scene from his spot next to the door to his and Watari's room, mindful to keep his distance. Again he felt like an outsider, but this time he had good reason to. There were so many emotions floating around the room, and not one of them had something to do with him.
Tatsumi was whirling with pent up rage and frustration, as well as an overwhelming compassion and affection towards the boy whose knee he was now patching up so expertly. You'd never have guessed it from the stoic look on his face, though.
Watching such control, Hisoka thought he wouldn't be surprised if Tatsumi was eventually able to control his emotions so much, not even he was be able to tell. Of course, that probably meant that eventually- unless something changed, of course- not even Tatsumi would know his own heart.
Yet seeing him work on Watari's wounds, Hisoka thought he could detect a desire to let go of his inhibitions; to open up to the blond. A feeling that, strangely enough, every contact with Tsuzuki managed to subdue.
Watari, for his part, was feeling mostly humiliated; that made even Hisoka want to go and wrap his arms around the poor kid. That someone had erased that room-lightening smile from his roommate's face was enough to make Hisoka's blood boil. So embarrassed he was, that Watari wasn't even registering Tatsumi's proximity, when Hisoka knew- even after just three days- that the blond was head over feet for the blue eyed boy.
Then there was Tsuzuki. He was a completely different matter. Hisoka could feel himself starting to blush just by looking at the older boy. Everything about him was beautiful, he admitted in the privacy of his thoughts. And not only physically- though he sure was. The amethyst eyed boy was bouncing around- looking rather silly, by the way- and offering to help Tatsumi out every two seconds, now and then stopping to reassure Watari that everything would be ok.
Coming from anyone else, the platitude would have sounded empty. Coming from anyone else, it would have pissed Hisoka off. But Tsuzuki *really* believed it. His concern and desire to help were genuine and had no other motive than cheering Watari up.
Tatsumi was helping because he had- or at least Hisoka thought he did- *very* strong feelings for the blond. Tsuzuki though, would have helped even if it had been stranger. Hisoka didn't understand it, certainly didn't approve of it- he knew people so selfless could only get hurt- but Tsuzuki's purity was overwhelmingly comforting.
When you're an empath, you don't have to wait so long to have feelings for people. As hard as it is, you get to know their hearts a lot faster and, while the rest takes weeks, even months, to grow attached or even love someone, an empath develops feelings a lot faster. It's a matter of what you feel around people; if it's pleasant, you'll like them, if it's not, you'll avoid them.
Tsuzuki had become almost addictive though. Around him, Hisoka felt safe. He felt like he was finally complete. It was like something beyond his control; something that had been decided way before they'd met. It was scary as hell.
He couldn't stare at Tsuzuki that openly, though. As much as Hisoka found himself *needing* the older boy's company, he still had a boyfriend and was still somewhat of a stranger. So he focused his attention on the little bundle in his arms. Surprisingly enough, the little bundle was also spreading strong emotions around like candy.
Who'd think a bird as small as that one could feel so strongly about her injured master? She wiggled in his arms for the thousandth time, trying to fly off to where Watari was but, of course, Hisoka couldn't let her do that. She was wounded too, after all. During the 'attack', or so Watari had said, she'd sorta made a kamikaze style dive at Hiyama's head, and ended up with a broken wing.
He patted her head soothingly. He wasn't about to *talk* to a bird to reassure her, but he still felt sorry for her. She let out an indignant squeak that made Hisoka smile and resignedly settled in his arms again. She really cared about her master.
As if all the emotions going around weren't enough, there was still one other source. These feelings came out rather stronger than the rest, but Hisoka figured it was simply because he was closer to their owner.
Next to him was Oriya. Apparently the dark haired boy also felt like an outsider. For what Hisoka knew, Tatsumi, Tsuzuki and Watari formed some sort of tight group; a group that had welcomed him with open arms and that felt strangely right to him, but of which he'd probably never be a part of completely. He just didn't share all those years of hardships and confidences. They were a family.
Oriya felt that way as well. At the moment, Hisoka felt how out of place his companion thought himself to be. He also felt the longing for being part of something like that; a feeling he could relate to all too well.
But there was something else coming from the ancient looking boy. Risking getting caught, Hisoka glanced up at him, only to find him staring at Tatsumi intently. Now, Hisoka *knew* Oriya didn't have a thing for Tatsumi, but everything about him, from the expression on his face to the emotions emanating from him, screamed unrequited love.
The green eyed boy remembered then, the impression he'd gotten from Tatsumi and Muraki that first day at the cafeteria; that sensation of the two boys having more in common than they let on. Before that day, Hisoka hadn't seen Oriya apart from the white haired boy. Maybe what he was feeling from him was directed to his friend, and not Tatsumi.
But of course, being an empath was far from being a telepath. He couldn't know that was why Oriya was ogling Tatsumi for sure- at least not without Muraki around-, unless he asked. It happened his curiosity was actually strong enough for him to do just that. It was only a matter of finding the right way to do it.
Clearing his throat, he subtly took a step closer to the other boy.
"So,..." Well, it *is* a popular way to start a conversation. "Are you good friends with Watari-san?"
His tone had been hushed enough so that the others wouldn't hear it. Now that not even Oriya was giving any sign of having heard, Hisoka wondered if maybe it hadn't been *too* hushed. For some reason, gathering the courage to speak a second time was a lot harder, so he looked back down at 003, frowning.
He'd already resigned to getting no reply- he had no intention of repeating himself- when Oriya's voice came as no more than a whisper.
"Watari-san is good friends with everyone."
When Hisoka turned his head back to look at him, Oriya gave no indication of having said anything at all. In fact, he was still staring at Tatsumi with the same expression on his face. For a moment, Hisoka doubted his own ears.
"Yes, he is, isn't he?" he ventured, "It's hard to believe someone wouldn't like him."
"Those guys," Oriya lowered his eyes at last, Hisoka could see the anger in them, "Those guys can't dislike him. They don't even know him. The only reason they do it is because they think Watari-san is defenceless."
Hisoka smiled sadly, nodding his agreement.
"He's not that helpless though. I'm sure he knows how to make a stink bomb."
Oriya laughed quietly then; a nice, musical laughter.
"You're probably right! I'm sure he's just too nice to do it though. Maybe you could convince him?" Hisoka matched Oriya's snort. The younger boy got that wistful look on his face again, and Hisoka felt the sort of envy that invaded his companion when Oriya glanced back at the group. "At least he has friends though. I've seen those goons picking on guys that have no one to cheer them up afterwards."
Hisoka could recognise an opening when he saw one.
"I'm sure that's why they are envious, too; besides the fact that he's some sort of genius. It's easy to feel envy when you meet people so lucky, isn't it?" he hoped his tone revealed that he wasn't passing judgement; that indeed he felt that envy too.
Oriya shrugged and lowered his eyes again.
"Not everyone can find that sort of friends."
"You have, though. Muraki-san and you are pretty good friends, ne?"
Oriya opened his eyes wide, staring at him half in surprise, half in annoyance. But he never replied, he just went back to staring at Tatsumi and Hisoka knew that, though he'd confirmed his suspicions, the conversation had ended there.
Oriya gave Hisoka a weird feeling. The green eyed boy couldn't help feeling sorry for him, and he didn't understand why. All of them, from Tsuzuki to 003, gave Hisoka the creeps- in a sort of good way, though. I was like an endless deja vu. He was feeling things for them that were *not* justified by the mere three days of acquaintance they had.
For god's sake, even the nurse felt familiar! But he, himself, felt different in this whole 'deja vu' thingy. Like now he was able to help them all. As if ... at some point he didn't remember, he'd been bound, and now his boundaries were gone.
He probably just needed a shrink.
----------------------------
A cup of warm coffee steaming between her fingers, Aome sat on top of her partner's desk. Good thing she wasn't wearing a skirt that day; she wasn't in the mood of keeping the femme fatal pose. Shoulders slumped, she sighed and took a sip.
"I can't believe it. All this work, down the drain."
The man in front of her, who was pacing the infirmary rather anxiously, removed his lab coat and threw it carelessly to the floor.
"Have you talked to the Gushoushin? Any news, any suspects?"
She put the cup down next to her and dug through her jean pocket for a crumpled piece of paper. Aome smothered it on the table and presented it to her partner.
"Three suspects." she pointed at the first illustration, a three headed snake with membranous wings. "Eneas, a demon of Astherion's army. He's first class so he's unlikely to've taken this kinda job, but he has a flare for eating his victims' insides in satanic rituals. He's old fashioned."
Next there was a drawing of a humanoid demon, his greenish skin and sickening yellow eyes giving him away. Aome went on. "Then there's a low class demon, Sashiel. He was there from the beginning, but never amounted to much. They say he's resented of his superiors and has a tendency to imitate their M.O's when working to show them he's as good as them. Or as bad, whatever. So he's capable of pretty much anything."
The last looked like a cherub. His body was that of a little boy, which made it impossible to believe he could be one of the forces of evil. He even had a set of clear, feathery wings to match his angelical looks. "This one here is Micah. This is the only illustration available of him, but don't let appearances deceive you. He's actually quite brutal. His field of work usually includes broken hearts and scorned lovers. Quite a romantic, this one."
"I don't understand," Midori cut in, "None of these guys looks at all like the thing I saw in Kenji's room and, from what you're saying, neither fits the profile completely!"
"Now, now, don't get your knickers on a twist." Aome patted his shoulder and earned herself a death glare. "The three have the ability to use shadows as a mean of transportation and adopt whatever form they like. But in that form they're pretty harmless. They need possession of an earthy creature to work."
Midori frowned.
"So it can be any of them?"
Aome nodded.
"In order to tell which of the three is the one, we need a motive."
He sat next to her and watched the paper intently for a few minutes. Aome could almost hear the wheels inside his head working. What she hadn't mentioned was that her research had led her to a very interesting bit of info. While checking the possible suspects' profiles, she also checked their associations; with which demons they worked in teams, if they belonged to any 'infernal' factions. Even demons were social creatures, after all.
She'd done it to make sure she wasn't missing anything. And she'd found something curious. There were actually seven demons that fit the profile her partner had told her to look for. But these three had something in common. They were all acquainted or associated in some way with another demon; one that already had a record in JuoCho.
The curious part? That demon had been involved in a case a good 90 years before, and go figure, her partner had been involved. What was more, he'd been alive at the time!
Checking the files of the shinigami involved in that case, she couldn't help to notice certain resemblance. They looked awfully familiar. Now, Aome knew when she needed to be discreet. Sure, she wanted to go running to her boss to ask about it; but if this thing blew over, she might never find out all the details. No, she had to find out for herself.
"You know?" her partner distracted her from her thoughts. "Kenji might not be the one who summoned the demon, but he sure has something to do with all this. He might lead us to the real thing. Don't you think?"
"Yeah," she rose from her seat and patted his arm. "See? Not everything is lost. I'll go follow that kid around," At her partner's look she lifted her arms defensively. "Invisible, of course. What, you think I'm that stupid?"
He sighed.
"No, I'm sorry. You actually did a wonderful job with this research." Surely noticing he'd been uncharacteristically nice to her, he was fast to amend himself. "For a newbie, that is."
She swatted his arm and pouted before making a dramatic exit. She made a graceful turn- the kind that would have had her dress flow around her, if she'd been wearing one- lifted her chin and rolled her eyes. She muttered an 'asshole' just as the door closed behind her.
-------------------------------
Tsuzuki was at a lost. He pressed the soaking towel to his boyfriend's cheek in hopes that it would ease the pain of his jaw, a frown decorating his brow.
Approximately five seconds after Tatsumi had finished patching up Watari's knee, he'd fled the room, dragging him along. Tatsumi could be the most paternal guy in the world, to the point of being down right annoying. He'd never leave Watari alone at a time like this.
For days now, he'd been acting way too strange. He was bitchy at times, broody at others. If he'd been a girl, Tsuzuki would have thought he was pregnant or something. That last thought made him smile, picturing Tatsumi with a round belly and a maternity dress.
A rush of tenderness swept through him at the thought and, with his free hand, Tsuzuki brushed Tatsumi's bangs softly. It was nice to take care of his boyfriend for a change. Just the day before he'd been pondering on the exact same thing, and now fate had handed him the opportunity to know how that felt like; even if it wouldn't last.
Tatsumi grumbled a little under the touch, but Tsuzuki wasn't discouraged. For days now, the blue eyed boy seemed to be even annoyed by any kind of display of affection coming from him; it wasn't as if Tatsumi had any reservations about showing affection himself, and that's why Tsuzuki wasn't worried.
But maybe he should have been. Tatsumi was actually being *too* affectionate, if he thought about it. A lot more affectionate and a lot less talkative. Everything around him was changing and he couldn't understand how, exactly; not even worth trying to figure out the why.
He turned the towel around, so that the side that hadn't been warmed by Tatsumi's skin would be against his cheek. There was a nasty bruise coming from under the younger boy's chin and all up to his nose. It looked like it hurt a lot and Tsuzuki frowned again.
Tatsumi had snapped back there, hadn't he? Maybe there was something really wrong with his boyfriend. Maybe he was going through one of those teenage crisis? The blue eyed boy was never good at dealing with emotional turmoil.
Though thinking that he could even go through a teenage crisis sounded a bit ludicrous- what with Tatsumi being so mature and all- maybe it was so, and since it was in itself, such a ridiculous concept, Tatsumi was even more lost about how to deal with it.
Tatsumi lifted one hand to hold the towel in place and Tsuzuki knew his helping had come to an end. He sighed resignedly and let his boyfriend do as he wanted; still, placing a hand on the base of his neck in a gentle caress. This time, Tatsumi didn't recoil.
"Do you feel any better?" Tsuzuki asked, kissing the top of his boyfriend's head.
Tatsumi nodded and took Tsuzuki's hand, leading him to sit on his lap, which Tsuzuki did; gladly. When he did though, and he was able to look into Tatsumi's eyes, he saw that there was, indeed, something troubling him terribly. He waited, hoping that he'd tell him; that for once, Tatsumi would confide in him.
"Tsuzuki?" came the blue eyed boy's muffled voice.
"What?"
Tatsumi looked down gravely.
"We... I think we need to talk."
Tsuzuki's heart skipped a beat. That was the last thing you wanted to hear from your boyfriend, wasn't it? He tried to remain cheerful, though; still, he snuggled a little closer to him, as if afraid he would disappear.
"What about, love?"
The younger boy cleared his throat and took a deep breath, gathering his courage.
"Do...do you love me?"
The question was as surprising to Tsuzuki as it was ridiculous. Hadn't he showed Tatsumi that he loved him? Hadn't he said it a million times? It hurt, he realised, to be asked that. Surely it was only Tatsumi feeling down about something. It happened to him all the time, didn't it? He smiled the best he could, and nodded.
"Of course I love you! You know I do!! Don't you?"
'Don't you love me?' was what he really wanted to ask.
Tatsumi let out a frustrated sigh.
"I'm sorry. Let me rephrase that. What do you love about me, exactly?"
Again, the question came as a surprise.
"What do I love about you? What do you mean?"
"I mean just that. There must be something about me that makes you love me more than you love, say, Kurosaki-kun?"
Tsuzuki laughed then, relieved and hugged Tatsumi tight, startling the other boy.
"You're jealous?! Boy, you had me scared for a moment there!" He kissed Tatsumi's good cheek and stared at him tenderly. "Is that it? Are you jealous of 'Soka 'cause we talked?"
Tatsumi did smile a bit. With his free arm he circled Tsuzuki's waist possessively.
"A little, yes. But... " his face sobered up. There was so much sadness in Tatsumi's eyes, it made Tsuzuki short of breath. "but the question still needs to be answered, Tsu. Tell me; tell me that it wouldn't be the same for you if we were just friends. If I tell you that I don't wanna be your boyfriend anymore, but that I'll still be there for you as I have and I wouldn't love you any less. Tell me that it wouldn't be enough."
The intensity of Tatsumi's gaze was overwhelming, letting Tsuzuki know that there was no way to joke his way out of this one. But why would he want to do that? It was a fair question, wasn't it? One he should not have any trouble answering honestly. He felt his eyes welling up with tears.
"Is that what you want? You want us to be just friends? Because... because... I understand if that's what you want. I..." Passing the ball to the other team; good strategy, wasn't it?
Tatsumi let go of the towel and buried his face on the crook of Tsuzuki's neck, hugging him tight.
"Don't do that." he whispered, shakily. "Please, answer my question."
"I don't know how." Tsuzuki admitted, holding on to the younger boy for dear life.
"It's easy." Tatsumi pulled away slightly, giving him the saddest of smiles. "Think about it this way. Am I in your every thought? When you think about your future, am I in it? If there was someone else in your life; someone that made you feel complete in a way I *know* I don't..." Tsuzuki wanted to interrupt, to deny that, but Tatsumi held up his hands, stopping him. "Let me finish. I know you love me. But lets be realistic. Who don't you love?" At Tsuzuki's incredulous glare, Tatsumi smiled. "Besides Terazuma-san and Hiyama-kun. We were what? Fifteen and sixteen, when we started dating. Do you think we'll be together forever, otherwise you'll die alone in a very Shakespearian way?"
By asking that, Tsuzuki knew that Tatsumi was telling him he didn't mean all that to him. He did feel his heart shattering into a million pieces, but he realised that it would have happened as well, if his boyfriend had been anyone else.
Any other day, Tsuzuki would have whimpered and cried and pleaded for Tatsumi to believe that he was his one and only reason for living. Though he felt the tears starting to fall from his eyes, he knew he'd hesitated to reply, because Tatsumi was right.
Ironically, it had been Hisoka the one to plant the seed of doubt in his heart.
His silence seemed to be answer enough to Tatsumi, who nodded sadly, a few tears forming in his own eyes.
"Tsuzuki, I think we should..."
The door slammed open, startling them both. Tsuzuki almost falls from Tatsumi's lap. It was the nurse, Midori-san, with a very concerned look in his eyes.
"Are you guys ok? Everything's ok?"
The older man sounded terribly distressed; so much he didn't even noticed their compromising position. His concern must have been spiked up by seeing them both crying, though. Tsuzuki stood up, wiped the tears from his eyes and walked up to him.
"Yes, we're ok. What's wrong?"
Midori let out a sigh of relief and shook his head.
"There's... there's been another murder. Tatsumi-kun, I need to walk you to the principal's office?"
Tatsumi nodded and rose from the bed, his eyes locking with Tsuzuki's. Tsuzuki was in shock, and Tatsumi seemed to realise. He looked at Midori.
"I'll be out in a minute, ok?" The older man nodded and stepped out of the room. Tatsumi put his arms around Tsuzuki and gazed down at him worriedly. "Are you ok?"
Tsuzuki smiled.
"No." he answered simply, Tatsumi sighed and kissed him softly on the lips.
It felt so final. Tsuzuki refused to let go of that kiss, deepening it as much as he could without hurting Tatsumi, though in his desperation, he was sure he'd hurt him anyway. Maybe for the same reasons he'd done it, Tatsumi didn't pull away. Tsuzuki could feel that Tatsumi was as desperate to never let go as he was, and it hurt him even more.
When they finally pulled away, Tatsumi stroked his cheek tenderly.
"I do love you. Don't ever think I don't."
Tsuzuki held onto Tatsumi's hand for as long as he could. The blue eyed boy walked through the threshold and Tsuzuki watched as his fingers slid off his own. When their fingertips finally separated, Tsuzuki knew in his heart, it was over.
He closed the door behind Tatsumi, and slid to the floor as he was unable to stop the heart wrenching sobs that escaped him.
~Tsuzuku~
I'm really scared about that last bit. Don't hate Tatsumi for this, ok? I actually tried to be faithful to the manga, when he ended their partnership, but at the same time making Tatsumi be a bit more considerate. I am sure I screwed it up, though. -.-;
Thanks so much again for all your support. It meant the world to me and I was really thinking about you guys when I took those damn tests. And thanks for being so patient. You guys rock!
azdriel: Bueno, acá hay mas pistas, eh? Seguro que lo vas a adivinar antes de que lo diga. No es tan dificil!! Gracias por la oferta! Casi y te mando un mail para pedirte ayuda, je je. Poco mas y no entro por ese estupido examen de castellano!! Besos.
LYK: I see the bullies have provoked very negative reactions! Like I care about their physical integrity, lol. I was bullied myself, it sucks. So feel free to avenge Watari anyway you like. I'll make sure to take some revenge myself. It'll be therapeutic. Ori-chan is indeed a cutie, ne? And all of you guys wishing me luck actually helped! Can you believe it?! Stress I won't die from. I invented stress, you see? I'm sorta immune...lol. *twitch*
Kara Angitia: Ok, now you're ninja Kara: the avenger of bullied mad scientists!! *scary* But yeah, you're like a fairy! Always with flowery things all around you and popping out of nowhere to protect Tari-chan! Hugs.
Nsib: How did you do? How did you do? I couldn't wish you luck, but I was doing it in my mind, so it sorta counts! I hope you did ok...no, I'm *sure* you did ok! Hugs.
Fish1: Thanks for wishing me luck, thanks for the beaaaauuuuuuutiful picture, thanks for saying you like my Oriya, thanks for writing such pretty things and drawing so prettifully as well!! You are a *genius* *bows down to her idol* You so so so so rock...*is starting to sound like a broken record*
Coatl-chan: If you want I can tell you who Midori is...as well as who the guy from the pick on DA. But if you think it's fun to guess, then more fun to me!!! Thanks for wishing me luck and all. You're another genius!! So many geniuses....*hug*
LinaLau: Remember me? *sniff* I've been so busy lately, I've been neglecting my li'l sis. Forgive me? (that's why I never get to keep any friends...I'm such a sucky friend *sniff*) I always pictured Tatsumi as a bit of a time bomb...I just get that impression from him. Like he's repressing so much one day he'll just snap? Poor dear. Anyway, I await that pic anxiously! (never had my own cheering squad *blinks*) Hugs.
Mel-chan: You'd think that after speaking Spanish my whole life it would be easier, ne? Still, I think Spanish grammar is like, the hardest after the French. And I wanna learn French...I must be crazy... Thanks so much for wishing me luck. (You're god...er...good, heh heh)
Loki's rose: Hi!!! I missed you! But it's ok, I know you're there. I still appreciate you wishing me luck! You rock! Glad you're still enjoying this.*glomp*
lyn: Hey! Capitulo 38??! No creo, no creo. Maximo 24. Como una serie de TV? Pero si, esto es medio larguito, eh? Con decir que es el fic mas largo que he escrito! Pero ya estoy demasiado metida para dejarlo a medias. Y mas fanart? *faint* Amo, amo, amo el fanart que me hiciste. Amo el fanart, punto. Yo seguro no me quejo si lo haces. Voy a hacer como si fuera 100% para esta historia, total?...je jeje. Yo también me manejo con theria y SC. Pero esos links q' me diste no los conocía! Tal vez uno, no estoy segura. Si me baje parte del GenSouKai una vuelta. Que distintos que están dibujados! Irónicamente, YNM se esta haciendo popular, y eso va a hacer que muchos no podamos leerlo mas. Lo mismo me paso con Gouhou Drug, un manga de Clamp. Es muy bueno, pero Tokyo pop lo publica ahora en yankilandia y por eso no hay mas scanlations. Apesta, si me preguntan. Casi no hay scanlations en español, y de aquí a que Ivrea publique uno de esos, va a hacer frío en el infierno. Bueno, esto se hizo largo...jejeje, como el fic -.-; Besos y gracias por desearme suerte!!!
JA NE!!!