Title: "Gifts - Chap. 2: Breathe"
Author: J.J.
Warning: It's an AU and it's BASED ON THE MANGA... it contains not too descriptive rape, some OOC, some use of Japanese words (the Dictionary is at the bottom), a bit of sappiness, some spoilers...
Notes: This work is based on the manga. It makes perfect sense if you haven't read it but you will find things going differently from the anime... oh well since this is an AU and things will go differently from the manga too it shouldn't be a problem.
About the characters... Tsuzuki's character is based on the first volume of the YnM Manga and that's why he's more serious. If you get the 1st volume of the manga you'll see a more adult looking Tsuzuki than in the rest of the series. As for Hisoka... He's purposely partially different from the original.
Inspiration came from the YnM manga and a lovely pic from Akane available at her 'Cursed Moons' Web (The pic is the one called 'TsuHi-raburabu')
Warning over notes: This fic is filled with notes. You will find them at the bottom. Each time you see a number between brackets it means there's a note connected to the word/sentence that preceded it. Many of them explain references to other series, to YnM manga only or YnM anime only facts for who didn't get to read the manga or see the anime, explain apparently illogical things or warn you there's an explanation for illogical facts but that you'll get it later. However I suggest you to read the notes AFTER you finished the fic unless the word/sentence connected to the note is really troublesome for you to understand. Anyway the fic should be still understandable without the notes. Notes are merely extra explanations for who wants to know more or search for spoilers.
Disclaimer:
"Yami no Matsuei" belong to Matsushita Yoko. I'm merely using her characters because I love them... especially Touda, Tsuzuki and Hisoka...
Ehy, do I own something here? Oh yes, I own the plot and a sensible heart which would surely break if you give me harsh reviews... so please be honest but nice ok?
Thanks: To Lothlorien for betaing this! Thank you a lot!
Summary: Alternate version of the 'Nagasaki Arc' Manga version. What if Muraki managed to break Hisoka and Enma planned Tsuzuki & Hisoka's partnership?
"With every waking breath I breathe
I see what life has dealt to me
With every sadness I deny
I feel a chance inside me die

Give me a taste of something new
To touch to hold to pull me through
Send me a guiding light that shines
Across this darkened life of mine

Breathe some soul in me
Breathe your gift of love to me
Breathe life to lay 'fore me
Breathe to make me breathe"
(Midge Ure - "Breathe")

Konoe-Kacho was just reaching boiling point when Tsuzuki showed up in his office, with a big grin, some cake from the Cinnapon shop(1), and a 'perfect' excuse for his lateness, based mostly on the IMPERATIVE need he'd had for dessert and this special offer the shop was doing that... Needless to say, Konoe interrupted his rant with one of his own about why employees shouldn't waste time like that, and sequestrated Tsuzuki's newly acquired sweet (secretly planning to enjoy it later since his sweet tooth could almost compete with Tsuzuki's own). As soon as the cake left his hands, Tsuzuki immediately started whining and complaining, at which Konoe reminded him he could always fire him.

During the whole dialogue a pale youth sat on the couch in Konoe's office, perfectly still, with silent, empty, green eyes half hidden by his honey blond bangs, watching without apparently really taking notice of the scene that was taking place in the room, the cup of coffee in front of him long forgotten and untouched. When Tsuzuki finally stopped whining, Konoe trailed his eyes over to the silent boy and Tsuzuki followed his gaze. He blinked, then his eyes widened in shocked recognition. The boy... the boy looked like... Anger bubbled inside him. Enma was a first class bastard. The child's eyes widened marginally as he thought that, and his frail looking body tensed. Konoe-Kacho didn't seem to notice it as he informed Tsuzuki that the boy's name was Kurosaki Hisoka and that he was going to be his new partner, but Tsuzuki, on the contrary, didn't miss the boy's reaction. In half a fraction of a second, Hisoka felt the man's emotions taking notice of it, somehow understanding it, and than rudely and hurriedly shifting to a whining annoyance as the man complained they were pairing him again with another youngster, completely forgetting the troubles he'd had with a certain Masaki-chan(2).

Konoe hastily assured him his new partner had no cousins he desperately wanted to save, and briefed him about Hisoka's ability. The boy listened to them talk expressionlessly. Tsuzuki-san seemed resigned to accept him. He wasn't surprised by the man's reluctance. No one ever wanted him - why should Tsuzuki-san be any different? But when Tsuzuki-san walked towards him, introducing himself as 'Tsuzuki Asato', and offered him his hand to shake, he turned his head away and informed Konoe in a forcefully firm voice that, as he'd said before, he really preferred to work alone, especially, he added in a very low voice, if his partner was going to be someone so lazy and childish.

In truth, it didn't matter to him if Tsuzuki-san was childish or not, even if the thing did annoy him. He simply didn't want anyone around and would do everything to avoid shaking hands with people. People couldn't be trusted and their mere presence... hurt, not to mention how bad touching them felt. He only wanted to solve the case as soon as possible, so he would have to stay on ChiJou only the time strictly necessary to do so. He doubted working with Tsuzuki-san - or with another man for the matter - would help him to hurry things up. They would only mess with his empathy. He stood there, tense, trying to look firm and confident like a Kurosaki should, and yet fearing terribly that one of the two men would react violently to his words.

Konoe Kacho seemed annoyed, as if others in the past had made the same complaint, a bit disappointed and somehow... sad. He didn't manage to identify Tsuzuki-san's emotions as he said he didn't want him as partner, because they were too many and shifted too fast for him to grasp, before they moved again in that complaining, childish whine he used with Konoe to point out his new partner was 'mean'. Konoe sighed. He knew introducing the two to each other was going to be troublesome but... He glared at Tsuzuki, than ordered him to cut the whining. Tsuzuki complied, but started pouting. Konoe frowned. It was hard to say how much of Tsuzuki's behaviour was an act and how much reflected his true feelings. Acting so childishly assured Tsuzuki that no one would take him seriously. It gave him freedom to act as he pleased, as no one seemed to judge him capable of doing anything more than whine for sweets, but it also caused people to inadvertently hurt him, or to miss the signs that something was wrong with him. Tsuzuki was the division's officially 'happy go lucky, forever starved, never too bright' member. Even the ones who knew it was a facade and worried for him more often than not, as the secretary Tatsumi and himself both did, never knew when his behaviour was a mask or not. And Tsuzuki needed someone who knew, because the few glimpses he had caught of Tsuzuki's true feelings were starting to worry him and considering Tsuzuki's past...

He turned to Kurosaki. While Tsuzuki knew perfectly well how to hide his own problems, Kurosaki had yet to master the art, and so far, all he knew was how to hide behind his apathy. He didn't understand why Enma had wanted this partnership right from day one, he saw nothing good about partnering a troubled teenager with a man who had been suicidal and was still fighting for his own sanity, but it wasn't his place to complain. Gently, he explained to the boy that he had to have a partner, and that, since Tsuzuki was the oldest and most skilled, he wouldn't give him too many problems.

Of course, Tsuzuki had to ruin everything by asking in a childish, wondering tone if he really was that good, giving the clear impression he wasn't at all. Konoe decided he couldn't stand it anymore. Fine, if Tsuzuki wanted to lose this partner as well, he wouldn't try to stop him. He gave Tsuzuki a glare that made the man cringe, even if Konoe had no idea if that too was an act or honest fear, reproached him for his behaviour, briefed them both as quickly as he could over the case they were going to handle, then ordered them to get to work in Nagasaki. One of the GuShoShin would go with them to take care of communication and pass them all the information they needed about the case.

Hisoka noticed Konoe seemed almost eager to get them out of his office even if the boy couldn't figure why. Tsuzuki, on the other hand, could. The man wanted him to get to know his new partner and vice versa, to get close to each other and, as a consequence, accept to be partners. Konoe knew he had sides that could charm people, and a soft heart that would make him care for the boy. He should have also known that he was stubborn and once he was set on the idea of not keeping a partner, he wouldn't allow one to stay. So the little one had issues about childish behaviour and laziness, eh? He was in for an extra dose of it. He sighed internally. It was the only way. He couldn't allow the boy to stay with him and follow the destiny of those who preceded him.


Once in Nagasaki, his determination to not keep Hisoka as a partner increased as soon as he looked back at the child, who was walking as far apart from him as possible, face set in an expressionless mask, but eyebrows slightly knit together as if he was concentrating or had a small headache. His empathy was probably bugging him. They were in the middle of a crowded street in Nagasaki, and if what he suspected in Konoe's office was correct, the boy had no idea how to control his ability and 'shield' himself from other people's emotions. Poor boy. The child really didn't deserve this life as a Shinigami, as a killer - but he had no right to question his motivations and he couldn't take care of him either. People who believed Kyushu was a good sector to work in because it had few cases didn't know that those cases were always a bloody mess. He had seen enough Shinigami die in Kyushu to know it well. He wasn't going to risk having Hisoka following them as well.

Take this case, for example.

As GuShoShin explained to them, they were going to investigate over eleven deaths from blood loss. Victims had bite marks on their necks, and almost all their blood had simply 'disappeared'. Some guy with a bad sense of humour in the Administration Office had nicknamed the case 'Dracula case'. He crossed his arms behind his head as he mused over it, stealing another quick glance at Hisoka, but the boy was apparently lost in his own thoughts, his gaze lowered. He frowned. Weird, he'd thought he was being observed... Oh well... Anyway, this wasn't exactly the best case to start with for such a young boy. His thoughts were interrupted when a girl bumped against him. He managed to grab her, saving her from a nasty fall, but when their eyes met, he shuddered. She rudely freed herself from his hold and ran away without a word of thanks or apology while GuShoShin was having fun pointing out how he was dumped. Hisoka... was looking at the path the escaping girl took, as if he, too, sensed something weird in her, but as soon as Tsuzuki questioned him, he denied it and turned his head away. Tsuzuki sighed and his gaze fell on his shirt. His now red-stained shirt. He groaned. He hated to do laundry... GuShoShin insisted it had to be the girl's lipstick, while Hisoka didn't seem interested. As for himself... he suggested they go to eat something, a suggestion which was greeted with a cheer by GuShoShin, who was a bit of a glutton, and with complete indifference by Hisoka. While he was wondering whether the boy was capable of another expression besides that of indifference, someone screamed - a corpse had been found.

They joined the curious crowd around it, listening to their excited chatter. Tsuzuki didn't miss how Hisoka rubbed his temples with a nauseated expression on his face, probably due more to the emotions of the people nearby than the sight of the man's corpse, who was sitting against a wall with... the clear sign of a still bleeding bite mark on his neck. It didn't take him long to realize that the escaping girl had something to do with the bite. It wasn't lipstick that was on her lips, it was blood! With an angry cry for not realizing it sooner, he ran after her, ordering GuShoShin and the boy to stay put. Maybe GuShoShin could handle the situation but he wasn't going to risk taking Hisoka against a vampire. He wasn't exactly pleased when he discovered Hisoka had ignored his instructions and was following him.

"Bouya(3)! What do you think you're doing?" he demanded.

"I can track down her consciousness while all you'll manage to do with all these people around is to lose her!" the boy informed him without even bothering to look at him. His reasoning made sense, Tsuzuki had to admit to himself. So maybe the kid knew how to make use of his empathy... "This way!" Hisoka exclaimed, taking the way to the left. Only a few steps through, the boy's eyes widened and they both felt like they had run into a psychic net of some sort that was quickly closing around them, trapping them and stopping their movements. Tsuzuki cursed as he realized they'd run straight into a Juso, a curse, this one of the paralysing type. Hisoka screamed and fell onto his knees. Tsuzuki, more used to this sort of thing, managed to dispel the Juso, but if he had to be fully honest with himself, the lingering effects of the paralysis were still affecting him, and he almost tripped over Hisoka. He looked around. No one. Apparently, whoever had attacked them had left. He knelt near the boy checking his status. The boy couldn't be that badly hurt from such a minor Juso and yet he was still kneeling on the ground, his arms tightly wrapped around himself and his shoulders trembling slightly.

"Bouya? Are you well?" Tsuzuki asked him. The boy didn't give any sign he'd heard him, green eyes wide open as if he was in shock. Could it be the Juso had overloaded the boy's empathic senses? Juso and empathy didn't bond too well... It would also explain why the boy screamed when the Juso hit... That spell was planned to paralyse, not to hurt... "Hisoka?" He called again gently, placing a hand on the boy's shoulder. The boy jerked away, panicking, and tried to stand, but ended up falling straight against Tsuzuki instead. At first he tried to struggle, moving uncoordinatedly, but Tsuzuki held him - not too tightly, but enough to stop Hisoka from hurting himself, then Hisoka seemed to recognize Tsuzuki and simply... slumped against him, trembling and clinging to the man's shirt. "It's okay, Hisoka. It was just a paralysing Juso. Its effects will vanish in few minutes. Don't worry, it's okay," Tsuzuki said, trying to reassure him. He wasn't too surprised by the boy's reaction to the Juso. He saw many going into complete panic when they found themselves paralysed by it, yet... there was something different this time. Hisoka was shaking his head frantically and mumbling something he couldn't understand at first. He frowned, his protective instinct kicking in, and moved the boy closer, wrapping his arms around the smaller form, and finally managed to make out few words.

"HE... HIM... here... no... no... HIM..." It didn't make much sense at first, then...

"You sensed who cast the Juso? That's what's... the problem, Hisoka?" The child managed to nod. Tsuzuki looked around as he slowly moved his hand to pick up a Fuda, a spell on his lips. "Is he still here?" he asked softly. Silence. A gulp. Then the boy shook his head and relaxed somewhat, as he realized he couldn't make out the presence anymore. Tsuzuki breathed in as well, relieved. He wasn't anxious to face a foe while under the lingering effects of paralysis and with Hisoka in a full panic crisis. Tsuzuki groaned as he heard GuShoShin calling them - the librarian had really good timing - and with some difficulty forced himself to stand, picking up Hisoka as well. The child had stopped shaking so much, but it seemed he was still in shock. That was bad. This Juso caster had to be someone definitely unpleasant to cause such a reaction in the young empath.

"Tsuzuki-san, Hisoka-san, what happened?" GuShoShin asked.

"We lost her," Tsuzuki admitted. "Someone helped her to escape and Hisoka..." He looked down at the pale youth in his arms. He looked completely defenceless. "I fear he twisted his ankle," he said firmly. No reason to embarrass his partner by telling GuShoShin the truth. "Let's go eat something," he suggested as he started to walk away, frowning. Since when he had started to consider the boy 'his partner'? GuShoShin looked at him in confusion. Such serious behaviour wasn't Tsuzuki-san like at all.

To be continued...

JJ's Notes:

1. The 'Cinnapon Shop' showed up in the Anime (Ep. 1 'Nagasaki Arc') and I've heard rumours saying it's a real shop and not just one made up for the Anime so I figured it make sense that Tsuzuki would still buy his sweets there. Oh, and if someone is wondering - no, in THIS fic Wakaba didn't buy them for him as she did in the Anime.

2. Kimura Masaki was an 18 year old boy who entered the Shokan-ka with the false name of Asuka. He was paired with Tsuzuki who discovered how the boy had hid his real identity and joined the Shinigami in order to protect his cousin Ayako. In the end Ayako was saved, Tsuzuki lost his bonus and Masaki sent back on training. BTW... Tsuzuki didn't normally call him 'Masaki-chan' in the time they were partnered, just 'Asuka' or, when he discovered his true identity, 'Masaki'. He now called him 'Masaki-chan' as an extra reminder for Konoe of the fact the boy wanted to protect his cousin, who was the one who called him 'Masaki-chan'.

3. In the manga, at first Tsuzuki called Hisoka simply 'bouya' (boy).

JJ's Extra Notes:
I don't particularly like this chap. Things just didn't want to turn out the way I wanted them to. Sorry about that.
The 'Nagasaki Arc' manga version is quite different from the anime one. Since Viz recently printed the first YnM volume I guess now there are many more people knowing this. Anyway... for those who want the basic differences...
The manga starts with Tsuzuki reporting to Konoe. The man assigned him to the case and told him to join his new partner who's already on ChiJou. Tsuzuki went on ChiJou with GuShoShin younger, met Maria, discovered a corpse, followed Maria and was stopped in his run by a paralysing Juso used by Muraki. Tsuzuki freed himself from it but while he was still under its lingering effects Hisoka accused him to be the vampire who murdered twelve men (yes, in the manga the vampire killed only men). GuShoShin came and explained to the two that they were partners. That's it in short. So no, in the manga there's no group reunion, stakeout on ChiJou with Wakaba's help, cake eating, and a meeting with Muraki in the church. Oh, and in the manga, Hisoka's gun wasn't a real one.

Dictionary:
-san: "Mr." or "Mrs."
Bouya: Boy
ChiJou: Land of the Living
Enma: "Demon of Darkness". Ruler of the Land of Dead
Enma-Cho: "Office Enma". In the 5th district of JuOhCho. It's ruled by Enma himself and controls only Tokyo's territory. It hosts the Shokan-ka
Fuda: Short for 'Ujikofuda' ("Charm for Shrine Visitors"). Rectangular paper "charm" used to cast some spells
GuShoShin: "Twin Living Gods" or "Twin Gods of Life". Enma-Cho's chicken-like librarians
JuOhCho: "Ten Kings Office". Meifu's bureaucratic organization ruled by Enma. It's in charge of judging the deceased in Japan
Juso: Curse
Kacho: "Section Chief". Konoe's title
Meifu: Land of the Dead
Shinigami: "God of Death" or "Death God". Nickname for the Shokan-ka workers
Shokan-Ka: "Summoning Division". Division in Enma-Cho that deals with summoning the dead to appear at court. It enters in action only when the souls of the dead don't go spontaneously to Meifu


Replies to reviews:

To Everyone who reviewed: Thank you! You're a great encouragement for me!

To DarkSapphireDragon: I'm glad you like the plot so far! As for Hisoka... well you've still a lot to see about him... Muraki messed him up pretty bad...

To Tenshiamanda: Enma is a jerk and you haven't yet see what he's going to do. More Hisoka/Tsuzuki interaction is going to be in the next chap. I hope you will like it!

To kaori-chan: I love when readers catch little details! How can I tell about who Enma's talking without giving away part of Tsuzuki's motivations?... Mn... let's say he's referring to something related to Tsuzuki's past. Gold star for who guess what he's talking about and why this should make Tsuzuki more interested in Hisoka.

To Zanzou Youko: I'm glad you like this. This fic is 'printed' here on on on yaminomatsuei e-group and on Tsusoka e-group. So far others also suggested I get a beta reader but since no one volunteer no beta reader. Larania Drake was the only one who was so kind to beta for me 'Somewhere I belong' Prologue and Chap. 1 and for this I'm forever thankful to her. If someone will volunteer for betaing one or more chap of this fic and have time to do so (Please, DON'T volunteer if you've no time!) I'll be thankful to them as well and I will repost the betaed chapters. Plus, if this can encourage someone, beta readers get chap. in advance. Till no one volunteer I'm sorry but that's the best I can do with English grammar and I fear no one would understand much if I started to write this in Italian...

To Ctt: I'm glad you like the twists and I'm sorry about the errors. Sadly that's the best I can do.


In the Next Chapter:
Dinner and night in Nagasaki. Will, talking a little and sharing a bedroom, help things or will it turn them worst?
Don't grumble silently, please let me know what you're thinking of this!
Send me your comments!