Roleplaying
By Leareth
Chapter Three
Hisoka peered warily into the shadows. Nothing there, just lots of rubble. The concrete and twisted iron made for strange silhouettes against the night sky, and the still-settling dust in the air made him sneeze. Hisoka wished he had brought a torch, but the entire place was under police tape and it wouldn't do to attract attention.
It didn't make sense. Looking at the destruction Hisoka wouldn't have been surprised to hear of casualties, but there weren't any. This incident, like the four others beforehand that he had scouted out, had happened at a time when there were very few civilians around. Nor did it look like anything Hisoka could think of. There were no burn-marks as one would expect from an explosion, no ground zero as in a structural collapse, and it was way too focused for an earthquake. From what Hisoka could tell, it seemed more like the place had been torn apart by gigantic hands that also wielded over-grown machetes.
Hisoka chewed his lip. Apart from the style of destruction, there wasn't anything really connecting the five sites. It was completely random. If he couldn't figure out a common thread it was going to be difficult to predict a sixth incident. He idly nudged a lump of rock into a small crevasse that had opened up in the floor, giving out an exasperated sigh. He really wanted to solve this by himself, he was getting kind of sick of being treated like a kid.
It was at this point that he heard the voices.
Hisoka frowned. The still night air carried the sound quite clearly, and he could distinctively hear that there were two of them. What they were saying, however, was less clear as it rebounded and reflected irregularly off what was left of the walls. It seemed to be coming from the other side of the area. Heart beating faster, Hisoka made his way in that direction as silently as possible. Considering his luck so far, it was probably just a couple of bums squatting in the ruins for a night's shelter.
As he got closer, the conversation got a little clearer.
"I'm pretty impressed," said the first voice. "I didn't expect you to go all out like that. You got a lot of stress to work off or something?"
"Considering the current situation, it should be obvious," the second bit back.
"Ah," the first replied wisely. "You're really not getting any. Sure you don't want to give my establishment some business?"
"SHUT UP!"
There was a crash.
"Oi, watch it! If it wasn't for me you'd still be pacing and stressing your head off doing nothing."
"I haven't seen this plan get any results!"
"Well, you were the one who insisted on demolishing five buildings instead of two. The chances of one of your friends finding us went from one in two to one in five thanks to your enthusiasm. So don't blame me."
Hisoka's eyes widened. He was very close now, just one more corner. The voices sounded rather familiar, but thanks to the laws of physics governing the movement of sound, he couldn't quite place them . . .
"Consider yourself lucky I didn't demolish your so-called 'restaurant' instead!"
"Consider yourself lucky I didn't throw you out!"
"Pimp!"
"Anal-retentive control freak!"
"Destroyer of girls' purity!"
"Sex-starved secretary!"
The shouted insults bounced madly off the rubble. Hisoka took a deep breath, stepped around the corner –
Hisoka's eyes widened.
"YOU!"
Muraki and Oriya froze and blinked. Hisoka mechanically took note of the way the two of them had their sleeves pushed up as if about to engage in fisticuffs, but seeing the man he most hated overpowered any ability to question.
"So it was you," Hisoka bit out. His eyes were burning. "What are you trying to do, lure Tsuzuki here so you can get into his pants again!"
Muraki stared at him in disbelief for another second. Then he took a step towards Hisoka. "Kurosaki-kun!"
Hisoka blinked. Beside Muraki, sheathed katana slung over his back, Oriya tipped Hisoka a wave. "Yo there, kid."
Hisoka didn't hear him as Muraki took another step. The boy-shinigami immediately took a step in the other direction. He was rather surprised as a pained looked passed over Muraki's face. "Don't come any closer!" he yelled.
"Kurosaki-kun." Hisoka blinked. Muraki looked ... hurt? Something wasn't right. And Muraki had never called Hisoka by name ever in his life.
"Oi." Hisoka turned to find Oriya looking at him. "Don't go anywhere, okay, boy? We need to talk to you."
"Like hell you do," Hisoka retorted, crouching into a defensive position as Muraki came closer. His heart was racing, but strangely enough the curse-marks weren't burning like they usually did whenever Muraki was nearby ...
"Kurosaki-kun." The silver-haired doctor stood with his hands held palm outwards in a gesture of peace. "Things aren't what you think. It's me. Tatsumi."
Hisoka blinked. Twice. Then he glared. "What are you trying to pull!"
"I'm not trying to pull anything. It's true." Muraki lifted a hand, and Hisoka stared as shadows curled almost elegantly around the pale fingers. "See?"
Hisoka looked at Muraki suspiciously. "If you are Tatsumi-san," he said, "then how come you went and destroyed all those buildings?"
Was it his imagination or did Muraki look ever so slightly embarrassed? "I had to do something to attract the JuOhCho's attention," the man replied. "This was the quickest way to do it."
Hisoka looked at him, still not convinced. "Give me more proof that you're Tatsumi-san."
Oriya rolled his eyes. "He's stuffy and acts like he has a stick up his ass, what more proof do you need?"
Muraki twitched. A shadow lashed out which the sword-master easily dodged. Hisoka blinked in complete disbelief. He folded his arms and raised an eyebrow at the doctor. "All right. What's the current status of the Shokan Division budget?"
Muraki didn't even hesitate. "In the red with a debt of several hundred thousand worth of repair bills resulting from Tsuzuki-san's destructive activities."
"What's Watari's dream experiment?"
"A gender-switching potion that he wants another grant for."
"Tsuzuki's favourite drink?"
"Tsujiri's powdered green tea."
Hisoka stared. Very, very hesitantly, he reached out and touched the doctor's arm. He stiffened and looked up. Tatsumi gazed at him with sad silver eyes.
Numbly, Hisoka dropped the contact and stepped away. He stared at 'Muraki' and Oriya. "How . . ." His throat was dry so he tried again. "How did this happen?"
'Muraki' sighed. "I'm not sure. It probably has something to do with that case you and I were investigating with Tsuzuki-san a few days ago."
"Whatever it is, I want it fixed." Oriya folded his arms and glared at 'Muraki'. "I've had enough of this jerk."
Hisoka didn't pay any attention as 'Muraki' shot a biting retort back at Oriya, who immediately retaliated with some snide comment of his own. "But if Tatsumi-san's in Muraki's body," he said slowly, "then . . ." He trailed off. He paled.
'Muraki' stopped bickering with Oriya and glanced at him. "What is it, Kurosaki-kun?"
Hisoka's eyes were bugging out. "That means Tsuzuki's gone on a date with Muraki!"
'Muraki' stared. "WHAT!"
Oriya rolled his eyes. "Why am I not surprised."
Tsuzuki was having a great time. Why shouldn't he? Great food, great company, great restaurant. Le Palais was on top of one of the taller hotels of the city, thus commanding a fantastic view of the river at night. It was obviously a very classy – and expensive – place, so Tsuzuki dutifully remembered his manners and ate at a more sedate pace than was his norm. After all, he didn't want to cause his companion any embarrassment.
"Enjoying yourself, Tsuzuki-san?"
Tsuzuki looked up from his lobster and nodded happily. "Definitely."
Tatsumi chuckled. "I'm very glad to hear that." He caught Tsuzuki's eye and lifted his crystal glass of red wine with a smile. "But we are merely beginning. And it shall only get better."
Tsuzuki blinked. Why did he suddenly feel uneasy?
"More wine, monsieur?"
Tsuzuki nodded absently as the waiter topped up his glass and looked at Tatsumi. The other man raised an eyebrow. "Is there something the matter, Tsuzuki-san? Do eat up before your food gets cold."
"Uh, yeah!"
Obediently Tsuzuki began to eat again. The uneasy feeling had passed.
It was probably nothing.
"I can't believe Tsuzuki-san would be so silly as to go out on a date with him!" exclaimed 'Muraki' as he and Hisoka ran as fast as they could in the direction of the restaurant.
"He thought it was you asking him!" Hisoka protested.
"Well, I still can't believe that Tsuzuki-san accepted!"
Hisoka raised an eyebrow. "Really?"
"Can you two shut up and run!" snapped Oriya, following just behind. His kimono flapped about him giving the impression of a butterfly with a sting.
"Why are you coming with us?" asked Hisoka.
"You think I'm going to let you two go get Muraki without me? Someone has to make sure he comes back in one piece."
'Muraki' scowled at Oriya's sword. "How do you expect to get into a five-star restaurant with a katana?"
"Walk."
Dessert came at last, a large slice of rich fruits-of-the-forest cake so moist it seemed to melt on the plate. Dark glazed cherries gleamed like black pearls on a bed of thick cream. It was topped off – literally – by generous swirls of chocolate-rum sauce that had been dribbled over it all in aesthetic swirls. Tsuzuki took one look and declared himself in heaven.
"I knew you would love it," replied Tatsumi. He handed Tsuzuki a silver fork. "There you go."
Tsuzuki took it eagerly, then realised there was only one helping of dessert. "Eh? You're not having one, Tatsumi?"
The other man smiled and lifted another fork. "I thought I'd share yours, Tsuzuki-san."
"Oh." Tsuzuki pushed the cake into the middle of the table. "Can you reach it?"
Tatsumi shook his head. "I have another idea. Why don't you come sit on this side so we can both eat it easily?"
Tsuzuki smiled and scurried to the other side of the booth to sit next to Tatsumi. "That better?"
It was probably a good thing that the booth was lit only by candles and dim wall-lights. Otherwise, Tsuzuki would have seen that the smile on Tatsumi's face was rather evil.
"Much better." Tatsumi scooped up a bite-sized helping of cake and cream and held it before his companion's face. "Open your mouth and close your eyes, Tsuzuki-san."
Tsuzuki blinked for a moment. Tatsumi smiled disarmingly. Slowly, Tsuzuki closed his eyes and let Tatsumi feed him.
"I'm sorry, sirs, but I cannot let you in."
'Muraki' glared. "And why not?"
The lobby concierge looked down his long nose at them. "Well, to begin with, we do not allow weapons into this building, let alone the restaurant."
Hisoka raised an eyebrow at Oriya, who had his arms folded and was tapping fingers impatiently. "Walk in, huh?"
The concierge looked at him. "Nor do we allow children."
Hisoka twitched. "Who are you calling a kid!"
"Also, neither the gentleman with the sword nor the child is dressed to enter."
Oriya looked at Hisoka's orange T-shirt and denim, then down at his patterned kimono. "What's wrong with what I'm wearing?" he asked.
'Muraki', dressed as usual in his white suit, made an impatient sound. "This is a matter of the utmost urgency," he managed to grit out. "If you won't let them through, what about me?"
The concierge stood up straight and looked at 'Muraki' without flinching. "I'm sorry, but you cannot enter either."
"Why not!"
"You don't have an invitation or a reservation. Sir."
Tsuzuki waited quietly as Tatsumi paid the bill (credit, of course). His head felt a little light; he had probably drunk just a little too much wine, but he wasn't the one driving and Tatsumi would take care of him. So he had nothing to worry about.
"Tired, Tsuzuki-san?" asked Tatsumi, coming over and putting the credit card away in his wallet.
Tsuzuki shook his head. "Not really."
Tatsumi smiled and placed a hand on Tsuzuki's shoulder, guiding him to the elevators. "Well then, shall we take a walk? It's a lovely night and there's a park nearby."
"Sounds good." Tsuzuki pressed the down button and the light for elevator number four turned on. He smiled up at the other man as the doors opened. "I'd love to take a walk."
"Then let's go." They entered the elevator and Tatsumi pressed the button for the lobby. Then he glanced at his companion and frowned. "Tsuzuki-san."
"Hmm?" Tsuzuki blinked adorably.
"You have chocolate sauce on your face."
"I do?"
Tatsumi smiled and stepped up against Tsuzuki. "Here," he said softly. "Let me get that off for you."
Tsuzuki couldn't move. His heart beat faster as Tatsumi lifted a hand to his cheek.
The elevator closed. The glowing numbers went down.
Hisoka slammed the call button. When no elevator responded immediately, he frantically slammed it several more times. Finally, the light for elevator number two winked on.
"Hurry!" he yelled to 'Muraki' and Oriya, who, having bowled past the spluttering concierge, were a few rapidly shrinking meters behind. As soon as the startled old couple inside stepped out Hisoka jumped in, then face-faulted at the fifty or so knobs before him.
"What level do I press?" he demanded as 'Muraki' and Oriya joined him.
"Top floor," replied Oriya immediately.
Hisoka gritted his teeth. "It would have to be the top floor," he muttered under his breath as he punched the highest button.
The elevator closed. The glowing numbers went up.
In the lobby, the doors for elevator number four slid opened. After a few moments, Tsuzuki stepped out. He looked a little flushed, and he was smiling. Tatsumi kept pace just behind him, his expression soft.
"Pleasant evening, sirs?" asked the concierge as they passed. The man seemed to be rather irritated about something, but, being as well trained as he was, it was difficult to tell for sure.
Tatsumi smiled. "Oh, very." Beside him, Tsuzuki happily nodded in agreement.
The concierge nodded. "Shall I call your car for you?" he asked.
"No need." Tatsumi gently pushed Tsuzuki towards the doors. "We'll take a walk first then come back for it."
"Very good, sir."
"Messieurs, I must insist on you leaving at once!"
'Muraki', Oriya and Hisoka ignored the irritated head-waiter and tried to search out the restaurant without attracting too much attention. Their caution was rather useless; curious as to the interruption of their meals, the various patrons were whispering and pointing. It should be noted that most of the pointing came from feminine fingers.
Hisoka stood on tiptoe and tried to scout the restaurant tables. "I can't see them."
'Muraki' gritted his teeth. "Don't tell me they've left already?"
Hisoka turned to the irritated waiter. "I'm so sorry, but this is very important," he said as calmly as possible. "We're looking for two friends. One of them is tall with blue eyes and glasses. He would have been accompanying another man dressed in black with dark hair. I know they had a reservation for seven o'clock, could you possibly tell me where they are seated?"
The waiter glared. Hisoka gazed at him with large emerald eyes.
Finally, the waiter sighed. Sometimes being an eternal kid had its advantages. Either that, or the man had seen Oriya put his hand oh-so-subtly on the hilt of his katana. "Your friends finished and left already," he said.
"Are you sure?" pressed Hisoka.
The waiter looked as if he was beginning to lose whatever patience he had left. "If you mean the gentleman dressed in brown getting romantic and intimate with his purple-eyed companion, then yes, they paid and left not more than five minutes ago. Now if you please, you have no right being here, so you had better leave before I call security."
Hisoka was already stepping away. "Thank you," he said. Then he turned and ran for the elevators again. 'Muraki' and Oriya were already there holding one of the elevators open.
"I can't believe we only just missed them!" 'Muraki' seethed as Oriya hit the lobby button. "They could be anywhere by now!"
"Calm down, idiot," Oriya retorted. "Think – where would Muraki take Purple-Eyes next?"
'Muraki' and Hisoka both shared very tense and worried expressions. "A hotel room?" asked Hisoka nervously.
Oriya shook his head. "Nuh uh. Muraki likes to be a bit more personal." He held his chin in his hand and thought. The elevator pinged and the three of them hastened to get out. They ignored the still-annoyed concierge, who started shouting for security the moment he saw them, and left the building. "Hmm. I'd say it's a toss-up between your and Purple-Eyes' apartment," he said finally.
'Muraki's face darkened. "Our apartments?"
"Uh huh. He has your identity and Purple-Eyes. Question is now, which one do we go to?"
Hisoka and 'Muraki' looked at each other. "He has your keys," said Hisoka hesitantly. "And it's closer."
"Let's start moving then." Oriya turned to go.
"Wait." 'Muraki's voice was tight. "What if we're wrong?"
Oriya shrugged. "Fifty-fifty chance. And if we are wrong ..." he raised an eyebrow at the other two, "I just hope your friend has the sense of mind to play hard to get."
It was, as Tatsumi had said, a lovely night, if a little chilly. Tsuzuki rubbed at his arms as he hurried in front of his companion towards the observation deck overlooking the river. Once he got there, he completely forgot about the cold. The view was fantastic.
"It looks like a whole lot of colourful fireflies," breathed Tsuzuki, gazing out over the river to the cityscape beyond. "Fireflies in a dark forest."
Tatsumi came silently up to stand behind him. "The light is all the more beautiful for the darkness, yes?" he asked. At this late hour the park was almost deserted, so it was just the two of them.
"Mm." Tsuzuki rested his arms on the railing and leaned over. "I suppose so." The night wind picked up again, and he shivered.
"Cold, Tsuzuki-san?"
"Just a little."
Tatsumi shook his head disapprovingly. "Who asked you to forget your coat?"
"I didn't know we were going to go walking!" Tsuzuki protested.
A low chuckle. "No, you did not." There was the sound of cloth rustling. "Here."
Tsuzuki turned to find Tatsumi holding his brown trench-coat out to him. "Nah, it's okay, Tatsumi," he said. "You just got out of hospital, I don't want you to catch a cold."
"Hmm." Tatsumi put his coat back on, looking thoughtful. "Well, we can't have me falling sick, and we can't have you shivering like that. I guess we'll have to compromise."
Tsuzuki blinked. "Huh?"
He got his answer when Tatsumi stepped up behind him, opened his coat, and wrapped Tsuzuki in it. Tsuzuki stiffened a little then relaxed, leaning back and resting against Tatsumi. It was pleasant.
"Better?" asked Tatsumi, right by his ear.
"Mm hm." Tsuzuki closed his eyes. "You're being so nice tonight."
"You mean I'm usually not nice?"
Tsuzuki smiled. "Not all the time. At work you're not. Everyone thinks you're mean and scary."
"Is that so?" asked Tatsumi dryly. "Do you share that opinion, Tsuzuki-san?"
"Not really." Tsuzuki kept his eyes closed, enjoying the sensation of warmth around him and the cool air on his face. "You are mean and scary, but only sometimes when you want to be. You're a very kind person, it's just that people don't see that that cause they only see you at work when you're stressed."
Warm breath stirred his hair. "We're not at work at the moment," the other man whispered. "What do you see?"
The question required that Tsuzuki turn around and look. He did so. He blinked.
Tatsumi smiled at him, a strange glint in his eye. Tsuzuki shivered, the memory of the aftermath of a certain poker game flashing by for a moment. Why did he suddenly think of that?
Tatsumi's smile turned ever so slightly enigmatic, and he leaned in for a kiss. Tsuzuki tilted his head up and let his eyes close.
Suddenly, he felt Tatsumi stiffen. Tsuzuki opened his eyes. Without warning the man pulled away leaving Tsuzuki in the wind again. After the warmth of before, the air was very chilly. Tsuzuki shivered.
"Tatsumi?"
No reply. He glanced up about to ask what was wrong. Tatsumi stared at him, an unreadable expression on his face. Only his eyes, a continuously shifting shade of blue, hinted at some inner questioning or conflict. The smile that had been there the whole night had disappeared.
Tsuzuki fell silent.
Suddenly, like the first raindrop on a still pond, the moment broke. Tsuzuki blinked as Tatsumi smiled again. It looked a little forced, but something told Tsuzuki not to ask.
"It's getting late," said Tatsumi. He turned, gesturing for Tsuzuki to walk next to him. "Come on, I'll take you home."
They pounded up the last of the stairs, already half-afraid of what they were expecting to find. 'Muraki' led them to his door and jiggled the knob. It was locked of course. Hisoka kicked it uselessly.
"Unless your door opens by saying 'open sesame', hurry up and unlock it," growled Oriya.
'Muraki' shot him a glare, then turned back to the door. He chewed his lip, mentally calculating the most efficient and cheapest method. Finally he took a deep breath and called up a sliver of a shadow that he sent slicing through the lock. Then he kicked the door open.
"TSUZUKI-SAN!"
The apartment was empty.
"DAMNIT!"
Tatsumi insisted on seeing Tsuzuki to his door, and he did. Now they stood in the hallway in the uncomfortable silence of two people parting after a first date.
"Tatsumi ..." The one addressed glanced at Tsuzuki, who spoke softly. "Thank you very much. I had a great time."
The other man smiled. "I'm very glad to hear that."
Silence. Tsuzuki tried several times to say something, but couldn't. In the end he just fumbled in his pockets for his apartment keys. Finally pulling them out, he found the right key and put it in the lock, turning it, painfully aware that there were blue eyes on him the entire time.
The lock clicked open. Tsuzuki put his hand on the knob.
Tatsumi put his hands on Tsuzuki's shoulders.
"Can I come in?"
The words were whispered right into his ear. Tsuzuki was sure he could feel that person's breath on his skin. His heart began to beat faster.
"... Okay."
"There!"
Hisoka, seeing Tsuzuki's apartment bock finally, forced his very tired legs to hurry up. As a shinigami he could have flown but it wouldn't be fair to 'Muraki', who was looking more and more worried by the second. Oriya he was of two minds about. Hisoka held some grudging respect for the man, but Oriya was still Muraki's friend, and anyone who was a good friend of the psycho doctor was automatically on his 'Do Not Trust' list.
But that wasn't the problem at stake. Right now they had to save Tsuzuki.
They came to the front gate of the apartment block. It was closed, of course. Oriya took one look at it, whipped out his katana, and cut them a way through. Not bothering to pause for rest, the three of them ran for the stairs.
Tsuzuki wasn't quite sure what was happening. Correction; he knew what was happening, he just wasn't quite sure if he believed it. He vaguely remembered getting his door open, vaguely remembered taking off his shoes and trying to turn on the light before arms twined around his waist, vaguely remembered the trip to the bedroom losing his coat and tie along the way, but the actual specifics were rather blurry. It probably had something to do with the fact that he was being pressed back into his futon with his unbuttoned shirt half-off his shoulders. That plus the lips moving just behind his ear.
"T-Tatsu–"
A hand was placed over his mouth, cutting off further speech.
"Don't say that name."
Tsuzuki nodded silently and the hand was removed. As nice as this all was, there was something not right. He knew that Tatsumi cared for him, yes, he knew that Tatsumi was attracted to him, yes, he knew that too, but he also knew that Tatsumi would never, ever do anything to him that he didn't want. So what was going on?
Tsuzuki didn't know. The hands on his skin weren't exactly very conductive to thought either.
But it was Tatsumi, wasn't it? So it was all right ...
"Which floor!"
"Top floor, right at the end!"
"Top floor again?"
"Shut up and run!"
For some reason he still had his shirt on, but that didn't seem to matter as the other man trailed fingers and lips down his chest, sending little shivers through Tsuzuki's senses. Strange, thought the part of Tsuzuki's brain that was still functioning, this seems almost familiar ...
Three pairs of feet ran frantically down the veranda.
Things were getting rather interesting now, what with Tatsumi lying on top of him and all. Tsuzuki's heart seemed to be beating very loudly, almost like footsteps pounding on floor –
Suddenly, the bedroom door was thrown open.
"TSUZUKI-SAN!"
Freeze.
BLINK.
In the moment that followed, the reactions of various people were rather interesting.
Seeing himself in a very compromising position with Tsuzuki, Tatsumi immediately turned an interesting deep red. Then he started fuming. Hisoka also turned into a steaming tomato until he forcefully reminded himself that the man with his hands up Tsuzuki's shirt was not who he looked like. Muraki sighed in disappointment and smirked. Tsuzuki, trapped as he was underneath Muraki, could only blink large amethyst eyes at the three unexpected intruders in his home. Seeing 'Muraki', he turned pale.
Oriya, for his part, sighed and folded his arms. He raised an eyebrow at his friend.
"I thought you would have gotten further than this by now."
Immediately, everyone began to move again.
"Tsuzuki-san!" said 'Muraki', stepping forward one hand outstretched. Tsuzuki, still with his shirt undone, cringed and hid behind 'Tatsumi', who cuddled him close. He grinned at the killing look 'Muraki' gave him.
"Don't worry, Tsuzuki-san," said 'Tatsumi'. It should be noted that he still had one arm underneath Tsuzuki's shirt. "I'll keep you safe."
'Muraki' twitched. "Why you–!"
Tsuzuki whimpered and huddled closer to a very willing 'Tatsumi'. 'Muraki' looked hurt. Oriya seemed greatly amused. Hisoka, relieved to see that apart from maybe the shock and his dignity Tsuzuki was unharmed, sighed and decided it was time to clear things up.
"Tsuzuki." His partner looked up as if startled to see him there. Hisoka pointed to the man whose lap Tsuzuki was sitting in. "That's not Tatsumi-san."
Tsuzuki blinked. "Huh?" He looked at 'Tatsumi' who smiled winningly and ran his fingers through his hair. 'Muraki' looked like he was about to throw a fit. Hisoka rolled his eyes.
"Tsuzuki, that's not Tatsumi-san, and that's not Muraki," he said patiently, pointing to each man in turn. "They've switched bodies for some weird reason. You went out on a date with Muraki; Tatsumi-san's been with Oriya-san the whole time."
"The boy's lying, Tsuzuki-san," purred 'Tatsumi' into Tsuzuki's hair. "Shall I get rid of them so we can continue –"
He broke off. Tsuzuki was staring, first at him, then at 'Muraki', then at Hisoka. Finally, Tsuzuki managed to get his tongue work.
"Hisoka never lies."
Silence. Tsuzuki swallowed nervously. He looked at 'Tatsumi'. 'Tatsumi' was smirking. He looked at 'Muraki'. 'Muraki' looked sad. Tsuzuki's eyes widened. Smirking 'Tatsumi'. Sad 'Muraki'. Hesitantly, Tsuzuki reached out hesitantly to touch the man in white.
"T-Tatsumi?"
'Muraki' gave a small nod. Tsuzuki trembled. Then he freaked.
"WAAAH!"
Tsuzuki glomped onto Hisoka. The boy-shinigami held his badly shaken partner comfortingly and glared green daggers at the shadow-master and the doctor. One of them looked unhappy. The other smirked, unrepentant.
Oriya, who for once had been keeping quiet, saw the smirk. He glared and stepped forward. Then he whapped 'Tatsumi' on the head with the hilt of his katana. "That's for leaving me with that anal-retentive control-freak for so long!"
Hisoka sighed and let Tsuzuki use his shirt as a tissue.
t.s.u.z.u.k.u.
Behold, the Void + doki3 . net / void /