Chapter 3: The Monster Within

"Can you feel it crush you? Does it seem to bring the worst in you out? There's no running away from these things that hold you down. Do they seem to complicate you because they make you feel like this? Of all the colors that you've shine, this is surely not your best."

Colors; Crossfade

Tsuzuki sat on the bed, staring into the darkness in front of him. The moonlight cascaded down through the open window and struck his pale face. He rubbed his forehead like he always did when he was frustrated.

Lucifer . . . what are you doing back? Revenge?

He considered the thought but then shook his head. Lucifer was not one to consider killing. But he was kicked out for his brutal actions of torture before a kill. A rule of the Ministry was that a Shinigami would give the humans a quick and painless death if needed. Lucifer on the other hand, decided against this foolish rule.

Tsuzuki closed his eyes to block out his thoughts.

Your soul is mine . . .

Surrender it to me . . .

That awful voice returned and filled his mind in the worst ways possible. It tortured and burned his head mind. Just like Lucifer would torture and burn humans . . .

You belong to me . . .

MINE!

"Go away!" he cried and tossed in the bed. He clenched and wrinkled the white sheets in his fists. "Just leave me be . . . " he gave out a small whimper. He held his head in his hands. The voice just laughed as he continued to throw his body about the sheets in the most agonizing way.

Back at the Bureau, they were having their own problems . . .

"What?" Chief Konoe shouted. He slammed his fist down on the table causing the mountain of papers to fall off the table and come tumbling down into a million pieces.

"We've been hearing a tune called: 'A Night on Bald Mountain' being played down in the Lost and Found Item's Department . . . " Tatsumi said to him. He looked like he had been running by the way he was huffing and puffing out air.

"Then get down there and check it out, dammit!" he yelled in his face and pointed his index finger to the open door.

Tatsumi bowed and started back out the door. When he got closer and closer to the Lost and Found Item's Department, the beautiful yet frightening song grew louder and louder. He opened the door and stepped in. The violin was up in midair playing all by itself.

"Show yourself." The Chief's assistant called to the invisible violinist. He pulled out a paper fuda charm and tossed it forward. It caught in the air and small lightening shocks suddenly burst in and out of it. A dark voice chanted a few words and the fuda fell back to the ground. It crumbled and burned into ash.

"So you caught me . . . " as the form came out of its hiding place in the darkness, the moonlight struck the body. Long blond hair sprayed out in front of the form that was clothed in a snow-white toga. Glistening golden eyes appeared out of the sun yellow locks. Out of the man's back came the wings of an angel. But this was no angel. This was a devil.

Tatsumi gasped knowing this fiendish devil without a doubt. "Lucifer!" beads of sweat coated his forehead in a thick layer. He stepped back just slightly to keep himself from falling over.

"How have you been, Tatsumi?" he slowly started to advance toward him. Once he had him up to the wall, he pressed his body close.

"Never been better since you've been gone." Tatsumi spat honestly. He wiggled in Lucifer's grip but it was no use. The angel was too strong for him to fight against.

"Oh, how rude." The Angel said in a disgusted tone. He moved to take off Tatsumi's glasses. The glasses carelessly slipped from the smooth fingers. He picked up his barefoot and slammed it down on them. The glass shattered into a billion pieces under his feet. Blood dripped from the sole of his foot, but he didn't seem to mind. "I missed you and the Bureau dearly . . . but I haven't forgotten what you did to me . . . locked me in that godforsaken violin."

"You deserved it." He squinted his eyes and tried to pick out where Lucifer was through the blur in front of him. "Every bit of it. You deserved to rot in your own little Hell that you created."

"Now, now . . . " he tapped his nose then ran his finger up the arch and to his forehead. "You aren't in the position to say things like that." A demonic chuckle escaped the soft angelic lips. "Tell me where I can find Tsuzuki."

"May you suffer an eternity in damned nation." Tatsumi continued to spit out threats just as easily as keeping calm.

A frown formed on Lucifer's lips, but then the little grin returned to them just as soon as he had lost it. "I guess I'll just have to read your mind . . . " he closed his sparkling golden eyes and pushed his fingers deeper into the skin on his forehead. "Kyushu Sector, eh?"

"No!" he struggled harder now. He felt his body fall to the floor for unknown reasons and Lucifer's body warmth disappear in the darkness. Only a white feather remained where Lucifer stood. It fluttered into Tatsumi's lap and laid perfectly in it. Lucifer left leaving that one feather and saying, "May you suffer an eternity in your own damned nation, along with the entire Bureau. Send my greetings to the Chief."

Tsuzuki had found a way to block out all the laughing and other sounds away from his mind. He had passed out on the bed just a few minutes past midnight. His body was completely laid out upon the bed. The covers went around his waist and covered only one leg. He had left the window open so that the cool breeze would come in and keep his body just at the right temperature.

Out of no where, a loud thump filled the room. Tsuzuki felt himself being pulled from his sleep, but he did not move an inch. Until he felt a light hand on his shoulder. He jumped a little then eased up.

"Tsuzuki . . . " that voice called to him. But he had blocked it out from his mind! Where could it possibly be coming from? The Guardian of Death shrugged the hand from his shoulder. He thought that it was Hisoka's or Hijiri's hand.

"Go away." He demanded. He was tired and managed to get to sleep once and didn't want to try again. Doing a simple task such as that was a little difficult to him now with that voice stalking his mind.

"Now, Tsuzuki. Don't you want to see your old partner and how he's doing?" the voice returned with those words. The hand had been withdrawn from the bedside and back to wherever it had belonged to at the start.

Now, Tsuzuki was interested. Maybe this really was his partner and not the voice. "Lucifer . . . ?" he asked. His eyes jerked open just as fast as he turned over in excitement. There, in front of his bedside, was his old partner. He had to reach over and touch him to make sure he wasn't dreaming or just imagining him up as a wild fantasy.

"Hello, Tsuzuki." He smiled down at him. He took Tsuzuki's hand as it reached out for him. The angel kissed the back of it lovingly. "You know, an angel kiss leads to a freckle." He smiled sweetly and allowed his gaze from the palm to Tsuzuki's eyes.

"That may be true if you were an angel." Tsuzuki returned the smile with one of his own.

"If I was?" he chuckled and crawled his way into the Shinigami's bed. He laid next to him and snuggled into the sheets that smelt strongly of his old partner. "I think I am."

"You're neither angel nor demon. So I don't think kisses will work for you." He sat up in the bed and looked down at him. "How did you get back here?"

"Simple," one golden eye peeked over the sheets as he spoke. "The violin sucks souls as the possessor plays. You know that. With enough soul energy, I restored my own soul using the soul power of those human fools."

"Oh?" he said with an interested look. "Now here's the real question," he moved around in the bed so that his face was close to Lucifer's. "Why have you come back?" his voice was calm and barely a whisper.

"Well . . . " Lucifer turned to Tsuzuki and made one of his wings wrap about him. It forced his body down to the bed and pulled him close. Lucifer knew every place where their bodies touched. "I want you to join me . . . turn against the Bureau." His voice was tempting and smooth. A hand reached up to Tsuzuki's face and ran its fingers gently down his frustrated expressions. Two fingers massaged his temples right after that. Lucifer was determined to get what he wanted. Determined to get Tsuzuki.

You belong to me . . .

"No . . . " Tsuzuki shook his head. Sweat began to build up around his forehead. He started to pant and his body became more heated. He had no idea how Lucifer could possibly be doing this to him. He felt warm and almost tempting puffs of air being blown into his ear.

"Mine . . . " the angel said in a tempting manor. His elongated fangs found their way to Tsuzuki's neck. He scraped the tips of them along the smooth surface of his fragile skin.

"Tsuzuki!" someone called behind the door. Before the two long lost partners knew it, the door flung open. Hisoka was the cause of it. The site of the angel and killer on his partner made him gasp. "Lucifer!"

Lucifer's head quickly snapped to look to the intruder. He snarled at him and pulled back but refused to get off of him. "Leave us be!" his eyes flashed dangerously as he spoke. Not a second later, Hisoka had been sent flying back into the wall. The door slammed close and locked tightly behind him.

"Now, my dear Tsuzuki . . . " he moved his lips to Tsuzuki's and kissed his chapped lips lightly with his smooth ones. "My moonlight is running thin. I must take my leave." It took everything in him just to pull himself off of the Shinigami. He looked back at him. His eyes locked onto the beautiful Guardian. Tsuzuki's pale skin seemed to glow with the moon light casting down in the room. His agonizing expression was hard to turn away from. The luscious velvet irises gleamed in the most violent of ways. "I missed those eyes. They're the eyes of a killer, you know?" he spread out his giant bird-like wings. A few of the fluffy, ivory feathers fluttered about the room. "I want you to make your decision by the next time I stop by." He bounded up onto the window rail. Right before he took flight, he blew Tsuzuki a butterfly kiss. Within seconds, Lucifer was out of site and into the darkness.

Tsuzuki kept quite for a long moment after the angel had left. "Lucifer . . . " was the first word that broke the silence into more than a million pieces.