I See- Chapter 4.

I am sorry about the delay. Now that summer is here, a chapter will be coming once a week. If you have any thoughts, comments, flames, drop a line in your comments or email. Please enjoy-

Dust rose from the floor, clouding around the hunched figure now crumpled on the floor. Tsuzuki felt a rise of panic as he saw the old report laying across from him. Despite the gales of wind and snow fluttering outside the window, sweat broke on the mans forehead. His heart raced as images flew past his eyes, thoughts as real as the report in front of him.

Fluttering butterflies against a red sky, rocks thrown in his direction, a young boy's reflection staring back at him, livid purple eyes filled with tears. Tsuzuki gasped with rising terror, covering his ears against the shout of mocking children, the clink of medical equipment, the sound of his own sobs.

"Stop it...please...stop it" the man whimpered. Tsuzuki opened his eyes. He was no longer in the worn dusty shop. He was in the Summons Department. Now he was in Watari's lab. In front of his favorite bakery. Dancing with his sister. Sitting with Tatsumi. Baking with Wakaba. Squaring off with Terazuma. Hugging Hisoka. Tsuzuki felt himself lifting his arms in an empty hug as he saw the vision in front of him.

The shopkeeper saw himself stepping back slowly. The man crumpled before him seemed to be in a trance. His large violet eyes shimmered with tears, his mouth opening soundlessly, talking to himself. The man lifted his arms, holding an invisible figure, smiling slightly. All the while, tears continued to stream down his face, dropping into the dust underneath him.

The door to the shop slowly creaked open, a draft rushing in from outside. The tall man clad in white stepped in swiftly, closing the door behind him. A stethoscope hung around the man's neck, coat barely damp from the falling snow. Muraki looked down at the motioning, whimpering figure. Muraki's face remained blank, emotionless. He folded his arms across his chest for a moment before kneeling down next to the man.

The shopkeeper gaped. He retreated behind his glass counter again. "Hey, what did you do to 'im?" he asked stupidly, gesturing to Tsuzuki, arms still out in an empty hug. Muraki looked up, eyes blank. "He saw his past." Muraki answered simply. "Such a reaction is expected, of course."

Muraki raised a hand, trailing a long pale finger down Tsuzuki's wet cheeks. Tsuzuki shuddered with the contact, emitting another low wail. His hands clenched into fists before him, clutching the invisible figure he was holding. Muraki frowned slightly. He held Tsuzuki's chin with a hand, forcing Tsuzuki to look in his direction. Tsuzuki's glazed eyes refused to register Muraki's silver ones. Muraki finally released Tsuzuki, allowing the man to fall to the floor completely.

Muraki stood. With a glance to the shopkeeper, Muraki said "Put him outside. And don't repeat what you just saw" With that, the man strode from the store, white coat billowing behind him.

Hisoka sighed impatiently, running his hands though his hair. Tsuzuki left on patrol, leaving him with the paperwork. Hisoka was done fairly quickly, regardless of the buildup. He had no distractions, no enthusiastic voices shouting in his ears, telling him of how good the muffins in the staff room were.

The teenager leaned back on his chair causally, leaning his head back to look at the clock behind him. It was well past nine, and no word from Tsuzuki.

Hisoka straightened up and stood, walking out of the office. No matter how irresponsible that man was, that never happened before. And Tsuzuki was a man of habit.

Hisoka walked briskly down the hall. Many employees left already, their work done. Hisoka knew however that Tatsumi and Watari barely ever went home, regardless of work load.

The boy knocked on the door of Watari's lab. The lab door was painted an assortment of cheerful colors. The sign in front declared "Highly dangerous stuff going on. Only knock if it's lunchtime" Hisoka rolled his eyes. Watari was very intelligent, but him and Tsuzuki were truly two peas in a pod. Shoving their antics in Hokkaido out of his mind, Hisoka folded his arms across his chest, listening to a crash, and a yelp of surpise emitting from inside.

The doorknob turned and a blonde head poked out, soot streaked, eyes filled with excitement. "Hello Bon! Come to see what I was up to?" he asked, door still shielding whatever the lab held inside.

"Erm...Watari-san" Hisoka said lowly and politely. "Tsuzuki has not come back yet. I am wondering if I should pop down to Kyushu and see what's taking him."

Watari held a hand to his chin, thinking. "Hm...well...why don't you come in Bon" Watari swung open the door. Hisoka stepped in to see glittering scientific equipment. However, the lab was a mess. Cartons littered the desk around the computer. 003 perched on top of the monitor, giving a sleepy hoot.

Watari knocked a stack of folders from a stool onto the floor with a flourish. Hisoka perched on top of it, now nearly eye level with the scientist. Watari leaned against a counter, eyes sparkling mischeviously.

"Tsuzuki may be a little busy down in Kyushu, Bon. It's holiday season after all!" Watari absently stroked 003. Looking down at a lab report, Watari squinted, finally removing his glasses to wipe them on his hairbow, cleaning the soot off.

Hisoka shook his head. "No, I don't feel like that is it, Watari-san" His mind barely seemed to register the term "holiday-shopping". It held no signifigance to the boy. Whatever the case, Tsuzuki would have contacted him.

Watari looked up from the glasses in his hand. He perched them back on his nose, thinking. Bon did have a point. Tsuzuki said he would contact him with any present he did get for his partner. Watari received no call from Tsuzuki.

"Well, I see your point" Watari finally said, pushing himself off the counter. "I'll go down with you, and see where Tsuzuki went to" With a final preening to 003, Watari snatched the coat that hung from a chair, and motioned Hisoka out. Locking the door securly behind them, Watari pocketed the keys, steering Hisoka down the hall.

"On we go, Bon!"

The cold was brutal. Hisoka forgot his coat back at the Ministry, but ignored the chill rooting itself quickly in his skin. Watari noticed and offered half of his jacket. Hisoka refused politely, hugging himself, looking at the emptying streets.

"Wow, It's like Hokkaido here..." Watari observed, blonde hair whipping wildly out of its braid that trailed down his back. "I don't remember Kyushu like this. At least not since I last was here in the winter"

Hisoka shook his head with discomfort, but then shoved it down within him. Now was not the time. Now on Earth, he could get a better hold on Tsuzuki. Hisoka swiftly shut his eyes, picking through his connections with others. Watari stood in front of him, protecting him from the people who walked swiftly down the sidewalk.

The boy frowned as he felt Tsuzuki's connection. It was short, an indicator that Tsuzuki was nearby. However, the feeling that came along with it was trembling, unbalanced. Tsuzuki was crying. He was also in fear.

Terror quickly rose up within the boy, nearly swamping him to his knees. An aching, welling feeling tugged at the back of his throat. Loneliness gnawed at his insides. Hisoka felt his limbs begin to shake. Tsuzuki was a wreck.

Hisoka jerked his eyes back open, pulling on Watari's sleeve. "Something's happened" he said shortly. "I can follow him now."

Hisoka trotted quickly through the crowd, Watari close at his heels. Dodging cars at the busy intersection, Hisoka saw the long trail around the park. Large drifts built up along side it. A dark flap snapped in the wind from a large drift.

Tsuzuki! Hisoka shouted to himself. Hisoka ran into the drift, quickly dropping to his knees next to the figure. Watari knelt down next to him, face alarmed. "Bon, well done" was all Watari said as he quickly dug out the snow around Tsuzuki. Hisoka helped, feeling another wave of panic eminated. His hands quivered with Tsuzuki's fear and emotion as he struggled lifting Tsuzuki from the snow onto his lap.

Tsuzuki's eyes were shut. Icy trails slid down his face, as his teeth chattered inbetween silent sobs. He hugged himself inside his large coat, knees brought up to his chest. Hisoka bit a lip, pushing Tsuzuki's hair from his eyes.

Watari layed a hand on Hisoka's shoulder. "He'll be okay" Watari said calmly. His eyes however shone with concern and slight anger. "We'll take him back now, and I'll look at him" Hisoka nodded, bringing Tsuzuki's head to his chest in an effort to keep him warm.

"How could this happen?" Tatsumi demanded angrily. He strode outside the Ministry's hospital door, hands clenched.

Watari and Hisoka stood before him, throwing worried looks toward the door, where Tsuzuki lay inside.

Tatsumi leaned against the door, and pushed his glasses up his nose wearily. "I want to find out what happened, and by whom" the secretary said fiercly. "Tsuzuki is not weak by a long shot. This was obviously a direct attempt to hurt him"

Hisoka looked up at this. Instinctively, he rubbed his arms, visually feeling the red scars that ran up his arms. "Muraki" he whispered simply.

Watari looked down, surprised. "Bon?" he asked.

Hisoka looked at Tatsumi. "Before Muraki, how many other people made specific attempts to hurt him?"

Tatsumi looked down, wearily rubbing his temples. "You're right, Kurosaki-kun" he mumbled. "I will contact Konoe right now and get current information on that doctor. Try to talk to him. I'll see him when I return"

Without another word, Tatsumi strode off, adjusting his glasses nervously.

Hisoka frowned, still rubbing his arms. Watari gave him a nudge. "Go on" Watari said kindly. "Go see him first. Take your time, I'll go after, okay?" Hisoka nodded a greatful thank you, and pushed the door open.

Tsuzuki lay underneath the covers, hugging himself around the knees. The nurse who helped in the wing strode over to Hisoka. "He is responsive now" she said lowly. "Be careful what you say though. Nothing too worrisome" She briskly turned around again, placing more tea by Tsuzuki's bed side, rearranging his pillows. Tsuzuki looked at her absently, as if wondering what she was doing. With a nod to Hisoka, she walked to the office in the back.

Hisoka walked quietly to Tsuzuki's bed, pulling up a chair beside him. Pushing hair out of Tsuzuki's eyes he asked quietly, "Hey, how are you doing?"

Tsuzuki looked at Hisoka with wide eyes. A sense of wonder, so it seemed. He lifted his chin out from the blankets. "W-why didn't you hug me back, Hisoka?" he asked quietly. His eyes shimmered.

Hisoka was taken aback. "Tsuzuki...you did not hug me...you went to go shopping and I found you." He frowned, laying a hand on Tsuzuki's forehead.

Tsuzuki pushed himself up higher. "I was sure I hugged you Hisoka. You were right there!" he said quietly, wearily.

Hisoka shook his head, leaning forward on his chair. "I don't remember, Tsuzuki. If you hugged me, I would have hugged back" he replied, hoping for a smile.

It came slowly. A shadow of a smile. "I hugged you, I felt better" he said, child-like. "Things happened to me, that scared me. I saw the butterflies, and the hospital walls. I wasn't here!"

Hisoka frowned. Hospital walls? His past. Hisoka thought to himself. He saw his past. What caused him to see his past so vividly?

"You were always here, Tsuzuki" Hisoka said, trying to sound comforting. "You aren't going anywhere. Relax, and then when you feel better, I'll take you somewhere to eat."

Tsuzuki lifted his arms in response. Hisoka looked down at the arms, then the sad, pleading face that went with them. With a small smile, Hisoka sat on the bed, and wrapped his arms around Tsuzuki's neck.

Tsuzuki smiled, blinking and a tear rolled down his cheek to meet Hisoka's face. He hugged tightly, feeling the warmth of another body. This was unlike the last hug he had with Hisoka in the hut. He felt Hisoka this time, and warmth rose from his stomach, enveloping him.