Tsuzuki had left the room again after urging Hisoka to sleep. The boy, instead, lay on his bed and looked around frantically. He had chosen to wear his normal clothes as opposed to hid bed attire. He knew he had to be prepared to face Muraki, who would, no doubt, come again to possess him. The whole room was quiet but Hisoka's breathing. He waited up for almost half an hour before his eyelids became heavy and for his body to relax. Without realizing it, he had fallen into a deep sleep. Tsuzuki, watching from the doorway, smiled and slowly closed the door, leaving the child alone in the darkened room. As the door clicked shut, a dark shadow moved from the window and edged towards the bed where the sleeping form lay quiet and still.

The shadowy figure smiled a devilish grin as he leaned down towards the boy's face. Hisoka's expression became distorted and twisted in displeasure and almost pain.

"You can't fight me, my precious little doll… You will do exactly as I say."

"N-no…"

"Mm… Time for you to relive that lovely day… under the cherry tree…"

As Muraki was about to touch him, Hisoka's necklace shone and Muraki stepped back as Hisoka's eyes quickly opened. The boy slid off the bed and ran across the room to his dresser where the light switch was and clicked it on. Muraki was right by his bed, smiling at him.

"Well, well. What a unique little good luck chard you have there, boy. But, I'm afraid it wont save you from me!"

"It IS you! Muraki!"

"Why, of course. Who else could it have been? Why else but me is… so devious?"

Muraki laughed and took a step closer. Hisoka panicked and grabbed the closest heavy item, which was a vase he had made months before. Pottery was something he had become interested in. Muraki only chuckled and stepped even closer.

"Don't come any closer, Muraki!"

"Ooh… I'm so scared… Grow up, boy! Do you really think you can stop me with such a trivial item?"

"I'll do it! you're just a mortal, and it will hurt you!"

Muraki was only a few feet from him and he extended his hand to the frightened boy.

"Only a mortal? My, my… I believe I've evolved into something a little more frightening, haven't I?"
"You're right… you have changed… you're not just a mortal anymore… You're the DEVIL!"

Hisoka threw the vase and it exploded into a million pieces in Muraki's face. Hisoka tried to move towards the door, but he tripped on something and landed hard against the corner edge of the trunk at the end of his bed. It hit him square in the chest and he gasped as the air was forced from his lungs. He struggled to regain his composure and took in deep breaths as he held onto the trunk, trying to stand. In his mind, he yelled out to his partner, but he received no response. He looked up as Muraki started to move towards him again, slowly. Hisoka knew he had to try to stall for time.

"W-why are you doing this!"

"Why not? It seemed like a lot of fun at the time!"

"At the time…?"

"Yes. I loved teasing you… I would sneak inside your room every night and I would repeat the same movements that I had done to you that night… at the end, a small bite on the neck would activate a new curse which would send you out on a hunt for fresh blood… It's not nearly as strong as the curse that killed you, but it was enough to get the ministry's, and my dear Mr. Tsuzuki's attention, now, wasn't it?"

"Y-you did this for Tsuzuki…? Then why drag me into this! Why did you come back and…"

"Only for attention. Oh, but what a shame…"

Muraki pulled out a knife from his coat.

"Because you woke up before I could activate the curse, I guess you will have to be fully awake… as I consume your body one again!"

Then, Muraki lunged at him and sliced the boy's shirt up the middle, cutting the shirt and the boy's chest open at where the buttons were. Hisoka gasped and spit blood as he stumbled around, trying to catch his bearings. That's when Muraki tackled him onto the bed, and used a spell to bind his arms to the bed frame. Hisoka squirmed and yelled out as his wound healed and as the stronger man pinned him down. Muraki made several smaller cuts over his chest, causing the boy to whimper slightly. Then, he pulled the shirt up so it was only hanging on his arms and then stared at the necklace. He started to remove it, until he decided to leave it there. He thought it complimented the boy's pale skin, and started to cut Hisoka's chest lower and lower, until he found the boy's beltline. Muraki abandoned his knife, sticking it into the bed too close to Hisoka's side, cutting him, and he began to fumble with the boy's belt. Hisoka was bleeding and he arched his back, hoping to get the man off of, him, but Muraki slapped his face numerous times, leaving several bruises and a bloody lip and left eye. By the time he was done, the boy has silenced, mostly, and only whimpered quietly as he lie there bruised and bleeding. Muraki made a noise of delight as he managed to get it undone, and pulled it all the way out. He leaned foreward and looped the belt around the boy's neck. He didn't receive any reaction until he pulled tightly on it. The boy gagged and tried to take in a breath of air, but was not allowed.

"How wonderful… what a pleasure to kill a guardian of death in such a brutal manner… I will be sure to take good care of your partner for you…! Now, have you got any last words?"

"T-Tsuzu…ki…"

Just then, the door burst open and Tsuzuki ran in, a fuda in hand. He prepared a spell that pushed Muraki off of Hisoka and back into a wall, denting it. Muraki seemed to be out for the count, and so Tsuzuki went to Hisoka. He broke the binds and removed the belt and set the boy in his lap, holding his head up. He wasn't breathing, just barely. Tsuzuki shook the boy and put a hand on his chest, and forced it down, causing the boy to take in a deep breath. Hisoka coughed and lie weakly in Tsuzuki's arms.

"Oh good! I was afraid I had come to late!"

"Y-you… you idiot…! What… took you so…damn long!"

"I couldn't give away my position until just now…But now, we know how he was controlling you… we'll go to Watari first thing and remove the curse."

"Ha…hahaha…! Do you think it's that easy to kill me!"

Tsuzuki glared daggers at Muraki as the man rose to his feet.

"This is not the end for us, Mr. Tsuzuki! I will return!"

Then, Muraki jumped out the window through the glass. Tsuzuki went to the window, but Muraki had already disappeared.

"Tsuzuki…"

The brunette went to the bed and held his weak partner's hand. He spoke softly and smiled.

"What is it…?"

"…Thank you…"