Chikai
Part One
"---'O that infected moisture of his eye
O that false fire which his cheek so glowed
O that forced thunder from his heart did fly,
O that sad breath his spongy lungs bestowed,
O all that borrowed motion seeming owed
Would yet again betray the fore-betrayed,
And new pervert a reconcilèd maid.'"
Thud.
And the book closed to a shut.
Silence was once again, the ruler of the empty library. Well, not entirely empty, what with the books and the files the Gushoushins kept orderly and neatly stacked in bookcases, and the seeminlgy exhausted somebody who was still sitting underneath a sun-basked window, letting the wind blow through his equally bleached hair, and the eternal spring that was encased in a rough sketch of lush lashes was once again torn away from the view the window provided. His haughty attitude still active, he remembered that he was not finished berating this particular brunnette who could never contain his silence---and the budget to a minimum---and he was thinking of a new string of rebuttals when he finally glanced at the dazzling trees that never ceased to flower.
Meifu.
The beauty it held was. . .timeless, for want of a better word.
"If only I was born later," The exhausted youth whispered to himself, as he fiddled with the small paperback copy he found on one of the reading tables. "Then I might be able to find a good use with this." He stared pointedly at the woman on the cover, with the big hair and the big collar, which the women in the 1600s sported, in Europe, that is.
SHAKESPEARE'S SONNETS
Who left an English book there? He really wasn't surprised that their library had English books, and Amercan books, but to find a book of poems that talked about how a certan poet's friend failed and achieved love was rare.
"There you are!"
The youth jumped up from his seat and was about to pounce on the said intruder since his brain was flashing, BEWARE, in neon red, and as soon as he saw that it was only Terazuma who had opened the door and disturbed his dark musings, he calmed down and the lights were green again.
"Kachou's looking for you, and I don't think he's pleased."
Well, Hisoka thought, it comes with the job. His partner was in trouble, as he had presumed at the start of their case yesterday, which they had only finished today, and he was the one who has to explain again. . .as usual. . .like always. . .
"Alright," He grunted and he absentmindedly tucked the paperback copy in his denim jacket as he walked his way to the door. Terazuma shuffled his way ahead of Hisoka; the dark cloud above the boy's head was getting ominously bigger and bigger by the moment.
"I can't believe this," His hand shot up to his temples as he leaned his elbow on the desk for support. His other hand was clutching a thirty-page report of the case he handed to his supposedly-best-in-the-division Shinigami yesterday, and by the looks of it. . .he was ready to chew off Tsuzuki's head--even if he was supposedly the best.
There was a knock on the door and he looked up, in time to see Kurosaki Hisoka's head pop in from behind the door. He was looking as vacuous as always, and he would have looked like a walking doll if his eyes didn't have that certain light in them.
"Sir?"
Konoe gave a sigh, and motioned for Kurosaki to come in.
"Is this about Tsuzuki again?" He asked as he approached the table.
"As a matter of fact, yes," Konoe said. He settled the papers in front of him, and pushed them towards Kurosaki to read. "Your. . .uh. . .report, is rather. . ." He fumbled for a word, and when he couldn't find any, Kurosaki supplied him with the word he really meant to say.
"Infuriating?" Kuroskai tilted his head a little to his left as he picked up the papers from the desk.
"Well, yes," Konoe said. He swung his chair and stood up. "Anyone would be if one of his Shinigami blows up five buildings, In two weeks! I don't care if they're small, but Tsuzuki's getting way out of hand!" He finally said. He walked his way to the window and let out another sigh.
Why does Hisoka put up with this?
"Why do I put up with this?" Hisoka mumbled under his breath and cleared his throat. "Kachou, I am truly sorry, but I do, we do try not to," Your partner's fault is your fault too, Tatsumi would always say, and Hisoka had no choice but to face Kachou for Tsuzuki. Besides, Tsuzuki always disappears nowadays after a case. It should strike Hisoka that this was beginning to be a bit odd, but he brushed the thought once again as he spoke.
"I'm sure that the budget---"
"Is shot down and we are currenly suffering problems, serious financial problems, actually, due to his lack of concern on this issue. Word has been sent to us that EnmaDaiOh himself will be giving us a warning, today, if not tomorrow, and he will see us in a meeting." Konoe turned around and looked at Kurosaki. "I'm not blaming you for these, Kurosaki, but partly it is your duty to keep him from doing so."
"But he doesn't listen to me anyway!" Hisoka finally burst out. "Have you noticed him nowadays?! He doesn't even want to look at me! He doesn't even interact with me! And I don't have a clue why! All he does is take the case, ignore me, and then go to that stupid, crappy, good-for-nothing bars down in Chijou, for heaven's sake!" Hisoka half-screamed, his hands flailing at his sides, as if doing so would get some of the images he saw from last week when he tried to trace Tsuzuki with his empathy, back to show Kachou his point. He was about to add that he was having hook-ups lately and that he was extremely beyond himself as he saw how those sluts wrapped their arms around him and how they smiled and kissed and could his brain stop thinking about it to save himself from a heart attack he might die from---again? He could feel a nerve throbbing with anger and he restrained hismelf from grabbing Kachou by the shoulders and shake the facts, the real facts into his brain.
Konoe just looked at him with a disbelieveing stare and shook his head.
"I-I-I'm sorry, Kachou," Hisoka bent his head and suddenly, his shoes were so interesting to look at. He stuck his hands in his jean pockets and apologised again. His shoes has some blood stains here and there, he noticed, and he might have a hard time taking that out with soap and water. His sneakers were, after all, white---a Christmas gift (but it feels like guilt gift) from Mr. Tsuzuki Asato last year, since he accidentally threw out Hisoka's old ones, with the thought that the boy wouldn't miss them since they were old.
"It's alright, Kurosaki-kun. . .You didn't need to tell me," Konoe gazed outsidse the window once again, and watched as the sakura trees showered a certain entity, casting a lone shadow on the bridge from where he stood, with its petals and glanced at Kurosaki for a while.
"I know." Konoe said.
"What do you mean---?" Hisoka trailed off. He wasn't quite sure he was following Kachou's words. He tore his eyes away from his sneakers, and placed them on Kachou, confusion clear in them.
"Your'e not the only one who noticed, Kurosaki-kun," And for a while, Kachou's years looked as if they were showing through, and he looked old---very old, indeed. And once again, he gazed outside and watched as the entity fell on the ground, its shoulders shaking ever so slightly, and the ebony coat flaring slightly in the wind.
to be continued. . .
Chikai
(Close)
by Aki Konoe
Plotmaster/s: Aki Konoe
Beta-master/s: Aki Konoe
Disclaimer/s: I own nothing---even my life.
Author's Note/s: I intended it to be a one-shot, short and dark. (Sorry, I don't really write happy stories and happy-endings.)
I failed.
I think it was the Pringles I was eating. . . or the Rice Krispies. . .or the choclate syrup. . .or the Honey, Oats, and Cereal. . .or. . .or . . .Utada Hikaru's song ( I forgot the title) for Kingdom Hearts playing at the back of my head even though my CD player was playing Switchfoot that night. . .
Anyways, I might just get to the point of my story. . .but for now, I won't say anything else but 'Please don't kill me'.
Reviews please! It'll make me happy.