Disclaimer: I do not own Yami no Matsuei or it's character's in any way, shape, or form (but I wish I did!) I do however, own my own characters, so no stealing! Or face the wrath of Hisoka-chan!
Hisoka: Haven't you learned your lesson yet?
theCatandtheCow: Ah ha ha heh heh...
Chapter 2: A rose in bloom
It was always dark. That was probably one of the reasons she had gone out again that night, this time she had no intention of returning to that damned place they called a home. More like hell… she thought bitterly, shivering in the cold wind. Though, I'm not doing so well out here either. But anything was better than her room, even the chill of the snowy night.
Yet, it was still dark. Darkness frightened her to no extent. It let the shadows consume her and mock her, the fears that she kept hidden surfaced and tried to catch her and bring her down with them. They were always there, ever since that doctor… Her body tensed, that doctor.
He had ruined her life, and for that she would eternally loathe him. Sure, her parents had adored him, but she had seen right through his act. The demon disguised as an angel clothed in white. If she hadn't seen that eye, then maybe she wouldn't have hated and feared him so, but the inhuman orb that dwelled there was fixated on her. It held a secret and laughed at her for not knowing. Even when she had been a child of five years old, she had already begun her plans to get rid of the demon doctor. It was as if he read her mind. No matter what she did, he always bounced back, laughing at her trivial attempts to free herself from him.
Now, I'm eternally linked to him, trapped in his grasp and I can never escape. Damn him. Damn that doctor Muraki!
"You can run, my precious doll, but you cannot hide… not from me. But perhaps," a sinister grin graced the deathly pale lips of a menacing man, "I'll let you have a little fun first. You would like that, wouldn't you my doll?"
Turning away from his previous observation, the man began his slow pace and directed his attention toward the clouded sky that cried frozen, white tears. Landing upon his face, the snowflake melted quickly when connecting with his body heat. Another dead… the smirk had yet to leave his lips. His unnatural blue eye glinting mischievously while his slit-like gray eye remained unemotional. He seemed to be searching for something, but the sky provided no answers for him. His interest in it slipped fairly quickly.
"Will this get your attention, my dear Tsuzuki-san?" he crooned sarcastically, "I'll be waiting for you. Find me quickly. Or I'll be forced to take extreme measures… you wouldn't want that now, would you?"
With a flick of his pristine coat, the doctor known as Kazutaka Muraki continued on his path. His destination already in mind.
"A series of murders have occurred in Kanagawa, not normally your district, I know, but Wakaba-chan and Terazuma-san are the only others available besides you two and they just got back from a case two hours ago. They need to rest and recuperate, so it's up to you two to get down there and collect those lost souls, perhaps you could stop the serial killer as well?" Konoe eyed the two shinigami before him carefully, then turned his attention to his secretary, "Tatsumi-san. Will you please brief them of the case?"
The secretary nodded, "Of course, kachou. Now, Tsuzuki-san and Kurosaki-kun, the victims of the murders were all killed in the same fashion. Slashes on their necks resembling crosses and on their lower backs of pentagrams. Quite grotesque and this is how they've lost all their blood. Their eyes have also been gouged out and their tongues cut off. All the murders took place ten hours within the last, this has been going on for three days. So there have been seven victims so far. Each victim was found outside of their house, the first four found near the local cathedral and the last three near the graveyard. All between the ages of ten and twenty. Their souls have yet to return. You are to investigate this, retrieving the souls and preventing anymore murders. Understood?"
"Yes, Tatsumi-san." Hisoka replied, feeling uncertainty grow in the pit of his stomach. This seemed like a particularly difficult case, it would be hard to get back into the swing of field work, but it was better than doing paperwork right? Right?
Tsuzuki however, had other ideas, "Awww! But kachou! Tatsumi! This looks so hard! Can't we have an easier case first? Please?"
"Tsuzuki-san, if we could, we'd send someone else," Konoe sighed, "But we need this case solved immediately and you two are the only ones available. I'm very sorry, but work is work."
"I know…" the violet-eyed man pouted, then glanced down at his younger partner who was pretending to be extremely interested in the files on the case.
Tatsumi pinched the bridge of his nose, "Well, you two are to set off immediately. Reservations have already been made for you at a hotel since we believe this should take some time. No more than a few days though, understood?"
"Understood, Tatsumi-san." Hisoka nodded, "C'mon Tsuzuki." He turned around and began dragging his partner out the door with him.
"Kurosaki-kun. Wait, a word please." Tatsumi called after the boy, "Tsuzuki-san, you may go on ahead. I need to speak with Kurosaki-kun privately."
Tsuzuki tilted his head to the side, looking thoroughly confused. Hisoka nearly mirrored that image, but he complied and walked back over to the secretary. He sent one last look at his partner, who nodded and began walking down the hall again. Despite him trusting Tatsumi dearly, Tsuzuki couldn't help but worry about the boy and wondering why he wasn't able to listen in. What could they possibly have to tell Hisoka that I can't hear? He pouted, I am his partner after all.
Tsuzuki resolved to pester Hisoka about it when he joined him later on. It shouldn't take too long, so he'd just wait for him in the break room while enjoying some of Wakaba's homemade sweets. He chirped happily and bounced off towards the sugary goodness that awaited him.
"Kurosaki-kun, don't look so nervous, it'll only be a minute. You're not in trouble." Tatsumi was amused by the uncomfortable look Hisoka took on once Tsuzuki had left. He really doesn't like being without him… Tatsumi thought to himself, observing the boy.
Hisoka met his gaze evenly, "What is it Tatsumi-san?"
"Well, I suppose you are aware of our concern with sending you and Tsuzuki-san on this case. We just want to make sure you're clear on some subjects." he paused, pushing up his glasses, "While on this case… please make sure that you keep a close eye on Tsuzuki-san. What happened in Kyoto hasn't blown over yet, even the slightest of incidents could set him off. So stay close to him, alright?"
"I-I understand… Tatsumi-san…" Hisoka averted his gaze, waiting for a reply. When he was dismissed with a pat on the shoulder, he quickly turned and headed in the direction he'd seen Tsuzuki leave in.
Tatsumi watched him sadly, he knew that both Tsuzuki and Hisoka were not in the best emotional states. He'd rather have them continue to rest, but regulations called that shinigami must be on call at all times. There would be no exception. However, Tatsumi doubted that with Hisoka around the violet-eyed man wouldn't try to erase his existence. The boy had a strong hold on him, which could be both a good and bad thing…
Sighing in resignation, the secretary turned his back on Hisoka's retreating form and walked back to his office. Although he doubted he'd get any work done…
Tsuzuki was close to inhaling the plate of baked goodies set out on the plate. Danishes, muffins, doughnuts, and cream puffs, all extremely delicious in their own fluffy way. It was pure bliss for the purple-eyed puppy. Such sweet goodness! You'll soon be mine! He nearly leapt with joy at the sight of no one else around his precious sweets.
He took a bite of a cream puff and nearly melted with satisfaction. It was gone in about 1.345624 seconds. Moving on the chocolate frosted doughnut, Tsuzuki nearly swallowed that one whole. Despite his happy appearance, his thoughts were no where near that emotion. Why? Why another serial murder case so soon? What if it's Muraki? What if I let someone down and they die? I couldn't bear it if any more lives were lost on my account. And what about Hisoka? What will this case do to him? His empathy will probably act up, no doubt. I'll have to keep my emotions from him, even if it pisses him off when I do. It's all for the best though.
He sighed, mid-way through a third doughnut, and was suddenly startled out of his thoughts by a cheerful, plump owl that hooted up at him. It was 003, Watari's owl. As if on cue, the genki scientist popped out from around the corner and pounced on Tsuzuki. He was beaming and 003 quickly picked up on her master's happiness and began to fly around in circles, hooting excitedly.
"Watari? What the-" Tsuzuki started, his mouth full of doughnut and chocolate.
The blonde cut him off quickly, "Tsuzuki! Just the man I wanted to see! Listen, I need a favor…"
Warning bells went off in the man's head, when Watari needed favors… it either involved him drinking a sex-changing potion that didn't work or asking Tatsumi for a raise. Both always ended with disastrous results. "Wh-what do you need Watari?"
"I need you to try my new experiment!" Watari thrust a beaker filled with a pink liquid into his face, "My sex-changing potion! I am seventy-seven percent sure that it will work this time! So go ahead big boy! Drink it aaaaallll up!"
Tsuzuki began to panic, "S-seventy-seven? What about the other thirty-three percent!"
"Oh, well… that doesn't matter! C'mon! Please? I'll give you free sweets for two months!" Watari was practically, no scratch that, he was begging, "Three months? Four? Please Tsu! I'm desperate!"
"I can see that." Tsuzuki shook his head, "But I'm sorry, Watari. I'm not gonna be your guinea pig again. End of discussion."
The scientist perked up slightly with a new idea, "Then, I guess you wouldn't mind if I slipped some of this into Bon's coffee… would you?"
"Aw! Come on Watari! Leave Hisoka out of this," his face fell, pouting with his traditional inu look.
"Then drink it!" Watari cackled like the mad scientist he was, causing Tsuzuki to yelp in alarm and turn and run smack into someone.
"Baka! What do you think you're doing!" Hisoka scowled and glared at his partner who was now on the floor, but still in chibi-inu form.
Tsuzuki leapt up and cowered behind Hisoka, "Eeeeeep! Please Hisoka! Save meee!"
The empath rolled his eyes and sighed, but gave in to the supposedly 'older' man and looked Watari straight in the eye. "Sorry Watari-san. Tsuzuki and I have to go on a case, we're leaving right now. He doesn't have time to try your potion. Go test it on Tatsumi-san or something."
Watari frowned, then brightened at the thought of Tatsumi as his test subject, "Ooooh! Tatsumi-chan would make a pretty girl! Thanks bon! See you two later, have fun!"
The genki scientist scampered off in hot pursuit of the secretary. Hisoka shook his head and turned to face Tsuzuki, then realized that the man had not yet let go of him. The happy inu was wagging furiously and beaming up at Hisoka, all while clutching his waist. Hisoka blushed at the close contact, but it only served to have Tsuzuki cling even more tightly.
"Yay!" he chirped, "Sankyuu 'Soka-chan! You saved me! Thank you!"
Hisoka pried him off, "Baka! Let go of me! And don't call me 'Soka-chan!"
"Whatever you say, 'Soka."
The boy blinked up in a stupor as his partner resumed his normal appearance and smiled warmly at him. In his amethyst eyes, a little secret shone. He ruffled his partner's hair and then headed off down the hall. He paused, only to turn and call back to the blushing empath.
"C'mon 'Soka, we should get a move on! This case won't solve itself, you know." Tsuzuki pointed out, watching with much amusement as Hisoka warily approached him, the blush still staining his pale cheeks.
TBC...
Thank you my beloved reviewers! You all get cookies!
1. Kyreewolf: Thank you! You're so kind, and my first reviewer for this story! I do try to keep an eye on my grammar and spelling, though I sometimes slip up -sweatdrops- Oh well. Thanks again!
2. Daily: Thanks for the review! And that's a good idea. I'll post a little summary of what happened in Kyoto right below this. I appreciate the suggestion!
3. lunarkitty14: Yeah, I'm continuing it! It will be long though, -hopefully- Sure, I'll read some of your stories. Thanks for reviweing!
4. Rev: Thank you, I'll be posting new chapters ASAP.
5. jaderoseangel: Thank you for reading and more will be coming soon!
Okay! I was asked in one of my reviews to place a summary of the Kyoto arc somewhere to explain the story line a little bit better. So, I hope it helps some of you. I'm sorry if my summary isn't very good! Please don't hurt me! Heh, just kidding. Enjoy the summary of the Kyoto Arc!
The Kyoto Arc- according to the show
A string of serial murders occur in Kyoto, the similarities in the women being murdered is that hanks of their hair have been cut off. Watari is called to the case, but asks Tsuzuki and Hisoka to accompany him. The reason is that strands of platinum blonde hair streaked with silver were found at the scene of the crime. The same hair color of Muraki. Despite their uneasiness, Tsuzuki and Hisoka agree to go along and meet up with the doctor. He asks Tsuzuki to go back with him to where he's staying, a friend's brothel, and Tsuzuki goes but only for answers to his questions about the murders. Instead, Muraki brings up the subject of why Tsuzuki wears a watch on his right wrist. It's to hide the scars from slitting his wrists over and over...
Tsuzuki got no answers and Hisoka gets worried when Tsuzuki starts acting different. He then gets angry and frustrated when Tsuzuki doesn't trust him to tell him what's wrong. Watari then pops up and they all go to the university that the scientist got a lead from. Every month Muraki visits his old college professor Satomi at the university. The professor is known for his human cloning experiments, which are illegal, and make him very suspicious. With the help of two girls, Maki and Mariko, they get to talk to Satomi but recieve no information. Muraki sees that the two girls helped the guardians of death and sets out to kill them. When Tsuzuki and Hisoka intervene, Maki is already dead. Tsuzuki freaks out and thinks he's the cause of her death, then Tatsumi comes and saves him, Hisoka, and Mariko. Muraki manages to escape relatively unharmed. Tsuzuki is depressed over the fact that he killed someone again, despite Tatsumi's reassurances. Hisoka is depressed over the fact that he can't do anything to help his partner. The four shinigami decide to go undercover as three teachers and a student at Mariko's school to protect her from Muraki.
Muraki meets up with Tsuzuki at the school and asks him to a Noh performance, threatening to kill Mariko if he doesn't go along. At the show, Muraki reveals to Tsuzuki that he was a patient of his grandfather's 72 years ago. That for eight years Tsuzuki managed to live despite not eating, drinking, or sleeping at all. It was because he was inhuman. His purple eyes gave him away; Tsuzuki had the blood of a demon. Tsuzuki begins to lose it, afraid of what Muraki is reminding him of. He finally leaves and ends up finding Hisoka somewhere. They go to a bar where Tsuzuki gets really drunk, drunk enough to tell Hisoka that he wasn't human. He then runs from the bar and Hisoka follows, trying to stop Tsuzuki from hurting himself. Hisoka tells Tsuzuki that he's human over and over, reassuring the man by doing this. Then Mariko walks by and collapses. Tsuzuki and Hisoka take her back to Meifu, somehow Tsuzuki is sober again. He watches over a sleeping Mariko while the others leave, but Muraki turns her into a beast that is forced to kill Tsuzuki. Tsuzuki doesn't want to hurt her so he doesn't defend himself. Suzaku sees this and comes out on her own will and kills the girl despite Tsuzuki's pleas. This sends him completely over the edge. Tatsumi, Watari, and Hisoka all come to help him. Hisoka freaks out when he sees that Tsuzuki's in trouble and tries to go to him, but is stopped when Muraki takes Tsuzuki away.
Watari and Tatsumi decide to go and talk to professor Satomi about Muraki's wherabouts, believing if they find the doctor they find Tsuzuki. They drag a depressed Hisoka along, but find out Satomi was killed. Muraki killed him to keep his plan from getting out. Muraki's plan was to find a way to transfer his dead brother into another's body so he can kill him again himself. Muraki's brother was responsible for the death of their family. The three shinigami go to the brothel that Muraki had been staying at, forced to fight the owner and friend of Muraki, Oriya, in order to get a key that will let them into the basement of the university where Muraki is. Hisoka fights him since he's the only one who's had any kendo training. Oriya gets two solid blows and drains a lot of Hisoka's blood. But Hisoka wins because of his need to save Tsuzuki. Tsuzuki however, snaps out of his little world and stabs Muraki. Then he calls upon Touda, the deadly fire serpent. He asks Touda to kill him and Muraki both. Tsuzuki believes his existance was only meant to hurt others. Hisoka, Tatsumi, and Watari see what Tsuzuki's planning to do. Tatsumi and Watari feel they can't do anything to stop this, Touda's fires can kill the strongest of shinigami. Hisoka panics and leaps into the fire, running to Tsuzuki. When he gets to his partner, he pleads for him to come back with him because he needs him. Even if Tsuzuki doesn't want to live, Hisoka wants him to live for him. And if he doesn't come back with him, then Hisoka will die by his side. Tsuzuki asks if he can stay with Hisoka and recieves a nod, then they pass out. Tatsumi manages to save them with his shadows and the two are taken back to Meifu. Tsuzuki and Hisoka recover, but are troubled to find out that Muraki managed to live somehow. They decide to work together in order to someday exceed him.
The End! Yeah, it's a kind of sucky ending for the series. It made me sad! I want to see more! Luckily, the manga is still being made so there'll be more story lines there. I hope that helps those of you who have not seen the end of the series and need to be cleared up on the whole Kyoto ordeal. Here's a link to a site with better summaries; though they're from the manga, but it's basically the same thing: http/ Just click on volumes 7 & 8 for the Kyoto arc!