Major thanks to all those who reviewed, it amazes me that the people who have written the wonderful stories I have read like mine! Wow!
Glomps everyone!
Disclaimer: I still don't own it and I'm out of pocky (whimper).
Chapter 2
"You have a case."
Tatsumi handed a thin file to Tsuzuki, who in turn handed it to Hisoka. He opened it and began to read what was there.
"Its fairly routine, Tamura Manika died in intensive care and her soul has not turned up for judgment"
"So we just need to retrieve her soul?"
"That's it."
Tsuzuki grinned "Ok, that shouldn't be too hard." He nudged Hisoka and they both stood up and left the briefing room.
XXX
The pair slowly made their way towards the hospital where Tamura Manika had died. Slowly because Tsuzuki had to look in every store window along the way. When his attention was diverted Hisoka let loose a jaw popping yawn. He had spent long hours the night before staring at his ceiling, unwilling to let sleep claim him. He didn't want to hear anything that familiar, disembodied voice had to say. He was tired, but he'd been worse. Then he noticed a bakery shop up ahead and clenched his teeth in anticipation.
"Hisssssssoooooooka…."
"Baka! No!"
"Pleeeeeeeeeese!"
"No!"
"Pretty pleeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeese!"
"Look, the hospital is right over there." Hisoka said pointing, "Let's go and retrieve Tamura-san's soul, then we can come back."
"Good! Let's go!" Tsuzuki grabbed Hisoka hand and took off at a quick trot, dragging the boy behind him. Hisoka struggled to keep up and Tsuzuki dragged him right through the hospitals revolving doors.
"Which room?" Tsuzuki asked looking around the lobby.
"Here," Hisoka looked at a paper from the file. "Room 306 in intensive care." He closed his eyes for a moment and tried to bring his mental shields up a little higher. He really hated hospitals, aside from the bad memories that crept at the back of his consciousness, the flood of emotion around him was making his head hurt…….sorrow, despair, denial….
Still rushing, and still yanking on Hisoka's arm, Tsuzuki made his way to the elevator, bouncing in place as he waited for the door to open.
When they reached room 306 they found it empty, the lost soul wasn't hiding there.
Tsuzuki tuned to Hisoka and sighed "Nothing's ever easy is it? Can you feel anything?"
"Yeah, too much" Hisoka rubbed his temples, "but not Tamura-san." Looking around the room he noticed that there was a chart still hanging at the foot of the bed. He picked it up and started to read. A moment later it fell from numb fingers.
Tsuzuki looked at Hisoka in question, and was immediately concerned. Hisoka's jade eyes were wide and unfocused. Tsuzuki frowned slightly, and then picked up the chart to see what had disturbed his partner.
Tamura Manika's primary physician was one Muraki Kazutaka.
XXX
"I think there may be more to this case than we first suspected." was Hisoka's big understatement of the day. He was feeling considerably better now that he was over the initial shock, and embarrassed, very embarrassed, after all, just reading the man's name had managed to freak him out. Hisoka shook his head, he was so pathetic. He was also getting dizzy watching Tsuzuki pace.
Tsuzuki barley glanced towards him as he continued wearing a groove through the floor of the very cheap motel room that they had rented for the night.
Hisoka sighed "What do you think?"
"I don't know, you?"
"Well, we don't have to jump to the conclusion that Muraki's involved here." Hisoka grimaced as Tsuzuki shot him an 'are you joking' glance. "I mean, after all the time in the hospital, and Muraki's bedside manner, she may have just decided she wanted to go home."
Tsuzuki brightened visibly at that thought. "Right, we should check out her home, and her friends. But if that doesn't pan out, or if we find anything that points to that deranged maniac, we're off this case."
"Right." Hisoka agreed.
XXX
Another nightmare, but this time it was Touda's flames that disturbed his sleep. Panting heavily Hisoka blinked the sleep from his eyes. The small motel room was hot and stifling, and he was having trouble catching his breath. He got out of bed, threw on his clothes from the day before. Quickly scribbling a note for Tsuzuki in case he woke up, Hisoka let himself out the door.
The night was cool and clear as Hisoka left the motel and headed for a small park down the road. The playground was empty and silent and he found it soothing. He sat on a swing and gave himself a little push. Swinging gently back and forth he let his mind wonder.
He thought back to the hidden laboratory under the university, he shuttered as he remembered Tsuzuki sitting calmly among the whirling flames, reaching out as if to embrace them. He remembered throwing himself on Tsuzuki, wrapping his arms around him, and the feelings that had been radiating from the man, the desolation, misery, loneliness and utter hopelessness. He had held on as tight as he could, to the only person he needed, trusted. It was such a small thing, he trusted Tsuzuki, and at the same time it was everything.
He had asked Tsuzuki to stay, had told him that the only place he belonged was at his side, and Tsuzuki had listened. Tsuzuki had not let him down. He had never let him down…..ever. Tsuzuki cared. Hisoka could feel the care coming off Tsuzuki in warm waves, and sometimes……….sometimes there was an ever stronger feeling that made Hisoka want to reach out to the man, hold him and be held.
Tsuzuki wouldn't have stayed if he didn't want to, would he?
Hisoka turned his face to the sky as he pondered the question. As if in reaction to his thoughts, the night seemed to grow darker, and the stars seemed to dim. He lowered his head and ran his hand through his hair. It was still getting darker. It was then that Hisoka noticed the presence behind him. He started to turn, but his mind was already falling into the darkness. He was falling, and he was not aware when the man in white caught him before he could hit the ground.
XXX
"It's time to wake up bouya."
'Nope' Hisoka thought 'I'm keeping my eyes shut and I'm not moving!' He was on his stomach on something hard and cold. His arms were stretched above his head and he could feel some kind of binds around his wrists. This did not seem to bode well.
"Open your eyes."
'Nothing doing,' he thought again 'I'm just going to play dead. I'm sure I'll be great at it.'
Suddenly something touched his back and intense pain ripped through him, causing his whole body to recoil. The bindings on his wrists and similar ones around his ankles tore his flesh as he involuntarily pulled against them. His eyes flew open in shock and he tried to remember how to breathe.
"Ahh, so I see you are awake." Muraki moved into Hisoka's line of sight. "That's good, I'd hate for you to sleep through this." The doctor tuned, and placed something into a bowl of fire on a nearby table. A bowl of fire?
The pain was beginning to diminish, enough for Hisoka to find his voice. "W-what did you do?"
Muraki turned a chilling smile on him "Well bouya, I would just kill you, you have after all been a very bad doll, but shinigami are difficult to kill. I could just cut off your head, but that would be crude," A slightly disgusted look crossed his face, "Especially given our history" Muraki gently brushed his fingers along Hisoka's temple. "Besides, my darling Tsuzuki-san might be vexed if I were to do something like that. So I've decided that I'm just going to drive you mad!" Something like a happy smile appeared on Muaki's face. It was the most frightening thing Hisoka had ever seen. "Maybe you'll even discover how dear Tsuzuki-san felt and take your own life, I can only hope."
Muakai turned and reclaimed the item he had placed in the fire. Hisoka saw that it was a knife, the narrow blade glowed red. "I recovered some of the burnt wood and ashes from Touda's original fire, and when I relit them, the fire burned just as intensely, and Touda's fire can harm a shinigmi, or at least burn one." Muraki lowered the burning blade to Hisoka's back again.
"No, don't…….." His words were cut off by his scream.
XXX
Tsuzuki groaned at the sunlight scalding his eyelids and buried his face in the pillows to escape the bright light. Wait,……..sunlight? What time was it, and why had Hisoka not woken him up? He sat up and looked at the bed across the way, it was empty and unmade.
What the hell?……..
He scanned the room and noticed a folded sheet of paper on a small table near the door. Getting out of bed he ran over and grabbed the note.
Tsuzuki
I couldn't sleep, I'll be back in an hour or so.
I won't go any farther than the park
Hisoka.
He couldn't sleep? How long had he been gone? Tsuzuki ran for his clothes.
XXX
Tsuzuki reached the park in minutes. There were a few mothers there with their children. He looked around franticly searching for any sign of his partner, and saw him lying on a park bench a little distance away, apparently asleep. Tsuzuki let out a sigh of relief and headed towards him.
As he got closer he realized that Hisoka was not alright, his skin was almost grey, and when he touched him, he found that the boy was cold and clammy. Tsuzuki gently lifted the boy into his arm and was unnerved by the moan of pain that he let out. Holding his partner close, he walked behind a nearby building where he could safely teleport back to Meifu.
XXX
Sliver blue eyes watched as Tsuzuki left with his precious burden. His lips curled upwards and he turned to go. It was time to release the girl's soul, she had been the lure, and her job was done.
So there is ch.2. Wow! Yay me again! Encouragement please, I want to get going on ch.3.