Another week, another chapter. Yay me! I am surprised that I have been keeping up to my self imposed schedule. Especially since I have started a second fic, but I won't post any of it until I finish this one.

My continued love to everyone who reads this, especially those who review.

Chapter 10

He was in a large room surrounded by elegant people. He smiled and returned greetings. He returned a wave from across the room and bowed slightly to a man in front of him. All the while his gaze scanned the room. He was looking for someone and he was afraid of what would happen when he found him.

At the same time he was also vaguely aware of being outside with two people he knew and trusted. They were on either side of him, helping him move. But it seemed far away, and the crowded room was so much more vivid.

"Sensei, Sensei!"

He turned towards the voice, a young woman was making her way towards him with a younger man in tow.

"Sensei, this is Mianse Hijiri, one of the best young violists in Japan. Mianse-kun, this is Muraki Kazutaka, he is making a rather large donation to our cause."

Wide green eyes looked up at him. He could both see and feel the fear coming from the youth, and he felt a similar fear tearing at the edges of his mind.

Somewhere far away a companion left, and the one remaining pulled him into shadows.

He smiled and made a small bow to the youth, then noticed a familiar face in the crowd behind him. The smile on his face grew even wider.

"If you'll excuse me." He said, giving the boy a long look. Then headed through the crowd, heading to where he had seen that face. His fear was increasing with every step.

There he was, the man in the long coat, look around, his head whipping back and forth.

He stepped up behind the man and placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Tsuzuki."

The man stilled, then slowly turned to face him and he looked into those well known amethysts eyes.

"Muraki."

'Get away Tsuzuki!' he thought desperately, but he felt something travel down his arm to the man's shoulder, and those wonderful eyes went dull. The man's entire body sagged. He caught the man before his body could sink to the floor. Pulling the man's arm across his shoulders, he supported him by an arm around his waist and began to make his way to the doors.

'No, this can't be happening, he cannot take Tsuzuki away,' he thought, 'not again!'

'NOT AGAIN!'

Hisoka reached out, and with every ounce of determination he possessed, every emotion he felt for his partner, he pushed at Muraki.

He pushed into Muraki.

Hisoka had to struggle to keep from drowning in Muraki's darkness, but he held on, and lowered the figure he was supporting to his knees.

"Tsuzuki!" He gave him a shake, and was relieved to see awareness return to the man's eyes. "You need to get out of here!"

Tsuzuki's eyes widened. "Muraki…"

"Please Tsuzuki, I can't do this very long." Already he could feel Muraki's mind pushing against him.

Tsuzuki got to his feet, confusion clouding his mind. "Hisoka?" He whispered.

"Go find Tatsumi, he's here somewhere, get Hijiri, and get out." Hisoka turned and quickly walked out the doors.

He went down the stairs and saw Watari running toward the building carrying….himself? Muraki pushed hard against him and he fought to maintain control.

He ran down to the road and threw himself into a waiting cab. "I will pay you triple fare if you drive me all the way to Aomori."

The driver looked at him. "Are you nuts?"

"Just drive."

The driver shrugged and pulled the cab out into traffic.

Hisoka's control was slipping. Muraki was battering at his mind now, trying to force him out. Darkness collected at the edge of his vision, and he found he was no longer able to force it away. Darkness swallowed him.

XXX

"Tsuzuki?"

Tsuzuki turned from the doors towards the familiar voice.

"Tatsumi?" He gave himself a mental shake. What the hell had just happened?

"Was that Muraki who just left?" Tatsumi asked.

Tsuzuki looked back towards the doors. "Um….."

"Tsuzuki?" Tatsumi place a hand on his arm. "Are you alright?"

"Aa, I'm fine." But he didn't look away from the doors.

Both men's attention became riveted to the doors as another familiar voice rose in anger.

"God damnit, either let me in, or go get my friends to come out here!"

"Sir, would you like me to call an ambulance?"

Tatsumi moved past Tsuzuki and opened the doors.

"No I don't want you to call an ambulance, I want you to help me find my friends so I can take him home!"

Tsuzuki stepped up behind Tatsumi. Watari was yelling into the face of one of the doormen who was effectively blocking his path. The doorman didn't seem upset by the yelling, but he kept shooting concerned looks at the pale boy in the man's arms.

"Tsuzuki," Tatsumi leaned close to the other man. "Is there a back entrance? A stage door maybe?"

Tsuzuki nodded.

"Good. Go collect Mianse-kun and meet us there."

Tatsumi stepped outside the building and went to join his partner.

"Watari?"

The blonde scientist turned towards him, the relief evident in his face. "We have to get back." He nodded at Hisoka's unconscious form. "Did you find Tsuzuki?'

"Hai. Let's go." He turned to the doorman. "Thank you for your assistance."

Taking Hisoka from Watari's arms, Tatsumi led the way around the building to the rear. They found a door marked 'stage crew only' and waited.

It only took a few minutes before the door was opened and Tsuzuki was gesturing them inside. He took in his partner's state and Watari's agitation. "What's wrong with him?"

Watari shook his head. "I don't know. We were waiting for Tatsumi to come back. Bon was having a vision when his eyes rolled back and he collapsed. I need to get him back to Meifu so I can figure out what's wrong."

"Where's Mianse-kun?" Tatsumi asked.

"He'll meet us in the dressing room in a few minutes. This way." Tsuzuki led them down a short hall to a small dressing room. Inside there was a dressing table, chair, and a small couch. Tatsumi deposited Hisoka on the latter. Tsuzuki moved to look down on his partner.

"Ne, Watari?"

"Hai?"

"For just a moment, I thought Muraki was Hisoka. Right before he left, he told me to find Tatsumi and Hijiri and leave."

"Uh oh."

"What?" Tsuzuki turned to face the blonde.

"Well, Muraki created a link between himself and Bon so Bon could see what he does, but if Bon found a way to use that link, he could conceivably go into Muraki's mind."

"And I take it that's bad." Tatsumi said from the doorway.

"That's all sorts of bad." Watari ran his hand through his hair. "He could get lost in Muraki's mind, or if Muraki's mind is stronger than Bon's, he could trap him there. We'd never be able to get him back. Even if he got out, he may lose something of himself and would no longer be the Bon we knew."

Tsuzuki paled. "You mean…..but Hisoka….he can't…"

Tatsumi flashed Watari a dirty look. "I'm sure Kurosaki-kun will be fine."

"Why? What's wrong with him?" All faces turned to where Hijiri stood at the door.

"That's what we need to find out." Tatsumi led Hijiri into the room. "Is everyone ready to go?" He received three nods.

A moment later the room was empty.

XXX

Hisoka was floating.

Just drifting. Not really awake, but not asleep either. He could hear voices and sometimes he could even make out the words, in the twilight of consciousness.

"…could lose something of himself…" What did he have to lose? It wasn't himself he was afraid of losing.

Time passed. A little or a lot he couldn't tell. Time seemed to have lost all definition.

"…find Muraki…"

"No!"

"…how much before he breaks?…" How could he break? He was already broken. That had happened along time ago. Now he traveled day to day just holding the pieces together.

"…getting better…"

"…over…" Nothing was ever really over.

"…come back…"

"…I hope he doesn't leave anything of himself behind…"

Hisoka drifted off into sleep.

XXX

Watari was practically seething. 003, sensing her master's mood flew circles around his head hooting loudly.

Shortly after returning to Enmacho, Tatsumi had gone in to report to Kanoe and he hadn't made reappearance yet. Which was unfortunate because Tsuzuki had taken it into his head to find Muraki on his own and had left for Chiju despite Watari's attempts to talk him out of it, or at least delay him till Tatsumi returned. He was sure that Tatsumi could have glared Tsuzuki into submission.

Watari left Hisoka under Hijiri's watchful eye with orders to call him if there was any change and went off in search of Tatsumi.

XXX

'Come to me'

He was standing at a railing looking out at the water. As he looked around he realized where he was. Nagasaki. He was standing in the same place where he had first met Muraki after he became a Shinigami.

'You will meet me here.' The voice in the back of his mind told him. 'You will tell no one and you will come alone.'

'Why in Enma's name would I want to do that?' Hisoka thought.

He found himself looking down to his right and was shocked to find there was a young boy, about six years old hanging onto his hand smiling up at him. To his left was a little girl, even younger than the boy. They were obviously brother and sister, and they where both looking up at him with trusting smiles. He felt himself return their smiles.

'Because if you don't, there will be quite a show.'

Hisoka seethed inwardly.

'Shall we say tomorrow evening then, at six?'