The witching hour of midnight was dawning before Tsuzuki returned back to the guest room. He had expected Hisoka to be sleeping by now, so when the quiet, still of the dark room gave way to the groan of the tired hinges, Tsuzuki froze. He peered inward to see if Hisoka gave any hint of stirring at the noise, but it seemed the pale sheets dyed in moonlit indigo were absent of the sleeping boy.

"Hisoka?" Tsuzuki forgot his composure and entered the room, despite the protest given by the wood flooring's creak. "Hisoka…"

He gave a gentle rap on the dark cherry wood door leading to the bathing room before turning the crystal knob and poking in his head. There sat the wide claw foot tub accented with never-before-used linens and bath necessities. Two round mirrors framed in sparkling gold with flowing floral lacing the round reflective surface sat royally above pair pedestal sinks. No Hisoka.

"Hisoka!" a bewildered Tsuzuki called, standing within the frame of the door. Where would he have gone in the middle of the night? There was no note visible to Tsuzuki, no word to where he might have escaped to. Again, he called his name, but was only assured of his absence by the quiet chill of no reply.

Tsuzuki turned, eyes catching a quick view of the mirror. Had he just seen a figure pass through? A dark, darting creature, like a raven. He could have sworn he caught a pale face…

XvX

Where was he?

Hisoka had been trailing through a maze. The barriers separating him from his destination - Tsuzuki - were all reflective. Everywhere he looked he could see his own reflection peering back at him. He would see tunnels made by the mirrors opposite each other, and he would feel to find only the cold glass beneath his sweaty palm.

A maze constructed of mirrors.

Occasionally, he would hear the small child who lured him in giggle at his feverish and failing attempts. He would turn swiftly, and at times he would see the image of the dark haired ghost darting through the mirrors, and she would vanish just as quickly. Was this just her game? Could this maze be where the occupants had been disappearing?

"Tsuzuki!" Hisoka screamed. He just needed assurance that he was somewhere near… He just needed to know that he wasn't lost. He needed Tsuzuki.

He refused to believe that the image of Tsuzuki he had seen in the mirror was an illusion manifested to lure him in. Tsuzuki was here… He had to be.

"Tsuzuki…"

He was alone.

XvX

"Gushoshin! Thanks for coming on such short notice!" A relieved Tsuzuki greeted the elder brother Gushoshin as he waddled in through the door, trudging a briefcase behind.

"Don't worry, Tsuzuki," Gushoshin peeped, propping himself up on the cherry wood Victorian carved desk the room offered. There, he unleashed his laptop and conjured his stored files concerning the case. "If it concerns the boy's safety, we're always willing to help!"

"That's what I love about you guys," beamed Tsuzuki. "Always willing to help Hisoka and I when in need!"

"Who said anything about you?"

"…" Tsuzuki sniffed. "That's so mean!"

"Here's what brother and I have gathered so far," began Gushoshin, Tsuzuki trailing over to the laptop attentively. The scan of a newspaper article featuring the Mansion loaded on the screen. "Before this Mansion turned into a…" Gushoshin paused. "Honeymoon Bed and Breakfast…"

Tsuzuki blushed.

"The Mansion was used for many generations of the Tamura's before Yukata and his late wife, Midori. After Midori died, Yukata's daughter, Yumiko, was struck with an illness. That's when rumors began to speculate the place was haunted by her ghost. There was laughter in the halls at night, and guests have claimed to see her reflection in mirrors…"

Tsuzuki remembered the image of a girl in the mirror his eyes caught in the washroom. He shivered. Could that have been the ghost of Yumiko? Tsuzuki informed Gushoshin of their brief encounter. Gushoshin jumped to his feet (a true example of a death defying leap), and began to pace.

"Tsuzuki, there's something else that I haven't mentioned yet," Gushoshin's voice seemed to quiet from his previous tone, as if alerting Tsuzuki of the shock to come.

Tsuzuki's face melted with the seriousness of Gushoshin's tone, asking carefully, "What is it?"

"It's about Kurosaki," Gushoshin began. "It seems… Our fears have been realized. Kurosaki has disappeared along with the other two guests… His profile has shown up on the files along with the other two cases."

"Hisoka's one of the victims?" Tsuzuki expression devastated.

"As long as he remains inside the spiritual blockade, he won't be able to get out," confirmed Gushoshin gravely.

After recovering from the initial shock, Tsuzuki leaned himself against the window. Violet eyes peered between the blinds, the wake of pastels hinting the blue of a new day, shone on the golden waves of the ocean. The beauty of the quiet Summer morning posed little comfort as the guild writhed and tangled within Tsuzuki's senses.

Why couldn't he have stayed during the night? Hisoka needed someone, and he abandoned him, the swelling of his heart selfishly distorting his aim. He had left to comfort himself, having been personally offended by Hisoka's withdrawn behavior. Was Hisoka hurting right now, somewhere far beyond his reach? Alone…

"Let's get to work."

XvX

"Of course, the Inn embraces your company."

The Mansion's owner had stood to greet the presence standing before him, cordially taking the other man's hand in his own to give a firm shake. The two figures stood within Tamura's office, the ceiling coveted the pair in the shape of an archway, the light of dawn pouring through the windows overhead.

"Well, I'm very pleased to hear of the Inn's success," poured the man's voice, thick and slow, like honey. There was a clear smile hinted in his tone, betraying the depth of genuine pleasure in which he spoke.

"Yes," Tamura responded, a faint stammer of hesitance. A pause, before Tamura sighed. "She's lonely…"

"Poor darling. Can you blame her?" asked the visitor dwelling in his presence.

"People have been disappearing!" Tamura added, urgent to get his point across. "This needs to end."

"She's a little girl. You can't deny her of her dolls," the man lifted his head and offered a distressed Tamura a slow and unsettling smile. It blended on his fair features with ease. His eyes, like glacier seas, shone with the radiance of his hair, which seemed constructed by stringing the stars of an astral sky. A pale devil in an angel's guise.

"This can't go on… Dr. Muraki."

A/N: I'm aware that this chapter was pretty short, and overall… Boring. Trust me, it's going to get a lot better, so continue reading.

Thanks for the positive feedback! -Hugs to all.- I'm glad you acknowledged that my attempt to stay completely in character wasn't in vain… I always put extreme importance on that in particular! I had a lot of fun with Konoe and Tatsumi in chapter 1. Tsuzuki is, like, my role model (VERY sad but true) so I had to do the goofball justice. Of course I love Hisoka, his eyes captivate me in the manga. They're the saddest eyes I've ever seen (with the exception of Katou Yue… Yes, his eyes seem sad to me. But maybe Yuki-sama was just going for drugged out… oo;;…). Anyway, I'm not sure how many chapters this thing's going to be… I know it's not going to be too long. I'm planning on making this storyline lead to another centering around everyone's favorite sadistic doctor…

So, don't forget to keep giving me your input!