Hisoka's heart was beating faster than his mind could process what his dream had shown him. At first, he thought it was just a nightmare, but then he remembered… he had seen that event before, and he knew exactly who was taking the brunt of the attacks by those faceless kids. He stumbled around the couch and almost fell over a chair on his way to his partner's room. He could hear the dream all over again, and he couldn't stand it… because it wasn't just a dream. Tsuzuki was shrieking out in his unconscious state of unrest, as though he was actually being hit.

Hisoka finally made it to the man's room, but he fumbled with the doorknob. The sounds coming from the room were driving him crazy. His empathy was working, and he couldn't keep a shield up for long. He hit the door and yelled for Tsuzuki, and after that, he heard the man quiet down, and he was able to open the door. Stepping inside, he thought he was ready for it, but seeing his strong, proud partner curled up in the fetal position under his bed covers, sobbing… it broke the kid's heart. His body was numb, and his mind, too. He felt weak and tired, but slowly, he trudged to the side of the bed. That's as far as he could go for the longest time.

He was a foot from the bed… only twelve inches from the man who needed comfort more than he ever had… and Hisoka couldn't even blink. He couldn't speak, and he couldn't think, and he couldn't move an inch. All he could do was stand there, twelve inches from a broken man. The more he watched, the more his heart twisted in his chest.

Kill me…

He stood there, trying to find a way that he could comfort his friend, and Tsuzuki just kept crying. The tears left long trails on his cheeks, and then were covered up by other tears.

Please… kill me now… don't torture me like this…! God, please…

Taking a deep breath, Hisoka managed to take a step towards the bed. As he walked, he yelled at himself. Even if he made it to the man's side, he didn't know how to comfort anyone! Not once had he ever been comforted by family, before… The only one who had ever managed, or even cared to help him was… the broken, sobbing man before him. But… he needed it, and if it would help just to be with him… that would be good.

The bed fell only a bit as Hisoka sat on the edge, and leaned over his partner's shaking form. He reached his hand out over Tsuzuki's shoulder and paused, before setting it down. Tsuzuki jumped slightly, and after a moment, he looked up. There were dark circles under his eyes and tears still draining over his cheeks.

"Hisoka…"

Not knowing what else to do, Hisoka ran his hand over the man's arm and looked into his eyes, sympathetically. It hurt, more than Tsuzuki would ever know, not having empathy, but it seemed to be helping. That's what Hisoka thought, at least, before his partner's face crinkled and he collapsed against the smaller boy, almost knocking him off the bed. He was crying again, but this time, Hisoka could tell it was only because he needed to get it out. So, the boy let him cry as much as he wanted. As he did so, Hisoka gently rubbed his back. When he was done, Tsuzuki sniffled and sat up a little.

"I-I'm sorry… I just couldn't…"

"You don't need to apologize… I understand it all. No… you don't, Hisoka…"

There was a guilty look on the man's face that Hisoka just couldn't figure out. Tsuzuki was trying to tell him something, but then, why was he keeping his shields up? Then, Hisoka noticed that Tsuzuki was holding the front of his shirt, suspiciously. Hisoka pushed the man into a sitting position against the headboard and urged the man to move his arms. He did so, not even trying to put up a fight. Moving aside the open shirt, Hisoka gasped. Dark, purple bruise lay upon his chest. It was in exactly the same spot as…

"This… has happened ever since my dreams started…"

"T-Tsuzuki… what?-"

"They beat me up so badly that time… those kids… chased me a long way from home, and they just wouldn't stop."

"So these wounds you've been getting…"

Tsuzuki nodded his head.

"But how? Dreams can't hurt you, Tsuzuki, and yet…"

His dreams were becoming real… as real as they had been in his youth. But… how!