Spoilt Dreams
#3 – Promise Me.
On the third night, Hisoka entered another dream. This one was different though. It held no relation to the real world, apart from the fact it was filled with familiar faces and names. There was a King Tatsumi, who was apparently his father (Hisoka didn't want to know quite how), the loyal advisors, GuShouShin and Watari. And a staircase. An uneven stone staircase that led up into a castle tower. It was filled with bolted doors and had no windows to let in light. The whole way was lit by torchlight. He was running now, as though desperate. He reached the last door. How did he know it was the last? It was a gut feeling. His heart pounded and he undid the bolt, removed chains and another bolt, a large padlock, and yet more heavy chains. Then it was open. He pushed it gently, eager to see what was inside, but somehow telling himself it wouldn't be there. He wouldn't be there.
He sighed with relief as a strangely familiar sight met his eyes. It was an old stone room, with one window without glass. It let in the smell and sound of Summer, and a smooth rectangle of bright sunlight onto the stone floor, and onto a figure that lay there, a pointed, fur-tipped ear twitching.
Without control of his body, Hisoka walked forward toward the figure. It was much larger than him. Much, much larger. Possibly even larger than the King Tatsumi had been. It was Tsuzuki. Dressed in a loose green yukata, lying on the floor like an overheated dog. An eye looked up to see his visitor, then back to the wall.
Hisoka stood there for a while, until he lost track of time and everything changed to a very different scene. There were yells and shouts, arrows and riffles being fired at a figure with black wings. Eventually it gave up, exhausted, and collapsed into a rose bed, where it continued to be fired at.
Hisoka panicked and ran forwards into the sea of arrows and bullets, which stopped immediately. He stood with his arms out protectively before the winged being and faced the soldiers covering the castle's tower walls.
"Enough! What has he done to deserve this!" He called out at them.
'What did he do to deserve this?' Hisoka thought.
A cawing sound, like a bird, came from behind him, and he looked down to see green feathers and a beak, peeking out from the winged being's cupped hands. Seeing that it was finally calm outside, a small head popped out, followed by a body. It was a small green parrot.
"Tsu-zooo-ki ask Peko say: I have return. Speak now have bridge. Understood?" It spoke with uneven pauses.
Everything shifted again, this time back to the stone room in the tower. Tsuzuki was there, on the floor, looking up at him. In front of him was a tray with a large bowl of… Stew? It smelt strongly of beef. It looked like a portion large enough for four, but just right for this Tsuzuki. This Tsuzuki. Its eyes were blank, dark. They did not shine, or look alive somehow. It looked up at him with an expression Hisoka couldn't understand, and the feelings he felt, he knew what they were, but couldn't understand them either. It was hate. Severe and harsh, but content with being aware of something.
"How can anyone be satisfied with hating themselves?" Hisoka spoke coldly, but had really meant to just think this to himself.
"I don't deserve this. You said so yourself." Tsuzuki said, with an empty voice. He continued to speak, but it sounded blurred, and lost all meaning, until Hisoka realised that all he could hear from Tsuzuki's mouth was low growls.
The parrot sat in the corner, croaking and cawing translations.
"I don't deserve to live if I take that right from others." It spoke, but this time in clear English. There was emotion in its voice too. After a while of translating the same things worded a thousand times and suicide for the welfare of others glorified in many poetic ways, it gave up and just sat there. Quiet and clearly uncomfortable. Its beady eyes looked as sad and desperate as the ones that were now staring back at Tsuzuki.
"Stop this. If you must have proof of the benefits of your existence, take pen and paper and list them. Or try to blame someone else for a change. It's pathetic that you just keep thinking the same thoughts, and allow them to take control of you. You grew out of that a long time ago, right?"
There was a moment of silence, and the blankness in Tsuzuki's eyes faded.
"But that was with you. You said… But now you too say I don't deserve…"
"SHUT UP! I SAID YOU DIDN'T DESERVE TO BE SPOILT LIKE THAT, IDIOT! DO SOMETHING GOOD FOR ONCE AND STOP MAKING PEOPLE WORRY ABOUT YOU, THEN MAY BE YOU'LL DESERVE SOMETHING!"
A tear dropped from Tsuzuki's cheek. He wrapped his arms around Hisoka and spoke softly into his ear:
"I… I'm okay."
Hisoka looked out across the dark bedroom. He felt gratefulness, relief, and warmth.
"May be I- I should stop making you worry." He smiled and snuggled up against Tsuzuki, who laid him down gently, back into the bed, and pulled the duvet over them.
"Promise?" He said in his cutesy, innocent, puppy voice.
"I promise."
Author's Note
Awww… Don't we all like soppy Tsuzuki and Hisoka endings? Not quite the end though, one last chapter and it'll be concluded:3
This chapter was based around a story I made up in my head one night, while trying to sleep. I didn't mention the bit with the crow that sang 'Strut For My Honey' though. That was probably the most humourous part, that the creature that could understand all beasts but humans kept being tormented by a crow that WOULD NOT STOP SINGING A MATING CALL! XP But humour like that would've ruined the mood here, and I only wanted to fit in what made the point and helped the story well. Nothing overly unnecessary.
If you really tried reading behind the lines, you could probably make up a whole loada crap about character relationships and impressions here. Like Tatsumi being the King who has power over everyone! XP But I wasn't actually thinking too much about that when I wrote this.