Things started out pretty much like normal. Tsuzuki taught class, and Hisoka pretended to pay attention. They had managed to get into the school without raising any suspicion, but something was not quite right there.

Hisoka had been a bit under the weather that day. It was only his second day, and he was already feeling ill. It wasn't like his empathy to give him such trouble; despite the fact that the lingering emotions of the victims were about, he had been in that situation before. It wasn't just the victims… In the middle of the lecture, Hisoka slumped down in his seat, feeling sicker by the minute. No one seemed to notice, though, as the guys were studying and the girls had all their attention on the teacher. That was it, he thought, as he rise from his seat, almost startling Tsuzuki.

"Teacher."

"Uh… what is it, Hisoka?"

"May I be excused?"

"Are you okay? Does your tummy hurt or something?"

"Um, yeah."

"Okay. Why don't you go lie down in your room, then?"

'I'll check up on you after class.'

Hisoka nodded his head, also hearing what Tsuzuki was in his mind, and grabbed his book bag on the way out. However, his empathy started to affect him more, the further away he got from his partner. The older shinigami had often served as an anchor in situations like this. Being around Tsuzuki made him notice his empathy less. But, he didn't want to go back, even when it seemed almost unbearable. He had trouble breathing, and he swerved in his step as negative emotions came flooding into him, like a tidal wave. He had to lean against the wall to keep from falling. Soon, he could hardly tell which way was up or down.

It was then that he heard footsteps quickly coming up behind him, and Hisoka's arms and legs began to shake. He felt so weak, and he dared not try to extend his empathy out to find who it was that was approaching. He wanted it to be Tsuzuki. With his last bit of strength, he used the wall to turn halfway around and reach out to who was coming near him. But, he couldn't see who, since his eyes were blurry.

"Tsuzuki…?"

He passed out.