A/N: Hello people. Here's the fourth chapter. Sorry it took so long, finals got in the way, but finals are finally over, heh heh. Do you still remember this? If you do, then well, thanks for your patience!! And I hope everyone had a wonderful x-mas. Happy New Year, everyone!!

Enjoy!

DEAD RECKONING

CHAPTER FOUR

He wasn't really asleep; he could feel the sun hitting his face so he was vaguely aware of the time. He wasn't quite awake, either, so he didn't really care that it was well after the hour he'd told Hisoka he'd be at the office. The bed was just too comfortable to get up.

Since his mind wasn't working at its fullest, his thoughts were rather random and had a tendency to turn into images that could have passed as dreams if they had lasted a bit longer. A moment before he'd been wondering about Tatsumi and trying to guess what the other man could be doing. Before he realized, he was imagining some generic beach, with a half-naked Tatsumi lying on the sand, his skin a few shades darker and glistening under the sun. In spite of the shampoo-advertising implications, he found the scene to be mouth-watering. As much as he would have liked to hold onto that particular image, he noticed a huge wave coming their way; it had no reason for being- the last thing he'd been thinking about was the sea- and he would have cursed the thing's timing if it hadn't been scary as hell. Instead of running the other way, though, he had the ridiculous impulse to save dream-Tatsumi. The blue-eyed man had got up and started running towards him. As fast as it had appeared, the wave was on top of them. Tsuzuki heard the other call out his name the moment it hit them and, darn, was the water cold!

Tsuzuki bolted upright on the bed, gasping for air and still not quite sure of where he was. If it had all been a dream, he thought confusedly as he rubbed his eyes and tried hard to control his ragged breathing, if he wasn't really drowning, after all, why was he soaking wet?

"Baka," said an unmistakable voice from beside him. "It's about time."

He turned his head to Hisoka, who was standing next to him, glaring hard and holding a rather large- and recently emptied- glass. Tsuzuki gasped.

"'Soka! You're the wave?!" he exclaimed, as surprised as he was outraged. "Why did you have to interrupt!?"

The boy wrinkled his nose.

"What are you talking about?"

When he realized what he'd been reproaching him, Tsuzuki blushed slightly.

"Never mind," he then remembered his state, and the outrage was back. "What the hell was that for?!" he whined, "I took a bath this morning, thank you, and I'm sure Tatsumi won't appreciate your way of treating his sheets!"

Hisoka shrugged, uninterested.

"It's three thirty," he deadpanned. "You should have gone to work three hours ago."

The violet-eyed man opened his eyes wide at this, and checked Tatsumi's alarm clock to confirm his partner's words.

"Oh, wow, I really overslept, didn't I?" The boy's reply came in the form of something that sounded a lot like 'duh', but was too soft to make out. Tsuzuki then realized something and frowned. "'Soka?" he asked carefully. "How did you know where to find me?" He wasn't so sure he wanted to know the answer, though; that kid could be so scary sometimes!

"Watari," Hisoka answered simply. Tsuzuki was about to throw a tantrum about mad scientists and illegally placed tracing-chips but the boy, who must have seen it coming, held up a hand to stop him. "I just showed him the number from where you called me this morning and he told me. Now," he focused a pair of accusing green eyes on him, hard enough to make him squirm in fear. "What are you doing, sleeping on Tatsumi's bed?"

The older man blushed for a second time in as many minutes.

"I… uhm…" he mumbled. "I came here to… er… searchhisapartment," he rushed out, looking down in embarrassment.

"Huh?"

"I came to search his apartment, OK?!" This time his tone was a little defensive. Hisoka couldn't stop himself from chuckling, though Tsuzuki thought he made a decent job at hiding it.

"What are you, some sort of obsessed stalker now?" he said incredulously.

"I'm not!!" Tsuzuki cried out, mortified. "I just wanted to see… I was looking for… ah, crap…" He gulped, feeling completely cornered. "I'm worried about him, and I… "

Hisoka frowned.

"Yeah, I know what you mean."

"You do?" he asked, hopeful and a little too eager. At Hisoka's nod, he jumped on his seat. "Oh, that's great!" He did a double take. "OK, maybe not 'great', but it's still nice to know I'm not crazy!"

Hisoka smirked.

"Oh, you are crazy. You're just right about this one." He sobered up. "Something's up with him; I've felt it."

Tsuzuki blinked, trying to process what he'd just heard. Everyone knew Hisoka couldn't feel anything from Tatsumi. This was far worse than he'd imagined! He swallowed hard.

"What..." he mumbled, "what did you feel?"

"Well," The boy paused to consider it. "It was very mild and I haven't even seen that much of him."

"Was it... you know," Tsuzuki took a deep breath, "Was it bad?" In his mind, he added 'Did I do this? Does he hate me?'

Hisoka gave him an odd look and Tsuzuki feared he'd thought too loudly. A moment later, the boy huffed and threw his hands in the air.

"I don't know. It wasn't good, I guess... But I can't be sure. I'm not sure I could have recognized it if I'd had time to study it."

Tsuzuki sighed in defeat. He didn't know why he kept asking, kept trying to find out more. What could he do if he knew, for certain, what was wrong with the other man? It wasn't like he could actually fix it and it was probably his fault to begin with. He should leave Tatsumi alone, let him enjoy his Holiday and let him forget about him. Hisoka interrupted his thoughts, sitting next to him and clearing his throat.

"You could always try to find out where he went," the young man suggested in a quiet tone.

"And how am I supposed to do that?" Tsuzuki spat, frustrated, but immediately regretted the harsh tone. "Sorry," he whispered sheepishly, to what the younger shinigami only grunted. "Seriously, though; I've already tried everything. He obviously doesn't want to be found. There's nothing I can do."

Hisoka shook his head.

"You haven't tried the bus station, have you?"

"The bus station?" Tsuzuki repeated dumbly. "What about it?"

He hadn't thought it was possible to annoy the green eyed boy even further but he rolled his eyes yet again and he realized, somehow, he'd managed. And he didn't even know how!

"For starters," Hisoka said, exasperated, "you know he'd never catch a plane or rent a car. It's too expensive; two," He held up a hand to count with his fingers. "You know the date and approximate hour he took off; three, he wouldn't go to an overpopulated place, or a hot tourist spot, not if he wants to rest; four, the clerk would probably remember his face. He does make an impression on people. Think about it, with all that information, you could probably find out where he went. All we have to do is go to the bus station- and probably the train station too- and ask the right questions. Don't you think?"

Tsuzuki was dumbstruck by the boy's flawless logic. It sounded so obvious coming from him he had to feel annoyed with himself for not having figured it out on his own. He gaped for a moment or two before answering, as he felt the color creeping up to his cheeks.

"I don't think so," he whispered, awed. Then he remembered his dream and Tatsumi's words the day before and he let out a little squeal, startling his partner. "Oh!" he exclaimed excitedly. "I know he's gone to some beach, or something!" Which, being as they were on an island, wasn't very specific, but it would help them narrow it down.

Hisoka stood up and needlessly dusted his pants.

"C'mon," he said. "Dry yourself and meet me downstairs." He began walking away but, as soon as he reached the door, he turned around with a scowl on his face. "And don't forget to bring a picture of him, baka."

Tsuzuki just beamed and rushed to the bathroom. Maybe things weren't as bad as he'd thought.


After a long walk on the beach and a completely unnecessary nap back at the inn once the sun had become too strong for his inexperienced skin, Tatsumi found himself with half the day still ahead of him and absolutely nothing to do, nowhere to go and no one to talk to. At first, as claustrophobic as his situation made him feel, a part of him thought it was liberating. Some people got their thrills out of bungee jumping, he had free time. It was a very small part of him, though. Two hours of doing nothing but lay in bed counting the cracks of the ceiling and he'd started to panic again. How did Tsuzuki manage to be so lazy? He thought he would go mad with boredom!

Many a time, while working on something dull and alienating, he'd kept himself sane by thinking of all the things he would have like to be doing at that moment. Now that he had nothing else to stop him, he couldn't remember a single one of them. And he was supposed to live like that for how long?

Desperate times call for desperate measures. Tatsumi, going against all reason and ignoring the voice in his mind that pleaded with him not to ac any weirder than he already was, did the unthinkable; he got out of bed and decided to look around for a TV set. He wasn't that lost, though; he wouldn't start watching talk shows and soap operas just because he was bored; maybe the news or a good documentary. Even the weather channel stood a chance, under the circumstances.

There was a problem, though. He had no idea of where the TV was and Kaede wasn't around for him to ask him. He had gone off to town as soon as they'd finished breakfast, arguing that his fridge wasn't equipped to sustain two people- especially if one of them was used to three meals a day- and hadn't returned since. At least he knew he wouldn't find one ion the kitchen or the reception, and that was pretty much all he'd seen of the house. He figured he would start from the bottom floor and work his way up; if his room didn't have a TV, he assumed the others wouldn't, either.

So he went back to the receiving area to begin his search. Between there and the kitchen was a long hallway with several closed doors he hadn't bothered to ask about that morning. The night before, Kaede had come from there. His bedroom wasn't there, and Tatsumi doubted he'd been in the kitchen, unless spending time around food you have no intention to eat while on an empty stomach was a new form of meditation/torture. He knew the young man had to have come from some place else and, since depressed people seemed to be fond of watching TV, he believed he was going in the right direction.

He opened the first door to his right and found some sort of storage room, stuffed with boxes of all sizes and other kinds of useless junk. The room desperately needed a good vacuum, he thought, coughing, and moved on to the next room. This one seemed to have been some sort of diner at some point; there were two very large tables with their chairs and some paintings on the walls, all of them covered with white, dusty sheets. There was also a huge window with a gorgeous view of the ocean and Tatsumi thought, for the nth time, what a pity it was that the place wasn't working anymore.

As soon as he opened the third door, he knew he'd hit the jackpot. His first clue was the noticeable lack of dust attacking him the moment he stirred the vitiated air, as it had happened with the other two. In fact, the air there smelled cleaner than anywhere else in the house. The blinds were shut so his eyes needed a couple of seconds to adjust and actually see the couch in the middle of the room, in front of a tall piece of furniture- much like a closet- in which, he guessed, the TV probably was. As it was, though, once he walked in and turned on the light, he forgot all about his previous plans.

The walls were covered with bookshelf after bookshelf packed with books, picture frames and videotapes. He immediately realised he wasn't supposed to be there; half the books were actually photo albums- one of which was lying open on the floor next to the couch-, every picture in display was a personal snapshot and there were also a number of souvenirs decorating the shelves that gave the room an aura of melancholy and sacredness. This was a sort of haven for Kaede and he probably wouldn't appreciate him snooping around. Not that he had any real intention to leave, though.

He picked up the photo album first- the one on the floor- and closed it to look at its cover. It was a really nice brown leather cover with the words 'Summer '99' engraved in gold. Tatsumi had never been a nosy person, but he just couldn't resist looking through it. On the first page were a pair of amateur, blurry shots of road signs. One said 'Tokyo 20 miles' , the other 'Ibaraki 15 miles'. That was all. Tatsumi frowned at this; who would waste film on something so pointless? The second page wasn't very different; all there was, was a picture of a red Land Rover. Under it, someone had written 'Jiyuu on her first trip'.What kind of people nametheir cars, anyway?

He was surprised by what he found on the next page. It wasn't really shocking, per se. They were just a few candid shots of Kaede. What had Tatsumi's eyebrows rising was how different the young man looked. First of all, he had at least ten extra pounds on him. He was dressed in a rather… colourful outfit, with a pair of torn blue jeans and a batiked T-shirt. He was wearing green sunglasses that couldn't conceal the glint in the boy's eyes. In the first picture Tatsumi could see he was winking at the person taking the picture, as he held two fingers in a victory sign with the most ridiculous grin on his face, while in the second one, he was pointing at yet another road sign- this time announcing their proximity to Fukushima- with the grin still in place. He looked happy, elated, and it stirred something within Tatsumi that the man just couldn't understand.

Tatsumi turned the page reluctantly. What he found there made him hiss inexplicably. This time, Kaede had his arm draped around a taller, slightly older man while he obviously held up the camera with his free hand. The other man looked annoyed and Tatsumi found his expression rather familiar, though he thought it was more than just his expression what he could recognise in him. Again, someone had written something under it- probably Kaede himself; it said 'Katsuhiko being a bitch' with a smiling face drawn next to the phrase.

The blue eyed man stared at that picture for a very long time, not being able to decide why it was so interesting to him but also unable to tear his eyes from it. It wasn't until he heard a car approaching that he regained his will power. It could be no other than the inn keeper and he'd better get out of there soon or he'd be in trouble. He made sure to leave everything as he'd found it, turned off the light and rushed out.

By the time he reached the reception, the front door opened and the young man staggered inside. Tatsumi was about to say he'd just gone to the kitchen for some water- to cover his as, of course- but Kaede didn't seem to notice his presence. As in slow motion, he closed the door and lingered there, gripping the handle, for almost a full minute before turning around and walking towards him. Tatsumi detected a slight sway in his step. The young man was drunk.

Kaede stopped in front of him, looked up at him and just stood there, looking confused, for a long while. The shinigami didn't know how to react. A part of him couldn't have cared less about his state. He barely knew him and, if he wanted to drink the equivalent of the pacific ocean in liquor, it was none of his business. Another part of him, though, felt a lot like when knew Tsuzuki was crying in the other room; he wanted to help, but he didn't know how, and it filled him with despair. The young man looked so lost… almost as lost as Tsuzuki when… Tatsumi felt his throat closing. Was it his fault? It was ridiculous to think it, yet he couldn't help feeling the young man was like that because of him.

Before he could do or say anything, Kaede shook his head, let out a long sigh and walked right past him. Tatsumi, dumfounded, followed him with his gaze. Sure enough, he walked into the room he'd just been in, confirming his theories and arising a whole new set of questions. What was going on? Why did he care at all? Now he knew, for sure, he could endure the long, tedious hours of nothingness, as long as he got to find out what had happened to that once happy kid.


Konoe's tea-cup made a soft clicking sound when he rested it on its plate and the familiar noise brought a bit of comfort to his tired mind; the kind of comfort you can only get from those little routines that let you know, no matter how upside-down the world seems to be at the moment, things are never that bad. In front of him, Hakushaku-sama gave Watson-sama directions to bring some more pastries to the table. The decrepit old servant struggled with his short stature to pick up the empty plate from the table and scooted away. That was the Castle of candles for you, always the same. And boy, did he need that reassurance. The Earl picked up his tea with two gloved fingers and waited till his servant was out of earshot.

"And he took off, just like that?" he said in a slight disbelieving tone, picking up the conversation where they'd left it. Konoe nodded resignedly.

"Just like that, with no mention of where he was going or when he'll be back."

Hakushaku stared at him for a moment- the only evidence of that being the mask pointing directly at him- and, after sipping his tea slowly, leaned forward as if to confide in him.

"You don't think he's…" he hesitated, "flipped out, do you?"

Konoe shrugged helplessly. He'd thought about it, about Tatsumi loosing his battle with time. He had to think about it every time a shinigami started acting strange. Enma knew Tsuzuki and himself had had a rough time keeping their wits about them and, in all his years, he'd seen many shinigami breaking only after half the time Tatsumi had endured. Coming from someone else's lips, though, it did sound a bit exaggerated.

"I don't think so. I wouldn't mention anything Enma just yet. He has been working twice as much as he used to, and he used to work a lot to begin with. He's probably just tired, as he said."

"That's true," the Earl conceded. "Ever since Kyoto, he's been working for two. Or three, as it is. While we're at it," the invisible man began, and Konoe could detect some level of lechery in his voice, so he knew what was coming. "How is my precious little angel doing?"

The chief didn't even flinch at the Earl's 'peculiar' way of addressing Tsuzuki this time, perhaps because the mention of him took the conversation to more pleasant topics.

"Actually," he began in a much lighter tone. "Tsuzuki is doing great. So is Kurosaki-kun. It seems they have come out stronger from that awful ordeal. I dare say they'll be back to work in no time."

"Really?" Hakushaku exclaimed, delighted. "That's really great news!" The man shook his head. "If only I'd known this a week ago, though." He finished a little dramatically. Konoe frowned in confusion.

"Why a week ago?"

The man waved a gloved hand dismissively.

"Oh, it's just that Tatsumi-san came here to drop off some files and I had this potential case that fell into Tsuzuki's jurisdiction and…"

"A case?" Konoe said a little too loudly, showing his surprise. "What kind of case? Tatsumi never mentioned anything about a case."

The Earl laughed, a little nervous at his friend's reaction.

"It was nothing, really; just some anomalies that needed to be sorted out. He probably finished before he had a chance to tell you about it."

Konoe thought about it for a moment. It wasn't like Tatsumi to hide work-related information. About all other aspects of his life, he was as cryptic as a hieroglyphic- at least he thought he was- but keeping things to yourself at the work place was not efficient. Then again, maybe it really had been just a check up; maybe it really hadn't been worth mentioning. He wasn't sure, though. There was something about the whole thing that smelled rotten to him, and he was usually right about his gut feelings.

"You don't happen to remember the details, do you?" Konoe asked, without much hope for a satisfying answer. The Earl just shrugged.

"That's what the files are for. I gave it to him, but I'm sure there must be a copy around here somewhere. I'll have Watson look it up for you, if it'll make you feel better, but you really shouldn't worry about it. I would remember something about it if it had been serious."

"I guess," Konoe said, unsure. Hakushaku wasn't precisely famous for his ability to discern what mattered. "Let me know if you find anything, though."

As an isolated incident, he too would have let it pass, wouldn't have paid much attention to it. Considering the circumstances, that little detail could prove to be vital.

Tsuzuku

dodger-chan: heh heh, I say they have caller ID, so they do. :P I know how slow I am to get to the good stuff, but I think we're getting there, ne? I mean, the plot, lol. Tell me what you think. Hugs.

PJ Zatken: I'm sorry I scared you!! You liked it, though... admit it. heh heh. Thanks for saying all those nice things that always have me blushing. Huggles dear.

BakayaroManiac: Curious is good, it means you'll keep reading... I hope... I'm waiting for those pretty drawings of yours, k? I luv your drawings! Hugs

Schatten Wolfendorf: Si hay alguien que puede entender lo que es estar demasiado ocupada para las cosas que unoi realmente quiere hacer, esa soy yo -.-;; Los finales fueron un infierno, pero por suerte, hasta febrero no tengo que pensar mas en la facu. Que suerte lo de la laptop (envidia) Y si, era tu blog al final. Besos!

lyn: ya te conteste el review!! Waah, ahora que te escribo aca?! Mmmm... er... Ah! Como la pasaste con todos tus amigos anti-navideños? Igual, te mando un mail mas tarde, ok? Hugs para vos y Seii.

Ja Ne!