Watari sat at his appointed chair with his name on it. He had both hands clasped around his tea mug, from which he was watching the steam rise. He'd been called in with Tsuzuki, Tatsumi and even Hisoka and Keitaro had managed to make it into Konoe's office. Apparently as the "doctor" of the judgment department he was involved. Their seats had been rearranged a bit. Hisoka was of course sat by Tsuzuki now. Every time he would look up he'd find the boy holding Keitaro, who was bundled in thick blankets. tight and watching the man with a distrustful eye. He often shifted the baby further from him. Sometimes he seemed to be almost hiding behind Hisoka.
He didn't know why but Seeing Hisoka's face angered him. Seeing him there with the baby wrapped protectively in his arms hiding behind Tsuzuki just boiled his blood. Why should Hisoka have someone when no one else did? Why should he have Tsuzuki there to comfort him every night? Why shouldn't he have the same thing! He was just a kid! A lousy ,snot nosed brat! He didn't deserve Tsuzuki! His hands had clenched with such force that they'd begun to crack the cup in his hands, it's not drawn much attention as it had not yet shattered but was very much near it. His mind was reeling down a dark alley. One of evil where he could hear the boys pitiful wails and screams of pain as he could feel the blood gush over his hands, feel the splash of the blood squirting with a weakening pulse wash over his face. If he were gone, Tsuzuki would be free, he'd be vulnerable.
"In short, Kurosaki has changed dramatically. So dramatically in fact... we don't know about his return to the duty of being a shinigami. Due to the nature and dangers this job..." Tatsumi's eyes were shadowed by his hand and his glances that glared angrily in the light. He seemed to have described a condition with the kid that he'd not calculated. It'd not enter his mind.
"If that's so... Well the only reason why shinigami are really allowed to wander the world is because of their duty as shinigami so," Watari pointed out looking up with sharp, cool eyes. "What would happen to him?" A spark of glee went up in Watari's darkened heart. He may not even have to get rid of the boy himself. If Hisoka could not perform his duty as a Shinigami, the higher forced just might do it for him.
"I've checked with that already. They won't take him from Tsuzuki or Keitaro. He's going to be allowed to stay here and live with Tsuzuki as if he were a shinigami. In a round about way, we're responsible for what has happened after all." Konoe answered. It was slight and almost unnoticeable, but Watari's eyes narrowed angrily. "However, this meeting was more or less just procedure. It's official now, Kurosaki, that you are not expected to return." Konoe made eye contact with the boy, or at least he did when the boy had finally turned to him from watching Watari after realizing that Konoe was directing his words towards him.
"We can't actually afford much, but you will be receiving a small payment in order to make a living on. Affording three people on Tsuzuki's check alone can't possibly be reality." Chimed in Tatsumi. "Of course, after all is said and done, you're still expected to pay back your debts Tsuzuki."
Tsuzuki sunk down under the table, whimpering to himself. "So mean Tatsumi. Mean!" Tears ran down his face.
"However, that does leave us with a problem of who will take over as Tsuzuki's partner." Konoe said in the mist of the whimpering and scolding that Tsuzuki was receiving from Tatsumi to make it stop. Tsuzuki poked his head up from under the table. Hisoka, too, looked up and over. Keitaro kicked out and gave a soft, short cry. Tsuzuki get a new partner...? His heart dropped, falling into the bottom of hi stomach.
"I don't want a new partner! I only want Hisoka!" Tsuzuki whined.
"Too bad" Said Konoe. "You know the rules. Guardians work in pairs and you just lost your partner." Konoe looked up over his folded hands at the scene. The two had reacted just as he had expected them to. It was somewhat cute how Hisoka seemed jealous over Tsuzuki's new partner before he'd ever seen him and the way Tsuzuki was so dedicated to him that he thought himself incapable of even working with another. This was going to be hard to get through without at least one of them hating him. "For now.. until we find you a full time partner we could assign you a temp. For now, Watari will do."
Tsuzuki had large innocent eyes as he looked over to the blonde. He tilted his head. He'd worked with the man before, and it could be a while till he'd have a new partner now, though he didn't really want one in the first place. It wouldn't really matter. Hisoka though, gave a steely glare, his lips beginning to curl back into a snarl. His chest tightened into a knot and he fingers clenched the fabric of Keitaro's blanket
Watari gave a grin. Perfect. He could easily gained more information that he could use to help himself later. As his partner he'd have easy access to him and every move he'd make, just as well information to Hisoka's whereabouts and condition at any given moment. Tsuzuki was so easy to milk information from. With the popper information, he could rid himself of the boy and get away with it by framing the doctor. It wouldn't seem suspicious, with all that the doctor had put them through, especially as of late. He gave an especially bright grin to the boy who was glaring at him, after which he could have sworn he heard the boy growl like some animal.
When the meeting was officially closed and each person was allowed to leave from their spot and get back to their post Hisoka was all to anxious to give Keitaro to Tsuzuki. He feigned that everything was fine, but Tsuzuki could tell something was wrong with him. Keitaro was far to fussy and it wasn't all due to him being hungry or wet, which he didn't think he was anyway. "Hisoka?" The boy walked off, not answering him, straight to Watari. That's it! He was worried about him getting a new partner. It was cute. So he turned to talk to the other. They were all interested in seeing Keitaro anyway.
Watari glared. The kid was working his way over to him. "What do you want?" He asked when the boy had stopped in front of him, his fist clenched and emerald orbs narrowed dangerously.
"Keep your hands off him. Don't mess with him, or so help me I'll-!"
"You'll what?" Watari asked without feeling. "I'm his new partner. We have jobs to do. It's a shame you're got yourself into this jam, kid, but you have. You're no longer a guardian of death and now Tsuzuki's all alone. So how about now, you stop messing with him." He stood, ready to walk off.
"Watari!" The boy grabbed his wrist, wrenching his arm back the way he was leaving. "Don't you do anything to him or I'll take you out myself!" He had grabbed the man without a thought, acting on just his furry and courage but it was quickly cooled when he looked to the older shinigami's face.
"Don't you dare to touch me again brat!" Watari jerked himself free from Hisoka's grasp and walked off.
Hisoka's heart sank down to it's lowest. He couldn't protect Tsuzuki again. He was just as vulnerable, just as dependant on him as he was from the beginning. And now... he would always be that way, for the rest of eternity.
"Hisoka. You alright?" Hisoka slowly came back from his daze. Tsuzuki was by his side, Keitaro in his arms. "Hisoka..?"
Hisoka nodded his head, taking Keitaro from Tsuzuki. "Yes, I'm fine."
"Do you want me to walk you home?"
"No, You've got things to do and I'll be fine." Hisoka took one last look to Watari's direction. "Fine."
Later that evening Tsuzuki had pulled on his jacket, about to leave the office, even though there was a load of paper work on his desk. "I'm so sorry Watari! But I promised Hisoka I'd do a few things before I came home today and if I don't get them done he'll have my head."
"No problem. Hey, why don't we work on these over at your place? I could head over there with everything while you run your errands, I'll work on what I can and I'll be there by the time you."
"Sounds great. Oh, but Hisoka might be in the shower or already asleep. He's a early to bed person, ya know." He chuckled. "Here, take my spare key, just in case." Tsuzuki pulled the key from his ring and dropped it into Watari's waiting hand. "I'll see ya there."
When Tsuzuki was gone and the room was empty of everyone he let himself let out a soft chuckle. He'd planned to wait but with the boys earlier outburst, he could not wait any longer. He needed to know his place, and he was going to show it to him.
OK. Sorry is too light a word to use for the extremely long wait to an update for my fans, but I am extremely sorry, My brain crashed, I think there were some major viruses in there and it took a long while to get rid of them. ok, but I know now what I'm doing again, the next few chapters will probably be short, but I hope to have more of them posted quickly.