Author's notes: -head boppin' to 'One Angry Dwarf and 200 Solemn Faces' by Ben Folds Five-

Disclaimer: YnM and all characters from that series do not belong to me and I do not profit from them. All the OCs and plot within belong to me. :)

Warning: One new OC.

Hey Experimental. Spoke too soon about the faster updates. :S Sorry! I hope this isn't a disappointment and will help explain some things. I happen to agree that Sachiya is a lot more like Tsuzuki, too. –giggle-

Hi ya laustic, it's always great to have a new reviewer, and I appreciate your feedback. Perhaps this chapter will help you with your wonderings.

Hello, Literary Eagle. I love them too. In fact if anyone has any good recs for Saya/Yuma ficcage I'd love to hear from them (PMs are fine, you know :D )

Hi, Stratus5, bingo:S Shhh, himitsu desu. While Muraki's not the mastermind, be rest assured that he is up to no good, but that is the way of our lovely Doctor, ne?

Thanks for the reviews!

Also, please note that Nui does have a history with these people and I acted accordingly. She's not seen around JuuOhCho, not because she's terribly busy like the other sectors, but because she can't help but to poke the hell out of some people, which is why she refers to all the guys as '–kun' and sometimes '–chan' The female Shinigami are rare enough so usually she just calls them by their first name unless she has the urge to prod them too. There are very few exceptions to the rule. I wrote more at the bottom. :)

If you haven't gotten yet, Sachi is a wonderful pet's name for a dog and isn't really proper for a person's name. Shade is Sachiya's pen name or rather was.

Everyone thank you very much for reading. I have to sincerely apologize for taking so long. Life caught up with me; my parents divorced several months ago, dad's getting remarried, eldest brother's getting married, and I have school and a part-time job. :) I'm trying to write as fast as I can.

"Buildings are similar to humans in a way
not only do they shelter,
they weather many storms,
whether it's

storms of sand and wind
storms of rain and wind
storms of word and wind

They all slowly erode
away.

Cracks appear
and can be fixed
to a point.

Whatever we do
they still exist
and
we can see them
whether we weathered them
or whether we caused the weathering.

-- "Cracked Foundation" by Sara Schafer

Aiming the bouncing camera, Sachiya turned the flash on and pressed the shutter release button. The flash blinked like a strobe light, and everything paused to a snail-slow speed except for him of course.

Jerking to a stop from his flat-out running and still out of breath, he ambled past the demon, whose short legs were flung mid-stride as he ran through invisible quagmire.

Stopping several meters ahead, he turned the shutter speed down and the flash off; immediately time moved normally around them, but as the camera clicked, echoing down the hall, the fear-stricken demon was froze in mid-turn. The look on his face was full of dread at Sachiya's seeming-impossible speed, not thinking that maybe he was the one who had slowed down. A second passed and his foot was on the ground, turned in the opposite direction of Shade at an impossible angle that would usually cause a fall.

Quickly switching out the regular flash cartridge on the camera with a blue-tinted one, he stood about three meters away. The flash went off with a crack of sound, and the demon disappeared. Smirking, the rookie grabbed the Polaroid that popped out of the back of the clunky manual camera, already processed, waving it at Tsuzuki who had arrived just in time.

"I caught the brat!" He crowed.

"Is that..?"

"Bound and sealed."

Kato handed it to his outstretched hand understanding his unspoken question. Tsuzuki looked hard at the photo then showed it to him. "Are there only supposed to be clothes in the photograph?"

Eyes widening he snatched it back. Sure enough, no demon. "Naked… demon running loose?" Sachiya mumbled ineffectively, feeling very stupid. How had the runt gotten away?

A sinister chuckle reverberated throughout the hallway as an aura clouded their senses. "I thank you for returning what was mine, Shinigami." It uttered the last part like it was swatting at pesky fly, absolutely confident in its ability to squash them. "Have no worries… for the perpetuators, who brought my child into existence, live no more."

They both spun around; rookie in shock, while Tsuzuki tried to sense the demon and couldn't beyond the sheer oppressive power that swamped them.

"The soul which encompasses the body belongs under the jurisdiction of the Judgment Bureau." Sachiya stated in a barely comprehensible mumble, unable to twitch a voluntary muscle or breathe very well from the power slithering heavily against him.

The demon laughed, sounding similar to a knife rasping against a cheese grater, not even deigning to answer that comment.

"You will see my child again, Tsuzuki. When he tears off your head and rips out your heart, I will become the right-hand lieutenant of Ashtaroth, and you will no longer be the pawn of Enma." It chuckled nastily. "Until then, I give you my condolences."

Tsuzuki had no response to that, clenching his jaw and fists in anger.

The weight that had been pressing them down and holding them in place disappeared.

"Holy shit, how'd you manage to get mixed up with High-level demons, like Ashtaroth!"

Staring at the wall, Tsuzuki didn't answer. The only thing running through his mind was that another innocent soul could, no, would be harmed because of him.

Hisoka woke up suddenly upright in his bed. A hand grabbed him around the waist and pulled him back down, then both arms wrapped around his chest and pinned him in place. What the hell? His mind was too fuzzy to figure out who it was, though 'it' was definitely a girl.

"Gotcha…" A familiar voice mumbled in what he guessed was supposed to be a comforting thing, but—oh. Yuma and Saya came to visit. His brain supplied helpfully, right when he was about to panic.

Then Saya appeared with one of his aprons on, smiling happily. "Ready for breakfast?"

Hisoka blinked. "uh…"

"Breakfast!" Yuma suddenly was standing next to the bed, tugging on Hisoka's arm. "You don't want to miss Saya's home cooking!"

"uh.." he said again, and was dragged out of bed to his meager living space, before he could string any words together, whether it was a question or statement.

"C'mon, Hisoka-chan!"

"The Gushoshin have found a definite link between the demon and its human soul-possessed spawn that the Summons Division have encountered, and the recent trail of 33 people dead. It is confirmed by the Demon Exorcist Division that that much death would provide ample energy to 'birth' a demon host of the caliber that the Chubu sector Shinigami encountered. Even though the demon culprit is currently an unknown enemy, he is not in good company. I have heard news that the minions of Hell are on the move to destroy their brethren."

He paused surveying the grim set of faces about him. It was well known that servants of Hell never trifled with the affairs of other servants unless one of them did something against their own unwritten set of rules. Tatsumi continued.

"As such, this case's priority level has gone up. I want you to split into three groups of pairs and investigate for the current whereabouts of those two. If you encounter them call for back up; the goal is to exorcise and harvest the soul from its host and destroy the demons. Each pair will be aided with a member from the Demon Exorcism department. I will stay here to be the nexus of operation commands."

Watari raised his hand. "Excuse me, Tatsumi, but that leaves two pairs and an odd one out…"

"Actually, your partner should be here shortly."

The door slammed open and a lanky female of average height waltzed in. "Hello everyone, did I miss anything important?" Nui strolled in drawling. Half the room cringed at her entrance.

Sachiya perked up right away, grinning. "Hey, old hag. You're better already?"

"Hmph, Sachi-kun, watch who you're calling old. And how have you been, Hajimete-kun?" She drawled slowly, like she was tasting a fine wine. Placing her folded arms against the back of his shoulders, she leaned against Terazuma. He, much to his ire, didn't transform, though he knew he wouldn't. Not with her.

The woman was unmissed by the secretary. Already she was causing trouble. She usually wasn't allowed in JuuOhCho because of her tendency to enrage Terazuma into destroying the workplace. She had done this consistently each time she was forgiven and allowed back into the main headquarters. He didn't understand why the eldest two Shinigami pestered Terazuma so.

"Get off of me you, woman-freak. You're as ugly as a man!"

"Nui-san…" Wakaba said hesitantly.

"Oh-ho! Am I too strong for you?" Holding him in a headlock, she turned to Wakaba. "Why have you not tamed this chap yet, Wakaba?"

Terazuma's partner sat quietly, blushing.

Pulling away from him, before he grew mad enough to transform and destroy the office, she shook her finger at Wakaba. "You must show a cur who's boss, or it'll bite the hand that feeds." He snarled, muttering about how she was a hypocrite in calling him a dog, except his language was not nearly as nice.

She ignored him, moving on, sitting in the only chair available, which was to the right of her next victim. Brushing her skirt down, she shifted and clasped her hands above the table, smiling obnoxiously. "I look forward to working with one as infamous as yourself, Yutaka-kun."

The scientist looked very annoyed. "She's partnering up with the rookie right, Tatsumi?"

Tatsumi was silent.

"Right, Tatsumi?" Watari's face was both serious and frightening.

"We are a pair then!" She grinned happily.

He was very not happy with the thought, as he groused out. "Tatsumi, I know things about—"

Interrupting him, Tatsumi cleared his throat. "I correct my statement, two groups of three then. Watari you're with Wakaba and Terazuma. Nui with Tsuzuki and Sachiya. Your respective Demon Exorcists will meet up with you tomorrow in the city you are assigned. That is all."

Tsuzuki had remained silent throughout the antics, concentrating on the case ahead, hands clasped together. He hoped that Hisoka was ok…

"Where am I?"

You're safe with me, child… forget those humans, and those Shinigami. The purr both warmed and chilled him.

"I'm hungry."

Then go out and feed. The voice chuckled sinisterly. Feed until you find your fill…

"Ah, Toyama." Taking a breath, Nui commented standing arms crossed and a mini-cigar in hand. A brisk wind heading in from the Sea of Japan cooled her partner from the otherwise stifling humidity.

"We were supposed to wait for a Demon Exorcist to accompany us." Sachiya stated looking up at the looming mountain range 3,000 km away. He glanced back at the black shadow that hounded them but hadn't said a word to them yet. It was unsettling; Tsuzuki didn't seem to be the quiet brooding type.

But besides the fact they went against orders, the rookie thought it was strange, the way they had said 'Ah, Toyama' with the same nostalgia. "Did something happen between you two?"

"No." She smiled taking a drag from the cigar, high heels clicking on the dark paved road. Today she wore a dark gray woman's business suit. It was much more formal than the flowing Western-style skirts and half-opened blouses she usually dressed in, but she always had on a pair of high heels.

They took the lead; Nui greeting and chatting with people who might've seen or been affected by their prey, excusing herself for the sudden appearance each time.

At present, she was acting as a freelance journalist, which worked perfectly with Sachiya's photographer alibi. Their other partner stood still and silent with sunglasses on and a heavy black trenchcoat, looking like an able bodyguard. No hint of smile in that closed line of mouth. Stopping before she actually stared at Tsuzuki, she turned back to her informant.

"So would you know about anything unusual?"

"'Sides the fire an' death of a geezer, nah lady. I ain't heard of nothin' weird. 'Cept…"

"Except what? Anything will be helpful."

"The shopkeeper that owns The Maneki Neko up the road's been mutterin' 'bout demons, but he's been doin' that fer months.

"Thank you." She said sincerely, shaking his hand. The 2000-yen bill left her hand easily into his hands and disappeared into his pocket by way of an unnoticeable sleight of hand if one didn't watch closely.

"No prob, miss. I'll keep ya updated. Same as always." The sulky teen shrugged his shoulders and slinked his way to the adjacent alleyway, leaning casually against the wall in the shade like it was nobody's business, though Nui expected him to leave before an officer had the chance to arrest him for loitering.

Shade eyed the teen then back to his partner as they walked up the hill to the temple. "You're alot shiftier than I thought."

"There are many things you do not understand about me, Sachi, least of all the way to be a proper Shinigami. Unlike certain people, there are other ways to obtain desired information without resorting to breaking JuuOhCho bylaws."

The rookie carefully kept his mouth from blathering about Nui's disregard of a superior's order and Tsuzuki's apparent lack of money, and thus eliminating the implication that they were both what she considered 'certain people'. "Oh," he replied uneventfully.

"And I am not disobeying orders. Tatsumi-san said, and I quote, 'your respective Demon Exorcists will meet up with you tomorrow in the city you are assigned'. He did not say a thing about meeting up with them before entering the city, now did he?"

Sachiya wisely kept his mouth shut and nodded.

They came upon the shop that was mentioned. A three-foot statue of a black cat, collared with a thick red handkerchief, beckoned them inside with its left paw. The Maneki Neko looked small and cramped from the outside; the many different types of ofuda, probably blessed by a local priest, hung from the eaves like a thick flurry of paper socks hung out to dry. Attached to bells, they were most likely there to ward off evil spirits like the 'beckoning cat' that had greeted them at the front of the store.

Hardly making a sound as they entered, they were immediately greeted by a short, chubby shopkeeper with a bright smile and nervous handwashing. "I'm Kanaoka, the shop keeper. How may I best serve you?"

Nui introduced herself and was immediately forthcoming about gloomy feelings, as if something terrible was going to happen and wanted to know if he had a charm to sell that would protect her. Tsuzuki snorted, and excused himself standing outside.

"Well, Ms. Kato. You've come to the right place!" Unfazed by the moody 'bodyguard', he began to babble incessantly strutting left and right showing off his wares, and she let him mulling over this and that, until he began to sympathize with her feelings of gloominess.

"It wasn't until recently that I felt a horrible aura of evilness in the area. I believe there's a demon hanging around, but I only ever feel it at night as if it's searching very carefully for something." The shopkeeper's hands were tightly gripped around each other as if admitting it would cause the sky to fall around his head. "There's been a mysterious spate of missing people too, though they haven't been linked together… yet." He was sweating profusely.

Not wanting to hang around the fearful shopkeeper as he jabbered on nonsensically, Sachiya cleared his throat, holding up a small keychain with a smile he thought emoted nervous hopefulness. "How much for this?"

Terazuma stayed back while his two partners had worked their magic on the local populace of Nagoya, currently the fourth largest city in Japan, but there was nothing left here besides it being the point from which the perp must have taken the Tokaido Shinkansen to the unnecessary slaughter of 33 people. The agent that had been required to follow them around had explained that the dispersal pattern around the Shinkansen and the time period between each killing had helped them to pinpoint the source.

For what? He had pointed out angrily. The demon was long gone and based on that idiot's report the demon itself admitted to offing everyone involved in the creation of its pet project, probably eating their souls and keeping its secret safe. The callus Shinigami had trouble understanding how a freakin' 18 year old free-floating soul would be so dangerous. He knew that the soul hadn't exactly been free-floating, but he didn't really care at the moment. To him only the consequences mattered, and Tatsumi's comment about demons out to get this particular demon positively made him twitchy. It felt wrong twice over.

The charming Demon Exorcist agent stayed back with him preferring to grimace at everything peculiarly, probably sensing nothing demonic either. Her name was Araki Hana and she was annoying as hell. They hadn't said more than three utterances to each other at a time each expecting the other to keep the conversation up. As a special bonus, the sight of Wakaba's ribbons had repulsed her; she couldn't help commenting on how ugly they were, how the guy who gave them to her should have consulted his mother first, since he had no sense of style, and the ribbon-maker had terrible aesthetic tastes and poor craftsmanship. In one fell swoop the Demon Exorcist had insulted all of her coworkers. Though Terazuma wasn't quite sure if alienating them had been intentional or not, it had pissed him off.

As he finished off the last cigarette, he took a new one out starting it up. When he was stressed or angry he was a chain smoker of the worst kind, but he didn't give a damn. It's not like it would kill him.

"Hajime-chan!" His long-term partner enunciated as if she had been calling him for awhile.

"Hmph?"

Their resident scientist adjusted his glasses. "We have found some rather interesting information regarding that seamstress' daughter's husband that Bon's post-report mentioned in passing."

Terazuma hated this beating around the bush; he gestured his hand impatiently for him to continue.

"The man we're looking for is Takahashi Haseo. However, he apparently died of a heart attack a few days ago in his front lawn, and none of his personal belongings survived the house fire."

"Great. Another dead-end then." Terazuma puffed his cigarette not wanting it to burn up before he could suck it down.

"Not precisely. Before his wife died, she gave birth."

"What's this got to do with our case?"

"If you had been listening to Araki's information, Takahashi's soul arrived at JuuOhCho, meaning that.."

"His soul hadn't been consumed. Brilliant. So who else is jumping on the bandwagon?"

Watari faltered, and the stout figure of Araki stepped in. "We aren't sure because the soul was put into an amnesic trance by what we presume to be his killer. However, we have been able to confirm that, yes he is responsible for starting of the domino effect of events, and that his wife had been the vessel through which the demon child had been born."

"Isn't his soul forfeit to the demon who made the contract with him?"

"That's getting into a sticky issue, Mr. Terazuma. Do you really want me to explain?"

Before the temperamental smoking Shinigami reached out to grab her by the neck and shake the little tart around until her head popped off, his partner jumped in holding hands on his elbows smiling up at him while explaining their next move. "Since Takahashi-san had been the child's legal guardian. If we look at the birth records we should be able to get some more information, and maybe more leads..."

"If whoever got to Takahashi didn't get to them first. Gotcha. Let's get going then." He said gruffly, brushing by her and Watari, trying his best to ignore the Aragi-baka.

He couldn't stand women. They pissed him off just by being near him.

"The link seems to have stabilized. If we are able to keep them separated a little longer…"

"Do whatever is necessary."

"Yes, mi'lord."

EnmaDaiOh turned to the human soul that had been wandering around the mortal realm where it didn't belong. The Demon Exorcist Division with the cooperation of the Informants Division had extracted everything but this final thing. "Speak."

"Mu." The soul almost resisted, but then buckled under the might of the god's will. "ra..ki. Kazu..taka."

"Very good." Quietly his demon courtesans did exactly as he bid without him speaking words out loud, taking the broken soul to be recycled, and not simply cleansed of memories and reincarnated. Being in the presence of a full-fledged god and being forced to do what has been ingrained deeply into one's soul tends to end that way.

One thing was certain. Muraki Kazutaka had mastered a very dangerous form of spiritual magic, and could not be allowed to continue to meddle with immortal affairs without dire consequences. However, EnmaDaiOh would have to still his hand until the good Doctor was in the process of irreparably damaging the balance of death and life. Simply smiting a mortal brought upon its own dire consequences that could not be treated lightly, and sending his Children to carry out his will also brought its own drawbacks.

Sitting back down gracefully, he decided he would meditate on the best path of action that would in the long term be beneficial to them all. Muraki Kazutaka had power he could not ignore.

They were mentally exhausted by the end of the day, having been on their feet hours and talking with so many people with no real lead in sight besides the bit they gleaned from the shopkeeper at The Maneki Neko about the demon was still lurking in the area.

"It appears that the sun is on its last legs of descent. Let us hit the bag." She tried.

Snorting in fits and giggles, Sachiya corrected her. "You mean 'sack'. Damn, you sound old."

"Hush, youngling. You understood me, yes?"

Sachiya merely rolled his eyes in response. "So where's our hotel?"

"Here." The rookie jumped at Tsuzuki's quiet voice. He hadn't spoken since first trailing them, probably lost in thought.

The eldest Shinigami removed and pocketed his sunglasses looking up at the eighteen-story hotel.

"Well, what are you waiting for Sachi. Go get our room keys!"

Grumbling at her and throwing her nasty looks, five steps later he was all smiles and charm, happy to please and dazzle the receptionist at the desk.

"Kato is quite a handful." She commented as a conversation starter., but he remained quiet.

She tch-ed at him. "I only have one request, Tsuzuki-han, and only one. I wish to meet this 'Kurosaki' that you have been wallowing over."

He jerked his head up.

"O-ho! Yes, your moping is obvious and frankly reminds me of how you were acting over another partner..."

His eyes hardened. "Just because we were partners before doesn't mean you can talk to me like you know me. We've spoken more in the past week than we have in years."

"You never seemed interested in keeping friends, only allies." Without a response, she crossed her arms sighing at his stubbornness. "After all these decades you have not changed much. I wished to let you know that once Sachi has been made into a full-fledged Shinigami, I will not be around. Give or take a couple months more. There is nothing tying me here beyond duty for my post now."

Tsuzuki knew she had trouble with modern Japanese, but it was far more familiar to him than what everyone else spoke around him. "Aa. It is about time, obaachan."

She sniffed loudly. "Careful, Zukin. Just because I do not tease you, it is not an invitation for you to tease me."

"Yeah, but it passes the time."

"You helped me."

Tsuzuki blinked confused by the sudden statement. "Pardon?"

"You were wondering why I am always friendly regardless of how much time has passed between us." She lit another cigar taking a drag. "I was crippled by and died from Minamata disease in my village. You helped me pass on. "

"Oh." His expression fell. "Sorry, I.."

"Do not apologize, please. Even if you did not remember me, I am very grateful. I was barely 29 when it happened. If I had stopped eating the fish like my brother told me months earlier, I would have been 77 this year, if I had not died from some other folly like lung cancer, O-daisofu." She intoned the last word at him solemnly.

Tsuzuki shook his head laughing.

"If it is not true, how old are you this year Tsuzuki? I have heard rumors that you are over 100."

"Something like that." He murmured wistfully as if he wasn't really thinking too much about how much time had gone by.

"My advice to you is to grab what you hold dear and keep it close. I have also heard rumors about a certain case in Kyoto."

Merely by saying the city's name wrought up not the temples or the beautiful architecture like it used to but of blackest of fires and the painful desire to end it all and how he ultimately was saved and doomed at the same time.

"In romantically-inclined relationships, one cannot ignore ties like I have done with you, else you cross a line that may never be traversed back as with Tatsumi-san."

"Stop." He stated suddenly very cool in attitude towards her. "I don't want to talk about it."

She went silent, and finishing her cigar, turned on her heel and walked over to Sachi who must have been flirting with the woman shamelessly for half an hour. Grabbing him by his ear and apologizing profusely to the receptionist for her 'nephew's' behavior, she let him go at the front of the elevator.

As the doors closed to the elevator, Tsuzuki put an arm out to rebound the doors and walked in quietly turning in front of them so he didn't have to face the any looks on their faces imagined or real.

"Dibs on a room for myself." He commented nonchalantly in the elevator full of people.

Sachi almost lunged at him, if it weren't for his partner's vice-like grip on his arm and a warning.

The Hokkaido partners insisted quite forcefully for him to get some rest, and he eventually relented since he was tired. He was not looking forward to a fresh batch of Muraki-nightmares though. They cuddled up on either side of him, but somehow he still felt cold. They reassured him that they'd leave once he fell asleep so as not to affect his dreaming by their physical presence.

He realized then that it was because he was so used to being in contact with Tsuzuki, reaching a mental hand out, he held on firmly then relaxed into slumber.

The first thing he was aware of was skin, which was odd since normally he noticed temperature first.
Like that would be a problem. So what if he felt skin first and not warmth?

Then he realized he was curled up against someone.
Not a big deal He'd cuddled enough to know it wasn't a bad thing.

Then he noticed he was naked and spooning Tsuzuki.

He soon realized he was not going to wake up as easily as he anticipated as the body shifted in front of him turning to face him.

TBC.

Hajimete is a play on Terazuma's first name, Hajime. Hajimete means 'for the first time', implying that every time she meets him it's like the 'first time' and treats him as such. It really pisses him off.

Yutaka, not to be confused with yukata (though Nui sometimes slips up just to get a rise out of him). Notice how nobody calls Watari by his first name other than in his broken/forgotten memories. I don't know if it has to do with respect, or because he gets agitated when people call him by his first name, but she slips up the yukata/yutaka bit a lot so that's probably why he simmers when she's around.

Araki means rough wood or bark-covered logs. Conversely, Aragi means guts. I'm pretty sure it doesn't mean fighting spirit type of guts, though the specific type of guts it is I don't know for sure. Terazuma calls her 'stupid guts'. I hear the implication here as that he hates her 'stupid guts', though he never says 'hate' per se.

The only exceptions to the rule of calling guys '-kun' or '-chan' are the heads of the different Bureaus who she refers to as bosses (Kachou), Enma of course (-sama) and Tatsumi, whom she calls the proper '–san'. Tsuzuki is the only one she calls '–han' while speaking directly to him in private which is the rural equivalent of the city's '–san'. It's really the only thing left of her original dialect since she let Tatsumi tutor her grammar usage until it drilled into her head, hence the awkward sentence structure.

Finally Zukin means 'hood', something she called Tsuzuki back when they were partners. Each of her partners had their own 'pet' names.

Obaachan is comparable to saying gran-mama, kinda cutesy. O-daisofu means respectable great-grandfather.

Minamata disease is a neurological syndrome caused by severe mercury poisoning. It was called a disease before it was known that it was neither contagious nor caused by a contagion. It turns out that industrial wastes, especially heavy metals, are bad for you. If you're interested, you can read up on it.