New Hope

Response to reviewers:

Jou: I feel bad leaving Tsuzuki out but I had to. I'm glad you find this interesting! Here's the next installment!

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voluptas1: Glad you think so! Here's another chapter!

Part 2

It was a boring, silent drive. Duo bit his lip to not speak up while concentrating on the road. He was trying to impress his partner and he did not want to ruin it by speaking at the moment. He could tell that Hisoka was really not in the mood. Duo couldn't help but be curious about him. Hisoka was an enigma. He was good at readying people but Hisoka was like ice. Plus he glared a lot. It reminded him of a certain someone. Duo couldn't help but wonder how Hisoka became like this.

Usually, he'd be talking like there was no tomorrow. As much as he wanted to crack a joke, he didn't. For some reason he wanted to have a good impression on his partner, despite the fact that he looked younger than he did. After all, his partner was about 281 years his senior.

Hisoka was not amused. He was thankful for the silence and the fact that the division taught Duo how to shield his mind, but he could tell that his new partner wanted to speak so badly and ramble about absolutely nothing. But he wasn't in the mood. He clenched his fist against the skirt he was wearing.

Okay, you're probably thinking: What the hell?

Well, it shall be explained.

Flashback----------------

"We finally get to put you in a dress!"

"What!"

"Yeah! Tatsumi-san gave you the case right?"

Hisoka nodded.

"Did you read the part where you and your partner have to pretend to be a couple? A straight couple? And since you already look like a girl we suggested you. Isn't that great Hisoka-kun!" Yuma explained to him. Hisoka paled.

"I refuse! Why didn't Tatsumi-san give the case to you?" Hisoka asked Wakaba. She smiled.

"Because, you remember the last time with Terazuma? He almost destroyed the building. It took me a while to get him back to normal," Wakaba explained. Hisoka paled even more as he remembered Terazuma's condition of turning into a shikigami when a woman touched him. There was not way out of this.

End Flashback----------

Hisoka was sulking the whole day. Luckily all these clothes that 'Wakaba' had picked were all decent and not too complicated. Hisoka already hated this mission. He and Duo were supposed to pose as a newlywed couple and find out who the murderer is and why the person had been stealing the souls preventing them from reaching the afterlife.

He snapped out of his thoughts as Duo began to whistle. Hisoka really didn't appreciate it.

"Stop that!" Hisoka snapped at him.

"Bit its quiet! Can I-"

"No."

"You didn't even know what I was going to say!"

"Yes I did. Don't speak, hum, or whistle. Got it?"

"But… Meanie…"

Silence…

"Fine, let it out," Hisoka finally said. Duo let out a deep breath.

"This is one hell of a mission. Though I don't think I've ever gone this far into solving a case. I've never had any idea that I had some special ability on my own. I guess that's why I was able to survive in the war. Too bad it didn't save me on that other mission I did for the Preventers. Who would've thought that I'd actually be playing around with the supernatural? Man working as a shinigami does have its perks. So since you've already heard my life story and all that yada, yada, yada…"

Hisoka felt his anxiousness. "Ask."

"If you don't mind… um… how'd you die?" Duo asked hesitantly. Hisoka stared out the window. He hated that damn question.

"An illness." He simply responded like it was rehearsed. HE wasn't exactly lying. HE paused in his thinking as he felt a bit of hurt from his new partner. But it was quickly shoved away.

"Well at least it wasn't from a bullet wound. It hurt like hell. But at least I got to give a my friends a proper-"

"I suffered three years with a high fever."

"That long? How is that possible?"

"Luck, I guess…" Damn Muraki…

"So, how old were you when you… uh…died?"

"Sixteen."

"That young? Wow… I'm only twenty-one. Just turned twenty-one. I only enjoyed two full days of being legal! Oh hey look! We're here!"

-X-

"Just what you'd expect from Winner Enterprises," Duo commented as they looked into the accommodations of the room they were going to stay in. "Yahoo!" Duo quickly jumped onto the King sized bed. He looked up at the ceiling. "Just like old times. Q-man hasn't lost his touch."

Hisoka sighed before looking around. This was something he was sure that Tatsumi would not even think twice. This was like a huge penthouse. This must've been pricey. Hisoka hoped that none of the payments are coming out of his paycheck. He hoped this came from the emergency money, if there was any left. He was hoping too much.

His eyes then landed on his partner. He couldn't help it but Duo was almost like… Tsuzuki… Hisoka shook himself of those thoughts. He'd gotten over him years ago. He was too tired for this. He'd investigate tomorrow. He hoped this one wouldn't make him do all the work. Walking over to the couch, he prepped a pillow and lied down. As soon as his head hit the pillow he immediately fell asleep.

Duo sat up as he noticed that he'd gotten no response in the span of a minute Looking around he found Hisoka on the couch sleeping. HE stood up and walked over. He stared down and smiled. Despite the cold looks Hisoka gave out, he really looked like an angel when he was asleep. He couldn't let his new partner sleep on the couch. The bed was big enough for two. After all, this is a honeymoon suite. And they did have to act the part. He was sure, whoever is behind these captured souls, a camera was set up around the room somewhere. The targets were couples seeing as how this was a newlywed hotel.

Picking Hisoka up, carrying him bridal style, he placed him on the bed an d pulled the blanket over until his shoulders. The room was kind of chilly. He then searched through his suitcase, looking for his disguise and his necessary defense. He couldn't let people go around saying they saw a dead Duo Maxwell ex-gundam pilot walking around.

"Time to go investigating."

-X-

Sneaking in had been easy with this new invisibility that he had. Being a shinigami had its perks. Luckily the things you were carrying also turned invisible. He could to better espionage than Trowa now.

Duo cautiously looked around in case one of his former friends was in this underground compound. So far, he hadn't seen an ounce of Heero, Quatre, Trowa, and Wufei. They probably would know if someone was around not that it is he. Shaking out of his thoughts, Duo immediately began to set up distinct small cameras to spy in this unknown hotel. Quatre had many businesses all over so he didn't know every single one. He didn't even know Quatre had a hotel plotted in Japan at all.

Once finished, Duo went back up until he heard distinct voices. He stealthily leaned against the door to listen in.

"Is everything ready?" a smooth voice asked.

"Hai, but can I ask, why do you need this?" another male said.

"Attract attention, I suppose… But if you're reluctant to give it, then I don't see why you can have all the blame if this gets out…"

"Are you blackmailing me?"

"No, I'm merely telling you your options. See, if word gets out, I will be the one to blame instead of you. We've had no connections in the past besides today."

A sigh. "Fine."

"Where do you want me to place it?"

"Hold on, friend, it seems we have an extra body listening in."

Duo panicked before running silently. He couldn't very well get caught on his first day on the job. That'd just be a hassle. But at least he caught who the person was and a glimpse of the other. He quietly made it back to their room and gave out a sigh of relief. Now he needed to set up and find out where that hidden camera was. It was going to be a long night.

-X-

Hisoka groggily woke up. He had a huge headache. Though he had one of the best sleeps in a while. He looked around warily until he stares straight into violet eyes.

"Mornin' sleepin' beauty!"

Hisoka was surprised until he remembered the mission, the cursed mission. HE groaned in realization. Damn Tatsumi for assigning this to him.

"Not much of a morning person, are ya?" Duo said getting up. He walked over to the table littered with food. "I had room service deliver food."

When he received no answer he looked over in Hisoka's direction. He was sitting up but rubbing his temples. Duo looked on concerned. Surely shinigamis wouldn't employ someone that wasn't capable? He shook his head of those thoughts. He was thinking Preventer style again. He had taken a good look at Hisoka. The shinigami didn't look healthy. The younger looked malnourished and way too light. Actually, Hisoka weighed hardly anything when he carted him over to the bed. Hisoka didn't look qualified for a job like this. Of course, nor was he when he became a gundam pilot.

Hisoka groaned in pain as the headache spread. He felt Duo's concern in waves. They were giving him a worse headache. He felt the other coming closer. Hisoka waved him off.

"Don't… Just put your shields back up." Hisoka instructed.

Duo had momentarily forgotten what Hisoka was talking about, until he remembered his initiation. Before he was assigned a partner, Tatsumi told him about shielding his mind and how it was crucial around JuOhCho. He didn't understand back then. He learned quickly. When he felt his shields back up he cautiously walked over to Hisoka, who looked ready to fall asleep. He placed his hands on his shoulders and pushed him to lie back down.

"Rest some more, I'll take care of the mission. Besides I already got information, think you can get ready for tonight?" Duo asked.

"What's tonight?" Hisoka responded.

"We're going to the museum opening tonight. Best bet the object we're looking for is in there."

"How did you get all this?" Hisoka asked curiously. He knew Duo's skills were good from the file he read over, but he didn't know it was this good. Of course Tatsumi did tell him a little fact that Duo was an ex-gundam pilot. He promised not to inform Duo that he knew who he was.

"My skills are the best! Plus, I did stealth missions all the time when I was with the Preventers!" Duo stated letting out a small grin. He knew Hisoka had read over his file and vice-versa. After all, you needed to know all about your partner to know what not to do. Hisoka's file failed to mention 'shield your mind'.

"You're only telling half the truth," Hisoka stated getting the thought from Duo's good shields.

"Can't like to an empathy with telepathic powers ne? You're just like Quat except for the telepathic part. Yeah, I also got who's behind this. It's the manager himself along with some accomplice," Duo had a thoughtful look at the moment, "I don't know who the other is but the only thing I had caught was white or was it silver?" Duo threw his hands up in the air, "Ah, I don't know." He then turned to Hisoka who had a shocked look on his face.

Meanwhile, Hisoka was lost in thought as soon as Duo finished. It' can't be! Hisoka shook his head. No, he should be dead. He's left you alone for three hundred years. It could just be someone else. Hisoka said to reassure himself.

"Hisoka!"

He shook out of his thoughts as he heard Duo call him. He looked right into concerned violet eyes. Just like Tsuzuki.

Duo was really good at reading people, and Hisoka looked scared when he blanked out. He couldn't help but want to protect the younger looking shinigami. But as that look came, it quickly disappeared back into the cold look.

"You okay?" he asked concerned. Hisoka calmed down with those warm feelings flowing through him. He hadn't felt this relaxed in ages.

"Ah, I'm fine." Duo flashed him a grin.

"Get some more sleep. I'll take care of all this jazz. I'll wake you when it's time."

TBC-----------------

BLK Angel of Destruction: I hope this wasn't too bad. I'll have the next one up maybe next week or the week after. Thanks for your reviews! I really appreciate them!

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