Holy mother of dragons, this took longer than expected. I have been trying to keep the main plot somewhat intact but I am afraid I might need to deviate a little bit or a lot. The main arcs will remain there hopefully. Goodness, I cannot guarantee Anything in my life anymore! Which is sort of awesome and liberating and also really scary.

Tamdamdam

Turbo

The following morning Tsuzuki was ignoring his alarm clock as usual which lead to him being woken up by Hisoka.

-"Get up will you?" The youth yelled from behind the door. Tsuzuki rolled out of the bed, mussed his now slightly longer hair, yawned and pulled his sweatpants on in one fluid motion. Still not being accustomed to his new dimensions he glanced down at his bosom. Blinking a few times - was it him or had they gotten bigger? Now his breasts were a little bit rounder and heavier. Tsuzuki sighed and mentally cataloged the array of bras available to him. Abruptly he stropped that train of thought to reassess what it was that he had been thinking of.

He opened the door for Hisoka to come in. -"I think I am losing my mind."

His partner looked unimpressed. "Just wait till you see your uniform." He had gone to fetch them the previous night while Tsuzuki was out with Minami. He had a moment to look at them but had not had a chance to give the uniform to his partner until that morning. Hence he unveiled what looked like a slightly shorter version of a maid`s uniform. Not too kinky but neither was it neutral. Tsuzuki laughed at it -"They have got to be kidding me, it is probably a wrong size!" He smiled merrily. "I will get this sorted out with the butler guy." The brunette chirped happily and bounced down the corridor. Hisoka sighed - way too optimistic, as usual. Curiously he followed Tsuzuki just to see if his partner would need some help.

-"You want to tell me that this is the proper uniform of maids here? This is humiliating!"

Hisoka walked in upon Tsuzuki declaring this to Lelust who told there was nothing to be done with it and they needed to blend in with the rest of staff. Since they had a mission to complete they didn't really have any other choice. Hisoka cleared his throat softly.

-"Please excuse her, she has not been the same since the death of her father." That was a blatant lie but who cared, mortals usually did not know about the inner workings of their bureau. Lelust convinced them that it was not a big issue and excused himself.

-"Fine, I don't care how I look, It's not like I'm a girl in the first place." Hisoka watched his partner straighten, lift her chin and march out of the room.

Too bad nobody else knows that. Hisoka pondered, he didn't want to brake Tsuzuki`s spirits, he'd need all the support he could get.

The first part of the day was fine, since all of the male servants had gone outside to tend to their duties, the patrons of the establishment were mostly out in town and that left him working with fellow maids. By midday Tsuzuki had gotten himself an extra task – cleaning the household fireplaces.

He entered one of the rooms which looked like an office. The man he had seen in case file as the current owner of the estate was sitting at the table, filling some papers. He kept his gaze on the papers and did not acknowledge the arrival of the maid in any way. Feeling uneasy, Tsuzuki said hello to his would be employer and started cleaning the ashes out of the fireplace. He noted that the bureau stood opposite the fireplace and his short skirt was doing a poor job of keeping his dignity. He may have been preoccupied but he felt being looked at, the scribbling at the desk had stopped. Tsuzuki glanced over shoulder to see the man unashamedly looking at his butt.

Frowning, he stood up and ordered his skirt. There wasn't that much ash in the fireplace to call him in the first place. -"Miss.. " The man stood up and approached Tsuzuki.

-"May I help you?" The brunette chirped with an expression as deadpan as possible.

-"I've heard you don't like your attire." The other man scrutinized him.

He was so close Tsuzuki could feel his breath. "Yes, I think it is humiliating." He retorted with an even look.

-"However I think it suits you nicely." Legare kept examining Tsuzuki`s face, being a guy, he understood the implications but was unsure on how he should react to them.

-"You are making me uncomfortable, I believe your fireplace is clean, Mr. Lelust and I already finished discussing the mater of my attire this morning so unless there is anything else I can help you with I will tend to my duties." Tsuzuki was surprised that he had come up with such a lengthy response and then felt a little inkling in the corner of his mind. Hisoka had felt his distress and chipped in on the office talk.

-"I believe you can achieve much more than this position if we get to know eachother better." Legare did not seem to have heard Tsuzuki`s elaborate speech. He kept looking up his shapely cleavage.

-"Please cease intruding my personal space." Tsuzuki's statement seemed to amuse the man.

-"What makes you think you can demand anything here?" He laughed and pushed Tsuzuki roughly against the wall. "You think I do not know who you are?"

A cold feeling pooled in the pit of Tsuzuki`s stomach, this man was not the one who was supposed to know. Based on the regulatory papers for the case Lelust had requested keeping their presence as confidential is possible. Not wishing to acknowledge the worst case scenario Tsuzuki feigned ignorance. -"W-whatever do you mea... Ow! let me go! LET ME GO THIS INSTANT!" Tsuzuki yelled, as the man twisted his wrist painfully. The issue was that Tsuzuki could extinguish this person there and then, however there was a "no superpowers around mortals who don`t need to know" rule and even if this man was acting unprofessionally it did not mean that Tsuzuki could.

-"Go ahead, scream." Tsuzuki felt the hot gusts of wind against his cheek as the man spoke. The next moment he felt the man's arm go up his inner thigh. Shinigami covered in cold sweat, it was the first time he had ever felt so vulnerable. He grasped for something, anything and found a cold elongated handle of the fireplace poker. With his free arm he lifted and swung it down without aiming much. It collided with some part of the mans body producing a satisfying thud. A split second later he heard a grunt and was released as the man retreated.

-"You little slut." he wanted to launch himself at Tsuzuki again but noted a poker pointing into his chest. Tsuzuki held his ground, holding the metal rod before him like a fencing foil. "-This is plenty of grounds for police involvement, now you will tell me what happened to Minami Shizuka."

The man narrowed his eyes but his body seemed to relax. "I do not know who you are talking about." He returned to sit behind his desk and rummaged through one of the drawers. "But granted that I am not yet being taken in by the police I will gather that you are either a private eye or is it that you were related?"

This almost made Tsuzuki laugh so this was what the man had thought. Also he realized that they had been discovered much sooner than expected. Well, he might as well play along.

-"Minami disappeared a while ago and according to my lead this was the last place she had been seen."

-"Are you a detective?" The man persisted.

-"No, not in a sense."

-"You are relieved of your duties in this house. I will let Mr Lelust know."

That was bad and good at the same time. It was good for the investigation but bad for their cover as long as Hisoka remained they should be able to do the investigation. To Tsuzuki's panic the man continued, "The same goes for your cousin.''

-"Oh no, please, let him be, unlike me he needs the job for his career...of being a butler.'' Tsuzuki had well and deep messed it up for both of them now, all he could do now is use his charm and begging abilities honed for years when dealing with raging Tatsumi.

Hisoka was on his break and wandered outside for some fresh air only to spot Tsuzuki weeping at the pond situated in the back yard of the mansion. He approached his partner carefully. Tsuzuki noticed movement on his left and growled as menacing as he could.

-"Get away from me or I'll punch you."

-"Tsuzuki, it's me" Asato turned to see his partner sitting next to him. Hisoka noticed his eyes were red from crying.''What happened, Tsuzuki?" The brunette only shook his head. Hisoka refrained from using his powers to pry - Tsuzuki was entitled to his privacy if he wanted it.

-"I, I messed it up real bad." Tsuzuki stated in a small voice. All the humiliation he suffered and the mission he had failed because he did not know how to react better.

Upon more prodding Tsuzuki told it all. To his surprise Hisoka was not angry for blowing their disguise or disappointed with him. In fact he reacted in a way Tsuzuki had not expected at all, the youth hugged him. ''I am sorry that happened to you Tsuzuki. Is there something I could do to make you feel better?''

The method of getting back on track was fairly simple for Tsuzuki. Half an hour later they had tea and cake at the local bakery. In the meantime they discussed what Tsuzuki had managed finding out in hushed voices. When Hisoka left for bathroom Tsuzuki reverted to his more broody sad state. Watari's words from day before bumped in his mind like homeless puppies, seeking recognition. It was true that all of them had a privilege of keeping their sins secret. Himself more than anyone else. Muraki had no such luxury. If his colleagues knew, would they not treat him with disdain either. He sighed again, thoughts like these plagued his mind quite often. He was holding it together in front of his partner but there were times when even he had to let the mask slide. He did not notice a thirtyish woman sitting in the corner, drinking tea. Her hair was dark brown with stray strands of silver in them.

-"What happened to you, sweetie?" She asked Tsuzuki, who snapped out of his daze. Hisoka was on his way from the bathroom and noticed the conversation. He butted in before Tsuzuki had a moment to reply.

-"Oh, miss Ukyou, sorry, we didn't notice you. My cousin had a bad day." Hisoka had run into Ukyou earlier that day and they had a brief but pleasant exchange about weather, maid uniforms and new jobs. She was a regular visitor of the hotel and enjoyed spending time in the area for sketching in the nature.

-"I see, might it be related to the owner of the estate?"

-"Well since we have been laid off, I do not care, indeed it is.'' Hisoka mentioned with a glimmer of hope - Ukyou might know something.

-"Humm, rumor has it he has been responsible for fathering half the children in this town. I personally do not believe his stamina is that good but there is always a grain of truth to the rumor. Am I on the right track here?"

Tsuzuki and Hisoka looked at each-other surprised about the woman's insight. ''How did you know?''

Ukyou shrugged. -''I have met the guy on a couple of occasions with other people around, he left that impression on me. His staff is no better. Frankly this place is somewhere south from hell for such lovelies as yourself, you included, Hisoka.'' The boy felt uneasy about this.

-"Perhaps its not the best, but I just might be able to talk the housekeeper into keeping you guys at least for the duration of my stay. Alternatively you can bunk in my room.''

The both shinigami were relieved and suspicious at the same time

-"Really? Oh that would be wonderful, but why would you do it?" Concern showed in Tsuzukis amethysts.

-"For your fair eyes, lovely, for your fair eyes." Tsuzuki blushed, his unearthly eyes had never brought him any luck yet.

Muraki spent that afternoon in the training room, it seems that Steller had taken interest in his previous life skills as a physician. However currently he had to focus on Huia and her attacks. Muraki was quite skilled at dodging and parrying as a human being, but he did not rely much on magical barriers meant to block the assault. When he was alive he preferred planning and executing his summons and actions in a way which would make the probability of being attacked very small. Something that his current line of designation would not allow for anymore. He disliked recklessness but he also had to train for such occasions if he wanted to return from confrontation spots in one piece.

Markings on his arm throbbed. Instead of drawing on Huia's supply of mana he felt like it was being forcefully pushed into his body. Being force-fed mana was very uncomfortable. He could deflect the attacks she threw at him but at the same time the mana pressure made him less able to focus to actually cast a barrier.

-"Huia, ease up!" He called after another fuda blast made contact with his shaky defenses. Not being a team player, it felt strange for him to talk like that.

There was something wrong about his superior today. She seemed more ferocious than usual which he gathered was like a demon would attack in real-life setting. If demon ever chose a head-on confrontation. This was not uncommon but neither was it how these creatures preferred going about their business.

She stopped, panting heavily, something was indeed off. Muraki approached her and immediately felt high heat radiating from her, it was not the normal body heat that one feels after physical exertion, instead it felt like standing next to an opened stove. Her skin seemed to start changing texture and quality as well, becoming more ragged and scaly, almost spiky. That was a demonic possession if he saw one. He turned to get to the small intercom located in the training hall for cases if something went wrong but Huia stopped him. "I's ok." Even as she spoke her voice had a doubled undertone as if two people spoke simultaneously. He could see her lengthened canines. Muraki disregarded her statement and dashed to the intercom to call Steller. She beat him to it, "-That is an order", she drawled in her unnatural voice. Muraki felt for whatever mana remained in his body, getting ready for a confrontation.

Luckily she got a hold of herself shortly. She blinked and her entire body came to a rest. Her skin rippled back to normal, her body temperature dropped to a range of not sweltering and when she spoke, it was her voice once more.

-"I apologize, I should not have pushed all that on you." She went to the tissue dispenser and handed him a paper towel. "You are bleeding." She gestured to his nose. Only now Muraki noticed that the previous encounter had left him with a nosebleed. Not something he was usually prone to.

-"What was that?" Muraki asked, still being suspicious of Huia's miraculous rebound to senses.

She sighed and unbuttoned her suit to cool down. "That is something I wish I could have covered at a later date but seeing as you will stay suspicious until I explain, so be it."

Demonic possession was a critical breach of the department integrity; in this sense the Demon containment unit relied on stringent rules and the code of conduct demanded that all suspicions were cleared on spot, circumstances permitting. Huia let Muraki perform a checkup on her and answer the critical questions which usually caused a demonic reaction. It was good for training purposes as well, she figured.

Once that was cleared they sat down for a chat. First Huia wanted to gauge how much Muraki was grasping from the situation before she went in full explanation mode.

-"Your body seems to be rejecting the mana. Judging by how you react I doubt it is even of human origin. Which leads me to two conclusions - either you are not inherently human and are hiding your true form or the mana you possess is not yours."

Huia smiled and applauded."You are right about the origins of my mana, but I am inherently human. This nifty little thing on my arm and yours allows not only sharing mana between teammates but also allows you to harness mana from your targets."

Muraki observed her with a mix of fascination and horror. So they were expected to consume raw alien, as in non-human, mana and store and convert it in their bodies. The notion and correlations disturbed him on various levels.

-"With some targets you build immunity to it over time, granted you diligently absorb mana of the same kind of demon." Huia explained, "But first couple of instances is like battling with demon possession and it does take a toll on your body. Some lucky ones can handle more than two kinds of demon mana but that is not common."

-"Then what happened to you just now?"

-"I had to take up mana which I gad gotten unused to, so I channeled the excess converted mana to you. Which brings me to ask how your training is going."

"""

That afternoon Hisoka and Tsuzuki followed Ukyou to her room in the attic. To their amazement, unlike the rest of the quarters, it was held in traditional Japanese style, as much as the architecture allowed. They glanced around the vast room, it looked inhabited, although Ukyou claimed she'd arrived only that morning. A pleasant, familiar scent lingered in the room. It was emitted by a bouquet of white roses on the window sill. Little clues indicated that the previous inhabitant of the room was male. A small flask of gentleman's cologne stood forgotten on the nightstand. Ukyou rummaged through her closet when something shiny, round and crimson fell off the shelf. Hisoka picked it up.

-"An earring." He stated, examining the little trinket. Ukyou made a thoughtful face as if trying to remember something or thinking hard, but then smiled joyously at the teenager.

-"Oh, I thought I'd lost it, thanks for finding it."She hugged the boy, planting a kiss on his cheek and took the knickknack from him. Turning to rummage in the closet once again.

-"Aha, here they are!" She triumphantly handed a large bundle to Tsuzuki.

Those were a pair of inflatable air mattresses and covers. She had been serious about them bunking at her room.

-"How can you even keep this in a hotel room?" Hisoka wondered in disbelief.

-"I used to own this place a while ago." She shrugged. "-I sold it later under condition that I could still live in this room whenever I wanted." The both guardians looked baffled or rather - out of ideas what to say, so Ukyu took queue on that. "Ok shoo you two, I need my rest and you still have your duties." Hisoka and Tsuzuki followed her order obediently. The general impression however was, that they'd do anything she asked.

Ukyou smiled to herself, stretched and eased herself into a couch. It was so nice to have some rest after the journey. She examined the trinket Hisoka had picked up before - the slightly molten earring which still somehow remained intact after the university fire. When she saw the charred remains laying on the morgue table it was gruesome, she had been warned about it and she had wished to see the remains regardless. A black outline of a jawbone with a couple of teeth, also black, miraculously remaining in place, and a slightly crumbled part of the scull, a few fragments of vertebra placed in a manner descriptive of where they should have been located in the body. It was surreal. Then the coroner offered her a little box, inside it lay one half-molten earring with a cracked ruby inlay, black with soot and deformed. It was the only salvageable thing they found of him. It had molten into the flesh and remained relatively intact.

Ukyou sniffed, she was sad and then again she was not. She still recalled their last conversation from a few days before the fire.

Muraki had looked out looking out the window then. They had spoken a bit, casually, superficially. Lately he had been even more distant than usual -"I made you enough medicine to last for a good while."

-"Are you going out of town?" Ukyou went to stand next to him if only to share the same area they were looking at. Clearly, Muraki was not looking at anything in particular, his thoughts were elsewhere.

-"In a manner of speaking - I am meeting an old colleague of mine in Sion university."

-"When will you be back?"

-"I am not sure, but in case of anything you can contact Oriya."

-"I hate what you have become." She looked him square in the face. She hated Muraki's turn of the mind, it was an unnerving mix of melancholy and giddiness and anyone who witnessed a giddy Muraki knew off the bat something was up. Upon receiving no answer she sighed and leaned against the windowsill.

Sometimes she wanted to slap some mind into that man, sometimes she wanted to strangle him for his arrogance. It had never occurred to her to burn him alive and maybe that was the most fitting punishment.