Oi there guys - trying to get back on track with my submissions - anyways - in case if you gave been wondering what Ive been doing for all this time - feel free to check out my deviantart place, username TurboFerret, and the picture would be "Lovers in the backseat" and a couple of others you might find interesting.

Ok that would be enough of self advertising for one day.

As I said, this wa supposed to be a more action like chapter than the last one. It has a fair amount of scene changes, so dont get all confused

Yours truly

Morality

The party had started and music boomed downstairs, whereas Tsuzuki had been provided with the wondrous possibility to chat on Yahoo, while everyone else was having a good time downstairs. He sniffed and pouted, he was being treated completely unfairly. After much debate, nobody actually wanted him to attend – Which was the most bloody despicable thing ever. They said it was dangerous. Yeah right, the only dangerous thing was him getting drunk.

Even when they explained all Saki thing, Tsuzuki didn't see anything bad in attending the party, because, heck, Ukyou attended, and both men, well none of them wanted to go if the other stayed, so Tsuzuki was left alone in regal solitude.

-"Great, and now some guy is asking my cup size." He groaned and turned the laptop off. He had had enough of that silly glowing screen; he had had enough of this stupid case, where he hadn't been even allowed to peek his nose in, although it obviously concerned him.

-"I wish Hisoka was here, he said he'd come, but never said the time." Tsuzuki pondered and took a swing of Margarita Ukyou had so nicely brought up to keep him company.

-"Well great, alone, with an alcoholic cocktail. Geez that's the most miserable state a person could get." He pondered toying with the cocktail umbrella. "I feel like Cinderella, all I could wish for now, would be a fairy godmother." He'd eaten the sweet cherry that had been pierced with the cocktail stick. It was getting so boring. . . Tatsumi said he'd come up to check on him, after some time. He turned the pc on again.

Where is he anyways? Tsuzuki pondered as he clicked on the recent files, hearing the bass shake tiny objects on the windowsills, making them tinkle. At one point, I'll spare my ears. He tried finding benefits of sitting and doing nothing at the moment, because the case files had a 7 digit password on them which he couldn't crack open.

Muraki had just gulped a mouthful of really rather good white wine and had settled for just scanning the surroundings. The people were a buzz of colorful cloth, masks and feathers. The odd music and chattering of people were mildly annoying but still not as bothersome as certain looks that had been cast at him in order to provoke an invitation to dance. He chose to ignore such subtle signs and politely refused some not too subtle ladies. Saki hadn't come. His gaze landed on Ukyou who was having the time of her life, flirting with men, drinking sparkling champagne and being a center of attention to a bunch of dandies, starring Harlequin, Zorro and even one Batman. The last one was most persistent and if the things evolved as rapidly as they did, he could pretty much be her next victim. Would serve him good, just for the ridiculous choice of the outfit. He chuckled to himself and turned to the shadow master, who looked equally grim as himself, and was spying at him out of the corner of an eye. Frankly they both resembled badly hidden bodyguards, which didn't sit quite well with Muraki. If anything, he didn't want to be mistaken by a piece of furniture, or God forbid staff.

He crossed the dance floor as carefully as he could, meanwhile balancing the glass in his other hand not to spill the liquid on other participants.

-"If we're going to spend all night pretending to be statues, it will look quite suspicious, don't you think?" Muraki proposed.

-"You suggest frolicking there instead?" He gestured with sovereign contempt at the dance floor. "We're not here to have fun."

-"But we aren't here to stand out either." Muraki offered and politely accepted a particular lady who had been brave enough to ask him out on the white dance. He set his half finished glass in Tatsumis hand and gracefully spun the female, entering the dance floor. The secretary watched the couple for a while and then was disturbed by his vibrating cell phone. He picked up seeing the ID of the caller

-"Yes, Mr. Kurosaki? . . . . You're returning? . . . Yes, I understand, but under circumstances . . . What do you mean you're on the way? Yes, good I'll tell him."

Tsuzuki glanced out of the window, it had become a particular habit of his, but now, unlike other times, he and saw a familiar person cross the country yard. In the moonlight, the boy's pale hair shone ghostly. He was clad in an official costume he'd once seen him in on Queen Camellia.

-"Hisoka"! Tsuzuki exclaimed happily, but the figure didn't stop, turn or otherwise react to his voice. It was moving swiftly in direction of the parkland.

Maybe he didn't hear me?

Tsuzuki stood up and jumped off of the windowsill and onto the ground. It was beginning to be a convenient habit of his.

-"Hey, Soka, wait a minute!" He exclaimed, but the figure went on without waiting or turning around. Tsuzuki broke into a run, but somehow the boy always managed moving faster. Like the white rabbit, he thought briefly.

-"Sokaa, I'm sorry for not being interested enough in your health, will you forgive me?" Tsuzuki asked reaching the side of the greenery labyrinth.

-"Soka, are you here?" He looked around curiously, and was a bit frightened from wandering into the place in the middle of the night.

Meanwhile the secretary decided to take a look outside just in case. Tatsumi walked through the double doors of the central entrance and thought he'd seen someone in distance. He narrowed his eyes, but the dusk was too thick to tell things apart. He took a little walk just before Tsuzukis window. The light was on. Must be busy googling or something. He looked at his watch – half past twelve I should come up check on him, he must be lonely. With that he went inside, took a couple of pastries for Tsuzuki from the banquet table and went off to staff quarters.

It was spooky alright; the maze was dark and gloomy. You're the guardian of death; spooky things are just a part of job description. With the noise of the house muted to distant rumble as the background for the nightly peace and crickets Tsuzuki started feeling safer, granted he knew that civilization was just nearby. He heard a rustle and footsteps and he followed them, one turn, another, he didn't bother remembering his path; he knew that if he found Hisoka, they'd get out.

-"Soka?" He heard a rustle and a whisper behind him. He spun around but there was nobody there. With a nervous giggle he continued. "Hisoka?" Tsuzuki went on, his heart pounding. "Hisoka, it's not funny anymore! Come out!" He looked around; the cool night air made goose bumps appear on his skin and the tiny hairs on his body to stand on their ends, or was it for a completely different reason. The walls of the maze started closing in on him. First he thought it had been his imagination and a tribute to a couple of horror movies he'd recently seen, but very soon he realized how wrong he had been. It seemed that the plants had turned into a grotesque semblance of nightmarish monsters.

Tsuzuki ran through the maze, its opposite walls joining just several steps behind him with creaks and rustle of foliage. Desperately, he ran down the only path that remained uncovered, finding an exit wasn't an option at all, He tried taking off, but the night sky was steadily disappearing out of his view as the veiny branches above his head joined into a thick ceiling of canopy. When the last rays of moon disappeared from his view, he pulled out a paper charm and set a barrier between himself and the intruding sprouts. It seemed that the maze had come to life and was fully intending to swallow and digest him. Until the barrier was on, he was safe though, but for how much longer would it last.

Suddenly he heard a cry for help. Hisoka!

As always, his will to save the innocents got the best of his instinct of self preservation, well, the remains of that instinct. He cast a spell and blew the intrusive foliage off; he blasted the stubborn twigs and branches, trying to get to the source of the sound.

-"Hisoka, hold on, I'm coming!" Tsuzuki stumbled forward, over the charred chunks of branches and grass.

Tatsumi climbed the last couple of steps that lead to the second floor, he came to the door of Tsuzukis room and knocked on the door, but there was no answer.

-"Tsuzuki san? May I come in?" Still, silence.

-"Tsuzuki?" The shadowmaster opened the door quietly and saw an empty room. The laptop was on, the light was burning and the half finished glass Margarita was standing on the table, but there was no sign of guardian himself. The man quickly darted to the bathroom, it was empty. He looked around desperately for any clues and saw an open window. Oh God, tell me it's not what I'm thinking it is.

A gust of wind brushed past his nape and he spun around, seeing the figure he'd pursued standing on the path. The resemblance was remarkable, but it wasn't Hisoka.

-"Oh gosh, kid, we gotta get out of here, were you the one screaming?" Tsuzuki asked exasperated, panting and looking around for any signs of bush ferocity.

-"No need to worry, miss. Were you searching for somebody?" The boy asked politely, tilting his head to the side.

Tsuzuki gulped, seeing those eyes. "Yes, my friend, looked just like you, so I, well, it's not important, we need get out of here!" The guardian was becoming a bit irked by the calm demeanor the boy had.

-"You don't happen to work in that house do you?" the boy asked curiously.

-"I, I do." Tsuzuki looked up and the boys' eyes locked on his.

-"Such a beautiful night, and such eyes – like gleaming amethysts." Tsuzukis eyes widened and he took a step back. "Why so flustered all of the sudden?" The boys delicate features turned into something remarkably sinister. Tsuzuki tried teleporting form the place – plain and simple, but he found it impossible.

-"Who are you?" The boy didn't answer, just took a step closer. "I'm warning you, I am capable of defending myself."

-"You wouldn't harm a defenseless child, now would you, Lady?" Tsuzuki took a step back looking down the path but saw his way being blocked by the wall of the maze which definitely hadn't been there just moments ago.

-"What is this?" He looked back at the person, but he had vanished. "Hello?" He felt something wrap around his ankle and pull him to the ground forcefully. Twigs and vines tangled around his body before he could summon, suffocating him and robbing him of his sight, they wrapped him in a tight cocoon.

-"Help!" sounded a weak plea from under the surface of the ground.

Somewhere in the mansion, Tatsumi had found Muraki much to his dance partners dismay.

-"What do you mean, he's gone?" Muraki narrowed his eyes.

-"We need to get Ukyou to help."

-"No, we're not getting her," Muraki axed a bit too harshly for his liking.

-"Is there a particular reason, doctor?" Tatsumi had suspected that something was off with the woman.

-"She is a mortal and it isn't her job." He finished. " Furthermore, she wouldn't like being disturbed right now."

-"What do you mean?" Tatsumi pushed further.

-"Sex." Muraki enjoyed the way the secretary's jaw clenched from this information. "So, unless you want to join in, I'd advise leaving her alone for tonight. Do you want to join in?" The secretary glared at him.

-"Don't be ridiculous." He finished. "Mr. Kurosaki will be joining us tonight."

-"The brat?" The doctor asked casually.

-"I advise you to keep from insulting him; he actually is the one who could help us find Mr. Tsuzuki." The shadowmaster warned.

-"Ah, sniff out the way like some empathic pup." Muraki was about to say more but found bending over, emitting an -oomh- and feeling for his nose more important that second, because the secretary had reached the boiling point and struck the arrogant man in the face.

-"I advise you to keep your comments to yourself," Tatsumi ordered his tie and smoothed his bristles. The phone went off once again and Tatsumi picked up.

-"Yes, yes, Mr. Kurosaki, no, we'll meet at the entrance, we have complications." He hung up.

Hisoka paced at the entrance impatiently, the emotions outside were not as loud, but still, quite a suffocating force. He impatiently looked at the door hopefully each time only to reveal some strangers walking out for a smoke, until, he saw Tatsumi and.

-"What the hell is HE doing here?!" the boy pointed at Muraki, who was getting his nose in order.

-"Oh, Mr. Kurosaki, it was meant to be kept quiet, but . . " The boy didn't let the secretary finish.

-"That bastard had been taken in our ranks?!" The boy was insightful.

-"Yes." Tatsumi confirmed. He swore he'd never seen the boy as shocked as before.

-"I can't believe Lord Emna did this, how could he, HOW?!" The teenager screamed on top of his lungs, ignoring the curious glances they were getting from a crowd of people who stood nearby, taking their fill of nicotine, and other toxins along the way.

-"Mr. Kuraosaki, I sympathize with your sentiments but this isn't the main problem."

-"What is then?" The boy sounded almost hysterical.

-"Mr. Tsuzuki has gone missing." Tatsumi stated grimly

-"Well, why don't you ask him what he's done to Asato!" Hisoka pointed at Muraki angrily.

-"Do I hear reluctance in your voice, boy?" The doctor spared the empath a nasty smirk, promising much more than he could actually do, granted they had to join forces and not attempt killing each other.

-"Mr. Kurosaki, it's impossible, granted doctor and I had been in the same place and time when Tsuzuki had gone missing." Tatsumi tried explaining, but obviously Hisoka was not convinced.

-"I don't care; it's probably one of his wicked schemes again!"

-"Now listen to me, Mr. Kurosaki," Muraki had taken the kid by the scuff and accented the official name the way it didn't sound any better than the common brat. "It isn't about me and you here, it's about Mr. Tsuzuki and third parties we're not yet certain of, understand? So, unless you want to find him injured or non-existent, you'll cooperate." Muraki released the boy realizing that they were in the same boat after all. The youth was shaking, His breaths coming shallow and rapid.

-"Back off of him, Muraki!" Muraki didn't argue on that point but did as he was asked. Hisoka was in turmoil. Was it a nightmare? Please, tell me its a nightmare, and I'll be woken up by Tsuzukis lovely smile. Apparently it was a nightmare, but one which had squeezed itself into reality.

Ok, sorry, its all I have been capable of, yes, I know Im late, I know Im a lazyshorts and furthemore I know I could have done it better, but . . . .. /thinks of a reasonable excuse/ . .. . /thinking/ . . ./more thinking/ . . I have a muffin . . . . maybe two . .. and maybe a pot of tea if youre interested , ooh and a pretty feather :P