Me: Okey doke, folks! I finally got a chapter up on time!
Muse: -slurring- Took ya..
Me: Oh, and I spiked my Muse's eggnog so he won't be able to be an ass until after New Year's!
Muse: If it didn't hurt so much to walk, I'd kill you. -falls over-
Me: -pokes with toe of boot- Hmm... If I'm lucky he'll stay unconcious for the entire chapter, though I wouldn't count on it. Anyways, I've been backlogged with studying for tests and homework flooding out my ears and into the streets, so I didn't get a chance to answer reviews individually. So, since I'm basically a lazy bastard, I'll answer them on here. Bring on the reviews!
jennamarie: Yay! Someone came back! Yeah, originally I came up with the idea for the Inferno from the novelization of the Devil May Cry series, so I figured I'd make a tribute to that and throw in a referance to a classical novel (which I have read, even though I'm not in college) at the same time. I don't know why that amuses me so...
And yes, Hisoka is nice with long hair. -drools-
laustic: Thank you. I try hard. And as for the next chapter, well... -shrugs- Here it is. Enjoy.
ShadowInTheDarkness: Ah, thanks. Praise is always appreciated.
maudite: Whoo-hoo! A new face! -glomps- And finally, someone who agrees with me on Hisoka being able to kick ass (my friends all laugh at me. bastards...) look hot with long hair -drools-, and work in a dive bar and still be canon.
And on the long hair issue, I've decided to be really nice (holidays rubbing off) and let you guys decide whether or not he should cut it. Majority rules. The only reason I really considered cutting it is because to tell you the truth, it was kinda an afterthought. -dodges gunshots- I had written the chapter about a month before I got volume 5 and decided "Hey, Hisoka looks totally hot with long hair! I should totally add that to my fanfic!" And so here we are.
And now that I have finished worshipping my reviewers, without further interuptions, I give you Once Bitten, Chapter Two!
Chapter Two
Hisoka slowly backed away into the crowd before Tsuzuki saw him. His mind was awhirl, thoughts racing through his head faster than he could even move. His partner was here. Tsuzuki couldn't find him, not here, not anywhere.
A light bulb exploded above him, showering him with glass, but the noise was lost under the music and the sudden lack of light was attributed to special effects.
It was just like what had happened in his house, and Hisoka knew he had to get Tsuzuki out before his darker and largely uncontrollable powers went crazy and wrecked the entire bar.
Somehow, he made it back to the counter in a deep daze, over to where Dante was. The Inferno's manager stopped what he was doing immediately, as soon as he saw how much paler than usual Hisoka was. The boy slowly fumbled with the words that he needed to say, but hurt so bad.
"Dante, that guy has to go."
Dante's eyes narrowed. Most people would have taken Hisoka's warnings for granted, but he had learned by now not to. The boy was known for being able to sense trouble. The first time Hisoka had warned him about a customer like this, he had blown it off completely, attributing the boy's intuition to jittery nerves and restlessness.
The customer in question had attempted an armed robbery of the Inferno, and would have gotten away with a lot of money if Hisoka hadn't hit him in the head with a wooden chair.(1)
"Is there going to be trouble because of him?" Dante asked as he unobtrusively slid a hand under the bar to rest on his rifle.
Hisoka shook his head as he once again fumbled for words. He could feel Dante's intentions, but he didn't want Tsuzuki physically hurt, just out of the bar, and far away from him. "No, but he has to go. Now."
Dante nodded his agreement as he reached for a small hand radio he kept on the counter. He clicked it on, though he could barely hear over the music that the bar patrons came for. "Hey, you wastes of space, get your asses to the back left corner. Hisoka's spotted some trouble." (2)
Hisoka nodded his head tiredly as two of the Inferno's other workers, Sora and Chrono, quickly confirmed Dante's request via radio and signed off. His head was pounding and he was very tired, especially after narrowly avoiding an outburst right in front of every human in the bar.
Dante looked over at his employee in concern. "You ok?"
Hisoka sighed, but moved his head up and down out of pure stubbornness as the day's weariness caught up with him and he pulled up at chair at the bar. Dante handed him a cup of water, which he quickly gulped down. He hadn't felt this drained in a while. "Yeah, I'm fine."
Tsuzuki glanced up in surprise as a huge hand clamped down on his shoulder, distracting him from watching the crowd. He had been almost certain that he had sensed something, but whatever it was had left as abruptly as it had come. His amethyst eyes blinked in surprise as he looked up to see two huge bald waiters (who kinda reminded him of the guards on the Queen Camellia, when he thought about it) glaring down at him. (3)
The one who had gotten his attention pushed a pair of black glasses back up to the ridge of his nose, before sticking a thumb at the entrance to the bar. "You have to go, bud. It's under manager's orders."
Tsuzuki made a sour face, as though offended by the remark. "Why do I-"
Three seconds later he was tossed head-first into the street.
Dazed and slightly confused, Tsuzuki lay in the street for a moment and stared up at the sky. "Such a peaceful sky…" He thought as a few clouds rolled lazily by. A few people stared at him as they walked by, and he jumped up quickly and retreated to an alley beside the Inferno.
Tsuzuki rubbed his face, where a large bump was disappearing quickly thanks to his regenerative capabilities, something that automatically came with the Shinigami package. "What was that all about?" He wondered, before a voice to his left cut off his thoughts.
"You got kicked out too, huh?"
Tsuzuki jumped in surprise and turned to see a man in a black tuxedo with greasy black hair hanging around his collar lounging against the opposite wall a few feet down, feet swung over a trash can lying on its side. "Yes." (4)
The man yawned and arched his back, wincing at the action. It was obvious that his back was in a lot of pain. Tsuzuki once again thanked the gods that he didn't have to stay in physical pain for long. Mental pain, however, was another story. "So, why did you get kicked out, or do they just do it to random people?"
"Oh, I got into a fight with one of the waiters." The man said, shrugging as if that were a normal occurrence to him, even though by his physical condition that probably wasn't true.
"You should watch out for him. He's a little punk, about yay high," Tuxedo-guy continued as he held his hand to around his chin to emphasize his point. "And he has long blonde hair and these really freaky green eyes. It was weird; when he was glaring at me it was like he saw everything about me."
The man stopped talking right about then. Tsuzuki had frozen upon hearing the waiter's description, amethyst eyes focusing on Tuxedo-dude's face with alarming intensity as they darkened. It was obvious that his description had struck a bell with the shinigami. "Can you tell me anything else about him?"
"Be careful on your way home, Hisoka. That punk may still be hanging around," Dante called from the counter as his employee walked out the door, head hunched forward as usual and the markings on his upper arms glittering faintly in the dying sun.
As usual, his words fell on deaf ears; Hisoka being too preoccupied in his own thoughts to notice anything said to him.
It was chilly for a warm day in June, and most of the people had gone inside bars and where it was warmer, except for those with less than savory occupations, but Hisoka tended not to think of that. He was no stranger to the darker side of humanity, but even he had more self-respect than to end up taking one of those jobs.(5)
Not that he was trying to fool himself. In a sense, he wasn't so different from anyone else on those streets. He had fallen so far in such a short time, all to avoid his own fears of his powers and to seek a place to live where people asked no questions.
This was the place where those fallen from the grace of society went, and the blonde shinigami had found no difficulties blending in, as long as he moved every two or so years to avoid suspicion. Even in this place, people asked questions as to how a sixteen-year old boy could not age in several years. Superstition ruled with so many mercenaries and other unsavory characters around, and he had gotten sick enough of being considered a monster in childhood. Never again.
A light wind kicked up, blowing bit of trash and paper through the streets. Hisoka whistled a quiet tune that echoed through the streets as he passed by, hands in the pocket of his jeans. He wanted to get home soon; he hated cold. And besides, it was so quiet.
It was too bad he couldn't teleport. He had gone to special precautions to make certain that he remained undiscovered in this town. Shinigami could follow the tendrils of magical energy, so he had been careful not to teleport or do anything that could draw attention to himself. He could still use his telepathic skills, but that was only because no one at the Judgment Bureau knew about that side of his abilities.
Too quiet for his tastes; he was so used to the daytime hustle and bustle of city life that the silence was eerily unnerving.
Hisoka reached his apartment building soon. Not wanting to go through the front door and face the other irritating tenants bound to be there, he hauled himself up the rusted fire escape to his door on the fifth floor. He flicked his wrist at the locked door; it swung wide open. The blonde empath grinned tiredly. While his telepathic skills were still unruly, he had managed to make at least that much progress in his five year absence.
He walked into the dark apartment, closing the door behind him. His heart skipped a beat for a moment in the dark, but he mainly ignored his fears and focused on getting to the light switch without tripping over anything. The lights came on and Hisoka breathed in silent relief. All memories and insecurity had vanished with the darkness.
After relocking the door, Hisoka settled onto the couch and switched on the TV.
He didn't watch it much, but when he did, he found himself wallowing in the dregs of the broadcasting network, flicking past educational shows and high-grade dramas to tabloids and talk-shows.
Why? He guessed it was because it reassured him that there were people in the world worse off than he was. No matter what went wrong in Hisoka's day, he could turn on the TV, watch some moron telling his wife and the world that he's sleeping with her daughter (6), and say to himself "Well, at least I'm better than that." Trash television as reaffirmation therapy. You gotta love it.
When he got tired of talk-shows and had switched off the TV, Hisoka headed for the bedroom, intending to shower away his worries as usual, before a knock on the door stopped him. He sighed. It was probably one of the more annoying tenants. His shower would have to wait for a while. At least long enough for him to answer the door and slam it back again.
Yet, as he neared the door, Hisoka froze as familiar emotions flooded his senses. Emotions that he hadn't felt for several years now… No way. It can't be him. He shouldn't be here!
He opened the door, bracing himself for disappointment, only to be met by a pair of amethyst eyes framed by ebony hair. The emotions he sensed were confused, torn between happiness and anger into an incomprehensible mess. Hisoka couldn't blame him.
Hisoka swallowed, before backing out of the doorway and turning his back to Tsuzuki, not wanting him to see the massive battle for control that was going on behind his eyes. "So, I guess you're here to take me back to the Judgment Bureau?"
Author's Notes
1. Hee hee hee, that was just too amusing to not put in.
2. Holy crap, this sounds like a lot of the conversations I have with my muse!
3. Strictly manga version, since Yoko Matsushita described the guards as "Triplets? -sweat drop-"
4. Tuxedo Man returns! -fanfare- Ah, who am I kidding? This'll be the last time he graces my fanfic with his presence. And I do stress the term "graces".
5. Do I need to spell this one out? Use your imagination.
6. Sickos...
Me: Gaspeth! A cliffhanger! -fangirls scream in pain- And you wanna know the worst news? I probably won't be able to update over Winter Break because I have to spend time with the family I hardly ever see. -screams escalate- And because I want to try to crank out a few chapters to keep ahead of the updates.
Muse: That and I'll probably be sick since this dipshit poisoned me!
Me: It wasn't poison.
Muse: Then what was it?
Me: I don't know. The box had a skull and crossbones on it, but I'm not sure what it was. Potassium something... I'm a little fuzzy on the details.
Muse: -keels over-
Me: -sighs- Looks like I've got to take him to the hospital. You would think by now that he would realize that anytime I'm nice to him I'm bound to be up to something. Well, Merry Christmas to all!
Muse: And to all, shut the hell up.
Me: -kicks in stomach- Oh, will you look at that, you're more ill than you thought. I'd better get you to the ER. Well, no matter what you celebrate, have a merry Christmas! See ya next time! -drags muse off by ankles-
