Ok, I'm so sorry, but I finally managed to get this chapter out. -mumbles- I am not worthy... But anyways, I'd like to dedicate this chapter to all the folks who haven't bitten my head off by now. I was getting really lonely out there in the real world now that my school blocked Runescape and anything else remotely fun, so I turned to my fellow YnM and Tsusoka fans.
Muse: So, about one person will be showing up after all this time?
Me: Who asked you? Anyways, time for reviewer mail!
Mizuki hikari: Lol. I thought it would be so hilarious for the Guardians of Death to get arrested by the guardians of the living. -weak laugh- I'm such a bitch...
jennamarie: Yeah, somehow you did miss one. Oh well, that means you get more at the same time! And as for the bandages, you'll have to wait until the next chapter for that. -ducks shuriken- Damn fangirl ninjas... As for Hisoka's psycho co-worker, you'll be meeting two of her psycho relatives in this chapter too. Cue the confetti and sparklers... And it seems that every time poor Hisoka tries to stay low key, he just ends up too well known for confort.
laustic: Yay! I look forward to all reviews, but I'm always on the lookout for yours. And death to all Tsuzuki/Muraki fics! THEY'RE KILLING THE TSUSOKA!
Ryo Yuriko: No prob. I like Watari. He amuses me. I like almost every character except Muraki, Hijiri, and Tsubaki. The last two are mainly because I am a member of the Hijiri Minase death squad, dedicated to the destruction of all back story characters. They annoy me, and it irritates the hell out of me when writers bring them back and try to pair them with the shinigami. HOW IS THAT SUPPOSED TO WORK OUT? THEY'RE DEAD! TSUSOKA FOREVER!
Saphira112: -comes out from behind bomb shelter- I know, right? -Muse joins me, with a knife sticking out of his forehead- WE MUST KILL THE NON-BELIEVER! -to Muse- Go get the AK-47 and the anti-tank rifle. Let's send this sorry bastard to hell! -back to Saphira- I always have wondered how to kill someone with a salad fork. It's amazing what you can find online without intending it. I'm definately in. -holds up a sand grinder and grins evilly- I've been meaning to break this baby in for a long time.
Shinigamixgirl: Sundays suck!!!! And yes, Hisoka has been arrested. Let's see what he does, shall we?
Kaouri18: Thank you. I agree, Tsuzuki and Hisoka should be living together, and I think I accomplished that quite nicely. I also put in some rare Tatsumi humor. XD I can totally see him doing that.
Vyrian D: Woot woot, go character torture! -victory music plays in the background- Good way to add drama, though me no likey character death. -frown- I can get depressed enough on my own, thanks.
redharuka96: Welp, here's the next chappy. Enjoy.
hentai18ancilla: Thanks you very much. I am hanging by, but not enough to get me off this grounding. I'm supposed to be doing my homework right now, but instead I wanted to talk to you guys. You're much better company.
Chapter Eight
Hisoka was sick of humans. Some were good, some were bad, but they all tended to stick their noses into places where they didn't belong.
Like right now for instance. He was sitting at a table in a white-washed room. There was no furniture, just a single naked bulb glaring harshly down from overhead. He had been sitting here waiting to be interrogated for an hour or two, and he was seriously zoning out. It occurred to him that he hadn't eaten since before he had come to work that morning, testified by the fact that his stomach was growling.
"Hey." One of the two cops walking in the door snapped a finger in front of his eyes, bringing Hisoka back to reality. He sighed as he left the realm of his stomach and forced himself to pay attention to the matter at hand. He had to admit, as worried as he was about the fact that he was sitting inside a police station, the arrival of his interrogators was a welcome distraction.
"We'd like to ask you a couple of questions." One of them started off. Hisoka rolled his eyes. Why did interrogations always start off like this? Get to the point already.
"First off, I assume you've heard of the murders going on in this area?"
"Jumping to conclusions? But yeah, I have heard of them." Hisoka could sense a growing annoyance from the cop at his sarcastic answers, but then again he was already annoyed at being dragged here, so this was payback.
"Well, five people were killed in the downtown area, all within a few blocks of one another. Interesting timing."
"What's that supposed to mean?" Hisoka growled, before checking himself. Getting on the wrong side of the police was not a good idea.
"Well, you have quite a reputation in the downtown area. Just about everyone knows who you are, and that the Inferno, owned by one Dante Virgil," Hisoka winced. Dante had never told him his last name, and it was easy to see why. Not only was his last name that of a famous poet, but they had to throw in the name of the poet he supposedly guided through Hell? It sounded like his mother had had a very bad sense of humor.
"Is your stomping grounds." The cop continued, watching Hisoka's expression carefully, and the empath couldn't help but feel a sense of triumph. Sorry, but this kid's got a few aces up his sleeve, asshole.
"And these murders have interesting timing, because you haven't been seen for close to a month. And now you show up."
"I moved." Hisoka said, keeping his unblinking emerald eyes locked on the cop.
"Really? Then why are you back so soon?" They were trying to force him into a corner.
"I had business here, otherwise I wouldn't be." Hisoka answered. "And once I've concluded my business, I'll head back home."
"Really? We'd kind of like to see this house of yours, considering that we can't find your birth records anywhere in our database." Shit! Hisoka thought. Yeah, I'll just teleport you to the land of the dead where you can chat with my boss, also dead. Yeah, that'd work out real well.
"Well, any database error is your problem, isn't it? Besides, I was at home when the murders were happening."
"Can you have anyone verify that?"
"Yeah, my friend who you dragged to the station with me." The empath answered smoothly.
"Interesting, considering that we can't find him in the database either." Hisoka cursed inwardly again. It looked like this was going to be a tough interrogation. He really regretted underestimating the police force. Just because he was immortal didn't mean that he would be able to weasel out of everything.
Tsuzuki was standing in the waiting room, watching Hisoka through the one-way glass window that was in front of him. His partner was very good at hiding his inner turmoil, but Tsuzuki could tell that he was mad and getting madder.
A secretary was sitting at a desk beside a locked door leading down the hall. He assumed that there were more interrogation rooms further down, but he thanked his lucky stars that Hisoka was in the one close to him. He sighed in silent relief as the cops left the room, and Hisoka remained fuming silently behind. Tsuzuki slowly lowered his shields and projected some comforting emotions his way, smiling when Hisoka visibly relaxed.
The door opened and Tsuzuki glanced up in surprise to see a tall man wearing a shirt with the Inferno's logo on it and a smaller man in a brown coat, but stiffened noticeably when he noticed that both had striking characteristics to the woman that he had seen slapping Hisoka back at the bar. Just watching that had made him furious, even though he knew it didn't hurt Hisoka.
While the tall man sat down in a chair, the smaller one, who had rat-like features, walked over to the glass beside Tsuzuki and stared intently at the blonde sitting there. He growled.
"You gotta be freakin' kidding me." He muttered, looking at Tsuzuki for an explanation, assuming automatically that the shinigami knew all that he wanted to know. "That's the infamous Hisoka Kurosaki? Say it isn't so."
Tsuzuki remained silent and kept watching Hisoka.
"Jesus." The guy muttered. "Where the hell did Dante find him? At a beach volleyball tournament? Maybe not, he doesn't have a tan. Gotta love the hair." He shook his head. "He's not even as big as I am. He's what, five foot nothing? One hundred pounds in steel-toed boots? I'm expecting to find some ugly bruiser bigger than Cain over there and what do I get? The next child actor. Looks like his I.Q would be low enough."
Hisoka stopped playing in his chair and turned to face the mirror. He got up, crossed the room, and stood in front of Tsuzuki. Tsuzuki was leaning forward, one hand against the glass. Hisoka reached out and touched his fingertips to Tsuzuki's, perfectly aligned, and smiled. A genuine smile that sent Tsuzuki's heart soaring. The guy jumped back.
"Damn," he said. "I thought that was one-way glass."
"It is."
Hisoka turned to the direction that the man was standing and glared. "Holy cow, that's spooky." The man muttered, shivering.
"Didn't I tell you, little brother?" The man sitting in the chair, presumably Cain, spoke quietly, the first words he had said since they had come in. "I told you, Carl, Kurosaki is one scary son of a bitch. Watch out for him."
"Yeah right, Cain," The other man scoffed, "just because he busted your jaw doesn't mean that I'm gonna be scared of that skinny little shrimp. He couldn't beat me in a million years."
There was a tapping at the window, and Carl turned back to see Hisoka glaring at him, before the empath gave him the one-fingered salute. Tsuzuki had to choke back on his laughter at the furious look on Carl's face as he promptly bashed his knuckles on the tempered glass. Not a smooth idea.
Hisoka mouthed three words, before the two officers reentered the room. He bounded back across the room and through the door. When he was gone, Carl glanced at Tsuzuki. "What did he say?"
"Wait for me."
"Wait for me?"
"It's a challenge." Cain grinned from his chair. "He's inviting you to stick around and get to know him better."
Carl gulped nervously. "Aren't you going to?"
Cain's lips curved into a smile. "He didn't invite me."
There was a horse-like snort in answer. "I'll never understand you fighters and your false bravado. I'm out of here." He stalked out the door with an angry glare at Tsuzuki, hands in his pockets.
"Ah, the joys of babysitting." Cain stood up a moment later and followed suit.
Tsuzuki was searching through his pockets for some sweets when Hisoka entered the room. "Death penalty?" Tsuzuki asked as Hisoka walked over to him.
"Yeah right. It was bullshit. Pure bullshit, and I missed lunch because of it."
"Want to get something to eat before we call it a day?"
"Sure."
Hisoka threw his duffel bag of clothes down on the cot in his room at Dante's. Well, not exactly "his" room. Dante didn't have a lot of space, so he was stuck sharing the room with Tsuzuki. Speak of the devil…
The violet eyed shinigami came in from his shower, hair still damp, and wearing a pair of black pajama bottoms. There was no shirt in sight. Then again, Hisoka was used to that by now. He had spent a lot of missions with Tsuzuki before and was used to the routine. His partner never slept with a shirt on, being extremely hot-natured.
The two had decided to turn in early, around 7:30, so that they could get up and do some work before dawn. Hisoka slid off his shoes, remaining in his clothes, and laid down on his bed.
"I could take the cot." Tsuzuki's voice drawled from beside him.
"You're bigger than I am. I'll be fine." Hisoka answered. He closed his eyes and tried to ignore the gaze that he felt on his back. It was only when he felt mattress shift under Tsuzuki's weight and a pair of warm arms wrapped around his waist that he opened his eyes again. "Let go."
"Nope! I'm comfy now." Tsuzuki replied from behind him. Despite his mind's wishes, Hisoka could feel himself relaxing into the embrace. He was tired after pounding the streets all day, and Tsuzuki's strong arms wrapped around him… He felt safe, safer than he had in a long time.
"You've got your own bed." Hisoka attempted to growl, though the effect was lost on the older shinigami.
"Yeah, but it hurts my back, and I'll be whining all day tomorrow, and then you'll yell at me and hit me with blunt objects. I'd rather risk you right now than then."
Hisoka sighed at the rather straight-forward answer from his partner. "Fine, but if you snore your face will meet the floorboards."
Cool breath fanned his ear as Tsuzuki hugged the teen closer. "Thanks, Soka."
"Just go to sleep, baka."
"Right. Night, Soka."
-grins- Hope you guys liked that. I loved this chapter. Writing it was so much fun. Now, do you wanna hear the bad news? Either way, I'll still tell you. I probably won't be able to update for another long while, because I am currently re-working the next chapter because I thought I was getting way too many OCs and it was just going to get OOC and melodramatic. You guys have finally caught up with me. But once the next chapter is done, I will try to update ASAP. See ya next time!
