Somewhere I belong

Title: "Somewhere I belong - Chap. 2"

Author: J.J.

Warning: It's an AU... it contains not too descriptive rape, probably some OOC, unbetaed, use of Japanese words (the Dictionary is at the bottom), a bit of sappiness, some spoilers...

To the 2, 3 people who are reading this fic and want more... work keeps me quite busy. I almost never know if I've time to write or when I've time to write. Please be patient. I've almost everything planned out. I just need time to write it.

Extra Warning for this chapter: This chapter is placed in Kamakura, in the Kurosaki house and, due to this, you get to see Hisoka's 'lovely' family and the two local monsters... You also get to know Tsuzuki's Shiki Touda better. Oh and in this chap Touda did some not too polite comments. This chapter also contains a tiny reference to the 'YuYu Hakusho' anime series. You'll find more explanations about it in my notes (and also in the Dictionary) and it's _NOT_ needed to know 'YuYu Hakusho' to understand the fic. This chapter has a good amount of Japanese terms. Many of them were already used in the previous chapters or are canon terms that probably YnM fans know already (someone still has no idea what 'Shinigami' means/is? Enma? Shikigami? Akuma? Sensei?), anyway I suggest you to read the Dictionary _FIRST_ just to be sure, so you can check if there's a term you never heard before and after read the fic. Also this time there are a lot of notes but you shouldn't have trouble reading them _AFTER_ the fic.

Notes: I've been inspired by what Hisoka thought in Vol. 3: 'No one... saved me... But maybe Tsuzuki... If you had been there... you would save me...'.

Warning over notes: This fic is filled with notes. You will find them at the bottom. Each time you see a number between brackets it means there's a note connected to the word/sentence that preceded it. Many of them explain references to other series, to YnM manga only or YnM anime only facts for who didn't get to read the manga or see the anime, explain apparently illogical things or warn you there's an explanation for illogical facts but that you'll get it later. However I suggest you to read the notes _AFTER_ you finished the fic unless the word/sentence connected to the note is really tresomesome for you to understand. Anyway the fic should be still understandable without the notes. Notes are merely extra explanations for who wants to know more or search for spoilers.

Disclaimer: "Yami no Matsuei" belong to Matsushita Yoko. I'm merely using her characters because I love them... expecially Touda, Tsuzuki and Hisoka...
"Breaking the Habit" lyrics belong to Linkin Park. "YuYu Hakusho" belong to Togashi Yoshihiro. "Hohoemi no Bakudan" belong to Mawatari Matsuko. Ehy, do I own something here? Oh yes, I own the plot and a sensible heart which would surely break if you give me harsh reviews... so please be honest but nice ok?

Summary: 1993. Kamakura. A certain silver haired psycho was feeding himself with a poor woman's energy when the Kurosaki's heir spotted him. He had a plan for the boy but someone else was there and decided to interfere...

---

"Memories consume

Like opening the wound

I'm picking me apart again

You all assume

I'm safe here in my room

[Unless I try to start again]

I don't want to be the one

The battles always choose

'Cause inside I realize

That I'm the one confused

I don't know what's worth fighting for

Or why I have to scream

I don't know why I instigate

And say what I don't mean

I don't know how I got this way

I know it's not alright

So I'm

Breaking the habit

Tonight."

[Linkin Park - Breaking The Habit]

Darkness was all around him. Yet, at the time, it seemed to make sense to walk through it,
to walk barefoot in that house he never saw and yet... _knew_.

The floor was cold. It was the first thing that broke into the numbness
wrapped all around his mind. Somewhere in the distance a girl was singing a...
lullaby he never heard before. He couldn't see her but her voice was soft and
gentle and so filled with love and caring it almost made him cry. He looked
around. Feelings were starting to come back to him and that dark place was
starting to feel... scary as the song faded. He reached a room (but how he
could know there was a room there in all that darkness? He had no idea...)
and looked inside. It... there was no light in it just... a green glow, like a
phosphorescence of some sort. There were people in the room but they were just
too far for him to see their features, as the room was all of sudden,
impossibly large and they were in the farthest corner from him. They looked
like a man and two boys... and they were talking, he knew they were talking but
he couldn't make out their words. Even their feelings were blurry to his
senses... Then, all of sudden, the man vanished and the two boys were left alone.
They... were still talking but the discussion had probably taken the wrong turn
as they both were shouting words he couldn't make out. Their feelings too were...
shouting in his mind, fear, hate, love, panic, disgust, anger, desperation, all
of them raising and becoming a tangled mess with his own till he couldn't stand
the sign no more and left the place screaming as if an Akuma was following him
and in his mind, maybe, he was. He ran, ran without even looking where he was
going, the world spinning around him as if it was... waving and he had no idea
how he could keep his balance, only that he had to keep running. He ran for
hours, days, or maybe they were only minutes or seconds, then he tripped as he
placed one of his feet on something soft and warm. (He tripped, didn't he?
So why he had felt as if tiny hands had gripped his feet?) He looked down
and saw he had... (No, it couldn't be!) He had... walked over a naked baby,
who now was laying on the floor, her purple eyes wide open, her dark brown
longhaired head ripped from her smashed body. He screamed again, crawling
backward, as a scent started filling the room, the room whose floor was now
strangely wet. Dazedly he looked to one of his hand to see what was the wet,
sticky substance. In the darkness he shouldn't have been able to see it as if
he shouldn't have been able to see the baby and yet the red liquid, which now
covered all his hand and part of his arm as if he had stuck it inside a basin
filled with it, was clearly visible to his eyes. Blood. He was covered in
blood. There was blood everywhere. He was a murder, a monster... He forced his
paralysed body to move, to turn, to run away and, as he was about to escape, he
found himself facing a wall. A wall covered with dolls, all sitting in an
ordinate way over shelves. They were all staring silently at him with those
glass eyes and porcelain faces, with ruby painted lips that were half opened as
if they were about to talk and yet they couldn't, frozen in that moment
forever. So pretty and yet so western looking, all with honey blond curly hair
and clear eyes and clothes people must have wore in Europe in the early 1800
with matching small hats and tiny shoes. He blinked, confused, then turned and
looked down at the floor. The baby, the baby he believed he killed, was nothing
else than a doll. Weird enough the doll's now honey blond shorthaired head was
back at its original place, but the doll looked covered in scribbling he hadn't
noticed before and her eyes were green, exactly like the ones of the other
dolls. He allowed himself a hysteric laugh as he realized his mistake and was forced
to learn to one of the shelf to sustain himself. Then, his laugh finished as
abruptly as it started and he fought back the desperate wish to start sobbing.
He was lost and he wanted to go back home but... did he have a home? Someone who
wanted him back? He couldn't tell and panic flared through him. He didn't want
to stay forever in the dark. He screamed, screamed for help, screamed for his
parents and was about to run away from the room when a figure showed up from
the door. He paused and looked up at the man in front of him. He couldn't make
out his features but he could clearly feel his anger.

"You... you discharged Veronica⁽¹⁾." The man spat.

"Otousama?" He asked tentatively. "Otousama, I don't even know who this
Veronica person is..." He said back walking.

"You discharged Veronica! You killed your own sister! You' cur cursed
monster who should have been strangled at birth!" The boy shacked his head in
denial but the man hit him, hard, with the back of his hand, sending him flying
against the shelves, causing the dolls over them to fall on the ground. He slid
on the floor, the now dolls covered floor, sobbing.

"Otousama, otousama please... I'll promise I'll be good... don't abandon me
you too..."⁽²⁾ He begged.

"It's too late Nyngyou⁽³⁾. You discharged Veronica and now you'll take her
place in my doll collection." The man said, his ice blue eyes shining and,
finally, he realized he wasn't his father. He looked around and realized now
all the dolls wore his face and were naked and were screaming and he was naked
and he was screaming too as the man descended on him but he couldn't escape and
he knew no one would came to save him and he knew he would hurt him horribly
and he didn't want it and... and...

"Show me the gruesome brilliance of a dying soul departing..."⁽⁴⁾ The man
demanded but he didn't knew what it meant and he didn't want it so he screamed,
struggling as hard as he could, he screamed till he believed he had no voice
anymore as his arms were gripped and he... he heard his name being called... and
there was no more darkness.

---

He was still screaming and waving his arms in a desperate attempt to
free himself. An unknown voice was calling his name, loudly, as he was gripped
and held still. He struggled more, terrified, screaming and kicking without
result. The stranger's hold on him tightened but the emotions were just... wrong.
There was no lust or malice, just kindness and worry. His eyes filled with
tears as he squirmed pitifully and... and he slumped, without strength anymore
against the stranger's body, breathing hard, sobbing desperately and trembling
madly as he waited for the worst to come.

Nothing happened. The unknown arms kept holding him gently, almost
lulling him as he started making out a gentle voice murmuring soothing words.
A nightmare. Is bes been only a nightmare⁽⁵⁾. He blinked twice, trying to
make out his surroundings. He felt confuse, sleepy,
sore. He also felt worried, sympathetic, sorry. No, wait. Those weren't his
emotions. He closed his eyes trying to... sort things out. He was the confuse,
sleepy, sore one. Then the one who was holding him must be... Holding him? Someone
was holding him? He was actually resting in someone else's arms? And it didn't
hurt?⁽⁶⁾ He struggled again, trying to bolt up. His body protested loudly at this
and he couldn't suppress an agonizing whimper. Pain flared through his brain.
It hurt! And the places were he hurt... No, no, no it couldn't have happened... it
couldn't... his mind protested weakly as yesterday night memories were replayed
in his brain. He screamed in denial then hid his face against the stranger's
chest trying to hide himself against him, against his only source of comfort,
wishing desperately to drown in those caring emotions he never experienced in
his life. He cried all his tears as those arms held him gently, cradling him
against the man's chest then... He remembered who he was. Forcing himself to
regain control over his emotions he bit his lips in attempt to force tears back
and stopped clinging to the man. It wasn't proper for the Kurosaki heir to
behave like that. He forced himself to divide from the stranger even if, inside
his head, a voice was protesting so loudly it was almost deafening and tried to
sit up erect.

"Don't. It's better if you lay down." The man warned him, his voice
gentle and caring as his emotions. Something inside him wanted to obey, wanted
desperately to obey, to please in everything this man who wasn't rejecting him
but... but domidominating side had other ideas. He tried to rebel, to squirm and
sit and ended up loosing the battle as the man forced him to lay down and he
couldn't just summon the strengths to raise himself once again alone. "Here,
there you are. You'll feel better if you rest." The man commented as he...
smoothed his hair with a kindness he didn't knew possible to have and that
caused him to blink to force back those treacherous tears that were treating to
fall again. He searched with his gaze the man's face and blinked again in
confusion as he stared at him. He had expected many things but he was caught
completely unprepared by gentle eyes of the same colour of the amethyst earring
his mother sometimes wore and a warm smile.

"Hisoka? How are you?" He asked gently. Hisoka turned away, without even
bothering to answer. No one had asked him that by so long he had no idea how to
behave and answering was only going to mean he had to deal with more memories
of the past night. All he asked for was to curl up and forget everything. It
didn't matter anymore if they closed him in the basement forever to root as
long as they let him forget and stop that thing from happening again.

"That awful, mn?" the man continued caressing his hair. He didn't sound
mad for his lack of reply. He had no idea why he was allowing the man to touch
him, why he wasn't squirming away and hiding in the farthest corner of the
room. He only knew... he felt save there as if something inside him was
absolutely sure the man wouldn't hurt him. He allowed the care the man radiate
in waves to envelop him like a protective shield, then his eyes widened again
as his brain provided to remember him _when_ he saw amethyst eyes
before and he turned abruptly, causing the pain to flare again and unwilling
tears to rise in his eyes.

"You... you were there, weren't you?" He asked anxiously. The man sighed
as he gently brushed his hair out of his green eyes and nodded sadly.

"I'm sorry I came too late. I wish... I could have spared you that..."
Hisoka turned away trying to look uncaring as a certain person, in his
situation, surely would.

"Where are we now?" He asked tiredly. The place looked familiar and yet...
he couldn't remember it.

"Your home's guestroom." The man answered, surprise in his voice. "I
guess it's not used that often if you don't recognize it."

"You've no idea of how is the room I'm familiar about." Hisoka commented
before falling silent.⁽⁷⁾

"You _are_ Kurosaki Hisoka, aren't you?" The man asked as if a sudden
suspicion came to his mind.⁽⁸⁾

"Yeah, I'm Kurosaki Hisoka, son and heir of the 16^th head of
the house Kurosaki Nagare, descendant of the 'heroic' Kurosaki Ren and
all the stuffs." He replied bitterly as if he hated the whole thing.⁽⁹⁾ "Who are
you anyway? You aren't one of our servants, are you?" He wasn't fully sure
about it. Almost all the servants did their best to avoid him and anyway he
wasn't allowed to interact with them more than necessary but, well, probably
servants wouldn't get to stay in the guest room...

"No, I'm not. I'm Tsuzuki Asato and the grumpy guy behind me is Touda."
Hisoka glanced toward his direction and realized in the room there was another
person who, more than grumpy, looked threatening and ready to kill. Tsuzuki-san
however didn't seem worried at all about it as he smiled affectionately at his
companion. Hisoka blinked, surprised he hadn't 'felt' the man before,
than realized that Tsuzuki-san's presence was so... overwhelming... he seemed to
cover up everything else, even his own feelings felt... dimmed when Tsuzuki-san
was close, let not mention when the man touched him...

"Tsuzuki. If you are quite finished spo spoiling the kid maybe we could
leave and take that damned train." The other man spat, interrupting Hisoka's
thoughts, irritation evident in his voice. Tsuzuki sighed. He knew Touda had
planned to leave at dawn. The man had a particular gift to woke up at whatever
unholy hour he decided and, as soon as the sun showed up, he opened his eyes
and insisted they left the house. Of course he also knew that Touda, when he
had just woken up, wasn't... fully working... too sleepy to think coherently and
moving mostly... in automatic.⁽¹⁰⁾ Proof enough was that, in the last company trip,
had Tsuzuki not stepped in, Yuma and Saya⁽¹¹⁾ would have managed to dress him in
one of their weird outfits without him realizing a thing... Anyway, it didn't
require big effort, really, to 'persuade' Touda to agree to wait till Hisoka
would wake up while he was in that state. Of course, when he later fully woke
up, he wasn't exactly pleased to say the last... Anyway, after Tsuzuki had saw
how miserable Hisoka had looked when he awoke, he decided that being there
trying to take care of that poor child was worth dea wit with a quite angry
Touda later...

"I guess you've to go." The child stated bitterly. Tsuzuki gave him a
guilty look. Hisoka chewed his lower lip. He was used at being alone and yet
now that he had found someone who wanted to stay he didn't want him to leave.
Especially considering that now being alone looked ten times scarier than
before... The man ruffled his hair affectionately as if he was really hesitant to
leave him. Through that gentle contact Hisoka could clearly perceive waves of
care, worry and regret as if the man really cared for him and he... No, he wasn't
going to behave like a baby, cry and beg the man to stay, just five minutes
more, just a second more, just the time it would took him to persuade himself _that
thing_ wouldn't happen again, that _HE_ wouldn't find him
again, that he was finally save now. He wasn't going to do any of the sort as
he felt the man removing his hand and... and tucking him up better and... and
standing up and... and... he curled in a very tight ball refusing to look at him as
he said him "Goodbye and take care" and he felt him walk away and... and... and
someone asked the permission to enter in the room. Now that Tsuzuki-san was
far, his cursed, demonic power was filling him not only just with the man's
strong emotions but also with the one's of the man's friend and with the one's
of the maid whom he recognized as Miya. She was the one his parents trusted to
do all the work they wanted to be done without other ears to be informed about
it. Usually she was nice enough even if she was totally terrified by him as if
a mere nearly 13 years old boy could manage to pose a threat to a woman. While
Miya and Tsuzuki-san exchanged small chat on the door he tried snuggling under
the covers. Why he had to be cursed with this demonic power of perceiving other
people's emotions? Why? What did he do so wrong? His self-recrimination was
interrupted when he felt Tsuzuki-san's emotions escalating to such a rapid pace
he wondered how the man could deal with them.

"We're invited for breakfast? Really?" He exclaimed with the happily
surprised tone of a 5 years old. No, make it a 3 years old.

"Tsuzuki. We must go back to Tokyo." His companion snapped, his
annoyance barely perceptible compared to Tsuzuki-san's enthusiasm.

"But Touda! It's breakfast! We're not eating by yesterday afternoon!"
The man reasoned.

"Is filling your stomach the only thing you can think of?"⁽¹²⁾ The other
replied, apparently even more irritated and yet, Tsuzuki's enthusiasm
increased, as if he just knew Touda was going to give up.

"No, obviously I also think about you." The man said innocently causing Miya
to blush deeply unsure if the sentence had a... 'romantic' meaning or if it was
merely a joke between friends.⁽¹³⁾ "Can we stay eh? Eh?" Tsuzuki insisted. Touda
shrugged.

"Do as you prefer. I just know you'll drive me insane if we leave
without you having this stupid breakfast." Tsuzuki merely grinned back. Miya
forced back her embarrassment and announced to Hisoka-sama he too was waited
downstairs for breakfast. Hisoka forced himself to sit.

"Otousama wants me to have breakfast downstairs?" He asked surprised.
From when his... 'anomaly'... had started to show he had been forced to stay
away from his family, hidden, segregate, like a dirty secret no one want to
talk about. He didn't expect this invitation, especially after what had
happened the night before. Came to think he didn't expect his father wouldn't
send him straight in his cell in the basement after he had been brought back
home.

"Wouldn't be better if he had breakfast in bed?" He heard Tsuzuki-san's
gentle voice asking and this time the man's tone was childish but adult and
serious as if he possessed as switch that allowed him to move easily between
the two.

"Danna-sama ordered..." Miya started obviously embarrassed.

"I'll come downstairs." Hisoka cut in, using a passable imitation of his
father's authoritarian tone as he was stubbornly forcing his sore, weak body to
stand up. He didn't have to do all the work alone. Tsuzuki-san, after sighing
loudly and muttering something about stubbornness, moved toward him, untangled
him from the cover and... picked him up. He immediately complained, at the same
time holding tightly to Tsuzuki-san in fear to be dropped, unused at being
carried around and fully conscious he was expected to walk, no matter what his
conditions were. All his complains were answered with a "Don't worry, I'll
carry you only till under the stairs." and a friendly smile which, in
Tsuzuki-san's opinion, settled the discussion. Hisoka didn't consider the
discussion settled butwas was so astonished by the man's response he couldn't
think anything else to reply in the time it took Tsuzuki-san to carry him
downstairs. He still managed to look offended in his own dignity as the man set
him down and to stoically refuse to look at him as Miya escorted them, act that
Touda-san regarded with annoyance and Tsuzuki-san with amusement as if his
proper indignation was merely a childish display. Truth to be told Tsuzuki
wasn't just amused; he was also admiring the courage Hisoka was showing in...
dealing with that had happened to him. Of course he didn't know the Kurosaki
were expert into hiding their own emotions and that Hisoka had been trained
from childhood to... ignore them or pretend to. Surprising enough, Hisoka's
cursed power for once, was helping him, in fact, concentrating on other
people's emotions he could keep at bay the turmoil that was inside him.

---

The room in which they were escorted was wide for Tsuzuki's standards
but pretty normal for a family as important as the Kurosaki. The open doors
were showing him a well-cared garden that immediately caught his interest. He
would have liked to give a look to the plants in it. Kurosaki Nagare and the
woman he supposed was his wife were already seated, waiting for them. Hisoka
greeted formally his parents and sat composedly as if nothing had happened.
Tsuzuki greeted as well, even if less formally, and sat next to the child.
Touda merely sat down close to him, without bothering with greetings, his bad
mood still clearly evident. Kurosaki-san introduced them to his wife, Rui.
Apparently he had already informed her about what happened because she greeted
them politely and thanked them formally for the help they gave to her son. A
bit too much formally because, at least in Tsuzuki's opinion, she sounded like
she was thanking him because he had passed her the salt... Anyway he forced the
thought in the back of his mind and gave her a warm smile as he answered her
thanks. She blinked at him as if she never saw someone smiling and then
attempted a smile too. Tsuzuki noted she needed to work on it but decided to
avoid mentioning the thing entrentrating on more intriguing matters, like the
breakfast the servants were placing in front of him. One of the hugest he had
ever seen, second only to the ones he had in GenSoKai. If every time Touda
punched a guy he gets a breakfast like that he had to make a note to remind him
to hit people more often. Well... just not that hard... Without wasting time he
attacked the food, enjoying fully every bit of it.

---

Even if Hisoka rarely had breakfast with his family and even more
sporadically he was allowed to eat with his family when there was one or more
guests he was sure the Kurosaki house didn't had such a 'singular' guest
as Tsuzuki-san from the time in which the oh so great Ren woke up and decided
to become a hero defeating the local Kami. It was amazing how Tsuzuki-san could
enjoy so much the breakfast in front of him and in the same time talk so much.
Plus he complimented a lot about how delicious the food was, pleasing greatly
the maids who were all smiling happily at him and serving him in the same way
they would have with a cute, starved child. Touda-san, on the contrary, had
still to say a word even if Tsuzuki-san managed to persuade him to share part
of his breakfast with him.

Nagare, probably realizing there was no way to keep Tsuzuki-san silent
without rudely telling him to shut up, decided to move the topic from 'How
good breakfast was' to something more interesting.

"Tsuzuki-san, yesterday night you mentioned you're an Onmyoji..." His
father started. Hisoka caught the maids' disappointment at hearing their guests
weren't singers⁽¹⁴⁾ and all their interest and curiosity about this new
development.

"Well... sort of..." the man replied.

"Sort... of?" His mother politely inquired. Hisoka looked up at
Tsuzuki-san curiously as well.

"Well... being Onmyoji was my family tradition. Everyone had to be one. I
was taught everything an Onmyoji had to know it's just... well I know all the
stuffs but all I do and I'm good at is to use Jujutsu." He explained. "If you
would try relying on me to know your future... well you're challenging fate. It's
Ruka who has..." He trailed off and his expression turned serious and... sad? for
just a second. "Never mind." He said waving a hand dismissively as if he had
said something silly, apparently fully back in his good mood. "I'm sorry I've
interrupted you Kurosaki-san. What were you going to say?"

His father started making questions about Onmyoji and Jujutsu. Strangely
and surprising enough he seemed very interested in it. Hisoka wondered if it
was a proper interest for the head of the family. Head of the family... he didn't
even asked him how he was... His mother seemed curious too. Maybe they only
wanted to know if his... 'anomaly' could be exorcised or if he really was
some sort of Bakemono and Tsuzuki-san could... take care of him. Tsuzuki-san
seemed to enjoy the conversation. Apparently he really knew a lot about this
particular topic. It also turned out Tsuzuki-san used his knowledge working for
a government organization⁽¹⁵⁾. His parents were surprised at that.

"It's just a tiny department." Tsuzuki-san explained. "And we're mostly
used to proof how what's causing mass panic in a village _isn't_
a Bakemono but... well, something else. You've no idea how much people is
persuaded they have a Yurei in their fridge."

"So, they're all false alarms?" His father asked in a weird tone, as if
his life depended on Tsuzuki-san's answer.

"No, no, I've seen my share of monomono, Akuma and other weird stuffs.
If the Bakemono is real and not just thrth rth of some mass hysteria we're
supposed to... dispose of it. We're just back from a quite messy case..."
Tsuzuki-san's gaze lowered as his sadness became evident in his voice, yet the
man forced it back and continued with his normal happy smile. "Anyway it's just
a thing that didn't happen that often and that's why we have the lowest salary
and Tatsumi is always complaining about the fact we don't have to overspend...
Which I guess is good because when it's a real Bakemono who's causing the
problem is really complicate to fix things... Anyway in the end we could be
considered 'Bakemono no Taijiya'⁽¹⁶⁾, Monster Sterminators... even if some
call us 'Ghostbusters'..." He
said pronouncing the western word with a bit of difficulty⁽¹⁷⁾ "and others... with a
less nice name."

"And Shikigami⁽¹⁸⁾? Does they exist too?" Hisoka asked, his quiet tone a bit
forced. His parents glared at him. He wasn't supposed to take part to the
adults' discussion but he had read about the mythological creatures that lived
in another world, extremely powerful deities that controlled the 4 elements and
that sometimes chose to serve a human and they always intrigued him. It had to
be amazing to have someone as powerful as a Kami as servant. Maybe, if he had
one, a ferocious, powerful, dragon looking one if he could choose, what
yesterday night facts would have never happened. Beside... he really needed a bit
of attention and the chance to distract himself before he lost control and
allowed his feeling to manifest.

"Oh yes. Shikigami surely exist." Tsuzuki-san said looking at him with
open amusement as if he just made a funny joke. Touda-san just seemed even more
annoyed than usual. "Some of them are also particularly cute when they're just
woken up." The man added chuckling earning such a glare from Touda-san that
Hisoka unconsciously shrunken back. Tsuzuki-san instead, merely turned toward
the man and asked him if he was going to finish what he had in the plate or
not. Touda-san simply said Tsuzuki-san was an idiot and gave his plate to him.
The man thanked joyfully and proceeded to clean it up.

It was then Kurosaki Iwao, Nagare's oldest brother, decided to show up,
uncaring if he was welcomed or not.

"Nagare, who are those parasites with those horrible table manner?" He
asked as soon as he noticed the two guests in his usual authoritarian tone as
if _he_ was the master of the house, impolitely pointing at them.
Tsuzuki-san and Touda-san didn't seem to look insulted.

"We've horrible table manners?" Tsuzuki whispered to his friend.

"You, most surely, have them." The other stated coldly without even
bothering to look at the newcomer.

"Meanie!" The man replied in a childish whine. Hisoka's expression
softened as if, for the first time in only Kami knew how many years, he felt
tempted to smile. He didn't anyway, forcing himself to imitate his father's
serious expression. He knew he wasn't allowed to do anything else. Iwao
instead, fumed. He wasn't used at being ignored.

"Tsuzuki-san, Touda-san, I'm pleased to introduced to you my older
brother, Kurosaki Iwao." Nagare said in his usual formal, cold tone causing
Tsuzuki to wonder if the man ever showed something else beside that cold
politeness. "Niisan, those men did a great service to our house rescuing Hisoka
from an... unpleasant situation." Nagare continued in the same tone while his
brother sat near to him. Tsuzuki gave him a curious glance.

Kurosaki Iwao seemed quite different from his brother. He was obviously
older than Nagare, probably in his early 40 and with those tick glasses, beard,
and long hair he couldn't definitely be considered as good looking as his
younger brother. To increase more thntrantrast between the two while Nagare was
coldly formal and polite Iwao was bossy, rude and passionate.

Well, brothers didn't necessary have to resemble each other, he and Ruka
for example... His thoughts were rudely cut as he remembered the main, actual
difference between he and his sister.

Hisoka, who had observed Tsuzuki-san studying his uncle, was surprised
to see the man lower his head, heavy bangs covering his eyes as a deep feeling
of sadness, regret lon longing washed over the man, so deep, it seemed it was
threatening to drown him too. Then, as if he too could feel the man's emotions,
Touda-san placed a hand over Tsuzuki's arm. Hisoka caught the two exchanging a
silent glance then Tsuzuki brushed off his sadness as easily as he would have
done with dust and returned his attention on his uncle who, right now, was
arguing with his father, as usual.

It was weird to see the two argue. His uncle would yell, wave his arms,
be rude and offensive and his father would just stand there, his back straight
as he answered politely to every accuse of incompetence in his leadership of
the Kurosaki house. While his uncle clearly radiated hate he could perceive
almost nothing from his father... only... tiredness... and something else he was
never able to fully grasp.

He cringed as he caught Iwao-ojisama glancing at him with venom, finally
realizing he was there as well, and then proceeded to move his complain from
what a pitiful leader Nagare was to what a shame for the whole family Hisoka
was. The child lowered his gaze; heavy bangs covering his green eyes. He wasn't
sure he could deal with it, right then, but he wasn't going to show it, no
matter what.

It turned out someone managed to inform Iwao about Hisoka's last...
escapade⁽¹⁹⁾ and even if the man didn't knew all the details (but planned to find
out them) it was clear the little he knew made him felt allowed to criticize
the child for getting involved in a murder as if Hisoka actually tried to take
part in it.

"That _child_ has no capacity to carry on the family
name!" He yelled pointing at Hisoka who was staring at the ground as if he
never saw something more interesting with his jaw tightly clenched to avoid any
treacherous sob to escape. He almost jumped out of his skin when Tsuzuki-san
took his hand into his and squeezed it comfortingly. He could only stare in
shock at the kind man as his uncle continued to rant oblivious of the fact, his
attention fully on Nagare. "_He_ will not benefit this family!
You should have disp..."⁽²⁰⁾ Iwao bit his tongue, remembering some topics weren't to
be discussed in front of strangers, especially when one of the two strangers
was looking at hn a n a very not friendly manner "Anyway I don't see what _he_
is doing here,ing ing breakfast with the family! You should already have closed
him in his cage in the basement and let him there so he'll learn to not get out
at night!" The man exclaimed. He never really liked Hisoka, not even before he
knew about his 'curse'. The boy was going to inherit what should have
been rightfully his, what Nagare stole from him years ago only Kami knew how.

"You're going to close him in the basement?" It was the first time
Hisoka heard Touda talking to someone who wasn't Tsuzuki-san. It was... scary. He
didn't raise his voice nor really move and yet... the amount of loathing and the
anger in his tone made everyone expect he would kill Iwao-ojisama on the spot
for merely suggesting it. For once his feelings were even stronger than
Tsuzuki-san's ones.⁽²¹⁾

"But it sound like closing him in a prison!" Tsuzuki-san didn't sound so
'murderous', more like... 'hurt' at the thought of someone being
trapped, but he echoed Touda's disliking for the idea perfectly. "You can't do
that Nagare-san⁽²²⁾, it's..."

"Tsuzuki-san, Touda-san I would ask you to stay out of my family
business." His father said in the cold, impersonal tone he always used and that
Hisoka tried so hard to imitate and that would have probably heard for the last
time, if Tsuzuki-san hadn't held Touda's arm to stop him from reacting. The man
seemed positively set to kill whoever would consider trap someone in a prison
like an acceptable solution, and now was looking disappointed at Tsuzuki-san
who had stopped him. However Tsuzuki-san wasn't paying him attention, his now
cold gaze turned on his father.

"Then so, pray tell me, what will you do Nagare-san should he
accidentally broke a plate? You'll kill him on the spot? If being segregate is
what he get for such a small infraction..." He asked coldly, his anger rising
dangerously and somehow managing to affect his father too.

"Tsuzuki-san, that has been how all the Kurosaki had been punished." He
explained as if he was trying to make it look like a normal punishment for a
disobedient kid, "Anyway" He added, "I don't plan to 'segregate him' as
you put it."

"You don't plan too?" Hisoka and his uncle exclaimed simultaneously and
Hisoka wouldn't be able to tell who was the most surprised. Anyway his uncle
recovered fast and started complaining.

"Niisan I would ask to you as well to stay out of my family business."
His father replied. It was the first time Kurosaki Nagare didn't bow his head
to his older brother's wishes and, no matter how loud Iwao complained, the man
didn't plan to change his mind. Iwao however, apparently knew when to admit
defeat.

"The police need the description of the murder. They asked me to ask your
so called heir for one since he saw him."⁽²³⁾ He said in apparent annoyance. Truth
to be told he was very interested in having more details about what happened to
Hisoka (all he knew was that the child had saw a murder and than had been
carried back unconscious by a couple of strangers) and see if it could be used
to his own advantage.

"What? I have to... to..." Hisoka paled and looked at his parents but they
didn't look affected by it at all. They couldn't ask him that! He wasn't going
to relive the scene no matter what!

"Hisoka, calm down right now." His mother ordered. "It's normal the
police wants some information from you since you saw the murder and he tried to
attack you. It's their duty to capture who threatened the well being of the
Kurosaki heir." His mother said apparently finding more serious that the man
had tried to harm a Kurosaki than the fact that he killed a poor woman. Hisoka
didn't care about it and shacked his head panicking, his hold on his
self-control shattered, the memorof hof his previous ordeal too recent for him
to be able to revive them.

"No, no, I won't do it... I can't..." He moved shakily to stand but a
strong, gentle hand gripped his wrist. He turned toward the man with a betrayed
expression on his face but the other held his gaze.

"Ehy, calm down. You're tougher than you look kiddo. Beside, don't you
want that guy to be arrested?" He wanted the man arrested, he wanted him
arrested and ripped into pieces slowly and painfully, all under his gaze. He
swallowed, forcing himself to relax as he felt back into his place managing
also to slide slightly toward Tsuzuki-san, willing he could hide himself behind
the man's kindness, understanding and sympathy. He couldn't stop himself from
trembling thought. "Good child." The man said ruffling his hair in an
affectionate gesture. Hisoka stared at him in shock, green eyes open wide. He
couldn't remember the last time he got a compliment. Tsuzuki-san blinked at him
in confusion then turned toward the others to meet the same shocked and
confused expression over Hisoka's relatives' faces.

"Ehm... did I do something wrong?" He asked as he retreated his hand,
folding it in his lap uneasily. He got no answer at first, so he turned to
Touda who simply shrugged.

"He let you touch him" The oldest of the Kurosaki brothers finally
muttered as if this was an amazing thing. He didn't like it. If Hisoka weird
powers were gone the boy would have more chances to be considered an acceptable
heir. Kurosaki Nagare cleared his throat apparently to force himself out of his
own stupor. He saw the man touching Hisoka before but then Hisoka hadn't been
fully conscious. Now he was and yet the boy didn't go into hysterics or 'blasted
him away'⁽²⁴⁾. As for Hisoka's mother... she looked like she had no idea what to
think about what happened. If Hisoka was becoming 'normal' it would have
been a good thing, wouldn't it, she asked herself looking almost pleading at
Nagare for some sort of help.

Tsuzuki sighed, deciding the Kurosaki's weird habits were beyond his
comprehension.

"Would it help if I tell what I saw of the guy?" He asked trying to
sound helpful. "Not that I saw much of him since everything happened pretty
fast and there wasn't that much light. Anyway... he was clothed in white, wasn't
he?" He said turning to Touda as if for confirmation. The man nodded. "And had
white hair I think. Or grey. He must have been taller than me. And older... not
by much... And..." He paused as if he was about to say something then decided
against it, his expression darkening. "Touda you've better eye sign than me in
the dark..." He said turning again to his companion for help. The other looked
back at Tsuzuki as if the two were passing some silent communication between
them then shrugged, crossed his arms over his chest and continued. "Pale skin,
clear eyes half covered by his hair, strong cologne. Musk⁽²⁵⁾." He
said scrunching
his nose as if in disgust. "I bet one can follow his tray." Everyone turned
toward Hisoka expectantly. The boy lowered his gaze, clenching his firsts in
his lap. His lower lip was a bit swollen since he had keep biting it for the
whole time Tsuzuki and Touda talked.

"I... I don't remember much, really..." He muttered trying to keep his voice
firm and failing miserably.

"Come on boy, I'm sure you were the one who got the closer look after
all. Don't tell me you are so dumb you didn't see anything useful!"

"I wasn't exactly enjoying the meeting, you know!" Hisoka shouted unable
to held back as his green eyes shined even more due to the tears that were
threatening to fall.

"You, cursed whelp..." Iwao said as he longed to Hisoka aiming to yank him
closer and give him a lesson about respect. The child cringed but didn't move,
with a look of stubborn challenge. After what had happened to him he didn't
really care about what his uncle could do to him. Iwao however never reached
him since Tsuzuki gripped the man's arm before he managed to touch Hisok

"I think that's enough. He shouldn't have yelled but he had a bad time
and we're only stressing him further." Iwao tried freeing himself but Tsuzuki
didn't bulge. Touda made a tiny, little smirk. Evidently he was still angry
with Iwao for the and was enjoying seeing him in
trouble. It didn't last long anyway. As he made his point Tsuzuki released the
man who sat down rubbing his wrist and glaring back at him with venom.

"Your so called 'guests' are going to stay here for long?" Iwao
asked to Nagare. It was bad enough the man stole his position and gave birth to
a cursed child. Now had he to allow two strangers to stick their noses in the
family business?

"No, we don't." Tsuzuki interjected before Nagare had the time to
answer. He didn't want to abandon Hisoka but the Kurosaki family was starting
to be too much for him too to deal with. "We plan to take the first train for
Tokyo. We would be already gone if it wasn't for Nagare-san's kind invite to join
his family for breakfast. We really thank you for it Nagare-san. It has been a
delicious breakfast." As Tsuzuki was talking Hisoka opened his mouth to say
something, realized it would be completely improper, stupid and useless to beg
that kind foreign to stay, muttered a fast request to be excused and, as soon
as his mother nodded her head in agreement, he moved to stand and leave that
cursed room but he tried to get up too fast and, in his weakened state, he
tripped and ended right into Tsuzuki's arms. While his relatives were busy
lecturing him about his behaviour, Tsuzuki-san smiled down at him suggesting
him to 'slow down because he wasn't yet recovered enough'. He felt the
kindness in his words, kindness no one ever used toward him, echoing in his
feeling and swallowed, fighting to conserve the control on his own emotions.
Before he could manage to untangle himself from the man's arms his father spoke
again.

"You aren't going to leave today." Nagare stated gaining an incredulous
glare from his brother. Touda also glared at him, causing Iwao and Rui to
retreat a little as soon as they noticed. Hisoka too would have done the same,
hadn't he been still in Tsuzuki's arms.

"Oh? Why no?" Tsuzuki asked with a tone of mild curiosity while he set
the child back down but Hisoka wasn't going to be fooled. There was something _hard_,
_strong_ and somewhat _dark_ in that kind man,
something that cannot be bended to another will unless he allowed it. His
father would do better to be even more cautious around Tsuzuki-san than
Touda-san.

"You're going to be my guests for a while." Nagare continued. Hisoka
would have admired his father's courage hadn't he been hurt by the man's
coldness too many times to feel for him something different from hate.

"What if we don't want to?" There was such threat in Touda's voice
everyone considered leaving the room. Fast. That guy had something... like a Ki
radiating a dangerous power he wasn't afraid to use. Tsuzuki merely placed a
hand on the man's arm.

"Be nice Touda." He chided. The other glared at him but seemed to settle
back. Hisoka wondered on their bizarre relationship. Somehow Tsuzuki-san seemed
to be in charge even if he had nothing of the leader type.

"It doesn't matter what you want to do. When a Kurosaki orders you
obey!" Iwao said anyway in a commending tone. People had always bowed to the
wishes of the Kurosaki family and they would continue to bow. But he wouldn't
have missed seeing them in the future hadn't Tsuzuki managed to grip Touda
stopping him in mid motion from striking at Iwao. Touda glared back at Tsuzuki.

"He has no right to order us around!" He stated angrily. He wouldn't
allow anyone to trap them in that house! He had enough of being trapped!
Tsuzuki looked back at him, understanding and caring clearly visible behind his
firm façade.

"I know. Please, sit down, ok?" He asked him gently. Touda hesitated
then left himself fall back to his place, frowning. Iwao started, quite
shakily, to complain at the foreigners' hostile behaviour. Nagare ignored him.

"In Kamakura, a Kurosaki's request is something which can't be refused."
He explained in a polite but firm tone, "Please believe you will be treated
with all the honours as our important guests. I'll send my servants to
retrieve the luggage you said you left to the station immediately." Nagare
informed them taking Tsuzuki's silence as an agreement then simply stood and
motioned to leave. Just to find his way blocked by Tsuzuki.

"Kurosaki-san. If you need something from us, ask it now and we'll try
to see if we can help. If not, I assure you, you won't manage to keep us here
against our will." The man's normally kind tone was cold as he stood, hands in
his pockets, in front of his father. Nagare seemed to hesitate.

"I... hadn't decided yet if to require your assistance." He admitted. "But
I still insist for you to stay." Tsuzuki frowned, considering. He didn't like
to abandon people to their own destiny but he found himself liking the current
situation even less. He saw Touda glaring and Hisoka looking at him almost
pleading.

"We'll stay for a day. By tomorrow morning you'll better have made up
your mind." He agreed reluctantly.
Nagare's expression for a moment seemed so similar to Hisoka it
impressed him. It was just like looking to an abandoned child. "I'm sorry
Nagare-san." He said more kindly sighing. "But I really have to return back to
Tokyo soon." Which was undoubtedly true. Tatsumi was going to make him _pay_
for this in more than one way and he had no idea about what Kobayashi would do
alone. Probably nothing good if the way he behaved in the past case was a hint.
He just wasn't cut for the job, plain and simple and it was Tsuzuki's duty to
make sure the job didn't end up cutting him in pieces. Literally. And how long
his flowers could survive with no one taking care of them? And he still had to
pay this month rent and Touda didn't really want to stay here and...

Nagare sighed as well.

"I understand. I'll make you know my decision as soon as possible." The
man said, then left the room. Kurosaki Iwao rose and ran after him immediately,
exclaiming loudly he wanted to know what was going in his brother's mind.
Kurosaki Rui excused hersel wel well and, apparently, Hisoka had somehow found
a way to vanish while no one was looking. Touda was still there but, from the
look in his face, he was far from pleased. Tsuzuki sat down, sighing.

"The next time a case will require we will leave Tokyo you'll hack the
computer and we'll discretely add to the case file some lines that will imply
it'll be better to pass it to someone else⁽²⁶⁾, possibly Terazuma⁽²⁷⁾. Lets him deal
with this sort of mess." Touda didn't reply even if he wholeheartedly agreed in
his mind.

---

Tsuzuki spent the following 15 minutes watching the Kurosaki garden,
pretending to not notice Touda was mad at him. He knew he had all the reasons
to be. Touda wanted to leave and Tsuzuki had deliberately ignored it, choosing
to stay. Tsuzuki knew that despite his human look Touda was a Shikigami, one of
the most powerful of them, who, for reasons beyond Tsuzuki's comprehension,
chose him as his master giving him all the rights to impose his will. Yet
Tsuzuki had never wanted to force him in a really unwanted situation. To him
Touda was a friend not a servant and he hadn't meant to boss him into staying.
He just hadn't found the heart to leave.

"Are you going to be like that all the day?" Tsuzuki asked, looking
honesty hurt. Touda turned his gaze away from him. Tsuzuki sighed. "I'm sorry I
forced you to stay, I know you wanted to leave." No answer. Touda should have
taken it worst than he thought. "Ne Touda, I'm really, really sorry but you
know I couldn't abandon them like that..." He insisted in an almost pleading
tone. Touda didn't reply at first. Yes, he knew, but it didn't make it better.
Tsuzuki sighed, sounding fully miserable as he came closer to him, seeking at
least physical contact, if an answer was out of discussion. He sighed as well.
He wasn't good at staying mad at Tsuzuki, especially when Tsuzuki was giving
him the 'Abandoned Puppy' look.

"Why did you allow them to take us prisoners?" Touda asked, finally
turning toward him, in full glaring mode.

"They aren't taking us prisoners, Touda. It was just their weird way to
ask us to be their guests." Tsuzuki explained. He didn't really like the
Kurosaki's manners either but he had seen worst. A lot worst.

"If you say so." Touda replied, disbelief evident in his voice. He didn't like
how the Kurosaki tried to force them to stay there. He
didn't like how Tsuzuki was taking _at heart_ the Kurosaki's
problems. He also didn't like how the Kurosaki, father and son, were looking at
Tsuzuki, as if they had 'interests' in him.

"Ehy, you know I won't let someone try to trap you somewhere, no matter
what, don't you?" Tsuzuki asked him worriedly, hugging him tightly.

"I know..." The other replied reluctantly as he allowed Tsuzuki to held him.
It wasn't like he didn't trust
Tsuzuki; it was just he hated the whole situation. All those years spent in
that dark cell made him not exactly sympathetic toward who was trying to keep
him confined in a place so he didn't understand why they had to stay to please
the Kurosaki who did nothing but cause them troubles and order them around.

"Come on, Nagare-san is merely the head of an ancient house in a little
village not our ToupouSyugoJyu friend!" Tsuzuki countered, after releasing him
from his hug, trying to bright up the situation and failing.

"He looks close enough." The other replied. SoRyu had been the one who
sentenced Touda to eternal imprisonment. In addition to this Touda knew SoRyu
had 'interests' on Tsuzuki, even if Tsuzuki, apparently, was completely
oblivious about them... There was enough to not like someone who resembled him.
He frowned as Tsuzuki merely chuckled at his words.

"True but he's not. Let's enjoy our permanence in an ancient house, ok?"
The man asked him with a warm smile.

"What's to enjoy in this place? It can't even remotely compare to
Tenku-kyuu⁽²⁸⁾!" Touda insisted. The more he stayed there, the less he liked it.

"You don't like Tenku-kyuu anyway." Tsuzuki replied, dismissing his
comment.

"What's Tenku-kyuu?" Hisoka, who had just arrived there, asked hoping
his voice was normal enough. He shouldn't be there, really but he wanted,
needed to see the only person who had been kind to him, even if only for a
second.

"A nice palace that Touda hates." Tsuzuki replied smiling at him, causing
Hisoka to blush and unconsciously remembering him he had to work to not get _that_
nervous every time the man smiled at him. Touda snorted. The boy would do
better not nosy into his conversations with Tsuzuki. "Where are you going
dressed like a Budoka, Hisoka?" Tsuzuki then asked in a kind voice noticing the
child changed himself. He also noticed Hisoka's eyes were a bit red and swollen
but, suspecting the child didn't want him to know he cried, avoided to mention
it.

"Practicing Kyudo⁽²⁹⁾." He replied curtly, trying to gain back his proper,
cold attitude, attitude that this man always seemed to manage to shatter,
filling him with emotions that had never been directed toward him and causing
him to have feelings he had never felt before, allowing him to also forget
everything that went wrong in his life.

"Today?" Tsuzuki asked in disbelief. Geez, the child had just been
abused and his father had to force him to train anyway? That household was
insane.

"No reason to skip training." Hisoka replied firmly as if he fully
agreed about it with his father, when instead he had felt fully miserable when
Nagare informed him he expected him to train anyway, then added, "Ah, Miya said
Hazama Sensei will come to visit me. Apparently I have to 'thank you'
for that, don't I?" Hisoka didn't look too happy about it really, if the
sarcasm in his voice was a hint.

"Geez, don't sound so enthusiastic, it's for your well being, you know."
Hisoka glared. He didn't seem to buy it. How could it be for his own well being
having to expose his shame to another person even if it was a doctor? "Anyway,
do you think we can use the phone? I've to inform my workmates I'm not going to
show up in the office before Tatsumi will go rabid."

"The phone is in that room. Use it as you please. You're guests. The
house motto is 'Abundance and Hospitality'⁽³⁰⁾." He said imitating his
mother's voice. "Don't you noticed it at breakfast?" He asked darkly. Tsuzuki
pretended he didn't hear the question. The food had been great but the general
behaviour...

"Ne Hisoka, can I come to see you training? I promise I won't bother
you!" He asked instead. Hisoka blinked unsure. No one had ever manifested
interest in what he was doing, unless they had to check if he was doing it
properly.

"If... If Otousama agrees to it I don't think there will be problems..." The
man cheered in a childlike demonstration of happiness and promised he would ask
Kurosaki-san just after he finished his phone call. Hisoka blushed _again_
to his own disappointment and, after informing Tsuzuki-san that he could find
his father in the dojo with him and where the dojo was, hurried leaving the
place ignoring the fact walking _hurt_ especially if he did it
fast. Today he was going to have an audience. A smile threatened to appear on
his face. Today he had to give his best performance!

---

Tsuzuki said he could be considered a 'Bakemono no Taijiya' but
what someone scribbled on the entrance door of their department was a lot less
nice name. 'Shinigami'⁽³¹⁾. Gods of death. It wasn't their section name, of
course, but it was the name almost universally used to refer to them. Watari
Yukata, one of Tsuzuki's co-workers, proud of his mad scientist reputation
(even if he wasn't really a mad scientist, he just was the best engineering
expert one could wish for, with the bad habit to tamper in fields that weren't
his with, often, catastrophic results...), had even inserted the term in the
recorded phone answering message once, as well as "Hohoemi no Bakudan"
instrumental version and Botan's synthesized voice saying that: 'KoEnma's
ReiKai Tantei are temporally unavailable but if the problem is really urgent
Enma DaiOh's Shinigami will be happy to take care of it...'⁽³²⁾

Despite Watari's jokes Tsuzuki had always looked at the nickname with
distaste especially because it was fitting. Nearly all their cases were related
to mysterious deaths or ended up with someone's death. Some treated them as if
it was their presence that brought death and not whatever unnatural creature
had been bothered by some irresponsible or chose to wander around by its own
free will and, often, Tsuzuki was incline to agree. It didn't help their
reputation the fact that many of them had 'uncommon' abilities that
caused them to be considered as 'freak' at best, when people didn't
openly called them 'Bakemono' or 'Akuma'.

The whole 'Shinigami' division was officially under the control
of an old but kind man named Konoe (No one had ever found out the man's given
name. The general idea was it had to be a very embarrassing name for their
Kacho to work so hard to keep it hidden...⁽³³⁾) but who was considered the real,
unofficial, feared _RULER_ of the division was his secretary, a
charming, polite young man from a Kuge bloodline, whose blue eyes, almost
always hidden by his eyeglasses, could either make girls moan dreamily or full
grown up men tremble like little children and whose ability to use shadows as
arm as well as a shield made him one of the best Kageshi, or shadow users if
you prefer, of the country. His name was Tatsumi Seiichiro and he was a perfectly
reasonable man. This wasn't supposed to mean he was going to tolerate that one
of his co-workers would show up late on work. In fact he immediately frowned as
he entered in the main room and noticed that Tsuzuki-san's chair was still
empty. Sadly, it wouldn't be the first time Tsuzuki-san was late, the man had
no sense of time whatsoever, but his lateness never failed to irritate Tatsumi.⁽³⁴⁾
He glared at the other employees, making sure they all were working and not
wasting time. Time _WAS_ money⁽³⁵⁾ and he wasn't the type who would
allow money to be wasted. The other workers were all looking busy or, at least,
pretending to be. Good.

"Adea dea why your partner isn't here yet Kobayashi-san?" He asked
politely to the black-haired man who sat on the chair near Tsuzuki's. Kobayashi
was they latest entry and, since Tsuzuki-san was, as usual, without a partner,
Konoe Kacho thought it could be a good idea to partner the two together.

It was never a good idea to partner someone with Tsuzuki-san.

Kobayashi-san turned toward Tatsumi and, laughing nervously,
answered he had no idea where Tsuzuki-sempai could be. Tatsumi pushed back on his
nose his eyeglasses, as he always did when he was truly mad at someone, and
thanked him. He also remembered to Kobayashi-san, before leaving him to his
paperwork, that one of the reasons he had a partner was becaus sho should keep
an eye on him. Not that Tatsumi hoped someone would manage to keep an eye on
Tsuzuki-san; he had been one of the man's many partners and had failed as well
but still...

Kobayashi-san's phone ringed. Then it ringed again. And again, till
Kannuki-san whispered to Kobayashi-san it was _his_ phone what
was ringing. Kobayashi-san seemed to realize it only then, as he hurried to
answer, causing half of the papers on his desk to fall on the floor as well as
a couple of pens and other assorted items. Tatsumi rubbed his temples, willing
his incoming headache to go away. Kobayashi-san was a nice guy and always made
an effort to do his work well (differently from other people) but he was
perpetually living in dreamland and completely clueless about electronic
inventions.

"Tsuzuki! How glad I am to hear you! Tatsumi was just asking me where
you were!" Kobayashi exclaimed cheerfully. He liked Tsuzuki, he really did.
Oblivious as he was, he even managed to not notice anything threatening in
Touda who, after wonde for for a while if he should take it as an insult,
decided the man was merely an idiot and didn't pay him attention anymore.
Anyway Kobayashi would have enjoyed talking with his partner and he would have
been happy to help him as well, hadn't Tatsumi-san tapped gently his shoulder
and asked him with a wide smile if he could have the receiver. Kobayashi, after
saying bye to Tsuzuki, handed it to him, smiling back. The man was really a
newcomer, oblivious of his surroundings or he would have noticed the dangerous
glint in Tatsumi's eyes.

---

Tsuzuki couldn't see Tatsumi's expression but the secretary's voice
alone was scaring enough.

"Tatsumi! Of course I'm happy to hear you, why shouldn't I be?" He
exclaimed anyway, with an embarrassed expression that was saying the exact
opposite. Tsuzuki liked Tatsumi a lot and judged him one of his closest
friends, but this didn't mean he enjoyed being on the receiving end of the man's
fury. Touda rolled his eyes. He didn't like Tatsumi _at all_ and
he had nor the will or the patience to listen to the man's temper tantrums,
especially when they were directed toward Tsuzuki. He really didn't understand
why Tsuzuki tolerated them. The fact that Tsuzuki could have done something to
deserve them wasn't a reason good enough for him but, after all, with the
exception of Tsuzuki, Touda saw no reason to tolerate others. In the mime ime
Tsuzuki was continuing his phone call answering to Tatsumi's questions or
trying to. "No Tatsumi, we aren't wasting money... Well, not 'on purpose'... No, I
mean... Yes, I know I should already be in office... Where am I then? Well, you see
we're kinda in Kamakura... No, it's not a Tokyo district you never heard about...
NO! IT'S NOT A CAKE SHOP EITHER!... It's just a village in the Kanagawa
Prefecture...⁽³⁶⁾ What are we... Well, you see..." Touda frowned as the conversation went
on. Tsuzuki was taking the whole blame for them not being back in Tokyo and
Tatsumi was doing nothing but yelling at him in such a way that, even if he
didn't have sharper than human hearing, he would have heard him anyway,
uncaring (but in truth more oblivious than uncaring) of how being yelled at
depressed Tsuzuki, especially when all he was doing was trying to help an
insane family, which wasn't his duty and wasn't remunerative but it was
something a caring person like him couldn't help but do. Now... in his book it
was more than acceptable if he was the one complaining about them staying
there, but it was out of question allow the Kageshi to do so. This was why he
stole the receiver from Tsuzuki, learned against thel anl and asked Tatsumi in
a cold tone:

"Say Kageshi, do you get off yelling at who doesn't defend himself?"
Tsuzuki groaned. He should have expected it. This was going to be hell to pay
once they get back. He was grateful he could not hear Tatsumi's reply. To make
up for it he heard Touda's, which more or less suggested to Tatsumi to deal
with his sexual frustration by himself... then Touda slammed down the receiver
and turned to Tsuzuki.

"You really had to say _that_?" Tsuzuki asked him. It was
a rhetorical question. Touda and Tatsumi couldn't really have a civil
discussion. It wasn't all Touda's fault (even if sometimes Tsuzuki really
believed Touda could have tried keeping his opinion to himself or expressing it
in a 'more delicate' way), Tatsumi also had his share of 'comments',
all said in his own polite way, he could have avoided doing. Tsuzuki would have
wondered if the two had fun insulting each other if it wasn't for the fact
that, left unsupervised, they would move quickly from verbal assault to serious
physical one in such a vicious way it almost scared him.⁽³⁷⁾

"Why didn't you tell him it was my fault if we lost the train?" Touda
asked, ignoring Tsuzuki's question. He didn't really think he had done
something wrong informing the Kageshi about what the whole office was thinking
even if they would never dare to tell him.

"Because it's my fault if we're still here, isn't it? No point in
getting the two of us in troubles..." Touda cornered him against the wall, placed
both his arms against it, effectively trapping Tsuzuki, and learned close to
him.

"If you say ever again omeoomeone I'm 'cute' when I've just woken
up I'll strangle you." He stated in that cold, threatening, low voice that
scared so many. It didn't work with Tsuzuki however.

"But I can't help if you are!" The man replied, smiling at him and
looking at him with those warm, unafraid purple eyes, the same eyes that have
held no fear looking at him in his true form. He learned close, resting his
forehead against Tsuzuki's.

"I swear if you should ever be afraid of me I'll hate you forever." He
would also hate himself forever but he wasn't going to discuss that with
Tsuzuki.

"Idiot. We're friends. I would never be afraid of you." The man replied
smiling.

"If I'll say I think we really should return back home will you consider
leaving this place?"

"Nope. But I can cuddle you to death to make it up to you the fact we'll
be staying here." Touda snorted.

"I'll keep my opinion to myself than." Tsuzuki chuckled.

"You just know I'll cuddle you anyway." He commented, grinning widely.

"Don't remember me that." The other said giving him a long-suffering
look. Tsuzuki chuckled some more. His good mood was contagious. Maybe, just for
Tsuzuki, he could deal with spending some more time in that cursed house.
"Didn't you say the boy you wanted to see his little 'show'?" He asked
him. He didn't care about the boy's show but he knew Tsuzuki would whine later
should he miss it.

"Be nice Touda..." Tsuzuki remembered him. Touda merely rolled his eyes.
Tsuzuki sighed, knowing he shouldn't really expect much from him on that side.
"Let's go then." He stated, taking Touda's hand and starting to walk through
the corridor.

"Tsuzuki." The man said, allowing him to drag him.

"What?"

"The boy said the dojo was in the opposite directionsuzusuzuki rolled
his eyes exasperatedly muttering he will never manage to orientate himself in
unknown places.⁽³⁸⁾

"I'll lead the way?" Touda offered anuzukuzuki would have bet he was
amu eve even if nothing in his behaviour showed it.

"It'll be better." He agreed. The two started walking, this time for the
right direction.

---

Meanwhile Hisoka spied for the nth time the door nervously. His father
reproached him sharply for his lack of concentration. boy boy sighed as he
resigned himself. Tsuzuki-san wasn't going to come. Well, he considered as he
aimed again, he should have expected it. Why a complete stranger would show
some interest in his training when his own relatives could care less? He looked
at the target in frustration as he noticed he missed the centre. His father was
probably reproaching him again but he didn't really care. All the man wanted
from him was an heir to continue the bloodline. He didn't care about how _he_
was feeling right then, he was so distant and cold it was like he was a puppet
talking to another puppet and Hisoka didn't think he could stand it anymore. He
was about to do something he would have regretted later hadn't the room started
filling with... happiness. 'Happiness'?

"We've found it!" exclaimed Tsuzuki-san's unmistakable enthusiastic
voice as he entered in the dojo with Touda-san who didn't look happy at all at
the 'conquest'.

"I've found it. You merely tagged along." The man pointed out.
Tsuzuki-san ignored him and greeted, loudly and cheerfully, the Kurosaki duo.
Evidently no one ever informed him people should be silent when entering in a
dojo. Tsuzuki-san asked to Hisoka's father if they could stay because 'they'
wanted to see Hisoka's training (Touda glared at that since _he_
could care less about the boy's training) and that they won't disturb _at
all_, thing Hisoka somehow doubted it was possible. His father (Out of
excessive politeness? Masochism? Wish to make things more complicate for his
son?) agreed. Needless to say, as soon as Tsuzsan san had the permission to
stay, he sat on the floor and started chatting happily. Touda-san sat silently
near him, not looking pleased at all. Hisoka's father asked Tsuzuki-san if he
even been in a dojo before. It turned out the wantwanted to try to give a peek
at the one near his work place but his Kacho and one of his workmates _banned_
him from the place before he really managed to get a good look at it. It wasn't
that hard to understand _why_ really... yet the man's presence and
his happy chattering were somehow... brightening the dojo, warming it and making it
more welcoming, which was absurd and impossible of course, and yet even his
father seemed to share the feeling. Tsuzuki-san was a weird man.

"Tsuzuki-san... wouldn't you try practicing with Hisoka?" His father
asked, maybe hoping this would silence the man, causing Hisoka's eyes to go
very wide in surprise. Kurosaki Nagare had _NEVER_ invited a
foreign to practice in the almost sacred dojo where the oh so heroic Ren had
trained. Tsuzuki-san seemed surprised as well.

"Me? Oh I won't be able to hit a single target, not even if it was right
in front of me⁽³⁹⁾ but I bet Touda would do great, wouldn't you?" He said turning
toward Touda whose glare was a clear sign Tsuzuki would do better to not even
consider suggesting him to try. Tsuzuki ignored it and insisted, "Wouldn't you,
Touda?"

"Tsuzuki. It's stupid." He stated realizing trying to get the message to
Tsuzuki simply with a glare was a lost cause. He didn't see what fun could come
from hitting a target that didn't even move.

"Oh, please! I never saw you trying! I promise I wouldn't ask ever
again! Just this once! Do it for me eh? Eh?" It was obvious Tsuzuki wasn't
going to stop unless he got what he wanted or someone hit him strong enough.
Touda groaned.

"If it pleases you so much..." He said learlear annoyance. The things he
did to please Tsuzuki... He grabbed hastily the bow and the arrow Nagare offered
him while Tsuzuki was cheering enthusiastically. "At least shut up!" He
ordered. Father and son's eyes widened in open wonder as Tsuzuki finally felt
silent and remained apparently effortless silent the time Touda needed to aim
and hit the farthest target right in the centre. "Happy now?" Touda asked then
to the man. Taking the hint that he was allowed to talk again Tsuzuki proceeded
to voice his enthusiasm. Loudly and with overabundance of details. Nagare also
had to admit it was a good shot. Hisoka glared at the arrow, still straight in
the centre. He _knew_ it was a good shot but didn't see why
Tsuzuki-san should do all that fuss over it. Especially considering he could do one
as good as well. Probably. Not that he had ever tried such a far target. Anyway
even if Touda-san didn't show it _at all_ Hisoka had no problem
perceiving his self-satisfaction. So, even if he didn't know what possessed
him, he just picked an arrow and aimed at the same target as well. Doing so he
forgot everything else, his father, the previous night, the pain and the shame,
everything. Just hitting the target mattered. He shot. The arrow flied fast,
drawing a nice parabola in the air and hit the target near enough to the point
Touda hit. It wasn't a perfect centre but it was close enough. There was a
moment of surprised silence then Tsuzuki cheered at Hisoka's shoot as well.
Hisoka blinked.
To be honest he had been the most surprised of them all. He had _never_
tried to hit such a far target before and yet he managed doing it! His fat loo looked at him puzzled, surprised by this sudden progress. Hisoka turned to look
at Touda who glared back at him. The man almost always glared but, this time,
his glare had a different meaning. Maybe that guy could not talk much and glare
a lot but he surely understood when someone challenged him and he didn't like
it much. To be honest he didn't tolerate it at all. Hisoka blinked in surprise
as he sensed the man's emotions shifting into apathy. Evidently, even if he
didn't like to be challenged, he didn't judge Hisoka an opponent worth enough
to be considered. Hisoka frowned in frustration as he realized the man was
about to return the bow and sit back down near to Tsuzuki. But apparently
destiny, or someone else working for it, wanted him to get his competition
anyway.

"It was a nice shot, wasn't it Touda?" Tsuzuki asked innocently. The man
looked at him and shrugged.

"If you say so. Beginners get lucky shots more often than you can
think." He pointed out. He never liked when Tsuzuki praised others, especially
when there was no real reason to.

"Be nice Touda..." Tsuzuki said again. The man shrugged. No need to keep
repeating him that. Didn't he merely say the truth?

"If I'll hit him another time you'll still call it a lucky shot?" The
boy challenged. Touda wondered if the boy realized _whom_ he was
challenging. Probably not. He should have ignored the challenge really. A kid
wasn't worth the trouble but Tsuzuki said to be nice...

"Wanna have a competition kid?" He offered.

"It may be interesting... old man." The boy replied, his satisfaction
almost tangible.

"Hisoka!" Nagare exclaimed. It was completely improper for Hisoka to
address in such way to a guest.

"Oh, let them be. People really can't grow without the spirit of
competition... plus I bet this will be an interesting source of distraction!"
Tsuzuki exclaimed in the same innocent, cheerful tone he used few minutes
before and yet there was a glint in his eyes that caused Nagare to wonder if
his actions hadn't be carefully planned. Nagare wondered if it was possible the
man was, for all his childish behaviour, way smarter than he looked. He had
seemed much more... adult the past night... Anyway Hisoka had no chances to win. He
wasn't used to such far targets, his constitution wasn't strong enough to last
under prolonged work and Tsuzuki-san himself knew he had been weakened by what
happened last night and yet here he was pushing his son into a competition with
a man who looked strong, resistant and, apparently, with a good martial
training. He turned to look at his son and... blinked. Hisoka had never looked
more determinate and concentrate. Not that usually he was a bad student he
just... never had that... _passion_, as if from every shot depended
his life, as if he forgot everything else. Compression dawned on him.
Tsuzuki-san hadn't encouraged the competition to see a show of martial arts but
merely to give a chance to Hisoka to... distract himself and to vent his
frustration, anger and desperation in an... acceptable way. He blinked when
Tsuzuki-san caught the speculative look he was giving at him and simply smiled
back in reply. Nagare turned away his gaze; embarrassed he'd been caught
studying his guest, a really unusual guest full of surprises. He wondered again
if this man, who came there by accident, could make the difference, could be
sent by some benevolent Kami to save the Kurosaki household and... He didn't
want, he didn't dare to hope and yet...

---

Meanwhile the 'competition', if so could be called, went on for a
while. Hisoka was finding hard to keep up with the man and, even if he managed
to always hit the target, many of his shots didn't reach its centre. He was
starting to feel tired even if he was also starting to feel somehow relieved.
Touda, on the other side, wasn't missing a single centre but he didn't seem
that pleased about it. Archery was a quite mechanical act for him, something he
had learned when he had been young, a soldier in the oh so great army of the
KouTei KouRyu, ages ago. So young and so stupid in placing his trust in that
man... He had rise fast, very fast and believed he would get all that he missed
in 'childhood'. His fall has been fast as well. He'd been stripped of
everything he gained. Only hate remained. Hate which was fuelling him as he
aimed.⁽⁴⁰⁾

"That's a nice hit Touda!" He startled, his thoughts interrupted by
Tsuzuki, who decided he _HAD_ to cheer, at least a little. The
man was grinning at him happily. The fool was really thinking what he said,
really enthusiastic for something so banal like a centre.

"Shut up." He ordered him even if, weird enough, he didn't feel that
bitter anymore. He didn't have only hate. He also had Tsuzuki to baby-sit. An
idiot who would do anything to make him happy. The only one who cared. The
least he could do was to give at least a good show for him, since it seemed he
was enjoying the thing.

Hisoka felt the man's emotions shifting the second Tsuzuki spoke.
Nothing in his behaviour showed it and yet he felt relieved, as if a weight had
been lift from his shoulders. He felt envious. It must be nice to have someone
like Tsuzuki-san who would cheer up for you when you were doing a competition...
Hisoka's whole body was aching now and he was tired. He bit his lip. He knew he
wouldn't last for long but he didn't plan to give up anytime soon. He preferred
to faint on the floor. He felt insulted when Touda-san declared the competition
finished and gave back the bow to his father.

"I'm not going to surrender yet!" he exclaimed heatedly. The man glanced at him.

"I don't care. Tsuzuki felt asleep." He said as if this explained it
all. In fact it did, since the only reason he accepted to do the competition
was to please Tsuzuki and now that he wasn't watching it anymore there was no
reason for him to continue. Hisoka turned, seeing that the man had effectively
quietly felt asleep and now was laying curled up on the floor with the same
innocent expression a child would have. Touda-san knelt near him and brushed
the man's forehead with his fingers, pushing back Tsuzuki's brown hair and
causing Tsuzuki to mumble something. Touda looked at him fondly for a second,
than simply picked him up as he would have done with a child and, without
bothering to pay the Kurosaki duo further attention, carried him away.

To be continued...

---

JJ's Notes:

1. Veronica was one of the dolls Muraki owned when he was a child. His mother, apparently,
   discarded it.
   
2. In YnM part 63 Hisoka wonders if his father didn't help him because he had been a bad boy
   and asks him (and his mother) to not abandon him. My two cents over Hisoka's family are that
   probably Hisoka's mother was hard on him due to Hisoka's empathy (there's the dream in part 45
   that said this and in part 63 in a flashback she said she wanted a normal child). Nagare instead
   (nightmares aside) seems to me maybe cold and uncaring but not openly against Hisoka (he was
   probably the one who taught him martial arts, I can't remember a flashback in which he said
   something against Hisoka, he wanted to die to join Kasane and the CHILDREN and in the dream in
   part 35 Nagare was holding little Hisoka's hand). However Hisoka declares he HATED him while he
   said nothing against is mother. My guess is that he hoped he would help him but Nagare never did
   probably because for him Hisoka (as well as Rui) are less important than the family reputation.
   He doesn't hate them, he just doesn't care enough.
   
3. 'Nyngyou' (doll) is how in the manga Muraki called Hisoka and Tsubaki-hime.
   
4. "Show me the gruesome brilliance of a dying soul departing..." is what Muraki said to
   Hisoka in Hisoka's dream in Vol. 3. I'm assuming he also said it when he raped Hisoka and it
   wasn't just something Hisoka's nightmare created.
   
5. Hisoka's nightmare is purposely confusing because Hisoka's dream is 'contaminated' by facts
   related to Muraki (who's connconnected to Hisoka due to the Juso) and Tsuzuki (who's sitting close
   to Hisoka, caring for him but allowing his mind to wander unaware Hisoka is empathic). Why Touda
   doesn't affect Hisoka's dream? Merely because Tsuzuki is closer to Hisoka and his feelings are
   'stronger' so they kinda cover Touda's ones. In fact Hisoka's empathy allows him to perceive other
   people's emotions but strong feelings can somehow 'cover' less strong feelings, like a loud noise
   would cover weaker ones. I figure contact or closeness increase the strength of the perception of
   the feeling. That's why Tsuzuki's presence often 'shield' him from other people's feelings. In
   fact in Vol. 9 of the manga Hisoka said HakuShaku's consciousness was so strong he couldn't
   perceive anything else and in Vol. 1 Hisoka said Tsuzuki's anger was so strong it filled him and
   caused his power to backlash.
   
6. Due to the fact no one in the Kurosaki house has nice feelings toward Hisoka and they likely
   judge physical contact with him repulsive and that I think physical contact allows Hisoka to
   perceive the others' feelings better I'll say Hisoka's empathy probably caused him to perceive
   contact as something that 'hurt'. Of course since Tsuzuki's feelings are 'nice' they didn't cause
   unpleasant sensations, on the contrary they're almost pleasurable.
   
7. Hisoka is referring to the fact he gets often closed in the basement.
   
8. Can you blame Tsuzuki if he's not sure? Of course Hisoka and Nagare resemble each other quite
   a bit but the whole household seemed to care very little for Hisoka and Hisoka seems to feel out
   of place there so...
   
9. Hisoka had never stuck me like a person who's proud of his ancestors. In fact he seemed to
   judge his family's position more like a trouble than a positive thing probably because it was
   also due to it he was treated so badly.
   
10. In a Matsushita-san's pic is portrayed Touda after he had woken up. It gave me the impression
    he's that sort of person who gets up when he has to but it's so sleepy he's not aware of what's
    going on around and manage to move only because what is doing are the same gestures he does each
    morning and therefore they don't require much thinking.
    
11. Fukiya Yuma and Torii Saya are YnM manga characters only. They are Shinigami assigned to
    Hokkaido with the weird obsession to try to dress Hisoka in female clothes made by the Pink House
    (they won't mind trying Pink House clothes over Chizuru, another manga only character, too). I
    figure they just like to pick up clothes for people and 'force them' to wear them.
    
12. "Is filling your stomach the only thing you can think of?" Touda also said something
    similar to Tsuzuki in Vol. 10.
    
13. "No, obviously I also think about you." So you want to know if this sentence has a
    romantic meaning or it's just a joke between friends? Well... Tsuzuki in the manga often says
    things like that to various people. Is he in this case meaning something more than affection?
    I'm not telling...
    
14. I figure Tsuzuki and Touda's look would cause the maids to wonder who they are. My guess is
    they would suppose they were singers from the capital.
    
15. A Govern Department that investigate over Bakemono? Well, why not? Consider it the Japanese
    answer to the X-Files department. Oh, and for who hadn't realized it yet... no Tsuzuki and the
    others aren't Shinigami and yes, I'm guilty of changing all their birth dates. Shinigami however
    exist in this AU as well as Enma and you'll see them later.
    
16. 'Taijiya' was Sango's title in 'InuYasha' so I figure it's possible to use it to define
    Tsuzuki's work as well. I guess the title can be compared to the one of 'Ghostbuster' but
    well... maybe due to the fact that the 'Ghostbusters' movie was amusing, calling Tsuzuki a
    Ghostbuster sounded to me like I was mocking him (plus he deals with monsters and demons
    too not just ghosts) and to tell he was an Onmyoji wouldn't be true since it would require
    not only that he had Jujutsu knowledge but also that he followed the Onmyodo Philosophy.
    
17. In the manga is said Tsuzuki didn't talk English.
    
18. Shikigami are part of Japanese myth. In it they figure mostly as familiar of Onmyoji or
    their astral projections. Hisoka of course read about this version of Shikigami and expects them
    to be like that but Shikigami in this fic will be exactly as Matsushita-san described them and
    therefore different by myth.
    
19. How Iwao knew about what happened to Hisoka? I won't be too surprised if Iwao has spies in the
    Kurosaki house plus I figure, since there was a murder, that Nagare HAD to inform the police even
    if he didn't give them all the details about what happened and asked them discretion about Hisoka's
    involvement. Since Iwao has connections with the police he get other info from them too.
    
20. In Hisoka's memories/nightmares Iwao often says things like that.
    
21. In this fic Touda got out from his prison fairly recently (3 years before) and in a way
    different from the manga, therefore he's still very sensitive about the issue. He's also very
    prone to react should he perceive someone as a threat for Tsuzuki or himself and quite bitter
    about his previous imprisonment.
    
22. I know, the most polite way to call Nagare would be Kurosaki-san and not Nagare-san. However
    Kurosaki-san, which, by the way, can be used to call Nagare, Iwao, Rui and Kasane, wasn't even
    used by Tatsumi who's the top in politeness (He called all the Kurosaki using their first name +
    -san except for Nagare whom he also called 'GoTouShu-sama' (="Honorable Master")) so I figure in a
    house with more than one family member is still polite to call them with their first name + honorific
    to avoid confusion.
    
23. I don't think Hisoka, while he was alive, was able to 'blast people away' as he did with Tsuzuki
    in the 'Nagasaki Arc'. It would require a strong Ki to do so and, while Shinigami are
    guaranteed it, I'm not sure young Hisoka would have the same ability. However I think the little he
    had (In Japanese philosophy every living being has Ki) would 'react' to physical contact a little
    like a tiny Electric Bolt. Other people's fear exaggerated it turning the tiny shock in a full blast.
    
24. Why the police ask Iwao to ask Nagare to ask Hisoka for the murder's description? Well...
    somehow Iwao seemed more connected than Nagare to the police in the manga, plus the police didn't
    want to bother the Kurosaki head and, more than anything, came close to Hisoka. In addition to
    this Iwao wanted to get the information personally so he discouraged the police from asking so he
    would have the chance to do it.
    
25. In Vol. 3 it was said Muraki wore Musk cologne. I'm supposing it wore it usually. As for why
    Touda's not too fond of it... To his better senses Muraki's cologne is too strong.
    
26. In YnM cases are assigned to the Shinigami who take care of the zone in which they happened
    unless they're unavailable (Tatsumi and Watari ended up in Kamakura because the Shinigami who take
    care of 10 sector were busy elsewhere). In this fic, on the contrary, Tsuzuki's office assigns cases
    at random unless specific characteristics are required. Oh yes, workers work in pair. Why Tsuzuki
    left Tokyo without Kobayashi then? It'll be explained later.
    
27. Terazuma Hajime is a YnM characters who had only a tiny role in the anime. He is Shinigami
    partnered with Kannuki Wakaba and assigned to Chugoku. He and Tsuzuki don't get along.
    
28. Tenku is one of Tsuzuki's Shikigami in YnM canon story. He looks like an ancient Chinese palace
    and in his darkest, deepest room Touda was held prisoner. Tenku isn't happy Touda had been released
    and makes a point to remember Touda this.
    
29. Since Hisoka is the Kurosaki heir he is taught Kendo, Aikido, Iai, Kyudo and Naginata. The manga
    didn't say who taught him. I'm supposing it was Nagare himself.
    
30. In Vol. 10 Miya effectively said that the Kurosaki house motto is 'Abundance and Hospitality'.
    Now... ok for the abundance but the hospitality seemed decidedly lacking to me.
    
31. Shinigami exist in Japanese myth too but I guess while 'Shinigami' can be a cool battle name (See
    'Gundam Wing') it won't look that nice to call like Gov Government employers.
    
32. 'Hohoemi no Bakudan' is 'YuYu Hakusho' first opening. 'YuYu Hakusho' it's
    a manga created by Togashi Yoshihiro in 1991 and after turned in an Anime series created in 1992.
    Basically the story is about a team of Spirit Detectives (the ReiKai Tantei) that
    works for KoEnma (Enma's son) dealing for him with Youkai and Akuma. Botan is a pretty girl who works
    for KoEnma escorting the souls of the dead to him and as connection between KoEnma and the ReiKai
    Taitei who live on ChiJou.
    
33. Konoe's name is never said in the manga, anime or books. After wondering if I had to make up one I
    decided to simply say no one knows it.
    
34. In Vol. 1 is said Tsuzuki is rarely on time at meetings.
    
35. 'Time is money' is Tatsumi's official motto in the manga.
    
36. Yes, Tatsumi studied history and geography and knows where Kamakura is. It's just that, when Tsuzuki
    said he was in Kamakura he didn't expect it to be that 'Kamakura'.
    
37. I don't think Tatsumi and Touda would like each other... anyway later will be explained
    why in this fic they can't stand to each other AT ALL. As for their dialogue... Touda, to
    me, looked always like the blunt type who doesn't regret it at all. As for Tatsumi... he's
    the one who seems to have a liking insulting in a very polite way the people he doesn't
    like (see his dialogues with Muraki and Hakushaku in the manga).
    
38. In the manga is often mentioned Tsuzuki has no sense of direction.
    
39. I can't have Tsuzuki trying Kyudo now, can I? Considering his 'ability' in the manga and the fact
    nor Nagare or Hisoka are Shinigami he would have ended up killing them after a couple of shots...
    
40. I'm supposing Touda just didn't 'born' ShinSho but that he had the Shikigami equivalent of a
    childhood in which he increased his power and learned how to fight as a soldier. Even if Shikigami
    don't age as humans it seems, in the manga, that they 'grow' with time (in the manga Kojiro & Kotaro are
    also showed as kids) and the same does their power. Plus there are army in GenSoKai (the KouTei KouRyu
    owned one and gave part of his soldiers to SoRyu).
    

JJ's Extra Notes:

When I started this AU one of the things I pondered the most was if to keep Tsuzuki and the
others as Shinigami. I wanted them to be, really, but well it's not just that the
relationship between a Shinigami and an human as been explored many times both in fiction
and in the manga itself but that the possible finals end up to be:

a) Hisoka survives and he probably doesn't see Tsuzuki again till his dear ser sees him seldom
(Shinigami shouldn't interact with humans but I guess Tsuzuki would find a way to bend rules) and
we have the same situation Matsushita-san created with Hijiri.

b) Hisoka dies (at 13 or 16 it doesn't really matter) and he's judged by Enma who sends him in
heaven, hell or whatever he's supposed to go and we've the same situation Matsushita-san created
with Hisae and Tsubaki-hime.

c) Hisoka dies and becomes a Shinigami and we've the same situation Matsushita-san created with,
well, Hisoka himself.

Since I wasn't interested in one of those endings and I don't think Enma would allow
Tsuzuki to live again in the end I accepted the fact they were going to be alive. However
Enma and his Shinigami will have a role as well.

Due to the fact Tsuzuki isn't a Shinigami he also met the Shikigami in a different way.
How? It'll be revealed
later.

I'm not sure how much IC Hisoka is and if there's a way to establish if he's IC or not.
He's younger than in the manga/anime and lack of 3 years of torture/pain but he has a very
traumatic rape experience. In all the scenes that showed him alive in the manga he's
represented more like an unhappy, lonely child who wished friends so much he made them up
so I tend to think it's acceptable to portray him as less bitter and a bit more needy of
human contact but temporally with a frail balance due to what he went through. As for why
exteriorly he looks so calm... I guess he's merely doing what was expected from him,
showing a mask of 'proper behaviour' in front everyone else. I don't think he would be
allowed to express his own desperation and, knowing this, I believe he would try to keep
it hidden. Yet I think Hisoka had a bit of rebellious nature in it and that's why the mask
crack sometimes...

As for why he searches closeness with Tsuzuki... physical contact with someone with strong
feelings like Tsuzuki somehow shield him from his own emotions causing him to feel somewhat
better. Plus I guess in his situation he desperately needed comfort. Add to this the fact he
probably wasn't used to physical contact therefor's ''s 'less shielded' to it. Why Muraki's
emotions didn't worked the same way? Because while Tsuzuki's feelings are somehow pleasurable,
Muraki's one were scary, weird, shameful and aliens to Hisoka's young mind therefore he kind
of 'fought' them. It didn't work well enough to shield him from them but it was enough to stop
him from 'drowning' in them.

Dictionary:

-sama= Lord, lady

-san= Mr., Mrs.

Akuma= Demon

Bakemono= Monster

Bakemono no Taijiya= Sterminator of Monsters

Botan= In 'YuYu Hakusho' she escorts the souls of the dead and works as connection
between KoEnma and the ReiKai Taitei

Budoka= Martial Art Praticer

ChiJou= Land of the living

DaiOh= Great King. Enma's title

Danna-sama= Master (of the house)

Dojo= Training place

Enma= "Demon of darkness". Ruler of the Land of Dead

Futon= Bed in Japanese style

GenSoKai= Illusory World. World in which the Shikigami reside

HakuShaku= Earl

Hohoemi no Bakudan= "An explosion of smiles". 'YuYu Hakusho' opening theme

Jujutsu= Magic Art

Juso= Curse

Kacho= Section Chief

Kageshi= Shadow User.

Kami= God

Ki= Aura

KoEnma= "Young Enma" or "Child Enma". In 'YuYu Hakusho' he is Enma's son. The
ReiKai Tantei are under is orders

KouTei KouRyu= "Golden Emperor Golden Dragon". The highest authority in GenSoKai

Kuge= Japanese aristocratic family descendent by a Kami

Kyudo= Japanese archery

Kyuu= Palace (Tenku-kyuu= Palace Tenku)

Niisan= Brother

Nyngyou= Doll

Ojisama= Uncle

Onmyoji= Person who practices Onmyodo. Basically a magician, sorcerer, diviner and
astrologer

Otousama= Father

ReiKai Tantei= Spirit World Detectives. In 'YuYu Hakusho' it's a team who work for
KoEnma dealing for him with YouKai and Akuma

Sempai= Older workmate, older classmate

Sensei= Doctor

Shikigami= "Cerimonial God". In Japanese myth they're Gods with two forms (often an
animal one and a human one) who can be asserved to humans and become their familiars

Shinigami= "God of death", "Death God". In Japanese myth two Shinigami are sent by
Enma to retrive the souls of the deads

ShinSho= Divine Commander

ToupouSyugoJyu= "Western Guardian Beast". SoRyu's title

YouKai= Monster ghost, Bewitching Apparition

Yurei= Ghost, Spirit of the dead

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Next Chap is going to take time because it's quite long. Sorry about this. Encouragement is
greatly apprecciated!