by Caroltrue
He was nervous. Terribly so, which was rather strange. He had worked in the building before him for over seventy years before he had left, and after only being away for seven, he was suddenly afraid of the place. Of course, from what he had heard there was good reason for his apprehension.
It was no secret among the other shinigami divisions worldwide that the Japanese branch had been having difficulties since quite soon after his departure, but no one knew the specifics or the severity of these problems. Apparently it was all very hush-hush, which only helped to heighten Tsuzuki�s unease with the entire situation. The recently received appeal from Tatsumi requesting his transferral back had also been very formal and had hinted at absolutely nothing. Then again, that was also Tatsumi himself so it hadn�t left him much to go by.
He wondered, not for the first time since he had left, how everyone was and if anything had changed since his leaving. He shook those thoughts from his mind as unimportant at that moment. He would know the answer himself soon enough.
Taking a deep breath to steady his jittering nerves he walked in through the main entrance. He was early, which he was sure would certainly surprise Tatsumi. In fact it was only as he glanced around the empty corridors that he realised just how early he was. A silly as it was, he had really wanted to make a good impression on his first day. He almost blushed at his own foolishness. He was acting like an idiot and he knew it. In fact, he almost expected a blond green-eyed teenager to walk out of one of the offices and say so.
He missed that voice.
�Baka!�
He froze mid-stride in shock. �Hisoka?� he whispered, snapping his head upwards towards the source of the shout.
�Look Bon, I just have to take a blood sample! It�s for the good of science!�
His heart sped up as he listened to the voices. It was Watari, but� Hisoka was there too? He couldn�t believe it! Had they brought Hisoka back from �wherever he had been transferred, so as to work on the case too?
He quickly walked down the corridor towards a familiar door. Watari�s lab.
�I�m not your lab rat!� Hisoka�s voice protested and Tsuzuki could almost see the vein throbbing on the boy�s forehead.
�Of course you�re not! You�re more the guinea pig type I think.�
As Tsuzuki neared the door, he could just imagine Watari waving a needle about with quick hyper movements and a deliriously happy smile on his face before a wary Hisoka. He almost chuckled at the thought.
In his single-minded quest to see his past partner, Tsuzuki had failed notice that somebody had been following him. So when a hand dropped down on his shoulder, as he was just about to reach for the doorknob of the lab, he was rather startled.
�Gah!� he yelped and turned only to gaze into two spectacled, ice blue, and unreadable eyes. �Tatsumi!� he cried and he immediately launched himself at the man, latching onto him like some sort of rabid animal.
�Tsu-Tsuzuki-san.� Tatsumi stuttered. �Your early.�
Rolling his eyes Tsuzuki let the other man go and pouted. �Well you�re still the same Tatsumi anyway,� he released a suffering sigh before giving the other man a genuine and pleased smile. �It�s good to see you.�
There was rustling from the lab. �What in blue blazes is going on out��
The door behind him was thrown open and Watari poked his dishevelled blond head out the door and blinked his golden orbs at Tsuzuki.
��here?�
For a second nobody moved.
�Watari?� Hisoka�s voice asked from somewhere deeper in the lab and suddenly Tsuzuki felt the very atmosphere around him change. It was like the whole corridor became tense and the temperature seemed to have dropped a few degrees lower. Tsuzuki shivered despite himself. //What was that?//
�Come along Tsuzuki.� Tatsumi murmured softly yet sternly giving Watari a glance that Tsuzuki found unreadable, but apparently the scientist understood as he nodded. �There are matters I need to discuss with you in my office.�
Tsuzuki was about to protest only Tatsumi gave him a cautionary glance.
�Not here.� the secretary whispered warningly as he glanced quickly towards the lab and then back to Tsuzuki again, �not now.�
Tsuzuki nodded dumbly and followed Tatsumi as the secretary led him towards the office. Before he turned the corner he heard Watari closing the lab door and talking aloud to the boy in his lab about early birds and such, obviously covering up Tsuzuki�s presence. The purple-eyed shinigami frowned at this.
What exactly was going on?
*****
�Gah! It�s just some early birds creating havoc in the hallway. It�s disgusting how some people can be so energetic in the morning isn�t it Bon?�
Watari cast him a gleaming smile as the scientist closed the door quickly behind him and took up the empty syringe he had put down a moment earlier. Then Watari retook the chair he had momentarily vacated by Hisoka�s side while the boy patiently waited for him on an examination table.
The green-eyed youth snorted and rolled his eyes. �I really don�t think you have any right to complain Watari. You�re just as bad.�
�Hai.� Watari�s grin became even wider. �I guess I am aren�t I? Now roll up your sleeve.�
Complying the youth watched the older blond carefully as he tied a latex glove around his upper arm and patted the area below it softly. Then the scientist chuckled and whispered to the arm, �Rise my pretties! Rise!�
Hisoka glared at the older man, but try as he might he couldn�t stop the slight quirking up of his lips. �You�re crazy.�
The scientist raised an eyebrow and brandished his gleaming needle. �I�d be careful of what I�d say in front of a mad scientist who was about to take blood from me Bon.�
Shrugging the younger of the two looked away as Watari inserted the needle under his skin. �I�m sure I don�t need to tell you that there are worse crazy scientists than you. You hardly frighten me at all, a pause, �especially when you have a small owl practically chewing on your hair,� Hisoka murmured with some amusement.
Blinking Watari looked to his left and, sure enough, 003 was perched contently on his shoulder with several wisps of hair gripped in her beak. The small owl fluffed up her feathers happily and Watari chuckled at her antics before focusing again on his original task and pulling the now filled needle away from the boy�s skin. �Speaking of mad scientists,� Watari started hesitantly knowing that he was using an incredible lack of tact, �how are you doing Bon?�
Green eyes dimmed slightly and Watari could almost see Hisoka curling in on himself defensively. �Fine,� was the blunt un-emotional reply.
Watari sighed and nodded. �I see.�
It was a shame really to see the boy so closed off, the spectacled blond mused while busying himself with clearing up his equipment. Hisoka had progressed so far when it came to opening up to people after his arrival to Meifu several years back. Tsuzuki had been great for the kid, and he for Tsuzuki. Everyone had assumed that their relationship would blossom into something far more than a �dutiful partnership� or �close friendship�. Hell, even Tatsumi believed it, and he wasn�t someone who gave his opinions lightly, especially when it came to those two.
Of course, they hadn�t counted on Muraki. The constant observer in the shadows who had pulled Tsuzuki and Hisoka apart whenever something seemed to be happening, whenever they began to settle down in a moment of contentment. However, Watari had to admit that it was mainly the adversity caused by Muraki�s meddling that had bought the two to their closest. It was only after the Kyoto incident that he felt something more from the pair begin to rise to the surface.
However, it had never happened, and the potential for those feelings was never realised. Muraki must have known, must have even felt something. Watari had long suspected that the curse the platinum haired doctor had placed on Hisoka worked both ways and that he had somehow sensed a change in the boy. Of course he had never been able to verify that theory. Hisoka was still very sensitive about the topic, and Watari would never wish to unsettle the boy just to satisfy his own curiosity.
Of course, whatever there had been between Tsuzuki and Hisoka, and whatever it may have developed into, had been unquestionably destroyed by Muraki in Tokyo.
Hisoka sighed loudly then pulling Watari out of his thoughts as he said, �Listen� I know Tsuzuki was outside earlier, so why don�t you just say what you want to say Warati-san.�
Watari shuffled nervously, �How did you��
Taping his forehead Hisoka smiled wirily. �Empathy, remember? Your potion may have knocked out all of my other powers but it didn�t affect that at all. Is that why you were so insistent on me taking the stuff?�
Watari winced at being so easily read. �Heh, it was supposed to only affect the empathy, I guess I got it muddled somehow. But yes, you�re right. The potion was for that reason and Tatsumi did go away with Tsuzuki a few minutes ago.�
The youth scowled, �And when were you going to tell me this?�
Watari shrugged his shoulders, and unable to look the younger shinigami in the eyes, continued his work by dropping some of the blood sample from Hisoka onto a slide and placing it under his microscope. �I don�t know. We wanted Tatsumi to be able to tell Tsuzuki a few things before you two met. Thought it would be for the best, you know?�
Hisoka seemed to pale and crossed his arms across his chest, hands clenching at his elbows. �What sort of��things�?�
Immediately sensing Hisoka�s unease Watari shook his head fervently. �Oh no bon! Nothing like that! He would never say anything without your permission! You know he wouldn�t.�
Hisoka seemed to relax with relief somewhat at the words, but his eyes remained haunted and he nodded noncommittally. There was a tense moment before he tentatively asked the scientist, �Can I go now?�
Watari gave him a worried look before nodding. �Of course. But if you have any problems don�t hesitate to find me� although I�ll have to be heading to Kyoto in a few minutes. Things are just so busy!� He smiled, hoping to lighten the mood somewhat.
Hisoka gave a small nod back. �Arigato Watari.�
He was about to head towards the door when Watari said �And I mean any problem Bon. Alright?�
Hisoka nodded again but this time kept his gaze to the floor. �Aa, I appreciate it.�
~~~~~
They walked to Tatsumi�s office in a strained silence, Tsuzuki becoming more and more annoyed and frustrated by the minute. So when they entered the Chief�s office it took a moment for it to register with Tsuzuki that this was not where he thought they would be going.
�Wha?� he blinked at Tatsumi questioningly as the spectacled man took a seat behind the folder swathed desk and gestured for Tsuzuki to take the one opposite.
Amused momentarily, Tatsumi smiled at Tsuzuki�s confusion as the violet eyes man sat down and said, �Konoe moved on a several years ago after�� the smile faded, ��after a particularly stressful incident. I have taken over as Chief ever since.�
Tsuzuki frowned. �Stressful incident? What was that?� then his voice turning more annoyed he asked, �And why can�t I see Hisoka? When did he arrive?� He didn�t appreciate being left in the dark.
Blue eyes turning to the top of the desk before him, Tatsumi eyes traced the grain of wood as he spoke, unwilling and unwanting to meet Tsuzuki�s eyes as said the next words. �Tsuzuki�Kurosaki-kun, was never transferred from the Enmacho Shokan Division.�
Tsuzuki was frozen. Shocked and somewhat horrified. �What?!� he choked, staring at Tatsumi as if he had been struck across the face and Tatsumi�s eyes reluctantly rose to meet his. How could they have allowed Hisoka to stay with that silver-haired madman still on the loose?! Didn�t they even remember what the bastard had done to the boy in the first place?! It was unacceptable! �Tatsumi,� his voice rose, �How could you possibly�!�
�It wasn�t our decision Tsuzuki.� Tatsumi tone was even yet forceful. �You must understand that we all believed, as you did, that he was going to be transferred a month after you. However, things didn�t turn out that way. This-this�� he snarled, ��mess just blew up right in our faces, and we couldn�t transfer him because his skills and expertise were desperately needed! EnmaDaiOh himself forbade it!�
Tatsumi stopped himself, taking deep calming breaths before continuing slowly and replacing his glasses back on the bridge of his nose, �There was just no time to train in someone new, we tried, but they didn�t last very long. We haven�t even had time to find someone to take over my old position or to be Hisoka�s partner� There was just no time.�
�Tatsumi�� Tsuzuki paused as he saw his old partners weariness, but then it was quickly substituted once again for anger as he realised had still not received the answer he was looking for and growled, �Just tell me what the hell is going on."
Tatsumi was silent for a moment before he gave Tsuzuki a level gaze. �In truth.� he spoke, now calmed considerably, �We believe it is the end of the world.�
~end part 1~