Set Me Free
by Empath no Tenshi
Chapter 2
Since Hijiri became busy with his practices, Tsuzuki appointed himself
as the official companion of Hisoka, especially on the way home. Once, they
came across a panting Hijiri, who apparently was being chased around the
entire campus by Maria-sensei. She still hasn't (and probably never will)
given up on forcing Hijiri into persuading Hisoka to join the program. He
warns them to hide, before comically running away. Hisoka grabs Tsuzuki by
the wrist and comically runs away too. Maria-sensei, who failed to spot the
two, also comically runs after poor Hijiri.
Tsuzuki and Hisoka settle down on the grounds, after running for
practically forever. Hisoka wanted to stay as far away from Maria-sensei as
possible. Tsuzuki attempts to get into a conversation with the youth.
"Ne, Hisoka, so how did Hijiri find out about your voice?"
Hisoka looks up to Tsuzuki curiously, a 'why-the-heck-is-he-making-
such-a-big-fuss' look, but decides to tell him about it anyway. He's really
beginning to trust him after all. Of course, not without thinking that
he'll strangle Hijiri to death for starting all of this.
"Well, I think it was a month ago, during his parents' death
anniversary--"
Then Tsuzuki suddenly interrupted.
"Death anniversary!? You mean he's. . ."
Hisoka patiently continued.
"Ah. They died in a plane crash. But his father, being a famous
violinist, was able to leave him with a big fortune, at least enough for
him to finish his studies."
"Ohhh. . . poor Hijiri." Tsuzuki said sympathetically.
"So anyway, he told me that he terribly missed them. He also missed
his mother's lullabies, especially since he told her to stop singing to him
because he's already too old for it. So. . ."
"So. . .?"
"I. . . well. . . anou. . ." Hisoka felt a bit embarrassed.
"What? What? What?" Tsuzuki asked insistently.
"I, kind of, took him in my arms and sang him a lullaby. . . the one
that Kaa-sama used to sing to me. . . before she died." Then there was a
flash of deep sorrow in Hisoka's eyes.
--'And everyone blamed me for her death. . . What did I do. . .? I
don't even remember. . .'--
Tsuzuki, upon noticing the sudden sadness in Hisoka's eyes that he so
admired, decided to lighten up the mood.
"Ne, ne, Hisoka, can you sing for me too??? The one that you sang for
Hijiri. . . Pleeeeeeeaaase???" He pleaded childishly, sprouting his
infamous puppy ears.
His request was met with one of Hisoka's most horrible and menacing
deathglares.
"If you're planning to trick me into this, it won't work." Hisoka said
with a deadly and dangerously calm voice, which made Tsuzuki flinch.
Inu-chibi Tsuzuki bowed apologetically and chanted "Gomen!" one million
times.
~)-0-(~
It was getting late, and Hisoka wondered if Hijiri had forgotten they
were going to meet here after his practice. He planned to surprise Hijiri
by treating him out somewhere, because today was the violinist's birthday.
--'Idiot. He tends to forget everything when he's so immersed in his
music.'-- Hisoka mused with an inward smile.
Tsuzuki was still there, and so Hisoka decided to just take him with
them. Inside, Hisoka muses that, since his mother died and his relatives
began treating him cruelly, he closed his heart to everyone. . . even to
his father, who was always busy with other matters but his own child. His
father was nice, but was always distant. The only one he had was his
"twin", his childhood friend, Minase Hijiri. He was the only one who
treated him as family, like a brother. He'd be the only one who he'd very
rarely open up to.
But now. . . there seems to be another one trying to get close to him.
. . that certain amethyst-eyed man who he tried so hard to ignore at first,
but was even more stubborn than him.
--'Now I have two idiots to take care of.'-- Hisoka sighed, but felt
a small smile threatening to show in his cherry blossom lips.
They were still waiting for Hijiri. It's odd, usually he'd be the one
eagerly waiting for Hisoka, but now he's late, and by at least an hour.
Hisoka was beginning to worry, then a shiver ran down his spine. It wasn't
long before he felt a rush of emotions inside him, which were definitely
not his own.
Panic. . . fear. . . and sadness. . . very deep sadness that drowned
the other emotions.
Hisoka had to hold on to Tsuzuki for support.
"Hisoka! What's wrong?" Tsuzuki asked worriedly.
"There. . . there's something going on at the school. I think we
better go see."
At that, they sprinted towards the school as fast as they can, with
Hisoka leading Tsuzuki to where he felt the emotions get stronger and
intensify. He stopped, horrified, in front of where everyone were
scrambling around going to the nearest source of water, in order to subside
the blazing building.
"The. . . the music hall. . ." Hisoka said, his eyes widening in
horror upon this realization.
~)-0-(~
He can't believe it, he DIDN'T want to believe it. The music hall was
burning right in front of his eyes, and in there was the only one who he
considered as a family.
"Hijiri!!!!!!!!!" Hisoka screamed at the top of his lungs. He
desperately called out to the young violinist, hoping with every ounce of
his existence that Hijiri would hear him, and is alright.
Hisoka started to dash towards the building covered in flames, when
Tsuzuki caught him and grabbed him by the waist just in time.
"Let go!" Hisoka tried to push Tsuzuki away but his effort was in
vain, as the older man was physically stronger.
"What do you think you're doing!? It's too dangerous Hisoka!" Tsuzuki
answered in a slightly raised voice.
"But Hijiri--"
Just then, the main door of the music hall burst open, with Maria-
sensei leading the students out, all of them coughing furiously due to the
smoke. . . and one of them was Hijiri.
Hijiri looked up to see Hisoka, and Tsuzuki, both with very worried
expressions on their faces. Hisoka rushes over to his side and puts one of
Hijiri's arms over his shoulder to support him.
"Daijoubu?" Hisoka asked, with obvious worry in his tone.
"Dai -cough- joubu yo. I'm -cough- fine. But my violin. . ." Hijiri
managed to say, before he passed out.
Hijiri nearly pulled Hisoka into falling to the ground with him, but
Tsuzuki was able to support them in time. Then he took Hijiri's unconscious
form from Hisoka.
While Tsuzuki wasn't looking, Hisoka ran and got a bucket of water. He
poured it into himself before sneaking into the burning music hall. He went
in to look for Hijiri's violin, which was the latter's memento of his
deceased father.
Hisoka went inside the music room where the school's orchestral band
held its rehearsals. There, he only found two violins, and neither were
Hijiri's. He would've brought them out too, if one of the burning curtain
holders didn't fall and burned the violins with it. So Hisoka dashed
towards the fourth floor. Luckily, he still remembers that once, Hijiri
told him of a secret locker there where he always kept his violin after
practices. When he arrived there, the door to that locker was locked, but
oddly enough the key was inserted in the keyhole. What the heck, he didn't
have time to think about it now, so he turned the key anyway and opened the
locker, and got Hijiri's violin. Hisoka sighed in relief as he saw that it
was still in good condition.
~)-0-(~
Okay, problem number one, done. Now, on to problem number two. How
does one get out of a burning building alive? Carrying a violin and
suffocating to death nonetheless. And to make the scene more exciting,
there are objects falling here and there, at unexpected moments, and some
of them are even burning. Right, you just can't have too many options to
die from: lack of oxygen, serious injury, deadly burns, or if Kurosaki
Hisoka DOES manage by any miracle to survive, there are three possible
candidates who'd kill him for what he did- his father, Hijiri and Tsuzuki.
His father, he knows why, because this would be one of the biggest (if not
THE biggest) shame of the Kurosaki bloodline ever. As for the latter two,
namely Tsuzuki and Hijiri, it would be mainly out of concern. . . not much
really, they'll just choke him to death for putting his life in danger like
this, while calling him ten billion bakas in the process.
Hisoka was still running, and by no means does he know HOW he can do
so, let alone stand still and remain conscious despite his total lack of
breath. Coughing is his only means of breathing now, and it's amazing how
he can keep moving on.
Then he trips.
--'Oh great'--
He hears a strange creaking noise when -TA-DAH!- he sees a big, BIG,
pillar about to fall on his pathetically small form. He holds on to
Hijiri's violin protectively, because if he was about to die here, the
least he can do was to prevent this precious object from being crushed.
They'll probably just find it when he's dead anyway. Hisoka shuts his eyes,
resigned to what awaits him. He's too weak to even move now, too tired, not
just from all that running. . . but also too tired of everything. His life,
after all, was full of nothing but pain. The last thought that lingered in
his mind was. . .
--'Bye Hijiri. . . and Tsuzuki, it was nice meeting you. . .'--
"The violin over your life? And I thought you and Hijiri were close
enough for you to understand that he would NOT like that."
He heard a familiar voice faintly, and looked up to meet violet eyes
right above him, supporting the pillar so it won't crush them both. With
one quick move, Tsuzuki managed to pull Hisoka out of the pillar's range,
before it fell on the boy's petite body.
"Let's go. Let's get out of here." Tsuzuki said, reaching a hand out
to Hisoka.
Hisoka didn't take it. Instead, he handed Hijiri's violin to him.
"Go. Take it. And please. . . take it back to Hijiri." Hisoka said
weakly.
"Eh!? What are you trying to say???" Tsuzuki asked with surprise and
confusion.
"I'm saying that you go on and get out of here, with that violin, and
leave me alone!!! I'm too tired. I'll just be a burden to you." Hisoka
retorted.
But Tsuzuki didn't listen. He stubbornly held out his hand to Hisoka,
so the boy slapped it away.
"Don't you understand!!!? I'm too tired!!! Of everything. . ." Hisoka
yelled, then his voice softened as he felt tears start to form at the
corner of his eyes. " So, go. . . please. . . leave me alone."
Tsuzuki really IS stubborn. He knelt down and placed his hands on
Hisoka's slim shoulders.
"Let's go. . . Hijiri's waiting for you. Besides. . ." he pulled the
younger one into a tight hug. "I'm here. I'll never let sorrow show in your
very beautiful eyes ever again."
Concern. . . care. . . warmth. . . and something that Hisoka hasn't
felt from anyone before were overflowing from the amethyst-eyed man, which
were intensified by the close physical contact. The emotions that Tsuzuki
projected were very comforting. They held on to each other for a long
moment before Tsuzuki broke the embrace, stood up, and offered his hand to
Hisoka once more.
"Shall we go now?" he asked, his beautiful amethyst depths shining
within his smiling face.
The emerald-eyed boy hesitated for a moment, but a voice inside of him
told him to grab hold of that hand. He intended to do so, before darkness
took him in.
~)-0-(~
The room was dark and cold. He didn't want to be here. Even as a
child, he always hoped and prayed for someone, anyone, to come and set him
free. But no one dared. They all feared and loathed him for the cursed
powers that he had. So he was locked up in his little cell for so long with
no one. . . and nothing. He wanted to just vanish, be gone forever. His
family never loved him anyway. But that was all that he ever wanted. . . to
be loved, to have a normal family. Was that too much to wish for? Then the
room burst into flames. He hugged himself as he rested his chin on his
knees.
--'Let the pain go away. . .'--
"Shall we go now?" he heard a familiar and gentle voice say. A hand
was held out to him, and the owner of that hand had the most beautiful
eyes. . . like amethysts. He knew those eyes, he felt the familiar
comforting feeling when those eyes were locked with his. Finally, someone
has found him, and will take him out from this cage.
--'Maybe. . . maybe he can make the pain go away. . .'--
And he reached for the hand.
~)-0-(~
Tsuzuki's eyes never left the figure lying on the hospital bed, even
for a second, with an oxygen mask and bandages here and there. He stared at
the sleeping boy, and his thought wandered off to how young and innocent
this fragile child was. As he looked at his closed eyes, Tsuzuki mused that
his angelic face really wasn't complete without those beautiful green orbs
(which also happens to be his favorite color). He was lost in his thoughts
when a movement from the unconscious form brought him back to reality.
The sleeping boy moaned then moved his hand, as if reaching for
something. So, Tsuzuki clasped his hand, and his eyes widen in surprise as
he heard a soft voice coming from the boy.
"Tsu. . . zu. . . ki. . ."
His face broke into a heartfelt smile. He couldn't believe that this
youth, who always seemed so cold and harsh, yet so beautiful that he drew
Tsuzuki to him like a magnet, called out his name in his moment of
vulnerability. Tsuzuki bent down and kissed his forehead.
"It's okay Hisoka. . . I'm right here. . . right beside you. . ."
Then, the troubled expression on the sleeping child's face
considerably softened. Tsuzuki, for the millionth time, smiled contentedly
because of the same person, who was the very reason why a smile never left
his face. . . since that fateful day they met.
~)-0-(~
There was a knock on the door. Tsuzuki stood up from where he sat
watching over Hisoka, to open the door. In came a figure who looked so much
like the sleeping boy.
"How is he?" Hijiri asked in a whisper, hoping not to wake his very
dear friend. There was a very obvious tone of worry and concern in his
voice.
"Daijoubu. He's just sleeping. The doctor said that he still needs a
lot of rest, but his burns are healing now. However, he still has to keep
that oxygen mask, so that his breathing will be back to normal." Tsuzuki
answered, with a reassuring smile.
Hijiri sighed. He walks closer to the figure and puts his hand on top
of Hisoka's.
"Why. . . Why did you do this? Just for me. . ."
Just then, Hisoka's eyes fluttered open sleepily. He was barely
conscious for a moment when he gently squeezed Hijiri's hand (as if he
heard what Hijiri just said), then drifted back to sleep again. Hijiri just
smiled, and deep inside, he felt so touched and grateful for what his
friend has done for him.
~)-0-(~
It was only after a week that Hisoka regained consciousness and
managed to be fully awake. And after another week, the dextrose attached to
him was removed, because it was only then when he started eating enough
food. Once, when he was reading a book that Hijiri bought for him, and
Tsuzuki was peeling some fruits for them to eat, Hijiri finally decided to
talk to Hisoka about what happened.
"Ne, Hisoka."
Hisoka tore his attention from the book and looked up to face Hijiri.
"Nanda?"
"Why did you do it? I mean, get my violin, even if it was too risky."
Hisoka simply raised his eyebrows and explained.
"Because I felt your sadness, your regret, at the thought of forever
losing your violin. . . your father's keepsake. Your emotions were too
strong, that it drowned out the panic and fear the others projected during
the fire."
There were mixed feelings that emanated from Hijiri upon hearing that,
then he burst into tears and flung his arms around Hisoka.
"Hii-chan no BAKA!!! Don't you understand!? I would've rather lost
that violin than lose YOU! You're the only family I have left. And if I
still lose you, I. . . I. . ." Hijiri couldn't find it in himself to
continue, so Hisoka returned the embrace.
"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. . . for making you worry like this."
--'How could you care so much. . .? I'm not worth it. . .'--
Hijiri simply shook his head and met Hisoka's gaze.
"Iie. Don't say you're sorry. I really am grateful for what you did.
But next time, think of yourself first, ne. You're too important to me,
more than anything else that I have."
Tsuzuki's face was graced with yet another smile as he saw how the two
deeply cared for each other.
~)-0-(~
It was only on Hisoka's last afternoon in the hospital when his father
paid him a visit. Tsuzuki and Hijiri left the room to give them some
privacy. Hisoka felt too ashamed to face his father so he stared at the
blanket instead, as his father spoke.
"I am sure you are aware, that what you have done is yet another shame
to the Kurosaki family." His father said, with a very stern voice.
"Hai. Gomen nasai. . ." Hisoka said apologetically, humbly bowing
down.
"I am very disappointed in you." Was all Kurosaki Nagare said before
he left the room, leaving his son beyond sad and guilty.
"Gomen nasai. . . Gomen nasai. . ." Hisoka muttered, then he felt
tears begin to flow down his soft and delicate cheeks.
~)-0-(~
After Hisoka's father left, Tsuzuki and Hijiri came back in a matter
of seconds. Hisoka hurriedly wiped the tears away, but not fast enough for
Hijiri not to notice.
"Oh no. Hisoka. . . I'm so sorry. . ." Hijiri said, with a sad look in
his eyes.
"It's not your fault." Hisoka answered at once, feeling his friend's
guilt.
"Why? What's wrong?" Tsuzuki asked, curiously looking at the two.
"His father. . . I think he came here to scold Hisoka because of what
happened." Hijiri explained, then Tsuzuki's eyes widen in shock.
"SCOLD!? How could he scold him for something like that!? Shouldn't he
be praising him instead? I mean sure, it was pretty stupid to endanger his
life like that, but his own father!" Tsuzuki burst out angrily. Then he
starts to walk towards the door.
"I'll go talk to him." But before he could walk any further, Hijiri
grabbed his arm to stop him.
"Sensei, please wait! I understand how you feel, but please don't. It
might make matters worse. Believe me, I did that before, and they nearly
banned Hisoka from ever seeing me again." Hijiri said with pleading eyes.
Tsuzuki understood. He then just walked to Hisoka and held the boy's
hands firmly, yet gently.
"Hisoka, no matter what you're father might've said, we're proud of
you. What you did was the bravest thing anyone could've ever done." Tsuzuki
told him reassuringly with a smile.
Hijiri, too, came to him and held his hand.
"You did it for me, and I want you to know that I'm more than just
deeply grateful for it."
Hisoka had to forcefully blink back the tears that were threatening to
pour out again.
"Hijiri. . . Tsuzuki. . . arigatou."
~)-0-(~
After three days of recommended bed rest since he was discharged from
the hospital, Hisoka went back to school. On the afternoon, after class
hours, the three ( Hisoka, Hijiri, and now plus Tsuzuki) met at the school
grounds as they usually did. Hisoka handed to Hijiri a black leather
folder. On the cover, red letters with silver lining were embedded.
~Akuma no Toriru~ (The Devil's Trill)
"Hisoka. . . this is. . ." Hijiri was too shocked to speak.
"Well, I passed by a music store and saw it. The store attendant said
that it's the most difficult violin piece; only a virtuoso with the highest
level can play it. I figured that since, well, you're a violin genius
yourself, you'll be able to handle it. And sorry if it's a bit late for a
birthday present."
Hijiri beamed widely then glomped him.
"You liar! This is a very rare and expensive item! I've been saving
for this but couldn't find a copy anywhere! It must've taken you a lot of
time and money to find this. Thanks a lot!"
"Sugoi. That's so nice of you Hisoka!" Tsuzuki exclaimed in awe.
"But really, the way you risked your life to get my violin was more
than a birthday present for me. Now, more than ever, it's more precious to
me, because it doesn't remind me of my father alone, but you as well."
"Oh, which reminds me. . ." Hisoka reached inside his pocket, then
pulled out a key and handed it to Hijiri. "Here."
"Oh! The key to my secret locker." Hijiri took it from Hisoka.
"Ah. I found it inserted on the lock. That's why I'm wondering, how
come you weren't able to get your violin out?"
"EHHHHH!!!???" Hijiri's eyes suddenly widened it shock.
"What? What is it?" Tsuzuki asked, taken aback by Hijiri's reaction.
"I, anou, haven't I told you the reason WHY I wasn't able to get my
violin out, during the fire?"
Hisoka and Tsuzuki look at each other curiously then replied in
chorus.
"No. . ."
"It's because. . . I couldn't find the key anywhere."
Silence followed that sentence.
Somewhere, a shadowed figure is looking at the trio with a malicious
grin, seeing the puzzled expression on their faces.
Chapter 3