Set Me Free
by Empath no Tenshi
Chapter 5
"Hisoka! Hisoka!"
Tsuzuki was madly banging on the door. He knew it. The very moment he
felt a strange pain in his chest that made him clutch the cross he was
wearing underneath his tux, he knew that there was something wrong. He
sprinted towards the backstage right after Hijiri played the last note of
'Devil's Trill' and bowed. It's been almost an hour now. They've been
knocking and calling his name, but there was no response from the person
inside.
"Hisoka! Please, open the door!"
Hijiri was knocking now too, and desperately calling for him. He had a
bad feeling about this. For one thing, Hisoka would never let someone wait
for more than five minutes to open the door. He had a sickening feeling in
his stomach that something happened inside.
Tatsumi and Watari called for help and are now back with the old guy
in charge of the keys. He slid the key and opened the door. Inside, Hisoka
lay unconscious on the carpeted floor.
"Hisoka!"
Tsuzuki rushed over to Hisoka's side and took the unconscious boy in
his arms. He looked. . . pale, to say the least. He was trembling, and the
expression on his face, the way his eyebrows were knitted together and his
eyes shut tight, told him that he was in pain. Watari came over to their
side at once to take a look at Hisoka's condition. He checked his pulse,
heartbeat, forehead. . .
"Can I help you? I am a doctor."
A man with silver eyes and hair, clothed in all white that gave him
the appearance of an angel, approached them with a smile on his face. He
elegantly walked towards where Tsuzuki was holding Hisoka, and was about to
check on the boy, before Watari stood up and held his right hand up,
signaling for him to stop.
"No thanks, doctor. I can handle him." Watari said seriously, all
traces of his genki attitude gone form his face.
The said doctor raised a slender eyebrow before giving his reply.
"As you wish." The silver-haired doctor bowed politely and exited the
room, but not without taking another look at the unconscious youth before
leaving.
--'Don't worry. Soon, very soon, you will be in my arms again.'--
~)-0-(~
There was a woman swimming in a pool of her own blood. He, too, was
covered in blood. He tried to reach her, so he walked until he fell to the
ground. He was too weak, but he still crawled desperately, to hold her hand
as she always did. . .
Even just. . .
One. . .
Last. . .
Time. . .
'Murderer! You murderer!!!'
'I didn't do it.'
'I told you there was something wrong with that child! He's a
demon!!!'
'Please. . . believe me. . .'
'You killed her!'
'I didn't. . .'
~)-0-(~
They were in a hospital room, and Tsuzuki was watching the frail boy
who looked so small in the huge hospital bed. The nurses, at first, were
absolutely positive that there was nothing wrong with him. At first glance,
he looked fine, and if it weren't for the fact that he was unconscious for
three days, you'd think he was just sleeping.
Occasionally he'd stir in his sleep and toss around. Sometimes, he'd
mumble something that wasn't loud enough for Tsuzuki to understand. All of
a sudden, tears began to flow from his closed eyes. Tsuzuki wiped them away
and very, very gently, he lifted the boy's head and pulled him to a warm
embrace.
"Shhh. . . It's okay Hisoka. You must be having a nightmare, but I'm
here, it's okay now."
Tsuzuki kept on whispering words of comfort.
"Tsuzuki. . ." the boy whispered.
Slowly, his beautiful emerald eyes that were shut for days sleepily
fluttered open.
"Hisoka! Yokata. . ."
Tsuzuki tightened his hug as if he'll go away if he loosened his hold.
He stayed like that for a long moment, then broke the embrace and smiled at
Hisoka, looking straight into those eyes that he dearly missed.
"How are you feeling? Do you need anything?"
"I feel tired. . . and my head hurts."
"Okay. You wait here. I'll go call Watari."
Tsuzuki excitedly dashed out of the room. Hisoka looked around and
realized that he was in the hospital. His eyes fell on the couch, which was
occupied by Hijiri, who was curled up as if trying to warm himself. Hisoka
then forced himself out of bed and gave his blanket to Hijiri. He was
walking back to his bed, keeping his right hand on the wall for support,
when the door opened and Tsuzuki, Watari, and Tatsumi came in.
Tsuzuki, upon seeing Hisoka out of bed so soon, frantically went to
his side and lifted him up.
"Hisoka! What the heck are you doing!?"
"Tsuzuki! Let me down! " Hisoka weakly pushed Tsuzuki away.
"Now, now, bon. It's not good to just walk around like that. We don't
even know what happened to you yet, and more importantly, if you're well
enough." Watari reminded with his usual genki smile.
Tsuzuki gently lay him back down on the bed and the poor thing was
blushing furiously. It's not like this was the first time Tsuzuki carried
him, but the previous ones were when he was unconscious and NOT in front of
other people, more so Tsuzuki's coworkers.
Once he was in his bed, Watari examined his condition again.
"So, what happened to you? Bon. Why did you pass out like that?"
Hisoka tried to recall as much as he can from what happened, and
narrated it to Watari. He remembered bits and pieces of WHAT happened, but
for some reason, he still couldn't tell WHO was behind it. The only clue he
had were. . . silver eyes. The blonde scientist was pensive for a bit then
laid his hand on Hisoka's shoulder.
"I'll see if I can figure out what exactly happened ne. For now, I
think you should eat, you haven't had any food for three days now, and
after that, go to sleep."
Watari checked his pulse one more time then nodded contentedly. More
or less the child's pulse was back to normal.
"Yosh! I'll go back to reviewing your tests and see if I can come up
with something."
"I'll go now too. I'm going to request for an extra blanket." Tatsumi
said, noting that Hisoka gave his to Hijiri.
Watari and Tatsumi then exited the room. Once outside, the blue-eyed
secretary asked Watari something that has been bothering him since the
night of the concert.
"Watari-san, the night Kurosaki-kun passed out, there was a doctor who
offered his help. Why did you refuse it?"
"Call it a doctor's intuition. There was something about him that's
suspicious, so I didn't let him touch bon." Watari answered thoughtfully.
Tatsumi silently agreed with him. There was something about that man
that he, too, found strange. And for someone like Watari to distrust a
person he had just met, then their doubts must mean something. That doctor
is simply not as trustworthy as he appears to be.
~)-0-(~
Somewhere, at a high-class hotel, Muraki looked down at the lighted
streets, holding a glass of wine. He awkwardly toyed with the glass before
taking a sip.
"If it weren't for their interference, I would've gotten him as
promised. But it doesn't matter. . . because since that fateful night, he
is already tied to me. All I have to do is wait, because the moment I pull
the strings, my puppet will dance to my rhythm."
He put the glass down and gently carried his favorite porcelain doll
in his arms.
"My doll. . . soon it will be -you- that'll be in my arms."
~)-0-(~
Tsuzuki was absentmindedly brushing hair from Hisoka's angelic face
when there was a soft knock on the door. Tatsumi came in carrying the extra
blanket and gently placed it over the now sleeping Hisoka.
"How is he?" Tatsumi asked.
"He still looks tired. I peeled some fruits for him and thank all
deities that he ate them. After that, he fell asleep in a matter of
seconds. He's still probably exhausted after what happened."
Tsuzuki warily looked up to Tatsumi.
"Ne, Tatsumi, did Watari find out what was wrong yet?"
"Iie, but I think he will soon. Who knows, maybe even tomorrow."
Tsuzuki's troubled expression softened.
"That's good. I was so worried. When I held him, he looked like he was
in so much pain." Tsuzuki said, all the while brushing his fingers through
soft, silky light blonde locks. Then he yawned.
"Tsuzuki-san, go to sleep. You haven't slept at all since we brought
Kurosaki-kun here."
"Demo--"
"Daijoubu. I'll watch over him tonight." Tatsumi cut in before Tsuzuki
could argue, and placed his hand on Tsuzuki's shoulder reassuringly.
Tsuzuki then gave in to a much-needed sleep.
~)-0-(~
When Hisoka woke up the next day, Tsuzuki was already up and about.
Hijiri was already sitting on a chair beside the bed and watching over him.
"Ohayou! Hisoka." Hijiri greeted with a warm smile as soon as he saw
his beautiful eyes groggily open.
Hisoka sat up and Hijiri helped him fix his pillows to a position he
can comfortably lean on. He muttered a 'Thank you' and lay back on the soft
pillows.
"Hey there. How are you feeling now?" Tsuzuki asked as he bounced to
Hijiri's side.
"Better, I guess. I was able to sleep well last night."
"Yo!" The door opened. In came Watari with his usual lab coat, golden
locks tied at the back, and of course, his trademark smile. He went over to
Hisoka and did a quick check-up on him. "Good. Looks like you're starting
to recover."
"Anou, Watari-san, did you find out what's wrong with me already?"
Hisoka asked, anxious to know just what the heck happened.
"Well, bon. If you take a look at it through an ordinary doctor's
perspective, there's positively nothing I was able to detect. In other
words, there's nothing wrong with you, medically speaking."
All of them looked at Watari with odd expressions on their faces. It
was plainly unbelievable. Noticing this, he continued further.
"However, if you put other things into consideration. . . Well, I'm
not exactly sure about this, but from what happened to you, and based from
the tests that I did and their respective results. . . This is the closest
explanation that I can get. . . Bon, I think you've been cursed."
Wide eyes and awkward silence followed that statement.
"I believe you, Watari-san." Hisoka finally said.
"Of course I'd understand if you don't. . . Matte, say that again?"
"I said. . . I believe you." He told Watari, looking at him straight
in the eyes, then he turned his gaze and stared out the window. It was a
bright sunny day, and there were children playing outside.
"I haven't told you this before, because at first I thought I might've
dreamt it, but now it makes sense. Right before I passed out, I saw red
marks covering my entire body, and maybe, come to think of it, that may as
well be the very proof that I've. . . been cursed." Hisoka said, hugging
himself. Hijiri held his hand reassuringly.
Another long and awkward silence came after that, until a loud thud
was heard. Everyone turned to Tsuzuki, whose left hand was tightly clenched
to a fist, and whose right one had apparently punched the wall.
"Damn it!!! That bastard! Who would do this to Hisoka!? Why. . .?"
"Tsuzuki. . ."
The sudden rush of emotions that overflowed from Tsuzuki surprised
Hisoka. Anger. . . so much anger as if he was the one who was wronged, but
it was overcome by concern and that other strange emotion that he couldn't
recognize, yet felt from him ever since they met.
~)-0-(~
Seeing that it was pointless to keep Hisoka in the hospital since he
wasn't physically ill, Watari consented that he be taken home. Tsuzuki of
course was more than willing to do that himself. Yes, d�j� vu. Here they
are again at the gate of the vast Kurosaki estate, the maid came to let
them in. Tsuzuki escorts Hisoka across the grounds and into the main house.
Standing at the front door was his father, Nagare, waiting for them.
"Kunnichiwa." Tsuzuki bowed politely.
Nagare responded with a simple nod, but his words that followed made
Hisoka jump.
"Come in."
Come in. . . words that never left his father's mouth, even to the
highest-ranked and most elite of all who came to visit the Kurosaki
household, especially since Kasane, his mother, died. Their house has long
been closed to all but the members of the family and the maids.
But now, he certainly wasn't imagining things, his father had actually
let a guest in. More than that, it was Tsuzuki, his history teacher.
Tsuzuki, totally ignorant of the growing confusion within the youth beside
him, merely accepted the offer cheerfully.
"Nagare-sama, will our guest be staying for dinner as well?" the maid
asked very politely.
Nagare looked at Tsuzuki.
"If he will accept our humble invitation." He said with a questioning
look.
Tsuzuki simply smiled even more.
"I'd be happy to!"
~)-0-(~
With his father's permission, Hisoka gave Tsuzuki a tour of their huge
estate while waiting for dinner. However, he forbid them from going to the
pond near the sakura grove, as it was supposed to be a sacred burial place
to the Kurosaki bloodline. So they went to the dojo- where Hisoka gave him
a brief description of each one of the equipment, then to the storage room-
where they didn't go in. . . too messy, and lastly, to the main house-
where he took him to the guest rooms, the library, the dining room, etc. .
After that, they sat on the grounds outside where his father would usually
take a walk. The feel of the soft grass was so relaxing, and a mild breeze
gently brushed through their cheeks. As Hisoka's gaze was fixed on the
sunset, Tsuzuki kept on glancing at him. Before he even noticed it, he was
already staring at the young boy. As dusk drew nearer, his pale skin glowed
amidst their surroundings that began to be filled with an orange hue. His
eyes glimmered a striking emerald green too.
"Beautiful. . ." Tsuzuki said, accidentally voicing out his thoughts.
"You said something?" Hisoka asked. Tsuzuki's voice brought him back
to reality. He, too, was lost in his thoughts.
"Ah, um, the. . . the sunset! Right! The sunset! Kirei na?" Tsuzuki
stammered.
"Ah." Hisoka replied simply, totally unaware of what, or WHO exactly
Tsuzuki meant with what he said.
"Um, excuse me. Tsuzuki-san, Hisoka-sama, dinner's ready." The maid
called them.
Tsuzuki stood up and offered his hand to Hisoka, which the latter
gratefully took, because somehow, it reminded him of that time during the
fire, when he finally accepted Tsuzuki to his life. And together, they
walked back inside the house.
--' If it weren't for the fact that I'm still alive, I would've
thought that I'm in paradise. . . because right now, I'm with an angel.'--
Tsuzuki thought with a smile.
~)-0-(~
"Hmmmmmm!!!!! That was a very delicious dinner!!! Sankyuu! Hisoka."
Tsuzuki said heartily, and in case someone wants to know, he ate decently.
It's really surprising how formal Tsuzuki can be in front of other people,
especially Hisoka's father.
"Baka. You said that for more than a hundred times already." Hisoka
sighed.
"Demo~ I really loved it! Ahhhh. I can still taste the miso soup. And
the. . ."
"You know, tou-sama told you that you can always come anytime you
like. Why don't you just take that offer and come here and eat as much as
you want. . . 'Taku, I wouldn't be surprised if the name of the Greek
mythology's god of food is TSUZUKI ASATO!"
Hisoka said sarcastically.
"You just want me to come because you'll miss me. *wink*" Tsuzuki said
naughtily.
"Baka!!!!" Hisoka blushed cutely at that.
"Waaaaiiiii! Kawai!!! I love it when you blush!"
Hisoka's blush deepened even more.
"If there was a Greek god of cuteness, it would be. . . ME!!!! Ha!
Caught you there na? Thought I'd say it would be you huh?" Tsuzuki grinned
proudly.
"Baka." Hisoka sighed. . . again.
"Saa, mata ashita ne." Tsuzuki said, ruffled Hisoka's hair then moved
on towards the direction of his apartment.
"Aa. Mata ashita."
~)-0-(~
Hijiri had to accompany Hisoka EVERYWHERE he went in the campus,
especially now that they know that his life is in danger. And no, it's not
because of the person who cursed him, but the crowd who kept on following
him, something that people on earth call 'fans'. There were especially
these two particular girls who kept on insisting that he's a girl. . .
something along the lines of 'he's too cute to be a boy.', who, from the
day they heard Hisoka's voice, had been stalking him. They didn't stop
until Tsuzuki had no choice but to blackmail them into submission. ("I'll
fail you in your history class!")
Since the night of the concert, Tsuzuki did all he can to stay with
Hisoka as much as he can. He'd pick him up from his home and take him to
school, he'd spend all his breaks being with him or watching him from a
distance during class hours, and he'd take him home too. And if he can't be
with him, he makes sure that at least Hijiri is. Sometimes, Hisoka ends up
thinking that he's worse than those two stalkers he had before. But with
him, he also felt safe and well protected.
Once, on a Friday afternoon, their classes were dismissed early.
Tsuzuki then took Hisoka to the mall where they went the last time. Only
this time, they didn't go to a clothes shop, but instead, to so many sweets
shops that Tsuzuki probably spent his money everyday on. (someone go now
and report this to Tatsumi ^_^!) By the end of the day, Hisoka could no
longer count how many they've been to.
Tsuzuki was just munching on free samples of extra-chocolaty pocky
when he heard someone talking to him telepathically.
--' There's a bomb planted somewhere on this mall. . . If you don't
want all these people to die, then meet me at the abandoned warehouse.'--
All traces of Tsuzuki's hyperactive genki attitude when faced with
sweets that's enough to last a lifetime disappeared in a split second.
"Wait here Hisoka! Don't go anywhere!" He said without bothering to
explain what was happening at all.
Then he sprinted out of the mall and into the said warehouse.
Chapter 6