Warnings: Shonen-ai, angst... um... Tatsumi being a little too cute... it�s really kinda scary how nice he is here.

Disclaimers: Yami no Matsuei is not mine. The characters are not mine. The lyrics are by the Wallflowers.

Part Two: Tatsumi

I'm looking up at the moving clouds

I've been down so long

But I still think you might come around

So I'm making plans for when you feel better

You just might want someone more familiar

You won't find anyone else to take you back

Now sometimes you're an angel, but you're usually a pain in the ass

I ain't sorry, baby, don't think that

We ain't done anything that I'd take back

Go on, pretend that you ain't changed

And don't worry about me, baby

See you when I get there, aha, aha

I glanced at Tsuzuki for a moment, surprised to see the expression on his face. He looked utterly serious. I had the sinking feeling he was still mulling over his most recent case.

Our most recent case.

I sighed, letting my head fall back into the grass again, just to have a sakura petal land on my glasses. I glared at it sternly for a moment before brushing away the delicate pink petal. It didn�t complain, it just took to the air again, and drifted lightly to the grass where it rested. Somehow, I envied it. I wish I could just move on like it did.

I, too, had been brushed off once.

The clouds drifted lazily across the sky above, moving at the pace of the afterlife�relaxed and peaceful, for the most part. When new cases would arise, when Muraki would attack, when Tsuzuki would be possessed, and when Watari made a new concoction, it was generally hectic. Okay, so maybe the clouds really weren�t a good indication of the mood of the afterlife. I sighed despairingly at that.

�You keep sighing,� Tsuzuki pointed out, his voice neutral. We both knew that he was really asking if I was okay. It was his way of politely avoiding making me uncomfortable. I didn�t do well with his displays of affection, and we avoided them when we were alone. If we avoided them in public, everyone would think there was something wrong with Tsuzuki.

�I�m thinking,� was all I offered in reply. This, of course, was to tell him not to worry. Tsuzuki understood, just continuing to stare up at the sky with me as though nothing had passed between us. Though, both of us knew something had changed just then, and it was only one of the changes in a series that had began when Hisoka refused a case that Tsuzuki accepted.

I still don�t know what possessed me to take the case in Hisoka�s place. Maybe I really I am just that lonely after losing Tsuzuki. Not that I ever really had Tsuzuki, but it still hurt to see him with a new partner. Sure, Tsuzuki went through partners like water, but then Hisoka came along. Before him, I had been content to be upset that I wasn�t with Tsuzuki constantly, but I didn�t feel replaced.

And I definitely had never felt surpassed.

I was willing to believe for most of my afterlife that there was still a chance that Tsuzuki would eventually see things my way and come back to me with open arms. Tsuzuki hadn�t let me lose hope, either. He would still treat me a little differently than the rest of the Shinigami. There was an understanding between the two of us that simply did not exist anywhere else in our department. He knew I loved him, and I knew that, at least in that moment, it would not be reciprocated, but we could still be dear friends. Then, Hisoka came.

I could still vividly picture the look on Tsuzuki�s face when Hisoka had refused the case, waving over his shoulder as he explained he was going to go finish the paper work that Tsuzuki had been neglecting. Tsuzuki had bit his lip, making a sound in the back of his throat that caused Watari to stop yelling at �Bon� about �living a little� and look worriedly back at Tsuzuki. If the look and the whimper hadn�t been enough, Tsuzuki muttered, �He didn�t have to be so mean about it,� in his best cute pouty voice. This, of course, was his way of hiding the fact that he was actually hurt.

�I�ll go with you, Tsuzuki,� Watari offered. Kaicho just glared at him. �Or... maybe I will go clean up my lab instead?� To that, Kaicho nodded. Watari scrambled out of the lab with 003 furiously pursuing him despite the fact she actually couldn�t fly that quickly.

�Tatsumi, you go with Tsuzuki,� Kaicho ordered. I looked at him in surprise. I was actually just about to offer myself. I glanced at Tsuzuki to check if that was okay with him, and he wasn�t even listening, I could tell. He was in another world entirely.

�Tsuzuki-san, I�ll come with you. I�ll buy you some sweets, if you promise to cheer up.� That got Tsuzuki paying attention and looking right at me with big violet eyes. �Okay?� I gave him a big smile, and he suddenly threw himself at me, latching onto me in a way that made me think he had no intention of letting go of me anytime soon.

�WAI!� He giggled like a schoolgirl. �Thanks, Tatsumi!�

Kaicho�s eyebrow twitched. �Get out of my office!� He yelled, pointing to the door. I can�t really blame him, we were being admittedly obnoxious. But, I didn�t really care because I could tell I had honestly cheered up Tsuzuki.

That, of course, was what was really important to me, when it all came down to it.

~*~ To be continued ~*~