Yami No Matsuei Fan Fiction ❯ Ascend from the Darkness ❯ Chapter 6

Tsuzuki's thoughts whirled around in his head as he held the slim blonde in his arms, his lips moving carefully along Hisoka's neck. He'd wanted this for so long. Almost from the moment he'd laid eyes on this fierce, but emotionally bruised, boy; so strong yet so frail all at once, he'd wanted to protect and love him.

Sliding his hands down the front of Hisoka's chest he carefully unbuttoned his shirt, closing his eyes and bracing himself for the sheer rage he always felt at the sight of the marks on the boy's body. Marks left by the sadistic madman that had killed Hisoka and had tormented the pair of them for so long. Finally, he slowly opened his eyes, the violet pools glittering.

"Tsuzuki?" Hisoka murmured as he felt the taller man draw away from him. Opening his brilliant green eyes, he stared in confusion at his partner. "What's wrong?"

Reaching out, Tsuzuki grasped both of Hisoka's slender wrists and shoved him backwards on the bed, moving to straddle him, the weight of his body pinning the blonde to the mattress.

"Tsuzuki!" Hisoka cried out. "Stop! You're hurting me!" He winced as the dark-haired Shinigami's fingers dug into his arms.

Tsuzuki leaned down, his face close to Hisoka's, his eyes narrowed in anger. "Who are you?"

"What do you mean, who am I?" The blonde Shinigami arched, trying to break the grip of Tsuzuki's hands. "Who else would I be?" A faint trace of fear started to creep across his face. "Let me go!" He cried.

"No. I don't know who you really are…but I do know you aren't my partner!" Tsuzuki replied, fighting to keep his hold on the boy.

"Why? Why do you say that?" The blonde cried.

"The marks…the ones Muraki left on him…you don't have them!"

The blonde let out a low curse and with a new strength, he bucked throwing Tsuzuki aside, rolling and scrambling off the bed. Tsuzuki regained his balance and dove off the side of the bed just as a blast of energy seared the mattress where he'd been. Glancing over the edge of the smoking fabric, Tsuzuki fixed his gaze on the blonde.

"The least you could do is, show me who you are." He said quietly.

"I like this form," The blonde laughed. "I think I'll keep it for a while." He raised his arms, preparing to attack again.

Tsuzuki ducked back down as his saw the energy building in the boy's hands, his outstretched fingers rigid. Closing his eyes for a moment, he took a deep breath and shot out from behind the bed, narrowly dodging another blast. Circling around to the side of the room, his lips were already forming soft words as he flung one arm out. The last of the spell faded away as the slip of paper struck the blonde in the back, flinging his slim body against the wall.

"Fuda?" The blonde chuckled. "You're going to need more than paper spells if you want to destroy me." He stood slowly, wiping a trickle of blood from his forehead. "It's too bad…I truly wanted it to be you, but I guess I'll have to settle for that young partner of yours. I'm sure he's just as a delectable treat…yes….he'll do just fine."

Before Tsuzuki had a chance to reply or try again, the boy was gone. The only evidence that he'd even been there was the thin tendrils of dark smoke drifting up from the bed. He walked across the room to stare down at the burned mattress…Where is Hisoka? His heart beat rapidly. What had happened to him?

Without bothering to grab his jacket he rushed from the room. He had to find out where Hisoka really was! As his feet hit the sidewalk outside the hotel, lights exploded behind his eyes and then everything went black.
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Tatsumi and Watari didn't bother with the politeness of knocking at the door. For that matter they didn't even bother with walking up the stairs. At first glance the hotel room was empty and then the pair appeared standing in the center…the air shimmering around them.

"What…?" Watari's voice faded off as he looked around the room. "Do you think we're too late?"

"They may be out checking on something." Tatsumi replied walking slowly around the room to see if anything was out of place.

"It seems awful late for them to be out invest…"

Watari's words were cut off by the sound of the door being thrown open. Turning they saw Hisoka pause in the doorway, wild eyed and breathless. He didn't ask what they were doing there. He just walked into the room and fixed his bright green eyes on Tatsumi. "I think Tsuzuki is in trouble. I've been out looking for him and all I could find was this." He held out a piece of paper.

"One of his fuda." Watari said taking the spell. "It wouldn't be like him to leave one of these behind."

"Why were you looking for him?"

"I saw something," The young Shinigami turned to Tatsumi. "I was looking at that clipping that Komiya gave us and I think I got a glimpse of who's behind this. I thought he was in danger."

"He very well may be." Tatsumi replied glancing at Watari.

"Sic itur ad astra."

"What the hell is that supposed to mean." The smaller blonde snapped impatiently.

"Such is the way to the stars," Watari answered unfazed by the other Shinigami's growing temper. "Or even more precisely in this case; thus is the way to immortality."

"Two meanings?"

"It depends…both actually mean the same thing."

Hisoka sighed and crossed his arms. "And how is this supposed to be connected to this case."

"I'd say someone or something is trying for just that. I really need to get my hands on that book." Watari said.

"It disappeared after Komiya Akemi's death." Hisoka stopped and looked at the other two. "She was the first death…they killed her to get the book."

"Or to get her out of the way because she knew too much about it." Tatsumi added.

"It would seem that the only person close enough to her to know about it or what she may have uncovered would have been the other girl working with her, but she was killed shortly after Komiya was." Hisoka said and then his eyes widened. "Or….." The blonde paled. "Tsuzuki….we've got to find him!"

Tatsumi pushed his glasses up and then laid a hand on the boy's shoulder. "You are his partner. You're closer to him than any of us."

"I've never tried,"

"Now's the time. The Chief gave you the knowledge."

Silently Hisoka nodded once. He would try to locate his partner. He had the best chance with his power of being able to sense emotion. But even though Kanoe had told him that he didn't need to be in contact with a person to sense them, he'd never tried. After a lifetime of trying to shut out other's feelings, he hadn't been too keen on searching for them. He just had to be in synch with the person he was searching for.

Did he have that with his partner? The person he bickered with constantly; worked with and seemed to resent……

And deep inside…maybe even loved…
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Head throbbing dully, Tsuzuki slowly opened his eyes and started to sit up. He was stopped suddenly by ropes tightly binding his wrists to the frame of a small bed. Lifting his head, he winced as he looked around the tiny room, seeing nothing else in it but the bed he was laying on and a small table and chair in the far corner by a door. Another door was set into the wall beside his head and a single pane of glass cut into the wall on his other side.

Shaking his head to clear the haziness, he tried to think through the ache. How had he gotten here? He had a vague memory of struggling in his hotel room with someone, or something that looked like Hisoka. He'd chased the creature from the room and as he reached the street, he remembered nothing more.

"How's your head feel?" The door on the far wall opened and a slim figured stepped into the room.

"Perfect," Tsuzuki rasped, blinking rapidly to bring the person into focus. "Shit!" His eyes widened. "You?"

"Mm." The dark haired youth pulled the chair over beside the bed and straddled it, resting his arms across the wooden back. "All this time and you never even suspected, although I believe your partner did." Komiya replied, his grey eyes sparkling.

"What is all this about? Why are you doing this?" Tsuzuki demanded his violet eyes grim. "Your own sister!"

"Sic itur ad astra. Do you know what it means?" When Tsuzuki didn't reply he smiled coldly. "It's Latin. It means 'Such is the way to immortality'. Those were the first words inscribed inside that book that Akemi found. You have no idea the things that are written on those pages."

"You were able to read it?"

"Not really; not at first. They came to me eventually. When she brought that book home, I was drawn to it. It was like it called to me and I couldn't resist it. One night, I sat down with it and symbols that made no sense, I could suddenly read and understand."

Tsuzuki watched carefully as the boy spoke. During his speech, his voice had taken on an odd timbre; becoming deeper, resonating around the room. Now he could see a glimmer of green behind the grey eyes.

"It told me how to become immortal. I just had to give thirteen souls to the demon that had written it. And with each soul delivered, I gained more power in return." The boy made a small gesture and Tsuzuki's bonds fell from his wrists as if they were never there, but the Shinigami found himself still unable to move.

"I wanted to offer a soul of great power as my last gift. That's why I appeared before you that day." Komiya said as he stood and leaned over the brunette. "Your partner was my choice, after I destroyed him for my master, then I intended to enslave you." He ran a finger across Tsuzuki's cheek. "I wished to bind you to me for my eternity. You had to be too smart though, didn't you? If you had followed through at the hotel then all would have been as I planned."

Tsuzuki felt a surge of energy within the room as the boy spoke.

"Now, I'll have to settle for making you the thirteenth." He let out a short laugh. "And kill your partner for fun."

The energy built suddenly to an unbearable level and burst around the Shinigami, cutting through him like a million shards of ice.

Hisoka…!

Green eyes flew open. "I found him."
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TBC……