Double Faced Mask
A Yami no Matsuei fanficAuthor: Ria
Disclaimer: YnM is copyright to several people, such as Yoko Matsushita and Hakusensha. It�s not mine and never will be, considering I�m just a college student struggling with a part-time job because she�s so broke. Suing me would be rather pointless. I just do this because I love to and hopefully to give others some enjoyment, too.
Rating: PG-13
Spoilers: The anime and the first few volumes of the manga.
Pairings: Tsuzuki/Hisoka, Tatsumi/Watari
Warnings: angst, memories of NCS and mind-rape, eventual shounen-ai
Summary: Tsuzuki angsts and Hisoka�s logical (but still dense) about their situation. Then Watari gets in on the act to deliver some advice, dragging a helpless Tatsumi along for the ride�
Timeline: A few months after the Kyoto arc in the anime with some stuff from the manga thrown in for good measure. If you�ve seen the anime, you�ll be fine. If you�ve seen both, you�ll be great!
Author�s Notes: And the secretary speaks. And a case comes. And� yeah, that�s the most of it. To warn you all, my case inventing skills aren�t that great, so bear with me! I�ll do my best. ^_^ Also, I want to thank everyone who�s commented so far � to know that you�re enjoying the story and want to continue reading makes me sickeningly happy. *g* Enjoy! Lyrics are from �The Bazaar� by The Tea Party, and aren�t mine. Also, if you want to know when I update, you can friend my updates livejournal: http://www.livejournal.com/users/quillstrokes
Double Faced Mask
Logical Conclusion And on the walls
Shadows play
Twilight souls
Anguished ways
Lost adrift
Severed seas
I await you
Come to me
I stare at the file, my fingers itching to simply hide it in the midst of previous cases and blame the error on, say, the Gushoshin. But my fingers stay where they are and I continue to steadily read the details, my actions remaining calm. �Misplacing� the file would be childish, not to mention the fact that the Gushoshin would never speak to me again if I did.
EnmaDaiOh has declared that we must no longer give Tsuzuki and Kurosaki-kun simple cases anymore. According to him, four months is enough: we need out strongest pair back where they belong. To be blunt, things have to get back to normal. Konoe-Kacho and I protested, of course, saying that Tsuzuki was still too mentally fragile, but our protests were gently reprimanded. We had been lucky that no serious cases had come in the last four months, but soon our luck would run out, and what were we to do then? the god asked us.
And now Lady Luck has finally turned her face from us, if the file I hold in my hands is any evidence.
I can put it off for no longer, not now that Konoe-Kacho and I have called them for a meeting to discuss this new case. I stand and walk towards the door, stepping into the hallway with my usual dignity. People lower their eyes and murmur respectfully to me as they pass by, and I nod and murmur equally polite, hollow words in reply.
Everyone else is already present when I arrive, sitting and making empty conversation that has no significance merely to pass the time. Tsuzuki gives me hi usual cheerful greeting, while Kurosaki-kun and Konoe-Kacho�s greetings are more conservative and normal. I reply and sit down, glancing at Konoe-Kacho as I do so. He indicates his head, silently telling me that I can begin talking first. Coward.
�We have a new case for you,� I begin, rifling through the file as I speak. �More difficult than the ones you�ve had lately.�
Tsuzuki�s smile fades, as his eyes turn grim. Surely he didn�t think that he�d be on those simple cases for the rest of his career just because of Kyoto, did he? We need a Shinigami of his power for a reason, after all!
Kurosaki-kun doesn�t say anything yet, merely regards me with his brilliant emerald stare.
�Hai,� I tell Tsuzuki, keeping my tone as quiet and as calm as possible. Tsuzuki still doesn�t look happy, but I don�t particularly want to tell him that I�m under EnmaDaiOh�s personal orders, even though it would take the blame off me.
�What are the details?� Kurosaki-kun asks, his unnerving gaze still on me.
I hand the file over to him, but begin to tell them regardless. I�m always one for proper timekeeping, after all. �For over a month, there have been several mysterious deaths, but at first they seemed normal � teenage suicides and accidents, and such. Later details and circumstances have only brought this to our attention, now. Teenagers have died in suspicious circumstances with their names appearing on the Kiseki as normal.� I pause, before going on. �But though all the souls were nowhere to be found, we realised the reason for some of them was that they were still in the bodies.�
Tsuzuki appears horrified and unable to believe what he�s hearing, but Kurosaki-kun merely frowns as he thinks. �Is that even possible?� he asks after a moment�s thought. �If the souls are still in the bodies, then the teenagers should still be alive.�
I shake my head. �No they are dead. Somehow, their souls are still bound to their bodies.�
Tsuzuki�s horror has grown even larger and I can�t blame him for being horrified. To be forcibly bound to one�s body even after death, never to receive the final judgement and to always wonder� the thought is not amusing.
�But there is more,� I go on slowly. Tsuzuki�s expression is clearly disbelieving that things can�t get any worse in this situation. �Of the souls that are not bound to the bodies, it appears that they were� taken. We know this because they were all killed in a similar way��
�They were drained of life to the point of death before the soul was bound or taken,� Kurosaki-kun interrupts in a harsh whisper. �So they�re technically dead, but still aren�t.� I glance at him � he�s already finished reading the file and is now giving the photos a quick once-over. Tsuzuki looks at them over his partner�s shoulders and immediately blanches, but Kurosaki-kun�s expression remains coolly interested. His backbone is admirable, but I�m still irritated at his interruption.
I nod. �The case is obviously not straightforward, thus why you two have been assigned to it. Your instructions are to find whoever is doing this and free the souls for judgement. I would say that you�re not to destroy the murderer but, knowing you two, you�ll manage it, anyway.�
Tsuzuki mock-glares at me, but Kurosaki-kun doesn�t bother showing any reaction.
�It�s also in� Nagasaki, the same place as your first assignment, I believe,� I say smoothly after a moment. It�s a disturbing irony, actually, that they would have to return to the same place of their very first assignment after almost dying together.
This time, their reactions are the most extreme I�ve seen from them in a long while � Tsuzuki�s jaw drops, while Kurosaki-kun�s eyes widen in a clear show of surprise. I remain indifferent, patiently waiting for them to over come their surprise. Needless to say, Kurosaki-kun recovers first.
�Tsuzuki, you may go, but we�d like to speak to Kurosaki-kun alone for a moment.� Konoe-Kacho speaks at last.
Kurosaki-kun allows a brief flicker of surprise to cross across his face, while Tsuzuki doesn�t even bother to try and hide his astonishment. They exchange a quick glance, before Kurosaki-kun nods. Tsuzuki stands up, says goodbye, and leaves without a word of protest.
I stare at the young Shinigami, who�s gone back to perusing the file. It galls a little that Tsuzuki never does a thing I ask him, while he follows this boy without question. Even mentally, he�s still only a teenager. True, Kurosaki-kun�s better for Tsuzuki than I ever was, but it still galls.
I get down to business immediately, of course. �Kurosaki-kun, we assume you will be keeping a close eye on Tsuzuki-san,� I say briskly, meeting his gaze squarely. �While we know that keeping him calm is� difficult, we hope that you�ll keep him from getting into any potentially dangerous situations or going off on any wild goose chases.�
�Of course,� Kurosaki-kun replies blandly, though I imagine that he�s thinking something along the lines of, Well, what do you expect me to do?
�Since this case is quite open-ended, I�ve also booked you into a hotel for however long you need,� I continue. The hotel is several steps up from the sort that I usually use, at Konoe-Kacho�s insistence. The very thought of the wasted expense makes my blood boil. Tsuzuki�s mentally fragile, not physically ill! �Any questions?�
Kurosaki-kun pauses, tracing the edge of the file folder with his fingertips. At last he asks, �Is there any trace of Muraki on this case?�
Ah. Konoe-Kacho and I exchange glances, before I reply, �No, not a trace. Whoever is doing this, it�s not Muraki.�
Now apparently satisfied, Kurosaki-kun says his polite goodbyes and leaves, presumably to find his partner.
I should have known that they�d want to know that. I should have told them that Muraki had no part in this from the very beginning of the meeting! This is their first serious case since Kyoto, after all! I continue to berate myself as I walk back to my office.
It�s times like these that I think I�ll never learn.
The office is too quiet with them gone.
Well, the office is too quiet with Tsuzuki gone. Kurosaki-kun always was the saner of the two when it came to noise levels. Terazuma is only explosive when Tsuzuki is around; left alone, he simply does his paperwork for his and Wakaba-chan�s latest case before going home.
I�m too distracted by the silence to work. Watari hasn�t even exploded anything in the past day, a suspicious miracle in itself � it usually means that he�s gearing up for something worse.
�Tatsumi-saaan!�
Speak of the devil�
Watari bounces through the door, beaming his trademark smile, 003 perched serenely on his shoulder. It never fails to amaze me how that owl remains so calm with such a neurotic master. �Tatsumi-saaaan!� he carols again.
I gaze at him without blinking. �I heard you the first time,� I tell him mildly. He merely smirks at me and I inwardly let out a sigh of extreme frustration. �What are you doing here?�
�I came to keep you company, since it must be driving you up the wall not having Tsuzuki to yell at,� he quips, his eyes twinkling. �Pent-up emotion, you know?�
I glare at him. �I was enjoying the peace and quiet, actually,� I seethe, lying blatantly and not really caring.
�Mmmm. Sure you were,� Watari remarks, settling himself into a chair and giving me a knowing look. I want to strangle him quietly and efficiently.
I let out a slow huff of breath. �Is there any point to this visit beyond your fulfilling Tsuzuki�s role in his absence?�
Watari�s grin turns wicked. �Just to remind you of our little wager,� he says, trying to sound innocent and failing. �In case you�d forgotten.�
I imagine that my expression has turned hostile by now. How can I forget, when he reminds me as often as possible? �No, I haven�t forgotten,� I tell him neutrally.
�So� when are you going to have that little chat with Bon?� Watari asks, his expression teasing and challenging at the same time. He thinks he�s won by getting me to agree to his matchmaking scheme so easily, but I�ll prove him wrong when it all comes together. He hasn�t won by a long shot.
�When the time is right,� I say tersely, glaring at him.
Watari smirks. �So� a decade�s time from now, then?�
The look I throw at him would probably kill him if he weren�t already dead, but Watari is either foolish or just doesn�t give a damn. My money�s on the former. �I�ll talk to him when the time is right,� I repeat, my tone closing the matter for discussion.
Watari smiles at me, a slow curl of his lips. �I�ll be watching you,� he drawls, winking at me before flouncing towards the door. �After all, I wouldn�t want to lose our wager, eh?�
I stare after him, silent. Sometimes, I don�t know whether I want to strangle him or just� grab him.
Why can�t things ever run smoothly in this office?
My chance comes when Kurosaki-kun returns to the office to research something involving their case with the Gushoshin, while Tsuzuki stays in Nagasaki and investigates the remainder of their leads.
He automatically stiffens when I pause in the library doorway, before slowly turning to face me, his expression smoothing to neutral, empty lines, his emerald gaze unconsciously hostile. Ever since he�s begun to pick up on my subconscious jealousy, things have been� uneasy between us. I know well that it�s my own fault. Kurosaki-kun has done nothing to deserve this.
�Tatsumi-san,� he says politely, at last.
�Kurosaki-kun,� I reply, keeping things formal as well. �How is the case progressing?�
Kurosaki-kun shrugs, obviously unwilling to tell me any details so soon into the investigation. �We have a few suspects, one that looks particularly suspicious. And� the subject of necromancy seems to be coming up again and again, so the Gushoshin are helping me to research it.�
I frown thoughtfully. Could the murderer be a necromancer? It seems likely � it would explain everything about the souls. But� necromancy is dark magic, forbidden magic that interferes with the natural scheme of things. It was also dangerously ironic considering what Muraki had done in Nagasaki the last time they were there.
�It�s early yet,� Kurosaki-kun says bluntly, looking up briefly from his book. �It�s only one idea out of many.� He seems unconcerned, but I know him well by now � I can see the anger and frustration lurking deep in his eyes.
I pause for several moments before bringing the conversation back to a potentially safer subject � Tsuzuki. �How is Tsuzuki?� I ask quietly.
His gaze flickers towards me for a moment, but otherwise he refuses to look up from his book again. �As well as can be expected,� he says shortly. �Takes the victims� pain as his own; charms his way around while looking for clues; eats his way through every restaurant in Nagasaki. As normal. But he gets tired more easily than he�ll admit and the nightmares haven�t stopped.�
The last sentence, spoken in a cool, indifferent tone, speaks volumes in everything that isn�t said. I stare at this boy-adult, forever trapped in a sixteen-year-old body, and wonder how he got it so right and I got it so very wrong.
�I � I am glad that you�re there for him,� I blurt out before I can help myself, fighting to remain stoic as Kurosaki-kun whips his head up to stare at me, his gaze calm yet piercing.
A ghost of a smile passes over his face as his cold demeanour relaxes slightly. �I will be there for Tsuzuki as much as he will allow me to be,� he says gently.
I resist the urge to laugh. Oh, he does know Tsuzuki well, though that shouldn�t be any surprise to me. �I�m glad,� I say soberly, wishing that I could just get over this inane jealousy and be done with it. This is ridiculous, particularly for a man my age.
Kurosaki-kun smiles at me hesitantly, the most cordial action that he�s shown me in weeks. I can�t blame him, really, since I�ve been just as bad. I remember Watari�s reminder and sigh, wondering if there�s any subtle way to do this. No� there probably isn�t. Oh, well. Improvisation was always one of my hidden talents.
�Tsuzuki cares about you very much,� I begin, trailing my fingers across the back of the nearest chair before hesitantly sitting down opposite him. He gazes at me with a raised eyebrow, patiently waiting for me to continue. �He� he has cared about you for a long time.�
An expression of dawning comprehension blossoms on Kurosaki-kun�s face, swiftly followed by a flash of stubborn fear. �I�m afraid you may be mistaken, Tatsumi-san,� he says carefully. �While I know that Tsuzuki cares about me, I don�t think it�s the way that you think it is.�
I smile at him. Ah, teenage angst and denial at its finest. �I feat that I�m not imagining it, Kurosaki-kun,� I tell him gently. �I do know that Tsuzuki cares for you as you care for him.�
Kurosaki-kun�s expression now resembles the look a deer has when it�s caught in oncoming headlights � trapped and helpless. �Are � no � how can you be so sure?� he asks desperately, his aloof composure now abruptly crumbling at such a revelation.
I smile at him again, making it as reassuring as possible. �I�m sure because I know,� I say. �The question is� are you?�
He nods immediately, then falters. �I � I don�t think I can make the first � I don�t think I can tell him how I feel,� he says softly, absently scratching at one of the top corners of his book.
I again resist the urge to laugh. �As far as I know, Tsuzuki is determined to make the first move.� Thanks in part to Watari, I add silently.
Kurosaki-kun blinks repeatedly, staring at me blankly. �Really?� he asks, looking like he expects a pig to fly by the windows at any moment.
I nod, and for the briefest second a real, genuine smile lights up his face. It makes him beautiful.
Then I watch automatic suspicion crash down. �Why are you telling me this?� he demands, and I know that he�s remembering all the jealous glances and envious looks, the sad and knowing smiles that I�ve shown in the past few weeks, ever since Kyoto and all that happened there.
I smile again, a sad smile, full of regret and all that I�ve lost throughout the years, and say, �I�m telling you this because I don�t want you to make the same mistakes that I did.� And that is the reason why I agreed to help Watari in his hare-brained matchmaking schemes.
�Tsuzuki�s happiness is my happiness,� I told him once, when we were younger and yet still the same age.
It�s about time that I acted like I meant it, ne?
� End Logical Conclusion �