• 1-Prologue
• 2-Chap 1 - Free Me
• 3-Chap 2 - Breathe
• 4-Chap 3 - Drowning
• 5-Chap 4 - Don't you see!
• 6-Chap 5 - Long Way Down

Title: "Gifts - Chap. 2"

Author: J.J.

Warning: It's an AU and it's BASED ON THE MANGA... it contains not too
descriptive rape, some OOC, some use of Japanese words (the Dictionary is at the bottom), a
bit of sappiness, some spoilers...

Notes: This work is based on the manga. It makes perfect sense if you haven't read it
but you will find things going differently from the anime... oh well since this is an AU and
things will go differently from the manga too it shouldn't be a problem.

About the characters... Tsuzuki's character is based on the first volume of the YnM Manga
and that's why he's more serious. If you get the 1st volume of the manga you'll see a more
adult looking Tsuzuki than in the rest of the series. As for Hisoka... He's purposely
partially different from the original.

Inspiration came from the YnM manga and a lovely pic from Akane available at this address:
http://www.cursedmoons.com/ (The pic is the one called 'TsuHi-raburabu')WaB>Warning over notes: This fic is filled with notes. You will find them at the bottom.
Each time you see a number between brackets it means there's a note connected to the
word/sentence that preceded it. Many of them explain references to other series, to YnM
manga only or YnM anime only facts for who didn't get to read the manga or see the anime,
explain apparently illogical things or warn you there's an explanation for illogical facts
but that you'll get it later. However I suggest you to read the notes _AFTER_
you finished the fic unless the word/sentence connected to the note is really troublesome
for you to understand. Anyway the fic should be still understandable without the notes.
Notes are merely extra explanations for who wants to know more or search for spoilers.

Disclaimer: "Yami no Matsuei" belong to Matsushita Yoko. I'm merely using her
characters because I love them... especially Touda, Tsuzuki and Hisoka...

Ehy, do I own something here? Oh yes, I own the plot and a sensible heart which would
surely break if you give me harsh reviews... so please be honest but nice ok?

Thanks: To Lothlorien for betaing this! Thank you a lot!

Summary: Alternate version of the 'Nagasaki Arc' Manga version. What if Muraki
managed to break Hisoka and Enma planned Tsuzuki & Hisoka's partnership?

"With every waking breath I breathe

I see what life has dealt to me

With every sadness I deny

I feel a chance inside me die

Give me a taste of something new

To touch to hold to pull me through

Send me a guiding light that shines

Across this darkened life of mine

Breathe some soul in me

Breathe your gift of love to me

Breathe life to lay 'fore me

Breathe to make me breathe"

(Midge Ure - "Breathe")

Konoe-Kacho was just reaching boiling point when Tsuzuki showed up in his office, with a big
grin, some cake from the Cinnapon shop⁽¹⁾, and a 'perfect' excuse for his
lateness, based mostly on the _IMPERATIVE_ need he'd had for dessert and this
special offer the shop was doing that... Needless to say, Konoe interrupted his rant with
one of his own about why employees shouldn't waste time like that, and sequestrated
Tsuzuki's newly acquired sweet (secretly planning to enjoy it later since his sweet tooth
could almost compete with Tsuzuki's own). As soon as the cake left his hands, Tsuzuki
immediately started whining and complaining, at which Konoe reminded him he could always
fire him.

During the whole dialogue a pale youth sat on the couch in Konoe's office, perfectly still,
with silent, empty, green eyes half hidden by his honey blond bangs, watching without
apparently really taking notice of the scene that was taking place in the room, the cup of
coffee in front of him long forgotten and untouched. When Tsuzuki finally stopped whining,
Konoe trailed his eyes over to the silent boy and Tsuzuki followed his gaze. He blinked,
then his eyes widened in shocked recognition. The boy... the boy looked like... Anger
bubbled inside him. Enma was a first class bastard. The child's eyes widened marginally as
he thought that, and his frail looking body tensed. Konoe-Kacho didn't seem to notice it as
he informed Tsuzuki that the boy's name was Kurosaki Hisoka and that he was going to be his
new partner, but Tsuzuki, on the contrary, didn't miss the boy's reaction. In half a
fraction of a second, Hisoka felt the man's emotions taking notice of it, somehow
understanding it, and than rudely and hurriedly shifting to a whining annoyance as the man
complained they were pairing him _again_ with another youngster, completely
forgetting the troubles he'd had with a certain Masaki-chan⁽²⁾.

Konoe hastily assured him his new partner had no cousins he desperately wanted to save, and
briefed him about Hisoka's ability. The boy listened to them talk expressionlessly.
Tsuzuki-san seemed resigned to accept him. He wasn't surprised by the man's reluctance. No
one ever wanted him - why should Tsuzuki-san be any different? But when Tsuzuki-san walked
towards him, introducing himself as 'Tsuzuki Asato', and offered him his hand to
shake, he turned his head away and informedoe ioe in a forcefully firm voice that, as he'd
said before, he really preferred to work alone, especially, he added in a very low voice, if
his partner was going to be someone so lazy and childish.

In truth, it didn't matter to him if Tsuzuki-san was childish or not, even if the thing did
annoy him. He simply didn't want anyone around and would do _everything_ to
avoid shaking hands with people. People couldn't be trusted and their mere presence... hurt,
not to mention how bad touching them felt. He only wanted to solve the case as soon as
possible, so he would have to stay on ChiJou only the time strictly necessary to do so. He
doubted working with Tsuzuki-san - or with another man for the matter - would help him to
hurry things up. They would only mess with his empathy. He stood there, tense, trying to
look firm and confident like a Kurosaki should, and yet fearing terribly that one of the two
men would t vit violently to his words.

Konoe Kacho seemed annoyed, as if others in the past had made the same complaint, a bit
disappointed and somehow... sad. He didn't manage to identify Tsuzuki-san's emotions as he
said he didn't want him as partner, because they were too many and shifted too fast for him
to grasp, before they moved again in that complaining, childish whine he used with Konoe to
point out his new partner was 'mean'. Konoe sighed. He knew introducing the two to
each other was going to be troublesome but... He glared at Tsuzuki, than ordered him to cut
the whining. Tsuzuki complied, but started pouting. Konoe frowned. It was hard to say how
much of Tsuzuki's behaviour was an act and how much reflected his true feelings. Acting so
childishly assured Tsuzuki that no one would take him seriously. It gave him freedom to act
as he pleased, as no one seemed to judge him capable of doing anything more than whine for
sweets, but it also caused people to inadvertently hurt him, or to miss the signs that
something was wrong with him. Tsuzuki was the division's officially 'happy go lucky,
forever starved, never too bright' member. Even the ones who knew it was a facade and
worried for him more often than not, as the secretary Tatsumi and himself both did, never
knew when his behaviour was a mask or not. And Tsuzuki needed someone who knew, because the
few glimpse hae had caught of Tsuzuki's true feelings were starting to worry him and
considering Tsuzuki's past...

He turned to Kurosaki. While Tsuzuki knew perfectly well how to hide his own problems,
Kurosaki had yet to master the art, and so far, all he knew was how to hide behind his
apathy. He didn't understand why Enma had wanted this partnership right from day one, he saw
nothing good about partnering a troubled teenager with a man who had been suicidal and was
still figg fog for his own sanity, but it wasn't his place to complain. Gently, he explained
to the boy that he _had_ to have a partner, and that, since Tsuzuki was the
oldest and most skilled, he wouldn't give him too many problems.

Of course, Tsuzuki had to ruin everything by asking in a childish, wondering tone if he
really was that good, giving the clear impression he wasn't at all. Konoe decided he
couldn't stand it anymore. Fine, if Tsuzuki wanted to lose this partner as well, he wouldn't
try to stop him. He gave Tsuzuki a glare that made the man cringe, even if Konoe had no idea
if that too was an act or honest fear, reproached him for his behaviour, briefed them both
as quickly as he could over the case they were going to handle, then ordered them to get to
work in Nagasaki. One of the GuShoShin would go with them to take care of communication and
pass them all the information they needed about the case.

Hisoka ced ced Konoe seemed almost eager to get them out of his office even if the boy
couldn't figure why. Tsuzuki, on the other hand, could. The man wanted him to get to know
his new partner and vice versa, to get close to each other and, as a consequence, accept to
be partners. Konoe knew he had sides that could charm people, and a soft heart that would
make him care for the boy. He should have also known that he was stubborn and once he was
set on the idea of not keeping a partner, he wouldn't allow one to stay. So the little one
had issues about childish behaviour and laziness, eh? He was in for an extra dose of it. He
sighed internally. It was the only way. He couldn't allow the boy to stay with him and
follow the destiny of those who preceded him.

Once in Nagasaki, his determination to not keep Hisoka as a partner increased as soon as he
looked back at the child, who was walking as far apart from him as possible, face set in an
expressionless mask, but eyebrows slightly knit together as if he was concentrating or a a
small headache. His empathy was probably bugging him. They were in the middle of a crowded
street in Nagasaki, and if what he suspected in Konoe's office was correct, the boy had no
idea how to control his ability and 'shield' himself from other people's emotions.
Poor boy. The child really didn't deserve this life as a Shinigami, as a killer - but he had
no right to question his motivations and he couldn't take care of him either. People who
believed Kyushu was a good sector to work in because it had few cases didn't know that those
cases were always a bloody mess. He had seen enough Shinigami die in Kyushu to know it well.
He wasn't going to risk having Hisoka following them as well.

Take this case, for example.

As GuShoShin explained to them, they were going to investigate over eleven deaths from blood
loss. Victims had bite marks on their necks, and almost all their blood had simply
'disappeared'. Some guy with a bad sense of humour in the Administration Office had
nicknamed the case 'Dracula case'. He crossed his arms behind his head as he mused
over it, stealing another quick ge ate at Hisoka, but the boy was apparently lost in his own
thoughts, his gaze lowered. He frowned. Weird, he'd thought he was being observed... Oh
well... Anyway, this wasn't exactly the best case to start with for such a young boy. His
thoughts were interrupted when a girl bumped against him. He managed to grab her, saving her
from a nasty fall, but when their eyes met, he shuddered. She rudely freed herself from his
hold and ran away without a word of thanks or apology while GuShoShin was having fun
pointing out how he was dumped. Hisoka... was looking at the path the escaping girl took, as
if he, too, sensed something weird in her, but as soon as Tsuzuki questioned him, he denied
it and turned his head away. Tsuzuki sighed and his gaze fell on his shirt. His now
red-stained shirt. He groaned. He _hated_ tb> to do laundry... GuShoShin insisted
it had to be the girl's lipstick, while Hisoka didn't seem interested. As for himself... he
suggested they go to eat something, a suggestion which was greeted with a cheer by
GuShoShin, who was a bit of a glutton, and with comp ind indifference by Hisoka. While he
was wondering whether the boy was capable of another expression besides that of
indifference, someone screamed - a corpse had been found.

They joined the curious crowd around it, listening to their excited chatter. Tsuzuki didn't
miss how Hisoka rubbed his temples with a nauseated expression on his face, probably due
more to the emotions of the people nearby than the sight of the man's corpse, who was
sitting against a wall with... the clear sign of a still bleeding bite mark on his neck. It
didn't take him long to realize that the escaping girl had something to do with the bite. It
wasn't lipstick that was on her lips, it was blood! With an angry cry for not realizing it
sooner, he ran after her, ordering GuShoShin and the boy to stay put. Maybe GuShoShin could
handle the situation but he wasn't going to risk taking Hisoka against a vampire. He wasn't
exactly pleased when he discovered Hisoka had ignored his instructions and was following him.

"Bouya⁽³⁾! What do you think you're doing?" he demanded.

"I can track down her consciousness while all you'll manage to do with all these people
around is to lose her!" the boy informed him without even bothering to look at him. His
reasoning made sense, Tsuzuki had to admit to himself. So maybe the kid knew how to make use
of his empathy... "This way!" Hisoka exclaimed, taking the way to the left. Only a few steps
through, the boy's eyes widened and they both felt like they had run into a psychic net of
some sort that was quickly closing around them, trapping them and stopping their movements.
Tsuzuki cursed as he realized they'd run straight into a Juso, a curse, this one of the
paralysing type. Hisoka screamed and fell onto his knees. Tsuzuki, more used to this sort of
thing, managed to dispel the Juso, but if he had to be fully honest with himself, the
lingering effects of the paralysis were still affecting him, and he almost tripped over
Hisoka. He looked around. No one. Apparently, whoever had attacked them had left. He knelt
near the boy checking his status. The boy couldn't be that badly hurt from such a minor Juso
and yet he was still kneeling on the ground, his arms tightly wrapped around himself and his
shoulders trembling slightly.

"Bouya? Are you well?" Tsuzuki asked him. The boy didn't give any sign he'd heard him, green
eyes wide open as if he was in shock. Could it be the Juso had overloaded the boy's empathic
senses? Juso and empathy didn't bond too well... It would also explain why the boy screamed
when the Juso hit... That spell was planned to paralyse, not to hurt... "Hisoka?" He called
again gently, placing a hand on the boy's shoulder. The boy jerked away, panicking, and
tried to stand, but ended up falling straight against Tsuzuki instead. At first he tried to
struggle, moving uncoordinatedly, but Tsuzuki held him - not too tightly, but enough to stop
Hisoka from hurting himself, then Hisoka seemed to recognize Tsuzuki and ly..ly... slumped
against him, trembling and clinging to the man's shirt. "It's okay, Hisoka. It was just a
paralysing Juso. Its effects will vanish in few minutes. Don't worry, it's okay," Tsuzuki
said, trying to reassure him. He wasn't too surprised by the boy's reaction to the Juso. He
saw many going into complete panic when they found themselves paralysed by it, yet... there
was something different this time. Hisoka was shaking his head frantically and mumbling
something he couldn't understand at first. He frowned, his protective instinct kicking in,
and moved the boy closer, wrapping his arms around the smaller form, and finally managed to
make out few words.

"_HE_... _HIM_... here... no... no... _HIM_..." It
didn't make much sense at first, then...

"You sensed who cast the Juso? That's what's... the problem, Hisoka?" The childagedaged to
nod. Tsuzuki looked around as he slowly moved his hand to pick up a Fuda, a spell on his
lips. "Is he still here?" he asked softly. Silence. A gulp. Then the boy shook his head and
relaxed somewhat, as he realized he couldn't make out the presence anymore. Tsuzuki breathed
in as well, relieved. He wasn't anxious to face a foe while under the lingering effects of
paralysis and with Hisoka in a full panic crisis. Tsuzuki groaned as he heard GuShoShin
calling them - the librarian had really good timing - and with some difficulty forced
himself to stand, picking up Hisoka as well. The child had stopped shaking so much, but it
seemed he was still in shock. That was bad. This Juso caster had to be someone definitely
unpleasant to cause such a reaction in the young empath.

"Tsuzuki-san, Hisoka-san, what happened?" GuShoShin asked.

"We lost her," Tsuzuki admitted. "Someone helped her to escape and Hisoka..." He looked down
at the pale youth in his arms. He looked completely defenceless. "I fear he twisted his
ankle," he said firmly. No reason to embarrass his partner by telling GuShoShin the truth.
"Let's go eat something," he suggested as he started to walk away, frowning. Since when he
had started to consider the boy 'his partner'? GuShoShin looked at him in confusion.
Such serious behaviour wasn't Tsuzuki-san like at all.