Fanfic: Gifts - Chap 5
Title: "Gifts - Chap. 5: Long Way Down"
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')
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 Chapter' Manga version. What if
Muraki managed to break Hisoka and Enma planned Tsuzuki & Hisoka's partnership?
"Oh here you are, there's nothing left to say
You're not supposed to be that way
Did they push you out? did they throw you away?
Touch me now and I don't care
When you take me I'm not there
Almost human, but I'll never be the same
Long way down, I don't think I'll make it on my own
Long way down, I don't want to live in here alone
Long way down, I don't think I'll make it on my own
I never put you down, I never pushed you away
You're not supposed to be that way
And anything you want, there's nothing I could say
Is there anything to feel?
Is it pain that makes you real?
Cut me off before it kills me"
(Goo Goo Dolls - "Long Way Down")
Hisoka sighed, he didn't know if in relief or in exasperation. They were back in Enma-Cho. They hadn't discovered much in the studio besides that Maria 'felt' exactly like the girl they met near the crime scene. Maybe they would have discovered more hadn't Maria's mother caught them and kicked them out. Hisoka was still suffering the lingering effects of how his empathy had reacted to her excessive anger, even if he was doing his best to not show it. He groaned. And why had she discovered them? Because Tsuzuki had to go and talk to Maria. Really, the man was beyond Hisoka's comprehension.
Anyway, now that he was back in Meifu he felt safe enough, and he hoped he could stay there now that they had a suspect. He'd had the impression (but probably he was only being paranoid, he hoped he was being paranoid) _HE_ had been around when they were just out of the studio, and the sensation had be so strong he had unconsciously gripped Tsuzuki's arm. It hadn't helped that he'd also had the feeling that Tsuzuki too felt 'something', even if the man had denied it later. Anyway, he was really hoping he shouldn't have to go back to ChiJou. Of course, his hopes were shattered when Enma-Cho's database reported that their suspect had killed herself around two months ago, which was quite unbelievable since they had seen her in ChiJou a few hours ago and she hadn't looked like a rotting corpse.
Hisoka didn't like the whole story in general and he liked it even less when Tsuzuki just... vanished before their meeting with Kacho. He didn't know why the absence of Tsuzuki bothered him so much, but he just felt... hurt, betrayed even if he had no reason to be so. He felt even more... 'uneasy' when Konoe entered the room asking for the promised update over the investigation, and an inexplicable relief when Tsuzuki showed up again a second before Konoe started talking.
Tsuzuki didn't offer any explanation or apology about his absence and merely started reporting to Konoe. The two started a long discussion about Kyonshi and burial grounds, while Hisoka felt cut out and forgotten. He didn't really understand much about what the two were talking about, his supernatural knowledge being too low, but even without it, he had no problem understanding Maria was being manipulated by someone, and this meant it wasn't enough that they had discovered Maria's involvement, they also had to track down her... puppet master. He shuddered at the idea of returning back to ChiJou, but Tsuzuki didn't even seem to notice and this... hurt. He frowned. He wasn't going to let this hurt him. It was okay if Tsuzuki... Tsuzuki-san didn't care about him, since when did anyone?
Realizing Tsuzuki-san and Konoe-Kacho were probably going to continue discussing the supernatural aspects of the case, completely oblivious of his presence, he hurriedly got up, announced he was going to continue the investigation on his own, leaving Tsuzuki-san free to handle it how he preferred as well, and gave him an appointment time at the first place that came to mind. He wanted to be out of there. He was a Kurosaki. A Kurosaki didn't beg for attention from his partner. A Kurosaki didn't need it. A Kurosaki didn't desperately wish for it... He felt Tsuzuki... Tsuzuki-san's exasperation before closing the door but tried to not pay him any attention. So Tsuzuki-san considered him a child, undeserving of consideration, someone he could abandon in the middle of an investigation - without even an explanation - and pick up later, after he'd had his fun or whatever else he did when he was away, just because he had little or no knowledge about zombies, vampires and things like that? Hisoka swallowed. He would show him. He would show him and... and what? What was he desperately hoping to get from Tsuzuki? Why did he crave the older man's attention so much?
He had no idea and he feared he would never discover it.
It was hard to not pay attention to the fact that Hisoka was late. He chewed his apple pie, trying to enjoy its taste and not worry about the boy. He could understand that Hisoka had been mad at him because he had vanished just before the meeting with Konoe. He had his reasons to do so, of course. Enma liked regular reports and he couldn't just make him wait without warning like he did with Konoe. It had been troublesome enough to make up an excuse to postpone his report so he wouldn't have to leave Hisoka to deal with Konoe alone. He would have liked to apologize for his absence but he couldn't really do it without offering an explanation, and he couldn't explain without revealing something he wasn't supposed to. He had been tempted to make up a lie but... but Hisoka was an empath and would have realized it. His extra work for Enma was a matter between him and the lord of Meifu only. He wasn't allowed to talk about it with others and Enma had a not nice and very definitive way to get rid of people who knew too much.
He sighed as he swallowed some more pie. He could also understand that the boy felt cut out during the discussion since no one had bothered to give him some information about Jujutsu and supernatural phenomena. He couldn't help that.
He sighed again as he glanced at his wristwatch for the nth time. He would have been better off not doing it since every time he only got more worried but he just couldn't resist. He took another piece of apple pie. Of course, even if he could understand Hisoka's reasons, in the end, they weren't good enough to leave him to work alone. They were partners after all, he had promised Enma that he would keep an eye on the boy and... and once Hisoka was out of his sight he couldn't help but worry for him. Without power, without knowledge, without strength or the ability to control his own empathy well, the boy was an easy target. Not that there was any reason to target him and yet... He checked his watch again. Okay, so he too was rarely on time but it was 4:00 PM and they were supposed to have met an hour ago. He just knew he should have tracked Hisoka down immediately after he finished talking with Konoe, but he had thought some time alone would be good for the boy. He swallowed the last piece of his pie without even tasting it. He'd better leave and try to track down Hisoka. After all he'd already done all he could do, checking the places in which the victims were found, the TV station again and questioning people who could have witnessed or known something.
Apparently Maria had had the time and the chance to commit all the murders but who could have turned her into a Kyonshi? One of her staff? Difficult. Her stepmother? She should know something - it was hard to believe she could have not been surprised that her dead daughter had returned from the burial ground and had started working again - but could she be the one behind all this? Nope. There was no mention in her record that she had any knowledge of Jujutsu, and creating a Kyonshi wasn't exactly something an amateur could do. There was a man hanging around Maria or so it had been said. Could he be the one behind it all? He had no idea, and he also didn't know why all these questions were of secondary importance to him compared to the one that was tormenting him, and that was 'Where in the world was Hisoka?'. He glanced at his watch again after paying for his pies. 4:10 PM. Still no Hisoka in sight. Come to think of it, why had the boy asked him to meet on ChiJou? It seemed he didn't like to be here... His thoughts were interrupted by a woman's scream. A child had fainted. It wasn't his place to worry about things like that and yet... here he was trying to help the child and he didn't leave even after a doctor from Tokyo chanced upon the scene and had the little girl moved to the rest house where he could examine her. What a stupid sentimental fool he was. To think he was a Shinigami... a dark creature that stole life...(1)
Add to this the fact that his Shiki(2) and his co-workers would laugh at him to the end of his days should they discover the doctor mistook him for the child's father... Not his day really. Yet he still tried to be friendly with the doctor, a certain Muraki Kazutaka, but the guy was plain weird and his instinct was warning him to be cautious even if he couldn't understand why. He'd never seen the man before and yet somehow he had the impression that he knew him. His impeccable manners, his charming yet professional smile, his delicate and yet determinate features, the intensity of his gaze behind his glasses and the way he held the cigarette between his fingers, the well modulated voice as he talked about how weak humans were... Besides, he didn't like where the doctor's discussion was leading. He wasn't merely mourning over the loss of his patients, complaining for having been judged responsible for their deaths or dreaming a magical cure for everything. His yearning for power and a _perfect_ body... felt wrong... he had already heard someone yearning for it... long, long ago...(3)
"In this world, there is no such thing as 'perfect',"(4) he replied, frowning. He couldn't place the feeling he was getting but it definitely wasn't pleasant. The man had that sort of charm a flame had for a moth, and Tsuzuki didn't look forward to being 'burned alive'. Not at the moment, anyway, and certainly not by a stranger.(5) He felt even more uneasy when Muraki-san(6) smiled at him in a condescending way as if he was pleased with his answer even if he obviously didn't believe it. Tsuzuki felt relieved when the doctor announced he had to go. The man had done nothing wrong and yet... everything in him wanted to strike at the man the same way he would have done at a dangerous enemy. Tsuzuki didn't want him around for a second longer, and he felt guilty about it.(7) Finally the doctor seemed ready to leave. Tsuzuki felt a weird sense of relief as he realized he was about to be free to finally head back to Enma-Cho to search for Hisoka, away from those aggressive impulses the doctor was awakening in him. He was about to take the way opposite to the one Muraki-san was going, when the man removed his glasses and looked back at him with his weird, unmatched, pale eyes and the expression of one who would do anything to get his hands on what he wanted.
"By the way... Tsuzuki-san. You should also take care to not lose someone important to you again," the doctor warned him, before placing his glasses back on his nose and leaving for good. The statement froze Tsuzuki to the spot with too many thoughts and memories in his head. He didn't know if it had been the words or just the manner they had been said but... but the threat was there, and as he realized the implication it could have, he frantically ran back to Enma-Cho searching for Hisoka, desperately hoping he was fine.
JJ's Notes:
1. In the manga, Tsuzuki dislikes his work as a Shinigami a lot and perceives himself as a killer that carries misfortune.
2. Probably everyone knows this anyway... Tsuzuki owns 12 Shikigami and has a very friendly relationship with them. In the anime it is never showed but in the manga we see most of them also have a human form. Among them are Suzaku, Byakko and Touda who are showed in the anime in their animal form.
3. I'm supposing Muraki Kazutaka has something in common with his grandfather Muraki Yukitaka, who had been Tsuzuki's chief physician before his death. Why will Tsuzuki never remember Muraki Yukitaka? When he saw him, Tsuzuki was insane and only barely conscious of his surroundings and apparently later nearly completely removed that period of his life from memory. Plus, Muraki took after his mother and therefore the resemblance with his grandfather isn't so obvious.
4. It's EXACTLY what Tsuzuki said to Muraki in the manga.
5. Tsuzuki is suicidal, but since he's a Shinigami, very hard to kill. I'm supposing that since he owns a Shikigami who can burn him to death, he considered ending his existence this way BEFORE the 'Kyoto Chapter' even if tried it only then.
6. No, in the manga Tsuzuki never calls Muraki 'Muraki-san', just 'Muraki'. Why is he doing it here? Well, I figured he would be polite to him in their first meeting... (in their first meeting, Tsuzuki never calls Muraki by name so I don't know if he would use a polite form).
7. Are you shocked about Tsuzuki having aggressive impulses rather than being just scared by Muraki? Well... in a fashion he's scared. As far as I'm concerned, Tsuzuki has an aggressive, violent instinct. He's impulsive and he can get really angry. That's also what scares Tsuzuki. Since he's a nice person who doesn't want to hurt others, the mere idea of lashing out at a man even if in self defence scares him because he desperately wants to be human and not a bloodthirsty monster. At least... that's my impression.
JJ's Extra Notes:
Mn... there are so few differences between this chap and the original manga version that I was tempted to delete this chap. In the end I decided to keep it here even if it looks a bit rushed. Sorry about it but I really didn't want to rewrite all that happened in the manga. I also dislike the lack of Tsuzuki/Hisoka interaction in this chap... I'll make up for it in the next. Oh, and I cut out Tsuzuki and Enma's meeting. I'm sorry about it as well, but really... nothing exceptional happened in it. The lord of Meifu will have other chances to give us his two cents... Oh, and yes, have you noticed how Hisoka returned to 'Tsuzuki-san' now that he's mad at him?
The 'Nagasaki Arc' manga version is quite different from the anime one. Since Viz recently printed the first YnM volume I guess now there are many more people knowing about this. Anyway... for who wants the basic differences...
In the manga Tsuzuki and Hisoka enter the TV studio and see Maria. Tsuzuki gets her autograph (LOL). Maria's stepmother literally kicks them out. Muraki sees them leaving. The two go back to Enma-Cho and discover Maria is dead. Muraki is informed by Maria's stepmother that Tsuzuki and Hisoka went there. Tsuzuki and Hisoka report to Konoe and Konoe only about what they discovered. Hisoka leaves to investigate on his own. Tsuzuki leaves as well. GuShoShin informs Konoe that Hisoka didn't die of disease. Konoe said he knows and that's why the boy was partnered with Tsuzuki. Later Tsuzuki is waiting for Hisoka, eating pie. After a while he decides to go back to Enma-Cho when a child faints. He runs to help. Muraki comes and offers to visit the child. After the visit, Muraki and Tsuzuki have a chat about how weak humans are, how many patients Muraki lost and how he was mistreated for it, and how beautiful it would be to have a perfect body. Tsuzuki disagrees, saying perfection doesn't exist in the world, and thinks that Muraki is 'weird'. Muraki leaves, but before doing so he warns Tsuzuki about being careful to not lose someone again.
So no, in the manga there's no battle with OhRyu, there's no a meeting with Konoe, Tatsumi, Watari, Hisoka and Tsuzuki, Muraki didn't molest Tsuzuki while talking with him and, most importantly, Tsuzuki didn't just listen him to talking with a gaping fish expression.
The anime Tsuzuki is very cute but I just don't like how 'uke' they portray him when he's around Muraki.
Dictionary:
-san: "Mr." or "Mrs."
ChiJou: Land of the Living
Enma: "Demon of Darkness". Ruler of the Land of Dead
Enma-Cho: "Office Enma". In the 5th district of JuOhCho. It's ruled by Enma himself and controls only Tokyo's territory. It hosts the Shokan-ka
GenSoKai: "Illusory World". It's where Shikigami reside and it's a mirror copy of ChiJou located in JuOhCho network
GuShoShin: "Twin Living Gods" or "Twin Gods of Life". Enma-Cho's chicken-like librarians
Jujutsu: Magic Art
JuOhCho: "Ten Kings Office". Meifu's bureaucratic organization ruled by Enma. It's in charge of judging the deceased in Japan
Kacho: "Section Chief". Konoe's title
Kyonshi: Chinese Vampire
Meifu: Land of the Dead
Shiki: Short for 'Shikigami'
Shikigami: "Ceremonial God". Summoned creatures with two forms (usually one is animal looking while the other is human looking) that live in GenSoKai
Shinigami: "God of Death" or "Death God". Nickname for the Shokan-ka workers
Shokan-Ka: "Summoning Division". Division in Enma-Cho that deals with summoning the dead to appear at court. It enters in action only when the souls of the dead don't go spontaneously to Meifu
Don't grumble silently, please let me know what you're thinking of this!
Send me your comments!
This is also available at Fanfiction.net
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')
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 Chapter' Manga version. What if
Muraki managed to break Hisoka and Enma planned Tsuzuki & Hisoka's partnership?
"Oh here you are, there's nothing left to say
You're not supposed to be that way
Did they push you out? did they throw you away?
Touch me now and I don't care
When you take me I'm not there
Almost human, but I'll never be the same
Long way down, I don't think I'll make it on my own
Long way down, I don't want to live in here alone
Long way down, I don't think I'll make it on my own
I never put you down, I never pushed you away
You're not supposed to be that way
And anything you want, there's nothing I could say
Is there anything to feel?
Is it pain that makes you real?
Cut me off before it kills me"
(Goo Goo Dolls - "Long Way Down")
Hisoka sighed, he didn't know if in relief or in exasperation. They were back in Enma-Cho. They hadn't discovered much in the studio besides that Maria 'felt' exactly like the girl they met near the crime scene. Maybe they would have discovered more hadn't Maria's mother caught them and kicked them out. Hisoka was still suffering the lingering effects of how his empathy had reacted to her excessive anger, even if he was doing his best to not show it. He groaned. And why had she discovered them? Because Tsuzuki had to go and talk to Maria. Really, the man was beyond Hisoka's comprehension.
Anyway, now that he was back in Meifu he felt safe enough, and he hoped he could stay there now that they had a suspect. He'd had the impression (but probably he was only being paranoid, he hoped he was being paranoid) _HE_ had been around when they were just out of the studio, and the sensation had be so strong he had unconsciously gripped Tsuzuki's arm. It hadn't helped that he'd also had the feeling that Tsuzuki too felt 'something', even if the man had denied it later. Anyway, he was really hoping he shouldn't have to go back to ChiJou. Of course, his hopes were shattered when Enma-Cho's database reported that their suspect had killed herself around two months ago, which was quite unbelievable since they had seen her in ChiJou a few hours ago and she hadn't looked like a rotting corpse.
Hisoka didn't like the whole story in general and he liked it even less when Tsuzuki just... vanished before their meeting with Kacho. He didn't know why the absence of Tsuzuki bothered him so much, but he just felt... hurt, betrayed even if he had no reason to be so. He felt even more... 'uneasy' when Konoe entered the room asking for the promised update over the investigation, and an inexplicable relief when Tsuzuki showed up again a second before Konoe started talking.
Tsuzuki didn't offer any explanation or apology about his absence and merely started reporting to Konoe. The two started a long discussion about Kyonshi and burial grounds, while Hisoka felt cut out and forgotten. He didn't really understand much about what the two were talking about, his supernatural knowledge being too low, but even without it, he had no problem understanding Maria was being manipulated by someone, and this meant it wasn't enough that they had discovered Maria's involvement, they also had to track down her... puppet master. He shuddered at the idea of returning back to ChiJou, but Tsuzuki didn't even seem to notice and this... hurt. He frowned. He wasn't going to let this hurt him. It was okay if Tsuzuki... Tsuzuki-san didn't care about him, since when did anyone?
Realizing Tsuzuki-san and Konoe-Kacho were probably going to continue discussing the supernatural aspects of the case, completely oblivious of his presence, he hurriedly got up, announced he was going to continue the investigation on his own, leaving Tsuzuki-san free to handle it how he preferred as well, and gave him an appointment time at the first place that came to mind. He wanted to be out of there. He was a Kurosaki. A Kurosaki didn't beg for attention from his partner. A Kurosaki didn't need it. A Kurosaki didn't desperately wish for it... He felt Tsuzuki... Tsuzuki-san's exasperation before closing the door but tried to not pay him any attention. So Tsuzuki-san considered him a child, undeserving of consideration, someone he could abandon in the middle of an investigation - without even an explanation - and pick up later, after he'd had his fun or whatever else he did when he was away, just because he had little or no knowledge about zombies, vampires and things like that? Hisoka swallowed. He would show him. He would show him and... and what? What was he desperately hoping to get from Tsuzuki? Why did he crave the older man's attention so much?
He had no idea and he feared he would never discover it.
It was hard to not pay attention to the fact that Hisoka was late. He chewed his apple pie, trying to enjoy its taste and not worry about the boy. He could understand that Hisoka had been mad at him because he had vanished just before the meeting with Konoe. He had his reasons to do so, of course. Enma liked regular reports and he couldn't just make him wait without warning like he did with Konoe. It had been troublesome enough to make up an excuse to postpone his report so he wouldn't have to leave Hisoka to deal with Konoe alone. He would have liked to apologize for his absence but he couldn't really do it without offering an explanation, and he couldn't explain without revealing something he wasn't supposed to. He had been tempted to make up a lie but... but Hisoka was an empath and would have realized it. His extra work for Enma was a matter between him and the lord of Meifu only. He wasn't allowed to talk about it with others and Enma had a not nice and very definitive way to get rid of people who knew too much.
He sighed as he swallowed some more pie. He could also understand that the boy felt cut out during the discussion since no one had bothered to give him some information about Jujutsu and supernatural phenomena. He couldn't help that.
He sighed again as he glanced at his wristwatch for the nth time. He would have been better off not doing it since every time he only got more worried but he just couldn't resist. He took another piece of apple pie. Of course, even if he could understand Hisoka's reasons, in the end, they weren't good enough to leave him to work alone. They were partners after all, he had promised Enma that he would keep an eye on the boy and... and once Hisoka was out of his sight he couldn't help but worry for him. Without power, without knowledge, without strength or the ability to control his own empathy well, the boy was an easy target. Not that there was any reason to target him and yet... He checked his watch again. Okay, so he too was rarely on time but it was 4:00 PM and they were supposed to have met an hour ago. He just knew he should have tracked Hisoka down immediately after he finished talking with Konoe, but he had thought some time alone would be good for the boy. He swallowed the last piece of his pie without even tasting it. He'd better leave and try to track down Hisoka. After all he'd already done all he could do, checking the places in which the victims were found, the TV station again and questioning people who could have witnessed or known something.
Apparently Maria had had the time and the chance to commit all the murders but who could have turned her into a Kyonshi? One of her staff? Difficult. Her stepmother? She should know something - it was hard to believe she could have not been surprised that her dead daughter had returned from the burial ground and had started working again - but could she be the one behind all this? Nope. There was no mention in her record that she had any knowledge of Jujutsu, and creating a Kyonshi wasn't exactly something an amateur could do. There was a man hanging around Maria or so it had been said. Could he be the one behind it all? He had no idea, and he also didn't know why all these questions were of secondary importance to him compared to the one that was tormenting him, and that was 'Where in the world was Hisoka?'. He glanced at his watch again after paying for his pies. 4:10 PM. Still no Hisoka in sight. Come to think of it, why had the boy asked him to meet on ChiJou? It seemed he didn't like to be here... His thoughts were interrupted by a woman's scream. A child had fainted. It wasn't his place to worry about things like that and yet... here he was trying to help the child and he didn't leave even after a doctor from Tokyo chanced upon the scene and had the little girl moved to the rest house where he could examine her. What a stupid sentimental fool he was. To think he was a Shinigami... a dark creature that stole life...(1)
Add to this the fact that his Shiki(2) and his co-workers would laugh at him to the end of his days should they discover the doctor mistook him for the child's father... Not his day really. Yet he still tried to be friendly with the doctor, a certain Muraki Kazutaka, but the guy was plain weird and his instinct was warning him to be cautious even if he couldn't understand why. He'd never seen the man before and yet somehow he had the impression that he knew him. His impeccable manners, his charming yet professional smile, his delicate and yet determinate features, the intensity of his gaze behind his glasses and the way he held the cigarette between his fingers, the well modulated voice as he talked about how weak humans were... Besides, he didn't like where the doctor's discussion was leading. He wasn't merely mourning over the loss of his patients, complaining for having been judged responsible for their deaths or dreaming a magical cure for everything. His yearning for power and a _perfect_ body... felt wrong... he had already heard someone yearning for it... long, long ago...(3)
"In this world, there is no such thing as 'perfect',"(4) he replied, frowning. He couldn't place the feeling he was getting but it definitely wasn't pleasant. The man had that sort of charm a flame had for a moth, and Tsuzuki didn't look forward to being 'burned alive'. Not at the moment, anyway, and certainly not by a stranger.(5) He felt even more uneasy when Muraki-san(6) smiled at him in a condescending way as if he was pleased with his answer even if he obviously didn't believe it. Tsuzuki felt relieved when the doctor announced he had to go. The man had done nothing wrong and yet... everything in him wanted to strike at the man the same way he would have done at a dangerous enemy. Tsuzuki didn't want him around for a second longer, and he felt guilty about it.(7) Finally the doctor seemed ready to leave. Tsuzuki felt a weird sense of relief as he realized he was about to be free to finally head back to Enma-Cho to search for Hisoka, away from those aggressive impulses the doctor was awakening in him. He was about to take the way opposite to the one Muraki-san was going, when the man removed his glasses and looked back at him with his weird, unmatched, pale eyes and the expression of one who would do anything to get his hands on what he wanted.
"By the way... Tsuzuki-san. You should also take care to not lose someone important to you again," the doctor warned him, before placing his glasses back on his nose and leaving for good. The statement froze Tsuzuki to the spot with too many thoughts and memories in his head. He didn't know if it had been the words or just the manner they had been said but... but the threat was there, and as he realized the implication it could have, he frantically ran back to Enma-Cho searching for Hisoka, desperately hoping he was fine.
JJ's Notes:
1. In the manga, Tsuzuki dislikes his work as a Shinigami a lot and perceives himself as a killer that carries misfortune.
2. Probably everyone knows this anyway... Tsuzuki owns 12 Shikigami and has a very friendly relationship with them. In the anime it is never showed but in the manga we see most of them also have a human form. Among them are Suzaku, Byakko and Touda who are showed in the anime in their animal form.
3. I'm supposing Muraki Kazutaka has something in common with his grandfather Muraki Yukitaka, who had been Tsuzuki's chief physician before his death. Why will Tsuzuki never remember Muraki Yukitaka? When he saw him, Tsuzuki was insane and only barely conscious of his surroundings and apparently later nearly completely removed that period of his life from memory. Plus, Muraki took after his mother and therefore the resemblance with his grandfather isn't so obvious.
4. It's EXACTLY what Tsuzuki said to Muraki in the manga.
5. Tsuzuki is suicidal, but since he's a Shinigami, very hard to kill. I'm supposing that since he owns a Shikigami who can burn him to death, he considered ending his existence this way BEFORE the 'Kyoto Chapter' even if tried it only then.
6. No, in the manga Tsuzuki never calls Muraki 'Muraki-san', just 'Muraki'. Why is he doing it here? Well, I figured he would be polite to him in their first meeting... (in their first meeting, Tsuzuki never calls Muraki by name so I don't know if he would use a polite form).
7. Are you shocked about Tsuzuki having aggressive impulses rather than being just scared by Muraki? Well... in a fashion he's scared. As far as I'm concerned, Tsuzuki has an aggressive, violent instinct. He's impulsive and he can get really angry. That's also what scares Tsuzuki. Since he's a nice person who doesn't want to hurt others, the mere idea of lashing out at a man even if in self defence scares him because he desperately wants to be human and not a bloodthirsty monster. At least... that's my impression.
JJ's Extra Notes:
Mn... there are so few differences between this chap and the original manga version that I was tempted to delete this chap. In the end I decided to keep it here even if it looks a bit rushed. Sorry about it but I really didn't want to rewrite all that happened in the manga. I also dislike the lack of Tsuzuki/Hisoka interaction in this chap... I'll make up for it in the next. Oh, and I cut out Tsuzuki and Enma's meeting. I'm sorry about it as well, but really... nothing exceptional happened in it. The lord of Meifu will have other chances to give us his two cents... Oh, and yes, have you noticed how Hisoka returned to 'Tsuzuki-san' now that he's mad at him?
The 'Nagasaki Arc' manga version is quite different from the anime one. Since Viz recently printed the first YnM volume I guess now there are many more people knowing about this. Anyway... for who wants the basic differences...
In the manga Tsuzuki and Hisoka enter the TV studio and see Maria. Tsuzuki gets her autograph (LOL). Maria's stepmother literally kicks them out. Muraki sees them leaving. The two go back to Enma-Cho and discover Maria is dead. Muraki is informed by Maria's stepmother that Tsuzuki and Hisoka went there. Tsuzuki and Hisoka report to Konoe and Konoe only about what they discovered. Hisoka leaves to investigate on his own. Tsuzuki leaves as well. GuShoShin informs Konoe that Hisoka didn't die of disease. Konoe said he knows and that's why the boy was partnered with Tsuzuki. Later Tsuzuki is waiting for Hisoka, eating pie. After a while he decides to go back to Enma-Cho when a child faints. He runs to help. Muraki comes and offers to visit the child. After the visit, Muraki and Tsuzuki have a chat about how weak humans are, how many patients Muraki lost and how he was mistreated for it, and how beautiful it would be to have a perfect body. Tsuzuki disagrees, saying perfection doesn't exist in the world, and thinks that Muraki is 'weird'. Muraki leaves, but before doing so he warns Tsuzuki about being careful to not lose someone again.
So no, in the manga there's no battle with OhRyu, there's no a meeting with Konoe, Tatsumi, Watari, Hisoka and Tsuzuki, Muraki didn't molest Tsuzuki while talking with him and, most importantly, Tsuzuki didn't just listen him to talking with a gaping fish expression.
The anime Tsuzuki is very cute but I just don't like how 'uke' they portray him when he's around Muraki.
Dictionary:
-san: "Mr." or "Mrs."
ChiJou: Land of the Living
Enma: "Demon of Darkness". Ruler of the Land of Dead
Enma-Cho: "Office Enma". In the 5th district of JuOhCho. It's ruled by Enma himself and controls only Tokyo's territory. It hosts the Shokan-ka
GenSoKai: "Illusory World". It's where Shikigami reside and it's a mirror copy of ChiJou located in JuOhCho network
GuShoShin: "Twin Living Gods" or "Twin Gods of Life". Enma-Cho's chicken-like librarians
Jujutsu: Magic Art
JuOhCho: "Ten Kings Office". Meifu's bureaucratic organization ruled by Enma. It's in charge of judging the deceased in Japan
Kacho: "Section Chief". Konoe's title
Kyonshi: Chinese Vampire
Meifu: Land of the Dead
Shiki: Short for 'Shikigami'
Shikigami: "Ceremonial God". Summoned creatures with two forms (usually one is animal looking while the other is human looking) that live in GenSoKai
Shinigami: "God of Death" or "Death God". Nickname for the Shokan-ka workers
Shokan-Ka: "Summoning Division". Division in Enma-Cho that deals with summoning the dead to appear at court. It enters in action only when the souls of the dead don't go spontaneously to Meifu
Don't grumble silently, please let me know what you're thinking of this!
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