Title: Abandoned (1/?)

Author: WolfPilot06

Category: AU, shonen ai, angst, yaoi in the future, NCS in the future, some shota/child abuse (if you will), angels flying about in dark brown suits

Pairings: (will be) Tsuzuki x Hisoka, Muraki x Hisoka, Terazuma + Wakaba

Notes: This is going to be an EPIC, I can tell.  Like, really really long.  Because I already have a majority of the story planned out, and it is going to be long.  As in really long.  But now I'm being redundant…on to the fic!

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It was a quiet afternoon in the Angel Detective Division of Heaven, Human Activities Department.  All that could be heard was the soft, muffled sound of an ancient fan wheezing in the corner, blowing with all its feeble might in an attempt to cool the dim interior of the office.  A hand passed wearily over its owner's brow, wiping away the thin sheen of sweat that had collected on lightly tanned skin as blue eyes gazed out the window at the blossom-laden trees outside. 

One would think that Heaven was a place of endless spring and angels walking around in blinding white togas, chatting lightly under the cover of beautiful trees with boughs full of delicate blooms and lounging about on cushions laid out under the sun, sipping elegantly from crystal goblets filled with ambrosia.  One would hardly imagine angels in dark brown suits, magnificent dark blue wings protruding from the back and fluttering slightly in the dank heat of an ancient office building. 

Tatsumi Seiichirou was a typical angel, however, save the fact that he worked in the Angel Detective Division and possessed magic powers beyond those of ordinary celestial beings.  The hand that had wiped the sweat from his forehead now adjusted the thin-frame glasses resting upon his nose, which he wore in spite of his perfect vision, a reminder of his mortal life like the suit he wore despite the stifling heat of day.  He sighed wearily and shuffled the papers upon his desk, reading through budget reports and case files rapidly with inhuman concentration, pausing occasionally to jot down a note in his neat, precise handwriting. 

A sliver of light fell across the floor as a slender figure slipped through the partially opened door.  Tatsumi did not raise his head, quickly adding up the numbers displayed before him, though a slight hesitation in his movements showed he was aware of the newcomer.  Soft, shuffling footsteps approached his desk tentatively and stopped. 

The secretary of the Angel Division continued with his report, ignoring the slight young boy waiting before him.  The child, for he could be no older than sixteen with his light blond-brown hair and large green eyes, twisted his hands nervously as he waited for the older angel's attention to turn to him. 

Finally, Tatsumi set aside the record with a sigh, massaging his temples briefly.  He was vaguely startled when he felt a pair of slender hands touch the back of his neck tentatively, warm, soft fingertips finding each tense spot and carefully rubbing it in soothing, relaxing circles.  He turned his head slightly to look into wide emerald orbs, a faint smile touching the younger angel's pale lips as his pure white wings flapped lightly once. 

"Kurosaki-kun," Tatsumi said warmly, "Thank you."

The child tilted his head slightly to one side, the smile still hovering on his face as his hands moved lower to massage Tatsumi's shoulders firmly.

"Tired?" he asked simply.  Tatsumi sighed and nodded wearily, dropping his head into his hands with a slight shudder of pleasure as the soothing touch moved to his wings and skillfully rubbed along the edges in comforting strokes.  

The comforting silence stretched out between the two, broken only by the sound of the decrepit fan still struggling to survive.  Four desks over, an older angel snoozed in his chair, tilted dangerously back and snoring with his mouth open.  Occasionally, he would snort and a tan wing would twitch enthusiastically for a few moments before settling against the other again.  Hisoka smiled, watching him, the look coming easily to his young and untroubled face.

A faint murmur came from beyond the still open door, two angels passing by and talking, their loud and boisterous laughter filtering into the office.  Tatsumi saw Hisoka flinch slightly, a devastated look entering his eyes, and felt an answering wave of protectiveness rise in his chest.  The angel raised his hand slightly, gesturing at the shadows cast by the door.  A dark tendril rose quickly from the pooled darkness, closing the door lightly with a click before settling to the ground again.  Receiving a quick smile from Hisoka in reward, Tatsumi then straightened in his chair and motioned for Hisoka to take a seat in front of his desk, feeling a slight wave of regret as soft hands slipped from his shoulders, leaving in their wake a trail of warmth. 

Hisoka settled into the worn chair easily, fanning his wings over the back and folding his hands in his lap as he waited patiently for Tatsumi to speak. 

"You have a mission."

Whatever it was that Hisoka expected him to say, it wasn't that.  The young angel nearly fell out of his chair in shock. 

"W-what?" he stammered.  Tatsumi adjusted his glasses slightly and leaned forward, his eyes showing how clearly unhappy he was with the situation.

"I've received orders from the Council to send you out on a reconnaissance mission." Tatsumi explained, "You are to go to the human world this night and observe a small group of demons that have been gathering recently."

"By myself?" Hisoka asked, his voice hushed with surprise.  The older angel could see his wings beginning to twitch with eagerness and sighed. 

"Yes.  I volunteered to send another angel with you, or to go with you myself, but the Council insisted that you go alone." Hisoka seemed to finally notice his irritation, though perhaps it was because Tatsumi was feeling annoyed enough to let his shields on his emotions slip slightly.  Hisoka was an empath, the only one among all the hundreds of thousands of angels that inhabited the vast expanses of Heaven.  While his "gift" granted him the power to hear the thoughts and feel the emotions of people around him, it was also a curse, one that caused the child, barely thirteen years old since his creation, to be shunned by his fellow angels.  Pale wings drooped slightly and Hisoka slumped back in his chair.

"You don't think I can go alone?" Disappointment and hurt showed in his quiet voice, gaze dropping to stare at the scratched and battered desk front.  The secretary sighed again and pushed up his glasses, shaking his head.

"It's not that, Kurosaki-kun, it's-"

"Hisoka."  Tatsumi blinked at the young angel's uncharacteristic interruption.  Green eyes rose to his face, their depths anguished and vulnerable.

"My name is Hisoka, Tatsumi-san." He said softly, "Can't you pretend like you are my friend, at least?" His voice dropped into a whisper, "You're the only one I've got."

After an awkward pause, Tatsumi rose stiffly from his chair and approached Hisoka, placing a hand on his slender shoulder.

"Hisoka," he said uncomfortably, obviously unused to dropping formalities, "I…you know I believe you capable of taking care of yourself."

Hisoka shrugged half-heartedly.  Tatsumi paused, trying to collect himself enough to say what he knew the younger angel needed to hear.

"And…I'm not your only friend, Hisoka-chan." He said gently, smiling at Hisoka as he looked up at him, eyes wide. "Watari-san and Konoe-Kacho are also your friends.  And I'm sure that 003 and that toaster creature Watari-san calls 'Bob' are also your friends."

Hisoka laughed at the mischievous twinkle in Tatsumi's eye, jumping to his feet to hug the startled secretary tightly.

"Thank you, Tatsumi-san," Hisoka squeezed again.  Tatsumi didn't need to be an empath to feel the relief the young angel was experiencing at the moment.  He lightly clasped his arms around the slender figure for a moment, a fond smile on his lips as he ruffled Hisoka's blond-brown hair. 

"Go rest up.  You'll most likely have a long night of it." He ordered, his suddenly formal tone softened by the tender look in his eyes as he looked at his young charge.  Hisoka nodded, pulling away and bowing slightly. 

"I'll see you when I get back, Tatsumi-san!" he promised, "And I'll tell you everything about the demons!  I'll even be able to tell you what they ate for breakfast and how old each one of them is!"

Tatsumi turned a little green around the edges as he thought of what demons usually ate for "breakfast".

"I hope not, Kurosaki-kun," he said, automatically, it seemed, reverting to his old mode of address.  Hisoka beamed at him, seeming not to mind any more.  "I just want to find out what they're up to."

Hisoka bowed again, white wings trembling with excitement.  Impulsively, he hugged Tatsumi again, shouting over his shoulder as he left.

"I'll find it all out, I promise!"

The office was silent once more in the wake of Hisoka's departure, the old fan finally sputtering to a stop, filling the room with the monotonous buzzing of the now deceased motor.  The older angel still snored in his chair, but Tatsumi was not surprised when he abruptly stopped and sat up, looking at the secretary gravely. 

"You're not happy about this case, I take it?"

"Konoe-Kacho, once again your perceptiveness amazes me." Tatsumi said dryly, rearranging some papers on his desk.  "And here I thought my irritation was evident only to young Kurosaki-kun."

"Tatsumi-san, when you lose your cool enough to actually yell at the Council, I know you're irritated." Konoe replied just as dryly, "Would it do any good to assure you that the case is positively safe?"

Tatsumi paused, the muscle in his jaw tightening slightly as he turned to look at the elder angel.  Konoe did not look nearly as convinced in his words as his tone implied.

"Konoe-Kacho, with all due respect," Tatsumi began slowly, blue eyes narrowing behind the frame of his glasses, "The Council hates Kurosaki-kun.  They would not hesitate once at an opportunity to have him killed.  You know this as well as I do.  The very fact that they are sending an inexperienced young angel without any offensive magical power whatsoever and only defensive and healing powers to do a night reconnaissance mission on a pack of demons that we very well know have slain more powerful angels before does not reassure me in the least that the mission is safe."  He slammed his hand against his desk, his voice rising in agitation throughout his speech.  "Not only that, but they refuse to allow any to accompany him when they know this is his first flight down to the humans' world.  They are trying to get him killed, Konoe-Kacho, and I have to sit here and pray to the God that created him and left him to fend for himself that he will return safely."

"Tatsumi." Konoe's voice was warning.  The secretary took a deep breath and sighed heavily, running a hand through his hair roughly as he tried to calm himself down.

"I'm sorry, Kacho." Tatsumi said flatly, "But it infuriates me to know that they turn away from him without even knowing what he's like.  He's the most innocent, trusting child I have ever met, and they treat him like a monster.  I cannot forgive them for this."  He paused before bowing briefly to Konoe, "Now if you excuse me, I'm going to go and try to keep an eye on the Council and see if they have anything evil in mind for Kurosaki-kun."

"Tatsumi, I will try to keep an eye on him," Konoe called after Tatsumi.  The brown-suited man paused in the doorway, dark blue wings pressed together angrily relaxing slightly at Konoe's words.  Tatsumi turned back, nodded stiffly at Konoe, and left. 

Konoe let his breath out explosively and sat heavily in his chair.  He buried his face in his hands.

"I just don't know if I can help him."

TBC

C&C would be much appreciated =D

**Wolf**