Hi Folks, this is my first YnM fic and the first story I have posted on
fanfiction.net. I am surprised that the first chapter turned out to be
Tsuzuki+Hisoka, I'm not even into that pairing really (scratches head.) But
I guess it was essential for the plot of the story (which is a long one if
I manage to sit down and write it) and if things go the way I've planned,
there will be a lot of Tsuzuki angst coming up (tons of it, gobs of it,)
and lots more characters.
Disclaimer: Yeah, right. As if I could ever own Yami no Matsuei. I don't even know Japanese.
...........
The Trial- Chapter 1
He was alone again. Where was he? Hisoka looked around, wondering about the vast number of trees surrounding him and the gravel road he was standing on. It was night. Not one of those creepy nights with the bleeding red moon. In fact, he couldn't see the moon; it was hidden behind a speck of clouds. But it still provided enough light for him to see in front of his feet although it didn't make the atmosphere less eerie. A chilling, unpleasant wind blew under his nightshirt as he stood there looking around.
Without a thought or destination in mind he started walking. Trees went by him like an old strip of film in one of those rundown amusement rides. They weren't normal trees even, now that he looked at them up close. They looked like ghosts, like the trees he'd seen in the paintings at the Earl's castle. Vaguely shaped and fuzzy looking, their colors, mostly pale watermarks, bleeding into one another. "A dream. I must be in a dream," he said as he walked along.
All of a sudden the tree-lined road ended and he stepped into a clearing. The moon chose that moment to slip out from under the clouds and he saw a figure at the center of the space lying face down on the ground. It was a man, he looked unconscious and his dark trench coat spread around him like the flaps of open wings. His chocolate brown hair hid a face that was turned to one side and away from Hisoka. Hisoka's breath hitched as recognition dawned on him, and he whispered a name the moment his breath came back to him. "Tsuzuki!"
Almost instinctively, Hisoka ran towards the figure on the ground and kneeled down beside it. He reached out and turned the man over looking straight into the face of his partner. Tsuzuki seemed unconscious, his beautiful amethyst eyes closed and strands of dark brown hair falling onto his face that looked paler than the moonlight. Hisoka brushed the hair away, trying not to panic. He lifted the unconscious man in his arms and kept staring at his face; reaching with his mind to sense any kind of awareness from the man he was holding but only finding emptiness. "Tsuzuki!" he cried out, "Please, wake up. Wake up. Gods, what happened?"
Tsuzuki didn't move, even when Hisoka started shaking him desperately while calling out his name. Hisoka was too drenched in his concern for his friend to notice odd, ghostly shapes detaching themselves from the trees around the circle and moving silently towards him. He was still holding the unconscious man in his arms, now calling to him only softly, when a shadow fell over Tsuzuki's face. Hisoka looked up. A shape was obscuring the moon. It wasn't quite solid enough to block the moonlight completely and Hisoka could see the circle of the moon every time it passes over it. There were a number of them, phantom like silhouettes gliding over his head like a pack of vultures. He shuddered and muffled a scream when he saw a pair of bright yellow eyes open and look at him in what seemed to be a face and then the one with the eyes slowly diving down, sliding in the air like a blob of airborne oil and reaching out a dark, bony hand from its formless body. He tightened his arms around Tsuzuki when he saw the creature was grabbing for his partner and screamed when he saw the rest of them descend and do the same. His hold on Tsuzuki loosened when they found purchase and started pulling him out of his hands. Soon he lost his clasp on him, watching in helpless horror as Tsuzuki's body was lifted into the air and taken away by the liquid strength of those fearsome creatures. Before moonlight filled his eyes he saw Tsuzuki's head hung back and his innocent face as it appeared in front of him. For a split second, the amethyst eyes slit open, aiming a look of such despair and loneliness toward him that the emotions threatened to choke him right there. Before he could take another breath to speak they were gone, leaving Hisoka alone in the middle of the circle of trees under the pale light of the washed-out moon.
It took him a while to overcome his shock and release the scream he had bottled up in the back of his throat.
"TSUZUKI!!!"
And with that, he bolted out of his sleep.
It was the middle of the night and Hisoka blinked a couple of times before his eyes got used to the darkness. He took a few deep breaths but it seemed like his lungs didn't want to let air pass through them, judging by the sound of his gasps. He thought about what he had seen as soon as he got his breathing under control. Lovely. A new kind of nightmare. So far, his most popular night terrors were either of Muraki's torment or Tsuzuki sitting amidst Touda's fire with him unable to reach him. This one was a new breed; he wondered where it had come from.
He knew sleep wouldn't come that easily after that. Especially since.no, he wouldn't think about that, it was best to ignore the pain for now. He rolled onto his side and hugged his body, curling in a fetal position and trying to drive the thoughts of pain and nightmare out of his mind.
His bedroom door creaked open and somebody's head peeked inside.
Hisoka opened his eyes. Who.?
He recognized the man as soon as the faint light in the room fell on his silky brown hair. It was Tsuzuki. Hisoka had forgotten that his partner was staying over that night. They had gotten used to doing that after the whole Kyoto chapter, staying at each other's place for comfort. Tsuzuki usually slept in the guest room next door. He must have woken him up he thought.
"Hisoka?"
Hisoka closed his eyes, feigning sleep. He didn't feel like talking right now, but he also knew that Tsuzuki must have seen him awake and wouldn't be going away.
Tsuzuki came into the room and took a few hesitant steps. He came to stand a few feet from the bed, uncertain of what to do next. He didn't want to wake Hisoka, the boy needed as much sleep as he could get. But he could swear he had seen him blink when he came into the room.
Annoyed at Tsuzuki's awkwardness Hisoka finally gave in and opened his eyes.
"Tsuzuki, what do you want?"
Tsuzuki pouted at Hisoka's irritated tone, "I heard you call my name."
"Baka, I didn't call your name. Go back to sleep."
"But I heard you myself, you said 'Tsuzuki'."
"I said." but then he remembered. The end tail of the nightmare. He *had* screamed Tsuzuki's name in his dream. Had he screamed it out loud?
"I had a nightmare; nothing important."
Tsuzuki came closer and sat on the bed, dipping the mattress under his weight. A sliver of moonlight illuminated his face, revealing the kind and concerned look he was giving his partner. Silently he reached out and stroked the sweat-soaked hair out of Hisoka's eyes.
"You ok now?" he asked, his voice full of compassion. Hisoka found himself leaning into the caress, nodding his head slightly.
"Muraki?"
The boy shook his head no. He didn't want to elaborate any more. Not before he had time to analyze this newest of his nightmares himself.
"Sure you don't want to talk about it?"
Another shake of his head. This time a yes.
Tsuzuki sighed and without warning, swung his legs over the bed and laid down next to the blond. Hisoka was ready to protest when glistening amethyst orbs turned towards him and a hand touched his cheek. The comfort the small gesture gave him, coupled with waves of emotional care and concern coming from Tsuzuki, was all he needed to wipe away any thoughts of half hearted protest he might have entertained.
He found himself breathing out a sigh.
"Tsuzuki, am I ever going to lose you?"
Tsuzuki's gentle stare changed into one of confusion. He looked shocked at his Partners words. But his shock was noting compared to Hisoka's own surprise, putting a hand over his mouth and looking at Tsuzuki with puzzled green eyes. Where had that come from?
"What do you mean, Hisoka? Why would you ever have to lose me?" Tsuzuki whispered, his voice infinitely gentle despite his puzzlement.
Hisoka sighed, "Never mind, something about that dream I suppose."
Tsuzuki's hand returned to tenderly stroke his face. This time Hisoka flinched and hugged himself more tightly. Tsuzuki's brow furrowed in worry.
"There's something else, isn't it?"
Hisoka fidgeted. Unsure. "Yeah," he murmured, "My curse marks are burning." He hated his weakness. Didn't like to whine like a child but couldn't help himself with Tsuzuki being so soft and cuddly towards him.
Tsuzuki's frown, however, deepened. "Are you sure it's not him?" Both of them knew whom he was talking about.
Hisoka rolled onto his back, one arm stretched above his head and emerald eyes looking at the ceiling.
"I honestly don't know, it's been like this for a while, a few nights to be exact. I usually try to ignore it and go to sleep, but tonight, the nightmare woke me up."
He could hear Tsuzuki's sharp intake of breath and sense his emotions change from concern into fiery anger. He knew how much Tsuzuki hated Muraki. What amazed him was how he always got worked up over the issue when it concerned Hisoka and what the psychopathic doctor had done to him instead of what he himself had gone through at the evil man's hands.
Hisoka closed his eyes and tried to clear his mind from all those unpleasant memories. It was easier said than done. Once the image of the madman invaded his thoughts it was hard to make it leave. He let out a deep sigh and shivered slightly. All of a sudden, he felt strong arms gather him into a soft embrace and the brush of Tsuzuki's silky hair tickling the side of his face. Tsuzuki was so warm, so supple, and he found himself melting in his arms.
"Sleep, Hisoka. I'll be here when you wake up."
Almost without a conscious will, Hisoka sank deeper into the gentle arms, basking in the warmth and protection his best friend gave him. His thoughts started to drift again. He thought about himself, about what he had found in his life after death. How could he ever be able to live without this? Why should he think about losing it anyway? Gods, please don't make my Tsuzuki go away, ever. I need him to be by my side. I need him like this, need him so much. My dear, dear Tsuzuki-chan. Please don't take him away from me.
"Promise me, that you'll never leave me alone." He muttered almost inaudibly into Tsuzuki's chest. He felt the arms tighten around him and a whisper, nearly as muffled as his own, breathed into his hair.
"I promise. Now go to sleep."
And with that, they both fell into a peaceful sleep.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Author's note: Ok, now is a good time to tell you that I'm actually new to YnM. I've seen the anime with terrible subs and have only read four volumes of the mange, so if anything here sounds out of place please let me know. I'd appreciate your thoughts on my writing.
Disclaimer: Yeah, right. As if I could ever own Yami no Matsuei. I don't even know Japanese.
...........
The Trial- Chapter 1
He was alone again. Where was he? Hisoka looked around, wondering about the vast number of trees surrounding him and the gravel road he was standing on. It was night. Not one of those creepy nights with the bleeding red moon. In fact, he couldn't see the moon; it was hidden behind a speck of clouds. But it still provided enough light for him to see in front of his feet although it didn't make the atmosphere less eerie. A chilling, unpleasant wind blew under his nightshirt as he stood there looking around.
Without a thought or destination in mind he started walking. Trees went by him like an old strip of film in one of those rundown amusement rides. They weren't normal trees even, now that he looked at them up close. They looked like ghosts, like the trees he'd seen in the paintings at the Earl's castle. Vaguely shaped and fuzzy looking, their colors, mostly pale watermarks, bleeding into one another. "A dream. I must be in a dream," he said as he walked along.
All of a sudden the tree-lined road ended and he stepped into a clearing. The moon chose that moment to slip out from under the clouds and he saw a figure at the center of the space lying face down on the ground. It was a man, he looked unconscious and his dark trench coat spread around him like the flaps of open wings. His chocolate brown hair hid a face that was turned to one side and away from Hisoka. Hisoka's breath hitched as recognition dawned on him, and he whispered a name the moment his breath came back to him. "Tsuzuki!"
Almost instinctively, Hisoka ran towards the figure on the ground and kneeled down beside it. He reached out and turned the man over looking straight into the face of his partner. Tsuzuki seemed unconscious, his beautiful amethyst eyes closed and strands of dark brown hair falling onto his face that looked paler than the moonlight. Hisoka brushed the hair away, trying not to panic. He lifted the unconscious man in his arms and kept staring at his face; reaching with his mind to sense any kind of awareness from the man he was holding but only finding emptiness. "Tsuzuki!" he cried out, "Please, wake up. Wake up. Gods, what happened?"
Tsuzuki didn't move, even when Hisoka started shaking him desperately while calling out his name. Hisoka was too drenched in his concern for his friend to notice odd, ghostly shapes detaching themselves from the trees around the circle and moving silently towards him. He was still holding the unconscious man in his arms, now calling to him only softly, when a shadow fell over Tsuzuki's face. Hisoka looked up. A shape was obscuring the moon. It wasn't quite solid enough to block the moonlight completely and Hisoka could see the circle of the moon every time it passes over it. There were a number of them, phantom like silhouettes gliding over his head like a pack of vultures. He shuddered and muffled a scream when he saw a pair of bright yellow eyes open and look at him in what seemed to be a face and then the one with the eyes slowly diving down, sliding in the air like a blob of airborne oil and reaching out a dark, bony hand from its formless body. He tightened his arms around Tsuzuki when he saw the creature was grabbing for his partner and screamed when he saw the rest of them descend and do the same. His hold on Tsuzuki loosened when they found purchase and started pulling him out of his hands. Soon he lost his clasp on him, watching in helpless horror as Tsuzuki's body was lifted into the air and taken away by the liquid strength of those fearsome creatures. Before moonlight filled his eyes he saw Tsuzuki's head hung back and his innocent face as it appeared in front of him. For a split second, the amethyst eyes slit open, aiming a look of such despair and loneliness toward him that the emotions threatened to choke him right there. Before he could take another breath to speak they were gone, leaving Hisoka alone in the middle of the circle of trees under the pale light of the washed-out moon.
It took him a while to overcome his shock and release the scream he had bottled up in the back of his throat.
"TSUZUKI!!!"
And with that, he bolted out of his sleep.
It was the middle of the night and Hisoka blinked a couple of times before his eyes got used to the darkness. He took a few deep breaths but it seemed like his lungs didn't want to let air pass through them, judging by the sound of his gasps. He thought about what he had seen as soon as he got his breathing under control. Lovely. A new kind of nightmare. So far, his most popular night terrors were either of Muraki's torment or Tsuzuki sitting amidst Touda's fire with him unable to reach him. This one was a new breed; he wondered where it had come from.
He knew sleep wouldn't come that easily after that. Especially since.no, he wouldn't think about that, it was best to ignore the pain for now. He rolled onto his side and hugged his body, curling in a fetal position and trying to drive the thoughts of pain and nightmare out of his mind.
His bedroom door creaked open and somebody's head peeked inside.
Hisoka opened his eyes. Who.?
He recognized the man as soon as the faint light in the room fell on his silky brown hair. It was Tsuzuki. Hisoka had forgotten that his partner was staying over that night. They had gotten used to doing that after the whole Kyoto chapter, staying at each other's place for comfort. Tsuzuki usually slept in the guest room next door. He must have woken him up he thought.
"Hisoka?"
Hisoka closed his eyes, feigning sleep. He didn't feel like talking right now, but he also knew that Tsuzuki must have seen him awake and wouldn't be going away.
Tsuzuki came into the room and took a few hesitant steps. He came to stand a few feet from the bed, uncertain of what to do next. He didn't want to wake Hisoka, the boy needed as much sleep as he could get. But he could swear he had seen him blink when he came into the room.
Annoyed at Tsuzuki's awkwardness Hisoka finally gave in and opened his eyes.
"Tsuzuki, what do you want?"
Tsuzuki pouted at Hisoka's irritated tone, "I heard you call my name."
"Baka, I didn't call your name. Go back to sleep."
"But I heard you myself, you said 'Tsuzuki'."
"I said." but then he remembered. The end tail of the nightmare. He *had* screamed Tsuzuki's name in his dream. Had he screamed it out loud?
"I had a nightmare; nothing important."
Tsuzuki came closer and sat on the bed, dipping the mattress under his weight. A sliver of moonlight illuminated his face, revealing the kind and concerned look he was giving his partner. Silently he reached out and stroked the sweat-soaked hair out of Hisoka's eyes.
"You ok now?" he asked, his voice full of compassion. Hisoka found himself leaning into the caress, nodding his head slightly.
"Muraki?"
The boy shook his head no. He didn't want to elaborate any more. Not before he had time to analyze this newest of his nightmares himself.
"Sure you don't want to talk about it?"
Another shake of his head. This time a yes.
Tsuzuki sighed and without warning, swung his legs over the bed and laid down next to the blond. Hisoka was ready to protest when glistening amethyst orbs turned towards him and a hand touched his cheek. The comfort the small gesture gave him, coupled with waves of emotional care and concern coming from Tsuzuki, was all he needed to wipe away any thoughts of half hearted protest he might have entertained.
He found himself breathing out a sigh.
"Tsuzuki, am I ever going to lose you?"
Tsuzuki's gentle stare changed into one of confusion. He looked shocked at his Partners words. But his shock was noting compared to Hisoka's own surprise, putting a hand over his mouth and looking at Tsuzuki with puzzled green eyes. Where had that come from?
"What do you mean, Hisoka? Why would you ever have to lose me?" Tsuzuki whispered, his voice infinitely gentle despite his puzzlement.
Hisoka sighed, "Never mind, something about that dream I suppose."
Tsuzuki's hand returned to tenderly stroke his face. This time Hisoka flinched and hugged himself more tightly. Tsuzuki's brow furrowed in worry.
"There's something else, isn't it?"
Hisoka fidgeted. Unsure. "Yeah," he murmured, "My curse marks are burning." He hated his weakness. Didn't like to whine like a child but couldn't help himself with Tsuzuki being so soft and cuddly towards him.
Tsuzuki's frown, however, deepened. "Are you sure it's not him?" Both of them knew whom he was talking about.
Hisoka rolled onto his back, one arm stretched above his head and emerald eyes looking at the ceiling.
"I honestly don't know, it's been like this for a while, a few nights to be exact. I usually try to ignore it and go to sleep, but tonight, the nightmare woke me up."
He could hear Tsuzuki's sharp intake of breath and sense his emotions change from concern into fiery anger. He knew how much Tsuzuki hated Muraki. What amazed him was how he always got worked up over the issue when it concerned Hisoka and what the psychopathic doctor had done to him instead of what he himself had gone through at the evil man's hands.
Hisoka closed his eyes and tried to clear his mind from all those unpleasant memories. It was easier said than done. Once the image of the madman invaded his thoughts it was hard to make it leave. He let out a deep sigh and shivered slightly. All of a sudden, he felt strong arms gather him into a soft embrace and the brush of Tsuzuki's silky hair tickling the side of his face. Tsuzuki was so warm, so supple, and he found himself melting in his arms.
"Sleep, Hisoka. I'll be here when you wake up."
Almost without a conscious will, Hisoka sank deeper into the gentle arms, basking in the warmth and protection his best friend gave him. His thoughts started to drift again. He thought about himself, about what he had found in his life after death. How could he ever be able to live without this? Why should he think about losing it anyway? Gods, please don't make my Tsuzuki go away, ever. I need him to be by my side. I need him like this, need him so much. My dear, dear Tsuzuki-chan. Please don't take him away from me.
"Promise me, that you'll never leave me alone." He muttered almost inaudibly into Tsuzuki's chest. He felt the arms tighten around him and a whisper, nearly as muffled as his own, breathed into his hair.
"I promise. Now go to sleep."
And with that, they both fell into a peaceful sleep.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Author's note: Ok, now is a good time to tell you that I'm actually new to YnM. I've seen the anime with terrible subs and have only read four volumes of the mange, so if anything here sounds out of place please let me know. I'd appreciate your thoughts on my writing.