It took the weary empath nearly an hour to patch his partner and himself back up, and near the end of it, Tsuzuki's eyes blinked open. His healing abilities were kicking in, albeit slowly, but at least it didn't hurt to breath anymore. He looked at Hisoka, so exhausted, so battered so…cute… He wanted to help him, to make his pain go away, but as he reached out his hands to help, Hisoka took them and put them back down, refusing to let him strain himself.

"Just wait…" he said, as evenly as he could, what with his back healing slowly and painfully. Once it was finished, he plopped down onto the bed, Tsuzuki's bed, amongst the many fluffy pillows he'd gathered, and heaved a sigh of relief. Now he was spent, and Tsuzuki had no objections to hold him back. He scooted closer carefully, and stroked a bandage on the other's cheek.

"Hisoka…" Though there was a cut there, it wasn't only that which made his heart fall. He finally remembered… "Hisoka, I'm sorry… I-I hit you…" Apologetically, Tsuzuki continued to stroke his cheek, his arm, that tiny wrist leading to a badly torn hand… But Hisoka shook his head at him, struggling to keep his eyes open.

"No… it wasn't your fault."

"But it was my hand… I hurt you." Guilt was pouring out of Tsuzuki, and it didn't seem like it would cease anytime soon. How, Hisoka wondered, could he convince his partner he wasn't mad at him? Tsuzuki feared the hatred of other people so badly, he lied and sacrificed his own comfort for the sake of the people around him. But… that hurt Hisoka, too. And here he was, beating himself up over things he had no control of, once again.

"Tsuzuki, you baka…" Hisoka said, shifting closer to his partner. Tsuzuki's hands stopped moving, his eyes widening slightly as the boy came close, lips pressing against his skin. Hisoka had intended to place the sleepy kiss on Tsuzuki's cheek, but he missed in his haze and caught the edge of the brunette's mouth. Still, this action was more than startling, and definitely not unwelcome.

"I don't blame you… I never will." Smiling quite brightly as Hisoka moved around to settle against him, things seemed to be looking up. The guilt was forgotten, and the only thing Tsuzuki or Hisoka thought about, lingered on, were the sound of their voices, whispering soft assurances, and the feel of the other's body as they shared their warmth throughout the cold night. No more thoughts that night lingered on Muraki, or when he would show his face to them again.

Back in the park, however, the leaves were stirring and the form of a small silvery kitten changed. Leaves moves aside as he sat upright, shadows dancing across every curve and muscle, skin and hair glowing in the moonlight. It had long since stopped raining, but hair was still plastered to the slender face as his mouth was drawn into a smile. The man's tongue flicked out to lick his soft lips, savoring the flavor still lingering there. he remembered the soft, warm skin.. and he'd remember it for a long time.

"So Mr. Tsuzuki… I finally got… my little taste." The night filled with soft snickering before fading back into silence, amongst the sakura trees…