Disclaimer: I do not own Yami no Matsuei

Notes: The names of some of the Shinigami have been altered a bit, mainly to suit my personal tastes. As I said in a previous chapter, I've shuffled some of the Shikigami into the Shinigami posts: Kouchin has been merged with Kochou to become Nonomiya Chouko; Daion has become Inoue Yuudai; Tenkuu has become Miyamoto Tenchi; Genbu has inspired Kurosawa Rikuto (Genbu will appear in Gensoukai, though he is not one of Tsuzuki's Shiki); and the shiisaa Chizuru adopted has become Watanabe Shinobu. I renamed Shin as "Shinju" because I like it better.

Kiiro Manami is Maria Wong if she was Japanese. One of the readings of the last name "Wong" translates to "yellow", hence the last name "Kiiro" (Japanese for "yellow"). "Manami" can be split into "mana", with the kanji reading of "love; affection", and "mi", with the kanji meaning of "sea, ocean"; Miryam, the root name for Maria, has a debated etymology and could mean "sea of bitterness" from the Hebrew, but could also be based on "Mr", Egyptian for "love". I tell you this not because it particularly matters but because I like to show off my research skills.

Going to someone's house is a bigger deal in Japan than it is in America, but I just kinda see Wakaba worming her way into Hisoka and Miya's apartment. It helps that they're all really teenagers and probably a little less inclined to formality.

Interlude I – Introductions

"Whatcha doing there, Tsuzuki?"

"Nothing." Tsuzuki quickly and none too subtly closed the book and flipped it over, hiding the title against the desk. He had hoped the obscure corner of the massive library would have protected him from anyone accidentally encroaching on his study of the books and handwritten notes Father Hakuro had given him—his own apartment actually would not, since other Shinigami and acquaintances of his in the building were likely to knock on his door for one reason or another—but of course Watari would not be bound by such things as amateur statistical analysis.

"Did I wake you up?" Watari said with a laugh.

"Yep, you caught me," Tsuzuki lied swiftly, gathering up the papers and settling them, facedown, on top of the book. So much for research. Hopefully the visit would be short; he still had yet to scour the library for any books that it might have on the subject.

"How are you? I heard your last case was pretty rough." Watari sat down next to Tsuzuki. "You had to bring out three of your Shiki?"

"Yeah. And I landed in the hospital with a very crispy back," Tsuzuki said with a laugh.

"I heard from Tatsumi about that. You feeling okay now?"

"Obviously, since I'm walking around."

Watari lightly punched Tsuzuki in the arm. "Don't be cheeky."

"Sorry, sorry..."

"How about your new partner? Tatsumi said he got hurt, too."

"He did, but he's okay now," Tsuzuki said, with expertly rehearsed nonchalance.

"So who is this new guy anyway?" Watari pulled his chair closer. "I'm hearing some crazy things about him."

"Like what?" Tsuzuki said, hoping his cool hadn't melted.

"Like being able to use Reibaku and synchronization in close succession," Watari elaborated, much to Tsuzuki's invisible relief. "Is that true too?"

"Indeed it is."

"Oh, wow. That's really impressive. And he has other powers, too?"

"Yeah. He's got this thing called Empathy. The long and short of it is he can read people's emotions and get a sense of what kind of person they are."

"Nifty. It's about time you had a partner who's a good judge of character," Watari said. After a second, Watari inched his chair even closer to Tsuzuki. "You think this one'll work out?"

"Dunno," Tsuzuki said, with a tight shrug. "He's pretty young and he's qualified for Heaven, so he might get sick of the job and pass on sooner rather than later."

"But he's okay to work with? He doesn't give you any problems, right?"

"No. No, he's okay to work with so far. He's a good kid, and we don't really clash too bad, I think." He hoped. "I think this'll be an okay working relationship."

"That's good," Watari said with a grin, and then a wink, while standing. "So long as he doesn't take my place."

Tsuzuki laughed, both at Watari's brazenness and the morbid absurdity of the suggestion. "I really don't think that'll happen."

"It better not," Watari said in high-pitched singsong. "So what's this kid's name, anyway?"

"Well, it might be better to introduce you two in person," Tsuzuki said, catching sight of a small movement between the bookshelves. Hisoka hadn't mentioned to him any plans to visit the library, but thinking about it Tsuzuki could see how he might enjoy the place. "Hisoka! Over here."

Hisoka stopped at the sound of Tsuzuki's voice and turned. Tsuzuki was waving at him from just behind and to the left of someone else, and Hisoka took a few seconds to steel himself for meeting a stranger. Confronting the emotions emanating off of people he was not familiar with was as clawingly noticeable as being around someone who had overdone their perfume, complete with the attendant headache and betimes watery eyes.

"Watari, this is Kurosaki Hisoka," Tsuzuki said, once Hisoka had braced himself enough to come forward. "Hisoka, this is Watari Yutaka, from Area Six."

"Good to meet you," Watari said, to Hisoka's relief not sticking out his hand but giving a very small, very quick bow, to which Hisoka responded in kind with a "You as well."

"I thought you were headed home after work," Tsuzuki said.

"Picking up some light reading?" Watari asked with a half-smile, surveying the stack of books Hisoka carried in his arms. "A fellow bookworm is a welcome sight for me."

"They're all cookbooks," Tsuzuki said, surveying the spines.

"Any form of written word counts as reading," Watari returned flippantly. "I take it you like cooking, Kurosaki?"

"'Hisoka' is fine," Hisoka said, taking Watari mildly aback at the flatness of his tone. "And these are mostly for necessity."

"Ah, so 'not much experience', that was my second guess," Watari said. "Only newbies and connoisseurs would take out so many at a time. Let me give you some advice: no matter how hungry you get, never let this one here cook for you."

"Hey!"

"Tsuzuki, you know how fond I am of you, but when a body can't tell if they're being fed or poisoned, you know you're not that great at cooking."

"I am not that bad."

"Yes, you are."

Tsuzuki made a face, though Hisoka could tell that his hurt was only the mildest of ones, the hurt of unearned pride being poked. "Well, sorry. Boys weren't exactly taught to cook in my time."

"You've had plenty of opportunity to learn since then."

"Talents have to be inborn or taught young," Tsuzuki said, with the sanctimony characteristic of one who is purposely spouting quasi-believable nonsense.

"Oh, bullshit, 'Jiichan," Watari said with a laugh. "You're just too lazy to do anything but pick up the phone and order in."

"Well, I was taught to use the phone as a child..."

Watari leaned over and made to smack Tsuzuki on the back of the head; Tsuzuki ducked.

"Anyway, if you're going to let any of your coworkers cook for you, you'll want it to be Kannuki Wakaba," Watari said, turning his attention back to Hisoka. "Have you met her yet?"

"I don't think you've really met anyone yet, have you?" Tsuzuki asked, once Hisoka had shaken his head at Watari's question.

"No."

Watari groaned with amusement and sympathy. "You're in for it."

"I'm sorry?"

"Our coworkers are a...colorful bunch," Tsuzuki explained.

"Actually, it's good that he hasn't met them yet," Watari said. "We can take this time to prepare him."

"That's probably a smart idea," Tsuzuki said, catching Hisoka's eye. He thought that if Hisoka had even the slightest forewarning of what a person was like, it might go easier on him upon meeting them. Hisoka thought similarly, and set his books on the table.

"I'd appreciate that, if it's not too much trouble."

"Gossip is never too much trouble," Watari said, moving to the other side of the table to fetch another chair, which he dragged over to the corner next to his and Tsuzuki's. Hisoka sat in it before Watari could offer him the central chair, preferring not to be stuck between two people; Watari, mildly surprised but choosing not to inquire, took the central chair. "So...how shall we do this, do you think?"

"Might as well do it numerically," Tsuzuki said. "I guess I'll kick it off." He cleared his throat, trying to sound teacher-like. "So, Area 1 is Okinawa, and that's Oshiro Sengoku and Akamine Chizuru."

"Sengoku's an asshole, just so you know," Watari interrupted.

"Not a people person," Tsuzuki confirmed. "We don't see him that often, but if we ever go down to Okinawa for some reason and you're around him, just make yourself look busy and keep out of his way. Chizuru's a real sweetheart, though. She's very friendly. And also obscenely strong, so if you ever need any heavy lifting done, she's your girl."

"All right," Hisoka said, bobbing his head.

"We're Area 2, so Watari gets to cover Area 3," Tsuzuki said, glancing at his friend.

"Area 3 is Shikouku and it's covered by the Kanawa twins, Yukina and Tsukiko," Watari said. "They are also better avoided than engaged. It's not that they're especially tough, but they're pretty nasty. We have an annual intra-office archery contest on the New Year, and they've found a way to cheat every. Single. Year that they've participated in it."

"And beyond that they're just huge gossips and, you know, not pleasant to be around," Tsuzuki added. "So, yeah, stay away from them as much as you can."

Hisoka felt his stomach coil a bit. "All right."

"Back to you for Area 4," Watari said, nodding at Tsuzuki.

"That's Chuugoku and it's run by Kazuma Shinju and Nonomiya Chouko. You won't see too much of them unless you use the archery room. They're nice enough, though."

"If you're a woman," Watari muttered.

Hisoka thought he felt a strain of bitterness emanate off Watari but before he could dwell on it Tsuzuki had piped up again. "Yeah, Shinju doesn't really like men. We don't know why. But it's nothing huge; if you're respectful to her she'll be respectful to you. Mostly. Chouko's more uniformly nice, though."

Hisoka nodded.

"Area 5 is Tokyo," Watari said, and trailed off, looking at Tsuzuki.

"It's run by Kobayashi Shouta and Masaki Asuka," Tsuzuki said, strongly. "I worked with both of them in the past. Kobayashi I didn't get to know terribly well." Kobayashi had heard the stories about Tsuzuki and immediately jumped on an opportunity to transfer into Area 5 once it was announced that the Shinigami there was planning to retire. "Asuka was my partner right before you; I think I mentioned him before. He's a nice kid."

"Area 6—Kinki—is my domain," Watari said as if trying to interrupt, even though Tsuzuki had gone quiet. "For propriety's sake I will refrain from praising myself. My partner is Kiiro Manami."

"The singer?" Miya had gushed about Kiiro Manami a few years back and had been devastated to learn of the diva's suicide.

"That'd be her. She's a lovely young woman. Also a vampire."

"...A what?"

"I really admire the subtle way you worked that into the conversation, Watari," Tsuzuki said flatly. "Manami-chan must appreciate the pains you take to be discreet."

"Oh, Manami-chan doesn't care and you know it," Watari said with a dismissive flap of the hand.

"She carries a fuda that inhibits her thirst," Tsuzuki explained, seeing Hisoka turn a bewildered, startled face towards him. "So you don't have to worry about her swooping down on you."

"She's not a full-blooded vampire so she can't turn people by biting them, in any case," Watari said.

"Don't let the fact that she's a vampire scare you," Tsuzuki said, surprised at the swell of earnest defensiveness in him. "You would like her, Hisoka. She's a very...I guess gentle is the best way to describe her."

"Ferocious when she's forced to be, though," Watari said with a shrug, not noticing Hisoka studying Tsuzuki with his gaze or Tsuzuki looking away, marveling at the nerve it took to lecture Hisoka on accepting people with frightening physical conditions. "She's a good partner," he continued fondly. "I'll introduce you two tomorrow. And now I believe it's back to you for Area 7, Tsuzuki?"

"Kanto is run by Kannuki Wakaba and Terazuma Hajime," Tsuzuki said.

"Somebody mentioned me?"

"Clearly the library is where all the interesting, good-looking people hang out," Watari said, as a female face attached to a cascade of hair peeked around the corner of a bookshelf. Hisoka recognized her as a girl from Tsuzuki's memories, the one who two of the Shiki he had seen were contracted with.

"I was looking for cookbooks but all the good ones seem to be taken," Wakaba said, half-skipping towards the group.

"Tsuzuki's new partner is teaching himself to cook," Watari said, gesturing towards the stack of books Hisoka had put on the table.

"Oh, so you're him!" Wakaba smiled brightly as she came to a stop at the table. "I'm so pleased to meet you. My name is Kannuki Wakaba. 'Wakaba' is fine."

"Kurosaki Hisoka," Hisoka returned, letting his hand slip lightly into Wakaba's outstretched one. "My given name is fine, too."

"Very well, Hisoka-kun. Please treat my Tsuzuki-niisan kindly," Wakaba said, giving a playfully supplicating bow once she let go of Hisoka's hand.

"I've known Wakaba since she was a baby," Tsuzuki said by way of explanation, as Wakaba hopped over to him and settled her hands on his shoulder. "She's special amongst us Shinigami because she's lived here all her life, but she only died recently."

"My birth parents abandoned me," Wakaba explained, and Hisoka felt the hurt that came from that knowledge, even though her cheeriness had not diminished. "The people who used to run Kanto found me and brought me here to Meifu to raise me."

"I didn't know Shinigami could do that," Hisoka said.

"Well, they were a married couple and living in Meifu is supposed to be an extension of living in Chijou, so I suppose Enma-daiou thought it only natural and appropriate that they would want to raise a child," Wakaba said. "So I lived here and went to school in Chijou until I died. Car accident, about five years ago. I think I've had the easiest transition into death of anyone who ever lived," she said with a laugh. "Two years after that my partner finished his Shinigami training and put in for a post, and since my parents were planning to retire about the same time, he and I took over the area."

"And he's a piece of work," Watari muttered, just loudly enough to make it obvious that he wanted to be heard.

"He is not!" Wakaba protested, emphatically but weakly at the same time. "He's just high-strung, is all."

"Wakaba is the most generous and forgiving of souls," Watari said, nodding to Hisoka. "To be otherwise would be to not be able to work with Terazuma."

"He's not the friendliest," Tsuzuki muttered.

"Especially towards Tsuzuki," Watari filled in.

"Hisoka-kun, don't let them bias you against my partner," Wakaba huffed. "Hajime is just..." She cast her mind and her eye about, trying to come up with a proper descriptor, before both landed on the stack of cookbooks. "An acquired taste."

"If you say so," Tsuzuki said with a shrug, and she squeezed his shoulders tightly both as an affectionate and a warning gesture.

"I will make sure you meet him and get a proper introduction, Hisoka-kun," Wakaba said firmly.

"Thank...you..." Hisoka said slowly. The defensiveness radiating off Tsuzuki and Wakaba were like two very strong and very opposing scents. "And who's in charge of Area 8?"

"We've been telling Hisoka about the other Shinigami," Tsuzuki explained quickly to Wakaba.

"Oh! Um...Area 8 is Tohouku, and it's run by Inoue Yuudai and Miyamoto Tenchi," Wakaba said, like a child reciting for a teacher in the hopes of being praised for their intelligence.

"You'll see Miyamoto more than Inoue," Tsuzuki said. "Inoue likes to sneak around and play practical jokes. Miyamoto is a lot more staid. They're pretty mismatched, honestly."

"Well, lots of us are, or have been," Watari said with a shrug. "They're making it work."

"Area 9 is not in the least mismatched, though..." Wakaba said with a grin.

"Ah, yes," Watari drawled, his smile matching Wakaba's, and Hisoka noticed Tsuzuki's own countenance light up. "Area 9 is Hokkaido and it's run by Fukiya Yuma and Torii Saya. I am absolutely sure you will meet them soon, and you will need to lie down and sleep forever afterwards."

"There really aren't words to describe them," Tsuzuki said, seeing Hisoka turn his face to him for explanation.

"Well, I'd argue that," Watari said.

"Make your case."

"I would describe them as unstoppable forces of nature, if nature was extremely girly and never knew when to stop talking."

"I would call that a valiant attempt at a description; well done." Watari gave an exaggerated bow, and Tsuzuki turned his head to look at Hisoka. "They have no concept of personal space, at all, just so you know. And they're very...hands-on."

"Oh, but they're such darlings," Wakaba said, with a nonetheless knowing laugh. "They're the nicest people you will ever meet. They just want to love everything and everyone."

"You sound like them," Tsuzuki said, reaching up to carefully tug on Wakaba's hair. "Are we sure you're not one of them wearing a wig?"

"Please, as if they could meet your partner without trying to dress him up on the spot."

"Oh yeah, that's the other thing about them...they're big on women's clothes. Particularly men in women's clothes," Watari said, and Hisoka was surprised to feel genuine happiness—almost giddiness—coming from Watari. "You might be eventually coerced into dressing up for them, just so you know. And probably sooner than you think."

"We'll do our best to protect you from them," Tsuzuki said, hoping the undertone of seriousness he attempted would make it to Hisoka's understanding. It did, if the mild flash of gratefulness in Hisoka's eyes was any indication.

"These two are such doomsayers," Wakaba said, bopping her fist on Tsuzuki's head. "They'll scare you off of everyone here, Hisoka-kun, so don't pay them too much attention. Yuma and Saya are very nice people. They are just...eccentric."

"Wakaba-chan is right," Watari said warmly. "They're lovely. A bit much, but lovely, and they're very good friends of ours. And that brings us to Area 10, yes? Chuubu. And that's Kurosawa Rikuto and Watanabe Shinobu. Not much to report about them..."

"I've known Kurosawa-san for awhile, though I don't see him too often," Tsuzuki said. "He's old, and smart, and a bit of a moneygrubber."

"You're one to talk," Watari murmured, giving a shit-eating grin when Tsuzuki scowled at him.

"There's not much to say about Shinobu beyond that he's painfully shy," Tsuzuki continued. "Mainly because he is painfully shy. We haven't gotten to know him much. Chizuru gets along with him, but she's the only one who's close with him beyond Kurosawa. And...that's pretty much all I can say. That's all the field agents."

"He's met Kachou and Tatsumi, right?" Watari asked.

"Kachou yes, Tatsumi...I don't think so." Tsuzuki looked to Hisoka, who shook his head. "Tatsumi is the Secretary for Shokan-ka. He's Kachou's assistant, basically, and he controls our budget. We used to be...we used to work together, a long time ago."

"He's a tightwad and a hardass, but we're fond of him regardless," Watari said, a bit too loudly, trying and failing to turn Hisoka's suddenly rapt attention away from Tsuzuki.

"Tatsumi is..." Tsuzuki curled his tongue up so the tip of it touched the roof of his mouth. "He's exactly what Watari says," he finally forced out with a laugh. "And it's hard to tell what he's thinking a lot of the time. But he's a good man. Even if he doesn't seem like it sometimes."

"Hmm," Wakaba intoned conspicuously, propping her elbow up on Tsuzuki's head so she could rest her chin on the heel of her palm. "I think he's a little softer than you two give him credit for."

"I think you are too nice," Watari said, leaning over to poke Wakaba in the nose; she batted his hand away with a giggle and a raspberry. When he pulled it back, his watch caught his eye. "Oh my, look at the time." He stood, putting his hands on the table and stretching out his back; his movement finally tore Hisoka's stare away from Tsuzuki. "I should really go clean up the apartment and start in on dinner. We're going out later still, right?" he directed at Tsuzuki.

"Yeah," Tsuzuki said, and suddenly Hisoka was hit with a wave of heat from Watari and Tsuzuki that blasted him in the face and forced him to his feet.

"Oh? You're heading home too, Hisoka-kun?" Wakaba said, straightening up.

"I should," Hisoka said, the words spilling out of his mouth. "I should...get these to Miya. My roommate."

"I'm going to stay here for a little bit yet, before I come over, Watari," Tsuzuki said, looking decidedly at anything that was not Hisoka.

"Oh, then if you're not going to show Hisoka-kun out, I'll do it," Wakaba said. "That is, if you don't mind, Hisoka-kun? I can help you carry your books."

"I don't mind," Hisoka said quickly, feeling as if his cheeks were burning, and wondering if that was because of what he sensed, or what he felt because of that. "Thank you."

"Okay. I'll see you at work tomorrow, Tsuzuki-niisan," Wakaba said, kissing the top of Tsuzuki's head. He reached up, patting her hair affectionately.

"See you then. Both of you," he added, glancing quickly at Hisoka.

"See you then," Hisoka mumbled back, as Wakaba moved around the table to bid goodbye to Watari, and pick up half of the stack of cookbooks.

"So how do you like working with Tsuzuki?" Wakaba asked, as soon as she and Hisoka were out of Tsuzuki and Watari's earshot. She glanced over at her traveling companion, who himself had glanced back over his shoulder. "I know it's only been a few days, and a rough few days at that, but..."

Hisoka nearly missed the question, but figured it out from recalling the sounds she had made and the context of her second statement. "It's all right."

Wakaba giggled, though a little darkly. "Guess that's the best that can be said at this point, considering. I hope your missions get easier for you."

"Thanks."

"And even if they don't, no worries. Tsuzuki will make sure you stay safe."

"Mm."

Wakaba's normally sweet face settled into a frown at Hisoka's noncommittal grunt. She readjusted her load of books and inhaled deeply, steeling herself. "I'm sorry if this is too blunt, but I really meant it when I asked you to treat Tsuzuki kindly." She glanced over her shoulder, making sure that there was no chance Tsuzuki could hear her. "I don't know if you know, but a couple of his partnerships have fallen apart pretty messily. And maybe I'm biased, but I don't think any of those were Tsuzuki's fault. But it's been pretty rough on him, so if you could just...be good about him, I would really appreciate it."

Wakaba realized that she had brought Hisoka up short when he didn't have a response for her, and had the grace to look a little embarrassed. "I'm sorry, I'm just...very protective of Tsuzuki. Which is why I wish he and my partner got along better," she said with a laugh. "I'm sorry; I don't mean to be so off-putting." She stopped long enough to bow, equal parts playful and serious.

"I'm not put off," Hisoka said, not very convincingly. "And I don't plan on going anywhere soon," he added, slightly moreso.

"Thank you. That's very reassuring to hear." When she lifted her head, she was beaming at him. "Anyway. We should probably get to know each other better if we're going to be colleagues." She resumed her pace towards the exit to the library, Hisoka lagging a few steps behind her. "Where are you from originally?"

"Kamakura."

"Oh?" She was able to get a good look at him when she pushed the door leading outside open and held it for him, despite his gestures intimating that he could take over door-holding duties for her if she wanted. "Kamakura City?"

"No, the village."

"That's too strange," Wakaba said, stepping away from the door and letting it close after Hisoka had passed her. "My parents found me in that area. Not in the village, but not too far from it, either." Her laugh was again uncomfortable. "Did you know anyone who was missing a child...?"

Hisoka paused for a moment, studying her; she did likewise for him, though less intensely. "When were you adopted?"

"Um...well if I were still alive I'd be nineteen, so nineteen years ago, about."

"That was before I was born. So..." He trailed off, disappointed that the lead to figuring out why this girl felt familiar had gone cold.

"So nothing doing," Wakaba sighed. "It's okay. I don't really have a desire to know my birth parents."

"Same here," Hisoka mumbled, under his breath, but not quietly enough for Wakaba to not hear him.

"Oh, were you...?"

"I wasn't adopted. I just..."

"...I see," Wakaba said, once an elaboration was not forthcoming, thereby proving that it was not necessary. "I haven't had any jobs in Kamakura Village since I started on as a Shinigami, but my parents tell me that it's just not generally a nice place."

"They're not wrong."

"I'm sorry you had to live there, then," Wakaba said, with a wry smile. "Here is much nicer, I suspect. You're living with a roommate?"

"Himura Miya. I knew her from Kamakura."

"Oh, is she your girlfriend?"

"She's like my sister."

"Aw, that's nice. Does she like to cook? Or are you handling that?"

"We'll see. Neither of us have really cooked before."

"Ooh, really?" Wakaba suddenly seemed excited. "Forgive me if this is also too forward—I think I'm just a forward person," she interjected with a laugh, "but I've been told I'm good at teaching people how to cook, and if you're both brand new at it, then maybe I could help you start learning?"

"Um…"

"If I'm putting you out, you can say no," Wakaba rushed to reassure. "I just don't have any plans for tonight, and since I figured I'd be following you to your place, because of the books, it'd be nice to keep talking with you and meet your roommate…"

"Let me…let me call Miya, and see if she's okay with that," Hisoka nearly stuttered. The thought of ever entertaining at the apartment hadn't crossed his mind, though he didn't want to force Miya into sharing only his company for the rest of their life in Meifu. And Wakaba seemed nice; he could tell that Tsuzuki certainly liked her… The thought of Tsuzuki caused a tiny knot to form in Hisoka's gut, and he attempted to recover from it by leaning down and putting his stack of books on the floor.

"Okay. Then I'm going to nip into the bathroom, while you do." Wakaba also relieved herself of her stack of books. "And it's okay if she doesn't want me to come, again; I just thought it'd be nice. There's a payphone over there," she pointed a little further down the hall, "but you can use the employee code and use it for free. 308723."

"Thanks." He waited for Wakaba to safely disappear into the ladies' room, before walking hurriedly to the payphone, punching in the code, and then his apartment's phone number.

"Hello, you've reached Himura and Kurosaki." Miya's voice had not lost the formality that she had been trained to have whenever she answered the phone at the Kurosaki mansion.

"It's me."

"Oh, hey. Is everything all right?"

"Yeah, everything's fine."

"Where are you?"

"Leaving the library. I picked up some cookbooks. Listen, my partner introduced me to some of his coworkers, and one of them wants to come over."

"Right now?"

"Yeah. Her name is Wakaba and she's reportedly a good cook, so she offered to help us out. Told her I'd ask you."

"That's…that's quick."

"She's pretty forward. Said so herself, and I picked up on it anyway. Apparently most of the people who work here are a little odd."

"Oh. They're okay though? You're okay with them?"

Hisoka waited a second too long to say "Yeah." Miya picked up on it and held it on the side of her mind.

"Well, I wouldn't mind meeting her if you think she's all right. I finished cleaning up, so it's not a mess at the apartment."

"Can you put those…things…away?"

""Those"…? Oh. Yeah, I'll put those in your room." Stashes of Hisoka's pills were held in only two locations: his apartment, and in a cabinet in Dr. Hazama's office. "So where is this Wakaba girl now?"

"In the bathroom."

"Oh, okay. How's your day been?"

"Fine. Quiet, for the most part." Hisoka liked the fact that he and Tsuzuki shared an office with a large, heavy door rather than a fusuma or worse, a shoji. Thick slabs of wood were much better at keeping out people's emotions than thin sheets of rice paper.

"Did you meet a lot of your coworkers?"

"No, just two, when I went to the library. Tsuzuki introduced me to Wakaba and this one other person."

"And how is it going with your little crush, Hisokkun?" Miya asked, letting her voice slip into singsong with her last words.

"Tsuzuki's in love with someone else," Hisoka said flatly. "And he's..." the words felt disgusting on his tongue "...sleeping with someone else besides that, too."

A very thick silence preceded Miya's one-word answer: "Oh."

"He's not…cheating on anyone," Hisoka said, picking up Miya's sudden and total contempt for Tsuzuki merely from instinct, rather than Empathy, and feeling compelled to defend him. "It's complicated, I'm assuming."

"Mmhmm."

"And I do not have a crush on him," Hisoka muttered, quietly enough for Miya to ignore it.

"Well." Miya cleared her throat. "Are you rethinking your decision to stay on as a Shinigami?"

"I told you, I didn't keep the job because of him."

"Regardless," Miya said briskly. "You promised me that if your partner made you uncomfortable, you would quit."

"He doesn't make me uncomfortable."

"You're sure?"

"It's a lot less gross coming from him than from my parents."

"...Thanks for that. Ew." The nature of the relationship, if it could be called that, between Nagare and his second wife was an open secret among the staff of the house, and even those who resented Rui for her angry outbursts and mistreatment of her son had to pity the woman for her status, which she obviously knew and felt very keenly, as the replacement for her twin sister.

Dimly he heard the sound of a toilet flushing. "She's coming back."

"Okay. I'll go put your stuff away. See you and your new friend in a little bit, Hisokkun."

"See you soon."

"So your new partner seems quiet."

"Yeah, he's pretty shy," Tsuzuki called back. He had taken a seat on Watari's couch, while Watari occupied the bedroom, which was attached directly to the living room, getting dressed. The shoji to the bedroom was shut, necessitating them to half-shout their conversation through it.

"Hard to imagine him as battle-ready."

"Well, believe me, he can hold his own when he needs to."

"If you say so. He seems nice enough, though, in any case, which makes me feel better about him working with you."

"Yeah, you don't have to worry about that so much, I don't think."

"Well, I always worry about you, you know that."

"I do indeed."

"But I'll try to keep that to a minimum for now."

"Are you almost ready in there?"

"You know better than to rush me," Watari replied in sing-song. There was a pause as Tsuzuki listened to Watari shuffle around the bedroom. "Think we could draw your partner out of his shell enough to get him to come out with us sometime?"

"I don't think booze and karaoke is really his thing."

"Aw, that's too bad."

"I'd like to introduce him to Yuma and Saya in a quieter environment, also."

"Ah, yes. Probably wise." Watari punctuated the statement by pulling open the bedroom fusuma and stepping into the living room. "How do I look?"

Watari's long hair was bound up high, a few loose tendrils hanging down to frame the face. Above jeans that couldn't be as tight as Watari wanted was a black, sleeveless turtleneck with a small diamond shape cut into it just above the bust, which had been created by a bra stuffed with soft fabric. High heels and expertly applied make-up completed the look, with small silver strands hanging from Watari's earlobes as the cherry on top.

"Amazing."

Watari grinned. "Not too stuffy?"

"Not at all."

"Yeah?" Watari spun, showing off and moving closer to Tsuzuki at the same time.

"Hand to God. You've got a reserved-but-hot-housewife look tonight." Being friends with Watari had given Tsuzuki a ripe imagination, and attendant vocabulary, for this sort of thing. "The outfit's great."

"Good. And hopefully I won't be wearing it for too long, anyway." Watari winked; Tsuzuki smirked. "Think you wanna be my Plan B tonight if nothing works out?"

"I live to be your second-choice booty call, remember?"

"Aw. You know sometimes you're my first choice."

"Thanks," Tsuzuki laughed.

"Ready to go? Saya and Yuma are probably getting antsy."

"Yeah, we should head out now." A portal not too far from Watari's apartment led them straight to a karaoke bar in Hokkaido where Saya had worked as a dancer, back in the 70s when it had been a club and she had been alive. The place held good memories for her—it was where she and Yuma had met—and it was safe enough to frequent, since none of her coworkers back then still worked there. Tsuzuki bowed dramatically, gesturing to the front door as he did so. "Beauty before age."

"How utterly and Western-ly gallant of you," Watari said with a chuckle.

"Well, I like to think I know how to treat a lady."

He didn't watch as Watari opened the door, but he could feel her beaming smile contained within her words. "That you do."

Note:

Similar to my idea of Hisoka being HIV-positive, I have a pet theory of Watari being a transwoman, based on the running sex-change potion gag/sub-plot in the manga. I was initially planning on not revealing this until much later, but about halfway through this chapter I began to feel too awkward about the idea of misgendering Watari for the next several chapters. So, even though Watari currently presents as a man and in most cases the characters will refer to Watari as "he" and "him", from now on I—that is, the narration, and the characters who know about Watari's gender identity—will refer to Watari as "she" and "her".

In conjunction with that, I've been interested in exploring a friends-with-benefits relationship between Tsuzuki and Watari. TsuSoka shippers needn't worry, since WaTsu are not soulmates and therefore not endgame for me, but I still thought it'd be fun to try a WaTsu casual FWB relationship for a bit.