Nightshift 26 - M41-M50 Hall

[qui-gonjinn.livejournal.com]

Qui-Gon was in a mixed mood. On one hand, the maps from young Artemis Fowl would be incredibly helpful, and he had made sure to make extra copies for himself, Obi-Wan and anyone else he might pass it onto in the future. On the other, the intercom announcement was more than a little worrying. He had heard mention of other patients being taken for experimentation, only to released on their friends; it looked like that was true, if Martin Landel was to be believed.

The Jedi Master sighed, collecting the flashlight and the small collection of metal utensils that he'd collected with Obi-Wan last night. His meditation into the Force had been only slightly more fruitful than before, but he was nowhere near strong enough to help as much as he would like. There was no doubt in his mind that he wouldn't be able to use the Force to persuade the experimented patients that no, they didn't really want to hunt down their fellows, and they should listen to him just because he said so.

He wasn't too sure about the other areas mentioned, but he did know enough to avoid the Sun Room for now. Stepping outside, Qui-Gon prepared himself. Tonight his grasp on the Force wasn't as strong as it had been when Obi-Wan was knighted. But even now he could feel the swirl of anger, fear, and hate around him, dotted with the moving "holes" that were the Earthian creatures and the staff. The fear and anger, he was unfortunately familiar with. The galaxy, despite the efforts of good people, was a regrettably nest of such emotions. But the holes in the Force, the sense of void, would never be familiar.

And he would have to watch for both, it seemed. The dangers tonight wouldn't just be the creatures, or the staff. Qui-Gon turned and headed down the hall, extending his senses as far as he was able.

Comments

[shiki-master.livejournal.com]

Tsuzuki waited for nearly half a minute, the unease slowly growing over each second. Hisoka wasn't answering.. No one was answering... Trying the knob, the shinigami found it was open and quickly went inside.

It didn't take long at all to spot Hisoka curled up on the floor. Tsuzuki's initial thought was that the boy must be hurt to be curled up like that. He quickly knelt down in front of the other.

"Hisoka... Are you ok? What happened?" Obviously, Tsuzuki didn't not think it was quite so moronic to be worried sick over his partner. Despite the conspiracy against him earlier.

[somber-secret.livejournal.com]

When curling up into this position, Hisoka had clearly not been thinking. For one, the spot left no room to escape, and secondly it made him look vulnerable, even pathetic. Crying in front of Renji, of all people, had been a complete accident and Hisoka was already ashamed of every second of it, he didn't want to do it again.

"I thought I told you not to come." Hisoka kept his eyes fixed on a single spot on the floor.

[shiki-master.livejournal.com]

"You think I would stay away after hearing you had a doctor session?" With Muraki was an unspoken addition to that sentence, but they both knew it was unnecessary. "Tatsumi told me, after.." After Kurikara had left him gasping for breath, nearly on his knees. Tsuzuki frowned.

"You shouldn't go running off on your own. Why didn't you tell me? Why did you..." He trailed off, not wanting to continue and realizing he shouldn't be lecturing Hisoka when he was curled in a ball on the floor, anyway. Hesitantly, he reached out a hand, resting it on Hisoka's shoulder.

"Did he hurt you? Are you ok?"

[somber-secret.livejournal.com]

Hisoka merely sat there and listened as Tsuzuki lectured him, the confusion almost tangible even if the boy was no longer much of an empath anymore. He wasn't much of anything now. Hisoka didn't bother to attempt to look at his partner, the results would have been disastrous.

As Tsuzuki rested his hand on his shoulder Hisoka almost flinched at the contact before swallowing another growing clutter of words lodged in his throat. "He didn't touch me." He didn't have to. "I'm fine."

[shiki-master.livejournal.com]

Tsuzuki could clearly tell that Hisoka wasn't fine. No one who was 'fine' would be curled up on the floor like this. He looked alarmingly like a wounded child, and that scared Tsuzuki...

"Hisoka..." It was so blatantly obvious... How could Hisoka keep lying like this? He leaned a little lower, trying to catch the boy's gaze. "You're not fine... What did he do? What did he say?"

[somber-secret.livejournal.com]

That was a bad move, for Hisoka anyway. The sight of Tsuzuki, still concerned even after everything Hisoka had done and even if he didn't deserve it, it... It was simply too much. Jerking his head away to look at the wall, the boy's shoulders shook slightly.

He wasn't going to cry again. He wasn't.

"He didn't do anything. He just talked." About rape. And molesting his roommate with perfect detail. It was a wonder his voice was so steady, it was hard keeping the lump in his throat back.

[shiki-master.livejournal.com]

Tsuzuki's frown deepened when Hisoka jerked away, avoiding his gaze. The shake of his shoulders didn't help matters either. It tore at his heart to see his partner..to see Hisoka like this. All because of Muraki.

Dropping the need for words, Tsuzuki rest his other hand on Hisoka's shoulder, gently pulling the boy towards himself. If Hisoka wanted to resist, he would let go. He wouldn't force it. But if Hisoka let him, he'd do his best to provide as comforting embrace as he could. If only it would heal whatever wounds were plaguing the boy...

[somber-secret.livejournal.com]

The dam was broken now. Hisoka's face twisted miserably as a keening cry escaped his throat. It was all his fault, he wasn't strong enough to kill Muraki and Renji had suffered for it. Tsuzuki had suffered for it. So many people had suffered for his weakness and now he was being weak again. Crumpling under Tsuzuki's grip, the boy closed his eyes tightly as if hoping to block the tears.

[shiki-master.livejournal.com]

Tsuzuki shushed Hisoka softly as he pulled him close, his arms wrapping around the boy's narrow shoulders. It felt so fragile, like he was falling to pieces. Everything felt so fragile here. Especially now. Why couldn't they have been taken from Tatsumi's time? Or Kurikara's? After they'd had some time to cope? Tsuzuki was trying his best to forget Kyoto had ever happened, so that everyone else could move on as well. But it just wasn't working. Nothing was working. They were still both as broken as when they came here.

[somber-secret.livejournal.com]

"You're so... stupid." Hisoka grit his teeth, a sob escaping his throat as he weakly beat at the other's chest, yet otherwise the boy did little to fight against Tsuzuki's embrace. "You're not- You're not supposed to comfort the people who hurt you. You stupid-"

Bastard. Jerk. Moron. Idiot. The rest of the boy's words were lost as more tears rolled down his face.

[shiki-master.livejournal.com]

Despite the fists against his chest, Tsuzuki kept the embrace. If Hisoka really wanted to be left alone, he had more than enough strength to actually push him away. The boy he was comforting seemed so small in comparison to the boy who frequently put him in his place.

"I may be stupid, but you're my partner, Hisoka..." Tsuzuki spoke softly, raising a hand to pet Hisoka's hair. "What happened this afternoon... I was worried about you, but that's not going to make me think less of you." He paused, his voice slipping quieter still.

"Do you remember what you told me before we came here?..." Tsuzuki attempted a smile, despite the painful memories it brought. "You said you decided that you belonged by my side. Well, I decided the same thing, just as long ago. But I can't be by your side if you keep running off on your own. We're partners. Please... Don't push me away, especially if you're in danger. I want to be there for you." Like you were for me...

[somber-secret.livejournal.com]

Hisoka had gone quiet during Tsuzuki's explanation, sniffling every now and then as he listened to the other man speak. It figured. Only Tsuzuki wouldn't think less of someone who arranged to have him punched and this fact both infuriated and calmed Hisoka at the same time.

Tsuzuki should have been mad or even annoyed in the least. Hisoka vainly tried to wipe away the tears on his face only to have more take their place.

"And what- what would you have done if I hadn't? Got yourself sedated?" He had been trying to protect him, though he hadn't really done a very good job.

[shiki-master.livejournal.com]

What would he have done? Probably gone the same route Hisoka himself had gone. Charged for the door, met a nurse, and ended up sedated for the rest of the shift. It would have been better than worrying, at least.

"Like you did for me?" Tsuzuki wouldn't have minded the sedation. He would have welcomed it if he hadn't been so worried about Hisoka.

[somber-secret.livejournal.com]

Hisoka narrowed his eyes, the effect of which was completely lost on his partner considering that even if Tsuzuki could see it, the tears would have made the expression that much more pathetic.

"And then have Tatsumi-san worry? Or- Or Byakko?" Byakko probably wasn't the happiest with him right now, Hisoka wasn't even going to try to explain what he had been trying to do to the shikigami. He deserved it.

[shiki-master.livejournal.com]

"We were worried, anyway... What made you think we wouldn't be?" That was a silly notion, that they would worried over him and not Hisoka. Since when had it ever been that way? They were all like a family, weren't they?

"You're just as important as any of us. Especially me." The way Tsuzuki figured, he was the least important of them all. Nevermind what anyone else told him.

[somber-secret.livejournal.com]

Tsuzuki was an idiot. He really just didn't get it, even a blind man would have been able to figure out how everyone was when Tsuzuki did something stupid that ultimately hurt him. Hisoka wasn't foolish enough to think that everyone didn't care for him as well even though he still had to work that one out, but in the long run, if it wasn't Tsuzuki getting hurt then there was less pain altogether.

"I never said that," Hisoka grounded out, angrily swiping at the tears on his face.

[shiki-master.livejournal.com]

Tsuzuki let Hisoka wipe away the tears, pretending not to notice. It was obviously how much Hisoka hated being seen as weak. Not that he particularly cared about something as silly a crying (He did it all the time), but he didn't want to upset his partner more.

Instead of replying to Hisoka's comment, Tsuzuki got to his feet, offering both a slight smile and a hand to help Hisoka up as well. "Just try to trust me more, and I'll try to stop doing stupid things, deal?"

[somber-secret.livejournal.com]

What did this have to do with trust at all? Hisoka had thought that it was established that he had done what he did in effort to prevent Tsuzuki from doing something stupid, which the other man admitted he would have done!! How did that translate into 'I don't trust you'?

Hisoka just knew Tsuzuki too well, that was all. And by knowing Tsuzuki, Hisoka also knew he wasn't going to let this drop until he gave an answer that closely resembled something that sounded like 'Okay, I agree to whatever the hell you're going off on'. The boy scowled.

"Are we even talking about the same thing anymore?"