Someone Worth Saving

By: Jazie

Rated: T, due to violence and some language

Disclaimer: I own nothing of Yami no Matsuei or any of Matsushita's characters. Everything recognizable belongs to Yoko Matsushita, anything else belongs to me. I have no permission to use these characters and am receiving no profit for this story. This was written for enjoyment purposes only.

Summary: When a bad day makes Tatsumi lash out at Watari, the scientist rushes headlong into danger, not to return. A mysterious demon strikes and the Shinigami must race against time to save two of their own.

Additional Disclaimers: Please note that a lot of this story includes bits and pieces from Norse mythology. I have tried to be as correct as I can, but with the names of several characters, there are simply no correct spellings, just different variations. Jormund and Fen's names have been shortened and tweaked a bit for my own purposes, so forgive my minor changes. Besides that, pretty much everything you'll read does follow Norse myths pretty accurately.

Reader, beware, there is some character torture ahead. Okay, there's a lot of character torture ahead. So, everyone who's up for a little hurt/comfort, feel free to read on.

Readers should also note that this story contains romance between male characters. I'm a strong Watari/Tatsumi fan, so you can be sure to expect that. (Come on, they're so cute!) So, if the thought of two men together freaks you out, click on the 'back' button now. If you don't like this sort of thing, you shouldn't even be browsing the Yami no Matsuei category. - Really. If you expected anything else from YnM, you're either incredibly deluded or just haven't watched the anime or read the manga.

Random Author Ramblings: The best of times and the worst of times. That's the only way I can describe the process of writing this story. It's taken a month of working on it everyday, often for at least five hours a day. (You do the math.) This is one story that has evolved far beyond my expectations, mutating into something I don't recognize as my original idea. But that's a good thing. I've written and then ruthlessly deleted my work to write it again. I've spent several all-nighters freaking out about using the same word three times in one paragraph. (I bought a new dictionary and thesaurus just for this project!) I'm proud to say that I didn't finish writing and immediately post this on the net. I went back and read the whole thing out loud, just to make sure it sounded right. I worked hard to avoid typos (I'm sure there are some still in here, so I apologize in advance.) In short, I've put more effort into this story than any story I've ever previously written. There is a reason for this, though…

This is the first time I've written anything resembling romance.

I remember walking into the romance section of bookstores and laughing my head off because they were so abysmal. (If you ever want a good laugh, pick up a few of those novels and read the titles out loud.) I really want to avoid being the romance writer that everyone laughs at, so I've tried hard to make this pairing work.

To end my ramblings, I just want to say a big thanks to everyone who's reviewed my first three YnM stories. You've encouraged me to continue to dabble in this universe a little longer. Another thanks will go to my mother, because she put up with the fact that I put my life on hold for a good month.

To quote my favorite silver-haired serial killer: "Nothing can stop me now."

So, here I go.

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Chapter One:

Day of Doom

Yutaka Watari was plotting something.

Not like that was anything new, Hisoka reflected. The scientist's air of gleeful planning leaked across the room so that it was impossible for Hisoka not to pick up on it. Perhaps he was planning on spiking the coffee again. Or he could be planning to hack the system and use some embarrassing pictures of Tsuzuki for the computer network's new screensaver. Either way, Hisoka swore to himself he was not going to be left alone in a room with Watari. With that scheming smile on his face Watari looked positively menacing.

With a sigh of resignation, Hisoka Kurosaki retreated behind his desk. He had paperwork to catch up, anyway. As the bustle of the morning began to pick up, he found it impossible to concentrate. There were too many people entering the building at once, passing by this room, talking to one another, thinking all at the same time… Hisoka closed his eyes and tried to block it out. Once everyone was settled things would calm down. But until then, he could sense everything…

A cheerful consciousness entered into range. It had to be Tsuzuki. He was talking to someone… the chief. Watari's devious presence was back in the lab. The calm, efficient Gushoshin were in the library.

When a spark of frustration entered the building, Hisoka found himself opening his eyes. Who was that? Whoever it was, they were in a particularly foul mood.

That foul mood continued to creep closer. Hisoka's eyes widened as the source marched into the room.

Seiichiro Tatsumi's usual routine was to get the coffee machine up and working, get a cup and settle down in his office to review that day's schedule. Today, however, Tatsumi stomped into the room, ignored the coffee machine and went straight for his office. To the naked eye, the man just looked tired. To Hisoka's empathy, the man looked uncharacteristically frustrated and on edge.

Odd. Hisoka rested his chin on his palm. What could have caused this change?

When no answers presented themselves, the boy shrugged and returned to his report. Asato Tsuzuki skipped inside, carrying a large bag with "Cinnabon" printed on the side. "Good morning," he said, smiling brightly.

"Morning," Hisoka muttered, eyes still on his paper.

"Aw, it's too early for actual work," Tsuzuki said, chipper as always. "Here, I bought you one, too. I know you don't eat breakfast." Hisoka leaned forward and protectively encircled his report.

"Don't you dare get sugar on this, Tsuzuki. The chief wants it by the end of today, and if you're not going to help, just don't get in the way."

A dark aura tugged at Hisoka. He caught Tsuzuki's sleeve. "Um, I think you should sit down, now." The sinister presence was getting closer… "Tsuzuki, sit down now," Hisoka hissed.

Stomp, stomp, stomp.

Tatsumi, who had been lurking at his own desk, entered the room. Hisoka kneaded his knuckles into his forehead. This did not bode well.

"Mr. Tsuzuki," an ominously low voice said, "don't you have something to do right now? Work, for example?"

Tsuzuki's eyes went wide at Tatsumi's cold tone of voice. He silently slid into his chair and pushed the Cinnabon bag out of sight. Tatsumi looked over Hisoka. The boy withered under his gaze.

The tension in the room only broke when the secretary left in the direction of Wakaba and Terazuma's desks.

Eventually, a pattern developed. The office would work normally until Tatsumi entered the vicinity. Then, depending on their level of courage, people would either not make eye contact, pretend to be working, or run. Tsuzuki pretended to work. Wakaba just avoided Tatsumi altogether by running errands for everyone else. Terazuma made the mistake of arguing with Tsuzuki about who had eaten the last cinnamon roll and Tatsumi barked at them. Both Tsuzuki and Terazuma skulked back to their work under Tatsumi's fierce eye. When a small explosion made entire office building tremble and Tatsumi rushed towards Watari's lab, everyone just looked grateful that they weren't the scientist.

Hisoka did better than everyone else, mostly because he actually worked and Tatsumi knew that. He was also able to tell when the secretary was about to strike. He tried to ignore the terror that Tatsumi was wreaking just by being there, but the boy had to put his foot down when Tsuzuki attempted to shove himself in a file cabinet to avoid meeting the secretary.

"Why is he acting this way?" Hisoka whispered. They were hiding in the cover of the men's room, after thoroughly checking the area for the secretary.

Tsuzuki still looked around him in a rather paranoid manner. "I haven't seen him like this in a long time. Everything that's been going on made me forget what time of year it is."

"He's acted like this before?"

"Um, once a year, sometime around this time, he gets really tense," Tsuzuki said quietly. "You shouldn't worry, though. He's been doing this for decades and he hasn't killed anyone, yet."

"How reassuring," Hisoka replied dryly.

Stomp, stomp, stomp.

Tsuzuki grabbed Hisoka by the collar and dove into a stall. They both didn't dare breathe for a moment. Maybe he didn't hear us, Tsuzuki's lips moved soundlessly.

"Your break has lasted longer than five minutes, Mr. Tsuzuki, Kurosaki. Unless you want to explain to the chief what you're doing in the same stall, I want you out of the restroom and actually getting some real work done."

Hisoka resisted the urge to repeatedly hit his skull on the wall and followed Tsuzuki out the door, face red with embarrassment. The rest of the morning passed with agonizing sluggishness. He could have sworn the clocks used to move faster.

Finally, when the lunch break rolled around, Tatsumi swept through the office, as if daring anyone to actually put down their work and eat.

Watari crept out of his lab and motioned at Tsuzuki. Hisoka blinked as the two men shared a furtive look and began a short whispered conversation. They eyed the door apprehensively.

Tatsumi turned around in time to see Tsuzuki and Watari tip-toeing toward the exit. "Stop right there," he commanded, pointing his index finger at them both. "Where are you going?"

"Out," they said in once voice.

"Out where?" Tatsumi persisted.

"To this new bakery that opened," Tsuzuki said cheerfully, "and then Watari said he wanted to stop by—"

"—A pet shop," Watari cut in, eyes narrowing at Tsuzuki.

"Replacing 003?" Tatsumi looked extremely skeptical.

"Noooo," Watari drew out the word slowly.

"Then what are you doing that is so urgent you are going to leave your currently destroyed lab behind?" Tatsumi's voice held a very sharp edge. "Or do I have to drag the information out of you?"

Watari's eyes widened innocently. "I'm running low on owl food."

"You won't go buy any more chemicals for your potions until you've replaced the lab equipment." Tatsumi wasn't asking a question.

"Of course I wouldn't," Watari assured him. "Tsuzuki, let's go buy some food." Waving cheerily at the rest of them, he grabbed Tsuzuki by the collar and dragged the poor man out the door.

This isn't over, Hisoka thought.

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Contrary to what people first thought after meeting him, Yutaka Watari was not clueless. He was not as insensitive to the world around him as he seemed. He noticed more than he let on and forgot nothing. He lived in a very emotionally charged environment and sometimes the only way to survive was to grin in a detached way and take care of everyone else's problems. So, Watari grinned, hauled Tsuzuki out of the office and went to the city. Even the most thickheaded of people could figure out that Tatsumi was extremely irritable today.

Watari left Tsuzuki at his favorite restaurant with dessert as a bribe and then made his way down the street. After paying a visit to a gift shop, he grabbed a pen and sat down opposite Tsuzuki, who was attacking his food.

"Got what you needed?" Tsuzuki swallowed a huge mouthful. "What did you need, by the way?"

Watari smiled mysteriously. "Can't tell you."

"Aww, Wa—tar—i!" Tsuzuki looked highly disappointed. "I can keep a secret."

"Sure you can," Watari mumbled, staring down at the card he had purchased. It wasn't too sentimental or flowery—just a beautiful swirl of color on a glossy fold of paper. He chewed his lower lip for a moment. "Tatsumi," he wrote, then paused. What to say now?

"Watari, have you noticed Tatsumi's in a really bad mood today?"

The scientist snorted. "003 refused to even be in the same room as him. He would just give her this look and she would fly out ever time he haunted my lab. So, as for your question, yes."

Tsuzuki chewed on his fork thoughtfully. "Do you know what's wrong? Was it something I did? Or are the section's finances in the red again?"

Staring down at the card in his lap, Watari became unnaturally still. "No, Tsuzuki. I don't know why."

Watari was not one to fool himself. It was hard being a Shinigami sometimes and every one of them had their dark stories to tell. Tatsumi was very secretive about his past, but once a year, every year, he was particularly irritable. It was that day of the year. Although Tsuzuki and a few others had noticed the pattern, they didn't know the reason. Watari, on the other hand, who hacked Meifu's database on a regular basis, had stumbled on that information completely by accident.

Today, several decades ago, Tatsumi had died.

Watari had never shared that information with anyone, although he was willing to bet that Konoe knew. The day one died was extremely personal. Death was not a pleasant experience. Remembering the last flash of real sight before being swept from everything they had known and loved… death was unforgettable and uncomfortable, but what came afterwards was worse. The regret. Everyone had left things behind, whether it was an unresolved conflict, an unfinished project or someone extremely precious. Every Shinigami had regrets. It was practically in the job description.

Most Shinigami didn't talk about it—they were still dealing with their own demons. Watari would never be so rude as to simply go up to Tatsumi and say "Happy Death Day," or something like that. He just wanted to let the secretary know that he knew. And that he cared.

Watari was not one to wallow in self-denial. If it had been the day that Hisoka, Tsuzuki, Wakaba or Konoe died, Watari would have been busy in his laboratory, not out buying cards. Tatsumi… was special.

Watari sighed and looked down at the table. He had known a long time ago that his feelings for the secretary had grown from friendly affection to attraction. And then from attraction to something deeper. There was no point in doing anything about it, though. Tatsumi was utterly dedicated to one person: the man who was currently putting away his third slice of apple pie. Tatsumi kept his emotions under a tight leash, but Watari could see the way his eyes relaxed when he gazed at Tsuzuki. How something in him eased, as if just the sight of Tsuzuki calmed him. Watari had once heard someone say the only true love was unrequited love. He wasn't sure if that was accurate, but after watching the secretary for years, he began to wonder if love was really worth all the hype.

He knew Tatsumi liked him. They had a comfortable friendship.

But whenever he saw Tatsumi and Tsuzuki together, he had to turn away. Tatsumi smiled fondly at Tsuzuki, took care of him, worried over him, would be lenient on him.

However, Watari felt no bitterness toward Tsuzuki. He was too lovable to be envious of. He was too innocent. Tsuzuki was like a brother. Watari couldn't despise him. It would have been easier if he could have hated the man that had Tatsumi captivated. But he couldn't.

His lighthearted personality was not a façade, but he wasn't completely carefree. He carried regrets, like everyone else. But he did not let them rule his life. Instead of pining, like many people would have, he simply tried to be a friend to Tatsumi—to be there for him, to entertain him… to annoy him with constant requests for more funding…

But the urge to comfort, to let Tatsumi know that he wasn't alone, overruled his good judgment today. A card was harmless, told himself. He'd leave it Tatsumi's office when the secretary was doing his afternoon rounds. He just wanted to give Tatsumi a little extra support today.

He scribbled a quick note and read over the card again. Everything looked fine.

He was smiling until he looked at his watch. "Uh, Tsuzuki, lunch hour ended five minutes ago."

While Tsuzuki gagged on his last bite, Watari whipped out his wallet, snatched up Tatsumi's card, raced to the counter, threw his credit card at the cashier and pounded Tsuzuki on the back.

This was going to be one interesting afternoon.

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TBC...