Thanks to FayrieFox, Eternity's Heir, ShinigamixGirl, silenceinlight, Isabeau and sarion for your comments.

As always, past is in italics, present in normal text.

The Past

Those green eyes blinked up at him, curious; as yet another cherry was popped into that mouth. One soft hand was holding up the older’s head, pinky finger tracing his lower lip as he chewed, and swallowed.

Faintly, Tsuzuki found himself glad the other ate pitless, sweet cherries. The silence stretched, becoming a bit strained before the other spoke, “So you’re my new partner?”

A quick nod, he hadn’t expected it himself. He had been told he would be paying for his crimes by being a Shinigami. That had swiftly brought protest, but there was no fighting the King of Hades. Yet, finding out his partner was the one who had freed him; had made it a little better.

A longer look, another cherry disappeared, “I don’t normally have a partner,” Hisoka commented, after swallowing.

“I thought Shinigami had to work in pairs?” Tsuzuki questioned. That had been what they had told him….

“I’m the exception. Not that I don’t want you,” Hisoka amended, “I’m just a bit shocked.”

“So am I,” Tsuzuki admitted.

Considering for another long moment, the other gestured finally to the bowl beside him, “Want one?” casual, as if the previous topic was over at the admittance from both that it was unexpected.

Tsuzuki couldn’t figure out how he could brush it aside so easily. Being paired with a killer, a demon….That was now being assigned to killing people. The perfect job for his type, yet what he dearly didn’t want to do. How did one pay for one’s crimes by committing more of the same?

“You know, this job isn’t just about bringing in those that haven’t died, or refuse to when it’s their time,” Hisoka lifted his head from his hand, straightening to lean back in his chair, “Sometimes a soul just can’t find their way. Like yours… Do you regret me bringing you here?”

Tsuzuki had to shake his head at that, to admit that this existence was better than the empty one that he had lived for eight years. He had been dead for a long time by the time Hisoka had come to him, his soul wasting in a body that refused to die regardless of if it received food or water or anything at all.

“There are those that are like how you were. And they’re grateful as well to be shown the way. We’re guardians, Tsuzuki, not murderers in a sense. We strive to protect the souls that must come here, to show them the right way. It’s not as if we’re going about taking the lives of those that are perfectly healthy and happy, just those that have already died in some sense,” a sigh, his arms crossed, “Also, we’re there to stop anything that messes with the order of things. Demons that take too many lives, or those they control that do. Our main mission is to keep order, so everything else doesn’t fall apart. So stop thinking this is just your punishment for things.”

That caused violet eyes to suddenly blink, catching on it, even as he absorbed those words, understood and accepted that Hisoka was right. He wasn’t going to survive if he continued to see this job as he did… But…

“Can you read my thoughts?” it might have been silly to ask, but the look in those emerald eyes when he had said that last part just prompted it.

Hisoka looked up at him without a single regret, as if it were the most natural thing in the world to ask him, “Yes. I suppose they forgot to tell you I was empathic?”

The word meant nothing to Tsuzuki, he’d never heard it before, and his answer was obvious on his confused face.

Shaking his head, Hisoka smiled faintly, “It’s not a word used much in the current era. Basically it means I can feel your feelings and read your thoughts, at least the surface ones. I don’t dig, so don’t worry. We’ll have to work on your shields, of course, you’re really open and any demon could latch onto the same thoughts I just picked up.”

“Shields?” he was rather lost. They’d only told him the basics of this job…

Now it was Hisoka’s turn to blink at him, before one hand rose to rub tiredly at a temple, “I see their game. Great, fine. We’ve got a lot of training to do. Shields first, then we’ll work up to attacks, until then, you stay behind me when we engage anything that might come after us, alright?”

Tsuzuki looked a bit sheepish at the thought of how clueless he was, “I’m sorry…”

Hisoka shook his head, “Don’t be. This isn’t your fault,” standing, he grabbed the bowl of cherries, “We’d best get started. I’m not training you in the office so let’s go outside,” he paused, and offered his snack once more, “And you never did tell me if you wanted one,”

Tsuzuki’s eyebrow flickered up, but he decided to humor his odd partner, and nodded before taking one. Putting it into his mouth, his eyes suddenly widened as the taste hit his tongue, and he remembered he hadn’t eaten in eight years… And that cherry seemed the best tasting thing he’d ever had.

Hisoka was laughing a little, probably at his completely blissful expression. Green eyes glinted, and he reminded himself that the other had probably picked up his emotion in that moment. The thought made him blush a little.

“I see we should stop in the mortal world to grab dinner perhaps after our training. I’ll treat,” those lips curved into an amused smile, “I have this odd feeling you’re going to have a big sweet tooth.”

Tsuzuki felt that flush growing brighter, even as he shot back, “Don’t you?”

Hisoka shook his head, “I actually don’t care for sweet things. The only thing I’ve taken to are these,” he nodded to the cherries.

Tsuzuki couldn’t imagine it. But then, his memory of the sweets he had had when he was young were faded, buried under…

Hisoka seized his arm, breaking in before that blood soaked flash of time could smother him, “Let’s go, Tsuzuki, I plan to have those shields as strong as stone by dinner time.”

The violet eyed Shinigami nodded, allowing himself to be dragged outside.

Present time

The room was dark when he entered. When he had left, there had been at least one light on, to ward away the gloom. Hisoka had been on the couch, small body curled under a blanket. He had refused to stay in bed, having spent the last three days there.

Yet, even in the night like interior, Tsuzuki could see that the couch was vacated, the book his partner had been reading left carelessly on the floor. That was an instant show that something was wrong, Hisoka didn’t just toss books aside. If he had just stepped away it would have been laying face down on the pillow, holding his spot, or on the table, book mark in place.

“Hisoka?” he called, moving further into the house, past the nest of blankets on the couch, into the next room.

The bedroom was empty, as was the bathroom. Worry spiking, he knew he hadn’t gone outside, he would have seen him coming in, and he couldn’t have gone far in his condition….

He retreated back to the living room, deciding to check one more place before he went outside, or freaked and called Konoe. It was likely; they could have come for him….

Entering the kitchen eased his fears in an instant. There, on the floor, back to a counter, was Hisoka, a container of sweet cherries in his lap that Tsuzuki had brought a few days before this entire thing happened, with the intent on snacking on them himself when he visited.

Green eyes were closed, as almost mechanically, one cherry after another disappeared into that mouth, to be devoured. He could only watch for a moment, just a bit stunned.

“Your shields have gotten weak while I was gone,” casual, the voice was a slight bit different from his partner’s. It wasn’t deeper, or thicker, nor was there an accent to mar it. It was just different.

And yet the most familiar sound in the world.

Before he could say anything, those eyes opened, confusion, and that dogging tiredness clear in them, “Tsuzuki? What are you doing here?” the voice was once again normal.

“Konoe sent me home. I brought our paper work,” he absently waved the stake of files he had been carrying in one hand, having forgotten them until that moment. Setting them on the counter, he knelt by him, “How do you feel?”

“Tired…” those eyes fluttered briefly to show it, “And I had the oddest craving for these. Sorry.”

“It’s alright,” Tsuzuki assured, lightly, affectionately brushing back a strand of hair from his face.

He could feel the fever, from that simple touch. Hot, just like that fire that had so long ago engulfed his previous incarnation…

Those eyes lost the strength to stay open, closing as his fingers started to go limp. Tsuzuki carefully took the container away, setting it on the counter above, before gently slipping his arms under his partner’s back and legs.

“Let’s get you back to the couch,” he said softly.

“Bed,” Hisoka corrected softly, burying his face into Tsuzuki’s neck, “So tired…”

Suppressing the faint echo of pain in himself, he merely held tighter to him, “I know. You’ll get better soon.”