Chapter Ten

When Tsuzuki comes to get me the next morning, he’s wearing his ring on his left hand. I can’t help but breathe a sigh of relief. “Hi,” I say. “How long do we have?”

“Only a few minutes,” Tsuzuki says. “Ryuushi sent me down to get you. We’re leaving.”

“Did you explain everything to Muraki?”

“Yeah,” he says. “He said he’d play along for now. God only knows what’s going to happen once we get out of here. He seems . . . really strange, though.” Tsuzuki extends his hand and helps me to my feet. “Different from the way he usually is.”

“I’m not surprised. I don’t know what happened with Saki, but . . .”

Tsuzuki frowns, then lets out a slight sigh. “Yeah. I don’t suppose we’ll get a chance to ask any time soon, either. Let’s get going.”

“How long do you think it’ll take to reach the exit?” I ask.

“I don’t know,” he says. “Ryuushi said a day or two’s walk, but he still hasn’t told me how to get there.”

“Great,” I mutter. “All this and he still doesn’t trust you.”

“There’s not much we can do about it,” Tsuzuki says, leading me out of the cell. “It’s not even worth worrying about.” He slides the ring off his finger and into his pocket. Then he takes me by the arm and pulls me along the hallway, not bothering to show any respect for my shorter legs.

Well, I always wanted to know what an army of Hell would look like. (Not really. But it sounds good.) Demons of every shape and size are gathered in the court hall. Tsuzuki has to shield me from a lot of them who seem to think that I’d make a really tasty snack.

“Outside,” he murmurs to me, and pulls me out the huge doors. Funny, I had never really noticed them before. They’re huge, carved patterns in obsidian. The light from the torches reflects off them.

The outside looks remarkably like the first level, except it’s quieter. There are no shrieking damned souls, no rivers of lava, no bursts of fire. Just cold black rock and no light except an eerie glow that seems to emanate from the ground itself. The rest of the demon army is gathered here, and it’s huge. It literally stretches further than I can see.

I can feel my stomach grow cold and I wish that there was some way I could get hold of Akimiya. Warn him that there’s no way they can be prepared for this. But what good would it do? There’s no point in scaring them unduly. Tsuzuki and I will just have to figure something out.

Tsuzuki is apparently also surprised at the sheer mass of the army. His eyes are nearly falling out of his head. There’s a hint of panic in him, and I sure hope he locks it down before --

“Impressive, isn’t it,” a cold voice drawls. For a minute I’m terrified that it’s Ryuushi, but there was no freezing feeling first. After a second, my brain clicks into gear and I recognize the voice as Muraki’s.

“I suppose you can put it that way,” Tsuzuki muses softly.

Muraki glances around long enough to confirm that no one nearby is listening to us. “I hope your Shinigami friends are prepared.”

Tsuzuki looks worried and glances at me.

“I’ve been talking to Akimiya,” I say quietly. “But there’s no way they’ll be prepared for this.”

“Ah, well.” Muraki sounds as if he doesn’t care in the slightest. He simply takes out a cigarette and lights it up. I prod cautiously at his mind, but don’t feel anything beneath his words. He honestly doesn’t care at all if the world is destroyed.

Without purpose. That’s what he is now. He has no reason to exist any longer.

I have a sudden mental image of, if I get out of this, having to go to Oriya and explain. I would. I don’t think it would really be right to just leave him hanging. But I don’t relish being the bearer of the news if Muraki actually dies here.

We make our way to the head of the army. Tsuzuki still has a firm grip on my wrist, as if to prevent my escape. Ryuushi is standing there, looking damn near ethereal in his black kimono and black wings. His eyes are glittering brightly in the torchlight with bloodlust. I can’t hold back a shiver.

“So where will this journey take us, ‘tousan?” Tsuzuki asks casually, as we start to walk across the barren plain. I don’t see any ceiling, but neither do I see a sky. There is no horizon, not really.

“Mostly just across the plains, for about a day,” Ryuushi answers. “Then we reach the Arechi no Shisou.”

Tsuzuki frowns. “What’s that?” I second the question. I don’t like the sound of that at all.

“I’ll explain it once we get there,” Ryuushi says offhandedly. “For now, we just have to walk. We should probably talk battle strategy, ne?” His smile grows more pronounced, and a bit more evil. “I want to know everything that you know about the other Shinigami. What kind of defenses can we expect?” He glances around. “Not that I’m worried, mind, not with this army behind us. But it’s always good to be prepared.”

“Don’t see why you would be, anyway,” Tsuzuki says, sounding a cranky and pulling me along a bit more roughly than I appreciate. “I already told you that I’m the strongest of the Shinigami. And I don’t know them all anyway. There are divisions that I never worked in.”

“Well, do you think they’ll know we’re coming?”

“They . . . might,” Tsuzuki says reluctantly. “One of the Shinigami in our division, Sakamoto Akimiya, is a yumemi.” I start to panic, thinking he’s going to say that I’ve probably been contacting to him, then he speaks again. “Sometimes he has prophetic dreams, usually if it’s something big that will affect everyone. So he may have seen this coming, yes.”

That was actually fairly smart of Tsuzuki. Ryuushi would have wondered why the Shinigami were waiting for them, and this will explain it.

“Any other large threats?”

Tsuzuki shrugs slightly. “Just Tatsumi, I guess.” He’s right; though the other Shinigami are cool, they’re not that cool compared to Tatsumi. He’s the only one who would do well standing up to demons. Hell, Akimiya still can’t even do ‘jitsu very well. “He’s a Kagetsukai.”

“Ahh, interesting,” Ryuushi says. “What’s he look like? We’ll have to try to take him out first.”

Tsuzuki, to his credit, doesn’t hesitate. “He’s older than me by quite a bit, somewhere in his forties, I’d guess. Black hair and sort of darkish skin. He’s very striking; you’ll know him when you see him.”

Ryuushi nods, apparently making a mental note of this fact. I continue to get dragged along. Muraki continues to walk, apparently oblivious to our surroundings. I wonder what he’s thinking, but there’s no way that I can check.

Walk, walk, walk. It’s just like going through Hell in the first place, only seriously more boring. Well, some of the demons keep giving me speculative glances. I’m starting to think I have a sign on my back that says ‘fresh meat here’. And then one on my front that says ‘property of Tsuzuki -- molest at your own risk.’ They keep trying to get close to me, then backing away.

So I just trudge along, keep to my own thoughts, listen to Tsuzuki and Ryuushi discuss strategy. Tsuzuki’s giving him real, helpful information about half the time. I suppose he’s starting to wonder what it really matters. Everything he’s lying about is in order to protect our friends.

Two days until we leave Hell. But I can’t just wait until we’re out and then resign myself to death now. Not with the entire world at stake.

~~~~

Walking all day doesn’t really give me much trouble, since sore feet isn’t really something that plagues Shinigami. I don’t have anything to think about, so my mind continues to wander as we walk. Wondering what we’ll do once we’re free. Whatever we have to, Akimiya said.

But what kind of life can possibly wait for us? Even if there is a way to hide, like Muraki had promised us, I’d miss my friends. Somehow, contact in dreams really isn’t the way I want to live the rest of my life. And even then, that’s only Akimiya. We wouldn’t really be able to see Tatsumi.

I feel more bad for him than I do for me. I remember when Tsuzuki was gone, how depressed Tatsumi was. Without him, Tatsumi really doesn’t have anyone.

Okay. Not crying. Not crying. Shit. I’m crying.

Unfortunately for me, Ryuushi spots me as I’m wiping the tears off my cheeks. “Aw, how cute,” he says. “Poor little Hisoka, dragged along with us. Doesn’t it just make you want to . . . cry?” He reaches out with one hand and brushes the tear off my cheek.

Flinch away. Resist the urge to hiss and spit at him like a cat.

Actually, maybe I shouldn’t resist. I mean, come on, the image.

So I spit in Ryuushi’s face.

There’s a long moment of silence from nearly everyone while Ryuushi slowly drags one hand over his face and then shakes it. Tsuzuki is watching in very carefully concealed panic that looks like mild interest. I hear Muraki let out a low chuckle. Bastard never did like me. Why didn’t I ever think to spit in his face?

“That,” Ryuushi finally says, “was not a wise move.”

Well, duh. Thanks for the tip, Captain Obvious.

“Oh yeah,” I say lightly. “Because your opinion of me is already so stellar, and just matters so much to me anyway.”

Ryuushi grabs me by the throat and holds me so my feet are dangling several feet above the ground. Oh, excellent. See what my big mouth has gotten me into this time. When will I learn to just shut up?

“’Tousan,” Tsuzuki says quietly, with a soft, cruel smile. “Let me.”

Ryuushi raises an eyebrow at him, but then tosses me to Tsuzuki like I don’t weigh more than the sum of my clothing. Or at this moment, my brain cells. I seem to be severely lacking in them.

“What are you going to do with him, Asato-kun?” Ryuushi asks curiously.

Tsuzuki just keeps smiling at me. And then does perhaps the worst thing possible.

He gets a hand around my arm, and shoves me over to Muraki. “I’ll let Muraki here deal with him. Ne, sensei?”

No, no, no. This is not in the plan, I’m not having sex with Muraki, I don’t care who we’re trying to fool.

“That’s quite good,” Ryuushi murmurs, so low that I’m not sure anyone else can hear him. “Give the boy to who he’s most afraid of.”

I’ll admit that I’m shaking in my shoes, so close to Muraki. Even knowing that he’s technically on our side now, I wouldn’t put it past him to hurt me just because he’s got the excuse. Whether or not we’re uneasy allies in this, he still hates me.

Or does he? When I try to extend my empathy to him, I still just feel . . . nothing.

Even when he pulls me into a kiss.

I let out a muffled squeak and try to punch him, but he grabs my arm and twists it around my back. I hear Ryuushi laugh. Bastard obviously finds this all quite amusing, whereas my heart is doing a tapdance in my chest. You live in happiness and safety for a few months and you nearly forget what your rapist and killer can do to you.

Yeah, right.

I can’t manage to get free, not matter how valiantly I struggle, so I’m forced to go limp to contain the amount of damage. Please tell me that Muraki isn’t so much of an exhibitionist that he’ll try to rape me right in front of the entire demon army. Oh God. And please, please tell me that Tsuzuki would find some way to stop him if he did.

He twists my arm up higher, and I have a vague sinking feeling about my earlier theory. He wants to hurt me. So why can I still not feel anything from him? It’s like he’s detached, not really all there. And why am I thinking about it while he’s groping me? Oh GOD I want out of this --

But my curiosity (which always gets the better of me, though you’d think I’d know better by now) prevails, and I let my shields down just an inch --

in such close contact with him that that’s all it takes --

//SAKI!//

I let out a shrill shriek which is totally involuntary, but which Ryuushi apparently thinks is coming from something Muraki is doing. Which it is, I suppose, but not on purpose. But I can hear Ryuushi’s laugh. It’s all very dull and distant, like it’s coming through twenty feet of water. I’m wrapped up in Muraki’s mind, Muraki’s memories.

//Don’t you dare run away from me, you bastard!//

and a taunting, mocking laugh

Darkness surrounding me (not me, not me, it’s Muraki, must remember that it’s not me) on all sides and I just can’t see --




a hopeless feeling of despair creeping throughout me

(NOT ME)




thud onto cold stone marble and a sense of failure, dismal failure, knowing that the last goal was unable to be completed, the only reason for living was unattainable all this time

//saki//

no.

//I couldn’t . . .//

NO

//kill you//

And I’m screaming and screaming and can’t stop screaming.

Muraki throws me away from him and I land like (well, like a broken doll) a lump, my arm twisted beneath me. I manage to haul myself into a sitting position and shake it out so it’s straight again. I can’t help but breathe a sigh of relief as the bones heal back into place.

Tsuzuki is looking vaguely surprised; I can tell he’s wondering what Muraki did to me that got such a reaction. Ryuushi, of course, looks delighted. I can tell that Muraki is confused (never thought I’d be glad to feel his emotions again, that’s for damn sure), but he’s hiding it very well. He’s probably just as shaken by what happened as I am.

So he didn’t manage to kill Saki after all. No wonder he’s been depressed.

Why the hell do I care?

~~~~

“Well, here we are. We’re stopping for the night.”

I nearly collapse with relief. As it is, I carefully lower myself to the ground. Every inch of my body aches, and I didn’t even know that was possible. The landscape hasn’t changed, except ahead of us is what appears to be a bank of fog.

“Where are we?” Tsuzuki asks, stretching slightly.

“That,” Ryuushi says, pointing at the fog, “is the Arechi no Shisou. It’ll take us at least a day to get through . . . maybe more. That’s why we’re stopping. It’s hard to traverse, even for a demon.”

I look around. True to Ryuushi’s word, most of the demons are giving the fog strange looks. The more powerful just look uneasy, but the majority of the demon army is quaking in its metaphorical boots. I’d feel better, but what does that mean for how it’s going to go for me?

As if he’s reading my thoughts (and who knows), Ryuushi’s glance flicks over to me and Muraki. “Of course,” he says, with a slow smile, “they’ll have to stay here, I think.”

“Hm?” Tsuzuki, quite admirably, manages to not show concern. “Why?”

“Well,” Ryuushi says, his eyes lingering thoughtfully on the fog, “I’m not sure mortal spirits can go through Arechi no Shisou. It’s designed to keep the souls of the damned in. Can’t have them getting out; that would sort of defeat the purpose, ne?”

I have to admit he’s got a point. Looks like Tsuzuki’s reluctantly admitting it too.

“So I don’t know,” Ryuushi said. “Of course, it’s never been tried to have a Shinigami go through it. It’s possible that he could, but I think it makes far more sense for him to just remain behind. As for your friend . . .” He gives Muraki a long, speculative glance. “It’s too bad. I rather wanted his firepower on our side. But again, a mortal -- a living one at that -- that’s never been tried either.”

“So it’s possible,” Tsuzuki says, wanting to be clear on that point.

“Possible, yes,” Ryuushi replies with a shrug. “But why take the risk? They’ll be here when we get back.”

“But why’d you make them march all the way out with us?” Tsuzuki asks, sounding a bit annoyed. “We’ve had to put up with his whining all this way, and for what? To send them back? They probably won’t be able to find their way.”

Ryuushi shrugs, obviously not caring. “I thought they might like the scenery.”

Tsuzuki makes a disgusted noise in the back of his throat and walks off.

Ryuushi turns to me and gives me a little smile. “Do you know why I brought you?”

Keep my eyes fixed, straight ahead. “Entertainment value?”

“No. Try again.” He walks over to me so we’re standing nose to nose.

I can’t keep back a smile. “Tsuzuki has no idea how weak you are, does he? Poor little prince of the demons, and he has to pack a lunch to bring.”

“Shut up.” He reaches out and slashes my cheek open. As with the other two times, the wound doesn’t heal immediately. He lets the blood run over his fingers, closing his eyes. I’m used to the steady, draining sensation by now, and manage to stay upright during it. It doesn’t hurt as much this time; he’s not tapping that inner source.

After a minute, I knock his hand away. “Feed on somebody else,” I snap. “I’m not your personal walking buffet, all right?”

He just laughs. “Of course you are,” he says. “Why do you think I didn’t have you killed on the spot? You spontaneously regenerate; I can feed off you forever. Using you, I’ll build up all my former strength and glory.”

With that, he walks away, leaving me to stew. Great. Just great.

“You should get some sleep,” Muraki says, and I jump. I hadn’t realized he was behind me. Probably watching the whole damn thing, the bastard. “We’ve got a long day tomorrow.”

“Yeah, right,” I say bitterly. “You and I aren’t going anywhere. We can’t go through that.”

“Oh.” Muraki looks at the fog, his eyes not really focusing.

“Go away,” I say, and sit down, pulling my knees up to my chest and hunching over them. “You don’t even care. Meanwhile, I’m going to be stuck in Hell as Ryuushi’s personal Happy Meal.”

He raises an eyebrow at me. “Sarcasm as defense mechanism, Hisoka?”

I give him a really good glare that I’ve been saving up. “Compensation problem, Muraki?”

He laughs shortly and walks away.

~~~~

I fall asleep curled up on the ground, hugging myself to keep warm. Tsuzuki kicks me awake the next morning, which I suppose I’d be mad about if it weren’t for the circumstances. I crawl to my feet and look around. The army hasn’t really suited up yet, but they’re obviously preparing to enter the Arechi no Shisou.

I can hear Ryuushi instructing his generals. “Now remember, if we get separated, it’s a straight shot to the end. Just follow your instincts and you won’t have any problems. The Gatekeeper will open for us with no trouble.”

Oh, there’s a Gatekeeper. Better and better. Not that I’m going to have to deal with him or her, since, you know, I’ll be stranded back here.

Right, enough with the pointless angsting. It’s stupid.

Ryuushi calls the army together and starts a nice inspiring speech. Wonderful. I’m guessing it’s because so many of them are still giving the fog nervous looks. He goes on a bit about how he and Tsuzuki are going to rule the world. Specifically him ruling Hell and Tsuzuki ruling Chijou and the Meifu. Woo fucking hoo. Pardon my lack of enthusiasm.

“Asato-kun,” Ryuushi turns to him and gives him a pleasant smile. “There’s only one thing you need to do before we get going.”

I’m not sure I like the sound of that.

“You see, last night, several of my generals expressed distrust of your intentions,” Ryuushi explains, still keeping his voice loud enough for everyone to hear. There’s a general rumble of unease from the troops. “But I thought there’s an easy way to prove your loyalty.”

I really don’t like the sound of that.

Ryuushi grabs me by the arm and pulls me over, tossing me at Tsuzuki’s feet. “Kill him.”

Tsuzuki only hesitates for a second. “You said I could keep him,” he says petulantly, with the air of a child who’s been denied a pretty toy. There’s no hint of a tremor in his voice.

I could have already told him that the best acting job in the world won’t get us out of this one.

“Oh, I know,” Ryuushi says easily. “But I think proving your loyalty is a bit more important, isn’t it?”

But Ryuushi doesn’t want me dead.

Which means he already knows Tsuzuki won’t do it.

And has probably known this entire time.

God, it’s so obvious, why didn’t we see it? Just knowing he was a traitor wasn’t enough. Proving it, in front of the entire army -- this army isn’t for the Shinigami. This army is for Tsuzuki. Because Ryuushi wouldn’t underestimate him a second time. They’re going to kill both of us, and I’m honestly not sure I see any way out of it. He’s been making us jump through hoops this whole time, “proving” that Tsuzuki doesn’t love me. What better kind of torture could there be?

Especially now that he’s made it clear that it’s all been so totally pointless.

Muraki glances over, but he barely looks interested. I grind my teeth and wish for the thousandth time that I could talk sense into him. And then wish that I didn’t care.

“Yes,” Tsuzuki says softly. “I suppose it is.”

I crawl to my feet and lock eyes with him. Try to urge him into doing it, to saving himself.

But I already know he won’t.

“Didn’t think you would,” Ryuushi says, and smiles. Such a cold smile. Father and son standing face to face at last, and the enmity between them is enough to overcome the chill.

I whirl on him. “Coward!” Okay, now it’s time for me to sign my own death warrant, apparently. “You knew you couldn’t beat him so you teamed up with a whole army?! You’re nothing! You don’t even have the power to stay alive!”

“No,” he says, and grabs me by the throat. “But I can get it.”

His fingers slice over my throat and I know from the sudden shock of pain that he cut it wide open. I can feel blood pouring down my neck, and he’s holding his hand over the cut. Laughing. Sucking up all my power

draining me so fast that the world is already fading

“HISOKA!!”

Right about then, all hell breaks loose.

~~~~

Chapter Eleven
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