Most of Enma-chou’s workers, if asked, would say that Tsuzuki never knew what
was on his desk. Notices of meetings, memos about cases, budget forms, if
any of them were attended to before it was too late, it was the talk of the
department for weeks. According to the average Watari had worked out once
to settle a bet in the cafeteria, Tsuzuki was only seen actually reading
anything at his desk once every five weeks.
If asked, Tsuzuki would have pointed out, quite reasonably, that he knew exactly
what was on his desk. He found out once every five weeks, on average.
"Late anyway, late anyway, closed last week, late anyway," he muttered,
sorting through the pile of paper. "Late… hunh?"
"Is one of them actually still current?" Hisoka asked, acidly, not
looking up from filling out next month’s budget request form.
"Yes," Tsuzuki said, slowly, "but it’s not from here."
Now Hisoka looked up. "What?"
"To all demons rank of Brigadier or Duke," Tsuzuki read aloud, "from
the domain of Beelzebub. Angelic response to recent demonic acquisitions
among mortals are reaching undesirable levels. Any demons who are free are
encouraged to go, forthwith, to Assiah (e.g. Earth, the mortal realm) and
rectify this. Sec’y, Choronzon."
Hisoka was staring. "There is nothing more blind than bureaucracy,"
he declared with conviction. "They can’t possibly really think you’ll
participate."
"Well, no, of course not." Tsuzuki nibbled his lip. "But I do
kind of wonder just what’s going on."
"Not our business," Hisoka said, promptly.
"But we don’t have a case right now," Tsuzuki murmured, fingering
the memo. "We could go take a look. No harm in that."
Hisoka gave him a baleful look for a long moment before throwing up his hands.
"Fine. Fine! Don’t think you’re going without me, though. Who knows
what you’ll get involved with if you go alone."
Tsuzuki smiled at his partner, pleased that Hisoka wanted to come, too. It
would be good for Hisoka to get out more. "Of course."
"Tennis?" Hisoka said for about the sixth time. "Two
of the Great Angels, a Demon Lord, the Messiah, Gabriel’s reincarnation,
and a Principality are all here on Earth, dancing around each other, stressing
the fabric of reality, getting involved with tennis teams?"
"I’m pretty sure a lesser demon was hiding out in one of the boys, too,"
Tsuzuki added. "Some of them do have a lot of spiritual power, I suppose."
He had to admit to being just a little puzzled, himself, though. Not that
he couldn’t see the fun in watching these boys play; they were very determined
and earnest and involved. But he was fairly sure that high ranking celestials
wouldn’t be hanging around just to appreciate that.
Fairly sure. That Mad Hatter character was making him wonder.
"Maybe we should ask the Gushoushin whether this has ever happened before,"
Hisoka said, frowning. "This concentration of them on Earth can’t be
good."
"I do wonder what it might be doing to the boys, to be around this many
celestials," Tsuzuki agreed, leaning on the fence to watch the latest
team on their list. There didn’t seem to be any demons around, or angels
either, which almost surprised him. He could hear the church bells from further
down the campus. One of the boys did seem to have a touch of… something,
though. Tsuzuki squinted.
"Hisoka, can you get anything off that one?" he asked, gesturing.
Just in time for the boy to notice and take a few fast steps back, steel gray
eyes wide. A tall, dark teammate came to him and asked something. After a
short exchange involving some vigorous gestures they both approached the
watchers at the fence.
"Oh, just great," Hisoka groaned.
"I’m sorry, but we don’t allow spectators at club practices," the
dark one said, politely.
Tsuzuki smiled as brightly and soothingly as he could. "We don’t want
to be any trouble, we just wanted to check that no one was bothering your
team."
The gray eyed boy backed up a little more. "I was right, you are another
of them!" he exclaimed.
"No, no," Tsuzuki protested holding up his hands, "we’re not,
really. Exactly."
Hisoka smacked him on the shoulder. "And now you’ve confirmed that we
know exactly what he’s talking about." He gave the wary boy a direct
look. "We’re not angels or demons. Shut up, Tsuzuki,"
he added, as Tsuzuki’s innate honesty made him start to correct the technical
lie. "Our work deals with the messes they leave behind a lot, and we
just want to contain the damage this time."
The dark boy, who had listened to all this with his head tipped consideringly,
asked, "So what are you?"
"Shinigami."
Both boys edged back this time.
"We’re not here on a case," Tsuzuki hastened to add. "It’s just…
I think one of them has already touched you." He looked at the gray
eyed boy.
The boy crossed his arms. "Aniki said Hatter would stay away from me."
"Yuuta." The dark boy put a hand on his shoulder. "Fuji Shuusuke
is impressive, but setting him against a demon? This year has gotten strange
enough; if it’s affecting you we should do something."
Tsuzuki fished through his memories of the day for that name. Ah, yes, the
watchful one at Seishun Gakuen. "I’m sure your brother will do all he
can protect you. And it’s true that Seigaku has its own guardian," Tsuzuki
said, softly, "but the Mad Hatter has a reputation for power and subtlety.
Your brother doesn’t have the training to deal with that, and Raphael doesn’t
have the motivation. Celestials don’t usually get involved with humans without
an ulterior motive."
"So what, precisely, are you suggesting?" a new voice asked from
behind them. Tsuzuki turned to see a slight boy with sharp eyes watching
them.
"Mizuki-san," Yuuta greeted him.
"Yuuta-kun, Akazawa," he nodded, and turned his eyes back to Tsuzuki.
"So?"
"To keep outside influences away," Tsuzuki said, simply.
Hisoka slumped against the fence and crossed his arms. "You said it was
just to look," he reminded Tsuzuki. "Not that I believed it for
a single second, but that was what you said."
"We can’t just leave this," Tsuzuki answered firmly, knowing that
his partner didn’t genuinely disagree. Probably.
"Fine, fine." Hisoka raked a hand through his hair. "Just don’t
expect me to ask Kurikara to get involved in this. Though he’d probably laugh
too hard to manage to be insulting, for once."
Tsuzuki smiled, and reached out with the warmth of his pleasure in place of
actually touching Hisoka’s arm, which his partner hated for him to do in
public. Hisoka sniffed and gave him a sidelong look a little softer than
usual.
"I see," Mizuki murmured. "Yuuta-kun?" Yuuta blinked. "It
is your team, now," Mizuki told him, with a very significant look for
such a simple statement.
Yuuta was still for a moment before his mouth tightened. "Yes," he
agreed, not as though he enjoyed the thought right at the moment. "We
accept," he told Tsuzuki.
"Great!" Tsuzuki beamed at him.
"Right," Yuuta sighed. "Excuse me, then, I need to get back
to practice."
Tsuzuki fetched out a handful of ofuda, sorting through them, as the three
boys turned back toward the courts.
"Mizuki-san, I understand why," he heard Yuuta saying as Mizuki came
up to walk beside him, "but why them?"
"Because they seem like the most disinterested parties we’re likely to
get," Mizuki told him. "Besides, doesn’t he have lovely eyes? You
know how fond I am of purple."
"Mizuki-san!" Yuuta sputtered.
Tsuzuki decided, observing Hisoka’s suddenly edged glare at Mizuki’s back,
that it would be better for all concerned if he pretended he hadn’t heard
that.
End