Summary: Five mysterious deaths, all taking place at the same casino in Oita, and their souls are nowhere to be found. Tsuzuki and Hisoka are rushed in to investigate before finding out who the new owner of the casino is… MurTsu YAOI. Explicit Content.

Rated X. Period.

Disclaimer: I have no rights to say that any character used in this story is mine.

WARNING: This story contains scenes of explicit content. If offended by male on male or sex scenes, then do not read on. You've been warned.

Submission

.:ONE:.

"Yaaaay!" Asato Tsuzuki squealed, staring down at the table before him, "breakfast!"

His breakfast this time comprised of samples of every kind of cake he could get his hands on, two boxes full of several kinds of doughnuts, and a giant cup of coffee.

Tsuzuki continued grinning as he took his seat. "And it's all mine- MINE!- no sharing, no interruptions..." He picked up a chocolate cake with yellow icing and a pink rose on top of it and put it in his mouth. "Mmm!" he mumbled as he chewed, "Heaven!"

"Tsuzuki?" came Hisoka Kurosaki's voice from behind one of the closed doors. The doorknob rattled, and the teen found it locked. "Tsuzuki! Open this door! I know you're eating in there!"

The brown-haired shinigami whined as he took a bite out of a strawberry-filled doughnut. "Man..." He got up, doughnut in hand, and went to the door Hisoka was still rattling. "Why should I?" Tsuzuki asked through the door.

"Open this damn door, Tsuzuki!" Hisoka yelled as he pounded on the door. "Or I'm gonna tell Tatsumi...!"

Tsuzuki took another bite from his doughnut. "... Promise not to touch anything?"

Hisoka gave an aggravated sigh. "Yes... Now let me in."

Tsuzuki turned the lock and opened the door, stepping aside to let the blonde in. "Remember, you promised..."

The younger shinigami walked in as he gaped at how much foor the older man had brought to purgatory. "My... God..."

"I know!" Tsuzuki squealed, rushing back over to his seat and drank a large gulp of coffee. "Isn't it great! Hurry- shut and lock the door behind you!"

Hisoka kicked the door shut and approached the table. "There's no way you can eat all this..."

Tsuzuki happily chewed on some caramel apple cake, the doughnut still in his other hand. "Hm... You're absolutely right." He picked up a large piece of chocolate cake with strawberry icing in the middle and on top. "Here! I know you'll like it..."

Seiichiro Tatsumi, seemingly popping out of nowhere, rushed up and took the cake that was offered to Hisoka. "Don't mind if I do, thank you."

Tsuzuki's jaw dropped, his sight landing on the same door that Hisoka had entered from- which was now open- then going to glare at the teen. "I told you to lock that door! I blame you! This is all your fault! Now I can't eat in peace! I'll have to share-!"

Tatsumi stopped him before his rant could go on further. "Chief Konoe would like a meeting with you both. It's an urgent assignment."

ixi

Chief Konoe was sitting in his usual chair, Tatsumi taking his place in standing at his side. Hisoka and Tsuzuki were standing in front of them, Tsuzuki's watery eyes on Tatsumi.

"Your new case begins immediately," said Chief Konoe. "You'll be going to Oita."

"Oita?" Hisoka questioned.

Tsuzuki eyed the half eaten strawberry-filled doughnut in Tatsumi's hand as he brought it to his mouth. He watched the brunette's eyes- which seemed to be smirking- then noticed his mouth open to take a bite.

"Yes. There's a casino there I need you two to investigate before the situation becomes worse, since it has that potential."

Tsuzuki gaped as Tatsumi's teeth sunk into the doughnut as agonizingly slow as possible, only able to imagine how wonderful the filling was when it spilled onto his tongue. Tears streamed down his cheeks as he watched Tatsumi slowly chew, longing to eat the last bite in his hand-

"TSUZUKI!"

Said person stood straight up, now looking at the chief. "I'm listening!" he exclaimed as Hisoka covered his face with his hand.

Konoe glared at him. "Good." He turned to Tatsumi. "And stop teasing him!"

Tatsumi stuck the last bit of the pastry into his mouth and hurridly chewed and swallowed it. "My apologies."

Konoe continued as Tsuzuki recovered from the loss. "As I was saying... Five people have mysteriously died in this casino within the past two months, and their souls are unaccounted for and nowhere to be found. I'm sending you both to the casino to poke around- gather information to find out why this is happening. Check in within three days. I'm sending Gushoshin with you- he's waiting outside."

Hisoka gave a small bow. "Yessir."

Tsuzuki glanced at Tatsumi, who was smiling smugly at him. A tiny fleck of the strawberry filling was on the left corner of his mouth. He burst into tears agin. "It isn't fair!" he yelled as he ran out of the room, "Your blood is made of ice water!"

Konoe stared after the shinigami as Tatsumi chuckled. "I'm sure he'll get over it." He looked to Hisoka again. "While you're gone, Watari and Tatsumi here'll be doing a background check on the casino to see if there's any clues." He then added with a smile. "And do thank Tsuzuki for all the wonderful snacks he's left us. We will happily eat them for him. Oh- and if you decide to gamble, you're to bring all the winnings to me. Understood?"

Hisoka bowed again. "Of course."

As Hisoka walked out, they could easily hear Tsuzuki yell, "I swear to you, they hate me!"

ixi

Both shinigami stood outside the casino, Gushoshin perched on Tsuzuki's right shoulder. The bird looked up from studying the map in his hands.

"Yep, this is it, guys!" he announced into the crisp morning air.

"'Lucky Night Casino'" Hisoka read the large neon green letters above the doors.

Gushoshin folded up the map. "All right. Tsuzuki, you're the card dealer at a poker table again. And since we can't lie about your age since you look young, Hisoka, we couldn't get you a job, too. We would've had you gamble, but the underage thing... so you can just wonder around. It's better that way, anyway, since you'll be able to move around and listen to more people and gather more clues than Tsuzuki."

Hisoka looked dismally at the building. "This is going to be hell..."

Tsuzuki put a hand on his shoulder. "You'll be okay. It doesn't get busy until night, and if you start feeling sick, you can come keep me company..."

The teen looked away. "Yeah, sure..."

Gushoshin lifted himself off Tsuzuki's shoulder to be floating in the air. "I'm going in your guys' hotel room nearby to wait for any information Tatsumi and Watari find, and I should help them out. Good luck!" He flew off.

Tsuzuki looked to Hisoka as they went to go inside. "So! What do you think is causing this?"

He shrugged. "Could be anything."

.:TWO:.

"Have you found anything out of the ordinary?" Watari asked, typing something into the computer he was at.

"No..." Tatsumi answered from the computer beside him, "I was hoping you had..."

"Nothing outta the blue..." said Watari, clicking on something.

"Let's see..." said Tatsumi, bringing up a page. "The Night Owl Casino was founded by Hiroshi Chimazu in the mid-1950's, then died some thirty years later and left the casino for his son in his will."

Watari nodded in agreement. "And Hiroshi died of natural causes, and has a clean record."

"The son, Hideki," Tatsumi continued, clicking on another site, " renamed the casino the Lucky Night Casino. He kept it purely out of respect for his father."

The scientist typed something. "The worst he's done is a petty robbery, so he's clean too..."

Tatsumi typed some more, and a new page showed more history. "Hideki kept the casino for eight years, then gave it to his good friend, Kakyojin-san. And after that... I can't find anything else."

Watari read something on his screen. "Yes, Kakyojin's clean as well..." He looked over at Tatsumi's computer. "Your's doesn't say that he died?"

"Kakyojin died?"

"Yeah, two moths ago of cancer. So..." Watari clicked around some more. "We just have to find out who the current owner is..."

Tatsumi sat back and watched Watari search. "We need to find something today. We've put this off long enough, and Tsuzuki and Kurosaki've been there for two days now. They probably haven't found much..."

Watari continued reading and searching for a few minutes more. His eyes widened in horror. "Oh no..."

The secretary got closer to the computer to be able to read as well. "'Oh no' what?" he asked urgently.

"'Kakyojin-san, dying March of 1998 due to cancer-'" Watari read aloud quickly, "'-gave his beloved casino, The Lucky Night, to his trusted doctor of five years,-..."

They didn't need to say his name aloud as they stared at his picture.

Watari stared at the screen in disbelief. "We've sent them into a death trap..."

"No..." said Tatsumi, getting to his feet, "we've sent him into a death trap. I'll tell the chief now, you go contact Gushoshin immediately." He glared at the picture still on the screen as Watari got up. "He needs to be warned about who he's dealing with."

ixi

Tsuzuki sighed as he set his cards on the table, showing the three people there what he had. "Four of a kind- Dealer wins..."

A young woman with curly black hair, looking no younger than 22, also sighed, sweeping her hair behind her. "Wow, you're good, Mr. Dealer. I give up." She got up and walked away to a group of friends that had been hanging around nearby, waiting. The two men that had also played followed suit and walked away.

Hisoka, who was sitting on the furthermost edge to Tsuzuki's right, eyed the group of girls. "They're talking about you, you know..."

The shinigami back up and laid his head on the table. "Urgh, I know. All they say is how good looking I am and I'm so hot..." He picked at his clothes; a white shirt with a black vest and bow tie with black pants. "In more ways than what they're thinking..."

"What about the one sitting by him- the kid?"

"Yeah, he's cute, too..."

Hisoka looked away when Tsuzuki looked up to smirk at him. "Don't say anything."

Tsuzuki laughed. "Ah... What's a pair of good-looking guys like us gonna do? We can't go in public without getting admired..." He watched Hisoka roll his eyes before looking down at his watch. "They should be closing by now. It's midnight." He looked to the teen again. "So... what've you found?"

"All I know is that his place just got a new owner a few months ago, because the last one died from something. An illness, if I heard correctly. People also say that the new owner never comes down from there-" He jabbed his thumb behind him to indicate toward the second floor above the slots and roulette tables. Black tinted windows overlooked the casino.

"Anyway," he said as he got up, "I'm gonna walk around now that the place is clearing. I'll pick up some more info from the stragglers."

"Yeah, okay." Tsuzuki stood up fully as people passed by to leave. "Good night, folks. Safe trip home. We're closing- you need to leave..."

He turned and leaned on the table, staring up at the windows as he loosened his tie. "I wonder who's up there..." he thought out loud. He was snapped out of his thoughtful trance when he sensed someone sit at the table. "I'm sorry, we're closed."

"I was surprised to find out that a Mr, Asato Tsuzuki had come to work for me... So I just had to pay you a visit..."

Tsuzuki's eyes widened, instantly recognizing the voice. He spun around to glare.

Dr. Kazutaka Muraki sat there smirking at him, clad in a white tuxedo with a light grey shirt. "You wear that very well, ..."

"Muraki!" Tsuzuki hissed, "I should've known..."

The doctor looked curiously at the shinigami, pushing his glasses further up the bridge of his nose with his right middle finger. "'Known'? Known what?"

"Don't play stupid, Muraki," Tsuzuki snarled, "it doesn't suit you. You know about the murders here, the unaccounted souls... You're the one behind it."

Muraki smiled. "Oh that... Yes, I admit it. I am responsible." He paused to watch Tsuzuki's expression change from pure hatred to surprise. "Surprised I admit to it? I'm sure you're wondering why I did it..." The crimson red studs in his earlobes seemed to gleam as the lights begun to go out. "I fed off them," he said quietly so only Tsuzuki could hear, "I sucked them dry of their energy so that I can become stronger. I know it's selfish, but..." He stare turned seductive, his eyes half lidded. "I'm going to overpower you one day, that is my wish. I want to take advantage of you... Get what I've been longing to do..."

Tsuzuki rolled his eyes. "Yeah, I get the point by now. But the souls, where are they?"

The blonde blinked. "Souls? Oh, they're probably floating around here somewhere... I'll be sure to release them."

The shinigami put his tie on the table and undid the topmost buttons on his shirt. "Then my work here is done. I'll be leaving now."

"So soon?" Muraki asked, "I can't allow that..." This made Tsuzuki look at him. "How about a game? Can I interest you with poker?"

Tsuzuki instantly remembered what almost happened the last time they had played poker- on the ship, the Queen Camellia. He looked around at the small crowd of people that were left and saw Hisoka was nowhere in sight. He began to feel uneasy. "No, that's okay."

Muraki cocked an eyebrow as he rested his chin on his left hand. "Why, afraid you might lose?"

Amethyst eyes looked around again. "No... I know you'll win."

The blonde smiled. "Very true." He studied the shinigami before him. "Then... Can I interest you with a date?"

Tsuzuki finally looked at him. "You're joking."

"I'm not." He got up from his seat. "If you would like to follow me, we can discuss details upstairs." He then added in an undertone, "And I'd advise that you not decline..."

Tsuzuki mentally sulked as he went to follow the physician. Waaah! He's too creepy- I can't say no!

They walked side-by-side, passing an elderly guard escorting two teenagers that had gotten in. Tsuzuki wasn't paying attention to really anything as he looked around until Muraki spoke again.

"I know that when we last met, I promised to have for you a million roses, " he said softly, "and I apologize for not having that many." His voice went quieter. "But the roses I do have... their pedals are scattered on a bed that's waiting for us up these stairs..."

Tsuzuki stopped dead in his tracks before turning to go up the steps.

Muraki chuckled as he also stopped. "I'm only kidding, Mr. Tsuzuki. I assure you, you're perfectly safe."

The shinigami stood his ground as he glared. "I don't trust you."

Muraki smirked. "You wound me. Fine, if you want to finish down here-" He grabbed Tsuzuki's arm and spun him around before pinning him to the wall. "-We can."

Tsuzuki took to staring down at Muraki's snowy white tie, wishing the slots machine in front of them wasn't hiding them from view. He chose to stay silent.

"I love being this close to you..." Muraki whispered as he leaned closer. "You have no clue what it does to me..." He put his arms around Tsuzuki's waist as he nuzzled his neck.

"I thought... we were gonna talk about... going on a date?" Tsuzuki said weakly.

Muraki licked a trail from his neck to the shell of his ear. "Mm... That can wait..."

"Get off him, Muraki."

Muraki turned his head to the right to see who had intruded, Tsuzuki looking over his shoulder. There stood Hisoka, staring coldly at the doctor with his arms folded, Gushoshin perched on his shoulder.

"I should have you kicked out for being underage, kid," Muraki growled.

Hisoka's stare seemed to get ten times colder. "You heard me."

Tsuzuki tensed as he felt Muraki's right hand slowly slide down his back, going over his butt.

"Why should I, because you told me to?" Muraki sneered. "Don't make me laugh."

The shinigami gasped, a deep blush going across his cheeks, when he felt Muraki's fingers reach between his legs and rubbed at his nether regions, pushing him away. "Enough!"

Muraki laughed as Tsuzuki rushed to Hisoka's side. "All right... I'll let you go for now." He pushed his glasses up before putting his hands into the pockets of his pants. "I've made reservations a few buildings down from here for us, Mr. Tsuzuki. Dinner begins at eight. I expect you'll be there..." He looked at them both before turning to head upstairs. "Good night..."

Tsuzuki grabbed Hisoka's arm to drag him away, noticing the murderous look in those green eyes. "Come on, Hisoka..."

They walked out of the casino and were walking along the sidewalk before any of them spoke again.

"I'm so sorry, Tsuzuki!" squeaked little Gushoshin, "I wish I could've come to warn you sooner, and I rushed over as fast as I could when my brother contacted me...!"

Hisoka looked over at Tsuzuki with a single emerald eye. "I can't save you every time Muraki jumps you. You need to learn how to push him off when I'm not there. Got it?"

Tsuzuki continued to keep his stare on the ground, his hands deep in his pockets. "Yeah, thanks."

The teen looked at him for a moment longer, then taking to watching cars and bikes whiz by.

.:THREE:.

Hisoka walked into the hotel room, a brown box in his hands. Surveying the room, he saw Tsuzuki sitting on the edge of his bed watching news, and Gushoshin was on the small table set off in the corner typing away on a laptop.

"I brought doughnuts," he said as he shut the door behind himself.

Tsuzuki got up and took the box from him so he could take off his jean jacket. "I thought you were just going on a walk?" He opened the box as he sat on Hisoka's bed, his eyes lighting up. "Hey! There's coffee in here! Thanks, Hisoka!"

"I thought you'd be hungry, so I got it on my way back," said Hisoka. He grabbed the second cup of coffee in the box and went over to look at what Gushoshin was doing. "What're you working on?" he asked before taking a drink.

Gushoshin clicked on a file as Tsuzuki dug into the box. "I just sent the chief our report, so now I'm getting his response...Ah ha! There it is!" He clicked on the newly received email. "Good job on the case boys. We should've expected it to be Muraki. Blah blah blah... And be sure to bring me back something. That's it."

"I guess we're allowed to stick around for a little while," Tsuzuki said while fishing around in the box for another doughnut.

Hisoka turned around and leaned on the table with his arms folded to look at the brunette once setting the coffee on the table. "So... Are you going on that date tonight?"

Tsuzuki tensed as his chewing slowed, concentrating on the TV but not really watching it. "...Yeah."

Gushoshin snapped his laptop shut as Hisoka looked coldly at his partner. "I'm gonna go back to the ministry now that the case is over. I'm sure you guys can handle yourselves if you stay... See ya!" He disappeared into the air to go back to purgatory.

Hisoka waited a minute longer before resuming his questioning. "Why?"

Tsuzuki put the half empty box on the bed, refusing to look at the blonde. "I dunno..." He never took his eyes off the TV.

The younger shinigami's anger flared, using his powers to shut off the TV. "He's our enemy, Tsuzuki, and you know what he wants to do."

Amethyst eyes went to the ground to stare at his socked feet. "Yeah, I know."

"Why does it have to be him! Why can't you pick someone else!" His hands were now fists at his sides.

Tsuzuki finally looked at him. "Like who! Tatsumi? You!" His eyes widened at the mere suggestion.

Hisoka turned his head to stare at the wall. "It's be better than him..." he said quietly.

The other shinigami was now on his feet. "I can't do that... You- You're my partner, we-"

"So!"

They stared at each other for a moment, until Hisoka couldn't take it anymore and took to staring at the wall as he refolded his arms. "All right, I get it. You have feelings for him. I'll get over it."

Tsuzuki glared at him. "Not like that," he said sternly.

Hisoka looked at him cooly. "Then why do you just stand there when he advances on you? You only fight him when I come around, or he starts to go too far. Deep down, you want him to have his way with you, and you know it." He went to cross the room and grab his jacket.

"I'm still going tonight," Tsuzuki said after him.

"Fine." He put his slender arms inside the sleeves. "You know..." he said thoughtfully, his back to Tsuzuki. "If you're with your enemy, or your partner... it wouldn't matter which one you went with." Before he reached for the handle to leave, he looked back at Tsuzuki. "They're both forbidden. Then again, you have a knack for ignoring rules."

Tsuzuki stared at the door after Hisoka left, almost smiling. He's jealous... Jealous of the one he hates most. How sad...

ixi

Tsuzuki walked along the sidewalk toward the casino, taking in the early-summer air. He gazed around at both sides of the street, overlooking the passing people on the sidewalk and the cars on the street. Neon signs were beginning to come alive as the sky further darkened to illuminate advertisements and names of stores. The shinigami felt perfectly calm as he walked on to the restaurant with his hands in his pockets.

He was wearing something very similar to what he'd been wearing the previous night, with the exception of trading the bowtie with a normal one and adding a matching dinner jacket and his favorite black trenchcoat. He had just returned from purgatory to fetch this outfit, since this "date"- as Muraki called it- had been unexpected.

I wonder where Hisoka's been all day... he wondered as he began to pass the Lucky Night Casino. I haven't seen him since he walked out this morning. I feel a little bad... He glanced inside the building through the three glass double doors to see that it was very busy. Glad I'm not in there tonight... Not that this is any better

On he went, starting to dread each step he took as the restaurant he was going to came into view. He was sure this was the one Muraki had meant: it was two buildings to the right of the casino, and it looked fancy enough to suit his (Muraki's) tastes. Taking a deep breath, Tsuzuki continued to put one foot in front of the other and decided that he wouldn't be staying long.

He opened the door of the restaurant and proceeded inside. On both beige walls to his sides were dark wood benches, and three people were sitting on these, quietly conversing. He could barely hear a male in the dining room singing in a soft crooning voice with light music behind him of violins and other strings. In front of him to muffle the sound was a wall where a young teenage- looking girl stood at a pedestal to check off names in the notebook in front of her. Two archways were on either side of her, both leading to the same room from the sound of it. Glancing at the clock above the girl, he saw that it was five till eight. He approached the pedestal.

"Name?" she asked sweetly.

"Uh... I think it'd be under a Dr. Muraki?" Tsuzuki asked hopefully.

She scanned the book. "...Oh yes! You must be Mr. Tsuzuki?" She received a nod. "You're at table seventeen- it's against the back wall to the left. Dr. Muraki is already waiting for you."

Tsuzuki inwardly cringed as he bowed slightly to give his thanks. She gave a cute smile as she checked his name off. He went down the hall to the left, turned left, then left again to enter the room.

The room itself was huge- he guessed it could fit at least a hundred people easy, since there were so many elegant white chairs and tables to sit from one to six people. They were everywhere he looked, except for the very front, where a large stage with forest green curtains was. The man singing into the microphone looked maybe in his late twenties, early thirties. His black hair was down to his shoulders and looked silky to the touch. Taking his eyes away, and only vaguely noticing that the room was about half full and everyone was watching the singer, Tsuzuki looked along the beige-colored wall to his left to find Muraki.

As he walked along, and earning a few stares, he found Muraki two tables away from the corner, also watching the vocalist until Tsuzuki was a few feet away. The doctor smiled as he watched his favorite shinigami come closer, studying each other.

Muraki's platinum blonde bangs hid his glass right eye like always, his other silver eye locked onto amethyst. His chin was resting on his interlocked fingers, elbows on the table. He was wearing a dress shirt with lines going down where the buttons would be. A red bowtie was at his neck, and a black dinner jacket adorned his shoulders and arms. Upon coming closer, Tsuzuki noticed a red sash around his waist.

"I'm so glad you could come," said Muraki. His eyes traveled over the brunette's body as he took his seat, taking off his trechcoat. "You look stunning, as always..."

Tsuzuki ignored the applause around them as the singer finished his song. "Cut the crap, Muraki," he said, trying to sound cold- and working, "why am I here?"

Muraki continued to give his playful smile. "What? Is it wrong to want to spend some time alone with you? Besides-" His smile turned into a smirk. "-you came of your own free will. No one forced you to come, because I sure didn't..." The smirk faded. "I'm actually surprised the kid let you come, since he hates me so much."

The brunette stared at the table. "He didn't want me to, actually..." He looked up to glare at the doctor. "And he has every reason to hate you as much as he does."

He held up his hands in surrender. "Touché." He folded his arms on the table. "I already ordered us some wine. I think it'll be to your taste..."

Tsuzuki stared at him for a brief moment before turning his head to watch the same male vocalist go into another song. "I don't plan on staying long, you know. I just wanted to see what you wanted."

"And I told you what I want. " He then added quietly, "You know everything I want..."

He shot him a glare before going back to watching the stage, choosing not to say anything.

A few silent moments passed, until a young man came in their direction, in his hands a small basket full of some red fabric and a bottle inside it- which he suspected was the wine- and two glasses in the opposite hand.

"Ah," said Muraki, "here's our wine."

Both of them put their hands in their laps as the waiter, wearing the same black and green uniform as the girl at the entrance, put their glasses in front of them.

"It's Chateau Margot, 1987," Muraki informed Tsuzuki as the waiter popped the cork carefully and began to pour the shimmering red liquid. "They tell me it's rare..."

Tsuzuki kept his eyes on his glass as it was filled. The waiter set the bottle on the table, bowed, then said, "Someone will be over to take your order shortly." He walked away.

Muraki took his glass and held it up. "Cheers?" he said hopefully.

Reluctantly, Tsuzuki mimicked the action and tapped his glass against the doctor's. "Yeah, cheers," he said dully.

Muraki took a long drink compared to Tsuzuki's two sips. Once Muraki had finished with a quiet "Ah!" he looked to the shinigami. "What's wrong? Is it not to your liking?"

Tsuzuki shook his head and took another sip. "No... This is fine."

The blonde continued to study him. "You shouldn't look at me so coldly, Mr. Tsuzuki... It only mars your beauty."

Tsuzuki glared. "I don't care. I told you- I don't trust you."

Muraki shrugged. "I guess I can't change that. It's your choice..." He reached over and grabbed one of the menus that had been set by the vase of red roses against the wall. "You should order something to eat. I assure you, it's all very good... And never mind what anything costs- I've already taken care of it."

He took to watching the singer again. "I'm not hungry."

"But you must order something," Muraki urged. "Then get some dessert, at least, since I know you have such a sweet tooth..." he smirked.

Tsuzuki felt a pang of annoyance for Muraki knowing so much about him as he picked up the menu to examine the sweets section.

Muraki looked over his menu. "I gave the casino to someone else, if that eases your mind."

Tsuzuki's attention went to him after inspecting a picture of a very good-looking chocolate cake decorated with raspberries and strawberries. "Why?"

The blonde pulled his glasses out from a pocket inside his jacket to read the menu better. "Because I have no use for it. I got what I wanted, and it seems that I can't get any more from there..." He glanced up to see Tsuzuki's expression. "Don't worry. I put it in good hands. He may seem greedy at times, but the casino will run smoothly under his control." He closed the menu and set it back by the vase. "You know by now that I kept my promise by releasing the souls?"

"Yes."

"Good."

A woman with dyed red hair came over, a small notepad and pencil in her hands. "Are you ready to order?" she asked politely.

Tsuzuki saw Muraki nod toward him, indicating for him to go first. "I would like to have-" He pointed to the chocolate cake he'd been looking over. "-that, please."

The waitress wrote it down, looking Tsuzuki over again before turning to muraki. "And what would you like, sir?"

"Fugu and sekihan, please," he answered, resting his chin on his hands again once taking his glasses off and putting them back inside his jacket.

She wrote this down too before taking the menus. "Your dinner will be brought in a few moments." She bowed, looking at Muraki again, then hurried away.

Tsuzuki looked to the physician. "Moments?"

Muraki smiled. "They're very quick here." Silence came between them, Tsuzuki once again going back to watching the stage; a woman was now singing. His eyes never moved from the shinigami. "Your turn to talk, Mr. Tsuzuki," Muraki said to break the silence. "I've done all the talking thus far, so now it's your turn. Talk to me about anything you desire, I don't care what it is."

Tsuzuki only glanced at him with one eye, not bothering to turn his head. "I have nothing to say. I'm not really sure why I'm still here."

"I see... So... How's Hisoka?" he asked conversationally.

The brunette considered ignoring him, but knew he'd press on until he talked. "I haven't seen him since he walked out this morning." Knowing Muraki would ask why, he continued. "We got in a little fight because I told him I'd be coming tonight. Like I said, he didn't want me to, since you're our enemy and all..."

Both men put their hands in their laps again as the woman came back with a gold metal cart full of plates of food. She set Tsuzuki's cake in front of him, then Muraki's meal was served. Giving a sweet smile, she said, "Enjoy your meal, gentlemen," and rolled the cart to a different table.

"I'm your enemy only when I want to be," Muraki said, using a fork and knife to cut up his blowfish.

"Like the casino?" the shinigami asked as he cut a piece of cake off with his fork, taking some chocolate syrup and a tiny raspberry with it.

"No, not exactly." The blonde finished his cutting and scooped the fish into the rice on the same plate. "I told you what I was doing there, and I never intended on keeping the souls. My apologies for that incident."

Tsuzuki chewed and swallowed. "Yeah right. I know you wanted to lure me there so that you could invite me here."

Muraki smiled. "... It might have crossed my mind..." He scooped up a piece of the fish and rice and ate it.

"Mmmm-hm," Tsuzuki hummed before swallowing. "Yeah, and it might have crossed my mind that I hope your blowfish is still poisonous." He smirked.

The physician chuckled. "Oh, it isn't. But believe me, if it was, it wouldn't be enough to kill me. You should know that."

They continued eating and drinking wine, only partially listening to the music on stage. They glanced at each other every few minutes but never made eye contact. Tsuzuki felt himself getting more and more comfortable with where he was, and even whom he was with.

It was when Tsuzuki had eaten his last bite when Muraki had set his fork down on his plate. This made the shinigami look up as he dipped one of the strawberries into some leftover syrup. "You're done? You've only eaten half..."

Muraki pushed the plate away, watching Tsuzuki eat the strawberry." It's all right, I'm fine." His silvery eye followed Tsuzuki's hand closely as it went to dip another strawberry. "You like fruit?" he asked quietly.

Tsuzuki bit into the strawberry." Mm-hm." He went back to watching the orchestra now playing as they fell silent once again.

The doctor still kept his eyes on Tsuzuki, still watching his closely. His eyes fell to the shinigami's plate- which still had chocoate syrup smeared on it-, then went to the right to stare at the roses held in the vase for decoration. He smirked as he carefully lifted one out to hold it.

"Do you like roses, Mr. Tsuzuki?" he asked.

Tsuzuki looked at him quizically. "Um... Yeah, I guess. It's pretty... Why?"

Muraki studied it like he'd done with Tsuzuki. "I think... this rose reminds me of myself."

Tsuzuki's eyes turned cold. He didn't like where this might lead to. "How...?"

"Well..." he said, spinning the flower with his fingers. "Many people like roses. They think they're pretty, just like you said yourself. And even though it has thorns, they don't care and still give them to people they love..." He looked up seductively. "So I'm like the rose, and you just said that you like roses..." He smirked.

Amethyst glared darkly at him. "You're wrong, Muraki, you and Hisoka."

Muraki's eyes brightened in surprise. "So that's what you two argued about this morning?" He drank some wine, draining his glass. "He suspects you too, huh? That must mean it's true..."

Tsuzuki got to his feet, picking up his trench coat. "No, it isn't. I'm leaving." He turned and went to leave.

Muraki rushed to catch up. "Come on, Tsuzuki..."

The shinigami walked out quickly, putting his coat on with Muraki trailing behind. He didn't care that the girl at the pedestal gave them a worried look as they passed and went out the doors. All he cared about was getting away from the doctor...

"Mr. Tsuzuki," Muraki said as he came to his side, "let me at least take you to your hotel. I would still like to talk to you."

His hatred for the physician was starting to stir, but decided to give him a chance. "Fine, but make it quick." He followed Muraki to the back of the building, and saw that a black Mercedes was the only car parked there. He began to feel uneasy again.

"Do you ever take time out of your busy life to do something for yoursself?" Muraki asked. "I mean, other than indulging in sweets and sleeping and such, I mean..." He looked over at the brunette with one eye, his voice going quieter. "Do you ever feel pleasure anymore?" He followed Tsuzuki to the passenger side of the car.

"... No," he admitted quietly.

Muraki backed Tsuzuki up against the door before he could open it." You need to stop denying your desires, Mr. Tsuzuki," he whispered. "All it'll do is build up until you can't take it anymore and you'll give in, anyway."

Tsuzuki's eyes widened as Muraki leaned his body closer, coming down to continue whispering in his ear.

"Giving in to your desires every once in a while won't do any harm, and no one needn't ever know. Not even Hisoka..."

Tsuzuki put his hands on Muraki's chest to push him away. "Get off me, Muraki," he said sternly.

Muraki took a step back, staring at the shinigami. "You're to keep denying it then?"

He sidestepped around the blonde so he could put some distance between them. "Yes, Muraki, that's exactly what I'm going to do."

The blonde reached out to stop him. "Wait-"

Tsuzuki glided into the air, shifting his energy to become invisible as he flew away.

Muraki stared up into the night sky. A smile slowly formed on his lips, beginning to chuckle, as he went to get in his car.

ixi

The shinigami unlocked and opened the door to his hotel room as silently as he could, in case Hisoka was there. He was glad he had, for when he went in, he could see the teen's silhouette under the blankets on his bad. He was lying on his side with his back to the door as Tsuzuki slipped his shoes and coat off, and Tsuzuki could tell from his breathing that he wasn't really asleep.

"Hey, Hisoka," he quietly greeted, fully expecting the silence he got in return. He walked over to the table, undoing his tie as he went to put it there. "I'm actually surprised you're here. I thought you went back to purgatory... but I don't mind if you're here." Tsuzuki proceeded to take off his jacket and strip down to his boxers and unbuttoned shirt.

He sat on the empty bed, facing his partner. Hisoka's eyes were closed to continue feigning sleep. "I didn't let him do anything, if that's what you're worried about," Tsuzuki said more seriously. "He tried to of course, but I pushed him away... I hope that eases your mind." He pulled back the covers and got under them to get some sleep. As soon as he was comfortable and closed his eyes, he was very aware of the green eyes on him.

END PART ONE