When the Sakura Stops Falling – Chapter one

It was a typically usual day in Meifu's summons division; the pair of shinigami for area 2 had just been assigned a new case by the chief Konoe. Hisoka the younger of the two was currently reading over the file, to say he was less then thrilled would be an understatement. His partner Tsuzuki was currently staring into space los tin thought about something or other, most likely what desserts he would get on the mission was the most common guess of his colleagues. Their latest assignment would require that they investigate at a small specialist hospital, and if there was one thing which the young green eyes shinigami hated it was: hospitals. The large white buildings gave him the creeps; he hated all the overwhelming negative emotions which would overload his empathic senses. When ever possible he would avoid entering such places which were so heavily laden with the strong emotional fears of other people. In short, Hisoka Kurosaki did not want to enter a hospital ever again in his afterlife. After he'd finished his brief reading session of the details of their case file he gave an audible sigh, there didn't seem to be any way out of this for him. Time to suck it up and get it over and done with he decided closing the file and dropping on his desk with a quiet thump he looked over to his purple-eyed partner. Who still seemed to be in his own world, 'baka' he thought to himself and whacked him around the head lightly to get his attention.

"Heeeeeeey, that's not very nice Hisoka." Said purple eyed shinigami complained in response to the light swat which served its purpose. "What did you have to hit me for? Hisoka isn't being very nice to me today." He continued in a playful tone he only used with his younger partner, no matter how long the teen had been a shinigami Tsuzuki's childish nature meant he couldn't stop tormenting him in some way.

"If you paid more attention to your job then maybe I would not have to treat you like the baka you are." The emerald eyed teen replied feeling a little frustrated. This was one mission he was most defiantly not looking forward to. "It should be straight forward enough right Tsuzuki? I mean we just have to go to the hospital and retrieve the woman's soul right?" his voice started to betray his nerves as he tried not to plead with his partner to let him stay behind at the office. After all Tsuzuki knew more then most the problems entering such buildings could have on the youngest member of the summoning division, even if he had become stronger over the few years they'd been partnered his fears still remained. Muraki's body had never been found after the fire in Kyoto, and his candle still burned brightly and stood tall and proud amongst it's many brethren in the hall of candles as the count would tell him every time he went to ask. With a small understanding smile Tsuzuki ruffled the boys sandy blonde hair gently.

"Yes it shouldn't take us too long, according to the report her spirit is trapped inside her body even though it's past her time. That's why we're being asked to go…" he trailed off mid sentence as he once again appeared to be lost in his thoughts. Quickly shaking his head to clear his mind of whatever was troubling him. "Sorry Hisoka, I just can't shake the feeling that her name is familiar to me some how." He added when he saw the worried expression being sent in his direction by his younger partner, even making a small nervous giggle for effect. Smiling inwardly when this was rewarded with the usual slightly bored and slightly annoyed expression that his usually received from his partner he simply smiled back and grabbed his coat. After all they did have a job to do, and a woman's soul to retrieve for judgement and well the work wasn't going to do itself as they say now was it?

It did not take Tsuzuki very long to track down the hospital where the body of the young woman could be found. The hardest part of the case for him was trying to come up with something that his partner could be doing to help with the investigation whilst he investigated inside of the hospital itself. After arriving in Chijou, the world of the living he had suggested they review the information they had been given and decide on an appropriate course of action for both shinigami to take to achieve the current objectives. They weren't just expected to retrieve the woman's soul, but had been asked to find out whom or what could be the cause of her soul's refusal to pass over. This Tsuzuki decided would be much better for Hisoka to do then accompanying him into the hospital itself and risk his empathy being overloaded. So after suggesting that Hisoka investigate her place of work, which the file stated as Sakura Pharmaceuticals, they had split up to investigate individually. Naturally our favourite amethyst eyed shinigami didn't like hospitals that much either, but he was more experienced at keeping his emotional responses in check after doing this job now for well over seventy years. Straightening his tie, and double checking he had his ever trustworthy ofuda papers in his suit jacket's inner pocket he steeled himself for the task ahead. Double checking discreetly the note with the woman's name he needed as he stood outside the entrance. His nerves starting to fray ever so slightly but he stamped down internally on the feelings and ploughed steadily forward. Through the automatic doors and towards the reception which was currently being staffed by a few young looking girls in nurse's uniform. As he approached the counter one of the girls looked up at him expectantly, waiting to hear what he was there for so she could deal with his request.

"Sorry to bother you, but I was wondering you can help me? I was recently informed that my younger sister was being taken care of here." Considering how young she looked in the photograph they had been given he assumed that claiming to be her older brother would be more convincing then asking for an older relative. Even if according to the file the woman was in her thirties and he had died at twenty-six. Doing his best not to appear nervous he flashed the receptionist a warm smile.

"Name please?" was the simple response to his enquiry, and his smile almost faltered. He'd forgotten to say the woman's name, if Hisoka was there no doubt he'd call him an idiot.

"Oh gomen, its Ukyou Sakuraiji. I was out of the country when she became ill and I've only just now been able to get away from work to visit." He yammered on a little hoping to be as convincing as possible, last thing he wanted the nurse to realise was that she had no siblings. However it appeared that luck was on his side, when the receptionist simply smiled back up at him.
"Oh of course, she's been with us for just over a month now. Her other visitor said you would probably come to visit soon." The nurse chatted to him, in a pleasant tone. Making the brunette shinigami confused.

"Her other visitor? I wasn't aware she'd had any other visitors." He replied a little dumbly. If this seemed odd to the girl at the reception she didn't show it, turning her attention back to the computer screen.

"Yes, her fiancée has been here practically every day since she was moved here. He specifically requested that if her brother turned up to send you straight through. I'm sorry you couldn't be reunited with your sister under better circumstances, he said you'd been estranged from your family for along time now. Ah yes she's in a private room on the third floor, you just have to take the elevator she's in room 309." Nodding to the young nurse and thanking her for help Tsuzuki followed the directions and now found himself standing outside of the private room numbered 309. The name of the patient residing in the room could be seen written under the door number in a neat hand, but he was still confused. Surely it couldn't of been that easy to fool the staff here? Normally he would have to spin them a small story about how he'd lived abroad for a long time and had flown back home to see them one last time. Being whisked straight through without needing a story of his own was strange, and he still couldn't remember where he had heard the name before. It was on the tip of his tongue but it just wouldn't come out, it as if the piece of information he was searching for had decided to play hide and seek with him inside his mind. Truth be told, he didn't like it but he knew he had more important matters to attend to. Like trying to persuade this fiancée to leave the woman alone with a stranger, he'd gotten lucky that there had been a long lost brother but he doubted the fiancée would believe it was him. No doubt he knew about the family member through photographs, he needed to be careful and act like he belonged and hopefully this would go to plan.

On the other side of the city the young shinigami empath Hisoka Kurosaki wasn't having much luck. Well he was not having much good luck, but he wasn't having a lot of bad luck either. When he'd arrived at the Sakura Pharmaceuticals building the staff behind the large reception had thought he was looking for one of his parents. He'd calmly explained that was not why he was there, and in their errant enthusiasm to help has asked was he looking for a work experience placement. Deciding that this might be a better idea for getting access to more of the building then his original plan, he'd decided to run with it. Wincing internally at the waves of joy which came off the staff and he was vaguely able to translate such feelings to mean they thought he was cute. Which reminded him of Saya and Yuma and he had to repress the sudden violent urge to shudder. After being made to wait around the reception area sitting on a rather comfortable couch and flicking boredly through various out of date publications. After what felt like hours but was only twenty minutes had passed when he was invited for a tour of the large building, which he gladly accepted if only to get away from the magazines and the constant fawning glances of the young receptionist.

Tsuzuki considered knocking, then he lowered his arm and considered just walking in instead, he honestly wasn't sure which would make him seem more like the family member he was pretending to be. However if the fiancée was in fact still there, surely it would be considered rude to simply barge in? He honestly didn't know! Not wanting to look like a statue he had taken to pacing several steps up and down the corridor, unaware that his shadow could be seen passing the door through the frosted glass panel in the door clearly viewable to the room's occupants. Well the one occupant who was actually awake at the present time, the other being in a coma wasn't able to see much of anything other then the dreams of her endless sleep. Completely unaware of the gentle touch of the long pale fingers which softly moved through the long strands of her ebony hair. Before the owner of the hand withdrew his touch having counted the movement of the wandering shadow passing back and forth several times. Now deciding to find out who the shadow actually belonged to, leading to a shock for both parties. A pleasant surprise for one, and a not so pleasant surprise for the other. As mismatched silver and pale blue met with royal purple, and a small smile tugged at the expression of shock currently written on the face of the fiancée the nurse behind reception ad told the shinigami about.

"I've been expecting you." He said simply, calmly, "Although I must thank you for not bringing the boy with you Tsuzuki-san, I am so pleased it is you who has come." Kazutaka Muraki stood in the doorway to the private room, wearing his usual white attire although the suit jacket was missing. Currently draped over the back of a chair along with his coat which was hanging up behind the door. To say Tsuzuki was surprised and shocked to see the doctor alive would have been an understatement, he had hoped that he had died in Touda's flames. "Please there is no need to stand out here gaping so ungraciously like a goldfish taken from it's home in the pond. Do come and sit with me? I know why you are here, I won't try to stop you." Without waiting for the brunette's reply the silvery blonde turned on his heel and went back inside the room, the door closing behind him with a heavy thud. Taking a few minutes to compose himself the purple eyed man slowly followed the doctor into the room, surprised at what he saw. The young woman who looked so full of life in her photograph, was lying unconscious on the hospital bed looking almost devoid of life. She was hooked up to various machines which Tsuzuki didn't recognize or understand the purpose of, but he was Muraki obviously would. After all he was a doctor and a well known surgeon as he had learned during his mission aboard the Queen Camilla. It wasn't all this which surprised him however, what struck him as so strange was the gentle almost loving way the white suited doctor was holding her hand as he stood next to the bed. His hand once against trailing it's fingers through her hair as he had been doing while he waited for the shinigami to come into the room. The pale man's lips were moving as if in a silent prayer and Tsuzuki felt oddly like he was intruding on a private moment which he had no right to witness. However he didn't move, he just stood and watched, as the question which had been bugging him since he received the case file finally clicked.

"It's her isn't it?" he asked quietly unsure if he would be heard, "Back in Kyoto when you forced me to see that Noh play you said somebody called Ukyou had turned you down. Cancelled on you." At first the doctor did not respond, just continued with what ever he was doing, for a moment the shinigami thought maybe he hadn't been heard. He was about to repeat the question when the blonde doctor turned his head to look at him.
"You would be correct in that assumption. However she is not just somebody, she is my fiancée and I would respectfully ask of you to remember that. I know I don't deserve it, but she is an innocent, she knows nothing of the things I have done. The crimes I have committed. Can you promise me that she won't be punished for her love for me Tsuzuki-san? After all she has done nothing wrong, nothing wrong at all." He returned his gaze to the woman's sleeping face. "Except perhaps for falling in love with me when we first met during our school years." The soft way in which the pale man spoke in regards to the woman in the bed was so unlike how Tsuzuki was used to being addressed by the sorcerer he didn't know how to respond initially. Was it really possible that this was the same man who had pursued him for two years before driving him to attempt a suicide all those months ago in Kyoto beneath the Shion University? He didn't know the answer to that question, but he could answer the doctors and for some reason he felt compelled to do so. After all it wasn't the woman on the bed who had murdered and abused his partner, it wasn't her fault that the sadistic doctor had done what he had done.

"I will talk to the chief on her behalf Muraki but that's all I can do. If she is indeed the innocent soul you tell me she is then you have nothing to worry about, Enma will be fair in his judgment of that you can be certain." He didn't know what else he could do, he didn't even understand why he suddenly felt compelled to reassure this man. The same man whom he had been afraid of for so long, had hated for he had done to his young partner all those years ago, but at the same time had secretly longed to hear his voice again. Even if it was just to mock him all those pick up lines, at least for the first time he had felt wanted by somebody. Even if it was a murderer, he'd still felt wanted and until now hadn't realised how much he'd actually missed it. In a strange cathartic way. Oh how he was glad Hisoka was not here right now, he could never look him in the eye again if the boy found out about the sudden conflicting feelings he was having towards his nemesis. The pale doctor simply nodded and smiled a strained smile.

"Enma must indeed be merciful if he has sent you to be her guiding angel Tsuzuki-san, I've had plenty of time to say my good-byes but still I don't think I'm ready." Pale hands gripped the sheets on the bed tightly, "There are so few people in this world that matter to me, I'm actually afraid. I'm more afraid of watching her die then I was in that black fire of yours… " he paused as he bent his head, and the brunette simply watched, as a solitary tear dropped from a silver eye and splashed onto the material beneath. "I've already undone the spell trapping her soul, I don't want to be here when you do it. You won't be so cruel as to make watch will you?" the stricken doctor asked the other man in the room without looking at him. Was that a slight tremor of fear in the usually arrogant and confident voice he was hearing?

"No, as much as I'd want to make you hurt for all the things you've done. I wouldn't use her to do it. Answer me one question before you go, and I promise to do everything I can for her, something I've wanted to know for a long time." Tsuzuki responded still standing by the door, in effect blocking the doctor's exit route. There was silence as the grieving form of a man who knew the only one to ever show him love, quite possibly the only one who could was about to leave his life forever, slowly stood and retrieved his suit jacket. Giving a curt nod say it was alright and he would answer. "What I want to know Muraki, is why you've always been able to see us. Most mortals don't know we exist, they are not supposed to know. Do you even know why yourself?" This was obviously not the question the man in white had been expecting, and he looked over to the bed one last time before looking back to Tsuzuki and sighed.

"I trained myself to be able to see spirits, my dear Ukyou however has always been able to see them. She was my inspiration for learning magic, I wanted to help her and it seemed to be the only way. The boy would likely understand better then you, what it's like to be rejected for having an ability beyond your control. However I think you know just as well as I how painful it is to be treated differently simply because me and you are different. For what it's worth I loved her, and she loved me and I know I have to let her go and I need to go now before I change my mind and decide I can't. Please Tsuzuki-san I know you are merciful, please just this once? Take pity on a lost soul like me?" The raw emotion in the other's voice left the shinigami confused and unsure of himself, he'd never known the doctor was capable of such feelings. Had no idea there could be such a gentle side to his personality, then again all he'd ever been privy to was the man's lusts and lunacy. Perhaps his fiancée was part of the reason that the man simply seemed to refuse to die? He knew he'd said he'd let the man go if he answered his question and he was bound by his word but he found himself wanting to know more. With a heavy heart he stepped aside and found himself pulling the long white coat from the hook on the door and handing it to the grieving man. Yes he was indeed a lost soul, he'd thought so himself when they'd first met. That Muraki was far too idealistic for the harsh realities of a career in medicine, but now he wondered if he had judged the man wrongly? There was only one way to find out, he'd have to get the man to agree to meet him again.

"Muraki-san?" he addressed the doctor as he was about to open the door, he seemed surprised by the respectful use of honorific coming from the purple eyed man.

"Yes Tsuzuki-san what is it?" he stopped, wanting to hear what the other had to say. Even as a voice in the back at his mind was screaming at him to leave, to go before he tried to interfere in what had to be done.

"I'd like to know more about her, your fiancée about the two of you. Would you be prepared to let me? To tell me I mean…" he was cut off by a pale finger pressing against his lips.

"Naturally I would be delighted that would take such an interest in my life Tsuzuki-san, but now is not the time. I need to grieve for her, and I'm sure the boy wouldn't approve of the two of us having dinner dates just t discuss my past. However if you are indeed serious I'll give you my card, give me a call and I'll make sure to get back to you. Now if you'll excuse me I have the unpleasant task of informing her remaining family." The shinigami took the small rectangle of card and placed it into one of the pockets of his trousers. Then simply watched the other man, leave the room, holding the door open so he could watch the slowly retreating form. He sighed and ran a hand through his dark brown hair, he had a job to do and he to had an unpleasant task ahead of him. A small nervous voice behind him caught his attention.

"Has Kazu-kun left?" the female voice said behind him and he turned round to see the woman's spirit standing next to the window of the small room. Her back to her unconscious body.

"Yes I'm sorry, but he's gone now. I'm here to guide to you to the next place." He tried to be gentle in his tone of voice, he didn't want to upset or scare her too much. The woman simply stood by the window as if she was watching something vitally important without moving at all, it was like seeing a projected image of the woman in the coma.

"You're Tsuzuki-kun right?" she asked turning around and smiling, "Kazu-kun told me about you while I was sleeping. He told me you would take me to my next life and that I would be safe with you." She took a step towards him moving daintily more like a young girl then the woman in her thirties that she really was. "Please watch over him for me? Oriya-kun will probably be mad with him for a long time, and I know he doesn't have many friends." The shinigami merely nodded, and she smiled again even though she seemed to be on the verge of tears. "I'm ready Tsuzuki-kun." She told him simply and held out an hand for him to take, even in death any man's touch apart from Kazutaka's frightened her, but her Kazu-kun had told her she was safe with this man. This guardian of death, and she trusted the doctor, even in death. She held onto Tsuzuki's trench coat tightly as he teleported them to Meifu. Both figures completely unseen by the hospital staff that had ran into the room in response to the flat line being reported by the life support machine. Completely unaware of the exchange moments before as they futilely tried to revive her comatose form. Outside the building a man dressed in white looked over his shoulder at the hospital his eyes searching for the room that was once his Ukyou's, feeling as if he was being watched. Seeing nothing he turned away, trying to ignore the feeling, and the sudden emptiness he felt within his heart. As he walked away he fished his phone from his pocket, and called his ever faithful butler Sakaki to pick him up. As he waited sitting on a bench in a nearby park he thought back to his conversation with his beloved shinigami, and hoped he had meant what he had said.