Author: J.J.
Warning: It's an AU and it's BASED ON THE MANGA... it contains not too descriptive rape, some OOC, some use of Japanese words (the Dictionary is at the bottom), a bit of sappiness, some spoilers...
Notes: This work is based on the manga. It makes perfect sense if you haven't read it but you will find things going differently from the anime... oh well since this is an AU and things will go differently from the manga too it shouldn't be a problem.
About the characters... Tsuzuki's character is based on the first volume of the YnM Manga and that's why he's more serious. If you get the 1st volume of the manga you'll see a more adult looking Tsuzuki than in the rest of the series. As for Hisoka... He's purposely partially different from the original.
Inspiration came from the YnM manga and a lovely pic from Akane available at her 'Cursed Moons' Web (The pic is the one called 'TsuHi-raburabu')
Warning over notes: This fic is filled with notes. You will find them at the bottom. Each time you see a number between brackets it means there's a note connected to the word/sentence that preceded it. Many of them explain references to other series, to YnM manga only or YnM anime only facts for who didn't get to read the manga or see the anime, explain apparently illogical things or warn you there's an explanation for illogical facts but that you'll get it later. However I suggest you to read the notes AFTER you finished the fic unless the word/sentence connected to the note is really troublesome for you to understand. Anyway the fic should be still understandable without the notes. Notes are merely extra explanations for who wants to know more or search for spoilers.
Disclaimer:
"Yami no Matsuei" belong to Matsushita Yoko. I'm merely using her characters because I love them... especially Touda, Tsuzuki and Hisoka...
Ehy, do I own something here? Oh yes, I own the plot and a sensible heart which would surely break if you give me harsh reviews... so please be honest but nice ok?
Thanks: To Lothlorien for betaing this! Thank you a lot!
Summary: Alternate version of the 'Nagasaki Arc' Manga version. What if Muraki managed to break Hisoka and Enma planned Tsuzuki & Hisoka's partnership?
1996, summer's end - Somewhere in Japan
It hurt. It hurt to feel HIM moving inside him, but he had long ago learned to not try to get away. He had had almost 3 years to learn it and thank Kami-sama, HE said his time was almost up. He didn't know anymore if he was waiting for death so anxiously because it would dissipate the almost constant pain of his 'sickness' or because it would free him from HIS TORMENTOR's possession. He stared at the ceiling with empty eyes as HE kept moving over him knowing every sound he made excited HIS TORTURER more. Soon he would be free. Soon he would be free. Soon he would be...
... In Meifu, land of the dead, where the sakura blossom forever. He never expected to discover that there, in charge of judging the dead of their past deeds, was a bureaucratic organization called JuOhCho and that its top bureau, Enma-Cho, resided in a mirror copy of the Tokyo diet building, and at its first floor there was a special division, the Shokan-Ka. The old man(1) explained that the Shokan-Ka's 18 workers were JuOhCho's high ranked employers and their duty was to continue investigation on cases unsolved and deemed impossible by the other Cho in order to solve all the troubles related to the administration. They also had the privilege to move from Meifu to ChiJou and answered directly to Enma DaiOh-sama (to avoid any negative impacts on the boy, however, he avoided mentioning that Shokan-Ka employees were nicknamed Shinigami and that their salary was the lowest). He could have the privilege to be one of them. Enma DaiOh-sama was personally interested in him. The boy turned his empty stare on him and flatly refused.
The news didn't take too much time to reach Enma DaiOh. The ruler of JuOhCho stared at his underling, frowning.
"What's 'He refused' supposed to mean? Did you explain the terms of our proposition clearly to him?" he asked, his well-modulated voice betraying annoyance and disappointment.
"Of course, DaiOh-sama, but he doesn't want to consider our proposition at all. Apparently all he wants is oblivion and he doesn't want to set foot again on ChiJou at all. To stop him from being moved over as he wanted and you had forbidden, I had to temporarily assign him to the first district," the kneeling man informed him. Meifu's rules were clear. Dead could be stopped from moving over and assigned to whatever task the judges deemed appropriate no matter if they liked it or not, but no one could become a Shinigami without agreeing.(2)
"Mn... I see." First district was collocated in Meifu's version of Okinawa. Far from Enma-Cho and therefore far from Enma-Cho's employees' gossip and eyes, but, differently from 9th district that was in Meifu's version of Hokkaido, easy enough to reach at any time of the year. First district was busy only in summer and that's why only one Shinigami was assigned to it. Since Shinigami worked in pairs, Okinawa Shinigami got a random partner from the Shinigami who weren't busy at the moment when a case presented itself. Also, to speed up operations, Okinawa Shinigami, who was the last entry in Shokan-Ka, Akamine Chizuru, resided in 1st district. Since she had been a Shinigami for a year only, and only rarely got to interact with the other Shinigami who resided almost all in Enma-Cho, it was unlikely she would get involved in the matter. No one had to know Enma DaiOh had his eye on the boy and that the ungrateful whelp had refused his offer. "Any chance he shared with his new co-workers the fact that he was selected as a potential Shinigami?"
"I doubt the boy will talk about it. Not only he was asked not to, but this boy is... well, particularly introvert and closed in on himself. I don't think he'll manage to make friends easily."
"Well done. We'll give him some time to get used at living here in Meifu and then we'll... nudge him towards the right choice..."
"DaiOh-sama, I doubt he could be a good Shinigami. His attachment to ChiJou is too low for a start, and he's too closed in on himself, too apathetic to..."(3) The man closed his mouth quickly as he noticed Enma's glare.
"May I remind you of the fact that you already had an introverted, apathetic employer who turned out to be the best of your division?" the ruler of Meifu pointed out. The man bowed his head, defeated.
"I am sorry DaiOh-sama. I will do as you wish."
JJ's Notes:
1. Yes, the old man is Konoe.
2. No idea how JuOhCho works beside what's said in the manga. I'm making rules up.
3. In the manga it's clearly said that Shinigami need a strong attachment to ChiJou. However, after the 'Nagasaki Arc' Hisoka believed Muraki was dead, therefore his attachment to ChiJou should have vanished... (unless he had other things that connected him to ChiJou and no, Tsuzuki doesn't count. He's not on ChiJou.). So it's still possible to keep as a Shinigami a person with no attachment to ChiJou.
JJ's Extra Notes:
I know there's people who think Enma is nice because he didn't punish Tsuzuki in 'Devil's
Trill'... but the manga explains clearly that if he didn't it was only for his own
profit. In this fic all of Enma's personality is based on the manga... therefore he's not
too nice.
Also... in the manga Hisoka was asked if he wanted to be a Shinigami but at first he refused
and was sent to work in ShinKou-Cho. Then Konoe asked him again to become a Shinigami and
Hisoka, after hearing rumours about how his death wasn't due to sickness but due to a Juso,
decided to accept in hope to discover something. Chizuru should have already been working
there since she became a Shinigami a year before Hisoka joined.
Dictionary:
-sama: "Lord" or "Lady"
ChiJou: Land of the Living
Cho: Office
DaiOh: "Great King". Enma's title
Enma: "Demon of Darkness". Ruler of the Land of Dead
Enma-Cho: "Office Enma". In the 5th district of JuOhCho. It's ruled by Enma himself
and controls only Tokyo's territory. It hosts the Shokan-ka
JuOhCho: "Ten Kings Office". Meifu's bureaucratic organization ruled by Enma. It's in
charge of judging the deceased in Japan
Juso: Curse
Kami: God
Meifu: Land of the Dead
Sakura: Cherry Tree
Shinigami: "God of Death" or "Death God". Nickname for the Shokan-ka workers
Shokan-Ka: "Summoning Division". Division in Enma-Cho that deals with summoning the
dead to appear at court. It enters in action only when the souls of the dead don't go
spontaneously to Meifu
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