15. Conclusions.

T: Warnings and disclaimers remain the same.

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"So you've talked to him, have you?" The enquiry is entirely unexpected and, glancing up from his book, he is met with the gentle hazel of Tsubaki's eyes.

"How long have you been awake?" He enquires as he closes the tome, places it to one side and scoots forward slightly on his chair.

"About five minutes which was time enough to catch you smiling a little to yourself and to deduce the cause of that smile."

Her initial enquiry replays through his mind and, skin flushing despite himself, he replies,

"We've sorted through a few issues, yes."

There is a moment of silence and then, feeling uncertain of himself, he enquires,

"What happened after I collapsed?"

"She threatened me and my body reach out for the one defence that it could be sure of…the next I knew Tatsumi-san was bundling me into a vehicle all the while mumbling odd little things under his breath that I'm certain were meant to comfort me. As soon as possible he brought me here, allowed me to assure myself that you were well and then he gave me a stern talking to."

"Then you are in trouble?"

"No, apparently they understand that I only used Tsuzuki's power because there was the direst of needs…also…"

"Also?"

"Do you recall her precise wording when she was talking of harvesting the organs?"

"'I was taking things that had made them Sakuraiji-san's perfect students…that had earned them her care…as well as the thing that made them who they were'"

"The 'thing that made them who they were' was, of course, their soul and yet what use would such thing be to here? Perhaps if she had desired power or youth then the souls could have been of use to her and yet how can such a thing have aided her in her pursuit of vengeance? It makes very little sense until you consider the possibility that she had want to keep some token of her endeavour, irrevocable proof that she could later send to Sakuraiji-san to 'place the final nail in the coffin', so to speak."

"Are you referring to the paintings?"

"She used her power to seal her victim's souls into the canvas and preserved their final moments in a frozen realism that would shake even the soundest of minds."

"Then when the apartment burned down…"

"Their souls moved on at last which was an 'end' to justify my 'means', apparently."

There is a long moment of silence and then, turning onto her back, she enquires,

"Where do we go from here then?"

"We fill out the relevant pieces of paperwork and wait for our next assignment."

"Then you are going to remain on active duty?"

"yes, because though there is much to tempt me back into the life that I had been leading before this case, I have found the greatest of enjoyments in being 'part of the process' once more…have found myself greatly rewarded by the presence of a competent partner at my side."

"And yet you are not my partner, Hisoka, not truly and eventually…"

"Eventually Tsuzuki will be well enough to return to active duty."

"At which point there would cease to be a need for my presence here."

"Perhaps not as my partner and yet…" He trails as a sudden bought of inexplicable shyness claims him and yet, judging by the widening of Tsubaki's smile, she had realised what he was driving towards.

Understood that though there would come a time that they were no longer joined by the bonds of a partnership he would always be a part of her life…that the deep seated friendship that existed now between them was a bond that would never be broken.

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T: Thus we come to the end of this fic. I'm currently quite tempted to do a sort of a sequel if only because I quite fancy the idea of giving Tsubaki a partner all of her own! I make no promises about this yet, it's still just an idea, after all…but should it appear it'll be called 'pull' or something similar.