Aishuu and Xandra jointly present:
Rite of Resurrection
xandrabelle@hotmail.com, mbsilvana@yahoo.com
Disclaimers: Yami no Matsuei is copyright of Yohko
Matsushita.

NOTE: Please note this is a joint fic. All comments
should, if possible, be directed to both mailing
addresses. Yami no Matsuei had a distinctive
vocabulary of terms; if you are unfamiliar with the
series (or need a refresher), go to
http://theria.net/yaminomatsuei/index.html. 

~*~*~*~*~
Chapter 1
~*~*~*~*~

They were on a case, of course.

It seemed lately, the budget of JuOhCho was stretched
tighter than ever, which meant the shinigami were
forced to work longer hours, and their expense
accounts were slowly being cut back. Tsuzuki had
whined predictably, but not even his puppy eyes had
convinced Kanoe and Tatsumi to loosen the purse
stings.

Still, Hisoka knew there was only so much his partner
could take, and every now and then he let Tsuzuki do
the shopping, even though it was guaranteed to send
them over budget and supply them with foods that had
no nutritional value whatsoever. Hisoka never told his
friend, but the difference between the allotted
expenses and what Tsuzuki spent came out of his own
pitiful paycheck. Tsuzuki probably knew, but he didn't
press.

Friendship required such sacrifices.

So it was that Hisoka didn't worry too much when
Tsuzuki failed to show up that morning at the
appointed time and place. Really, the man was such a
flake sometimes; it always amazed Hisoka that Tsuzuki
was the most powerful shinigami in Meifu. 

A few hours later, Hisoka was beside himself with
concern. Despite his best efforts, Hisoka did worry
about his partner. He knew Tsuzuki was not capable of
taking care of himself at the best of times. Wild
thoughts were now racing through his head. What if
Muraki had shown up again? Hisoka knew Tsuzuki had a
tendency to go all to pieces when confronted with his
particular bogeyman.

It had only been three months since Tsuzuki had tried
to call Touda down upon himself... what if? Hisoka
thought, wondering if something had pushed the older
shinigami over the edge. Tsuzuki was simply too
powerful for his own good, and when it came to guilt
trips, he won the prize, leaving the nearest contender
in the dust. Maybe...

Hisoka looked in all the stores nearby, and wasn't
surprised that Tsuzuki had never made it to any of
them. His efforts began to grow more frantic as he
called the fire station, inquiring if there had been
any unexplained blazes. When a confused �no� met his
nearly hysterical queries, he hung up, and decided
there was only one thing to do; call EnmaCho.

It took an inordinately long time to connect to
Tatsumi, and when he did, it was an even more worrying
conversation. All he got was a curt, "Come back to
Meifu immediately," before the phone was hung up. 

After what seemed an interminable time later, Hisoka
found himself back in their familiar office. Watari
brushed past him and waved urgently, "Come on Hisoka,
you don't want to miss this meeting."

That didn't sound good and Hisoka was practically
running when he burst into the meeting room. "Will
someone tell me where Tsuzuki is?" he demanded.

The look on Tatsumi's face scared him. Konoe, Tatsumi,
Wakaba and Terazumi sat at the table, with the
GuShoShin siblings flying around, fluttering
frantically. Tatsumi's expression was grimmer than it
normally was, though it was well masked, and Hisoka
became convinced that his concerns over Tsuzuki's
welfare weren't paranoia. Tatsumi's careful
non-expression was more eloquent then the frown Kanoe
wore, Wakaba's confusion, or the GuShoShin's frantic
bustling.

"Tsuzuki... is not..." Konoe began, but a sharp look
from Tatsumi stopped him.

"Last night, around ten, a most remarkable thing
happened," Tatsumi said softly. "Tsuzuki's name was
erased from the Kiseki."

"What!" The shocked exclamation burst from Hisoka.
"What does that mean?"

Tatsumi lifted a finger to push his glasses up his
face as if trying to delay saying something terrible.
Heaving a deep sigh, he said, "We don't really know.
It's... quite unusual."

"Hrrumph, unusual's not the way to describe it!" Kanoe
retorted. "It's never happened before! Shinigami do
NOT go missing from the Kiseki!"

Tatsumi nodded in acknowledgment of the point. 

"There's got to be some way we can find him!" Hisoka
was trying to keep the desperate worry from his voice.
He looked about his friends only to see their eyes
fall down to avoid meeting his. No, he would not give
up on Tsuzuki so easily.

"There's an added complication. There's only a limited
time for us to find him before EnmaDaiOh makes his
decision," Tatsumi added reluctantly.

"What decision?" Hisoka demanded. He really didn't
like the way this conversation was going.

"Tsuzuki... has a week until EnmaDaiOh breaks his
contract as a shinigami... even if it's not his
fault... shinigami just can't go missing..."

Hisoka felt the blood drain from his face. "That's not
fair!"

"Oh course it's not," Watari said, sounding utterly
flat. "It's called bureaucracy."

Tatsumi gave him a dark look. "It's a sound idea, in
theory. Shinigami, especially ones like Tsuzuki, wield
powers beyond mere mortals. We need to know where they
are. And... EnmaDaiOh needs to maintain control over
them- especially ones like Tsuzuki. Tsuzuki's power
level is near that of... well, he controls 12
shikigami."

"What can we do to find him?" Hisoka was now really
afraid.

Tatsumi seemed to sense the near panic Hisoka was
feeling. He appeared to understand that Hisoka was
having trouble keeping a grip on his powers as an
empath. Tatsumi laid a reassuring hand on the boy's
shoulder and said, "Let's not panic yet. GuShoShin,
why don't you try the library and see if you can find
any reason to how shinigami can disappear from the
Kiseki. Watari, you check and see if there's some way
to trace Tsuzuki through physical means. Terazuma and
Wakaba, you guys do a physical search, see if you can
scan for his whereabouts. Everyone report back here in
12 hours."

The decisive way Tatsumi handled the apportioning of
tasks would normally have impressed Hisoka but today
he was too distraught. He turned to the secretary
inquiringly for his assignment. He was not going to be
left out of the search.

"Hisoka, you'll search with me. We could try to see if
you can feel Tsuzuki's emotions. You're closest to him
after all." Tatsumi said the last statement with just
the tinniest bit of regret.

Hisoka looked at the kagetsukai, or shadow master, and
tried not to shiver. Tatsumi was just so...
intimidating... and sometimes, Hisoka had the distinct
feeling Tatsumi felt strongly in some way about him,
especially when Tsuzuki was involved. "Understood.
Where do we start?"

Tatsumi's eyes narrowed. "We return to the scene of
the crime, of course."

*

Tsuzuki stood in the courtyard of the house that was
eerily familiar, in front of a woman he'd never seen
before. "Saa, what am I doing here?" he asked, even
though deep inside, he knew something was seriously
wrong. He felt his stomach turn over and over, and his
breathing was too quick.

Keiko stood staring dumbly at the figure in front of
her. In a tiny corner of her heart, she never expected
she would actually succeed- and what she got was
certainly furthest from her wildest imagination. The
man, yes, that was the only way to describe him,
appeared a lot more clueless than she thought a
powerful demon would be. In fact, he hardly seemed a
demon, rather more like an angel. Dark hair fell
attractively in wisps over his forehead, his fair skin
so smooth that she was hard pressed not to feel
jealous. He was dressed in, of all things, a modern
western suit. But the most remarkable thing about him
was his brilliant violet eyes. Liquid pure purple orbs
that invited her to drown in them. 

The same eyes her son had.

It was what convinced her she had summoned the right
spirit. Part of her told her to lay him back to his
grave, and leave him in peace, but Rui's life depended
on this cruelty. Keiko was, by nature, a retiring
woman, and she almost flinched away from the bright
curiosity in his face.

Still, she needed to establish the way things were
going to be. "I am�" she began in a weak voice, then
resolved herself. She pulled her shoulders back, and
rose to her full height, even though it was an
uninspiring 5'1. "I am Kuzuha Keiko... your sister,
Tsuzuki Ruka, was my great grandmother," she said more
strongly. "And I summoned you here."

The look of total surprise on Tsuzuki's face was
rather amusing to watch. Keiko didn't think someone
could show their emotions so openly. Then dismay and a
tinge of fear flashed across his eyes as he assessed
his situation. 

"You can't do this. Quick, dissolve the spell and send
me back!" Tsuzuki was saying desperately. He began
shivering, a combination from the cold rain and
reaction to his sudden transformation to human form.

"No," Keiko replied hardheartedly. "I need you to do
something for me!"

"Like grant three wishes?" he snapped sarcastically.
"Doesn't work that way, ojouchan!" he said, and his
eyes started to dart around, obviously seeking
something. Then they fell upon the bone fragment she
held in her hand, which was still stained with her
blood. "Break that!" he ordered, and his voice was
deeper with authority, and something in his eyes was
crackling with energy.

Keiko almost did as he asked, but she remembered all
the books she had read and stopped. "No! This is what
binds you to me! If I break it, that will give you
free reign!"

His eyes softened. "I wouldn't hurt you," he promised.
"I just..."

"Do you know what you're doing? Do you know the
consequences of binding a spirit to the living realm?"
Tsuzuki demanded.

"Yes, I do," Keiko replied stubbornly. "I'm sorry I
have to do this to you, but it�s absolutely necessary;
you're my only hope."

"You have a totally wrong idea about what I can do.
How can I possibly help you? Do you want somebody
dead?" Tsuzuki asked suspiciously. He knew all too
well why people usually wanted to summon demons.

"No!" Keiko protested. "I need you to save someone!
And if you won't do it, then you'll suffer along with
me!" 

Her outburst set him aback. He blinked once, and
opened his mouth, but just then another flash of
lightning split the skies, chased by a loud clap of
thunder. The wind was picking up, and he realized that
he was cold.

He hadn't been this cold in years.... Ever since
dying.

Tsuzuki held his hand in front of his face, and the
reality of exactly what had happened dawned on him.
"My... god... you performed a rite of resurrection,
didn't you?"

Keiko nodded. "It's my last chance to save my son!"
she said, and the wind whipped her sopping hair around
her tiny body like a banner. She stood defiantly,
waiting for him to condemn her.

Instead he stood there shivering helplessly. Realizing
that it would do no good to resurrect her ancestor and
then have him catch his death of cold, she reached out
a tentative hand to him. "We'd better get into the
house and talk there. Please."

Tsuzuki nodded his head and followed her like an
obedient child. Once inside, he stood there dripping,
looking lost. Keiko busied herself rummaging through
her linen closet. With a muffled cry of satisfaction,
she pulled out several towels and blankets and shoved
them at Tsuzuki. 

"I'll go make some tea. Wait here," she commanded. She
knew he would obey her, as there was really nowhere he
could run to now.

Tsuzuki took off his soaked jacket and shirt before
doing his best to dry himself. He couldn't seem to get
warm. Finally he huddled into a chair with the blanket
and contemplated his situation. 

He was back in the one place he had sworn never to
return to... bound to the earth by a girl who had some
task for him to perform. He heard her moving around in
the kitchen, and wondered if she was insane, or just
that desperate.

He hoped it was just desperation... Tsuzuki knew that
his time was limited. He had four days until...

"I hope you like green tea," she said, setting a tray
down on the table. A large honey cake was beside it,
and she gave him a weak smile. "Ruka-san's diary said
you loved sweet things."

"Sankyou," Tsuzuki cried before diving into the sweet.
Even being in soul imperiling danger was not enough to
dampen his appetite. 

Keiko watched him eat with a little smile on her face.
He was rather like her son, so innocent. She had to
force herself to harden her heart. She couldn't think
of him that way. He was the source of all her troubles
and she would make him fix them.

The cake vanished with amazing speed. Tsuzuki looked
hopefully at her, wondering if she would produce more.
When no more was forthcoming, he asked, "Why don't you
explain to me why you've bound me here?" 

She set her tea cup down daintily, and her face turned
grim. "It's because... you cursed us," she said.
Tsuzuki's face lost its color as well, and she held up
a hand to forestall his immediate denial. "I'm not
sure if it was intentional or not, but since you died,
there's been a curse the children in Ruka's line... in
every generation, a few are born with purple eyes..."
she said softly... "and those always die."

Tsuzuki looked troubled. "Couldn't it just be a
genetic condition?" he asked helplessly.

"Shi..." she whispered. "We are touched by death. On
the child's fourth birthday, they die... and die in
excruciating pain. Shi... the Chinese number four
which also means death.... Shi... has haunted us...
ever since you- you were the first one in our records
with purple eyes- and you lived a decent life!"

"To be called a demon?" Tsuzuki asked bitterly. "To be
chased by the children who should have been my
friends? To want nothing more to die- and be unable
to? To know that humanity is beyond my reach? I don't
know what you consider decent, ojouchan, but that
isn't it..." he said softly. "I'm sorry about the
curse, but I have nothing to do with it. I would never
hurt anyone who Ruka loved... she was the only one who
loved me."

"No, you must know! You have to lift the curse! You're
Rui's only hope!" Keiko exclaimed as she darted
forward to clasp Tsuzuki's wrists.

Tsuzuki was startled by her sudden movement. He sat
there in stunned bafflement. How was he to help her
with something he had no clue about? Finally he asked,
"Who's Rui?"

Keiko appeared to recover from her agitation. She
released him and fell back to her chair. "Rui is my
son, my only son now. He's going to be four in four
days time."

"How do you know what will happen to him, maybe he'll
be fine?" Tsuzuki was trying to be optimistic.

"Because I had another son, and he died," Keiko said
accusingly. She turned wide pleading eyes at him,
"Please... I have no one else..."

He blinked. "There's nothing I can do. I... have
nothing to do with this," he insisted. 

Her eyes turned fierce and she grabbed him again,
though this time her hold was not so gentle; her nails
bit into his flesh. "It was only after you died that
this began!"

He looked down at her half-dry hair and was unable to
find the right words. Keiko-san..." he tried, "I
died... do you know what that means? The dead do not
weave fates together with the living; those that do
only bring sorrow and suffering to those they try to
help," he whispered. "If I tried to help you,
something dreadful would result... it's called the
threefold rule. Please- break my binding, and return
me to where I belong," he begged.

"No! You will come up with something to save my son!"
Keiko declared stubbornly. "I'll leave you to think
this over." She got up and slammed out of the room,
disappointed in not being able to accomplish her goal
immediately. 

Tsuzuki sighed as he gazed after her retreating back.
What was he supposed to do now? Tentatively he exerted
his powers, hoping he'd be able to get back to Meifu. 

Nope, no luck there. 

He wondered how long it would be before anyone
realized he was missing. Heaving another sigh, he
huddled into the sofa and decided to get some sleep.
He'd worry about everything tomorrow.

*

Tatsumi and Hisoka sat alone in the conference room,
staring at each other uncomfortably. Hisoka's
discomfort was written clearly on his face, but
Tatsumi's was more subtle. Only those who knew him
well would have noticed the very slight, almost
minuscule furrow on his brow.

Hisoka didn't. Hisoka thought Tatsumi was perfectly at
ease and in his element. Which suited Tatsumi fine. He
still was unsure what to make of the green-eyed boy,
and while his most fervent wish was to make Tsuzuki
happy, it was impossible not to wish that it was him
who Tsuzuki was happy with.

Hisoka... came from nowhere... and managed to convince
Tsuzuki to live.

Tatsumi would have let him die.

Who loved him more?

Tatsumi didn't know. He sat there in frozen
contemplation. 

Hisoka was growing thoroughly uneasy with the long
silence. The secretary which everyone knew was the
real power in EnmaCho was usually a mystery to him. He
never could sense much coming from him, not that he
usually extended his empathic powers towards him. But
just this once he decided to try. No, the shadow
master was too good at keeping a lid on his feelings.

Finally Hisoka cracked. "How are we supposed to find
Tsuzuki?"

Tatsumi blinked. He shook himself from his reverie.
"When was the last you saw him?"

"Last night... around nine. He was whining about being
hungry, so I sent him out to get a late dinner. He
said he was going to bring breakfast back..."

"You let him shop for food...." Tatsumi sounded
slightly disbelieving.

Hisoka smiled slightly. "Food is one thing he adores-
I made him promise to buy pre-cooked things, and only
one sweet. And..." Hisoka trailed off, and his eyes
lost their shine. "He went shopping. He told me he'd
see me in the morning, and have something ready to
eat- but he wasn't there. I waited, assuming he'd
wandered off to do something, and when he didn't..."

"I see..." Tatsumi said. "Let's try tracing his steps
and see if anyone noticed anything." 

As Hisoka followed his co-worker out the door, he was
struck by how elegant Tatsumi always performed every
action. Unbidden a little tinge of envy flashed
through him. He clamped down on it. So what if Tatsumi
was Tsuzuki's partner. So what if he had known him for
decades longer. Hisoka was now Tsuzuki's partner and
the closest friend he had. 

The two made a strange pair as they materialized in
the room Hisoka had recently vacated. Hisoka shivered
slightly. The place felt barren without Tsuzuki's
cheerful presence. "I... went to sleep... and he was
in trouble," Hisoka said, unable to believe that his
partner had been removed from the Kiseki as he slept.

Tatsumi straightened his glasses. "Don't blame
yourself. It's never happened before, and your link as
partners wouldn't have kicked in over it... it was
something none of us anticipated. Right now, we need
to find him."

Hisoka firmed his shoulders and nodded. Right, it was
more important to stay focussed on finding Tsuzuki.
He'd had enough of self-doubt in the years since he
was cursed to die by Muraki. "Tsuzuki usually likes to
buy from the grocery store near the park. He says it
has a wider selection."

A small indulgent smile curved Tatsumi's lips. "You
mean, it has more choice for desserts," he said. They
both knew all too well Tsuzuki's penchant for sweet
things. Both had indulged him in his craving often
enough. "Let's start there then."

The grocery store was much like any other small shop,
managed by a woman in her forties. Hisoka had been in
there a few times with Tsuzuki before, and she easily
remembered his partner. It wasn't often that people
forgot Tsuzuki's dreamy violet eyes, after all. When
questioned, she denied him ever being in the night
before.

"Is he alright?" she asked in concern.

Hisoka forced a smile onto his face. "He's fine, just
lost, most likely. He just has no sense of direction.
Gets lost trying to get into a paper bag, and he
forgot his pager. Will you call this number if you see
him?" he asked, handing her his cell phone number.

Her expression grew relieved. "I will! Nagasaki is
such a confusing city- I'm sure he'll find his way
back!"

Tatsumi observed the exchange silently. He hadn't
expected the grocery store to turn up any leads. It
was more a way for him to occupy Hisoka. The boy had
looked like he was about to climb the walls with
worry. He studied the young shinigami's crestfallen
expression as they left, and put a hand on his
shoulder in comfort.

Hisoka appeared to appreciate it, nodding briefly
before lifting his chin up in determination. "What do
we do now?" He was really out of ideas. 

Tatsumi frowned in concentration. There were few
options. "Shall we check out his apartment in Meifu?
He could have left some clues there." 

That sounded as good an idea as any and the two found
a quiet corner on the busy street to duck into before
fading away to return to Meifu.

Tsuzuki's apartment was warded up to the teeth, and it
took Tatsumi nearly fifteen minutes to cut through all
the "keep out" warnings and traps that had been placed
against intruders. Hisoka fidgeted, wishing his
partner wasn�t so paranoid. Still, when someone like
Muraki had openly stated they wanted your body....
Well, Hisoka couldn't blame him. The chances of Muraki
getting into the Meifu were slim... but it was Muraki,
after all...

When the last ward broke, Hisoka darted in, only to be
forced back by a wave of heat. He rolled to his feet,
his eyes widening in horror as he saw what was
happening. "Tatsumi!" he gasped, trying to warn the
older shinigami against entering.

Too late. Tatsumi had been right behind him and came
to a screeching halt at the sight inside the
apartment. 

The sound of an enraged Suzaku screaming was something
Hisoka didn't want to hear ever hear again. Yet he
could feel that underlying her anger was a strong
undercurrent of fear. Where was Tsuzuki?

Hisoka was bent down, huddled in a corner, trying to
get away from the heat and the strong emotions
emanating from the fiery phoenix god as it screamed
fire and beat its wings. Tatsumi reflexively seized a
shadow up to shield himself and his co-worker from the
flames. Confused thoughts were running through his
head. Why was Suzaku here? And how on earth could such
a large phoenix fit into this tiny apartment? With a
sinking awareness, Tatsumi realized that it had it
been the wards that were keeping her in. And he had
just taken them down.

As if confirming his thought, the red phoenix uttered
a final cry before bursting through the window,
leaving a fiery trail behind.

END CHAPTER ONE

Up next: Suzaku rampages across the Meifu and the
shinigami are forced to battle... and Tsuzuki is drawn
deeper into the web of his heritage.

=====
Don�t ask of me to tell you where I�m from. 
Don�t bury me in the lost yesterdays. 
Don�t stop me any further. 
Even now in my heart sleeps, my dream that like a storm is still raging. 
I Want to Become the Wind
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Quicksilver/
http://www.midnightrevolution.org/quicksilver/

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