Part.  03
Part title.  Another nightmare
Notes.  To make up for the last part, we have some angst.  W00t!  And I wrote this part pretty quickly, too.  Awesome.  Hopefully the fourth part will be done within a few days.  That would be nice...  Read and review, please.

/ thoughts /    [ dreams ]       ( flashbacks )
::*~~*::

            A little boy sat on the cold floor of the makeshift basement built just for him.  He hugged his legs tightly, hiding his tear-streaked face in his knees.  He hated crying.  But he always seemed to start the moment he was thrown into this cell...
            "I didn't mean to see it..." he whispered to himself.  "But, she touched me...  I...  I didn't..."  He sniffed, rubbing the moisture off his face.
            The door opened with a loud creak, but he didn't turn, only cringed.  He knew who it was.  And he knew what was coming.
            "Hisoka."  The voice was low and emotionless.  Hisoka could sense the man's anger with him easily enough, he didn't even need to touch him.  He didn't want to touch.  He didn't want to feel all that hate, directed solely towards him.
            "We had company, boy," his father hissed, walking up behind him.  "They were guests.  You don't cry out in pain in front of them!  What is wrong with you?!"
            His head was roughly tugged back by his hair, a few strands ripping out.  Hisoka let out a small yelp, but held back the scream that wanted to come forth.  He would only be yelled at more if he did scream.
            "What do you have to say for yourself?"
            Hisoka gulped and closed his eyes, whispering in a hoarse voice, "I'm sorry, father.  I'm trying to stop it—"
            "Trying isn't good enough, Hisoka!"  The boy was pulled up and tossed back to the floor, his temple connected painfully with the concrete floor.  A bit of blood trickled out.  It wasn't as bad as it normally was, though...
            "Why do I bother with you, boy?  You're so much trouble.  You're such a freak.  And in our family, too!  How could this have happened...?"  The father shook his head.  He reached into his back and withdrew something.  "No matter...  You must learn your lesson.  Until you're cured of this horrible affliction..."
            Hisoka's emerald eyes went wide with fear as he caught sight of the object.  It was all too familiar.  The wood-like handle that held the family insignia on it, the red hue...  the blade...
            The father stripped him of his kimono and brought the knife to his chest.  He began to cut, deep enough to sting and bleed freely, but not deep enough to leave scars.  No, they could not have scars on his precious body, no matter how flawed his mind was...
            "Father...!  Please!  Stop!" Hisoka cried out, trying to get away.  His father knocked him upside the head with the handle, sending a shock through Hisoka's nerve as the same temple that had hit the floor was hit again.
            "Shut your mouth and take your lesson, boy!"
            Hisoka stopped struggling and allowed his father to continue cutting him.  He cried out at times, but held back on his louder screams.  He bit the inside of his cheek to just prevent himself from doing that.  Eventually he tasted blood in his mouth.  This was such a horrible feeling...
            "I don't care what you feel.  If you hurt, hold your tongue, and deal with it.  I don't care if it kills you, just don't make a sound!  Don't thrash out at our guests!"  Another cut, this time on his side.  "Do you understand...?"
            Hisoka was starting to feel dizzy, more than likely from either the blood lose or the hit to his head.  Either way, he felt like sleeping.  But he had to answer first, or else his lesson would not end.  He nodded weakly.
            "Good."  Hisoka's eyes filled with question as the voice from above him was no longer his father's, but still familiar.
            "What...?"  He looked up to the new person, the one that was still holding Jigoku in a readied fashion.  He screamed when he his emeralds met bright violet.
            Tsuzuki smiled.  "Does it surprise you...?"  The knife trailed down his skin.  "Is this why you like it so much?  Did daddy beat it into you?"  His voice was mocking, so unlike the affection Hisoka was used to.
            "No... Tsuzuki... why are you...?"
            Tsuzuki leaned down and gently kissed the boy's exposed chest, licking up some of the blood.  "You wanted me to.  You always do.  Why won't you admit it...?"  The knife started to dig into his stomach.
            Hisoka's voice left him as he tried to call out.  He struggled with the man atop of him, but Tsuzuki soon straddled him and pinned him down, digging the blade further into his abdomen.  / No... Not again...  Stop it, Tsuzuki...! /
            "Just admit it once... for me, Hisoka...  Scream my name, tell me how much you like it..."
            His world was spinning.  Everything was fading to black.
            "Say it, Hisoka," Tsuzuki demanded coldly.
            Hisoka stared up at him with hurt eyes, searching Tsuzuki's for a reason for why he was being treated in such a manner...
            He saw the black wings again.  And he heard Tsuzuki's screaming in the back of his mind, It's not me, Hisoka, not me!  Hisoka!  Hisoka!  HISO—

           
            "Hisoka!"  Someone was calling his name...  "Hisoka, please... please wake up..."
            Emerald eyes opened slowly, the edges of sleep and a nightmare clinging to his mind.  It took a moment to register who had awoken him and where he was: he was in his own apartment, in his own bed, but his head lay on another's lap, the one who shook him gently and called his name softly.  The other...  it was...
            His eyes went wide, and, for a moment, had fear in them.  He pushed off of him and curled into a ball, his back to the older man in bed with him.
            "Hisoka?" Tsuzuki called to him gently.  He laid a hand on the boy's side, making him shiver.  "What's wrong?  Did I do something?"
            Hisoka did not answer.  Tsuzuki frowned, but refused to stop.  He put his arms around the child and pulled him close, though he struggled against the elder's grip.
            "Let me go," Hisoka hissed.
            "Hisoka...  Hisoka, please don't turn from me.  What happened?  What's got you so scared?"
            It took Hisoka a moment for all of his words to sink in.  It was Tsuzuki... his Tsuzuki, not the one from the dream...  He wouldn't hurt him... He wouldn't cut him like that...  He clung to Tsuzuki's loose pajama top, burying his head into the older man's chest.
            Tsuzuki hugged him tighter, not wanting to let go of his precious angel.  He kissed him on top of the head, asking, "What did you dream about, Hisoka...?  Why did you seem scared of me...?"
            Hisoka gulped.  Should he tell Tsuzuki about the dream...?  No, he may mention something about his father..  he didn't want his partner to get worried about that, like he knew he would.  Tsuzuki worried about him far too much.  But... it was kind of nice.  No one else had before.
            "It... doesn't matter.  It was stupid..."
            "You wouldn't be so upset if it was stupid, Hisoka..."
            "Can we... can we go back to sleep, Tsuzuki?  I'm still tired..."  / Anything to get off topic... /
            "You go ahead, Hisoka.  I wasn't sleeping, anyway..."
            Hisoka frowned.  "Are you still having problems with insomnia...?"
            "Yeah, but don't worry about it...  Just go back to sleep, okay?"  Tsuzuki laid down, pulling the boy into his side.  "I'll be right here when you wake up..."
            Hisoka nuzzled the man's chest affectionately, holding tightly onto his shirt still.  He was slowly growing used to having Tsuzuki here with him, like he had been the past five days.  And it was wonderful to sleep next to him.  He was worried, though...  Tsuzuki wasn't sleeping well, if at all, and it was starting to show in his work.  It had started the night after Tsuzuki started to stay the night...
            / I hope I'm not doing something to keep you awake, Tsuzuki...  I don't want to cause you any discomfort... /
            Hisoka closed his eyes and let himself fall asleep.  The nightmare from before still slung to his mind, but he soon forgot it as images of the violet eyed Shinigami filled his head instead.
            When Tsuzuki was sure that Hisoka was asleep, he let out a small sigh.  "Why did you look at me with such hurt, Hisoka...?"  He looked down at the sleeping boy in his arms.  "I wish you'd tell me something..."  He shook his head slightly.  "Doesn't matter.  We can deal with it later."  He gave the child a quick, tight hug, before relaxing, and trying to sleep himself.
            But sleep would not come...