Chapter Two: Disruption:

Tsuzuki got the text at noon. He didn’t recognize the number.

“Huh?” the shinigami asked. “What is this?” Tsuzuki pressed his finger on the screen.

“Get home now!”

“What?” he asked.

“Is something wrong?” Hisoka asked.

“I just got this text,” his partner said. He showed his phone to the younger shinigami.

“Who sent you this?” Hisoka asked.

“I don’t know,” Tsuzuki said. His tone reflected on the message sinking in.

“I have to get home,” he said. Tsuzuki paced around before he dialed home. His stomach turned when there was no answer. Tsuzuki tried Anna’s phone.

“Come on pick up,” he murmured. “Come on. Come on.”

“Anna’s phone. I cannot be reached at the moment. Please leave a message after the beep,” her voicemail said. Tsuzuki stared at his phone.

“I need to get home,” he said.

“Alright,” Hisoka said. “Go.” The older shinigami looked up.

“You sure?” he asked. “It could be a trap. But what if Anna and Kirika-chan are in danger? Oh… This is bad.” Tsuzuki buried his head in his hands.

“Oh, god…” he muttered.

“It’s fine,” Hisoka insisted. “I will cover for you. Just go. But be careful.” Tsuzuki lowered his hands.

“Okay,” he said. “I’ll be back.” The older shinigami teleported out of the room.

----------

Right away, something didn’t feel normal. Tsuzuki unlocked the front door.

“I’m home,” he said.

“Asato-kun? Is that you?” he heard in the living room. He slowly turned his head. Anna still lay on the floor. Her husband’s jaw dropped.

“Anna-chan!” he shouted as he ran over to her. The shinigami pulled her into his arms. “What happened? Are you okay?” He could hear Kirika-chan crying down the hall.

“Please check on her,” Anna said.

“But…” he said.

“I’ll be fine. Please!”

“Okay.”  Tsuzuki got up went down the hall. Kirika-chan lay in her crib, crying.

“Aw,” the shinigami said. “How long have you been crying like this?” Tsuzuki picked up the baby.

“Ew,” he said. “I’m going to get you changed and fed, okay?” The shinigami carried her to the changing table.

Once the baby was tended to, Tsuzuki took Kirika-chan into the living room with him. Anna sat leaned against the couch.

“You okay?” he husband asked.

“Not really,” Anna said. “How’s Kirika-chan?”

“Good,” he said. “Changed and cleaned her up. What happened? Why were you on the floor?”

His wife sighed. “I got attacked.”

Tsuzuki gave her a strange look. “What?”

“I was looking for a job when I heard the door close. I got up to look. It looked like it hadn’t been opened. When I turned around I found a man in all white standing behind me.”

“Was he part of clan?”

Anna shook her head. “I don’t know. He just appeared out of nowhere and drew out a dagger.”

“A dagger?”

“I tried to dodge him, but he tackled me. He cut me open and touched my core.”

“Why would he do that?” Tsuzuki asked.

“I don’t know,” Anna said. She put her hands on her forehead. Suddenly the room became dark. It felt like time had stopped. Anna lowered her hands. She shivered as felt cold.

“Hello?” the woman asked. “Asato-kun? Kirika-chan?” Her voice echoed in the dark. Anna tried to see where she was.

“Hello?” she asked. Something ran past behind her. Anna whipped around. Harsh whispering in the air. The air felt colder. She couldn’t help but feel that someone was watching her.

“Anna-chan! Anna-chan! Anna-chan!”

The woman jerked her head upwards. Tsuzuki sat inches away from her. His wife leapt backwards.

“Gah!” she said. Anna sat there, blinking. Tsuzuki put his hand on her forehead.

“Are you okay?” he asked.

“No…” Anna muttered. She stood up and walked over to the front door.

“Usagi?” Tsuzuki asked. Anna walked out the door and closed it behind her. The shinigami looked at their daughter. He gulped as his stomach dropped.

“Usagi-chan…” the shinigami murmured.