Chapter Twenty-Eight: Tragic Heroine:
Hisoka turned to
the crying woman. His heart ached as he felt her sorrow flow through him.
“What is the
matter?” he asked. The woman sniffled and turned her head.
“Nothing,” she
lied. Hisoka’s eyes welled with tears.
“No man is worth
your life,” he said. She stared at him, wide-eyed.
“How did you
know?” she asked.
“What happened?”
he asked. The young woman lowered her head.
“He dumped me,”
she said. “He left me for another woman.” Tears formed in her eyes. Hisoka tried
not to cry.
“Come on,” he
said. “Please stop crying.”
“I can’t!” she
said. The woman sobbed harder. She wiped away tears for five minutes. Hisoka
shed one tear.
“Better?” he
asked. The woman sniffled and nodded.
“Yeah,” she
said. “I need a moment.”
“Okay,” the
shinigami said. The woman stayed quiet for three minutes.
“Who are you?”
she asked at last. Hisoka bowed his head.
“I am Kurosaki
Hisoka,” he said. She blinked and tilted her head.
“Are you feeling
okay?” she asked.
“Hm?” Hisoka
asked. “What do you mean?” The young woman rubbed her eyes.
“You look so
pale… and blurry…” she said. Hisoka pressed his lips together.
Come on, Tsuzuki, hurry!
“Who were you
talking to before?” he asked. “You know, before we showed up.” She took a minute
to think, but shook her head.
“I don’t know,”
the young woman said. “She said she was a friend.” The younger shinigami shook
his head.
“No,” he said.
“That was not a friend.”
“What?” she
asked. The shinigami lowered his shoulders.
“That woman was
trying to kill you,” he said. The young woman’s eyes widened.
“What?! Why?!”
she asked. “What did I do to her?”
“Nothing.”
“Huh?”
“Well, she
wasn’t doing it on purpose. She’s attracted to misery. The more you spill your
heart, the more your life slips away.”
She stepped
back, shaking her head. “No…”
“But don’t
worry. My partner is chasing her down as we speak. You’ll be fine once she’s
caught.”
“What shall I do
now?” she asked, trembling.
“Wait until he
comes back. I will stay with you to keep you alive,” Hisoka said. The young
woman sank to her knees, panting. Hisoka patted her on the shoulder.
“It’s okay,” he
said. “Deep breaths. Deep breaths.” The young woman nodded and breathed in.
“Good, good,”
Hisoka said. He looked at the subway entrance.
Come on, Tsuzuki. We don’t have much time
left. Please come back already. Hurry. The young
woman leaned against the wall panting as she closed her eyes.
“I just wanted
love,” she said in a low voice. Hisoka sat down next to her.
“I can
understand how you feel,” he said. The woman turned her head.
“What is your
story?” she asked. The shinigami chuckled.
“I don’t try I
have the time,” he said.
“Come on,” she
said. “Please tell me.”
“Do you want to
hear it that badly?” Hisoka asked. The young woman nodded like an excited puppy.
The shinigami sighed.
“Alright, but
one condition,” he said. She gave him a strange look.
“What?” she
asked. Hisoka looked her in the eye with a stern look on his face.
“Promise me that
you won’t kill yourself over your ex. You will find a better man. You have to
live for that to happen. Do you understand me?” he asked.
“But…” the woman
said.
“Do you
understand me?”
She lowered her
eyes. “Alright. I won’t do it again.”
“Good.” Hisoka took a deep breath and began his story about him, Tsuzuki and Anna.