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Chapter Eight: Hoto-chan's Gift:

February 27th, 2010.

The night patrol can be so slow, but at least it gives them time to reflect. Tsuzuki and Hisoka patrolled Nagasaki tonight. The older shinigami looked at his partner. Hisoka looked far away as usual lately; Tsuzuki wondered what was wrong.

"You know, Hisoka," he said. "I'm here for you if you want to talk." Hisoka didn't respond. Tsuzuki forced himself to smile.

"Nice night, huh?" he asked. "You know what? We should have lunch outside together, just the two of us. I could just…"

"Enough already!" Hisoka snapped.

"Hisoka-kun?" Tsuzuki asked. His partner didn't look up.

"Just stop," he said. "Stop. You don't have to feel guilty about it." Tsuzuki opened his mouth to speak, but his partner held up his hand.

"Stop talking," he said. The older shinigami closed his mouth and looked away. Is it that bad? Suddenly, Hisoka paused.

"Shhh, you hear that?" he whispered.

"Hear what?" Tsuzuki whispered back. Hisoka waved him off as he listened closely in the dark. A low groan filled the air. The shinigami tried to find the source. Hisoka pointed down the alley.

"There?" his partner asked. The boy nodded. They crept down to said direction. A hooker sat against the wall of an abandoned bank. She looked about nineteen years old in her schoolgirl uniform. Her bangs hid her eyes. The shinigami rushed over to her.

"Miss, are you okay?" Tsuzuki asked. "Miss? Miss?"

"Tsuzuki, look!" Hisoka exclaimed. The older shinigami's eyes trailed down to the girl's stomach.

"Oh crap…" he mumbled. Her shirt was stained scarlet. Tsuzuki lifted the soaked material. Blood poured from the gaping wound in her abdomen. She coughed up blood as her lips murmured something. Tsuzuki tried to listen closely.

"Don't talk!" Hisoka barked. "Try to stay alive!"

"Ba… by…" the girl mumbled. "Ba… by… My… baby…" She collapsed over forward. Tsuzuki backed up and felt for a pulse. Hisoka waited for a pregnant moment before his partner looked up and shook his head. Hisoka lowered his eyes as Tsuzuki sat back.

"She said something," he said. Hisoka looked up while his partner tried to piece it together in his head.

"What was it?" he asked. Tsuzuki thought harder.

"Baby?" Hisoka offered. His older partner looked up.

"Huh?" he asked. They paused when they heard a cry.

"What was that?" Tsuzuki asked. The crying grew louder.

"That way!" Hisoka said. Both men ran further down the alley. The crying grew louder with each step.

"Up there!" Hisoka yelled. He raced over to find a baby lying on the ground crying. The younger shinigami picked up the child.

"Is that…" Tsuzuki began to ask. Hisoka nodded.

"Oh…" his partner mumbled.

"What do we do?" Hisoka asked. "We can't raise this baby alone."

"We'll think of something," Tsuzuki said. His words sounded empty.

"But what about now?" Hisoka asked.

"Uh…" Tsuzuki replied. "Well… uh…" A sweat drop formed on Hisoka's head.

"You don't know, do you?" he asked. Tsuzuki lowered his head.

"No…" he mumbled. Hisoka sighed.

"You're hopeless," he muttered.

For eight days, the two shinigami took turns caring for the baby. That proved not easy to manage with lost souls to deal with. Maybe time for help? The answer came with a little visit at Kimoto Manor. Mike came over to see the girls after so long. To his curiosity, he noticed Tsuzuki and Anna moving boxes out of the house. The demon threaded over to the couple.

"Hello guys!" he greeted them. Tsuzuki and Anna looked up from labeling boxes.

"Hey Mike!" Anna cheered. The demon eyed the various boxes around them.

"What's all this?" he asked.

"I'm moving out!" she announced.

"What? Why?" the demon asked. Tsuzuki put his arm around Anna's waist.

"She's moving with me," he announced.

"Oh, I see," Mike said. From the steps, the baby cried. Tsuzuki sighed as Mike looked at in that direction.

"And a new baby too?" he asked. Tsuzuki nervously laughed.

"It's not like that," he said.

"Oh?" Mike asked. The shinigami put down the box he held.

"Long story," he said. "Don't really know what to do with the kid." Mike came up with an interesting idea.

"I think I can help," he said. "Come with me." The four walked down to Wisteria House. Tsuzuki held the baby to his chest as he leaned down to Anna's ear.

"Where is Mike going with this?" he asked.

"I have no idea," his fiancée whispered back. Mike walked up to the front door and slid it open.

"Hoto-chan!" he called. "Come out! Tsuzuki brought you a little present!" The shinigami blinked.

"Present?" he asked.

"Go with me on this," the demon whispered. "She needs it!" The loli demon finally wandered down to the door. Anna and Tsuzuki jaws just dropped. Hotaru had on a black veil over her face. Her eyes looked puffy with tears. She looked at the crew.

"What is it?" she said in a hoarse voice. Tsuzuki stepped forward.

"Uh… Hisoka… and I found this baby a while back and…" he said. Hoto-chan's eyes lit up as she gasped.

"Oh," she said. "Who's the little cutie?" She walked over and picked up the baby. Hotaru frowned as examined the baby.

"You haven't fed him properly," she said.

"Him?" Tsuzuki asked.

"Yeah, can't you tell?" the loli demon asked.

"No…" Tsuzuki mumbled as he lowered his head.

"Hm," Hotaru said. "Does he have a name?"

"No…" he said. The loli demon looked at the baby's face closely. She gave him a big smile.

"I'll call him Akira!" she chirped. The baby's little giggles healed her heart.