Editor's comments and actions are denoted by [brackets]. Sound effects are written {like this}. (Parenthesis) indicate side notes in the dialogue bubble or the mangaka's note. And finally, italics are thoughts.

In the book world, Tsuzuki dreams about the shocking revelations he just made.

Voice: You can't leave the book world again.

Tsuzuki: No way...

Voice: You don't know anyone, or anything, do you...

Tsuzuki: No...

Voice: And then you'll rot away here.

Tsuzuki: No, not that——~~!!!

Tsuzuki shocks himself awake.

Tsuzuki: [gasp!] !!

{sound f/x bikun: surprise}

Byakko: Did you come to?

Tsuzuki's resting against Byakko by some windmills at the edge of town.

{sound f/x byoo: cold wind blowing}

Tsuzuki: ......Byakko...

Byakko: For the time being, I thought it would be a good idea to be in an airy place. You really didn't look so good.

Tsuzuki: Ah...I see...I... I was in the middle of talking to the Caretaker when I got dizzy... ——...

Byakko: Since you got here you haven't had a decent meal. This is because you're summoning and stuff in such a state. (You should be more self-conscious.)

{sound f/x buri: Byakko getting a little angry}

Tsuzuki: [sweatdrop] ...Sorry...

(But it's because a free-loader's poor, huh?)

{sound f/x goshi: Tsuzuki wiping his forehead}

Tsuzuki: Tatsumi and I fought at the Count's tea, and finally I became lost in the mansion. Since the book in the study sucked me in, it's been three days—— The Caretaker was my only hope, and he flatly said that I can't return to the other world...

Byakko: I'll stay here with you for a little while longer, so let's not freak out and just search for some other way. Got it?

Tsuzuki: (Yeah) ...Thank you, Byakko...

{sound f/x goso: rustling as Tsuzuki puts his coat on}

Byakko: You rest a little bit. Today there's good wind blowing... Your spirit should feel rested, too.

Tsuzuki: Sure...

Byakko: Well then, I'm going to go gather up some information.

Byakko leaves Tsuzuki alone with his thoughts.

Tsuzuki: I can't even apologize anymore, can I... ...If only I could do that. We shouldn't have fought. ...... [sigh] ——Tatsumi...

An ill wind blows through town. And old man approaches Ruka's father, who's coughing in the street.

{sound f/x gooo: menacing atmosphere}

Old Man: Hey, are you all right? If you're feeling tired, you shouldn't overdo it...

{sound f/x gura: Ruka's father staggering}

Ruka's Father: ...u...

{sound f/x goho: wet cough}

Ruka's father suddenly coughs up blood and faints on the street.

Old Man: Uwaaa~!! Someone——~~!!! Call the doctor——~~!!

{sound f/x bata: Ruka's father hitting the ground}

At the Lord's mansion, Butler is reviewing business with his boss.

Butler: Well then, this year's taxes in accordance with last year's... May I continue, Master?

Lord: Sure sure. Whenever our Butler takes care of something, it always ends up fine~!

Butler: Your praise honors me.

{sound f/x gasa: rustling outside the window}

Lord: I'm going into town for a bit. Take care of things in my absence!

Butler: Ah... yes, sir!

The Lord leaves his office. Butler checks the windowsill, where a single flower lies with a notecard. [If I remember correctly, the symbolic flower of his part is a lily. Lilies are very pretty and apparently abundant in this book world. They are also, uncoincidentally, often used in funeral arrangements and symbolic of death.]

Butler: This is...

At the edge of town where we left Tsuzuki. Ruka comes running up with an armful of the same flower left on for the Butler.

Ruka: Mr. Angel!! What're you doing in a place like this? (You didn't go back home so I was worried!)

Tsuzuki: Sorry. You've been looking for me.

Ruka: That's right~! [holding up flowers] Here's a present!! Pretty, aren't they? On the way over, I picked some that had bloomed. But maybe something like roses are more suited to Mr. Angel.

(But he's got bad memories of roses...) [read: Muraki-sensei]

Tsuzuki: [laughing slightly] They're really pretty. Thank you.

Ruka: [chuckling] It's like a dream... Since Mr. Angel came, Father and I have been amazingly happy.

Tsuzuki's face falls slightly at this.

Ruka: Surely, Mr. Angel can make surrounding people happy... Because you have magical white feathers, don't you.

Tsuzuki: (......) ———You're wrong, Ruka. I'm... I'm not a pretty living thing like that... I——make the surrounding humans unhappy. Because I'm Shinigami. [Quick reminder: Shinigami translates to the Grim Reaper or God of Death, but just sounds nicer in Japanese.]

Tsuzuki breathes deeply of the flowers.

Tsuzuki: I dye white to black—— I'm wet in scarlet blood. As it is, I'll always cause you or your father trouble... Maybe I'll call in another quick "death"—— A creature living in darkness... So forget about me... okay...?

Nearby, Butler wanders into the silent woods. His head whips around.

{sound f/x zaa: whipping his head around

Tsuzuki: Please think that I wasn't here from the beginning... And about this whole human thing...

Ruka frowns back at Tsuzuki.

Ruka: (——...) That's STUPID isn't it, Mr. Angel. After all, shinigami and angels are the same thing. It doesn't change that you both reap lives. And you both guide people who get lost on the way to God's forgiveness. So how can you say that you're wrong?

Tsuzuki has no response to that. He can only stare back in shock.

Tsuzuki: ......

{sound f/x shiiin: Tsuzuki's motionless stare}

Tsuzuki: Th...That's well... (That's true, but...)

(A little blue that he's treating himself like an idiot.)

{sound f/x gan: horrible revelation}

Ruka slowly takes Tsuzuki's hand and touches their foreheads together.

{sound f/x su: Ruka taking Tsuzuki's hand}

Ruka: I won't forget... I surely won't forget about you. So can't you please forgive yourself a little?

Tsuzuki: ...... ...sure... Thank you... Ruka... Thank you, self. Thank you... Neesan...

Ruka smiles and pets Tsuzuki on the head like a puppy.

Ruka: (Good boy)

Tsuzuki: (...)

From in the trees, Butler watches them. Meanwhile, back at the real world, Hisoka and Tatsumi wander towards the Count's study.

Hisoka: Um... Tatsumi-san.

Tatsumi: What it is, Kurosaki-kun? (The study's a little further ahead.)

Hisoka: ——— When we were sitting down at for tea, and you said that you threw Tsuzuki away... why did you make up that lie?

Tatsumi stops dead in his tracks. He is not pleased. Damn those empaths.

Hisoka: I'm sorry, I'm asking something personal. But... The feelings at that time weren't hatred and disgust. It was deeper—...

Tatsumi: Are you worried about it? The relationship between Tsuzuki-san and myself———

Hisoka blankly looks back at Tatsumi, more than a bit intimidated.

Hisoka: No...not really like that... (Tatsumi-san... his eyes are scary.)

{sound f/x gan: Hisoka being intimidated}

Tatsumi: ——... That man... he resembles my mother.

Hisoka: ...Huh?

Tatsumi: My mother had blood of the Imperial Court. She was a perfectly pedigreed lady. Something went wrong with that and she and my father eloped. And then my little sisters were born——— My mother was bred to be a lady and was awkward as she couldn't even do things like housework well. I remember feeling it as a child. I would protect my mother... and well.

Hisoka: Tatsumi-san, that means that you come from a noble family...

{sound f/x biku: Hisoka's surprise}

Hisoka: I didn't know that at all...

(I didn't know either.)

Tatsumi: And yet for all of that I——... Always my mother would do nothing but cry. All that remains of my mother in my memories... is her always saddened face——... Tsuzuki-san, his face is a bit feminine, but it's completely unlike hers. And the color of his eyes... and his voice and his actions are all completely unlike my mother. But somewhere he resembled her. That somewhere...

Tatsumi falls into flashback. It's... it's ugly. Tsuzuki sits on the floor. He's coated in blood. Crayons or pastels or something similar sit in an open box on the ground. Several child-like drawings are scattered around. They're torn and spattered with scrawls of blood. A teddy bear sits on the ground by Tsuzuki's body. The teddy bear's head is in his lap. One eye is pulled out.

Tatsumi: The first time I met him was probably decades previously... At that time, Tsuzuki-san was still unstable. When work was finished, he'd close himself off and cry.

{sound f/x do: Tatsumi being struck by his memories}

Tatsumi: With his sad, crying face, it was impossible for him to smile at me. He looked so pitiful.

Tatsumi hits his fist against the wall. Blood flies.

Tatsumi: But I couldn't so anything for him... even though I was so close......! I always connected that with my mother's memory—— The awareness of my crimes started to shake me. The mother that I killed. That's right... the truth is... I didn't throw him away...! It's not that I wanted to be separated from him...! [To understand these last lines deeper, know that in Japanese the "him" pronoun was not needed, so it is unclear whether Tatsumi's talking about Tsuzuki, his mother, or both.]

{sound f/x don: Tatsumi falling deeper into himself}

Hisoka stares wide-eyed at Tatsumi. I'd be scared, too.

Hisoka: Tatsumi-sa...

Tatsumi: I've killed thousands, tens of thousands of people. The truth is... my own soul is...

Hisoka holds Tatsumi somewhat, who's too busy clutching over in pain to notice.

Tatsumi: ———— I could not endure. Being close to that person...... It became almost comical. I was completely broken...

Hisoka looks at Tatsumi sadly as he slowly regains control of himself.

Hisoka: ......

Tatsumi: So I ran. Far away— From that time on, how many partners has he had who have left him.

{sound f/x sara: the rustling of falling sakura petals}

Tatsumi: But, that's truly the end. The one who works as his partner, I, who went far away from him... until now and... from now on——... is just you, Kurosaki-kun... You, who stay close to him... Please take care of him... Because I no longer have the right to... Please support him——

Hisoka stares at Tatsumi, somewhat sadly.

Hisoka: ......

Hisoka walks slowly down a flight of stairs.

{sound f/x ka ka: sound of footsteps}

Hisoka: Certainly that guy's a shameless idiot, but at times he can understand people's feelings even better than I can.

Hisoka turns to look at Tatsumi.

Hisoka: So I'm sure he understands.

{sound f/x ka: footstep}

Hisoka: Tatsumi-san's true feelings...

Tatsumi stares as Hisoka in shock for a little while. Finally, he pushes his glasses up his nose... a gesture that suspiciously covers most of his face at the same time.

Tatsumi: ...... And no matter how far I go away from you, Thank you very much. I think about you. Even if you don't notice, that's okay. Even if you misunderstand me, that's okay. But somehow, please forgive me for continuing to watch you...

Tatsumi bursts into the Count's study.

{sound f/x ban: sudden impact of the door being flung open}

Tatsumi: I found you! Count!! Where is Tsuzuki-san~~!!!

The Count is sitting at his desk, reading. He suddenly turns around and giggles in as much of an SD as you can possibly get when you're a mask and gloves.

{sound f/x kuru: the Count turning}

Count: EHEHE~!

{sound f/x gyo: Tatsumi and Hisoka's shock}

{sound f/x biku: their continued surprise}

(How effective, huh.)

Count: Be good children and please don't interfere, you two. Now we're at a very good spot.

Tatsumi: "Good"... Wait, what are you doing~!! Where is Tsuzuki-san!?

Count: He appears on this page.

Tatsumi: HUH? (Page...)

The Count shows them the book to Tatsumi's utter SD shock.

Count: It looks like he's locked inside of this book.

Tatsumi: ......

Hisoka: (Ah, Tatsumi-san's crumbling again...)

Locked inside!!?

Back in the book, at the Lord's mansion to be more specific. Townspeople are gathered with the Lord and Butler.

Townsperson: It's horrible, my Lord! It's a plague!!

Townsperson: There's an outbreak of the plague in the city!!!

Lord: What? Plague?

Townsperson: People are dropping dead one after another. Please do something to save us, my Lord!!!

Townsperson: My Lord!!

Lord: But still, why at this time? It's been such a long time and we haven't had any disturbances in this area...

Butler: Actually, it's been 25 years, Master.

{sound f/x kichi: the Butler being precise}

Lord: [sweatdrop] (Ah) Yes... Thank you, Butler...

Townsperson: Surely it's that man's doing—— That traveling man brought in the strange illness!!

Townsperson: That's right!

Townsperson: Let's catch that bastard!!

Townsperson: He did that strange act that I've never seen before!!

Lord: Wait a minute, people. We still don't know if he's the real cause. (Hey, hey.)

Townsperson: No, my Lord!! That man's eyes were an unusual color.

Townsperson: I've never seen anything like violet eyes before!!

Townsperson: That's surely something to do with this illness!!

Townsperson: If we burn him to death, we'll cut ourselves off from the plague without any further casualties!

The townspeople cheer loudly as the Lord holds his...head? in distress.

Lord: ......

Butler: What shall we do? Master... We can't suppress the people from town any longer... A sacrifice is necessary.

Lord: People's hatred will take that body. Pitiful sheep—— ...It can't be helped. After this I'll leave everything to you, Butler.

Buter kneels before his master as the Lord turns and walks away.

{sound f/x ka: the Lord's footsteps}

Butler: Yes, sir...

Later on, Butler has sprung into action. He leads the townspeople through the village with torches.

{sound f/x goo: threatening atmosphere}

Butler: Collect all able-bodied men! Go hunt on the mountain!! Women and children are not to even take one step from their houses!!!

Townspeople: Yes, sir~!

Butler: Prepare the fire, we'll burn up that bastard's body. Send out the guillotine...!! No one interferes with me... you "Shinigami" bastard...

Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11

Manga belongs to Matsushita Youko, Hana to Yume, and Hakusensha, taken from the Yami no Matsuei, Volume 5 manga, ISBN4-592-17405-4. Not like the story makes sense if you haven't read the manga anyway. Romanized and translated into English very badly by Mina-P, with desperately needed help, as always, by Mako-chan. Any comments or corrections can be mailed to Mina-P at Minako@senshigakuen.com.

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