Yami no Matsuei Series by Yoko Matsushita, Joe Smith

Asato Tsuzuki works as a shinigami, or 'Guardian of Death', in the Ministry of Hades. It's his duty to make sure that the souls of the dead reach the afterlife, but contrary ghosts and humanity's evils keep getting in the way of a job well done. With all these problem assignments, will he ever get a bonus?

As a Guardian of Death, Asato Tsuzuki has a lot to think about. First of all, there are all those dead people. Someone's got to escort them safely to the afterlife. Then there's all that bureaucracy. The affairs of death come with a lot of paperwork, budgetary concerns and endless arcana. Combining supernatural action with heavy dollops of romance, sex and humor, Descendants of Darkness proves one thing: Death is big business...and business is good!

When you work for the Ministry of Hades you have to be ready for anything, even on vacation. While on their annual retreat to a Hokkaido hot springs resort, Asato Tsuzuki and company meet a pack of talking animals who serve the Queen of Snow. But now the Queen is missing and there's a vicious dragon prowling nearby... moreWhen you work for the Ministry of Hades you have to be ready for anything, even on vacation. While on their annual retreat to a Hokkaido hot springs resort, Asato Tsuzuki and company meet a pack of talking animals who serve the Queen of Snow. But now the Queen is missing and there's a vicious dragon prowling nearby. Can Tsuzuki and Hisoka find the Queen before she becomes lunch - or something worse? In another case, Tsuzuki and Hisoka must investigate a 17-year-old who's been murdered and his body mutilated. The investigation takes the two Guardians of Death to a private boys' school where they discover that other boys have died. Soon, they're deep into the dark and bloody secret haunting the school. less

When Tsuzuki finds a strange book--the kind that sucks one in, literally--he finds himself in a bizarre world whose inhabitants are dark parodies of people he knows in the real world. Illustrations. Rated for older teens.

The business of Death is never done. Asato Tsuzuki works as a Shinigami, or "Guardian o Death," in the Ministry of Hades. It's his duty to make sure that the souls of the dead reach the afterlife, but contrary ghosts and humanity's evils keep getting in the way of a job well done. With all these problem assignments, will he ever get a bonus...or will he be stuck paying back damages for all eternity?Young women are being murdered and hanks of their hair cut out at a Kyoto college... moreThe business of Death is never done. Asato Tsuzuki works as a Shinigami, or "Guardian o Death," in the Ministry of Hades. It's his duty to make sure that the souls of the dead reach the afterlife, but contrary ghosts and humanity's evils keep getting in the way of a job well done. With all these problem assignments, will he ever get a bonus...or will he be stuck paying back damages for all eternity?Young women are being murdered and hanks of their hair cut out at a Kyoto college. Tsuzuki and his fellow Shinigami, Hisoka and Watari, travel to the campus, where they find the evil Dr. Muraki at the heart of a hideous human cloning experiment. With the help of one of the professors, Muraki is trying to recreate his famous grandfather's success--a subject who lived for eight years without food or water! Tsuzuki and Hisoka pose as teachers to protect the students, but there is no protection from Muraki's terrible claims about Tsuzuki's shadowed past... less

Hisoka is tired of playing sidekick to his ditzy partner Tzusuki, and wants some power of his own. He decides to travel into the imaginary realm in search of magical shiki spirits to become his allies. Tzusuki tags along as a guide, but gets called back on an assignment before Hisoka has made his selection. Alone at last, Hisoka finds himself in a world of trouble. Now it's up to Tzusuki to rescue him...uh oh.