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 Posted: Tue Jun 22, 2010 10:25 pm
There are mentions of established Xanxus/Tsuna and Yamamoto/Squalo. Also, this is going off Mukuro and Hibari having a bit of an established relationship that they don't really regard as one, but everyone else considers them an item. There is also one-sided Dino/Hibari, but it isn't the focus of the fic.
A few warnings, yes there is dark content, but no there won't be any real explicit detail of it. There might be some slight OOC-ness, but it's really my first time working with these characters on such a scale.
Warnings: Dark content is included; some descriptive violence and gore; swearing and language; mentions of abuse and rape but nothing explicit; maybe some future sexual content, but you guys don't need to worry about that.
Progress / Table of Contents
Word Count: 18 007
Pages: 27
Completed Parts: 7 Table of Contents { Parts }
I. Ins and Outs
II. Shackled Dyads
III. The Name of Science
IV. Diagnosis
V. Waiting
VI. A Quiet Night
VII. Road to Recovery
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Posted: Tue Jun 22, 2010 10:28 pm
I. Ins and Outs
He was still floating in that inky darkness that he couldn't claw his way out of. Only dimly aware of his own body. He wasn't sure if it was a side-effect of the drugs or just his body's exhaustion after all it had been put through. And his mind was foggy and he couldn't form a coherent thought.
Words floated through to him, but he couldn't be sure if they were real or not.
“I know you're there. The drugs need to work their way out of your system.”
That voice... he knew that voice...
“Don't worry, you're safe now.”
Where...?
“You're in a hospital; right now, you don't need to worry about the details.”
I... what... He couldn't find the words; his brain was struggling enough as it was. But the sentiments were still there, dulled though they were. But they seemed to be enough.
“As of now, you're stable. But... you weren't in the best condition when I found you; your kidneys were failing, there was internal bleeding, and fluid in your lungs. And that is just the start. But right now you need to be worrying about recovery.”
For some reason, he felt panicked, but he couldn't find the words to express why. Everything inside of him felt dulled, sluggish. He didn't feel like himself. He couldn't remember himself.
Don't... alone...!
“Not now. Sleep. I won't leave you, but what you need now is rest. Sleep, it's alright.”
He was suddenly very glad that Mukuro had the skills that he did; even though he wasn't sure if he was actually hearing the words, or that they were simply being planted straight into his mind with the illusionist's voice. It wouldn't be the first time.
But... he was so tired...
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Posted: Sat Jun 26, 2010 1:08 am
II. Shackled Dyads
He'd tried to escape again, and it had only been a test.
Too bad he hadn't known that; his senses had been dulled to the point where he was practically incapacitated. His movements had become sluggish and clumsy; all of his usual grace and finesse was gone. And his mind was no better off; he was tired and dumb to what went on around him.
His memory was full of holes and often he didn't even register what was being done to him. Which was probably for the best.
The pathetic escape attempts hadn't been dealt with by adding more security, but with more drugs. Another potent cocktail was administered and he was left chained in a small padded room no bigger than a closet. He was left in there, with his only sustenance coming to him intravenously and water was dumped down his throat every few hours.
As for the bathroom, he was tethered to the wall; the chains gave him enough leeway so as to let him use the small toilet enclosed with him in his cell.
His injuries were tended to with minimal care, and there were always fresh ones; the guards could use him as a punching bag if they so chose. But they would usually lose interest; he would never fight back. The drugs kept him weak and lifeless.
There was no fun in kicking around a doll.
For him, though, that was barely something of importance. He couldn't recall the beatings anyway; it didn't matter if they blended together, he couldn't remember them anyway.
Barely could he remember his own name and who he was. Most times he wasn't sure if he was hallucinating what he did or if what he did remember was actually real. The drugs made everything feel alien; he felt detached from everything, and numb. He felt numb, yes...
Some things were more vivid then others, and they felt more real. Those he clung to and let himself get lost in. He found and gathered strength in those memories, not able to find the emotions that had previously been attached to them, but clinging to them nonetheless. All his past biases had been lost to him, and he was so desperate for anything to hold onto, to keep himself afloat. He needed the illusion that they gave him; that somewhere outside was someone who cared.
He didn't want to admit that there was no way out. The hope was there to let him escape further into himself. The drugs kept him locked in his mind, and he hid himself in a cage of his own creation.
He was driving himself slowly insane.
But that was still better than the reality he faced.
So instead, he focused on mismatched eyes and pale skin; on blue hair which resembled a tropical fruit. He lost himself in those memories of a sensual voice whispering things into his ear, and promises of surrender in safety and bliss. The feelings of passion, attraction, and desire; those he lost himself in.
The name would occasionally roll off his tongue without his awareness that he'd spoken at all; and it was the only sound that he made through the narcotic stupor that he was kept in.
“Mukuro.”
His captors never understood the meaning behind the whispered name, and never bothered to try and uncover its significance. It wasn't their captive's name – they already were aware of what it was – and it had no place in any of their files on either him or his family. Hence, it wasn't important. Most likely just a creation of his imagination.
It would prove to be their fatal mistake.
– –
In five years, Tsuna knew better than to trust Mukuro – past experiences told him enough, and his hyper intuition filled in the rest – but he had actual firsthand experience with this sort of thing. And he was also the one who would be infiltrating the base; the Varia and Chrome could only get them so much.
And besides that, he was the closest to Hibari...
“Here.” Mukuro's gloved fingers indicated a point in the building's blueprints of the basement. “There's a slight discrepancy here. While it might be a long shot, there probably is a hidden entrance to the laboratory here...”
Across the large meeting room table from Mukuro was Dino, who was continually shooting the illusionist and Mist Guardian dirty looks. He'd been unsuccessful in his attempts to convince Tsuna that he should be the one who actually rescued Hibari, and he'd even had to deal with his men worrying about him since he wouldn't be able to take any of them with him. But eventually he'd been forced to cave to the pressure.
Didn't mean that he was happy with the choice, though.
Mukuro was musing over several floor plans of the building where the Vongola intelligence told them that Hibari was being held. They'd been extremely hard to locate: the architect who had designed the building had been killed in a plane crash shortly after its completion, and then the office building where he had worked was targeted by the Mafia – ironically enough, the Vongola – which had caused the building to implode, and then there was the fact that a virus had been introduced into the computer system...
The floor plans had been coerced off a merchant on the black market, and Tsuna was loathe to admit what had happened to them. He left the dirty work to Xanxus; he still couldn't ever bring himself to have a hand in someone's death in such a cold-hearted way.
It was amazing how five years could change a person, even someone like Xanxus. Well, five years, a horrendous punishment which was followed with a large amount of guilt, and the shock of seeing a grown-up Tsuna who wasn't so childish any more. Needless to say, the dynamics of the family had changed quite a bit.
Tsuna wasn't worried about his relationship with Xanxus, though, it was his lone wolf of a Cloud Guardian who was his current problem.
And Mukuro was the one who started the entire mad search. Though, they probably wouldn't have known about Hibari's disappearance and kidnap if it wasn't for the rather traitorous Mist Guardian. No one could have predicted the bombshell that he had dropped on them when he'd been unable to contact Hibari for a week.
Tsuna was just stretching after a long day of filling out the monster stack of paperwork that had somehow found its way onto his desk – and half of it, he was sure, was actually supposed to be filled out by Gokudera – when the hair on the back of his neck stood on end. It was an eerily familiar feeling; but still, it wasn't one that he wasn't very accustomed too.
Suddenly, he was very glad that Xanxus wasn't there.
“Kufufufu... I see that you are doing well, Sawada Tsunayoshi.” The usual mist accompanied the too cheerful voice; and Tsuna wondered why his Mist Guardian seemed to favour such overly dramatic entrances.”Oh, I assure you, little Mafioso, I reserve this privilege especially for you.”
“What do you want Mukuro?”
One thing remained constant throughout all of his encounters with Mukuro; the illusionist never came to him unless it was required. Or he wanted something. Much like Hibari, he preferred his own company or that of his companions or Chrome. Although, he did usually have Chrome act as his messenger to the Vongola; despite the years and his own newly acquired freedom, he still remained strangely fond of the girl.
Despite his exterior, Mukuro was surprisingly more human than he would ever let on. To anyone.
“Straight to business, as always. You certainly have grown up, little Mafioso.” The solid form of the Mist Guardian materialized in the chair across from Tsuna.
The newly appointed tenth boss was, admittedly, a little glad for the solid expanse of the desk between them. Even now, he still felt nervous around his often capricious Mist Guardian. After all, he only served them as faithfully as he did for reasons of his own; reasons that he never seemed to want to share with anyone.
“I've dealt with you enough times to know what you're after. So, again, what do you want Mukuro?” Tsuna didn't care to play the mind games that Mukuro was so fond of. He was tried and he just wanted to return to his room for the night, and maybe harass Xanxus just a little.
“Very well. In any case, I didn't come here to play games with you this time.” Mukuro's face settled into a serious expression. “I need to know: Have you heard from Kyoya lately?”
That was a surprise, “Hibari-san? Why?”
“Please answer the question, Tsunayoshi.” For once, Mukuro's tone of voice was deadly serious. The usual jovial tone was gone and his expression matched his tone. Whatever was running through his head that had prompted the visit and enquiry was clearly something that he considered something of the utmost importance.
“No, I haven't heard from him. He usually is the one who makes contact; he'll give his report, ask about what other missions I have lined up for him, and that's it.” Tsuna was confused; why would Mukuro of all people be asking after Hibari? Even Dino never asked about Hibari, though Tsuna always assumed that was because the Cavallone boss had his own ways of keeping in touch with his erstwhile student.
“I see...” Mukuro's expression sank into one of deep thought for a few moments, as he processed that information and tried to make it fit into his own set of facts. “I called him a few days ago and he didn't answer. I didn't think too much of it at the time since Kyoya” – again with the first name, Tsuna noted – “sometimes ignores his phone if he's too tired or not in the mood. But I went to see if he was home the next day...”
“I didn't know you and Hibari-san were so close,” Tsuna interjected.
“There's a lot you don't know, Sawada Tsunayoshi.” There was a bit of that old teasing tone to his voice that had been shockingly absent before, and that had scared the tenth Vongola boss the most. “I would say that Kyoya and I are quite close, despite our obvious differences.”
Mukuro sighed, crossing his arms as he leaned back in the chair, “But in any case, I went to see him two days ago; I thought that he was just having one his moods, that something had happened to irritate him... when I got there, the door was unlocked.”
“Is that... unusual?” Tsuna wasn't at all familiar with his Cloud guardian's habits. But even so, he didn't like where the conversation was headed.
“You're not very familiar with Kyoya's habits; he would never leave his door unlocked like that, even if he was home and knew to expect me.” Mukuro sighed again, worry creeping into his voice. “I'll admit it; I'm concerned about him. It isn't like Kyoya to disappear like this, he didn't have a mission did he?”
“No. He'd finished his most recent one a week ago, and I told him that I didn't have anything else for him; so I told him to take some time off.” Even though Tsuna knew that Mukuro was already resigned and seemed to already have come to a conclusion, he still offered up his answer. “Did you try asking Dino-san? He might–”
“He hadn't heard from Kyoya in months; there was no point. If Kyoya had gone somewhere, then he would have let me know.”
Tsuna had asked why Mukuro was so concerned about the whereabouts of the Vongola Cloud guardian, asked what it was that was going on between them. As far as he'd been aware, the two of them had a bit of an animosity fuelled rivalry going on; not whatever strange intimacy they had going.
And then Mukuro had dropped his bombshell of a revelation.
“Kyoya is my lover.”
Tsuna stared at the illusionist for the longest time, waiting for him to smirk and tell him that it was all just a joke. But there was no hint of amusement to his tone, instead, it was dead serious. And there was no glint to Mukuro's eyes; in fact, there was a bit of a dead gleam to them.
He had never seen the other look so... helpless. Not even when he'd been released from prison and his health had been so poor that it had taken him weeks to recover had he ever looked the way he did then. Something had happened.
“He... you...” Tsuna stopped, clearing his throat as he gathered his thoughts. “How long...?”
“Two years, our relationship started shortly after I was released from prison.” Mukuro sighed, this time in agitation.
It had been only a week after that conversation and revelation, that the intelligence teams were able to find a lead about what had happened to Hibari. And during that entire time, Mukuro had been pacing Tsuna's study without fail, asking about leads and hovering whenever the phone rang.
Several of Tsuna's underlings were now petrified of being anywhere near the Mist guardian since he acted like a man possessed. He was scary on a good day when he was just messing with people's minds, but now... it was as though whatever little sanity he still had was gone now. It was just the thought of getting Hibari back that seemed to give him any sense of hope.
He was so restless that Tsuna had even offered to allow Mukuro to go out on an espionage mission to see if he could find anything more, but Mukuro had just shook his head. His missions required him to be undetectable which meant no contact with anyone; if there was a new development, than there would be no way for anyone to inform him of such. Not even Chrome could find him when he was on one of those missions; and that was saying something, given how close he remained to her.
Chrome had done her best to comfort Mukuro, but even her soft voice and quiet assurances did nothing for the illusionist. Eventually, she promised him that she would do everything in her power to find Hibari and return him to the Vongola family and Mukuro's waiting arms.
“Don't worry, Mukuro-sama,” she had said before she'd left. “I'll find where he is, I promise. And then we can get him back. Just watch, everything will be fine.”
She did her best to hide the tears in her eyes; Mukuro would never show it, but he was on the verge of an emotional breakdown. Chrome knew and understood just how much the other man had come to mean to her saviour and closest friend, that Hibari was the closest person to Mukuro and that he meant a lot to the illusionist. It was obvious to her that her dearest companion was in love with the Cloud guardian.
And although Hibari's feelings were still very up in the air, she was quite sure that he had to have some feelings for the illusionist. What she knew of Hibari was that he never did anything without reason – and some underlying emotion – which was why she believed that Mukuro's feelings weren't wholly unreciprocated.
For what he did for Mukuro, she would do everything that was needed to bring Hibari back.
After all, Chrome might not have been the Vongola Mist guardian any longer, but she was still a valued member of the family and one of its best intelligence agents. If anyone could find something, than it would be her.
All that Mukuro could do, was wait.
Eventually, Chrome's report had trickled in; she had managed to find out who had taken Hibari and where he was most likely being held. According to her report, the ones responsible were known as the De Niro family. Tsuna had automatically turned to Xanxus, who was more versed in the various Mafia families, whereas Tsuna was only acquainted with the names of those of his allied families. The Varia leader wasn't happy with this development – but then again, he never really looked happy – but had explained the situation.
“They're a ******** rogue family,” Xanxus explained, lounging back in his chair and knocking back another glass of liquor as he did so. “Damn bastards have been trying to ******** uproot Vongola influence; haven't been successful but that s**t doesn't stop them at ******** all. They're nothing but ******** scum.”
Tsuna sighed, and then smacked the Varia leader upside the head. “Xan, we're not here for your opinion. We need information.”
In response, Xanxus glared at his lover, but didn't bother to rebuke the reprimand; it was just the usual exasperation on Tsuna's part. “******** whatever... but they're damn enemies of the Vongola family; that's all you need to ******** know.”
At that explanation, Tsuna just sighed again and rolled his eyes heavenwards, “Which translated means that you don't know all that much besides the fact that they're an enemy family.”
Xanxus grunted in response and returned to his liquor and absently flicking through the report that he'd been reading before. With a brief peck to the cheek and a whispered promise that he would see him later, Tsuna collected his Mist guardian and left the Varia leader's office.
“We don't know anything that we didn't before.” The distance that was creeping into Mukuro's eyes and voice were starting to really concern Tsuna. Sure, the illusionist had always seemed rather aloof from the world around him, but this was just starting to become rather ridiculous. It wasn't that he was concerned about the actual relationship between his two guardians – that was their business, not his – but the consequences were ones that he was concerned about; and rightly so. If Mukuro was so heavily affected by Hibari's kidnapping, than he was a bit of a liability.
He remembered Chrome's words from before she'd left on her assignment: “Mukuro-sama might not show it often, but he cares very deeply about those who he deems worthy. Hibari-san is very important to him.”
Whatever was going on between Mukuro and Hibari was important; it was beginning to seem to Tsuna that Hibari was really the only thing that was keeping him bound to the Vongola. Ken and Chikusa were probably the other part of it, but if he cared so deeply for Hibari, than it would explain a lot...
Whatever the case was, though, Tsuna was more concerned with getting Hibari back. If they didn't... well, Tsuna was terrified of what would happen if they didn't.
– –
“The drugs are experimental; we were unable to record all of their side-effects on the original test subjects before their escape.”
“What sort of side effects did you record?”
“In these sorts of dosages, we can't be sure of what the results might be. The only way to be sure would be to stop the drugs and force him to go through detox.”
“And if we do that, he escapes.”
“We can't be sure of that; he would be too weak. The drugs will have had some serious negative effects on his body; there's no way he would be able to just walk out of here under his own power. And with security being what it is... he wouldn't make it out, no matter how strong he is.”
“... I see. Well, keep him drugged. Even if this doesn't work out, you can always use him as a guinea pig.”
“Thank you very much sir.”
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Posted: Sun Jun 27, 2010 1:14 am
III. The Name of Science
“We know that the De Niro Famiglia has been harbouring a few of the renegade scientists.” Tsuna watched Mukuro pour over the blue prints of several nearby buildings. “I didn't mention this earlier, but... according to what Chrome was able to find, they're remnants of the Estraneo Famiglia.”
He watched Mukuro closely; he knew about the illusionist's connection to that particular Mafia family and he knew that Mukuro could become unpredictable when it came to human experimentation. He had learned that the hard way. And if these scientists had taken Hibari to use in their experiments, then... there would be no stopping what happened next.
The illusionist froze when Tsuna told him that. His eyes were hard as they bored into the tenth boss, “Why didn't you tell me this before?”
Taking a deep breath, Tsuna explained, “Mukuro, if you'd known they were involved from the start, than you would have rushed in. Don't think I don't know about what happened in the Battaglia Incident.”
Mukuro bit his lip and looked away, “That was...”
“Don't worry about it,” Tsuna sighed. “Look, as much as I want to tell you off, I can't; because I can understand why you did it. Even if it was overkill, still... but right now, that's not what we're here for. What we need to focus on is rescuing Hibari-san. After that, we can decide how we'll deal with the De Niro Famiglia.”
At the mention of Hibari, Mukuro visibly relaxed, taking a deep breath. “You're right... my apologies.”
Tsuna was getting used to Mukuro's quick changes in mood and his sometimes eccentric personality. He would be bloodthirsty one moment, and eerily calm the next; but the best way to get him into the latter was to remind him of what was at stake with Hibari. It seemed as though Tsuna had finally found a way to control his Mist guardian... well, somewhat.
The illusionist was still unpredictable and difficult at best to control; Tsuna guessed that perhaps maybe Hibari had a little more influence over the illusionist, but that was something that would have to wait until they had the Cloud guardian back in their midst.
He would be having a little sit down with them over this, just to be sure that it wouldn't interfere with their duties.
Then there was Dino. The Cavallone boss was lurking about the Vongola base more than usual, and he always seemed to be present during the planning meetings. Dino made no effort to disguise his mistrust of Mukuro; but he never actually said anything to the other, something which Tsuna was glad for.
What they needed to focus on was rescuing Hibari, not bickering between each other. Mukuro could rub the entire Mafia the wrong way – his past was only part of the issue – but they needed him.
Mukuro's own skill set made him the perfect candidate for infiltrating the base and actually rescuing the Cloud guardian. While at the same time as he was doing that, the rest of the Vongola guardians would be launching an attack on the main building, while the Varia would target several smaller De Niro operations. That would divert the famiglia's attentions, and since they weren't aware of Mukuro's presence in the Vongola Famiglia they wouldn't be expecting him.
And Mukuro would be able to take care of anything that they might throw at him.
“Mukuro will wait for Gokudera-kun's signal,” Tsuna explained. “Once he knows that the main forces have been engaged, he'll slip in and find Hibari-san; Chrome was able to get the access codes for their mainframe which should let him locate wherever Hibari-san is being kept. Once he's secured Hibari-san, he'll relocate him to a hospital under Vongola control.”
“What about you Tenth?” Gokudera was as protective as always.
“As much as I want to join in, I'll be meeting Mukuro at the hospital just to make sure that everything runs smoothly.” He caught the worried look that the Storm guardian gave him, and smiled, “Don't worry about me; Xan will be there too.”
Gokudera grumbled out something that sounded like, “That's not much better.”
– –
Never let it be said that Gokudera was anything less than the perfect right-hand.
Tsuna had left much of the planning of the attack itself to him since he would be the commander of the main Vongola forces. His orders were to create a big enough show of force to distract the majority of the De Niro forces but not make it obvious that it was just a distraction.
So, Gokudera had planned it out the way he would usually plan and execute a raid of this magnitude; with just a little added flair.
Chrome would craft an illusion to keep those on the street from realizing that something illegal and criminal was going on; her job was to keep the police uninvolved and to combat any illusionists that might be there. Without Mukuro, she'd operate as the Mist for the battle. The Vongola had worked hard to keep Mukuro's position as the real Mist guardian under wraps; he wouldn't be the one to let that cat out of the bag.
If Mukuro chose to reveal himself, than that was fine; the Mist guardian had always been outside of anyone's control.
– –
The execution of the raids on the De Niro operations went off without a hitch; Mukuro easily used the cover of the attack to craft an illusion which allowed him to slip in undetected. The base of operations for the Famiglia were in disarray, making it easy for him to locate a terminal without too much difficulty. A few guards tried to stop him, but they were easily dealt with; Mukuro didn't even bother with drawing his trident against them, instead, he'd trapped them inside of an illusion and left them to kill each other.
His fingers flew across the keyboard, inputting the administrator user name and password. A little welcome popped up on the screen, but Mukuro exited it; he didn't have time to waste. After all, they had no idea if the De Niro Famiglia had been prepared for a possible infiltration; they could have been moving Hibari to another location while Mukuro was busy with a stupid computer.
After a little exploring, Mukuro was able to locate the security logs. As he scrolled through them, he felt his heart beating heavily in his chest, but let none of his emotions cross his face.
Hibari had tried to escape no less than thirty-two times in the two months that he'd been held.
The Cloud guardian had always been stubbornly persistent where it mattered; Mukuro was quite proud of the other for the effort he'd put into trying to escape under his own power. But the logs also told him a much more chilling detail.
He recognized the drugs which were reportedly administered to Hibari in extremely potent and large doses.
The Battaglia Incident.
Was there some connection I missed? Mukuro stared at the screen for several long moments; too shocked to move as he then slowly began to scroll through, reading the dosages, the times, the potency... he was no doctor, but the amount of drugs pumped into Hibari...
There was no way that he would be able to shrug this off like he did almost everything else. Mukuro felt glad that Tsuna had predicted this; that hyper-intuition of his could actually be helpful at times.
Locating Hibari was easy enough; he had been right about the lab being where it was. A little more poking around the system netted him the access codes for the entrance along with an ID card that he took from one of the now deceased guards who had clearance for it. Once he had everything he needed, he cast one more look over the security log before leaving the room.
Even with the assault going on as a distraction, the security inside of the base was still pretty tight. There was still a fairly large number of guards that were still patrolling the hallways farther into the base, and a few which were racing towards the attack. It was simple work for Mukuro to craft an illusion that hid him from their senses; he wouldn't bother wasting his time with them seeing as they fail prey to his illusions so easily. They weren't worth the effort.
Travelling farther into the base, he noticed that the security systems were a little more complex than the ones he'd encountered earlier, but they were still easy enough for him to slip by with a few well placed illusions on his part; infiltration was his speciality as the Mist guardian after all.
Once he was in the basement office where the entrance to the lab was concealed, he walked over to the bookshelf and reached for the extremely thick copy of Les Misérables on the third shelf out. Behind the book was a concealed card slot. Taking out the ID card that he'd taken from the guard earlier, Mukuro reached into the opening and slid the ID card in, then pulled it swiftly out. The display blinked green once before flipping over to reveal a security panel. He input the security code, and waited a few minutes – he replaced the heavy novel on the shelf – and watched as the bookshelf slid forward and into the rear wall, revealing a simple, solid steel sliding door.
The door slid open, revealing a long, brightly light corridor. Mukuro took his trident in hand, fully prepared to kill anyone who crossed his path at this point. It didn't matter so much that it would slow him down a little; these people had treated his lover brutally, he wouldn't show them any mercy.
His trident would taste blood soon.
– –
“We've been compromised; I would suggest that you evacuate the premises, sir.”
“Why? Has this lab been compromised?”
“It's possible that the attack is a diversion to allow someone to slip in; this is most probably a rescue operation. Sir, I would highly recommend that you leave now.”
“Hmph, I waited far too long to have my prize; I won't leave him now.”
“Sir, please. I hardly think that is worth your life!”
“The Mist guardian for Vongola is Chrome Dokuro, correct? She is with the attack force.”
“Yes sir, but the leader of the Varia, Xanxus, is unaccounted for. It is entirely possible that he has infiltrated the facility.”
“Do we have any visuals?”
“No sir, but –”
“Get them.”
“... yes sir.”
– –
Two lab assistants were choking on their own blood after having had their throats slit. The third one was on the ground, a wound festering on their side thanks to Mukuro's illusions.
Mukuro's booted foot was on their chest, slowly crushing the air out of their lungs, trident at their throat. As he spoke, his voice was soft, deadly, “Where is Hibari Kyoya?”
The lab assistant gasped, trying to writhe in pain but unable to. The boss' orders had been explicit; never let anyone know about what was going on in the lab. Never reveal the location of his precious prize. “I–I–I don't know!”
“Your fear tastes delicious, and as much as I would love to savour your expression, I simply don't have the time for it. If you won't tell me where Kyoya is, then I don't see any reason to leave you with your life.” The trident twitched closer to the assistant's throat.
Another bloody gasp; the assistant cast his eyes on his colleagues, who were staring at him now with blank and unseeing eyes. One of them was still gurgling; the blood bubbling at their throat as they continued to try and force air in and out of their lungs.
The death rattles were chilling in the silence.
“So, I suggest you weigh your options. Or else you'll wind up like that,” he gestured to the other two assistants. His smirk was lighting up his face; making him look as though he was too cheerful even though he was surrounded by carnage. Blood was stained on his trident, and his boots had a fine misting of it, but other than that he was perfectly clean.
The lab assistant bit his lip, then shook his head, “I don't know! I don't know! I don't know!”
Mukuro wasn't surprised with this; whoever was in charge of this facility would have been someone worthy of his respect if it wasn't for the fact that whoever it was was responsible for taking his lover from him, and drugging him so severely. He was half afraid of what he would find.
A single slice of his trident was enough to slit the lab assistant's throat; he left him there in a pool of his own blood. He only paused long enough to remove his ID from the clip on his lab coat. He dangled it in front of the assistant's face.
“I hope you don't mind my borrowing this.”
Standing up, Mukuro smiled at the assistant one last time before turning away, making his way over to the terminal in the room. He was in luck; it was still logged in, no hacking or coercing required. A little poking around in the system gave him the information he was looking for; along with a little communication that had hastily been closed when he'd entered the room.
Clicking on the icon, he watched, amused, as a panicked scientist's face appeared on the screen. He smiled.
“Why hello there.” He gave a little wave. “Are you the one in charge here?”
The man was middle-aged; brown hair streaked with grey, his blue eyes wide behind his glasses as he saw the bloody scene in the room behind Mukuro. His mouth opened just a little in shock.
“Wh-who are–”
“I believe that I asked the first question; it's rude to counter a question with another question.” Mukuro smirked, leaning back away from the screen just a little. His benign smile and tone only set the man more ill at ease; which was obvious given his body language and the set of his mouth.
“I-I... yes, I am in charge of this lab.”
“Oh good,” Mukuro replied, his finger hovering over the power button. “Now I know who I need to deal with.”
He pressed the button, and the screen went black.
– –
“The lab has been compromised sir; we should relocate immediately.”
“You have confirmation?”
“I just spoke with the one responsible for the deaths of three of my assistants who just so happens to be in the room right next to where we are keeping the hostage.”
“He's here for my prize, then.”
“Sir, I really think that is the last of our worries. He is definitely out for our blood; we should leave. I don't want to think about what he'll do to us if he finds us now.”
“Very well. But have someone track him; I want my prize back.”
“... of course sir.”
– –
Mukuro's boots clacked quietly on the hallway floor as he made his way towards the small room which, according to the computers, was where Hibari was being held. Using the codes and ID that he'd taken from the assistant, he opened the two doors which separated his lover from the rest of the facility.
When they opened, he was assaulted with the scent. It was the scent of old blood, vomit, and feces. Covering his nose and recoiling just a little from the stench, he peered into the dimly lit cell.
Against the far wall was Hibari.
He was huddled up against the wall, his eyes listless as he stared at Mukuro. All of the life and fire had fled from those steel grey eyes, and no light of recognition flashed in them; it was as though Hibari couldn't actually even see him.
The Cloud guardian was filthy; his clothes were nothing more than rags that were hanging on his too thin frame and his body was covered in dirty bandages. His cheeks were hollow and there were dark, bruise-like bags under his eyes. He was so dirty that Mukuro couldn't tell the difference between what were bruises and what was actual filth.
Dried vomit was crusted around the corner of his mouth, and there was dried blood and dirt in his hair. He clearly hadn't been washed at all, really, in all the time that he'd been held.
He didn't respond as Mukuro entered the room, laying his trident down on the floor beside him as he knelt down in front of the Cloud guardian. Then he carefully reached out for the other male, gently taking his face in his hands and examining him.
There still was no spark in him; he simply let Mukuro handle him.
It was a sad sight to see.
With very little effort, Mukuro used his illusions to shatter the chain which held his lover hostage. Then he effortlessly swept the smaller male into his arms; carefully keeping him close as he retracted his trident and tucked the collapsed weapon into its holster on his back. According to the schematics that he had found, there was a back entrance to the lab.
If anyone got in his way, he would be merciless with his illusions in dealing with them.
Mukuro wasn't surprised to find that there were surprisingly few people left in the lab; after his little stunt with the head scientist, most of them had probably fled, which left him without an outlet for his anger. However, he wasn't about to take it for granted; it was entirely likely that someone could be following him. Obviously Hibari was being held in this condition for a reason, and he wasn't about to take any chances.
Later, he would take on any mission that the Vongola boss would grant him regarding these bastards who had taken his lover.
Ducking around a corner which would lead him to the emergency exit, he quickly crafted another of his illusions; creating a double of him and Hibari that would head in the opposite direction of where he himself would be taking the Cloud guardian. But it would also disguise him and his precious cargo; hiding them from view. They were invisible to everyone; and he intended to keep it that way until they were safely in the hospital where Hibari could be treated.
He kicked the door open, ignoring the alarm which blared when he did so, and sprinted through the alley. He had hidden his motorcycle in an alley not too far from the base.
Just as he rounded the corner to where it was concealed, his headset crackled to life.
“Shut it a*****e. You got Hibari?”
“Yes, I have him. I'm taking him to the hospital right now; the rest of the base is at your disposal. I doubt that any of the higher-ups are still there, though. They've probably fled.”
“Well whatever; you just leave this clean-up to us. Tenth said he would meet you at the hospital; you just get there quickly. Don't keep him waiting.”
“I wouldn't dream of it,” Mukuro replied with a chuckle.
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Posted: Mon Jul 12, 2010 10:11 pm
IV. Diagnosis
“Unfortunately, I'm quite sure that the higher-ups managed to escape,” Mukuro replied tightly; his eyes remaining fixed on the doors through which Hibari had been taken by a flurry of doctors and nurses. He was anxious for news, but his report couldn't wait. “I'm sure that Hayato has secured the base by now; he'll have more details then I can give you. My main priority was getting Kyoya out of there.”
The waiting room was completely deserted – Vongola influence and Xanxus' violent temper and glares saw to that easily – leaving only just the three of them. It gave Mukuro mixed feelings; while on the one hand he was happy that no one else was there to hear their conversation, a distraction would have been welcomed at that moment. The silence was deafening to him, it left him worrying about whether or not his lover was going to make it.
The way that the doctors had swarmed around him hadn't allayed any of his worst fears.
“But did you learn anything?” Tsuna asked, pacing back and forth in front of the illusionist. He was worried too; even though his mind was just a large blur to Mukuro – the Vongola boss had made sure to find a way to block his mind to the ex-convict – he could still pick up that fact. His guardians had always been important to him; even Hibari and Mukuro. The questions were just his way to distract himself from his darker thoughts.
“They're connected to the Battaglia Incident,” Mukuro replied, crossing his arms and leaning back in the chair, eyes narrowing. “According to the logs I skimmed through, the drugs that they used on Kyoya are the same ones that the Battaglia Famiglia were developing. I'm quite sure that the two of them were either co-operating with each other on the project, or the De Niro had taken the data before I got to it.”
That caught Xanxus' attention; the Varia leader's eyebrows shot up, but he didn't say anything. He'd continue with his policy of not speaking to the Mist Guardian, but Mukuro knew that he'd be having a discussion about this development with the Vongola's young boss later.
“What?! Are you sure?!”
Mukuro nodded, “I am.”
“This is bad,” Tsuna muttered, chewing his bottom lip as he paced back and forth. “We know that they're making use of the remains of the Estraneo family's researchers, and now we have an idea of why the Battaglia were developing those drugs... maybe. Do you think that maybe they were developing those drugs with Hibari-san in mind?”
A jolt shot through Mukuro; he hadn't thought of that. His mind raced, supplying him with all the data that he'd seen when he'd been searching through the computer files, the minds of the various people he'd encountered in his infiltration.
Was it possible? Did I miss something? Mukuro lifted his hand to his chin, deep in thought. He'd caught ghosts of thoughts in a few of the guards' minds, and in those assistants he'd killed. Pet. That word had come up a bit. Prize. Those words he'd heard, along with fear; a fear of failure, the fear of losing something that someone scary held to be important.
“It's... a definite possibility,” Mukuro finally admitted. “I'll admit, I wasn't as thorough as I usually am; something could have slipped by me.”
Tsuna continued frowning, “We'll see what Gokudera-kun can find. We might need your expertise to figure out what their motive is. I mean, if they're after the Vongola guardians, then–”
“They've declared war,” Xanxus interjected. “It's ******** obvious what your response has to be.”
And for once, Mukuro was in agreement with the Varia leader – a rare occurrence. “You may be soft-hearted, Tsunayoshi, but now isn't the time for that. This is something that you must face head-on and respond harshly; the time for waiting is over.”
For Tsuna, it was a difficult decision. Both of his companions knew that; Mukuro respected Tsuna – it was hard earned on the part of the Japanese teen – and because of that, he would follow what he asked for. The way he considered it, he wasn't acting in the interest of the Mafia, but for someone whom he supposed he could consider a friend. Tsuna had paroled him from the Vendicare and he was still living with the conditions set forward when he'd initially been freed.
And as for Xanxus? Well, Tsuna was someone who could win people over surprisingly easily; even if they were former enemies. Especially considering that one of them was a Mafia criminal, one had been a juvenile delinquent, and one had attacked him on their first time meeting.
However, now was the time that Tsuna had to take that potential he'd shown when he'd accepted the reigns of the family once more. Tsuna was aware that he couldn't possibly waffle on this matter; it was about life or death for the Vongola.
Tsuna took a deep breath, “An attack against one of us is attack against the entire family. The De Niro Famiglia can count their days – we're coming for them.”
Xanxus smirked, “I was ******** waiting for that.”
The Varia leader stood up, his eyes and the turn of his lips promising violence and retribution. He paused beside Tsuna, placing a hand on the young Vongola's shoulder and squeezing it, “Don't worry about this, kid. I'll handle the dirty work.”
Assassination. Interrogation.
Before Xanxus could go, though, Tsuna grabbed his hand; there was a fire in his eyes that neither of them had seen there before. “No, I want to be there when you question them.”
That was a surprise; even when there were times where Tsuna should have been present at questioning the enemies of the Vongola, he would usually leave it to Xanxus since Mafia interrogation techniques relied on intimidation and threats – and with Xanxus, violence – which was something that Tsuna had never quite mastered.
It had earned Xanxus an even more fearsome reputation then he'd had before. Whereas before he'd just been known as the very intimidating leader of the Varia, now he was known to be the shadow of the boss – all of the Vongola's dirty work was handled by him.
Clearly, though, a flip had been switched inside of the young man. Mukuro had never seen the young man like this; he was tense, on the edge of a cliff and teetering dangerously close to falling off. He wouldn't be surprised if those survivors who made it to the interrogation room spilled their guts from just a glare from the Tenth Vongola Boss. It would surely be a sight to see.
Mukuro's main concern, though, was Hibari.
Even Xanxus was taken back by that request – order – but he nodded his head with a roguish grin, “I'll let you know once I've rounded them all up.”
With that, the Varia leader left. The doors of the waiting room closed behind him with a soft swish and click; he had locked the doors behind him to keep any pesky people out.
Silence fell between the two of them.
Where Tsuna was tense with repressed worry and anger, Mukuro felt completely drained. He was exhausted from how little sleep he'd gotten over the past few days, along with just how worried he'd been about the other. Hibari was so strong; how could have been turned into the pathetic creature that he'd found locked in that cell? None of it was making sense.
Finally though, the silence got to both of them. Mukuro couldn't take the oppression of it, and Tsuna just needed something to distract himself from his dark emotions that were spilling about in him in a turmoil. Even if it was just to talk about Hibari.
“Mukuro, how was Hibari-san when you... when you found him?” The crack in his voice didn't escape Mukuro's notice.
Tsuna had taken a seat on one of the plastic chairs across from Mukuro, his elbows resting on his knees while his hands clasped together. His brown eyes bored into Mukuro's different colored ones.
Very slowly, Mukuro began to talk, “He wasn't aware of anything... when he looked at me, I don't think he actually even saw me. I'm sure that those drugs that they were pumping into him are responsible, but looking at the dosages? I just don't know if he'll be the same when... if he wakes up.”
His voice was thick with emotion. The fact was, that he had never seen Hibari so broken; the prefect was one of those people who refused to give up and give in, no matter what was done to him. Hibari had come at him with several broken bones and even though he'd lost, Mukuro knew that he wouldn't have let that get to him – his body had given away before his mind had.
Hibari had shrugged off the Death Heater poison, what had happened?
With shaking hands, Tsuna almost hesitantly placed one of his hands over Mukuro's and gave it a comforting squeeze. When the illusionist's head shot up, he could see the concern there and the weak smile that the other was giving him was for his benefit. That was Tsuna.
“Don't worry Mukuro, Hibari-san will wake up; he definitely will. He's too stubborn to let something like this keep him down.” There was such surety in Tsuna's voice, that Mukuro couldn't find it in himself to doubt him.
Even though he hated people, he still somehow felt like he needed them. As much as he hated the Mafia, he would have to give them credit – they'd found a gem in Sawada Tsunayoshi.
– –
A doctor came out from the doors through which Hibari had been taken. He was still in surgical scrubs and his mask had been pulled down around his neck. He was a middle-aged man, his dark brown hair was streaked with grey and there were a few lines around his mouth and the corners of his eyes. There was a stern set to his face, but just his appearance alone was enough to give the two young men comfort.
“Mister Sawada,” the doctor greeted with a shallow bow. “The patient is out of surgery; he's in intensive care, but he is alive.”
Mukuro let out a breath that he hadn't been aware that he'd been holding. He watched as Tsuna stood up, mimicking the other. He stood just behind the shorter Mafia boss as Tsuna began questioning the doctor on Hibari's condition.
The doctor was very patient and matter of fact. “We tested his blood – there was a cocktail of sedatives and muscle relaxants – I'm very surprised that he's still alive. The potency of those drugs would have brought down a humpback whale. Until those drugs work their way out of his system, we can't give him anything else.”
“Is he in pain?” Tsuna asked.
“I doubt that he's aware of anything at the moment; he isn't responding to any physical stimuli. At the moment, he's in a vegetative state; his body is going through the process of detoxification. Until those drugs work their way out of his system, he probably won't be awake or aware of anything.” The doctor paused before continuing, “As well, there's a chance that there was some psychological damage. We can't be sure of the extent of it until he wakes up, but he probably won't remember anything that was done to him while he was held.”
Mukuro's mouth tightened. Kyoya... Would his lover be the same person he'd been when he finally woke up? He had no idea. But he would help him recover, no matter what it took for him to return to how he'd been before – even if Hibari pushed him away for it.
He inhaled sharply before asking, “Would that be for the best?”
The doctor looked to him, a little confused. Tsuna quickly interceded.
“Mukuro is a member of my Famiglia,” he replied. “He is also Hibari-san's lover and has every right to be here and asking about his health.”
To that, Mukuro gave a small smile, “I guess you could say that I'm the closest thing that he has to family.” When he saw the confused look in the doctor's eyes, he elaborated, “Kyoya's mother passed away some years ago, from a... domestic disturbance. His father committed suicide shortly thereafter. I'm... really all he has left.”
It took a few moments for that to sink in, but the doctor nodded. “I see, well, that explains a bit of the old scar tissue we found along with a few old fractures and broken bones.” The doctor paused once more, taking a deep breath, “And to answer your question, I do feel that it would be for the best that he not remember what was done to him during his captivity. Aside from the blunt force injuries, one of our trauma nurses performed a sexual assault kit.”
Both Mukuro and Tsuna reacted to that; they were all too aware of what that meant.
It was Tsuna who found his voice first, “What was... the result?”
“He found evidence of rape, according to estimates, penetration last occurred at least twenty-four hours ago. We can't be sure if it was a single occurrence or if he was subjected to it multiple times.” The doctor glanced between them, “There was some degraded evidence that we were able to collect. Do you have a lab you would like it forwarded to or would you prefer if we were to hand it over to the police?”
“Keep it out of the hands of the police,” Tsuna replied, easily sliding into his boss persona. “We don't want them involved in this. For now, just hold onto it until I can find a suitable lab. Is there anything else?”
“Ah, uh, yes.” The doctor stuttered, glancing back down at the clipboard that he held in his hands. “As I said before, there are numerous blunt force trauma injuries. He had several broken ribs, his right wrist was broken along with numerous soft tissue injuries. As for his organs, his kidneys were failing but we're positive that they'll recover now that they're not dealing with those drugs – for now, though, we have him on dialysis just to give his kidneys a rest. There was a bit of fluid in his lungs, but we're sure he'll recover.”
Tsuna nodded, crossing his arms and frowning. This was more complicated then he'd first thought – Mukuro would be out for blood, of that he was sure. Hell, even he wanted revenge against whoever had violated his guardian in such a way.
Grasping Mukuro's shoulder, he asked the doctor, “Can we see him?”
“Oh. Yes, go right ahead, I'll show you to his room.”
“Thank you.”
Throughout the entire explanation, Mukuro had been oddly silent. It was one of those rare occurrences where words failed him and it felt as though he was drowning; it was a bit like he was back in that cell in Vendicare. He was nothing more then a detached observer; it wasn't actually happening to him.
Tsuna's hand on his shoulder had jerked him back to reality with a bit of a shock. He'd always been aware that the Japanese teen cared about his friends – even him to an extent – and would do his best to comfort them whenever they needed it. Oddly enough, for once he was glad for it. Tsuna was handling this a lot better than he was, but then again, he wasn't the one involved with Hibari.
As they were guided through the halls, Mukuro was reminded of his distaste for hospitals. They smelled too strongly of chemicals and antiseptic, a burning smell that permeated the nostrils and made him think of death. Not only that, but they brought back bad memories.
The Estraneo Famiglia and the experiments that they had performed on him.
Once the two of them were alone, Mukuro snapped out of his walk down memory lane and back into reality. The doctor instructed them to use the nurse call button if they needed anything or if Hibari showed signs of waking up – highly unlikely, but still it was better to be prepared – and then left them to their visit.
Mukuro's first thought was that Hibari looked even more fragile then he had when he'd found him. The doctor's and nurses had cleaned him, leaving his skin pale where it wasn't mottled with various shades of black, green, and purple. There was a particularly ugly one which decorated his cheek, and a bandage had been pressed to a cut over his eye.
In addition to all of the bruises and bandages, Hibari was hooked up to a multitude of different machines. He was hooked up to a ventilator, an IV that was replenishing his blood, and various other monitoring machines. The only sounds in the room were the steady beeping of the heart monitor and the hissing breath of the ventilator as it kept him alive.
The rasping noise of a chair being dragged over the floor tore Mukuro's eyes off Hibari and over to the Vongola Tenth who had a chair in his hands that he was arranging at the side of the former prefect's bed. He gave the illusionist a sheepish smile.
“Sorry.” Tsuna lifted the chair this time and placed it at the bedside. “I take it you're going to stay here?”
“Yes.”
“Good, I don't think that I'll be able to spare anyone else to stand guard in case the De Niro track him here. I've already handled the paperwork, so while I doubt they'll be able to track him down, you should be prepared to evacuate him at a moment's notice.”
Mukuro smirked, “Of course, Tsunayoshi. He'll be safe with me.”
“I'm sure he will.”
Mukuro settled down into the chair, pulling it up a little closer to the bed. Very carefully, he reached over and took the hand resting there in his, carefully avoiding jostling the IV that the arm was hooked up to along with the heart monitor that was attached to his finger. His other arm was covered in bandages up to his shoulder and the wrist was in a brace.
Again, the only noise in the room was provided by the machines. This time, though, it was interrupted by the ringing of Tsuna's cell phone.
The Vongola Tenth whipped out the device, flipping it open and lifting it to his ear, “Hello?” A pause, “Right, thanks. I'll be right there.” He clicked it closed after the very brief exchange.
“That was Gokudera-kun,” he answered Mukuro's silent question. “They've secured the location and Xanxus has overseen the transportation of survivors to one of our strongholds where we'll interrogate them and deal with them accordingly. He's in the process of unravelling their computer systems now, but he'll keep me informed of what he finds.”
”I see.”
Tsuna gave Mukuro one more lingering look, chewing his bottom lip before he moved to leave, “I'll keep you informed.”
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Posted: Sat Jul 31, 2010 11:15 am
V. Waiting
Time had never before seemed so much like an enemy. Mukuro had prepared himself – or at least, he thought he had – for the possibility that Hibari just might not survive or come out his drug-induced coma. The doctors had said that there was a chance that the damage they had done to his system would be too much and his organs would just start shutting down until he was pronounced brain dead.
It was a possibility, but one that Mukuro refused to believe. He knew Hibari and he knew that the former prefect wouldn't just give in without a fight and that even his body wanted to give up, he wouldn't let it.
Throughout the first month, Mukuro could feel the brush of Hibari's mind whenever it seemed like he was nearing consciousness, but he didn't wake up. From what Mukuro could glean, Hibari's mind was nothing more than a jumble of emotions without any sense of word association to them. But still, the illusionist extended himself to assure the other that he was safe now.
What was surprising to him, was how easily Hibari accepted his words. Mukuro wasn't even sure if Hibari understood what he'd said to him, but it seemed like just hearing his voice was enough for the former prefect to settle back down.
His body didn't stir, and his mind would only do so faintly.
The doctor had said something about there most likely being damage; Hibari would have disassociated himself with what was happening to him – a natural reaction to preserve himself – and the drugs hadn't helped matters, there were likely to be holes in his memory.
The memory loss was what had Mukuro worried. He wasn't sure what to make of what he would do if Hibari didn't remember him, what they shared. He could live more with the latter, but the former stung his heart a little stronger then he would have liked.
Mukuro wasn't someone who was prone to introspection; he was a man of words and action. Sitting around mulling over his feelings just wasn't something he was comfortable with; he knew what he felt, that was enough for him, and it always had been. But sitting in a hospital room where the only noises were created by machines that were essentially keeping someone important to him alive? The sentimentality in him was finally able to roar to life and take center stage.
He snorted mentally; he could hear Hibari's voice in his mind, Stop thinking like an idiot.
That brought a small smile to his face. Yes, Hibari always knew what to say to jerk him out of his uncommon dark moods; the former prefect knew what to do, what to say, in order to goad Mukuro into responding in a manner that was more inline with his personality. The older man knew him like no one else, and it was the same in reverse; Mukuro knew Hibari better than anyone else, even the Cavallone.
True to his word, Tsuna had kept him informed of what was going on with the investigation into the De Niro issue and with their plans for the future of that particular Famiglia.
– –
From what Tsuna told him during his scattered visits to the hospital, the captured members of the De Niro Famiglia were being vastly uncooperative. While their loyalty was in a way admirable, it was troublesome for the Vongola who were trying to pry their secrets from them. However, though, their manner always changed whenever the young boss stepped into the room; then they seemed a little more willing to talk.
An angry Tsuna was definitely a sight to behold, Mukuro thought as he watched the Vongola boss pace back and forth along the length of the hospital room. He was currently relating what information they'd managed to wrangle out of the survivors to Mukuro; looking not so much for a reaction, but to get another opinion on the matter.
“They're almost as in the dark as we are,” Tsuna was saying. “There were a lot of them that weren't even aware that Hibari-san was a captive, much less that he was a member of the Vongola.”
Not surprising, Mukuro thought. Hibari commanded a fearsome reputation; those in the facility probably wouldn't have been so comfortable going in every day if they were aware of just who Hibari actually was.
“We've got their computer records, but most of them were scrambled by the security system when we stormed the base. Apparently, you got lucky since they weren't expecting us to infiltrate the base so quickly,” Tsuna continued; Mukuro remained silent. “It's going to take a while to recover all of it, but Gokudera-kun is confident that he'll be able to do so.”
“Have we identified the De Niro Famiglia's boss?” Mukuro asked. That information was most important to him; he wanted to be the one who dealt the final blow against them, after making sure that they experienced an inkling of what they had put Hibari through.
Tsuna jerked himself out of his pacing to answer the question, “The De Niro is led by a man named Alessandro de Medici. We don't have any photographical evidence of what he looks like, but all of the Vongola resources are being poured into discovering his location.”
Mukuro nodded. He reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone, tossing it to the young Vongola. When the other man gave him a confused look, he explained, “Call Chikusa, Ken, and M.M. I'll leave them at your disposal for this one time.”
“Wha – they aren't going believe me; why don't you call them?” Tsuna gathered his thoughts and held out the phone to its owner, frowning as he did so although Mukuro could see the confusion in his eyes. Well, at least he still had his edge when it came to taking the other by surprise.
“Tsunayoshi, you're not scared of my subordinates, are you?” he teased; his tone gentler then usual, he noted. He was getting soft. He chuckled at the look on Tsuna's face, “They can't bite you through the phone.”
The Vongola boss only gave him a withering look in response, effectively telling the illusionist that he wasn't so sure of that fact. Well, now that Mukuro gave it a bit more thought, it was perhaps possible that M.M could attack him through the phone, but he knew that the young woman wouldn't dare since it would be his number.
“They know me well enough,” Mukuro clarified. “You're using my phone; they'll know.”
While he didn't fully believe what the illusionist was telling him, Tsuna looked at how Mukuro still continued to lurk at Hibari's side; never letting himself wander too far. Even his eyes remained focuses on the former prefect; only occasionally would they flick to him, letting Tsuna know that he did have the illusionist's attention. It was a rather remarkable sight to see.
He wondered how much guilt was playing into Mukuro's behaviour. Tsuna wasn't an idiot – contrary to the opinions of a select few – and he was well aware of how it felt to worry over someone who you cared deeply about. He had been there with his guardians on numerous occasions, and even Xanxus on a select few. But he knew that no words he could say could ease the other's guilt; that was something that only Hibari could do for him.
Finally, he caved with a sigh, “What are their numbers?”
“Speed dial,” Mukuro replied. “Chikusa is forty-nine and M.M is sixty-six.”
Tsuna raised an eyebrow, but said nothing. He only gave the illusionist a nod to show that he'd gotten the information, before he turned his back on him and walked over to the other side of the hospital room to speak to the rather unpredictable subordinates of his Mist Guardian.
Mukuro returned his full attention to Hibari, almost subconsciously reaching for his hand once more and just holding it in his hands. He could dimly hear Tsuna speaking in a hushed voice to Chikusa – Ken would be with him; the idiot couldn't be trusted with a phone of his own – relaying what Mukuro had told him and a general gist of what had happened to warrant this. Mukuro wasn't worried about those two; they were extremely loyal, and they knew of what Hibari had come to mean to him.
He frowned at the thought of M.M. She had never approved of his interest in or relationship with Hibari; in fact, she had always actively tried to discourage him from it. It was either nasty intelligence that she brought him about the dark things that the former prefect had been up to, or it was subtly suggesting that he belonged to her. Mukuro wasn't surprised; he always knew that women were made easily jealous by competition.
After all, M.M was used to being the sole female in their little gang, it was only to be expected that she would believe that the others would dote on her because of it – that she would be able to easily win their hearts. Even if he had revealed his own... preferences to her, it would have changed nothing. M.M loved two things: Money and power. While he might have somewhat lacked the former, he certainly had the second; and he was attractive to boot – Mukuro was well aware of his physical attributes; he used them to his advantage at times.
He tuned out Tsuna's conversation, focusing on the Cloud Guardian. With a frown, he realized that he could feel that familiar tickle against his mind, showing that the other was drifting to what amounted to awareness in his comatose state. He sighed.
With Tsuna in the room, he didn't dare speak aloud to the older man, instead choosing to project his voice into the other's mind.
'Don't worry; it's only Tsunayoshi.'
All he got in response to that statement, was a flickering amount of confusion and a garbled question that amounted to 'who?'
That caused an uncomfortable jerk in Mukuro's stomach at the realization it gave him. Should he expect further memory loss? Would Hibari remember him? He had some faith that he would; Hibari had reacted with a recognition when he had 'spoken' with him before... what could this mean?
'Nevermind; it's not important right now. Go back and rest some more.'
A weary affirmative was all he got. Returning to the world of awareness, Mukuro watched with some amusement as Tsuna argued over the phone with an obviously angry M.M. The woman was clearly pissed with the fact that she was expected to help find those responsible for harming her 'rival.' Mukuro wouldn't be too surprised if she decided that her own obsessive affection was more important than Hibari was to Mukuro; he knew she wouldn't hesitate to cut the other down, if ever given the chance.
Not that she would ever get that; Mukuro would make sure to keep her far away from his precious Kyoya. The only one allowed to make him bleed was him. He would protect him this time. Maybe he wouldn't admit it aloud ever, but he did love his precious Kyoya very much and wouldn't ever want to let him go. Hibari was much too important.
He was jerked once more out of his thoughts by Tsuna. Snapping his head up, he gracefully accepted his phone back and tucked it into his coat pocket – his coat was draped over his chair; he hadn't left the hospital since Hibari had been brought in. Mukuro took in the tense set of the Vongola boss' mouth, something was up.
“Well?”
“Chikusa and Ken agreed to the plan; they'll begin gathering information immediately. You already gave them a few leads when this started,” Tsuna replied. “But they did agree to report anything of interest that they find to me; I gave them my personal number.”
“I never doubted them,” Mukuro replied. Then, “I take it that M.M wasn't as co-operative as they were.”
“She blatantly told me to shove it,” Tsuna replied stiffly. “And that's putting it very lightly and screening out all of her rather... colourful names for Hibari-san.”
The tensing of Mukuro's hand around Hibari's didn't escape Tsuna's notice. He knew that Mukuro was upset that one of his own was so hostile towards the former prefect, and that just maybe he was worried about whether or not she would take that behaviour to the next level. M.M was unstable; both of them were well-aware of that.
“She said no.”
“I'm sure that you didn't expect any other response,” Tsuna replied. “After all, you're more aware then anyone else that she is very infatuated with you. From what she said, she believes partly that Hibari-san is only using you and that this is all just a ploy by us to bind you to the Mafia.”
Mukuro gave a wane smile, “My reasons are my own... and besides... I'm too entangled to escape now.”
As long as you remain with the Vongola, then Ken and Chikusa remain safe. Tsuna kept his thoughts to himself; he wasn't sure if Mukuro knew that he knew what his father had done. Mukuro was also paroled by him; he owed the Vongola Decimo a bit of a debt for his freedom, and he owed Hibari more. The former prefect was what had given him such a strong reason to remain with the Vongola.
“I kept the information to a minimum; it was nothing that she didn't already know,” Tsuna replied. “I didn't tell her that you had rescued Hibari-san, just that we knew who was responsible. At that point, she point blank demanded to know if this involved Hibari-san. She drew an answer from my silence, and the rest you can probably imagine.”
Mukuro nodded absently, “And I did have such high hopes for her... well, I suppose that this is my own fault for letting her grow so close to me over the years.”
“You never expected to meet someone like Hibari-san,” Tsuna replied. He was taking a shot in the dark with this one, but from what he did know about them; neither of them were easily impressed. “You always did show an interest in him.”
“Hm, I never knew that I was so obvious,” Mukuro mused. “But you always were very perceptive; I suppose that it's only natural you would have noticed.”
Tsuna shrugged, “It doesn't matter right now.” I can't help Hibari-san.
There was no answer from the illusionist, who returned to his silent observation of the unconscious Cloud Guardian, and the two of them fell into silence. After a little while, Tsuna glanced at his watch.
“I have to go. You'll be here for the rest of today, right?”
The only response was a wane smile, and that was all Tsuna needed as an answer. He actually had known that he didn't need to ask; Mukuro hadn't left the hospital in a month, he would stay there until Hibari woke up. He sighed, “I'll have Chrome bring you something to eat later and a change of clothes.”
As the Vongola Decimo left the room, he missed Mukuro saying in a soft voice, “Thank you.”
– –
Chrome's visits to the hospital were always a welcome relief. It was surprising just how the young girl could lighten his mood and give him a sense of hope that he'd thought he'd lost in the first few days after he'd found Hibari. The fear would still be gnawing at his stomach, but somehow, Chrome's optimism seemed to make that lift just a little, and for that he was grateful.
She always worried over him, and it was under her watchful eye that he ate the dinner which he was sure that she had made specially for him. Even if his stomach was up in knots and he had very little appetite, he knew that he had to eat and keep up his strength. And Chrome wouldn't stop worrying over him until he did. It was just easier to let her have her way.
“How is he?” Chrome was seated across the bed from him, and she was fiddling nervously with the hem of her skirt as she spoke. Her voice was steady though.
He sighed, setting aside his fork, “Sometimes I can feel a flicker of his consciousness, but he's not coherent; there isn't any shape to his thoughts.”
“Oh... but the doctors said that they believe he'll wake up.”
Mukuro nodded, “According to the blood tests, his blood is clean now. We're just waiting for him to wake up.”
“He'll wake up,” Chrome replied. There was a strength in her voice that Mukuro rarely ever heard from her; usually it was only in regard to him that she ever found such power. The fact that Hibari could arose the same thing in her was a little surprising. “Don't worry Mukuro-sama; he'll wake up. He's too stubborn to just leave you alone.”
Her grip on her skirt tightened, her eye was hard with determination, “Hibari-san will definitely not leave you alone, Mukuro-sama.”
The strength of her belief showed in her eyes and in her bearing; Mukuro was a little taken aback by just how staunch her conviction in Hibari was. He couldn't deny that it made his heart swell just a little to see her feel this way; she loved him and respected him so much – and had similar respect for Hibari – that it was understandable that she would be so protective of him. Chrome would follow and support him to the end of the world and back.
He smiled at her, although he knew that she could see that it was a ghost of one, “I hope you're right Chrome... I hope you're right.”
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Posted: Wed Aug 04, 2010 12:30 am
VI. A Quiet Night
Mukuro wound up falling asleep at Hibari's bedside. He'd pillowed his head on his arms and was still holding the other's hand in his. He was so exhausted by that point that his sleep was dreamless but relatively light; he'd never been a light sleeper before, but he didn't want to miss anything. What if Hibari woke up while he was sleeping? The questions hounded him until he finally couldn't keep his eyes open any longer.
It didn't feel like any time had passed at all.
At some early hour of the morning, he was jerked back into the world of awareness. For a few moments he was confused since his mind was still caught up in the cobwebs of sleep, but a weak pressure around his hand pulled him into full awareness.
Jerking his head up, he looked to Hibari. The former prefect's eyes were still closed, but his face was much more tense then Mukuro remembered it having been at all over the past weeks. For a brief moment he felt a coil of panic deep in his stomach, but quickly squashed it. He couldn't afford to panic in this situation, and it was just an unsightly emotion overall.
He watched, patiently, as Hibari's eyes flickered open briefly before they closed again. When they finally opened, Mukuro immediately stood up, his chair clattering noisily on the floor as he did so, and reached out for the other's face.
For several moments Hibari just blinked up almost blindly at the ceiling – his eyes adjusting to the darkness and not having been used in so long – before they slid into focus. Leaning over the former prefect, Mukuro watched as those steel grey eyes he knew so well moved to take him in, a spark of recognition deep in their depths. Inwardly, he breathed a sigh of relief.
“Kyoya.” His voice was soft, but it still seemed far too loud to him in the relative silence of the room; he cupped the other's cheek, giving him a very rare smile. “Don't try to talk, the doctors have you on a ventilator; you'll just be damaging your vocal cords if you do.”
The former prefect blinked twice, showing he understood, Where am I?
It was the first coherent thought that Mukuro had heard for weeks from him, and it took him a while to be able to find his voice past the lump which had formed in his throat, “You're in a hospital at the moment. You were in pretty bad shape when I found you, but the doctors are confident that you'll make a full recovery.”
Possible psychological damage... might have lost his memory... can't be sure until he wakes up... Mukuro was a little apprehensive about Hibari's state of mind and whether or not he had sustained any damage from all the drugs that had been pumped into his system to keep him docile and half-dead. But the fact that he recognized him and seemed to remember him was a good enough sign for the illusionist that the former prefect wasn't going to suffer lasting damage.
At least, that was what he hoped.
The two of them stayed in silence for several more moments before Mukuro sighed. “I promised the nurses and doctors that I'd let them know when you woke up. How do you feel?”
Mm.. tired. Hibari closed his eyes briefly, then opened them again, What happened? Why am I here?
That lump in his throat grew, and Mukuro could feel the knife in his chest twist painfully. His acting abilities paid off, though, and he was able to school his expression into one of relative serenity, “We can talk about that later, okay? It's a bit of a long story.”
He let the words sink in, and was relieved when the former prefect acknowledged him with an agreement. Mukuro was also pleased when Hibari let him reach over and hit the call button for the nurses' station just down the hall from the Cloud Guardian's room.
“Is something the matter?”
“No, but the patient is awake.” Mukuro felt Hibari's grip on his hand tighten; it was a good sign. The feelings of apprehension and nervousness, though, weren't.
“What?! Oh, um, hang on, I'll alert the doctor... he'll be there in a few moments. Please make sure that he doesn't try to remove the ventilator or try anything strenuous.”
After that the line clicked dead, and Mukuro could very dimly hear the shuffling around out in the corridor. He and Hibari probably only had a few more minutes alone together before the doctors and nurses swarmed to make sure that the former prefect was alright and to alert Tsuna about the fact that his guardian had finally woken up from his drug-induced coma.
Mukuro returned his full attention to the former prefect who seemed to be on the verge of a miniature panic attack. “Kyoya? Is something wrong?”
Don't leave my side.
That came as a shock to Mukuro; he wasn't used to the usually fickle Cloud Guardian being so... reliant on others, he couldn't think of any better way to put it. Hibari wasn't the type to rely on people, and he rarely if ever sought out comfort for them. The few times that he did were usually in the darkness of night when no one else could witness something that he saw as a weakness – alone except for Mukuro who had taken to sharing his bed despite the threats. It wasn't something that either of them spoke of the next day.
Mukuro's shock was clearly reflected in his face, because Hibari tightened his grip even more – if that was possible – and was practically begging the illusionist to stay with his eyes. He repeated his request, Please don't leave my side.
Hearing the fear and pleading in Hibari's voice was nearly enough to break Mukuro's own cold heart. The De Niro had succeeded, it seemed, in doing something that no one else before had been able to do: They'd broken Hibari Kyoya.
Never before had Mukuro wanted to cry as much as he did right then; he'd never expected to come to care about someone so much, and to know that now Hibari was relying on him – something that was definitely difficult to reconcile in his mind with the image of Hibari that he held – was almost too much. He needed to be strong for the other.
If he needed to cry, he'd do it later, when Hibari couldn't see.
Taking Hibari's hand in both of his, Mukuro very carefully lifted it and pressed his lips to the knuckles. “I'll stay. Don't worry, I'll stay.”
Thank you.
When the doctor swept in with a small gaggle of nurses, he found Mukuro to be an immovable statue. After several failed attempts to get him to move, he eventually gave up and just asked him to stay out of their way while they looked over the patient.
After a brief examination of both the patient and of the various read-outs from the various pieces of equipment that he was hooked up to, the doctor turned his attention to the patient. He would have preferred to move the young man who was glued to the patient's side, but death was promised in those mismatched eyes, and he didn't dare try.
“We're going to remove the ventilator, I need you to remain calm while we do,” the doctor explained. “Once it's out, just breath deeply and regularly.”
It didn't escape the doctor's notice that the grey eyes flickered to the young man before the patient nodded just a little, showing that he understood. The doctor couldn't help but wonder about the bond that the two young men shared; but it wasn't his business to think about, he needed to focus on removing the ventilator.
The moment the tubes were clear of Hibari's throat, Hibari coughed violently a few times, his lungs and body quickly trying to adjust. After a few worrying moments for the illusionist, the other's breath eventually evened out and he settled into the pillows, looking tired but with a little more color in his cheeks then Mukuro had seen all month. It was a huge relief to him to see that. Hibari, though, didn't seem to want to put up with the horde of people for much longer.
After a few more basic tests of Hibari's reflexes and a neurological exam, the doctor cleared him for the night and told him to get some more rest and they'd talk about releasing him – maybe – in the morning. It didn't escape Mukuro's notice that the doctor gave him a rather hard look before he left.
“Don't upset him; he still needs rest, his injuries still need to heal.” And with that, the doctor and the gaggle of nurses swept from the room.
What injuries? Hibari's thoughts jerked Mukuro's attention back to him. He was a little surprised that Hibari hadn't used his voice, but said nothing about it.
“You have a lot of broken bones and you're very bruised,” Mukuro replied softly. “The doctors say that they're healing nicely, though, so you should be fine. And since you're out of the woods for the most part, the doctors will be able to let you take some medication to help with the pain.”
Hibari nodded, What's broken?
“Your wrist and a few of your ribs. Your ribs have healed for the most part, but your wrist will be a little more... complicated. Even when it's healed, it'll take a little time for you be able to use it normally. They'll take the splint off in about three more weeks.”
I still want to know what happened... and why I'm here. The determination in both his thoughts and his eyes was so reminiscent of the Hibari that Mukuro knew; it was a relief to see.
“I know you do,” Mukuro replied. “But right now isn't the time, wait until Tsunayoshi gets here tomorrow morning; he'll probably have more details on what's happened then I do.”
That confusion flared up again, and Mukuro felt his heart stop when Hibari asked, Who?
“You... don't remember?” His heart restarted with an unpleasant lurch; it didn't make any sense... why would Hibari remember him and not Tsuna? He had been aware of the young Vongola before he'd even been made aware that Mukuro existed. He took a deep breath, trying to steady his frayed nerves, “What do you remember, then?”
Hibari frowned, deep in thought as he scraped together his rather sketchy memories. Albeit, there wasn't much that he did remember, and Mukuro could see that as he worked to patch together an explanation. I remember... someone grabbing me, then darkness... other then that, all I can remember is you. And... what we shared.
“That's all...” Mukuro murmured. His heart felt like it had dropped into his stomach and it was thudding slowly as a sense of desolation that he hadn't felt since the Vendicare had captured him to allow Chikusa and Ken to escape. He took a deep breath, “Kyoya, don't worry about not remembering everything right now. It'll come back to you with time.”
Are you sure?
“Yes, I'm sure. And I'll explain to you what happened tomorrow, when Tsunayoshi is here. I want to have a better idea of what happened.”
Will you at least tell me why I'm here? Impatience. It was enough to make Mukuro give a very wane smile; at least Hibari was there – awake and aware and with him – which was something to be grateful for. Especially since there had been that slim chance that the former prefect wouldn't have ever woken up.
“You were kidnapped by someone,” Mukuro replied, slowly. “But you're safe now. I won't let them get near you and neither will anyone else.”
Kidnapped...?
Mukuro nodded, “You were, but I came for you. It's not something that you need to worry about; all you need to focus on right now is getting better.” And recovering all those memories...
The former prefect let out a soft sigh – he sounded tired. Mukuro watched him as he settled down into the bed, wincing a little when he did; his ribs were still tender after all. Very carefully, Mukuro reached over with his free hand and pulled the covers more securely around the former prefect. Hibari quietly thanked him – again not speaking out loud – before settling down to sleep.
You look like s**t, Mukuro. But... I'm glad you're here.
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Posted: Wed Aug 11, 2010 12:25 am
VII. Road to Recovery
Hibari wound up sleeping late into the morning, which was good because it meant that Mukuro could put off the awkward situation of having to explain to him who Tsuna was. And he could explain the situation to Tsuna without having to worry about a potential negative reaction from the former prefect.
“The doctors said that he woke up last night,” Tsuna said, taking the seat across from Mukuro. “Did he say anything?”
“Not out loud,” Mukuro replied. “But he was coherent in his thoughts and communicated with me through them; I don't know whether or not he'll continue that. Apparently, it might just be that he's uncomfortable with speaking or hearing his voice out loud; the psychiatrist isn't too sure.”
“But he is awake and he'll recover, the doctors assured me of this. They said that he'll be released in the next few days.”
Mukuro nodded, “They told me the same thing. I'll take him to my home since his home has been... compromised.”
“Have you talked about this with him?” That was Tsuna, always concerned about his friends, even if they weren't the closest. He cared about his Famiglia – even Mukuro, despite what he'd down in the past – more than anything else.
“No, I'm waiting for him to wake up... but I don't think that he'll care.” Mukuro paused, “And I'd prefer to do that alone, Tsunayoshi.”
Tsuna frowned, “Why? Is something wrong?”
“Kyoya... he doesn't remember anything,” Mukuro responded delicately. “I asked about it, and apparently it's not permanent; his memories will come back to him slowly, but there are things that may be more sketchy then others. But he won't remember what happened to him.” Which I am so relieved, I don't want to see him have to deal with that...
Silence fell over the two of them at that. Tsuna was obviously digesting the information and then processing it, while Mukuro didn't have anything more that he felt like saying. He kept his hands around Hibari's, watching the older man's sleeping face and his chest rise and fall as he breathed in and out.
He looked so peaceful, if it wasn't for the remaining bandages and faint bruises along with the brace on his wrist, Mukuro would've just thought that he was sleeping as he always had. Only he slept much deeper than usual, and he looked... well, frail. Hibari looked so delicate lying there, still hooked up to the heart monitor and the IV, and Mukuro could still remember how afraid of the doctors he'd been.
Finally, Tsuna spoke, “You want to get the chance to explain to him who I am and how he's involved in the Mafia and that's better done when I'm not here.”
“Somewhat. He remembers who I am and our relationship but that's it. I happened to mention your name and he showed absolutely no recognition,” Mukuro explained. “I think that it would be best to limit his exposure to people, I don't want to overwhelm him.”
Tsuna nodded, “I'd still like to know that he's okay. I'll stick around until he wakes up; you can explain to him who I am, but I do want to make sure that he's fine with staying with you.”
“Of course.”
After a while, Tsuna eventually left to speak to Xanxus out in the hall about something regarding the De Niro, leaving Mukuro and Hibari alone in the room together. Mukuro watched, waiting for any sign that Hibari was waking up. He felt less anxious then before since now he knew that the former prefect was fine and eventually would recover; it didn't quell the rage he felt seething in his chest, but that was something he'd deal with later.
The De Niro were lying low after losing their prized hostage, and the higher-ups had slipped away to several hide outs that they'd sequestered all over the world. Tsuna had mobilized almost the entire Vongola Famiglia to track them down and to unearth any information about them that they could; and with Mukuro's help, he even had access to the darker side of the criminal underworld.
What was a little worrying to Mukuro, was the fact that Kusakabe would be notified that Hibari had woken up. It wasn't so much that which was the problem, but the man was very attached to the former prefect, and he wasn't about to leave him with Mukuro.
It seemed to be a running trait with those close to Hibari. Both Dino and Kusakabe didn't trust Mukuro and weren't very pleased to hear about the illusionist's relationship with him. But given Hibari's state of mind... even though they might have been better caretakers for the former prefect in terms of stability, Mukuro knew that Hibari would probably pitch a fit if they tried to separate him from the illusionist.
For whatever reason, he only remembered Mukuro. He felt comfortable and safe with him; that would have to be taken into account for when he left the hospital in the next few days.
Just like the night before, he was jerked out of his thoughts by the familiar pressure around his hand. He watched as Hibari opened his eyes, blinking them open. The older man let out a relieved sigh when he saw that the illusionist was still there; right where he'd been when he'd fallen asleep the night before.
You stayed the night?
Mukuro couldn't help but smile at the touch of skepticism in the thought, “Of course. I haven't left your side since you were brought here.”
That seemed to surprise the former prefect, Really? I... don't you have other things that you need to do instead of waiting for me to wake up?
“Not really, and besides. There was some danger of leaving you by yourself,” Mukuro replied. “The ones who... kidnapped you are still mostly at large so someone needed to stay with you and protect you in case they found out where you'd been taken.”
Will you explain what's going on to me now? Hibari shifted, trying to sit up. Mukuro hurriedly stood up, knocking his chair back as he very carefully helped his lover sit up, making sure that he was comfortably situated on the pillows behind him. Thanks.
“You're welcome, and I'll explain a few things to you.” Mukuro took a deep breath, moving to sit on the edge of Hibari's hospital bed. “You were kidnapped by a Mafia Famiglia known as the De Niro Famiglia. We don't know why you were taken, but you were drugged and beaten while you were in their hands.”
Famiglia, what–?
Holding up a hand to keep the Cloud Guardian from interrupting, Mukuro continued, “As hard as it might be to believe now, you're a member of the Vongola Famiglia, Kyoya; a rather... high-ranking member too, I might add. You're one of the guardians of the boss, Sawada Tsunayoshi.”
Frowning, Mukuro could see that Hibari was trying to place the name in his memory, but failing. He seemed a little put out by that, but gestured for Mukuro to continue.
“Tsunayoshi is just outside,” Mukuro continued. “He wants to make sure that you're alright. You might not remember him or your rather... rocky relationship with him, but he does genuinely care about you; just like he does all of his guardians.”
Giving Hibari's hand a reassuring squeeze, he set about trying to make sure that Hibari understood that Tsuna wasn't a threat, “He won't hurt you, don't worry about that. Tsunayoshi is... a friend, you could say.”
You don't sound so sure. Hibari gave him a dirty look.
“Well, you and him were never on the best of terms, so I don't really know how to define your relationship with him in words. But just know that I'm not going to let anything happen to you.”
Letting his eyes drift closed, Hibari nodded; there was a faint smile playing about his lips as he did so. I know that... I trust you.
A small smile turned up the corners of Mukuro's mouth, he leaned forward and pressed a very quick and chaste kiss to Hibari's cheek. He wasn't sure how much affection Hibari would allow, so he was going to take it slow, let the older man take the initiative in terms of what he would and wouldn't let him do. He figured that would be for the best.
“I'm glad to hear that,” Mukuro replied, softly. “I'm... very glad that you remember me, Kyoya... even if you don't remember anything else.”
Hibari was frowning, glaring at Mukuro's face. He reached out – his hand shook a little – and grabbed Mukuro's hair at the back of his neck, pulling him down with more strength then one would expect from someone in his condition. Then again, Mukuro knew what he was planning, so he went with him quite willingly, a smirk pulling at his lips as Hibari pulled him down into a bit of a messy kiss.
The older man's lips were a little uncoordinated, but he caught on quickly enough; he'd always been a fast learner, and Mukuro was always a good teacher, if not a bit... questionable in his methods.
Both of them broke apart when there was a soft knock at the door, followed by Tsuna's voice, “May I come in?”
Hibari shot a very dark glare at the door, and Mukuro only chuckled; it reminded him very much of how Hibari had been before he'd been taken. Always irritated by interruptions and never happy to see people he considered weak; he might have respected Tsuna, but that didn't mean that he was pleased to see him unless it was absolutely necessary.
Giving Hibari's hand another squeeze, Mukuro called out, “Come in Tsuna; Kyoya's awake now.”
The Vongola Decimo stepped into the room, beaming when he saw Hibari propped up on the pillows and very much awake, with Mukuro sitting at his side, “It's good to see that you're awake, Hibari-san.”
Mukuro smiled, “He says hello, and he wants to know what you're doing here.”
“I wanted to make sure that you're alright, Hibari-san,” Tsuna replied. It was a little weird to have Mukuro telling him what Hibari was thinking – or saying, depending on how one looked at it – but he guess that it was probably just Hibari feeling uncomfortable with talking; who knew? “And just to tell the both of you that the doctors have given the green light to Hibari-san being released tomorrow.”
I can go home?
“Not home, exactly,” Mukuro replied. “Until the threat's been eliminated, I'd prefer it if you stayed with me. That is, if that's alright with you.”
Hibari frowned, That's fine with me... and you'll stay with me, right?
“Of course.” Mukuro pressed a kiss to Hibari's forehead. “I won't leave your side; I promised, remember?”
Lingering on the outskirts, Tsuna felt a little awkward watching how strangely affectionate the two of them were being. It was also a little disconcerting to know that whatever it was that Hibari was thinking was only known to Mukuro since he was communicating with his thoughts and not his words. He hadn't seen the former prefect's face so open before.
Seeing Hibari like that, so different from the strong and nearly indifferent guardian that Tsuna was familiar with, it only strengthened his resolve to see that the De Niro were punished for their actions. He'd meant what he'd said to Xanxus; he would see them pay.
“You wouldn't have to worry about them finding you,” Tsuna interrupted. “They're not even aware that Mukuro exists, much less that he's a member of the Vongola.”
“Don't say things like that,” Mukuro replied, but it lacked its usual venom. “But I do admit that it gives us an advantage. Since they don't know I exist, they'll have no chance of finding you.”
Hibari nodded, I see. But–
“I've always been very careful,” Mukuro replied. “Very few members of the Mafia are aware that I was freed from the Vendicare... there would most likely be problems with that, you see.”
“You're still a member of this Famiglia, Mukuro, despite what you say,” Tsuna added. “And you have no idea how much I had to pay in order to get the Vendicare to even consider freeing you, much less actually agree to it.”
“I'm quite valuable,” Mukuro chuckled. “But that's not important right now.”
Tsuna nodded, “Well, Xanxus and I have a few things that we need to take care of. I left my care in the parkade, Mukuro, use that when you take Hibari-san home tomorrow. I'll check in with you later in the week if we learn anything new.” He bowed to Hibari, “I hope that you recover soon, Hibari-san.”
And with that, the Vongola Decimo swept from the room, rejoining the Varia leader outside, once more leaving the two guardians alone in the room.
So he would be... my boss, then? Hibari ventured.
“You could say that, he's my boss as well,” Mukuro replied. “We shouldn't have anymore visitors today until tonight.”
Hibari frowned, confused and wondering who it was that could be coming; he tried to remember if there was anyone in his memory, but that failed just as it had before. Why? Who's coming tonight?
“Don't worry, I only asked Chrome to bring you something to wear. She'll probably bring us dinner as well,” Mukuro responded.
Chrome... The name sounded familiar to Hibari, but he couldn't put a face to the name, but with the way Mukuro spoke of her, she was probably someone he held in either high esteem or someone who he cared about. He couldn't help but feel a sting of jealousy at the thought.
“Chrome and I aren't like that,” Mukuro chuckled; he was amused by Hibari's seeming insecurity about his relationship with him. “I suppose the best descriptor for my relationship with Chrome would be that of siblings; she's very much like a little sister to me. You don't have to fear my finding someone else.”
Good. Hibari glanced out the window, frowning. He was already getting tired of the bland hospital room that he was stuck in. The only spots of color that he noticed were a couple of vases full of flowers that were placed strategically around the room either to give it some personality or some warmth.
“The flowers are from Chrome, she thought that they would comfort you somewhat even if you couldn't see them. And I suppose they were also supposed to distract me somewhat from constantly wondering when you would wake up.”
Oh, I see. Hibari frowned, thoughtful for a few moments. I take it that going outside is out of the question.
“The doctors are releasing you tomorrow,” Mukuro replied. “I don't think that pushing your luck like that is a good idea. And besides, the grounds here aren't too impressive.”
– –
“I'm sorry, sir, but we don't know where they've taken him. We didn't expect that he was a member of the Vongola Famiglia.”
“Hmph, you've failed me yet again.”
“You have my deepest apologies sir. Our entire intelligence network is trying to locate him, but we're having no luck so far. That and... we fear that we've been compromised.”
“Compromised?”
“Yes, sir. The Vongola are tracking down our members and dismantling our Famiglia; they're being relentless... I... I must advise that pursuing our young friend isn't probably the wisest or best course of action. And there's still the matter of–”
“I want him. He belongs to me and no one else.”
“... of course, sir.”
“Leave.”
“Y-yes.”
“Hmph, worthless... give him up? I think not; he felt so good around my c**k, I won't settle for anyone else. He's mine, and no stupid b*****d from Vongola will take him away from me. Not again. I won't lose him...”
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