[Fic] Windshear [Part 6/?]
Hello. Bit of a slow, quiet Wednesday evening. Spent most the past week tossing around ideas for games, stories and plot bunnies, and trying to organize them coherently. Impractically wanting to work on every one of them at the same time, but try getting something out of this mix:
- Fire elves try not to burn down Great Medicine Tree while gathering herbs as mysterious illness spreads through forest.
- Mutiny brews aboard star fleet during exoplanet exploration.
- Emo college student discovers new definition for soul mates through astrophysics.
- Girl meets boy, and then girl meets girl, and then parents find out.
- Hmm, some anon (not I) requested "Yamamoto/Base-" wait, what is this?
Haha, does any of that sound interesting? Meanwhile, I'm gonna keep working on this fic though, but extra thanks if you read this far XD Enjoy~
Windshear Part [6/?]
Authors: kagayachou and the-dw
Characters/Pairings: All the Vongola Guardians and Reborn. Eventual Yamamoto/Hibari, hinted Byakuran/Mukuro.
Rating: PG-13
Words: 5720
Summary: Yamamoto, Reborn, and those herbivores were crowding. Mukuro was a freak. Hibari's impatience reached its peak as his body reached its limits.
As Yamamoto hurried down the stairs, he only paused by the Vongola mansion's main entrance, in front of the umbrella rack. He grabbed a black one, anyone's, and then headed for the door to the back garden. By the time he saw Hibari, the man was still walking through the greenery, leisurely, as if he was admiring the Florentine Irises that dropped mournfully and yet so spectacularly against their spiky silvery-green foliage like they were drowning in the rare downpour. Small and utterly drenched, Hibari looked so delicately beautiful Yamamoto actually swore beneath his breath.
Hibari barely seemed to notice the rain. From Yamamoto's perspective, the other man was acting as though the sun was shining brightly like most any typical Italian afternoon. Only, it was Hibird, huddled in Hibari's suit jacket - which the man held bundled up in his arms - that indicated any acknowledgment given towards the weather. Otherwise, the small crease between his brows said the rain simply inconvenienced him.
What's wrong with you, Yamamoto nearly cried out loud. But there were plenty of things wrong with Hibari; he knew. So he ran over wordlessly with the opened umbrella - what warmth could he offer, whether it was accepted, if they both grow ill? It wasn't until he stopped in front of Hibari that he realized he - had ran all the way over - was feeling out of breath.
Hibari blinked, when, all of the sudden, the rain stopped and there was someone in front of him. He looked upwards.
He greeted Yamamoto calmly and silently with an incline of the head. He gazed upwards at the umbrella for a moment before pushing it away from him. Ignoring the other man, he continued his stroll through the garden.
Yamamoto let out an exasperated sigh and sheltered Hibari with the umbrella again. Lifting his freehand, fingers gently pushing Hibari's fringe back, he pressed a palm over Hibari's forehead.
"You're cold and clammy, Hibari. Do you know that?" It was breathed out. Any louder, and he would have yelled it in frustration.
Hibari snapped a hand out to grasp Yamamoto's wrist, all but slapping the other man's hand away from his skin in a bruising tight grip. With dark, burning eyes, he said, "Don't overstep your boundaries, Yamamoto Takeshi."
But Yamamoto ignored the pain, his eyes hard and his lips drawing in a thin line. "Why should it matter? You don't seem to care about your own body anyway." Walking in the rain when he was sick. Rain couldn't hurt him on its own, but it was cold. He was soaking wet. His immune system was already fighting something else inside, something that was a far cry from a slap on the wrist.
What the fuck are you thinking?
Hibari's lips quirked up into an amused smirk, and he let go off Yamamoto's wrist. That man... he really was a wolf in sheep's clothing, so much that he probably believed himself a sheep. Hibari shook his head, turning his attention back to Hibird as it poked its head out from under the collar of his jacket and flapped its wings again.
"You seem adamant to butt into business that is not your own." Hibari raised his eyes, his smirk widening. "It is just rain; it will not affect me."
The other man shook his head in response, but his eyes softened as the yellow bird flew up and around them under the umbrella.
"... You're already soaked," Yamamoto pointed out, but he was slowly being disarmed by Hibird's happy little twitters and the amusement on Hibari's face.
"Come on, let's get inside so you can change." Yamamoto sighed, the corners of his lips quirking up into a wry smile. He couldn't help but feel tag-teamed; knowing how intelligent that bird was, and that it had somehow pledged its loyalty to Hibari... the chirping was probably deliberate.
"Don't want you to catch a cold either," he grinned cheekily at the bird.
Nodding, Hibari quietly followed Yamamoto into the mansion, the two of them halting briefly as Hibird flew into Hibari's jacket once more.
The moment they stepped indoors, the yellow bird flew freely again. It spread its wings, shook itself to get the residue drops of water off its feathers, before taking off for the ceiling. Hibari seemed impassive, but his eyes followed the extra-fluffed-up ball of feathers for a long moment, unmoving.
"I'm going to have a shower," he told Yamamoto curtly, turning back to the man. "Tell them to start this meeting without me."
"All right," Yamamoto nodded, relieved he didn't have to fight the other man into the shower. He'd lifted a hand to wave, but then, what use was it when Hibari had already turned his back? He closed the umbrella, fiddling with the strap for a moment longer, and then returned the umbrella to the place where he found it.
When he was walking back down the corridor to the meeting room, Hibird landed on his shoulder, twittering a strangely familiar marching melody that had to be some anthem or other: grand, upbeat and romantically hopeful. Snippets of Italian came to Yamamoto and he laughed when he realized of course it was the Italian national anthem; Hibird would have picked that up after all these years.
By the time they arrived at the meeting room, he was grinning at Hibird's high-pitched rendition, and humming along.
Gokudera whipped his head around when he heard the massacre of "Inno di Mameli", an insult on the tip of his tongue. He was irritable from his row with Ryohei; he had to change his clothes because the lawn-head had no concept of personal space, and dumbass had the balls to call his fighting ability into question.
Gokudera was not happy.
But far be it for him to take it out on a bird. "Oi, baseball idiot," he grumbled. "Where's Hibari?"
"Ah?" Yamamoto blinked at the slightly damp silver hair, the crisp, clean red shirt and dry black pants. He chuckled, then looked around as he answered. "Hibari went to take a shower. He thought he didn't need an umbrella. Said to start without him though... Sasagawa's gone to change, too?"
"Yeah." Gokudera pulled a hand through his hair, shaking out stray water droplets as he sourly continued, "Thinks it's always a tanning day 'cause he's the Sun Guardian, or something. Slow bastard... Getting me wet enough to change too, and here I am!"
"Hahaha," Yamamoto's innocent smile was curling into a teasing smirk.
"Tsuna," Reborn cut him off. "Start the meeting now. Your guardians have pretty much all arrived."
"Oh, right," Tsuna straightened up as Gokudera's attention returned to him. As Yamamoto took Chrome's usual seat, Tsuna glanced at Reborn with an openly questioning look before he turned back to meet everyone else's eyes once more.
"All right. This isn't supposed to be a formal meeting, everyone." Hibird chirped suddenly. Tsuna paused, and then resumed when it landed on the back of Hibari's usual seat. "Yamamoto mentioned earlier how the party was fun, but we didn't get a chance to really talk to each other about what we've been doing for the past year or so, right? So this is... a review reunion."
Yamamoto nodded, smiling brightly as he added, "We worked hard and successfully prevented the formation of the Millefore. Now what?"
"Um..." Beside Gokudera, Lambo hesitantly spoke. "I know this is supposed to be an informal meeting, but... is there going to be another threat to the Vongola?" He played with his hair subconsciously, curling a lock round and round his finger, looking bored, but feeling nervous.
Reborn steepled his fingers and leaned forward, looking at all the Guardians - even Lambo - one by one. "The Millefiore was made up of the Giglionero and the Gesso families," he began. "The Giglionero, we know, are of no threat thanks to Dino taking Lady Uni under his wing. They are now part of the Vongola alliance... and as they have been alerted, they are keeping a close watch on their Phantom Knight."
Out of the corner of his eyes, Yamamoto was rubbing his jaw in phantom pain. Reborn noted it, but smoothly continued, "It is the Gesso family we should be concerned with."
Any residue of anger or resentment in Gokudera bled away at Reborn's words, and he sat up straight, eyes narrowing as the gears in his head started moving. "Why, Reborn-san? What are they doing?"
Reborn shrugged, turning to Chrome. "I think Mukuro would be better equipped to answer this."
Chrome folded her hands in her lap and shook her head, "Mukuro-sama didn't tell me about anything going awry. He and Byakuran-san seemed to be getting along very well." She did not blush as she remembered the little asides and reports that Mukuro had given her, detailing his and Byakuran's... sexual exploits. It was already commonplace for her, these things.
"If you want further information, I can call Mukuro-sama for you, Boss," she turned to Tsuna, throwing the ball into his court.
"That..." Tsuna rubbed his nose, looking from Reborn to the rest of the guardians, and back at Chrome. "That might be for the best, if he's not too busy?" She did say that he hadn't contacted them on his own for over three days - while being with Byakuran...
Just what the hell was he doing with Byakuran anyway? Tsuna knew Reborn had something to do with it, but honestly, he wasn't sure he wanted to know...
"And I’m back !" The door slammed open and shower-fresh Ryohei stood in the doorway, looking good and still too energetic even in a smart, pressed suit. It didn't gather as big a response to when he barrelled in however, so he just stomped over and settled down beside Chrome. "So what did I miss?"
Gokudera's temper reared its head again, and he scowled fiercely. He wasn't a teenager anymore, however, and the ten years between then and now had taught him enough self-control to not blow up at the dumbass - at least... in front of the Tenth again.
But it seemed like the idiot had learnt pretty much nothing. Gokudera dropped his head onto a hand and sighed into it. "Sit down and shut up, lawn-head. The Tenth was asking Chrome to contact Mukuro for a report on the Gesso."
At that, Ryohei listened, and turned his eyes to the woman beside him.
Chrome had already closed her eyes, ignoring the ruckus around her as she reached inside herself to find that glowing red thread that linked her to the male Mist Guardian.
Mukuro-sama?
Yes, my dear Chrome? The answer was instantaneous, but that didn't give much away - Mukuro-sama could talk to her during practically anything. He was a great multitasker.
Are you free right now? Boss wants to talk to you... She could feel Mukuro's interest perk at that, and a strange sensation, like the world tilting off-kilter before righting itself, ran through her body. Mukuro was looking through her eyes.
Oh...? The skylark sent a representative? ...What does Tsunayoshi-kun want to talk to me about? Mukuro sounded amused.
The situation with Byakuran, Mukuro-sama. Boss wants a report on what we have all been doing so far, about the Gesso family. Hibari-san will show up in a bit.
Mukuro chuckled. Kufufufu... So Tsunayoshi-kun wants to check up on me, hmm? Alright then. May I, my dear Chrome?
Chrome smiled slightly. You're always welcome to, Mukuro-sama.
And the world shifted.
Chrome watched as her hand grew suddenly larger, her shoulders broader and leaner, bleeding down into Mukuro's lanky build. Her clothes, too, changed - a suit jacket with customized lapels on the shoulders, a loose tie, white shirt, and dark slacks. Long blue hair tamed properly in a tail rested over one shoulder.
"Kufufufu..." Mukuro laughed again as he surveyed the table, this time out loud. Turning to the Vongola Tenth, he made a show of licking his own lips and lecherously smirked.
"Long time no see, Tsunayoshi-kun..."
"Hibari!" Hibird cried.
Hibari, dressed in a customary dark yukata and now more or less dry, rolled his eyes when he saw that, for once, it was the detestable half of the Mist Guardian that had decided to grace the occasion. Wonderful.
Almost as if he heard Hibari's thoughts, Mukuro's eyes turned towards him, shamelessly running up and down that toned body with the tantalising hint of pale flesh bared by the yukata. But... something seemed off to Mukuro. "Aah, has the skylark finally decided to return to the nest?"
Hibari ignored him with the ease of long practice, quietly gliding into the room to take his seat, now curiously next to Yamamoto. It was... less annoying than sitting next to Mukuro, so he said nothing of it.
Reborn watched Hibari from under the brim of his hat, his eyes heavy-lidded and lips thinned into a line. It had been two weeks since he had that talk with the Cloud Guardian in the man's own room, and the stubborn idiot seemed as determined as ever in keeping his condition a secret from Tsuna and the rest of the famiglia.
He sighed and turned his attention back to the others; he had done all that he could to help Hibari - that is, all that Hibari was open to. Forcing Tsuna and Dino into unwanted situations for their own good was one thing, but teaching Hibari was another thing entirely.
Hibari needed to learn that he could depend on others - outside of his school, outside of his hospital... and outside of his Foundation. Yamamoto was adjusting, adapting his ways to support Hibari unobtrusively. Mukuro... was another story altogether.
Yamamoto couldn't hide the concern on his face when he saw Hibari in just a yukata. A quick glance around the room and he found his jacket slung over the back of... the chair Mukuro occupied.
And when he did that, something clicked in Tsuna's head. "Um... yeah, it's been a while, Mukuro." Tsuna nodded. Oh so carefully, as unobtrusively as possible, he reached for Yamamoto's jacket. "H-how have you been doing lately?"
But Mukuro noticed the movement right away. He turned and picked up the black jacket, cradling it in his hands. "Oh, Tsunayoshi-kun, is this yours?" He lifted the cloth to his nose and took a long, deep inhale, taking care to moan softly.
He blinked.
"Aah... It doesn't smell like you, though," he tilted his head to the side, the picture of innoccent curiosity save for the mischievous glint in his eyes.
In his mind, Chrome giggled.
Gokudera took a few seconds. To recover. Deep breaths. They were not working.
"Y-you freak!" he sputtered. "What is with you and your perverted ideas about the Tenth?! Just how would you even know what he smells like?" He wanted to reach over and shake Mukuro by his fancy lapels, because Tsuna was straight as the horizon and, at the moment, cringing back into his seat away from both of them. "I mean- no! Don't you answer that!"
Apparently, taking deep breathes only gave his lungs more ammunition to work with. "God, baseball idiot, burn that jacket!"
Ryohei laughed. Not only did he find Tsuna's reaction reassuring for his sister's sake, but Gokudera's was hilarious, extreme to the max.
Yamamoto had the strongest urge to introduce his face to his palm, but he let out a chuckle instead, shoulders drooping. So much for even thinking of offering Hibari his jacket. Not that the man would have accepted it either, especially with so many people around to see it, but...
Hibari picked up the glass of iced water in front of him and took a calm sip. Mukuro simply did not exist in his world - he rejected that... thing's existence.
...Hibari was not on friendly terms with Mukuro, was he?
Yamamoto stood up, leaning one hand his weight against the table with one hand as he held his other hand out towards Mukuro. "So can I have my jacket back?" He smiled naturally. Tsuna looked at him, eyes wide and grateful.
"Unless you like the way I smell now..."
So much for damage control.
Tsuna's eyes positively bugged out, and Reborn could read his silent cry like it was a fluorescent billboard, bright and blinking over his head: there's such a thing as being too friendly, Yamamoto!
Lambo sank further down in his seat as he tried not to watch whatever the hell was going on, and failed. He could never figure it out, really; some days, Gokudera and Yamamoto looked like they didn't have some sort of dysfunctional relationship. Today was not one of those days.
Maybe what they had was an open relationship. The two of them stuck together often enough, but then they also seemed to take a lot of breaks away from each other, so maybe they both suffered from attention deficit disorders. Or... they just liked having regular lovers' spats so they could... make up. Lambo cursed his teenage hormones.
It was hard not to wonder though, why they weren't even sitting together today...
Briefly, the same thoughts crossed Mukuro's mind. He eyed Yamamoto with a small, playful smirk curving up the corners of his lips. Without a glance at Gokudera, or anyone else, he toyed with the sleeve of Yamamoto's jacket, lifting it to his nose again.
"Mm... a little muskier than Tsunayoshi-kun..." he nibbled on a lip, until it was swollen and red like he had just been kissed.
Careful, Mukuro-sama, Chrome warned in his mind. I don't like bleeding.
Mukuro laughed, his red and blue eyes fixed upon warm brown. "I like it. Can I keep it?"
Hibari set down his water glass with a loud thud that echoed throughout the meeting room. Oddly, Hibird was the only one who didn't look at him with some degree of shock. With his eyes narrowed and hands clenched around the handle of a tonfa, Hibari growled, "What have I been called here for, Sawada?" His voice was low and rough, as dangerous as a field of knives. "If all of you insist on playing games, I'm going."
It would be a waste of time and energy, he reasoned, to bite them all dead.
"Hibari," Reborn tilted the brim of his fedora to expose his eyes. "This is important. Stay for a little while more." It was not a request.
Hibari turned to him, then back to the others, his lips curling up into a derisive sneer, "Mukuro. Shut up, and answer Sawada's question."
Mukuro tilted his head, mismatched eyes almost mocking. "What's this? The skylark finally acknowledges my presence? My, my, I'd never thought that I would see the day." He clucked his tongue, sounding like a disapproving mother hen.
Mukuro-sama... Chrome said in his mind, full of reproach. Mukuro shook his head, tapping on the swollen lip in contemplation.
"But how am I supposed to answer the question and shut my mouth at the same time, Hibari?" He tutted lightly, with more mockery.
Gokudera's fingers itched for dynamite sticks. "Don't waste our time, Mukuro." He answered before Hibari could, his voice tight and angry and serious. "Answer the question."
Mukuro sighed like a wronged victim, all but pouting as he plopped back into his seat. Yamamoto, he noted, had a strained smile on his face now. Poor boy. Mukuro knew he'd been trying to keep the peace. But please one, annoy another - and a few others in this case; that was something he'd have to learn to deal with on his own.
How very interesting though, that Hibird was giving Yamamoto the evil eye, too.
Chuckling, Mukuro pressed the jacket back into Yamamoto's hand and turned back to Tsuna, smiling sweetly all the while.
"I'm sorry, Tsunayoshi-kun, but what was your question?"
Gokudera growled.
"The Gesso," Tsuna interjected. "Could you please tell us what's been going on with Byakuran-san, Mukuro?"
At that, Mukuro frowned, running a hand through the long tail of his hair. His expression was strangely serious when he glanced over at Reborn, who looked back and, almost imperceptibly, nodded.
Having caught the exchange, Hibari's shut his eyes, satisfied that Mukuro would talk. He sat down and leaned back heavily on his chair. The tonfa he took out disappeared back up his sleeve into its cache again. He splayed a hand over his chest though, and clenched the material of his yukata.
So what if Reborn was keeping secrets with everyone? Hibari breathed...
"Byakuran-" Mukuro let out a long, deep sigh, "Byakuran is a very careful man."
Yamamoto fisted his jacket underneath the table. Beside him, Hibari's breath sounded disturbingly shallow and laboured. He found himself staring at the cup Hibari had slammed on the table, now empty and cracked.
"He practically lets nothing slip," Mukuro was saying. "The headquarters is quiet, with everything going perfectly normally." He leaned forward on his hands, "If I'm as paranoid as Gokudera-chan here, I might say that he is definitely up to something. But I'm not. Byakuran might be - there's no sign that he is, but with that man, such things are hard to tell."
Gokudera growled at the jibe, but did not pursue it. There were more important things at stake, especially when, "Basically, you don't know anything."
"Oh, I know plenty," the Mist Guardian shot the Storm Guardian a bored look, then pointedly turned his gaze towards the man sitting between them. "I know that their drug trade has increased again and they are getting more dependent on it; I know that Byakuran added child prostitution and male prostitution to the Gesso's list of little side businesses; I know that he ordered 37 hits this month, and half of them were of his own people." Mukuro's voice was almost contemplative, with barely a hint of contempt. "But there's nothing that would-"
"Mukuro," Hibari interrupted him. He was sitting up, eyes piercing. "What sort of drugs are they selling?"
Now this was something strange, Mukuro noted. In fact, Hibari didn't bother to attend meetings normally, and if he did, he sat at the window and barely listened, much less spoke. Today, he spoke not once, but twice, and once in which he actually came close to losing his composure.
How very odd and unlike the skylark. How very curious. Mukuro tilted his head, scrutinizing him as he answered, "I'd never thought you'll be interested, Hibari." He chuckled lightly, "Kufufu... Well, they sell cocaine, marijuana, opium, heroin... all plant-based, all cultivated by the Gesso themselves. That's it."
"Mukuro," Reborn straightened up from the wall that he'd been leaning against. "Has Byakuran been cultivating new hybrids, or anything similar of late? Perhaps even around five months ago?"
Mukuro shook his head, his smile wry. This almost felt like an interrogation. "I wouldn't know. He trusts me less than he can throw me."
Hibari closed his eyes and pursed his lips, leaning back against his chair. Useless, all of it.
"So the Gesso make their own drugs..." Yamamoto felt the need to reiterate, and ask, "All of it? ...And why all those hits on his own people? Have you heard anything about there being traitors in their midst, or... if those people might've gotten their hands on some information Byakuran doesn't want leaked?"
Hibari shot a glance at Yamamoto, an annoyed glint in his eyes. He didn't need anyone else to interfere, and yet... the other man had asked some valid questions. So he didn't say a thing, resting his eyes again and waiting for Mukuro to answer.
Mukuro clenched his jaw for a moment. Now, he was terribly proud of his skills in manipulating people and conversations, in getting them to trust him completely - just look at Lancia, poor bastard. But Byakuran was certainly giving him a run for his money, and this was something Mukuro felt loathed to admit. He tugged slightly on his long ponytail, the only outward indication of his frustrations.
But you like your games with him, right, Mukuro-sama? Chrome gently laughed.
I do, my Chrome, he replied, lips twisting into a small smirk. But even those games get tiresome after awhile.
Aloud, he simply sighed. "That's what I'm trying to find out, Takeshi-kun. Byakuran is very... hm, deliberate with his words and actions, so no one else in the Gesso base seems to know what he's thinking."
After all, Mukuro had, ah, asked everyone he could get his hands on. "All I can answer right now is that those hits... They were scientists. Biologists, chemists, or both. All of them died by accidental causes," he made quotation marks gestures with his fingers he spoke.
"Of course Byakuran has things to hide, but... I take it you are interested in his... obsession with flowers?"
Gokudera chewed on the inside of his lip. First of all, it seemed almost completely out of character for Hibari to take such an interest in their meetings. And for Yamamoto and Reborn to speak up as well... it was a very, very strange combination. Although it might just be his own doubts speaking, the three of them seemed in on something...
Something that didn't endanger Tsuna, Yamamoto had said... While Gokudera still couldn't find it in himself to trust Hibari fully, he knew that both Reborn and Yamamoto would rather stab themselves in the heart before harming a hair on Tsuna's head.
Yamamoto had stated it quite vocally, once, and Reborn... Well, only someone who was blind, deaf, and completely idiotic would miss how much the man actually cared for the Vongola Tenth.
Tsuna barely caught up with all the information, vaguely horrified that child prostitution had been brought up so lightly, and met with little to no response. Ryohei looked troubled, frowning, his brows creased with confusion. But everyone focused so quickly, so easily on something else...
However, they always had reasons, especially Reborn and Hibari, who never spoke more than what they thought was necessary. And even Yamamoto was asking about the Gesso's drug trade. That said the three of them were after specific information, and were not ready to share yet.
Tsuna turned to study his other guardians carefully.
Lambo looked like his regular, sleepy self, but he still had one eye open, so he was definitely paying attention, but it was more like he was studying something he didn't really want to understand. Ryohei... wanted to understand; he had that determined look in his eyes, which said he was thinking hard. And Gokudera was running a hand through his hair, chewing his lower lip like he wanted a cigarette badly.
Their eyes caught as Tsuna stared. Sometimes, if Gokudera knew something important, he'd keep it to himself 'so as not to burden the Tenth.' But this time, those green eyes seemed apologetic - for not knowing.
Tsuna smiled to Gokudera, and then looked back towards Mukuro.
Mukuro was... being honest for once, not talking in circles as often as wont, meaning that he himself still considered business with Byakuran as something of a serious threat. And rightly so, after what happened between those two in the other future!
That's it, Tsuna sighed, deciding that it didn't matter if they didn't tell him anything - he'd still help however he could. "If you don't know the answer to some of these questions that we're all asking, it's okay, Mukuro." Hesitantly, he reached out and touched the other man's arm. "Please be careful... when you try to look into them later."
After another moment of silence, Mukuro chuckled slightly, shrugging and untensing his shoulders as he leaned further into his seat. "Thank you, Tsunayoshi-kun... It's nice to know that you care." His voice had a teasing lilt to it, and he gave Tsuna as much of a princely bow as he could while sitting down.
Mukuro-sama, Chrome suddenly said in his mind, sounding rather thoughtful. Do you think this might have anything to do with the cottage that you told me Byakuran is building in Rome?
Mukuro blinked, You remembered that?
I remember everything you tell me, Mukuro-sama, her tone was so matter-of-fact that it made him smile.
I... haven't thought of that. I'll check out the lead soon.
Tsuna caught the fleeting look of surprise in Mukuro's eyes then, and he opened his mouth to ask, but then Yamamoto beat him to it.
"Mukuro..." Yamamoto leaned forward, thrusting his elbow on the table. He sounded slightly impatient, but even slightly was surprising.
In fact, it was surprising enough to make Ryohei blurt out, "All right, what exactly are you looking for? You too, Hibari. The questions you're asking - it's like you know something the rest of us don't, which is extremely suspicious!"
Finally, Reborn smirked. He felt faintly relieved. It wasn't enough to cure Hibari, but he'd been starting to wonder lately, whether the other guardians would ever notice...
Before Yamamoto could think to reply however, Hibari stood up abruptly, eyes narrowed and blazing. His knuckles were white around the edge of the table, and there was a fine sheen of sweat over his skin, making him seem even paler than usual. His lips curled into a sneer as he looked at all of them, then turned the full force of his glare on Yamamoto.
"It's none of your business," he said through gritted teeth. Gritted not because of rage - though it did play a part - but because of the sheer, overwhelming pain and vertigo that was making the edges of his vision white out. He clenched his other hand tight and forced himself to stop swaying - if he was swaying. His chest felt like it had been set on fire on the inside, but he held the blaze in even as it colouring his world red and black and white.
This time, Hibird flew up and about him, frantic, as if it could calm him down. But Hibari just growled.
"You bunch of herbivores," he rasped. "When will you learn to leave me alone?" He took another breath, about to say more, or just stalk out. Then his weak, traitorous body decided to rebel against him, and not even his willpower could stop it as he doubled over and started to cough.
Reborn closed his eyes and looked away. He didn't need to see what he had long expected to happen.
There was a great thump as Ryohei's scrambled to his feet, his chair crashing down backwards from the sudden movement. Regardless of Hibari's attitude, Ryohei had always considered the other man a close friend. It was a shock to the system to watch as his knees simply gave out.
But Yamamoto caught Hibari.
After all, Yamamoto had been right there, beside him. And was holding him now, so protectively. It was frightening how Hibari couldn't even seem to muster up the strength to push the other man away...
"Reborn!" Tsuna cried, "What is this?" Because who knew any better? Hibari was in no shape to explain, and Yamamoto was ... Yamamoto was being bled on!
Not for the first time, Lambo felt like a completely useless guardian as he watched dots of red bloom across Yamamoto's shirt, seeping into blue threads.
Gokudera just stood there beside him, eyes wide and hands clenched, nails digging into his palm. "What the- What the hell is going in?"
His first guess was tuberculosis, but Hibari owned a hospital, for heaven's sake. He would have gotten treatment if that was the case, and the rest of them would have been none the wiser!
Gokudera swore when it hit him: "Byakuran..."
Byakuran?
Amidst the chaos, Mukuro remained seated, but his eyes were wide, as if he could only stare. He had seen death a million times over; he had seen men beheaded, disemboweled, cut to pieces, smashed, strangled, suffocated, drowned... Any way a creature could die, Mukuro had seen it, some of which through first-hand experience.
Death did not surprise him. It was simply that...
The sight was strangely beautiful: Hibari's pale, narrow face, eyes squeezed shut and gasping; the paleness of his hand against the Rain Guardian's suit and the stark red of blood; Hibari's red, red lips, coloured by blood until it resembled thick, smudged lipstick. He could only admire the aesthetics of it.
Mukuro-sama, Chrome's voice, the voice of reason, echoed in his mind. I think we have to work faster.
He closed his eyes. Hibari wasn't supposed to fail, much less be the first of all of them to succumb to death. He was "the Strongest", the immovable, seemingly invulnerable rock. Even after Mukuro thought he had broken Hibari thoroughly, the boy - they were only in middle school back then - had still been able to fight while unconscious.
Hibari Kyouya isn't supposed to fall like this...
"Tsuna. Everyone," Reborn said tightly, his jaw clenched. "I will explain, but call the Vongola doctors first. And the doctors at Namimori. Hibari's personal ones need to be brought over." He did not turn around.
In fact, he couldn't quite look at anyone at that moment, because damnit, after all their efforts to change the future, it only seemed as though they had succeeded in exchanging Hibari's life for Tsuna's, which was just as unacceptable.
Behind him, Hibari gasped for air, lips moving, with nothing intelligible coming out. But Yamamoto was close enough to hear, and Hibari was telling him to let go.
Yamamoto shook his head. Having long mastered the art of rejection, he held on.
Hibari's world swam in and out, threatening to disappear entirely. He couldn't fathom why Yamamoto was apologizing. Couldn't think.
His clean hand clenched feebly around Yamamoto's shirt, finding no purchase. He tried to pull himself up but he had no strength, no breath. His toes curled, trying to find footing on the floor to no avail.
Hibari's lungs heaved, air shuddering in his ribcage as heavy coughs wrecked through his frame. Red was all that he saw; red was all that he felt. Pain, overwhelming and consuming and although the strength of his will was more than that of a typical human...
Hibari Kyouya was nonetheless human, nonetheless fallible.
Slowly, his fingers relaxed from their grip, and he let his eyes slide close. A long, hollow breath escaped out of his raw throat, and he simply...
"Hibari...
"Hibari!"
Back: Part 5
Next: Part 7
- Fire elves try not to burn down Great Medicine Tree while gathering herbs as mysterious illness spreads through forest.
- Mutiny brews aboard star fleet during exoplanet exploration.
- Emo college student discovers new definition for soul mates through astrophysics.
- Girl meets boy, and then girl meets girl, and then parents find out.
- Hmm, some anon (not I) requested "Yamamoto/Base-" wait, what is this?
Haha, does any of that sound interesting? Meanwhile, I'm gonna keep working on this fic though, but extra thanks if you read this far XD Enjoy~
Windshear Part [6/?]
Authors: kagayachou and the-dw
Characters/Pairings: All the Vongola Guardians and Reborn. Eventual Yamamoto/Hibari, hinted Byakuran/Mukuro.
Rating: PG-13
Words: 5720
Summary: Yamamoto, Reborn, and those herbivores were crowding. Mukuro was a freak. Hibari's impatience reached its peak as his body reached its limits.
As Yamamoto hurried down the stairs, he only paused by the Vongola mansion's main entrance, in front of the umbrella rack. He grabbed a black one, anyone's, and then headed for the door to the back garden. By the time he saw Hibari, the man was still walking through the greenery, leisurely, as if he was admiring the Florentine Irises that dropped mournfully and yet so spectacularly against their spiky silvery-green foliage like they were drowning in the rare downpour. Small and utterly drenched, Hibari looked so delicately beautiful Yamamoto actually swore beneath his breath.
Hibari barely seemed to notice the rain. From Yamamoto's perspective, the other man was acting as though the sun was shining brightly like most any typical Italian afternoon. Only, it was Hibird, huddled in Hibari's suit jacket - which the man held bundled up in his arms - that indicated any acknowledgment given towards the weather. Otherwise, the small crease between his brows said the rain simply inconvenienced him.
What's wrong with you, Yamamoto nearly cried out loud. But there were plenty of things wrong with Hibari; he knew. So he ran over wordlessly with the opened umbrella - what warmth could he offer, whether it was accepted, if they both grow ill? It wasn't until he stopped in front of Hibari that he realized he - had ran all the way over - was feeling out of breath.
Hibari blinked, when, all of the sudden, the rain stopped and there was someone in front of him. He looked upwards.
He greeted Yamamoto calmly and silently with an incline of the head. He gazed upwards at the umbrella for a moment before pushing it away from him. Ignoring the other man, he continued his stroll through the garden.
Yamamoto let out an exasperated sigh and sheltered Hibari with the umbrella again. Lifting his freehand, fingers gently pushing Hibari's fringe back, he pressed a palm over Hibari's forehead.
"You're cold and clammy, Hibari. Do you know that?" It was breathed out. Any louder, and he would have yelled it in frustration.
Hibari snapped a hand out to grasp Yamamoto's wrist, all but slapping the other man's hand away from his skin in a bruising tight grip. With dark, burning eyes, he said, "Don't overstep your boundaries, Yamamoto Takeshi."
But Yamamoto ignored the pain, his eyes hard and his lips drawing in a thin line. "Why should it matter? You don't seem to care about your own body anyway." Walking in the rain when he was sick. Rain couldn't hurt him on its own, but it was cold. He was soaking wet. His immune system was already fighting something else inside, something that was a far cry from a slap on the wrist.
What the fuck are you thinking?
Hibari's lips quirked up into an amused smirk, and he let go off Yamamoto's wrist. That man... he really was a wolf in sheep's clothing, so much that he probably believed himself a sheep. Hibari shook his head, turning his attention back to Hibird as it poked its head out from under the collar of his jacket and flapped its wings again.
"You seem adamant to butt into business that is not your own." Hibari raised his eyes, his smirk widening. "It is just rain; it will not affect me."
The other man shook his head in response, but his eyes softened as the yellow bird flew up and around them under the umbrella.
"... You're already soaked," Yamamoto pointed out, but he was slowly being disarmed by Hibird's happy little twitters and the amusement on Hibari's face.
"Come on, let's get inside so you can change." Yamamoto sighed, the corners of his lips quirking up into a wry smile. He couldn't help but feel tag-teamed; knowing how intelligent that bird was, and that it had somehow pledged its loyalty to Hibari... the chirping was probably deliberate.
"Don't want you to catch a cold either," he grinned cheekily at the bird.
Nodding, Hibari quietly followed Yamamoto into the mansion, the two of them halting briefly as Hibird flew into Hibari's jacket once more.
The moment they stepped indoors, the yellow bird flew freely again. It spread its wings, shook itself to get the residue drops of water off its feathers, before taking off for the ceiling. Hibari seemed impassive, but his eyes followed the extra-fluffed-up ball of feathers for a long moment, unmoving.
"I'm going to have a shower," he told Yamamoto curtly, turning back to the man. "Tell them to start this meeting without me."
"All right," Yamamoto nodded, relieved he didn't have to fight the other man into the shower. He'd lifted a hand to wave, but then, what use was it when Hibari had already turned his back? He closed the umbrella, fiddling with the strap for a moment longer, and then returned the umbrella to the place where he found it.
When he was walking back down the corridor to the meeting room, Hibird landed on his shoulder, twittering a strangely familiar marching melody that had to be some anthem or other: grand, upbeat and romantically hopeful. Snippets of Italian came to Yamamoto and he laughed when he realized of course it was the Italian national anthem; Hibird would have picked that up after all these years.
By the time they arrived at the meeting room, he was grinning at Hibird's high-pitched rendition, and humming along.
Gokudera whipped his head around when he heard the massacre of "Inno di Mameli", an insult on the tip of his tongue. He was irritable from his row with Ryohei; he had to change his clothes because the lawn-head had no concept of personal space, and dumbass had the balls to call his fighting ability into question.
Gokudera was not happy.
But far be it for him to take it out on a bird. "Oi, baseball idiot," he grumbled. "Where's Hibari?"
"Ah?" Yamamoto blinked at the slightly damp silver hair, the crisp, clean red shirt and dry black pants. He chuckled, then looked around as he answered. "Hibari went to take a shower. He thought he didn't need an umbrella. Said to start without him though... Sasagawa's gone to change, too?"
"Yeah." Gokudera pulled a hand through his hair, shaking out stray water droplets as he sourly continued, "Thinks it's always a tanning day 'cause he's the Sun Guardian, or something. Slow bastard... Getting me wet enough to change too, and here I am!"
"Hahaha," Yamamoto's innocent smile was curling into a teasing smirk.
"Tsuna," Reborn cut him off. "Start the meeting now. Your guardians have pretty much all arrived."
"Oh, right," Tsuna straightened up as Gokudera's attention returned to him. As Yamamoto took Chrome's usual seat, Tsuna glanced at Reborn with an openly questioning look before he turned back to meet everyone else's eyes once more.
"All right. This isn't supposed to be a formal meeting, everyone." Hibird chirped suddenly. Tsuna paused, and then resumed when it landed on the back of Hibari's usual seat. "Yamamoto mentioned earlier how the party was fun, but we didn't get a chance to really talk to each other about what we've been doing for the past year or so, right? So this is... a review reunion."
Yamamoto nodded, smiling brightly as he added, "We worked hard and successfully prevented the formation of the Millefore. Now what?"
"Um..." Beside Gokudera, Lambo hesitantly spoke. "I know this is supposed to be an informal meeting, but... is there going to be another threat to the Vongola?" He played with his hair subconsciously, curling a lock round and round his finger, looking bored, but feeling nervous.
Reborn steepled his fingers and leaned forward, looking at all the Guardians - even Lambo - one by one. "The Millefiore was made up of the Giglionero and the Gesso families," he began. "The Giglionero, we know, are of no threat thanks to Dino taking Lady Uni under his wing. They are now part of the Vongola alliance... and as they have been alerted, they are keeping a close watch on their Phantom Knight."
Out of the corner of his eyes, Yamamoto was rubbing his jaw in phantom pain. Reborn noted it, but smoothly continued, "It is the Gesso family we should be concerned with."
Any residue of anger or resentment in Gokudera bled away at Reborn's words, and he sat up straight, eyes narrowing as the gears in his head started moving. "Why, Reborn-san? What are they doing?"
Reborn shrugged, turning to Chrome. "I think Mukuro would be better equipped to answer this."
Chrome folded her hands in her lap and shook her head, "Mukuro-sama didn't tell me about anything going awry. He and Byakuran-san seemed to be getting along very well." She did not blush as she remembered the little asides and reports that Mukuro had given her, detailing his and Byakuran's... sexual exploits. It was already commonplace for her, these things.
"If you want further information, I can call Mukuro-sama for you, Boss," she turned to Tsuna, throwing the ball into his court.
"That..." Tsuna rubbed his nose, looking from Reborn to the rest of the guardians, and back at Chrome. "That might be for the best, if he's not too busy?" She did say that he hadn't contacted them on his own for over three days - while being with Byakuran...
Just what the hell was he doing with Byakuran anyway? Tsuna knew Reborn had something to do with it, but honestly, he wasn't sure he wanted to know...
"And I’m back !" The door slammed open and shower-fresh Ryohei stood in the doorway, looking good and still too energetic even in a smart, pressed suit. It didn't gather as big a response to when he barrelled in however, so he just stomped over and settled down beside Chrome. "So what did I miss?"
Gokudera's temper reared its head again, and he scowled fiercely. He wasn't a teenager anymore, however, and the ten years between then and now had taught him enough self-control to not blow up at the dumbass - at least... in front of the Tenth again.
But it seemed like the idiot had learnt pretty much nothing. Gokudera dropped his head onto a hand and sighed into it. "Sit down and shut up, lawn-head. The Tenth was asking Chrome to contact Mukuro for a report on the Gesso."
At that, Ryohei listened, and turned his eyes to the woman beside him.
Chrome had already closed her eyes, ignoring the ruckus around her as she reached inside herself to find that glowing red thread that linked her to the male Mist Guardian.
Mukuro-sama?
Yes, my dear Chrome? The answer was instantaneous, but that didn't give much away - Mukuro-sama could talk to her during practically anything. He was a great multitasker.
Are you free right now? Boss wants to talk to you... She could feel Mukuro's interest perk at that, and a strange sensation, like the world tilting off-kilter before righting itself, ran through her body. Mukuro was looking through her eyes.
Oh...? The skylark sent a representative? ...What does Tsunayoshi-kun want to talk to me about? Mukuro sounded amused.
The situation with Byakuran, Mukuro-sama. Boss wants a report on what we have all been doing so far, about the Gesso family. Hibari-san will show up in a bit.
Mukuro chuckled. Kufufufu... So Tsunayoshi-kun wants to check up on me, hmm? Alright then. May I, my dear Chrome?
Chrome smiled slightly. You're always welcome to, Mukuro-sama.
And the world shifted.
Chrome watched as her hand grew suddenly larger, her shoulders broader and leaner, bleeding down into Mukuro's lanky build. Her clothes, too, changed - a suit jacket with customized lapels on the shoulders, a loose tie, white shirt, and dark slacks. Long blue hair tamed properly in a tail rested over one shoulder.
"Kufufufu..." Mukuro laughed again as he surveyed the table, this time out loud. Turning to the Vongola Tenth, he made a show of licking his own lips and lecherously smirked.
"Long time no see, Tsunayoshi-kun..."
"Hibari!" Hibird cried.
Hibari, dressed in a customary dark yukata and now more or less dry, rolled his eyes when he saw that, for once, it was the detestable half of the Mist Guardian that had decided to grace the occasion. Wonderful.
Almost as if he heard Hibari's thoughts, Mukuro's eyes turned towards him, shamelessly running up and down that toned body with the tantalising hint of pale flesh bared by the yukata. But... something seemed off to Mukuro. "Aah, has the skylark finally decided to return to the nest?"
Hibari ignored him with the ease of long practice, quietly gliding into the room to take his seat, now curiously next to Yamamoto. It was... less annoying than sitting next to Mukuro, so he said nothing of it.
Reborn watched Hibari from under the brim of his hat, his eyes heavy-lidded and lips thinned into a line. It had been two weeks since he had that talk with the Cloud Guardian in the man's own room, and the stubborn idiot seemed as determined as ever in keeping his condition a secret from Tsuna and the rest of the famiglia.
He sighed and turned his attention back to the others; he had done all that he could to help Hibari - that is, all that Hibari was open to. Forcing Tsuna and Dino into unwanted situations for their own good was one thing, but teaching Hibari was another thing entirely.
Hibari needed to learn that he could depend on others - outside of his school, outside of his hospital... and outside of his Foundation. Yamamoto was adjusting, adapting his ways to support Hibari unobtrusively. Mukuro... was another story altogether.
Yamamoto couldn't hide the concern on his face when he saw Hibari in just a yukata. A quick glance around the room and he found his jacket slung over the back of... the chair Mukuro occupied.
And when he did that, something clicked in Tsuna's head. "Um... yeah, it's been a while, Mukuro." Tsuna nodded. Oh so carefully, as unobtrusively as possible, he reached for Yamamoto's jacket. "H-how have you been doing lately?"
But Mukuro noticed the movement right away. He turned and picked up the black jacket, cradling it in his hands. "Oh, Tsunayoshi-kun, is this yours?" He lifted the cloth to his nose and took a long, deep inhale, taking care to moan softly.
He blinked.
"Aah... It doesn't smell like you, though," he tilted his head to the side, the picture of innoccent curiosity save for the mischievous glint in his eyes.
In his mind, Chrome giggled.
Gokudera took a few seconds. To recover. Deep breaths. They were not working.
"Y-you freak!" he sputtered. "What is with you and your perverted ideas about the Tenth?! Just how would you even know what he smells like?" He wanted to reach over and shake Mukuro by his fancy lapels, because Tsuna was straight as the horizon and, at the moment, cringing back into his seat away from both of them. "I mean- no! Don't you answer that!"
Apparently, taking deep breathes only gave his lungs more ammunition to work with. "God, baseball idiot, burn that jacket!"
Ryohei laughed. Not only did he find Tsuna's reaction reassuring for his sister's sake, but Gokudera's was hilarious, extreme to the max.
Yamamoto had the strongest urge to introduce his face to his palm, but he let out a chuckle instead, shoulders drooping. So much for even thinking of offering Hibari his jacket. Not that the man would have accepted it either, especially with so many people around to see it, but...
Hibari picked up the glass of iced water in front of him and took a calm sip. Mukuro simply did not exist in his world - he rejected that... thing's existence.
...Hibari was not on friendly terms with Mukuro, was he?
Yamamoto stood up, leaning one hand his weight against the table with one hand as he held his other hand out towards Mukuro. "So can I have my jacket back?" He smiled naturally. Tsuna looked at him, eyes wide and grateful.
"Unless you like the way I smell now..."
So much for damage control.
Tsuna's eyes positively bugged out, and Reborn could read his silent cry like it was a fluorescent billboard, bright and blinking over his head: there's such a thing as being too friendly, Yamamoto!
Lambo sank further down in his seat as he tried not to watch whatever the hell was going on, and failed. He could never figure it out, really; some days, Gokudera and Yamamoto looked like they didn't have some sort of dysfunctional relationship. Today was not one of those days.
Maybe what they had was an open relationship. The two of them stuck together often enough, but then they also seemed to take a lot of breaks away from each other, so maybe they both suffered from attention deficit disorders. Or... they just liked having regular lovers' spats so they could... make up. Lambo cursed his teenage hormones.
It was hard not to wonder though, why they weren't even sitting together today...
Briefly, the same thoughts crossed Mukuro's mind. He eyed Yamamoto with a small, playful smirk curving up the corners of his lips. Without a glance at Gokudera, or anyone else, he toyed with the sleeve of Yamamoto's jacket, lifting it to his nose again.
"Mm... a little muskier than Tsunayoshi-kun..." he nibbled on a lip, until it was swollen and red like he had just been kissed.
Careful, Mukuro-sama, Chrome warned in his mind. I don't like bleeding.
Mukuro laughed, his red and blue eyes fixed upon warm brown. "I like it. Can I keep it?"
Hibari set down his water glass with a loud thud that echoed throughout the meeting room. Oddly, Hibird was the only one who didn't look at him with some degree of shock. With his eyes narrowed and hands clenched around the handle of a tonfa, Hibari growled, "What have I been called here for, Sawada?" His voice was low and rough, as dangerous as a field of knives. "If all of you insist on playing games, I'm going."
It would be a waste of time and energy, he reasoned, to bite them all dead.
"Hibari," Reborn tilted the brim of his fedora to expose his eyes. "This is important. Stay for a little while more." It was not a request.
Hibari turned to him, then back to the others, his lips curling up into a derisive sneer, "Mukuro. Shut up, and answer Sawada's question."
Mukuro tilted his head, mismatched eyes almost mocking. "What's this? The skylark finally acknowledges my presence? My, my, I'd never thought that I would see the day." He clucked his tongue, sounding like a disapproving mother hen.
Mukuro-sama... Chrome said in his mind, full of reproach. Mukuro shook his head, tapping on the swollen lip in contemplation.
"But how am I supposed to answer the question and shut my mouth at the same time, Hibari?" He tutted lightly, with more mockery.
Gokudera's fingers itched for dynamite sticks. "Don't waste our time, Mukuro." He answered before Hibari could, his voice tight and angry and serious. "Answer the question."
Mukuro sighed like a wronged victim, all but pouting as he plopped back into his seat. Yamamoto, he noted, had a strained smile on his face now. Poor boy. Mukuro knew he'd been trying to keep the peace. But please one, annoy another - and a few others in this case; that was something he'd have to learn to deal with on his own.
How very interesting though, that Hibird was giving Yamamoto the evil eye, too.
Chuckling, Mukuro pressed the jacket back into Yamamoto's hand and turned back to Tsuna, smiling sweetly all the while.
"I'm sorry, Tsunayoshi-kun, but what was your question?"
Gokudera growled.
"The Gesso," Tsuna interjected. "Could you please tell us what's been going on with Byakuran-san, Mukuro?"
At that, Mukuro frowned, running a hand through the long tail of his hair. His expression was strangely serious when he glanced over at Reborn, who looked back and, almost imperceptibly, nodded.
Having caught the exchange, Hibari's shut his eyes, satisfied that Mukuro would talk. He sat down and leaned back heavily on his chair. The tonfa he took out disappeared back up his sleeve into its cache again. He splayed a hand over his chest though, and clenched the material of his yukata.
So what if Reborn was keeping secrets with everyone? Hibari breathed...
"Byakuran-" Mukuro let out a long, deep sigh, "Byakuran is a very careful man."
Yamamoto fisted his jacket underneath the table. Beside him, Hibari's breath sounded disturbingly shallow and laboured. He found himself staring at the cup Hibari had slammed on the table, now empty and cracked.
"He practically lets nothing slip," Mukuro was saying. "The headquarters is quiet, with everything going perfectly normally." He leaned forward on his hands, "If I'm as paranoid as Gokudera-chan here, I might say that he is definitely up to something. But I'm not. Byakuran might be - there's no sign that he is, but with that man, such things are hard to tell."
Gokudera growled at the jibe, but did not pursue it. There were more important things at stake, especially when, "Basically, you don't know anything."
"Oh, I know plenty," the Mist Guardian shot the Storm Guardian a bored look, then pointedly turned his gaze towards the man sitting between them. "I know that their drug trade has increased again and they are getting more dependent on it; I know that Byakuran added child prostitution and male prostitution to the Gesso's list of little side businesses; I know that he ordered 37 hits this month, and half of them were of his own people." Mukuro's voice was almost contemplative, with barely a hint of contempt. "But there's nothing that would-"
"Mukuro," Hibari interrupted him. He was sitting up, eyes piercing. "What sort of drugs are they selling?"
Now this was something strange, Mukuro noted. In fact, Hibari didn't bother to attend meetings normally, and if he did, he sat at the window and barely listened, much less spoke. Today, he spoke not once, but twice, and once in which he actually came close to losing his composure.
How very odd and unlike the skylark. How very curious. Mukuro tilted his head, scrutinizing him as he answered, "I'd never thought you'll be interested, Hibari." He chuckled lightly, "Kufufu... Well, they sell cocaine, marijuana, opium, heroin... all plant-based, all cultivated by the Gesso themselves. That's it."
"Mukuro," Reborn straightened up from the wall that he'd been leaning against. "Has Byakuran been cultivating new hybrids, or anything similar of late? Perhaps even around five months ago?"
Mukuro shook his head, his smile wry. This almost felt like an interrogation. "I wouldn't know. He trusts me less than he can throw me."
Hibari closed his eyes and pursed his lips, leaning back against his chair. Useless, all of it.
"So the Gesso make their own drugs..." Yamamoto felt the need to reiterate, and ask, "All of it? ...And why all those hits on his own people? Have you heard anything about there being traitors in their midst, or... if those people might've gotten their hands on some information Byakuran doesn't want leaked?"
Hibari shot a glance at Yamamoto, an annoyed glint in his eyes. He didn't need anyone else to interfere, and yet... the other man had asked some valid questions. So he didn't say a thing, resting his eyes again and waiting for Mukuro to answer.
Mukuro clenched his jaw for a moment. Now, he was terribly proud of his skills in manipulating people and conversations, in getting them to trust him completely - just look at Lancia, poor bastard. But Byakuran was certainly giving him a run for his money, and this was something Mukuro felt loathed to admit. He tugged slightly on his long ponytail, the only outward indication of his frustrations.
But you like your games with him, right, Mukuro-sama? Chrome gently laughed.
I do, my Chrome, he replied, lips twisting into a small smirk. But even those games get tiresome after awhile.
Aloud, he simply sighed. "That's what I'm trying to find out, Takeshi-kun. Byakuran is very... hm, deliberate with his words and actions, so no one else in the Gesso base seems to know what he's thinking."
After all, Mukuro had, ah, asked everyone he could get his hands on. "All I can answer right now is that those hits... They were scientists. Biologists, chemists, or both. All of them died by accidental causes," he made quotation marks gestures with his fingers he spoke.
"Of course Byakuran has things to hide, but... I take it you are interested in his... obsession with flowers?"
Gokudera chewed on the inside of his lip. First of all, it seemed almost completely out of character for Hibari to take such an interest in their meetings. And for Yamamoto and Reborn to speak up as well... it was a very, very strange combination. Although it might just be his own doubts speaking, the three of them seemed in on something...
Something that didn't endanger Tsuna, Yamamoto had said... While Gokudera still couldn't find it in himself to trust Hibari fully, he knew that both Reborn and Yamamoto would rather stab themselves in the heart before harming a hair on Tsuna's head.
Yamamoto had stated it quite vocally, once, and Reborn... Well, only someone who was blind, deaf, and completely idiotic would miss how much the man actually cared for the Vongola Tenth.
Tsuna barely caught up with all the information, vaguely horrified that child prostitution had been brought up so lightly, and met with little to no response. Ryohei looked troubled, frowning, his brows creased with confusion. But everyone focused so quickly, so easily on something else...
However, they always had reasons, especially Reborn and Hibari, who never spoke more than what they thought was necessary. And even Yamamoto was asking about the Gesso's drug trade. That said the three of them were after specific information, and were not ready to share yet.
Tsuna turned to study his other guardians carefully.
Lambo looked like his regular, sleepy self, but he still had one eye open, so he was definitely paying attention, but it was more like he was studying something he didn't really want to understand. Ryohei... wanted to understand; he had that determined look in his eyes, which said he was thinking hard. And Gokudera was running a hand through his hair, chewing his lower lip like he wanted a cigarette badly.
Their eyes caught as Tsuna stared. Sometimes, if Gokudera knew something important, he'd keep it to himself 'so as not to burden the Tenth.' But this time, those green eyes seemed apologetic - for not knowing.
Tsuna smiled to Gokudera, and then looked back towards Mukuro.
Mukuro was... being honest for once, not talking in circles as often as wont, meaning that he himself still considered business with Byakuran as something of a serious threat. And rightly so, after what happened between those two in the other future!
That's it, Tsuna sighed, deciding that it didn't matter if they didn't tell him anything - he'd still help however he could. "If you don't know the answer to some of these questions that we're all asking, it's okay, Mukuro." Hesitantly, he reached out and touched the other man's arm. "Please be careful... when you try to look into them later."
After another moment of silence, Mukuro chuckled slightly, shrugging and untensing his shoulders as he leaned further into his seat. "Thank you, Tsunayoshi-kun... It's nice to know that you care." His voice had a teasing lilt to it, and he gave Tsuna as much of a princely bow as he could while sitting down.
Mukuro-sama, Chrome suddenly said in his mind, sounding rather thoughtful. Do you think this might have anything to do with the cottage that you told me Byakuran is building in Rome?
Mukuro blinked, You remembered that?
I remember everything you tell me, Mukuro-sama, her tone was so matter-of-fact that it made him smile.
I... haven't thought of that. I'll check out the lead soon.
Tsuna caught the fleeting look of surprise in Mukuro's eyes then, and he opened his mouth to ask, but then Yamamoto beat him to it.
"Mukuro..." Yamamoto leaned forward, thrusting his elbow on the table. He sounded slightly impatient, but even slightly was surprising.
In fact, it was surprising enough to make Ryohei blurt out, "All right, what exactly are you looking for? You too, Hibari. The questions you're asking - it's like you know something the rest of us don't, which is extremely suspicious!"
Finally, Reborn smirked. He felt faintly relieved. It wasn't enough to cure Hibari, but he'd been starting to wonder lately, whether the other guardians would ever notice...
Before Yamamoto could think to reply however, Hibari stood up abruptly, eyes narrowed and blazing. His knuckles were white around the edge of the table, and there was a fine sheen of sweat over his skin, making him seem even paler than usual. His lips curled into a sneer as he looked at all of them, then turned the full force of his glare on Yamamoto.
"It's none of your business," he said through gritted teeth. Gritted not because of rage - though it did play a part - but because of the sheer, overwhelming pain and vertigo that was making the edges of his vision white out. He clenched his other hand tight and forced himself to stop swaying - if he was swaying. His chest felt like it had been set on fire on the inside, but he held the blaze in even as it colouring his world red and black and white.
This time, Hibird flew up and about him, frantic, as if it could calm him down. But Hibari just growled.
"You bunch of herbivores," he rasped. "When will you learn to leave me alone?" He took another breath, about to say more, or just stalk out. Then his weak, traitorous body decided to rebel against him, and not even his willpower could stop it as he doubled over and started to cough.
Reborn closed his eyes and looked away. He didn't need to see what he had long expected to happen.
There was a great thump as Ryohei's scrambled to his feet, his chair crashing down backwards from the sudden movement. Regardless of Hibari's attitude, Ryohei had always considered the other man a close friend. It was a shock to the system to watch as his knees simply gave out.
But Yamamoto caught Hibari.
After all, Yamamoto had been right there, beside him. And was holding him now, so protectively. It was frightening how Hibari couldn't even seem to muster up the strength to push the other man away...
"Reborn!" Tsuna cried, "What is this?" Because who knew any better? Hibari was in no shape to explain, and Yamamoto was ... Yamamoto was being bled on!
Not for the first time, Lambo felt like a completely useless guardian as he watched dots of red bloom across Yamamoto's shirt, seeping into blue threads.
Gokudera just stood there beside him, eyes wide and hands clenched, nails digging into his palm. "What the- What the hell is going in?"
His first guess was tuberculosis, but Hibari owned a hospital, for heaven's sake. He would have gotten treatment if that was the case, and the rest of them would have been none the wiser!
Gokudera swore when it hit him: "Byakuran..."
Byakuran?
Amidst the chaos, Mukuro remained seated, but his eyes were wide, as if he could only stare. He had seen death a million times over; he had seen men beheaded, disemboweled, cut to pieces, smashed, strangled, suffocated, drowned... Any way a creature could die, Mukuro had seen it, some of which through first-hand experience.
Death did not surprise him. It was simply that...
The sight was strangely beautiful: Hibari's pale, narrow face, eyes squeezed shut and gasping; the paleness of his hand against the Rain Guardian's suit and the stark red of blood; Hibari's red, red lips, coloured by blood until it resembled thick, smudged lipstick. He could only admire the aesthetics of it.
Mukuro-sama, Chrome's voice, the voice of reason, echoed in his mind. I think we have to work faster.
He closed his eyes. Hibari wasn't supposed to fail, much less be the first of all of them to succumb to death. He was "the Strongest", the immovable, seemingly invulnerable rock. Even after Mukuro thought he had broken Hibari thoroughly, the boy - they were only in middle school back then - had still been able to fight while unconscious.
Hibari Kyouya isn't supposed to fall like this...
"Tsuna. Everyone," Reborn said tightly, his jaw clenched. "I will explain, but call the Vongola doctors first. And the doctors at Namimori. Hibari's personal ones need to be brought over." He did not turn around.
In fact, he couldn't quite look at anyone at that moment, because damnit, after all their efforts to change the future, it only seemed as though they had succeeded in exchanging Hibari's life for Tsuna's, which was just as unacceptable.
Behind him, Hibari gasped for air, lips moving, with nothing intelligible coming out. But Yamamoto was close enough to hear, and Hibari was telling him to let go.
Yamamoto shook his head. Having long mastered the art of rejection, he held on.
Hibari's world swam in and out, threatening to disappear entirely. He couldn't fathom why Yamamoto was apologizing. Couldn't think.
His clean hand clenched feebly around Yamamoto's shirt, finding no purchase. He tried to pull himself up but he had no strength, no breath. His toes curled, trying to find footing on the floor to no avail.
Hibari's lungs heaved, air shuddering in his ribcage as heavy coughs wrecked through his frame. Red was all that he saw; red was all that he felt. Pain, overwhelming and consuming and although the strength of his will was more than that of a typical human...
Hibari Kyouya was nonetheless human, nonetheless fallible.
Slowly, his fingers relaxed from their grip, and he let his eyes slide close. A long, hollow breath escaped out of his raw throat, and he simply...
"Hibari...
"Hibari!"
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Next: Part 7