Wine & Vinegar PART II
Title: Wine & Vinegar
Author: Pain au Chocolat
Language: English. A bit of wannabe Italian, Japanese and whateverthehell I end up using.
Disclaimer: I don't own the characters used in this fiction. Everything belongs to Akira Amano. Wish I owned at least Xanxus, tho. Now there’s one fine piece of man-meat. :D
Rating & Warnings: R for Retarded. AU, terribly OOC, mild shonen ai, cursing, questionable issues, a bit of thieving and robbing. Lime. Language and grammar abuse, utter nonsense, blablahs, illegal underage activities.
Summary: Sawada Tsuna is 15 and lives in Italy… at least till his bastard of a cousin/ice queen/bitch called Xanxus tries to kill him, thus forcing him to escape. Through all of Europe, through Russia and Korea… all the way to Japan. And he just happens to pick up some freaks on his way there. Alternate way of Gathering the Guardians!!
Pairing: Mukuro x Tsuna
Probably the worst OOC pile of ***** 6927 that you’ll ever read
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To themegaloo, for making this fantastic new layout.
I’m sorry. I tried my best.
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When Mukuro woke up, he felt refreshed, if a little sore. Then he remembered what had happened, and he felt a bit angry, a bit disappointed, and quite a bit betrayed. He opened his eyes and realized that he was resting with his head on Tsunayoshi’s lap. The car wasn’t moving and beside the two of them it was empty.
“How are you feeling?” Tsunayoshi asked when he sat up.
“You know what they gave me?”
“They told me. I’m sorry.” Tsunayoshi was being honest, Mukuro could clearly see that, and it made his betrayal and anger fade away a little. He sighed and turned to rest forehead against Tsunayoshi’s shoulder, sighing tiredly and entwining their hands again.
“You won,” he said.
“I did, but it was thanks to you,” the brunet replied. “Hibari isn’t an easy opponent.”
“Hibari?” Mukuro repeated with dread. “You mean the cop? Fuck no, Tsunayoshi, don’t tell me-“
“He’s with us now,” Tsunayoshi said, and the illusionist cursed venomously for a few long minutes.
“Why? Why take him with us? How could he leave his work and come with us? Isn’t he now breaking the law too?”
“Apparently he’s not bound by logic,” the Japanese boy stated dryly. “But you didn't answer my question - are you alright?"
"Yes," Mukuro whispered. "Why is that bastard with us?"
"Well, I did ask him about his job, and he said that he isn't under ordinary limitations. I didn't quite understand but you and I together could beat him, so his company isn't a threat to us. He said he wants to fight me again, later, and won’t let me get out of his sight before our battle is over and done with. It isn’t so bad, so who cares?"
"I still disapprove of him tagging along."
"You disapproved of the others too."
"Because in the beginning it was you and I!"
"No," Tsunayoshi said. "In the beginning I was alone."
"But you don't want to be alone anymore!" Mukuro exclaimed, quickly losing his patience, and the brunet shook his head.
"You're right. But what I mean is that-"
"He's coming and I have no say in it?" the Italian man hissed. "Would you prefer if I left, then?" Even though he said those words wishing for a reaction, the most he expected to get was a sad stare or a few comforting words. Not for Tsunayoshi to wrap his arms around Mukuro, pressing their bodies flush against each other.
"Don't leave me," the brunet whispered, hot breath hitting the Italian man's ear. It made him shiver, and turned anger into arousal.
"Will you make it up to me, then?" he asked, words escaping before he even thought of them. Yet Tsunayoshi didn't look upset at all - instead the younger of the two had a mischievous spark in his eyes. Hesitant, yes, but it seemed that the sudden change of atmosphere between the two affected him too.
"Would you close your eyes, then?" he requested quietly, and Mukuro obeyed. Soon he felt a pair of lips pressing against his - hesitantly first, then a bit more boldly. Taking the lead, Mukuro opened his mouth and licked Tsunayoshi's lips, making him part them with a faint sigh. Tsunayoshi's mouth was hot, moist, and tasted a bit of honey and something else. The kiss alone made Mukuro feel a bit too warm in the car, a bit too tight in his pants and his blood seemed to rush a bit faster in his veins.
When they parted, he wanted nothing more than to repeat the performance once again. He wanted to kiss the brunet, to touch him, to... do... things with him. Things no man should do with another. Yet he didn't care. If it was Tsunayoshi, who could blame him? Such a precious person, a rare jewel, one of a kind... Just who could not understand why Mukuro wanted him so?
"Where are the others?" the illusionist then asked, not feeling angry at all anymore.
"Hayato and Hibari are fighting," Tsunayoshi said with a small smile. "Haru and Lambo are most probably watching them."
"As long as they're not watching us," Mukuro murmured.
"Don't worry. The square where they said they would fight is pretty far back. Hibari said it's some sort of abandoned training area."
"Oh? And they won't be coming for a while, I presume?"
"Who knows?" Tsunayoshi whispered, and with a small, silly and uncharacteristic grin Mukuro let his hands caress the boy's body. Down the back, over the ass, touching the thighs, finger reaching the inner thighs in a way that made the boy shudder and flush in a way that couldn't be mistaken for anything else but aroused.
"We have time then," Mukuro whispered, pulling Tsunayoshi to sit on his lap - the brunet gasped when he felt the other's hard cock pressing against his ass through the remotely thin layers of fabric.
"Wha... what.. Mukuro..."
"It's okay. I will stop when you want me to," Mukuro promised, lifting his hips a bit, pressing tighter against Tsunayoshi who let a sound akin to a cross between a moan and a gasp. "You seem to like this, though."
"I have... never..." the brunet panted, apparently not knowing what to say even when the research centre escapee opened the buttons of his pants and pulled them down, before fondling Tsunayoshi's cock through his boxers. The friction made his whole body tingle with feelings and sensations he had never felt before. It was... it was amazing. Exhilarating.
Maybe that's why he didn't resist when Mukuro pushed him down to lay on his back on the backseat.
"I'll make you feel even better," the male with mismatched eyes promised, pulling the boxers down and exposing Tsunayoshi's erection. What he did next had the young brunet gasping, moaning and mewling in a way that proved to Mukuro that eventually, when they actually got down to the real business this guy was going to be really loud.
He liked that idea.
Mukuro had never done this before - only heard of it spoken between girls in hushed voices - so he wasn't quite sure of what to do. But even if he wasn't perfect, he was most certainly good enough for Tsunayoshi, who panted louder, moaned louder and gripped Mukuro's hair tighter and tighter till he came with a sob-like shout into the other boy's mouth.
"Was it good?" Mukuro asked, and grinned when Tsunayoshi blushed - if possible anymore - even a deeper shade of red, before sitting up.
"I... I'm sor--" the brunet started, but was interrupted.
"Sorry? For what?" the other grinned, feeling high. "This is what I wanted to give you. Pleasure. It made me very happy too."
"D-do you… um… want me to,” Tsunayoshi stuttered, flustered, hesitantly touching the obvious bulge in Mukuro’s pants. It made the illusionist shudder, and the temptation was great, but something told him that asking the other boy to do this now would be a bad idea.
“Don’t worry about it,” he said, voice hoarse with lust. “It’ll go away.”
“But it seems unfair-“
“Some other day, then,” Mukuro assured him. “Not now.” The wide amber eyes looked at him for a moment, before turning away slowly. Then, hesitantly, Tsunayoshi lifted Mukuro's hand to rest on his chest, where he could feel the younger boy's heart beating faster than normally it would.
"You make my hear beat fast and you make me feel weird," Tsunayoshi admitted shyly. "Since the first day. I just didn't know what to do about it."
"Let's stay together then," Mukuro suggested. "Till you figure it out." The brunet looked up at him, and offered him the most beautiful, breath-taking smile the illusionist had ever seen before. It made him, too, want to smile like he had never smiled before.
And even when the others came back and he saw that stupid cop again, Mukuro couldn’t help but feel just so damn happy.
_______________________________________________________________
"You're suffocating my existence. MOVE!"
“Stupid octopus! I would move if I could!”
“Shut the hell up, you two,” Mukuro, sitting in the back since Hibari had appointed himself to be the driver, snarled with irritation. They had been driving for days again, and the car was pretty damn crowded by now. Crowded and noisy, and he was stuck between Gokudera and the window while that bastard cop was sitting next to Tsunayoshi in the front. “Or the two of you will walk.”
“I can’t breathe! Why do I have to be the one to sit back here with the luggage anyway!?” Miura’s voice floated from behind the backseat, where she was sitting with their bags and food and other purchases.
“That’s just what you get for being a woman,” Bovino told her. “With girly parts.”
“Hahi!? Wait till we stop and I’ll rid you of your manly bits, Lambo Bovino, if you think we aren’t equal in status right now.”
“Come on now. That would kill me.”
“The only reason you’re alive anyway is to prove that bacteria can survive anything,” Miura retorted frostily. “Go die in some ditch.”
“For once, I agree with her,” Mukuro muttered.
“Guys, it’s not that crowded in the backseat,” Tsunayoshi sighed. “You’re sitting just fine there, and Haru would have fit well with you all. Please stop fighting.”
“Sure thing, Decimo,” Gokudera responded, and jabbed his elbow against Mukuro’s ribs. Right then there was a noise of something hitting the car, accompanied by a loud shout of pain.
“Hahi!? Did we hit someone?” Miura panicked. “Are they dead?”
“Everyone will die at some point,” Hibari stated. “There’s no reason to stop to look at a corpse.”
“That’s a bit extr-“
“EXTREME!!”
“Kyaa-“ Tsunayoshi had a girly scream, Mukuro noted, but he too was startled by the sudden appearance of a silver-haired guy with an open wound on his head gushing out blood. What the hell… was this guy’s speed equal to the car’s!? With a curse Hibari stopped the vehicle, and the stranger smiled widely as Tsunayoshi scrambled out.
“Are you okay?” the brunet exclaimed. “You-“
“I was WRESTLING BEARS,” the new freak bellowed enthusiastically. “But I couldn’t find any!!”
“…” Okay, now Mukuro felt stupid. Naively he had thought that already their crew had the oddest of the odd in it, but then this walking genetic failure just had to make an appearance. Just who gets hit by a car and then run laughing after it!? This wasn’t just odd and new - this was freaking abnormal.
Then again… was there anything normal in his life anyway?
“Do you need a lift to the hospital?” Tsunayoshi asked nervously.
“I’m fine!” the guy yelled. “I’m the midst of my EXTREME TRAINING! Running to the closest shore and swimming home!”
“Eeh…ex- excuse me?” Tsunayoshi stammered with disbelief. The other guy just nodded happily. “But tell you what, I was feeling tired. I’m taking the lift. Where are we going?”
’Ranked first in the freak-o-meter,’ Mukuro thought with slight amusement. The mirth, however, changed into displeasure when he realized that this guy too would be sitting in the back. In other words the three - Gokudera, Mukuro and Bovino - were going to have actually sit closer.
“Decimo, we can’t take this guy with us!”
“Be reasonable, hey.”
“Tsunayoshi, it’s crowded here already.”
“Hahi!? Another guy!?”
“Stop. Right. Now,” Tsunayoshi snapped at them. “It’s a miracle he isn’t dead-“
“HAHAHA!! It was EXTREME!” the maniac said loudly.
“- and we need someone like him to lighten up the atmosphere.”
“Lighten it up!?” Bovino exclaimed. “Are you for real? This guy is a… this guy…”
“Sasagawa Ryohei,” the guy said with a wide grin. “I’m running to the closest shore and SWIMMING HOME TO JAPAN!”
“What the hell is that anomaly of a human being with a Tarzan complex talking about!?” Bovino yelled. “This-“
“Lambo,” Tsunayoshi said sternly. “Cease.” And just like that, all of the protests were quieted, and Sasagawa was soon sitting between Bovino and the other door. It was cramped, the atmosphere downright murderous and Mukuro actually envied Miura a bit - at least she had some sort of personal space away from human contact there at the back, with the luggage.
Sasagawa Ryohei turned out to be 19, a boxer, into everything extreme and he lived in Japan. After that Mukuro zoned out hoping to find a solution to this problem of having Too Many People in the group.
Honestly… if only he had had the right words to tell Tsunayoshi in the beginning, he could have prevented even Bovino from joining. Mukuro knew that he was fully capable of protecting the brunet from his predators… Not that the boy needed any protection - he was strong, and the only reason why Mukuro had had to save him from Mammon and the other guy was because Tsunayoshi had been caught off guard.
“Keep your fucking elbows to yourself, stupid cow,” Gokudera growled. “Or I’m going to-“
“Shut up, Octopus-head,” the former prostitute snapped. “You think I want to sit here next to you!?”
“Okay, that’s it,” Tsunayoshi sighed. “Hibari, stop the car. We’re going to redo the seating arrangements.”
“They won’t get any better no matter how hard you try, Tsuna-san,” Miura said sadly from behind the backseats.”
“Oh, I'll think up something," the brunet promised comfortingly as they exited the car. He then reorganized the luggage to make more space for whoever who would be sitting there. Then he took a deep breath and turned to his friends.
"Hibari, are you still going to drive?"
"Yes," the cop replied in a tone that implied that no other option was available. The man was around his early twenties yet scarier than many old veterans Mukuro had seen. Not that he was afraid of that bastard! He just hated him. His mere presence was irritating and Mukuro wanted it gone, and it pissed him off to no end that the guy was still there!
"Haru, you'll be sitting in the front with Hibari," Tsunayoshi said, and the girl nodded happily.
"Tsuna-san is such a gentleman to allow me to sit there," she cooed, and Bovino snorted.
"Hayato," Tsunayoshi continued. "Can you sit in the back? I need you to watch the road behind us for... friends."
"I understand, Decimo," the half-Italian man said. "I'll not disappoint you."
"I'll trust you on that," the brunet replied. "Lambo, Sasagawa--"
"Call me Ryohei," Sasagawa grinned, drawing a smile from Tsunayoshi.
"Ryohei, you and Lambo and Mukuro, in that order, sit in the back."
"And where will you go?" Mukuro asked, sitting next to the open door, and looked up at the brunet who came to stand beside it.
"I'll be invading your personal bubble," Tsunayoshi told him and sat promptly on Mukuro's lap. And suddenly this was the Best. Thing. Ever. The research centre escapee couldn't have been happier when the brunet settled on his lap and closed the door.
"Everybody seated? Satisfied? Oka-"
"But Decimo, why are you sitting on his lap!?"
"It's much more comfortable for everyone compared to being squished side by side, Hayato."
"You can sit on my lap too, you know," Bovino offered, but before Tsunayoshi could reply, Mukuro wrapped his arms around the boy's waist and shot a glare at the former prostitute.
"We don’t want him getting diseased.”
“Hey!” Bovino exclaimed with anger. “How about you stop calling me diseased, because that’s not true! Just because of what I used to work as-“
“Exactly because of what you used to work as,” Mukuro stated coldly.
“What is it that he used to work as, then?” Miura asked from the front. “It also reminds me that we don’t know where you are from either, Rokudo.”
“How come you’re travelling with them, then?” Gokudera asked. “If you know nothing?”
“I fell in love with Tsuna-san and abandoned my previous life to come with him,” Miura declared.
“That’s EXTREME!” Sasagawa exclaimed.
“He didn’t ask you to come!” Bovino yelled at the girl. “You came on your own, sneaked into our car and-“
“Oh for heaven’s sake,” Tsunayoshi muttered quietly in a resigned manner and closed his eyes, resting against the Italian man holding him. It made Mukuro feel oddly warm and content, and even tender. He felt comfortable like this, holding Tsunayoshi, and that scared him in a way. If Tsunayoshi was to ever leave him… Mukuro knew that he would be past the point of healing.
He needed this boy, and that made him both happy and afraid. To think that in a span of several weeks he, who had thought for his heart to be too dead, and soul too tainted to love… had he fallen in love or was this something else? Whatever it was, he knew that he didn’t want to let go.
_______________________________________________________________
“You know, Lambo, your name makes me think of lambs.”
“Choke on your spit and die, Miura.”
“Hahi!? I was trying to be polite!! Lambs are cute when alive, tasty when dead!”
“You’re creeping me out, freak.”
“I was just saying!” Miura exclaimed, before she sighed and turned back to stare at the road ahead of them. Yet again they had been travelling for days, and surprisingly, the atmosphere was less murderous than one would have thought. Sure, they fought - mainly Bovino, Miura, Gokudera and occasionally Sasagawa and Mukuro - verbally almost all the time, but it was more of banter than anything else, really.
“If we reach Korea, we can be almost certain that we’ll also reach Japan in time,” Tsunayoshi said. “The problem is in crossing the line between Russia and North Korea, and then later in crossing from North Korea to South Korea.”
“But we’ll be alright, won’t we?” Miura asked, turning to look at the brunet who had by now established Mukuro as his seat.
“Hopefu-“ The rest of Tsunayoshi’s sentence went unheard as the road in front of them exploded.
“It’s an illusion,” Mukuro said immediately as they scrambled out.
“What’s going on!?” Miura shrieked.
“The Varia,” Tsunayoshi said grimly, and Gokudera nodded gravely.
“This is bad,” the silver-haired young man said. “If they’re all here…”
“We can fight,” Mukuro stated. “There are at least four of us who can fight. Tsunayoshi, Gokudera, Hibari and I.”
“I can fight too, TO THE EXTREME!” Sasagawa howled.
“Do you really think that one could survive as a prostitute without knowing how to fight?” Bovino sneered, looking suddenly uncharacteristically menacing.
“Aw, isn’t that adorable?” someone they couldn’t see cooed. “Little Tsunayoshi has friends now. Not for long, unfortunately. You’re all going to die. Because we’ll kill you. And then you’ll be dead.”
“Lussuria,” Gokudera hissed. “I can recognize that fruitcake’s voice anywhere. Mostly in my nightmares, though. He’s a hand-to-hand combat fighter.”
“I can handle him for sure,” Sasagawa exclaimed, wrapping bandages around his hands.
“Are you certain?” Tsunayoshi asked. “This guy will aim for the kill.”
“In boxing we always aim for the kill. It’s extreme and I live my life to the limit!”
“And the others?” Hibari asked. “How many are there?”
“If the all of the Varia captains and their boss are here - and I suspect that’s a yes - we’ll be fighting six against seven.”
“Not that bad,” Bovino muttered, but Tsunayoshi shook his head.
“These guys aren’t normal. Be careful.”
“Shishishi… are you afraid, my sweet?” a voice said, and a blond man - perhaps in his early twenties - appeared. His slightly curly hair covered the upper half of his face, leaving his eyes hidden. A masterfully crafted crown was on his head, and an arrogant smirk was twisting his lips.
“Belphegor,” Gokudera growled venomously, stepping in front of Tsunayoshi. “Stay away from the Decimo you perverted freak.”
“Decimo?” the blond repeated mockingly. “There’s a difference in being the next boss and in being my future pri-“
“VOOOOIII!! Stop with that fucking faggot talk, you’re giving me the creeps!”
“Squalo,” Tsunayoshi muttered, and a man with long, silver hair flashed him a toothy, slightly insane, grin.
“Runt,” he said. “Think you can survive this day?”
“Right back at you,” Gokudera responded acidly. “Are you going to keep on appearing one by one to increase the dramatic impact or what?”
“Lussuria insists on being dramatic like that,” Mammon stated, appearing next to Belphegor. “Tsunayoshi-sama. We meet again. And you must be Rokudo Mukuro, the most notorious escapee from the Don Criantemo Human Research Centre for Irredeemable Juvenile Criminals.”
“What!?” Bovino shrieked, but Mukuro shrugged nonchalantly. The only person who mattered knew already and hadn’t judged him for it - he didn’t care whether or not the others would accept or reject him.
“Then again our dear Tsunayoshi isn’t in a position to judge you for your crimes,” a rough, low voice said and only then did Mukuro notice the man. He was tall, perhaps in his mid or late twenties even though the scars on his face made guessing his age difficult. He held himself with the ease and confidence of a person who was strong and lethal and confident in himself. This must be…
“Xanxus,” Tsunayoshi hissed, eyes suddenly cold. “So you came here personally.”
“I wouldn’t trust anyone but myself to kill you,” the man said easily. “After all you, being the only legal heir to the throne of the Vongola beside me, pose a threat. No matter how small of a threat you are, I’d rather not take chances.”
“Throne?” Miura repeated. “Are you a pri-“
“The Vongola Famiglia,” Tsunayoshi interrupted her, not looking at the others while explaining. “Has long since been the most powerful and notorious of all Mafia in the world sine its creation four centuries ago.”
“Mafia?” Bovino whispered, eyes wide as he stared at the brunet. “You?”
“Our history is violent and bloody, and we have other Mafia families and organizations serving us, including a group you guys might recognize: the Arcobaleno. Vongola Primo founded the family and he was considered to have a rather unorthodox policy in accepting anyone he liked - including royalty, military men, rival family members and even religious people. Those who inherit the Vongola bloodline have certain powers that are not usual. Currently only Vongola Nono, Xanxus and I possess those powers.”
“Nicely summarized,” Xanxus said. “Are you going to tell them the rest?”
“When I was young, I used to live with my mother in Japan while my father worked in Italy,” Tsunayoshi said sadly. “But then mother died and I moved to live in the Vongola mansion, where I met Xanxus and his group of killers, the Varia.”
“Aww, he has the sweetest story-telling skills, doesn’t he?” Lussuria cooed, finally appearing - making Mukuro wish he had just stayed hidden. Who the hell was so challenged as to have a hairdo like that? And those shades!!
“And now he wants to get rid of you,” Hibari stated. “Are you going to let him, Sawada Tsunayoshi?”
“I won’t,” the brunet said firmly. “I was alone so I couldn’t fight him. But now I have you all with me.”
“You damn well do!” Bovino exclaimed, eyes gleaming.
“He’s right, Tsuna-san, we’ll stick by you,” Miura said comfortingly. “Now, may I have a cupcake while evil is being unleashed upon us?”
“Yes you may,” Tsunayoshi said gently.
“We don’t have any cupcakes,” Bovino grinned. “Eat a doughnut! No one but the models are counting calories tonight, sweetie!”
“I don’t think you guys are taking us seriously enough,” Belphegor whined. “And I want doughnuts too!”
“You’ll get a whole fucking cake, Belphegor,” Mammon scoffed. “Just later. After this.”
“So what are we still waiting for?”
“Hayato,” the brunet whispered. “You take Belphegor down, alright? Mukuro, I’ll leave Mammon to you.”
“Consider it done, Decimo.”
“Very well, Tsunayoshi.”
“Lambo, that tall man there with the parabolas uses electricity as a weapon. Can you handle it?”
“Sure thing.”
“Ryohei-“
“I know, Sawada, don’t worry about it!”
“Hibari, that giant-“
“Will die.”
“Yes.”
“That leaves Squalo and Xanxus for you to handle,” Gokudera said.
“Only Xanxus,” Tsunayoshi corrected him with a small, mysterious smile.
“VOOOIII! Does that mean that I don’t exist!?”
“Hey boss, the stupid shark is having a crisis about his existence,” Belphegor crowed. “How about we put him out of his misery?” Not heeding the mocks, Tsunayoshi turned to look at a small blue car driving closer. Finally it stopped and a tall, dark-haired man stepped out.
“Oh fuck, no,” Gokudera yelped. “No fucking way! Not him!”
“Hahaha! Yo, Tsuna, Gokudera! It’s been a while, huh?”
“Aaargh!”
“Welcome to the team,” Tsunayoshi smiled. “Takeshi.”
_______________________________________________________________
Mukuro didn’t know who that Takeshi-person was, but he was competent and that was what mattered. Because as he fought Mammon - occasionally stealing glances at other peoples’ fights - he knew that he wouldn’t have been able to end it quickly and rush to help Tsunayoshi to fend off a second attacker. Not that his battle was exceedingly difficult, no. The so-called ‘legend’ wasn’t nearly as impressive as Mukuro had initially thought he would be. A bit of a disappointment, really.
Tsunayoshi’s battle was much more grand and flashy - the others were fighting, yes, but those two were having a battle. There was a small difference between this and that. When Mukuro glanced at the others, he saw, much to his surprise, that even Bovino was still alive. They were all injured, yes, but no one was dead and while Mukuro didn’t care he knew that Tsunayoshi certainly would.
His mismatched eyes of red and blue stared at the unconscious form of his opponent, when Gokudera - who had finally knocked out the arrogant blond he had been fighting with - stumbled to stand next to him.
“He’ll be alright,” the silver-haired boy said, lighting up a cigarette while looking at Tsunayoshi’s battle. “He will.”
“I know,” Mukuro replied, eyes fixed on the pair. “I do not doubt him. I’m merely concerned.”
“You care for him,” Gokudera said suddenly, and the illusionist glanced at him warily.
“What of it?” He knew that he had just affirmed it, but he didn’t want to deny it either.
“He likes you too,” the silver-haired male stated so quietly that Mukuro almost didn’t hear it. “Her cares for you too.”
“You think that he’d ditch you since he has me?” Mukuro snorted, realizing suddenly the bomber’s problem. “Tsunayoshi cares for the both of us in different manners. I hate to sound as if we are friends or something, because we’re not and I don’t care… but I knew since I saw you and him interact that you’re not just his right-hand man… you’re his goddamned best friend. And if he sees you sulking he’ll never fully accept anyone’s feelings and he’ll always been in a doubting state.”
“What are you two talking about?” Bovino yelped, scrambling towards them. He was rather badly injured - his left arm was soaked in blood. Behind him Hibari walked, without a scratch on him.
“Nothing of importance,” Mukuro lied and turned back to stare at the brunet fighting for his life. He looked at Tsunayoshi, really looked at him, and felt proud and happy. “He’s doing alright.”
“Of course he’s doing alright,” Gokudera scoffed. “Do you think this is the first time he’s fighting Xanxus? No, let me tell you this isn’t. That fucker has tried to alternatively kill or kiss my boss since day one and I want him dead. This battle isn’t the first… but it will damn well be the last.”
“Or so you say, at least,” Bovino muttered. “He doesn’t look exhausted t all.”
“You mean that scarred mess of a face can look anything else beside smug or angry?”
“Point.”
“He’s up to something,” Hibari’s quiet statement made them all tense and observe the fight more carefully.
“Why do you say that?” Mukuro asked.
“His men have lost and even if he wins he still has us to fight. Yet he looks as if he’s winning the whole nine yards. What’s the catch?”
“A trump card of sorts,” Bovino muttered with realization. “He’s got something nasty up his sleeve.”
“Yeah…” Mukuro narrowed his eyes as he watched how suddenly Xanxus stopped attacking and smirked mockingly at Tsunayoshi. The red eyes were gleaming and he practically oozed self-satisfaction.
“Do you think that after today, you’ll be safe?” he asked softly, cruelly. “Do you think that this fight is going to mean something? You’re wrong, Tsunayoshi. I fought you here today just to show you that wherever you are, I can and will find you. Without fail.”
“Illusion,” Mukuro suddenly realized, before turning abruptly to look at Mammon’s supposedly unconscious body. It wasn’t there. “No wonder I felt like something was missing.”
“Was this all an illusion, then?” Bovino asked, clearly confused. “But we got physical injuries! Optical illusions-“
“Don’t compare that branch to this,” Mukuro snarled, turning back to look at Xanxus. It stung his pride to realize that he, for the first time in his life, hadn’t recognized an illusion when he had seen it. “Whatever you believe is true of these illusions, becomes true.”
“That’s pretty EXTREME,” Sasagawa exclaimed, dragging the newest addition to the team with him. Miura trailed behind them with a worried frown.
“Does that mean that we’re still not safe?” she asked softly, watching how Xanxus’s illusion finally vanished leaving an exhausted Tsunayoshi standing alone. The brunet shook his head and turned to walk towards his friends.
“You alright?” he asked, and all Mukuro wanted to do at that moment was to assure him that yeah, it was definitely okay, everyone was alright and he had nothing to fear. But he knew that Tsunayoshi wasn’t quite ready to openly admit their… well, whatever they had going on.
“They’ll be back,” Hibari said and Tsunayoshi nodded.
“Yes. You guys… this is dangerous business, you kno-“
“I’m not leaving,” Mukuro interrupted him.
“Neither am I,” Gokudera deadpanned.
“I told you that the big guy will die, didn’t I?” Hibari said. “I’ll stick around till I have done that.” Tsunayoshi looked at the people with him with wide, hopeful eyes, before relaxing and giving them a beautiful smile.
“Thank you,” he said then, amber eyes meeting a mismatched pair of red and blue, and Mukuro responded with a smile on his own, reaching to grasp Tsunayoshi’s hand.
“Let’s go.”
“Life is like wine, the longer you take to enjoy it the more chance you've got of tasting vinegar. So live day at a time and remember that those who are frozen with fear… will never move forward.”
_______________________________________________________________
A/N: I know this is full of typos, I know this has no point or character depth or pretty much anything… but this MukuTsuna was the most difficult oneshot I have ever written and the credit for me actually finishing it goes to Strict Momma Morphis who kept me writing :D I might fix it later, tho TT_TT I hope you like it, meg.
Now back to writing my X27 oneshots…
Part One
Author: Pain au Chocolat
Language: English. A bit of wannabe Italian, Japanese and whateverthehell I end up using.
Disclaimer: I don't own the characters used in this fiction. Everything belongs to Akira Amano. Wish I owned at least Xanxus, tho. Now there’s one fine piece of man-meat. :D
Rating & Warnings: R for Retarded. AU, terribly OOC, mild shonen ai, cursing, questionable issues, a bit of thieving and robbing. Lime. Language and grammar abuse, utter nonsense, blablahs, illegal underage activities.
Summary: Sawada Tsuna is 15 and lives in Italy… at least till his bastard of a cousin/ice queen/bitch called Xanxus tries to kill him, thus forcing him to escape. Through all of Europe, through Russia and Korea… all the way to Japan. And he just happens to pick up some freaks on his way there. Alternate way of Gathering the Guardians!!
Pairing: Mukuro x Tsuna
Probably the worst OOC pile of ***** 6927 that you’ll ever read
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To themegaloo, for making this fantastic new layout.
I’m sorry. I tried my best.
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When Mukuro woke up, he felt refreshed, if a little sore. Then he remembered what had happened, and he felt a bit angry, a bit disappointed, and quite a bit betrayed. He opened his eyes and realized that he was resting with his head on Tsunayoshi’s lap. The car wasn’t moving and beside the two of them it was empty.
“How are you feeling?” Tsunayoshi asked when he sat up.
“You know what they gave me?”
“They told me. I’m sorry.” Tsunayoshi was being honest, Mukuro could clearly see that, and it made his betrayal and anger fade away a little. He sighed and turned to rest forehead against Tsunayoshi’s shoulder, sighing tiredly and entwining their hands again.
“You won,” he said.
“I did, but it was thanks to you,” the brunet replied. “Hibari isn’t an easy opponent.”
“Hibari?” Mukuro repeated with dread. “You mean the cop? Fuck no, Tsunayoshi, don’t tell me-“
“He’s with us now,” Tsunayoshi said, and the illusionist cursed venomously for a few long minutes.
“Why? Why take him with us? How could he leave his work and come with us? Isn’t he now breaking the law too?”
“Apparently he’s not bound by logic,” the Japanese boy stated dryly. “But you didn't answer my question - are you alright?"
"Yes," Mukuro whispered. "Why is that bastard with us?"
"Well, I did ask him about his job, and he said that he isn't under ordinary limitations. I didn't quite understand but you and I together could beat him, so his company isn't a threat to us. He said he wants to fight me again, later, and won’t let me get out of his sight before our battle is over and done with. It isn’t so bad, so who cares?"
"I still disapprove of him tagging along."
"You disapproved of the others too."
"Because in the beginning it was you and I!"
"No," Tsunayoshi said. "In the beginning I was alone."
"But you don't want to be alone anymore!" Mukuro exclaimed, quickly losing his patience, and the brunet shook his head.
"You're right. But what I mean is that-"
"He's coming and I have no say in it?" the Italian man hissed. "Would you prefer if I left, then?" Even though he said those words wishing for a reaction, the most he expected to get was a sad stare or a few comforting words. Not for Tsunayoshi to wrap his arms around Mukuro, pressing their bodies flush against each other.
"Don't leave me," the brunet whispered, hot breath hitting the Italian man's ear. It made him shiver, and turned anger into arousal.
"Will you make it up to me, then?" he asked, words escaping before he even thought of them. Yet Tsunayoshi didn't look upset at all - instead the younger of the two had a mischievous spark in his eyes. Hesitant, yes, but it seemed that the sudden change of atmosphere between the two affected him too.
"Would you close your eyes, then?" he requested quietly, and Mukuro obeyed. Soon he felt a pair of lips pressing against his - hesitantly first, then a bit more boldly. Taking the lead, Mukuro opened his mouth and licked Tsunayoshi's lips, making him part them with a faint sigh. Tsunayoshi's mouth was hot, moist, and tasted a bit of honey and something else. The kiss alone made Mukuro feel a bit too warm in the car, a bit too tight in his pants and his blood seemed to rush a bit faster in his veins.
When they parted, he wanted nothing more than to repeat the performance once again. He wanted to kiss the brunet, to touch him, to... do... things with him. Things no man should do with another. Yet he didn't care. If it was Tsunayoshi, who could blame him? Such a precious person, a rare jewel, one of a kind... Just who could not understand why Mukuro wanted him so?
"Where are the others?" the illusionist then asked, not feeling angry at all anymore.
"Hayato and Hibari are fighting," Tsunayoshi said with a small smile. "Haru and Lambo are most probably watching them."
"As long as they're not watching us," Mukuro murmured.
"Don't worry. The square where they said they would fight is pretty far back. Hibari said it's some sort of abandoned training area."
"Oh? And they won't be coming for a while, I presume?"
"Who knows?" Tsunayoshi whispered, and with a small, silly and uncharacteristic grin Mukuro let his hands caress the boy's body. Down the back, over the ass, touching the thighs, finger reaching the inner thighs in a way that made the boy shudder and flush in a way that couldn't be mistaken for anything else but aroused.
"We have time then," Mukuro whispered, pulling Tsunayoshi to sit on his lap - the brunet gasped when he felt the other's hard cock pressing against his ass through the remotely thin layers of fabric.
"Wha... what.. Mukuro..."
"It's okay. I will stop when you want me to," Mukuro promised, lifting his hips a bit, pressing tighter against Tsunayoshi who let a sound akin to a cross between a moan and a gasp. "You seem to like this, though."
"I have... never..." the brunet panted, apparently not knowing what to say even when the research centre escapee opened the buttons of his pants and pulled them down, before fondling Tsunayoshi's cock through his boxers. The friction made his whole body tingle with feelings and sensations he had never felt before. It was... it was amazing. Exhilarating.
Maybe that's why he didn't resist when Mukuro pushed him down to lay on his back on the backseat.
"I'll make you feel even better," the male with mismatched eyes promised, pulling the boxers down and exposing Tsunayoshi's erection. What he did next had the young brunet gasping, moaning and mewling in a way that proved to Mukuro that eventually, when they actually got down to the real business this guy was going to be really loud.
He liked that idea.
Mukuro had never done this before - only heard of it spoken between girls in hushed voices - so he wasn't quite sure of what to do. But even if he wasn't perfect, he was most certainly good enough for Tsunayoshi, who panted louder, moaned louder and gripped Mukuro's hair tighter and tighter till he came with a sob-like shout into the other boy's mouth.
"Was it good?" Mukuro asked, and grinned when Tsunayoshi blushed - if possible anymore - even a deeper shade of red, before sitting up.
"I... I'm sor--" the brunet started, but was interrupted.
"Sorry? For what?" the other grinned, feeling high. "This is what I wanted to give you. Pleasure. It made me very happy too."
"D-do you… um… want me to,” Tsunayoshi stuttered, flustered, hesitantly touching the obvious bulge in Mukuro’s pants. It made the illusionist shudder, and the temptation was great, but something told him that asking the other boy to do this now would be a bad idea.
“Don’t worry about it,” he said, voice hoarse with lust. “It’ll go away.”
“But it seems unfair-“
“Some other day, then,” Mukuro assured him. “Not now.” The wide amber eyes looked at him for a moment, before turning away slowly. Then, hesitantly, Tsunayoshi lifted Mukuro's hand to rest on his chest, where he could feel the younger boy's heart beating faster than normally it would.
"You make my hear beat fast and you make me feel weird," Tsunayoshi admitted shyly. "Since the first day. I just didn't know what to do about it."
"Let's stay together then," Mukuro suggested. "Till you figure it out." The brunet looked up at him, and offered him the most beautiful, breath-taking smile the illusionist had ever seen before. It made him, too, want to smile like he had never smiled before.
And even when the others came back and he saw that stupid cop again, Mukuro couldn’t help but feel just so damn happy.
_______________________________________________________________
"You're suffocating my existence. MOVE!"
“Stupid octopus! I would move if I could!”
“Shut the hell up, you two,” Mukuro, sitting in the back since Hibari had appointed himself to be the driver, snarled with irritation. They had been driving for days again, and the car was pretty damn crowded by now. Crowded and noisy, and he was stuck between Gokudera and the window while that bastard cop was sitting next to Tsunayoshi in the front. “Or the two of you will walk.”
“I can’t breathe! Why do I have to be the one to sit back here with the luggage anyway!?” Miura’s voice floated from behind the backseat, where she was sitting with their bags and food and other purchases.
“That’s just what you get for being a woman,” Bovino told her. “With girly parts.”
“Hahi!? Wait till we stop and I’ll rid you of your manly bits, Lambo Bovino, if you think we aren’t equal in status right now.”
“Come on now. That would kill me.”
“The only reason you’re alive anyway is to prove that bacteria can survive anything,” Miura retorted frostily. “Go die in some ditch.”
“For once, I agree with her,” Mukuro muttered.
“Guys, it’s not that crowded in the backseat,” Tsunayoshi sighed. “You’re sitting just fine there, and Haru would have fit well with you all. Please stop fighting.”
“Sure thing, Decimo,” Gokudera responded, and jabbed his elbow against Mukuro’s ribs. Right then there was a noise of something hitting the car, accompanied by a loud shout of pain.
“Hahi!? Did we hit someone?” Miura panicked. “Are they dead?”
“Everyone will die at some point,” Hibari stated. “There’s no reason to stop to look at a corpse.”
“That’s a bit extr-“
“EXTREME!!”
“Kyaa-“ Tsunayoshi had a girly scream, Mukuro noted, but he too was startled by the sudden appearance of a silver-haired guy with an open wound on his head gushing out blood. What the hell… was this guy’s speed equal to the car’s!? With a curse Hibari stopped the vehicle, and the stranger smiled widely as Tsunayoshi scrambled out.
“Are you okay?” the brunet exclaimed. “You-“
“I was WRESTLING BEARS,” the new freak bellowed enthusiastically. “But I couldn’t find any!!”
“…” Okay, now Mukuro felt stupid. Naively he had thought that already their crew had the oddest of the odd in it, but then this walking genetic failure just had to make an appearance. Just who gets hit by a car and then run laughing after it!? This wasn’t just odd and new - this was freaking abnormal.
Then again… was there anything normal in his life anyway?
“Do you need a lift to the hospital?” Tsunayoshi asked nervously.
“I’m fine!” the guy yelled. “I’m the midst of my EXTREME TRAINING! Running to the closest shore and swimming home!”
“Eeh…ex- excuse me?” Tsunayoshi stammered with disbelief. The other guy just nodded happily. “But tell you what, I was feeling tired. I’m taking the lift. Where are we going?”
’Ranked first in the freak-o-meter,’ Mukuro thought with slight amusement. The mirth, however, changed into displeasure when he realized that this guy too would be sitting in the back. In other words the three - Gokudera, Mukuro and Bovino - were going to have actually sit closer.
“Decimo, we can’t take this guy with us!”
“Be reasonable, hey.”
“Tsunayoshi, it’s crowded here already.”
“Hahi!? Another guy!?”
“Stop. Right. Now,” Tsunayoshi snapped at them. “It’s a miracle he isn’t dead-“
“HAHAHA!! It was EXTREME!” the maniac said loudly.
“- and we need someone like him to lighten up the atmosphere.”
“Lighten it up!?” Bovino exclaimed. “Are you for real? This guy is a… this guy…”
“Sasagawa Ryohei,” the guy said with a wide grin. “I’m running to the closest shore and SWIMMING HOME TO JAPAN!”
“What the hell is that anomaly of a human being with a Tarzan complex talking about!?” Bovino yelled. “This-“
“Lambo,” Tsunayoshi said sternly. “Cease.” And just like that, all of the protests were quieted, and Sasagawa was soon sitting between Bovino and the other door. It was cramped, the atmosphere downright murderous and Mukuro actually envied Miura a bit - at least she had some sort of personal space away from human contact there at the back, with the luggage.
Sasagawa Ryohei turned out to be 19, a boxer, into everything extreme and he lived in Japan. After that Mukuro zoned out hoping to find a solution to this problem of having Too Many People in the group.
Honestly… if only he had had the right words to tell Tsunayoshi in the beginning, he could have prevented even Bovino from joining. Mukuro knew that he was fully capable of protecting the brunet from his predators… Not that the boy needed any protection - he was strong, and the only reason why Mukuro had had to save him from Mammon and the other guy was because Tsunayoshi had been caught off guard.
“Keep your fucking elbows to yourself, stupid cow,” Gokudera growled. “Or I’m going to-“
“Shut up, Octopus-head,” the former prostitute snapped. “You think I want to sit here next to you!?”
“Okay, that’s it,” Tsunayoshi sighed. “Hibari, stop the car. We’re going to redo the seating arrangements.”
“They won’t get any better no matter how hard you try, Tsuna-san,” Miura said sadly from behind the backseats.”
“Oh, I'll think up something," the brunet promised comfortingly as they exited the car. He then reorganized the luggage to make more space for whoever who would be sitting there. Then he took a deep breath and turned to his friends.
"Hibari, are you still going to drive?"
"Yes," the cop replied in a tone that implied that no other option was available. The man was around his early twenties yet scarier than many old veterans Mukuro had seen. Not that he was afraid of that bastard! He just hated him. His mere presence was irritating and Mukuro wanted it gone, and it pissed him off to no end that the guy was still there!
"Haru, you'll be sitting in the front with Hibari," Tsunayoshi said, and the girl nodded happily.
"Tsuna-san is such a gentleman to allow me to sit there," she cooed, and Bovino snorted.
"Hayato," Tsunayoshi continued. "Can you sit in the back? I need you to watch the road behind us for... friends."
"I understand, Decimo," the half-Italian man said. "I'll not disappoint you."
"I'll trust you on that," the brunet replied. "Lambo, Sasagawa--"
"Call me Ryohei," Sasagawa grinned, drawing a smile from Tsunayoshi.
"Ryohei, you and Lambo and Mukuro, in that order, sit in the back."
"And where will you go?" Mukuro asked, sitting next to the open door, and looked up at the brunet who came to stand beside it.
"I'll be invading your personal bubble," Tsunayoshi told him and sat promptly on Mukuro's lap. And suddenly this was the Best. Thing. Ever. The research centre escapee couldn't have been happier when the brunet settled on his lap and closed the door.
"Everybody seated? Satisfied? Oka-"
"But Decimo, why are you sitting on his lap!?"
"It's much more comfortable for everyone compared to being squished side by side, Hayato."
"You can sit on my lap too, you know," Bovino offered, but before Tsunayoshi could reply, Mukuro wrapped his arms around the boy's waist and shot a glare at the former prostitute.
"We don’t want him getting diseased.”
“Hey!” Bovino exclaimed with anger. “How about you stop calling me diseased, because that’s not true! Just because of what I used to work as-“
“Exactly because of what you used to work as,” Mukuro stated coldly.
“What is it that he used to work as, then?” Miura asked from the front. “It also reminds me that we don’t know where you are from either, Rokudo.”
“How come you’re travelling with them, then?” Gokudera asked. “If you know nothing?”
“I fell in love with Tsuna-san and abandoned my previous life to come with him,” Miura declared.
“That’s EXTREME!” Sasagawa exclaimed.
“He didn’t ask you to come!” Bovino yelled at the girl. “You came on your own, sneaked into our car and-“
“Oh for heaven’s sake,” Tsunayoshi muttered quietly in a resigned manner and closed his eyes, resting against the Italian man holding him. It made Mukuro feel oddly warm and content, and even tender. He felt comfortable like this, holding Tsunayoshi, and that scared him in a way. If Tsunayoshi was to ever leave him… Mukuro knew that he would be past the point of healing.
He needed this boy, and that made him both happy and afraid. To think that in a span of several weeks he, who had thought for his heart to be too dead, and soul too tainted to love… had he fallen in love or was this something else? Whatever it was, he knew that he didn’t want to let go.
_______________________________________________________________
“You know, Lambo, your name makes me think of lambs.”
“Choke on your spit and die, Miura.”
“Hahi!? I was trying to be polite!! Lambs are cute when alive, tasty when dead!”
“You’re creeping me out, freak.”
“I was just saying!” Miura exclaimed, before she sighed and turned back to stare at the road ahead of them. Yet again they had been travelling for days, and surprisingly, the atmosphere was less murderous than one would have thought. Sure, they fought - mainly Bovino, Miura, Gokudera and occasionally Sasagawa and Mukuro - verbally almost all the time, but it was more of banter than anything else, really.
“If we reach Korea, we can be almost certain that we’ll also reach Japan in time,” Tsunayoshi said. “The problem is in crossing the line between Russia and North Korea, and then later in crossing from North Korea to South Korea.”
“But we’ll be alright, won’t we?” Miura asked, turning to look at the brunet who had by now established Mukuro as his seat.
“Hopefu-“ The rest of Tsunayoshi’s sentence went unheard as the road in front of them exploded.
“It’s an illusion,” Mukuro said immediately as they scrambled out.
“What’s going on!?” Miura shrieked.
“The Varia,” Tsunayoshi said grimly, and Gokudera nodded gravely.
“This is bad,” the silver-haired young man said. “If they’re all here…”
“We can fight,” Mukuro stated. “There are at least four of us who can fight. Tsunayoshi, Gokudera, Hibari and I.”
“I can fight too, TO THE EXTREME!” Sasagawa howled.
“Do you really think that one could survive as a prostitute without knowing how to fight?” Bovino sneered, looking suddenly uncharacteristically menacing.
“Aw, isn’t that adorable?” someone they couldn’t see cooed. “Little Tsunayoshi has friends now. Not for long, unfortunately. You’re all going to die. Because we’ll kill you. And then you’ll be dead.”
“Lussuria,” Gokudera hissed. “I can recognize that fruitcake’s voice anywhere. Mostly in my nightmares, though. He’s a hand-to-hand combat fighter.”
“I can handle him for sure,” Sasagawa exclaimed, wrapping bandages around his hands.
“Are you certain?” Tsunayoshi asked. “This guy will aim for the kill.”
“In boxing we always aim for the kill. It’s extreme and I live my life to the limit!”
“And the others?” Hibari asked. “How many are there?”
“If the all of the Varia captains and their boss are here - and I suspect that’s a yes - we’ll be fighting six against seven.”
“Not that bad,” Bovino muttered, but Tsunayoshi shook his head.
“These guys aren’t normal. Be careful.”
“Shishishi… are you afraid, my sweet?” a voice said, and a blond man - perhaps in his early twenties - appeared. His slightly curly hair covered the upper half of his face, leaving his eyes hidden. A masterfully crafted crown was on his head, and an arrogant smirk was twisting his lips.
“Belphegor,” Gokudera growled venomously, stepping in front of Tsunayoshi. “Stay away from the Decimo you perverted freak.”
“Decimo?” the blond repeated mockingly. “There’s a difference in being the next boss and in being my future pri-“
“VOOOOIII!! Stop with that fucking faggot talk, you’re giving me the creeps!”
“Squalo,” Tsunayoshi muttered, and a man with long, silver hair flashed him a toothy, slightly insane, grin.
“Runt,” he said. “Think you can survive this day?”
“Right back at you,” Gokudera responded acidly. “Are you going to keep on appearing one by one to increase the dramatic impact or what?”
“Lussuria insists on being dramatic like that,” Mammon stated, appearing next to Belphegor. “Tsunayoshi-sama. We meet again. And you must be Rokudo Mukuro, the most notorious escapee from the Don Criantemo Human Research Centre for Irredeemable Juvenile Criminals.”
“What!?” Bovino shrieked, but Mukuro shrugged nonchalantly. The only person who mattered knew already and hadn’t judged him for it - he didn’t care whether or not the others would accept or reject him.
“Then again our dear Tsunayoshi isn’t in a position to judge you for your crimes,” a rough, low voice said and only then did Mukuro notice the man. He was tall, perhaps in his mid or late twenties even though the scars on his face made guessing his age difficult. He held himself with the ease and confidence of a person who was strong and lethal and confident in himself. This must be…
“Xanxus,” Tsunayoshi hissed, eyes suddenly cold. “So you came here personally.”
“I wouldn’t trust anyone but myself to kill you,” the man said easily. “After all you, being the only legal heir to the throne of the Vongola beside me, pose a threat. No matter how small of a threat you are, I’d rather not take chances.”
“Throne?” Miura repeated. “Are you a pri-“
“The Vongola Famiglia,” Tsunayoshi interrupted her, not looking at the others while explaining. “Has long since been the most powerful and notorious of all Mafia in the world sine its creation four centuries ago.”
“Mafia?” Bovino whispered, eyes wide as he stared at the brunet. “You?”
“Our history is violent and bloody, and we have other Mafia families and organizations serving us, including a group you guys might recognize: the Arcobaleno. Vongola Primo founded the family and he was considered to have a rather unorthodox policy in accepting anyone he liked - including royalty, military men, rival family members and even religious people. Those who inherit the Vongola bloodline have certain powers that are not usual. Currently only Vongola Nono, Xanxus and I possess those powers.”
“Nicely summarized,” Xanxus said. “Are you going to tell them the rest?”
“When I was young, I used to live with my mother in Japan while my father worked in Italy,” Tsunayoshi said sadly. “But then mother died and I moved to live in the Vongola mansion, where I met Xanxus and his group of killers, the Varia.”
“Aww, he has the sweetest story-telling skills, doesn’t he?” Lussuria cooed, finally appearing - making Mukuro wish he had just stayed hidden. Who the hell was so challenged as to have a hairdo like that? And those shades!!
“And now he wants to get rid of you,” Hibari stated. “Are you going to let him, Sawada Tsunayoshi?”
“I won’t,” the brunet said firmly. “I was alone so I couldn’t fight him. But now I have you all with me.”
“You damn well do!” Bovino exclaimed, eyes gleaming.
“He’s right, Tsuna-san, we’ll stick by you,” Miura said comfortingly. “Now, may I have a cupcake while evil is being unleashed upon us?”
“Yes you may,” Tsunayoshi said gently.
“We don’t have any cupcakes,” Bovino grinned. “Eat a doughnut! No one but the models are counting calories tonight, sweetie!”
“I don’t think you guys are taking us seriously enough,” Belphegor whined. “And I want doughnuts too!”
“You’ll get a whole fucking cake, Belphegor,” Mammon scoffed. “Just later. After this.”
“So what are we still waiting for?”
“Hayato,” the brunet whispered. “You take Belphegor down, alright? Mukuro, I’ll leave Mammon to you.”
“Consider it done, Decimo.”
“Very well, Tsunayoshi.”
“Lambo, that tall man there with the parabolas uses electricity as a weapon. Can you handle it?”
“Sure thing.”
“Ryohei-“
“I know, Sawada, don’t worry about it!”
“Hibari, that giant-“
“Will die.”
“Yes.”
“That leaves Squalo and Xanxus for you to handle,” Gokudera said.
“Only Xanxus,” Tsunayoshi corrected him with a small, mysterious smile.
“VOOOIII! Does that mean that I don’t exist!?”
“Hey boss, the stupid shark is having a crisis about his existence,” Belphegor crowed. “How about we put him out of his misery?” Not heeding the mocks, Tsunayoshi turned to look at a small blue car driving closer. Finally it stopped and a tall, dark-haired man stepped out.
“Oh fuck, no,” Gokudera yelped. “No fucking way! Not him!”
“Hahaha! Yo, Tsuna, Gokudera! It’s been a while, huh?”
“Aaargh!”
“Welcome to the team,” Tsunayoshi smiled. “Takeshi.”
_______________________________________________________________
Mukuro didn’t know who that Takeshi-person was, but he was competent and that was what mattered. Because as he fought Mammon - occasionally stealing glances at other peoples’ fights - he knew that he wouldn’t have been able to end it quickly and rush to help Tsunayoshi to fend off a second attacker. Not that his battle was exceedingly difficult, no. The so-called ‘legend’ wasn’t nearly as impressive as Mukuro had initially thought he would be. A bit of a disappointment, really.
Tsunayoshi’s battle was much more grand and flashy - the others were fighting, yes, but those two were having a battle. There was a small difference between this and that. When Mukuro glanced at the others, he saw, much to his surprise, that even Bovino was still alive. They were all injured, yes, but no one was dead and while Mukuro didn’t care he knew that Tsunayoshi certainly would.
His mismatched eyes of red and blue stared at the unconscious form of his opponent, when Gokudera - who had finally knocked out the arrogant blond he had been fighting with - stumbled to stand next to him.
“He’ll be alright,” the silver-haired boy said, lighting up a cigarette while looking at Tsunayoshi’s battle. “He will.”
“I know,” Mukuro replied, eyes fixed on the pair. “I do not doubt him. I’m merely concerned.”
“You care for him,” Gokudera said suddenly, and the illusionist glanced at him warily.
“What of it?” He knew that he had just affirmed it, but he didn’t want to deny it either.
“He likes you too,” the silver-haired male stated so quietly that Mukuro almost didn’t hear it. “Her cares for you too.”
“You think that he’d ditch you since he has me?” Mukuro snorted, realizing suddenly the bomber’s problem. “Tsunayoshi cares for the both of us in different manners. I hate to sound as if we are friends or something, because we’re not and I don’t care… but I knew since I saw you and him interact that you’re not just his right-hand man… you’re his goddamned best friend. And if he sees you sulking he’ll never fully accept anyone’s feelings and he’ll always been in a doubting state.”
“What are you two talking about?” Bovino yelped, scrambling towards them. He was rather badly injured - his left arm was soaked in blood. Behind him Hibari walked, without a scratch on him.
“Nothing of importance,” Mukuro lied and turned back to stare at the brunet fighting for his life. He looked at Tsunayoshi, really looked at him, and felt proud and happy. “He’s doing alright.”
“Of course he’s doing alright,” Gokudera scoffed. “Do you think this is the first time he’s fighting Xanxus? No, let me tell you this isn’t. That fucker has tried to alternatively kill or kiss my boss since day one and I want him dead. This battle isn’t the first… but it will damn well be the last.”
“Or so you say, at least,” Bovino muttered. “He doesn’t look exhausted t all.”
“You mean that scarred mess of a face can look anything else beside smug or angry?”
“Point.”
“He’s up to something,” Hibari’s quiet statement made them all tense and observe the fight more carefully.
“Why do you say that?” Mukuro asked.
“His men have lost and even if he wins he still has us to fight. Yet he looks as if he’s winning the whole nine yards. What’s the catch?”
“A trump card of sorts,” Bovino muttered with realization. “He’s got something nasty up his sleeve.”
“Yeah…” Mukuro narrowed his eyes as he watched how suddenly Xanxus stopped attacking and smirked mockingly at Tsunayoshi. The red eyes were gleaming and he practically oozed self-satisfaction.
“Do you think that after today, you’ll be safe?” he asked softly, cruelly. “Do you think that this fight is going to mean something? You’re wrong, Tsunayoshi. I fought you here today just to show you that wherever you are, I can and will find you. Without fail.”
“Illusion,” Mukuro suddenly realized, before turning abruptly to look at Mammon’s supposedly unconscious body. It wasn’t there. “No wonder I felt like something was missing.”
“Was this all an illusion, then?” Bovino asked, clearly confused. “But we got physical injuries! Optical illusions-“
“Don’t compare that branch to this,” Mukuro snarled, turning back to look at Xanxus. It stung his pride to realize that he, for the first time in his life, hadn’t recognized an illusion when he had seen it. “Whatever you believe is true of these illusions, becomes true.”
“That’s pretty EXTREME,” Sasagawa exclaimed, dragging the newest addition to the team with him. Miura trailed behind them with a worried frown.
“Does that mean that we’re still not safe?” she asked softly, watching how Xanxus’s illusion finally vanished leaving an exhausted Tsunayoshi standing alone. The brunet shook his head and turned to walk towards his friends.
“You alright?” he asked, and all Mukuro wanted to do at that moment was to assure him that yeah, it was definitely okay, everyone was alright and he had nothing to fear. But he knew that Tsunayoshi wasn’t quite ready to openly admit their… well, whatever they had going on.
“They’ll be back,” Hibari said and Tsunayoshi nodded.
“Yes. You guys… this is dangerous business, you kno-“
“I’m not leaving,” Mukuro interrupted him.
“Neither am I,” Gokudera deadpanned.
“I told you that the big guy will die, didn’t I?” Hibari said. “I’ll stick around till I have done that.” Tsunayoshi looked at the people with him with wide, hopeful eyes, before relaxing and giving them a beautiful smile.
“Thank you,” he said then, amber eyes meeting a mismatched pair of red and blue, and Mukuro responded with a smile on his own, reaching to grasp Tsunayoshi’s hand.
“Let’s go.”
“Life is like wine, the longer you take to enjoy it the more chance you've got of tasting vinegar. So live day at a time and remember that those who are frozen with fear… will never move forward.”
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A/N: I know this is full of typos, I know this has no point or character depth or pretty much anything… but this MukuTsuna was the most difficult oneshot I have ever written and the credit for me actually finishing it goes to Strict Momma Morphis who kept me writing :D I might fix it later, tho TT_TT I hope you like it, meg.
Now back to writing my X27 oneshots…
Part One