[Fic] Windshear [Part 44/?]

[kagayachou]

That new guy who came to work with us last week set a new company record. He left in three days. Meanwhile... I've been running on so little sleep lately I just dozed off while I was adding HTML to this part, so I think I'm just going to drop dead now.

(Nice song by the way; no lyrics; worth a listen)

Good night, and enjoy~ ♥

Windshear Part [43/?]

Authors: kagayachou and evocates
Characters/Pairings: Mukuro, Chikusa, Yamamoto, Hibari, Gokudera, Ryohei, Bianchi, Tsuna. Yamamoto/Hibari.
Rating: PG-13
Words:4529
Summary: Peek into Mukuro's head as he tries to deal with Byakuran, Hibari and Yamamoto all at once while operation 'Save People from Bianchi' begins.

"Kufufufufu..." From the balcony above, Mukuro chuckled to himself as Tsuna struggled with being surrounded by a gaggle of excitable young women: Kyoko, two of her closest friends, Bianchi... even Chrome had gone downstairs when she felt the Vongola Tenth's distress. Of course, she'd been more interested in meeting Haru and Hana again, so Tsuna was probably on his own.

Briefly, Mukuro considered swooping down to pull the poor man away for a spell.

"Mukuro-sama," Chikusa's soft, emotionless voice came from his right, and Mukuro turned. Chikusa was standing straight, not even leaning against the railing as he stared straight downwards towards the Vongola Tenth. Mukuro cocked his head to the side, a small smile coming to his lips as he waited.

Chikusa, after all, had never been particularly chatty. Not even when there was something he wanted.

"Are you going down to him?"

Mukuro turned away in thoughtful silence, looking back down at the small crowd that had gathered beneath the balcony. Slowly, he shook his head.

"My cute Chrome is more than enough for this level of a threat," he chuckled. Without another glance, he turned his back to the scene, and sighed theatrically, resting his elbows upon the balustrade as he set his sights upon the other man.

A playful smile graced his lips as he inquired, "Would you like to go down, Chikusa?"

"No," the answer was immediate, even though it was still spoken in that slow, impassive tone. Chikusa's eyes turned to fix on Mukuro, the gaze almost as blank as glass even as his hand clenched a little on the railing.

"But Mukuro-sama has interest in that Vongola, doesn't he?" the slightest tilt of the head.

"Always," Mukuro answered smoothly with an indulgent nod of his head. It was the most direct he had ever been, and even then, the laughter in his eyes teasingly said there was more that he was unwilling to share. "What of it?"

Chikusa only looked at him with those dark, empty eyes for a long moment before he shook his head and turned away. "Mukuro-sama can do whatever Mukuro-sama wants," he said quietly.

"Yes," Mukuro inclined his head, idly running a hand through his ponytail as he studied Chikusa's face in profile. "And Mukuro wants to waltz upon Byakuran's grave some time soon," his red eye seemed to twinkle at the thought. "Would Chikusa care to join in?"

Chikusa's head tilt to the side, scrutinizing Mukuro through blank-looking eyes. Unlike Chrome, he couldn't tell what Mukuro was thinking most of the time. He could only guess, reaching a hand into the darkness and testing the waters, risking meeting a shark or a crocodile each time he dipped his feet in. It was most likely that he would never be able to understand this man, but that was alright.

Being constantly mystified by Mukuro was one of the few constants Chikusa had.

"Alright," he nodded, but didn't step forward.

"Kufufufu..." Mukuro looked away with a small smile on his lips, as though Chikusa had done something he found quite endearing. Flicking his hair over his shoulder, he moved past the man and walked back into the room, stopping by Chrome's dressing table to stare at his reflection in the mirror.

Quietly, Mukuro said, "Humanity won't change. Too much." He might have been addressing Chikusa. Or the man he saw through the looking glass. But if it was anything out of the ordinary, he didn't show it.

Chikusa followed him, silent as a shadow even though his lips were pressed into a flat line. There was a good reason why he had emphasized Mukuro's name - although he had accepted that the price of having Mukuro alive again was Byakuran's presence in his body, he would never be at ease with it. Mukuro, after all, didn't feel like Mukuro anymore - there was an alienness to his presence, one that made Chikusa's hair stand on ends and scraped across his skin.

He frowned slightly, turning to Mukuro and tilting his head a little to the right, "Humans have always been stupid."

Mukuro only answered with a brief nod as he adjusted the black tie around his neck. He loosened it, tightened it, and loosened it further. The length didn't really matter when he was wearing a boatneck shirt, but it was something of a habit, being vain, and therefore perhaps something that could put Chikusa at ease. But, as he reached for his coat, he reconsidered.

It would be best if my little poppets are kept on their toes.

Laughing quietly to himself, he left his long, dark coats alone, and drawled, "Chikusa-kun. Mukuro-sama wants to get out of the mansion, and go shopping."

But Chikusa remained unfazed, his eyes blank as he bowed a little, turning on his heel. He stopped quickly, turning around to look at Mukuro with pensive eyes.

"Would you like to go now, Mukuro-sama?"

Mukuro nodded, smiling Byakuran's angelic smile, as he spared Chikusa a side glance while heading towards the door. Without waiting for a response - with Chikusa, there was hardly ever a response - Mukuro walked out.

At the head of the stairs however, he paused. There were footsteps, casual-quick in their approach. Mukuro looked across the corridor as Yamamoto rounded a corner.

"Oh," Yamamoto slowed down, and stopped in front of him, blinking curiously. "It hasn't been a long time since I last saw you, Mukuro, but your hair's going really white. What’s got you so stressed-?" A light bulb came on.

"Nevermind, silly question... Welcome back."

Mukuro blinked at him, staring for a long, silent moment before he cocked his head to the side. His smile widened until it took over almost all of his face, a glint of teeth flashing in the light before he ducked his head, sweeping out his hand in a grand bow before tilting his head back up, smiling.

"Why thank you, Takeshi-kun," he drawled. "You are the first to wish me that."

"Haha," Yamamoto shook his head. "That's funny. It wouldn't be like Tsuna not to say it first." Or Chrome. Or Ken. Or Chikusa even, Yamamoto figured; Mukuro was weird like that.

"But it is good to have you back."

"Really?" Mukuro straightened, and he took a step forward. A little too close, perhaps, encroaching into Yamamoto's personal space. Behind him, Chikusa frowned, but Mukuro took no notice.

His eyes gleamed, "Does this mean that I get to keep you?"

There was a second or two before the words sank in, where Yamamoto rather naively wondered why Mukuro stepped so much closer. And then it hit him like a dynamite - no, a tonfa to the temple.

"Ahahaha..." He rubbed his neck sheepishly. "You have me as family," he said, choosing his words with more care now than when he tried to explain it to Gokudera. The way he saw it, they were both guardians, they were both in the same famiglia, and Mukuro could still take possession of his body, but if he was suggesting what Yamamoto thought he might be suggesting... "Would you rather have me as an older brother or a younger brother?"

Mukuro threw his head back and laughed, truly amused. Ah, these were the times when he pitied the people who thought Yamamoto Takeshi to be nothing but a fool. This man was certainly much cleverer than he showed himself to be, with a sharpness of perception and a way with words that made Mukuro absolutely certain that he wasn't quite the sheep he pretended he was.

What did the Arcobaleno call him? A natural-born hitman, wasn't it? It was incredibly interesting, to see how Yamamoto would live up to that particular nickname.

He reached forward and tangled his fingers around Yamamoto's loose tie, tugging lightly on the silk.

"Neither," he singsonged, reached back to pull a hand through the white strands of his hair. "How about a lover, hmm?"

The Rain guardian's eyes narrowed as he tried to dissect the Mist guardian's intentions. Mukuro always seemed to be game for playful banter, something that Yamamoto rather welcomed, but direct propositions were rare. Something was wrong.

...Is he for real?

"Sorry," Yamamoto said at length. He searched Mukuro's face for signs of duplicity, clues as to whether he was actually being serious for once. Because he was acting weird. Weirder than normal, and Yamamoto wondered if it had anything to do with post-traumatic stress.

"I'm flattered, and," he couldn't actually say Mukuro was a nice young man, but he could honestly continue, "I like you. But I'm still trying to convince Hibari on that one."

And... was Chikusa frowning?

"Ah, so our dear skylark has snatched up the prey before me," Mukuro's smile widened slightly as he cocked his head to the side, tugging and tugging at the tie. Enough force to be felt, definitely, but far from enough to move Yamamoto at all. "What a disappointment."

He let the cloth curl around his fingers a little more before he let go, stepping backwards. Chikusa's displeasure was almost a solid force behind his back, and he turned, flashing another smile, a little sharper, a little more sincere, to the other man as he shook his head.

"My, my, Chikusa. Don't frown so hard."

Chikusa looked away immediately, schooling his face into passivity before turning back towards Mukuro. It was easy to do so, but he was unsettled by the fact that he showed any expression in the first place.

In the face of the awkward atmosphere, Yamamoto laughed as he turned towards the stairs. "I've got to go," he said, and the words came out natural. He didn't want to keep Hibari waiting, and he was running a little late as it was, but he was also concerned for Mukuro; he just couldn't seem to put a finger on why.

After taking a couple of steps down, he paused and looked back. "I don't make good prey anyway, but I can always be a friend," he offered with a smile.

Mukuro smiled back at him, striding forward again and leaning against the railing of the staircase. One of the strands of white slipped downwards, sliding past his shoulder to spill over varnished wood. His fingers were tapping against it, almost absent-mindedly. He opened his mouth, as if to speak-

But he was interrupted by the sound of very distinctive footsteps behind him. Both light and heavy, the air thickening as Hibari strode forward up the stairs from behind Yamamoto. He stopped right next to Mukuro, his tonfa clenched in a hand as he reached forward with the other, grabbing hold of that one white strand.

"Rokudo Mukuro."

"Hibari Kyouya," Mukuro answered in kind, his smile dipping into cold amusement. With a coy tilt of his head, he murmured, "Are you here to retrieve your precious swallow?"

Hibari didn't answer. His hand only tightened around the white hair in his fist, tugging hard at the strands as he pulled Mukuro closer towards him. The killing intent that had always surrounded him spiked even more in the air, thick and unwavering as his eyes bore into Mukuro's.

"Byakuran. You're dead." His voice was soft, deadly, cutting through everything to say: I had bitten you to death myself.

Mukuro didn't have to look at Yamamoto to see the flabbergasted expression that came with his gasp. A pity it had to come out like this, came a disappointed thought; Yamamoto Takeshi might want to retract his offer for friendship now. Mukuro gave a mirthless laugh.

"Yes, Byakuran is dead, my dear skylark," he pronounced his words slowly, clearly, as if to a slow child. "You twisted his neck yourself."

"I didn't," Hibari replied, slow and cold. He took another step forward, almost pressing Mukuro against the railing as he narrowed his eyes even further. "I killed him with a tonfa through the chest." Of course, he snapped the bastard's neck afterwards, but now...

As if to illustrate his point, he pressed the cold metal of his tonfa against Mukuro's throat, tilting it to force the other man to look him in the eye.

"Tell me why is he still alive within your body, Rokudo Mukuro, before I kill you as well."

"Well, he couldn't very well try to return to his own body after a tonfa through the chest and a snapped neck now, could he?"

Mukuro nudged the tonfa away with two fingers, as if it was an easy feat in and of itself. And laughed in Hibari's face.

Hibari's eyes narrow, his killing intent thickening even further until it's almost suffocating between them. He didn't press the tonfa in again; rather, he let it fall to his side, stepping in so close that he and Mukuro were sharing breaths.

"Then I will kill you again," he intoned quietly, all the danger and death in the world condensed in his tone. "Both you, and Rokudo Mukuro."

"So greedy, Hibari-kun..." Mukuro stared deeply into his eyes, a cruel smirk cutting across his face. "Don't you think that Takeshi-kun might like to do the honours this time? Hmm?"

"... Yes. No." Yamamoto frowned, shaking his head as he took another step back up the stairs. "I wanted Byakuran dead," he told whoever was listening in Mukuro's body. "But, Hibari," the hardness in his eyes softened as he looked from the Mist guardian to the Cloud. "Mukuro isn't the enemy.

"He helped me find the cure for you, and-"

Hibari's gaze flitted over to Yamamoto, narrowing his eyes at him for a long moment. His lips were pressed even flatter into a line, and his other tonfa slipped out of his sleeve, pointing at the man even as he turned his attentions back to Mukuro- back to the body that held both of the men that he detested the most in the world.

"Don't interfere, Yamamoto Takeshi," he said flatly, the danger curling and nearly snapping.

"This man is my prey."

"Prey?" Yamamoto gaped for about half a second, before he scowled. Mukuro had stayed by Byakuran's side for years, but he was spying for Tsuna. "He's part of the pack."

Mukuro laughed again, but this time, the laughter came from the foot of the stairs. Without another word, Chikusa jumped off the ledge and landed beside his leader as the man looked up at the handsome couple above.

"Now, now, boys. Don't let your blossoming romance be hindered by little old me."

"You're running away," Hibari stated flatly before Yamamoto could even formulate a response. His hands tightened further around the tonfas as he spun around, speeding down the stairs so quickly that the air whipped into a wind that stirred his hair and brushed across his clothes.

He refused to let that man escape so quickly, Yamamoto Takeshi be damned.

And before Yamamoto could even turn around to stop Hibari, an unseen force tightened around his tie. Wide-eyed, he looked up in front of him to find mismatched eyes and a smug smile, and Chikusa like a stone statue at the top of the stairs.

Was it just him, or did Chikusa look a little dubious about the height of 'his jump'?

Oh shit.

Downstairs, 'Mukuro' said, "Cute, Hibari-kun. Prey run."

But upstairs, for Yamamoto's ears only, "I'll play with you later. I'm going shopping."

In one swift move, almost faster than the eye could see, Hibari spun around again. He ran up the stairs like a wolf that had sighted his prey, his eyes narrowed and killing intent so sharp in the air that it could almost cut through the steel of his own tonfa. There was a danger to him, and an anger like a tangled ball of string, tight in his gut.

He reached out a hand, gripping his fingers around what he knew was Mukuro's hair. Without a second thought, he pulled on the strands, dragging the other man towards him before switching his grip to Mukuro's shoulder and slamming him hard against the railing of the sairs, tonfa against his throat.

"I told you: illusions don't work long with me," he said quietly. The only reason why they had worked in the first place was that Mukuro hadn't simply used Mist flames - he had incorporated Sky flames as well.

It was Byakuran's flames. Hibari knew the feeling as well as the rot that had crept all over his lungs and nearly stole his life away.

"Why are you alive?"

"Hibari!" Yamamoto's voice was sharp with anger and an undercurrent of disappointment. The behaviour between the Vongola's Mist and Cloud guardians came as no surprise, but this time, it was different. One of them didn't want to fight.

Mukuro didn't even respond as if he was in any condition to fight, dropping to a crouch on the stairs as he curled an arm around his no-doubt bruising side. And he would never have allowed hair-pulling. Yamamoto was pretty sure of that, at least, until Mukuro's eyes flashed - one orb a distinct violet colour - and the head of his trident shot out from nowhere, aimed straight at Hibari's gut.

Several things happened at once.

As Hibari leapt out of the way, both his tonfas and Mukuro's trident were tugged sideways by steel wires that netted the weapons together. Chikusa slammed his foot down upon the wires, keeping them firmly floored and useless. And Yamamoto, who knew that Hibari could definitely defend himself, pulled him out of harm's way anyway.

"Let me go," Hibari said quietly, deadliness wound around each syllable of those words as he pulled hard against Yamamoto's grip. His eyes were spitting fire as he turned his head back, glaring hard at the other man. Despite what they had done; despite all that was between them, Hibari looked completely willing to kill Yamamoto if he continued to stop him from getting to Mukuro.

"Stop interfering, Yamamoto Takeshi. Rokudo Mukuro will be bitten to death."

If anything, it only made Yamamoto more determined to hang on. Hibari and Mukuro never played well together, but Hibari didn't make idle threats. And while Yamamoto understood, even shared the other man's motivations in regards to Byakuran, Mukuro wasn't - well, they hadn't been the same man until recently.

Yamamoto barked out a short laugh. "You've had your fight, Hibari." He wasn't too clear on what exactly ever happened between the Mist and the Cloud, but something told him now was not the time to ask, unless...

Major setback to the lover idea there, Takeshi.

But it'd save us and the building.

He bit his lip to stave off the apology that was ready to roll off his tongue as he knocked Hibari out.

Hibari's eyes widened before a split second when he felt the blow to his stomach, forcing all the air out of his lungs. A moment, two, and the world went black on him.

Yamamoto Takeshi...

Mukuro watched, eyebrows raised and lips quirked into a smirk as Hibari crumpled into Yamamoto's arms. My, my, it was certainly interesting to see the Rain Guardian do so much for his sake, though he was pretty sure that Yamamoto had done this more for Hibari's. After all, if they had fought, that silly Cloud would have definitely gotten injured all over again.

"Kufufufu..." he laughed, ducked his head down as he shook his head. His smile was wide as he looked at Yamamoto in the eye. That violet eye had faded right back into blue, and he was smiling. "How valiant, Takeshi-kun."

"Or suicidal." Yamamoto responded with an answering smile and an awkward laugh. He held Hibari close, protectively, with both arms. For a brief second, there was a wariness as he looked at Mukuro. He opened his mouth, but then he shook his head.

"Enjoy the shopping. If he doesn't bite me to death first, I'll come find you later."

Laughing quietly, Mukuro turned on his heel, heading down the stairs again. He reached out and tapped Chikusa on the wrist, motioning for the taller man to follow him.

He didn't turn around when he spoke again, "You have quite a handful to deal with, then. I wish you luck."

"Ahahaha, thanks!"

Yamamoto didn't move until he could no longer hear Mukuro or Chikusa... or anyone else in the hall. He was sure, of course, that Reborn would see all this eventually, since they were just on a flight of stairs in the mansion. But those consequences could come later.

Looking at Hibari's face, Yamamoto let out a quiet sigh.

"Sorry."

He took a deep breath, another, and shifted his feet, praying for empty halls and more empty stairs as his carried Hibari back up to his room.

***

Gokudera was striding so quickly in the direction of the Vongola mansion’s grounds that Ryohei nearly stumbled over himself to catch up. The Storm Guardian was frowning heavily, his hands clenched at his side as if he was a man marching to his death.

He was going to face his sister again after all, and ask her to do something she couldn't refuse.

In fact, it was one of those things that she practically offered to him on a semi-regular basis, only to be refused because he didn't want her to be his teacher. He didn't want anyone... else to teach him in this one thing actually.

Especially the daughter of the bastard who murdered his mother.

But Ryohei was right: what were his personal issues compared to the Tenth and his fiancée’s safety?

And it was a small thing really, not even worth stressing over. He just didn't want to bring it up while the Tenth was around, and that was where Ryohei came in.

"Hey! Bianchi-san!" Ryohei yelled out from behind him and then ran past. Tsuna was there after all. "Sawada! Just the man I need to see!"

Tsuna looked from Bianchi to Ryohei like he was stuck between a rock and a hard place. "N-Nii-san? Gokudera-kun!"

He actually sounded relieved at that, and Gokudera managed an apologetic smile. "Tenth. Hi."

Tsuna turned, half-relieved and half-surprised by the voice. His eyes widened even as his customary smile curved his lips, nodding to the two men who just came up to them.

"Gokudera-kun, nii-san, what are you-"

"Hayato!" he was quickly cut off by Bianchi as she barrelled past him to sweep Gokudera into her arms, hugging him tightly to her chest before pulling away, her hands still resting on the silver-haired man's shoulder. There was a little smile on her lips that completely confused Tsuna, and the confused only grew when she turned to Ryohei and that smile froze on her lips.

"Sasagawa."

Now, why was she suddenly so frosty towards Ryohei? Did he refuse to eat her cooking?

Gokudera cringed, but stayed right where he was, trapped in his older sister's arms. His eyes were closed and Tsuna could swear he could hear his right hand man mentally counting up to ten. Which was just a little better than counting down for Gokudera. Just a little.

However, that was the least of Tsuna's problems. While he had been worried about Gokudera and his strange behaviour, Ryohei gave Bianchi a quick, cursory nod and turned right back to his future brother-in-law.

"We need to talk to the extreme!"

"Eh?" Tsuna blinked immediately, cocking his head to the side. He wrecked his brain immediately for what he might have done wrong, but he couldn't think about anything he had done that might upset Kyoko, which was the only reason why Ryohei might be angry with him. Besides, if it was a matter concerning Kyoko, why was Gokudera there?

"We do?"

"Yeah! We haven't have a decent man-to-man conversation with each other in ages, Sawada!" He said as he patted Tsuna on the back. Hard. "And don't worry, I'm not going to give you the Talk again!" Ryohei beamed winningly. "I just want to talk to you in private, and it looks like octopus head wants a word with his sister in private too!"

Gokudera glowered at Ryohei, willing the man to just hurry up and do his part already: get the Tenth away from Bianchi like now.

Tsuna nearly choked, stumbling forward from the pat. He turned around and stared wide-eyed at Ryohei, wondering what kind of brain damage the man had suffered in his youth... and unwillingly remember Ryohei giving him 'the Talk'. Right in public. Right in front of almost the entire school, in a voice loud enough that made sure he never needed microphones.

He swallowed, and nodded. "A-alright, nii-san. I'll come with you."

Straightening himself, he started after Ryohei, but not before darting a glance back to Gokudera. Will he be alright...?

Gokudera ducked his head slightly, hiding his face behind his hair. After a while, after he couldn't hear Ryohei anymore, and Bianchi was starting to stroke his hair like he was some kind of a kitten, he managed to open his mouth again.

"Um... sis? Let go."

Bianchi nodded, pulling a little more away from him so they could start walking together. But she couldn't help but reach up and pat his hair again, as if he was still eight years ago.

"Now, what do you need to talk to me about that you don't want your Tenth to hear, Hayato?" she murmured quietly.

Hayato waved a hand over his head, slightly defensive at being treated like a child all over again. He hated that sort of a treatment from her- from anyone. But it was just irritating. Not something to blow up about.

Besides, in their brainstorming session in the library, Ryohei actually came up with something that might work well - something that Gokudera actually did want to do.

"I... I haven't played piano seriously for a while now," he began as he shoved his hands into his pockets. He didn't want to see the look on her face as he finally came to ask her for something she always offered him quite freely.

"But I want to do something for the Tenth's wedding and I think I might have the perfect song, but it'saduetdoyoustillwantto..." He had to take a deep breath.

Bianchi stared at him for a long moment, utterly silent. She had even stopped in her steps, trying to process those words. Slowly, her eyes grew wider and wider, her lips parting and no voice coming out.

Half of her couldn't believe what she was hearing. Did her brother just invited her to-

"Are you asking me to play with you, Hayato?"

The space between his eyebrows crunched up tightly, and Gokudera could feel a blush quickly crawling up his neck. It went so stiff he could barely nod.

"Yes," came out gruffly, coupled with a silent, god, don't ask me to repeat myself again.

A slow smile spread over Bianchi's lips, and she stepped closer. Reaching out, she wrapped her arms around Gokudera, hugging him close- but not too close that he felt stifled by it. Hopefully.

"Thank you."

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