- Immoral -
by the Symphonic Mess "Vi"
Disclaimer: My first foray into the Reborn! fandom, and I decide to pick such a dynamic relationship. Oh my. Anyway, I don't own Katekyo Hitman Reborn!, it's characters or anything like that. I don't profit off of it. Reviews are all appreciated, so please take a moment afterwards if you have it. I'd much appreciate it, especially since I'm really actually quite nervous about how this story will turn out quality wise on my part. Well, that will be all. Onwards!
Chapter One: Ambition
When Tsuna went to bed, he had been happy to. But when he woke up at three in the morning, he really wished he hadn't.
So dark... He shivered beneath the covers, trying to pull them tighter around him, even though he was already trapped in them from all the tossing and turning he must have done in the middle of the night. If he thought the dream about marrying Haru had been frightening before, he was ready to take back anything bad he said about that horrible dream. Because Tsuna would have gladly been subjected to that again to avoid 'that' place.
So cold... It wasn't just temperature or the weather: it was like having a piece of ice shoved right through your very soul. Physically it was nothing. Mentally it was terrifying. He had seen that place before, and just like that, it had seeped into his nightmares.
He could hear something that sounded like sloshing water and seeping mist, before anything else, when the dream began. Tsuna tried to follow the sound just by listening for the source, but it seemed to be coming literally from everywhere. A tight pressure was caving in upon his body, making it difficult to move even the slightest bit. If he strained his eyes a good deal, he could see small changes in the dark color to the north, indicating movement.
That seemed like the right place to go at the moment. No way was he going to just stay here. It was pitch black almost, and the only sounds were those of the water, and they were starting to drive him insane. It almost sounded like there was an infuriating rhythm to the sounds, like even they were meant to be a never ending torture device as well. Tsuna thought at that moment that this was his punishment. For what, he did not know or maybe he just couldn't remember.
Still, Tsuna had hope. He believed definitely that if he moved in that direction he would find something. But it wasn't exactly a good feeling. In fact, it was somewhat the opposite. He had this distinct feeling that it was the way he had to go, even though what he found there wouldn't be a good thing at all. Tsuna convinced himself that it was that darkness that was the reason he had to go this way. There was something important, he just couldn't remember what.
'Go back!' A high-pitched, tiny voice in the back of his head said, as he began the struggle to move. Forcing his legs through the darkness that he could only assume was making the water-like sounds, proved to be much harder than he anticipated. All of the muscles in his leg were burning; burning like they might rip any second. But the pain only made his urgency to move forward rise.
Again, in the back of his head, that voice said, 'Go back!', more urgently this time. There was something, probably common sense, that told him he shouldn't be doing this. Then there was a stronger voice, that of his own will telling him that if he didn't do this; if he didn't find that something that was out there, he would definitely regret it. Tsuna instinctively followed that voice inside him, because his will had always guided him. Not to mention that he was sick and tired of always having regrets.
The surface he was fighting against was lumpy and uneven, something Tsuna wasn't prepared for when he felt the first small hill. 'What was that?!' He inwardly cursed. But they could also give him good push if he used them right, he realized. It wasn't actually getting lighter, and he had the strange opposite feeling of going deeper. So what had been that strange discoloration he saw? Following his instincts again, he reacted out and felt something that wasn't the same dark, condensed water.
A dull thud echoed across the waters, stirring a small series of ripples. There was movement! Panicking, Tsuna realized that he wasn't alone here, in this hellish nightmare. Disturbing as it was, he had a good idea of what or who it was. The memory of talk of a place where not even the sun shone – a world all it's own. His eyes widened.
There was now a light. One light, shining red and looking right at him.
That was when he woke up, too terrified to shut his eyes again. He wasn't sure which part scared him more: the nightmarish, hellish place or knowing that he had been seen. Tsuna had only seen it once before, in a small flash, but to have then dreamed it up in such detail... it was too much for him. It was still too early, but there was no way he was going to close his eyes and try to go to sleep again right after that. "Maybe if I go for a small walk I can clear my mind and still get some more sleep."
Deciding that that was a perfect idea, he quickly and quietly dressed himself, being very careful not to make any sounds that would wake the others, he slipped out into the cool, dark morning and began wandering aimlessly. As long as it was familiar, it didn't matter too much where he roamed to. Recently Tsuna had become knowledgeable about Namimori's landscape inside and out thanks to his training.
Anything to stop thinking about that nightmare. He remembered what he had been told. 'Do not feel sympathy for that man', and 'Remember what he has done'. But none of them had seen that place. None of them had seen his memories. Lost in his thoughts, he bumped into something slightly taller than him, and warm. "A-ah, sorry..." he said, not really paying attention.
"Kufufu. You should be careful, Vongola the Tenth, you never know what kind of things come out in the dark."
Tsuna jumped back, startled by Mukuro's sudden appearance. Not just that he was here, but that he was himself at all. Just yesterday morning, when he had talked to Chrome, she said he was sleeping. It was supposed to be a long time before he returned.
Long indeed... "H-Hiiiiiii" he screamed. "Don't scare me like that!" Tsuna knew he shouldn't, but he had to. "Are... are you okay? When the match was over you collapsed. We didn't think we'd here from you again for a long time. I don't really think it's been a long time, I just... don't want you to push it. There are a lot of people counting on you." He wanted to say that he had a lot of friends that would be upset, but he knew that Mukuro would only lie about it if he did.
Mukuro smirked. "Oh? And what do you know about that? I've never done much of anything for anyone without an ulterior motive. But you know that, don't you? You should know that better than anyone, Boss." he laughed.
"And did you know that you're a bad liar?" Tsuna said, staring him down in all seriousness.
"Oh? Am I now? To say that my consciousness was mysterious awakened probably wouldn't be a good enough answer for you." Mukuro raised an eyebrow at that. Leave it to the small brunette to be thoroughly amusing, he told himself, smirking. "If you would try to defend me then you truly are foolish. My sins are too great."
Tsuna shook his head. "Yeah, your kind of ambition is a sin. But you have a soft spot too, for those who have suffered like you. You protected Ken and Chikusa, and paid an unfair price for it." Bi-colored eyes widened in horror. "That place... after everything Ken told me during our fight... it's not right! Even after you consider all your sins, they never considered what happened to you -- the pain you suffered. That's why I refuse to overlook it. I don't care if it's opposite of the law, that's what I believe is right!"
Staring at the ground, Mukuro laughed bitterly. "I don't know how you managed to find all of this out but in this world: if it goes against law, even in the Mafia, it doesn't matter."
But it did. Lifting Mukuro's chin, he stared at him with eyes burning bright. "Does it matter, Mukuro? Does it really? Why don't you tell me?" Mukuro contemplated the beautiful way his dying will flame sometimes shone, even in his eyes. How did someone so soft and weak manage to do things like that and turn things around so thoroughly? That was part of the thrill of deciding to chase after him to possess him.
Mukuro couldn't look away. He couldn't breathe. For a second, the roles were reversed, and a throbbing pain invaded his skull as he was shown Tsuna's memories instead of the other way around. There was his defeat, as he listened to Tsuna ask if he'd be okay, and listen to his alarm at learning of the trio's fate. And during the match, Tsuna showed him what he saw of Mukuro's memories, and his reactions to them. Then there was a conversation with Chrome, after the match, where he asked again, if Mukuro would be okay, sounding so worried. And at the end, there was a memory of a nightmare: a nightmare Tsuna had of that place...
When it was all over, it was all he could do to rest his still buzzing head against the boy's shoulder. "W-" Tsuna cut him off, placing his pointer finger against his lips to hush him. Letting him ask a question like that wouldn't make any difference, because Tsuna couldn't understand it either. He wasn't any more aware of what made it happen, only that he had the strong feeling that he could make it happen here and now if he needed to. What made it happen? He had no idea.
"Does it matter?" He asked once more, back to the original issue, not even concerned about process of sharing memories. If it was about the difference between what Mukuro believed and making him see that Tsuna's beliefs were solid, he was certain he'd get a better answer this time.
Mukuro laughed weakly against his shoulder. "I wonder... what do you think you can do, young Vongola the Tenth? There's no way you can change my fate." Tsuna wrapped his arms around Mukuro. He was right, to an extent. Right now he was merely a middle school boy with a future job as a Mafia Boss. Now he didn't even have the power of the Tenth Vongola yet... but he would, one day.
"Just you wait and watch."
"Kufufufu... you better watch out. One day that softness is going to get you killed, probably while you're still young. If it doesn't, then these new ambitions of yours might get you in trouble."
A/N: This might turn out a bit AU-ish, but as of right now, as you can see, it's not. It's just... one of those early morning things they didn't tell you about. XD Umm, I'm really looking forward to some feedback on this. The rating is definitely going to go up, it's just not there yet. I'm thinking that there will be a lemon probably by chapter three or four, but that could change, depending on where this goes. If you have an constructive criticism, praise, etc., I'd be very, very happy to hear it. Like I said, I'm really nervous about writing this one. But I couldn't resist since I love this pairing, and I got a bit of prodding via inspiration from CelticAngelWings. She's an amazing writer, so if you really like this pairing, she has some really good stories! Anyway, that's enough rambling. I hope you liked it.