Author's Note: Hello All! This is my first fanfiction, so I'm sorry if I'm still a bit rusty. This is dedicated to one of my favorite characters in KHR as it is her birthday today!
Disclaimer: I own nothing that has to do with Katekyoushi Hitman Reborn or the song "Better Than Me." All credit is to given to Amano Akira and Hinder.
Better Than Me
It was very quiet on the night of December 4th in the Miura household. Haru was lightly snoring away in her bed as she clutched her handmade Tsuna plsuhie. Chrome slept on an air mattress directly across from her on the other side of the room. Haru's home did have spare bedrooms in which Chrome could have occupied, but sensing the girl wasn't comfortable being by herself yet; Haru took it upon herself to have her stay in her room until she felt better.
Chrome was extremely grateful to Haru for letting her stay in her room; Mukuro-sama's abandonment was a wound that was still all too fresh. And now with the news of her worsening condition, Chrome didn't know what to do; she was scared. She desperately wanted to help Bossu in the Representative Battles, but in her current condition, she would only be a liability to the team. Plus, she wasn't sure how she would be able to handle fighting Mukuro-sama. His betrayal hurt, but not completely unexpected. Ever since his release, he had been acting very cold towards her and would sometimes completely ignore her. She knew it was coming, but that didn't make things any less easier. She just wished she knew what she could have done to stay.
Chrome tossed and turned in her bed and would cough periodically. The pain caused by her condition and her constant agonizing over what things her should have or shouldn't have done; have made it harder and harder for her to get a good night's rest. Constantly switching from being burning hot or freezing cold and the nightmares, both new and old, have a strong hold on her psyche, making her weaker by the day. To busy worrying over obviously bigger problems, Chrome neglected to realize that her birthday was only five short minutes away. Someone else, however, was very aware of this fact and looked to greet her on such an important occasion.
The one of the windows slid up just a bare inch and in poured the creeping mist; slinking soundlessly into the room. Its tendrils stretched to encroach around Chrome's bed, causing its occupant to violently shiver at its chilling touch. A thick column of mist swirled beside her to slowly reveal the form of Rokudo, Mukuro. He sat with one leg crossed over the other and his hands in his lap, and quietly watched her for a couple of minutes. Lies hidden beneath truths and truths hidden behind lies; that is the attribute of the Mist, and that is what defines himself through and through. She was his one true weakness; a liability that he could no longer afford to have so close to him. She asked of him a second chance at life; a better one, so how can he promise her that if she were to become a target by his many enemies? She has already been used several times before to lure him into confrontation, and each and every time it disturbed him how effective such a method was.
If he were a being who could fully experience and understand such emotions, he would say that he loved Chrome. However, as it were, it would not be beneficial for either of them to enter into such a relationship. He was a monster, an enemy to any and all who identify themselves as Mafia, and therefore only tragedy and death await him in the end. Ken, Chikusa, M.M, and Fran are all very aware of and accept the fact that their ultimate mission is one of suicide; to be sent to hell with the hopes of bringing as many of the Mafia possible along with them. And to imagine Chrome suffer the same fate; it made him sick. She deserves something better.
He noted the discomfort distorting her features and moved to lightly place a hand over her forehead. He focused his mist to construct pleasant images into her mind's eye. Images of them being together again, laughing, talking, and embracing one another in their special place. He knew he was being cruel; knew that this would only serve to make her separation from him all the more arduous a task, but he couldn't help it. He was just as much affixed to her as she was to him. He didn't want her to forget about him completely…not just yet. With her face finally relaxed, he moved to slowly caress her cheek with the pad of his thumb.
"Mukuro-sama…"
Her almost silent plea to him nearly broke through all his defenses right then. He wanted nothing more than for her to return to him, but that would be the worst possible thing for both of them.
"Nnghh…*cough, cough* *cough, cough*." The force of the coughs had her on her side instantly with one hand cupped by her mouth and the other clutched over the chest. Not knowing what more to do than watch and wait until the violent coughing subsided, Mukuro's features tightened in concern and frustration. He thought he was saving her when he placed her into the care of the Vongola, but it seems that she still needed him. What exactly was eating away at her health was something that he had yet to figure out. He tried to deceptively enlist Verde's help in the matter of diagnosing Chrome's illness, but so far nothing substantial has arisen yet, and Mukuro was getting increasingly worried. All his efforts would be for naught if she were to die so early, not to mention what it would do to him.
He leaned down to whisper a few parting words in her ear and placed a soft kiss on her cheek before becoming engulfed in the mist once more. One serpentine arm of mist pulled her blanket higher up on her shoulders before slipping back out into the dark night. Chrome snuggled deeper into the warmth of her bed, filled with a calming peace that left a loving smile on her face.
"No matter what may be done or said, I will always remain by your side. Never allow the lies of reality obscure the truths in our illusions. You are mine, just as I am forever yours. However, I cannot help but think that you deserve so much better than me. Remain strong and fight to the very end. Happy Birthday, my dearest Chrome."