6959

Love is...

Mukuro looked at Gokudera.

"Was there something you needed from me Hayato kun?" he asked charmingly.

Gokudera pouted in an attempt to hide his flushed cheeks.

"I just wanted to ask you to stop fighting with skylark asshole," Gokudera said in a pissed off voice. "Cleaning up after you two is a pain in the ass."

Mukuro chuckled a bit. "I can't help it that the boy has a violent temper. He's almost as bad as you Hayato kun."

"Go kill yourself Mukuro," Gokudera snapped. "Anyways…I have another thing to ask of you."

Mukuro smiled. "And what would that be? If you're asking about the date I'm going to turn in my resignation then the answer is—

"Are you in love with Hibari?" he asked. "Because it sure hell feels like you two want each other."

Mukuro, taken back at the random question, chuckled. "Why is that important Hayato kun? Are you now in charge of who can fall in love with whom?" Mukuro razzed.

Gokudera scoffed as his face became even redder by the second. "I'm just curious."

Mukuro raised his eye brow at Gokudera and then turned his back on him. "I can't."

"What?" Gokudera said. "You can't because…?"

Mukuro looked at him over his shoulder with a smile. "I can't fall in love."

Gokudera gave him a confused stare. "What the hell are you going at? What do you mean you can't fall in love?"

Mukuro chuckled as he turned away from Gokudera. "I don't know or understand the feeling of love. So I am incapable of loving anyone."

Mukuro narrowed his eyes.

"I was born with the feelings of accomplishment, the feeling of hatred and anger, and the feeling of lust. But not love, the feeling alone confuses me." he said. "So I cannot love."

Mukuro raised his head and stared into the infinite sky. "So there's the answer to your question Hayato kun. Do you have any other questions?"

"…It's not a question." Gokudera said walking up to Mukuro slowly.

Mukuro smiled. "Oh?"

He held Mukuro's hand and grasped it tightly.

"Let me help you."

Till death do us part.

Mukuro's breathing went heavier as seconds passed.

From Gokudera's eyes spilled brilliant tears, sparkling as they fell in the moonlight; he had tried to hold them off as much as he could but he couldn't.

Not when Mukuro was dying.

"M-Mukuro…" Gokudera whispered painfully. He bit his lips from sobbing out of control. His heart was heavy, and his body felt weak. Gokudera felt like he too was about to die. The single look at Mukuro's dying body struck deeply in his heart, making it suffer, making it want to die with Mukuro. Gokudera let out a loud gasp as he choked on his own tears and covered his mouth from breaking down loudly. Tears fell like waterfalls from his eyes and onto Mukuro's blanket.

The feared right hand man of the famous Vongola was crying like a child. The once indestructible man was vulnerable, open for any attacks.

But he couldn't help it.

He couldn't care less.

"M-Mukuro," Gokudera called helplessly. It almost sounded like a whine; a whine that came from a girlfriend trying to persuade her boyfriend to spend time with her.

"Mukuro," Gokudera wailed again. It sounded like a whine again. He didn't care. "M-Mukuro."

Mukuro looked at Gokudera with a weak smile. "Hayato…" he whispered. "Stop crying."

Gokudera clenched his teeth from screaming as Mukuro closed his eyes.

Because you are my other half.

"Gokudera…You have my apologies."

Gokudera sharply inhaled on his cigarette. His blank eyes searched in the clouds, hoping for a glimpse of his dead lover.

"I don't understand what killed Mukuro Rokudo. I'm sorry I'm not much of a help…"

The cigarette dropped from Gokudera's mouth and fell.

"It's best that you just move on and forget herbivore."

"No one cares…" Gokudera whispered into the cold air.

"Gokudera kun…I'm so sorry. But there isn't anything you can do now. I'm so sorry."

Gokudera's hollow eyes stared into space. "No one ever cared."

"Please Gokudera…don't do anything rash."

Gokudera took a step forward.

"Only I did."

The sound of his body meeting the concrete floor echoed through the area, followed by screams of nearby people.

Please don't push me away.

There was a sound of machinery. It sounded old. Was it a train?

Gokudera, in the midst of darkness felt someone caress his hair gently. He slowly opened his eyes to see warm evening sunlight peep in through the windows of what it looked like a trolley car. The entire scenery was basked in the color orange, giving off even more feeling of warmth. Gokudera felt something underneath his head, something that felt like someone' lap.

"Hayato…" a voice whispered to him. "What have you done…"

Gokudera's eyes widened as in front of him was Mukuro, smiling tragically at him. In a second, he rose to embrace Mukuro tenderly.

Gokudera made no noise when he embraced Mukuro tightly. For a good minute or so, he stood perfectly still with Mukuro in his arms, wishing that time would stop forever. Mukuro closed the embrace as well, just as tightly as Gokudera.

"I-I couldn't do it," Gokudera whispered, fighting back his tears as hard as he could. "I just couldn't."

Mukuro narrowed his eyes.

"I can't live without you," Gokudera said as tears escaped his eyes and dropped onto Mukuro's shoulder.

The trolley was old as it shook well while it was moving; but the two didn't let it break their embrace. There was a faint scent of rain in the air, as if it had just rained a couple of hours ago. But the air was very warm and the wind was gentle. Gokudera opened his eyes to see scenery of mountains with eccentric building on them.

"Where…are we?" he asked.

"Purgatory." A voice echoed.

Mukuro broke the hug and grasped Gokudera's shoulders.

"You should have never killed yourself Hayato!" Mukuro said. "Why would you do such a selfish act?"

Gokudera, a bit taken back at Mukuro's sudden temper he had never seen before, gave him an upset look. "Because I love you," Gokudera replied hurtfully.

Mukuro wore a pained expression. "Even so, why couldn't you live for me?" he asked. "Why did you choose to throw your life away?"

Gokudera narrowed his eyes and bit his lips. "I couldn't find a reason to live."

Gokudera held Mukuro's hands. "I love you."

Mukuro stared back at Gokudera with the same pained look.

The trolley suddenly came to an abrupt stop, jerking the two sideways. Mukuro held Gokudera from falling off the seat. His eyes narrowed as he saw the familiar men in black coats waiting for them outside the trolley.

"Vindice…" he muttered.

Gokudera's eyes widened. "What? What are they doing here?" Gokudera asked in a slightly frightened manner. He looked at Mukuro. "I thought we were dead! Why are they here?"

Mukuro held Gokudera tighter. "It's nothing." Mukuro smiled. Gokudera stared as his smile threatened to fall apart any second into a look of pain. "Come with me."

Mukuro led out Gokudera by the hand out of the trolley. They walked past the Vindice easily. While Mukuro looked confident as always, Gokudera was on his toes, afraid that they would do something.

Mukuro and Gokudera walked for a few seconds and stopped at a certain spot. Mukuro motioned to a large shining building on top of a small mountain with white stairs leading up to the place.

"It's heaven," Mukuro said. "Your heaven."

Gokudera stared at Mukuro as he continued to smile.

"This is the place you'll live forever Hayato. Everything you desire will be given to you." Mukuro said.

Gokudera turned from Mukuro to take a glimpse of his heaven. His eyes widened as he saw his friends, Tenth, all smiling and happy; waiting for him at the foot of the stairs, laughing and waving at him. A fragile woman stood behind Tenth with a sincere smile. She looked at Gokudera and waved at him.

"…Mom…" Gokudera breathed. "Mom!"

Gokudera took a step with his fingers still tied with Mukuro's towards his mother. Suddenly, the warmth of Mukuro's hand disappeared as soon the step was made. Gokudera turned back with a surprised look as Mukuro wore the painful smile he was trying to hide.

"…Mukuro?"

Mukuro closed his eyes. "I'm sorry. I can't go with you."

Suddenly black chains shot out of the Vindice and wrapped around Mukuro. Gokudera, with a startled look, tried to pull of the chains off Mukuro.

"Get off him!" Gokudera shouted. He immediately went for his dynamites in his back pockets, which was gone.

"Interfere and we'll send you to hell with him." The Vindice thundered.

Gokudera looked at Mukuro with wide eyes. "W-Why are you going to hell?"

Mukuro smiled sadly. "Because I have done a lot of terrible things to people Hayato," he said. "Hell is a fitting place for someone such as me."

"N-No…" Gokudera stammered. He clenched the chains on Mukuro. "I won't let you go to hell alone."

Mukuro, moving his hands that weren't completely encased with chains, held Gokudera's quivering hands.

"Please don't Hayato," Mukuro whispered heartbreakingly into Gokudera's ears. "You'll regret it if you do. I've already been to hell more than once and it's not a place for you to be."

Gokudera clenched his hands into fists. "I don't care…they can do all they want with me, I just want to be near you."

"You understand you'll never see the light of day and feel pain and sufferings for the rest of your life don't you Hayato? You'll never see your friends or you family ever again." Mukuro asked with a hint of anger. "Don't be foolish and follow after me. You don't deserve it!"

"It doesn't matter," Gokudera replied tearfully. "I only need you."

"Very well then." The Vindice voiced.

Gokudera held onto Mukuro as the sounds of metal chains made its way to him.

Mukuro stared at Gokudera as he smiled at him.

"I love you," Gokudera whispered.

Happily ever after.

Gokudera opened his eyes. He quickly rose and looked around to see that he wasn't in purgatory any more but in his bedroom. The warm atmosphere disappeared and instead Gokudera felt the chilliness in the air. It was raining lightly outside. Gokudera pinched himself just to make sure he was in reality.

For the first time in his life, he welcomed the feeling of pain.

Gokudera let out a deep, relieving sigh; extremely glad that it was just a nightmare. He looked to his side and saw his Mukuro sleeping soundly. Gokudera smiled as tears dripped from his eyes. He was so happy that it was just a dream. Losing Mukuro is a nightmare to him and to realize that it was nothing but a dream…the feeling was heavenly.

Gokudera lay next to Mukuro and snuggled closer to him. Mukuro smiled as he slowly opened his eyes; and wrapped his arms around Gokudera.

"Aren't you affectionate all of a sudden Hayato kun," he whispered.

Gokudera couldn't help but smile.

"Because I love you." He whispered.

My present to you.

Mukuro smiled as his vision faded away. The light of Gokudera's smiling face slowly faded away as he was dragged deeper into hell by the Vindice.

As he was being dragged, the prisoners of hell around him thumped their chained arms and legs onto the ground, crying out the words 'Why?' 'Why?' 'WHY!'

'He chose to fall with you! Why let him live! WHY LET HIM GO?'

'He doesn't deserve heaven! He committed suicide because of you and you let him go? WHY?'

'He loved you so much that he was willing to suffer for it! Why leave him? I thought you loved him!'

Mukuro closed his eyes with a smile as even his conscience started questioning him.

'Why did you do it?'

Mukuro opened his eyes.

"Because I truly understand the word 'love' and I dedicate it to you my Hayato."

End.

AN: This fanfic was inspired by an old dream I had where I was in a trolley with Tsuna and another person whom I cannot recognize. I just spent the entire dream laying on the mystery person's lap while Tsuna sat next to us, sleeping. The atompshere was very calming and warm and the scenery was breathtaking. With the song 'Old Bicycle' by Ivy, this fanfiction was born. I hope you had a nice time reading it.