A/N: This came from my muse after watching Daemon Spade in the anime...I have a soft spot for villains. He's just too awesome xD And don't get me started on his seiyuu. Anyway, this is...a...what do you call it when the antihero succeeds? Tragety? Don't think so...
This is alternate universe where the stupid Shimon don't exist.
Warnings: Character death. But, please, no sueing me. And...evil stuff happens. And possible OOCness, considering I know next to nothing about the First Gen. And general evil plotting on Muku's part.
Spoilers for Primo Arc and Inheritance Arc (the manga one)!
Disclaimer: I apologise for not owning Reborn.
"Chrome?"
Shifting herself on the couch, Chrome Dokuro attempted to fight the light slowly seeping in through to her consciousness. But the harder she fought, the stronger the light shone, until finally the world revealed itself in all its shining glory. Reluctantly sitting up, she rubbed an eye and looked around, mentally assessing that the situation had not changed since she had gone to sleep, and it hadn't. Ken and Chikusa still weren't here, and the sun was almost setting.
The voice she had heard did not seem like reality in the shabby rooms of Kokuyo Land. She had almost dismissed it as part of her subconsciousness when it came again, light and melodic and almost seeming to seep in through the cracks.
"My cute little Chrome? Are you awake now?"
She rubbed the remainder of sleep from her eye and sat up, now fully conscious. Even if she had doubted the voice—which she did not—it left her no doubt with its method of communication. Finally, he had contacted her again.
"Mukuro-sama?"
"Chrome." The voice chuckled softly. "I'm sorry for waking you. How was your nap?"
"G-Good...I—Mukuro-sama, is there anything wrong?"
"Wrong? No, not at all. Why do you ask?"
"It's just...it's just..." She didn't want to tell him of all the times she had tried and failed to reach out to him. She didn't want to tell him of the times she had sat, sobbing, waiting for him to need her. She didn't want to tell him that she felt lonely and empty every other day when the voice in her head grew silent. It was stupid. Ken didn't feel like that. Chikusa didn't feel like that. She didn't need to feel like that.
Her master laughed again. "Kufufu~ Now now, Chrome, the reason I woke you was rather important. Do you know what day it is tomorrow?"
She nodded. "Yes, Mukuro-sama. It's Boss's inheritance ceremony."
"Exactly. And will you be attending?"
"I...suppose?"
"Ahh..." There was a pause, and Chrome was afraid he had left her. But then his voice came again, deep in thought. "I'm afraid not, my cute little Chrome. I have a little news for you, both good and bad. But you might not like the bad news." Another pause. "Do you still want to hear it?"
She grasped her trident firmly, swallowed, and nodded. "Yes."
"Good. Now the good news, my cute Chrome, is that I have broken out of Vendice."
She gasped with excitement, and was suddenly on her feet, running down the stairs and flying onto the road outside Kokuyo Land. Was he just outside, waiting for her?
After a quick look around, she was disappointed to find no familiar figure of her master. "Kufufu~ Not yet," Mukuro laughed in her mind. "I'm afraid you'll have to wait for the bad news."
Chrome smiled. If Mukuro-sama had broken out of jail, then there could not possibly be any bad news. "Yes. Go on, Mukuro-sama."
"Hmm. Well you see, Chrome, the bad news is—" She suddenly felt a searing pain in her stomach, "—that I no longer need you anymore." The trident dropped from her clutches and tumbled onto the ground. "You were a nice puppet while I was in Vendice. But now I'm afraid we'll have to say..." She collapsed onto her knees, and the world was spinning and tumbling sideways. Her eyes were shut firmly and it was so hard to breathe. Blood coughed up from her mouth and ragged gasps escaped her lips. It was painful...so painful...she couldn't even think, let alone contemplate what her master had just said and why he had chosen to do this. She struggled to hold on to the last pinpoint of light quickly fading in the distance.
"...goodbye."
And Chrome Dokuro lay still.
~givro eterna amicizia~
As he sealed the final envelope that night, Daemon Spade sighed. The candle was burning low and he was sure midnight had come and passed without his notice. Folding his arms, he slowly lowered his forehead to the table, enjoying the cool touch of wood against his skin. He closed his eyes and let out another long sigh, and just lay there. Seconds passed, minutes passed, and yet Daemon showed no sign of movement. One would almost think he had fallen asleep if, ten minutes later, he had not risen from his position and gone for a stroll in the moonlight.
It was a day til full moon in Italy. It was a day til his planned betrayal. But Giotto wasn't supposed to know that. Nobody was supposed to know that.
Half-bathed in moonlight, the flowers in the gardens looked more majestic and gentler than ever before. They also seemed much lonelier, so he did not stay long, but turned back to the mansion until he found someone blocking his way.
"It's nice out here, isn't it?" asked the Vongola Primo.
"What, may I ask, are you doing out here at this untimely hour, Primo?" he deadpanned.
"I may ask you the same question," Giotto sighed, "but I choose not to. I will not question your intentions, Daemon, though I know them to be loyal and true."
It was only years of practice that prevented him from avoiding his Boss' gaze and blowing the whole operation. Even so, he managed nothing more than a smile. "Would I be anything but?" asked the illusionist. "But if you are curious, I am admiring the moon. It is quite beautiful tonight."
"It is lonely," replied Giotto, "and desolate. But beautiful, I do not deny."
"Then, seeing as I have told you, mind telling me what you are admiring, Primo?"
"I am thinking...of tomorrow; of what it will bring. Of whether Alaude will bring in a stray animal or whether G. will accidentally burn his paperwork. Which is more likely?"
"G.," said Daemon, unable to fully keep the nostalgia out of his voice. "The chances of Alaude bringing in a stray are a thousand to one."
"Really?" Giotto's lips curved into a smile. "I recently got a message saying he had found a cute little hedgehog. He intends to bring it back."
"He does?"
"It seems so."
The two men lapsed into silence, each contemplating their futures. It seemed to Daemon that Giotto's hyper intuition knew what was going to happen, but he didn't even try to stop him. It would have been futile, in any case. Somehow, surprisingly, he regretted having to leave. Together, the seven of them had sworn the Vow of Friendship, and the memories were enough to last him a lifetime. There was not one moment which he had come to regret when the seven of them were together, and yet he knew this was the only way.
Giotto didn't belong in the Mafia.
Putting a man like him in the Mafia was heartless. Giotto was not cut out to be a Mafioso. He was cut out to be a...a... Daemon didn't know exactly what, but the Mafia was the least likely thing on his mind. His Boss was kind and compassionate and trustworthy and soft. He was a good leader. But he was not a Mafia Boss.
"I'm going back inside," Daemon said, shattering the silence. "Have a good night, Primo. Don't stay out too long."
"I won't."
~givro eterna amicizia~
"Wow, master, you're a really heartless person, aren't you?" said Fran as they stood over the body of Chrome Dokuro.
"Kufufu. If you know, why are you still staying around, little one?"
Fran rolled his eyes. "I'm not on that level of devotion, you know? I'll stick along so long as you can still teach me something. And then I'm off."
"To where? The Varia?"
He shrugged. "Was thinking of it until the Arcobaleno gave me those future memories. Though they can't really be memories if they're in the future. They haven't occurred yet, so technically—"
"It will not do to think too deeply of this," laughed Mukuro. "It's similar to an illusion: try too hard to break it and you'll end up sinking deeper. But the future did give me some good information. I found you, for one."
"That might not be 'good' information. You know, master, I'm starting to think it might've been better if you stayed in Vendice."
"Why, little one?"
"Well." Fran played with a strand of his hair. "You're all out to cause chaos for the poor Mafia Families, and this girl's dead, and the Vongola aren't going to have a Mist Guardian, so wouldn't it have been less troublesome if you had stayed in there?"
"Kufufu~ I have waited long enough in there."
"...True." For a moment neither of them spoke; they simply stared at the body. "You should really bury her, you know?"
"I will," replied Mukuro. "But not here and not now. After this is over, I will bury her with the rest of Sawada Tsunayoshi's Guardians."
Fran shrugged again. "You know, master, you're too early. You were supposed to become the Mist Guardian and then take possession of the Vongola Decimo. That way you'll be in control of the Vongola without having to do a thing. Talk about being impatient." The next moment, a trident sliced through his back. "Ow! Master!"
"This way works better," said Mukuro, looking mock hurt. "Besides, you really think he'll have the guts to go the final step?"
"Well, you can always force him."
"That sort of thing only works in your head," Mukuro smirked.
"So what are you going to do? Just going to run up and stab him in the back?"
"Kufufu, not quite. It has to be an artistic assassination of sorts. And it's really not too late to do the method you suggested. I think I'll do a combination of both."
"But how are the Vongola supposed to operate without a Mist Guardian?"
The trident slashed down again.
"Ow!"
~givro eterna amicizia~
As he watched the Mafioso fall one by one, Daemon Spade cloaked himself in mist. There were little options available to him now. There was no way he could take on all 6 Guardians at once, despite his illusionary advantage. They were all too familiar with how illusions worked. Besides, Giotto's Hyper Intuition was a major problem.
A sharp pain tore him back to reality and Daemon saw that, in his insecurity, he had failed to see the dagger that had skimmed his right arm. Glaring at the wound disapprovingly, he was about to escape through the window until he noticed that Giotto was staring right at him and the rest of the Mafioso in the room were all unconscious.
"Show yourself, Daemon!" G. commanded, stepping forward. "You can't hide forever!" He adjusted his bow and took a firm stance, ready to aim at whichever area seemed unnatural.
Giotto, however, lowered his gloves and ushered G. back. "Come out, Daemon. Please."
He no longer had a choice. Daemon dispelled his illusions and glared at his fellow Guardians. G. lowered his bow a fraction. The silence hung like a knife.
"Why?" Giotto said quietly, stepping forward. "Why, Daemon?"
The Mist Guardian sighed. "You are not fit to lead the Vongola. We must become strong and crush our enemies." As he continued, he watched Giotto's frown deepen and G.'s eyes widen in horror. He watched Ugetsu's expression harden and Knuckle's look of outrage. He watched Alaude's lips thin and Lampo's mouth drop open. They were all so weak.
"I cannot stay long, Primo," Daemon smiled, "and you cannot stop me." He turned to leave.
"Wait! Daemon!" The illusionist paused in his tracks and turned reluctantly to face his ex-Boss, who looked at him sympathetically. "Just know that it's not too late to turn back. I still consider you a friend and Guardian."
At this, several others made sounds of disapproval, but Daemon only smirked. "Foolish as always, Primo. I hope our paths never cross again."
He stepped on the window sill and, without looking back, vanished into the night.
Running through the forest cloaked in his illusions, Daemon Spade closed his eyes and allowed his tears to run free. He did not care for forgiveness—he had never expected any in the first place—but that compassionate look in Giotto's eye seemed as if he knew of his predicament all too well.
He stopped a few minutes later and turned back. The mansion was ablaze with lights and fires of all different colours, and even from here distant sounds of battle could still be heard. Tears obscured his vision and ran down his pale face and, slowly, he reached up a hand and wiped them away. It was too late to turn back, even if he wanted to.
~givro eterna amicizia~
Kokuyo Land looked the same as ever, desolate, tattered and abandoned. Ken and Chikusa ascended the stairs, a variety of food in hand. They turned a corner into a dusty room and Ken promptly dropped all the food he had been carrying.
"M-Mukuro-san?"
"Kufufu." He was there, sitting on the couch like he had never left, trident in hand and heterochromatic eyes twinkling in amusement. "Good afternoon, Ken, Chikusa. I'm finally back." He stood up and gave a mock bow.
"Mukuro-san!"
"Mukuro-sama!"
And then suddenly nothing else mattered and the two of them ran over. Ken was chatting excitedly while Chikusa just watched, and Mukuro kept laughing and avoiding questions. It was some time before any of them even thought about Chrome. But eventually Ken quelled his excitement enough to voice the one question Mukuro had been dreading.
"Mukuro-san, where's Chrome, byon?"
The effect was instantaneous. The room fell silent and the temperature cooled, and Mukuro's eyes narrowed slightly. "Kufufu~ Well actually, Ken, there are several reasons to my visit. Firstly, I wanted to see the two of you again, with my own eyes. Secondly, I have a...proposal of sorts for you. As for Chrome Dokuro...she's no longer walking on the Earth."
A stunned silence greeted this.
"M-Mukuro-san?" Ken whispered, "What do you mean...Chrome..."
Chikusa looked equally shocked. "Mukuro-sama, do you mean you..."
"Kufufu, unfortunately so. She was weak, and no longer needed. What a foolish girl. But you two, Ken, Chikusa, you're different. I am finally ready to possess Sawada Tsunayoshi. However, I will leave the choice up to you, whether you wish to join me or go your separate ways. You may go outside to discuss."
Ken's stunned expression met him. Chikusa sighed and stepped forward. "There is no need for discussion, Mukuro-sama. I will follow you however far you go."
"Chikusa-byon! C-Chrome...he just..."
"Ken. Just be glad Mukuro-sama's giving you a choice."
"But-byon!"
Mukuro chuckled. "I'll be leaving now, Ken. My offer is always open. Kufufu." Laughing, he strolled from the room, descended the stairs and was halfway across the courtyard when Ken seemed to come to his senses.
"W-Wait! Mukuro-san!"
And the Kokuyo were reunited once more.
~givro eterna amicizia~
Daemon Spade firmly believed that this was the worst day of his life. Rokudo Mukuro also firmly believed that that fateful day had been the worst day of all his past lives.
It was the Inheritance Ceremony of the Vongola Secondo. And as he stood there, together with the row of Guardians, Daemon felt his heart shatter into a thousand pieces. He was supposed to be Giotto's Guardian! He was supposed to be eternally loyal and faithful to the Vongola Primo, and Primo alone! What was he doing, pledging his loyalty to a man who had never fully trusted him?
As another insignificant Mafioso began a long-winded speech, Daemon once more felt tears cloud his vision. He blinked rapidly, willing them to dispel. He was the one who had made this choice. This was supposed to be the happiest day of his life. Then why...why did he feel...regretful?
He mentally shook his head. This was for the good of the Giotto. More importantly, it was for the good of Vongola. Giotto could never stay as a boss of a powerful Mafia Family, and he was weak, too weak to heed Daemon's words. And Giotto was in Japan now. He would be happy there; he would have a chance to start anew.
There was no other way.
As the ramblings of speeches went on, Daemon turned on his heels. The crowd parted for him, and he strode purposefully towards the exit, ignoring the whispers of his fellow Guardians and frantic murmurs to come back. His path took him down into the garden, lit with warmth by the sun. This place had been the last time he had talked to Giotto before his betrayal. The memory seemed too long ago.
He wished he could have stayed longer. He wished that final conversation could have lasted for eternity. He wished he had a chance to tell Giotto about how much he regretted this, about how much he wanted to deny his actions, about how much he cared.
And he almost told him, too.
He had gathered up parchment and a quill and had even written Dear Primo until he stopped and threw the parchment away. It was better for Giotto to just forget about him. It was better to allow his ex-Boss to just start fresh and forget about everything that had happened. As much as it pained him, Daemon knew it was right.
He smiled sadly at the irony. After years of struggling to do what was right for himself, he was now going against his own wishes and doing something right for his Boss. And he was sure writing to the Primo during the Secondo's Inheritance Ceremony was a huge act of disrespect.
But Daemon Spade no longer cared.
~givro eterna amicizia~
Sawada Tsunayoshi's Inheritance Ceremony would have proceeded flawlessly if there wasn't one minor problem. Well, this problem wasn't actually minor at all—it was actually extremely major—but nobody was particularly concerned at the moment. Each one of the Guardians had been late before, but never this late and never to such an important occasion.
But each of them were still convinced that their Mist Guardian had simply overslept and would arrive in due time for the Ceremony. Two hours later, however, the soon-to-be Vongola Decimo still saw no sign of Chrome, and was reluctantly forced to conclude that they would have to begin without her.
And all through this time Tsuna considered his decision. "Reborn," he said quietly, just before the Ceremony began, "is it really right for me to become the Tenth? I...I did this for Gokudera-kun and Yamamoto and Chrome...but I really don't think it's right...Reborn, I don't...I don't think I'll be able to go the final step!"
The Arcobaleno sighed. "Tsuna. I won't give you any advice. When the time comes, you can choose for yourself. You'll know what's right. And if not..." He raised his gun. Tsuna fell silent after that.
Hours passed and the Ceremony continued impeccably, and yet Chrome Dokuro did not appear. Nor did Tsuna make up his mind, and as the final moments of the Ceremony drew closer, he became increasingly nervous.
"Now we shall commence the passing of the bottle, which is proof of the Vongola Boss since Primo's generation. It will be handed on to Vongola Decimo from Vongola Nono."
The box with the Sin passed down the row and finally stood before Tsuna, balancing on the cushion. The man carrying it bowed and Tsuna felt every single eye on him. He took a deep breath and opened the box, and then shook his head.
"I can't, Ninth. I'm sorry. I can't."
The crowd gasped.
Then, suddenly, the lights suddenly exploded, sending a shower of glass raining down on the Mafioso. Distressed cries and a few screams filled the air, and the temperature dropped several degrees in a second. A dark mist filled the room, seeping in through the cracks in the doors and windows and blocking out the natural light from the sun. The room grew icy cold and incredibly dark, and the hundreds of people scrambled towards the exit, to no avail.
"Kufufu...kufufufu..."
The chuckle came from every corner of the room from no visible source. Even as the Guardians readied their weapons, all of them recognised that voice.
"M-Mukuro!"
"What's he doing here, Tenth?"
"I'll bite you to death!"
"Kufufu, not so fast, Sawada Tsunayoshi." The mist seemed to thin out, some of the natural light seeping through. It was extremely dim, but enough to see the silhouette of a man with a most unusual hairstyle, wielding a trident. The Vongola Guardian of the Mist had finally arrived.
"Rokudo Mukuro!" Gokudera yelled, "You're late!"
"Hm." Mukuro shook his head. "No, Gokudera Hayato. You are all simply too early. Anyway, Sawada Tsunayoshi, I have some bad news. The first is that you won't be able to see my cute little Chrome...ever again. As Tsuna gasped and began to speak, he held up his hand. "The second piece of news is that if you do not agree to my terms, you will not have a Guardian of the Mist. Indeed, you will have no Guardians at all. The lives of your friends are hanging in the balance, and only you have the power to save them."
Tsuna felt a chill run down his spine. "W-What...Mukuro, what do you..."
"I mean exactly what you have heard, Tsunayoshi. If you disagree with my terms, I will destroy your Guardians. If you attempt to fight me, you will have no Mist Guardian, and therefore cannot become Vongola Decimo. I will betray you—and I have—except that this time, I will have no qualms about it."
"This time? What do you mean?"
Reborn raised his gun and pulled down his fedora. "Daemon Spade," he said.
Tsuna's eyes widened. "D-Daemon? What do you mean, Reborn? You mean one of Mukuro's past selves actually was..."
Mukuro smirked. "Kufufu, you have guessed right. Quite impressive for someone who was not there, Arcobaleno. Anyway, Sawada Tsunayoshi, what do you say to my proposal?"
To his right, Gokudera Hayato raised his dynamite. On his left, Yamamoto Takeshi steadied his sword. Tsuna shook his head and stepped forward, gloved hands restraining his Guardians. "Not yet, Gokudera-kun, Yamamoto. You heard Mukuro. If we attack him, we won't be able to..."
"A change of heart, Tsuna?" asked Reborn. "You want to become Decimo after all?"
Tsuna gasped. "N-No! It's just...I..." He shook his head. "I have to protect everyone from Mukuro. If I don't become the Tenth, he'll...it's too horrible to think about. But...I can't let someone like him become my Mist Guardian!"
"But Tenth—"
"Gokudera's right," interrupted Reborn. "Mist or no Mist, we can't allow Mukuro to sabotage the Vongola Inheritance Ceremony, especially as you have made up your mind. Other Families will take this chance to weaken the Vongola. Mukuro is still your Mist Guardian right now; you're eligible. Tsuna, take the Sin."
"B-But!"
From within the mist, the legendary bottle of Sin appeared, floating just within Tsuna's reach. "Kufufu, take it, Sawada Tsunayoshi. Become the Vongola Decimo you were destined to be, and then lose your mind, body and soul to me. Kufufu...kufufufu..."
Eyes widening, Tsuna turned to Reborn, looking frustrated. "Reborn! We can't do what Mukuro wants!"
The Arcobaleno smirked. "Hn. Looks like you underestimated him, Tsuna. If you don't become Tenth now, you'll never have a chance without a Mist Guardian. Take it, and you can defeat Mukuro after that."
"We can get another Mist Guardian!" exclaimed Tsuna. "Chrome—"
"I've already told you," interrupted Mukuro, twirling his trident and for the first time sounding slightly irritated, "that you won't be able to see Chrome ever again. I meant it."
It took a few moments for the subtext to sink in. "You mean you killed her?" asked Yamamoto, appalled. "You killed the girl who served you with her heart and soul? How could you! You...you're just like Daemon! A monster!"
Mukuro paused in his steps. "Kufufu~ As the Arcobaleno has said, Daemon Spade was my past self. I am not simply like him, I am him. Besides, it was due to me that she was able to live; I also have rights to control her death. The Vongola Decimo was too weak to see past my illusions, and as a result the Vongola will fall. Now take the Sin, Sawada Tsunayoshi!"
"No...I...You're not like Daemon!"
His eyes narrowed. "What?"
Tsuna bit his lip. "You're not like Daemon. Daemon loved the Vongola so much he was willing to do whatever it took to make it powerful. Are you willing to let your past self down? Are you willing to destroy what your past self has created? Why destroy the Vongola?"
"The Vongola cannot be led by an incompetent brat!" Mukuro was striding closer now, eyes alight with fury. "My past self tried to make the Primo realize. Daemon tried to make you realize. But the two of you are too similar. Too stubborn. Too weak. And the Vongola will not die when I take control of the world. It will simply be the strongest organization which I will use to rule."
He paused. "Kufufu, but that's enough of history. We must allow ourselves to be dragged back to the present. You will take the Sin, whether I force you to or not."
Tsuna took several deep breaths, made up his mind and closed his eyes. Then, steering himself, he mechanically stretched out a hand, and his fingers curved around the bottle. Then, hand shaking, he pulled the Sin from the case.
"Thus the Inheritance Ceremony of the Vongola Decimo is complete," Mukuro smirked. "And now, Sawada Tsunayoshi, your soul is mine!"
And as the mist thickened, Rokudo Mukuro's sinister laughter resounded into the heavens.
A/N: Don't kill me. I've always pictured Mukuro like this. He's not a very nice guy, is he? (We love him all the same)
Ara~ This is the first time I'm kinda scared xDD Still, reviewing would be nice ^^
~CC