Okay, I'm on a roll here, minna! Thanks to JustSittin'OnCityRooftops' amazing fanfics, I have been inspired to make another entry for the "Last Christmas" Series! Ladies and gentlemen, HibarixChrome!

Note: Hibari may be a bit OOC so sorry.

It was a crowded room. They were all there, with eyes tired from all that merriment. I didn't know, really, what I was to do. There were too many of them. With all those cheerful chattering and joyful music filling my head, I thought I was going to die.

I was always alone.

Nobody wanted me.

I'm just, as what they say, a stick in the sand.

Ignored.

Unwanted.

Uncared for.

"Ano, Chrome-san," a melodic voice called upon me. I looked up from my cup of untouched juice and stared at those two russet orbs of worry that stared upon me.

"Yes, Boss?" I asked with a pleading tone.

I hated my voice.

The way it raises into a pitiful tenor that absolutely sickens me.

It made me feel weak and spineless.

And, maybe, it's because I am.

"You're all alone here," he continued with a tinge of concern. "Aren't you enjoying the party?"

"Oh, I'm enjoying it, Boss!" I politely lied. "I'm just taking a break is all . . ."

"Hi, Tsuna, Merry Christmas!" a cheery voice greeted.

"Ah, hi, Haru!" he greeted back.

I left them to talk for a moment, travelling back to my own world.

Christmas.

I really don't understand what was so good about it.

Isn't it a day same as any other days?

It's Christmas, my dear Chrome, why are you so sad?

My velvet eye widened.

No.

I can hear his voice again.

Please, no.

M-Mukuro-sama . . .?

No.

No more.

Ah, my dear Chrome. Look at how your beautiful eye glistens with tears! And on a very special holiday, too.

Get his voice out of my head! I'm begging you!

Mukuro-sama. . .

Tell me what's bothering my dear Chrome.

No!

I don't want to hear him!

Because, I'm afraid, Mukuro-sama.

What can you possibly be afraid of?

I'm afraid of being alone again.

Oh, dear Chrome. You won't be alone. Ever again. I'll always be here for you.

Thank you . . . Mukuro-sama.

No. No more lies. I've had enough. Please.

I love you, Mukuro-sama . . .

I can't bear this nonsense anymore.

Make it stop.

Kufufufufufufufu . . . .

Make it . . .

Mukuro-sama?

. . . Stop.

"Chrome-san!" Boss cried.

Immediately, I was pulled back into existing being.

I was aware again of my surroundings.

Many were staring at me, including Boss. I instantaneously realized why.

My eye was producing tears, and when I looked down, I found that my hand had crushed the cup I was holding awhile ago. Orange juice droplets travelled through my trembling hands, and then dripped its way down to my lap.

"Chrome-san," Haru muttered, looking at me softly. Then, her face hardened as she shifted her stare to those staring at me amusingly. "Okay, nothing to see here! Avert your gazes! As in, now!"

Obediently, they moved their heads to different directions, away from pitiful me.

Pathetic.

That's what I am.

No wonder he left. No wonder they all left.

No wonder I'm all alone.

I put my sticky hands together, and attempted to stop the tears from flowing.

They wouldn't.

They couldn't.

How could they?

They were, after all, coming from a very vulnerable eye whose companion was long dug out from its place and is now replaced by a patch. Without its companion, it was obliged to produce double the tears.

Isn't that what everyone does when their only companions leave them?

"Chrome-san, please tell me what's wrong," Boss pleaded.

I violently shook my head.

He tried to reach for me, but I instantly stood up before he could.

"I'm so sorry, Boss," I muttered, before running for the door, out into the cold winter evening.

I needed to go somewhere.

Anywhere.

It could be hell for all I care, just as long as I could escape from these voices.

These terrible voices.

Mukuro-sama? Where are you?

Faster, Chrome.

I can still hear them.

Please go faster, Chrome.

Mukuro-sama?

The moon seemed to chase me as I treaded swiftly across the white blanket brought about by December; therefore, I kept on running.

Ken? Chikusa?

The pile of snow seemed to grow deeper as I go farther and farther from Boss' house. But, still I kept on running.

Huh. I wonder where they could have gone off to.

After a while, I began to feel immeasurable coldness on my right leg. I looked down and found that one of my boots was missing, exposing my bare foot to the bitter mounds of snow. I didn't care though. I just kept on running.

I guess-huh? This note . . . It's Mukuro-sama's handwriting, isn't it?

I ran even faster, for the voices were becoming louder.

Maybe, if I ran fast enough . . .

No . . .

. . . Then the voices might disappear.

They left without me . . . ?

Faster, Chrome.

Mukuro-sama, he . . .

Faster. Before that painful memory reach you.

He left me . . .

"AH!" I cried as I crashed down into a mass of soft snow.

My leg finally gave in to the chilliness that dribbled around its veins. It has grown numb with the bitterness. I can't move it anymore.

Who cares, anyway?

It has already reached me, anyway.

The excruciating truth has reached me.

The truth that Mukuro-sama, after that day when I finally pronounced my love for him, has left me.

I didn't have to run.

I just lied there, face flat on the ground, bawling my eye out.

Mukuro-sama . . .

I thought he was never going to leave me. He promised so. For what were those beautiful words he uttered, if none of them were true? They were all lies. All vicious and spiteful lies that came with two falsely-compassionate, monochromatic eyes.

And I believed every single one of them.

"Mukuro-sama," I muttered, lifting my face from the handful of flurry that held it. "I thought you loved me? The same way as I have loved you? Why, Mukuro-sama? Why?"

Dear Chrome,

"Is it because I have started to grow weaker?" I cried.

First of all, I want to thank you for everything.

"Is it because I've depended too much from you?"

I want to you to know that you have been an amazing vessel for me.

"Or, is it because . . . You never really did care about me?"

But, now, although it pains me to say this . . .

"But, Mukuro-sama, I loved you . . ."

I don't need you no more.

Everything around me started to blacken. All the white snow disappeared, and was replaced by lurking shadows of hurtful pasts. The eerie silence disintegrated, and was substituted by dark voices. Everything smelt of him.

But, he wasn't there.

I know for a fact that he wasn't there.

With all the might I have left in me, I struggled to keep my eye open, but it insisted on closing. Permanently, perhaps.

Before it did, though, I was able too something small, round, and yellow.

A bird . . .?

Chrome.

My dear Chrome.

My dear, beloved Chrome.

At last, I found you.

"Mukuro-sama . . .?" I slowly opened my eyes again, and thought I saw him. His beautiful mauve hair and monochromatic eyes. Then he started to peculiarly change. His lavender tresses gradually darkened into ebony black and his red and blue eyes transformed into fierce raven-colored eyes. He looked different. To me, he was a stranger, yet vaguely proverbial.

I closed my eye once more, and opened it for the second time, and I found myself staring at a small, yellow bird. It was gently pecking me at the nose. Immediately, I sat up.

"Ah, where am I?" I asked. The little bird started jumping up and down, as if it was excited about something.

"You look quite familiar," I mused, scooping it gently in my hands. Truthfully, the bird was recognizable. Like I've seen it before. In someone's shoulder to be exact.

"You're awake, I see," came a cold voice. I turned around and found myself looking at a tall man with black hair and eyes, the same ones from my vision.

I knew who he was.

Mukuro-sama knew him well.

He was Vongola Decimo's cloud guardian.

"Kyoya Hibari," I found myself mutter.

He scowled at me, and I felt myself shrunk back. There was something in him that made me jumpy all of a sudden.

"Come, Hibird," he said. The little bird leaped from my hand to his shoulder. Soon, both of them were staring at me.

"You're Chrome Dokuro, right?" he asked.

"Y-yes."

"I knew it," he mumbled, grabbing a chair and pushing it towards my side. "You're that illusionist's little victim."

"Victim" was one way of putting it, I thought. But, my words for it would be "temporary toy".

He reached from behind him, and pulled out my pair of boots.

"These are yours?" he asked sullenly.

"Yes," I squeaked.

"Okay then. Next time, don't leave them, and yourself as well, lying around in Namimori Middle's premises, are we clear?"

"Y-yes." I stared at the boots, and then back at him. So I collapsed somewhere near Boss' school, and was saved by him, I see.

"Ano," I whispered. "Thank you for saving me, Mr. Hibari."

"Hnn," I heard him grunt, looking away. "Don't thank me. It was Hibird that found you."

As if on cue, Hibird leaped once more from his shoulder towards mine.

"Thank you very much Little Hibird," I cooed as the little darling cuddled itself on my cheek. From the corner of my eye, I saw him staring at me . . . quite differently.

It suddenly dawned on me.

Even if it was Hibird that found me lying helplessly on the ground, there was still the fact that he, one of Mukuro-sama's sworn enemies, had helped me and brought me back to his own home.

At least I think this place is his home.

My eyes journeyed around the room.

The whole of it was lovely and comfortable. Never have I been in a more exquisite room before.

"Young Master?" a woman's voice called. I looked at the direction of the voice and found a woman in uniform, holding a basin of steaming water. "Here is the basin of warm water and towel you asked for, Sir."

"Bring it here," he ordered.

The woman approached us and handed him the basin and a small towel as well. Then, she took notice of me looking up at her.

"Good evening, Miss," she smiled gently at me.

"G-Good evening," I said meekly.

"You may leave," he claimed callously. Obediently, she bowed and headed for the door. Kyoya faced me.

"Let me see that leg of yours," he said.

Leg?

Tenderly, he removed the blanket that draped over my lower body, revealing my two bare legs.

"Can you move it?" he asked, touching my right leg.

I didn't feel anything. Not even his touch.

I tried to move it, but it ended in futile. My leg had completely frozen, in line with my heart.

I can't feel anything.

Not anymore.

Slowly, I shook my head.

"I see," he said, sitting on the side of the bed. He lifted my immobile leg, and placed it on his lap. He dipped the towel into the sweltering water, and then gently dabbed it on my insensitive leg. All of this I watched with uncertain eyes.

With that morose façade of his and apathetic movements, he doesn't seem to be the type who'd do something malicious.

But I can never be sure.

With all the things I've went through with Mukuro-sama, I could by no means be sure about anything.

"So, herbivore," he suddenly muttered. "Not that I really care why, but, what were you doing lying down on the cold winter ground?"

"Ano . . ." my voice trailed off.

"Hn," he grunted again with a smirk. "Still can't get over the fact that he left you?"

"H-how did you know about that?"

"You will never transfer to Namimori middle if you were still under that illusionist's wing. He's too smart to actually let you anywhere near me or the rest of them if the circumstances don't push him to."

"My, how well you know him," I commented.

"Please," he said, not making any eye contact. "You don't need to be a genius to know that he's nothing but a worthless user. I knew for a fact that he's going to leave you sooner or later. That's just how rotten he truly is."

"Don't say that," I softly argued. He stopped for a moment, and stared at me. Those two intense dark eyes infused themselves unto me, and I couldn't do anything but look away.

"So, even after all this time, you're still under his vindictive spell?" he asked, resuming his treatment on my leg. Gradually, I began to feel heat unto my leg, and there I felt his warm sensation spreading from it towards my whole body.

"Don't say that," I said again, this time a little louder.

"Leave it to that sinister bundle of mayhem to hide behind a little girl, and then leave her when he was strong enough to stand on his own."

"I said don't talk that way about my Mukuro-sama!" I cried as I pounced on him, attempting to scratch his face. Quickly, though, did he unleash his tonfas to defend himself, so I ended up grabbing them instead. Maybe my sudden outburst caught him off guard, because he was pushed back by my force.

Or, maybe I just didn't know my own strength.

"You don't know him," I growled, my eye filled with tears. "My Mukuro-sama is a nice person! He gave me a chance to live again, and he protected me from this cruel world. I was alone, and it was only he who stayed with me."

He struggled to stop my hands from reaching him, and at the same time he stared at me blankly.

"It's my fault that he left," I continued. "I was a worthless person. I depended too much on him. I'm a weak and spineless little worm and he realized that. That's why he left . . . That's why they all left . . ."

"Is that what he made you believe?" he asked dully.

"Huh?"

He seized my sudden confusion, and pushed me down. He sat beside me as he trapped me with one of his tonfas. I didn't bother struggling. He's too strong for me. I was only lucky I caught him off guard.

"Don't be too hard on yourself," he whispered. "You're just a victim of his capriciousness. You can't put too much blame on yourself just because you believed in him. It's not your fault. He merely took advantage of your being alone and sad, that's all."

He lifted his tonfa away, together with his gaze.

"Your only mistake is not being able to get over him after all this time."

I tried to sit up, but he stopped me with his stare before I could.

"Get over him," he ordered. "Or I'll bite you to death."

"I can't," I whispered, smiling as the tears flowed out. "You might as well kill me, because I can never get over the only I've ever loved this way."

He stared at me, and then reached for my face. I was surprised at how a cold person such as he would own such warm hands.

"That's nonsense," he said. "You can get over him."

"How?"

"You just need someone to love you the same way you have loved him."

"And, where can I found someone like that?"

"In front of you."

As I felt his lips touch mine, I was reminded once more that there will always be someone out there who'll love me. Mukuro-sama taught me that. Now that he was gone, I guess I've forgotten about that saying. Since Hibari called him a liar, does that mean that that was a lie as well?

I felt his arms slide across my waist as he gently brushed my lips with his.

No. That's probably one thing that he was sincere about.

Now that I've found a real love, you'll never fool me again.

-FIN-

This story is in memory of my affections for Hibari that has slowly deteriorated and been replaced by lust for Colonello . . . XD Kidding. Hope you guys liked it!

Anyway, guys, this fic is actually part of a collaboration between me and akuma chigiri0827, and another friend whose username I don't really know! This is kind of our way of celebrating Christmas! Oh, and don't be surprised if I, and akuma chigiri0827 as well, would have numerous (well, a few anyway) fanfics with the same title and summary. It's part of the collab, ya' see.

Please read akuma chigiri0827's fics as well. She's GOOD. As in, much, much better than I am! I bow down to the great glory of her fics!

Okay, I think I've said enough! Thank you for your support for the Christmas Collab 2011! I wish you all the best this Christmas!

Thanks for reading!

LoveLots~3