Hello, my fellow Readers.
I know I will be asked why on this, so I pre-empt you and say: I Googled Mukuro and saw him (might've been fem!Mukuro, but I couldn't tell) in a stunning blue dress. And I remembered a fic about the First Gen where-in G cross-dressed as a woman in red called Lady Tempesta. And the massive helping of angst came from my mood.
More angst than I intended there to be, but do try to enjoy. And double update for you my Readers, so there's that.
WARNINGS: Mentions of past-life rape, Mukuro's general Dark Past (are there any specifics about it out there? TV Tropes doesn't have much in his character tab), mentions of illusory cross-dressing (I may have a new thing for that . . .I can't be the only one who think Mukuro would make a good female, can I?). Most probable OOC.
~O~O~O~
"I'm afraid," Tsuna enunciated slowly, knowing his Guardians weren't going to like this. They were all strung out, and this might make a few of them snap. One in particular came to mind, "that the mission will have to go forward."
The outcry at his statement did nothing for his headache, and damn Reborn for looking so amused. Even if he looked the tiniest bit sympathetic, it did not excuse that level of enjoyment.
"B-But, Chrome is injured! She can't do the mission!" His Right-Hand, his Storm, his first (second, but Reborn must never know that) friend, protested vehemently, earnestly. Whether it be naivety, ignorance or willful blindness, he did not see what stared him in the face. His Rain, Sun, Cloud, Lightning and male Mist looked just as confused and resolute about it as Hayato did, at varying levels of trying to hide it.
"I said nothing about Chrome doing the mission. I said the mission would have to continue." Tsuna repeated monotonously.
Dead silence. Good, they were catching on.
"Do you mean to say, one of us is going to have to cross-dress?" Takeshi asked slowly, hesitantly, as if saying it would make it happen to him.
Tsuna nodded. They freaked out. (Yes, even the stoic ones. Tsuna could very easily see the minute flashes of emotion that flickered for only a scant second, even though there were not reactions from them otherwise.)
Tsuna Glared. They settled down. (Tsuna's glares were very deserving of their capitol G. He'd accidently Glared one nasty old Mafioso, who he'd been about to burn slowly to death, to death once. The rumors that said the Decimo Don Vongola could kill with a glance were exaggerated, but not entirely inaccurate.)
"I already know who's going on this mission, by process of elimination of who can't."
All pleading eyes, hoping it wasn't them. Tsuna knew he'd probably get hell for this, but quite frankly, by this point he couldn't be fucked.
"Ryohei-nii can't, because his body structure is too obviously masculine." The boxer blushed a bit, in pride at having such a body and in embarrassment for having that fact pointed out so directly. Tsuna ignored him.
"Takeshi can't for much the same reason, if toned down a bit." The swordsman matched the boxer's blush, scratching the back of his head and laughing awkwardly. Tsuna ignored him, too.
"I will send Kyoya on an infiltration again when all the stars in the sky burn out." The tonfa-wielder smirked a tiny little smirk that almost wasn't there, as the canary on his shoulder cheeped excitedly (in amusement, actually. Hibird was a great deal smarter than anyone, even Kyoya, thought). Tsuna gave him a nasty look -the clean-up for that had been an absolute nightmare, and that operation was a total disaster, even if his Cloud made a convincing woman. Until he opened his mouth, anyway- then ignored him, also.
"Hayato, you've gotten better at keeping your temper in check, and if this were just a day or two, I'd send you. But this is going to be weeks, possibly months, your self-control isn't that good, yet I hope." His Second gave him kicked-puppy eyes (he would find a way to make them a weapon. If he did, he'd take over the Criminal Underground the world over inside a decade, maybe less) and Tsuna hardened his Resolve and ignored him as well.
"Lambo is both too young and still too inexperienced besides for it." The youngest of them all only grinned tiredly, not up to actually being his usual hyper self. It was only thanks to his quick intervention Tsuna still had a female Mist, and his Flames were dangerously low. Even it weren't for the listed reasons, he'd be off the options for this to recover. He too was ignored.
Why was he ignoring his Guardians, you ask? He wasn't. He was just focusing on the one who'd be doing this mission, and would be none too pleased that he was, either. For a myriad of reasons.
Mukuro stared at him, his Boss, his Sky, with wide frightened eyes. In that moment, despite being twenty-five years old, he more resembled a young child. A very scared, hurt-too-often child. This, Tsuna was not surprised by, though he wished he could be and couldn't curse his Hyper Intuition for it, either.
"Um," it was Ryohei who started out, having enough situational awareness to realize this was somehow a delicate subject. "Are you okay, Mukuro?" The concern in the boxer's voice was clear for all to hear, and see if they looked at his face. The prerogative of a Sun, to always be concerned. (Reborn was too. He was just better at hiding it.)
Mukuro slowly shook his head in the negative, which only got the others worried. He tried to talk, but when his mouth opened no sound came but a strangled one. He turned his now frantic gaze back to Tsuna, who was looking at him in worry as the others did, but also a terrible, terrible knowing. As Tsuna shooed Reborn and his Guardians out, the bluenet's breathing pace increased, heading toward a panic attack. That's when Tsuna came up to Mukuro's seat and kneeled in front of him. Put his hands over his distressed male Mist's.
Speaking so softly it was the barest of whispers, Tsuna spoke, "you're the best one for this, even if the others were able. I'd bet the Vongola fortune at least one of your Six Path lives were female, likely two. At least in one of them, you were subjected to the greatest horror that can befall a woman, yes?" Mukuro only whimpered, tears in his red-blue eyes as he shook his head, silently pleading with his Sky not to continue, to stop, but Tsuna would no longer allow him to knot himself up in his past horrors even if seeing him like this broke Tsuna's heart a little. " Repeatedly, too. In the one you were an animal, some kind of bird, you were kept by a cruel owner that kept you caged and clipped your wings." Mukuro was shaking now, tears pouring down his cheek in silent misery. "But that wasn't the worst of it. No, that'd be the one where you were by yourself, all alone, with nothing that was yours and no one who cared." It was only Tsuna's hands on his that kept him from bolting, he could tell.
That's when Tsuna stood up, leaned over -ignored the violent flinch that was likely a reaction from when he'd been hurt so often he expected only blows that brought pain, never a caress that brought affection- and hugged the most damaged of his Guardians. Tsuna brought his Flame to the surface of his skin, so that the flow of it could be felt and was on the verge of visible. The Illusionist melted into the embrace, unwilling to really resist the comfort his Sky all but forced on him and, now that his masks had been ripped and startled off, he was unable to fight it. He leaned his forehead on his Sky's shoulder, almost overwhelmed.
"Why?" Was Mukuro's hoarse, broken whisper. "Why must you be so . . . ?"
~O~O~O~
Waaah! *cries* Why am I torturing the one with the most issues?! WHY?! I don't know, it just came out this way!
I was going for something fun, amusing, a spectacle for all to behold, and then this. What is up with me? I wanted this to be funny fluff, dammit. Where's all this angst coming from?
(By the way, that nasty old Mafioso? An Estraneo -is that how it's spelled?) member who'd gotten away from Mukuro's rampage, which is why he's a bit emotional in this. I couldn't find a way to put it in, so here it is.)
Review, review, review. And tell me a good follow up to that last sentence, because I'm drawing a complete and utter blank.