He examined the bouquet in his hands, studying the brightness and vibrancy of each flower. He had been working in the gardens all day and was excited to show his mother the flowers he got her. Sure, he had no permission to pick these himself, but Agathe let him slide this once.

'I hope she likes them.'

He grinned, proud of his selection. He had no idea what each of these flowers were called, but the colors were just beautiful. They were all a bright red, shining underneath the fluorescence.

'Maybe these will help her get better.'

He could afford to be a little hopeful. After all, today was a special day for him. He just had one wish, one single hope that he prayed would come true... and he hoped that these flowers could somehow help make it happen.

"Mother, I've got..." His words trailed off his tongue. His eyes widened at the sight. "W... What happened?"

Everything was in complete disarray. Furniture was flipped and broken in pieces. Frames laid in shatters on the floor. He slowly stepped inside, fearing the worst. Did someone break into their home? He hoped that at least his stepfather was here to protect his mother...

The thought jolted him back to reality, sending a cold shiver to race down his spine. "Mother?"

There was no response. He crept closer to her room. Ice crept through his veins when he saw the door ripped off its hinges.

He found no breath to speak. He edged closer until he could see a group of people standing inside. They were all men, garbed in back suits, surrounding his mother's bed and making it impossible to see her.

"This wasn't part of the deal. She isn't of use to us like this."

"But we can still use it! We just need another host."

"Tch, it would kill any normal human being if we tried to use it."

"There is still one option..."

"Who are you all?"

The men turned to face him. Mukuro stood there, staring at them. He swallowed, feeling his heart beat rapidly against his chest. He scanned the crowd and settled on one familiar face. "Father, who are these people? What are you all doing here?"

One of the men's eyes sparkled at the sight of him. Turning to Emiliano, he asked, "Is that the one you were talking about? Ophelia's son, Luciano?" Emiliano nodded his head. The man's lips spread into a Cheshire-like grin. "Perfect."

Before Mukuro could escape off, Emiliano plucked him off the ground. One of the other men grabbed the flowers out of the boy's hands and tossed them aside.

"Let me go! Tell me what's going on right now!"

"Calm him down." Emiliano covered his mouth with his hand, his cries turning low and muffled. Other men surrounded him, restraining his arms and legs.

The man readjusted his glasses and stepped towards the thrashing boy. "Little Luciano Vitale, allow me to introduce myself. My name is Benigno, top researcher of the Estraneo Familigia."

Mukuro's movements stilled, eyes widening in recognition. The hand fell from his mouth when they realized he would not say a word. Benigno was the man responsible for all the mafia's various experiments, the ones that that caused all the screams that haunted him even in his dreams. Mukuro felt his mouth run dry. He gripped his hands tightly, trying to stop himself from trembling.

"As for why I'm here, your father informed us of a very special opportunity. You are one the last of a great line of illusionists, one strong enough to go through the Six Paths of Hell... Perhaps I should correct myself and say the last."

Mukuro nearly wilted against his restraints. He could barely move, unable to even think.

'It couldn't be... No, he wouldn't do this to us...'

"Too bad to what happened to your mother. Such a fragile beauty she was... She was sick enough already, but then she had to poison herself before we can take her to my lab," Benigno said with a forlorn sigh. Mukuro glanced up to his stepfather, his eyes wide, questioning. Emiliano did not meet his gaze, his expression blank and unreadable, tinged only by a negligible look of sadness.

Benigno grabbed his chin, forcing the boy to look at him. "I almost thought that all hope was lost... until Emiliano told us about his stepson and his talents in illusions." Mukuro inhaled sharply, paralyzed by fear. "Why don't we see if you're truly the heir of this gift, hmm?"

The researcher released him and nodded his head. The Estraneo men grabbed him and carried him off, easily restraining his thrashing body.

"No! Let me go! Let me-" His words were clipped from his tongue. When the men stepped aside, he could see her. His heart nearly shattered in his chest. He gasped for air, feeling as if he was suffocating.

Ophelia, his mother, his one vibrant light. The flowers mingled with the vibrancy of her blood, complimenting the blood on the man's hand that held a familiar right eye.

"M... Mother..." He sagged against his captors, losing all will to fight. His vision was beclouded with tears, blurring everything into a miasma of red.

Today was supposed to be a special. After all, it was his birthday.


A/N Notes: Thanks for reading~