Mukuro was getting a little bit tired of being manhandled so he glared up at whoever it was that pinned him against the stone walls. The man was tall and he held a striking resemblance to himself except he had blue hair instead of indigo. He gripped his trident tightly in his hand and forced a smile. "I don't think we've met before," he said conversationally.
"Nufufufu~ it's a shame that we haven't, really" the man replied with a grin. "The name's Daemon. Daemon Spade" he introduced. He let go of Mukuro and chuckled as the boy fixed the collar of his shirt. "I'm wondering, young man, do you know who I am?" he asked with a sly smile.
Mukuro laughed. "Are you forgetful, old man? You just introduced yourself," he replied sarcastically. It was obvious enough that the ghastly man before him—no, the ghostly man before him was definitely the person Byakuran was talking about. He doesn't know how to defend himself against ghosts (he was actually hoping that he could get to talk to Byakuran first or maybe read a book about ghosts first but alas, fate is fickle) but stood in a battle stance anyway.
"Rude, aren't you?" he chided. "And here I was hoping you'd join me for a cup of tea," he added before summoning his own weapon, a scythe. "Do you really wish to spar against me, boy?" he asked, walking ever so slowly towards Mukuro. "Why not just surrender your body to me? Less complicated that way, don't you think?"
Mukuro wasn't stupid. Fighting something he didn't have a clear grasp of is like walking into a street covered in mist at nigh: risky. Though he was a risk taker (after all, life was more exciting with risks), he didn't want to put his life on the line just yet. He wanted to be the one pulling the strings; the puppeteer rather the puppet. He kept his stance firm for a few quiet seconds before running to the general direction of the west wing.
Daemon, caught off guard by the tamer's sudden dash, turned around and swung his scythe at him. As it sliced through the air towards Mukuro, it caught ablaze; a brilliant indigo flame that illuminated the dark foyer.
The tamer's eyes widened, taken aback by the flame, and he barely blocked it with his own weapon. He held his trident tightly with both hands, pushing back the ghost with all this might. They pulled their weapons apart, realizing that their strength was almost at par.
"Nufufufu! Certainly, you shall make a perfect host!" the ghost praised. Brandishing his weapon, he made his way toward Mukuro once more. "Now be a good boy and surrender, yes?"
Mukuro backed away slowly, his brow furrowing in slight disgust. "Over my dead body" he replied before sprinting once more to the west wing. Thankfully, he managed to run fast enough to dodge another attack and he ran down the sinuous hallways, which he had memorized in his head, and into a random room.
Before Daemon could run after the tamer, the tall doors burst open and left dents on the stone wall it crashed against. An angry looking Hibarin stepped into the castle, tonfas at the ready as he glared at the ghost that abducted Mukuro. "Herbivore," he snarled. "Just what do you think you are doing?" he asked, raising his arms to chest, completely ready for a fight.
Daemon stiffened at the sight of Hibarin but he grinned anyway. "Oh my," he said in mock shock. "It's the infamous Hibarin." The ghost wasn't at his strongest so he calculated every step he took when it came to the vampire. "Did you come to save your friend? I'm afraid that it's pointless." With a snap of his fingers, the whole room was shrouded in darkness.
Hibarin was unfazed by his temporary blindness and waited for his eyes to adjust in the dark. Seeing a silhouette from the corner of his eye, he dashed towards it and swung his tonfa down with all his might, his eyes gleaming with bloodlust. Realizing that what he was aiming at was a decoy, Hibarin growled. "Hiding is for the weak," he spat. "Come out."
"Nufufufu~" Daemon chuckled. "Truly a worthy adversary, aren't you?" he commented, leaning dangerously close behind Hibarin. He blew gently at the vampire's ear in a taunting manner and quickly dodged the hit that was aimed at his abdomen. "Why not join me instead?"
"Do not herd me with yourself, you sordid herbivore," he hissed.
Daemon's right eye was suddenly engulfed in an indigo flame that didn't seem to hurt him. "Then you shall die by my hand."
The loud crash that echoed in the hallways caused Mukuro to pause momentarily, brows furrowed in concern. Shaking his head, he continued down the halls with determination. He was sure that Hibarin could take care of himself for a little while but for now, he needed to find a certain someone for help. "Byakuran?" he called out, dashing towards the library where he hoped to find the ghost.
Before he could reach the doors of the library, a gust of wind too strong to be naturally caused in the closed area swept through him and he paused in his tracks. He spun on his heel and was glad to see that the ghost he was looking for had done the same.
Byakuran's eyes were wide in surprise and frowned. "Muku-chan! What are you doing here?" he exclaimed, shaking his head. "No, no, no! You're not supposed to be here!"
"Byakuran, Hibarin is out there fighting Daemon as we speak," the monster tamer explained as calmly as he could. Mukuro collected himself before letting out a breath he didn't know he was holding. "You have to tell me: how do I kill a ghost?"
Chrome intended to keep the promise she made with Mukuro but it was proving more and more difficult to do when she found herself at the center of attention, all eyes on her. She fidgeted in her seat, feeling uncomfortable under the scrutinizing gaze of both Gokudera and Ken. "U-uhm. . . "
Ken growled, pushing away the silver haired teen that got in his way. He slammed his hands on the table with a glare. "Stupid girl! Where the hell is Mukuro-sama?" he snarled and picked her up by the neck of her shirt. "I know you know where he is, pyon!"
Everyone gasped at Ken's vulgar actions and Tsuna immediately tried to pull them apart. "K-Ken! Put Chrom-chan down!" he pleaded frantically.
The usually stoic Kakipi stood up, pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose before separating his two friends by force. He suspended Ken in his right hand and Chrome in his left, holding them a few feet apart. Tsuna stumbled to the ground in between them but was thankful that no one was hurt. "Ken, calm down," Kakipi instructed sternly.
"Y-you can put them down, now" Tsuna said nervously.
Kakipi shook his head. "No," he replied simply before turning to Chrome. "Why won't you tell us where Mukuro-sama is?" he asked in his usual dull manner (though he intended to sound gentle). He put Chrome down and patted her head but kept a firm hold on Ken.
Yamamoto laughed as usual, trying to lighten the mood. "You don't have to tell us if you don't want to!" he told her with a grin on his face.
Pandemonium broke loose.
Ken slipped out of his jacket and tackled the zombie baseball player to the ground and shook him by the collar. "YOU IDIOT, PYON! DO YOU THINK THIS IS FUNNY?" In his fit of anger, Ken didn't notice that Yamamoto's head had fallen off and rolled towards Lambo who shrieked in terror and started bawling.
Ryohei, who had been sleeping, woke up and yawned before promptly screaming "I'M EXTREMELY AWAKE!" into Tsuna's unknowing ear. Gokudera berated him quickly before throwing himself on top of Ken to shake him off Yamamoto. The zombie's body sat up, hands groping the ground in search for its laughing head.
Chrome stared at the ground in the midst of chaos, clenching and unclenching the material of her pink dress in her hands. Ken and Gokudera rolled in front of her in a struggle, insulting each other and attempting to punch the other into unconsciousness. She frowned, brows furrowed in thought before finally speaking. "I… I…" She started quietly.
The room went silent and everyone stopped what they were doing to stare at the mummy.
"I… made a promise to Mukuro-sama," she continued. "I p-promised that I wouldn't tell anyone where he went." She felt like she betrayed her closest friend by speaking these words and chose then to keep her mouth shut.
Tsuna, whom finally recovered, made his way towards Chrome and placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. "He's supposed to be recovering, Chrome-chan," he told her gently. "We're only concerned about his well being." Though he was intimidated (scared out of his wits) by Mukuro, Tsuna meant what he said; the indigo haired boy was a part of their family now.
A little bit touched by Tsuna's words, she squirmed a little in her place, maundering quietly to herself for a few moments before speaking up again. "H-he went back to that castle," she said, finally giving in. She didn't know the logistics of Mukuro's plans; she trusted in him so much that what he did didn't matter as long as he was safe.
There was a pregnant pause before Gokudera kicked Ken off himself and piped up. "That castle! Where that crazy bastard vampire lives?" He shook his head in disbelief and paced across the room a little. "Why in the world would he go back there?" he questioned, throwing his hands in the air in confusion. It made no sense to him.
Yamamoto placed his head back into its place and smiled thankfully at Chrome when she wrapped bandages around his neck to keep it in its place. "Maybe he forgot something?" he said, laughing lightly again.
Kakipi held Ken back before the ware-dog could attack Yamamoto. "He had nothing to forget when he went there," he replied.
"That isn't the point, pyon!" Ken whined.
Gokudera growled and punched Ken in the gut to calm him down. "That what is the point, you noisy dog?" He huffed indignantly under Kakipi's stern gaze bared his teeth in annoyance.
"I just want to know that he's safe," Chrome whispered in a voice that was barely audible.
A pensive silence fell upon the group as they all avoided each other's gazes.
"Idiots," chimed a tiny voice from behind them. "All of you."
"Elder R-rebo!" Tsuna flailed his arms in surprise and briefly wondered why he wasn't used the magician's sudden appearances. "Wh-what do you mean?" he asked, doing his best to avoid the magician's staff that swayed at his direction.
"If all of you are so concerned about him, why not just pay him a visit and ask him why he went back?" he asked, hopping onto the couch that sat in the middle of the room. "It's as simple as that so I don't see what all the bickering is about," he elaborated.
"Even if we left now, it would take days to get to the castle!" Gokudera said, slightly frustrated. "And even if we had a carriage, it'd take hours! He might be dead by then!"
Chrome flinched at Gokudera's harsh words but was slightly shocked when Ken silently slipped his hand into her small one. His hand was warm and comforting in her grasp, and she clutched his hand tightly. "H-he's not weak," she stuttered.
"That's right, pyon!" Ken added. Once he was sure Chrome felt a little more at ease, he quickly pulled his hand back and raised his fist triumphantly. "Mukuro-sama would never lose!" he cheered. "Now let's get a move on right now so we can pick him up, pyon!" He wagged his tail excitedly.
Elder Rebo grinned and tossed Tsuna a bottle of little red candies. "Those will come in handy," he told his student before drifting to sleep.
Tsuna barely caught the bottle and held it tightly in his hand, nodding. He turned to everyone and grinned, trying his best to take lead. "Then lets go meet up with Mukuro, guys!"
"I think I saw an unused carriage in the forest nearby," Kakipi informed. "I'll get it," he said before leaving the house to retrieve the said item. Ken and Chrome followed after him, more than eager to see Mukuro and bring him home safe.
"Oi, baseball idiot! Help me out here," Gokudera instructed as he picked up Ryohei who had fallen asleep. "Fuckin' idiot fell asleep again," he groaned.
Lambo excitedly followed Gokudera and Yamamoto out the door, thinking that they were going on another adventure. "Neh, neh! Lambo-sama is going to find a whole lot of treasure and slay a lot of demons!" he cheered happily despite Gokudera's death threats.
Before Tsuna himself could exit his home, his mother came up to him with a basket filled with goodies. Accepting the heavy basket, he gave his mother a questioning glance. "What's this for?" he asked, tilting his head to the side. "Hiie! Why is it so heavy?"
His mother giggled and kissed his cheek. "Elder Rebo said you were going on a trip so I decided to pack snacks for all of you!" he told him. "Though I don't know why you'd go on a trip at night!" she added. "Wouldn't it be nicer if you left in the morning?"
Tsuna panicked slightly, looking for a realistic lie to tell his mom. "We, uh, um, want to get to the castle before everyone else does!" he replied.
"Oh, alright then, Tsu-kun," she kissed him once more before ushering him out the door with a smile on her face. "Then I don't want to keep you then! Have a safe trip, okay!"
Tsuna nodded. "Okay, mom!"
"Oh, and say hi to Mukuro-kun and his friend for me!" she said, waving goodbye to her son.
The young boy didn't realize what his mother had said and just nodded again before meeting his friends at the outskirts of the small town. He stared at the carriage that Kakipi found in slight awe. It looked very expensive he noted before placing the heavy basket down by his feet. It looked small as well. He smiled sheepishly at everyone. "I-I'm sure we can squeeze in if we tried," he told them awkwardly.
"Don't worry, Boss!" Gokudera smiled. "I've got it figured out!" He dragged Ryohei to the front of the carriage and put ropes into the larger boy's hands and snapped at Kakipi to do the same. Wordlessly, the golem did as he was told and stood by the napping monster. "Lawn head and Kakipi can pull us!" he said happily. "Like the rickshaws in China!"
Tsuna pulled out the bottle of monmon candy from his pocket and raised it to eye level. "So we give them some, right?" he asked.
Gokudera nodded his head enthusiastically. "Yeah! I knew you'd catch on, boss!"
Chrome approached Kakipi and held onto his sleeve, a little concerned. "Will you be alright pulling all of us?" she asked quietly. When he nodded she smiled in relief. "If you get tired, just say so and I'll ask boss to stop," she added.
Tsuna, Chrome, Lambo and Yamamoto crammed themselves into the small carriage, just barely getting the door closed, trying to find the most comfortable position they could manage. Ken immediately climbed on top, his tail wagging excitedly as they readied themselves. "You can do it, Kakipi-megane pyon!" the ware-dog cheered.
Gokudera placed a few monmon candies into Kakipi's hand and popped one into Ryohei's mouth. He scrambled on top of the carriage next to Ken and braced himself, grabbing onto anything he could. "Hold on, everyone!" he instructed.
Ryohei woke up, filled with energy and grinned happily. Kakipi took this moment and placed his own piece of candy into his mouth and felt the sudden rush of energy run through him. The two tall monsters began to run at an amazing speed with Ryohei screaming "EXTREME!" all the way.
A/n:
I was about to say "ignore all mistakes" but I changed my mind. Please point out all my mistakes. I have no betareader and when I reread some chapters, I saw a lot of mistakes, pyon.
OTL