Disclaimers: I do not own KHR. If I did, everything would be much more dramatic and romantic.
-Dedicated to chquine-harvinellisse
Fran wandered up and down the corridors, grumpy that Reborn was still here, and that Gianni was still here, and that Chrome and the rest of the team were still gone, and that everything-
Sucked.
Balls.
Fran just wanted for his little sister to come back; Mammon was happily working with Skull (whom he was watching, very, very, closely) so, as much as he hated to admit it- he was lonely. He had never realized how much time his stupid senpai and his sister took up. He walked around, moping, hoping desperately that they would come back from the trip soon.
He was so bored. When he walked home from school, he froze in front of his door.
It was left ajar.
He began to panic, but he forced it down along with the taste of bile in his mouth. Mammon could've just forgotten to shut the door. Nevertheless, he walked inside cautiously.
"Mammon-nee? You here?" He called out, immediately regretting it. He should've shut up and called her on her phone. A creak on the stairs, and then silence. He swallowed nervously, his mouth going dry. Then, his teal-green eyes went impossibly wide, and emotion filled them like never before; a wail building up in his throat.
"Mammon-nee!" He howled, running forward, dropping his bag. Mammon was lying on the floor, looking as if she was sleeping, aside from the fact that blood was pooled around her head.
And Skull was nowhere to be seen, that bastard.
He cradled her head gently, crying silently. "Mammon-nee," He moaned, rocking back and forth. "Mammon-nee," He groaned again, burying his face in her purple hair. He tore his jacket off, and wrapped her head in it, murmuring her name softly, trying to wake his sister up.
"Ngh… Fran?" She mumbled. Sighing in relief, he rested his forehead against her bangs. He closed his eyes. "Wha happn'd?"
"I don't know," He answered softly. Then Fran heard steps, and his eyes shot open; he whipped around towards the noise, and whipped out brass knuckles and slipped them on in an instant. He stood up and ran towards the sound, and punched the figure straight in the face. The trespasser's skin ripped with the force Fran had used.
The figure tumbled to the ground, and Fran kicked him as hard as he could, grunting with exertion. He smiled grimly when he heard the attacker groan in pain.
"S-Stop!" The man coughed out. "F-Fran, it's Skull!" Fran ignored him, and kicked him violently once again.
"You bastard, what the hell did you do to my sister?" He snarled, and knelt down, grabbing the man by the collar and holding up the bloody brass knuckles to his face. Skull's eyes darkened and he kneed Fran in the side, grabbing ahold of both of Fran's arms, restraining them.
"Listen to me," He said, a little angrily, but urgently. "We need to get Mammon and get away from here, but first, you need to calm down, and-"
"The hell I will!" Fran yelled, and butted his face into Skull's. Skull let go, but stars exploded in Fran's vision. The younger one shook them off, shakily standing up. His vision swam, but he forced it down.
Use your head, little one. Use your brains and not brawn.
He blinked once, then twice. Right. Mukuro's advice was coming back to him. He obviously couldn't overpower the older man; he was too big, and he obviously had some skill, judging by the force of the blow to his side.
Draw him away, Ushishishi.
He blinked when he heard Bel's voice, but he did it nonetheless, running into the kitchen. Skull stood up and ran after him.
"No, Fran, we need to-!" Fran slammed the door shut and shoved a chair under the door. He cussed, whipping around frantically, trying to think.
And Mammon was still out there.
Oh god. What was he going to do? And right on cue, the doorknob stopped jiggling. His breath hitched in his throat as the footsteps faded away. Oh god. The hardest choice in his life.
Save himself, or his sister?
Then suddenly, he heard the door behind him creak. Too late, he whipped around, and came face-to-face with a long knife that was pointed directly at his right eye. If he had walked forward, the knife would've stabbed him in the eye. His breath caught in his throat as he eyed the weapon and recognized his attacker.
"Oh no, you don't, Fran-kun~"
*K*H*R*
Bel started as his phone started ringing. He looked at it, and grinned- it was his Froggy. He had just gotten off the plane and he was walking through the airport with the other students in the Genus Specialis. He picked up, giggling like a maniac. Chrome shot him a knowing smile- she knew it was her brother/ friend. He snapped his phone open, grinning.
"Ushishi, how's my Froggy?" He giggled. "Missed me?" His eyes widened almost comically under his blonde bangs.
{Bel, help!} Fran shrieked into the phone. {Bel!} He screamed again loudly, panic loud and clear in his voice- and that was what scared Bel. He had never heard Froggy scream with emotion.
"Froggy? Froggy, what's wrong?" He yelled back into the phone, already running towards the exits, preparing to sprint back to Fran's house.
{Bel, help! They've come for- ack!} He heard the phone crackling- Fran must've dropped it on to the floor. Bel pressed the phone tightly to his ear. Chrome and Mukuro came running up, followed up by the rest of the class.
"Bel-san, what's wrong? What's wrong with my brother?" Chrome demanded worriedly, practically screaming in his face. Mukuro put a calming hand on her shoulder.
"Idiot prince, tell me right now, what is wrong with Little One?" He commanded the blonde, worry etched on his features. Bel's breath hitched a little more when he heard what was happening.
{Leave my sister alone, you fucking-guh!} a crunching sound, and Fran was silent.
{Shut up, pipsqueak.} Another voice muttered. {Guys, leave the kid and the adults. The one we want isn't here. Leave them.} Then a whiney nasally voice came on.
{But I just want to decorate them~ The boy's so pretty~ Can't I just have that one?} Bel froze, and sprinted towards the house, even though he dimly knew that it was futile. He faintly heard Mukuro and Chrome run after him.
{No,} the first one sighed exasperatedly. {You can't take the boy. But you can leave the message, I don't care. Just make sure you don't kill them.} The other laughed happily, but he was interrupted by another male's voice.
{D-Don't hurt them,} the male said weakly. Bel was running like never before, and then a car screeched behind him. The door opened, revealing a very determined-looking Lal.
"Get in," She said grimly. "And tell me where to go." Bel got in, issuing directions, Chrome and Mukuro clambering in behind him.
{You're first then.} The nasally guy giggled, and the male started screaming. Bel began to feel sick; he was listening to somebody torture another. {Let's see, let's do the woman next, shall we?} Bel heard him grunting, lugging something heavy. Bile rose in the prince's mouth.
{No! Don't touch her, take me!} Fran screamed in the background, suddenly coming to life. Bel's eyes widened. {Mammon-nee! NO! Let her go, you sick bastards, vaffanculo, get away from her, you figlio di troia-} Fran had begun cussing in a language that sounded very familiar to Bel.
Italian.
How did Fran know Italian? And by the sound of it, he was fluent. Suddenly, Fran started keening; the sound of it gave Bel goose bumps. {Mammon-nee!} Fran was wailing. {Vaffanculo! Let go-!}
{Ku. You're next.} There was a sound of a scuffle, and Fran yelling his head off. Then Fran started screaming. Bel began yelling at Lal to hurry the fuck up; Froggy was getting hurt, and then- silence. And then Bel heard the most sickening sound he had ever heard in his life.
Drip. Drip.
The phone slipped from numb fingers and clattered onto the floor of the car.
*K*H*R*
Lal must've broken at least ten traffic laws. And it was a miracle that she didn't get caught.
She blew past the red lights, went over the speed limit, and made about 5 illegal U-turns. She screeched to a stop outside of a neat looking house, but the students were out of the car before she could stop the car fully. Lal cussed, and jumped out, following Bel, who had his knives out.
He ran inside, yelling Fran's name, before he stopped dead. Dokuro followed him, and moaned, running forward.
"No!" The purple headed girl wailed. Bel knelt down beside 'Froggy', coughing at the smell of blood. Fran was lying on the low table in the living room, dripping blood onto the floor, teal green eyes staring sightlessly at the ceiling. Gagging at the copper smell, Lal knelt down beside Mammon, who seemed to be hurt the most. Lal almost couldn't believe how many Arcobaleno had moved here as well. It was as if all the Arcobaleno had been drawn to the same place or something. The teacher jumped when she heard a voice.
"M-Mammon…" She turned her head, and her chocolate orbs widened at the familiar person. The person was lying on his stomach, hand reaching out towards Lal and Mammon, his head up, showing the dark bags under his eyes and the always ruffled purple hair was ever so familiar to her.
"Skull! What the heck!" She squawked, forgetting that she needed to help the hurt people. "What are you doing here?" He glared at her for a second, one of the most unusual things that she had ever seen. Skull used to be so scared of her.
"H-Help… Mammon…" He murmured quietly, then his head drooped and he lay still. Lal blinked, remembering Mammon lying injured. She quickly turned and began doing first aid. She grimaced slightly at the wound: Two slashes across the woman's back and a nasty blow at the head. The head was bleeding, and somebody had carved the word 'Anybody in there?' on her forehead, and a smiley face on the woman's cheek.
Rokudo whipped out his phone and called for help, while Lal did first aid. She ordered everyone around, unfazed, because Lal used to be in the army. She had seen a lot worse. Rokudo snapped his phone shut, and hurriedly went to help Dokuro bandage Skull. Bel was quietly treating Fran, but the teacher knew he was furious and scared inside.
And then Lal's eyes opened wide.
Mammon's leg was cut at the knee, nearly all the way through. It was attached by only a little skin at the back. Bile rose in the woman's throat as she stared at her old friend's leg.
Then suddenly, Reborn drove up in a van, and out of the car came Hibari and Lussaria. Lal turned to look at Rokudo, who strode over to her, and pulled something that was sticking out from the bottom of Mammon's body. She blinked; she didn't notice that something was in there. Rokudo's eyes were sharp.
As she stared questioningly at him, he stared dully back.
"Later," He said simply, and turned around to help Reborn carry Skull into Reborn's car. Hibari stood by Dokuro, peering at her worriedly as she knelt on the floor, her eye wide and staring. Her outfit was stained with blood, her pale skin a stark contrast with the red liquid on her clothes and skin.
"Hey, herbivore," the skylark said softly, helping her up. "Let's go," She shook him off gently.
"I'm okay, Cloud Person," She said softly. She stared at her bloodstained hands. They began to shake, and her breath quickened as the petite girl looked around the room, which was stained with blood. Hibari arms quickly went around her.
"Herbivore. Calm down," He told her soothingly. Rokudo shot him a grateful look for comforting his girlfriend, and helped Lussaria carry Mammon into the car. Rokudo shut his eyes for a moment, grimacing at her leg. But then he mustered up his courage and picked the unconscious woman up. Lal went to Bel and picked Fran up, the boy's head lolling, his eyes still open. When everyone was inside, Reborn stamped on the pedal, and then they took off, tires screeching. Lal stared at the motionless teen, and got goose bumps; the teal-haired boy's sightless stare was unnerving.
Suddenly, Bel's hand came down on his face, and he slid his eyes shut. As the teacher looked up at the blonde, he said simply, "Froggy should close his eyes or they'll dry out." Lal nodded, and looked around the van.
Dokuro was wedged in the back between Rokudo and Hibari. Rokudo was strangely stand-offish, and Hibari was gripping the girl's hand comfortingly. Dokuro stared at the floor of the car, eye glazed over. Lussaria and Reborn were talking quietly in the front of the car. Lal heard only bits and pieces, and she was irritated. She was the other adult too, and one of the unconscious Arcobaleno. She wanted to hear Reborn's analyzing. Reborn had sharp eyes and impeccable intuition.
"… Vendice…" Lussaria murmured worriedly to Reborn. Reborn said nothing, and the nurse continued to babble nervously. "…Broken out… high-priority…" Reborn finally answered the rainbow nurse.
"..He's… Japan…" He muttered grimly.
Lal set her jaw when she was able to distinguish little bits and pieces. Something much bigger than a crazy robber or serial killer was going on, and she was going to find out whether Reborn wanted her to or not.
*K*H*R*
Chrome stood nervously in the waiting room in the hospital while Mammon, Fran, and Skull were in the surgery room. She breathed out shakily, remembering all that blood, her family's blood, was on her, staining her, and she was covered in blood and-
Her knees buckled, and Cloud Person caught her. "Herbivore," He said firmly. "Calm down." She allowed Hibari to lead her to a seat, and sat down. She wanted the pain to go away. She wanted someone to comfort her. She wanted Mukuro.
But he wasn't here.
He had left with Reborn as soon as they were in the hospital. Not even a small smile or a 'Kufu.' He just left. Chrome didn't know what to do. The untouchable Mukuro must've been as shaken up as she was. What was going on? She gripped her own arms, digging her nails into her skin. The purple-haired girl did not deserve to be sitting here, unscathed, while Fran and Mammon and Skull were undergoing surgery. She dug her nails in harder, feeling comforted that she was feeling pain, and- a warm hand grabbed her hands, restraining them. The girl blinked, and looked up at the prefect's face. She tried to pull her hands out of his.
"Stop," He said, his stare hardening. "The herbivore is not going to die; neither are the purple she-herbivore and the male herbivore." Chrome had a crazy desire to laugh at the way he put it. She smiled faintly at him.
"Okay," She said softly. Tiredness rushed over her as she allowed herself to relax, and she rested her head against the prefect's chest. Chrome sighed, burying her face in the soft fabric of his uniform, breathing in his clean, sweet smell of aftershave, a little tinge of Sakura, and the simple smell of Hibari. She closed her eye, and tears began to leak out. Grabbing his shirt with both hands, she fisted his shirt as she cried silently into his shirt.
Hibari stood there, strong and silent, and she slowly calmed down, his strength seeping into her. He patted her back awkwardly, unsure of how to deal with crying people. She giggled a little through her tears.
"What?" He scowled, hearing her laugh. She smiled in his shirt.
"Nothing," She murmured, feeling a little embarrassed that she had cried. They sat there silently, Chrome face still in his shirt while Hibari sat there, letting her stay there. After a while, she backed up, blushing a little.
"Sorry," She mumbled. "I got your shirt wet." He looked down, and turned away, indifferent.
"It doesn't matter," He sniffed, and leaned back against the walls, closing his eyes. "You should probably change your shirt, herbivore." He added. Chrome looked down at her stained clothes. She shrugged, not minding anymore. Fran, Mammon and Skull were going to pull through. If Cloud Person said so, then it was probably true.
She leaned back against the wall too, and drifted off to sleep almost immediately. Unconsciously, she snuggled up against Hibari, leaning against him. And Hibari opened his eyes when he felt her rest her head against his shoulder. The prefect smiled a little, and threaded his hand softly through hers.
And then he too, promptly fell asleep.
*K*H*R*
"What," Reborn snarled furiously, "Is the meaning of this?" He slammed his hand down on the table, causing Lussaria and Lal to jump. Mukuro glared back, unfazed.
"I don't know," he replied coldly, mismatched eyes glaring back at the onyx black ones. Reborn scowled.
"You do know," He said, calming down. "This is clearly your doing." The teen bit back a hiss.
"I already told you, that I don't fucking know!" He snarled, anger bursting through his mask. "You think that's I'd attack Chrome's and Little One's family? I would never," He said frostily, eyes narrowing to slits, promising death.
Lal stepped in. "Reborn, he was with us the whole trip. It's impossible." Reborn whipped around at her, eyes flashing.
"Lal Mirch, you were not part of the Arcobaleno, nor were you part of the organization that looked over the Estraneo family. I suggest you leave unless you have anything useful to help us." The woman glared, and straightened up, snapping her head up as if she was still in the army.
"Well, I'm sorry to burst your bubble, sir," She seethed. "But Mammon and Skull were my friends too. Rokudo is my student, and I expect to look after him. Do you have a problem?" They bristled angrily at each other. Lussaria stepped in.
"Honeybunches, do you know anyone who might want to hurt Chrome or-erm- Little One?" the rainbow nurse asked the pineapple soothingly. Mukuro twitched at the question and the sweet voice. However, he restrained himself from jumping up and killing the nurse.
"Chrome's father is the only one I can think of." He said levelly, trying to force back some calm so he could get out of Reborn's house and think. Lussaria nodded.
"Could you give us a name, dearie?" The teen counted to ten to calm down.
"Kirai Dokuro," He replied. He saw a wave of recognition at the name flash across Lussaria's face. Reborn and Lal stopped arguing. Lussaria drew back, glancing at Reborn.
"Kirai Dokuro, thirty-seven years old, the infamous information broker. Wanted for his dealings with the mafia and big-time criminals in more than twelve different countries," Reborn said, nodding. "Well, looks like we've got a bigger problem on our hands, don't we? I never knew he had a kid."
Mukuro gritted his teeth at the new information. But he had seen the man, and he didn't look like he'd do this. He was more the type to order someone to do it for him. He gritted his teeth at their bickering. He didn't tell them about the information he had found in the Nebbia house.
+Flashback+
While everyone was frantically rushing around to help the injured people, he had surveyed the scene carefully. Noticing there was the blood had been so meticulously splashed about on the floor, he carefully looked around for signs. His sharp eyes zoomed in on scribbles on the floor near the wall. He strode over to it, peering at it, mismatched eyes narrowed.
Dearie me, look at this mess! Would you be a dear and clean it up for me?
Shutting his eyes, Mukuro counted from one to ten to stop the bile in his throat from spilling out of his mouth. Noticing a sheet of bloodstained paper underneath Mammon's still body, he went over to look, plucking it out from under her body. As Lal stared questioningly at him, he said, "Later," and walked away to help Reborn carry the purple-headed man to the car. As he walked back, he looked at the picture. There were directions on it.
Bottom drawer on the second floor, yellow room
Mukuro resisted the urge to go upstairs, but continued looking around for more signs; little things that could help lead him to the attacker. He suddenly froze, remembering Tsuna's words.
Chrome is going to die if you stay with her.
The stalking canaries, and now it was this? Was the next attack going to be on Chrome? He had a feeling that it was the person setting the canaries on Chrome, and he was sure as hell he was going to kill 'The Stalker' (He didn't believe that it was Chrome's father because he didn't have the aura that looked as if he could control birds. Canaries, to be precise). Gritting his teeth in anger at The Stalker's brutality and audacity, he watched them carry Little One's body to the car. He spotted writing on the table Little One was laid on, and he made himself walk calmly to the table.
Mukuro, Mukuro wherefore are thou Mukuro?
The teen's fists clenched. So it really was his fault. Glancing at the others to check if nobody was looking, he wiped the table clean of the writing, smearing the blood across so it covered the scribbles. Revenge was to be his and his alone, but until then, he had to keep up the innocent act. He had to. He had to protect Chrome, and to do that, he was going to do anything, even if it meant sabotaging the scene of crime.
He would not, under any circumstances, let her be wrapped up in this mess. And that was final.
+End of Flashback+
"Well, now that you have a suspect, I need to go. If you'll excuse me-," Reborn's head snapped towards him. Leaning in threateningly, he hissed at Mukuro, who didn't step back, accepting the challenge.
"You will do no such thing." The man hissed at the teen, who glared fearlessly back. "I still have some questions." Mukuro bristled angrily, but contained it with a haughty smirk, taunting Reborn.
"Oh, but of course, your highness, Kufufufu; how kind of you to assign such a task to me. Oya, oya, I fear-," Mukuro heaved an overdramatic sigh to grate the man's nerves. "That I might not be fulfill my duty. Nevertheless, I shall do my utmost best, your highness, Kufufufu." Reborn twitched.
Lussaria stepped in.
"Mukuro-chan, I think it's best if you don't aggravate Re-chan like that; he tends to get fussy quite quickly, and I hate cleaning up his messes." Lussaria sighed dramatically, and sent a secret wink to Mukuro, as if saying, I'm on your side.
Mukuro smirked. "Oh, but, Lussaria-sensei, I would never in a million years ever do such a thing~" He wailed, wiping his brow and falling over Lussaria. "Oh, pray tell, what on earth can I do to satisfy his unearthly needs, sensei~!" The duo hummed and hawed, wailing like damsels in distress.
Reborn snapped.
"Get out of here!" He growled, his black eyes glaring at them. "I'll deal with you later, you-," Lal clapped a hand over Reborn's mouth as she recognized one of his fits. He glared at her, and Lal glared back, growling. Lussaria and Mukuro tiptoed out and closed the door just as the shouting match began.
"You little troia!" Reborn snarled. "Vaffanculo! Why are you helping them?"
"Oh, shut up, Mr. I know-it-all!" Lal seethed, and a loud crash sounded, indicating that she had thrown something. "Like I give a fuck about your dealings! Rokudo has nothing to do with this!" Scoffing audibly, Reborn snapped back at her.
"Oh really, Lal Mirch? Do you know your beloved student's background? If you did, you wouldn't be the dumb bit-,"
"What were you going to say?" In a dangerously sweet voice, Lal cut Reborn's sentence short. "I dare you to repeat that."
"'If you did, you wouldn't be the dumb bitch you are now,'" He said triumphantly. The hot-tempered woman gave a cry of rage and loud crashing noises sounded. Lussaria and Mukuro sweat-dropped at the obvious sounds of fighting.
"Ow!" Lal suddenly yelled, causing the two people standing outside to jump. Reborn laughed dangerously.
"Boob shot!" He gloated. "Yeah, that's right, bitch!" Then the shrieking began, and Lussaria and Mukuro slowly slinked away, cowering at the loud noise. Once they were out of range, they let go of their ears. Lussaria huffed haughtily, hands on his hips.
"Re-chan and Michi (1)-chan are so loud," He tsked, shaking his head. "My eardrums are just about burst! Those honeybunches really do need to untangle their bunched up panties." He muttered, flapping his hand around. Mukuro smirked.
"Oya, oya, Lussaria-sensei, no need to fret," The teen chuckled at the flustered nurse. "They'll calm down soon. I think." He added as an afterthought. The rainbow nurse sniffed disdainfully, and waved him away.
"Alrighty, Mukuro-chan, you'd better go now. I suspect Chrome-chan might be worried. After all, her family just got attacked, and she might panic if you were gone too." Mukuro blinked slowly, processing that. No, he was not going back to Chrome. He was going back, but not as her boyfriend anymore. She would be dragged into this, and he didn't want that.
"Kufufu, of course, Lussaria-sensei," He said, lying easily. "And thanks for helping back there." Lussaria giggled and waved a hand.
"No worries, Mukuro-chan!" He chirped, causing Mukuro to smirk. "It wasn't your fault! Re-chan was overreacting because of your- ahem- background." The nurse coughed a bit uncomfortably. The pineapple's smile slowly faded, because he knew that it really was his fault.
"Kufu, of course, Lussaria-sensei," He nodded, and turned away, waving casually at the teacher. "And I'll be leaving now. See you tomorrow, Lussaria-sensei, kufu." He smirked in a hopefully convincing way, and then he fled the scene.
It was time to go to Chrome's house for some answers.
*K*H*R*
"Really?" Chrome said excitedly as the nurse said they were allowed to go in a meet Fran; he was the only one awake. As they entered, Hibari saw a tray of food on the table next to the herbivore, and he was hooked up to an IV bag and the heart monitor beeping ominously.
"Fran, you're awake!" Chrome yelled, and bolted over to him, hugging him hard as soon as the nurse allowed visitors. Hibari allowed a small smile as he watched the green-haired herbivore wince a little and the powerful hug. However, the herbivore narrowed his eyes at Chrome, and he didn't hug her back.
"Let go," He said coldly, and Chrome quickly let go.
"Oh, did I hug too hard? Are you hurt? Should I go get the nurse? Hold on-!" the girl turned to run out the door in panic.
"I'm fine," He said, his eyes glaring icily at her. Hibari blinked at the icy tone, a little confused. The purple-haired girl didn't seem to notice.
"Are you sure? Fran, I-," Fran cut her off sharply.
"I am fine." He bit out. Finally noticing his cold behavior, she extended a cautious hand towards him.
"Fran, are you oka-?"
"Oh, yes, I am absolutely perfectly fine," He snarled, slapping her hand away and making the girl flinch. Hibari stepped forward, unsure. Fran continued in voice that unnerved the skylark. "My sister is still unconscious, my almost brother-in-law is also mortally wounded, and I'm just perfectly fine!" The prefect stepped forward, and he raised a tonfa threateningly.
"Apologize," He hissed. "That is defiling discipline." Fran glared back, the bottle containing all of his feelings breaking and letting all his contained emotions free.
"Like I give a fuck, you figlio-!"
"Fran!" Chrome cried out in distress. "What's wrong?" Fran whipped around to glare ferociously at her, and he grabbed the plate full of rice next to him and flung it at her. The prefect leapt forward and pulled Chrome out of the way. The plate crashed into the wall, rice flying everywhere.
"What's wrong?" He shrieked, the heart monitor beating wildly. "You're the thing that's wrong, Chrome Dokuro, because this whole bloody mess if your fault, you troia!" He snatched up a bread knife and flung it toward her. Hibari had no idea what the green-haired herbivore just called her, but it didn't sound nice. He smashed his tonfa into the flying utensil, noting at how accurate the aim was.
Nurses and a doctor rushed in, urging Fran to calm down. "Nebbia-san, you must take it easy, or you'll reopen your stiches and-!" Fran screamed, and the keening was full of pain, anger, and despair.
"It's all your fault, Chrome! Never come near my family again!" He screamed, and then he slowly quieted down and fell unconscious a minute after, for the doctors had injected a powerful sedative into him. Hibari turned to look at Chrome, who looked a little dazed.
"… Herbivore?" He asked cautiously. She turned to look at him, her eye wide. "Let's go," He told her, and she nodded slowly, and followed him out.
"I-I'm going outside for a breath of fresh air." She mumbled as soon as they were outside the hospital room. Hibari looked at her suspiciously, but let it go. When she walked out, he opened his phone and dialed the pineapple herbivore.
{Kufu, oya, oya, is this Kyoya? The great, awesome, magnificent Hibari Kyoya?} Was the first thing he said. The skylark gritted his teeth, but replied back coolly:
"Where the hell are you, Omnivore?" Okay, maybe not so cool. Mukuro, however, chuckled annoyingly.
{Kufufu, why do you care?} Hibari rolled his eyes. Mukuro chuckled again, seeming to have anticipated the prefect's eye-roll.
"Get your stupid herbivore ass over here now. Your herbivore needs you. The green-haired herbivore went berserk and threw things at her." Mukuro let out a hiss.
{Little One did that?} He said, sounding surprised. {Why would he do that?} Hibari didn't answer.
"You'd better get over here before the herbivore does something stupid." He snapped, and he hung up, seething. Stupid Mukuro, Hibari was going to smash a tonfa into his face as soon as possible. He waited about ten minutes, but when Chrome didn't come back, he sucked in a breath, and went outside to follow Chrome, only to find that she was gone.
"Damn it all," Hibari cussed, and sprinted away. "Damn it all to hell."
*K*H*R
Mukuro stood in front of the Nebbia household with bated breath. He mustered all is courage and stepped in, trying not to gag at the copper smell. He went to the place where they had found Mammon, and his mismatched eyes narrowed. There were circular drops of blood on the floor, indicating that they had dropped down from above. It could've been her blood on the attacker's weapon as he stood over her, or…
She was carried here, making the blood drop onto the floor.
He followed the trail, and it led him up the stairs to the front of a door. Gritting his teeth, he grabbed the doorknob and pushed open the door. Mukuro went into the yellow room, and froze, bile rising in his throat.
Red canaries had been painted with blood all over the room. The pineapple took an unsteady step back. They all had little 'x'es for eyes and the blood had dripped down the walls, creating trails of blood on the walls. It was definitely Mammon's blood. But where did they get all the blood from? He went over to the bottom drawers and frantically pulled them out, searching through the drawers. He paused at one.
It was a needle attached to a bag, along with a bloody paintbrush. He closed his eyes. They had drained Mammon's blood and used it to paint the walls. This time he didn't stop himself. He stumbled over to the window and gagged violently, a yellow trickle of slime coming out. He had nothing in his stomach to throw up. Sinking to his knees, the pineapple swallowed repeatedly, his throat feeling raw. Eyes watering, he went back over to the drawer and picked it up, meaning to dispose of it when he noticed a little piece of paper in the bag. He ripped the bag open and pulled the note out and looked at it.
It was a picture.
An eerily familiar family picture.
Mukuro's eyes widened at the picture; it was a snapshot of him and his brother, Daemon. At the time, Mukuro hadn't been a guinea pig; his mother and father didn't do it until he turned thirteen. Mukuro was hugging Daemon's waist as the five-year old Mukuro smiled innocently into the camera, waving a hand happily. Daemon was about a head taller, and was thirteen at the time. Smirking at the camera, he ruffled his little brother's hair, his eyes dark with secrets. They had already dissected Daemon's eye.
He remembered the time when his older brother kept on appearing with more cuts and bandages. The child-Mukuro was still oblivious of his parent's sick hobbies, and he kept on wondering where those wounds had come from. As soon as Daemon turned eighteen, he had moved away. Mukuro was ten, and, distressed at his brother's disappearance, managed to hack into the family computer and track down his brother's whereabouts. Finding out that he was involved with the mafia, he tried to dissuade Daemon and to convince him to come back home.
It didn't end well.
Mukuro still had a scar on his back where Daemon had slashed him with his newly acquired weapon; a scythe. Since then, Mukuro hated Daemon's guts, for not only had he hurt him, but he had ordered the death of one of Mukuro's best friends, Tony (2), as a threat to never come near him again.
The pineapple's face drained of color as he slowly turned the bloodstained picture around with shaking hands. He closed his eyes. He knew it.
Fancy meeting up with me again, Muku-chan? - D
Sinking to his knees, he sagged, head hanging. It was all his fault. And he was going to drag Chrome into his mess if he didn't stop this. She'd be Tony number two if he didn't stop. Mukuro closed his eye. He needed to call it off with his dear, sweet, cute Chrome. And he had to do it now, before it was too late.
Right on cue, his phone started ringing. He jumped; his nerves were shot. Looking at the screen, he recognized the ID. He smirked, picking up.
"Kufu, oya, oya, is this Kyoya? The great, awesome, magnificent Hibari Kyoya?" he chuckled into the phone.
{Where the hell are you, omnivore?} He snapped. Mukuro raised an eyebrow. Look who's got their panties in a bunch.
"Kufufu, why do you care?" He could practically hear the skylark roll his eyes. He chuckled.
{Get your stupid herbivore ass over here now. Your herbivore needs you. The green-haired herbivore went berserk and threw things at her.} A surprised hiss slipped out of the pineapple's mouth.
"Little One did that?" He asked. "Why would he do that?" He mused, almost to himself. Hibari didn't reply, but snapped out a curt response:
{You'd better get over here before the herbivore does something stupid.} And promptly hung up. Mukuro sighed and walked out of the Nebbia house, closing his eyes. He picked up his phone once more and this time called Chrome. She picked up almost immediately.
{Mukuro-san,} She said, sounding as if she had just cried. {Where are you?} Chrome sounded immensely relieved that he had called her. The said teen closed his eyes.
"It doesn't matter," He told her shortly, making sure that he sounded as detached as possible. Sounding confused, his cute Chrome replied a little unsteadily.
{M-Mukuro-san?} He gritted his teeth.
"We're over." He snapped. He heard her suck in a breath. He shut his eyes tightly, then opened them again. I'm sorry, I'm so, so, sorry. Hibari can take care of you. He'd take care of you better than me.
{M-Mukuro-san?} She asked, sounding winded. {W-what-?}
"We're done, kufu." He forced himself to smirk, so she would hear the smile in his voice. His face hurt at the forced gesture. "I was just toying with you. Did you honestly think that I really liked you?" He heard her breath quicken, and she started to hyperventilate.
{But I-} He cut her off quickly.
"You must be a bad luck magnet, you know?" He took a deep breath in to steady his voice. "First it was your mom, then it was Glo, and now it's your brother and sister and another guy. I don't want to be the next one, kufu." Damn. That was a low blow, but it needed to be done. "Good-bye." He told her shortly, and he hung up. Gritting his teeth, he threw his phone at the ground, causing it to smash into pieces. Then he howled, squeezing his eyes shut.
"God, fucking, damn it!"
*K*H*R*
Chrome stared at the phone dumbly. That was about the same thing as Fran said. Oh god.
She really was bad luck. Everybody was getting hurt. Oh god. She needed to get away before Cloud Person got hurt. She needed to. Chrome couldn't afford another person getting hurt because of her again.
She walked away from the hospital quickly, tears in her good eye. Her right eye never hurt anymore, but sometimes it gave little stings. Right now it was stinging. Or was that because everything hurt? Chrome didn't care, but walked away from the hospital. But then she stopped in front of a bridge. It was a tall bridge, over the river, decades old. It was built for old merchants to cross the rivers back when cars and computers didn't exist. Now it was just an old monument, with no one caring about its existence anymore.
Just like her.
They had closed it with warning signs, saying that it was too dangerous to cross. The middle was broken off, and the wooden planks missing here and there. She came to a decision.
Such a pathetic life as hers should be ended.
She took a shaky step forward, then she ducked under the 'Caution' tape. Then she slowly walked across the old and rotting wood, the bridge creaking ominously. As she reached the middle, she smiled. All her worries would be gone with one, tiny, little step off the bridge into oblivion.
Only two more steps.
She took another step forward, then two back. What if it didn't end? What if the person who found her body would get cursed and it would start the cycle all over again?
She was scared.
Shutting her eye, she keened; she screamed for the loss of her mother, the loss of her family, the loss of her friends. As her scream slowly died away, and she opened her eye to the end of the bridge. It was blurred because of tears. She took another step forward.
"Please…" She whispered, the wind taking her words away. "Save me…" She breathed, not sure who she was asking for help. Then it hit her.
She didn't want to die. There was still Cloud Person. Cloud Person had stayed with her the whole time, even though she didn't deserve it. But god, she was so selfish. With that thought, Chrome took another step, her feet at the very edge. The end wasn't even a half step away. But she didn't want this, did she? Chrome wanted to live life, but if she did, everyone she loved would get hurt. She couldn't take it anymore, and suddenly, her knees buckled.
Her eye widened as she fell off the end of the bridge.
*K*H*R*
Hibari told Hibird to find Chrome, then he dialed the Cavallone herbivore. He picked up happily.
{Kyoya! Wow, I was just thinking about you! Our minds must be connecte-}
"Chrome's missing," He hissed into the phone, feet pounding on the pavement. "We need to find her now, because some crazy killer herbivore is on the loose.} Dino panicked.
{What! Okay, I'll call for some more help and then I'll tell them to look around Namimori. We'll find her, Kyoya.} He assured the prefect, and hung up. Hibari nodded, and looked around. She couldn't have gone far, unless she took a cab or took the subway. The sun was setting, casting shadows across the streets and buildings. Crap.
It was getting dark; which made her even more vulnerable. He suddenly heard screaming that was full of pain and despair. His eagle eyes widened as he recognized the voice.
He sprinted towards the sound, stumbling a little over a stray rock but recovering quickly and continuing to run, the scenery around him blurring with the speed that he was going with. He jolted to a stop when he saw her.
She was standing on the old bridge that was collapsing because of age. She had stopped screaming, but she was two steps away from death. He walked slowly and quietly towards her, his mind racing with possible options.
He couldn't call her name, she might be surprised and jump off. Running towards her was no option either, for the bridge might not take both their weight combined. He saw her lips move, but he didn't hear it, because the wind blew her words away. He faintly heard her second words.
"Save me…" She whispered. The skylark padded forward quietly, and he stopped at the caution tape. Ducking under it gracefully, but silently, he took a risky step forward. Thankfully, the board didn't creak.
But almost as if she heard him, Chrome stepped forward. His breath caught in his throat. Only a half-step and she would be gone. And the scariest thing happened.
Her knees buckled, and she toppled off the end of the bridge.
His eyes widened, and all reasonable thought flew out of his head as he dived towards her already falling body.
"Chrome!"
*Owari*
1. In Japanese, you pronounce her name as 'Miruchi'- well, that's how it sounded like to me anyway. XP
2. They mention this kid in Mukuro's flashback in the Kokuyo arc.
I'm so sorry for the long wait! I was going to update it sooner, but my school blocked FFN, and I go to a boarding school so i can't go on FFN from Monday through Friday. Plus, I wasn't done with my chapter as soon as I thought I was going to finish it, because basically, I was already done with this chapter, but then I realized that it was a lot like 'The Hunger Games' by Suzanne Collins so I rewrote this chapter. I explained everything in my author's note. Anyhoo, Reviews?