Rokudo Hakumei

I sat with a book up to my nose as my human dummy grumbled about being tricked. I sighed and poked him with my marker, setting my book aside and leaving a long black mark across his cheek.

"Oops," I quickly capped the marker.

"Oops?" He looked at me, worried that I had done irrevocable damage.

"It's nothing, I just made one slight error," I patted his head.

"You know, when a girl pushes a guy on the bed and talks about anatomy, she usually has a different meaning," He informed me snidely as I checked my work.

I shrugged, showing him my work with a small hand mirror, "I know."

"Hey, can I see that marker for a minute?" He asked as I checked anatomy off my list of things to study.

I threw him the marker, and he caught it, but not without the cap flying off, "Thanks."

I nodded absent-minddedly, "No problem."

The next thing I knew, I was lying on the floor, covered with thin, black marks. My husband was next to me, equally as exhausted, but with twice the looked at each other and laughed until we cried. It was so fun, being that childish with him.

"We should do that more often," I grinned, swipping a last stroke on him.

"We should," He did the same.

"Here, let me get that for you," I licked my thumb and rubbed off the marks on his cheek.

".....Thanks," He meant it.

"Don't thank me just yet," To my dismay, the marks barely faded, let alone bled.

"That was permanent ink, wasn't it?" He wasn't angry about it, and that surprised me a great deal.

"I didn't know," I felt terrible, because I knew that he was having an important dinner later tonight.

"Well, we had better clean up for lunch," He got up and held out his hand.

"Yeah," I nodded as he helped me up.

I followed him to the bathroom door and slouched against the wall. He stood in the doorway, looking at me. He smirked, thinking on how his words might affect me.

"Aren't you coming?" He stood aside so I could slip in passed him.

"Huh?!" I blushed.

"Kufufu, I can't get this off by myself," He pointed at his exposed and blackened torso.

"Oh, right," I felt so stupid as I slid between him and the door, "Sorry."

It was the most awkward shower in my life, and I once took a shower with a corpse. I had to help him scrub his body off, which was only fair. But what wasn't fair was that he wanted to return the favor. I had refused, but he had forced me into it.

"No, no, it's alright! It'll come off sooner or later," I tried to wave him off.

"But then I'll have to be alone for dinner tonight," He sighed sadly as I had rudely rejected his invitation.

"I didn't know I was invited. Well, I can still get it myself," I know then that I had already lost the battle, but I had to try.

"You'll miss spots that I could easily get for you," He went one farther, "And I've already seen you naked."

I blushed and pulled on the edge of my dress to secure it. Mukuro laughed at me, astounded that I could look at him naked, but I hit a wall when it came to him seeing me naked. I released my dress and walked over to the adjustable shower head. I grabbed it securely in my hand and soaked my own dress so I'd have to take it off. Mukuro threw me a towel to tie around my body.

"I'm not such a fiend," He explained his actions, grabbing a new sponge form the shelf and wetting it.

Rokudo Mukuro

"I'm not such a fiend," Even as I told her the words, I myself disagreed. I was that type of man, and yet I found myself lying to her again. It was so infuriating, the ways I would bend for her.

Rokudo Hakumei

My skin would probably never return to its natural shade after that scrub down. I vowed never to touch a permanent marker ever again. Though at least one good thing come from that bath. My husband was honest when he told me nothing would happen in the shower besides a bath.

"You look incredible," He gave me his hand as we descended the stairs infront of his guests.

"Thanks," I winced as we walked down the stairs for dinner.

The cool silk felt great on my skin, but the shoes were torture. They were too tall with too thin of heels for me to stand in, let alone walk in. I swear that MM wanted to kill me and make it look like an accident.

MM (Hakumei's Rival)

It's not fair! Why wasn't it me at his side?! I was far more attractive than his wife. I knew the business and social etiquette, unlike that hick bitch pig. I would pull off that gown a thousand times better too! Urgh, I bet she can really walk in those heels.

"You bettter enjoy tonight, becuase soon enough he'll realize how horrid you really are and then he'll come back to a real woman and leave you in the dust!"

Ken snorted, "I hope you don't mean yourself."

"Shut up!" I tossed my flute at his head.

Rokudo Hakumei

I wondered how many of these people had really known what they had gotten themselves into when they joined the mafia. I wonder if anyone ever knew, or if, like me, they had found themselves tossed into this turbulent life like last week's laundry.

"Hakumei, when the meal begins, don't touch your food. If anyone asks, tell them that you're on a strict diet," Mukuro whispered to me as we joined the guests, "Actually, it would be better if you didn't say anything at all. Just signal me."

"Ok," I whispered back.

"Ah, so this is the little lady that stole you off the market, eh?" A boy who looked more like a gutter rat with shocking red hair jabbed Mukuro in the ribs.

"It had to happen sometime," He shrugged.

"Pantera, Pantera, Pantera, this is Rokudo's wife......?" The gutter-rat ignored Mukuro's obvious distain and pulled on a woman who looked like a bride that had been hit by a runaway train.

"Ha-"

"Signora Rokudo is good enough," Mukuro warned the lot of us.

"Aw, you're no fun!!" He pulled Mukuro away from me, leaving Pantera, myself, and a majority of the skirted guests alone.

"Uh, hi?" I waved uncertainly at everyone.

That did it. The woman swarmed around me, trying to see for themselves why one of the mafia's most eligible bachelors had been taken off the market. That's what I assumed everyone would call him. I had different choice words.

"Oh, she's so plain, isn't she?"

"A regular country mouse!"

"Maybe there's a reason they're married?"

"Blackmail!"

"Threats!"

"Sex!"

"Pregnancy!"

I swear I could see him flinch from where he was at that last comment. These woman were married, and I could tell that most of them were married already. It puzzled me why they cared so much about me.

"Um, actually, our marriage was business." I didn't want to be silent while they speculated.

"Oh!"

"What do you mean 'was'?" Someone had caught my grammatical slip-up.

"Is," I corrected myself.

"Uh-huh. You love him, don't you?" Pantera spoke for the first time.

"What? That's ridiculous! He's the worst kind of person for me," I felt bad leaving it at that, "But, he is very kind to me."

"If that's not love, what is it?" Pantera had caught something in my tone that was not there.

"Ladies," Mukuro had mysteriously resurfaced and snatched me away from their clutches.

"Thank you," I whispered.

"So, is that what you really think of me?" His voice was a dull monotone.

"It's not so simple as all that," I could feel a fight brewing like a long-awaited storm.

"Isn't it?" He pushed me against the wall and pinned me there.

This did not look good.

Longchamp is in the house! Ok, to explain why Mukuro is having a party even though he had been blamed for killing his family, the reason is short, but I think it is believable. It has not been proven one way or another. Ok, any questions, comments, or general thoughts on this story are free to to be sent to me.