WARNINGS: Descriptions of blood and consumption of blood. Violence/injuries.
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Chapter 13 – Despairing
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The fireworks had ceased their displays of light when Hibari pulled away with apparent reluctance. The racket from below clamored for their attention.
Hibari turned towards the open window where the full moon could be viewed in its full glory, a milky pearl at the peak of its arc in the ink black night sky.
"I'll be back. Stay here," he said curtly before leaving. Tsuna who was a state of emotional turmoil barely heard his words and remained kneeling on the floor.
What just happened?
He couldn't think straight, something he had grown accustom to over time. Usually he'd simply disregard it as he was rather confident in his inability to figure anything out. This time however he felt frustration throb and pulse in his forehead as he fought to understand the situation.
Trust Hibari to throw him out of order like this, he thought bitterly which then prompted a recap of the last five or so minutes. Blood rushed to his cheeks.
If he thought about it, it was really straight forward.
Hibari-san did k-ki…. he stumbled over the words in his head as his blush worsened. He pressed his cold hands against his face to cool it down.
Does that mean he likes…?
And he, Tsuna, hadn't tried to stop him or push him away. Not even when Hibari's firm grip had eased and the pressure on his lips turned soft and chaste.
He didn't feel any repulsion to what just happened. In fact, he even felt a little happy.
Blood was pounding in his ears at this revelation. He could feel it in his veins, the jilting feeling of realization, of enlightenment.
But doesn't that mean I-
Without warning he was pinned to the mats by an unknown mass from above. Winded slightly from the warm weight splayed on top of his body, Tsuna fought the impulse to sneeze as short raven black hair tickled his nose. The other person, his assailant, was breathing harshly, the puffs of air tickling the skin on Tsuna's collarbone.
Remembering that he had no idea who this other person was, Tsuna thrashed out against him.
"Tsuna?"
He froze.
The other person rose to his knees, hands pressed against the mats on both sides of Tsuna's head.
His eyes, adjusted to the dim lighting, was able to glimpse the other's face. The angular face, short cropped black hair…
The amber yellow eyes.
"Y…Yamamoto…?"
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Reborn remained stony faced even as Dino's distressed cries trilled through the cell phone. The two others in the room could only look to their leader figure with worried anticipation.
"Reborn? Answer me-"
"I'm here, Dino. I want you to go to Hibari's headquarters. I want you to follow someone; you know who I'm talking about, right?"
"I-yes. Reborn-"
"If it's not important, save it for later."
A shuddering sigh came through the phone's speaker.
"I'm sorry." The phone clicked and beeped once signaling the end of the call. Reborn stared darkly at the phone for a moment before silencing the dial tone by flipping it shut.
Sidling up silently to the little vampire's side, Bianchi reached out to touch his shoulder, faltered, and dropped her hand to her side. Basil observed this all thin-lipped before averting his gaze, pretending to watch the emergency signal light.
Reborn jumped off the counter, landing on the linoleum floor with an unreadable expression. Without prompt the other two stood and pulled on their coats, readying themselves for the journey and combat ahead.
"We're heading out."
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"Wha-what are you doing here?" Tsuna said, relaxing after confirming the identity of the intruder.
Yamamoto heard nothing. His slowed heart was beating fiercely almost to the point of painful. The stolen blood in his veins burned, each heartbeat forcing his lungs to keep up.
His bodily functions screamed at him to act upon his supernatural instincts. It had been a deadened murmur as he was scaling the tower and he hadn't paid much attention to it but now…
"Yamamoto?"
He shook his head to clear up the haze, blinking several times to remember where he was. Tsuna, pale faced, windblown and scratched, swam into view. Every cut in his blue and white yukata sharpened, his diluted eyes instantly tracked a hint of red trickling down the smaller boy's cheek.
"Yamamoto? Are you okay? You…you're bleeding!"
He looked down briefly finding three slashes on his exposed forearm. The wound was already closing due to the supernatural conditions of his body. For some reason the sight of his own blood didn't drive him into bloodlust as much as that single crimson drop on Tsuna's face.
"Y-yeah. There was some crazy guy at the base of the tower…I think he…scratched me or something. It took some time but I got away from him," he replied, staring at the wound. It was fascinating how it didn't hurt a bit compared to the throbbing in his chest cavity.
There was no time for this. They had to go now.
A small hand reached forward to touch his arm.
Instinctively, he leaped backwards, slamming into the wall from overshooting the distance. Tsuna froze in place, his arm still outstretched.
Ducking his head down, Yamamoto bit down on his lip hard.
Why was he acting like this?
"I…We have to get out of here," Yamamoto gritted unable to look at the hurt in those soft brown eyes. "Come on, let's go, Gokudera's going to have a fit if we stay any longer."
Picking up the heavy shinai of steel he had dropped at the entrance, he stuck his head out the window to survey the garden-turned-battlefield below. The designated escape was still clear enough for safe passage.
He looked back to Tsuna who was looking around the room uncertainly. Before his eyes could lock onto the thin trail of blood, he averted his gaze sharply feeling the lengthened canines in his mouth itching to sink into soft flesh.
Not anyone's flesh. Tsu-
No, Yamamoto protested, closing his eyes and taking a deep breath. He tried with all his will to suppress the growing thirst for blood inside. Just the recollection of that feeding was enough to wet his appetite. He still didn't have full control over it, not like the others.
Someone else should've taken the job.
There was no way he could carry Tsuna down the tower without trying to bite him.
There was no way he could even go near him without trying to bite him.
He clenched his eyes shut wondering where he'd gone wrong.
He was a half-vampire so he didn't need blood for weeks at a time. It hadn't even been that long since his first feeding yet…
What had gone wrong?
Was the plan going to fall apart…because of this?
"Yamamoto, go on ahead of me. There's something I need to do first," Tsuna interrupted.
"What?" Yamamoto blurted out, snapping out of his revelry. "This isn't the time, it-" He paused and contemplated the situation for a moment, the fading sense of surprise kept his thoughts clear. "All right. I'll let the others know that I found you and where you are. Finish up what you need to do quickly, I'll be back as soon as possible to pick you up."
"All right," Tsuna confirmed, nodding.
The revelation that his need to be in close contact with Tsuna was being delayed lessened the thrumming in his chest. He turned towards the window again.
"Just one thing, Tsuna," he started, unsure if there was a need to say it.
"Yes?"
He turned back to look at him, meeting his eyes this time. His yellow eyes glowed with reflected moonlight.
"Whatever you do, be here when I come back." The brunet seemed confused by this statement.
"Of course, I will be."
"Good." A brilliant smile broke out on his face as reassurance washed over him. "I still have to pay you back for the meal. Maybe sushi sometime?"
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Before Hibari had time to ponder over what he saw to be the shadow of a person passing him during his descent down his tower, he raised his arm to deflect an incoming attack. The one who dealt the blow retreated out of range, bouncing nimbly from foot to foot.
The scruffy appearance, jagged face scar, and animalistic stance was met with disapproval from the Disciplinary Committee President. With a casual flick, he sent his assailant back several paces.
This kind of riffraff was messing up his men?
He'd have to seriously revise the committee member regulations after all this was over. He shifted into a more comfortable offensive stance as his enemy regained his bearings and snarled in discontent.
"Ready to play, puppy?"
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As soon as Yamamoto left, Tsuna began to scour the mats for the ring. He didn't know why he had refused escape to find the stupid thing but he'd already made his decision, might as well go through with it.
"It can't have rolled far," he muttered to himself, ducking under the low table. It was hard to see as it was nighttime and all.
Feeling more frustrated by the second Tsuna forced himself to breathe deeply and grope his way across the floor slowly to make sure he'd explore every inch.
Lost in uncharacteristic concentration, the brunet didn't notice the dresser in time before he bumped his head against the bottom drawer.
"Ow!"
The drawer opened an inch from recoil; something familiar was inside.
It was his original clothes.
With disbelieving eyes he pulled them out gently as though fearing they'd disappear.
No mistaking it. It was the clothes he had worn the first night he was brought before Hibari. Through the scent of fresh lemony detergent was the unmistakable fragrance from the bath earlier that night.
Why did he keep it? Tsuna wondered absentmindedly, smoothing out the black slip-over sweater on his lap.
Without another thought he pulled them on, marveling at how different it felt.
Never thought I'd miss pants this much, he thought.
A explosion below shocked him back to reality.
He dropped to his knees again, deciding to make a last ditch effort on finding the ring before simply waiting for Yamamoto to return.
Something glinted under the bed; he crawled closer to take a look.
It was the ring.
Feeling relieved for reasons he couldn't readily explain he reached forward to pick it up.
But someone else beat him to it.
A shadow of a hand smothered it looking into Tsuna's shocked brown eyes with mismatched ones.
"Buona Sera, Vongola."
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"Tsuna?" Yamamoto called out, his voice a little hoarse from heavy breathing and conversing with Gokudera over the battlefield. Their wireless communication went haywire in the middle of his relay of the situation probably due to enemy interference. He didn't need to hear Gokudera to know what he was trying to say in reply anyways. If the dozens of dynamite hurled in his general direction didn't speak for it, he didn't know what would.
There was no reply. An empty room laid before him.
Where was he?
He checked the bathroom but there was no one inside. He had made sure to keep a close eye on the tower during his absence in case an enemy were to reach Tsuna before him and he was damn sure no one went up the tower in that time.
Come to think of it…whatever happened to that guy who had tried to stop him at the base of the tower? He was nowhere in sight when he landed.
It was possible that Tsuna went down by himself.
Yamamoto frowned.
But Tsuna gave his word that he was there. And even though he barely knew the boy he was confident that Tsuna didn't lie.
Maybe something happened forcing him out of the tower.
If that was so, Tsuna might be in danger at this very moment.
Should he go and try to find him?
And if he was wrong…
His inner turmoil was put to a stop as incoherent static buzzed through the useless headset he was still wearing. Looking to his digital watch, he found that he was running out of time. There was no way Hibari will be fooled for any longer by their meager distractions. None of them would be able to keep this up for any longer for even he was feeling fatigue seep into his aching muscles.
He'll have to make a gamble.
As a precaution Yamamoto looked under the bed and threw the closet open.
No one.
Letting out a conflicted breath, he turned and jumped out the window before he had second thoughts.
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Tsuna never left.
Confined by his captor he could only watched in muted desperation as Yamamoto reappeared in the room and called for him.
He gave up struggling for the moment as he would only expend his energy wastefully.
Let me go. Let me go!
Not a chance, Vongola.
Tsuna's eyes went wide.
How did he know what I was thinking?
It's not that difficult a feat actually.
Why are you doing this?
An unimpressed snort.
Do you think I'll just lay out my plans for you to see when there still exists a possibility for you to escape? I'm not daft, Vongola. Such tricks only fool the third-rate.
There's nothing you can get from me, really!
Odd laughter.
I'll be the one to decide that. Oh, look. Your friend is back.
Yamamoto returned from rummaging through the bathroom. Despite Tsuna's renewed efforts to get free or at least produce some noise to garner his attention, Yamamoto looked too enraptured in his thoughts to have heard.
Tsuna could swear he was going to cry when he saw Yamamoto turn away.
His heart leaped out of his chest when the closet door was thrown open.
I'm right here, Yamamoto! I'm right here!
Kufufu, it's futile. He can't see you nor hear you. Now be a dear and spare my mind of your incessant wailing.
In response, the brunet flailed harder. He had to make him notice. He had to.
Look over here! Please!
Yamamoto turned his back to him.
No, no!
He was walking away.
Come back! Please! I'm here!
He was gone.
Tsuna didn't even notice that he could breathe properly again as he collapsed to the ground, free from restraint.
"Now, now, I've already warned you that it wouldn't work."
Tsuna yelped as the black shadow resembling a hand grasped him by the wrist and tried to shake it off. The thick darkness enveloped his whole hand.
"How rude. I'm only returning this to you."
The tangible shadow receded to reveal the Hibari's silver ring returned to its proper place on his pinky. A face came close and touched its lips against it.
Drawing back, Tsuna saw his attacker for the first time.
He looked like a normal teenager, more towards the delinquent variety with the ear piercing and strange hairstyle but a teenager all the same. His uniform was dark forest green and curiously familiar.
Except he was half-fading into wispy darkness.
"W-what are you?"
Mukuro smiled with false kindness and leaned forward, decreasing the distance between them. Tsuna instinctively leaned back.
"Perhaps I'll explain that another time, my followers need a little help right now and I think it's about time you're put to use."
In a matter of seconds the teen dissolved into black miasma and washed over the smaller boy. Tsuna gasped and attempted to fight against the unknown substance that engulfed him entirely.
"Don't struggle, this won't hurt."
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To be Continued...