Pinkie's Part:
I apologize for my extended absence, especially after that cliff hanger. Gomen my darlings. But I've returned for a short while. Drop me a review ne?
Beta'd by DarkIceAngelFlare; she's awesome.
Enough of my rambles.
Onward.
xx
Chapter: Even if it Kills Me
Tired, heavy eyes lazily lifted, only to be met with a recurring darkness. Tsuna felt his body was cold, save for a warmth on the small of his back. The warmth was seemingly familiar; slightly akin to that of Reborn's healing aura. He felt himself cuddling closer to that warmth, only to be met with a slight pinch of pain. He then yelped, rolling over, only to find that his hands were tied to his sides, and that he was unable to move in a full rotation away from that pain.
A laugh resonated as Tsuna's mind had grasped the fact that he had been blindfolded. He cursed under his breath; the warmth - he discovered that it was a hand - proceeded to prod at his naked chest. He tried to twist away from it; only to be forcefully pulled back, a series of pinches marching up his skin. He wanted to cry out, but his throat was dry as the Sahara Desert; his voice protested with every little squeak he managed to squeeze out.
"Ne, the little bunny doesn't like being in a cage; but he doesn't like being in a bed either?"
Tsuna froze; the voice that filtered into his ear was at a rather close proximity.He felt a violent blush rising on his face, as the warm hand ran small circles up his bare skin. His face contorted into one of distrust. He felt the hand rest upon his brow, and then he was blinded by bright white light. When his eyes adjusted, he was met with a close face of a white haired man. He blinked, feeling instantly more uncomfortable.
His lips formed the words, who are you? But his only response was a childish giggle, and a series of lines drawn into his skin. The male continued this odd treatment for a couple of minutes, before he jumped up from the mattress and stretched. He peered over his shoulder and smiled.
"Ne little bunny~ My name is Byakuran. I'll be your new master, hmmkay?" The odd male threw up a peace sign, and Tsuna felt his eye twitch. He just woke up in an odd place, with a strange-
Shit, had he been kidnapped? All the memories came flooding back at once. The Vongola Challenge; the fight with Xanxus… A scared look on Reborn's face.
Tsuna paled, thinking about Reborn. He struggled with the restraints once more, the calculating gaze of Byakuran upon him during the entirety. Reborn had taught him how to free himself from bondage; so why was he having such a hard time now? He blushed slightly as he remembered those lessons, but that was a memory to indulge in at a later time.
The white haired male plopped back down onto the bed; and crawled over to Tsuna. He nestled into the petite male's side; before he laid his head onto his chest.
"Ne, ne little bunny?"
Tsuna stopped struggling, and instead tried to focus on making himself as small as possible. He closed his eyes tightly as he felt a fingernail graze a sensitive spot near his throat, his heart beating erratically.
"Mukuro brought you to me, as a test subject; but you're awfully cute~"
Tsuna scrunched his nose, eyelids still tightly closed. The fingertip now danced on his cheek.
"Wouldn't you rather be my bed mate? I'd treat you well~"
Tsuna cringed visually; the dancing fingers stopped, before a low, dangerous chuckle sounded from deep within the other male.
"Oh, I'm not good enough for you, since you were with one of the Arcobaleno... is that it?"
Tsuna made to retort; but felt his tongue get heavy; he was beginning to have a hard time breathing. His head dropped onto his chest, and through blurred eyes he saw the many angry red marks that scattered across the milky white tone. His expression then fell fast as he tried to look up at the dangerous white-haired man.
"Ah, it seems the series of shots I gave you are finally taking effect... too bad~. I would have loved to play with you a little longer."
Tsuna felt that the room was spinning; he began to lose consciousness; a sinister white grin was the last thing that he saw before the darkness of forced slumber encompassed him.
(BreakYourBarriers)
In the center of a quaint, little merchant district, a certain fedora-wearing male sat in a comfortable looking cafe. His relaxed form was made solely from years of practiced experience. He looked down at the petite piece of china in his large hand. He swirled the liquid within, looking absolutely bored with the idea of consuming the material. His eyes scanned the area, and when he had deemed the area efficient, he took a drink from the cup.
It had been a week, a fucking week, since Tsuna had been kidnapped by the Estraneo agent, Mukuro. Imagine the shock when the Vongola had found out after that incident that the nuisance famiglia was still intact, and taking on odd jobs from some lunatic called Byakuran. The thought of his gentle lover being around those batch of people made Reborn's blood boil, but being the man he was, he hid it quite well - save for the odd slip here and there.
Reborn sipped at his espresso with an absence of mind; the liquid was now nothing more than a bittersweet habit now. The smiling face of his lover caused an unrivaled comfort with his comapant; however the lack of itmade his favorite drink taste off, as if the underlying sweetness was there only due to the petite male's presence. He shook off the rising anger, in order to keep his head level. He wanted his little cub back. He wanted his little lion back, right the fuck now.
The raven-haired hitman had sent Bianchi and Gokudera off to do research on the whereabouts of one pineapple bastard. He felt his eyes narrowing as a seething glare fell onto the door of a cafe. A couple women who were gawking over him had fled at the sight of it, but he felt no remorse. He downed the last of his drink before dropping a couple of bills onto the table. He stood from his chair, pulled his fedora down and straightened his vest.
He didn't even incline his head to the waitress on his way out. His face was deadly serious, if not the usual handsome. He sighed, pushing the doors open before pulling his trusty gun from its holster. He spun the cylinder before he lazily rolled his head to the side. He squared his shoulders before raising his arm up above his head. He fired three rounds. The plaza was now silent. The hustle and bustle of people stopped and stared, fear evident in each of their expressions.
The expressions only darkened when the man with the gun slowly brought his arms down, and aimed it at a woman who was on her knees in fear. His head tilted to the side, and some brave women had the gall to swoon at the mysterious, dangerous stranger. His other hand came up and withdrew the fedora as he spun the cylinder with his thumb, his obsidian eyes glaring daggers at the woman in the centre of the plaza.
"You're a disgusting human being... where is he?" The voice came out cold, heartless and edged to kill. People began to scoot away, the fear fresh within their hearts. They looked on, silence wafted through the place as the woman threw her hands up.
"I...I don't know what you're taking about. Please, stop this madness!" the middle aged woman pleaded, her eyes wide with fear as she closed one eye and leaned away from the barrel of the gun.
Reborn was not taking any chances; he fired a shot near her foot, nicking a buckle from her shoe. She screamed and the click from his gun silenced her immediately.
"I'm not, fucking around, Rokudo...I want him returned to me. Now."
The people in the merchant center exchanged looks. Whatever it was that this man wanted, they would give it to him. They all looked at the woman on her knees, who was trembling.
"Who… who is Roku-?"
A shot was fired once more, brushing her cheek. She gasped, before a predatory smirk marred her features. Mist began to rise around her, and the brave spectators reeled backwards, attempting to clear the space.
"Kufufu, trust you to see right through that…" A male voice shifted through a feminine one. A man then stood where the woman had once been crouched on the ground. A spear twirled in his hands as he stepped forward.
"Is the Arcobaleno that serious?"
Reborn snarled, the stragglers now ran away; sensing an impending battle upon them. Mukuro, now sporting a full blown smirk did not even flinch when a bullet scraped his cheek. A thin line of blood trailed down the skin. He raised his fist and wiped away the offensive color before turning his achromatic eyes on the hitman.
"Did you love him that much?"
Reborn snorted, before responding; "You speak as if it's in the past. But it is the present; I will say this only once. So indulge yourself in it."
A soft yellow glow seemed to pulse from the body of the hitman; it was a gentle light that seemed to warm the air around them.
Mukuro tilted his head slightly to the side, before his vision went blurry. He hadn't seen the hitman move so quickly before. He had of course heard the rumours of the Arcobaleno of the mafia, the strongest group of people who were chained to none, but to be able to battle one - and at their peak in anger - was certainly a treat.
Reborn landed a square punch to Mukuro's face, sending the male flying backwards before he appeared behind him, his lips at his ear. The words clustered together and were barely audible before the hitman pulled his fedora over his face and gifted the pineapple haired male a spinning kick to his spine.
"I've only truly loved once, and he is the sky I will shine through."
The gentleness with which the words were spoken caught the magician off guard, having never heard such a tone from the violent man. The shock was short-lived however, when a barrage of attacks were lain upon his body.
Fists came into contact multiple times, a blur of skin and metal. Bullets fired and nicked just the first layers of skin, before one shot to the arm sent a certain pineapple-haired male spiralling into the distance. There was a low guttural sound as the pain finally set in. No illusions would be able to deter this man from his goal. The blue-haired male suddenly regretted taking something precious from his opponent.
Mukuro's body then came into contact with the vibrant cobblestoned street. Store owners began closing, barricading themselves within their shops. Mukuro was having difficulty in standing, and as a result; Reborn's slinking walk came upon him with more speed than was intended. The hitman grabbed the blue-haired male by the hair and yanked him up.
"You better start talking, or so help me god, I will deliver you to Bianchi myself... She needs vile fruit for her next concoction."
The magician had one eye closed and he bit back a bitter laugh. Even now, he was not as strong as he had hoped. By the code of the mafia; a defeated member became part of that famiglia. For an initiation, he supposed it wasn't so bad to be a Vongola.
Reborn, sensing the male in his grip beginning to dim in consciousness, shook him fiercely.
"Where is Tsuna? Tell me!"
Mukuro smiled weakly, before pulling a slip of paper from his breast pocket. The tiny slip was crushed between the hitman's fingers while he shot the blue haired male in both legs to prevent him from escaping. He unrolled the little slip of paper, before pulling out his sleek cell phone. Rapid fire Italian was released from his lips as he holstered his gun beneath his vest.
"I found his location. Trace my coordinates. I'm going in - alone."
"Don't be a damn fool! You may be the number one hitman, but what good are you if you're dead?"
Reborn smirked slightly, responding quickly before as he closed his phone on the offending voice. His voice held a calmness that Nono had never heard before, and it scared the old man.
"I would be able to be like the sun, as he is the sky."
The words that Reborn spoke were soft, and the ninth's hyper intuition picked up on the sense of finality in which they held.
Reborn pushed his fedora up as he smoothed his wild black hair back, then pulled it back down to its appropriate angle. His heart was ready to burst at the idea of being able to see his Leone soon.
"I'm coming Tsuna. You better not die on me."