The Only Moment We Were Alone
ボンゴレの心
Boyudo
Katou Julie raised his head, groaning due to his building headache. Blinking a few times to clear his vision, Julie saw what seemed to be a man... and a woman. Fumbling for his absent glasses, Julie found them to his side. Looking again, this time with his glasses, Julie realised that he may be intruding on a private moment. Then again, how did he get here in the first place? Just where the heck was 'here' anyway? The last thing he remembered was finding the Shimon rings in Cozart's grave, then... nothing. Julie shook his head with a frown, deciding to listen in to the conversation the two love-birds were having, if only just a little.
"You can't stay then?" A familiar looking blue-haired boy asked, his tears running free.
"Just a little longer, my love." The attractive blonde girl whispered, resting her head on the blue-haired boy's chest.
"Alright, I'll be here until you leave." He whispered, his heterochromatic orbs staring down at her, full of pained adoration. He wrapped his slender arms around her, holding onto her tightly.
Perhaps she was dying, Julie wondered. She looked fine – just... sad.
"Mukuro-kun..." The girl whispered tiredly, her expression softening from its previous sadness, "What happened? You and that Daemon guy both just collapsed, then I-"
'Huh?' Julie thought, blinking in confusion, sensing a familiar presence in the distance. 'That was Adel's Flame. It's faint, but she's nearby... I'd know her Flame from miles away.'
"It's fine." Mukuro whispered, turning away from her. "Everything's fine. It's fine, it's- I'm okay, he's gone now." Mukuro brought her into a tight embrace, at which point Julie decided it would a good time to leave. Looking at the Desert Shimon ring on his finger, Julie shrugged. Adelheid could fill him in. Using his Desert Flames, he left unnoticed.
"Are you sure?" Mizuki asked, pulling away from his embrace, concern plain in her pretty features.
"Mizuki-chan, you don't... You don't remember anything... Odd, do you? Anything else? Memories, things like that." Mukuro murmured.
"No, I don't know... What are you talking about? Mukuro-kun, look at me." Mizuki ordered, her palm gripping his chin in worry. Mukuro slowly turned to her, his eyes lowered. Mizuki's eyes widened marginally in surprise at the sight of his iris, red once again.
"We came to an agreement, Daemon is gone, you don't need to worry." Mukuro smiled at her, brushing his fingers against the back of her hand, "I'm sorry our first date ended like this."
"It's okay." Mizuki smiled, "I really enjoyed myself. Nothing bad happened to us anyway, so really, it's fine. That guy was pretty scary though, and he almost seemed familiar."
"Familiar?..." Mukuro asked in surprise.
"Well, he did look a lot like you, I suppose." Mizuki pondered, "Now that I think about it, you two were almost identical. Why's that?"
Tell her we're brothers. Daemon said reluctantly
What? You seemed quite opposed to such a notion not so long ago, if I recall correctly. Mukuro replied.
Just do it...
"We're brothers." Mukuro murmured, "But we're not on great terms with eachother."
"Are you twins?" Mizuki asked.
Let's not push it... Daemon growled.
"No, he's a couple of years older." Mukuro replied with a smile, before his eyes drifted towards his watch.
Mizuki raised an eyebrow at the look of fear in Mukuro's eyes, "Mukuro-kun?..."
It was 10:55.
"We need to get you home, now!" Mukuro said in panic, helping Mizuki to her feet, "It's almost 11!"
The car journey home was spent in silence. Mukuro still wasn't sure how to interact with Mizuki. She really was Elena, but at the same time, she wasn't. It seemed, however, that love really did transcend lifetimes. He just couldn't help but love her. But he couldn't tell her that, not yet. It was too soon, and he didn't want to scare the girl.
Gripping the steering wheel, Mukuro realised why driving had come so naturally to him. The car was the very same model he had driven in 1950s Japan, all those years ago. Masanori must have had something to do with it.
'Yes, that bandaged man, he comes back into my life after all these years of not remembering him, and he starts meddling with my love life...'
Mukuro's thought process was cut short as he pulled the car to a stop outside Mizuki's house. Turning to the blonde haired girl as she got out of the car, Mukuro noticed she was looking rather sad about the silence that had occurred during the drive home. Inwardly scolding himself, Mukuro grabbed her hand, forcing her to turn to face him.
"What?" She murmured, looking miffed.
Seeing no better way to apologise, Mukuro leapt forward to capture her lips in a fearsome kiss. Eventually, she gave in, and leant into the kiss to return it. Mukuro drifted his tongue between her lips, waiting for her approval. She parted her lips willingly, after which his tongue began to play with hers, causing her to moan involuntarily. Mizuki broke off the kiss to catch her breath, her face burning red, whereas Mukuro was largely unaffected.
"Kufufu..." Mukuro laughed with a playful smile, "How about we do this again sometime?"
"I... Uh..." Mizuki responded smartly.
"A date, pervert." Mukuro murmured with a brighter smile, "Although... I'm sure you'll get many more of these."
"Uhuh..." Mizuki nodded numbly, "I'd like that."
Mukuro grinned, looking beyond Mizuki to see her father looking rather uncomfortable in the doorway of her house.
"It seems that daddy doesn't approve." Mukuro smiled at Mizuki. "Too bad. Bye bye, Mizuki-chan."
Mizuki merely waved, still breathless from Mukuro's 'attentions'. She didn't turn away from Mukuro until her father had closed the door behind her. Mukuro glanced down at his watch.
10:59.
"Still got it." Mukuro grinned to himself.
Masanori came to an abrupt halt as he felt Daemon's Flame split from Julie's and... Disappear? No, it was still somewhere. But where? Looking in the direction of his previous location, Masanori's single eye narrowed. There was only Mukuro and Mizuki there, but no sign of Daemon. Masanori's eye widened as he studied Mukuro further, his iris glowing as it tapped into the second power of Deva. Mukuro's soul was whole again! When had this happened? Daemon. It had to be. Nothing else could have filled it. Two halves made a whole.
Seeing no more reason to intervene, Masanori simply waited, his eyes closed, suspended in the air. He remained motionless until a few hours after sunrise. After enough time had passed, Masanori turned his attention to the people he hadn't acquainted himself with yet. Searching out the closest of the four Flames, Masanori found them to be bunched together in two separate groups of two. Speeding off towards the closest two, Masanori lightly thudded onto the grass outside the house of Hibari Kyouya. Breathing in the morning air, Masanori's ears perked up at the sound of voices coming from the inside. Smiling at the sight of tall sakura trees, Masanori plucked a falling petal out of the air, taking a deep whiff of its pleasant scent.
"Kyouya, honestly, you won't make many friends if you keep trying to kill them." Masanori heard Dino sigh.
"Are you saying that I'm anti-social?" Hibari questioned in return.
"Uh... I'll be right back, where's your bathroom?" Dino asked, seemingly too afraid to answer that question. Masanori presumed that Hibari had directed Dino with a gesture because he heard the sound of Dino's hurried footsteps leaving the room. Peering through the half-open shōji screen, Masanori smiled at the sight of a calm looking Hibari, garbed in a dark blue kinagashi, sipping on tea quietly. Knowing that his demeanour could change very quickly, Masanori chose his next words carefully.
"How does it feel, knowing that you're not alone in this world?" Masanori asked, making his presence known.
"Hmm? An intruder?" Hibari smirked up at Masanori, sensing no power from the bandaged man, "Trespassers will be-"
"Bitten to death, ne?" Masanori finished, his smile widening, "I appreciate your preference for actions over words, but I would prefer if we could keep to simple conversation. Or would that be wishful thinking, Hibari Kyouya?"
"You have manners, at the very least. But lack the discipline to make your presence known in advance, herbivore." Hibari snarled.
Masanori opened his eye, his smile softening. Hibari's eyes widened momentarily at the sight of Masanori's eye, and his expression soon morphed into one of contempt, "Now that I see you close up...Your eye is remarkably similar to a certain... Rokudo Mukuro's..."
"Ah... My apologies, I forgot about your little... Grudge. But, I assure you, I just came here to talk – to warn you, in fact." Masanori explained.
"Warn me about what?" Hibari snarled, his teacup shaking in his tightening grip.
"What's to come." Masanori began, "You're one of the most fearsome fighters that the Path of Humans has seen in four centuries, when the fighting begins-"
"Kyouya, who are you talking to..." Dino interrupted, returning to the room. He stopped himself as he saw Masanori, his eyes narrowing as he drew his whip, "Vindice, what the hell are you doing here?"
"I am no Vindice, I assure you." Masanori replied, keeping his cool, "I felt the need to talk to you personally, do you know who I am?"
At the blank stares he received in reply, Masanori shook his head with a sigh.
"I'm Masanori." The bandaged man smiled, "Let's just say... I'm Tsuna's Night Guardian."
"If I may, Byakuran-sama, where do you know this Masanori person from?" Kikyo asked, running a hand through his now unruly seafoam green hair, as the other four Funeral Wreaths finished their breakfast, their leader eating his breakfast of marshmallows.
"Mmm~" Byakuran hummed, stuffing a handful of marshmallows into his mouth, despite trying to speak, "Nori-chan... I can't reveal too much I'm afraid."
"Ah, my apologies for asking then." Kikyo said with a bow.
"Boo, Byakuran, why not?~" Bluebell said with a whine, whilst nibbling an entire fried egg, held with both hands.
"Bluebell, watch your ton-" Kikyo began in scolding, but Byakuran held up a hand with a laugh,
"Hey now, it's only because I'm not allowed to." Byakuran grinned, lowering his hand, as he observed the shocked expressions of his comrades, "He made it very clear. It went beyond mere privacy. What I know is very, very privileged information, and of course, with my talents... I know just about everything about Masanori, probably more than he does."
"Why?" Zakuro asked lazily, his hands behind his head, having long wolfed down his breakfast.
"Because, by all accounts, he shouldn't exist... Here, that is." Byakuran began, his smile widening, "He came from a parallel world."
Tsuna awoke suddenly with a suppressed sneeze. Someone definitely just said something about him. And it was definitely something that he didn't agree to.
'And what's this warm feeling? I can't really see either. Something smells nice too.' Tsuna thought in increasing confusion. Finding a hand close to whatever was blocking his vision, Tsuna poked it, as if to find out what it was. It was soft and... Where did that moan come from, is someone-
Oh.
'HIEEEEEEEE' Tsuna's mind screamed. 'Kyoko-chan is sleeping with her breasts on my face! What do I do? Do I move? I poked them! Oh god... She's going to think I'm pulling some sort of lame move on her... Oh man... What do I do?'
"Mmm... Tsu-kun." Kyoko murmured, using her hands to lift herself off of Tsuna. Acting quickly, Tsuna pretended to be asleep. Kyoko sat upright beside him, running her delicate hands through his hair. Tsuna decided that now was a good time to 'wake up'.
"Aaaand, he's awake." Kyoko said sleepily, continuing to stroke his hair. Tsuna moved to sit upright, but Kyoko placed her light weight on top of him, signalling for him to stay down.
"And you want me to stay in bed?" Tsuna smiled.
"Just stay a little longer." Kyoko said softly, beaming down at him.
"I-It's strange... Waking up beside you." Tsuna began, his brown eyes softening as they locked gazes. "But, it's a good strange. I like it."
"I like it too, but..." Kyoko began, causing Tsuna to raise an eyebrow as she paused, "You're pretty lazy, aren't you, Tsu-kun?"
"Eh?" Tsuna gaped, faking offence at the statement, "Maybe... But for a long time, the only reason I woke up was so that I could see you."
"Tsu-kun..." Kyoko murmured in amazement, a blush forming, before a warm smile made its way onto her face, "When did you start to like me?"
"Since... Since I first saw you." Tsuna answered, after a moment's pause. Looking away, Tsuna asked her the same question in return, "What about you? When did you start to like me?"
Kyoko closed her eyes, humming in thought. Tsuna glanced at her again, as she thought about it. "I don't know." She answered truthfully, "But, I think it was a gradual thing, it didn't just happen. Eventually, it became love and it just felt normal, like it was always there. Almost like you, you were always there. I guess that's why."
Tsuna replied with a surprise kiss, leaning up into her lips
Tsuna smiled beneath his lowered gaze, "When and why did I start saying such soppy things?" Tsuna chuckled.
"I think you're sweet, Tsu-kun." Kyoko replied, "And it's because you're becoming more confident."
"Yeah, I guess..." Tsuna agreed with a smile, before his eyes became more serious, "Kyoko-chan... Masanori mentioned that there's going to be a ceremony soon, where I inherit the title of Vongola the Tenth. I bet that the Ninth boss will contact me any day now about it."
"What are you going to do?" Kyoko asked, her eyes full of concern.
"I'm going to do it." Tsuna answered, determination in his eyes, "I'll become Vongola the Tenth."
"So, what exactly does this have to do with me, herbivore?" Hibari asked with a lack of interest.
"Like I said, a warning." Masanori continued, "Something big is coming, and we need you on our side from the start."
"I refuse." Hibari answered immediately, sipping his tea once again.
"Kyouya, whatever this is, it sounds important." Dino reasoned, turning to Hibari, "If Masanori is on Tsuna's side, then we have to help."
Hibari didn't respond, remaining silent.
"May I ask why not?" Masanori asked calmly, closing his eye once again.
"Because I get the impression that you're strong, and I want to fight you." Hibari answered predictably.
"Then why label me a 'herbivore'?" Masanori asked.
"Because I also get the impression that you have no wish to fight me." Hibari continued, causing Masanori to smile softly.
"But you'd fight me anyway? Despite my wishes?" Masanori asked, tilting his head.
"It would be a waste otherwise." Hibari smirked up at the bandaged man from his seated position.
"Hmm, very well. As always, you are anything but an enigma, Hibari Kyouya." Masanori smiled, before turning on his heel, and moving to leave, but stopping in the doorway, "Dino-san, you'll receive word soon, most likely from Reborn himself. Be ready."
Before any response could be made, Masanori was gone, disappearing from view.
"This guy..." Dino murmured under his breath, "Just ordering us around, but... I get the sense that we should listen to him, for our sake."
Mukuro sat back in his bed in the Sawadas' guest room, mulling his thoughts over in his head. To have all these memories returned to him so suddenly, including the memories of the future. How had he never noticed? The boy's personality had been entirely different, but behind that bored and indifferent expression, it was the exact same face. Fran... Had he really forgotten?
Where was he now? No, Mukuro wouldn't be the only one searching for him. Maybe they had already found him.
Mukuro leaped for his phone, dialing a number as quickly as he could. Steadying his breath, Mukuro waited as the number dialed. Five rings. Six Rings. Seven, eight, nine.
"How the fuck did you get this number? And who- No, answer the first question, or I'll kill you harder than I intended."
"Xanxus." Mukuro responded calmly, hearing a growl on the other end of the line in response, "Do you have Fran?"
"Fran? That brat. Hell no." Xanxus responded, "We went to France a couple of months back, but decided we didn't want him after all."
"He's still there, then?" Mukuro asked in amusement.
"Yes, now piss off." Xanxus answered, before hanging up.
Soon after, Mukuro was dialing a new number.
"Hm? Mukuro-kun. It's early, is everything okay?" She answered.
"Mizuki-chan." Mukuro began, "Would you like to go to France with me for a couple of days?"
"Hah?" Was her response.
A/N: A shorter chapter this time, I don't want to finish things too quickly, since I know exactly how the story will end now, having planned everything out. This story has gone from a simple romance, with a little bit of drama on the side, to... This. It's become much deeper, darker and more complicated that I expected, but it's been a refreshing challenge.
I hope people can keep up with the complicated stuff I'm throwing at them. I'm trying as hard as I can to make things understandable.
It seems as though Masanori has proclaimed himself to be Tsuna's Night Guardian. And as Byakuran revealed, from a parallel world. That's quite a revelation, but it explains why Masanori, who is usually so unfazed by things, was so eager to shut Byakuran up on the rooftop.
Hmm, it seems that Mukuro now has a split mental state, of sorts. But both voices in his head are on the same wavelength... Mostly.
Hmm, I think one of you noticed that I name all of these chapters after Explosions in the Sky songs. This 'song' is probably my favourite, but then again, I like most of them.
Drop me a review, if you would.
Thanks for reading.