Under a Clouded Blue
Summary:
"My ambition in life? To conquer the world because destroying the mafia is so last season and I never got around with it the last time anyway…kufufu."
In which Rokudo Mukuro is reborn into a parallel world and finds himself in the position of every other SI/OC. Did he mention Hibari Kyoya being his younger brother?
To hell with what Sepira's spirit has to say about him making sure everyone —even bloody Byakuran— plays the role they did in his previous life. But if that dead woman promises those imported chocolate bonbons from Kawahira's store— "Sure. Why not?"
Featuring the evil mastermind and guardian angel of the canon!character's fates (the hell?): Rokudo Mukuro/Hibari Kuroo.
DISCLAIMER: Let's put this real simple- I am NOT Amano Akira hence I own nothing! Except the plot and a few characters of course.
WARNING: Mind the language AND the grammar!
11. Special Chapter – First Edition!
If anyone asked, (Kuroo would very often find himself saying) it all began with an apple.
On a bright Sunday afternoon when the two brothers were lazing about on a picnic carpet that had been spread out in the garden― to be precise.
Kuroo was seven then.
This impromptu picnic was another one of their mother's attempts to improve the relationship between Kyoya and Kuroo.
It had already been two hours since the two had been lying next to each other (because mother specifically told them not to enter until they made up for the fight they had earlier, but neither of them were willing to apologise first), the older one reading a book while the other colouring something that looked quite horrific for a butterfly― according to Kuroo, of course.
"Well, why don't you stop being stubborn and just say you're sorry?" Tante sighed as she walked up to the duo with a basket of food in her hand. "Especially you, Kuroo, you're supposed to be the older one here."
"What have you brought for us?" Kuroo simply rolled his eyes as he ignored her words.
"Apples?" Baby Kyoya asked as he perked up, abandoning his masterpiece to trot over to their tante.
"Yes, Kyoya." The woman smiled as she picked the only two apples from the ensemble of fruits and handed it to the little raven head. "Apples just for you."
The little demon beamed as he happily took the apples, one in each hand and stared at them with satisfaction. He looked back up at her and gave a small nod in thanks before going back to his position next to his older brother.
Kuroo scoffed at the whole exchange. "Really? He gets apples and I, grapes?"
"You should know its Kyoya's favourite fruit." She sighed. "And he's also younger than you, so yes, he deserves to have them."
"But I want an apple too!" Kuroo stubbornly exclaimed with a glare.
It didn't help that he had woken up on the wrong side of the bed this morning which was why he was quite irritable and touchy at the moment.
"Kuroo―"
"Here."
The older Hibari's stormy greyish-blue eyes widened when an apple was suddenly shoved infront of his face by a tiny hand that lightly clutched onto it. His tante just stared on in amusement.
"Kuroo wants apple, no?" Baby Kyoya innocently blinked when his brother gave him a strange look. "I have two, Kuroo take one."
"I-I…thank you." The older of the two replied in astonishment as he took the apple from his brother's hand.
"Welcome." Baby Kyoya shrugged before going back to his colouring as though nothing really shocking just happened.
But oh well, he was just a little child. He wouldn't have noticed anything amiss, like how his small act of kindness (not that he had even realised it in the first place anyway) had totally thrown his brother off guard and momentarily rendered the said boy speechless for the next few hours.
So really, it all started with an apple.
Then there were many other incidents that came along their way, small but still with a lot of impact on the older Hibari's attitude towards little Kyoya. Of course, they still fought and quarrelled, but those episodes were slowly being reduced as the days went by.
Alison called it a miracle and would often find herself closely watching the two under her care for those shared little moments of love for each other.
Like the time when Kyoya got upset over having water spilled on his drawing of a dinosaur…
The little raven head was fuming as he held the soiled paper in his hands. His aunt had told him not to draw while eating but he just couldn't let go of his new crayons to eat! What an herbivorous thing to do!
And he was drawing a very powerful carnivore too!
One that would devour all herbivores, those menaces who didn't know their place.
Obviously.
"Now, now Kyoya, I did warn you not to bring your notebook to the dining table." His aunt sighed as she cautiously approached him because an angry Kyoya was a very unpredictable Kyoya.
Last time he had lost his temper (without Kuroo actually having anything to do with it, yes, how shocking) they had lost an expensive vase from a bygone era and had to repair one of the sliding doors. Really, he was very destructive even for a three year old. But it was probably because of the Hibari blood flowing through his veins.
They were rumoured to be very ill-tempered people in a way.
Well, Kuroo being the sole exception (and perhaps even a certain uncle of theirs) since the boy rather preferred to be annoying, a total brat and found it his duty to incur other people's wraths rather than show his true destructive side.
(Yes, again. Alison held firm to the belief that the boy also had that side of himself too apart from all the other useless tantrums.)
"Kufufu, honestly, you're angry because your drawing got soaked?" Kuroo who had been calmly eating his meal finally spoke up in an amused tone.
The little raven snapped his head to the side to face his brother with his best glare.
"Kuroo, don't start no―"
"It's a T-Rex!" Baby Kyoya half-yelled. "Strong!"
"I don't see your point here, Kyo―" Kuroo paused as a thoughtful expression dawned upon his face. "But raptors are fiercer, like the Utahraptor, which for your information is the largest known raptor, noted especially for its sheer killing ability."
The little raven head who had been so close to tearing the book in his hands apart immediately had his anger poof into nonexistence, it being replaced with curiosity. He tilted his head to the side. "Utahrar?"
"Utahraptor." Kuroo corrected before he motioned for his younger brother to come closer. "Here, let me show you how they look like."
Baby Kyoya blinked. "You draw for me?"
"Of course, are you underestimating my art skills?" The older seemed offended at the look of doubt painted across his younger brother's face.
"No." He immediately shook his head before dashing out of the dining room while saying something about bringing another notebook.
Alison just stared.
"You don't have to look at me like I'm a dinosaur myself, tante." Kuroo rolled his eyes. "It's insulting."
"I'm just astonished that you would actually do something for your little brother."
"You do want him happy and not throwing another fit, don't you? So don't make me change my mind when I'm being nice."
Alison simply laughed in surprise. "Just finish off your meal first."
Well, the two boys were very peculiar in their own unique ways.
And later that night after she had tucked the boys to bed…
Alison DeLauro found herself gaping at the work of art etched on the notebook which Kuroo had worked on for barely even an hour just for his younger brother.
"Good god…"
The drawing looked more like a printed picture rather than something that a seven year old would have been able to draw! The details were so flawlessly worked upon! No, every single line was a stroke of perfection!
No wonder little Kyoya had been so satisfied and cheerful for the rest of the day.
Just what on earth was Hibari Kuroo!?
Then, it was on that one particular day ―when grandfather had been rushed to the emergency room and the parents of the boys had to leave immediately on hearing the news― that everything changed in a way Kuroo wouldn't have expected it to.
Even tante had to leave to help their mother as she tended to her father-in-law.
So they were both to be home alone.
Well, if one didn't bother to take into account the security and household staff who were as scarce as ghosts but never failed to make an immediate appearance whenever required.
Thankfully enough, the next day was a Saturday and that meant no classes for either of the two.
"Take good care of Kyoya, alright?" Hibari Izanami said as she planted a kiss on both her sons' heads before making her way over to the car that was waiting to take her and tante to the private hospital where grandfather had been admitted, located an hour's journey away.
"Just be good for a day, it won't kill either of you." Alison said before following after her cousin.
Kuroo had met his grandfather just once, an intimidating man who wasn't so much of cheers and smiles. Well, it wasn't like any of the Hibari (excluding himself of course and perhaps his uncle too) fitted that description anyway, but even so, his father did smile occasionally!
Couldn't his grandfather do that too?
(He had heard a nasty rumour during that gathering when he had first met the kumicho, one that said the man did just that in the face of his enemies despair and screams.
Well, why wasn't he even surprised?)
Their first meeting did not even consist of an exchange of words.
Not like Kuroo knew how grandparents were supposed to act because he never had one in his previous life anyway (not that he remembered)― but weren't they supposed to dote over their grandchildren or something?
Or was this just with the Hibari?
The man had given a glance at Kyoya and himself, beckoned them forward and then after a long look of assessment (by then, Kyoya was already restless and shooting glares around the room while Kuroo simply stared right back into his grandfather's eyes as though in a challenge) apparently approved of them because he smirked, patted their heads and sent them off on their own way.
And that was the only time they ever interacted with their grandfather.
The two brothers just stood awkwardly at the doorway until the sleek black car disappeared from sight. Then, Kuroo turned around with a sigh. "Come, Kyo-chan. We have to go back in now, lest someone decides to kidnap you and I get blamed."
"Can I colour?"
"Dinosaurs again?"
"No." The little raven shook his head. "Utah-rnivores."
Kuroo scrunched his nose in exasperation. "Really?"
Oh well, children.
Dinner rolled by rather quickly and the two ate in silence accompanied with the occasional sounds of the scraping of silverware.
After they were done, it was decided upon that the both of them would retire to bed earlier than usual.
Kuroo tucked Kyoya into bed, much to his reluctance, and made sure the little demon would not wake up just to go colour his so called "Utah-rnivores" by putting his crayons and notebook in the highest compartment of the bookshelf in the younger's room before retreating back to his own room with a stern warning.
He just hoped that the boy would listen.
Though a part of him knew he wouldn't.
"That was very sweet of you." His favourite resident ghost commented once he stepped into his room.
"Of course, I'm a very nice person and the best brother he could ever ask for." Kuroo shrugged as he trudged over to the bathroom. "Obviously."
"And you're very shameless too." Sepira said with a nod that was directed more to herself than him.
"Why, thank you for the wonderful insight."
"Pleasure." She hummed before drifting over to the window. "It's such a clear sky tonight, expect lots of sunshine tomorrow."
"Sepira, I can see that you're attempting but failing rather miserably at trying to keep a conversation right now, so please, just stop before you end up embarrassing yourself, because I don't feel like indulging in one right now. I'm tired."
Cue the deep sigh.
He didn't even know why she even tried sometimes.
"Alright, goodnight Kuroo. Have a pleasant sleep!"
And a pleasant sleep he did have…until he was woken up purely by instinct ―moving to sit up in a flash, palm glowing with his flames― when his bedroom door slowly creaked open.
Thank goodness he had not summoned his trident and thrown it at the intruder. His mother would have gutted him with just a chopstick if he had harmed, let alone even displaced a single hair on Hibari Kyoya by "accident".
He huffed before plopping back to his bed.
"Kuroo?"
The said raven head pulled the blankets over his head. He did not want to deal with the little demon right now. Especially not after he had woken from a dream about world domi― a good dream.
"Kuroo?"
"Go away Kyo-chan, I'm trying to sleep here."
The other remained silent and firmly rooted by the door.
"Go to bed." Kuroo groaned, stretching the vowels in his words as he buried his face into his pillow.
"…no."
"Go."
"No."
"I said go!"
"No!"
"Stop being so stubborn and go! It's way past your bedtime and if you were up drawing your fucking Utah-rnivores and can't sleep because of that, I swear I'm gonna―"
A sniff from the little raven head abruptly cut off Kuroo from his rant.
The older of the two paused and frowned. "Are you crying?"
"..no."
Kuroo rolled his eyes as he brought himself to sit up again. Seriously, Kyoya had reached his rebellious age way too soon. The moonlight that streamed in through the window illuminated the room enough for Kuroo to get a better look at the little demon.
And he was right.
There it was, big fat tears rolling down Kyoya's chubby cheeks.
"You are crying." All of a sudden, he felt uncomfortable. He wasn't used to tears or comforting anyone, as a matter of fact. "Why are you crying?"
"…nothing…"
"Is it because mother isn't here?"
The boy remained silent.
And the atmosphere only grew more awkward.
"Fine. Fine!" Kuroo exclaimed in frustration as he flung his hands to the air in exasperation, breaking the silence. "Don't tell me―…"
He cut himself off this time when he realised the little demon was watching him with an unusual expression. One that was just too full of emotions, as though he was on the verge of exploding with every single one of them. Kuroo sighed.
He was going to regret this.
The stormy greyish-blue eyed boy scooted over to the side and patted the empty spot next to him on his bed. "Only this one time, here, you can come and sleep next to― oof!"
Before Kuroo could even complete his sentence, he was knocked to his back, courtesy of his little brother who had barrelled right at him in a very uncharacteristic manner. He actually had to double check to see if this really was the Hibari Kyoya he had known his previous life.
Huh.
Who knew the Demon of Namimori did cuddles.
Or whatever this was.
The younger buried his face into his brother's chest while hugging the breath out of him. Kuroo managed to free his hands before pulling the blanket over the both of them and then awkwardly resting his arms over little Kyoya.
"Not too tight." Kuroo complained but didn't do anything to loosen his brother's grip on him because…it was warm.
And nice.
Shut up conscience!
Silence befell upon them again, though this time it didn't seem to be so awkward as before. More of a nice and calming silence, rather.
"Goodnight Kyo-chan." He softly murmured as he shut his eyes.
"Goodnight," came the muffled reply followed by a pause and then a, "Kurooisthebest."
Kuroo felt warmth slowly envelop his heart on hearing the words spill out of his brother's lips with outmost sincerity. He tightened his grip albeit a little as he exhaled the air he didn't know he had been holding in.
What had he ever done to receive such kind words?
"Thank you."
"This is my dreamscape." Kuroo stated aloud, just to be sure.
"Yes." Sepira who stood by his side under the shade of the willow tree nodded with enthusiasm.
"This is my dreamscape." He repeated again, his eyebrow twitching. "…so what is he doing here?"
The two of them stared at the said "he" who appeared to be happily chasing after what looked like morbid children drawings come to live.
The Hibari Kyoya chasing after his Utah-rnivores with a rather bloodthirsty expression for a three year old, to be exact.
Sepira shrugged. "I presume it's because of the overwhelming emotions the two of you shared just before falling asleep."
Kuroo whipped his head to the side with a sneer. "Me? Overwhelming emotions?"
She sighed. "You know, you should learn how to be more honest with yourself, Kuroo."
"I am being perfectly honest with myself." He replied before shifting his gaze back to his little brother with a look of suspicion, as though preparing himself for some pandemonium that only the little demon could bring forth. "And I want him out of my dreamscape this instant."
"And just a moment ago, you were being all cuddly and friendly!" She grabbed him by the arm, stopping his advance. "Let him be, Kuroo. He came to you because of a bad dream, don't chase him out from where he feels safe and secure now."
"It's not my fault he had a bad dream!"
"You're being unreasonable." Sepira chided him. "And so is your rivalry! Honestly, you were just teenagers when you made rivals out of yourselves and after all these years, this enmity has been going on! Even after your death and rebirth!"
Kuroo paused and turned back to face her with a raised eyebrow. "Is that what you think?"
"What do you mean, is that what I think? Of course not, it's what everybody does!"
"Everybody?"
"Is there another reason behind your rivalry then?" She huffed.
Kuroo scoffed. "As immature as you like to think I am, Sepira, that rivalry had long been dissolved."
She blinked. She knew things, alright, being a shaman and all and also being in charge of him so she technically knew about his past life― but not all things from it. And this particular statement came as quite a surprise to her. "…it did?"
He gave a rather dramatic sigh as he threw his hands up in the air, shifting his dreamscape at the same moment to darken and shoot a spotlight down at him. "We were far from rivals; this rivalry phase ―which did exist at just a point of time― died out when we turned adults." He paused for a moment of thought. "Of course, we still had friendly spars from time to time, though the Decimo was not very fond of it, seeing how it usually resulted in outstanding bills, courtesy of our resident demon, obviously.
"You see, we were, what do you call that? Ah, more of brothers. Yes, the irony of it all, to be actually reborn as his brother in this universe, what fate," he spat out with a frown before softly adding as though in an afterthought, "it's such an awful thing, almost like a punishment meant for…me."
Sepira found herself speechless, unable to really comprehend all that he had just said. "Oh."
"Yes, oh."
He rolled his eyes before kicking at the grass as he turned his back to her, the atmosphere shifting over to a heavier one; it was stifling with emotions that seemed to have been locked away for such a long time. "'Oh' indeed. Everyone was just as surprised as you were because the two of us grew with a bond, one that seemed unbreakable to others, one that even the term 'best friends' could not simply supply to describe how…close we had grown. So they called us brothers. Brothers.
"Such irony, I believe fate has cursed me to this because of what I had done in the end." Kuroo gave a mirthless laugh which so hollow and wrong to Sepira's ears. His eyes darkened with hatred. "What he made me do in the end. He could have…lived. I know he could have―"
"Ah! Kuroo!"
The said little raven head chose that climactic moment to run over to them, practically radiating happiness as he did. Sepira wondered if she would have to intervene and perhaps steer the younger away because she had never seen Kuroo in this manner. With so much hate, she almost regretted on having to bring the whole topic up in the first place.
Before he could move out of the way, however, his little brother literally pounced on him with a hug. But maybe he didn't avoid it on purpose; it looked like he more or less wanted― needed the hug, seeing how his arms automatically moved to wrap around Kyoya. Kuroo pulled him a closer, tucking his little brother's head underneath his chin, the look of contempt from earlier replaced with something akin to sadness and what looked like fondness too.
Kuroo murmured with eyes shut, soft but loud enough for Sepira to hear. "And look at what he does to me now, after what I did, it almost feels like forgiveness for a sin that weighed me down so heavy. I don't know how I'm supposed to hate him, this innocent little child so blissfully unaware of it all…why?"
He took a shaky breath.
"...I…am sorry."
Sepira just smiled at the sight and slowly turned away, deciding that she would have to give the two some space of their own. She also decided to keep to herself how she saw for the first time, a lone tear that rolled down her ward's cheek; and also about the fact that she knew that the bad dream Kyoya had had was a dream where Kuroo never existed to begin with, the dream of the other parallel world his brother had been reborn from, where he never had a brother to begin with.
And also how, much later in that very night's dream, Kuroo found himself in his old body, infront of the man he had bonded with as a brother in a lifetime long ago.
Hibari Kyoya offered him a small smile.
"It was never your fault."
A/N:
I bet y'all thought Kuroo hated Kyoya all this time because of that "rivalry" didn't ya? *smirks*
Guess what? You were wrong! Haha-urhgh! *ends up choking on the lollipop*
Anyway, I just hope it was as good as you guys hoped this special chapter would be and just as sad as I hoped it would be xD
And igxhikisjaf! You guys just bombed me with reviews on the last chapter! I am so happy and grateful! Thank you so much guys!
SugarAlien, silverstar456, Nuvola De Demone, TheSilverHunt3r, rolling-Chiyo, Neko1290, nusyafizzul, mapplepie, Guest (May 1 c10), uchiharyuko, 22, sarahgri99, Kasai Mori, 27aquarrow72, Guest (May 1 c10), To The EXTREME KHR EnmaFan, Failing Wings, zoela, Blue16Talons, Twister60 and XXPineappleHerbivoreXX.
I typed all your names with a bigass grin cause I'm so happy, and really super grateful to my regular reviewers too (you know yourselves xD). Thanks once again!
22: now that is one question I can't answer without giving out so much spoilers, but shhh! It's a great question too seeing that most people don't ask it. Just hold on for the arc to come around! :'3 Thank you for your review!
And I also decided that from this chapter onwards, I will personally reply to all your reviews through the pm system, that way, I can explain stuff better without worrying about the length of the author note and all xD
Also, a big thank you to all of you who have put this story in your favourites and follows list!
AAAAAND the next chapter will feature the appearance of not one but TWO canon!characters! Woot woot! One of them is probably a sweetheart (or whatever) to everyone, so stay tuned…and guess on too :'3
(I do hope I update it faster than I did this chapter, lol)
Thank you for reading!