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: Amano Akira owns it all. Except the plot and a few characters of course.
WARNING: Mind the language and grammar, I don't have a beta.
A/N:
Just some information up here so that you people won't be left confused in between.
So yeah, to indicate that my characters are speaking in French, all such speeches will be in italics.
14. ESt ce que ça va?
Being swallowed and spat out from dimensional time spaces was something Kuroo did not want to ever go through the experience of again. It was disgusting, purely because it was a very strange and foreign sensation for his body, unlike anything he'd ever experienced.
Staying inside was no problem. It was almost normal even. Just that everything outside the time space moved real slow while the inside was just devoid of color.
That was it.
He hadn't really felt it when he'd been pulled in by one of Kawahira's shadow goons since its sudden appearance was rather distracting.
When he stepped out of it though, he'd lost control over his own body for a few good seconds; his bones had felt all gooey and rubbery. A relief he quickly regained himself and straightened his posture since the last thing he wanted was to be spotted ungracefully sprawled on the concrete.
"Ah, I remember this place." Kuroo rose an eyebrow as he acknowledged the establishment before him. It felt pretty nostalgic staring at the building again. "The Kawahira Store."
And it was also the only thing he was allowed to see before cold shadowy hands shielded his eyes and tugged him back into the embrace of it's grasp. It seemed to meld right into him, unlike before when all it did was bind him, the purpose being so that it would takeover the reins of control of his body and guide him to the destined place for "a talk".
Kuroo didn't resist, seeming to accept his fate with a casualness that made the masked man frown. This only further roused his curiosity for the young raven head.
Checker Face, or rather his alter ego, had been enjoying the slow afternoon that Namimori usually went through with a nap when a sudden pulse of energy disturbed his peace. He was peeved by the abrupt intrusion into his territory by what felt like an oddly ancient presence.
(He had made it a point to put up a barrier around Namimori, not one to keep unwanted guests away but rather to alert him of them. It was a convenient way to be prepared, he believed. Especially since the line of the Vongola Primo resided here, one could never predict what could happen if they weren't careful.)
Checker Face's first thought had been of the Vindice, the guards of the Mafia law, seeing as to how their presence was quite old.
But he paused and reached out for the strange presence only to discover it wasn't as aged as the Vindice, and that there was also something off about it.
As though it had already seen death.
Which was just absurd. So, he had moved immediately and set out to find it. It was not relatively hard, but it wasn't as easy as well because once the presence had lost contact with the barrier, it grew less noticeable.
Checker Face, nevertheless, found the presence.
In a little boy too, much to his surprise. He had a hard time believing and had to actually do a double-check to see if the boy was being possessed by the presence. Surprisingly, he realized that was not the case at all.
Rather, his soul was the presence.
What intrigued him, however, was how tainted the soul of the little raven head appeared to be.
He watched over him for a few more moments as he tried to decide if the boy was a threat or not. If he turned out to be one, he would have to be eliminated. But if not, there would still be consequences that would be taken up to contain the boy.
Checker Face, however, had almost flipped when the boy came in contact with the bloodline of the Vongola Primo (what were the odds!). His senses bristled in alarm and was ready to sweep in to intervene, only to stop when the Vongola child did not react negatively to the presence.
Instead, the child seemed to be at total ease with the raven.
And so, Checker Face decided that he would trust the legendary Vongola intuition this time around.
Nevertheless, he still kept an eye on the boy.
Then, when an opportunity arose much later that day, he immediately swooped in and caught a hold of the presence. Surprisingly, the raven barely put up a fight and seemed almost resigned to his fate.
What alarmed Checker Face the most, however, was the fact that the presence, the child knew him. And regarded him with a casualness that said he wasn't afraid!
He paused his thoughts as they arrived to the room he always had prepared for the interrogation of uninvited people such as this little raven.
After seating the raven head down (Checker Face's shadow goons played the part of strapping the boy to his seat to prevent him from getting away) and returning his sight back to him, the man took a seat himself.
He met stormy bluish-grey eyes that were already fixed on his form with an intensity that unnerved him.
"Now," he began as his hands came to rest on his lap, "tell me who you are."
The boy smirked. "Sure."
Hibari Kyoya sat at the entrance of the house they would be staying in for the night. His legs dangled from the edge of the raised wooden platform, swinging to and fro in an impatient manner.
He was waiting.
When his aunt had come out to call him in, he had refused to, saying that he would not enter the house without his nii-san. He ignored the strange look he'd received from her and the words that fell out of her lips, "What do you mean, Kyoya? Your brother is already inside."
The boy that followed them back home was not Kuroo. Even though he walked, talked and even looked like him, Kyoya knew he wasn't his brother. Because they didn't smell the same.
And so he had decided to sit outside and wait for his brother whilst ignore the fake at the same time.
It didn't take long.
Soon enough, he spotted Kuroo— the real one who smelled like olives and what was that word again, ah, evil, walking through the front gate with a tired expression.
Kyoya did not run up to greet him.
He had decided to sit and wait there, after all.
Kuroo was mildly surprised to see his younger brother sitting at the entrance. Mildly because this was the Hibari Kyoya, a little demon. So it wasn't much of a surprise, really.
But he couldn't help the raised eyebrow and the question that followed.
"Kyo-chan, what are you doing out here?" He asked as he moved a hand to rub at his eyes.
All the talking not long ago had been exhausting. If Sepira hadn't intervened, Kuroo was pretty sure the "let's have a talk" would have stretched on for who knows how long and he would've been tired double the times now.
The younger Hibari opened his mouth to reply only to shut it as his steel-grey orbs suddenly adopted a very strange look, as though they were caught in a trance.
Kuroo frowned.
If it's Checker Face pulling something off I'm going to cut the deal—
Kuroo's thoughts skidded to a halt when he realized just what his younger brother just might be staring at: his hand.
He moved the very hand that was still on his face to the side and saw his little brother's eyes follow the movement with a sharpness to them.
Kuroo then waved his hand up and down and a few times to the side just to be sure (and also for the fun of it because Kyo-chan very much looked like one of those cats chasing laser lights) and watched in amusement as the little demon's eyes darted likewise.
Kuroo let out a huff and stopped. "What is it?"
Little Kyoya blinked owlishly, snapping out of the trance he had been caught in. "Are you..."
"Am I?" Kuroo cocked his head to the side.
"Is Kuroo late because he marry?"
The stormy bluish-grey eyed boy laughed after a short pause of bewilderment and also because his mind took time to process the question the younger Hibari had just asked him.
Ah, so it was the ring on my hand he'd been staring at.
Checker Face had (grudgingly) gifted an apparently rare ring to Kuroo. It's purpose being to tone down his presence, or something of that sort. Kuroo however had been more concerned with the whole shelf of imported chocolate bonbons. Don't ask how he even found it, he just did.
He even got to take a case of them!
It was one of those moments when he truly appreciated Sepira in his life.
Kuroo swept forth to embrace the little raven as he still chuckled. "Of course not, Kyo-chan." He smoothly lifted him off from the raised platform. "I'm not late because I had to marry. This is just a very special ring to keep my 'overly unique presence a secret' so that I don't attract unwanted attention. Do you understand?"
The younger Hibari had a quizzical expression but nodded anyway. "So you're late because you had to keep a secret."
"Yes. Exactly." Kuroo laughed again as he made his way into the house. "And you should do the same and keep this to yourself. Alright?"
"Okay."
Kuroo put his brother down and shut the door behind them. "Excellent." He ruffled the little demon's hair. "Now let's go find the fake, shall we?"
"We are going to France."
Admittedly, it was a very sudden declaration but with the life he'd lived through so far (the past and this one as well), Kuroo wasn't so surprised.
His tante had planned to return home for the winter because it had been years since she had last seen her family. It was with this that Hibari Izanami decided they would also tag along; just herself and the boys since her husband had to take care of other family matters.
Izanami had told her sons that it would be a good experience to meet her mother's side of the family.
Kuroo doubted it but kept his thoughts to himself, lest he incurred his mother's wrath for such cheek.
Sepira seemed to be in a strangely good mood the whole time as they packed enough for two weeks of stay. This only made Kuroo suspicious, but even at his indirect jabs and direct questions, the woman just smiled and had her lips sealed shut.
Now that they were finally in France, Kuroo felt that something was bound to happen. But right now, he was just too tired to garner any kind of a reaction.
"Who's coming to pick us up?"
Kuroo was positively jet-lagged.
But his grumpy little five year old brother seemed to have it worse, the time difference having made him very tired and confused.
"My brother." Tante replied as she adjusted the baggage piled up on the trolley. "He should be waiting for us outside."
"Oh, Casimir?" Izanami asked. "It's been so long since I've even heard from him."
"Yes. We haven't been in contact lately because of his business." Tante nodded. "And he had the family's winery to look after alongside his work. But the moment he heard we were coming, he immediately cleared his dates to take a short break. A good thing since family time is very precious."
"I can hardly wait to meet tante Renée. She made the best boeuf bourguignon, even my maman's couldn't compare to it." Izanami said.
"Your maman won't be so pleased to hear you comparing her skills with that of her sister's." Alison laughed. "She's equally excited to meet you and your boys too."
"Hate to interrupt but Kyo-chan's looking very green, mother." Kuroo butted in.
"Oh, dear." Izanami fussed as she bent over, gently placing her hands against her youngest son's cheeks. "He does look green. Kyoya, do you think you'll be able to go on another long car ride?"
Kyoya looked close to hurling at the mention of the word "ride". He shook his head furiously, fists tightening and eyes turning watery.
Kuroo hid his smirk. Sometimes, the little demon could be very adorable. "Perhaps we could put up in some hotel nearby? Give Kyo-chan a day or two so that he can recuperate; I think that long flight really did him in."
Izanami nodded. "That sounds ideal." She scooped her son into her arms and straightened up. "Hang in there alright, Kyoya? You are a strong boy, aren't you?"
The little demon weakly nodded in response before buying his head into his mother's shoulder with a soft whine.
Tante huffed with fondness. "He's never really liked travelling, especially in public transports with a lot of strangers." She nodded. "We can hire the taxi for the two of you. I'll take Kuroo ahead with me because maman would be disappointed if neither of the three of you turn up."
Izanami laughed. "Of course. Give her my apologies will you? Oh, wait." She turned to face Kuroo who had just opened his mouth to protest against the decisions that were being made for him as though he wasn't present. "You be the one to extend the apologies on behalf of the Hibari instead since you're the oldest son. No complaints, Kuroo."
"Really?" Kuroo raised an unimpressed brow.
"And since you know French quite fluently, it will do you good, work to your advantage to winning your mamie Renée's heart." Izanami nodded.
"But—"
"No complaints!"
Casimir DeLauro, the younger brother of tante Alison was nothing like how Kuroo had imagined him to be.
Kuroo had heard stories of how Alison's brother would always be the cost of much of her troubles when she was younger. That despite how deeply he cared for his family, he could be such a nightmare for them sometimes.
So, Kuroo had presumed him to be playful and bright.
However, Casimir appeared to be more gruff than gentle and colder than warm. Somehow, the man appeared to not care or give a damn about anything, but was still carefully reserved in his behavior; something Kuroo had not expected after hearing about him.
Even in terms of appearance, he seemed less of what Alison had described him to be ("He's my frère, of course we will bear resemblance. You don't have to look for him anyway, I'll find him myself."), what with the high cheekbones and lighter shade of blond hair that was neatly swept back.
He piqued Kuroo's interest.
Because somehow, Kuroo could tell there was something slightly off about him.
Alison and Casimir were the only children to the widowed Renée (aka the older sister to Izanami's mother and a French herself before she had married a Japanese and settled in Japan).
Kuroo decided that his mother's side of the family was somehow more complicated than his father's.
"So you're Izanami's son?" Casimir asked as he helped Kuroo with his seatbelt in the front seat. "Hibari Kuroo, was it?"
Kuroo hadn't been aware the man could speak in Japanese, even thought it was quite accented. "Yes."
"You're small for a nine year old." He grunted as he buckled his own seatbelt. "Small..." he seemed to struggle with the right word before giving up "...Asians."
"It's alright, tonton, I can speak perfectly in French." Kuroo smoothly replied, hiding his smirk at the surprise that flashed through Casimir's face. "I assume you're more comfortable with your native language and since I am absolutely fluent in it, you wouldn't have to worry about conversing with me in Japanese."
The blond seemed impressed, if the light tilt of his lip was anything to go by. "Huh."
Tante Alison huffed as she got into the backseat. She had just finished making sure her cousin and nephew had caught a taxi for themselves. She eyed the two in front of her. "Well, what's happening here? It seems you have made quite an impression on Casimir seeing how he is not too fond of children."
"Tonton, you don't have to treat me like a child, I am as mature as an adult so I wouldn't mind you treating me as one." Kuroo flashed his best smile at the man. "I do hope we get along in this two weeks."
"You speak French as though it's your first language." Casimir nodded as he started the car. "I cannot deny the fact that I am impressed. Since when have you picked up the language?"
"Ever since he was a wee toddler. One and a half years old and already fluent in French!" Tante Alison exclaimed.
"What?" Casimir's eyes were wide in disbelief.
"Even his own father couldn't believe such a feat was possible." Tante Alison shook her head. "It took a very long time for him to be fully convinced that he wasn't just hearing things."
"I am a prodigy, after all." Kuroo simply smirked.
Kuroo pretended not to see the unreadable look that Casimir inconspicuously sent his way.
"That's...very unique." The man offered after a pause.
"He would speak more in French initially after learning it. Izanami got worried, but he eventually grew out of the habit of doing so after turning four," Tante Alison went on, "we thought he would forget about it as well, but we were proven wrong, as you can see today."
Kuroo had long shifted his attention to the window, acting as though he was very entranced by the new sights before him.
"Interesting." He heard Casimir mutter under his breath.
"Oh, how was this year's vendange?"
"Well, this year..."
Kuroo tuned them out as he plunged into his own trail of thoughts.
This vacation was definitely going to be something else.
The château of the DeLauro family was located about an hour's drive away from the airport; nestled in the countryside of Bordeaux.
The DeLauro had once been aristocrats during the bygone era.
It was no wonder their home bore the typical appearance of an old château that had been passed down through succeeding generations. But despite its entirety screaming "ancient", there was somehow a touch of modernity thrown into the mix, though Kuroo himself couldn't really tell what.
There was a also vineyard somewhere in the premises of the land, along with an orchard and the winery.
Kuroo had already been shown into one of the many rooms in the château after they had arrived, one that he would be sharing with his little brother since the younger wouldn't have been comfortable sleeping by himself in a new environment.
When he was through with unpacking, he left the room to explore the place. He decided against taking rest even though it would mean having his sleep pattern terribly ruined. It was just late noon compared to how it would already be night in Japan at the moment.
Kuroo wanted to get used to the place first for his convenience.
He hadn't still met with Mamie Renée as the older woman had gone out due to some prior engagement and would not return until later in the evening. Kuroo mildly wondered what kind of person she would be like, a doting grandmother or a strict one.
"Jeune garçon," he heard his tante call out to him just as he reached the end of the staircase. "Ah, just in time."
"In time for what?" He asked as he raised his brow.
"There's someone I'd like for you to meet." Tante Alison smiled. "I haven't seen him in quite a long time, but when he was a little child, I used to look after him. And so did your mother when she had come to France for about two months. That was before she married." She said as she beckoned him to follow her. "In fact, I should say your mother and him grew quite attached in those two months. They even keep in contact till date, if I'm not mistaken. Has she not told you about him?"
"No, she hasn't. Who is he?" He asked as he cocked his head to the side.
Kuroo remembered seeing mail from abroad quite often addressed to his mother.
But he had never really paid attention or asked her about it because his mother's business was her business. He didn't really see a point in poking his nose into it. "A cousin brother?"
"Yes. He's arriving soon." Tante nodded "A cousin, though not a really close one. I think the term relative would be more suitable. He's a very sweet boy."
"I presume he is older than me?"
"About thirteen or fourteen, I don't really remember." She said. "But he will keep you great company during this two weeks. I'm sure of it."
"I see—"
The doorbell rang thrice in a row, interrupting him mid-speech.
"Oh! That must be him!"
"How exactly are we related?" Kuroo asked as he followed his tante towards the front door.
"My twice removed third cousin's brother-in-law's daughter who—" Tante waved if off with a huff as the shrill sound of the doorbell interrupted their conversation again. "It's kind of a complicated story and he is an Italian. However, he can also speak French and even Japanese so you don't have to worry about communication!"
"What?" Kuroo felt a foreboding sense of trouble accompanied with dread slowly pooling in his stomach.
At the sound of the persistent doorbell interrupting even his thoughts, Kuroo highly doubted the boy his tante wanted him to meet was "a very sweet boy".
"Well, he has certainly grown to be very impatient." His tante said as her hand reached out to pull the door open.
"I see," was all Kuroo had to offer before he had been rendered utterly speechless.
Hibari Kuroo had not been ready to see a familiar face despite somehow expecting it ever since his tante had dropped off the hint that the boy was an Italian.
But what he was most unprepared for was the fact that he was related (Oh god, why? Wasn't being a brother to a demon enough!?) to this uncouth barbarian.
This uncouth barbarian who was also, apparently, "attached" to his mother.
"VOI! About time somebody opened the goddamned fucking door!" The newcomer practically roared in greeting. "What took you scums so long!?"
Well, fuck.
A/N:
Happy New Year to everyone reading this! lol
I know I disappeared again despite the promise, yikes. Sorry. Anyway, this New Year, I hope to bring more chapters to my dear readers without any long delays in between! *cheers*
I'm shooting canon characters at you one after the other, sorry not sorry because I'm loving it xD
French Translations:
tante : aunt/aunty
boeuf bourguignon : a beef dish
maman : mother
frère : brother
tonton : uncle (I personally find this very cute!)
vendange : grape harvest
mamie : grandmother
Also, YOUR REVIEWS! THANK YOU SO MUCH BlueSeraphos, That One Secretary, SugarAlien, (Oct 4, 2017 c13) Guest, DXPotatoXD, PurpleSnow10, bloodshound, Iris D. Peverell, , Neko1290, Failing Wings, Ameliy, Carnival14, mercurae, H. , (Oct 12, 2017 c13) Guest, Ever-Lethargic, TheDisturbedDragon, Hashirama 1710 and (Dec 26, 2017 c9) Reader for all your support!
I really loved reading all your reviews, some of them were so hilarious and interesting. Rereading them as I prepare the author's note just makes me warm and fuzzy inside! To Ameliy, that's quite an idea, hmm, I might just consider it. But oh well, let's see what the future brings forth!
I swear this time, I'll try to reply to everyone's reviews via their pms. Because : New Year, New Me! Lol
Also, I might change my username (because ohmygawd it's super childish and there's just so much cringe in it) but I'll give the warning well ahead before I do. I say "might" because who knows, I could also just end up keeping it xD lol
Thank you all for reading this! :')