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:
I deleted four thousand words of this chapter because it wasn't going as planned and redid everything from scratch again. Hi. I'm still alive :')
And this chapter might be a little fast paced. Cause I wanted to get it out to you guys as fast as I coul— yeah. I'm making excuses.
ALSO, TWO CANON CHARACTERS APPEAR. TAKE A GUESS!
16. Surprises.
Hibari Kyoya yawned, rubbing his eyes.
"Are you sleepy, Kyoya?"
"Hnn," he nodded.
They were out in the open space of the gardens, currently lazing around after the afternoon tea held at the gazebo.
Kyoya was seated under the shade of a tree, wrapped in a shawl to keep warm since he didn't really like the idea of having to sunbath to beat the winter chills.
He wondered how his brother could go about in such light clothing. But then, with all the fighting he'd been doing with the loud boy, Kuroo would feel too hot with warmer clothes on.
They did that quite a lot these days, the fighting.
"Kyoya, you should go get a cup of hot chocolate if you're cold."
He shook his head with another yawn. "'M fine."
The raven turned his focus over to Kuroo's strange friend who was seated beside him. "Are you cold?"
She laughed. "Of course not. I'm fine. I don't feel anything, really."
Kyoya seemed to readily accept her reply.
The lady, Sepira, was very strange— apart from Kuroo, he was the only one who could see her. She was definitely not human despite looking like one. But she wasn't entirely a ghost like the ones he would hear people talk about either.
She had always been there since he could remember; Kyoya didn't know how and where she had come from though.
Did she not have a family?
But Kuroo had accepted her in like one of them, so Kyoya decided not to ponder much upon it.
He yawned again.
All this thinking was making him sleepy.
Kyoya pulled the shawl tighter around him as he shut his eyes.
Maybe he would just take a short nap.
"Sleep well, Kyoya."
He hummed in reply.
Will I stop seeing her someday? —was his last thought before he slipped into a world of dreamless sleep.
"What a shame Kyoya had to come down with a fever today of all days." Kuroo sighed as lazily poked at a bunch of key chains that hung in a corner.
They had stopped by a souvenir shop during their stroll through the city. Tante had instructed them to fetch a handful of gifts for people they knew back home. Hence the three of them, Squalo, Tonton Casimir and Kuroo were now on a mission.
One which neither of them seemed particularly enthusiastic on carrying out.
"I'm rather glad he's down and not going around trying to bite me." Squalo snorted as he walked past him.
"Careful what you say about my baby brother in front of me." Kuroo said. "I cannot assure you that I will leave you unharmed."
He paused for a moment, long enough to make Squalo regret his words.
"Or perhaps," the raven head smirked, "I'm the one you want going around trying to bite you?"
"Are you even a kid?" Squalo asked as he felt a vein pop. If he ended up dying an early death, he didn't doubt one bit that the Japanese brat would be the reason behind it.
"Chissà," Kuroo laughed, "forse sono solo un vecchio italiano che finge di essere un bambino."
("Who knows, maybe I'm just an old Italian man pretending to be a kid.")
Squalo rolled his eyes before walking into another aisle.
Kuroo followed along, having nothing better to do. His eyebrows rose as he watched the silver haired teen pull out an envelope from his pocket.
"Is that what came in for you in the mail the day before?" Kuroo asked as got on the tips of his toes to peek over Squalo's shoulder.
"Voi, mind your own business!" Squalo exclaimed as he shoved the envelope back into his pocket, not expecting the sudden intrusion.
"Why? Is it a love letter?" Kuroo's lips quirked.
The raven head couldn't resist teasing despite already knowing what the letter contained.
Now, Kuroo wasn't one to open up other people's letters but Sepira had forced her hand on this one.
("The famiglia is a part of your fate, tied to you like a curse.")
That and when Kuroo had caught sight of the unmistakable emblem stamped on the front of the envelope— gold linings with patches of blue, the Vongola Famiglia's insignia— he had become very curious.
Sepira had told him to closely stick around Squalo ever since, for this was going to be an important event for (as she so dramatically put it) both their lives.
"Do you always have to poke your nose into other people's businesses?"
"Then is it some invitation?" Kuroo pressed on. "A birthday party?"
"What's going on here?" Tonton Casimir appeared before them, wearing a slight frown. "Don't start fighting in this shop."
"Tonton, Squalo's taking me along to his friend's birthday party today," Kuroo turned to his Uncle with a beaming smile, "so I was telling him a basket of chocolates from that shelf over there would make a good present."
"Birthday party?" Casimir raised a brow.
"N—"
"Yes!" Kuroo exclaimed as he subtly elbowed the silver haired teen. "I can go with him, can't I?"
Casimir seemed to think over it. "Of course, if you return early. Squalo knows the area well enough so I wouldn't have to worry about either of you getting lost."
"Thank you!" Kuroo chirped before marching over to grab the basket of chocolates he'd been eyeing ever since they'd entered the shop.
Squalo spluttered before heaving a deep sigh. "Alright. Fine." He muttered to himself. "I'll take him along but not all the way in."
In another five minutes, the three of them were gathered at the counter with their haul of whatever they thought would make good souvenirs— sans Kuroo who was rather preoccupied with the basket of chocolates.
"Did you stuff some extras into the basket?" Casimir slowly asked.
"Well, it wouldn't kill." Kuroo shrugged in reply.
"Actually, too much consumption of chocolate can cause death." Squalo said.
"And you think I'm buying this all for myself?" Kuroo scoffed earning a 'really?' look from the teen.
"Boys, let's pay up and have the two of you sent off to this birthday party now so you can return early." Casimir interrupted. "Though it's rather strange..." He trailed off, seeming quite unsure.
"I know." Kuroo nodded. "I never would have thought anyone wanted someone like Squalo in their birthday party. Whatever even possessed them with such a thought...but oh well."
"Voi!"
They took a taxi after they were done; Casimir giving them a funny look at the mention of the address where the so-called "birthday party" was taking place.
He'd wanted to drop them off himself but was unable to do so because of some prior engagements.
It didn't take them long before they reached their destination.
"Look, you take yourself to the amusement park fifteen minutes away from here." Squalo said once the taxi dropped them off not too far from the gates of the luxury hotel the event was being held in.
"Why?" Kuroo raised a brow.
"You can even keep the chocolates." Squalo continued. "Just wait there for an hour and we'll head back right after I'm done here."
"But why?" He pressed.
"Because this invite only admits one." Squalo replied. "So you—"
"Wait in the amusement park for you to finish whatever you're hoping to get through with." Kuroo said. "And keep the chocolates all to myself too. Got it."
Squalo paused, a look of surprise flashing through his eyes.
He had believed the boy would take more convincing to stay away. A part of his brain nagged at him, telling him this was too easy to be true. But Squalo had far more important matters to tend to right now then listen to his brain.
"Alright." Squalo nodded.
"Enjoy!" Kuroo smiled very pleasantly as he waved him off.
Squalo should've known better. The brat was a lying two-faced monster who was not an average kid, after all.
Five minutes later, he was swallowed up by the crowd at the gala.
He wandered around, hands in his pockets as he kept an eye out for important people of the Vongola and perhaps the Varia too.
Squalo had worked hard for this invite.
Only the top five students with outstanding performances in the academic year in his school were given the privilege of being invited to Vongola's Annual Winter Gala usually held in Italy.
They had shifted the venue to France this time around (and much to Squalo's convenience) due to some conflict happening back home.
He needed to establish connections. The earlier the better seeing how he was also going challenge the famed Sword Emperor, and the current head of the Varia— Tyr, to a duel.
Fighting with the man was a requirement since he wanted to join the Varia.
And so, Squalo needed all the additional information (he already knew quite enough about the man) he could salvage before the match.
He stopped at a table to get himself a glass of some fruity drink they were serving.
Walking around the hotel's massive compound where the party had been set up had made him tired. Not to mention, weaving through the crowd that had gathered. He had been shoved and pushed quite a couple of times, much to his annoyance.
Just as he was about to turn away, however, a loud crash close to him attracted his attention.
He turned to find a young tanned boy (probably around the same age as himself) with furious crimson eyes and raven hair, flinging the food on the table away in a fit of anger.
Squalo seemed surprised.
Was this kid crazy!? What the fuck was he doing in the party of none other than the Vongola!?
Surely, he was asking to be killed!
But no one from the crowd seemed to be willing to step out and stop him.
"Oh, that's Nono's boy."
"The Ninth's youngest?"
"They can't even keep him calm—"
"Careful! Don't let him hear you, they say he's already sent many to the hospital for talking about him, regardless of who they are."
"They say even his brothers don't like—"
"I hear he is—"
"—could be an illegitimate—"
Suddenly, there was a shot fired in the direction of where the gossip had gotten a little too loud. Screams erupted and people scattered away from the spot as a man crumpled down to the ground, bleeding.
"Scum." The boy still had his gun pointed at the fallen man, eyes burning with rage. "Watch what you fucking say or the next time I fire, I'll aim between your eyes."
Squalo sucked in his breath at the pure killing intent that suddenly filled the air, heavy and choking.
His eyes were filled with awe as he stared at the boy who simply turned and kicked the table down.
So this was Xanxus.
A few guards of the Vongola had appeared by then, some of them guiding out the injured man while others surrounded the boy before ushering him away.
"Impressive." Squalo muttered to himself as he watched the boy leave.
It was a display of pure rage.
With nothing holding it back.
"Careful, people might think you've fallen in love with the born to rage baby."
"Shut up." Squalo growled in irritation as he turned around to glare at Kuroo—
WAIT. A. FUCKING. SECOND.
"How the—" Squalo struggled to find the right words as he immediately grabbed the boy by his shirt collar.
Kuroo simply laughed. "Kufufu, ma~gic!"
"What did you do—"
"Superbi Squalo." A nasal voice interrupted the two from the side. "Stirring up trouble?"
The two turned to face the newcomer; a female with her hair tied up in two ponytails, dressed in a plaited skirt and a matching shirt. She had her arms crossed against her chest and a frown on her face.
Squalo refrained from rolling his eyes.
Teresa, rank number three and a thorn on his side.
"Definitely not a girlfriend." Kuroo whispered as Squalo loosened his grip on him.
"Showing up only to cause a scene." She sneered. "I see."
"What do you want?" Squalo asked with an irritated huff.
"Don't kill anyone. I'll be back soon!" Kuroo cheerfully said as he stepped away and into the crowd before Squalo could drag him back and question him.
While he wouldn't have minded staying just to tease the silver haired teen, he had other things to do. Like find someone who had caught his attention earlier.
A little girl to be precise.
He had been looking around for her before he'd spotted Squalo and decided to surprise him.
While the little girl he was looking for wasn't anyone he recognized from his past life, she did possess a certain something that he had once owned and it piqued his curiosity. Hence why Kuroo was determined to find her.
Just as he paused to take in his surroundings after walking to the other end of the compound, he was rudely shoved at by a person— resulting in the both of them to tumble right through the hedge of some decorative expensive plant behind Kuroo and over to the other side.
The person, a teen with blond hair, groaned as he pushed himself up and massaged his head.
"I'd appreciate it if you got off me." Kuroo said in a tight and controlled voice.
The teen yelped in fright as he quickly scrambled up to his feet. "I'm so sorry!"
Kuroo slapped away the hand that was offered to help him up as he stood up on his own and dusted off the leaves caught onto his clothes. He looked at the teen responsible for the mess with a glare.
The teen had almost fluffy blond hair and light colored brown eyes that were filled with terror as they met Kuroo's narrowed ones. Dressed in a well tailored suit, he looked sharp if not for his overall appearance that just exuded the aura of...a golden retriever.
A golden retriever puppy. To be exact.
And someone very familiar too, though Kuroo couldn't really place a finger on who this teen was.
"I'm terribly sorry, I didn't mean to push you down." The blond sincerely apologized in Italian, his eyes downcast.
Kuroo was tempted to pretend he didn't understand just to make the teen feel more guilty.
"Watch where you're going next time." He simply replied instead.
"I—"
"Oh! We're allowed to go behind the bushes?" A young voice interrupted the blond, followed by the sound of rustling and a few branches of the expensive hedge snapping.
In the next moment, the two boys found themselves in the company of a little girl with dark hair in a bob and over-inquisitive olive green eyes.
Ah, Kuroo thought. Found her.
"Hi!" She greeted them with a wide smile. "Oh wow, this feels like Narnia."
"Uhm, hello." The blond greeted back hesitantly.
"My name is Connie!" She said, looking at them expectantly as though waiting for them to say something in reply. Connie stuck out her fingers. "And I just turned seven!"
"I'm Valentino, but I prefer being called Dino." The blond replied and that's when it hit Kuroo.
The Cavallone Decimo.
The raven looked at the teen again. He hadn't recognized him immediately before because the blond seemed so different. Kuroo did hear that the Cavallone Decimo had been quite a wimp when he was younger.
"Why Dino and not Tino?" Connie asked, tilting her head to the side.
Somehow, Kuroo found himself just as curious. Well, he hadn't even known that the Cavallone Decimo's full name was Valentino in the first place.
The blond blinked. "I...prefer it that way?" He didn't seem too sure of it himself.
"Oh, okay. Don't call me Cone, I like my name as it is." She said before gesturing a hand to the raven head beside her. "And you are?"
"Kuroo." He replied.
"Nice to meet you!" She beamed. "I hope you won't mind me butting into your friendship, Tío says it's rude."
"You're Spanish?" Dino asked quizzically.
"We're not friends." Kuroo huffed at he same time.
"Yes." She nodded.
"You're too young to be wandering on your own in a gala like this." Kuroo said, ignoring the 'Aren't you too?' look that Dino threw him.
"Tío's somewhere, he just told me to stay in a corner and wait for him."
Huh, sounds familiar. Kuroo raised a brow.
"Did you come with anyone else apart from your uncle?" Dino asked.
"My mamá is busy. She had to go for her job and I'm not supposed to be left alone at home so Tío brought me along." Connie added in an afterthought. "She works with eyes."
"Is she an eye doctor?" Dino asked, keeping with the flow of the conversation.
"Uhm, do eye doctors take really good care of people's eyes?" She furrowed her brows.
"They do." Kuroo nodded. "If we're going to continue talking, why don't we find a place to sit down?"
"I guess she's an eye doctor then." Connie said as she plopped down on the grass.
"We're sitting here?" Dino asked as he too settled down comfortably a moment later.
Kuroo followed the action. His eyes involuntarily flicked over to the ring (which had an eyeball in its center rather than some precious stone) that hung round her neck by a silver chain as he did.
Malocchio.
One of the only six Hell Rings in the world.
And one that he had possessed in his past life.
While Kuroo didn't really remember how the ring came into his possession, he was sure a little girl such as the one before him never possessed it in the first place. Did she even know what the ring was?
Connie seemed to have noticed his stare. "Oh, this is my mamá's. She gave it to me for good luck." Her little fingers toyed with the chain. "It's the eye of an adventurer who never blinked since he was born. He gouged his eye out at his deathbed so that he could continue gazing at the world."
Kuroo nodded, already familiar with the story.
"That's a real eyeball?" Dino's face scrunched up. "Aren't you uncomfortable wearing it then?"
"Of course not." She looked surprised. "I already have three jars filled with pretty eyes by my bed. Why would just one eyeball make me uncomfortable?"
There was a pregnant pause.
"Excuse me!?" Dino gasped.
"Where do the eyeballs come from?" Kuroo asked curiously.
"Well, bad people try to kill us so mamá takes care of them—"
Dino interrupted. "Wait, I thought you said your mother was an eye doctor!"
"Yeah. She takes care of their eyes." Connie blinked innocently. "Brings them back home and keeps them in nice glass jars. Tío always grumbles about them because he says it's not nice to take eyeballs as...as, uhm, what was that called? Ah, trophies from her kills."
Both boys stared at each other for a moment before turning back to the girl.
"Is that information you should even be sharing?" Dino managed to squeak out.
"Why not?" Connie cocked her head to the side. "Aren't you my friends? Mamá said friends tell each other secrets."
"Yes? I guess?" Dino replied.
Kuroo smirked. This was quite a turn of events, alright. He decided retrieving the ring now could wait; the current owner seemed quite interesting.
After quite a while, the three broke away from the idle conversation they had plunged into when some of the Cavallone men passed by the hedges, presumably searching for their young Master and a strange digital object strapped onto Connie's wrist (much like a watch but not quite, it did seem advanced though) began blinking multicolored lights.
"Ah, Tío's calling me." She said as Dino hurriedly got to his feet (without tripping) to get to his people before they caused a scene about him having gone missing.
The blond gave quick goodbyes and stumbled out of the hedge.
"It was nice meeting you." Kuroo simply said as he too got to his feet.
"I'm sure we'll meet again." Connie smiled. "Though I do hope it won't be in an unfortunate event of mamá bringing home your eyeballs." She frowned. "I hope not, because you have really pretty eyes. And I would prefer meeting you with your eyeballs intact. I'll tell her not to!"
Kuroo blinked. "Thank you."
"Bye!" She waved as she made her way out of the hedge.
The raven decided it was time he too went in search of his, ah, cousin, seeing how an hour had already passed by.
He didn't have to look though.
Squalo found him first, saving him the trouble of a search.
The older grabbed him by the arm and practically dragged him out of the venue, not that Kuroo minded because it was fun seeing the silver haired teen being pushed to the edge.
"Stay by my side." Squalo instructed as they walked down the road, heading to some corner where they could catch a cab. "And don't you dare disappear off like that again or your mother will likely have my head for bringing you home late."
"My mother is a kind woman." Kuroo chose to say.
Squalo felt a vein pop. "How did you even get in anyway?"
"I bribed the guard with the chocolates." Kuroo answered smoothly without hesitation.
"You're lying."
"Or am I?"
The street, Kuroo abruptly observed, seemed strangely quiet.
"...did you kill anyone?"
Kuroo burst out laughing, only adding to Squalo's uneasiness. "Kufufu, like I said before," he said between gasps for breaths, "it's ma~gic."
Squalo opened his mouth to retort when something suddenly flickered behind him. The silver haired teen stumbled forward, his eyes wide in surprise before falling to the ground, unconscious.
Kuroo automatically shifted to a fighting stance as he felt a cooling sensation settle down around them.
Ah, an illusion.
And he recognized it as quite a strong one. The very thought of it excited him; it wasn't everyday he came across an illusionist of caliber that he acknowledged.
Why did they attack the silver haired teen though?
Did Squalo have people targeting him? But he wasn't anyone of much significance as of yet, so why was he attacked?
He narrowed his eyes as the attacker stepped into his line of sight from the edge of the illusionary space they had created.
Tall, and probably a male, Kuroo observed from the lean and sturdy figure that exuded confidence. They had most of their face covered up, hood pulled low, like the rest of their body.
From the aura they exuded, the person before him knew that they were dangerous and seemed to wear the fact like a cloak around them with pride.
"What do you want?" Kuroo asked, eyes narrowed.
A grin, which Kuroo decided was irritating, stretched out on their face.
"You." The person spoke, and Kuroo confirmed they were a male from their low and deep tone.
Kuroo didn't wait for an elaboration as he pushed himself off the ground in a split second, propelling himself forward, ready to deliver a powerful kick.
A smirk split on his lips as his leg passed through thin air and the illusion of the person dispersed.
He spun his body around in air much like a cat, not being deterred by the trick, and executed a sharp roundhouse kick.
CRACK!
Kuroo landed on his feet, smirk still on as he watched the person materialize, staggering a few steps back and nursing a broken arm that had been brought up in the last second to shield his head from the kick.
"Very good." The person frowned but sounded impressed. He had clearly not been expecting to be found out.
Illusions came easily to Kuroo as breathing did, so figuring out someone else's illusions was merely a piece of cake to him.
Kuroo didn't rest, instead, launching to an immediate array of attacks on his attacker. The other didn't hesitate either, meeting him head on despite the broken arm.
His opponent was good.
Illusionists were never the type to go on offensive tactics and usually relied on their illusions, Kuroo being an exception now because of his training under Fon.
But his opponent seemed trained to a certain extent too.
Blocking attacks one after the other, taking a few hits and occasionally landing a few on Kuroo too.
Kuroo back flipped and slammed his hands on the ground, bringing forth gigantic carnivorous plants that shot up and wrapped themselves around the other.
The person only laughed before tearing right through his bindings and forcing Kuroo's own illusion against himself.
Kuroo frowned lightly as he easily sliced the plants away with a scythe he materialized into his hand.
This man was not an ordinary illusionist.
He resorted to close combat again, this time with a little taste of his Mist flames. The indigo flames coating his fists as he quickly landed punches on man in a repetitive manner as the last time.
"It's useless." The other chuckled as he blocked the punches, well versed with where they were going to land this time.
It didn't matter that most of them were blocked, all Kuroo needed was to get a few punches in, and that he did.
He kicked himself back, using the other's body as a support and snapped his fingers. Immediately, the residue of the mist flames that had caught on to the man's clothes earlier, transformed into firm iron bars that wrapped themselves tightly around him.
The man stiffly fell to the ground, arms sticking firmly to his body and legs bound together, with a low groan.
Kuroo made sure the other wasn't going to easily break out of his bindings this time.
He walked toward him and crouched down. "Now, who are you?"
Kuroo drew back the hood to reveal a man with dark hair, a hooked nose and brown eyes. Nobody he knew. Of course.
But that was because the face the person wore was just an illusion.
Kuroo hummed as he dispelled the illusion—
"Well done, Kuroo."
—revealing light blond hair, high cheekbones and laughing blue eyes.
Casimir DeLauro.
A/N:
BET YOU DIDN'T SEE THAT COMING! HAH!
What does dear Tonton Casimir want now? Hmm. And what do you think of the people who popped up in this chapter? :'3
Right. According to canon, Squalo first met Xanxus in a gathering and was impressed with his rage (lmao, how cute is that?) so I tried reenacting that.
(I'm not even going to apologize for the delay cause all I have are just excuses, whoops!)
Anyway, here's a big thank you for all the reviews on the last chapter! :')
A big thanks to kalmaegi, SugarAlien, AllArtAnimeLover, AlunaGray, TheSilverHunt3r, dyingUta, Purplebeian, Guest (Mar 18 c15), Neko1290, BlueAutumn12, bloodshound, a, Lola and uchiharyuko for the reviews! You guys rock (╥﹏╥)
And thanks to all those who put this up on their favorites and follows, it means a lot to me :')
Thank you for reading!