A dozen Roses

Summary: For about 12 days, Mukuro receives a single rose in the morning from someone anonymous.

It was a regular, cool and crisp fall day. The weather was getting colder as the late September season progressed. Ah yes, fall was on the way.

Chrome came back into the main room, holding a red rose in full bloom with the thorns plucked off. And a little tag tied to the stem.

"Mukuro-sama, this came for you!" Chrome explained, coming over with the rose to where Mukuro was sitting.

"Oya? For me?" Mukuro looked puzzled. "Who is it from?"

"I don't know, I just found it out front when I was on my way out." Chrome shrugged her shoulders.

Taking the rose from her, Mukuro studied the tag. It simply read: To Rokudo Mukuro. Topped with a little heart. That was it. No signature, no indication whatsoever as to who it was from.

Chrome giggled. "It looks like you have a secret admirer!"

"Kufufu...how dumb." Mukuro placed the rose aside. "They're wasting their time."

"Well...it's the thought that counts, I guess." Chrome reasoned.

"Mm, I suppose." Mukuro leaned against the sofa, casting his glance at the rose before he looked out at the window. He did wonder who sent the rose, but decided not to dwell on it.

--

The next morning, Chrome came back inside, holding another rose.

"Look Mukuro-sama, you got another one!"

"Oya?" Mukuro turned from the window.

"It doesn't say who it's from, but it might be the same person! It's the same handwriting." Chrome put in. "I can't decipher it though."

"...I see." Mukuro took the rose and studied it, his mismatched eyes wandering along the red, soft petals, as if trying to find a clue.

--

A few more mornings went by, and strangely, Mukuro received a single red rose every one of those mornings. Most likely from the same person.

At first he shook it off, then he was becoming curious, and by now he was nearly going out to demand who the hell sent the roses, to him of all people.

Not only that, barely anyone around knew his name, and if they did, they were unlikely to have sent a rose. All the Kokuyo students were either dead or have ran away after he took over. And there was no way anyone in the Vongola group would send one.

Who is sending me these? Mukuro wondered, looking at the 11 roses he had strewn about the floor. Some were dead, some were dying, and a couple, including todays, were still fine. And why are they sending me one day after day? What could they possible achieve? Are they trying to bring my guard down? Play with me? ...A sick joke maybe?

He began to think, since Chrome found these out front in the morning, maybe...

I'll hide outside, and see the person dropping these off. Mukuro thought, a smirk adorning his features. "Kufufu...I'll see who's behind all this."

--

The next morning, really early, Mukuro went outside and hide in the bushes near the entrance to the building. It was 5 in the morning, and Chrome usually retrieved the roses by around 9 AM. So between now and then, he'd likely see the perpetrator.

Unless maybe he or she sent a messenger?

Mukuro sighed. This was going to be harder than he thought.

--

A few hours passed, Mukuro felt himself about to fall asleep, but he then heard footsteps. Peeking through the bushes, he saw a tall person, wearing a green hoodie which concealed their identity, come to the front entrance, look around, and then placed a single red rose down, along with an envelope. The person then spoke to Chrome, who had come outside by this time, and then hurried off. Chrome nodded and then went back inside with the rose.

I should've known. Mukuro thought. But he got out from the bushes, climbed a few trees, and went in through a broken window, making his way to the mainroom to look as though he wasn't just outside.

He came into the main room just as Chrome walked in.

"Oh, Mukuro-sama! Here's another rose, and the person left you a note or something too." Chrome came over to him.

"Oya? Is that so?" Mukuro pretended to be surprised, yet expectant since he'd been receiving a rose for now the past 12 days. He took the rose, which to his surprise, was plastic, and a small note out of the envelope.

It read: The day this last rose dies, will be the day that I stop loving you.

A tiny blush adorned Mukuro's pale cheeks, not having expected that. He clearly saw the little joke about it all. A plastic rose didn't die like a real rose did. And this person...

It was right then that Mukuro noticed a little drawing of a tuna fish underneath the message. He smiled, understanding.

"Tsunayoshi...you little fool."

Although the others didn't know it, Mukuro kept the plastic rose, and the note.