Author's note: thank you so incredibly, insanely much for the reviews! Here is chapter 2 ^_^
Oh, and I don't know how many of you are currently following the manga, so I won't spoil anything – but if you've stopped, you might just want to start reading it again now…! I will say no more, except that yours truly here is very nearly ecstatic!
There is a little more action in this chapter. But, ah, I love to write about Hibari! I just have way too much fun coming up with his lines XD

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Chapter 2
– it's all about having the upper hand –

-

It might have interested Gokudera to know that there existed, in fact, a digital file on Rokudo Mukuro that proved that it could not be proven that the boy was mentally unstable and/or socially dysfunctional. It was nearly 15 years old now and was impossible to find for anyone who didn't know exactly where to look.
It consisted of a collection of standardized tests carried out by a pediatric psychologist who had worked for the Estreano family – and that was why you needed to know where to look for it, because the entire Estreano clan, their human testing facilities and all the technical equipment there had been violently wiped out only a few days after the enigmatic little boy had been subjected to what was supposed to be the last of the tests.

In terms of psychological stereotyping the results were wildly inconsistent, and all that they really concluded with was that the eye they had implanted in the quiet boy did not do the things it was supposed to do… And it had changed color to red, and that's never a good sign. Not in any setting – basic rule of thumb: red eyes = run away.

Incidentally, Namimori elementary and middle school were in possession of some similar files on Hibari Kyouya.
Hibari had not wiped out any employees or destroyed any equipment and so the documents were still there, perfectly intact. According to the tests (most of which consisted of yes/no questions along the lines of: "are you often bored?" and "have you ever tortured a squirrel?"), there was nothing they could pin on him – all he did was follow the rules, really, and clobber those who didn't. Plus the counselors who had conducted the interviews had all been terrified of the kid (Hibari Kyouya had been a lovely, sugar candy nightmare of a child).

So that was that.

-

Still, to say that they were two perfectly ordinary teenagers chasing each other would perhaps have sounded… absurd.

-

Either way, Mukuro reckoned now that he was being quite careful by his own standards.
He had merely wanted to see the guy again – it had been so long since last time – just tease him a little and see what he would do, he wasn't planning on doing any mischief. Except that really he was, of course, and once he realized he had caught Hibari's attention his mind automatically started conjuring up one tempting image after the other.
How shameless.

Because it was still relatively early in the evening, nearly all the guests were still busy mingling in the ballroom and the other, less grand rooms around it, exchanging pleasantries and gossip and nibbling delicacies from the long tables in the banquet halls. But the door Mukuro had disappeared through lead to a hallway that was completely empty and when the doors closed behind him all sound disappeared at once and it felt like entering a different world.
But he knew Hibari had seen him and would come after.

No designer or architect of an old, Italian mansion with any respect for himself would have dreamed of making one without any secret passageways. And so don Cavallone's most favorite mansion was full of secret inner passageways and had been that way since its construction. Dino, who had grown up there (and who had had plenty of reasons to hide in his life), knew about nearly all of them – but he was the only one who did.

Rokudo Mukuro had absolutely no clue about where he was, but he had spent parts of his childhood in an old, Italian mansion, too, and because he had always been of the curious persuasion, he had developed quite a knack for spotting when two rooms didn't come together exactly right.

Hibari had no such skill, and he had never had any reason to hide from anyone either, but what he did have was the mindset of a hunter, and he could probably have tracked Mukuro through an open ocean if he had needed to (he could also catch flies with his chopsticks, but that was another story).

-

The passageways were like a labyrinth, empty and quiet except for the soft sound of Hibari's own feet and the occasional chuckle from Mukuro, guiding them further in. It had turned quickly into a game of hide-and-seek now, with him chasing after the subtle rustle of movement and that infuriating laugh through one secret, unadorned corridor after another. Occasionally the corridors would end in different rooms, but they were all empty and dark and Hibari paused for only a split second in each of them to cast a quick look around him, checking for hints of someone hiding in the shadows.

Hibari couldn't see him, illusions perhaps, but he was excited. If Mukuro wanted to play games then he was in, he had waited so long for this, he needed it, except he had absolutely no plans whatsoever of playing by that creep's rules. The thought didn't even cross his mind, in fact, and Hibari Kyouya was a practical young man.

"Why do you keep running from me, herbivore?" he called out in one of the rooms, twirling his tonfas irritated.
There was no reply but, as if by some magical mysterious magnetism, Hibari still chose the same route out as Mukuro had. He just didn't know it.

In reality, Mukuro was dying to test Hibari's strength and wouldn't actually have minded an all-out fight, but he was rather keen on avoiding a direct confrontation at the moment and there was a very good reason for that. He wasn't supposed to start any fights with Kyouya.

It was all part of the contract.

Mukuro placed great value in contracts.

During their battle for the Vongola rings he had been thrilled to discover that their little 'family' included the crazy beautiful head prefect of Namimori middle school that he had almost killed a few months previous, and he had went to see him again as soon as he got the opportunity. He didn't show himself, not directly – where was the fun in that? No, he had simply brushed past him on the street, and that was that, but he was certain that he had made Hibari's neck prickle all the same.

But then the cursed infant had showed up and eventually convinced him to find some other way of entertaining himself, effectively putting a stop to his budding plans of tormenting Hibari Kyouya.

There was a contract now, a ring, a pact. A promise. There was his Nagi.

And apparently, if his assumptions were not completely off (and they never were), he was the Arcobaleno Reborn's Joker Card against the egocentric Cloud Guardian. So that was that.

Except it wasn't, because Hibari knew nothing of all the strings being pulled in order to keep him exactly where he was, and whenever he caught a glimpse of Mukuro he became fully determined to bite him dead on the spot.

It was almost a little flattering.

(Score: Hibari 2 – Mukuro 3)

-

He stopped finally in one room. One of the hallways had ended there, and it appeared to be another one of the guestrooms.
The lights hadn't been switched on, but the curtains weren't properly drawn and a dim glow of dirty yellow light from the lanterns outside was filtering in through a gap in the drapes, illuminating a huge four poster bed, a dressing table and the sharp outlines of a door that probably led to an adjacent bathroom.

Hibari stood perfectly still in the middle of the floor for maybe 3 seconds, and then he smirked.

"Do you really believe I won't know you're there, herbivore?"

To the oblivious observer it might have looked as if he was talking to himself, but he wasn't, of course – and slowly, the presence that had been in the corner of Hibari's eye took shape.

He had been right. It was him.

"Kufufu…"

Mukuro sat lounging comfortably on a narrow bench under the window to his left with his back resting against the window still, watching him. His eyes shone, uneven and strange in the faint light. They didn't seem human, those eyes, and Hibari couldn't stop looking at them.

Too close, he thought suddenly. Mukuro's presence, solid and real and so very close, felt almost overwhelming. But he didn't step back. He had him now, there was no escape, he would get his release.

Then Mukuro raised his eyebrows a fraction and his mouth shifted into the hint of a smirk. He nodded at him just barely, and it released him from his spell. "My my, you're not half bad…"

Hibari scowled. Cocky and arrogant, he thought.

"But I suppose I shouldn't be surprised," Mukuro went on, "you do after all have some Mist in you." The neck of his shirt was open and the light played along his collar bone.
Hibari pouted his lips in puzzlement. "… what are you rambling about?"
"My dear Chrome told me about the you she encountered in the future." He crossed his legs, looking languid, apparently pleased that he had managed to pique the other's curiosity. "She said he – I should say you – was very skilled with the Mist flame and that you were very knowledgeable in the ways of illusionary techniques."

"I hate illusions," said Hibari flatly.

"Nevertheless," Mukuro smirked, "I find it interesting. Illusions are terribly hard to master unless one is particularly gifted. Or," he added slyly, "unless one has a very, very good teacher."

Mukuro stood up and made to saunter past him, confident, apparently, that the other would not try to attack him in here. But, in a flash, Hibari had blocked his path, shifting so that he stood directly between him and the door that, judging from the muted sounds they could hear, must lead back out into the main building and the party downstairs.
Hibari wondered vaguely where they were. He could probably backtrack his steps the way he'd come, he thought, but where this room was he had no idea. Not that it mattered.
Not that he cared.

They stared at each other.

"Kufufu…" Mukuro chuckled and drew his fingers through his hair. "My, are you really so upset to watch me leave?" there was a playful glint in his eyes now. "You know, if you like we could –"

"Shut up and fight me."

Mukuro made a sudden lunge to his right, quickly and unexpectedly like a rattlesnake, as if he meant to attack, teasing him, but Hibari blocked him. "Oh ho!"
There was a look of unwavering determination in the other's dark eyes, and Mukuro felt a surge of elation. He suddenly couldn't stop grinning, he wanted to laugh. Oh Kyouya…!
Hibari was nearly half a head shorter than Mukuro, but he was smooth in his movements like a cat.

He did it again, moving to the left this time, and faster, but again he countered with ease.

"Someone as intelligent as you should know better than to think I would agree to fight you in here." Mukuro took a step back and spread his arms wide as he looked around the room, as if to tempt forth a non-existent sympathy for the maids who would have to clean up after them.
"Besides," he added in a nonchalant voice, smooth and smug as velvet, "no matter how conceited you may be, you should know that you will never be able to defeat me."

Hibari cocked his head upward and looked into his eyes. They stood very close to each other now. "The conceited one is you, you pathetic, useless waste of flesh. I've come all the way here, and I won't allow you to leave until I bite you to death."

"Kufufu… Fight, fight, fight – you're like a broken record." He tapped his chin with one finger, still smiling, "and you really do have a filthy mouth, you know. It is not very Japanese at all." He tried to step around him, but Hibari blocked his path again and this time he raised his tonfa in warning. He clearly had no intentions whatsoever of letting Mukuro pass.

"I have unfinished business with you, Rokudo Mukuro."

"Hmm, I suppose I am glad to have inspired such a driven motivation in you, however pointless it may be. Though I must say you are the sorest loser I have ever met." Perfectly unafraid he leant his face closer, resting his chin in the 'v' between his thumb and index finger, like a biologist studying some fascinating new specimen. "Perhaps there is something else entirely about me that fascinate you so, not just your desire to redress your, ah, pathetic defeat?"

"Defeat? Do me a favor and stop making useless assumptions, you filthy, bitch-fed catamite."

"So what is it then? Does fighting make you feel alive? Or perhaps… you get off on pain?" He smiled mockingly and added, almost as an afterthought, "if you do though, we should move this conversation elsewhere."

"Are your ears painted on?" Hibari made a demonstrative swipe in the air with a tonfa. "I don't know what you're fishing for you spineless weakling whore, but you can save your efforts. I have no interest in talking with you."

And then, as if he was suddenly fed up with their conversation, Hibari struck out at his face and it was almost with relief that Mukuro ducked and jabbed at his stomach with his fist. Hibari twisted away and his next blow hit the side of Mukuro's momentarily unprotected rib cage, just below the junction of his shoulder and sent him crashing to the floor. And then Hibari was on him like a wildcat, throwing himself on top of him and managing to strike his face once, twice, and then again, before Mukuro managed to push him off.
Damn, he was fast!
He was on him again in an instant and Mukuro feigned surrender. But as Hibari tried to trap his arms, Mukuro, taking him by surprise, flipped him onto his back and pinned him with the weight of his body.

There was a moment of perfect stillness as they stared at each other, both panting hard, trying to catch their breaths. Then Mukuro's lips tilted into a mischievous half smile and he brought his face down so close to Hibari's that their noses almost touched. "Do you see, Mr. Head Prefect?" he whispered softly. Hibari's eyes were fixed on his, glittering in the dim light like cat eyes. "You can't beat me. No matter how high you climb, Kyouya, I… will always be on top of you."

Though his tone of voice was mocking, there was a hint of something soft in his eyes.

Hibari's pretty eyes narrowed petulantly. "I don't care where you are, maggot," he growled flatly, "when I rip your rotten guts to bloody shreds."

"Tsk, tsk, language – what would your mother say?" Mukuro shifted his weight so that he was sitting on Hibari's stomach, gripping his wrists and grinding them so hard into the floor that he almost thought he could hear the bones creak. He cocked his head, looking down at Kyouya's doll-like face. "Honestly, listening to you talk sometimes is like watching a flower vomit."

That face, it was almost glassy it was so perfect.

Boys shouldn't looks like this, Mukuro thought vaguely.

And then, before he realized what he was doing, he was pressing his lips against Kyouya's, as hard as he could.

(Score: Hibari 2 – Mukuro 4)

-

"What, with Kyouya? Sure, Mukuro can try all he wants," laughed Dino. He was starting to get fairly drunk now. "Kyouya is immune to all that. Plus," he added, "he bites."

Tsuna was still standing by the sitting group, secretly trying to work up the courage to go and talk to Kyoko (and trying very hard not to think of what his Mist and Cloud Guardians might be doing alone together), but both he and Gokudera had reclined from joining in the drinking game.

He stared at Dino, but then his lips quirked and he laughed too. "Somehow I can imagine that." He had a sudden flash of Hibari with sharp Vampire fangs and smudges of blood around his mouth.

"No, really, he does." Dino's face became suddenly dead-serious. He took another sip from a drink he had standing on the table in addition to his shot glass, "it's not funny, actually. Hurts like hell."

Tsuna returned to staring again, and so did everybody else. He wasn't sure if he really wanted to know, but he had to ask. "Umh, why did he… bite you?"

There was a pause. Dino's cheeks looked suddenly very hot. "Well, he thought I was trying to, err… I mean," he scratched his neck, "I can see how it may have seemed like I was… you see, I slipped," he said, his face bright red now, "and I don't know why because there was nothing there." He grinned and scratched his neck again awkwardly, "and I sort of fell on top him. And his shirt got caught on something and it ripped."

Tsuna gaped at him. Why did these kinds of things only happen to Dino – why? He shook his head. Behind him Gokudera was chuckling. Gokudera considered anyone older than himself an enemy so Dino's absurd mishaps never ceased to amuse him.

Dino looked away and took a long sip from his drink. "I looked like a quilt afterward, seriously – different colored bruises everywhere. And he thought I was trying to molest him on the veranda!" He blushed violently at the memory. "It was pretty awkward. So obviously I couldn't tell him about the laundry…"

"What laundry?"

"I accidentally knocked my glass over and spilled some juice on Enzio when Kyouya wasn't looking. And he didn't get terribly big, but I think he ate some of Kyouya's clothes that were hanging out to dry… So yeah. It was an awful day, actually."

Gokudera grinned and rubbed his hands together, looking very evil. "Sweet! I hope they kill each other."

Yamamoto jabbed him in the side with the elbow, eyebrows raised in a meaningful way. "Gokudera!"

"What?" Gokudera crossed his arms in self-justified defense. "They friggin' deserve each other, and you all know it!" he let his hand swipe over their little group for emphasis. "We all know Hibari is the Antichrist – and anyone who takes on a psycho like that is obviously a mental basket-case with an Ego the size of the goddamn moon. And that," he added solemnly, lighting himself another cigarette, "would be Mukuro." He let out a long sigh of smoke. It sounded almost dreamy.

"Say what you will – I'm keeping my fingers crossed."

Author's note: I had to cut in half again. This happens to me a lot when I write. And it's not over quite yet, so now we might be talking 4 parts, the next of which is mostly semi-smut ;D

Also, Mukuro did in fact go to see Hibari first thing after the Rain Ring battle when he realized Hibari was there, and Gokudera actually does say that he hates everyone who's older than him – so I'm not making this up ;)
The psychological tests mentioned in the beginning aren't made up either, according to 'Dexter' that's the kind of questions they ask you.

Reviews would be EPICALLY, AWESOMELY appreciated!!!