-inquiry-

"Have you seen this man, sir?"

Dino took the photograph from the police investigator, studying it. He ran his fingers over the familiar face longingly. The image was unjust – a poorly lit mug shot of a man with blue hair and heterochromatic eyes. Pale skin and malnourished frame, this picture was clearly taken after a lengthy, probably inhumane, processing system. Dino sighed, handing the photograph back.

"Not since you took him from me, no." The blond eyed the investigator distastefully.

The investigator sighed heavily. He didn't take the photo, didn't even acknowledge that Dino had held it out for him to take. "Look, you have my sympathy – it's hard to love someone and find out they were using you. I get it. But we need to catch this man, he's a dangerous criminal."

The blond resisted the urge to roll his eyes. What complete and utter bullshit. He wasn't being used and neither was he the one using. It was a mutual interest, for God's sake. Not to mention Mukuro was fairly harmless – if a little odd, sometimes to the point of creepy.

"Tell me, how did he escape?"

"Some kind of blink in our security – probably an overflow of magic. It's rare, but not unheard of. Just be on the lookout for him. Call us if he seeks you out." The investigator tipped his hat. "Believe me; we're more than a little ashamed about it."

Dino nodded. "I see. Well, in that case, best of luck to you. Though I should probably tell you, you won't find him. Not unless he wants to be found."

"Oh? And how do you know that?" The investigator reached for his handcuffs, preparing to arrest the blond for aiding and abetting a criminal.

The blond rolled his eyes, unable to resist the urge this time. "I came quite close to eloping with him, officer. Despite all your claims to his usage of me and his 'siren song', I did love him – still do. I'm probably the only person aside from his brother who knows him well. Like I said, you won't find him unless he wants to be found."

"… Well, thank you for your help, Sir." The investigator sighed and tipped his head again. "Thank you for your time."

"Uh-huh." Dino rested his hand on the door, poised to close it.

"Oh, one more thing, sir," the investigator placed his foot in the threshold, just in case Dino did decide to close the door. "Those bandages look pretty serious. Were you using blood magic recently?"

"Hmm, it's not illegal to practice. Generally unadvised, though, given the toll." Dino hummed the affirmative, shrugging. "But I wasn't the only one. My brother and I were sparring. As you can see, I thoroughly got my ass handed to me."

"…Well, thanks anyway." The investigator sighed and left the Cavallone estate. Dino shut the door with a little more force than he'd intended, a sour expression on his face as he retreated back inside.

He tossed the mug shot onto the table near the door that was home to the key bowl. The photo stuck between the bowl and the table, innocent and unassuming. Dino ignored it. Luca would find the mug shot later, probably laugh at the horrible representation of the so-called siren, and deal with it accordingly.

The photo really didn't do his lover justice. It was a piss poor imitation, and Dino really didn't want to look at it any longer. Besides, he had plenty of photos of the bluette stashed away. … Some of them weren't exactly of… Innocent nature.

The blond chuckled to himself at the thought as he traipsed upstairs to his wing of the building. He had business to take care of, and the other end of his business tended to get impatient. Entering his bedroom, he pulled his shirt off and perused his closet for something a bit more suited to going out. Dark jeans, a loose button up shirt, and his sneakers should do the trick for what he had in mind today. He pulled on a tie, too, just in case.

When he was ready, he left the house.

It was about four in the morning when Mukuro had an epiphany. One that made him feel pretty ridiculous for brushing it off for a week. He made a mental note not to brush off any more of a certain brunet's suggestions without much thought.

Tsunayoshi had been right. He had been so infuriatingly right that Mukuro regretted not listening to him. The building was horrendously eerie during the long, dark hours of the night. The shadows were deep. Stepping in one didn't guarantee a solid ground. There was always a chance he'd plummet back into a Hell he couldn't name, couldn't describe. Mukuro curled up on the couch in the quaint living room he now called his own, cup of piping hot tea in hand. Laughably embarrassing infomercials droned from the TV in an attempt to fill the silence of the apartment with some kind of reassuring noise. The noise also helped to block out the irritating ringing in his ears that had helped wake him up, in conjunction with a nightmare he couldn't recall. The TV was an irritating comfort.

Occasionally, he felt the shadows of his apartment move. Perhaps he would heed the brunet's words and invest in some kind of animal companion. Something small, though, and fairly self-sufficient, would probably be best. If he had to work full time for the rent on the apartment, he wouldn't have time for a high-maintenance animal.

Mukuro was jarred from his thoughts when he thought he saw a shadow slide across the wall. He was still, tense. His knuckles were white from the tension with which he was holding his cup of tea. Heterochromatic eyes warily watched the wall. A shadow moved again, but it was just that of a tree outside dancing with the wind. Mukuro's frame relaxed and he sighed, placing the cup on the coffee table. Just the wind, just the trees.

There is nothing to be anxious over.

Then why? Why did Mukuro feel a cold terror in his bones when shadows moved? Why did his body feel like lead when his ears started to ring? A hand went up and grasped the ring hanging innocently around his neck. The metal was cold, but he could tell there was warmth there. He knew it wasn't his – the name inscribed inside the band made that obvious. The name didn't even belong to the enigmatic Dino he couldn't put a face to. It posed him another question: Who was Giulia?

But the ring was the only thing he'd had on him aside from the clothes on his back, when he got here in what was apparently called Castor. Besides, he supposed he could always ask the faceless Dino when the time came. Tsunayoshi kept assuring him that everything would work out and Dino would make it to Castor soon. That everything would soon be back to normal.

Whatever normal was.

Mukuro sighed heavily, closing his eyes and reclining into his couch. The ringing had started up again, but he'd given up on covering his ears. It never helped. So he simply resigned himself to listening and hoping it would go away soon.

He nearly jumped out of his skin at the faintest sound mixed in with the ringing, a sound that was little more than a whisper:

Mukuro.

A/N

jfc wow I'm sorry this took as long as I did;; I tried to write this chapter like 4 times and then remembered I had something written and panicked when I thought I lost/misplaced/dreamed an entire half-a-chapter. For a moment I thought I'd gone crazy.