A/N: POLL IS CLOSED. The pairing is now 1827-72. This chapter is my first chapter ON TIME haha. I'm very sorry if I don't update within the scheduled weeks' time- I have finals. Next week. Woot, time to die.

FINAL Review/poll votes:

10 + 4 = 14 Hibari

9 + 1 =10 Both

4 + 4 =8 Ietsuna

So I suppose you guys either want Hibari-san or both of them to win… GOMENOSAI IESTUNA D::: I LOVE 7227 SO MUCH. ;=; UGHHHHHHH.

BTW. To the reviewer who asked me about the rated M thing- No, I don't plan to make this story rated any higher than T because my friends (damnit) found out about my story...

And ALSO- To those of you who have asked me to do a separate 7227 fic- guess what?

Right after I finish this ficcu, I'll probably get started on it. I hope you guys won't mind 72!fem27. xD Ince- SHOT

Once again, if you're going to flame or do anything of the sort, please make it a little nicer? I'm a sensitive person… um… a very sensitive one.

Thanks to Imitation Angel (omfg I RESPECT YOU SO MUCH D8), Reborn27, XxIMentallyUnstable, PatentSky (ESPECIALLY YOU), dani (LOL sounds like my name), Cindry, HikariLoveAngel, Emriel, lovepikachu12, Skye Gaurdain27, Scarletnight13, Breathless02, iloveyaoi-G27, Purr, fictionreader18(hehe, HEART), Kichou, and ben4kevin for reviewing!

Disclaimer: I do not own KHR in any way.

Beta'd: BY ME

Enjoy!

Where have you gone? You've always been here beside me.

-o~~ ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ~~o-

Chapter 04: Desperately Searching for You

The preparations for the soon to come marriage of Sawada Tsunayoshi and Prince Ietsuna were started on immediately after the prince had growled out, "Start preparing for the wedding. Now."

The servants of the castle were awed; they had never seen their young ruler so mad before. Knowing that this was a critical time in his life, they tried to do their absolute best. Soon, maids and butlers were racing everywhere, loitering he castle walls.

"Ietsuna-sama, orange or blue?"

"Prince! Do you like frills better than ribbons?"

"Maa, Maa. Haha, Ietsuna seems pretty busy with all of his servants constantly asking him about his preferences," Yamamoto commented carelessly, chatting innocently with Gokudera. "I can almost see the irritation lines from even here."

While Yamamoo was chuckling, Gokudera was scowling at how crowded his Tenth seemed, and he couldn't stop the marriage. "I feel bad for the Tenth, those stupid maids should just line up in an orderly way and ask him nicely."

Yamamoto then replied, "I think however, that even that way would take more time than needed."

Gokudera then nodded hesitantly, seeing his mistake. Then, looking down, did he notice a lion cub rubbing the sleeve of his pants and purring loudly.

"What the-" Gokudera was saying, but was interrupted by Yamamoto's chuckle.

"Ahaha, that's Tsuna-chan's pet! Somehow, he had tamed him the other day and now he seems to be more social with people." Yamamoto explained, seeing the bewildered expression on his face disappear slowly.

"Ah... I see? This is the Hime's pet, then?" Gokudera leant down to pet Natsu once again, but when he was only centimeters away from the cub's soft fur, the lion cub dashed out of his grasp and ran down the hallways. Gokudera cursed loudly, yelling, "No! Natsu! You must come back-!" And then he tripped over his own shoelace, making Yamamoto run ahead first.

"Gokudera! I'll go ahead first, you tie your shoelace!" Yamamoto called behind him, trying not to die under the pressure of Gokudera's eyes, telling him to get the hell back, but carried on anyways.

When Yamamoto finally found the source of all the growling, he realized that he had been led into the Royal Garden. Taking note of his surroundings, he gasped when he found Tsuna and Hibari, all up against each other on a beautiful bench with flowers growing around it. Natsu was sitting in the rose bush right next to him, and he could tell that Natsu had wanted him to see what was happening before him. However, he didn't get to evaluate the scene very much, for he was rudely grabbed behind the shoulder and yanked into an awkward position by an offending silverette, or namely, Gokudera.

"Bastard! I told you to wait for me-"The rain guardian almost immediately put his finger on Gokudera's lips, silencing him from saying anything else. He then pointed towards Tsuna and Hibari, and Gokudera's eyes widened. Then, a single word left his mouth sadly. "…Hime…"

Instantly taking notice of Gokuera's now saddened face, he wondered what the matter with his friend was until the cold hard truth slapped him in the face. Taking another look at Hibari and Tsuna, he realized how happy the two were together. He had seen how cold Hibari was towards other people, and how he would socialize with them too.

Now, comparing how Hibari was acting towards Tsunayoshi now, you could say that it was a totally different person from what Yamamoto knew.

This Hibari's eyes were filled with passion, and he didn't seem to mind crowding around Tsuna. His eyebrows were in a slanted line, but even that line showed happiness and his face was content, the corners of his mouth curling up into a faint smile. His hands were wrapped around Tsuna's, and he could tell that Tsuna didn't mind; In fact, Tsuna seemed to be enjoying this as much as Hibari could.

His eyes were a warm honey, and the refracted light that bounced off of the dewdrops of the flowers were reflected in the endless pools of brown, making them seem even more heightened than usual. The frilly covered hand was being clutched by a dark gloved one, and Tsuna's face was so irenic right then, the duo eavesdropping behind the bushes felt almost guilty on intruding on such a romantic scene.

Gokudera tried to swallow a dry throat, feeling almost sick at the interactions between the Prince of Namimori and his so called slave. The two were so close to each other, and even though no words were exchanged between the two, you could tell that they were just enjoying the peace that they held between them. He felt like a criminal, trying to separate the two apart.

He wanted to go talk to his dear Tenth. Now. There was, unfortunately, no way could he help with Ietsuna's plan now. The simple thought of tearing the two apart in front of him nearly made him sick, yet he didn't want his beloved Tenth to end up without Tsunayoshi.

After all, he was his princess.

However, Gokudera wasn't going to allow that to happen quite that quickly. He then grabbed the sleeve of Yamamoto's black jacket and whispered to him, "Yamamoto. I can't let Ietsuna rip these two apart. They just look so good together, it makes me feel-"

"Shhh. I know. But what are you going to do about it?"

Gokudera thought about this for a second, holding his chin between his fingers, when he finally replied back in a hushed tone, "I'm going to tell Ietsuna."

Yamamoto glanced up and met eye contact with the storm guardian. "Are you sure? I mean, Ietsuna probably will be pretty discouraged knowing that his own right hand man doesn't want him to end up with the boy of his dreams."

Tilting his face forwards so that the shadow was cast directly on his face, Gokudera muttered, "I know. But I can't just let Tenth ruin this beautiful scene." And with that, Gokudera was off to the Tenth's bedroom.

Watching with a knowing smile on his face, Yamamoto made no move to stop the young man from doing so, and continued to watch the couple in front of him, sighing at how happy and content they looked together.

In a few minutes, the hot-headed guardian was already at his boss's doors, and he pushed them open without any resistance.

Surprised, Ietsuna looked up to only see a determined look on his face, one that almost matched the same determination he had to protect him. However, he knew that this wasn't the case, and he asked warily, "What is it Gokudera?" while putting a pile of finished paperwork in a drawer.

The storm guardian had no hesitation visible as he made one of his first objections to the Tenth's orders. "Tenth, I just saw Hime and that bas- Hibari outside, and I can't possibly let you separate them."

Shock flashed through Ietsuna's eyes. "What? Wait, say that again?"

Gokudera took a deep breath before saying, "They look too nice together. You can't just rip Hime away-"

"Shut. Up."

Too stupefied to even retort, the storm guardian looked at his boss critically and stopped with fear. Ietsuna's bangs were covering his eyes, and they were shadowing his face, making him look displeased. His words were slurred and dark, and took on a harsh tone that Gokudera would have never dreamed hearing from his usually fair boss. The next words were hissed out in an almost hostile manner, "Gokudera, I do not care if you object to me marrying Tsuna. He's mine."

"…" Too filled with consternation to say anything, Gokudera felt himself void of words.

Again, that horrible hushed voice filled the room. "I love Tsuna. I know somehow, his heart has an iota of love for me too, no matter how small." Golden eyes peeked out from under the shadow.

"Please, Gokudera-kun. I would love to have your support, and I will try not to have any ill intent towards you even if you're on Hibari-san's side."

Then Gokudera realized once again how commendable his Tenth was.

Even though him, his right-hand man might support his love rival, he still tried his best not to have any malevolent feelings towards him. Looking down at the floor, Gokudera wondered how he had supported Hibari all of a sudden, even if he was such a bad person, in his eyes. Quickly catching on, Gokudera knew right away. It was because the two looked so peaceful together.

Like no one could tear them apart. It was like pieces to a puzzle.

One part was Tsuna, and the other was Hibari.

They just… clicked.

Frowning in unhappiness, he saw that his Tenth was sharing one of the same expressions he had on, and he whispered, "I'm so sorry Tenth. I really am. I won't interfere- or I'll try not to- with your competition."

Ietsuna looked up, thankfulness shining from his eyes. "…I can't say how happy I am that you won't go against me physically."

Gokudera only scoffed at this and said warmly, "I try not to harm you Tenth… but please, understand my feelings…"

Looking down again, Ietsuna replied, "Don't worry, I understand."

"Huh?"

Ietsuna dragged his fingers down the nearest window, which happened to be of one that had a direct view to the gardens down below. There, you could faintly see Tsuna and Hibari snuggling with each other, not intent on leaving the other's hold soon. His breath fogging up the glass, Ietsuna watched them with jealousy in his eyes before turning back to his subordinate.

"I understand."

The words were repeated again, and Gokudera felt like a traitor when he saw the pain and hurt in Ietsuna's eyes, all swirling around, making the poor amber-eyed boy look miserable. Anybody could tell how hard he was resisting to go down there and simply kidnap the poor brunet, and Gokudera found himself screaming mentally, "The Tenth is so mature!" There was a momentary silence before the silver haired guardian found himself at the mahogany doors again, and opening them just a sliver, he bid the Tenth a foreboding smile and a goodbye.

"The Tenth really is… amazing."

-o~~ ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ~~o-

Night fell quite rapidly, and I let my dismayed look show on my face as I stared into the sky, admiring how the orange hues were now present against the dark colors. I had already eaten my dinner, sitting in between Ietsuna and Hibari, and enduring their glares the whole time. Laughing inwardly, I wondered how the heck we managed to get through the meal without a fight breaking out between the two. Somehow, they were more in check today, and I didn't have to stop any unnecessary fights.

I had to take that thought back after a while, since before I knew it, another fight had erupted in the hallway.

"Herbivore, I don't care whether you want him to sleep with you tonight. Tsunayoshi is coming with me."

"What? Since when? After all, this is my castle. Tsuna'll be sleeping with me tonight. Give up already." Heated glares were exchanged through the hall, and I sweatdropped at the almost crushing atmosphere, making the servants squeal with terror.

Squeaking in fear, I backed up against the wall once I heard metal tonfas hit equally stable gloves, and I gasped in anxiety when I saw sparks fly. Soon, flames were lit On Ietsuna's hands, and I had to intervene. Coming up with some courage, I raced into the middle of the two, and tackled them both to the ground.

Almost not believing what I had done, I brought my hands to my face, and realized I was on top of both of them now.

"H-Hieee!" Squealing once again, I got off immediately and started to remember why I had done that in the first place. "A-ano. You guys, it's okay, since I can go sleep in my own room tonight." I stuttered quickly, trying to make my point understood before another brawl broke out.

Glares were sent around, and both of the two finally seemed to realize that the other wasn't going to back down and nodded resentfully to my request. I sighed with relief, knowing that there wasn't going to be any destruction of any innocent pieces of furniture today. And if I was lucky, perhaps for even two days. Then, quickly shaking my head, I banished the thought from my head. Two days was too much to ask for. Geez, couldn't those two ever stop trying to start a match?

I watched the both of them, making sure that both had returned to their respective bedrooms before turning to mine. With an accomplished expression on my face, I felt myself wash up and brush my teeth before changing into the appropriate attire for sleeping. Giggling softly at the sight of the now sky blue nightgown, I found myself picking at the cute bows at the end along with the frills before slipping under the covers and getting ready to sleep.

However, something was irritating me.

There was a certain part of the wall, one little part- perhaps not even a few inches wide- that seemed to be, somehow, considerably darker than the other shades. This usually wouldn't have caught my attention, but I felt a wave of premonition hit me whenever I directed my gaze towards that one meager spot. Somehow, I didn't feel surprised as I watched a tiny black shadow go downwards, locking onto the wall, making itself seem smooth as it continued its trail down.

Surprising myself, I didn't even feel in the least concerned when the small black trail came to a stop at the rug right next to my bed, and stood still for a moment, collecting its particles that were stuck in the wall.

Soon, the pile of black came to form a small circle of darkness on the ground, and almost tentacle-like strands shot up, forming a figure. Realizing that the figure was quite familiar, I quickly recognized that it was Mukuro, Ietsuna's mist guardian.

I felt a sudden chill go up my spine, feeling the pressure of his aura in the room. His face first emerged from the dark space, then his body, and finally his trident.

"Kufufufu… how are you today, my dear Tsunayoshi?" I heard him say, and I felt myself at a loss for words.

Finally gathering up the courage to utter a word, I stuttered out, "F-fine. How are you?"

He laughed manically, as if finding my response somehow whimsical. "Perfectly fine, after I receive a heartfelt answer to my question."

My ears perked up, hearing a question arise. "What is it?"

Almost drowning in his dark blue and red eyes, I felt my breath taken away as he asked his question, my eyes never leaving his lips. "Give me a truthful answer, Sawada Tsunayoshi."

Feeling myself forming words that I could never hear, I wondered what was wrong with me as my mind went into an almost half conscious state. The fog was invading my mind, I couldn't think, I couldn't hear anything, and my vision was getting blurry-

And then it all stopped.

I found my chin being lifted up by Mukuro's finger, and he had a satisfied smirk on his face.

"Thank you, I have gotten all I need now… see you later, and quite soon at that…"

My mouth formed the words 'good bye' but I didn't hear anything come out of my mouth. However, Mukuro seemed to have understood, and disappeared suddenly.

I wondered what kind of information he got out of me.

Knowing that I probably couldn't go back to sleep that day, I sat down on my bed and contemplated what had happened in the last fifteen minutes. Had it only been fifteen minutes? I thought it had lasted almost an hour. However, I guess Mukuro's haze-inducing fog had clouded my thoughts of time. Holding my knees close to my chest, I noticed that almost a cold mist had gathered, and I was shivering from the temperature.

There was no way I was going to sleep now, was there?

But then, I heard a voice that sounded strangely like Mukuro's saying, "Sleep now. You'll need your rest later…"

And before I knew it, I was out, just like that.

-o~~ ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ~~o-

When I came to in the morning, I instantly noticed that maids were swarming the place an I woke up to see Gokudera's face staring at me. I asked him what the bog occasion was, and he answered with a surprised look, "What do you mean, Hime? Today's your day before the wedding! Everyone is running around, trying to tend to some unfinished business before tomorrow!"

"Huh? Really? It's tomorrow? Hieeeee..." were the first words that came out of my mouth, making me panic at the thought of getting married tomorrow. Natsu appeared out of nowhere, growling at Gokudera for waking me up.

"Hai, Hime! It's tomorrow at directly 12 o'clock noon!" Gokudera eagerly responded. I swear, I could imagine him with puppy ears and a tail right that moment. However, the real animal in the room glared and tried to bite Gokudera's hand, but the storm guardian pulled away just in time.

I shrieked, making Gokudera flinch at my girly scream, and grasped the ends of my nightgown worriedly.

"O-oh my god. I can't believe it's tomorrow. I'm getting married." I repeated over and over, not quite believing that Ietsuna and I were getting married.

The word marriage struck a sense of connubial feeling in me, and I quickly got dressed. Sighing happily as I felt silvery silk slide over my body. Racing downstairs, I let out a squeak when I was suddenly carried up princess style. Ietsuna smirked at me happily and said, "Hello princess, my soon-to-be queen. How are you doing so far this morning?" He kissed my forehead, and placed them down, nearer to my neck.

"A-ah! Ietsuna, I haven't even gone down the stairs and you've already stopped me!" I yelled at him, trying to glare at his smirk.

However, I didn't need to attempt for very long, for another aura made itself known, and I quickly realized that it was Hibari. Realizing this, did Ietsuna stop planting playful kisses upon my neck and glared at the intruder.

"Hibari Kyouya," he hissed out.

To my surprise, Hibari only scoffed at him and proceeded to go to the breakfast hall. I stared at his back, watching his retreating form disappear from view.

Ietsuna frowned and let me down, my heels resounding against the material that we were standing on. "Mmft," I groaned when I felt Ietsuna push me into a wall, and corner me. My heart beat increased, reflecting my now panicked state.

I could feel his gaze all over my body, and he pulled down the collar of my dress, observing the area for any stray marks before leaning down, and fixated me with his amber eyes.

Feeling a breathless moan leave me when he pressed his lips on my collarbone, and sucked. I felt a urge of desire hit me, and I trembled under his lips.

He then stopped and looked up briefly, making our gazes meet. He brushed away a stray strand of hair from my face, making me feel self-conscious. I felt myself blush as I realized that I was panting the whole time, and I closed my mouth.

Wondering why Ietsuna had suddenly done that, I caught on quickly that there was a considerably large mark on the side of my neck. "I-ieeee..." I murmured out.

Pleased with his work, Ietsuna flashed me one more smile before saying regretfully, "Sorry love. I got to go."

I nodded in understanding and watched him go away, suddenly feeling a spark of the same feeling I had when I had watched Hibari walk away.

Then, feeling curious, did I want to go see the Royal Garden again. I felt anticipation rise within me as I made my way towards the place, and felt my heart pump with glee as I saw a certain raven haired prince, almost waiting for me as I made my way towards him. His mouth curled up, showing that he was trying to smile without someone forcing him to. I thought this was absolutely adorable, and giggled at the attempt. Then, Hibari patted the seat next to him, which was strangely the same seat we were sitting in the other day, and motioned for me to sit down.

After I sat down, he made me look at him and said, "Hello, Tsunayoshi."

I replied with a simple, "Hi, Hibari-san…" and let my voice trail off.

We sat there together for a few more moments, and fed the birds along with Hibird. I almost laughed when I saw Hibird jump on Hibari's leg, trying to get his attention. It seemed that the little yellow puff of feathers didn't like Hibari feeding the whole lot of birds, and only wanted his attention on him. Hibari only scoffed and pushed the bird towards me, and I fed him only. This made Hibird quite happy, and he seemed pleased at the end of bird feeding.

When we were done, I stood up, about to leave, but Hibari grabbed the sleeve of my dress, making me stop in my tracks.

I stared at him, wondering what in the world he had to ask me. But the next few words said it all.

"Tsunayoshi… would you be disturbed if I were to kidnap you, right before the wedding?" His words were slurred together, and were almost silent. If I wasn't listening intently at that time, I would've surely not heard it, even from up close.

I contemplated his question for a while, trying to figure out the right words to say.

Without me noticing, the words left my mouth.

"No… I wouldn't mind. Not at all." I gasped and grabbed my mouth. I hadn't said that, had I?

I realized from the smile on Hibari's face that indeed, I had said so. He then grabbed my face and pulled it towards him, our gazes never breaking away from each other.

"Then, I bet you wouldn't mind if I do this…"

I knew it was coming. I saw his eyelids flutter, close, and he tilted my face towards his, making sure that they would connect. Even though I knew that if I hadn't wanted it, I could've pulled away, but I didn't. There was nothing I was surer of in my whole life.

I had wanted this for a long, long time.

Instructing myself what to do in my head, I closed my eyes and let our mouths meet, feeling sparks rise between us. Then a sudden thought struck me in the middle of our kiss. Wasn't this our first kiss?

Knowing that the blush wouldn't go unnoticed, I pulled away for a second, trying to ask Hibari if it really was, but was pulled back by the raven haired teen. This time, he spent no time, and plunged his tongue in there, twirling and twisting it around, and I felt little needy pants escape me.

It all ended too soon, because I forgot that you had to breathe through your nose and I would've collapsed, if it wasn't for Hibari's strong arms holding me up.

Managing to say a few words before regaining my posture, I whispered, "No, I didn't mind it at all…"

Hibari smirked.

"I know."

-o~~ ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ~~o-

Almost falling down due to my sleepiness, I decided to take a nap before continuing the day. What I didn't know though, was that I had slept for more time than intended, and found myself waking up to Natsu's yowls. He angrily pawed at my bed, tearing the expensive bed sheets apart. I glared at the lion cub and hissed out softly, "Natsssu. Don't do that, it's not even our own bed sheets…"

Jerking up slightly, I realized that another person was in the room. The certain figure laughed behind me merrily and smiled. He then reminded me, "It's not like it matters soon anyways. You'll be married to Ietsuna-sama in a day!" Smiling at the voice, I recognized that it was Kusakabe. The man came over to me, and patted my hair. "Hibari-sama, even though he does not show it, is proud of you…"

This made me more surprised than anything I heard in a while. "H-Hibari-san? Proud of me?" I stuttered, not quite believing his words.

Kusakabe only nodded, and turned his back to me. He then clapped his hands, ruining the atmosphere. "Well, Tsuna-chan. It's time for dinner, and Basil has asked me to direct you downstairs to the kitchen table…"

"Huh? It's already six?" I asked, wondering how long I was asleep.

Laughing slightly, Kusakabe answered for me, "Yes, Tsuna-chan. You were asleep for quite some time, and nobody wanted to disturb you so that you could eat lunch, or anything of the matter."

I felt myself flush at how much I slept, and in the daytime even, before following Kusakabe down the stairs and into the main hall. He told me he would check on Basil's progress, and I waved him a short good bye.

Wandering around the castle, I wondered what I was going to do as I waited for dinner to finish cooking. I noticed that Hibari had gone up the stairs, maybe to check on something, while I had gone the opposite direction. However, I didn't have to look long, because I saw a darkly dressed figure emerge from my bedroom. My senses were slightly on edge- who would be in my room, at this time? It wasn't even nighttime, and I couldn't think of any robbers who had the courage or skill to rob the castle when light was still out.

I gasped, then that could only mean… I turned the same corner as the figure turned, and found myself face to face with Ietsuna. His golden eyes flashed with shock, and he immediately smiled warmly at me. Grabbing my arms instantly, he gave me a short embrace before letting me go and greeted me happily.

"Oh, princess… how are you so far, my fiancée?" He lightly teased me, and I slapped his arm playfully while he chuckled out loud.

I growled out, "A lot better… since you're here. Were you working the whole day?" I looked at him, demanding an answer.

Seeing how the shadow crossed his face, I could tell that he had a hard time today, and he whispered out, "Yeah. I'm having constant troubles now- the criminals have this new power, and it's getting hard for me to defeat."

This made me worried, since Ietsuna was already very powerful by himself, and normal criminals becoming stronger made me think where they got the power and what had happened.

"Any leads to how they got stronger?" I asked, not wanting to know the answer.

He sighed heavily and turned his face away, facing the stain glass wall. "I've heard that this scientist called Verde has been designing new weapons and throws them away everywhere, and sometimes, random people pick them up and use them for…" He trailed off, knowing that I understood the situation.

Pressing a kiss to my forehead, he instantly regained his normal chipper mien, and asked excitedly, "So, are you ready for tomorrow?"

My mouth found itself gaping at the young prince, and I shrieked, "Of course not! Today, I was supposed to get my measurements done, b-but I had fallen asleep… because I was tired…" I looked down, not wanting to see his disapproving gaze.

Instead, he laughed at me, and ruffled my hair. "Haha, I see you're getting more sleep huh? I wonder what made you so tired? Perhaps thinking of me all night made you exhausted?" He winked at me, and I once again, slapped his arm, feeling a little triumphant when he grabbed his arm, flinching a bit.

I retorted with a "You wish!" glared at him angrily.

He then grabbed the tip of my chin and forced me to look upwards, making me choke with surprise. "I'm serious, love. I really wish you did…" I gulped, looking into fiery golden eyes.

"Tell me, the answer to my question a few nights ago…"

Feeling myself stop breathing, I knew exactly what question it was. And to my dismay, I was completely right.

"Would you rather marry Hibari-san or me?" He asked in a whisper, and I started shivering under the pressure once I saw his eyes dilate. This time however, he was confident and ready to accept my answer, unlike last time.

Footsteps abruptly made themselves known, and soon they were so loud that it was hard to even hear what Ietsuna was saying. Looking back, I gasped as I saw Hibari charging at us. I was about to scream for him to stop, but he didn't go any farther once he was within a two meter radius from me.

"And what do you think you're doing, herbivore?" He hissed out, bringing out his famous tonfas. I could see Hibird chirp ominously on the window ledge directly outside.

"H-Hibari-san?" I stuttered, not liking the tense air at the moment. Almost blanching, I instantly knew that something was wrong. My gut was in knots, and my ears were drumming, if a pin fell at that moment, I bet I would've heard it.

I recalled a fact from before. I had just seen Hibari go up the stairs… then how did he get here so quickly? I would've realized that Hibari was following me or something, because the way I had walked was the fasted way to my bedroom, and there was no faster way, unless you had some teleportation device.

The so called Hibari smirked and he hissed out in a hushed tone, "Actually this is quite interesting. Tsunayoshi, do tell. Who would you rather marry?"

"W-what? You can't just tell me to cho-"I let out a shrill cry when I felt tonfas smash the side of my head, making me tremble with fear.

Who was this? This wasn't Hibari! He would never, never, try to hurt me because of a matter like this!

Ietsuna pulled on his gloves almost instantly, rushing towards us. However, Hibari knocked away his flames by twirling his tonfas in a circular motion, and used his other one to lift up my chin.

In a low voice, he repeated, "You have to answer this question. If you don't, I'll make sure that I won't have to bother with these finicky feelings ever again." I let out a yell of pain when his tonfa cut the side of my hand, only making a dense mark.

Faintly in the background I could hear Ietsuna scream, "Tsuna! Are you okay?" In a fearful voice, his face as pale as a white sheet of paper.

I couldn't respond, for the sound the tonfa was making was killing my voice, and I let out another shriek of agony as the tonfa pierced through my skin again.

Bang! I felt the pressure surrounding me disappear, and I dropped the ground in confusion and anxiety.

What? I could feel the tenderness of my hands, feeling their burn. What had happened?

I saw a flash of raven dark hair, and I murmured out loud, "It couldn't be…"

The first Hibari who had hurt my arms had dissipated, leaving behind a familiar face. His smile was deformed, and there was blood rushing out of his right eye, the one that was bright red and showed the Chinese symbol for six.

"Kufufufu…"

My thoughts were deemed true, when I saw his gaze upon me.

However, my fear was residing slowly, by inches, knowing that the real Hibari was right in front of me.

His trademark cape was stained with a blob of red, and I knew that it wasn't his blood. His face was twisted in a way I had never seen before- it almost seemed even more angry than what I had seen from losing the battle to Ietsuna.

In a hushed tone, I almost fell again when I heard the definitely, real Hibari's voice hiss out, "Rokudo Mukuro. How dare you impersonate me… and to take it this far. That itself is a crime punishable by death."

Ietsuna was restraining the mist guardian, locking his arms behind his back. He had a look of betrayal on his face, as if not believing what his own guardian had done to me.

In an enraged battle cry, I saw Ietsuna made no move to stop the ferocious Namimori Prince from releasing his fury on the already injured mist guardian.

There would be much bloodshed tonight, I knew it.

Why can't you come back… is your heart stolen by him?

A/N: Um, once again, (nags all of you) reviews are very appreciated… but um… nevermind…

Baibaissss~ *chu*