Here is the next chapter! I promise there will be more to come!

Chapter 10

Gokudera Hayato sighed in desperation; no one could find Hibari. Everyone was there; Ryohei, Lambo, Yamamoto, Gokudera and one last special guest that was running late! They had all regrouped at Yamamoto's father's shop to discuss this very sensitive matter; they were all terrified for their friend. Whenever one of them tried to speak with Tsuna or visit him; they would encounter Hibari and the ex-policeman would get very aggressive verbally and even physically with Yamamoto. They were all scared of the man; Lambo was even doing nightmares of the man. They had all insisted that he took a step back, but to Lambo's merit, the barely legal young man had down-right refused! Tsuna was his friend and his older brother figure.

-Do you think he's going to come? Asked Ryohei, doubtfully.

-To be absolutely honest, I don't know! When I last spoke with him; I almost had to beg for him to come. The guy knows Hibari better than his own brother; he can help us deal with this. However, you all know how he feels about Hibari and Tsuna; he could have resentment towards the both of them! Said Gokudera as he sighed in desperation; he wasn't sure what to do or how to help his long-time friend.

An old man came from the back door and pointed to a phone in his hand; Yamamoto got the message and went to see his father. The young man took the phone and recognised the voice at the other end of the phone; he had heard it once when he had come to Tsuna's door to apologize after the day of their graduation! It would be hard for him to forget him, seeing it was Yamamoto that turned him away with angry and unfair words; his anger had gotten the better of him and the raven-head saw just how hurtful his words had been on his interlocutor, but at the time it did not matter to him.

-Hello, Yamamoto-san! My plane was delayed in Hong Kong; I am on my way from Tokyo airport to your location. Said the voice in a very strict and professional manner; clearly he did not forget about the last time they had spoken.

-I understand! I will make sure to tell the others. I hope for your safe travel! Replied Yamamto, a bit uneasy after all these years.

The two men hanged up and Yamamoto walked back to the rest of the group; even if the conversation was short and was nothing more than professional, Yamamoto couldn't shake the feeling of guilt creeping up upon him. He had treated this man like garbage, like he was the one who had caused such pain to his close friend; over the years the anger hasn't dwelled down, but now… He felt guilty for speaking to him like this; to have reacted so poorly towards someone who simply wanted to apologize for something he had no fault in! Gokudera noticed this and led his lover to a more secluded area of the shop.

-Is everything alright, Takeshi? Asked Gokudera with a soft voice.

-It's… It's just that I'm feeling… Guilty! I just can't forget how rude and unfair to him! He just wanted to apologize and he hadn't do anything wrong! I was so angry at Hibari that I never made the difference between him and Hibari and I let all my anger flow on him. I feel so bad about it! I don't think I can face him… confessed Yamamoto with his head down in shame. The things I said to him..!

-Baby, it was years ago! We were all angry and hurt! Don't you think I did somethings back then that I regret today! Once he arrives, we will talk about this whole ordeal, and then you can talk to him in private and sort this whole thing out! Proposed Gokudera as he took his lover in his arms to comfort him in his time of doubts. You both have grown and you have both change!

-I guess you are right! Conceded Yamamoto before kissing his boyfriend gently upon his lips.

The two lovers walked back to the group hand-in-hand and sat down as Ryohei just received a message from Lussuria; there was a young policeman by the name of Basil who had the guts to arrest Hibari and bring him all the way to jail. After three weeks of being supposedly arrested by his co-workers and being release on the way to the police station; there were policemen strong and brave enough to bring him all the way in. It was a small victory for them; but still, a victory for them. With Hibari behind bars, it left Tsuna's friends and Xanxus's bodyguards some time to prepare themselves for the next round. There was no illusion about Hibari's resolve; he would continue to try and have Tsuna and he would become even more violent in his pursuit! They had to be extremely cautious from now on!

On the road…

Mukuro Rokudo took a deep sighed as his chauffeur entered the city's limits; he had such bad memories here. He would never have come back if Hibari and Tsuna hadn't been involved; this whole ordeal should have been dealt with years ago! Yet, he had left this town to escape the guilt and the pain; if he had listened to Daemon, he would have made peace with Tsuna and his friends and maybe this whole situation would have been avoided. The French had a saying about the maybes: «Avec de si, on mettrait Paris en bouteille»! (1)

The road to the sushi shop took an hour at most; still, it was too short of a ride! The last thing he wanted was to face them all; especially, Yamamoto. The last souvenir of him had been what convinced him to leave this town and he feared what would happen now (not that he would ever admit it or show it; he would always appear strong and confident)!

Mukuro got out of the car and walked into the shop with weak legs; this reunion was more challenging for him than he had previously thought. He took a deep sight before pushing the front door of the shop; everyone turned to look at him as he came in. At the bar was sitting a young man with curly black hair and green eyes with a cow print shirt who looked bored; a tall silver-headed man with an octopus shaped haircut and a scowl on his features; a tall Asian man with short dark hair and a small scar on his chin… Bovino Lambo, Gokudera Hayato and Yamamoto Takeshi.

-Mukuro-san! You finally arrived! Thankfully, you are here! You can help us with this Hibari business. Said Gokudera as he walked towards the pineapple haired man with his hand extended as a greeting gesture.

-My pleasure, Gokudera-san! Said Mukuro with a forced smile as he saw Yamamoto flew his gaze.

Gokudera acted as if he hadn't seen their ally's nervousness; the last thing he needed was for Mukuro to leave because the silver-head had insulted him. He invited the man to the bar and asked Yamamoto to go and prepare something for their guest in the kitchen; both men silently thanked the silver-head for his presence of mind. With Yamamoto in the kitchen; they both could breathe more easily and not feel any pressure.

-Thank you for your offer! Said Mukuro as he sat at the bar. Now, how can I help you with Hibari? I know he's harassing Tsuna and becoming even more dangerous by the day!

-Well, we just learned that a police officer has arrested Hibari and put him behind bars; he'll be spending the rest of week-end or until someone pays his bail. We need to know all the dirt possible on Hibari! Right now, there's this guy by the name of Byakuran who made a complaint about Hibari demanding bribes and for assault on one of his employee; he's a pimp and she's a call-girl, but still… This Byakuran guy could help us! Xanxus and his bodyguards are over at his place to see what they can arrange together. Explained Gokudera as he served Mukuro a glass of sake.

-I see! And you want me to find more dirt on him and if there's anyone else who would testify against him! Said Mukuro as he took in Byakuran's name and profession; it could come in handy later on.

Gokudera agreed to this; the more they knew about the crazed cop the better! At the same moment, Ryohei entered the shop, covered in sweat and breathing heavily; he had ran from his sister's house as she had called him to report a strange policeman asking suspicious questions about everyone. Afraid for his sister's well-being and her roommate, Ryohei had run as fast as he could; but the scary policeman had already left when the boxer had arrived. Ryohei left his sister's apartment after getting a promise from his sister to call the police if she saw a suspicious car or if the police officer ever came back.

Finally, in less than three minutes, he had made it to the shop; now, he was making his way to the bar. Sweat was rolling down his neck; hair in disarray; shirt wide open, leaving his chiseled torso out for anyone to see… To Mukuro's eyes, this grey-haired man was a god in human form! No way, a man could look this good simply by training every day! As if he wide and goofy smile that lit up the other world like the sun wasn't enough to make him gorgeous; he needed to have a deep and sensual laugh! Thank God, Mukuro Rokudo was good at hiding his reactions; or it would have been quite embarrassing for him!

-Oh! Hello! My name's Sasagawa Ryohei! You must be Mukuro Rokudo, to the extreme! said the boxer as he extended his hand to present himself.

-Why yes! It is a pleasure to meet you! Said Mukuro as he shook the boxer's hand with a charming smile.

-I love your hair-cut! It's so unique and beautiful! Especially, the colour of it! It's amazing, to the extreme! said Ryohei with a large smile.

This truly surprised Mukuro; no one ever said such kind things to him. People would call him «pineapple-head» or «pineapple-freak»; never has anyone ever called his hair unique or gorgeous. He almost blushed at the compliment; almost being the key word! Never had a man made him feeling like this; it was such a welcomed change. Ryohei took the plate Yamamoto was handing him and began devouring his meal; so entranced in Ryohei, Mukuro never realised that the dark-haired man had come back from the kitchen.

Mukuro took his plate and caught Yamamoto's look; he clearly caught on that Mukuro was attracted to his friend. The mix-matched eyed man could have sworn that he saw disapproval in the sushi chef's eyes; he probably feared the same thing would happen to Ryohei that happen to Tsuna. That simple look was enough of a cold shower to wake Mukuro up from his daydreaming. What was happening here was partly his fault! Why do exactly the same thing as last time and expect a different outcome? Wasn't that the very meaning of insanity?

With a nervous sigh, Mukuro silently ate his meal as Lambo and Gokudera kept on fighting about something trivial as always; Yamamoto tried to calm his lover down and Ryohei was discretely eying the new comer without him realising it! The food was great, but Mukuro was far too lost in his guilt and self-wallowing!

-Mukuro, may I speak with you? It won't take long! Asked Yamamoto discretely as the others were busy fighting and arguing.

Not wanting to make things worse with Yamamoto, Mukuro followed the ex-baseball player into the kitchen. Once he made sure that no one was there or could hear their conversation, Yamamoto faced the indigo haired man and took a deep breath in; this wasn't easy and he had to make sure to say the right words as to not insult the man and ruin Gokudera's effort. His lover would never forgive him if Mukuro left the shop!

-Look Mukuro… I'm… I am so sorry about everything! About all the horrible things I told you the day you came to Tsuna's house! I was angry and I spoke without thinking and I never let you explain your side of the story… I am so sorry for the way I acted and treated you! I had no right and no excuse for it! The only thing I can say is that I was angry and heart-broken after seeing my friend with such lifeless eyes that I… projected all the resentment and anger I felt for Hibari onto you! I know I don't deserve your forgiveness, but I am truly sorry! Said Yamamoto with a shay voice; never had he been so anxious in his life.

-Yamamoto-san, you have nothing to worry! I understand… I… I can't blame you for being angry! Because of me, Tsunayoshi got hurt and nearly lost it… I was just so wrapped up in Hibari's lies and seduction; I didn't notice that he still was with that bastard! Tsuna was the only one who was nice to me at school; I mean really nice. Not the fake kind the others gave me because I was Daemon's little brother… Hibari had assured me that Tsuna had broken things with him and he needed someone by his side to go through this whole ordeal; it's only the day after that my brother told me about how Hibari had broken up with Tsuna! Explained Mukuro as he leaned against the frame of the door; lost in his souvenirs.

-Tsuna and you have been played by Hibari! It's his fault, not yours… I should have seen that! I'm so very sorry! I wanted to make things right and give you the apology you deserve.

-Than you, it really feels good to know nobody is mad with me anymore. Said Mukuro as a sincere and soft smile.

-Yamamoto, we need more sushi to the extreme! cried Ryohei from the other side of the shop; causing Mukuro to jump out and slightly blush at his reaction to the boxer's rich laugh and voice.

Yamamoto noticed his new-friend's reaction (anyone would have noticed it) and chuckled lightly; it was clear as day that Mukuro wasn't insensitive to the boxer! He hadn't been sure earlier, but now… Yamamoto paused for a second and tried to see the two of them together. Ryohei was a very energetic person, who had an open and sunny personality and was quite loud; while Muuro was a quiet, calm and secretive person, who had a sly and taunting personality. Could the two of them be a couple? Opposite do attract; Gokudera and him were the proof of that! So maybe…

-Sometimes I wonder how sempai us still single! Such a nice guy with so much to offer… It's a shame the only guys he find aren't serious or are simply too immature! It would be nice if he could find someone more grounded and mature! Said Yamamoto, out of nowhere before returning to making sushi.

Mukuro was far from being stupid and he clearly understood what Yamamoto was trying to tell him; however, even if he wanted it and Yamamoto thought they would be great together, what would Ryohei's thoughts be if he found out he had a past with Hibari? Judging by the series of curse words and threats shouted towards the policeman, Ryohei hated the guy and probably wouldn't want anything to do with him! Mukuro sighed in disappointment; he wasn't stupid and he was realistic! This wasn't going to work!

For the eight hundred and thirty seventh time in his life, Mukuor cursed Hibari for ruining his life; for the first time since his high school years, Mukuro had found a man that actually interested him and it had to be ruined by the crazed and cursed albatross…

He was going to make sure to destroy Hibari and make him pay for the pain he had Tsuna and him endure for his sick and twisted pleasure; even if it meant telling their secret.