Chapter 3 is finally here, guys! xD A big thanks to those who reviewed after my update! :') I'm glad people still show interest in this story even after the long wait xD

Also a little word of warning, this chapter may contain OOC behavior with regards to Chrome and Mukuro (This will be more prevalent towards the end of the chapter). I apologize in advance for that.

Disclaimer: I think at this point I don't really need to say it..

Chapter 3: Tension

After having exited the house, Mukuro went straight for his vehicle, hoping to trail behind Chrome and the man to whom currently held the record for "The most hated living being" in his book.

The drive was nothing short from stressful for the man. The whole time, he practically held his steering wheel in a death grip. It was strange, the way he was acting. Never in his life had Mukuro anticipated such a thing to happen. Sure Chrome had some men approach her over time, but she never seemed to show any interest and rejected them as politely as she could.

What made this man so different? Just because he may have been one of her old schoolmates? Mukuro mentally scoffed. Why the hell did he even care, anyway? He was just some guy…

Right?

It's not like she really was involved with him.

…Right?!

Finally the restaurant came into view after following two cars behind Koichi's for a few blocks. Mukuro sucked in air at the sight of the building. It was beyond fancy. No guy would take a girl to a place this extravagant if he'd only hoped to just be friends with her.

After watching the two walk through the entrance, a new problem occurred to the male illusionist. He had no means of getting in. Still, he wouldn't be deterred. He had his mind set, and he was resolute to follow through.

Mukuro looked around the entrance of the restaurant, hoping to find an answer when he caught sight of a waiter walking lazily out from the side of the building.

He smirked deviously. This was going to be much easier than he thought…

Standing near some trash bins behind the restaurant, the waiter took another drag of his cig before briefly discarding the item on the ground and stomping on it.

Out of nowhere, mist began to shroud his surroundings. The man inwardly panicked as he looked around hastily.

"Kufufu," A voice sounded from the haze. The waiter jumped in response before yelling out "WH-WHO'S THERE?!"

The silence that followed only alarmed the man more.

In a vain attempt to ward off the unknown being, he reached for the closest object he could grab- A broken off branch. He then proceeded to yell out, "I'M ARMED!" Before desperately swinging the makeshift sword like a madman.

An outline of what appeared to be a man approached him and spoke, unfazed by his little act, "Let's not be hasty. I have need of you…" The poor waiter could only do so much as nervously gulp before blacking out.

-X-

She gazed at the fancy decor surrounding their table, mouth ajar in pure fascination. Never had she remembered coming to a place so magnificent. It was just… Wow..

"Like what you see?" Koichi's voice broke Chrome out of her reverie as she turned to him and nodded in confirmation and added, "V-Very much so! How did you afford to get a reservation to a place like this?"

Koichi chuckled before answering, "My father actually owns this place. I can pretty much get a reservation when I want."

"Really?" Chrome gasped in surprised.

Koichi nodded.

"My I take your orders?" A black haired waiter approached the two's table, a warm smile plastered on his face. Chrome's eye widened slightly as she caught sight of it. 'His smile… It's almost similar to Mukuro sama's…' Something about this waiter was off. She could sense something but was at a loss for what it was.

Koichi spoke first. "Right then, I'll have some spaghetti with extra oregano and red whine."

The waiter nodded and briefly jotted the order down on his pad. He then turned to face Chrome, his smile growing wider as he asked, "And for the gorgeous young lady~?"

Before Chrome could answer, her date broke in, "A little too flirtatious, are we?" Koichi smiled venomously at the waiter, "Might want to tone it down a little."

The waiter only returned the smile as he challenged, "Oh? Says who?"

"Says the son of the owner," Koichi deadpanned.

The attendant's eye twitched, his smile turned to a frown, "Right…" He turned back to face the purple haired woman, "What would you like?"

"Ummm.. Just a salad and some more water, please." Koichi frowned as he looked over at the woman, "Nagi, don't you want to eat anything else? That's just an appetizer. Chrome shook her head and replied with a soft smile, "I'm fine. I'm not actually that hungry tonight."

"Right then~ Spaghetti with extra oregano, red whine, a salad, and water. I'll get your order right away," The waiter concluded before walking off.

After the man had left, Chrome began to fidget a little in her seat, "I must thank you for taking me to this place."

"Huh?! Oh no, no! it's My pleasure!" Koichi stammered. The female guardian shook her head, "Still, it must be quite expensive just bringing me here even if your father owns this place."

Koichi smiled at the woman. 'How cute' he noted mentally at her concern, "Trust me Nagi, it was nothing…"

The conversation died as the two sat in silence for a few moments. The brunet decided to speak again as he cleared his throat, "Actually… I've had something I've been wanting to tell you…"

Chrome looked back at him, confused at the man's sudden bashfulness. "I don't really know how to say this… But ah…" Koichi scratched the back of his head nervously before heaving a deep breath. Looking back at the girl with newfound determination, he announced, "Nagi. I like you. A lot."

Koichi observed the woman, a shocked expression now dawning her features. Looking down at the table top, he continued, "I've… Actually had a crush on you since our school days… When I heard that you died in a wreck, I was absolutely crushed… But here you are, years later, very much alive.. Nagi…" He reached for her hand across the table, holding it in his. "You don't know how grateful I am to see you again."

"I… I…" She could only stammer out a poor excuse for a response. The petit woman was absolutely speechless. Koichi continued, "I- I know this is sudden… Especially considering we've only just spent a week catching up but… I would like it if you became my girlfriend," Koichi turned to face the woman straight in the eye, "You don't have to answer me, right now but please think about it."

Not far off from the couple, a black haired waiter stood behind a wall, having heard everything that had been said in the conversation. A frown was present on his face as he dashed off to exit the building…

When he finally reached the outside of the building, mist began to shroud around him, once again and Mukuro instantly appeared before the man. "I no longer have use of you, you're free," The illusionist deadpanned. Before leaving, he also included, "You have 3 orders to fill."

The waiter blinked out in surprise before calling out, "Wha… What about my break?!"

-X-

An hour passed before Chrome finally arrived back home that night. Not wanting to wake up her roommates, she made sure to close the door quietly before dashing silently up the stairs.

Once she finally made it to her room, Chrome turned on the light. She felt a bit uneasy once alone in the room, it was as if there was another presence in there with her. The female illusionist's suspicions were soon confirmed as she turned around and nearly jumped a foot into the air.

Sitting up straight on her bed with a blank stare on his face was none other than the most feared illusionist she'd ever known. "MU-MUKURO SAMA!" She stammered, "What are you doing in here?!"

The man heaved a sigh before responding, "I see you had fun tonight…"

"I-" Before she could continue, Mukuro cut her off. Though his voice held a serene calmness to it, she noticed he held a dangerous glint in his eyes. "What is that man to you, Chrome?"

"What… What do you mean?" At that, the male shot up and snapped, "You very well know what I'm talking about!" His mask had finally broken as the man stared angrily at the woman in front of him, "You go out and meet him throughout the whole week and now accept his invitation to some restaurant?!"

"Mukuro sama wh-"

"So what? Are you planning on leaving us now that you have yourself a little boyfriend?!" Chrome's eye widened in realization. "So that was you at the restaurant…"

The male illusionist swiftly walked up to his female companion, only stopping when he was a foot away from her. His voice was dangerously low, "I save your life and you just go off gallivanting with some random man like I'm nothing here?"

Chrome stared at the floor, her fists shaking as she once again recalled the dreaded event from a week ago. She couldn't take it anymore. Her voice quivered as she spoke quietly, "Why…"

"What?" Mukuro hissed.

Chrome snapped her head up to face the man. Mukuro flinched when when he saw the tears accumulating in the female mist guardian's eye. "Why is it that when you go off with random women at night and call me nothing but your personal maid, it's okay. But I can't even hang out with one guy without having you get in my case about it?"

At this point, Chrome was shaking violently. She knew her sudden remark was unusual, but she just couldn't help it. This just wasn't fair.

Mukuro's eyes widened, caught completely off guard at the comeback made from the smaller woman in front of him. Silence ensued as the two stood still.

After a few moments of continued quietness, Mukuro was the first to speak once more, his head lowered, "I see…" Chrome's eye widened at the sound of his voice. Almost instantly the woman was struck with a pang of guilt at what she said.

"M-Mukuro sama I'm sorry I-" Before she could continue, the male illusionist interjected.

"No... It's fine.." He walked to the door before stopping briefly to turn to Chrome, "Just... Get some sleep.." With that, the male illusionist left the room, closing the door in the process.

Once alone in the hall, Mukuro heaved a sigh, eyes staring down at the floor.

This was bad. He'd never lost his composure like this before. It was then that the man realized another thing.

This was their first fight...

Never had he seen Chrome act the way she did just now. The way she spoke against him.. It was odd. Especially considering Chrome had never done that to anyone before, much less himself.

At that moment, the image of the petit female guardian on the brim of tears flashed in his head. The very reminder of it was enough to make the man's heart wrench. Mukuro reached to clutch his chest, alarmed at the foreign feeling.

'What on Earth is this?'

He remained still for a few moments trying to make sense of the sudden surge of emotions before finally shaking his head and deciding that maybe a good nights rest would remedy himself of the problem.

I know it's taking me a while to get actual 9669 action in this fic, but rest assured, I hope to get it started sometime in the next chapter!

Reviews, critiques, all greatly appreciated!