Miserable at best
Title inspired by: Mayday Parade – Miserable at best
Disclaimer: I don't own KHR.
Author's Note:
Sorry, can't update if this site is being uncooperative. In fact, it has been a douchebag for a whole week.
My dearest thanks to KHR LOVER, Okuri Soji, DatAznKid, hleexda, Audriel and chrome-yuuki
KHR LOVER - Aww, you're cute! Busyness is no excuse though (or so I was told)... oh well, it works for me! Thanks!
Okuri Soji - Thank you! Gokudera's reaction when facing Hibari? Oh, this chapter will answer your question. And the next chapter as well. Ah, Sencha is a type of green tea. Pretty common, only Hibari will drink expensive stuff like Gyokuro (another type of green tea) XD
DatAnzKid - Oh, that wasn't even my intention but I'm happy the update was able to do such a thing! Haha! Yeah, and Gokudera's suffering has yet to end! Because in this chapter... well, guess you have to read it yourself :) Thanks for commenting!
hleexda - Thank you very much! Oh yes, you can find not only Hibari but also development in this chapter! I'm glad/happy that you like my decision though it seems that Shoichi needs to work a little harder to be taken serious.
Audriel - Again, I thank you soooo much! A cheerleader? No, I really love your input! I consider it really, really useful, thanks! Oh, so true but Gokudera isn't scarred enough, n'est-ce pas? The boys are certainly still boys, even Hibari and Mukuro remind me rather of perpetual, obstinate children. You wonder what Hibari and Mukuro are doing? Sorry, I had to laugh when I read that... it just sounded... so suggestive XD I'll probably explore the Chrome-Gokudera's mother-theme in the Bianchi arc. That is, if I ever manage to get that far with my fic :D
chrome-yuuki - Well, why wouldn't I acknowledge your comment? It made me happy, too! Sorry, but you'll have to wait till the next chapter to see Hibari's real reaction concerning Shoichi. But there is a small foretaste of what is to come. Thank you!
Thanks for reading. I truly appreciate it
Lately, she often found herself lying awake until late in the night. Because something was horribly wrong with her life. If loneliness could be a companion then she must have missed something. Maybe she didn't read the small print. Or she had read over some hints in the dating advert. Because, instead of pleasant solitude, there was only devastating isolation.
This was the perfect moment for irony to be put into game.
How was it even possible that Nagi had candidly loved being alone when Chrome had such a hard time being just by herself? Why did it become painfully apparent that she couldn't get over it? And 'it' was simply another way to describe 'him'.
Being on her own was unbearable.
If things were going on like this, she could never be anything more than miserable at best.
The sweet, apple-flavoured taste of the bubble tea filled her mouth.
Licking her lips, she nibbled, almost chewed, on the pink plastic straw until one of the tapioca pearls plopped into the cavity of her mouth. Relishing the smooth, squishy texture of the small ball on her tongue, she calmly gazed through the large front window of the café. Once again, snow was falling down from the sky, leisurely covering the pavement before being squashed by the boots of young couples and various groups of friends, all of them gathering in the shopping district of Namimori-shi to buy some last-minute presents. So, basically, she was just the same.
A low sigh managed to escape and she leaned back into the backrest of her chair.
This kind of liveliness, even though she had expected it, she also felt rather overwhelmed by the hassle, the crowds, the noise. Plus, a few months ago, she would have never imagined to be part of such a thing. Truth be told, the decision to come had been born on the spur of the moment. And, now that she was waiting for Shoichi-san to arrive, she had too much time to mull over said decision. Maybe she would have been better off if only she had declined his offer. Well, at least one thing was for sure: Whether or not coming here itself was a mistake, arriving way too early was definitely not a very wise move. Not only did she look like someone who had no friends (which... wasn't really far from the truth), but she also appeared to be the perfect target for lone men who had no intention to celebrate Christmas all alone. Two of those predators were leaning against the bar, eyeing her like a prey.
Wondering if she should pretend to make an important phone call, she swirled the straw around and tried to focus on the cold pearl tea instead. Confident footsteps approached her. She gulped nervously.
"Wouldn't it be rather advisable to drink something warm when it's basically freezing outside?"
There was an amused tone hidden amongst those curious words and the cheerful sound was too familiar for her to be ignored. Tilting her head upwards, Chrome noticed that the same mirth of his voice was also reflected in the newcomer's face, all twinkling and bright. Gasping in surprise, she ushered him into the seat across from her. The two men at the bar frowned and made some displeased, malcontent noise. However, the duo left the café remarkably quickly after the man next to her shot them a meaningful look. He returned his attention back to her when her soft voice called his name.
"Mukuro-sama," the obvious statement to certify his appearance. "What are you doing here?"
Whereas she was grateful for his appearance, she couldn't hide her astonishment either. Yet it was a never-explored mystery, an omnipresent phenomena, that Mukuro-sama normally couldn't, or more probable wouldn't, answer direct questions. Instead, most of the time, he opted to reply with an inquiry of his own. Today was no exception.
"It's quite rare for you to be on your own lately. So, could it be... Are you waiting for someone?"
Was it an act? Or was his entrance really nothing but a mere coincidence?
"Yes, in fact I am. It's a date... presumably."
The male illusionist nodded thoughtfully. Pressing his back against the chair, he waited silently for the waitress to appear and ordered a cappuccino. The young girl obviously tried to flirt (it was painfully blatant: she didn't know anything about etiquette nor the meaning of a professional relationship with a customer) with him but he didn't even feign interest and she left (quite disappointed, poor girl) to receive his order.
"A date."
Chrome blinked, then boobed her head in affirmation.
"Well, I can't say I'm not surprised," he explained with that perfectly calm voice of his, "After all, I assumed that he hates dates. It seems like something 'only herbivore would do'... Though I think tomorrow would have been a better date to have a... well, a date. Some restaurants still accept reservations, too."
Another moment of stillness was established when the waitress returned and placed the hot drink on the table. She tested her seduction skills a second time, though the defeat was as utterly bitter as the first. Giving up, she left.
"Mukuro-sama, what are you doing here?" the female Mist asked once more for it was increasingly apparent that his appearance was a fateful encounter. And just that. Thankfully, he finally graced her with an answer.
"Oh, the little Vongola fawn (another sobriquet for Boss. Mukuro-same must have had one of his creative phases) persuaded me into coming to that stupid celebration tomorrow. Quite funny because he had been so keen on keeping me away from you before."
"So, he threatened you."
"Precisely."
"And your current task is... to buy something? And since the shopping district is the only place where one can purchase anything good..."
He finished her train of thoughts as well as the sentence, "... I happened to come to this place where I, purely by chance, saw you and decided to convey a proper greeting." Taking a sip from his scalding cappuccino, he added, "To be frank, you're sitting next to a huge window. It is kinda hard to miss you."
A bright, soft giggle.
"I see. So, some last-minute shopping. Fundamentally, we're of the same kind."
Suddenly, his expression changed. As if he tried to talk to her without saying a single word at all. Simultaneously, Chrome damned herself for knowing what the secret message was. About a past long ago, about a meeting between a former prisoner and a girl on the brink of death. But the Italian let her off the binding memory.
"I'm not here to please Sawada Tsunayoshi. The Vongola party and the gift exchange are of no concern to me. I'm going to get something, anything, and that's the end of the story. Right now, I certain I'm going to hide that obligatory present in our wine cellar and whoever is unlucky enough to draw the ticket with my name will be forced to search for it."
"We have a wine cellar?"
Ignoring her surprised reaction, he continued, "I'm not really interested in this farce anyway. However, I am honestly worried about getting the right present for you."
"For me?" she repeated dumbfounded before regaining her senses, "There no need for such a thing."
"Because Hibari-kun will buy something proper this time?"
Biting her lip, she grasped the pink straw and pierced one of the tapioca pearls.
"Ano, my... my so-called date isn't Hibari-san."
His equivalent to a reaction was a raised eyebrow. He stirred the contents of his white cup and licked the spoon clean, subsequently taking a sip from cooled down liquid.
"Oya? Is that so?" Placing the cup back onto its saucer, he rested his right elbow on the tabletop and propped his chin on the palm of his open hand. For a few minutes, he drummed his fingertips against the cheek before leaning in ever so slightly. "Please entertain me. Who is it? Who is bold, no... wait, rather: Who is suicidal enough to mess with Hibari-kun's territorial claim?"
Despite her inability to fathom the depth of his playful remark or decipher its meaning, she intended to give him a reply. Thinking of a comeback, she crossed her legs and fell backwards, carefully slumping against the backrest. Her voice was soft and mild-mannered.
"I met Shoichi-san in front of the mansion yesterday. He had a meeting with Bossu and we talked for a little while."
"And he begged you to go on a date with him? Just like that?"
Chrome made a funny face and nipped on her straw, manicured fingernail scrapping over the rim of her glass.
"It wasn't 'just like that' (the official version: Yes, it was. Just like that. But she couldn't tell him). He called me later on. And I thought: Maybe I should go on a date with him."
"Maybe you should have your head examined." Shaking his very own head, Mukuro-sama stirred the pitiful remains of his cappuccino before drinking the last sip and ordering another cup. "Or that Irie Shoichi-kun should just accompany you. Just in case. And while he's already there, his brain should get a check-up, too. Certainly, he must be tired of life to ask you out."
He smirked.
"Hibari-kun doesn't know, does he?"
"Was I supposed to inform him?" queried the young woman candidly and earned a lopsided sneer.
"No. No, it's fine."
The heartbroken waitress appeared in front of their table and handed the fresh coffee drink to the man. Taking advantage of her arrival, Chrome requested a lychee bubble tea before fixating her limited view (her missing eye was itching ever since he had wordlessly mentioned that ghost of a past memory) on her dialogue partner. Pouring the sachet of sugar over his steaming cappuccino, he met her gaze.
"Mukuro-sama, I have another question."
Breaking the eye contact, he stared at the sprinkled froth, his teaspoon glided through the white mass until a barely perceptible noise sounded when the metal touched the bottom of the cup. Afterwards, he brought the foam-covered to his mouth and, with his other hand, reached for the wrapped biscuit.
"Shoot." His verbal invitation. Simultaneously, he offered her the small pastry.
Hesitantly accepting the pastry, she exhaled while fumbling around with the plastic wrapping. "Boss had scheduled the meeting for yesterday, right? So, etto... Gokudera-san was wondering why you were absent."
The illusionist took a cautious gulp from his beverage and raised his eyebrow for the second time. Wondered? Considering that the afore-mentioned person was none other than the smoking bomb, Mukuro-sama had to assume that 'wondering' was just a very nice euphemism to describe the things he had truly said. Potentially with a lot of cursing.
"Well, I did mention Sawada Tsunayoshi's eagerness to keep me away from you. There is a list of tasks he expects me to finish (however, Chrome wasn't entirely sure whether or not he would actually do as he was told). Moreover, I reckon Hibari-kun must have been pleased to notice my absence." The girl's one-eyed glance wandered to their pale reflections in the window, permitting him to make various assumptions of the course of events on the previous day.
"Ah, but he wasn't there either," she ultimately confirmed.
A pregnant pause followed and Mukuro-sama stretched his arms over his head, a yawn bubbling in the depths of his throat.
"Really now?" A statement laced with scoff. "That man," and he repeated it one more time, "That man, he really is quite dense."
"Gokudera-san called him an 'emotional cripple' once."
"I'll say."
"Bossu and Dino-san were betting money on him. Whether he's an alien robot or not."
"Oho? Why betting on the obvious?"
Her tranquil smile evolved into a tender giggle and the man scratched the back of his head, focus also fixed on the window. "I didn't know we are still able to talk like this, Mukuro-sama," she explained and clasped her hands. He, on the other side, sighed in frustration. Tilting her head to the side, Chrome gave him a questioning look. A few minutes passed until he responded, "I asked this before but why are you so intent on catching a bird?"
And this caught her off guard.
"Maybe... it's love? Or admiration?"
The Italian ran his fingers through his hair before placing his forehead against a glove-covered palm. "Love, you say. Though you know it is Hibari-kun we are talking about. Pray tell, when was the last time you actually talked to each other?"
Unfortunately, it was too embarrassing to answer straight away, therefore the female pretended to ponder over his inquiry. "I'm not quite sure. Maybe about two weeks ago (seventeen days, to be precise. After all, she had been aware of each and every single day without a message from him)?"
Thereupon a nondescript moan arose. Heaving his head up, her conversational partner slung his left arm over the chair's backrest and pointed with his other hand towards her.
"You, my dear Chrome, are walking down the road to hell. I've been there before and this is my warning: The fee you'll have to pay is unexceptional high."
Hah! Knowledge, she had already acquired.
"I paid my dues. My heart was the toll."
For once, he was unable to counter. After that, a long period of quiescence descended upon the duo, the only sounds were noisy chatters from other guests and the occasional slurp every time one of them sipped from their respective drinks. Nevertheless, it was her who almost chocked on the artificially sweet tea when his voice enquired about her current situation.
"Another inconsistency occurred to me," he marvelled nonchalantly, "Hibari-kun is the very person you essentially want, correct?"
Despite asking this, he gave her no time to answer.
"Yet you're going on a date with Irie Shoichi-kun. To me, this is somewhat of a contradiction."
Before he was able to explore the topic, she vehemently shook her head, lips pursed together tightly.
"But isn't there a difference between wanting something and actually getting it? Don't misunderstand, Mukuro-sama, but Hibari-san promised me to be responsible. Even so, we never discussed the matters of a relationship. On top of this, he doesn't believe in love. He told me so himself."
"So dense."
In the twinkling of an eye, the male Guardian stood up. Chrome gawked at him with a startled expression. Strolling over to the till, he paid for the drinks (hers as well as his own) and then walked in the direction of the exit. Yet, before he left, he turned around towards her and, with a smiling face, said, "I don't think your date would be utterly pleased if he saw you idly chatting with another guy." He faced away from her and opened the door. "Oh, and Chrome. If the confused little duckling isn't even remotely interested in you... why would he bother to go to your place just to kiss you in a quite spectacular way?"
Her mouth agape and her eye wide, the mother-to-be watched him leave the café and eventually disappear somewhere among the crowd.
"You had sex with Chrome! You could have told me!"
Surely, it was anything but a conventional greeting (to be exact, it wasn't even a greeting in the first place) though, frankly speaking, Hibari had experienced worse. Most of them were suppressed memories, however, some appeared to be rather persistent and he recalled them with a growl of resentment. Like that one time when the stupid bronco had genuinely tried to jump onto his back (in order to greet him, which he had dodged). Or when he had tried to hug him (again: in order to greet him, which he had dodged and resulted in really, really painful brawl... painful for the horse, that is). Or when he had tried to kiss him on the cheek (and again: in order to greet him, which he had tried to dodge but it ended with both of them landing in the koi pond and yet another fight). Especially the last one was a rather vivid reminder of the idiot's horrific behaviour. And, if his memory didn't deceive him, after they went all out, they had been stuck in the hospital for two weeks (where they had met Chrome Dokuro and Gokudera Hayato, both of them talking about an incident that involved dynamite and a kiss).
With a disparaging glance at his questionable guest and the lessons learned from his past experiences, the former prefect was highly confident of the prospect that this conversation would also lead to another fight. The opportunity to add insult to injury was too tempting. So, to up the ante:
"In addition, I also could have invited you to join us. Shockingly, I didn't do neither."
There it was.
The nasty glare of being ridiculed. Or being a laughing stock. Or hurt pride. Not that he assumed that Dino Cavallone knew much about the difference. A spluttering noise filled with indignation gushed out of the other person's mouth.
"I swear, Kyouya, I'm definitively not interested in any kind of sexual activity that involves you. None more so than a threesome including you! This rule applies to everything Kyouya-related unless you turn into a busty, hot female that could rival my wife's charm."
"If you claim you're not gay, you should at least try to act accordingly."
"You're a cruel, cruel man, Kyouya. Horrible and sarcastic."
"Is this a promotion from being 'some kind of alien robot lacking any kind of manlike feelings'?"
Silence. Then:
"Oh." And: "So you knew about it..."
Before Hibari even had the time to pull out his tonfa and deliver the eagerly awaited punishment, the Cavallone heir held his hand up and began to stutter, "W-well, how about this...? I-I let you in on a secret and you let up on me? Because I h-heard this interesting rumour!"
Just what was up with all these rumours floating constantly around? Moreover, why was it always the bucking horse who seemed to be best informed?
"We'll see about that. But be ensured. Annoy me any further and I'm going to bury your corpse in our wine cellar!"
"The Vongola mansion has a wine cellar?"
It was amusing to see how that guy's mind worked. So easily distracted, he had even forgotten what he had come for initially. The topic of 'Chrome Dokuro' had been put to an end without any effort at all and furtherm-
"Sorry, brain lapse. Anyway, about the rumour: One of my men saw Chrome today. And it looked like she was meeting a man in a café. A date, so to speak."
The response came with a frightening, deadly composure.
"Who was that man?"
"Yes, that was Michael. He was a former tennis player, a real pro, and he was out to buy som-"
"Her date."
"Oh, him. Sure, fair enough. Why would you want to know about Michael? I mean, just because it was him who had spotted those two..." He took a long breath. "I have no clue."
Miraculously, he was able to dodge the tonfa and jumped backwards, creating a good distance between them. Of course, this meant that his men had to toddle around somewhere.
"Sorry but Michael was sitting in a taxi. The car had already moved on the moment he realised it had been her. Ivan had told me the whole story. He had overheard a conversation between Bono and Michael." Basically, this whole tale had been nothing but a waste of time. And patience. Looking at the Italian with a vacant expression, Hibari pondered about ways to torture not only him but his subordinates as well. Since with each and every passing second, the urge to beat the living daylights out of the Cavallone became more and more appealing.
"Jealous much?"
God, that epitome of awfulness.
Ignoring the twitching of his left eye, the Cloud actually made an effort to unveil his point of view.
"She is free to do as she pleases. I promised her to meet my responsibility, I did not offer her any other commitment."
All too sudden, the mood turned into a sombre atmosphere. Previous jokes were unregarded and even the Cavallone's voice changed into a grave imitation of his usually cheery persona.
"You have to alter that attitude of yours or you will lose her for good."
"I don't need you to tell me such a thing," he snapped, a scowl manifested on his face. All these herbivores were after him. Preaching love and other nonsense. Hoping he would eventually buy in.
"Don't be mistaken. I know about the cloud's role in the Vongola famiglia. How it goes its own way and how it detaches itself from others. However, believe me when I say it isn't necessary to adopt this trait as a general principle and apply it to your private life. Instead, take a look at the sky. You barely see just one single cloud up there."
"No, it's surrounded by other clouds. Because they're equal."
"Oh come on, don't be that way. Honestly, isn't mist very similar to a cloud? The most distinguishable difference between them is their location." As he received no answer, Dino pressed on with his persuading. "It would be the best for you to fight this time."
The statement was followed by a mocking click of the skylark's tongue against his teeth and the blonde shook his head. Playing the voice of reason for his outstandingly stubborn ex-student was no bed of roses. Alternatively, it was rather comparable to handling a rose with lots of thorns. Piercing and sharp, just like the Guardian's tongue.
"Kyouya, with all due respect, you are used to getting what you want. You don't know how to fight for something."
Another scoffing sound. Unlike last time, however, he decided to say something in reply.
"I certainly do know how to fight."
Sighing, his guest scratched his forehead, leaving temporarily white lines on his temples. "There is a difference, you know." He granted him with further elaboration. "Fighting for something doesn't mean that you fight, win and gain. No, it implies that you still fight and you still win but someone else gains. Like 'for someone else's sake'."
No reply. No response.
Hibari, that taciturn man.
Maybe it was time to leave.
"Think about it, Kyouya. In fact, Tsuna told me about Chrome. And it seems like she's really cherishing you for what reason soever. Perhaps, she does even love you. Despite everyone thinking that she has completely lost her mind for choosing you of all people." Pushing his hands into the pockets of his trousers, the blonde man turned around for one last time, then headed for the door. "Think. Think long and hard. You owe her at least that much if you weren't able to call her even once these past weeks."
His mouth set into a thin line and his eyes narrowed, the father-to-be watched him walking out the door and ultimately disappear in the darkness of the corridors.
Mukuro-sama's words were still ringing in her ears, completely captivating her overall attention. About love and hell and Hibari-san and her stupidity in general. Letting go was surely hard. Fighting for something was equally difficult. She groaned, a new-founded headache pestering her. On a totally unrelated subject, Shoichi-san had arrived.
Chalk up one for him: He was less nervous around her. Howbeit, this was the reason why she felt so guilty for listening only half-heartedly to his stories, there was no possibility for her to treat their get-together as anything more than what it was. A date? No chance, downright impossible. Of course, she couldn't help her feelings. She loved Hibari-san. And this farce wasn't right.
"It's so hard to decide, you know? You can't be certain who will end up receiving your present. So what if you buy something totally manly and a girl accidentally draws your name? Would be pretty embarrassing, huh?"
They were standing in front of another shop, the window displays colourful and bright and glittering. Nevertheless, she stared at their reflections in the window instead. Christmas, a celebration for all the sweethearts, coppia di amanti and aikouka. Oh, please! Enough.
"Shoichi-san, I believe that you're an absolutely nice guy."
Whirling around in shock, the addressed boy blushed violently and started flailing.
"Ah, Chrome-san. I-I... uh... about you... I...," he started but was cut off by her.
"However," and she glanced at him while he stilled his movements, letting her continue, "I fear that is all. Though I accepted your invitation yesterday... I don't think of this as a date. To me, this is rather a meeting of friends."
Funny how her voice didn't waver despite its owner feeling like crying. His dejected face made things even worse. She was a horrible person.
"I'm truly sorry. I should have never accepted."
Inhaling, exhaling, inhaling, exhaling and then:
"I appreciate your honesty. I really do," he answered with a shy grin.
Oh dear Kami-sama, Mukuro-sama was right. She really was walking down the road to hell.
"But friends is a good start, right?"
Blinking, she bopped her head slowly, wordlessly asking him to explain his statement. But he opted to smile instead and guided her into the boutique. Inside, his right hand swayed from side to side, back and forth, telling her that this was no big deal. "Date or not, we came together to purchase some gifts. And nothing should hinder us from achieving this goal. So, let's do it! When you come to think of it, and I know although I already mentioned that it would be embarrassing to hand over a weird present, it would be all the worse if we'd arrive empty-handed."
Indeed, Shoichi-san was a nice person.
Nodding carefully, she followed him and the duo sauntered about, blanking the previous events out and making fun of kitschy figures, ugly clothes and ridiculous décor. After saying her piece, Chrome felt more at ease and noticed that they were able to talk quite causally. On a second thought, she realised that he was speaking for the most part while she was at long last able to listen to his words. Surely, he would occasionally start off with boring tales of mechanical discoveries or would inform her about the newest CD from his favourite band called 'Blood + Pepper'. Or how his stomach would get upset whenever he felt anxious. Or how he was constantly overworking himself which resulted in him falling asleep while changing clothing, relaxing in the bathtub or sitting on the toilet. She had little hope that this wasn't his way of trying to make himself somewhat interesting.
Apart from those little faux pas, the time they spent together was enjoyable.
In the end, both were triumphant. The bespectacled man had bought a first-aid kit. His logic: No matter whether the receiver would be male or female, it would be an useful object either way. A crucial point of his illustration was the part about belonging to a Mafia famiglia. Due to the constant missions, one would either be patched up or one would have to patch up his friend, lover or companion, so whichever way you look at it, this was a sensible gift to give away (still, Chrome thought this was strangely similar to Hibari-san's oh so reasonably explanation regarding the handkerchief).
Lacking the creativity (and the energy to think up such a hilarious excuse), the Mist had acquired a set of matching scarves. Albeit the two pieces of clothing borrowed a lame cliché, she felt confident about her selected choice. Provided that a girl was the one to obtain the present, she could wear the pinkish scarf herself and give the blueish one to an important person (probably a lover or a boyfriend). In the very likely case of a male (in terms of numbers, the Vongola was male-dominated) attaining the scarves, it would be a vice versa scenario (unless the person was the flamboyant Varia man. There was no doubt about him keeping the pink garment).
After satisfying their own requirements, the two adults went to the nearest station and Shoichi-san offered to walk her home but she declined politely.
He watched her through the smudgy window of the green tram, hand gripping the dangling handle and shopping back waiting in front of his feet. A low and heavy sigh slipped through his lips. He would have to file this romance under unrequited love.
"Friends, huh?"
And he leaned back, almost falling over when there was a bend in the street.
"Better than nothing, I suppose."
Regaining his footing, the young man grinned and pushed his glasses up.
"Doesn't mean it has to stay this way. Maybe... if I try harder..."
He left the city centre in good spirits, unaware of the fact that Chrome had stayed behind on purpose. After all, there was another present she had to buy.
The ballroom was breathtaking. Mind-blowing. Admirable.
Naturally, Chrome had expected nothing less.
The sparkling chandelier. The enormous buffet. A grandiose Christmas tree.
Lights. Colours. Sweet scents.
Being a Mafia famiglia had its benefits after all. Admittedly, if one were to view this whole spectacle from a mere technical point of view, it seemed a bit too much for Japanese people to celebrate a religious festival to this extreme extent (they could fully revel in their own traditional festivals) but Reborn-san had invented the excuse of having Italian ancestors and suddenly, there was no one to question the abundance of decorations or criticise the opulence of food. Same as always. Unquestionably, Boss had given his best, spared neither trouble nor expense to turn this festivity into a memorable event.
"Your dress is fabulous!"
Turning around to observe the other girls, the young Mist was amused to see that it had been Varia's Sun man who praised the elegant gowns of the female Vongola members loudly. Staring at her own lilac cocktail dress (the area around the cleavage was almost white and embroidered with rhinestones, creating a floral design. The waist area was a bright lilac that turned darker further down, colouring the lower hem a midnight purple. The bottom, barely reaching her knees, was hemmed with black lace, matching the lace choker that she wore around her neck), she wonder if her attire was also worth to be adored. As if on cue, her worries were dispersed into nothingness by a generous comment from behind.
"You look absolutely gorgeous, Chrome."
Looking over her shoulder, she saw Yamamoto-san's smiling face. Gokudera-san stood next to him, a light blush on his cheeks.
"She's okay. Once she gets fatter due to the pregnancy, she will be unable to wear these dresses anyhow."
Seriously, he was still angry because of their talk?
"Ahaha, you have no clue how to woo a woman! I won't allow you to dance with her if you're mean."
"As if I wish to do such a thing!"
The Rain laughed merrily and she smiled sheepishly. However, it was him who stopped dead in his tracks after his eyes had wandered over the masses towards the entrance.
"Amazing. Even Hibari joins us this year."
Consequently, the smoking bomb's eyes followed his friend's glance.
A spluttering noise.
A pale face.
And down he went.
"Gokudera? Are you okay? Is it a relapse? And here I thought you were immune to your sister by now," sniggered the tall swordsman while the female Guardian knelt down to aid him.
"Apparently, Yamamoto-san, I presume this was a reaction to seeing Hibari-san."
The Rain commented on this with a short 'Oh'. Also, he would have continued to enjoy his little sojourn in the land of amusement if it wouldn't have been for the next sentence.
"Oh my God, I can't get the image of his size out of my head!"
Awkward silence followed the deadly innuendo.
"Let's bring him into the wine cellar (the one Mukuro-sama had mentioned). He needs to regain his composure," suggested a troubled Chrome. But her other conversational partner appeared to be sickly pale, too.
"Eh? What do you know about Hibari's size, Gokudera?" And: "We have a wine cellar?"
"Where is Irie Shoichi?"
Kusakabe Tetsuya doubted that it had been a good idea to investigate the events of the previous day (including Chrome Dokuro and her mysterious date) nor had it been wise to inform Hibari of the results.
"Kyou-san, please, I beg of you. Do not obliterate our allies."
"I never said I would."
"You never denied such a possibility either!"
Straightening his dark tie and buttoning up his grey vest, the skylark strode through the vast hall. He was already annoyed by the sheer amount of guests, let alone their existence as individuals. Another factor for his bad mood was the Cavallone and his vexing words. Paying attention to him had yet again proven itself as being nothing but a horrible mistake.
"Fine. How about Chrome Dokuro? Have you seen her?"
Again negative. His patience was thinning, his temper was ill.
"Then where is that epitome of awfulness? The bane of my life could be somewhat useful."
His subordinate pondered for a couple of seconds and replied with a breathy voice, "I'm afraid he left the room to chase after his estranged wife."
"You mean soon-to-be ex-wife?"
Good. Leastwise something that cheered him up. Compared to the Cavallone's messed up love life, everything else seemed to be just fine. No matter how bad it really was. He was about to exploit these facts further when he saw her. Crowded by a shell-shocked (...why?) Rain and a seemingly dying Gokudera Hayato was Chrome Dokuro.
And, because he was a man and a straight one on top (unlike the bucking horse and his questionable orientation), it was surprisingly easy to admit that she did look lovely in her pretty little dress. Apparently, other men were thinking the same, ogling her with inappropriate stares. Actions on par with disrupting the discipline. Without wasting a single second, he ditched Tetsu and marched over to the small group. Certainly, they were fussing over the herbivore lying on the ground who was busy to chant a cawing 'size' but once he cleared his throat they quickly noticed his appearance.
"Chrome Dokuro. A word, if I may."
She looked like a deer caught in the headlights. Strange, normally this kind of expression was Sawada Tsunayoshi's forte.
Speaking of the devil, he steered into their direction, effortlessly walking through the crowd. Sasagawa Ryohei, his wife and his sister, Miura Haru's husband and Irie Shoichi trailing him.
Wao, Irie Shoichi?
Grabbing her upper arm, he dragged her away from the ballroom, artfully ignoring the Storm's sudden cries of... whatever.
Being on her own was unbearable.
Being with someone else seemed impossible.
If things were going on like this, she could never be anything more than miserable at best.
Perfection was flawless and she was perfectly unhappy.
A I-would-love-to-be-a-cliffhanger-yet-I'm-not-ending. Hooray. Reviews and constructive criticism make me happy XD
We have a wine cellar?