Windshear

Part 18/?

Characters/Pairings: Yamamoto, Hibari, Tsuna, Mukuro, Gokudera, and Byakuran. Byakuran/Mukuro, and eventual Yamamoto/Hibari.
Rating: PG-13
Words: 4435
Summary: Maybe Byakuran is up to something; maybe he's not. But more importantly, is Hibari actually starting to understand?

Byakuran liked Mukuro's hands. He liked the long, fine-boned fingers; the pale skin; and the well-manicured nails. It must have taken a lot of work, really, what with the things the Vendicare had done to him. Everything about Mukuro looked so perfect, like he had a charmed life and had never needed to suffer. But here he was, holding the Gesso don by his hands, walking backwards, so that Byakuran could walk forward and further away from those wretched parallel bars.

Mukuro himself was admiring Byakuran's own hands, taking note of the very few calluses that dotted the skin. With as much power and strength this man had, it was almost surprising that his hands were so smooth and clean. Almost, because Mukuro knew that unlike his fellow Guardians, Byakuran's power didn't come from intensive, non-stop training.

No, Byakuran's power, like his own, had another source.

He smiled, soft at the edges as he took another step backwards, slowly guiding the other man, one step at a time. This was another game of theirs; a dance, but this time, he led instead of willingly following.

And Byakuran took to the helpless little lamb role surprisingly well. At least when they were alone. After all, a don had to be strong regardless of pain and suffering. Or appear so, at the very least. And yet, what demerits were there to being underestimated by an enemy now that they weren't surrounded by Gesso servants?

However, the short walk truly had Byakuran panting, the burns over his left shoulders and chest and right hip more than stinging when he took too deep a breath. At the beeping sound of a timer, he looked up into the Vongola Mist guardian's eyes.

"Until I reach the bed, Mukuro-kun?" He managed a tired smile.

"As you wish, Byakuran-san," Mukuro murmured, reaching out with their entwined hands to brush the curve of Byakuran's cheek. "Shall we continue, then?"

As if in sympathy, he reached out with his illusions, indigo fire sparking slightly around him as he casted an illusion on Byakuran, relieving him of his exhaustion. It's strange - really strange, he reflected, to see Byakuran to be so weakened.

As strange as it was to see Hibari Kyouya weakened, he supposed.

When they reached the bed, Mukuro withdrew his hands slowly, making sure that Byakuran could stand on his own two feet before taking a large bow. His smirk was teasing as he lifted his head, meeting mismatched eyes with violet, "Have you enjoyed your walk around the gardens, my lord?"

Oh, so he still wants to play.

"It was lovely..." Byakuran gave a bland, little smirk in response and pushed himself onto the bed. He really had to sit down. "But I'm not your lord, am I, Mukuro-kun," he tilted his head childishly. "You wear that half of the Vongola Mist ring so proudly," he said wistfully.

Mukuro laughed at that, softly and quietly, and it could be genuine if there wasn't the usual slight mockery in it. He straightened, striding over to sit next to Byakuran on the bed, reaching out to run a hand through white hair. His eyes seemed to project regret, in his own way.

"If not in name, then in my heart you are, Byakuran-san."

"Poetry to my ears, Mukuro-kun," he chuckled, and lifted a hand to touch the hand stroking through his hair. "Now, if only such claims of yours can be backed up."

Mukuro reached forward and pressed a finger against Byakuran's lower lip, smile widening. "Now, now, be patient, Byakuran-san. Don't you trust me?"

Byakuran smiled and nuzzled his fingertip with his lips. "Would I want to be alone with you in the same room otherwise?

"What do you have in mind, Mukuro-kun?"

Mukuro laughed again, the sound as genuine as he could make it. He pressed against the lip a little more, leaning it so that his forehead touched Byakuran's.

"Isn't it more fun to be surprised? You just have to wait and see what I have up my sleeves."

"Hm..." Byakuran chuckled, then winced, closing his eyes. "I think I've had enough of surprises to last me for a long while," he sighed. "Don't let me rush you," he said with a smirk.

Slowly, gently, Mukuro let his fingers walk up Byakuran's arms, teasing him with the touch. "The dolls you have made were beautiful, Byakuran-san. How did you manage it in such a short time?"

"Why thank you, Mukuro-kun," Byakuran seemed to preen. "I've actually been collecting for a while..." He moved back, to lean on the pillow and headboard of the bed, and get comfortable. "You see, when I was young, my family would sometimes take me to different mafia theme parks.

"The Arcobaleno dolls that were sold were so very fake. I thought that we could manufacture better ones," be chuckled. "But enough about me. Did you have fun?"

Now, Mukuro wondered, how much was that the truth, and how much was it a lie? For Byakuran to reveal his childhood like that... Mukuro's smile widened. "Well, you have certainly succeeded, Byakuran-san. I really like them."

He leaned backwards on his hands, tilting his head up to look at the ceiling; casual and undisturbed, as always. "Of course I did. Decoding the lullaby was great fun, though..." he tapped on a lip. "What would have happened if I have chosen the wrong Arcobaleno?"

"Let's just say there were different kinds of bullets, some plain, some treated to give different results." Byakuran tilted his head, gazing into Mukuro's eyes as he spoke. "I thought that you might enjoy taking the dolls apart, seeing as it's rather inconvenient to do the same to their real-life counterparts...

"That was the most enjoyable part," Mukuro nodded, drawing a leg up to his chest and dropping his chin on a knee. "Maa, Tsunayoshi-kun would make so much fuss if I even lay a hand on his precious tutor." He sighed theatrically, almost pouting. "He's really no fun sometimes."

Byakuran laughed again at that. His posture was casual, and tone impassive when he continued, "A pity though, what happened with Gloxinia-kun."

Immediately, Mukuro's eyes narrowed slightly. "Mm. It is."

"I'm very sorry, Mukuro-kun." Byakuran reached out then, covering Mukuro's hand lightly, sweet and sincere. "He wasn't supposed to become part of our games.

Gloxinia, apparently, had acted against Byakuran's orders that day. And when Byakuran requested his presence to explain himself, the man never showed up.

"I only hope that the coward will never return," Byakuran said, squeezing Mukuro's hand gently. "There is no place in the Gesso for insubordination."

A quiet nod, "That's all I would have asked for. And I know that you didn't mean to, Byakuran-san," Mukuro's voice carried the same sweetness, the same sincerity. "It's not your fault. You have nothing to be sorry for."

"But your..." He cast his violet eyes down, drawing the words out as though he was still thinking of how to finish the sentence. "Joshima... Ken," Byakuran met Mukuro's eyes once more. "He has made a complete recovery, yes?"

Mukuro nodded immediately, moving closer to Byakuran to drop his head on the other's shoulder, taking a deep breath as if inhaling his scent. "Ken-kun had. I was very worried for him for a long while, but he's alright now." His smile was shaky for a moment before he steeled himself again, straightening back up and giving Byakuran a small nod. "Thank you for your concern."

Byakuran shook his head, and closed his eyes briefly. After a moment, he looked towards the lamp table, and reached for a glass of water. He gripped it perhaps tighter than necessary, but he had no wish to let it slip out of his fingers.

"If you please, Mukuro-kun?" He held the glass towards the other man, with a vulnerable little pout.

Mukuro tutted softly under his breath, lifting the pitcher and pour the water into the glass in Byakuran's hand, careful to regular the flow so the older man could handle the weight. Then, when the cup was three quarters full, he set the pitcher back on the nightstand and leaned forward, brushing a strand of white hair out of violet eyes.

"Are you feeling better now, Byakuran-san?"

"Much better, thanks to you, Mukuro-kun." Byakuran nodded, leaning slightly into his touch. Carefully, he brought the rim of the cup to his lips, taking a small sip before adding. "And the Vongola Tenth. Hmm..."

He looked up, "I have done little more than thank him verbally, haven't I? How remiss of me."

Mukuro's eyes lifted to meet Byakuran's immediately, widening as he cocked his head to the side. "Oh? What do you plan to do, Byakuran-san?"

"Now, now, Mukuro-kun. It wouldn't be proper to spoil a good surprise."

***

Yamamoto opened the door and peered in with a small smile upon his lips. "Hibari..." his smile widened and he moved his feet forward. "Morning." He set a wrapped bento on the table. "Hungry yet?"

"Yamamoto Takeshi," Hibari greeted with a short nod, pausing the video on the screen to look at him. His eyes darted down to the food, and for a moment Reborn's words flashed across his mind before he shook his head. "Not yet."

"Ah..." Yamamoto left the bento alone, and simply sat on the chair by the bed. "I showed this one to Squalo," he nodded towards the television screen with a chuckle. "He had a lot to say about my technique."

Hibari simply glanced over to him, then shrugged. "I agree." He cocked his head slightly to the side, "You still use the blunt side of your sword. Why?"

The Cloud Guardian snorted immediately, turning away to look at the screen again. "If you don't kill them, they will remember and hate you. It breeds more enemies." He slanted his eyes to meet Yamamoto's, "That's just stupid."

"I do kill," answered the Rain guardian, momentarily expressionless. He linked his fingers together, resting his elbows over his knees. "But if I don't have to, I don't want to... And the people who I leave alive," he tilted his head down, "aren't powerful enough to go up against the Vongola."

It was nice to know that Hibari cared about the Vongola though, in his own way.

"So you do recognize that it's stupid," Hibari stated flatly, leaning back more against the pillows he was lying on. "You spend too much effort trying not to kill, yet you are strong enough to avoid being killed." His narrowed eyes were scrutinizing Yamamoto, as if his skin or his face could give Hibari the answers that he needed.

Then he simply smirked, "A wolf in sheep's clothing indeed."

Yamamoto peered up at him again, mirth in his eyes. The corners of his lips quirked up as he replied, "Maybe." He laughed, "But I still eat my vegetables." He leaned back on the seat. "Do wolves do that?"

"Learn the meaning of 'metaphor', Yamamoto Takeshi," Hibari bit out, scowling furiously.

"Or you'll bite me to death?" He laughed again, "I'm just teasing, Hibari. You know what that is, right?"

"Of course I do," Hibari snorted. A moment passed, then he smirked, lifting an eyebrow at Yamamoto. "Why, are you treating me as the idiot now?"

At the mention of the word, Hibari frowned again, lips thinning. After what the baby had told him, he wasn't as adverse to the word as he was before, yet...

"Yamamoto Takeshi," he snapped out, making a sharp, jerky gesture towards the television. "What did you do that for?"

Blinking at the screen, Yamamoto axed the idea that Hibari wanted a recap of their talk about the tapes. Was he asking why he went on missions... no wait, it was Hibari.

"As a guardian, I protect, but," he looked back at Hibari, "you always say you won't allow weaklings by your side, right? And that's where I want to stand... So I had to get stronger."

Hibari's smile grew slowly into a wide smirk. He leaned forward, resting his weight on a hand as his eyes bore into Yamamoto's. "Are you saying that you grew stronger for my sake, Yamamoto Takeshi?" he asked, and his voice was low, inquisitive and just a little deadly.

Yamamoto had to remind himself that Hibari was still recovering, even though - at the moment - his voice was incredibly sexy.

He blinked, grinning back sheepishly. "Ahahaha," he scratched his head. "Yeah." It could go either way, he supposed, but as Ryohei had explained, Hibari was very extreme. He'll smiles when he bites you to death, but he'll smiles when you manage to make good tea too!

It was a good thing that Hibari couldn't hear Yamamoto's thoughts, or he wouldn't have reached out and brushed a hand across Yamamoto's short-cropped hair, tilting his head to the side like an inquisitive child. "So this is what you do when you like someone," he mused aloud, the smirk still curving his lips. "Interesting. Is this what you mean by like, then?"

Yamamoto peered up wide-eyed, and resisted leaning into the touch very strongly so as not to inadvertently make Hibari stop and pull his hand back. "I..." He felt a slight flush crawling over his cheeks, "I guess so. That's part of it."

Hibari nodded slowly, removing his hand from Yamamoto's hair and letting it drop back to the bed. His brow furrowed slightly. With a thoughtful look in his eyes, he said, "I understand now." It makes far more sense than what you said before went loudly unsaid.

But Yamamoto just looked curious because he seriously couldn't tell what Hibari was thinking all of a sudden. "So... you're okay with me liking you now?"

Hibari merely shrugged in reply, "I don't mind it, if you're going to get stronger." His eyes sharpened even further, and his smile widened, "Fight me when I'm well again."

It wasn't a request.

With a bright laugh, Yamamoto nodded. "Of course!" After a second, he added, "But you were upset with that before. Why the sudden change of heart?"

"The baby told me something interesting."

"Oh?" Yamamoto leaned forward slightly. "What did the kiddo say?"

Hibari looked at him for a long moment, then shrugged, "That it is possible to grow stronger from 'liking' someone, instead of weaker."

Wasn't that what I failed to get across last time?

Yamamoto blinked. Then laughed wryly. "Yeah, that's true... The kiddo told you that? Wow..."

Hibari shrugged, chuckling lowly as if he still couldn't believe the absurdity of it, "He said that he became this strong because of his affection for someone."

"Oh!" Yamamoto grinned. "That's awesome! He didn't say 'who' though, did he?" Knowing Reborn, he probably wouldn't have. Yamamoto was surprised the man even shared that with Hibari. If that was the case, Yamamoto thought, Reborn must have a very high opinion of Hibari then, which was strange, given how he kept reminding Yamamoto that the sum of the whole was greater than its parts...

Hibari raised an eyebrow again at the sight of Yamamoto's sheer enthusiasm. What was he being so excited about? He shook his head. "He didn't."

"Haha, now that sounds more like him." Reborn always struck him as a very private control freak; Yamamoto meant that thought in the nicest way possible.

"What are you smiling so widely about, Yamamoto Takeshi?"

"Plenty of things!" Like the kiddo having someone he liked, Hibari not being angry at him for who he himself liked, and the fact that Hibari had a really nice smile on his face when he wasn't thinking about fighting someone for a change.

Not that it would be wise of Yamamoto to point that out. So he shrugged, "You're looking more energetic today, Hibari... Do you think you'd be up for a walk outside?"

Hibari's eyes flickered to the window, looking at the bright blue skies, littered sporadically with fluffy white clouds. It seemed that it would be a beautiful day. He turned back to Yamamoto and shrugged, "Alright."

Pressing a hand against the mattress, he tried to get off the bed by himself. Yamamoto simply stood up and waited for him.

"Let's go," Hibari said, a hand clenched tight as he walked towards the door.

Yamamoto nodded. "Right beside you!"

***

Tsuna looked up from the mountain of paperwork on his table at the knock on the door. He blinked, turning to look at his schedule for the day - no one was supposed to report in for the day... Shrugging to himself, he raised his voice, "Come in."

The door opened, and Gokudera stalked in with a frazzled look on his face that said someone stepped on his tail, repeatedly, and he had yet to exact vengeance upon said guilty party.

And along with him, came an overly strong perfume of flowers.

"Tenth..." Gokudera stopped in front of his desk, seemingly oblivious to the smell.

Blinking hard, Tsuna leaned backwards from the desk immediately, resisting the urge to cough hard or wave a hand in front of him. He shook his head slightly, careful not to take deep breaths, and smiled.

"Gokudera-kun. What happened?" And why do you smell so badly?

"Byakuran," he growled beneath his breath, then cleared his throat. "Byakuran send you a truckload of flowers. We had them all checked." Gokudera placed a thick lab report on Tsuna's desk. "Nothing. Just normal, greenhouse grown flowers." He ran a hand through his hair, simmering in his frustration.

"Isn't that a good thing?" Tsuna cocked his head to the side. He stood up slowly, reaching forward to stop Gokudera from mussing up his hair entirely. Breathing shallowly was helping with the smell, which was now very much understandable. "We're allies after all," he smiled. As much as he still suspected Byakuran - he wasn't such a fool not to - he wanted to believe that the Gesso leader meant it when he agreed to the alliance.

"What flowers did he send?"

Allies? Gokudera never bought it, but if Tsuna wanted to, well, he'd already said his piece about this alliance. He'd just have to work with Mukuro and stay on the lookout. Dropping his hand, he straightened up a bit.

"Hydrangea and Hibiscus. It came with a card that says he's grateful for you understanding, and that this is his idea of giving you his sincere, heartfelt thanks," he spat out. "The Hibiscus are for research, if you're at all interested."

Tsuna's breath caught immediately, fingers forming a lose fist as his brows furrowed. The Hibiscus... that was the name of the disease that Byakuran had given Hibari, wasn't it? Was it a warning? He really doubted that Byakuran meant only to give the Hibiscus to them to research on - after all, from what Tsuna knew of him, that man never seemed to do a thing without a hidden reason or three behind it.

But he merely sighed - he couldn't do anything now; not with only vague doubts and suspicions. "I don't believe that's the only reason why he did it either. But Gokudera-kun, there's no use getting angry like this."

"It's true that the Hydrangea is usually taken to mean grace and sincere thanks, Tenth, but I've found that there's also a bit of a debate about it. Another one of its meanings include endurance and perseverance. Meaning we probably haven't heard the end of him yet, and he's being a boastful bastard about it."

Tsuna shook his head, "It's just like Byakuran-san to do that. I don't doubt that there are many other meanings that we might not know yet." His frown deepened. "Nevertheless, we can't do anything against him unless he makes the first strike against the alliance. And I don't want us to, Gokudera-kun." His eyes were steely as he looked at his right hand man. "Both of our Families will uphold the alliance. Is that understood?"

"...Yes, Tenth." Gokudera nodded, lips thin and eyes downcast. He'd said his piece before, he reminded himself. "What do you want us to do with the flowers?"

In a flash, Tsuna relaxed, an easy smile taking over his features again. He squeezed Gokudera's shoulders, "Thank you. Well... I suppose we can lay them out in the gardens. The smell will be less strong, and I think Kyoko-chan will appreciate it when she looks out of her window."

Gokudera grimaced, thinking of those huge, fluttery white petals and the bleeding red centre of those Hibiscus flowers. "You got it, Tenth," he grinned back at Tsuna. "The Hydrangea actually make good wedding anniversary flowers," he added encouragingly.

Tsuna tried not to blush, turning away and tugging at the ends of his hair. "Well, we're not even married yet," and he didn't plan to marry until this whole business with Byakuran was over; until he could be sure that Kyoko would be safe. As safe as she could be, in this world. "But I'll keep that in mind."

"Well, if you ever need anything on that sort of thing, my sister will be happy to help," Gokudera suggested, then brightened up. "Hey! Working with the decor should definitely keep her away from the kitchen."

And Tsuna couldn't help but laugh at the hopeful expression on his face. Even though Gokudera and Bianchi had ironed out most of their problems, it seemed that an at least healthy fear of the Poison Scorpion's food would never go away.. "That's a good idea. Would you tell her that, Gokudera-kun?"

In spite of the remnants of the phantom ache in his stomach, Gokudera nodded. "I'll run that by her and Sasagawa-san." There still wasn't a date set for the wedding, but it'd make Tsuna's life easier if his lady love knew that it was still on his mind, Gokudera was sure. He was going to blast those Hibiscus flowers into itty bitty pieces though, just to be safe.

"Alright," Tsuna moved back to behind the desk, sitting back down and leaning back on the desk. He looked at the paperwork, stifling a sigh before picking one up again. The backlash of Hibari's absence and this entire mess was the sheer amount of reports and reshuffling he needed the deal with. But he still managed to give Gokudera a small smile. "Thank you, Gokudera-kun. Would you tell Kyoko-chan that I will be eating dinner with her as well?"

"Sure, Tenth!" Gokudera knew a dismissal when he heard one. Judging from the amount of paperwork on Tsuna's desk, he made a mental note of returning later in the evening, to remind him of his dinner plans. He excused himself with a small smile, and went off.

***

It was dark, but Superbia Squalo had always been easy to find. Yamamoto peered around the bar for the telltale signs - shiny, black leather, long, silver hair and loudness if any random stranger was bold enough to find him approachable.

And it wasn't hard to find him at all. Squalo might be holing himself up in the corner of a bar, head in a hand and elbow against the table. The long sword secured in his fake left hand made him conspicuous enough, not to mention his waist-length silver hair that was messily tied up in a ponytail.

He looked bored and more than a little angry about having to wait.

Yamamoto ordered a gin and tonic for the man; he looked like he really needed it. The bartender gave him a half-doubtful, half-fearful look that said he didn't really want to see a brawl start, but he laughed it off, and then headed over to Squalo's table with a can of beer.

"Hey," he plopped down on the opposite seat, and took a drink. "Been a while!"

"Ch'," Squalo's leaned back against his seat, taking the drink and downing it in one shot. "Took you long enough, katana brat."

"Haha, my watch says I'm just on time." Yamamoto grinned impishly. "When did you get here anyway? Tsuna didn't say anything about you or the Varia coming over here."

"Of course he didn't," Squalo snorted, lifting an eyebrow and shrugging. "Boss didn't tell him I'd be over. So," he slammed a hand against the table, leaning in until he and Yamamoto were nearly nose-to-nose. His grin was wide and sharp. "What have you Vongola brats been doing that you haven't told us?"

"Am I still a brat?" Yamamoto laughed, leaning back into the comfort of his seat. "I don't know. We've been doing plenty... Am I suppose to call you guys the Vongola oldies now?"

Squalo growled immediately, standing up and swinging his hand around so that his sword blade was pointed at Yamamoto's throat. Somehow, he managed not to knock his shot glass or Yamamoto's beer can over. "Stop playing around, brat," he spat out, pressing the flat of the metal closer. "Your boss keeps telling us that we're part of the family or some shit like that, but he doesn't tell us something as big as this? I call bullshit."

A hush fell over the bar, as if everyone was waiting to see if they could witness a decapitation. Yamamoto just blinked up at Squalo. His hands were free. Besides the handgun in the breast pocket of his blazer, he was weaponless. He knew he was the safest he would ever be with the other swordsman, who had gone to great lengths to grab his attention for a rematch.

A rematch that still had yet to happen.

"You know I can't speak for Tsuna." And telling them that they were respecting Hibari's wishes probably wasn't a good idea, especially since the Cloud guardian wasn't in a condition to give the entire Varia a beat down... "But if there's anything I can tell you, you won't hear it if you take off my head," he said lightly.

Squalo's scowl only deepened further - it was obvious that he was quickly losing patience. But he still lowered the sword, dropping back into his seat and leaning backwards again, eyes narrowed and lips thinned. He hated that Yamamoto never seemed to react to any sort of threats at all, simply shrugging or laughing it off as if he had no fear. However, it was precisely because of this that Squalo wanted a rematch.

If Yamamoto had been a normal person, he wouldn't have defeated Squalo at all.

"Talk," the Varia swordsman barked, fuming. "What the hell happened with that bastard Byakuran?"

"Well, he targeted Hibari rather than Tsuna. None of us were expecting that," Yamamoto began.

Squalo scowled, and his frown didn't disappear even as he listened.

TBC