I'm back from vacation, and the hiatus has been lifted! For now...Just kidding ^^" I think the only way this story could go back on hiatus is if I get behind in my schoolwork. I'm usually pretty good about keeping up with that sort of stuff. And of course, all rights reserved to Akira Amano-san for Katekyo Hitman Reborn.

Kikyo was feeling upset the very next day. He had a hunch that Ghost would have been back to check on him at least one more time. Alas, Ghost never did drop by for another visit. It was possible that the yellow haired man got caught up in some personal business. Perhaps he needed to see Verde because his body was malfunctioning. Well, maybe malfunctioning wasn't the right word to use, but still. Kikyo felt too horrible to pull himself out of bed, but he found himself needing to see The Millefiore Lightning Guardian.

"Maybe I can talk to...No, he probably doesn't want to see me, let alone speak with me."

The mint haired man slumped down into a mound of pillows. The pillows were serving as comfortable back support. There was a knock on Kikyo's door.

"Who is it?" He had more excitement to his voice than he meant to add.
"You're in higher spirits than I thought you'd be." Zakuro said as he opened the door.
"Oh, it's just you."
"Way to hurt my feelings, and here I was kind enough to bring you something to eat."
"Set it down where there's room. I'm not very hungry at the moment."
"Ungrateful lovesick bastard...A simple thank you once in awhile would suffice..." The Millefiore Strom Guardian muttered under his breath.

Kikyo grabbed an apple from the plate Zakuro set down. He mustered the little strength he did possess to chuck the apple at the back of Zakuro's head.

"Whatever, I'm leaving." The red haired man rubbed at the back of his head.

The mint haired man let out a sigh, and rested his chin in the palms of his hands. He looked up to see that Zakuro forgot to close his bedroom door. Kikyo happened to glimpse a blue haired male passing through the hallway.

'If I don't call out to him now then I may never get another chance to speak with him. He might not comply with my request, but I'll never know until I try.', "Wait, Mukuro Rokudo!"
"The one and only. Now tell me, what in the world do you want?" The blue haired man with a thin frame leaned against the entryway with his arms folded over his chest.
"I need to speak with you about something. That is, if you would be willing to hear me out."
"I suppose you are too injured to attack me. Oh wait, you were so disgusted by me you had someone else do that for you. How silly of me to have forgotten. I mean it only landed me in the hospital, which is better than being dead."
By that point Kikyo couldn't look directly at Mukuro, "If you don't want to talk all you had to say was no..."

It wasn't originally the blue haired man's intention to take it that far, but once he started talking to Kikyo he couldn't stop himself. It was like he lost his filter. Although, he felt a lot better now that that was out of his system.

"That was me blowing off some steam, but if you still want to talk I'm all ears."

Kikyo couldn't hold that against him. The Vongola Mist Guardian's words definitely hurt, but thinking about his own past actions to tear the two lovers apart made him cringe with disappointment in himself.

"I think you will actually like what I have to say."
"You sound very confident about that. My curiosity has been piqued." Mukuro shut the bedroom door to stop anyone from eavesdropping on their conversation.
"I've decided to give up on Byakuran-sama. I'll be leaving the two of you alone from now on."

It took Mukuro a long time to figure out what to say to that statement. He was shocked to hear those words coming from the Millefiore Cloud Guardian. This had to be some kind of trap, and Mukuro wasn't going to be stupid enough to fall for it. He suddenly had plenty of words to say to Kikyo after the shock wore off. Before the blue haired man could say anything the turning of the doorknob had the two men turning their attention to who might be on the other side.

Ghost stepped into the room, "Oh, am I interrupting something?"
"No, don't worry about it. You look great by the way. Byakuran was telling me a little bit about how you got a physical body, but I haven't seen the real deal until now."
"Thanks, I'm really pleased with how it turned out. I owe Verde for this wonderful opportunity."

Mukuro noticed the way Kikyo's face darkened when Ghost came into the room. He could easily see what was going on, and it turned out that confession wasn't a trap after all. The blue haired man gave Kikyo a devilish look that said he fully understood the situation. Mukuro winked, and actually wished the mint haired man good luck.

"I'll make my exit now seeing as I need to drop by Byakuran's office soon." The Illusionist turned to leave.
"Hold on! Can't you stay just a bit longer?" Kikyo wasn't sure he could handle being alone with Ghost right now.

The two of them started silently mouthing words to one another. Ghost on the other hand, couldn't read lips. Leaving him confused as to what they were saying.

'Am I supposed to stay here and be your wing man?' The blue haired man mouthed the question to the mint haired man.
'I've just finally made up my mind about what I wanted to do. It's too soon for me to be able to confront him alone.'
'There is absolutely no good reason why I need to stay and help out with this.'
'What if I give you one?'
'Probably still wouldn't be able to convince me.'
"Can someone clue me in on what you guys are talking about?" Ghost asked.
"Kikyo here was just telling me that he changed his mind. Looks like I'm free to go." Mukuro swiftly fled from the room.

He let out a breath of relief once he realized his escape was successful. Wondering down the hall he stopped at his lover's office. Not bothering to knock, Mukuro let himself in without a word. Byakuran looked up from his position on the couch. He was on a snack break, and had no desire to be disturbed. That is until he realized who it was that came walking into his office without permission.

"I've got some promising news." Mukuro took a seat that was opposite of the couch Byakuran was sitting on.
"You've come to relieve some of my stress while I'm on break? How kind of you." The white haired man had a wide grin plastered on his face.
"Think about pleasure a little later if you don't mind. I just thought I should let you know that Kikyo seems to have really taken an interest in Ghost. What I witnessed a few minutes ago tells me Ghost is having similar feelings towards Kikyo."
"I thought it might happen eventually, but to think that he put us through hell before something like that could take place. Are you sure I have to wait on that pleasure?" Byakuran had a pleading look in his eyes.
"You'll just have to take care of it by yourself." Mukuro wasn't feeling too much sympathy for his lover.

The white haired man lifted himself up off the couch, and walked over to Mukuro. He rested a hand on his lover's cheek. Byakuran lifted Mukuro's chin up with his free hand drawing the blue haired man into a kiss. When their lips met Byakuran moved the hand he had on Mukuro's cheek down to his hip. His fingers stretched over to fiddle with the buckle of the blue haired man's belt. Byakuran wanted to pull Mukuro up into a standing position just to lay him down on his desk. His fantasies were interrupted when an annoying sound went off.

The kiss was broken, and Mukuro asked, "What exactly does that sound mean?"
"That's the alarm. It means we're under attack. Not just our underground base either. The whole mansion is at risk of being invaded."

Ghost was hesitant to leave Kikyo alone considering he was still freshly injured, but he knew what that alarm was for. Locking Kikyo's bedroom door from the inside didn't provide him with much ease because who knew what sorts of weapons the enemy had with them. Some simple explosives could easily blow a wooden door away. He clicked the locks into place anyways before he left.

Kikyo was somewhat grateful for the alarm only because he still didn't have the courage to speak his mind to the yellow haired man. However, the alarm was also nerve wracking. He could not participate in acting as a defense against the new coming enemy. Being useless was not something Kikyo liked to feel, but staying holed up in his room was better than getting in the way. There was an argument forming outside of Kikyo's room. Fortunately the voices were familiar.

"I can fight too! There is no reason to keep me hidden while a battle ensues." From the sounds of it that was Mukuro.
"And what if they happen to be here for you? I'm sure another stay in the hospital wouldn't be very appealing. Yet it's more than likely where you'll end up if they get their hands on you." This coming from Kikyo's boss.
"This is my home too, and I'll do my share to protect it!"
'I sometimes forget how stubborn the two of us can be. Butting heads every now and again is a given.' Byakuran thought to himself while he gave in to his lover's decision.

The two of them were on the move to join Byakuran's guardians. There were unfamiliar men everywhere. Hitting the level of the first floor was where most of the battles were taking place. A mass of illusions was taking up at least half of the first floor. Lines of fire were laced throughout the tiled floor. Wave after wave of water engulfed the enemy. Limbs were scattered about in one corner of a room, but Daisy was still effectively in one piece as he should be. The only element that didn't seem to be active, besides obviously the Cloud, was the Lightning element.

When Ghost didn't have a physical body he never used his element to fight. The problem he faced now was not being able to drain other people's Flames. He must have lost the ability when he gained his new body. Verde had warned him in advance that parts of him could be different. Now he would have to learn how to harness using his Lightning Flame, but this would not be the battle to do it. He needed more time, and with enemies attacking left and right no one was going to give him the luxury.

"Now that we're here feel free to give Torikabuto a hand, and bust out some of your own illusions."
Mukuro nodded in agreement, "Right."

Byakuran figured it was about time to bust out his own techniques. Although, when he made his presence known the enemy stopped fighting altogether. They gathered in a large group retreating out of the Millefiore mansion.

"What a bunch of cowards." Zakuro was feeling triumphant.
'Something is off about this.' Byakuran couldn't put his finger on it though...Until he was able to deduce what the enemy had in mind, "Everyone! Upstairs! Now! And cover both your mouth and nose while you're at it!"

His warning was seconds too late. Simultaneously a smoke bomb and sleeping gas covered the first floor. The smoke was too thick to see anything, and inhaling even the slightest amount of the sleeping gas would knock a person out cold. The enemy probably retreated earlier to fully equip themselves for these conditions. They went back into the mansion is search of two specific people. Their boss would not be too happy with them if the retrieval happened to be unsuccessful.

"Over here!"
"We need that one, and..."
"The other one is over there!"
"Grab them both, and let's get out of here. The sooner we report back to base the better." Byakuran faintly heard the voices say before he blacked out.

All the noise from earlier died down. The Millefiore Cloud Guardian could only hope that meant their side won. Knowing everyone else they would surely have the enemy fleeing for their lives. At best their side might have suffered a few casualties.

'I should get some sleep. Someone will tell me the details later.'

Kikyo gave one last look at the food near his bed. Shaking his head he had still not found his appetite. He laid on his back finding that he wasn't very comfortable. He carefully rolled on his side. The mint haired man shut his eyes, and pulled the blankets close to his body for warmth. It did not take him long to fall asleep.

Everyone on the first floor woke up a few hours later. The place was one giant mess. Byakuran would need to hire someone to fix the disaster that befell his mansion. A few of his other men got in touch with him to say that the underground base was surprisingly in great condition. It seemed the enemy had no interest in the underground base at all.

"Did those guys come here just to total my mansion?" Byakuran knew that couldn't be the case.
"Boss?"
"What is it Tori-kun?"
"Ghost and Mukuro are nowhere to be found." The masked man hadn't wanted to break the news to his boss, but this was important.
"Vindice...Kikyo...Those bastards...Why is everyone after my Muku-chan!?" He let out a breath of irritation, "I can't figure out why they would want Ghost too."
"They did use a smoke bomb." Zakuro said.
"You're point being?"
"His point being...th-that they were probably...after you, a-and not Ghost. It was foolish...of them...t-to use a smoke bomb. They sh-should have known that b-besides the hair...you and Ghost...l-look a lot alike, Byakuran-sama." Climbing down the stairs made Kikyo feel worse than he could have imagined.
"What are you doing out of bed? You're still recovering." Byakuran was taking a stern tone with his subordinate.
"I...got comfortable, and e-even fell asleep...Only for about ten minutes though...C-curiosity got the better o-of me...I wanted to see how...the s-situation turned out down here."
"You already known that Ghost and Mukuro were taken hostage. I need the five of you to stay here, and guard the mansion. They might make a surprise attack while I'm gone especially since it's me that they want. Little do they know I'll be on my way to see them soon enough."
"There's no way you could know where they are!" Bluebell pointed out.
"I recognized the insignia they all wore." There was a glint in Byakuran's eyes.
"Which family?" The mint haired man wanted to know.
"They're with that bastard Chiaro that I'm pretty sure I killed." The Millefiore boss couldn't wait to tear a family like that one apart, "As I said earlier, you five are to stay here just in case. I'll be leaving."
"Take me with you!" Kikyo demanded, "Please, Byakuran-sama..." He looked down at the floor knowing full well that he shouldn't be making demands to his boss.
"You'll end up getting in my way. I mean, look what walking down a flight of stairs did to you."
"I...need to know that Ghost is okay." The white haired man could plainly see the desperation in his Cloud Guardian's eyes.
Byakuran ran his fingers through his spiky white hair, "Fine, but if you mess up it's on 're lucky I'm willing to carry you on my back.

The two of them walked outside of the mansion leaving the other four behind. A pair of wings grew from Byakuran's back. Unless one were to have a strong intuition it would be almost impossible to tell that the pair of wings were made up of Flames. They looked genuinely like soft feathered wings. Ghost really had changed Kikyo. On any normal day the mint haired man would feel blessed to be given the chance to ride on his boss' back while they flew through the air. Right now, all he cared about was seeing Ghost again.

"What is the meaning of this!?" Their boss yelled at the group of men, "You find me the lover of the Millefiore boss, but not the actually Millefiore boss! I didn't want one of the man's damned guardians! Now we have a useful hostage, and one useless hostage. Idiots, the lot of you! I don't care what you do with the Millefiore Lightning Guardian, and make sure not to screw this order up; bring the lover to my room later."

The men nodded, and left their boss' room in a hurry. There was no reason to make the man's temper flare more than they already had.

"Chiaro...you were a pathetic Right Hand Man that really did die a dog's death. However, I will admit that you have great taste. Or rather, the Millefiore boss has great taste. The legendary Illusionist should be a lot of fun to toy with." The man chuckled to himself.

He was thinking of ways he could make the man named Ghost useful. He did bare some resemblance to Byakuran. Too bad for his men that a resemblance was not enough to get them off the hook for their mistake. Maybe he would keep the yellow haired man around. There might be a future use for him. The indecisive boss called his men up to let them know he wanted to cancel the plans of disposing Ghost.

Mukuro woke up in a dark uncomfortable place. His back was killing him. It was like someone had been handling him roughly. He slowly rose to his feet, and decided to feel his way around the dark area. The Vongola Mist Guardian wasn't known to panic in unknown situations like this. His hand brushed something solid and warm.

'Is someone else in here with me?', "Excuse me, are you awake perchance?" For all Mukuro knew he could be talking to wall, but walls never generally felt warm.
"You're finally awake. It seems neither of us are in a horrible condition."
The blue haired man listened closely to the voice, "Is that you Ghost?"
"Yes it is."

Mukuro felt relief flooding through his body. At least he wasn't alone in all of this. Once his eyes adjusted to the darkness it looked like they were locked in a prison cell. The only thing in the cell besides the two of them was a bench built into the stone cold wall. He could tell that he was walking on a soft dirt ground.

"I suppose this is an underground holding cell." A few memories haunted him from Vendicare, but at least there were no water prisons in sight.
"Looks to be that way." Ghost agreed.

The blue haired man walked up to the door to see exactly what was keeping them in the cell. It felt like some kind of metal to the touch. Maybe steel, but there was no way of knowing for sure. There were a few clicking sounds coming from the other side of the metal door. Like a key was being inserted to undo the locks. The door cracked open to let in a scarce amount of light.

"Lover of the Millefiore boss, we need you to come with us." One of the guards said.
"What do you plan on doing with him?" Ghost posed the question to the five guards.
"That is no of your business. You are to remain here, and keep quiet."
"Aren't you going to fight them off?" The yellow haired man wondered what was running through the Illusionist's mind.
Mukuro shook his head, "They probably have something already set up to bring me down if I misbehave. I figure I might as well go see why we were brought here in the first place."

With that the guards took Mukuro, and relocked the prison cell. Ghost sat there alone in the darkness pondering over his thoughts.

Chiaro's family is coming back with a vengeance. I've already thought up names for the enemy group, and its leader. I still love receiving reviews if you're willing to leave one, please and thanks.