Chapter 17

Xanxus and Squalo were still in the hotel room at noon cuddled together after a long night of loving. Mukuro had dropped by on Reborn's request to gather their report but thought it better to leave them their personal time. He thought about his own personal love life and planned for a date with Basil.

Basil on hearing his phone ring went over curiously. He saw Mukuro's name on the caller ID and blushed. Vaguely recalling the talk he had with the mist arcobaleno, Basil pouted. If Mukuro was going on one of his selfish whims again he will have to refuse and speak up.

Reluctantly, Basil answered. The moment his voice travelled to the illusionist's ears, Mukuro felt as if he was one step closer to heaven from hell. "Mukuro-kun?" the divine voice fluttered which made Mukuro giddy from joy.

"Mio bello…" the smooth and silky voice like of Basil's boyfriend greeted. He blushed tenfold just at the sound of his voice. Stuttering and tangling over his words, Basil managed to ask Mukuro what he had called for.

Mukuro smirked mentally and feigned a hurt tone. "Mio bello, you are so cold to me. Could I not ask you out on a date? I've even made reservations…"

Basil on the other end of the line, was stunned beyond comprehension. They had gone on dates before but all those were coincidental or accidental. None of their dates had been planned not that Basil minded but if Mukuro had the time to make arrangements, this must be a whole new level of commitment. "Mukuro…" Basil breathed. Tears were choking him and his heart was flooding with so many emotions at once. All the anger, frustrations, insecurities and desperation were washed away in almost an instant.

Basil was taking too long to give a reply on the other end Mukuro was beginning to fear he might have done something wrong or that something terrible had befallen on his love. "Basil mio bello? My love, what's wrong?" Then he heard a distinctive sob over the line. His heart clenched painfully and he became serious. "Mio bello, please tell me what's wrong, are you hurt? Talk to me, please…"

When Basil did not answer, Mukuro immediately grabbed his coat and told Basil to wait where he was. Mukuro dashed out to find his love with the tracking system he had on his phone. He placed a tracking device in the earring he gave Basil which the boy dutifully wore every day. In less than five minutes, Mukuro rang the doorbell to Basil's house. Basil was still not over his emotional display and was slow to open the door. By the time he got there, a pair of familiar arms had made their way around his slender waist.

"Mio bello, please don't scare me like this. I seriously thought that something terrible had befallen an angel like you."

Basil could not speak. His tongue felt numb from the tsunami of emotions he was going through. It felt too surreal for him. All he was told about Mukuro was that he was a flirt and a cold hearted person who cares about no one. The Mukuro he sees now is totally different from what he had been told. He was always cautious around the older man but seeing the older man removing all his defenses around him made Basil wonder how could all these be still an act when it felt so real. Surely illusionists must have flaws in their emotions too. The mist arcobaleno had told him about illusions and gave him tips on how to spot an illusion during their small talk. Basil scanned Mukuro carefully and found no such flaw. Everything was real which made it even harder for Basil to believe.

"Mukuro-kun… is this for real?"

Mukuro was surprised for a moment. "What do you mean mio bello?" The mist guardian was confused. Basil frowned and looked into his mismatched eyes. Mukuro suddenly felt very vulnerable to be peered into. He felt as if Basil had his entire being within his hands and deciding what to do with it. Mukuro begin to feel insecure for the first time in his life. He wanted to withdraw and put on his usual mask of playfulness but decided against it. "Whatever mio bello decides to do with my heart is my fate for all the cruel things I have done. This is judgment. I have never deserved an angel like him in the first place. My motive had always been Tsunayoshi. It was only recently that I found love for him. This is my sin I have to bear…" Mukuro thought.

Basil observed the conflict in Mukuro's eyes and finally a resolve. "Mukuro-kun…" the gentle voice called. Mukuro had to suppress the flinch but it did not go unnoticed by Basil. "Are you alright? You can tell me anything. I just want to know."

Mukuro's resolved weakened and after a few more seconds of looking into Basil's eyes it cracked and fell away. Mukuro suddenly felt very weary and collapsed, Basil was quick to catch him but the weight pulled them both to the floor with Mukuro towering over Basil's smaller frame. He held the boy in his embrace tightly, refusing to let go despite the feeble struggles against him.

"I want to tell you everything mio bello but somehow I can't. I don't want you to hate me…"

Basil froze. He had wanted Mukuro to tell him everything instead of making his own decisions but now that Mukuro wanted to tell him everything, he was unsure anymore if he wanted to hear it. Instinctively, Basil's arms wrapped themselves around Mukuro and petted his head comfortingly. "I'm here," the words came out of his mouth before even his mind could process it. Mentally Basil reeled with the realization that he may love the man more than he was aware about.

Mukuro, afraid to meet Basil's eyes, sought comfort in his arms. He began to whisper all his sins to the boy who throughout his confession listened without uttering a single word.

"I want you to know that even after this I will still love you no matter what you do. You may hate me, you may kill me, you may leave me but I have to let you know. Before that, let me apologize. You need not forgive me for it. I deserve it. I may have cheated on you, shortchanged your feelings, and made use of you in attempt to get another person. He used to be everything I ever wanted but I could not attain him because he was too far out of my league. It is selfish of me but I ask you not to hurt him when I tell you his name. I beg you not to hurt him because of me because he deserves better. I know more about him than his soon to be lover does and I still want to protect him.

I am a sinned man with blood stained on my hands. No holy water can wash them away and no God will forgive me. I am a ghost in a living body I have died six times been through hell and back again. I hate humans and I make use of them. My soul is so corroded and rotten that no devil will dare come near. I have killed at a young age where normal children will still be fighting over toys and sweets. I killed the human parents I had. I killed the scientists and eradicated an entire famiglia. I tortured the one who saved me and manipulated him to kill the ones he loved most. After which I attempted to possess and kill a boy so important to the world to destroy it. I sought revenge and everyone and everything for my very existence and no one could stop me. I did not get captured by the Vindicare. I surrendered myself to them. I did not kill that boy because at that time I thought I had finally found solace in the form of a pure-hearted human.

When I found out the secrets hidden between that light, I found darkness which put my history to shame. His feelings were so dark that no one would be able to reach him. Instead of being disgusted by that ugliness, I grew to become attracted to him like a moth to a candlelight thinking we were perhaps somewhat alike. I grew to like him and thought I loved him. I wanted to make him mine but along the way another man turned up and swept him off his feet. I realized that he would never feel that way about me because in his eyes I was merely a victim of fate which he managed to pull out from the darkness. I was another person he saved along the way to his own destruction and by pulling me out from it, he fell further into it and became out of my reach.

He was someone who lived for others. I plotted a way to get close to him and so I approached you. He found comfort in you and I thought by targeting you I might stand a chance to get him. I was wrong. Initially the time spent to woo you despite your cold attitude against me was to gain you over so I could manipulate. However with time I grew to see you as more than just another pawn in a game of chess. I lost sight of my original motive when you first gave me an honest smile back in Italy on our accidental date. All those dates were planned. You just didn't notice and I made sure you couldn't tell. I kept things from you deliberately. I knew you could tell. You are no fool but still you kept on choosing to trust me.

It got under my skin, that feeling of guilt at some point of time it drove me insane and my judgment clouded. I could no longer differentiate you as a person and a pawn to use at my disposal. I was afraid of the new feelings I had for you and so I did things to hurt you and make you cry. It never went as I planned. You always gave me this bright smile when you saw me even though it was obvious as day that I was pushing you away.

Then this mission came along. I spent more time in Japan than in Italy. I left without informing you. I thought it would be good to make a clean break. However on my second month in Japan I started to feel strange. A hunger that I could not satisfy and a thirst I could not quell built up. I wanted, no, needed you. I had to have you and that was when I realized I actually loved you. At one point of time when I thought that Tsunayoshi was not as important to you shocked me. I had fallen so far for you without even noticing. I admit I was a fool all these times wasted on denying you instead of holding you close and treasuring you. I have never wanted a human body for the purpose of coitus but lately this has been on my mind and I could not get it off. I wanted you to know that I love you no matter what happens from now on.

I want you to know that these feelings I have for you are so dark and twisted that I can even kill you if you deny me. I will rape you and break your legs to chain you on my bed so that I can see you every day. I want to deflower you, devour you and destroy you completely. I will not allow you to see or interact with anyone because you are mine and only mine! I want to kill you and bury myself in the same grave you lie in so we can forever be together even as ashes. If you look so much as a glance at anyone else other than me I will rip those pretty eyes of yours out and eat them so they shall be with me for an eternity. I want to torture you and make you scream in so many ways because this is how I feel for you. I love you Basil. I truly do.

However I won't do that because now, I'm going to let you go. I called you initially to make our last date a memorable one but now, I think it is better for us this way. I love you…"

Basil was crying hard when Mukuro finished. Mukuro wanted to pull back but Basil held him tight. Mukuro was about to cut of his mentally projected image when Basil cried out "You idiot!" and proceeded to slam his lips against Mukuro's.

Even in the icy prison he was in, he could feel the burn of Basil's lips. 'Mio bello…" Mukuro's only thoughts resounded in the water tank. Tears escaped his eyes and tainted to water. "I love you!"

Xxx Destiny Aitsuji xxX

Viper watched the steady rise and fall of the martial artist's chest.

"We have done all we can. His body is in a fragile condition. He is not yet out of danger. If he does not open his eyes within two days the chances of him surviving at all are close to zero."

Skull had arrived and some healers with sun flames worked on Fon the moment he had fallen unconscious in the streets. Viper had cried so much she ran out of tears. Her mind was filled with only Fon. Bel was forgotten with the arcobaleno in front of her. She tightened the grip she has on his hands.

"Please Fon, don't leave me… I still have not confessed to you…" Viper cried.

Verde watched the two of them silently from the comfort of his lab. He sighed and muttered something close to not having children before switching the tab and continuing with monitoring the Carcassa famiglia prepare the experiment room. He was working on improving the formula to break the arcobaleno curse like what Viper was doing.

Xxx Destiny Aitsuji xxX

Hibari recalled his words and growled in frustration. How was he supposed to let the herbivore know how he felt for him?

Tsuna on the other hand sat nervously in the hospital bed. Hibari was being unusually silent and it was scaring him. Hibari has always been a silent person but when Tsuna did something wrong he would say something. Counting this morning, Tsuna had fidgeted eleven times, called out his name five times and three other miscellaneous disturbance to which Hibari had not responded to any. It was making Tsuna very nervous.

"Hibari…-san?" he called out once more. This is going to be the sixth time and if he does not respond…

"What is it herbivore?" the reply came. Tsuna was about to jump for joy when he realized what Hibari had called him. The happiness was short lived as he plunged into the pits of depression. Only a few days back Hibari had been really nice to him even if it felt wrong. Before he was admitted to the hospital Hibari had been really lenient on him and even used his name albeit a long one.

Hibari sensed a changed in the brunet and frowned slightly. "What's wrong herbivore?" he asked again and instead of replying, Tsuna sulked even more.

"Herbivore…"

No response.

"Herbivore."

Still no response.

Hibari sighed. "Tsunayoshi."

This time there was a response. "What can I do for you Hibari-san?"

The prefect frowned at the formal speech. Was the herbivore sulking because he did not use his name? The thought made him smirk.

"I'm back for the gakuran."

Unexpectedly, Tsuna threw the gakuran at him almost quite accurately which Hibari caught. He triumphed silently at getting this herbivore riled up. Deciding the best way to approach a confession, he decided to catch his herbivore off guard.

"…and a kiss."

Tsuna paused. His mind processed the words and a furious blush spread across his face all the way down his neck. "W-what?"

"You heard me herbivore, a kiss."

"B-bu-…"

Hibari cut him off and sealed their mouths. Tsuna was swept away in a flood of Hibari. The familiar scent of steel penetrated his nose and he tried to make out the other scent. Before he could, Hibari broke off the kiss and spoke "I love you Tsunayoshi, be mine."

"H-Hieee?!" Tsuna mentally screeched. Hibari watched in amusement as the brunet's face revealed his inner thoughts. He loved watching the boy's reactions because they were so pure. He also happened to be the only one other than his tutor to be able to read him like an open book.

"So cute," Hibari thought and smirked. "I won't be taking no for an answer, Tsunayoshi." He watched the boy squirm at the way he used his name. As Tsuna struggled to put his answer into words Hibari chuckled.

"Can I think about it, Hibari-san?"

"No."

"Can I give you an answer some other time?"

"No."

"Can I consider?"

"… I'm taking it as a yes."

"Hibari-san!"

"Tsunayoshi, from now on you are mine. Understand? I'm taking your heart as ransom so you can have mine in return. If you ever betray me or give it away to someone else I will bite you to death, tenderly."

Tsuna spluttered as the prefect licked the brunet' lower lip. He then proceeded to nip it gently causing the brunet to gap and plunged his tongue in it. After a heated kiss Hibari whispered into Tsuna's ear "See? I'll bite you tenderly. I'll keep doing so until I have you."

Tsuna gapped and soon they were kissing again. Something in him could not refuse Hibari. Although the kind Hibari was nice to him, Tsuna did not feel really wanted. This side of Hibari although extremely possessive and selfish, made Tsuna think him as the most beautiful person on earth. He loved this Hibari. He wanted this Hibari.

To be continued…

Author's Note: I don't think I'll be able to complete this series before my exams TTATT… I might need to stop somewhere near the end for a few weeks or a month… I'm really sorry!

Please tell me how you find the story up till now. Do you like how the story progresses? To be honest, this story writes itself. I planned it initially but as of current status it is 90% deviated from the original plot I had written. I felt as if I was being possessed at one point of time by the emotions of these characters and I cried while writing. What kind of writer gets emotional writing their own stories! I feel so embarrassed after emerging from my room after three hours and my mom asks why I cried. I lied and said I was watching a sad movie.

Anyway, please do review so I know at least what kind of standard I am at. Some people told me chapter 16 was by far the best so I'm wondering if I exceeded the expectations using the last chapter as benchmark…