Pinkie's Part: I apologize for my absence, but here's an update n.n I hope you are not too upset at me, ne? I had some hectic life issues, but I'll let that be the only point right now. If you're curious feel free to message me. But, enough of my rambles.
Please drop a review on your way out. Those are my motivation- n.n
Beta'd by CoffeePocky; she's an absolute darling.
Onward.
xx
Chapter: Could Have Been
Careful precaustions had been taken in order to allow a certain person to relax. Deep breathing patterns and the slow drawl of jazz were the only sounds in the room. A comfortable darkness was present, and the emotion it gave was entirely intended.
The curtains were drawn tightly closed, no sunlight filtered into the pristine, clean room. As darkness slipped into each corner; an aroma of freshly brewed coffee wafted through the space. The once peaceful silence was then shattered by the slamming of a door. The wood creaked in protest at the powerful force in which it had been blown open. A muscular leg levitated in mid air before coming down to the ground gracefully; the rest of the body coming over the threshold.
A fist came from nowhere in a blindingly fast speed, and collided with the cheek of one unsuspecting male who had been seated previously on a plush chair near a table; the innocent coffee mug steaming, abandoned by it's intended party.
There was a crash, and a body splayed out on the floor, and a laugh eerily similar to 'kufufu' rose from pulled back lips. Achromatic eyes lifted, a smirk settled as an angry man clad in black sat cross legged on the plush chair. Mukuro bit back a snarky response, but his condescending smirk was not farring well with the feral obsidian eyes that glared down at him.
"I understand your concerns, Arcobelano; but I can assure you my allegiance is no longer tied there. I would have no reas-"
"You lie. I've done my research Mukuro; what about that person?"
Eyebrows raised, and the blue haired illusionist looked away with a huff. Silence filled the 'cell'; if one could call the fabulously furnished room anything similar to that. He rolled his hands on his pant legs, and brushed off imaginary dust.
"You...leave her out of this.."
The voice was but a decibel above a whisper, much venom having laced the words. Mukuro having felt a jolt of fear having forced it's way onto the hardened exterior- Reborn caught the flash of anxiety in those achromatic eyes, and lowered his voice slightly. His hand pulled his fedora lower. A soft tone was used in the stead of his usual harsh one, the fear in those eyes, he had expirienced it firsthand.
"I know you. You won't let her alone; so instead of fighting me, you rotten piece of fruit," He gitt the words out, the hesitation in his voice then smoothly registered the next few words; "Why not join me.."
Mukuro craned his neck and peered at the hitman. The dishevelled appearance a rare sight. The inky locks stuck up more than usual, even from beneath the confines of the yellow striped fedora. Mukuro scanned the hardened expression of the renowned hitman, and arched an eyebrow up in mock concern, he saw the additional shadows beneath those obsidian eyes, the worry lines set firmly in the face. The pristine man looked, broken- anxious, genuinely worried-
"Ah, I did not realize.." His eyes cast to the side, a sorry expression flickered momentarily and then-
There was a click, and Mukuro froze on spot. From his vantage point on the floor, the blue haired male got a close glimpse of both the barrel of the hand gun, as well as a tired pair of eyes that stared him down ruthlessly. The confidence of the fedora wearing man was slipping back into those hard lined features.
"Save your apologies. You can either assist me, or you can die.. to hell with what Nono says."
Mukuro slowly made movements to stand; not wanting to take any chances with enraging the hitman any further. He was under the calculating gaze during the entirety, and Reborn watched the blue haired male physically recoil at the thought of working together, before a sour look was replaced by a blank mask. A curt nod, as Mukuro extended his hand. Reborn grasped it, and shook firmly.
"Good to be doing business with you, bastardo ananas."
Mukuro smirked, his eye twitching at the name before he laughed lightly. Reborn stood, his actions swift as he he backtracked towards the door.
"Ah, and ananas;"
Mukuro looked at Reborn sideways, the nickname making his eye twitch once more. His jaw jutted outward definatly, gesturing for the other male to continue. Reborn smirked, his usual persona seem for just a moment as the words fell from his lips.
"My friends arrive tonight. Be prepared to move out. We'll save them all."
With that, Reborn pressed his fedora further onto his head, inclined his chin and stood. His back forcing the confident front back into place as he strode through the door he had just kicked in. Leaving a wide eyed illusionist in his wake, a hand on his cheek and kneeling on the floor; much like a servant to his prince.
(WhatBrokenIdeals)
A stiffled yawn, which was well practiced stopped short of escaping a set of gently smiling lips. A small bag thrown over a shoulder and a determined, confident air around a certain person as they entered the glass doors of a new place.
The early morning was quiet, save for the soft click of hurried heels through the nearly vacant area. A red robed man, who was obviously foreign in this area glanced down at the ticket in his hands. His expression calm, though with an unfamiliar furrow in his brow. He sighed, tucking the sheet into his inner robe pocket before continuing forward into the large space. His eyes open and calculating as he took in the scenery of Milan.
Marble floors were immaculate- not a single speck of dirt touched the surface, and the Chinese man couldn't help but think that this matched the apperance of a certain friend- to a T. He moved along the coridoors easily, sparing polite smiles to the many people who were beginning to arrive. A few of them blushed, but the martial artist made no gesture to act on their obvious interest. He was on a mission- a rather important one for a friend and he could not, nor would he ever become, distracted.
His journey continued through the many stalls and hall like areas full of last minute shops throughout the airport, something then began pulling the martial artist toward the center of the Chinese male rounded yet another corner, before he was forced to hide a smirk politely behind his sleeve.
On a bench was a sleeping stuntman, clad entirely in purple and black leather with a helment set on thier head; and beside him, giving off an air of annoyed superiority was someone wearing descreet clothing.
"I better be getting paid for this." An irritable voice lifted, hidden by a frustrated sigh. The Chinese male turned towards the owner of the voice, and the person in which graced his sights did not disappoint as the owner of the annoyed voice. The hooded figure was leaned back in a bored manner, their hands checking the hood to ensure that nothing higher than their nose was seen. Two purple triangles marred the pale skin, and the figure swiveled their hidden gaze back. A curt nod in recognition was given as a greeting, as the Chinese male settled himself in a chair just opposite the other.
"Ah, Mammon; I trust you have been well?" A gentle smile fitted effortlessly onto the male's face, and it only widened by the usual response from the other male.
"Ask me to speak anymore, Fon; and I'll charge you my usual rate."
Fon laughed lightly, and pulled out his cell phone. He checked the time, and for once, the disappontment was not easily hidden. He frowned slightly as he picked up the call he was receiving.
"Colonello; where are you?"
The martial artist flinched slightly, closing one eye at the volume that burst through the receiver-
"In the terminal, -for the love of god, STOP, kora!- Ah, she is really not happy to have to come here."
"I apologize for such short notice- Mammon and myself are in the lobby. Please make haste, Reborn should be arriving shortly; were you able to get ahold of Aria, or Luce?"
There was a pause, and then an affirmative grunt. Words exchanged as to how the others would unfortunately be unable to make it until later; disappointment evident in that voice. Pleasantries were exhanged as farewells and the phone call came to a close. Fon pocketed his cell phone, and shortly after a couple of voices rang throughout the hall.
"I'm coming- don't touch me you dirty student!"
"Lal! Come on, kora; we're already late. I feel as though our roles are reversed, kora!"
There was a residual sound of a smack against bare skin, and Mammon's lips twitched- something akin to his smile.
"Yare, yare... looks like the calvary has arrived."
Two disheveled looking, military uniform clad people made their way through the lobby, stopping a few feet away from the two previously gathered.
"I'm in the middle of an investigation- and I get called out here by this one-" The blue haired woman jut her thumb in the direction of the grinning blonde, "For a side mission? Whose calling the shots on this one?"
"That would be me."
All heads turned towards the deep voice that slid into their ears. Some members were a bit put off at the lack of his entrance, but Lal inclined her head, as did Colonello. Fon nodded polietly and Mammon complained about not being paid. None of them, save for Fon, had noticed the slightly off presence that the hitman before them had. With the greetings out of the way, Fon took the initiative.
"Reborn; care to fill the rest of them in on the situation? I feel it would only be fair-"
The hitman nodded, sighed and then suprised them all as he removed his fedora. The tired eyes that looked up at them told a story in themselves- many of the people in the group feeling the stress roll of the man in waves.
"I found someone.. and they were taken from me."
(YourMindIsBroken)
"Haah...haah...p-please..no more." A broken voice choked on the words, tears long dried up and the sense of living left vacant in those dull honey eyes.
The pleas fell on deaf ears as the sight before the tortured form transitioned again. Teeth sunk into skin and agonized pants left chapped lips. Vines wound around the form tightly, contstricting any and every movement the small male had tried to make.
The vision he was forced to see in his weakened state, was his lover, bound to a chair and getting ruthlessly attacked in an interogation situation. His heart would not believe it, but his resolve was so weak that these images were drilling into him. The constant jolt of teeth in his skin were reminding him that he was in fact awake- that these nightmares were exactly what he was seeing.
The constant thought of, No, No, Not Him was ringing out in his subconcious, something broke within the small male, and he suddenly felt a surge of something deep within himself, as if he could still survive.
His gaze flickered orange for a breif moment- a determined fire ablaze in those vacant eyes. That sudden surge of determination shocked the woman. Her concentration broken as the illusions fell. Upon being released from these torturous visions, Tsuna fell unconcious.
A white haired male snorted in disappointment, nibbling a little harder on the shoulder of his new little pet before he relented, realzing that his minstations would not rise the exhausted form. He pulled his face away from Tsuna and leered down at the little purple haired woman.
"Dokuro; how many times will you make yourself of no use to me?"
The woman hung her head, eyes cast downwards in a sign of submission, hoping that what would come- would be postponed. There was a creak as the male moved himself off of the cot. He tightened the restraints on the deteriorating form before him, before striding over the kneeling woman. His hand raised, but the contact never came.
The door to the chamber thrown open as an out of breath subordinate ran in,
"Byakuran-sama! They...they!"
The white haired male sighed, "Spit it out, Irie..."
"The Arcobelano group... they're at the gates!"
A twitch of an eye, and then a leering, victorious smile. A tinkling laugh erupted from his body and then turned into a full blown fit of hysterical laughter. Byakuran lifted a finger, wiping away a stray tear and looked at his subordinate with a knowing look.
"Ara, let's prepare the facility- can't have out guests getting bored now can we?"
The red haired male nodded swiftly and back tracked out of the door. Byakuran following suit soon after. His gaze lingered on the kneeling form of the woman, before he smirked and spoke.
"Chrome-chan, we'll play later, ne~?"
He shut the door behind him, satisfied with the trembling woman he left behind. A few moments passed by without incident, until a soft, cracking voice pulled her attention towards the male pinned to the cot. The woman, identified as Chrome; stood and made her way slowly over. Her eyes scanning the form and a sense of pity coming over her.
The brunette male was panting, his body riddled in love bites and bruises from forced affections. She lifted her hand in a hesitant manner, her mind causing her to rethink what she was about to do. With a shake of her head, she proceeded. Her fingers loosening the restraints and rubbing soothing circles into the raw skin once the hands were freed.
If only for a temporary, slight freedom- she was sure that the male would appreciate it. If she was going to be punished as severly as she was going to for such a small mistake; she'd rather make sure that she deserved it all the way through.
"I'm so sorry.. no one deserves this.."
The brunette's eyes remained close, though his breathing began to even out. Chrome's hands went to move bangs from the males face, when her hand was caught. Though the contact was weak, she could feel the silent warning.
"Please.. don't.. don't touch me."
She withdrew her hands, and watched as the brunette fought to sit up, and disobeying his plea; she assisted him in sitting up. His throat was parched, and she helped him to sip from her water bottle. Once the liquid touched his throat the brunette coughed violently.
"You're so underweight now.. I'm so sorry.. "
Those vacant eyes looked over the woman, and he felt no danger from her. He relaxed as her fingers rubbed salve upon his skin, the throbbing of his bruises slowly dissipating. He did not protest when she assisted him into lying down once more, but his eyes widened slighlty when she tucked a key into his palm.
"When it's quiet.. these will release you. Mukuro-sama told me the plan. Be safe, I'll help you the best I can until he can get here."
She pressed a chaste kiss to his forehead, forcing him into sleep. Tsuna drifted off, the feel of the cold metal pressed into his palm the only reminder that this hell was almost over.