Title: On the Banks on the River Styx

Pairing/Characters: Mukuro/Tsuna, 6927

Rating: PG

Author Notes: Written for the ShougatsuShot community exchange on LJ, forThemsoftheRaven, back in January. We were suppose to keep our identities a secret till the end, but the community seems to have died, and it's nearly March, so I figured I'd post it. (Surprise!). I never got my fic though…..dwahh…

Despite popular belief (not that the facts were well known), their odd relationship did not start when they first met, within the abandoned grounds of Kokuyo Land. Nor was it during their fights in the Ring Battles, as allies instead of enemies. Actually, it was many years later, in a situation Rokudo Mukuro would have thought surreal, had he not expected it.

Dripping wet and legs weak from lack of use, Mukuro could hardly conceal the slight tremors and shivering of his body as the cold air kissed his skin for the first time in many years. Hands, warm and larger than he would have expected, gripped his shoulders, steadying his thin and frail body. His real body. A dry blanket soon replaced the hands, and Mukuro raised his head to meet innocent amber eyes. The boy-now-man smiled back.

"Hello Mukuro."

Mukuro opened his mouth and gave a weak cough, his voice hoarse and cracked from lack of use.

"Ku..fuu..fu…so we meet again, Tsunayoshi Sawada." He coughed again, cold fingers gripping his throat as he struggled for breath. Tsuna's face quickly flashed concern, and knelt to aid him, but Mukuro just shrugged him off. Drawing himself up, he pushed his wet hair back away from his face, and this time looked down at the young decimo.

"Now, unless you wish to have a picnic, I'd prefer not to linger within this wretched dungeon any longer." Mukuro spoke more smoothly, this time with a slight illusion to hide his raspy voice. Looking so weak and vulnerable was quickly dampening his good mood.

Tsuna sighed, but could not quite hold back the smirk that played on his lips. Raising his hand, he gestured towards the exit. Together they left the Vendicare prison, one being the protector of all those he holds precious, and the other who wishes to destroy just that.

--

That was the last time Tsuna ever saw Mukuro. Or at least, his real body. Shortly after freeing him from his confinement in the Vendicare prison, just like the mist, Mukuro vanished. Chrome was still in contact, and she assured him that Mukuro was doing well. But where he was or what he was doing was anyone's guess.

But behind closed doors and secretly in the darkness of sleep, Mukuro surprised Tsuna by continuing to keep contact with him. Occasionally, about once a week or so, Mukuro would coax Tsuna's sleeping mind into his illusionary world. It would either be a beach, an park, or just simply a decorated room. Tsuna always knew he was dreaming in an illusionary world, and Mukuro never bothered to attempt to fool the young Vongola. It never worked in the past, and it wouldn't now.

Nothing extraordinary would ever occur. They would simply talk, discussing current events or just little trivial things. Neither wanted to break the comfort of fake pleasantries by bringing up topics that would only lead to foul moods and unwanted emotions. The Gesso family, not yet the Millifore, was one such topic.

Tsuna always wanted ask what Mukuro's real purpose of visiting him within his sleep, but could never quite bring himself to voice his questions. He suspected that Mukuro just simply wished to remain in contact. Maybe he was lonely, maybe he was bored. Either way, Mukuro continued to visit Tsuna in his sleep, and Tsuna continued to welcome him.

--

One night, while settling into sleep, Tsuna felt the familiar pull of his consciousness being drawn away. Opening his eyes, he found himself not in the usual park, which Mukuro had been favoring, but instead a forest glade, freshly powered with white snow. Small snowflakes filtered down from the tree tops, and the chilly air nipped at Tsuna's face. Tsuna chuckled and reached up to catch a falling snow flake, watching is dissolve in his hand. Mukuro always had a bit of an artistic touch, and he always greatly enjoyed showing off his skills.

Wandering around a bit, it didn't take him long to find Mukuro. The illusionist was standing quietly under a large evergreen, seemingly deep in thought, apparently for quite some time, with the light dusting of snow that covered his coat and hair.

Tsuna quietly stepped near his Mist Guardian, unsure if he wanted to disturb the other. When Mukuro made no motion to acknowledge Tsuna's presence, Tsuna reached out to touch Mukuro's elbow gently, not particularly wanting to use his voice and disturb the pleasant silence. Mukuro, not expecting the contact, flinch and snapped his head towards Tsuna in surprise. Tsuna was equally surprised that he managed to catch Mukuro off guard. He didn't think that was possible, especially in his own illusion world.

Mukuro stared at Tsuna with an old blank look on his face, which slightly unnerved Tsuna. He was about to ask Mukuro is something was the matter, when the illusionist grabbed Tsuna's upper arm roughly, and pulled the boy slightly closer.

"Are you real?" Mukuro practically whispered in a haunted voice with a strange wild look in his eyes.

Tsuna frowned in confusion, and nodded. "Of course I am" He replied, his voice louder and sounding more solid then the out of character illusionist.

Mukuro studied Tsuna for another moment before letting out the breath he had apparently been holding, and bowing his head, his whole body becoming lax. Dropping his hand from its grip on the other's arm, Mukuro straightened and his trademark smile was back in place, if not a little strained.

"You continue to surprise me to no end, Tsunayoshi-kun. Your list of talents just continues to increase. I knew you had talent in denying illusionary suggestions, but to hijack into another's illusion is a whole nother thing. " He chuckled, and stuffed his hands into his pant pockets.

Tsuna stared wide eyed and open mouthed for a moment, processing what Mukuro was trying to say. "Wha--wait! You mean you didn't bring me here!? I felt you pull me here!" Tsuna protested, terribly confused. He was no illusionist. Studying people and manipulating minds just wasn't his thing.

"Not tonight I didn't, young Vongola. I was hoping for some solitude this evening, but it seems I must entertain an uninvited guest instead. Oh well." Mukuro just hummed, and turned around, feigning disinterest. However Tsuna caught the quick flash of surprise and question that crossed Mukuro's face. It seems Mukuro truly had no idea why Tsuna was there either.

As Mukuro began walking away, Tsuna quietly followed, thinking Mukuro was going to lead them somewhere. Tsuna studied Mukuro's face from behind. Mukuro was clearly not himself tonight, and Tsuna silently wondered if something happened. But asking about each other's personal lives was another taboo-topic, so Tsuna did not voice his concerns. Mukuro would only laugh at his naïve attitude anyways.

After about ten minutes or so, Tsuna soon realized that they were going no where in particular. Mukuro's eyes had taken on the lost-in-thought look he had when Tsuna first arrived. He was just simply walking and thinking, and had clearly forgotten that Tsuna was even there.

Concerned over Mukuro's increasingly out of character behavior, Tsuna decided to forget their unspoken rule and finally test to see just how much they trusted each other. Quickly picking up his steps, Tsuna ran up to Mukuro and firmly grabbed his arm, snapping the other out of his inner-thought process and halting his steps.

"Mukuro, what's wrong? You're not yourself tonight." Tsuna asked, showing that he was concerned, but also slightly pushing that he wanted an answer. He was not asking out of politeness.

Mukuro gazed down at the young mafia boss. None of his usual mischief or all-knowing smirk played on his face. Just blank and indifference. He gave no indication that he was going to answer Tsuna's question. In fact, he looked as if he wanted to run. Tsuna, upon seeing such a guarded and yet completely real Mukuro, was at a loss at what to do. When the Mist guardian shifted slightly as to move away, Tsuna roughly grabbed him by the shoulder and turned him so that he faced Tsuna. Drawing himself slightly closer, Tsuna looked into the mismatched eyes and refused to break eye contact.

"What's wrong?" He said again, but this time softer, almost a whisper.

Tsuna was surprised when suddenly Mukuro bent forward and pressed a slender hand at Tsuna's back, pushing the boy against his taller frame. He pressed his cheek against Tsuna's, burying his face into soft hair and simply breathed in the warmth that was the young sky-ring lord.

"Thank you, Tsunayoshi." Mukuro whispered into Tsuna's ear, hot breath turning into puffs of mist in the chilly air.

And before Tsuna could respond, or even blink, he was awake. Sitting up in his plush bed, Tsuna's peered around his dark bedroom. His heart was hammering in his ears, and his skin tingled from the lingering feeling of Mukuro's breath that was never really there. Shakily running a hand through his bed-head hair, Tsuna forced himself to relax. His mind was spinning at a million miles per second, trying to comprehend the short yet infinitely complex meeting with Mukuro. But it was still very late at night, and his mind was still sleep-heavy. Giving up on try to make much sense out of his ever-riddled Mist guardian, Tsuna laid back down in his bed and attempted to coax himself back into sleep.

He did not dream of Mukuro again that night.

It wasn't until the next morning when he discovered the source of Mukuro's perplexing mood. He awoke to find a sobbing Chrome, who had been staying at the Vongola manor temporarily. She had received a phone-call from Chikusa the previous night. Apparently Ken had been mortally wounded in an accident (what sort of "accident" neither would say), but he had come dangerously close to death. Chrome mentioned that after relaying the news to Mukuro, he became unusually withdrawn, and she couldn't contact him anymore.

It was that little clue that led Tsuna to finally piece the puzzle together, and it surprised him. Mukuro, despite his indifference towards human life and his comrades', truly feared for his friend's life. He had retreated into his illusionary world to hide himself, but possibly he unconsciously needed some sort of comfort or support. Thus Tsuna was called, without him directly realizing it. Tsuna secretly wondered if he had done enough to help Mukuro. He had a feeling he would not see the Mist user again for quite some time.

During the next few weeks, Chrome fussed and paced about the manor anxiously. Ken would live, but he would require much theory to recover his strength. What truly upset her was the lack of contact with Mukuro. She mentioned that he was alive and around, but simply refused to acknowledge her calls. Tsuna never told Chrome of his meeting with Mukuro. So Tsuna just tried to reassure her, and remind her that Mukuro often has his own agenda, and will return again when he's ready.

Time passed steadily, and approximately two months later, one night as Tsuna slept, he awoke in his dream-world to find himself in a familiar sunny park. It was the very same one he and Mukuro had visited several times before his visit to the snow-covered forest glade.

"Greetings Tsunayoshi-kun." Mukuro's sing-song voice called from a bench not too far off. He held a crepe in each hand. Munching on one, and gesturing with the other for Tsuna to join him.

Tsuna studied Mukuro cautiously from where he stood, looking for any clues or otherwise out-of-character changes from his long absence. Mukuro gave no indication that he had been missing for over two months. It was if time had wound back, and he was currently looking at a Mukuro who never once sought comfort from another. Tsuna sometimes wondered if he dreamt the whole thing up. Mukuro called to him again, and Tsuna rolled his eyes at the man's childish behavior.

Walking over to his Mist Guardian, Tsuna sat down on the bench and accepted the crepe that Mukuro handed him. After a brief moment of silence from munching on the sweet pastry, they slipped into a casual conversation, like nothing had ever happened. Their weekly routine began once again.

So, here's my first ever, 6927 fic!! I have a strange love-hate relationship with Mukuro. I both love and hate writing him. His personality can be so….inconsistent at times…..

There IS a second part to this fic. I've yet to find time to write it, but it will be written eventually.

Reviews and Comments are most appreciated!

-Kou Tora