Okay, yeah. I suck. I've been busy, okay? Well, not really but still! Call it research period? Haha, I've kept you waiting long enough, here's the story

Okay, one more thing. I think I've been inconsistent with the setting. They are in Japan.

Chapter 7: Point Blank

White, white, white. It was the only colour she could see and she was starting to dread seeing it. It wasn't like white was a bad colour, no not at all. It's just now; it meant separation, blankness and loneliness. The same three words it meant all those years ago when she waited for death to come. Now, there was nothing to wait for her. The man who gave her meaning, gave the thought of death a kick out of her mind, was out of her life and had disappeared.

He had abandoned her. He had finally walked out of her life. After he was free from prison he had finally done the deed. He'd left her. She'd always expected it to happen even at the young age of 14 she knew his lies laced in his smiles. She knew the little white lies hiding in every kind word, every bit of advice and every tiny little tease he gave her. She knew he would abandon her. Drop her like the puppet he always believed she was. Leave her as the small broken doe-eyed doll she knew he viewed her as.

But dammit! Why couldn't he do it sooner? Why did he give her time to fall deeper and deeper than she already was? Would it still hurt this much if he had just left her to be on his way as soon as she freed him? Why did he stay by her side? Why did he comfort her? Why did he kissher? Why did he make her fall even more in love with him? Did he want to taunt her just one last time before breaking her completely? Was that all she was? A toy to break between those ivory fingers? A puppet to control with those alluring mismatched eyes?

She'd heard, she'd seen… he treated everyone like toys. It was the person he was. So when he treated with unexpected care she was wide eyed and grateful at first and then began to speculate – was he just taking his time to thoroughly enter her heart before ripping everything to shreds and leaving her unfixable? She prepared a wall, a protection to make sure that didn't happen. But as soon as he stayed it broke down, shattered completely because she thought he was staying forever. Not just for now. She was still so naïve and she believed she had grown out of that. Looks like she was still so wrong and everyone was still so right.

She'd had her doubts. He'd chased them away with a wave of his hand. As soon as he'd slipped his lips onto her's, every whisper of fear, anxiety and worry was locked away behind iron doors. How could she be so stupid? He had probably planned it all from the beginning. Taken her hand for the second time just to drop her on his way out. She'd seen the hole on the path, the large gaping ditch and believed he would hold on tight and bring her to safety. No, he merely brought her to the center only to drop her in the deepest, darkest, loneliest spot, leaving her to wallow in the misery of his betrayal.

Just one more time, she willed herself. She yearned to go to that place. Just once more. She wanted to see the green grass, feel the breeze and smell the fragrance of the small river. She wanted to go to that perfection again. Even though it would no longer be perfect. The grass wouldn't be as green, the breeze wouldn't be as euphoric and the river wouldn't have that same iridescent smell. It just wouldn't be the same. It would be a cheap copy all because it wasn't made by the same person. All because it didn't contain the same kind smile it always did. Yet she wanted to go again and again just so she could keep the kind illusion of the man she loved so much locked up in her mind forever. But no, she couldn't. She had to move on. Carry on. Don't look back.

Clasping her bandage wrapped hands together the room swirled and instead of lying in a bed covered in the thin white sheets she was lying on the soft smooth grass. The sky wasn't as blue as it used to be, the grass didn't feel the same, the leaves on the tree weren't making quite the same music and the wind wasn't nearly as feathery and quiet. It was the place they first met and yet she couldn't recreate it properly. She closed her eye and tried to correct her illusions to be on the same level as those beautiful lies he would always effortlessly give her.

Why couldn't she do it? Why couldn't she have just one last memory? Something wet, something alone, something trapped in solitude ran down her cheek and she knew exactly what it was. What was she kidding? She just wanted to see him again. Anything. Everything. She'd give the whole world and every level of hell just to see him again. To stand by his side for even a second. Why couldn't she be with him?

That one lone trail on her cheek reached all the way to her chin and by that time it had gained companions, all racing down her porcelain skin.

"How's she doing, Tsuna?" Usually cheery eyes set in a worrying face.

"That bastard Mukuro… How could he do this to her?" A cigarette hung between hissing lips.

"I'll be sure to bite him to death." The sound of metal, a weapon readying for attack.

"I hope Chrome-nee-chan will be alright." Green eyes with big, fat, sad tears welling in them.

"She looked like she had been through one extreme battle." A tightening fist, a dented wall.

"Everyone calm down. I don't think it was Mukuro that hurt her." Finally, kind words and stressed large brown eyes, "Maybe, maybe it would be better for us to visit her. Maybe it'll help her feel better."

The years had done wonders to him. Sawada Tsunayoshi knew how to breathe and deal with a serious situation. Looking at each one of his guardians he counted the ways they had each changed and grown stronger. The way Yamamoto Takeshi knew how to take in each situation and understand the best solution – instead of just smiling cheerily the way he used to. The way Gokudera Hayato took the effort to look after his fellow guardians, almost as if they were a true family. The way Hibari Kyoya actually tolerated them to an extent of actually listening when they spoke words he might be interested in. The way Lambo tried his best not to cry at every given opportunity and worry about others. The way Ryohei had calmed down just a notch – the dent in the wall good enough proof, a few years ago there would've been a hole.

Tsuna looked at the array of faces his guardians were making before recognizing each of them to be their interpretations of looks of agreement. Leading each of his guardians, which were worried in their own way, down the hall, they ran into two unexpected visitors. They must've snuck in again.

"What are you doing here, stupid woman!" Hayato growled, knowing full well they couldn't let those two see Chrome with all her bruises, scratches and bullet wounds.

"You, Tsuna-san, Yamamoto-san and Sasagawa-san weren't there at school so Haru and Kyoko-chan wanted to check on you but when we went to Tsuna-san's house you weren't there so we knew you were here!" Haru said pointedly, clad in her school uniform and holding an extra stuffed bag, "Lambo-chan! You're here too! This has something to Mafia doesn't it!"

"No, it's nothing like that." Tsuna tried to sound as calm as possibly, considering he was such a bad liar he made it look pretty convincing, he'd gotten pointers from Chrome and she'd gotten them from expert liar Mukuro. Bad move.

"Tsuna-kun you're hiding something from us again!" Kyoko pointed out, her bag also looking a little extra packed, "You always have that mature look on your face when something's going on!"

Both girls shared a look before realizing that one person was missing from the usual bunch of seven, "Is Chrome-chan alright?"

"I told you she has exams, Haru!"

"She's on holiday, remember Kyoko-chan?"

Both men turned to look at each other, sweat rolling from their temples.

Busted. Well and truly busted.

"See! This is about Chrome-chan!" Haru puffed out her chest, folding her arms, "You only use Haru's name when something's wrong!"

Damn that tick! Damn that stupid name tick!

"How long do you plan on crowding, Sawada Tsunayoshi?" Kyoya said, his lips twitching, itching to get a bite out of the pitiful herbivore, "I don't care if you wish to waste your time mingling with other herbivores but I need to get to Nagi and you are the only one who knows of her location."

"Uh, sure Hibari-san she's down that way…" Tsuna pointed down the corridor, grateful for the fact that Kyoya called Chrome Nagi, "Last door on the right."

Swiftly and efficiently he made his way towards Chrome's room, not wasting a step, it was almost as if he was calculating the space between each foot. Several silent seconds passed by unnoticed before the two sport jocks of the group followed the aloof man, a crying 8 year old in tow.

Four of the seven guardians walking off in the same direction was more than enough for the girls to connect the dots. They may usually be kept out of the loop but they knew when something was serious. They knew when the situation called for certain measures. And they knew when danger was approaching. Otherwise Hayato wouldn't be teaching Haru how to hold a handgun properly and Tsuna wouldn't be asking Takeshi to teach Kyoko some self defense.

Softly, as quiet as possible, Tsuna opened his mouth, barely able to form words in his dry throat, "She's fine… As far as we know." He chose his words wisely, one wrong word could send both girls crying and a second mistake could have them in a fiery rampage, "She's resting right now so you can only visit her for a little while." Tsuna eyed Kyoya who was still taking steady, calculative steps, understanding the expression on his cloud guardian's face only a little too well, "Just don't disturb Hibari-san."

Both of them held their tongues, responding only with a subtle nod. They knew that face. It was the 'please don't ask' face he made when something was going on in the circle of the seven guardians. Something internal was bursting between the seven who greatly resembled a blood related family. It only happened once in a while but whenever Tsuna made that face, it was definitely something big.

A hard, unforgiving slap woke her up from the paradise she had escaped to. Back to reality, back to the cruel reality which held the truth, the truth that her companion of three years was no longer there. Staring into slate eyes which held a mix of so many emotions, she wondered for a second when reality became so not-white. It was strangely black with bits of purple and ivory. She tried to focus her lone purple eye, trying to make out in the blurry swimming vision just who had dragged her back to this torturous world.

Closing her sole purple eye she tried to clear her thoughts and vision, in hopes to make out what was happening. Everything was swirling in her mind. It was like outside of the man who was haunting her thoughts there was nothing but blanks, spaces to fill but with no answer, an unsolvable puzzle.

Standing, firm and cold, was Hibari Kyoya. Raw annoyance, bordering anger and frustration, danced across every handsome feature that was on his face. His hand was red and hard, right by her cheek, right by the cheek he had just struck. From the look on his face he had seen. He had seen the illusion she was escaping to. The illusion that prevented her from ever moving from the spot she personally glued herself to.

The pain wasn't even registering, the only thing she could feel was the fresh, new tears rushing from her eye. The only thing she could even begin to understand was that she was crying again, the second wave after the first – coming back with a grudge. The reason behind it wasn't even clear. Was it the pain? Was it the look on Kyoya's face? Was it the fact she wasn't good enough? Or was it the fact he was no longer there to wipe them away?

"Wake up." His lips were moving but it was like he was on mute. Chrome couldn't even begin to comprehend what he was saying. She could feel the chill, the biting behind every single word but it was like he was speaking a language she couldn't understand.

"Kyoya… What is… going on…?" It was all she could manage to mumble, all that managed to fall out of her lips. It was a mess, slurred and barely put together.

Kyoya's hand slipped down to reach her hair, in a similar fashion to the way his older self had reached out to her all those years ago. A fragile doll, warm and pale, lay before him. He had never seen her this frail before. From what he had heard his older self had but how the hell did his older self deal with this tiny creature before him? Phrase it simply and clearly. Don't beat around the bush like some helpless animal. His eyes narrowed, lips parted for only a moment. Hesitation halted him for a second, only for that tiny section of time.

"He's gone. He won't return to you, Nagi."

"I… know." A broken smile presented itself on her lips, her eye turning away from him, only more moisture gather there, "Why… did I… let myself… get led on…?" Her lips twisted once again, her lips folding, tears rushing, "Why… did I continue… to believe his lies?" Her eyes welled, her arms twitching lightly, wanting to escape, "Why… did I fall… so hard?"

Kyoya lifted her up effortlessly, holding her in inescapable cage of his arms. Silent whispers and unsaid words were exchanged like a telepathy running between their minds. A cloud drifting by quietly, giving companionship to the mist that was now split in half, dispersed and separated.

I'll ground you.

How?

I'll cage you and make sure you don't break.

Why would I break?

Because you'd be free.

What's wrong with being free?

People will betray you.

But you're free.

I am not kind.

M.M. was definitely pissed. Pissed was in fact an understatement. She was furious, angry, boiling to the brim and just about ready to skin Ken, dip him in hot sauce then feed him to the lions – if there were any that is.

"What the fuck are you doing to Mukuro-chan!" M.M. had screamed for about the twelfth time. Did the boy not know how to change bandages? Why was he using sticky tape? And what the hell happened to the porridge? It was bordering purple in colour. She knew she should have entrusted cooking to Chikusa but the bespectacled boy was out to get more supplies.

Frustrated and exhausted M.M. shoved Ken away from the sleeping, sweating Mukuro. She redressed – the correct way with gauze – the wounds that decorated his upper body. She tried to hold in all the drool that gathering in her mouth but she couldn't help but stare and ogle at the well chiseled chest and washboard abs of Mukuro. How he ever attained such nice looking muscles she'll never fathom, not that she was complaining.

Setting aside the nicely sculpted upper body of Mukuro M.M. couldn't help but narrow her eyes at bullet wounds that had only just started to stop bleeding. Not only had she had to pluck out the bullets which were lodged in his shoulder and side – which she had no expertise in – but she had to endure the disgusting process of cleaning the wounds which were oozing blood at the time. And seeing as the two other boys she was currently stuck with she'd have to do the redressing.

A sigh rushed out of her mouth, ungraceful and most definitely unladylike. She grabbed the tray with Ken's deadly looking porridge and threw it out the window before walking to the bathroom, letting Ken look out the window at the smashed bowl and porridge that looked like it was dissolving the very ground it was spilled on.

M.M. returned back to the room Mukuro was, cool wet towel in hand. Completely ignoring the slight whimpering sound that Ken was making, probably because of the smashing of his hard work – she didn't even want to know what the kitchen looked like. Probably half covered in purple porridge, half already dissolved by it.

She folded the towel, the coolness seeping to her fingers. Gently, she placed it squarely on Mukuro's burning forehead. The fever hadn't gone down. It hadn't gone down in the last 48 hours. And he hadn't even moved an eyelash for the past 72.

Three days. Three fucking days since that asshole tried to blow a hole in Mukuro's head. Three days since M.M. had to aim her own gun so carefully as to only make sure the bullet ended up in his shoulder and not through his skull. Three days since she almost had her wrist broken from trying to stop the bastard from trying to blow another hole in Mukuro – not that she was that successful. Three days since M.M. forced Ken and Chikusa to help her drag Mukuro from the alleyway drunk and unconscious. Three days since that stupid girl had abandoned their master to do whatever. M.M. was gonna blow her arm off the next time she saw her.

"Is Mukuro-san going to be okay?" Ken looked over M.M. who was currently busy with nursing the comatose Mukuro.

"Who knows?" M.M. inspected Mukuro, just in case there was any sign of waking, "A fever and 3 bullet wounds. I'm usually the one causing this stuff, not fixing it." She then realised how close he was to her and wasn't particularly enjoying the smell of his breath, "Argh! Get away from me! Your breath stinks." She pinched her nose for effect, shooing him away from her with her hand, "I don't need to worry about another useless person who's only gonna make Mukuro's condition worse."

"Are you talking about Chrome?"

M.M. would've jumped out of her skin but decided not to, considering there was only one person she knew who could slur their words together like that and still make it sound clear. Chikusa scratched his neck, plastic bags crinkling in his hold. M.M. could spot the vegetables poking out of one bag and the eggs weighing down another. Thank goodness not all the people in this little makeshift home were incapable.

"I'm gonna go outside, it's getting way too crowded in here." Not waiting for a response Ken walked out of the house, briskly and slightly clumsily.

"He's worried about Chrome." Chikusa placed the bags on the counter, silently noting their melting kitchen.

"Yeah, it's kind of obvious." M.M. let out a long breath, collapsing beside Mukuro's bed, her back resting against the side of mattress, "He wouldn't stop going on about how stupid she was and stuff." She eyed their place, it was kind of like everything was shoved into one room. The living, the dining, the only bed and the kitchen, it was kind of behind a counter so it sort of counted, were all within the same four walls. Everything except the bathroom, basically. "He wouldn't shut up about her until 5 minutes ago."

"But what happened to her?" Chikusa said pushing up his glasses, carefully watching her expression behind his lenses.

"I don't know." An 'I don't care' was hanging on her tongue but truthfully, she did. She had expected Mukuro to abandon Chrome so why was he drunk to the point of poisoned? Chrome would never leave Mukuro side, would she? Never. It was subtle and shy but it was no big secret that Chrome had more than a schoolgirl crush on Mukuro.

So why?

They fawned over her. Fussed and jittery. Their delicate fingers and careful hands danced around her, worry embedded in their very skin. Through swimming vision and blank eyes she could see everything travelling in slow motion. Kyoko touched her face, her gentle fingers caressing her slightly swollen cheek. Haru grasped her hand, as if trying to transfer as much of the warmth she generated into Chrome's doll-like body.

"Chrome-chan, are you okay?"

"Chrome-chan, what happened?"

They fretted over her as much as they could. They didn't stop for even a second. One moment they were by her side, holding her hands, attempting to bring the broken Chrome back to life. The next they were at the small stand by her bed, pouring her a glass of water just in case she was thirsty.

Chrome attempted a smile. Attempted to tilt her lips just slightly. She didn't want them to be so worried. She was causing them such trouble. It was hopeless though. Her lips twitched and only managed to make her feel like breaking down once again, letting the new reservoir of tears rush out of her lonely eye. Even with all these people by her side, Kyoya's comforting, Boss' kindness, the guardians' companionship and the girls' care there was nothing to pull her from the dark , lonely spot Mukuro had dropped her in.

She had lost more than half of herself. She'd lost all of herself. She couldn't even crawl. She couldn't drag herself out of the despair, the pitch black depression. She couldn't attempt it, even if she wanted to. Right now, all she wanted to do was stay in the endless darkness. It was constant and was never going to go away. Only one person could pull her up. Only one person could give her back her arms, her legs, her heart. That person was long gone.

"Chrome." Tsuna broke the quiet words of Kyoko and Haru, effectively allowing the room to fall into a short silence, "Are you feeling better?" Tsuna sat by her side, grasping her hand, just the way he had done three years ago in their adventure to the future. The familiarity enabled Chrome shift her gaze to her boss. His big brown eyes met her large violet one, tears stuck in her long eyelashes, "Chrome?"

"Boss…" Her breath caught in her throat, her fingers weakly curling around his palm, "I'm really stupid… aren't I?"

"Chrome…" He couldn't reply, he would hear her story. His worry was laced, sewed and embedded five layers deep in his eyes. If there was anything he knew about Chrome, he knew quiet worked with her.

"I… I knew he would… abandon me…" She swallowed deeply, attempting to find her voice, only finding the anguish dwelling her eyes, the tears once again forming layers over her eyes, "I knew… but even then… I kept falling… and falling…" They spilled over, running over the dried trails her previous tears had left behind, "Before… Before I knew it I was… I was so in love that I… I didn't know… what I would do without him…" She squeezed his hand a touch tighter, hoping it would keep her from breaking down even further, from breaking from a million to a billion pieces, "Now… I just don't know… what to do anymore… He's never coming back, Boss…" She bit her lip, her pink lips red with it, "He left me… and now I don't want anything anymore… I only want him to come back…"

"Chrome, you don't mean…" Panic found its way into his body, sending shivers down his arms and spine. He'd heard the story. From her mouth. The story of how she and Mukuro had met. All her thoughts and the voices she heard. How she welcomed death with open arms, waited for the cold, striking death to take her and leave behind but a shell.

"I… won't die… Boss." Just like a guardian, she could read almost all his thoughts, "I remember… Mukuro told me death… was only a beginning of a cycle…" Her lips twitched again, trying to bring back the cheerful, clumsy Boss she always knew, "It won't end… if I die." She folded her lips in again, forcing back any future tears that tried to escape from their prison in her heart, "I just… can't move from here…" She bit back a sob, a loud audible one, "I don't know… how to move from this spot…"

"You'll be able to do it, Chrome."

Chrome changed her gaze, focusing on the source of the voice. Only one of the guardians had such an uplifting voice, that carried such weight, that carried that much optimism that never faded even when he was in a state of depression.

"Takeshi-kun…"

"After all you always try to the extreme with everything! This is nothing!"

Only one guardian could use the word 'extreme' in everyday language, could carry such vigor, could remain shining brightly with only just his voice.

"Ryohei-kun…"

"I want the old Chrome-nee-chan back. Buona fortuna (1)."

Only one guardian could hold that many tears in his voice and still speak, could speak Italian with such a childish voice, could make her listen with only so much as a whine.

"Lambo-kun…"

"Don't let that bastard drag you down. You're the Tenth's guardian."

Only one guardian had a voice that had that much raging fire to it, had that much dormant over protectiveness lying below the surface, had such silent respect that it was shocking.

"Hayato-kun…"

"Chrome, try your best. We're all here for you."

And finally, the kindest, softest and most encouraging voice of them all, the one with the most determination and obvious care.

"Boss…"

And with just a few words the other girls finally understood the family of Tsuna and his guardians. With just a few words from each of them Chrome looked brighter than when they were fretting ignorantly. With just their eyes they overtook what they could do with their hands. Was it really enough though? Chrome was still as white as porcelain china doll, her eyes only slightly more alive than the puppet ones they were like just moments ago.

Was her Family enough to put back the millions of scattered pieces known as Chrome? Or was there really only one person that knew the way to piece back the puzzle?

Okay, hate me. I hate me too. So, it's okay. I have a sinking suspicion that this chapter contradicts my third chapter but I'm way too sleepy to contemplate that now. I feel like the first part is really good then the middle and last part kinda suck. But I'll see what you think and edit it as I please~

By the way, I didn't do the quote thing 'cause one there weren't enough to give me anything and two some of them came when I had already written half the chapter so you know…

Okay! Review please! Loving you lovely people for not ditching this story!

Next Chapter: Rise or Fall (may change)

(1): Good Luck