Hibari wasn't always blind. It was an unfortunate accident that robbed him of his sight years ago. Despite this, he doesn't let it bring him down; what didn't kill him only made him stronger, he supposed. He detested it when people pitied him and treated him as if he were a weakling; as if he were a herbivore. So he fights, fights, fights even if he doesn't know what his opponents look like since it didn't matter to him anyway. He'd still paint a pretty picture with their blood for everyone to admire.

Crimson, vermillion, ruby, red; it was a lovely color, one he was sure to miss but it was alright. The scent, the feel, the warmth, it all drives him to a frenzy. It excites him. Never before has the feeling of blood on his skin been so vivid and clear, never before did he appreciate the rusty tang in the air whenever he "bit someone to death."

People feared him now more than ever.

Mukuro wasn't always mute. He used to speak, sing, emote and just about anything a normal person was able to do on a daily basis. It was when he was only seven when it had happened. His cute, dear sister Chrome heard something from the living room one night and got scared. Being the good older brother that he was, he told her to stay in his room and to call for help if he wasn't back in three minutes.

Entering the dimly lit hallways of their home, he took wary steps in the dark. He wasn't afraid of the dark but he had a gnawing feeling that there was something wrong and he only proved himself right when he padded onto a warm puddle of something that shouldn't be there. The metallic smell in the air had his stomach churning in disgust and with a shivering breath, he flips on the lights.

It's a macabre scene: his parents lay on the ground, a puddle of their blood spreading on the previously pristine tiled floor. "CHROME!" he called, his body trembling. His eyes strayed to his mother's disembodied arm, still clutching the telephone receiver and he paled. "Call the police-"

A knife pressed against his throat and he freezes. The stranger tells him that if he stays quiet, he might live. Mukuro knew he was lying. "CHROME!" he called again, fear evident in his voice as he pushed the stranger away. "RUN! HIDE!"

When help finally arrived, it was a little too late. Though they came just in time to save his little sister from the stranger, he was already bathed in his own blood, right eye gauged out and a slit at his throat in what was attempted murder. The doctors tell him that he's lucky to be alive.

Due to circumstances, he and Chrome were separated and sent to different families . . . but that was why he was here now, years later, in front of the gates of Namimori high. It was the middle of the morning, classes still on going, so the school grounds were relatively empty.

He didn't know where to go since most of the offices were empty so he decided to wander around his new school-to-be. The sound of the soles of his shoes echoed in the empty hallways and he found it amusing that they sounded so sharp and loud when he was alone. He peeked into ever room he passed in curiosity until someone else's footsteps joined his. Turning around, he forced a smile.

A raven haired boy, his uniform primp and pressed to perfection, stood at the opposite side of the hallway with a scowl on his face. "What are you doing here?" he asked, taking large strides towards the taller boy. Who dared walk his halls when they were supposed to be in class?

The indigo haired boy raises a questioning eyebrow but shrugs off the other boy's standoffish personality. He points to his lips and shakes his head. "I can't talk."

Hibari growls when he is met with silence. Does the herbivore think he can hide from him by being silent? He pulls out his weapons, a pair of tonfas, and lurches forward to where the other boy is standing. He may not be talking but the sound of him breathing was as loud as someone screaming in his ears. He pushes Mukuro against the walls, pressing his weapon against the other boy's neck. "Well?"

Mukuro panics slightly when he feels the metal brush against the scar on his neck. Relenting didn't seem like something the other boy would do and he tries to think of a way to speak to him. He points at his lips once more and shakes his head vigorously. "I can't talk!" he thinks violently loud in his mind but realizes that something is wrong. He waves his hand an inch away from the other's face but receives no reaction. "Oh."

Hibari is waiting for the other to respond and he's growing impatient. He presses a little harder.

Mukuro places his hand on top of Hibari's chest as a way of telling him to calm down. The raven haired boy only stiffens under his touch but it seems that he was willing to give the mute boy a second chance to explain himself.

Mukuro pulls his hand back slightly and, using his index finger, writes the words "I'm mute" on Hibari's chest slowly. He hopes that the other can understand.

When Hibari pulls back finally and keeps his weapons. "Why didn't you say so earlier, herbivore?" he asks with a huff.

Mukuro considers it as a round-about-way apology and smiles slightly. He grabs Hibari's hand in his own and writes on the other's palm "New student." Simple, he thought, but straight to the point. The raven haired boy seemed the impatient type anyway.

"New student?" Hibari questions to confirm. "Pinky for yes, thumb for no," he adds, the palm of his raised hand facing the ceiling.

Mukuro tilts his head to the side slightly but grabs Hibari's pinky in his hand anyway.

The boy nods and lets out a little sigh. "I see. I was expecting you," he says, walking down the hall and down the stairs. He gestures for the new student to follow him when he hears no other footsteps behind him.

It was by an odd chance of fate that Mukuro ended up in Hibari's class.

He stands up to introduce himself to the class, pulling the raven haired boy up with him. The class grew scarily quiet when the head prefect stood in front of the class next to the new student. They were expecting to see a fight (or murder, they couldn't tell) but all stood in silent awe when Hibari stayed calm.

Mukuro grabs the prefect's hand and writes down his introduction onto his palm.

Hibari sighs and reluctantly talks for him. "His name is Mukuro Rokudo and he's very pleased to meet all of you. He can't talk because he's mute. He asks you to take care of him and help him out while he's here" he says in a monotonous tone. He didn't like talking in excess and he folds one arm over his chest in annoyance.

The taller boy can sense his growing impatience and chuckles to himself before writing down a few more things on the other's palm.

Hibari's eyes widen, blush spreading throughout his face, and he snaps his head towards Mukuro's general direction. "I'm not saying that," he snarls and snatches his hand back before marching to his seat. He can feel his classmates' eyes on him so he shoots a glare at the whole class, his murderous aura so strong it's almost visible.

He resents the fact that the only empty seat in the classroom is the one next to him.

It was bumpy at first but their friendship blossomed into this weird relationship; a world they created around themselves that no one else could ever enter no matter how hard they tried (not that anyone did, anyway).

It was a rainy afternoon that day and Hibari stared blankly out the window of the disciplinary committee's office. He remembered what the rain looked like, how the clouds looked dark and ominous and sometimes reflected his mood. He used to love the rain but now it annoyed him. The once gentle pitter patter now sounded like a loud jackhammer against the hard asphalt.

The soft clinking of a tea cup catches his attention and he spins around in his chair, the fragrant smell of freshly brewed tea wafting in the air. He pulls his seat closer to his desk and nods his head once as a means of thanks. He grabs the cup, soothingly warm in his hands, and takes a sip.

Mukuro smiles gently and pulls a chair to join the prefect. He taps the back of Hibari's hand and the raven haired boy flips his hand, palm facing upwards. "Walk home?" he writes then retracts his hand to take hold of his own cup of tea. He watches the other boy's face.

Hibari shakes his head. "Not yet," he replies. The rain dulled his sense of hearing and he disliked feeling like he was completely blind. The rain still makes him sleepy though, so he folds one arm on the table and rests his head atop of it. "When the rain stops" he murmurs.

Mukuro sets his tea aside and mirrors the other boy, staring. After a few minutes of silence, he clutches Hibari's hand. "Do you like me?" he asks randomly.

The prefect looks up and raises an elegant eyebrow. "You're not as noisy as other herbivores," he replies and rests his head on his arm once more. He laughed inwardly in a bitter manner at the irony of his remark. Being disabled wasn't a laughing matter.

Mukuro nods slowly before resting his head on his arm as well. He smiled a little to himself and closed his eyes. Sometimes, he thought, Hibari could be cute unintentionally. He was very blunt but he was also very indistinct at other times, usually when it was only the two of them. He wonders if Hibari knows how beautiful he looks when one of his rare smiles creeps along his features instead of his usual scowl.

When he finally empties his cup of tea, it's nearly seven in the evening. The rain hasn't lifted and didn't look like it was going to stop any time soon. Mukuro stands up and walks up to Hibari's side and he taps him on the shoulder. When the prefect raises his hand, a reflex that he developed ever since meeting the indigo haired boy, Mukuro writes "Let's go home."

The rain is still loud in his ears and he blinks sleepily. "It's still raining," he points out.

"But it's late" Mukuro writes on the other's back. "Why are you being so stubborn?"

Hibari shoots him a glare. "Shut up," he snarls and stands up. Not only was it still raining but it also got stronger. Rain drops crashed against the room's window so loudly that he could barely hear himself talking even when he raised his voice. He walks across the room to retrieve his jacket that lay on the couch. He frowns when his knee bumps the edge of the coffee table.

Mukuro's eyes widen slightly in surprise. Though the prefect was blind, he never bumped into anything before. It was as if he had the layout of the room, the whole town even, mapped out in his mind. He walks up to Hibari and places a hand on his shoulder. "Are you afraid?"

The raven haired boy scoffs. "Why in the world would I be afraid?" he sneers.

"You're not alone."

Hibari jerks himself away from the other's touch and plops down on the couch. Maybe, in his subconscious, he was afraid. He's always been alone. Even after he lost his sight he was alone but that was partially his fault. He pushed away everyone who tried to help him because he was strong; because he didn't want their pity.

But maybe he didn't want to be so alone anymore.

Mukuro purses his lips in thought and sits down next to Hibari and he's glad that the other boy doesn't move away. He pushes his luck and places his hand over Hibari's clenched one and runs his thumb against the back of his hand in a manner he hopes is soothing. "You're not alone anymore," he repeats.

Hibari flips his hand and intertwines his fingers with Mukuro's in a tight hold. "I hate you," he says just loud enough to hear over the rain. "I hate you so much."

Mukuro smiles and stands up, pulling Hibari to his feet with him. He didn't need to tell him anything because he was pretty sure that the prefect knew what he was thinking anyway.

They finally leave the committee's office and descend the stairs. Their pair of footsteps echoed quietly in contrast to the rain crashing down on the earth. The school is empty now, save for a few teachers finishing up their paper work, and the halls are dim. Mukuro uses the wall to lead him in the dark, still clutching Hibari's hand tightly in his.

When they reach the front of the school, Mukuro holds up his umbrella above both their heads even though Hibari brought an umbrella of his own. The umbrella is somewhat useless, he notes, when they walk into the pouring rain when they still get wet.

The world is a blur to Hibari. All he knows is that there's someone next to him, leading the way. It's obvious enough that the only person brave enough (or someone extremely stupid) to hold his hand was a certain exchange student who couldn't talk. He grips onto the hand tighter as they walk through the rain.

Finally, they're under shade. He's not too sure but he assumes that the distance they walked was approximately as long as the distance to his home. He rummages through his pockets when he feels Mukuro grab his hand and wraps it around the door knob. He unlocks the door and enters his home and turns around to set his eyes on where he thought Mukuro was.

Mukuro still has his umbrella over his head and was about to walk to his own home when he feels Hibari grab the sleeve of his green jacket. He turns around with a confused look on his face.

"It's raining," Hibari says. Don't leave.

Mukuro smiles and closes his umbrella.