Title: Rebirth

Author: Metamorcy

Summary: Generations and years have passed continuously before Mukuro's eyes but throughout all those times, only one person has kept his interest and still continues to do so. 6927

Disclaimer: Not mine of course, I just own the plot for this

N/A: Please be aware that this is very long and can get quite…sickening and depressing at some parts. Those with weak stomachs be aware and there will be parts about history that will show up. For many things, please don't feel upset.

"No matter how many times he came back, the end result was always the same" – metamorcy

What do you think you're doing?

Sorry, but your existence is a menace to us. We need you to die.

Oya? You think I'll let you kill me?

That's the plan.

Well you'll have to do better than that, now won't you?

…

…

…

That's too bad. I was hoping for a more… fitting end. But I'll be back. I will always come back. I'll… have my… revenge.

'Here again, I see.' Mukuro whispered within his own mind, looking over the dark atmosphere, his eyes closed shut knowing full well that there was nothing out there to see. He already knew that it was pitch black. He couldn't even see his body-that is, if he had one. It was hard to tell, but even though he could feel himself, his flesh and the actions that he was moving one of his limbs, he couldn't see anything.

But he didn't mind this place. He was familiar with it. A place that did nothing; it didn't harm him, it didn't say anything. It was just there.

He would always come back here whenever he died, just before going to Hell. Hell, he laughed, was a pleasant place compared to this, but in the end, this quiet and calming atmosphere was so very different than anything else. He enjoyed this place and he knew he'd be back here once more. Right after escaping from Hell, he'd be here again, waiting to come back to the mortal world. Oh, yes, he'd be back. He always would. What number was the next reincarnation? Mukuro huffed, he seemed to have lost count after so many times. But each time he was reborn, there was no difference. Nothing had changed much. Perhaps the world had shifted and changed with the new technology, deaths, and births, but the humans were still the same. Just as greedy, just as destructive. There was no difference from one time to the next. And he hated them so much.

As he floated in the atmosphere, he opened his eyes when he sensed something flooding through his eyelids. 'Ah, there it is. Well, better get going now.' Mukuro smirked, finally able to see himself and started making his way towards the light that was before him, making his way towards the underworld.

1498 - England

Things had changed from the last time he had died, but it wasn't much. There were new things now, like stores. Still, he didn't care very much about these small things. However, he was in a different place now, by the looks of it, England. People were still using horses to get around and the accent the British spoke in was really hard to understand at times. Of course, being born here, he had an easier time learning the new language since he was young, quickly getting used to the new world. But that didn't matter to him. He liked the change.

Mukuro glanced around the area, finding it only somewhat interesting. People were walking down the dirt road, wearing those leather-like shoes, and the females had those puffy dresses. Regardless, the population looked all the same, with the same hair color and skin. He, on the other hand, stuck out like a sore thumb with his multi-colored eyes and blue hair. Because of that, people tended to leave a wide berth around him as he walked by, thinking of him as the devil, talking and whispering about him. Moving around the town halfheartedly, he turned a corner of a building, only to bump right into someone.

"Ah!"

Mukuro grunted, keeping his balance despite the heavy hit, and remained standing. The other person wasn't as lucky, falling to the ground from the force, and the man picked out the sound of something rolling on the ground. He didn't care much for what he had done, but being a gentleman raised by the British, Mukuro still kneeled down to help since he knew it was his fault. He wasn't that bad of a person to leave someone hanging.

Picking up the fallen food, he placed it into the straw basket that was next to the person and extended his hand for the other to grab. The younger man, a brunet, glanced up in curiosity, and blinked two large eyes before muttering a word of thanks. Mukuro was flashed a soft smile before the younger man grabbed the hand to let himself get pulled up and then his food. The brunet, probably about a teenager, bowed gracefully and nodded his head before making his way towards his destination.

Mukuro raised an eyebrow at that greeting, completely expecting the other to grab his stuff and run. He was well known to many as a dangerous person in this town so it was surprising to see someone act towards him normally. Humming to himself, he eyed the brunet curiously, maybe he should search this person out. Might be interesting.

Less did Mukuro know that the next day he would be burned to death for being falsely accused of witchcraft and having activity with demons.

Mukuro didn't like this era very much, especially because of the strong belief about witches and devils. He had met much worse from people before but he didn't enjoy getting killed off. But around this time period, for about the next hundred years, he didn't get a chance to live very long, as people often mistook his red eye as demonic. It was such a pity - he was regularly killed off before he turned six by his so-called parents, sometimes at the moment he was born. But he saw a glimpse of that person again. He wasn't sure if it was the same brunet from before though, his memory fuzzy after being reborn so many times. However, he had similar hair, those large innocent eyes, and other things, but his attitude was slightly different from before. The brunet was crueler, seemed to have been engulfed by the madness of the world, typical by the resident of the mortal realm. Either way, Mukuro did try to live long enough to see if he was really seeing the same person again, curiosity sparking his interest. But alas he was frequently burned alive and killed before that happened. Oh, well.

1566

"Hey, Mukuro, there's this new store that opened." The blue-haired man glanced over to the group of girls that seemed to follow him everywhere. He didn't mind since he was quite popular among the women due to his good looks and it suited him fine since he could always use these idiots of people to his advantage. It was different from before when he had been cursed by his good but unusual looks.

"Oya? There's a new store? What type?" Mukuro smiled, chuckling to himself, and allowed the women to hang off of him. It didn't matter much to him what they did, as long as they stayed out of his way.

"It's supposed to be a bakery. I heard that its sweets are the best."

"Is that so? Well, if you girls like it so much, I don't mind treating you to some cakes." Mukuro grinned, letting himself get dragged down the dirt road. He didn't really see much bakeries since things like cakes were difficult to bake. He wondered if it would actually be good. He hoped so. He was paying for it, after all.

Well, it didn't really matter to him. Money was useless, he could easily get it anywhere without much trouble, and he had no care for such pointless things. Not when he could die at any time and reincarnate a few years later. As he entered the little store first, noting that there were quite a few people already inside, he glanced around the room. It was a cozy looking place, nothing fancy, and he had to admit, he felt a little calm and relaxed in this atmosphere. He stepped towards the front and peered at the worker before pausing.

"Hi, how can I help you?"

Mukuro blinked, tilting his head as he looked the person over with wonder. The person, male, was cute and his multicolored eyes widened slightly in realization, he'd recognize that face anywhere. A flash of past memories erupted into his brain, the image of a brunet with gravity-defining hair and large honey-colored eyes appeared. A sudden thought slipped into his mind as he stared at those brown locks, was the hair soft to the touch? Just by looking at it, he had to take a gander that it was. But he refused to show any emotion or what he was thinking. Mukuro couldn't believe that there were other people like him, cursed to eternally live and die in an infinite cycle. But did the boy remember about him? Most likely not since their meetings had been so short. "Hmm… Well, what do you have?"

"Well, we sell cakes, pies, and many others. We have them on display if you'd like to see." The brunet motioned towards the display case that was made of glass, which was just recently made in this time period.

"I don't really care much for sweets. Just get these lovely girls whatever they want. I'll pay for it." Mukuro smiled darkly, continuing to stare at the other. "By the way, have I seen you before?"

The brunet tilted his head at that, biting his bottom lip as if he was thinking. "I…don't think so," his nose twitched and his eyebrows narrowed. "No, I'm certain I've never seen you before."

The blue-haired man 'hummed' to himself, finding the other extremely familiar. He was completely certain that this person was one and the same. "So what's your name?"

"My name?" Those large honey-colored eyes blinked and looked around for a moment, wondering why such a man was actually speaking to him. He got some glances from the other employees but ignored it. "It's Tsunayoshi but everyone calls me Tsuna for short. And you are?"

"Mukuro," The older man let out a chuckle. "Kufufu, it appears your name is quite fitting."

"Be quiet!"

Flashing a brilliant smile at the pleasant conversation, Mukuro turned back to the girls that were trailing behind him, tugging at his jacket. They were all demanding for his presence and disliked the brunet immediately for taking his focus away from them. With that, Mukuro was dragged away from Tsuna without really placing an order and at that moment, he didn't care much, putting the familiar sensation out of his mind.

To fulfill his curiosity, he came back to the store once more two weeks later, only to find out that Tsuna was sadly gone. And it was a month later in a newspaper clipping that there had been a terrible accident, a great fire that burned down a whole factory. Apparently, sixty-two people were burned to death and others that managed to escape were devastated or scarred. Mukuro didn't pay much attention to it until he noticed a familiar name in the list of deaths.

Hell kept getting more interesting to him every single time he died. He had been through three of the Hell's realms and although they were different, he managed to get through them with ease. But one realm wasn't that different from another in terms of what they did to the human souls. They were all similar to him. He could hear the screams of the tortured and the whips or any other torture devices used on the foolish humans. There were powerful demons and fallen angels among the creatures that existed here, wandering about or were settled in their little castles to watch the demonic world below. There were some beautiful looking demons and many others that were hideous, like those typically shown in movies and books. He snorted, this world felt like the mortal one, yet in a way, this place was…so much better.

Though he was human, he had his connections among Hell, very good connections. Every now and then, he would allow himself to go through another realm just for the mere entertainment, however, he could only go through three domains at the moment though - he needed to be more corrupt in order to go through the rest. Mukuro smirked, knowing full well that he was definitely going to accomplish that with time. He could use magic that was beyond human comprehension like illusions and spells. He would survive through each one and gain even more powers so that he could rule over the pathetic mortals.

Laughing at the thought, he shook his head. Ah, that wouldn't be too fun and it would be far too easy. It wasn't worth the effort and was a waste of energy. Smiling to himself, he went down the bloody pathway of skulls. His footsteps splattered the blood that was on the ground all over, even on his clothes, and he could still hear the cries of humans echoing.

Every now and then, he would pass an opening and saw humans being tortured. He would watch for a few moments, eyeing the way the demon skinned a thin layer of flesh off, the blood pooling around the spot, then dripped off, rolling down the flesh. Small lines of red decorated the pale skin. And then the demon would go back up to peel another layer of flesh, less than a centimeter wide. This process continued agonizingly until the very end where the human was begging. His ears could pick up the dripping of blood among the screams and the squishy sounds of muscles, organs, and everything else falling onto the ground.

Passing by, he continued to make his way down the dark corridor, never once bothered by the amount of death and blood that surrounded him.

1602 – Italy

Mukuro huffed. He closed both of his eyes shut for a moment and then opened them to peer around the cold room he had been in for a long time. The walls surrounding him were made of stone and his clothes were mere rags, offering little, if none, protection.

And he wasn't alone. There were others with him, all children around his age and younger huddled up together in the corners of the room to keep warm. The stone walls were freezing and there was hardly any air coming into the room. The large cell door seemed to mock Mukuro with its constant state and he was tempted to punch, claw, and do anything to it to change that.

He mentally cursed, he shouldn't have allowed himself to get caught. But as much as he wanted to break out and he knew he could, he didn't want to leave his-so-called younger sibling behind. Though he knew they weren't true siblings, though born from the same mother, he had been reincarnated multiple times. Regardless, he had to protect her and anyway, she wasn't really all that bad. The girl never complained, whined, and hardly spoke unless necessary. All she desired was to be near her older brother, her one and only wish.

"Nagi, dear, are you still cold?" Mukuro inquired, moving closer to his younger sibling. The girl slowly nodded her head and shifted closer for warmth, enjoying the touch of flesh against her own. It felt warm. Immediately, Mukuro wrapped his arms around the girl, pulling her closer. "Tell me, do you want to leave this place?"

"Of course, brother. I'll go wherever you go." Nagi stared up at him with her large purple eyes, blinking them slightly to push back the darkness in the room. Her hair was down, decorating her shoulders, and then closed both eyes to use Mukuro's shoulder as a pillow.

"I see." Chuckling, the illusionist glanced up towards the door and smirked. Now, he wasn't stupid; he always had a backup plan everywhere he went, even here. With his newfound ability, he could possess other people, willingly or not, so he nabbed a couple of workers around here with ease. But regardless of all he had done, this was the only place they could stay at the moment. Everywhere else was not very welcoming to a bunch of dirty kids if they appeared at their doorstep.

"Hm?" Blinking, Mukuro tilted his head upward in surprise before narrowing his eyes. It seems that all of a sudden, some of his connections had just disappeared. No…they were killed. He raised an eyebrow at that. Now that had been completely unexpected. He tried to find the reasons as to why through the remaining ones and smirked when he found the answer. 'So, we're being attacked.'

He could feel the opposing group moving closer to their location and he started hearing their footsteps echoing from the stone walls. Pulling Nagi closer to his body, he counted down the remaining time before the door blasted open and just as he reached the last digit, as he expected, an explosion occurred. Dust covered his vision and he could sense and hear the other children screaming out and moving around in fear. Nagi clutched to him and cowered beside him, afraid of what had just happened. He heard voices that were unfamiliar and more footsteps and as the dust cleared up, his multi-colored eyes made out a couple of figures that were standing in the doorway.

They were a mismatched bunch and all of them looked different from another. One man looked like a priest, another a general, another a cop, and much more. He glared, unafraid of showing his hatred, and observed the group as they stepped closer.

"Children?" One whispered under his breath in Italian, clearly surprised by the sight before him.

"So the rumors were true, they were keeping children here. How terrible…"

"To think this family would fall so low."

"Boss, what do we do with them? We can't leave them here."

Mukuro rotated to the other that was in the very front, looking over the blond locks and bright orange eyes. It was obvious that this person was the leader of the group and there was a glowing orange flame on the person's head. That light was bright compared to the darkness, in that it seemed to engulf everything in the room and it was so bright that everyone, including himself, couldn't help but stare. Finally, the man answered. "We'll put them into an orphanage so that these poor children will at least get the chance to live a normal life. That will be for the best."

"And their memories of this place?"

"Erase it."

Mukuro smirked in humor. There was no way in hell he would forget about this place, but he kept his mouth shut and followed the group out of this room. His legs felt odd, probably because of being trapped in this single room for so long but got them moving. He held onto Nagi tightly so that he wouldn't lose her, their bare feet touching the cold surface of the ground, and continued to keep up with the other children. The group of adults went onward beside them, taking out the enemies that got in their way. Mukuro's eyes remained on the blonde's head during the entire time. He felt a powerful sensation coming from the man and he was certain that that flame on the forehead meant something in this world.

Suddenly, the boss glanced back right at him with a serious expression and with one eyebrow raised up in curiosity, eyeing Mukuro carefully. The illusionist turned away immediately, keeping his eyes ahead, and holding onto Nagi. It was then he remembered hearing a conversation about flames back in Hell. 'Ah, a sky flame, so that's what it is.'

As the group made it outside, joining with other members that seemed to be connected with the ones around them, Mukuro made sure to keep his distance just in case, not willing to get any closer. While the children were eyeing their new surroundings and pointing out to things, whether in the sky or in the distance, Mukuro didn't bother with such worthless wonders. He observed the adults that had come with him. There were seven of them in total, each with a different flame and as he peered down at the rings on their fingers, he finally made the connection. 'I see, Vongola. How funny. Saved by another mafia organization.'

Suddenly, he tensed as the boss of the mafia came towards him and Nagi. He secured his sister behind him and glared, no trust within his eyes. As the blonde kneeled down, the flame on his forehead withered and disappeared, and soon after, a large smile blossomed on his lips. "Hello, there,"

The siblings glanced at each other in curiosity but didn't answer. It was almost like a flip in personality, from serious to bubbly. Mukuro couldn't help but feel like he was with someone familiar but he knew for a fact that there was no way the person he had been looking for. Their souls were too different.

"My name is Giotto. What's yours?" The older man shifted a little to straighten his cape and tilted his head to the side. Another man came closer, this one with bright red hair almost looking like pink, and a large tattoo covering half of his face. Giotto glanced up at the redhead and nodded his head towards him. "Ah, this is my right hand man, G. He looks scary and mean but he's really just a big pink puffball."

"Giotto!" G growled, tempted to smack on the other upside the head.

Nagi couldn't help but smile at the little fight but Mukuro continued to stare, not amused.

"I'm Mukuro and this is Nagi," the older of the siblings spoke coldly, catching the adults' attention instantly. "What are you going to do with us?"

Giotto's expression fell at the tone of voice the illusionist gave him and scratched his head. "You must have gone through a lot of terrible things in their care. I'm terribly so-"

Mukuro interrupted immediately, cutting the blonde off. "There's no need to apologize for something you didn't do. You didn't torture us, you didn't beat us, you didn't use us, and you didn't throw us into that deep dark and cold dungeon where there was never any light. No, instead, you brought us out. So there's nothing to apologize for. Instead, we should be thanking you for giving us our freedom back." Mukuro's tone was still emotionless, but the words he spoke were different. Nagi nodded her head from behind, agreeing with her brother.

"Big brother is right," she spoke in a soft, broken voice. It was obvious she had been abused and mistreated, and yet she was still able to stand and talk. It was all because of her brother taking care of her the entire time, making sure she got enough to eat, and getting the warmth her body needed.

Giotto chuckled at that, a smile blooming on his face. "Thank you. Well, come on, we need to get you all to a safe place. Hopefully, you'll never have to touch this cruel world ever again."

Mukuro only snickered at that. 'Kufufu, I highly doubt it.' Following the two, he tightened his grasp on his sister. 'But for now, it wouldn't be too bad.' Peering at Nagi, he gave a warm smile to comfort her and she in return stepped closer to bring their bodies together.

He had to consider himself lucky that he was finally able to live a normal life and spend most of that time with his lovely sister until he was fifty-four. Daemon Spade never realized that he didn't erase Mukuro's memories from that one time.

1697

Mukuro grumbled. He didn't like his new parents. They were… too pleasant with the whole fake smiles and whatnot. They were also extremely religious, but he was glad that they were not too fanatic enough to kill him. Still, he couldn't help but hate every moment of it. He didn't like them at all. They kept stuffing that religious bullshit down his throat and Mukuro definitely knew the truth to such things. He snorted at the word 'Hell' and 'damnation'. Look at him. He was still here despite doing so many wrongdoings.

And besides, Hell wasn't even that bad if one played his/her cards just right and that was something he was very good at. It was the reason why he could always get out and get reborn. During the time he had been down there, he had managed to travel through another realm of Hell and he enjoyed every moment of it. It was more interesting and definitely more entertaining than life on the surface.

Anyway, he was being forced to go to school to satisfy his 'parents'. He didn't mind it though, since it was more interesting than being at home with those idiots and all their crap. Not only that, there was someone in particular at that place he enjoyed seeing.

"So, Tsuna, what are we going to learn today for class?" Mukuro smirked happily, swinging his legs back and forth on the chair. His small feet barely reached the ground and he tilted his head, staring curiously at the other.

The brunet sighed, running a hand through his hair. "Mukuro, please use my proper title. It's not right to call your teacher by their first name, much less a nickname."

"That doesn't matter to me. I'll call you whatever I want and hitting me isn't going to make me stop," the child chuckled his normal laughter, leaning forward, with his one eye staring at the brunet intently. He had been surprised when he saw Tsuna teaching him but was happy regardless, blessing his luck in this his new life.

"Mukuro, what would your parents say if they heard that?"

"Nothing much. They either won't care or will curse God's so called name at me." Glancing away, he turned his one eye, his other in a patch, towards the window, seeing the other kids his age playing outside in the sun. Though he looked like a child, mentally he was far from one, and while Tsuna noticed the intellectual difference, he never suspected the real reason. Mukuro had actually lost count of his real age, as there was really no point in keeping tally, not when he has also lost awareness of how many times he had been reincarnated.

Tsuna sighed and didn't mention anything further. He was well aware that the child's parents didn't like him at all by the way they cursed him out and shoved the poor boy around. He couldn't help but believe that for the bluenette, his school was considered a safe haven. "Well, I guess we could do math."

"Not interested. I already know everything you want to teach me."

Tsuna twitched. "You're the one that asked."

"Well, give me something more interesting – like science. I'm interested in that."

At that, Tsuna's became uncomfortable. "You know I'm not allowed to teach that. The people here don't like it," he shifted to the side of his chair, looking away. "Everyone here is so religious."

"Well, I don't care. I'm definitely not religious and you already know that I know everything you can teach me."

"But…"

"Please?"

Grumbling under his breath, the brunet pouted and shook his head. "I just can't. If the townspeople were to find out, I'd be just lucky if I lost my job and not my life."

Mukuro huffed at that, he couldn't say anything to that. If they did find out, Tsuna would definitely be burned alive. Pity. He wanted to read more about the new science that was starting to appear in their world. It was much more interesting than anything else. Even Tsuna had to agree with him on that.

For the next few days, he enjoyed messing with Tsuna, staying around him even following him home to stay for dinner. The brunet normally fussed when he stayed out so late but didn't bother making an attempt in getting the other home, knowing full well about the conditions the child would have to face upon entering that door. Tsuna didn't want Mukuro to suffer and even with all the little fights they got into, he still enjoyed his company. Mukuro was the only person that would actually talk to him without making fun of him for his girly features or clumsy form.

They lived happily together, almost a normal life, when one day, death came stepping onto their doorstep.

"Tsunayoshi! Come out this instance!" A loud booming voice awoke the two on the couch, peering at each other in curiosity. Their blood ran cold when they saw the bright orange lights from the windows, surrounding the little home on every side. Tsuna's normally peachy skin paled to a horrified white, beads of sweat started to form around his forehead. He managed to stand up, his legs shaking, and went towards the front door. Mukuro trailed behind, keeping close to his teacher, and reached over to clutch the man's leg. He wasn't scared of death. No, he was afraid for Tsuna's life.

As the door opened, the lights from the fire became clear to their eyes. Tsuna almost fainted right then and there. "Y-Yes? W-What's g-g-going on?"

The village leader stepped forward, holding something akin to a book. Tsuna gasped at the sight, his body feeling like it was about to crash. Those were his. "These abominations must be destroyed and you with them!"

"W-What? But why me?" Tsuna cried out fruitlessly, his voice cracking at the sheer fear of what was happening before him.

"You'll spread these evil lies among us and then make us turn against each other. As the village leader, I must have you eliminated in order to keep the peace of this village."

The people began to close in on them, Tsuna shoving Mukuro behind him as if trying to protect the other, and stared ahead towards the angry villagers. He couldn't believe that this was happening to him. He never expected himself to die like this. Glancing down towards Mukuro, who had a calm expression on his face, Tsuna smiled. 'At least I can die knowing I protected someone.'

Suddenly, he was shoved aside by the same person he was supposed to protect.

"Wait! It's not Tsunayoshi's fault! It's all mine!" Mukuro ran before the crowd standing right in front of Tsuna with his arms spread wide. He glared at the villagers, all of them holding flaming torches, the light from it glowing in the darkness. "Those books belong to me, not him. Since I couldn't leave them at home," he turned to glance at his 'parents' at that, who flinched at his gaze. "I had him take them without knowing what they were. He just put them onto his shelves as asked. Now he's just taking the blame for me because he wants to protect me."

There was a murmur within the group and they all turned to the two once more. Suddenly, they were rushing forward to separate the two. Tsuna tried to yell for them to stop, tried to tell everyone that it was a lie, but no one listened to him and he was jostled aside. Everything to Mukuro happened in a blur and he soon found himself inside a cold cell, listening to the water drip from the ceiling. His arms had been chained to the wall and his legs were shackled together, both preventing him from escaping. He smirked and closed his eyes, his mind drifting away from this place.

'I…wonder why I did that…Why did I throw away my life to protect Tsuna?' Those thoughts seemed to repeat in his head. He didn't understand it. His body and mouth just automatically responded upon the scene. 'Doesn't matter though. I'll just be reborn again.'

"Mukuro?"

Snapping his head up and bringing his mind back to himself, Mukuro peered at the person that was standing at the entrance of the prison cell. His eyes widened upon the sight and blinked to make sure he was actually seeing correctly. "T-Tsuna?"

The brunet smiled softly, relief showing in his eyes, and brought himself closer to the steel bars. "You're okay. Thank goodness," He so badly wanted to reach out for the child to comfort the illusionist since this was all his fault. "Mukuro…why did you do that?"

"Oya, oya. You're asking that now? I have my own reasons but you should live the rest of your life as peacefully as possible. That's all I can say," the illusionist chuckled. "I'll be fine even when I die. So live on for me, get married, have children, and all that bullshit that goes with it."

"Mukuro…"

"Trust me, it's better me than you. I'll see you at the time of my execution." Mukuro gave a soft smile, looking over the frantic teacher. He could hear the muttering of 'No' under Tsuna's breath as the brunet was dragged away by the officers in the building, leaving Mukuro all alone in that tiny room. Gazing upward, he could see light coming from the window right above his head and recognized that the sun was starting to set in the distance. A day had almost passed by and tomorrow would be his death. That was his fate. It seemed like he had a habit for dying violently. Closing his eyes, he decided that it was best to get some more rest before his death sentence.

Hours passed and he was woken up to some shaking and sounds of metal moving around. As his eyes opened up, his vision slowly started to clear up from the fogginess of his slumber to make out a shadow before him. He momentarily tensed up, not sure on what was going on, and wondered if it was already time for his execution. Mukuro didn't even notice that his arms felt light and his legs were no longer weighted down. "Hmm? Who?"

"Shhh…" A voice whispered out from the shadow, the lining of a person slowly forming before his eyes. A finger came up and was placed gently on Mukuro's lips to convey the meaning. "I need you to be quiet, alright?"

The illusionist blinked his eyes, starting to make out the person before him. How could he not? He could recognize that spiky gravity-defying hair anywhere. No one else in the damn village had it. "Tsuna? What are you doing?"

"Shh! Be quiet!" Tsuna whispered loudly, taking the rest of the chains off, trying to keep them from rattling too much. "You're escaping."

This made Mukuro snap awake. "What? Why? What about you? If they find out, they'll kill you too."

"I'm coming with you," Reaching over, the brunet rubbed the top of Mukuro's hair affectionately with a warm smile. He cupped a cheek gently and stared into the multi-colored eyes without any fear. "You saved me so now it's time for me to return the favor." Leaning over, Tsuna kissed the child on the head. "So thank you."

Mukuro couldn't reply in response to that and actually found himself blushing bright red, never had really been thanked like that before. It was…different. Before long, his entire face was turning the same color and he forced himself to stare at the ground to keep the other from finding out. Slowly, he followed his teacher out, getting onto his feet and moving towards the opened cell door. "How did you get down here anyway?"

Glancing back, Tsuna grinned. "I just snuck in through the back. It was kinda easy since it's so late right now. But I'm more worried about how we are supposed to get out. You'll be spotted right away if we aren't careful. Maybe I should make you wear a cloak or something to cover you."

Mukuro shook his head. "No, it's alright. It's too dark for them to recognize me. The moon isn't even out either so we should be fine." the child smirked, making a small movement to cast a simple illusion around them. To everyone else, they would not exist, invisible to everyone else. It was quite easy, really. And this would ensure their escape.

Tsuna, of course, was somewhat startled by that response but put no thought into it. He was just thankful that he could make his way out of the jail so easily without alerting anyone, since he was so clumsy. During their way out, he had knocked over a couple of things and dropped others by accident when bumping into it. Mukuro was really glad that his illusion covered up everything or else they would have been found out a long time ago even before leaving the cell. Though that reminded him, just how did Tsuna get in here without doing something stupid? Much less, how did he get the keys? It was very odd. Pushing that thought out of his head, they eventually exited the building by passing the back door, sneaking pass the sleeping guard that was supposed to be watching the area.

Glancing upward towards the sky, Mukuro blinked. It was dark. He couldn't see the stars or the moon, just the never-ending pitch blackness. There were torches here and there but nothing else to illuminate the village of their presence in the darkness. Tsuna smiled at that and pulled the other along from house to house, hiding behind in the shadows until they got to the brunet's place. The moment they stepped inside, the two could feel the tension slipping away now knowing they were safe and out of everyone's view point. Mukuro immediately took off the illusion over them, finding no need to do so anymore, and felt a little winded from just a small use of power. Though he was powerful, his tiny body couldn't handle the power surges like his older forms could. Grumbling, he couldn't wait until he was a little older to do some damage. He would enjoy taking revenge on the town for their treatment.

"So why are we here?" Mukuro asked, glancing over the familiar rooms, not spotting a single thing that had been changed.

"I need to grab a few things for our escape, like food and extra clothes."

"Ah."

"What about you? Do you need anything from your home?"

Instantly, the bluenette shook his head. He had nothing in that hellhole. Tsuna tilted his head at that, not questioning it, and began making his way around his place, collecting everything into a couple of bags. Once he finished, he quickly made a meal for them, knowing that they would need as much strength as possible to make the run during the middle of the night. It would be dangerous, Tsuna knew that. There were all sorts of things in the forest, they could be attacked by animals, wolves or bears, and die. He shivered at that and glanced around his kitchen to keep his mind off it. His eyes caught sight of a small butcher knife and picked it up, feeling the weight in his hands. He didn't like it. He never liked taking a life, even if it was an animal. It just didn't feel right. Every life was precious in his mind.

"Tsuna, I can do it."

Snapping his head up and behind, the brunet peered at the small child that had found his way to his side. "W-What?"

"You don't need to kill. I can do it. I've done it before," Mukuro pulled the knife out of Tsuna's hand, flipping it casually with ease. "It's not that bad of a blade but you'll need a better one if you're going to fight off wolves. Do you have a gun?"

"G-Gun?" Tsuna gasped out, reaching up to his chest. "Why would I have such a terrible thing?"

Mukuro wiggled his nose and then tilted his head. They would need it for protection. A knife could only do so much. Closing his eyes, he turned around. "I'll be right back. Don't leave." Handing the knife back over, he made his way out the little home, well aware of Tsuna calling after him. The brunet stared, watching as Mukuro disappeared into the darkness and sighed, not sure what the other was going to do much less what was going to happen next. Resigning to what had happened and knowing he couldn't do everything, Tsuna continued to pack and was just about finished when the front door of his house opened up. When he looked back, he almost dropped his stuff in shock.

"W-What are you carrying?" Tsuna almost screamed at what Mukuro was holding in his arms so easily. The gun, a rifle to be exact, was placed on the child's right shoulder and there were two boxes, obviously bullets, in Mukuro's left hand.

The illusionist wiggled his nose at the obvious. "A gun, of course, and some extra bullets."

"I can see that! Where did you get them?"

"I 'borrowed' it from the neighbors."

Tsuna didn't look convinced by the little lie. "You stole it, didn't you? You know that's a bad thing you've done. You shouldn't do such things. The people here will only hate you more."

"If they already hate me enough to kill me, stealing won't do much worse," Mukuro shrugged, stepping further into the house, and placed the items onto the table. After that, he went into the back of his pants and pulled out something else.

"You have another one?" the teacher could only stare, unable to understand how such a small child could do such terrible things and so easily.

"It's a pistol."

"I can see that. Why a pistol? You already have a rifle."

Mukuro folded his arms and smiled. "Does it matter? A pistol is easier for someone like you to use."

Tsuna gapped. "Me? I don't want to use it!"

"Tch!" Grumbling under his breath, the illusionist shoved the weapon forward. "Look, you said you were going to escape with me and you need something to defend yourself once the villagers here find out. They're not going to be nice once they catch up. They will kill us and burn us both alive. But that doesn't mean you have to use it right away. It's for your own protection. Use it when you need to." Mukuro muttered the last few parts, once more reminding himself that Tsuna didn't like killing at all. It was against the brunet's very nature. But Mukuro knew deep within himself that it wasn't a bad thing, it was something he liked about him. "Just keep it on hand, alright?"

Sighing and surrendering at the logic, Tsuna nodded, placing the small weapon into his bag. They were finished with packing and were ready to leave in the cover of night, knowing that if they didn't leave anytime soon, they could get caught or someone would announce that Mukuro had gone missing. Slowly, they made their way out of the house and then the village as quietly and quickly as possible. They didn't want to wake anyone up and as they reached the forest that surrounded the place, Tsuna paused to take a glance back.

"Are you going to miss this place?" the brunet asked, looking down at the child for a second.

"No. I won't."

An immediate answer, but Tsuna couldn't blame him. He too wouldn't miss this place much.

Making their way into the woods, they began their harsh traveling to the next town or city.

Mukuro spent much of his time with Tsuna, traveling from place to place, never really finding a place to call home. But that suited him just fine. As long as he was with Tsuna, he had no problem with the traveling. And either way, this was considered light compared to the things he has gone through in his previous lives. But along the way, he couldn't help but open up to the brunet, telling him things he normally wouldn't tell anyone else. And one day, he told him about his true identity. Tsuna had been shocked but took it in regardless, always knowing that something was a little off about the other. He had accepted Mukuro's story without any hesitation.

One day as they were passing by a village, they were stopped by some officers. Tsuna and Mukuro looked at each other curiously, not sure what was going on and followed. But they realized upon arriving at the chief's office that they were trapped.

"W-What's going on?" Tsuna cried out, officers holding back his arms, same with Mukuro. The child took everything calmly, trying to figure out what the hell was going on. "What are you doing? We haven't done anything yet."

"We have reasons to believe that you're traveling witches," the chief announced, looking down at the two. "So we'll be holding a trial to prove your innocence."

"What do you mean 'traveling witches'? There's nothing you can pin onto to us," Mukuro spoke, glaring at the taller man. So many thoughts were going through his head. He already knew about the outcome the moment they stood up there for trial, they would immediately be considered monsters and would be put to death. 'I guess I can't escape my fate.'

"That doesn't matter. We have a witness saying that you were doing magic tricks. That's all we needed to know."

"But he's just a child!" Tsuna cried out, trying to defend Mukuro to the best of his ability.

"No matter. A witch is a witch and must be dealt with accordingly…with death."

No words could be passed and the two were tossed into a holding cell together. Tsuna wrapped his arms around the bluenette, holding the child closely, and petted the soft hair gently. "To think that this would happen after two years of traveling…"

"Yes, neither of us could see this happening. We should find a way to escape somehow," Mukuro peered out the place, trying to figure out where the best opening was. "I could use my powers…"

"No…" Tsuna tightened his grasp. "Don't. If they were to see you use it, they'll just kill us on the spot."

"Then, we'll just use it as a last resort if they decide to kill us."

Sighing, Tsuna couldn't say anything else to that. He held onto the illusionist, sitting in silence, and waited for their trial. Mukuro wasn't surprised when it came around. He knew about the answer even before they went in. Humans are so closed-minded, terribly so. Oh, how he hated people. The only human he liked, enjoyed being with, was Tsuna. Everyone else could just die, they were nothing more than pawns. And just as Mukuro expected, the trial was pointless. The jury had already decided their answers even before they stepped in.

"Guilty."

There was a roar of agreement among the people that were inside the court and the two at the front could only stare ahead. Tsuna gaped in shock, not believing his ears, and collapsed to the ground in terror. Mukuro, on the other hand, knew that this would happen from the beginning and sighed, closing his eyes. Peering at the brunet, he started to make his way over when something caught his eyes. Widening them upon realization, he called out in terror. "Tsuna! Look out!"

"W-What?" The brunet peered up but it was too late. There was a click and he froze, knowing that sound too well. He gasped, afraid of what was going to happen next before taking a deep breath. His eyes went towards Mukuro and smiled, muttering a few words under his breath.

"Tsuna!"

A resounding sound echoed in the court and Mukuro could only stare in dread as he watched the other's lifeless body collapsed to the ground. His legs shook and he screamed. Rushing forward, he fell to Tsuna's side and held the body up in his arms, peering down at the face.

"Why…" A whisper slipped passed his lips and he peered up the man that had done the deed. "Why…"

"He's a witch and witches must be killed. It's the law."

"For such a stupid reason…" Mukuro grinded his teeth together, rage quickly filling him up and his hands shook. Placing Tsuna's body onto the ground gently, making sure the eyes were closed shut, and tried to make Tsuna appeared peaceful. He stood up, his face darkened and disfigured in the mere anger. Turning around to glance at the people in the room, he reached up to rip his eye patch off, tossing it to the side. His blood red eye opened for the first time in a long while and it hurt from the contact with the air. Bringing his arm out, he summoned his weapon, the trident, and slammed the end of it down to the ground. "Now then, how shall I punish you all? You wanted a witch, right? Well, I'm afraid you don't get to have one. No, I'm a demon."

As he finished his words, he summoned fire below his feet, engulfing the entire court room. He could hear the people screaming loudly in fright, watching as their faces and skin melted off. The smell of burning flesh reached his nose and he took it in, recognizing it from Hell. A dark aura surrounded his small childlike form and his cursed eye was bleeding. If those that saw him, it looked like he was crying tears of blood. Everything surrounding him was burnt to mere char, while that small patch where his feet stood and where Tsuna laid was safe and untouched.

Before long, he reached down to start pulling the brunet out of the area and outside. The moment he did so, he used his powers to torch everything he saw. He didn't care who died as long as they suffered. Children, women, nothing mattered to him. Girls were running around while the children were slaughtered without a thought, mothers next to them, lying on the ground with their organs scattered and the children resting beside them. Some of the men's faces were twisted into agony and their bodies distorted and twisted terribly into awkward positions.

His laughter echoed within the massacre, mixed into the screams and yells. Bodies were scattered on the ground, buildings burnt down, until there was no one left but smoke and ashes. No one escaped, he made sure of that. Mukuro continued to pull Tsuna with him, his trident gone from his hand to use more physical strength. He went to the nearest graveyard, his body completely exhausted beyond repair. He had used too much of his power. He had even used the ones to shorten his lifespan and had done far too much. Groaning as his body started to shut down inside of him, he propped Tsuna up against a large tree and lay next to him, his head on the brunet's shoulder. Slowly, he closed his eyes. He knew exactly where he was going and he couldn't wait for it. He wanted to see the other again, no matter what. He was going to. With that thought in mind, he died.

"I really enjoyed being with you, Mukuro. Thank you for all the times we spent together."

Mukuro decided that in order to make sure he would be able to protect Tsuna, he would need to get stronger. So for the next couple of years in Hell, he trained to become as powerful as possible. He went under the wings of many demons and he went through two more realms. Eventually, he met Lucifer, the ruler of Hell himself. He smirked upon the meeting, peering over the demon before him without care. The other did the same before both began to laugh cruelly. Ah, they were quite similar in mentality.

The knowledge he gained in that other world was unbelievable and there were things that he had originally thought was impossible could happen. It was amazing and he absorbed everything he could. He knew that the next time he was reincarnated, he would make sure that he was the strongest no matter what.

Year 1798

When Mukuro was born during this time period, there wasn't much for him to do. He couldn't find Tsuna anywhere. And he had searched. From country to country he went thoroughly through each city, town, village, and any other places he came across along the way. His powers had grown tremendously but there was still that annoying side effect of the overuse. It was a pain, but as his physical body aged, he could easily use more powers without having to worry about any of the effects. It was great. He felt superior compared to the rest of the puny mortals. They would all die and though he would as well, he would always be back.

But sadly, he was too late, for Tsuna had already had passed away. It was quite tragic that he had just missed the other. Perhaps, if he had arrived earlier he could have prevented it but no matter, what was done was done.

This time period was uninteresting. But he did notice that in Italy, the mafia was getting larger, more powerful. The original idea of it was gone, and now it was all about corruption and power. How pathetic. He enlisted himself into one group, the same one that had tortured himself and his sister all those years ago and within one night, he slaughtered them all in revenge. Ah, it felt great to be able to use his abilities to their full extent.

He did stumble across Nagi again and befriended her once more. Nothing much occurred but they did end up almost looking like brother and sister when she suddenly decided one day to conform to his ideals and style. He had been surprised to see that happen but pushed it out of his mind. Perhaps it was fate or the sensation of the past that had influenced her decision.

No one bothered to question their relationship and left it alone. They announced themselves as siblings and that was it.

Nagi's parents were uncaring, never bothering to look at her, so Mukuro in due course killed them in secret. She eventually found out a few months later, but she didn't care, she never loved her family anyway. She had someone more important in her life, someone that actually cared.

"Mukuro-sama," Nagi spoke softly, clinging to her brother's arm.

"Hm?" he peered down at her before following her lingering gaze to a window of a store. Inside were some pretty-looking dolls and clothes. Girly type of stuff, he surmised. He should have expected that. Though he was physically two years older than Nagi, she was still a seventeen-year-old, still a child. "Kufufu, do you want something? I can get it for you."

Nagi went quiet at that, staring at the ground in embarrassment.

"Oya, oya. Come now, what would you like? I can afford any and all you wish for."

With that, Nagi blushed and raised a hand up to point to a single object. Mukuro followed the hand to a small doll that seemed separated from the rest. It was plain and lonely looking. The illusionist quickly connected the dots and couldn't help but think it looked and felt like Nagi herself.

"That one, huh? It looks just like you. Alright, then," Mukuro pulled his little sibling into the store and quickly bought the little doll. The store clerk didn't think much on the pair, smiling at the sight of the two. The moment Mukuro got the doll in his hands, he passed it over immediately. "This now belongs to you, Nagi. Take care of it, alright?"

"Yes, Mukuro-sama. Thank you." Nagi held the doll close to her heart, closing her eyes in happiness.

Mukuro smirked softly. It wouldn't hurt to live a while longer for her sake, and he did until he was seventy-four. This had been the first time he had ever lived that long but it didn't matter to him much. He remained by Nagi's side until she died, with him then committing suicide to go to the next life. He left nothing behind - no lovers, no children, no fortune. Nothing. It didn't matter, after all.

Year 1888

He was in England again, staring down at a corpse that was lying at his feet unmoving. His fingers were bloody and his clothes were splattered with red as if decorating it brilliantly. The warm liquid dripped down his cheeks and he couldn't help but lick his lips, tasting the salty copper in it. Gazing over the body before him with disgust, he kneeled down and continued to cut through the flesh, ripping apart the skin to get into the insides. The woman was dead now, long gone after having her stomach was torn open. Mukuro, of course, made sure not to leave any evidence behind but continued to cut, to tear into the deeper cavities of this ugly body. He didn't care much for it. He just enjoyed it. He wanted to make a mark onto this world, to see if he would still be remembered later on in the years, it was now a game to him. Would he be remembered for all his crimes? Would his terrible deeds be craved into history for those later to learn?

He hoped so, it would be so entertaining. As he ripped out the uterus that only a woman could have, he dangled the gory organ before his eyes, watching as blood dripped down his hands and the flesh. Slowly, the redness faded away as the blood was drained and he could see the cooling organ clearly. It was quite ugly. To think that he was created and born into one of these things. Dropping the appendage carefully into a box, he wrapped the outside in paper and then a bow on top to disguise it. He didn't want anyone to think otherwise on the contents within.

As he finished up, his nose caught the strong scent of perfume, fear, and blood mixed wonderfully into the air and he loved it. He should have done this years ago. It was so much more fun than just living as normally as possible with the other humans. At least this way, he was different, he was stronger, a monster among the normal population. He grinned dangerously at the thought, licking his lips again. Putting his knife away, he used a quick illusion to cover his bloodied clothes, as well as to hide himself while leaving the house. He made sure that his shoes were clean as to not leave a trail of bloody footsteps later on when the illusion faded, and closed the door behind him.

Breathing in the dirty London city air, he made his way down the street, exiting out of the back alleys where the whores and prostitutes populated the place. Such a disgrace, such disease-filled creatures. They weren't even worthy of calling themselves humans anymore, since they willingly sold themselves to other scum's of this world. They should all be eradicated completely.

Holding the box closely to his chest, he appeared before the crowd of normal people, blending in easily. He looked like a normal person probably holding a present or gift for someone else. The bow on the box was a dead giveaway, if only they knew the truth. Just as he passed the next street, letting a carriage pass before him, he froze.

It wasn't possible. Again? Mukuro's eyes widened at the site, watching as a small brunet passed before him on the other side of the street. He almost dropped the box in surprise, not expecting such a thing to happen. 'Tsuna…?' He grinded his teeth together, eyes narrowing. 'Could he be trapped like me? No…he probably doesn't remember anything though…'

He couldn't resist, he had to meet the other again. Such curiosity was getting the better of him. Striding over smoothly, he looked over the other closely. Tsuna was the same as always, same height, same hair, and same features. There was no difference whatsoever. Mukuro was tempted to reach forward and yank the other towards his way but resisted and instead tapped the other on the shoulder.

The brunet glanced up at the touch and turned around towards him with those same large honey-colored eyes. "Um, yes?"

"Hello, it's nice to meet you again," Mukuro smiled devilishly, chuckling to himself. He wanted to toss the box out soon, the flesh would start to rot soon if he didn't, and the smell would be terrible.

Tsuna blinked in surprise, letting a pause settle between them before responding, confusion evident on his expression. "I'm sorry, I don't think we've ever met before."

'So he really doesn't remember. Lucky. Oh, well.' Mukuro sighed and thought up of a lie. "Well, it was a long time ago. I'd be surprised if you did remember me. I hardly remember much of the incident."

"Oh? How long?"

"Very, I don't remember very clearly as I did. But I still remember your face. It was by chance though but to think I'd see you again, what are the chances of that?" Mukuro could still feel the blood dripping down his clothes and hair. He needed to leave soon to clean himself, but he didn't want to. He wanted to find out more of this person, that and he just couldn't get his feet to move. "I'm Mukuro."

"Tsunayoshi, but please call me Tsuna. Everyone does," Smiling brightly, the brunet bit his bottom lip. "Well… Umm…"

"Oya? You must be uncomfortable about suddenly meeting someone you don't know, correct?" the illusionist smirked when he got a cute squeak and watched as Tsuna's face lighted up. "It's alright. I'll let you go for today. But would it be alright to meet you again? I'd like to know more about you."

Tsuna stared at him in surprise, mouth dropping a little. Why? Was he shocked about something? Mukuro didn't understand but he never did understand Tsuna all the time in the past. "R-Really? You want to talk to me?"

"But of course. Or else I wouldn't be here now, would I? Tell me where you live or I can tell you my address. I can visit you tomorrow or perhaps later."

"Tomorrow!"

Mukuro jumped at that, not expecting the yell. He could see Tsuna's eyes lighting up brightly and could tell that the other was tempted to reach out and grab him. He kind of wondered what would happen if the other did. He wanted to know. Reaching out, laughing at the reaction, he tapped Tsuna on the head. Mukuro couldn't help it, he was so familiar with the other, and settling back into his old habits were easy. Tsuna was probably the only one he felt… comfortable with. He patted the soft hair, enjoying the feeling of the silkiness in-between his fingers. Face flushing bright red, Tsuna stared at the ground. This was the first time someone other than his parents had touched him like this.

"Kufufufu, I'll see you tomorrow then. I guess I'll head to your place," Taking his hand away, he reached down to take the address, storing it into his wallet. "I'll come by in the morning, Tsuna."

"Right…" At that, the brunet couldn't help but notice the package in Mukuro's arms, wondering what was inside and who it was for.

Twitching at that, Mukuro smiled. "This is for a friend. A very ungrateful one at that, always demanding things from me. Maybe I should dispose of them one day, at least then I won't have any more headaches."

Laughing, not aware of the meaning behind Mukuro's words, Tsuna clapped his hands together. "Well that person is still lucky if they're getting something from you. But you should be careful with what you say. With all those murders that have been happening these days, there's no telling what someone might think if they heard you say that."

"Oh, yes, the murders. Hmm… but they are mainly prostitutes, yes? To be honest, I don't see much harm in killing them off. It's like the killer is taking the filth off the streets. You would say the same if the person killed wife beaters and those that rape, whether it is a woman, man, or child." Mukuro's eyes darkened at that, a dark smile appearing on his lips. He was right, there was no way around it. The Scotland Yard were useless fools, unable to do anything right.

"True…" Tsuna whispered, not able to find it in himself to retort back to that. What Mukuro was saying was the truth. "But they are still human. Life is precious. However, I can't disagree with you. The world would be a whole lot safer without them. But I wish they hadn't give the killer a name. Jack the Ripper. Now the newspaper is just advertising him."

"That's true."

They were now silent, not sure on what to say next. Tsuna just stood there, looking really out of place, but so did Mukuro with his vivid hair color. "Well, you have my address and everything. Will I really see you tomorrow?"

"But of course. I promise and I always keep them."

Smiling softly at that, the brunet nodded his head happily, letting out a small noise from the back of his throat before turning around. He gave a small wave before running off, unaware that Mukuro was still watching him from behind. The illusionist stood still in his spot, staring at the other until he disappeared among the crowd. He could feel the wind moving his hair around and he reached up once to push some of his bangs that had gotten caught on his lips. People continued to move lifelessly around him, following their way of life like robots. They were all dull in color but Mukuro was different, he was colorful, vivid in so many ways. He was a blue spot in all the white and black.

Smirking to himself, he wandered off, heading towards the butcher in the lower levels of the city. The people there were always hungry and if they could get their hands on any amount of meat for a decent price, they'll take it without caring where it was from. He wondered where this piece of flesh would go; would it go to a family's dinner plate or perhaps a banquet? The options were limitless.

Over the next few days, Mukuro came over as often as possible, meeting up with Tsuna at his place. The older man didn't mind going over and enjoyed every moment of it. Though he didn't notice it all that well, the rest of England did. The killings he enjoyed doing decreased until there were no more. He spent most of his time with Tsuna and then a year passed by. People believed that Jack the Ripper had been killed or caught for something else but no one's theory was right. Mukuro smirked in humor as he read over the newspapers that were littered with Jack the Ripper's past doings. All were wrong, all were useless.

Still, his time with Tsuna had diminished his want to destroy. No, he'd rather be with the brunet than soak himself to the bone with blood and organs. But his ability to kill still didn't leave him. His fingers still twitched when he saw someone that deserved to die pass him, with or without Tsuna next to him.

"Hey Mukuro, where are you taking me today?" Tsuna clung to Mukuro like always, eager for the older man's attention. Mukuro was his first real friend since…well, forever. He had been alone so long, with only luck being on his side so that he didn't have to sell himself out just to live. But it was all worth it now that he met Mukuro. Tsuna was showered with gifts and acceptance. He enjoyed every moment of it. How could he not? Before, he had been bullied, ridiculed, friendless, and jobless. Not a single person wanted to be beside him. He didn't understand why but it didn't matter anymore. Now he was happy and with some help from the other, he managed to land a great paying job. Everything was going great, nothing could be more perfect.

"To the movies. I heard that something good is on," Ruffling Tsuna's hair, Mukuro smirked darkly, able to hear his footsteps echo through the near empty streets. There were some others, couples, but they vanished after a while. "Should I cook something after this for you?"

"Eh?" Tsuna shook his head, a little red in the face and moved close to the other, burying his face into the warm sleeve. "I should cook for you today. You're always the one that's bringing me everywhere. It's not fair."

"No matter. Either way, I enjoy doing such things for you."

Unable to help himself, Tsuna let out a wide grin, burying himself further into Mukuro's warmth and could smell the light cologne radiating from the clothes and skin. It was a lovely scent, almost addicting. Everything was as perfect as it could be… until a figure suddenly jumped in front of them. Mukuro's multi-colored eyes narrowed immediately upon sighting the intruder and kept a firm tight grip on Tsuna. Both men eyed the intruder carefully, looking at the dark clothes and covered face. Mukuro then clenched his teeth together when he saw the other pull out a knife from within his jacket.

"You two! Give me everything you have on you and I might let you go unharmed!"

Mukuro could feel Tsuna's grip on him tighten, frightened by the threat, and stepped forward to block the mugger's view of the brunet. He stood defensively but didn't back down. "Look, go pick another target. We don't have much money on us. We were only going to see a movie, and didn't bring much with us. You'll have a better chance mugging the next group of people that come along."

"Bullshit! Look at you! You look rich with clothes like that."

Mukuro glanced down at his outfit with an eyebrow raised. The mugger was wrong in that, for he was just wearing a nice looking coat. It was average quality but was still comfortable. He just knew how to dress nicely. But looking at the desperate man, he knew that the person wouldn't believe him if he said such a thing. "Tsuna, I need you to run and don't look back."

Tsuna's honey-colored eyes widened at that, fear running through them. "What?"

"You're not going anywhere!" The mugger tried to reach forward, only to find that he was missing the hand that held his knife. The limb fell lifelessly to the ground in a loud 'thump', blood pooling from the end. It spread rapidly, staining the cement and some of the blood squirted out from the arm, landing onto Tsuna's clothes. A scream broke through the brunet's lips at the horror of seeing mangled flesh and white bone sticking out. Taking a step back, he brought his hands up to his face, muttering words under his breath. What had happened? He didn't understand. He didn't get it at all. Mukuro immediately jumped in front of Tsuna, blocking the gruesome sight from the other. "My arm! What happened to my arm?"

"You'll be missing more than just that if you don't leave. I won't be very nice if you even think of harming Tsuna. I'll tear your limbs off one by one. I'll cause you such great agony, but don't worry, you won't die from that." Mukuro smirked, taking a step closer, narrowly missing the pool of blood. His red eye was glowing slightly and to the mugger he looked completely demonic. And then it happened. The person, in such panic, jumped forward to attack, letting out a war cry, and Mukuro quickly attacked, slaughtering the person completely. Tearing off all the limbs, he could hear the cracking of bones, the ripping of flesh, and he grinned happily the entire time. It felt great to kill. It had really been a while since he had done so and he enjoyed his small moment. Before long, he started to laugh… until he remembered that there was someone precious to him standing right behind. Mukuro froze, holding onto his blooded knife, able to hear the blood dripping off the tip. Tsuna's face was pale, almost a ghostly white as he stared straight at his friend fearfully, before taking a step back.

"Tsuna…" Reaching out, wanting to touch the other, he was only met with resistance as Tsuna let out a frightful squeak. Sighing, the illusionist closed his eyes. "I'll…I'll walk you home. I'm sorry you had to see this. But don't worry, I won't hurt you. I'll even leave you alone from now on. You won't have to see me again." They didn't say anything else and headed off, wandering through the streets back to Tsuna's place. No one was aware of the body left behind since Mukuro had placed an illusion over it. He definitely didn't want anything to be traced back to him and indirectly, Tsuna. The brunet didn't need to get involved. They didn't hold hands, they didn't touch each other nor even look, and for once, Mukuro felt alone. Before long, they reached the front of Tsuna's little apartment building, staring up at the numerous windows that belonged to other people that lived inside as well. "I guess…"

Tsuna jumped up at that, turning to stare at Mukuro questionably.

"I guess that this is the end of our little friendship. It was really nice knowing you, Tsuna." Taking a step back, Mukuro gave a small wave and turned around, about to head back to his place. This was the end of everything between them. He had honestly enjoyed what they had. It was fun and it made him feel normal for once, like he was a human again. Ah, but all good things must come to an end eventually.

"Wait!"

Mukuro blinked, his hands in his pockets. He didn't bother turning around but did stop all movement, his eyes focusing on the bright lamppost that is across the street. He must have heard wrong, there was no way Tsuna would be calling out for him. He was a murderer, a killer. Why would Tsuna want anything to do with him?

"Wait, Mukuro! Please come back!"

And this time, he turned, staring at the brunet in question. "Tsuna? What?"

The brunet was still in the same spot, still looking the same as he held his hands together, but there was something different flashing through his eyes, something stronger than fear. "Um… Will you help me to my door please?"

Mukuro continued to stare but slowly began to move, making his way towards the other. Slowly, he came to a stop once he got in front. "Yes?"

"M-My door, could you help me open it?" Tsuna kept his eyes down at his feet, not sure on where to look.

"Why? I thought…"

Tsuna sighed, glancing up to peer into the multi-colored eyes, and shrunk down a little at the stare. "I want to… hear it from you. I want to hear everything. That…That definitely wasn't a first time you killed someone, was it? It's kinda obvious that you've done something similar to this before. And I-"

He was cut off when Mukuro placed a clean finger on Tsuna's lips, silencing the other completely. "It's alright. I understand. I'll tell you everything about me."

"Really?"

"Yes."

And so Mukuro released everything once they were inside the confines of Tsuna's little home. He told Tsuna he was 'Jack the Ripper', that he had been reborn countless times, that he had seen Tsuna countless time. The shock on the other's face was priceless, but it couldn't be helped. It was surreal to the average person but to Mukuro, it was reality and the absolute truth.

"I see." Tsuna muttered, settled into his kitchen chair with a cup of tea in his hands. His hands were shaking and he could see his reflection in the warm liquid looking back at him. "This is… quite a lot to take in to be honest."

"Kufufu, that's understandable. I'm used to such things so it's really normal to me."

"But to think you've been reincarnated so many times. I never thought it was possible. And myself as well…"

"Technically, you're reborn with a clean slate, not knowing about your past lives. You've been blessed greatly because of that." Mukuro leaned back and folded his arms across his chest. Closing his eyes, his mind reflected back on his previous lives, all of them ending in some terrible way. They were mainly filled with violence, blood, and flames. He doubted that this one would be any different than the last. However, he knew very well that there was now a twist in his path. The twist named Tsuna. "You're really the lucky one. What I'd give to forget everything. Maybe then I could live a normal life."

"Mukuro…I…" Tsuna trailed off, letting a silence settle into the area, before suddenly jumping up, slamming his hands down onto the table. Snapping Mukuro's eyes open at the sound, the illusionist couldn't help but feel a little startled, never expecting the other to react like that. "I don't really know what to say! But! But thank you for saving me!"

"Even though I destroyed that mind of yours, that innocence?"

"Even so, Mukuro. I…really like you so…" Tsuna trailed off, glancing away in embarrassment and then sighed. "So please don't leave. I want you to stay here with me. I don't want to be alone again. It was terrible before, but when you came into my life, for the first time, I was happy. I was really happy. I've never had anyone take care of me before. S-So even if you're a killer, that's all in the past! You protected me, risked everything to keep me alive. How can I abandon you now?"

"Tsuna…" Mukuro's eyes were wide, surprise settling into his mind.

"I really really like you, Mukuro. I know it's forbidden by the church and everything. You can look down on me but I really do love you. You were…the first friend I ever had. You were the only person who would look at me normally and I was so happy."

With that, Mukuro jumped up from his spot, running straight over to Tsuna's side and kissed him right on the lips with any hesitation. This was his first real kiss with another person. The rest, all the ones leading up to this, had been emotionless, just to keep those pathetic woman that loved to hang off of happy. But this kiss was different. He could feel the sparks of life on his lips and he could taste the burning emotions on his tongue. He felt so alive at that single touch and kept wanting more, deepening the kiss further and further. He wanted to taste every last bit of Tsuna and he did. This night was the first night he had ever really made love to someone. Same with his kisses, all before had been meaningless sex and that was it. With Tsuna, he loved every moment of it.

They were officially a couple once morning came. Tsuna had forgiven him for all his evil doing and simply gave him a kiss on the cheek to prove it. It was odd but Mukuro didn't care. It felt good to be forgiven and loved. Every day after that, they were together, never too far apart from each other. The only times they had to part from each other's side was at work, but that never lasted long. Eventually, after three months, Tsuna moved in with the other. They shared everything for the next eight years, lovers for eight full and wonderful years.

For all that time, they were so very happy, floating on cloud nine and Mukuro loved every moment of it with his significant other. He was truly happy and couldn't keep the grin off his face at times.

But alas, good things don't last forever; he knew that better than anyone else. There was a terrible fire created by a disagreement between two mafia organizations. They burned the closest buildings and fired upon the citizens in the district. Many people were killed, their bodies littering the ground like dolls. Their building was one of the few that were caught in the mess and was engulfed by flames. People's screams could be heard all around as those still trapped inside the burning mass, feeling themselves fading away. Mukuro and Tsuna remained together despite the glowing orange that surrounded them, holding one another in each other's arms. Mukuro used all his power to keep them safe but it wasn't enough to get them out. So they sat in a corner of a burning room, knowing full well that this was their end. Sharing one last kiss, they continued to hug each other even as their flesh melted off and their skin turned to char.

Year 1942

Mukuro stared over the thousands of humans standing before him, his whip attached to his belt and his machine gun held loosely in his right hand. His multi-colored eyes stared over the crowd, watching as men, women, and children were separated into two lines and from there they were split again into two groups, one that could work and one that would be killed off. He didn't care much, they were all pathetic humans in the end. All humans were, even the ones that were standing beside him. He never cared about them. He only had one interest and that was it.

'Tsuna…'

He wondered when he would see the other again. He wanted to. Of course, he doubted he would ever see the brunet in this hellhole. The concentration camps. Well, he hoped not. Peering over the crowd, he stared at a family that had obviously managed to stay together despite the cramped train ride. And as expected, when the soldiers tried to separate them, it was pointless. They were immediately pointed left towards the gas chambers. If they wouldn't work, then they were useless. So was the harshness of the camps.

Then came a new mother, holding onto her child, a baby probably born a month or two ago. Mukuro folded his arms as he listened to the soldiers talk with the mother but there was only an argument in the end as the mother refused to give up her child. Sighing, the illusionist stepped over towards the group and untangled his arms.

"It's either you give up the baby or you die with it."

Those were the finals words of the argument, nothing else required. The woman shook her head in denial, not believing such words. Mukuro just huffed, took out his machine gun, and shot them both down without batting an eyelash. The rest of the Jews, gypsies, and others, paused at the violence, too scared to make a sound before going back into formation. The people went around the corpse, too petrified to mutter words. Mukuro could see fear in their eyes, their bodies shivering. He smirked happily and went back to his spot near the fence. People continued to pass by uninterruptedly as the trains arrived one after another. The smell of sweat, urine, and other unmentionables, filled the air and Mukuro could smell the scent of rotting flesh from the mixture when the wind blew.

Hours passed and he had grown bored of watching people. Nothing interesting happened, everyone looked the same in his eyes.

"Hey! Move it!"

Mukuro peered up towards the yelling, not sure what was going on, but it had caught his attention. He paused at the site, eyes going wide. It wasn't possible, was it? 'Tsuna?' He straightened himself and took a couple of steps forward, wondering if he was seeing things. Reaching over, he yanked the little brunet towards him.

"Hieee!" Quickly screaming at the sudden jerk, a small face peered up in fear at Mukuro, obviously wondering what was going to happen to him. Some people stopped to stare but they were quickly ushered off to go back into formation.

A soldier stepped forward, saluting in respect. "General Mukuro, this man will be heading to the chambers to be cleaned."

Mukuro narrowed his eyes at that and peered at the other man before nodding to himself. "I think I'll be taking this one. I have a job for him."

"But, Sir!"

Smirking, the general leaned over, whispering words into the soldier's ear. "Kufufu, killing people that can be used is quite a waste. I have a job for this one. There's some work in my office that needs to be completed. If he proves to be more useless than helpful, I can always torment him myself. Either way, he's going to die in the end." Pulling away, Mukuro smirked cruelly, watching at the soldier shivered in fear and step back. The illusionist chuckled, glad to see his words had been understood, and began dragging the brunet away from the crowd. The soldier, not sure on what else to do next, just saluted in agreement. He knew very well about Mukuro's cruelty and never bothered to question it unless he wanted to be on the receiving end of that torture. Tsuna followed along without making a sound, his hands shaking terribly and face pale in color.

When they reached Mukuro's office, the illusionist slammed the door on the rest of the world. Heterochromatic eyes stared at the cowering younger man. "Do you remember me? Do you know who I am?"

Tsuna backed up further away. "W-What?"

"Do you recognize me? My face? The name Mukuro?" No response. Mukuro sighed, shoulders falling. "Damnit, so you're a clean slate once more. No matter. I will still protect you as promised."

"H-Huh?"

The illusionist noticed the confused expression and sighed once more, rubbing his temples in frustration. "Forget it. My name is Mukuro and yours is Tsunayoshi, correct?" When he got a nod in return, he continued. "Look. I need you to follow my instructions carefully if you want to survive here. You don't really know me, but I know about you and I'm going to help you get out of here alive."

Tsuna tilted his head in confusion. "What? Why?"

"That's not for you to know."

"And what about my family and friends?" There was a hopeful look in his honey-colored eyes, almost begging for answers.

Mukuro shook his head. "Were they on the same train as you?" A shake of the head. "Then I'm afraid I can't help you there. They're either dead right now or working in another camp. I can look for them but no guarantees. For now, you should give up on them and focus on surviving this."

"But-!"

Mukuro silenced him immediately with a quick raise of his hand. "If I hadn't saved you when I did, you would have been sent to the gas chambers to die. And if you try anything, the soldiers will shoot you on the spot regardless of my orders. That is why you need to forget about them. When the war is over, you can look for your friends and family, but right now, watch for yourself. If you die, who will look for them?"

With those words, Tsuna went quiet, understanding about his situation. Mukuro scratched the side of his head and walked around to his desk. He started to explain what the brunet had to do for the next couple of weeks. And with that, days began to pass. Tsuna managed to keep up with the work, helping Mukuro greatly with all the paperwork he was required to fill out. Although he was treated poorly by the other German soldier, Tsuna had to admit that it was better than working in the field or being killed. He was even fed properly.

When the brunet looked at his kind outside, he felt like throwing up at the sight of them. Their bones were peeking through the skin, starvation apparent, and were beaten badly by the whips. Red marks decorated their pale bodies and the soldiers laughed at their misery. If a person fell to the ground and didn't get up, a soldier would walk over and shoot the body till it was dead and then force the other workers to throw the corpse into a pile. It was then that Mukuro would come up from behind and slam the curtains together. Tsuna, though knowing that the man was an enemy, was grateful for everything. He got used to Mukuro's odd company and somewhat enjoyed their interaction. But he sometimes questioned the other on how they knew each other, which would just get him in return some silence or a question to lead him away from the discussion. It was frustrating but what could he do?

Mukuro continued to work repeatedly, scanning through the papers, and a soldier would step in now and then to either bring more papers or take the completed ones away. They would always glare at Tsuna but when it came to Mukuro, they tensed up and immediately showed respect.

Tsuna didn't figure out why until later. Mukuro was cruel and ruthless, even to his own men, if they tried anything funny on him or even on Tsuna, the brunet later found out through the whisperings of soldiers. The younger man was never happy about it, demanding that life should be cherished, but he had no say on the matter. He could only watch as the soldier that had been bullying him got torn into pieces. There were times when he was terrified of the other, normally right after a bloody incident, and other times he found Mukuro to be the most wondrous company he had ever had. It was so mixed. Even more so when he felt happy that Mukuro was protecting him.

But when he compared his current situation to the average life outside, Tsuna knew better than to say anything. And, after all, it wasn't that bad.

"We finally found out what happened to those missing bodies." Mukuro announced while entering the office. He closed the door behind him immediately, not wanting anyone else to hear what he was about to say other than Tsuna.

The brunet perked up at that. "Really? That's good, right?"

"Oya, oya, it depends on your point of view. It's not pleasant at all. Do you still want to hear this?"

Tsuna nodded his head. He wanted to know what was happening around, what was happening to his own kind who were forced to work on such little food and water. The amount they received was only enough to get them by for a short amount of time but it wouldn't last forever. But in the reports, there were bodies that had gone missing after they had died. Normally, the soldiers would go down the boarding area and pull out those that had passed away overnight and burn the bodies. But the numbers were not matching. "I want to know."

Mukuro smirked and settled into his chair. "You know that the food your people get isn't enough to keep them alive," the brunet nodded at that. "Well, they've have gotten desperate enough to get whatever they can into their bodies."

"What do you mean…" There realization occurred to him and Tsuna paled. "Oh my god."

Mukuro got up from his spot and gently patted the brunet on the head. "I told you that you wouldn't want to know. It's not pleasant news."

They never touched the subject again and Mukuro refused to get any other news about what was going on, much to Tsuna's relief. He didn't want to know anymore. He didn't want to hear about anything outside his box. It was probably best if he didn't know anymore.

"Tsuna, could you get those papers for me?"

"Hm? Sure." Rushing over, the brunet grabbed hold of those items and ran back over to place them on the desk. Mukuro muttered a word of thanks and went back to work.

"Kufufu, it would appear that America's forces are starting to close in on us now that they have entered the war."

"What?" Tsuna blinked, suddenly interested. "Really?"

"Yes, it should be a good thing for you."

"Oh…" Blinking, the brunet watched the illusionist's expression carefully. There was no change. "You don't seem very concerned about it."

Mukuro smirked. "It doesn't matter to me. One side has to either win or lose. But either way, both shall lose something."

"Ah…"

"Humans are just warring creatures. That hadn't changed since day one."

Tsuna tilted his head at that. The way that Mukuro spoke, it was as if the other was older than he seemed. He opened his mouth to question but felt himself going silent. Why would he ask? It was probably best if he didn't know after all.

"Tomorrow, we'll be getting ready to pack up the camp," Now that caught Tsuna's attention. "Since America's forces will be closing on this camp soon, we're abandoning it. You can use the confusion to escape and get out as fast as possible."

The brunet jumped at that, rushing over to the desk. "What? You mean, I'll be able to leave?"

"Yes. This is a once in a lifetime chance, so you must escape during this time. There might not be another anytime soon," Mukuro sighed, shifting the reports to the side to look at the brunet. He smirked at the surprised expression the other had. "You'll need to be careful though - if you're caught, you'll be killed, of course."

With that, Tsuna shrunk downward in size. He knew better, he wouldn't be able to escape on his own, it was impossible. He was far too clumsy for his own good and will surely be found even before getting to the gates. Peering at the illusionist, he stepped forward and asked the hanging question that had formed in his mind. "Will you come with me?"

"What?"

"Will you come with me?" Tsuna repeated. "I can't do this by myself. It's impossible. I'm useless on my own. So will you come with me? You know, to help me?"

The illusionist chuckled, closing his eyes. He should have seen this coming. Over the few months, Tsuna had clearly gained some sort of attachment with him despite their opposite sides. It should be fine. If he was with Tsuna, there was no way the brunet would be killed. Mukuro was far too powerful to be stopped by a mere bullet and that was if it even managed to hit the target correctly. "Why not? I'll help you. You'll need to stay by my side the entire time though." He could see the smile on Tsuna's face blooming immediately and didn't regret his decision, how could he? It was amusing to watch the other and he knew his love for the brunet would never fade away.

That night, they left, easily sneaking out with Mukuro's skills and mastery over the camp. He knew all the routes, the shifts, everything. Leaving was like walking right out for him. Tsuna had tripped a few times but Mukuro used his illusions to cover the sounds and any noises. They disappeared into the night, never to be found again. The other officers back at the camp panicked at their disappearance but Mukuro never took note of it as it was quite irrelevant compared to the other world news.

The two went into hiding, borrowing a house to vanish into. Soldiers came by but never found them and the two remained together. Tsuna eventually fell in love with his savior, quickly adoring the thought of remaining with the other forever and Mukuro welcomed it. Soon, the illusionist told the truth about himself and how they truly met. It was obvious to say that the younger man was shocked by the news but took it in regardless, glad to know the truth. They remained together as long as possible, hiding under the radar. One day, they were found.

A group of soldiers broke into the house, raiding the area for any hiding residents, and destroyed everything they touched. People screamed and those that had been keeping them hidden were killed off instantly. Others that had been in the same position as them were also shot down. All that was left was Mukuro and Tsuna, but the illusionist wasn't going to allow himself to die that easily. He slaughtered the men using all the magic and skills he had learned over the years and within a couple of minutes, he had a sea of corpses surrounding his feet. His clothes were dyed red and his feet splashed into the puddles. Tsuna stood behind, watching quietly, knowing that this was for the best. He had learned earlier on that it was either kill to live or die in this type of mad world. And as much as he hated to have people be killed before his eyes, he wanted to live…with Mukuro.

"Are you alright, Tsuna?" Mukuro called out when he finished, stepping slowly towards the brunet. Tsuna nodded and ran forward, wrapping his arms around the other.

"Yeah, you protected me, so of course I'm fine."

"Good. Let's get out of here. More soldiers will be on their way once they find out about what happened."

"Yeah, let's go."

Living together was simple to the two, but their curse began to catch up. A few years after the war ended, fighting among Europe had never concurred, and innocent people continued to be slaughtered, caught in the middle like a rag doll that was pulled side to side. Though the two resisted their fate, some things just couldn't be stopped, no matter how hard one tried. Mukuro protected his loved one as long as possible, using every power in his being to defend. He realized during the fights that humans were truly foolish and crushed hundreds on the field, not caring if they had a family to go home to or not. It was their fault for fighting him but fate always had its final say. Why hadn't he stopped that stray bullet from going passed him?

Year 1959

This time he was born into a poor family in Italy, in a terrible neighborhood. There were other kids there, ages ranging widely, and since there was no one to talk to, he interacted with them every now and then. Most of the people that resided in this rotten place were criminals and drug addicts. The buildings' paint job was peeling off and the smell of drugs polluted the air they breathed in. He didn't bother putting this memory deep into his mind at that time since he wasn't aware of what would happen in the future.

"So, what are we going to do today? I heard that the bread lady will be making a large batch of bread since there's supposed to be some sort of festival going on soon." A blonde with bright blue eyes announced to the rest of the group. It was small faction, but they were quite good at group operations mainly due to the leadership of him and another. The two were about the same age and were really similar in personality. Though they would never admit it to each other, Mukuro saw it. They were far too alike, they reacted the same whenever they would talk and interact with other people. They were not friends but close enough to trust each other and know what the other was thinking.

He smirked, knowing that most of the people in the group looked at him strangely. Perhaps they felt like he was too different than the rest of them, quiet and calculating. Even the two leaders stared at him with caution. But they continued to let him in because he was good at catching things. At this time, he was only eight, one of the younger kids in the group, the oldest fifteen.

'I have other things to look out for. Like Tsuna…' Mukuro closed his eyes, thinking back on his past encounters with the brunet. He hoped he could meet the other again; he wanted to with all of his being. He wanted to relive his times from before. He just wanted to hold the other again. Glancing around the room, he listened as the group planned to steal some bread and put some of his own ideas in. They shifted around his and the two leaders' until they settled on something that seemed fitting. Mukuro didn't mind all that much. The plan was alright, not the best, but for a bunch of kids, it was brilliant.

The next day, they put their plan into action. Mukuro watched the area, motioning the other kids on where to go and who was coming closer. He didn't mind this boring job but he knew he was the only one that couldn't be seen if he used his illusions. Of course, he refused to use his powers on such simple matter. If he wanted that bread so badly, he could have easily gotten it long ago.

He heard some arguing and crashes from within the bakery and peered back. Right after, five kids ran out, each holding onto something. The owners of the place came running out to catch them, holding brooms and calling out for help. He remained still and didn't bother to help until he saw some police coming by, coming to help out. Cursing in the back of his head, he followed the group of kids, two policemen, and the owners of the store, keeping his distance. Though he didn't care very much about what happened to his little group, he wasn't going to let his free meal go away. That bread would probably be the best thing he had eaten for days and he wasn't going to let it go that easily.

Eventually, the group of children was cornered within their own slum area. People watched them uncaringly, all of them either high on dope or drunk. Mukuro lingered behind, looking around for a way to help them.

"Ah!"

His eyes widened upon hearing that voice and his face lighted up happily. 'Could it be?' He ran around the corner to see all two groups of people standing there and in-between the groups were a little kid, almost his age. He was wearing blue trousers and a dirty orange shirt. Mukuro grinded his teeth together, recognizing the person despite the difference. There was only one person in the entire world that had those looks. Racing forward, he ran underneath the adults' legs and immediately wrapped his arms around the child's, Tsuna's, body protectively. Glaring at the adults, as if daring them to come closer, he cradled the frightened being against his body.

Tsuna made a little squeak at the touch, not exactly sure what was going on but returned the hold. His large tearful eyes stared at Mukuro questionably, not entirely seeing the other clearly but he knew deep within that he was safe, and tightened his hold. Mukuro's group behind him was watching him carefully, never before seeing someone get that close before but didn't question it as they had more important matters to deal with.

"Hey, little brats, hand over our bread!"

"Stealing is wrong!"

"Perhaps we should take you all down with us to the station and give you little idiots some punishment. Make sure you know better for next time."

Mukuro could hear all the cruel words thrown at them and he only darkened his glare. He wasn't going to let a single person harm Tsuna. No one at all.

"Mukuro?" A timid voice snapped the illusionist out of his trance and stared down at those familiar eyes. The blue-haired child couldn't believe his ears, had Tsuna really said his name? It wasn't possible. Then he saw that loving smile from the brunet. "It really is you. Do you… know who I am?"

"Tsuna, you…remember?" Mukuro whispered softly, not to be heard over the shouting. He didn't care anything about that now, not at all. Tsuna remembered him? That was the first time that that has ever happened. "You remember everything?"

"Y-Yeah. I do. But I don't think this is the best time to be talking about this." Muttering under his breath, he turned to the rest of the group, knowing that being trapped between both of them wasn't a good idea. Slowly, he got up and moved to the side, keeping his hold on Tsuna. If he needed to fight back and go to his old murderous tendencies, so be it. He'd do anything to protect his loved one. But this time, he didn't need to do anything.

Two loud shots were fired, the sounds echoing off the walls. His eyes widened at that and he stared as both cops collapsed to the ground, blood pouring out of their wounds. The two bakery owners ran off, shouting 'murderer' and other things. The only problem about the slums was that no one cared who died. People died regularly here, left to rot on the streets and in the end, those that had no choice but to stay outside, just forgot everything through more drugs and more alcohol.

Mukuro stared at the bodies and then immediately reached up to cover Tsuna's eyes from the sight. The brunet let out a loud squeak, glad for the coverage, and buried his face into Mukuro's chest. He breathed in the familiar scent and he could feel his body relaxing despite what had just occurred. The blue-haired child turned to his so-called friends and noticed that one of the two leaders was holding up a gun, smoke still coming out of it with a hard-pressed look on his face.

'Eyes of a killer…' Mukuro noted with interest. He smirked at that, still holding the brunet close to him and opened his mouth. "Oya, oya. You know how to use a gun and that…wasn't your first kill."

The black-haired leader turned to him with a glare despite being clearly surprised. The curly sideburns bounced at the action and he pointed the weapon upward, away from anyone. The other children were staring in shock, still adjusting to the scene, even the other leader of the group was frozen. "How did you know?"

"That look in your eyes, I can recognize it anywhere. I'd said that was your… hmmm…fourth kill if you take think of both cops individually. However, considering your aiming, you must have been practicing for a long time with it."

"Tch, you know quite a lot."

"Kufufu, let's just say I've been through your path before multiple times." Mukuro smirk, his multi-colored eyes staring at the other then down at the person in his arms.

"Aren't you going to say anything else? Like I shouldn't do such things?" The black-haired leader slowly put the gun away, hiding it inside his shirt. His hands were small so he had to use two to hold the weapon, too large to fit.

"What you do is your choice. My only concern is the person in my arms. Now if you don't mind, I'll be taking my share of the bread and go. I want to get him somewhere safe." Mukuro managed to untangle himself from his lover's arms, patting Tsuna on the head. He whispered a few words into the brunet's ear, telling him to not look behind. A nod was all he got and he stepped forward. The black-haired leader turned around towards the rest of the group, reaching forward into the batch of bread, and two large loafs out, both sweet and had powdered-sugar on top, and handed it over. Mukuro raised an eyebrow at that; he was only supposed to get one.

"We managed to grab an extra one. Your friend can have it. He looks like he needs the extra food." The leader smirked, glancing towards the brunet then back at the blue-haired child. "You're an interesting person, Mukuro. Before, I thought you were just creepy. Now, you're on a whole lot different level. I always thought there was something odd about you and I guess I was right. But to think you would switch personality the moment someone close to you is endangered…"

Mukuro chuckled. "Oya, oya, but aren't you the same? You willingly killed for the sake of protecting yourself and your friends. But we are different. You killed to protect. I, on the other hand, do not always think like that. I've spilled a lot of blood with these hands, many times for the mere fun of the torment." He took the two pieces and went over to Tsuna's side, handing one over to him with a smile. "If we ever see each other again after this, I wonder if you'll still be doing the same thing."

"Who knows? Only time can tell."

Snorting at that, Mukuro grabbed Tsuna and left the area, hiding in an illusion so that the outside people couldn't see them. They remained quiet, aware that there was some yelling from the boy he had just spoken to towards the rest of the children in the group. Mukuro didn't care about that; he had Tsuna in his hands at long last. Once they came to a safe place, he turned to the brunet curiously. He needed to reconfirm the information he had just gotten from his lover, he needed to be sure.

"Tsuna? Do you really remember me? And how much?"

The brunet tilted his head at that, twitching his nose while he thought. "From that time we became lovers, when you were Jack the Ripper. It's not as clear as the one when it was WWII but I know what happened. I don't know anything before that though. But I do sometimes catch glimpses of it when I'm sleeping." Tsuna peered down at the bread and being unable to help himself due to his hunger, he tore a piece off to nibble at. He devoured it instantly, trying to fulfill his hunger. Mukuro chuckled at the sight, reaching over to pat his lover on the head. His fingers ran through the soft hair, a little dirty from dirt, but it was still same. What a little wash could clean up so easily. Looking down at himself, he knew they would both need a good bath.

Before he realized it, he was already leaning forward for a kiss, capturing those lips he desired so desperately. Tsuna let out a startled squeak, not expecting such a thing so suddenly, but melted into it soon after, closing his eyes into it. His free hand reached out to grab onto his lover's shirt and he opened his mouth for more access. It had been so long since he had tasted Mukuro and it felt so good to do so.

As they broke apart, Mukuro licked his lips happily. "It's kinda funny. We're both in a body of mere children when our minds are that of an adult. How does it feel to be reincarnated?"

"Very odd," Tsuna moved closer, cuddling his long lost lover, and got the other to wrap his arms around him. "I was in a pitch-black place for a while until some light came in and then I was opening my eyes to see my 'parents'. I didn't realize it at first but after a few months, I noticed that these 'people' weren't my parents. I may have been born from them but they weren't my real ones. Soon after, everything started coming back to me very quickly. And then, everyday, I would be looking out for you, hoping that I would see you once more. Because I knew somewhere deep inside that you were out there somewhere alive and looking for me in return."

"I see. But I'm glad you remember me. I was already prepared to make you fall in love with me again." Mukuro pulled away from the embrace to cup Tsuna's chin upward so that he could stare into those warm honey-colored eyes. He leaned forward for another kiss, his left hand still holding onto his lunch and dinner whilst his right grope Tsuna's ass affectionately.

"Mukuro!" the blush on the brunet's chubby cheeks grew and he squirmed at the touch but didn't back away. He leaned up for another kiss, this one short but sweet. "I…really love you, Mukuro. Thank you for trying to make me happy each and every time we met." He gave a soft smile, staring straight into those eyes tenderly.

"And I will continue to do so every single time," the illusionist returned that smile with one of his own, leaning down for another kiss. "Tell me, do you live close by?"

Tsuna shook his head at that, his expression turning sour. "No… I'm an… orphan. I had just run away from that place. It was terrible," He noticed the dangerous look in Mukuro's eyes and grabbed the other before the illusionist could do anything. "Wait, please don't hurt them. I know that they have treated me terribly but still…"

"Fine," Gritting his teeth, Mukuro kept his tempter from flaring up. He had been tempted in going over to that so-called orphanage and causing all sorts of mayhem. He wanted to make them pay for hurting his lover, no one was allowed to hurt him, no one. "Maybe you can stay with me. I'm not sure if my parents will allow it. If they don't, I'll just use my illusions to hide you whenever you want to move around the house."

"R-Really?" The brunet stared at his long lost lover happily, still wondering if he had actually heard correctly, but the moment Mukuro nodded his head, Tsuna jumped him. He wrapped his arms around his lover, burying his face into the child's chest. "Thank you!"

"I love you, Tsuna, and I'll do anything for you," The bluenette ran his fingers through the soft hair, enjoying the feeling it brought to him. Smiling, the brunet made a sound at that and tightened his grasp. "Come on, let's go home."

Mukuro took Tsuna by the hand, steering him through the streets. They passed by the druggies and drunkards with little problem, ignoring them as the idiots wasted their lives. The blue-haired child thought everything would be easy, and it did for once in his long life. His parents didn't mind Tsuna, apparently, they thought he would be good for him. Though he hated that, he was still happy regardless that he could have the brunet living with him.

And for the first time in a long while, they were able to live a long peaceful life until 1968 when they were caught in a car accident. It had been something simple, walking home from the grocery store, bags in their hands with items that were going to be used for the night's dinner. All Mukuro was aware of was the screeching of tires and horns going off before blackness.

His mind was still conscious and he could hear screams and smell the familiar scent of blood. He forced his mind to focus and glanced around from his shattered form, his bones broken and his organs within bleeding from inside. He came upon Tsuna's fallen form next to him and slowly reached out with trembling fingers to grasp the pale, lifeless hand. Smiling to himself, he heard tires screeching as the vehicle that had done this to them ran. A hit-and-run.

Mukuro bit his bottom lip and with the remaining life in his failing body, he conjured up a powerful curse. He would get the idiots that did this to him and his lover. He could make them suffer in this life and the next. And when they fell, he would be there in Hell to drag them into the inner rings for the demons to take. With a smirk, knowing that the murderer's life was forever doomed, he closed his eyes once more.

He didn't realize how funny things were for this time period. Much to the Mukuro's unawareness, he didn't recognize how important the two leaders of the ragtag group of children were. He wasn't aware until his next life when he realized who or what those two had become.

1979

This time he had been born into a mafia family, the Giglio Nero family. His 'parents' were high in position within the family and were extremely faithful to the head boss, to the point of almost worshiping. He, on the other hand, didn't care much and found the entire thing completely ridiculous. His so-called parents tried to convince him otherwise, but he wasn't stupid like them to follow every word without question, hundreds of years of being reborn and being in contact with multiple mafia famiglia taught him that.

His parents thought he had potential to be better than them since he was smart and quick at thinking. And they were right in this because he was. Luckily for him, they didn't know about anything about his real powers from Hell and he planned on keeping it that way. He wore an eye patch over his red eye and like he did in the past, if someone asked about it, he'd tell them such a gruesome lie about how he lost it that they would never ask again. It was better that way; even his parents didn't question about it anymore and eventually forgotten what was underneath the eye patch.

But he didn't like staying home all day like a good boy. It was boring and quite pointless. He had something better to do, his lover will always be the top priority of his list, but he made sure to leave an illusion behind to keep his parents happy and unaware. Using another illusion, he transformed his body into a teenager so that no one would know the truth. He wanted to see how this world has changed. But most of all, he wanted to see Tsuna.

He traveled through most of Italy looking like a teenager, fooling all those that saw him. Most didn't pay any attention to him since he blended himself right into the crowd easily. Plain brown hair and clothes, but the only thing that still made him who he was was his eyes. Those wonderful eyes of his. But sadly, those had to disappear, but he still wanted to make himself stand out slightly. Looking into a mirror, his blood red eyes stared back at himself with a smile. Smirking, he decided they looked nice on him and liked them, but not as much as his multi-colored style.

He wandered the streets and went from city to city, not really caring about his travels. He remained within the Italian borderlines since he never knew if there was an emergency that drove him to head back to the mansion. Though, it prevented him from really going out and searching, he knew it was for the best. He needed a place to stay in during his travels and one to bring Tsuna home to.

Night was when he moved around the best, there were less people and it was so much quieter. The darkness of the streets allowed him to hide in the shadows and he couldn't help but pull a few pranks on couples that passed by. It was funny to watch their expressions, it was as if they had saw a monster. Well, Mukuro wasn't too far from that description.

One day, a gunshot echoed in the air.

The illusionist perked his ears up and glanced to the side where the sound had come from. There were some houses over there, complexes that were average in quality, however, it was a bad neighborhood, he could tell just that much. This was the area where criminals dwelled, the mafia, and murderers. Mukuro smirked. This was his type of place. Shifting his illusion from a teen back to a child, he peeped into the area and spotted a man in the light. He blinked his eyes in surprise, he recognized that person but from where? The person had dark eyes, narrowed dangerously as he stared down a man on the ground, and was wearing a fedora. A suit adorned the person and a gun was in his outstretched right hand, the tip of it smoking from the bullet. Two curly sideburns bounced as the man stepped forward and a flash of a person entered his mind during that split-second. There was another person there next to him but he didn't pay any attention.

'Can it be?' Mukuro tilted his head. 'The child from my previous life? So he grew up. Well, well, well, what are the chances of meeting up in a different life…?' Regardless of his familiarity of the person, he decided to remain in the back and watch. The two men were talking and he didn't bother to listen, just watch. That was until he heard some creeping from behind. Smirking, Mukuro summoned a quick knife and brought it around to point it at the person that dared to sneak up on him. He eyed the woman that was there.

"Kid, what are you doing here?" The woman spoke, arms crossed. She eyed the knife that was in Mukuro's hand and took a step back just in case the kid wanted a fight.

"Oya? What does it look like? I heard something and decided to come see what it was about."

"Oh? And you have a knife in your hands for what?" The woman had a military style uniform, form fitting, and a little hat on her head. Her blue hair was long and she had piercing eyes that clearly stated that she was a tough woman. He didn't want to mess with her in this body form, he was already limited enough as he is.

"What do you think?" Mukuro challenged, still pointing it at the person. If the woman decided to cause him trouble, he wouldn't hesitate to summon his trident instead to fight.

The person sighed, and unfolded her arms. "Go home, kid. This doesn't involve you."

Mukuro was going to make a snarky retort when a voice spoke from behind.

"He's not going anywhere. He saw what happened and he's seen our faces. We can't let him go like that. He'll definitely tell someone what's happened." The childhood boy Mukuro had been working with long ago growled, staring down at the boy in disgust. The illusionist didn't look offended or scared at what the man spoke, snorting at the comment.

"You've got to be kidding me, he's just a kid." The woman spoke, staring down at Mukuro for a moment before turning back to the killer. The other man that was with Mukuro's childhood friend stepped around and stood off to the side with a soft expression. The illusionist blinked his eye, looking over the obvious foreigner. The bright red outfit was a dead giveaway and features weren't what one saw in Italy. The person has to be Chinese, somewhere in his mid-twenties. Looking for the person some more, he took in the soft features, baggy clothes, and then the eyes. The eyes were different. Though they were dark in color, there was no darkness in it regardless of what had occurred. Mukuro turned to the others in the area, they were different. Though they tried to hide it, he could see it as clear as day.

"Lal, you can't be so soft," the hitman growled, his gun still in hand. "It doesn't matter if it's a kid or not, he's got to go."

"Absolutely not!"

"Now, now," the Chinese man finally decided to step in, cutting the two off with a sharp look. "He is just a child. Let's just let him go." He turned towards Mukuro with a gentle smile. "You'll keep this a secret for us right?"

The illusionist didn't say anything, keeping quiet as he observed the three carefully. He should probably go along with them and see what happens. "Like I really have anyone to tell."

"You know…" the woman muttered. "You're supposed to act all compliance, not make yourself stand out."

"Kufufufu," Mukuro chuckled. "What's the point when this one here has every intention to kill me?" He pointed a finger towards the hitman, smirking. "I might as well make as much noise as possible."

"You're an odd one, aren't you?" The foreigner spoke softly, raising a hand up to his chin, and rubbed it carefully in curiosity. He had a smile on his face but Mukuro knew that it was just a fake, though, he could easily tell there was some amusement mixed in. The hitman snorted, cocking his gun upward towards the sky and turned around. To the illusionist, it meant that he was going to be let go and took a step back. Oh, but he wasn't going to leave just yet. He wanted to play a little prank, especially on his old friend.

Tossing the fake knife away, letting it evaporate away, and summon his trident, slamming it to the ground. The three immediately tensed up, clearly not expecting such a development. Their stances shifted into defense, expecting anything from the child, and noted that he was an illusionist immediately. Mukuro chuckled deviously and made his body slowly vanish into the night.

"My, my, it would appear you've grown, haven't you?" he got to see a great expression on the hitman's face, laughing in amusement. It was nice to see such a wonderful expression. "I see you're still using that same gun from before, though the design for it is different and you've changed the parts, it's still your first one. How interesting. But still, I'm quite glad that you've managed to escape poverty."

"How-?"

"Oya, oya? You don't recognize me? That's too bad. Human lives are far too short and their minds are so easy to break. None the less, I have a feeling you'll go far. Perhaps we'll meet again later in life. Maybe in another life or form?" Mukuro laughed, letting his body disappear into the darkness, still able to see the distress in the hitman's expression. It was quite fun, he should do this more often to the people he recognized, it was amusing to see how much they had grown over the years and to shatter all that in an instant. Maybe he should search out the blond one? Mukuro mentally shook his head, it wouldn't be worth the trouble unless he came across the other by accident.

Heading back home, he allowed himself to go back to his fake life, watching as the world continued to go by. It was quite boring and he felt like he was watching an old movie as the day flickered without a care. He needed to get out soon to search for his lover. Oh, how badly he wanted to see Tsuna once more.

A few months passed without much, but before he knew it, as he was on lookout one day, he felt a strong power flow from a mountain in the distance but he refused to bother investigating, finding it not worth his time. There was not much he wanted to do. He suspected that the Arcobaleno were finally created, it felt something familiar to their powers spreading out throughout the world, something he had learned from Hell. Still, Mukuro couldn't deny he was curious to see who they were and how they looked like but decided that it wasn't worth the effort once more. And so, the days continued.

However, that all ended on the day his parents decided to show him to their boss. Like some sort of offering.

He didn't like it but went along. Perhaps he could use the woman as a way to find Tsuna once more.

So when he entered the boss' room, he came face to face with a baby. He raised an eyebrow at the sight but didn't back down. The Giglio Nero family boss was a baby, perhaps this was a mistake. Then he noticed the pacifier. 'Ah…an Arcobaleno and, by the looks of it, the sky. Interesting…'

"Why hello there, I'm Luce." The baby smiled happily, nodding to his parents. Mukuro quickly stated his name and left it at that, listening to his so-called 'parents' and Luce converse with each other for a few minutes. He didn't get anything interesting out of it, just the usual politics and messages about other families out there. Snorting to himself, he looked around the room, finding it full of colors and he could smell the hint of tea in the air.

After a while, his parents bowed and left the room, heading off to fulfill their other duties. He didn't care and didn't bother them with a farewell. His eye glanced towards Luce, who was settled onto the table.

"Well, would you like to sit and have some cookies? I have the loveliest tea to go with it." Luce smiled brightly at him. Mukuro didn't say anything and went over to one of the seats and sat down. He eyed the food and reached over to get one cookie, nibbling on the warm goodness.

"Thank you."

"It's no problem, dear."

"So, why am I here?" Straight to the point, Mukuro narrowed his single eye, staring at the baby in complete suspicion. He didn't trust her, even if she was small in size. He knew well enough that one could never trust the cover of a book, he himself was a good example.

Ignoring the threat, Luce smiled. "Deary, perhaps it's about time you show who you really are." the child didn't reply, tilting his head to the side as if pretending to act innocent and not know what she meant.

"What are you talking about?"

Chuckling, the sky Arcobaleno gave another bright smile. "Now, now, we both know the truth about who you really are. I sense a very strong presence and power from within you."

"Oya. Oya. To be found out so easily, I'm impressed. I expected no less than the boss of the Arcobaleno," Changing back to his normal expression, he was tempted to pull down his eye patch to reveal his blood red eye but didn't. He grinned dangerously, his stance changing ever so slightly. "What is it you want from me? I doubt you really came here to simply talk."

"Well, you are right in that. I noticed something was off with you the moment I saw you. There was no love in your eyes towards your parents and you look at everyone as if you were better than them. And I'm quite curious as to why. Will you tell me?"

"Hmm… What's in it for me? As far as I see, I get nothing out of this," Mukuro chuckled, reaching over to take another cookie. "And feeding me with your sweets won't be worth much either though I will offer this for free, they are quite delicious."

Luce giggled at that, glad to know that the illusionist was enjoying her food. She placed her cup of tea back onto the saucer and patted her lips with a napkin gently. "Well, what would you like to know?"

"I'm only interested in one thing: Finding my lover. He…disappeared from my side. I'm trying to find him again. If you know anything about his whereabouts, you better not be keeping it from me or you'll regret it." Mukuro narrowed his eye dangerously, growling softly at the other.

"Hmm…" Luce got up from her spot on the table, stepping closer to the other, and held out her hand. "Here, take it. I don't normally like to use my powers since it tires me out but for you, I'll make the exception. I'll see what I can do."

Mukuro stared at the little fingers for a moment but after a few seconds brought his hand out, letting the Arcobaleno take it. He watched her carefully, wondering what was going to happen next. Luce's eyes closed shut, going deep into concentration, and took a deep breath. Her pacifier started to glow softly for a second or two but Mukuro didn't once budge from his spot. Eventually, the light died down and her eyes open.

"Your lover…hasn't been born yet. He won't be for a long time."

"I see…" Mukuro's expression fell at that. He would probably need to do that once he got home.

"You really care for him, don't you?" Luce smiled, glancing away to look out the window. She then gave a smile and pulled her hands back. "Do you think you could do me a favor? Could you watch out for my future generations, my child and hers?"

The illusionist raised an eyebrow at that and smirked. "What for? That's far too much trouble for just a vision. And why anyway?"

Luce sighed at that. "I'm afraid that I won't be living for very much longer. The Sky Arcobaleno's curse will consume me soon and I won't be able to offer much protection and guidance to my child."

"Oh? How so?"

"I think you'll be a good type of person to watch over my child later on. Her name is Aria and she's only one right now," the sky Arcobaleno still noticed the hesitation in Mukuro's eyes. "How about this? I'll tell you about the Arcobaleno and their curse. Would that be a good exchange?"

Mukuro still didn't like it but agreed. It would give him something better to do than just searching for Tsuna.

As the conversation finished up, Mukuro's parents came back into the room to collect him. He immediately reverted back to his childlike personality, motioning goodbye to the sky Arcobaleno, both knowing that this would be the last time they would see each other.

During the ride home, he was asked multiple questions about the boss but he kept to himself about everything. And the moment he got home, he disappeared into his room and peered over the dullness of the place. Without thinking, he headed towards his drawer that was next to his bed and he pulled out a small blade he always kept by his side. His eyes stared at it, his reflection in the metal looking right back at him. Grinning to himself, he brought the sharp end to his neck.

Thump!

2004

Mukuro smiled, watching his lover from behind, his facial expression the same as always. He chuckled. He would forever remain by the other, never straying too far and keeping an eye out. But he couldn't get close. This time period was different. Normally, it was just him and Tsuna, all alone with no one else, but this time there were others. Mukuro sneered hatefully, wishing he could act out on his desires. He wanted to see that dog ripped to pieces, he wanted to tear out the smiling idiot's lips. He wanted to do so many things, but, he couldn't. He didn't want Tsuna to hate him, not at all. Then what was the point of him searching for the brunet after so long if he was going to make the other despise him. He wanted to continue keeping the other by his side, not push him away. But it was hard. There were others in Tsuna's life that could now take him away from his side.

The illusionist growled. If anyone even dared try stealing his love away, Mukuro swore to himself that he didn't care if the brunet hated him afterward, he would slaughter the bastard. Man, woman, it didn't matter. He would gladly bath in their blood and intestines and dye his skin red.

No one knew that he was actually the strongest of the Vongola group, even more than the skylark. There were skills and powers he never used, many gained straight from Hell. They were too dangerous for him to give away or use and some came at a price. One of his abilities required him to give up some of his life force to use but its destructive powers were unbelievable. He would only and only use it in an emergency. But that never really ever happened; he was too good for that. Even if he got caught in a sticky position, someone else would manage to lend him a hand or another would happen to come by to give him that hand he needed. He was smart enough to let someone else do the work for him instead of him using up his energy.

But regardless, even with all his powers, he couldn't get Tsuna to come back over to him. He had been hoping that the brunet would recognize him, remember him, but that hadn't worked and he was filled with rage. He wanted the other to suffer for making him become like this. So he attacked Tsuna's school, hoping to gain the brunet's attention. Mukuro didn't care about those people he targeted, it didn't matter to him at all. All he wanted was Tsuna.

But he failed in the end. He never expected the brunet to become so powerful and when those flames touched him, he felt warm for the first time since he had been born into this world. And then it was back into the prisons for him. He didn't care though, he had been through worse, these cold brick walls and barred rooms meant nothing to him considering what he had gone through during his previous lives. Once more he managed to escape and was again thrown back into prison while his two companions were let go. And so began the use of his abilities to escape this realm and possess other bodies in order to watch the outside world. When he was offered the Mist Vongola ring, he took the offer immediately. As long as he could be close to the brunet, he was happy. As long as he could be nearby, keep his eyes on Tsuna, and watch him, he was happy.

'Foolish Arcobaleno.' Mukuro smirked as he easily defeated Mammon. 'Your powers are completely useless against me. I can't be fooled by such simple illusions.' His skills were unmatched, he could easily defeat all of the Arcobaleno with ease if he wished but then his life might start to get affected with using his special powers and he'd like to avoid that. That and he'd rather not catch the attention of people. As for Nagi, he closed his eyes, making sure she was okay. He couldn't help but want to look after her. She was exactly the same as the Nagi from long ago, there was almost no difference and he wanted to protect her just like he had done in the old days. He had to guess as to why they were able to meet the way they did. Perhaps it was because of that invisible connection between their souls… yes, that had to be the reason as to why they were able to meet in such a different time. And to think that she was just as frail and fragile as before. Things didn't change that easily.

Getting through the trials that laid before him, he continued to watch continuously from the shadows. It didn't matter what. From the Arcobaleno trials to the Vongola Primo trials, he passed all of them. He kept his eyes out, watching from all sides for the brunet. They didn't realize that once he had possessed someone, he could always. Gokudera was the easiest fool to mess around with, using his eyes to watch the battles that occurred. And did Tsuna look beautiful in those orange flames, fighting, and glowing. Even as the troubles with the Shimon family came into view, it didn't matter much to him. He allowed himself to go along with the flow though he didn't appreciate Daemon possessing his body. At least he got his body back, it was nice to be able to walk around without any problems. Things began to calm down for only so long but he knew that he could handle anything that got thrown his way, just the way he always had from the very start. And so he continued to watch and wait.

There were actually times he wished he could tease some of the people around the brunet. Like that annoying Arcobaleno. Oh, it would be so much fun to reveal things. But Mukuro never called Reborn by his name, his real name, the name the hitman had before he changed it to his present one. The illusionist so wanted to. To see that face twist into confusion and shock but he resisted, after all, even he didn't want to have Reborn after him. The Arcobaleno was already troublesome as he is. But because of that, he refused to call Reborn anything other than what he is. And that is the only name he would ever call simply because he knew the truth. When he looked at the rest of the Arcobaleno, he could see their old forms, their true forms, not those pathetic ones that they were now cursed to live in.

It was a shame, to think that the most powerful humans were trapped like that.

He smirked, he knew all about the Arcobaleno though, the real things. They didn't realize that Luce had known more about the curse better than any of them and she had kept it within to her death's door. She wanted to wait for the best time to tell them, to tell them the truth, and the way to get them back to normal. However, that wasn't possible. The curse of the Sky Arcobaleno was the worst and she knew she would pass away before she could pass on the truth to her daughter. So in the end, he was given the information. Everything.

But did he ever plan on telling? He smirked. Never. He didn't even bother with it, just storing it away into the far back ends of his mind without care. One day, it might come useful but until then, he would keep it deep within.

And he continued to watch, nothing changing before his eyes.

Until there was a tug at his soul and Mukuro raised an eyebrow at that. That was unusual but didn't pay any attention to it, there shouldn't be anything concerning about it.

"Juudaime? What's wrong?" Gokudera asked, catching everyone's attention. Chrome peered up from the group, not aware that Mukuro was peering through her eyes to see what was going on. She stepped closer and tilted her head, examining the brunet closely. Tsuna looked pale and out of breath. All in all, he wasn't looking very well. It was like he was about to throw up.

"Tsuna? Are you alright?" Yamamoto rushed to his friend's side, holding him upright.

The brunet didn't answer at first until whatever trance he had been broke. "I-I'm alright…" His skin color was still white as bed sheets. "I don't feel very good."

Reborn hopped off of Yamamoto's shoulder, walking up to the brunet to stare into the honey-colored eyes. "And why's that?"

Tsuna didn't want to answer and it seemed that just thinking about it made him feel worse. He collapsed to the ground with Yamamoto still holding onto him. "I've…been seeing things. Visions. I…I know them. But I don't understand a thing." Flashes of bodies rotting in ditches, blood, and more blood pooling, and the laughing of a man could be hear echoing in his ears. And then there was a peaceful scenery of a couch, settled on it with a person and someone else.

His friends remained quiet until someone made a small mutter to break the silence. "Visions?"

"Yeah, I'm not sure on what I'm seeing but I can hear voices. One of them is so familiar that I feel comfortable when he talks. And there are times I see fluttering of memories that justpass by."

"Juudaime…" Gokudera whispered, his face paling as Tsuna continued to mutter words. The sound got weaker and weaker and before long the brunet was just speaking jumble that didn't make any sense.

"Do you know what that person looks like?" Reborn questioned to break the tension in the air, staring intently at his student. His expression was a blank, not sure on how to express this type of thing.

Tsuna shook his head. "They didn't start until a couple of months ago…but…I…" At that he trailed off as if deep in thought.

"What is it, Tsuna?"

"I just realized that this…isn't the first time this has happened. But I always believed that they were just mere dreams and nightmares. That was it. But I'm starting to see them while awake," Tsuna sighed. "That's not good is it?"

"Obviously not," Reborn folded his arms, not liking how this was going. "I'll ask Shamal to look at you. Maybe he can see what's wrong."

Tsuna sighed once more and glanced down at his hands, wondering why this was happening to him. He didn't want it to but these memories were so familiar and he wanted to see more of them to find out the truth. There was a person that stood out among his visions, only one. He could see the outline, the shape of the person. It was different and it varied slightly but the voice never changed and the warmness he got didn't either. With that, Tsuna sighed.

But of course, Shamal couldn't figure out what was wrong either.

The next few days, Tsuna noticed that the others were looking at him in question and caution. Were they scared? There was no need to be. At least, that's what he thought. Maybe they were worried? That might be it. And because he had told them of his little problem, they rarely ever left him alone. It was suffocating when they were around him like that. It was as if they were afraid that the person before them would disappear and vanish before their very eyes.

The voices didn't leave him alone, phrases were spoken and he could see familiar scenes. He didn't say anything else about what was happening to him anymore, knowing that there was nothing that could help him.

Tsuna closed his eyes. He swore that the deep voice that spoke to him repeatedly was familiar. He knew this person, he really did. Thinking deeper, he tried to concentrate on the voice longer. He tried to listen so catch things that wouldn't be normally noticed. Bits and pieces of the words flooded his mind but it wasn't enough to connect anything.

It was tough and there were times it got so bad that a headache would come on so profoundly and last for the rest of the day.

"Wait! It's not Tsunayoshi's fault! It's all mine!"

Fire, all Tsuna could see was fire. Terrible faces glowing through the rich redness. It was moments like these that he didn't want to see anything. He could feel fear coursing through his blood and he felt like throwing up in agony and disgust. There was laughter and fire and more pain. He immediately touched his chest when he heard a gunshot. A child, the one that had been protecting, saving him, keeping him company, was crying and then everything went black.

"Juudaime!"

Tsuna jumped up from his seat, eyes wide and going straight to Gokudera who was right in front of him. He could see the others surrounding him, concern on all of their faces. Reaching up, he rubbed his face and felt some wetness on his sleeves. Looking down, he noticed he had been crying and quickly wiped his face to hide the truth. Questions came next but he ignored them all, his mind still on the memory.

When Tsuna slept, he could see those memories so much more clearly. At times, he wished he didn't. Fire, death, screams of despair, he could hear them all. But there was a warm embrace, someone was always next to him. It made the situation better all the time.

Lights would flash and he found himself inside a wall of flames with that same person holding him so tightly that it hurt. He could hear the screams and the flickering of the fire but his mind could only focus on one thing and one thing only. He felt his hand reaching out, caressing the wonderful face before him and smiled. The other person chuckled softly, leaning over to kiss the top of Tsuna's head, pushing back the soft locks. The heat began to creep closer to their bodies that were huddled up to a corner.

"-, I love you," Tsuna heard him say, staring into the eyes of a face that had been darkened by his own mind.

"I know, I love you too. We'll meet again, you know? I'll make sure of it."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, my memories of our times together will never disappear no matter how many times we die. I shall always remember you. I'll be with you again when you're reborn even when you don't remember me yourself."

"Promise?"

"But of course, my love. We've been together for the past two-hundred years but have known each other for more than that. I have no doubt in my mind that we'll be together again even when you don't know I'm there. Even when you don't remember who I am, I'll be next to you. And one day, there will be a time period where we'll be able to live together in peace till we both grow old together."

Blushing at the words that echoed within his head, Tsuna felt as if his heart was pounding louder. He could hear the blood rushing through his ears. He smiled in return, ignoring the pain as the fire finally touched his skin.

"I would love that,-"

"I know. I love you."

"I love you too."

Sharing one last kiss between the two, Tsuna and his lover continued to hug each other even as their bodies were burned alive.

Tsuna woke up crying to that, his heart pounding rapidly, and continued to cry for hours unable to stop the tears that fell down his cheeks. He felt as if his heart had been torn out. Reborn watched for the side, not sure what to do with his bailing student, and listened to the cries all night until the brunet finally fell back asleep.

No one asked what had happened last time and Tsuna refused to get out of bed for any reason. Even Reborn didn't bother to get him up, knowing that the brunet had no strength whatsoever. Not after hearing his poor student crying like that.

Tsuna continued to dream upstairs, cuddled deep into his blankets. He wanted to know who this person was. The person he was deeply in love with. 'Who is it? Who can it be? He said that he'll be with me…'

"Hey, Tsuna, today is a nice day to go walking, right?"

"Yeah, it is. Look! Snow! Isn't it pretty?" There was some laughter and Tsuna felt himself running toward to twirl in the falling flakes.

"Ahaha! Are you serious? It's just snow."

"Oh come on! It's romantic, right?"

"If you mean freezing our asses off in this freezing weather then yes, it's wonderfully romantic."

"-! That's cruel! We can be all cuddly and everything and-and sit by a fireplace with hot cocoa. And there's a lot more we can do together!"

"Oya? You want to do all those things with me? How nice, I'll have to keep that in mind."

"Mukuro!"

'Mukuro?' Tsuna's eyes snapped open at that. Suddenly, the snowy scenery became clear. He could see the flakes easily and watched the details come into a vision he had never seen before. He saw two people walking down a road, smiling, laughing, and holding each other. But Tsuna was focused on the other person, now able to recognizing the familiar blue hair. The one that he had seen many times, the obvious spike at the back, and that dark chuckle. And then the face came in.

He screamed.

Reborn raised an eyebrow at the yell, about to get up and rush to Tsuna's side to demand what had happened. The others at the table had the same expression but they all went quiet when they suddenly heard footsteps. They watched as the brunet ran down the stairs, brushing pass everyone, and was out the door in a flash. The hitman blinked at the sudden exit, not expecting that, and was going to follow when Nana placed down a new set of food for lunch. Well, whatever was wrong with Tsuna could wait until after some food.

Tsuna, on the other hand, ran like the death god himself was behind. He only had one destination in his mind and no one was going to stop him from getting there. He wanted answers, he wanted to know the truth. Tsuna grinded his teeth together in frustration, his whole life was one big screw up. But at least he got his answer, he knew what was going on. He had been reborn so many times, going over the same thing and there was nothing he could do. His lover, Mukuro, had remained by his side no matter how many times he forgot about the other. Tsuna felt a single tear run down his cheek.

Before he realized it, he was in front of the Kokuyo land, the one place he never imaged he would go inside willingly. Rushing up the pathway and stairs, he came up to the main hall where most of the gang was at. His eyes went over the residents that were already there, Ken, Fran, M.M., Chrome, and Chikusa, but no Mukuro in sight.

"Hey, you! What are you doing here?" M.M. called out, her eyes narrowing as she glared. Ken yelled the same thing, standing up from his spot.

Chrome offered a small smile in apology and nodded her head. The others looked indifferent and continued on what they had been doing.

Tsuna continued to look around. "Is Mukuro here? I need to talk to him. It's important."

Ken snorted, snapping his head up to the side. "And why the hell would we tell you that?

"But I really need to talk to him!"

"Sawada Tsunayoshi," A voice resonated from behind the brunet, Tsuna going still. He bit his bottom lip, knowing that voice very well, and slowly rotated his body around to see Mukuro standing there. His eyes peered over the face and body before sighing. The person before him was real, not an illusion. He had almost forgotten that Mukuro had been released during the incident with the Shimon family. There was a familiar chuckle that caught the brunet's attention once more and the illusionist stepped forward. "What brings you here, Vongola?"

"Ummm… Is there any way we can talk alone? I remembered something…" Tsuna stumbled out the words, not sure on how to say what he needed to hear. There was so much he wanted to know, wanted answers to, but didn't know where to start. Mukuro most likely knew this entire time from the very start. "I remember everything, Mukuro."

The illusionist twitched, narrowing his eyes. "You remember? I see," He closed his multi-colored eyes and turned around, heading off into the hallway that was connected to the main hall. "Follow me, we'll talk in my room."

There were some disagreement with that from the gang (the loudmouths) but no one followed. Mukuro gave them a sharp look that demanded them to remain where they were at and pulled Tsuna along. The moment they went into a room, the brunet spilled everything he knew on the spot. Standing there, Mukuro listened and closed his eyes as he watched Tsuna carefully, nodding his head to allow the other continue.

"So you remember everything about our past?"

"Almost everything. There are some parts I'm still unable to see clearly but I can recognize that they are older memories that were about hundreds of years ago," Tsuna quietly whispered, knowing that the other would be able to hear him clearly. He was settled on a chair, his legs drawn against his body protectively, and had his chin pressed on top of his knees. His eyes watched the Mist guardian, awaiting a response but when he didn't get one, he continued talking. "Mukuro, do you really remember everything that had happened?"

"Yes, I remember. No matter how many times I die, I will be reborn again, containing all of my memories. However, this is the first time you actually remembered about yourself like this." Mukuro rubbed his chin, curiosity shining in his multi-colored eyes, before tilting his head.

"But I remembered another time, when we were in Italy."

"You remembered from when you were born, not later." Cutting in, the illusionist shifted his legs so that they were crossed. His hanging foot dangled and he hummed to himself. His eyes went back to the other, staring straight into those honey-colored eyes. "Now, tell me, what do you want to do?"

Tsuna made a small sound at that, question clear in his expression. His eyebrows narrowed downward and his face scrunched up. "What…do you mean?"

"You remember the truth, about us, about you. What will you do now?" Mukuro spoke, an odd drawl to his tone of voice. "Will you go back to your current life and ignore everything? Will you accept everything? Will you abandon me? Or will you join my side once more? Or will you decide that it is best to cut our relationship off and pretend that nothing had ever-"

"No!" A yell, one that startled both occupants in the room, and echoed within the room vibrantly. Mukuro jumped at the sound, clearly surprised, while Tsuna was standing, his teeth grinding together in frustration. His fingers were clenched into a fist and the brunet's entire body was shaking. "Never! I'll never forget you!"

"Then what will you do?"

"I-I don't know! I was hoping that you did."

"Oya, oya? You want me to lead your life? Tell you what to do?" Mukuro chuckled, standing up so that he could be at eyelevel with the brunet. When the other nodded, he laughed. "How foolish. I cannot lead you, I can guide you towards the right direction, but I have never physically led you. This is something you must figure out on your own. Something you must decide on your own."

"Mukuro…"

"Tsuna," The brunet gasped as he actually heard his name being spoken for once, not his full or by 'Vongola'. He felt his heart beating faster and wanted to hear it again but refused to voice it out. "I love you and will always will despite our sides. You may join Vongola and I will follow you, however, I will never help the mafia. I will just remain by your side and keep you alive."

Tsuna glanced down at his feet, biting his bottom lip again. He went quiet, unable to think of an answer to that. How was he supposed to answer anyway? "Mukuro, would it be possible for me to think for a little while alone? I'd like to get everything straight before making a decision."

Mukuro closed his eyes at that and smiled. "Of course. I'll leave the room. I'll come back in a few hours." With that, he left, closing his bedroom door behind. He did take a small glance back to look at the brunet before disappearing into the darkness of the hallway.

Tsuna could hear the footsteps from the illusionist getting further away until his ears could no longer pick up the sounds. When he deemed that he was safe and away from prying eyes, he collapsed onto Mukuro's bed, lying back onto the mattress, and stared up at the ceiling in wonder. Thoughts and questions ran through his mind repeatedly and he was certain that he would be driven mad at the rate he was going.

Closing his eyes, he buried his face into the blankets, wanting nothing more than to scream out to release all the built-up frustration. He rolled around the bed before stopping to take a look around the room. It was plain, nothing really notable about it. It had those usual ripped curtains and it was messy though that was probably the condition of it before Mukuro moved in. The furniture was nice however, well, most of them. Some looks like a cat had destroyed it from what the tearing of the skin looked like. Books were littered on the ground at the far corner of the room but other than that, there was really nothing else.

Tsuna closed his eyes again to think back to his current predicament and smiled. He had already known the answer to his situation. He wanted to still be with Mukuro, the only person that will probably ever understand him even if he didn't. Tsuna knew his choice was obvious, too obvious. And yet, he didn't get any disagreement from his hyper intuition, nothing that told him that he shouldn't be doing this. Pulling the covers closer to his body, he smiled, knowing his answer already. But what about his friends? His family? He didn't want to leave them all behind either.

Once more, he was back to stage one. Growling to himself in frustration, he went back to staring at the ceiling with his arms and legs spread out. Was there a way he could keep them all? This time his hyper intuition whispered. No, it wasn't possible. He had to somehow balance everything.

Before he knew it, he had fallen asleep while thinking, unaware that he was dreaming of the past once more.

"Vongola! Vongola! Tch! Tsuna, wake up!"

A hit to the back of Tsuna's head startled him awake and he opened his eyes to see Mukuro's face not too far away from his own. He made a loud squeak, a deep red decorating his checks, and backed away immediately. "M-Mukuro?"

"You fell asleep. I came back in two hours to find you sleeping blissfully unaware of anything on my own bed." There was a bit of evil intent in Mukuro's voice and Tsuna could just see a burning fire surrounding the other.

"S-Sorry. I didn't mean to. But I have decided though," Tsuna sat up near the edge of the bed and fingered the blankets that surrounded him. "I want to be with you, even after all this time, my feelings for you have never changed…and at the same time, I still want to be with my friends and family. They are the first I ever had and I want to treasure my time with them while I still can," Tsuna placed his hand against his chest and closed his eyes. "I know it's really selfish of me to do this. But would it be possible to wait for a little while before I go with you?"

Mukuro huffed but didn't seem angry at all. "I should have known you would do something like this but I have nothing against it. I know the feeling of absolute loneliness and wanting to hold onto a light that seems to only last for a while. I will go along with your wish. This time period interests me anyway, it's quite fascinating."

The brunet stared at the other for a moment before a smile radiated off his face. He jumped up from the bed and tackled the illusionist, wrapping his arms around Mukuro tightly. Muffled words of 'thank you' could be heard repeatedly as Tsuna tightened his hold.

Mukuro chuckled at the reaction, returning the hug and patted the soft caramel-colored haired gently in affection. Before he realized it, he was brought down for a kiss which he immediately returned. His hands caressed the skin, deepening the kiss, and felt his lover's hands moving around. He chuckled in amusement, happy that he had gotten what he wanted at long last.

Now how to deal with the others? That was something Tsuna and Mukuro decided to figure out later as they enjoyed each other's company for the rest of the day.

2014

Tsuna took a deep breath, staring out the window that was behind his desk. He had done what he had been destined to do. He became Vongola Decimo, fixed the mafia close enough to its original form, and had chosen a successor for his spot. Never once did he get married despite all the harassment he received from Reborn and the others so that he could have children. Closing his eyes, he continued to stare out into the sunset, a load of paperwork behind him just waiting for him to complete it.

He glanced down at his fingers, looking at his Vongola equipment, before taking it off. The reddening light from the sun glowed off the metal, bouncing off as a reflection to send its gaze elsewhere. Soon after, he placed it onto the table and sat down into his chair, relaxing for a moment. He reflected over his entire life up until now in this present form. His guardians were living among the mansion and they had either gotten themselves a lover or were already married. It was interesting to watch everyone go on with their lives.

Mukuro, of course, remained behind for him, staying by his side the entire time. He persisted quite hidden to the rest of the world and seemed to enjoy sneaking into his bedroom at night to sleep next to him. Tsuna never minded since he felt more comfortable whenever the other was right next to him and curled up into the warmth.

He was older now, taller, his hair was a little longer than before, and had lost most of his baby features. However, he gained beauty in return (well, what Mukuro told him most of the time) and could easily influence people to follow his commands. It was quite amusing to watch people do whatever he wished and Mukuro would wrap his arms around his shoulders, giving off that usual chuckle.

Taking out a piece of paper, he began writing his message for his guardians and for the rest of Vongola. Soon after, he placed his flame seal on it to let everyone know that it was by him and him only. Then the door knocked, opening up to reveal his longtime lover.

"Oya, oya. What's this?" the illusionist closed the door before sneaking around the brunet to peek at the letter. What he saw made his eyes widen in shock. "Tsuna… Don't tell me…"

The brunet smiled, standing up to look at the other in the eyes, before leaning over to give a kiss. "Sorry for taking so long, but I'm finally ready."

"Kufufufu, now that's something I've been wanting to hear for the past ten years. I can finally have you all to myself." Mukuro reached up to pushed some hair back. He took off the Vongola earrings and placed them next to Tsuna's items. "Well, then, you must be already ready, correct?"

"Yeah, we can leave right now."

Sharing a kiss in the sunset, the two disappeared from the room, leaving the office empty and their items to be discovered by someone else.

"You know I love you right?"

"Of course, I love you too. Now and always."

And it's done! I hope you enjoyed it! This one was really tough to write out and work on.