Drawbacks of a mind that remembers

Daemon - From an outsider's POV

There was a knock on their door. Chrome, who was closer to it, shuffled over.

"Who's it?"

"Hi~" a preppy feminine voice replied. The twins blinked in surprise before the voice continued. "Kaito-kun told me that we have guests! I'd like to meet you two!"

Chrome and Mukuro shared a glance. The latter shrugged and opened the door, revealing a very familiar face that they have once seen on TV. It was one of those times when their mother was happier and allowed them to watch the drama, even though they sat far away from her.

Once again, she greeted them, but with a wave this time. Her eyes seemed to light up like the stars in the sky when she saw the two of them. "Oh my! You both look so good! Kaito-kun sure knows a lot of good-looking people, and you end up wondering if he's a prince in his last life, with how he's acting usually."

Chrome laughed nervously, while her brother managed a chuckle. The woman sure is spritely and does not hold back in roasting their moon guardian. (Though she was not that far off to say he was a prince in his past life. He was the heir to his family before Aku destroyed it)

The woman, now identified as Yukiko, continued her duties as a host and asked many questions regarding their stay until she was satisfied and left.

By the time she was done, Mukuro felt more like Daemon, even if they were the same person. His face is stiff from smiling, like back when he had to handle all the snobby aristocrats of those days. Yukiko was definitely, infinitely better than all of them though. Chrome caught herself snickering a few times during the conversion as she watched her brother's face contort.

"I'm surprised she's not asking any of the questions we're suspecting she'll ask," Chrome said.

"Maybe," Mukuro supplied. Kaito also told them some things about this house's situation. "Maybe she's not the one with the questions. He did say 'they' had suspicions, not who."

No one asked the two anything at the end of the day.

The next day, Mukuro and Chrome sat in the living room. They were waiting for Kuroba Kaito (Altair) to pick them up. Yukiko was already out of the house to meet some of her friends who have heard about her return. They have not seen the head of the house either. They could make guesses of what the man was like by observing Conan, but nothing beats the real thing as he sauntered into the room like a casual visitor.

Immediately, the two felt a shiver.

Kudo Yusaku had a certain presence. It was not commanding like Reborn's, but it was not wimpy either. He felt closer to what a hypothetically approachable Alaude was like–All-knowing and preferring to work alone, but willing to work with others when needed. The twins could tell he was observing them, and instantly, they knew who the "them" was.

(Or at least, one of "them".)

Yusaku approached them first, his hand stretched forward courteously.

"Hello, I suppose you two were the guests Yukiko and Kaito-kun mentioned. Nice to meet you two."

Mukuro shook his hand first, and then Chrome followed. "I'm Rokudo Mukuro, and this is my sister, Chrome. Have you come to question us?"

Yusaku looked at them blankly for a moment. The realisation struck him fast and he broke into a polite grin. "Perceptive and straight to the point. Yes, I have questions. But please, would you two like any drinks? Coffee or tea, perhaps? Or would you two like some orange juice? We have some in the fridge. My wife will leave me on the couch if I do not attend to my guests properly."

After they settled their beverages, Yusaku sat opposite them with his legs crossed. He was poised, looking more like an examiner than a questioner.

"So," Mukuro began. He lifted an eyebrow elegantly, resembling Daemon's aristocratic days. "What questions do you have for us?"

Yusaku leaned forward slightly. His eyes fixed on the twins as his hands settled lazily on his abdomen. There was a mischievous glint in his eyes as he asked:

"How's the tea?"

The twins blinked.

"It's my wife's favourite."

If the night flame users were weird, their parents are weirder. One of a kind folks. 

Yusaku looked at them and guffawed. "You two should have seen your faces!" His laughter never stopped even after seeing their confused faces. He knew they were waiting for him to ask questions about the Vongola or the like, but ever since dear Shinichi had gone to live with their future daughter-in-law, and then this happened, there was no time to have fun. 

Soon, he got tired and the laughter died out. "You were waiting for questions since yesterday, huh? Sorry about that." Yusaku scratched his head sheepishly. "I was catching up with my deadlines, so I can't make an appearance." He leaned back and crossed his legs. 

"Rather than me asking you questions, how about you tell me what I can know about the entire situation?" Yusaku suggested. "There are things you aren't allowed to tell me, and I believe part of my curiosity would fall under that category. So how about you two tell me what you're allowed to tell me, instead of me throwing you questions you are unable to answer?"

The twins looked at each other. Mukuro shrugged and looked at the elder first. "What do you know?"

Yusaku lifted an eyebrow. "That Vongola is not just the name of a global brand, but also the name of the strongest mafia organisation out there. Originally a Vigilante group, they became mafia after the war with the Corvino family, as the second head had a different idea for the future of the family."

He paused for confirmation. The twins nodded. So far, that was the summary of their family's history.

"If what Kaito-kun and Tsunayoshi-kun had told me were accurate, the original eight guardians and those with links to the tri-ni-sette were reincarnated by the wish of the head, and my son is one of them. Somehow, my son managed to block the relevant memories and refused to remember them. However, an update from Tsunayoshi-kun told me that that wall is now down, and he is suffering emotionally at this moment. Is there anything else to add?"

Mukuro whistled in awe. "You pretty much got them down. There is nothing more we can add about what you know historically.

"Technically, Altair is Aku's twin brother, and the twins survived after the war between the Vongola and the Corvino. They've cursed themselves but in different ways. Altair will remember those years forever, while Aku will not. Instead, he will not be able to accept whatever love and care from the Vongola. Even though his memories are now back, he would be unwilling to forgive himself for a failure he won't be able to prevent."

Mukuro could remember the despair etched in Conan's eyes yesterday vividly when he showed him the downfall of the Corvino. Aku grew up without a family–Altair being the only exception. While he would do anything to protect them, he was most afraid of disappointing his loved ones.

His loved ones did not include, fortunately, his parents. They were horrendous human beings, absolutely despicable. If he could, Mukuro will burn them on a stake, like the witches hunt.

Yusaku kept quiet, taking the information in. He only looked up when he finally had a seemingly appropriate question. Yet, it was a question he had to get an answer for.

"He is still the son I know, right?"

Chrome smiled. Yusaku did not miss that split-second change of her eyes as she replied.

"Yes, Shinichi-kun will always be Shinichi-kun, even with his past life's memories or none. That will not change."

A/N: omg, I left this story hanging for months. First, it was cuz I was sorting things out in this story. There were parts that weren't flowing right. Then, I just lost interest in writing as a whole. Haha. Reading was more fun. Then my mental health declined happily. Then well... I forgot about the story and when I last posted. I thought I did so in June, but damn, its April.

Are there still readers? 😳