Ghost of the Past (Katekyo Hitman Reborn/Xanxus) WATTYS 2017

Chapter 12 - 'Forget'

"Kuroi. Who was he?" Tsuna asked, his tone directed to the only person in the room who hadn't made a comment about 'Kuroi's change'.

His hyper intuition was telling him there was something more to this story than he knew.

"He was my brother." Hiro replied, his tone cold and trying to make his answers as short as possible.

"What happened to him?" Tsuna asked, trying to make his questions as gentle as possible. He knew that this must be a hard question for Hiro.

"Hiro, you don't have to-" Karen started but Hiro shook his head.

"It's fine. I think it's time they knew the truth." Hiro bit the inner part of his cheek, it was almost as if the pain he felt there would've been able to take his mind away from the aching pain he felt in his chest.

"He was..."

Flashback I

"No! Kuroi!" Kuroi's body was thrown to the side and Dina was restrained, held back by more people with colorless flames.

Her energy was being drained from her and she was powerless without both her flames and her power.

"What are you doing to him?!" The man inched closer to the unconscious Kuroi and Dina screamed out as she realized what he was about to do.

"Take me, inject the colorless flames in me!"

The man paused. "And why would I do that?"

Dina felt relief flood through her because he actually listened.

"You'd never understand! You don't even have a family!"

"People underestimate the woman." She straightened her back and tried to make herself seem sure but the man saw right through her.

"No, no. There's something else...." He grinned maliciously.

"You love him." The man came to that revelation and by the way Dina froze, he knew that he had guessed correctly.

"He loves you too, you know."

Dina's head snapped up in shock and a breath escaped her lips.

"As a sister." The man finished and it seemed as though the light disappeared from her eyes.

"I beg of you, take me." Her voice cracked at the end and she felt heavy and light at the same time as tears escaped her eyes.

"I'm sorry..."

Her flames, her beautiful flames were being taken away from her and were being replaced with emptiness, with nothing and she felt her entire being well up and die.

A searing pain shook throug her small frame and she heard a scream before she realized it was her and she was hearing herself.

No one was gonna save her this time.

And then, after an unending cycle of the same, agonizing pain again and again, it stopped. She was relieved when she looked around and found Kuroi and her were the only people left.

"Hey!" She ran to him and shook him awake. "We did it Kuroi!"

Kuroi blinked his eyes before smiling at her and that was when it started.

"I-I..." Dina doubled over in pain, screaming and crying as she clutched her stomach and clawed at it.

"Dina! Dina!" He tried to pull her up but she sobbed against him.

"No! It hurts! It hurts!" She cried out.

"What does, Di? Let me help you." Kuroi felt his own self die inside looking at the person he cared so deeply about suffer like this.