Deja Vu - Katekyo Hitman Reborn 《COMPLETED》

CH14:Whispered Thanks

Dull eyes watched, wary as the door slid open with a low hiss.

There were footsteps, for just a moment, as heels clicked against marble floors, just as a boy was tossed in, wide-eyed and bruised, pale skin and marred.

They watched then, as the boy stumbled, thin frame racked with shivers as dull brown hair shone in the artificial light of the room.

Another low hiss. The door slid shut.

And it was like the trance was over. There was another second of silence, before tentatively, something shiftened in the air.

Several children stirred, as the usual frost in the air was replaced with that of warmth.

And he only watched as previously dull eyes now shone a bright amber, a promise in their gaze.

"Hello," he started, reaching out a hand to grasp his own. He didn't understand why, but the boy continued on. "My name is Zero!"

Zero had smiled then, bright and innocent, as though untainted by the horrors of this hell they resided in.

And perhaps that was why. Zero was an enigma, something he could not understand or even fathom to. Perhaps that was why he chose to let his guard down.

Maybe that was why...

"...Mukuro Rokudo." He chose to befriend this boy.

This would be one of the first miracles the boy named Zero would bring.

---

"Zero... does it hurt?" Chikusa had asked, frowning at the sight of blood staining his skin.

Two months since Zero had first arrived. The children knew by then; Zero's experiments were on a whole other level from theirs. And the pain was worsened by ten.

"Nope! I'm fine, haha. Don't worry, okay?"

But Zero never stopped smiling. Not even as his eyes shone with a soul-deep pain that none of the other children could understand.

And with that smile, he brought hope.

They were thankful for that.

---

And it was on that specific night, July 8th, his mind whispered, when everything changed.

He had watched on that night, as the tiny child had smiled, whispering a silent goodnight to the children as they spread out across the room in order to get mere hours of restless sleep.

And the last of the breaths evened, amber eyes fluttered close.

"I'm sorry." Zero breathed, just as he turned, and the door hissed open.

Mukuro felt betrayed.

All this time, had Zero been playing them?

If Zero could leave the cell, why didn't he free them all?

He had become one of the most important peoples in their lives, Mukuro knew that. And he had even come to trust Zero like his own brother by then.

Was he just a fake playing with their emotions? A spy?

The thought of it hurt.

He swallowed down the bitterness.

He had to find out.

Summoning weak Mist flames, his muscles burned with effort as he created the weakest of illusions. An exit; a way out.