I have died every day waiting for you.

[buckingham]

I have loved you for a thousand years... Some say that if a pair of lovers die together in tragedy, they will get another chance when they are reborn. Even if the two of you keep losing each other, you'll get to meet again. This meme is that meeting. For the first time? For the hundredth time? That much isn't clear. What is clear is that on this, your seeming first meeting - Everything rushes back to you. Memories, emotion, and all the comes with it...including the memory of how you two died. Overwhelming, isn't it? Some people find it hard to accept, for good reason. What will you do? You can't just bring it up, they'll think you're crazy! Maybe you don't want to bring it up, as you refuse to believe it yourself. And even if you do believe it, that doesn't mean you have to embrace it. You're your own person, after all. You refuse to love someone merely because of who you were in the past. Or maybe you can't help but let these feelings rise to the surface because they're too strong. No matter what, you can't repress it. In fact, the more you two meet and spend time together, the more you find yourself falling back into the old roles...and making the old mistakes. That isn't good, though; there's one more thing. One of you, when you first met, had a vision about how the two of you would die this time. You can't let that happen. Not again. Comment with your character and your preferences. Feel free to do a modern AU of your character. Assumed CR and AUs are a must here. Don't feel obligated to stick with first meetings. Play that the characters have known each other for a while, are trying to have a relationship while trying to be their own unique selves, not having a relationship because THE PAST DOESN'T DEFINE ME, or even trying to avoid death in an adventurous fashion! Reply to others. ...I'll love you for a thousand more.

Comments

[hibariskylark]

"Hmm, I wonder?" Kyoya comments with a tilt of his head, and he sees the same image, those same voices. His fingers reach out, stealing Xanxus' cigarette from his fingers, holding it away from him, and there's a moment where he starts to lean in, just a fraction, and he catches himself before he does something dumb, but he doesn't pull back, just grins sharply, unwilling to admit that it wasn't intentional, was a flicker of memory that for a moment felt all too real. "Because then I wouldn't have to steal it from you."

There's something about the tone of his voice that's different, a little more like a man with blue eyes, and he tries to cover it up as he settles back against the edge of the balcony and presses that cigarette to his mouth, breathing in smoke, and the taste of the other man left on paper like some kind of indirect kiss. But he does his best to keep from letting it show how it affects him, trying to pretend that while he watches him out of the corner of his eyes he doesn't see a different man with a long ponytail, but those same eyes, those same flames. His heart twists, and he tries to ignore it, pretend that he doesn't feel things for him that don't make any sense at all.

But underlying all those memories, he can't avoid the sound of that laughter, something sinister, a warning he can't tell him in time. He should have known better, should have realized, but he'd been distracted, and it had been too late. His lips thin and he exhales smoke, tilting his head back, like he can breathe out old memories. Death and blood and mist and that specter of power.

He shakes his head, thumbing thin fingers against that stolen cigarette in mannerisms that are far more like the man he'd once been than is logical. Hibari had always been like a mirror for his prior self, even if Mukuro had thus-far had the good grace not to point it out. However that was likely more selfish than anything else.

"Reborn wants us to make an example of them, as far as I can tell," he comments quietly, his silver hues looking over to look up into Xanxus' red eyes.

[fundonohono]

It's that tilt of the head. The way he leans in. The way that voice sounds for a moment. It's like he's seeing him for the first time, across the room at some fancy ball his cousin is throwing that neither of them wanted to really be at. But it's a strange memory because Xanxus has no cousins and he's never seen Hibari at family functions that the once-heir is sometimes forced to attend.

He watches out of the corner of his eye. Watches those lips wrap around his stolen cigarette. But when grey meets crimson, he turns his attention away again. "Of course it's Reborn. I doubt he would want this." There is no question who the he is. Xanxus' opinion on Sawada is well known. He's too soft. Too forgiving. He'd sooner embrace their enemies than hurt them, even when the only thing that would work is utter destruction.

Another conversation he's had a million times before. In echoes of memories he can barely touch. Yelling at his cousin behind closed doors, insisting that they can't afford such weakness. That they have to act NOW before the families that opposed them to too strong to put down, unaware of the attention those loud fights brought, from both that shadowed face and a more sinister party.

"I don't see why they tapped you for this. I could handle this on my own." Though perhaps Hibari is there to make sure Xanxus doesn't go too overboard. A strange feeling because neither of them are known for moderation where violence is concerned.

[hibariskylark]

There's a sharp sound that's not quite laughter, a shake of his head, because Xanxus is right, of course. They both know where Tsuna stands on these kinds of things. He would never have been able to make this call, but so close to the Tenth's official ascension, it was necessary. Hibari doesn't think that Xanxus is wrong, honestly. There's a shift and he remembers pausing in the doorway, turning to look at that soft face and those warm eyes -- his own cast in shadows. He's right, you know. You're going to get people killed because you're too gentle.

"You know why they sent me for this. It's just insulting to the both of us," Kyoya commented with a frown of his mouth and annoyance moving across his face as he exhaled the smoke from that stolen cigarette. "This is the first mission for the Varia that officially comes from the Tenth instead of the Ninth, isn't it?" There's that thinning of his lips and he shakes his head. "It's about loyalty. And I suppose the only person you send to keep a hold on a monster is another monster."

Or Reborn knew more than he let on, which was perhaps the more likely option. He looks over at Xanxus, his gaze sharp. One didn't need to know Kyoya particularly well to know that he didn't particularly like this. But, he'd been attacked on his way from the airport, which put him in a bad mood, and meant that his pride was fairly committed to seeing this end in fire and wrath.

He looks at Xanxus, and it's like he can see Ricardo's face overlaying the other man, that way he'd smile for murder, and it makes his heart race in ways he can't articulate. Makes him want to kiss him all over again, and there's a slight hint of color in his face as he looks away. He remembers words in Italian smoother than his own, the way a fingertip would slip under his chin, drawing him back in when he tried to pull away. I have work to do, and so do you, he'd protest, pretending he meant it, and there would be that sharp smile that whisper of il mio amore and he'd soften a little, just for that man.

[fundonohono]

There is a sudden tension in his jaw where he clenched his teeth a little too tight. His shoulders are too stiff. His lounging lean against the balcony disappears and he's rigidly upright. His hand balls into a fist at his side so hard his knuckles turn white. It is all reaction to the question. The gathering of his deep pride as well as the controlling of his volatile temper.

For a moment, he can almost feel ghostly hands kneading his shoulders before sliding slowly down to his hands to push them open and thread fingers together with him. There's only one man who dared to hold onto his hands when he's so close to rage and Xanxus can't for the life of him remember who would be that brave...that foolish. There's a soft whisper of a vaguely remember voice in his ear. Telling him to calm down. Telling him to bide his time and watch his blood pressure. The memory causes his shoulders to sag just slightly and he has to turn away from Hibari for a moment to compose himself more.

"It is...and if I have my way, it will be the only one. I do not acknowledge him." Yet here he is. And though he says this, there is the unspoken truth. Xanxus will do missions for the Tenth, just like he does for anyone who could pay the fee Mammon sets for their skills. They're independent and yet fully tied to the Vongola with bonds thicker than blood.

When he finally turns back, it is with a cold laugh. He reaches over to try and take his cigarette back. "You know the only way you could stop me once I've started would be to immobilize me. That's why it has to be you. You're the only one remotely capable of taking me out if I decide to take things too far." It's a strange half memory, of being subjected to Hibari's cuffs but the situation wasn't remotely combative and he knows for a fact that has never happened.

"Though I think I'll just let you take it too far instead. Because I know you, Hibari. And I know you won't just stand there and watch all the fun."

[hibariskylark]

The anger isn't unexpected. What is unexpected is his reaction to it. The way that he wants to cross the distance and massage his shoulders, tell him to calm down, mind his blood pressure, and take his time. And he actually worries for a moment, not that Xanxus will attack him, but about him. His fingers twitch and he wants to touch him, to uncurl his fists and thread their fingers together. It makes his shoulders shake a little, for just a moment. The memories- not his- are so intense and he identifies with them so strongly it sends him reeling.

He knows that Xanxus doesn't accept the Tenth, and he doesn't particularly blame him. His own allegiance is tricky at best. There are times when he's interesting, times when he doesn't choose the soft-hearted path, when he's hard as steel, and those moments capture his focus and his interest and that's why he stays close. Not to mention that he seems to attract strong people, and Kyoya is always looking for a way to sharpen his fangs.

"Maybe I'll just give you a more interesting target," Kyoya muses with a sharp smile, playfully tugging the cigarette of of his reach when he goes for it. There's something familiar in it, and Kyoya isn't really thinking about it, about the way that he slides in and instead of letting Xanxus steal the cigarette from his fingers, he's pressing it to his lips with a look in eyes that for a moment almost seem more blue than grey.

"I don't mind letting you watch," he says before he can stop himself, and there's something to the tone, the rhythm of the words. A memory that's more about sex than blood, and the thought makes him flush despite himself. Which is about the point that he realizes he's still standing too close.

[fundonohono]

With the target they're after, he really does want more interesting. Because he's not going to give them a chance. With what Reborn says they are doing...with what they are trying to supposedly accomplish, there's no way in hell Xanxus is going to let any of them out of this alive. Just as there is no way that building and all it's research isn't going up in flames so bright all of Italy will take notice. Not because of the kids. He's not so sentimental as that. But because it pisses him off to know that some scientist is trying to take away the one thing that makes him special and unique in all the world. And for that, their lives are forfeit.

Hibari's would be too if he didn't have a second smoke tucked away. He puts it to his lips and leans forward and down until the unlit tip is touching the one Hibari has on his lips. It seems too familiar. It feels like he want to just throw the cigarette somewhere and crush their lips together instead. It's a near thing and for a moment, his pupils dilate with that unspoken desire.

His voice is pitched a little lower. It's strange. Sometimes, when he feels these desires, he goes from a baritone to a rich rumbling bass. The timber of another man entirely. "I'm sure you don't, but I won't be content to just watch you. You'll make it look so fun that I'll just have to join you. And then the fun can really begin." His hand reaches out without his knowing to caress the man's cheek to to his temple. he can almost see blond hair there instead of black and his hand suddenly moves away if burnt.

He has to back away before he does something stupid. "After this smoke, we'll go. Mammon has been in contact with Reborn to arrange for a safe house halfway. Maps and intel will be waiting our arrival. We can plan farther then and be ready for the raid come evening." Because Xanxus loves to attack at night. Night makes the flames look so much brighter.

[hibariskylark]

Hibari doesn't know the specifics of who they're after, but he's not particularly concerned. Of course, unlike Xanxus, Hibari does have a sentimental streak when it comes to orphans, especially those with interesting powers and who have been abandoned. It's the premise of his Disciplinary Committee, though most people are unaware of this. It's a fact that Reborn is aware of, and considering how many different angles the Arcobaleno is attacking this problem from, he thought it was better if Hibari didn't figure out the details before the two got to the safehouse.

There's a flutter of lashes over grey-blue eyes as he looks into Xanxus' eyes as the man leans across the slight distance between them, and he's breathing in smoke as the man presses his cigarette to the end of Hibari's, and there's that faint crackle as the paper and tobacco catches the flame. He almost expects to lose the cigarette, expects him to kiss him, and he angles his body a little, leans in just s little. When it doesn't happen, he has to catch his breath, and he covers it as he exhales the smoke and lets it hang in the air.

"How many times am I going to have to tell you to not get carried away?" He questions softly, his tone vaguely disapproving, but there's a faint hint of amusement on his mouth that only Ricardo had ever really been able to see. Hibari's not thinking for a moment, that rich bass of his voice triggering something. He's never told him that, never considered it, but that blond with the blue eyes had said it so many times, even if he rarely really meant it.

Xanxus' hand pulls away, and realizing how strange what he said was, Hibari tries to shrug it off, shaking his head as if he can clear his thoughts. "Good. There was a minor incident on the way here so I don't have a car," he admits with a sigh, tilting his head back to look up at the sky. Xanxus isn't the only one that prefers the night.

[fundonohono]

That soft question is far too familiar. He chuckles darkly into the coming night and murmurs "Just one more time will do". A part of him almost remembers the searing pain of hundreds of bullet holes and his lifeblood pouring from his numerous wounds. A figure in a trenchcoat laying beside him, reaching for him, saying those words that Hibari just spoke. His own last shaky breaths, hand reaching towards the man he can barely remember to grate out those words he whispered into the night, saying them one last time.

It's so vivid, he can almost feel it. His mouth sets into a dark frown around his smoke and he forces it aside. Instead, he focuses on Hibari's next words. He glances to the shorter man beside him. "I'll assume you took care of it. But we've had transport arranged." Hibari will just have to accept being a passenger. He doesn't want to think about the man sitting behind him, holding onto him.

He leans against the railing once more to finish his smoke quickly. If there was an incident, they needed to move. He didn't want their target to have any more prior warning then they already might have.

[hibariskylark]

It's six stupid words, and they shouldn't hit him quite so hard, but they do anyway. It's like a gunshot, like a knife that reopens a forgotten wound. His breath catches and he shivers, looking off to the side as the scene plays out behind his eyes one more time, and yet somehow it hurts even more this time, standing so close to him, feeling those red eyes. The last touch of fingers, the way hands laced together as he drew his last breath, struggling to say words he couldn't get past the blood he was choking on.

"It's been dealt with. Nothing notable, but I had to take a cab here," he comments softly, a shrug of his shoulders. If Xanxus is paying attention he might notice that there's blood on the black of his suit. Feel free to guess if any of it is actually his own. He nods in silent agreement to the fact that transportation has already been arranged, glad for it.

"I wasn't followed," he clarifies, as if it needs to be said, a frown at the fact that Xanxus might think he was that sloppy. He might still be a teenager, but he had been doing this sort of thing since he was a child. He wasn't like the rest of them.

[fundonohono]

Oh, he had noticed, but it's Hibari and he knows if the man is still walking, he's probably fine. They don't have time and resources here for him to strip the man and make sure he's not actually bleeding to death. He just has to take into account the man's natural ridiculous ability to heal quickly into account. There are more pressing things to worry about. Things like if Hibari was followed and even more so, why he kept getting those jolts of deja vous standing so close.

"Good." He states, and grinds the rest of his cigarette out on the balcony railing. For a moment, his hand rests on the small of Hibari's back. It feels like something he had done a million times. A sneaked touch because they couldn't afford to show affection in public.

"We've wasted enough time here. Come along." He turns and walks, and for a moment, the way his feathers and his long coat flutter in the air, it almost looks more like a long thin black ponytail. His steps are familiar too. The too confident too smooth stride of a man who was fully aware of the sort of power he possessed.

He led his way to their transport. A motorcycle. A little open for his tastes, but best at weaving around in the forests, which was where the safe house was located. He slides onto the front part of the seat and turns to look at the other man as if expecting some sort of protest.

[hibariskylark]

When Xanxus' hand presses to the small of his back, it's like something electric, reminds him of a hundred different small moments and a hundred more. Those pieces of time when they couldn't be seen to be openly affectionate, and so it was small touches, grazing fingers out of sight, and the press of Ricardo's fingers at the small of his back, just like this, even if it's a different reason.

"Alright," Kyoya offers with a faint nod of his head. He means to follow after him, but it takes him a moment to catch his breath. That stretch where he just stares after him, the way that his silhouette and the trail of his feathers and the stride of the man before him reminds him far too heavily of another man and another time and it catches his breath in his throat.

But eventually he follows him outside, and finds himself staring at a motorcycle as Xanxus slides onto the front of the seat. The reality of the situation sinks in and he crosses his arms over his chest for a moment with a pointed frown. "I could probably drive it better than you," he comments. But, then he's sighing and he slips behind him onto the motorcycle. There's that brief, tentative, whisper of hands, and then he just gives in and curls his small hands around the Varia Boss' stomach.

"I can't believe this," he grumbles. But, he can, because he can remember holding on like this and maybe that's how he ends up with his cheek pressed to the man's back.

[fundonohono]

Honestly, he was almost expecting more of a fight out of the man. He was pleased when they didn't waste time they didn't have arguing over who was the better driver. He would still win because he knew where they were going. And he wins again when he feels those hands around his middle and the warmth of a cheek against his back.

It gives him another flood of memories that aren't his and he shakes his head to rid himself of them before he's staring the bike and tearing off into the growing darkness.

The safehouse is far and except for the sounds of the bike, he is silent. The way to the house is hard to follow, especially with how he drives in and around. But more than that, it seems familiar. Just like so many other things, he feels as if he knows this place. This small little out of the way villa that's more a cabin than anything. Some secret rendezvous sight for erstwhile lovers trying to get away from their duties for a moment.

Mammon and Reborn had chosen it, supposed for it's location to the target. But perhaps there was another reason. Perhaps the Arcobaleno were hoping the location might spark memories. All they do for Xanxus is give him a slight headache by the time they arrive and he's sliding off the bike to insure the area is safe.

Inside, everything will be coated with a fine layer of dust. It covers everything. But they aren't here for a vacation. They're there to put the final plans in place before they raid that facility and shut it down for good.