Uhhh, yeaaaa, I was working on an AMV for thPeekaBoo's birthday, so this was actually supposed to be written about...2 weeks ago. o; Whoops. Still, the deadline for this round was postponed till the 15th, so it's all good. :D My muse was totally shot by the AMV, though, so neh...that's my excuse for the major suckiness that you will read in...a jiffy. Mmm. And SqualoxDino is up there on my OTP list, too. *shoots self for writing a crappy oneshot*

Prompt: "First/Firsts"

Round 3 of the Pairings Contest

Disclaimer: "Katekyo Hitman Reborn!"'s characters, plot, and all other affiliates of the manga and anime belong to Amino Akira, meaning it does not belong to me whatsoever. I own solely this piece of literature, and thus I would also appreciate it if fellow authors and writers do not steal any of my work. Thank you, and enjoy "Stronger".

Stronger

A SqualoxDino fic

They were an odd pair, to say the least— while they were both privileged enough to attend the school they went to and they were both pure-blooded Italians, they couldn't be more different.

Superbi Squalo never looked back. When he walked though the hallways, his every step oozed confidence, and he wasn't afraid to shove and show everybody else who was the leader of the pack. His smile was that of mockery and arrogance, but nobody could deny the fact that he had the skills to back up his arrogance.

Dino Cavallone was an entirely different story. With every step he took forward, he would turn around twice to make sure that the Boogieman wasn't following him. Even though the majority of his classmates were courteous enough, he still carefully and timidly walked to his classroom every morning, careful not to bump into anybody or trip and cause a hindrance. He was quick to smile but quicker to cry, and his laughter was reminiscent of sunflowers and the bright cornfields.

He was strong. He was weak. He was going to be on top, and won't be satisfied with anything else. He was fine where he was, and would be happy to lose the title so many coveted.

When the then short-haired swordsman first barged into the classroom, it was clear that this man was going to make something out of his life. When he spoke with his peers, his eyes never met the other's— they always looked somewhere else...somewhere higher. He was going to be number one someday, and nothing will stop him. He'd make sure of that.

The blonde sighed as he slumped his way to the room he would take lessons in for the next year. Only a handful of classmates in the room even noticed his presence, and even fewer acknowledged his existence. Despite the fact that he was to be the boss of one of the most influential mafia families, he was still constantly jeered at and bullied by his peers.

It was in the middle of Spring when they had first met face-to-face. Although they both knew who the other was— they were in the same class, after all— it wasn't until Squalo had beaten the bullies up that they first communicated.

The briskness in which he disposed of his enemies, his ferocity when he dealt the first blow, and his ruthlessness in his attack...Dino couldn't take his eyes off the sheer rawness of the man's strength. With every moment captured in his eyes, he couldn't help but notice that the man embodied every trait he lacked— every trait a boss should have.

Over time, their relationship evolved. They were not quite friends (Squalo would never acknowledge somebody so weak as his friend) but closer than the average acquaintance. They sat next to each other during class, but that was due to the fact that nobody else had textbooks to share with the shark. They ate lunch together, but only so that the blonde could actually eat a meal without constantly making sure the bullies wouldn't attack him. In some ways, Squalo had become a patron and protector of the then useless Dino.

When they were eating, the only subject that Squalo didn't speak of in a condescending tone was his goal for the future. Through the foggy memories of his childhood, Dino could remember his companion's boastful tone.

"Voiii, I'm going to be the strongest swordsman ever! I'll defeat that Sword Emperor and anybody else who thinks he could beat me!"

And Dino would smile and encourage the man, because he knew that the dream would come true.

"Of course, Squalo! If anybody can do it, it'd be you, neh?"

"Voii, Of course! Who do you think I am?"

And even though he supported the man he was sitting next to, there was a sinking feeling that grew in his stomach every time they had the conversation, because after all...

Where would that leave him?

As he stood up after the morning classes had ended, he noticed with a gloomy sigh that the silver-haired swordsman was nowhere to be seen. Lately, the man seemed to have been avoiding him... He quickly brushed off the paranoid thoughts. Ever since his friend had chopped off his own hand (for the sake of becoming even stronger, the shark claimed), he had been even more worrisome than before. After all, if he didn't fret, who knows what would happen to the reckless shark.

He walked out the classroom, making his way to the rooftop. On the way, he was shoved and given dirty looks by his former bullies. They had stopped beating him up since he had befriended Squalo, but they never stopped reminding him of the fact that they were still stronger than him. But then again, wasn't everyone?

"Voiii, I thought I might find you here."

He nearly dropped his lunchbox at the sound of his loud companion. Turning around sheepishly, he smiled excitedly at Squalo.

"Ah, Squalo! You came! I haven't seen you lately, so I thought you went somewhere else..."

He was promptly cuffed on the head for being a "clingy brat", and yelled at for not skinning the bullies that had shoved him moments earlier. Laughing it off, Dino made to sit next to his patron, smiling as he resumed eating his lunch.

"Neh, Squalo, what were you doing lately? It seems like you've been really busy?"

"Nnh? I've been packing my stuff for the move to the Varia Headquarters."

The food that Dino had been so avidly munching on promptly made its way into Squalo's hair.

"Voii, what was that for?!"

He coughed a bit more before even daring to open his mouth. "V-varia?! You're moving to the Varia headquarters?!" He stuttered out disbelievingly.

"Voi, of course! What did you think I was fighting Tyr for? I'm going to be joining the Varia!"

Wiping his mouth on his sleeve, the blonde could only stare dumbly as his friend continued his passionate speech.

"Voi, the Varia are considered the best of the best, aren't they?! Who knows what kind of insanely strong fighters are there? Once I join, I'll fight them all and rise to the top! I'll become the strongest!"

A bitter pain twinged in his chest when he realized that Squalo wasn't even thinking of the more practical problems, such as his grade or Dino. No, his eyes were looking much farther than that— they were looking at his dream, his goal.

The dream that didn't include Dino.

Of course, he knew this was going to happen. He knew this would happen since the first time he spoke to the shark. After all, they were different people, and they belonged to different worlds. It was only a matter of time before he was left in the dust, as the man who first saved him kept rising, kept getting stronger.

This time, though, their conversation went differently.

"...and you!"

"A-ah? What, Squalo?"

His friend for the last two years smirked before continuing, "Voii, you better rise to the top too, damn Cavallone! Show the world who's the boss!"

And the blonde did nothing but stare dumbly at the retreating figure of his friend before the words truly sunk in.

He believed in him. Squalo, of all people, believed that he could be strong.

"Yea, I'll meet you at the top, Squalo."

"..Yea, bye. Take care, Squalo."

The pouring rain drenched his body as he stood next to the car, seeing his classmate of two and a half years. His eye were overshadowed by his soaked hair, but it was clear that he was confused and upset. As the car drove farther and farther away, Dino continued standing there, replaying their last conversation in his head.

"Squalo! Why did you hand your title over to Xanxus? What happened to becoming number one?!"

"Vvvoiii, a weakling like you could never understand his strength, his rage. If you weren't such a weakling, you would see...Heh, It doesn't matter. It's none of your business anyway."

He clenched his fists as his sight blurred underneath the pouring rain. In the end, the weaklings will always be left behind. And the only way to take back what is lost is to be stronger. Always stronger.

"Boss, he's awake."

"Ah, thanks Romario," Dino replied grimly, "I'll go talk to him now."

He walked into the hospital room slowly, organizing his thoughts and carefully putting on the mask he wore so well— the mask of cold professionalism. As his eyes met the sight of his old friend, he could only stare at the sight of what should have been the strongest swordsman in the world. Motioning for his men to leave them be, he made himself comfortable on the chair next to the bed, and stared out the window. Just like that day nine years ago, it was raining. Neither of them said a word: it wasn't necessary. After all, what truly mattered were the words that wouldn't be said— that couldn't be said.

Dino continued staring out the window, watching as raindrops relentlessly splattered against the cold glass. He had changed since their days in school: he was the tenth Cavallone boss, a man with over a thousand loyal subordinates. He had made a name for himself these last years as the Bucking Bronco, and was not a man to be trifled with. He had, as Squalo had told him to, grown stronger. And yet, even though he was supposed to be interrogating his former companion for the sake of his "little brother", words refused to come out of his mouth.

This was the man who rose to the top, gained everything he ever wanted, and lost it all.

"So," he finally murmured. "It's been a long time, neh, Squalo?"

There was no other sound in the room except for the faint pattering of the rain, and for a moment Dino wondered if the man had heard him.

"...Yea. A long time."

Taking a deep breath, the blonde finally made eye-contact with his ex-classmate. The swordsman was covered with bandages, and his eyes were masked with some emotion that Dino couldn't read. He never did manage to read Squalo's emotions. After another long stretch of silence, he opened his mouth once more, pushing sound into the unspoken question that had loomed over his head since a decade ago.

"So tell me Squalo...are you satisfied now?"

There was no verbal response, but the blonde received a questioning glare. But that didn't stop him from saying what he needed to say after being reunited with his friend and watching him lose for the first time.

"...You know Squalo, I've changed a lot. I stopped shying away from my responsibilities, and I've grown stronger. I'm the boss of the Cavallone family now. But, you know, now that I'm standing on the same platform as you, I've noticed something."

"...What's your point, Cavallone?"

Dino chuckled bitterly. "Do you know what the problem with being number one is? Originally, I thought the worst thing about it is that there's always somebody who's going to take that title from you, sooner or later. But that's wrong, isn't it?"

"The worst thing about being first place is that there's nobody else standing next to you."

He waited for a response, but there wasn't one. Staring at his friend's face for a reaction, he sighed when he realized that even if the man had heard him, he wasn't about to let his feelings show on his face. As he got up and started walking out the room, he heard a faint reply from the man who had got so far and lost it all in the end.

"One is truly the loneliest number, Dino."

He turned around, and smiled sadly.

"Well, at least we can be lonely together."

Music FTW.

For the fellow music junkies, there were inferences from "Sell Your Soul" by Hollywood Undead, "In the End" by Linkin Park, "One" by Three Dog Night, "Never Too Late" by Three Days Grace, and "Until the Day I Die" by Story of the Year. Why yes, this was my playlist for the last week, how did you figure that out? P:

I realized after I wrote this that this was prolly one of the lamest one-shots I ever wrote. I hate my writing these days.

Review. Or Byakuran eats your babies.