WARNING: Violence, suicidal thoughts, and depression.
Sequel to "Broken Hourglass." Nina is Ai's best friend and is Rifiutare Famiglia's Cloud Guardian.
If any of my OC acts like a Mary Sue in any way or if there are any mistakes, TELL ME IMMEDIATELY!
Oh and no flames please! Thank you~!
"" - speech
italics - thoughts
Disclaimer: I do not own Kateikyoushi Hitman Reborn.
Frozen Quicksand
"Let me in, Romario." Nina glared coldly at the silent man. He only shook his head in disagreement. "Do not make me kill you."
"Nina-san, he's already…" The worried gaze that indicated the potential fate of the Chiavarone Famiglia flickered on his face. "Please don't make it worse."
"Worse…?" She snapped at that single moment. "Worse? You - working for the person who killed my best friend - can say that to me?" She pushed him back with her hand; the laughter that gurgled from her throat mocked them. "She was my family, but to him, she was only a lover - a betrayer. So tell me, Romario, who the fuck has it worse?"
"I-"
She roared, throwing him to the ground. "AND DON'T GIVE ME A BULLSHIT ANSWER ABOUT HOW THE CLOUDS HAVE NO FEELINGS… because… We can feel… We just choose to ignore it or to not show it at all." Frustrated tears gathered in the corner of her eyes. She could remember the cold stiff body of her friend and the peaceful smile she wore on her face. "I couldn't even…" say goodbye.
She finally slammed the door open, revealing a dark room and a still Dino who sat in his chair silently. The dark bags under his eyes and the way his jaw accentuated indicated to her of his lack of sleep and eating. "Dino-san...hasn't spoken since then… It's like he's dead." The pain in Romario's voice quite frankly irritated her.
"Shut up. I'll make my own observations. Leave us." She muttered to the man. She no longer looked consumed by her emotions. Despite her anger, however, he felt that he could trust her to make the right decision with the way her mind seemed clear and calm at the moment.
"I understand…" He left the area, leaving her behind with Dino.
She walked up to him carefully. He never looked up to see who it was. "It seems like you're in your own Hell, Dino-san. Did it break you that badly when you killed Ai?" His hand twitched. "I told you to elongate it as much as possible until I was able to prove her innocence, but you had to choose the worst punishment for her, didn't you?"
"I-" He coughed harshly; his throat was too dry. "I didn't know…" The frantic tone he used made her notice that he never realized that he did such a cruel thing to her until it was too late. "I…" Tears rolled down his cheeks. The room - so cold and unnaturally dark - trapped him like a cage.
"Is that why you're torturing yourself like this? Like an idiot?" She pulled him out of the chair and yelled at him. "JUST HOW SHITTY IS YOUR LUCK WHEN YOUR SUBORDINATES AREN'T AROUND?! JUST HOW CLUMSY AND STUPID WILL YOU BE UNTIL SOMEONE IMPORTANT TO YOU DIES!" She threw him back down onto his chair. "And this is why Ai died - thanks to your inability to act like a proper normal human being who doesn't need the presence of other people to do proper work."
"You're right…" He shrunk in his chair in a pathetic manner. Disgust pooled into her eyes. She charged towards the curtains and swung them open. Bright light immediately entered the room, blinding Dino for a brief minute. She then ran over and punched him in the face. His nose - broken - spurt out blood.
She pulled him up again. "DO YOU THINK AI WANTS TO SEE YOU LIKE THIS?! LEARN FROM HER DEATH! BE A BETTER BOSS!" She remembered the way his subordinates looked - so disheartened and broken. "SO YOU'RE GOING TO LET DOWN YOUR FAMIGLIA LIKE THIS AND LET THEM DIE BY YOUR OWN STUPIDITY?!" He shook in her grasp. "FINE THEN! KILL THEM LIKE YOU KILLED MY BEST FRIEND!"
"I… I won't…" He managed to whisper out.
"YOU WON'T- WHAT?!" She threw him down - tired of having to deal with someone like him.
"They won't...break… Even if I die… The Famiglia will live on." Dino muttered as he flexed his hands. "So it's okay that-"
SLAP!
The stinging pain in his cheek shocked him. It was worse than the punch she gave earlier. When he looked up at her - finally looked at her, he noticed the tears that streamed down her face.
"I'm ashamed that I introduced you to her. I'm ashamed that I let her fall for such a weak man." She turned around, looking up at the sky. "Fine then. Go ahead and die. Kill yourself. But let's see just how many people will become another you after you selfishly kill yourself. Just how many subordinates of yours become depressed and kill themselves out of grief. Then let's see if you still feel like killing yourself was the right answer."
"I…" He stared at the ground, wondering what he needed to do. But he felt so lost.
"Becoming the unexpected pillar of support when misfortune strikes, she changes into the Sun that blinds and burns away the pain." She suddenly spoke in a loud and clear voice.
Dino blinked. "What?"
"That is Ai's role in our famiglia." She faced him with a firm calm expression. "What is your role, Chiavarone Decimo?"
He didn't know the answer anymore to that question. He felt like he was drowning - no longer able to escape from his own hell, but at the same time, he felt frozen as though time could no longer move for him.
"Will you be like Ai and become the pillar of support during this time of misfortune? Or will you be the hell that drowns everything into the quicksand of your own making? That is your choice." Nina squeezed his shoulder reassuringly one last time before leaving the room. She passed by Romario with a stern expression.
Dino sat there silently, staring out the window. "The sun…" The white light blinded him, but it calmed him at the same time. The warmth wrapped around his very soul as he finally made his unrelenting choice.
END.
I left the ending open-ended, so you can decide on whether Dino actually does kill himself afterwards or instead kept himself alive for the famiglia.
If you read it and liked it, then I would love to see your support for this fanfic in the form of reviews, so send those reviews/faves/follows in my direction! :D