A Royal Epilogue

Chapter One

A/N: Hello everyone! This is the VERY LAST story in the 'A Royal' series, story number twelve! It will be half the normal number of chapters, like Encore was, and to warn you in advance, this will NOT be as fluffy as the others. D: Just a heads up!

For any new readers, here is a list of the 'A Royal-' series in order:

A Royal Meeting, A Royal Winter, A Royal Spring, A Royal Summer, A Royal Fall, A Royal End, A Royal Encore, A Royal Return, A Royal Blackmail, A Royal Child, A Royal Capture, and this is the final story, A Royal Epilogue.

Not reading the stories in order results in confusion, though it's doable. *shrug*

Phoenix of Starlight does not own Katekyo Hitman REBORN!... regrettably. XD

10 years later...

Years had passed since the attack of the Spiaggia family. At that point, the Vongola were starting to falter in their strength. Tsunayoshi was approaching late thirties, but like ninth, there was a sense that he would be a strong leader even when he was nearing death. Reborn was a strong second, as well, taking control whenever Tsunayoshi was absent or ill. Yamamoto and Gokudera had married years ago, and were now a strong team, despite their quarreling. Lambo was the main recruiter for the Vongola, constantly meeting new friends and turning them towards the Mafioso life. I-Pin, having graduated from university, was thriving in the food industry, with Chrome sometimes bringing her to the base for a girl's night, of which Lal Mirch promptly refused to be a part of.

As it turned out, the only child that had been born into the Vongola was the son of Colonello and Lal, who at six years old was already showing signs of being a better fighter than Lambo(, even if his stealth skills still needed some work). The kid could really aim a toy gun! Adorable, too, sporting his mother's rosey eyes and his father's blond hair.

Basil, though he hadn't been a main part of the Vongola in the past, had moved in after a rival family had gone after them, wanting to help keep the Vongola's strength up. The merge with the Cavallone family had certainly helped the Vongola, and with that, having Dino as their strong second boss made the Vongola a formidable, if old force. Giotto had made it possible, and Tsunayoshi had carried on the legacy as needed. The only issue was the lack of an heir, but everyone agreed that if things went downhill and there was no choice, Reborn would set out to find a distant relative for them to help bring them back to the top, likely one of Dino's.

The Spiaggia family had been proven to be broken up. No one found Andrew Spark after the fight, and the other orphans were sighted all around Europe and Asia. It was rumored that Soro had set out to start a beneficial famiglia of his own, though it had never been confirmed with any kind of concrete data.

As for the Varia, Fon had moved in as a lover of Mammon, making the number of Arcobaleno in the Vongola an intimidating 'four.' Hardly anyone dared to stand up to them now. The only attack on the Varia had been from a rival famiglia, but Fran's training in the future had saved them from the calamity of the loss of their strongest Cloud. The only foreseeable enemy now was Father Time.

It was a dark night.

Fran lay in bed, his teal hair pooled against the pillows as he rested. It had been a long day for him and Bel - the two had been on a long and boring mission for the past two days, making certain a small famiglia nearby wouldn't be a threat to them. Stakeouts were perhaps the most tedious tasks they were ever given - after all, they were an assassination squad. Not a look-and-make-sure-it's-okay squad. They were supposed to just strike first and ask questions later!

Admittedly, it had been a bit fun. Belphegor hated to see him bored, and so had brought cards and board games to play. Even though he almost always lost, Bel had challenged Fran to some good chess matches, too. They played I-spy and tried to identify any birds they saw, and at one point Bel called the nearby pizza place and asked them to deliver to their suspect's door. While the two Varia sat in their car, watching the base, the poor pizza guy awkwardly made his way up to the door. After a hilarious exchange between the boss and the pizza guy which pretty much ended in the guy having the door slammed in his face, Bel rolled down the car window and managed to get the man to give the pizzas to them. It was a bit awkward, but nonetheless, Fran had enjoyed their prank-induced meal.

On the second day, at the end of their shift, they actually egged the place. Now that was pure evil, and Fran enjoyed every second of it. It was more or less... 'take that, rival famiglia! You'll have the crappiest time trying to wash your windows!' They'd gotten through four cartons, but just when they were starting on the fifth, Mammon came over on an airbike and started scolding them. Something about them being in their late thirties and really needing to start growing up. Mammon was just a stick in the mud sometimes, though, and the two knew that he was probably sore after his birthday night with Fon. Martial arts masters could be a bit rough with their... massages.

"Hey, Fran, what's with the grumpy face?" Bel asked, his voice like silk. Fran hardly remembered when that had developed, but over the years, ever since the forfeiting of the prince's crown, Bel had been incredibly sexy in voice. One could say it was like a fine wine, aged to perfection.

Unfortunately, its effects weren't so exaggerated on Fran, who'd had some time to get used to it. "Just that these past two days have been really annoying, despite the strip poker matches we'd have in the car. Stakeouts drive me crazy no matter what."

The prince smiled, his good eye softening as he observed his lover. He wore a patch over the one that had been permanently damaged in their fight with the Spiaggia, but still kept his bangs over that eye to hide its damage. Some speculated that he was ashamed of the injury, as it so hindered his perception abilities. Rasiel had trained him up to par with his old self, but the time lost and missions failed due to his handicap would never be amended. Prince or no prince, it was a severe drawback for him. He was more used to it now, of course, but he'd probably never be completely accustomed to the fact that he was half blind, having been able to see for more than twenty seven years of his life - nearly three-fourths of it.

"I'm sure you like having a break from being busy, and more importantly, being able to get away from the famiglia for a while," the prince hummed, sitting down on the bed and placing a hand on his lover's knee. "Maybe you're just looking at them wrong, Fran. I personally love being able to spend a bunch of extra time with my dear princess when we go on stakeouts."

The illusionist smirked. "Keep talking like that and you're going to keep getting your way, sneak. You're just saying all this to butter me up."

"Am not," Bel laughed lightly, before moving up the bed and pressing a soft kiss to Fran's lips. "You don't need to be buttered up. You're delicious enough as it is, even without butter."

"And yet when it comes to ice cream you'd beg to differ," Fran teased.

"I certainly would," the prince agreed, breaking into his signature cheshire grin, standing upright again. "I do love my sweets, after all. But I know you're tired from your long, boring day of spending time with me, so I guess I'll just go shower and crawl into bed with you later," he called, striding to the bathroom door with an attractive sway. He paused in the door frame, and cast a brief glance over his shoulder, lips still held in a smile. "Good night, Fran." With that, he slipped inside, turning on the shower soon after.

Fran's cheeks started to catch fire at his prince's ever-refined tactics, and he got to his feet. "Hold on there, I can't let you shower alone," he said, voice reverting to monotone. "You don't even know how to wash behind your ears, so I better help you."

The door closed on another well-baited trap, two satisfied, soaked, and squeaky-clean Varia leaving it a good hour later.

Belphegor and Fran weren't the only ones enjoying the night. In their new room on the bottom floor of the headquarters, Mukuro and Hibari had thrived. Mukuro had secretly taken up his very old passion of art, doing some rather nice portraits of his lover in the candlelight. One wouldn't generally think that the skylark was at all into having himself painted, but apparently, he liked looking at himself, and enjoyed the feeling of prestige when he posed and had someone complimenting his form and trying so hard to recreate it on canvas. After the amnesia, their relationship had been a bit awkward for a while, but it had grown back stronger, like a forest that had been burned to the ground. Mukuro had found it strangely easier to open up to his lover this time around, perhaps due to his having to take the role of knight during their time held by the Spiaggia. Only Hibari ever saw his heart, his soul, for what it really was. It was even pleasant to know that one day he would die, and that would be the end of his cycle through the many paths of Hell. His life with Hibari would be the last one before it all ended.

"... All right, that'll just about do it for this one! Good job holding that, Kyouya," Mukuro said, a pleased smile on his face as he walked over and turned on the lights. Hibari slowly got out of his position on the bed, rose petals falling off of him and fluttering to the ground.

"You better have gotten my eyelashes right this time, pineapple," he grunted, taking a moment to stretch, before reaching up and brushing his hair out of his eyes. "... I need another haircut."

"I like it this way, though," Mukuro protested, reaching out to run a hand through the soft tresses.

"No, pineapple, it doesn't go with my masculine features, even if it fits your girly face just fine," Hibari said firmly, noting the pout on his lover's lips and savoring it for a couple of moments before he kissed it away. "Oh stop. I tease you every day. Get used to it." He walked over to the easel than, looking at the portrait Mukuro had painted. "Hn. You make me look more womanish every one you do. No more rose petals. Next one we do will be with me fresh from an assignment, so you can paint blood instead. This is worse than the sakura print kimono one."

"You love that one, though!" Mukuro protested.

"That isn't the point," the ex-prefect replied matter-of-factly. "You put me in a more effeminate pose every day. I may be your uke, but I'm not submissive, and I'm not girly. So please, for my sanity, let the next portrait give me a little justice as a man?"

Mukuro sighed, then smiled. "Of course, Kyouya. I'm sorry, you're just so tempting. Sometimes I wish we had more pictures of when we were teenagers. Don't get me wrong, you're incredibly sexy nowadays, but you used to be the most adorable thing..."

"Lies," Hibari muttered, before walking back to the bed and sitting down. He looked around at a few of the other portraits, seeing how Mukuro never missed a detail. On one of them, he had asked the skylark to glance to his right in irritation and embarrassment. To make him hold the pose, the illusionist said a fair number of lewd and unwanted comments that had been rather irksome to sit through, but the piece had captured his personality rather well. Mukuro had resisted the urge to make him blush in the painting, and had kept his eyes sharp, but still full of frustration. The only trace of pink in the painting was over his upper lip, and the skylark knew that it wasn't a lie. Another portrait was of him fast asleep, lips parted slightly and arms folded over his stomach as he lay on his back. "... Why did you have to turn out the way you did...?" the ex-prefect wondered aloud.

"... Because the Estraneo famiglia had to experiment on me," whispered Mukuro, moving to sit beside his lover. "But I'd have it no other way. I was young and inexperienced. I've been out of practice so long I was worried I wouldn't be able to do anything, but being an illusionist is kind of like being an artist, I suppose." He smiled, then reached out, his fingers softly brushing along Hibari's cheek. "I love you."

"I love you, too," Hibari answered without hesitation, smiling slightly, before breaking into a yawn, getting a little irked when Mukuro 'kufufu'd at him. "What?"

"I've kept you up quite a bit past your curfew. We should get some rest," the illusionist replied, pulling a blanket over his lover. "Here."

With a grunt, Hibari settled down into the bed and waited for Mukuro to slip in with him. "You're an ass, you know," the ex-prefect said tiredly. "I go to bed whenever I want... I don't have a curfew."

"And yet you're usually still out at six~," the illusionist replied with a smile, wrapping his arms around his lover's waist. Knowing Hibari was on the verge of complaint, he pulled Hibari's head to his chest. "Now get some sleep. You'll be grumpy tomorrow morning if you don't get at least ten hours."

Hibari rolled his eyes, sighing. "Fine. I'll sleep," he murmured, before closing his eyes, and falling victim to Mukuro's warmth.

*pomf*

Byakuran sat there stunned for a few moments, his eyes wide in surprise, the book he'd been reading held tightly in his hands. Slowly, he glanced towards the bedroom door, blinking as he saw Shouichi standing there, a second pillow in his hands. He opened his mouth to protest, only to find himself hit with the second pillow, square on the face. Blinking a couple times, the albino slowly regained his composure, and picked up one of the pillows that had been thrown at him. "Shou-chan, what-"

*doink*

This time it was a marshmallow. Byakuran frowned and picked up the treat, popping it into his mouth and looking back at his lover. Shouchi had a bag full of them, and a mischievous smirk on his face to match it. "Don't you d-"

*doink*

Byakuran frowned, about to protest again. The next marshmallow landed in his near-complaint mouth, and Byakuran's rage came forth. No more! The albino hopped off the bed and stormed up to the daring mechanic, getting hit a few more times before he let his wings form. They had been destroyed four times in total now, and been forced to regrow each time, but it was no matter! They were strong, large, and most of all, covered with soft down!

*POMF*

Shouichi gasped as he was hit rather hard with a wing, stumbling to the ground. He took a moment to recover, then turned his green eyes up on his lover.

'This means war,' they read.

Shouichi ran to the other side of the room and quickly began to gather pillows, while Byakuran picked up a few marshmallows off the ground, ate them, then sat down with wings at the ready. The two glared at each other from across the room, then charged at last, Shouichi beating the Sky madly with a pillow while Byakuran's wings flapped at a fast pace, knocking over a few tables. A few microscopic battle wounds began to bloom over their skin in the form of light red welts that faded milliseconds after appearing. The two wrestled and pillow-fought for a solid few minutes, before Byakuran decided to finish it. He spotted a glimpse of rosey skin that had been exposed by a wing unknowingly brushing up Shouichi's shirt, and the small trace of stomach was just enough to set the albino off. He immediately set to work, pinning the mechanic down, and giving him a fearsome raspberry, Shouichi writhing about, tears stinging in his eyes as he laughed heartily at the treatment. Finally, he managed to shove the other male off of him, giving him a mock-irritated look. "I told you last night raspberries are off-limits," he said, indignantly pushing down his shirt again.

Byakuran chuckled. "I'm sorry, Shou-chan. You're just so cute, I couldn't help myself. You should be more protective of your clothes~" The albino grinned, leaning over to peck his lover's lips, before picking him up and carrying him to the bed, putting him down gently.

The years after their marriage had been some of their happiest. Byakuran and Shouichi were always a mischievous couple, matter how much time had passed. They loved to mess with each other as well as with others, only taking on serious attitudes when Byakuran was on an assignment or Shouichi had to fix something. Roughhousing and pulling pranks were just a couple of their favorite pastimes. These pillow fights were commonplace, really, at this point.

Shouichi smiled, reaching up to touch his lover's cheek. "... You know, Byakuran... you have the most beautiful eyes," he whispered, a bit abruptly. "That natural purple is very special."

Smiling, Byakuran gave a nod. "Thanks love, but I like that green of yours more," he whispered. "... Did you fix the computers?"

"It's reloading right now," the redhead answered. "I had to do a system restore. I think someone got a nasty virus in there."

"Again? Man, people need to learn how to control themselves," Byakuran said with a sigh. "Enough with the creepy internet forums. Who do you think it was this time?"

"I wouldn't know for certain, but I think Rasiel is a fair candidate," Shouichi sighed. "He's been all depressed ever since that whole incident with him and Mammon."

"Hey, if he wanted to make a move on Mammon, he should've done it before he got caught up with Fon, not after. He really needs to get over himself...," the albino sighed. Shouichi nodded, then rested his head against his lover's chest, soon closing his eyes.

Mammon sighed as he lay in bed, curled up on his side, indigo hair hiding his face. The years had been a bit more rough for him. After Fon had moved in, Rasiel had very suddenly become aggressive towards him. While Fon calmly held back from stirring up conflict, the blond had just grown more frustrating. The worst part was that while Rasiel started to get inappropriate, coming on to him and flirting despite protests, Fon never got jealous, just calmly asked Rasiel to stop, which he certainly didn't. Since sarcastic comments and non-jealous lovers couldn't drive Rasiel away, the whole thing became a huge mess when the elder twin prince forced a kiss on him. That had been four years ago, and Fon had definitely gotten angry at that. He and Rasiel got into a huge argument ended only by Xanxus breaking it up, and Mammon hadn't felt worse since then.

Things were different now, perhaps... but it still weighed on the illusionist. He had never seen Fon so out of it, and Rasiel had been rather hurtful and disrespectful in his actions. There was no way to change the past... and it was hard to keep a rough past from hurting.

"Are you all right, Viper?" Fon placed a hand gently on the Mist's back, gently rubbing it. He'd just gotten back from training, which was evident only from the tiny beads of sweat on his brow.

"Fine. Just... stomachache," Mammon covered with a sigh, before looking up at the martial arts master. Fon leaned over him, pressing a soft kiss against his lips, before sitting at the edge of the bed. Almost immediately, Mammon reached out and pulled out the tie holding Fon's braid in place, watching as the hair slowly unwound itself. Mammon sat upright and moved behind his lover, starting to comb out the soft tresses with his fingers, before smirking as a light tremble ran down his lover's spine. "You like that, Fon?" he asked smugly.

"I certainly do," the other male answered easily. "You know I do."

Mammon smiled and nuzzled into his lover's back. "... I love you, Fon," he mumbled, before pulling away again.

Fon smiled and turned, stretching, before shedding his robes and hanging them up on a chair, now only in comfortable black slacks. Smiling back at his lover, he said softly, "I love you, too, Viper. Are you certain you're all right?"

"Pretty sure I can tell if I'm okay or not," Mammon replied snidely, before glancing over to the safe in the corner of the room. "... We're up to about three million euros in there."

"Careful, Mammon. Riches often go straight to the head with little reward," Fon hummed, sliding into the bed and getting comfortable, his back to his lover.

"Oh goodness, I know, already," sighed Mammon, slipping back into the bed and nuzzling into the back of his lover's neck, earning another shiver. "... You really are sensitive," the illusionist whispered. "I wish I'd noticed that when we first started dating."

"If you believe it would've helped you be seme... you're wrong, I'm afraid," the Storm replied, smiling again. "As you are sensitive in many more places than your neck. As an illusionist, your untrained body has many weak spots."

The illusionist blushed. "Shut up now and I might let you stay in this bed," he muttered.

"Good night, then, my sweet Viper," Fon answered, rolling over to face his lover, pressing a soft kiss his forehead and holding him close.

Bloody-red eyes slowly opened to show a dark room, the furniture nothing more than soft blurs. The raven-haired male sighed as he felt the arm looped carelessly around his waist, gently running his hand along it before shifting, sliding himself outside of the bed and pushing a pillow in place of himself. He gave a light smirk as he noted that Squalo was snoring lightly, his white hair draped behind him in a long, pretty mess. The shark had admitted to 'kind of liking' it long shortly after their return from the Spiaggia base, and so had been carefully regrowing it since. It was down to his waist now.

The boss turned on a dim light and changed, putting on a sort-of clean white t-shirt and slipping into his Varia coat. He pulled on jeans, tucked a pistol into each pocket, and tugged down the hem of his shirt to cover the weapons.

Xanxus then walked towards the door of the room, pausing to whisper, "Sleep well, Squalo," before he slipped out without another word. The dark halls were silent save for the sound of his footfalls as he moved through them, navigating towards the foyer.

"You took a bit...," came the other's voice as the boss approached.

"Squalo had a bit of trouble gettin' to sleep tonight," Xanxus explained, "He just couldn't get comfortable. And when he finally did, he was wrapped around me like a straight jacket." The older male chuckled, and took Xanxus's arm as it was offered.

"That's adorable," he whispered. "Where are we going tonight?"

"Well, we can walk down to the theater to see that documentary you were raving about yesterday - though to warn you I'll probably fall asleep," Xanxus suggested.

"Oh, no, no, boss. I don't want to take you out just to bore you~ This is supposed to be fun!" the other male replied as they left the base and started along the street. The other Varia reached up, adjusting his clear glasses, his pretty blue eyes shown off nicely in the dim street lighting. "Hmmm... we could go out for dessert. I know you have your soft spot for devil's food cake."

"Not tonight; you cooked a big meal, so I'm stuffed," Xanxus muttered, thinking for a bit longer, before giving a sigh. "I got nothing. Let's just head through town. Let me know if you see something you want to do."

"Well, a stroll sounds lovely enough, boss," hummed the other male, taking a moment to reach up and smooth out his soft, spring-green hair, before toying with his shoulder-length braid. "So... how have things been with you two lately? Feels like it's been a while since I've touched base on your relationship."

"Which isn't a bad thing," Xanxus snickered, before growing serious again, "Squalo is very kind, and I do my best to treat him well in turn. We're very happy, he's my soulmate, and I love him. To say it in short... we're... at peace."

"That's so sweet," the other murmured. "You two are sweet together..."

"Hey... cheer up," Xanxus said, noting the crestfallen look on his companion's face. "You still have time. You could find someone - you have years left to find someone."

"Everyone keeps saying that, but... we're weak, boss. No matter how many years I have left, I will always be a Varia... But all of us are going to outlive that. We won't be Varia forever in status, only in our hearts. I mean... just last year, when Levi... when that all happened..." The other male was starting to tear up. "It just felt like the beginning of the end, you know? He was an ass, but... he was one of us. One of the first ones...one of the guardians. People try to get to us all the time, boss, but that one assassin... that was the first time we've lost a guardian. You know how Vongola Eighth didn't have an assassination squad... we don't have children, and we fade over the generations... Xanxus, I think we're fading out. The Varia might not be around for the next generation..."

The boss was silent for a couple of moments. "You're right," he said finally. "We probably are the ending of a legacy. But the Varia won't be truly gone until I'm gone. Until Squalo's gone. Until Bel and Fran, Mukuro and Hibari, Byakuran and Shouichi, Mammon, Fon, and Rasiel are all gone. Until... until you are gone. Until that moment, we will be the Varia. I don't care who says otherwise. I don't care if we lose all of our power."

The other smiled. "You've really changed over the years. I remember when power was the only thing you wanted," he murmured, before glancing up as he saw a shop ahead. "... Oh, boss. May I? This is my favorite place, and it's still open!" he said, batting his eyelashes at the Varia's leader, smiling widely when he received a nod in return. "Oh, thank you~ I'll be right back out, promise!"

Xanxus gave an understanding grin. "Oh, no, take time to enjoy yourself, Lussuria."

As he watched his friend skip off, the boss turned a gaze up to the stars. "We're not going to be around for many more years... but that's all right. As long as we go out together..." He sighed, leaning back against a tree, reaching up to run a finger along his cheek. The scars from the cradle incident were mere shadows against his skin in comparison to the new ones that adorned his features. Squalo still continued like there was nothing wrong with them - of course, his shark would probably be running on high energy until the very end. He couldn't see the damage Leviathon's death had brought on to them, only the strength that their more recent members had offered. There just... was no way to break the news to him. Squalo was still living in a fantasy, and Xanxus didn't want to snuff out that dream. It was okay for his lover to dream... he'd know eventually, what they'd become.

A twig broke behind Xanxus, and the boss looked boredly over his shoulder, only to gasp in surprise as he was completely tackled. He hastily tried to reach for his pistols, but his face hit the pavement before he had a chance to get at them. His wrists were tied together so tight that he couldn't even think to summon his Flame of Fury, and when he was yanked back up, with hands threatening to choke him, he could only think a single thought.

Squalo!

-End Chapter

And thus begins the fun...

All right, so here's today's excuses for the late post - school. And it is spring break right now, so I'm kinda lucky, I had a lot of time to work on this, but of course, I've had a cold since last Friday. And even though this has nothing to do with my writing, I'm pissed because I was just told I need to get my wisdom teeth taken out 'or else.' So like... I'm in a mood!

But I'm certain this chapter will warrant some nice reviews, soooo...

Review to find out the answer this very pressing question:

Why the hell are Luss and Xanxus suddenly bros?

Next time, on A Royal Epilogue! :D