of miracles
Dino doesn't know when he's going to die. He doesn't know if the next morning he will wake up dead. He doesn't know if the next time he steps outside he will be gunned down on the steps of his office. He doesn't know if the next thing he sees will end in a blur of red. He doesn't know if the next person he sees has something awful in store for him, and he doesn't know if the next breath he takes will be his last.
Dino doesn't know any of this, but he takes it all in stride, because it comes with the package labeled Mafia Boss. It was in the contract, you know, written in extra-fine print right between lines twenty-one and twenty-two.
Dino doesn't know if he knew what he was getting into when he signed this contract. He didn't really have a choice, some people don't give you much of a choice. But that was more than ten years ago, he's getting older and his memory isn't so good anymore. Sometimes he forgets things, but that's also part of the package, he supposes. The package labeled Aging.
Sometimes he also conveniently forgets things—like, say, the last time he called his ex-student. It was either yesterday, or yesteryear. Dino picks up the phone just in case.
--
Hibari's phone rings in the middle of Kusakabe's report. He does not look at the caller ID (he thinks he has a pretty good idea who's calling) and he shuts it off. Kusakabe continues. Not that Hibari is listening anyway.
--
Dino dials the same number thirty-two times. The number of his age, actually. He's always had a thing for numbers. He's not a superstitious guy, but numbers really get to him. He doesn't bother to hit redial because it's better if he remembers this particular number. Just in case his memory gets the best of him. Perhaps Dino could dial this number with his eyes closed and hands behind his back—but he just wants to make sure. Just in case.
Nobody picks up but Dino leaves thirty-two voicemails. Just in case they get lost, you know.
--
The next time Hibari opens his phone, he finds thirty-two voicemails. He deletes them without blinking an eye.
--
Dino's calls were never returned, which is why he can't seem to remember just when he gave Kyouya a call. In case his memory is wrong, he should try calling again. Just one more time. Just in case he never called yesterday, just in case—he's got to be prepared, after all. He doesn't know when he's going to die.
--
Hibari never picks up, he's far too busy to chat with Dino. Not that he wants to. Besides, he doesn't really pick up anyone's calls so Dino shouldn't take it personally. Though Hibari really wouldn't care either way, he doesn't meddle in herbivore business.
--
Dino used to have time to call Kyouya everyday. Now he doesn't. It's been pushed into the back of his mind—maybe when he has time, he'll pick up the phone but he doesn't remember what he was supposed to do because another call has just come in—Bono was shot? Shit, not Bono. Is he alive? Not is he okay, but is he alive—that's more important. Dino's got to cut his losses.
He places the phone down and rubs his temples and sighs. He doesn't really remember or know why he's sighing. He thinks it's because he could die the next day and he hasn't really done anything meaningful yet. He thinks he's got something to do but he can't remember it, what with all the war going on around him.
He doesn't have time to call Kyouya and he doesn't have time to send gifts and things. May Fifth comes and goes without a word from Cavallone, he's too busy fighting a losing war. Dino loses and loses and loses but he won't give up, still holds on to a shred of hope—maybe a miracle will happen. Maybe. He should keep fighting, just in case a miracle comes.
--
Hibari never really cared about Dino. The only thing he cared about was getting rid of anybody in his way and Dino was in his way. Really, that's all. He's not a sentimental guy. Maybe he thinks about that clumsy blonde Italian from time to time, but he's sure it's never anything good. Hibari doesn't think good things about people. In fact, he tries to keep from thinking about people in general because they are mostly herbivores and thinking about herbivores will give him a migraine. Hibari has enough on his hands.
May Fifth comes and goes and nobody notices (save Kusakabe, of course, but Hibari ships him off to some country to exterminate some herbivores and get him some tea) and Hibari himself doesn't really notice anything unusual. He feels like something is missing, though.
But the next day everything is back to normal and he is once again fighting to keep the waves of enemies that keep coming and coming and coming. He's beginning to grow tired of the meaningless bloodshed over people who aren't even worth fighting. He's better than that. Hibari hasn't felt the thrill of a fight for a long time.
--
Dino's phone remains untouched.
Well, maybe it's because he's not in Italy to begin with. See, he boarded a plane at 7:15 AM this morning and he arrived at Japan somewhere in the afternoon. He lost his watch and his cell phone ran out of batteries. Dino is told that somebody will be waiting to take him to his hotel. They are. Dino gets into a taxi cab and pretends to be just another tourist.
They're almost at the hotel—in some city close to Namimori—before something in the car explodes.
Dino thinks about how depressing it is that the last thing he sees is the bloody cab driver. He would much rather see Kyouya.
--
There is a silly girl blubbering outside Hibari's office—she won't shut up—he has half a mind to render her silent for the rest of her life. Or better yet, end it. But Kusakabe insists that what she has to say is important (Hibari thinks he mentions Dino somewhere, he's not sure though, because he wasn't really listening) so he agrees to give her a few seconds before he bites her to death.
The silly girl sobs about a car bomb and this man, this handsome blonde Italian man, stumbling up her doorstep muttering something about Kyouya and this phone number, oh, how could he even remember it, he was half dead for God's sake! Anyway she'd called the ambulance and then she had called that very long number and the person at the other end had told her to schedule an appointment because Hibari Kyouya only takes appointments, and she had come because she didn't have time for an appointment because this man is dying and he obviously wants to see Kyouya.
Hibari doesn't really hear any of it, he's out the door before she finishes her first sentence.
--
— oh my god he's gone —
—Hibari doesn't want to hear that. He'd rather not hear any of these people speak, actually. Each word they utter is another brain cell he loses. Also, he does not believe a word they say—he does not—he does not—
Does not want—
Hibari thinks it's not nice to hurt hospital staff, it could disrupt the patients rest. He does it anyway.
--
Hibari is not feeling any remorse over Dino's death. He doesn't really feel anything. He didn't show up at the funeral, he refuses to take any information regarding Cavallone, he doesn't think about Dino Cavallone. If he doesn't think about Dino then he will feel nothing over Dino. Clearly that is a foolproof plan.
Mafia Bosses deserve what they get. At least Dino was still recognizable after death. Hibari has seen much worse. Still, he doesn't understand why the sight of Dino, dead Dino, is so unsettling.
Seriously though, who smiles while their car is exploding? Hibari doesn't understand. In his mind he imagines the taxi cab blowing up and he imagines Dino dragging the driver out in all his blood and dust and ashy glory—He imagines Dino stumbling up a couple of steps, he imagines Dino rambling about nonsense—numbers numbers numbers, he remembered, he was supposed to call—He imagines Dino dying.
Dino dying.
Hibari swallows. His head is starting to hurt again, maybe he's getting sick. Hibari supposes this comes with the package—the one labeled Mafioso.
a/n; i'm mean because i made dino's death so insensitive. I'M SORRY, DINO. that doesn't mean i love him any less, you know. forgive any typos or mistakes, and my insensitivity. there's something about this story that is... off. also sorry for any ooc, i'm good at that.
eee, sorta nervous for some reason, haha. thanks for reading!