Hello everybody! Back with another Reborn fic :) I know this isn't the best time to start a new story, but this cute idea popped up recently and I couldn't resist. I'll get around to updating eventually xD (Though I am a bit short on motivation.) Yamamoto x Gokudera, huzzah! Unfortunately, I haven't the slightest idea of how to write a male-pairing fic and I don't want to try in fears of ruining the ship, so, I made Gokudera a girl. Hope you don't mind much. Also, there are lot of changes in plot with Gokudera's mother, but they are purely for plot reasons.

Thanks for deciding to check this out! I hope you find it to your liking :) Enjoy!

~4 years old~

"Maman, look! I drew a picture!" Hiyori held up the said drawing, and the woman in front of her beamed as she gently took it from her.

A smile spread across her face, as she said proudly, "It looks lovely, dear."

The little girl grinned, and her silver hair bounced as she squeaked, "Do you feel better? I tried to make it look like the flowers outside, but it's hard." Hiyori scrunched up her face, clearly unsatisfied with how it came out, but Lavina reassuringly patted her on the head.

"Yes, I feel much better. And they look exactly same, you did a wonderful job." Her hand trembled slightly as her chest tightened, but kept the gesture up all the same. After all, who knows how much longer she had left? For now, and for as long as she can, she'd like to see Hiyori's smile…

"Then I'll draw a lot more!" The child carefully placed the larger hand back on her mother's lap, and immediately set to draw something else. Lavina watched with a sad smile on her face as a passing butterfly caught the girl's fancy, who tried to capture it in vain.

Hiyori quickly gave up, and turned and said, "I'll draw more so you can get better, and show me something pretty on the piano!"

The sun's rays shined upon a snow-white rose, unfazed by the trees above it. Before drifting off to sleep, she smiled once more, and said, "Yes… I'll look forward to them."

~9 years old~

"I will not!" Hiyori protested angrily, turning away from her father. Mom was dying, and he wanted her to study even more?!

All these damn books… I don't need to know that stuff! Her hands clenched into fists, nails biting her palms. She would give anything to be able to get out of this suffocating office right now, to see the frail woman whose life was waning in that dreary room, but something locked her feet in place. She hated it. Exactly what does her father do to make her feel so powerless?

The man's foreboding eyes forced her to look up, and she had no choice but to stare into the cold, sea of gray. She knew that behind those irises hid the disappointment he hadn't yet voiced, but she knew he will soon. She was the true heir to the family. She had to care. But the thing was… she didn't care. Not in the slightest...Because just on the other side of these walls…

In the dark, silent hall, his voice toned, "Hiyori, your mother is very weak right now. Your presence will do little more than tire her out. If you hold off on seeing her, her life may last longer."

With a fierce glare, she replied, "It won't. It's too late." Does he take her for an absolute idiot? She knows that there was nothing left for her. There was absolutely nothing left that can be done. "You… all you want me to do is read more…" she said bitterly. That's all he cared about. Nothing more, nothing less. After all… the mafia family was more important to him than his own.

"But I don't care." Finally finding the strength the turn around, she spun on her heels towards her mother's room. "I'm going to see her. I will see her."

You… can't stop me.

~10 years old~

Lavina slowly turned her head towards the window, basking in the light breeze that floated by. A stray petal flew in, and for a reason unknown even to her, she smiled. It was white. Just like that day back then…

She didn't have much longer left. She felt blessed and amazed that she's been able to last this long, but still… she didn't want to die yet.

After all… Hiyori might be alone, she thought sadly. She knew the girl had few friends. Her husband hired only the strictest tutors and staff for the mansion, so Hiyori's relationship with them is far from friendly. No matter how much she insisted she was fine, Lavina knew… she knew Hiyori was upset and lonely. Tears prickled at woman's eyelids, seeking release, but held back by her own determination. She knew her daughter was coming to visit soon, and this could very well be the last time she sees her. She mustn't cry now. She couldn't.

I… I hope this person can help her. Her weakened hand squeezed the roll of paper, not even able to crumple it. Not for the first time, she felt incredibly powerless, both in strength and mind. What can she say to soothe Hiyori's growing frustration? Just like her, the girl detested feeling weak. She wanted more than anything than to be able to help others, but watching her life end like this…

Dear… you're not weak in the slightest.

The door suddenly clicked, and pushed open to reveal Hiyori standing in the hall. Her eyebrows were creased in firm worry as she quickly made her way across the room. "Mom! A...Are you feeling alright?" Unsure how else to voice her fears, Hiyori kneeled beside the bed, trying her hardest not to cry. Her mom looked… so frail right now…

"I'm feeling fine," Lavina said quietly, though it was far from the truth. Both knew this very well.

Feeling urgent, the woman slid her hand across the sheet, uncurling her hand to reveal the paper. She smiled, and Hiyori slowly took it in surprise. "Hiyori… there's a very important number in there. Please keep it for when you need someone to be with you."

Her eyes widened in horror, as she quickly said, "No, wait! I don't need anyone else!" If her mom could stay, she didn't care how much bullcrap her father shoved down her throat, she'd take every last bit! If she could just stay…

…Mom… are you leaving soon? her mind mournfully asked. But her mouth refused to form the question. If she asked that, it would be like accepting it, and she didn't accept it at all.

"I'm sorry, dear. I wish things didn't have to be like this…" Regardless of how much she fought, Lavina felt her eyes close, and her breathing slow as her heart slowly faded. "Please… don't lose that no matter what…"

Her eyes blurred as she watched her daughter, who was undoubtedly trying to fight as well. Tears streamed from the girl's eyes, the stormy gray speckled with a green neither she nor her husband possessed. Your eyes always were unusual, Hiyori… Hiyori's mouth was flurried as she shouted something Lavina's mind couldn't quite register, and her lips curved into a smile, as she thought I'm sorry, I can't hear what you're saying. With a final whisper, she said, "And… don't ever lose your smile… Don't ever give up…"

Please… save her…

Hiyori sobbed as her eyes closed, and her last breath disappeared into the air. Her hands shook, and the paper fluttered to the ground, lost in her uncontrolled sadness.

"…Mom…"

Several months later, Hiyori found herself cleaning up her room. She hadn't gotten around to attending the mess ever since that day. She didn't care before… and she didn't particularly care now. But time keeps moving, and there was nothing else to do…

As she rummaged through the books on her shelves, a sketchbook plopped to the ground, and dust stirred in the air.

The girl blinked. "My… sketchbook?" After wiping her hands, she carefully picked it up, and turned to the first page. Her chest immediately tightened, and tears trickled down her cheeks as she stared at the incoherent scribble.

"That's right… I used to like drawing for Mom…" She hadn't drawn anything for years now. After she realized she had absolutely no skill in the practice, she quickly dropped and went to piano. "She always smiled when she saw them." Her mind recalled her mother's face as clear as day, as if she had only seen her the day before. Her hands gripped the sides of the book as she flipped through it, and tears plopped to the ground. She showed these to her mom, to try and make her feel better?

She stopped on the last page, a barely visible white flower, idiotically done in crayon. "They… look like crap…"

~14 years old~

Her father stared at Hiyori, and she determinedly met his gaze. She will not back down. Not this time.

After a long moment of silence, he uttered, "Hiyori, you're not putting enough effort into your studies. I've heard multiple times now that you've carelessly walked away from several tutoring sessions without a word."

Gritting her teeth, she said as calmly as possible, "Because I already understand the topics. I see no reason why I have to re-learn something I already fully comprehend."

Without even a shred of remorse, he replied coolly, "I shall see that that's taken care of then. But furthermore… why is it that you insist on spending so much time with the piano?"

She wanted to blow up at this guy. How dare he ask her that? "It reminds me of my mother," she replied, eyes storming with anger.

At the response, he held her gaze for a few more moments, then stood up. "I will speak to your tutors about giving you something more challenging, but I do not wish to discuss this again in the future. If it should be so…" Hiyori's eyes widened, as he said, "I'll have to remove the piano from the mansion."

Oh, no. Hell no. That piano…

She stiffly stood up as well, and replied, "As you wish." Without so much as looking back, she stalked out of the office and shut the door behind her, racing to her room afterwards.

That piano was the last piece of her in the mansion left, and he's using it against her.

"The bastard," she muttered angrily into her pillow. "The cold. Freaking. Bastard." With every word, she punched the soft comforters furiously, far from satisfied by the muffled thumps the furniture emitted.

Not for the first time, her mind contemplated how much she hated this life. Her ass of a father, who threw expectation after expectation in her face, the idiotic staff she was forced to interact with every day, and most of all, the utter lack of things to do in this damn house. She hated everything.

…Damn, I wish there was someone I could talk to, she thought, as Hiyori stared up at the ceiling. The clean, white walls were trimmed with a sparkling gold, engraved with intricate roses that reflected the sun's light. She was never a lover of art, but even someone like her knew the mansion was beyond beautiful.

Unfortunately, she hated that too.

At the second thought of turning to someone else for help, she quickly shook her head and muttered, "No, I don't need anyone else. I'm fine on my own." Even as she said those words, tears threateningly hung in her eyes, and she quickly blinked them away. Bloody hell, she was not fine. But her pride refused to allow her to believe otherwise. She will tough this out on her own. She didn't need to rely on anyone.

A sudden urge to sleep then overwhelmed her just then, and she rested her head on the sheets, staring tiredly at the pillow on the floor she hurled just recently.

I don't need… anyone else…

A couple days later, Hiyori was seemingly running for dear life towards her room, barely making it without stumbling in shock. An arranged marriage?! Really?!

How much more do you want to control my life?! she inwardly screamed, before picking up a nearby pencil and whipping it at her drawers. The surprisingly fragile structure shook, and the instrument lay broken in front of it as it clattered to the ground. Her breath came out haggard as she stared at the mess she caused, before she noticed a faint movement in the corner of her eye. A small, folded up paper floated to the ground, dancing in the nonexistent breeze before settling on the floor beside the pencil. Eyes widened with faint remembrance, she slowly trudged over and picked it up, not hesitating to unfold it in her hands. A… phone number? From the area code, it looked to be Japanese.

Something in her mind clicked right then, and the voice of her deceased mom echoed, "Hiyori… there's a very important number in there. Please keep it for when you need someone to be with you."

Squeezing the paper in her hand, she thought, That's right… I was supposed to use this when I needed someone.

"I… I do need someone right now," she thought unhappily, biting her lip. Everything up until now has been brutal; being trained to become a mafia boss, being forced to learn every sliver of information about the world… both the present and her future were already decided, and with the arranged marriage, there was absolutely nothing left to choose from.

Even if it's just for now… Shaking, her hand reached for her cell, as she slowly dialed the number. After clicking the call button, she raised the device to her ear, mind dully echoing the sound of the beeps. Her lips quickly mouthed some quick Japanese in practice, should she need to use it. Among other things, learning foreign languages was another thing she had to endure.

After several rings, the sound suddenly stopped, and her heart raced as a voice said, "Hello?"

She was right. If this man wasn't speaking Japanese, Hiyori wasn't a girl. He sounds very young, she noted. "Hiyori Gokudera," she said firmly. "And… who are you?"

The person on the other end laughed, and said, "Ah, I see. It took you a little bit longer, hm?" He paused, then said in a cheerful tone, "I'm your new friend."

All the things she wanted to say suddenly left her, replaced by the common, uncomfortable feeling one gets when talking to a stranger over the phone. Could she really trust this person?

She was given no time to contemplate it, however, as he suddenly said, "You haven't moved anywhere right? I'll come visit later."

This is getting more dangerous by the minute, she thought grimly. "W-wait a minute! You can't just—"

"Oh, the code is 'bluebell,' My bad, I should have told you earlier, but it should be with the number. And the seven is backwards too." Her eyes quickly flicked to the paper, and confirmed his statement. She felt her fears ease just slightly, and let out a sigh of relief. But all the same…

...No, she decided. Her mom trusted this person enough to give Hiyori their contact number. She won't ever doubt her.

"I should be there by tonight. And I might be carrying a sword or something, but don't attack me, 'kay?"

This guy's cheerfulness was quickly getting on her nerves. Somewhat snappily, she replied, "Fine."

With the response, the person then hung up, leaving her to collect her thoughts.

For the first time, in a long time… did she finally have something to look forward to?

…

Being plagued by tiredness after the call, she quickly fell asleep. She stirred from her dreamless slumber around eight, slowly sitting up to look at the full moon. The wispy slivers of light crept into the room, forming incoherent symbols on the darkened floor.

He… hasn't come yet? she thought sleepily, rubbing at her eyes. Well, it's only been several hours… If that person really did come from Japan, getting to Italy would understandably take a while.

Mind devoid of thought, she slowly shuffled over to the window, and threw it open. It felt a bit hot in here.

Suddenly, shouts pierced the silent night before her, and she craned her neck out the window to see what was going on. Nothing was in the gardens that lay outside her room.

She blinked as a rush of light flitted across the grounds, gone as quickly as it come. Blue… flames? The shouts drew ever nearer, and she slowly stepped back. What the hell is…

The light of the moon was suddenly blocked, as a figure leaped to crouch in her window right in front of it. Black hair, almost indistinguishable in the dark, brushed the sides of the window sill, and a large grin spread over his face. A sword ringed with what seemed like blue fire hung loosely in his dark-skinned hand, the other gripping the wall for support.

She could only stare, as the person said in that cheerful familiar voice, "Are you… Gokudera?"

Thanks so much for reading! I hope you liked it. Please leave a review on the way out, thank you very much :)