Katekyō Hitman Reborn! © Amano Akira

The Ghost Variable

There were once days, dotted by piles of papers, advanced textbooks and ancient documents with ridiculous contents that could even give their Professors at the university a great amount of headache.

Irie Shouichi and Gesso Byakuran were certified geniuses, acknowledged by their entire academic community. People would recognize them anywhere on the campus area, the Japanese prodigy who walked alongside the eccentric Mafia heir. Despite their popularity, the two said masterminds couldn't care less about the title, it just means that they can think of more ways to pass the boring routines in their small, monotonous world.

The usual mornings began with a constant whining from a certain white-haired which would continue to harass Shou-chan from his beauty sleep until he dragged his eyelids open with a scowl. Sometimes, the younger man would even wake up with several marshmallow dangling from his unruly orange hair. Just to keep his partner quiet, the bespectacled boy trudged into the kitchen, made a stack of pancakes enough for two, then lined up half-dozen choices of syrup for the Gesso heir to choose before once again dove into the protection of his comfortable blanket.

Seconds later, Byakuran could be heard chewing and humming contentedly at the small dining table in their apartment.

Middays were the times for lectures. Byakuran always sat in the back row, alone, looking bored and he's thinking why on earth that Shou-chan's hair colour—gleaming beautifully in the front row—was far more attractive than the long-winded explanation of the Rutherford Experiment or Wave Particle Duality.

One hundred minutes passed like a dull orchestral cacophony, an ugly tuned-out static interference tingling his idle ears. When the hand struck and the long-awaited moment came, Byakuran would grab Shou-chan's wrist, dragging him out to lunch.

"Nee, Shou-chan, how about Gelatissimo?" He proposed.

"But we had those just yesterday!" Shouichi scowled.

"Oh, my... did we?" Byakuran looked disappointed, yet amused at the same time.

"Yes, Byakuran-san," Shouichi sighed, "And Gelato is not exactly what you called a proper lunch."

"Too bad... I was really looking forward to Super Sundaes," He pouted, "Well... It can't be helped. I guess this time Shou-chan should decidee~"

"Really? Are you sure?" Shouichi's eyes lit up almost immediately and the white-haired nodded in confirmation. The shorter one took his time to think before answering, "Err... then, I-I want to eat sushi."

Byakuran's eyebrows shot up in surprise, "Sushi?"

"Ye-yeah. What's wrong with—"

"Naww~ so cuute... Shou-chan wants to eat something that reminds you of home, eh? Why don't you just say so! I love Japanese food as well. Let's go, then. To Sushi-ya~ but after that, Gelatissimo!" Byakuran exclaimed happily, his hand found his place on Shouichi's shoulder.

"Wha—Byakuran-san! Geez, that means I didn't get to choose after all."

"Mmm...? But you do get to eat sushi first, don't you?" Byakuran was just about to pull out a small bag of strawberry flavoured marshmallows from his pocket and give Shouichi his trademark smile. But his hand suddenly frozed in mid-air, because Shou-chan was—

Shou-chan was... smiling?

It was not the first time that Byakuran saw Shouichi smiled, but this time, it felt different. It wasn't a nervous or apologetic display like he usually presented.

Here, it looked sincere, clumsy yet brilliant at the same time.

Just like Shou-chan himself.

The faint gesture quickly disappeared, but for a moment there, Byakuran thought if he would be allowed to see that smile again.

Nights were the times when they abandoned their academic works. They would sit in front of their laptops with their headsets on and their fingers tapping, sliding gracefully—sometimes furiously—across the keyboards. They played random RPGs, Simulations or even simple Fighting games. But their favorite was always Choice. It was a game that they created together. Byakuran was an excellent player, but Shouichi was the best. Shouichi liked it, because those were times when Byakuran allowed Shou-chan to beat him and do anything he wanted and Byakuran loved it, because Shouichi always managed to come out with unpredictable strategies to his amusement.

Because with Shouichi, everything becomes much more interesting.

It reached the point where Byakuran wasn't even bothered with strange noises playing the background, produced by Shou-chan's all-time favorite alternative band, Blood & Peppers. Just like a mixture of vanilla, strawberry and chocolate marshmallows scattered on Byakuran's table didn't bother Shouichi at all.

They would spend incredibly long hours to play only to realize that, when the sun came out, they only had very limited time to complete their reports. They always get it done, somehow. Although later Byakuran had to drag Shou-chan with him to class with his partner's consciousness only half intact and wearing his t-shirt inside-out.

It felt like a few decades had gone by since then.

It was before all the madness happened and everything they talked about were Vongola Rings, Arcobaleno Pacifiers, Millefiore and all the Mafia intrigues that Shouichi hated.

There were endless meetings, more researches, a lot of killings and constant vivid nightmares.

Byakuran let him make his own decisions. He made Shouichi Captain dan gave him a Mare Ring. "I always thought that Shou-chan would be a Sun." He had said with his usual cheerful tones.

Supposedly, it pleased Shouichi. But in fact, it didn't. Byakuran didn't know and Shouichi didn't want Byakuran to know that he actually had missed the moment where that familiar hand pulled him towards a nearby ice cream vendor and decided that Shou-chan should try the Caramel Pistachio before he could utter a single syllable.

Byakuran also thought, that if he had given Shouichi such freedom, and power, he would be able to see it again. But in reality—

"Shou-chan never smiled like that again." He didn't even realize that he's voicing his own thought out loud, muttered incorrigibly into his melting Chocolate Parfait, without anyone being able to hear it inside his lonely office. He stared longingly at the dull alabaster walls and tempted to contact the Merone Base, again, but it was in the middle of the night, Shou-chan was probably sleeping.

Byakuran let out a sigh, "Maybe I am also one of the simple beings after all." World domination forgotten, the silence made him think of pancakes and waffles. A perfect early morning with Shou-chan.

After all the troubles, he had managed to conquer all except one of parallel worlds. There was only one more step towards a perfect ending. He'd eventually become a God, seize all the powers and have control of all lives on earth. When all the elements and players gathered for the final showdown, he will get the final reward.

Finally.

The chain of thoughts made him shivered with excitement and in his heart he wondered if at the end of that day, Shou-chan would smile too at the victory.

(Byakuran always knew from the start that he wouldn't.)

"I'm sorry, Byakuran-san... I, of all people, was the one who made you do all these horrible things. Even if it means that I have to die to defeat you, so be it!"

Those words, full of regrets yet spoken so loudly, with his ever-present furrows of worry.

Byakuran wondered if he heard it once before. It was spoken to him by someone, somewhere, but not in this world.

(Not in this world.)

Or is it? He couldn't tell the differences anymore.

A ghost variable had caused disruption and imbalance in his perfect plan.

Because in the end, he didn't get the ultimate ending that he had desired and he couldn't win from The Vongola and their resolution.

He couldn't forget Shou-chan, who would always be Shou-chan for him, not just Irie Shouichi.

Byakuran last thoughts were free of impurities as his conciousness faded along with his existence and he could not feel his battered, broken, bruised body. Engulfed in a dazzling, blinding light, those purple orbs never showed fear.

He had lost.

For him, the game was over.

But at least, maybe... maybe then he could see that smile again.

Fin.

A/N: This little fic is actually my thoughts on how chapter 280 should've ended. Sorry about the grammar by the way :/ Thanks a lot for reading. Reviews are much appreciated! :)

Cheers,
Sei