Title: No Angel

Author: leriko

Rating: T

Warning: Little bit of OOCness. Shamal's appearance was a warning enough… maybe… Also spoilers for Gokudera's and Bianchi's childhood days and some spoilers for the novel, Secret Bullet 1, story: Koroshiya FutariKojou yori Ai o Komete. Umm and some character death here.

Genre: Family/Drama

Summary: Shamal hates kids. That's why he wondered why he agreed to babysitting the two siblings. As far as he remembered, babysitting the Boss' children was not on the job description list of a genius doctor like him.

Disclaimer: Katekyo Hitman Reborn! and all of its characters are not mine, along with the novel Secret Bullet. I only own the novel book.

Kids.

Shamal never liked kids. They were nosy, whiny, and troublesome. He preferred the pretty women scattered all around Italy. They were sexy, pretty, and never caused any trouble for him.

Conclusion: Shamal hates kids.

That was why he wondered, as he stood in front of the two siblings, the children of the Boss of the Mafia Family he was serving for the time being, on why he had agreed to babysitting them. As far as he remembered, babysitting the Boss' children was not on the job description list of a genius doctor like him.

The younger of the two, a timid boy of four with silvery-gray hair and a pair of bright green eyes (he thought that the boy had such a strange hair color and strange face structure), eyed at him from behind his older sister. The older of the two, a seven years old young girl with long, bright reddish-brown hair and matching green eyes, stared at him suspiciously.

"Who are you?" the girl asked warily.

"Hi, little young lady," he greeted her with his brightest smile. Young or old, the little girl was still a woman-at least she would be one in the next ten years or so.

Shamal squatted down and met the girl's eyes. "My name is Dr. Shamal and I'm here to take the both of you to see the Autumn Festival which is now in town, because your father can't come."

"Father is not coming?" the boy asked, a forlorn look evident on his face.

Shamal gave the little boy a forced smile. "Yes, young master. Your father is busy with his works right now and he ordered me to take the both of you to town in his place."

The young master bowed his head down in disappointment behind his sister's back. The little young lady frowned at Shamal and crossed her hands in front of her chest. She looked like she didn't believe him.

"Don't worry, little young lady. I'm not a bad person. You can call on anyone to ask them whether I'm a bad person or not," he said reassuringly.

"My name is Bianchi, not little young lady," said Bianchi, as a deep frown appeared on her forehead.

Shamal could not help but smirked at the little young lady's… ah… wrong… he could not help but smirked at Bianchi's exclamation.

"And the young master's name?" he inquired as he ruffled the young boy's hair.

Bianchi took a step back from Shamal and she held out her hands to shield her brother. "Don't touch Hayato!"

The little boy, now identified as Hayato, cringed at his sister's sudden outburst. Shamal took his hand back, resisting the temptation smack that bossy little girl.

"I won't touch him if it's your wish, Bianchi."

Bianchi huffed and wrapped her hands around Hayato's shoulders protectively.

"You are a doctor, Doctor Shamal?" Hayato asked him curiously. Shamal could see a flicker of admiration in the boy's eyes.

"Well, yes I am, Hayato," Shamal answered. "I am your family's home doctor. So if any of you are sick, I will be here to cure you."

"Papan never told us that we have a home doctor. Are you really a doctor?" Bianchi asked in a skeptical tone, eyeing at him from head to toe. "You don't dress like how a doctor should be wearing and you look so messy."

Bianchi was right. No doctor dressed in sleek black suit with matching necktie and polished black shoes. Instead, Shamal looked more like some manager of a big company who didn't bothered to dress neatly.

"Well… Let's not talk about me. Are you guys ready to enjoy the festival?" Shamal stood up and tried to pat Bianchi's head.

"Don't touch me!!"

Twitch. Shamal gave a silent grunt and tried not to get angry. After all, she's a lady, Shamal. Be patient, he thought to himself.

"Umm… What are we going to do in town, Dr. Shamal?" Hayato asked.

"We're going to see the festival then both of you can do whatever you want.."

--

Shamal looked at Hayato with amusement. Currently, the little boy's face was literally glued to the music shop's window glass. He was staring at the piano on display in wonder and awe.

"You like the piano, Hayato?" Shamal asked, as he walked over and stood behind Hayato.

Hayato nodded and replied without taking his eyes off the piano. "I don't know why, but ever since I was young, I would always hear the piano being played in my head. Father said that it was because Mother always played a piano recording when she was pregnant with me."

Silence.

Shamal put his hands inside his jacket's pocket and sighed. He knew that the two siblings have different biological mothers. He also knew that Bianchi's mother, the Boss' legitimate wife who died of illness three months ago, accepted the illegitimate child born from her husband's affair with another woman and raised Hayato just like he was her own.

Shamal knew everything, for he was the one who stood beside his Boss' wife's deathbed and received the last wish of a dying woman to take care of her two precious children.

He wondered why he had said yes back then. He hated children and didn't want to be bothered by them. He knew it was not because his Boss ordered him to. He also knew it was not just because it was a woman who asked him to do it.

Shamal stood behind Hayato and looked at the white piano behind the window glass and then it hit him. The real reason why he took up on this task was because of another woman's wish. The woman he met a year ago. The woman he met at the castle's gate when he came to see his new workplace.

That pretty woman looked really desperate when she approached Shamal and told him to protect the young master of the castle. Her slender and long fingers were almost choking him to death when she was telling him her request. Shamal, being a womanizer, agreed immediately without thinking much about what exactly she meant by her request.

Shamal only understood what the strange woman said when he received the news about how his new Boss eliminated his son's biological mother just five days after Hayato's third birthday. He almost had a heart attack when he saw the strange woman's picture on the newspaper, which was about a car crash near the slope of the mountain where the castle was.

'A young pianist died of car crash', the headlines had screamed, "An Unfortunate loss of Talent" However, he knew that it was not just a mere car crash. His Boss' right hand man had revealed to him the exact truth on how his Boss had planned the accidental death.

Looking down at Hayato, Shamal noticed that the silvery-gray hair and the beautiful green eyes he had were the exact replica of his mother's.

"I wondered why Mother never played piano when she was still alive," said Hayato quietly. Shamal scratched his chin and pondered as to whether or not tell him the truth. It was really a difficult decision to make.

"Hayato!" Bianchi's voice suddenly rang out from behind, pulling Shamal back to reality. "What are you doing in front of a music shop?"

"Sister…I…" Hayato began hesitantly and looked down to his foot, mumbling the rest of the sentence incoherently while tugging on Shamal's coat.

Bianchi pushed Shamal away and stood in front of her younger half brother. "What did you say?"

An uncomfortable look formed on Hayato's face as he glanced back and forth in an attempt to avoid his sister's piercing gaze and the piano.

"I-I want to learn how to play piano…"

Bianchi gave a small scowl, her eyebrows furrowed together. Shamal stayed silent and waited to see what would happen next.

After a moment, Bianchi sighed and took Hayato's small hands. "I will tell Papan. Let's go home for now, okay?"

Instantly, Hayato's face brightened and gave a wide, beaming smile.

Shamal gave a small smile as the two siblings walking towards their limousine hand in hand. Suddenly, Hayato tripped and fell over. Shamal ran towards him immediately and gave him a quick examination.

Small, angry bruises swelled up on his hands as blood flowed down in a small steady stream from his chin. His kneecap was also scratched. In short, he did not suffer from any serious wounds. However, Shamal could see the tears welling up in those bright green eyes. He sighed before he scooping the little boy up. Hayato's small sobs were muffled when he buried his face into Shamal's shoulder.

Before Bianchi could protest, Shamal gave her a reassuring smile.

"He'll be alright, Bianchi. I will patch him up and he will be up and running in no time."

Bianchi said nothing. Shamal patted her head and she didn't flinch like he thought she would. Shamal took her hand and took both of them to the limousine.

Before the car left, Shamal spared one last glance at the piano sitting quietly at the display window and smiled sadly. Perhaps he was hallucinating, but he swore he could see the shadows of the two women that he had promised to fulfill their dying wishes stood side by side in front of the shop.

Shamal maybe a womanizer, but he always keep the promises he made, no matter what.

Shamal was probably no guardian angel to both of them. He was more of an evil pervert doctor. Nevertheless, he knew he could still take care of them without being a perfect guardian.

Shamal hates kids. He really did.

--

Ten years later, Shamal still hated kids. He had stopped working for the two siblings' father some years ago. The Boss's family had been forced to leave the castle because of some disputes that happened after Hayato ran away four years ago since their first meeting.

Shamal found Bianchi again after such a long time. The bossy little girl he met ten autumns ago had grown into a fine young lady. She was a freelance hitman now. Shamal had no idea as to how she had become one. Bianchi was on a mission to kill a man who had snatched everything from her-her home and her family.

This time, he helped Bianchi get the castle back without having to kill Gearzi. He could not let her hands tainted by the ugliness of the underworld-the Mafia.

Bianchi may be a hitman now, but from Shamal's point of view, she would still be the bossy little girl who was a protective sister who took care of her younger brother with all her heart.

He was no guardian angel, Shamal knew that, and oh, he definitely hated kids, but he would never forget about the two promises he had made to both decreased women nearly two decades ago. Maybe Hayato had disappeared for now, but Shamal would find him and protect him just like he had promised.

--

Twenty years after their first meeting. Shamal hated kids more than ever and was repulsed by the thought of having one.

The two siblings he had taken care of when he was in his twenties were all grown up now. Hayato had become the trusted Right Hand Man of the Tenth Vongola Boss. Bianchi had become one of the most trusted informants of the same Mafia Family.

Shamal knew he could not protect the two siblings from the ugliness of the underworld now. They were adults and he had no rights to control their lives anymore, and that they were probably mature enough to handle it. He knew that he had no place in their future.

Shamal had taught Hayato not to waste his precious life. Amazingly, somehow or the other, he had impart some of his skills to Hayato on how to impress women. Now, he was a grown man, ready to marry the woman of his dreams. He didn't need a pervert doctor to pester him and teach him how to impress women anymore.

Shamal had also taught Bianchi how to trust others again. He had also even taught her how to love, despite having to suffer from her Poison Cooking for most of the time. Bianchi was now a mature and beautiful woman who had met the love of her life. She didn't need a pervert man who had always tried to take advantage of her or kiss her whenever they met.

Standing behind the grand piano, he looked at the two siblings with a sense of pride raging in his heart. He smiled and walked out of the church, burying his hands deep into his pockets and looked up at the endless blue sky.

Shamal's time in this world was decreasing by each second as the number of incurable diseases he had increased in numbers. He had got nothing to worry about anymore, since Shamal had technically, kept his end of the promises he had made to the very end.

Glancing at the church's doors, he gave a wistful sigh. Maybe… maybe this time, he could be an angel.

Nah, I can't be one, I am a womanizer and I did a lot of bad things, I should be feeling relieved and not ask for anything more if the higher beings let me stay in heaven when I die, Shamal thought wryly, before letting out a bark of laughter. There was no way he could be an angel, much less a guardian angel.

"I just hope there are many pretty angels up in the Heaven!" Shamal said to himself. He stretched out his arms and yawned. "Be patient, madams! This gentleman will surely go up and give you the twenty years worth of reports!"

--

Six months after Hayato's wedding and three months after Bianchi announced her engagement; the two siblings were stood in front of a tombstone in Vongola Family's graveyard. The black marble stone marked their guardian's final resting place.

"He wasn't supposed to die like this…" Bianchi dabbed her teary eyes and traced the gold lining words on the black marble. The words 'Beloved Assassin, Doctor, and Guardian' were written there.

Hayato put one of his hands inside his coat's pocket and the other on Bianchi's shoulder. "Don't cry anymore, Sister. Shamal would be more than happy to be able to meet the angels up in Heaven when he still has his good looks."

Hayato helped his sister stood up and Bianchi wrapped her arms around his. They both walked away from the tombstone as the small drizzle of rain started pouring down.

Shamal might think that he was no guardian angel for both of the motherless children. But for the two siblings, their bond was closer than of a real family. He was and forever would be their guardian angel.

Author's Note:

Geez… Inspired from a beautiful fanarts and it ended like this. Wanna see the art? Just see my profile and go to the Misc. Links section. You'll find the link to the fanart. I absolutely love this fanart!! Whoever drew this was such a great artist!

Shamal was definitely out of character in this one-shot! Hhh… It was kind of hard to make him IC in this kind of genre.

Gearzi: The Mafioso who took over Bianchi's and Hayato's castle, as told in the novel. It's a very good story. If you have not read it, go read it immediately! I've got my own copy of Secret Bullet but if I'm not wrong there's some translation about this short story in LJ's hitmanreborn community. There's some bit of info about why Bianchi fell in love with Reborn (it's very vague but it's there anyway 8P). There's also about why Hayato copied Shamal's hairstyle. XD

Tell me what you think of this one-shot! It's kind of refreshing to write about the side characters like this. Not so many people have written about Shamal too. Hmm… Maybe I'll write more some time in the future… (College has started again!! T-T)

I'm getting out of my writer's block too!! Yay! XD