This is the third arc! If you didn't read the first one, you can't understand anything!

Hi everyone!
I'm italian and I'm translating my story in english because some not-italian people ask me to do it, so please forgive me for this poor and basic english!
I accept any advice because I really want to improve my english and I know there are many mistakes, SORRY!
Thank you for reading ~


Target 4 - Right and wrong

The blonde woman runs a hand through her hair, almost demoralized, incapable of understanding what is really happening.
She tries to focus on past memories, on books studied and her old "teacher", Reborn, when he used to sit down next to her to explain countless chapters that the girl couldn't understand.
She hopes to find at least a small clue in one of those lessons, something that the tutor taught her about particular situations.
Unfortunately, nothing is applicable to her case but "inform the proper authorities", as they are already trying to do, despite Tenth isn't yet contactable for unknown reasons.

Soon the second night of terror will come, as Arina defines it.
A night full of worries, with their heart in their throat, praying that nothing could disturb their peace, wondering why those shamans, people linked to the planet and with a pure and simple heart, are trying to take away the life of her pupil.

A laugh from her twin interrupted her thoughts, so she has to bring attention to the people in the bedroom.
While her thoughts are circling in confusion, her brother is talking excitedly with Haname and Nozomi, sitting at the table in front of the bed of the Vongola.

Luca: Are you talking about the boss of Elegantia family?
Haname: Yes, Duchesse. She's the fourth boss, do you remember her? Well, maybe she can give us a hand.
Luca: What do you think that girl can do? They only think about clothes and five o'clock tea.
Haname: She's not frivolous. Trust me, Duchesse knows many things.
Nozomi: How old is she? She seems so adult.
Haname: I remember she's twenty-nine.
Luca: Wow! It's true, she is an adult. I'm used with twelve years old bosses, like Diamante.
Haname: ... please, don't make me remember.

She sighs, doesn't seems to want to remember the humiliating fight from two years before.

Haname: Anyway ... we were talking about ... ?

The rain seems confused for a moment, she must be really tired and distracted to easily forget the argument.

Luca: That woman, Du-something.
Nozomi: ... She isn't even a woman.
Haname: Basically no, but ... don't speak about irrelevant details.
Luca: Are they all dressed up in that family?
Haname: She and her three men guardians. The other three are women for real. It's a family tradition, I don't know anything else.

Arina sighs, she doesn't want to get lost in those inconsistent speeches. She knows that Haname is very close to that woman, also that family in particular is very close to Vongola, despite they seem weak and superficial allies, as well as Luca said before.
In reality she knows that that mundane behavior is nothing more than a cover. The five o'clock tea, lolita style's dresses, the courteous manners and smiles are the foundation on which is based the family, leading them in the salons of any major country.
In those living rooms the boss and her guardians come to know what they want.

Duchesse can be a powerful ally, and her/his love for outfits and designs drew the woman to Haname. Thanks to this new friendship she can give them a great help.
The rain looks up at the clock, standing herself up quickly.

Haname: I have to run to afternoon lessons, my train leaves in fifteen minutes.
Luca: I'll take you with my bike! And then, in such a sensitive time, it's better not go out alone.
Haname: Thank you!

The rain smiles and says goodbye to Nozomi affectionately, then she crosses the threshold of her room.

Luca: Nee-chan, I entrust the Juuichidaime to you while I'm out!

Luca waves his hand and follows Haname towards the entrance of the house.

Arina sighs, watching the open door and the brunette still sitting at the table, with an open book in front of her and the yellow highlighter pen resting on the wood.

Nozomi: At half past five I have to be at the radio studio for a live interview.
Arina: Forget it.

The brunette, pouting, turns to her tutor, who is sitting on her bed.

Nozomi: What do you say, Manager? You're the one who took the job, they ask you to interview me for Chatter and Biscuits show, have you forgotten about it ? ~
Arina: Stop it, Undicesima. If you really have to, I'll go with you.
Nozomi: No way. Not after what happened today.

Gets up, putting away the book and looking at her friend with serious look.

Arina: It is precisely because of this morning attack that I can't let you go alone. I'm your tutor.
Nozomi: Exactly. My tutor, not my guardian. And, anyway, I'm not going to put you in danger. Not you, nor my friends.
Arina: So do you want to expose yourself?
Nozomi: I'm their goal, not you. If they are ready to kill anyone to get me, I'd rather take this risk alone.
Arina: Aren't you afraid to die?

Arina is puzzled, she watches the amber eyes of the girl and manages to catch a glimpse of anxiety in her face.

Nozomi: Of course I am, but between me and you ... I choose to save you. ... I could never endure another tragedy like what happened to Claudio.
Arina: You're selfish, you only think about yourself. If anything happened to you, we would bear a tragedy too, you know?
Nozomi: Arina, please. The road to the radio studio is a main street, constantly crowded. Nothing can happen, I will be in the crowd.
Arina: So there is no problem if I come with you, right? Nothing can happen to us and I shall know that you will arrive safe and sound. As your manager, I have to make sure you arrive on time for your job, right?
Nozomi: Arina, you -

Arina's phone interrupts the discussion, a new email just arrived and she turns, puzzled. Picks the device above the bed pillow and looks at a pixellated envelope flashing on the screen, clicking on it and starts reading the contents.

"Get a direct flight to Italy and land at Fiumicino." is the phrase that's shocking the girl. There are also other details such as the time and the flights that she should take.

Shakes her head, trying to remember the address email. She can't, it seems that's the first time she sees it. The server used for the address, however, belongs to the Vongola.
Is it from Masato? He was the one who explained about servers and emails, this is why she remembers that particular. Yet why is he using a Vongola address and not his own?

Arina: ... There's something I can't understand. I just got this email, but -

She turns around, trying to share her concerns with her pupil, realizing that the room is empty.

Arina: Undicesima!

She screams, rushing out of the room, down the stairs and crossing the main entrance.

Arina: Damn it! Undicesima!

Why is she never able to keep her under control?
Perhaps, Reborn could really be a better tutor for a tattered brat like that.


The brunette is nervous, she keeps looking around with rapid palpitations.
As she had expected, the main road is very busy. Families, kids, couples, adults going back and forth to the sidewalks, illuminated by the lights of the shops that invite the crowd to buy their products. Cars drive slowly because of the traffic, some girls dispense leaflets at strategic points in the area and some stray cats stretch and are perched next to the walls.

They can't act, considering how much they care about the lives of others.
And, despite their purposes are similar to her own, for some strange reason they have to kill her.
What ever she may have done wrong to deserve this punishment? She only saved an innocent-looking child.

She is sure that PonPon isn't involved in that situation, he is certainly not a monster who can destroy everything.
Yet there seems to be no other explanations.

She continues to advance, with her heart in her throat.
The pink figure follows her at a brisk pace, it seems that she is studying her. Maybe she is waiting until she enters in a deserted alley, trying not to miss the chance.
However she can't do anything and, in a few minutes, the brunette will come to the radio station, even more crowded than the main road. So she can't do anything to her, after all.

But her presence behind her is really disturbing.

Nozomi: How long are you going to follow me?

Says, continuing to walk, without looking at her and maintaining a cold and detached voice.

Lilium: Until you're going to stop hiding behind the crowd.

The voice behind her seems almost irritated and also the brunette gets angry. Is she perhaps accusing her of cowardice?

Nozomi: I'm not hiding. This is the only road for the studios.

The shaman doesn't speak right away, she's waiting for a few more seconds.

Lilium: You went out despite the fear of dying, congratulations.
Nozomi: I have to work.

She bites her lip. She really didn't want to argue in that way, but the words came from her lips and she couldn't stop them.

Nozomi: I'm not like you and that friend of yours, you go around killing random people pretending to do good.
Lilium: That friend is my cousin.

Her voice seems to be heavily disturbed.

Lilium: And we're not pretending, we have to save innocent people.
Nozomi: Yeah, of course. Protect the innocent people killing more innocent people. Really satisfying, seriously. Not like us, we only work hard to save everyone.
Lilium: Kill one person to save a billion. I think it's a fair price to pay.

Nozomi: Are you kidding?

The brunette suddenly turns, finding herself face to face with the pink-haired shaman, who seems to be afraid.
She walks back three steps, with fearful eyes, bringing her right hand on her chest and releasing a slight whitish light that envelops the blue diamond, set in the center of the particular ring on the girl's finger. The Vongola hasn't noticed that ring before.
She almost forgets what she was saying, so she shakes her head, trying to remember.

Nozomi: I also believed that killing evil people was the perfect solution, but someone made me realize that it is totally wrong!

She ignores the people watching the two girls with curiousity, perhaps attracted by the screams of the brunette.

Nozomi: Don't judge a person, everyone can change ... and even if they don't, we are nobody to decide who should live or die. There is a prison for that.

Lilium remains silent, listening carefully and with an apparently confused expression.

Nozomi: ... If some god is up there and wants to decide our fate, can also take our lives without worrying about anything... but we are humans, as well as those "guilty" people. We don't have the right to kill, but only to punish and teach them what is right or wrong. This is ... forgiveness ... or having a magnanimous heart, I suppose ...
Lilium: ... Forgiveness ...
Nozomi: ... If someone has done something wrong ... we should first understand why. Not everyone are totally evil, there is usually something that drives them to do evil things. For example ... me. What have I done wrong? Why should you punish me, despite my efforts to make people happy?

The child doesn't respond, she continues to look at the brunette for a while, then she turns around and moves away at a brisk pace.

She observes the shaman fading away into the crowd, with an almost incredulous look and apparent relief.

Nozomi: Has she understood?
She turns around and proceeds towards the studios.

Nozomi: Maybe ... they were brainwashed by someone. Also those two aren't actually evil, after all.

Probably there is no absolute evil. People who seems to have only evil in their heart may have been plagiarized from wrong education, or destroyed by loneliness.
"Who knows, even Miles and Raif, maybe …"

She has started to regret it since two years ago, but the memory still pursues her as an advancing darkness, erasing the light from the long hallway of her soul.
A beast that twists to the heart and crushes it in its mouth.

It's the remorse for arrogantly taking two lives.

- Nozo! - the voice of the redhead stands out on the chatter of the surrounding crowd.
The brunette stops at the foot of the stairs to the radio station, squeezed between the arms of her guardian of the storm.

Arashi: What the hell were you thinking?
Nozomi: ... Arina has called you?

She notices first Arashi and then Kaito, who has also approached them.

Kaito: Of course, you came here alone! Are you crazy, boss? What if something could happen to you?
Nozomi: In the midst of all this crowd? She followed me for a while, we even talked about something.
Arashi: ... She followed you? Who? One of the shamans?

The storm seems nervous, has already brought the hands to her holsters, but the brunette squeezes the girl again, trying to calm her.

Nozomi: Lilium, but she couldn't do anything. I think ... I confused her. I told her what Gazi told me long ago, about not judging ... and the little girl is gone with disbelief ...
Arashi: ... Maybe she had never thought of that?
Nozomi: I was like her, I had never thought of it myself. Someone has brainwashed them ... somehow.
Kaito: It is possible ... then we must find those people! As soon as we get home we must talk about it with others!
Arashi: We must not, Decimo will think about it.

Arashi glances at the blond boy, she seems to be against the idea of solving the situation by themselves, Kaito also has suggested it that morning, after the battle with Haynes.

Nozomi: Something bothers me.

The brunette is thoughtful, she remembers when she has turned toward the shaman and a brilliant diamond took her attention.

Nozomi: The girl had a strange ring on her finger.
Arashi: A ring?
Nozomi: A light gray and finely decorated ring. If we really want to do something, maybe we should find out what it is.
Kaito: Oh, we must look for something?
Nozomi: Mh, I think I'll ask Cris-kun to do some research for us.

She grabs her smartphone and start typing a message.

Kaito: Ehhh Cristal-kun knows a lot of things~

The blond boy giggles and Arashi hits him on the head, annoyed.

Nozomi: Cris-kun was supposed to arrive in about ten days to bring us those things, I can ask him to do a small favor for us.

The digital clock on a big screen marks half past five, the three go up the stairs to the studio and disappear over the actors and important personalities that fill the building.

After dinner Nozomi cradles PonPon and lies him on the bed, covering his body with the sheet.
She smiles, she can't stand children very much and isn't able to act as a mother, but she's doing very well and even her grandmother Nana is happy when she sees her granddaughter with a feminine and maternal attitude.
Until a few years ago she used to act as a tomboy, so that's a big change.
She relaxes beside him, looking at the drawings of Primo-sama on the wall.

"Primo-sama would have said the same things to her, right?" she asks to herself, returning to observe the small boy " ... maybe yes ... maybe not ... "

Lately she's trying not to think to the man, she wants to break free from those chains. She is old enough to overcome that obsession that has accompanied her since she was a little girl.
When her father asked her about what she wanted to be when she would grow up, she used to reply with "I want to be Primo-sama's wife!"

Dreams.
Illusions, impossible desires.
They have accompanied her teens, leaving her in despair.
How naive can be a girl in love?

She glances at the child next to her, every time she looks at him she remembers the innocence of children.

"After all, even the two of them are only children ... they shouldn't dirty themselves with a murder. " she thinks, watching PonPon's regular breath " ... otherwise, the remorse will chase them forever, as long as they have life. "

" Just like what happened to me . "

The door is rapidly opened, an angry Arina appears in the doorway and Nozomi gets up from her bed slowly, trying not to wake the baby asleep and reaching her tutor out of the room.

Nozomi: Where were you?
Arina: At Arashi's home, I had to talk to some Masato's collaborators.

She has a cold voice.

Nozomi: ... Stop being like this.

Nozomi crosses her arms and Arina sighs.

Arina: I was really worried, Undicesima. Anyway, I wanted to let you know that tomorrow morning I'm going to leave for Italy.

Her look is very serious and the brunette is watching her for a moment, almost in disbelief.

Nozomi: ... What? Why?
Arina: Someone has something to tell me, and I want to know.

The woman turns her back to her pupil and vanishes over the stairs of the house, leaving the girl with many new questions.