Holy fuck, longest chapter EVER. This is like the longest thing I've ever written, and finally, the last chapter is done. Enjoy!

Reborn! and all of its characters belong to Amano Akira, which is good, because the story'd be super retarded if I owned it.

FURTHER NOTAGE: I cut out the actual birth process because come on, blood and screaming.

"It's okay. It's okay; it's going to be okay…" Yamamoto murmured to me, his face still pale. I sat with wide eyes, my hands stained in blood. I couldn't tear my eyes from them. I was desperately close to tears. "You did great, it's okay."

I could hear the muffled sobs from the gathered women, and even Yamamoto was brushing away tears. Hibari… well, it had been a close call.

All of it had been a close call. I'd been certain, horribly certain, that it was all over.

And then…

Haru had caught it. I was too busy trying not to scream and wail. I didn't want to look. I didn't want to resign myself to seeing a woman mourn her firstborn. I didn't know Chrome very well, not at all, but the very thought of such a fate made me wonder what kind of world we lived in.

Haru had caught it.

She'd seen that faint motion, in a tiny, blood-stained chest… and then… then there had been the tiniest of noises, barely a hiccup. But it was enough.

He was alive, and healthy, as much as a premature baby could be. He was going to be okay.

But it had been so close.

"Chrome-san. Chrome-san, he's okay. He's okay, you don't need to cry any more." Yamamoto ran his hands through his hair, mirroring Ryohei's nervous repetitive motions. I recalled that Ryohei had actually left earlier, called away to do… something, and he'd offered to return Uri to my room. I wanted to get away. I was still too freaked out. I had been so, so certain that baby was dead. It was going to be my nightmare for a long, long time.

I was certain it would be Hibari's nightmare as well. The man was not getting off to the greatest start as a parent. But they weren't going to be a normal family. So maybe I wasn't putting it in perspective.

I nearly pressed the heels of my hands into my eyes. The sight of all that blood was enough to make me freeze. There was blood all over the room. Bianchi was scrubbing it off her hands, and Kyoko was washing it from the newborn's ruddy pink skin. There was blood on the floor, and blood on the sheets. I thought I was going to be sick, there was so much blood.

Normally, blood wasn't a problem. But the thought of blood and birth being so intertwined, it seemed heart-wrenchingly odd. I could tell already, from the sheen of Chrome's skin and the look on her face, that she was going to be bedridden for a long while. That had not been an easy birth. No matter how big her hips were. I felt bad. She deserved real medical attention; she was a small woman, and Hibari… well, he was a tall man. Even premature, I had an inkling that the baby was a little bigger than most. But I wasn't a good judge of babies. I'd never seen a baby being born, until today.

I wished we could take her to the hospital. This was something Hibari was debating with her. Chrome was refusing; I had a small grasp of the situation. She didn't want to go; he was insisting that she went. She wanted her baby; he wanted her to get help. I couldn't blame either of them for their viewpoints.

After all, Chrome's last hospital experience was… less than ideal. And she didn't have a fake birth certificate and ID for herself as Chrome Dokuro; the person she used to be was legally dead. Going to a hospital would be awkward, to say the least.

"Hibari, just give her the baby." Yamamoto whispered. "Just let her calm down."

Chrome held out her arms as Kyoko bickered with Hibari. He was fairly adamant in his demands.

"I'm giving her the baby."

"She requires medical attention."

"Get out of my way, you anti-social, overprotective bastard." Kyoko said bitterly, her eyes narrowing. She threw a hand out and pushed Hibari.

Hibari fell back, his mouth open in shock. I felt my eyes widen.

That was an interesting side to Kyoko.

Bianchi coughed. The baby was passed to his mother. The father looked like a helpless, angry moron. Oh, and he was indignant too.

I shouldn't have done it.

I was inviting injury. I was going to get myself hurt so badly. But Hibari looked so hysterically clueless.

I laughed. I threw my head back, and laughed. It was okay. The kid was okay. Chrome was okay. Hibari wasn't okay, but that was okay. I hadn't ruined it. The relief wasn't able to escape in any other way. I had to laugh.

This put Hibari back on familiar ground, and I held up my blood-stained hands before he could deliver a painful crack to the skull. I'd never been really hit by Hibari, but I was willing to bet it hurt, a lot. "Hey man, I delivered your baby for you."

"Kyoya!" Chrome hissed. "Stop that!"

Hibari edged back, significantly cowed. He looked like he really wanted to hit someone and prove he was still able to be a badass, and that Chrome didn't completely control his actions. But I didn't think he was going to provoke an angry woman, especially one he cared for intimately.

This was also an interesting development. Either it was newfound maternal rage, or Chrome had more of a backbone than I'd previously known. Much tougher than she seemed, that one. Because I didn't think it was new maternal rage. You had to be tough to associate that way with Hibari.

And Hibari was used to this side of her, and possibly scared of it. That was absolutely fascinating. Maybe Hibari wasn't as much of a menace to society as he used to be, because now he was a monster on a leash.

And who knew, maybe a kid would mellow him out a little. A little. It was probably impossible to make Hibari an exemplary citizen, but he probably wasn't going to wander festival grounds destroying the booths like he used to. Which was good. I was sick of fending him off when I needed to make a quick buck.

What? So I still sold stuff at festivals, was that a crime?

Sheesh.

I needed to wash my hands, somewhat desperately. I had blood up to my forearms, and it was inching towards my elbows. It was probably a good thing that Bianchi was throwing a towel at me, even if I failed to notice until it hit me in the face. Still, it was a gift, and I was going to use it.

Still, toweling the blood off your hands wasn't that much fun. Especially when it wouldn't come off. I ended up making a variety of odd faces in my attempts.

"Um." I said finally. "Yeah, it's… not coming off."

I threw the towel down, looking at Yamamoto. Something had hit me like a truck, experiencing this whole thing.

"Yamamo- can we talk?" Might as well get it over with. We weren't going anywhere. And there was something intrusive about this; I didn't want to spoil Hibari and Chrome's special parental moment by bickering with Yamamoto over sex.

Now that didn't seem as important. It wasn't as much of a weight on my mind. Maybe watching the interactions of a normal couple had… okay, not normal, but they were an actual couple. But seeing them together, it kind of put it in perspective; there were more important things than stupid, petty fights.

I wanted to apologize. If he'd accept it. And if I could manage to say it.

"Um. Sure. You wanna wash your hands? Hey, girls, maybe we should give them some time alone?"

I nearly scratched my head as Haru let out a small 'Hahi!' but then I looked at my hands and thought better of it.

"Wait, before we leave. We should move Chrome-san to some clean sheets." Bianchi said firmly. I nodded my approval, attempting to turn on the faucet with my elbow.

"Oh? But she… is it safe?" Kyoko asked, wringing the edge of her shirt in her hands. "I mean… oh, Chrome-chan, I'm just worried."

"Moving her should be okay, so long as we're really careful. Maybe… Yamamoto-san? Would you help Hibari-san?" Bianchi tapped her cheek with one finger, a curious look on her face. "I just want to make sure it's going to be people who can lift her easily, and Ryohei-san had to leave."

Yamamoto let out a startled laugh, and I turned back to the sink. "Sure, no problem! I'd be a jerk if I said no."

I concentrated on clearing the blood from under my nails as they shifted the woman to a cleaner bed. But I had to turn when I heard the cry.

Chrome gasped, her one eye wide and swimming with tears. The baby in her arms let out another faint wail, then quieted, too tried to cry. Hibari rested a hand on her shoulder. He looked smug, but there was a kind of real pride mixed into that expression.

"Well?" Chrome said faintly, looking up at him curiously. Hibari raised his eyebrows.

"It seems that little Kousuke has found his lungs."

A tiny, pudgy fist was waved at him, followed by a burbling noise.

I grinned. It was damn cute, but I knew it wasn't going to last. Babies were a lot of work, and Hibari was going to be a damn odd parent in a damn odd family. But props to him for picking a good name.

"All right, all right, let's leave the new parents alone now." Bianchi clapped her hands loudly. I jumped, turning off the faucet and wiping my hands on my pants. I shook my head anxiously, and stalked out of the room, Yamamoto trailing after me like a shadow. Mukuro turned the corner and nearly slammed into me, freezing at the last second.

"Did I miss it?"

I nodded. Did he miss it. Of course he did. "Go on, visit."

"Damn, I missed it! Oh, my cute Chrome-chan is a new mother and I missed it!"

"Hey, it's not too late?" Yamamoto offered, grinning. "I'm sure she'd be happy to see you."

Mukuro looked uncertain for a moment; then he nodded. I turned and continued on my way, snatching Yamamoto's wrist as Mukuro bolted back the way we had come.

After a while, Yamamoto stopped suddenly, and I halted as well. I let go of his wrist, feeling embarrassed. When I looked at him, his eyes were downcast; his face was in shadow. It was a huge jump from his previous cheer, this depression.

"Hey. Gokudera. What's this about?"

I opened my mouth, then closed it. What was I going to say? I took a deep breath, nervously, then tried again to speak. Nothing came out. I repeated this process twice more, tears of frustration stinging in my eyes. I didn't want to cry in front of him. Not him.

"I can wait." Yamamoto said quietly. I felt like an idiot, standing here in the hallway trying to articulate my feelings into words. "I'll wait until you say what you want to say. Because… I don't think you're doing this to make fun of me."

"I-I…" I stammered, trying to force the words out. They wouldn't come. No matter how much I wanted to say it, no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't do more than stutter and choke. "I-I'm…"

Yamamoto merely looked at me, his eyes darks, his face grim. He was normally so cheerful. Where had it gone?

"I…" I pressed a hand to my face, trying to hide the tears spilling from my eyes. I knew it would be evident in the tone of my voice, but I didn't want him to see me crying. Why couldn't I say it? I'm sorry. Was that so hard?

"Gokudera. You… you don't need to hide from me. I don't want you to hide from me."

That was enough to give me a boost of courage. "I-I'm… I'm so, so sorry." I wailed, covering my face with both hands. I knew my words were muffled, but I continued to whisper, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry" to him again and again.

His hands caught my wrists, pulling my hands from my face. I couldn't hide any more. I couldn't hide from him. He wouldn't let me hide from him. Especially not now.

"Gokudera."

I shook my head, ripping my arms free from his grip. "Don't. Don't to that to me, don't say my name like that! Why do you even care so much!" He had let go of me, but he wouldn't let me escape. I knew if I tried, he would grab onto me and never let go until I had forced the words from my throat. I couldn't run. I was afraid. I was afraid of what I would say. I was afraid of what he would think. I didn't want him to see this. This side of me was scared and weak, and I hated it.

"I just… why would you ask something like that? I just care."

"Stop it!" I gasped, wanting to flee. I wanted to run away. If I ran, it would go away- no, it wouldn't. If I ran, he'd be there, everywhere I went. I had to face this. I couldn't run away from it any more. "Don't… stop, stop making me care. I didn't want… I…"

I shook my head violently, then flung my arms around him. It was a sappy display, I knew, but if it got my meaning across, then I didn't give a damn.

"Yamamoto, I'm sorry, I'm really really sorry. I said… I didn't mean what I said, I… I was angry and hungover and bitter about what happened. Because… because I didn't want it to happen that way."

"But you wanted it to happen." Yamamoto murmured, his hands stroking my hair down. "Is… is that what you want to say?"

"Yes." I whispered. "Yes, I did, I do, but the way that happened, that was wrong."

"That was alcohol. I'm… I understand. The way that happened wasn't right. That's not what I wanted. Gokudera. Is-is it too late to do this the right way?"

"If I didn't fuck it all up by being such a bastard." I muttered, flushing. "Look, the things I said were totally… totally out of line, and I'm really sorry."

"Hey, hey. I wasn't exactly being a great person either."

"Oh, bullshit, you handled it much better than I did."

Yamamoto grinned nervously. "Would it have been better if I had been angry?"

"Uh. No, I don't really want to see that." Yamamoto being angry often scared the shit out of me, so it was a good thing he was rarely angry. "Is the hug over now?"

He detached from me, laughing awkwardly. "This is going to be really… really weird, isn't it."

"Yeah, it is."

"But… it's better than trying to keep it all bottled up, right? Better to let it out. Because I… I really do care a lot about you, and I want to try a relationship."

I felt a nervous smile form on my face.

"And I've been wanting to say that for a really long time, but I thought you were mad at me and didn't want to talk to me."

"Well. I was mad at you, a little." I scratched my head. "But I was more… mad at me, for being an idiot. I guess I didn't realize it until I saw Hibari and Chrome together."

"It's odd, isn't it? How that experience can make you happy even when it's not your experience. I wonder how happy they are right now, knowing that they're going to be okay and their baby is going to be okay."

"Hey. I'm- I'm just glad, you know? That I was a part of it, and that I could do something to help."

"You looked like you were about to scream the whole time."

I swatted at him, blushing. "Well! I thought I was gonna fuck it up!"

"Oh. Really? I guess I'd be afraid of the same thing, I mean… you did really great, you know? I'd be too scared to move, because that was so important to them…"

"What I'm more wondering about is how the hell Chrome and Hibari formed a relationship."

Yamamoto clapped a hand to my shoulder. "I heard he fell in love when she hit him in the face. But I think it was a joke."

I laughed, despite myself. It just might have been true. "Well… it's a good joke, if it is one."

We lapsed into silence, and an awkward feeling graced me. "Um. Do you… wanna go do something, maybe?"

"Something? Well, if you're a little more specific, maybe."

I flushed. "Sorry. Like. Go out, have lunch, just… you know."

"Try to do this right?"

"Yeah."

"Sure. As long as you don't try to make me use a fork and knife. I like chopsticks."

"All right, then you decide where we go."

We were going to have to deal with a bunch of things now. Everything was changing; there would be a baby wandering the base, and a kitten. The Millifiore was on the move. But somehow, it didn't bother me much. Not yet. It was a problem for another day, because today… today I was going out for lunch. And we'd see where it went from there.

IT'S... OVAAAAAR. And where the hell did Tsuna go? HE WAS GONNA BE THERE ORIGINALLY and then he like. Disappeared.

I featured like every Guardian but Lambo in this, which is probably not so great. Because Lambo's okay when he's older, man. Lambo's okay.

And if it's a popular enough idea with the readers, I might do a little exploratory story on the HibarixChrome relationship in here. I have no idea what I'll call it, but it sounds like it'd be a lot of fun to write. But yes! Finally! I started a story that was intended to be longer than three chapters, AND I managed to finish it! THIS IS A FIRST FOR ME. CHEERS.

Reviews? Crit? Something snarky? They'll be used to change baby Kousuke's diapers.