The Other Side: Part I

On the rare occasion that he would actually do his share of paperwork, Squalo would sit at his desk and work with a fervor that would redefine the very definition of enthusaism. It wasn't his favorite job on the planet, but hey, someone had to do it. With Mira's death, her duties and responsibilities passed onto him. He was even responsible for Angelo, in a way, especially when his father wasn't around. And speaking of which…it had already been a full 24 hours when Xanxus disappeared with Reborn. The swordsman tore his gaze away from the report he'd been reading to look at the phone beside him. They hadn't received a single call from him since he left with the baby Mafioso. Then again, Xanxus was never one to check in. He doubted the man ever personally picked up a phone in his life; if he did and you happened to be on the other line, you might as well consider yourself dead. It had always been Mira's job to make calls for him and now…

He hadn't visited her grave since the funeral. Business became a handy excuse for him, but he knew better. Unlike Xanxus, at least he was honest to himself about these things. The mansion seemed colder the day she died, the Boss a little worse off. What little they could salvage of the warmth she left in Angelo might as well have gone out too; the poor boy was probably a lot miserable than he let on. With that in mind, Squalo couldn't deny him anything. When he asked him if he could hang out with Dino that day, he had no choice but to say yes. "Why the hell would you want to go over to Cavallone anyway?" he remembered asking him.

"Well, he knew Mom the longest, didn't he? So I thought…" he trailed off then and the boy looked awfully shy, as if the next embarrassing thing was about to leave his mouth. Squalo held his tongue and let him speak. "Nevermind. Anyway, I wanted to go find something to give Dad for when he gets back. He'll come back soon, won't he?"

The swordsman lied through his teeth then and it left a bad taste in his mouth. Since Angelo left that morning, he hadn't eaten anything. He stayed holed up in his room, stamping approvals, reading letters, doing payroll, anything to keep himself occupied. It proved for a decent enough distraction when the three most important people in the mansion were gone. Their absence somehow made the place awfully bleak, like the embers in a fireplace after the flames have died down. A dreadful quiet settled and he didn't know how else to stave it off.

"Oh, Squalo~ Guess who brought you food!~"

Too soon…I spoke too fucking soon. Along with the eerily familiar, singsong voice was Lussuria, who barged into his room pushing a cart with a covered silver tray. Instinctively, the shark grabbed the nearest pen and threw it at Sun Guardian with the ferocity of a savage Amazon. "VOOOIIII! GET THE FUCK OUT OF HERE!"

Lussuria danced away from his makeshift weapon with ease and gave him a pout that sent shivers down his spine. "Aw, don't say that. Look, I brought you dinner!"

The swordsman cringed at his presence. It was almost a reflex now. Since he lost his only "female connection" on the planet when Mira, the green-haired assassin had been an annoying permanent fixture at his side. Unshakeable pain in the ass is more like it, he thought. He had a mind to send him away, along with the food he brought, when his stomach gurgled rather audibly. Lean and built like a whip, his stomach acids would make quick work of his insides without something substantial to break down. Oh, for fuck's sake. "Fine, get in here. AND SHUT THE FUCKING DOOR!"

Obediently, Lussuria wheeled the cart to his side and took off the lid from the silver tray with a flourish. Dinner tonight was some kind of pot roast and it did smell good…except it wasn't quite the same one Mira used to make. Nevertheless, Squalo grabbed a fork and tucked in hungrily, ignoring the plain taste of the dish. Meanwhile, Lussuria made himself comfortable on the edge of the desk, leaning his rump against it as he stared out of the window. It was already hard enough to ignore his presence, but then he just had to start talking.

"You know, it's not like the Boss to dip out like that. Cupcake, maybe, but no…" the green-haired assassin mused. "Not him. And especially not with Reborn."

As much of a fruitcake as he was, he did get one thing right. The Boss wasn't like his wife. Xanxus wouldn't budge even if the ground fell away beneath him. Mira, on the other hand, would've been long gone at the first sign of inevitable danger. "No shit, Sherlock," he snapped, taking an angry bite from his dinner. He didn't know who pissed him off more—Reborn, for taking away their Boss or Xanxus, for not even leaving so much as a fucking note.

"Any ideas, then?" asked Lussuria. "There must be something we call tell Angelo about his father."

The boy was with Dino right now, hoping something—what, her residual presence?—would rub off on him. He knew he still held on to his mother's necklace; clearly, Angelo was still holding on to whatever memory he had of her. And if that weren't hard enough, now his father's gone off somewhere and they had no idea why…or where he could possibly go. Squalo remained quiet for a while as he ate. It was another one of those rare occurrences, especially for the loudest member of Varia. However, his silence didn't last too long when he heard a knock at his door. "VOOOIII, WHO THE FUCK IS IT THIS TIME?"

A pathetic, female squeak came from the other side. "Um, sir, it's um…"

These days, he was more impatient than usual and so he growled, "How about you open the fucking door and get in here? I CAN'T HEAR YOU!"

Instantly, the door swung open to reveal a petite, plain-faced girl in a French maid costume. It had Lussuria written all over it and the swordsman could only glare daggers at his associate, who raised his hands in mock surrender. "What? Cupcake would've let me do that...eventually."

"YOU STUPID LITTLE SHIT—" He was just about to launch into one of his trademark ear-splitting tirades when he heard the maid squeak again.

"Sir, Angelo just got home. And he's got someone with him."

Squalo groaned, half-tempted to shove his face into the pot pie. Of all the days to have fucking visitors… "Who the fuck is it now?"

"Dino Cavallone, sir. He wishes to speak with you."

Being the spawn of Xanxus and Mira, he hadn't expected Angelo to be so obedient. "I just need to talk to your Uncle Squalo alone for a bit," he said, almost apologetically, one hand on top of the boy's head. Dino felt bad for sending him away, even for just a little while, but his gut told him it was the right thing to do. Whatever that swordsman might say, it was still best to keep delicate ears out of range. "You understand, don't you?"

"Of course." Angelo nodded, smiling the way his mother did when they were children. Apart from that, the kid had such an excellent poker face. If Dino offended him, he certainly didn't show it. At ten, he was already more mature than he was at that age. She'd be proud, the Cavallone Boss thought, watching as the boy made his way up the stairs. But then Angelo looked back for a moment as said, "You'll say goodbye to me when you leave, right?"

The question took Dino completely off-guard. "Yeah. Why wouldn't I?"

Those small shoulders shrugged as if he offered the simplest explanation. "Dad left and he never did. I guess he just forgot." He continued up the stairs, unaware of the dumbfounded look on Dino's face. His mind hadn't completely processed that fact when the maid he talked to earlier finally came to collect him.

"He's ready to see you, sir. Right this way, please."

She led him in front of two giant mahogany double doors and gestured for him to enter. Mumbling his thanks, Dino went inside, only to be met by the shark's cursory glare before going back to a piece of paper in his hand. "Well? You're pretty damn social today."

The Cavallone Boss chuckled and took the seat on the opposite side of the desk. "And you look busy. That's pretty rare, isn't it?"

When the swordsman looked up this time, it wasn't a fleeting glance. Those grey eyes meant business, Dino knew. And for that matter, he did too. "Don't tell me you came here for idle talk," the swordsman barked. "Spit it out now or leave."

Dino always knew him to be an irritable man, but not like this. He was nicer when she was around. Just as soon as the thought occurred, the realization that followed was just as interesting. She changed them, whether she knew it or not. In small, perhaps insignificant way, her presence did something to them. She took it all with her in death and now here they were, back to square one. "You've always been so hasty, Squalo," he said, a rueful smile appearing on his face. "Alright, I'll cut to the chase. Where's Xanxus?"

It wasn't like him to stay quiet, but when he did, Dino found himself listening closely. "We don't know. He left with Reborn last night." The swordsman held a pen in his good hand and when he clenched it into a fist, it snapped in two. The broken instrument lay there while the destroyer himself was seething, teeth bared in a snarl. "Son of bitch didn't even tell us where he was going."

Dino sighed and slumped back in his seat. "What did you tell Angelo?"

"That he's out on a mission." Squalo scoffed and gave his long white mane a slight shake. "Which is utter bullshit. That man is the laziest bastard I know."

The Cavallone boss couldn't help but chuckle as he nodded in agreement. Still, Xanxus's absence bothered him. As far as he knew, the Varia Boss never personally dealt with a problem himself; he sent his underlings to do that and only if they failed would he take their place—after kicking their asses, of course. But it wasn't like him to leave like that, especially with the most unlikely companion. Tsuna couldn't have summoned him and even if he did, Xanxus wouldn't just show up out of obedience. What the hell is going on here? "In any case, we should keep the boy distracted. Just until we figure out the situation."

They were flying blind on this one. Nevertheless, he didn't really need to tell the swordsman. He knew that and just as he did, he cared for the welfare of his Boss's son. "No shit, Cavallone. What the hell do you think I've been doing?"

When he opened his eyes again, Xanxus felt like death. Giannichi wasn't lying about those pills; they were supposed to knock him out and he didn't take them. As a result, his insides now threatened to crawl up his throat and spill all over the grass before him. He could at least feel that much, the prickly sensation of the ground he landed on this time. There was no carpet to break his fall. It was awfully bright outside and he screwed his eyes shut—once, twice, trying to acclimate himself with the situation. There were too many things going on—the sightlessness, the extreme nausea, the head-splitting migraine—and if that weren't enough, he could still see her face…young, screaming and utterly helpless. That was done, he thought. She survived.

Slowly, he sat up, keeping his gaze half-lidded, when he felt someone touch his shoulder. It was a simple brush of fingers, but all the same, he caught it. Even without looking at it, he managed to clamp down on a wrist and held it in his vise-like grip.

"Ow! Son of a bitch…let me go!" The voice was undeniably female—and familiar. Almost instantly, his hold on her loosened until she was able to wrench herself free. "What the hell is wrong with you? I was just trying to help."

Xanxus turned and saw her for the first time. He wasn't the most expressive man but his eyes widened at the sight of her, kneeling before him as she rubbed at her sore wrist. This one was no copy. She was dressed in a long, white sundress and a cardigan that hid the scar he gave her. He knew every curve and line on her face, every wave in her hair. But her eyes held no recognition in them. She doesn't know me, he thought, and even then, the revelation hadn't completely sunk in yet.

He was a stranger in her eyes, he knew that much. However, it all hit him in its entirety when she pulled a gun on him and cocked it in his face. His crimson glare matched her blue ones on the other side of the barrel and neither one seemed to relent. "Who the hell are you?" she demanded, sounding just the same as ever. "More importantly, how'd you end up in my backyard?"

For a moment, his gaze left her face for a quick run down the body he knew so well. She looked every bit like his wife, but something was off. It didn't take him long to find it; this was his territory, after all. Her breasts seemed bigger and below it was the reason why…

She was pregnant.