A/N: Okay, so I've received my so desired number of reviews: 69, which is alluded to my beloved Mukuro! Unfortunately, when I finally decided to post the next part a few days ago, the site wouldn't open… T^T So, yeah, you don't know how happy I am when the site finally worked!

Thank you very much for those who left reviews on the past few days! I love you everyone! :) Your comments were all inspirations to me. Thanks for those who left anonymous reviews too, whoever you guys are, arigato!

Anyway, sorry for using some space for my random rants. I just have no other place to do it.

Adorkable93 I might just follow your advice. Thank you very much for opening the idea to me. What you said made a lot of sense. When I have more time, I'll revise the prologue. That means the individual parts would be on separate chapters. Yes, it will make the story much longer. And, you're right. I really rushed that part because I did it on the last minute: the moment when I was about to post Living in a Vicious Storm here. So I didn't think much deeper about it.

khr lover I didn't notice it until you said so yourself. But I'm not that surprised though because I originally decided that she'd be a shy girl. I only changed that when I posted the prologue, which was a last minute idea. Anyway, I think Kasumi's personality worked fine for Gokudera. I have an explanation, though. She's not really being shy, she's just a bit embarrassed in having acted the way she did earlier in the story, which was wrong. With that anxiety in mind, she couldn't bring herself to face Gokudera head on. But… if you think it's such a wide difference in her personality, I could change that part. :) Oh, and I did follow your advice. I was ecstatic too upon hearing that you like my story.

So I thereby present the second part of chapter ten!

Disclaimer: I don't own Reborn!, but I have all rights to my numerous OCs: Kasumi Sakimoto and her family, Yamato, Shin, Sakura and Honoka.

CHAPTER TEN (2): Adriano de Ghiaccio

Kasumi's Point of View

My thoughts wandered off, causing me to ponder deeply despite the class discussion. And as I did, my thoughts were taking me years ago…

"Leave Kasumi chan alone," Adriano had blundered as he swerved my girl friends aside with violent strength. The latter simply stared at him, their faces expressing bewilderment. The silent treatment only seemed to rouse him anger more; he glared at them with high abhorrence. "I said leave!" His fury really showed, and needless to say, they all drew back in sheer apprehension and scampered away as swift as they could.

Tears had fallen incessantly down my cheeks. "Wait . . ." I had cried out, but they were already out of my vision. I had found myself gaping in disbelief.

Adriano had turned to me, smiling sweetly, albeit all I ever saw under it was cruelty and apathy. How could he even smile as though nothing had happened; as though he was the hero? "I already disposed of the trashes, my Kasumi chan. We can now play without any nuisance."

I was only seven years old by that time, but I already valued my friends with high regard and compassion. I had gazed at the floor in frustration; my tears were plummeting on the lush green grasses in dew drops. I had clutched my fist so tightly that my knuckles already turned white. "I will never play with you again," I had said, glancing up. "Never!"

He hadn't been affected. He simply smiled and dried the tears in my eyes with the back of his hand. "But you should know that as my future wife, you must not mingle with low people. You're friends must be in the same status as you are."

We were very poor then. Slowly but surely, our life was drifting to poverty. The Ghiaccios had once been a close comrade of father; and as a financial and friendly assistance, as they liked to call it, they hired all of us to work in their vast mansion. My mother was a maid, father was a gardener, brother helped father with the lighter tasks, and I, unfortunately, was to be Adriano's, their only son's, playmate and buddy. Not that I disapproved it. In fact, I was very glad to learn at first that my work didn't involve much effort unlike the others'. But being a playmate of one of the richest kids in Japan wasn't as easy as I had first anticipated. On our first meeting, Adriano regarded me with disgust and contempt. But that didn't obviate me. I did my best and soon enough, we were already very close with one another. His parents praised me highly for being able to make him smile, as they, his parents, never succeeded to do.

But our friendship was only until that unfortunate day.

He began to treat me as though I was his own, and wanted me to be always by his side. He'd cast my friends away, and I'd be left alone with him again. At one time, he even vowed to marry me in the future.

"I'm never going to be your wife!" With that, I ran away.

Then, a week later, it was decided that they would migrate to Italy, to implement the family's business there. When it was finally the time for their departure, I was very glad to see him away, though I kept the thought to myself. Before he entered their limousine, he hissed something on my ear, "Don't worry, Kasumi-chan, I'll return here for you when we're already fifteen years old — a year before we'd formally marry. I promise that."

I gulped.

"I'll see you again, Kasumi-chan!"

And that was our last meeting. I had almost forgotten his promise, and I didn't expect him to fulfill it. Not the least bit. But now, now that he really returned, what would I do? There was no way that I'd be married to him.

But I have one last hope — Hayato-kun. I must tell Adriano that I already found the person that I truly love, and so must he.

All of us were already headed home, until all of a sudden, Adriano rushed to us. The others seemed glad and jovial about it, except I and Hayato kun. He was eyeing him scornfully with his stern green eyes, his eyebrows furrowed.

Adriano smiled. "My, what is it, Kasumi chan? Ignoring a very special person?"

All of them gasped.

"You know him, Kasumi san?" Tsuna inquired, his eyes wide in utter surprise.

Yamamoto chuckled heartily. "I didn't know you have a friend in Italy, Kasumi san."

Out of my expectations, Hayato kun stepped forward briskly, with a fierce and tenacious air about him. He scrutinized Adriano with high disdain.

"Just who the hell are you to speak to her in such a manner?"

"Now, who is this intruder?" Adriano responded, and then, suddenly, he stared fixedly unto Hayato kun's gaze. "Well, since you asked me, I might as well tell you." He beamed proudly. "I am her fiancée and I returned here to Japan to prepare for our marriage in a year's time."

A dead silence followed.

Tsuna shrieked, his voice rising two octaves. "Her f-f-f-f-fiancée?"

Yamamoto kun hurriedly threw Hayato kun a worried glance. He was staring on the floor, flabbergasted. "Gokudera-san…" And then my friend turned to me. I hastily shook my head.

Hayato kun flushed in fury. "Don't give me that crap, you bastard!"

Adriano seemed amused. "Oh, your lover, Kasumi chan?"

Now it's my time to step forward. It was just too much for someone like me to bear. I clasped Hayato kun's arm and huddled it near mine. He didn't resist at all, but I saw him turn his eyes away, blushing.

"That's right," I said blatantly. "He's my lover as well as I'm his lover"— I gulped –"So I'll never be married to you." I faltered. "You indeed promised to marry me, but it's something I didn't consent to!"

Adriano pulled me to his side instantaneously, and then he flung his arms on my waist, smirking wickedly. "Sorry, but I won't give her to you."

Hayato kun crossed his arms in front of him, with unlit bombs in between his fingers. Why in the world was he so violent? I resisted out of Adriano's arms, dashing to Hayato's side.

"You're the Hurricane Bomb Hayato," he muttered, causing the guys to be surprised. I was aware that he used dangerous bombs, but was he that popular for Adriano to actually know him? He even had his own title, eh? Adriano smiled in spite of himself. "Well then, let's settle things the mafia way."

"Mafia?" Yamamoto inquired, perplexed. "Isn't that the game you're playing with Gokudera, Tsuna?"

Tsuna's jaw dropped in amazement, but it was only for a fleeting moment. He faced Adriano. "What do you mean the mafia way? And why do you know who Gokudera san is?"

Adriano didn't answer. He simply turned his back on us and began walking away. "See you later, then, at nine o'clock, at the school grounds."

"I'll beat the crap out of your face!" Hayato kun grumbled. Adriano raised his hand, waving, and then he disappeared in sight.

"He is more known as the Glacial Knight in the mafia world," A tiny high shrilled voice announced. We saw Reborn dramatically emerging from a little hole in the floor. What was that? More like, how in the world did he do that?

"Wow, nice, Reborn," I commented.

"Reborn! Where did you come from?" Tsuna cried.

"I told you, I have secret hideouts everywhere."

Tsuna scratched his head. "Anyway, who is that Glacial Knight?"

"I don't give a damn to whoever he is, Juudaime," Hayato Kun scowled. "I'll beat him!"

"Wait," I intervened. "Mafia? You're actually involved with Mafia? Isn't that a dangerous sort of organization, more like, a group of people consisting of criminals?"

Reborn sighed and shook his head solemnly. "The misconception of the Mafia."

"What?"

"Anyway, we don't have time to explain to you now. We'll tell you when the time comes," the baby said.

"But…" I began. There was a look in his eyes that didn't want contradiction. I sighed. "Fine, don't tell me. That aside, there is no way you'll battle with him!" (Here, Hayato-kun snorted.) "Yeah, right. I know you're some bomb guy, Hayato, but Adriano's dangerous! You don't know what he's thinking and—and…" My voice trailed off. "I don't want you to get hurt again because of me! Don't act so stupid!"

"You're the one who's stupid, woman," he retorted. "Why did you make marriage promises with that guy?"

"I didn't!"

"Bah," he mumbled. "But that fool will only leave you alone if I beat him, right? Then all I have to do is to give him the defeat he rightfully deserves!"

"Gokudera is right," Reborn said with a grave nod. "The Glacial Knight will have to be Kasumi's fiancée until Gokudera wins the battle tonight. So to keep things short…" He glanced up, his lips twitched into an innocent smile. I didn't particularly like it. "Gokudera must defeat the Glacial Knight and have Kasumi's hand in marriage."

"Reborn!" Tsuna exclaimed.

"R-Reborn-san!" Hayato sputtered.

"Reborn, that's not it!" I found myself saying.

Yamamoto chuckled. "But isn't it what you're fighting for?"

I could only heave a sigh, shaking my head incredulously. This couldn't be happening. Really, why did you have to keep on making me suffer? Fate was certainly a difficult thing to appease.

A/N: Sorry, is it terrible? Point out some mistakes, I will try to revise it some other time.

Next chapter: CHAPTER ELEVEN: The Match

Stay tuned. :) Oh, and yeah, I do have a certain number of reviews on my mind yet again. Sorry for that. I just want more reviews.