Chapter 21 - Allergy to Pineapples

There was something...off with my nightmare. You see, generally, oddly shaped things tried to chase/kill/annihilate me, and I'd wake up in cold sweat. This time...it was more of a memory.

"Ku fu fu fu...some assassin you are," a younger version of Mukuro laughed casually, standing in a room drenched in blood. "You'll come to regret the weakness in your heart someday."

My younger self looked grim.

And then I woke up in cold sweat. Because that 'someday', was today.

Let's skip some time. Ryohei got attacked. Tick.

I found Kokuyu Land on Google Images and told Hibari. Tick.

Tsuna found out that Fuuta wasn't actually on a holiday to Antarctica, but kidnapped. Tick.

We went to Namimori Middle to find Gokudera, and in an act of impatience, accidentally pulled out a gun on Tsuna's teacher. Tick.

Gokudera was attacked. Tick.

But of course, perfection was unobtainable. Shamal was never introduced into Tsuna's life. I had an invitation for a very...deep talk with Rokudo Mukuro. And...Terry Luck was apparently the Ninth's sister's husband's niece.

"Serena, will Gokudera be okay?" Tsuna asked nervously as I fiddled around the Namimori Middle's Infirmary.

"I found the antidote for the poison but...it wasn't a gentle injury," I admitted. "But no worries. I have a shortcut." Finding a needle, I reached into my school bag and took out a small bottle.

"Um...that is safe, right?" he muttered, taking a step back.

"Of course! It's just drug boost," I rebutted.

"Huh?"

"A modified combination of ecstasy and cocaine," I waved off. "It'll last for a day, so I suppose he should choose when to use it. As soon as it wears off, Gokudera will feel like hell though..."

Tsuna looked terrified. "A-Aren't those drugs illegal...?"

*Blank stare*. "Who gives? Now Tsuna, you can watch him. I have business to do."

"Hi, I'm calling about the patient in room 108? Terry Luck?" I asked politely over the phone. Terry's life was the Varia's life. It was crucial to know.

Besides - standing at the front entrance to Kokuyu Land made me find the need to procrastinate. I mean...it's not like I wanted to see Mukuro. Or Ken. Or Chikusa. Since I'd been more or less responsible for their hatred for the mafia.

"One moment please." The voice at the other end of the phone changed. "Hello. What is your relation the patient?"

"I'm a friend. How is she?"

"She's badly injured, but she's just holding on for the moment. Does she have any relativ - "

"Nope," I said quickly, breathing a sigh of relief. I smelt something, so I quickly thanked the person on the other end of the line and hung up. Drawing a pistol, I pointed it at Ken's face. "Sneaking up on people isn't nice."

Ken laughed. "Mukuro-san was right. You'd be stupid enough to come here alone!"

"Um, do you not see my acquaintance between your eyes?" I tried to point out. Mafia. Ex-mafia. Either way, guns are like fluffy bunnies. "Where's Mukuro?"

Following Ken up a flight of stairs, I found myself in a shady room. I mean, how hard is it to pull back the curtains and air out a room these days? "Ku fu fu fu...so we meet again, assassin."

Ken left the room laughing. "You wanted to talk?" I called out suspiciously, handgun aiming for Mukuro's chest. His heterochromic eyes reminded me of my cat, so the whole evil guy thought sort of faded.

"Hm...why don't you put down that gun? I'd hate to see you get hurt," he said, as if he actually did care.

"I'd love to see myself get hurt. Ohayo. Ciao. Talk."

"I should thank you," he mused, putting the tips of his perfectly manicured fingers together. "After all, it's all thanks to you that I found a hit, after all."

Thanks to me...? Alright. Fine. Be the un-explanatory antagonist. Sitting down on the floor, I crossed my legs. "So, then Mukuro. I'm in the mood for some entertainment. Let's play 21 questions, shall we?"

His eyes narrowed, but his mood didn't seem to change. "Sounds fun, assassin. I'll go first then, hm? Who is the Vongola Tenth?"

"Sawada Tsunayoshi," I answered without hesitation. He was bound to find out sooner or later. "My turn. Why did you target Namimori Middle? The world's a big place. Lots of weak people to take advantage of."

"Ku fu fu fu...is the Vongola family not the most influential mafia family of the time? As for why I targeted Namimori Middle...I thought I'd already answered that. Do you not see the uniform you're wearing? I know you're the Vongola family assassin behind the attacks all over Japan. The Vongola brat can't be too far from you, so I suspected he'd be in the same school," Mukuro informed casually.

"Fair point." So Iemitsu. Mukuro finding Tsuna and pulling teeth from a bunch of people is actually YOUR fault.

"Who is in the Vongola Tenth's family?"

"Uh...let's see. Currently? Gokudera, Yamamoto, Ryohei...and then Tsuna's tutor. There's a bunch of unrelated friends and blood family too. Satisfied?" He shrugged. "Alrighty," I muttered, clapping my hands together. "Why did you infiltrate Kokuyu Junior, when Namimori Middle was clearly a better choice?"

"The uniform was so...dull," Mukuro answered distastefully.

I burst into laughter. YOU'RE KIDDING. School uniform? That's so...sad!

"Is something the matter?" he questioned, only slightly irritated.

"It's nothing," I sniffed, wiping away a fake tear. "It's your turn to ask."

"Who is his tutor?"

"Reborn, appearance of a baby, really and Arcobaleno," I ticked off my fingers. Taking a moment to prioritize my questions, I figured this was an excellent opportunity to find out about my universe. That's right, how does this nut beat Hibari...if Shamal's not here to infect him with that sakura virus? "You know that guy who you probably just finished beating up – "

"The skylark?"

"Yeah him. I'm not saying you're weak or anything, but how the fuck are you stronger than him?" Sitting up a little straighter, I waited tentatively for his reply.

"Ku fu fu fu...that's quite unfortunate for him, really. Anaphylaxis. Severe allergy to pineapples. He wasn't - "

Damn, it was too much. "AHA HA HA HA!"

Mukuro paused. "I'm sorry?"

"Allergic to pineapples," I wheezed. "All this time, and all I had to do was offer him some fruit punch? Un-fucking believable!"

"I'll continue then," he stated flatly. "What's Sawada Tsunayoshi's greatest fear?"

"Fear?"

"Weaknesses. What he dreads. What he is willing to risk his life for," Mukuro listed almost impatiently.

"Ah...well, he values his friends and family dearly. He dreads...pretty much you'd expect a teenage girl to scream at," I described. "Now, serious question. Why did you attack Terry Luck?"

"The girl that broke in a few days ago?" he remembered. "She was wasting my time. Hand me over to authorities? Pfft, as if. Now, what do you know of the future?"

Tensing, I pursed my lips. "I know one possibility of the future. And it don't look to bright for you," I shrugged.

"Ku fu fu fu...as expected, Serena di Squalo. You are not from this world, am I correct?"

"If that counts as a question, then yeah. Not completely. But you are, right?"

His eyes flared, and for a moment, he looked genuinely pissed. "I have lived through all six realms. For your information, I have lived outside this world."

"Oh yeah, the reincarnation thing..." I muttered. "You know, I thought about that once. When we first met, you had this sort of a...scar thing around your red eye, so I always thought that you were just programmed like that." I stopped, and tried to rephrase it nicer. "I'm not saying that you're a computer; I'm just saying that you're 'past lives' could've just been implanted into your mind."

"Do you wish to see hell?" His voice was deathly silent. "Then perha - "

"No, not really. My question now," I interrupted, waving my hand for him to stop. "Did you purposely style your hair to look like a pineapple? No wait, that's trivial. So, why're you wearing earrings? Oh hang on – huh. OH. I get it. Just saying - I completely support homosexuality."

He charged.

Did I say something? "Oh, boo, I thought we were playing a game," I muttered. AsI was about to shoot a vital spot, I recalled at the last moment he had to be alive when Tsuna showed up. Allowing him to whack the firearm out of my hands, I jumped back, reaching into my bag, pulling out...an umbrella.

Mukuro stopped in his tracks, and stared. "I'm offended," he finally said, stopping his advance as I threw the umbrella aside. "To think you were a fool."

"Surprise?" I laughed gently. "My bad – I was just prepared for wet weather. Ah, here we go." I extended my walking stick.

The corner of his mouth twitched. "And I take, that this is your weapon?"

"What? It's a weapon too," I argued nonchalantly.

He shook his head, seemingly disgusted and charged. Using the walking stick to catch his trident, I pushed it to one side and dodged a quick jab. I delivered a kick of my own, and we broke away.

"Say, Mukuro. I dislike fighting with weapons. How's your hand to hand combat?"

"Pfft. Simply because my weapon is superior to yours, I have no inclination to pity you!"

Our weapons clashed, and I twisted his trident from his hands, flinging it to the side of the room. "Sharper, yes. Superior? Maybe in dignity." Compressing my walking stick, I pocketed it. "Look, I didn't come to - "

WHAM. Staying on my two feet, I grimaced. Ouch. Fine. Be like that. Kick me when I'm trying to talk nicely. Running forward, I jumped for a spinning kick, but something rammed into my leg, and I was dragged for a few feet before my leg was released. Were those...bite marks?!

"You're blood is tasty, byon," Ken announced, in whatever animal mode he was in.

"Oh, don't worry about me, I've had a tetanus shot," I chatted to myself, trying to find a nice spot to stand. "Not that it had any effect."

"Ku fu fu fu...and still, you make jokes, assassin," Mukuro remarked, walking slowly towards me.

"How else can I keep a positive attitude towards life?" I grunted. "You should try it some time. Does wonders."

Ken changed into some sort of a unicorn (all right, rhino) mode and ran head first at me. Making a split second decision, I used his head as a vaulting horse to cartwheel over him, though I overshot the landing and crashed into something.

The thing made a soft noise, and I realized that it was just a thoroughly beaten up Hibari. On the other side of the room, Mukuro picked up his trident, bouncing it in his hand – as if he was about to throw it like a javelin. Glancing around the room, I noticed another bloody figure – Chikusa. "I call a truce!" I declared suddenly.

"Oh? I have no need for a truce," Mukuro scoffed, throwing the trident. Sidestepping, it impaled itself into the wall.

"You may not, but I think your buddy – the barcode guy – might need a little medical attention. I'll patch him up if you let me patch up this guy," I reasoned, pointing at Hibari.

There was a long pause. "Deal."

Somehow, when I called a truce, I didn't image myself in a pitch black room with four walls and no windows. Oh. I also didn't imagine myself to be with the one person that was allergic to...pineapples.

I dug further into my backpack, and took out a flashlight. "So, Hibari. How's life?"

"Stay away from me, herbivore."

"I have Band-Aids."

He gave me a hard shove. "Touch me herbivore, and I'll - "

"You know, Hibari," I sighed, leaning on a wall, "that if you call me a herbivore, you imply that you're a carnivore right? Well, carnivores need herbivores to survive. Every single animal documentary - "

Hibari lifted a tonfa. "Shut up."

"I have a whole speech here! But that'll have to wait. Argh! Look!" I gasped, pointing in some random direction. Although it was pretty darn obvious there wasn't anything in that direction, Hibari turned, and I hit a pressure point on his neck, rendering him unconscious.

"You know, when I first took the medical course at Mafia High, I practised on dead bodies. Isn't this just so much easier?"

Hibari Kyoya had one level of extreme anger. And three levels above that, described Hibari's current mood.

Waking up to the awful sound of someone singing the Namimori Middle school song just about topped it off. Not one note was on key. Not one syllable was pronounced acceptably.

"Ah, you're awake," the herbivore noticed, flicking on the torch. "You hungry? I've got a bento." And yet again, Hibari was stuck wondering. Who came to an enemy's lair with...with umbrellas and bentos? "I disinfected your wounds. Couldn't do much about the fractures. Stitched up your shoulder. I figure you still need a very nice conversation with the pineapple guy, so your movement's not too restricted."

Casually, she went on singing. Failing, to sing.

"Shut up."

"Aw, Hibari, that's not nice," she chided as if he were four years old. "It's just a canary. Isn't it cute?" The yellow bird jumped on his head, and started singing. How it did that in tune, he had no idea.

"Where did it come from?" he found himself saying.

"Ah, it's too dark to see, but there's a crack up on that wall for air or something. I accidentally threw your tonfas out there," she said apologetically, but Hibari wasn't interested. His anger had already reached its limits.

"The time."

She looked confused for a moment. "Ah, right. It's almost midday. I assume they'll use me as a hostage soon, so...take this." She gently threw him a fat tube. "It's an epipen," she stated, as if that explained everything. "You know how you can't really breathe when you see pineapples? This solves the problem. Only lasts half an hour. Take off the lid, stab it into your thigh for ten seconds."

"And why should I trust you?" he glared, thinking about the many different ways he could kill her at this distance.

"Coz...you don't have a choice? No wait, you do. We're on the same committee? AND, I actually really hate pineapples. There." Facing the bird, she coughed. "Now, say Hibari. Hi-ba-ri."

"Hibari! Hibari!" it chirped. Annoyed, he shooed the bird away, and it flew through the gap in the wall.

"Reminds me of you," she sighed wistfully.

Oh that was it. Now she was just asking for an injury. As if on cue, the door rattled, and swung open.

"What do you want?" I called out the dark figure. The light in the background stung my eyes, so I couldn't really make out who it was. But shit, they were tall. How did he even make it through the door?!

I came to a decision. As the figure loomed closer, I stepped on their knee, and struck a kick at their chin - only to have my wrist seized. Seriously? They didn't feel that...at all? Geez, I'm offended. Their grip was like super glue. Not matter how hard I tried, I couldn't shake him off. Before I could try anything else, Hibari charged forward, but was kicked across the room. I mentally facepalmed at the thought of my medical assistance going to waste. As I struggled, my forehead was smashed into the wall. Great. Now I feel don't have to imagine the pain; I can feel it. And I don't need to mentally facepalm either.

Without saying a single word, I was slung over the figure's shoulder as she left the room, and locked the door.

My head was bleeding. With all that blood to my head - at least I could note the man's features. Spiky black hair. Two markings on one cheek. Insane height and strength. Ah, I see. "So, Lancia, strongest man in Northern Italy. Very fitting title," I murmured, letting my eyes tear up. Wearing contacts overnight had left my eyes pretty dry, after all.

"Be quiet."

"Why?"

SMASH.

Body. Wall. Pain. Had I learnt my lesson? Nope. "You know Lancia, you'll end up alone with that attitude."

SMASH.

"And...you won't have any children..."

SMASH.

*wheeze* "My Dad once said: a man without children, is a man without - "

SMASH.

Barely conscious, the next few phrases didn't just go in one ear and out the other - they almost missed.

"Rokudo Mukuro-sama..."

"So you've awakened, Chikusa. Hunting number 3 was hard work," Mukuro's unnaturally smooth voice droned. "Our reinforcements have arrived." Lancia entered the room and dumped me on the floor.

"Oh, Serena! It's so good to see you!" Ah? This voice...it's so nostalgic... "Geez, Lancia, she was already fragile..."

I lazily wiped some blood out of my eyes. "M.M.? What are you doing here?"

"To work of course! Mukuro-chan pays the best!" she grinned, as if we weren't on opposite sides – but instead on a playground as kids.

"You should get plenty of rest, Chikusa. Let's leave the Vongola to them. Ku fu fu fu...as for...our guest, Lancia, why don't you tie her up?"

Pretending to be worried, I sat up and backed slowly towards the window. "Please...please don't...hurt me...JOKES." Turning, I sprang upward and crashed through the window, landing painfully from the high fall.

Without looking back, I ran into a woody area ahead, and climbed up a random tree.

Nausea. Get smashed into a wall a few times, and that's what you feel like. Catching my breath, I pulled out small fragments of glass from my arms. Underneath, Fuuta ran past. Damn, Fuuta was on Mukuro's side.

"Fuuta!"

And yet...that was Tsuna's voice. Climbing back to ground, I was about to reveal myself when a hand clamped onto my mouth and another twisted my arm.

"Fuuta?" Tsuna questioned, looking around. Beside me, Mukuro walked into view, innocent expression on his face. "A Kokuyu student!"

"You must have come to save us," he started.

Chikusa held a needle beside my neck. "You won't receive the antidote before your carotid artery bleeds out." The conversation between Mukuro and Tsuna came to an end, and the latter ran off.

"Oya oya, how troublesome," Mukuro mused, his eyes flaring at my 'FML' face.

"I'm home honey~."

Sitting beside his chair, I found a nice sharp object behind my back. Cable ties. They've got to be one of the most annoying creations of all time. Shit," I cursed under my breath as I used too much force and stabbed myself. Giving up, I just stabbed myself over and over in frustration.

"You should be a good girl and sit still," Mukuro taunted, staring at the door opposite from us. "Do you realize what you're doing?" Curious, I looked behind my shoulder. And paled. Didn't Mukuro have the ability to possess things stabbed with his trident...? This trident...? The trident that I'd just so happened to casually stab myself with multiple times...?

Fuck it. It's not a big deal.

On more important matters, there is something I have to commemorate Mukuro for. No, not his extravagant hairstyle. And no, not his naturally evil nature.

His patience.

Rokudo Mukuro, was actually screwed to wait patiently for Tsuna to arrive. Unbelievable. I didn't last ten minutes before falling asleep. Next thing I knew...I was dreaming.

"Ah, Tsuna, help me," Mukuro's voice commanded in my mind.

I flinched. It felt like he was standing right behind me, breathing down my neck. Of course he wasn't, but the feeling wasn't all that great. For some strange reason, I imagined the chicken dance song in my head.

"I don't get this," he continued. "This usually works..."

"M-Mukuro," I stuttered, regaining some composure. The song in my mind changed to some other song. "What business do you have?"

"Oh, assassin. I'm possessing your - "

"Having trouble?" I guessed as my dream faded. "Sucks to be you then."

He muttered something darkly, and seemed to disappear.

Tsuna's POV:

"HIIIEE! Four Mukuros!" Tsuna panicked, his eyes flickering back and forth from Gokudera, Bianchi, Ken and Chikusa.

"Possessing four people at once...it's unheard of..." Reborn murmured.

And then, Serena stood up. She'd been unconscious ever since they'd entered the room, but Tsuna's intuition was...acting funny. She had Mukuro's red eye, of course, but...she was doing the chicken dance.

"Ah, Tsuna, help me," she asked, flapping her arms with a smile. "I don't get this. This usually works..."

And then...she started shuffling. And singing. "Everyday I'm CIRCUS AFRO. Da da da da da da da da CIRCUS, da da da da da da da da AFRO, CIRCUS AFRO, CIRCUS AFRO, POLKA DOT, POLKA DOT, POLKA DOT, AFRO."

Uh...what? "Reborn, what's happening to Serena?" Tsuna asked nervously.

The hitman looked genuinely stoned. "I don't know."

She collapsed. The eerie feeling in his intuition disappeared.

Gokudera/Mukuro cleared his throat. "Well, now that that's over, let's continue!" He threw his dynamite at Tsuna.

"Aaargh!"

Headache. Argh... Opening my eyes, light filled my vision. The sun was just rising. This feeling...I was in air. Most likely a plane.

"Flight 2453 is now landing. Please put on your safety belts."

It took half a minute before I was even partially functional. Flopping out of my seat, I was surprised to see I was the only person on the massive plane.

"Miss, we're landing now. Please stay seated," a flight attendant instructed.

"W-What?"

The flight attendant gave me a dark look. "We're landing now."

Okay. OKAY. Last memory: Mukuro. Kokuyu Land. Which left a huge gap between then, and how I ended up on a landing plane. Did I lose my memory again? Or was this a dream?

I wasn't near a window seat, so I thought about calming things. Birds. Chirping, singing. Hibari and the canary. HIBARI. HIBARI'S TONFAS. PANIC. But before I could start screaming, we landed. It was about then, when I realized I had nothing on me. No passport, no money, no weapon. And I was still covered in a shitload of cuts, bruises and dried up blood.

Staggering off the plane, I only earned the occasional stare. Occasional – but when everyone in a busy airport 'stares at you occasionally', it's pretty bad. Before I could think about where to go, two men in black suits walked up to me. "Serena di Squalo?"

I blinked.

"We will accompany you to see the Ninth."

Pfft, I should've known. "What for?"

"He requests you eat breakfast with him tomorrow morning," one of the men replied distastefully. The blood on my clothes weren't exactly a fashion statement.

"And until tomorrow morning...?"

"You are to stay with the Varia." They handed me a passport, and in a matter of seconds, disappeared into the crowd.

Okay. Varia? Great. Getting through immigration and customs, I realized that I was in Naples. I'd been here a few times, after all. And there were a bunch of signs that blasted 'NAPLES, CITY OF BEAUTY' around so...yeah. I called the Varia, and three minutes later, a black sports car drew up beside me, and I climbed in without thinking twice.

Sadly, it wasn't anyone that I recognized. Some lower ranking subordinates, I supposed. "So," I smiled, trying to break the awkward silence. "Thanks for picking me up. How's life?"

"Dull," the driver replied with contempt.

The guy in the shotgun seat coughed before answering. "Uneventful."

"That's a shame. I'm Serena, by the way. Nice to meet you."

Both guys swerved around to get a better look or something. "You mean...t-the...I mean, the Varia Officer, Serena di Squalo?"

"The Commander's little sister?"

"Yeah?"

"We apologize! It's an honor to be in the Varia!" the yelled in unison, somehow bowing.

I laughed. "There's no need to lie. The Varia ain't exactly a cheerful organization to be part of. I uh...don't want to be rude or anything, but who's watching the road?"

*Truck horn blares...*

Hours later, I entered Varia HQ through the front door, and walked straight to the dining room. Squalo, Bel, Mammon, Levi and Lussuria were arguing about something trivial as they ate lunch.

Silently, I walked to the table, plopped down beside Squalo, took his plate, and began wolfing everything down. I didn't even bother taking a look - the only thing on my mind was FOOD.

"VOI! What the fuck are you doing here?" Squalo yelled, shocked.

"Eat. Shower. Then talk," I decided between mouthfuls. He sighed, and studied my wounds, as if he was attempting to find the source, before handing me a bread roll.

"~Ushi shi shi shi~...dumbass is all beaten up," Bel mused, knives appearing in his fingers.

"Serena, how could you possibly wear that?" Lussuria moaned, staring at my beaten up shirt and shorts. "I bought an - "

"VOI! If Serena wears that slutty outfit you were talking about last week, I'll fucking gut you!"

Bel sniggered. "What an over-protective brother. I pity her~."

I finished the soup. "Thanks, phony prince. I pity myself."

*Knives glint* "I'm not a phony prince."

"Whatever you say, you fake prince."

A knife thudded into my roll of bread.

"I didn't say you were phony, I said you were fake. Oh thanks. I was looking for a butter knife. And...a salad knife - why not, a meat knife. No no, wait Bel, I don't need a fish knife - "

People stared as we came out of the cinema. I mean, the Varia did have some crazy aura. "That movie sucked," Mammon complained.

"Why are you complaining? I paid for your ticket," I pointed out, following them.

"Time is money."

*Sigh*. That damned avaricious Arcobaleno. "Personally, I voted for Batman. The trailer music was cool."

"I say we should've watched Shark Night 3D," Squalo shrugged. "It's more realistic."

"~Ushi shi shi shi~...not everyone like watching a bunch of sharks float around, Captain Longhair," Bel sassed. "Prometheus was obviously a better choice."

"If none of us wanted to watch The Avengers, then why the hell did we watch it?" I grumbled. "And where's Lussuria and Levi?"

"Lussuria went to watch Breaking Dawn," Squalo muttered. "Levi...who the hell gives the crap. Who's hungry?" Seriously? After the buckets of popcorn they went trhough? Urgh.

I believe, Bel and Squalo finally found something that they both like.

Raw seafood.

Now, the occasional sashimi or sushi is fine, but a raw lobster that's still twitching...is just a little unnerving. "Squalo, that's...gross," I offered, watching him eat a piece with wasabi. He shrugged and ordered me something else.

Oysters.

"I swear, to God, that I'll die if I eat that..." And then, he ordered:

A raw potato.

"..."

"So...the Ninth, an extremely busy man, orders you to come to Italy...for breakfast?" Squalo grumbled, standing outside the bathroom as his sister showered. "You're kidding, right?"

"I hope so too," Serena replied cheerfully over the sound of running water. "Since he's a deceitful bastard, he obviously has something up his sleeve."

"Tch. And all your injuries?"

"Oh, prison escapees. Few windows. Few walls. Nothing too major. Though Squalo, Lancia is no joke. I mean, you try to be nice, and he smashes you into a wall," she warned, as if Lancia's bad attitude was the thing he should've been worried about.

*Facepalm*.

She came out in a baggy hoodie and pants. Looking at him, she teared up, and quickly turned away. "I'm sorry Squalo. I screwed up again."

Mentally, Squalo shattered. There were four awkward 'the fuck?! What do I do?' moments on his list. Crying sisters, naturally took the first spot. "Ah, well, um...just...uh...what happened?"

"I had to make sure this French spy didn't die," she sighed, tracing a finger on the wall. "And now she's in intensive care at a hospital."

VOI! Then why the hell are you saying sorry to me?!

"And because of this whole mess, the yakuza took back Sapporoo," she continued miserably, making barely any sense at all. It was that point, when Squalo felt ashamed - his sister had basically gone through hell over the past few months, and he didn't even know what she was up to. "Squalo...what am I suppose to do...?"

Oh no. Second place on the list was giving advice to sad sisters. "VOI!" he yelled. "Suck it up."

Serena cried.

Third place: apologies. "Serena...I'm sorry. It's just...I don't...can't..."

Serena cried.

And fourth place: cheering up. He put a hand on her shoulder. "You did your best, right?"

"I-It wasn't enough." She glared - but not at him. "I just let everybody down - every, single, time."

"Well, sometimes life lets you down too," Squalo growled. "Fate let you down. Our parents let us down. I let you down. So it's not just your fault."

She punched him.

"VOI! What the fuck was that for?"

"We're even now," she sniffed, giving him a crashing hug. "Thanks Squalo."

Squalo thought his brotherly troubles were over.

Until the next day, that is.

Serena left the Varia mansion, confident, and her usual self for breakfast with the Ninth. She came back a few hours later.

Looked at Squalo.

And cried.

"It's probably a phase," Lussuria offered, as Squalo held an emergency meeting. "Girls are meant to cry. I mean – sometimes you just need to...to let it out. I mean, guys rant. Girls gossip and cry. That's human nature."

"The average woman cries emotionally 47 times a year," Mammon remarked. "That's how I make an extra forty nine million Euros a year."

Stare.

"~Ushi shi shi shi~...you made dumbass cry," Bel snickered at him, clearly enjoying the moment.

"V-VOI! I did not!" Squalo yelled defensively, standing up and waving his sword. "She – she just looked at me...and cried!"

"You made her cry," Lussuria stated flatly. "No doubt. Were you glaring?"

"NO!"

"Did you say anything?"

"NO! SHE JUST...!"

Levi grunted. "Well then, maybe the Ninth said something to her." They all suddenly paid attention. It really was rare for Levi to take part in these sorts of discussions. "I mean – she was as annoying as ever in the morning, right?"

That...was a good point.

A week later, Serena left without a word, early in the morning. By mid-afternoon, Squalo was in a crisis. "VOI! What if she killed herself?" he ranted.

"Dumbass is stupid, but she's not that stupid," Bel grumbled.

"Geez, Squalo, she'll be fine. She used to wander off all the time," Lussuria tried to reassure with a sigh.

The doorbell rung, and in a matter of seconds, the maid who answered ran screaming throughout the mansion. Swiftly, the Varia Officers ran out to see what had happened – and that was when they got the biggest shock of the year. If someone took a photo, it would've made a great Christmas card.

Xanxus, was sitting unconscious in a shopping trolley, at their front door.

"VOOOOOOOOOOIII! What the fuck?!"

As the plane landed in Japan, I sighed. I'd only ended up staying in Italy for a few days. And instead of a relaxing holiday, I'd received a whole load of stress. I put an icepack on my head. When this is all over, I'll make up for it, by whatever means.

When I stepped back onto Japanese soil, there was a shout. "Serena! You're back!"

I turned, and Tsuna's anxious face studied my own. "I'm back?" Yamamoto, Gokudera and Reborn weren't too far behind from him.

"Everyone was so worried when you disappeared after Kokuyu Land," he explained quickly. "I thought you'd been taken to Vindice!"

"I've been, but I had business in Italy this time," I muttered.

"How are your injuries?" Gokudera asked, looking at my fresh bandages.

"Oh, don't worry, these are new," I surmised. "And you guys? How are you?"

"Dame-Tsuna couldn't move until yesterday with all the muscle pains he had," Reborn stated, looking at Tsuna shamefully.

"Ah well, you guys worked hard this time," I tried to say cheerfully. It came out as sarcasm, as per usual. "Why're you here?"

"Oh...well...um...we heard you were coming back, and uh...I kinda need a favor..." Tsuna laughed nervously.

Yamamoto laughed. "I just wanted to hang out. The baseball team was afraid you'd died."

I thought about the date. There were only four weeks until the end of the school year. "Let me guess Baka-Tsuna, does it have to do with the yearly exams?" I sighed.

"Yeah," he admitted shyly. "But uh...Hibari-san wanted me to pass on the message that you'd temporarily be head of the Disciplinary Committee."

"W-WHAT?"

"Ah...everyone else in the committee is in hospital..."

A month later...

Hibari yawned as he walked past the reception area of the hospital. The radio was playing one of those annoying English songs –

When I see your face
There's not a thing that I would change
'Cause you're amazing
Just the way you are...

Leaving the hospital, he did a brief patrol of Namimori before returning to his office. Just another peaceful day. It was the last day of school – the weather was nice, everything was in order. The paperwork in his office was neatly and correctly completed. Even the hallways were spotless.

Making his way to the roof, he saw the herbivore talking with Kusakube. Seeing him, she immediately stopped talking and ran up to him, wide grin etched onto her face.

"Yo Hibari! Long time no see. Most of the school's watching the baseball grand final, so I gotta go like...now," she remembered, gesturing at her club uniform. "Oh, and there's something..." She put two fingers in her mouth and whistled loudly. Almost immediately, the yellow canary from Kokuyu Land flew towards them, chirping his name. "Keep the bird. I've got a cat, so I can't. YOLO!"

Yolo. It wasn't Japanese, but it didn't sound like an insult, so he let it slide. "Kusakube. Go patrol the sports field."

"Hai, Iinchou!"

Running to the sports field, I took a shortcut through the stands. I accidentally bumped into a kid walking with his Mom. "I'm sorry," I apologized quickly, bowing my head a little. Japanese customs were finally starting to get to me.

The kid turned, and I took a step back. Now, why did he have Mukuro's red eye? His voice came into my mind. Well, we meet again, assassin. I have a proposition for you.

I'd almost had a heart attack. "Later," I decided, breathing deeply. Looking at the field, I watched Yamamoto run a home run. My cue to get a move on.

Hibari reclined on the roof and told the bird to be quiet. Surprisingly – it obeyed. He thought about the moment when the herbivore walked towards him, smiling, the sun oh her face, the fresh air that blew through her hair. And he couldn't help but think about that song he'd heard on the radio.

When I see your face, I want to bite you to death. Because you're annoying. Just the way you are.

There's a poll up on my profile for those who want a pairing with Serena. If your particular pairing isn't there, leave a review or PM.

Have a nice day, ciao~ :]