Her lungs burned from the cold air, her legs beginning to ache as she ran. It was dark, nearing midnight, when she had done the unspeakable thing. The horrible thing that she knew would haunt her forever now. What she had done was irreparable. Kaere's heart raced as she paused at a street corner to look around. I don't even know where I am! I need to hide! I have to hide somewhere that he'll never find me! Her phone had been ringing so much that she had been forced to put it on silent. She finally found something worth calling a hiding place and turned.

Ducking into the dark alley, Kaere settled herself behind some crates in the snow. The fabric of her dress was stuck to her chest wetly, smelling strongly of iron. I bled through my bandages, she realized. My pulse has been so erratic…at this rate, I might actually bleed out before my cells can finish regenerating. She took a few deep breaths, trying to calm herself.

There was blood on her gloved hands, but it was not her own. Staring down at them now in the moonlight, Kaere's eyes filled with tears. I can't believe I did that! It was so stupid! There's no way I'm going to get out of this alive now! I'd have to leave the country! But would that stop him?! Tsuna told me that he's an assassin! He'll track me down and shoot me in the head! Kaere sank lower in the snow, hearing the crunch of footsteps. She half-expected it to be him, but when she saw a figure come into focus, she felt a surge of happiness. "S-Squalo…?"

The man turned toward her, advancing quickly. What she had failed to notice before was that he had a sword attached to his left hand, the metal shining brightly now as the moonlight fell upon it. "Voi! Woman, what did you do?!"

"Wh-what? I…had to get away…s-so I waited for him to fall asleep and…I…stabbed him…and I cut him…so he couldn't catch me…" Her golden eyes rose to his and saw fury. Why is he angry? No…don't tell me…

"What the fuck were you thinking?! Do you even realize what you did? Do you even know why I'm here? I don't want to fucking do this, Kaere!"

The girl shrank back against the wall, a mixture of anger and fear filling her. You're here because him. He told you to track me down. So here we are. This answers my question from before; you pick loyalty to Xanxus over any love you have for me. Her gaze darkened. "Squalo…fuck you." Kaere gritted her teeth as he advanced a few more steps.

Before he could reach for her, she put her speed to good use. Kaere had been bullied long before high school, and not just verbally. All of those years had taught her to move fast and dodge swiftly. Right now, she dodged his hand and sprinted out of the alley. She knew he was behind her. The man was painfully loyal to Xanxus and if it meant having to kill the girl, then he was determined to do it. Her eyes darted left and right as she ran, searching for escape opportunities and obstacles. Settling on a ladder, Kaere moved up it quickly and to the rooftop of a building. She could feel his glare burning holes in the back of her head and this only pushed her to go faster. Leaping to new rooftops and surveying the area below as she continued forward.

Which way…is Tsuna's house…? Will I be safe? Even though I stabbed Xanxus…will Tsuna be able to protect me? Oh! That way! Kaere hopped down from a roof onto a thick, concrete fence and raced along it down the sidewalk. She almost wondered if Squalo was letting her go on purpose, but knew that wasn't it when she heard him shout again.

"VOOOOIIIII! Stop running, woman! You're not getting away with this!"

So much for being in love. So much for everything you promised. In her emotional state, Kaere made a fatal error. The fence ended and her body continued onward, flying onto the snowy concrete below. Her knees and palms bled, her slender frame trembling as she heard his approach. She scrambled to stand again, but slipped and fell once more. Damn it! I was so close! I can see Tsuna's house from here! Her eyes stung with tears as Squalo came up beside her, the blade glinting. He's going to kill me or he's going to take me so Xanxus can kill me. I saw the fury in his eyes when I left. He wants me dead. But I didn't think Squalo would do this…Kaere pushed herself to her feet and saw him hesitate. Squalo's hesitation gave her just enough time to sprint across the street. He was on her before she could reach Tsuna's house, slashing the back of her already injured left leg. The snow caught her like an arctic blanket when she fell to the ground, bleeding and sobbing. "Why are you doing this, Squalo?! I…I thought you loved me…I thought you said…that we would be together…that you would protect me!"

His expression was grim, his mouth set in a straight line. The man's eyes shone with remorse for an instant before he let anger mask it. "You fucking stabbed him! What do you expect me to do?!"

"Let me live! Just let me get to Tsuna's house and-!" The back of her dress was grabbed and he lifted her into the air, putting her over his shoulder. I knew it! He's going to let Xanxus kill me! Why wouldn't he do it though? He went to the trouble of tracking me down and injuring me so I can't get away. Why should I even bother to fight when the person I loved is doing this?!

"Where do you think you're taking her?"

Squalo turned and found Yamamoto standing there, smiling in his usual friendly manner. "VOI! You're not taking her! She's coming with me!"

"I can't let you take Kaere-chan. She's too important. I lost her earlier and I won't let that happen again." Yamamoto revealed the sword at his side, still wearing that smile. "Why don't you put her down? That way it'll be a fair fight. She can't go anywhere anyway, can she?"

Her body hit the ground hard and she lay stunned for a moment, her eyes on the starry sky above. What just…happened? How did Yamamoto know that I needed help? She pushed herself up, propping her upper half against the concrete fence. Blades flashed in the streetlight's glow as two bodies moved quickly along the street. She stared, not quite sure what to do. I could try to get away, but I'm losing so much blood and my leg is useless right now. Even if I can stand up, the second Squalo sees me I know he'll come after me.

"Kaere." This voice was quiet, monotone.

She turned away from watching Yamamoto and Squalo to find two familiar faces coming her way. "Tsuna…Fran…?" The first to reach her was Fran, who lifted her in his arms and immediately started back for Tsuna's house.

Tsuna followed them closely, glancing back at the fighting swordsmen. Squalo seemed to not notice Kaere's absence. "I'm so sorry, Kaere! I shouldn't have let you leave this morning! I didn't think it would escalate to this!"

Once they were safely in the house, the girl was set down on her futon in the guest room. Tsuna went in search of bandages and Fran sat by her side, his hand gripping hers. The tears were falling more and more. Kaere didn't want to cry in front of him like this. She had done it before and didn't want him to think she was weak. Despite her worries, his teal eyes shone with sympathy and he held her hand tighter. "He betrayed you."

"I-I know."

"Do you still love him?" The girl closed her eyes and Fran sighed. He leaned his head back against the wall, looking up at the ceiling. "I still love you. I'll always love you. I would never betray you…even though I'm one of them."

"…Fran…" Kaere winced when she felt another presence in the room. Tsuna's mother tended to her newest wound and worried over what had happened to her. The girl lay in silence until the woman left. I can't tell her what happened. I was basically shot. I was cut. I stabbed a man. If I told Nana about it…she would probably hate me. Tsuna doesn't tell her everything and I don't blame him.

"Kaere, do you want painkillers?" Tsuna asked, standing in the doorway.

"N-no…thank you though."

"Um…what exactly happened? Yamamoto said that Xanxus took you back to your apartment and then…you came out alone…and Squalo started chasing you…"

"He wants me dead." It hurt to say it. She didn't mean just Xanxus. She was fairly certain that Squalo also wanted her dead now. It was a wonder that Fran wasn't trying to kill her as well.

Tsuna sat on her other side, frowning. "Kaere, I won't let anyone hurt you. I promise. You're safe here. Yamamoto should keep Squalo busy for a while and Gokudera is on his way."

I should be worried. Gokudera will be pissed off. It hurts so much right now though. I can't think about it. I just can't. Kaere frowned and opened her eyes. "Um…Tsuna, can you…I'm sorry…can I be alone with Fran?"

He seemed puzzled by her request, but stood. "Sure. Just call for me if you need anything."

When they were alone, Kaere pulled herself to sit up and leaned against Fran's side. Normally he was leaning against her shoulder, but right now she needed the support. He wrapped an arm around her and kissed her forehead gently. He did not expect things to turn out this way, but he would be lying if he said he wasn't happy. She had been betrayed by Squalo, his only real competition, and she was terrified of Xanxus and Belphegor. He even knew that Belphegor would betray her if he was ordered to. The prince only saw her as a toy. Nothing special.

"Fran…I'm so tired…"

"Sleep. I'll protect you if someone comes in."

I know you will, but I need to face some things. I need to deal with these problems before I can rest. I could have killed Xanxus. Even as she thought this, her eyes were beginning to close. Fatigue was setting in and her body leaned heavily against Fran's.

The young man sighed contentedly and shifted her so she was lying on the futon again. He lied next to her, wrapping both arms around the girl. She was cold to the touch, having lost so much blood. He knew she would survive though. When he had first met her, he decided to learn everything about her. Kaere's cells regenerated faster than a normal human's due to her experiments. The first batch of artificial tissue she had created was used to create this new body and unlike the later batches, this one had incredible healing properties. She was essentially immortal. She would never age, was susceptible to few diseases, and the only way for her to die would be to destroy her brain. He found it almost tragic that she was cursed this way. To remain young forever and live on while others died.

"Where is she?! I knew something like this would happen!" Gokudera shouted upon arrival. His footsteps rushed up the stairs after hearing her location from Tsuna, ignoring his advice to let her rest. When he reached the top of the stairs, he found an empty bedroom. "She's gone!"

Fran held Kaere close, running his fingers through her short brown hair. "I won't let anyone else get close to you," the boy whispered. "They just want to hurt you. They just want to take you away."

Morning found Kaere's bullet wounds healed, but her leg still healing. She limped downstairs, leaning on Fran for support, and came upon Reborn sitting at the table. He gave her a half-smile as she sat down, accepting a cup of coffee from Tsuna's mother. "Reborn-san? Um…did you need something?"

"Xanxus needs a medic." Seeing her enthusiasm vanish in an instant seemed to make him happy. "You need to go back to your lab and patch him up. I already disposed of the corpse that was there so you don't need to worry about that."

Do I at least get a bodyguard? She dressed, quite reluctantly, and left the house with Fran at her side. I knew I would have to face Xanxus again, but I didn't think it would be this soon. Why can't he just go to the hospital? When I told Reborn that I didn't want to go, he threatened to take away my funding. Without funding, I can't keep working. I need the money for materials to make my artificial tissue.

The walk was painfully quick. Fran waited outside at her insistence, worrying for his safety. Xanxus was, thankfully, alone in the lab. Kaere's face turned red when she saw that his shirt was off, exposing all of the cuts and stab wounds from the night before. She moved to the metal cabinet without a word to him, gathering her supplies. It was very quick; she stitched up the cuts and wrapped the wounds quietly. He said nothing as she worked, simply watching her with a spark of amusement in his gaze. Kaere might have found it amusing as well, but she was so terrified of what he might do that any trace of comedy eluded her.

She finished wrapping the last wound and started to put away the supplies. The girl could feel his stare and when she turned back to him, she found that he had put his shirt on, but it was hanging open. Kaere bit her lip, not sure of what to do now. He was attractive before, but…I don't know which is more attractive. Without a shirt or with his shirt open like that?

"Button this." The order was in a low voice and he was faintly surprised when she actually obeyed. Watching her small, trembling hands work at buttoning his shirt, Xanxus smirked down at her. "Aren't you going to apologize, trash?"

She gritted her teeth, angry that she thought he was attractive. I must have forgotten how evil he is, she thought. "I don't owe you an apology." Her tone was low as well and her anger showed through. Kaere thought he might become furious with her refusal, but it seemed to only further amuse the man. He waited for her to finish buttoning his shirt before grabbing her chin and leaning down to her. Their lips met hard, the kiss fiery and making Kaere blush even more. When he pulled away, still wearing that smirk, she scowled. "Wh-why would you do that?! I stabbed you! You…should be mad! Why would you k-kiss me?"

Xanxus settled his coat over his shoulders and started for the stairs, expecting her to keep up. "I'm not done with you. Weak trash like your friend might be scared off by what you did, but not me. You're stronger than I thought you were." He gave her a smoldering look over his shoulder, watching her face turn red. The girl's body was suddenly pressed against the wall, just inside of the exit, and his mouth crushed against hers.

Kaere could still taste alcohol on him, mingling with her own sweet flavor. Her heart skipped a beat when she felt his hips pin hers against the wall, moving against them hard. She struggled for a moment and pushed him away. "N-no! I…I don't want this! You could have killed me! A-and you sent Squalo after me and…!"

"How do you know that shark trash?" he demanded, grabbing her wrist.

She almost wondered if he intended to throw her down the stairs, but that thought vanished when he dragged her outside with him. "He…came in for a vaccination…" Kaere pulled her arm free and started down the sidewalk alone, leaving Xanxus behind. She knew that Fran would find her back at Tsuna's house. He always knew where to find her. Now the question that plagued her was this: would he leave her when Xanxus left for Italy?