Episode 21: Revival
"Somewhere in my memory, I've lost all sense of time… And tomorrow can never be, 'cause yesterday is all that fills my mind. There's no use looking back or wondering how it should be now or might have been. All this I know, but still I can't find ways to let you go…"
-"Never Had A Dream Come True" by S Club 7

Constant e-mails and phone calls came through to my phone, most of them from a confused Basil, who wanted to know why I was in Italy. All Tsuna and Hayato would say would be that I was visiting some friends. I only left one message back, saying that he had to ask the other Guardians about what was happening, and that I would explain everything else when I had the chance.

The other few were from Kaito, who wanted to chat an awful lot. His personality really reminded me of Hayato's, in almost every possible way. He was so adorable, and I almost couldn't believe that he was my future son. But there was one message that really struck a chord inside me..

"Mom? It's me, Kaito again. I had to know… There's a man here that's around your age. He's got the same hair and face as me. Tsuna-nii-san said that he's the Storm Guardian, like dad does. And… the day that dad went missing, this man came to the base… And I-I have to know if he's my father!"

I stopped in my tracks. The phone slipped from my hand and I simply stared at the wall. A hand on my shoulder snapped me out of my trance. Squalo was looking down at me, almost worriedly. "Voi! What's wrong, Onda?" he asked loudly.

Kneeling down to pick up my phone, I quietly asked, "Squalo, did I ever bring my son here?" His eyes widened and he slowly sat against next to me, not saying a word. I blinked in confusion as I looked at him. "I think that's a yes, right?"

"No… no, but we all have pictures. If I remember right, you named the illusionist girl as the kid's Godmother and Bel as his Godfather." I smiled happily, feeling tears well up in my eyes. "Did he contact you?" Squalo asked as I sat down right next to him.

I let my head fall back, feeling the wall thud against my skull. "He's figured out who his father was. I don't know how to tell him that Hayato is the past version of his dad." I sighed, rubbing my eyes, trying to convey my frustration.

Squalo shrugged. "Just tell the kid. Does it really matter how you tell him?" he asked. How insensitive…

"He's only four, Squalo. His mom is dead, and the only form of communication he has with her is with her past self. Now his dad's disappeared, and in place, someone that looks just like his father has literally suddenly has appeared in his dad's place." He paused. "Think about it. How would you feel?"

Squalo was, for once, quiet, as he replied, "I… I wouldn't know. My parents left when I was little. I never really had parents. I devoted my entire life to swordsmanship, only to lose to a middle school brat. It was then that I felt like I lost something important to me." He put a hand on my hair and ruffled it a little. "The future you meant a lot to all of us, even Xanxus, although the bastard will never say it." I smiled a little. "You brought back a little piece of sanity to our lives."

I looked down at the phone. The wallpaper was a roughly taken picture of Hayato and me next to the Namimori movie theater. I smiled a little. Now that I think about it, it was technically a really old picture, over a decade old. I would have to get a new one soon.

"As for the kid, he's lucky to know you," Squalo deadpanned. "You… I… we…" He stopped when I looked at him. "Look, just don't change who you are because of what that Millefiore bastard said, okay?" he demanded gruffly, standing up and walking away quickly, clearly embarrassed about his words.

Squalo…

I smiled at his kind words and looked at the phone in my hand. I opened it, my fingers hesitating over the keys. Shaking off the hesitation, I quickly dialed Kaito's phone number. It rang for a few seconds before I heard the telltale click.

His voice drifted through the line, into my ear. "Hello?" he asked.

Swallowing, I told him, my voice wavering slightly, "Kaito? It's mom. I… I just wanted to tell you that yes, Hayato Gokudera is your father. Just make sure you spend as much time with him as you possibly can, okay?"

His voice was really happy as he exclaimed, "Yeah! He went out with a bunch of other people, but he'll be back soon! And if Reborn-san says okay, can I show dad the house that we lived in?"

My breath caught in my throat and I began to choke up, the tears coming back to my eyes. "Of course. I'm sorry I can't be there, Kai, but take lots of pictures and send them to me!"

"I will, mom! Talk to you soon! I love you!"

"I… I love you, too, Kai," I choked out before he hung up. Pulling the phone away from my ear, I stared at it in disbelief. Kaito really thought of me as his mother, even though I was only ten years older than him. The twenty-four-year-old me would be a better mother than I was. Tears began to leak from my eyes and they streamed down my face as I began to cry, burying my face in my arms.

Black shoes stopped in front of my vision and a hand extended itself to me. I looked up, through tears to see green hair and almost blank eyes. "Onda-sama, stand up. It's not right for you to be sitting down like this. Someone could trip over you." Fran. "Besides, it's time for dinner."

X Hayato Gokudera X

Gokudera and the others stared at the huge house that sat before them. "This is it," Kaito announced. "I have one thing to say before we go in… I called mom." Everyone exchanged horrified looks. He was in contact with Najika? "And I know why you all are so familiar. You all came over at one point or another."

The baseball freak asked, "Even me?"

"Even you, Takeshi-nii-san," Kaito confirmed. "Chrome-obaa-chan, too. And sometimes Bel-oji-san, or Muku-chan, or Basil-nii-san!" They all knew why those three would come. Najika had a certain way of bonding with people. "Let's go inside. I'll give you a tour!" the little boy cheered, dragging Gokudera with him.

"Wait a second!" Gokudera protested weakly, trying, emphasis on trying, to pull his arm away from the small boy's grip.

Kaito stopped as he pulled a key out of his pocket. "Aniki… I know you're not Aniki. You're my dad… Mom told me everything… and I just really wanted you to see this."

Gokudera froze, then knelt down next to the boy. He put one hand on his silver hair and smiled a little. "Yeah, Kai. I'm your dad from around six years before you were born." Kaito smiled a bit and handed Gokudera the key. "Eh?"

He shrugged. "I can't reach the lock."

Sighing with a slight smile, the silver-haired Guardian inserted the key into the lock and turned. The lock clicked, signaling that it was open. Gokudera twisted the doorknob and pushed the door open.

"It's dark!" Juudaime commented, looking around crazily. "Ah! Wait, I found a light switch!" There was a click, and the lights flickered on.

To say that everyone's jaws dropped to the floor was an understatement. The threshold led to a giant hallway, with a crystalline chandelier hanging over it, dangling with light. The entire hallway illuminated, with torch-like lamps nailed to the wall.

Juudaime and the baseball freak stepped forward, everyone else following. Gokudera and Kaito stood at the back. "Welcome home, dad."

Gokudera just grinned down at the boy. "I'm home."

Kaito looked up at him, then looked back. "Let's explore. I can show you all around, if you want." Everyone agreed, and thus, the tour began.

The house was huge. There were two swimming pools, one indoors and outdoors, a huge kitchen connected to a dining room, and several guest rooms. There was a playroom, which I-Pin and Lambo quickly helped themselves too, Kaito's bedroom, which was decorated blue, and then there was the master bedroom. Gokudera pushed the double doors open, and his eyes widened. The walls were white and there was a huge sliding glass door that lead to a balcony.

Kaito ran up and opened it. "You and mom spent Sunday mornings here, watching the sunrise!" He smiled a little. "I came out sometimes, but only for an hour. Mom made me pancakes, and you played soccer with me and Uri." Uri? The devil cat? "Do you still have him?" Kaito asked playfully.

Gokudera nodded and was about to take the cat out of its box, but a loud voice exclaimed, "Woah! This room is huge to the extreme!" Turf-top… "Ah, Octopus-head!" he cried happily.

Kaito tugged on Gokudera's sleeve. He looked down at his son, who was looking anywhere but at him. "This was yours and mom's bed. I used to crawl in every morning before you had to get ready for work." He looked down and played with his T-shirt. Gokudera's eyes softened.

"Come here, kid!" He picked Kaito up, despite his protests, and collapsed onto the bed holding the boy. "Like this?" he asked, staring at the ceiling. Kaito nodded and clung to the front of Gokudera's sweatshirt.

He breathed out, "I love you, dad…" Gokudera's green eyes went wide, then softened by a lot, and he patted the four-year-old boy on the head, then slung him on his back. Tiny arms made their way around his neck as Gokudera shifted so Kaito was comfortable. Everyone was shocked; this was Gokudera?

With one last look at the room, Gokudera memorized it. He was definitely going to make sure he could ensure this for the future. "Come on." Juudaime put a hand on his shoulder and nodded. "Let's go."

He walked out of the house without a second glance at the people behind him, who were staring in awe at his treatment of the child.

X Najika Kamiya X

I sat across from Xanxus, who was drinking beer steadily. I looked up at him. "Um…"

He cut me off, demanding, "Listen. Don't you dare let what that Millefiore bastard said get to you." Eh? "We can't afford to not have you on your best guard." Oh.

I smiled a little. "Sure, Xanxus. I'll try not to let myself get caught up in self-pity," I replied almost sarcastically, standing. "It was a little painful to hear, but I think I'm okay now. And… if that's all… then I'll see you later."

Xanxus glared up at me and snapped, "Sit." I shrugged and sat back down. "Just… don't get yourself killed, okay?"

Smiling wider, I jokingly quipped, "You make it seem like I'm going off to war." He sent me a look that told me I could very well be. I gulped a little and moved to stand. "Do you want me to go back to Japan?" I asked.

"No. It's too dangerous," he replied shortly. He didn't even have to say it; end of story. I smiled weakly and left the room.

Pulling out my phone, I quickly dialed Basil's number.

Hello, this is Basil! I apologize for not being able to answer the phone, but I shall call thou back if thee would leave a message!

I sighed. He was probably out cold. If he'd traveled from Spain to Japan, he was bound to be tired. I quickly typed an e-mail and sent it, closing my phone. It quickly rang again. I looked at the caller ID.

Chrome Dokuro.

This was the first time she took the initiative to call me. I answered and asked, "Is that you, Kori-chan?"

"Where are you?" she asked desperately. "They're… Why are they being so nice to me?" she demanded quietly. I sighed. I forgot that she wasn't used to this kind of kindness from people. "I've done nothing to earn their kindness… But they're still trying!"

I took a deep breath. "Chrome, listen to me. We all think of you as our friend. We all love you and want you to be happy. That's what Mukuro would want." She made a surprised noise. "You aren't eating, are you?" I guessed. She wasn't eating well in the past, either.

She hesitated. "No…"

That's when I snapped. "Chrome, stop this! You'll die if you don't eat! Do this as a favor to me, if you're not going to do this for yourself! Tsuna-kun is bound to be worried if you never come out!" She squeaked a little. "Sorry… Just know that people are looking out for you because you're our friend. You don't need a reason to be kind. All you need is someone to be kind to. They chose to help you, so please accept it."

"Is that what happened to you?" she asked.

My eyes widened a little, but I laughed a bit. "Yeah. I was just a blind girl with no friends. I was a lot like you. I liked being alone, and since no one was ever very nice to me, I found it hard to accept. But Tsuna-kun and Hayato and Takeshi-kun asked me to eat with them because they saw me alone all the time, and they accepted me into their family. Now, they're some of the greatest friends I could ask for."

Chrome seemed to have cheered up a little. "I… I'll try to be better to them. They're going to such lengths to try and make me happy. I won't let Boss down."

I smiled a little, then remembered something. "I think you should know this, too. I saw Mukuro. He came to me in a dream." She gasped. "He's still alive, Chrome. He didn't tell me much, only that he was defeated by Byakuran."

She replied, "I… Thank you for telling me. I've got to go." Before I could get another word in, she'd hung up. I closed my phone and sighed.

X Tsunayoshi Sawada X

These past few days had been very changing for everyone. Basil came to, and had kept asking why Najika was in Italy since. Chrome finally came out of her room after at least a day of isolation, claiming that Najika and I-Pin had helped her learn to accept kindness. As for Gokudera, he had been spending more time with Kaito then anyone could account for. He'd finally accepted that little boy as his future son and was trying to make up for the time the boy was losing with his real father.

It was like Najika was changing everyone from the outside.

Kaito was still in contact with Najika. When Tsuna passed by Kaito's room at night, he could hear the four-year-old chatting excitedly, relaying the day's events to Najika.

Tsuna smiled to himself as he heard Najika's voice over the speaker. "That's great, Kai. Now, I've gotta go or Lussuria's going to throw a fit about not getting his food on time. It is a lot earlier over here." She giggled a little. "I'd rather not have to face the wrath of his peacock. Oh! But don't tell him I said that!" Kaito laughed. "Okay, so I'll talk to you later, hun. Goodnight."

"G'night mom!" Kaito cheered quietly. "Love you."

"… Love you, too, sweetie. Now make sure that you get enough sleep to be strong, okay?"

"Yeah! I'll do that!" he cheered, his voice bubbling with happiness. With that, the conversation ended, and he heard the click from Najika's end of the line. Tsuna backed away from the door and continued walking. Najika was working from the outside.

He was just glad she was still there, standing by their side and supporting them, even if it was only in spirit. He knew that she would come back soon. She hadn't abandoned them.

Atogaki.

ZOMG WHY ARE MY CHAPTERS SO SHORT. orz

I fail at life, you can shoot me. m(TT^TT)m Forgive me, my loves. m(_ _)m

Anyways, I just wanted a fluffy chapter to ease all the tension. Ah... I'm really glad I hit 60+ reviews with last chapter, so please continue to leave your thoughts! I can't believe there's only 13 chapters left in this story, that makes me very happy. Oh, and if you haven't noticed, I changed my username, and I made a new homepage. You should check it out, and you should also follow my tumblr, please! Links to everything are on my profile.

I'm also really busy right now, so I'm very sorry if you think updates are inconsistent. Just leave a review telling me to get my ass moving and I will! Promise!

Thanks again, all. I hope you enjoyed Rainbow Shooter's newest chapter!