Hi everyone, it's been a while since the last chapter. I have to say I have been a bit busy with my studies so my updates have slowed down a lot. I WILL NOT ABANDON THIS STORY. I fully intend to finish. Don't expect my updates to be as quick as they used to be though. One chapter every few weeks is the most I can promise. I try not to spend too long without posting but sometimes I get caught up in other things which can account for my longs absences.

Having said that, thank you for your reviews! I will never say it enough, reviews do wonders to a writer's moral. And I can't tell you how happy I am when I read one or when I say new favorites and followers!

I hope you will enjoy this chapter and hope to continue hearing from you through reviews!

PS: Question I'd like you to answer: Do you think Nana should divorce Iemitsu?

Namimori Central Hospital

Shamal hummed to himself as he prepared the necessary equipment. The day had finally come. Today was the day they broke Caelum's curse and hopefully erased his time limit. Of course Shamal wasn't so foolish that he believed that the brunet would get better instantly. It would take some time for his body to regain its strength and return to the status quo. But it would the first stone on their new path. That and he had faith in the boy's will to live. Lately, Caelum had been increasingly happier. Clearly, Reborn recovering his memories and his former body had played a huge part in it. There was also the influence of Tsuna's friends and his newly discovered blood relatives, namely Nana and Nari.

The way Shamal saw it, Tsuna never had many friends before. He had had himself of course, but despite everything, Shamal was still a doctor first and foremost. It was difficult to move on from doctor-patient relationship no matter how well you got on with someone. Ultimately, Shamal was always the one bringing the bad news. That was something he couldn't change. And wouldn't change anyway, because he didn't trust anyone else with Caelum's health.

He supposed Caelum's first friend had been Hayato. The two had gotten along well from the start and had known each other for years. But no matter how close they were they couldn't help each other. All they could do was lick each other's wounds and make sure that no other were added. They couldn't heal the wounds of the past. Not for themselves and not for the other. That's why the arrival of Hibari in Caelum's life had been so important. At least in Shamal's opinion. He wasn't sure what the Prefect's feelings for Caelum were but if there was one thing he knew it was that he would never let anyone hurt the smaller brunet. Hibari showed endless care towards the younger boy, in his own particular way, admittedly. It was a softness that only existed for Caelum and it always comforted Shamal to know that there was someone who placed Caelum above everything else.

Then of course there had been that baseball player, Yamamoto Takeshi, whom Hayato seemed quite taken with if the amount of time he spent arguing with him was any indication. That Kurokawa girl as well and the Sasagawa siblings. Lambo and I-Pin had played a role as well. And more recently Fuuta.

Though Tsuna's greatest support as of yet was most likely Shoichi. The red haired boy had after all managed to devise a way to 'cure' him which wasn't anything to scoff at.

And talking of which…

"Good afternoon, Shamal." greeted the four eyed teenager as he entered the room.

"Shoichi. Good to see you." replied Shamal with a smile.

"Are the others not here yet?" asked the boy glancing around the empty room.

"They should be here soon."

Just as Shamal finished his sentence the door opened once again, letting the two Sawada boys in. The four exchanged greetings and Tsuna thanked Shoichi warmly for his work. Shamal could tell the brunet meant everything he said. His brown eyes were shining and he looked positively radiant. It was good to see him like that after so long.

Hayato and Lambo followed, before Yamamoto and Ryohei accompanied by Fuuta and that Basil kid entered as well. They all took place against the wall while Nari offered his own thanks to Shoichi. Though his version was shorter than his brother's it was no less heartfelt and brought a smile to Shamal's lips. Yep, the future was looking good.

"Reborn didn't come?" asked the doctor in sudden realization, looking with puzzlement at the closed door, as if expecting the hitman to barge in any minute.

He glanced back at Tsuna and blinked in surprise at the sudden dark expression on the boy's face.

"Um….Well….He uh…"

Nari who looked similarly somber though held a hint of satisfaction in his eyes cut his brother off.

"Iemitsu came back yesterday so Reborn is taking care of him, now."

The 'taking care' part was definitely not as casual a business as Nari made it sound like. Shamal was sure of that. There were probably guns, knives and maybe even torture instruments involved. He would rather not imagine it.

"Right." he said trying to forget what he had just learned. "Should we get started then?"

An hour later they were done and Shamal was busying himself putting away the equipment while the others were gathered around Tsuna. Shamal noticed that multiple pair of eyes kept lowering towards the box hanging next to the orange pacifier. From time to time a hand would brush against it as if checking it was real and was holding on well. Worry-warts the lot of them. Not he could blame them because he felt like he only half-believed that this was real and that the worse was now behind them.

Though, now that that particular concern was mostly out of the way he could think of minor concerns such as the previous day's visitor. The question should he or should he not tell Tsuna about it?

He looked at the happy boy and decided in a matter of seconds that it could wait. Maybe he would tell reborn though. But he would wait a little. He wouldn't want to stop his old friend from killing Sawada Iemitsu.

Namimori Middle School, Roof

Tsuna was happily skipping towards the school. Despite it being Saturday, he knew Kyoya would be at Namimori Middle School. He had left his group of friends a few minutes before as he knew the raven haired prefect wouldn't appreciate his visiting accompanied by a crowd. Thankfully, Hayato and the others hadn't opposed his desire to go to the school alone. Not much anyway. And Nari had immediately taken his side and gently but firmly told the others to back off and let him do what he wanted.

The brunet felt that his relationship with his twin brother was getting better every day. This was made a lot a lot easier by the blonde himself, as he seemed to hold Tsuna in high regard. Or at least, he showed him a lot of respect. That and he was always in agreement with Tsuna and supported every decision the shorter boy made. Not to say that Nari followed him blindly or anything, just that they seemed to be on the same wavelength about most things. Tsuna felt that he could easily confide in Nari. The younger twin was despite first impressions, very understanding and quite a good listener. Even when he didn't have an immediate solution to the problem he was ready to offer his help in order to find one and that, in Tsuna's books, was more than enough.

All in all, the brunet was enjoying having a brother very much. It was completely different from anything else he had known and he loved it.

He passed the gates and marched towards the building without hesitation. he quickly made his way all the way to the roof where he expected to find the older boy.

His assumptions proved to be correct as he caught sight of the Prefect as soon as he stepped out in the open air.

"Kyoya!" called Tsunayoshi bouncing up to the raven haired boy.

The boy turned around and placed soft grey eyes on his small frame. The brunet beamed up at him and hugged him tight.

"It worked." he told the other boy happily, still pressing his cheek against the Prefect's chest. "Shamal managed to put most of the curse in the box."

Hibari didn't answer, but the brunet felt two strong arms wrap themselves around him. The hug was clumsy and a bit awkward but it was more than Tsuna had ever expected. A giggle escaped his lips and he squeezed the other boy even harder. The happiness that was overcoming him was so complete that he felt he understood what people meant by 'drunk on happiness'.

"I'm going to live." he whispered half-disbelieving.

"Un." was all Kyoya had to say to this, his arms still around his omnivore.

Town Centre, on top of a building

A figure clad in a black cloak, a hood of the same colour hiding the upper half of the person's face was standing above the city, watching people and cars bustling far below. The wind blew by, causing the cloak to open slightly, revealing feminine curves wrapped in a tight miniskirt and bustier. The breeze fell and the cloak with it, hiding once again the woman's body.

She lifted a hand to push a strand of purple hair behind her ear. Her fingers trailed on the purple tattoo that decorated her cheek before lowering to her chest. She pressed her palm onto the fabric, feeling the familiar lump under it.

It had been a while since she had stood so tall. Though she supposed it was a matter of opinion as she wasn't that tall. Compared to her previous state however, it made quite the difference. She was thankful for the change. She hadn't wanted to show herself in such a pitiful state. At least, not to him. It was just a matter of days until she saw him again now. The Varia had started moving, and she with them. She would finish her job, before going to where he was. She would end everything with her current employer so that she could have a clean start. All she could hope was that he stayed safe until she could go to him.

"Mammon. The Boss is calling us back." called a voice behind her.

A blonde boy with bangs covering his eyes and a wide sadistic grin stepped out of the shadows.

She turned away from the view of the city, brushing passed the Prince towards the door. She never said a word as she disappeared inside the building soon followed by her partner. He hadn't paid her after all. She couldn't see why she should make an effort for free.

For those who are in doubt: this fic is not 1827. It has hints of it. You can take as pre-romance or bromance, it makes little to no difference to the story. This is the best I can accomplish to please both 1827 fans and those who would prefer no pairings. The decision has already been made and will not change so it's no use pleading with me for 1827 ^^

Until next time,

Insanity