Yo! Two weeks… not too bad! Ahahahaha… ^^ I originally wanted to make this go into the choice battle, but decided next chapter. But, AH SENIOR YEARS! The HOMEWORK!

But have no fear! I will prevail in, at least, two weeks a chapter in this story, (and maybe my other one as well… hmmm…)

I was really happy from all your reviews! Please review and tell me whatcha think of Alice having inner debates. And this isn't the start of it yet… Why so sudden? That is for you to guess. Please tell me how you think about this!

Even though I felt kind of upbeat after waking up, I didn't really bother staying up with Tsuna even when he was trying to master his motor biking skills. I just read the handbook, tried to understand all the weird blinking things, learnt how to turn, accelerate, brake (in a normal fashion, as I wasn't suicidal like Ryohei) and got off, nodded at Reborn and left.

It wasn't that I was feeling anti-social or anything. It was just that I was having a hard time processing all the things that was given to me at once.

When I woke up, all those things had been momentarily forgotten. Now that I had woken up, I felt my shoulders were especially heavy with all the things that had sprung up on me unexpectedly.

First things first.

Shouichi and the diaries. Basically, the diaries came from an alternate dimension Alice to tell me that I was probably their last hope. Lovely. No stress at all.

Second: Belle and Byakuran and Choice and Tsuna's murder

Okay, Belle was going to try and kill Tsuna in the Choice battle, but I can't do that to Byakuran, so I'll have to protect Tsuna on the field which is impossible because I can't go into the battle because it'll ruin the plot.

But was I really okay with protecting Tsuna?

Either way, one of us would have to give up on our mission… I pushed it to the back of my mind as I had done with my first life family. These things can't be thought about, because what was I doing this for? Fuzzy memories of two younger siblings and a mom, a dad, and a grandma. There was no choice to doubt.

I wish I could talk to one of the other Brighteyes. Liza, although she would have passed on by now. I'll tell her everything, and she'll put on her bubbly happy persona and tell me what to do. Then I'll have one of those anime epiphanies that's actually good (and isn't something confusing and stressing like Shouichi or Bill) and I'll know what to do.

…Who was I kidding? This was an anime, but this was a real world. Things like that happened to main characters, like Tsuna. I was a side-character, like always.

This led to the main thing. The third pressing thing.

Should I, or shouldn't I get attached to these people?

Their faces flashed in my mind. Yamamoto's easy-going smile with his milk obsession. Gokudera and his touch-Juudaime-and-I'll-castrate-you-even-if-you're-a-girl face. Tsuna with his self-deprecating smile and resignation (I mean, happiness-in-denial) from having friends such as these. Lambo and his sudden obedience, I-pin with her happy personality, Hibari and his 'hn' language.

They were people. Strange people, of course, people that I wouldn't have met in my first life-time, and never would have wanted to socialise with. But the point was that they were people.

Repetitious, but it had starting worming into my brain only a little while ago. I had thought of them as characters at the start (unhealthy, I know, thinking that you're the only real human in a world full of characters) and when I reached the fated middle school it was more with a determination to finish my mission that I approached Tsuna.

No messing with the plot. Right?

And then Reborn came in all his Fedora glory, Gokudera dragged Yamamoto who literally dragged me and we became 'the cool group with Dame-Tsuna'.

But I still only thought of one thing. Protect Tsuna, and don't mess with the plot.

Then Mukuro came, and a closeness to Kyoko and Hana that I wouldn't have realised. The toilet incident where Kyoko became human and I tried to understand a non-main character for the first time. And for some dreaded, unknown reason, when one character becomes human, everyone else has to become human too.

Mukuro was a person trying to get rid of injustice; Ken and Chikusa were just intensely loyal to their saviour from childhood torture. Hibari became a person that couldn't bear defeat, Tsuna became a person who had just been beaten down too much, and wanted to keep his only friends close to his side. Yamamoto was a nice-easy going guy as a by-product of stress but loved baseball. Gokudera was a softie who loved explosions and Tsuna a lot, a person who, just like his beloved Juudaime, also wanted to keep his only friends by his side.

And when the Varia came, it became horrifyingly clear they were people. And maybe I wasn't one.

What makes a human a human? I can't bleed to death, I can't be stabbed to death, I can't die at all except at the specified time that I died in my first life. I had already died once, my mind is stuck in a body too young for it, and my emotions had been stunted for years from the teachings –finish the mission– and –don't get close–.

And they became human and I suddenly become… something else.

By the end of the Varia arc, I was confused. So I pushed it all to the nice happy place at the back of my head where I locked my first family in, and ran away from it saying I had to focus on Byakuran.

Then I came into the future, and saw first-hand just how human the group was. Haru smiling until she couldn't take it anymore and curling under the stairs to cry. Kyoko in the kitchen chopping up vegetables so that she could at least contribute to a cause she wasn't even sure of.

Tsuna's depression on how it was his fault we were all here and his stress to get us back. Gokudera seeing Tsuna un-spirited and training hard. Yamamoto, trying to make everything happier through his non-stop smile.

Me? I just sat there, staring at them and wondering why I couldn't feel as much as they seemed to feel.

Maybe it's because I knew what was going to happen. Yeah, that was it.

Yes… Because I was part of the Family, and I contributed something, right?

Right?

Because really, I didn't know anymore.

From keeping away to wanting to become close, from scowling to smiling, from listening to all the warnings of getting close to questioning them then abandoning them... From characters to humans, to maybe friends…

It was too much.

All too much…

"Haha!" Yamamoto laughed as he clapped Tsuna on the back as they went back to their own rooms after their motorbike training session. Tsuna smiled happily, even with Gokudera on the side grinning at him before yelling at Ryohei to stop yelling.

"Thank you, guys!" Tsuna exclaimed, turning around and smiling at them. "You didn't have to do that for me, you know…"

"What do you mean, Juudaime?" Gokudera immediately said. "We did it because we were happy to!"

Tsuna blinked, before smiling feeling warm. How did he get such wonderful friends?

They walked down the corridor together, Ryohei's boisterous laugh echoing down the halls until a punch to the head told him to keep it down or they'll wake up the girls. Yamamoto just laughed to his left and Gokudera with Ryohei to his right.

But something felt off. Something was missing next to Yamamoto, a silent blank-faced figure. But, Tsuna smiled, they would meet tomorrow. She was probably tired after all.

The fight was after a few days after all. But, Tsuna thought as he looked around, they could make it.

Because he had all his friends by his side.

I sat in the meeting room with the others for the first time. Strangely enough, Reborn didn't exclude me this time; apparently this was important enough that even if he knew I would know what the meeting was about, he still called me.

"You're all able to ride the motorbikes, more or less," Reborn said to the group, "So it's time to move to the next stage."

"That means…" Tsuna said his eyes wide.

"Is it finally time, Reborn-san?" Gokudera excitedly asked Reborn. Ryohei only looked confused.

"What's the next stage?"

"You all have those, right?" Yamamoto took the cue and smiled.

"Yeah, I still got mine." He took out his Vongola box from the inside pocket of his jacket and put it on the table. Chrome followed suit silently, taking out her indigo box. Ryohei took out his own box, muttering something in understanding.

"Starting tomorrow, you'll be training to use those boxes."

I phased out a little around there, staring at them. I think it disconcerted Tsuna a little, since he fidgeted and glanced at me. I averted my eyes down to the table.

Oh yes, my eyes were yet another thing that wasn't human, wasn't it? I forgot sometimes, although it was such a large bother in my life before Tsuna and the others…

It was only when Yamamoto asked me a question that I looked up. "I wonder what Alice's and Tsuna's boxes would be!" He laughed. I looked at him questioningly even as Tsuna looked at him.

"Huh, animal?"

Yamamoto smiled and nodded. "Yeah. Mine's a sparrow, remember? Gokudera's a cat, and Sasagawa-sempai's is a kangaroo. And Hibari's a hedgehog. We've seen all of them except for the two of you because you two had already–"

Gokudera cut him off. "Don't say that to Juudaime, you baseball-freak."

"Ahaha, sorry! But still, I'm curious to what your box animal is."

"That's right," Tsuna said contemplatively, glossing over Yamamoto's nearly slip. "Box weapons are either weapons or modelled after animals. I wonder what type this is…"

"Whatever it is, I'm sure your box is truly amazing!" Gokudera exclaimed, gushing over Tsuna. Sitting across from Reborn, I stared at my own box, feeling it in my hands. The words VONGOLA weren't as prominent on mine as the others. I nearly snorted.

Fitting.

I stood up as Yamamoto was saying 'I can't wait to see what's in ours,'

"Are you finished Reborn?"

He looked up at me from beneath his fedora, his eyes speculating. Was he reading my mind?

"Pretty much. You want to leave?" He squeaked out.

I nodded in response, and after one last glance at the whole room I left. I felt kind of sorry to Yamamoto for cutting him off, but I couldn't stand sitting in the room anymore. It felt suffocating, as all the people around me had these hopeful looks on their faces. I didn't want to drag them down.

My problems were mine own, and therefore mine to figure out.

Those stupid flies in my mind wouldn't stop buzzing, asking me if I really could figure it out all by myself.

I slammed them into that happy box in the back of my mind as well.

Then I paused outside the door, before heading to the infirmary so that I could get my bandages changed.

There wasn't anyone in there, thank goodness, so I took my time meandering around and finding the bandages, taking stuff off, wrapping new bandages, and just when I was finished there was a huge explosion. Just like anyone else, I ran towards where the explosion came from.

Dust was coming from cracks, and I ran past Bianchi's group with a wave and a nod, with Kyoko and Haru calling at me to come with them. I shook my head and continued running awkwardly, as my back stretched with a dull painful heartbeat.

But when I reached the place, the matter was already done.

"The Rain swallow," Yamamoto said faintly through the wall, "Rondine di Pioggia."

I stopped just shy of the doorway, watching as flecks of Rain and Sky class flames flickered and died when they flew through the door.

"Yamamoto-dono!" Basil said happily, and I could see Yamamoto's smile.

"You aren't the only Rain class here."

And I only stood there, not moving to go through to the rest. Why did I run here? I couldn't do anything. It was like the wall in between us was…

"Thanks for the help," Basil said to Yamamoto, still with that happy tone.

"A display of teamwork, right? If one can't make it work, two can make it work." Yamamoto said so naturally, and I jolted and shook my head.

Of course, I was here for teamwork. Yes, teamwork.

I walked through the doors and looked at them as they ran towards a drenched Tsuna. I stared at them with mixed feelings and I felt like I wanted to scream but bashed my head against the wall instead, a bit harder than usual.

This was all too much for a person to bear.

Then I walked out the room, ignoring a familiar voice shouting 'Alice!' and going through a few corridors. Then opening a random door and stepping through. Quick check with the blueprints told me that it was an unused bedroom, and I dragged a slightly off-white blanket off the bed and draped it over my head.

Here, it was quiet.

Just me and silence…

But the noisy flies in my head continued whisper, murmuring things in my head that I didn't want to hear.

Dino looked down the corridor at a shadow that had looked like his long lost, grey-haired friend but found he couldn't remember what the shadow was after a while. He only remembered it was important.

A high level of important, if he had wanted to jump off his horse and hug the weird shadow as if greeting a little sister…

He shrugged. He forgot stuff all the time. Nudging his stirrups a little, he trotted through the door on his Sky horse and took in the situation.

"No, that was Tsuna's fault," he answered Gokudera's accusation on Irie. "If you keep opening your box like that, it would no longer be usable."

His cute little brother stared at him with innocent eyes with that hidden spark in them he hadn't seen for the past six years since Alice had died. It made him smile, slightly nostalgically.

"Dino-san?" He asked, Tsuna's voice much much, much higher than what he was used to. Dino suddenly wanted to laugh, but nodded and smiled coolly instead (he knew it was cool, because he had asked Romario if it looked cool nine times already).

"How are you doing, little bro?"

Tsuna smiled happily, even ecstatically, and waved. Dino, his sometimes-reliable older brother was here!

"Whoa," Yamamoto said, impressed, "he's riding a horse."

There were these huge thumping footsteps, and I peered out the door with the blanket still on my head to see Ryohei in a boxing pose confronting a huge, sky-flamed… turtle?

Ah, that turtle that heals all your injuries when it eats you and makes you feel refreshed… or something.

"Go, turf-top!" some mini-speakers said, sounding suspiciously like Gokudera.

"Go onii-san!" Tsuna exclaimed through the same tinny voice. I wondered where it came from… I looked around sleepily as Ryohei yelled 'BRING IT ON!' and suddenly… an arrgh, and he disappeared when I looked backwards.

And then there was this weird, not-wet tongue wrapped around me before I knew it, and I was eaten to the sound of Reborn's tinny voice saying 'ah, that's bad. Alice might have told us what it was…'

And woke up a second later feeling remarkable refreshed. I twisted around. Oh hey, strangely enough all my wounds were gone. I clenched my fists experimentally. Even the stiffness in my hands were gone.

As I sat up, the white sphere thing that was holding me inside cracked in half perfectly, and I stared out to see a surprised Tsuna and Basil. I yawned, before tugging the blanket sheet over my head again.

I was in no mood to party.

The next day, we were all called to the training room. I had been carried to my room last night, so my head was still wrapped in that kind of off-white blanket thing from yesterday. Unwrapping my head felt a bit weird and I sorely needed a shower. So I took a shower first, before slowly walking towards the 'Vongola Box Training room', as Dino had dubbed it in the note he had left on the huge piles of paper on my desk.

Surprisingly enough, I was the first there. Dino was already standing there, murmuring to Romario about what seemed like the situation in Italy with his family. I smiled tiredly.

So even Dino became responsible and mature after ten years, eh?

The two sharply looked up when the door opened, only to relax when they saw me, though the two had very different reactions.

Romario just smiled and nodded in a way that you knew he was happy to see you, with a bit of nostalgia and sadness in his expression that was understandable. Dino however saw me, relaxed and then ran full tilt towards me with this kiddy happy expression that told me he had just abandoned all the maturity I had been impressed with a second before.

"Alice!" He blubbered, and my face was somehow stuck in his overly furry collar. "I haven't seen you for such a long time! Kyoya didn't do anything to you, did he? Are you okay? You adapting well? If you need anyone to talk to, your good, old, dependable big brother is here! Anything you want to say?"

I squinted and pushed back at him.

"Yes," I said drily. "Your hairdo is weird."

And at that, he laughed so much that it made me want to laugh. Romario was already chuckling at the back anyway. I smiled a bit, before looking at Dino.

"Well, I know we're here for tutors, so do I have to wait for the others to come?"

Dino shook his head and smiled in a 'cool' way, and I knew immediately that it was practiced. Poor Romario, I bet he was subject to these practicings… Dino had always been a person in mind of his appearances…

"Actually, no. Alice, you don't need a tutor." He smiled, and I stared up at him seriously.

"Why? I need to improve as well."

"Your fighting style is unique in the way that not many people can combat it from experience because," he laughed, "not many people fight with chopsticks. You should be a better fighter than Tsuna and the others anyway, with the exception of Yamamoto, since they all fight with instinct, which isn't exactly bad. But still, you've trained longer than them. In general, you're better."

"What about my guns? I'm still an amateur."

"We couldn't find a short term gun instructor for you in shut a short time. Before, we thought it would be Lal, but she's out of commission right now."

I thought to ask about Grey, before stopping. They would've talked about him if he was available. Most probably he had already passed away though. It has been ten years, and he had been old.

"What about opening a box weapon?"

"No-one can really teach you that but a Brighteye, and all of them are refusing contact. You're alone on this, but it's okay!" He smiled a warm smile, before clapping me on the back and telling me where to go. I didn't have to wait for the others.

And a little voice in my ear whispered yet again that I was different…

Passing the kitchen, Haru and Kyoko were up early. Dino and Romario had followed me out of the training room, wanting to go to some place to contact his men in Italy, when I saw Kyoko and Haru sighing together.

"What's wrong?" I asked as I went to get an orange from the fruit bowl. They looked up at me.

"Alice-chan, we know you know what the guys are keeping from us, so could you tell us?" Kyoko asked me.

I blinked, before something canon floated up from my muddle of thoughts.

"Ah, I can't say." They both drooped, and I started peeling the orange. "But I can say that there isn't anyone in the training room right now, and there are two motorbikes parked next to the entrance where two people can hide. And I strongly discourage eavesdropping, but if someone does, they have to be quiet and be prepared for a long wait."

They both perked up at that and rushed to the door.

"Thank you, Alice-chan!" Kyoko said as she left.

"Yes, thank you, Alice-san!" Haru said to me as she waved and winked. I just blinked.

"I didn't say anything."

They both laughed, and I ate my orange feeling at least a little accomplished. Sitting down with my plate of orange (I used too much strength and orange juice had squirted everywhere, damn it), I took out my Vongola box.

It was quiet in the empty kitchen, and it was there that I slowly calmed myself, drove away all the stupid thoughts in my head and emptied my mind. Then I drew out a thin thread of my flame slowly, and fed it through the Vongola box's hole.

When the box opened, I stopped feeding it flames and, as I expected, it wasn't like the other's boxes where they had to keep feeding flames. I guess it should be like my flame, which could last about five hours.

Then I opened my eyes, and genuinely smiled.

"Hello," I said simply to the intense yellow eyes that were staring back at mine, and I ran both my hands through the feathers. There were two loud bird screeches in response to my greeting and I nearly laughed, before continuing stroking.

"Beautiful," I said aloud because the feathers really were beautiful. The eyes blinked happily in response.

All in all, I was very happy with my box weapon.

Walking down the corridors, I tried to figure out what it could do by communicating. Although it didn't seem to work (hard as it is to talk to a bird) we seemed to get along very well. Not as passionately close as Ryohei's, or with grudging friendship like Gokudera and Uri.

Not even Yamamoto's box weapon's loyal relationship with each other. I sensed intelligence in those eyes, and respected it. And it, I guess, saw me as its summoner and had a respect for me.

We were colleagues. And it was something that I could spill my guts to, and so I did and the box weapon just listened and tried not to prick holes in my arms.

"Boycott?" I asked Kyoko and Haru.

"Yup!" They nodded as they painted their signs. "We know that Bianchi, Chrome and you won't tell us anything, but we're not angry at you all." Haru said.

"Yes, we know you three think of us as people that fight with you," Kyoko continued. "But we don't think the boys understand it yet. We're strong too!"

"Yeah!" Haru cheered, as she taped a stick onto the board. "And we want to know what's happening, from the boys so that we can kill two birds with one stone. They can realise that we aren't as weak as they think we are, and also know what they are fighting for so we can support them the best we can!"

I blinked at their thoughtfulness. I never really thought about it that way before.

"That's wonderful," I said blankly. Kyoko and Haru just looked at me and laughed.

"Come on, Alice-chan," Kyoko said as she smiled up at me, "smile a little! Are you hungry? We have some omelette left over if you want it."

And hearing of the omelette, I patted my stomach. "Yeah, I think I'm hungry."

Then I met Chrome for the third time. I blinked and then patted Chrome's shoulder. She smiled softly.

"Alice-san," Chrome said to me, bowing slightly. I was mildly surprised at the formality. Kyoko and Haru looked up, surprised.

"You two know each other, Chrome-chan, Alice-chan?" They asked, and Chrome timidly nodded.

"Alice-san was the one who brought me to Ken and Chikusa and closer to Mukuro-sama as well as giving me my name. I feel eternally grateful for her help…"

I widened my eyes. Really? I coughed to hide my embarrassment. "Uh, it's okay Chrome. That's what friends do, right?"

Kyoko and Haru, although not really knowing what was going on, smiled encouragingly and Chrome also smiled timidly. "Yeah…"

I patted her shoulder again, before looking for a plate and loading an omelette on my plate and munching in. Kyoko picked up the sign that she made. "Okay then! Let's go, Haru-chan!"

"Yes, Kyoko-chan!" They walked forward determinedly before they stopped and turned sheepishly.

"Um, do you know where they are right now?"

Mentally chuckling, I mumbled that they were probably near the C sector third corridor and the two of them, bowed and thanked me before going through the door and meeting Bianchi.

"I was standing outside all this time, and I'm proud of you girls," Bianchi said to them both. "Go ahead, I'll support you."

"Bianchi-san," Haru breathed, before squaring her shoulders and marching on. "Let's go, Kyoko-chan!"

"Mm!"

And that left me and Chrome behind, Chrome timidly drying her hair with a towel, before greeting I-pin with a bigger smile than most when she bounded up with a little mini towel for herself. I-pin immediately made herself at home in Chrome's arms, and I smiled and bopped her braid, in which she responded Chrome had done it for her. We then left the kitchen, just in time to see Bianchi hugging both Kyoko and Haru saying she would support them.

"Me too," Chrome said softly, walking forward with me flanked behind her. "I'm sorry, boss."

"Chrome!" Tsuna exclaimed in surprise. "Alice! Are you in this too?"

I shrugged, not really meeting their eyes because I didn't know what to feel about them. Not yet. Talking about it to my box weapon had let the pressure drop a little, but it was still there, and I knew that it could rise anytime.

"Sorry Tsuna. I can't cook, and I am obviously in the female sector of the human race."

He blinked at me disbelievingly, when I-pin suddenly waved her arms around. "I-pin too!"

This time he visibly took a step back. "W-what? No way! What's with you all?"

"Taking a stand for equity and human rights," I muttered to myself, and Yamamoto laughed at that.

"What, that sounds like our geography class, Alice!"

I muttered something else even softer so that even Yamamoto couldn't hear.

"C-could you reconsider, Kyoko?" Ryohei beseeched Kyoko with a disbelieving look on his face. Kyoko's face told us (the females) that she nearly gave in until Haru nudged her on the elbow. It was nearly instantaneous, which meant they had planned for this situation too.

"This is the one time I can't listen to you!" Kyoko exclaimed instead. We all shot her 'good job' looks.

"We all stand united against you!"

And then Reborn, Giannini and Fuuta came in drag, and I took it as my cue to leave. I didn't want my memory getting those type of images burnt into my brain.

Argh, even imagining Giannini in a dress was kind of disturbing.

Next thing I did was close myself off in my room, and write down all my thoughts and feelings. What I felt about the group, my doubts and my feelings over what I was and what I was supposed to do. I let my box weapon out, before breathing in, and out, in, and out until I was calm.

I had to remove the pressure; even the tiniest smidgen would be good; so I could face Tsuna and the others again. They would be starting to suspect me, or soon. I had to get my act together.

I couldn't break before the Choice game. Even with all my doubts, I still had my mission. Even if I do feel bad about tricking Tsuna, making him think that I was protecting him because I cared and not because of my mission, I still had to protect him.

Even though this. Even though that. If, if, if. Maybe…

I cast that all away as best as I could, shoved it in the back of my mind, hoping the box wouldn't break anytime soon. It only had to last for a few more days. A few more days, and maybe I could go and disappear on them and protecting Tsuna from afar as I was supposed to.

But one more thing I had to clear up.

I walked into the kitchen silently, looking at my slightly warped reflection in the smooth iron that protected the wall from steam. Yellow eyes glared at me, eyes that were inhuman, eyes that matched my box weapon… an animal.

Kyoko was standing there, humming a song even as she looked worriedly at the clock.

And I stepped forward, my face serious.

"Kyoko…" I started.

Kyoko smiled and turned around, before seeing my face and frowned slightly even as she kept smiling and started untying her apron.

"Hmm?" She asked with her eyes warm and understanding. Like the mother I haven't had for seven years.

Things wanted to burst out my throat. I wanted to tell her everything but knew it would be a burden too heavy for her to bear, especially how I have seen her stressed, pretending everything was okay. But one thing came out.

"Am I human?" I asked softer than normal, so soft that my voice cracked halfway in the middle.

Kyoko's eyes widened, before taking two big steps towards me and giving me a hug.

"Of course you are."