This chapter contains the results of the pairing poll. It's permanent and there will probably be no alternate endings. He won by a landslide by the way (at least review-wise). The poll thingy was slightly close.

Enjoy.

Chapter 37

"Hey, Stuart." I greeted the boy, who smiled back at me fondly. August had come again, and we were nearing a year since the Varia Arc. The first five floors of the Vongola Base in Japan had also been finished the same year, and this was where the group of researchers were staying.

Beside me, three bodies shifted uncomfortably, but remained rooted where they were. I had decided to let Stuart teach all three children the Sciences for the day, detailing out to the kids that my albino friend was a sharp shooter that could kill any moving target from whatever mile away.

Royal blue eyes swept over my young wards, and their owner sighed and stared at me exasperatingly. "Do you have to exaggerate all the time and scare whichever kid you meet?"

I grinned at him, "Of course. Fear's an awesome teacher."

He rolled his eyes, then turned to the three kids standing beside me. "Don't worry, I don't go around killing people mercilessly." He told them softly, and I felt Fuuta relax. "First thing I'm going to teach you, don't always listen to her. She's right most of the time, but she also loves screwing with people's heads. She's a sadist, that way."

He pretended to whisper the last part, earning laughter from Fuuta and Ipin. Lambo smiled widely at him.

"Great, Stuart, not even an hour yet, and you're already teaching them to be freaking rebels."

He laughed, then asked me with this newly developed down-to-business aura of his. It wasn't there last I had seen him, so it probably was one of the little things he learned in college.

"So, what exactly do you want me to teach the kids? You said sciences, alright, but I'm not sure if the Mafia definition of Science is as standard as I hope it to be."

I smirked at him, giving him a nod. "Sharp, and you're right. I wouldn't be here exclusively if this was just an ordinary science thing. I want you to teach them poisons. Teach the brats which drugs can kill, paralyze, bleed people. And don't you dare say that you specialize in physics and not chem, buddy. I did my research, and you're as good with drugs as you are with magnetic fields."

He sighed tiredly, and looked at me with half amused eyes. "You always have to know everything, don't you, Crim?"

I shrugged. "Side requirement of my ever taxing job."

He laughed, and then turned his attention to the kids. They were still a bit wary of him, but not as much. Stuart turned back to look at me, with confused eyes. "Aren't they a little too young?"

"They are." I simply told him.

He looked back at the kids, his smile wiped off, replaced by a serious tone. "You know what poisons are and what it does, right?"

Fuuta nodded, albeit confused as to why they were being asked, and Lambo and Ipin did the same. Lambo added though, thinking that this was one of those class questions they give you a star for getting right. "Poisons are colored water used to kill, right?"

He was beaming at Stuart, waiting for praise. I could see that the albino was very conflicted, but smiled anyway. "Very good, Lambo, right? But you know you can kill with poisons right? You, as in your very self would be responsible for the, uhh, killing?"

The three children looked thoroughly confused at the questions their new teacher was asking, but I couldn't blame either side for this lack of connection. Stuart was talking to all three of them like how he would talk to children their age, but the fact was that they weren't quite their age anymore. I made it a point in training to talk to the children the same way I would talk to Tsuna and the rest.

They didn't have the luxury of childhood, and the earlier they knew that, the better off they'd be.

"Stuart," I decided to interrupt, "they know and understand everything to the point. They're kids, but not anymore."

He glanced at the trio, whose postures were more soldier than child's, and ruffled his hair. "But two of them, they're bloody barely seven, Crim! They couldn't possibly understand any of these."

"But they do, Stu." I gave the three children a firm look to remain silent as they watched the albino's outburst. They complied, averting their gazes elsewhere but my friend.

"They're just children. Is it truly necessary to raise them in bloodshed, maiming and torture? It's cruel, don't you see? Training them like this would be stripping them of choices for a better future."

I met three understanding pairs of eyes. We already had this conversation before, the children and I. I had felt the need to explain their unfair disposition to them, for their own goods.

I told Stuart the same thing I had told the three prior, who knew it by heart now.

"But they truly don't have a choice. It's either their own life and future, or the life of their family for these children."

Stuart looked confused, and I put myself up to the task of giving him the specifications.

"Ipin, is the ward of the Storm Arcobaleno, and has been an efficient assassin since the age of four, her name slowly becoming known since then. She was born with a unique supernatural ability, which while sealed at the moment, could be quite dangerous if trained in the future.

Fuuta has been on the run from the entire Mafia since his early childhood, and has been so until meeting the Vongola Decimo. He has the power to rank anything and anyone, and is compelled to write his rankings down, thus anyone in possession of him or his records, is sure to be a force to be reckoned with.

And Lambo here, he's Vongola Decimo's Lightning Guardian."

Stuart gasped, eyes taking in all three children, but lingering mostly on Lambo. The two others had it bad for sure, but Lambo's responsibilities weighed far greater than anyone could imagine. He was six years old, and while other six year olds whined about candy and toys, he was to be trained to carry his own arse, and shield the others in his famiglia if the time ever came for him to do so.

"But he's a child." Stuart stated, still overwhelmed by the information.

"And so he will be, unless he dies in an attack somewhere, or he lives to go on old age. And that, Stuart is why simply these children have no choice."

He nodded dumbly.

"The best we can do is train them then?" He whispered the question, still coming to terms with the fact he was facing three young ones robbed of a normal life.

I nodded, and urged him to speak and help the children under my tutelage. "Train them, and hope that they are armed with enough to knowledge to survive."

I watched as Stuart put on a smile, leading the children to his own lab, and naming the chemicals he had stored in shelves.

I advised him to treat the children like adults, minus a few real tough words, and he complied with the request, even though it was obviously difficult for him at first. He learned though, and the children learned too with him.

I simply sat by and watched my young wards run around and marvel at the art of killing someone via poison. There was a number of things veritably wrong with the picture, but it couldn't be that bad, could it?

A six year old staring with gleaming eyes as he mentally listed off pointers about internal bleeding to exploding lungs.

After all, this was for the sake of their own survival.

Training with Stuart brought the kids closer to the albino too. Within three weeks of spending their Fridays with the Englishman, they were soon asking more days to meet him.

Stu loved spending time with his newly acquired students, but that didn't mean teaching the three had become easier for him. He still couldn't get over his guilt of crushing their obviously bright normal futures. I could partly understand him, but only because I agreed with him on the bright department.

Time and time had my wards proven again and again that they were academically gifted, from memorization to actual practice.

The normal future part was the one I could not agree with. Why would one be so stuck on something one never had anyway?

I had told Stuart that, and he simply told me that I was way too twisted to see things others would. He then smiled sadly, and mumbled that the three children would grow up to be like me too.

It wasn't too bad from the point I was standing. After all, I was alive. And in a world of killing too. That had to count for something.

########################

Belphegor, surprisingly, found the courage to take me out for lunch on my first free day the entire month.

The past year, I had spent these day offs with Shoichi and Byakuran, but as the two were both in their last year of high school, they both suddenly found themselves stuck under a pile of school work.

Belphegor even had the decency to ask me out properly, and not like his ancient ways dragging me away without waiting for me to get dressed.

Of course, Squalo watched us completely amused with the show.

The few minutes were very awesome, for the lack of a better term. The past year, I had seen very little of these old routines with the Varia, and I had felt my bonds with them slipping.

It relieved me therefore to find out that nothing had changed, and that for all the complicated shit we were going through, we were still genuinely family.

A fact reinforced by a phone call before we left for lunch.

Squalo's phone had rang (it had surprised me, because I never knew he had one) and the silver haired man shouted into it for the blonde and myself to hear.

"Voooooi! Xanxus!" He shouted, followed with mad cackling. He turned the loud speaker on, and Xanxus' voice sounded from it.

"Fucking Shark Trash can't even keep his voice down on the phone."

I laughed alongside the blonde beside me.

"Ohh! I heard the kids!" Lussuria's voice rang, "hi Cai-chan! Bel-kun! Don't go giving Squ-chan stress. It's really not good for his hair."

We heard the Varia in Italy laugh, and we did too.

"Shishishi, it's not like Sharky has any more hair left to turn white." Belphegor joke, and the laughter grew louder.

Squalo was left madly waving his sword around. "Voooi! It's not white you fucking idiots."

"Squ-chan, Luss would have your head. You can't cuss in front of us, remember?" I taunted him, realizing my mistake immediately after. We were seventeen now, both Bel and I.

"Voooooi! You're not fucking kids anymore so I can cuss at you all I want!"

Lussuria said something along the lines of 'still not wanting us to pick up his language', but I didn't pay it much attention.

I felt instead a warm left hand holding onto my right, and a whispering voice, "It's alright to forget, sometimes, Princess, shishi. You'll always be the youngest child."

I whispered a 'yeah', and suddenly, things were back to where we started.

I laughed as Squalo and Xanxus went off about some sort of who was 'Wanted' in this and that country. Mammon set us all off laughing when he said that in some countries, Squalo was described as a female assassin with shiny, hypnotizing hair.

Lussuria then began to scold Bel for drinking five bottles of alcohol last week, I ratted him out much to his annoyance. Xanxus however, subtly implied that he was impressed at this new feat of the blonde's, which sent Squalo scolding them both.

I laughed at the middle of that one. "You're doing it again! The lovers quarrel thing you always used to do!"

Squalo had protested to this, saying that he wasn't a girl, but his denial only ignited the flames of laughter even more. More jokes were passed, of the past, of the present.

Everything was welcomed, until Squalo realized it was nearly the end of the afternoon, and we haven't had lunch yet. He shooed us away, but not after asking one last thing to the Italian Varia on the phone.

"Why did you call in the first place anyway?"

There was silent static for a while, until Lussuria spoke up from their side. "The Boss was starting to think the base was way too quiet for his liking."

And that perhaps, would be one of the rare acknowledgement we have of our little band of misfits as a family. There was only a soft chuckle from Squalo, and he added a soft "Tell him his birthday comes around soon."

Xanxus laughed from the phone too, followed by a soft –toot-, the call had ended, and the sudden silence in the hotel room was strange to us three.

Belphegor had wanted us to spend lunch together, but he asked Squalo anyway.

"Shishishi, the Prince pities the Shark and would like to take him to lunch."

Squalo laughed, then ruffled Belphegor's hair. The blonde let him, grumbling as he fixed the tiara on his head.

The swordsman came with us anyway, and the lunch for two became for three, but it reminded us of home, and slowly closed the rift that had formed the past year.

########################

The second of week of August, Stuart and the rest of the research crew was given a week-long break after a semi-breakthrough discovery. One of the researchers managed to store flames in a vial, without knowing that the storing of flames was thought to be impossible.

Verde dismissed the extra researchers temporarily, needing only his two closest coworkers.

Stuart found himself spending the week with us, watching as I trained the children. Just last month, Lambo finally learned to control his Lightning Flames, and we were now learning how to control the spark's voltage. He still missed more targets than he hit, but it was a large improvement from the time when his Flames crackled madly around us and we had to dodge stray attacks.

Ipin wasn't with us for the day, since Fong was in town, and I stuck to refraining from teaching the girl martial arts. Her fighting skills had improved, but she was academically better than her fellow male students. It was Ipin who took to poisons, traps, spying and bribery like a fish took to water.

Stuart, meanwhile, was most amazed of Fuuta, whom reminded him much of himself at the age of ten. The boy was an expert at archery, which more than made up for his lack of physical prowess. He could punch and kick, but his strikes were usually weak. I taught him speed instead, to make up for his lack of knowledge in close combat, so at the very least he could run.

Stuart had sat with Fuuta most of the day, and I had stayed by Lambo, who was obviously trying his best to accomplish the task at hand. The six year old boy was stubborn, much like Hayato Gokudera, but in the good way. He'd be nowhere, after all, if he gave up easily.

I watched as Lambo struck down another target, but the voltage was still too strong. Regulating his flames was an awfully important task, since Lambo got tired faster whenever he'd release stronger flames.

I told him to summon just a small one and throw it, to which the kid nodded, and conjured another batch of lightning flames.

A jet of cackling green light flew forth, missed the target, but hit a tree. The amount of voltage in that one was just the right one, and I patted the boy's wild afro hair.

"That one was decent enough, Lambo. Probably enough for today." I told the kid, who was panting from exertion.

He smiled at me, proud that he finally had a rein on his flames. The first few weeks we tried after all, he had been annoyed that the green flames refused to listen to him, much less come, when he called for it.

Lambo ran off to a corner, playing with the butterflies in Tsuyoshi-san's sushi shop's backyard. The man had offered the place as the children's training area, so that it wouldn't be too far from their school.

I approached Fuuta and Stuart, who were taking a short break between themselves too. I smiled fondly at the sandy haired child who had learned to look past my exterior apathy in training, which quickly disappeared when we were outside.

I listened in on the two boys' conversation.

"I was your age too, you know, Fuuta, ten, when I first met Crimson." He told the younger, who looked at him in awe. I rarely talked about my past with the children, even though they've asked many times.

"She was nine. And I was this kid wondering why on earth there was this strange blondie in the manor I was freeloading in. She looked too aristocratic to be a servant, not to mention her air screamed assassin back then."

Fuuta looked at me, then grinned evilly. "But you said we had to mask that, didn't you Cai-nee?"

I glared playfully at the younger boy, and stuck my tongue out. "I was an amateur back then. Only two years in the business."

Stuart watched the two of us weirded out, but continued anyway. "Well, after that, she picked me up from that place, taught me a few things about the Mafia life here and there. I learned to shoot a gun your age too! Her face was really precious when I shot the target on my first try."

"I did too!" Fuuta exclaimed proudly. "Her face was precious too!"

Lambo had found his way onto my lap, and was listening to the conversation, highly interested.

"Yeah. She told me. Nice work on that by the way." Stuart praised him. "Then, everything else after was business. She dragged me to and from continents, taught me more ways, for the next three years, I lived with her."

Lambo suddenly stood up, stepping on me, looking at Stuart. "You managed to live with Caia-nee for three years?"

Stuart exploded into loud laughs, while I pouted at the two children. "Hey, I'm not that bad."

Fuuta nodded and said. "Yeah, Caia-nee. You aren't that bad. But you are that scary."

The three boys laughed their hearts out, Stuart telling them about that one time we got kidnapped, and the time I dragged him out of bed into society.

It was one of the few days in between the hard work, where we'd truly feel at peace.

######################

Byakuran found time to escape schoolwork on the first day of September. Shoichi wasn't as lucky, so the usual friend group of three, became suddenly like a date for two.

It was sure to be awkward, but I wouldn't miss it for the world. I hadn't seen the albino the past few weeks, and only ever had conversations with him through text. So the albino and I found ourselves alone together for the first time since February.

"Hey, Zero-kun." I greeted the boy shyly. He had gone through a growth spurt just the last few months, and was now towering over me.

His amethyst eyes met mine, and I acknowledged the way they were so full of life, like they always were. He smiled at me, and I resisted getting red at the sight.

"Hey Cai-chan." He hid it well, but the lack of taunts in his greeting showed that he was just as awkward as I was. There was uncertain silence for a while.

"What've you been up to lately?" He asked me.

The question set me on story mode. I told the teen about the three children I was watching over, minus the teaching them Mafia-stuff, the semi-loneliness of having half the Varia oceans away, and Stuart. I would've told Byakuran of the Vongola Decimo too, but I was careful always not to let slip what famiglia I was affiliated to now.

The Omerta had something against telling civilians classified information, and I was sure that the identities of the Decimo generation fit that category.

Not that Byakuran was a civilian. In fact, if things will happen the way they would have, Byakuran's actually a megalomaniac set to wipe away multiple worlds for no clear reason aside from two sets of rings and a set of pacifiers.

And since I gave him the Mare Ring, I was the sole reason for the destruction of said multiple worlds.

My wonderful life.

The madman-in-the-probable-future laughed, and I got rid of the bad feelings I had associated with a Byakuran that was yet, or would never exist. "Your three little students sound amazing."

I smiled back. "They are."

Dead end in a conversation, and the awkwardness returned back to us full on.

"What about you, what's up with you?" This time, I asked, and the albino went on about the woes of having way too much work in high school. He told me that Middle School was heaven compared to this, then took that back immediately.

"Of course, nothing beats kindergarten."

He stared at me fondly, and I sighed at him.

"Zero-kun, that was ages ago. We were three. We were together for one year. Honestly, we basically don't know each other."

"Of course we know each other, Cai-chan." He corrected me, without even thinking twice about it.

"How can you be so sure about that? You haven't seen me in twelve years, Zero-kun, and surely, you know that I couldn't tell you everything about what's happened."

He frowned. "We've met a lot this year, and the past, haven't we? And I told you all those stories, and you told me a lot of yours, didn't you? And all of those stories were the truth, weren't they?"

"Yes, but, it's just not logical! You had a crush on me when we were three, something we shouldn't even clearly remember now. Then, we don't meet for the next twelve years, yet you say your feelings haven't changed, when so much could've happened in between everything. So much has happened for me and I've changed so much, yet you claim to still feel the same for the same-but truly different now- person." I protested, trying to carve out where we now stand.

He laughed. "It doesn't have to be logical, Caia-chan. We were three, but you remember it, don't you? That for one, has got to mean something. And all those haven't, could've, they have happened, and did happen, didn't they? And I truly do feel the same, Cai-chan. For twelve years, and even now."

"But why? What was it in that scrawny, annoying three year old that made her so unforgettable, that kept you liking her amidst all those long years and all those changes?"

"Well, that scrawny three year old was cute, for one, she wasn't nice, she was a bitch, she was abusive and violent and pessimistic and suicidal. But she reached out her hand to me, Caia-chan. She was a princess, who lived in a tower, but she wasn't a princess who waited for her knight in shining armor. She would sneak out of the tower, you see. And she stayed with me, that princess who should've been untouchable, lived alongside commoners, smiled with commoners.

And you know, you said back then, that you were going to make the world yours. I loved that about you, you know. How you would always stand up, say something out of the blue, but whatever you say means so much, anyway, even if you look crazy in your dresses and anime poses.

You've changed, sure, but you're still the scrawny three year old I have always loved, even if you don't see that. You still reached out to me after twelve years, still spent time with me, even when you're already an assassin, and yes, I've always known that.

The Caia here right now isn't too far from the Caia back in kindergarten. She's just stronger, more violent, and probably more creative in the not so moral way, but she's still the princess who'd risk her life for the people she values most."

"Twelve years, Zero-kun." I reminded him, and he shrugged.

"Never changed a fraction of what I used to feel for you. And nothing you say otherwise, logic, or any of those other things will make me feel otherwise. It's been there since that day you talked to the kid playing Lego Blocks on the floor."

"What's been there?"

He smirked smugly, and I mentally prepared myself because nothing ever sane came out of looks like that.

"Me knowing that I really loved you."

I burst out laughing, and amethyst eyes look lost for a second, before he pouted at me.

"I practiced that! Sho-chan told me it'd work! He said it always does." I noted in amusement, that Byakuran would revert to child speech, whenever embarrassed.

"Well, it was cheesy, and it would've worked for most girls." I reassured him.

He sighed, and looked at me with sincerity. "You're not most girls, you know."

I resisted the red rising up to my cheeks again, and instead smirked smugly at the albino. "Of course. I'm one of the youngest female assassins, known particularly for my bloody killing style, which I could graphically describe to you right now."

The boy paled, and answered a quick 'no thanks'.

The awkwardness that was once there died, and all that was were two old friends talking about the most random thing on the planet.

"Zero-kun-," I began, but Byakuran cut me off.

"So, it's all behind us now, okay, the awkwardness, I mean. You know already that I fancy you, and I know that you may or may not feel the same way." He breathed in. "It's okay whichever you choose though. Just pick which one you won't regret. A lot of things have gone downhill in your life since Argia already. Hopefully, this part of your life won't go down that same horrible route."

"Thanks, Byakuran."

There was an obvious surprise in his eyes, that for the first time, I called him his given name. He smiled brightly, and amethyst eyes met mine with a twinkle that surely hadn't been there before.

"I love you, Caia-chan."

And I nodded. It wasn't like the one with Belphegor, where I wanted only to cry my heart out because his feelings were an end to what we used to have. It wasn't like that because the one between me and the albino had always been lying dormant between us.

"I'll think about it, okay?" It was the only reply I could think of, but it satisfied Byakuran nonetheless.

The albino then did a 360, and began talking about an arcade downtown with awesome anime figurines as prizes. He pretended like we didn't talk about anything, but the way he held my hand all the way showed that his mind was still on it, probably second guessing whether he had done something wrong.

I was better at the 'pretend nothing happened' game.

The day passed on like it always did, this time leaving me thinking about two offers.

Who to pick.

#######################

I didn't come to a choice that October. The rest of September, both Belphegor and Byakuran asked me out for lunch, dinner or whatever, and it was only by sheer luck that their invitations never landed the same day.

When I told Stuart of the arrangement, he said that I had to come to a decision soon, since it was unfair to both boys if I kept on going with this arrangement with them.

Stuart had easily become my confidant in the matter, since the eighteen year old was really adept at giving advices. He made the entire heart breaking business lighter too, never forgetting to remind me that what I was going through was simply teenage drama and it'll all be something to laugh about in a few years.

October passed as it always did with me still indecisive, but I didn't let that ruin any of the three major birthdays we had that month. Reborn's, Tsuna's 16th, and Xanxus' 26th.

For Xanxus, the Varia returned to Italy much to the joy of Squalo, Belphegor and mines, since we were slowly getting tired of the Japanese air, and missed the familiar Italian culture.

The reconciliation of the Ninth and his once prodigal son was made obvious on Xanxus' birthday celebration, which coincidentally marked almost a decade since the coup d'état. The jet black haired man looked at home as he walked down the Vongola base's halls, surrounded by his famiglia that had aged since the last event.

The Ninth was obviously being sentimental when he saw the Varia in a formal event of the Vongola, whole, and more powerful than it was before. I couldn't blame him. The small group of teens he had founded a decade ago, was now a formidable asset to the Famiglia he had reined over with his own blood.

In front of thousands of allies, the old Ninth, who now needed a cane to walk, hugged the tall man, who didn't even flinch when he did so.

He whispered, soft enough for only the Varia, his famiglia, and his son to hear.

"I'm proud of what you have achieved, Xanxus."

Xanxus nodded in acknowledgement. That was enough for the Ninth. He had raised Xanxus, after all, and he was one of the few people that knew Xanxus spoke with actions more than he ever would with words.

The celebration was as fancy as Vongola celebrations always were, and even though the Varia was tired as hell after the event, the famiglia found time to gather around the meeting room back at the base, for an old tradition that we had forgotten slowly through the years.

Presents.

Six boxes of different sizes sat down the table for the twenty six year old man to open. It was the same tradition from years ago, yet it was different. No one was shouting for once, no one was tearing the wrappers excitedly.

Instead we all sat talking semi-civilly with a few swear words here and there.

"That one's from me." Lussuria told Xanxus, as the man held a medium sized box in his hands.

I laughed at Lussuria. "Like that wasn't obvious already, Luss-nee, the wrapper is practically glowing with glitter. If that doesn't scream Lussuria, I don't know what does."

Lussuria laughed too, and we watched as Xanxus tear at the horrendous wrapper. Inside was a set of neckties in different colors, but mostly black and grey. Xanxus looked at his Sun Guardian appreciatively.

He took Leviathan's present next, who was simply watching with a fond smile. Reaching his twenties, the man's unreasonable loyalty had died down a bit, and he was more of a conversation now than he was during his days of being Boss's dog.

Inside, Xanxus found a pair of shoes. Squalo joked it was something new to step on Leviathan with. Xanxus chuckled at that, much to the protest of his Lightning.

Mammon gave him a new laptop, and I gave him a custom made watch. It surprisingly matched Mammon's gift which had the letter X branded on the middle of it, since the watch had an X on it too.

Belphegor gave Xanxus an assortment of jewels, much to the amusement of everyone in the room. Xanxus seemed to like the different glowing crystals though, and thanked Belphegor appropriately.

It was Squalo that outdid himself this year. The man bought Xanxus a new pair of guns, not too different from the X guns he used, except that this one was silver, and the man's name was elegantly branded on the gun's barrel.

The swordsman said that it shot loads stronger than Xan's old guns. The twenty six year old tried it himself, shooting at the window. The window burst into flames and Mammon mentioned taking it out of Squalo's wages, causing loads of swearing on the swordsman's part. It surely proved that the guns were stronger than his previous ones, though.

"Thanks, fucking Shark trash." Xanxus told Squalo, a genuine smile on his face. Squalo was grinning at him too. Lussuria silently snuck a picture, and I was reminded quickly of both men's long friendship history.

"Anything, you shitty excuse of a Boss." Squalo replied.

There was laughter for a few moments, until one by one, the guardians left the meeting room. Xanxus, for some reason, liked to leave last. I stayed until everyone left, then handed the man my second present.

"Lussuria helped me make this for you. I didn't give it a while ago since technically, this doesn't cost anything, but Happy Birthday anyway, Xan."

He opened it to reveal a large book, a photo album filled to the brim with pictures.

"It's everything you've missed during the years." I told him.

Xanxus smiled at me, then teasingly remarked. "What is with you and late night presents?"

My eyes darted to the necklace I had given him a decade ago, and smiled at the man, choosing to say the same thing I said back then.

"You're our boss, Xanny,"

He smirked smugly, and I left the meeting room, towards my room in the Varia base.

Xanxus was my sky. He was the man that for all which is known of his cruelty, for all that is known of his nonexistent mercy, never failed to show that he appreciated the little things his guardians did for him.

I loved being Varia.

################################

November arrived, and with it, our return to Japan, Italy was sure to be missed, but Xanxus had assured us all three of us that the completion of the Decimo's training was soon in sight.

Lambo, Ipin and Fuuta were all glad to see me, after the half month away. I had entrusted their training to the older Decimo, who had grown exponentially since the Ring Conflict just the previous year. The teens sixteen to eighteen years old were all set to become a Mafia Famiglia, and Tsunayoshi would officially take full rein of the Vongola come his graduation from High School which would come in two years.

In respect to Tsuyoshi, and after a little request from me to him, the Ninth agreed to let Lambo finish grade school at least, before shipping the young boy to Italy.

That meant Tsunayoshi and the others would be in Italy come two years, and Lambo would come four years after that. Of course, their stay in the Mafia country wasn't set in stone. If Tsuna and the others managed the Famiglia well, after all, the Ninth promised he'd let the Decimo rein from Japan.

Xanxus was the main factor in the establishment of that promise. Timoteo had been reluctant about the idea, because having the head in Japan would leave the Italian forces in shambles. The Varia boss had then stepped in, saying he would act as an ambassador for the Italian forces, and act upon the Decimo's will.

A lot of other things were being planned for the Vongola's future, but they were least important to the Decimo in Namimori. Their priority was their family after all, and the famiglia was only second. Squalo and Xanxus had discussed that topic already, and both men made sure to tell the brats not to let the Ninth Generation, or any other Mafiosi hear the sentiment.

Nono most of all. The Ninth was sure to lash out at the Decimo after all, if the old man found out the next generation placed Vongola, his life's work second priority.

Timoteo was a nice man, but he was still Mafia, and the things the Mafia did weren't exactly inspiring, for the lack of a better comparison.

I visited Byakuran and Shoichi first on my return. Shoichi knew that Byakuran and mine's relationship was undefined for now, and I greatly appreciated the fact that despite being Byakuran's friend, he did not urge us to do anything we were relatively uncomfortable with.

"So, how was Italy?" Shoichi asked. The two boys were at the red head's place again, piled under stacks of homework and research. I was lying down the couch reading one of Shoichi's comic books.

"The same as ever. It wasn't Italy I came back for so I didn't notice it much." I replied halfheartedly.

From the corner of my eye, I saw Shoichi sigh. "Must be awesome to grow up in a foreign country, huh, and travel places? I should become an assassin too."

I stopped reading and put down my book, gaping at the boys. Byakuran looked at me guiltily, while Shoichi was smiling apologetically at the albino.

"Hahaha, sorry Caia-chan. I might've told Sho-chan a couple of sensitive details about your life."

I glared at them in annoyance, but more of tiredness. "How'd you find out in the first place? I'm going to be seriously screwed if you know more than you should."

Byakuran and Shoichi paled at that, but Byakuran replied anyway. "I met Romario in Namimori once. He was really surprised to see me, but he was obviously relieved when I told him I meet with you here and there. Then, he began expressing his, uhh, grievances about your new job, he probably thought I knew, until he let slip that it doesn't sit well with him that you're out killing people. It was really obvious what you were after that."

They were silent, waiting for what I had to say.

"And you two, you're not scared of that- wait, Zero-kun, you've known I was somewhat shady since Kindergarten, but Shoichi?"

The red head smiled shyly, then replied. "Not really. You've always been way too wary about nonexistent things, Caia-chan. I thought at first you probably grew up in an abusive household, but the wrong in that became obvious when you didn't flinch around people you knew. That left the idea of you being involved in something dangerous, and when Byakuran told me you were an assassin, it just, yeah, fit."

I repeated my question. "So you're not scared?"

"I was, the first few hours, but then you've been an assassin the entire year I've known you, and you were just Caia-chan. Sure you acted a lot like with be bombed every corner, but you never attacked us, or tried to. I don't think being an assassin changes you that much, or at least the you we know."

"What if I acted like the me you don't know?"

He shrugged, and then stared blankly at Byakuran. "We'd have to cope with that then. That idiot right there is pretty serious about you, so it's basically required of him to accept the whole you, and not just the nice side. And since I'm officially the reason he has yet to fall off a cliff, I've got to know you too."

The boy returned to his homework, and I smiled, appreciating the understanding. There was silence, but it was peaceful and full of satisfaction.

I returned to the book I was reading.

For once, something in the normal side of my life wasn't going horribly wrong.

##########################

December passed, and Belphegor turned eighteen. The three of us headed back to Italy for the blonde's special day, which was just a few days short of Christmas and the New Years.

The blonde was now legally an adult, so his birthday celebration was on the special side of the scale. We celebrated it at the base, but the decorations in the dining room for his party were grand enough for a prince.

The presents were what he was obviously looking forward to the most though.

Mammon, this time, gave him a box full of the latest tech, which weren't even in the market yet.

Leviathan gave him an expensive jacket. Oddly, the Lightning seemed to have a penchant for giving clothes as gifts.

Lussuria gave Belphegor perfumes that were meant for royalty, as well as a box of top quality tea, which was becoming a greater part of the blonde's diet the more he stayed in Japan.

I, meanwhile, gave Belphegor a new tiara. The blonde's old one was becoming small for his head, since he's had it since we were ten. He had done the same for me before, so I decided it was my turn to do it for him now.

The tiara I had made was silver, with the same intricate carvings as his original one. I made sure to add a carving in royal font at the bottom of his though, "Prince the Ripper" and "Varia", it read. Small jewels lined the borders of the tiara, an additional feature since the original looked a little plain now that it was enlarged.

Belphegor looked at my present oddly, until his hands touched it. The blonde scanned the tiara, read the carvings, and then discarded his old one. He placed it on his head, and I mentally sighed in relief. It fit perfectly.

"Shishishi, thanks, Princess." He said, and I grinned.

"It's not a big deal, Bel. Happy Birthday."

I was glad he didn't take it to mean anything else. I had already bought the tiara by the time I thought of the possible implications of the gift, and it would've been such a waste to simply throw the accessory away. I greatly hoped he would see it simply as a birthday gift, and therefore truly thankful it was how he saw it.

Squalo was next, and contrary to our grandiose gifts so far, he gave Belphegor a small box. The swordsman was smirking evilly, as Belphegor scanned the item he was given.

The prince all of a sudden turned red, throwing a knife at Squalo who dodged it. "Shishishi, the Prince does not require such an abhorrent accoutrement."

Squalo grinned, "You're an adult now, Bel. Don't deny yourself the pleasures of being a fully functional male."

Everyone in the entire room laughed, including me. The box was too small to see, but with the conversation, and the crimson embarrassment on the celebrant's cheeks, it wasn't that hard to guess what Squalo's gift was.

Of course, that wasn't the second in command's only gift. Apparently, he and Xanxus bought a joint gift, which they handed to the blonde.

Keys.

Specifically Car Keys.

Belphegor jaw dropped at the two men that had raised him, staring at both of the older males as if they had grown two heads. He then regained his composure, managing to speak out.

"T,thanks Xanxus, Squalo."

Squalo patted the boy- now man's head, and Xanxus smirked at him.

The boss then raised his wineglass, and softly told his Storm guardian. "Happy Birthday, Belphegor."

-.-.-.-.-.-.

Christmas wasn't any different from the past year, and the same could be said for New Years. Not that the event was uneventful, because honestly, it was.

The Varia had gone to both balls as always, meeting with the Famiglia's allies. Lussuria and Mammon would later on comment that it was pure luck that the two fo.;rces hadn't encountered each other before that Christmas Night, and it was also thanks to this luck that a massacre hadn't occurred when it could have.

The two forces that clashed?

The Varia and Iemitsu.

It had been years since I last saw the blonde man, but he hadn't changed that much, aside from the obvious addition of a few more years on his face. The Young Lion's attitude had changed, however, a permanent frown now on his face.

It wasn't anything like Hibari's eternal stoic face, or the scowl on Xanxus's.

The frown was more of a refusal to acknowledge the reality he was standing on. The man was attempting in vain to maintain the illusion of a world not awry.

Xanxus caught sight of the man the same time the blonde caught sight of our assassination group, and hostility flooded the air.

The Cedef head snarled immediately, making his way toward us. The few people that was in between us and him wisely moved aside, a few muttering that Iemitsu had gone senile. It was definitely close to the truth too. Approaching Xanxus like that, was simply suicide.

The Varia boss didn't grace him with a single reply, simply watching the older with a sharp glare.

"Scum like the Varia, should not be allowed to step foot in Vongola territory."

I had expected Xanxus to shoot the man for his, what Levi would call it, impudence, but the Varia boss simply glared on, a mocking one now on his face.

"You seem to have lost track of current events, Iemitsu. The 'scum', you speak of, are direct allies of the new Vongola Decimo." Xanxus challenged, and our eyes trailed on to the blonde awaiting his reply.

Iemitsu then sneered, in front of Vongola Allies, "The Ninth must have been under manipulation, to appoint a little… monster, as that as his heir."

The murmurs grew loud, and Xanxus's eyes were suddenly filled with burning anger. "The monster you speak of is your son." He barked, reminding the blonde.

The older man glared back, "My son is dead. That monster does not carry my blood."

An image of Tsunayoshi's pained face as he acknowledged the burden of being Mafia flashed through my head, and a surge of hatred flowed through me, as I too, glared at the man I had once considered respect-worthy.

Xanxus scoffed. "The boy is Vongola Decimo, and regardless of what you think of him, he is your superior."

Iemitsu ignored the finality in the Boss's statement, and added stupidly. "If I have to, I will eliminate that monster myself, to protect the will of this Famiglia."

Xanxus's eyes flashed dangerously, and in a split second, his guns were pointed against Iemitsu's head. The blonde's eyes widened, and he suddenly paled, realizing his precarious situation. There were gasps all round, but no one stepped forward to defend the blonde.

"Y,y,you dare point your gun at me, boy? T,the Cedef will s,see t,t,to it that you are punished for this assault!" He bluffed weakly.

It was a pitiful sight, the fall of a once powerful person.

Xanxus didn't put down his guns, and instead smirked triumphantly at the blonde. "The Cedef does not have the power to attack direct allies of the Vongola, Nono or Decimo. You should know that best, Trash."

The safety clicked, and we all mentally prepared ourselves for the sight of brains. "The Varia are within rights, to eliminate anyone who dares insults the Famiglia's Boss. Monster, you say?"

An insane glint had placed itself in Xan's eyes, and it was then a near sure fact that the blonde was going to die a slow and painful death.

He shot.

I glanced at the Ninth, expecting that he was going to stop his son at the last moment, but the old man simply watched from the sidelines. The Cedef that were in the party didn't move either, but they all looked away.

Xanxus's shot Iemitsu in the shoulder and the blonde screamed in pain as he fell to the floor. Two consecutive shots hit his knees, two more his feet, two more his arms.

The man was still alive after that, bleeding profusely, but still conscious. His shaking form lay in the middle of the crowd for everyone to see, the greatest humiliation. No one reacted, aside from a few women obviously sick, but they always had the option to look away.

I didn't.

We heard the safety click again, and a shot before we saw it, and Iemitsu was dead.

Easy business. Bloody and macabre, but it wasn't as if we were known for being otherwise.

As Xanxus turned to leave, men in black suits 'cleaned' the mess up, and before the hour was over, people were back to celebrating the Yuletide season.

No one spoke of the event. No one spoke of the fallen leader. And no one will ever dare speak ill of the Vongola again.

Tsunayoshi would later hold a party in Japan after a call from Xanxus for reasons only Mukuro would ever have the foggiest idea about.

-.-.-.-.-.-.

My eighteenth birthday came a month after that, and like Belphegor's, it was a slightly more special celebration than the birthdays before it.

It was celebrated in Italy too, in the base. There were the usual cakes, but I insisted to forgo the entire traditional gowns and dancing. There was wine, but I didn't go along with their alcohol drinking. I still hated the taste of the beverage.

The presents, again, were the main event. Mammon gave me, this time, a new phone, and Levi black boots to go with my Varia uniform.

Lussuria gave me a set of new dresses, which was thankfully more my style than his.

Belphegor surprised me by giving me a gun, light and snug on my grip. It was sleek black, with gold patterns at the edges. I gave Belphegor a hug, but he said nothing still beat my present.

Squalo, too, gave me a weapon, but his was a sword. It was light too, and it was collapsible so I could hide it like a knife. The blade was sharp but not too sharp. He shrugged, saying that my old one was worn, and I thanked him with a hug too.

Xanxus was last, and the Varia boss gave me a small box, unwrapped. It was a small jewelry box, and I stared at it in confusion. Squalo was looking questioningly at Xanxus, because the only times a box like that was used was in wedding proposals and that didn't quite fit. I thanked him awkwardly, and then opened it.

"Holy fucking shit."

Sitting in the middle of the box was the Cloud Varia Ring in all its glory. I looked to Xanxus dumbstruck, my mouth agape and my mind still in the process of wondering if this was all an elaborate joke.

I knew that I was Varia, and that I belonged, but I never expected to receive a position as high as a Guardian.

Xanxus was watching me amused, definitely having expected my reaction.

"Are you serious?" I asked, and he rolled his eyes.

"Would I have given it to you if I wasn't, trash?"

"But..." I trailed on, but stopped when Xanxus stared at me, daring me to continue the sentence.

Squalo scolded me in his place. "But nothing brat. Voooooi! You've always been a guardian and we assumed you fucking knew that, until the shitty boss pointed out that we never made it official!"

A fear I was subconsciously aware of disappeared at Squalo's statement, and I put the ring on my finger. I had always been a guardian. I had had doubts more than I could count, because I had always known that I was weaker than everyone else, and I knew everyone could see that.

I knew they did, but they chose me anyway.

I breathed in once, then removed the touchy feelings away, knowing that sap wasn't Varia quality, and that as Cloud Guardian, I had to make that cut.

"And here I thought you were going to propose to me." I directed the lighthearted sarcasm at Xanxus, accompanying it with a flirtatious wink. The Varia laughed, and I found myself grinning like an idiot.

"Happy Birthday Trash."

Happy birthday indeed.

As wonderful as that moment was, it wouldn't be the clearest thing I'd remember of my eighteenth birthday. As the night ended, Squalo approached me, and handed me a small box, wrapped in bright yellow. He said that it was in the mail this morning, and that it was addressed to me.

I had taken it, reassured the man that he'd trained enough in me to handle things if the package was something remotely dangerous. He said goodnight, and I took the box to my bedroom.

There was nothing written on it, no indication whom it was from. I tore the paper apart, to reveal a white box, again, with nothing to indicate whom it was from.

I opened the box.

An absurdly pink bag fell out of it.

It was a handbag, made of genuine leather, but the pink was the bright kind I had always hated as a child, and hated even now. It was still as I remembered it, reminiscent of puke.

I opened the bag, to see if there was something inside it. There was, and the way the things inside were arranged looked oddly familiar. A book neatly on the right side, with the title "Living as an assassin." On the left side were CDs, and I recognized them immediately.

They were old now, but the scratches on the cases were still as I remembered them from late night anime watching with Romario. I read the titles fondly, remembering my childish joy when the older man had bought them for me the first time. I hadn't seen them since I left the Cavallone base

It was then that I was painstakingly reminded of the pink bag, and all thoughts that the gift was from Romario went down the drain.

I knew then why the arrangement was familiar. There had only ever been one person in the world who arranged my bag for me on a daily basis, who made it a point to put the books on the right side in my pink bag, and the things I loved on the left.

That was back in kindergarten.

Dino.

A note fell out from the white box, and written on it was a familiar scrawl. It had grown neater, slightly, but the unique curves were still there.

Happy 18th Birthday, Caia.

And I found myself crying, because an ancient part of me had slowly began forgiving him, had slowly been learning to heal itself. And now here was evidence that he remembered me, a reminder that he had lost me once, but I still had him.

I wasn't ready to forget. Not yet. But I held the bag as if it was fragile, and put it in a shelf, as if for everyone to see. I browsed the book, finding myself smiling as I did so. It was pathetic, just like he had always been.

I wasn't ready to forgive yet, that was for sure. But I was definitely ready to start.

######################

February came again, and with it, another Valentine's Day. I had been dreading the day for a week, but this year, it was made easier by Byakuran not contacting me the entire time.

Belphegor was the one who asked, this year. A day out, he called it.

Squalo had given us a knowing look not too different from last year, but he also made it a point to add suggestive comments here and there that left me and Belphegor beet red. The swordsman laughed as we threw knives at him, obviously enjoying our discomfort.

"You're adults now!" He had said, adding something about protection that left both me and the blonde awkward afterwards.

A life as assassins certainly did not make us any mature in the emotional side of the scale.

The dreaded day came, however, and I found myself leaving the hotel with the blonde that morning.

Belphegor was surprisingly good company for a change, but he still couldn't immediately hide years of training and wariness. He stood in stark contrast to the average civilians of Namimori, turning necks wherever we went.

It wasn't uncomfortable, since I've been out with them a lot since the first month here and this had always happened, but it wasn't comfortable either.

I forced the slight issue to the back of my mind, focusing instead on the blonde I was with for the day. He was looking at the things around him like a child, and I smiled in fondness as he went on about the mechanics of the claw game when we were at the arcade.

"You're sounding like a geek, again, Bel." I teased him.

The prince pouted. "The prince is not a geek, shishishi."

I rolled my eyes at the childish tone, but the smile stayed anyway. I had missed times like this with Belphegor, where we weren't awkward, and I could tell him what I wanted, without it having to mean something more.

He dragged me to lunch in an Italian restaurant, the blonde finally tired of Japanese and chopsticks and yearning for the good, old knife, fork and spoon.

I watched him in feigned disgust as he gobbled the food down, but I was grinning inside since I've watched him and the rest of the Varia boys do the same a lot of times.

"Do guys always have to eat like there's no tomorrow?" I asked him.

He shrugged. "Shishishi, why do girls have to think so much?"

I told him pointedly. "It's called manners."

"I'm a prince, shishishi, I know my manners."

"You're showing a lack of it, right now."

"I'm not in a castle, shishi."

I thought up a good reply for a while. "You're acting like a commoner."

He grinned. "The commoners don't know I'm a Prince."

I pointed at his head. "There's a tiara on your head."

"The commoners stupidly believe it's simply an accessory, shishishi." He stated factually.

I pouted, knowing that this was a loss on my part. "Your long hair and tiara makes you look like a girl." I stuck my tongue out at him, and he laughed, knowing that he had won now that I was resorting to child behavior.

"That's out of the topic princess, shishishishi."

We exchanged jokes and banter, and bickered for a few, then talked about the latest teenage culture that we haven't the chance to discuss in a long while. It wasn't too different from the ones I had with Byakuran and Shoichi, but it wasn't exactly alike them either.

For one, I never felt like I was a civilian with Belphegor. I didn't feel the teenage peace I found in Byakuran. The blonde wasn't one to let down guard for a second, and he had the habit of brushing his fingers against his hidden knives.

Conversations with the blonde too, never lasted lightheartedly for long. We would always find ourselves dragged to the subject of murder, laughing at pop culture's interpretation of assassins to our past victim's reactions to their deaths.

It was horrifying, most of the topics, but for the two of us, it was normal.

It was what our family normally talked about while eating lasagna which to anyone otherwise listening in would make the food look like scattered brains.

The conversations and topics may have been odd and seriously awry, but it was comfortable and home.

It was sunset, when things took a turn and I finally decided which path I was going to take.

I had been jammed with indecisiveness the entire day, my thoughts going left and going right. I knew with full confidence that I was fond of them both, that they both meant something to me. I knew surely that I didn't love either of them, at least not yet. I wanted them both as a part of my life. And the decision I was going to make was simply about who would be standing beside me.

After a walk in a small park that afternoon, Belphegor had took my hand in his, and ran, pulling me from behind him.

That was when I just suddenly knew.

This was Belphegor. The crazy, psychotic blonde that was annoying ninety nine percent of the time, and confusing the one percent. He was violent, and if he really wanted to, he could hurt me with words as sharp as knives.

But I love him for that, because he was there, is there, and I knew without seeing the future that he'd always be there.

He had held my hand, that afternoon just as he had done so many times before, for as long as I had known him. And he ran, just like before, pulling me from ahead, bringing me somewhere.

That's simply Bel.

The one person in the world that guided me and brought me places I could only imagine guiding. He was always there in front of me, to lead. To watch after me.

I do the same for him, but that's the way we work.

He runs into battle and I watch his back from behind. The way things have always been since that day we were surrounded by fire and we talked of what we were going to be someday.

The day that I told him I cared for him.

And I would.

Because he was my brother.

I loved Belphegor, but probably not the love he felt so deeply for me. I loved him as the one person that understood me to a point in the Family we had made for ourselves. I loved him as the one person I could drag off to my schemes and expect him to do the same.

But I couldn't love him romantically because that just isn't how I see him. And someone like him simply isn't what I truly needed, or wanted, for the matter, beside me.

I wanted someone that would walk alongside me, and not someone that would lead me on. I wanted someone that I could learn with and make mistakes with, not someone who could mindlessly point out the right from wrong.

Byakuran was like that.

He wasn't like my Prince brother who had been there from the start and knows me like the back of his hand. Belphegor loved the me he knew. He loved the powerful me, the assassin part of myself, that while it made a great part of my entity, wasn't all that I was made of.

Byakuran practically didn't know me prior to our meeting, yet he said with full confidence that he still loved me anyway. The albino was someone I could trust to be there no matter what kind of life I chose, no matter the number of light or dark stuffs I did.

I couldn't say I loved Byakuran, but I knew I felt for him something different than the strong fondness I felt for my blonde brother.

I've felt it every time I stared into his eyes, now only realizing that the strange emotions I felt for him mirrored that of his, whenever we'd meet like that.

I stopped running, stopping the blonde too from taking me to where he wanted to go this time.

I hesitantly met his eyes, and for a second I felt in him fear. I didn't speak immediately, but when I tried to, the blonde's fear disappeared, replaced by something that urged me on.

Acceptance and knowing.

He knew me, indeed. Knew me as much as he knew himself. There was a sad smile on the blonde's face as he waited for me to speak, and with no reluctance I did.

"I can't be with you like that Bel." I told him.

He nodded, but he didn't ask why. He was waiting for me, because he knew that I never left with no explanation, that it was a part of me to always reason.

"I love you, I truly do, but you're my brother, Bel. You've always been that. I don't want to lose you, that's what I've been scared of until now, because you've been the one person I could count on when everything else was being a bitch.

And that's exactly why I couldn't be with you, why I can't love you like that. Because then we'd have to disagree, because then you're going to have to deal with the sides of me that isn't Varia, the sides of me that doesn't speak the language you do.

There would come a time, if we go down that road, that we'd hurt each other, and then I wouldn't know what to do, because I would've lost that one person I could run to when shit gets tough.

It's been hard enough the past year dealing with this, Bel. It killed me a lot when I couldn't come to you because then you'd think of something more, when I don't want there to be something more between us.

I'm… I can't say I'm sorry, because this is a choice I have to make, but I can say that I love you too, just not in the way you probably would've wanted."

He smiled, a genuine one, and then hugged me for a while. I felt like a kid again, I felt safe, because Bel and I were back to how we always were.

When he let go, the old Cheshire grin was back on his face. Pain lingered, but I knew it would go away with time.

I felt the never ending relief, knowing that I hadn't lost him.

"If he hurts you, I'll skin him alive, okay?" He said, and I laughed, knowing that the person speaking was Bel, my brother, not Bel, the prince.

"If he does, I'll skin him alive with you."

He then gave me a gentle shove. "It's still Valentine's Day, princess, shouldn't you be running and finding the son of a bitch?"

His choice of words made me laugh hard, knowing now that he held no grudge against me. Bel wasn't the type to make a joke of the negative things he was feeling.

"Thanks Bel."

And so I ran.

It was very cliché and straight out of a fantasy, how I ran as the sun set behind me.

I called Shoichi, asking him where Byakuran was. The redhead sounded surprised, then knowingly answered that our albino friend was at his place, moping to Shoichi about woes strictly for men to hear.

I told him that I was coming over, and he jokingly said that he was going to vacate his own home to give us some privacy.

I turned red, but the embarrassment didn't deter me from telling my childhood friend what I had finally discovered about myself.

I reached the redhead's flat, not bothering to knock, entering his living room where Byakuran was sprawled gracelessly across his best friend's couch.

"Zero-kun."

The albino perked up in surprise, then stared at me mouth agape. He looked around the room, searching for the redhead.

"Shoichi called you, didn't he?" He asked. There was tiredness in it, as if he was beating himself for being lame.

"He didn't." I replied firmly, and it took him aback. He was still processing it when I added. "I called Shoichi myself. I was looking for you."

Ten seconds passed.

"Why?"

I breathed in, trying to overcome the urge to bury myself six feet under the ground from shame and awkwardness.

I stared into amethyst eyes, speaking straightly. "I made a decision, today. Just now."

He was silent, perhaps thinking that he must be dreaming because we both knew for a fact that I wasn't this straightforward with people. It felt mostly like a dream to me too, but I knew that I had to say what I had to, if I didn't want regrets later.

"I like you, Zero-kun."

He jaw dropped. I grinned at his reaction, watching him fondly, knowing that this was my childhood friend that had loved me fourteen years ago, and has loved me ever since.

"I choose you, Byakuran."

It was then I burst out laughing, and he did too, at the absurdity of the situation.

I sat beside him on the couch, and in awkwardness, he stayed where he was. He was smiling at me, fondly, but also mockingly.

"Of all the ways to confess, you just had to pick a Pokemon reference, didn't you?"

"Of course I HAD to. Otherwise, I would be awfully boring and like most girls, right?"

He laughed, and said with all sincerity I was sure by the end of the night I'd be permanently crimson for life (which is ironic, if given the second thought).

"Caia-chan, you truly are not most girls."

"And you love me for that." I challenged.

He smirked, then kissed my forehead without hesitation, only to splutter in embarrassment after realizing what he had done.

"Of course I do." He had said, causing both of us to inch away from each other.

"Gosh, we're pathetic and seriously amateurs at this" I groaned, and he nodded in agreement.

"Yes. Yes we are."

There was silence, and there would only be the comfort of having made a decision for the rest of the night.

Shoichi would later come in, making a suggestive comment about having to replace the couch, that left me and Byakuran twice as red, much to the amusement of the redhead teen.

He would then look at us as if we were ghosts and ask if he DID need to replace the couch, and we would give him No's that would cause his neighbors to shout curses about teenagers and their lack of respect.

For the first time in a while, I felt free.

I had chosen.

And there were no doubts this time, telling me that I had made the wrong one.

/endchap/

I wasn't too sure with the Dino part, because it slightly felt like I was disregarding the past few years of hatred, but I think that it's more real for them to go through this healing thing, and so I put it anyway.

It's too late to remove it now, (I don't edit past chapters, you see), but tell me what you think anyway.

Well, that's all for now. Congratulations to all Byakuran supporters.