A/N: We reached the milestone of 50k views! Thank you so much for reading and supporting! I never thought the story would come this far and to celebrate it; an extra long chapter! Or more a one-and-a-half in one lol. Enjoy!
"When did i fall asleep…" I muttered as I opened my eyelids slowly. Breathing in a herby but yet fruity smell I blinked a few times before I sat up. "This fragrance… Valentino's cologne?"
Looking around the dark room I saw a faint light under the thick curtains. Because of that I was able to see the dark shapes of the interior and the outlines did not fit with the ones I usually see. Just outside the room I sensed a sleeping Dino. "Right… I dozed off." I chuckled softly to myself. Sliding off the bed sheets I got out of bed and I noticed I still wore my sweatvest and sweatpants. The flats I had on were placed next to the bed. I had my assumptions of why the Italian boss didn't bring me back to my room and none of them were negative. I trusted him, he wouldn't do anything to me.
Getting off bed I walked over to the curtains and slid them open. The morning light shone into the room and I opened the door to the balcony. A chilly breeze blew across my skin as I breathed in the cold morning air. Looking at the light I could tell the sun was only up for a few minutes, meaning it was about seven. Dino's balcony had a direct view on the garden and the light mist and morning dew made everything more magical.
"The beautiful silence before the storm." I thought out loud as I took in the sight. Today I had another day with the stylists and extra dance practice. Dancing was fine, but just thinking about the stylists created some major headache. "Haah… Why are Septembers always so hectic…?"
There was no one to answer the question, but I already had the answer. Looking at the horizon I smiled at the nostalgic memories of the hectic Septembers at the Saint Elena Edera Academy. Everyone in the same year knew about my birthday and they always tried to think up of something to surprise me. Of course not everyone participated, there was always a small group of individuals who despised me. Being called a showoff would only make me laugh because I really didn't do much academically wise.
Not much later I sensed Dino waking up, his energy was raising little by little. Walking back into the room I closed the glass doors and put on my flats and looked into the mirror attached to the wall. Using my fingers as a comb I shaped my hair to a more presentable model. It wasn't like I had major bed hair, but sometimes it looked like a few strands of hair had a will of their own. After fixing it I opened the door to the living and there I saw Dino yawning on the couch. Seeing his massive bed hair I snorted.
"Huh? Ah, good morning, Sharon." He mumbled as he looked at me with tired eyes.
"Morning, Valentino." I greeted repressing a loud laugh. "I'm sorry for taking your bed."
"Huh? My bed?"
In that instant his eyes grew big like he remembered something very important and his hands went up to his hair, trying to fix it. "T-This! E-Ehm! N-No, you're welcome!" He stammered as I saw his face getting flushed.
"Pfft… Bwahaha!" No longer could I contain my laughter after seeing him all flustered. Turning around I tried to stop, but the image of his flying hair haunted my mind.
"Agh! C'mon, Sharon! Don't laugh!" I heard him protest, if it wasn't sulking.
"I-I'm so-ho-r-ry!" I laughed between breaths.
"That's no apology." I heard him sulk again. "C'mere. "
Then I felt a hand on my head and only a moment later I felt him messing up my own hair, "Hey!" I shouted as I turned around only to meet his face a few centimeters in front of me. Usually I would back off, but this time I didn't. Instead I felt somewhat mischievous and thus I leaned forward and pecked him on the cheek. Immediately Dino let go of my head and almost fell on the floor, if it wasn't for me to grab him.
"S-S-S-Sh…" He stuttered with eyes wide open and a bright red face.
"An apology and thank-you-for-not-waking-me-up kiss." I explained as I felt another laugh coming up.
The blonde didn't move, he just stared at me in shock. It was like he wasn't able to process what happened and I couldn't blame him for that. After all he never expected the little peck. As I was waving in front of his eyes to see if he was still there I heard a ringtone, different from mine. Walking over to the sound I found Dino's black smartphone under the pillow on the couch. Romario was shown on the screen. Glancing over to the Italian I saw there was still no sign of movement. Tapping on the green receiver icon I answered, "Valentino's smartphone, this is Sharon."
"…Miss Sharon?" The right-hand man replied after a short pause. "Why do you have Boss's phone?"
"Well… Dino's currently unavailable and I thought it could be important." I answered.
"Did something happened to him?"
"I… actually pecked him on his cheek and… he's non-responsive since then." I confessed awkwardly.
There was a little silence before I heard him burst out in laughter, "Hahaha! I see! I'm glad for him." He said jolly. "Then could you please tell him to get ready in forty-five minutes. Boss has an appointment with his tailor."
Looking at the phone I saw it was a quarter past seven, "As soon he's responsive I'll tell him to be ready at eight." I replied.
"Thank you very much, Miss Sharon. Then I will be going now."
"It's no problem, Romario. Good bye."
After hanging up I looked at the still stunned Don. "Geez… I didn't think it would affect him this much…" I sighed.
Walking back to him I started to think of a way to wake him up. Saying something suggestive would probably put him in more shock, so that one was out. A normal call didn't work so far, so… using fear? I smirk crept up when I thought about his fear for Reborn. I really had to do something about this side of me.
"You know, Valentino," I started. "you just got a call and Romario said Reborn will visit you in forty-five minutes, so–"
Before I could even finish my sentence the blonde panicked, "R-Reborn!?" He called out. "I-I have to get ready!" And in an instant he ran to his room and went out with some clothes to the bathroom.
Blinking a few times I looked at the closed door of the bathroom, "Well, that was effective…" I chuckled in amusement. Walking towards the door I knocked, "I lied, Reborn isn't coming." I called out. "But you have to be ready at eight. Romario said you have an appointment with your tailor."
After hearing a soft thud the door opened revealing a half-naked Dino, "Why did you do that!?" I heard him whine, but my eyes were more focused on his upper body. Despite his slender build, he had well-developed muscles and each of them were well-trained. Because of that his tattoos on the lower abdomen looked almost alive, it was quite a sight.
"Sharon? Can you hear me?"
"Deltoids, biceps, triceps, extensor, pectoralis major, serratus, obliques, rectus abdominus… all well-developed…" I muttered as I took in each of his ventral muscles.
"S-Sharon!?"
"Hm?"
"W-Where are you looking at!?"
Finally getting out of my analyzing state I looked back at the blonde's face, he had some toothpaste foam on his lower cheek and once more his face had coloured crimson, "Ah… Sorry about that." I said as I let out a silly laugh. "Old habits die hard. You got a nice body there."
As I saw his face getting even redder I realized what I said. To me a nice body means a set of well-trained, well-balanced and healthy muscles. Because of the observation training I received when I was little, I could somewhat tell someone's physical condition in addition of reading the next movement. But to anyone else, a nice body sounded just how it sounds. It sounded like the other party was ogling and explaining it would probably sounds like making up some excuses.
"Never mind that." I said awkwardly as I turned my head. "I'm going back to my own room to get ready for the day. Make sure you get ready before eight. See you later."
Walking over to the coffee table I saw my unfinished stack of documents and my smartphone. Picking up my phone I looked at the stacks, "If you're still here today, I'll finish this up." I said as I looked at the man in the bathroom doorway. His hair was still a mess, but in some way it looked good on him.
"I'll be waiting for you." He replied with a smile. It was fascinating how he returned to normal in an instant. That or he feigned it.
"Then I'll be going." I replied in the same way.
"So I heard from Al that you stayed overnight in Dino's room?" Rei mused the moment she entered the dining hall.
The teasing tone she had in her voice made me almost choke in my glass of milk. It was already some time after eight and I was having breakfast in the dining hall. Ethan was eating with me when Rei came in and also he looked up with surprise at the sudden statement.
"You're dating him?" He asked with surprise.
"Aunt Rei, please don't make it sound like that." I said as I felt a vein popping.
"Well, usual when a boy and a girl of age are staying together overnight…" She teased.
When I gave her a glare, she started to laugh, "Hahaha! I'm sorry, dear. I know nothing happened and Dino isn't a person who takes advantage of women." She chuckled as she walked over to the buffet. "But make sure your uncle doesn't get wind of it, who knows what he might do to him."
"Oh dear lord…" I grunted at the thought.
"So… you're dating him?" Ethan asked once more.
"He is my childhood friend and my possible fiancé." I explained. "I'm still not too sure whether to accept the contract though. It was set up by our families."
"I see… You hesitate because he's your friend?"
"Yeah."
"Then we are on the same boat." He suddenly laughed. "I'm in a similar situation, though she isn't really my friend..."
Looking at him I saw he wasn't joking about it, "So what's your story?" I asked when Rei sat next to me with her plate of breakfast.
"My parents want to perform around the globe, but we don't have the financial materials for it." He explained. "There is a financial group willing to support us, but under the condition that the first son marries his daughter. And as you know, I'm the first born."
Confirming that I knew I nodded for him to go on.
"I met her once and she's a real beauty, but I really can't stand her personality. Of course I want to support my parents and our group, but honestly I'm not so willing to marry her. Besides, she doesn't give a damn about theatre."
"That's quite a heavy topic for breakfast." Rei said before taking a bite of her baguette.
"I guess old habits die hard." Ethan laughed. "Whenever we had problems, Sharon would always be there to listen."
"And I still do." I smiled. "Have you discussed it with your parents?"
"Not yet, but as soon our schedules match I will."
"Right, I forgot. Your schedules are very irregular… Okay, have you tried to ask her out for dinner or something?" I said before taking a bite of my egg salad sandwich.
"I have, but we couldn't agree on a restaurant so it's postponed for quite a while."
With my breakfast in my mouth I stared at the young man in disbelief, "Choudn't ahree on a rhesturhant?" I asked dumbfounded with my mouth full of bread.
"Sharon, watch your manners." Rei reprimanded me.
"Pfwha!" Ethan snorted. "That face! Just like old times!"
"Well, excuse me for having this face. I was born with it." I moped after swallowing my food. "But seriously, you couldn't agree on a restaurant?"
"Well, if she wants to eat Italian cuisine for example, she insists on going to Italy because the Italian restaurants in the States are not… Italian enough."
Staring blankly at the now blonde guy I didn't know what to say. I couldn't believe my ears, I never thought people like that actually existed in the world. But reality proved me wrong, again, "Auntie, smack me." I deadpanned.
"I won't smack you, dear." Rei replied dryly.
Trying to help him I summed up all the dishes I knew, trying to find a typical classy dish originated from the States, "How about sliced sirloin with potatoes and veggies and… apple pie for dessert?" I proposed. "It's a common dish in the US cuisine, right?"
"She doesn't like red meat." Ethan replied after drinking of his coffee. "And apple pie originates from the United Kingdom."
"You've gotta be kidding me…" I muttered. "How about turkey or any other poultry?"
"I quote: Not fancy enough for a date."
"Steamers?"
"She doesn't like the smell of seafood."
"Pork loin chops with Carolina Rub?"
"She is not fond of chili spices and isn't pork red meat?"
"I thought it's white… Anyway, how about fried green tomatoes?"
"Don't you eat them as an appetizer?"
"Corndogs?"
"Those are snacks, Sharon…"
"Tuna casserole? No, tuna's seafood…"
"Dear, your eyebrows are twitching." Rei said before she took another bite of her baguette. "If you need to blow off your steam, go run outside or something. Don't make a ruckus here."
"I know…" I muttered as I tried to subdue my inner vexation at the fastidiousness of that person. "I won't make a ruckus, aunt Rei."
"She's the type you can't handle, isn't she, Sharon?" Ethan chuckled. "It seems you still dislike the irrational types."
"You've got that damn right."
"Language dear."
"Sorry."
"It's fine, Sharon." Ethan said. "Just lending me your ear was more than enough. Thank you for listening."
"And I'm sorry for not be able to help you, Ethan. I wish I could do more." I sighed.
"Don't sweat it. Just talking takes off a load." He laughed. "So, are you going back to St. Elena?"
"I already graduated from high school." I replied after finishing the glass of milk.
His eyebrows shot up in surprise, "Already?"
"Mhm."
"You were already the youngest of our year and now you even graduated before all of us. I can't believe it, are you some kind of genius?"
"Something like that." I replied smugly. "By the way, you didn't tell anyone about me, did you?"
Last night after my dance practice I asked him not to tell anyone about me, considering the possibility of video calls to his friends and classmates. I also told him not to say a word about it to James even though he already knew about me. A sudden ruckus at the academy was something I didn't wish to have.
"I don't break promises, though it was quite tempting when James said something indicative." He replied after finished his cup. "So what are you up to today?"
"James…" I muttered with a small frown. "Maybe I should give him a call…"
"Hey, hey, don't be too rough on him." He laughed. "He kept his mouth obediently like you told him to."
"I'm sorry to interrupt your conversation." Rei said after she took a look on her wristwatch. "But Sharon has an appointment in fifteen minutes."
Tapping on my phone to lit up the screen I saw it was already a quarter to nine, "Already this late, hm…?" I muttered. "I guess I'll be going then. See you later."
"Good luck, Sharon."
"Miss Sharon, please rest in your free time." I heard Alfonso say, worry was audible in his voice. "Please don't overexert yourself."
"I thank you wholeheartedly for your concern, but if I don't do this I'll seriously die."
Alfonso and I were on the roof terrace and I was practicing on walking in brand new stilettos. The reason why I choose the roof was because I had been inside for almost seven and a half hours plus, I really was in need of fresh air. I needed to remove the smell of cosmetics from my nostrils.
For the party I needed to wear two different dresses, two. One for the introduction and one for the formal party itself. The designers really worked their tails off on the sketches and the results were amazing. They had at least hundred sketches for me, from a tight short dress to a princess-like ball gown. In the end I chose a champagne sweetheart cocktail dress and a crimson halter strap full-length dress with a large cut on the left bottom side. I was actually quite excited to see the end product, but at the same time I felt guilty. Making two dresses in only one and a half day was ridiculous.
After the dresses were chosen, the last remaining designer, who was also the head designer, coordinated the rest and he decided for champagne short heels on the introduction dress and alluring silver high heels for the other one, you know, the kind that will break your neck if you fall over.
"All right, Pierre said heel-ball-toe." I muttered as I put forward my left heel. "Heel, ball, toe, heel, ball, toe, heel, ball, toe. Ugh… My toes are getting squished…"
As I walked in circles I thanked Ivan for the ridiculous power and balance training he gave me in the past. Thanks to that I could easily hold my balance in almost any pose, so balancing myself in the shoes wasn't a problem. The little time I had to break into the shoes was more of a problem. Just the thought of screaming feet during the party made me cry already.
"Left, right, left, right, keep a straight back." I muttered as I made another loop. "I am so getting blisters…"
I didn't know how much longer I walked, but after a while I sat down and took off the shoes, "Ah… They can breathe again…" I sighed as I lay on my back on the flooring.
"Miss Sharon…"
"Just leave me be, Al." I sighed as I looked at the moving white clouds. Closing my eyes I listened to the sounds around me. I heard staff talking and laughing below in the garden, the rustling sounds of the leaves, a beeping sound of a cellphone and the roaring of an engine of some car. The warm afternoon sun made my mind and body relax, it made me forget about the silent chaos for the party. It was already Tuesday and there was still so many things to do. It was even absurd to think how the guests were invited on an extremely short notice.
"Miss Sharon, I have just received word from Nono." I heard Alfonso say.
"Hm? What is it?" I replied dully.
"He wants to discuss your speech for the party."
"…"
It took me a moment to register what he said. Opening my eyes I sat up, "No… No speeches…" I sighed. "I really dislike them…"
"I'm sorry to hear that, Miss, but you have been summoned to his office as soon as possible."
Heaving another sigh I crawled up and picked up the silver heels, "Guess I've gotta do it."
[===]
Knock knock
"The door's open." I heard grandfather's voice from the other side of the heavy doors.
I opened the wooden doors and walked inside. I put on the stilettos once more, just because I didn't really think of going back to my room to get another pair. Not only my shoes didn't fit my outfit, my whole appearance was just unfitting for an office visit, grey sweatvest and brown capris. One would think that I was lost or something.
"Ah, I've been waiting for you, Sharon." The grey-haired gentleman greeted me with a smile. He was sitting in a chair behind a desk filled with documents. From the looks of it, he was mostly healed from his injuries.
"Sorry for the wait, grandpa." I greeted him after I closed the doors behind me. "I'm glad to see you're doing well."
"I have felt better in my life." He smiled. "Come closer, dear."
As I walked towards the desk I suddenly noticed grandfather's Rain Guardian in the corner of the office. A sudden danger signal went through my mind as I kept walking. I wasn't able to sense him so I removed my barrier and noticed that he was almost in a sleeplike state, but my instinct told me he wasn't asleep.
"Schnitten, could you wait outside please." Timoteo suddenly said. "I want to speak to my granddaughter in private."
"OK, Nono." The heavy voiced man replied.
When I stood in front of the desk I glanced back to watch the scar-faced Guardian leave the room, "Sorry if he startled you." I heard grandfather say.
"No, please don't worry about it." I replied as I looked back at the elderly man. "Was it really that visible on my face?"
"No, it wasn't, but I could tell. Shall we sit on the couch? It's more comfortable for you too."
Another danger signal went off in my mind. This meeting wasn't only about the speech, that much I could tell. But somehow I felt it was going to be all right, if it was grandfather he would understand, "Thank you, grandpa. Allow me to help you."
Walking around the desk I helped the gentleman up. It was a little weird to be taller than him considering that I was used to be the shortest when I was around people of the same age or older than me. Carefully I helped the elderly man to the couches in front of his desk, "Do you wish to drink something?" I asked after he sat down.
"That is my line, dear." He smiled. "I already ordered tea for us."
"Ah… My bad…" I laughed sheepishly as I sat next to him. "So how have you been?"
"Much better than before." He replied. "As you could see I don't need the wheelchair anymore."
"I'm really relieved to hear that." I replied with a smile. I was glad grandfather was recovering without any troubles. To be honest I still felt uncomfortable being around the Vongola Don and I in reaction of self-protection, I build an invisible wall. Even though I still felt uneasy I was really trying hard to break down that wall, I wanted us to go fishing again, I wanted us to create a familial bond. After all he was the only close blood-relative I had left.
"How are you?" He asked. "I've heard you've been busy."
"Compared to you, it's probably nothing." I chuckled as I glanced to the desk. "That amount is awful."
"Want to help out this old man?" He asked in a joking way.
"I don't mind, though I have to squeeze you between everything else." I replied in the same manner.
We shared a laugh and the Don looked at me with a parentally smile, "You're a good girl, so I'll trust you in whatever you're doing now. But I want you to be careful, the world is cruel and dark."
Grandfather's mouth was smiling, but his eyes were sad. I couldn't say that everything was going to be fine and that he didn't have to worry, because I didn't know whether things were going to be fine. "So… you know?" I asked after a moment of silence.
"I don't know what you're doing, but I do know you're up to something. Isn't that the sole reason why you requested to move up the party and to go to Dino's place?" He answered in a lighthearted way. "You're not the only one with Hyper Intuition."
The way grandfather said that made me funny and I had trouble not to make funny face. It was like a jolly grandpa totally busted his granddaughter for stealing a candy of the big jar. But in my case it wasn't exactly a candy, nonetheless I felt that way. "Totally busted." I confessed with a wide smile. "I really had no chance against a senior like you, grandpa."
"I won't ask you anything, but can you promise me to be careful?" He asked with a smile and this time his eyes were smiling too. "Hm, let's do a pinky swear, it's been a while."
He hold up his right hand with his pinky finger outstretched. For a second I could only stare at the sudden gesture, but soon I locked his pinky with mine, "I promise you I'll be careful, grandpa." I replied with a laugh. I could feel the invisible wall slowly breaking down piece by piece and I could feel the fuzzy feeling of love going through my body. "But really, pinky swearing?"
"It's from the time when your father and your uncles were still children." He said as we unlocked our little fingers. "It was my way to promise them to go to an amusement park for example. Do you want to hear some stories?"
"I'd love to." I replied with a smile.
"So in the end you didn't discuss anything about your speech?" Dino asked after I told him about my quality time with my grandfather.
It was already after nine and as promised I was back in Dino's room to finish the documents. I did ask Romario if that was okay for him to be absence from his estate for so long, he had to run his own Famiglia too after all, but the right-hand man said it was fine. The reason why I asked him and not the boss himself is because I knew Dino would say that it would be fine, even if it wasn't.
"We spoke about it for a few minutes, it's only a two-minute welcome and thank you speech. The usual textbook thing." I answered, skimming over document about a payment request. "He said both mafia and entrepreneurs are invited and that this was an opportunity to introduce some new IT technology and new programs."
"IT technology?"
"Yeah, but don't ask me the details. I haven't looked over that yet."
"I see… But aren't you worried about that?"
"About the IT stuff?"
"No… about mafia and entrepreneurs gathering together."
"Actually, I am, a little though." I said as I turned around to look at the Italian. Putting my elbow on the backrest of the couch I continued, "The mafia members will probably behave themselves, considering they deal with Vongola and according to Rei the security will be tight."
"Then why are you worried?" He asked, looking at me with sincerity.
"Tsuna's group." I sighed. "I'm especially worried about Gokudera, Lambo and I-pin. Gokudera's rough attitude may upset the other guests and who knows what he will do if the other party start to complain. Also anything about Tsuna will make him upset and as you know, Tsuna himself can be clumsy at times and when that happens, there will be gossips all over and then he'll be all over it. In Lambo's case, that child is definitely up to mischief and that usually results in one; I-pin following him around to make sure nothing happens. And two; it ends up in a fight. Hell will break loose if those two fight each other. And I didn't even mention the weapons they carry."
"You've thought about it quite thoroughly." Dino replied with a smile, but soon enough it disappeared. "Wait, Kyoya's coming too?"
"Rei said that Reborn said that Hibari refused. And so did Chromo Dokuro." I answered. "Thank goodness he's not coming, otherwise the amount of problems will triple."
"In addition of being a fighting maniac he hates crowds." The blonde sighed.
"Plus I owe him a fight for my absence at Namimori Middle School." I sighed with him. "I should have resigned when I had the chance."
"What are you talking about?" Dino asked with a confused look. "Absence at Tsuna's school?"
"Reborn forced me to take the job as a tutor and with everything that's been going on I think he used his identity as Boreen to inform the headmaster about my absence. And he probably also informed Hibari that I was on a leave for four weeks, and because of that I owe that guy a fight. Or something like that, I'm not sure…"
Letting out a sigh I put my head on my arm, "I don't want to deal with that guy…" I muttered. "His spiked tonfas are ridiculous."
"So much for Hakuna Matata, right?" I heard him reply jokingly.
"Oh, shoo you, Valentino." I replied with a laugh as I looked up. "Can't you do something about him? He's your student."
"Eh? But if I say something he'll go into fight mode. Though I think he'll fight me anyway…"
"Are you running away?" I hummed teasingly.
"No! You just can't reason with him." He sighed.
"Hm… minus twenty points."
"EH!?" He called out as he stood up with a panicked expression. "What do you mean by that!?"
"Pfft! Don't take it seriously, silly." I laughed. "You know I like to mess with you."
"Geez… Sharon…" The blonde sighed. "Please don't say things like that. It's bad for my heart, you know. Just like… this morning…"
The Cavallone boss looked away when he said the last part, and once more a shy man stood there. It was adorable, but his troubled expression made me to regret my actions. "I'm sorry for that." I apologized sincerely. "I never thought a kiss on the cheek would affect you that much."
"No! Don't apologize, I liked it!" He suddenly called out. A moment later his eyes grew big and his face turned bright red. "I-I mean… well…"
Seeing his reaction I started to laugh softly, "And here I thought you disliked it." I chuckled.
"I… I never expected it, okay?" He pouted a little as he averted his eyes again.
Adorable. That was the only thing I could say, it was unfair how a guy could be clumsy and adorable but yet be handsome and charismatic at the same time.
"A-Adorable?" He stuttered as he looked back at me.
"I said that out loud…?" I questioned, a little baffled.
"You did."
Shit. This time it was my time to turn away, that was just embarrassing. Sitting back normally I stared at my knees. But then I realized something, why was I embarrassed? I was sure I called him adorable before or not? I couldn't remember.
I heard his footsteps on the carpet and not much later the couch sagged, "Hey, Sharon. Is it OK to play a little game?" I heard him say next to me.
Not seeing that one coming I turned my head to him, "Game?"
"Are you familiar with a game called twenty questions?" He asked with a small smile.
"One person thinks of an object and the others are trying to guess what it is by asking a maximum of twenty questions?"
"Yes, but it's also used to get to know each other. It's been a while, so I want to catch up if it's fine with you."
That was obviously a lie, but I agreed to play anyway, "Alright, any rules?"
The blonde Italian let out a barely visible sigh of relief before he answered the question, "We'll take turns and the question must be answered truthfully. It's not allowed to skip the question."
"Okay." I replied. "Let's do this."
"Ladies first."
"Figured." I chuckled. Shifting myself to face the Italian I put my right leg on the couch and leaned with my right arm on top of the backrest. "One, did you sleep well last night?"
"I had better nights." He smiled wryly. "But the sofa wasn't that bad. What do you want for your birthday?"
"Starting with a hard one, huh?" I hummed. Truth to be told I didn't need anything for my birthday. "Maybe a cook book?"
The blonde looked at me with a perplexed look, "No way." He blurted out. "A cook book?"
"Yes." I replied as I felt the corners of my mouth crinkle up. "If I really have to choose something, I choose a cook book. Are you thinking to give me a present?"
"I am." He replied with a laugh. "And that was your second question for your information."
"Ah! Crap." I called out at my miss. "I wasted a question!"
"Heh. What kind of jewelry do you like?" Dino continued the game with a chuckle.
"Hm… earrings, but nothing too fancy." I replied. "Three, what is your favourite dish?"
"I think that venison dish you made yesterday is my new favourite."
I couldn't help to smile at the answer, it made me happy. "What's the craziest thing you've ever done?" He asked.
"Asking my foster parents to train me while I knew the statistics." I laughed. "Four, what was the scariest moment in your life?"
Dino grimaced at the question before he answered, "That was when Reborn send his bug minions after me in the mountains. They were gross-looking and there were so many of them. Even a bear was more appealing at the time."
As I visualized a young Dino running away from a myriad of bugs a snort escaped, "Sharon!" I heard him call out, what made me laugh.
"Geez…" I heard him mope. "Then what would you do when you were in that situation?"
"Run." I laughed. "I would run away as fast I can. I wouldn't stand a chance against a mob of insects."
The answer probably bewildered him because he looked stumped, "Five, what is your biggest fear?" I asked as I tried to stop the chortling.
"Losing you." He replied without any hesitation, what made me stop chortling immediately. "I've lost you already once and almost twice. When Varia took you, I thought you were a goner. I was devastated."
"I'm sorry." I replied as I felt a sinking feeling in my chest. Sitting back normally I hugged my arms as I remembered the night of the Cloud battle, "Only if I didn't go all out that day…"
"Only if I didn't go to check on Squalo…" I heard the blonde say. "If I were there, I could have prevented it."
The mood had become heavy and neither of us continued. Minutes of silence went by and at some point I opened my mouth, "Hey Valentino," I said as I turned my head to look at him. There I saw him looking at his knees, "let bygones be bygones. It happened and we can't turn back time. Let's not dwell on it."
"Yes, you're right. It's my turn, right?" He replied as he smiled softly.
"Yes, but now it's mine." I grinned.
He turned his head to look at me with a confused look, but not much later his jaw dropped as he opened his mouth, "Ah! Sharon, that's not fair!" He called out with a feigned hurt expression. I could see the corners of his mouth crinkle up.
Giving him a smug look I asked the next question, "Six, what makes you happy the most?"
"Seeing those dear to me happy and safe and…"
"And?"
"… your smile." He replied with a smile as a shade of crimson crept up his face. "What makes you happy the most?"
The answer warmed me and made me smile softly, "Right now, it's being here with you." I replied his question sincerely. "Seven, are you bothered that I called you adorable?"
The blonde gentleman's face turned full crimson once more as he averted his eyes, "Just a little." He muttered softly. "Could you tell me what you mean by that?"
I felt the temperature in my face rise as I looked away, once more I felt embarrassed. How in the world was I going to explain that in words. The feeling of wanting to hug him madly whenever he's all shy, that feeling that would drive me crazy if it wasn't for my self-control.
…
My mind stopped for a second, the feeling that would drive me crazy if it wasn't for my self-control, did that mean that I would be all over him if I didn't have my self-control? Wouldn't that be the same as… love? The romantically one? Thinking about it, I didn't feel the same urge to my other friends and it explained why I was embarrassed, sort of. Calling someone adorable could count as a sort of confession. But this explained why I didn't reject the proposal immediately, unknowingly I developed more feelings and in my subconscious mind I didn't want to lose him. That or I was in denial, but if it was the latter than my throat chakra would be closed by the lie I told myself. But so far it didn't seem to be blocked.
Breathing slowly I embraced the new fact, the fact that I had romantic feelings for the Italian sitting next to me.
"Sharon?" I heard him say in worry and a hint of sadness. "You don't have to force yourself to tell me…"
Before I even knew it I hugged him tenderly, "The meaning of adorable means that you're adorable." I whispered as I wrapped my arms around his neck. Feeling my face growing warmer I rested my head on his shoulder. The faint scent of his woody, herby and fruity cologne entered my nostrils, it was a pleasant smell. "It also means that I have trouble not to hug you like this."
The warm and fuzzy feeling was overflowing, it was suffocating, but I didn't mind. It was a pleasant feeling. Not long after I felt his touch on my back and around my waist and I was pulled closer. "I see." He whispered softly. I felt the soft vibrations of the air on the back of my neck and shivers ran down my spine.
"Hm…? You like this?" He whispered once more, but this time his voice was slightly lower and more seductively. "Could you look at me, Sharon?"
The voice gave me goosebumps. I felt feverish, my body tingled, the racing of my heart, it was a feeling I haven't felt for a very long time. Slowly raising my head I looked at the messy haired man. His dark hazel eyes were filled with longing and happiness, it made my heart beat even faster and like a metal being attracted to a magnet I was drawn closer. Feeling his breath on my lips I slowly closed my eyes. Then all of a sudden a loud knock disturbed the mood, stopping in our tracks.
In an instant I let him go and shuffled away from him, not because of the closeness, but because Ivan was behind the door.
Dino looked at me in a daze and I mouthed Ivan. At that his eyes grew wide with panic and he started to look around.
"Calm down, Valentino." I whispered as I took his hand. "Just reply and act normal. I promise he won't do anything."
I couldn't believe it, acting secretive like this. But we both couldn't help it, we both knew Ivan was extremely protective over me and who knows what he may do to Dino. In my eyes he was the strongest man on the planet, so the worry was not there for a trivial matter. After Dino cleared his throat he called out, "Come in."
Letting go of his hand I picked up a stack of documents and started to skim it. Hearing the door open I looked up and greeted the muscled man with a smile, "Hey, Uncle. I'm glad you returned safely."
Perfect. No quivering in my voice or whatsoever and the pounding of my heart didn't disturb anything. The seventeen years of acting was not for nothing.
"Princess!" He called out happily. "I heard from Al you were here. I hope Dino didn't do anything to you?"
When he said the last part I could sense some malice and he lied about Alfonso. I didn't know how I could tell, but I could.
"He didn't, Uncle." I sighed. "Please don't assume these things every single time."
"Well, good evening to you too, Ivan." I heard Dino say in a steady voice. "Could you at least greet me?"
"Haha! I'm sorry, little D." The auburn haired man laughed. "I just thought something happened to Princess."
"Could you not call me with that name…" Dino grimaced.
"What? You don't like my naming sense?" Ivan replied with a frown.
"Well, your naming sense is horrible, Uncle." I said as I put the first document on the loan request pile.
"Eh…?" The muscled man sulked. "Well, in any case I'll be going now. I actually sneaked out from my job."
"What?" I said as I looked at him with confusion. "So you're not done yet?"
"Well… Actually I came back because I just had this nagging feeling something was going to happen to you, Princess. But now I see everything's fine, I guess it was false alarm." He confessed as he walked out the door. "See you Thursday, Princess!"
After he closed the door behind him I glanced over to the blonde, who was still sitting on the other end of the couch. Apparently he had the same thought because my eyes met his. Without exchanging any words we both knew we had to be careful about this new development. Apparently Ivan had acquired a Sharon-sensor.
The next day was… hectic. It was the day before the party and the staff were running around like madmen. I wanted to help them out, but I had my own schedule. Aside of my dance practice, I needed to study about the IT technology which was about 300 pages thick, printed in duplex. Thankfully I didn't have to meet up with the stylists, but nonetheless I was dead tired by the end of the day. The IT-stuff was heavy, sure I knew some things about computers, but the details about transferring data to one database to another was on a whole different level. Even the new software Novolag developed was something that was out of my league. One thing I was sure of it, it was some kind of anti-virus or anti-spyware program. It would be ironic if Vongola used the software to spy on other companies, though the thought wouldn't be that farfetched.
Grabbing my phone I checked the time, it was only 7:12PM. Letting out a sigh I unlocked the home screen and tapped on the text message icon.
Tired. Can't see another word about IT, but I still have to do 100 pages… (ノ ゜Д゜)ノ ︵ ┻━┻
Send.
Taking out tomorrow's plan I looked at it for the tenth time. I still couldn't believe my morning schedule. Manicure, pedicure and everything else would start at eight in the morning. The party itself was at six in the evening and the guests were allowed to enter the mansion at four. So from four to six I had to stand next to my grandfather to personally greet the guests. Just before six I had to change into my second dress and after a short introduction from my grandfather I would have my short speech. After that it was free time and the guests would eat and drink in buffet-style. Shortly after I would dance the opening dance and at eight a specialist of the IT development would introduce the new product.
Hearing my phone vibrate I looked at it and smiled softly.
Valentino
Hang in there, Sharon! I know you can do it! And please leave the furniture alone. [19:16]
After last night neither of us really changed in attitude, for me the only real difference was the fuzzy feeling inside me whenever I saw him or even thought about him. I never expected to have such strong feelings after I released my self-control. But then again, emotions are things I could not explain with science. I started to think that it was better to study psychology instead of pharmaceutical sciences I initially studied.
Chuckling at the thought I replied, Thanks and I'll leave the furniture alone. You better don't slack off either, even though it's only picking up Tsuna and co. Love you.
Grimacing at the last two words I deleted them. It was still awkward to write those words and technically neither of us actually confessed, though words were not really necessary. Tapping the usual xo I sent the text.
Only a moment later the call screen popped up, making me almost drop the phone. I did manage to suppress a yelp and Al was read on the screen. Heaving a small sigh I picked up, "What's the matter, Al?"
"Miss Sharon, sir James Collins has arrived and he is waiting in the foyer. Shall I bring him to his room?" Alfonso said.
"James?" I asked dumbfoundedly. Sensing the premises I indeed sensed James downstairs together with Ethan. What in the world was he doing here? But then the thought of the party popped up. "No, I'm coming down now. Please wait for me."
"As you wish, Miss."
With that we hung up and I left the room.
Several minutes later I arrived at the grand foyer and the brunette young man was the first one to call out, "My goodness, Sharon! This house is ridiculously large! I thought it was a hotel or something!"
"Well, unfortunately it isn't." I laughed as I walked to my two former classmates. "I welcome you humbly to my little home."
"Hah! Little home is the last thing I would describe it." James laughed. "It's good to see you in one piece again."
James was wearing a white dress shirt and a dark navy blue blazer and matching dress pants and dress shoes. He also had a small suitcase with him, which was on the marble floor. After giving him a welcome hug I turned to Ethan, "Did you know about his arrival?" I asked.
"I didn't." The performer laughed. "Fifteen minutes ago he texted me that he was on his way to this mansion."
"Hey, hey, hey… I'm invited you know…" James said as he feigned a hurt look. "This old stern looking man entered the class yesterday and demanded me to follow him. And when I asked what it was about he just said that I was invited for a party at the main Novolag's residence. And I'm telling you, that man has some presence!"
"You too?" Ethan said in surprise. "It was the same for me, only I got a phone call first. He picked me up the next day in a limousine. This man has quite a low voice right?"
"Exactly! Never in my life I felt this intimidated."
"Long haired or styled back?" I asked with a wry smile. Their description reminded me of grandfather's Storm and Cloud Guardian.
"Long haired." Both of them answered. "You know him?"
"Pfft. I met him a few times, he is one of my grandfather's assistants." I snorted at their unison. "He is quite stern, indeed. Darn, if he sees me in these clothes he'll chew my ears off…"
Looking for Coyote's presence I found him at the A-wing, so there was no need to worry, for now.
"So he's even like that to you?" James mused. "It must be hard for the next successor."
"Are you really taking over that company?" Ethan asked.
The two boys looked at me and I let out a sigh, "Grandfather didn't tell me anything about it, so I don't know."
After I said that there was some relief on James's face and Ethan nodded in understanding, "By the way, something's been bothering me since Ethan's mentioned it, but how do you guys know about my grandfather and Novolag?"
"I decided to ask Mr. Moteo's occupation last year." James grinned. "I mean, it's awkward, right? He keeps donating for the events and we don't even know his occupation. He also told us the reason why he keeps donating and you know what, apparently his, and thus your, ancestor build the academy as a memorial for a noble lady called Elena."
"My ancestor? All the way in Salt Lake?"
"He didn't tell me the details, but I guess so."
"Miss Sharon." Alfonso said.
Looking at the tanned butler I understood what he meant, "Anyway James, you need a room to stay the night. So let us follow Al, shall we? We'll talk on the way."
"Bonjour, ma petite!" A vividly male voice called out. The voice belonged to one of the designers called Pierre. "Oh my, you already started without me?"
I didn't know how much time had passed, but it felt like an eternity. I was lying down on my back and I had a some cream on my face and some cool items on my closed eyelids, it smelled like cucumber. At the same time the specialists were polishing my hands and feet. My legs still tingled of the waxing they did before and I had a hard time to relax. I didn't like the feel of strangers touching me.
"Bonjour Pierre." I greeted the Frenchman in my current position. "I thank you for your hard work."
"Oh! Don't be, ma petite." I heard him call out. "Making the best outfits is our line of work! Please go to the atelier when you're done here, ma petite!"
"OK, Pierre. I'll be there as soon as possible." I replied.
"We'll be done in about thirty minutes." I heard one of the women say. "After the fitting we'll continue with the make-up."
"Okay, Nicola~" Pierre sang out. "Then I'll see you soon, ma petite!"
As I heard him leave while humming I let out a sigh inwardly. The famous designer was a little too much for me, but his keen sense of fashion was the real deal. Even though he himself was dressed a little bit too flamboyant. For some reason I felt that he and Varia's Lussuria could become friends if it was about fashion only.
After some time the items on my eyes were removed and so was the cream. When I was told to open my eyes and to my amazement my skin looked really smooth and baby like. Though the semi-long nails was something I didn't expect. Of course the nails were fake, but the whole feeling of having long nails was… different. I never had long nails before because they would only get in the way during my training. The nails themselves were painted deep red, almost crimson and each nail was manicured with a little bit of glitter. It was the same for my toenails, though it surprised me that fake toenails existed. Nonetheless I was quite happy with the results.
As promised I headed to the atelier in the C-wing and I actually had to be careful with the fake nails because I was afraid they would come off. No matter how strong the glue, I was positive that I was able to lose them in one or another way. Upon arriving Pierre was already waiting for me in a black on white polka dotted suit and a black bow tie. His hair was as usual styled back and this time he wore a yellow pair of spectacles. For some reason his glasses never matched with the rest of his outfit.
"Ma petite!" He called out gleefully. "Oh my, look at you, look at those nails! They did wonderful work. Let's go, let's go! We don't have time!"
And we indeed didn't have time because literally in no time it was past three in the afternoon. After the fitting Pierre and the two other designers made the finishing touches on both dresses. That alone took almost three hours and immediately after that, the stylists came in to doll me up in the style we all agreed on. It was a natural style, but it still took another three hours to get it done. At the same time they did my hair. They decided for a half up hairstyle with half bangs and curls in the front, obviously this was not possible with my short hair so they used hair extensions. The end result was absolutely stunning, I couldn't even recognize myself, but yet it felt like me. My skin was a little lighter than usual and my eyes were more accentuated with black eyeliner, bronze and white eye shadow and natural fake eyelashes. My eyebrows were softened out and my cheeks were slightly rosy. It was the same for my lips, but with a touch of gloss. Even my scars were hidden perfectly, but the major difference was definitely in the hair.
But I didn't have time to be stunned, I only had forty-five minutes left and I still had to wear my dress, shoes and accessories. No, in forty-five minutes I had to be ready to greet the first guests. For goodness sake I was still in the atelier, so changing took about twenty-five minutes, which was long for me. And with only twenty minutes left I walked as fast as I could to the A-wing to meet my grandfather. Running in this getup was a definitely no. It would ruin the hair and the asymmetrical champagne sweetheart cocktail dress. To the bottom it had two chiffon layers, the top layer was from my tights to my knees and the bottom layer was just above my knees to my calves. Together with matching open short heels and accessories I looked like a doll straight out of a magazine. Truth to be told the stones on my jewelry was a bit too much, but the next set for the other dress was even more ridiculous. All diamonds. No matter how much assets Vongola had, those stones were just crazy.
With my phone in my hand I checked the time on short intervals and I had only fifteen minutes left. In birdview the distance between the A- and C-wing was about 500 meters, but counting all the corners and corridors it wouldn't surprise me if it reached a walking distance of 750 meters. And that is only if I didn't miss a turn.
Seven minutes later I finally reached the Don and two of his Guardians. In the end I did miss a turn and ended up using two minutes extra.
"You look beautiful, Sharon." Timoteo said the moment he saw me. Coyote and Ganauche were standing next to him like bodyguards.
"Thank you grandfather." I replied with a smile after curtseying. "I apologize for being late. Good day, Coyote, Ganauche."
The Storm Guardian only nodded in acknowledgement and Thunder greeted me casually. All three gentlemen were dressed in fine quality dress suits.
"I would like you to remember everyone's names and their faces, but I think that will be too much." The Vongola Don smiled. "This may be a little too much for you, but enjoy yourself."
Impossible. There was just no way I would remember a name and face with just a few seconds. "I'll try my best to memorize the guests." I replied with an awkward laugh.
[===]
"Buona giornata, Nono!" Another middle-aged man in a fancy suit greeted the Vongola Don.
I was standing next to my grandfather with perfect posture and perfect smile like a perfect noble's daughter or in this case a granddaughter worthy of Vongola Nono. Already ninety minutes had gone by since the arrival of the first guests and my jaws were slowly getting more and more sore of the monotone expression. Most of the guests spoke Italian and a few in English. Most of the Italian men kissed the back of my palm as a greeting and I only smiled at them with a small curtsey. As for memorizing the guests… it was not really a success.
The ballroom was… just your usual ballroom. High ceilings, large, golden lights, a plateau for presentations and speeches and grandfather and I were standing on it. The guests could see us and we could see the guests. The appetizers were laid out buffet-style and even on the tables food were laid out. Waiters were walking around with glasses of champagne and on the tables were bottles of wine. If I didn't know better, I would have thought it was some kind of wedding reception.
Then the middle-aged man looked at me and smiled, "Signorina Sharon, lei bellissima questa sera."
You look beautiful tonight. I heard that sentence far too many times and the sun hasn't even set yet. Nonetheless I curtseyed, "Grazie." I replied with a graceful smile.
Offering my hand, the man took it gracefully and kissed it. After another small bow he introduced himself, "My name is Sergio Angiolillo and I am the sixth head of the Caldonii Famiglia. It is an honour to meet you, signorina Sharon."
"It's my pleasure to meet you, signore Angiolillo."
And with another bow he left and the next one appeared to greet us. So basically it wasn't us greeting them, but the other way around. It still didn't make things easier, though.
About twenty minutes later I received the call to change. I could finally wash my hands, but it was time to wear those hellish shoes. I really hoped I broke them in long enough, otherwise my feet wouldn't survive the evening. I still didn't understand the use of the second dress, was it really that necessary to wear a second outfit?
Excusing myself to my grandfather and the Guardians I left the stage through a backdoor and there I saw a few familiar faces talking to each other.
"Sharoooooooooooooon! Almost happy birthday!" A familiar redhead called out as she jumped on me. "God, you look fantastic! That hair, do you have extensions?"
"A-Alicia?" I stammered as I clumsily hugged the red haired woman.
"Who else, silly?" She giggled as she released me. "But this really surprised me, you know! This man suddenly came in during lecture and called me out, I was about to die of embarrassment!"
"You too? So was James." I chuckled.
"She wasn't the only one, Luke and I were called out class too." Another voice said.
"No kidding, I thought we were going to be abducted or something. You should have notified us, Sharon."
"It… slipped?" I laughed as I looked at the soccer player and boxer. James and Ethan were there too. "By the way, you guys really look neat in those!"
All the guys wore high quality dress suits, the only difference was the colour of their dress shirts. Alicia wore an emerald cocktail dress with stones attached on her waist. It really looked good on her, it fitted her eyes perfectly. Her hair was curled and on the back it was braided in a ladder.
"We have to thank Pierre for that." Alicia said happily. "I still can't believe he's your designer! He's world famous! And god, your stylists are amazing, a-ma-zing."
Hearing Pierre's name I remembered why I went backstage, "I'm sorry, guys but I have to go. I'm on a schedule here." I said as I let go of my female friend. Walking towards the guys I gave them a quick hug before walking to the changing room on the first floor. "As soon things are less hectic, we'll catch up!"
With a small wave I walked out the corridor and walked up the stairs. Because of the amount of guests I didn't notice them. Everyone became white noise to me or so to speak. When I looked for my dressing room I noticed Kyoko and Haru behind a door and Tsuna and the boys a few doors further down. Reborn didn't show up on my radar as always, but I knew he was there.
"117" I muttered when I found my room. Opening the door I saw Pierre waiting impatiently.
"Ma petite!" He called out exaggeratedly. "You're late! Hurry, hurry!"
"My apologies, Pierre." I said as I walked behind the pleated screen. After taking off the jewelry I zipped off the dress I undressed myself and hoisted the wine red dress. It was scary how both dresses fitted perfectly.
"Pierre, I need some help with the zipper." I said as I walked out.
"Magnifique!" He called out when he saw me. "Turn around, ma petite."
Turning around I met with a mirror and saw myself in the dress. The extra beads of crystals that were put under the V-cut really made a difference to the dress. The man zipped up the zipper and in swift movements he put my hair up. "Turn around once more, ma petite."
Turning around I saw him holding red lipstick and he motioned to sit down. I followed his order and he skillfully painted my lips with the matching colour of the dress. Not only he was a top designer, he was skilled as a beautician too. "I'll fix your make-up real quick!" He said vividly. "Close your eyes, ma petite!"
Closing my eyes I felt the brush on my eyelids and cheekbones and after a short time he was done. "Now the accessories and you're ready to go!"
Putting on the earrings, bracelets and rings I checked myself in the mirror and I was stunned. Just how much could crimson eye shadow and red lipstick change a person? A lot.
"Hurry, ma petite! You can thank me later!"
"Ah… yes." I stammered as I regained my consciousness. "Merci, Pierre!"
"Haaaaaah… So tired…" I sighed inwardly as I listened to the men and women with a smile on my face.
After my little speech I mingled through the guests and in no time I was swarmed by both men and women. It was mostly flattery about my appearance and my figure, the dress did hug my upper body after all. And as suspected, most of the questions were about the succession of the corporation or to have a collaboration project with another company. The mafia held their distance, mostly because they were already allied with the Vongola but there were some attempts to introduce me to their sons. And we all know what that means.
"But truly, Lady Sharon absolutely look like her grandfather! And just as charming." A woman in sky blue dress said gleefully.
"Why thank you, madame Tensa. Although I find I look more like my mother." I replied with a radiant smile.
"I heard about your parents. I'm very sorry for your loss, Lady Sharon. Too lose them at such a young age. It must be hard for you."
"Thank you, sir Von Hessen. It is indeed tragic, but I still have my grandfather. We have to move forward, right?"
"Oh my, such a strong spirit!"
"Excuse me ladies and gentlemen, may I borrow Lady Sharon for a moment?"
While the women shrieked and the men moved back, the all too familiar leader of the European financial group appeared in front of me. "Of course only if the lady wishes to." He said with a radiant smile. He held out his hand and I placed mine in his to let him escort me out.
"Very well then, signore Cavallone."
After a small kiss on my palm he escorted me out of the group and I heard the ladies behind me sighing in admiration. I couldn't believe women actually swooned for him just like that.
"You look magnificent." I heard him say.
"I have been hearing that since the beginning of the party." I chuckled. "Though it feels different when you say it."
"How are you holding up?" He asked.
Glancing at him I saw him smiling tenderly, it made me feel fuzzy. "How does it look like?"
"To the public you look radiant, but to me you look tired."
"Well, I'm impressed you saw through that." I replied with a laugh. "You look neat."
The Cavallone boss was wearing a maroon dress shirt and black dress vest and necktie along with matching black dress pants and shoes. His jacket was nowhere to be seen though.
"Well, you said it looks good on me the other day." He said with a smile.
Going through the back door he led me upstairs to a room for VIP exclusive. Behind the door I sensed many familiar individuals. Immediately after opening the door a small figure ran up to me and hugged me tightly around my waist.
"Sharon-nee! I've missed you!" A soft voice cried out.
"I've missed you too, Fuuta." I said as I patted his chestnut hair. "Let's go inside, okay?"
"Un!"
As I walked inside with holding Fuuta's hand I saw Alicia grinning smugly. "Why… are you grinning like that, Alicia?" I asked with suspicion.
"Because you've finally blossomed." She replied in self-satisfaction.
Following her line of sight I saw that I was still holding hands with Dino, "He just escorted me." I said with some embarrassment as I let go of his hand.
"I don't think so, girl." She laughed.
Giving her a friendly glare I turned to the other visitors I haven't greeted yet.
"Tsuna, Reborn, Gokudera, Takeshi-kun, Sasagawa-kun, Kyoko-chan, Haru-chan, I-pin, Lambo, Fuuta; I welcome you all to this mansion." I greeted them along with a bow. "It's too bad Nana-san and Bianchi didn't make it."
Only a few hours before Dino texted me Nana and Bianchi couldn't make. Bianchi had a last minute mission she couldn't refuse and Nana forgot she had an appointment with the dentist. It was too bad, I wanted to see them again.
"A-Ah… No, t-thank you for inviting us, Sharon-san." Tsuna stammered as he stood up to bow. "Mom forgot about her appointed with the dentist, so she couldn't make it. But she made a cake for you!"
"That's too bad to hear, but I'll thank her for the cake."
"GYAHAHAHA! Lambo-san is back to full power! So play with me, Sharon!"
"Lambo! Not so loud!"
Laughing at the rowdiness of the two children I crouched down, "I've missed you too." I smiled. "Have you been good to Mama?"
"Un!"
"Lambo, do you clean yourself every day?" I said as I looked at the afro-haired child.
"Ugh… Lambo-san doesn't know!" He shouted as he looked away.
Heaving a sigh I started to laugh, "Honestly…"
Standing up I faced the young teens once more, though this time I saw some flushed faces. Shrugging it off I smiled, "I hope all of you had a nice flight?"
"Un!" Kyoko and Haru exclaimed in unison.
"The plane was so beautiful, Haru's heart went dokidoki!" The chocolate haired girl said excitedly. Her cheeks turned rosy as she remembered the flight.
"Un! We didn't know Sharon-san was part of a wealthy family." Kyoko added. "We were so surprised when we were picked up!"
"Ahaha…" I laughed sheepishly. "Well, neither did I to be honest."
"Haha! But this is a very fancy party, sensei!" Yamamoto added. "Just seeing it from here is amazing. I don't think I'll feel comfortable if I was down there. How old are you now?"
"Yamamoto! You can't ask a girl her age!" Ryohei suddenly shouted. "That's not manly to the extreme!"
"It's all right, Sasagawa-kun." I laughed at his usual energetic personality. "I'll be eighteen in a few days."
"Oh? So this isn't your birthday party?" Yamamoto asked in surprise.
"It is, but my actual birthday is on another day."
"Hmm… That's weird! Haha!"
"Geez… Takeshi-kun…"
"Don't say I look like him, Roberto!" Luke suddenly shouted. "I've totally changed!"
Turning my head at the sudden commotion I saw my boxing friend looking at Ryohei with a small frown. Making the connection I started to laugh, "Ahahahaha! You are totally like him, Luke. As two peas in a pod!"
"That's not true, Sharon!" Luke shouted.
"Luke, let me introduce you; Ryohei Sasagawa. He's the captain of the boxing club at his school." I said as I walked over to him. Pulling him up from the couch I led him toward the younger teen.
"Sasagawa-kun, this is my friend; Spencer Luke. He is a boxer too." I said to the young boxer in Japanese. "He doesn't understand Japanese though."
"OH! Extreme!" Ryohei shouted. "We boxers understand each other through our fists!"
"W-W-What is he saying?" Luke stammered as he watched the teen with a small grimace.
"He said that boxers understand each other through their fists." I translated, holding back my laughter. "And his motto is kyokegen which means extreme."
"Pffft… Totally like him!" I heard Alicia muffling her laughter. "It's like a copy."
"Ano… Sharon-san, what's going on?" Tsuna asked.
Looking at the brunette I saw he was looking at my friends, "Well Tsuna, my friend Luke was a lot like Sasagawa-kun when he was younger. At the moment it may not look funny, but I think you will understand when you get older." I explained.
"Ah! It's like seeing a mini Haru, right?" Haru suddenly said.
"Yes, that's right."
"But you know, Sharon." James suddenly said as he stood next to me. "It's sure impressive to see you switching languages so easily. How many more languages do you know?"
"Ehm… A lot more." I replied sheepishly.
"Smartass."
Giving him a soft punch I laughed. It felt good to see everyone again and even Gokudera's scowl didn't ruin my mood.
"Sensei, my old man and I made a present for you." Yamamoto said with a wide grin.
Just when he was about to pick something up, Reborn interrupted. "Stop. After Sharon's dance we'll continue the party in Vongola style."
"Vongola style?" Tsuna and I asked in unison, though Tsuna sounded more terrified than anything else.
"What did the little guy said." James whispered.
"Don't call me little, James Collins." Reborn suddenly called out in English.
Reacting to the menacing aura I stood in front of my American friend, "Let's take it easy tonight, shall we Reborn?" I offered with a smile.
"Are you going against me?"
"I won't forgive you if you hurt any of them." I replied coldly.
In an instant the tension rose to a maximum. No one dared to say anything or to move a finger. Staring into the pitch black eyes of the hitman I wasn't able to tell what he was thinking, but that didn't matter. When it was about them I wouldn't back off. No matter what. Besides, Xanxus's eyes were far more terrifying to look into.
"Hmf, not bad." The hitman chuckled after a few minutes as he pulled his fedora over his eyes. "I'll forgive him this time."
"Thank you, Reborn." I said after letting out my breath, apparently I was holding it in unknowingly. "So could you tell me about this Vongola style? In English, please."
"Vongolian birthday party is a legendary party within Vongola." Reborn said in perfect English. "It's held during the odd year birthdays."
"Stop." I deadpanned. "It's a birthday party for my eighteen's anniversary. That's not an odd year."
"Because you're still seventeen, we're going to hold it." The hitman smirked.
"Sorry to interrupt, but what's Vongola or Vongolian?" Ethan suddenly asked.
Stiffening at the question I stared at the hitman. I totally forgot Ethan didn't know about Novolag's hidden organisation. Giving him a look of 'you can't do this' I hoped he would change his mind. But his smirk told me otherwise.
"It's just a special party with rewards, Ethan Steiner." Reborn explained with a smirk. "The rules are simple; the person who's celebrating his birthday will give scores to the participants' present or performance. The one with the highest score earns an elegant present. It can be anything what the participant wishes, but the one with the lowest score has to play a round of Russian roulette."
"A-Are we allowed to team up?" James stammered after a short pause.
"Of course."
The glare I gave the hitman did him nothing and before I could even do anything my small group of friends agreed to do a Vongolian party. Of course the others agreed too except for Tsuna and even Dino had his doubts. But before that, I still had to do a performance.
"Seventy-eight points!" I called out when Gokudera presented me a bouquet of vibrant flowers.
After my opening dance with Ethan, and a few more dances after that, I retreated back to the VIP room for the Vongolian party. So far I received four presents; Yamamoto's sushi and sashimi, worth 78 points; Kyoko and Haru's pastries, worth 75 points; Ryohei's boxing act, worth 68 points and the children's clumsy performance, also worth 68 points, it surprised me Lambo didn't do anything stupid. And the fifth one was Gokudera with a bouquet of flowers. It was more the surprise element that got him a high score, because I never expected him to give me flowers. What was the sudden change of heart?
"They're beautiful, Gokudera." I said as I accepted the bouquet. "Thank you."
"It's nothing…" He muttered before he went back to his seat next to his boss.
"Our turn, Tsuna!" Reborn called out as he jumped on my lap.
"Eeh!? B-B-But I d-don't have a-anything!?" Tsuna sputtered.
"Of course you have." The hitman said as he took out a rolled up document. "You've worked hard to get this and I'm sure Sharon will be proud of you."
"EEH!? YOU'RE GIVING HER THAT!?" Tsuna called out as he fell off the couch.
"Here you go, Sharon." Reborn said as he gave me the scroll.
"Thank you?" I replied with some hesitation. Taking the scroll I removed the red ribbon around it and looked at it. There I saw a big red 64 on the right top corner. Skimming it I saw chemical equations and it hit me. It was Tsuna's science test and he actually scored a 64 out of 100. Looking closer I saw it was the matter that I taught him. Feeling a bubbling sensation going through my veins i couldn't help to smile broadly.
"A hundred points!" I called out in excitement. Putting Reborn in the sofa I got up and hugged the young brunette, "Well done! I can't help to be proud of you, Tsuna!"
Of course a 64 was still an average score, but for someone who only gets between 0 and 25 points, it was a huge achievement.
"S-S-Sh…." I heard him stammer and I looked at him. His face was bright red and way too late I realized what I had done. Japanese people were not familiar with the Western customs.
"A-A-Agh! H-H-H-Haru won't allow Sharon-san to seduce Tsuna-san with her sexy body!" I heard Haru call out.
"S-Sexy body!?" I called out as I looked at the girl. Seeing her also having a crimson face I started to laugh. "Haru-chan has a sexy body herself, you know?"
"H-H-Haru w-won't g-get d-deceived!"
Glancing at the girl next to her we shared a soft laugh.
"Mhm… I heard Sharon and sexy body." I heard Alicia muse. "Dino~ Could you translate it for us?"
Glancing to the other side I saw Dino translating it with a shade of red and the redhead started to giggle.
"My bad, Tsuna." I smiled wryly as I let him go, but I doubted he heard me. From the looks of it he lost his soul somewhere.
Looking at the bomber I apologized as I placed the brunette next to him and turned around to the laughing redhead.
"You're quite popular, aren't you?" She giggled.
"Well… I guess people just flock around me." I replied laconically as I put my hands on my hips.
"Pfft! You really don't change, do you? Rob, present the present!"
"I really think you should stop drinking, Alicia." Roberto sighed as he took a shopping bag from behind the couch. "Here you go, Sharon, a present from the four of us."
Taking the bag I looked in it and I saw a white and black fabric. Taking out the white fabric I saw it was actually a dress shirt and a dress pants. Taking out the black fabric I saw it was a dress vest and matching necktie. The image that formed in my mind was just like a female Mafiosa, the only thing I missed was a fedora.
Smiling at the image I put on the shirt over my dress and buttoned it up. Next I wore the vest and loosely tied the necktie. Going to a nearby mirror I looked myself and I smiled widely, "Oh my goodness, this looks awesome." I called out. "Only if I ignore the dress underneath it though."
"And as a finishing touch, my present." Ethan said as he put a black fedora with a grey ribbon on my head. "I bought it in the city yesterday. Thought you would like it."
Retouching the hat I looked myself in the mirror. It was classy, formal and I totally loved it. Perhaps the guys just did it for fun because of my connection with the mafia, but I still loved it.
"Thank you so much!" I cried out happily as I hugged the first person next to me, which was Ethan, then Roberto, Luke, James and lastly Alicia. "Whose idea was it to buy this?"
"Well… we all had this idea and James said you really like suits." Roberto said with a smile.
"We all put some money in it and Alicia bought it." Luke added. "You don't want to know the price."
"I don't wanna know." I laughed. "Please spare me that."
"So, also hundred points?" I heard Reborn say.
"Right… a score…" I muttered. "But then we have two groups of winners… Is that even possible?"
"Anything is possible." The hitman replied smugly. "Dino hasn't given you his present yet."
"Ack! It's fine, Reborn." Dino replied nervously. "I'll give it to her later."
"It's fine, Reborn." I smiled as I undressed myself from the vest and shirt. "Truth to be told I don't like the pointing system because each present is a present and it's the thought that counts. And thank you for translating, Gokudera."
"A-Ack! I only did it because Tenth doesn't understand English!" The bomber defended himself in English. Apparently Tsuna woke up from his little coma while I was dressing up.
"But I still thank you for it. It just says you're really smart."
"Hmfp. I don't need your praises."
"Tenth is…?" Luke asked.
"The boy with the brown spiky hair." I replied with a smile. "Currently he's the rightful successor to the family business."
"He's your relative?"
"Distant relative. It seems we have the same ancestor."
"Ho… So he is…?" James mused.
"He is."
"I don't follow you guys…" Ethan sulked. "Could you explain it to me?"
"Well, the boy sitting in the middle has the right to take over the corporation." I explained. "My grandfather and his external advisor decided on that a year ago. Back then I was still… MIA, if you know what I mean."
"I see… He's quite young though."
"EEEEH!?" Tsuna suddenly called out. "W-W-Wait a minute, Sharon-san!"
Jumping at the sudden yell I snapped back my neck to the brunette, "W-What's the matter, Tsuna?" I questioned in Japanese.
His eyes wavered and looked into the direction of the two girls who were playing with the children. Getting the hint I motioned for him to follow me, "We'll be right back." I said as I walked towards the exit.
When I heard Tsuna said the same thing in his mother language I walked out the door and waited for him to follow. Looking for a place to talk I scanned the area, downstairs was the party and the other rooms were occupied by the guests. The floor above were the lounge and other recreational rooms and the floor above that were the offices.
"Let's go for a walk." I said when Tsuna came out of the room. The brunette was also wearing a suit and an orange dress shirt. It looked good on the young Don.
"W-Where are we going?" He asked when we started to walk to the B-wing.
"To the roof, residents and personal guests only are allowed to come and go there. I need some fresh air."
We walked in silence through the corridors to the B-wing. The red carpet muted the clacking sound of my heels, making the silence uncomfortable. Upon arrival at the corridor connecting to the B-building I saw two unfamiliar men in black. But they saluted when they saw us and made way for us. After going up two floors I decided to break the silence.
"How have you been? Are your injuries healed yet?"
"Ah… Yes, the wounds are healed already." The brunette answered, slightly surprised at the sudden question. "And I manage I think."
"That's good to hear." I smiled. "How is your mom?"
"She's fine, she does say she misses your company at home and the kids miss you too. You suddenly left without saying anything."
"I'm sorry. After your battle I fainted and I was brought to a hospital in a different town and I had to leave the same night when I regained consciousness."
"Un. I heard from Dino-san. I was really worried after that… and I heard Xanxus still hasn't woken up yet."
"Well, it takes a few months to recover from a punctured lung, unless Dr. Shamal treats him. "I mean, thanks to him I was fully healed in less than twenty hours."
"Ah! How are your injuries, Sharon-san?"
"I'm fully healed, except for some new blisters because of these shoes." I laughed.
"Ano… Sharon-san?"
"Hm?"
"Gokudera said that you told your friends that I am the rightful successor, why did you tell them that?"
"Because it's true, right?" I answered as I opened the door to the roof terrace. Feeling the chilly wind on my skin I walked to one end of the fence. The lights in the garden illuminated beautifully in the dark. It was also then that I felt something on my head; apparently I still had the fedora on Ethan gifted me. Smiling at my own forgetfulness I took off my shoes and leaned on the fence to enjoy the night scenery.
"I don't want to become the next boss." I heard Tsuna say. "I thought you already knew that."
"I do, Tsuna. I do." I replied. "We also made a promise to complain to my grandfather and your father."
"That's right! So why did you say that?"
"Because I feel you'll become a splendid boss, Tsuna." I said as I turned my head to look him in the eye.
"But!"
"Could you hear me out for a second?" I interrupted. And after a small nod I continued. "You saw me, right? I pulled the trigger without a second thought when I was in Hyper Mode. The truth is that I didn't know that I entered that state; I only heard the news from grandfather a few days ago. I haven't really thought about it, but what if I lost control again while in Hyper Mode. The only thing I remember clearly is that I didn't care anymore and after that something just snapped inside my head and it was like I was going on pure instinct. It was like I was on auto-pilot. I'm afraid I'll hurt innocent bystanders."
"But even if you don't go into Hyper Mode, you're still better at fighting than me. You also make the right decisions in a tight situation and you're smarter than I am. No matter how you look at it, you are far better than I am! I'm… I'm just dame Tsuna…"
"Don't call yourself no-good, Tsuna. Because you are not." I said as I walked over. Holding his arms in a gently way I lowered myself to look at him at eyelevel. "The only reason why I'm better at those things is because I have more experience. You're only fourteen and it's been only a year since you met Reborn. You'll become a lot better with time."
Seeing his dejected face I smiled softly, "What about your friends? I know you didn't choose to fight, but you and your friends put your lives on the line for those rings. Are you going to abandon their will?"
"I think they will understand if we talked about it!" Tsuna called out. "I really, really don't want to join the mafia."
Letting out a sigh I let go of him and leaned back on the fence.
"I understand, Tsuna. The mafia is scary, but you can't really back off now."
"W-What do you mean?"
"You already know far too many people related to the mafia and I don't think Xanxus will forgive you. I mean, you beat him in a match and then you flee. I think my mad uncle will hunt you down and… finish you off if he's in a bad mood…"
"HIEEEE! Don't say such ominous things, Sharon-san!" The brunette cried out in horror. "Nonononono! My life will be a disaster!"
Chuckling at the sight I heard the beeping sound of my phone, indicated that I had received a text message. Taking it out my pouch I saw it was Rei; saying that I had to return to the ballroom. Letting out sigh I put on the stilettos again.
"Let's go, Tsuna." I said as I walked to the door. "I need to go back to the party and I don't want you to get lost."
A/N: Too. Many. Characters. In. One. Place. ._.; Perhaps putting them all together was a bad idea, but it wouldn't be a party otherwise... So yeah... language barriers are fun, no? ;D
Review replies
Allykrau: Lol, it's fine x] No need for soap, glad you liked the fan service!
L's Cappuccino: Hehe, glad you liked it ^^
Guest: Thank you for reading and reviewing! I hope you enjoyed this chapter too.
Viviene001: I wanted to post the chapter earlier [after DinoxSharon moment] but after I saw the 50k views it got a little delayed lol!
ShinigamiinPeru: Thank you for reading! But I do hope you didn't read the whole thing in one go... According to microsoft word it's over 500 pages lol! I know my grammar is horrible, but I still thank you for reading Fate is sure twisted! As for TsunaxSharon, I think they would be more like brother and sister lol!
Prince: For some reason the frothing reminds of a guy in Avatar: the last airbender [and that's a good thing lol!] And at this stage I think Dino sees everyone as his love rival. But that for the next chapter ;D As for the crossover with Detective Conan, maybe I'll write a special story for it. Maybe DinoxSharonxDetective Boys somewhere in Beika city?
Thank you very much for reading and let's go to the next milestone of... 200 reviews? Please share your thoughts how to celebrate it!