The Varia left the Vongola headquarters. Nono was happy with his decision in letting Elizabeth be taken in by the Varia. He was a little surprised in how quickly Shiori acted. She must have saw herself in Elizabeth. They can heal together.

"When you suggested the idea of the Varia to watch Elizabeth, I was against it. When I saw Shiori, I definitely didn't want Elizabeth around her. Yet…"

"I know what you mean, friend. Shiori is definitely the right person to be with Elizabeth. Plus, the Varia only listens to her."

"Why isn't she boss?"

"Despite having all the qualities of a perfect leader, she wouldn't want it. Plus, my son would throw a tantrum."

"I'm surprised he listened to her."

"It's part of her charm. Anyway, why not take care of Elizabeth yourself? She is your granddaughter." The elderly man sighed heavily.

"You see, I'm under surveillance. I believe my other children are aiming to kill me to take the family over. My son would have taken over but he was killed."

"Will they attack Elizabeth?"

"I'm not sure. Just know if I do die, it was no accident. Cut ties with my family. Do anything to keep yourself and the Vongola safe."

"I will, old friend. And Elizabeth?"

"Please look after her."

"You have nothing to worry about. Shiori is one of the strongest in the family. She'll no doubt protect Elizabeth."

"I'm aware. I saw the livestream. She seemed like the devil incarnate."

"That is the fruit of her training."

When we got home, I put Elizabeth in my bed and quietly packed up a few things of mine. She was snoring loudly. This must be her first time sleeping so deeply since her parents were killed. Was she scared of her family? Chen walked in my room.

"I sensed you needed me."

"I hardly doubt you sensed it rather than watching my face. Get me all information on the Bonilla family."

"Sure thing, boss. I'll get it right away." She left and was soon replaced with Squalo.

"Did you need something?" I asked.

"I came to help you move some of your things."

"You didn't need to do that." He looked at Elizabeth.

"Are you fine with watching her?" He asked.

"I am. In a lot of ways, she reminds me of myself when I was her age. She can't fool me like she can everyone else."

"We were surprised. None of us thought she was sad. She was just staring at you with either a blank expression or curiosity. I'm not sure. I was never much of a kid person."

"I guess there are some good things about my presence. Do you think me being Tamamo is a bad thing?"

"No. It's part of who you are. We wouldn't want you any different. Just know we're still watching your back. You were targeted because of that and you might be targeted again."

"Thank you, Squalo. I think…it's time to come to terms with it honestly. It's been hanging on my mind for a bit. I kept thinking about what I had in common with the myth."

"Did you find anything out?" I stopped packing.

"We're practically the same. I wonder if the myth is really a myth. Maybe my family descended from a myth."

"That sounds crazy." Squalo started helping me pack.

"Not really. When I went to China, I met Chen's family. They only referred to me as the fox. They come from a long line of monks too, so I don't think it's too far off. Plus, that was the first time I've met them."

"Hypothetically, let's say you are a descendent from Tamamo. Does that change anything?"

"Not really. I think it gives my mind peace." We walked out of my room and went towards Xanxus'.

"Is there a way to even tell if you really are Tamamo?"

"Maybe some weird spiritual ceremony? I don't know. My grandparents might know. They're weird."

"Weird is an understatement. Who even thinks of poisoning their own granddaughter?" We walked in and saw Xanxus moving his things.

"It's crazy but I can't be poisoned by most poisons. Isn't that great?"

"Are you talking about your crazy grandmother again?" Xanxus asked.

"Sort of."

"Shiori thinks she might be a descendent of Tamamo." He looked at me with a confused, twisted expression.

"Shiori…"

"You never know?" He stopped himself from sighing.

"The dresser on the left is yours."

"I don't need all that room. I don't even have that much."

"Just fill what you can." He went to his desk and looked at paperwork he missed while recovering. I filled my clothes in the dresser before going back for more.

"The boss thinks you're crazy."

"Think about it. We can wield flames of elements. I don't think myths and spirits are too off from the weird spectrum." Squalo stopped what he was doing and thought about it that way.

"When you put it that way, I see your point. You might be onto something. Anyway, let's do things one step at a time."

After ten minutes, we were just about done bringing everything to Xanxus' room. Well, it's my room now too. Elizabeth sat up quickly with tears running down her face. I went to her side, sitting on the bed to be at her level.

"Nightmare?" She nodded before crawling onto my lap. Her shaking arms grabbed onto me to stabilize herself. Soon, the shaking stopped.

"I miss them."

"Do you want to talk about the nightmare?" Squalo kept packing my things quietly to not make a scene. The last thing he wanted to do was scare her.

"I saw them get killed again." I gently rubbed her back as she lifelessly told me in graphic detail what happened to her parents. "My family is abandoning me. No one wants me. I'm alone."

"You don't know that."

"I do. I'm like grandpa. I can connect my mind to others." Squalo and I looked at Elizabeth with shock. Why were we not aware of that?

"Does anyone know?" I asked.

"No. Grandpa said he hates his ability. I hate it too, but I can't read your mind. My head is quiet when I'm with you."

"What does it feel like to read minds?" She hummed before letting out a tired yawn. She stopped hugging me and looked me in the eyes.

"It feels like I'm getting a fever but goes away after I stop."

"Do you do it without thinking?" She shook her head.

"I can control it."

"What do you do with it?"

"I only use it to see what everyone thinks about me."

"Let's get something to eat. I'm sure you're hungry after that nightmare. I'll even give you my special tea." I quickly changed the subject to something a lot more lighthearted and digestible.

"Special tea? I don't like tea."

"It's special for a reason, Elizabeth. You just have to try it out. Everyone loves it."

"O-okay. Can you carry me?"

"Of course." I stood up with her in my arms. She hugged my shoulders and nestled her head on my shoulder. I gave Squalo a look. He needed to tell Nono right away. This might change this simple mission. I went to the kitchen and had Elizabeth stay by my side. "Pasta, right?" She nodded.

First, I put some milk in a pot with honey, cinnamon, and a small amount of black tea. Syoko would make this for me all the time when I went to see her as a kid. It was also the first thing she made for me after I woke up in the hospital.

"What kind of pasta would you like?"

"Anything." I didn't know a lot of Italian recipes and the ones I did know didn't involve pasta. I should probably learn.

"How about Japanese pasta?" She tilted her head.

"Japan has pasta too?"

"It sure does. How about a soup with pasta?"

"That sounds weird but I'll try it. Do you not know how to make regular pasta?"

"I don't really know much about Italian food." I decided a simple udon soup would be just fine. Elizabeth watched me as I made everything. Xanxus walked into the kitchen to see what I was doing. "Do you want some?" He nodded and went to sit at the table.

"He doesn't like to talk much, huh."

"It depends on his mood. He only talks when he feels like it." I got out all the bowls and silverware I'd need.

"He doesn't look like he'd ever be happy."

"He's happy sometimes."

"Really?"

I put the soup into bowls and then put the cooked beef and green onion on top. I made sure Xanxus had extra beef since a regular bowl wouldn't fill him. I put everything on a tray and walked to the dining room. Elizabeth sat down with a chair between her and Xanxus. I put the food down in front of them.

"What about your special tea?" Elizabeth asked.

"I'll go get it. I was waiting for it to cool off."

In the short amount of time it took me to get the cup of tea for Elizabeth, I came back to see her and Xanxus in a staring competition. I watched them from afar to see if anything else would happen. Elizabeth's glare was starting to turn into a pout.

"You're no fun." She spoke firmly. I'm surprised she hasn't learned that some people in the mafia aren't fun. They aren't supposed to be.

"I'm not supposed to be fun."

"But you can be on your day off." And there's the flawless logic of a seven-year-old.

"I don't have days off."

"Then, do you have vacations?"

"Once a year."

"No wonder you're angry all the time." I bit my lip to stop myself from laughing. This was more wholesome than I imagined. I thought Xanxus would have ignored her. "Why aren't you eating?" She asked.

"Why aren't you?"

"I don't know how to eat this." She probed the noodles with her fork. "How do you eat this?" She asked with curiosity.

"Like this." Xanxus picked up a noddle with his chopsticks and ate it.

"What is that?"

"Chopsticks."

"Why do you use them instead of a fork?"

"You use chopsticks to eat Japanese food."

"Really? Can I try?"

"Another time."

I walked over and set the tea down in front of Elizabeth. "Here's your tea."

"Thank you." She took a sip of the tea without hesitation. Her eyes widened. "This is amazing!"

"I told you it was special." I took my chopsticks and cut her noodles up in small enough pieces for her to eat. "Now you can eat." She stabbed a noddle and ate it. "How is it?" I asked.

"It's really good. It's different than Italian pasta." The three of us started eating. I noticed how some people would walk by and stop to stare for a split second before being scared away.

"It tastes different." Xanxus commented.

"I couldn't find any of the ingredients to make a fish broth. Plus, it would have taken at least an hour. I'll make it better next time."

"It's still good."

Elizabeth was the first one done and looked right at me. "I want to play."

"Can I finish eating first?"

"I'll watch her for you." Levi said as he walked in.

"Are you sure?" I asked.

"I'm sure." Elizabeth jumped up from her seat and ran to Levi with a huge smile.

"Let's play ball!" The two left. I didn't think Levi would be too good with kids. In fact, the only one I thought would be somewhat decent to kids is Lussuria. The rest would terrify them.

"Can we talk after?" I questioned.

"I have time."

After eating, a maid came by and picked everything up for us. We went to our room instead of the office. He laid on the bed with a sigh. I could tell his back was tense from the work he's been doing. "What did you want to talk about?"

"It's about Elizabeth."

"What about her?"

"It's more specifically her abilities. Apparently, she can connect to other people's minds." He sat up and stared with surprised.

"Why weren't we told?"

"No one knows. Her grandfather has the same ability. I'm sure Squalo called Nono about it. Depending on what he tells us will depend on what'll happen."

"So, she can read minds."

"She said she can't read mine. She's only used it to see what others think of her. At least, that's what she told me."

"Do you think she could be an enemy?" I sat onto the bed since I was tired from standing.

"My guard isn't up because of her. It's her family that I'm unsure of."

"Do you think they'll try to kill her?"

"They might. She told me how her parents were killed and I'm suspicious about the whole thing. It doesn't sound like an assassin went and killed them. It was sloppy work in my opinion. I'm having Chen look into her family."

"What are you thinking?" I leaned backwards to use his back as a pillow.

"It may have been one of Elizabeth's aunts or uncles. It could also be an assassin, but that doesn't seem too plausible."

"Why?"

"The Bonilla family is an ally to Vongola. An enemy wouldn't have gotten a sloppy assassin for the job. Sure, the Bonilla isn't the strongest ally we have, but they're still an ally. From what I was told, it sounds like someone who has never killed before did it. I think if I saw the bodies I could tell." I felt his muscles tense beneath my head. "Are you alright?" I sat up.

"My back is sore."

"Do you want me to massage it for you?"

"Please."

When Elizabeth came inside from playing an hour later, I helped her give herself a shower. "Did you have fun?"

"Yeah! Levi is really fun to play with. Bel even played with me too."

"Really? What did you all play?"

"We played ball and hide and go seek. Then, Bel taught me a fun game!"

"What game?"

"Poke the weak spot." My eye twitched. "I had to take one of Bel's toys and poke Levi with them. He's really fast." I'll have to talk to Bel later. Even though she is mafia, she shouldn't try to hurt any of us for fun.

"I'm glad you had fun." I took her out of the bath and dried her off. She dressed herself before running to the bed. She jumped and landed face first onto the pillows. She giggled and got under the covers.

"Comfortable?"

"I am! Your bed is really comfortable."

"I'm glad you think so."

"Where are you going to sleep?"

"I have another bed somewhere else."

"Where?" She asked anxiously. She just wanted to know where I was for security.

"I'm next door if you need me. Do you want anything before I leave?" She shyly pulled the covers up over her nose.

"Even if it's weird?"

"What could be that weird?"

"Can I…get a good night kiss?" She muttered quietly.

"That isn't weird at all." I bent down and kissed her forehead.

"Good night, Elizabeth."

"Good night, mama." That took the two of us by surprise. It must have been a slip of the tongue. I gave her a reassuring smile before leaving the room.

I went to take a shower. I didn't realize how tired I was. When I got out, Xanxus was already in bed sleeping. He's been stressed from all the work he's missed. I would have helped if I didn't have my own huge stack of work I needed to get through. I got into bed, trying not to wake him up. When I was settled in, Xanxus moved and wrapped his arm around me.

"I thought you were sleeping."

"Go to bed." He pulled me closer to him and squeezed.

"Are you alright?"

"Stressed."

"And using me as a stress ball is your answer?"

"You haven't complained yet." He retorted.

"I haven't complained because you don't squeeze me this tightly."

"Does it hurt?"

"It's a little uncomfortable." He let go completely with a heavy sigh.

"That doesn't mean you have to let go. Is there something else bothering you, Xanxus?" He sat up and held his head.

"I don't know what's wrong with me. I feel unstable." I sat up and stared right at him. When I felt unstable, he gave me his flame. Was he feeling the same? I crawled onto his lap facing him and hugged him tightly. "Shiori?"

"Is this helping?"

"I don't know."

"Then, I'll stay like this until you know if it's helping."

"You don't need to do this."

"I do." He stayed quiet and hugged my waist. Slowly, he laid back down with me on top of him.

"Just a bit more."

The mansion was deadly quiet when morning came. It was almost too quiet for Squalo's liking. He went to check up on Elizabeth and saw she wasn't in bed. He knocked on the bathroom door and no response. He looked in but she was still missing. The window was closed and locked. So, she wasn't kidnapped. Did she try to find Shiori? He went to Xanxus' and Shiori's room and knocked. When no answer came, he slowly opened the door, fully prepared to shut it if anything was happening. He saw blonde hair and knew he found Elizabeth. Xanxus would not be happy. Squalo walked over and saw Shiori coddling Xanxus while Elizabeth hugged Shiori on the other side. They looked like a family. Squalo stopped himself from thinking any further. Nono must be getting to him. Still, it was a cute scene. He quietly left and went to the office to prepare Xanxus for the day. He was almost caught up with his work. Squalo will try to force Xanxus to take a break after. It'll be good for him. Squalo looked at Shiori's work and noticed it was also dwindling. That was good. Shiori would be the only one to convince that stubborn man to step away from work.

When I woke up, I could hear quiet giggles and an annoyed grunt. "You woke her up." Xanxus said. Who was he talking to?

"I didn't mean to." What was Elizabeth doing here? I fully opened my eyes and felt Xanxus' hug tighten. "No fair!" Elizabeth squeezed my waist from behind with all her might. Why were they having a competition this early in the morning? I couldn't even try to get up. So, I stayed there and took it. About five minutes later, Elizabeth let go and sat up. "I'm hungry and something smells good downstairs. Do you think they're making pancakes?"

"You never know until you go down." I said softly.

"If you want pancakes, just ask." Xanxus said.

"I'm going to get dressed! I'll be back!" She ran out of the room and slammed the door shut.

"Why was she in here?"

"She had a nightmare."

"And I didn't get woken up?"

"The second she found you, she calmed down. She was calling you 'mama'."

"She called me that last night before she went to bed." His arms tightened. "Are you feeling better?"

"I am."

"Good." The door opened.

"I'm back!" Elizabeth exclaimed from the doorway.

"Why don't you go downstairs and wait? I'm sure Levi and Bel are there."

"Maybe we can play a game before breakfast. You better be there soon, mama." She ran out with her arms out like an airplane.

"She's really cute." I mused with a smile.

"You don't mind her calling you that?"

"I don't. I used to call Syoko that all the time. If you embarrass a kid when they do that, all you're doing is destroying their confidence and making them self-conscious about everything they do."

Elizabeth ran downstairs and crashed into Levi. "Good morning!" She shouted happily.

"Good morning, Elizabeth. Did you sleep well?" Levi greeted.

"I had a nightmare, but it's okay. I found mama."

"Mama?" The Varia questioned.

"Yeah! She was sleeping with Xanxus. By the way, if they're married, why were they sleeping in separate rooms?" The entire room went quiet.

"They're not married." Levi said.

"But my mommy said to only sleep with your husband. Is…" Her cheeks became red. She let out a gasp. "They're engaged!"

"They're not."

"Dating?"

"No."

"Courting!"

"No." She looked genuinely lost and confused. They weren't good with explaining things to kids. Squalo saw Shiori and panicked but felt thankful at the same time. She'll stop this before Xanxus comes down to hear. "Mama!"

"Yes?"

"Are you and Xanxus married, engaged, or dating?"

"No."

"Why are you sleeping with him?" Shiori got to her level and smiled.

"You don't need to be any of those things to sleep with someone."

"But…"

"Your mommy is still right. But do you know what you need before any of that?"

"Permission." Shiori couldn't help but laugh. It lightened the mood of the room.

"That too, but you need trust."

"Trust? Like how I trust the Varia to keep me safe?"

"Exactly."

"So, does that mean you're going to date and then get engaged and then get married?"

"Didn't you want pancakes?" Xanxus asked from the door.

"Pancakes!"

"Is that what you wanted? How about you come help me make them." Lussuria suggested.

"Really?!" The two went into the kitchen. Shiori stood up and stretched.

"Seven-year-old logic really is cut throat." She said before sitting down. Xanxus sat at the head of the table next to Shiori. She was clearly tired.

"Did you even get any sleep?" Mammon asked.

"I did. I'm just tired."

"Did you use your flame?" Mammon asked.

"I might have without knowing."

"No wonder you look terrible. You'll have to take it easy. No fighting or anything strenuous. Be lucky I'm allowing you to do desk work." Mammon scolded.

"Got it."

Xanxus just stared at her with a slight glare. There was no malice behind it. If anything, he was just annoyed. That was their dynamic. One did something stupid and the other gets annoyed. It was peaceful. Lussuria came back out with a stack of pancakes twenty minutes later. Maids came out behind them with other food. Xanxus made Shiori's plate since she wasn't budging.

"Can you eat all that?" Elizabeth asked her.

"I can."

"But Lussuria said that you give a lot of food to people you love." Oh no. Xanxus took a salt shaker.

"Remember how you said I don't have fun?" He asked Elizabeth.

"Yeah."

"I lied. This is how I have fun." He threw it right at Lussuria's head. He screamed before ducking.

"I'm sorry, boss!"

"Oh! It's like the game Bel taught me!" She picked up another salt shaker and threw it at Lussuria. This time, it hit. Shiori slammed the table with her fist.

"No violence at the table. Got it?"

"Y-yes, mama."

"Yes, ma'am."