It was completely quiet in the Varia mansion. Xanxus was fiddling with the photo Yuko gave him with a cup of whiskey on his desk. He never heard Shiori sound like that. It broke him, made him completely numb. He couldn't be there to help her. Xanxus' guardians all walked into the office when Shiori was quietly sobbing on the phone. They were all sitting in the office just as quiet. They knew they couldn't be there either. The ring battles were coming up and they had to prepare. Lussuria even had good news about having the design of Shiori's jacket done, but it wasn't brought up. Squalo messaged Dino, but he was unfortunately in Italy. No one from the Vongola was there for Shiori. It would be seen as disrespectful, but they had no choice. They wouldn't get there in time.

"What's in your hand, Lussuria?" Bel asked trying to ease the mood. For being assassins, they weren't the best in these situations. It was mostly because the person that was hurting was Shiori and that hurt them.

"This? It's Shiori's jacket design." Lussuria perked up.

"You got it done that quickly?" Bel replied.

"You know how I am when I get excited." He handed the paper to Bel. Mammon looked over Bel's shoulder. There were two jacket designs. One was similar to the ones they all had on. The other one had skinnier arms and had a cape attached to the shoulders.

"I get the first one, but why a second one?"

"You didn't see the photos of Shiori wearing Squalo's jacket when she helped Nono get money back?"

"There were pictures?" Everyone, including Squalo, asked.

Lussuria had a hard copy of the picture that he kept on hand when designing the jacket. One by one, they all took their time looking at the photo. It was Shiori, but she looked much different than what they remembered. She looked sweet yet this photo turned their image of her upside down. "She looks scary." Levi mentioned.

"You should have seen what she did after." Squalo mentioned with a big smile. The mood was starting to lighten up.

"You didn't tell us anything about what happened."

"Shiori cornered the Tachibana boss like it was nothing. That bastard was using our money to buy human meat at an auction. So, Shiori gave him the option of giving her three of his men, including his right hand man, or turn himself in to the auction. They all turned their guns on her and she ordered them to put them down."

"What's this auction? What happened next?" Lussuria asked on the edge of his seat.

"It was magical. She demanded them to put their guns down in the clearest voice I've ever heard. Nikita's sniper killed one of the men right after Shiori spoke. I've never seen something unplanned be in sync like that. After she took the three men, she knocked out the Tachibana boss and had him join the auction."

"She broke her word." Levi said.

"She can tell how much someone would sell for. Without the Tachibana boss, we wouldn't have gotten our money."

"And Nono let her do this?" Mammon questioned.

"He trusted her and would be behind anything she did."

"If that was us, he'd scold us." Levi said, thinking back to the many times he's been scolded by Nono.

"It all goes back to Nikita."

The car stopped at a building in the middle of nowhere. There were cars lined up. Men and women in black were walking into the building. "Nikita is waiting." Adrian said softly. I got out of the car and noticed how dark the sky was getting. I forgot we were supposed to get rain the next few days. I walked inside and saw all of Nikita's men. To my surprise, Chen was there. Nikita walked over to me from the corner she was standing in. We stood in silence. We both felt pain. Nikita knew Yuko since she was a kid and I've known Yuko for most of my life. The three of us were a family of sorts.

"Let's go."

She led me to the backyard. It was full of graves. If we're going by the rules of Nikita's family, today should be a happy day. The men and women in Nikita's family were people who missed their chance to die. We were all on the verge of death at some point in our lives. Yuko was a street rat that had a bounty on her head by the age of eight in China. She stole and killed people to survive. When the police found her, they left her for dead after beating her severely. She stayed in a random alley with her broken body until Nikita stumbled upon her. Nikita's right hand walked over to us with a box in his hand.

"Thank you." I looked at the wooden box. It was Yuko. I wanted to look away, but Yuko told me when she died, not to. She wanted me to look at her dead corpse and face the pain full on. She'd do it for me. It was the least I could do.

Everyone got out of Nikita's way as she walked up towards the front. There was a hole in the ground. I noticed a small baby in the front. It was peculiar. The sound of thunder brought my attention to the sky. The clouds were getting darker. I looked back at the front. Nikita put a flag over the box. It was a flag that had the family crest on it. Yuko loved the family more than anything. She would give her life in an instant to protect us. Nikita placed Yuko in the ground and soon, she was covered by the earth. Everyone hung their head low. No one spoke a single word. Yuko wasn't a religious person and would always make fun of those who believed in a higher being. She wouldn't want a priest here. One by one, people started to leave. They still had missions to complete. I walked towards the grave as it started to rain. Nikita gave me an umbrella.

"I'll be inside."

"Thank you." I opened the umbrella and crouched down in front of Yuko's grave. I put the umbrella over the grave. "I bet you'd be beyond mad knowing it's raining at your funeral. You always hated everything cliché. You were even confident no one would cry for you too. I'm sorry I cried. I'd like to think you'd cry for me, but that doesn't seem like you." I wanted to cry, but there were no tears to let out. I already cried on the three hour drive here. My eyes still burned. "Can you do me a favor, Yuko? It's my last request. It might be the first request where I don't tell you to stay away. Dad is going to die soon. His body is getting weaker with each passing day. I know you don't believe in anything, but if there is, can you watch him when he passes for me?"

Nikita stared at Shiori through the window of the second story office. She was taking this harder than everyone else. The entire family was used to seeing their loved ones and friends killed. It was just another loss for them. Nikita still felt pain, but it was nothing compared to what Shiori felt.

"Is that Yuko's replacement?" A voice asked. Nikita looked down beside her and saw Fon.

"No."

"Who is she then?"

"You might have heard Yuko go on and on about her. That's Shiori. She's my daughter and Yuko's most precious person."

"That's who Yuko always talked about?"

"I'm surprised you even came to Yuko's funeral. She was only an orphan that you took pity on." Nikita turned her attention back to Shiori.

"I only fed her. My master would have scolded me if I didn't help the poor."

"Yet you got attached to her."

"It's Yuko's charm. She always visited the temple I live in every now and then. She came shortly before she died." Fon put his attention on Shiori. She was holding the umbrella over Yuko's grave. "Shiori doesn't seem like someone that'd be part of your family." Nikita scoffed at Fon's comment. "Am I wrong?" He asked.

"You are. Shiori is like me in every way. She'll be the only one to ever rival me. After all, I taught her what I know."

"How strong is she physically?"

"She's extremely strong. However, her strength is her biggest downfall."

"Why is that?"

"Her flame is killing her."

Fon's eyes widened. This was the first he's ever heard of an active flame user being in Nikita's family. Even Yuko didn't have an active flame. "What flame does she have?"

"I don't know. I'm not that knowledgeable in flames myself. It's because of her flame she became attached to a certain man with red eyes in the Vongola family." Fon knew who Nikita was talking about.

"Xanxus?"

"That's right. She's officially part of the Vongola family. Timoteo already accepted her as one of his own."

"Why did you let her go? You don't like it when your men are taken away from you." Nikita took blew out smoke from her cigar.

"Xanxus did something I could never do or give her."

"What did he do?"

"He's able to calm down her down when she loses control. We've only had to lock her up and let her blow off steam or shoot her with special bullets filled with sleeping agents. Now, it'd be impossible for us to fully control her. The best we could do is subdue her movements."

"Has he hurt her?" Fon was expecting the answer to be 'yes'. Xanxus is not a kind person and wouldn't do anything unless it benefited me.

"No." Fon let out a gasp and looked up at Nikita. From her expression, he knew she wasn't lying.

"Are you sure?"

"I'm sure. Timoteo said they have a good relationship. Their flames can calm each other down just by being in the same room. Apparently, he hasn't thrown a tantrum in a while." Fon couldn't believe it. Xanxus wasn't a kind man. What did Shiori have Xanxus wanted? "Fon."

"Yes?"

"Yuko told me you know flames very well."

"That's correct."

"Can you help Shiori for me? Don't worry about price either. I'll pay anything."

"What do you want me to help Shiori with?" Fon questioned, jumping on the desk behind them.

"I want you to save her from her flame. If she uses it at full capacity, there's a big possibility of it killing her. Timoteo told me Shiori's flame is too powerful for her body to handle. It backfires on her body."

"There's no need to pay me. Yuko came to life because of Shiori. It's the least I can do."

"Thank you, Fon. I guess you got a little more than attached to Yuko." Nikita saw Shiori get up without the umbrella and walk inside. Nikita sat down and took out a box. Both of them were waiting for Shiori. When she came into the room, Shiori looked at Fon and then Nikita.

"You wanted to see me after?"

"I did. Take a seat." Fon noted Shiori's soft voice. It was melodic and made him take an immediately liking to her. When she sat down, Fon could feel how out of sync her flame was. It was chaotic. "This box is for you."

"What is it?" Nikita pushed it in Shiori's direction. Shiori opened it and bit her lip. Fon looked in the box. It was Yuko's guns.

"Why are you giving me these?" I questioned. I could feel my eyes start to burn.

"It was in Yuko's will." I took one of the guns in my hands and started to take it apart. There was something caught in one of the mechanics. The sadness was almost completely replaced by irritation. I put the gun back together and then did the same with the other one. Nikita smiled.

"What's wrong?" She asked, already knowing what happened. I looked up with tears in my eyes.

"That idiot was always too lazy when taking care of her equipment. She probably gave them to me so I could fix them."

"She always did that, didn't she?"

"I'm tempted to shoot her grave with these. Even in death that woman always irritates me some way or another."

"You're crying." Nikita pointed out.

"I can't help it, dammit! She knew everything I went through. She was the one who taught me how to walk again after they broke my legs. If it wasn't for her, I wouldn't even know how to use these." I put the gun back and closed the box.

"I know. Yuko saw herself in you. I do as well. The three of us were discarded by the world and left to die. The past still haunts us. For us, we have a constant reminder every time we look in the mirror."

"I despise it." I spat angrily. I hated the scars I had. I hated the memories that came when I saw them.

"My scars represent how ugly politics and war is. Your scars show how ugly humanity can be."

"I know." I replied softly, knowing Nikita was right.

"Yuko also gave you access to her arsenal if needed. You and I are the only ones who have access."

"I don't have any need for it. I have everything I need in front of me." Nikita smiled.

"You don't have to take anything. It's just there in case. For instance, when you move in with that man, you might find that their weapons aren't up to your standards." I groaned and held my head in my hands.

"I'll notify Xanxus beforehand."

"He might even let you buy whatever weapons you want." I thought about the lingerie. That was mostly from Lussuria, but it was still with Xanxus' money. I wonder what he'd do when he finds out. Who am I kidding? He probably already knows from Lussuria's big mouth. "The scar on your shoulder is starting to show, Shiori. What's wrong?"

"I'm stressed from those idiots and I'm not even living with them yet."

"You'll be in for a big shock."

"Probably. Though, they do seem to be quieter around me. Hopefully, that'll stay the same."

"You can always put them in place." I smiled and nodded.

"I've already put Squalo in place when he was yelling all day."

"Good." I looked at the baby on the table. He reminded me of Mammon and Reborn. "How's your flame control?" Nikita asked me.

"It's okay I guess. I still get tired when I use it. My body will ache if I use too much. I thought you didn't know anything about flames." She looked at the baby.

"I don't, but he does. This is Fon. He used to take care of Yuko when she was a kid before I found her." I bowed in the chair.

"It's nice to meet you, Fon."

"Yuko always talked fondly about."

"I'm sure she told you things I wouldn't want her to say." Fon chuckled with his hand covering his mouth.

"She did." I sighed.

"Yuko always had that bad habit of talking too much."

"She's been like that since she met you." Fon said happily.

"I'm sure. She was my personal stalker for months. If it wasn't for Nikita, she'd still be stalking me and not taking missions. At least she can stalk me as much as she wants now."

"Can you show me your flame?" Fon asked unexpectedly. I looked at my finger and focused until a purple flame showed. "I see you have the cloud flame."

"Mammon already explained everything about flames to me. Timoteo also mentioned how I have the storm flame too, but it merged with my cloud flame." Fon looked from the flame to my face.

"How is that possible?"

"That could have been the big explosion that happened in Tokyo." Nikita suggested.

"That was it. I was on, what I thought were, my final breaths. The pressure in my head kept increasing and then boom. It was like a bomb went off."

"Can you show me what you can do with your flame?" Fon asked with an urgent tone in his voice.

"Sure, but we'd have to go outside. Nikita wouldn't like if I made holes in the wall." She grunted in response.

"Let's go." Fon and I walked outside in the front. I walked in front of a tree. "How do you usually use your flame?" He asked.

"Well, I usually put it on something like a blade. I can apply my flame to bullets which I guess is an advanced technique."

"Use a gun." I took out my gun. I was starting to keep it on me at all times. The chances of being attacked were still high. I fired a normal bullet just to see the damage of the bullet. Then, I used my flame. The bullet impacted itself into the tree and then exploded. It made the top of the tree collapse. I looked at Fon who was staring in awe. He then handed me a twig. "Use this." I shrugged and threw the twig at the already broken tree. Once the twig hit, part of the stump was blown up. "That is amazing. No wonder your body can't handle it." I let out a yawn. "And you're tired after that?"

"I can go longer, but after the day I've had, I'm past exhaustion."

"Shiori."

"Yes?" I looked down at Fon.

"Let me teach you how to use your flame."

"You'll do that?" He nodded.

"I've never seen a flame with your properties before. I'm not sure if I can help you completely, but it will still help your body deal with your flame."

"What will you get out of it? Is Nikita paying you, or do you want me to pay?" He shook his head.

"I don't want any payment. Seeing what your flame can do is enough for me."

"If you say so. I guess I'm in your hands now, Fon."

I went home the next day with Fon and Yuko's guns. Fon was going to move in with me until my flame was under control. It wasn't a big deal since I was alone. Fon had me meditating in the living room most of the day. I was only allowed to stop for food. Other than that, I did nothing. The next day, I went to school. I went early so I didn't run into anyone. Hibari stopped me as I entered the school yard. "You weren't here yesterday."

"You can tell your dad I was at a funeral. It wasn't my father either."

"Who?" He asked with no emotion.

"A friend of mine died. That's all your family needs to know."

"I need a name." I looked around and saw I was the only one around. I pushed myself up against his chest and hugged him.

"You don't need a name, Kyoya. If your father wants to know who died, he'll meet them in hell." Kyoya pushed me away from him with a glare.

"Are you after my father?"

"And if I am? What will you do?"

"I'll kill you." I tilted my head.

"What makes you think you can kill me?"

"You're weak like all the other herbivores." I giggled and put my hands behind my back.

"That's what I made you see." I narrowed my eyes and stopped smiling. "Don't get too cocky, Kyoya. Your family's idiotic ideology will crumble soon enough and I'll be the one to destroy it." I wasn't in the mood to keep up my innocent act. I was exhausted.

"You…"

"I know your father is listening. Do you think I wouldn't be able to see that wire? Don't make me laugh." Kyoya took a step back. "There's nothing you can do to hurt me. I will not break."

"Ah! Hibari!" I heard Tsuna's voice. He ran up to us and pushed me behind him. "Whatever she did, don't hurt her!" Hibari just stared at Tsuna.

"He isn't punishing me, Tsuna. He's just wondering why I wasn't here yesterday." I put a hand on Tsuna's shoulder, glaring at Kyoya with a smirk. He made a noise before leaving. Tsuna let out a big sigh of relief.

"I thought he was going to hurt you."

"Why would he? I haven't broken any rules."

"I was just worried. You never know with Hibari. He's really violent. You should stay clear of him and make sure not to get on his bad side." I smiled brightly at Tsuna. He was so adorable, so easy to manipulate.

"I'll keep that in mind. Thank you, Tsuna."

"Are you feeling better?" Tsuna asked me out of the blue while we walked to class.

"I'm feeling a lot better. I'm guessing Gokudera said something."

"He did. He was really worried about you."

"I'm fine now. My friend's uncle was the one that told me the news and brought me to the funeral. It was unexpected. I haven't cried that much in years, but her mom comforted me."

"I'm glad you're better." Tsuna would believe anything I tell him. He, Gokudera, and Yamamoto were wrapped around my little finger. I'm a professional liar. If I couldn't tell an efficient lie, I wouldn't be able to assassinate as well as I can.

In the classroom, Gokudera walked over to us. "Are you feeling better, Shiori?"

"I am. Thank you for your concern, Gokudera."

"Did Kanade go with you?" He asked. I didn't like how persistent he was about Kanade. She wasn't his concern.

"She didn't, but I was on the phone with her all the way to the funeral."

"Why didn't she go? She's your girlfriend, right? Shouldn't she have been there for you?"

"The funeral was three hours away. It'd take six hours for her to even get to the town I was in. It'd be a waste of money for her." Gokudera looked at the floor.

"I would have been there for you." He said in a quiet, defeated voice. He still had a major crush on me. Tsuna looked at me to see how I'd react. Thankfully, the teacher walked in and had us sit. Throughout the day, Gokudera kept looking at me. It was uncomfortable. He'll find out about it sooner or later, but I didn't want to be confronted anytime soon. It'll be a headache and a half. If Xanxus and the rest were to find out, Gokudera would be dead on the spot. On one hand, it'd get him out of my hair. On the other hand, Nikita would scold me for having an innocent kid killed. I'll see how much he annoys me in the future. I can handle another scolding from Nikita. When school ended, I wanted to go straight home. However, Gokudera followed like the love sick puppy he was. I couldn't go home with him on my trail. His presence was suffocating. I turned and saw him sulking behind me.

"Why are you following me?"

"Can we talk?"