When I went to bed, I snuggled into the pillows. Even though everything was soft and comfortable, I felt empty. This was my home now. This would be my new normal. I hugged one of the smaller pillows. My mind kept racing about everything. The work, the parities, the danger, it all came to me. Did I really do the right thing? What would dad say to me at a time like this? What would Yuko do? I sighed and sat up. The room was lit from the moonlight. I walked to the window and looked up at the sky. I was really high up. Everything below looked small from my room while everything above still seemed unreachable. The stars made me feel better. There was a soft knock from the other side of the room. I could tell it was Xanxus. I turned as he entered, holding the small pillow to my chest.

"Is everything alright?" I asked. He closed the door before walking to me.

"I should ask you the same thing. You good?"

"Not really." I admitted and looked back at the stars.

"Is it your dad?" I nodded.

"I think everything is just settling in. I'm starting to process it."

"I knew going to that place would be too much." He said quietly with regret.

"It's not that. The things I feel from that place is different than the pain I'm feeling right now. It hurts to lose people. Nikita drilled into my mind as a kid that everyone will die. Yet, it still hurts when it happens. Why did they have to die like that?"

"Your dad was strong." I looked up at him. How would he know? "He had a lot of inner strength that he never showed you. Squalo told me. When he and your egg donor were fighting, his back was straight like a warrior. Even his eyes showed the same fire as yours. You really take after him."

"You think so?"

"I do." I hugged the pillow even tighter. "It's because of him you were strong enough to survive the Tokyo incident."

"I guess it was."

"You had to have gotten your strength from somewhere and I refuse to believe you got it from that bitch."

"I doubt that too. Mom…that woman was never strong in any way." I wondered how she was doing. Would she forget me and dad?

"You don't need her, Shiori. You only need us now."

"Even if I want to be a crybaby?" He nodded. "Even if you're angry at me?"

"You don't anger me. You only piss me off when you run away."

"Isn't that the same thing?"

"No." I chuckled soundlessly. Just talking to him made me feel better. "Just know you're wanted here. This is your home as much as it is ours. You also don't need to be strong all the time."

"I know."

"Good. Now, go to bed."

"I will." I was expecting him to leave, but he got into my bed. "Xanxus?"

"Bed. That's an order."

"Y-yes, boss."

Squalo got a new request from Nono the next day. It was an easy mission so they wouldn't need to bring Shiori along. He went into the office and Xanxus wasn't there. Did he oversleep? He went to his room and barged right in. Just as he was about to yell, he noticed how empty the room was.

"Where did he go now?" He went downstairs and didn't see Xanxus. "Levi, you seen the boss around?"

"No. I was looking for him too and couldn't find him." Soon, the rest of the Varia joined together.

"So, boss is missing?" Bel asked.

"Correct." Lussuria hummed, looking at everyone before coming to a conclusion.

"I think I know where he is."

"Where?"

"Shiori's room!" Squalo wanted to kick himself. He forgot she was here. He also forgot how Xanxus has a bad habit of not sleeping in his own bed when Shiori was nearby.

"That shitty boss."

"You worry too much, Squalo. Let them have quality time."

"We have a mission!" Squalo stomped upstairs and quietly went into her room. He really didn't want to anger Shiori. Like Lussuria predicted, Xanxus was in her room. He was sitting on the side of her bed staring at her. "You look creepy."

Xanxus turned to Squalo. "What do you want?"

"We have a mission request."

"Do what you like with it."

"Mission?" Shiori's tired voice called out. She sat up with tired red eyes. She must have been crying all night.

"Yeah, but you're not going on it."

"That's fine with me. I'm too exhausted."

"I can see. I'll tell one of the maids to bring you food. You should focus on resting." Squalo nagged like a loving brother.

"I planned on it. Even my body is aching. I felt like I fought last night."

"Your flame was out of control last night. It still has an effect on you." Mammon said as he hovered into the room.

"I thought I got over it." She whined in a soft, high-pitched voice. Sleepy Shiori was definitely something else.

"You can't get over it. You need training. I called Fon to come over but he's still stuck in Japan for another job. The two of us will help your body learn to cope when we have time."

"Can I keep resting for today?"

"That would be the most ideal. Us tiring your flame and body will only cause you more trouble." She whined again before going under the covers.

"W-will she be fine?" Squalo whispered to Xanxus.

"I'm staying with her so she'll be just fine." Squalo left the room and joined with everyone else.

"Well?"

"He was there." Lussuria started gushing.

"It's not what you're thinking. Her flame was all over the place last night. She looked rough, as if she was crying all night."

"No wonder boss slept with her." Bel mused.

"I'll make her favorite breakfast and tea to help her."

"Make it and let a maid take care of the delivery. You're going on the mission."

The next time I woke up, there was a lot of food on a table next to my bed. Xanxus was still here eating. I sat up and got closer. I was hungry. There was a large array of food. It was fresh too. It smelt more delicious up close. Xanxus held out a roll to me without taking his eyes off his own food. I took a bite of the soft roll. It easily tore and tasted like buttery heaven.

"Good?"

"It's delicious." I sat next to him and dug in. Everything tasted amazing. "Who made this?"

"Lussuria told our chefs your favorite foods." I didn't answer as I kept eating. He looked at me and then back at the food.

"So, when is the party?"

"You're worried about that?"

"A little."

"The only good thing is the food."

"Really?"

"It's mostly small appetizers so you'll have to eat before you go."

"That's good to know. Who usually goes?"

"As many people as they can fit in the place." I had a bad feeling about this. "And with people wanting to know what you look like, more people will come this year."

"I'm not that special."

"You are. No one I know would sell someone on the black market." I let out a small giggle. I guess it wasn't a common thing to do. "Don't worry about the people. You'll have us protecting you."

"Despite being happy to hear that, it doesn't really ease my anxiety."

"If it's too much, I'll bring you home. Squalo can do everything himself."

Lussuria came back a few days later. The party was getting closer. "Come with me, Shiori. We're going dress shopping." My face paled at the table. We had just gotten done eating breakfast. "I'm glad you're excited. I had a designer make a few dresses for you to pick from." Why did he go that far for me? What if I didn't like them? I paled even more. Lussuria walked over and picked me up. "We can't waste any more time. Our appointment is in ten minutes." He ran right out the front door. I looked back and they all had looks of pity. After a ten-minute drive, we arrived to the designer's shop. It was smaller than I thought it'd be. I bet Syoko would love to see me struggle. We walked in and saw how white everything was. We were the only ones there. A woman walked over to us with a smile.

"Hello, my name is Charlotte. We've been waiting. My father is quite giddy in the back. He just finished the last dress."

"Wonderful! Let him know we're here." She went to the back and within seconds, a man covered in small pieces of different fabric ran out. He looked like a mess.

"It's a pleasure to have you as a customer again, Lussuria. I was surprised when you wanted dresses made. You usually want suits for the Varia. I see why you needed a few dresses." He looked at me with a kind smile.

We were led to the back. On ten different manikins were dresses of varying style. "I thought you had a style already picked out, Lussuria." I said as I remembered the dress he sketched out.

"I did. When I came to order it, the two of us got talking and one thing led to another."

"And ten dresses were made?!"

"Exactly!" The two men replied enthusiastically. "Go ahead and pick whichever one you want to try one first." I looked at all of them. Some were too gaudy. It wouldn't look good on me.

"Have you picked out what accessories you'll wear?" Charlotte asked me.

"I haven't really thought much about what I'd wear at all. I'll probably just wear the earring I'm wearing."

"The feather?" She hummed and looked at the dresses. "The gaudy ones are immediately out. They're already cluttered and a feather would stick out like a sore thumb. Plus, I can't see you wearing those."

"You can't say that to a customer, dear. You never know what they say until they put the outfit on." Her father reprimanded her.

"She's right. Gaudy clothing…is something I detest." My words seemed to have put an arrow through the designer's heart.

"Don't worry about my dad. He's…passionate. Would you like something more flexible and lighter?"

"That would be for the best."

"Any other requests?"

"I want it to be modest and cover my back."

"Got it. That was the first thing Lussuria said for a qualification. Unfortunately, my dad didn't really listen with two of them. That leaves three dresses."

"I'm sorry."

"Don't apologize. This is a big celebration and it's your debut. You should wear something you like and feel comfortable in if that's what you want."

"I'd rather not go if I had my way." She chuckled.

"You're the first woman to ever say that about a party much less a Vongola party."

"They're not my thing. My family would never throw parties. They tried throwing a birthday party and it was horrendous." I cringed at the memory.

"What happened?"

"A…brother figure of mine tried to give kids alcohol and would have been killed if he wasn't the boss' son. Plus, the rest of the family only get together to drink until they die. Anything you imagine probably happened."

"Whose birthday party was that for?"

"Me."

"No wonder you don't like them. Well, hopefully this will be a better experience." The two of us kept staring at the three dresses. They were nice, but I wasn't sure if I could actually look good wearing them. "You do know you can try them on."

"Oh."

"I'll put them in three separate rooms with their accessories and shoes."

We all went into the main room with all the changing rooms. "Don't be nervous, Shiori. Anything you wear will be beautiful. That's the woman you are." Lussuria cheered for me as I walked into the first room. I took my clothes off and into a long white, sleeveless dress that had a slit that went to my thigh. There was a shall that tied together with a purple ribbon. I put on the white tights, short gloves, matching purple bow for my hair, and the white shoes on. It looked beautiful on me. I twirled a little bit and watched the dress move in the mirror. "Well?" I walked out to be met with gasps. "You look stunning." Lussuria said with a calm voice. I wasn't expecting that.

"Really? You don't sound that thrilled."

"We're all shocked." The designer said.

"Why?"

"You look like a princess from a faraway fantasy country." Charlotte commented happily. Lussuria walked to me and held his hand out.

"Shall we try dancing to see if it'll be comfortable?"

"Sure." Once my hand touched his, the two of us started to ballroom dance. The daughter kept watching with awe-stricken face. Her dad had the same expression.

"This might just be the one." He spoke with certainty.

"I'm not sure." I answered awkwardly when we stopped dancing.

"That's why you have two other dresses to try."

I went into the next dressing room and tried on a strapless dark blue dress that went just below my knees with a matching bow in the back. The sleeves that hung off my shoulders went a couple inches after my elbow. It was also in a sheer dark blue material. The gloves and choker were made of the same material. I put on the matching shoes and walked out.

"Do you not like it?" The designer asked.

"I do like it."

"You don't look happy."

"It shows too much of my back."

"How about you take that dress for another occasion for when your back is finally healed?" Lussuria suggested.

"I'd like that." I walked backwards into the room and undressed to the silk robe provided. I went to the last room. The last dress was shorter. The torso was a dark purple color while the skirt was black and ruffled. The ruffled strap went across my front and hooked in the back. I put on the black heels and long gloves before turning to see if it covered my back enough. Thankfully, it did. When I walked out, Nono was there with Coyote.

"You look beautiful, Shiori." Nono said.

"Thank you?" I really wasn't used to these types of compliments.

"How does this one stack up against the others?" The designer asked.

"I'm not sure. They're all beautiful." Lussuria walked over and danced with me. As much as this dress was nice, I missed how the white one swayed.

"I think she decided." Charlotte said confidently. We stopped dancing and I looked at her. "Go try the white one back on."

After changing, I walked back out. Nono's eyes widened slightly. "Do you like it?" I asked him.

"I think this is the one." He stood up and walked to me. "Your father would probably be crying if he saw how beautiful you are right now." I couldn't help but smile.

"I'm sure he would."

"Do you think the boys would approve?" Lussuria asked.

"I think anyone that disapproves of that dress would be blind or jealous." The designer commented.

"If no one else likes it, they don't have to look at me." I said as I stared at myself into the mirror.

"Should I send a photo of you to your mother?" Nono asked.

"I think she'd get a kick seeing me dressed up like this. She'll share with Syoko and if Kaoru sees it, he'll fly to Italy."

"Why?"

"To protect me from scavengers." Everyone started laughing.

"This might turn from a celebration party to a suitor party." Nono joked. I immediately went pale. If that happened, I can already see Squalo and Xanxus killing any man.

"She looks like she saw a ghost."

"Shiori knows our boss very well. He's extremely protective of her and will probably kill any man that even has the thought of seducing her."

"Are you sure Xanxus would do that?" The designer asked.

"He'd do it." Coyote replied. "She's the only one that man will treat with dignity and respect."

"Now that we have a dress, we can go home. This was probably a lot of interaction for you, Shiori." Lussuria said.

"It was."

"I'd like for you to come with me first. I want to show you the venue and give you a grand tour."

"I'd actually like that a lot."

We all went our separate ways. Lussuria went home with the two dresses while I went with Nono and Coyote. They brought me to a place that could rival the Varia. "And this place is?"

"It's a branch of the main headquarters."

"Branch…"

"How big was Nikita's headquarters?" Coyote asked me as we walked inside.

"It was a five-bedroom house with an intricate basement. It had three different floors below with a weapon room, a car room, the meeting room, and my room."

"You had a room there?"

"It's where she put me after I was found. She had the best doctors in the country take care of me at her headquarters in Japan. It was for protection." Nono took his time showing me around. Knowing the exits and dead ends put some of my anxiety to ease.

"Tell me, Shiori, how does this party make you feel?" Nono asked seriously.

"I think something is going to happen."

"I guess you caught on."

"Huh?"

"The man that didn't like you? He's been a thorn lately. We think he's going to do something."

"So, this isn't just some simple party."

"Unfortunately. I wanted it to simply be a party, but business never stops for us. Be prepared, Shiori."

"I lived in hell and walked out of it alive. Some party crashers won't compare."

"I'm glad to hear that."

He showed me one last room. It had portraits of different people with weapons. It looked like half of the room was reserved for a library. "What's this room?"

"This is a room for all those that led the Vongola. You see that woman? That was my mother."

"She used a crossbow?"

"It was her main weapon. She loved archery as a kid and it became her iconic weapon of choice." I walked closer and could feel power radiate. "Our flames are embedded on each weapon. It may be why you're drawn to them."

"No wonder my heart aches."

"This room is protected by any and all damages."

"So, this is the room to go to if there's an attack."

"No. That's the room across the hall. I don't want people knowing this room exists."

"Why show me?"

"I'm not too sure myself. I felt compelled to, almost like I had to or else something bad would happen." His own worries confirmed the reason of my anxiety. I stared out the window and noticed a shadow behind a tree. They weren't hiding well.

"May I have another tour?"

"Of course. Did you need to see the layout again?"

"Yes." Nono and Coyote took me to the front.

"Where would you like to start your tour?" I looked through the windows and noticed two more shadows. They were camping, trying to see where would be the best place to attack. Wonderful.

"I'd like to start at the flowers." I walked to a vase that stood on a table. I took out a microphone and smiled wickedly. Let's see how they like this.

I put two fingers to my lips before letting out an extremely high-pitched whistle. We heard two screams from outside. I decided to keep torturing them further by scraping my fingernail against the microphone.

"Do you like those flowers?" Nono asked.

"They're beautiful, but I prefer red spider lilies."

"Why is that?"

"They represent death and have an amazing ability to keep pests away from a garden."

"I didn't know that. Would having some help you with your homesickness?"

"I believe so. I'll talk to Xanxus about getting some. I'd love to show the entirety of Italy the beauty of the spider lily."

I broke the microphone before going through the entire place. I wanted to make sure I had the layout memorized. After all, there was going to be an attack and I needed to know any and all hiding spots for any enemy to crawl into. I can't wait to see the look on their boss' face when we take them out. I'm sure Nono would be upset if I killed them, but it can't be helped. It's their punishment. It's what they deserve.