To start off, it's the two year anniversary for this fic! Time flew by so quickly that I didn't even realize how long I've been working on this fic to begin with. I want to thank everyone for reading and commenting. All of it means a lot, so I'm grateful for all the support you've all shown me. I hope that everyone continues reading about Shiori's journey!

My mind was going a million miles a second. There was no way he was serious. He had to be drunk. There's no way sober Xanxus would come out and say something like that, right? That was the only explanation I could come up with. Why would he even marry me? Aren't you supposed to date before marriage? What about being engaged? When Squalo meant to make it official, I didn't think he meant this or did he?

"I'm confused." I said in a questioning tone.

"Let's get married. Tonight." Xanxus repeated firmly, adding a bit of detail.

"That's too sudden!"

"I didn't think you'd want such a huge thing. Fine then, we'll do it tomorrow."

"Why do you want to suddenly marry me?"

"This isn't sudden." My heart almost stopped. My hands were shaking from a mixture of embarrassment and unease. "I've wanted this for a bit." He gave a kiss to my temple.

"And if I don't want to marry you?"

"I'm not an idiot." He noticed! I'm not sure if I'm happy he noticed or not. Was I being obvious? Was it everyone telling him? Probably a little bit of everything. "Even if you didn't want to marry me, I wouldn't let you marry anyone. No one is worthy of having you as their wife."

"Only you?"

"Only me." My heart wouldn't calm down no matter what I tried. No breathing exercise would help.

"N-not yet." I managed to squeak out.

"You're accepting?" He sounded happy. I guess there was no running away now. It isn't like he'll remember in the morning, right? Besides, if I thought about it, marrying Xanxus wasn't too bad. He was the only one I could trust to make me feel safe. I doubt anyone else could give me that security. Though, if this was something he didn't want but said drunk, I'd have to sleep with Elizabeth for a few days to cope.

"I am."

"Then let's do it tonight."

"No. You're too intoxicated."

"Tomorrow?"

"Maybe next month? I need time to process all of this." He kept giving me small kisses on my cheek. It wasn't unwelcomed.

"What's there to process?"

"This came out of nowhere for me."

"Fine. I'll take it slow but we will marry by the end of the year."

"Fine."

"Good."

There was nothing to argue about anymore. Now I knew why he was acting extremely possessive tonight. I wonder when he decided he wanted to marry me. When did he make up his mind? He stood up and carried me to the bed.

"Can't I change into pajamas?"

"No." He put me on the bed and got on top of me.

"D-didn't you agree to take it slow?" He just stared at me.

"I want to see what you'll look like on our wedding day." This man will definitely be the death of me. Sure, I was wearing a white dress but it didn't look like a wedding dress. He leaned down where our foreheads were touching.

"Mine." Is all he said before going back to kissing my cheek. He went down my jaw and to my neck. It made me jolt against him. I could feel him smirk against my skin before biting down and sucking. I couldn't repress a small groan. Just feeling his body against mine like this made me feel fuzzy. "All mine." He looked back at me with a satisfied smirk. His thumb caressed my lips. "I'll save these for the wedding." I didn't see Xanxus as a traditionalist. I gave him a deadpan stare.

"You bit me but you're saving to kiss me on the lips for the wedding?"

"I only marked what's mine. Now, everyone will know who you belong to."

"I don't belong to anyone, Xanxus."

"You're mine and I'm yours. You're the only one I'd ever see as an equal. I only belong to you and you only belong to me."

"In that case, I'm fine with belonging to you." I said shyly. I wasn't good at romance. I only knew what I read from romance novels and I knew they were over exaggerated. He let out a small chuckle before kissing the corner of my lips. He was really making sure he wouldn't kiss my lips. This was the strangest quirk about him yet. On the other hand, he's making rather accurate kisses for being drunk. I'm in denial that Xanxus wasn't as drunk as I thought.

Eventually, Xanxus let me change into my pajamas. He did the same and dragged me back into bed. His hands desperately grabbed me. "I'm not going anywhere." I reminded him.

"I know. It just feels right."

"It feels like you're restraining yourself."

"You're my ultimate temptation." My cheeks felt hot all of a sudden. "I can only hope we marry soon before I give in." That made me shiver. I turned so my back would be against his chest. He was confused. I took his hand and brought it to my other hand and intertwined our fingers. He got what I was doing and pulled me closer with the arm I was lying on. Our legs tangled up, making it impossible for me to escape. With this position, he could still abuse my neck as he pleased.

"Xanxus, I can't sleep with you biting me."

"What if I don't want you to sleep?" I internally sighed. I know I'd regret the words that'll come out of my mouth, but I was too tired. I didn't care at this point. I just wanted to sleep.

"You can keep me awake as long as you want on our wedding night, which is not tonight." He stopped what he was doing.

"You better be prepared to suffer the consequences."

"I'm not sure how to prepare."

"You'll get used to it. All you need to do is adjust." He whispered in my ear. My face was on fire. Was that an innuendo or am I the pervert in this situation? I'll need more than a night to think about this.

Elizabeth noticed Shiori and Xanxus weren't there anymore. So, after her dance, she went to Squalo. "Where did mama and papa go?"

"They went home."

"Why?"

"They wanted alone time." She had no idea what that meant. In her mind, they went off to play a game. It wasn't fair for them to play without her, but since they weren't married, engaged, or dating, this would give them time to start dating. That way, they'll be husband and wife. That was how her seven-year-old brain worked. Elizabeth has always wanted to go to a wedding and wear an even prettier dress than the one she was wearing now. She let out a big yawn.

"Can we leave soon? I'm getting tired."

"We can in twenty minutes." She pouted before turning to Levi who was becoming more like an uncle than someone she lived with.

"Let's go eat. I'm hungry too."

"Why are we not leaving now?" Bel asked.

"You didn't see what happened? Boss took Shiori home when he was tipsy. He's probably drunk by now. For all I know, they're asleep or waking everyone up."

"Boss is very aggressive when drunk. Are you sure it was the right thing to let those two go alone?" Lussuria said. Squalo finally realized why Shiori looked panicked.

"Oh no."

"Well, Elizabeth will be happy to have a sibling."

"This isn't a joking matter. I can only hope she knocks him out if he tries anything."

"And if she wanted it?" Lussuria challenged. Everyone stayed quiet for a couple of minutes. Would she really? That wasn't Shiori at all.

"I doubt it. Shiori wouldn't do that." Squalo said.

"Even a woman like Shiori has her own needs. Boss is the only one she's fine being close with. If I was her, I wouldn't mind if he initiated anything." Lussuria knew all too well that Shiori wasn't just their cloud guardian. Underneath everything, she's a normal woman with desires just how they were normal men with their own desires.

"We…need to leave as soon as possible."

When the Varia arrived at their home, Squalo ran to Xanxus' room. He first listened to hear if anything was going on. Then, he tried to open the door. It was locked. That bastard knew everyone would check on them.

"Can I sleep with mama?" Elizabeth asked, scaring Squalo. When did she get there?

"The door is locked." She frowned and with a heavy sigh, she went to her room. Squalo could only pray that nothing happened.

Waking up with a slight headache wasn't the best thing to wake up with. I groaned from the pain. I must have drunk too much. Xanxus and I were still in the same position we fell asleep in. I had a bad feeling he remembered everything from last night. I turned in his arms and snuggled into his shoulder to hide myself from the sun's piercing rays.

"Morning." He said quietly. I could only groan in response. He let out a soundless, breathy chuckle before plating a kiss on my temple. "Don't think I forgot what happened."

"I had no doubt you'd remember." I said quietly despite cursing with embarrassment in my mind.

"By the end of the year, you'll be my wife."

"You don't need to remind me."

"I want to say it out loud."

"Bite me." I was too tired to deal with this. As I said, he bit my neck. I kicked him lightly to knock it off.

"It's good to know you're receptive to me biting you." I refused to ask why. I knew I'd get a perverted answer and I didn't want to deal with it so early in the morning.

"By the way, when did you realize you wanted to marry me?"

"When you were taking care of me."

"That wasn't that long ago."

"It wasn't? It felt like a long time ago." He kissed my forehead. I never thought he'd be an affectionate man.

"Why me?"

"You're the only woman I can picture by my side. All those other women only want power. They treat me as if I was a beast. You're the only one to ever be gentle with me. You're the only one in the world that could ever understand me."

"Xanxus…" He crawled on top of me and sat up on his elbows.

"Shiori." He cupped my cheek and leaned forward. "I guess I'll fall into temptation once." I prepared myself for the impact. It wasn't my first kiss, but it was still nerve wrecking since it was him. Just as our lips were about to touch, loud banging came from the door. Xanxus looked like he was out for murder. "I'm going to kill whoever knocked on the door."

"Please don't. Think of the paperwork and the meetings we'll have to go through to replace someone." He's acting like he'll never get to try again. He stomped over to the door and opened it. Was it always locked? The realization hit me like the things Xanxus would throw at Squalo and Levi. That bastard had a plan to lock me in here last night! To no one's surprise, Squalo was at the door.

"Go to hell."

"Well, good morning to you too, shitty boss."

"You better have a good reason why you're interrupting."

"I'm making sure you two didn't get out of hand. Plus, breakfast is done and Elizabeth has been wanting to come in since last night." I sat up and stretched. I'm sure Elizabeth will be happy to see me.

"There's no use in fighting. I'm hungry since I didn't even eat dinner because someone wouldn't let me leave the room." Xanxus tensed up. Everyone knew how I got when I was hungry. It didn't help that it was Xanxus' fault either.

"Go eat. I'll be down."

"Don't take too long. Elizabeth will start to worry." I got dressed in the bathroom and walked downstairs. Squalo caught up to me.

"What the hell happened? He kicked me out before I could ask him anything."

"A lot happened."

"Like what?" My face turned red. Just remembering him telling me 'let's get married' still riled me up. "Did he try to have sex with you?"

"He wants to get married." Squalo stopped mid step. He was frozen in time. I kept walking. I just wanted breakfast. He caught back up to me.

"How did that come up?"

"It was out of the blue. He wanted to do it last night."

"Does he remember?"

"We settled by the end of the year and he wouldn't stop calling me his wife. So yes, he remembers."

"You accepted?" He asked in a hushed voice.

"I did."

"I'm sorry."

"He went from zero to a fucking hundred and almost gave me a heart attack, Squalo. He even said no one but him deserves to marry me."

"He's romantic?"

"Right? He was even flirting with me and it was working. I wouldn't have thought in a million years that Xanxus, the boss of the Varia and the man everyone is scared shitless from, was the romantic type. And get this, he's also very traditional and refused to kiss me on the lips."

"What?"

"Yet he decided to do this." I pointed to my bruised neck.

"I mean, it wasn't your lips." Squalo pointed out.

"He almost kissed me right as you decided to interrupt. He wasn't pissed for no reason."

"Should we tell Nono?"

"Xanxus needs to tell him. I don't want him to kill anyone if Nono gives us a surprise visit and asks about our wedding."

At the table, Elizabeth jumped out of her chair and hugged me. "Good morning, mama."

"Morning, Elizabeth. Did you have fun at the party?"

"I did! Where's papa?"

"He's still sleepy. Let's eat." Everyone was staring at my neck. I ignored them and fixed a plate for me and Elizabeth.

"Don't." Squalo warned everyone not to question anything.

"Don't what?" Elizabeth asked.

"Don't take all the food. Your papa still needs to eat later." Squalo clarified for her. We all wanted to keep Elizabeth's innocence.

"Have fun last night, Shiori?" Bel asked with a snicker. He couldn't help himself.

"Not as much fun as you'll have if you ask any more questions. I'm sure Chen will also join in our fun."

"I want to play too." Elizabeth chirped from her chair.

"Maybe a different game."

Five minutes later, Xanxus joined. It took him long enough. "Good morning, papa!" Elizabeth greeted.

"Morning."

He looked even more exhausted than when we woke up. He saw my neck and smirked. Way to make it very obvious, Xanxus. Everyone looked from him to me and then the marks. I'm going to kill them if they say anything. Elizabeth was the first one done.

"I'm going to play in my room. Levi brought me learning books last night on the way home. He said if I get it all right, he'll get me ice cream." Once she left, the room got tense.

"You really can't hide your pride, boss." Lussuria teased.

"Why should I hide? The point was to mark what's rightfully mine." Everyone looked at me. I kept eating my food as if nothing was wrong.

"It doesn't look like she minds." Levi muttered quietly. A butler came running in.

"Miss, I need your attention."

"Is something wrong?"

"Reborn has requested to speak to you." I got up from the table and walked to the phone. We had a separate line where only Vongola could talk to us.

"Hello?"

"Good morning, Shiori. I'm sure me contacting you is surprising, but I need your help."

"What do you need my help with? Is there a hit?"

"It isn't anything like that. I know you're quite proficient in archery. In fact, Nono told me himself, praising your ability to hit moving targets with accuracy. Can you help train someone for me? Shamal is too useless to do it. Plus, your student won't listen to just anyone."

"Who needs training and why?"

"I'll tell you the full thing in person. Can you come as quickly as possible? This is extremely important. Plus, I need to tell you something about Kanade that I found out. I arranged a plane for you to leave in an hour."

I went back to where everyone was. "Well?"

"I need to go to Japan."

"How long?"

"I don't know. Reborn needs me to train someone. He even found something about Kanade and that doesn't bode well."

"Do you want us to go?"

"I'll be fine. Chen will be with me. Will you all be fine with Elizabeth while I'm gone?" I was slightly worried about them. They were just getting used to Elizabeth.

"We'll be fine. She's a good girl that listens. We'll distract her while her mama is away." I went to my room and started packing. Xanxus walked in behind me.

"Do you need me to go?" He questioned.

"I'll be fine, Xanxus. You need to stay here to run things." He hugged my waist from behind and snuggled his head into the crook of my neck. Trying to pack was more difficult with Xanxus attached to me. "Can you let go? I need to pack."

"No." I grumbled as I finished packing. I even put my bow in the suitcase.

"I need to go now."

"Stay a little more and then I'll let you leave." I turned in his arms and wrapped my own around his neck.

"Five more minutes?" I asked, hoping he'd take the offer.

"Seven." I rolled my eyes and gave in. I would definitely miss the closeness. Maybe I'll get a stuffed animal to sleep with while I'm in Japan. After seven minutes, as promised, I was let go of.

"Can I go now?" He cupped my cheeks and kissed my forehead.

"You can go." I felt a small burst of confidence. I might as well since I'll be gone for an indiscriminate amount of time. I stood up on my toes and kissed his cheek. I left him in a dazed state.

"Let's go, Chen. We're going on a mission."

In Japan, Reborn had escorts bring us straight to Namimori. It was a bittersweet feeling to be here again. I felt a little numb. A lot of bad memories happened in such a short time. The pain associated with this place is different from the other pain I felt with other incidents. "We're here, miss." I exited the car and was in front of Tsuna's house.

"Welcome, Shiori." Reborn greeted on the concrete fence.

"It's strange to be back."

"How has Italy been treating you?"

"We'll need a pot of coffee to discuss things in Italy. However, that can happen after you tell me exactly what you need from me."

"No one is home right now, so we don't have to worry about civilians while we talk."

The three of us walked inside. As he said, no one was there. We went to the living room and sat down. That's when he told me of the future and their fight against Byakuran. It put a bitter taste in my mouth. "It must have been tough for the kids."

"There was an agreement with you and Tsuna. We don't know what it was, but it's something Byakuran has been trying to get a hold of. Knowing you, the agreement is probably something that could endanger or save us."

"That does sound like me. Do you have any evidence of an agreement?" He slid over a letter.

"No one can open it. I feel it was meant to only open to your flame." My blood froze, my stomach dropped. "You look disheveled."

"This isn't an agreement. This is a will. Reborn, am I dead in the future?"

The shadow covering his eyes didn't bode well for me. It answered everything I needed to know. "There's a lot about the future I'm confused about. It doesn't match our present."

"How so?"

"Everyone described you as a weak person that lost control when angered. You were dangerous, but didn't have much of a role as you do now." That was definitely weird. "Still, Byakuran killed you off first because of how dangerous you are and could get."

"And Kanade?" I waited in anticipation. It was sending my heart into turmoil.

"Somehow, Kanade is alive."

"That…doesn't make sense. She died. I saw her broken body on the ground. There was no saving her."

"I had someone check and she is definitely dead in our present."

"Then why…" Chen sat silently beside me, watching my every move.

"There are many parallel universes, Shiori. The future we're sent to is the future where Byakuran has hold of everything. We need to stop him. That's why I need you to help those kids grow. In the short time we have, I know you're the only one we can rely on. You're our ultimate trump card." I opened the letter with ease. It had my flame on it. I silently read the letter. "Well?"

"It most certainly is a will. However, there's a hidden message in case someone other than me opens it." I looked over the entire will. It looked like a normal will because it was. The entire Varia and Elizabeth were mentioned in it. Even Kanade had her part. I read her part over and over. If I were to ever die, my last wish was for her to take care of Xanxus in my stead. I frowned. If she was alive, I'm sure she'd be the only one I'd trust to make sure he would survive. He's already attached to me and I already saw what it looked like when he thought I died.

"What's the hidden message?"

"Ah, sorry. I was too focused on reading something else. Chen, if you will." I handed her the letter. She was the only other person other than me that had the key to read the hidden message. Sure, I could read it, but that would take too much time since it's been a while.

"Shiori in a specific past is a key. Get her to open it and victory will be reached."

"What does that mean? What key?" Reborn questioned.

"I'm not sure. I don't know how everything happened in that future. Did I go through the Tokyo incident? Did Nikita even train me?"

"The only thing that was different between you and that future you is Kanade. She stayed alive."

"And her being alive made me weaker than I am now. The message said something about me from a specific past. Would that mean Kanade didn't die in most parallel universes? Am I the strongest version of me? Is that why they want me?"

"It sounds like it."

"This is troublesome."

"Byakuran mentioned you a lot." This took me by surprise. I didn't know him at all. The name wasn't familiar. "He called you an evil fox."

"It seems like I need to make a call to get answers of my own."

"So, you're not aware of it either…"

"I am, Reborn. I'm just unsure of why. Don't worry. I'll tell you about it once I call my lovely, secretive, and crazy grandparents." I said sweetly. "They tend to hide everything from me."

"Really?"

"Did your grandmother poison you so you'd be resistant to most poisons? Did your grandfather hide the fact we come from a family of army generals?"

"I see. By the way, you should hide your neck from the kids. They'll faint if they see it." I groaned with annoyance. "I won't pry into your personal business. Now, tell me about Italy."