A.N: Thanks for all those lovely followers and those readers who has added my story to their favourite. I love ya all!

WARNING: Foul language.


It was autumn again, Xanxus observed from his perch by the fountain in the middle of the square. He could see the sun beginning to set, marking the end of yet another miserable day. Sighing, he turned around to note that his mother was in the middle of playing another piece from her beautifully crafted violin, a family artifact, she says. Frankly, Xanxus does not give a flying fuck; for starters, he just did NOT get his mother's obsession over the instrument. It always sounded sad and forlorn, bringing in a sense of loss and distant memories of sorrow to the listeners. Wasn't music supposed to make people happy? He felt himself get pulled into a melancholy mood. Sign….

Shaking his head, Xanxus turned around to observe the square. Despite the traces of the icy winter winds, the market was bustling with activity. From unique antiques to fresh vegetables from farmer's mart, the square was at its best. I guess people must've started storing grains for the winter.

The thought of grains brought him back to his present dilemma and he shot a guarded glance at his mother. Judging from the coins tossed in the case of her violin, dinner for tonight was out of question, least of all, saving for the winter. The food stalls around him smelled divine but the hope for a good meal was so far away. If only I could do something for Mama…What could he do anyway? No one's going to employ a five-year old gypsy.

"Shut up, you..." he mumbled at his growling tummy, wringing his arms tightly around it.

From his point by the fountain, he could see the various assortments of cadies on display by the window of the square's infamous candy store, groups of children run out of the door with bags of hard candy and mouth-watering lollies. Don't look at them! All they do is rot your tooth. Yet, the prospect of tasting one of those candies, especially the lollies, had been a dream for Xanxus. So much for pleading Mama to buy some candies for Christmas….He hung his head low and sniffed miserably, his tuft of wild black hair obscuring his face from passer-byes.

'Get your act together, Xanxus' he berated himself, 'It's just some sweet, delicious candy….Perhaps, next Christmas would be bett—'

He was abruptly halted from his depressing thoughts when he felt someone scrutinizing him. A sense of immense tranquillity and satisfaction engulfed him like a cocoon. Dark crimson eyes looked up to find a pair of wide, childish, glistering cobalt eyes looking back at him curiously. He also noted the distance between them, or the lack of it and frankly, it scared the shit outta him!

"Whooaa….!" He tumbled and pushed away, only to realize belatedly that he won himself a one way ticket to diving lessons in fountain water. He closed his eyes and prepped himself for the feel of cold water and hard impact on the fountain floor, only to note that it never came. Instead, he felt a tiny but warm had desperately clutching his own, pulling him with an unusual amount of strength for a child. The child helped him back and took a seat next to him, all the while smiling at him cutely.

They took to sit by the fountain again with Xanxus taking his time to observe his companion. The child must be around his own age and judging by the body built and the voice, the child was probably a female. Short, silver tresses framed her innocent cobalt eyes, further enhanced by her ungodly long lashes. Her snow white skin looked delicate and unmarred with rows of pearly white peaking out of her rosy lips, as the girl gave him a shy but sheepish grin.

"Hello….? Is there something on my face?"

Huh?! Xanxus shook his head to find the child beside him giving him a questioning look. He felt his cheeks heat up. What is WRONG with me?

"Ahem!" Xanxus cleared his throat. "Umm…..Hi!" he squeaked. Real smooth…Xanxus… He mentally kicked himself. So much for first impression…

"You have pretty eyes!" the girl commented, "What's your name? Do you come here often?" she questioned excitedly.

"I-I wha-?!" he swore he looked like a ripe tomato. People tell me that my eyes reminded them of demons….Who is this girl complementing me out of nowhere? Nevertheless, Xanxus instantly liked her; she decidedly made him feel strange somersaults in his stomach. Must be hunger….he mused.

She giggled at him, "My Papa, mama and I, moved to Italy yesterday. Mama's shopping while papa's talking to grandpa Nono over the…..umm…." she made an adorable thinking face and shrugged.

"Okay….." clearly, the girl was a chatterbox but it was oddly soothing.

"So….I went on to buy some candy and then I saw you here looking sad and all alone and the—"she rambled on. The mention of candy abruptly brought him crashing down from his happy haze. So….this was just another rich kid who came to brag about all the candies they ate in their lifetime…he signed. Not the first one though….

"—uld you like some candy?" And then they start complai—Wait—WH—WHAT?!

"Wh-wha?" he stammered uncertainly, for the umpteenth time. Surely she didn't say what he heard….

He was proved wrong when the sweet girl, with an adorable smile, pushed a giant lollipop into his slack hands. Chupa Chup! He's been dying to try those for years….

Despite himself, he felt his eyes fill with warm tears. He swept his arm across his eyes and clutched the candy firmly in his palm, as if it were something sacred.

"Why…..." he hiccupped involuntarily.

"Well, you looked upset…." The girl replied softly while holding his left palm in her right, "And candies makes everyone happy!" she declared brightly.

"Ah….Thank you" he gave her a watery smile.

"Aww…don't mention it! It was nothing, really!" she beamed at him; "Are you happy now?" she enquired cutely.

"Yes…I am…very much" he grinned back. This is the nicest thing anyone has ever done for me…

"What's your name…by the by?"

"Ah…!"

They haven't even formally introduced themselves yet!

"I am…"

"XANXUS! There you are, dear child" He turned around to spot his mother walking towards him.

"Ah…well…."

"It's alright" she smiled, "I am sure we'll meet again someday, Xanxus-chan!" And with that, she gave him a quick peck on his left cheek and hopped of the fountain, towards a tall lady who seemed to be frantically looking around for someone.

"Wait! You never told me your name!" he called back, blushing furiously.

"Oh!" she giggled, rubbing the back of her neck, sheepishly, "Please call me Ari—"

FLASH!

Xanxus violently jolted out of his dream, his whole body drenched in sweat and trembling. Harsh coughs racked his body and shook his entire frame, as he made a futile attempt to read his surroundings. He felt completely disoriented in the dark, the cuffs pinning him to the bed added to his helplessness. Xanxus took in deep, ragged breaths but nothing seemed to calm him down. Tears of frustration started to seep down his cheeks. His Mama, that child…it was no dream!

Suddenly, he was assaulted by bright light and he heard the distinct sound of his cuffs coming of, before he was pulled into a firm embrace. A strong, muscled hand held him close while the other rubbed firm circles to his back.

"Hey, now….snap out of it" the voice, soft but firm, commanded him, "You are okay now….Focus on me…"

Xanxus turned around to note that the person holding him was none other than Sawada fucking Iemitsu, the very bane of his existence! Great…his day couldn't get worse…

"Iemitsu! What just happened?!" demanded a voice approaching the pair from behind the door. I'll take that back…he absolutely hated his life…

"It's just a mild panic attack, Boss. He'll be alright." Iemitsu noted that the boy's breathing evened out a little and his once dilated pupils, shrunk to their normal size. Good….the kid's coming to his senses… He also noticed the room starting to grow warmer and the boy's eyes narrowing to feline slits…Friendly chats be damned….

"Why are you HERE?!" Xanxus practically trembled in his arms with barely-controlled rage, "Haven't you done ENOUGH to ruin my life ALREADY?!"

"Xanxus listen to me, my son, please…" the Ninth started.

It looked like hearing his voice was the final nail in his coffin. It took the combined effort of Coyoto, Iemitsu and Brow Nie to restrain Xanxus as he bucked wildly in Iemitsu's arms, screaming obscenities at the Ninth and his ancestors.

"WHAT GAVE YOU THE GALL TO SHOW YOUR FILTHY FACE, YA OLD FART!" Xanxus bellowed, eyes flashing, "WHAT GAVE YOU THE RIGHT TO CALL ME YO—RE…YOU—R SON!"

Then, he abruptly turned to Iemitsu and snarled at him," Get your filthy hands of ME!" he struggled. His efforts only made Iemitsu grip him harder. He glared at Iemitsu with every ounce of hate he could muster, "YOU GOT YOUR NO-GOOD SON FOR DECIMO, JUST LIKE YOU WANTED" he seethed through gritted teeth, "WHAT ELSE DO YOU WANT TO STRIP ME OF!"

Iemitsu calmly returned the glare. He could see the boy starting to break emotionally. Oh well….he asked for it…

"Squalo" Iemitsu replied, pointedly. He could see a shade of confusion and worry shadow the boy's face.

"W-wh-what about Squalo?" Xanxus enquired back in what he hoped was a threatening voice. Iemitsu, however, clearly interpreted a tone of dread in his voice. Not so tough now, are we? He internally smirked.

Iemitsu immediately tuned up and replied passively, "He's on stasis."

Stasis? STASIS?! Xanxus felt his whole world spiralling out. For someone to be put in stasis means they were literally frozen in time and space; the speciality of Ritsu-san's Moon Flame: Absolute Control. B-b-but Ritsu-san uses his stasis only if…..

"What happened?" Xanxus chocked out. Why was he feeling this way? Squalo was just another tool for his use. Tools break, all ya have to do is replace them with stronger ones, that's all to it! Then why do I feel like it's Freddy-nii's death, all over again?

As a precaution and a measure of comfort, Iemitsu held the boy close as Timoteo explained, "Ritsu-san diagnosed chronic PTSD in Squalo-kun along with internal haemorrhage. Doctor Shamal believed that his new drug just might be the cure. Ritsu-san felt the need for the drug to be tested before practical administration" he signed.

"Aaand…?" Xanxus demanded impatiently. He could almost see where this was going. Damn, that bastard is gonna pay for this!

Coyoto, who sat beside him, continued, "However, that self-proclaimed genius felt that screening was unnecessary and he gave hims—"

"SO, HE MADE SQUALO THE GUNIEA PIG?! THAT BASTARD's DEAD MEAT!" Xanxus immediately made to stand but the Ninth interrupted him with a sharp, "Xanxus! We are not done yet, settle down, NOW!"

The room's occupants openly gaped at the Ninth and turned back to look at Xanxus, only to find him in a similar state of shock! If it had been for another time and place, Iemitsu would have laughed out loud at the boy's expression. He made the perfect 'fish-out-of-water' face. I guess the Ninth wasn't kidding when he mentioned about never raising his voice against Xanxus. Iemitsu noted that there was a tiny bit of surprise on Timoteo's face. Yup…definitely the first time to raise his voice…

Timoteo shook his head and continued," Shamal, along with Ritsu-san, the Chiavarone Family and Colonnello, have taken it upon themselves to safely transport Squalo to the medical unit in Japan. Shamal never dreamed of his drugs counter-reacting to Squalo's Flames which, he explained, was what caused the violent allergic reaction an hour ago." he finished. A nerving silence filled the room.

"So…Is he going to be alright?" Xanxus asked Iemitsu, "I am afraid that remains to be seen, Xanxus. But I assure, he's in best hands now, child" he smiled softly.

"Humph!" Xanxus crossed his hands and stubbornly faced the wall.

"I'll take you to visit him, along with Nana and Tsu-kun when we get there" he gently offered.

"Sureee…." Xanxus waved off-handily and choked on his own spit when his brain registered Iemitsu's words. What?!Nana Tsawada and that brat Tsunayoshi?!Aren't they in Japan? Wait?!

"Didn't you tell me that shitty shark was being transferred to JAPAN?" Xanxus asked incredulously, "How the HELL am I gonna visit him with your BLASTED FAMILY, who are also in Japan, MIGHT I ADD, when I am all the way here in ITALY?!" Iemitsu's finally lost it!

"You are coming to Japan with me." Iemitsu stated back smoothly.

With me…with me….Wait—What?!


Thanks for the read! *wink*