thanks again to Plume85 and also to To The EXTREME KHR EnmaFan(long time no see hehe)!

I was planning on not really replying to any reviews and having the story be the answer, but I felt that this should be addressed in regards to your review, Plume85! unfortunately, I didn't really expand much on Yama learning the Shigure Soen Ryu faster than canon... but there is another reason for that I swear! That should be addressed in the next chapter, but just in case I'll explain it at the end so hopefully you'll have your answers by then!

this story is really just a way to past time during the end of the world, so I'm really appreciative of those who favorited/followed this monstrosity^^

anyway, onto the next chapter!

Chapter 9: That's the Tea, Sis

"Kamiya? You seem distracted today."

I blinked out of my thoughts, before sending a sheepish smile at my concerned coworker. "Sorry, I was just thinking about some things…"

She frowned at me. "Do you need Advil?" My facial expression must've turned extremely hopeful, as she immediately shook her head at me. "Okay, yeah, now I get why Boss banned you from it."

I frowned back. "It's the Miracle Drug, don't you get it?"

"You sound like a drug addict…" She sighed, before sending a smile. "I'll get you some tea."

I sent a grateful smile as she disappeared into the kitchen, and slowly I felt my smile slip away.

Yesterday made me feel... lots of things. For one, the blaring red eye with the shifting kanji haunted my nightmares, so I couldn't get any sort of sleep. And with no ounce of sleep in my system, I caught myself frequently getting distracted, and just thinking.

It was not the good kind of thinking.

I couldn't help but feel the uncomfortable feeling of inferiority crawl under my skin. The first ever spar I had with Hibari had encouraged me to take an active interest in getting stronger, but yesterday's encounter made me feel the urgency all the more.

It didn't help that I literally had no idea what to do.

I didn't want to bother Tsuyoshi-san, considering he was spending his time teaching his son.

I didn't want to rely on Reborn, considering he had sent me to Hibari and even that hadn't been enough.

…If my father was here... if he had stayed with us... maybe then he could've…!

"Kamiya, Kamiya! Let go of your palms, they must be bleeding!"

I blinked, meeting my coworker's concerned gaze once more. She immediately rushed to get the first aid kit, and I let go of the fists I had unconsciously clenched and examined them. There were bloody marks where my fingernails had pierced through.

I felt a headache.

Blood...

My coworker returned with a salve and a Band-Aid. Her eyebrows permanently creased in place, she took my hands and applied the salve wordlessly. Once I heard the crinkling of the Band-Aid wrappers I knew she was done.

I sent a grin. "Thanks, Rui-chan."

She stared at me, exasperation clear on her face. "Kamiya, I'm going to talk to Boss right now to let you go home. Whatever it is you're going through, there's no way I'm letting you work in this state, and I'm sure he'll agree. Drink some tea and just relax, alright? I'll be right back."

I watched Rui disappear into the kitchen again, and I sat there, cupping the hot cup of tea in my hands.

It was times like this that I was glad to be working at Takesushi.

My coworker, Rui, was a college student that lived in a nearby town. Considering that her university was near Takesushi, she commuted here every other day to help her family lessen the load of her tuition. The fact that she was 100% unrelated to Namimori made things easier for me, especially after I got involved with the mafia business. It was almost as if all Namimori residents had some kind of connection to the mafia, so having a coworker like her, especially since she was older, was really nice.

And most importantly, she seemed to be the only one to call me by my mother's surname.

'Kamiya.'

Not...

"It was nice meeting you, Izanami Sanguigno~"

Feeling another headache come on, I drank some tea, hoping that could calm me down. Eventually, Tsuyoshi-san returned with Rui, both sporting concerned expressions. It took the additional concern of Tsuyoshi-san for me to realize that I really was letting yesterday's events affect my attitude.

He frowned. "Nami-chan, let me see your hands."

I smiled nervously. "It's really nothing to worry about, Oji-san! I mean, yeah harming myself unconsciously like this is a first, but I'm sure it's something still passing! And after Rui-chan gave me the tea, I really feel okay now! I'm sorry about the disturbance, I won't allow personal business to interfere with my work again-"

"Nami." I flinched at his serious gaze. "You know I view you as my own niece. I don't care about your attitude at work - I'm just worried about you." He grimaced, taking a look at my bandaged hands. "What happened?"

Noting my reluctance, Rui nodded at me and left to give us some privacy.

I found my fingers trace over the Band-Aids. "I... met someone yesterday. Someone from…" I felt another headache come on, and drank some tea. Taking a breath, I started again. "Someone from the mafia. He was hostile."

Tsuyoshi-san's gaze turned murderous. "What?! What happened?! Are you hurt?!"

I felt my fists tighten. "No... all he did was threaten me a little and I…" I shut my eyes. "All I did was cower and whimper and cry and wait to be saved like a fucking idiot!"

He frowned. "Nami-chan, that's not something to be angry about, you're a civilian, of course you would be afraid in those moments-"

"But I'm not a civilian, Oji-san!"

"Izanami Sanguigno. So you were a natural-born hitman, after all."

"Who taught you Italian?"

"Well, it's not my business what he does with his personal life."

I felt frustrated. "Just who in the world is my father, and why does everyone know I'm related to him?! How infamous is he in the underground world, and why the hell did I get his reflexes when I don't look an ounce of Italian at all?! When all he did was leave my mom with me to ruin her life and cause her to die from stress?!"

"Izanami!"

I jumped, and met Tsuyoshi-san's sad eyes. "Let go of your fists. You're going to pierce through those Band-Aids."

I smiled bitterly at my fists. What is wrong with me?

Tsuyoshi-san placed a hand on my trembling hands, to either comfort me or prevent me from hurting myself again I didn't know. "You know that your mother did not regret having you. You know how much she loved you, and her death was not your fault." He looked at me with resignation. "Your father is a complicated man. I can't ask you to forgive him, but I'm just asking for you to understand. As someone who's in a similar situation as a father, I understand his reasoning but that doesn't mean I think it's justifiable." He smiled at me fatherly, or in this case uncle-y. "Clock out for today, you have a lot on your mind. Get some rest, all right?"

I nodded, staring at my now empty cup of tea. "…Thanks, Oji-san."

He stood with a grin, hands placed on his sides. "Well, this old man did the best he could. Why don't you go to that boyfriend of yours for comfort?"

I sharply glared at him, and he chuckled, making his way back inside the kitchen.

As I turned to look at the exit, I could've sworn I saw an identical pair of spiky black hair escape from my view.