DISCLAIMER: I don't own KHR or any of the associated characters aside from my OCs.

Hiding their faces, Gokudera, Yamamoto and Sasagawa hit the street under the guise of high school delinquents. I only placed one restriction on them-don't speak. If you don't know Italian, don't speak. Meaning, only Gokudera was allowed to talk on his own.

Yamamoto and Sasagawa were equipped with earpieces linked directly to me. When Gokudera talked, I could hear his voice and I would whisper a reply to either Yamamoto or Sasagawa in Italian to be said aloud. It was an awkward process but better than nothing.

In fact, the first few nights, there was nothing. No matter how long we staked out, no one approached these kids but we never gave up. Sure enough, our hard work paid off.

Someone approached them, offering Gokudera a suitcase full of money and tobacco to rob a bank. We took everything including this man's freedom. We ripped off his mask the minute we had captured him and I noted something incredibly strange.

The man was Asian. Now, you might ask why that's important but this is Italy and if they're trying to bring down the Cavallone Family, the suspect should've been another mafioso. The majority of mafia men are Italian.

"He's Asian." I told Dino through the earpiece, "What's the meaning of this…?"

"Asian?" Dino hummed, "I've never heard of a family around here hiring a foreign hitman or operative. Actually, outside the Vongola, there aren't many Asians in the mafia at all."

"Right?" I looked at Sawada's group that was filled nearly entirely of Asian men and realized why they might be confused by our need to make a big deal out of this man being Asian, "We're bringing him back to you, Don Cavallone. Make room to torture him."

"Aye aye captain."

O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O

"Report." I mumbled, "My hit went fine. No witnesses. Target's dead and buried where no one will find the body. As for Cavallone, his problem is a long-term mission but we're making progress. They're in the middle of torturing our captive for information. No abnormalities. Ah. Except the captive is Asian."

Xanxus didn't speak for a long while, drinking out of the bottle as he usually does, "Is that all?"

I thought about it for a moment and determined, "Yeah. That's it."

"Outside of work. Nothing to say for yourself?" He demanded, surprisingly watching me without glaring. His expression was a scowl at best.

"... Then what about you?" I didn't know what I should say. What did he want me to say? I didn't need to stand here and make a fool of myself, "Don't you have something to say to me."

He thought about it for a moment, taking a long sip of his whiskey straight from the bottle. When he lowered his drink, he said, "I slept with Coyote's daughter."

Ninth Storm Guardian's daughter. Now, that was a surprise. Was he even allowed to do that?

"Is that so?" I said, trying not to seem bitter about it, "He must be pissed."

"He won't find out." He said shortly, "And you? Anything to say?"

Anger bubbled deep down. He was fishing for an answer. What was I supposed to say? I thought we were a thing? I realize we're not actually a couple so it doesn't matter what you do on the side? I want to be with you either way? How herbivorous.

The voices roaring in my herbivorous heart rang in my head over and over but the vicious cry for vengeance was the loudest.

Don't let him mess you up like that.

That's right. He's not the only one who can mess with people. I'm not one of his whores to be called up at his whim and I won't let him treat me like one.

"Yeah." I declared, "I do have something to say but not to you. I just want to tell Coyote's daughter that you're the kind of sleaze who sleeps with anyone just cause she's convenient."

Eyes narrowing in a deadly glare, he snarled, "You were a virgin! You were the least convenient fuck I've ever had."

"Yeah, well, you're the only jerk I've ever loved so excuse me if I was inexperienced!" I took a sharp breath, realizing how I had phrased that last statement—past tense. I hadn't meant to say it like I already moved on. I opened my mouth, quickly trying to make amends but he wasn't having it, "I only meant-"

He stood sharply from his chair, the tiles screeching as he pushed back and came for me, "I don't care. It doesn't matter what you meant."

Doesn't matter? I swung. I can't even say what part made me mad in the first place. It's probably a combo of how pissed he looked and the contradicting nature of his words. If he really didn't care, why bother to get mad.

He growled as my fist slammed into his face with no restraints. He swung back. This is the only way we're going to resolve this and I'm totally okay with that.

"Have it your way." He sneered, socking me low in my stomach, "If you lose, you won't have any complaints from here on out. You're mine so until I'm tired of you, you act like nothing's changed."

"Fuck you if you think this is an easy win for you." I spat a mouthful of blood on his boot and punched right back, hooking him in the jawline, "If it's just fists, I have confidence."

He didn't respond, cracking his jaw back and forth to make sure I hadn't dislodged it. And then he swung again.

Like savages who didn't know anything else, we beat each other senseless. Flames and weapons aside, it was just a brutal exchange of blows. Punch for punch an eye for an eye. We didn't stop until a sharp, annoyed knock at the door had us glaring each other down.

Squalo was here to report. I turned, wrenching the door open. He took one look at me and then the boss and opened his mouth to scream at me. Whatever it was he wanted to say, I didn't hear it. Last thing I can remember is Squalo scrambling to catch me as my vision blurred and made the room spin, my ears were ringing.

I lost again.

O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O

Unhappy, I glared up at Lussuria who was telling me for the third time that I had a concussion from being hit particularly hard in the head. He had just stopped me from challenging the boss to a rematch. I was absolutely pissed for three damn good reasons.

One. He was apparently, currently with some woman I've never seen in my life.

Two. He told the guys to make sure I can't disturb him.

Three. I FUCKING LOST SO I CAN'T COMPLAIN.

I can't tell if I'm more upset about my loss or him being with another woman. This is so unfair. I'm so mad!

I cut off Lussuria's fourth or fifth lecture by hissing, "I'm going to kill him even if I have to do it in his sleep!"

"Well, that's not an explanation." Our Sun-Flamed martial artist huffed at me, "Judging from what Squ-chan said, you and the boss had a big fight over Coyote's daughter. What's the deal?"

"The deal was if I lost I have to just be okay with him sleeping with any woman that comes along!" The words tasted bitter on my tongue. I'm not stronger than the boss but my feelings are and that makes this so much more pitiful on my end. I hate it when people feel sorry for me, "I mean, I can't even complain! We weren't together in the first place but if he's going to do it with all those people, why even bother with me?!"

"Because he has feelings for you?" Lussuria put it nice and simple for me but it didn't add up.

"If he had feelings for me, he should stop fucking so many other people." I spat the words out like poison. I couldn't hide the feelings of hurt bubbling out from deep inside. I wasn't even trying to hide it anymore. "I don't need your bullshit. I'm going to kick his ass just as soon as I'm able. Then, he'll never say dumb things like 'act like nothing's changed' again!"

"You go girl!" He gave me the most cliche line he could have dropped there but it was motivation enough for me.

I stormed out, ready to fight again.

O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O

The minute I walked into the Cavallone estate, Yamamoto was greeting me, "Kira-senpai, you look angrier than usual today. What's the matter?"

I shot him a deadly glare, "Scram before I demonstrate what happened."

Only Sawada was daunted, screaming at Yamamoto to come to his senses and back off.

Kyoya was straight out chuckling at me, "Judging from that reaction, she lost a fight."

Furious, I wrestled Yamamoto to the floor in Kyoya's place, "You brats! I'll show you who lost a fight! Come at me!"

Laughing, Dino joined us, "I'm glad you're spirited cause I have some bad news."

I turned my glare onto him, wrestling him down to the floor before demanding, "What?"

He grinned sheepishly at me and said, "I hate to tell you all but I have no information to give. We're still torturing him."

"Then why are you smiling like a lunatic?!" I wrenched his arm behind his back a little harder, "Spill, Cavallone!"

"I'm always in a good mood when I see you." He winced and then smiled when I let up in my surprise, "I thought you might want to personally torture this guy. He's really tough to crack."

"You know what…? I do feel like torturing someone." I feel like torturing the boss but I suppose this herbivore will have to do. "Where is he?"

"Right this way, milady." He gestured to the backdoor of the meeting room, guiding me. He only paused to tell the children not to follow, he was sparing them the dirty parts of our mafia world, "It's too early for them, Kira. Don't you dare bring them into this."

I only allowed Kyoya to pass, trusting my brother to be mature. I don't agree with Dino's babying but I suppose it doesn't bode well to have an audience.

The prisoner was on his knees, arms tied behind him and legs chained to the floor. He still looked like he was among the living and that was a sign of Dino's weak heart.

I sighed, "Really, Don Cavallone?"

Dino, sheepish, offered me an apology, "He's so young. I couldn't."

"He's definitely not young."

I'm not being racist. This is a fact. Asian people often don't look their age. My mother probably still looks like she's thirty but she's in her fifties. My father is nearly sixty but he doesn't look more than forty.

This man is definitely forty. I knelt, grasping his chin and giving him my conditions, "If you don't tell me who ordered you to come here, I'll make you wish you were dead within the hour."

He was resolved to keep his mouth shut.

"Romario." I was using Dino's right hand man as my aid today, "Give me the needles."

I gave the man no warning. I stabbed a needle into his thigh and watched him squirm. One by one, I stabbed needles up his legs until there were none left and then I motioned for Romario to give me more.

"Alright Kyoya. Listen up. If he hasn't talked by now, he's either really devoted to his work or the person who hired him is scarier than us." I was opening the next set of needles, taking one up to stab into his torso. I waited for his scream to settle before continuing, "All we have to do is convince him that we're scarier."

His body was stabbed full of needles when I was done with the first round. Still he was biting his tongue. So I had to up the level of pressure I was putting on him. I took up a knife and before he could even wonder what I was going to do, I swiftly removed his left ring finger. His wedding band fell from his finger and rolled on the floor before coming to a halt at my brother's frozen boot.

I had definitely surprised him and our prisoner, "Would you like to speak or do I have to take off all your fingers?"

Fear flashed in his eyes. The prisoner definitely knew I was serious now. He opened his mouth and I took off another finger impatiently.

Laughing quietly, I let the blood splatter to the floor, "Romario, the cloth."

I pressed the towel over the man's bleeding knuckles, the fingers were laying on the floor where they had fallen. The man didn't ask why I was staunching the bleeding. He seemed to already know. I was keeping him alive so he wouldn't bleed to death. I needed his info but I didn't have to get it from him nicely.

"I'd talk if I were you." Romario chuckled, "She's going to actually take off all your fingers."

I let the dirty cloth drop, putting my hand out, "The hammer."

The minute the wooden grip of the mallet was in my hands, I smashed it down over his bleeding hand. I had probably broken a lot of his bones and I just basked in the way he screamed. His voice hadn't even settled when I took off another finger. This poor man was just going to go insane if he didn't spit out a name soon.

Abandoning the Italian, he spat in pure Japanese, "Kira, I'm here on orders from your parents."

I paused, smiling, "No, you're not. Don't joke."

"I am." He said and I took off another finger for that.

"Don't fucking lie." I spat, "Give me the real reason."

"Your parents ordered me to ruin the Cavallone."

Now that… was believable. I turned, eying Kyoya, "Do you know something?"

The Cloud Guardian shook his head, "If I knew, I wouldn't be here."

"Well." I took off another finger anyways and Dino had to wrestle me away simply because I was drunk on the scent of blood and a little slash-happy.

"I'll take it from here. You and Kyoya can go outside." He said and for once, neither of us refused or argued back.

As we were leaving the room, I mumbled, "This has got to be a joke."

"... Somehow, I doubt it." Kyoya murmured back to me and the only way I could tell he was shaken is he didn't refuse when I tried to hold his hand. His long fingers clung to mine, his expression unchanged.

"You know… Our code is that they have to… be killed, right?" I felt my hands start to sweat, "I mean, Dino's nice so maybe not that far but they'll definitely be punished."

"I'm not in the assassination department." He said coldly, finally snatching his hand away only to draw it around my shoulders loosely, "But do you really intend to kill them?"

"I… don't know." I had to but those herbivorous feelings were there and I scowled, leaning closer to him, "I'm sorry, Kyoya. For me, it's nothing but for you…"

"It doesn't matter to me either." His tone was the same but it bothered him for sure since his fingers dug into my shoulder, "This is their own fault."

"Well… If it comes down to it, I'll make sure to take care of it." I promised, "You won't have to do it."

"Don't baby me." He huffed, shoving me away now in embarrassment, "If you're going, take me too."

"Yeah."

I didn't mean it. I don't want my brother to suffer. I've been away for a long time and I spent most of my years without talking to our parents. I don't have as many good memories of them. It would definitely be easier if I took care of them. As shocking as the conclusion to this tale becomes, I just pray that my precious brother makes it out as the same person. I'll give up anything if Kyoya can move on from these events as the same carnivore he has always been.

O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O

Squalo screamed at me in fury as I held his face into the floor, my fingers fisted into his hair, "Cheap shot, Kira!"

"Your hair was in my face! What did you want me to do?" I huffed, pushing him a little harder just to show who had the upper hand.

"You've been so fucking pissed lately. What's with you?" He squirmed, not verbally telling me to let him up quite yet but he was getting there. His arm looked really uncomfortable pressed behind his neck at that odd angle. If he wasn't so flexible, it might've just snapped, "Cavallone's case going poorly or what?!"

Now that was another weight on my shoulders. My parents had been the masterminds behind the Cavallone scheme. Dino told me he would contact me shortly but it looks like there was no conclusion quite yet. I was on edge, waiting for him to tell me it was the truth and that they would be punished or it was false and we had to find another lead. Something in my gut told me my parents were actually the culprits. They had every reason to do it.

And it doesn't help that I haven't won my freedom yet. The boss has beaten me time and time again. It's really getting on my nerves.

"If I'm not stronger than Xanxus, there's no meaning to my existence." I seethed, glaring at the door as if it would make him appear, "I'm not like you! I want to be the strongest. I have no qualms about others being strong but if I'm not stronger than him there's no meaning to all my training."

"Because he's a man?" Squalo wasn't really asking. He knew the answer already. He knew my thoughts on this matter better than anyone else so before I had even nodded, he sighed, "You know they already call you the strongest female fighter of the century, right?"

"But why must we be separated that way?" I finally jerked him into a sitting position, snorting at him as I untangled my fingers from his hair, "I'm either the strongest or I'm not. Man or woman, I want to be the strongest."

"Look." He said, sitting cross-legged next to me, "Categories are there for a reason. Xanxus might be stronger than you in overall combat ability but if it's a solid fist fight, I think you top him."

I know that's not true. I lost. No matter the circumstances, even if we were just actually exchanging one blow at a time, I lost back then and I lost my right to complain about his polygamous relations or whatnot but as long as I can fight, I'm going to challenge him. I'm going to win someday.