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

Dinner was a casual meal in a diner I frequented closer to HQ. It didn't suit the boss but it was a cute first date. I asked how he knew about this place since he didn't seem like the type to come to a diner but he said he heard I liked it. It was a heartwarming comment.

I asked the boss about how he grew up and he readily explained things to me. In return, he asked about my childhood and I talked about it casually. It was the most open conversation we had ever shared. I felt like I could fly. I mean, I can fly in Cambio Forma but I meant I felt like I could fly without the wings.

When the bill came to the table, I realized something crucial. I don't have anything but my phone on me. The boss reached for it immediately and I just stared at him awkwardly. He slipped his card into it and handed it back to the waiter so naturally.

He caught me staring and arched an eyebrow at me, "What?"

"Umm…" I blushed darkly when he looked at me like I was retarded, "Uhhh… I'll pay you back."

Now he was really looking at me like I was a lunatic. He looked almost irritated as he said, "I'll admit to all the other shit people say about me but I won't make you pay on a date."

I just stared at him, the words not processing right away.

He thought about it for a moment and added, "It's also why I don't go on dates. No one's worth spending money on."

"You sound like Mammon." I laughed quietly, not sure what I should say at a time like this, "But that's dumb. No one talks shit about you. If they do, I don't hear it. If I did, they'd probably be dead."

I'm not even going to bother arguing. I'll just pay him back later.

After our meal, we went to a movie. It was like an actual date. Anyways, there wasn't really anything good playing so we picked some random action movie and I laughed about how bad the actors were at their stunts.

"I could totally do that better." I huffed, watching the male lead roll on top of a moving truck and flail around to catch his balance before turning to catch the falling actress in his arms, "That's so lame. Don't you hate how unrealistic the movie is? What kind of woman sits there without any thoughts and waits for a hero?"

His tone light, he said, "That's realistic, Kira. I've seen it happen a dozen times. You're the odd one."

I thought about it for a moment and nodded in agreement, "You know… You make me feel normal. Sometimes I forget I'm different from the rest."

"You're not normal." He muttered, "You're plenty special."

Blushing, I missed a crucial moment in the movie but it didn't matter. Being praised by the boss is better than some stupid action movie any day. As if I wasn't blushing enough, he reached over and took my hand. In the darkness of the theater, he was unabashedly holding my hand. I basked in the feeling of warmth until the end of the movie. It was much too short.

After the movie, we went to a quiet bar. Boss was on a roll with date scheduling. He was basically an expert. I was having so much fun with it I hardly realized the time had flown by. It was almost midnight-Lussuria's set curfew for a first date.

Over a glass of whiskey, I sighed contentedly, "Maybe it's a good thing that you don't do this often. No one would leave you alone after this kind of night. Is that what happened with Coyote's daughter?"

He hummed over his glass, choosing to drink rather than answer my dumb questions.

"You didn't keep your promise." I grumbled, "I met your mother. I still love you. Where's that good thing you promised to tell me about?"

He reached into his back pocket, fishing out an envelope to give me, "Read it when you go home. That's my last secret."

"Another test?" I questioned, taking his envelope skeptically, "I don't care about your secrets, boss. It's not going to change my mind about you."

"My last secret is the good thing." He smirked, setting down his empty glass on the counter, "Finish up. It's time to go back."

I gulped down the rest of my drink and hurried out with him. I didn't want the night to end but I didn't want to cling. I was content with our time together but it was naive to think the night was over. We returned to HQ and spent the night together as usual. Date or no date, some things never change. Boss was a relentless lover and that's good enough for me.

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

The sun was right in my eyes the next morning. I groaned, rolling over and under the boss' arm to hide from the morning sun. He grunted grumpily at the disturbance but he held me closer as if it was an instinct. I grinned, squirming closer still. He grunted again, a signal to freeze if I didn't want him to throw me out. Obediently, I froze, staring up at his surprisingly calm "sleeping" face.

I grinned, reaching up to plant a kiss right on his nose. Grumpy and embarrassed, he gave me a savage kick to the stomach and sent me flying off the side of the bed. He rolled over as if he hadn't done anything and went right back to sleep. I laughed quietly, last night's admiration had yet to blow over and I was in a good mood despite his violence so I let him be.

I remembered the dinner bill he paid the previous night and I went for my wallet and then his. I slipped the cash in his wallet quietly, spotting the envelope he had given me last night on the table. I tore it open, praying I wouldn't find anything stupid.

He told me it was his last secret. For all I know, it could be a picture of a child he had with another woman on accident. I took a deep breath, pulling out the contents and heaving a sigh of relief to find that it was just a handwritten letter.

I noticed how pretty his penmanship was before anything else, admiring it for a moment before actually taking in the words.

Hibari Kira,

You walked in here more than a decade ago with a look of utter defiance on your face. I was skeptical about accepting you as a member but on instinct, I knew I couldn't turn you away. There was something about you I couldn't refuse although I didn't know anything about you. At first glance, you were a woman and you were smaller than anyone I had ever seen. I admit I had my doubts.

In our cruel mafia world, there are hardly any female warriors and there are many ignorant fools who think all women are useless and weak. I admit I was among those ignorant fools. In a world of savage men, I thought you would be killed despite my instincts telling me to put faith in you but you proved all the stereotypes wrong.

Faster than I, or anyone else, had anticipated you had gained fame as the Cannibal. In a workplace filled with people who looked down on you for being a woman, you gained respect and with respect, authority. You were an interesting little piece of trash.

When you landed a blow on me the first time we fought, that's when I knew. That was the moment I determined you would be my Cloud Guardian. Gender no longer made a difference. I wanted you.

Time and time again, you fought by my side without asking for anything in return. You were so different from the other women in our world. You were special and yet, you looked at me as if I was the special one. Those naive, innocent eyes kept watching me with earnest devotion even after you realized I would not become Vongola Decimo.

My biggest regret is not failing to become the boss but leading you into a life where you would never become the Vongola Cloud Guardian. You must know by now. Iemitsu brought you here to make you Sawada's Cloud and I knew that from the beginning. I didn't give you the options you deserved.

Before I knew it, I was the one trying to chain you down and restrict your freedom. I wanted you and I wanted you to want me even if it meant restricting your potential to move up. You could have been the official Cloud Guardian if things had played out a little differently. You could've been given higher standing than all of us and yet, I'm not sorry. I won't ever be sorry about it.

In my head, you belonged to me and I never wanted to give you up. I don't know when it began. Maybe my instincts were screaming at me from the minute we met that you were the one I wanted. Who knows? But know this, my final secret is a confession to you.

I have always loved you, Hibari Kira. And I'm not letting you go. You belong to me.

Thank you for everything,

Xanxus

I was automatically in tears. All the words I wanted to hear were on this page. All of my doubts and concerns were covered here.

Gender and size aside, he respects and acknowledges my strength.

Fate and destiny be damned, he chose me.

Bad qualities and failures ignored, he loves me.

I suppose I always knew these were his feelings but finally getting confirmation was the last nail on this coffin. Even if he decides he doesn't want me in the future, he's stuck with me. He doesn't even have to worry about not letting me go. I'll be the one clinging to him.

The boss wasn't sleeping. I knew for sure that he was awake now but I couldn't move. I was crying. He was embarrassed about the whole letter. We stayed in silence for a good while and I was okay with that. I'm always okay with it as long as we're in peace together.

I finally choked out, "God, I'm bragging about you to Squalo and Lussuria just as soon as I stop crying so… fucking prepare yourself to get the Lussuria treatment."

He huffed at me, feigning disinterest as he rolled over again, "I'm tired. Come sleep for another hour first."

"No can do." I grumbled, "I'm definitely telling them you're a romantic god."

"Save the worship for later and come to bed." He growled without an ounce of malice, "I'll kill you if you don't come here."

"I'm okay with that. I'd rather die than miss out on a chance to brag about you." I laughed, ducking aside when he threw a pillow at me in all his embarrassment, "By the way, I love you more so don't say I didn't say it."

"Feh!" He threw the other pillow at me too and settled for sleeping without one.

I laughed the whole way, immediately telling Squalo and Lussuria that the boss was definitely the greatest lover in the world and just as I predicted, Lussuria was dead sprinting towards the boss while singing praise at the top of his lungs.

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

"There's one more year of high school left for them so they're transfering to Italy to complete their schooling. Take care of them, Cannibal."

Those had been Reborn's words to me a few days ago. I don't know what Mr. Home Tutor will be doing while I'm babysitting them but I am seriously horrified by the ongoings. I grabbed a rowdy Lambo and I-Pin before they could wander off. The airport was too big for me to lose sight of these kids and find them again if they chose to run off.

My eyebrow twitched furiously as Sasagawa Ryohei screamed loudly and pointed to some strange looking souvenir that was probably a rip-off. He and Miura Haru were debating on whether or not to buy one when Gokudera went screaming about how stupid they both were. Sawada was cowering behind his luggage as Yamamoto greeted me with too-friendly pats on the head with his oversized hand and I turned a deadly glare up on this obnoxiously tall high schooler.

"If you don't all get in the car in ten seconds, I'm officially biting you all to death for insubordination!" I roared, sending Sawada scrambling out to the car with Sasagawa Kyoko in tow. I glared as Gokudera sprinted off after his beloved Tenth, fuming I shoved Lambo and I-Pin off behind him, "Ten!"

Yamamoto was laughing his ass off as if the punishment didn't apply to him so he got the warning punch right in his balls. He doubled over, choking on his laugh. I turned on Sasagawa and Miura Haru. They put up their hands and went running, Sasagawa a nice color of white after seeing what had just happened to poor Yamamoto Takeshi. I heaved a sigh, grabbing the luggage they had left behind. Poor Yamamoto got it thrown on him as punishment.

Of course, Kyoya hadn't come today. He wanted to stay in Namimori as long as possible and honestly, even as the Cloud Guardian, I don't think he'd move to Italy. He's probably going to force them to let him stay in Namimori forever.

Finally in the limo, I glared them down one by one, "I'm laying down the ground rules. I managed to find two apartments right next to each other for you guys. Three bed, two bath each. I signed for them with my name so if you do some dumb shit, I'll kill you all. Understand?"

"Yes ma'am!" Sawada was the loudest of the bunch, roaring to the limo ceiling as if it would save his life, "We understand, ma'am!"

"Collective responsibility, Sawada." I jabbed my finger into his chest, nearly breaking Gokudera's hand as he tried to protect his precious boss, "Keep your unintelligent Guardians in line, understand?"

"Yes ma'am!"

"It should be furnished upon arrival. Split up as you please and…" I turned a dull look onto Sasagawa Kyoko and Miura Haru, "Obviously, I'm not supposed to say this since you're minors but we're mafia so if you choose to room without regards for gender, it's fine but if I catch you fucking, you die."

Red faces all around, I felt a sweep of nostalgia wash over me. At one point, I was so embarrassed I probably wouldn't have been able to talk about this at all. Arriving at their new residence, I motioned for everyone to get out and get their things. I didn't bother to look back as I made my way into the building and towards the elevator. I forced them all to cram into the elevator towards the back. If anyone touched me, I promised them painful deaths so Sawada had left me a generous amount of space in the "cramped" elevator.

I laughed at his wimpiness mentally, leading them out and towards one of the apartments. I took the key and shoved the door open loud enough to scare all the workers inside. They had brought in the stuff Sawada's group had sent over prior to arriving. It took one glare for them all to report their deeds and flee, labelled boxes left crowding the corner of the living room.

I sat them around the coffee table, sitting in the single reclining seat off to the side. It was clearly meant for the boss of this group but I absolutely refuse to share a couch with these losers. I made them cram into the loveseat and the couch for our ground rules "discussion."

"Curfew is nine o'clock each night." I said sharply, "If you're going to be late, I'll kill you."

"Nine?!" They're a bunch of high school students so nine is clearly really early but it's not like I have time to fit into a later schedule.

"Nine or die." I growled, silencing their complaints, "I'll be here at nine to tutor you. If anyone arrives after me, I'll throw you out in your underwear and make you beg for forgiveness. I'll be here for two hours each night. If you want to go out again after that I don't care as long as you don't get in trouble."

"Can't you come a little later?" Gokudera grumbled, "What kind of curfew is nine o'clock? You act like we're a bunch of kids!"

"I work at midnight. If I come any later, I won't be able to do my work and then you'll all be melted by our boss starting with Sawada." I grinned at the way Sawada turned sheet white in horror, "Anyways, your direct guardian while you're in school is me. I know some of you have already graduated but until you can speak Italian fluently, everything you do needs to be cleared by me. Needless to say, on weekends, we'll have training in the mornings so no curfew but you all have to be there for morning training."

"Tr-Training?" Sawada was already in tears, "Spartan training… I don't want to…"

"I say training but it's basic conditioning. Training is individual and optional but if you want to survive in our dirty mafia world, I suggest you do it." I gestured to the kitchen, "Meals are self-made here. If you don't want to make food, order something. I'll leave a credit card for you guys. Think of it as a company card, Timoteo is paying so use it all you like. My phone number is on the fridge, emergency use only. If you call me for something stupid, it's a punch to the balls as punishment. Questions?"

"How the fuck do we get to school?" Gokudera demanded immediately, eyes narrowing, "You suck at playing responsible guardian, Cannibal."

I grinned, slamming my fist into his gut and watching him double over before answering, "Each morning, I'll send a driver for you. He'll leave and head to the school at seven thirty each morning with or without you guys in the car. Don't wake up late and be ready when he calls or you get left behind. On the way back, the driver will wait for you at three thirty. If you're not there by then, walk home."

"Ehhh? Wait! What if I want to play baseball after school?" Yamamoto's big brown eyes looked so hopeful. Kind of reminded me of Dino with the way he was whining, "Do I have to walk?"

"Yes." I said savagely, watching him hang his head depressedly, "It's an hour long walk. Not too bad. As for Sasagawa, since you're done with your schooling, you'll be driven to the main base each morning at nine. The current Guardians have some wisdom to impart on you or something like that. They'll be sending a driver from their end so lenience is something you'll have to discuss with them not me."

"Ummm…. Kira-san?" Sawada raised his hand timidly, flinching when I turned ice cold eyes on him, "If we don't have school until Monday… Then do we have free time tomorrow or…?"

"Didn't you hear me, Sawada? On weekends, you get morning conditioning." I huffed, "I'll be here by nine o'clock sharp. If any of you are still sleeping… Well, just don't be sleeping and you'll be okay. Get settled in and go to bed. Today is your only day of free time. Welcome to the mafia, children."

I laughed on my way out as they groaned and grimaced just at the thought of a Varia Quality beating hanging in their dark, dark futures.