Title: Serendipity

Author: sllebswap

Characters/Pairing: Miura Haru and Dino

Type: OneShot/Drabble Collection (InComplete)

Genre: Romance/General/Humor

Word Count: 3535

Rating: T (Contains content not suitable for children)

Disclaimer: Kateikyoushi Hitman Reborn belongs to Akira-san.

Summary: CEDEF Agent Miura Haru and Cavallone Boss Dino have known each other for a very long time, haven't they? Loosely interconnected one shot/drabble series. Multi-verse. D86.

Verse: Marriage of Convenience AU

Chapter Last Revised on: 13/06/18

Anywhere I would have followed you

She found him all alone in the study that evening, even as the revelries and festivities continued throughout the rest of the villa, unlikely to abate for at least the next few days. The men had earned the right to celebrate – they had fought hard to defend their Famiglia and thus took great pride in their success. The rival Famiglia, the Carbone, whom they had been pitted against had been a thorn in their side for some time now, and many in the Family were glad to finally see this long feud reach its inevitable conclusion. Some had even privately thought that it was a long time coming, but as per the Cavallone's modus operandi, the decision to use physical force and take up arms against their opponents had been put into effect only after all other possible, diplomatic means of resolving this conflict had been exhausted.

Unfortunately, there was no way to settle this discord between the two clans amiably, and in the end, the use of deadly force was sanctioned to move this matter to a close once and for all.

The Cavallone had emerged victorious – there was no doubt to such a conclusion, partly in due to the impressive martial prowess of their large, powerful Family, and also in due to the fact that their opponent was not considered an active threat of the same level in the first place. These days, there were not many Famiglias that could rival the might and strength of the Cavallone, and so, truth to be told, it had been akin to pitting an elephant against an ant. Even though it had to be done, Haru knew that the short 'war' (if it could even be labeled as such) against the other Family had left a bad taste in her husband's mouth.

The blond looked up at the sound of her quiet intrusion, his previously distant, brooding gaze sharpening, focusing intently on her. His desk was empty of paperwork for once, and the only thing that sat there this time was a crystal decanter and a snifter, the latter half filled with the dark gold of rich cognac. Her brow furrowed ever so slightly at the sight of the liquor – he did not choose to imbibe often, even though he had a high tolerance for alcohol. The few times she witnessed him do so were usually in the company of friends and family…not like this.

She sent him a gentle, enquiring look.

"Hahi, is Haru disturbing, desu? Haru was wondering why Dino wasn't with all the others…"

He shook his head in response to her question. His expression cleared slightly at the welcome sight of her, though. His gaze softened ever so minutely then, and that unconsciously affectionate regard never failed to send warmth spreading across her chest. She slipped the door shut behind her and wandered towards him, her gaze quietly empathetic.

"What are you thinking about, all on your own?" She had a good idea what was plaguing him, but did not think that it was right for her to forcibly intrude upon his thoughts, or even make assumptions on his behalf. He had a way of surprising her, after all, and for someone who was so charismatic and popular, there also remained an unpredictably secretive, mysterious side of him that was impossibly enigmatic and difficult to figure out.

Not many knew him well enough to bear witness to this altogether different façade of his especially since he took such great care to cultivate the seemingly benign, friendly image that characterized the Cavallone Famiglia, but it quickly became apparent to Haru that the shadowed, inscrutable side of him was close to the surface this evening. But that did not stop her, or even gave her pause to approach him, however.

She was safe in the knowledge and the unyielding trust that whichever side of him he chose to present, she had nothing to fear.

He smiled at her, a genteel, beguiling smile that never failed to charm and distract those whom he had aimed it at. It was a tactic that probably would have worked to fluster Haru a year or so ago, but the brunette was more discerning of his subtle plays these days and knew better than to let herself be sidetracked. He could be so good at all these diversionary tactics, she thought, finally coming to a stop beside his chair. Her hand came up, fingers softly touching his cheek.

"Hahi, Dino is cheating again, desu," she rebuked him gently. "Dino is not allowed to use that 'charming Boss' smile on Haru, remember?"

He lifted his hand to hers and entwined their fingers together, turning his head slightly to kiss the insides of her wrist. "I'm not…allowed?" he mused quietly. "I don't quite recall agreeing to that, milady."

There was the faintest lilt of teasing in his voice, and she shook her head in slight exasperation at him. "Dino is changing the subject again, desu!"

His quietly glimmering gaze sobered ever so slightly. "I was thinking about…sins…and retribution," he murmured at last, and she looked at him with rising puzzlement.

"Sins…and retribution…desu?" she parroted him a bit unsurely. No wonder he had been wearing such a somber expression, but most importantly… "Hahi, why is Dino thinking about this in the first place? Everyone else is out there celebrating, desu…"

He gave her a flitting, wan smile.

"That's the thing. I'm not sure if there's anything to celebrate in the first place."

She tipped her head to the side at his remark.

"Hahi…of course there's something to celebrate! We won, and all the men who followed you into battle are safe and accounted for, desu!" There were some who had sustained injuries during the fights, but all were expected to recover from their various afflictions with no permanent damage, so as far as Haru was concerned, that alone was already reason enough to be in good cheer. For some reason, her husband did not share the same sentiment.

"Yes, we won. And yes…I'm always relieved and gratified when the men emerge safely from the altercations with their lives intact…but our victory is only pyrrhic at best, I always think."

She was interested to hear what he meant. The young woman perched on the armrest of his chair, and gave her undivided attention to him.

"Why does Dino think that, desu?"

"Because whenever there is a war between two Famiglias, one always has to lose. The defeated loses the right to survive," he murmured, his gaze distant. "…And the victorious has to bear the responsibility of eliminating the vanquished."

It was clear that he was referring to the recent battle that had occurred between their Famiglia and their opponent. Haru's expression saddened, briefly thinking of the other clan that, as of a few days ago, no longer existed on the active roster of the mafia registry. Several generations of triad adhered pride and tradition, all gone within the span of a single night…the steep price to pay for treachery and unwarranted brutality against an allied Family. Even despite that, retaliation had been the absolute last resort that Dino was willing to commit to after all other attempts to establish a compromise had failed. In the world of the mafia, the line between black and white was often blurred in varied shades of grey – what was right and what was wrong, what was acceptable and what was not, often differed from Family to Family, in line with the moral compass of the Boss who led them.

The Famiglia they had been up against…had not always followed that dark path which their newest leader had chosen to go down with.

Haru did not claim to know or understand the relationship that her Famiglia had once had with the Carbone that was no more – but she silently empathized with her husband's…regret…if that was the correct word to term his melancholy. She said nothing, just simply continued to sit by his side and looked at him, offering a quiet, wordless support and comfort, patiently waiting for him to continue.

"The previous Carbone Don was a close friend of my Father's," Dino murmured. "…He was very supportive when my parent passed away and I had to take over the responsibilities of the Cavallone. He was a good man…and very wise, so I still don't understand how it was that his heir turned out the way he did."

Under the guidance of the new Don, the other Famiglia had quickly turned to crime and vice in order to sustain the increasingly debauched and extravagant lifestyle demanded by their Boss. Those who had protested and resisted the change had been summarily removed from the ranks and charged with sedition and disloyalty, and the resulting power vacuum was quickly filled up by sycophants of the worst kind, further encouraging the increasingly tyrannous and brutal acts of a sociopathic Boss who was rapidly spiraling out of control. Things had quickly degenerated from there…and when that syndicate had decided that it was a good idea to mount an attack against one of the civilian families under the protection of the Cavallone, it was the last straw that broke the camel's back.

Dino had been reluctant to act against the other Famiglia in the spirit of past loyalty to the previous Don, but he had been forced to move when all other attempts to stop his friend's successor had failed. And a few days ago, the culmination of all that back and forth struggle and dispute had finally erupted in the grim decision to take out that clan for good, and peace-loving and diplomatic as the Cavallone was known to be, they also had the firepower to back up all of the efforts they took to maintain harmony and peace amongst their allies, and that power came out in full force during that final altercation.

In the first place, the Carbone Famiglia had never been in the position of strength to stand on the same level fighting field with the Cavallone, and so the outcome had never been more obvious, even before the fight started. If that effectively one-sided altercation could even be called that. Whether if it was because of ego or an overly inflated belief in the superiority of his clan's ability, the other younger Don had foolishly committed a mistake that had cost him fatally. The Cavallone's retaliation had been extremely thorough and left no opportunity, no second chances for a surprise revival – they had been systematically isolated from their allies, their funds had been completely cut off, and last but not least, the Cavallone Decimo had been very exacting in his demonstration of just why it was not a good idea at all to mount attacks on and harm the Family that which he loved and was so protective of.

In short order, the threat had been thoroughly neutralized and removed.

Dino would never allow any harm to come to his Famiglia, potential or otherwise.

That did not mean he was entirely, emotionally removed from the repercussions of his act.

"If Don Raffaello was still alive, he'd probably be second guessing his decision to support me as much as he had back then," Dino mused.

The man had been like an uncle to the young blond, and had been very helpful in showing the then inexperienced new Boss the ropes to the whole Famiglia business. Dino could not help but feel ungrateful for what he had to do now - this was not how he had intended to repay the other Don, by dismantling the small but close knit Famiglia that the old man had once been so proud of when he had still been alive, but now was sadly not even a shadow of its past glory. Poisoned by depravity and vice, all the good that had taken several decades to accumulate had been corrupted in the span of one generation, and by the time the Cavallone stepped into the picture, it was by far too late for them to even attempt to salvage and repair the irreversible damage that had already been dealt.

The blond's shoulders lowered ever so slightly, weighed down by regret.

Haru shook her head. She did not agree with Dino's self-deprecating line of thought. "Hahi…maybe Dino is thinking of this the wrong way, desu," the brunette finally offered her commentary.

She reached up and around to him, using one hand to rub absently at the back of his shoulders with slim but firm fingers. Physical contact had always been one of her ways to offer support, and how could she stand by and do nothing when he was so obviously tormented by this? Her deft, slender digits quietly massaged his nape, and he sighed and leaned a bit more into her touch, appreciating her steady, non-judgmental company so much more than he had expected that he would. Haru continued to elaborate on her point.

"Maybe Dino should consider this from another different point of view," she proposed thoughtfully. "Haru has never met Don Raffaello-san before…but he sounds like a good man, desu. A good Don," she repeated. "What would Dino feel…if one day the Cavallone were to go down the same path of destruction as the Carbone Famiglia? Would Dino be okay with the Cavallone going out of control, harming innocent people, terrorizing civilians who has nothing to do with the Mafia?"

The blond stiffened at her questions. His eyes flashed; partly in response to the absolute ridiculousness of such a scenario – as if any man in his beloved Famiglia would ever stoop so low to commit such crimes that went so blatantly against the beliefs of the Cavallone, as if he would ever allow such a thing to come to pass on his watch – and partly in response to a fear which he had been trying his best to ignore all along, even as he had seen the same horrific fate inevitably befalling other Families over the years.

Sins and retribution.

Maybe this was why those whose blood ran for the triad were doomed to be forever cursed.

Sometimes, Dino thought that he understood Tsuna's determination and conviction, especially when it came to the younger Decimo's vow to destroy the Vongola himself if it ever came down to it. But Tsuna's at times tenuous relationship with the Vongola could not be compared to his own intrinsic bond with the Cavallone. Unlike the Vongola Don, the blood of Dino's Famiglia ran thick in his veins from a direct lineage of nine generations of past Cavallone Bosses. He was born into this position, on the very lands that all but thrummed in recognition of the protector that preserved the peace and ensured order whenever as he so much as walked the vast grounds, and he could not help but blindly, instinctively, love this land and all of her people even as he had struggled to deal with the massive responsibility of caring for his large Family in his youth. How could he not love the Cavallone? The very idea was simply unthinkable. Even on the very worst days of his life where everything else was unsure, uncertain, one thing would always remain constant – his Family as well as his commitment to ensuring its longevity long into the future.

Unfortunately, not every Boss in the triad felt that same sense of time honored dedication and responsibility towards their clans. In fact, it seemed that many had already forgotten the origin behind the reason why all of them in the business referred to their subordinates and all who lived and fought under their banners as Famiglia.

My dearest brothers-in-arms and battle sisters. My precious, beloved family. Without you, I am nothing.

There was just no guarantee that such a sentiment, bone deep and important as it might be, would be continuously passed down from one generation to the next. Sometimes, it skipped only to manifest in other branches of a bloodline as with the case of Tsuna and his cohort. Other times, it disappeared altogether…as with the case of the Carbone Famiglia. Dino had seen it happen before and he knew that it would happen again. When would it be the Cavallone's turn to pay the devil's due?

Sins and retribution.

The blond closed his eyes, and beside him, Haru made a quiet sound of sympathy. However, she did not let up on her questions, did not leave him be to suffer the cruelties of his dark thoughts.

"Dino? What would you do?" she asked quietly. "Would Dino allow our Family to continue that downward spiral into depravity, allow the further tainting of the Cavallone lands, the senseless abuse of the people whom our Family had vowed to defend and to protect, and the betrayal of our allies?"

He was tense under her touch, his shoulders stiff despite her efforts to sooth him.

"…I…can't answer," he fought to reply with obvious difficulty. His expression was one of concentrated discomfort, his ingrained loyalty towards his Famiglia warring with his instinct to do what was right. What would he do, if ever the values of the Cavallone was no longer in line with that of his own moral compass? "I…don't know."

Silence greeted his outburst.

However, his wife who had posed such an impossible conundrum to him did not appear surprised by his troubled response. But neither was she disappointed by his conflicted demeanor. She continued to rub his back, offering him respite the best way she knew how.

"Good, desu." Was all she said, much to his surprise. He looked at her, focusing on the temperate way in which she was smiling slightly at him. And when she spoke, her voice was soft but firm with belief and conviction. "Do you know why you don't have an answer? It's because Dino is a good, just Boss, desu. And because Dino is a good and a just Boss, Haru knows that Dino will always struggle to find a way to make sure that our Famiglia will never go down that same path as the Carbone Famiglia had, desu." She looked at him with a quiet, unshakable light shining in her eyes.

"Dino had to put a stop to the Carbone Don's acts, not because he wanted to destroy Don Raffaello-san's legacy, but because Dino had to, for the good and dignity of the Carbone Famiglia and all the others who were involved as well, desu." Her hand moved from his nape to his hair, fingers gently running through the longish golden strands in a comforting, rhythmic motion. "Perhaps Don Raffaello-san would be really sad that this had to happen…but Haru thinks that Don Raffaello-san will also understand why Dino had to do what he did, desu…"

Her hand softly cupped his jaw, tilting his face to the light. Her words were like a warm, gentle balm soothing the rawness of his soul.

"Dino should not beat himself up so harshly, desu. What is right, what is wrong, what has to be done, we already know in here." She reached out with her other hand and gently rested her palm over his chest, directly where his heart was. "Dino is already doing his best, desu. Haru has seen it, day after day after day; Haru knows this much at least."

His hand came up to hers, covering her smaller appendage which still laid over his chest. He appreciated her presence, how she refused to let him be alone especially now.

"Do what we can, and then hope for the best?" he murmured, his tone still quietly rueful. She shrugged subtly at his remark.

"Why not?" she quipped back lightly, without any heat. "Haru thinks; is there any use in brooding over something that's beyond our control, desu?" Her fingers caressed his cheek, her gaze steady as she met his. "Dino is doing his best always anyway, desu," she repeated softly, simply. "It is enough."

His hand tightened slightly over hers, silently touched by her boundless faith in him.

His gaze was still faintly distant, melancholic, when he looked at her. And it made her heart ache for him too, just a little bit. The burdens on his shoulders were always so much, she thought. If only there was a way for her to help lighten the load that which he always silently bore.

"I'll cause you a lot of grief one day, you know," he whispered, almost as if in reply to her unexpressed thought.

But Haru merely shook her head once again, and then she slipped blithely onto his lap, seeking to be held. Wordlessly calling him back to her. And if his arms snaked around her a bit too tightly to be entirely comfortable, she made no mention of it. The brunette curled into her husband's taut embrace, sighing even as he pressed his face into her hair, taking in her soft warmth and her welcoming scent, like a drowning man set adrift in the cruel sea, desperately seeking salvation.

This was fine. He was fine, just the way he was. She clung to him too, just as fiercely as he did her, if not even more.

"Haru will not mind, desu. Because Dino is definitely worth it."

::owari::

Questions That I Would Like To Answer Before You Ask:

Poor Dino struggles with his burdens sometimes too. Being a Boss is easy. Being a good Boss is hard!

xXxXxXxXxX

Your reviews make me update faster; so please leave a comment if you like this fic!

-sllebswap