Me: Hi! I'm really sorry about updating late. School assigned us quite a number of projects and after that was already our exams so it was really stressful. I've been taking a few days of summer to take a break, but I'm ready to type again. So here's the eleventh chapter!

By the way, the poll has ended and the results will be posted in the next chapter.

Enjoy!

K $h1

Chapter 11: Japan

When people talk about 'moving on', there are varied reactions. Some get annoyed at the mention of it, some are chill with it, while some are reflective about it. 'Moving on' could be associated with break-ups, with friendships, and with the dead.

I hear my grandmother – Chrome's grandmother – cry each night. My grandfather would try to comfort her, but I know that he, too, was almost breaking inside. To lose a daughter – an only daughter – was tough. I can't claim to know how it feels – I was a teenager when I died, and I was only a year old right now.

Whenever Rosetta drops by, her eyes would be grieving, despite the smile she forces on her face. Angelo and I have noticed it, but we never said anything about it. If that's her way of dealing with it, then we would respect it.

I haven't seen Sensei in a while, though. I always looked around the corner, or even behind me, but he wasn't there. I knew he and Bianca were close, but how close they were, I didn't know.

I sighed, running a hand through my hair. "Troublesome…"

I almost laughed. I sounded like Shikamaru from Naruto. But laughing wasn't an action I've done in the past week.

Losing Bianca didn't make me cry, I admit. I wasn't close to her. I never spent much time with her, but I knew she was important to me. It was just hard for me to actually care so much about someone who was only in my life for a while.

Does it make me a horrible person, I wonder… if I said I didn't really care?

It made me sad to lose her, but not as sad as Nonna was.

K $h1

"Chrome, I think it's best if… we sent you to Japan."

Ricardo's words shocked me, and I looked at him with wide eyes. "I… what?"

Ricardo inhaled sharply. "Charles is on the move, and he's already taken out Bianca. It would be better for you to reside in Japan, where you'd be safe."

Safe? I didn't want to be safe. I wanted to fight. I wanted to avenge Bianca's death. I wanted to—

Ricardo placed a hand on my shoulder, almost as if he could tell what I was thinking. "You're still young. You'll have more time to train and get stronger if your life was not in danger. He won't be able to find you there."

There was logic in his explanation, but did I even want to agree with it?

Ricardo sighed. "You'll be leaving in two hours with Rosetta. I… suggest you say your good-byes now."

I slowly nodded my head, turning around and heading out the doors.

I found no reason to go against his wishes.

K $h1

Saying good-bye felt odd. 'Good-bye' as a word itself was odd. It always gave me the impression that I would never see that person again, so I always opted for saying 'See you soon'.

Angelo didn't want to let go of me, so Rosetta had to pry him away. Elaina had given me a tearful farewell. Bel – I didn't meet him. He was busy, fighting Rasiel that is. Or at least, that was what I had assumed. I had left a letter for him, hoping that he could read it once he was free.

I sighed as I boarded the plane with Rosetta, who was carrying my luggage. Was it even alright for me to be safe while the rest were putting their lives on the line? Was it alright for me to be comfortable while the rest weren't?

I groaned, resting my head on the arm of the chair. It wasn't fair, but since when was the world even fair?

"You're thinking quite deeply, aren't you, Chrome?" Rosetta chuckled. "Care to share?"

I gave her a small smile. "It's nothing to worry about."

She nodded and looked out the window as I stared blankly at the carpeted floor beneath me.

And that's when it hit me.

I would be in Japan. I would be with Chrome's stepmom and dad. I would be meeting Mukuro. I would be – fuck. I'd be getting in an accident.

I sighed. So be it.

K $h1

A black haired man and a blonde woman were the ones waiting for me at the airport, holding a placard with my name on it. Rosetta was holding my hand and my suitcase on her other hand. Her face was a little blank, staring at the man hardly as we neared them. The man looked a little uncomfortable when he saw her with me, but then looked around questioningly.

"Hi, Rosetta…" the man chuckled slightly, gulping softly. He looked really nervous when he was looking at her. The woman, on the other hand, looked happy to see her.

"Rosetta! It's been a while, hasn't it?" the woman smiled at Rosetta, who looked at her with a raised eyebrow.

"I suppose it has, Yuzuki." Rosetta said, glaring at the man. "You'll take care of her well, won't you?"

The man nodded, no longer nervous. "Of course, I will. It's my obligation to."

"An obligation you didn't attend to," Rosetta snapped at him. He looked guilty, and so did the woman, but only slightly. "Whatever. I expect her to write me every other week, so if she doesn't, I will know why. She will be fed, cleaned, cared for, and given schooling. I swear if you even hurt her, I'll gut you."

The pair paled at her last sentence.

Rosetta sighed, turning to me. "Sweetie, I actually have a conference to get to. Here's your luggage. We'll be sending your other stuff in a week or two. Take care, alright? We'll miss you."

She gave me a hug – something I didn't expect at all.

I couldn't even remember the last time she hugged me.

I stiffened, and Rosetta seemed to realize what she had done. She let go of me and coughed. "I'll get going now. Bye, Yuzan, Yuzuki."

I turned around as she left and was swallowed by the crowd.

The man – Yuzan – coughed, gaining my attention as I gripped my luggage tightly.

"Hey, there. Chrome, right?" he asked me with an uneasy smile.

"…" I stared at him blankly. Who was he to tell me this?

"Well, um, I'm your dad." Oh. So this was him.

"…" I continued staring at him blankly, tempted to raise an eyebrow.

"Uh… help me out here, Yuzuki," he looked at the woman next to him.

"Dear, I'm Himeji Yuzuki. I'm your… stepmother, and this is your father, Ryuzaki Yuzan. It's… nice to meet you," she told me nervously. I could understand why. Telling a child that you were her stepmother – her new mother – was difficult, especially when the child was rather young.

"…" I didn't say anything. Did I even need to? They were just taking me because Antonio probably forced them to. They didn't want me.

"Since you're in Japan, I think we should give you a Japanese name, hmm? What would you like?" Yuzuki suggested to me with an encouraging smile.

"...i…" I mumbled softly. I had to stick to canon if I wanted a happy ending.

"Sorry?"

"..gi.."

"Sorry, come again?" Yuzuki came closer.

"Nagi." I made my voice louder, and I looked at her with determined eyes.

"Nagi… that's a wonderful name you chose, Chrome." Yuzuki gave me a close-eyed smile and I wondered to myself how such a nice person could end up like the one in canon.

Looks can be deceiving, Chrome.

What. The. Fuck.

I looked around to see if anybody else had said that.

"Well, let's get to the car, then. It's a long drive home," Yuzuki told me, picking me up and Yuzan gathered my luggage. As we walked to the car, I heard it again.

She won't always be like this.

Who are you? Why are you talking to me in my mind?

I was suspicious. Was this another Mist user? Was this person just like Mukuro?

I'm not like Rokudo. And I don't exactly have a name – a proper name.

Why not?

Stop asking stupid questions. Just be careful.

But how will I not be curious as to the one talking to me in my brain. Are you… another personality of mine?

You could say that.

Okay. I'll accept it for now, but one day, you and I are having a talk.

Whatever.

K $h1

The house wasn't as big as the mansion, but it was big enough compared to other houses. There were five bedrooms: one for Yuzan and Yuzuki, one for me, a guest room, a bedroom-turned-storage room, and they refrained from saying anything about the other room, which was barricaded. There was a kitchen, a bathroom for each room, a mini-library, a living room, and a backyard outside. It seemed to resemble the Cuore mansion I stayed at, but a relatively smaller version, and one that didn't feel like home to me.

Yuzan and Yuzuki left me in my room as Yuzuki made some food for me and Yuzan had business to attend to. Yuzuki, so far, was quite nice and seemed to genuinely want to know me. Now, normally, the stepmoms I knew were mean, refusing to accept the child of the woman their husband had previously loved. She didn't seem to be one of them, and I thought that maybe I could grow to like her, despite what my inner said.

Speaking of my inner, I didn't even know why I had one. If this was some sort of personality disorder, I didn't know where it came from or how it manifested. I didn't even know if my inner was even an inner. It could have been a Mafioso trying to hunt me down by getting in my head, so I tried to avoid talking to my inner as much as possible, not that that would probably help.

Someone had knocked on my door. Yuzuki came in with some hot soup and bread and placed it on my bedside table. She took a chair and placed it in front of me as she began to feed me.

I accepted it. I was hungry.

And when I had finished, she promised to tell me stories and to spend time with me. She headed downstairs to wash the bowl and utensils I had used, so while waiting, I lay on top of my pillow and began to reflect on everything that had happened so far.

I was reborn as Chrome, even if I didn't die. (At least, I think I didn't die.)

Charles and his Famiglia attacked on my first birthday party, where I met Angelo.

We then stayed at my grandparents' mansion, where I met Sensei.

I began to train with Sensei and along the way, I met Bel.

There was this odd boy in the picture located in Bianca's album.

Bianca had died.

But why? Why was I just accepting these events? Could it be that I wasn't taking this seriously enough? Could it be that I still think of this as an anime, and since everything turned out alright, I just knew that it would turn out alright? Is that why I've been so casual about things?

Call me heartless, but I couldn't help it. I just didn't feel anything bad about it.

And I didn't even know why.

K $h1

As the one year old reflected on her thoughts, outside the window of her new room stood her sensei, perched on a branch and hidden in an illusion, disguised as an orange cat. He observed the girl, wondering if he should at least talk to her. He was her sensei. She was his student. Should he make an attempt to 'connect' with her?

He shook his head. Why should he bother? She wasn't his responsibility right now.

"You'll take care of her, right, Ry—"

He gritted his teeth, damning the woman who left him in this situation. If she had not died, she would not have to stay with that good-for-nothing bastard. How could the old man even think of sending her here? To them? That was a stupid decision on his part. Does he honestly think he could fool that stepmother for so long? She'd realize. Oh, yes, she would.

He groaned slightly. He watched her look at the ceiling with mature eyes – eyes that shouldn't belong to a one year old. She shouldn't have those eyes. Not yet, at least.

He sighed, flickering away.

He had a mission to attend to.

K $h1

Extra: With Bel

Dear best friend,

I'm sorry I had to go.

It was a sudden decision, but it was for the best.

Don't miss me too much, okay?

I left a present for you under my bed. Just ask Angelo for it or something.

We'll meet again one day. I know we will.

Thanks for everything.

See you soon!

Chrome

He kept the letter in his pocket with a blank face. How dare she just leave like that? How dare she leave the prince like that? He sighed. At least, she had left a letter and informed him of what had happened.

He threw a knife at some random bandit he had seen.

Might as well take his annoyance out on them.

K $h1

Sneak Peek

Chapter 12: A Jungle

"I have to go to school?"

"Well, Rosetta said you had to, and it's only proper of a child to attend school, don't you think, Nagi?"

"I suppose…"

..

"Hi, I'm—"

"Step away from me, you leech."

"Wah! Sensei, she called me a bad word!"

"…Well, bitch works, too."

K $h1

Me: I hope you guys liked it? Sorry if it seems a little rushed, especially the second part: the one where Antonio tells Chrome to go to Japan.

But, what do you know? Chrome's got an inner. I wonder who it is? ;) Over time, you'll find out why Yuzuki's really nice, when Canon! Chrome's stepmom wasn't, and also what her sensei's relationship really is to Bianca.

A little explanation on Chrome's behavior: Lily had parents who preferred her younger sister. It made her somewhat detached or secluded, in a way. She 'died' as a teenager who wasn't mature yet. Plus, she's only been with Bianca for a while. (One year as a baby isn't really enough) So, she doesn't feel anything. And yes, because she's finished the anime, she knows that they all get happily ever afters. Because she has training, she feels like she would eventually win anyways, so she doesn't worry. It's made her a little arrogant and made her think that way.

Did that help?

Meh.

I'll be editing chapters starting from the first one soon, so hopefully the edits make the story better!

See you next time!