Disclaimer: I don't own Katekyo Hitman Reborn, to that Amano Akira has every right. I'm merely borrowing them for my own entertainment and make no money out of it. I do, however, own Arica D'Angelo, yay! (And any other characters you don't recognize.)

A/N: Chapter 8 has arrived! Thank you sooooo much to all you wonderful peoples still reading this and supporting me! Thanks for the follows and favorites and reviews, you guys are the best and I love you! (the silent readers too). You should see me jumping up and down and dancing around when I see new follows/favs/reviews lol…wait no, you probably don't want to see that…

xKANAN: thank you and yay, glad you like it! XD We can all team up against him *evil laugh* And yeah, it's so sad if they're not continuing the anime, I think it's 'cauz they're busy with Psycho-Pass (Amano Akira's other work which is AWSM by the way if you haven't seen it). You should totally read the manga though, it's great XP

Sorry for way too long A/Ns _ here's chapter 8! *cheering*

Chapter 8

She was running. She didn't know where to, why, or from what/whom. All Arica knew was that she had been running for a while now, if her aching legs and lungs were any indication. The thick air around her wasn't making it any easier to breathe either. She heard the sounds of gunshots and screaming in the distance and dead bodies littered the ground around her feet as she sprinted down one or other corridor, taking extra caution of the slick puddles of blood. She didn't know where she was headed but she saw a pair of double doors coming up at the end of the hallway.

She stumbled, but managed to stay upright by using her hands to scramble onwards. Looking back over her shoulder, she saw the obstacle was a twenty-something year old man sprawled on the ground, his eyes staring blankly up at the ceiling. He had a bullet hole right between the eyes, a trail of blood still trickling slowly down his face – he hadn't been dead long then.

Arica literally fell through the doors and came to a brief halt as she frantically looked around. No, she wasn't looking around; she was searching for someone or something even though she didn't know who or what it was exactly. The heavily breathing girl found herself outside where all the noise was coming from. Men in suits were running – some limping – around in what used to be the front yard of the mansion she had just exited. It was a front yard no more than it was a battlefield. What she saw made her knees buckle and her hands shake, her stomach turning.

Dozens upon dozens of bodies littered the ground before her, their blood staining the now dead and burnt grass red. The sky was also tainted red and black, thick with screams, gunshots and the smoke of fires raging throughout the grounds. Whoever her dream self was looking for, she didn't see them. She tried to calm herself as she pushed forward, her lungs barely being able to have caught their breath and her legs feeling numb beneath her. She ran once more, towards where she hoped the exit of this hell was. No one tried to stop or attack her as she made a beeline for her unknown destination, causing her to only dodge a few stray bullets here and there and vaulting over a lifeless body or six.

Just when she saw a gap in her surroundings, only another twenty feet away, her luck ran out. Arica skidded to a halt, panting, as the figure stepped in her way, blocking the exit. Her eyes widened as she saw who her opponent was – she couldn't believe her eyes. The blond male was smiling slightly as they stared at each other from across the ten feet gap while battles raged around them. A few minutes – which felt like hours – passed like that, the two Mafiosi staring at each other without moving a muscle. Then, as Arica snapped out of her daze and made to charge forward and past the man, the blond lifted his right arm, making Arica stop for the second time.

In his hand was a gun, pointed directly at her. Even though she was out in the open, she was at a dead end. He was still too far away for her to charge him and disarm him, and she wouldn't have enough time to even release her weapons to block a bullet, so that wouldn't work either. She was helpless as she stared down the barrel of the gun. Her legs finally gave in and her entire body went limp, causing Arica to sink to the ground in surrender. She couldn't go back the way she had come, either; whatever she had been running from was still there most likely.

"I really liked you, Arica, I really, really did," the man told her in a strangely soft voice and she could hear the miniscule hint of insanity breaking through. "But you didn't want me; you chose that…that hooligan! I can't let you get away with that, Arica. So now is the time to say goodbye to this world. Forever!"

Arica didn't even flinch as the trigger was pulled. Time seemed to slow down as the piece of hot metal zoomed towards her head at what should have been lightning speed. She didn't move out of the way; she merely accepted it. She was happy as long as he would be spared – 'he' being the person she had been looking for as she exited the house even though she didn't know who it was. If dying now meant that he would be left alone, then so be it. Arica watched as the bullet came within a mere three feet from her face and she closed her eyes, bracing herself for impact and inescapable death.

The girl waited and waited, but nothing came. Frowning, Arica cracked open one eye cautiously before both flew open in shock. She didn't see the blond who had shot her anymore, since a white clad back was turned towards her. The person towered over her as she was still on her knees. The black smoke decorating the reddish sky blocked out what little light the sunset still provided and she couldn't clearly see his face from that angle. It was clearly a guy; that much she could tell by the subtle muscles in his back that was visible under the sweat soaked shirt.

Suddenly his knees buckled and he stumbled back a little and Arica instinctively jumped up and grabbed his arm to steady him, aching legs and muscles completely forgotten. Only when she stood could she make out his face and features and a chill – colder than the Arctic air – shot down her spine and paralyzed her. The person turned towards her slightly, gripping at her arm as if it was a lifeline – which it was at that moment. She didn't mind though, her eyes glued steadily to the growing red splotch near his ribcage; since it was dark and the blood had already spread, she couldn't tell where exactly the bullet had hit but she knew for certain it hit something vital.

Her dream self's chest ached at the sight of the person's pale face. It was as if she shared his pain. Oh how she wished she could take that pain onto herself. Arica didn't know what this person meant to her dream self, but she certainly knew they had a close bond. Even worse, Arica couldn't put a name to the face she saw before her, but her phantom self knew exactly who it was and why she was feeling that way towards this person's impending death.

The boy fell forward towards her and she tried to keep him upright, but he was too heavy and both of them tumbled to the ground with him on top of her. She couldn't move; he was deadweight, literally. Arica couldn't even blink her eyes as she stared into lifeless orbs, the warm blood soaking into her own clothes and skin. It was too much, too much. All she was still aware of as everything went black, was the hand still gripping onto her wrist for dear life that was now lost.

The brunette's eyes shot open and she started upright in bed, shaking the hand on her arm off frantically. A piercing scream tore through the air and the woman next to her bed – who had presumably come to wake her – stumbled back and nearly fell over her skirt in fright. Arica's lungs began to burn for oxygen and only then did she realize that the person screaming was her. She couldn't stop though. The image of those eyes still burned into the back of her eyeballs. She had seen those eyes somewhere before, but the image was now starting to slip away and she couldn't place a finger on it.

The door flew open, banging against the wall. She heard footsteps rushing towards her, but she didn't register anything. Her mind was too preoccupied in trying to remember the boy's face from her dreams. But she couldn't, and she couldn't remember his murderer's face either; the entire dream was slowly slipping away. All she could remember now was that whoever this person had been, he was important to her. She didn't know why, but her dream self sure did. The screaming died down and the room was filled with heavy breathing, finally allowing the anxious voice right next to her to break through her daze.

"Arica? Arica, snap out of it! Look at me, please, look at me." She did as she was asked and saw Ricardo kneeling next to her bed, his hands fluttering around her face to get her attention. He breathed a small sigh of relief at the reaction, but his eyes were still uneasy as he searched her dazed expression. "Arica, are you alright? What happened?" When he got no answer, he turned towards the trembling, wide-eyed maid. "What happened to her?"

"I-I don't know, Mr. Mariani. I came in to draw the curtains and saw Miss D'Angelo tossing around in her sleep so I tried to wake her and then all of a sudden she was screaming," the woman explained as fast as she could, tripping over her words.

"So it was a nightmare then?" the other boss asked as he looked back at Arica, who seemed to be coming out of it. "God, you had me worried; I thought you had been attacked or something!"

Arica blinked a few times and she was only then hit with the realization that Rick was right there next to her, cradling her face in his palms. She should have punched him by now or yelled or something, but she didn't. No matter whom it was, the warmth of his palms was comforting, reassuring her that she wasn't in that cold, dark, gruesome place anymore. The dream was now a complete blur to her and she could barely even remember having it, forgetting what it was about by the second.

"I…sorry about that. I'm fine now," she said in a soft voice with a small smile and pushed away Ricardo's hands. Arica threw off the covers and swung her legs over the edge of the bed. She realized as she wobbled slightly towards her closet that there were more people crowded outside her door, probably the ones who had heard her screams and were the closest. Andrew was nowhere to be seen and Arica started to fear the worst. No, she chastised herself as she rifled through her closet for something to wear. He's probably just busy or out on some errands.

She felt the eyes on her, the silence was pressing down heavily. Glancing over her shoulder she saw everyone still rooted to their spots. "Uhm…I don't mean to sound rude, but…" she gave them a meaningful look and the men blushed slightly before stumbling over a few apologies and falling over each other to get away. Ricardo, however, didn't move. "I'm fine, Rick," Arica reassured once more, genuinely surprised at the spark of concern she saw in his eyes.

Then she caught his eyes flickering to her neck and he winced slightly. Ah, so that's it… He still seemed to feel guilty – again, surprising – over what he had done the previous night. It was so unlike him to feel such an emotion concerning others. Did he really fall for that act she had put on or was he just playing along? It made her slightly uncomfortable, even though any other person would probably be ecstatic.

"Seriously, Rick. Don't think about it anymore, okay? I'm not as weak and fragile as I look; you know that," the brunette grinned convincingly and he hesitated for another moment before silently trudging to the door. He glanced back with one final, wordless frown before disappearing towards his personal lounge to have a drink even though it was only around ten in the morning.

Arica went to the bathroom to change. She had picked a pair of denim short-shorts and a black spaghetti strapped top with a red rose and overlapping white skull in the middle. A pair of sneakers and a denim jacket finished it off. The girl now stood in front of the mirror and saw there was another problem: the bruises.

They had grown into a purple so dark it was nearly black, creating a stark contrast to her pale skin. There was no way they'll be able to miss that. The dark splotches made even her stomach turn. Her lower back still throbbed lightly, but it was hardly noticeable or unbearable – she was known to heal quite fast. Her ribs still ached and she had been extra careful while dressing to avoid brushing against the tender flesh and muscle. It was much too large and dark for her to use concealer – the whole bottle would be spent on half of it! She glanced outside and noticed the way the trees were swaying and the rain filled clouds in the distance. Perfect.

Heading back to her room after she had fixed her hair and brushed her teeth and taken care of the barely noticeable yellowish hue still on her cheek, Arica pulled open her underwear drawer and rifled through it until she found what she was looking for. A thin purple scarf she could use to cover up the hand marks on her throat, and it was the perfect weather so as not to make it look suspicious. Even though it was thin and slightly transparent, it was dark enough to make the bruise blend in underneath. Arica draped the cloth around her neck in such a manner that it didn't look too obvious, nor revealed anything before she went down for yet another delicious breakfast.

Arica was standing on the front doorstep of the Sawada household, slightly hesitant to knock. At breakfast, Andrew was still nowhere to be seen and neither was Ricardo. They were probably just busy, she had thought and ignored it; the tracker was taking up everybody's time. Andrew would definitely be there when she got back and apologize for not greeting her that morning and so on. As she had made her way over to Tsuna's house, she began feeling the urge not to go anymore, to just turn around and go to bed or something. A little niggling in the back of her mind kept whispering to her that something bad was going to happen, yet she pushed on.

Taking a deep breath, Arica rang the doorbell two times and waited patiently. After a few seconds she could hear muffled footsteps heading her way from the inside and soon after the wooden door swung open to reveal a warmly smiling brown haired woman. Once the woman had given her a once over, her smile widened and she happily stated, "Oh, you must be Tsu-kun's friend, Arica-chan. He said he was expecting you! Please come in, come in!"

"Thank you, Sawada-san. It's nice to meet you," Arica said with a polite bow before stepping inside and taking off her shoes. The honorific felt awkward spilling from her lips; she wasn't used to it and didn't use it while addressing Tsuna and the others either. They understood that it wasn't natural to her, but she felt compelled to address this kind lady as such.

"Likewise! And, please, call me Mama; everyone else does. Tsu-kun is waiting upstairs; you can go right on up. I'll go make some snacks!" she babbled cheerfully, ushering Arica towards the stairs before floating into what was most likely the kitchen.

Arica's lips quirked upwards as she headed upstairs. When she got to the top, a voice could be heard from the first door to the left. Even without the voice she would've known it was his room: a wooden tuna fish hung on the door, the word "Tsuna" carved into its belly. How fitting… Arica thought fleetingly as she raised her hand and rapped the door three times.

"That must be Arica-chan!" she heard Tsunayoshi's muffled voice say. Then, to her surprise, after a pause he spoke again. She had thought he was alone in there and she didn't hear anyone else… "Ah! Reborn, it's not like that!" A loud thud followed, making Arica jump back in surprise. It sounded like someone had collided with the door…

"Are you going to open the door then, Baka-Tsuna, or are you going to just stand there?" a small, high-pitched voice said, coming closer to the door. That must've been Reborn. She had heard that name before… But the voice sounded like that of a baby's! Yet it spoke fluently and had a sense of maturity and authority to it. Maybe the person was sick…?

"I was on my way! You just want an excuse to kick me, don't you? Geez…" Tsuna sighed as he finally opened the door to see Arica's confused expression. "Good morning, Arica-chan! Uh, sorry for the wait…" he laughed nervously, scratching his cheek. "Come in; sorry about the mess. Oh, and Yamamoto couldn't come; he had to help his dad with another large order."

"Don't worry about it," she reassured him and stepped inside, glancing around the surprisingly tidy room. Sure, there was a pair of stray pants and a shirt lying on the floor and a small mountain of what seemed to be manga occupied a small portion of the room, but it was still a lot tidier than any other teenage boy's room should be. Text books were already laid out on the low table in the middle of the room, along with some notes. Pretty complicated notes…

"So you're Arica D'Angelo," the small voice from earlier spoke up and Arica looked over at the bed, noticing the person for the first time. It really was a baby.

Arica blinked in slight surprise, but answered anyway, "Yes, I am. And you must be Reborn; I've heard your name cross a few lips over the past week. It's an honor to finally meet the one held in such high regard." Though I hadn't expected the much talked about 'Reborn-san' to be an infant… the girl added mentally.

The baby smirked as if knowing what she had been thinking. "I'm surprised Dame-Tsuna had the guts to ask a girl to tutor him, much less talk to you in the first place. He has a problem talking to pretty girls," he informed her conversationally while Tsuna's face turned red and he started sputtering.

"R-Reborn, I told you, it's not like that! Besides, Arica-chan offered and I really need it for tomorrow's test," he defended himself, trying to change the subject while they were at it.

"Yes, you do," Reborn agreed bluntly and Tsuna mentally sweat dropped. He then addressed Arica, "You must really be something if you can help this troubled young boy get his grades up. You have my sincere respect and good wishes."

"Eh?! Don't change your character however you want!" the young Vongola exclaimed as he watched Reborn's eyes turn larger than usual, the obsidian depths somehow seeming innocent and sparkly. The baby was twisting a finger into his cheek; the epitome of innocence. Tsuna huffed and spoke in a softer tone to Arica, "Let's just get started already, Arica-chan. And you, go drink some coffee or something!" he stepped forward and grabbed Reborn around the waist, carrying him towards the door like he was handling something unwanted and disgusting, like trash..

A yelp of pain was heard and Arica winced as the baby twisted in the boy's grip, his head jerking and hitting Tsuna in the jaw. As the Decimo's grip loosened, Reborn's foot came up and gave him a firm kick in the head, sending the poor kid flying into his dresser. As Tsuna cursed under his breath and rubbed his sore everything, Reborn landed lightly on his feet, dusting off his hands and straightening his fedora.

"How many times must I tell you, Baka-Tsuna: don't touch me so casually whenever you feel like it," the arcobaleno said, hiding the sadistic glint in his eye beneath the brim of his hat. He then bounded over to the amused and slightly miffed Arica, promptly jumping up into her arms. If she didn't have the quick reflexes from years of training, she wouldn't have been able to catch him fast enough, but she managed to wrap her arms around him and Reborn gave her a look of approval as he shifted to get comfortable. "I think I'll be staying to watch the progress and see if Arica is actually as smart as you make her out to be."

The girl didn't know if that should be taken as a compliment or not, while Tsuna's mouth was opening and closing like a fish out of water and no words came out for a moment. Then, "I can't touch you, after knowing you for almost two years, but you make yourself comfortable in a complete stranger's arms so easily? It's just like that time with Yamamoto all over again!" he ranted. "And why does no one ever find it strange that an infant can beat up someone three to four times his size? Then they always end up taking his side!"

"The ladies can't resist me," was all Reborn said, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world and not at all weird.

"Well, it is a little strange, but not the strangest I've come across in my life," Arica explained with a small shrug. "And as for taking his side…well, he is cute." It was true. The petite, warm little body, those big, round eyes, the cute smirk, the way he snuggled himself into her arms – it was just so cute! And Arica wasn't one for squealing over cuteness, not even in her mind.

Tsuna didn't seem to agree, however. "Cute? He's a devil! You haven't seen his true colors yet…"

Reborn's smirk grew with satisfaction and the slight ego boost. "Told you so," was all he said.

Arica chuckled a little. "Well, we better get started otherwise you'll fail that test." The Vongola Decimo let out a frustrated groan and moved to sit at the table. Arica shifted Reborn to her shoulder as she joined him. The complicated notes she had seen earlier were now readable and the girl raised a quizzical brow. There was no way Tsuna would understand that. Of course, she understood it and there was only one other person she knew who could. "You didn't learn anything yesterday, did you?"

Tsuna saw where her gaze rested and gave a nervous laugh, not wanting to speak badly of his friend. "Well…Gokudera-kun tries, you know, but sometimes he can get a little carried away."

Arica got the feeling it was more than 'a little' but she understood that he was the kind of person not to hurt his friends, directly or indirectly, to their face or behind their back. "Well, I'll see what I can salvage," the girl smiled and pulled the book closer. "Where would you like to start?"

"Uhm…how about the periodic table?" Tsuna said uncertainly. The names and abbreviations and numbers confused him greatly. Gokudera had tried to explain to him the previous day but he had only gotten about one percent of what the bomber had said and the other ninety-nine percent confused him even more. He loved his self-proclaimed right-hand man, but he was terrible at explaining anything, even the simplest concept. Hopefully Arica could do better. Now he felt guilty for thinking that and desperately hoped that Gokudera wouldn't find out.

A/N: Okay, so this thing is starting to pick up in the next two chapters, whoop whoop! So, I'm gonna cosplay Mukuro soon and my friend's gonna do Hibari XD 6918! I did Chrome last year haha it was fun but like only one person (exluding my best friend/cosplay buddy) knew who I was. KHR is not so popular over here as everywhere else *cries*.

Question: Do any of you amazing people cosplay? If yes, who? If no, WHY NOT? Let me know in a review – it seriously only takes a minute…well mine does haha.

Till next time, minna~ ciao ciao XP