A/N: The next chapter is finally heeeere! *throws confetti* OMG, I'm soooo sorry you guys had to wait so long! Please understand I have no internet access at home and I had exams and all that, this is the first time I have the chance to upload a chapter again.

So only one review…I'm starting to think I'm losing my touch here haha, just kidding. Thanks Nikki for dropping the review and also WisdomWriter25 and Avelyn Rosewood who fav/followed. Thanks for all the support guys, it really makes me feel like all warm and fuzzy inside :3

Nikki: I know, I'm a terrible person T^T but it had to be done! Don't worry though, all will be well…sort of… Haha I'm soooo glad to hear you like the Skylark moments, I love writing them! There won't be any for a while from now on though, but there will be in the future and many many more in the sequel I'm planning! Oops, spoiler… XD

Please enjoy this chapter!

Chapter 13

The mansion was quiet, everyone either busy eating or working on the ring tracker in the study. There was no sound to be heard except for the rushed footsteps of men in the study or the occasional word spoken between them. It wouldn't be thus for long, however, as the main doors to the house swung open and banged against the walls, shaking the house. The slam echoed through the whole building along with the voice of the lady of the house.

"Andrew!" Arica's voice called, slicing through the air. Instantly, every man, no matter what family they were in, was on alert. However, when they realized whose voice it was, all had different reactions. Fifty per cent of them immediately dropped what they were doing – even those that had food in their hands – to rush to the entrance and see what was wrong with their boss. The rest of the men were all a part of Ricardo's Famiglia and didn't seem to give a damn about what happened to her.

The Rinaldi Famiglia boss' subordinates came rushing into the entrance hall from all sides and various doors in the house, some nearly falling down the stairs in their haste. They didn't expect the scene they were met with, though, and stopped dead in their tracks to stare in utter surprise. In the doorway stood their precious boss, stumbling dangerously, wobbling on tired legs as the deadweight of the taller boy draped over her pushed her down. She was covered in muddy water and blood, panting heavily for breath she had lost while struggling home with the half dead boy.

"What the hell are you all staring at? Where's Andrew; I need his help," she snapped as she glared at the gaping men in front of her. She didn't have time for their naivety; there was a guy hanging onto a mere thread of his life and she didn't have time for chitchat while it was slipping away.

"Uh, he's not here, Boss," one of them stuttered quickly, stepping from behind the group so she could see him. Arica recognised the blond as Druitt and her green eyes locked onto him. It made the boy nervous, being scrutinized by those piercing, frantic-looking orbs.

"What do you mean 'not here'? Where did he go at this time of night?" she demanded in slight disbelief, shifting the weight on her side to renew her grip.

"Wait, Boss, let me help you!" Druitt said as he hurried forward to take Gokudera from the small girl.

"Take him up to my room, put him on the bed. I'll send someone to take care of him in a moment," she instructed, rolling her shoulders to get the stiffness out.

"Uhm…are you sure, Boss? Shouldn't he be cleaned up first?" the blond asked hesitantly as he held the bomber in his arms like he weighed nothing, putting his almost inhuman strength to use.

Everyone flinched as they practically heard the thin piece of patience their boss had left stretching even thinner. Arica's eye twitched, her teeth clenching as she hissed at him, "I don't care about the fucking sheets getting dirty. Sheets can be washed, but the dead can't be brought back to life. Now go!"

"Y-yes, ma'am," he stuttered, blushing slightly at her reprimanding tone and his own stupidity as he took the stairs two at a time towards her room.

When he was out of sight, the brunette's eyes snapped back to the crowd, who flinched at the hard look she gave them. They were really nervous now; their boss never cursed. She was always calm and composed and when she got angry, it was rarely to this degree. They knew she was beyond pissed when the curse words ever came from her luscious lips, and they could only hope that it was never directed at them.

"Alright, I want answers. Now," she demanded of them, her expression hard and cold as she watched the men shift uncomfortably before her, none of them wanting to give the answer, especially now that they knew in what kind of mood she was.

Finally, someone stepped forward. Arica's eyes found them immediately and her mind registered Garrett, another of her most trusted subordinates. He was around twenty five years old and was one of the best snipers the family had, having joined them when she was around eight years old – six years. He had short brown hair and eyes of the same shade, much like Andrew and as friendly as well. He was one of the few she was close to.

"Andrew left for Italy this morning, along with Ricardo, Boss," he answered dutifully, prepared for her wrath he knew was coming his way. He had seen her angry only about two times before, so he knew what to expect, yet there could never be any preparation for the full effect when it burst free.

"What? Why did they go to Italy? And why did Ricardo take him, why not one of his own men?" she fired rapidly, her confusion rising with her anger.

"They were called there by your father; there were some…complications back home. Andrew was asked by him because he had been your father's right-hand man before the 9th entrusted him to you; the 9th trusts him more than anyone else most likely," Garrett explained as best he could.

"'Complications'? What kind of complications; what's the worst that could happen? Did he fall on his fat ass and now he can't get up?!" she raged, her voice rising at each heated word spoken. The room flinched at the pure hatred in the girl's voice. It was no secret how she felt about her father, how much she loathed him. Even the man himself knew it and that was probably why he would never call her to come to his rescue – she swore to god if he did she would poison him anyway.

She hated her father. He had done all those terrible things to her like sending her to that place to get her weapons 'installed'. He hadn't given a flying rat's ass about her or her mother – he was the one to plan his wife's death, after all. He had tried to deny it but it was as clear as day that he had only married her to have an heir. When she had given him a daughter instead of a son, he saw no need for the 'cursed' woman any longer and got rid of her after doctors informed them her mother won't be able to have any more children. Then he had a daughter for an heir and she was too weak in his eyes. He sent her to that place to make her worthwhile, to make her into his perfect puppet for the throne. At least, that's what she figured out on her own.

"There was an attack on headquarters, Boss. They had to go and investigate to find out who it was and what they wanted," Garrett corrected her patiently, supressing a shiver when she narrowed her cold gaze onto him.

"That man is useless; who the hell would care if he was murdered?" she spat ruthlessly, her fists clenching at her sides. "I say let him keel over and die." Arica took deep breaths to calm herself, but it didn't work all that well anyway. It did clear her head a little, though, so she could remember about Gokudera who was currently in mortal danger in her bedroom. Shaking herself mentally, the youngest D'Angelo straightened a little and looked them all over once more. "Never mind, let's put that aside for now. We have more pressing matters to attend to. Since Andrew isn't here, are there any of you skilled enough in medicine to treat that wounded boy?"

Andrew was the best they had in the whole house, but there was bound to be at least one more doctor in the room. She didn't trust Ricardo's men enough to ask them for help, so there just had to be someone in the immediate vicinity. To her great relief, someone stepped forward. "Right here, Boss. I used to be a doctor at a small clinic in Florence."

Arica looked over and gave a small smile. It felt forced since she wasn't really in the smiling mood, but it was there nonetheless. "Thank you, Donald. I'm glad you're here then," she said, her voice softening a bit as the middle aged man smiled back warmly and started towards the stairs. She knew all of their names, of course, but never before had she really gone through all their files and background stories to see what they did before they joined the mafia. "If there's anyone else, please, your help would be greatly appreciated."

"I wasn't anything as fancy as a doctor, but I know some basic medicine and treatments," another said, this time a redhead Arica recognised as a young man named Timothy, who had an American accent, giving away his nationality.

"Anything at all can help a great deal, thank you, Timothy," Arica whispered in utter relief now. "Two should be enough, but if anyone else feels they could help, you're welcome to pitch in. If you two don't mind, could you go as soon as possible? I don't think he's in any condition to wait." They nodded curtly and headed upstairs to get everything started. Arica's entire body visibly relaxed when she had sorted that all out, but then she remembered all the other eyes trained on her and she straightened up again, annoyance building quickly. "All of you make yourselves useful and search the house for any medical equipment or medicine you can get your hands on and take it to my room. Garrett, get your fucking ass on that phone and call Andrew. Tell him to get over here right now, even if it means he has to hitch hike on the back of a fucking whale."

The men were frozen at the sudden return of her ire and could merely stand and blink blankly at her.

Arica rolled her eyes and raised her voice as she yelled, "Move it!"

They snapped out of their stupors and went scattering like frightened ants all over the place in search of the desired items. Garrett went off to another room, cell phone in hand as he quickly scrolled through his contacts to find Andrew's number. Arica let out a long, drawn-out sigh when the rushing footsteps faded in various directions. Her hands found their way into her messy, dirty hair and she pulled at a few strands. She didn't have to worry anymore, Gokudera was in good hands. Yet her body didn't listen to her and told her that she wouldn't be put to ease until Andrew arrived. Right now, her sort-of friend was much more important than that man that dared call himself her father.

She was even more tired than she had been the whole day, her legs slightly wobbly as she decided to go up to her room and check up on the bomber's condition. She was covered in blood and dirt, but she didn't give a shit at that moment. She had dragged him all the way to the house – approximately ten minutes' walk away – since the only hospital in town was halfway across said town and she didn't know where Gokudera lived so she couldn't take him to his house. The next best thing was her own home where she had thought he would be in the most experienced hands. She was in such a panic that she didn't even consider the ambulance as an option.

She had used her dirty clothes that had gotten wet during both her fights as temporary bandages. She had shredded her once-favourite shirt to bind the more severe wounds and to cover the large injury on the back of his head. Then she had dragged him home as best and as fast as she could, what with him being no help whatsoever and without causing even more damage to his possibly damaged or broken ribs and limbs.

Arica started up the stairs slowly, sidestepping someone every now and then as they ran past with a few bottles of painkillers or a drip. When she reached the room there were already various pill bottles, syringes, machines, etc. and a few men standing around to watch the two medics work. They made way for Arica as she entered and she came to a standstill next to the bed, looking down at the silver haired teenager. Her heart squeezed tightly and guilt washed over her. She didn't know why, though, but she was smart enough to figure out it had something to do with him being attacked. For some reason, she felt guilty for causing his pain.

There was silence as the two men worked, and it was only broken when more subordinates came in with a few supplies. Not long after, Garrett was back and he didn't look happy with the news he was about to deliver. "I talked to him, Boss, but… Andrew won't be back until Wednesday at the earliest. He would first have to finish some work he had received from your father before getting a flight back here. He suspects that the flight he would be able to get would only be leaving on Tuesday night so he'd be here on Wednesday – if something doesn't cause delays and so on."

Arica closed her eyes for a few seconds to ward off the headache that was creeping up on her overly stressed mind. When she opened them she was met with the cautious, expecting gazes of every man in the room, except Donald and Timothy, who were studiously ignoring the conversation so they could concentrate. The girl sighed and rubbed the bridge of her nose as she muttered, "Well, I guess it's better than nothing. Thanks, Garrett. Thank you, all of you, for putting up with my fit earlier. I…it won't happen again. I hope."

"Don't worry about it, Boss. We understand," Druitt chipped in with a large grin and everyone nodded enthusiastically.

Arica chuckled slightly and nodded her head slowly. She looked down at herself and was about to say something when someone else beat her to it. "You should go take a bath, Boss; we can take care of this."

She turned to see Donald giving her a pointed stare and she wasn't about to argue with him. "Yes, I think I'll do that and then go to bed, I guess. But, I have a request: when you're done examining him, come and wake me up and give me a list of all injuries. No matter what time of the night or morning."

"Will do," Timothy assured, never looking up from his work as he inserted a needle into Gokudera's arm with practised ease.

The other men were all ushered out of the room as Arica made her way towards her closet to get some pyjamas and them heading out and down the hall to Andrew's room. She'd crash there until either Gokudera felt well enough to move, or until Andrew got back and she was forced to leave.

She didn't waste any time in drawing a nice, hot bath, stripping and lowering herself into the water with a sigh of contentment as the warmth washed over her. The dried blood on her hands and legs, however, drew her attention as it dissolved into the water, turning it redder and redder the more she sat there. Her stomach turned along with the swirling red and she swallowed back the bile that wanted so badly to rise in her throat. Grabbing the bar of soap and a washcloth, she lathered it with a thick layer of soap and started scrubbing her arms and legs, her neck and torso, even her hair.

Even after all the grime had been removed, she kept on scrubbing. Her creamy skin had turned a bright red from all the attention and it started to hurt but she still didn't feel clean enough. She had scrubbed her skin raw by the time she finally gave up and the tears began rolling down her cheeks. It was all her fault. She didn't know how and she didn't know why, but her gut was telling her she had had a part in causing his current situation. She always listened to her gut, and it wasn't always a reassuring feeling, like at that very moment.

Had it been anyone else, she would probably have called for someone to help the person or called an ambulance. She wouldn't have felt that amount of guilt and responsibility like she did now. Maybe it was because she actually knew Gokudera and was somewhat friends with him. That most likely made out most of the reason for her bringing him to her house for treatment. The other part was this feeling eating away at her stomach, screaming at her to do something since it was her fault.

Why would she feel that it was her fault if it wasn't the case? There was no way – she knew – that she would be reacting this violently to a feeling of guilt that didn't have a cause. Even though she didn't know what she had done to contribute to his attack, Arica felt that she needed to repent for it, to make up for it. That is why she had brought him there and that is why she had reacted like she had. That resolve to fix what she had broken – however indirect that might have been.

The brunette sat in the bath until the water and her tears had run cold. She got out and started drying herself, her thoughts still wandering. If she hadn't stayed out so late, she might've never found him there. If she had gone home earlier she would've missed him and he could've died. It would've been all her fault, somehow. The only way she would be able to accept this, was when Gokudera woke up and told her himself what had happened.

After dressing in her favourite black and red nightdress, Arica got into Andrew's bed and snuggled into the soft, downy duvet. She pressed her face into the pillow and inhaled deeply, her senses relaxing immensely as Andrew's scent enveloped and comforted her. But it didn't lull her to sleep like she had hoped it would. The subject of Gokudera's attack was still too fresh in her mind. She lay still in the darkness for what felt like hours before she finally gave up and sat up in bed. It pressed at her skull like it wanted to break free; she needed to tell someone about it.

But who? Someone other than herself had to know that he was alright, and Andrew wasn't there to lend his ear at that moment when she needed him most. Immediately, Tsuna came to mind. He was Gokudera's best friend after all and he would get worried when the bomber didn't show up to school for a few days. But if she told him wouldn't he freak out even more? In the week she had known the boy, she had quickly come to realize he didn't do well with surprising and sudden news, especially bad news. She had to let someone know either way and he was the first option – also the only one whose number she had. Glancing at the clock, she saw that it was only eight o'clock.

Before she had even made her final decision, Arica's phone was in her hand and she was dialling the Sawadas' home number. If she had wanted to hang up because she changed her mind, it was too late. On the second ring the phone was answered. "Ciaossu, Sawada Residence," a high pitched voice spoke up on the other side.

Arica felt equal waves of relief and anxiety flood through her as she realized who it was. "Hello, Reborn. It's Arica," she greeted in turn, trying to steel her nerves. She knew he was no ordinary baby from the minute she met him and she could practically feel those obsidian eyes on her even through the receiver. He unnerved her, to say the least. "Is Tsuna there? I hope I didn't wake anyone up."

"Don't worry about it, Dame-Tsuna's still finishing up some math homework in his room," Reborn assured, but suspicion was clear in his voice. "Is there a message for him?"

"Uh…no. No, it's fine. Sorry for the bother," she sighed silently. It would be better for him not to know after all.

Just as she was about to say goodbye, the arcobaleno spoke up. "Oi, Arica, why did you call? It couldn't be nothing if it's this time in the evening. Besides, you wouldn't have called just to say hello after what happened this morning."

The brunette could kick herself for that stupid mistake. She had all but forgotten about what had happened that morning – was it really only a few hours ago? – and she hadn't thought of the consequences before she dialled the number. At least she was pretty sure that Reborn wouldn't ask as many questions about it as Tsuna would've. In that aspect she was glad he didn't answer the phone.

Sighing, Arica closed her eyes briefly before hesitantly answering. "I…have some disturbing news that I wasn't sure I should tell Tsuna about or not. It's something he should know, but I'm not sure that he would want to know it."

"Just spit it out," the hitman demanded, a spark of unease igniting within him at the way she spoke. He knew it was urgent and perhaps critical; years of being the greatest hitman had taught him how to read people's tones of voice very easily.

Arica hung her head, worrying her forehead with nervous fingertips as she breathed out her reply. "After I had…left your house, I ended up at Nami-chuu. I stayed there for a couple of hours, but on my way back home I…found Gokudera." She had cringed at the reminder of the way she had acted that morning and loathed to bring it up, but thankfully Reborn didn't pay much attention to it at that moment, only focusing on the critical information.

"What do you mean 'found' him?" Reborn inquired, the unease and tension building.

"Exactly what the word implies. I found him, as in I found him passed out in an alley, beaten up and drunk as hell," she explained stiffly.

There was silence and she waited for the arcobaleno to say the first word. He seemed to be thinking things through, putting a few pieces together perhaps. The air grew uncomfortable and Arica started to shift uneasily on the bed, fidgeting with the edge of the duvet. Just when she was about to say something, Reborn finally spoke up, "Where is he now?"

"He's at my house since it was the closest place I could get him to in the quickest time. But don't worry, he's in perfectly capable hands. The…house doctor is looking after him as we speak," she assured him and silence reigned again for a few seconds.

"I take it you won't be going to school tomorrow either?" he questioned suddenly and Arica was taken slightly aback at the abrupt question.

She was about to say that of course she would go to school, but then thought better of it. She didn't want to leave Gokudera all alone while he was in that state. No matter how safe he was in the house and how good he would be taken care of, it just wouldn't feel right for her to leave him when she had apparently had a part in his attack. She would be distracted in school and would fret over his wellbeing the entire time. Plus, she didn't have the strength to face Tsuna.

"No, I won't," she decided. "I think I'll stay here until he gets well enough."

"Hm, alright then," Reborn agreed, though he sounded a bit distant, as if in thought. After some more silence, he added, "I don't think we should tell Tsuna. Wait a little longer and if he's not fine in two or so days, I'll tell him myself. For now, he has to focus on that science test tomorrow. Thanks for letting me know, Arica, I'll take care of things on this side."

The line went dead before she could get out another word and Arica put the phone down on the nightstand. That was sorted out then. As she lay down in bed once more, a large yawn wrecked her body and sleep rushed to the front of her mind. The stress was gone now, so sleep pressed its way into the limelight. Snuggling up once more in Andrew's bed, sleep finally managed to claim her.

That night the nightmare from the previous night came back twice as bad.

A/N: And that's that for chapter 13 my dears! How was it? very serious and depressing but it revealed a little more about her past too, yes? Only a tiiiny bit, but it's actually one of the most important bits in this whole plot.

So, I have no idea when next I'll be updating, I now have finals coming up and…yeah. So please be patient with my long updates and feel free to drop a review/fav/follow~ They really make my day so much brighter :)

Any Naruto fans here? Please go check out my collection of one-shots called "In the Love Life of a Ninja". I really really need some suggestions for pairings over there!

Until next time! Ciao ciao~