"Haru will kiss the wound better, Hayato-kun!"

The kiss.

I've always considered the kiss as a burden. A sacrifice I had to go through in order to free Juudaime from having to deal with the foolish woman himself. So Juudaime could marry Sasagawa Kyoko. So Juudaime could be happy.

That was what I have always told myself. That all the things I did, the choice I made when I proposed, the responsibilities I bore for the bond, were for Juudaime.

But it was obvious for everybody else, wasn't it? That in truth, I-

"-need it..?" Aho-ushi's voice startled me.

I stared at the cow. No way. My thoughts can't be THAT transparent. I stuttered, "W-what?"

"New bandage," the cow sighed, "You need to put a new one, don't you?"

"Oh," my body relaxed a bit, "Yeah, right," I looked down to the sealed package of sterile dressing sticking out of my pocket. That was what Aho-ushi meant. My mind must've flown too high off the ground. Though, I couldn't help but think that the new set of cover for my wound is not what I really need for the bleeding cut in my hand. This mess of a finger needed Baka-onna.

Dumb finger.

I tossed my dirty, used cloth away and grabbed the new one. As I tore the plastic case open, I caught a glimpse of my red forefinger, out of it, my blood was still pouring steadily, now even wickedly dripping down my arm and staining the white shirt underlying my jacket.

"We needed you," Bianchi growled. She clenched the knob of Tsuna's office door.

Yamamoto had fled the room as soon as the three ended their discussion. Bianchi lingered just long enough to see the arrival of Vongola's cloud guardian for Tsuna's next appointment.

"Anna-cha~n, you look absolutely lovely today! Can I kiss you~?" the frightened cry of a girl followed the over-sweetened voice of a perverted old man.

Bianchi twitched.

"That's mean.. How about you, Daniela-chan? And I certainly wouldn't mind a peck on my cheek from your cute lips either, Valentina-chan!" another round of louder screams and hurried steps of the mansion's maids were the reply for the hungry wolf's call.

Bianchi's body was trembling when Shamal showed up at the end of the corridor, just across her, "We have spent hours waiting for you, Shamal," her eyes burnt with fury.

Lightning shone far beyond the tall window for a split second, followed by a series of thunder. The other side of the glass was wet, marks were left from the sliding rain water. It had been raining for more than an hour, but Shamal's overcoat was perfectly dry. Bianchi noticed that, and she wasn't stupid.

Shamal's eyes brightened when he spotted Bianchi, "Bianchi-cha~n?" he waltzed over nonchalantly - cheerful, even, "You must have missed me so much to wait that long, haven't you, pumpkin?"

"The only reason I'm not taking your life right now is because I need you alive to cure my brother," Bianchi let go of her tight grip and walked forward.

Shamal stopped when Bianchi passed him, "But, Bianchi-chan, you do know that I only do wom-"

"Treat Hayato, or I'll kill you myself," threatened Bianchi coldly before she turned for the stairs.

Shamal chuckled. Still cheerful, he reached for the door, but he aborted his initial intention to touch the handle. The doorknob was a disgusting mix of green and purple, melting with suspicious bubbles popping, fume hissing and things Shamal didn't want to know crawling on it. It has been turned into poison cooking.

The woman was dead serious.

No. My heart ached. I sighed and shook my head, annoyed with myself. That was wrong. I put down the untouched wrapping on the ground.

My wound wasn't the one who was dumb.

I was.

My wound wasn't the one who needed.. Baka-onna.

I was.

I needed her.

"-hurt?"

My eyes flickered in surprise, my recent introspection that the cow fanatic induced seemed to have made it harder for me to focus on our conversation, "Eh?"

"That," Aho-ushi pointed the tip of my index finger, "Does it hurt so much? You look pale."

I observed the most stubborn, most irritating holes in my body, "Nope. It doesn't."

I never seriously thought about how it felt. My head was a little dizzy, but my finger, it didn't really hurt right now. I guess I've learned to live with it. It was supposed to be a heavy weight that would slow me down, but was it, really? It actually helped me acquire some time to rest and, more importantly, think. Furthermore, without this adamant flow of blood, I wouldn't even realize how much Baka-onna really meant for me, let alone admitting it.

I chuckled, now this cut on my finger sounded very much like Baka-onna. She was supposed to be a constraint, confining me from the freedom I should've preferred, but ended up as a necessity in my life. An addiction. I sensed a mocking grin grazing my lips. A pathetic junkie unable to satisfy his craving. That fits me well tonight.

"I'm not sure that you're really okay," the cow brat commented hesitantly.

I threw him a glare, "What was that about?"

"Well, you've formed a lake made of blood, for one," Aho-ushi glanced down.

I didn't even bother looking, "So? I'm bleeding, you moron."

"Well, why aren't you tending to your wound, then?" I approved the logic in the question, but before I could either state my agreement or acted to fix the flaw in my actions that his question just brought to light, the spoiled Bovino hit me with his next chain of words, "And you look like you're going to cry, Gokudera."

Huh?

Me? Cry?

Terrified, I surveyed Aho-ushi's face for any signs to convince myself that the boy was joking. I was agitated when I managed to find none.

"Crying? What are you-" I let out a nervous laugh, "No way. I'm not crying."

"I didn't say that you're crying," corrected the cow-print pattern lover, though, his attire right now was cow-print free, for some reason, "I said you look like you will."

I grunted, "Nope. Not gonna. No way. I won't ever cry," especially in front of this person, who would surely made such a scene the object of his taunts for years and years to come, "Even if my entire life depends on me crying."

The guy giggled, looking disturbingly entertained, "Really? You won't set aside your dignity for a bit even if you can save a life by crying?"

"Nope," I replied as quick as I can, "I won't cry even if that will save my-"

Aho-ushi didn't bother hiding his curiosity, "Hnn~?"

"..my.. life," I completed my sentence.

"Why the pause earlier?" teased the boy.

Faces appeared on my mind, "No.. I won't cry for my life," I turned and looked at my fellow guardian, "But I will cry if it'll save others."

"Who?"

"Juudaime. My.. friends," my voice got weaker and weaker, in the end, it was no louder than a whisper, "Baka-onna.."

Aho-ushi didn't say anything, but I continued, strangely, I sounded as if I was begging, "I will cry right here, right now, if that would bring her back to life," my eyes felt hotter. I tried to stop my tongue from embarrassing myself any further in front of my younger comrade, but I couldn't. I just kept talking, "If it'll undo the cruel act done by her killer.. If it'll let me be with her."

I held my tears back during the silence. I have always expressed my feelings with shouts, curses and, even though I'd like to avoid it for Juudaime's peace of mind, violence. It never occurred to me that containing the drops from spilling would be this hard, not much easier than clogging the leak on my finger.

"I guess you're lucky, then," my faithful company finally spoke, "I happen to be able to.."

He paused before carefully finishing his offer, "..reunite the two of you."