A/N

I was reading through my Katekyo Hitman Reborn stories, and decided that Patriciatajiyamight have been correct when she said that this story seemed a little incomplete. If I remember correctly, I had ended the previous chapter the way I did because I couldn't see myself writing a final ending to it without going on for a couple of thousand words –which, in turn, I would need to divide into another chapter, and...well, I didn't really want to be writing a multi-chaptered fic on this. Not just yet.

But I was reading through the manga again, and, checking , I realised that there really aren't that many Uni-centric stories, which is sad, because she is such a good character to write about. (Okay, and I'll admit that I was feeling a bit sad after watching the last few anime episodes –I'd been waiting for more than half a year to see the animated scene of when Gamma 'saves' Uni from Torikabutou- and realised that once the Future arc was completed in the anime, we wouldn't be seeing any more of Uni, or Gamma and the rest)

Sooo, I ended up with this. There will be two more chapters following this, and then it'll be done.

Hope you enjoy it!

Disclaimer: I wish it all belonged to me, but, in reality, it's all the property of one amazing Amano Akira.

Chapter Two: Invitations and Voices in Her Head

She was eight, now, and no longer a child. At least not in her opinion; how could she still be a child when she was now well settled into the role of the Boss of a prestigious mafia Family?

Her Family still treated her like the child they saw her as, shielding her from the hurtful words being spoken behind her back and reassuring her that things were okay, no matter what was going on.

(They could all be dying from gunshot wounds and would still tell her that things were okay, bless them; though she supposed this was mostly because, in their eyes, she was an eight year old child, and protecting her innocence and childhood –which was nigh impossible in their world- was something that enabled them to feel the illusion of humanity, which had been one of the things that the life of a Mafioso had taken away from them a long time ago)

She was no longer a child, so, when she received the cordial invitation, she knew that she couldn't just ignore it and pretend not to have received it. Which meant that excuses such as 'it must have gotten lost in the mail' or 'Did you really send someone to deliver it here? But I haven't received it...' would not work. Not this time.

It had been a day and a half since she had received the white envelope, and she had yet to write a reply.

Closing her eyes momentarily, she pulled the envelope towards her and pulled out the slip of folded paper that was secured inside. It was a rather strangely decorated paper, with designs in blue –both dark and light- and, of course, white.

It almost seemed toonice for something sent by the Boss of a mafia Family, though, mind you, she was certainly no expert on these matters. For all she knew, mafia families sent each other letters –or invitations- on bright yellow paper patterned with an array of rainbow coloured balloons quite frequently.

Her blue eyes scanned the writing on the paper, having read it so many times before that she almost knew its contents by heart.

It was addressed to 'The Giglio Nero Boss'; there was nothing flashy or suspicious about that, she was sure, for that was a standard start to any letter addressed to any Mafia Boss.

And, all in all, the letter was very well phrased and to-the-point.

A visit from her would, apparently, warm the hearts (did Mafioso still have hearts after a few years of being in the business, as it were?) of those in the Gesso Family headquarters, especially since she had managed to charm them during the few times their families had run into each other.

She wasn't quite sure what to make of this flattery, although she wouldn't lie; it did bring a smile to her lips, for reasons she didn't quite understand, nor did she want to.

After a line or two more of carefully worded flattery, the letter addressed the Gesso Family's concerns regarding the voting at the most recent meeting of the leading mafia families in Italy.

The Gesso were worried about the overwhelming voting that often left both them and her Giglio Nero in the minority on issues such as express protection, immunity and outside involvement.

Here, she would admit that she had had to hold back a nod, although she was not too worried about the way the voting had gone, for the entire Mafia family were still in the very early stages of their new method of doing things –which included a little more discussion and a little less violence, where possible.

However, it was the rest of the page long letter that had stood out, at least in her mind.

For it appeared as though the Gesso, as though Byakuran Gesso, wished to establish some form of...alliance with her Family. No, 'alliance' was the wrong word to use. Rather, the white haired Boss wanted to form a relationship; a friendship of sorts.

Not with her family, but with her.

Of course, she was not so naive as to believe that that was it; to believe that he didn't expect that 'friendship' to eventually extend into something of an alliance, similar to what she had with the Vongola.

But still.

Friendship? Between the Boss of an up and coming Family, and the Boss of a Family as prestigious as hers?

There had to be something more to it, and it was mildly irritating that she couldn't quite put her finger on it. It was as though the answer was there, somewhere, in the back of her mind, but there was some kind of barrier that prevented her from identifying it.

And what was worse, was that it seemed as though this barrier wasn't going to go away, for she had encountered it since the day she had first received the letter.

Squeezing her eyes shut as she let the letter slip from her hand, she leaned back in the still too-large leather chair, resting her head against its familiar back. Things just weren't getting easier, and time was running out. For even though there was no time limit in which she 'had to' reply to the letter, it was common courtesy to do so, and within a short period of time.

But there was something there that she needed to figure out –or that was what she felt, which, really, didn't help her very much.

A knock on the door startled her out of her thoughts, reminding her again that she really needed to get used to the fact that things weren't like they were when she had been younger, and lived elsewhere.

She was a Boss now, so people would alwaysknock on the door before entering any room she was in, never mind the fact that she was eight years old.

"Come in, please," she called out, her voice too loud and clear for a child in such a position.

The figure that entered her mama's off—

...No, that wasn't quite right, was it?

The figure that entered her office was a welcomingly familiar one, and the smile on her lips changed from a somewhat forced one, to one that was far more genuine. (Not that anyone would have been able to tell, because she was who she was, and she had learned from very early on that smiles were important)

"I'm sorry for interrupting your work, Princess," started the golden haired man, an apologetic expression on his face as he looked at her, "But there's a –" There was an abrupt pause as she continued to smile upon him, "You haven't finished your breakfast, Princess."

Surprised at the sudden statement, she followed his gaze to the ceramic plate that rested on the corner of the table and, sure enough, the fruit, scrambled eggs, and soggy cheese toast were resting untouched on its surface.

"Oh." She had honestly forgotten. "I, I didn't..." her voice faltered for the first time, revealing, for the briefest of moments, the uncertain child that she truly was. The sigh from her companion had her looking up at him, a somewhat guilty, caught-with-a-hand-in-the-cookie-jar expression on her face. "I'm sorry, Gamma," she said softly, "I didn't think –I...I think I forgot..."

She wondered if it was just her, or if the man looked torn between amusement, frustration or even something almost close to fondness.

But she quickly dispelled the latter thought from her head.

He couldn't possibly be 'fond' of her, not when her mama's smile still clung to the forefront of his mind.

"Don't apologise," he said, briskly, before he sighed again. "But, really Princess, that's the, what, fourth meal that you've forgotten?" She resisted the urge to squirm in her seat, for she wasn't a child, she was a Boss; the Boss of the Giglio Nero.

And Bosses did not squirm in their seats, or display their discomfort, and heaven forbid they disclose their true thoughts and feelings.

('I'm glad you've become so spirited, but Uni-chan, you have no right to speak against my decisions...'

'...You're just number two. All final decision making is with me, and this conversation is now finished, understand~?')

The words and voice startled her slightly, though it wasn't because she was surprised to hear them. How could she be, when she had been hearing things, spoken by a myriad of voices she wasn't familiar with, for a while now?

Each voice she heard would be saying phrases, or parts of phrases, that were disjointed, and their meaning she could never truly decipher.

Sometimes, the voices would be deceivingly soft, yet laced with malice; and sometimes they would be soft, yet full of concern and warmth. There would be some lines spoken in angered tones, while there would be others spoken defensively, and even urgently.

And there would be screams, though no scream struck her as hard as the one she had heard in her dreams a few nights after moving into the main residence, after the passing of her mama.

That scream had been one of desperation; it had been one that sounded as though its user was on the verge of hysteria, as he pleaded with her –with her- not to sacrifice her life, for he would find another way to revive the Arcobaleno. (Who was that young man, and how did he know about her ability to revive the Arcobaleno? And why would she revive the Arcobaleno in the first place, unless they were all dead, and the world was in peril?)

That scream was a constant eerie echo in her mind, haunting her, particularly at night, when she was lying in bed and trying to push away the melodious echo of a song concerning the sea, the rainbow, and shellfish.

"-you okay? Princess?"

Blinking at the familiar note of concern in the voice, she refocused her attention on the golden haired male standing before her.

"I am fine, yes," she said, hoping that he did not yet know her well enough to spot the falsehood and dispelling from her mind the question of whether he would ever come to know her well enough to spot such a thing. "Sorry."

"No, don't apologise again." His gaze seemed to be telling her 'don't apologise again, you're a mafia Boss', but she wondered if that was just her eyes and mind playing tricks on her. "About your breakfast, it doesn't matter –I'll see that something's made for you now. And you will eat it all, won't you?"

She idly wondered if it was normal for Family members to order their Boss in such a manner, even if it was done in a subtle manner. But dear Gamma was still looking at her, awaiting her answer, so she smiled again.

"If I'm hungry, then-"

His gaze was a hard, pointed one.

"Won't you, Princess?"

Flushing, she couldn't help but nod. Was he the one who had made her mama see sense during the times when she had acted rashly? Or perhaps he was just gifted in dealing with mafia Bosses?

"Y-Yes, I will Gamma."

The smile on his face made her forget all else, as a happy warmth engulfed her, making her feel as though she outside on a warm summer day, sprawled on the grass and gazing up into a cloudless sky

"Good." His gaze softened. "It's not good for your health to miss so many meals, Princess. I'm just –we're just worried about you."

Her blue eyes softened.

"Thank you, Gamma." He seemed uncomfortable under the shine of her smile, and she supposed it was due to the brief spark of nostalgia that she saw in his eyes.

For of course he would be unable to distinguish her smiles from her mama's.

And no, it didn't hurt. Her mama was their beloved Boss after all, and she had been so long before she was even born. "Was there something you needed, Gamma?" she queried easily, knowing that the previous light atmosphere had dissipated with the older man's discomfort.

"Ah, no, I was just here to tell you that you have a visitor," said the man, pulling himself together.

"A visitor?" She blinked uncertainly, quite sure that she had not arranged for any meetings today.

"Yes." There was an indecipherable expression on his face as he averted his gaze for a brief moment. "It's the Vongola Decimo."

Oh.

Oh.

Her surprise must have shown on her face, for Gamma's face darkened –with what emotion she couldn't quite discern, although she was certain that distrust had a lot to do with it. Quickly adjusting her facial expression, she smiled gently at him, only belatedly realising that she really shouldn't make him remember her mother any more, for his own sake, when nostalgia sparked to life in his eyes once more.

"Where is the Vongola Decimo?" she inquired, her voice level. "I suppose I could meet him here, in the office."

The distrustful expression was back on his face.

"Were you expecting him, Princess?"

She shook her head.

"No. But I suppose that he has some important matter to discuss with me." Although the Vongola Decimo didn't seem to need a reason to meet her every now and then. She had a sinking feeling that he was...checking up on her, but she couldn't quite figure out why he'd do that.

Surely he wasn't concerned for her, despite the extremely good nature that he had? He barely even knew her, and, in any case, why would he need to worry about her, of all the people in the world for him to worry about?

Shaking her head inwardly at both her thoughts and Gamma's distrust, she sat up a little straighter in her chair. "Please show him in, Gamma," she requested, as calmly as she could. "I trust the Vongola, and Uncle Reborn speaks highly of the Decimo."

The golden haired man raised his eyebrows at that.

"Speaks highly of the Vongola Decimo? Princess, he is forever labelling him 'no-good', is he not?" She smiled.

"He would not be speaking of him at all if he did not think highly of him, Gamma. That is how Uncle Reborn is." She shook her head. "In any case, please, show him in. I would like to speak to him, alone." She raised her hand, stalling him as he opened his mouth, no doubt to protest. "He will not do anything to hurt me, and I believe wholeheartedly in that, Gamma." It was true too; she didn't know how she knew it, but she knew that he would not raise a finger against her. "Trust me on this."

A strange expression passed swiftly across his face before he nodded, mumbling something under his breath as he turned around and left the office.

A/N

Again, I had to end things here, because the scene that follows this was much too long to make it fit into one chapter, along with the bit you've just read. (I really need to plan things better. Sigh)

Anyways, I hope you enjoyed this. Comments and opinions will be gladly appreciated.

Siriusgirl1