Madam3Mayh3m : I'm glad you hate him despite lack of words describing how antagonizing his character is. Makes me feel proud of successfully writing him as a bad guy. /pats self/ Anyways, about Aria, I do have a lot of ideas when it comes to her, but when it comes to put it into words, I can't seem to put it all without ruining the story. But don't worry, flashbacks will be there to assist with the story developments and answer questions.

After all, it's best to see plot twist~

ghostsmile96 : Yes, it is~

Flashback

"Sweetheart..." Two hands were stretched towards her in an amiable manner. A hoarse but gentle voice was calling for her, leading her to where the hands were.

"My baby!~" Another estranged voice greeted her this time. The older woman was smiling. "My princess~"

The infant, who knew nothing of the world yet, cuddled comfortably in her parents' embrace, unaware of her own fate.

Aria was now seven years old. She was spoiled greatly by her parents. She dressed in the best clothes, fed with the best cuisine and received the best education. The word 'less' was not in her dictionary.

Until, fate started to twist in an unprecedented way.

"This is not what we agreed upon!" Aria, who was on her way to her parents' bedroom, overheard the talk in the study room. She recognized the voice very well.

It was her loving father, Mr. X.

"You said we only need to care for her until the age of seven!" Her father's tone was angry. Aria peeked through the slight gap between the door and its frame. "My life is all over the second she was born!"

Aria didn't understand much but she knew that something bad happened now and her father was irritated at his guest.

Rogue, who was in his late 20s, chuckled darkly. "Fufufufufu~ Are you blaming me for your own action?" By this time, Aria's father was taken aback. "You were the one who offered your unborn child as a lab rat. You were the one who seek the power in this rotten world. You were the one who begged me to implant ability into your little princess there."

Aria's father was on his knees by the cold, hard truth. "I...If only I knew what kind of monster it would produce..." He was cupping hid face in his palms. "That girl is not human! She's a monster! Because of her, my life...!"

Rogue walked over to the door, where Aria was listening quietly. "Now, now...that was harsh, don't you think?" He opened the door much wider, revealing the oblivious Aria, who was staring at him with innocent eyes. "She IS your very own flesh and blood~"

"A-Aria..." Mr. X stammered. "W-What are you doing here?"

"Father..." Aria ran towards her father. "Why are you crying? Who is this man?"

Rogue faked an apologetic face. "This is such an unfortunate event." He turned to Mr. X. "I will give you one chance to redeem yourself. If you kill her, I'll restore your life back to how it was before~"

Aria still stood loyally by her father's side. "You're evil man! Go away! You make my father cried!"

"Please don't blame me..." Slowly Mr. X's hands made their ways around Aria's little neck. "If you still want to, blame it all on your cursed fate!" And his grip tighten with his eyes lost their sanity as he drained the life out of the seven-years-old girl.

BANG!

Aria had collapsed. Blood was flowing out from Mr. X's brain. Rogue blew the smoke from his gun. "Idiot~ Do you think I'll let you kill my precious lab rat?~"

Rogue knelt beside Aria. "As for you, you owe me for this, Aria-chan~" He ruffled Aria's hair and stroked her cheek. "Your life belongs to me. You're not allowed to die but in my hands~"

And Rogue's cold lips planted a light kiss on her hand.

End flashback

Aria blinked a few times. Her body felt so stiff. She cracked her bones and loosened up her muscles. Hibari was nowhere in sight. She felt relieved. Hibari probably got bored and ran off on his own.

"You're snoring, herbivore." Aria looked up, much to her disappointment. Hibari was sitting on one of the branches. "How long until we get there?"

"Three days." Aria now looked at what lies beyond the horizon. "Might be delayed with the welcoming squad."

"Are they strong?"

"You'll lose your head if you're not careful."

Hibari smirked. "Good to know."

At Varia HQ, Kikyo and Haru were busy preparing a lot of girly stuffs with Chrome and Bianchi lent them a helping hand.

Squalo, who just got back from his job felt his head spun with all the pink, frills and fluffs all over the place. "VOOOOIIII! WHO'S FUCKING JOB IS THIS?!"

"Hahi!" Haru shrieked at the yell.

"Now, now, Squalo..." Yamamoto tried to calm things down. "The girls only want to cheer Aria up."

"She's not even fucking here!"

"She will return, isn't it?" Tsuna asked.

Squalo shook his head. "I don't fucking know. I don't fucking care! Get all these things down or I'll rip you apart!"

"You're scaring the girls to the extreme!" Ryohei stood for his sister's action.

"Ushishishsihsihis~" Belphegor grinned satisfactorily. Seeing Squalo dealt with all the antics and got pissed never got boring. "We got uninvited guest~"

All men immediately in their battle stance. In a second, they were all surrounded by unknown presence clad in white-armor suit.

"Are all these Rogue's?" Gokudera asked to no-one.

"Fuuta. Bianchi. Please protect the girls."

Levi got his umbrella ready. "That stupid bitch brings more trouble when she's not around."

"Whatever." Squalo unsheathed his sword. "This give a perfectly good reason to tear all these stupid decorations!"