In Their Story, There was a Girl

Chapter 37: The Roaring Sky

Yotsuba could not fool herself anymore. Her heart seemed to fall out as Timoteo's body dropped from Gola Mosca's armor. Her father—the man who brought her out of the darkest time of her life—was now lifelessly lying in the dirt, and the person to blame was right there in front of her. She ran to Tsuna's side and held onto The Ninth's shoulders; she felt as if she was going to cry. How stupid she was to have always believed in Xanxus, thinking that there must be something she's missing; there must be something she doesn't understand. But now, he has gone too far. Even if Xanxus is her brother, there is no more hesitation. Yotsuba is truly angry.

"Xanxus!!" Yotsuba shrieked. The man's smirk dropped from his face as he slowly glanced at the girl who had just called his name with such anger. The girl's eyebrows furrowed into tight knots and words were barely made out through her grinded teeth. "What… did you do to The Ninth?"

It was the first time that he'd heard her call him by his name since Timoteo officially adopted her. She had always been the only one who spoke freely in his presence, but she had never shouted angrily at him before. He smirked once again; how would she react if she realized that the kind of wrath they both emit is what made them seem like a true brother and sister. "What? Have your eyes gone bad?" he said, "isn't it clearly shown in front of you? That this piece of trash has gone and killed The Ninth!"

Tsuna's pupils dilated and his whole body shook from the shock. "I've… I've killed the Ninth Boss?"

"Don't listen to him, Tsuna-kun!" shouted Yotsuba.

Xanxus raised an eyebrow. "Who was it? Who was it that struck down the old man without mercy?"

It was as if veins could be seen at Yotsuba's temples; the grasp of Yotsuba's hands on Timoteo's shoulders tightened. She watched as Tsuna's knees give out and became powerless. His breathing became fast and weak; sweat drops were falling furiously. "Tsuna-kun! Get a hold of yourself! Everything… everything is done by Xan—"

"No, Yotsuba…"

Yotsuba jerked her head toward the voice that had spoken. Timoteo has finally opened his eyes, and he smiled weakly up at her. She felt her stomach drop, and her throat felt like it was stuck with something dry and hard. Why… are you still smiling like this?

"The one at fault… is me…" said Timoteo with a hoarse voice.

"N…Ninth?!" Tsuna gasped, rushing closer to the old man. Timoteo looked up slowly at the worried boy. "We finally get to meet, young Tsunayoshi…"

Yotsuba pressed on. "What are you talking about, Ninth?! How can you be the one at fault?!"

Timoteo turned his gaze away, breathing hard. "I'm sorry… it's my fault. All of this happened because of my weakness… my weakness that… allowed Xanxus to wake from his long sleep…"

Yotsuba was silenced. Eight years ago… the cradle affair… she was taken away for her safety. When it was over, Xanxus was cast out and was under strict surveillance. She was only able to see him for a few times. What really happened?

"Tsunayoshi…" Timoteo continued with Tsuna, "I've always heard news about you from Reborn. About your school, the girl you like, and your friends… you are a child with a heart that is mismatched with the world of the Mafioso. I also know that you've never fought a battle willingly." He lifted his shaky and withered finger up to Tsuna's forehead. "You always have these lines between your eyebrows… clenched your fists as if you're praying… that is why I chose you to become the next-in-line for Vongola's leader."

As Timoteo's speech ended, Tsuna felt a warm sensation at his forehead where the old man touched him. The Dying Will flame was lit from the old man's touch; Tsuna suddenly felt very nostalgic. He remembered—he knew this man! In the days when he was only a little boy, the old man had always held him gently and smiled at him warmly. Tsuna could feel tears well up in his eyes.

The flame was going out slowly, and yet the old man turned to Yotsuba. "Ninth! Please take it easy; don't waste your breath anymore!" said Yotsuba, grabbing his hand that was reaching for her.

"Yotsuba…" said Timoteo despite her plead, "I'm sorry to have brought you back into the world of the Mafioso. I never thought about the terrible things you might go through, and selfishly thought that adopting you would be what your father wished for. For all these years I've never played the role of a normal father to you, and yet right now, I still hoped that you could forget about your destiny… and call me Dad for just once…"

Timoteo's eyes closed up slowly as his speech ended. Yotsuba felt tear drops on her trembling hands, but when she wiped her cheeks she could not find any trace of tears on them. Those had been Tsuna's tears. As she watched Tsuna stand up with regretful eyes, she grabbed her chest from the pain she was feeling. It was so painful—so painful that she could not even cry.

"Xanxus…" said Tsuna shakily, "I'm going to take back the ring. And make sure that you are not made the next boss of Vongola!"

And then it was decided—the Sky Battle is going to be held the next night at the same time as always. Xanxus and the rest of Varia departed without one more look at Yotsuba. But even then, Yotsuba could not take her eyes off Timoteo's hand limply rested in hers. "Yotsuba-chan," Tsuna whispered, "Are you all right?"

Yotsuba did not answer; she only lifted up her head and stared at Tsuna with dark eyes. Tsuna felt, at that moment, that Yotsuba's soul might've fallen asleep. Yamamoto, Gokudera, and Ryohei ran at top speed to where they were. However, the girl did not budge from Gokudera's shaking, Yamamoto's calling, or Ryohei's loud shouting. Until Dino and his men arrived and sent The Ninth hurriedly to the hospital did Yotsuba's pupils move about.

"Yocchan," Dino called softly, "everything will be all right. The Ninth is not dead. He's being sent to a hospital with the best facilities right now. Everything will be all right."

Yotsuba looked up at Dino slowly as he helped her to her feet. Dino's words were like a comfortable lullaby to her. "Dino… I can't hold on anymore…" she said in a barely audible voice.

Dino smiled, "You've done your best, Yocchan."

Yotsuba thought a drop of tear might've fallen, but her limbs fell powerless before she could tell. "Tsuna, I'm going to take her home…" she heard Dino say faintly before black consumed her vision.

----------

"You knew that The Ninth was in Gola Mosca all this time."

Yotsuba said, not looking at the man in front of her, but at the fresh green of the clovers. Mukuro had neither a smile nor a frown on his face. He watched the girl fiddle with the leaves around her. He said amusingly, "You're not mad?"

She shook her head. "Even if you'd told me, there wouldn't have been a difference."

There was a silence between them.

"Now that I put my thoughts together, it makes sense." Yotsuba continued with a sad smile. "The day that I left the Vongola Headquarters, Xanxus came to see me off, you know? I don't know how he found about my plans, but I spotted him right before I boarded the plane. I thought he was looking out for me, but he wasn't. He was making sure that I was gone for sure, because I would definitely stop him with my life if I was there when he forced The Ninth into Gola Mosca's armor."

"Do you hate him?" he asked.

Pause. "…No." she closed her eyes. "I can't. I can't. That's why I'm so frustrated! The Ninth is the most important person to me!"

"Is he?" he asked. "Is he a father to you?"

Yotsuba did not answer. I haven't called him 'dad' since the battle between Malvolia and me. When did things change?

"Neither of them are your blood relatives," Mukuro said. "Is the old man a father to you? Is Xanxus a brother to you?"

No. They're not. But because of that, they're even more precious.

Because…

----------

Tsuna and Xanxus were fighting intensely in the sky. Yotsuba could barely see the images of the fight as she lied on her stomach on the floors of the indoor pool. The poison has been injected in every guardian. And with a body like hers, the poison spread even faster throughout her veins. But for some reason, Yotsuba wasn't worried about her body at all. Her fists tightened to the voices heard through the window.

Tsuna-kun… please save Xanxus…

All of a sudden, the door burst open with a loud boom. Yotsuba could see through her blurry eyes, the shiny strands of Gokudera's silver hair though the layers of smoke. "Gokudera-kun?"

Gokudera walked through the smoke, carrying an unconscious Lambo in one of his arms. "Stupid woman, you have no opponent, yet you can't get out of this yourself?"

Yotsuba watched as Gokudera retrieved the Ring of Snow and knelt down in front of her. "I know you're traumatized about what happened to The Ninth and all, but get a hold of yourself! You can't call yourself a guardian if you can't fight for Juudaime!" said Gokudera as he roughly shoved the ring at the transmitter on Yotsuba's wrist. A wave of relief suddenly washed over her body.

"Gokudera-kun," she whispered, "if Bianchi-san did something horrible, would you ever start hating her?"

Gokudera stared at Yotsuba wide-eyed for a while. Then, all Yotsuba felt was pain on her stomach and herself thrown into the pool. The water cooled her body temperature down and made her swim for the air. Yotsuba came out of the water and gasped, "Gokudera-kun, you--!"

"I think the poison got to your head!" said Gokudera before she could finish her sentence. "What kind of dumb ass would go hating their family?! Stay in there until you get some sense back into your head. And look after this stupid cow while I go save the others!"

It was Yotsuba's turn to stare wide-eyed at Gokudera as he ran out of the room. A faint smile was formed at her lips. With a splash, she got out of the pool and held Lambo in her arms. I was never smart compared to you, Gokudera-kun.

----------

When Yotsuba got out of the indoor pool with Lambo in her hands, the battle was at its highest point. Gokudera and Yamamoto have gone to save Chrome from Belphegor and Mammon. Yotsuba gasped when she saw Xanxus's face—his old scars have resurfaced and his eyes were bloodshot with anger. The look in his eyes told her that he intended to kill Tsuna without holding anything back. Yotsuba gasped again when she saw the person that Dino has brought along.

"Squalo!"

The bandaged man looked toward her and looked away. It was his way of telling her to watch Xanxus; watch him as his fury takes over the power of Vongola.

Xanxus's hands were clasped with Tsuna's. Tsuna was trying to receive Xanxus's flames, but the flames were so powerful that it caused an explosion. Smoke clouded the sky instantly. Yotsuba and the others waited to see a silhouette coming out of the smoke. Desperation dawned upon them as they saw Xanxus's smiling face as the smoke cleared.

"Look at his hands," said Reborn.

"Impossible!" Squalo exclaimed as everyone saw the ice formed on Xanxus's flaming hands. "This kind of phenomenon… it's the same as that time!"

Xanxus was enraged. Tsuna has achieved the Zero Point Breakthrough that the first boss of Vongola had used. Yotsuba stared wide-eyed at the scene before her, as Xanxus released all of his power and as Tsuna froze all of his body. The result was clear—Tsuna has won. But Yotsuba felt as if she was going to throw up. As Squalo retold the story of what happened during the Cradle Affair, Yotsuba slowly stepped toward Xanxus's frozen body. No one noticed her except for Tsuna, who only watched her silently.

Her fingers rested softy on the icy surface, and she looked into Xanxus's eyes that were still in their angered state. Why haven't you told me anything, Niichan? When you were suffering and all alone, why haven't you told me anything?

"Wait! This is not the end!"

Belphegor's voice came from the inside of the school and everyone raised their heads. He and Mammon ran toward Xanxus's frozen body with the Vongola Rings in their possession. "The position of Vongola Decimo belongs to Xanxus," Mammon said as he held out the Vongola Rings in front of Xanxus.

Yotsuba stepped away as burning hot flames, emitted by the Vongola Rings, surrounded Xanxus's body. Tsuna's Zero Point Breakthrough was being destroyed. As the ice melted, Xanxus's body fell to the ground.

"Give me… the ring…" said Xanxus.

"Of course," said Belphegor as he knelt down next to Xanxus. "The Vongola Rings are rightfully yours."

As the ring was put onto Xanxus's finger, Xanxus's body was full of power. Yotsuba watched in horror as she felt an extremely bad foreboding in her mind. And just as she thought it was too late, Xanxus suddenly collapsed on the floor. Blood spewed out from his throat and several wounds on his body. The ring has rejected Xanxus's blood.

"That's right," Xanxus said between coughs, "That old man and I have no blood relations whatsoever…"

"Xanxus…" murmured Tsuna.

"Don't fucking pity me!" Xanxus roared, blood dripping down through the corners of his lips. "None of you understand anything!"

Yotsuba felt water again at the walls of her eyes.

"I understood!" Squalo shouted. "I know everything!"

"Then say it!"

"……You were born in the squatters, but you were gifted with the flame since birth," said Squalo. "When your mother saw that flame, she became delusional that you were the lovechild of the affair between The Ninth and herself… The Ninth adopted you and told you that you were his real son. And that was a lie. You were enraged by the fact that you were never accepted as the next successor."

Xanxus was silent for a minute, and smiled sadistically, "all crap."

"You betrayed The Ninth, yet he didn't kill you." Tsuna struggled to stand up. "Even until the end, hasn't he always treated you with acceptance?"

"The boss has always treated you… as his own son—"

"SHUT UP!!" Xanxus shouted. "Don't make me sick with that unconditional love crap! What is the use of that?! The only thing I wanted was the seat of the boss! I only wanted those scumbags to worship me! I only—"

Blood spewed out of his mouth once again. "Kill them! KILL THEM ALL!"

Belphegor and Mammon were ready to take on his order. At the same time, Tsuna's guardians have also gathered at the front line, ready to fight. But everything was already too late. Varia's backup troops were destroyed by Lanchia, who has come to repay the debt of Tsuna. In this situation, even Belphegor and Mammon have to surrender.

Xanxus glared at his men in distaste. "All of you are useless. ALL OF YOU… I CURSE YOU ALL TO DEATH!!"

"STOP IT!" exclaimed Yotsuba, who has been quiet all this time. "Isn't it enough, Xanxus? Everything's over!"

Xanxus stared at Yotsuba. Teardrops were falling onto his face; Yotsuba was crying, and she held onto his shoulders as she cried.

"You know how much Dad cared for us all this time! I… I've never deserved to be loved like that, or to have met you and Dad! You say that unconditional love is crap, but that was what you have given me! So, Niichan, just stop and return to how you were before! Please!"

Yotsuba sobbed at Xanxus's side. He stared at her silently for while, and let out a long sigh. He wiped her tears off his face slowly. "You've never changed, Yotsuba. You're always going to be this naïve little child…"

Just the way I want you to be…

"Niichan…" Yotsuba kissed Xanxus's forehead. "Let's go home…"

Xanxus closed his eyes to the warmth at his forehead. Everything was over.

----------

TBC.

----------

A/N: It's finally over! I was hoping that it'd be really dramatic, but after I read it over it's a bit anti-climatic eh? I hope it's not too bad. Next chapter will be my first time diving into Xanxus's mind for a bit. Wish me luck, Xanxus is quite a stubborn character. And lastly, please review!