Hey, I'm back…again!! :D

Sorry for posting so late …and for the relatively short post. It'll be longer later. Next update, I think.

I didn't get a chance yesterday, due to problems on my laptop here… D:

Thanks for reviewing, everyone! :D

anonyMan, thanks for giving me a heads-up on the manga update. And it did clear things up. But without adding an idea to the scheme of things [in the story, of course]. :]

Really? Confusing how she changes a lot? Well of course. Her life's been turned upside down – from a normal lifestyle and launched to a mess of the future. It'll stabilize out a little bit later though… She'll be fine by the end of the Arc.

She talks like Gokudera? Trash-talk? Not as heavily. She's a girl; and therefore she should at least control her mouth. Hmm, well she does have a tendency to somewhat swear now… o.o;

Yep, BPD is an absolute mess. Especially after PTD and in her flame condition. Unless the flame condition went away or sort of faded to a very mild type [like a dormant volcano] to erupt again sometime soon.

Ahh, meerla11 suggested a song: "Shinkai no kodoku" by Houko Kuwashima. I found the lyrics. Very nice song. And I think I can find a place to slide it in… :]

Only, it isn't going to be appearing that soon. Remember, I've already finished writing the entire Future Arc. The song will come after the Future Arc.

And thanks to kaitlin177, there will be scoreboard updates. Check it out…

Mukuro/Kaia: 9 [and 5 re-votes from Shin] [one of the votes are from Shoko-Chan, and she re-votes twice]

Belphegor/Kaia: 7 [a re-vote from The Great Pineapple MEKI] [a re-vote from RemStrike78] [and a re-vote from AkaMizu-Chan] [kaitlin177 re-votes]

Gokudera/Kaia: 7 [and 1 1/2 re-votes from Shin] [another re-vote from Crazee4anime] [a re-vote from little-L.A.M.]

Hibari/Kaia: 5 [a re-vote from that~one]

Yamamoto/Chrome: 2 [and 2 re-votes from Shin] [and a re-vote from Banyou]

Hibari/Haruka: 2 [and another re-vote from Shin]

Mukuro/Kaia with a Hibari twist: 1 [and 3 re-votes from Shoko-Chan]

Belphegor/Kaia with a Mukuro twist: 1

Soto/Kaia: 1

Byakuran/Kaia: 1

Xanxus/Kaia: 1

Woahh…Gokudera/Kaia and Belphegor/Kaia [which are tied] are so close to beating Mukuro/Kaia!! O_O

However, on the other hand, counting re-votes, both entries still have a long way to go to top Mukuro/Kaia and therefore take first place in the poll.

Everyone, vote! Support your favorite pairing!! xD

And please review, too, of course. After reading! :D

Please enjoy~

O0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o

Kaia gritted her teeth.

You can do this, you can do this stupid little thing. You can survive a little pain, come on! Such a wimp, you are, come on!

She panted. She hated Reborn for this. The pillbox she got from Reborn was flung on the ground, now in some corner of her room. Kaia groaned; her eyes were shut tight, trying to live past the pain. Suddenly, a thought popped in her head.

Why wasn't I noticed at all? Why was I ignored, like I wasn't even there? Why was I so seemingly non-existant?

Anger flared out inside her. The pain subsided; it seemed faraway now. Kaia gritted her teeth. Her fist came down on the bed in frustration.

"Why?! Why?! Why?!" she sobbed into her pillow, her strangled cries muffled by the pillow. Then, she saw Soto. She wouldn't believe it, but she saw Soto, her mother, Jasmine.

"Now, Kaia, it's time for us to part," Kaia's mother looked down and gave Kaia a small smile. She was young, then. "It's time for me to go work now. Soto here will take care of you." She smiled. "Everything will be alright, okay, Kaia?" Tears were running down her cheeks. She kneeled down and grasped Kaia's shoulders.

"Everything will be alright," she said once more, pulling Kaia into their last hug. "Everything will be alright." Now, she stood up. Jasmine looked to Kaia's mother.

"We need to go now."

"Bye," Kaia's mother smiled a teary smile to Kaia one last time. Kaia beamed and waved good-bye.

"Baiiii, mamaa~!!" smiled the young Kaia. Her mother turned away, unable to bear the emotional downpour.

"Hey[Ne], Kaia, I'm Soto [Watashi wa Soto]," smiled a man, looming over her, rubbing her head, messing her hair up. Kaia looked up.

"Wh-Why is mama going away??" Kaia smiled cheerfully. "Will she come back??"

"I don't know," Soto replied with a frown. He looked up. "All I know is that your mother will always be there for you."

Kaia buried her head in her pillow, mentally screaming at him.

How could she be here for me?! How is she here for me?! She isn't here!

She calmed herself. She forced herself to stop breathing so fast. She stopped gritting her teeth in frustration. She sat up, clenching her teeth to bear the pain in her stomach.

She froze.

It was that little flame again.

Floating, invisible, gone, and it was there again, fading in and out.

And her pain, like the flame, faded in and out. Kaia was intrigued. The flame went out like a candle in a hurricane, and Kaia doubled over again in pain.

What was that? What's going on? Am I…having hallucinations? Seeing illusions? Making up a mirage? Dreaming?

She knew that she was sitting on the fence; in the half-land border between Kaia and Ria. But this had never happened before, at least not like this.

Should I go for help? No, I'm not as low to go for help from them. They wouldn't help me – they only help their own kind.

Kaia squeezed her eyes shut and tucked herself into a ball, hoping that pain would just go away.

Then…why can't I help myself? Why couldn't I-

It was a wave of calmness, serenity. Her head cleared instantly. She opened her eyes. This had happened before, yet it felt entirely new. The pain subsided, and it didn't come back. She looked around the room; the blood from her wounds was all over her jacket and clothes, on the floor, on the bed, in the sheets and pillow. Kaia knew that it was unavoidable that they would find out. But she would prolong it. They never notice a thing about her.

Kaia gritted her teeth. She was such a weakling. She changed into other clothes she had scavenged from her luggage and marched out angrily.

"Kaia."

She stopped and looked.

"What do you want, Reborn?" she snarled.

"You have thirteen days to strengthen yourself, before I go train the guys," said Reborn. "In secret." Kaia blinked at the proposition.

"Tutor me or Ria?" she asked quietly.

"Both," answered Reborn. "Thirteen days. Would you?"

"If you manage to bleed me, of course," answered Kaia, cracking a smile. "Bleed me first before I…take Leon from you."

"Starting tomorrow morning," answered the Arcobaleno. "Two in the morning, sharp. Training room in the eighth floor."

"I will be looking forward to that," nodded Kaia. "Good night."

"You too; get some sleep." Reborn remained standing and did not leave.

"I couldn't," replied Kaia. "Hungry." Reborn frowned.

"It's ten in the night now. You should hurry to the kitchen and heat some food, and come back to sleep. I'm telling you, there's going to be vigorous training. And you cannot show any sign of exhaustion in front of Tsuna or any of them."

Kaia nodded tiredly.

"Good night," she said. Reborn nodded and walked off.

O0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o

I'll update again today, to make up for yesterday. :]

So…keep on reading! And if the next section isn't posted yet, hang around or review [and vote and suggest and complain and whatever… xD] while you wait for it to appear. :]

Thanks!