Katekyo Hitman Reborn

My Fate is Certainly Uncertain

Chapter 8: Expectations

Overall Warnings: Violence, swearing, blood and Oc-ness.

[Written to: Mashup-Germany - The day the music died]

~o0o~

"What?" I repeated, for probably the third time today. I hadn't been having the best of mornings, mainly because that Lal toddler had kept dragging me up at impossibly insane hours for something like training, but she referred to it as a light fitness due to the summer month being in its highest peak. The heavy blizzards that were battering Sibera's borders had delayed Reborn's arrival, but I'd been told that he would arrive soon. What was weirder was that instead of looking forward to it, I wanted nothing more than to put it off.

Basil blinked above the steam that rose from his morning coffee, which I found crazy. It was in the middle of a sweltering summer and he was drinking a hot drink. It was either the fact that he was able to do that without a qualm, or that they were letting a fourteen year old to drink the stuff. (Not that I personally would. I've always loved the smell, but it tasted so bitter.)

He grinned. "Thou isn't listening, arth thou? I asked how many arceballeno has thou met already?'

"Um," I sighed, counting on my fingers, luckily remembering that Lal didn't consider herself to be one. " Colonnello and Skull. So two. I remember Colonnello saying something about seven...or maybe some other number, I'm not sure..."

"Two?" He repeated, smiling. The kid had seemed to have taken a liking to me. "That's a lot! Well, it is considering that most of them don't like people..."

I shrugged. "It's not like I care to record things like that. They're nice and all, but I'd rather sit with Al and blob out on a couch somewhere cool." I finished the bowl of cereal with on big gulp, my mouth full of milk. "Preferably somewhere not so hot."

"Thou does not like the weather here?"

"No. Actually, that's not quite true. I do like the sun, but being sizzled like an egg isn't what I'd rather do."

Basil nodded, quite interested in what I had to say about life and loathes. Before, I had asked if he had been out of the country. He replied, yes, to which he then proceeded to reply the same word in several languages. Most of them I could pick up on, except for a small handful. Although, the gist of them were European. Not a lot of pacific ones either.

"Good morning." Lal stated, as she flew into the room, kicking the poor child right in the cheek, his coffee flying into the wall. Colonnello followed and for once, was without his rifle.

"Careful," I urged. "There's no need to be violent at this time of morning."

"Are you kidding, there's always a time to be violent!" She replied. Then, a call on her headset distracted her as I smiled, thinking of my training.

Basil pouted, getting up off of the ground, rubbing his cheek. Aw, poor thing. That'll leave a bruise, if she's anything like Colonnello. "That wasn't necessary!"

I smirked, thinking of the small, annoying yellow blob who smiled across the room. He had arrived yesterday , with a smirk on his face. And then I shot him a look that was like 'you annoying little sh-, I'm going to strangle you.' Then the rest of the day consisted of me chasing him and him laughing triumphantly.

"Kora! Are you ready!?"

"It's hard to say whether the butterflies in my stomach are from the excitement or from that funky meat we had last night." I looked at Al." I don't know whether to punch someone or to jump out a window."

"Oh yeah, you're gonna do fine like a country wine kiddo."

"Gee, thanks Al. It's nice to know that you're here for me."

"You mean, you ain't never had a friend like me?"

I clapped my hands over my ears and grumbled. "Stop."

"What did thou say?" Basil asked, looking awkwardly at Al, probably thinking of possible reasons. "Did he say something offensive?"

"He said meow meow mow mow. Translated, it would be a phrase from a kid's movie. And yes, he does that a lot, so be thankful you can't hear him blubbering away."

"That's not very nice."

"I don't think it's occurred to you yet Al, but I'm a cold heartless bitch set on destroying the world." I looked over to Basil and shook my head whispering," I'm not."

Lal clicked off of her headset and the butterflies that were stirring heightened slightly. "That was him."

I nodded. Well, who else were we expecting?

"He's left the airport and is in a taxi. I'll go to meet him first, but I sorely suggest that you stay put for the moment. Reborn doesn't take lightly to meeting new people."

"Yes m'am." I replied, sniffing.

I felt like throwing up.

~o0o~

"Stop that." My mother had said, wiping paint off of my cheek. I grunted and unconsciously pulled my head away, not liking how close my mother was getting to me, how she scrutiny cleaned everything, even myself.

"Why are you doing this Momma?" I asked, my younger self knowing that something was off. She'd fussed over little, tiny things and even tried cooking a full course meal. Now, this is something she struggled with, as do I, and would never do if she had the choice. "We're not even going anywhere today! Not even to the zoo! Can we go there soon? I wanna see some lions!"

"We're having a very important guest over. So you behave, you hear? No screaming, throwing tantrums or annoying him. And don't be a smart-ass."

"And don't be a smart-ass." I mimicked and she smacked me over my head.

"OW!"

"I mean it Phillipa!"

"Owow...fine!"

She brushed herself off. "Good, n-"

DING-DONG!

Mother raised her hand to her mouth. "Oh god, he's here already."

"Well go on." I muttered, clutching at my head. "Go greet you boyfriend."

"How did you...?" She asked, turning back to me and then stopped mid-question. "Remember what I said."

I nodded sternly.

She left the room and I poked out my tongue.

Mother came back into the room, followed by the man that she had had on her mind for the past couple of months. My small eyes squinted, and like trees, I hid between her legs, shielding myself. My brain theorized that it was him that was responsible for the parasite growing inside of mother.

So I did what I did best, when Mother told me to say hello to her new boyfriend.

I kicked his shin and ran to my room.

"What's wrong Philly?" My Mother asked later, when the man had disappeared into another room. "Why are you upset honey..?"

"He's my brothers daddy." I said, more as a statement than a question. I'd already knew this fact. She didn't need to tell me or explain the mechanics. I already knew how things worked. I was forced to hear everything, whether I wanted to or not. "I don't need one! I've never had one, so why should I need one now?! I'll be fine on my own!"

"Oh baby..." My Mother cooed sadly, scooping me up into a ball. "Nobody could replace your daddy..."

I pouted. That's not what I meant.

~o0o~

3rd Person

Lal's POV

Lal's small formed hopped out of the black sedan in a quick swooping motion, landing on the concrete softly. It had taken her ages to get used to her body again. Only those who had their own bodies turned into small children version of themselves knew how physically and mentally painful and frustrating it was to get used to them. Lal was one of the first to accept her new body, but even now, she struggled sometimes.

Though she would never show that to anybody. To show it would mean her flaws would be in the light of everyone's view.

No, she wouldn't want that to happen.

"That's cold."

"I know." Reborn replied, his eyes cover in a black shade caused by his fedora. The weather today had cleared up, the clouds that had threatened the nice blue sky had disappeared, leaving no sign of being there before. "But it's true."

"That's not fair on her." Lal said, pointing an accusing finger into Reborn's shirt. "For once in your life, don't be an narcissistic asshole."

"I was born an asshole Lal." He said, shrugging as if it didn't matter. "I'm not the father type and I never will be. If she's looking for compensation for a shitty mother, she's out of luck."

Lal shook her head as the guard opened the door to the back of the headquarters. Since Phillipa's break-in, they beefed up the security, making more beneficial locks on doors that can't be picked.

However, Lal knew, that wouldn't stop her from trying.

"Do you hear yourself now Reborn? Do you hear how selfish that sounded? Yeah sure, the kid's annoying and she's forever talking to that cat of hers in-front of everybody else, but she's not bad. She's incredibly smart and so much like you."

"I don't want that."

"Of course you don't." Lal shook her head on the start of each word. "All you want is a good red wine, a chaotic battlefield and lots and lots of women." She stopped at a door. "Play nicely."

"What are you talking about?" He asked, smirking. "I always play nicely."

She rolled her eyes and opened the door to find an empty table. Only Basil, Colonnello and Al, Phillipa's annoying cat were present. The seat that she had been before had flipped over and lying on its side.

"Where is she?" Lal asked.

Basil frowned with concern. Colonnello t'ched when he saw Reborn. In his mind, he had a good idea what it was about. It wasn't a secret that Phillipa could hear people's thoughts, along with any animal or plant she liked. He learned that early on, when they were in a fight and she'd sassed back at him about a situation he had with Lal. Needless to say, he beaten her up.

"T'ch. She stormed out without telling. If she's anything like you Reborn, she is kora, she already knew what you were thinking."

He shook his head again. "I don't want to hear that crap."

"Which way did she go?"

"Out the front." Iemitsu said as he walked into the already crowded room, looking for his morning coffee. The yelling had woken him up, darn it. "Looks like she's going for a long walk."

"Doubt it." Lal muttered. Then, she pushed Reborn. "Go on, get after her!"

Reborn pushed her back. "Idiot, I don't even know what she looks like!"

"Just follow your ego bastard and you'll find her!"

~o0o~

I don't know how, but I found myself in a park, sitting on a bench beside a large duck pond. Personally, I don't remember getting there but only feeling a blistering anger and an immense frustration on myself.

I took it out on my red ballet flats.

"ARE YOU KIDDING ME!" I yelled, throwing my left shoe as far as I could.

It ended up in the lake, almost hitting one of those black geese. Not as vicious as a white one, but a geese no-less. I shook my head, resisting the urge to kick something. That would only break a couple of toes, if I kicked something hard. "This isn't fair."

I threw my other one just as far and let out a massive sigh, coughing slightly. It had been my original plan to find him, along with my mothers' killer. In a sulk, I sat my ass down on the bench and crossed my arms, leaning my head on the top of the back of the bench.

I would have liked to spend the rest of my day there. The sun was out and my skin was absorbing as much energy as it could.

"You know, if you sat there long enough in that position, you're bound to get your throat slit,"

Instantly, I set up my barrier. I sniffed and craned my head.

"I know you."

"Yes, apparently, I'm your father."

My heart faltered when he spoke of the 'f' word, but the voice told me not to show any emotion in this type of situation. From what I'd heard from several conversations, he was the world's greatest hitman and a ladies man. I didn't expect any emotion out of this baby with an orange striped fedora.

"So I'm told." I replied, eyeing him. Mother always said I got my hair from him. "What are you doing here?"

"I'm here to talk, idiot. What else would I be doing here?"

I shook my head. "No, no. From what heard, I'm guessing you didn't come willingly. Was it Lal? Because I don't think Colonnello has much authority over you."

"So what if it was?" He shrugged and sat down on the seat next to me. "I'm here now. Put your shield down and stop acting irrationally."

I did so, but not with a happy heart. "It wasn't put up irrationally. Since it's my first time meeting you, someone who is hesitant and unwelcome of me, it's out of protection."

"Fair enough." He looked down."What on earth happened to shoes?"

"I condemned then to a watery death."

He smirked. "You had a tanty and threw them in the lake."

"No, they were stolen by the evil geese that are bent on destroying humanity by stealing all of our shoes." I rolled my eyes. "What did you think had happened to them?"

"Do I detect a Ms Sarcastic?" He took of his hat. The small, green lizard that was on in bounced onto his lap and he began to stroke it. "So like your mother. And his name's Leon."

Right then, I faced him. It was because of the word 'mother' that set me off. I don't know why I did what next, but I can say that it wasn't my logic speaking. "I don't know what the deal was with you and my mother. Frankly, I don't care whether it was a long ride of a fucking one night stand. She never told me much about you, so growing up, I really didn't care. Even now I still have that resentment of everybody."

He had his arms crossed, no longer patting the lizard called Leon. "What made you change?"

"Things happened in the past few months. Things I can't explain fully and never want to think about. Things that imagined I would have to do." I looked over at him." And it didn't occur to me to find you but someone else told me that it was a good idea. Ha. Then I thought that if I did manage to find you, maybe I could get through this thing, but I can't." I grimace, now looking out at the ducks. I didn't want to look at his face anymore. Mother dying, that was one of the hardest things I've had to face. But I couldn't say that out loud. I had neither the heart nor the courage to. "So, now that you've confronted me, say something. I'm pleading for you to whisper, or speak at least something. But please." I paused. "Please don't sit there with a blank mind. I don't know what would happen to me if you did."

The brim of his fedora shades his already black eyes, making it impossible for me to see his face. I pick up a few small words, bits of a sentence but nothing to really put together to make something legible.

"Reborn!"

I turned to look behind my back, from where the voice had come from. A teenager, a female one, was steadily approaching us, her rose-shaded hair swaying with each step. Possibly, she was maybe a little older than Basil by a couple of years. The closer she got, the more her face developed from a happy one into a ruthless one.

For a second, I think I caught a sight coming from the right.

"Who are you!" She shouted in a threatening voice, reaching for something in her backpack. "What are you doing with my Reborn!?"

"Your Reborn?" I repeated, getting out of my seat.

"Don't talk to him that way!" She screeched.

"Duck!" Reborn said quickly, bending down behind the bench. I followed swiftly, the flying projectile barely missing my head, hitting the bench. Just as fast as it had been thrown, the substance had burned through the bench, creating a massive hole.

I sniffed the air and pouted for a moment. "Pizza? That's your weapon?"

"Bianchi, stop." Reborn ordered, and hesitantly, she complied with a pouted lip.

"Nice to meet you!" I called, even before Reborn had begun his introduction of her. He punched the side of my arm and I groaned. "Ow!"

"You have to wait till I say it's okay, got it?" He put his fedora back on and Leon climbed onto his shoulder. "You can't keep reading people's minds without them getting severely confused. That especially counts for the slow ones."

"Reborn!" Bianchi shouted. "This isn't fair! I thought we were in love!"

"Really?" I glanced at Reborn." I don't know who's the child predator in this situation."

"You are mistaken Phillipa, as are you Bianchi." He nodded towards me. 'Bianchi, this is Phillipa, a close family member of mine. Phillipa, this is my admirer, Bianchi. She's training to be an assassin."

Assassins were never a good sign, even if it were for introductions. Nor was the term hitman, but something about her didn't sit right with me.

She clapped and then indicated to a car that was in the parking lot. Ignoring me completely, something telling me that she would quickly forget about my existence."Come Quickly, My Love! Let's go back to the headquarters! I'll make lunch!"

"I hope you have a tough stomach." Reborn whispered and I laughed unsteadily.

"I'm sure it's not horrible."

His eyes thinned. "Don't take Bianchi's cooking lightly, it's deadly."

We got into the car. Bianchi sat in the front with Reborn on her lap and the seat-belt around them both. I sat in the back alone, while a driver handled the car. It was when I started to stare blankly out of the window when I heard another thought.

"We haven't finished our conversation Phillipa."

I rolled my eyes. "No, we haven't. There's still so much I want to talk about."

"Yes, we'll talk more back at Iemitsu's place. About your life and your cat."

"Then I get to pat Leon."

"You can but I wouldn't suggest it. He'll bite you.

I smirked. "What do you think of me now?"

Even from the back seat, I could feel a smile. "You're everything I expected you to be. And possibly more, judging by your attitude."

In the background, Leon purred happily while I continued to frown at a chain of thoughts that he didn't answer.

A courtesy and annoyance.

I wouldn't forgive him for a while.

~o0o~

I'm so sorry that this so long to upload. I wasn't too sure how to go around this sort of thing. (also SCHOOL, LIFE, SHERLOCK, EXAMS, TROUBLES, EXCHANGE STUDENTS, BLAHBLAHBLAH) That sort of thing. Still looking for a BETA reader, if anyone's keen. *Cough-cough*

Replies:

Leolnuyuka: Hm, yes, Al is one talented cat I don't think I could accomplish half of the things he can do. Thanks for always reviewing first. I do continue to read your story, as it seems in my inbox nearly every day ;) *Winks*

ausumist: Gee, thank you! You're makin' me blush :D

Guest: Thank you! Thanks for reading!

Ooly: Thank you so much! Here you go then, more Al!

Shanagi95: Good.

Ps - I've made a picture for you guys of Phillipa and the Arcaballeno (and Al.) Check it out if you want. It's on my Deviantart page, check my profile page for a link. ( verdigurl. /art/ Sorry-389331104?q= gallery%3A Verdigurl&qo= 0) Just get rid of the spaces.

It's exam time, so I'm sorry if it gets a little erratic this term.

-Verdigurl