Katekyo Hitman Reborn

My Fate is Certainly Uncertain

Chapter 17: The Carnival's Finale

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

[Written to: I Won't Say I'm In Love - Hercules.]

~o0o~

Consistency was what I needed.

I craved it constantly.

I was the type of person who needed to be told things. That it would be alright. That nothing I would do would hurt someone. That it was okay.

Everything I saw was wrong. I didn't trust my eyes. My mind was a finely tuned radio and I sure as hell relied on that more than I did with my irises'. People lied all the time, flashing fake smiles with apologetic eyes that I saw right through.

I just didn't trust anyone.

Okay, maybe that's a little lie. I trusted Allemande. My heart had adjusted. I trusted Reborn now. To an extent, I guess I trusted Dino as well. We'll have to see what happens with that one.

I had once recurring dream.

One, that I know I've never had in real life. It shifted from time to time, switching the settings a bit, drifting between house to house that I had stayed in, diminishing all feeling of settledness.

And all it did was rain through the roof.

And all I could do was sit there.

It was like I was glued into a single place with superglue, like a doll in a dollhouse made of cardboard. Decimated trees were everywhere, fallen on top of each other, piling into a darkening heap. They surrounded the ruins of the houses, in a phantom circle, stretching to a point at one end.

What frightened me was what I couldn't see.

What I couldn't control.

You wanna know why I never trust people?

Wanna know why I'm so afraid of myself?

I don't even know who or what I am.

Momma never told us. She never told me, never told Mason. Nobody told him about how Momma died, how his sister abandoned him selfishly for her own goals. No, she just went off into the world with a certain frame of mind, set on an impossible goal.

An impossible goal for an impossible girl was probably never meant to happen.

Yeah, that's me down to a pinpoint.

~o0o~

I don't know if anyone else who knew of the trials actually slept that night, but I certainly did. I had no trouble and I wasn't woken up by strange disturbances in the night. I wasn't woken by the lamppost across the street or the rattling of the window as it blew against the building, with the force of a bull.

I heard a voice again.

But when I sat up, it was gone and in that small second, Al had jumped awake.

It was pretty rare that I woke up before him.

"Sorry, I didn't realise you were asleep Al, or even on the bed." I looked over at the alarm blaring red next to the bed. "Sorry but doesn't Nana feed you around this time?"

He sniffed the air and cattishly frowned. "I don't smell anything…"

"Really? Someone must be downstairs…."

But nobody was.

And then I looked at the time downstairs and freaked.

"How is it almost lunchtime!?"

"You slept in." Bianchi said, eating rice and omelette at the dinner table. I looked down at my pyjamas and looked back up at her.

Good grief! She's like a ninja when she wants to be!

"Today of all days…...I promised Reborn that I'd help him today!"

"He thought he should let you sleep in."

He thought that? No way, he'd kick me out of bed like he does with Tsuna.

"He let me sleep in? Really? This is Reborn you're talking about."

"What do you expect him to do? Act towards you like he would everyone else? You're practically all the family he has. Plus, add on top of that you're his little girl, so it's no wonder he acts the way he is." She took another bite of the omelette and pointed the fork at me. "However, that's the first time I've ever seen him act like that."

"She certainly seems to know a lot about your father Phillipa. That's creepy."

I agreed silently and clicked my knuckles.

"Where is Nana and the rest of the crew then? I'll get changed quickly and head off in their direction."

"Where else but the Hospital?" Bianchi muttered."You're going to really wear yourself down if you keep doing this."

I shrugged. "I know and I hate it, but it's my job and that's that. Can't do anything about it. But trust me, the minute this is over and when I get back to Italy, it's going to only be about me me me. I'm going to move out of the base and buy myself my first flat."

"Iemitsu knows?"

"Yeah, I brought it up. Whether he was listening or not is another story, but he won't mind. After all, I'm not, no way in hell, going to stay roommies with Basil for my entire life." I said, walking away to the shower. "Girl's gotta have her needs."

"I'll follow you to the hospital too. I don't have anything to do today."

Okie dokie.

~o0o~

When we arrived, refreshed and stomachs full, Bianchi left me inside Lambo's room while she left for the park that was about three or four minutes away from the hospital. Apparently, Nana had thought that she shouldn't keep Fuuta clammed up inside so she gave into his whining and took him and I-Pin to the park.

He picked on her weakness for cute children.

Smart thinking, for a kid.

And, thank goodness, I didn't do anything else for the rest of the day that required me to either move my limbs much or solve trick questions. I just simply typed up reports on the computer, sheet after sheet to send to the CEDEF administer in Rome. All that I could hear in the room was the constant stabbing of the keyboard keys and Lambo happily breathing. He had gotten much better since I saw him yesterday. I hope he woke up again soon.

And it was a relaxing quietness that I had missed.

I loved it.

Nana came back. She wanted to get home to start dinner so that she could bring Lambo some food when he woke up next. Fuuta went with her, but she left I-Pin with me.

Reborn and Tsuna visited later, just as it would have been tea time. He still had his school uniform on, which I was a little concerned about. Was he seriously going to take that into battle, after all of the money that his mother spent on it? Mind you, his father gets more than enough moolah to buy him a new one. And several more.

"Lambo sleep deeply!" I-Pin exclaimed, sitting beside me.

"He's fine Starfish, stop your worrying." I said, not looking up as I typed away. "He'll get better."

He smiled sweetly and nodded. "Right, thanks for looking after him you two."

"Leave it to I-Pin!"

"But she hasn't done anything! Tell him Phillipa! Tell him and take all of the credit for yourself!"

I had no reason to.

No reason to blow out the mood.

"Seems like he regained consciousness near lunchtime. Heard he was a right pain"

I shrugged. "Nothing we couldn't handle."

"Thank goodness that he's alright. I'm happy."

"But he still needs a lot of rest."

"I see." Tsuna mused.

Lambo cringed in his sleep and very briefly, I could see him remembering random fights, or his life back before he joined the Nana crew. He was definitely happier there.

"Ahahaha~...Tsuna wet himself…Stupid Tsuna! Lazy Tsuna! No-Good Tsuna!"

Yeah. He was totally diggin' it here.

"He better be talking in his sleep!"

Reborn smirked. "Losing your cool over sleeptalk…...you've still got a lot to learn…."

"I'll let Reborn take charge of polishing my horns from now on!"

Leon evolved instantly into a ten ton hammer as soon as the little mite spoke those words. I still typed away while Reborn tried to control himself.

He didn't like kids much either.

"I can't let that go, even if it's just sleep talk. I'll have to coerce him into silence."

Who's the one who's gotta learn now?

"H-Hey!"

"No violence!" I-Pin yelled, jumping on top of Reborn's mallet. "Lambo needs peace and quiet!"

"Tail head!"

I-Pin growled and smacked Lambo right on the head. He groaned in his sleep. I looked up from my laptop and smiled. "Can't forgive, even if sleeptalk!"

"She-butler, rub my tummy and feed me!"

My smile dropped along with the tapping of the keyboard keys.

"No-oh he didn't! That's my division, you hear! Phillipa you know tummy rubs are my thing. MY THING, DO YOU HEAR?!"

"I know Al, I know." I returned to the screen. "I'll poison him later and then you can have those tummy rubs all to yourself."

"No poisoning!" Tsuna lectured, and I got the impression he really wanted to wag a finger at me. "Don't do it!"

"I won't do it now." I said.

"No poisoning."

I rolled my eyes. "Fine. I'll do something else when he least expects it. That way, I can enjoy the confused look on his face and be the only one who gets it at the time. Then, ten years later, when he complains about me stealing his food, I'll steal it again!"

He sighed. I didn't even say anything about food…

"But since he's being loud, does that mean he's close to a full recovery?"

"Mama, Phillipa and the others take turns at watching him, so you don't have to worry."

"Plus," I added," With Bianchi and me here, you won't have to worry about your family or girlfriends either."

"G-Girlfriends?!"

"Yeah, those chicks that come. They're your harem right? What else could they be?"

Reborn smirked, looking up at Tsuna. "Damn Baka-Tsuna. You work fast.

"N-No, it's nothing like that! P-Please Phillipa, s-stop giving him ideas!"

"You're the one handing them out like pamphlets at an outlet store."

"Please!"

I shrugged. "Whatever."

"Um, about the Ninth…"

"He ain't here squirt." I said quickly, looking up from the screen. "I talked to Dino and he's already been carted back to Italy. So weak, he apparently can't leave the mansion."

~o0o~

"What's the word, H-M Bird?"

"Eh?" Dino said, not understanding my mannerisms at all. "What did you say?"

"I said H-M Bird as in Hummingbird. As in, what's the news? Especially on the Ninth's status. Basil and Tsuna will want to hear about it."

"He's not doing too well, I'll admit. Probably won't be walking around soon, but the doctors say that he should live. The Mosca used a lot of his Flame Energy, so it will be a while before he's ready to move again."

"Thank goodness." I muttered, breathing out. Silently, when I was listening to Basil over the phone just before, when he was terribly nervous, I think I may have gotten nervous from him. The Ninth was a pretty big deal in the CEDEF.

"You were worried too?"

"Of course."

"Say…."

"Say what? What?"

He snorted air out of his nostrils. I should've known better than to tease him at a time like this, but it would have been a lost opportunity if I hadn't You never know when you're going to die next. So I lived life like I would and in the Mafia world, death's appearance is at a high percentage rate. The cheeky bugger.

"When this is all over, can we still talk?"

"...About that thing you said in the note, right?"

"Yeah, that note. Did you throw it away?"

"No, I still have it." I thought back. I kept everything important between the mattresses. "Want me to burn it?"

"...d-do what you want with it. So, is that okay?"

"..."

~o0o~

"You called him?" Reborn asked, getting a little annoyed with me. I knew this was about Dino, good grief it always was nowdays, and sure as hell wasn't comfortable with me talking to him. However, Dino was my friend, and Reborn shouldn't be snapping at me.

"Basil was begging me to call him Reborn, I couldn't not do it! Heck, even I wanted to know. I've only had one call from the boss and that was regarding tonight's battle."

"Eh? What did he want? I thought he was in Italy?"

"He is. He wanted to tell you don't stuff it up, but Reborn didn't want anybody disturbing you." I leaned back in my plastic chair. "Not that you'll need encouragement Starfish. You'll win for sure!"

How can she be so certain of that? Tsuna thought, cringing.

"Because I just can. It's because I think you're good enough Tsu-na. Everybody else does too, it's just you that needs convincing."

He's a good kid, for sure. But that's something I'm not sure I should be calling him now. He's changed vastly in a matter of weeks, which I find amazing. Compare that to me, who's still learning two or three years into the mafia world, I was definitely happy for him. Maybe even a little jealous.

"Those are big words." Reborn said and I wasn't sure whether he was directing it to my previous line of thought or what I had said last. However, I didn't bring it up. I meant both with an honest mind.

"You want me to dumb them out to the point where I'm saying that he needs to convince everyone in order to convince himself? Fine, be that way."

"More importantly, a new weapon is ready for you and your guardians. Say goodbye to Phillipa."

I smiled at him from across the bed. "Good luck Starfish. Don't you come home unless you've won, okay! I don't expect anything except the best from you!"

"Eh, you're not coming?"

I shook my head. "No, unfortunately. My orders still stand that I stay with your family and non-mafia affiliated friends." I said sadly, shrugging. "But you don't have to worry about them."

Thank goodness, He sighed happily, as if a heavy burden was lifted from his soul. It's strange, because whenever I see him do that, I feel a sense of an elderly wiseness radiating. Like a comfort, whenever he's relieved.

Now I can go ahead without any worry.

~o0o~

The night came quickly. It was like one moment, Starfish and Reborn left for wherever their destination was and that I look down at my screen to the next moment where it's suddenly pitch black outside with Lambo sleeping soundly.

I smiled at the girls as they peeked inside to check on Lambo, just as I switched my computer off.

I-Pin pulled my hand. "Phillipa, Sister let's go."

"We will soon. Go outside and keep the girls company, will you do that for me I-Pin? I just need to tidy up my laptop and work papers, so I'll be out soon and then we can look for Mama!"

"Yay! I-Pin happy!"

I smiled at her blissfulness and watched carefully as she toddled out of the room, closing the door quietly behind her. Then, my eyes travelled upwards, to the roof, to the woman Cervello that was hiding.

Not efficient enough, since I found her almost immediately after I'd come back from the bathroom.

When she didn't come back down, I folded my arms and tapped my foot impatiently. I was a busy woman tonight, so I really didn't have much time in between for myself let along her lollygagging.

"I smell a pink haired rat."

"Hurry up and come down or I'll slaughter you here."

That hurried up her landing.

"I am here to collect the Vongola Lightning Candidate for tonights Sky Candidate battle."

Wait wait wait.

Lightening for the Sky?

"What's the occasion? A dress up party? What are you hiding?"

"That is none of your concern. If you try and stop me, I will disqualify the Vongola."

Tch. What a jerk!

"Whatever. But my warning goes out to the Cervello too. Come near the tenths family with a bad heart and I'll make sure it never beats again."

She nodded without emotion and picked the small child up, carrying an oxygen can with her as she left. Eventually, we did find Nana and soon before we left the hospital, I shifted my position with Bianchi, making sure she distracted the girls if they ever came poking around.

But when I ran into Fuuta, he was carrying a large sack over his shoulder.

"What's that Fuuta?"

"Sister, come quickly! We need to get started!" He pulled my wrist and lead me back to the room, flinging the door open. Bianchi's face was wide with surprise and I couldn't help but chuckle. So I covered my mouth and Fuuta and I-Pin bounced into the room, putting the bag on the ground.

"Happily welcome a party!" I-Pin yelled and mentally, I cringed at her English. The girl needed to learn how to structure her sentences properly.

"Your English teacher would be rolling in her grave Phillipa."

" She would if she was still alive." I muttered.

"Big Sister! Sister Bianchi! You should help us too!"

"What, a party?" She asked, slightly confused. "What's in the bag?"

"Yes, the truth is we want to make decorations for the party here!" Haru undid the rope that tied the bag together and threw a massive handful of confetti into the air, to which Al completely lost it and began attacking it.

Sometimes my lovely prince of fur was a majestic, brave warrior.

Other times, he was batshit crazy.

Fuuta smiled brightly, extremely excited. "With this much stuff, we can make wonderful decorations!"

"Leave cutting the paper to me!"

They all dived head first into their self assigned project and I glanced over at the bed, which had a fake Lambo inside.

My stomach was unsettled, knowing that the trials were beginning, just as I-Pin cut into a purple piece of paper.

~o0o~

"No, no Big Sister! The paper doesn't go like that!" Fuuta slapped my hand and showed me properly how you're meant to make a paper chain decoration.

I looked at his and then at the ripped piece of paper in mine.

"Good grief Phillipa. Do you really suck that much?"

Blue eyes analysed it.

"Good grief, I do suck…"

"No you don't Phillipa!" Kyoko said, hushing my self pity away. Like Fuuta, she showed me hers and then tried to fix mine. "You're no so bad, you just lack a gentle touch."

"Like you've been raised around guys or something like that!" Haru shouted, pointing the pair of scissors she had in her hand at the roof.

How close they were to the truth, it made things almost hard to believe.

But as I sat cross legged on the floor, I wandered through the archives of what I called my memory bank, a space in my mind that was impossible to get rid of. It made forgetting things all too difficult and not only that, remembering things with such precision seemed to be a developing technique of mine. I felt inhuman at times. These things that the girls said were so close to the truth, but I couldn't recall a time where such an innocence played out. I didn't like how they smiled. I didn't like how their smiling teeth bore plainly into my mind.

It made it difficult to ignore.

Bianchi was probably just as useless at arts and crafts as me. But she didn't take part in any of this, but instead stood, leaning her back on a wall for support. It had turned dark now and Al had decided to swat the confetti that had been left lying around. I felt bad for the cleaners that would have to clean this mess up, but hey; That's their job and they get paid for it so I shouldn't be feeling sorry for them. (But on that note, I'm already going to assume that the girls will clean it up when we're done.)

It may not be a time to party yet.

Bianchi's worries were affecting her and me. While she kept mentally checking every little sight and sound, her mind made me sleepy. Another probable cause for my lack of sleep, my useless need to hang around people. It drained my core to keep listening to every little problem in the world. Was there an off switch? Was this why Reborn loved coffee so much, to keep up with this nonsense?

Maybe.

Like the nonsense that I felt heading towards the hospital, themselves thinking that they would go unnoticed.

"What's the matter, hahi?" Haru asked, watching Bianchi head to the doorway. I myself, stepped up and followed her, reassuring the girls that everything was okay; that I was just going out for some fresh air. Al followed without questioning, sniffing the air, knowing what the two of us knew from the beginning.

We were being tracked.

The fiends were already in the vicinity.

"You sensed them already, huh?"

I nodded. "I have an image to upkeep as the daughter of the world's greatest hitman. It wouldn't be good enough if I couldn't keep track of some simple minded assassins." I took note of the elevator at the end of the hall. "They're most likely to come through the stairwell. I can feel them on the first floor."

"Right" She said, taking out some purple cupcakes from her coat pocket.

"Gagi jeone doraseogi jeone naegero dorawayo baby girl, Neul barkji anhado joha ,Nal chatji anhado joha."

"What's going on over there?!" I asked myself, as I fished my cell out of my jean pocket.

"Phillipa?"

"Reborn?!" My back straightened, and I watched the stairwell door open. I ducked as bullets went flying into the walls.

"Everythings gone south. We can't move. Get out here now."

"Go!" Bianchi yelled, throwing her cooking at their faces.

"'Kay!" I sprinted the other way and jumped out the window down to the ground, sprinting. Al clutched onto my shoulder, screaming in his head, scared shitless of how I kept jumping from various heights. (He wasn't a fan of flying or high places for that matter.)

"I'm coming Reborn!"

I whacked and attacked all of the Varia assassins that tried to get in my way. They tried as hard as they could to take me down but I simply didn't take any excuses tonight. I couldn't remember how I attacked them. I felt like I blacked out but that wasn't possible. I could see myself punching and kicking, but my arms felt heavy, like I was dragging them. But in a moment, I was myself again.

And I was standing in front of the school, with several of the Varia's finest lying unconscious on the ground.

Well, that's weird.

Walking into the school was another odd sensation. The outside world couldn't see what I sensed. I myself couldn't see it either, but once I stepped through, it was like someone had taken off the earmuffs that were blocking my vision. The sound of explosions hit my eardrums with such an unexpected force, I didn't expect to be affected by it. My hands covered the almost immediately until the ringing died out.

"Over here!"

I looked over to see Dino yelling, waving a hand. There was a group crowded in a box that included Reborn and Colonnello. On a closer inspection, it was the same containment box that the Cervello installed to house all of the viewers in.

"Jesus, what's happening?!"

"The ring rejected Xanxus after Belphegor swiped it off of Tsuna and now they're going nuts!"

"And you can't get out?"

Reborn shook his head. "No, it seems that the remote has mysteriously malfunctioned."

A light went off in my head.

"Guys, move over to this side." I asked the two followers of Mukuro whose names had escaped me. When they didn't, I growled out my orders. "Move if you want to get out of this cage or if you don't want to lose any limbs. Cause I can tell you, your dicks wont grow back if they're lasered off."

I heard the majority of the male percentage, which was all of the group, cringe and/or sigh and/or flinch. Eventually, the slowbros did move their asses.

"Kora! What are you doing?! If you touch the lasers, you'll kill us!"

"I won't touch them. Calm your farm." I breathed out. "It will."

To get past the lasers was impossible they thought.

To get past them is to shut the system down.

That wasn't a plausible plan with the power supply malfunctioning. It meant that I had to find a way past it. But, through thinking, blocking out everyone around me as they talked, I figured out my path of procedure.

I thought of my plan as a simplified thing. It wasn't as dramatic as Basil thought it was going to be. He always did think the worst whenever I used my powers. They were something that him, alike others including my own father, didn't understand fully. Heck, I could even include myself underneath that dome.

The lasers didn't react when the shield cut through them. Instead, the red beams of light reflected off of it and burned into the ground, into the spot where those two goons were standing before. In that moment, I was able to create a gap to which everybody except Squalo escaped, since he was bound to a wheelchair.

"Sorry Squalo." I shrugged.

He blinked but didn't say anything, but thought 'It's okay'.

I smiled, and he flinched, thinking that I was creepy. Like I read his mind at that moment.

Well it certainly wasn't my fault if he thought as loudly as he talked.

We ran to the field quickly, seeing how one of the Cervello has been attacked. She was lying on the ground, her neck in an awkward position. I couldn't hear her thoughts.

"I'm entering the battle now Cervello, as my own person, not on behalf of the CEDEF. They were going to kill my father and therefore, that's an offense in my eyes. Can I not defend myself and him?"

"You may." One of them said as she held her sister in her arms. The girl was limp, far past being alive.

"How did you get in here girl?!" Mammon, or Viper, or whatever the heck he wants to be called.

"How? What are you, blind?"

"Through the fucking front gate, you noob!"

"Violent Snake Fierce Domination!"

A violent force struck the rest of the Varia's injured goons and they clamoured against each other. Panicking in their injured-ness, they see the impending force coming.

"Who's that?"

"Don't get me wrong Vongola." The man said and images from Chrome's memory flashed in my mind. He had talked to Mukuro many times before. "I came to say thank you."

"That's real sweet, but now the pleasantries can wait." I yelled. "Kick all the lovely butts you can and then you can say what you want."

"Way to soil the mood."

Belphegor grinned. "So that's how it is." He took out his knifes and chucked them straight at Tsuna, who was lying on the ground, who was definitely at his limit. "Then let's get started!"

Yamamoto defended Tsuna with his sword, deflecting the flying knives away. "Hold on. That's not going to happen that way!"

"Y-Yamamoto!"

"I didn't expect this to happen….." Mammon said, floating back slightly out of surprise. He tried to escape the battle, but Chrome, bless her, stopped him with her overwhelming tricks. A determination appeared in her mind and it made her excited, made her prouder. I hadn't seen something like that in her before. Tsuna had really made her grow.

"I won't let you escape!" She shouted, eyebrows pointed downwards.

"Hey."

Hibari's vicious vibes reverberated all the way up my spine. His taste for fighting was overwhelming to my senses. He really really liked it.

"Let's end this."

"I won't let you go!" Ryohei yelled, his fists curled, ready to punch.

"Juudaime!" Hayato kneeled down next to Tsuna. "Are you okay?"

Tsuna smiled, in a way that made his heart thump quickly, as if someone struck him in the chest. "Thank you. I'm fine."

"Then…." He stood up and armed himself, along with everybody else.

"You gonna fight love? Want me to help?"

I smiled at my little man. "That's a good offer Al. We need to let off some steam before our holiday starts."

"Yeah!"

The defensive line caused Belphagor to drop his weapons and hold his hands up. "This is no good…."

"Boss…." Mammon gulped. "It looks like this is it….."

"Useless Trash."

His thoughts were just as hoarse as his voice.

I felt...pity.

"Shit. Damn it! I'm going to send you all to hell!"

…..

A mix of pity, but there was also such a deep anger and hatred that was born out of the hope of a broken heart.

I felt a heavy sadness.

His anger brought a heavy pressing on his chest and Xanxus closed his eyes, flinching. The Cervello who was holding her sister with a faded mind took the ring away from Xanxus.

"We are disqualifying you and taking the Vongola rings away."

He breathed out, phlegm caught in his throat. "Cervello…..just what you wanted. Are you...happy the prediction came true?"

"Excuse me, this is neither our wish or our prediction. It has been decided already. You completed your function."

"That old coot…." He said, with a baby's smile on his face. He closed his eyes.

Another Cervello stood up firmly and addressed everybody else.

"Now, we will end the ring conflict and announce the results. Due to Xanxus's disqualification, the winner of the sky match is Sawada Tsunayoshi."

"Woooo! Go Starfish!"

"Thus, the ones who will become the eventual successors of the Vongola will be Sawada Tsunayoshi and his six guardians."

Everybody affiliated with the Vongola side was relieved and extremely elated.

And this was the first time I heard Reborn praise Tsuna.

"Well done. We all can go home now."

~o0o~

The next day we all met up at Yamamoto's house, aka his family's sushi restaurant for a massive party that caused the place to be booked out for the whole day.

My bags were packed and I was so excited to go home, to sleep in my own bed and not in an attic but I knew I was going to miss all the usual hubbub that the kids made. And especially Nana's cooking. She taught me a couple of recipes and Bianchi tried to as well, in case I was to go out on my own one day.

It must have slipped his mind that we were because when he opened the door, his eyes was filled with happiness. He was so happy that everybody was alive and well. Such a kind soul was needed more in this horrid mafia world.

"Yay! Yay! Su-shi! Su-shi!" Al cried happily as we were greeted at the door.

We're all super hungry.

"Welcome to Tsuna's party!" Yamamoto's father yelled.

"Woah!"

"Everybody's here…" Fuuta said in awe, his usual day being interrupted by this magical party.

"Tsuna! Congratulations on winning the sumo contest!" Haru smiled and I realised the situation again.

Al directed me away, towards the rows of sushi and I stole a plateful. Nobody cared if one plate would be missing, since there was enough to feed an army. I sat in the corner with Al, minding our own business while everybody else fluttered about. After a while, the plate was half gone. Al had eaten most of it, while I had about three pieces.

"Mmmhmm~" Al hummed happily. "This is heaven!"

"It is good…" I admitted, munching on one but even when the food tasted this good, I felt clustered and it was unsettling. "...but I'm going to step outside. This jobs over and the last place I want to be is under a roof."

He shrugged. "Fair enough. Take care."

I said goodbye and took a smaller platter with me outside. There was a place in the back, where a sakura tree was planted, along with a bench underneath it for whenever the tree was in full bloom. Unfortunately, it was way past blooming season.

Maybe one day I'll come back and watch them, and while I'm at it, I'll eat Nana's cooking as well. Her home made stuff was the best.

Yeah. That would be nice.

"I thought you would be out here."

Dino closed the sliding door behind him and sat next to me on the bench as I ate slowly. The taste of salmon lingered on my tongue and the quietness was peaceful. For once on this trip, I felt at peace.

He had his own plate and I could tell he had already eaten some since there was some rice on his cheeks. I giggled as he realised what I laughed at and embarrassedly, he wiped it away with his sleeve.

"Oh man, I managed to look bad again….."

I relaxed my shoulders. "Nah, it's all good. You're just being yourself." I shrugged, speaking honestly. There was a hitch in my voice, a cause that almost made me clammer up, but I managed to say what I wanted. "I like it when you are who you are. Makes it much easier to deal with an honest person than a liar."

Dino blinked, his hands gripping around the edges of the seat. "But in a way, it makes it much more fun for you, since you can tell the difference straight away and not have to waddle through tides of bullcrap."

A small smile appeared. "Yeah. Going through peoples' minds isn't the most pleasant thing in the world."

"But you've managed to tame everyone with it so far. Even Squalo, and that's quite the achievement."

I shook my head. "No, there's Xanxus and I'd rather run away from him than look into his skull again. It's so full of hate and resentment, I'm surprised his head has blown up yet. And Squalo isn't that bad you know. His minds perfectly fine, in the way of the Varia. He says what he thinks and that sort of thing if fine with me."

"Yeah." Dino agreed, nodding his head. "Squalo's one of a kind."

Thud!

The sound of a metal bucket falling on the ground echoed loudly, making the two of us look up. I immediately scanned the area, thinking that the battle might not be over just as it was said to be but as I found, my worrying was useless.

That was the sound of Bianchi holding Reborn back, much to my surprise. I didn't expect him, and he didn't seem the type to mercilessly protect me no matter what. I'd seen more compassion in a dog.

Note to self: Have a talk with Reborn later and thank Bianchi.

Dino caught on as well and his nose scrunched up. He sighed. "Is Reborn always so protective of you? He was never like this when we first met. He has such a hard time trusting people, it's no wonder that you do too."

I don't think that's true.

At least, We've begun to open up.

He leaned back and tilted his head up. His eyes were closed. "I know for some reason, you've stopped trusting people. You trust Reborn the most, but even that's at a certain point. It's confusing and I keep wondering. "

So that's what he's looking for. I shifted nervously in my seat and looked at the closed sliding door once more before looking up at the tree branches, which were barren.

"I don't think I've ever known how to accept relationships, or how to trust people. My mother always made us move from place to place without any explanations, so it was tough to keep a friendship. I always had to keep my guard up since someone, something was after my mother. It's hard for me to, but in a way, me being able to hear everyone is like a blessing. It makes it easier, but it also makes life difficult." I breathed out and scratched my nose. Dino opened one eye as I continued talking. "The reason why I'm so to close to Al is because he's always with me. I trust him more than I trust Reborn."

"But shouldn't it be the other way around?" He asked.

I pondered on the thought. "I don't think I've told anyone this who doesn't already know, but I only met him about a year before I met you."

"What!"

I nodded as he gaped at me.

"Momma died before I met him. All I had was Al, at the time. There was someone hunting my family and he was the only one I could trust. I left them behind to look for Reborn. When I did find him, it was just so…hard. It's just as hard for him to adjust with me around. We have our differences." I picked at my cuticle."But now….I'm starting to think that maybe it's not so difficult to open up. We're both trying."

"You said us. Who else?"

I shook my head. "Just me, Al, my mother and my brother. I'm surprised that she even let me keep Al with the way she was acting all the time."

He eyebrows bended. "You have a brother?"

"I said Al was the only one I could trust. Me and him were the only ones left." I blinked as my eyes felt watery. I brushed my fringe out of my eyes. "I was all alone. Utterly alone in a world that I didn't understand at all. It's probably very simple to see why I don't trust everybody."

"You don't have to." He replied. "Just know who you like and who doesn't like you. If you keep your wits up, you'll definitely survive this world."

He said everything with such a simple confidence. I knew what he was thinking, why his heart was beating so fast right now, why mine was doing the same. It was strange to sit alone with him, so alien but -

I couldn't hear any voices when he was around.

Only his.

It was so quiet.

And I loved it.

He shuffled around in his seat and I spoke up, spoke with words that surprised both of us.

"I know I like you a lot Dino."

He flinched, turning bright red to the point where he had to turn away and cover his face. He felt embarrassed and I suddenly turned red as well.

Did I say something wrong?

Does he not like me as well?

Was my intuition wrong?

He breathed out. Dino turned his head back to me and with lips that could pout without even trying, he stared at me with those caramel eyes. They were so soft and so inviting. They were so…lovely.

"Darn it Phillipa…" He muttered, angry with himself. I blinked at this sudden anger, surprised. But he was angry at himself and not at me. "I wanted to say it first."

I nervously breathed out, hiding my shaking hand. "So…you don't hate me?"

"W-Why…why would you think I hated you? You're the coolest person ever and most of the time, you don't try to be. You just are." He shrugged, blinking as his cheeks puffed up. "I thought it was you hated me."

"I don't!" I said quickly. Almost too quickly. I took a breath and started talking again. "I-I don't hate you. I know that you knew that I knew how I made you feel." I felt my cheeks. It definitely wasn't the sun burning them. "And it...confused the heck out of me. I hate dealing with people. I'd be useless in a call centre because most of the time, I'd be either overly sarcastic or blunt. Probably both."

"I know." Dino grinned cheekily. He found the call centre thing hilarious, but I didn't. I was serious about the people thing. "I know that you're always nervous to let people in. And I know that you might not ever trust anyone fully but, I want to try." He took my hand in his and my eyes flickered to the door. Nobody was there. "I'm in love with you. I know this may seem strange of far fetched to you, but I think you're amazing. It's like you're pulling on some invisible strings like a puppet master, enchanting everyone you meet. You have an aura that draws people. Tsuna has the same, but yours is different. You've managed to make peace with everyone you meet. They look at you and think 'wow, she's definitely born to lead.'" His mouth nervously twitched. Dino's cheeks puffed, like a child's. "And I don't want you to be with anyone else. Surely you've seen the looks you get."

"Yeah…..but I use a thing called ignoring people. They always left me alone when I give them the cold shoulder. It usually works too." I said, smiling softly and then shook my head. "Except for you. I could walk past them all and not care, except for you. I wonder why that is."

He sniffed, his hand squeezing mine. Dino looked down at the pavement and then back up at me, speaking with honest words that he had said so many times over in his head. He knew I could hear him well, but I think out of his determination to say it himself that I kept quiet.

"I think, maybe it's because you love me back."

Is it love?

That word is used so often in so many ways…..is it what that is?

I shrugged, unsure of myself. It felt weird. Momma never taught me how to deal with something like this. And I've never really had close friends. "I don't know if it's that yet…."

"Then what can I do to convince you?" He asked suddenly, feeling very determined.

A smile creeped up on my and I asked him something that I hadn't done before.

"Kiss me."

And then, he did, holding the back of my head with one hand and cupping my cheek with the other. The breeze tickled my neck and I felt a warmth from his lips that made my throat dry. That made my lips want more.

Please.

In one simple word, my mind went blank and I crumbled. It wasn't that he pleaded silently. It was the fact that he was trying to heave his heart into his mouth. Like myself, Dino felt his heart being strangled, like something was tightening around it.

Momma…..I think I…

His kisses were soft and they made me forget to breathe. We broke of and I breathed in, the pit in my stomach becoming larger and he came back for a second one, eagerly pushing forward, the hand on the back of my head firmly staying there. My hands clutched him shirt and I looked into his eyes. He stared back.

I licked my lips and my mind phased over, to where the door was.

To where an innocent bystander was observing.

"Um….Phillipa?"

Reluctantly, I looked away as Dino breathed out, trying to catch his breath. Basil was looking through the crack in the door, as it was slightly ajar. He was blushing too and I moved away from Dino.

"What's up?"

"Everyone's been called back to Italy."

"What, now?"

He nodded. "It's apparently an emergency. Boss's call. Your stuff has already been taken, so you don't need to go back to the house."

"Hmm…..alright." I nodded. "I'll be out soon. Give me five minutes."

Basil smiled and closed the door behind him quietly. Dino breathed out. He leaned in quickly and kissed my cheek. I yelped and leaned back, not expecting it. He giggled like a schoolchild. The skin around his eyes were crinkled.

"Does this mean I can call you my girlfriend then?"

"What?" I asked, holding the cheek he kissed. "Does it work that way? I thought you had to ask them out a couple of times before you can start to call them that….."

"I don't know." He said honestly, shrugging his shoulders. "I don't know how relationships work either…"

We were two fools.

"But I know one thing."

"What's that?"

He hugged me, bringing me closer to him and again, he nipped at my cheek. I closed my eyes as my face went redder. I could feel his hot breath on my neck, hear his laugh tinkle. My lips tingled.

"That I'm not going to let anyone else have you. This world that we live in is too short to wait, so I'm saying that you're my girlfriend starting today. Is that okay?"

How close he spoke into my ear made me full of a nervousness that I knew, from the very start, was one that I shouldn't be afraid of. "Alright then."

Dino laughed again and hugged me tighter.

~o0o~

"Wait!" Tsuna called, running. "Wait up, all of you!"

Basil blinked in surprise. The day was just turning to night, so the sky was a deep orange. I liked it when it was another colour other than blue or black. It was more interesting to gaze at.

Al grinned. "Wow. The little fishy is so good, he predicted us leaving!"

"I don't think that's the case." I admitted. "I think Reborn told him."

"So it's you Vongola."

Tsuna breathed heavily, trying to catch his breath. "Y-You're going home without telling us?"

I shrugged. "Can't say I'm pleased with it, but yes. Iemitsu's called us back in for an emergency meeting."

The man next to me wasn't though. A nice guy when he wants to be.

"While I'm going to travel Italy and start apologising to everyone. Maybe then my sins will be atoned for."

"Ah Lancia, where's your big ball?"

"The steel serpent ball?"

I smiled. "Customs sucks Starfish. I doubt he'd want to go through them with that."

"Here." Lancia said, taking a ring off of his finger. "Take it."

"I-I couldn't accept that!"

"Don't be so reserved." He said, trusting the ring into Tsuna's palm. "This is my will."

"The boy needs more confidence."

"This is from me!" Basil said with a smile, giving Tsuna a container. "I don't know whether it will suit you or not, but they might come in handy."

"Dying Will Pills?!" He exclaimed, once taking a look inside.

He then looked at me, wondering if I was going to give him something next.

I smiled.

"Sorry Starfish, but the best I can give you is my Father. Have fun with him." I smiled and waved. "Just remember what I told you, yeah? He'll be here till you become the Boss, and that's the easy part. But most of all enjoy the time you have."

Tsuna looked up at me with large eyes and smiled.

~o0o~

Oh my gosh guys, oh my gosh. I was sitting here being all like "Holy Crap, ninety nine reviews!" I sat there for a while and wondered if anybody else would review but I'm so happy they didn't because this chapter probably warrants that more than the last chapter did. I had such a fabulous, extremely sad last week that made me think "Hey, why not write some more to get rid of my sadness?!"

So I did. And here you are. The final of the Varia arc.

Whoopie.

Replies:

Paigecat: Hi and thanks for reading Ducky! (That's my thing I call my readers.) Okay, this is a little complicated. I will go off to Dino and Phillipa's life, but at the same time the story will follow the anime till where it ends and then it'll hop onto the Manga boat.

Chibianimefan18: Oh, I did? Ah well, if they're determined enough to find it, they'll find it.

Blacklighteningwolf: Weeeell, IT'S GONNA START SOON. HIDE YA THINGS GURL CAUSE STUFFS GONNA GO DOWN.

Akayuki Sawada: Yeah, she's really not good at talking or figuring out her own emotions….kinda like me….

Shanagi98: Whelp, things happen! If the girl (Or guy in my case. Or both *Shrugs*) was standing there and I felt that strongly about her, my feelings wouldn't go away. I would need to say it, otherwise, I'd definitely feel regret. But I feel like, Dino's the awkward type, but would step up to the plate when it's needed.

Mystique-World-Master: Oh my Mystique-world-master, I love you. You're awesome. :D

Starlight346: ER ME GUD. Maybe…*Wink Wink*

Vipers Girl: Yes, I think that would be a good answer. I'll lend you to him for christmas. *Winks* And yeah, he's a protective daddy. He's working things out, trying to figure out this single father/daughter business. It's hard. (Lord knows how hard my dad's had it with me.) But I think that in the future, they'll have a more profound bond.

And I have a couple of Vids for you. (Sorry Akayuki. You'll just have to imagine it.)

Disney Medley (UMass Amherst Doo Wop Shop A Cappella group) (Oh my, those boys are fyne!)

watch?v=Vl3dFyvZOXI November LiveChat! (The SimonandMartina channel is part of the EatYourKimchi channel family that covers K-pop and anything Korean! They're canadian, BTW.) Anywhos, I sent them a package and THEY FINALLY GOT IT! It's the first one with the doodle on the front, so enjoy their reactions!

Thanks to everyone who's started reading and everyone everywhere!

-Sayonara.

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