Katekyo Hitman Reborn

My Fate is Certainly Uncertain

Chapter 18: Understatement

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

[Written to: Not Afraid - Eminem. (Plus the entire Black Symphony Concert. Plus the Exorcist. *The list goes on*)]

~o0o~

Within about nine hours after the celebration party, I was back in Florence and slapped with a big, fat piece of paper from Iemitsu that had the word "Temporarily Suspended for a week" on it in red ink.

I could not have been happier.

You see, with the CEDEF, you might as well give up everything you have for the job. With the contract I signed at the start, we were fully aware (and possibly forced to read the terms and conditions.) that having a day off in itself let alone a week was an extremely rare thing. You weren't given a day off for just being injured normally, it was really until death that you're finally given one of those horrible hawaiian shirts and a margarita. So when Iemitsu turned his back to me in his swivel chair and said to take a long break, I smiled.

After three days of getting some much needed sleep and familiarising myself with Italian food, I started to get back to my semi-normal life. It wasn't like threw away my job fully. I still liked to go through papers, just not that of the work kind. It was a day after I had arrived back home that I realised that I needed some place of my own.

So, after I had found a suitable flat in the northern part of Florence, not too far from the base, I dropped into Iemitsu's office again and handed him a leaving notice. He was rather surprised to say the least (Minus his WTF moment.) until I told him that before we had travelled to Japan that he had given me clearance to do so. Even when he couldn't recall if he had, I gave him a recording of the meeting. Iemitsu was tired, like me. He ran his finger through that short blond hair of his and nodded. I bowed and left for my room and packed my bags.

Basil was reluctant to see me go. I don't know when his mind had changed about me, since we spent most of the days together, working together, fighting together that it's hard to tell them apart. When I look at his, I see a scared boy. I'd seen his memories as he relived them in his sleep, his earliest; a bloodbath of his relatives. Again, I saw a confident man. He strove to work his hardest and to prove to Iemitsu that he was definitely loyal to him, no matter what Iemitsu had told him previously.

And then again today, I saw a boy again, who saw me as an older figure.

It took me by surprise and I couldn't stop replaying his thoughts in my head. All the way home (to my new one), I kept getting the sibling vibe. Through his hug, through his talk and smile, it bothered me relentlessly, till Lal dropped me off.

I parked on the sidewalk next to the block of houses where my flat was located, Lal got out and inspected the house while I retrieved the first of three suitcases that was tightly fitted into the back of my work car. While I heaved what was the most of my belongings upstairs, Lal waddled back into the smallish living room.

"Not a bad find." She admitted, her eyes scanning over the kitchen vanity, as it was connected to the lounge. All of the rooms were small, but it was the best I could afford with my wages. The deposit was a chip at my heart, but the rent on the place would be much lower than what the area usually was, so I was happy with it.

Al stretched his kitty limbs, almost clawing his way into the carpet until I nudged him with my foot to stop. He wasn't so good at adjusting to new places as I was, but for now, he looked like he was going to be alright.

"I'll commute to the base from now on." I replied, setting down my suitcase. "It won't be a big deal as Basil thinks it'll be. Mind you, it is nice now to have a separate living space from everyone else!"

"And you're okay with that?" Lal asked.

I nodded. "I know it's sudden, but after living with Tsuna's family for so long, with so many people under the same roof, I realised that over there is not a good environment for me." I shrugged. "Not all the time, that is."

"At least you're taking care of yourself now."

~o0o~

I loved my new home. I spent a lot of time trying to refurbish it. Not that I had any furniture apart from the bed and a spare table Iemitsu let me keep from the base.

But heck. I owned the place.

For once, I owned something permanent.

It was tremendously exciting.

And for the first couple of weeks, it was a blast! I loved waking up without being interrupted by emergency sirens in the night, or by Basil's cute yet always irritating snoring. The waking up with a cat all up in ya face thing still remained, however, he's now my appointed alarm clock. Most of the people I knew from work, including Dino and Romario visited, bringing housewarming gifts like stinky cheese and flowers. (We had a bit of trouble. Well, Dino did. I bet the phone company that was collecting off of Reborn's account would be both rich and disturbed at the phone calls he's been getting. Mainly about how he can interfere with my personal decisions to a degree, except for this case and that if he hurts me he'll never see daylight again.) if he hurts I even managed to move more furniture in. They made the room house a little smaller, however, that wasn't a big deal. This was just where I slept and ate anyway.

I did miss waking up in Japan though. And on top of that I still needed curtains. It was the light from the morning sun that greeted me today, instead of kitty slobber on my cheek. Today was like any other in my now, somewhat normal life.

I went to work.

I worked my ass off.

I came back home.

And then there he was. The tenth head of the Chiavarone family was sitting in my lounge, at the table, eating a bowl full of the cereal I had gotten only yesterday.

How becoming of him.

"He broke in." Al said, yawning. "Tried to stop him, but alas, I was defeated by the dreaded can of tuna he had with him."

Real class.

"What is it with you breaking into rooms?"

"That one time I didn't actually break in, you know." He said, waving his spoon, munching. He didn't have his coat today, and I could feel why. It was hot out there, even in the evening. "I just…..walked in."

"Yeah. Of course you did." I said with a happy/sarcastic smile, putting my backpack on the tabletop. I sat down across from him and crossed my arms on the table. "So what are you doing here? I didn't see cars on the sidewalk outside….."

"Well, it's been a while since we caught up, you know? And we're together, so we should spend time together, even it's short."

I smiled. "Th-"

Bring Bring! Bring Bring!

The landline was ringing and I turned my head. I went to pick it up when Dino looked up from is cereal and gulped.

"I'm not here, okay?"

"What do you mean you're not here, you silly bum? Y-"

He shook his head quickly. "No no no, if Romario asks, I'm not here."

I raised my eyebrow and nodded suspiciously, picking the phone up. "...hello?"

I heard a sigh on the other line as Dino kept watching me.

It was definitely Romario. He had a certain gruffy edge to his voice.

"Hello Ms Marsh, I hope you don't mind me calling, but we have a little problem. Did I wake you up?"

My wristwatch said seven twenty three. "Er, no. I just got home from the base. What's up, did something happen with Dino?"

"He's missing."

"Missing!?" I repeated, giving Dino a glance that said 'you're in big trouble mister.' He shrunk in his seat continued to mouth what he said earlier. I breathed out of my nose, my throat suddenly becoming dryer. I needed a glass of juice. "Really?"

"Yes. It's so sudden, which is why we're worried. It's not like him to take off without telling one of us where he's going."

"If you're asking if I've seen him, I haven't. Sorry."

He sighed again. "I got that from when you said you just returned from work. Just give us a call if you see him."

"Vise versa buddy. Tell him to call me if he turns up."

I hung the phone up and swivelled on the heel of my foot with crossed arms.

Eheh…..maybe I should explain…..Dino's smug, almost embarrassed smile made it almost impossible for me to be mad at him. We had been dating less than a month and he could already do that to me.

Darn it.

"Go on." I said, my eyebrows raising at the amount of sarcasm used. I was surprised that they weren't floating off of my face at this point. "You were going to say how you're apparently missing?"

He shrugged, trying to say what he wanted to. "W-Well….Oh come on Phillipa, don't give me that look! I just wanted to spend time with you without them following me…."

"They follow you because they worry so much. Dino, I thought we had this talk about how much they like you as their boss."

"But if they follow me, I-" His voice cut off as he blew steam out of his nose, looking at the ground with puffed cheeks. I know he was trying to be sweet, but he couldn't screw them over like this. He'd be the one who would get screwed over by them eventually, no matter how loyal and loving they were. An adult would know this.

"Wow. Way to go casanova. You're really impressing her. Hey, to impress her even more, you should get a hair do like that wanker in the Varia! Any one of them will do, because they all suck ass!"

But honestly, I've seen Mason with better ideas.

You know what they both had in common?

Their blond hair?

No.

Alright. Yeah to that, but that's not my point.

I signed and petted his head. He smelt like cinnamon. "Thanks for taking the time to try it out. I'm not too glad that you've tricked them completely, but I'll give into your game for tonight."

He grinned and I glanced at his empty bowl, reaching out for an awkwardly paced hug.

"Yay~"

I giggled. "So if you don't want to head home, what do you want to do?"

Oh wait.

Did I just ask something nasty inadvertently?

He thought about my question, while I tried to collect my bearings.

"How about we have dinner, yeah!"

Oh thank goodness…..

"Dinner? Like at a restaurant?"

"No!" He shook his head as he rinsed the bowl. "I want to taste your cooking! You can teach me how to cook!"

"Teach you how to cook?" I repeated, glancing into my new fridge. (Aka, my baby.)

"Yeah. When we went camping, you asked if I'd never cooked before and I told you I hadn't. Now's the perfect time!"

"Well you're timings off then. I only stopped at the supermarket yesterday to pick up some cereal and the milk you just ate."

Dino took my hand and opened the front door. "Then we can go get something and come back here!"

I agreed and then we headed to the nearest supermarket.

~o0o~

But of all the bad luck, I met that god forsaken group of hippies again at the supermarket. However, I refused to look at them this time, so I just walked with Dino, talking to him while he smiled happily and took a can of corn off of the shelf.

"Should we make fried rice tonight?"

"Oooh! Can we add some pork?"

"Sure." I chirped, grabbing that as well. "We'll add some worchester sauce as well!"

"What! But that stuff is for beef!"

I pouted. "So? It's my favourite and I'm cooking so you don't get a choice in this."

He crossed his arms like a child. "Fine! But we're adding peas too then!"

"Ew! No way!"

"Fighting loudly again, are you peasant?" Belphegor asked and I cussed out loud. It seemed like lady luck didn't want to play pretty princesses today but instead kick me in the gut. Not only was Belphegor shopping, but so was Mammon, Levi and Lussy.

"Being an asshole again, are you peasant?"

"Ushishishishi~ Trying to copy me, eh?" He asked, taking out his throwing knives. "I'll cut you up."

Dino took out his whip, which he hid in his pants. "You're going to have to get through me."

"Ah that's so manly of you!" Cried Lussy, trying to touch Dino's biceps, which were visible under the shirt he was wearing. Dino shrugged away uncomfortably, not liking when he did that.

"What the heck are you doing here? I mean, I thought you were in Japan still…."

"We have no business there now….Boss wanted to go home." Mammon replied.

"My turn~ What are you two lovebirds doing here?" Lussy asked.

WHAT DID HE JUST SAY?!

Belphegor's lips curled. "Wait a minute…..are you two fuck buddies?"

"Excuse me?!" I asked, about to throw the corn at his ugly assed face.

Dino t'ched. "We are not and I don't appreciate you saying that. Next time, I'll make sure that you can be used as a hand puppet with those knives of yours." He took my hand and walked to the checkout. Lussy was the only one who waved goodbye. Why was he still a happy chappy when it was obvious that I didn't like any of them?

"Jerks." He muttered as I paid for the food.

"Don't get all huffed about it. It happened, so what?"

"They can't say those things to you!"

I sighed and kissed him on the cheek. The evening was still warm when we were walking home. He didn't get over it, but it faded away nether the less.

But I'm glad you defended me.

~o0o~

After what I would call an alright dinner making attempt, I expected him to actually man up and go home to him men, who were probably still worried sick about their boss.

"Maybe you should get going soon…." I said out loud absently, staring at the clock at the wall, mindlessly drinking water from my cup. Dino looked up from his meal and I couldn't help myself but smile. He had rice on his face again, but I didn't want to say anything. He looked adorable and utterly content eating his pork fried rice.

Wait did I say adorable?

Hmph…..

He was.

"You don't want me here?" He asked, his tone tinged in sadness.

"I'm just thinking how Romario and the guys are…."

He gasped. "O-Oh yeah! I totally forgot!"

"You forgot?" I asked.

Dino smiled, wiping his face, thinking that I probably didn't notice since I didn't point it out. "I think you're right. Maybe I should call them…."

I nodded. "Then at least they'll know you're safe…"

"How about I call them and telling them I'm staying with you for the night!"

"W-What?! I-I…."

He blinked innocently. "What? All I said was I w-...oh. Oh. W-Wait, hold on there! I-I don't mean that, I just, um, I…...oh dear…."

His antics made me laugh with a blush on my face that I was sure was covered sightly by the odd lighting of the lounge. I had to get energy saving light bulbs as they were the cheapest. Dino cleared his throat and rose, taking out his phone. He smiled at me as I cleaned the plates and cutlery up.

Oh man. He didn't realise I could hear Romario's voice as well.

"Um….Hey Romario….How's things?"

"Boss! Where are you! Everybody has been looking f-, we thought you might have been kidnapped! Or killed!"

Dino's mouth hung open a little and he felt awful. "I-...I'm sorry Romario, I really am…"

Romario sighed again. "...I don't know if you really are sir, but…..I'm glad you're okay. Where are you so we can pick you up."

"I'm at Phillipa's new flat."

"Ms Marsh's?" Romario asked, slightly surprised. "You're at her house? But I called her myself and she said you weren't there."

Dino smiled and laughed lightheartedly. "That's true. I arrived a little while after that and then Phillipa proceeded to bite my head off, saying how worried you guys must be. It's strange how she's almost always right."

Almost? I mouthed and his grin grew wider.

"I think she worries about you too much boss…Does she feel like a keeper?"

"Of course!" He snapped suddenly and I looked up. He waved at me to go back to what I was doing and I shrugged it off with an irritated frown. He spoke quieter. "Ehe, that was too loud, Phillipa noticed…."

"Did you plan this sir?"

He paused. "..."

"Sir..?"

Dino looked up and covered the end of the phone.

"What's up?" I asked.

"I've got to step out. Something's come up."

I rolled my eyes. "Whatever."

He closed the door behind himself and I turned off the tap, almost tempted to drop the plate on the floor. It made it harder to hear what he was saying. I couldn't hear Romario at all.

"Irritated?" Al asked.

"A little." I whispered, thinking that Dino might hear me through the paper thin walls. "I….I feel like he's hiding something. Maybe it's that that's irritating me, but I think it's more the fact that I'm tired." I opened the cupboard and put the plates away. "I don't get what he sees in me. I'm not the most suitable choice, for one thing."

"Do you need an answer? He likes you a lot! Isn't that enough?"

"You know it's always never enough for me. This is why I didn't want to get myself into a relationship…I don't know how to deal with things like this…."

"It's okay not to know! Just…..let yourself go, ya know? Not everything will be the way it was Phillipa. You've had a job for how many years now?"

"Not a settled one….." I muttered, closing the cupboard door. "I'm always on the move and-"

"Sorry about that." Dino said, walking back into the flat. "I really wanted to stay tonight, but Romario won't be at ease until I'm back at the house." He grinned. "You heard me say nearly everything, right?"

Ooho, my man's a smart cookie.

Wait, did I just call him mine?

I sighed and walked to him. "And what you said was true?"

"Yes!" He said, looking at my face. "Yes, of course! Of course I meant it. I've only got eyes for you, babe."

"So how did you come to like me then?"

He pouted his lip and then brought me into a close hug. Dino looked upwards, thinking about what to say and then looked back down.

"The week my father died. There was a day that I'll always remember, a Monday or a Wednesday. All of the days felt the same back then, until the day you waltz into my room without any warning."

"Ehe…." I smiled quietly. "You picked up the habit from me then? Sorry…"

Dino smiled, his eyes thinning. "If you hadn't, I would have stayed there for eternity."

"No you wouldn't have. Reborn would've tried if I hadn't."

His lips parted. "And I'm glad you did. You slammed the door open, stomped over to my bed, flicked my sheets off…."

Thank god he was wearing pants. That would have gotten pretty awkward….not that his abs weren't nice to look at….

"...and you told me to get up. I had a shower and breakfast and you took me out for the day. I asked myself over and over again why somebody ass weird as you you would do something like this, and you told me that I'm going nowhere. That I could only move on and only look forward."

"It was sad to look at how you were." I muttered. "All I've ever done was move on from one place to another. I didn't see how difficult it was for other people. They weren't the same as me."

"I'm glad they're not then." He tucked my hair behind my ear and kissed my cheek. "I'm glad you care about me. I know this won't be easy, but we're together now. So, if you're in pain, doubt….or feeling…..alone." Dino paused. "Just know that you're not. You don't have to power on. You can talk to me about these things."

~o0o~

I didn't know what to think of these things. It felt nice to be reassured by Dino, that I didn't have to carry the weight on my shoulders. It felt nice to be able to laugh along with him, and everybody else that was around me.

Currently, Reborn was still in Japan and right now, he was the only one who knew the basic details of my mothers death. He was the only one apart from Al that knew that she died back in America. But even then, it was very limited. From what I'd heard, the official police report had gathered that faulty electrical wiring was to blame for the house fire. Only one body was found, meaning that somebody had gone back and fished out the two bodies.

I wasn't comfortable with telling anyone what I was up to yet. Al knew and that was enough for me to persevere.

Ironically, the base was shut down for the weekend, for renovations, so everyone was given a once in a lifetime holiday.

I needed to use it well.

For the first early hours of the morning, I went across every lead that Mammon had given me for Verde's where abouts. Travelling across Italy in that space of time was exhausting, but it was almost the next day that I finally found his base. I had gone through seven possible ones before finding this one.

Neither Al nor I was especially happy for this amount of places in this amount of time. But this was all the time I could get without making anybody suspicious. Dino texted me, asking if we could hang out, but I refused politely, with a hint of sadness and shut off my phone.

"How are we going to get in there?" Al asked.

"Simple. We'll break in."

"I think Verde's a step up from the CEDEF headquaters love."

"That's why I have these." I said, taking out what looked to be a dart.

"Eh, what's that?"

"Prototypes form Giannini. He doesn't know I took them." I frowned. It wasn't a nice thing I had done, but I left one alone.

"You stole them?"

"You stick them to a camera right, and it gives off the exact image that the camera was taking. All I've got to do is shoot it out of my revolver and bingo! I can walk past them!"

"Are you sure that will work? How many are there?"

I looked in my backpack. "Ten. I know it's not much, but I'm going to have to make it work."

His base was located on the docks on the outskirts of the Amalfi coast, not far from Naples or Pompei. There weren't any guards that I could sense circling the building, which only made my mind alerter. There were only two minds other than me and Al that could be considered functioning at all. Heck, the man was a scientist. He experimented on things, people. There was no telling what lengths he'd go to.

But, there was a problem.

There was only one door. No windows. Nothing. Just a door.

Pretty smart if you think about it.

"I didn't expect that." I murmured, standing behind the fence.

"Loitering is punishable."

When that voice sounded, I surrounded myself with the barrier and looked at the door again, to see a small baby.

It was none other than the Archeballeno Verde, and all of his green hair.

I don't think I should've been surprised as I was to see him so suddenly. This was why I was so suspicious to see no men with him.

And I'm still suspicious of him too.

"I'm here for information." I said clearly, making sure Al was near me. "And if you don't mind, I'd like to speak to the actual Verde, instead of what I'm going to assume is a robot."

"Very clever." He said, appearing much closer to me than I expected him to. He flicked off what was a sheet, (Harry Potter anyone?) that made his presence invisible. Not his mind though. His wasn't as bad as Xanxus's. His was just more focused on experiments rather than personal gain. "You're living up to your reputation."

"Which one?" I asked. "I've got a lot. Wait, nevermind that. I haven't got all of the time in the world. So I'm going to get straight to the point."

He smirked. "I think I know what you're here for. But would you mind stepping inside. I'm not comfortable standing out in the open like this."

Go in?

Should I?

What if it's a trap?

Of course it's a trap Phillipa. Just get in and get out before he can.

"Very well. On what conditions?"

"I want your genes."

Hair?

My eyes thinned. "You want to study my genes?"

"You're are strange mix Phillipa. Daughter of the world's greatest assassin and…." He looked down and smirked. "Daughter of the family of controversy."

"Controversy?"

He definitely knew something.

"I will give you hair follicles, but that's it. You can have the somatic cells, but not any Mitochondrial DNA."

He nodded, agreeing and I followed him in. We walked down several hallways, past experiments that made me want to cringe at the sight and stench of them.

I fished out the papers I had stolen from the CEDEF headquarters and handed them to him, once we reached the room he wanted to stay in.

"Why is it that your signature and name is plastered everywhere on these papers that has something to do with my family. When I tried looking on the computer base there, all of the files were wiped out. I was lucky to come across physical copies of these." All of them were medical documents, procedure forms. Things that made me startled and so very worried. "What happened? And how did you know I was here already?"

"Mammon was tracking me. If I couldn't see that, I would be a disgrace." Verde walked around with his hands linked together behind his back. "Your mother's family was the centre of a deep controversy that only few people knew about. I worked with them for a while. Three scientists worked on it, and I was the last to survive."

"Worked on what?"

"Human evolution."

That word struck a cord with me. "Human…evolution?"

He shrugged. "So-so. At the time, I wasn't given access to everything at the time, only to oversee experiments."

He took out from a drawer, a ring and some photos, handing them to me. I looked at the items with curiosity. The photos were of several people, Verde was in one of them. And then a man, and then….my mother. A much younger one was in the picture, smiling happily, with an expression I hadn't seen in a while. The man was an older gentleman and when I looked on the back, there were names on the back.

Mary and Joseph Marchelli, age ten and forty three. Nineteen fifty three.

That struck me.

My mother was thirty five when she died. That's a twenty five year gap.

And that certainly wasn't my mother's name.

This man…...is that her father?

"Is he still alive?" I asked, showing his the picture.

"Who knows. He'd be quite old if he was." He shrugged. "But the report that was given out to the public was that all family members were obliterated by the order of the Vindice."

The Vindice…..killed everybody….

"What they were doing, was it that terrible?"

He smirked. "Most likely."

"And the ring?" I asked, as he walked to his desk, looking up at the skylight. I slipped it onto my finger, and a flame of greys and whites appeared. He looked over with curiosity, and smiled.

I didn't like it at all.

"Was the families. I tried everything I knew to activate it, but no flames were able to get it to work." His evil grin turned wider. I picked up Al, and began stepping backwards. "But you, my dear girl, are special. Reborn would pay dearly to get you back. I would have such fun trying to find out your secrets."

Oh dear. This isn't good.

"What, did you think I'd let you leave?" He asked. "No way. Come here."

I shook my head and jumped to the door, just as a metal frame slammed shut over it. I stared at it angrily, before turning around.

"Now, my dear, shall we get started?"

No.

No, Shit!

But despite my inner protests and unknown to myself, I made my escape in a pink cloud.

Eh?!

~o0o~

I woke up on a hard, cold concrete surface with much confusion, staring up at the partly open roof up above. Part of it had given way, fallen down and now, there was a tree growing through it. All of the windows were smashed in. Soon after I'd woken, someone with purple hair blocked my vision.

No wait. This was Chrome.

"Eh?!" I screeched, sitting up immediately, almost hitting her in the face. "T-That was too close! Way way too close!"

"What was too close?" She asked, whispering, obviously confused.

"V- Wait, Chrome! What are you doing here?! Am I back in Japan!?"

She shook her head. "I-I'm not s-sure…..I appeared here just l-like you d-did….um…" Her one eye looked up at me. "W-What's your n-name again?"

"Ah, it's Phillipa."

"Right." She said. She pointed to where Al was along with most of my things. "Your cat's okay…..just unconscious…."

I heard him stir and gasp loudly.

"HOW IN THE HOLY HECK ARE WE HERE?!"

"That's a good point…" I mused. "Chrome, where are we?"

"You two are in Kokuyou land."

I stood when the man in the doorway made his presence clear. I was so confused upon how we got here that I didn't notice him come in. Floating beside him, a white snowy owl was floating in a cloaked in the rain's flame.

I clicked my fingers. "Well thanks for telling us bub, you can leave now."

"I never thought I'd see you from ten years ago, Chrome." The man said, adjusting his glasses. "I don't know who you are, but that doesn't matter. The fact is that here, the future's worse. That makes me very happy."

I t'ched. "Come near us and I'll swat you like an annoying fly."

I didn't like the way he grinned at us.

Venomous.

"I'll protect you!" Al cried, jumping up to defend us. (Or really, just me.)

"Tough words for a small girl. You two don't understand time travel well, do you?" He asked, laughing.

T-Time travel!? WTF?!

"Time travel!? B-"

"After all, you two are like Alice in Wonderland, stuck in a world of confusion."

"Is that so Jackass? Well your head's going to get stuck somewhere where you won't see sunlight!"

"T-Time travel?" Chrome stuttered.

"However…..Ten years ago, you were a weak brat. I would prefer that Chrome!" He yelled, sprinting forward, only ending up second to my foot in his face.

The man stumbled back and held his nose, cursing at me.

"I warned you. Next time, it won't be your face."

Chrome immediately threw up holes of fiery lava that burned through the floor and roof. She didn't like the way he was getting so close, but was thankful I was there.

"Keep calm." I whispered.

The man, not afraid of her allusions, kept up his grin and walked around them.

"This sorcery is nothing but an illusion. Such a simple trick will not work on me."

"How about this?!" I yelled, kicking him again, aiming a punch at his head when he blocked the kick. I twisted on my foot and managed to knee him in the gut. "You bastard!"

"Urgh...bitch!" He yelled.

"M-Mukuro-sama?" Chrome whispered, speaking to the air. She started to sway and she collapsed, her illusions disappearing.

"What the hell are you talking about g- Oh. He's over there, in the owl."

"What's this? M-"

I kicked him again while he was distracted with the owl. I decided to keep him within my barrier. But, when I did, it didn't protect me whenever I wrapped it around myself. Instead it acted as if it was inside out and the mouths began biting into his skin. He howled, unable to escape the confinement of my barrier.

But what I didn't expect was his entire left arm to rip off.

W-What! Shit, I only thought that it ate flames! Shit!

"HUAAAAAAAAAAGHHHHHH!"

"What's going on here?"

I looked over at the doorway to see Ryohei, a much older Ryohei, staring at the scene.

Just what the fuck was going on here?!

Ah, fuck it for now. Fuck everything!

"Oi Ryohei! Grab Chrome and let's get the out of here!"

~o0o~

I only felt safe to let down that shield when Ryohei got us to a place where I hadn't been been before. Actually, I still had no idea where we were, but that man had said Kokuyou land. Plus time travel.

Does that mean I'm in the future.

"Your head's bleeding." Ryohei noted and I touched it, cringing.

"Owch!"

"We'd better get that checked at the infirmary."

"Where are we?" I asked, as the door opened, and Ryohei stepped in.

And I just sighed at the sight of the kids.

"Sasagawa Ryohei has arrived!" Ryohei announced, not as loudly as I expected him to.

"What kind of an entrance was that!?" Hayato yelled.

"I guess I'm here too." I said quietly, Al purring in my arms. His energy state was just as low as mine.

"Brother! Phillipa! A-And Chrome too!"

"Can I sit down?" I asked and Reborn, who was here also, pointed to the chair next to him. Ryohei gave Chrome over to Bianchi and gave me a wet towel. "Thanks."

"They were fighting someone after all, and you saw them."

He shook his head. "No. By the time I got there, Phillipa was winning. We got out of there before the guy had time to call back up."

"I hope Chrome's okay….."

"What's going on?" I asked.

"Where where you last before you ended up at Kokuyou land?" Reborn asked.

"Hanging out with Dino." I said, lying through my teeth.

"Dame-Dino?"

I sighed. "Don't give me that look Reborn, it's been a month. I'm allowed to hang out with him. That's my choice, not yours."

"What does she mean Reborn?" Tsuna asked.

"She's pipsqueak Dino's girlfriend now." He admitted, growling.

"Eh!"

"W-What!"

I sighed again, slumping in the chair. Now wasn't the time to talk about my love life.

"We're in the future." Reborn said, sniffing. "We'll talk about it more later, but now, let's get you cleaned up."

~o0o~

Hm. I didn't expect to get this chapter out this quickly, but my BETA readers on holiday at the mo. And now that I've finished school, I have waaay too much time on my hands. So sorry if there's any mistakes.

Thanks to those who've read, followed and bloody well made my day.

Replies:

Freewierdgal: ER MEH GAWD I LOVE YOU DUCKY! You're my 100th reviewer, if you didn't know why I was yelling at you.

QRed: Hi Duckie! Thanks for reviewing! I love new faces :D *Gives you a star sticker* Aw well, maybe next time…

Doragonkansai-Tsubasa: *Tears up* N'aw, thanks Duckie. Real sweet of you to say that!

Chibianimefan18: Yes Finally! Ah well that's okay. I don't expect everyone to feel the same about what I write.

Akayuki Sawada: Hm, yes. They are troublesome.

LifeIsARayOfSunshine: Tehe, my dad does the same. I totally expected Reborn to as well, but something told me to hold back on it. Although, I'm sure he'll burst one of these days.

Wiki (M_W_M) : *XBOX ACHIEVEMENT APPEARS* Yay~ Bffs! Call me Madz then! *Defends you from the nasty people and shares chocolate chip bikkies with you* BYE-BI!

Viper's Girl: Meh.

LeoInuyuka: Lol. I literally put this chapter up as you reviewed. :D And Really? Fave KHR author? That's a big call.

-Peace out

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