Katekyo Hitman Reborn

My Fate is Certainly Uncertain

Chapter 30: Umore

Overall warnings: Swearing, disclaimers and other things.

[Written to: Lose Yourself - Eminem]

~o0o~

I heard a story once. A rumour, I guess? It wasn't a ghost story, or anything stupid that involved double dares and faeces. It was about a girl in primary school, who hated to speak in front of people. Not only did she hate it, she was afraid to. Literally petrified, she wouldn't talk in front of her class, but only mumbled out words to the people who treated her nicely and the ones she trusted the most. Scared as she was, she watched on in silence. Only at home did she allow herself to talk in front of her bathroom mirror, door closed, energy-saving bulb dimly lighting the area she stood. There, she talked to herself. There, she imagined both scenes and scenarios alike, imagining possibilities. Imaging how they would work out, what road to take if the situation changed unexpectedly. She did this for a few minutes each day, in the hopes of being able to do what she wished she had courage for.

And on the day of speeches, she ran out in the middle of hers, to the bathroom to throw up.

Sometimes in a crisis, like the one I had been swept up into right now, I liked to think that that girl and I were kindred souls. Analytically, I tried my best to think out scenarios where I could come out top, no matter the cost. But this time, I wanted out alive. I didn't really believe that these people were only here for a fun-for-all carny game. I've seen those types of gimmicks before and I know to keep myself focussed and calm. Not the easiest thing on my part, but I try. But I couldn't slip up this time. Trying wouldn't be 'okay' on it's own. Not only did I want myself alive by the end of this, I wanted them dead.

Ferocious, my feelings were at the moment. I felt like I was personally getting attacked, all sorts of ways. Mentally, verbally, physically, it mounded itself in the back of my mind and in my gut was the worst feeling. The drop. The tingles. The fuzziness in the back of your neck that only lasts for a few seconds and the only way to get rid of it is to twist your head.

I felt like a recently appointed amputee.

There was nothing much I could do about it.

"Pull yourself together Phillipa." I whisper, brushing my fringe away from the corners of my eyes. The wind made my legs cold and I had to grasp the fabric of my skirt to control my nerves. I was never good at rounding them up, but right now I needed to. There was no-one here to tell me to pull my sleeves up, or to tell me that I'm doing a good job. Heck, only god knows that I'm struggling with it.

"Pardon?" Tsuna said, blinking softly, briefly mistake me for talking towards him. I couldn't show my nerves in front of him, since he was the one trying to lead everyone else. It was the grown-ups job to show him how tough we could be. I didn't feel that way at all.

"We can do this." I whisper to him, in a hushed tone that was barely audible against the strengthening silence. I felt the same spark in my eyes as the ones that I felt when I was chasing the shadow's trail that was Reborn.

He stared into space and closed his eyes tight, trying to imagine what the end would be like and when he opened them again, a swift nod came from his conscious. "Yeah. Thank you."

But that was the last time I spoke to him that day. The next thing I could register was the back of their suits running towards the gate lock, and me slipping outside on the base roof so that I could get an outside look. The sky wasn't dark, but it certainly wasn't smiling down on us. I could feel the cold exterior of the base through my shorts as I sat on the top, waiting patiently till the games begun.

Certainly, it wasn't a waiting game by the time the clock struck twelve.

Tick-tock.

~o0o~

Five Minutes Beforehand

"All right!"

The portable base was marginally small, which was good, since it could move easily if the need to ever arose while in the midst of a battle. It was small, but it also made the surprise and excitement in Gokudera's voice boom loudly.

With crossed arms, I shook my head and objected against Shouichi's decision. "No."

"No?!" Gokudera growled, almost grabbing my shirt until I adjusted my glaring eyes at him. "You think I'm not good enough, fucker!?"

"No need to use that language asshat, we're on the same team, so act like it. And I'm not objecting against your skills."

I actually think you're a very smart man who's still growing.

"I think we should listen to what Phillipa has to say." Spanner said. "She has had more experience in battle than any of us have had."

I nodded. "All I'm saying is that you don't put all of your birds into one nest, right? I specialise in defensive strategies and medical care. I'm here if you guys need assistance, but if that happens, the base will be left wide open. I can't be the only defensive soldier out there. Someone else needs to be one too, and Gokudera is the most suited to the job. No offence, but he's probably one of the smartest here."

After a contemplating pause, it was ultimately Tsuna's decision to make, and he agreed with the small change in positioning.

Maybe I should quit the Mafia and become a consultant.

~o0o~

The temperature within the safety zoned area was just above comfortable and inside there were couches and chairs provided for those with weak knees or for those who wished to sit while watching the battle play out. That in mind, nobody really wanted to. With human knees, they had a special capability of locking into place so that they homosapien species could stand for long periods of time. Unconscious of it actually happening, the occupants of the room didn't pay attention to their surroundings. They paid attention to what was happening on the screen.

"Wow!" Kyoko gasped, her eyes locked onto the panel above her head. Lambo was patiently hanging in Haru's arms, asleep, and her eyes as well were planted intently. They hadn't ever been exposed to something like this before. It was new and exciting and they really couldn't wait till the battle begun. "This is nothing like the Mafia fight I was expecting!"

"That's a two-cycled engine, right?" Dino inquired, as the image of Tsuna's bike roared past buildings, down streets, the blue helmet covering his head reflecting the sun, causing a camera glare. "Quiet as an electric bike."

Giannini beamed. "It's all thanks to the highly achieved silencer that I invented. Those airbikes won't be picked up by flames or metal sensors. Ninja-like stealth machines that can sneak up on the enemy without being detected."

"So the Millefiore won't know where the guys are."

Reborn smiled. "They'll need to take advantage of that."

"Hey, what's Phillipa doing?" Haru asked, as she pointed to the small section of screen that focussed on the outside of the base. "She's just sitting around."

"T'is what she does." Basil commented, shrugging. He didn't seem to think much of it.

"She isn't one to head directly into battle." Reborn explained, keeping a close eye on his sitting daughter. "Phillipa usually focusses her strength into defending. She won't fight if she can afford to. She'll make them come to her, I bet."

"From what I remember," Dino inputs. "She said once that she likes for them to make the first move. That way, they slip up more easily. Ha, she was a beast."

"You likening her to a lion, Pipsqueak-Dino?"

His eyes thinned. "...I might be."

Reborn's eyes were just as wide as usual. "Correctness is next to being politically correct. You've grown balls, but call her something else, something nicer. She'd punch you sideways if she heard you now."

Dino only rolled his eyes and chuckled.

"And what do you think?" Kyoko asked Al, as he sat patiently at her feet. His tail flicked to the side every so often, and it seemed the black cat that was so intent on sticking next to Phillipa was just as anxious to watch the game as anybody else was. "Are you worried about them as well?"

"Meow." The cat replied, slinking between her legs.

"Me too."

"Mroooowww."

Haru nodded. "That's a good idea! We can cheer from here and maybe they'll be able to hear us! Hey, everybody, join in!"

Dino smiled at the girls antics and he was, for the first time in forever, genuinely happy. Their laughter reminded him of the days of chopsticks and shopping bags, herbal teas and the happiness that her smile brought him, because it was one she so rarely used. It made his world to see her so young again, when her hair was as short as her temper. She was happy and had an air of innocence in her eyes. Dino truly missed having her around, but he knew that their time was short. The days shortened to when she would have to go back to the past and everything here would be like it was before. He would have to go back home to Libby. He'd have to sort through the paperwork that was being piled up on his desk while he was in Japan. And then he'd be back to the booze. Back into the swing of things.

He wanted this to stay here for a while. He wanted to see Phillipa's smile while she was still around, because he didn't want to go back home. He'd keep smiling, just so she would. He hadn't told her about what had happened in the past ten years, and honestly, Dino was scared to disappoint her.

So while the memories of long summertime grass and rhythmic midnight caressing touched on the outside of his mind's sanity, Dino's wandering mind always came back to the odd black cat who kept an eye on both the screen and him as well.

And he didn't like it. Dino didn't trust it.

How could he trust something that was never meant to exist in the first place?

~o0o~

I could hear the echoing booms from across the cityscape within the first twenty minutes of waiting. Outside was as quiet as a Saturday morning, but my mind was pretty mushed up. I could hear downstairs both Spanner and Shouichi working on decoys and communicating with the others via their earsets. Apparently, Tsuna had already met up with the creepy masked dude whose name escaped me. As well as that, Yamamoto had run into Genkishi, the man with many issues.

Not that he couldn't deal with them like a normal person could, because he couldn't. He wasn't normal and as I sat on my ass, waiting for the wave of psychos trying to stab our little redhead, I played a game with myself. Truth, or truth, because adding a dare would just be stupid. Could you imagine doing one in the middle of a fist fight? No sir-ee. They all probably thought I was a bit mad. And I wouldn't blame them because I think that too. Al does as well, but only Reborn and I could hear him, so in saying that I've become the cat lady-in-waiting. Oh sigh, what my life has become for shames me.

"Truth or truth Phillipa? Pick carefully now, we don't want to embarrass yourself."

"Embarrass yourself?" I repeated, chuckling a little. "Oh hun, you're waaaay past that, let me tell you…...but if I must, I pick truth."

I paused to think. "Okay, truth it is then. What…...no, what did you really think about that old guy you found at the end of that yellow brick road? Be honest now."

"Be honest." I rolled my eyes.

Be honest, I tell myself. Ha, I'm always honest, if not exaggerating the truth at times. It's not my fault people think I'm lying because of how blunt I am. They think I'm harsh and mean, therefore, they think I lie all the time. On my ass, I do sometimes, but I tell things how I see them. How can I lie to myself?

They'll probably hear this.

It might be best if I did it now, while I'm alone.

"I can be honest here right? Good, because I'll only talk this once. Honestly, I thought I found someone…..someone that might, even for the tiniest moment, bring me happiness. I thought if I could hear what made my mother do what she did, I could forgive her for putting Mason through hell. I didn't care about myself, I was already past caring when we left his father. She probably didn't even like the guy. Heck knows why she did it. Probably drowned herself in whisky. The heavy stuff, so she wouldn't have to think about those things.

Though I will never forgive her, she wasn't a motherly idol that she should have aspired to and though I don't condone her drinking habit, I keep coming back to what the man said and I can't find fault in her anymore. I wish I could, but I can't. And it fucking pisses me off, but things just turned out the way they did. She was shot, I ran away, life got shit, it got good again and then I met the man who flipped everything sideways.

And I often wonder to myself, what should I do now? What can I do?"

I'm ashamed to look at myself in the mirror for what I've done.

I paused.

"Have you ever tried seeing a counselor?"

I'd already set up my barriers as a safety net, just in case I was caught off guard, but I hadn't expected anybody to come this quickly, the way the green-haired-harpie did. He was floating in the air, I continued to sit on my ass. Two hard thumps on the roof was all that was needed to warn the occupants of the incoming trouble.

But I did have to stand, and I did so that I could face the guy with a good stance. The way he looked down upon me was similar to that of a monarch and a pageboy. All so high and mighty, I wanted to knock him off and do a Queen Elizabeth on his head.

"Who give you the right to judge people?" I taunt, keeping my eyes glued to him. I tapped the earpiece. "Spam, he's out here."

There was crackling over the line and Kikyo's smug face bothered me even more than it should have."Bzzt - I know, we're setting up security measures for Shouichi right now. Make him keep his distance. Everybody is tied up right now, so you have to deal with him yourself. Over - Bzzt."

For the love of god…. I grumbled and bared some teeth as Kikyo landed on his feet, on the pavement, a good distance away from the barrier. The mouths were snapping ferociously, and I guess they were in tune with my personal feelings towards the matter. They were drooling, and I heard Momma's name being called again.

He smiled with one side of his cheek and gestured to the spectacle.

"What's this?" Kikyo asked allowed, one hand flaunting outwards, the other encased in his coat pocket. The smirk remained. "I've never seen something like this before."

I slipped down to the pavement and banged on the door twice again. "Funny that. Because it'll be the last time you ever see it alive."

"How cold. You'll never get a friend that way."

"That's fine." I reply, as cold as I could muster. I didn't lose eye contact and I certainly didn't lower the shields. "I'm not intending to make friends here. I certainly don't want to form a relationship between the people who threaten my friends and family the way you guys have."

The intercom beeped, and as Kikyo presumably talked back to me in a pompous fashion, I listened in.

"Bzzt - Spanner here. If it's okay with you, we're deciding to move the base to a safer perimeter - Bzzt."

"I'm coming then." I said and just as I was about to go up, but I realised my feet were tacked to the ground with thick green vines. "Shit,shit,shit….Spanner, get out now!"

"Bzzt - Roger - Bzzt."

"Oh-o, did you think I'd let you go so suddenly? After all the nice things I've done for you."

"Done no good, I can tell you that much." I grunted as I tried to move my feet, but the vines were tied thick around my ankles. He was a bearer of a cloud ring, yes? That meant these should be some sort of weapon. A box, maybe? Fucking balls man. This totally sucked. "Motherfucker."

His eyes widened, as did his lips, and I realised that I couldn't move at all. "Quite the mouth you've got there."

"Quite the face you've got there, but you don't see me complaining over it. Grow some balls."

The roaring of the engines rumbled to life, and the portable base shot down the road. Kikyo, who wasn't tied down, would have caught up with them is I hadn't pulled down the first barrier and reconstructed a new one. One that was much bigger. One that covered a lot of the surrounding buildings and even though his attacks did hit the base, he couldn't follow because he was trapped in here with me.

"Let me go." I ordered, trying to move my feet once more. "Let me go so I can fight you."

"Why would I do that? It seems awfully stupid."

"It would be, and I know you're certainly not. But it's a fight and I intend to defend myself and get in the way of you and Shouichi. Why not make it more challenging?"

"Why don't we not?"

"Why don't we do, or are you chicken?"

He smirked again, and I felt the vines loosen. "Fine. Byakuran and Reborn will both love to watch me pummel you into the concrete."

"Aren't you getting us two mixed up?"

His head was down, and with eyes closed, he smirked down a pang of anger that I don't think I would have seen if anybody else was in my position. "Oh-o. It doesn't matter if you fight me with free legs or not. Compared to me, everyone else is a sluggish turtle."

I blinked innocently. "Does that make you the hare then who loses at the end?"

He t'ched, and without warning - or the need for one since we both knew it would eventually come to a fight - the match started. And at that point, I had to stop worrying about Shouichi's status and everybody else. My focus had to change.

And it had to change quicker than Kikyo was. He was physically faster than me, definitely. Faster than Genkishi, no doubt. But I had an advantage that could predict his movements, but it was a small one. Yes, being able to predict what he was going to do was helpful, but I had to act on that and then do the process over and over again, just so he wouldn't pass. I think, if I hadn't been chosen, he would have already gone after the mechanics.

Duck! I yelled at myself, only barely missing a stab to the breastbone that would have winded me. Strangely, he didn't stop flying. He kept going and at this point, I knew he was trying to break through the barrier. His hand was filled with dark flames and it took him seconds to escape the mouths. They, of course, went after his hand, since it was alight.

The hell….He thought. And then, he smirked, and set my shoe of fire.

"Fuck!" I yelled, taking it off, only to smother the flames. In that time-frame, the mouths didn't go for me. They went for him.

Confused, he was. And then he looked at me with the most peculiar face, and I breathed in through my nose, feeling the blockage pass.

"It's you." He whispered, keeping one eye on me and the other on the snapping behind himself. They would go further, if I really controlled them totally, but they weren't able to survive long while being away from the source for a while.

"Why did you think I was the same as everyone else, when I asked to be put in the normal zone? I'm not like anyone you've ever met. And I'll be the last one you ever do."

Across his arm, his hand flew to snap at my neck. I blocked it with my left, and grabbed a good chunk of his hair. The reason why I always kept it short was simple. I rammed his head down into my knee. I felt his teeth cut down on my kneecap, and I kicked him away, just as the crunching was invading my ears.

I kept coming at him. I didn't let Kikyo get up or leave him time to think through his moves properly. I solely reacted on what Lal had taught me with hand-to-hand combat. I tried my best to run him down the best I could. Was I making up for my lack in power with forcefulness?

Not too sure on that one. Not that I had any idea to what I was going to do next. Maybe I should just keep him contained till someone reached that Daisy character. Yes.

He too felt the pressure I was forcing onto him. I had perseverance in my mind, and I wasn't going to give in easily.

~o0o~

"Woah!" Kyoko cried, intently watching the television. He hands were wrapped around the carbonated drink she held and unconsciously, she squeezed it every time Phillipa and the scary green-haired man shared blows. She jumped slightly as Phillipa took a blow to her arm, just as she blocked one attack. Another came quickly, and the girls were in awe at how fast she could react. "H'eep!"

Idiot…..Squalo thought quietly. Come on…

"She's trying to keep up." Basil muttered, not to anyone in particular. He cupped his mouth and raised a clenched fist, bashing the air. "Thou can do it!"

"Yes!" Bianchi said, with a smile, as the blue eyed woman dodged another one of his attacks. You could see it in his eyes and his composure that the match wasn't going the way he expected it to.

"To the left!"

"No y- wait, yes!"

"Ooooh…." Fuuta clutched at his stomach, the same place that Phillipa accidentally left herself open.

"She's panicking." Dino simply said, with a firmly set face. "I know that look.

"Fight extremely!" Ryohei yelled, and Basil joined in on supporting her from the glass room in the sky.

"Come on….." Reborn whispered, egging her on. He wanted her to win, to come back to him. He didn't want her to die alone out there, and even now he didn't allow himself to think of that possibility. It seemed that in the next ten years, she would die, but he definitely did not want her to die now.

And while all this was going on, the screen constantly changing between Phillipa fighting, Yamamoto trying to break through a barrier and the others, Dino - only once in this moment - allowed himself to look away.

And he quietly asked himself where the cat went.

~o0o~

I turned counter-clockwise on the back of my foot and kicked him sideways, just as he aimed a fist at my chest. Quicker than I had anticipated, he grabbed the hilt of my foot and swung my entire body around in a whirlwind circle, sending me into the side on the building, which crushed my lungs and I forced myself to stand. Kikyo's mouth was bleeding. I pulled my hand away from my nose to find that I too was bleeding. It felt broken.

My flames, gray as the came, were on my arms. As of five minutes ago, they were the only protection I could use for myself. My job was to keep Kikyo here while Shouichi and Spanner ran away. I was here to buy time, and I hoped that Gokudera would catch up with him. My earpiece had broken in two at the start, so I couldn't contact anyone.

I didn't have backup either. These flames were the only way I could protect myself for the meantime. I still couldn't summon two barriers at the same time. My job was to buy time. I had to keep him here. Therefore, I had to keep the barrier and stay alive.

That was easily said. It was more easier to say if you'd never been in a fight. It was far different this time.

The consistency of my punches were lessening the more he put into being faster than me. It was getting harder of miss his hits, and my body wasn't enjoying being a stand in punch bag. High flying punches I was able to miss, but the lower ones that were aimed at the groin and gut region hurt like fuck.

But he was slowing. I could see that his ankle was hurting, and I tried to aim for it. I ordered the mouths to go in the same time I was. As I went for his legs, he jumped up into the air, right into the path of the chomping mouths.

Barely did they miss. his shirt got torn and he too almost thought that he might have gotten caught by them. And as I tried to move, I found that once again my feet were stuck in thigh high vines.

"It was a mistake to let you go." Kikyo grunted, wiping the blood away, off of his lips. "I must admit, I underestimated you."

I kept my mouth shut, because I simply didn't have anything to say back. I was thinking about how to get out, when I felt my power being drained. My legs were getting heavy and I knew that the barrier wouldn't be able to keep up if this kept happening.

So I activated the drainage system. It was a specialised area I designed in case of hyper deprivation of dying will flames. They would act like a vacuum, draining anybody who was in here, other than me, of their flames and transfer them to me. But I could feel him taking my flames at the same time. It felt like a full circle and it did not feel good at all.

"And you will regret pinning me down. Let me go."

"Wouldn't count on it, sweetie. I don't plan to. I'm planning to find that redhead and finish this off, for Byakuran."

"So sweet." I spat. "What are you to him, a fuck buddy? Didn't you swung that way."

But I didn't have the time to share verbal blows. My coat had been ripped and the box that I'd gotten from Dino was inside one of the pockets. That was where the base had been. That was on the other side of the barrier. My batteries were running low.

"He does not care for the life of others. He will use us, and when we grow out of our usefulness, we will end up like Genkishi."

End up like Genkishi?

"So he's dead?"

Kikyo nodded. "Indeed. He did mention someone fitting your description, said he wanted to fight you again. Byakuran heard it and that's probably the reason why he let you doesn't give compliments out that often."

I have to get out somehow. I told myself. My breathing was becoming more shallow. I won't b-

The vines grew flowers, and I shrieked a bloody cry. My legs felt on fire and soon, they couldn't support my weight. I felt them buckle.

"Bastard." I hissed, moaning at the burning sensation.

"Call me what you like, I won't care." He shrugged so matter-of-factly. "I have go now, which means you have to too."

"You first."

Quicker than Genkishi or Kikyo or anybody I had ever fought against, Al stuck Kikyo in the face with a blinding force. He flew back and landed on his back, groaning under the grunts of his breath.

And I felt it again. It stung viciously and my back arched. I couldn't speak. My throat clamped up and I tried to get the vines off. They kept growing and soon, my hands burned as well.

Al, human Al, saw what they were doing to me. Bless his heart, he came to help me. I was just so relieved that he was here. That I wasn't alone.

"Al…" I whispered, barely able to voice it out.

"Don't speak." He ordered huskily. "Save your strength."

"Get back."

Kikyo was standing behind him, and I called out to Al, warning him, but they both threw fists and rolled away from me.

And it was then that I begun to chew the vines. I found out through trial and error that they were weak enough to be broken apart. My own teeth wouldn't work on them, but I had enough strength to work a mouth from the flames on my hands.

"Come on, come on." I urged frantically, tearing the broken ones off, as the mouth tried to work as quickly as I ordered it to.

Glimpses off the battle between Al and Kikyo emerged in flashes that went between them and the undoing of vines. My hands shook as I stripped myself down. I hissed in pain while taking the ones off that were on my bare legs. Red lines of putrid, bubbling skin left me in immense pain, and I had to get through them with clenched teeth.

My mind warned me to go faster. To rip the vines off quickly as I could. My eyes were brought up to the fight, and I saw Al being stabbed.

"Al!" I yelled, choking. "AL!"

Al was clutching his stomach, trying to hold in what was coming out. My mind screamed and as I stood, Al managed to kick Kikyo to the side and in that moment, I dropped the barrier and caught Kikyo in a smaller one that contained all my anger.

I couldn't hear him cry in pain.

"Al." I called again, trying to prop him in my arms. He struggled to stand, and I could see the vines slowly grow inside of the cut. "Oh god…."

"Don't look s-so horrified." He whispered, trying to show a smile on his voice. It was one that forced out words and it caused me to shrink Kikyo's space. "I'm not in pain, h-honest."

"Liar." I whispered back.

"Your t-thing took a lot out of me t-than I expected it to…" He chuckled, and then convulsed into a coughing fit. He pushed me away, and I realised the vines were starting to protrude out more. I cried quietly and ran to grab the first aid kit. I figured that if I could remove the source, I could fix him up.

And then I could kill the son-of-a-bitch.

"It's going to be okay." I told Al, ripping his shirt away so that the area where the vines were growing out of was free from any material and foreign objects. His chest, his stomach, everywhere was rippled with dried scars of previous burn injured. I felt my gut roll. "We're getting out of here soon."

"M-My mask…." He whispered. "T-Take it o..off…...I c-"

"Can't breathe?" I asked. "Got it."

And when I did.

I just…..

Oh my god.

"Al." I moaned, and I felt afraid. And so…..

My heart dropped.

His skin was burned severely. He looked so disfigured and torn, but I knew those eyes. I knew who he was and I wanted to refute anything that gave me the idea of his identity. I wanted to push it, burn it till it wasn't there anymore.

But I couldn't stop blinking away the tears.

"Al. Please tell me I'm mistaken. Please." I shook my head.

No.

No.

"Tell me I'm wrong. Tell me you're not Mason. You can't be,"

His head rolled to the side, and those baby blue eyes broke my heart. Slowly, his hand moved over mine, and I couldn't look at him anymore. My hair hung as my head looked towards the ground. The tears trickled down my cheeks and nose, spilling onto the concrete, making the puddle of blood watery in appearance. It stuck to my fingers.

"Sissy…."

"DON'T." I snapped, wailing out breaths. "Don't. Don't call me that…"

"A-And deny my own origins?" He patronised, breathing in blood. "I would never c-call you by a-any other…..title."

"How are you here?" I asked. "How the fuck are you here!? Why are you here?!" My fist slammed into the road, and I ignored the naive emotion to feel that pain. I was mad and angry and devastated. "You're supposed to be safe….."

"For…..you."

I shook my head. "You're older than me. I can only guess you're from this time."

He struggled to do so, but he did nod. "I came back to you, because you asked me to."

"Me?!" I repeated, shrieking. "Me!?"

"I was there when you jumped."

What?

He wanted to talk. But I wanted to fix him. And I tried to, but he prevented me from doing it. He clamped onto my wrists and with all his strength, he seemed intent.

"I did it for you." He reinforced, pulling me down slightly as he laid on his back. "You...you asked me to, right b-b….Khack! Kachak!..."

I wiped his mouth. "Why did I ask you?"

His mouth curled into a frown. "You told me, that if I wanted to find out what happened, I s-should go back to wh...where it started."

"And your burns?" I whimpered. "Did…...Was that my fault?"

"No. No, i-it never was. I promise, it wasn't I swear."

I sniffed.

"It was my fault. I tried to time t-travel before S-Shouichi could p-p-p-properly test it. I was f-foolish….and I got myself burnt. It took me weeks to try again."

"You should have stayed." I whispered quietly. "You should have stayed with Dino and the others. You idiot."

My lip trembled as he forced himself to speak again.

"Today, I-I thought to myself, I'll be brave. Brave like my big sister was when she ran away, protecting me. I was so scared to leave you here, I-I couldn't help myself." Al….or Mason…..or whatever he called himself, he tried to smile, despite the pain. " I'm always grateful for what you did sissy, but I have t-"

His body was failing him. Dirtied blood oozed out onto the cold ground and the flowers begun to grow into a purple haze. Ignoring how he pushed me away, I held him close, murmuring silent prayers.

"I can't lie." He wheezed. "If you really loved me when you left, you won't come looking for me."

"No." I refute. "No….no, I promised that when everything died down I would come and get you…...I promised myself that, I'm not leaving you!"

"Then you die." Mason spat. "Don't you understand?! You come for me, we both die."

Blinded by tears, I shook my head, whispering no, over and over again.

"Do us all a favour and don't." He asked, his eyes closing. "Because I want you to be happy. That's all I will ever ask."

And his body then burned into a thousand ashes and the ringing in my ears wasn't tinnitus. His dying scream shattered me entirely and everything stopped moving. There was no gravity where I was. There was no pain. And there was no-one here to speak to me,

It was the first time I truly snapped.

~o0o~

The glass room in the sky had a sister room, on the other side of the cityscape, that was a mirror image of it's twin. Same couches, same TVs. Everything was the same, down to the miniature snack items that were packaged and put on a basket on the bench.

"Well, this turned interesting~" Byakuran said, humming quietly, taking the time out of his eating routine to voice his thoughts. "Who knew that he cat was human!"

"Something is wrong with the idjit." Zakuro muttered, apparently out of the sleep he was taking as the games took place. "Where the fuck is she going?"

"To make a new friend." Byakuran simply smiled and ate more of the popcorn he had. "It's always important to, you know!"

~o0o~

"I've had enough of you."

It was easier to deconstruct the barrier. The man in green was gulping for air, and there were no injuries on his body from the mouths. I didn't want to give them the leisure of feeling their pain.

That was mine.

So I hit him as hard as I could, feeling the crunch of his nose under my fist. It felt good.

K-KRRICK!

I sat on top of his chest and locked his arms onto the ground with my knees. I held his hair with one hair, small follicles protruding from each gap while the onslaught continued.

One punch.

Two punches.

Three punches.

Four punches.

"Enough!" Someone called. A female. "Choice is over!"

Five punches.

Six punches.

Seven.

Eight.

Nine.

There's no one there, I told myself. I focussed all of my anger, hatred and pure power into one point on my hand and begun to burn his face with my palm.

I almost made it to ten, before I was forcefully pulled away.

~o0o~

When I finally woke, truly awake I was met with beeping machines and a tiled roof that had moss in the cracks. I stared up at it for a while and then reached up to my face, and pushed away the breathing mask absently. My throat was so dry. I couldn't lift my head properly.

My arms were plastered to the sides of my body. And they were chained. It took me a while to register that I was on a bed, a fairly recognisable one in fact, back at the base. I moved all of my fingers and toes and then sat up.

At this point, I tried to be quiet.

There was a girl on my bed. She was asleep and it looked like she lost a lot of sleep. Short green hair and the tattoo under her eye was the spitting image of Aria. So I relaxed my muscles and calmed myself down.

I breathed in.

I breathed out.

And then I turned to Dino. He sat on the other side of the bed. On the bedside table was a brown paper bag, accompanied with a domed plastic up, with a red iced drink inside. He looked up from his silence and uncrossed his hand to pass over the drink.

"Raspberry slushie and chocolate-chip cookies." He explained. "Your favourite, if I still remember correctly."

I took it gratefully and sipped the frozen drink quietly. I stopped to cringe when it burned my throat. Carefully I put it back where it came from, and thanked him with a frog in my throat. When I sat back down, he began to speak.

"Do you remember much?"

I wavered, of course. He was trying to be tactful, but I just didn't care.

I didn't have any left in me.

"How can you ask me that, as if I have amnesia? How could I forget?"

He paused, and then sat forward a little bit. He placed his hand near mine. "Your earpiece was damaged. We didn't have any audio recordings of what happened down there."

"..."

I knew what he was getting at.

"What happened?"

I couldn't speak it out at first.

"...he told me….."

"He told you what?"

I couldn't bring myself to say it. I curled up into a ball and held my hands tightly. "...I promised…."

"Oh love…" He emitted. He tried to take my hand, but I tore it away.

"Don't." I told him. I shook my head. "Please don't touch me."

"Why not?" Dino asked, getting upset with me. "What have I done for you to act this way? Please, I know you're upset…"

"You lied."

"Pardon?"

"You keep lying." I said, correcting myself. "You keep smiling at me, You smile. But you know what. I can see what you've become Dino. And I see the way you're treating her. I can see everything. I look at you, as you watch her from afar, and all I see is myself. I see a wallowing hatred that has swallowed you. I see my betrayal, of a scene I don't even know about and your hopelessness. You live with it everyday and you wonder what the world is coming to."

"D-"

"You drink yourself to the bottom of a bottle every night until you moved here. And, I don't care that you do."

His lips pursed, and Dino sat back in his chair, arms folded, eyebrows heavily sitting above his eyes and his head hanging forward. But I kept talking. I didn't want to stop. I wanted to tell someone all my worries, fears, ideas, just everything.

I wanted to be in control of my fate, for once.

"I don't want her to end up like me." I murmured with sadness, once that reverberated a haunting familiarity. "She's your daughter. If she grows up to hate me, she's going to end up like me and my mother." I slumped forward. "She'll be a failure who can't change anything."

"Do you really think that?" He asked firmly, his eyes set on mine. They burned, and I felt my heavy legs moving. "Please don't say that."

"But I am! I am! I can't even protect my own brother!"

If silence was a window, it would have been shattered by my screams. DIno sat there, unable to move, petrified by my outburst.

"Nobody knows what happened out there except for Al and I! You know what Dino? I didn't even know." While taking in air from a snotty nose, I made no attempt to wipe away my tears. "What kind of sister doesn't recognise her little brother? I'm a failure. Just admit it Dino, you hate me. Bianchi hates me, everyone else is scared to death of me. Reborn didn't even want to speak to me at first. Do you know what it is like to be alone in the world?"

I sat back onto the pillow and stared blankly at my hands. My ears rung. The girl had woken up, and I guess in my fit of anger, I scared her off.

Just like always.

"Sometimes…...I think the world would just be a better place without a misfit like me."

"You're beautiful."

Dino said that, and it came from his heart. His breathing was as quiet as a heartbeat, but his eyes were so different from before. They were wide and they spoke anthems. It made me straighten my spine a little.

"Don't ever think you're a failure." He growled, getting angry with both himself and I. His arms remained crossed, but could see one hand clutching at his sleeve. Dino's coat was very similar to the one I bought his for the ceremony and I wondered if I bought that one too. "I don't hate you. Not directly at you, at least. You left without leaving me a message, or saying goodnight to Libby like you always do. And then you died…..That's what I despise. I hated not knowing what caused you so much pain. That you couldn't come to me and talk through it. Didn't I tell you before that you could?" Those blond lashes batted, and he could keep eye contact anymore. "I would go anywhere and do anything to change the past. I would give anything to be a family again, but I can't."

"..." I swallowed a thought, and spoke again. "Well…..I'm happy that you don't hate me."

"How could I?" He whispered. "You're the loveliest thing I've ever had."

"Dino…"

He then smirked unexpectedly, and stood up, adjusting his pants so that they weren't so uncomfortable. "I'm going to go then and tell them that you woke up. They'll probably give you a check up and something to eat, but I think it's best if you get some sleep. You haven't been sleeping much, have you?"

"How did you know that?"

"You don't know?" Dino asked, almost teasingly with a light-hearted attitude. "I'm the one person who loves you most in the world. I know almost everything."

It broke my heart when he left. Not only was that smile gone, but my best friend and my brother was gone.

And now that I was alone, I couldn't stop weeping.

~o0o~

Hey guys! Finally managed to get the wifi going at my new home. Uni starts on Monday and I'm more nervous and excited at the same time than most of the other people here. It's nice.

Soooooooooooo yes.

Replies:

Akayuki Sawada: I actually ended up adding that part at the last minute. But I guess it was a good thing though. :D

My Name Is Alice: Oh my, that sounds wonderful. I actually though "Oh, wait did that actually happen?" And then I realised it didn't and I felt stupid for not remembering my own story.

Viper's girl: Um. I am so sorry.

The same goes to LeoInuyuka. I planned this from the start without expecting him to be so popular, so right now I feel so bad for leading you guys on. :(

-Verdigurl out