Chapter 26: Pity Party

"No, it's not who you're scared of becoming… You're scared that what you're becoming is not what everyone else is wanting you to become."

-aplanetaryworld (tumblr)

"You seem on edge."

I simply hummed in acknowledgement, my eyes on Fran, Kashi, and Jian, who were running around the ruins of Kokuyo Land. The area in particular was rather... beautiful, I would admit. It was extremely overgrown with plants, and even a few flowers were present. Despite my lack of answer, Mukuro stood idle to my side, watching his student and my box weapons as well.

"Chrome is going to ask about her new job today," I made conversation without looking over at him.

"Is she?" He hummed, and added, "and you?"

"I start mine tonight," I said, frowning slightly.

"Oh?" He said, looking over at me, "You seem overjoyed by it."

"I don't exactly know to expect," I admitted, rolling my shoulders a bit. I sighed, and plopped to the ground, crossing my legs and then propping my arms on them, leaning forward and holding my face up. "It's Yita's family that hiring me, after all." This caught Mukuro's interest.

"Her mother's company?" He asked, growing more serious.

"According to Dayita," I recalled, repeating what I had told Dino earlier, "I would be a private agent of sorts. Infiltrating, taking care of information leaks, stolen weaponry…" I waved my hand in the air lightly, tilting my head to the side as I did so. "Along those lines." Mukuro's eyes narrowed.

"That sounds rather dangerous," he pointed out.

"Yeah," I said, nodding, "It does."

"And you're fine with that?" I shifted, and then laid down fully, looking up at the sky almost curiously.

"I've decided," I told him, now determined, "that I want an adventurous life. I like to fight. I want excitement." Mukuro huffed.

"And Namimori isn't exciting enough?" I shrugged.

"I mean, sure, but…" I stalled, thinking, "I feel like I need to do something, yeah? Keep in shape. Keep sharp. Fight for real. Not just spar with Ryohei, or avoid Adel when she gets feisty. I want danger, you know?"

"Since when did you become such an adrenaline junkie?" Mukuro asked with a bit of humor.

"Honestly, I think I've always been one. It's just that this is really one of the first true moments of peace in my life when I've realized it. Before, I was weak, but since I've been trained, it's been pretty nonstop. And now that I'm just resting? I want more," I paused, then scrunched my nose, adding, "I blame the Varia. Mostly Bel. Maybe Squalo. Actually, scratch that," I said, pushing myself up, "they're all to blame."

"I'll admit," Mukuro said, shrugging a bit, "you do certainly seem to be at ease around killers."

"There're not too bad," I said, taking the hand he offered me and brushing myself off after I stood. I blinked, then looked over at him, catching his curious expression. "What?"

"I was referring to myself," He admitted, almost carefully. I blinked again, confused, and then realizing; Mukuro had killed as well.

"Oh… I forgot," I said easily, brushing it off. Mukuro opened his mouth, watching as I walked towards Fran, who had made Jian his steed once more, and had chased Kashi up a tree once more.

Mukuro stared at me still, and opened his mouth, as if he was going to remark on the subject. He paused, however, his eyes brimming with slight confusion. He then chuckled, shaking his head lightly, and strode forward, easily falling in step with me due to his longer legs.

"Whatever you say, Little Cavallone. Whatever you say."

I waved my foot in the air, in tune with the song I was humming. I flicked through my recent conversations; asking Chrome how her interview went, reassuring Dino that we were fine after he had left this morning, informing Kyoya I would be gone for most the weekend. I glanced up, and huffed, looking around the empty conference room, uncrossing my legs and putting my leg over my other knee, bouncing the opposite foot now.

"He better not be making me wait again on purpose…" I muttered darkly, recalling last time I had visited the building, and how Aja had imply watched as I was being berated by others. The sadistic bastard. I sighed again, guessing this to be the case, and them slumped forward, crossing my arms and resting my head in them.

"Hello, darling!"

I nearly jumped to the corner of the room, startled nearly out of my skin and on red alert. I sighed, almost letting my head fall and smack the table, seeing the source of the exclamation.

"Goddammit, Yita," I reprimanded, looking up at her face, projected on one of the walls of the room, twirling my knife before sheathing it once again, "you can't just pop up like that!"

"Aw, but Nike!" she cooed, faking a pout but clearly proud of herself, "since you can't see illusions, this is one of the only ways I can sneak up on you!" I frowned, giving her a stern look. She rolled her eyes, in return.

"I take it that you're too busy to come see me in person?" I question, hopping up to sit on the table.

"Mother dearest wasn't exactly," she put her hands up, making quotation marks with her fingers, " 'thrilled' that I had missed that one, apparently important meeting. And so as punishment, I'm running around more than ever." I frowned, rubbing the back of my head and looking off.

"Yeah, sorry ab-" She tutted, cutting me off.

"None of that, dear," she cooed, a mischievous glint in her eyes, "it was because of that fight, and mother hearing of your skills, that she decided to try you out."

"A try-out?" I asked, "so this first job is to see if I'm up for it?"

"Of course," Dayita said, twirling a piece of her hair between her fingers, her eyes narrowing as she inspected it for split ends "she would never trust someone with jobs like these unless she had total faith in their abilities. She's careful after all."

"So what's the first job then," I asked, pulling my feet up completely on the table and crossing them, "my first test?" Dayita grew serious suddenly, leaning slightly to the side and moving her hand and looking as if she was typing something off-screen.

"A company in Tokyo has rather private information on us," she said, narrowing her eyes dangerously as her screen minimized, going to the corner to make room for larger pictures and layouts of a building, "information that they acquired through rather invasive ways. We need you fix this problem."

"So," I said, titling my head, "break into the building, get all paper files, and delete all digital? Seems simply enough."

"And it should be," Dayita said, "I'm printing all the information now; things you would receive from a standard stake-out. Patrol patterns, shifts, layout, blueprints, that sort. Mother wants to know if you're competent as soon as possible, so you'll review this on the way." I sighed, slumping a bit.

"So I guess that I'll be leaving about now?" I asked, looking to the corner of the room, to the small printer, where multiple sheets were being printed. "So that's why you had me bring my equipment."

"Which reminds me," Dayita said holding a finger up and looking straight at me again, "for this first mission, since this is a test, you'll be relying on what you already have. Afterwards, Varick will be supplying you with more of his inventions."

"Joy," I said blandly, turning and hopping off the table, going to retrieve my rifle bag, slinging it on my shoulder before going to the printer.

"Remember, Nikita," Dayita warned again, "after we drop you off, you'll be on your own. If you're not at the pick up, then they'll leave without you." I sent her a thumbs up, walking out after grabbing the papers, already looking through them.

"Wouldn't want it any other way."

I dropped down on the man below, being sure to kick him hard enough to knock him out. Humming in slight approval, I went to work moving his body to a nearby supply closet, making sure to take his ID card before moving on.

I glanced over, seeing the camera, but simply winking at it, having already apprehended the guard who was supposed to be watching on the other side. I readjusted the mask on the lower half of my face slightly before swiping the card, entering the room.

"Maximum effort," I muttered, rolling my eyes a bit as I shuffled through the filing cabinets, picking locks when needed and finding the information on Chhaya's company. The infiltration had been impressively easy. Compared to concealing my presence from monsters like the Vindice, and going head to head with one of the most renowned assassination groups in the world, breaking into a facility like this took barely any effort at all.

I stashed the files in my small, thin back pack, shifting it back into place again as I moved onto the computer in the room, beginning to move through the system, using both the ID's had required, along with the information I had been given.

I rose again, moving back out of the room quickly, knowing that the shifts would be changing soon enough, but still enjoying the rush of infiltrating. Although, albeit, I was a bit disappointed that it wasn't that exciting, not coming across anything challenging. But then again, it was just the first.

And as much as I was getting paid?

I could get used this.

I cracked my eyes open, sniffing the air curiously. I blinked, realizing I wasn't in a bed. This led to me to straighten up, but immediately calmed seeing that I was simply in our apartment. I yawned, over my small panic, and pushed myself up, noticing Chrome was currently in the kitchen.

"You're back…" I greeted her tiredly, scratching the back of my head as I sat up. I frowned, looking down. "Did I fall asleep on the couch…." My frown deepened, looking back over at Chrome.

"Sorry, if I woke you," she said, drying her hands off and walking towards me after draping the dish towel on the edge of the sink once more.

"It's fine," I reassured her, waving her off lightly as she sat on the couch as well. "It's just worries me a bit…" I trailed off, thinking. I had gotten home early that afternoon, while Chrome was at her new workplace, in training. However, she must have come back sometime, and that means I didn't even wake up when she came in.

"Are you... baking?" I asked, looking over in the kitchen, once again catching the sweet smell that had originally woke me. She blushed lightly, looking away.

"I ran by store after training…" she said, clearly flustered about the subject and not finishing the sentence. I decided to leave it, seeing that she still seemed like she was apprehensive about the subject, seeing how much she was blushing. I blinked, realizing something else.

"Shit, if you went to the store too, that means I was out for longer than I thought," I murmured, almost disappointed in myself. I knew I would wake up for sure if there was danger, or another killing intent, but I had expected to wake up even if Chrome just entered.

"You should go back to sleep," Chrome said, putting a soft hand on my shoulder, giving me a worried look, "you don't seem like you've been getting enough lately." I waved her off again, and then yawned, scrunching my nose after proving her point. She smiled softly, but then perked up as a timer went off.

"They're done!" She popped up and went to the kitchen, fitting on oven gloves before pulling out a tray of lilac colored cookies. I perked up as well and followed, realizing how hungry I was. I pouted however, a bit surprised as Chrome lightly smacked my hand.

"Those are for Mukuro!" She reprimanded lightly, and then paused, blushing brightly when she realized what she said.

"Mukuro?" I asked, moving back and sitting up on the kitchen table. She sighed, holding the sides of her face with the oven mitts still on her hands. A pang went through me, but I ignored it.

"Yes," she finally said, getting over her embarrassment. "For his birthday."

"When's his birthday?" I asked, curious.

"Tomorrow."

"Really?" I asked, already deep in thought. She nodded again and then went back to turn the oven off.

"Yes. June 9th. He… he told me around the time when we first met. When we were getting to know each other…" she trailed off again with a soft smile, clearing recalling warm memories. I smiled too, recalling my own memories. The smile faded however, and a guilty stab of pain went through me, thinking of Hannah. I took a breath, pushing past the feeling.

"I'm going out," I said to Chrome, who looked over in surprise.

"You should get more sleep," she lightly reprimanded, watching as I grabbed my wallet and began making my way out.

"I'm fine, Chrome," I told her, turning to walk backwards, "promise." I laughed lightly at the look she gave me.

"I'll be back soon," I promised her, waving her off lightly.

"Besides," I said with a wink, "I know exactly what I'm looking for."

"Aren't you going to, you know, play?" I asked, looking down at Fran. His lips barely tugged down. I sighed, and looked back at the playground, watching as other children his age screamed and ran around each other, laughing loudly. I bent my knees, squatting down to his level.

"Okay, what's up?" He barely glanced over at me.

"What."

"Why aren't over there," I asked, pointing, "playing with other kids your age?" He barely sniffed, inclining his chin just a bit.

"I don't want to."

"And why not?" He shrugged, indifferent.

"I don't need to. I have you. And then master, and the stupid dog to mess with," he explained emotionlessly. I frowned, and then huffed, puffing my cheeks slightly. I blinked, an idea forming.

"Look," I said, talking as I too, watched the other children played, "when I was younger, around your age, I didn't have opportunities like this. I was at the estate, not allowed to go into town to play with other children my age. It was dangerous for me, you know? And Dino was busy most the time, getting ready to be the boss, and so we didn't get to play as often as we liked. So most the time, I was alone. In the garden or the library, by myself. I mean, sometimes I met other mafia children around my age, but they were never around for long. Do you know who my first good friend around my age was?" I asked him, looking over.

"It was Bel." He barely scrunched his nose in distaste.

"That's horrifying, Big Sis." I rolled my eyes, pushing him lightly in the shoulder before standing.

"The point is," I continued, crossing my arms with a light smile, "Bel was my first best friend. And he still is. But one of the reasons we got so close was because we were around the same age, and neither of us had many chances where we got to be around another kid. When we hung out, we could just be kids. We could actually act our age, instead of like the genius or prodigy that everyone expected us to be. It was nice. Fun. And so we grew close, and grew up together, and now we're still close." I smiled down at him, crossing two fingers and holding them up to prove my point.

"How awful. Big Sis was so desperate for a friend that you were forced to hang out with the fake-prince," Fran said, scratching his nose. I bumped him with my hip, sending him a strict look.

"The point is," I said, deciding to let his comment slide, "that it's nice to have friends your age, especially when you're young. If you're lucky, you'll become close to someone like me and Bel." He paled.

"I hope not…"

"Shut up and go play," I said, putting my hands on his shoulders and giving him a light push. He grumbled, looking back at me once, but went towards the playground none the less. I sighed, watching him for a bit before turning to look over at Mukuro and Chrome, still talking off to the side. Chrome was still blushing lightly, but Mukuro was now holding the small bag, tied of with a ribbon. My stomach twisted, but I forced a smile and walked over just as he untied it and got a cookie.

"You better like those," I called out as I approached, watching as he took a bite, "she wouldn't let me have a single one because they were for you."

"A pity too, that you'll never taste such divine treats," he said, skillfully taking a jab at me and complimenting Chrome in one go. I puffed my cheeks out, while Chrome's small smile grew bigger, glad that he enjoyed them.

"Although," Mukuro continued, "I do wish that you wouldn't make such a big deal."

"Why not?" I asked, titling my head a bit, "it's your birthday, isn't it?"

"We just want you to have a good day," Chrome agreed, nodding slightly.

"Which brings me to this," I said, holding up the bag I had taken with me. I held it out to him. "Remember when your arm got bitten off?" I asked. His expression dead panned.

"Ah, yes," he said dryly, "how could I forget?"

"Well," I said, watching as he grabbed the bag, and pulled the jacket out of it, eyes widening slightly, "since that kind of destroyed your old jacket, I decided that you would probably like a new one. I tried to match the color the best I could, but it's leather and way more durable." He hummed, inspecting it, even chuckling a bit.

"Kufufu…I'm honestly surprised," he admitted, smirking. I crossed my arms.

"For your information," I said, poking him in the chest, "I'm a great gift giver. And so is Chrome," I said, bumping her with my hip, "and so you should be thankful to have us." He smirked, whipping the jacket around and fitting it on himself, putting the bag of cookies in one of the inside pockets.

"And I am, rest assured," He said, almost teasingly, an amused glint in his eyes he bowed slightly.

"Plus," I added, looking back over, pleased to see that Fran was actually talking to some other kids, "I can watch Fran for the rest of the day. You guys can hang out, chill whatever," I said with a shrug, holding back a wince as my stomach twisted more. Mukuro's eyes widened again with slight surprise, but he covered it just as quick, looking over at the blushing Chrome and holding an arm out.

I saw the way she looked at him, and held back another frown. And yet, I still let them go, even urging them together.

"Shall we?" He asked. She blinked, but recovered quickly, taking his arm gingerly. He nodded to me before turning.

"I appreciate it, little Cavallone." I waved him off, forcing a small puff of laughter.

"It's nothing. I know he can be a little antagonizing…" I trailed off, seeing his expression.

"A little?"

"…. just appreciate this and have fun on your fucking birthday."

"You always do this, you know?"

"Do what?" I asked, looking away from the screen and over to him.

"I mean, it was the same with me and Marco," Takeshi said. I frowned, noticing he had paused our video game to talk about this.

"You…" he began, careful, "You never really do anything for yourself, yeah? I mean, it's honorable and everything, but also…. Annoying," he said with a small laugh, lifting his hand to scratch the back of his head, "If I'm going to be honest."

"How are things with Marco anyway," I said, hoping to change the subject despite me being the one to begin it. Then again, I had only been hoping to release a bit of tension, and hadn't expected him to actually pursue this topic.

"Actually," he said, looking to the side a bit, "We decided long distance wasn't going to work out. Still friends, just not talking in that way."

"Really," I said, looking over at Takeshi curiously. I opened my mouth hesitantly, "So you and me… you want to….?" I trailed off in question.

"Nikita," he said seriously, "You and I both know that you won't be into it. Not when you're thinking about her."

"I know," I said with a sigh, bringing my knees up and wrapping my arms around them, "I know."

I frowned, holding back a yawn as I stared at the surface of the table I was leaning on. I had been on four more 'missions' in the six days after Mukuro's birthday. Each mission was growing progressively more violent, and yet remained rather easy. Mostly infiltration, so far. However, with these missions, committee work, and doing homework for the classes I didn't even go to, little sleep had come to me. Honestly, I didn't mind much, seeing that I was getting paid for these easy jobs, and I was getting to spend time with my friends here.

I put my arms up, stretching. At least, I thought, I could catch up on sleep after this job, according to Dayita's text. This would be the last until next weekend, and from there on, all jobs would be on weekends, unless something urgent came up. Also, with the completion of my first 'test', I had been given small gadgets, helping with cameras, computers, and generally, the technical side of things, an area where I was not experienced with. Despite having to talk to the unnerving scientist a few times in order for him to tell me how to use these small gadgets, I had remained content with the job.

Typically, Dayita was the one to give the information on the job, and so I was put off when someone else physically walked into the room.

"Miss Cavallone," Chhaya purred as she flowed in with Aja right behind her. I immediately straightened, by face shifting to a neutral expression, completely on guard. Dayita I could deal with easily, but her mother?

"I'm surprised that you've come here in person," I stated carefully as she sat down across from me. Aja remained standing, and returned my nod professionally. I was suspicious, seeing no humor in his eyes. Although I hadn't known him for long, I did know that, usually, he was a generally amused man. But now? He almost looked vaguely angry. Miffed.

"If you're worried about my opinion on your performance," she answered smoothly, "then don't be. I'm impressed with your efficiency and skill. It's not often that one so young shows such promise and starts so early. I hope that you stay in this field and prosper."

"And keep working for you?" I guessed, narrowing my eyes ever so slightly. She hummed, her eyes glimmering with amusement.

"Perhaps. But I'm not the type to interfere with other's paths of fate," she said, propping her arms up on the table and resting her chin on top of her folded hands in an elegant manner. "I'm also not here to talk about your future. I'm here to discuss your job today. Certain requirements that I want you to meet."

I could feel slight apprehension bubbling in my stomach at her words, but I pushed it down.

"Requirements?" I repeated, crossing my arms. She hummed and leaned back, holding out a hand behind her. Aja immediately put a file in her hands and she put it on the table in front of me, opening it herself. Her manicured finger tapped on a picture, repeatedly hitting the man's face.

"Matsuo Kazuhiko. He was the head of my Japanese branch, but he made some rather… unfortunate decisions lately," she said, her voice growing cold and steel-like. Dangerous.

"I want him dead tonight," She told me simply. My expression remained unchanged, knowing that this would be my assignment.

"You want me to become an assassin."

"Were you not trained to be one?" She accused. "This file is filled to the brim with all his misdeeds, his vile acts, how many innocent lives he has taken while he thought he was being evasive. I could spend all night telling you how awful a person he is, but," she paused, smiling beautifully, "we both know that would be waste of time."

I once again glanced down at the picture, an average looking Japanese man looking straight into the camera, memorizing his face, his features. I thought if killing this man would bother me. But hadn't I been around death my whole life? Killers? I've seen plenty of people die in front of me, mostly courtesy of Bel. Had that bothered me any? Perhaps once for the sake of others, but now? I was used to it. I knew I was born into the underground, and I had accepted that long ago. But taking a life myself?

"I plan to make an assassin out of you, Nikita Cavallone."

And he did, I realized. Fon did, Colenello did, Alik did. And wouldn't it be a waste, a mark against my trainers if I didn't put these skills to use? I looked back up, meeting Chhaya's eyes. Her lips curved into a fabulous smirk, knowing that I had accepted.

"Aja will give you the rest of the information," she said, standing, and gesturing lightly to her right-hand man. She paused, however, and turned back to look at me.

"Oh, and Miss Cavallone," She called, smiling once again, "one more thing: no witnesses."

"No witnesses?" I asked, titling my head a bit.

"I think we both know what that means," she said, keeping her smile, and titling her head as well, "I want Matsuo's death to be a pleasant surprise. And I don't want anyone to know about either of our hands in this. Understand?" I hesitated, then nodded slowly, keeping eyes contact, almost defiantly.

"I understand," I repeated, "no witnesses."

I closed the door the apartment behind me, sighing slightly as I leaned against it. My hand moved to my pocket, and I looked at my phone, checking the time before going back to my messages to Chhaya, confirming the kill.

"No witnesses."

I scrunched my nose and sighed again, moving into the apartment, pushing the woman's face to the back of my mind, angry. Chhaya's information had said that his wife would be out of the house. But it was wrong, and his wife was sleeping right beside him, and had woken up.

No witnesses, Chhaya had told me, and I had made sure of it. And I was numb about the whole ordeal, which is what was bothering me the most.

I stiffened, having thrown my bag on the kitchen table and hearing something stir on the couch.

"Chrome?" I said, going to her as she propped herself up from where she had been curled up on the couch. She yawned, looking over at me as I approached.

"You're home… I was waiting up for you," she muttered tiredly. I laughed lightly as I sat beside her, moving a few pieces of mussed up hair out of her face. She blinked tiredly, not seeming to care.

"You didn't have to," I assured her, putting a hand on her shoulder. She shook her head.

"No," she mumbled, "I was worried…" She trailed off, then shook her head again, trying to wake herself up. "You haven't been sleeping lately," she accused, almost pouting. Her cute pout only soured, scrunching her face even more when I laughed lightly.

"I'm sorry, sorry," I said, waving her off, and lopping my arm in hers, getting her to stand with me. She leaned into me as we walked, me leading her to her room.

"I'm worried about you, Nikita," she murmured, "you haven't been sleeping much at all lately…"

"I'm fine," I assured her, "and you didn't have to wait up, you know."

"I know," She sighed, plopping down on her bed.

"Go to sleep," I chided, walking out.

"You do too," she said, snuggling into her covers.

"I will," I lied, laughing a bit before closing the door. A pause. And then I sighed and went to the window seat, hesitating and then not bothering to turn on the light, looking out the window instead. I leaned my head against the cool surface.

I knew I wasn't tired enough to sleep. I was still slightly bothered by how unbothered I was by the deaths. By killing people. Was that a surprise though? No, I realized, it wasn't.

I looked at my phone once more, noting the time, and then realizing the date. I let out an almost hollow chuckle.

"Happy birthday to me," I breathed out, frowning a bit. I almost hesitated, and then went to my contacts selecting an all too familiar number and watching as it rang. I waited patiently, biting my bottom lip and pulling my legs up, my free arm hugging my knees to my body. There was a click, and a groggy voice answered.

"….Princess?"

"Bel." It almost came out as a sigh of relief. "Hey," I greeted, smiling apologetically, "sorry for calling you so early, I know you're not fully awake yet..."

"It's fine," He slurred, and I could imagine him shifting in his too-large bed, surrounded by the impressive mess that was his room. His voice became more muffled, and I knew he put me on speaker phone, and placed his cell beside him on the bed, nearly swallowed by the soft blankets and pillows he surrounded himself with.

"Hey," he murmured again, "isn't it your birthday?" I laughed lightly.

"Yeah," I admitted, "it is." He chuckled.

"Happy birthday then, Princess," he said, and I could practically see the lazy grin on his face.

"Thanks, Bel," I said, genuinely smiling, then faltered, "hey, can we… just talk for a bit?"

"Sure," he said, indifferently. "About?"

"Anything," I breathed out, sighing. There was a pause on the other end, and then his signature laugh.

"Anything you want, Princess."

"Thanks," I said again, extremely relieved.

"Really, Bel. Thanks."

"Something's going on…" I muttered, walking beside Chrome, accompanying her on the way back to class at the end of lunch.

"You're just tired," she said, inclining her head slightly, and giving me an accusing look, "because someone didn't go to sleep last night."

"I went to sleep," I lied easily, brushing her accusation off. Her expression dead panned, clearly not believing me.

"Moving on," I drawled, looking away from her accusing eyes, "everyone's been acting weird. Hell, even Kyoya and Tetsu are acting weird. Tetsu was whispering to Kyoya when I walked in this morning, and stopped immediately when I walked in. Tetsu's been acting awkward, and Kyoya's acting smug. He knows something," I grumbled, crossing my arms as we entered the classroom. My eyes narrowed, seeing the three guys stiffen upon seeing me, and then narrowed further when I glanced at Chrome, who was lightly shaking her head at them. She barely faltered, and then returned to her neutral expression. My eyes went back to the boys, and I strategically picked out the weakest link of the group.

"Hey there, Tuna-fish," I said, sitting on his desk and smiling down at him almost threatening. He leaned back, paling, a single drop of sweat sliding down the side of his face. Gokudera and Takeshi shared nervous glances, and leaned away as well, while Chrome sighed quietly behind me putting a hand on her forehead.

"I can't help but notice," I started, tilting my head and letting my eyes wander around the classroom before pinning him with an accusing stare, "that you guys have been avoiding me today. Any reason for that, Tuna-yoshi?" I asked, leaning forward and poking him lightly in the chest. His eyes went behind me, where I knew Chrome was biting her lip lightly and shaking her head. Gokudera nearly growled and moved forward, having built up his courage needed.

"The tenth doesn't have to an-" I put a finger up, not even bothering to look over at him.

"Not talking you," I said harshly, and then looked over at Takeshi, daring him to try to interfere as well. He whistled lightly and looked away. Tsuna blanched, shocked and utterly betrayed. Gokudera shuffled nervously, looking to interfere again, but after a glare from me, and a shiver from him, he looked away once more.

(I heard a sigh and an almost audible smack from behind us, and I knew Chrome has given up on the guys withholding whatever information they were hiding from me completely)

"So, Tsuna," I said, leaning forward again, "want to tell me why everyone is rudely avoiding me today?" He squirmed under my stare, looking away awkwardly.

"I-I don't know what you mean…." he said lamely.

"Bull," I hissed, "shit. Let me guess," I tried, "it's something to do with Reborn? He's planning something, isn't he?" Tsuna barely flinched, and that was all I needed.

"Well," I said, changing demeanor completely and leaning back, "if it's his plan, then there's nothing I can do." Tsuna stared at me, gaping.

"That's all it took!?" he exclaimed, exasperated. I shrugged, nonchalantly, as the others relaxed.

"I mean, if it was something just you guys were doing," I admitted, "then I could definitely find out. But Reborn? There's no way I'm going to get any information with his threats hanging over you."

"And so…" Tsuna asked, still wary, "you're going to drop it? Just like that?"

"Tsuna," I said seriously, putting a hand on his shoulder, "we both know there's no escaping a fate that Reborn has planned." He practically deflated at my words, knowing them to be true.

"You're right…"

Takeshi laughed good naturedly, clapping Tsuna on the shoulder. I gave him a reassuring pat as well before hopping off the desk, saying goodbye to them (and giving Chrome a quick peck on the cheek, before catching myself and wincing, regretting) before making my way out of the room, nearly running into Enma on the way. I smiled, and waved to him as well, and he managed to mumble a hello out and smile.

"He's really cute…" I cooed, walking back to the reception room. However, I stopped and then shuddered, thinking of the information I learned.

It was never a good thing when Reborn was planning something.

My suspicion rose once again when I found Takeshi, instead of Chrome, waiting for me, decked in his baseball gear. He simply smiled in response to my suspicious glance. I stopped in front of him, staring up with an eyebrow raised.

"What," I asked, "are you doing?"

"I need someone to help pitch," He told me happily, "and I thought you would be the best bet!"

"Really," I said, holding back a yawn, "this isn't just some distraction for Reborn's plan?"

"What would you say if I told you I'll take you to get sushi afterwards?"

"….." I sighed, considering it. Takeshi continued to stare down at me, the expression almost coming across as creepy.

"But I was going to take a nap when I got back…" I mumbled slumping a bit, giving in. Yamamoto laughed, putting a hand on my shoulder.

"Come on, Cloud," he said, leaning down to look me directly in the eyes, "it's just for a bit, yeah?"

"… fine. But you're carrying me there," I said, crossing my arms. He laughed again, repositioning his bag and turning back to me. He looked back in question and I hopped up on his back, him catching me easily.

"You're a lot heavier than you look," he noted, a bit surprised.

"Are you complaining?" I chided. He laughed in response and bounced me, causing me to tighten my hold around his neck. I grumbled, and he laughed again.

"Now you're complaining!"

I was surprised when we got to the field to see two more figures; a vaguely familiar, extremely tall and buff blonde, and Enma, looking incredible small standing next to him.

"Kaoru!" Takeshi called, "and Enma! Hey!"

"Yo," I greeted, sliding of Takeshi's back when we neared. Enma grew a bit pink, mumbling a greeting once more. Kaoru simply nodded, looking down at me almost curiously. I crossed my arms, and looked over at Takeshi, raising an eyebrow.

"I thought you said that you needed someone to pitch," I accused. I gestured to Kaoru. "Isn't he on the baseball team?" Takeshi laughed again, rubbing the back of his head.

"Yeah, but I thought that you could still come, just in case, you know?"

"Just in case?" I repeated as he become slightly more awkward and his smile more strained. He grabbed my shoulders, still smiling and turned me towards the two.

"You haven't met yet, have you?" he said quickly, nodding to buff blonde, "I mean, Enma, yeah, you've met, but not Kaoru! This is Nikita," Yamamoto introduced, "Nikita Cavallone."

Kaoru's face changed slightly, as if recognizing the name from somewhere. He stiffened immediately, looking like he had remembered exactly where.

"You're…." he mumbled, thinking, "the one who healed Yamamoto after… the attack?" I hesitated, Takeshi having gone silent and Enma watching, unsure of what to do. I nodded once. There was a moment and then he bowed slightly, very stiffly, his face conforming into one of guilt.

"Thank you for saving him," he said gruffly, staring at the ground and not daring to look me in the eyes.

"I see," I said, smiling sympathetically, "you're the one who attacked him, huh?" He frowned as he straightened, looking away again. "It's fine," I waved him off, "that's behind us now, right?" I turned to Takeshi who smiled and nodded.

"I'm all better now, thanks to you," Takeshi said, slinging an arm around me, "So it's fine, right?" I nodded back, and then smiled up at Kaoru.

"Now that that's said," I said, bumping Takeshi lightly, "I'm guessing you brought me here to waste time, so let's get started on that, yeah?"

"You got me, Cloud," Yamamoto said, releasing me and going to his bag, "Can't get much past you, right?" He asked, throwing me a mitt and a ball, both of which I caught easily.

"Well, you are a terrible liar when it comes to things like this."

"The truth is," he said, coming back with a couple bats and more mitts, "is that I'm stalling until my dad is ready, because I'm taking you guys to sushi afterwards! Birthday present," he said, then nodded to me and Enma, "for both of you guys." I was about to call him out for this lie as well, but blinked, then looked over at the redhead who still seemed to be comprehending Takeshi's words.

"Hey!" I smiled brightly, going over to Enma and slinging my arm around him, giving a half hug, "That's cool! Our birthdays are on the same day!" He turned extremely red, and mumble incoherently. Thinking I had overstepped my boundaries, I retracted my arm and held them up, but still smiling, apologizing for touching him so easily. He then stuttered and shook his head, before Takeshi called our attention again.

"So, while my old man is getting ready," he said, throwing a ball into the air and spinning it, "I figured we could play a small game!"

"But, there's only four of us," Enma pointed out. Takeshi smiled and held up his necklace. I raised an eyebrow when his eyes went to my rings.

"You don't mean…?" I muttered. He nodded happily.

"Yeah! I figured we could let them play too! Then we'd have eight," He said, then paused, lifting his fingers to count, and then nodded, confirmed.

"I doubt any of them can bat," I muttered, but Takeshi waved me off.

"Sure they can! They just have to try!" And with that, he willed his flames, and two shapes sprung from his necklace.

"This is Jirou," he gestured to the dog, "and Kojirou!" He gestured up at the sparrow, flying circles around him until it landed on his shoulder. I smiled and went to pet the dog, who looked up and panted happily, appearing as if he were smiling.

"It's you in dog form," I noted, smiling as the dog leaned into my leg. Kojirou, meanwhile, greeted the other two, flying towards them and then landing on Kaoru's finger when he extended it, preening when Enma petted it softly. I blinked, looking over and noticing that Takeshi was looking at me expectedly.

I sighed, understanding immediately, and straightened, holding my own hand up and pumping flames into their rings. Kashi and Jian sprung from them, causing the other two to look over.

"This is Kashi," I said, gesturing to the red panda, who stood up almost haughtily, "and Jian," I finished, Jian peering at the two shyly, paws on his snout.

"He's big," Enma muttered, looking up at Jian, who was sitting on the ground and still considerably taller than both me and Enma, and slightly taller than Kaoru. Jian mewled softly, and hid his whole face at the comment. Enma frowned and floundered.

"Ah… sorry," he said, coming forward a bit and holding his hands out, but not knowing what to do, "What I meant was…?" He looked to me for help, but I shrugged and gestured to go on, "you look... strong?"

Jian shifted his paws, peering out. He hesitated, and then leaned forward, putting a single paw on Enma's head. He sniffed, and then blew air out of his nose. Enma stiffened. And then Jian took both arms and pulled the red head towards him into a large embrace. Enma let out a small squeak as this happened.

I laughed lightly, going forward as the other two got the baseball equipment ready and Kashi and Kojirou greeted one another.

"Sorry about that," I said, putting a hand up to cover my muffled giggles. Enma looked rather embarrassed and disgruntled, being hugged by Jian. "He can be a bit clingy when embarrassed," I admitted, holding an arm out for the redhead to take, "but I think he got that from Ipin," I explained, pulling him out. Jian mewled softly, sad. I shushed him and then leaned forward, petting his head softly.

"It means he likes you though," I told Enma, looking back, "if it makes you feel any better." Enma grew redder at this, and shuffled slightly, looking away with a small smile on his face.

"Hey!" Takeshi called, causing us to look over at them, "Look! I got Jirou to hold a bat in his mouth! Just like a sword, right?" he asked looking down at the animal. Jirou barked happily, the sound muffled by the bat in his mouth. Enma and I blinked, staring at them.

"This…this is going to be a weird game, isn't it?" Enma muttered.

And I couldn't help but agree.

"I can't believe Jirou could bat that far!" Yamamoto said happily.

"I can't believe that Kojirou can catch a baseball," Nikita mumbled tiredly, her head resting on his shoulder as he was once again carrying the girl on his back. Enma looked over at them, feeling a bit of jealously boiling up, but he dismissed it. They were close, he told himself. Good friends.

Besides, he told himself, he wasn't going to let that ruin his good mood. He had started the day out a bit gloomily, truthfully, seeing that everyone was acting strange, and no one had mentioned his birthday. In fact, no one had really talked to him much until Kaoru approached him after school and took him to the baseball field.

And then Yamamoto and Nikita came. And Enma's mood soared, playing the baseball game with the eccentric box weapons, and getting to spend time with Nikita, getting to know her better.

Still kind and gentle, he noted, seeing how she dealt with her box weapons and dealt with Jian nearly crushing Enma. And competitive too, he recalled, paling a bit, recalling the game and her passion to win. Unfortunately, he wasn't on her team, and he was paired with Yamamoto (for fairness, but Enma considered any team he would be on to have a major disadvantage). She was kind, he thought again, recalling how she had gently talked to Kaoru while they played together, communicating with him in a way that made him feel comfortable. Despite him attacking Yamamoto, Enma remembered the exchange with a frown. And yet she said it was fine with a smile.

Enma sighed again, slumping, his eyes once again wondering over to the two slightly ahead. Yamamoto was still excitedly talking about the game ("We should start a box animal sports league!"). Nikita was listening, clearly, but her green eyes were drooping, and she almost snuggled closer, letting her head fall into the crook of his neck, blinking heavily. She was tired, and had been, Enma noticed, for the past few days.

There was still so much he didn't know about her, he realized, watching her smile tiredly, but still genuinely. But, he decided, he wanted to know her better. And finding out they had the same birthday and getting to spend time and have fun with her? This was turning out to be a pretty good birthday after all.

And the surprise party? It was… well, a surprise.

"Happy Birthday!"

Enma nearly stumbled back in surprise after Kaoru had opened the door. He blinked, and then entered the restaurant again, seeing his family and friends; Tsuna and his entire family, Mukuro and some of his group, Dino even, and a few men he didn't recognize.

"I knew you were up to something," Nikita drawled, sliding off of Yamamoto's back and entering before him. He laughed, poking her in the side teasingly.

"You sure you can stay awake for the party?" Yamamoto asked. She shooed him off.

"I'm awake, I'm awake," she chided, and then turned to greet her brother as Enma's own family rushed to his side.

"I thought you couldn't come until this weekend?" She accused him after their hug. He shrugged and laughed, letting her go in order for her to greet Ivan, Bono, and Romario.

"I lied," He admitted causally, "I could come today, but I've got to go back right after. You think I'd miss my little sister's birthday?" He said, pulling her back to him and ruffling her hair as she complained and pushed him off.

"Sorry we had to keep it from you, Cloud," Tsuna said, scratching the back of his head, his smile growing wider as Chrome went forward to hug Nikita, unknowingly to him, whisper a soft apology in his ear and pecking her cheek quickly before retreating.

Tsuna then paled, recalling, "I'm just glad you stopped interrogating me as soon as I mentioned Reborn…" she waved him off, slinging one arm around him and the other around Gokudera as Chrome stepped away.

"It's fine," She assured them with a smile, sending a nod and a wink to Mukuro as Chrome went to him, (Mukuro, she also noticed, was wearing his new jacket), "I know there's no going against him. Which reminds me," she said, looking around almost suspiciously, "I feel like he has something plan-"

"Now that the guests of honor are here," Reborn called, hopping up on the counter and calling everyone's attention, "We can start the Legendary Vongolian Party."

"Ah," Nikita said, nodding, "there it is."

"Not that again!" Tsuna called, stricken. Reborn ignored his student and continued.

"Since we're celebrating both their birthdays today, Nikita and Enma will give scores to the participant's 'presents' or 'performances'. As always, we'll use the Vongola Judge Board. The participant with the highest score wins. If the guests of honor will come up and sit in their spots, we'll begin," Reborn completed, looking to me and Enma.

"Doesn't the loser die or something?" Nikita asked, crossing her arms, "Isn't that a bit extreme? Besides," She continued, frowning a bit, "I don't think I would feel good about judging people's presents." Enma nodded softly in agreement.

"Fine," Reborn stated, "Come up here or die."

"Noted," she called, saluting before grabbing Enma's arm, walking with him to sit before the small stage that had been set up for the event.

"Hey, Reborn!" Dino called, "We just got in from Italy, and you didn't tell us about a competition!"

"That sounds like your problem, Dino," Reborn said, and then continued, stepping up on stage himself as Dino opened his mouth to protest, but thought better of it, instead turning to huddle with Ivan, Romario, and Bono.

"For my present," Reborn, bringing out a bag out of nowhere, and assembling pieces, "I've brought an antique, limited edition sniper rifle for Nikita," he declared, showing off the finished project and then gently tossing it to Nikita. The girl's eyes lit up as she examined the weapon, a grin on her face.

"It's in great condition," she complimented, inspecting it.

"From my own collection," Reborn said with a dip of his hat, clearly pleased with himself, "and for Enma," he continued, pulling a small paper out of his pocket and folding into a paper airplane, throwing it in the air for Enma to catch, "A year's supply of cat food."

"That's…" Enma said, smiling softly, looking at the paper after unfolding it, "That's great!" Nikita hummed, looking over at him in question. He grew embarrassed suddenly, fumbling with his words. "I-I feed some cats by a bridge and kind of take care of them…"

"That's so kind of you," she said with a genuine smile, causing Enma to redden further.

"Well?" Reborn asked, calling their attention back to him.

"Ah," Nikita said, looking over at Enma, "90?" She asked. He nodded, agreeing, but they both stiffened, seeing a glint in Reborn's eyes.

"95?" Nikita tried again. The hitman nodded once, and made his way offstage, once again returning to being the announcer. The two slumped a bit, relieved.

"Yamamoto and Kaoru are next," Reborn called as the two baseball players set up the stage.

"We decided to work together," Yamamoto told them, "and we're going to make sushi!" He turned to Kaoru, who equipped himself, showing off his impressive weapon. They nodded and then began, Yamamoto throwing fish up into the air for the two to cut, Yamamoto using standard knives and Kaoru being surprisingly delicate using his weapon. Yamamoto smiled, and bowed with Kaoru when they finished. He walked over and presented Nikita and Enma's plates to them with a wink.

"I told you that you would get birthday sushi, didn't I?" He told them with a brilliant smile.

The party had only become more joyful from there, with Mukuro putting on a magic act with Chrome and the other members of his group, Lambo and Rauji presenting crudely made, but still endearing clay sculptures ("Lambo made his to look like you, Big Sis!" "… thanks, Lambo"), Adel doing a strangely beautiful and mystifying fan dance, Ryohei and Koyo trying to perform a mock fight, which turned into a real fight, which resulted in the two fighters knocking each other out, surprisingly, P. Shitt, Haru, and Kyoko having teamed up to make beanies, scarves and gloves for Enma and Nikita with their initials and kanji ("Shitopi makes some of her own clothes, and so we thought it would be fun to work together!"), and then Bianchi giving both of them a free ticket for poisoning, in case they wanted anyone dead.

Kusakabe had even come by to give Nikita an official disciplinary committee jacket, which Nikita took from him with a kind smile. Julie's gift was simply a red rose to give Nikita, and then dating advice for Enma when he needed it ("Which, by the looks of it, you need no-"), all of which earned him the lowest points and an incredible strong hit from Adel, which nearly killed him, not that she seemed to care.

Fran has simply walked up to them, handed Nikita a drawing of him and her (which she loved and made a note to put up on their fridge when she got back), and told Enma that since he couldn't think of anything, Enma could have one favor from Fran.

"Use it wisely," Fran told Enma bluntly, nodded, and walked away. Enma, not knowing what else to do, nodded. So far, all of the participants had been given decent points, either because what they did was actually impressive, or out of pity. After all, Enma and Nikita weren't exactly cruel people.

Enma had noticed, however, how tired Nikita was getting again. At first, he thought that Nikita leaning closer to him had been because she was getting more comfortable, but as they watched Dino and Gokudera argue, trying to get in on Gokudera's and Tsuna's act they were just about to perform (which poor, poor Tsuna, trying to be the mediator and stop Gokudera from trying to get in a fight with Dino), Enma realized that Nikita was slowly falling asleep.

She began leaning into him more heavily as the argument progressed (Yamamoto trying to quell it and making it worse), and soon, her head was on his shoulder, and she was sound asleep on him as chaos ensued before him (by this point, Adel had stepped in, which of course, just meant more violence).

And Enma stayed perfectly still, watching the growing fight with frightened eyes, not daring to move, and not believing that his crush was sleeping on his shoulder.

And despite her family and friends quarreling around her, surrounded by happiness and gifts, despite the tension in the room of people who still loved each other despite how much they argued, despite the decisions she had made this week and how tired she had made herself,

Nikita slept on, peacefully.

"Nothing but a dreamer, longing for something he does not even understand."

-Erin Morgenstern (The Night Circus)

AN:

Whoo, another chapter done! Keep sending in the thoughts on pairings, and I'll put up a list next chapter for the poll.

As always, thanks for all the reviews, follows, and favorites!

-Evenly