Ami wakes me up from a sweet dream in the morning. It was a simple dream. Just Mom and Dad driving somewhere with me and my brother in the backseat, colored leaves rushing past us in an orange blur as we listened to the radio.
Dad was smiling, chatting intently with all of us. Mom kept looking over her shoulder, watching us with that serene look on her face.
Aidan took off his cap and placed it on my head, covering my eyes with a soft tug. Mom laughed at the way I looked, my blond hair flowing freely from under the cap. Aiden couldn't keep in his laughter, and he didn't try to. He continued to tease me, placing his warm hand on my head to prevent me from removing his cap. I felt annoyed, but content at the same time.
As I laughed along with my family members, I could only hear my own laughter for some reason. I removed the cap from my eyes, allowing for me to see clearly.
Aiden was still laughing, but no sound came out.
Dad was still talking, but I couldn't hear his soothing voice.
Mom's facial expression hardly changed. Her lips moved, but again, I couldn’t hear anything.
What's worse... I couldn't recall a single word or the tone of her voice. How did she sound like again?
Suddenly, I found myself standing on my own two feet. Dad continued to drive, leaving me behind to fend for myself. The orange leaves twirled down as a gust of wind messed up my hair. How could they leave me behind? Me, a little kid.
I lie in bed, feeling the emptiness take hold, the darkness hanging in the back of my mind. I feel like me. The me before this one. I close my eyes and try to will myself back to sleep, back to the place where they left me.
Maybe I can still catch up to them.
"Come on." Ami says. "Open your big blue eyes, honey." I roll over to find her standing at the foot of my bed. "What time is it." I murmured, trying to forget about my dream. "It's time to get up. I made you some breakfast." She pulled off my blanket, making me groan as if I were in excruciating pain.
"Alice... Don't make me repeat the house rules again." Ami complained as she placed her hands on her sides, pouting like a little child.
"Rules don't mean anything to me, you know that better than anyone else." Came my reply. "What am I supposed to do with you." Ami sighed. "I'm not leaving my bed for anything." I held onto my blanket, draping it over my body. Ami shook her head, walking out the door.
The door shut with a satisfying click, in which I snuggled into my warm cocoon, purring in satisfaction. A loud growl could be heard, messing up my plans in seven seconds flat.
"Great..." I muttered out as my eyes fluttered open. "You just had to respond, huh?" I gazed at my stomach, patting it ever so softly.
With a deep sigh, I discarded my blanket, throwing it aside. Still deprived from sleep, I got up on my feet. My foot got tangled in the sheets, leaving for me to crash down on my stomach. "Owww..." I uttered out in a low whimper.
After I brushed my teeth and did my usual morning routines, I walked down the stairs in my sleep-creased T-shirt, and faded undershorts with a faded lipstick kiss imprinted on the right. A yawn escaped my lips as I scratched my belly, making myself at home, sort of speak.
As I reached the kitchen, I slowly made my way to the fridge, taking out a Coca-Cola can. I opened the can, about to consume the liquid when the fridge door closed with a soft thud, my crystal blue orbs gazing into a pair of grey ones.
I came to realize that it was Hayato who was standing before me, dressed in his school uniform. I didn't say a word. It was awkward enough to just stand there. For him, at least. I feel perfectly fine, thank you very much.
He scanned my face, looking at the cuts I sustained in my fight against Kyoya, which faded to faint pink lines. Throwing him one last glance, I turned my back on him and sat down, taking a bite out of the toast that Ami prepared.
"There's milk in the fridge if you want some, Hayato." I said after I took a sip of my beverage. "That's all you're gonna say?!!" He questioned me in disbelief. "And put some clothes on woman!! Dress yourself properly!!" He looked away, his cheeks tinted a soft pink while he growled under his breath. I arched my brow at his reaction.
"I am properly dressed, fool." "Who are you calling a fool, fool!!" He was about to pounce on me, but decided otherwise since he could barely look me in the eye after seeing my dressing habit. "Who let you in anyway?" I asked with one eye shut.
"Your guardian of course." Hayato grumbled, fumbling with his black bracelet.
"Sure..." I replied sarcastically. The guy hates my guts. Why would he walk through the door when he despises me? I wonder...
"It's the truth! Your guardian practically forced me in by showing me her razor sharp butcher-knife! Don't you dare think nicely of me!" He freaked, almost snapping his bracelet while he was at it. "Why are you here, Hayato?" Taking another bite of my toast, I gazed at Hayato from the corner of my eye. "Scratch that... Why are you the only one here? Shouldn't you be following Tsunami wherever he goes?"
"I don't stalk him!"
"Sure, you keep telling yourself that." I replied ever so calmly.
Hayato was about to explode. "Want some toast?" I questioned him. A fair amount of veins popped up on his forehead. Here it comes. "I came here to check up on you!! Is that what you wanted to hear!!?"
He slammed his hands on the table, catching me off guard. He was looking into my eyes. For a split second, I saw a sparkle of worry in his grey eyes. He realized his mistake and backed away, casting his eyes elsewhere.
"The Tenth was worried about you, so I wanted to check up on you on his behalf." I drew away in utter surprise. I wanted to shout back at him, like I always do, but I could see he was really upset. He was really worried about me.
Somewhere along the way, I snorted with laughter at his affection towards me. Hayato sighed as he ran his fingers through his silk grey hair. "What's so funny?" "If you're worried about me, just tell me so. Don't beat around the bush, Hayato." I stated matter of factly, grinning widely in my amusement.
"Don't look at me like that! And I'm not worried! Like I said, I was simply checking up on you for the sake of the Tenth." He muttered out as he turned around, his hands stuffed in his pockets. "I've seen enough, so I'll just report back to the Tenth."
He was about to walk to the door, when I placed my hand on his shoulder, stopping him from advancing any further. "Why the sudden rush, right-hand man?" I smirked. "Let's report the good news together. After all, I am a part of the Family, right?"
I could feel Hayato tense up under my touch. He turned his head to face me, his eyes flashing dangerously as if he was warning me not to cross the line. "You wouldn't dare." "You know I would." Came my answer.
Almost at once, Hayato hung his head in utter defeat. "I hate you, you know that." I laughed at his words as I slapped him on the back. "Come on! I won't tell anyone about it. You can trust me." Hayato didn't seem to trust me at first.
"Pinky swear."
Hayato arched his brow upon seeing me wriggle my pinky in the air. A teasing smile appeared on my lips, waiting to see what he'll do. Hayato grumbled something under his breath, afterwards intertwining his pinky finger with mine.
"Pinky swear." He said, sealing the promise with a slight nod.
Third POV
"Okay!"Alice broke her pinky from Gokudera's and stretched out her arms. "Looks like I still got some time to change. I'll be back in a sec, kay?" She ran up the stairs, not even waiting for Gokudera's reply.
"Geez, You'd better hurry up or I'm leaving without you!!"Gokudera yelled out after her. "No problemo, dude! It won't take long!" Came her answer. He could hear her shuffling feet from upstairs, followed by a loud crash.
"Won't take long, my ass." He sighed, leaning his back against the wall. After a few minutes have passed, Gokudera was fed up with waiting. Luckily for him, Alice came down the stairs, wearing the Namimori-middle school uniform. She ran past Gokudera and slipped on her sneakers.
Gokudera gazed at her, his eyes falling on her bandaged hand. He felt like hitting himself for not noticing it earlier. Alice was about to hold onto her briefcase when Gokudera stepped in, snatching it away from her.
"H-hey! What gives?!" She exclaimed, not in the mood to play around. "If the Tenth sees you carrying stuff, he'll worry about your well-being." Gokudera retorted, looking down at her with that intense look on his face. "Look... I already told you, I'm fine. Stop using Tsunami as an excuse to be nice to me." "That's not what I'm doing at all. This is all for the Tenth. I don't want for him to worry." Gokudera placed his hand onto the doorknob.
"Then tell him that yourself! Don't involve me in it. They never worried for me back in America. They didn't need to, that's why." Alice glared daggers at Gokudera. The grey-haired Italian turned around, giving Alice the dirty eye. He removed his hand from the doorknob, walking up to Alice in a slow pace. Alice backed up against the wall, all the while looking at Gokudera as if he grew another head. Gokudera's fist slammed against the wall, right next to Alice's face, which held a shocked expression by now.
"This isn't America. This is Japan, in case you didn't notice." Gokudera hissed dangerously. Alice couldn't help but to fear the outcome of this little quarrel. "Those scumbags in your stupid little gang don't mean shit to me." He continued to say.
Alice held her breath, biting on her lower lip as she looked him in the eye. Gokudera's grey eyes held a dangerous gleam in them, warning her not to say a word. "The Tenth sees you as a close friend. He can't help but to worry! That's just how he is!"
Gokudera closed his eyes for a moment, struggling to keep himself at bay. He couldn't help it. Alice just doesn't realize how lucky she is. "Yamamoto and Sasagawa are the same, even though they don't compare to the Tenth. Not for a bit." "But I-" "Don't say a word! You don't know anything." Gokudera cut her off.
"You think you had a hard time back in America? At least you had a group of people where you felt like you belonged." Alice clenched her teeth, feeling the guilt creep up on her. "They wouldn't even look at me back in Italy. They laughed at the idea of letting me join their family. As stubborn as I was, I kept trying."
He closed his eyes as the memories of his miserable self flashed in his head.
"You come here in the land of the rising sun, and you happen to stumble upon the Tenth. You get along with him without making any effort at all. You're too damn lucky, and you can't even see it!" Alice winced at the volume Gokudera carried in his voice. She never knew Gokudera had such a violent side to him. Even more so than usual.
The others never saw him like this, I bet. She thought.
"Hayato... I understand where you're going with this-" "No, you don't. You wanted to have a bunch of friends, right? You wanted to be a part of a family, right?" Alice nodded her head, agreeing with Gokudera. "You're in one right now. You have friends that care for you."
"I'm sorry okay! I know I'm acting like a brainless ditz sometimes, but all I'm saying is that there's no need to worry. They don't have to worry!" Alice took a moment to catch her breath, her eyes sealed shut.
"It doesn't make any sense... I lost... I don't deserve their sympathy."
Gokudera backed away from her, giving Alice some space to breathe. "It doesn't matter whether you win or lose in a fight. Being a part of a family means that we care for one another. If you got beat up, it's our job to support you." Gokudera said, making Alice look up at him.
"Who cares about a piece of trash like me. I'm worthless compared to you and the others." She gazed at her sneakers, rubbing it against each other to hide her shame.
"We were just a bunch of kids, wandering around aimlessly at night, seeking out opportunities for random vandalism, hanging out in empty parking lots, blasting obscure punk rock, and talking about all the assholes in our school, even though we hardly went to school in the first place."
Gokudera looked at Alice for almost a full minute. He really looked at her, like he was studying a map. "Caring for a fellow member only slowed me down. That's what I was taught..." Gokudera felt sorry for her, and that feeling made his gut turn uncontrollably. He managed to shake off the feeling afterwards.
"Leave the past behind you. Forget about the losers in your hometown." "Losers..." Alice rolled her eyes, feeling offended. "I'm talking about them, not you. You're not a loser. Stop feeling like your worth shit, because you're not. The Tenth doesn't think of you like that. He trusts you, and that's why he worries for you whenever you get yourself in trouble, which is all the time." Gokudera muttered his last words under his breath, sparing Alice the burden of feeling guilty all over again.
Gokudera walked over to the door with Alice's briefcase swung over his shoulder. "Just to let you know... The Tenth doesn't like to see either one of us suffer, but if you still don't come to realize how lucky you are, I'll be forced to hurt you until your tiny brain-cell understands." Alice nodded her head upon hearing Gokudera's wise advice, as harsh as he may be.
She was blinded by her selfish actions. She didn't even stop to think about how the others would feel when she gets into a fight. Gokudera's words and intimidating actions came as a wake-up call to her.
"Ara, the two of you are still here? That's not good. You're going to be late." Ami made her entrance. They didn't even hear her approach them. Gokudera gazed at the guardian female, freezing up instantly. Her apron was splattered with blood-red stains while holding onto her trusty butcher-knife. A happy-go-lucky smile was plastered on her lips as she closed in on them.
She's up to something!! Gokudera panicked in his mind.
"We were about to leave, Ami. Don't worry so much." Alice commented as Gokudera pulled on the doorknob with force, but the door wouldn't budge. All the while, Alice gave him a weird look, wondering what was up with him all of a sudden.
"You have to pull it up, Gokudera-san." Ami said, still with that same smile on her lips. She opened the door with ease. "H-have a good day!" Gokudera ran out the door and into the streets of Namimori. "H-hey!! What the hell is up with him?" Alice ran after him, confused as hell.
"Have a good day at school!!" Ami yelled out to them, waving her butcher-knife in the air without her noticing. This only made Gokudera run faster.
"Every woman I meet is either extremely stupid, insane, or a combination of both!!" He yelled out for the whole world to hear.
--------------
Sunday afternoon. Yamamoto, Tsuna, Gokudera and Alice were casually walking down the street. Yamamoto and Alice were chatting animatedly about their test results, which wasn't something to brag about, as usual.
Tsuna was wrapped in his thoughts. He loosened his tie, feeling the heat get to him somehow. "Ne Tenth! Let's go hang out at your place!" Gokudera placed his arm around Tsuna's shoulder, earning a faint "Whatever... I don't really care." coming from his direction.
"What's the matter with you? You've been gloomy all day, Tsunami." Alice broke her small chatter with Yamamoto, removing Gokudera's arm from Tsuna's frail body. Gokudera glared at her, but she hardly paid him any attention.
"If there's something wrong with the Tenth, I'm sure he would tell me, Babyface." Gokudera pushed her away from Tsuna. The boy sighed, not knowing what to say. "That's okay Hayato. I totally understand." Alice grinned.
"Hey Takeshi!" She turned to her neighboring classmate, beckoning for him to come over. He did so with a big smile plastered on his lips. "Do you know who dropped by at my place this morning?" "Nope... Anyone I know?" The baseball enthusiast asked.
At this point, Gokudera turned his head, giving Alice a murderous glare. Alice seemed to enjoy the attention she was getting from Gokudera.
"Hayato... He's such a nice fellow, don't you agree?" She averted her eyes from Yamamoto, clasping her hands together in a maidenly fashion, fluttered her eyelashes and assumed a ludicrous falsetto.
"Oh Hayato," she fluted, "How kind you are. What a genius you are. I'm not worthy to witness the gentle side of you." A smile managed to creep on Tsuna's lips as Yamamoto laughed his heart out. "You were nice to her?!" "That's a first." Tsuna finished off. "I thought we had a deal! What about the pinky swear?!" Gokudera shouted childishly. At the mention of a pinky swear, Yamamoto was laughing so hard that he couldn't even breathe properly, clutching onto his stomach in pain.
"Pinky swear, huh..."
Gokudera and Alice, coming to an agreement and settling it with a pinky swear. Tsuna was weirded out by the thought of it. "You set me up!" Gokudera stomped his foot on the ground, completely outraged. "I thought you would be smart enough to see right through me. I guess I overestimated you, Hayato." Alice smirked.
"Good to know that you don't force her to cut off her pinky, Gokudera. You really are a nice guy." Yamamoto finally calmed down, smiling ever so brightly. Gokudera smirked upon hearing Yamamoto's words. "Cut it off..." He said in a normal tone of voice, as if it isn't such a big deal to remove one's pinky finger. "Hell no. I like my fingers." "Cut it off, you lousy American!!" "I don't wanna!!" Alice whined, hiding behind Yamamoto.
Tsuna gazed into the distance, his thoughts elsewhere again.
"Oi Tsuna. You okay?" Yamamoto struggled to say as he was being held between Gokudera and Alice. "Nothing much... My Dad is coming home, is all." Tsuna replied as he avoided eye-contact with Yamamoto. Gokudera stopped with what he was doing, which was pulling on Alice's pigtails in sheer annoyance. Alice looked up at Tsuna without saying a word.
"It's great that your old man is coming back!" Yamamoto exclaimed, feeling happy for Tsuna. "Well... Yeah." Was all that he could say at the moment. "That's great news!!" Gokudera pushed Alice aside, making his way to Tsuna in order to congratulate him.
"Once he returns, I, the Tenth’s right-hand man, must be the first to greet him!" Gokudera was overjoyed as he pumped his fist in the air. "What are you, five?" Alice sweat-dropped at his enthusiasm. "That's not necessary, Gokudera-kun!" Tsuna piped in, feeling embarrassed already. His Dad isn't some holy person.
"It's just Tsunami's Father. What's so special about him anyway? He's probably just an irresponsible lazy bum." Alice shot him down while Tsuna slapped himself in the face. "How did you know." He muttered under his breath. "All adults are like that. To me anyway."
"What about Dino-san?" Yamamoto piped in, laughing at Alice's interpretation of an adult. "He's an adult?" Alice exclaimed, fiddling with her briefcase and taking something out. "What do you know... He really is an adult." "What are you doing with Dino-san's passport!!" Tsuna yelled out in his dismay while Alice arched her brow. "I'll give it back. Don't you worry." She pat him on the head, earning a low grumble from Tsuna.
"That's not what I meant! He won't be able to return to Italy without his passport!!"
"Exactly."
She winked in Tsuna's direction, earning a disgusted look from Gokudera. "What you see in that clumsy horse is way beyond me." "Now now...Alice is still a girl. Girls can only see the good qualities in a boy they like." Yamamoto defended Alice. "Name one... I dare you, baseball nut." Gokudera grumbled, his eyes overshadowed by his grey bangs as he held out a batch of dynamite sticks. Tsuna instantly started to panic, his trademark squeal echoing in the streets of Namimori. Yamamoto didn't seem fazed by Gokudera's behavior.
"Again with the fireworks, Gokudera? Put those away. You might really injure yourself." "These aren't fireworks, you crazy moron!!" "You're the one who's crazy, Hayato." Alice sweat-dropped as she held onto Takeshi's arm, dragging him away from the deranged Gokudera. "Don't mess with me!!"
"So, what's this about your Pops?" Alice ignored Gokudera, screaming in the background. "Pops?" Tsuna arched a brow at Alice. He sighed afterwards, letting it go. "It's just... The things he says and does have always been insane. Like you said, he's nothing but a irresponsible adult." Tsuna explained.
"Come on. He can't be that bad. Maybe I'll make an exception for your Pops." "Stop saying that..." Tsuna sulked. "When I was little, he was rarely home. Once, I asked him what he did for a living." Yamamoto, Alice and Gokudera gazed at Tsuna, their curiosity getting the best of them.
Tsuna took a moment to breathe in, and exhale, when Alice shook him like a deranged psychopath. "What did he say!! What did he say!! Don't keep us waiting!!" "Okay, okay!" Tsuna complained, feeling as if his arm could pop out any second. "He flies all around the world and manages traffic at construction sites." Tsuna sulked, feeling a surge of embarrassment for his Father well up inside of him.
"All around the world?" Gokudera asked in a daze.
"That's pretty wild." Yamamoto commented.
"What kind of lame-ass lie is that?" Alice retorted with a blank expression gracing her face.
"I know! My own Father lies about his job! Isn't that suspicious enough?!" Tsuna pulled on his hair. "N-not at all, Tenth!" Gokudera stuttered out. "Stop lying Hayato." "You're good at detecting lies, Alice." Yamamoto complimented the American female, earning a loud 'hah!' coming from her direction.
"Of course. I'm the best when it comes to lying to people."
"That's not a quality you should be proud of!!" Came Tsuna's booming voice, knocking Alice off her feet.
A moment of silence fell between the four classmates. A flock of birds flew past them in the sky, chirping occasionally as they did so. "Now that I think of it, he always said weird things." He clenched his hand into a fist. Gokudera and Yamamoto noticed Tsuna's change in attitude, even though it changed just a teensy bit. Alice was left in the dark, gazing at the flock of birds, flying to their unknown destination.
"Besides... It's just unthinkable that he couldn't manage to return even once in two years."
"Bye bye birdies." Alice waved them goodbye in the background. "Even if that kind of Father comes back now..."
Yamamoto scratched the back of his head, searching for a way to change the subject. "Want to go hang out somewhere?" "What kind of stupid-Oof!" "Let’s go and have some fun!!" Alice punched Gokudera in the gut, cutting him off in a violent manner. "Sonuva-" Gokudera held onto his stomach in pain. "Come on Tsunami. Forget about your family issues. Let’s go and have some fun, huh?" Alice pat Tsuna on the back, supporting him all the way.
"She's right... In a messed up way." Gokudera straightened himself out, giving Alice the eye. "Gokudera-kun..." "Besides... My family is messed up beyond recognition." Gokudera informed his Boss, earning a sympathetic smile from Tsuna's direction.
"Right... I guess Bianchi is the least of your problems in your family, Gokudera-kun."
"Ne, Alice." Yamamoto turned to her, his eyes scanning her from top to bottom. "Yeppers?" "What about your family?" "What about it?" That's right. Pierce-san has a family as well. It didn't even come to mind, until now. Tsuna thought to himself.
The three boys were looking at Alice as if they were about to pounce on her. Alice's dream surfaced in that head of hers. She felt like she did before, when she woke up to find herself alone. Yet, Alice managed to hide her true feelings. "I guess..." She looked away.
"I don't really see them as my family anymore. After my parents divorced, I got separated from my brother, so you could say that my family is no more." A gust of wind caught the students off guard. The leaves rustled loudly for what seemed like hours, until they finally calmed down.
"Oh..." Yamamoto began to say to break the silence. "You and your brother must be pretty close, huh?" Alice faced them, showing off her dazzling white teeth with a smile.
"I hate him." She said.
Tsuna didn't believe what he just heard. She just said she hated her brother while smiling so happily! "Okay..." Gokudera retorted after a few seconds of silence. "That's... Good to know." "Whatever. Let's go do something fun!" Alice brushed the matter aside.
"But what about school?"
"Screw school." Came Alice's rude response.
"I don't even know why you Japanese folks insist on going to school on a Sunday. A Sunday!" She exclaimed rather loudly. "No wonder you Americans are stupid." Gokudera muttered under his breath as he kicked away a stray rock. "It'll be fun. I've never skipped school before." Yamamoto grinned with his hands in his pockets.
"Since it's Sunday, let's invite the others too." The raven-haired boy finished off. "No way! It's gonna be just the three of us." "What the hell is that supposed to mean, Hayato!!" Alice pulled on Gokudera's tie, dragging him down to her level.
"Americans are not invited!!" "Then so are Italians!!" Alice growled dangerously, much like a dog would. Gokudera glared her down, his eyes flaring up in his annoyed state. Tsuna sighed deeply. A smile crept upon his lips as he felt a sudden surge of happiness go through him.
"Sure... Let's skip class." He shrugged, digging his hands in his pockets.
Alice's POV
"Bwahahahaha!! Lambo-san is coming through!! Make way for Lambo-san!!" The little cowboy ran through a crowd of people with I-Pin following his lead, yelling at Lambo to behave. Fuuta laughed heartily, not leaving my side. I gazed down at the young boy, surprised that he actually dares to stand so close to me.
I took a step aside, watching the boy closely with my crystal blue orbs. Sure enough, the kid looks up at me with a smile, holding onto my hand, as if telling me I couldn't get away from him.
"What the hell do you want from me!" I whined, admitting my defeat. I shouldn't have shown my interest in that stupid ranking book of his!! "How adorable." Kyoko and Haru chuckled at my words, whereas Tsuna had a look of confusion on his face. He's probably surprised at the fact that someone likes me, without me forcing the person that is.
"Can we go and have some fun now?! We can just ditch the snotty brats somewhere, no problem." Hayato stretched out his arms, meaning every word he said. "Hahi!! That's very mean-desuuu!! Children are innocent angels!!" Came Haru's response as she yelled in Hayato's ear.
I like her... I really do.
Hayato merely rolled his eyes at her words, ignoring her completely. "This is going to be fun, right, Tsuna-kun?" Kyoko inquired sweetly. Tsunami became all red in the face, avoiding eye-contact with Kyoko. "You're still a child, Tsuna." The baby hit-man commented with a smirk to follow, sitting on Takeshi's left shoulder.
"I'm not! I'm fifteen already, geez." Tsunami turned his back on his tutor, grumbling a few incoherent words under his breath.
"Tsuna-nii! I want to go to the amusement park!" Fuuta ran up to Tsunami, dragging me along with him. I swear... Someday, I will break free from this kid's hold on me!
"Yeah! Sounds like a good plan!" Takeshi messed up Fuuta's hair as he laughed.
"This sucks..."
--------------
So we went to the amusement park. My attention was placed onto a shooting gallery, wanting to try it out. "Want to go over to the shooting gallery, Fuuta?" I asked the boy. He nodded his head in all the excitement. His brown puppy-dog eyes lighting up as his lips curved into a sweet smile.
Maybe it's not so bad to spend the day with this kid, clinging onto me like a child would to his Mother. Besides... He reminds me of me... Whenever Dino's around.
"What a joke." I sighed.
I showed Fuuta how to line up the rifle, letting him go first. Fuuta, as cute and adorable he looked as he pulled the trigger, missed every target. He sighed as he wiped away the sweat forming on his forehead with his sleeve, making me laugh. He tries way too hard!
"I can't do it." Fuuta pouted. "Here... I'll show you how to blast your way into victory." I armed myself with my own rifle and hit three targets with three shots.
"Woah! Alice-nee!! You're amazing!!" "No biggie." I replied, twirling the rifle with my finger as I grinned. "Keh... I can do better." Hayato commented after seeing my little show. I arched my brow at him. "Party-pooper." I muttered under my breath, not wanting for him to hear. Fuuta laughed.
"Looks like fun. Can I join?" Takeshi walked up to us with that usual smile on his lips. "Is that a challenge?" I teased him, patting the rifle in my hand as if it were a living... thing.
"Ten in a row, and you get a prize. Think you're up to it?"
"Sure." He replied with a chuckle to follow. His chocolate brown orbs seemed to lit up for a second there, liking the challenge.
"Bring it on."
Takeshi stood beside me, holding onto his own rifle as he pushed me ever so gently. He's way too soft to pick a fight with me. "Watch and learn, baseball boy." I smirked, hitting another target as I pulled the trigger. Takeshi looked down at me, silently congratulating me with that bright smile of his.
Reborn, who was sitting on top of Tsunami's head, kept his beady eyes on me and Takeshi. We were just fooling around, neither of us taking the challenge seriously. As I noticed that we were the only ones talking, I turned around, coming face to face with a giggling Kyoko and Haru, a drooling Lambo and a shy I-Pin. Tsunami scratched the side of his cheek, giving me a small smile.
"What's up with you guys?" I asked.
In the background, I could hear Hayato arguing with Takeshi for the rifle. Takeshi accidentally pulled the trigger, in which Hayato insulted Takeshi for his stupidity while he was in tremendous pain. "If you want to try it out for yourself, just ask." I shoved the rifle in Tsunami's hands, winking at him as a plan formed in my head.
"E-eh! B-but I don't really..." He protested. "I don't know how to aim properly." "Of course you can, Tsuna-kun. I'll help out." Kyoko exclaimed happily. Bingo! I knew she wouldn't pass the chance to help him out.
"K-Kyoko-chan..." Tsunami was in his own little world, drooling a little as his grip on the rifle loosened. "Tsuna-san? Tsuna-saaaaan?!" Oh yeah... Haru has a crush on him. I totally forgot.
As Haru was about to interupt Tsunami's happy time with Kyoko, Reborn stepped in just in time. A hard enough kick against Lambo's rear end made the cowboy fall on his face, crying his eyes out. "Ara, Lambo-chan!" Haru gathered Lambo in her arms, ready to comfort him as best as she could.
"It's alright-desu. I'm here for you." "Bwaaaaa!!!" He wailed, sounding like a siren. "You want to play whack-a-mole?" "Uhuh..." Lambo nodded his head, wiping away his tears.
"I-Pin wants to play too!" I-Pin followed Haru to the next stop, whack-a-mole." Fuuta looked at them, feeling the sudden urge to join them. "Go ahead. I won't get mad." I said with a wink to follow. Fuuta nodded his head in response, a big smile gracing his face as he ran up to Haru and the others.
"See you later, Alice-nee!!" He waved at me, almost tripping over a stray can in the progress. He's such a good kid.
With a deep sigh, I turned back to the targets, wanting to shoot them down. "Where's my rifle?" I asked myself. Upon hearing Tsunami's laughter, realization dawned upon me as I turned my head in his direction. "Right... I gave it away." I answered my question, sighing as I scratched the back of my head.
A faint whistle reached my ears, making me look up at the source of the sound. "Up for round two?" Takeshi grinned in a wicked manner, acting like a smooth gangster all of a sudden as he twirled his rifle, failing in doing it properly.
I laughed at this, rolling my eyes in a playful manner. "Sure... Why not."
I reached out for the rifle in his grasp when I found myself in the circle of his arms, shifting my eyes as I started to panic slightly. "You okay?" Takeshi asked ever so innocently. "Could be better." I think I'm getting a bad case of claustrophobia.
"What is this, a smooching gallery?" Hayato managed to be a party-pooper once again, leaning back against a solid object. I pointed the rifle in his direction, aiming between his eyes.
"I don't think you should-" "Oh yes, I should." I cut Takeshi off, pulling the trigger with a loud bang to follow.
--------------
"You okay, Gokudera-kun?" "I'm fine, Tenth! Don't you worry!" Hayato exclaimed, showing off his beaming smile. "Pierce-san, stop laughing and apologize to Gokudera-kun." Tsunami turned to me. I sighed as I shrugged my shoulders.
"I'm sorry, Hayato. I hope you can forgive me for my unpleasant actions." I bursted out into laughter again as soon as I noticed the tiny red spot between his eyes. "Pierce-san..." Tsunami sighed as he smacked his head against the table from where we sat.
"You're killing me!" I yelled out in my native language, earning odd looks from Kyoko, Haru and Fuuta. "S-sorry." I snorted as my laughter ceased. Hayato rubbed the sore spot between his eyes, grumbling death-threats under his breath with my name on it.
"Lambo-san's hungry!" The cowboy pulled on my sleeve, looking at me with his big green eyes in a pleading manner. In turn, I averted my gaze to Haru, giving her the same treatment Lambo did to me. She sighed, a warm smile gracing her lips.
"The food we ordered will be here soon, Lambo-chan. Just be patient-desu." "But Lambo-san wants to eat now!!" He slammed his tiny fist against the surface of the table, scaring the crap out of Tsunami. He's waaaaaay too jumpy if a kid can scare him so easily.
"Anyway... You guys can stick around for the food. I'm itching to try out the roller-coaster ride." I said as I removed Lambo's hand from my sleeve. "Anyone want to join?" "I'm beat..." Tsunami retorted, making me smile. I wasn't really depending on him anyway. Tsunami on a roller coaster... Not a good combination.
"How about you, Haya-" "Don't even dare finish that sentence!" "Okay then..." I smirked. "Kyoko? Haru?" "I-I'm not good with roller-coasters." Kyoko answered slowly, feeling embarrassed. Man, if Ryo were here, he'd drag me over to the roller coaster ride himself. Still can't believe the two of them are related.
"I'll pass."
"Guess not..."
My eyes trailed over to Takeshi. Ah Takeshi! Good old friend of mine! He's bound to come along with me! "Sure. Why not." Takeshi got up from his seat, walking over to me. "Hurray! We have a winner!" I cheered, teasing Takeshi as he laughed.
I noticed the look on Fuuta's face. The look of disappointment. He swung his legs back and forth while crossing his arms, looking down. Damn... He makes me feel so guilty in five seconds flat. "Hey..." I got down to his level, placing my hand on his arm.
"You really want to join us in that dusty, rusted and not to mention very risky roller coaster ride?" I asked, squeezing his arm softly. "If you're trying to scare me, you're doing a pretty good job of it." Takeshi commented.
"That doesn't make a difference." Fuuta pouted, avoiding eye-contact. "How come?" "When it comes to being risky, you're number one in my ranking book." Fuuta explained, finally looking me in the eye. "You gotta be kidding me." Hayato groaned as Tsunami's eyes practically bulged out of his eye-sockets.
"What's so good about that?!" He exclaimed loudly.
"You're not afraid of anything. That's why you're lots of fun, Alice-nee." Fuuta engulfed me in a big hug, snuggling his head in the crook of my neck. Unshed tears blurred my vision as I held him tight, my lower lip shivering violently.
"You're such a good boy!!" I cried, unable to hold in my tears. "Seriously... It's nothing to be proud of, Pierce-san." Tsunami piped in. He remained quiet upon seeing Kyoko and Haru's very touched facial expressions.
"Group hug-desu!!" Haru jumped up, joining us with a big bear hug of her own. Kyoko, I-Pin and Lambo followed soon after, making it hard for me to breathe. Kyoko, Haru, I-Pin and Fuuta giggled and laughed, while Lambo yelled into my ear in his excitement.
"Looks like fun." Takeshi snickered.
"I guess it's okay for you to come along with us." I said, breaking the hug. "You mean it?!" "Sure. There are other fun stuff to do, other than the roller-coaster." Fuuta held onto my hand again, the smile on his face glowing brightly as he pulled me along. This ain’t gonna end well.
"Be careful, Fuuta!"
"I will, Tsuna-nii!"
"Break a leg, America." Hayato spoke, a blank expression gracing his face. "Thanks Hayato." I waved at him as the three of us walked off. "That's nice of you to say, Gokudera-kun." Tsunami beamed with pride.
"I was serious. I really hope she breaks a leg, literally." Hayato leaned back, yawning lightly as he placed his feet on the table. "R-right." Tsunami replied.
--------------
The three of us strolled on through the amusement park, washed this way and that by the crowd. Harassed Dads chasing after runaway toddlers, children glued to their cotton candy, teenage girls paired with teenage boys. The fairground machines swooped and spun in the background.
Fuuta dragged the two of us into the hall of mirrors, pulling funny faces and poses in front of the weirdly shaped mirrors.
Then we rode on the bumper cars, swirling giddily around the black-rubber floor to Japanese pop music. I let Fuuta drive, urging him to crash into Takeshi.
Takeshi won a teddy-bear, which he gave to a little girl who was crying because she dropped her cotton candy. He looked at me with those chocolate brown eyes of his, hesitating at first. But eventually, he figured that the little girl needed the teddy-bear more than I did.
Eventually, we reached the roller-coaster. I could hear the escalating rattle of cars speeding overhead, then a chorus of screams as they plummeted downwards. "Awesome..." I said in amazement at the sight of it. I felt Fuuta's hand in mine, squeezing me gently. I looked down at him with a smile.
"Don't worry. We won't leave you behind. Who wants to ride that thing..." The roller-coaster roared past us, followed by the sound of people screaming their lungs out. "Anyway." I finished off, crying a little inside.
"Come on. Let's go somewhere else." I prepared myself to leave, when Fuuta held me back. "You can go, Alice-nee. I feel bad for holding you back." The boy said. I could tell he put a lot of thought in his decision. "That's okay, really. You can't ride on it because of your height, so it would be unfair if I went on." "I'll be waiting here. Just have fun, Alice-nee." He began to push me forward towards the attendant.
"Two tickets please." Takeshi flashed a smile to the attendant, causing for her to blush. "S-sure." She stuttered out as he paid for the tickets. Takeshi didn't even notice her lingering hand on the tickets, eyeing him like a piece of candy on display.
"Thanks for the hard work!" He saluted her like a friend would. She glared in my direction as soon as Takeshi placed his arm around my shoulders. "Takeshi..." I sweat-dropped. "Hmm?" "You're an idiot." He laughed, knowing very well that I was serious.
Takeshi lead the way up to the waiting cars. I followed after him, ignoring the constant glares of multiple girls. I didn't even notice just how popular he is with the opposite sex. I guess he's a nice enough guy... Not to mention handsome.
I took my place beside Takeshi, then glanced back to Fuuta, waving at them from his spot. If only he were bigger. "Damn... I could have used his ranking book to make him look taller." "Did you say something?" "Nah. It's just my devilish conscience speaking." I retorted blankly while looking around. We strapped ourselves in and sat in silence, waiting for the cars to fill up.
"How is your old man coping up with the loss of his restaurant?" I asked him, growing fed up with waiting. "Hmmm... He's not mad anymore, that's for sure." Takeshi replied.
"I'm terribly sorry." I hung my head. "I tried to help. I really did. It's just that, whenever Kyoya shows up, I just lose it!" I pulled on my pigtails, an image of Kyoya smirking in a smug manner happened to pop up in my head as I clenched my teeth.
"Don't worry about it. You've given it your all, and that's good enough for me." Came Takeshi's reply. "Besides, Dino-san paid for the damage, so it's all good."
"Dino..." I sighed in contentment. He always bails me out whenever I'm in trouble. "My knight in shining armor."
"That's not all. Bianchi and Shamal-san managed to put our rivaling restaurant out of business." I let out a loud 'hah'. I imagined Bianchi, being chased by the perverted Shamal in the fast-food restaurant, making a huge mess out of everything. There's Bianchi's poison cooking, which also ruined their taste, I bet.
"How amusing. Can’t believe I missed it."
"What I'm trying to say is, everything's back to normal."
The car began to move, ratcheting its way up the first steep incline, hoisting us into the blue sky. At the top it wobbled perilously for a few gathering seconds. "Are you sure this is safe?" Takeshi asked, holding onto the steel safety bar in cheer worry. His body tensed up with a mixture of horror and joy. It's kind of funny. I've never seen him so nervous before. So full of fear.
"If we don't make it out in one piece, I still won't regret riding this thing!!" I exclaimed, welcoming the chance to fly into the face of danger once again. "I'm having second thoughts about..." The car tilted sickeningly into a nose-dive. "Thiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiis!!" Takeshi roared at the top of his lungs. "Hamburgeeeeeeeeeeers!!" I screamed. Eyes squeezed tight-shut, I held onto the safety bar and abandoned myself in the plunging, lurching, oaring movement.
There was thunder in my ears. Wind rushed into my open mouth. Up and down and up and around we went. Then again, that thrilling leap into the sky. Any second we were going to hurtle straight off the tracks into the blue sky, but I didn't care.
I felt as if I could fly. I felt at ease. I felt... at peace. This is what I live for. To run, fly, fall, dive, I don't care what as fast as I can! The roller-coaster slowed down, trundling back to its starting point. I let out a shaky sigh and opened my eyes. Takeshi's laugher filled my ears, having enjoyed the ride as much as I did. "That was fun." He said, climbing out of the car. "And you had second thoughts about this ride." I smirked, getting out as well.
When we emerged into the crowds, Fuuta was nowhere to be seen. "Where'd he go?" I pouted, a little worried. Takeshi shrugged his shoulders."Maybe he went back to Tsuna and the others." "I dunno." This isn't like him. He'd follow me to the end of the world, so it's not likely that Fuuta would move from his place. He would have asked me first.
"I'll go and take a look." Takeshi made a run for it, leaving me behind.
"I'll take a look around, then!"
And thus, the search for the ranking boy began. Seconds turned into minutes, and minutes turned into hours. After two hours of searching, I felt hungry and grumpy... And worried sick. Forgot about the most important thing...
"Fuuta... Where the hell is he. Tsunami is gonna kill me." I whined, wandering in the amusement park. A deafening crash filled my ears, followed by several screams. In the blink of an eye, the amusement park transformed into a battleground as the crowd of people dispersed around me. I fastened my pace, practically running in the opposite direction from which the crowd came. "This can't be good." As I closed in on the 'danger zone', I happened to spot Fuuta standing in the rubble. But he was not alone.
"Fuuta!! What are you doing all the way here-" "Alice-nee." He looked at me, his eyes holding the emotion we call fear. He ran up to me, holding onto me like no tomorrow. "Fuuta..." I gazed at the mystery male before me, demanding an explanation as to what's going on.
"Thou must leave this place. It is very treacherous!" The male held a serious expression on his face, his marine blue eyes flashing for a split second. That's when I noticed the blue flame, burning diligently on his forehead.
"Y-your head's on fire..." I pointed out, my right eye twitching in a nervous manner.
"Thou must flee!" He yelled out, the blue flame burning even more. I took a closer look at him, revealing several cuts and scrapes on his face. His clothes didn't look too shabby either. "Wait a minute... You’re the one who ruined our fun time?!" I exclaimed loudly. He took me off guard, holding onto my shoulders as he gazed into my eyes.
"Leave this place. I implore you, my lady." "My lady? Look here dude. I don't know what your problem is, but you're-" "VOOOOOOOOOOIIIIIII!!!!" A booming voice busted my eardrums as I turned to look at the source of the sound.
"Oh shit." I muttered out in English, my mouth agape at the sight of a long haired male. "There you are, you pesky little rat!!" The silver haired male swung his sword down, ready to slice and dice someone. Someone who stands in his way. Someone like me, for example.
He took a step forward, locking his silver eyes with my crystal blue ones. A smirk spread across his lips. He threw his head back and laughed, sending shivers down my spine. "Fuuta... Go and warn the others." "B-but Alice-nee. What about-" "JUST GO!!" Alarmed by the volume I carried in my voice, he stepped back. His tiny hand let go of mine as he did so. Flame boy's eyes widened in surprise, knowing what I was planning on doing. "Thou must flee as well! Please! Thou must heed my words!" "I AIN'T LEAVIN'!!" I turned to him, my eyes burning with desire as I clenched my hands into fists.
"Those wounds... It’s clear to me that you sustained them while protecting Fuuta." I continued to say as he held onto his arm. "A normal person would thank you and leave... But I'm not normal." I grinned mischievously, earning a weird look from him.
"I join the fray, and that's how I say my thanks."
"Thou are indeed odd."
"Those words, I throw back at you Flame boy."
I took a step forward, much like our silver haired enemy did. A sudden gust of wind came from out of nowhere, messing up my hair as I closed my eyes, allowing for my muscles to relax. He arched his brow at my actions.
"Come on."
I beckoned him with my index-finger. My lips curved into a smirk before his eyes, but this didn't seem to bother him. On the contrary; he was amused to no end. "COME!!" He readied his sword, his eyes gleaming dangerously as he prepared for the attack. Something tells me I ain't gonna survive this fight. This guys is out for blood. My blood.
"I just had to butt in."
At this time, Fuuta chose to make his escape. He ran as fast as his little feet could carry him.
Third POV
Alice leaned forward, disappearing without a trace as soon as Basil blinked his eyes. "What speed." A loud clash made him look up to Squalo, his enemy that he dragged along from Italy. "You're a fast one, aren't you?" Squalo commented with a sneer.
Alice struggled to keep her ground as he leaned forward with his sword. She managed to throw him off, but barely. A flock of her faint images surrounded Squalo in high speed.
"You're rather slow." She said in a mocking manner. Squalo grinned, his grey orbs seeming to follow her every move. "If I would have known that you're giving me permission to attack..." He lingered slowly, as if he had all the time in the world to assault her.
"I WOULD HAVE CUT YOU INTO TINY PIECES A LONG TIME AGO!!" He roared, swinging his blade in a dangerous manner, nicking Alice's shoulder. Alice jumped back as she held her bleeding shoulder, her face showing signs of fear at his sudden change in attitude.
"VOOOOOIII!!"
He dashed in her direction, releasing several jabs from his shimmering blade. Alice made an effort to dodge his blows, just barely. She released another salvo of double images, determined to avoid all of his blows.
Her eyes widened in pain as she felt the cool metal of his blade penetrate her shoulder, all the way through the shoulder-blade. Blood was seeping out of her fresh made injury. The pain was too much for her to bear, making it hard for her to breathe properly.
Squalo removed his blood-tainted blade from her shoulder, holding onto her neck as he raised her high, wanting for the whole world to see what he's capable of. Alice didn't struggle at all. Her body refused to do so. But what's being said in her mind, that's another story.
"That's it? That's all you've got?" He sneered. Alice's vision became all fuzzy and blurred, her hand gripping onto Squalo's in a tight hold, trying to loosen his grip on her. At least enough to let her breathe properly.
"VOOOOOIII!! I HAVEN'T EVEN WARMED UP YET!!" He roared as Alice shut her eyes firmly, trying her best to stay conscious. Who knows what will happen to her once she slips into darkness. Basil gripped his triangular blade, wanting nothing more than to aid Alice. But with his current condition, that isn't an option.
"Release her at once!!"
But that didn't stop him from trying. Squalo turned his head as he averted his attention to Basil. "I will release her..." He said, keeping a straight face. "If you feel like spilling it. Otherwise..." Alice gasped for breath as she felt the pressure increase at the base of her throat.
"G-gah..."
Dark spots blurred her vision even more as her constant pulling on Squalo's hand ceased completely. "She'll have to do the spilling for you." Squalo raised his blade, about to skewer his victim through the gut. "Thou hast me as an enemy." Basil muttered out for Squalo to hear. "You shouldn't have run off like a coward. At least this girl had the guts to face me in battle, and for that, she'll be properly buried." Squalo smirked, looking at the terror-filled expression on Basil's face, enjoying every second of his misery.
"Damn..." Basil closed his eyes. The feeling of defeat seeped into his heart and has failed the mission his master assigned him to fulfill.
"Pierce-san!!"
A voice filled with worry broke his train of thoughts, followed by the sound of running footsteps. Tsuna, Reborn, Yamamoto and Gokudera made their entrance, gazing at the destruction before them with shocking despair. "Sawada-dono..." Basil said in disbelief, looking at the scared expression of Sawada Tsunayoshi. "You'd better drop her right now, or you'll be messing with us." Gokudera stepped up while holding onto his dynamite staves.
"Huh?" Squalo cocked his brow, taking his sweet time to examine the three classmates with his eyes. He smirked as soon as his eyes landed on Yamamoto's drawn katana. "This isn't good." Reborn murmured.
"You can't do anything as long as I have her in my grasp. Blame him for your misfortune!!" Squalo laughed in a wicked manner, pointing at Basil with his blood-stained blade.
"This is your fault?!!" Gokudera held onto Basil's collar, instantly blaming him for everything. "Let him go, Gokudera." Yamamoto said as he kept his gaze on Squalo. "He's the guy we're after." "What should we do?!! He'll cut her up!!" Tsuna panicked. "We can't do anything as long as Babyface is near him." Gokudera released Basil, pushing him away, just slightly.
Alice struggled to see straight. She turned her head a little, looking at the worried expression Tsuna held on his face.
Yamamoto's stern face betrayed his true emotions, which he struggled to keep at bay.
A flicker of fear resonated in Gokudera's grey orbs after he took a closer look at Alice, but it wasn't the kind of fear he was used to.
They're... Worried about me. She thought.
"The Tenth doesn't like to see either one of us suffer, but if you still won't come to realize how lucky you are, I'll be forced to hurt you until your tiny brain-cell understands."
Alice understood. She understood very well what it means to have a family. Alice clenched her teeth as she swallowed her pride. Squalo noticed her change in attitude, eyeing her in his curious state. "Eat dirt, Hippie!!" Alice surprised the others with her burst of energy, including herself as she struck out at him with a heavy kick, knocking the wind out of him.
Squalo released his grip on her, allowing for Alice to crash down on her back painfully. He held his face, clearly in pain as Alice coughed violently while rubbing her throat. Her shoulder hurt like hell, but she was glad she got away from Squalo.
"Gokudera!!" Yamamoto charged. "Baseball freak!!" Gokudera followed suit, taking advantage of the opening Alice created. "VOOOOOOIII!! DON'T MESS WITH ME, BRATS!!" Squalo, clearly pissed at himself for getting hit in the face, yelled out with all his might.
Several amounts of gunpowder was released from his blade. Yamamoto was taken in by the destructive explosions that occurred. "Yamamoto!!" As the smoke cleared, Tsuna feared for the worst.
A loud clang could be heard, echoing into the distance. His katana changed into the plain looking bamboo sword, losing its edge. Yamamoto crashed down on his knees with the look of defeat on his face. After that, he closed his eyelids and lost consciousness.
"Bastard!!" Gokudera was up, about to release a salvo of his dynamite staves when Squalo charged in his direction, delivering a harshly punishing kick to Gokudera, rendering him unconscious and unable to battle. "Gokudera-kun!!"
Squalo was about to skewer Tsuna in his rage, when Alice let out a shrill whistle, earning his attention. "Is this what you're after?" Alice struggled to say between gasps of air, holding onto a mysterious black box. "P-Pierce-san..." Tsuna silently thanked heaven, for if Alice didn't step in, he would have been a dead man.
"Thou hast..." Basil muttered out in disbelief, placing his hand in his inner pocket to find out that he's been robbed.
"VOOOOOOOII!! HAND IT OVER!!"
"I figured this would be important. Your friend kept it close to him, after all." Alice coughed as she took a few steps forward. Her persistent determination and utterly stubborn nature came in handy at a situation like this. "Thou canst not give those to him!!" Basil cried out.
Alice ignored him completely as she walked up to Squalo. She opened the box, revealing its treasures to the world. "You can have it. It's yours." Alice closed the lid on it, throwing it at the silver-haired male. He caught it effortlessly while gazing at the blonde female before him.
"Smart kid." He smirked.
"Let me repay your kindness with mine."
Squalo's fist connected with Alice's stomach, knocking her unconscious almost instantly. "Pierce-san!" Tsuna crawled over to Alice's side.
"VOOOOOOIII!!! THANKS FOR THE LAME-ASS EXERCISE!!" Squalo roared, raising the black box in the air as he gazed at Basil.
"You're still the same rude-mannered fellow I remembered you to be, Superbi Squalo."
Squalo turned his head to come face to face with Dino Cavallone, otherwise known as Bucking-Horse Dino. His coffee brown orbs scanned the area, landing on the unconscious teens. "Bucking-Horse Dino. What the hell brings you here." Squalo glared.
"You're being awfully rough against a bunch of kids, don't you think so?" Dino took out his bullwhip, stretching it out in his hold.
"Keh... You're too late. I've got what I came for." Squalo retorted, his cockiness rising to a new level. "So I see." Squalo grinned from ear to ear as Dino glared him down.
"VOOOOOII!!"
Squalo began shooting several small amounts of gunpowder from his blade into the ground. As soon as the smoke cleared up, he was gone.
"The Vongola rings!! They're gone!!" Basil cried out in his dismay, running over to the spot where Squalo stood just mere seconds ago. "You okay?" Dino walked over to Tsuna, putting away his bullwhip. "Y-yeah..." Tsuna lowered his head, unable to look him in the eye. "What's the matter?" "I couldn't do anything. Yamamoto... Gokudera-kun... Pierce-san... They did their best to protect me." The boy spoke in a whisper, feeling ashamed of himself.
"You've got yourself a loyal and strong Family, Tsuna." Dino tried to comfort him. "Not strong enough." Tsuna retorted as he gazed down at Alice, avoiding her busted shoulder. "If only I put up a fight. If only I didn't have to depend on my friends all the time. This wouldn't have happened."
Dino's subordinates helped Yamamoto and Gokudera off the ground, supporting them as best as they could. "It's over. The Vongola rings are gone." Basil crashed down on his knees. "It's okay, really." Dino spoke up with a grin towards the brown-haired Italian.
"How can any of this be okay?!" Tsuna snapped. Dino ignored him as he closed in on Alice, lying there on the ground in her unconscious state. Something shiny rolled out of her pocket. As Dino picked up the object, he held his breath as his eyes widened dramatically.
"As quick as a wink, she is..." "Isn't that a Vongola ring!!?" Basil regained his hope. "I thought the long-haired guy stole it." Tsuna piped in.
"Looks like Alice stole them before that. Not a nice thing to do... Especially when the rings are a fake." Dino laughed nervously. "What?!! After all the trouble she's been through, you tell me that those rings are a fake?!!"
"She's gonna be pissed when she wakes up." Came Reborn’s newsflash for the following day. "She’s gonna be out for blood, like a true Mafioso." He smirked, finding it rather amusing.
"Most definitely." Dino sighed.
