Through the door of Ami's spare bedroom slept Benjamin, and a moment later the room was flooded with light as the door slid open. Benjamin awoke shortly after, his old eyes having trouble adjusting to the bright light.

Looking at the clock as he snatched his glasses from the nightstand, and he could hardly believe his eyes. It was only twenty minutes past twelve. The whole night was still before him. Benjamin was a light sleeper and had trouble falling asleep, thus there is reason enough for him to worry at this point.

His tiresome eyes spotted the teenager responsible for disturbing the peace. Alice stood there in pajamas and slippers with her eyes darted downwards, her blond hair flowing down past her shoulders.

"Alice?" Benjamin suppressed a yawn.

Alice fidgeted incessantly with a few strands of her golden hair and making subdued noises as she refused to look up. She kept staring at the floor and muttering, all the while, Benjamin began to look pretty tired. It became obvious that Alice had a bad dream or is about to have one. She is far too scared at the moment.

Benjamin smiled; as tired as he is, his job as a father is to comfort her until she calms down. "There's room for one more, although I presumed to share this bed with someone else other than you." He said with sarcasm but not meaning it, for Benjamin knows what goes on in a teenager's mind; never show you agree with your child's decision, for they will choose the opposite of what you say as a parent.

He beckoned for Alice to come closer. Then, Alice went and snuggled up to his side and he smiled down at her. Little by little the fear went out of her face. Benjamin had noticed, with a slight touch of amusement, the curious way in which Alice snuggled close to him. But before the snuggling in could be effected, Alice opened her eyes and glared at him, warning him not to speak.

Benjamin held a sparkle of amusement in his eyes. He figured Alice would be ashamed of being afraid. But her shivering form did bring forth an important question.

Just what is she afraid of?

It's been years since she last snuck in his bedroom, telling him with eyes all puffed and red from crying that a hairy monkey living under her bed was out to get her. It turned out to be Bob in a furry sweater, trying her best to remove the piece of clothing with her fangs, therefore scaring the crap out of Alice without meaning to.

It was innocent back then, but she isn't a child now. She fears something that truly exists, not a figment of her imagination. His next move confirms it...

"Don't turn off the light." Alice said as he reached out for the light switch, only to retreat in defeat. "Don't be silly Alice. You can sleep without the light on, can't you? You're a big girl-" "Don’t… Just don't turn off the light. Please..." The tone in her voice suggests that she's serious, not at all playful. Benjamin didn't feel comfortable in the least.

"What is it that you're afraid of?" He asked hesitantly.

A cold shudder ran down her back as she shivered faintly. A pair of mismatched eyes resonated in her mind, along with a sinister chuckle to follow. "Please Dad. Just," She mumbled from under the covers. "Don't ask." Benjamin didn't know what to do. His daughter was on the verge of crying, and he couldn't think of anything to help her.

A sense of restfulness invaded her, and she was grateful for that. She was very happy in the large, warm bed, wrapped within the sheets like a cocoon. She tried to make herself smaller still as she cuddled up against Benjamin, and she mumbled a short ‘thanks’ sleepily. "You're welcome." He stretched forth a hand and lovingly caressed her cheek.

Shortly after, Alice was fast asleep. It took Benjamin longer to fall into a deep slumber, but eventually, he grew accustomed to the light and fell asleep, and he was so tired that he never wakened until broad daylight.

--------

"You look like road kill."

It was probably on the stroke of seven, and Benjamin had been half asleep for some time, sitting on a lone bench when Tsuyoshi walked up to him. Benjamin half raised his head and blinked upon the world. It took him some time to recollect his thoughts. The whole story of the past night sprang into his mind with every detail.

"Don't ask." Benjamin replied with a tired tone in his voice. Readjusting his glasses, he rose from the bench to meet his friend. "Well, come on in the restaurant. I'll listen to whatever you have to say." Tsuyoshi grinned, wide awake.

He was an early bird, early to bed and early to rise. He's the bird that catches the worm and Benjamin is a dead one; another carcass on the pavement. Tsuyoshi's road kill statement makes perfect sense all of a sudden.

"Nah. I don't want to bother you, Tsuyoshi. You're not open for business yet, so I'll stop by later..." "The door's always open for a relative-in-law." Benjamin's icy-blue eyes met with Tsuyoshi's warm brown ones. There was a pause, then the two men chuckled, with in turn was followed by a torrent of good-humored laughter.

Benjamin accepted his friendly offer, grateful of the fact that they get along so well. "The food's free, right?" He placed himself at a table with another chuckle to follow. "Don't push it. If you’re anything like that daughter of yours, I'll be out of business in no time." Tsuyoshi joked as he made his way behind the counter. "Don't worry; she didn't get her bottomless appetite from me." "Good to know!" Tsuyoshi retorted as Benjamin smiled. He felt less tired and a little more energetic than before, thanks to Tsuyoshi's presence.

"Here," Tsuyoshi filled Benjamin's shot glass right to the brim with chilled sake. "It’s still a little early to be drinking, but I figured you desperately need a boost of alcohol to stay awake." He beamed, placing himself opposite of his American friend. Benjamin appreciates his concern and downed the first shot without hesitation. Tsuyoshi figured it would be difficult for him to drink it without spilling, but was proven the exact opposite.

"You didn't have to look around for a shot glass. An ochoko cup was good enough, my friend." Tsuyoshi refilled his shot glass. "This little glass doesn't fit with the sake, much like Americans are the cause of fattening the Japanese with our hamburgers, cheeseburgers, chicken products, French fries and so on." "You sound drunk already." Tsuyoshi chuckled.

Benjamin downed the second shot, slamming the glass on the table. "I'm right and you know it." He felt more awake by the minute, a spark of life returning in his eyes. "I'd say our kids are doing just fine, despite your negative complaints." "God bless those kids." Benjamin said to no one in particular. "I'd say they're blessed enough; one with her endless appetite and the other with his endless patience to put up with it." Benjamin couldn't agree more. Tsuyoshi knows what to say and when to say it.

"Speaking of the kids... Where's your son at? I'd like to ask him about something, now that I'm here."

"He's in his room. Takeshi didn't do anything wrong, did he?"

"No, he's a good kid."

Benjamin smiled, putting Tsuyoshi's mind at ease. "It's just... The reason why I couldn't sleep was because I kept thinking of Alice, who was so afraid last night of something I didn't know about." His shoulders hung low in his depressed, almost lifeless state.

"I've never seen her so scared before, Tsuyoshi. She was shivering all over." Tsuyoshi frowned. He can't imagine Alice, brave Alice, afraid, of all things. He knew her well enough to know that she does not and will not fear anything. Even if she were afraid, Alice is the type of girl to keep a tough front.

"I was just hoping if Takeshi knows what's going on. The two of them are close, he must know something." "Must know something about what?" Benjamin turned his head and surveyed Yamamoto through his glasses until the boy, acutely insensitive of being so scrutinized, felt the need to lock his eyes onto Benjamin's surprised form.

"What happened to you? You're in shambles." He got up from his seat and closed in on Yamamoto, utterly shocked. No doubt he'll grow suspicious after this. Yamamoto didn't feel like worrying Benjamin by telling him the truth, but then again, he didn't want to lie either.

He just stood there, feeling uncomfortable under his gaze.

"A group of punks roughed him up after playing a match of baseball with my boy. They ended up losing both the game and their self-control." Tsuyoshi got up on his feet, lying like a pro all of a sudden unlike his lame attempts at trying to hide his skills with a knife. Oyaji... Yamamoto gazed at his old man, feeling proud.

"In broad daylight? How dangerous can this neighborhood be?!" Benjamin fell for the lie, growing outraged at the mention of a crime. "Don't you worry boy. I'll get those punks if it's the last thing I do!" He placed his hand on Yamamoto's shoulder, looking him straight in the eye as a fire was burning in his eyes.

"Retired from the force or not, I can easily throw them into jail for attempted murder." "T-they weren't out to kill me. It was just a little fight." Yamamoto stuttered, completely baffled at Benjamin's desire for justice. "No need to worry. If there's no evidence, I can still frame them into jail." He said this with a smile while patting Yamamoto on the head.

The boy laughed nervously. Benjamin's obsessive authority equals Ryohei's extreme habit of breaking his limits. "Your words don't exactly lessen my worries..." He's a fearsome guy, despite his looks. The boy sighed. "Just leave those punks up to me. But about Alice..." The spark in his eyes diminished.

"I need for you to watch her, to keep an eye on her." Yamamoto could feel Benjamin's hand take a firm grip on his shoulder, clenching it hard enough to show just how serious he was.

"She's scared, and when she's scared, Alice makes stupid mistakes. You know that, right?" Yamamoto nodded. He could tell Benjamin referred to what happened years ago. How Alice lost control over herself and beat a person to death.

"I'll see what I can do."

--------

Yamamoto looked at Gokudera with cunning eyes. Gokudera matched his poker face, his eyes scanning the cards in his hand for a brief moment. He managed to hold in a groan of disappointment. Not a pair.

"Four cards," He said. Gokudera dealt them out, looked at his own hand, and, keeping a pair of queens, took three more cards. He failed to improve and threw them upon the table. With frantic eagerness Yamamoto checked his cards – then with a wide smile of triumph he threw down a pair of aces. "I win!" He laughed.

"You obviously cheated!" Gokudera freaked, and with reason. He had grown tired of defeat at the hands of Alice, who self proclaimed that she’s good at Poker, which she really was; she has defeated Gokudera five times in a row.

He was naive into thinking that Yamamoto was an easy target.

"Takeshi kept an ace and drew another. He didn’t cheat." Alice explained, her eyes having seen everything. "I demand a rematch! As the Tenth’s right hand man, I can’t afford to lose!" "Be a man and accept defeat Squid-head!!" Ryohei yelled, causing for everyone’s eardrums to crack.

"Must you be so loud?!!"

A cold hand silenced him as it was pressed upon his shoulder. Lifting his eyes from the stack of cards, they fell upon the face of Ami. "Please keep your voice down, Hayato-kun." She smiled, although he mistook her smile for a sinister smirk. Cold dew covered his forehead, and his teeth chattered. He was scared stiff.

"I thought you guys would be hungry, so I brought over some snacks and drinks." "I'll start with the chocolate-chip cookies!" Alice held out her hand as soon as Ami placed down the tray, sending the girl a disapproved look. She caught her eye and retreated. "Enjoy." Ami said, and she walked out the door.

"Since when did she come in?!" Gokudera hissed urgently. "That woman isn't normal." He was certain Ami's simple housewife routine served as a cover to the fact that she made no noise, and because of that, he began to see the woman as an expert assassin.

"You're such a wuss." Alice insulted the boy as she nibbled patiently on a cookie she had her eyes on for the last minute. The surface of the table was covered with a layer of crumbs.

"You're the wuss, wuss!" Gokudera fired right back at Alice. She gathered up the crumbs with the tip of her finger, wasting nothing of the cookies which was baked for special occasions. Her friends coming over is reason enough for Ami to bring out the treats, it seems.

"Okay, okay. Nobody's a wuss here." Yamamoto interfered before the two flew at each other’s necks. "Hayato's a sore loser, that's what he is." "Am not!" Gokudera looked so childishly vexed while Ryohei, who watched them argue without uttering a word, grew confused beyond recognition.

"You two crushing on each other?"

Suddenly, the boxer felt very small as Alice and Gokudera placed their eyes on Ryohei; the glare in their eyes was like the glare of a wild beast. Amazed and intimidated, he gazed at them in silence.

"Loser!"

"Lousy American!"

"Oh, like being Italian is any better, jackass!"

"I hope you choke on your damn cookies!!"

"I hope I will!!"

As the two finally ceased with the yelling, they gasped for breath, still glaring at one another with the burning desire to become the victor in this foolish battle. Yamamoto laughed. He just broke down and laughed on the spot. Alice threw a cookie at him and chuckles as he dodged it. Gokudera arched his brow, seriously doubting the sanity of his classmates.

Alice drew a long, deep breath. "He's out training again, isn't he?" She asked while looking down at her cards. "Yeah... Tsuna's really going for it." Yamamoto sighed. Training or not, the four of them felt that he should be here. For some reason, it felt wrong to laugh without him.

"Speaking of training, don't you extremely need to prepare yourself for the Cloud match?" Alice glanced over at Ryohei. She shrugged her fragile shoulders. "He won't need my help." She sighed. "He won't accept my help, let alone allow it. So why bother?" "You really want to help that jerk?" Gokudera asked, utterly amazed and baffled at her words.

"Hey, I'm the Wind Representative. I'm supposed to look out for you guys." "But still, you helping Hibari? That's like... not you." Alice rolled her eyes. "Thanks for the newsflash, genius. I really appreciate it." "No worries Alice." Yamamoto pats her on the back. "You can finally take it easy."

"Yeah, but that's just the thing! I don't want to take it easy. I want to fight!" Alice retorted with her hands in her hair. "There's that, and he'll look cool without me there... Like a vicious wolf on the battlefield, biting the Varia to death with his lethal fangs." Gokudera, Ryohei and Yamamoto were staring at her with eyes wide, Ryohei looking more amused out of the three.

"You're nuts! Who cares if Hibari looks cool!" Gokudera spat. "I care! Weren't you listening?!" "You. are such. an idiot!" "You're no more an idiot than I am!" Once again, the two were engaged in a heated argument, apparently forgetting the presence of Yamamoto and Ryohei.

"I don't need this." Gokudera said abruptly, breaking the argument as he stormed out the door, "I would just like to remark," he said before slamming the door behind him. "That you are the biggest idiot in the United States, and therefore, the biggest idiot in the world!"

Alice winced as the door slammed shut with much force. There was no doubt in her mind that she had to rethink her reasons for fighting alongside Hibari in the next match. Yamamoto and Ryohei didn't know what to say. They simply gazed at the door, dumbfounded.

Alice turned her head, facing her friends while smiling nervously. "Snacks anyone?"

After an hour or so, the two said their goodbyes and left Alice alone, practically lying about having something important to do. Yamamoto and Ryohei felt they should leave her to her own thoughts as to what she'll do for the Cloud match. Reflecting on the matter, and without looking left or right, Alice crossed the street while in deep thought.

She stopped in the middle of the road, looking up. "Hayato's right... I really am an idiot." Her ears caught the whining of an engine, and from the corner of her eye, she could see an all too familiar red convertible speeding in her direction. Time itself seemed to slow down when the brakes were hastily applied, the sparkling car coming to a standstill mere centimeters before a blank-faced Alice.

The girl whistled, looking curiously at the car. "I guess this confirms my idiocy." She mumbled while placing her hand on the hood of the car, which she regretted in mere seconds. "Fuck, that thing is hot!" Alice jumped up. The driver, stupefied and aghast, got out the car and stood looking at Alice.

"Alessa! Mi dispiace!" Romario panicked. "N-no problem. I'm an idiot for standing in the middle of the road, so it's not your fault." She felt dumber by the second. Ever since Gokudera called her an idiot in the worst way possible, bad things seemed to happen to her, and she was the only one to blame for her dumb actions.

"It's my fault." Dino got out of the car, ignoring the stares he was getting from the people passing by. "I told Romario to speed up." He looked up guiltily, and his eyes met hers. She laughed. His face has lost its shine, looking absolutely depressed and ashamed.

"Don't mention it!" "Idiota..." He sighed. Her eye twitched uncontrollably as she stopped laughing altogether. Did he just call me an idiot? "Sono un idiota grande." Dino smacked himself in the face. "Okay I get it, I'm an idiot! The biggest one there is!" She freaked, flailing her arms about, worrying Romario into thinking she might actually take flight.

"Just don't pick on me!" She cried.

Dino laughed, afterwards telling her he was calling himself an idiot. "Why on earth would I call you an idiot?" "Oh, no reason really..." Alice replied sarcastically. "Boss, we should continue ahead." Romario piped in. "W-where are you guys going?" Alice asked, not meaning to sound so alarmed. "We're heading to the hospital. I got some unfinished business to... finish, sort of."

"You're gonna shoot someone?!"

"No. I repeat; there will be no shooting."

"Aww..."

She broke down, looking utterly disappointed. Romario chuckled at her enthusiasm, as wrong as it was. "Then what?" Dino made himself comfortable in his seat, whereas Romario placed himself in the driver’s seat, checking the car’s condition from there.

"I can't tell." Dino was about to lock his safety belt when he heard a soft whimper. He regretted looking up, into Alice's eyes; she looked much like a little pup behind bars in a dog pound, hoping in her heart that Dino can be so nice as to take her home with him.

"I'll be good. I swear on my grave."

"You're not dead yet." Dino stated matter of factly. "I can't swear on my Dad's grave, you know that!" "You shouldn't swear at all." "Fine, go without me!" She pouted, her lower lip trembling as her heart broke into thousand pieces, her eyes filled to the brim with unshed tears.

There was a peculiar charm in her manner; she hung her shoulders, making herself look smaller, she bit her lower lip as her tears threatened to spill. The mingling of sadness and hope displayed on her face made Dino grimace in pity for the girl. "I'm sorry Alice. I wish I could-" Again her piteous whimper touched the tender heart strings of the Italian Mafia Boss.

"What the heck. I guess you can tag along."

"I knew you'd break sooner or later!"

Alice instantly made her way into the vehicle, crawling over Dino so clumsily that he laughed in great glee while saying, "It's nice to know that you think so highly of me." She locked her seat belt, gracing Dino with a wide smile. He flashed an infinitely attractive smile in her direction. Unconsciously Alice fiddled with the seatbelt she just locked--it seemed so hard for her to breathe all of a sudden.

Holy shit... I'm in the backseat of Dino's car! The god of stupidity must be smiling down upon her. If not, Alice's content smile that borders to the line of creepiness will suffice. The car purred as Romario looked about, as if looking out for another lunatic, the first one being the blinking little girl sitting behind him. From the corner of his eye, he spotted something move near Alice's place, but ignored it all the while.

Yamamoto peeps around the corner of Alice's house as Dino's red convertible sped off into the distance. He felt like a creepy stalker for following Alice around, but he constantly reminded himself that he promised Benjamin he'd take care of her. That he'd find out what was wrong with her.

A greater part of the conversation which he overheard informed him of their next destination. The hospital. And forthwith he crept stealthily around the corner of the house, and ran with all his might down the streets, determined to confront Alice there.

"Here," Alice felt Dino's hand take a hold of hers. She went straight up into the seventh heaven of delight and bliss. "I wouldn't be a good big brother if I didn't take care of you properly, after all." "Eh?" Alice opened one eye, peeking down at her hand which was now bandaged.

"That'll do it, for now at least." She was crestfallen. Again with the big brother crap?! Romario glanced at his mirror as he chuckled, taking in Alice's baffled expression. "Does it still hurt?" Dino questioned the seethed Alice, feeling humiliated as it is. I'm not a kid! Is what she wanted to scream, but her pride stopped her from doing so.

Dino kissed Alice's hand, and she found herself blushing so hotly that steam made its way through her ears, her insides turning into a mushy goo. "Does that feel better? Did the pain go away?" Dino asked, his voice containing a fair amount of worry for the girl as he took a good look at her.

He couldn't see her eyes, for her bangs concealed them perfectly as she looked down. Alice's figure was so shy; she made herself appear smaller again, practically becoming one with the leather car seat. In Dino's eyes, Alice hasn't changed, for he always saw her as a fragile, weak, little girl, which explains why he was so against the idea of Alice joining the Mafia .

She could feel his shining eyes on her, and so, she nodded once. His soft chuckle reached Alice's ears, but she didn't find this awkward situation funny. "You're so cute." He said while running his fingers through her bangs, making it so a few strands of hair were standing up.

"Shut it."

She readjusted her hair, her ears burning bright red as she looked away. "Alright. I was just teasing you, is all." Despite feeling that her heart was beating violently in her chest, she kept reminding herself that Dino sees her as his little sister and nothing more.

It gave her a horrible, lonely, dazed, helpless feeling.

The creaking of the leather material filled her ears. She spotted Dino leaning back in the car seat, closing his eyes with a content sigh. Alice smiled. She felt the negative feelings ebb away at this point.

Seeing his serene face from this angle, she wouldn't have thought him to be so sharp. Most of the time, anyway. "You must be really tired." Her words came out in a low whisper. "The Boss has been working non-stop, so it’s no wonder he's tired." Romario retorted, having heard her soft words.

Alice looked at him, practically demanding to know what he has been working on through means of her glaring eyes. "I really can't tell you, Alessa. It's classified information." He smiled. Alice turned back to Dino. Whatever it was, it drained him from his strength completely.

Her eyes were fixed on Dino, and, after a silence of some minutes, she said, with a faint smile trembling on her lips: "Idiota."

Shortly after, they arrived at the hospital. Alice shook the sleeping Dino, urging for him to awaken. He awoke suddenly, sitting straight up, and putting his hands to his tousled hair, with a half-startled "Where am I?" when he collided head to head against Alice, who was shocked beyond belief. "S-sorry!" Dino's panicked voice reached the outside world, earning odd looks from his subordinates, blocking the entrance of the hospital without them realizing it.

As soon as Romario opened the door, the men burst into laughter, for they watched Dino and Alice fall; a clumsy, shapeless heap upon the concrete. It was infinitely more clumsy than the clumsiest accidents Dino always finds himself in.

"Oww..." Dino moaned painfully as he blinked his eyes. "Dino! You alright?!" Alice panicked as soon as she noticed he broke her fall. "I'll be okay-" "Speak to me!! Don't go to the light!!" She shook him vigorously, the back of his head thumping against the surface of the road quite painfully.

Seeing Alice's violent actions on their Boss only increased the laughter, until finally, Romario helped her on her feet. Dino followed after he could see clearly again, rubbing the back of his head as he grimaced.

"Glad you made it in one piece, Boss." Dino fell victim to his subordinates' constant teasing. "A middle-scholar attacking our Boss... Talk about torture." "Very funny." Dino retorted with his cheeks tinted pink, very much embarrassed. "It really hurts." He felt the back of his head again, the pain increasing under his touch.

"Another bruise." He sighed while hanging his head.

"Another bruise?!" Alice jumped on him piggy-back style, automatically wrapping her arms around his neck which caused for Dino to panic slightly; knowing her strength, she'll strangle the life out of him. "Where's the other bruise, then?" She muttered, truly confused.

"On my back." He said, a blank expression gracing his face.

It didn't take long for Dino's men to laugh until their stomachs' simply hurt too much to handle. Bono inched closer to Alice, on his face shone the grin of a true Mafioso. "If I were you Alessa, I'd never let him go." Alice, as shy as she was when it comes to Dino, truly didn't let go of him; she hugged him so tightly his face turned blue. Alice on the other hand blushed a deep rose-color. She said nothing, but her bright, happy eyes showed too clearly that her young heart was no longer her own: Alice was head over heels in love with Dino, and she was rapidly growing to like him even more with each passing day.

"This is your stop, Alessa." Romario held onto a surprisingly light Alice and placed her down. "My stop? I'm going with you guys. I'll go wherever you go, Dino." "We've been through this already." The Mafia Boss complained. "What I'm working on is a secret, and I plan on keeping it that way." "B-but I can keep a secret-" "I'm sorry Alice. I have to put my foot down on this one." Her eyes narrowed to mere slits of jealousy beneath her lowering brows.

"It's about a girl, right?"

"W-where'd you get that idea?!"

She watched the retreating form of Dino who flushed crimson at her words. A flush of rosy color rose to Alice's cheeks as well, growing well aware that she shouldn't have said something so inappropriate. Just then, a door slid open, revealing a rather dazed Kyoko standing in the doorway. She gazed at Alice, and then at Dino, looking back and forth as she connected the dots.

"N-not like I care either way!" She scoffed with her bubbly cheeks burning heavily as soon as she became aware of Kyoko's presence. "You do care, obviously-" "Hurry up and do whatever you have to do! Don't waste time standing around."

She pushed Dino with force, wanting nothing more than to forget this embarrassing moment. Romario couldn't help but chuckle, seeing his Boss getting pushed around by a fifteen year old. It amused him to no end as to what Alice makes him go through on a daily basis.

"Catch you later!" Dino waved as he walked off, Romario following his lead. "Whatever!" She yelled after him.

Kyoko sends Alice a sweet, girlish smile. "A lovers’ quarrel?" Said Kyoko, fixing her eyes on Alice. "I wish." Alice answered quietly. Kyoko's ears picked up on her words, because her smile grew even more sweeter and serene. "It's funny." She began to say with a soft giggle to follow. "You must really, really like him." "Yeah..." Alice hung her head, utterly depressed. "It's hard to make a dude fall head over heels for me. But with Dino, I feel that I have a chance... You can go ahead and laugh now."

Alice looked Kyoko in the eye, her clueless face making her blood boil a teensy bit. Beautiful brown eyes, long eyelashes, florid lips made to kiss, beautiful clustering short hair that one's fingers itch to play with, such a waist as might make a boy clasp the air involuntarily, thinking of twining his arm around it, little feet that tread so lightly they hardly seem to walk upon the ground. Kyoko really is Namimori-Middle's school idol.

Envied by the girls, loved by the guys.

"Actually, all I got to say," she enunciated cheerfully. "is that I envy your straightforwardness, especially when it comes to love. That, and the fact that you're still madly in love with the same person for such a long time." "Well excuse me for trying! It's not easy for me to-whut?!" Alice looked at her, taken aback for a moment. Kyoko's admiration for Alice, slowly at first, grew in her face.

"You're envious... of me." Kyoko nodded. "Me? Seriously?" "Is it that hard to believe?" "Hell yeah!" A nurse passed by, looking disapprovingly at Alice for disturbing the peace. She scratched the back of her head, truly sorry for raising her voice in a hospital.

She still couldn't believe it. Her tactless and unnecessary straightforwardness and her obsession over one guy is something to envy in Kyoko's eyes. She could see the envy in her eyes, in her heart. "You gotta be kidding me." Alice sighed, then smiled.

"I could never show so much affection towards my crush, which makes me admire you, Alice-chan." The flame of her ego flared up, appreciating the flattery of Kyoko's kindness and honesty. "Not only that..." Kyoko looked at Alice with that anxious troubled look in her eyes.

"I'm envious of you and Onii-chan."

"What? Me and Ryo? Why?" Alice rambled.

"I know he lies about his wounds. And I know for a fact that he'll never lie to you. He confides in you his secrets. He trusts you." She said, grasping Alice's arm softly. Alice couldn't do anything but stare at her. Kyoko was clearly upset, even if for a little bit. "There is nobody--he told me so himself when he talked to me--there is nobody he likes so well as you, or trusts so much."

Kyoko's heart was overcharged with worry. Despite that, she doesn't request for Alice to tell her what they're involved in. She knows Ryohei doesn't want for her to worry, thus, she doesn't ask about it, but the bitter taste of envy lasts.

Alice said, cheerily, but not quite so cheerily as she tried to say, that she doesn't need to worry--that Ryohei will be looked after by her, as are the others. This was a good enough answer for Kyoko. She moved aside and beckoned for her to enter.

As soon as she set a step inside, a heavy stone of sympathy and sorrow dropped into the well of Alice's heart. Little Lambo lay in his hospital bed, weak and weary. His usual stupid appearance was gone. He looked fit to be laid in a coffin: his face was as pale as death. It was evident from his face and knit brows that his resolution to recover was growing weaker.

Nana, who sat beside Lambo, ran her fingers through his thick curled hair of raven blackness. She didn't notice Alice's presence at all. She was focused on Lambo and Lambo alone.

Alice looked at Kyoko as if telling her she shouldn't be here. Kyoko closed the door behind her and nudged Alice gently forward. "Ara, Alice-chan." A startled Nana looked up and spotted the nervous Alice, looking down at her two feet. "I'm glad to see you're alright." The woman smiled.

"I'm okay. I mean, why shouldn't I be?"

"Tsu-kun told me you weren't feeling very well. Isn't that why you couldn't visit Lambo-kun until now?"

"Y-yeah..."

Another lie. Tsunami's really going for it, alright. She didn't need an excuse for not dropping by sooner. She just forgot all about little Lambo, and as much as she wanted to tell Nana the truth, she couldn't.

"I'm fine now." "That's good news." Nana was slightly relieved. Of course, Lambo is the reason for most of her worries. Alice closed in on the cowboy. His tiny body rose with each breath. Close to him lay several plush dolls with their own specific look, feel and personality, bearing a likeness of the people she knew.

"Aren't they adorable?" Kyoko whispered, as not to disturb Lambo's sleep. "Haru-chan made them and I helped a bit. This way, he won't be as lonely." Carefully, Alice dropped a hand to the doll that represented her: it had the same twin-tails, those chubby cheeks, big blue eyes and playful pout Alice couldn't seem to go without.

Her fingertips traced the neat little stitches, a smile dancing on her lips with delight. "They're great." Her eyes fell upon the Tsuna doll. She had a good view on Gokudera, Yamamoto and Ryohei too. Giving in on temptation, Alice held onto Tsuna and Ryohei, imitating their typical behavior.

"Join the boxing club to the extreme." She whispered with a heavy voice matching Ryohei's, moving the doll as she speaks. If only there was a Tsuna doll with only his underwear. The scene would have been perfect, but that's asking for too much.

Kyoko giggled at the scene with her hand covering her mouth. Nana smiled warmly, silently thanking Alice for the little puppet show, for Alice's lovable warmth is sure to reach Lambo's tender heart.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?"

Ten minutes later, Gokudera burst into the room, along with a dazed Haru and grinning Ryohei. "Hahi! Alice-chan! Long time no see-desuuu~" The energetic girl pushed Gokudera aside as soon as she spotted Alice. Gokudera send her an angry look. "Could you stop bouncing off the walls like an energetic bunny for ten seconds?!" "I was just trying to lighten the mood!" Haru glared at him. "The American idiot is doing just fine with accomplishing that goal, so there's no need for you!"

"You guys crushing on-"

"Don't you dare say it!!"

"I'll be quiet." Ryohei grinned with his hand raised, surrendering to Gokudera's rage. "Did all of you come to visit Lambo-kun? How lovely."

"Hello, Tenth's Mom!" Gokudera forgot about Haru and bowed deeply before the Mother of his Boss to show his respect. "You crushing on her too?" Alice whispered to him, smirking devilishly. "Shut. up." He muttered, short and deadly with his lips barely moving, keeping his eyes on Nana who told him there's no need to bow before the likes of her.

"Onii-chan. When did you get here?" "A while ago. I came here to check up on my wounds." He raised his busted arm a bit with a reassuring smile to follow. "You should do the same, Alice." His steady gaze was placed on Alice who was too busy making a fool of the Gokudera doll, constantly making it bow down to the spitting image of herself.

"All hail the queen." She muttered as Gokudera growled in the background, ready to give her hell.

"Just let her be, Onii-chan." Ryohei ignored his sister and walked over to Alice. Kyoko's eyes widened in mild surprise, seeing her brother lean over and whisper in Alice's ear. Alice in turn, whispered curses of indignation and astonishment.

Ryohei made a sign to Gokudera and stepped back to give Alice some space. Kyoko felt small and weak as if the best part of her had been torn away and irretrievably lost: the bond she shared with her brother meant everything to her. "Is there something wrong?" Nana asked.

"It's nothing to worry about. I just need to... check up on someone. Sort of." Alice explained. She averted her gaze from Nana to Lambo, who was still sleeping. "Bye bye, Lambo." She stroked his hair which flattened a bit under her touch.

"Get going." Gokudera nudged for her to leave with his hands in his pockets, looking ever so rebellious. "Aye aye sir." She saluted him on the way to the door, shutting it after her.

"Too bad... I didn't get to see the end of the play." Nana sounded truly disappointed. Kyoko and Haru laughed, Kyoko's laughter sounding a bit more faked than she wanted it to be. Gokudera and Ryohei cast one look at Nana, then at the dolls, afterwards shifting their eyes on each other. Suddenly, the two bolted for the plushies, wanting to avoid being made fun of such as Alice demonstrated before.

"The dolls are a huge success-desu!!"

Haru's bubbly voice reached Alice's ears as she raised her brow, very much amused. Two men wearing doctor coats passed by chatting animatedly with one another. She stood and stared and stared, till suddenly she could see the image of Yamamoto, leaning with his back against the wall.

With a face full of light and thought, full of a complex inner struggle, he gazed at his feet. No crowd was near; no people were around for a quick visit; not even a chance passerby was in the hallway. Alice pushed the digits of a nearly empty vending machine. Picking up a can of Cola, she arose and faced Yamamoto again.

By this time, he took a seat in the waiting space without noticing her presence. Yamamoto had looked at the clock many scores of time. He tattooed at the table in a restless manner. He kept clasping and unclasping his big hands as if he were trying to make sense of things. A thud later, he was looking at a Coca Cola can. "Here, baseball champ." Yamamoto showed no surprise upon hearing Alice's voice, and his unsteady fingers reached out for the beverage.

After opening the can, he naturally glanced at Alice herself, who sat as mute as him, balancing the brimmed bottom of her Cola can on the surface of the table; and just when Yamamoto was looking at her and wondering--quite in the simplicity of his heart-- how troubled she might be, it happened that Alice raised her head a little to look at him, when both pair of eyes were hastily withdrawn.

Yamamoto averted his eyes back at the clock, and Alice at her can, each in extreme confusion at having been detected by the other. "How's your arm?" Alice asked carefully. "It's fine." His answer was short and powerful. Not at all like him. Alice looked him in the eye, overcoming her shyness. She figures she doesn't have to be shy around him, for he clearly isn't shy anymore.

"Why'd you wait out here for? You could have hung out with us in Lambo's room." Alice managed to balance her half empty can of cola. Normally, Yamamoto would be amazed, but the little trick didn't impress him in the least this time. "I wanted to talk to you in private."

"Well then. Spit it out." Alice leaned back on her seat, her arms dangling at the back. "You're scared." Alice frowned at his words. "Why would I be scared?" She looked at him, their eyes meeting again. His looks were perceptibly hardened, his brow contracted, little by little; he regarded her with the saddest look of confusion and betrayal.

"He threatened to kill you, Alice. You can't be fine after what happened yesterday." She shrank in her seat, utterly ashamed. "Why does he want to do you harm?" He paused; waiting and watching her. Alice made no reply.

A flash of impatience leaped up in his eyes. He repeated his last words in louder and sterner tones. "Why does Rokudo Mukuro want to do you harm?" She replied this time. His tone had hurt her--his tone has roused her sinking courage. "H-he wants me out of the picture." She panicked slightly, fear overcoming her by the mention of that man's name.

"Truth is I really am scared! But I can't..." Alice shook her head as tears came to her eyes. "I can't show you and the others that I'm scared. You'll place me on the sidelines again, replacing me with Kyoya. I know it."

Alice looked frightened beyond belief, and she stammered that she refused to sleep with the lights off last night; she looked even more frightened and said that it was possible for Mukuro to come back. Hearing her confess her fears was strange to Yamamoto's ears. "As long as I'm in the light, I feel safe." Alice feels the noose around her neck tightening, sinking into her flesh as soon as the lights give way. The darkness is smothering her; much like being smothered by a pillow from her bed.

"Mukuro-sama can't reach you now."

Alice locked onto Chrome, the fear evident in her eyes. "So you chose to come after all," Yamamoto rose to his feet. Chrome nodded shyly. She kept her briefcase pressed against her chest, together with her pole-less trident. "That's good." "You set me up?" Alice almost glared at him, almost. She figured he had a reason for all this, so she'll hear what he has to say.

"I didn't set you up. I figured your fear had something to do with Mukuro, so I asked her to come. She can tell us the reason why Mukuro is so bend on killing you." "No." Chrome spoke gently, but her voice held a serious tone in it as well. "I will not."

"What do you mean? Alice helped you in your time of need. The least you can do is tell her about Mukuro. Tell her she shouldn't fear him. Tell him he should back off!"

He looked at Chrome with a watchful suspicious eye; he yelled at her in a cold angry voice without realizing it. Hell, he felt like slamming the door in Chrome's face after hearing her selfish decision. But he settled with clenching his teeth firmly, an aggressive look on his face. His flashing eyes, his clenched teeth, his deep frown, told them of the troubled feelings growing from within the boy. All that Alice could do was gaze at him. She had never seen him like this; so agitated, so aggressive, so protective. Although he always was protective of her, this is a whole new level of what she's used to.

"Mukuro-sama... He won't stop until the Wind Representative is out of the picture." "Don't say that!" Alice covered her ears. She refused to listen to Chrome. She refused to listen to Yamamoto's raised voice. "But," "If you don't have anything good to say, then leave!"

"But that only means you're valuable to him and everyone around you. You're important. Therefore,"

"I said that's enough!" Yamamoto took a step forward. Chrome wasn't in the least intimidated. "He can't possibly kill you." Yamamoto was surprised, to say the least. Her words actually made sense.

"He will use you." She added quietly.

"That won't happen. I won't let that happen." Yamamoto gazed at Alice reassuringly. He was back to his kind and gentle self, but there was a lot of determination in his voice -- as if he had jumped at once from a boy into a man. Her mind was at ease, free from the presentiment of more misery and fear. She stood on her feet, her eyes hidden under her bangs.

"He's the reason you exist, that you're still alive, so I won't blame you for siding with him. I'll see you as an ally, not an enemy." Alice walked up to the shy girl. Her lips moved again and she whispered threateningly, "I'm not the only one who should be afraid right now, for if he keeps treating me like a fucking dog, I swear I'll bite his head off when I get the chance."

After the damage was done, Alice walked away. Yamamoto frowned at Chrome's shocked expression, standing with a pale face for a minute.

Yamamoto ran after Alice with a frown, wondering what was up with Chrome. He spotted Ryohei and Gokudera standing in the hallway, the two of them having kept a close eye on the time. "We should head out." Gokudera said. "You gonna fight?"

"That's for Kyoya to decide." Alice answered bluntly, ignoring Gokudera's death-glare fired upon her. "You still scared?" She was biting her lip, and though her eyes were as cool as ever, her cheeks were burning red from anger. "That was one time! I'm not scared of the dark!" She confessed.

"I was talking about Hibari, moron! And... you scared of the dark?" He added hastily, flicking her forehead with his fingers. "I'm not scared!" "Come on Gokudera. This is Alice we're talking about. She doesn't fear anything." A spark of admiration towards Yamamoto appeared in her eyes, clasping her hands together as she allowed for the boy to stand before her.

"I concur. Alice is fearless." Ryohei backed up. "I know that Turf-Top! I mean, look at her! She's suicidal for crying out loud! There ain't no way she fears anything on the face of this earth!" "That's what I extremely said, Squid-head!!" Alice and Yamamoto made eye contact, the two of them sighing in the background while Gokudera and Ryohei heatedly argued back and forth.

"Thanks." Alice's slightly gloomy face relaxed into a broad smile.

"You're welcome." Yamamoto flashed his pearl-white teeth, getting the picture. What they discussed mere moments ago will never be known by the members of the Family.

"Zombies are way scarier than aliens to the extreme!" Alice sweat-dropped. "You kidding me?! Aliens possess highly-advanced technology!! Your stinkin' zombies don't stand a chance!!" "You guys," The pair stood and looked at Alice, silently, with twitching eyebrows. How they changed the topic of the discussion from Alice's fears into Zombies VS Aliens is a mystery to her. "Aren't we forgetting something here?"

No sooner had they allowed for her words to sink in, "The Ring Conflict!!" exclaimed her two lively companions; and they ran to the exit, leaving a cloud of dust in their wake. Alice, rendered speechless by Gokudera and Ryohei's speedy escape, followed Yamamoto slowly. Yamamoto walked backwards with a childish smile, glancing every now and then at Alice. She wrinkled her nose in distain, but laughed amusingly after. There was a peculiar charm in his smile, a mingling of kindness and a little bit of love, which was why he looked infinitely attractive in Alice's eyes.

"Can you believe those guys? Ditching us for a death-match." Yamamoto commented. "Dude, you wouldn't believe what I'm thinking right now. Enough said." Alice retorted with a sly grin, Yamamoto frowning in confusion. "Which is?" He added, his curiosity getting the better of him. She answered by circling her index-finger before her, indicating for Yamamoto to turn right around. He sighed and did so, somewhat disappointed.

"Nice fanny." Alice whispered in her native language, not in the least disappointed. "Thanks for the compliment." He added in English, grinning teasingly at Alice who turned crimson in the face, looking even redder than a ripe tomato.

When in the hell did he learn how to speak English?!

--------

"Listen up, you guys." Said Gokudera seriously, looking from the blond head beside him to the two boys standing a little ways further. "We're going to win no matter what!" "Not with you yelling in my ear like this." Alice's voice was utterly expressionless. Gokudera fought the urge to smack her on the back of her head, eventually losing the battle with himself as a loud sharp smack! resounded on school grounds.

"That hurts!" The girl rubbed the back of her head, a tear forming in the corner of her eye. "Geez, of course we're gonna win. That asshole Kyoya's up next, remember?" Alice admitted, surprising the rest while she was at it.

"I know that!" Gokudera freaked.

"The Tenth entrusted us with this, and he isn't present. We can't lose because we weren't cheering enough." "I'm way ahead of you buddy." Alice raised a piece of cloth attached to the staff she was holding. The piece of cloth was sprayed on, showing off an exact replica of the retarded Hibari she sprayed on the school wall. Another hard smack! later and Alice found herself crying a waterfall of tears as Gokudera practically strangles her with her own twin-tails.

"Stop spraying ridiculous crap everywhere!!"

"I think she did a good job." Ryohei spoke truthfully. "I can't even draw half as well as that to the extreme."

"Somehow, I believe you." Yamamoto laughed, imagining Ryohei and Alice doodling with extreme passion on a piece of paper, shredding it to pieces without meaning to.

"Why are you here?" All eyes were on Hibari Kyoya, who soundlessly made his entrance. Gokudera stopped strangling the life out of Alice, which she was grateful for. But what she was not grateful for is seeing Hibari looking straight at her. "What's the deal with that?" He referred to the banner, but luckily, he couldn't quite catch what was displayed on the piece of cloth. "And who do I need to bite to death to get my answers?"

"He's pissed." Yamamoto commented, having spotted the dangerous glaze in Hibari's eyes. "Don't make any sudden movements..." Gokudera warned the others under his breath, mostly referring to Alice, "Hey! I did my best making the banner! I pinned down your big head perfectly!" and with reason. Alice flaunted the piece of cloth around without shame, which simply put, made her look like a lunatic.

A deafening crash made Alice see the light as Hibari crashed the tip of his tonfa in her face, sending her flying into one of the many walls Namimori-Middle has to offer. "N-now now, Hibari! Let's not get violent." "He just did, baseball idiot!" Gokudera turned his attention to Hibari. "We came here to cheer you on, so don't punch people at random! Well, not like Babyface didn't deserve it..." He grumbled.

"Well, don't. I hardly harbor any friendly feelings towards you people." "Then what do you feel?" The ever so curious Yamamoto couldn't help but ask. "I feel the urge to bite you to death." "Come on now. That hardly counts as a feeling." "Urge to bite to death," Hibari raised his shiny tonfa, which funny enough, caused for a comical reaction in his threat. "Rising."

"I didn't feel a thing, Kyoya!!"

"You still live?!!" Gokudera yelled out, placing his eyes on a battered Alice, standing tall with her arms crossed. "And for the love of god, wipe your bloody nose!!" She didn't seem to hear him and instead, pointed straight at Hibari. "Let me in on the match, and you won't be disappointed!"

"Like I said... you're bleeding from the nose, idiot." Gokudera face-palmed. Finally, she got the message and wiped the blood clean from her nose with her sleeve, focusing back on the man who made her bleed in the first place. "If I'm not present on the battlefield, you will lose your Half Vongola Ring, and that robot guy will automatically win the match-" "Like I care." Alice was left with her mouth hanging open.

"You don't care!!?" She would have punched his lights out, but Gokudera seized her arm and prevented her. At least, he planned on stopping her when a massive machine of metallic glitter crashed down from above, jumping aside barely in time to save himself.

"I see." Hibari smirked.

Alice gulped, gazing at the large, humanoid robot up close. "I just need to bite that to death." "Daddy?" Alice inched backwards, bumping into Hibari who in turn, grew angry at her approach. She feared Hibari even more, turning to Gola Mosca without a doubt in her mind. The machine surely had an ounce of pity towards Alice, not attacking her unless it was ordered to, unlike the emotionless Hibari Kyoya who was about to unleash his rage.

"Babyface..."

"Cut me some slack, dude!"

---------

Sturdy fences were placed around the battle area, equipped with Gatling guns all around; while heavy clouds hung low in the dark sky, and the wind murmured sadly through the air. "This is the combat field for the Guardians of Cloud, Cloud Ground."

Alice could do nothing but stare at the Cervello, hoping this was all some kind of joke. "They've turned this place into a war zone." Yamamoto read her thoughts, beating her to the punch. Gokudera narrowed his eyes, placing his full attention on the massive Gatling guns. "This is fucked up." He grunted.

"The duty of the Guardian of Cloud is to be the solitary, noble, floating cloud that protects the Family while taking an independent stance." "Without being bound by anything. Thus, we have prepared the most severe field." The Cervello explained. Alice felt a flood of relief wash over her, for her match against Pezzo won't be as difficult. As if sensing her relief, the Cervello turned to Alice, "The Wind match is an entirely different case, Alice Pierce." "Please don't assume you will have it easy, for the Ring of Wind possesses something truly unique, which is the only reason why you are not qualified as Guardian material."

"Like anyone can top that!" Alice spat while placing her gaze on the battlefield. "Gatling guns and landmines, seriously..." The Cervello shared a suspicious look; the landmines cannot possibly be detected by the bare eye, let alone in one glance. The pair dismissed their suspicion as quickly as it came.

"The field is surrounded by barbed wire, and the eight automated guns will fire upon anything moving within 30 meters." A quick demonstration showed the sight of a piece of paper being shot to pieces, the Gatling guns resting back into its original state. "Also, there are several mines which are sensitive to weight." The Cervello threw Alice another look, but remained quiet on the matter. "They will explode after giving off an alarm."

"This is crazy!" Ryohei exclaimed in shock. "If you're scared, run away, like your boss did." All eyes were on Levi and Belphegor who stood tall and proud, clearly not knowing how to accept defeat with grace. Pezzo sat and listened, and gazed for a long while. "Don't mock him! The Tenth didn't run-Oof!" Gokudera crashed down on his knees, groaning in pain and with arms tightly crossed upon his stomach.

"What the fuck did I do wrong?!" He spat, extremely irritated and pissed at the American. Alice had cut him off with a fierce blow to the gut, feeling no shame whatsoever. "Huh? What did you say? You dare insult our Boss, jackass?" Said Alice, with such a dark face that Levi felt her anger reach a boiling point and drew back in alarm. As if that wasn't enough, the man felt a pair of glaring eyes burning a hole in the back of his skull, sending shivers down his spine while fearing for his life.

"Don't you dare back away now, trash." Said Xanxus from his throne, raising his gun threateningly against Levi, who had scarcely time to put himself in a posture of defense. Alice frowned. She didn't like the spiky-haired man. More specifically, she didn't like how he treated his men. Like trash, as he called them so often. "Take it easy Scarface." If Levi gets shot, she'll feel responsible... for a little while.

"No need to get all riled up about this." A gunshot suddenly pealed forth and shot its flame past an alarmed Alice, grazing her cheek successfully, her massive white face all the more terrible for the blood trickled from the wound all the way down her neck, staining her shirt.

Belphegor whistled, truly impressed. "Nice aim Boss." He grinned widely. "I was aiming for her fucking head." Xanxus retorted harshly, leaning back on his almighty throne, quickly losing interest in Alice. "You alright Alice?" Yamamoto stepped up as he traced the cut with his fingertips. He was worried, even more so after seeing her pale face. "Was that really necessary?!" Ryohei frowned darkly. "Forget about him." Gokudera held Ryohei back, but he refused to ease up. Injured or not, pulling the trigger on a close friend is something he can't forgive.

"Get in there, Babyface." Alice gazed at Gokudera, her eyes showing him that she was about to protest. "You don't need Yamamoto, me or Turf Top to protect you, so get in there and kick some ass in the name of the Tenth." Alice wiped the blood on her cheek with the back of her hand and stood in bitter silence for a few seconds.

Clearly frustrated, Gokudera yanked on her hair, saying he did it for her own good; she was too scared, and needed to toughen up. Ryohei suggested the usual huddle up before a battle. Alice was against it, for she would appear weak in front of Xanxus for the second time. He didn't give a damn either way. "Alice fight!" "Wasn't the huddle meant for Kyoya?" She asked with a roll of her eyes. "Hibari fight!" "Like another huddle will make it better..."

After the Cervello confirmed the half Vongola Cloud Rings, Alice and Pezzo were asked to enter the battlefield. "The Wind Representatives will be joining the fray. You may use their abilities however you like." Hibari smirked. "Roger that." "Can we take a vote on this?" Alice gulped.

Chrome, Chikusa and Ken entered the scene, earning the brief attention of the Vongola Family. "What the hell are you guys doing here?" Followed Gokudera's disapproving words with a glare to boot. "We're watching this for Mukuro-sama." Chikusa replied, utterly bored. "Forget that! You think we're gonna let you watch after Mukuro attacked Babyface yesterday? Hell no!"

A ferocious growling made Gokudera look down at once. Ken, the snow-white Kishu Inu bared his teeth, the hair rising stiffly on his neck. "Oi! Take a hike, mutt!" He pushed the dog with his foot, and the growl rose in volume. "At ease Ken!" The dog suddenly abandoned Gokudera, rolled over on his back at Ken's feet, four legs in the air, his eyes swimming with submission and appeal.

"Don't think I'll let you see-" "This has nothing to do with Mukuro-sama. I'm here for her-byon." Ken interrupted, momentarily occupied with scratching the dog's belly, and even though it was to give the dog some affection, the real reason was that he didn't want for Gokudera and the rest to witness how red he has grown.

Chikusa shook his head in disbelief. Chrome remained unemotional of the matter. "This is her dog! It's her responsibility to take care of it, not mine-byon!" He exploded. "Is that why you trained him so well?" Yamamoto mused with a gentle and playful smile. To him, Ken didn't mean any harm, and the same goes for Chikusa and Chrome. It's Mukuro he can't stand. "You got a bone to pick with me, huh?!" "Not at all." Yamamoto smiled. Ken's fondness for Alice was more than obvious in his eyes.

"Leave them be, Gokudera. They're here for Alice." "Of all the people she could make friends with, she turns to the enemy, the ditz." Gokudera turned away nonetheless. Yamamoto took a quick glance in Chrome's direction. She shyly turned her gaze downwards, keeping a close eye on her feet. She'd better be right about Mukuro.

"Then, we will begin. The Ring of Cloud, Gola Mosca VS Hibari Kyoya. Battle start."

Gola Mosca opened the back of his legs, revealing two rockets on each leg, charging forward with amazing speed. Hibari kept his cool, whereas Alice, wide-eyed, stood rooted to the spot, watching. "It can fly?!" Pezzo fearlessly sprinted towards Hibari, the mines exploding in his wake which shook the ground under her feet.

Pezzo came in wide open, swinging his foot down in a perilous sweep. All Hibari had to do was to deliver an uppercut with his tonfa and escape, but he didn't. "Watch your step, Kyoya!" Alice warned him, her voice strained. He caught her warning and actually listened. He moved aside with grace, tossed his tonfa upwards and slammed Pezzo into the ground with a kick of his own, triggering a massive explosion from the landmines underneath.

Stepping back, he caught the whirling pair of tonfa which descended on cue. "Babyface. You can see the landmines?" He continued spinning his tonfa in his hold as Alice nodded, forgetting he didn't even look at her. "I can feel them." She said as the dusty clouds of smoke cleared up, revealing Pezzo's barely conscious form. She looked down upon him more in curiosity than in hate. Mosca fired multiple shots with his barrel-like fingers, the bullets raining down upon them like hail.

The thought that Alice could lose her life right here and now dawned upon her. She swerved aside in cover, when almost immediately the faint cracking of a Gatling gun came to her ears, and almost immediately a storm of bullets struck the ground before her. "Move forward." A familiar voice alerted her, followed with an unexpected blow to the chest, knocking her backwards into Mosca's view.

Alice coughed, finding it hard to breathe. Her vision was blurred. Her chest hurt like hell. "Fucking asshole." She managed to say, seeing Hibari's blurred shoes before her eyes. A smirk danced on her lips; despite the hurt, he helped her out of a dire situation, which left her with unanswered questions. What does he want from me? What will he possibly gain if I'm kept alive?

Although still a bit wobbly, Alice rose back on her feet, the sound of conflict reaching her ears. She stared stupidly with her mouth open; the view of Mosca's ripped off arm flying in the air and landing a little ways before her was hard to comprehend. Mosca was in shambles, its mechanical movements have ceased, a spark of electricity ran across the busted device.

"He's a monster." Alice whispered in awe. She was convinced Hibari is a disturbing element in the Family. He is more violent and dangerous than any of them. He did not belong with them, yet she can't find the strength to defeat him or cast him out of the Family. Yes, he is a monster of cruelty, which Alice already realized from day one.

An awed silence comes upon the spectators.

"You, sitting there." Hibari faced Xanxus. "Come on down." "Are you out of your mind?!" Alice was sure he lost it now. Hibari threw her a dirty glance, which made her shut up. "Fine, dig your own grave. I’m outta here." Placing one foot in the wrong direction, and the Gatling guns were spitting several bullets by the second.

By this time, Xanxus rose from his throne and jumped over the fence, descending down upon a fearful Alice. This made Hibari a tad irritated; to think that Xanxus picks Alice over him doesn’t sit right with the boy. Alice inched backwards, nearing Mosca. For a second, she thought she heard something from within the immobilized machine. Xanxus realized this and locked his eyes with hers, looking ever so scary.

Alice’s fears have been answered, for all of a sudden Xanxus struck a blow at the girl, one that might have felled a grown man. She took the blow like one, spitting blood with overshadowed eyes. "Shit!" Gokudera spat while Ryohei closed in on the battlefield, about to barge in. Yamamoto was gripping the barbed wire by now, and he could barely feel the barbs penetrate his skin.

"What are you plan-" She could not finish, for a powerful hand was pressed against her face, and almost immediately, she felt a burning sensation on her skin, and she was compelled to move away from him; but in spite of all her efforts, she could not refrain from uttering a loud cry, which was lost amidst a thundering explosion. "Rocket Bombs!!"

Alice gasped in her misery, moving about, twisting and turning with pain; she was blinded and deafened, barely hearing an urgent voice telling her to calm down. How miserable she was, down upon the ground, with Yamamoto down upon the ground too, holding him close with tears falling thick and fast. The burning heat on her face became perfectly unbearable for her. Never in her life had she trembled as she did now.

"Senpai."

"Don’t say anything. Just go to the extreme."

Alice, still sightless, did not weep, but trembled and clung to Yamamoto as if she didn’t want for him to go. Yamamoto frowned and began to violently pull her fragile hands from his shirt. "I’m off."

Yamamoto rose to his feet. He was angry, that much was clear, though his anger was paired with fear. Xanxus successfully avoided Gokudera’s dynamite shower. But by the time he could fire another salvo, Yamamoto made himself present by slashing away with his sword. And yet, Xanxus stayed cool while dodging gracefully, his dark smirk fuelling Yamamoto’s rage.

"Please stop! You have lost the right to wear your prized Rings from the moment you entered the battlefield!" The Cervello announced from outside the ring. "Cervello. Just keep your mouth shut and watch how this is going to end." The Cervello gazed silently at Xanxus, causing quite the scene.

"I am not attacking. Well, the Wind Representative is out of the question, since she isn’t Guardian material." He chuckled. This brought Gokudera and Yamamoto to the edge of losing their self-control. Hibari couldn’t care less. He refused to waste any time with words and charged in, letting his tonfa do all the talking. "Out of the way." But before that, he shoved Gokudera aside, clearly not wanting for him to fight Xanxus.

"What the hell are you doing?! We’re on the same side here!" Gokudera spat. "You must be mistaken. What makes you think I’ll side with a whole group of herbivores?"

The humming of missiles reached their ears, and the missiles themselves came bounding through the sky. "What the hell is that?!" "Run!!" The missiles made contact with the ground, the clouds of dust seeming to function as a smokescreen. Ryohei experienced another salvo of missiles, throwing himself on Alice, serving as a shield as best as he could.

"It’s gonna be okay. Everything’s gonna be fine." He chanted over and over again, reassuring her and himself that it can’t possibly get any worse than this. "Help…" "Help is underway." Ryohei silenced her. She held onto his collar, dragging him all the way down to her level. This surprised Ryohei; he didn’t think she had any strength left after Xanxus attacked her. Despite losing the ability to see, she opened her eyes.

"Help… Mosca… heard sounds… please…" She pleads on the verge of tears. He didn’t understand. What about Mosca? In a mad frenzy of despair, the hunk of metal was seen flying across the battlefield, firing his ammunition on everyone and everything that it comes across. "I tried to retrieve it, but the lot of you stopped me." "You’re trying to pin this on us?!" Gokudera snapped. "You’re the one to blame!" Yamamoto put away his sword and backed off, much to Gokudera’s surprise. This was useless. The only logical option was retreating, and Gokudera knew that as well.

Pezzo awakened amidst all the explosions. A fresh salvo of missiles was soaring in his direction, and since he was drained from all his strength, avoiding them was out of the question. Pezzo did not shut his eyes. He awaited his demise with open arms. The missiles detonated with much force that Pezzo was knocked back. But, he was still there. Chrome maintained a defensive position before a dazzled Pezzo, putting a halt to the missiles with the help of her illusions. Chrome remained silent at the sight of seeing Pezzo baring his teeth, growling in her direction as he retreated quietly.

The battlefield has become a sea of flame, burning all around. Gokudera and Yamamoto had trouble finding their way through the fire, catching a glimpse of the machine closing the space between its target; the unfortunate Ryohei and Alice. Meanwhile, the flames burst forth from the earth, making it impossible for Gokudera and Yamamoto to cross.

The raven-haired boy refused to believe this was it, so he made an attempt into crossing anyway. "You got a death wish?!" Gokudera held him back, lucky for him. Yamamoto lowered his brow, and his eyes stared darkly before him. Eventually, he shut his eyes, clenching his powerless hands as he cussed. "Damn it…"

"Yamamoto… Look!"

Bright flashes of flames shot up here and there, looking angry and threatening in color. "That flame. He’s come." Xanxus faced the Tenth generation Boss of the Vongola Family, his flaming gloves heating the air around him. "Sawada!" Ryohei couldn’t contain his happiness. "Tsunami." Alice opened her eyes, feeling ever so relieved. She regained her hearing completely by now, but her eyes were another story, for Alice had the eyesight of a tunnel-digging mole.

At that moment something had rushed through her—she had forgotten all about Mosca, and her realization of the situation was so strong that she couldn’t help but call out to Tsuna. "Tsunami! I need to tell you something!" Alice yelled out to him, sounding hesitant at first. She was mad for what Xanxus had done, but the tears which made way down her chubby cheeks only succeeded in displaying her fear.

"I heard..." She clenched her teeth; the burning on her skin caused for her to shut down completely. She couldn’t say it. Tsuna, who had been listening was confused as ever, fixating his eyes on Xanxus nonetheless. "He’s planning something alright." "Reborn-san!" The two youngsters looked up in the sky, as if expecting for the baby to descend in a dramatic fashion. "You mocking my height?" A solid kick followed, and sadly, Gokudera was his primary target. Reborn pointed his muzzle at Yamamoto in which he raised his hands. Pulling the trigger and a water jet spouted from the gun, dozing the surrounding sea of fire.

"This doesn’t feel right." Reborn turned serious, glancing over at the two Vongola leaders.

"Your lapdog is onto something. Reward her with a few bones while you still can..." Xanxus smirked, his eyes flashing dangerously. Mosca fired its missiles, aiming for the flaming Tsuna. "Your own bones, that is."

Xanxus was about to turn from the view, closing the chapter on Tsuna’s life, when Tsuna himself was spotted, intercepting the missiles in midair. Not long after, they exploded thanks to his nifty gloves. Mosca released a compressed particle beam from its chest with everything it had, but Tsuna easily put a halt to it, slamming his flaming fist into the chest armor.

Alice bit the inside of her cheek repeatedly. The suspense was killing her. Something is in there, I know it! But why… why can’t I say it out loud! She screamed in her head. Xanxus saw the inner struggle Alice was having with herself. He was brimming with self confidence, for there was absolutely no chance that she’ll let the words slip past her lips.

Meanwhile, Tsuna overpowered the machine and sliced it in half, revealing the restrained and bloody body of the Ninth Vongola Boss. "A person came out of that thing!" Gokudera’s words made Alice feel terrible. She heard it right. There really was something up with Mosca. But all that didn’t matter, not anymore. Alice didn’t say anything. She kept quiet because she feared for her life. Xanxus intimidated her, with success. She couldn’t possibly feel even more miserable than she felt right now.

"T-this person… The Ninth…" Tsuna stammered, his flames diminishing fast. "What in the world is going on? Why was he inside Mosca?" "It seems the Ninth was being used as Gola Mosca’s power supply." Reborn made his way to a shocked Tsuna, the both of them trying to understand all this. The boy thought of Alice’s barely audible words. She couldn’t see, but she could feel his icy eyes on her, as if blaming her for this.

"You attacked the Ninth." Tsuna made eye-contact with Xanxus, looking ever so frightened. "Who mercilessly punched that old man?" Tsuna shook his head in disbelief. "Who scorched Mosca in two, along with the old man?" Xanxus continued.

Alice bit her tongue. She won’t stand for these false accusations, but she had no right to speak. She lost the right to speak, let alone defend Tsuna’s innocence. A dead silence followed, and then a weak old voice was heard: "It was my fault." The Ninth continued to speak to Tsuna, telling him all the things Reborn told him. That Tsuna isn’t fit to be a Mafia Boss, but that his gentle heart and dislike for fighting is the reason why he chose him as Vongola the Tenth.

With a heavy heart, Alice listened to Tsuna’s sobbing after the old man fell unconscious. "How dare you kill the Ninth. I take your cruel treatment of the Ninth as a challenge to his true son, Xanxus, and the honorable spirit of Vongola." Tsuna widened his eyes in shock. "This is for the sake of my father, who was the Boss, and for the future of Vongola." Xanxus raised his hand, showing the sparkling Ring of Sky on his finger. "I will defeat you and avenge him."

"What are you saying! You captured the Ninth!" If it weren’t for Alice’s closed lips, she would be shouting the same thing, only… with a bit more cursing on Xanxus’s behalf. "This is what you were after. Even if you won the Ring conflict and became the Boss-in-waiting, they would still object to your appointment and resist you." Reborn spoke, after staying silent for a while. "But if you avenge the Ninth after framing Tsuna, it would be different… You would gain the absolute trust of many in the Family." Xanxus was the one who kept quiet this time, not like he had anything else to say.

"This was a trap. Were Mosca to go out of control and put Tsuna’s friends in danger, he predicted that Tsuna would come to rescue them." "Not really. I couldn’t predict your lapdog’s interference…" The silence never lasted. "Thus, I had to improvise. But who would have thought she’d actually stay quiet after punishing her." Xanxus laughed, reliving every second of Alice’s failure in his mind.

Xanxus’s words, the tone of his voice even, angered the boys, for he would not cease with insulting the Wind Representative. "You’ll pay for what you’ve done!!" Gokudera couldn’t control his temper and stepped forward. "She might never see again!!" "Gokudera, take it easy." Yamamoto interrupted him, surprising Gokudera at the moment. He took a long look at his figure, a disapproving shimmer shining in his eyes. "No, I will not take it easy. He’s blaming the Tenth and Babyface for crimes they didn’t commit, and you choose to stand here and do nothing?! You’re even worse-" Gokudera did not finish, for Yamamoto grasped him by the collar and his voice growled threateningly: "I said to take it easy, Gokudera." He stood with his brown angry eyes, confronting Gokudera’s wide stare. He could see it now. Yamamoto was enraged, even more so than Gokudera. "You’re still a coward to me." "What was that?" "Knock it off!!" Alice yelled, turning her head to face the two troublemakers. At the sight of seeing the red markings on her face and her cold sightless eyes, they broke it up.

"Everyone, please refrain from conjecture. We are officially recording all statements." The Cervello announced, thus Yamamoto and Gokudera placed their anger on them. "I knew it! Cervello has always been on Xanxus’s side!" "The fight to avenge the Ninth…" They continued. "Will be settled after the Ring of Wind has found its rightful owner." "Are you kidding me? Neither one of the Wind Representatives are able to fight!" Again, Gokudera couldn’t contain his temper.

"Do you not care about the Rings in general, Gokudera Hayato?" He frowned and remained silent this time. "You have sacrificed six Rings for the Wind Representative…" "But you still have hope in retrieving them, for the Wind Representative can win them back in the next match." Tsuna got up on his feet, a shadow covering his eyes. "There’s something bigger at risk here, isn’t there?" The Cervello made eye-contact with one another, focusing their eyes on Tsuna again.

"The victor must dispose of his or her opponent in order to obtain the Rings." "Y-you mean…" Tsuna stammered. "You’re forcing them to kill each other?"

"Is there a problem?" The Cervello on the right said. "Your Guardians have fought for their lives. There’s hardly a difference with the battles that have passed, so there shouldn’t be a problem." The one on the left concluded. Xanxus was smugly pleased, and he was wallowing with self-pride.

"You afraid, Sawada Tsunayoshi?" Tsuna frowned. He stood his ground despite feeling his legs give way at any second now. "Why is that? I’d say you have the highest chance of victory when it comes to your little lapdog." His smirk widened. "A man who risks his neck to save a dog’s life isn’t going to kill someone for a ring." Xanxus placed his eyes on Alice. A hollow feeling sunk at the pit of her stomach. "But the dog will gladly kill for him. Or in her case… she’ll gladly kill again."

"Bastard…" Gokudera growled.

"Then, tomorrow night… Please gather at Nami-Middle." With that said and done, a burning flash of light forced for everyone to shut their eyes and turn away. The Varia, including the Cervello, have disappeared. Basil hurriedly made his way to the fallen Ninth. "Please, hold on!" He pleaded.

"Take care of the Ninth and any injured." A horde of black-suited men swarmed upon them by orders of none other than, "Bucking Bronco." As though turned to stone he stood in tense and rigid silence, his coffee-brown orbs taking in the damage while his men successfully tend to the injured and ridding the field from any mines.

Just then, Ken the dog ran across, barking with joy. He froze with his tail between his legs, whining at the sight of the still blind American. He could sense that it was wrong to reach out to her now, to lick her face, which was the one thing he was dying to do. Instead, he licked her hand carefully, alerting Alice of his presence. Bono and Ivan gazed at one another, the two of them holding onto a stretcher. "Tend to the others first. I’ll be fine until then." Despite having heard her wishes of leaving her alone, Alice was still lifted and laid on the stretcher.

"I can walk just fine!" She cried, almost falling off the stretcher. Quickly, a handful of Dino’s subordinates surrounded poor Alice who still refused to sit still. Ken barked and bit their heels like no tomorrow, until suddenly, he found himself in the arms of Chrome. Chikusa and Ken closed in on her in the background. She held him close, the dog’s right eye changing into a red vibrant color as a familiar chuckle resonated from the canine.

"W-wait!"

The stretcher stopped abruptly. "Where’s Kyoya?" "You’re seriously injured, Alice. There will be no more fighting tonight." Dino stepped forward, nipping her actions in the butt. "I don’t want to fight!" Fortunately, for the first time in her life, she genuinely didn’t plan on fighting.

"T-there’s something I need to ask." Her outburst caught Dino by surprise, but he allowed for this and let her be. "Kyoya… I know for a fact that you hate my very existence." "True." Hibari was fast to respond, leaving for Dino and the rest to sweat-drop. "If that’s the case…" Alice showed a sense of seriousness and agitation on her face, raising her upper body a bit on the stretcher.

"Why did you save me?"

All eyes settled on Hibari. A man with a spotless reputation of speaking nothing but the (little twisted) truth was worth looking at. "I know this doesn’t matter to you, but to me it’s a big deal, it’s serious--" Alice said carelessly, when Hibari interrupted her. "That herbivore’s after your life. If you die, he won’t show up." He said slowly, almost as though he was charging her with a crime. It made Alice feel very stupid, a feeling she grew used to by now.

"Right…" Her eyelids lay motionless over her blind eyes, growing a bit uneasy at the mention of Rokudo Mukuro. Of course he was thirsty for revenge. She desired to revenge herself on Hibari, but not by means of murder. Revenge is a cruel, wicked, dangerous thing… and yet, it’s the only thing she has in common with both Mukuro and Hibari.

Presently with renewed spirit, with a little smile, a little glow she said, "I’ll leave Mukuro to you, then." Yamamoto was surprised. He would have never thought that Alice and Hibari could agree on something, much less allow for him to use her like that. "Babyface…" Hibari’s overshadowed eyes alerted Dino –knowing his pupil, he’s bound to hit Alice in the face, wounded or not.

"Now now Kyoya! She’s injured, not to mention blind!-owww! Why’d you hit me for?!" Dino was startled. His pupil had come upon him like a jack-in-the-box, fuming with the desire to continue with his senseless whacking. Dino rubbed the top of his head to relieve the pain while in the background, Alice wondered what happened. "What did I miss?" A loud laugh rang forth from her companions, the first laughter since the Cloud Battle and all its misery started.

----------

Alice barely remembered how she got through the night. She couldn't bear to be alone, and Yamamoto exhausted himself trying to stay awake through the night. He wanted to be there when he was needed. While still awake, Alice would pretend she didn't need him or the others. She would tell him that, but he could see that her thoughts were still with the Cloud Match. Yamamoto insisted he stayed; it made him feel better. At first, he made her lie down, but she couldn't sleep. They played another game of poker (despite her poor eyesight), and bravely, not to disappoint Yamamoto's efforts, she tried to appear interested. Finally she sank into a peaceful slumber, much to Yamamoto's relief.

At daytime, Tsuna went to check up on Alice, still in the hospital. They saw Dino talking with a nurse, accompanied with Haru and Kyoko who looked ever so worried. Gokudera and Ryohei stood near as well. The nurse told them that Alice seemed a bit better; her eyesight has returned to normal, and she went in to ask if she would see her friends.

Alice shot up from her relaxed position, replying with a quick hush and stopping the nurse in her tracks. She heard nothing but Yamamoto's breathing, and the faint rustle of the breeze from the window; he was fast asleep, having lost the battle to stay awake.

"Go ahead." The nurse smiled, opening the door even wider for the visitors. "You heard her." Dino gently pushed the two girls inside, since they were still hesitating to go in.

Tsuna followed suit, but Gokudera and Ryohei stayed put, mumbling something about keeping watch for no reason whatsoever. Tsuna understood. They weren't quite ready to confront Alice yet, feeling like they failed to keep their end of the deal as a Guardian of the Family. She has supported them throughout this Mafia war, but none of them succeeded in supporting her for a change. Protecting her was also out of the question. It wouldn't surprise Tsuna if Yamamoto felt that way too.

Dino didn't want to intrude and shut the door, sending Tsuna an encouraging smile. Kyoko's lips trembled. "You're... alright." Kyoko tried not to focus on her face; instead of it being smooth and somewhat tanned, it was covered with a mass of red scars.

The two girls recalled Dino's words of not saying anything about her face, for she hasn't seen it herself yet. Keeping this in mind, Haru put on a brave front and began chatting with Alice as if nothing happened. "I know we shouldn't have done this..." She began to say as she rummaged through her large bag, "but we made a quick stop at a fast-food restaurant and got you your favorite." "Hamburgers!" As soon as Alice realized Yamamoto was still fast asleep, she wished she didn't yell like a complete moron. Haru and Kyoko were hoping she would be as lively as ever despite her injuries, and her dumb action only confirmed this. There was no reason to worry.

"She shouldn't be eating those. What if the nurse catches us red-handed?" Tsuna whispered urgently, already panicking. "Gokudera-san and Sasagawa-san are keeping an eye out for her, so there's no need to worry-desu." Haru winked. Tsuna felt like exploding. "Is that the reason why they stayed behind?!" Almost instantly, Kyoko and Haru silenced the boy by uttering a quick 'shush!', the two girls looking quite adorable in Tsuna's eyes.

"Enjoy it while you can, Alice-chan-you're already done eating?!" Haru exclaimed in a high-pitched voice upon facing the American, seeing her swallowing the last bite of food. Now it was Tsuna's and Kyoko's turn to hush Haru. Yamamoto was still in a deep slumber. Alice burped with satisfaction and unfortunately, this caused for Yamamoto to lift his head with a sleepy yawn to follow.

"Did I miss something?" He added when he felt Alice’s eyes upon his face. "Does she ever excuse herself for being so impolite?" Tsuna mumbled while Haru glared in his direction. Yet another way to silence him. "You lost your eye patch." "Romario removed it, saying I didn't need it anymore. I thought I told you that?" He chuckled warmly, the girls seeming to pick up on his feelings on their little love-radar. Apparently, all girls have those. Well… all except one.

"Such a shame. You looked like a total bad-ass." Alice commented while Yamamoto turned a bit red, scratching his cheek while laughing. "Well, I'll go and ask for a new one then. Care to join me, Tsuna?" Tsuna arched his brow at this, but before he could decline his offer, he was dragged out the room. The girls heard their voices argue in the hallway, mostly hearing Ryohei out of the bunch.

Kyoko looked at Alice with her calm, kind eyes, filled with the vision of a world without sin. "Alice-chan..." The blonde looked at Kyoko. "I'm sorry... for feeling jealous over the bond you share with my older brother." She was sincerely sorry, her eyes reflecting the guilt and shame she feels right now. "Onii-chan told me all about your brother." Alice hung her head.

"You shouldn't feel ashamed about it. After all," Here it comes. Alice never thought she would hear Kyoko's opinion on a murder she committed in the past.

"Your brother helped you prepare for an upcoming boxing match in America, and that must have been pretty tough." "Yeah! He even said you practiced your punches on carcasses in a meat-packing plant-desu!" Alice didn't know what to say. He's seen Rocky, that idiot.

With a stupefied face, she sighed. "Yeah... right." At least this is better than his lame-ass lie about sumo wrestling. "There isn't gonna be no rematch." Haru quotes with a dark voice, jabbing her fists forward when Kyoko also gets into character and replies "Don't want one." The girls ended up laughing in joy. "They should make a movie out of it-desu!" You’re not that far off Haru.

"Too bad your brother couldn't handle the pressure and left, huh?" This made Alice frown. Ryohei made Aiden look like a coward, which in certain ways, he really was. But he was still close to her, no matter how cruel he was. "Yeah... But that's okay." The boys could be heard in the hallway, now even rowdier than before.

"I've got enough big brothers to replace the real one."

Fiction: 11/23/10 | Posted By: kurokineko | 0 comments | Katekyo Hitman Reborn | Tags: battle, belphegor, bono, cavallone, cervello, chikusa, chrome, dino, dokuro, family, gang, gokudera, gola, hayato, hibari, hitman, ivan, joshima, kakimoto, katekyo, ken, kokuyo, kyoya, levi, mafia, mosca, ninth, reborn, romario, ryohei, sasagawa, sawada, takeshi, tsunayoshi, varia, vongola, xanxus, yamamoto