#//Damn near made the old injury worse in the process and got yelled at by Barbara

[dutybcrne]

Kaeya is learned ambidextrous. He was originally left handed, but when his left hand became injured during his fight with Diluc, he learned to use his right until it healed. He considers it a blessing because now he can switch up which hand he writes with whenever one gets tired.

[mssleepy876b]

Family Ties Chapter 5

Summary: Family can be a positive and negative force in one's life. Detective Jay Halstead knows that personally and he helps a new Intelligence family member through it.

Requested? No. But promised @resanoona that I would post mine once she posted hers.

Word count: 1734

Warnings: domestic violence, PTSD possible

A/n: Unedited Sorry for any mistakes

Family Ties Chapter 5

Brielle’s father and Hank continued their discussion as the rest of Hank’s unit helped Brielle relax. “Damn it, Hank. It’s Brie. Why the hell didn’t you call me before? She’s been with your unit for hours.” He said sitting down on the couch in Hank’s office taking his head in his hands.

Hank moved to sit near him. “Jack, I didn’t know she was your Brie until I reached out to you. We didn’t have her name or address until about 8 this morning. Then I still didn’t want to assume until I saw her face to face and saw Alice looking back at me. I wasn’t with her when she cleared out of DiLeone’s place. Two of my detectives were. They helped her clear out photos, clothes she wanted, jewelry, and documents. They were looking over her documents in the last 20 minutes to see if they could find a way to get her on her feet and support herself without him. He was a leech. Her checks from the Center went to his accounts. Her cards, documents, and ID were all in his safe. He had his guys following her everywhere. She was never alone. Bet she never got to talk to you without him, did she?”

“I didn’t see it, Hank. I should have. I feel like I failed her. I should have gotten her out before he put his hands on her.” Jack said shaking his head.

Hank put his hand on Jack’s shoulder. “Trust me, Jack. I’ve been there. I have lost Camille, then Justin, and Erin moved to New York. My team and I will not let anything happen to Brie now that she is with us. She is family now. Michael is already in lockup. We are processing the paperwork for her formal statement; we have the medical documentation from Med. He is not going to see the streets for a while. Plus, I’ve been thinking, we have an opening here for a civilian administrative assistant. Her skills fit that bill plus who knows what else she can help with. It would make my team happy; Halstead seems to have taken her under his wing. It would let her rebuild her life on her own in Chicago and you would know someone was watching out for her.” Hank said.

“I won’t let her feel forced into anything, Hank. It has to be her choice. If this is it, I know she will be safe. You and Halstead have reputations for being out for blood if they hurt anyone close to you according to my old contacts.” Jack said.

“I promise we will let her decide. Dr. Choi warned me as did Halstead she shows signs of possible PTSD, so we are being cautious. She has built a trust with Halstead and Upton. The other girls just met her. We will keep her safe, Jack, I swear it. You know how protective of family I get.” Hank said. “Do you want to try to see her?” he asked standing.

Jack nodded and they left the office. Hailey, Kim, and Vanessa were talking to Brie making her feel comfortable and secure. They entered and saw the girls together. Brie was partially smiling. Brie’s eyes met her father’s and she paled slightly. “Dad?” she whispered.

“Hiya, Princess.” He said as Hailey, Kim, and Vanessa all turned to see him and Hank at the door.

Brie stood and went to her father who met her halfway and pulled her into a hug. Hailey, Kim, and Vanessa quietly slid out as Brie and her dad reunited. He helped her sit on the couch. “What did the Doctors at Med say, Brie?” he asked her as he held her hand.

“Dr. Choi said I was lucky. Nothing major other than bruising. It could have been so much worse, Dad. I swear he had never hit me before, Dad. He had yelled, thrown things, but never put his hands on me until last night. I ran once I could. Found my way here. I guess Detective Halstead saw me first. He made me feel safe. He has helped me with the dreams and memories too. It is so scary, Dad.” She said leaning against his shoulder.

“I’m so grateful that you are safe, Brie. When I went to the house and couldn’t find you or your pictures, or your personal stuff in your sitting room, I was scared out of my wits. Michael wouldn’t answer my calls. I knew you weren’t at work because I had gone there before the house. I had no clue where you were, but I knew something was up when I saw your engagement ring was sitting on the table with your house keys.” He said holding her closer.

They sat together for a few moments before Jack spoke up. “It must be luck that you ended up here with Voight’s unit. He and I worked together years ago. I knew him back when he met his late wife Camille. They were great friends of your mom’s and mine. We had lost touch after Camille’s passing due to cancer. I thought he had hidden you from me at first when I got here. That is why I was yelling. I’m sorry we upset you, Brie. But I must say that Detective has quite a backbone to stand up to both Hank and I for you. It was very surprising.” He said.

Brie smiled. “He seems like a good man, Dad. Everyone seems to respect him. Even at Med, they respected him and his brother there.” She said quietly.

Jack moved to look in Brie’s eyes. “You know you can’t go back to the Charity Center, right, Brie?”

“I do. I hate it. I loved that job. But it would be too easy for Michael to find me.” She said.

“Hank had an idea. They need an administrative assistant/office manager up here in Intelligence. He thought your skills might be a good fit and it would give you a chance to get back on your feet in a place where you feel safe around people you know.” Jack said.

“But where will I stay, Dad? I can’t come to you and mom. He will look there first. I can’t risk you getting harmed. I don’t have any money right now. He took it all. Convinced me to let him handle it all.” Brie said with tears in her eyes.

“Let me talk to Hank. See what we can do temporarily for you until you can get funds on your own and Michael has been formally charged.” Jack said rubbing her arm as she pulled away from him. She nodded and watched as he stepped into Hank’s office next door.

Hank and Jack had Brie stay with Hank for a few days. It was nice for Hank to revisit the memories with Brielle and Jack. Alice came into town the next day to join them and helped Jack and Brielle as Brielle began to heal from her injuries. Hank smiled coming home that next day once Alice arrived. He missed the feel of friends in his house and Alice’s warmth reminded him of Camille. Alice was grateful to Hank and would ensure that they all had meals at night until they could find Brie a place to set up as her own and feel safe with.

Brielle spent a few sessions with Dr. Charles from Med who helped her move past her assault as well as the controlling behavior Michael had used to isolate her with. He helped her create a plan for rebuilding her life and moving past the memories. She started to feel more solid and stable in her life.

The intelligence unit had taken Brie under their wings and introduced her to the groups at Molly’s and widened her circle of friends she could get help from. She found them all warm and made her feel as if she was safe again. She began to search out a new life for herself and knew that her place seemed to be at the 21st with the intelligence unit.

Kim, Hailey, and Vanessa all took Brie under their wing and she quickly felt like part of the girls’ group which at times included the girls from 51’s 2ndshift and Med’s ED. Brie decided to take the position in Intelligence if Hank would allow it. She enjoyed this group of people who seemed to want to help her and let her create her own life while having her back if she needed them. Jay became a familiar face for Brielle and Brie found in him a kind person that she could respect and feel like a man that she would be proud to call a friend.

Hank and Trudy quickly got the paperwork set for her to take the job in Intelligence. Brie quickly had things organized and ready to go and at the Unit’s fingertips any time it was needed thanks to her skills from the Charity office. She also had managed to assist the unit with her accounting skills to track down how a payment had been made during a case. She had an apartment of her own that she was able to rent not far from Jay’s and was beginning to feel like her life was her own.

Only once had Brie heard from Angelo DiLeone. His message told her that Michael’s actions were not approved of and the family would not keep him from serving the sentence he had received. She felt a little more reassured since Angelo had never lied to her and had said more than once that she was someone he respected even if others didn’t.

Michael had yet to find her or even contact her. She still screened her phone calls as well as watched her surroundings for suspicious activity. Jay, Hank, and Hailey taught her skills to help her feel safer. Hailey had actually helped her learn self-defensive techniques that she felt would help in an emergency.

She had rebuilt her relationship with her parents only seeing them in Chicago when they chose to come once she had finished her recovery at Hank’s. They always met out in public and never at her apartment as she knew the time would come when Michael would be out of prison and she feared that he would only want revenge.

[datenightfright]

I know I asked for the angst and depressing content but now I am so sad that Thomas is hauling the dead girl back home after she confessed ;-; Do you hate me for requesting it? And do you hate me even more for asking if she actually manages to survive but just avoids Thomas until he has to come to terms on what to do? ;-; I need angst and sadness but now I just want a happy ending >.

*glares at you* The culprit is back again….You are SO LUCKY I love a good happy ending! In truth, I was gonna do  part two of this anyway, cuz like…this was such a good prompt. I love the ‘one sided pining until someone gets hurt and the other realizes their feelings’ trope. It’s such a good trope. 

This one kinda got away from me too. I put most of it under the cut. Thank you for such a cute request! 

Pt one: Here

Well, this was embarrassing. Instead of going out with some dignity you managed to survive your knife wound. It hurt like a son of a bitch, but, ironically, the only thing that hurt worse was your heart. 

You groan as the water passes over your wound. Hoyt stitched it as best he could, which was pretty damn good actually, but they had to be undone once you realize the damn cut was infected. Now you were trying to wash it out as best you. Lots of warm water and peroxide. It stung so bad you damn near puked. You inhale deeply, taking a break from tending to yourself. Looking at the ceiling of your bathroom, you have to wonder if the plan for your death was the slow and painful kind rather than the quick kind. 

Whatever the case, you were hear now, in a dingy bathroom, trying to take as long as possible tending to your needs. The floorboards creaking just outside the door makes you grimace harder than bandaging your ribs. Tommy was out there, waiting for you.

Thomas had changed. He doted on you hand and foot. Fed you, helped you get dressed in the morning, rubbed your feet even though they didn’t need to be rubbed. You were tired of it. There was no meaning behind it other than his attempt to assuage his own guilt. 

You press your lips together, holding the edge of the sink. How the hell had things gone so fucking wrong? Scrubbing at your eyes you manage to straighten out. You unlocked the door. Yup, there was good old Tommy, worriedly waiting for you. He reaches for you, but you slap a hand away. “I’m fine,” You say, not daring to look at him, “Just leave me alone,” You rush past him as quickly as your injury allows. Before he can follow, you close your bedroom door and lock it. Things were hard enough as it was without him complicating everything.

*

Nightfall sees Tommy in the basement. For once in his life, he’s loud. Throwing things against the wall, yelling, punching, upturning his workbench. All the frustration, the pain, the hatred, all of it unleashed in one massive tantrum. He’d fucked up so bad. 

He loved you from the moment he laid his eyes on you. Of course, he never allowed himself to fall for you completely, not at first anyway. He couldn’t allow himself the indulgence of infatuation. He managed to keep his head screwed on straight…for the most part anyway.  

You hadn’t reacted with the others, not with fear. Shock, of course, which was understandable, it isn’t every day someone rushes at you with a chainsaw, but not a trace of fear. You were so gentle with him. Smiling at him, hugging him. He slides down the wall, all energy spent for the time being. Once…he brings his hand up to his cheek, once you had even kissed him. 

He recalled the memory perfectly. He’d been getting ready for the day, frantically looking for his mask. You were the one that found it. He left it on the counter when he came home from getting dinner. He’d been so tired, and his face hurt so bad he just dropped it on the first surface he came across. 

You were kind to him, smiling at him so warmly. He’d froze in front of you. The last thing he wanted was for you to see his face. “I found your mask Tommy,” You say, handing it to him. He takes it, frantically trying to do damage that’s already been done. Before he could put it on, your lips were at his cheek. Your lips had been so warm, so soft. He wanted  thousand more, a million more. “You’re very handsome Tommy,” You told him. 

It was at that moment he fell for you completely. You thought he was handsome! You kissed him! Surely you must love him too! He waited for a sing. Anything that gave away your affections, but he could find nothing. You were the same as always. Cooking food, making sure he had enough to eat, repairing his clothes. He waited weeks, then months, then years. Nothing.

He realized that maybe you didn’t love him like he loved you. Maybe you loved him like Luda Mae loved him. Like a mother, or a friend. He cried for days when he realized it. He wasted so much time on a stupid fantasy. He came to a decision one night, if no one as beautiful as you was going to love him, then he’d take it from the next girl.

The next one wasn’t pretty like you were. She wasn’t smart or capable. She was loud, whiny, and altogether irritating, but Tommy was sure he could take care of that. Even so, no matter how much time had passed, she simply didn’t fill the void that you left. 

At night, when he went to sit with her, sometimes he’d put his head in her lap, pretending it was you. He even made her read the same books you read to him, and run her fingers through his hair. He made dresses that looked like yours, made her brush his hair for him. In the end, it just wasn’t you. 

Now things were worse than ever. You really did love him! You had all along, he was just too wrapped up in himself to see. But then he went and stabbed you, nearly killing you, now you hated him. He tried to make up for it. He took care of you as best he could. Feeding you, helping you get dressed, brushing your hair. He’d been nothing but gentle. The damage was done. There was no going back.

He pulls a small bunny from his pocket. He kept it with him always, you made it for him. He sniffles, staring at it. Normally, the little rabbit calms him, because he knows at least someone at home likes him enough to be kind to him. Now, it’s just a representation of what he’s destroy. Within moments his sniffles become sobs.

*

You stand at the top of the stairwell. Hoyt, who’d had enough of all this, barged into your room and laid it all on the table. Tommy’s been in love with you for years, but moved on when you seemed no closer to reciprocating his feelings, now he was crying in the basement. 

You hardly believed him. If Tommy loved you so much, why had he rejected you? But, here you are, listening to the heart wrenching sobs of a man that most definitely had his heart broken. 

You take the steps slowly, wincing as you did so. With as long as it took you to stop in front of Tommy, you’re surprised his sobs hadn’t let up. He isn’t paying attention to you, simply holding the Easter gift you’d given him long ago. You aren’t sure how to get down to his level, so instead, to settle for nudging him with your toe. “Tommy,” you mutter. His sobbing stops, yet, he only curls into himself more. You aren’t exactly sure what to say. “Tommy, my side hurts, help me sit down will you?” Tommy does as asked, gently bringing you to the cold, wet floor. Yes, this environment is definitely going to help the healing process. 

Tommy scoots away from you. “Come back here,” You mutter, tugging at his sleeve, “I need to lean on you.” He does as asked, allowing you to use his arm as you wished. For a long while, all you can hear is Tommy sniffling. You run Hoyt’s tirade through your head. No, you think, there’s no way Tommy has been in love with you for years. You outright laugh, bitterness beginning to overtake the heartache. “Oh Lord,” You sigh, “I can’t believe I bought into Hoyt’s dumb speech.” Tommy looks at you, curiously. “He thinks you’re in love with me! Isn’t that a hollar and a half? You? In love with me?” You scoff, not registering the hurt in Tommy’s eyes. “As if someone could fall in love with me.” You let out another chuckle, shaking your head.

Tommy worries at his lip. He DOES love you! More than anything. He just doesn’t know how to show you! “What am I compared to a busty blonde anyway?” Your head plops itself in his arm, feeling pathetic about it all. “I think maybe I should leave once I heal up. You know? Take one of the abandoned houses in town? A trailer maybe. I could find work in the next town over, I’m sure of it. What do you think Thomas?”

You crane your neck to look at him, sitting straighter when you notice panic in his eyes. You aren’t exactly sure what to say, but Tommy has a plan at least. He grabs your face and presses his lips roughly to yours. Unsure of how to kiss, he pulls back immediately. Shaking his head he kisses you again, and again, and again. 

This time, you laugh for a completely different reason. Now everything seems just so incredibly silly and inconsequential. “Ok, ok,” You giggle, “Maybe I’ll stick around for a while.” Tommy nods, his kisses getting softer. “But there’s one condition,” He still, listened to you intently. “You get me to my bed as quickly as possible, I’m so tired, Tommy.” 

He lifts you gently into his arms and carries you to the bedroom, giving you kisses all along the way. 

[paperficwriter]

The View From the Edge

Another delightful story for @caped-ace, this time for some Reaper76 from Overwatch! Enjoy these old men, proving that being edgelords doesn’t go out with age.

Cut is for length, not for content. 

It had taken nearly thirty minutes after the battle with Los Muertos for Soldier: 76 to finally collapse in the Dorado alleyway.

Clearly, he had known it was only a matter of time before he would succumb to the injuries he had sustained. That’s why he had concentrated on taking an aimless, twisting path through the Mexican city, avoiding major thoroughfares. Generally he kept moving south - which must have been where he had left whatever mode of transportation he had used to get there - but then, near an industrial scrapyard, his knees buckled. One arm against a building wall, the other clutching the heavy pulse rifle. Of course that would be important to him, but soon it fell with a clatter as he gripped his side, where he had taken the brunt of the grenade blast.

Idiot, Reaper thought. The child had foolishly put herself in danger, had lingered too long, and then the rogue had hesitated in deciding what to do about it, waiting for the last possible moment, losing the gang and just barely rescuing the girl. Sloppy. Careless.

After a moment, it had become too much, and Soldier: 76 sagged to the ground in an unconscious pile.

“Old habits die hard.”

And now that old habit was going to kill him. Ironic.

Reaper stepped off the edge of the building he had been standing on, feeling his body discorporate and reform on the ground. As he walked the few feet to the form of his unintentional quarry - he hadn’t planned on even being in that part of the city that day, had only been picking up a Talon shipment that had required a heavier hand in case the drop had gone south - he watched the man’s hands, his head, his chest. Still breathing, but slow and shallow.

For some reason, the Hellfire shotgun in his hand felt heavier than usual. He only needed one. One shot, aimed at the scar that was just visible running toward that thinning white hair.

But…

Reaper reached out with his boot to kick the rifle away from the limp, gloved hand. No response. Not even a twitch.

It would be over in an instant. No one was out here; he had made sure of that. Perhaps a security camera towards the street would pick up the blip of his weapon discharging, but he would be gone before the lazy local authorities came to investigate. All they would find was the body, Soldier: 76, taken out. The news would spread.

But then they would know what he knew. What, more than likely, only he knew.

That for a time, Jack Morrison, the original leader of Overwatch, had still been alive, until someone had blown his brains out in the asshole of Dorado.

Then who knew what kind of stories people would tell.

About either of them.

“Get up,” Reaper rasped, kicking his prone body in the shoulder. He rolled, some breath shaking out of his lungs, but otherwise still unresponsive. “Face me like a man, you…”

What was he going to call him? A liar? That would be fitting. Sitting back and watching them erect that stupid statue, letting the people he called “friends” suffer his loss. A fool? Also would be true. He carried the same weapon, fought the same way, relying on only a shitty mask to hide who he was. Reaper knew him better, had run alongside him for too long, enduring his heroics, tolerating his snap judgements, mocking the ‘work ethic’ that had made him such a damn golden boy…

The barrel of the gun was pressed so hard against the man’s forehead that he could make out the white spreading from where he was restricting blood vessels close to the skin.

Just pull the trigger. Be done with it.

Seconds passed. A minute.

“I said, get up!” he roared, his voice echoing between the buildings. And that was just worse, because even when the bastard was unconscious, he could still get a rise out of him. “Dammit…”

Taking one last look around, he stooped down, pulled the body onto his shoulder like a sack and disappeared into the growing darkness.

---

“Get up!” He screams it as the building burns behind them. Gabe can feel where some of the scalding debris has left open wounds on his arms, on his face, but none of that matters right now, because Jack is on his back, and he’s not breathing. He’s not breathing, he’s not responding, and his face under grime and blood is going pale.

Without even pausing, Gabe tears the armor off him, yelling into the comm as he does. “Amari! I need you here five minutes ago!”

“I am doing what I can, Gabriel. I cannot get a shot through the smoke, and I am trying to get around the building.”

“I don’t fucking care if Reinhart needs to throw you over it! Man down! Get here!”

He ignores the howling of his muscles as he positions himself over Jack’s torso, dropping into several, quick pulses to his xyphoid process. He’s probably going to be a bitch about this later, because he can already feel him bruising under the force of his hands, but Gabe will deal with it if it means that there will be a later.

Over the hum of noise, he counts to himself, then he tips Jack’s head to clear his airway, grabs his nose and breathes into him.  He watches his chest rise, fall, rise...and then Jack chokes into his mouth, and Gabe pulls back.

“Fucking hell, Jack,” he immediately curses, putting a hand on his shoulder because he knows him well enough that he’s fairly certain he’ll want to jump up and head back into the fray. “Don’t even think about it. I’ll shoot you in the legs if I have to.”

“The team. I got to…” Jack grabs the center of his chest, groaning.

“You’ve got to stay where you are until Amari gets here,” Gabe growls.

“Then you need to go.” Jack is craning his head, trying to look back at the facility ablaze, rambling orders...and Gabe gives him a slap. Not a hard one, but just enough to get his attention. “The hell, Gabe?!”

“There’s nothing left to do. The team’s out. The omnics have been trashed. So I’m staying right here, and you’re not getting rid of me. Got it?”

Jack blinks those blue eyes of his - bright enough that they still shine, even in the mess of the rest of his face - and finally he seems to drop his head back. Gabe knows that he believes him, but he keeps his palm pressed against his upper arm. Just in case.

---

As Jack awoke, the strange half-dream fading into the haze of his mind, he realized that he wasn’t in an alley anymore. In fact, he wasn’t even outside. On his back, he stared through his visor (thank God he still had his mask on, wherever he was) at the ceiling of a one-man ship of some kind. His body was still criss-crossed with pain, but he was alive. And that was something.

But when he moved to get up, any relief went cold, because he couldn’t feel his legs, and he only had one arm free. The other - his dominant hand, he noted - had been cuffed to the cot on which he was lying.

“You’re awake. I was starting to wonder how long it would take.”

Reaper. Jack knew him from the holos he had seen, the information he had intercepted from Winston’s broadcast to the surviving members of Overwatch, and the horror stories he had uncovered about the killer’s victims. Drained of life, frozen in horror at their last moments. He sat two yards away, staring him down, Jack’s pulse rifle balanced in his lap. He tapped it rhythmically with his one gloved hand, the claw-like tips tinking against the metal, while his other held one of his shotguns. Jack’s mind immediately started racing, considering all the possibilities as to why he didn’t pull the trigger. Was he taking him back to Talon, to get information out of him? Turning him in? Both seemed unlikely.

Jack yanked at the cuff, testing its give.

“Stop. You’re only going to reopen your wounds.” There was nothing concerning in that gravelly voice. It sounded more like something he was saying as an observation. An annoying possibility.

His wounds. That was another thing worth noting, he realized. His vest had been removed, and his side was bandaged. Stitched, too. No, stapled. “Why do you care? Bleed out, take a gunshot to the head...dead is dead, right?” And if somehow he had become paralyzed, maybe dead was better... “You’re not known for your altruism, Reaper.”

“I don’t want you when you’re half-assed,” the mercenary said simply, putting the rifle down so it was leaning on the wall. “Someone like you...I want to hunt when you’re at your best. You’re not making that easy, throwing your life around like it’s nothing.”

“Thoughtful.” He reached down with his one free hand to rub at his legs, feeling the nerves for a sign of life.

“I injected you with a paralytic. I knew you’d practically jump at the chance to take off as soon as you woke up.” He holstered the shotgun, much to Jack’s surprise, and stood up, gesturing at the side of the cot. “There’s water. You’ve been out for nearly ten hours. You’re dehydrated.”

“Don’t tell me what I am. You don’t know me.”

A short sound like a chuckle came from behind the mask, guttural and stuttering slightly. It was a laugh that sounded...familiar, and it made Jack’s stomach tighten. “Whatever. Do what you want. But if you tear those staples out, I’m not using anesthetic to put them back in.”

Jack believed it.

---

Reaper stood over the small hot pot, adding diced vegetables and strips of meat, letting the stew simmer. Far away in his brain, this felt so strangely like deja vu. Jack, injured, and him, having to dote on him. Not because he wanted to, but because if he didn’t, the idiot wouldn’t take care of himself.

Speaking of which, it seemed that he had fallen asleep again. Or slipped back into unconsciousness. What was really the difference?

Silently, he stared into the pot. If he had had any doubt that it was Jack - and he didn’t - he would have recognized all the scars still jagged across his chest and arms. Most of them, Gabe had been there for: stray bullets, shrapnel, white hot beams of energy.

A burning piece of the Overwatch command console that had collapsed onto his chest, when he thought that he had…

A bubble of broth burst onto the burner, and the hiss brought him back to the present. No time to reminisce. Best to let sleeping ghosts of the past rest while they could. This wasn’t one of the shitty novels that the younger, pre-Overwatch Jack kept tucked under his bunk, a guilty pleasure from when he was a kid: science fiction about space renegades who would turn on one another and then reconcile before the end of 400 pages. Fantasies from when he had known that there was a bigger universe out there waiting for him beyond a few acres of farmland.

He nearly took the pot off the heat, then remembered that Jack always wanted things ten times saltier than any other man he knew. Out of instinct, forgetting that probably age and his condition would not appreciate it, he tossed two more tablespoons worth of kosher salt, slopped it into a bowl and disappeared into nothingness until he was next to the cot.

Even despite his silent approach, Jack stirred at his sudden appearance, startling instinctively but not pulling away from where he stood.

“Eat,” the dark figure commanded, putting the bowl down before sliding back a few steps.

“Fuck off.”

That made him smirk under his mask. “You need your strength. So I can throw you out of here and get out of this dustball garbage dump of a city.”

Jack paused, and there was just the slightest tilt to his head. “Don’t screw around with me,” he said, voice low. “I know you don’t actually intend on letting me go. So just be straight with me.”

“I don’t care what you think you know. Eat, so I don’t have to pump you full of vitamin injections.” Then, he sat so his back was to him. Not exactly a natural position for Reaper - or Gabe, come to think of it - but he knew there was nothing Jack could do to him currently. Not in his state. Maybe he could get a bowl of soup lobbed at his head for his trouble, but that certainly wouldn’t kill him.

He did smile with satisfaction, crossing his arms over his check when he heard the faint click of the mask disengaging. The small space was silent save for the occasional wet noise of Jack eating, except for when something fell to the floor. A piece of vegetable probably. Jack cursed under his breath, then snapped, “This would be easier with both hands, you know. If you really aren’t planning on killing me, then --”

“Also not planning on getting killed. I don’t expect the same consideration from you.”

“Guess you’re not as stupid as you look.”

“Don’t get cocky.”

---

“Don’t get cocky.”

Jack’s spoon stopped halfway to his mouth, gravity making it feel like it weighed even more than it should have. Because there was something to those words that he couldn’t shake.

Someone else had said that to him far too many times, even when he was at his most responsible. Someone who he had trusted, who he never had to worry about not having his back in the very slim chance that he did get cocky. Someone he had sparred with, who mocked him, saying that only once he had gotten Jack into some sort of stranglehold. And he didn’t fail to recall how it would sound, so close to his ear, the closeness of their bodies making the gym feel much smaller, much warmer.

Gabe.

Jack stared hard at his back, at the cloak pooling to the ground. It could be, but…

Was it any better, if it was? That now this was who Gabe had become, a merciless killer, remorseless, trying to destroy the people who stood for the same cause he had defended for so long?

“Being a Talon lackey is a waste of your skills,” he commented as he continued eating.

“I’ve been in worse positions.”

Ouch. “Poor you.” He paused, and he wasn’t sure why he said it, but he added, “Doesn’t mean you couldn’t be doing something better with yourself. There are a lot of people you could be doing good for, instead of being some kind of boogeyman for the highest bidder.”

Reaper said nothing for several seconds, then replied with a resigned sigh. “We all have our parts to play. Heroes need villains...Solder: 76.”

What bullshit. “You might think that sounds impressive, but it’s not. You’re not fulfilling some greater purpose with the shit you’re pulling. The world isn’t going to suffer for not having bastards in it, so don’t feed me that line of ‘what light without darkness.’”

Jack practically slammed his mask back on - almost painfully so, hitting his nose, catching the ridge above his eye the wrong way - as soon as he caught the sight of Reaper dematerializing in a flash of shadowy smoke. The bowl rolled across the floor, sending what remained of stew into a messy pattern against metal tiles, as Jack felt a cold hand grab him by his tight jumpsuit near the collar. Jack wrapped his free hand around the wrist, his other instinctively tightening against the cuff holding him, because this was his off-hand, too weak to be effective.

This close, the skull covering Reaper’s face looked like actual bone. His voice was cold, and it actually felt like life energy in Jack was draining, being pulled into the cold void that was Reaper. Was Gabe in there at all? “Then forget the labels. What if I just want to do this?”

“Why?” Jack asked, trying not to sound desperate for the answer. “Why want that?”

“Because Death comes. For everyone. And some people deserve an earlier visit than others.”

“And you get to decide that, perro viejo?” To anyone else, Jack knew that it would probably sound like a slur, but if he was right, if it was Gabe on the other side of the menacing visage looming over him, maybe part of him would recall the ribbing nickname. One that he always rolled his eyes at, because he was only a handful of years older than Jack (if that).

For a moment Reaper’s hand tightened, then relaxed. He was silent, and Jack could feel him staring at him. Through him. In the exchange, he hadn’t even realized that one of the Hellfire monstrosities had been drawn and only now he felt it digging into his rib. His eyes darted between it and his face, the dark shadow of where his own eyes would be.

“That can’t be all you want,” Jack said, finally, quietly. Because I want more, he thought.

Suddenly, a beeping presented itself from a communication console. Despite the tightest grip he could hold onto, Jack felt Gabe disappear from under his fingers. Not for the first time. Hopefully not for the last.

He reappeared by the small radio, said a few words quietly into it, and then disconnected the line. Faintly, Jack could make out a prickling in his legs, like they were waking up from being asleep, and he just very, very carefully wiggled his toes in his boots. Had he actually tried to move them before now? Maybe not.

A movement caught his attention, and he looked up to find the figure in black there again at his bedside. This time, he unlocked the cuff that was holding Jack to the cot, quickly stepping back as his wrist was freed.

“I’m walking out of here for twenty minutes. If you’re still here when I get back, I’ll finish you off. My good nature is past its expiration date.”

Jack wanted to say something more. He wanted to call him by his name. He wanted to beg him to come with him. He wanted to apologize (or maybe ask for his own apology). But...nothing came out. He wasn’t stupid. He knew it was over, the moment between them. No, the rest of it, too. Over. Dead.

This was who they were now.

“Next time we meet, you’re not going to be so lucky,” he said instead.

“I guess we’ll see.” And with that, he was gone again, leaving nothing behind him but tendrils of ebony wisps, and then those disappeared as well.

---

“Goodbye, Jack.”

---

“Goodbye, Gabe.”

[some1foundme]

Fic: Lost in the Memory ch. 20

Title: Lost in the Memory

Author: Some1FoundMe

Summary: Oliver Queen returns to his home in Star City after a five year tour overseas, much to the delight of his friends and family. There’s just one small problem. The injury that effectively ended his military career also erased a part of his memory.  As he struggles to put together the missing pieces of his past, his connection to his best friend’s little sister becomes something he can’t avoid. Who is Felicity Merlyn and why can’t he seem to stay away from her?  Olicity AU, no Arrow, no island.

A/N:  Again, a huge thank you to everyone who has taken the time to read this and to everyone who has dropped a comment / review.  You’re kind words are so greatly appreciated!  Also, who thank you once again to my beta, westernbeauty!

Read on AO3 or ff.net.

Chapter Twenty

The moment was over before she could really process what was happening.  One moment her father stood in front of Oliver, the barrel of his shotgun aimed at her husband’s chest, and the next he was on the ground in a heap, both hands braced over his face.  She hadn’t witnessed Oliver disarm Malcolm or noticed when he’d slammed the butt of the rifle into his forehead.  At least, she thought, if she had, she couldn’t remember it.

“Oliver.”

His gaze flicked in her direction, his hands steady as he held the weapon aloft, aimed toward the man at his feet.  She could read the tension in his body and in his stony expression.  She pressed her palm gently against his back, applying a slight pressure just between his shoulder blades.  His dark eyes had her breath catching in her throat and she knew that he wasn’t quite with her in that moment.  Her heart ached at the realization.  She didn’t know the details of what had happened to him when he’d been deployed but the vacant look in his eyes told her enough.

“Hey, honey, it’s okay,” she soothed, stepping closer and resting her chin against his arm, “We’re okay. Please put the gun down.  Please.”

He stared at her for a long, tense moment before dropping his stance, the rifle falling to his side. He wrapped his free arm around her waist and drew her into him, his nose skimming along her hairline.  She felt him relax against her.

“Dad, call the police.”

Felicity jerked in his arms, surprised by the rough command, and looked up at him.  Oliver’s eyes had fallen to her father yet again.

“Oliver, son, there’s no need to involve the police,” Robert hedged, “We’ll take Malcolm home.”

Oliver acknowledged his father’s suggestion with a scowl.

“No.  No more.  I’m done standing by and watching him treat my wife like shit.  Why the hell should he get away with what he’s done?  H He hits her.  He walks all over her.  He tears her down every chance he gets.  And he’s so damn drunk most days that he doesn’t even know his own name.  He comes here and he threatens our family and you want to just let him leave?  Call the fucking cops or I will.”

There was a brief moment when Felicity thought Robert would try another tactic to sway Oliver’s decision but he shook his head before taking Moira’s hand and leading her from the room.  When they were gone, leaving Felicity alone with her husband and her father, she found herself leaning into him.

“Are you alright, sweetheart?”

His question was spoken softly against the shell of her ear and she nodded numbly.

“I’m – I’m fine,” she whispered, unable to hide the way her voice shook, “I just…”

“What is it, Felicity?”

The tears hit her hard, a sob escaping her and taking her by surprise.  She buried her face against Oliver’s chest.

“I just want this to be over,” she muttered, “I’m so tired, Oliver.”

Robert returned then, letting them know that the police were on the way, and Oliver turned and handed his father the shotgun.

“Don’t let him move,” he instructed harshly before leading her out into the foyer.

Oliver led her over to the padded bench near the front door, urging her to sit before dropping to a crouch in front of her.  He cradled both of her hands in his, holding them in her lap.

“Tell me what you want to do here, Felicity.  How do you want to handle this?  Because if I had it my way, they’d be carrying your father out of here in a body bag. But it’s up to you.  What do you want to do?”

She shook her head, freeing a hand to wipe at the tears sliding down her cheeks.

“I don’t … I don’t know, Oliver.  He’s my dad. No matter what he’s done, I – I don’t want to hurt him.  What should I do?”

Oliver sighed and moved until he was sitting beside her.  

“The police are already on the way.  They’ll take him in for a domestic disturbance, most likely, but you can report him for assault.  We can talk to Digg, see what he thinks.  And I know that this isn’t going to do anything to make the relationship that you have with your dad any better but it sure as hell can’t make it any worse.  He needs help, baby.  Maybe this is the best thing for him.”

Flashing red and blue lights spilled through the heavy panes of glass in the Queen’s front door, casting the entryway in an unnatural hue.  Felicity stiffened, her wet eyes moving to the door, and Oliver squeezed her hands.

“I won’t push you, Felicity. It’s up to you to decide.  Tell Digg whatever you want to tell him.”

She nodded.  When he stood to answer the door, she had to fight the urge to reach for him again.  She was strong.  She’d stood on her own for a long time in his absence.  She had been running Verdant for years, taking care of Thea and herself, taking care of their home, all of it without him there beside her.  He’d been in her heart, certainly, but in his absence she’d been a single parent and the sole proprietor of their business. She had two feet to stand on and steel in her spine.

“John.”

“Oliver, man, it’s been a long time.”

She watched as the two men shook hands, realizing that this was the first time in the weeks that Oliver had been home that he’d seen his old friend.  Too bad their reunion couldn’t have happened under different circumstances.

“Thanks for getting here so quickly.  Malcolm is in here.”

Oliver stepped into the living with John’s partner, a young man with dark eyes half hidden beneath a baseball hat, and John came over to sit beside her.

“How you doing, Felicity? You want to tell me what happened?”

She sighed heavily, a hollow laugh bubbling out of her.

“Where do I even start?”

John set a heavy hand on her knee.

“How about you start with what happened today, okay?  We can talk about the rest of it later.”

A fresh flood of tears stung her eyes as she turned to look at her friend.

“You – you know, don’t you? About my dad?”

It was John’s turn to sigh.

“Felicity, I’ve been doing this for a long time.  I’m not blind.  And Lyla’s not either.  We know you well enough to know when you’re trying to hide the bruises under makeup or the sleeves of a shirt.  But you never said anything, never made a fuss about it.  And no one ever saw him hit you.  You should’ve come to me.  You should’ve let me help you.”

She shook her head, sending tears cascading down her cheeks.

“I didn’t know how.  I – I’ve lived with his temper for a long time. When I was a kid, it was mostly just yelling.  He … he shoved me once.  But he never really hit me until after Mom died.  Even then, it was only when Tommy and Oliver were overseas.  He wouldn’t dare to hit me when either of them was around.”

John huffed and squeezed her hand.

“He knew better.  Your brother and Oliver would’ve ripped him limb from limb.”

She laughed tearfully, “Yeah… yeah they would’ve. Oliver wanted to just now, trust me.”

“What about you, ‘Lis? What do you want to do?” John asked her.

She swallowed hard, her gaze flicking to where she could see her father being hauled off of the floor by her husband and John’s partner.  

“I want to press charges. He – he needs to understand that I’m not going to be his punching bag anymore.  He needs help.”

John nodded, squeezing her hand one last time, and got to his feet.  She stood on shaky legs, wrapping her arms around her middle as a chill washed over her.  Her feet wouldn’t move as she watched John put handcuffs on her father.  His dark eyes bore into her through the entire ordeal and it took every ounce of strength that she had left to keep from breaking.  The disappointment and disgust in his expression left her feeling raw even as he was escorted outside.  Robert followed John’s partner out into the cold as he led her father away, leaving her just inside the door with John, Oliver and Moira.

“Everything is going to be alright, Felicity,” John assured her.

Not trusting her voice, Felicity gave him a stiff nod before turning and fleeing the room.

When she sank down onto the floor in Oliver’s childhood bedroom moments later, she couldn’t have told anyone exactly how she’d gotten there.  She was trembling, tremors shaking her entire body where she was pressed against the wall.  She drew her knees to her chest and rested her head there.  

“Felicity.”

She felt him slide down the wall beside her seconds before his arms were around her, drawing her into him. She went willingly.

“I did the right thing. He needs this.  I did the right thing.”

The words left her in an urgent whisper.  She needed to hear him say it.  She needed someone to reassure her, to take away the guilt that was trying in vain to smother her.  She needed to hear it from Oliver because there was no one else that she would believe in that moment.  

“Of course you did, baby. Malcolm needs to face the consequences of his actions.  He’s gotten away with hurting you for far too long.  John wasn’t wrong.  Everything will be okay, Felicity.”

Another tremor raced along her spine, wracking her frame where she was glued to Oliver’s side. The arm he had around her tugged her impossibly closer.

“What am I going to tell Thea?”

Oliver sighed, his lips ghosting her temple.

“The truth.  She was there the first night he showed up here. She knows that he hit you then. So we tell her the truth.  Maybe not all of it.  But there’s no reason to lie to her.  We tell her that Malcolm has been arrested.  That he threatened you.  That he threatened all of us.  And we tell her that, no matter what happens, she’s safe with us.  That he’ll never hurt you or her again,” he told her, his voice strong and sure, “And you won’t have to tell her anything.  Not alone.  I’m here now. I know … I know that you’ve been on your own for a long time with her, baby, but not anymore.  I’m here and we’ll tell her everything together.”

She let a few tears slip from her eyes before shoving them aside and getting up off of the hard floor. Oliver followed, one hand still wrapped around hers, and he drew her into his arms for a long moment, tucking her beneath his chin.

“I love you, Felicity.”

“I love you, too.”

She clung to him, her fingers fisted in the sweatshirt she wore as she pressed her face to his shoulder. Tendrils of exhaustion twisted around inside of her, leaving her limbs heavy, and Felicity struggled to fight them off.  She was just so tired.  Tired of living in fear of her father, tired of being put through the emotional wringer. She wanted to relax, to close her eyes and find comfort in her husband’s strength supporting her.  And if she could find sanctuary on the floor of Oliver’s childhood bedroom then so be it.

“We still have to go get Thea,” Oliver reminded her gently, his fingers carding through her hair rhythmically.

She sighed, “I know.”

“Are you alright?  If you need to stay here –“

“No, it’s okay.  I – I’m as okay as I’m going to be, I think. Besides, it may be better if I go. I’m sure Thea told Quentin and Dinah that you’re back.  They… They’ll have questions.”

“I’ll go with you,” he told her, “We can answer whatever questions that they have together.”

Felicity bit her lip and huddled closer to her husband.  It wasn’t that she didn’t want him with her.  If she had her way, she would never be separated from him again, but her emotions were swirling too rapidly for her to stop them and there was a tiny part of her that was desperate for just a moment’s peace.  She needed a reprieve from any and all emotional stimuli, Oliver included.

“I … I think maybe I should go alone.”

She found herself holding her breath as she waited for him to reply.  If he pushed back, if he insisted on going with her, she knew that she would cave.  She didn’t have the strength left for a fight.

“You’re sure?” he asked eventually with a gentleness that tugged at her heart.

Fresh tears brimmed in her eyes at the understanding in his voice.  She nodded.

“Yeah.”

“Okay.”

“You’re – you’re not mad?”

Oliver sighed and drew her closer, his lips grazing her temple again.

“I’m not mad, Felicity. If this is what you think is best, if this is what you need –“

“It is.  I – I just need a little time.  My dad, god, he’s got my head so messed up, Oliver.  I need a break from all of this, from everything. I need ten minutes to myself where I don’t have to think about anything or anyone,” she breathed, “Does that make sense?”

He shifted beside her until his torso was angled in a way that allowed him to look down at her.  He brushed loose tendrils of hair from her face, tucking them behind her ear.

“Perfect sense.”

When his forehead touched hers, her eyes slipped closed and she lifted one hand to his face.  Her fingers danced across the scruff that dusted his jaw.

“I don’t know how I’d do this without you,” she whispered.

“You’re the strongest person that I know, Felicity.  You’ve done so much on your own the last five years, you can do anything.  But I promise you, you won’t ever have to face any of this by yourself again.  I’m here and I’m not going anywhere.”

And she knew that it was true, that Oliver had no intention to leave them again.  Her husband had come home to her, no matter what condition he’d returned in, he was home and he wasn’t leaving them.

Felicity collapsed into the booth across from her brother with a heavy sigh.  Tommy raised a brow at her obvious frustration and watched with barely concealed amusement as she snatched his soda up and finished off the glass.

“Hi, Sis.  Nice to see you.  How was your trip?”

She groaned, “Terrible!  My train was delayed at least three times on the way here.  I didn’t get any of my schoolwork done because my tablet died and I committed a cardinal sin and left my damn charger in my room. I tried to nap and that didn’t work out because the little old lady in the seat beside me felt the need to tell me her entire life story.”

She didn’t tell him about the phone call with her father that had left her in tears.  She didn’t tell him about the shouting and the threats.  She didn’t tell him that the apartment that he shared with Oliver in Havenrock was the only place she felt safe.  She would tell him later.

Tommy chuckled, shaking his head at her, just as Oliver appeared beside the table.  He slid into the booth beside Felicity.

He grinned at her, his blue eyes brighter than normal somehow even in the fluorescent lights of Big Belly Burger, and heat stained her cheeks. She ducked her head and took another pull at the straw in Tommy’s cup.  She cringed when she realized it was empty.  So much for her planned diversion.

Oliver’s hand landed on her knee beneath the table, drawing her attention back to him, and she blinked up at him from behind her glasses.

“Hi.”

“H – hi.”

It wasn’t her first trip to Havenrock by any means but it was the first time she’d visited them since she and Oliver had spent the night together out by the lighthouse back home.  They’d taken a significant step forward in their relationship that night and Felicity hoped that they’d have some time to relive some of the more memorable moments.

She glanced surreptitiously at his hand before her gaze flickered to Tommy on the other side of the table.  The knowing smirk tugging at his lips had another wave of warmth rushing to her face.  Oliver leaned into her and pressed a chaste kiss to the corner of her mouth. Felicity couldn’t decide whether to be pleased or embarrassed.  

The moment, however, passed quickly and before she could really appreciate the fact that Oliver had just kissed her – in front of Tommy, no less – they’d moved on to other things.

“Have you ordered yet?” he asked her brother, “I’m fucking starving.”

Tommy shook his head, “I’ve been here all of five minutes, man. And ‘Lis got here about thirty seconds before you did.”

Oliver’s hand moved from her knee as he draped his arm along the back of their booth and she found herself closing the distance between them. She situated herself against his side while Oliver and Tommy started bickering about something work related that she didn’t feel the need to follow.  Instead, her mind wandered to everything that had changed between them in the last couple of months.  And not just between her and Oliver but between the three of them as a whole. The dynamic had changed but only slightly.  From what she’d seen, the shift in Tommy and Oliver’s friendship was so insignificant that anyone who hadn’t known them both since birth wouldn’t have noticed it. Where before Oliver and Tommy often joined together to tease her like older brothers did, the teasing mostly came from Tommy now and it was generally aimed at she and Oliver as a couple.  He liked to harp on them about their PDA which, in Felicity’s opinion was ridiculously minimal, and had jokingly threatened Oliver on more than one occasion for ‘sexing up’ his baby sister in his presence.  But other than some good natured ribbing, her brother seemed to take the shift in her and Oliver’s relationship in stride.  

“Felicity?”

Her head snapped up at the sound of her name and she glanced at Oliver who was watching her expectantly, a bemused grin pulling at his lips.  Their waitress looked less than impressed by her inattention and she gave her an apologetic smile.

“I’ll have a chocolate shake, a Belly Buster with extra pickles, and fries.  Please.”

The young girl – who couldn’t have been any older than Felicity really – jotted her order down and moved on to the next table.  The minute she’d vacated, Tommy hurried from the booth.

“I’ve gotta call Laurel real quick,” he called to them as he headed for the door.

She smiled up at Oliver.

“Hi again.”

He chuckled, one hand coming up to brush back the hair that had come loose from her ponytail.

“Hi there.”

“I’ve missed you.”

“I’ve missed you, too, sweetheart.”

Her heart somersaulted a little at the pet name.  She would’ve been lying to herself if she said she didn’t adore the endearments he used for her.  It was always something new.  Sweetheart, love, dear, baby.  No matter which one he used, they never failed to make her pulse race.

Oliver dropped his forehead to hers, his nose sliding against hers, and her eyes fluttered closed.

“I can’t wait to be alone with you,” she murmured.

He groaned, “Fuck, I don’t even know when that’s going to happen. Your brother keeps coming up with all of these ‘plans’ for the three of us.  He’s already hijacked every hour of the day tomorrow.”

She giggled at Oliver’s indignation, both hands finding their way to his face, cupping his smooth jaw.

“He’s cockblocking us,” she confirmed.

Oliver made a noise somewhere between amusement and distress and her smile only grew.

“I fucking hate him.”

Felicity laughed and kissed him softly.

“He has to go into work Sunday morning, right? Just think, we’ll have the apartment all to ourselves.  I bought this –“

“Dear god, ‘Lis, whatever you do, do not finish that sentence.”

She jerked away from Oliver, startled by Tommy’s disgruntled tone, but she didn’t get far.  Oliver’s arm around her shoulders kept her close.  She was sure that she was blushing as her brother claimed his seat across from them.  

“Why did we think living together was a good idea?  Oh yeah, that’s right, you weren’t having eye-sex with my baby sister when we moved in together,” Tommy grumbled.

Oliver opened his mouth – to say what she couldn’t really be sure – and Felicity slapped her hand over it, cutting him off.

“Don’t,” she warned sharply, glaring first at Oliver and then turning to her brother, “You either.  And don’t think that I’m going to let you commandeer all of my time and keep Oliver and I from being alone together.  I came here to see you both because I love you both but Oliver is my boyfriend, Tommy.  And that means that I want to be alone with him.  Even if it’s only for a few hours.”

Tommy rolled his eyes.

“Yeah, yeah, I know.  I was just trying to spare myself from being traumatized, okay?”

Felicity scoffed, “Oh please.  You don’t think you’ve traumatized me?  You and Laurel?  You do remember that time in the hot tub when –“

“Ah, right, okay.  Enough said. Point taken.  I will… find a way to make myself scarce for a little while tomorrow.  Give you love birds your privacy.  And yes, by the way, I do have to go into work on Sunday morning so there’s that.”

It was fortunate that their food arrived just then and Felicity was grateful that all talk of weekend plans disappeared.  Tommy and Oliver switched to regaling her with stories of their friends on the base, mostly guys they’d gone through basic training with, and the familiar banter put her at ease.  She was with her two favorite people in the world, in a city that she was learning to love, and for the first time all day, she was able to push all thought of her father aside.  She wouldn’t let him ruin her time with them.  She wouldn’t let his anger spoil what was supposed to be a relaxing weekend free of school and work and drama.  Felicity was tired of letting her father control her life.  She had steel in her backbone and she was learning how to display it.

[vesperlionheart]

Pompeii Chapter 21

After the Goblin Market Sakura was surprised she was as tired as she was. Ino had told her that might happen, some people got sicker than others, and first timers were especially susceptible to the extra drain Sakura was feeling. She sank into the flush of her couch and let her body sink. It had been hard to keep up with Ino and hide how drained she really was. Ino already felt bad about being absent minded on a few things, Sakura didn’t want to make her friend feel worse about anything else.

‘But aren’t you going to be doing that eventually? You’re such a vapor in comparison to them, smoke in the wind. Their childhoods are longer than our entire lifespan.’

Sakura looked up and blinked. There was no one in the room with her but she knew the voice in her head had no physical body. She sometimes imagined it as a black and white reverse image of herself. It helped to get on top of her depression when her suggestive thoughts had a body.

‘That doesn’t change anything. I’ve not been dishonest with anyone, I’ve never lied to any of them. I can’t change what’s going to happen to me. I’ll age, that’s inevitable.” Sakura focused on the visualization of her thoughts and glared harder. ‘I’m not going to worry about it.’

The black and white reverse image of Sakura shrugged. ‘You’re well loved, but that’s only because you’re so new, you’re an oddity. It’s not because of you. It’s not really about you. You’re just a thing for them to play with; a doll.’

Sakura swallowed and felt for the fabric of her pants, the rough material, the end of her shirt, the skin of her opposite wrists. She smelled the dust and the wood in her home. The old candles still had a lingering scent she could identify. She was in her home and she was safe.

‘I know my own worth and it’s not dependent on anyone else’s attention or interest. I know my worth and it has not diminished.” She remembered the attention and the flattering memories and stepped on top of them. “I can’t control what anyone else thinks or does, but I am my own person with my own worth.’

‘You’re sort of a terrible doctor for this town. You don’t know anything about half these-��

“That’s enough!” Sakura said out loud.

The image in front of her staggered, flickered, and vanished. She hadn’t been a ghost or a haunting spirit or something magical or supernatural. She didn’t burn up in a blaze of fire or break apart in a ring of salt. She was a symptom of something natural that Sakura wasn’t ashamed to admit to anymore.  

She had always had issues with feelings of self worth, stemming back to when she was a child too eager to please in a classroom with too many kids, in a family with too little time, in a relationship with too little love. But, she was a doctor and she had a name for what she fought. This didn’t make her broken and this didn’t make her any less of a person. Sakura knew her worth. She knew she was better than her worst thoughts and that it wasn’t any good dwelling on her basic fears.  She would save her energies for other battles. Battles with curses and dark magics and things in the woods that didn’t like her for some odd reason.

Sakura sagged down in her seat and felt with her hand for the paper her dreamcatcher had been wrapped with. She heard the crackle before she saw it. Lazy as a housefly, she shifted in her seat and pulled the paper onto her lap and started to tug at the tape. It came away easy enough. The small sounds in the still of her room made the back of her neck tingle. She felt like there was a nest at the base of her brain behind her head that turned happy at the small sounds.

She had burned out all the way like a candle on a stick.

Sakura turned into the couch and hugged the dream catcher to her chest, too tired to hang it. Regardless, her dreams were free of nightmares. Sakura slept soundly through the night for the first time in a long time.

“It’s super fun when we have to treat people who don’t want to be treated,” Sakura sighed with a smile as she sagged down onto the arm of Shizune’s chair. Through the window she watched the fire dwarf stride away with a haughty sort of waddle. Sakura’s grin thinned.

“You should have seen him before with the other doctors. He seemed to like you.”

Sakura snickered. “I ended up yelling at him and he cussed me out more than anyone I’ve ever met.”

Shizune chuckled. “That’s how they talk to everyone. But at least he paid. He wouldn’t have done that upfront if he didn’t respect you.” She punched Sakura’s shoulder lightly. “Cheer up, you’re doing great.”

Sakura shook her head. “And to think, when I first got here I was more worried about my bedside manner. I was sort of stiff and thought that would be an issue outside of the city. But now…I just worry about a lot of other different things.”

“You shouldn’t. You’re doing fine. You’re doing better than fine, everyone loves you!”

Sakura thinned her lips and narrowed her eyes in a disbelieving way.

The conversation broke with a cry from the doorway closest to the main street. Sakura sat up in her seat, wondering if the sound was meant for her office or the dentist’s office next door. They shared a walkway on the main street entrance and were close enough that they could hear each other on occasions.

“I think that’s next door.” Shizune stood up however and held a hand up to her chin, listening harder. “Oh.”

“What?”

Shizune shook her head. “I’m pretty sure that’s for next door, but I don’t know how they’ll manage with the way he’s carrying on. Ino’s with him, so they should be okay…”

Sakura started trotting towards the door and reached for it, peeking out and seeing a tussle between three people on the sidewalk. She had to blink because two people looked like clones of each other. Ino and Kimimaro were easy enough to pick out, but there was a third member that looked way too much like Ino for it to be a coincidence. Both had long blond hair pulled up in ponytails and wide blue eyes…or eye? She only saw one on the man.

“I already told you I’m not going in there. I don’t trust him!”

“You have to,” Ino hissed back. “You’re sick!”

The dentist was struggling to help the pair inside but didn’t say anything until Ino slipped. He moved to catch her and the male started to slip free. He took a few steps and then staggered, clutching his wrist. Sakura saw this and started trotting down the steps to help him. His hand was bandaged and seeping red.

“You’re hurt.”

He glared up at her, wincing in pain. “No shit lady, what are you, some sorta doctor, un?”

Sakura didn’t recognize him but realized this was because they had never met. It was something that made her pause and blink. “Yeah, I’m the new doctor here. You need a doctor?”

The male stilled and looked up at her, almost not believing her. But then Ino came up alongside him and grabbed him in a big bear hug that was more of a grapple.

“Sakura, don’t let him get away!” Ino called before completing her grapple. “Get back here Deidara! You need to see someone about this.”

“I’m not going to that damn dentist I’m going to see this doctor!” The blond struggles, but was still in pain by the way he held his bandaged, bleeding hand.

Sakura looked up at Kimimaro who looked more haggard than anything. He shot her a pleading look that she understood. Both had taken oaths to do their best and help to the best of their ability and do no harm.

“Come inside, Ino bring him, I’ll see what I can do.”

Sakura waved them both in and to her great relief they both complied without issue. Kimimaro trailed behind them and paused next to Sakura.

“You’ll need my help in there to know what to do, but will you treat him? There was an incident several decades ago and he doesn’t like me very much.”

Sakura didn’t want to pry but nodded and resolved to ask about it later. “Sure, get in and tell me what he needs. It was his hand that looked hurt, not his teeth.”

Kimimaro sighed. “Well, you’ll see what I mean in a moment.”

Sakura went in before him and saw Shizune usher the pair into an empty room and glare at Kimimaro as he entered. Sakura wanted to ask even more but kept it to herself. She rolled her shoulders and followed them into the room, trailing after the older blond’s cursing for Ino to get out and leave him alone.

“I-I’ll be outside then, I’ll wait, you’ll be fine.”

Ino looked to Sakura, nodding, before backing out of the room. Kimimaro waited on the threshold and Sakura winced. She would call for him if she needed him, but if Deidara didn’t want him near, Sakura couldn’t allow it.

‘You’re not even a good doctor.’

Sakura looked back to the blond and nodded. “Your name?”

The hair in his face his one of his eyes and was stuck with cold sweat to his skin, but she could see some sort of device, like a metal patch, over the obscured socket peeking through the strands. Still, he looked up at her and seemed to take in the entirety of her before swallowing and offering up a name.

“Deidara.”

His name felt heavy, like it was supposed to mean something, but she didn’t know what. All she could do was smile and try to make him feel safe.

“It’s nice to meet you, Deidara. I’m Sakura, the new doctor around here. I’m still meeting new people all the time so bear with me if I ask you your name again or mess up the pronunciation. I’ve gotten chewed out for that once already today,” she said with a chuckle, thinking back to the dwarf and his seven word name.

He swallowed again and nodded. “Yeah, I’ve not see you before, un.”  

“Yeah, I still get that. What can I help you with today? You looked a little in pain when we brought you in.” Sakura started to reach for his hand, the one bandaged and seeping, but stopped. Her fingers hovered in place as she waited till his eyes met hers. “May I?”

He offered her his hand and started unwrapping for her. She picked up the bandage and finished the process, wincing when she saw the dark color stains that told her this was a long term injury, or one that had been hurting him for a while. The blood was old and smelled.

There was a long line draw horizontally across his palm and she suspected it of being the cause of it all before the line shifted, turned out, and the barest hint of lip began to show, followed by a gaping mouth complete with teeth and a tongue. The blood was coming from the gum under his upper canines where a long gash had failed to heal. He needed oral stitches in his mouth, explaining Kimimaro.

“Oh my, that looks nasty,” Sakura murmured, taking his hand and drawing it closer. “Can you tell me how this happened or what was used?”

She waited a moment, studying it further before having to look up when she heard no answer. Deidara was watching her, brows drawn, expression pensive. He swallowed again and Sakura started to get the impression that he was nervous around her.

“I’m sorry if I’m being rude or invasive. I just need to ascertain the nature of this injury and your cooperation would be helpful, but if you don’t want to talk about it you don’t have to.”

She still held his hand in hers and that’s where his focus seemed to stay. When he spoke he didn’t meet her eyes. “It was a fall. I just fell and I tried to catch myself and it was open and it hurt so I bandaged it and came to Ino to see if she could help me, but she tried to take me to the dentist.”

“That’s where you’re supposed to go. Oral surgery is what they’re known for. I could stitch you up, but I’d probably need his guidance and help so that I do it properly. Honestly I’m not the most confident in my ability to do this sort of work but I’ll do what I can and stay here if that’s what you want.”

“I-I don’t trust that guy.”

Sakura stirred in Sakura’s chest and she had the suspicion that there was a story there, but clamped down on that feeling hard because now was not the right time to be nosy and ask around. It didn’t matter what these people meant to each other. She had a job to do.

“If you feel that way I won’t leave you alone with him, but I do need his help for this. Will you allow that?”

He looked up at her, meeting her gaze with his own and she heard a muffled whirring, like tiny gears shifting. She saw behind his long blond bang the surface of his metal patch shifting.

“You won’t leave?”

“I swear you won’t be alone with him. I’ll be here the whole time, and I can have Ino stay in the room as well if that’s what you want.” Ino would have to wash up and prep, but Sakura was only doing minor surgery. Ino wouldn’t be an issue.

Deidara frowned. “No, she can stay out there, she’d just distract everyone with her loud mouth.”

“That’s fine. I’m going to find the dentist and have a word with him. He’ll likely need his tools so it will be a few minutes. When I come back I’ll prep the area as best I can and get you comfortable. Wait for me here and don’t move.”

Sakura started to take her gloves off and toss them into the trash on the way out, satisfied with his weak nod. In the waiting room she found Ino but no Kimimaro. Sakura looked around but couldn’t catch sight of him. Had he gone back already?

“Where did he go?” she asked Ino.

For her part, Ino looked a little shell shocked. “He-he was I think he went to talk to Shizune. I think he just went into your office looking for her.”

Sakura nodded, but kept the frown off her face when she heard plates and forks being moved around from the kitchen area where Shizune was taking her lunch break. It didn’t make sense for Kimimaro to go anywhere else looking for the other woman.

“I’m going to need his help for the surgery. Thankfully it’s minor and nothing needs extensive work, but it’s oral so I do need a dentist to help keep me from making any mistakes. He agreed to have Kimimaro help, but I will be staying in the room the whole time. Will you be fine waiting out here until it’s done?”

“Yeah, that’s no-not a problem. Should I get food, will it take a while?”

“If you haven’t had lunch you should do that, it does no one any good for you to get a sugar low because you denied yourself food in your fretting. It’ll be a while for us to start and for the numbing to set in, so go eat.”

Sakura estimated the whole procedure taking about half an hour, but it could go longer or shorter depending on factors. She had never done something like this before. Would the numbing medication work on a mouth set in someone’s hand? Could he feel pain there?

“I need to speak to our dentist. Go eat, take care of yourself,” Sakura urged, holding onto her friend’s arm and giving it a little squeeze. Ino nodded at the contact and followed Sakura’s advice a moment later.

Sakura turned to see Kimimaro coming out of her office with a confused look on his face.

“You get lost?” she teased.

“I suppose it does no good admitting to it now. Have you see the situation for what it is?” he asked, stepping closer to her.

“I understand what you meant when he said I’d need you. There's a large gash in the gum of his hand’s mouth. Can you bring your tools over and be prepared in ten minutes?”

“I can do it in seven.”

Sakura nodded. “Good, I’ll start getting him numb.”

She stepped back into her room as the white haired dentist took off for his own office, intent on getting his necessary tools.

“Deidara?” she asked as she stepped into the room. “We’re going to start soon. Does the area feel pain right now?”

The blond nodded. “A little. It was worse when it happened. It’s not as bad now.”

Sakura hummed, filing away that information for later as she sat down to clean the site once more as best she could. Sakura had an oral form of numbing cream she pasted over the wound site, but it would be close to ten minutes before the area became unfeeling.

‘But that’s for a normal mouth.’

“Deidara,” Sakura called. When he looked up at her she continued. “I’m going to prod the area and I need you to tell me how sensitive you are to the touch.”

He nodded and Sakura began to investigate the area. “Can you feel that?”

“Not really. I mean, I see you poking it, but it feels too tingly from your gel to tell.”

The door behind her opened as Kimimaro stepped in, followed by Shizune, holding a small container of supplies that were air tight sealed in bags he would need to rip open for one time use. He was putting his scrubs on after pulling them out of an orange bag. They were wrinkly, but Sakura could smell the clean of them when he stepped closer to her.

Deidara tensed at the proximity, but Sakura put herself between him and Kimimaro. She moved her knee to bump Deidara, reminding him she was there and she wasn’t going to let anything bad happen. It was enough to pacify the blond.

“Has he been numbed?” Kimimaro asked, speaking like a professional to her.

“Just with the gel.”

Kimimaro nodded as he prepared a needle that would keep Deidara numb throughout the stitch up. Sakura moved her head so Deidara didn’t have to watch the needle piece his gum and inject the drug that made all his nerve endings forget what pain was.

“Good,” Sakura whispered, her voice muffled thanks to the face mask.

Kimimaro was wearing a mask over his face as well, but when he looked to her, his jade green eyes were bright and easy to get lost in. He nodded before reaching for his tools. Sakura kept the area prepped with bracers in Deidara’s mouth, but it was Kimimaro who navigated the sensitive landscape of Deidara’s mouth.

For once it wasn’t Sakura who was responsible for the healing in her office, and it was odd feeling. She was both relieved and embarassed. She wished she could be the person that healed everyone, but she knew she wasn’t always the most qualified. There would be times where she would need to ask for help and accept it.

“You’re doing great,” Sakura murmured softly.

Deidara made a sound of acknowledgment in his throat and Kimimaro looked up at her, reading to add another stitch to the gash. Sakura didn’t clarify who her encouragement was for. They were both doing well.

She felt a tug at the back of her head and cantered her eyes back to see Deidara’s opposite hand reaching for a stray strand that dangled close to his reach. She didn’t move away when he caught it between his thumb and finger, and she didn’t move away when he began to rub it between his two fingers in affection. It seemed to calm him.

“Almost done.” Kimimaro started to tie up the last stitch and stepped back, depositing his tools on the table pulled up to the bed. “Finished,” he breathed.

Deidara looked up and flexed his fingers a bit. The reaction was slow, and Sakura suspected some of the numbing was responsible for that. Still, the blond glared at the dentist like everything was Kimimaro's’ fault.

“I’m going to bandage you up,” Sakura interjected, moving back to the site. “Nothing cold and no strenuous activity for the next ten days. You think you can do that?”

Deidara’s attention switched from glaring to soft and attentive. “Yeah, un.”

“Good.”

Sakura started to wrap his hand again, they way it had been when he first came in. This time the bandages were clean and the work was neat. He watched her, ignoring the way Kimimaro slipped out.

“Thanks,” he said after a moment. “I didn’t know what I would have done if you weren’t here as an option.”

Sakura finished wrapping his hand and taped the end down. She smiled at her work and then at him. “Of course. I only wish I could do more, but I’m not that impressive. Ah, but if you get hurt anywhere else or you’re sick you can come back anytime. For now you just have to believe me when I say I’m a little more useful than this.”

“You did more than you know.”

Deidara held his hand to his chest and let it sag a bit. He tried moving it a bit and then let it rest across his waist. His fingers were still stiff to move, but Sakura assured him that was temporary and would wear off in a few hours.

“Is Ino out there?” he asked suddenly.

Sakura tip toed to the door and looked out. The lobby was empty.

“She’s still at lunch I think. You want me to call her? I’m sure she’d rush back for you. She seemed really worried about you when you both first came in.”

Deidara shook his head and then started to pull himself off the operating chair. “No, I don’t want her worrying about me or following me back. She’s too annoying these days and I just want to be left alone. People can just be so nosy, un. Trees sometimes talk, but they’re easier to get away from than family.”

“Is that the reason I’ve not seen you before in Pompeii? I haven’t been here long, but you weren’t at Founder’s Day, were you?” She tried to think back to all the faces she passed that day. There were a lot, but she was sure she had never seen Deidara before.

“No, I don’t come back into the city so much these days. I-I’m much more suited to keeping to myself. It’s…” he looked away, to the wall, glancing over the health charts, then to the dar sink where metal trays were set up for prep. “It’s a long story. I’m sorry I said this much, but you were just really easy to talk to.”

The last sentence came out with a laugh and even a smile that made Sakura feel a little more at ease. It was great to feel like you helped someone.

“I wish I could do more. If you wanna talk I’m here, if you need patching up I’m here too. If you don’t want Ino tailing you I think I can keep her distracted until then. I’m hoping I’m one of the few people she’d forgive the deception.”

Deidara narrowed his eyes, still grinning. “If you’re the same Sakura from her penpal years I’ll believe it. And don’t think I won’t come back if I need it. It’s nice talking to someone again, someone who’s new. Everyone else here has…”

His words trailed off as he fidgeted with the courage it would take to complete the sentence.

“History?” Sakura offered. Like high school.

“Yeah, that’s a good way of putting it.”

Sakura nodded and Deidara smiled at the way she seemed to understand. She helped him up and finished his paperwork before informing him that her billing expenses would be channeled through Kimimaro, since he did most of the actual work. Deidara let her know that an invoice could be sent to Ino’s father and that would be good enough before he set himself out the back. Shizune had helped Sakura through the last leg of it and confirmed that Ino’s father would be good to his word and take care of the expenses.

“You’re not going to ask?” Shizune called after Sakura.

Sakura paused in the doorway to the room Deidara had just left. There were things that still needed cleaning.

“Maybe one day I will, but right now, I’m much too content with being a person he trusted enough to be helped by.” Sakura let her shoulders sag as she glanced back at the older woman. “I’m here to help, remember?”

[cielofics]

(Old) ICMSAR XII

WARNING(S): OCC's, Parent!bashing, depressing!thoughts, suicidal!tendencies,

NOTES: "Japanese" "Italian" 'Thinking' 'Tsuna's eye speak' [Phone call]

Additional Notes: Yuni is the Sky Arcobaleno and is 10 year old in this.

DISCLAIMER: I do not own Katekyo Hitman Reborn. Amano Akira does.

Ienari was not having a good day today. Actually, he hasn't been having any good days ever since that baby came but today is worse.

First of all, that stupid baby woke him up by another one of his life-threatening techniques ("is it just me or are his methods getting deadlier?" he mumbled). Then, a weird looking kid with a blue flame on his head came running into him and started speaking weirdly, while IGNORING the explosions happening behind him.

"Sawada-dono! Please run before I-" the boy who introduced himself as Basil said.

"Huh?! Who are you to tell me-" he was cut off by a very loud voice.

"-force you to fight Squalo on the request of 'Cielo Nascosto'!"

"VOII! WHERE ARE YOU GOING BRAT?!" said a silver head cutting over Basil's voice, making me unable to hear him.

"Sawada-dono!" Basil said pleadingly while having a weird glint of amusement in his eyes.

"WHAT IS IT?!" he yelled, oblivious to the upcoming danger.

"Stop him!" Basil said, pushing the innocent and oblivious Ienari  towards the sword-wielding shark.

"Oh sur- WAIT WHAT?!" Ienari exclaimed as he realized the gravity of the situation. He was about to say more but those were stopped when he was in front of the crazy-looking silveret.

"Heh, so you're the Decimo candidate?" The silveret asked, grinning madly.

"Please go easy on him, Squalo-dono," Basil said. " Cielo Nascosto won't be too pleased if he ends up dead," Basil screamed from behind.

"WHY?!'" Squalo yelled, while Basil himself nodded in agreement with Squalo. All he knew was that Cielo Nascosto has become the best hacker in the world in only a few days. And he had asked us to do this but not to injure Sawada-dono much. Other than that, he didn't really know anything.

"I thank thou for thou help, Squalo-dono!" Basil said, standing off to the side. Even though, he wouldn't admit it, he was quite excited to see what would happen to the brunet in front of him. Now, don't get him wrong, he wasn't betraying Vongola but the plan that Cielo Nascosto had made... was surprisingly enjoying to listen. So how much would he enjoy if he sees it?

"Hey don't ignore me!" Ienari yelled.

"Fine then," the silveret said, his grin widening.

"EH?"

"I won't ignore you. Get ready to DIE!" he yelled excitedly.

"HIEE!" Ienari yelled, while frantically looking around for Reborn to shoot him with the Dying Will Bullet. What he saw was Reborn talking to that Basil guy, while sipping his coffee.

Ienari yelled, "Reborn! HELP ME!"

Said hitman merely looked at his helpless student and took out... a camera?

Ienari paled. "WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!"

"Filming."

"WHY?!"

"Because."

"BECAUSE WHAT?!"

"VOIII! DON'T IGNORE ME!" the silveret said, pissed at the brunet ignoring him.

Ienari, on the other hand, was frightened. He couldn't dodge the man in front of him completely, thus resulting in him getting injuries already. By this time, he was panting and had slowed down considerably.

Damn you Reborn!

A fatal blow was about to be dealt to Ienari when suddenly a voice interrupted Squalo. "Heh, so he's the Decimo brat? He's so weak!"

"Haha! I know, right! He's so weak!"

"Byakuran! Don't be rude!"

This time, Reborn's pacifier glowed indicating another arcobaleno. He looked towards the place where the girl's voice came from. It was Yuni.. with a very familiar looking albino and the Varia boss.

"Who are you?!" Ienari yelled in anger. He was not weak! They were!

The 3 arrivals glared (well 2 did, the 3rd just stared at him in pity) at Ienari.

"It seems he does not knows how to go into HWDM," Byakuran said. ("Is that wings on his back?" Ienari mumbled)

"It appears so," the girl with the pacifier said, looking at him with pity. Ienari felt rage within him. She's clearly younger than me! What right does she gets to tell me I'm weak?

"Oi Arcobaleno! Does this trash even knows how to fight?!" Xanxus yelled at the Sun Arcobaleno.

"Nope, he's weak," Reborn replied bluntly.

Ienari felt a tick on his head. How dare they ignore him! He's going to become the boss of the world's strongest organization!

"Hey you!" Ienari yelled at the flying-white-haired-marshmallow-eating-b******. "I'm NOT weak!"

Byakuran narrowed his eyes at this and Reborn cursed Ienari for his stupidity but still didn't do anything.  

"You're not weak?! Is that a joke?!" he screamed, raising his hand, an eerie light coming out of it. Reborn tensed and was about to interfere when suddenly..

Clink~

Everybody turned towards the origin of the voice and there stood a very familiar brunet, with wide eyes and disbelief was written on his face.  

"..."

"..."

"..."

"..."

"..."

"..."

"..."

It was very awkward for everyone. It was like getting caught in the act of doing something unforgivable, considering the disappointing and disbelief emotion on Tsuna's face. Well, actually, they were about to kill each other so yes, it was something unforgivable they were about to.

XX..XX

[Tsuna's POV]

Ugh, why is my HI ringing?

I cursed my HI as I was just heading home when I suddenly heard a loud explosion happening in the park I often visited to treat my injuries. He took one look and noticed a person flying in the air.

So that's why, I thought while sighing. There're here... God, why must you hate me...

I made my way towards the park while cursing the people who made my life miserable. God being on the top of my list.

As I got closer, I could heard 1 yelling, 3 whispering. It was at that moment that my HI went of the charts. Ugh, is Byakuran going to kill someone?!

His question was answered when he heard Ienari.

"Hey you!" Ienari yelled at the flying-white-haired-marshmallow-eating-b******. "I'm NOT weak!" I face-palmed. Count on my brother to make things worse.

Byakuran narrowed his eyes at this and he heard Reborn curse Ienari for his stupidity but still didn't do anything. Think fast, Tsuna! Or you will find your brother 6 feet buried deep in Earth.

"You're not weak?! Is that a joke?!" he screamed, raising his hand, an eerie light coming out of it. Tsuna tensed and was about to run straight when I remembered I had a can in his hand. So, I did the only thing I could. Drop it.

Clink~

I saw everyone freeze and turn towards me. I'm pretty sure I was having a disbelief and disappointing expression on my face, if Byakuran's guilty expression was any evidence.

We stood there for a while; frozen. Merely staring at each other when Byakuran's shocked an guilty expression turned into happiness. Please don't tell me....

XX..XX

[3rd POV]

"TSU-CHAN!" Byakuran screamed, and in less than a second, he found himself on the ground being hugged to death.

Yuni's grin widened and Xanxus merely smirked. Reborn had a poker face but I could tell that he was confused. Basil and Squalo were clueless as usual. Ienari was fuming. Why? Only he can know

Yuni ran up to the brunet while Xanxus merely walked to him slowly.

"Tsu-chan! Hisashiburi!" Byakuran said, squeezing the living daylights out of the brunet

"Byakuran! Control yourself!" Yuni reprimanded as she helped Tsuna out of his hold.

"Hehe, Gomen," Byakuran apologised as he took out one of his marshmallow packets upon freeing Tsuna from his hold.

'What are you doing here, Bya-kun? I thought you were in Italy?'

"Aww, can't I visit my childhood friend?" Byakuran said as he looked at Reborn from the corner of his eyes.

Tsuna smiled and acted like he hadn't seen anything at all. 'How long will you be staying here?'

"For 2 weeks~"

"Hello, Tsuna-san!" Yuni exclaimed, hugging the brunet. Tsuna smiled once more as he pet Yuni on her head. 'Konbanwa Yuni-chan"

"Heh, you've grown, trash," Xanxus said while smirking from behind.

Tsuna looked at his uncle. 'Nice to meet you too zio'

Reborn decided it would be a good idea to interrupt. "Who are they, Tsuna?"

'AH, Bya-kun is my childhood friend. I met him when I was 6. Yuni-chan, I met a few years ago; when I was 11. I met Zio when I was 12.'

"Zio? Your uncle?"

'He told me that I'm somehow related to him. So I decided to call him my uncle.'

Reborn merely nodded and didn't say anything else.

"HEY!" Ienari yelled once again. He then pointed an accusing pointer at Tsuna. "WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE, DAME-TSUNA?!"

Everybody narrowed their eyes and the temperature around them dropped a few degrees Celsius. However, Ienari didn't notice this and continued his rant. "YOU INTERRUPTED MY FIGHT! YOU REALLY ARE DAME! HAH, CAN'T DO ANYTHING RIGHT!"

Tsuna face-palmed at the side when he saw his brother's stupidity. The three skies were already letting out a massive KI and Ienari seemed to be oblivious to it.

Reborn took the liberty and kicked him at the back of his head hard.  

"Shut up, Dame-Nari," he hissed angrily. "In case you haven't noticed but he saved you from ending dead."

"WHAT?!"

"You are nowhere near their level. Heck, you won't even be able to beat Basil. Let me remind you, you are still in the first stages of activation. The Dying Will Mode, the lowest level ever," Reborn hissed at the stunned teen. "You who have been trying to skip your training and not doing anything, are nowhere near their level."

After saying that, Reborn looked at Tsuna and mouthed 1 word, "Tranquilliser." Ienari was too busy processing the words to notice the smirk coming from Tsuna.

Tsuna brought out a dart, filled with sedatives and merely shot Ienari on his nape with deadly accuracy.

Ienari dropped like a sack of potatoes, while showing some signs of... poison cooking?

Reborn looked at Tsuna with a raised eyebrow. Tsuna merely shrugged, 'I got this idea from the cooking that Bianchi does. I merely adjusted it.'

.

.

.

"Tsu-chan, you're scary~" Byakuran said, sweat-dropping as he saw Tsuna go up to his brother and started poking him on his cheeks.

When Tsuna saw that Ienari was definitely out. He nodded seriously before removing a... permanent marker? Tsuna looked at Reborn with that famous glint of showing his devil side showed up. Reborn, quick on the uptake, chuckled eerily. He really liked how Tsuna's brain worked!

Yuni asked hesitantly, "What are you going to do with that marker, Tsuna-san?"

The three skies gulped when they saw two devils sprout out from the the brunet and the hitman.

XX..XX

Tsuna was proud of what he did today. Today, he had managed to get something done which he usually wouldn't do. Reborn, standing on his left, was crackling madly.

The three skies in the back were merely sweat-dropping at how influential the hitman was on Tsuna. Getting over his amazement, Xanxus said, "Oi, brat!"

Tsuna turned towards him with a questioning face.

"Why don't you go ahead and get that trash to your house. We'll be coming for dinner."

Tsuna nodded and proceeded to grab Ienari from his ankle and dragged him away. Not minding the rocks and whatever was on the ground hitting his brother.

When Tsuna was out of their view, the three skies turned towards the poker faced hitman and said, "Most expensive hotel, now."

He nodded his head and they went together in silence. Not paying any attention to the bag of luggage they left behind.

.

.

.

"... Did they forget about us?" Basil asked from the sidelines.

"..I think they did..." Squalo replied.

XX..XX

"What is going on?" Reborn demanded. He was aware that they remembered about the brunet but they didn't say anything.

Byakuran looked Reborn seriously, "I'll say this: I don't know why Tsu-chan doesn't remembers but he was supposed to when I gave him the Vongola Gear Ring when he was 6."

Reborn nodded his head and looked towards Xanxus. "How does he remembers?"

The three skies remained quiet for a while before answering, "Tsu-chan of the parallel world and I found something disrupting the balance of the Tri-Ni-Sette. No we don't know what it is. Anyways, we decided to send our memories to our parallel selves, meaning the us of this world, to help us with restoring the balance."

Byakuran paused, letting the hitman absorb whatever he was saying. "However, what we didn't count was the fact that Tsu-chan wouldn't remember. I'm guessing that the Vongola Ring would unlock his memories now."

Reborn nodded. So they came up with the same conclusion as us.

"That is why," Yuni piped in. "We came in contact with Tsuna-san and help him whenever necessary."

They remained quiet for a while before Byakuran remembered something else.

"Also, Arcobaleno."

Reborn looked up.

"I visited Kawahira a few months ago and..."

"And what?"

"There is one more Tri-Ni-Sette Advisor."