〔Dawning Memories〕[Hibari Kyoya] (KHR)

Chapter 44

You entered the conference room once more, this time with more emotional baggage than before. Maybe taking a walk outside wasn't exactly in your best interest. There were so many things that went wrong in those few hours that now you were in no state to put up with Tsuna and his Guardians.

They were bothersome-- well, their concerns were bothersome. You wanted them to trust you, believe in you, but they were more preoccupied with their doubts about you. Now, you had to listen to Tsuna apologize as your friend, not your boss. Maybe you should find some new occupation where you could be treated like a capable individual.

"I'm sorry," Tsuna began when you situated yourself in one of the chairs. "I wasn't thinking straight, but you were right. It would be much better if you went--"

"Really?!" you exclaimed as you jumped out of your chair.

Tsuna sighed, nodding his head slowly as if he were still trying to get used to the idea. "I still want to make sure you're alright, so please bare with me.. None of the guardians are available, but I'll make sure someone can be nearby if you run into any trouble."

"I understand! I won't let you down!"

Reborn chuckled in the background as he joined in on the conversation. "Tsuna will be at a very important meeting with Chrome at his side, Gokudera and Yamamoto will be one their way to boarding a jet, Ryohei will be on his way home from sweeping some enemies in another city, and Hibari will be meeting with researchers about the boxes. I believe Hibari and Chrome would be able to get there the fastest if anything were to go wrong."

"I choose Chrome," you stated quickly, not wanting anything to do with Kyoya.

Reborn scoffed while Tsuna sent you a pitiful smile. "Unfortunately, it's not up to you."

You frowned, "Fine, fine." You crossed your legs, easing back into the chair as you reminisced about your walk. "Hey, Tsuna? Were the Ancelets completely destroyed?"

The question caught him off guard as seen by his visible confusion. "Uh.. Yeah, Hibari took them all out."

"Well, we can't be sure of it. They are a different type of mafia, a somewhat grassrooted one. Anyone could be an Ancelet. Teachers, cab drivers, shop owners, CEOs.. Anybody from their Italian community," Reborn explained. "Hibari was able to wipe them out when they had one of their yearly meetings, where all of them should have been in attendance."

"I see. What if one of them wasn't at the meeting?" you asked tentatively. You knew it was far-fetched, but something in your brain was telling you that the man you bumped into was part of the Ancelets.

"[Name], is there something wrong?" Tsuna worriedly questioned as his arm reached over the table to hold your hand.

"Ah, no. Just making sure they're all gone."

"I understand if you might be worried about Kyoya---"

"I'M NOT!" you yelled in response. Noticing Tsuna's startled form, you attempted to regain your composure, though it proved to be difficult whenever it came to the Cloud Guardian. "I'm sorry, Tsuna. It's been a long day."

••••======••••

Sighing, you wobbled into your room. You had no idea love could make you so emotional, that a heart break would hurt this much even with the amount of time that had elapsed. If it were in the 'relationship manual', you would have never signed up for this. However, there were no manuals or guides. You just had to find out the hard way that love sucked.

"Hey!"

Your heap sharply snapped up towards your bed. "Dino," you gasped, not expecting his company.

He was seated on your bed with your laptop on his lap. He noticed the look on your face, causing his smile to disappear. "What happened?"

"Nothing happened," you lied as you joined him on your bed. You crawled over to where he sat, setting yourself in his lap and pressing your back against his torso. It was then that he relaxed, arms wrapping around you as his chin rested on your shoulder.

"So what are you doing in my room?"

Dino chuckled as he reached over to your laptop. "I was looking at the pictures from our date last weekend." His breath tickled your skin, causing goose bumps to form. "You look so beautiful in them."

The compliment made your cheeks flush. "Stop it. I was sweating like a dog that day."

"Like a very cute dog."

You turned your head to glance at him, "Dino, you never fail to make me smile." You followed that with a kiss on his cheek; it was sweet and chaste, nothing dirty about it. However, you felt his hands return to your waist, tightening it's hold to bring you closer.

"Same here," he whispered as he turned you around so that you could face him. He leaned forward, capturing your lips in a loving kiss.

As much as you wanted Kyoya, you needed Dino. He was perfect! So why couldn't you be sincerely happy?

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

There was a knock on your door. You tilted your head to the side as you racked your brain for some type of appointment you might have forgotten. Everyone was out and about doing their thing, except for Tsuna who was in the midst of reading several contracts he had to sign. It was your day off, so it was odd that there would be someone knocking on your door.

Opening the door, you were greeted by a random face. "Here's your mail, [Name]."

You eyed the Vongola henchman, accepting the mail in his hands. "Thanks."

He bowed slightly before leaving you. You had never seen that man before, and you had never received mail like this. Usually, Gokudera would hand you the mail since he always made sure they weren't dangerous or booby trapped. Maybe since he was in Italy, they had to rely on someone else for that.

You closed your door, locking it in the process, and seated yourself at your computer desk. There were three envelopes, all mailed to you obviously, but one of them had no returning address. "What is this?" you whispered to yourself as you began to open it.

There was a strip of white paper inside with a few words inscribed on it. Each word was neatly written in blotchy red ink, though with closer inspection, the red ink was actually blood. "He killed a dear brother. Murderer. Murderer." The note sent a shiver straight through your spine as panic immersed you. You jumped back to your door, prying it open as you checked the hallway for the subordinate that handed you that letter. The mail was long forgotten on the floor due to your terror.

"...KYOYA!" The scream bellowed throughout the hallways, ricocheting off the walls. Your lips sealed shut upon noticing that you just called out for your ex-boyfriend rather than your actual one. Hoping that he didn't hear you, you began to stalk towards Tsuna's office which was far away, but it seemed that your wishes weren't answered.

A familiar form appeared, panting and right in front of you as if they heard you call their name. It was as if they didn't even think twice to come to your aid. And like always, your heart was in so much turmoil at his appearance once again.