Ghost of the Past (Katekyo Hitman Reborn/Xanxus) WATTYS 2017

1 9 - F o r e p l a y

"Hey." Dina walked towards Hiro, his stance tense as he looked around the ballroom. He barely acknowledged her as his eyes flitted back and forth across the room.

Dina forced out a small, uneasy smile before placing a comforting hand on Hiro's shoulder.

"He isn't here yet. Calm down..."

"How's Kai?" Hiro dismissed her, his tone clipped and eyes downcast.

Dina slid her hand down his back. "He seems fine... Stable and quick to recover."

"I don't like this."

"Nobody does."

"I want you to know that I'm thankful for all that you've done for me." Dina said softly, her voice filled with sadness and determination.

"Don't do something you might regret." Hiro replied, his voice pained.

"This is Kuroi we're talking about. If it's for him, I have no regrets." Dina said through gritted teeth before walking away. Hiro pulled her back.

"Promise me you'll at least try to fight. This traitor... We'll probably be close to but please promise me you won't hold back whoever it might be."

Tears sprang to the corners of Dina's eyes as she saw one of the strongest people in her life breakdown in front of her.

"I pinky promise." She held out her pinky and Hiro looked at her confused before entwining his pinky with hers.

"We used to do this when we were kids, Kuroi and I... It was a promise that we would never abandon each other... And now..." She looked at Hiro in the eyes, knowing that one way or another, he was going to lose someone precious yet again.

"It's my promise that I will always come back to you."

~•~•~•~•~

Xanxus' eye twitched as he observed most of the guests who were dancing were whispering and staring at him.

"Boss."

Someone leaned an elbow on his throne before leaning down to smile at him with sharp, jagged teeth.

"Squalo."

"Are they ready?"

Squalo grinned, his mouth stretching wide. "Of course!"

Xanxus nodded and Squalo took notice of his attitude change and his manner of talking. It was clear that Xanxus was now a different person. Squalo never thought he'd see the day when someone would take up the task to fix his old friend.

"Voi..." He mumbled softly. "You really do care about this girl, don't you?"

Xanxus silenced him with a glare that clearly told him not to continue the conversation.

~•~•~•~•~

"Dance with me?" Dino asked his sister and she scoffed before smirking at him.

"You? Dancing? I never thought I'd ever hear you ask that question."

Dino sighed in relief. "Thank God! That just made it so much easier!"

Dina laughed before her gaze returned to the stairway near the entrance. Dino frowned as he noticed this before smiling sadly to himself.

"I remember it. The two of us as children running up those stairs... We had stolen canéles from the kitchen and we were running away from Alex the-"

"Big bad chef of the western kitchen. I remember. You were such a scaredy cat when we were children." Dina smiled wistfully, before she looked at her brother with glistening eyes.

"I remember that storm... We couldn't go to dad because he would've disapproved of our fears, we only ever had each other."

"So you slept over at my room since it was bigger than yours and we crept under the covers and pretended that the lightning flashes were the northern lights... I was absolutely horrified."

"But he kept us apart." Dina eyes were downcast. A grim look on her features.

"But we're back now. I'm gonna make sure that you're never taken away from me again."

Dina snorted before she full on laughed. "I think this may be the reason why they thought our relationship was incestous..."

Dino's jaw dropped. "Are you serious?!"

Dina, by now, was gasping between laughs and her eyes were watering.

"Oh my gosh!"

~•~•~•~•~

"Ren, are you okay?" Hiro asked Karen, his hand lightly brushed against her as she stood beside him.

Karen eased her fingers closer until Hiro fully linked their hands together. She blushed scarlet and tried to keep her gaze elsewhere until they landed on the two Cavallone siblings. Dino, a look of pure dismay on his face while Dina was barely ten inches of the ground due to her laughing.

"Do you think I was a but harsh on her?"

Hiro followed her gaze.

"I think she understands how you felt. Probably already forgave you." He shrugged. "Just giving you some space."

"It seems like her." Karen accepted his explanation.

"It seemed mean because even if we did grow up together, we still had our families but she didn't. She had to make a family of her own from scratch. Even you had Kuroi so there was at least that consolation of having this life with someone you loved."

Hiro squeezed her hand before tugging her and pushing her into him as a waiter barelled past and fell to the floor, glasses shattered and spilled.

Karen was now as red as a tomato as Hiro held her almost nonchalantly but firm against him.

"Um... That was unnecessary." She stammered out before cringing at her formal tone. She always used it when she was flustered and Hiro, unfortunately or her, knew it.

"No thanks for saving my life?"

Karen blushed even brighter before slapping him on the chest. "Shut up!"

They moved to see if the waiter was alright and when they turned him around, there was a bloody paper attached by a knife to his chest.

Let's get this party started.

"Shit!" Hiro spat out before te whole room was enveloped in darkness.