Kateikyoushi Hitman Reborn - The Heart of Darkness -

Chapter 7

"... Don't leave me alone..." Shiho cried while still grabbing Hibari's shirt, looking down, "... Please accompany me... Just for tonight..."

"You-"

Before Hibari could say anything, "I don't care if you call me weak, coward or childish! I don't care! Just.... don't leave me alone... Please..." She cried

"..." Hibari stared at her for a while.

Shiho looked up and just realised that she had said something that shouldn't be said. She released her grab and quickly wipe off her tears, "That was stupid of me... You wouldn't do that for me... Just forget everything that I have said. I'm sorry to disturb your precious time. Have a good rest, Kyouya; you are still injured after all." She didn't dare to face him.

She was still trembling in fear and sadness. She couldn't stop it. Hibari observed her for a while. He sighed, "Fine, you owe me one for this.”

He then left the room. Shiho was left alone, "... Did he just agree?"

Indeed, he went back to her room not long later. He was wearing his pyjamas now and brought a book. His bandages were not visible anymore, made him looked like usual. He just took a seat at a sofa in Shiho's room and switched on the table light beside the sofa. The sofa was already there when Shiho arrived. Since it still can be used, Shiho clear of the dust and cleaned it up for use. But she never intended to use it for this.

There was silence for a while until Shiho couldn't take it anymore, "Er.... Kyouya?"

".... Go to sleep. And don't scream." He added.

Shiho listened to him and crawled back to her bed. She slept facing the wall, didn't dare to face him, *How embarrassing of me to show that side to him!!* She complained to herself, *but... I didn't know he could be so caring...*

".... Thank you, Kyouya."

"Shut up and sleep." He replied, sounded a bit annoyed.

She smiled to herself and went to sleep in peace.

In the morning when she opened her eyes, she expected to see no one on the sofa anymore. But she was wrong.
Hibari was sleeping over there. He didn't leave Shiho alone, like what she requested. His book was opened on his lap. His face was so serene, innocent. Shiho couldn't believe herself staring at him. He didn't look scary or cold. He looked... handsome.

Shiho was blushing from thinking like that. *What the hell am I thinking!* But thanks to him, Shiho has decided what to do.

Hibari awoke not long later. The bed was already empty and done neatly. Strangely, a blanket was put on top of him, "... She... How did she approach me without me noticing?"

He got up and went down to the kitchen; expect Shiho to be doing the housework as usual. But she was not there as well; instead breakfast for the day has been prepared on the table. It was still warm.

There was a note on the table just beside the plates.


To: Kyouya

Thanks for accompanying me last night. I have decided to go back to Italy. There is something I have to settle. I don't know when I'll be back... nor will I be back at all…
I'm sorry for leaving without saying anything.

I have made the breakfast and the meals for today. 

Rest well. Don't be reckless.

From: Shiho



On the table, there was the key to the house. She left it as well.

"... That girl..." He crushed the paper and was pretty annoyed. At the same time, a high-pitch voice was calling out for him.

"Hibari! Hibari!"

A round, yellow, fluffy bird just flew into the house and landed on Hibari's head, "Are you lonely? Lonely?" It asked.

"... Do you want me to bite you to death?" The cold voice echoed.

The cute Hibird knew his master was in a bad mood and decided it was better to leave.

Shiho was getting on the first flight to Italy. She had to make sure everything was correct and not just illusions that were made up by Rokudou Mukuro. Deep down, she should know what the truth was. But she still had to make sure. "... Kyouya should be angry right now..."

She was pretty sure of that. Even if she just lived alongside with him for less than a month, she had pretty much figure him out. It was still hard to know what he was thinking but it was not hard to read his mood.

"Why was I thinking about him at a time like this?” she thought to herself, “Did I…”
She shook her head, “That’s impossible…”

After that long flight, she finally arrived at her homeland, Italy. The first she did was heading back to the Cavallone household. That was where her mother asked her to go when they were attacked. They should know something. No, they must know something. The household was pretty quiet. It was not surprising considering it was late at night. Shiho headed staright to Dino's room.

She knocked. A familiar voice answered, "Come in. It's not locked."

"Brother..." She started.

"... Ah... Finally this day comes... I knew I would have to tell you one day but I would rather not." Dino started.

".... Why did you keep it from me?"

Dino was quiet and stared out of the window for a while, "Because I don't want you to suffer. Losing your whole family like that is too much for a 5 year old girl. I would rather you didn't remember at all."

"... So you know everything?"

"... Yes. That night when we found you in front of the household, you were covered with the exact injuries like you had after the fight with Mukuro. I have no doubt that you remember everything."

"So it’s all true... What happen to my mom and dad?! Are they...."

Dino faced her, "We were too late. When we arrived, your family was already taken over by Luciano. There is nothing we could do. We found your father's body and he was buried near the lake behind this household. I will bring you there later."

"Then what about my mom?!"

"... We couldn't find her. We assume she was…" Dino couldn’t continue.

Shiho fell on the seat, couldn't stand the heart-breaking news. Since she lost her memories, she had been thinking on how her parents looked like, how was it to feel love from them, were they kind, what would she say when she eventually meet them, and various other things. But that was all just a hopeless dream now. She would never meet them again. They were not in this world anymore.

"I'm sorry." Dino patted her head, "Since you forgot everything, we decided its best to keep it from you. I removed everything related to them so you never found out."

Tears flowed silently, "I can't believe it..." She then looked up to dino with face full of tears, "Take me there... I want to see my dad..."

Dino nodded his head and together, they walked towards the calm, dark lake behind the house. At the side of the lake, there laid two tombs, side by side with craving of a phoenix and a cherry blossom on it.

Shiho stayed at her dad's tomb for quite a while. Dino faithfully wait for her. She just stared at the tombs while silently crying. After it seemed like an hour, she got up and wipe off her tears, "Let's go back." She said.

Dino just smiled at her and walked her back.

Shiho did not sleep that night. Dino has handed her the files that contained her family details. She was up reading about all of them.
The name was Segreto Family. It meant secret. Its existence was only known to Vongola and its alliances. Not much was known about them. They took secret missions for its alliances and also as bodyguards.

Ten years ago, a coup d'tat happened. The whole family was destroyed by an inside group. The leader of that group was the boss' right hand man. He has served the family for two generations. The reason was unknown.

Since the coup d'tat, the current leader of Segreto Family had grown the family to be one that could even matched Vongola. They were known for its ruthless killing of anyone who opposed them.

"... Their headquarter is... at the next town?!" Shiho was surprised. She went there a few times. Indeed, it was like a ghost town but she didn't know that her family was just there. She wondered why she couldn't remember it.
Shiho was determined to get her family back. She wouldn't allow her family's name to be tainted like this forever.

She sneaked out from the household before dawn. She was damn sure Dino would stop her if she told him. She had already analyzed the guards and security. It should be no big trouble if she could hold her stamina till the last boss.

"... I wish I wouldn't have to use this..." She stared at the two pills she took out from her pill case, "I hope the side effect didn't kick in at the wrong timing..." She swallowed them.

She managed to reach there unnoticed. There was only a guard outside the compound. She sneaked up and made him faint. She wanted to make least corpses possible. They didn't offend her anyway. She had checked the blind spot of the security cameras and went till the main house safely. She wore all black to match the surrounding.

"... Who would have thought I'll be back doing this kind of job again after going to Japan? Maybe these hands are meant to be tainted with blood since the beginning..." She reminisced.

Looking around, the compound was really quiet. Shiho thought of the possibility of trap. But they didn't even know she was going to attack today. They couldn't anticipate it. Still, Shiho proceed with caution. Along the way, she sneaked up silently, avoiding the security cameras, and finished off whoever was in her way towards the final stage.

"... Too easy... Is this really the family that on par with Vongola??" Shiho was starting to doubt this. There was no obstacle at all. There was something wrong. Shiho thought of the possibility to retreat and replan. But she was just a few rooms away from the main destination. Its too late to turn back after going this far. Plus on the way back, they might have reinforced and waiting for her at the front gate.

She decided to proceed. Along the way, she didn't recognise any of the interior. "Did they rebuild it into a new building?" However, her question was answered when she reached the end of the household. She was outside again. There was another house behind this big building. That house was the main one, the one she lived in 10 years ago. It was rebuilt after that fire. It looked exactly like the one in her memories. However, there was a problem. To cross to that house, there was a big field without anything between that house and the current building. If there was a sniper on that house or any censor of intruders, she was done for. There was nowhere to hide or run.

"... There is no other choice huh?" Shiho checked the surrounding. There was no one. She sat there and closed her eyes. Her breathing became slower and quieter. Her presence was gone. *Feel it with the whole body... Do not rely on the eyes...*

She was starting to see the surrounding with her eyes closed. The ground, the trees, the building, the people, everything could be seen... No, felt with her whole body. She could get the position of every person in the house. "... No, not yet." She needed at least 5 minutes to gain and maintain this feeling so that she could move even with her eyes closed. If she was in total darkness, her eyes adjusted immediately and she could even see further ahead.

".... Bomb traps on the ground... Intruders' censor, to be shot immediately with auto machine gun at the rooftop... Only a single safe path leading to the house from the side... That is sure with reinforcement waiting."

Shiho got out from her trance. ".... The only way left is to go out openly, huh?" She got up, get ready and breathe deeply.

She then shouted, "Come out, Luciano Biertego!"