A/N: Long time no talk, my dearest readers! I'm sorry for the delay, but here you go. Without further ado, let's get on to the chapter!

Disclaimer: I don't own Katekyo Hitman Reborn.

Rating: T

A Past Best Forgotten (Part II)

Darkness encompassed her. She couldn't muster the courage or the strength to open her eyes. She was scared of what she'd see. She couldn't take it if it were just the mad scientists, with their twisted smiles waiting for her again. The insane woman and the disgusting pink-haired man.

When the smell of Dino assaulted her nostrils, her first reaction was to fight. To fight, and then flee the scene, before anything else could happen to her. Before they could hurt her again.

She tugged at her wrist straps, ignoring shouts of alarm all around her, the screeching of machines shrill in her ears. With a cry of anger, she managed to wrench one of her hands free before someone pounced on it and held it down. She squirmed and writhed angrily, hissing and thrashing about, twisting the sheets underneath her.

"Moriko! Moriko, it's me, Dino!"

No, I won't fall for that. You can't trick me anymore with your smoke images. It wasn't Dino, she told herself. It was just a tape recording of him. When she opened her eyes, she would be disappointed again, because all that would be there was just a projected image of Dino. It was just a projection, one that she could put her hands through. One that couldn't hold her, couldn't protect her and make the pain go away. It wouldn't be Dino anymore. If she opened her eyes, she would only be disappointed, and hurt.

Her head hurt. It felt as if someone had taken it between their hands and was squeezing it with all their might, so that her skull was slowly being crushed beneath their fingers. It was an uncomfortable tightness that she had come to associate with being bound and chained, a feeling she had come to associate with flares of pain, beatings and cold knives against her skin.

Pain and fear battled within her as she continued struggling against her bonds, crying out with anger. Dino's smell was still there, and that in itself was a reason to be scared. She was still here and she's out to get me again. She's going to take me and hurt me until I tell her everything...Until I betray Dino completely...

"We're going to give her a shot, Don Cavallone! Please stand back, otherwise you might get hurt! Please stand back!"

She could hear him retort. "Don't hurt her!" He sounded panicked, concerned for her wellbeing. She could only marvel for a moment at how realistic it imitated his voice. She could almost imagine that he was beside her, his warmth surrounding her, calming her. And for a moment, she stopped to imagine that this was the case, only to yowl in agony as the scientists pounced upon her mercilessly, taking advantage of her lull in concentration.

"I said don't hurt her! You're not helping if you break her any further!" The Dino-imitation sounded angry now.

"Boss, stay back. We're trying to help her. We're trying to help her as best as we can, but we can't do it if you insist that she stays untouched. She's scared now, so we have to calm her down as best as we can so that we can talk to her, alright? It'll be okay in a while." The last sentence was directed at her, she could sense it. And for some reason, the fatherly voice that had spoke in opposition to Dino calmed her.

Gradually, she was able to match the voice to an image. A man with half-rimmed glasses and a bushy mouth, a man always close to Dino. He smelt of cleanliness and concern for the young boss, and acted like they were kin. He was a nice person...and it left her feeling betrayed. Even he had started working for the pain-inducing scientists? Even he had gave in to the sweet words of the insane woman? Stuck in her feverish state, she could only go limp and allow them to do whatever they wanted with her. There was nothing she could do anyway. The two gaping holes in her mouth reminded her as much.

She stiffened as the smell of chemicals and thin, painful lines of metal drew closer. Someone beside her murmured softly and stroked her hair. She flinched away from the contact, and got a prick in the arm as a reward. She whimpered in helplessness as the chemical sapped her strength once more.

But it was different this time. It didn't suck hungrily at her energy, as she might suck hungrily at her prey's blood. Instead, it was a gradual fading of her energy, almost peaceful, like they were singing her slowly to sleep. With the energy drain, her pain also slipped and faltered, small slivers of agony peeling off her skin.

Her consciousness flickered and dimmed.

"Is she going to wake up soon?"

"Don Cavallone, it's best to let her sleep."

"Bring my paperwork here, Romario. I'll keep her company while I work some things out. There's still lots to do, right? Why don't you get to overseeing the renovations? We still have to strengthen security and..."

"Boss, don't overwork yourself. You haven't slept since she's been brought in."

"Ah, Romario. Don't worry about me. I'll be okay."

Voices flickered in and out of her consciousness, sweeping through her mind. Her eyelids flickered, but they were too heavy for her to lift. There was something on top of her, something soft and warm, but in a fit of panicked anger, she thought that the blanket was keeping her grounded to the bed. Fear of being hurt again prompted her to lash out and scream.

She was surprised when her fist actually connected with something.

A warm grip on her wrist kept her from moving her arm. Still, she kicked her legs and twisted to get away from the grip that would surely turn malicious in a second. The grip loosened and she took the opportunity to wrench it out of her assailant's grasp. With a cry, her eyes blinked open and she found herself staring at Dino.

"...How...are you feeling, Moriko?"

They had put her to sleep in the morning, and now it was evening. The sun hung lowly in the sky, partly hidden by clouds but still prominent enough to cast a small glow on their surroundings. Dino had been sitting by her bedside for the whole day, patiently working through his paperwork as he waited for her to wake up. Empty food trays littered the floor beside him. He had refused to leave her side unless it was an emergency or unless he had to use the bathroom.

And now, she was finally awake.

She didn't respond to his voice, but he somewhat expected that. Dino leaned towards her and observed as she flinched backwards in response to his movement. "Are you going to talk to me?" He asked. No verbal response from her. Only blank stares and fearful shivering.

Sighing, he went back to his paperwork, glancing at her out of the corner of his eyes once in a while. In front of him, Moriko huddled in her blankets and stared at him, eyes following his pen as it moved across the page.

Even though it had been weeks since their old mansion had been ripped apart by the something in the forest, the Cavallone family was far from total recovery. There was still renovations to be made, furniture and things to order, teams to send back to retrieve documents that are important before enemy famiglia get their hands on them. Dino had piles and piles of paperwork to tackle, so much that he had unwillingly stayed inside for the past week without even a chance to go out for a stroll.

He hadn't gone out since he had found her.

The only thing that kept him working and on his toes was the fact that Moriko had been returned to him. He had men scouring the records for any famiglia that might have had a grudge against the Cavallone, a grudge big enough to make them foolishly torture one of his own. He was still trying to piece together the helicopter accident, and work out how Moriko went from falling into the forest to being in the hands of enemies.

No results had come in yet, and although Dino stuck to his thinking that 'no news was good news', even he was getting frustrated. The Vongola side were quiet as well. He hadn't heard from his little brother in the weeks since the big incident happened, and he thought that maybe they were on their way to recovery as well. It seems like the creature of the forest has more influence than he had previously believed.

Sighing, he shuffled his papers and continued signing them. The room had gotten so quiet that he almost forgot he had an audience until a little cough came from her.

"A-ah, would you like something to drink?" Standing and stretching, he headed to the kitchen to grab her a bottle of water and a tub of ice cream. Maybe she would recognize something in her favorite snack, he hoped.

When he came back, she was gone. The water and ice cream fell out of his limp grasp. Her IV lines were torn and cut, hanging limply in place, and one of the fluid bags was leaking. The window was broken, the curtains were torn. "Wh...what the hell?" Dino shook from frustration, exhaustion and anger. Did she break out, or had someone or something broken in to take her away from him again?

A movement down in the new gardens caught his eye. A flash of a white gown and ebony hair, and she was gone, running away from the humans she had grown to fear.

With a curse, Dino leapt out the window, using his whip to land in a nearby tree before scrambling down. Without a second to waste, he ran after her.

It was unfamiliar. Unfamiliar territory.

Desperation blossomed in her chest. She could only run for a little bit before she ran out of energy, but she was a creature of the wild. She went where her instincts told her to.

She found herself bobbing and weaving around pedestrians on a busy street. Artificial lights lit up the walkways around her, and she squealed in pain as the light hit her body. It reminded her of the pain she had so recently been through, and she skittered off the pedestrian path. Cars honked at her as she raced across the streets and ducked through alleyways. Hands shot out to grab her, but she darted nimbly around those. Like a deer running away from predators, only sheer fear kept her from collapsing on the ground. Scents and sights passed her by in blurs and whirlwinds of confusing color and smell.

Her feet were starting to bleed, and previously well-tightened bandages were starting to loosen. Her wounds opened, and blood streamed down her body, coloring her white gown. Sobbing and frightened out of her mind, she ran into the nearest doorway and immediately backed out as people screamed and beat at her with magazines, bottles and anything else on hand. She had accidentally walked into someone's house.

Left. Right. Right. Forward, forward, forward.

She couldn't turn back now. Her legs hurt. Her body ached. Her stomach was empty and as soon as she noticed her hunger, her mind latched onto the ravenous pain with a ferocity that she hadn't experienced in years.

Darting around the nearest bend, she stumbled back into the opening of the alleyway, crouched and waited. When the nearest person passed by, a woman talking on her phone, she reached out and grabbed her, slitting her throat before she could even scream. Opening her mouth, she leaned forward and was about to sink her fangs into her throat before she realized that she didn't have fangs. Not anymore.

She wasn't a proper vampire anymore.

And yet, the rich aroma of the life liquid draining out of the corpse at her feet was beckoning her. Sloppily, she pressed her lips to the wound and sipped at it instead of draining it with her fangs. It was messy, and she soon found herself covered in blood, but it was rewarding. Her wounds slowly closed as she hungrily gulped all the blood from the corpse. When she had finally drank her fill, she sat back. The corpse in front of her crumbled into a pile of flesh and bones, skin dry and rough to the tough.

For a few minutes, she leant there, completely spent. The air around her thickened and her breathing became ragged. Her pupils dilated with fear. Someone else was coming for her. Someone...something else...

"Oya? What do we have here. Another little murderess? But somehow, I think I've seen you somewhere before..." The voice held a tinge of threat and amusement to it, and she was instantly scared. It sounded like the lady who smelt like Dino but wasn't Dino; a manipulative trickster who would only hurt her in the end. She didn't want to deal with this, she realized, and so she immediately chose the flight option instead of fight.

She turned and ran, even as mist trailed into the alleyway after her. Her vision filled with white, but she ran blindly onwards. Her bare feet pattered painfully through shards of glass and the scent of her own bland blood rose to meet that of the rich liquid that still lingered on her dress.

Before her very eyes, mist started clogging up the alleyway. She stumbled backwards and fell, crashing into a couple of empty trash cans. The ringing of the falling metal created such a din around her that she wasn't able to hear his approaching footsteps until he was standing right in front of her.

Or had he walked? He had materialized in front of her. Like a ghost.

She scrambled backwards in fear as his drew closer. His chuckles seemed to come from all directions around her. Her terrified mind had frozen her movements, and she didn't even register her own pain as she found herself backed into a corner. Her thoughts looped over and over, like a broken recorder. Fight him. Fight him. Run, run, run...She let out a broken sob and curled into a little ball in preparation for the blows that would surely fall upon her body.

Mukuro raised his trident. Of course he remembered who she was; she was the vampiress who had the nerve to drink from his dear Chrome. Even though it was voluntary on Chrome's part...Mukuro had come to make her pay. Ah, Mukuro remembered now. They had even clashed once, on Cavallone property, a battle that had been too quick for Mukuro to find any particular enjoyment in testing his strength against hers.

It seemed like she has changed a bit...he stared down at the cowering, sniveling creature before him. She had definitely gotten weaker, somehow. While part of him grappled with curiosity, the other half reminded him not to show mercy. He struck, pulling his trident back and swinging it forward.

"STOP!"

Before he could jab at her with the glimmering tip of the three-pronged weapon, a whip shot out of nowhere and wrapped around his wrist. Mukuro's arm trembled. His smile froze dangerously, and he began leaking death intent. Cavallone arrives at the worst possible moments, doesn't he? The fun was just starting too...Mukuro had heard some rumors about this girl's particular fighting style. If the Skylark was going to play with her, then he wanted part too.

"She's injured and scared. Don't do anything to her, Mukuro." And now a dangerous edge had crept into Cavallone's words. Intrigued, Mukuro allowed the whip to lower his hand.

Seeing the opening, Moriko darted towards him, intent on escaping the corner he had chased her into. Mukuro moved fast, barring her way with his trident. She skittered backwards as she heard the slam of the weapon hitting the floor.

"What the hell? Mukuro, didn't I tell you not to do anything?"

"Hmm...I don't recall you specifying that I shouldn't move. Besides, I have yet to touch her with the weapon." He poked her with the blunt end of the weapon, watching curiously as she flinched with the touch and withdrew into an even smaller ball.

"Mukuro, please." The heartfelt worry in Dino's voice made even him hesitate. Oya, since when did the Cavallone Don's heart become so soft for a woman? Mukuro suspected that this woman was probably as important to Dino as Chrome was to him, so for the first time in his life, Mukuro found himself backing off. Before he did so, he reached out and touched her mind, out of curiosity for what caused her behavior.

I'm not a proper vampire anymore. My fangs...My fangs...

A torrent of pain and fear slammed into his brain, causing even Mukuro to reel backwards. Dino let out a shout of alarm and reached out to steady him, but Mukuro swatted his hand away nonchalantly.

"There's something broken in there, Cavallone. That's all I'm going to tell you." Mukuro pointed his trident at Moriko's forehead, unable to tear his eyes away from the blank stare she gave him. It was a look of complete resignation, almost as if she didn't care if he hurt her anymore. Aside from torture, there was little Mukuro could associate with that look. In fact, it reminded him of the look he sported as he first escaped from the Estraneo Famiglia. When he had first opened his eyes in the Vindiche prison, he had caught sight of his own reflection in the curved glass. His eyes...his eyes were...

Like hers.

Before Dino could stop him, Mukuro flung his trident. Instead of striking Moriko, as the Cavallone Don had feared, the trident dissolved into thin air soundlessly. Mukuro knelt and stared back at Moriko. They spent a few seconds that way, looking into each other's eyes, almost as if they were having a silent conversation.

Dino's gut twisted uncomfortably at the notion. What was it that they were talking about?

And how dare he get so close to his Moriko?

After another tense few seconds, tears welled up in Moriko's eyes. Dino was about to fling himself between them, to interfere, when Mukuro suddenly straightened and brushed his shirt off, chuckling all the while. His chuckles were laced with anger and a tinge of melancholy, as if he was reminiscing something that he was displeased about. Dino's suspicions were confirmed a mere moment later.

"Another Famiglia has risen to take the Estraneo's place." Mukuro's voice quivered in untold anger, and even now, shaking with quiet fury, he had his smile in place. What a terrifying sight.

"I understand." Dino replied tersely. With Mukuro like this, one could not be too careful with choosing one's words. Anything could trigger the blue-haired man's wrath, and even Dino was wary of making the Vongola Mist guardian an enemy.

"Do you really, Cavallone? Do you really understand?" Mukuro had turned to him now with something close to loathing in his eyes. Dino felt taken aback. He was about to ask what he had done wrong before he finally understood what Mukuro was trying to tell him. He backed away respectfully.

"Actually, I don't. But I'm sure you do. If it would not bother you so, please tell me what happened to her." Dino said.

Dino sighed in relief when Mukuro turned back to Moriko and his eyes softened with rare sympathy. It was a miracle that a man like Mukuro could even feel such an emotion, but then again, Dino didn't understand the extent of mental scarring that had remained in Mukuro's heart and mind after they were done with experimenting on him. Yes, it brought him his powers as an illusionist, but the torturous period that he had to live through was forever etched in his mind as a period of never-ending fear, pain and hopelessness. Mukuro did not wish for anyone to have to go through such an ordeal, not even his enemies.

"They experimented on her, like she was a lab rat. And also..."

Mukuro reached down and gently took Moriko's face in his hands. She was shivering at his touch, but he looked into her mind and calmed her with a few words. "Open your mouth for us, vampiress." He whispered.

Trembling with fear, Moriko opened her jaw obediently and revealed her fangless gums.

Dino could only look on in dawning horror and understanding.

"My resources are at your disposal, and you can stay here for as long as it is convenient. Even if you have to go back to the Vongola Headquarters, feel free to return whenever you want to. It's a pleasure to work with you." Dino reached out to shake hands with Mukuro, but the illusionist only spared him a suave smile.

"I will be fine, Cavallone, although I might take you up on your offer if Chrome ever needs to get away from the nerve-grating antics of the Vongola Family. I'm sure the Cavallone bunch is much more...refined."

Dino sighed at Mukuro's comment. It was just like the tricky illusionist to twist his words so that Cavallone couldn't accept his 'compliment' of the Vongola Mist without admitting the insult to the Vongola, and neither could he write the compliment off for it would suggest that his family wasn't...how did Mukuro put it? Refined.

Dino settled for smiling in return, before leaving the long-haired illusionist to unpack in his new quarters.

A minute later, Dino found himself back in his office, phone in hand. He dialed Tsuna's office number eagerly and waited. The phone picked up in three rings.

"Who is this?" A gruff voice came from the other end.

"Ah! Gokudera, is it?" Dino laughed. "I haven't heard from you guys in so long! How is everyone doing? How is little bro holding up?"

He could even imagine Gokudera bristling as the hot-headed bomber retorted immediately. "The Tenth is fine! And of course he's leading the Family well! Who do you think you're talking to, Cavallone? What the fuck do you want anyway? Tenth is too busy to talk crap with you! Unlike you, he has a bigger Famiglia to run, and he's probably working ten times harder than you a-"

The phone was abruptly cut off and a panting Tsuna could be heard. "H...Hey there...Dino-san! *huff* Sorry, Re...Reborn made me run...*huff* From the...second gardens...*huff* I guess I need to build up my stamina more..." There was a break in the one-sided conversation as Tsuna put down the phone to gulp some water down. In the background, Gokudera could be heard stammering apologies and there was a banging sound that suspiciously reminded Dino of a skull being repeatedly smashed into the floorboards. Tsuna's voice drifted into the fray a little while later.

"G-Gokudera-kun! Please don't do that, I need you fully functional in both mind and body...I thought we talked about this, Gokudera-kun! Hiiieee! The tapestry doesn't need your head print on it...G-Gokudera-kun! You haven't failed me, really, I really don't mind, next time just be nicer to Dino-san, okay? Okay? Please go get me some files from the recent Korea expedition. Yeah, that would be nice. Thank you!"

Dino sighed and smiled. Some things just didn't change with the Vongola family, did it?

"Ah, Dino-san? Sorry to keep you waiting."

The sound of Tsuna sighing as he collapsed into the leather armchair in his office came through the phone. Dino winced in sympathy. Reborn wasn't going to let him relax for long, so it was lucky that he got to take a breather already.

"So, how's it going on the Vongola side? Did you guys get hit hard?" Dino had only gotten to see a little bit of the impressive Vongola-relocation strategy as soon as they had touched down from the helicopter that the rescue force from the Vongola had sent to save them, on the day that Moriko went missing. And even so, he had been in too much of a daze to recognize that anything was going on.

"Hmm," Tsuna replied absently. "It's going good. The Family members are all doing fine, and Reborn's overseeing the construction of a new mansion and headquarters with my Dad. Everything's on track...although the paperwork's hell."

"Ah, I can sympathize with that." Dino chuckled. "By the way, I heard Namimori got hit pretty hard! How's Kyoya doing?"

"Namimori was saved by Lambo of all people. And Hibari-san...wait a second, why are you calling me? We're usually too busy for this type of chit-chat, although it wouldn't hurt to hear from you once in a while, Dino-san." Tsuna sounded rueful, and the sound of a gun cocking in the background confirmed Dino's thoughts. Reborn had come back to see why his student wasn't working, and now they had to cut the chat.

"I'm just calling to let you know that Mukuro's with me, little bro. He'll be aiding in a part of our investigation, and he's probably not going to return to Vongola's side until a few weeks later. Is that alright with you?"

"M-Mukuro? Ah, that's fine. He goes where he wants to anyway. But wait a minute...Isn't Hibari-san supposed to be with you too? Are you sure you can handle the two of them under the same roof? Hibari-san's supposed to be arriving today as well...Although he never really confirms with us about his arrival times anyway."

That made Dino pause. He hadn't heard anything about Kyoya coming. Could it be...that I forgot?

"Oh shit." Dino let the phone clatter to the table as he ruffled frantically through his papers. He remembered now, remembered seeing something about Kyoya's flight schedule...remembered seeing that Kyoya was going to head over in a few days...and the memo had been sent a few days ago. But in the light of events, with Moriko escaping and whatnot, Dino hadn't had time to properly schedule that...

"Obscenities are undisciplined. I will bite you to death, Cavallone."

A tonfa swung downwards and cracked his desk in two. Dino let out a yelp of surprise and leapt backwards before the second hit could land on him. His whip was out in an instant, fending off Kyoya's furious blows. From the shadowed look on Hibari's face, Dino knew he was in trouble. He had forgotten to send transportation for Kyoya, and the skylark was jetlagged.

And the best was yet to come, wasn't it?

"Oya? A battle royale in the Cavallone office? Why wasn't I invited to thisdelightful event?"

If possible, Hibari's death intent increased tenfold. He raised his face long enough to give Mukuro a murderous glare before charging at the illusionist. Dino was forgotten in the corner of the room, tangled in his own whip.

A clap and rumble of thunder shocked her into consciousness.

Moriko looked fearfully around her, clad in a cleaned white gown and covered with tightened bandages. Her body didn't ache anymore, if she stayed still. If she moved, sharp shards of pain would run up and down her spine and leave her breathless with agony. Her body felt significantly lighter than before, and some of the black-blue-yellow patches on her arm had faded to a sickly green. When she poked those little circles of discoloration, more pain appeared and she winced. What a joke, she thought to herself. A vampire who couldn't take pain.

Her mind didn't hurt anymore as well. She was slowly lulled to sleep by familiar voices every night, and she had slowly lost the fear of being hurt after nothing happened for the next few days. What resurfaced in her mind was a desire to see Dino, just to confirm if she was in familiar territory. What she didn't know was that Dino had only been allowed to visit her when she was asleep, because whenever Dino's scent came near her, she lashed out and turned into a senseless, sobbing mess.

Picking at her white hospital gown, she shuffled through her memories in attempt to get her mind in order.

Her old teacher, Fon, had told her of the human story of vampires. They were shown as scary creatures who could see and hunt in the darkness, who had faster speed and stronger hits than humans, and who could heal instantly. The only weakness they had was the sun, and garlic, for some reason.

She had found the stories amusing, almost like little fairy-tales for her to recall when she wanted to drift off to sleep. But right now, she wished she was as strong as humans thought she could be.

Another rattle of the window startled her. When she finally worked up the courage to peek outside, she saw that a storm had blew up. Rain lashed at the windows. Lightning forked in the sky and thunder rumbled the earth. She winced and covered her ears, diving under the blankets for cover. She wondered when the scientists would come back for her.

She didn't remember much of her daring escape, only that she had run out to escape from something and then something else something even more dangerous had appeared. That, and her inability to fight had surfaced to her mind. Also, she felt full...and ashamed of herself.

I killed another human today, and I also couldn't fight, even though I'm full.

Once upon a time, she would've thought herself proud that she didn't attack anyone when she was full, because it meant that she had self control. But this time...this time she just felt weak. Her tongue poked at the holes where her fangs used to be.

Struggling at the heavy covers that covered her still injured body, she managed to untangle herself from the bed and stand. She growled in annoyance at the little pin-pricks of pain she felt as she tugged against the needles and patches that connected her to various machines. Just as she finished pulling the annoying patches off her (a sign of scientific meddling, no doubt), another loud rumble sounded throughout the building, and she leapt back in shock.

There's a thunderstorm...inside?

When the walls of her room started shaking and plaster started crumbling with the force of the rumbling indoors thunder, she could only yowl in fear like a trapped animal. She was at the window in a flash, clawing at the glass, wishing that she were outside in the storm rather than indoors. But for all her strength, she couldn't get the window open.

She twisted as medical equipment started toppling around her, crashing to the floor and shattering. Her feet danced on broken glass and jagged metal. With whimpers of pain, she scrambled into the bathroom and closed the door. Even in the bathroom, she could hear the rumbling as the very foundation of the building seem to tremble. She stepped into the bathtub and stayed there, shivering. Was anyone going to come for her? Were they leaving her there to die?

Without warning, a large chunk of plaster detached itself from the ceiling and dropped on top of her. She didn't even have time to scream in pain as it clipped her neatly in the head, sending her curling into a ball. Black edged her vision as her head throbbed.

Stiffening, she slipped into unconsciousness, to a world where she forgot the radiant smile that had once ruled her life, and a world where the walls ate at her memories and turned them into nothing but darkness.

"Guys, stop it! Kyoya, stand down!"

Mukuro and Hibari were going at it like a pair of ferocious predators fighting for territory. The walls of the mansion shook with their every blow, and even Dino couldn't pull them apart. Dino had ordered his men to take cover in other parts of the mansion for fear that the building would start crumbling.

Hibari and Mukuro had moved from brawling in his office to striking at each other in the hallways. With every sweep of the trident, Mukuro destroyed some more of the Cavallone wallpaper, knocking priceless paintings awry and gouging deep lines in the concrete. With every swing of Hibari's tonfas, artifacts were knocked over and smashed on the floor. The two fighters dodged their own carnage nimbly, leaving Dino to deal with the wake of their anger for each other.

It seemed like it would never stop until the two of them were exhausted of their actions. Mukuro and Hibari were evenly matched, and neither was willing to give way. Dino was about to give up and evacuate the mansion for the second time in a month when his ears caught a faint cry of fear that came from the infirmary.

Moriko...of course! How could I forget about her?

With a burst of desperation, sky flames coated his whip. He lashed out, pushing the two males farther apart from each other, far enough so that they couldn't easily reach each other for blows.

"Stop this right now." Dino growled in irritation. The two fighters stared wordlessly as the panicked bronco raced down the hallway.

He found her in the bathroom, curled up on one side of the bathtub, unconscious. A glance to the side of the tub revealed the source; a chunk of plaster must've fallen and hit her on the head. He called for medics, but nobody came. The room was strewn with debris and littered with broken equipment. Her feet were cut, bruised and bloody.

Cursing to himself in anger, he took off his jacket and wrapped her limp body in it, treading carefully out of the room. The sight of damaged hospital equipment angered him. He would have to pay billions to repair everything in the mansion, especially since this new Headquarters had been established less than a month ago and still had to be fortified against all kinds of crazy Mafioso attacks. Mukuro and Hibari's attack had been equivalent to setting the clock back and making Dino wade through all the hard work again.

He was going to have to talk to the two maniacs.

Grumbling to himself, he didn't realize where he was going until he realized he was back in his own room, facing the big king-sized bed that he spent his nights in. He grimaced as he realized he would have to backtrack all the way to the infirmary if he wanted to place Moriko in good hands. The woman in his arms was slumbering peacefully, one arm curled around his neck as if she wanted him closer. The plaster would probably cause no more than a bruise; there had been no blood on her except in her feet area, and he could always have the head-wound looked at once everything has been restored and he had a good talking-to with Mukuro and Hibari.

As for the hospital equipment: her injuries had been stabilized, so they had simply put her on the heart-rate monitor in case anything might happen. But Moriko didn't need a heart-rate monitor. Dino had been doing some research of his own and had found out that although vampires were fallible to nearly everything humans were (illness, injury, bullets etc.), they were infallible to many heart diseases, such as heart attack, or simply having the heart stop beating. There would be no worries in that department, and for that, Dino was glad.

Which meant he didn't have to return her to the infirmary immediately.

She nuzzled into his touch and his gaze softened. This was the first time in the past few days that she didn't try to fight him off when he got close. He wondered if she fought him off because she hated him for some reason. He certainly wouldn't blame her if she did, because the last time they had been able to look each other in the eye, he had first rejected her and then promised her a date before letting her fall out of his grasp and topple into the forest. And then her torturers had gotten their hands on her. It all pointed back to one simple fact; Dino had been too weak and stupid to be able to protect her. It was only right that she wanted away from him.

"I agree, you've been somewhat a douche to her, kufufu~"

Trust Mukuro to give him a motivational booster. Dino sighed and placed her in his soft sheets, tucking her in gently before turning to exit the room and give the two Vongola Guardians a good scolding. He didn't even want to imagine how Tsuna dealt with them most of the time.

Mukuro was leaning against the doorframe, a devilish smirk painted all over his features. Hibari was standing farther back, glaring daggers at the man, hand clenching his tonfa handle so tightly that Dino even entertained the sight of Hibari's metal tonfas cracking for a second. The three of them faced off in a tense silence before Dino gestured for them to move. "We need to talk. In my office, both of you, now."

"We have no obligation to follow your orders, Bronco." Hibari interjected.

"I agree." Mukuro replied smoothly, smirking at the Skylark.

Hibari's face twisted as if he'd ingested something disgusting, before he stalked down the hallway in the direction of Dino's office. Mukuro winked at the Cavallone Don and turned to head in the same direction as well. Dino could only shake his head and grimace. One thing Hibari hated was having to agree with Rokudo Mukuro, or having Mukuro agree with him, and so Mukuro's words had persuaded the Skylark to actually show up in his office.

Dino rolled up his sleeves and secured his whip around the back of his trousers. He had a feeling he might need to take this conversation outside.

As soon as he rounded the corner, he heard a desolate, confused wail coming from his room. He stiffened and turned back immediately.

"Moriko?" He whispered as soon as he poked his head into the room.

There she was, looking frail and lost in her white gown, sitting among the soft pillows and blankets that he had wrapped around her. He started forward immediately, wincing when she flinched at the sight of him and scrambled underneath a pile of pillows.

Dino smiled and leaned over the bed, peering into the pillow-cave that she had made for herself. This all felt so nostalgic.

"Peekaboo, I see you." Dino murmured. Moriko bared her teeth warily at him, and Dino retreated hastily as one hand stretched out to claw at his face.

"What's wrong, Moriko? Don't you remember me?"

When she opened her eyes again, she didn't recognize anything around her. From the fluffy land-clouds around her, to the white-cloth-sea that had been spun around her body. She was confused. Where was she? What happened?

She had cried out in fear. Her mind only remembered green. She was supposed to be in a place with green and earth and towering brown plants, but she was wrapped in this...unfamiliar, alien white that was soft to the touch. She growled at it, but it didn't do anything to her, and she could only numbly bat at it in hopes that it was something she could sink her teeth into.

When nothing happened, she piled it up and decided to make a shelter for herself. She would find her way out of this strange world once the eye-in-the-sky was safely below the mountains.

And then she had heard noises. Something had come into the room to stare at her. She had taken refuge in the shadows. The thing had stuck its head closer to her and had made soft noises, noises that sounded both jumbled and systematic. Maybe it was trying to talk to her; she didn't understand. She was scared of it, scared of the face that had appeared, with it's golden fur and rounded eyes, big nose and wide mouth. It had spoken to her, but she had lashed out at it. Go away, she wanted to growl, go away.

But it's scent. It's scent was so familiar. She felt as if she had smelled it before, a long time ago, in a dream. It was a good scent, and it matched with the taste of delicious blood, so perhaps he was her prey. But she felt no desire to hurt him. Instead, she only felt the desire to feed...and protect.

Dino yelped and fell backwards as she suddenly barreled into him, snarling and snapping at his flesh. He twisted out of the way and grappled with her until he managed to hold her at bay, an arms length away. She was clawing at him now, not like she was angry with him, but like...like she was hungry.

Understanding battled with sorrow in his eyes. He shook her once.

"Moriko, it's me, Dino, do you remember me?"

She hissed and spat in discomfort as his shaking movements jostled her wounds. The wounds that she didn't know how she got. Dino could see it in her blank eyes. The hunger-driven stare that she wore. Her molten silver eyes, devoid of emotion even though he spoke her name over and over.

He gave in soon. Maybe feeding would help her heal.

He watched as the confused vampire closed in on his flesh, her breath tickling the nape of his neck as she sniffed out a good vein. When she found one, she opened her mouth and sunk her fangs in...or tried to. She pulled back, looking confused as she couldn't get a good hold on him. He stared sadly back at her.

"W...w..." She gasped. Dino encouraged her to go on, her lips forming familiar words from muscle memory alone.

"Where are they?"

"Where are my fangs?"

A/N: Phew! Part three is being written, so sit tight! Thanks to all those who supported this fic so far. Also, a big thank you to my reviewers, for taking the time to patiently drop some comments in, and for not throwing sticks and stones at me when I don't update immediately. Please do keep giving me comments, as they keep me going! I look forward to hearing from you all!

Also, thanks to all those who followed and favorited this story as well :3 It's nice to know that people are still reading!

Reviewers: anyandeveryanime, shanagi95, DepthOfMusic, Kirie Mitsuru, BlueTwilight94, Aoi Kazuya, PrincipessaBel, TheBloodyArrow, Crystallized Dreamz and otatataku. Thank you all for your kind words!

Memory Loss!Moriko and Devastated!Dino.