Author's Note: We're coming close to the end of this story. I started writing this so, so many years ago when I first started writing, so I find myself getting kind of nostalgic as I finish up writing the drafts for the last few chapters. I know that it's been a long time and I've lost and gained a lot of readers over the years, but I want to thank all of you now for reading up to this point. Look forward to next week's update!

Disclaimer: I do not own Katekyo Hitman Reborn.

I do my best to sit out and stay hidden, but in the end, upon seeing Fran, who's still fast asleep, I can't help but run in after all. "I'll bring him home," I say. "A battle isn't the place for a sleeping child to be. Besides, he'll only be a burden to you all in a fight." I take Fran from Chikusa.

"You're agreeing to run?" Chikusa asks me.

I nod. "It's cowardly of me, I know, but I'll do this just this once because I'm sure that you'll all make it back safely."

Chikusa nods at me.

My back feels hot. I wonder what's wrong for a moment before coming to the conclusion that Fran must be running a high fever. I should get home quickly… I nod at the others and start to run off only to be stopped by a Vindice. My eyes narrow. I'm no longer part of the representative battle, but I suppose that assisting a participant of the battle makes me a target.

"Verde, my equipment, if you would," I say.
Verde does as I say without a word. It looks like he's still worried about me deciding to play Verdeball with him.

I put the gloves on and watch as a pillar of flames erupts under the Vendice. I know that it's not an attack that will injure the Vindice all that much, but I don't need to. I just need to slow them down enough to run.

The Vindice follows me as I run and tries to attack, so I dodge narrowly before turning around. "I don't care what you choose to do, but if you harm this boy, I will see you to the pits of Hell personally," I seethe. Before, my threat may not have been worth much, but with Verde's new gear, I can ensure that my target will be tormented physically. I glance at the Vindice once more as it seems to hesitate before I dash off with Fran.

When I make it back home safely, I make sure to take care of Fran properly because I'm sure that the others didn't know exactly what to do and just winged it. I dig out some medicine that I bought a while ago in the event that one of us were to get sick, and after feeding it to Fran and putting a cold towel on his forehead, I go to the kitchen to make soup for him. "The things I do for this kid..." I mutter as I chop up some vegetables. He's always verbally abusing me to the point where I wouldn't be surprised if he continued even through his fever, but even so, I feel as though it's alright. I wonder when I got so attached to him?

When I the vegetables finally finish cooking in the pot, I pour some into a bowl and head to Fran's room. It seems that he's finally woken up, but he's still looking pretty drowsy. "Wuzzat...?" he mutters.

"Vegetable soup," I reply as I pull him so he's sitting up.

"I don't want your crappy soup, Kasumi-senpai," he grumbles.

"Just drink it."

I watch as Fran reluctantly takes the bowl from me and has a sip. He freezes for a moment before wolfing the rest down. "It wasn't too shabby," he replies as he hands me the emptied bowl.

"Good to hear." I nod at him and get up. "Get some rest, alright?"

I head over to the door and go outside, but just as I'm about to close the door behind me, I hear Fran mutter, "Thanks, Senpai."

I smile a little as I close the door head head back to the kitchen.

Not too long after, everyone returns home. They're injured, but that's nothing new. M.M., Ken, and Chikusa all head back to their respective rooms to sleep, but seeing as Mukuro doesn't look like he's going to go to sleep anytime soon, I follow him into the theater and replace his bandages as he lounges around on the couch. It's silent between us when I finish I pass him a bowl of soup that I prepared and continue to sit with him despite the fact that I have nothing to say. "Did you make this specifically for Fran?" he asks.

I nod.

"He always did seem to have a particular liking for you. He follows you around like a lost puppy in this time period," Mukuro replies. "I can see why since you treat him so well, but I'm surprised that you feel the same about a bratty child."

"I'll admit that I'm a bit surprised too, but to be honest, I think that something that the two of us have always had in common," I reply. "I'd become uncertain about it at some point or another, but no matter what you may say, we're all important to you too, aren't we?"

"Which is exactly why I was worried when I found out that you'd joined the representative battle, however short-lived that may have been."

I consider my response for a moment, and rather than lowering my head as usual, I reply, "I'm sorry for making you worry, but to be perfectly honest with you, I don't really regret my decision either. I joined Hibari-san so easily because he acknowledges me, or at the very least, he seems to. He's never stopped me from fighting before. Given that he's a fighting maniac, but still," I say.

I let out a quiet sigh. I'm rambling a bit. "I'm not staying that I can't get myself to appreciate that you've always sacrificed a lot to keep me out of harm's way, but at the same time, it's painful sitting back and watching everyone struggle knowing full well that I could contribute and lessen their pain, even if it's only by a little," I finish.

It's silent between us for a long moment.

"Is it because you see me as weaker than Dokuro?" I ask. "You've been waiting for her to become a soldier recently, but when it comes to me…" I shake my head and sigh. If he hasn't told me yet, then I should just assume that it's not something for me to know.

"It's selfish of me," he begins, "but I can't stand the thought of seeing you hurt," he replies. "You're strong. I know that you are, but when I see even a scratch on you, my blood boils."

I stare at my lap. I'm not sure how to respond to something like that. While it certainly is sweet and I do appreciate it, I can't agree with it. "I want to go back to when things were simpler," I reply softly.

Mukuro hums in what I assume to be agreement.

I lean back on the couch and stare at the ceiling. I suppose that I'm not the only one that feels some sense of finality approaching because we start reminiscing about how things used to be.

After my chat with Mukuro, as I head back to my room, I just so happen to see something bright outside through the window. I head outside quickly to find Sawada just as he lands. It seems that he flew here. "Sawada-san? Do you need something?" I ask curiously.

He nods. "I have a plan to defeat Bermuda and the Vindice. Will you help me?" he asks.

"Of course," I reply. "Why are you asking me though? Normally, asking Mukuro-sama would be getting the okay from the whole Kokuyo Gang."

"You usually act on your own anyway," he replies.

His comment surprises me for a moment, but after the initial surprise, I feel my lips tug into a small smile. "I suppose you're right," I reply. "I'll bring you to where Mukuro-sama is."

After escorting Sawada to the theater, I head to check up on Fran and see if his fever has come down yet. I open the door and Fran turns to me right away.

"Oh, you're awake," I say.

He nods. "Not really, but I'm awake enough to tell that the sexual tension between you and Master went down a little."

I sigh and shake my head. "Forget about that already, will you?" I say as I sit at the edge of his bed. "Are you hungry? Do you need anything to eat?"

He stares at me and I can tell that he thinks that it's suspicious for me to be acting like this.

"From what I can tell, there's going to be a tough battle ahead of us, so I need you to recover your strength," I reply. I pat his head. "If there's nothing that you want, then rest up. It won't be long until you have to fight again."

"If you're offering, there is something…"

I look at him curiously.

"A kiss on the cheek," he replies seriously.

I'm so taken back by his request that it takes a moment to come up with a proper response. Finally, I reply, "Sure. From how many poisonous snakes would you like them from?"

His eyes widen. "I don't wanna be a poisonous apple though."

"So become Sleeping Beauty and get some sleep," I reply.

"That's a different fairy tale though," he complains.

"Just go to sleep," I reply. I pat him on the head. "I'm going to be counting on you, after all," I add softly.