Can I Stay By Your Side?

Chapter 13 – The Truth to Face

The bruise indeed appeared on my head, as predicted by the school nurse.

"Oww…" I scrunched my face, feeling the soreness. "I thought that I was done with getting my face hit by any kind of ball," I grumbled to myself. It has been a few days since the accident but my swollen bump was just beginning to recover.

I walked down the street leisurely. It was rare to have the entire day to myself after school. Usually, I would spend the afternoon watching the school baseball team practice, or go out shopping with Yoshiko, Yayoi and Nana. Today, everyone had other activities to attend to.

Especially that Nana… I mused. I wasn't expecting her to find a boyfriend! I was not surprised, however. Of the four of us, Nana was the cutest-looking; the sort that typical boys would go for because they want to protect her. Yayoi was simply too tall, Yoshiko is simply too intimidating… I caught my reflection on the window of a shop. And I'm simply too plain-looking. I sighed. Nana is so lucky, I wish I have a boyfriend too.

Come to think of it… Valentine's Day is coming around the corner. Isn't it next week? I blinked and looked around. No wonder the streets are filled with Valentine's Day promotions for couples. I guess I should drop by the supermarket soon to pick up ingredients for handmade chocolate.

I clutched my uniform and blushed as I thought of Yamamoto. Should I make some chocolate for him too? What would I say it is for? Should I laugh it off and say it's obligatory chocolate that I make for all my male friends? Or…

"Hmm?" A sign on the shop window caught my attention. "Promotional Valentine's Day chocolate parfait?" I murmured. Sounds tasty! I giggled to myself. And it's also on a promotional price! Maybe I should give this a try and recommend the girls here if it's good!

I entered the dessert shop, welcoming the sweet scent of chocolate and the warmth from inside the shop. Being the start of February, it was still freezing cold outside. The radiators from the shop were a much desired welcome and I removed my jacket with a contented sigh.

A waitress approached me as I took an empty seat in a quiet corner. I glanced at the menu and my eyes widened at the promotional menu. "The parfait is 1500 yen?" I asked in disbelief.

"The special parfait uses a much higher quality of chocolate," explained the waitress.

"Didn't your promotional poster say that it was 700 yen?"

"Ah, it will be 700 yen if you come as a couple," replied the waitress. "It's the Valentine's season after all!" She smiled cheerfully.

My jaw dropped. There was no way I would pay that much money for a silly glass of ice cream. I sighed in disappointment. I had wanted to try the parfait in this shop for a long time but had always held back because they were expensive. I had thought that I could finally try something more affordable-

"That would be no problem, waitress-san. Give us the special parfait, please."

An unfamiliar, slightly accented voice spoke from behind the waitress. I looked up and saw a man, dressed in a fur-collared jacket, standing behind the waitress. He was tall and had blonde hair framing his non-Japanese features. Behind him, I spotted a middle-aged man dressed in a black suit.

A bodyguard? I thought. This person must be really rich. I would be intimidated by the foreigner, if not for the fact that I noticed he spoke fluent Japanese and on top of that, was incredibly handsome too.

Apparently, the waitress thought so too. She blushed immediately and stammered her acknowledgement of our orders before rushing off to the counter. I could hear her squealing to her colleagues about the foreigner. Around us, customers of the shop stole glances at this motley group of people that I now seemed to be a part of.

The young man noticed me gawking at him and smiled amiably. "I believe this would be the time you thank someone for helping you save some money."

It was my turn to stammer. "Th- Thank you!" I answered, grabbing my purse. "Please let me-"

The young man slid into the chair opposite me and reached out to stop my hand. "It's on me," he said with a smile. His brown eyes were sincere and warm, like melted chocolate.

"No way!" I exclaimed. "That's too nice of you! I- I- I can't let you do that! At least just my share-"

"Take it as my treat," he insisted. He propped his face against his hand, staring at me intently. "It's not often that I get to treat a cute girl like you."

My face burned at his compliment. Are all foreigners glib-tongued like him? I had zero experience with foreigners, much less communicate with them. I thought that I had escaped the need to speak in English (Do all foreigners speak English?) because he seemed fluent in Japanese, but I was not ready for his flirtatious words.

Behind him, the middle-aged man stepped forward and addressed him in a foreign language. I could not tell if they were speaking in English; they spoke so rapidly and their accents did not help me understand any better. However, I could tell the tone of the middle-aged man was that of reproach, mixed with anxiety and resignation. A strange combination of emotions, yet it did not faze the younger man.

"That's why I'm saying, Romario," he cut in finally, speaking in Japanese. "I'm fine! Go somewhere else and not bother my date here."

"D- D- Date?" I exclaimed.

The middle-aged man who was addressed as Romario pursed his lips in reply. He pushed his glasses against his nose and bowed towards the young man respectfully. "As you wish, boss," I heard him say in Japanese. When the young man waved him away, Romario sighed and walked out of the shop. However, instead of disappearing down the road, Romario stood outside the shop, glancing in occasionally.

"Argh, that Romario…" the young man groaned. "I'm sorry to have startled you," he said, turning back at me.

"I think you've made a mistake," I quickly answered. "I don't know any foreigners… and I don't know you. Have you mistaken me for someone else?"

"Not at all," he assured me. "I just happened to see a cute girl wanting to eat a parfait and thought, 'It would be nice to share a dessert with her.' Simple as that. So, don't pay me back – your company is more than enough as repayment for the parfait."

I gulped. It seemed bad, shady even, to accept gifts and favours from strangers. However, it would also be incredibly rude to leave after he had offered to pay for the parfait. If I were to leave now, the shop would probably charge him at its full price. Furthermore, it would be embarrassing for him if I walked out on him or force him to share the couple's parfait with another man, I thought, glancing back at Romario standing outside. For now, I decided to go along with his request. The shop was relatively crowded so he could not do much harm without attracting attention. Still, I made a mental note not to reveal any personal information, just in case. "It's not a date," I emphasised. "But thank you, Mr…"

He smoothed his hair with his fingers. "Ah, it was rude of me not to introduce myself. My name is Dino, Dino Cavallone."

"… Pleased to meet you," I said. "I am… Tanaka Sana." Despite knowing that this man could be dangerous, I could not help but keep glancing at his handsome face. It was not every day that a handsome man would walk up to me to strike a conversation, much less decide suddenly that we were on a date. In fact, it was very flattering. To think I'd just thought of myself as a plain Jane, I mused.

"Um… excuse me."

The two of us looked up and saw a bevy of gushing waitresses standing by our table. "We were wondering…" one of them spoke to Dino shyly. "If you could take a picture with us?"

"Oh." I smiled at their request. Their behaviour was no surprise. Foreigners were a rare sight in Namimori; most tourists would rather visit Tokyo or Osaka. Besides, Dino was really handsome so I totally understood their admiration. I raised my hand meekly at them. "I'll help to take your photo," I offered.

Dino stretched out a hand to stop me. As I looked at him in confusion, he stood and bowed towards the girls. "I'm flattered, ladies, but I'm afraid that I have to refuse your request. I'm on a date with this girl here," he explained with a cheerful grin. "And I really want to focus all my attention on her! You would understand, won't you?"

"Ah… I see…"

I sensed a few dirty glances thrown my way and stiffened in response. Why is it always like this? I sighed inwardly. First, I get bullied for spending time with Yamamoto and now with this guy whom I barely know? Is it a crime for me to befriend handsome people or something?

As the waitresses walked away in disappointment, I hissed at Dino. "I've said already, it's not a date!"

"It's fine, isn't it?" he smiled. "Now we won't be disturbed by others."

I pursed my lips, thinking of Yamamoto. Even though the two of them were different in demeanour, talking to Dino made me miss Yamamoto terribly. He had gone for another visit to the physiotherapist after school but promised me that we would look for Musuke later in the evening. I cleared my throat and asked, "So… Mr. Dino-"

"Just call me Dino!" he leaned forward. "So that I can call you Sana."

I blushed at the sudden intimacy. Leaning backwards, I quickly answered, "I would prefer it if you call me Tanaka-san instead, Mr. Dino," I laughed nervously and asked, "Your Japanese is really fluent. Are you of mixed heritage?"

"Hmm? No, nothing like that. I'm Italian. You'll be surprised at how many Japanese people there are in Italy, however. That's how I picked up my Japanese."

I did not know that. I was equally skeptical that Dino would be surrounded by that many Japanese people to actually be fluent in it. My guard dropped a little at the sight of his easy-going attitude. Italian too, I thought. Wasn't Gokudera half-Italian or something? I wonder if they know each other.

"Here is your Valentine's Day parfait," cooed one of the waitresses earlier, setting the beautiful glass of ice cream on our table. I could have sworn that the waitress glanced my way, probably trying to see if I was attractive enough to warrant attention from Dino. I subconsciously straightened my school skirt a little, feeling very inferior wearing my school uniform instead of something more adult-looking. I hoped that I could at least pass off looking like a high school student, not some thirteen-year-old brat trying to get a cheap deal out of the partfait.

When the waitress left our table, I passed a long-handle spoon towards Dino. "Here you go," I smiled. "Thank you for the treat. I'll pay your kindness back somehow." I took a scoop of the creamy chocolate ice cream. It was delicious! Now I was extra grateful towards Dino for offering to be the other half of "the couple". I'll totally bring Yoshiko and the others here! I decided. Or maybe Kyoko and Hana. They love to eat sweets too!

Or maybe Yamamoto… I shook my head. It was scary enough to ask him out for CapybaLand, and that's because he said that he wanted to make amends for losing my baseball.

Dino waved a hand at me. "I'm serious, you don't have to pay me. Being able to share this with you is the repayment!" He tried the ice cream as well. "It's good!" he remarked. "Good choice!"

"But I really should pay you back some other-"

He pointed at me with his spoon. "Some other time? Are you trying to create more chances to see me again, hmm?" he asked with a wink.

"No!" I exclaimed. "It's not like that! Please, please don't tease me like that…" I looked away, covering my embarrassed face with my hands.

"Why?"

"Because…" I squeezed my eyes shut and blurted, "I could not bear to keep up with your advances! And I don't feel good to receive all this attention when I have feelings for someone else!"

There was a brief silence from Dino, then I heard a burst of laughter. I looked up and saw him raising his hands in surrender. "Alright, Sana! I'll stop!" he said finally. "I'm sorry to tease you like so. It's just that you look so cute being flustered that I could not help but tease you a little more." He clapped his hands together. "I'll stop now, please don't be upset!"

"… Thank you." My gratitude was so obviously full of relief that he laughed again.

"But just blurting out everything like that? You are really cute!" he remarked. "No wonder Yamamoto would spend all his time with you."

Upon hearing Dino's words, a chill ran down my spine and I felt the hairs of my arms stand on their ends. The Italian man leaned back and slung an arm around the back of his chair. "So, you're the girl who likes Yamamoto Takeshi, aren't you? I heard that you have been spending a lot of time with him recently."

I looked at him with fresh suspicion, the bits and pieces of information in my head finally clicking in place. "And you approached me intentionally," I commented slowly. "All this act about picking me up for a date," I gestured at the empty tables near us. "Is a ploy to prevent people from disturbing you from your agenda."

Dino smiled, dropping his flirtatious behaviour. "You are really smart, Sana." He cocked his head and peered at me closely. "Perhaps much smarter than an average thirteen-year-old," he laughed. "Believe me, I would know."

"Who are you?" I asked apprehensively. "And what do you want?"

He raised his hands at me and grinned. "Don't be so tense, Sana! I am Dino Cavallone. As for what I want…" he tapped his chin with a finger and shrugged. "I just want to talk to you."

"Why?"

"Reborn sent me here."

My eyes widened at the mention of the toddler. Reborn again… I thought. This toddler was so much more than what he looked. The last time that I met Reborn was last year, just before Sports Meet. Why is Reborn looking for me?

"I can see you are interested in what I have to say now," said Dino, peering at my face. "You are trying to hide it."

I did not meet his gaze. Instead, I wiped droplets of water on the table with my paper napkin. "I have promised Reborn that I would not interfere with his matters, so why did he send you to me?"

"Oh? Are you familiar with our matters?"

"No," I replied firmly before he misunderstood me. "All I know is that I've promised Reborn that I would not seek the truth about him and his relationship with Sawada Tsuna. And I've been keeping my promise."

"But don't you want to know?" asked Dino. "Don't you want to know about the plans that are ongoing right now?"

Plans? What plans? I was attempted to ask but held back. Was this a test? Is Reborn sending Dino here to try and trick me into asking questions about him and Sawada-san? I narrowed my eyes at him. "Did… Did Reborn specifically say that I am allowed to know about these said plans?" I asked, choosing my words carefully.

"Well… no," he answered truthfully.

"Then what is this all about?"

He sighed and ruffled his hair a little. "Reborn has sent me to warn you." He looked at my puzzled expression and continued, "He says that you are getting too dangerous for the family."

There it was again; the word "family". What does it mean? I wanted to ask. Reborn has mentioned it once when talking about Tsuna and Yamamoto. Now, Dino was bringing it up again. I prodded the parfait with my spoon, scooping up the ice cream that was beginning to melt.

Seeing my troubled face, Dino asked, "Understandably, you won't know what I'm talking about if you don't know the whole picture." He leaned forward, crossing his arms on the table. "Do you want to know? I could tell you if you want."

I gazed at him and bit my lip in frustration. "I do not wish to break my promise to Reborn," I answered quickly before I could change my mind. "I may not look like much but I am not going to be the dishonest one here. So, if you or, I don't know, Reborn, are testing me, then please give up." I put down my long-handle spoon firmly for good measure.

For a second, Dino had a look of surprise on his face. Then, he finally burst into chuckles. "Oh Sana, did you think it was a test?" he laughed. "You are really interesting!" My expression did not match his mirth but he did not mind. His laughter quickly subsided and he smiled genuinely. "Still, I don't dislike a person who keeps her promises faithfully. You," he said, pointing at me. "Will be a good woman."

I looked away at his words. I could tell that behind his excitement, he was serious and not fooling around. Knowing that he was serious about his praise made me more flustered than before. I picked up my spoon, eager to distract myself from Dino's attention. "Wh… What are you saying?" I stammered in embarrassment, almost jabbing the parfait with my spoon. "I'm only thirteen!"

He chuckled in response. "Don't worry, Sana. I'm much too old for you. I'm done teasing you, rest easy. Anyway, you win." He picked up his spoon to scoop some ice cream as well. "For putting up with me so spontaneously, I'll give you a service." He placed his hand on the table. "Three questions. As long as your questions do not compromise your deal with Reborn, I'll answer them truthfully."

I raised an eyebrow at him. "How do I know if this is NOT another test of yours?"

He held up a finger at me. "Glad you asked." He reached into his jacket and pulled out something. "Give me your hand." As I did so, he placed a small button in my palm. "It's yours."

I looked at the button that Dino had given me. It was a black enamel button, with a picture in gold leaf and embossed into it. The picture was more of a crest. Two horses standing on their hind legs encasing a shield with a capital "C" on it. "What's this?" I asked.

He smiled. "Think of it as a souvenir, of sorts. Keep it with you as much as you can, but not in plain sight. If you ever get in trouble, this button will help you."

"Umm… Thanks," I said and kept the button in my purse. I frowned at him. "What kind of trouble can I possibly get myself into?"

"When the time comes, you will know," were his cryptic words. "Well now, are you going to ask me real questions or not?"

I really wanted to ask Dino how he knew Yamamoto but I had a feeling that it would be linked to Reborn and Sawada's secret. I was silent for a moment, choosing my questions carefully. "Is Yamamoto-kun even aware that he is involved in your plans?"

"Not mine," corrected Dino. "All these are Reborn's plans. As for Yamamoto, you know him. He is still quite clueless, it seems."

I sighed. Why was I not surprised? However, I drew comfort in his answer. If it turned out that Yamamoto was a knowing and eager participant to this 'family' thing, I figured that Reborn would pressure me to leave his side sooner.

Dino put up two fingers. "Two questions left," he announced.

"Okay," I nodded. "Next… is Reborn really a baby?"

Dino laughed. "That is harder to explain because the answer contains portions that you aren't supposed to know. So… I'm afraid that I'll take the safe route and not answer you."

I had expected that. "He said that he is a hitman," I commented lightly.

Dino shrugged. "That's not a question," he answered with a laugh. "Can't say anything about that. Sorry."

Despite his light-hearted response, I gulped at the fact that he did not react or laugh at the silliest idea of Reborn being a hitman. The implications of his response weighed heavily in my heart. Forcing myself to push ahead, I asked. "Are Reborn's ongoing plans… dangerous?"

Dino paused for a moment and I could see that he was struggling to answer my question in the best way possible. "That would depend, Sana," he answered quietly. "For now, there is nothing dangerous for you to worry about. However, no one can predict what Reborn is really planning, that's for sure."

"Then why does Reborn want me out of Yamamoto's life?" I asked.

"Tut tut tut." Dino wagged his finger at me. "You've already asked me three questions."

I pouted in slight protest. "But the second one was not answered."

"Still, it is a question, and I said that you could only ask three questions," rejoined Dino smoothly. "Sorry."

"It's okay," I answered. "Regardless, I'm grateful that you wanted to help me." I swirled the remnants of the ice cream in the glass while he spoke.

Asking the fourth question, in place of my second question that was made void, was worth a shot, I thought with satisfaction. Just then, I thought of something important.

"Mr Dino," I asked. "Will… Will you be in trouble for answering me my questions?" It sounded ridiculous that a man like Dino would seek Reborn's permission to reveal information. However, I recalled the strange incidents surrounding Sawada and the real gun that Reborn was carrying. It would be wise not to treat Reborn as a mere baby.

He smiled. "I'll be fine. It's really sweet of you to think for my safety." He reached across the table to pat my head. "You are such a nice girl, Sana," he said. "You will make a lovely sister."

I grinned, thinking about Soma. "My elder brother would disagree."

"Now, it's my turn with the questions," said Dino.

"What?!" I exclaimed.

"Did you think that I don't have questions of my own?" he smiled mischievously.

I returned him an equally cheeky grin. "Then I'll have equal rights to refuse your questions!"

"Don't worry," he said. His tone was no longer jovial and his smile was gone. "I have only one question and you don't have to give me your answer." I sobered and took a deep breath, bracing myself. "Sana. I can't tell you much but I can tell you now that Yamamoto and you live in different worlds." Dino looked at me seriously; all traces of mischief and cheerfulness that he showed earlier were gone. "If you continue to seek a relationship with Yamamoto, it may never come to fruition. Knowing that, are you going to continue your futile pursuit?"

I stared at him in shock. "What?" I choked.

Dino pushed back his chair and stood. "Romario has already paid for the parfait so feel free to stay here as long as you wish. Goodbye, Sana." The smile on his face was full of sadness, perhaps even pity towards me. "I wish our meeting could have been more pleasant."

"Wait!" I cried out but he did. "Dino!" I called out again. Before I could get out of my seat, he walked out of the shop and down the street, with Romario following right behind him.

I slumped back onto my seat, reeling in his words. I closed my fingers and felt the coldness of the strange button he gave me. As Dino's words slowly lost its effect, only two remained in the depths of my thoughts.

Futile pursuit?

Even when I was at home, the words of Dino did not leave my mind. I barely remembered the dinner I had with my family and was not paying attention to what was on television.

What does Dino mean by different worlds? I thought. How are we living in different worlds? I understand that Dino and I live in different worlds since he is a foreigner but… I frowned. Then what about Kyoko? Didn't she go out to play with Sawada, Yamamoto and everyone else? Why could she be included… but not me?

"Sana?"

How do I get a better understanding of everything if no one wants to tell me what's going on? I picked at my nails absent-mindedly. What IS this family thing that they keep talking about? Are they involved in something so secretive that extra effort was taken to exclude unnecessary people out of this?

"Oi, Sana."

Am I unnecessary? Is everything I'm doing really futile?

Hey, Yamamoto-kun. Could you tell me?

"SANA!"

As I looked up, I was hit directly by Soma's plushie baseball bat. "Owwww," I groaned. "It's been a long time since I was hit by your plushie bat, onii-san." I groaned again, rubbing the sore bump on my head. "Couldn't you be gentler?"

Soma rolled his eyes at me. "I was talking to you but you were mumbling to yourself like a creep."

"If I'm a creep, then you are related to a creep and that kinda makes you a creep too," I shot back at him. He stuck his tongue out at me like a five-year-old and I sighed. "What is it?"

"Bah," he waved a hand. "It's not important anymore, because the advertisement is gone."

"What advertisement?"

"That CapybaLand advertisement." Soma stretched out on the sofa, not caring if his long legs were pushing against mine. I pushed them off the sofa. "Dad was asking the other day if we are interested to go there some time."

I almost choked at the mention of CapybaLand. "Umm… I am going there some time soon but I can always go again with you guys."

"Oh?" He reached for the bowl of fruits that our mother had left on the coffee table. "Who are you going with?" When I did not answer him immediately, he sat up straight. "NO WAY."

"It's not-"

"You are going to CapybaLand with Takeshi, aren't you?"

I rolled my eyes. "It's not what you think, onii-san. We are just going to check out the place, you know, buy a toy or two for Musuke." I looked away before my facial expression betrayed my excitement and reached for a piece of orange in the bowl as well. "You can come along if you wish."

Soma snorted. "I may be proud of being the world's most annoying brother but I have no interest in hindering my sister's love life. Go have fun."

"Thanks," I grinned. I've got enough people wanting to stop me in my love life right now, honestly. I looked up at the television, feigning interest. "What are you watching?" I asked.

Soma shrugged. "Some lame historical drama about the Japanese mafia."

We stared at the television showing scenes of men in traditional kimono and wielding katanas in their hands. "They like to call each other 'brother', huh?" I remarked, watching a younger man call an elderly man so.

Despite his baseball fanatism and his huge hobby of reading manga, Soma was one of the smartest and most well-read people I know. I had often wondered where he found the time to do everything. He had once said that he learnt half of everything from manga but I was not sold on that idea.

Not surprisingly, he replied, "That was what it was like being in the mafia."

"Fascinating," I said with a deadpan and a yawn.

"The mafia members believed that everyone in the organisation is a big family," continued Soma. "So, trust is a huge thing with them and betrayal is typically punishable by death."

I sat up straight now, staring at Soma in shock. "Did… did you say 'family'?" I asked, my heart pounding in anticipation. "Like, do they actually use this term?"

"Huh? Yeah," Soma scratched his hair. "You really should be reading more, Sana. Even if it's not manga. It's almost embarrassing to call you my sister if you cannot even…"

I was no longer listening to Soma. I jumped out of the sofa, ignoring sounds of annoyance from him. I dashed upstairs and slammed the door behind me.

I lay on the bed, taking deep breaths. My heart would not stop pounding at the discovery.

Family…

Was everything that Reborn was talking about all this time… about the mafia?

So… the chapters become longer and longer. And for once, I'm more excited to upload this chapter than blab on and on about random stuff. Still, I hope that this chapter has been enjoyable to all of you, even though I wonder about things like whether Dino is a little out of character or anything like that.

Also, another reader pointed out my loophole in my plot. Arghh, when would I ever learn?

Review replies!

Kanzaki Mizuki: We have spoke briefly after your review but thank you for spotting my errors! This chapter is almost done when your review came in but do keep a look out for an easter egg just for you in the future chapters!

Guest: He really is dense! I wish I can strangle him at times. Then again, without his denseness, this fic would not have been possible too so I should be grateful!