67. Switch

Present

(PRESENT) Rei

"Look, Yuuchirou. Are you really  not going to come back soon?" Amano sounded irritated, "Job this, job that-- is family that little of importance to you?"

I stayed behind the door, listening. I was supposed to go in, but the heated up phone conversation on the other end made me stop. I couldn't interrupt now-- not when curiosity got the best of me and the urge to eavesdrop grew.

Amano had never sounded so truly angered before.

"Look, Yuuichirou, your son is fucking dying!" 

I shot back, surprised at the loud tone. 

I bumped into someone behind me- turning around, I notice it was Kuma-sensei. His eyes were narrowed, glaring at the door to Amano's office. 

Swinging the door open, he raised his voice angrily. "Amano, you're being too loud!" he scolded, "Be aware that this is a hospital!"

"Kunomasu-kun!" Nurse Fuse shot back, calling from the ER Counters, "You're being too loud! be aware that this is a hospital!"

Dismissing the reprimand, Kuma led me into the room. Sitting down on the guest chair, I watched Kuma snatch the phone out of Amano's hand.

"Hey, Yuuichirou the bastard, how are you?" 

A chuckle burst out of my mouth at the rude greeting. 

"Yuu, you came back because you wanted to spend more time with your son. What's the point if you keep heading back to your job anyways?" Kuma sounded much more patient and tolerant than Amano, "Look, I'm gonna put Rei on the line. You better not say anything insensitive."

I barely registered the baton pass before Kuma tossed the phone into my hands. 

"Eh-" quickly holding it up to my ears instinctively, "Uh... hi, Dad."

It took a long moment for the person on the other line to respond. And when it did, it was a very soft, hesitant tone I'd never heard him use. It was as if he was on the verge of crying-- but instead of a whiny, childish tone-- it was a heartbreaking, pained tone.

"It's been a while, Rei. How are you?"

I hesitated. It was a first to hear him sound like that, and it seemed more than my head was in shock. My throat couldn't will the strength to make any sound at all. 

"I guess you're angry at me, aren't you?" 

No I'm-

"I mean, I promised to stay beside you an now I can't even go over when you'r ein such a bad state... I'm really sorry, Rei. I'm the worst father in the world."

Please, Dad, don't-

"Could you stay strong? Please, Rei, I beg of you-- don't give up yet. Don't give up."

What the hell is he saying? Why is this hell of a father saying this now? He can't even be here, and all he's doing is giving me empty words.

I don't want this. I didn't want this. I didn't want him of all people to be like this to me.

He's always been supportive and trusting. He's never here and he's always depended on me. Been dependent on me. Believed in me. Even without words, I thought he'd understand.

I thought he'd be like usual, treating me as if I was just a normal kid.

If even he treats me like a weak, sickly, helpless child--

"You-" my mouth was moving before i knew it. There was a sharp, acid-like burn at my throat, and my eyes stung badly as tears fell one after another-

"Rei?"

"You absolute MORON!!" I yelled.

Shoving the phone into Amano's hands, I marched towards the door. Roughly twisting the door open, I ran the rest of the way down the hall.

I didn't have a destination in mind-- but for now-- somewhere people won't see me crying was good enough of a goal.

"Hey, Rei!" I heard Kuma calling from behind me.

-

Future

(TYL) Rei

"We, the Vongola are always as one." Rei repeated the quote softly, in a meaningful and slow tone-- then opened his eyes and turned to Xanxus.

"You were awake, scum?" Xanxus sounded offended, "Should've killed you along with them."

Rei giggled, turning to the white striped liger at the side, "No way, you won't do that to me," he chuckled, "Bester loves me, y'know."

Wrapping his arms around the liger and snuggling into his soft, soft mane-- the liger only huffed in response, giving no hostile reaction to the child.

Xanxus tutted irritably, not able to do anything if his box animal wasn't against the intimacy.

"But, too bad about those flowers in my room," Rei sulked, "Those white lilies are all ash now..."

Just then, the grey mouse that was supposed to be under his sleeve crawled out from under a piece of rubble. On it snout was the long green stem of a miraculously untouched white lily.

"Mimi, when did you get out?" Rei was surprised, "Welcome back."

Giving her master the flower, Mimi crawled into the Liger's mane too.

"Thanks, Mimi!" he chuckled, "White Lilies were her favourite!"

Xanxus gave a resigned sigh at his laid back subordinate. He didn't care much for the woman he mentioned-- but he was really starting to resemble Lussuria more and more so every day. Maybe putting him under Lussuria was a bad idea.

"Well, that aside--"

Rei lifted his head from the mane, standing up and facing Xanxus. Xanxus' eye drifted over curiously as Rei placed a hand at his chest, lowered his head and got on one knee.

"My deepest gratitude for sparing my life, Boss." he said.

Xanxus huffed in annoyance-- turning away and closing his eyes to feign sleep. Rei's incredibly awkward moments were not to his liking at all.

Rei chuckled slightly. Standing up straight, he looked toward Squalo and gang who had just climbed their way up to Xanxus.

"Adieu, mon amie." and he gave a mock salute, along with an overly cheeky cheshire cat grin. 

Goodbye, my friend.

"Huh?" Squalo managed.

Before most of them registered the words, Ninomiya Rei exploded in a mist of bright pink smoke.

-

Present

(PRESENT) Rei

I found myself in the hospital gardens, where few people were around. Children ran around playing, older patients took walks or came out for a little fresh air.

I found myself a bench under a shady tree. Sitting down, I breathed out a sigh and made myself calm down.

Flower pots lined the sides of the bench. it was a beautiful and colorful assortment, but what caught my attention was a pot of white lilies at the corner.

"White lilies," I inched closer, touching a petal curiously. 

White lilies were Drew's favourite flowers. An elegant,pure white blossom-- and Drew remembered the language of flowers clearly--Humility and Devotion.

A smile cracked onto my face.

"They're beautiful flowers," I chuckled, "No wonder Drew liked them."

Flowers always cheered her up.

The joy didn't last very long, as a sudden bout of coughing hit me. Choking on air for a few seconds, the sun high up in the sky reminded me it was about time for my medicine.

I pulled out the canister from my pocket and desperately swallowed three pills dry. 

My throat burned. The coughs ceased but I felt like throwing up because it didn't go down well. 

The hospital entrance was only a short distance away, so I stood up and made my way over to the front door, hoping to get some water from the vending machine right by the lobby.

Like some force of terrible good luck, it happened right after I'd picked up my can of cold coffee.

What happened? 

Well uh-- I was engulfed in a mist of comically pink smoke.