Naples, Italy. January 16th, 1999.
Ten years. To the day. Sitting on the beach for several hours already, she was gazing at the sea with serenity. The Sun was going to set soon, she didn't want to miss that. And above all, she didn't want him to miss it. So, after thinking about it all afternoon, she finally decided to take action. It was time. She was sure of it, this time she was ready to see him again.
"Noriaki? You hear me?"
The only answer she received was the sound of the waves crashing on the beach. But she remained calm and serene, closing her eyes to let the soft rays of the sun caress her face.
"Noriaki, if you are here, you can come. I am fully ready."
She felt a cool breeze in her hair, and she immediately opened her eyes. Next to her, Kakyoin was sitting with his knees against his chest, admiring the sea, a peaceful smile on his lips. She immediately mirrored his smile. In her body, her heart did not tighten, her throat did not tighten. No doubt she was cured. And the young man's presence at her side only appeased her a little more.
"How long have you been here?" she asked in a soft voice.
"I'm here all the time", he admitted, turning his head to give her a big smile.
"How are you feeling?
- Happy.
- Really?
- You're not in pain anymore. So I'm happy."
She who had become used to being so cold felt melted inside. She rested her head on his shoulder and they stayed there, watching the sunset in silence. They didn't need to speak to understand that their bonds were still as strong as on the first day. After a moment, she turned her head to face him.
"I think it's good. I'm really happy to have you here. I don't feel bad at all, quite the contrary.
- There were too many times when I wanted to show myself to help you.
- Ha, you must have seen some annoying things.
- Heaps!" he exclaimed, laughing.
She laughed with him. The sun was slowly disappearing over the horizon.
"Do you realize, it's already been ten years," he sighed.
"Time flies really quickly..."
Silence fell. Silence that Kakyoin broke by announcing tit for tat:
"I like him, the Risotto guy.
- Thank you for giving me your validation, caro.
- He takes very good care of you, it's reassuring. No, really, I like him. But tell me, do you plan to see this Bucciarati again one day?
- The fact that you know so much about my private life impresses me, Noriaki.
- I wanted to be sure that no one hurt you, it was stronger than me. But answer my question.
- Surely yes. But it's purely professional, I only want access to his land.
- Ha... It's crazy, you even manage to lie to yourself."
She met his eyes, frowning, noticing the small smirk he had on the corners of his lips.
"... what do you mean?
- I think you'll figure it out soon enough.
- ... I don't have time for romance anymore, Noriaki.
- And that's what you repeat to yourself, because you're just afraid of falling down again. But look, despite what you say, you're in love with Risotto.
- ... no. Impossible, he's just my best friend.
- It's funny, you often sleep with your best friends: Risotto, Bucciarati... Hey, even Jotar-
- Stop it. He's married, he has a kid. It is clearly in the past. I haven't even heard from his grandfather anymore. No really. I was naive, it was a love affair of youth. Nothing more.
- A "love affair", he repeated. So you admit it, you were in love.
- ... I... it's not-
- Don't be so hard on yourself, (Y/N). You have the right to feel things.
- ... it's too many problems, I have other things to manage.
- I know. Lie to others if you want, but not to yourself. That's all I ask of you."
(Y/N) let her eyes wander, her mouth slightly open as she tried to absorb the boy's words. Was there really no harm in feeling things for these boys? She didn't know. She closed her mouth and gulped, before nodding, suddenly determined, encouraged by these words.
"I'll try.
- I trust you, you'll get there.
- Thank you, Noriaki."
He smiled and leaned down to kiss her temple.
"Go home quickly. You'll catch a cold. And also... I think they're waiting for you inside.
- ... really?"
She stood up and brushed the sand off her clothes. When she turned to thank Kakyoin, he had already disappeared. He had gone too long without materializing, he must have been exhausted. So she smiled into the void and thanked him, hoping he heard her, before returning to the villa. No sooner had she stepped inside than Melone forced her out.
"No wait!! We are not ready!!
- ... eh? Not ready for what?
- We're not done!!"
She frowned, Melone gave her a fake innocent smile. She tried to force her way through, but he spread his arms wide to prevent her from entering. So she put her arms around his waist to hug him and he burst out laughing.
"This is cheating! Heeeeeelp~ Mamma wants my bodyyyyyyyyyy~
- SHUT UP MELONE!!" Ghiaccio yelled from the kitchen.
"Let her in", Risotto ordered, coming out of nowhere. "We're good, it's ready.
- You can let me go Mamma, you can pass! Although, if you want, we can always go back to this later if you see what I m-"
(Y/N) pinched his ribs and he let out a little cry which he quickly transformed into a forced moan of pleasure, to which she replied by rolling her eyes. Risotto waved her over, before blindfolding her without saying anything more. She raised her eyebrows and refrained from making a dirty joke worthy of Melone. And strangely, the house smelled divine.
"... what did you do?" she asked suspiciously.
"Well... We haven't seen you all afternoon. So I remembered what day it was, and what that meant to you. I told the others who were worried about it, and they all agreed to surprise you.
- ... you are absolutely adorable."
Her voice broke mid-sentence, she was so moved. Yes, she had recovered from her grief. But her boys' attention did not leave her indifferent, quite the contrary. Risotto made her sit down on the sofa. And when he finally took the blindfold off her eyes, all her companions were standing in front of her, big smiles on their faces. It was Formaggio who spoke first.
"Hello Mamma! In honor of this special day, we have all prepared a dessert for you! At least, we tried... Your mission tonight, if you accept it, is to grade them all! But be careful, it is in your interest to remain impartial!"
She held back laughing as their idea was adorable.
"I'll try. But I want your whole preparation process in this case.
- Ow... Ok, but for some it's a disaster.
- Bring the first dessert", she ordered, taking her role very seriously. "And plates, so we can all taste."
They obeyed immediately. Formaggio was the first to bring back his dessert, a big smile on his face.
"So, I made a panettone! This is my grandfather's recipe, I made it from what I could remember! It's not really decorated, but it's super good!
- The kitchen survived?" (Y/N) joked.
"Well, with me, yes.
- What do you mean "with you"??"
She was seriously beginning to worry about her kitchen, but before she could even get up to go look, Formaggio handed her her piece of cake. She clenched her jaw and thanked him with a slight smile. And at the first bite, her taste buds immediately asked for more. It was simply exquisite.
"Dio mio!" she exclaimed. "It's delicious, Foggio!
- Haha, glad you like it. You guys, what do you think?
- I could eat it all day!" Gelato exclaimed.
"It's really delicious", Prosciutto admitted.
"Mamma, how much do you give him out of ten?" Sorbet asked.
"Well... 10/10?
- But it's the best mark!" Illuso was offended.
"Exactly, and you had better do just as well. And since you opened your mouth Illuso, you're next."
Illuso suddenly turned pale. He went into the kitchen, only to return with a single cup of tiramisu. He handed it to (Y/N) who couldn't help smiling.
"... Where are the others?
- ... It's the only one I managed to do.
- There is cream all over the walls", Formaggio pointed out. "And failed jars all over the fridge.
- Shut up!!" Illuso exclaimed, clearly on edge from all his failed attempts.
"In addition he managed to burn himself, Ghiaccio mocked.
"... but tiramisu doesn't need to be heated up?" (Y/N) remarked.
"That's the problem", Melone chuckled.
Illuso glared at them all, almost on the verge of crying with rage in his frustration. (Y/N) took a spoonful of his tiramisu, and immediately noticed that it really wasn't that great.
"Can we taste it too?" Sorbet asked.
She handed him the cup and Illuso rolled his eyes. One by one, they all tasted his dessert, pouting, until there was nothing left.
"Next dessert!" (Y/N) ended up exclaiming.
"... you didn't give me a grade, Mamma.
- Ehm... You want an honest grade?
- ... it's not fair, I really put all my effort into it.
- And I thank you!
- So what's his grade?" Melone asked mockingly.
"... 3/10?"
Touched in his ego, Illuso groaned, before disappearing into a mirror to sulk elsewhere. (Y/N) grimaced.
"Remind me to go cheer him up later. Who's next?
- My turn!" Melone exclaimed.
He came back with a cheesecake, a big smile on his face.
"So, uh... I tried to use my Stand to help me but... It was a failure. So maybe there's jam all over the kitchen and I'm going to have to clean it all up.
- ... you better."
They all tasted his dessert, but Melone was mostly waiting for (Y/N)'s opinion. After a moment of silence, she looked up at him and smiled at him.
"There may be a little too much jam, but it's very good. 8/10.
- I wanted it to be as sweet as you Mamma", he purred, winking at her.
All her comrades heaved exasperated sighs and she held back a laugh. Risotto was the next to bring him his dessert. A tiramisu. Very successful this time. And everyone had their share.
"Well... I just followed the recipe.
- You should have seen him!" Formaggio exclaimed. "He was mixing his ingredients, staring into nothing, as if he were killing someone!
- Except that he had his little pink apron", Pesci added, a big smile on his lips. "And it was kinda cute."
Risotto growled something inaudible, and (Y/N) stifled laughter again. However, unlike Illuso's, his tiramisu was delicious. And he was just waiting for her reaction.
"It's really very, very good. Again, maybe a little too much sugar.
- I warn you Risotto", Melone threatened, "it was my excuse for wanting to make a dessert as sweet as her, find something else.
- ... I just followed the recipe", he repeated.
They all started laughing.
"It was delicious. 9.5/10.
- It's favoritism!" Melone was offended.
"Maybe it is", (Y/N) laughed.
Risotto gave the shadow of a smile. Then Pesci went for some absolutely lovely cannoli. And at the first bite, (Y/N) was sent directly to Heaven. The others as well. Speechless, she finally whispered.
"Wow, Pesci...
- That's... That's not good?" he started to panic.
"It's divine! I can't even rate that, it's way above 10/10!"
The boy blushed deeply.
"My mom taught me everything.
- You will tell your mom that her son is a real chef."
He blushed a little more, and Ghiaccio went into the kitchen. While he was still there, (Y/N) whispered.
"Wait, you trusted him in the kitchen?" she joked.
"I CAN HEAR YOU HUH!!"
They all burst out laughing and he returned with a slightly burnt looking strawberry cake. He groaned,
"...I couldn't use the oven. So that pissed me off.
- It is still very pretty, I think."
Ghiaccio seemed to calm down a bit. Especially when all his companions seemed to enjoy his cake. (Y/N) nodded, a slight smile on her face.
"You deserve a solid 8.5/10. It might be a little too low in sugar.
- I would have had more sugar if Melone hadn't taken it all!!
- Well, I don't know what you're talking about."
Sorbet and Gelato were the next to present their dessert. Obviously, they had worked together to make a mountain of pastries. (Y/N) no longer knew where to look.
"You did this together?
- Except that Sorbet is unable to use a blender", Gelato laughed.
"Shhh, you nearly burned down the kitchen at least twice", Sorbet continued.
"... I don't even want to see my kitchen's state", (Y/N) sighed. "But you deserve a really good 9/10. Only if my oven still works.
- That's less certain", Gelato joked.
Prosciutto was the last to go. He made himself very quiet, as if hoping to be forgotten. Which didn't happen. So after heaving a deep sigh, he came back with a red velvet cake that looked... not grand.
"... so, before you laugh at my cake, know that it would have been ten times worse if Pesci had not helped me. There were too many ingredients, it pissed me off. So I lost hope and didn't decorate it. Sorry Mamma, I wanted to do something grand.
- It's the intention that counts, Prosci", she reassured him.
And in the end, his cake was not so terrible. It didn't look very good, but it really wasn't bad. Obviously, thanks to Pesci's help.
"I will give a good 7/10", (Y/N) announced.
"Thank you", Prosciutto sighed, almost reassured by this grade. "And thank you Pesci.
- No, all competition apart, it's up to me to thank you", (Y/N) said, a big radiant smile on her lips. As you know, I celebrated the ten year anniversary of a loved one's death today. And what you've done for me is worth everything in the world. So thank you. Thank you for everything."
Pesci burst into tears with emotion and they all laughed at his hypersensitivity. (Y/N) stood up and spread her arms. Immediately, Pesci took refuge there, and everyone quickly followed for a collective hug. Even Illuso, who had swallowed his resentment and stopped sulking. They might be the cruelest killers in Naples, but they were the most caring boys that (Y/N) knew. And she could never thank them enough for these ten years of growing up together.