It was a quiet Friday morning in the Verdura house. Most of the Occupants were still asleep save for two, a boy and a girl, who had woken up early to prepare breakfast. They quietly walked to and fro in the kitchen, gathering eggs and bacon from the refrigerator, pots and pans from underneath the stove and plates and cups from the cupboards. The way they were silent in their task and in sync with each others' movements showed that this was done in habit.
"Kyn, what would you like?" asked a tall male.
The girl who was beginning to crack eggs on a large bowl smiled. "I'd like a strawberry shake, a hamburger with fries and an apple pie."
If he wasn't so tired, Nick would've laughed at her reply. Shaking his head, the boy gave her a look. "You know what I mean, Kyn."
She giggled to herself before replying, "I'd like to practice on the pancakes today."
Nodding, the older teen set about preparing pancake mix. A large bowl similar to Kyn's and a box of pancake mix quickly appeared on the table before him.
"Alright let's get to work." he announced.
Minutes later, Nick handed the ready pancake mix to the younger teen and was starting on the next meal: Eggs and bacon. He smiled when he spotted a large pan already in place on the stove and sizzling with a bit of oil. There was no doubt that his cooking assistant had planned ahead today.
Kyn smiled when she heard a chuckle escape her boss's lips. She felt proud to be on top of things. Out of everyone in their family, she was the only one willing enough to help around the kitchen without the need to ask. It wasn't just out of duty as Nick's right hand woman, but also the urge to help her family. Plus, Kyn felt happy and content whenever she saw her boss's appreciative smile.
The two continued to work at a pace. Nick worked his magic and was soon filling plates with eggs and bacon. The sausages soon followed after. Kyn for her part had begun flipping pancakes into the air, watching them with critical and calculating eyes. Her skills in cooking had steadily improved in the past few months she had started to work in the kitchen.
Soon the two could hear the first sign of the famiglia waking up. Footsteps that padded down the stairs caught their ears as Nick took over Kyn's job. The young girl quickly gathered clean plates and began laying them on the dining table. Moments later, the first famiglia member to wake up walked into the dining room.
"Morning." the person greeted.
"Hey." greeted Kyn cheerfully as she finished placing the eating utensils.
Nick walked in carrying a plate overflowing with toast. He placed it down at the center of the table and turned to greet the girl. "Hey Ange."
The red head nodded in acknowledgement before taking a seat. The Verdura returned to the kitchen as Ange rubbed her right arm for warmth. Then with a smile she took a piece of toast and began her breakfast. Joining her soon was a brown haired boy wearing white long shorts and a loose teal shirt. An odd yellow tail twitched behind him as he approached the table.
"Mornin' Ange." he yawned.
The red-haired girl let out a 'Morning' through a mouthful of toast. This in turn made the boy laugh as he moved to take a seat.
"Hey Felix, that one's mine." spoke a voice behind the boy with a tail.
With a slight yelp of surprise, Felix moved aside to get a better view of the person that surprised him.
"Geez Lucian, don't sneak up on me like that." whined Felix upon recognizing the older teen.
The emotionless teen just shrugged nonchalantly before taking his respective seat. This somewhat made the monkey boy frown before giving his own shrug and taking his place at the table. Taking out his iPod from his pocket, he proceeded to grab a few pieces of toast while listening to music.
After the arrival of Nick and Kyn with additional food, two more of the Verdura Guardians entered the dining room. One was shorter than the other and was quietly making her way to her own seat. She was dressed in a simple blue jeans and white hooded jacket over a flaming red shirt. The older of the two who entered was fashioned in a black frilled skirt with matching dark blue jacket. Her brown hair was temporarily combed and tied in a stylish bun.
"Morning guys." she greeted with a smile.
"Morning Praizel." Nick grinned as he placed a bowl of sausages in front of her sister.
The youngest member of the Verdura, Shantel, mumbled out a quiet 'Morning everyone' before reaching for the plate of eggs. A round of greetings followed after as the people present got settled in. Soon the room was filled with joyful laughter and energetic conversations. Kyn and Nick were engaged in a conversation about grocery shopping while Praizel listened in quietly. Beside her, Shantel was enjoying her meal in peace along with Ange's silent mood. The red head seemed content with observing her family quietly as she ate.
Across the table, Felix was chattering happily with Lucian who just nodded in mild amusement. His eyes twinkled slightly when the younger male announced something about playing baseball later. When everyone seemed to quite down slightly, Praizel voiced out a question.
"Hey, where's Joyce?" Praizel ask as she took a bite out of her bacon.
Nick and Kyn looked at each other before shrugging. The two males at the opposite side gave their own shrug of bewilderment. It was Ange who decided to answer
"I saw her playing her DSi earlier, so I'm sure she'll be down soon."
Not a moment after that did the girl in question appear before them. Dressed in her PJ's still, she took a deep breath and shouted, "MORNING!! AHAHAHA!"
The gleefulness of her yell made everyone flinch. As always, Joyce's energetic greetings brought pain to their ears. When she stopped laughing, the girl jumped to her seat and began to pile her plate with breakfast. Her family gave her an equally loud greeting before resuming their activity.
"HEY! HEY! WHO'S GONNA WAKE UP MY USELESS MOTHER?" the hyper girl asked loudly, catching everyone's attention once more.
Now began a debate.
"It's Felix turn to do it." Praizel piped up.
"EH?!" the said boy cried out. "I thought it was Ange's!!"
"What the hell are you talking about? I did last, last, last time…"
"Yes, that was like ages ago." Felix replied.
"Well, how about Lucian?" Kyn suggested after a sip of her chocolate milk.
Heads turned to the silent teen reading the newspaper.
The boy shook his head. "I did it about 2 days ago."
"Shantel?" asked Kyn.
"Sorry I did mine yesterday." she said, resuming her eating.
"Don't look at me." Praizel waved her hands in front of her in a 'no-no' gesture. "I've already given up on waking her."
"AHAHAHA everyone's too scared to go!!" Joyce grinned happily.
"Hell yeah!" Felix admitted. "Last time I tried waking her I nearly got my tail chopped off!"
"And the last time I did it I ended up outside in the garden." Ange grumbled.
Her memory of the previous experience with the Hail Guardian of the family was still fresh in her mind. It wasn't a good one. She ended up being not only tossed out the window, but also landing directly on top of an ant hill. Ange shuddered at that time. It took a full week to rebuild the garden from her 'explosive' anger and another week to recover from the ants' attack on her.
Kyn could see the paleness of her fellow Guardian's skin and prepared to do it herself. A hand stopped her before she could get up and her eyes turned to glance at Nick. The boss was the only one who hadn't said anything so it was suddenly clear to her that he was going to do it.
"Alright…" he called foreveryone's attention. "Since you all have a bit of issue with this task from now on I'll be the one waking her up."
Praizel, Felix and Ange gave sheepish grins and apologetic smiles. Nick returned them with a look of understanding. He should've had taken it upon himself to do the waking sooner. Turning to Kyn he gave her a few orders before walking out of the room.
The right hand woman worriedly watched him leave. Despite having knowledge of her boss's somewhat closeness to the Hail Guardian, she still felt a bit reluctant to allow him to go. Giving a sigh she returned to her meal with a prayer running through her head. She hoped her boss wouldn't be hurt too badly. Everyone who's entered Rinan's room, whether it was a close friend like Lucian or a daughter figure like Joyce, all ended up being harmed in a way.
"He'll be fine Kyn." Praizel assured her upon noticing the worried look.
"No he won't, ahahaha!" laughed Joyce. "Useless mother will slice him as soon as he enters."
A collective sweat drop fell upon the family members at her statement. That wasn't helping Kyn's worries.
Shantel shifted in her seat before speaking. "Rinan won't do something that bad."
"Yeah!" Felix Joined in. "He's the boss after all."
"Besides it's Nick's turn to do it." stated Ange while finishing up her eggs.
Lucian gave a small smile at Kyn before nodding for her to resume eating. With a bit of relief easing her mind the right hand woman continued with her breakfast. They were right, Nick's the boss of the family and Rinan wouldn't do something to the boss.
She hoped…
Dark brown eyes eyed the word 'R', 'I', 'N' plastered against a white door. Raising a hand, Nick knocked a few times and spoke.
"Rinan, breakfast is ready."
Silence answered back. Giving another knock he raised his voice higher.
"Rinan wake up! You'll miss breakfast and that's not healthy for you."
He waited patiently for a minute and when no sound came he went in.
Peeking into the darkened room, he stepped inside and closed the door. Nick walked cautiously forward with eyes alert. He'd gone to her room before, but he was still not used to all the traps she sometimes laid. If he wasn't too careful he might lose his feet or his head.
The Verdura boss wondered at times why he even bothered to wake this girl up. There was always the choice of just letting her sleep in. Why didn't he just take that?
Letting his eyes get used to the darkness, Nick proceeded forward and stopped at the side of the bed. He raised his hands and hesitantly shook the sleeping girl awake.
"Rin wake up." He said softly using a familiar nickname.
The girl stirred slightly. When she did not respond, the Verdura shook her again.
"Come on, wake up! Sleeping in isn't healthy."
This time the sleeping figure groaned and opened one eye to stare up at him. Her glare would've made him flinch away if it weren't for the dark room. Rinan continued to stare up at the teen hovering above her.
"Can you knock before you enter?" she asked bluntly.
Nick in turn sweat dropped.
"I did, but you wouldn't wake up."
The girl gave a tired sigh before grumbling to herself. "Give me five more minutes…"
She pulled her grey blanket over herself and turned the other way. Seeing her back to him, Nick sighed. He'd forgotten how hard it was to get this girl up every morning. And to think he said to everyone downstairs that he'd be the one waking this girl up from now on…
Not wanting to go against her wish for fear of a rebuke, he took a seat at the space beside her form. Rinan felt the urge to kick her boss off, but held it down. She might end up doing more than minor injury if she did. The force of her lazy kick as still powerful enough to break a bone if she wasn't too careful.
It wasn't even a full minute when Rinan decided to rise up. There was no point in sleeping now that her boss had waken her up.
"Alright, I'll be down in a bit." she said. "Just let me get dressed."
Smiling in victory, Nick quickly stood up and left. As the door closed, the Hail Guardian let herself fall back onto her bed.
The door swung open again. "Ri-"
"I'm not sleeping." she told her boss once more. "Just let me get dressed, geez."
Nick gave an apologetic grin before closing the door once more.
"He's so predictable." Rinan whispered.
"Nick, coffee." Rinan called out as soon as she entered the dining room.
The Verdura boss was by her side with a mug and coffee in hand as she took her seat. While he poured her coffee, Rinan took a moment to glance about the room.
Lucian was still at the table reading the newspapers with a nice cup of tea sitting idly in front of him. He gave a nod of greeting to her as their eyes met. Aside from that the table was empty save for a plate of blueberry muffins. She had missed breakfast with everyone today.
It didn't bother her much since she preferred being in a quiet and peaceful environment. Rinan considered being left alone as a blessing at times. She was one of the 4 guardians who found silence as a sort of sanctuary.
Taking a sip of her coffee she turned towards Nick. "So where are the others?"
The boy pulled a seat next to her. "Same places. Kyn is outside doing some katas I showed her earlier, Felix is with Joyce playing Halo 3, Praizel and Shantel are surfing the web and I think Ange's taken to watching Kyn outside."
"I see…." Rinan paused. "So what's the agenda for today?"
A grin slowly formed at the question. It wasn't a surprise to Rinan when Nick pulled out a familiar looking planner and began reading things off. She's seen this no more than a thousand times since she started living with the boy.
"We gotta shop for some food later, stop by the weapons shop in town for my FN P90 stock and then we gotta do some afternoon sparring. Gotta keep up with our training after all."
The girl nodded silently for him to continue, taking sips of coffee now and then. Her mind eventually wandered off as Nick's explanations grew long and detailed. She didn't mind listening to specific information, but the stuff he was going over were a bit boring. Half of the time the stuff he was saying went into one ear and back out the other. So the best thing she could do was to give half of her attention.
"And tonight you'll help me cook." Nick finished, putting down the planner.
"Hn."
Kyn arrived a moment later, bearing an exhausted smile. Judging by her slightly laboring breath, she was doing her martial arts rather quickly.
"Finished already?" asked Nick as he poured the girl a cold glass of water.
Kyn accepted the offered drink gratefully before downing it in one shot. "Yeah… that felt great."
"Don't over exert yourself Kyn." frowned the male teen. "You might get sick."
"Alright House Dad." the female teased as she made her way to the kitchen.
Both Rinan and Lucian chuckled at her nickname for the boss. It was fitting actually. Nick was always the one doing the cooking with an apron on and he's usually doing chores most of the time. He barely left time for any training now that his guardians were with him and so his role became that; a living house dad… taking care of 8 other people who were about around his age.
"When are we going to go shopping?" voiced Rinan, finally finishing her coffee.
She was immediately handed vitamins by Nick. The girl stared at it with brows raised. The Verdura boss stared in return, silently giving her that 'Take it, its good for you' type of look. Rinan shook her head before accepting them.
"There, happy?"
"Yep."
"You house dad, you…" the older teen grumbled. "So what time are we shopping?"
"In a bit." answered Nick.
"And the driver?"
The boss just shrugged. "You and Lucian should decide which car to drive and who will."
Rinan turned to her friend across the table. The silent male had finished his reading and was now currently finishing his tea. After a moment he spoke.
"I don't really care." he said. "You can drive my car if you want, Rin."
The girl grinned wickedly at his answer. Lucian look away, sweat dropping, wondering if it was a good idea to offer her his car. Those types of grins usually meant something ominous. He wondered if his car would be okay. Nick didn't notice the sun guardian's dilemma.
"On second thought…" Lucian began. "I'll take my car."
Rinan fumed before reluctantly nodding to take the van. When the two settled on who was driving, Nick stood up.
"Alright then, let's leave now!" he said standing up. "Kyn?"
"Yeah?" The Storm Guardian came in with a cookie in hand. "What's up?"
"Get everyone ready, we're going out shopping."
Rinan pulled up at the driveway quickly as Nick ran out of the side door in a hurry. The Guardians snickered to themselves at the way their boss was clawing at the front door trying to get in. They burst out laughing when Nick borrowed Kyn's weapon and pole vaulted into the wall rather then the window on the second floor.
"OH GOD! BWHAHAAHAHA!" Ange roared with laughter. "I-I knew he shouldn't have eaten that much! AHAHA!"
Felix held her up as he contained his own burst of humor. The shopping spree had ended with a great event. And as the two gathered behind the van to grab the grocery, Lucian parked his car beside them.
"Where's Nick?" Praizel worriedly asked as she got out.
It was Rinan who answered her as she opened the back door of the van. "He's over there being helped by Kyn. The poor moron crashed into the wall."
"How did he do that?" Shantel asked.
"Pole vaulted." cackled Ange.
All three girls turned towards the injured Verdura lying on the bushes.
"Oooh… My stomach." Nick moaned out loud.
"Hold on Nick! You're almost there." Kyn told him as she helped him up.
Rinan chuckled amusedly before grabbing a few bags of clothing. Her two companions, Felix and Ange were freely laughing out loud, never losing volume. Lucian stepped out of his own car to help with the grocery that his team was held for. He shook his head in dismay at Nick's weak moaning figure.
"I warned him not to join that eating contest." he said out loud.
"It's partly my fault too." the older Tay mumbled as she helped her sister carry a few more bags. "I shouldn't have cheered him on…"
As soon as the Verdura had settled in the living room and Nick properly treated, the phone rang. With Kyn busy looking after Nick and the others glued to the TV, Rinan reluctantly answered.
"Hello, this is the Verdura Famiglia; state your name and business quickly."
The line was quiet for a moment. Then with a jolt a very, very, VERY familiar voice rang out loud and clear, turning the females of the group an angry red.
"Rin-chan my love! I miss your voice!"
Rinan's anger flared as the others listened in. "MARIANO!!"
"Oh! You sound happy to hear me!" the Polpo voice sung.
Many of the guardians had stopped their activity. Nick was left moaning, Joyce had dropped her DSi, Felix's tail went stiff and even Ange was pulled out of her emo time. A call from the Polpo was always bad. No exceptions.
"KYAAH! IT'S HIM!!" Praizel cried out dropping her controller and jumping onto Lucian.
The surprised teen was left awkwardly trying to comfort the fashionista. What was even worst was that Shantel had jumped on to him as well, causing a very uncomfortable position. Two girls on him did not bode well…
Gritting her teeth Rinan tried to calmly speak. "What… Do you want?"
For the sake of acting responsible-- just this once-- she'll bear with him. Her boss was still out of commission and Kyn didn't look too well in taking responsibility. So she was the only option.
"A date of course!"
She could hang up now right?
"Bye, bye!" she cheerfully said.
Panic laced his voice as the Polpo pleaded for her to stop. "Alright, I'll get down to business; I need your clumsy boss on. Can I get him?"
"Oi, don't you disrespect our boss!" Kyn snapped.
Rinan sent her a quick appreciative thumbs up before answering Mariano. "He's rather sick right now. So call back later."
"WAIT!" Mariano called out. "In that case let's talk about it over dinner!"
"Nick! It's the flirt…" Rinan stated tossing the phone to the pain induced boss.
"Wah?" he grumbled.
Kyn lifted the phone to his ear before repeating what Rinan had said.
"Oh, uhh…" Nick began. "Hey Mariano? What do you need?"
Rather than a sweet and nice tone of a reply, the Polpo leader replied in monotone with a hint of resentment. "What I need is for you to listen up, clumsy. Make sure your guardians hear this too."
Nick nodded and forced himself back up while handing the phone to Rinan.
"Put it on speaker please." he ordered softly.
The hail guardian complied and hit a button on the receiver. A moment of silence instilled upon the room before Mariano spoke again.
"Your father contacted me earlier about some plans." the Polpo began. "All mafia allied to the Vongola family are to take temporary residence in Japan. There will be a large gathering for the Vongola 10th's first dinner party and all bosses are to attend."
Whispers of excitement rushed through Nick's family as the news got around. The idea of Japan plagued their minds like a sweet addictive chocolate. It was a wish come true for most of them seeing as how anime and manga ruled their hobbies.
Mariano grinned in satisfaction at their excitement before continuing. "The dinner won't start till next March so you'll have plenty of time to do whatever you'd like. Housing and transportations have been arranged and you lot are due to leave Italy by tonight so get packing. I've already sent all the necessary documents and airplane tickets."
"AND YOU LOSERS BETTER BE READY TO CRY!" shouted another male from the Polpo's side.
Felix instantly snapped out of his heavenly daydreaming and began seething with anger. "WHAT?! Well, fuck you! My famiglia will kick your arse anytime!!"
"Say what?! Felix! You monkey boy! Come say that to my face!"
"Oi, Felix, knock it off." warned Ange as she got up from her corner. "Don't start a fight."
"He just called us losers! Are you going to let him just do that?!"
"Its just words…" she reasoned.
Ignoring her, Felix stomped forwards drawing his weapon, Shantel lunged and held him off. The enraged rain guardian was about to smash the phone with one of his swords.
"I'll chop your face instead!!" Felix retorted.
"I'd like to see you try!" retorted the Polpo member.
"FELIX/FRANCELIN!" the bosses of both respective sides commanded.
The boys backed off immediately and muttered to themselves.
"Keep your men in line Mariano." Lucian spoke out with his body free to take in comfort.
"Yeah, yeah…" grumbled the Polpo leader. "Anywho, make sure you all don't miss your flight. You have about a few hours till the appointed time."
"Roger." Nick replied settling his head down on Kyn's lap. "We'll get started soon."
"Good! And now, Rin-chan!" called Mariano in a lovey-dovey voice. "About your housing…"
The line went dead.
Rinan stood up from the couch and clapped her hands together. "You heard the flirt. Get packing, we're leaving for Japan!"
There was a collective shout of "Right!" as the Verdura famiglia rushed to get ready.
This Japan trip was going to be so much fun.
3 hours later found the Verdura unloading their luggage from taxi cabs. They merrily strode through the airport's many sliding doors and walked up to get their stuff loaded. As they chattered about happily waiting in line, Nick gathered his storm, hail and sun guardians together. In a brief meeting before they got the chance to stow away their larger luggage, a decision was reached to break the group into 2.
There were complaints about wanting to get some sight seeing and shopping done in the airport before they left. So in order to solve this Nick gathered the shoppers into one group and had Kyn lead another. Lucian and Rinan along with Ange and Shantel grouped with Kyn while Nick led the remaining guardians around the airport.
"Make sure you guys get back here before 9pm." reminded Kyn as she grab hold of her boss' hand-carry bag.
She glanced about the groups and sighed. Kyn and most likely Lucian and Rinan were a bit worried about this arrangement. They wanted to voice out their disapprovals and reasons, but seeing their friends' warm smiles stopped them. The three couldn't bring themselves to mess up their famiglia's fun.
Shaking her head, Kyn he gave her boss a pat on the head. "Lead them around safely, boss. And stick close."
Rinan gave a nod and added. "Don't talk to strangers, Nick, you know what happened last time."
"Boss, take care of my big sis." Shantel said before taking her place beside Lucian.
The Verdura boss rubbed his neck sheepishly and nodded respectively. "Alright, sorry for leaving our stuff with you guys."
"It's not a problem." Kyn assured him. "Just have fun."
"Yeah, let's go!"
Patience was thin with Nick's group. No sooner had Felix said those words did Praizel and Joyce drag their boss away. Shantel watched with a small smile and waved at her poor boss. A silent 'good luck' was given and received.
"Which gate were we again?" asked Ange as she returned with drinks for the baggage holders.
"Gate B." answered Lucian taking his Latte with a thanks.
Kyn and Rinan took theirs and began following Shantel towards the gate. Ange and Lucian fell into steps besides them and the 5 soon entered a mutual comforting silence. The only things plaguing their minds were worries for their friends and boss.
God knows what'll happen to that group….
Shopping has always been fun for Praizel. Seeing new stores open at a mall was exciting and trying out the new fashion trends was a must. Her life wouldn't be complete without exploring whatever stores were available anywhere near her. And what made it more enjoyable was her boss's company.
Her right arm was linked with Nick's as they both ventured off towards gift shops. Joyce and Felix had wandered off a few minutes ago leaving them to travel on their own.
Praizel was more than content with having a shopping partner at the very least. It may not be required since she was saving up for something else in Japan, but his company was more than appreciated.
"So where we going?" Nick asked as he let himself be dragged along.
The girl tilted her head to the side in thought. What was there to do? Scanning around, all she could see so far were the previous gift shops they just passed. Nothing looked interesting to them in there.
"I don't know…" she said allowing him to keep a more comfortable pace with her. "What do you think we should do?"
A low growl from the boy's stomach answered her question. Nick had a decency to blush in embarrassment. The girl giggled slightly.
"Alright, that settles it." she pointed towards 'Dunken Donuts'. "Well grab a snack for now."
Nodding in agreement the two went and ordered them some food. Behind them a certain Rain-flame wielder was currently at work.
There was nothing in this world more thrilling to do then to pickpocket. That's right! Stealing cash from the rich and spending it on the poor, Felix was the one to do that. Snooping about the crowded path of the airports, the mischievous teen picked out the rich with ease and had robbed them quietly. The treasures he took ranged from expensive watches to wallets full of wonton cash. Priceless rings and rare handhelds never escape his snake like hands.
"That's another one." grinned the monkey boy. His hand thumbed through his catch secretly before moving on.
He casually bumped into a business man and discreetly slipped his hands at the back of his pocket. His thoughts were filled with joyous pleasure and not one of regret when luck struck again. Pay day baby! The man was filthy rich.
"This should help the family out." he smiled happily.
The boy wasn't doing this for just himself; the stuff he stole went directly to the Verdura bank. Of course he kept half of what he stole in his personal account, but the other half went to his family.
He wasn't that greedy after all.
Felix wove through person to person, stealing whatever he could. And when he felt his pockets weigh him down he took a short break to transfer his load. A minor detour in the bathroom and he was feeling fresh and light.
"Now, whose next?"
Scanning around, he spotted a flood of people coming down one area. With a grin he quickly disappeared in the mass of crowds that went his way. Oh how fun it was to pick pocket.
Joyce spotted him along the way, but didn't stop to call his attention. She had her own agenda after all and with little time to do it.
Attention was all she wanted. Her face lit up in pleasure as eyes focused on her. The world she dreamed both night and day constantly awarded her with unwavering strength. While the weak cowered from their eyes she did not. Being in the center of people's thoughts and looks was her favorite hobby. She was in her natural element.
"HIIIII!!" she let out running freely without hindrance.
Joyful eyes glimpsed faces-- many with curiosity and some with dislike-- and the beautiful darkened sky above. Her heart warmed when she slowed to a pace.
Her attention was fixed on the night sky hanging above her, soothing and calming her burning energy. Here she was, standing alone amongst passing strangers; a lost lamb among a forest of sheep. She felt unusual. Peace had made its way toward her in such an odd time.
Taking relaxing steps she sat herself on an empty seat near a donut shop. Joyce couldn't take her eyes off the black sky just yet. The twinkling stars that dotted the sky had drawn her attention away, dousing the bursting flame within her. How strange it was for her to stay so silent.
"What do those remind me of?" she wondered to herself.
Taking her DSi out, she took a picture for safe keeping. Odd as it was. Then her mind soon wondered off to think. Her question nagged at her. What did night remind her of?
When a plane suddenly caught her eyes she smiled.
That's what it reminded her of. It won't be long for her to be joining those stars in the sky. In just an hour she will be flying above the clouds, let those shining stars watch her. She was in her own world where her dream was attention and her desire to be in the center of everyone's eyes.
So until she can be up there, where millions can watch, she'll continue her dream down here where attention was plenty. A smile grew upon her face as Joyce jumped to her feet. She caught sight of 2 familiar men in blue and turned.
"Over here Mr. Policeman!" she yelled out with a wave.
With eyes on her, Joyce took off. She ran and yelled freely with her flame burning bigger once more. Attention is what she craves and down here that is what she gets.
Food was a man's best friend and for a growing boy like Nick it was the best medicine. Praizel had learned this quite well while in his company. Seeing as how the boy was digging onto his pile of donuts and drink she smiled. This was actually quite relaxing and it gave her sometime to think of where to go next.
Checking her watch she frowned though. It seemed like they had spent well over 20 min just ordering and eating here.
"You're not hungry Praiz?" Nick wondered, taking a gulp of his Dr. Pepper.
The girl shook her head and smiled. "No, I'm just checking the time."
She took a bite of her own chocolate creamed donut before gazing up at him. Nick smiled in return before blushing at her next action.
The younger girl had wiped off a crumb from his cheeks without much thought. This proved to give her something to tease about, however, when she saw the pink face.
"Hey now are you blushing, boss?" she questioned knowingly.
Her grin widened when the boy stuttered and tried to hide his embarrassment with his drink. The way his eyes wandered the other way made Praizel giggle with pride. She had totally made him flustered.
"W-well, you did that s-so suddenly so of course.. I… am.." Nick mumbled.
Praizel stifled another giggle before taking another bite of her donut. By now the boy in front of her was finishing his last piece and pretty soon the two would be off. But until then Praizel would remain quiet and just relax in his presence.
The young girl enjoyed this alone time she got with her boss just as much as she liked spending time with her friends. It gave her a chance to develop a bond with him. She and her sister were still fairly new, having been brought into the family no less than 10 months ago.
People would think that by now a strong bond of friendship had been established, but that was not so. While she may have a friendly tie with her boss and most of the guardians… they weren't that strong. The only person close to her and Shantel was Joyce; a fellow classmate at school and a long time friend.
With that knowledge in mind a delicate frown crossed her lips.
"What's wrong?" asked Nick, sipping the last of his drink.
The teen had taken an observation of his current companion. Praizel had donned on a frown after a few long minutes of silence. Something must be bothering her.
"Nothing…" she said. "It's nothing."
When Nick didn't look too believing, Praizel flashed him a smile. She didn't want him to know what she was thinking at that moment. It was just something minor after all.
"You sure?" Nick prodded.
"I'm fine, just wondering about where to go next." she told him.
At the explanation, the male teen nodded slowly. Even if there was a small nagging feeling in his gut, he'll drop his probing.
Praizel mentally sighed. Her time alone with him would soon come to an end she felt saddened by that. She still wanted to get to know her boss a bit more before joining up with the others. It was rare to get this type of time with him after all. Nick was usually too busy at home and always hung out with Kyn or Rinan the most.
There was more envy than jealousy when it came to them. She wanted get close to the others just like how Lucian was close to Rinan and Kyn to Nick. Her head hit the table without thinking.
Great… now she was feeling depressed.
A gentle hand patted her head affectionately causing Praizel to look up. Nick smiled and pointed to a store across from them.
"How about I buy you something over there?" he asked while retracting his hand.
It took a moment for Praizel to register what he doing. Her boss was trying to cheer her up. And who was she to turn down a free gift.
She smiled back at him. "I'd like that."
The two left the donut shop a minute later. Their next destination was at another shop for souvenirs. Agreeing that they had only a few minutes to explore it, the two set out hand in hand. Keeping each other company for a little longer both crossed their thoughts.
One was appreciative of the others presence, while the other was happy with earning a bond. What little time they have left, they'll enjoy to the fullest.
"Where are those idiots…?" grumbled Rinan to herself.
It was nearing 9 p.m. and their plane was due to arrive any minute. Nick and his group were not back just yet and this greatly put the Hail Guardian on edge. Her feelings were shared with the people in her group. Their nervousness was clear as day to her.
The right hand woman of Nick was trying to keep calm by twisting her 3rd latte in circles. Next to her Lucian and Shantel were playing cards to pass the time. Glancing to her right side, Rinan found Ange twitching ever so slightly in her seat. They were all clearly getting impatient.
Rinan tried to contact Nick and the others again, but still no luck. All 4 had either shut their cell-phones off or had put it on silent. That was bad….
"Alright, I think we should go look for them." Kyn decided.
The group nodded in agreement. Time was ticking away and they couldn't wait for them any longer. The best course of action was to search while they still could. This would help speed things up and hopefully allow them to get back to their flight in time.
Gathering their belongings they headed down to the main plaza of the airport in hopes of finding their comrades.
Nick was lost.
Terribly lost.
On their way to Gate B, Nick was separated from Praizel. A large crowd had forced them apart and before they could find each other the Verdura boss had gone farther down a different path.
Nick panicked slightly at being left alone. This wasn't the first time he had gotten lost and yet…
"Okay, what do I do in this situation?" he asked himself.
The first thing that came into mind was his breathing. He couldn't think straight if his heart was beating so fast and his mind all clouded with worry. Clearing his thoughts and allowing himself to calm down was what he should do.
Taking deep breathes he leaned against a wall. Allowing a moment to clear his thoughts, Nick glanced around casually. When he got his anxiety down a notch he proceeded to go over what his tutor and Hail Guardian had told him.
"The first thing I should do is ask for help."
His mind went blank.
Help? How can ask for help when he can't even find the words to describe what he needed help on!! A 'I need help finding my friend' was not the best thing to ask. He had to be specific. To think his training in overcoming this part of his fault was for nothing….
It was fruitless! He was still Nick, the same person who's gotten lost occasionally and needed a chaperone where ever he went.
"I'm so screwed." Nick slid down and allowed himself to rest his head upon his knees.
Oh how he felt like Ange right now. Going emo over the fact that he was probably going to miss the flight to Japan was not usually like him. Instead, he would be bawling his eyes out and crying desperately to try and draw help. It worked wonders once…
A tap to the head brought Nick out his depression. Looking up he found a girl with dark black hair with red streaks and indigo eyes staring down at him.
"ちょっとそこ,ぜそんなに悲しい? (Hey there, why so sad?)" she said.
Nick blinked rapidly before straightening back up. He was speaking to a Japanese!
"K-konnichiwa!" he stuttered with an awkward bow.
The girl let out a giggle.
"It's fine; I can speak English quite fluently." she said catching his attention.
He took a moment to look at girl fully. She was wearing black slacks and a black vest over a short sleeved shirt. Around her neck was a stylish black tie with a design he could barely make out. Being aware of his staring the boy averted his eyes.
"W-well, umm.. Do…" Nick was having a hard time forming words. "Do you need something from me?"
At his own question a realization dawned on him. He was speaking to a stranger! That was something that Rinan had told him before he left. Not good… this was not good.
Before he could excuse himself from her, a manila folder was thrust into his hand gently. The girl spoke once more catching his attention.
"My name is Cheri and I'm your famiglia's personal Japanese Tutor, Nick Verdura." she smiled up at him.
"Huh?"
A laugh followed his intelligent reply. "You're very funny Nick."
The teen was confused. Who sent this girl?
"Your father sent for me." Cheri answered the silent question. She took to standing next to him. "I'm assigned to tutor your family in my language as well as provide you with information about my country."
"Ah… I see." Nick was starting to get it now. And deep down he felt himself relax ever so slightly. He guessed it had to do with 'help' arriving at his door once more.
"I'll begin teaching you how to speak and write my language just as soon as we get on board the plane." she told him. "So how about we go and find your guardians?"
At the mention of his family the boy nodded his head vigorously. By now Nick was sure they were furious with his lateness. Getting there as quickly as possible was his top priority now.
"Lead the way Cheri."
The girl smiled and hurriedly made her way towards Gate B with Nick right behind her.
"Lucian!" Kyn called out. "Any luck?"
The sun guardian shook his head. "Nick wasn't in the bathroom from my side."
"Praizel and Joyce weren't in the women's either." Ange reported, panting slightly. "Really, I can't even spot Joyce! She's usually the easiest one to find."
Joining the gathering group was Rinan. Kyn noticed the calm look she was giving them and decided to speak first.
"Did you have luck finding anyone, Rinan?" Kyn asked.
The trio looked at her hopefully.
"Nope." was the girl's grand answer.
The group face faulted. That was so unexpected.
Shaking off their disappointment they got back up. This was bad. It was already 9pm and the plane was sure to have arrived by now. If they didn't find them quick then bye-bye Japan for today.
"HEY!!"
All present guardians perked at the call and turned behind them. Making their way towards them were Joyce, Praizel and Shantel.
Relief flooded back into the worried group. At least they found two of their missing friends. Rinan and Ange quickly reprimanded them.
"Didn't we say to be here before 9?" Rinan said in annoyance.
"If you guys take this long again, then no more shopping or wandering the next time." Ange stated in finality.
Joyce didn't think much of the threat and so just shrugged it off. Praizel on the other hand flinched at their promise of restricted freedom as well as the tones they'd used.
"So where's Felix and Nick?" questioned Lucian.
Kyn automatically answered for Felix. "He's pick pocketing behind us."
The entire guardians looked for their monkey friend and sweat dropped. Felix was indeed behind them and he was shamelessly pick pocketing a poor girl.
"FELIX!"
Kyn's unexpected shout made the thief jump. His heart was beating like a machinegun at the surprise. When he spotted his family he groaned. He hurriedly went to them.
"Geez, Kyn, way to break my cover." Felix growled lowly. "Almost got caught."
"But you didn't." Kyn said with a relieved grin.
"Felix." Rinan cut in. "Have you seen Nick?"
The boy shook his head no. "I haven't bumped into him at all. I thought he was with Praizel?"
Everyone turned towards the fidgeting girl.
"We got separated from this stupid crowd." she explained. "I tried searching for him before going back, but I managed to find Joyce instead."
"YEP! I was playing limbo with the cops!" the hyper girl stated with a large grin.
No one commented on that. They did not even want to know what she did to get the cops to play limbo with her. That question will be saved for later.
"Oh man! We're gonna miss our flight." Ange groaned.
"What are we going to do now?" asked Felix as he carefully stashed away his collection.
The older teens sighed. It looked like they were going to miss their plane.
"I'll stay here and get on another flight with Nick." Kyn spoke out suddenly while she looked around for her boss. "Lucian can take temporary charge over the others while Nick and I are away. So just take this flight and we'll meet you all there."
Everyone took a moment to think it over. It was reasonable enough. This way most of the family wouldn't have to miss their flight. Giving each other nods they began to collect their stuff. It was the interference of Shantel that held them back however.
"Hold on" she said. "He's over there."
Felix spun and spotted them. "Hey, she's right! Nick's… Oh! He's with a girl!" he commented in delight.
Heads jerked for the 3rd time that night. And when they confirmed their leader's location they backed away from Rinan. A dark aura had suddenly enveloped the girl. They had a suspicion that it might have to do with the appearance of the girl by Nick's side, but they weren't too sure. The girl was just glaring silently.
"Hey guys!" Nick called out.
When the running duo finally met up with the group, Rinan made her move. A resounding 'thwak' caught everyone's attention.
"You're late." Rinan said in monotone.
Wincing in pain, Nick nursed his throbbing head. "I-I didn't mean to. I was lost-- what can you expect?"
Before the two could start an argument Kyn butted in. "Anyways whose she, Nick?"
The girl standing beside the boy waved at the group in a friendly manner.
"Ah, she's--"
"SHIT!" cried out Ange, surprising everyone. "You guys! Last call for flight J209! Isn't that our plane?!"
Dead silence caught everyone. Panic stricken once more Nick did the only thing he could think of.
"RUN FOR IT!" he cried out as he grabbed his backpack from Kyn and dashed away from the group.
Cries and groans were left in his wake as his right hand woman and Rinan chased after him.
"YOU IDIOT! THAT'S THE WRONG WAY!" shouted the Hail guardian.
"Nick come back here!"
Back at the group Cheri sighed. She turned to address the on-looking Verdura Guardians.
"Well, their goes your guy's flight."
Sad nods answered her. They surely wouldn't make it in time now.
"We ended up taking a private Jet." Praizel said as she looked at her boss worriedly.
Nick sat at the very far end of the plane looking depressed and withdrawn. The people near him were Kyn and Lucian who were trying to cheer him up. Sitting a little away from the small group was Rinan who was looking out the window in boredom. The others were off on their own private activity. Joyce sat next to Praizel enjoying her DSi and Shantel was with Ange and Felix who was talking excitedly to Cheri.
The Verdura famiglia were currently riding a private Jet that Rinan had manage to get them. Due to her connections in the mafia, finding a jet was done in no time. What was even better was that it was free of charge and had cool stuff in it. There were VIP couches lining one area and a small bar near the cockpit. An entertainment lounge came was spread in the middle and at the back was the bathroom and staff cabins.
"So Cheri…" Ange began. "How long are you planning to stay with us?"
"Well, as your tutor, I'll be staying with you from now on." the girls smiled. "I was under orders to not only teach you all Japanese, but provide extra support for the Family. So I hope we can get along."
"Of course!" the bazooka wielder nodded enthusiastically. "Welcome aboard the Verdura Famiglia, Cheri."
Kyn walked over to them and signaled the entire family to introduce themselves properly. It was customary for them to give a proper introduction when someone new joined their family. Being second in command, Kyn was the first to go up.
"Pleasure to have you Cheri." she greeted. "My name is Kyn Skylar, the Storm Guardian of the Verdura. I'm 14 years old and I love to read."
The girl passed the intro to Rinan next.
"The name's Rinan He, Hail Guardian of Verdura, 16 and likes to sleep."
Following the New Zealand girl was Lucian.
"Lucian Cielo, age 16, Sun Guardian and a fan of baseball." the tall teen bowed politely in respect. "Pleasure to meet you."
"Likewise." Cheri returned the gesture.
"Felix Hisora here!" Cheri turned towards the grinning boy whose tail shook excitedly. "I'm the Verdura Rain Guardian and pickpocket extraordinaire. Still 15 and single." he joked with a smile.
"YAY! AHAHAH." Joyce rocked back in forth with her never ending smile. "I'm Rinan's daughter, Joyce Green and Verdura's own Lightning Guardian!"
"?" A questioning look was tossed at the Hail Guardian.
"Don't worry about." said Rinan with a casual wave.
Turning back to Joyce, the tutor prompted her to continue.
"I'm 15 and I LOVE TO REEAAAD AHAHAAH!!!!!" She nudged the girl next to her. "Your turn!"
"Hi, My name's Praizel Tay and that's my sister, Shantel." The girl waved towards the girl sitting near Cheri. "I'm currently 15 and the Verdura Famiglia's Mist Guardian. My favorite hobby is shopping and I hope we can do that sometime together."
Praizel finished her intro with a friendly smile.
A tug brought Cheri's attention to Shantel. "Hello, as my sis had said, I'm Shantel Tay and my position is the Snow Guardian. I'm currently 14 and my hobby is reading."
Seems we have quite a few bookworms. Cheri mentally noted.
"And of course." Ange stepped up and politely nod at the tutor. "I'm Ange the Cloud Guardian of the family. I'm 14 at the moment and my hobbies are playing games, reading manga/comics and of course texting."
With a smile of her own Cheri properly introduced herself. "My full name is Cheri Yange"
"Hi Cheri!" The family greeted with a pleasant laugh.
"You guys are quite fun people aren't you?" she giggled. "Anywho, I'm 14 and currently your tutor in Japanese as of today. My flame is that of mist and cloud. And I enjoy painting while listening to music."
As the introduction ended most of the Verdura welcomed their new family member with open arms. And Lucian couldn't help, but let a small smile to play along his lips. The thoughts of a past long ago resurfaced.
"I wonder how you guys are doing." he mumbled to himself.
"Thinking about your Ninja Famiglia?" Rinan quietly asked.
There was a long silence between them. Lucian turned to watch the darkness outside before finally replying. "You can say that…"
"Ever regret joining this Family?" The Hail Guardian whispered.
Taking a look around Lucian shook his head. "Not one bit."
Sure he missed his comrades at his old family, but he could live with that. It wasn't like they were gone from him. Lucian was sure that he'd be meeting his old comrades soon. So it wasn't much of regret to him. They were still his family even if he was with a different one now.
Kaitlin, Ludwigan, Milly-- everyone… He thought to himself. I'm coming home.
Dead Author's notes:
Eh... Nick here those of you wondering why I had to write this story and not posting the next chapter for the other one is because... T_T Gah.. I was just uh... Let's just say the head/dead author came out of her room, raised a chair over her head looking evil... The easiest explanation is that I took a good bonk on the head and got knocked out for awhile -! But I got this story rolling and well. The head/dead author ran away for some reason, she'll be back tho ^^; We're trying to track her down, and we had to pass the Rain fight to Reborn22, yes very sorry about that, we're looking for her don't worry! Oh yes, we have recently got a mail from her regards to the Rain fight's omake, so we're using that to find her. Wish us luck!
Kyn: The K N+J R is our team name (Kyn Nick+Joyce Rin), the head/dead made it up since Nick said it should be KHR related. and so she made that up and allow me to explain the reason behind her actions N+J the idiot are in the middle, yes.
Nick: ...HEY! T_T
Joyce: ...I'M NOT STUPID! I'M USELESS!
Nick (sub writer), Kyn (now head writer) and Joyce (editor) - Team of K N+J R
(Thanks to Felix's creater for writing his part.)