[A/N] -
this is the new XS fic I'll be working on from now on. It's AU, set in a sci-fi dystopian world I created. I hope you enjoy this :D. Reviews are greatly appreciated especially since I need an idea on what my readers think about this.

Terminology

This verse is created 100% by me, hence you definitely would not have heard about it anywhere else. I know some of it might be unclear but I tried to make it less confusing and easy to understand. The setting is more sci-fi than the canon verse, technology is better developed.

Refer here if anything is uncertain. Most terms are explained in the story.

Tephire – the city this story is set in.

Axel – the official ruler of a city, the Axel of Tephire is Pohlepa.

Grid&Vongola – two major organizations that are on the verge of war. Grid has support from nobles whilst Vongola's objectives are unknown.

Grid hunters/Grid hunting squad – The elite fighting squad of Grid, contains over a thousand selected soldiers. They are ranked S-class, A-class and B-class, going in that order of strength respectively (S-class being strongest). Their main job is to hunt down targets who have escaped or rebels violating the Grid law, they also take requests from noble clients.

Zenos – The main currency of Tephire and mostly used by nobles, each Zenos is worth 100 Zeen (also a form of currency but more frequently used by peasants)

Auction house – the event held every month where nobles gather in the hopes of purchasing slaves, exotic merchandise/animals etc. Organized by the Grid hunters.

Croala – the equivalent of the radio and provides the most up-to-date news. This authority is only given to those who live in the high district.

Axel's private army - contains around five thousand men with considerably less skill than those from the grid hunters.

I'll probably list more as the story goes on.

NOTES:
- Since this is an AU, how each character's weapon works is slightly different to the canon manga, so don't think I made a mistake and misinterpreted the actual manga. (This mainly applies to Xanxus' X-guns & maybe some others).

- Squalo has both hands intact, hence he does not have a sword attached to one hand but instead, carries his weapon around.

- Squalo is 22, Xanxus 24, all other characters their relative ages. Fran is a boy (the age he is in the current arc -the curse of the rainbow-).

Introduction (Can be skipped if you want)

The great city Tephire lead by Axel Pohlepa is divided between the higher district and the lower district. Likewise, the population is split between nobles and peasants. Those born nobles were deemed superior by default to those who came from peasant families however ascension from the lower class to the upper was not unheard of. Predictably, the higher district accommodated the most updated and contemporary buildings and most people who lived there were unsurprisingly nobles. However a small fraction did contain peasants who worked their way up the hierarchy and established themselves a home in the grand district, unfortunately for them they were socially outcasted for being inferior by blood. But to them, being an outcast was small price to pay for being able to live in the high district; those dwelling in the low district relied on scraps and leftovers for survival.

Apart from the division of population there was also the fight for power between the dominant groups. Grid was the dominating organization, the group who possessed almost total control over the doings in Tephire city. This was due to the fact that the Axel (official ruler) of Tephire, Pohlepa, was also the head of that company. Their fighting force and influence on the citizens (especially nobles) have always been unrivaled from the beginning however this changed once the Vongola organization came into picture. No one knew where they came from but it was acknowledged by all that they had power nearly equal to Grid. It was only a matter of time before those two monsters clashed and when they did, a revolution would be the result.

Chapter 1 – Saved by pride

Squalo cut down his victim without a trace of remorse, blood spattered across his face like water on a rainy day. He didn't mind, fighting was what he lived for and what he cherished. That's why he chose this job anyways, or more precisely, that's why he was chosen for this job. The girl stirred, wound bleeding profusely as Squalo dragged her by the neck onto the hovercar and placed her in the attached wooden box, chained to the bottom of the craft.

Squalo sighed, as much as he liked combat, one of the downsides to his job was the fact that he didn't get to choose his victims. Today he was requested to hunt down and bring back a child, a waste of time he thought because overcoming children didn't improve his combat skills the slightest. Nevertheless he was still getting paid a fair sum of Zenos for his actions and didn't complain, there were millions in Tephire city who would kill to be in his position. Starting up the engine he looked around him, there was blood everywhere. He had to commit many unnecessary murders today and his victims' blood was mixed with the dirt on the ground, creating what looked like dark red mud.

The little girl would be hovering over death with the deep long cut Squalo gave her on the abdomen but that was of little worry to him. Those wounds could easily be healed with the right technology and she'll be as good as new, even newer than when her purchaser bought her. No, what did worry him was the rumored war that every citizen of Tephire is currently anticipating. The war between the two great powers that controlled ninety-nine percent of everything that went on in this city; the war between the Vongola and the Grid.

It was common knowledge that Grid formally ruled the city as the Axel of Tephire belonged to that organization. Since the Axel of any city is the official ruler or king of that city, it was assumed that Grid automatically held the title for the most powerful company in Tephire. However the reason they were powerful is because they held control over the nobles who were more than happy to provide solutions to any financial problems. They gladly funded any plans that Grid had and were even the so-called 'inventors' of the famed auction house.

Squalo himself worked for Grid, not that he had a choice really. His superior skill with the sword was bound to attract much attention from the higher ups and unfortunately for him, Grid decided to hire him first. He definitely wasn't unhappy about it. No, they paid him more Zenos than he had ever dreamed of and because of this he was allowed to live comfortably in the higher district when he had previously survived on scraps from the lower district. But he also didn't deny that some actions taken by Grid indeed disturbed him, especially those going on at the auction house. Organizing the sales of humans or endangered animals or organs wasn't in his interest at all.

He turned on the croala or the radio as they used to call it, it was already 2pm and his shift ended at five. If he quickly returned now, he might be presented with another task. He navigated his hovercar skillfully between gaps, buildings and other flying mobiles, the wooden box swinging dangerously below but tightly attached to the car. The news being broadcasted on the croala caught his attention.

'…and we report to you the results of the raid on one of our major towers this morning made by the Vongola organization. From the information given to us, Grid has lost approximately 100 A-class fighters, if not more, in this horrendous conflict. However thanks to the quick actions of Grid's hunting squad, we have also captured one of Vongola's leading members and he is currently being held in the main building…'

The reporter proceeded to list the names of the soldiers who died and Squalo turned the broadcasting machine off, not caring the least who they were. What really shocked him was the fact that the Vongola squad managed to take down over 100 A-class men. Squalo himself was an S-class, which were equivalent to 5 A-classes meaning he should be able to take down 5 of the latter with ease. However he was part of the very few who were S-class in Grid, they were the elite of the elite. Losing 100 A-classes was a dramatic blow to Grid's fighting force; even Squalo couldn't take down fifty by himself let alone a hundred. And what's more, they failed to announce how many casualties the Vongola had in that raid, only reporting one leading member captured. And that member was currently held in the main building, Squalo's workplace. All in all, the outcome of the conflict this morning was Grid's defeat in every way possible and it really brought his attention to how strong Vongola really were.

Not that he cared whether Vongola or Grid were going to win this upcoming war, but if Grid lost it could also mean the annihilation of his job. He would have to start saving up enough Zenos to last him a while just in case they did lose. He automatically resolved to do as many jobs as he could before it was too late. Of course he had a large sum in his bank account already but who knows how long this war will last? And maybe they will even be expecting him to fight for Grid, in that case he might not even survive. Squalo wasn't the type to get himself involved in this silly conflict, he'd much rather be an onlooker, learning and observing but not affected by the result.

When he reached the large main building, he paused to admire its grandeur even though he drives past at least once everyday. The building itself was a spiritual pillar which held Grid together, it stood out in the whole of Tephire city; every man woman and child knew what lay in there and what happens if they defy it. To many, the beauty of this monument was only second to the Axel's palace which lay in the centre of the high district.

Squalo parked his hovercar in his private spot and proceeded to take out the child from his mission earlier. She was breathing fast but such symptoms were normal for Squalo's experience and he paid no attention to her condition, instead he reestablished the grip on her neck and dragged her inside the building. Traveling across the entrance hall he was greeted by many words of respect but again he paid no attention, having received them everyday he walked in. Upon reaching his floor, he dumped the girl into one of the beds in the infirmary and motioned for some healers.

'Voi you trashes, patch her up and make sure that wound doesn't scar.' He ordered and they obeyed with a bow. 'After you're done, send her to customer number 218.'

He left without another word whilst the medics hurried to fix the poor girl's wounds. Another job done and another five thousand Zenos to his credit card. He walked quickly to his work floor in the hopes of receiving another mission. As an S-class he was mostly in charge of hunting down escaped purchases from the auction house. Nobles who bought products from the house occasionally failed to keep an eye on their merchandise and as a result, people like Squalo are hired to track them down and bring them back for a good sum. The little girl from this morning was sold to a certain noble as a slave, to have such a fate bestowed to someone like her, death would undoubtedly be preferred.

When he reached the common room, he could hear shouts, laughs and what sounded like people arguing. He walked in to find his fellow colleagues' lounging in their sofas and attention drawn to something that occurred at the centre of the room. From what it looked like, a few people were crowded around someone but what they were doing Squalo didn't care. He took a seat in his usual corner near the window and ordered a maid to bring him some coffee, only then did he notice what was happening in the middle of the room.

Five men were ganging up on another man. Leading them was Taros, another S-class and who they all looked up to as their leader. Head of the Grid's hunting squad, he was possibly the only one who could fight evenly with and perhaps defeat Squalo. However the shark refused to acknowledge this fact and was planning on the day he would challenge the man and conquer him, thus winning the respect of his fellow men and maybe even the Axel. Squalo watched as Taros held the other man by the neck and delivered a hard punch to his abdomen. The victim didn't even struggle but he didn't let out any cry of pain either which the swordsman thought was quite an achievement considering who the attacker was.

Squalo didn't ask who the man was, assuming he was just an unfortunate person picked off the streets to satisfy the boredom of the other hunters. While quietly sipping his coffee he scrutinized the tanned skin of the victim and the multiple scars that marked his muscular body. His hair was raven, spiked with a fringe almost covering his eyes which were closed, feathers and beads attached to the bottom of his hair hanging loosely over his back. Blood was flowing freely from his mouth and fresh purple bruises covered parts of his torso. He was wearing nothing except black leather pants which were ripped in some places. His posture was slouched which could only indicate his exhaustion but from what, Squalo could only guess.

Taros grabbed him by the hair and this time forced him to kneel on all fours while he took out a short metal handle from his coat pocket. Squalo scowled as he eyed the object with distaste, in his opinion there was no need to go to that extent to cure their boredom. Laser whips were only used for torturing and interrogation, to be used on an innocent bystander was going too far.

'My fellow Grid hunters, today you witness how enemies of our organization are punished!' Taros gave a husky laugh and pushed a notch on the handle. A thin blue line appeared at the end and without hesitating, he swung it down hard onto the stranger's exposed back.

As soon as the whip made contact with flesh, blood spurted out from the wound and the flesh healed again, leaving a faint red mark. The victim didn't scream or beg for mercy like the normal victims of the whip but Squalo saw his eyebrows twitch due to the pain. His eyes were still closed and he refused to show any signs of defeat.

'VOI, Taros you fucker, I didn't know you were this low to use the whip on an innocent onlooker.' Squalo felt he had to say something; nothing made him sicker than to see his superior in so much glee. The shark personally hated the man.

All heads turned his way at the outburst, even Taros and the stranger. What grabbed Squalo's attention was the fact that the raven haired man had finally opened his eyes and for a fleeting moment, their gazes met. Silver against two dark pools of red. Squalo shivered in spite of himself as he noticed nothing except those hard ruby orbs that bore into his soul. This wasn't just an exchange of glances, it was an attack; he felt as if the raven was drilling into every corner of his body with those eyes of his and yet Squalo couldn't look away. Those eyes held some sort of power over him and reduced him to the state of…god knows what. However before he could admire them further a voice woke him.

'God Superbi, you're as clueless as ever. Don't you know who this bastard is?' The tone in his voice was laced with mockery.

'What the fuck are you talking about?'

'You hear that men? This pathetic silver haired shit clearly didn't listen to the news today. He doesn't know what my hunting squad fished.'

'Yeah I did, we lost over a hundred fucking A-classes!'

'Haha true and did you know that it was this piece of shit here who did it?' He gave the man another hard whip.

'VOI! What!' Squalo was dumbfounded. Taros must be kidding; there was no way one person could take down a hundred elite soldiers no matter who they were.

'I meant exactly what I said,' another whip, 'the raid this morning was done by this bastard alone,' another whip, 'he single handedly killed a hundred and six of our comrades!'

For once in his life, Squalo was truly speechless. He glanced back down at the man who to Squalo's disappointment closed his eyes again. It was hard for him to believe that the very man defeated a hundred soldiers who were close to his level, the feat itself was always considered impossible in his eyes, until now. Insane, he thought, absolutely insane. There must be some kind of catch or some treacherous play involved, or they must have miscounted. He stared at the man with a kind of new found respect whilst he was being savagely whipped. The fact that he wasn't struggling must mean he was exhausted from his actions.

Taros spoke again with a wild grin on his face as he continued to whip the culprit.

'When my squad found him he still had an ounce of strength left but there was no way he could overcome me! The great Taros!' His hand jerked down and the laser made contact with flesh again. This time the wounds didn't heal.

Taros stopped for a second to give the man a hard kick on the crotch, earning some loud cheers and whoops from his comrades. Squalo suddenly felt sick, he thought that the man didn't deserve to be humiliated in this manner even though he belonged to the enemy. He knew that Taros would eventually torture him until he died and bowed his head in shame. What a waste, that man was a highly accomplished warrior and shouldn't be wasted away in this manner. It took all of Squalo's self control to not interfere with the events in front of him, he hoped with all his heart that the man would survive through this. Squalo wanted a chance to speak to him, the strength that he possessed caught the shark's admiration almost instantly. He wanted to communicate in some form with him, to share their fighting experiences…anything.

It also disgusted him that Taros was abusing someone who should have been esteemed above others. Squalo knew that Taros couldn't hope to achieve half of what the raven haired man did and yet he was taking advantage of the other and overwhelming him in the most cowardly way possible. As Squalo looked around he was dismayed to see expressions of approval on his comrade's faces, they weren't true warriors he concluded, true warriors would respect the incredible actions of the raven haired, not mock him while he was injured.

Beating down the overwhelming regret and shame in his stomach, Squalo looked away and into the horizon. Still he couldn't ignore the cracks of the whip on the other's flesh. He had lost count of how many lashes Taros gave but the raven was still refusing to show any signs of weakness. If Squalo was in his position he would have given away long ago.

Losing all hope of getting another mission to cure his boredom, he could only wait and witness the death of the scarred man. When the clock showed half an hour until the end of their shift, Taros put away his whip and motioned for two of his men. By then blood was dripping and flowing down the raven's back, onto the stark white carpet. Numerous lines covered his back, none of which were healed.

'Take this shit and lock him up,' Taros ordered. He then walked over to the corner in which Squalo resided.

'Superbi, I'll leave that bastard to you. Do whatever you want with him, torture him, kill him or send him to the auctions – your choice got it? He's locked in cell R24, once you're done with him get rid of his body, if I see any trace of that fucker here tomorrow you've got hell to pay. ' He gave Squalo a hard pat on the shoulder. 'Take this as a gift from your superior. Appreciate that I let you have a bite of my prey.'

Squalo hesitated, wondering whether this was a trap. Taros wasn't the type to show Squalo of all people any acts of 'kindness'. But if Squalo really did get to have a say in the fate of the stranger, he'd take the chance no matter what kind of consequence there was. He didn't know why he felt this way but right now all he wanted was assurance of that man's safety. All he knew was that he wanted a glance of those harsh red eyes again, he wanted to be overwhelmed by the power they held over him.

'…got it.'

Taros gave a grin, flashing his bright white teeth and left. The key to cell R24 was left on the table.

Squalo sat there thinking hard. Should he just kill the man and be done with it? What was there to gain by doing so? He'd be safe and everything would return to normal. But if he saved the man, and was caught…that would be the end of him, he'll be the next victim of the whip. The vision of the man's dark red eyes flashed in his mind and he shuddered, taken in by desire. He couldn't lie to himself, he wanted to see him again, to at least talk with him, ask him questions, associate himself with him but the consequences if he was caught were too great. He continued to consider his options and the room slowly emptied as time passed. Finally he made his decision.

Squalo waited until it was five and all the men had left before getting up from his seat. Picking up the keys he made his way not to cell R24 but to the monitor room. If he was going to undertake the plan he had in mind, he had to make sure no one except the cleaners were present in the building. He had only one chance and he wasn't going to blow it.

As an S-class, he had the authority to visit any room he liked as well as order anyone ranked below him. This position proved its use in this situation where he spotted a few B-classes remaining behind on the third floor on one of the monitor screens. He turned on the microphone and spoke.

'You trashes should be heading home by now, unless you have a proper explanation to remain behind.'

He saw them jump from the monitor screen.

'Sorry general Superbi,' they made their hasty apologies to the hidden camera behind them and quickly left without another word. Perfect, now he had the whole building to himself. Glancing down at his watch, he noticed he had half an hour before the cleaners arrived. Switching off all the monitor screens, Squalo hastily ran to the dining room, took two unopened sandwiches and a bottle of water before leaving. This time he really was going to cell R24.

He quickened his pace as he noticed the time ticking, 25 minutes left. He had no idea why he was risking his job and possibly his life to save a stranger but he did know that he wouldn't be able to live with himself if he allowed someone like that man to die. Not when he could do something about it. For some reason he wanted solid proof of that strength, the power that took down the number of people he thought impossible. He also wanted to challenge that might and the desire was spreading through his body with every step.

He followed the trail of blood that undoubtedly came from the man's wounds and walked past solid metal doors…R21, 22, 23 and finally R24. The lock on the handle was large and heavy, unbreakable without the proper key. Squalo opened the door lock with a click and pushed forward. There was no light but he could make out the figure slumped near the back wall, panting. Walking in, he noticed there were no windows, only four great slabs of metal caved in to make a room; the prison itself was a torture of its own kind. The open door allowed light to enter the dark and dank cell and Squalo grimaced as he saw the streaks of blood smudged on the floor.

The stranger lifted his head and once again they made eye contact. This time Squalo could detect an ounce of helplessness in that gaze, the only sign of weakness he had ever got from the raven haired man. He also felt a spark of fear as the eyes bore into him, unpredictable and savage. Pushing those emotions aside, he strode forward and cut the ropes that bound the man's arms. When he did, he almost missed the slight look of surprise that graced the man's features. 20minutesleft, he thought desperately on how to transport the stranger out without drawing attention to himself and without further injuring the man. He could only carry him, Squalo concluded.

Twisting the cap off quickly, he held the bottle of water to the man's mouth but the opening stubbornly remained shut. Impatient, he nudged the cracked lips and when they still did not open, he scowled.

'Voi, open up you piece of shit. I'm not going to hurt you.'

The man glared at him but to Squalo's content, opened his mouth obediently and drank. After he was finished, Squalo unwrapped one of the sandwiches and ripped off a piece but this time, the man rejected the morsels with passion and annoyingly remained silent. Squalo contemplated forcing the pieces of bread into his mouth but gave up realizing he couldn't waste anymore time. Losing much of his patience, he threw the sandwiches aside and decided to force some words out of the raven's mouth.

'Can you fucking talk? What's your name?'

Squalo wasn't expecting an answer and was genuinely taken back when he received a reply.

'Xanxus.' He uttered. Squalo was slightly disturbed at how tired this 'Xanxus' sounded.

'Heh, so you can talk. And all this time I thought you were a mute or something.' Squalo gave a grin which wasn't returned.

'…scum.' Xanxus replied.

Squalo's eyebrow twitched.

'VOOI, who are you calling scum? Do you wanna live or not?' The raven didn't reply but instead, tilted his head in irritation. The wounds on his back were still seeping with blood and Squalo decided he would chastise this 'Xanxus' later, after he was properly healed up. Taking one of Xanxus' arms, he hauled it over his shoulder and stood up with the scarred man leaning heavily on him. After he took a step though, the man paused and stared into Squalo's eyes as if reminding him of the consequences of his actions.

'I'm your enemy,' Xanxus' voice was commanding despite his physical state and Squalo couldn't help but admire the authorative tone in his speech. Squalo shook his head at the hard glance he received, thinking on how to reply without sounding too cheesy.

'No. You're not my enemy. Vongola or Grid, none of this matter to me. You have strength and I respect you, hence I can't just watch you die in this pathetic state. Someone like you doesn't deserve to…to be killed by someone like Taros.' He felt embarrassed as he said it and watched Xanxus look at him strangely, taking in what he just heard.

'Anyways,' he refused to meet Xanxus' eye, 'the cleaners will be here in around 10 minutes and we need to hurry. Can you walk leaning on me?'

The tanned man gave a small nod and they set out. They were traveling faster than Squalo expected. He wrapped his jacket around Xanxus' hips to prevent the blood from dripping onto the ground and made his way down to the entrance hall. To his relief, it was empty; if they were spotted now it would mean the end for both of them.

When they reached Squalo's hovercar, he didn't lock Xanxus into the wooden box like his previous victim but instead, allowed him to lie down on the back seat. The blood didn't bother him, he'd get his servants to clean up later. Right now he was primarily concerned with getting home safely with no one noticing Xanxus. Not that anyone would recognize the scarred man, but the sight of a person covered in blood didn't exactly blend in with the crowd. He drove quickly, weaving in and out of the busy traffic. Five pm inconveniently meant peak hour and the sky was filled with nothing but hovermobiles. Still, he managed to reach his home relatively quickly.

Squalo's house was located on one of the small hilly areas in the high district. He personally saved up and built it in that spot, convenient for training and sword practice. It was quite far from the other houses and he was thankful for that as most who lived there shunned him for not being noble. He preferred a solitary life, no annoying neighbors to bother him and no weak friends to drag him down.

The only people who lived with him were his two servants Lussuria and Fran, both of whom were bought by the swordsman from an auction. They of course were forever grateful for his purchase as Squalo was kinder to them than any noble master they worked for. But Squalo didn't buy them out of sympathy; he was more interested in their combat abilities. There was no way he'd let weaklings work under him so Lussuria's skill in martial arts and Fran's talent at illusions were the reasons he hired them.

He didn't regret his choices either, they were the closest things he had to companions and he trusted them completely. He put up with Lussuria's outgoing personality and Fran's cheekiness and was long used to it. They were good servants, cleaning up his messes and cooking him dinner, even comforting him when he was upset. They were his family.

When Squalo parked his vehicle down, he was greeted by Lussuria who came running out the house.

'Master Squalo~, you're late today,' the flamboyant man jumped out toward the shark in attempt to hug him but was pushed to the ground.

'VOI! Stop fucking around Lussuria –'

'Master Squ, who is this?' He gasped, spotting Xanxus in the back seat. Squalo pulled him close quickly, incase someone heard even if the chance of that was unlikely.

'Luss,' his voice dropped low, 'quickly get him inside and heal his wounds. He can have the spare room on the first floor.'

Lussuria's eyes widened, noticing the seriousness of the situation. He opened the door and carried the injured man inside while Squalo followed, making sure to lock the front gate. When he was safely inside and out of earshot of any possible intruders, Fran came into sight.

'Why is Master Squalo late today?' He asked in his monotone.

'I'll explain everything when both of you are here,' he replied, watching Lussuria carry Xanxus toward the room next to the dining room.

'Master should have a wash, he's covered in blood,' remarked the green haired boy.

Squalo looked down at his body and realized that the boy was right. He didn't even notice Xanxus' blood soaked through his clothes due to the constant worry of being discovered. His hands were red and caked with dried blood, as were his neck and parts of his hair.

'Voi I will, for now you go help Lussuria heal that man, make sure he lives. Meet me down in the living room when you're both done.' Fran nodded and hurried off after Lussuria whilst Squalo made his way upstairs into his own room. He could finally breathe a sigh of relief for successfully undertaking his plan. Lussuria and Fran would not tell anyone what he brought back and the Grid hunters would think he personally killed Xanxus.

With those thoughts in mind, he happily took a shower thinking of what to do with that man. From what it looked like, Xanxus didn't carry any weapons or any object to communicate and in the state that he was in, it didn't look like he'd be fighting his way out. Squalo could question him all he liked without the fear of being killed.

When he arrived downstairs twenty minutes later, Fran and Lussuria were nowhere to be seen so Squalo made his way into Xanxus' new room. There he saw that they were still cleaning his wounds and wrapping bandages across his torso. Lussuria looked sweaty faced and horrified at the injuries he was dealing with, Fran on the other hand looked apathetic but Squalo could tell he was shaken by the gruesome sight.

'Master Squ, what happened to him? I've never seen injuries this bad!'

'I can't believe he survived, most would have died from loss of blood.' Fran said, looking pale.

Squalo was relieved to see that Xanxus' bleeding stopped but was equally revolted when his eyes caught sight of the numerous new scars that the whip left. The red on white looked as if a child grabbed a crayon and scribbled all over a blank piece of paper, leaving barely any empty space.

'Voi…he had the whip used on him.'

Fran's eyes widened slightly and Lussuria gasped audibly, clapping his hands to his mouth.

'That's crazy, how many lashings did he get?'

'No idea,' Squalo replied, staring at the scarred muscular man lying on the bed. His red eyes were open, hearing every single word that they said but he chose not to get involved with the conversation.

'But Master Squ, why did he get punished like that? Who is he?'

Both looked up, evidently waiting for an answer. Squalo grabbed a nearby chair, seating himself and told his servants everything that happened, from his early mission to rescuing Xanxus. When he finished, Lussuria had his mouth wide open and Fran was staring at Xanxus with awe.

'Aaaah!' Lussuria shrieked, 'he took down 106 A-ranks! What a monster!'

Fran made no comment but Squalo knew he agreed also.

'Even I admit it's crazy,' Fran said, 'but that doesn't explain why Master brought him back.'

'That, I'll answer eventually,' Squalo turned to Xanxus this time, 'Xanxus was it?'

The scarred man grunted in response. Lussuria bent forward to help him sit upright.

'How did you defeat all those soldiers?' Squalo asked. Xanxus looked at him apathetically, clearly waiting for him to elaborate.

'I killed them.'

'VOI! I know you fucking killed them, I'm asking how! What tricks did you use –'

Squalo regretted it the moment he said it. Xanxus' rage at his words was apparent, his ruby eyes literally burned with wrath. Squalo looked down in shame, understanding completely why the other man was so angry. Being thought to have 'cheated' in one's victory was possibly the most insulting thing to the victor; a fighter like Squalo would have killed whoever dared suspect that his achievements were gained through deception.

'Look…I'm sor-'

'I blasted their heads off,' Xanxus interrupted, rage never leaving his eyes. 'If that's what you were asking.'

'So you fought them altogether?'

'They came at me altogether.'

Squalo couldn't believe his ears but he was sure the man in front of him wasn't lying. He already learnt from the short amount of time spent with him that Xanxus wasn't the type to make false claims. Here was the solid confirmation that the man was indeed as strong as Squalo suspected. Until now he had never appreciated how powerful this Vongola organization was, Xanxus was only one of their leading members which meant their boss must be stronger than him even. If Grid and Vongola fought now, the latter would most likely be the victor.

'Wow,' Fran commented, 'you're even stronger than idiotic master. I don't believe it.'

'Voi, shut it brat.' Squalo didn't want to admit it but what Fran said was definitely true. They all sat in silence for a moment before Squalo remembered what he was about to ask.

'Master Squ, are we going to keep him?' Asked Lussuria with an excited gleam in his eye. Xanxus also seemed interested in Squalo's answer.

'Xanxus,' he said. 'You need us, you need to stay here or you won't survive with those injuries.' It wasn't a question, it was a statement. Xanxus did not deny this fact and bowed his head, clearly waiting for more.

'I'll let you stay with us, under one condition.'

Xanxus' expression did not change but his next words betrayed his anger.

'Spit it out trash,' Squalo almost winced at the commanding tone. Even now he couldn't help admiring how mere words could have such an impact on his very being.

'You have to fight me,' Squalo said, keeping his voice steady, 'as soon as you're back to normal. Until then, you'll stay here.'

Fran and Lussuria exchanged looks of surprise, even Xanxus' eyebrows shifted slightly at the strange offer.

'Fine,' was his answer. Squalo couldn't help revealing a grin of relief. Truth be told, he would have sat there convincing the raven to accept if he had to but clearly, that wasn't necessary anymore.

'Voi, then it's settled.' The atmosphere in the room brightened considerably.

'Oh a Vongola elite in our house, how exciting,' said Fran in a bored voice. The illusionist walked out, saying something about dinner and Squalo followed, realizing how hungry he was. When asked what he wanted to eat, Xanxus curtly replied 'steak' and said no more.

'Xanny, are you going to stay here or eat with us?' Asked Lussuria in a sickly sweet voice.

Xanxus shot a death glare at the flashy man but it had no effect. He answered by getting up from the bed and making his way out of the room wearing nothing except his ripped and ragged leather pants, Lussuria smiled behind him.

Dinner was a pleasant matter for the four men. As it turns out Xanxus only ate steak and nothing else, something which Squalo found irritating. Nevertheless, he kept his opinion to himself and gulped down his own meal quietly, making frequent glances at their new guest. Now that Xanxus was all cleaned up Squalo could properly examine the muscles and the scars on his body. When he realized he was gazing dreamily at the other's features, he silently cursed himself and looked away. Now wasn't the time to be getting attached to someone like Xanxus.

Lussuria held up his wineglass.

'Cheers to our new member!'

The four of them clanked glasses, Squalo somewhat indignantly.

When the meal was over, it was late at night and Squalo was tired. He hoped desperately that no one would suspect that he had smuggled a criminal into his household. When Fran and Lussuria left to their rooms he was stuck alone with Xanxus in the living room. A slight grin graced the raven's features as he noticed the shark staring at his torso. Squalo blushed angrily and got up, heading to his room on the 2nd floor. Before he could however, he felt Xanxus grab him roughly by the shoulder, holding him back.

'Voi, what do you want?' He snapped.

'Thanks…' the scarred man said.

Squalo stared at him blankly, unable to form coherent words to reply.

'What for?' He asked suspiciously. It wasn't like Xanxus to become suddenly thankful.

'For letting me stay.'

Squalo turned away, trying to hide the rising color in his cheeks. He felt slightly happy that someone as powerful as Xanxus was thanking him, he rarely got any appreciation at the place he worked and the nobles certainly didn't show any gratitude when he returned their purchases. Before he could speak, Xanxus was already walking to his room, not leaving behind a backward glance. Squalo sighed and walked up to his own room, contemplating everything that happened today.

- TBC -

[A/N] - There, I hope it wasn't too confusing? This is definitely TBC, so don't just think Squalo rescued Xanxus and that's it. Reviews are great.