Prologue I- The Meeting
"GET HIM!"
Nine year old Xanxus ran as fast as his little legs could carry him. The men running after him were completely enraged that a pintsized rat had managed to sneak past them.
'What the fuck is wrong with them? This piece of crap isn't something they'll ever eat, so why don't they just let me take it?'
He looked at the stale loaf of bread he clutched in his hands for dear life. The loaf was not only stale, but had also fallen on the floor. It was not something that the shopkeeper would have sold in the first place, but after he had dropped it on the floor, it was sure to go in the trash. Even though it was stale and dirty, it was something to keep both him and his ma alive. That was all they needed- just a little bread to share between them.
He didn't know this part of town very well. It was the richer part of Sicily that normally gave him, a mere sewer rat, dirty looks as he passed. Oh, how he hated those looks. How he wished he could beat them all up and shove their faces into the ground, making them beg for mercy. But he was still too young to do such things. However, the dirty looks were something he could bear with. It was better than the constant bullying and shoving around he got round his neighbourhood. He had had enough, and desperately needed a change of scenery. Everyone thought his mother was crazy. Ok, so she may have a few screws lose, but that didn't make her any less human. Everyone thought he was a good-for-nothing child who couldn't do anything right and wouldn't get anywhere in the world. Sure, he had a temper which led to lots of trouble at school and all... Fine, so he was pretty close to being good-for-nothing, but at least he tried.
He knew he was starting to get lost. And the men following him were gaining on him. They had longer legs and were bigger, so managed to store more energy than what he had in his tiny, skinny form. To top it off, he was starting to get dehydrated. The boys from his neighbourhood had thrown his only water bottle and what little lunch he had into the sewers, trying to rouse him into playing 'sewer rat fetch'. Naturally, this had set him off, and he had foolishly lost his only decent bottle after starting a fight. This also meant he had lost some money, especially if he wanted to try and replace it.
He kept on running, nonetheless. If he didn't, he would lose the only thing he had managed to gain after another long and awful day of his even more awful life. But he was growing tired and the streets were growing more unfamiliar. Just as he turned a corner into a street that looked like a dead end, he was suddenly pulled aside into a well hidden alcove. In panic, he looked around to find out who had pulled him back, when he suddenly realised there was no one there. At the same time, it registered with him that the pull had been immensely weak, but the reason it had managed to move him was simply because he was not expecting it. He began to wonder whether he had just imagined the pull and was about to move again, when a tiny hand clapped over his mouth and his eyes went wide in alarm. Much like the pull, the pressure in the little hand was also very weak. He looked behind again. Again, he found nothing there. He frowned.
"Shh! You have to be very quiet, or they'll find you!"
A whisper came through the recesses of the alcove. It was soft, light and melodious. It had a beautiful, but young ring to it. Much like his mother's singing voice, only younger. It was one he would have happily listened to in his dreams forever. But this wasn't his dreams.
"Hm ah uh?"
His head snapped around to try and answer his own question.
"I said 'Shh'! Don't you know what 'shh' means?"
A little hushed voice answered back.
"Hm mm! Hm mhmm hmm!"
"What?"
The pair suddenly fell quiet as one of the men turned the corner and ran straight past their little alcove. Eventually, all of the men turned and ran around the corner, continuing their search. The pair waited for the street to completely quiet down before either of them relaxed. Xanxus could feel the warmth of the girl's hand over his mouth and of her other one, gently resting against his side. With that kind of voice, it could only be some useless little girl. As soon as the girl let go of him, he turned on his heel and repeated his last line.
"I said 'Shut up! I don't care!'"
"Don't care about what?"
It took him a moment to realise that the girl was below him. She was little; she came up to...maybe just above his chin? He couldn't really see much of her as he squinted in the darkness, but had a guess that she was making some stupid, clueless looking face.
"Step out into the light!" He ordered. 'If you're trouble, I'll take you out here and now.'
"Sure." Came the happy response. Happy? Was there something wrong with her? She must have a few screws lose to sound happy at an order being barked at her. But he could easily get used to having people following his every command like that.
The girl stepped out, and Xanxus felt like he was looking at a doll. Of course, not that he really knew what a doll looked like... I mean, it's not like he had ever owned one... Ahem... Awkward.
A doll was really the only thing that could describe the little girl well. She looked two or so years younger than him, but something told him she was actually only one year younger. She had a paler complexion than his own, a light frame and dark, rich red hair that hung in a braid. It hung down her back, so he had no idea how long her hair was. Her face was almost perfectly heart-shaped, only more round about the bottom. The only thing that could have been considered an imperfection was the few, light freckles that were scattered across her cheeks. Those would most likely fade as she got older. Big, doe-like green eyes gazed at him with curiosity, as he tried to think of something to say.
The first thing he did was blush. 'Blush? Why the hell am I blushing? So the hell what if she's pretty?'
"Hello."
"Uh... Hi." 'Wow. Genius, Xanxus, just genius.'
All the same, the little doll smiled up at him happily.
"My name's Poinsettia. What's yours?"
"Pan-what?"
"Pan-what is a bit of an odd name."
"Huh? No! Name's Xanxus. I meant your name."
"Oh! I see. Poinsettia."
"Paincetti?"
"Poinsettia."
"Powaincetti?"
"Poinsettia."
"Oh forget it! Don't you have a nickname or something?" 'Why am I even talking to her?'
She shook her head, almost regretfully.
"Nope! Mother never gave me one."
"Right... I'll just call you woman."
"But I'm not a woman yet."
"Like I care!" 'Stop talking to her!'
With that, Xanxus turned on his heel, in an attempt to get away from the little doll.
"Wait! Is all that for you?"
He looked at the loaf that he had almost forgotten.
"No."
"Oh. Who else is it for?"
"Why aren't you asking why I stole it? And why did you bother helping me? I'm not gonna owe you back! Or thank you! Or share it with you!"
"Hm?" A stupid pretty dimpled smile spread across her face. "You don't have to share it with me! I saw those men drop it on the floor. There was no reason for them to chase you for a loaf they would have just thrown in the bin anyway. I think that was mean of them. But why don't you just buy some nice, clean, new bread?"
The question was completely innocent, empty of contempt, but nonetheless, it made him prickle.
This mindless little girl obviously had three decent meals every day, while him? He had something to eat twice a day, if he was lucky.
"Don't have money."
This made the little doll frown.
"Um... can't you-"
"No. There's nothing I can do but steal." His rage at the world for giving him an unfair life started to seep out into his voice.
"Oh..." He could hear the sadness in her voice and turned to look at her face. She looked sad, and it made him upset and angry at the same time.
"Hey." She looked up in mild surprise.
"Yes, Xanxus?" 'Why is this girl so polite? Doesn't she know street rats don't care for manners?'
"What are you doing here, anyway?" Her face brightened and she looked like a miniature sun. It relieved Xanxus greatly. He had no idea how to deal with a blubbering girl.
"I'm on a trip with mother!"
"Huh?"
"I'm on a trip with mother. She had some business to take care of, and I'm still too young to be left by myself in my tower, so she brought me with her. We've travelled across the entire world to get here!"
'Tower?'
"The entire world?"
"Yup! My tower is actually in Japan, where mother says it's safe for me. But mother's business partners are here."
"Right..." 'This sounds weird...' "How long are you staying?"
"Mm... Mother says it depends. But it could be as long as a year."
"Wait, if you live in Japan, why don't speak Japanese?"
"I do. Mother taught me both Italian and Japanese. And English, and Spanish..." ...and Xanxus let her ramble on by herself for a while. Her voice was nice to listen to. Soothing, even. And she had a kind tone when she spoke to him. It was a pleasant change to the voices full of scorn he was so used to.
"...and she's even teaching me about plants! She's really amazing; she can tell the difference between poisonous ones and-"
'Why the hell would anyone need to know if a plant was poisonous if they had enough money to go buy food for themselves rather than hunt for it?'
"Ok, ok, I get it. Your ma's amazing. And I'm sure she wouldn't want you to follow a sewer rat like me. Now go home."
Xanxus was tired, and he had to get the food to his ma. There was no point in getting to know this girl if she was going to leave and didn't even know when. She had stopped talking, so he turned his back on her and walked away, before she could say another word to him. After a little while, he realised there were footsteps behind him. Small, fast ones.
Without stopping, he looked over his shoulder with a look of irritation.
"Oi! Go home!"
"Erm... this is the way home?"
"Why are you asking? And don't lie. You're a terrible liar. And besides, if you're ma's rich or whatever, your 'home' would be the other way."
This stopped her short for a moment.
"Oh." He turned forward and continued on his way. After another little while, he heard the footsteps once more. He sighed irritably before he turned sharply.
"GO HOME!"
This kind of bellow shocked even some of the older boys in his school when he used it on them. But this girl? She just smiled as if he had given her some flowers.
"Why won't you go?" His question came out more like a demand.
"Because I made a new friend!"
"Eh? Who?"
"You!" She grinned like an idiot. Xanxus felt irked and warm simultaneously. What was it with this girl being able to make him feel contradictory emotions at the same time? It didn't make any sense!
Her idiotic attitude didn't make any sense!
He stared at her for some long seconds, before he realised there was no way of winning an argument against an idiot. He sighed heavily and continued on his way home with his third wheel.
They passed the abandoned hazelnut farm and then the lake, before they finally reached his shabby little house on the outskirts of town. Really, it was embarrassing having a pretty girl come to such an ugly place with a scruffy looking boy, and he was glad whoever was up there was kind enough to not let them meet anyone he knew on the way home.
"Well. Welcome to my castle." He said glumly. She turned to him with an excited smile and curtseyed. He was shocked.
"Why thank you, my dear prince!"
He burst out laughing.
"You've been told way too many fairy tales!" He was actually wiping tears from his eyes. When was the last time he had laughed?
"Told? No one's ever told me a fairy tale. Why? Do people tell you fairy tales?"
"What? No! I'm a boy. Boys don't get told fairy tales! But yeah, that's normally how people get to know them. Wait, if you weren't ever told any, then how do you know about them?"
"I read them in mother's library. She brings me a new book every time she comes over, so I don't get bored in my tower."
'The tower again.'
"You can read?" He looked at her incredulously. This idiot had a brain that could be used?
"Yes, I can! Why? Can't you?"
"No. I mean, yeah. Kinda." She giggled. He prickled, even though the sound was twinkly.
"What?!"
"You can't 'kinda' read. Let me teach you!"
"Teach him what, my dear?"
His ma had come out of the house to see what the commotion was about. After all, she had just heard her son laugh. That in itself was a rarity. And if he ever did laugh, he always tried to hide it. It seemed strange a little girl had made him do so, and even more strange that she herself had laughed as well.
"I'm going to teach Xanxus how to read!"
Great, now his ma was up. He loved her dearly, yes, but that stupidly kind attitude of hers was too sweet to survive in this world. Plus, her body was weak. This was one of the main problems- she was too weak to hold up their family by herself, so that left him with the job.
"I don't need it!" He didn't want to be taught by a little girl! He had some pride!
"Now, now Xanxus. It could very be useful to you. Especially so when you eventually become the boss."
"Boss?"
Before the girl could ask any questions about something so dangerous, he quickly changed the topic.
"Ok, fine. You can teach me. But what do you want in return?" There was little to nothing he could offer her, but he refused to be in her debt.
"Can I ask for anything?" Her eyes almost looked like they had sparkles in them. It made him shifty.
"Well... It depends on whether I can get it for you or not." Was she going to ask him for something expensive? She knew he didn't have any money.
"Really? In that case..."
Or was she going to make him her slave for the rest of their lives? He would have to find out about those poisonous plants from her and drop some into her food if she did.
"...will you tell me a fairy tale?"
"What?" He had lost all control over the muscles in his face and had no idea what his face looked like. All he knew was that his mother was laughing. Which was good, but it was at his expense. Which wasn't so good for his pride.
"Will you tell me a fairy tale?"
He didn't know how to reply. His mother smiled kindly down at him before she turned her smile to the little girl.
"Why don't you come in and have some supper with us my dear? I don't know your name either."
She gladly accepted and his ma, somehow, managed to pull off a pretty decent meal for the three of them. When she asked the girl if her parents would be worried, she simply replied that her mother would usually leave her alone in the house for days at a time, during which she would cook and clean for herself. It was kind of impressive. It was obvious she was lonely though.
'No wonder she would make friends with a sewer rat.'
The evening turned into night and she eventually had to leave. Xanxus' ma told him to walk her to her house to make sure she was safe. He did as he was told. They passed the lake and headed over to the farm, from where she said there was a path right up to her mother's villa. He shrugged and turned away, before he heard her call.
"Xanxus!"
"Yeah?" He turned to see the little doll almost glowing in the sunset. She looked delicate. Maybe he should walk her all the way home.
"You're not a sewer rat."
"What?" Where the hell did that come from? She ran up to him before she continued to speak.
"You're not a sewer rat." She repeated. "You said that earlier today, and it's actually been bothering me ever since. You're not a sewer rat. You're a boy who's going to grow up to be really strong and great." The comment tickled his ego and his lips quirked up into a smirk.
"Hmph. You really think that?"
"No." Figured as much. "I know that. There's a difference."
He rolled his eyes.
"Yeah, yeah, you can talk to me about the titchy differences in language during your lessons-"
Before he could finish his sentence properly, he felt a pair of lips gently brush against his cheek, then plant themselves firmly in a little peck of a kiss. Even though it was just a little one, it made all the blood flow into his cheeks and his eyes widened in shock. Never, never had a girl, aside from his mother, kissed him in his entire life.
"Er, um, you, I mean, I-" She smiled that pretty dimpled smile, only leaving him more to blush about.
"Good night Xanxus. I'll see you tomorrow, ok?"
With that, she waved and ran off down the path. All he could do was dumbly wave back.
A/N: Wow... It's so long! In any case, if anybody spots any mistakes, grammatical/spelling/typos/whatever else, please, please, PLEASE tell me! I've read this chapter about twenty times already and I can't see the mistakes anymore :( But I hope you've enjoyed! :)
Please review and tell me what you think- this story has yet to be finished, and I'm in some need of motivation to finish it. I've got three parts to the prologue that I'll upload before I finish the story, but the main story won't be uploaded until the whole thing is finished and I'm happy with it.
By the way, I deeply apologise for swearing- I usually don't swear (though I don't care if other people do) and find it unprofessional to swear when writing, but with the Varia, it's impossible to not swear :P. I hope it doesn't offend anyone, though you wouldn't read about Xanxus if you did mind the swearing, so anyway...XD
