Just a little something that this quote inspired. Takes place around the time she finishes university.
~Panther-chan
P.S.: Title is Latin for "As One"
Acer tossed and turned in her sleep, dreams of gunshots and wounds plaguing her mind. Finally, she sat up with a sharp gasp, holding down a scream by pressing both hands to her mouth. She panted heavily, eyes clamped shut, and put her clammy hands on the blanket, trying to wipe away the sweat. Gore still filled her mind, and pain was forming in her left shoulder. She poked it experimentally, and almost cried out at the first touch. It felt like a fresh bullet wound.
If Xanxus had been in the base, she would have gone to him. He was insisting that she move in his rooms, but she still wanted her small measure of privacy. It was too soon, in her opinion. They lived in the same mansion: they didn't need to share a room 24/7, as well.
At the moment, he was gone on a weeklong mission. He was two days late coming back, though, and it worried her. She knew that he was nigh on invincible: his Flames were powered by his anger, and he was very easy to enrage. But, she was still worried about him. She loved him. It was only to be expected.
"Xanxus..." she murmured, savouring the way the name left her mouth. Simply the name was powerful enough to make grown Mafiosos cry. Wouldn't that mean the man himself would be so much stronger? Still, she worried, and she left her room in her makeshift pyjamas: grey sweats that were longer than her legs, and a long-sleeved black cotton shirt. Bare feet padded carefully all the way to the kitchen on the second floor, used only by the Officers, and she prepared a kettle of tea for herself. The tea was an import directly from Japan, her homeland, and she was thankful for it. Green tea had always helped to calm her down, no matter the situation.
This time, it did nothing. She still worried, she still wished to know where he was, and she still wished to be there with him. Her shoulder had stopped hurting and had turned cold and numb from her Flame, but her head was still filled to the brim with images of someone standing over her, mouthing words slowly with a large smile, and shooting her in the shoulder.
She winced when she poked it carefully, and sighed, sipping her tea.
"Is the Queen feeling bad?" Belphegor whispered gently from the shadows behind her. He stepped into the kitchen with a petulant expression. "The Prince is supposed to be keeping the Queen happy in the King's absence!"
"I know, Bel." She motioned him forward. He took a step into her gentle, one-armed hug, and smiled again, wrapping his own arms around her waist. "It's just a bad dream, is all."
"Of what?"
"Of... well, of torture."
"That's not very happy."
"It was a bad dream."
"Ushishishi..."
She smiled at his odd laughter and squeezed his shoulder before releasing him to take another sip of tea. Her left arm was still feeling weak, so she had to use her right hand to support the dark blue mug. Her black hair framed her face like a curtain, and a tiny hand brushed it back behind her ear.
"Perhaps I can help, then?"
"Ah, Mammon!" She smiled, taking his child's hand in her own, softly, like a mother would her own child. "I don't think you can help keep them away... Something's telling me that it's important. More than just a dream."
"What was it about?"
"Torture." Belphegor hugged her again at the word, soundlessly offering his support, should it be needed.
"Were you the torturer or the victim?"
"Victim."
"Were you tied down?" Mammon floated into the air, hovering within arm's reach of her face.
"Yes, to a chair."
"Hm... What was the perception?"
"Kind of like a fishbowl. Slow."
"I see... It's a message." He went from side to side, restlessly bobbing up and down as he went.
"From whom?" Acer cocked her head to the side, taking another sip of tea.
"I don't know." He settled down on Bel shoulder, placing his small hand on her cheek apologetically.
She sighed, and smiled. "Well, thank you anyway."
Mammon nodded, and left again, through the shadowed doorway and into the darkness. She smiled down at Bel and waved him off. "To bed with you. Even genius princes need their sleep."
"And what of the Queen?"
"I'll be fine."
He nodded and followed Mammon's path, leaving her alone once more. The silence weighed heavily on her mind and she grimaced. "A message... From who? Someone who needs help? Someone..." not here? She finished her words in her head, piecing together the puzzle of her nightmare.
Someone needed her help. Someone who wasn't here. Someone who was close enough to give her a nightmare about it. Someone...
"Xanxus," she growled, throwing the mug into the sink, where it shattered. She was already gone, opening her room door and calling for Levi. "Organize the troops into a shield formation around the base. Get Belphegor here, now. Tell Lussuria to let the Ninth and Tenth know that Xanxus needs help and I'm going with Bel and Mammon, and that should anyone interfere, I will kill them. Squalo is to remain here and get Shamal and Cloak on-base within an hour. I don't give a shit if they're in the middle of their own emergency. Xanxus comes first."
"Yes!" He saluted immediately and barked out orders. Within a minute, she was ready, and Belphegor and Mammon were running after her.
"Silvio!" She stopped at the driver's window, yanking the door open. The other two Varia members in the back. "Give me the wheel."
"Yes." He shifted over to the passenger's side, ready to take the wheel should she fail.
"Mammon, location."
"Yes." He sneezed into his special paper and held it in front of his face. "Take the San Dominio highway south, and we'll go from there."
"Got it."
The car peeled out of the driveway, speeding off like a bullet. The air grew cold as she raised her Flame to a level just below surfacing, allowing her reflexes to keep their car from flattening against a wall or tree. Silvio's face somehow remained flat, and Belphegor was laughing insanely as he was tossed around the backseats. Mammon had transferred himself to Acer's lap to allow her to look at his Sticky Picture map.
Soon, they were hurtling down a narrow paved path through thick woods. "Bel, you take care of the extras. Mammon, you're with me. We'll sneak in, and you'll make Xanxus invisible while I take care of the rest. In terms of payment, this is to be considered a search and rescue. Got it?"
"Yes," they said firmly.
"Silvio?"
"Yes, miss?"
"Stay with the car, and get ready for a quick getaway."
"Yes, miss." He nodded firmly, as well, and determination briefly crossed his features before they settled into indifference once again.
The car screeched to a halt in front of an old, run-down manor, and Bel leaped out, throwing knives and retracting them, only to throw them again. Foes ran out of the woodwork like bugs, and Prince the Ripper squashed them all with an insane glee.
Mammon followed her, in the air, into the manor itself, and she whispered for him to cover them both. Soon enough, they were invisible to everyone but each other, and she marched right into the building, kicking down doors and alarming everyone who couldn't see them.
She reached a newer-looking steel door, and scowled before glancing at the frame. That was still made of wood, so she covered her hand in Ice and ripped through it, letting the door fall to the ground and stepping into the room. She came to a stop in front of Xanxus, who was tied to a chair with the steel ropes used to support bridges.
"Mammon," she growled lowly.
"Yes?"
"Show this motherfucker his worst nightmare."
"Right away, General." He used her official title, and turned to the man holding a nine-piece whip and a gun. The rest of the world faded from her mind, screams littering the background as she created a small Ice dagger from the ice previously covering her hand. She slit easily through the bindings, catching Xanxus when he pitched forward.
"Togatta...?" he asked in a raspy voice, already trying to stand on his own. She aided him, seeing clouded red eyes stare wearily into her own. "Why are you here?"
"I had a bad dream. Thought you could help me out."
He smiled, and shook his head. "Lie."
"I had a bad dream, and figured out that you could use some help."
"Close enough."
She smiled, and kissed his cheek, wiping away the blood on his face and sighing. "Quite a mess you got into. Come on, let's get you back to base."
"Who's here?"
"Myself, Mammon, and Belphegor. Silvio's waiting with our getaway car."
He nodded, and almost toppled over when he took a step forward. She grimaced, and helped him stand. "I'm going to freeze some of your wounds and use Ice to support the torn muscles and broken bones, alright?"
"Yeah," he responded wearily, allowing her Flame to invade his body. The freezing sensation was oddly comforting, and as he lost his ability to feel the pain through the cold, he stood up straight and walked on his own, motioning to Mammon to stop the illusion.
"You thought that was you worst nightmare, didn't you, scum?" he growled. "Guess again." He lit his hand with a bright Flame and held it to the man's face as he screamed and thrashed. Acer grinned, and used Ice to tie him down, much like he had done to Xanxus. When the screaming stopped, the leader of the Varia held up his hand to see the man's half-melted brain. He snarled, and stepped away, letting his Flame burn the gore off his hand.
When they reached the car, Belphegor was holding up someone's head, a horrible grimace on its features, and was using it to recite lines from Macbeth. Acer chuckled, and called out to him. "Come on, Bel! We're going home."
"Ushishishi..."
She helped Xanxus into the furthest seat of the custom-made car, Belphegor in the middle and Mammon in the passenger's seat to give instructions to Silvio. Xanxus was laying on his back, one foot on the floor and the other propped up against the bottom of the window. His head lay in Acer's lap, and she stroked his hair gently, smiling at him softly. He was asleep, and she allowed the cold to fade from his body.
She took her cell phone from her pocket and called Squalo. "VOI! What is it?"
"How are things on your end?" she responded quietly, so as not to wake Xanxus.
"Fucking fine. Some trash tried to attack. We got one alive, said his boss told him to attack when Xanxus was out of commission. You?"
"We've got Xanxus, and we're heading back now. The rest of the Family?"
"Wondering what the fuck's going on."
"Tell them I'll explain when I get back. Are the doctors there yet?"
"Yeah. Lotta grumbling and moaning, but the two are here."
"Good. Let Iemitsu know that CEDEF has a job when I get back."
"Will do. Ciao."
"Later."
She slipped it back into her pocket, sighing softly. "I've got you, Xanxus. I've got you.
Lol, when I wrote that VOI for Squalo, Word capitalized it for me. My computer knows my favourite characters! Woo!
Yeah, this quote inspired me to write a one-shot about Acer and Xanxus. That, and a review from Diva that made my day. I agree, Xanxus x Acer forever!
~Panther-chan