Chaossu! Here is the second chapter of Revertemur, longer than I had originally designed... maybe a bit too long, I'll try not to pull it too long for the next time u.u
So what about the chapter itself? I must say that it was... intense. Whether to be written, to be revised, or to be designed, I hope it didn't come out as a mess!
I always invite to point out errors, inaccuracies and other things that could make your nose turn up! I apologize for my bad English and for the grammatical horrors I might have done... I'm still learning T.T
Every help is always welcome!
Small fun-notsofun- fact: I know that we Italians (yes, I'm from Italy xD) don't use suffixes like "-san" or "-sama" or "-kun", but what can I say? They help to make better the degree of respect and confidence that people feel for each other, and then I'm a fag of Japan for certain habits, so... I hope you don't mind me!
Happy reading to everyone and see you soon!
ArhiShay
P.S.
«.» -dialogues
"." -thoughts
italics -The speeches of the Guardians that only Hayato can hear.
Relaxing under the hot water jet, Hayato felt reborn.
It was nice to bask in the shower, in peace, letting the stress and the problems of the day be dragged away from the water, down all over his body, swallowed in the exhaust from which -Hayato really hoped this- they wouldn't re-emerge. Not too soon, at least.
A lot of things had happened -too much in too little time- and although most of his memories had taken over, there were still some dark holes that he couldn't fill -shit, he hated not knowing things, especially if it was at stake the safety of the person he was most attached to.
And the idiots in his head were of no use.
Who did you call idiot, octopus head?!
«You all, lawn head!» he growled.
When did he ever accept that compromise? It would have been better to do everything by himself, without charging unnecessary burdens which, according to him, would only have slowed him down -and without condemning himself to feeling the irritating presence of Lambo and Ryohei constantly in contact with the brain.
The good news was that now -having acquired the awareness and memories of the life in the other world- he no longer suffered each time that one of the unwanted tenants tried to communicate with him.
Kfufufufu, what a shame. It was fun to see you wriggling like a worm.
He thought about it. Having that guy in close contact with his mind was certainly the worst of the whole situation.
Careful not to make abrupt movements -damn, it seemed that his body had remained planted in cement for at least ten years, so was aching and debilitated- ended up washing, enjoying of that wonderful feeling for a few more minutes.
He closed the water knob and left the shower, wrapping his pelvis in a soft towel and taking a second, in which he picked up the silvery hair that, in those last days, had grown thicker and longer. Taking a lock between his fingers, turning it over and studying its reflections under the neon lights, he said to himself that perhaps it was time to give it a shot.
Returning to the room that Luce had made available to him -without handcuffs to surround his wrists this time- Hayato tried to feel part of that new world, at least trying to conceal the deep discomfort that gripped his stomach in being there at that time, in a room that he didn't recognize as his own. In a time when it should not have existed.
«You can stay with us as much as you want, Hayato-kun.» It was Luce's kind words, to which he could reply with a faint smile and a nod.
He was grateful to her -all of them were- but he couldn't feel part of the big family where the woman had lovingly welcomed him. The constant feeling of being out of place, wrong, was always there, treacherous, ready to insinuate the doubt that it is nothing but a burden for Luce and all the Giglio Nero Family. Maybe it was really that way.
He took a red shirt from the large closet that had been made available to him, opting for a classic black suit, like those he used to wear in his time, when he could stand next to his Boss without worries, happy to live with his family, the only one he had ever had.
With his trousers pulled up, he left his red shirt lying on the desk chair, allowing himself a moment to rest and sitting on the wide four-poster bed -too conspicuous for him, but he didn't want to disrespect the Giglio Nero and their kindness- and there the gaze immediately jumped on the red writing of the alarm clock, resting on the table next to it.
He rechecked the date two, three times, as if to be sure not to have misread, that Mukuro, from his comfortable position, wasn't deceiving him with some kind of vision: unfortunately, that bastard didn't have any guilt this time.
Two years. They had arrived two -fucking- years early, in an age when the Tenth had not yet issued the first cry in the world. Nana-san didn't even have to be pregnant yet.
At least we know we are on time!
Yamamoto's stupid optimism was able to make him pissed off even now -after all the time they had spent together, Hayato refrained from crushing him to death just to not grieve the Boss- but he found himself sharing, at least in part, the positive vision of Takeshi.
«True, we just need to understand what to do while we wait.»
«Maybe I can help you.»
Luce's entry was unexpected, but Hayato didn't fade away, standing up from his position and greeting the Giglio Nero Boss with a bow, apologizing for the unseemly attire he was presenting to her. Luce reassured him, not at all annoyed by the vision of her young guest without a shirt, as if it were now a habit for her to witness the same scene endless times. And perhaps -living with so many men under her wing- was not far from reality.
What really disturbed her was something else.
Luce stopped a few steps away from him, studying with her gaze the imposing figure of Gokudera Hayato, at least three spans taller than her, with a trained physique and broad shoulders, an example of strength and beauty that would have tempted artists of great fame.
A marble beauty but lived despite the young age, to be imprinted in the stone and handed down in the years to come. An opportunity that not even Michelangelo Buonarrotti would have let slip.
Yet, while maintaining its beauty, what took Luce's smile away, was finding on that body so young, so many scars that it couldn't even count them all: deep furrows that dug deep into the skin, scattered on every part of the body of the boy, with the only exception of the face. His face had remained immaculate, beautiful, proud and full of his lost youth.
Without fear, without asking permission and letting herself be guided by her instinct, Luce held up a hand until she could brush her fingers with those scars as terrible as they were hypnotic.
Gokudera let her do it, studying the gentle touch with which Luce now touched his abdomen, now his chest, then up to his arm, each time on a different wound, on a wound not only his.
«Mio Dio...»
«It was the price to pay. To become one we had to share everything, including the wounds.»
For several moments they remained silent. Luce, who studied the scars touch by touch, and Hayato who simply looked at her, trying to understand what she thought -what she felt when she saw his scarred body.
In the end it was Hayaro who broke the gloomy silence, trying to play down, tearing Luce away from the visions that the wounds were showing her.
«It's not that bad, it could have been much worse. I could lose an eye and inherit that of the crazy one with the pineapple head. Fortunately it didn't happen.»
Kfufufufu want to die, Gokudera Hayato? Know that from here I have excellent access to your mind.
Ignoring Mukuro's threat -the hell, if he hoped to scare him with so little he didn't know him at all-he forced himself to smile. There was no need to worry her about something as useless as those old wounds, which had no meaning other than to prove the effective union of the Guardians of the Tenth Vongola Generation.
«Seriously, Luce-sama, don't worry about us, we do not really need it.»
Luce nodded mechanically, without looking up from the scars, letting the visions continue one after the other, eager to know the story behind each of them.
Spade. Bombs. Wires. Knives. Lightning. Fire. Bullets. Flames. Numerous, various, one more painful than the other -just looking could feel the pain that each of them had procured- and each belonging to a different face.
Only in some she had seen Gokudera's pretty face -angry, suffering, powerless- while other unknown faces had appeared before her eyes, at the exact moment when the disfigure had been inflicted.
«It must have been hard for you, for all of you. Your Boss must be an exceptional person to deserve so much loyalty.» Luce smiled at him, crossing her arms behind her back and leaning forward, hiding behind her usual spontaneity the trembling that ran along her arms.
What these boys had passed, what she had been able to see at the time, was a future she couldn't accept. Too much pain, too much suffering and unjustified violence. How could she leave Aria -her beloved and only daughter, the light that still bound her to their world- at the mercy of a future like that? She couldn't, simply refused to let her daughter live a life in pain and despair.
Hayato let a faint smile curl his thin lips -the memory of the warm light of the Sky that still enveloped him in his body and soul- looking at Luce without really seeing her, lost in his own memories.
«Yes, he was.»
And he will be again. A promise, to himself and to the others, that he would have kept at any cost.
And we will make sure that nothing is placed on our and on his path.
Hayato grinned. For once, the stupid cow had said something sensible.
He returned to focus on the woman -Gokudera never told her that he saw her hand shake, or the tear that had escaped her cheek while studying his scarred body- asking her politely if she needed anything from him.
Luce seemed to recover, remembering like a bolt from the blue the reason why, that morning, she had rushed into her young guest's room with a cheerful expression.«Ah yes! I wanted to...»
A dizziness, her eyes tired and heavy suddenly, the awareness of not being able to bear even more than her weight, and the world began to swirl dangerously around her. Luce felt her strength fail, her legs suddenly soft, and if Hayato had not been there by her side, she would probably have fallen to the ground.
«Luce-sama!»
While the annoying voices of his companions boomed in the eardrums -the Flames that were agitated pushing to free themselves, in apprehension and panic- Gokudera took care to take in his arms the fragile woman who had collapsed at his feet, lying on his bed and giving her a few moments to rest. The breath had suddenly become quicker, more breathless, and she was so pale that it looked almost like a ghost. Despite everything, however, she found the strength to smile and reassure him.
«I would not... wanted you... seeing me... like that... what an embarrassment...» and Hayato had to change his mind.
Luce was not at all fragile -no, a fragile woman could never smile like that, not in that situation- instead she was one of the strongest women he had ever met.
Kfufufufu, it seems that the curse has progressed more than we had foreseen.
Hayato nodded.
«Yes, I also think it's because of the curse.» He murmured to himself, touching the woman's forehead and cursing. It was icy as ice: «Luce-sama ... Luce-sama, since when are you under the influence of the curse?»
He gave himself the idiot alone. How could he hasn't noticed it before? Damn, it was so obvious that the curse had existed for so long -too long. Because Luce-sama was already an Arcobaleno -she herself had confirmed it the day they had spoken for the first time, almost a week ago- and yet she had already returned to her adult form.
Keep calm, octopus head! We must extremely help her!
Luce looked at him, and with a sigh confessed that it was now several years -almost twenty if memory didn't deceive her- that the cycle of the curse had begun.
Hayato cursed. "Fuck, if only I had been more careful!"
«A-Aria... s-she... she already knows everything. S-Soon... soon my powers... they will pass to her...» she breathed, enough to be able to look Hayato in the eyes for a few moments, smiling at him mortified. They were really beautiful, Luce's blue eyes, as determined as those of Yuni had been that time, when wrapped in Gamma's embrace she had been ready to sacrifice her life to save the lives of them all.
«I-I wished... just more time... t-to be with her... a-and see her grow up...» perhaps the only regret that Luce could never leave behind.
H-Hayato-san, we must save her!
Chrome sounded desperate, but Gokudera didn't move. He clenched his fists against the bed, biting his lower lip, powerless, uncertain about what was right to do at that moment.
They were there to change the future -all that they had given up, which they had left behind in the other world, they had done to guarantee their Sky the happiness he deserved- but at the same time they knew that too much change to the story they knew could have led to changes well beyond their predictions.
It was right to allow time to run it's course, to repeat events as they had been, even if this meant letting some lives be sacrificed.
One growled low, the frustration turning into determination.
"Fuck! The Tenth would not have allowed it!" Was his only thought. The Boss would have sacrificed his life in order to allow someone else to live even a few minutes longer, and Hayato would not have remained motionless to watch while someone died before his eyes. He would no longer be able to face the Tenth if he let the Arcobaleno curse continue to cause victims when he could stop it.
Luce deserved to raise her daughter, deserved to know the extraordinary nephew she would have in the future.
Abaut time variations -and any other fucking problem attached to them- they would have thought about it later.
Herbivorous, do it.
Hayato grinned. «Tze, I don't need you to tell me!»
And within himself he felt that each of them felt the same, the Flames stirred in his chest, burning with impatience, in response to the desire that animated the spirits of the Guardians. It was the will of the Tenth, and until the end they would respect it.
Luce looked at Hayato's green eyes -so clear, beautiful- and saw again the hope that had pushed her to save him, a dazzling light at the end of a long tunnel wrapped in darkness.
«Luce-sama, do you know how much time you have left? Please, it's important!»
With difficulty, deprived of the energy needed even to speak, Luce felt the weariness weighing down her body, unable to make any movement. A warm Sun Flame radiated her, flooding it with enough energy to make the breath return smoothly. She must also have regained some color, but she wasn't sure.
She saw Hayato next to her, smiling, while from one of the many rings he always carried with him, Sun Flames brought her back to life. For a moment, an instant, Luce thought she saw the young man's eyes change color, but maybe it was just an impression. And yet -she found herself thinking, having a look at the Flames that were generously offered to her- that silvery tint that she thought she had glimpsed was really clear, to be a mere illusion.
«Two weeks. Maybe less.»
«It's not a long time, but we have to extremely try.» Hayato -it was really him?- smiled, giving her something she hadn't had for a long time: a hope.
«We can do it, we can extremely break the curse, Luce-sama!»
Two weeks were not many, but the influence that Luce had in the mafia was enough to allow him to gather enough people with powerful Dying Will Flames necessary to break the curse once and for all.
In that dimension, in a fortuitous jest of fate, it seemed that the existence of active Flames was in the public domain -but always limited in the mafia world- far in advance of what wasn't in their world. The more you were able to control your Flames, the more fame and respect you earned among the members of the mala. Even the purity of the Flames and the type were as important as the skills.
Nervously, trying to tie his tie as quickly as possible, Hayato wondered how the Tenth had managed to endure so much pressure, the first time he had to speak in front so many powerful people gathered all in one spot.
Tsuna is a very special person.
«Tze, I don't need you to tell me, baseball freak!»
It was obvious that the Tenth was special -Hayato knew it from their first meeting, when Tsuna had saved his life from his own stupidity- certainly didn't remind him that idiot.
Kfufufufu seems that our dear Storm Guardian doesn't hold the pressure.
«Shut up, pineapple head! I would really like to see you in my place!»
Thinking about it, leaving Rokudo Mukuro alone with the most of the Bosses of the most powerful mafia Families afloat wasn't a good idea at all, and found himself thanking the fate that he was the only one able to contain the Flames and the wishes of others Guardians.
He tied his hair, wearing his jacket and looking at the mask that Luce had made available for the occasion, in his specific request. He couldn't cause problems to the himself of that world -although he wasn't born yet he wanted to prevent any possible association with the one who would one day be Gokudera Hayato- and Luce had found herself to agree with his thought.
Once the ceremony was over, escaping the certain questions that the Arcobaleno and other Families would probably have had for him, he would have made sure to be unrecognizable to anyone.
«Nervous?» Luce peeked into the room, alone, still pale with the efforts of the last few weeks, but more hopeful than she had ever been in the last few years.
«A bit. I wondered how the Boss managed to hold the pressure the other time. Every day I realize how extraordinary he was.»
Luce smiled, gently pulling the mask from Hayato's fingers and placing it over his nose, making sure it was firm on his face, big enough to cover his eyes and hide his identity from everyone.
«This will help you disguise your voice, it's a little rough, but in this era it's all I can offer you.»
Smiling, Hayato took in his fingers the small device that the Giglio Nero's Boss had provided, placing it precisely between the molars at the back of the mouth, chewing gently a couple of times to make sure it didn't slip suddenly.
«Your help was fundamental, Luce-sama. We can never thank you enough.»
Giving him a light tap on the forehead -loving, delicate, like a mother- Luce looked at him gratefully, as if she were the one to have an impossible debt to pay off against them.
«It's me who don't know how to repay you, Hayato-kun. You... you are giving me the opportunity to raise my daughter, to live this life that I thought I had to leave.»
They remained staring for a few moments. Gokudera believed he owed his life to Luce, that without her he wouldn't have lived long enough to see the Boss again, and in the same way Luce believed she owed everything to Hayato -to all the Guardians who jealously guarded in his soul- that he was giving her a hope she no longer believed since the day she had been cursed.
There was respect and gratitude between them, a simple yet complex relationship, built beyond space and time, hidden from all those who could never really understand.
Offering her the arm, Hayato proposed to accompany her to the room where the guests anxiously awaited their arrival. Luce accepted it willingly, siding next to the young man to whom she would offer support to escape the questions of the curious and the suspicious.
«Have you already decided how you will present yourself to others?»
In one way or another -in a space/time that would never have been really his- the name Gokudera would no longer accompany his image, leaving behind both happy and sad memories, both the regrets of the past and the gratifications of the future.
Yet he couldn't afford to assume the identities of the other Guardians, for more or less the same reason. Everyone had another self who was waiting for the right opportunity to bind themselves to the Sky, and they couldn't let them come into contact with the Mafia before it was necessary.
«We discussed it, and how obvious we should have left our surnames, no one excluded.» It had been difficult, but necessary.«But we'll keep our names. Excluding today's ceremony, they're pretty common names in Japan, they should not create too many problems.»
Luce admired the strength with which they were facing their destiny. They were young -according to Hayato's words, the youngest must have been sixteen or a little less- and yet they had not been intimidated by anything, challenging the same laws of the universe in order to rejoin and protect their Sky. Anyone who was worthy of such loyalty -thought Luce while smiling at Hayato's determination- was supposed to be a truly extraordinary person. She would have liked to meet him one day.
«About that, how should I introduce you to our guests?»
They had thought about it, all of them together, and since it was Hayato who controlled the whole operation, the only codename he would have answered would have been only one.
«Arashi.»
Kfufufufu, we lack imagination eh?
«Certainly better than any of your suggestion, pineapple head!» he growled, snatching an amused smile at Luce.
In front of the door that separated them from the living room where the guests waited anxiously, Hayato felt the muscles stiffen under the skin, unable suddenly to move a single step. He felt the eyes of the Giglio Nero's Boss stand on him, worried, anxious, and a lump in his throat prevented him from breathing calmly.
Breathe, Gokudera. Everything will be fine.
Takeshi had always been the calmest among them. He was the only one able to bring tranquility back to where Storm and Sun carried their chaotic energy, where the Lightning ravaged with his impetuosity, where the Cloud obscured with his force, and where the Mist brought chaos behind his fog. A gentle Rain that washed away every problem.
Infusing his flames in Hayato's muscles, letting these flow in every part of his body, dissolving the tension and relaxing the nerves, Hayato regained the calm necessary to face the situation.
«I'm ready.»
He didn't thank Takeshi -he would have cut his tongue rather- but there was no need to do it. They had known each other for so long -Gokudera could count on their fingertips the times he had been happy about their long friendship- and even without words expressing their feelings, Yamamoto had already perceived the gratitude of the storm. And then he was literally in close contact with his emotional sphere, he had to be please.
The Giglio Nero mansion was in turmoil that day, hosting in its large living room and in the well-kept back garden some of the most important figures in the world of the mafia.
Among the many known faces, Hayato was able to identify at first glance Sawada Iemitsu -younger than he remembered, not too far from his age- that flanked the Nono Boss of the Vongola, Timoteo di Vongola, smiling and conversing with some other minor Boss witch Gokudera didn't remember the name.
Not far from what he imagined to be the father of Bucking Horse, the current Ninth Boss of the Cavallone Family, fully dressed in a cream-colored suit with vertical stripes. Despite his advanced age, Hayato couldn't help but notice the frightful resemblance of the father to the son.
If the herbivore dared to show up, I will bite him to death.
«No, you will not do it, Hibari you asshole. You'll be good or I'll make you explode.» No matter how little he tolerated the presence of Bronco -whenever the stupid face of Cavallone came back to him he wanted to blow it up forever- he didn't want to risk getting too much attention.
And leaving the Cloud to kill the Cavallone's heir was far beyond simple "attracting attention": it was a veritable declaration of war.
The surnames, Gokudera. We have to stop calling ourselves with those.
«You just did it yourself, baseball freak.» Takeshi's annoying laugh made him grunt.
Going back to the crowd, Hayato spotted another pair of known and unknown faces, including a tall, powerful man with a big sword behind his back and -but he only realized this at a second glance- without a hand. Only by recognizing the uniform he wore, Hayato understood the treatise of Tyr, the Sword Emperor before Squalo and current head of the Vongola's Elite Independent Assassination Squad: Varia.
It was terrifying to look at the long scar that disfigured his face, in a perfect oblique cut that ran across the length of his face. The indigo Flames of Chrome within him scarcely shook, while the stupid cow burst into tears as the man impressed him, waving the Lightning Flames in a mixture of fear and terror. A green sizzle glinted on the ring in his right hand, but he was able to suppress it instantly.
«Stupid cow... try to contain yourself.»
«All right, Ha... Arashi?» Luce corrected herself at his side as they advanced along the upper corridor, still hidden from the guests' eyes, to the stairwell that would take them to the center of the hall.
With a furtive glance, Hayato spotted the other six Arcobaleno and Lal Mirch, surrounded by Luce's men so that they weren't disturbed, and lost a second too much on the family figure of Reborn.
He smiled.
«Never been better.»
The Sun Flames stirred in response to his emotion.
Yosh! It's all extremely exciting!
One of Luce's men -Pietro, if he remember correctly- announced the arrival of his Boss to the hall, which fell into a glacial, oppressive silence. All eyes stared at them, and no one spoke.
They studied Luce, wrapped in her classic white dress -the dress that every Giglio Nero Boss had had since the first generation- and on the mysterious figure that held her firmly under his arm, his face concealed by a black mask, hiding from the guests' sight not only the facial features, but also the eyes of the young man.
When the last step came down, the Arcobaleno gathered around their Boss, scanning the boy at her side with suspicion. Experience had taught them that trusting someone wearing a mask was never a good idea.
With a nod Luce reassured them, then turning her attention to the guests who had responded to her appeal, welcoming them in her home with a warm smile, but never detached from the strong grip of Arashi.
«I thank you all for being here today.» He began, turning his attentions to the Arcobaleno. She barely paused on Reborn, exchanging with him a more intense look, laden with hidden meanings that only they knew. «You're all wondering why I've got a sudden call, well, the time has come for the explanations.»
She took a few steps to the center of the room, Arashi always by her side, ready to support in case the forces had failed her.
«As you know, a terrible curse falls on the head of the seven Arcobaleno, the so-called strongest children in the world, of which I myself belong.»
There was a general buzz of those who knew and those who had been shocked to learn that the Boss of the Giglio Nero -a woman apparently adult and in some ways common- was part of the group of cursed children. The same Arcobaleno found it absurd that their leader had exposed herself to such a risk by revealing her nature.
For a moment, Luce believed she had made a mistake. Whispers became words, and words became screams. Soon, the confusion invaded the salon, and her voice -faint, too weak, was now at the limit- could not overwhelm the chaos that she had generated.
«Shut up!» Arashi's scream, furious, terrifying, enveloped in a murderous aura so intense as to make even the Arcobaleno shudder, echoed in the hall. There was the most impervious storm in his aura, and silence fell again.
Luce was grateful to him, caressing her hand so that he could recall his flames -escaped in the form of a murderous aura that had been able to instill fear in the most famous mafia Bosses of their time- and at least partly trying to dissolve the tension that had come to create. She didn't want to inspire fear in her guests, not when it didn't seem necessary.
«I know that many of you will have many questions, you will be confused by my words, but please listen to what I have to say.» she turned to the young man by her side, resting a hand on his chest and catching a breath -no, not yet, it was not enough, she had to resist. «He is Arashi, a trusted subordinate of mine, a person in whom I place my utmost trust. It is thanks to him that we are here today, because of the sensational discovery he was able to make.»
Arashi took a step forward, supporting Luce by the shoulders and making sure she was fine, that the forces still supported her, and only when he was sure of her condition he turned to the crowd.
Reborn didn't like how those two were close, he didn't like to see the physical contact between them, the unconditional trust that Luce had in that boy that even he -he couldn't really believe- didn't know it existed. But he didn't say anything and listened, confident that whatever the reason why the Arcobaleno Boss had kept silent about the mysterious stranger, surely had a valid reason for the base.
«I found a way to break the Arcobaleno curse.»
And again, it was chaos.
Arashi really hated being interrupted. Mentally thanked Luce for preventing him from presenting himself armed to that meeting, because if he had had some of his sticks of dynamite on hand, the entire mansion would become a bomb.
There were always rings, however, from those never separated.
I can always lend you my power, it is particularly effective on fools.
He thought of Mukuro's proposal, he did it seriously, instead he just screamed, raised his voice as only Ryohei could do.
And in the end he managed to get everyone's attention.
«Looks like the party is here.»
The entry of the Vindice was equally chaotic. At the sight of Bermuda and his men, many lost their temper, dominated by the panic of having the most ruthless jailers of the underworld right in front of their eyes, but Arashi didn't become intimidated.
They had already beaten them once, and although the Tenth was the one to do so the other time, he was quite confident that he could come out victorious from a confrontation with the Vindice.
Tze, you overestimate yourself a little too much, herbivore.
As if he didn't think the same.
They made their way along the room until Arashi found them one inch from his nose, and stood still studying them suspiciously, bringing Luce behind him as if to hide it from the very presence of Bermuda and Jager.
«I'm here, brat, as promised.» The child addressed him, without moving from his position on the shoulder of his right-hand man.
Arashi nodded. «I'm pleased. You won't regret listening to me, Bermuda.»
An angry breath left the lips of the head Vindice. «It will be better for you, brat. Otherwise my prison will be the last thing you'll see for the rest of your life.»
«One more reason for my plan to work then, I'm not going to spend eternity staring at the ugly face of you Vindice.»
If he were alone, Jager would probably have beaten him, but it seemed that the spontaneity with which he allowed himself to speak at the smallest of the jailers left Bermuda amused.
Arashi couldn't see his face, but he was sure Bermuda was grinning. «Where is the buffet then? I'm starving.»
The entry of Kawahira instead was more difficult to control. The hatred of Bermuda and the Arcobaleno for that man was cool and pulsating, it was hard to force them to listen to his plan rather than jump to Checker Face's throat, but somehow he did it. Perhaps -and only perhaps- he had recalled the Flames of the Rain to quiet the spirits. And maybe -but always and only by hypothesis- under the mask, the eyes were dyed brown.
He felt Kawahira's gaze on him as long as he illustrated how, with the help of Talbot and the Night Flames of the Vindice, they could hold the power of pacifiers without sacrificing the lives of currents Arcobaleno, and without the need to create new ones, but he pretended not to notice. That fool -past, present or future- made him uneasy.
«After this you will release the curse on the seven present here and Lal Mirch, definitively closing the cycle of human sacrifice without affecting the balance of the world.»
To everyone's ears it seemed a reasonable and well-studied plan, which needed only powerful Flames to be put in place -this explained then the gathering of so many important figures in the mafia world. However, Kawahira seemed more interested in the boy himself than in what he had to say.
«You have a strange aura, kid. As if there were more within you... six, no, seven burning and active Flames.» For a moment, Arashi flickered.
Checker Face smiled, winking in his direction and accepting the compromise that had been explained to him.
The ceremony was longer than they remembered -they didn't remember using so much energy the first time, but maybe it depended on the power of the Flames- but thanking the Gods and the good star of the Arcobaleno, everything seemed to go right.
Finally the curse was dissolved and the Arcobaleno cycle interrupted. Everything was fine, a perfect happy ending.
«Wait a moment! If the curse is broken, explain to me why I'm still a suckling toddler!» Skull protested, raising his dried-up helmet and stamping his foot hard. «And why did Lal was the only one to come back as before?»
Of all the cursed, excluding Luce, Lal Mirch was the only one to have regained an adult appearance.
Kawahira fanned his face with the fan he always held up his sleeve, snickering annoyingly. «The curse is broken, Skull-kun, you can be sure of that.»
Arashi flanked Luce to make sure she was okay, while supporting the words of Checker Face.
«Don't worry, you should start growing shortly. Time a few years and you will be back to your original age. Lal Mirch immediately returned to her original age since she wasnìt a complete Arcobaleno, while for you, Luce-sama... Luce-sama!»
Luce had collapsed to the ground on her knees, suddenly becoming weak and unable to sustain her own weight for a long time. She cried, her cupped hands covered her mouth, while her little Cosmo -where he had been up to that moment, Arashi didn't know- ran to her, settling on his mistress's lap and looking at her worriedly.
«I... I can l-live... I can be with my sweet Aria... I... I'm alive.» she didn't believe it, she couldn't.
Arashi smiled, clasping her shoulder and reassuring her that she no longer had to worry, that she could now smile beside her daughter without fear. It could be a mother laughing at her child's side.
Prey to strong tremors, sobbing, Luce took in her hands those large and strong of Arashi, staring into his face, over the mask that at the others could hide everything, but through which Luce could see the green eyes that had given her hope.
«Thanks... thanks... thanks!»
Arashi didn't dare to interrupt her. He simply smiled at her, while the Flames were bursting brightly under his skin, enthusiastic, happy. His companions were in turmoil.
«You're an interesting guy, Arashi-kun.» Kawahira approached him just before he left, continuing to hide part of his face behind his fan. «Seven Flames in one body, I really can't understand you.»
Arashi doesn't answer, clasping Luce's hands and watching the movements of Checker Face, cautious and ready to react to any attack that he is premeditating.
Finally, Kawahira smiled, closing the fan and pointing it directly at him «You have my attention, I want to see what wonders you will bring to this world! We'll see each other for sure, see you soon Arashi-kun.» And in a cloud of smoke vanished.
Sighing, Arashi prayed that their next meeting was not so soon.
It took all the authority of Luce and the strength of her men to remove the mafia Families from villa Giglio Nero, all anxious to know the man who had defeated the curse of the Arcobaleno.
The children themselves had tried to approach him, but relying on all the strengths that had remained in her body, Luce had forcibly rejected all their attempts to get in touch with hers -or what everyone believed to be- subordinate, removing him from the hall the instant in which the legs had been able to support her.
Hayato glanced furtively at the woman behind him, who seemed to have a lot of fun cutting his hair with a pair of scissors. At each fallen log, even a piece of Hayato's soul rested on the floor with them.
Come on Hayato-san, is for a good reason.
While the cheerful Flames of the other bastards shone with joy, probably enjoying the apparent agony that a haircut meant for Hayato, Chrome was the only one who seemed to understand how he felt.
And he knew it, he knew that it was essential to erase all traces of Arashi as long as they were still looking for him, yet it was no less difficult to separate from a part of him that accompanied him from middle school. Furthermore, Decimo liked his hair -he had told him once, and since then Hayato had always taken care of it with dedication- and he never wanted to part with it.
Cosmo stared at him from above a piece of furniture, his mouth full of acorns.
«Here, the cut is over. Are you sure you want blonde, Hayato? Wouldn't you want a color a bit more original? Maybe red, it would be good on you!»
He tried to imagine himself with red hair, the same intense color of his Storm Flames, his main element.
You would be the spitting copy of G.
The face of the first Storm Guardian peeked into his mind as soon as Lambo had named him, and discarded that color instantly. He didn't want to look like that asshole even by accident.
«I refuse categorically!»
Luce laughed, aware that Hayato was again talking to the Guardians in his mind, and that someone must have reminded him of something about dye his hair red.
«And so blond will be.»
It was strange to feel the hands of Luce in his hair -until now he had only allowed the Tenth to even cut them off- but pleasant. It was relaxing, feeling the brush with the fresh tint resting on the skin, while the woman's fingers massaged to ensure that the color adhered fully to the hair.
A final rinse under the water, the final touch-ups with the scissors and finally the drying: once done everything Hayato admired the new himself with horror, through the image in the mirror.
Kfufufu, you look like Bronco.
An angry sound came from his lips, while bitterness noted that Mukuro was right.
«Creep, I really look like Cavallone in the period when we were facing the battle of the representatives.»
It would take years to recognize his own image in the mirror -no, probably he would never really get used to those hair- but, he admitted bitterly, it could work. No one would have ever seen in him Gokudera Hayato, what would become the right-hand man of the future Decimo Vongola.
Your face irritates me, I want to bite you to death.
«Tze, as if you could do it, where you are.»
Luce looked at him, wondering what the problem was. In her opinion -and not only because she felt she had done a great job- in that new blonde look he was really good. She had also suggested using colored contact lenses, but Hayato had said that it was all right, in case of need he would have thought himself to hide his eyes from those who could sense something.
«Any problem, Hayato-kun?»
«Nobody in particular, Luce-sama, you were very kind to help me in... this.»
Luce smiled at him, minimizing what she thought was not a gesture for which to be grateful. «I didn't do anything, really.»
They remained in silence, staring at each other, while Luce's lips were bending downward, and the sweet and gentle mother of the Giglio Nero assumed the appropriate attitude to the position she covered: a real mafia Boss.
«What are you going to do then, Hayato-kun?»
She knew that the person dear to the young man and the companions who had found abode in him was not yet born -they had talked a lot in the past few days, and in the weeks that Hayato had passed under the roof of the Giglio Nero Family she had been enough to understand what kind in person he was- and wanted to know how they intended to proceed. She had a proposal, a proposal she hoped he would accept.
Amorously, Hayato realized that they hadn't thought of a true plan of action since they had arrived, occupied with other tasks that -at least at first- seemed to take precedence.
During the first week he had given time to his exhausted body to get back on track with the help of Luce's power, while the memories re-emerged one by one thanks to the annoying presences directly in contact with his brain. Then it was the turn of the ceremony, which needed more attention than they remembered, especially in contacting the Vindice and Checker Face.
Two days before the ceremony, Hayato still didn't know how to behave, and the other six uncomfortable presences in his head were certainly not helpful -as always, he add.
Maa maa, we will think up something.
«Not everything can be improvised, you dumbass.» He focused on Luce, serious. «We don't have a precise goal, we thought of traveling, trying to help some old... knowledge. It could also be a good way to get to know this world and its differences.»
It seemed like a good plan -the best they could think of in those few days of tranquility- and offered them multiple possibilities for action on several fronts.
For some reason, Luce seemed relieved to hear his answer: «Do you remember the day I came to you? When you discovered that I didn't have much left to live, I had come to you to make you a proposal. Well, would you like to listen to me now?»
Hayato simply nodded, waiting.
Taking a deep breath, flooding the lungs of air for fear of being suddenly breathless, the Giglio Nero Boss finally spoke.
«How about entering the Giglio Nero Family? I want you as my Guardian, Hayato-kun.»
Petrified, weighing the words that had just been addressed to him, Hayato didn't answer, too surprised -shocked was the exact word- to be able to even think of a meaningful sentence with which to reply to the woman in front of him.
«Listen, I know that there is only one Boss and one family for you all.» she add. «After all I've seen in those weeks, I could never even think of being able to take the place of what you've lost.»
Extending a hand to touch his cheek, the woman forced their eyes to meet, looking straight at the face not only Hayato, but also all those who hid behind those green eyes.
«But Hayato, in this world you can't harmonize yourself to your Boss, not when there are others ready to stand by his side. But you also need a Sky, and we are compatible, I am sure you have also perceived it.» She moistened her lips, nervous. «I know I'm not what you expected to find, but if you can accept me as you Sky I would be extremely happy.»
The idea of having a Sky that wasn't their own frightened them -Luce could read inside them like a book that she knew by heart every page- but she also saw the suffering and the pain of loneliness that slowly devoured them from the inside, and that without a support it would have destroyed them when their Boss couldn't be harmonize to them.
They needed to be welcomed under a new Sky, and if she could help them with so little, after all they had done for her, she was ready to become anything to support them. However, it wouldn't have been enough to repay the debt she owed to them.
Hayato hesitated. Luce didn't speak only with him, she was addressing all of them, as if she knew what they were hiding, of the need to belong to something they had lost forever.
The harmonization between Flames was a powerful thing, an inseparable bond that bound Sky and its Elements for an infinite time. The moment he failed, torn from any cause that was natural or not, the only way you could survive the pain was to create a new bond.
A Sky to which its Elements were lacking perished in its own emptiness. The Elements that had lost their Sky continued to exist, but lacked the completeness that only harmony could confer to them.
They had never thought about that possibility. In many aspects, it was a convenient solution for both parties.
They would have regained a Sky and the stability of the Elements, while Luce could have used their Flames to accelerate the healing process.
Again harmonized to a Sky. Sounds good.
Tze, no matter who or what, one day I will bite the Sky to death.
Kfufufu interesting evolution, I'm curious to see how it will go on.
Yosh! Again on the extreme!
Again complete we will be more helpful to Bossu.
Maa maa go ahead with Gok ... Hayato.
«Tze, you're really noisy.» He grinned.
Kneeling, taking the woman's hand and stamping a chaste kiss on the palm, Hayato let his Storm Flames materialize along his arm, gliding impetuously towards the hand of Luce, seeking contact with the orange flames of the woman.
And Luce gave them to him.
Orange and red mingled in a graceful and sweet dance, accepting each other, a sign of compatibility that Hayato didn't believe would have ever found in anyone other than the Tenth. It was pleasant, despite everything.
«I swear to serve you and protect you from here until the end of my days, I will be the typhoon that blows impetuously, the fulcrum of the offensive. The relentless storm that will wipe out every Boss's enemy without mercy. I am at your orders, Luce-sama.»
And the Flames within him stirred furiously.