Chapter Two: The Way It Started
Ten years ago (Nanjing, China):
Diao Ling was a just an average boy from the orphanage with Shen Boai and Chen Ai. An young woman had walked in and come to their orphanage and picked him out of all the others. He watched five-year old Boai and six-year old Ai cry as he followed to lady out to the open world. He had never seen the sun from outside. He had only seen it from the small window in his, and the other five boys' room. He was only in the orphanage because his birth parents didn't have the money to support him. He knew that. He had been told it plenty of times.
Six year old Diao Ling walked into the amazing palace. He looked around. His friend Boai wasn't there, but Ai was. She was following him, he knew it. she had snuck out of the orphanage when he left and followed him. Followed him all the way across the city.
"I brought this kid," the woman said to a man in a large chair. "What do you need him for, Baiyu?"
"This kid is going to be the next captain of the Chinese mafia," The man turned to Ling, and the woman left. "What's your name brat?"
"Don't treat Ling like that!" Ai ran out of her hiding spot.
"XiaoAi, I don't think we were supposed to leave that spot," Boai said peeking out. "We're very sorry, we just didn't want to see Ling go." The girl bowed and hid again.
"Diao Ling," Ling said kneeling and lowering his own head in to a bow. "Please take care of me."
"XiaoLing, eh? Don't worry, we'll take good care of you," Baiyu said looking at the boy, inspecting him. "You're going to be the next captain of the Chinese Mafia.
"When I die, you will be the next heir. You will be trained by seven-year old Zhao Feng," He pointed to a short boy standing in the corner. He didn't look anything like a seven-year old to Ling. He had an earing, and was wearing punk like clothes. He looked like a real jerk from Ling's point of veiw. "I know he looks young, but he's one of my most loyal servents. He has been training to be a mafioso since he was three."
"Baiyu, sir, Ming has gotten out of his cell," Qimei said from the speaker. "He has killed thirty people in the five minutes since his breakout."
"What?!" even Baiyu was shocked. Ming was the little boy, two years older than Ling, that was supposed to be the next captain, but his blood lust started to make him stronger, too strong for Baiyu to control, so they locked Ming in a cell for five years, since he turned four. "Get Lü out here and make him and his team take care of this!"
"Baiyu! Why won't you just do it! We can't sacrifice Lü and his team!"
"I can't! Ming's too strong. If I fight, we might lose a captain. Lü's team is plenty to take down Ming."
"Baiyu, are you afraid of Ming?"
"I am not! I fear nothing. That monster of a child's strength must be dealt with, and Lü's team is plenty strong enough to take him. I must train Ling. Come boy." Baiyu grabbed Ling and Feng and they left.
CRACK!
Qimei turned to see Ming standing over a servent's body. His neck had been snapped in two.
"M-Ming, please, I'm on your side. Don't kill me!" She screamed running away as Ming ran at her, with a speed that was unreasonably real. His fist was about to smash through her head when Lü and his team: Hong, Huang, and Hei, stood there hol ing him back. Hong had her legs wrapped around Ming's; Huang held onto Ming's hand; Hei grabbed Ming's lower half of his torso; and Lü's arm's wrapped around Ming upper torso.
"That's it, Ming," Lü said into Ming's ear. "Your life ends here." Lü pulled out a big green axe and held it to Ming's neck.
"Wait! Your orders weren't to kill him," Qimei explained standing up. "You were order to capture him and take him back to a higher security cell."
"This guy almost kills you, and you want him to just stay locked up," Hong looks at Qimei with her bright red eye. "You're fucking crazy."
"I'm following my orders. Now, follow your's."
"Fine," Lü said pulling his axe from Ming's neck.
Hei smashed his large metal black mallet on the back of Ming's head, really, really hard. Ming fell down with a thud, and lied there. Motionless.
"You didn't kill him, did you?" Qimei looked at them with a skeptic look on her face.
"Nah, it'd take more 'an that to kill 'im," Hei said staring at Ming's unmoving body.
"We should hurry," Huang looked at his teammates. "You're right, he'll be up soon."
"This is the boy who was going to be the leader? How scary," Qimei looked at Ming as he was being carried to a new cell. She was just like him at one time. A young girl in the orphanage, until she was pick out personally by Baiyu. She owed her life to him. He let her live the way she does. He raised her. He gave her a job, a job she has been working as long as she can remember. Baiyu picked all of his subordinates from an orphanage, that was the way he did things. She didn't know why, but she was gratful. But Ming was not. Ming's body had been physically changed so he could run speeds that were unreal. He was nine and he could run at the speed of sound. His body composition was changed. He was a freak. He would never have friends. He could never be changed back. He would excel at everything, and never fail. That's why he was locked up. Once Ming became too strong, he was turned into a weapon. A weapon for war. One that had been going on for more than 50 years, or so Baiyu tells her. Ming was a weapon, not a human. A weapon, and nothing else…
One year later (Beijing, China):
"Huff, huff," Ling fell over.
"KID," Feng yelled. "GET THE FUCK UP, WEAKLING!"
Daxi sat in the roof on the building next to where his friend, Feng, and some kid, Ling, were training. "What a loser…"
"KID, GET THE FUCK ON YOUR FEET BEFORE I FUCKING THROW YOU OFF THE SHORE, WEAK LITTLE FUCKER!"
Daxi hopped down from his perch and smacked Ling on the back of the head. "Come on kiddy, let's play!" he kicked Ling across the lot into a wall. "What a loser!"
"SHITTY LITTLE BRAT. I BET YOU THINK YOU'RE THE BEST FUCKING SHIT AROUND HERE?! EH, AM I RIGHT ASSHOLE?!"
"God, what an ass."
"I'm not an ass… I'm just trying to get stronger, but you keep hurting me," Ling said trying to stand.
"You jerks!" Ai said running out of her hiding spot. "Don't pick on Ling! He's going to be your boss. Baiyu said so."
"AH, LOOK, DAXI, IT'S THE LOSER'S LOSER GIRLFRIEND!" Feng yelled staring at the girl. "Hey, you're kinda cute." He put his hand on her chin and forced her to look at him.
"Leave her alone," Ling said running at Feng.
"Ling!" She lit up.
"FUCKER, I'M BUSY. GO KNOCK YOURSELF OUT OF SOMETHING," Feng turned back to the girl. "We can go back to my place and…"
She kicked him in the shin. "No! I'm gonna marry Ling and we're going to have five kids!"
"Bitch," he gritted. "Why don't you have my kid instead of that weak asshole's?"
"Never!"
"Don't hurt XiaoAi!" Boai said running out. "She said 'No!' and no means no."
"HE'S GOT HIMSELF TWO CUTE CHICKS?! WHY DON'T YOU SHARE THE LOVE, ASSFACE? WE'LL TAKE THESE GIRLS AND IN RETURN WE'LL HELP YOU TRAIN," Feng said with a big smirk on his face.
"I said: 'Leave them alone!'" Ling yelled running at eight-year old Feng. Feng kick Ling in the stomach and he doubled over. "Owww."
"What a weakling," a voice said from around the corner.
"WHAT?! WHO FUCKING SAID THAT? THAT WAS MY FUCKING LINE, GODDAMNIT!" Feng shouted.
"Shut up, moron," the boy turned to corner to reveal another rather young looking boy with long messy hair. "Your voice really bothers me."
"WHO THE FUCK DO YOU THINK YOU ARE?!" Feng ran at the new kid only to find that the boy had suddenly disappeared. "WHAT THE HELL?"
"Liao Ming, nice to meet you." Ming appeared behind Feng and punched so hard, Feng flew through the wall.The two boys ran off. "Dog," he said with disgust spitting on the ground. He started to walk away, until…
"Wait!" Ling called and he bowed. "Thank you, Ming."
"Dog, when you get stronger, I want to rip you to shreds," Ming pointed at Ling and said it with such an evil tone, it scared the three youngest kids.
One year later (Shanghai, China):
"Linma Baiyu, the sixth generation boss of the Chinese Mafia," Qimei presented, "is ready for your meeting, Vongola Nineth."
"Thank you," He walked into the large Chinese style meeting room. "This is a nice place you have here, eh, Baiyu."
"Welcome, and thank you for that wonderful compliment, Timoteo." Baiyu was sitting at the end of a long table.
"You have called me here for something?"
"Yes, I would like to discuss the matter of the next Vongola boss."
"Yes, anything you want to know, I can tell you."
"I was told that Iemitsu's son was going to be a possible canidate for the Tenth Vongola boss position over your son Xanxus."
"You were told correct."
"It seems as though many other families think Xanxus should be the next boss. What do you think?"
"You are correct, for some reason, many families think Xanxus should be the next heir even though he has no bloodline connecting him to the Vongola family, but he has become spoiled and he always seems angry. I had only recently told him he wasn't my birth son, but I loved him like one. He has become distant from me, and I believe he is becoming more violent, even though, I wish he wasn't. I still wonder, with all of this, the other families still want Xanxus as the next heir. Do you know why?"
"Sawada is mostly Japanese by now, right?"
"Yes."
"That is why. the other families are against non-Italians becoming Mafioso. That is why our family has been fighting against so many families. They do not wish for the next boss to be Japanese. Even if he has more Vongola blood that Xanxus."
"That is foolish."
"That is how they veiw things. Please, if you think it is so foolish, consider the Sawada's son as a canidate. Seriously think about it."
"I will."
Same year (Nanjing, China):
"Ling," Baiyu stood before his sucessor. "You are weak. You only get beat down…"
"That's because Feng and Daxi only kick him around. They don't teach him anything!" Ai and Boai yelled.
"Shut up! I didn't ask you." He held a hand in front of their faces. "Ling, I'm going to change your teacher. Meet Wang Qufang. He is the best mafioso on this team."
There standing in front of was a teenage boy, no older than fifteen. His hair was pulled into a braid and he stood tall. He was very confident looking, a complete contrast to Ling's lack of ability to believe in what little skills he had.
The three stared at the man standing before them. He was nicer looking than Feng that was for sure. They hoped he really was nicer though.
Slam!
The new teacher slammed his fist into the side of Ling's head flinging him into the wall leaving a big crack where his head hit.
"W-what the HELL WAS THAT FOR?!" Ling yelled holding his injured head.
"First lesson, expect the unexpectable," Qufang said brushing of his clothes.
"Don't you mean 'expect the unexpected!' Listen to me damnit!"
Ling was flung into another wall without even being touched. "I believe you stand corrected."
"How did you do that?!"
"It's a technique I don't think I'll teach you. No, it won't be strong enough."
"This boy is the fifth's youngest son, and the only surviving heir," Baiyu explained. "Please take care of Ling, and make him strong. Strong enough to be the next Chinese Mafia boss." Baiyu bowed to Qufang.
"Yes… but have already started teaching another." Qufang ushered for another boy to walk into the room.
Two years later (Beijing, China):
"Hey, Qufang-laoshi, who is this other student you've been teaching? How come I haven't met him yet?" Ling asked cramming another dumpling into his mouth. "I mean, what kind of guy is he? How long has he been your student?"
"You should know him well enough, and if you don't now; you will know everything about him," Qufang answered plopping three pieces of chicken in his mouth. "His name should be familiar to you. Baiyu must have told you about him. He's Liao Ming."
"Liao Ming? Baiyu's never told me about him. But that name is familiar."
"Liao Ming was in a prison cell for most of his life."
"What?! What did he do?"
"Nothing. He was experimented on, and he was turned into a monster. One too strong for the mafia to control, but not wanting to lose this possible weapon, they decided to lock him up when he was four. Mutations like this one are done all over the world in the underground business. Lots of them in Italy. I believe there was a rumour that one of the experiments there killed a lot of people and was able to escape. I believe it was Rokudo Mukuro. Oh, that must be so much fun for them to hunt."
"If Ming was so important, then why didn't Baiyu tell me about him?"
"Baiyu fears nothing, except Ming. He probably didn't mention anything about him so you would never know that. He hates it when things like fear stop him from becoming stronger." Qufang paused, he looked down. He knew something, Ling could tell that much. "He's losing this battle against the Italians. We all know it. Ming maybe the weapon the Chinese need for this war."
"Is that all Ming is to you? A weapon?"
"Ming is a student of mine, but his power is not limited like ours is. He doesn't get tired like we do, not as easily atleast."
"Is that what they did to to him?"
"They changed to way his body reacts to little things like: pain, endurance, and pressure. He can stand a hundred times more pain than the normal human. He works hundreds of time longer and stronger than us. He can stand huge amounts of pressure, that would normally force a person to collasp."
A boy walked up to them. He had shoulder length hair and was rather tall and skinny. He walked over to Qufang and got down on one knee and bowed.
"Wang Qufang, you are the greatest teacher there is. Please teacher me, Zhang Ting."
Qufang stared at the boy for a couple of seconds.
"Well, Qufang-laoshi, we could always have another person to hang around with," Ling said smiling at the new boy in front of them. Ting looked enthusiasticly at Ling a slight blush on his face.
"No," Qufang finally said.
"What?! Why not?!"
"I will not teach someone who truly has no resolve, no reason to fight. You have no friends to protect, no family, no nothing. You want to learn just to do something. I will not train someone like that. A person with no reason to fight will not learn, like a person who doesn't wish to get better will die."
"That's not right. I have no reason to fight."
"You have friends you want to protect. You have the resolve to protect people, everyone. This man, he has no resolve."
Ting kicked over a trash can angrily and growled at them: "Fine, don't teach me. but I'll come back. I'll have trained harder than you, and I will kill you."
"Qufang-laoshi, what's your resolve?" Ling asked.
"Just to get stronger. That boy will find a resolve. The next time we see him, it may be troublesome. Come, we will see Ming today."
They walked a little farther out, to where they were in s deserted park. There was one person there. His eyes were narrowed into what look like a permanent glare.
"That person is… Ming?" Ling stared. He remembered this man. He had met him before. Ming was the name of the kid that had beat up Feng and Daxi when they were picking on Ling's friends. Ming wanted to kill him. He wanted to fight Ling in the future. Why?!
"Hello, boss," Ming said when he noticed Ling and Qufang were standing there. "It's a pleasure to see you again. What fun it will be when I rip you to shreads, dog."
"What? Wait, why do you want to kill me?!"
"The boss of a mafia group shouldn't be weak like you. I won't lose such a powerful position to a pathetic dog like you."
One year later (Shanghai, China):
Ting sharpened his scythe. He was finally going to kill Qufang and Ling. It really hadn't been that long since he saw them last, but… he knew he was stronger now. 'Resolve. What a stupid thing to have,' Ting thought. 'Who needs friends to protect? Why should people bother with stupid things like that? What a pain. I don't need a resolve to get stronger. I do this because I want to.'
"Ting," Ran called her student. "Where do you think you're going?"
"I'm going to kill a few pests."
"Don't, Yang's taking us out to eat tonight."
"Yeah right, I bet he'll pay for you and leave me with my pay and I won't have the money because I though he was going to pay and the restaurant makes me work."
"Yang's changes since then, besides he's more mature than you."
"Pft, I wish."
Ting picked up his scythe and left to find the people he was going to take his revenge on. He had to hurry. Beijing was two week walk on foot.
Two years later (Beijing, China):
"We're done for today," Qufang said getting up. He was now in the form of a one year old baby due to the curse of the Arcobaleno, but he was still teaching his two students. "Good job, Ling. You're getting better."
"I can't do this anymore," Ling moaned as he stood up and leaned against a wall.
"But you've really started to improve. Don't give up on you're training. You're going to be a mob boss. You have to be stronger than that."
"It's not the training. I've gotten used to that. It's just…"
"What? Tell me. Tell Wang-laoshi."
"I can't train with a baby!"
"But you knew me before I was a baby. Can't you trust me? Ming still does. He still trains hard. Harder even."
"I'm not like Ming. Ming's a weirdo. He's a monster."
"You shouldn't say that about your classmates."
"But it's true, Baiyu said that about him!"
"Still, he's your classmate, treat him with respect. And you shouldn't trust everything Baiyu says. Not everything he says is true."
"Wang Qufang," A man walked up. He looked rather beat up. "Baiyu has gone crazy. He started killing his subordinates with Zhao Feng and Qiao Daxi."
"So," Qufang looked at the sky. "It's finally happened. He couldn't take it could he." He turned to Ling. "Let's go. We have to go back to Nanjing and stop Baiyu and take your spot as captain. Leave Ming here though. We can have Lü and his team take care of him."
"Isn't that worst than insulting him?! Leaving him here! Alone! Without telling him where we're going," Ling shouted.
"Ling, you wouldn't ever understand why we have to leave Ming here. No matter how many times I explained it, so just do as I saw and get going back to Nanjing." Qufang jumped up and kicked Ling into the right direction.
"Alright, I'm going. I still don't think it's right though." Ling hurried off. Leaving his things at the hotel. Nanjing was a long way away, but they could get there in a couple hours taking one of Qufang's mafia jets.
"We're going to hoof it to Nanjing."
"What?"
"You heard me. We're walking. Well, you're walking. I'm going going to teach you a technique that only Ming and I have truly mastered, even though Baiyu says he has."
"What? A technique Baiyu hasn't mastered?"
"Qian Jiao (千腳)."
"Qi-qian jiao… Thousand feet? What kind of technique is that?"
"It's all based on speed. And I'm going to try and get you to master it by the time we get to Nanjing so you can use it to fight Baiyu."
"Why is Baiyu doing this? Why weren't you surprised when you heard this?"
"Seven year old Yu Yishan was born with a rare ability to see possible future outcomes."
"You mean he's psychic?"
"No, he can only see POSSIBLE outcomes. He did see this coming, though. Yishan was also at your orphanage, and Ming and I think Feng and Daxi went there, too."
"Really? All those people from the same place? That's suspicious, don'tcha think, Qufang-laoshi?"
"No, it's not that suspicious. Most of your family comes from that orphanage. Probably because Nanjing was the old capitol and many mafia men lived underground there, and when the capitol moved the people didn't. It's likely that the previous family came from an orphanage in Nanjing. Most likely because mafia men don't enjoy moving around a lot. That's why most mafia families are all from Italy. That's where the mafia orginated from."
"How do you know all of that? Were you around then, too? Did you get cursed with perpetual youth?"
"No, unlike you, I did all of my studying. I learned everything about the mafia's history throughout my training, like you will."
"I have to learn history, now, too?"
A smack to the head was Qufang's simple way of saying: 'suck it up, loser.'
"So, why is Baiyu doing this? Suddenly fighting against us?"
"Baiyu hates to lose. That's why he has refused to fight Ming. He hated that we are, in fact, losing this war against the Italians. Because he knows this, he goes to the other side, the side that is against us, to fight us. To win, because that's all he cares about. We didn't need Yishan to tell us that. Everyone knew it."
"What kind of person changes sides because one is losing? What has he been fighting for all this time? Why turn against us? Would the Italians really let him join their side?"
"No. Baiyu is going to make is own team with Feng and Daxi."
Ling carried Qufang to Nanjing. He tried to keep running the whole way there, because Qufang hit him everytime he stopped.
"How is this going to make me faster?" Ling asked as he slowly dragged himself along the trail.
"It strengthens indurance and builds muscle. Trust me. Ming went through all of this, though, he was much faster than you to begin with."
"Hmm, really, I just can't see Ming carring you."
"I started teaching him long before the Arcobaleno curse was cast."
"THAT'S EVEN HARDER TO IMAGINE!!"
"He improved too much. I've taught him more than he needs to know. Ling, it will up to you to defeat him, because he has gotten too strong."
"AND WHOSE FAULT WAS THAT?"
"Not my own. Ming is very intelligent, and I'm sure he was able to force me to teach him things I really shouln't have, then again, I'm not weak to mind tricks soo…"
"SO IT WAS ALL YOUR FAULT!!"
"Not in the least. I just decided to teach him everything I knew, because that was easier that trying to learn what to teach him."
"SO YOU WERE BEING LAZY!"
Same year, (Nanjing, China):
After three days the two arrived at Nanjing. Baiyu had killed half the of the people in the mansion. Baiyu's riffle was emitting his dying will flames everywhere. His power was pouring out of the weapon. He fired it at the wall, and it exploded.
Ling pulled out his sword. His presence had gone unnoticed to Baiyu till now.
"What are you doing here, Ling?" he asked. When he turned to Ling his eyes had a reddish hint to them. "Go back to Beijing and finish your training. You still need to become a boss. It'll be more fun to kill you that way."
"Baiyu, why are you doing this?! What do you have to gain?!"
"I hate to lose. I won't lose this way."
Ling ran at him, sword pointed forward. "Someone like you, how could I –how could anyone– respect a man like you?! What kind of horrible person gives up like that?!" Ling swung his sword at Baiyu. Baiyu blocked the attack with his riffle.
"The kind of person who wants nothing more than to win. Ling, this will be the winning side. Give up on the Chinese Mafia."
"No. I was brought into this. I won't leave it. This is my family now."
"Then you are my enemy."
He dodged three more bullets and attempted to cut Baiyu, but it was hopeless. Baiyu was still faster, and Ling was exhausted from all the training he had done before they had got there. Ling had tried to land a hit on Baiyu, but it was impossible. He was too fast. But Baiyu had started thinking that about Ling. Ling's speed started out slow, but with time, it picked up speed. He was just getting used to the extra energy lying around and was learning how to use it; however, he could not control it and Qufang knew that Ling would run out of energy soon, and Ling would probably be killed here.
Qimei's voice projected of the loudspeakers. "Zhao Feng and Qiao Daxi have been caught and were given the Death Heater and will be moved to another location in Shanghai."
Three familiar needles flew at Baiyu, as he dodged them three more were stabbed into his back. Baiyu turned to face his worst nightmare.
Iruna: Well, this was another long ass chapter. The next chapter won't be out for a long time. I'm having trouble keeping Ting in character. Accuatally he's so in character he seems Ooc now. It's sad, I know.
Ting: I wanna be in the next chapter.
Iruna: Then stop being an ass to Hibari-kun.
Ting: Fine, I'll be nice to Kyoya-chan.
Ling: Doubt it.
Lin: Can I be in this story?
Ling: No, go kiss your boyfriend.
Iruna: No, I'm sorry Lin, you and Tsubaro-kun won't be in this story.
Lin: But Ling is.
Iruna: And he's been stripped of all sanity.
Lin: Why are you in the story?
Iruna: Am not!
Ting: Aren't you Shen Boai?