Title: Between a Kiss and A Lie… Xanxus version
Theme: Scars
Inspiration Song for Story: Scars by Papa Roach
Pairing: X96
AN: If you guys know about Selphie's Limit Break 'The End' in FF8 then you'd know how Chrome did her move later on in this story.
Disclaimer: I own nothing you recognize.
Chapter Two:
Xanxus had yet to sleep in the middle of that night. He merely sat there in a deceptively brooding state drinking more tequila while contemplating the source of his irritation.
She was not there. Again. At dinner.
His dark hand tightened over the bottle he was drinking from. The only reason why he didn't break it was because he didn't want to mess himself up again and have to take a shower.
Contrary to Squalo's belief, he was aware of all the changes happening around in the headquarters; he was insane, not blind. Even he couldn't fail to notice how the sheets offered him a more comfortable rest and how he never had to yell for whatever food he wanted thus steadily decreasing the number of minions he had to kill whenever he wasn't happy with his meals. He didn't know what else has changed around the base but he was sure Squalo was feeling it too since he had noticed the shark had been around more despite his constant forays outside to investigate the same woman that had caused this major change.
What a weak, insignificant woman. He wanted to kill the bitch so badly.
'Xanxus-sama…'
A loud breaking sound coming from the bottle he was nursing exploded in the room and Xanxus found himself wearing the predicament he had been avoiding at the memory of her voice calling out his name. Damn it why can't he forget it? Why was it so hard? He should totally erase her!
"Fuck this…" he muttered deciding he would forego his bath and just pick up another tequila bottle.
He got up towards his wet bar only to find that he was out of tequila; it seemed he had been breaking the bottles more often this past week than he had been drinking them. Cursing, he decided to go down to the storage room and get another pair, keeping a mental note to make Levi properly restock his bar in the morning.
Still dressed in his bathrobe, black pajama bottoms underneath and foregoing a shirt altogether, Xanxus made his way down the hallways towards the wine cellar. It was dreadfully cold but he was not the Varia boss for nothing. The extreme heat his body radiated expelled the cold; the front of his robe was even open as though daring the cold to touch him. It didn't matter that he reeked of alcohol. He owned these halls and it knew it.
As the Varia boss passed by several empty guest rooms he couldn't help but wonder again where the little bitch was sleeping. He knew for a fact that if anybody knew where she let's her guard down he would have found out about it already. But all he could hear from his officers were their frustration that they had no idea where that woman was sleeping at all. Surely she must have already made herself comfortable somewhere in the castle. It would be insane not to from all the work she had been doing and the fact that he had seen neither hide nor hair of her this past week since he sent her out of his sight. He was too stubborn to look for her himself but that didn't mean he was not seething in the inside at what he considered rude behavior.
He had just turned a corner when his battle honed senses tingled at the amount of killing intent that suddenly pressed down on him from all corners of his own halls. At the realization he smirked. He would have Squalo's head for neglecting security.
"Alright, who's got the balls?" he muttered as his eyes flared at the increasing number of intruders littering in his halls. Fuck his guns; he would kill all of them with his bare hands. "Come out, you pieces of scum!"
"All units, this is Squad 06; we have found the target, what are your orders?"
Static silence and then, "Engage."
And like a bullet waiting for a trigger all the men who had been standing by watching Xanxus from the moment he stepped around the corner to the moment he stopped and looked around him suspiciously, charged at the Varia boss with their weapons drawn.
Xanxus noted they weren't just a bunch of thugs as he started observing the way they attacked him. A half dozen of them charged at him with weapons raised while another half dozen knelt some distance away ready to shoot him where he stood. And then one of them threw a bomb at him just as they were advancing, probably hoping to blow him up to avoid losses to their ranks. The bastards had military training.
He was more than ready to oblige by releasing his flame of Wrath from his body, ready to burn them all to a crisp. However the bomb thrown at him was no ordinary bomb at all. Instead he discovered it was some sort of chemical bomb that exploded a great amount of sticky foam and Xanxus wondered whether or not they were trying to drug him. But he was proven wrong when the smoke acted as some sort of fire extinguisher and reacted to his flames by putting it out. He tried to summon Bester out but without any Dying Will Flames the box animal was useless. Thinking he was helpless now, the rest of the enemies approached him and started shooting off their bullets.
Realizing what just happened; Xanxus' rage reached a peak where it knew no bounds. "BASTAAAAARDSSS!"
Crazed fury enveloped him as he decided he didn't care if he could use his flames or not; these scumbags were going to DIE.
Just as they were about to swarm the scarred Varia leader, a cloud of vapor suddenly surrounded him much to his surprise. This mist prevented his enemies from coming any closer to him as he merely stood there, waiting for them to approach. Even their bullets failed to reach him through the circular cloud and even as his boggled mind wrapped itself around the concept, he looked up.
And there, from the remains of the thick fog floating on the ceiling created by the bomb earlier, Chrome Dokuro slipped out as though she were formerly a part of it, her long, unbound hair streaming behind her like a banner of death. She was holding onto her elongated trident now even as her Mist flames engulfed her hand where her Vongola Mist ring was, transferring some of its flame onto the trident that she was now using in a defensive stance. She had waved it in a wide semi circle even before she landed, crouched in front of Xanxus and the transparent Mist shield around him. The semi circle lashed out around the enemy by about 5 feet and at first, nothing happened… until Chrome stood up, both hands on the handle of her trident and tapped the end of the staff on the floor. The group within that 5 foot radius was then engulfed in a field of flowers and found themselves unable to move in their confusion. As she did, Xanxus noted an explosion of fragrance emanating from her… the scent of a flower he didn't recognize…
"The. End…" Chrome muttered and at the word, the illusion shattered taking the enemy's minds along with them.
"What the hell…?"
"Who is that?"
"WHO CARES JUST SHOOT HER! SHOOT HER!"
"Please stay here a moment," the Varia boss' surprised eyes trailed over Chrome's back as she stood in front of him in a ready position. "Xanxus-sama…"
He felt his heart stop for a bit at the sound of his name from her lips again. Soft and unassuming and barely above a whisper just like her personality. It satisfied him and yet discontented him all at the same time as though he had been fed but had not been given his fill.
And why was she protecting him? Did she think him so weak? A new kind of anger bubbled inside him at the thought. He tried to step forward to join in on the fray but Xanxus found he couldn't move. The barrier worked two ways; it kept the enemies out but it also kept him in.
Bullets rang all through the hallways of the Varia headquarters with enough noise to wake up the dead. Xanxus had straightened his stance and watched what was going on with a dark scowl on his face; in particularly, his crimson eyes watched every move the woman made.
Was she in such a rush to protect him that she forgot to change her clothes? She was only wearing a small white tank top and a pair of lady's boxer shorts showcasing her long, smooth legs and arms and left next to nothing to the imagination. While the male part of him appreciated the view quite fiercely the assassin in him was locked to the smooth movements she made as she used her trident like a long staff to disarm her opponents and render them unconscious. Xanxus watched as one particular man was too stubborn to let go of his weapon and she buried the sharp end of her trident into his chest, blood splashing over her porcelain cheeks that glowed on a face that held no expression. Also she flitted around from one enemy to the next with the speed of someone who could be teleporting. Appearing before opponents in a way where she hovered in front of them for a bit like a bloody, wingless angel trapped in slow motion before speeding up and striking them down.
Like a female version of St. Michael.
It took Xanxus' breath away and made his blood boil with an emotion he thought might be anger and yet it was a bit more complicated. His rage had never made him want to touch the object of his anger with a desire to find out if they were truly real or a product of his imagination before…
"BOSS!" it was Squalo and the others already reaping through the remaining enemy lines with a fervor that made some of the intruders take a step back. "WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU DOING JUST STANDING THE—?"
Xanxus could understand why his second in command was suddenly cut off mid yell. They both caught the slim figure of the Vongola Mist Guardian as she launched a guerilla attack by using the smoke from all the gunpowder being launched as a smokescreen, slipping out of the curtain of thick vapor while the enemy looked around up at the ceiling looking for her and as soon as she was behind them she glided out from the smoke like a wraith and attacked before retreating back into the mist again.
The rest of Varia merely stood there admiring the scene she made while killing any who dared approach and attack them.
"Oh my, how daring~" Lussuria kicked at one of the intruders who thought he was the easiest one to target and ended up with a twisted neck instead.
"Ushishishi…" Bel wiggled his fingers and soon the rest of the riff raff had fallen at his feet; dead. "This is great timing; the prince had been bored for a while now; these peasants make for good entertainment."
"H-how voluptuous…" Levi muttered beside Lussuria, practically drooling as he watched Chrome standing over her last foe, her trident face down and being pulled out of the human body that foolishly resisted her efforts to render unconscious.
Xanxus had to silently agree as he glared at the woman, her cheeks and bare legs splattered with the blood she had shed as she started walking barefoot among the dead and dying, her upturned face looking up the ceiling to see if there were anymore enemies that might endanger them all. Then she stilled reached out a hand towards the empty hallway opposite of where they were, a fragile coating of mist indicating she was using her powers and spreading her senses out to make sure there was no danger in their immediate vicinity. She might have needed a bit more to use this trick since Xanxus could feel a loosening in the air around him and noticed the mist barrier she had surrounded him with earlier was gradually being removed from his person.
Absently, the Varia leader noted that Marmon was never this considerate.
The rest of his Varia were too captivated by her to make a noise and do anything else but stare; probably ogling her almost nude body that seemed to glow under the light of the lamps that gave light to these corridors.
Suddenly, the thought of her displaying all that lovely skin in front of others pissed him off. That, in addition to the deep and unidentified mound of frustration that had clutched him in its grip the moment he heard her say his name again sparked such a strong arousal in him he almost growled with need. But such primitive impulses were for weaklings and just randomly using the Vongola Mist Guardian to sate the urge would only invite a million complications he would be wise to avoid. So he did the only thing he could at that point.
While she was distracted with her apparent scan of the area to verify their safety, Xanxus approached her with long strides and a thunderous expression that it caused Squalo and the others to step back away from him, fearful of his wrath. As soon as he was within five feet of her she must have sensed his approach because she snapped out of her trance and turned to stare at him, her eyes still holding that sleepy quality one had after a long sleep or a deep meditation. It only fueled Xanxus' desire to have her.
"Xanxus-sama…?" she began in that breathy voice, still fresh from the efforts of battle and something in him broke at the sound of it.
It almost drove him to his knees before her. Xanxus gritted his teeth against the desire to throw caution out of the window and just fuck her senseless right then and there but he was stronger than that. His Varia pride would never allow him to be ruled over by a mere woman and giving in to this base need was similar to admitting defeat.
As if to prove she had no such hold over him, the scarred man violently reached out and strangled her with one large hand and lifted her off the bloody floor by her lily white neck the action causing her to drop her trident to the floor and struggle to breathe.
"Xan-chan?" Lussuria exclaimed out in confusion.
"The fuck… BOSS!" he heard Squalo yell from behind him but Xanxus ignored this.
All his rage, all his shame, all his desire was reserved only for this woman that had infected his mind and body the mere moment she said his name. And it only fueled his rage that it took only that small gesture of hers to reduce him into this vile puddle of need. The rage helped to exert his will over his physical desires and he took advantage of that maliciously.
"Bitch," he growled at her as Chrome held onto his much thicker arm stretched above his head and keeping her feet off the floor, struggling to find purchase and room for her to breathe but obviously failing. Xanxus couldn't help but notice that, although her hands were trying to pull his away she was doing so in a way that would not hurt him by scratching at him with her nails. Smart girl. Had she wounded him he would have interpreted that as an invitation. "Did you think I was so weak that I needed to be trapped in that pathetic barrier?"
She opened her one eye to look at him and Xanxus squeezed her neck harder. She was so fragile it would be so easy for him to snap her neck like a twig. "X-xanxus… sama…"
He then brought his hand closer to himself, inadvertently pulling her face close him as well until he was practically touching noses with her. The faint scent of that addicting fragrance floated all around her but he ignored the urge to inhale her like a bouquet of flowers in favor of glaring into her eyes and hissing. "I am not like your pathetic Sawada Tsunayoshi; I don't need your protection. If you ever do that to me again I will tear you apart; got it, bitch?"
She answered on a choked sob; it felt like music to his ears. "Y-yes… I apologize… Xanxus-sama…!"
"Xanxus, come on," Squalo stepped forward warily, obviously not liking where this was headed. "You promised the baby you wouldn't kill her."
"Tch." Xanxus stared at her flushed face and felt her soft hands trying to get him to let go of her for a moment more before flinging her away from him like a discarded doll.
She landed some feet away from him on her belly coughing. None of the other Varia dared approach her in fear of Xanxus' retaliation. After a while she struggled to stand up, her hand nursing her aching neck and Xanxus took twisted pleasure noting how his hand print would mark her skin for days to come. Just as he was turning away from her she straightened again, and he was astounded that he saw no malice or resentment on her face; not even irritation. It was the same blank and slightly sad expression she had the moment she stepped into his castle. Didn't she understand that he had almost killed her? Why then did she not seem to care?
"Computer," she suddenly said into the nothingness with a slightly hoarse, breathless voice and Varia stared at her in disbelief but she paid them all no mind. Instead, a bunch of holographic flat keyboards appeared around her along with some screens floating on top of them. "Scan for all remaining enemies within a 10 meter radius."
Xanxus and the others merely stared in astonishment at all this even as the disembodied female voice of the 'computer' she was addressing replied. "Scanning in progress; will your location be the base point of the search?"
"No, I've already done a scan within the immediate area of 10 feet from this point; please start outside it." Chrome replied almost sounding like the computer herself.
"Affirmative."
"Ushishishi~," Belphegor snickered, his grin intrigued. "That looks like a nice new toy."
"Since when did we have a computerized security system?" Levi asked with a dark scowl on his face, seemingly insulted.
"Who cares, it just totally saved our asses, didn't it?" Lussuria smirked as he continued to eye Chrome up and down in interest.
And then Xanxus watched as the purple eyed woman turned back towards them with that same blank expression on her face and started approaching them with long legged strides, her trident back in her hand.
"Scan completed," the computer's voice suddenly reached out to them again but Chrome never broke her stride. "Findings confirm a total of 16 more units attempting to vacate the vicinity; nearest one is 3 kilometers away."
"And the farthest?" Chrome asked softly, never breaking stride.
"6 units at 8 kilometers and running; what are your orders?"
"Eliminate."
The Varia watched the computer screens as an image of 6 men similarly garbed to the people who attacked them were all done in by miniature laser beams fine enough to pierce through their Kevlar vests and killing them all on the spot. Bel whistled in admiration.
"5 Enemies at 6 kilometers."
"Eliminate."
The same thing happened to a second batch of men on another screen in front of their eyes.
"5 more detected attempting to escape just outside 3 kilometer radius."
"Eliminate all but 3 and capture."
"Affirmative." And the screen showed another two being killed the same way on front of their comrades who had been blown back, shocked at what had happened before a series of nets spewed out of somewhere and caught them.
By that time Chrome was already close enough for them to breathe her in and again Xanxus was assaulted by the scent of the captivating fragrance she emanated. It suited her somehow, this scent.
"Commander Squalo, I have reserved 3 intruders alive within the 2nd quadrant for questioning; shall we intercept?" she looked up at the silver haired shark with an eerie, serene patience.
Xanxus narrowed his eyes as his second in command swallowed hard at the sight of her; it pissed him off that she didn't seem to care.
Squalo proved to him yet again how worthy he was to be his second in command when the shark turned away and yelled at the minions who were starting to arrive at the scene to see what the commotion was all about at the top of his considerable lungs instead of enjoying the sight she presented. "VOIII! WHAT ARE YOU SCUMBAGS DOING GAPING THERE LIKE LANDED TUNA? YOU WANT ME TO CUT YOU UP INTO SASHIMI? GET YOUR ASSES TO 2ND QUADRANT AND TAKE THOSE BASTARDS IN!"
The Varia henchmen stopped in their tracks, stiffened before running for the other direction. "Y-yes, sir!"
While Squalo was yelling his lungs off, Xanxus narrowed his eyes on the woman again as she turned her attention back to him and came near; as though the fact that he had tried to strangle her to death mercilessly a few minutes ago didn't just occur. She did not meet his eyes, it was as though he wasn't even there and for a moment he wondered if she was going to walk right through him. And then she stopped before him, looking quite closely at a spot on his chest. For any other man this would have been uncomfortable and faintly embarrassing since such intense scrutiny from a beautiful woman would be hard to be taken lightly. Was she going to reprimand him? Complain of her treatment? Get back at him?
But she did none of those and instead reached out an index finger towards his broad and scarred chest. At first he wondered if she was planning to poke him to death; and then she swiped something off his skin which she brought closer to her good eye for a better inspection. Her touch left a burn on him that was invisible to the eye.
"Hey, what do you think you're doing to the boss?" Levi yelled at her furiously.
"Ushishishi~ oh? What's that?" Bel trotted over to her and looked at the foamy, creamy substance on her fingertip. "Is that shaving cream, Boss?"
Xanxus' eyes flashed as he remembered what that foam was now. It was the element that doused his Dying Will Flames. He watched in silence as Chrome turned away from them to inspect the many bodies around them and found what she was looking for. A drinking canteen made of aluminum strung around one of the corpses' belts. Putting down her trident, she swished water in the cup that served as the canteen's lid until it was clean before drying it and putting the piece of foam inside. She then waved her wrist and the holographic computer console zoomed to her side effortlessly. She typed something on the board and a familiar face came on the monitor in front of her almost immediately.
"Hello, Basil." She greeted the young man politely.
Xanxus scowled at the happy and adoring look on the brat's face the moment he recognized who was calling. "Chrome! How hast thou been? Where art thou now?"
Chrome spared him a faint smile that softened her violet eyes; it made Xanxus grit his teeth at the remarkable change in her demeanor at the sight. "That's not important right now, is Lal there?"
"She just left for the day, is there something I can do?" Basil asked his voice too eager for the Varia boss' taste.
"Just a little favor," Chrome nodded before slightly shaking the aluminum cup at the monitor beside her face. "Can you guys look into this for me?"
Basil's brow furrowed at that. "What is that?"
"That's what I need you to tell me," Chrome straightened, careful not to let any of the Varia be seen on the monitor. "I'll have it delivered tomorrow; give Master Lal my regards."
"Sure, will do."
"And, Basil?"
Basil blinked at the serious tone in her voice that made him sit up in front of his monitor just a little bit straighter. "Yes?"
"Treat this with high importance and confidentiality."
The CEDEF agent's brows pulled up in a gesture of surprise before lowering into a more serious and determined expression. "I shall."
Chrome nodded and terminated the call before turning slightly towards the Varia, her smile gone and her soft voice gaining back its old soft monotone. "I need to secure the delivery and make sure it is not intercepted; I will submit my report later, is that alright, Commander Squalo?"
"What? Er, um…" he glanced uncertainly at Xanxus who was fairly radiating with bottled up displeasure. As opposed to his expressive anger, the fact that he was trying to repress his rage was enough of a go ahead signal as any. "Sure, we'll be waiting in the conference room. Make sure you're not late… And for God's sake wear some decent clothing, woman!"
As though this were some cue, the woman seemed to have been brought back to her senses at the comment and looked down at herself for the first time. And when she finally found out what Squalo was referring to, her face ran red with a blush.
"Ah!" she turned away from them, now acting like a silly, prudish virgin. "S-sorry…!"
And then she lightly hopped into the air on one foot and vanished in a thin mist.
All the men were speechless for a while before Lussuria and Belphegor broke into a line of snickers.
"Wow," Bel remarked in the middle of his laughter. "She must have been in such a hurry to forget she was still wearing her pyjamas out here, ushishishishi~"
"Poor thing," Lussuria added in, batting his eyelashes. "But she looked so cute, though; I wish you didn't have to do that, Squ-chan."
"LAY OFF, PERVERTED PEACOCK," Squalo yelled at the multicolored haired assassin. "SHE DESERVES BETTER THAN BE OGLED BY IDIOTS LIKE YOU ESPECIALLY SINCE IF IT WEREN'T FOR HER ALL OF YOU MIGHT HAVE WOUND UP DEAD BY NOW!"
"Hmph!" Levi glared and sneered. "That was nothing! If I realized the enemy was here too I would have come to help Xanxus-sama as well!"
Deciding he had enough of their voices, Xanxus turned around to wait in the conference room but decided to make a beeline for his rooms at the last moment, not wanting to admit but knowing he was eager for her return. "Squalo."
"Yeah, boss?"
"Clean up this garbage."
"Got it; OI, SCUMBAGS! YEAH I MEAN YOU, YOU MORONS! GET THESE PIECES OF TRASH OUT OF HERE!"
"Y-yes, sir!"
Several more minions ran towards their silver haired commander, more than ready to oblige. Xanxus ignored them and looked down at himself again. He was still covered in that gunk from that damned canister those bastards threw at him earlier. He had conceded that the woman was right to put examination of that chemical under the highest of priority. Anything that could extinguish such a high level Flame such as his was worth looking into. As soon as he was back into the safety of his personal dorms Xanxus tried to release some of his flame again but it failed to come back. After a run under the shower, though, he tried it again and was gratified when his Flame of Wrath flared merrily like a demonic greeting in his hands.
Reaching his wet bar and remembering he was out of tequila, he instead reached for a bottle of Martel and poured himself a glass while contemplating what happened tonight and he couldn't help but notice how the woman saved his pride by failing to mention how that chemical rendered him helpless and without his flames. He scowled into his half empty glass.
That woman (or should he call her Sawada's woman?) was something he wasn't expecting. But could he afford giving her more attention? His response to her was… unnerving. Her indifference to his violence even though it had already been directed towards her only made it more so. Something he would only be willing to admit to himself while he was alone and away from speculative eyes. He suddenly had the urge to open her up and dig out all her secrets; wanted to rip her open until he had completely invaded her very existence. Wanted that softening in her wounded violet eye directed at him and only him until he tired of her and threw her away…
"Shit…" Xanxus cursed.
He was an adult man in an adult body; sure he looked younger than he seemed thanks to the 9th's punishment a long time ago but he was aware of an adult man's needs. For a long time that need had been fulfilled quite satisfactorily by his bloodlust… His forays with women always ended up quickly and methodically; just a quick release and he made damn sure he didn't get any of them pregnant. He was in and out and left the fee on their bedside tables before he left never to see them again. Only twice had he been with the same woman for more than once and the maximum times he had spent in those women's beds only amounted to twice as well. But with that scumbitch…
Xanxus closed his eyes as he downed the rest of his Martel into his throat trying to forget how the Vongola Mist Guardian smelled like… how soft she felt… how beautiful she looked on that battlefield… It was the first time he had ever wanted to take his time with a woman. To caress her and enjoy her softness and hear her say his name over and over again…
"Fuck…" he cursed furiously, chucking his glass at the open fireplace and watching it blaze in a brief moment of glory before abating. "Like hell I'm going to let her take over me… I AM XANXUS! YOU DON'T KNOW WHO YOU'RE MESSING WITH!"
Base urges were for weak men like Sawada Tsunayoshi and he knew he was stronger than that brat. He'll prove it to everyone and especially to himself. He would erase her if he had to.
And with that resolve in his mind, Xanxus turned to his closet, dressed and went on to convene with his officers in the conference room leaving his room to act as the silent witness to his furious vow.
/*****/
AN: Next up; we'll have a look see inside Chrome's head.