Hello my dear readers. So I really want to continue with this story, but I need some feedback here. Please; I really don't want to take this story down, I love it so much. Please, please don't hesitate to tell me what you think. Anyway, I've been finished with this chapter for a while, but I wasn't satisfied with the way it turned out. I do hope you enjoy and let me know what you think.
Disclaimer: I own nothing. The Bleach universe and characters belong to Tite Kubo. Celestia D'Argento belongs to MadameMisfit.
Chapter 2: Inquiries
Celestia shivered once more as the vision of those bright red eyes reached far into her soul once more. Those orbs of pure scarlet would not stop plaguing her mind tonight. Everytime she closed her eyes, they would appear as clearly as she could remember them; they both enthralled her and struck terror within her. She couldn't believe that someone who was so gentle and so kind to her had the capability of being someone like Il Lunare Volpe.
The party dissolved moments after the commotion regarding Rangiku's bracelet had started. Her father, not wanting to cause a scene, started the fireworks slightly early. The guests had been so entranced by the ancient Chinese art setting the night sky ablaze that they didn't notice all of the commotion inside. Lord Matsumoto, in his panic, had sent a servant out to fetch the Captain of the Guard. He paced back and forth from nerves, until his wife put an effective stop to that.
"You are sure you didn't recognize this man, Celestia?" he asked for the tenth time that evening. Celestia sighed and shook her head.
"If she had, she would have told you." Lady Matsumoto argued.
"The idea that that… thief would come into my home, on the celebration of my child's nineteenth year…" he murmured. "If word reaches Lord Aizen, I will become a laughingstock."
"Never mind the fact that he stole from your child when he could have done worse…" his wife said, matching her husband's murmur.
"The fact that he was here, right under Lord Aizen's nose…"
"And he got away with a few worthless trinkets, leaving everyone safe and sound." Rangiku retorted.
Lord Matsumoto didn't get to react to his daughter's comment because at that moment, Yammy Llargo, the vile man hand chosen by Aizen as Venice's Captain of the Guard entered the room. He was a behemoth of a man, nearly twice Celestia's height. He was made of pure muscle and very little brain. Any speck of intelligence that he claimed to have was, in actuality, suspicion and paranoia. Anyone who crossed him was considered guilty of obstruction of justice. It was how so many innocents were imprisoned. To make matters worse, Lord Aizen fully endorsed this cruel and irrational behavior. Over the years it had seemed as if Il Lunare Volpe had only increased the Captain's irrational and often violent way of thinking.
He came in cursing under his breath. "What the hell do you have me down here for, Matsumoto?" he asked.
"I… I'm afraid there has been an incident, Captain Llargo." Lord Matsumoto responded nervously. "We… we were robbed." Red sprouted over the nobleman's face.
"You called me down here for that?" Yammy asked, his voice rising with agitation. "Look around you! People are stealing all over the place! I've got bigger problems to deal with right now!"
"But, Captain Llargo," Lord Matsumoto replied timidly. It was Rangiku, however, that retorted.
"Maybe it would interest you more, Captain, to know that it was Il Lunare Volpe who stole from both my friend and me." Yammy's eyes narrowed and he advanced on Rangiku.
"Well, I guess that changes things, doesn't it?" he spat. "Which way did he go?"
"Perhaps, Captain," Lord Matsumoto intervened, "you would have better luck asking Signorina D'Argento. She was the one to recognize the thief." Yammy's gaze flickered onto Celestia and he advanced toward her, repeating his question.
"I can't be too sure, Captain." she replied honestly. "He… surprised me when he jumped off of the balcony. By the time I got there, he had already vanished." A loud growl then escaped Yammy's lips.
"What good does that do us, woman? Ma che cazzo?!" he hollered.
At that point, Lady Matsumoto decided it was time for the two young ladies to join the party, or what was left of it. The party members were beginning to disperse, having heard Yammy's outrage. Both girls leaned against the railing of the balcony.
"I'm sorry about your birthday, Rangiku." Celestia apologized. Rangiku looked over.
"What's there to be sorry about?" she asked.
"You're not mad about Il Lunare Volpe?" Celestia asked.
"No!" Rangiku replied, scandalized by the very thought. "He rid me of a bracelet that I didn't even want anymore, and he showed me that that bastard Aizen has no say in what I believe and what I don't believe." Her grin grew mischievous and icy blue eyes turned on her good friend. "And what about you?"
"What about me?" Celestia asked.
"Don't even play like that." Rangiku teased. "I saw you dancing with him- and you were actually enjoying yourself. Celestia D'Argento, I never knew that you had a thing for bad boys!"
"That was before I knew that he was an alleged criminal!" she countered a little too loudly, her blush deepening as she realized that she had attracted the eyes of the other partygoers. Rangiku laughed.
"Rangiku," Celestia said as she arrived at her best friend's bedside, "Rangiku, wake up." With a slight snort- that Celestia would surely give her grief over later- Rangiku blinked awake. A slight groan let Celestia know that she had succeeded at awakening her friend. With bleary eyes, the busty young woman leered at Celestia.
"What?" she whined.
"I… wanted to know something." She paused to make sure that Rangiku was still listening, receiving permission from a slight gesture. "You said that some of the peasants call Il Lunare Volpe the savior of the city. What did you mean? How do you know?"
Rangiku was silent for a moment. "Give me a few minutes." she responded sleepily.
"Why are we doing this?" Celestia asked, pulling at the fabric of her simple frock, one that Rangiku had her put on.
"You had to know." Rangiku reminded her.
"I know that." Celestia snapped. "What I'm asking is why we're dressed in peasant clothes."
"I'd rather not get crowded by peasants." Rangiku said knowingly. She slapped Celestia's hand away as the latter attempted to rub the soot from her face. "Stop that." she chided. "You want to blend in, don't you?"
"This stuff is irritating." Celestia retorted. "Do you do this often?"
"Mama and I used to do this every month. She considers it a great deed to help others less fortunate. I kind of took over after she got sick. Remember?"
"I guess…"
"I've seen firsthand the good that Il Lunare Volpe is doing for those who have suffered Aizen's torturing demands." Rangiku said gently. She stopped as she felt a tug on her skirt. She turned and found a couple of raggedy-looking children, to whom she smiled and tore off a piece of bread for each. Celestia smiled to herself before she turned to find an elderly woman. She nodded to the crone and also gave her a piece of bread. The people knew not to crowd, else there wouldn't be any left- the girls went by, handing out pieces of bread to those with pleading eyes and thin faces. She noted as she went by, too, that although on the outside their situation looked grim, their eyes filled with hope- hope for better times ahead.
"I didn't realize," she began after the people began to disperse when they ran out of bread, "that things were so bad." She turned to Rangiku. "Il Lunare Volpe really is trying to make a change." Rangiku nodded, although her eyes had a sadness to them.
"He can't do it alone, though," she added, "much like how we can't just wish for things to change for the better." Celestia looked at her best friend, and couldn't help but smile. For all of her goofiness, Rangiku was a lot deeper than she led most to believe.
"You're right." Celestia murmured. "If we want something, we have to fight for it. The people of Venice have to band together, let Aizen know that this is our city." Rangiku returned the smile to her friend and then nodded for them to be on their way.
As they left that particular neighborhood, they couldn't help but overhear a woman talk aloud to her neighbors.
"I thought I wouldn't have any herbs for my little boy; he's been so sick, but I just couldn't afford to buy any without starving myself. Lo and behold, though, when I awoke to begin work, I found the medicine he needed and a few gold coins in a parcel."
"Did you see who left them?" one of her neighbors asked.
"It had to be Il Lunare Volpe." a small child interjected. The woman telling the story shook her head.
"It doesn't matter if it was by Il Lunare Volpe or whomever. The point was that my prayers were answered and my boy will get better."
Celestia found herself smiling in spite of herself. When she looked at Rangiku, the mentioned friend was nowhere to be found. She found herself immediately panicking- she was trapped in an unfamiliar place, alone. Not knowing what to do, she darted down an alleyway, praying it led to somewhere familiar.
Unfortunately, she didn't know that her wandering had picked up some rather unfamiliar and unwanted company until she heard their heavy footfalls. She picked up her pace, lifting her heavy skirt so as not to trip into anything or anyone. She had no idea where she was going, but she would worry about that later, once she shook off her followers. Try as she might, however, her plans were continuously foiled as she realized her pursuers were more persistent than she thought.
Much to her chagrin, she gave a cry of despair as she turned into an alleyway with a dead end. The only living creature to greet her was an alley cat, who hissed at her at having its scavenging interrupted. She turned back around and found her followers were definitely of the male variety. Fear filled her; they were both quite large muscle heads of men.
"Looks like we managed to wedge the little kitten into our trap, eh fratello?" one asked.
"Indeed." the other answered, grinning lasciviously at the young noblewoman. She felt a cold pit within her stomach as the men advanced.
"If you come any closer," she threatened, "I will scream."
"Go on, bella." the older-looking of the two urged. "There is no one around to hear you."
"Y-you're wrong." she bluffed. "My friend will be by any second, probably with a guard."
"Nice try." the younger said.
"I don't believe the lady said she was interested." a voice said. Celestia's ears rang with its familiarity. Her heart leapt once more as she looked up. Overhead, dressed in the same costume he had worn the night previous, mask and all, was Il Lunare Volpe himself.
"Who asked you?" the elder growled. Il Lunare Volpe merely smiled and then leapt down. The brothers didn't move, couldn't, before the feet of the masked vigilante collided with their faces. With a graceful flip, he jumped down, landing lithely in front of Celestia. He managed to catch the enraged younger's fist and somehow managed to flip the already injured man onto his head. The elder charged at him like a mad bull. Again, Il Lunare Volpe caught a flying fist. A black-clad leg flashed out from under the robe and lodged itself knee-first into the man's stomach. The elder collapsed next to his brother, doubled over in pain.
"I would recommend some ice for that." Il Lunare Volpe suggested. Celestia looked at him in bewilderment. His eyes then met hers. "If I didn't know any better, my Lady, I would say that you came here looking for trouble." His tone and his smile were both teasing, and it took Celestia a second to realize that she had been staring.
"Y-You're delusional." she said, looking away from him with an angry blush on her face. "It wasn't like I asked you to come in and save me."
"I wasn't implying that, my Lady." he replied. Celestia's face turned a brighter red as she realized that she had been caught. "Nonetheless, it seems that I did save you from quite a terrible fate." Celestia sighed, swallowing her pride.
"And for that, you have my thanks, Signore." she mumbled. His smile slightly faded and he stepped over the fallen would-be assailants. She felt her stomach lightly squirm as he came closer to her.
"If I may ask, my Lady, what are you doing out here?"
Celestia was silent for a moment, but then looked at him.
"I… I wanted to see that both mine and Rangiku's bracelets were being put to good use." she said.
"Do you not trust me, my Lady?" he asked incredulously. She shot him a deadpan look. "Right." he said.
"Rangiku led me out here and… we got separated. Those… lowlifes followed me and I just ended up getting myself even more lost."
"I see." he replied slowly. "Well, I can take you as far as the canal. Will you know where to go from there?"
Celestia nodded and Il Lunare Volpe held out his hand for her.
"Whatever you do, do not let go, okay?" he asked. She swallowed, but nodded. He gave a swift pull and she found herself held secure in his arms, her own looped around his neck. She could only imagine the fierce shade of red that her cheeks had turned at this point. If anyone had told her that morning that she would be holding onto Venice's Public Enemy Number One, she would have called them mad. On the other hand, her less-decent self wasn't exactly telling her to put a stop to this. In fact, she really liked this, being so close to something forbidden.
As he began to pick up his speed, Celestia found her arms tightening around his neck, gripping as if she would never let go. She felt her hair flutter beneath the simple scarf she wore and her skirt fluttered about her ankles, but that didn't stop him. Celestia leaned in, her head against his shoulder, and attempted to relax.
"We have arrived, my Lady." he softly announced in her ear. Celestia opened her eyes and looked around. Sure enough, the canal was only a few feet away. He had taken to the shadows for hiding in safety. "This is where I leave you." With that he ducked out of her grasp, giving her a polite- if not dramatic- bow at the same time. As he turned away to leave, Celestia chose then to call to him.
"Wait," she said softly. "Will I see you again?"
He turned to her, a smile wide on his face. "I'm flattered, my Lady, that you would want to see me again." Celestia blushed and turned away, causing him to chuckle. "Seek and ye shall find." He pulled his hat down slightly and rapidly turned, taking off at a dash.
Celestia felt confused, yet elated at the same time. Il Lunare Volpe had shown himself in sunlight, just to protect her and had carried her back to a place with which she was familiar. An inexplicable shiver ran down her spine as she kept replaying within her mind how close she had been to him. Under normal circumstances, she would feel ashamed, but she didn't, oddly enough.
"Celestia!" she heard. Sure enough, Rangiku had seen her and had rushed over to her. "Are you okay? I looked behind me and noticed that you weren't there and I began to panic."
"I'm fine Rangiku." she replied.
"What happened?"
"I was… distracted, and then when I couldn't find you, I decided that it were best that I headed to the canal. At least I knew my way there." She decided to leave the parts about her stalkers and Il Lunare Volpe out. She didn't need Rangiku having a full-blown heart attack.
"I'm just glad you're okay." Rangiku replied. "Come on, let's go home."
The girls arrived in safety to the Matsumoto mansion. After they were washed and dressed and Rangiku made Celestia swear not to say anything to her father, they carried about their normal day, adjourning to the library to read and practice piano.
As it turned out, Lord Matsumoto had sent a letter to Shinji, informing the elder cousin of what exactly had happened during the party. Shinji, in turn had replied with the request that Celestia return home earlier. Although Celestia was deeply disappointed by this, she also knew that Aizen was planning to visit the Matsumoto household concerning the matter, and she would rather not be around at that moment. Rangiku was also sad, but proclaimed that that only meant that come Celestia's birthday, she would get to stay longer than the appointed week. This, in turn, caused Celestia to merely roll her eyes.
"I'm sorry you couldn't stay longer, mia bella." Lady Matsumoto began, kissing the child on the forehead. Celestia shook her head and embraced her godmother tightly.
It was as she was boarding the carriage, though, that she noticed a strange figure on the roof. She didn't have to guess as to who it was; she had no idea why he had come to see her off. Yet in her heart she felt glad that he had come. She offered a small smile in his direction before entering the carriage.
So there's the end of Chapter Two. I'll have more up soon, I hope. Until then, I bid all of my readers a very Merry Christmas. =D
Translation:
Ma che cazzo: What the f #k?
fratello: brother
