Title: Our Bloodstained Bonds

Author: x Artemisia x

Disclaimer: I do not own the characters, only the story and my oc

A/N: Oh… by the way, Luna's twenty… aha…

And this is my speculation, but I'd imagine Xanxus to be a bit nicer as a child since he hasn't gotten too messed up yet… X'DD and uses a bit less of the 'trash' 'scum' 'shitty brat' etc. If at all.

Skyla15699: yayyy I'm glad, and thank you~ ^^ ehehe well for now she's neither ;3

Shanagi95: Thank you!

TsubakiHana: Thank you too! I forgot to say that in my A/N last chapter… OTL

BabyShinji: Ehehe yes, I'll do my best~ I forgot to thank you last chapter too...

Chapter Seven: Nostalgia

What time is it…? She wondered in a dazed manner. Light was streaming through her window, and she could hear people and cars in the streets outside. Sitting up, she rubbed her eyes before turning to stare at the clock. Six am… This time difference is really annoying… She had hoped it would have been at least nine, because now she had three hours to kill before going to wake Xanxus up. Oh… Shower… Nodding at herself, she slid out of bed and grabbed some clothes for the day before lethargically dragging herself to the washroom and into the shower. Once the water started going, Luna slowly began to wake up and let out a contented sigh as the hot, pelting water worked out the knots she had from sleeping in odd positions.

Stepping out half an hour later, Luna was about to return to her room and pass the time with television when her stomach growled, thus setting her next order of business. Slipping on a pair of flats, she grabbed her bag and opened the door, passing by the surprised guard and walking down to where the elevators were.

"W-wait! Miss, where do you think you're going!?" He tried to sound authoritative, but with that stutter, it more of less failed. Turning, she gave him a slightly exasperated look before answering, "I'm going to eat. There's a restaurant on the first floor, yes? Well I'm hungry, so that's where I'm headed."

"O-oh… Uh, well I have to come with you then…"

"Yes yes…" Ushering him into the elevator, she sighed and leaned back against one of the walls, blue hues focused on the descending numbers while the guard beside her stood there awkwardly, unsure of what to do. Judging by that, the amnesic figured he was probably new. Poor guy…

Reaching the bottom, both of them headed straight for the restaurant (though it's technically a buffet…) and the moment she stepped inside, a familiar 'ushishishishi' could be heard. Turning, Luna felt her eye twitch a bit when her gaze came to rest on the only person wearing a tiara in the whole hotel. "Bel. You're up early…" She noted as she approached. "Of course. The Prince must be the first to awake as he is the most important."

Quirking her brow, Luna didn't understand how being the most important equated having to get up the earliest, but decided against asking. What she did ask, however, was why he had a bloody chess board set out in front of him. "Where did you get that… And whose blood is on it?" She inquired warily. Her question made his smile grow and he laughed before answering, "I made a bet. If anyone here could beat the Prince, he'd buy them anything they wanted, no matter the cost. Humans are greedy creatures so it was easy to find some opponents but none of the peasants could beat him. Ushishishi… so as payment, I cut off their fingers."

Wrinkling her nose at his reply, she continued, "And why have the police not arrived?"

"The peasant is blind, yes? Because she cannot see that there is no one left to call the police!" The moment he finished, the storm guardian burst out into slightly crazed laughter. Now that he mentions it… Looking around, the entire restaurant was empty save for them and the guard. Did they all run away to seek medical aid…? There was still steaming hot food in the buffet, but no people. Upon closer observation of the ground, there were blood trails too, all leading to severed fingers that had been strewn across different parts of the room. Oh gross… Shivering slightly, she tore her gaze away from them, instead refocusing on Bel. She was a bit surprised to see him grinning at her, and already she had a feeling he was planning something. "Why doesn't the peasant play with the Prince? She should be honoured to be allowed to play the game of Kings."

Blinking, she glanced to the fingers and then back to the tiara boy, "Only if you don't chop me up. And after I eat."

He looked a bit miffed at that, but seeing as there was no one else around to amuse him, he reluctantly agreed.

Satisfied, Luna went over to the buffet table and loaded a plate with fruit, pancakes, eggs, bacon, sausages, pretty much everything she could get her hands on. Hey, a girl's gotta eat, okay? Beside her, the guard looked positively green. "How can you still have an appetite after seeing all those… fingers." His voice squeaked a bit at the end, and she looked at him with an eyebrow raised. "I thought as a Varia member you should be used to this by now. In fact, if you've killed someone, I don't see how this can even compare."

He countered lamely with, "I'm new." Luna shook her head before turning to fully face him. "I think this job isn't mean for you. I'm sure you have skills that are desired in this field, otherwise you would have never been recruited, but if you can't stomach seeing fingers detached from their respective hands, I don't see how you'll deal with cracking a person's skull open or ripping out their jugular." The male turned even paler at this, and Luna smiled inwardly. She knew that he probably would never have to do that if he just carried a gun with him, but she didn't want someone as seemingly innocent as him to have to live a life of bloodshed. Reaching out, she sympathetically patted his arm before leaving to sit across Belphegor.

When she arrived, he had already set up the board. Taking a bite of her pancakes, she noticed that he was quietly laughing about something. "What's so funny?" She asked innocently.

"You. It seems the peasant is still as cunning as always." His words didn't sound like a compliment though, and if anything, they carried a hard edge.

She shrugged, "It's true though. After seeing Squalo fight, that's what that poor newbie would have to get used to."

Speaking of which… Sky hues flitted around the empty restaurant in search of said newbie. They found him running out of the place with a hand over his mouth. It'd be for the best if he left. She thought with a slight grimace.

With a soft shake of her head, Luna turned back to the board in time to see Bel make his first move. After a moment, she made her move, thus officially beginning the game.

"Ushishishi… Did the peasant know that the Queen is the most powerful piece, and yet it is the King that is the most important?"

"…Yes…?" She didn't understand where he was trying to go with this, but played along nonetheless.

"Sometimes if the Queen has too much power, the other pieces become fooled into thinking she will always be there because she seems invincible. So when she is destroyed," As he said this, he took her Queen, "The other pieces finally see that she was nothing more than another piece. Check."

Studying the board, Luna had the feeling he wasn't just referring to chess anymore. Moving her knight to capture the bishop that had checked her, she spoke, "But that doesn't mean the Queen didn't do everything she could to protect the other pieces. Even if it meant sacrificing something, like herself, she acted with the other pieces' interests in mind."

Raising her head to look at Bel, she noticed for the first time he wasn't smiling. "Lies. The Queen sacrificed others, never herself. She even turned on the King because she thought she could get away with it, but the other pieces knew better and weren't fooled by the Queen's sly act." Lifting up her captured Queen, Bel crushed it in his hand before leaning in so that his nose was almost touching hers. His grin had returned then and he made his move, all the while holding her gaze. "Ushishishi, checkmate peasant." With that, he abruptly withdrew, knocking her king over with a flick of his finger as he did.

Frowning, Luna slowly rose. Is this what she had done? She had turned on them? Inclining her head slightly, she thanked Bel for the game before turning to leave. Hearing him tsk from behind her, she began to look over her shoulder to see what he was referring to, only to see the glint of a knife sailing towards her eye. Shifting her weight backwards, she stepped out of the knife's path, letting it bury itself into the wall behind her instead of into her eyeball. "The peasant isn't allowed to wander by herself now that her guard is gone."

Oh right. I forgot about that… "So you felt the need to throw a knife at me? You could have just called out…" She grumbled. If my body hadn't moved on its own accord… She paled a bit at the result her mind generated. Belphegor ignored her comment before rising from his seat, "Be grateful the Prince is taking you back to your room."

"…Okay then…" For the most part, the trip was silent, and though it was definitely awkward, Luna would rather that over him trying to turn her into target practice. Once they reached her room, she gave him a last nod before slipping inside and walking straight over to Xanxus' room. It was almost nine, so she didn't see why not…

Tiptoeing into his room like she normally did, Luna had now become accustomed to seeing his sleeping face, but had to admit it made her smile a bit every time she saw it. He looked so unalike his awake self, and she'd usually take a few moments to appreciate how quiet and unthreatening he was during these times. Then, as usual, she'd gently shake him awake. "Xanxus, wake up…"

Today however, he didn't respond at first, so she tried again. Today was also different in that his brows suddenly drew together, as if he were having an unpleasant dream. "Xanxus...?" In the next second, she was aware of a hand gripping tightly around her wrist, and the other hand wrapped around her throat. The brunette's eyes were wide and wildly searching for something that wasn't there. Letting out a weak gasp, Luna winced as his grip tightened, and black spots began to dance across her vision. It took him another moment to fully register what he was doing, and when he did, his grip eased considerably before he let her go. Collapsing at the bedside, Luna violently coughed and sucked in as much air as she could, each breath hurting like hell. Gently massaging her throat, she flinched at the pressure and eventually let her hand drop. Examining her wrist for a moment, she came to the conclusion that if her neck was as bad as her wrist, she was going to have some nasty hand shaped bruises starting tomorrow…

At first, she glared at Xanxus, demanding an explanation, but when she saw how his hair was matted to his face with sweat, she reconsidered. His face was turned away, and she had no idea what kind of expression she was making, but she wondered if this is what he was like when he was in pain. Sky hues travelled down to where his hands were fisted in the blankets, knuckles white from the force of his grip. Carefully picking herself up, Luna took a seat on the bed, her weight causing him to twitch a bit, but he didn't turn. "Get out." He growled lowly.

Luna blinked owlishly, not trusting her damaged throat to do much talking. Shaking her head, she knew he couldn't see, but she didn't mind. Reaching out, she gently brushed the ends of his hair with her finger tips, pausing for a moment when she realized how soaked his hair was. Her brows knitted together and she frowned before leaning forward a bit more to run her fingers through his hair in a soothing manner in hopes that it would calm him down. What a bad nightmare…The contact made him relax for a fraction of a second before he seemed to realize something. Whipping around to face her, his eyes blazed as he snarled at her, "Get. OUT." Again, she shook her head, her eyes meeting his defiantly. The sky hued girl frowned at him, her eyes conveying what she didn't know how to say.

She was worried, confused, angry, obstinate about staying, and trying to understand him. Opening her mouth, her words came out barely a whisper, each word stinging a bit in her throat. "I can't. I don't know why… But I can't. Not when you're like this."

Xanxus' eyes widened for a fraction of a second before they narrowed. "You…" A memory came to mind at her words.

"Xan, what's wrong?" A gentle hand touched his shoulder, causing him to whip his head around to glower at the owner of that voice. "None of your fucking business."

"Xan…"

"I don't need your pity woman."

Luna raised an eyebrow at that. "Pity? Really? You think I'd pity you? I'm worried, you colossal moron. Don't mix the two up." She shook her head before shifting so that she was sitting behind him, her back against his. "I can't leave you when you're like this. So I'll stay here until you're okay." And indeed, she had stayed there for a whole hour, the warmth from her back and her presence doing more to sooth him than he'd ever admit. The tension in his muscles melted away and his raging heartbeat quieted to a rhythmic thump-thump. He never thanked her, but he was aware that she knew he was grateful, because she would always show up when he needed her.

Even now…He snorted silently at his last thought. How stupid. She doesn't remember shit, but she still sticks around. "Why aren't you fleeing for your life? Aren't you afraid? I just fucking strangled you. I could have easily snapped your neck." As if to demonstrate, he wrapped his fingers around her throat once more, red clashing against blue as he searched for the tiniest hint of fear.

Luna winced when his fingers pressed into her already injured neck. His grip wasn't very tight, but nonetheless, she hesitated before replying, "I am afraid. But at the same time, I'm not." She gave a small laugh at that before lapsing into a coughing fit. Once she recovered, Luna continued, "But you didn't; snap my neck I mean…" She shot him a warm smile after that, a smile she didn't think she'd ever show to him. I mean honestly? He had a point, she didn't enjoy the fact that he had nearly killed her, nor did she enjoy his treatment of her. But he had those moments that made her doubt he was such a horrible person, moments that made him seem more human.

Her smile caught him off guard, though outwardly, it didn't show. Xanxus let his hand drop from her throat and he made an annoyed noise in the back of his throat. He hadn't seen her smile like that for, well… eight years. Not just that, but the words she spoke baffled him. She has a screw loose. He concluded. Then again, everyone in the Varia did… No surprise there… Che…She's as confusing as ever. Feeling the bed shift, he left his thought dangling there and turned his attention to the movement in his periphery.

Getting off his bed, the whitenette walked over to the connector door before pausing and turning back to him. "Go take a shower, or at least wipe the sweat off. …And Bel rendered the hotel restaurant staffless… So I don't know where you'll eat breakfast…" She said softly.

A tick mark appeared on the Varia Boss' forehead at this and he grumbled under his breath, "Useless trash…"

Two Days Later…

Seriously, what was going on lately? First Lussuria had ended up in the hospital, and then Levi had returned with numerous wounds. Just where were they going at nighttime? As she thought about it, Luna absently poked at her now darkened bruises. It was a bad habit she seemed to have, but wasn't about to fix… I'm glad I can talk painlessly now… She mused with memories of the last the days playing in her mind. Anyways… She knew they were here with the goal of eliminating a group of people, but she didn't see why she was even here if all she was allowed to do was wander around hotel. Squalo had ensured she wasn't able to contact her mother, still stuck on the idea that she was from an enemy Famiglia, there was a freaking guard outside her door that seemed to have his ear pressed to it every time she looked out of the peephole, and Xanxus wouldn't let her out of the hotel, probably thinking she'd run or something.

Today however, she was dead set on making him give her permission. Marching into his room, she opened her mouth, an entire speech at the tip of her tongue, but she only managed to get out his name before her eyes fell on his half naked figure. "Xanxus –!" Forgetting everything she had intended on saying, Luna stood rooted to the spot, caught off guard by how perfect his body was. Toned muscles rippled along his arms and back, and – dear lord – those abs… It didn't matter that there were scars lacing his torso and back, they just served to make him look more attractive, and dangerous… Incredibly dangerous.

The man in question turned when he heard his name, and upon seeing her reaction, smirked, absolutely shameless of his body. "Like what you see brat?" He mocked as he came to stand right in front of her. A light blush dusted her cheeks and the sky hued girl took an involuntary step backwards. Tearing her gaze away from his chest and abs, Luna forced herself to meet his eyes. "…" She wasn't about to admit anything. Clearing her throat lightly, she continued off where she had left off earlier. "I want to go out today. If you say no one more time, I swear I'll just climb out the window."

His eyes narrowed at that as he loomed over her, "Oh? Just try it." Luna blinked. "Alright then." Stepping to the side, she opened his window and swung one leg over and out, finding purchase on the ledge, and was about to ease herself completely out when she felt a hand on the back of her collar, jerking her back in. Coughing slightly when it momentarily cut off her air supply, she furrowed her browns and frowned. Looking up, she was met with an intense red glare. "Then come with me. That way, you have nothing to worry about."

"What makes you think I have any notion of wasting time with you?" He sneered down at her.

"There's just no pleasing you is there…" She grumbled and shot him an equally intense glare. "Then I can take a guard with me. Hell, I'll take as many guards as you want me to, just let me leave the hotel for the day."

Her eyes pleaded with him, hoping he'd at least let her go just to get her out of his hair. Staying in near isolation for this long was something she had never had to do before, and it was starting to get to her. Lussuria had engaged with idle chatter with her, even if it was just about the most trivial things, but now that he was gone, what was she supposed to do, talk to herself? Bel occasionally made her play chess with him because he was bored, though he usually won despite a few close calls… Lately he hadn't because he complained she was too easy to beat. It's like those near draws or near wins in my favour never happened. She huffed silently.

"…No. I know that you can get rid of guards easily, just like how you did that one stationed outside your door." Luna smiled sheepishly at that, and innocently shrugged. "I felt bad for him so I just gave him the tiniest push towards a better future."

"Whatever." She always has to get involved with other people's business… He was no different…

"Freak! Go away, we don't want you here!" The boys from the community stood a good distance away, all armed with sticks and rocks, most of them throwing them at a young boy with blood red eyes, no older than ten. Trash… All of them… Gritting his teeth, he opened his mouth to yell at them, but was stopped short when a rock clipped his temple. Xanxus' eyes widened slightly as he felt something warm drip down the side of his face. "You cowards!" He yelled angrily. Flames engulfed his hands and he began to run towards them, wanting nothing more than to crack their skulls open and watch the life slowly leave their terror filled eyes.

"Wah! Run!" The boys took off, all the while throwing rocks at him. Unbeknownst to the brunette, the group had set traps before, and as they ran, they set them off. The nets and rope traps were easily burned through, but when sharpened branches came flying towards him from all directions, the boy had no way of defending himself against all of them. Eyes widened as their piercing tips closed in on him. Dammit, dammit! Squeezing his eyes shut and throwing up his hands to protect himself, his body prepared to be brutally stabbed, but the pain never came.

Instead, he felt a cool breeze caress his cheek, uncharacteristic of the hot summer day, and then came terrified shouts. "It's the ice witch!" The air got colder and colder until it felt as if frost were forming on his skin. Daring to open an eye, Xanxus found himself staring in awe at the multiple icicles surrounding him, each starting from the ground and ending on a spike, freezing them in place just inches away from him. Looking past them he watched in fascination as the group of boys slowly began to freeze, all the while screaming and begging, but to no avail. A soft, but cold voice drifted to his ears and a familiar figured appeared in his periphery. "If you want to take the life of another, you should always be prepared to lose your own life in the process…" She looked at them with undisguised anger, but her voice held no emotion.

"Please! Plea-!" The boy never finished his words as the ice finished its entrapment of him, his face forever a mask of fear. His companions wore identical expressions, and Luna gave a small shake of her head before turning to Xanxus. "Are you okay?" She frowned when her gaze fell on the blood running down his face and reached out towards him. Xanxus' eyes narrowed and he slapped her hand away. "I was doing fine by myself." He retorted and turned away, using his Flame of Wrath to melt an exit through the ice before walking off.

To that, Luna merely smiled and shrugged, as she followed close behind, "Yeah, I know… I just got angry and interfered. Sorry Xanxus." He turned on her, thinking that she was mocking him, but upon seeing the sincerity in her eyes, realized that she was serious. "You… Got angry? Over what? Something as stupid as them calling you 'ice witch'?" He scoffed and continued walking.

"No… I was mad that they called you a freak and threw rocks at you…" She murmured.

"So you pity me?" He hissed.

"No! I thought we were friends… Don't friends look out for each other? That no matter what, we'll always have each other?"

The boy involuntarily blushed at the implications before retorting, "I never agreed to being your friend. And… That's not a friend you're talking about anymore."

"Eh? Why not? How so?" She asked, suddenly confused.

"Because friends won't always have each other. They might fight and not be friends anymore. Friendship never lasts forever."

"Then… what kind of bond has it so we'll always be together?"

Xanxus turned a bit red again and scoffed, "That's marriage."

"…Oh…" Luna suddenly seemed to understand and laughed awkwardly. "Well… I'll stick with you, but I'm not gonna marry you." She wrinkled her nose at the thought, still in the age where marriage seemed strange and boys were… well… stupid.

"Like I'd want to marry you," He muttered in return. "And I'm still not gonna be your friend."

The two glared at each other before he turned away and smirked while Luna giggled softly, "We'll see."

"Xanxus?" Luna waved a hand in front of his face and he blinked as he was jolted from his thoughts. "Tch… What." He leaned back before swatting her hand away. However, the darkened bruise didn't pass by unnoticed, though he didn't comment. Tilting her head curiously at him, she sighed, "No, never mind."

"…If you've got something to say, say it."

Luna fiddled with the ends of her hair, causing Xanxus' attention to drift to her fingers. She always does that when she's shy or hiding something. "Out with it woman."

Truthfully, Luna had repeated her question twice already, but both times the male before her seemed to be lost in his thoughts or something as he didn't respond until she waved her hand in front of his face. "So… Can I go out today?" She asked for a third and final time.

At that, Xanxus' frown deepened before he muttered something in audible and held his hand out, palm up as if to ask her to give him something. "Huh…?" Looking at him in confusion, Luna wasn't sure what he wanted from her.

"Your hand woman," He growled.

"Oh." Putting her hand atop his, he practically glared daggers at her bruise before muttering, "The other one."

"Eh…?" Sighing, she switched hands so her right was placed in his. Before she even had a chance to ask what the point of this was, he had snapped something cold and metallic onto her wrist, and whatever it was, made a small beeping sound. Huh? Bringing said hand up for a closer inspection, she found that it was an electronic device of some sort. Tracking device…? Then what was up with the hand switching thing-y? Glancing at her hands, his words from just seconds ago came back to her and she smiled a bit. He's a weird guy…

"Take the shitty shark with you." With that, the Varia Boss turned his back to her and went straight to the en suite bar to pour himself something to drink. That was her cue to get out before he changed his mind, though she did chime a grateful goodbye before exiting through his door. Luna's room was left of Xanxus' and to the right of the Sky Guardian's room was Squalo's. As the Varia had reserved the entire floor for their use, none felt the need to lock their doors, save for herself. So it wasn't a surprise that she could just turn the handle and waltz inside.

"VOII! What the fuck woman?! Do you think you can just-!" He had been sharpening his sword when she walked in and as he whipped around to face her, his eyes immediately went to the two bruises. They stood out in stark contrast to the rest of her skin, purplish-black against a cream white. The past few days he hadn't seen her around at all, and now that he finally has, she looks like this… Was that Boss' doing? He wondered silently.

Luna tilted her head a bit as if to ask him why he suddenly just stopped mid-sentence until she realized where he was looking. Laughing warmly, she smiled at him, "Are you worried? That's sweet of you Squalo, grazie."

This snapped him out of it and a tick mark appeared on his forehead, "What the fuck are you spewing?!" He angrily waved his sword at her before scoffing, "Who would worry about you?" Grumbling something under his breath, he stayed like that for a few minutes before letting out an exaggerated sigh and standing up to fully face her. "Just spill it. What do you want?"

"I want you to accompany me around Namimori." She hummed before walking past him. Making her way to his bed, she kneeled down to get a better look at the sword he was performing maintenance on and let out a soft whistle. Impressive… Behind her, she could distantly hear Squalo asking – though it was really more like yelling – why he would want to waste his time doing something as stupid as that.

Straightening, she turned to face him and smiled angelically, a smile which, coincidentally, Squalo had seen one too many times. They usually appeared before Luna did something horrible, like shooting that man in the heart at the university (though one could argue that was involuntary), or in cases where he was involved, drag him along to satisfy her whims. Instinctively he began to back up, his mind plotting out escape routes and tactics. Unfortunately, her next words made all the blood drain from his face. "Because Xanxus said so."

Xanxus… said so? WHAT THE FUCK IS HE THINKING?! He glared at her incredulously as she continued to approach him. "He already put a tracker on me it seems…" She said holding up her wrist, "But he still wants someone to accompany me. And I quote," As she said this, Luna did air quotations with her fingers, " 'Take the shitty shark with you.' Unquote."

Squalo twitched angrily at that before hollering a second later, "VOIIIIII WHAT THE HELL? WHY ME OF ALL PEOPLE?!" To that, Luna shrugged with pseudo-sympathy, though her smile was genuine, and grabbed his arm to drag him out. "I want to try sushi. But since it's not lunch yet, I wanna go see some temples and shop for a bit~" She said excitedly.

Caught up in her pace for a moment, Squalo couldn't help but see a former Luna superimposed upon the amnesic one. She always has such ostentatious displays of awe and wonder over the most trivial and mundane things… "Jesus… Fine fine I get it," He replied gruffly, knowing he didn't have a say in the matter. "But let go of my arm."

The whitenette looked from him to their linked arms (or more like her arms wrapped around his) and then back up at his face before deadpanning, "No."

"NO?!"

"I'll get lost. I've never been to Japan before…"

"…" He had forgotten that she didn't remember her way around Namimori, not having applied her amnesia to every aspect of her life.

"Tch…" Leaving his arm in her grasp, he took the lead and begrudgingly brought Luna to the places she wanted to go, though some places they went to had him making snide comments. Even then she would just smile or laugh and continue to look through the store, unaffected by his words.

Her smile and laughter were near infectious and before Squalo knew it, he had fallen back into his familiar rhythm with her, a faint smirk on his face, almost forgetting what she had done…

R&R~