Minor edits: 6/11/13
Lies and Truths
Reborn slumped in his expensive leather chair and closed his eyes. Rereading the letter in his hand once more, he growled softly before letting the piece of paper flutter to the ground. "Of all the things I had to be distracted with, it just had to be this..." Reborn muttered. He loosened his tie and picked up the letter once more.
Dear Reborn,
How have you been so far? If you are reading this now, it would most probably be that I have passed on already. The orphanage has been having some problems lately, but I didn't want to interrupt your work so I didn't tell you.
There were some mafia people who came and demanded money, but you know the orphanage is already short on funds so we told them we didn't have any. They then destroyed the orphanage by wrecking it and setting it on fire... Most of us managed to escape but Risa and Luke... They were taken...
You were like the Sun to our lives when you were here at the orphanage. I know, you might retort that you weren't those happy, 'annoying' people, but we all enjoyed your presence... I heard you joined the Mafia, so stay safe alright? You're a strong boyand I know you will make us proud.
Deimos really admires you, even till now. He even wanted to follow you! That boy wanted to take us all to a safer place but I'm an old lady, I'm not as nimble as you youngsters anymore so I decided to stay behind while the others followed Deimos. I'm sure they'll be fine.
I miss you so much, and I'm sure the others do as well. Take care, il mio bambino...
Love,
Noona
Reborn noticed that the handwriting became worse towards the end and that there were a few tear stains on the parchment. It must be freezing there at this time...
Crushing the letter, he flung it into the fireplace place and watched it crinkle slowly before going into flames. Reborn let out a sigh before resting his head back and lifting his feet to rest on the foot rest. Noona…
The espresso left on the table had gone cold and for the first time, Reborn ignored it.
~~~~~~~.
Tsuna shook his head and patted his cheeks. "I can't think about this anymore... Luce-nee and the others have taken me in so I shouldn't trouble them too much with my problems." Looking at the mirror, he tested out a smile and when he found it acceptable, he gave himself a firm nod and headed out the bathroom. Tsuna really liked where he was now and he couldn't ask for more. As he took in a deep breath, he found himself choking when Fong appeared in front of him.
"F-Fong-nii! What are you doing here?" Tsuna asked. "I thought you were with Luce-nee!"
"Ah, we just finished the conversation. I came over to check on you," Fong said with a small smile, his eyes instantly locking on to the gunshot wound on Tsuna's leg. "Don't strain it too much okay? Your physical training will be resumed only after the wound heals."
Yes! No training! "That's great!... I-I mean not that I hate training or anything! It's just really tiring and-"
"It's fine, Tsuna." Fong interrupted with a laugh when Tsuna started to babble in embarrassment. "I know how Reborn's training can be… Tough. Very tough, especially to a child." Reaching out to pat the child's head, he felt a tinge of sympathy for him. It wasn't fair forahim to go through all this, especially for such a sweet child like Tsuna.
All of a sudden, Tsuna's body tensed up, eyes widening. "Tsuna? What's going on?" Fon asked as he dropped to his knees to face Tsuna eye to eye.
The child let out a small whine. "V-Viper… Viper-nee is… She's in danger! She doesn't like it there… Please help Viper-nee!"
Fon seemed confused as he pulled Tsuna closer, gently stroking his back to calm him. Viper… She doesn't have any missions today so she should be here in the mansion… Is Tsuna having a vision? "Where is she? Can you see her?" he said, lowering his voice.
"I… I don't know! I don't know! It's dark!" Tsuna screamed and screwed shut his eyes, his small body shaking uncontrollably. Crouching down, Tsuna's shaking stopped. Fon felt relieved but as soon as he let go of the child, Tsuna stood up silent and still, his eyes glowing. However, he suddenly collapsed to the ground, orange eyes turning back to its original brown before closing.
"Tsuna!" What's going on? I hope Luce can make some sense out of this… The Storm Arcobaleno thought, gently carrying the child to Luce's office.
~~~~~~~.
"Oh? Interesting…" a particular scientist muttered as the readings on the screen spiked. Verde rubbed his chin as he analysed the data, a grin on his face. This kid really can surprise me…
~~~~~~~.
Luce gently stroked the soft brown hair of the child on her lap, a quiet sigh breaking the silence. She watched as his chest slowly rose and fell at a steady beat. "Tsuna might actually have a gift of intuition… And if his vision is true, we have to warn Viper."
"I already told Skull to bring her here, let's just hope we're not too late –"
"Viper isn't in her room!" Skull yelled as he burst into Luce's office. "How's Tsuna?!"
"He'll be fine, I'm more concerned about Viper though… Did you ask the others?" Luce said as she placed a pillow under Tsuna's head before standing up. Her eyes glanced at the door where the door immediately swung open to reveal a panting Rain Arcobaleno, followed by Lal and a grumpy Reborn.
"Now what?" the hitman growled. "Did Viper have her hissy fit and went out?"
"Don't be such grump, Reborn. Viper could truly be in danger. We have to catch up to her before anything happens. You and Collonello will search the town, Lal and Fong will search the forest. I'll get Verde to scan the area and Skull will keep an eye on Tsuna. Get moving now!" The Arcobaleno immediately left the office, with only Skull remaining to watch over the child.
~~~~~~~.
"Verde! Scan the perimeters! Check where Viper was last seen!"
The scientist sighed, turning to the screens behind him and typing furiously. "It would make sense that she left through the front gates…" he mumbled, enlarging the footage from the security camera near the front gates. "Viper left approximately an hour ago… And she is definitely not in the forest, according to the scan. Now why is this so important?"
Luce immediately texted the information to the rest before replying Verde, a troubled look on her face. "Tsuna had a vision about Viper…"
Verde's eyes lit up, mentally taking notes. So far he had collected quite a fair bit of data and earlier on, the readings had shown a tremendous spike which he had no idea what to make of but now, it seemed clearer. Most likely the sensors detected a surge in power from Tsuna when he had the vision and if that was really the case… That would mean Tsuna has Hyper Intuition.
The scientist rubbed his chin with a grin as he stood up abruptly, nearly knocking over the chair. Just like the Vongola's Primo… The hair is a definite resemblance but everything else… He is still a child after all, he isn't fully developed… Looks like more research will have to be done…
"-Verde! Are you listening?"
Pushing up his glasses, the eccentric scientist sat back down without a word and started typing something, earning yet another sigh from the leader of the Arcobaleno. "It'll be difficult to track the exact location of Viper but I can try and find her in the nearby security footages in town." Verde grunted as he closed the footages for the mansion and tapped into the town's cameras.
Luce smiled and patted Verde's shoulder before turning to leave. "Thank you, Verde… Call me if you have any news okay? I need to go check on Tsuna now!" Once Luce had left the lab, Verde slumped in his seat, a rare smile plastered on his face. He knew things would be better from now, after all, he was praying hard for Luce not to see a small figure run across the hallways on the screen as he closed it.
~~~~~~~.
"Ahhhh crap! How is this even possible! Urghhh I guess I really am the most useless of the Arcobaleno…"
"Skull? What's going on?"
The Cloud Arcobaleno flinched at the stern voice of Luce, his eyes downcast as he took in a deep breath. Better face the danger now than later… "I uh… Tsuna's gone." Skull could feel the tension building up in front of him and braced himself. Luce was never one to use violence but when situations called for it, Luce could show no mercy at times.
"What happened?" she asked with a hint of exasperation in her voice.
"A few minutes after you left, Tsuna woke up and out of the blue, he asked how long have we been together in the Arcobaleno so I told him a few years. Then he asked if there were secrets that we didn't know about each other and I said of course. And… And suddenly he says he's hungry so I went out to get food for him but when I realised that I didn't know what he wanted to eat, I turned back but… He was gone by then! In a span of less than a minute! How is that possible?! Luce, what am I going to do?! I lost Tsuna! I'm a failure!- "
"Calm down! He shouldn't have gone far, let's go find him." Luce firmly said as she pulled Skull with her.
~~~~~~~.
Tsuna dashed across the courtyard as fast as he could, ignoring the sharp pain that ran up his leg. He didn't know where he was headed to but he knew he had to go somewhere. His intuition decided the way for him and Tsuna followed without a doubt, not caring what was ahead. There was danger for sure, but as much of a wimp as he knew he was, he was going to find Viper no matter what.
~~~~~~~.
Viper stopped in front of a broken fence, looking ahead at the abandoned town where the scene was exactly the same as when she had left. The illusionist was fully aware that she was stepping into the mouth of danger but pressed on anyway. After weeks of torturous nightmares, she had finally decided to face her fears and returned to her birthplace. The place where it all began for Viper.
A cold wind brushed past her, adding to the eeriness of the town. Viper knew the town was cursed, the land filled with dark magic. She could feel the hatred and sorrow soaked in the earth with each step and to any other person, it would have been a frightful experience but to Viper, she was all too familiar with it.
"Come, Viper. Let me teach you the ways of the dark arts."
Viper flinched at the memory but kept on walking straight ahead where a large wooden house was located. Intricate symbols covered the structure, many faded and damaged.
"These symbols... Each have to be drawn with the utmost accuracy, or else the curses won't work. Every single symbol here is different, so learn them well."
Viper slowly traced one of the undamaged symbols on the wood, eyes narrowed as she gave a punch, effective destroying the brittle wood. "Get out of my head!" She yelled. Suddenly, a cold mist fell upon her surroundings, drastically decreasing the visibility.
"Welcome home, Viper..." A low voice called out.
"This is not my home! And it will never be! Now show yourself!"
The voice gave a chuckle, seemingly unfazed by the cold reply. "Is that any way to speak to your master?" As he said that, a rock fist came flying at full speed towards Viper.
The illusionist jumped out of the way, sending spears made from illusions to pierce the other illusion.
"You should be dead! You have no hold over me anymore! Not... Not after you used me as your sacrifice!"
"In turn, you obtained power! I made you strong, you ungrateful child..."
-flashback-
"M-Ma?..."
"Not now, Viper... We're busy..." Viper's mother sighed. Her indigo hair was tied up in a messy bun, eyes tired and lifeless. "Your father and I have to work hard and earn money to feed your grandparents and you, so why not go find that teacher you like so much?"
Nodding hesitantly, a young Viper dashed out of the house towards the large home she would always visit.
"Master Maledire!" Viper called out, a wide grin spreading on her face.
"Viper, child... Your parents are busy again? That's fine, I guess I can teach you more then," the middle-aged man quipped. "Say... How would you like to learn about the dark arts?..."
~~~~~~~.
"Have you memorised the symbols I taught you yesterday?" Maledire asked, even though he already knew what the answer was from the excited sparkle in Viper's eyes. "Then... Let's do a demonstration, shall we?" The black haired master stepped back to reveal a frightened boy who was around Viper's age.
"Tch, Fio! Why is he here?"
Maledire chuckled as he pushed Fio down on his knees. "He's the one that stole your lunch money and pulled your hair, isn't he? Why not... Teach him a lesson or two? It's a good way to train and have your revenge after all..."
Viper hesitated, stealing a glance at Fio whose eyes screamed of desperation and fear. Obviously Fio knew what was about to happen to him and as a tear rolled down his cheek, Viper smirked. Stepping forward, she grabbed the shivering boy's arm and drew one of the symbols she had memorised and chanted a spell. A spark appeared from the symbol which gradually grew into a fire, burning the boy. He let out a bone-chilling scream as the intense heat spread throughout his small body, the smell of burnt flesh filling the room. The fire eventually died down and all that was left was a pile of charred bones.
Viper released the breath she didn't realise she had been holding and stared at her work. What was she supposed to feel? Guilt? Sympathetic? Happy? Amidst her mixed emotions, Viper finally settled on an emotion she never thought she would have felt – Excitement.
Maledire gave a nod of acknowledgement and patted Viper's head affectionately. "Well done... Now, let's move on to something more difficult, yet much more powerful than these measly curses and spells... I will now teach you the power of illusions."
~~~~~~~.
"Where is the money, you stupid girl!" Viper's mother screamed, violently shaking her daughter by the shoulders.
"It wasn't me! I swear!" Viper cried out in between sobs. Times had been tougher than usual and with the recent bout of people in the village going mad all of a sudden and the depleting food supply, it was no wonder some people had been pushed off the edge. Viper's family was no different.
"You're always with that queer man! I've never seen him work a single day of his life, so how does he survive?! You must have been pinching off us to help him aren't you! Admit it! What has he been teaching you?! To be a devil's child? Stupid, stupid girl!"
Viper flinched at the sharp tone and quickly withdrew herself. "I-I would never do that! Master Maledire is important but so is my family! Not e-everything is about money, Ma..."
"Not everything is about money?! Not everything?! Everything, everything is about money! How have you survived so far?! If we hadn't worked so hard, how would we have fed and clothed you?!"
Before the child could even retort, her mother backhanded her, sending her flying across the room. "Wretched child!"
Viper whined as she scrambled away from her raging mother. She... Ma has gone mad..."
Kill her…
"M-Master?" She muttered, eyes darting around to find the source of the voice.
She doesn't love you, so why keep here around? She will only torture you and hinder your growth...
"But... She's my-"
Kill her!
Just as Viper's mother was about to throw a punch, a knife that suddenly appeared in Viper's hand was driven into her stomach, stopping her in her tracks. "Y-You... Witch child!..." She gasped as she fell over lifelessly.
Noticing a shadow near the door, Viper froze. W-Who saw me...
"I... I shouldn't have let you play with that Maledire freak... It's all my fault... Oh Marie..." Viper's father crouched down to his wife's body, slowly turning her over to close her eyes. "Leave. I have no daughter."
Viper's eyes widened, her hand outstretched to grasp at her father's sleeve. "Pa..."
"Leave and never come back!"
With that said, Viper dashed out of the house, not a single tear shed.
~~~~~~~.
"You don't need them, Viper."
"But they're my parents!" Viper protested.
Maledire clicked his tongue as he sat down. "They are weak; they don't know how much of a blessing you are! But it's alright now, with me, we can be even more powerful! You have a talent! Don't waste it..."
The young illusionist looked up at her master, wondering if there was any other outcome that could have followed. "But...-"
"Do you trust me?" He asked.
"I... Yes, I do. I trust you!"
"Then let's continue with our training..."
~~~~~~~.
"Master?..." Viper called out hesitantly. For the past few months, she had been staying with Maledire, learning the art of illusions and during those months, she felt safe and wanted. However, one day, she suddenly woke up and found herself restrained to a table in an empty room, surrounded by lit candles. "Master! Where are you?! Help me!" Viper shouted frantically, trying to pull the chains off.
"Everything will be alright... Soon, you'll be powerful... And you can carry on my legacy..." Maledire hoarsely replied. In his hand was a blade with symbols carved on the handle.
The moment Viper laid eyes on the blade, she knew what was going on.
She was going to end up as a sacrifice.
"Why...? I trusted you!"
Maledire stepped closer, the dagger raised. As Viper struggled to get free, her master grabbed her arm, swiftly carving it.
"Master! Stop it! Master!" Viper screamed as blood flowed on the wide table. Why... Why are you doing this... Why did you betray my trust?... For your own selfish desires?...
As Maledire chanted, Viper felt a searing pain run through her back and face, and as much as she wanted to scream, no voice came out.
Pain. All she felt was pain. She forced her eyes opened as tears trickled down to keep her sights on her master. Viper didn't know how long the pain lasted but for her, it felt like eternity. "How... Could... You..." She croaked out.
"Someday, you'll understand, my dear Viper..." he whispered, a trembling hand stroking Viper's face. Her next moments were a blur and then darkness.
By the time she was fully conscious, she found herself lying on the ground, her limbs free of their shackles. Viper pulled herself up, ignoring the stinging pain that coursed through her body. The house she was in was in disarray, like a tornado had just swept through and as she called out for her master, there was no response. Judging from the growl from her stomach, she must have been unconscious for at least two days.
"Why did you abandon me..." She uttered, stumbling out of the house. As soon as she stepped out, she was greeted with silence, not a single soul around. Something strange was going on but all Viper did was sigh, turning to go wash away the dried blood on her body at a river nearby. Why isn't there anyone... Pa... Master...
As she bent down to wash her face, she let out a gasp when she saw her own reflection and fell backwards on the grass. What the hell... Viper checked the reflection once more and brought her hand up to trace the inverted purple triangles on her cheeks. Dipping her arm in the water, she washed off the blood and traced the scar that Maledire had made. Remembering the searing pain on her back, Viper quickly took off her top and slid into the cool water, craning her head to have a glance at her back through the water's reflection. "W-What?..." On her back was a snake coiling round a symbol similar to the one on her arm. "What did you do to me?..." She whispered, feeling a throb on the mark.
~~~~~~~.
Taking one last glance at the town she once lived in, she pulled down her hood and tighten her cloak. "Goodbye..."
Just a day ago, she was exploring the empty town and when she went back to Maledire's house to rest, she noticed a bright red book lying on ground. Viper picked it up and opened to the page where it was bookmarked. Indigo eyes quickly scanned the page, a gasp escaping her lips. "He sacrificed the whole town just for this?! He used me as a vessel..." Throwing the book down, it was then she decided to leave the wretched town.
~~~~~~~.
"Illusionists are liars, deceivers, twisters of the truth... But my intentions for you were true... Your potential was unlocked, didn't you feel it?..."
Viper broke out from her daze, eyes glaring from under her hood. "What are you talking about?! You-"
"You were not the vessel... I was."
"I... I don't believe you! You betrayed me! I... I..."
"Child, your heart is clouded... A troubled mind will weaken your-"
The female illusionist growled, sending a giant serpent toward the misty figure. The serpent merely went through the mist and turned back, heading straight for Viper herself. "Wha-?"
Suddenly, a bright orange light came into her line of sight, flying in her direction from the side, pushing Viper down to the dusty ground. "Sky flames?..." The mist then slowly dispersed upon coming in contact with the Sky flames as if subdued by the calming warmth.
"Treasure your life well..." The misty figure whispered before fading away.
"Viper-nee!" the boy shouted, hugging the stunned illusionist tightly.
Viper's hood had fallen off from the impact and in her face was a tuft of soft brown hair. "Tsuna?! Why are you here?!" The illusionist pried the boy off her, watching as the flame on his forehead die off. "When did you ever have Sky flames?..."
"Viper-nee isn't cursed... Viper-nee is blessed with everyone in the Arcobaleno... Your master just had a different way of loving you! I-It's the challenges that make us tougher, isn't it?" Tsuna said with a bright smile.
"You... You're really an idiot... Brat. How could you even understand..."
"Because I can..." Tsuna muttered with a sad smile.
Looking around the area, everything seemed to be back to normal, except for the town's usually creepiness which Viper was starting to get used to. "Let's go back, before Luce kicks up a fuss about your disappearance. And… I have many questions which you better give some answers, brat."
"Hai, Viper-nee!"
"Didn't I always say to call me Mammon? But whatever, call what you like..."Viper huffed. Nonetheless, Viper felt relieved, as if a weight had been taken off her shoulders. Master… One day…I will get the answers I want… Just you wait…
A/N: Hi everyone! Once again, my sincerest apologies for this extremely late chapter... And as usual, my excuses are because of school. This semester is seriously no joke, I'm dying just trying to scrape through... This chapter was written over the span of a few months, using only the time during my train ride to school so I decided to make the chapter longer for you guys! Thank you for all the support and wonderful reviews, it really motivated me when I didn't even feel like writing.
Even though I feel that my writing skills aren't up to mark, I'm glad you still enjoy it, to the point some of you call me "an amazing writer" (Aww stawp it you~) I don't deserve such compliments, but I accept them all! (It helps with my deflated ego.) All reviews have been read and greatly appreciated so... HUGS FOR EVERYONE! The next chapter probably won't be out so soon seeing that I'm overloaded with projectsand I have to write the chapter for Lovely Madness after this... Thanks for being so patient! Keep 'em reviews flowing! :D
