haha! See! Next Chapter already up! YAY!
Part I - Chapter VI
The next day, she didn't even acknowledge them. As Tsuna walked into class, he sighed at the sight of her face down on the desk, sleeping peacefully. Ryohei gave them all a nervous wave and headed off, while they sat down at their respective desks. The other students hadn't arrived, let alone the teacher so it was the group of them all watching the girl.
"Hey! Stupid, annoying mafia dogs! Open this now! Now I say!" They looked over to see the black cat, Nero, battering against the glass window and trying to break through. Yamamoto laughed at the sight and reached out to open the window, allowing the cat to slip in. It lithely leapt over and settled down on top of its mistress' head. The necklace glowed and a sigh could be heard.
"Can't believe she's making me work near dogs."
"You insolent, how dare you speak about Tenth like-" Yamamoto and Chrome caught Gokudera as he struggled to get to the feline, which eyed him balefully. It seemed to have mastered human facial emotion.
"Neh, Nero-kun, don't be mean." Katsumi lifted up her head and Nero abruptly shifted his weight to not fall off. "We agreed on this."
"Err . . . Nekonome-san" Tsuna asked nervously "why are you still hanging around Namimori if you've . . . given up . . . on us?"
She pouted and lifted the black fuzz off her head, much to his displeasure. "Firstly just call me Kat. When you call me that, it reminds me of the way people treat my parents. Secondly, I don't know. I just have a bad feeling."
"Besides I don't particularly relish seeing my siblings again."
She promptly lay back on the desk and went to sleep, and Nero glided into her schoolbag. Before they could comment at the strange notation, they heard the sound of another classmate calling out to Kyoko from the doorway and shut up as more innocent students filed into class. Half way through second period, Katsumi . . . Kat got called on as the teacher had enough of her sleeping. She stared up blearily as the teacher called her name sharply.
"Miss Nekonome, if you deem it acceptable to sleep in class, could you please answer question 14b) for me please." He asked, voice like knives. Tsuna winced, knowing full well what it felt like to be on the receiving end of the stare. Kat blinked for a while and stared at the board then at her workbook, before shrugging.
"Sorry, teacher, I don't know the answer." Her face hit the desk and snores came out. The entire class just stared at her in joint amazement while the teacher went bright red.
~()~
She woke up directly at lunch and pulled out another sardine as Tsuna ventured over, Gokudera and Yamamoto in tow.
"Kat-chan, if you continue to sleep in lessons, Hibari will probably bite you to death." She blinked and yawned.
"Not my fault. I spent way too much energy fighting you all, particularly since I spend all the nights roaming. If you'd all died quickly, I wouldn't be doing this, therefore you can't blame me." She finished pointedly and they all just stared, dumbfounded by her logic.
"Well, what about the question? An idiot who can't even answer that isn't worthy of being near the Tenth!"
"Hayato . . . I didn't know the answer either . . ."
"Simple." Kat replied, running her fingers through her hair and yawning. "Calculative mental capacities take up a certain amount of brain cells. Therefor, they are deemed unnecessary and we are only taught the basics of literature and mathematics to permit time to train rather than study. We're allowed to do it in our free time but I could never be bothered."
" . . . So basically you're an idiot." Yamamoto laughed and she sniffed.
"I know how to count. I'm not a complete-" sensing whatever she was going to say wouldn't help her, she shut up, before turning to them.
"By the way, what about all of you? You don't live in a particularly safe place for being the heir to one of the most powerful positions in the Underworld."
"The Ninth wanted me to live as normal life as I could before I take the helm." Tsuna replied, slightly hesitant. "I formally inherit after I graduate."
"No, I get that. But why are you in this particular town that is really easy to infiltrate?" Before they could answer, her phone rang. She immediately ignored them and pulled it out, raising an eyebrow at the message, before sighing and putting it away.
"Sorry, folks, but my stupid Aniki needs me to prevent his uselessness. Apologise to the teacher for me." She picked up her school bag, straddled Nero over her shoulder, opened a window and before they could even blink, vanished into the fresh afternoon.
"What just happened?"
~()~
Kat easily swung herself through the window of their house to see her stupid brother watching the TV, eyes vacant and she scowled, before immediately chucking her school bag right onto his hair.
"ITAI! What do you have in there, a dictionary?"
"Two actually." She stared down at him. "Why did you interrupt my soon to be nap and your own to get me here." He stared up at her vacantly, rubbing the large bump appearing on his head.
"Eh? I . . . believe I have forgotten. Maybe I wanted to check your bust development . . . ?" He was lifted off the couch and slammed into the wall, before jumping up, tears on his cheeks.
"So mean! What did I do?"
"Aniki, you're beyond gross."
He whined a bit more and then noticed the TV, which was assigned to the news. A light bulb became visible above his thick head.
"Oh yeah! Katty, take a look at the news. It's interesting." She looked like she didn't know whether to hit her own her head or his, before she sighed and complied with his seeming whim. Immediately, her body went stiff.
"The bodies, identified as three residents of the Western Quarters, were found in the early hours of the morning by an middle aged lady. The remains appeared to have been ripped to shreds and had been spread along the entire walkway. Bile was identified as well, thought the witness testified is as being her own. This terrible killings is only one of the few that have been . . ."
Kat had enough and switched off the TV.
"Jeez, why is he in the next door town?"
"If he's on the move, you can bet the others are." Her brother replied cheerfully and she looked over curiously.
"Why did you say it like that?"
"Oh, only because he's a lazy, no good, stupid, boring, ignorant, foolish, delinquent type, alcoholic, gambler, probably drug addict (if ha-ha-ue and chi-chi-ue weren't so strict) absolute failure of life in general and if he's bothered enough to do something than surely the rest are."
". . . the way you generate sparkles while saying that really creeps me out. It wouldn't have anything to do with the fact that he also calls me Katty?"
"Of course it does!"
"You could at least be subtle."
"After all, Katty is my little sister and just the thought of that no good, pathetic piece of filth stealing you breaks my poor heart! WAH!" he clung to her and begun crying a waterfall. A second indent was soon made in the poor wall and she rubbed her knuckles.
"Why though? He doesn't have any reason to show up."
"Neh, Katty-chan, I think he does. And I believe you're pretty related to it."
"What?"
~()~
Ryohei tidied away the boxing club's gear nervously. It was a standard practice, done every single training session, yet after he'd moved from Middle to High school, there was a factor that didn't make it as extreme as usual.
"Hibari!" he half growled, half shouted. "I've been extremely doing this since Middle. You're being too extreme in thinking I'll do something wrong."
Hibari didn't even bother to notice that Ryohei was pissed off enough to call something too extreme.
"In Middle School, you didn't have access to a Vongola Box. Don't be annoying. I set Kusakabe to watch the other Herbivores in case they do anything stupid after school."
"Hibari . . ."
"Hurry up, or I'll bite you to death."
The white haired teen sighed and continued to tidy away equipment. This was not extreme. Not extreme at all.
When he finished, he walked home and refused to acknowledge his classmate walking behind him, giving him a glare that was half-dirty, half-suspicious, like Hibari expected Ryohei to go screaming off and started randomly demolishing buildings. Again.
The look that Hibari was giving him was enough to make him contemplate doing that out of irritation, but then Kyoko would be extremely disappointed.
No. He had to endure. Once he was home, the prefect would leave and he wouldn't have to think about it until the next club meeting.
46 extreme hours of peace.
"Well, aren't you both relaxed-nya?" He jerked back as a knife thudded past his head and Hibari spun, deflecting another blade and hurling a tonfa. A second later, it shot back at them, just as fast and the prefect winced as he caught it. The two stared around warily, waiting for the next attack. They weren't expecting their attacker to land easily on both their shoulders, in some sort of frog like knee positioning.
"Moo, you're both too tense-nya. You need to lighten up more-nya. After all, I'm not intending on killing you here-nya."
They both looked up and immediately jerked away in shock, resulting in their attacker spinning lithely off their now separated shoulders to land in an easy crouch, before stretching up to a stand. They both looked back and Ryohei clogged his nose, while Hibari averted his eyes at the ground.
"Please" he said sharply, face bright red "ladies should not walk around town so indecently." Their attacker pursed her lips then burst into laughter.
"Nya-ha-ha! I never expected the cloud and sun guardians to be so awkward! This isn't anything perverted, dearie, it's my battle outfit-nya!" at the last nya, she positioned her hands like to cat paws. The action caused the cloak she had been wearing to completely slip off and the two boys went redder. Dressed in what looked like skimpy underwear, consisting of black lacy mini (mini) shorts and a black bra that didn't even have straps, she had leather straps tied around her exposed chest and legs in a way resembling to bondage. But they weren't the creepiest part of her outfit. A fake tail poked out from her mini (mini) shorts and her light blonde hair was held out of her face by a bandanna decorated with two fake cat ears. A collar complete with a bell hung around her neck.
"Nya! Don't tell me you both have a thing for kitty-cats, do you?" she laughed shrilly, delighting in their rather mortified faces. Hibari pulled out two tonfas.
"For such vagrancy, you shall be bitten to death."
"Oh, so you are the sadist/bondage type."
He went even redder and it was hard to tell whether it was anger or embarrassment. Ryohei stuttered.
"Girls should not be so extremely bare. Put more extreme clothes on."
At the word, the goofy, teasing grin on her face vanished and she watched them, still playfully, but there was a dark edge to it. Like a cat when it's playing with mice it's eventually planning on eating.
"But I'm not a girl. I'm an assassin."
They both widened their eyes.
She beamed widened. "I am the 5th Assassin of the Nekonome Clan, Generation 28, pleased to make your acquaintance." She bowed low and the tail flickered, almost mischievously. "You have been in contact with Onii-sama and sweet little Bratty-chan, haven't you?"
"Do you extremely mean Katsumi and her brother?"
"Eh? He's not just her brother! That brat-nya! I'll rip her face off-nya!" the last threat was delivered along with a manic gleam in the girl's eyes but she calmed herself down, and took in their offensive stances before sighing.
"Relaax-nya. I'm not out to kill you yet. I'm here to warn you-nya."
Ryohei relaxed slightly while Hibari went stiffer.
"You are all involved in something you can't escape from-nya. It won't be long until everyone is all gathered-nya. You are the targets. One of us will end your lives without fail-nya. Please accept that to make life easier for us."
Hibari launched himself at her.
"I do not follow the orders of a herbivore." She lithely dodged him, and virtually flew onto a nearby balcony, perching like a feline, eyes twinkling and tail weaving through the air.
"Neh? Oh well, I thought you'd say that-nya. But one last thing: Did you notice that Katty-chan's eyes are a different colour from when you first met her?"
Ryohei blinked. "Well, they used to be extremely black, and now they're extremely brown. What about it?"
The smile went even wider. "Eh . . . so she hasn't told you guys." She pushed off and flung herself into the night sky, unfortunately giving a perfect view of her outfit.
"Just remember: There are seven coming. But the one that could kill you could easily be the one who acts the nicest." She vanished into the night, a final nya the last evidence of her being there. The two stared after her, wary and then looked at one another, before heading straight to the Sawada residence.
~()~
The others had been doing homework in Tsuna's bedroom when Ryohei virtually busted through the door, Hibari close behind.
"Guys, I have something extremely-"
"GUYS I HAVE SOMETHING EXTREMELY IMPORTANT TO TELL YOU!" he was drowned out for the first time in his life by the hysterical yell that came from Kat, as she alighted on Tsuna windowsill, balancing on the miniature frame. Nero landed beside her and her brother pulled himself up over the edge, whining still.
"Katty-chan! Couldn't we take the door? Why always the windows?"
"The opinions of perverts don't count. Also, doors are boring." Her back hand sent him flying off into the sky, and she easily slipped in. Hibari and Ryohei were ignored.
"I have strong reason to believe that my siblings are coming to this town. In fact, I know they are."
"Your siblings?" Tsuna asked, cautiously. In the doorway, the two seniors stiffened.
"The other assassins of Generation 28. And I think they're coming after you. Which means you all are in very big trouble."
"Mwahaha! The great Lambo-san will not fall to stupid assassins." She watched the seven year old unblinking, then switched on a TV. The report about the massacre in the neighbouring town was still on.
"That's the work of 3rd. Out of all of us, he's the laziest and least inclined to do any work. The fact that he's on the move is a sure sign of his interest being piqued. And if his is piqued, the others will be interested too."
"Herbivore" she looked up to see Hibari glaring at her "one of your siblings wouldn't happen to be a stripper with an over obsession towards cat like characteristics?" The others stared at him, askance.
". . . did she have blonde hair and green eyes?"
"Yes."
"Yep, that's one of them. Rei-nee, the bitch."
"Neh, Katty-chan" her brother appeared in the window again, much dustier than before "don't drag others into your cat fight."
"Perverts opinions are not counted." Her back hand caught him and he was launched into the sky again. Reborn appeared in the room, making Tsuna squeal and jump into Yamamoto's arms.
"You said all your siblings. How many?"
"Seven. I'm the youngest, and Aniki's the oldest. The other five fit between us in age."
Reborn nodded thoughtfully but before he could speak, she butted in.
"I'm not going to lie. You're going to need my help. The existence of these people is to end lives. Alone you won't stand a chance. I can get you knowledge you'll need." The two seniors watched her carefully in the doorway.
But the one that kills you could easily be the nicest
"We'll take it." Reborn said flatly, surprising the others at his rapid willingness to cooperate. "I'm not taking on an assassin family without some sort of advantage. You said you're the youngest, so how do you know? I am aware that information is often kept separate from the sibling's due to rivalries."
"I lived in the main house of my clan. I was privy to a great number of secrets."
"Kat-chan" Tsuna looked over at her, and his eyes were serious "do you really wish to risk your life for us?"
The assassin stared back and then a smile tweaked her lips. "I do. I don't know why, but I don't want your lives to end." The smile became real. "What are bizarre thing for an assassin to say." Tsuna clasped her hands and her eyes burned with passion.
Nero sniffed on the windowsill. "An assassin teaming up with Mafioso. What's the world coming to?"
"Insanity." The brother replied simply, once again hoisting himself up. "But it was like that from the start, so I don't think it will be a bad thing."
~()~
The blonde girl rolled around rather inelegantly on a bed in a dark room, meowing out the song 'Here come's the bride'. Her companion looked over from his laptop, adjusted his glasses and sighed.
"Could you act serious for once? Where did you even go this evening?"
"That's for me to know and you not to find out-nya!" She rolled onto her stomach and pouted at him "Geez, nii-san, you need to trust me a bit-nya."
"I don't trust psychopaths or sadists. Let alone a psychopathic sadist."
"Nii-san is so mean to me-nya!" she whined, sitting up and he just sighed before turning in his chair to stare at her.
"Now, you know our agreement . . ."
"I know, I know-nya! You get to take out Onii-sama, and I get to kill Katty-chan!" she replied, exasperated. He shifted his glasses.
"And you don't mind that I'm after 1st?"
"Well sure-nya, but it's not like I'm going to do anything about it," she watched him, coyly "right-nya?"
"You wear me out, 5th."
"At least call me by my name-nya! Man, working with you is always such a pain!"
"So why is it that you always ask to team up with me?"
"Because I hate the others and Onii-sama always sides with Katty over me-nya!"
" . . . so I'm simply the least dislikeable."
"Mm."
"Working with you is always a pain."
"I just said that-nya!"
~()~
In the neighbouring town, the ruined remains of what had been five teenagers were spread all over the street. Road, walkway, street lamps, ticket machine and even some doors and buildings had sprays of red on them. A single figure was perched in the centre, licking his arms, both of which were stained bright red. A figure elegantly leapt behind him, black moustache frantically waving.
"Are you done yet? TROLOLOLOLOL!" The loud laugh was accompanied by frantic pirouettes as he spiraled behind the blood stained man. The first one laughed, a bitter edge to it.
"Maybe. All of these were just the warm ups." He licked his lips and the blood on his body stained his tongue. "The real blood banquet is to be shed in Namimori. I can't wait."
"Ah, you're excitment, you're fluidity, our partnership, our triumph, my illusions . . .all is such beautiful art! TROLOLOLOLOLOL!"
"Stop spinning. You'll get dizzy."
"Neh, why are you even bothering?" the first looked over in confusion at his partner, who was watching him semi-seriously while he did a weird combination of a twerk, the hula and some kind of spiral movement.
"Stop that." He deadpanned, only rewarded with a curious look and sighed "I guess I'm trying to prove that I'm not a failure of life like everyone thinks I am. You?"
"The sight of all seven ripping against each other will be a beautiful portrait to be painted. I'm here to witness it. Shall we?" He spun one last time and began leaping off in the vague direction of Namimori. The first one sighed, licked his arms on last time, and followed his touched-in-the-head companion.
"Yeah. To Namimori."
~()~
A single boy was perched in a darkened room, sitting in a wheelchair. A helmet like mask was covering his head and eyes and both hands were at separate keyboards, frantically typing. He winced as harsh light from screens shone into his eyes but ignored it. Legs, weak things they were, were tapping frantically on their stands in the chair, letting out his tension. Finally, he pulled up the right screen. And his hands dropped loosely to his sides. A thin, smile wound its way onto his face.
"Kings" he murmured, watching the Vongola walk home via camera "shouldn't walk in the open and let their pawns crawl in the shadows. You'll discover that soon enough."
"You have no idea, Kat, what you've gotten us all into."
END OF PART I
Hehe. That was fun. I really love those seven. Actually wait. I hate some of them. But the majority I love. It's so fun to write them in, and see the Vongola boy's reaction.
Also, quick quiz: I have a bit where I have multiple references to multiple animus, name them
Also, yes, Kat is book stupid. Not tactically, she knows how to plan and stuff, but I just can't picture a family that obsessed with killing and training being willing to spend time studying.
See you lovely readers next chapter :)
~ Capulet-chan
