- Black Veil Chronicles -

- Black Lily's revenge arc -

Chapter 8: The Lilies's secret! What could it be?

"Is everything set up there? Good. Cut the tape."

Lal was sitting atop one of Namimori's streets, communicating with the CEDEF from a safe spot. Near her could be found the experimental blue 10-year-bazooka, still smoking from its recent use. She watched over two eerily looking pale, bald men searching frantically in the streets of Namimori for their targets. They were now passing around a small, circular plaza that had several cars parked around, a few benches and a water fountain in the middle. Little did they know, their connection to the man under their control and the surveillance cameras following them were both long disconnected and replaced by fake substitutes installed there by her orders. Like the Vongola would leave a vulnerable member exposed like that.

"The prey are in position." The Arcobaleno informed. "Engage at will."

"Understood."

The voice who answered belonged to none other than future I-Pin, who was positioned behind a car just out of her foes at the occasion, the Bloody Twins. A few well-positioned warning signs helped redirect the residents of the town, leaving the small block free for the action. The martial artist attacked exactly at the point when the two were nearest to her and without warning; using both her hands and her compressed Gyoza fist technique, the car was sent flying straight at her foes.

The twins reaction time turned out to be even better than Lal expected, as they simply turned towards the car and swung their sharp claws at it, slicing the vehicle into several parts effortlessly. They didn't hesitate for a second before charging straight at their attacker, nails first. I-Pin did a quick dodge to the right to try and escape them, but when she thought it had been successful light cuts showed up at her shoulder and arm, slicing the end of one of her braids. The Black Veil's member took a step back, rethinking her strategy.

"Should I send help?" Asked Lal through the communication. "I can't really get involved... My apprentice is going to need me soon."

"No!" I-Pin replied. "I can do it. Go save Kyoko."

"Are you sure?" The Arcobaleno insisted. "If your communicator is compromised, nobody is coming to help until it's too late."

"Just go."

To I-Pin, that fight was more than just a simple distraction. If I can't beat even these low-lifes on my own, than I'll just be proving he's right... She fired another round of compressed gyoza air, causing the twins to split themselves. Even with her harsh training, it was a true challenge to follow the two master assassins simultaneously. A furious set of swipes by one of them forced the Black Veil fighter to somersault her way into a bench near the fountain, where the other foe was waiting for her. Forced to pull an emergency jump, she clumsily hit the fountain and fell near it, taking a moment to surpass the pain and return to her feet, still holding her shoulder. If I don't get my head out of the past, I'll never win.

It happened 9 years ago.

I-Pin was still a small kid with much left to learn when her master master found out about her secret. He immediately sealed the Pinzu bomb, indicating that he would no longer train her. With martial arts composing her whole life back then she pleaded, cried and made desperate promises in an attempt to change his decision, but he was adamant to it. "You don't have what it takes, I-Pin." Was what he said to her at the occasion. "It is best to end it now than to waste more time at an useless task. She hadn't seen her old master since, and still wondered what he would find if he saw her now. She clenched her fists and prepared herself for another round.

Since the Gyoza ken doesn't seem to be working, I'll have to work on a tougher approach. I-Pin took a more defensive stance for herself and awaited for the first attack. The first bloody twin went for a slash from his nails, but her hand stopped the attack, followed by a swift kick to his chin that lifted him in the air. The other twin was met with her elbow, which was quickly followed after an overhead throw to the ground. Since the young fighter never had another master after the first, her style became a mix of so many different martial arts she might as well be fighting at the UFC. It was a necessary strength to cover for her one glaring weakness.

"You, break me?" The young, pink-haired boy tried his best to show confidence over his opponent, despite her threat having had a deep impact over him. To prove his point he showed the side of his uniform, where the Gligio Nero's 5-point orange star was best shown. "You're fighting Nosaru, from the Giglio Nero! I won't break for anything!"

"Talking doesn't make your mind harder to read." Nagi noticed. "I'm sorry to tell you that, but you're like an open book... I can see all your fears."

"L-lies! You're lying to me!" Before he could react, however, a dense, dark cloud took over, isolating Nosaru from the world and immersing him in an endless, pitch black world. Believing that was the best the apprentice illusionist could do he started slowly walking forward, looking around while calling out: "Hello!? Anyone?"

The young Giglio Nero member quickly regretted his decision when he heard a heart-piercing groan of pain right in front of him. It was Tozaru, the one person he was sure wouldn't get hurt, now laying on the ground over a large pile of blood. He raised his hand, desperately reaching out for Nosaru, but when he tried to reach it back their distance seemed to immediately double, like it would in a nightmare. No, wait! He thought to himself, closing his eyes for a moment. Don't let her into your head, Nosaru. She knows who's Tozaru, so it must be just a vision...

When Nosaru opened his eyes again, however, his will broke like glass in a hail. He was now sitting atop a car in the street that he supposedly had just left, with a good look over the whole block. This time his bro wasn't the only one lying in the ground, mortally wounded; every one of the Giglio Nero members chosen for the mission were also there, fatally wounded and staring at him with a pleading look. In the middle of them all was Uni, the 'traitor' he never could condemn, desperately trying to crawl towards him.

"Nosaru..." Uni managed to say. "I thought that you were different... That you'd understand me, that's you'd protect me..." Two harsh coughs interrupted her. "We could have been so much more..." She extended her bloody hand at Nosaru, but before he could touch her, her strength was gone and the hand fell on the ground. The young boy already had tears in his eyes when Nagi finally made her appearance. She was wearing the same spider dress from before, but it seemed different; it was more provocative, had sharper, fiercer edges and darker colors than before.

"I can't believe you had feelings for Uni..." Her voice was similar to her usual, but it had something on it that gave her foe a deep chill on his spine. "I don't have a choice, you see. If I want to break you, I have to break her first."

"No, please..." Nosaru could already barely control his voice as his tears were rapidly descending into sobbing. "Do anything you want to me, but not Uni!"

Nagi hated to admit it, but she concluded her next illusion would be best executed with a grin.

On a place that seemed to be in another universe but was actually set a few meters from where it was occurring, Haru fought for dominance over the huge man and his scythe; they seemed mostly even in strength at the start, which was already pretty surprising considering she had taken the form of a large grizzly bear. The real surprise, however, was when a dark red aura formed over the man and, with unbelievable strength, he tossed his foe back. He took advantage of the good position to swing several times at the bear, making deep slices left and right. He ended his attack with a deadly vertical slice, which split the bear into two parts.

Rather anticlimactically for such a battle, the bear turned out to be nothing but a costume. Haru emerged from the pile of fur that surrounded her, carrying light scratches where the previous cuts had reached the bear before. It works like some kind of armor she can dispose of... Very interesting. The man finally said:

"Stop trying, terrorist; your equipment might give you a few tricks, but without flame control you just cannot defeat me. I am Tozaru from the Giglio Nero, after all."

"Flame control?" She asked back, interested by that new term. Why didn't Lal tell us about this before? She hid her doubts under a confident smile. "Doesn't matter. Would it be safe to say that this just now was you fighting at your best?"

"If it makes you feel better, yes." Tozaru agreed, spinning the scythe around him to showcase his abilities. "Can you surrender now?"

"Hah! I thought that you guys were a lot tougher." Haru took a glance at her side and noticed that the man's brother was already starting to break down from the scary effects of Nagi's illusion. "Not that I'm complaining, of course. The faster we wrap this up, the better." As Miura walked towards her opponent, her suit began to expand like an air balloon. When it reached sufficient size it popped, revealing a completely new form. "Get ready, cause I'm going all in!"

Meanwhile, Hana reached Uni without any more problems, but sported herself a cold and unforgiving look. Before the captive could even protest she activated her bracelet: the engravings in it began shining stronger and stronger until everything was cloaked in a flash of light. When it finally settled, the Black Veil member sported a long and guard-less white blade on her right hand. A decisive swing from the weapon broke the magical cuffs without harming the wearer.

"I'm all out of patience, so you better start explaining what's going on." Hana commanded without lowering her blade. "Right. Now."

"I'm sorry, I can't…" Uni answered, jumping back to leave her friend's grasp. "I must stop my mother before anyone else gets hurt. I'll explain everything later, I promise!" If I actually live after this. She used flames to fly away from the rest of the team, shouting: "I'm sorry!"

"Wait, get back here!" Kisaragi tried to run after her friend, but a shady figure presented itself between her and her goal. "You're on the way."

"I am not in the way." Was the man's answer. He was tall, lean and had medium straight black hair. His eyes had a sharp look to them, but his whole expression was colder than a winter's night. He wore a black uniform and carried two broadswords on his belt. "I am here to stop you, and you are not getting out of this alive."

Noticing the man before her wasn't going to make it easy for her, Hana charged immediately at him, sword first. Before she could even process what had happened, however, the Gilgio Nero goon was already blocking the swing with one of his blades without much effort. He's fast! The Black veil member tried a few more advances at the man, but he blocked all of them with careless swings and a still stone-cold expression. When he finally took upon himself to attack, she immediately felt their difference in skill; if it came down to a simples sword duel, she didn't stand a chance. Good thing this isn't one. When the man busted her guard open and readied a decisive strike, he was surprised with a flying blade out of nowhere. It was so fast it grazed his torso despite his best efforts to dodge it. And yet, she still had the same sword in her hand.

"I'm sorry to tell you, but I don't fight with a single blade." Hana explained. Beside her arm that pointed at the Giglio Nero Swordsman, a sequence of flashes spawned blades just like the one in her hands, floating in the air. "I'll give you another chance to give up."

Hana's condescending remark only seemed to annoy the man, prompting him to attack instantly. He was met with a hail of blades, forcing him to slow down his charge and making the Black Veil member's job of blocking his attack a simple task. Despite being far from precise or synchronized yet, the projectiles did a fine job at covering her weak spots and forcing a the Giglio Nero swordsman to fall into his more defensive stance. I've taken enough time with this tool, Hana thought. I better knock him out and check if Kyoko's okay. The floating blades quickly formed a ring around her foe, lunging in at a quick pace whilst keeping him stranded in a place. Now! Taking advantage of the distraction she took a few steps, leaped forward with the sword ready and…

Hit a wall with her head.

Kyoko wanted to help Hana badly but, little did she know, her danger was much greater. Gamma puller back the left sleeve of his suit, revealing a strange device that was better described as the midway between a roulette wheel and a watch that emitted a green shine. The Giglio Nero member held the roulette on his wrist and gave it a spin. The moment it stopped, a red light emitted an orange light and spheres of the same color showed up floating around him. A quick command with his hand turned the spheres into bolts that flew towards his foe. The Black Veil's leader barely managed to escape the ensuing explosion. What is that watch? It can do so much…

"Damn, you got lucky." Gamma said. "Let's see how far does you luck get you."

Working hard to make something out of the little information she had been given, Kyoko used her wand's ability to form platforms to try and gain some height. The man used his roulette once more, getting a yellow color this time. His hands gleamed yellow and he effortlessly grabbed a car to throw it into his opponent. Sasagawa did manage to hit the vehicle with a burst of energy from her Vongola weapon, but it only slowed it down a bit and she had to jump of the platform to avoid getting hit. The asphalt was harsh and merciless, and by the time she had gotten herself back up her foe already was right ahead of her. His right hand began spinning the roulette and formed a gun shape while it was still spinning, pointing it to her heart.

"Say goodbye to this world, terrorist." Gamma said.

Kyoko was absolutely paralyzed in fear. I can't get out in time! If I had another chance, I might have gotten the hand of his power, but… I just hope my friends can escape before its too late. The Black Veil's leader simply closed her eyes and hoped for a painless end. But then it all stopped. A gut feeling from deep inside her felt a bullet heading her way, but not the one that was expected. She wasn't sure how, but somehow a whisper got through to her from what seemed almost a mile away:

"C'mon, kid. It's like you haven't learned anything all this time…"

It's Lal! And she's right, too! I have to face it head on. If not for me, for my friends and for Tsuna. By the time the dying will bullet hit Kyoko, she was fully ready to react: her body used the bullet's impact to arch and duck under Gamma's hand, which fired a deadly blue laser just beside her. The place it hit exploded in a blue pillar of energy. The roulette determines the power of his moves. If that's the case, then my intuition should know what to do! Not completely sure how her reasoning was so certain of that, Sasagawa simply went with the flow and followed with a deadly flame-enhanced swing of her weapon. Startled by the sudden turn of events, Gamma gave his roulette a quick spin and got himself a yellow color. The barrier he formed suffered a severe crack from the force and he was hurled back several feet, where he tripped over a motorcycle and fell behind it.

"I'm going to save Uni as my dying wish!" Kyoko screamed at the motorcycle. She was in her underwear again and the flame on her forehead seemed larger than ever.

"Ugh…" Gamma protested as he got himself up. "A dying will bullet, huh? The must mean you have some help from the inside…"

"Quit with this nonsense, Gamma." Lal Mirch pleaded as she reached the scene, her rifle still fuming from the shot. "You can't possibly have noticed yet that Aria is up to no good."

"I won't listen to your lies, goddamnit!" He lashed back. "You'll never understand the bond we have at the Giglio Nero. No one can. If we don't stand for each other, all that's left of good in the mafia is going to crumble and fall!" The subject seemed to be a very delicate matter for him, causing the Arcobaleno to have a hard time trying to bring up an argument. She settled with a threat:

"Fine, then. If you won't listen to reason, then my student is going to take you down."

"Hyaaa!"

The repeated use of the dying will mode turned out to have positive effects on Kyoko, since she was able to maintain and control its effects much better than the first time. The bursts of flame from her wand became significantly larger and faster during that time, giving even the skilled Giglio Nero member a hard time dodging them. His special equipment, the Giglio roulette, had plenty of raw power but he truly had no influence or information on the power of his next move until moments before he could use it. It took almost a minute until a high, blue roll allowed him to turn the flame projectiles back at the attacker and stop the assault. Gamma had plenty of time to charge and strike, yet he hesitated when right in front of her. If this rolls a red I could be in trouble… Worse even, a careful look into her opponent's eyes revealed a daunting assurance from her part. He used the equipment to retreat and, as expected, a pitiful red showed up on his arm. She knows what my roll is going to be before even myself… This isn't a fair game anymore!

Gamma's determination was awe-inducing, as he made the best from whatever luck his equipment brought to him to give his opponent the best fight he could. Lasers sprouted from his gun-shaped hand from time to time, bolts of all colors cruised through the streets and he used just about every mobile object on the way to block the onslaught or pressure the Back Veil's leader… But her advantage was too great for him to surpass. When he was near his limit, he spun the roulette one last time in a desperate hope to pull out his trump card. A quick look at Sasagawa's confused expression proved that he did just that; his Giglio Roulette hit the 'Jackpot' section and began blinking in white while spinning widly and uncontrollably. Green, crackling flames spurted from his body, a vision so impressive his opponent took a step back.

"I thought you had me for a moment…" The Giglio Nero member said. "But it's all over now. I won't have any mercy for you, because I know you'd do the same for me."

"Kyoko, get to cover!" Lal shouted, but to no avail.

The moment Gamma pointed his index finger forward a surge of green flames found its way to the ground just beside Kyoko, hurling her to the side with the ensuing explosion. Several arcs followed the last one, tossing the Black Veil's leader left and right while he attempted to reach a good aim. When he had enough playing with his prey, he turned the lighting into a solid surface for her to trip on and closed in for the final hit. Even looking upon her from above and in the face of death, the flame in her forehead hadn't died out and her eyes stayed as determined as ever. He felt dried out of words to say and didn't wish to give fate a chance, so he gathered what was left of his flame energy and fired upon the threat, lighting up the street with his light green flames.

Back again at the inside of the building, Tozaru had just begun to understand the level of mess he and Nosaru had gotten themselves into. When the shapeshifter suit popped, it revealed underneath it a samurai armor so large it almost scraped the ceiling. The girl was probably inside it, but he couldn't be sure because all that he could say from inside the armor were two yellow lights that came from inside the visor. Like a statue brought into life, it moved in stiff, heavy steps that maintained a perfect drawing stance. If he's that slow, then it shouldn't be too hard… The Giglio Nero fighter spun his scythe a couple times before swinging it directly at the armor.

As it turned out, it could move much faster if it wanted to. The sword unsheathed and blocked the impact in one swift move, then proceeded to the offensive. Tozaru blocked the first few hits, but as soon as the armor got a swing in it did short work of the Giglio Nero member. All the hitting swings used the blunt side of the sword, however, so he sported little more than bruisers over his body. With the job done, the armor dismounted itself, revealing a little exhausted Haru inside. After dropping into the ground and letting off a few tiresome groans, she pulled herself back up and called out for her friend:

"Nagi, you there?" She asked while searching around the building. Instead of her friend, she ran into the boy who was fighting her. His eyes were wide open, unblinking, and he trembled near the wall on a fetal position. "Hey, boy, are you alright?"

"Please… Not to Uni… Don't do it to her!" He reached out for something that wasn't there. After a few moments, it was clear that his mind was stuck in an endless, repeating nightmare. "Please…"

"Oh, my…" Haru commented. Nagi couldn't have done this to him, could she? She quickly reached over to the remains of the bear pelt and covered Nosaru with a makeshift blanket. "Hang in there, I'll get you some help after I find Nagi."

On the streets of Namimori, the fierce duel between I-Pin and the Bloody Twins was still going at full force, mostly since the two brothers were barely fazed by most of her attacks. If only I could use it, this would be so much easier… A dangerously close swing brought her back into the reality. No use overthinking it. I'll just have to brute force it. After taking a step back, she built up the necessary energy and gas around her palms with quick, precise movements on the very small time it took the two brothers to reach her. Just in the nick of time, she readied her hands and thrusted them forward, yelling:

"Gyoza Hissatsu: Assuku Gyoza!"

The blast was much more violent than the one used at the Death mountain, hitting the Bloody twins in precise points of their extremities instead of the whole body. As a result, their limbs twisted backwards at a very unnatural angle without hurling them back. Unable to move for a moment, the two collapsed on their feet and struggled slowly, grunting some unintelligible complaint. I-Pin was already turning her back when the creatures slowly started to twist themselves back into a standing position. Around their bodies, a yellow flame covered their wounds and closed them much quicker than a regular human ever could. Their flames are going to be quite a problem. The Black Veil member thought to herself while she assumed her fighting stance again, already beginning to struggle with her own breath.If only I had one myself…

Not even Lal Mirch could tell what was happening from the bright shine that followed Gamma's strike on her student. Did I just lead her to her own death? Both herself and Gamma, however, where completely out of words when they noticed a burst of white flames emerging from the green hell.

"What!?" The Giglio Nero member asked. "How…?"

"I am saving Uni, no matter the cost!" Kyoko shouted back.

The flames in her wand had become of such might that they were fighting the electric flames right back, slowly yet steadily overcoming it as she stood back up on her feet. When the flames were meeting at the middle, the vongola equipment concentrated a large burst and hurled it forward, ensuing in an explosion riddled with white snowflakes. At the other end of it there laid Gamma, finally too bruised continue. Kyoko's flame died out shortly after; she was so weak from the fight her legs didn't seem capable of sustaining the rest of the body anymore. Aware of her student's condition, Lal Mirch rolled up a boulder for her to sit on and covered her with a white shirt she took from her student's bedroom earlier that morning.

"That was a close one, kid." The Arcobaleno said. "Your lack of reflexes almost got you killed this time."

"Ugh… Are you sure I'm not dead yet?" She asked back, rather playfully, before returning to a more serious tone: "I don't think I'd make it without you, Lal. Thank you for saving me."

"You don't need to thank me for doing my job." She replied. After a moment, Lal ended up giving a softer tone: "I brought some spare clothes for you. How about we put them on and see how are the others?"

While the two Black Veil members discussed the situation, Gamma could do little more than crawl himself into a sitting position and look at the two. The more he looked at the scene, the harder it became to keep seeing them as bloody terrorists out for the Decimo. He'd never been one to feel compassion for his foes; Aria always had told him that the Giglio Nero were the only family that actually treated each other with the respect and warmth of a real family. And yet there were the two, not too different from a mother taking care of her daughter.This is getting too confusing… Isn't it enough that I failed Aria, now I must question her too?

"Hahi! Kyoko, Lal!" Haru managed to get herself out of the building and immediately greeted a fully clothed Kyoko with a hug. "I'm so happy to see you're okay! I thought you had been crushed by that piece of building!"

"Me too. Have you seen anyone else?"

"Haru was with Nagi, but she disappeared when we were fighting bad guys." Miura explained. "We should go find the rest!"

"You're right." After a brief hesitation, Kyoko pushed herself off the boulder she sad on. Her feet seemed to have gained some stability again, albeit it was a bit of a pushover to believe she could manage another fight. "Hana should be up ahead. Let's go see if she needs our help."

"Right. " When they were about to leave the scene, Haru remembered something important and looked over to the fallen enemy. "Hey, blonde guy."

"Are you talking to me?" Gamma asked.

"Yeah, you. Your friend is having a hard time in the building over there. You should try to cheer him up." She searched her pockets for a moment and threw a half-eaten chocolate bar at the Giglio Nero foe. "Maybe this will help!"

Even long after the group left, Gamma still stared at the little sweet in his hand, trying to understand the meaning of the gesture.

The direct impact on the wall that Hana suffered would be enough to knock down even an experienced swordsman, but her pride was too hard to let her face such a loss. A quick inspection revealed that the two of them were fighting much closed to the buildings of the block that she previously thought; in fact, he was in the completely opposite direction she believed to have seen him in. After recovering from the impact she also noticed the man wasn't interested anymore in fighting her.

"Your equipment is impressive." He complimented. "But it won't compensate for your lack of skill. I am Genkishi, after all. I'm not just one of the best swordsman in the Giglio Nero. I am an illusionist as well."

"Why are you talking to me like it's all over?" Hana questioned. She tried attacking her enemy with a hail of blades, but it turned out to be just another shadow. "I'm still standing!" She added, searching around herself for his presence. The Black Veil's swordsman was met with a swift kick that seemed to have appeared from thin air, which knocked her out of balance and forced her to stand up again.

"Why are you even trying still?" He asked. "You're looking like a stubborn little child trying to face something it doesn't understand."

"What did you just call me?"

Hana doubled her efforts after having been accused of the one thing she hated the most, but it did little change as she was still just swinging at false images. Genkishi was patient and careful, tiring her out bit by bit with taunts and illusions until she was panting heavily. When her guard was down he finally showed himself behind her, grabbed her bracelet and threw it away before she could form any more swords. Completely overpowered by her foe, Kurokawa looked down and found one of his cold blades less than an inch from her neck.

"You… You coward!" Hana accused as she struggled with her best efforts to break free. "They won't let you get away with this!"

"You mean your friends?" Genkishi asked. "They're next."

"Next in line to kick your butt, that is!"

By the time the Giglio Nero Swordsman looked back to search for the source of the threat, a burst of snow flames hit him directly on the back, loosening his grip. Hana escaped his grasp and immediately recovered her bracelet. Kyoko and Lal! And is that Haru? She didn't know much about the shapeshifter costume, but to be honest that weren't that many explanations for a samurai armor following the Black Veil leader around.

"I lost Uni." Hana informed. "She was acting strange and went after her mother. You keep going, I can handle him." Her two friends exchanged a quick look at each other, then Kyoko said:

"It's not about who's the best fighter here, Hana. I'll go on ahead with Lal; I need you to follow me as soon as you can to help." Hana hesitated for a moment, amazed by her friend's confidence, before answering:

"You got it, boss!"

Slightly surprised by the new title, Kyoko gave her friends a last encouraging nod before leaving them to follow Uni's tracks. The trail lead to an old cemetery near the center of town. What she saw near its entrance took away her breath; it was her friend Uni, clearly bruised beyond what was reasonable for a fight. The mere sight of Sasagawa brought the newest Black Veil member to tears. When Kyko reached in to help her, she said:

"Kyoko… No." Uni's hand reached out for her friend's shirt collar, but her grip was weak. "You need to run… Before she gets here."

"I can't run! I won't let her get away with all that she did!"

"You don't understand." Uni tried to explain. "All of this is a setup. You are the one she really wants."

- Chapter end –

So… This took a while, right? Writing this has become harder than ever lately, but good news is that unless I die I ain't dropping this. For those you still there, thank you for your patience and see you in the next chapter!