Beauty and The Beast: A Varia's Tale
Summary:
"Only true love can break the curse."
The Varia were so sure they'd never escape their fate now. Why? One. Their boss was incapable of falling in love with women. Two. Because he loved tequila more than anything. Three. And because of reason two, he'd NEVER find love. Or so they thought.
They didn't expect Miss Vongola Decimo, afteral.
[Fem!Tsuna x Xanxus]
DISCLAIMER: I do not own anything of KHR which is the best mafia related anime and manga in this whole wide world. Only Amano Akira does.
Warnings: With the Varia comes colourful language. Watch out for grammatical errors too!
A/N: Please read this note? Thank you.
Admittedly, this fanfic started without a plot so it might seem like the "ball is being passed around". Yes, I do admit it is, and I was in a rush to complete the previous chapter and some few other chapters before that as well so everything seems kinda messed up. One of the reasons why I got stuck and was unable to write this next chapter, hence the delay.
I know I told someone that I would do a rewrite but hey, I realised some people actually enjoy this messed up fic and so I decided to just go on. I'll get on with a rewrite at some future date, I promise.
And for all of you who are still sticking on with this, thank you :')
Also, this chapter is dedicated to Ghiro who continuously supported me with PMs during my unintended hiatus. Thank you so much, dear ^^
Well, here you go, the ninth chapter!
9. As white as a wolf.
Previously,
Xanxus.
After registering who it was, her mind went blank.
Run. He'll kill you. Run.
The soft voice which she had heard from the will-o-wisp earlier, called out to her again. She had no idea why she was even listening to it. She was just compelled to. Plus he seemed so enraged, she couldn't think of anything else to do; and seeing him after quite some time in such a dishevelled state while leaking so much bloodlust did not help either.
It simply terrified her.
And so run she did. Ducking out of the raven man's grasp and sprinting off towards where the blue ball of fire led her— straight into the woods of the Varia manor.
When Viper arrived, she thought she was too late. She had thought that maybe their boss had really gone and done it. That maybe he had finally lost it and killed Sawada Tsunayoshi with his bare hands. That now the whole of Vongola would come upon them because their boss had killed the famiglia's Decimo. That the fairy's tip off had come a little too late and there was nothing she could do about this whole mess now.
So when she caught sight of the brunette running out of the greenhouse, she heaved a deep sigh of relief.
Why did the woman care anyway?
Because she had her money at stake for this.
But her relief was short lived when she saw the direction which Tsuna ran in.
And she cursed in all the eight languages she was fluent with before rushing into the greenhouse.
She needed the boss to help. Why? Because she was well aware that she wouldn't be able to hold off all the wolves herself and also because of the emotional state the Vongola Decimo was currently in. It would undoubtedly be the very cause of Tsunayoshi's death since the girl so foolishly ran into enemy territory without knowing anything about the situation she had just gotten herself into.
And if Xanxus did end up helping the Decimo, it would apparently be a stepping stone in the progress of removing the curse, according to the male fairy.
How did he predict this?
Viper bit back a groan the moment she stepped into the greenhouse as she was instantly hit by Xanxus's bloodlust entangled with rage which hung heavy in the air.
The greenery was on fire, the table upturned and the hourglass rolling off to a corner. And of course, a very angry raven head stood in the middle of all the chaos. This was going to be a pain in the ass. How the fuck was she supposed to convince the boss to go help the Decimo now!?
What could she say and not get killed for it?
Oh the things I do for money!
It was déjà vu all over again.
All she had to do was not trip and fall, or run into a tree and then she would not end up meeting some monstrous not-normal wolf which wanted to eat her for a late supper. Or dessert. How hard could it be right?
But of course, it wasn't that easy cause Fate just needed her to fall. Fall and plant her face hard onto the trunk of the tree infront of her, mind you. Frankly speaking, she was pretty tired of this whole thing now. And she could feel the wound on her leg bleeding again.
Just great. She thought.
Alright, this felt like a scene ripped right out of a movie. A horror movie. Did that mean she was the sacrifice here?
The deep throated growls sounded not long after, and even though she was still shivering and frightened of it all , of how everything seemed to be repeating itself, she was more prepared this time. She lifted her head to look straight into the fierce yellow orbs that bore a look of hunger in them.
Correction, about seven sets of yellow orbs looking intently at her.
Did the Varia always have wolves in their woods?
Were they here for some security measure or something?
Well, they were crazy people so she decided not to dwell so much on that thought.
She staggered up to her feet, head still dizzy from banging it against the tree, showering her vision with bright spots, as though the stars in the night sky above her weren't enough. Tsunayoshi huffed as she brought both her clenched fists to her chest, legs slowly parting as her body took on a defensive stance.
She wasn't going to back down.
True, they had caught her off guard in her dream (but was it really a dream?). But they were simply a little delayed in this reality. She was standing now, not sprawled on the ground like some damsel in distress. God forbid, Reborn did not train her to be one. If anything, he probably just trained her to be her own knight in shiny armour.
The largest one of the pack ―definitely the alpha― narrowed its eyes as it allowed its members to step forward, leaving it inside the ring they had just formed. They were all crouched down and prepared to attack. Then the command came, in the form of teeth snapping; an awful sound that would still send shivers down the brunette's spine whenever she recollected this moment.
She dodged the first one who came right at her and twisted her body to punch it in its soft abdomen with a flaming fist, knocking it into the next wolf as she did. She swiftly dropped to a crouch and executed a low kick that did the same to the other oncoming wolf. Her movements were fluid like a perfected dance.
But of course, she was on her own. Seven against one was hardly a fair thing. She knew it too.
A cry escaped her lips as she felt claws scrape her back. She had seen the one behind her too late despite the flare of her intuition. She had just barely managed to dodge the claws but they had given good long scratches. At least it wasn't chunks of her flesh that flew out but rather ribbons of her blood.
It stung and gave her hard time trying to concentrate on the wolves she was fighting.
Another kick.
Another punch.
And some more throwing the wolves into one another while trying to weave her way out of circle they had formed around her, trying to keep her trapped within their clutches. She jumped over one of the mongrels and unintentionally landed on the back of another which had been right next to its companion.
Her arms immediately moved on its own and locked its neck in a tight arm lock as she used her new found balance to swing round the huge beast and kick another wolf right in the mouth. She let go and threw herself the farthest she could from the pack. Her legs hit the ground, bare feet painfully digging into the sharp stones and twigs.
Her slippers might have fallen off sometime during the scuffle.
She managed a snort at the hilarity of it as she ran. She felt herself no better than one of those snow white wolves seeing how she had just fought them off not a while ago. Adrenaline rushed in her veins as she kept on running, the beasts not far behind her.
Tsunayoshi had no idea where she was running to.
Hopefully, she would get out of the woods and maybe get the Varia to assist her.
Or maybe she would lose both her way as well as her life here tonight.
She could fly. That she could. Just whisk herself off from here, she had mastered that much already with no need for any assistance and simply just her dying will. But no, her body already seemed worn. And she had a bleeding injury on her back no thanks to one of those mongrels.
Speaking of them, the brunette did not need to turn around to know that they were right behind her heels, following fast and snapping their teeth whenever they got a little too close.
Just what had she got herself into this time?
She had fought a bear, tigers and lions. Wolves too. But these wolves were obviously far from normal because as far as she was aware, they weren't supposed to be this huge.
Something suddenly shot out of the dark, probably a squirrel or some small animal, tripping her.
She cursed as she quickly shot up but her legs gave away due to the sudden movement, making her collapse right back onto the floor again. A pained gasp escaped her lips when her back hit the ground, objects in the forest cover digging into her skin. She strained to get up, using her arms as support.
But it was too late now.
The wolves were already round her. Stalking round her fallen self in slow circles, with predatory grins slapped onto their snouts. They gave their trademark deep throated growls as they sniffed the air around her.
She slowly lowered her head in a form of submission. She needed to buy time―
Then what?
Tsunayoshi froze at the unexpected question that suddenly popped into her mind. Then what? What would happen next? Did it even matter if she bought herself more time? They were only going to maim her to death anyway. What good would it even bring her, trying to buy more time that is?
She lifted her head to see the alpha take a giant leap into the air.
Everything seemed to move in a slow motion and she couldn't help but watch in horror as the wolf slowly descended upon her. Just like in her dream. Could she even wish for a second chance right now? To just find herself on her bed and staring at the ceiling again?
No. This was reality.
And that changed everything.
She shut her eyes in a moment of fright, just hoping to wake up when all of a sudden, there was a bright light.
And a loud bang that echoed through the night.
Tsunayoshi immediately snapped her caramel brown orbs open in surprise and confusion to watch as the alpha let out a pained cry and fell to the ground, its white fur staining red in a rapid rate. Her eyebrows furrowed, even the wolves snarled and snapped as they turned their backs to her to face the―
"Xanxus." She felt as though the breath had been knocked out of her lungs as she stared at the figure of the Varia boss who appeared from amongst the trees. He had his gun out, posture looking rather relaxed as his crimson gaze languidly came to rest on her.
Her heart gave an erratic beat.
And she just couldn't tell why.
"Get up, you piece of trash." His voice rumbled in a dangerously low tenor which seemed strangely soothing to her. "You look pathetic."
She immediately scrambled to her feet, ignoring the pain as she was so distracted by his sudden appearance. Even the wolves were too as they seemed to quietly scrutinize the new danger that had appeared before them.
It was only the alpha's sharp growl that brought everyone present to the current predicament.
The raven head fired another shot and everything turned into a blur.
There was a lot of snapping of teeth.
Growls and pained whines.
And Tsunayoshi could hear her own soft gasps amongst them whenever she accidentally exerted a little too much movement on her wounded sides.
But she didn't stop.
Soon, she found herself back to back with Xanxus as they fought off the remaining wolves.
The alpha was nowhere to be found by now and there were already four of the huge beasts lying on the forest cover, their white stained with red. Tsunayoshi felt regretful that she had to end the lives of such majestic creatures but she knew it couldn't be helped. It was either kill or be killed.
She huffed in relief when the other two wounded animals staggered away, finally deciding to leave them alone. They snarled as though threatening them to follow before disappearing into the woods.
At least we're safe now, she thought right before she bend over, hands on her knees as she tried to catch her breath―
When all of a sudden she was almost knocked off balance.
Xanxus had shoved her away rudely just in time as the alpha decided to make a sudden appearance from the side, making the beast miss her but not without his arm taking the damage of its intended attack. He hissed in pain as the claws tore through his skin.
"Xanxus!" Tsunayoshi exclaimed as she quickly whirled round with a rightly aimed kick that sent the alpha to crash in a heap a few feet away from the duo. She turned to the man who clutched on to his wounded arm while training his gun on the beast at the same time. "Don't! You'll only―"
BANG!
A quiet whine sounded before the beast's head dropped with a heavy thud, its tongue lolling out.
"―end up hurting your arm more…"
She sighed. Of course, what made her think he would even listen?
There was a heavy silence before she decided to break it.
"Are you okay?"
He turned around so suddenly, she couldn't help but flinch. Not noticing the way a dark look crossed his eyes when she did. She did her best to hold his gaze but gave up anyway and shifted her attention over to his bleeding arm.
"Umm, you'll need to have that treated." She attempted.
Why am I even trying to talk to him anyway!?
…because you need someone to get you out of here?
Shut up conscience!
His reply was simply a raised eyebrow before he turned heel and began walking away. She instinctively followed after him because no way in hell was he just going to leave her here. There were probably more wolves around anyway and she didn't have the strength to deal with anymore creatures tonight.
"Stop following me, trash."
"I can't. I don't know my way out of here."
It went on like that for a few minutes, the duo passing on comments to and fro as they walked through the woods. One threatening whilst the other vehemently deflecting all the threats as though it meant nothing, both unaware of being watched by unseen eyes that held satisfaction in their pale green eyes.
Tsunayoshi managed to prevent herself from bumping into the raven head when he suddenly stopped walking.
They had already reached the boundary of the woods by then, the Varia manor in sight much to the brunette's relief. A part of her had thought that Xanxus would have beaten her to pulp and thrown her somewhere deep in the woods, to be left there to rot and be eaten by the residents of the woods.
The moon was high up by then and its light bright, bathing them in silver as they faced each other. Tsunayoshi frowned a little when she realised that there was something off about Xanxus's appearance. She hadn't really noticed it earlier as she was pretty busy trying to live but now that her life wasn't at stake, she saw something different in him.
"Your scars…" was all she could manage to say.
Why are they back? were the words left unsaid as she just stared.
His look hardened, he hated the way she was staring at him.
Xanxus turned his back to her and marched off again. He did not need her pity. No. He did not even want anyone's pity, in fact. It was annoying how they put on such sympathetic looks when they didn't even understand, when all they did was pretend to know what was truly going on.
"Wait―!"
"Get out of my sight and don't you dare fucking follow me." He snarled.
Tsunayoshi recoiled at the sudden harshness in his tone. What had gotten to him all of a sudden!? But she still followed him nonetheless. He was injured. And he needed to be treated, immediately. Why was he being so stubborn!?
"Wait!" She tried calling out as she jogged a little to catch up with him. "You need to treat your arm first!"
He simply ignored her.
She took a deep breath; if he wasn't going to listen to her she was going to force him to.
Really, this was her last resort.
Why was she even trying again?
"As the Vongola Decimo, with the power vested upon me, I command thee, Xanxus of the Varia to stop right there!"
And stop he did.
The man turned around with a very amused expression now, with all signs of his annoyance gone, one that seemed almost mocking and made the brunette turn red to the tips of her hair. It wasn't like she even wanted to use that particular command in the first place! He had asked for it, the jerk!
"Oh?" He quirked a brow.
"Alright, now that you've stopped, let's go get that wound attended to." She huffed in annoyance as she marched up to him and then grabbed him by the arm, dragging him along as she headed towards the manor.
Strangely, he didn't protest nor did he try to break away from her grasp. And soon enough, the two of them found themselves inside the infirmary, the brunette fetching the things required to treat his wound and the raven calmly seated on the bed, yawning as though everything was just so boring.
"Here, give me your arm."
He did as she asked and watched with mild interest as she tried rolling up his sleeve with much caution before pausing with a frown.
"What?" He asked.
"I think I'm going to have to cut off your sleeve so that I can work on your wound better."
Xanxus snorted before moving to unbutton his shirt and tossing it aside in one swift action. He didn't know whether to be flattered or simply more amused when the brunette immediately flushed bright red and hastily shifted her head to face the wall.
"Well, aren't you gonna treat me?" He smirked when she squirmed uncomfortably.
"O-Of course." She coughed, as she began to wipe off the blood with a muslin cloth soaked in antiseptic. She marvelled over how the man didn't even seem to flinch at the obvious burning sensation. Was he very used to this?
As she mused over it while quietly doing her job, she unconsciously found herself staring at him; only snapping back to reality when their eyes met, crimson clashing with caramel brown.
She froze.
And the other just stared back with a growing intensity in his gaze.
For a moment, she thought she might drown in the deep crimson, her breath catching in her throat again and her stomach clenching in a rather uncomfortable manner. She was feeling a little queasy and she sure hoped it wasn't her stomach reacting negatively to her dinner, though it was served hours ago.
Should she say something?
She opened her mouth to do so when―
"BOSSU! ARE YOU ALRIGHT!?"
Tsunayoshi flinched at the rather sudden interruption and unintentionally pressed the cloth down hard against the man's wound, making him hiss at the sharp sting that ran up his arm.
"OhmygoshIamsosorry!" The brunette squeaked out in surprise.
"You piece of trash―"
Meanwhile, Lussuria wisely chose to slowly back out of the room and shut the door. He was quite sorry he had interrupted what seemed to be like a "moment" between the two, but he still wore a smile.
"Well, at least there's some progress."
A/N:
Alright, I'm so sorry, I don't know what fluff is anymore, but if that seemed like fluff to you, well, thank you xD rofl
And sorry for the really long wait, this chapter was just not cooperating with me. But now that I've nailed it down, I'm excited to present it to you! And I do hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I did writing it.
I do admit, this chapter was probably my favourite because ohmygawd, the other chapters need really heavy edits, now that I've gone through them again *facepalms* but THANK YOU for sticking on with this story and supporting it! I really appreciate it and am ever grateful! ^^
A big thank you to my awesome reviewers, Breath after Death, Nekohana, GiuliaZe, FANactic Writer, MacieRaquelAbby, Guest (Nov 5, 2016), Ayooty1, Ghiro, Lady Syndra, Guest (Nov 29, 2016), D C JoKeR H S, POTDMARY1, okay2304, Guest (Feb 15), ShiroTsume, Kenny, Guest (Mar 8), Royalty Scans and Frwt.
Wooh, that was quite a lot of names xD
And dearest reviewer Kenny, thank you so much for your kind words, you don't know how much they mean to me :') I do hope you read this chapter too!
And a big thank you to all who put favourites and follows on this work!
THANK YOU FOR READING!
