And the winning position is...Guardian!
External Adviser was super close, though.
Should I do both?...Nah, that would be going overboard and turning Mary-Sue-y.
Hibari is more suited for External Adviser anyways...And wasn't Alaude head of CEDEF?
Doesn't that forshadow the same happening to Hibari?
Whatever...
I tried to come up with a Guradian that wasn't super cliche like the Snow or Hail or Star.
Hope you approve...
Enough of my rambling and enjoy the story!
The past few days went by somewhat normally and I was pretty sure I had an extreme improvement in speed.
Why?
Because every day went something like this.
Wake up, go to school, run away from explosions, eat lunch, run away from explosions, go do stuff, run away from more explosions, spar with Hibari, run away from Hibari, make it to the apartment in one piece, groan about the plain horror of life, fall asleep(more like drop dead), repeat.
Yeah, mostly running away from something, whether it's a crazy perfect or messed-up-in-the-head-mafioso.
Why don't you guess the main causes of the explosions?
Here's a hint: Short Tempered Guy with Dynamite + Annoying Cow with Grenades.
Do the math.
And so, I did my best to look from afar, maintain the basic necessities of life, train, survive, and watch out for potential assassins.
The one week training course with Hibari had ended and the results after continuous matches every day without a break were 3 broken ribs, a fractured arm, sprained ankle, blood, guts, and newly developed hatred of life.
So naturally, when it ended, I was relieved to finally be free of midnight torture.
All in all, I had honed my skills quite a bit and was considerably stronger.
At least there weren't any assassins yet.
I hoped against hope that the relative peace would last.
Would it?
In this world?
Of course not!
The day that happens is the day Ryohei is quiet, Hibari is nice, Yamamoto gets a brain, Gokudera is sweet and…yeah I can go on and on.
Since fate seemed to absolutely hate me, it wasn't that big of a shock when I received an email saying that the CEDEF and Varia was on the move.
Apparently, something was going on and I was to keep an eye out for danger (excluding dynamite, grenades, an overdose of extreme-ness, hyperactive dude in boxers, and bloodthirsty perfects…).
Hmm…
Both CEDEF and Varia are powerful organizations and if they were both on the move, it had to mean something (and knowing my luck, that something is going to involve violence, blood, and horror).
When I ran into Tsuna on the way to school, I heard his dad was back for the first time in 2 years.
Wasn't his father Sawada Iemitsu the External Advisor?
Why would he visit his son for the first time in two years without a really, really good reason?
Wait a sec.
CEDEF on the move, Varia on the move, External Advisor visiting long forgotten son.
This was beyond suspicious…
And so, being the totally (un)considerate and (un)caring person I was, I told Tsuna,
'Great. You're reunited with your long-lost father.'
Did I bother to inform him about possibly life-threatening events that might occur?
Nope.
How come?
Because something tells me trouble is brewing and I had no idea what the heck was going on in the first place and my mission was to protect Tsuna so I needed to find out.
So basically, it means I'll have to stick with him and put up with the constant explosions, bickering, yelling, fighting, and utter chaos in general.
Oh joy.
My life was so awesome.
On our way, Gokudera and Yamamoto came and received the happy news.
Our friendly baseball idiot suggested we skip school today since it was all reviews anyways.
Nice…I can tail them in the distance and observe through a hole with binoculars…
'Why don't you come as well, Kurogane-chan? You grades are always perfect anyways!'
But I don't wanna…too bad I have to.
'Yeah, vampire! Judaimei wants to spend some quality time with you! Appreciate it!' said Gokudera.
'You don't have to if you don't want to.' said Tsuna apologetically.
Sigh.
I didn't have a choice. When did I ever have a choice, anyways?
'I'll come.'
And so, we called everyone to hang out.
The entire gang was here plus Kyoko and Haru was here and it was a giant crowd.
I was supposed to be with them but I wanted to keep my distance and avoid getting dragged into anything unimportant.
Therefore, in order to maintain my personal space, I just stayed a few meters behind so I was technically with them but still a good distance away.
All was going well and my presence was soon forgotten even though I was with them in the beginning.
Ah, the advantages of totally lacking a presence…
I watched from a corner as Tsuna drooled over Kyoko as usual and Lambo caused endless trouble for everyone.
They took pictures, listened to music, and sat down with drinks.
It seemed pretty nice and there was a warm, fuzzy feeling that made me pull back a couple more feet just to avoid being contaminated by the sheer fuzziness of the atmosphere.
Seriously, I'm not a warm person and watching it was more than enough.
I prefer somewhere cold and quiet where I can be alone and enjoy life.
Although one friend wouldn't hurt…Argghh! Shut up, brain!
I don't care if I have a gaping hole in my heart called loneliness!
I put up with it for years and these people aren't gonna change that!
This is just a mission; I'm leaving this group in a couple years anyways so it's better not to get too attached.
Suddenly, my sharp ears picked up explosions in the distance.
Those weren't caused by Gokudera or Lambo for sure.
My hand gripped my necklace as I realized the sounds were coming our way.
There was a loud 'boom!' as the roof of the building nearby started to smoke.
Tsuna and Kyoko started to panic and a person came flying their way and landed on Tsuna.
I recognized him as Basil, a member of CEDEF. Don't tell me…
Iemitsu returning, CEDEF on the move, Varia on the move…
I looked up and saw a person on the roof.
That was…Superbi, Squalo!
Oh hell no.
I got out my blade and ran to Tsuna.
'Tsuna, that guy's our enemy!'
'Vooooi! A bunch of outsiders are making a crowd! Anyone who gets in my way will be cut!'
Squalo aimed numerous attacks in our direction and most people scattered.
It seemed like Reborn took care of the girls and the kids and only me, Tsuna, Basil, Gokudera, and Yamamoto were left.
Basil took Tsuna and attempted to run away but was stopped by Squalo's attack.
'Vooooooiii! Let's quit playing chase. So who is that? Now tell me!'
Squalo's attack blew away Basil and Tsuna was defenseless.
Damn it all!
Why am I always the only one who's close enough at a time like this?
Oh wait, I forgot.
It was my honorable duty to get beaten to a bloody pulp for the sake of the future ruler of the underworld.
Joy.
I charged and attacked Squalo.
Our blades clashed and I went all out from the get-go.
'Vooooii! Who the hell are you, brat?' He yelled as we attacked each other.
This guy was indeed Varia quality.
I could feel his tremendous strength through his attacks but I still held my ground.
Just barely, but that's unimportant right now.
Daily sparring with Hibari was definitely paying off since if it was the old me, I would've gotten my butt kicked ages ago.
'Answer me, damn it!' He attacked viciously and I was having trouble keeping up.
'Oi, duck!' called Gokudera's voice.
Out of sheer instinct and unwanted experiance, I leaped away and pulled Tsuna down just as dynamites rained down.
Squalo saw the dynamites coming and dodged them all.
'Take a look at what happens when you raise a hand at him. You won't walk away.' said Gokudera.
'Well, something like that. We'll take you on!' said Yamamoto.
'Gokudera-kun! Yamamoto!' Tsuna exclaimed.
'You guys involved with him too? Vooooiii! I don't really understand but I'll tell you one thing for certain. Defy me and die! ' yelled Squalo.
Gokudera got out his dynamites and Yamamoto was beside him holding his sword and they looked ready to fight but…
'Don't! He's not an opponent you can take on! He's simply that dangerous! ' Basil feebly called. He looked like he was heavily injured.
His warning was too late.
Yamamoto and Squalo clashed and Yamamoto went down rapidly.
'Yamamoto!' cried Tsuna.
Gokudera went down as well and it was over in an instant.
'Vooooiii! Not even worth talking about! Just die!
Damn it…
With no other choice, I stood between him and Tsuna with my blade raised and blocked his attack.
'Hey, you seem better the others but…' He attacked even harder and my arm was slashed apart. 'You're still weak!'
'Arghh!' I gasped as his sword tore apart my skin.
THE PAIN. IT BURNS.
Still, I gripped my blade and attacked again.
We exchanged blows at freakish speeds and neither of us gave an inch.
'Voooiii! You're not half-bad! Who are you, kid?'
'It doesn't matter.' I growled.
We were still on even grounds but that was gonna change real soon.
'Ah!' I gasped as he landed a swipe on my side.
Shit!
My wounds were too great!
Blood poured from my side and my arm was burning with pain from the previous attacks.
At this rate, I was screwed!
However, I didn't spar with Hibari for one week straight without learning some new tactics.
After his next attack, I held him in place and then I spun and landed a flying kick on him, causing him to retreat a bit.
Using this opening, I managed to cut his left arm.
Suddenly, I stumbled a bit.
Aw, FUCK.
My ribs were bleeding waaaay too much and I went down on my knees from the massive blood loss.
'Vooooiiii! Brat, answer me! Who the hell are you?'
Squalo came at me again but before he reached me,
'REBORN! DEFEAT THE LONG-HAIR WITH MY DYING WILL!' Tsuna cried.
'Wait, Tsuna-!'
He charged at Squalo and my warning fell on deaf ears.
They engaged in combat and I was as useless as heck in my current state.
I winced from the pain.
I was dizzy from blood loss and that Basil was out cold (I think…).
Tsuna was nowhere near strong enough to defeat Squalo and I was injured badly.
Damn…
I cut up part of my shirt and used it for bandages while Tsuna and Squalo fought.
Tsuna was losing and he soon lost his dying will.
I was too far away to help and I couldn't make it in time with my wounds!
Suddenly, there were a couple explosions and lots of smoke.
That Basil had saved Tsuna and took him somewhere a good distance away.
He was still conscious? Good for him, but why didn't you do something sooner?
Would've saved me a lot of trouble…
He took Tsuna over to a corner and started talking rapidly while taking out a box.
My eyes widened as I recognized what he was holding.
That was…!
I've got to hold off Squalo no matter what!
I got up, charged, and locked swords with Squalo.
THE PAAAINNNNN. IT'S BACK.
'Voooiii! Don't get in my way, brat!'
'Tsuna, take the box and run!' I called.
This was absolutely urgent!
Apparently, Squalo knew it as well because he came at me harder than ever before.
Looks like he was finally serious.
We attacked each other rapidly and I was wearing out faster than ever.
Not even Hibari was as insane as this guy!
We went at it again and my wounds/pain/blood-loss was killing me.
We attacked, leaped back, and was about to charge again when a new voice interrupted.
'You haven't changed, Superbia, Squalo. Getting so serious against a little girl…aren't you embarassed?'
That voice…Dino!
I have never been so thankful for his presence.
Also, who are you calling little girl?
Whatever, we're saved.
If Dino was with his subordinates, he can probably defeat Squalo!
And just in time, too. If we had clashed again, I seriously doubt I would've come out alive.
'Dino-san!' Tsuna exclaimed.
'If you insist on continuing your tasteless game, I'll take you on.' said Dino.
'Voooii! It'd be fun to take you on right now, Bucking Bronco! But the brass won't like it if I take on the Family Alliance. So I'll go home quietly…There's no way I'll do that!'
He grabbed Tsuna's head and laughed.
'Tsuna!' I cried.
I charged at him with my blade as Dino attacked with his whip.
He deflected both our attacks and let go of Tsuna.
I ran over to Tsuna while dripping blood all over the place.
Oh, the sympathy I feel for whoever had to clean up this mess afterwards…
'Are you alright?' I panted.
Man, my wounds are killing me and they were soaking through my clothes-turned-bandages.
'Are you guys alright?' said Dino as he came over.
NO. I'M NOT ALRIGHT.
I'm currently gushing massive amounts of blood as well as battered and bruised from my encounter with the psycho, long-haired, Varia Quality freak-zoid sent from the pits of hell who just tried to kill me.
'I'm fine.' was my not-so-honest respond.
'S-Somehow.' said Tsuna.
'Soft as always, Bucking Bronco!'
I whipped around to see Squalo on the roof of a building.
Did he want more? Cuz at this point, I really didn't give a crap.
'For your sake, I'll leave them in your hands. But I'll take these with me!'
He held up the Vongola Rings.
OH HELL NO.
I winced and stumbled as I tried to run over.
Damn, I couldn't make it with these wounds!
'The Vongola Rings!' exclaimed Basil. How the heck are you even conscious?
Dino gasped and got ready to attack but Squalo had already left.
'Pursuing him wouldn't be smart.' said Reborn.
Oh, now you show up.
'Why didn't you help me?' exclaimed Tsuna.
Yes, why didn't you?
'I'm not allowed to attack him.'
Oh, family thing…screw the laws, I don't care…
The rings can only mean one thing.
The Boss and Guardians are to be chosen and it looks like the opposing force was the Varia.
I feel pity for his chosen Guardians.
Whoever they were, they were gonna suffer…Like, really suffer.
I might be in charge of protecting him, but this was a Vongola Family thing and I have no intention of getting involved.
And no, I don't care if I'm in the said family because there is no way in hell I'm getting involved in this…
'Oi, are you okay?' Dino asked.
'Somewh…'
I never finished my sentence as I passed out from extreme blood loss right then and there.
Wow, I am so dignified aren't I?
~Outsider POV~
'Gokudera, Yamamoto!' Tsuna cried.
'Judaimei, you're safe!'
'Tsuna!'
'Are you two alright? And where's Mei?'
Dino walked over carrying Mei carefully with both arms while one of his subordinates carried Basil.
'Mei!'
Tsuna's eyes widened at her state.
Blood soaked through her clothes on her side and her arm had deep cuts all over it not to mention all the bruises and scrapes.
'Mei…' He echoed. He looked horrified.
'Don't worry. She'll be alright.' Dino reassured.
'I'll defeat him the next time I see him!' said Gokudera.
'Maybe he's still in the area.' Yamamoto says.
'You two can go home.' said Reborn. 'You two must have realized it. At your current strength, you'll just be in the way. If Mei wasn't around, who knows what might've happened. Even as it is, she is still gravely injured from protecting you guys.'
'Reborn! What are you saying!' excalimed Tsuna.
Reborn tied him up and dragged him off while explaining things.
~At Random Hospital~
'Their lives aren't in any danger.' said Romario.
Tsuna, Reborn, and Dino stood by two beds that contained Mei and Basil.
Mei and Basil were both wrapped up in bandages though Basil seemed worse off.
'It seemed like they were both trained well, Boss.' said Romario.
'Umm…What is he? Is he a member of the Vongola?' asked Tsuna.
He glanced at both of them worriedly.
Mei looked so pale and fragile...like she was going to break any moment...
But back to the topic at hand.
Dino and Reborn explained the situation to him.
Dino revealed that he had the real rings with him told Tsuna that it belonged to him.
Tsuna was in denial about the fact that he had to accept the horrid rings of utter doom and ran out of the room with a lame excuse.
'Does he still think he can run away from his destiny?' said Dino.
'Hm.' said Reborn.
~End POV~
When I woke up, I was lying in a soft bed and free of pain.
I glanced down at my chest and remembered what happened.
Right…I encountered the psycho, long-haired, Varia quality freak-zoid from the pits of hell that tried to kill me and then passed out like a pathetic, weak, naive little girl.
Ugh, the humiliation.
That was sooooo totally embarrassing.
Not only did I get beaten up, I lost half my dignity and took a painful blow to my ego.
That bastard!
I would vow to get revenge if it weren't for the fact that it was flat out impossible at the moment and probably never will be possible.
I got out of the bed and tested my strength.
Yep, I could walk and it didn't hurt that much although it would be quite a long time before I can go jumping out of windows again.
I made my way to the door and avoided anyone and everyone (because I need peace and quiet without creepy men)
The Vongola Rings were here…
Tsuna and his friends were probably the Guardians and hopefully, I wasn't involved since I was in the unofficial Segreto Family.
I seriously didn't want to mess up my life any more than I already had.
Being a Guardian would bring protecting Tsuna to a whole nother level.
I was perfectly fine with watching from the sidelines and who in their right mind would willingly fight the Varia?
Besides, if I was defeated by Squalo, that should be a sure sign that I was too weak and someone else was better suited for the job (that's probably the only good thing that came out of all this…)
I'm right, right? RIGHT?
Please-say-yes-please-say-yes-please-say-yes-I'm-too-young-to-suffer-slow-painful-death…
I returned home...And. Saw. The. Horrid. Ring. Of. Doom. Sitting. On. My. Table. Gleaming. At. Me. Evilly.
I stared.
Then I turned around, walked out the door, closed it behind me and took a deep breath.
I calmed my nerves, opened the door, and that thing was still there.
I staaaaared.
It took me about five minutes to process this information and react accordingly.
ARGHH! WHAT THE HECK IS THIS THING DOING HERE?
I can't be a Guardian! I'm not strong enough!
Not to mention I was already defeated…
This was like the worst possible situation that spelled complete and utter doom for my plans of a peaceful future free of mafia craziness.
I picked up the ring and glared at it willing it to disappear and leave me forever…and failed.
Unsurprisingly.
What should I do?
Turning down the position was probably the best option…
'Hey, Mei! Ready for more training?' a voice suddenly burst out.
My reaction…was epic.
I flinched, dropped the ring, whirled around, and nearly fainted from shock.
'Luke...What. Are. You. Doing?
'I heard you're the new Guardian of Decimo's Family! Congratulations! We got word of what's going on and I'm here to help you out!'
'I didn't even accept the position yet.' I deadpanned. 'Also, how did you get here so fast? Squalo only came yesterday.'
'Oh, well, we have our ways. I'm here to explain stuff to you and introduce you to your new tutor.'
'New?'
'Yep. C'mon out.'
'Yo, I'm Shura Shiono, your new tutor.'
I stared some more.
I front of me was a tan, red-headed woman with mid-length wavy hair and hazel eyes with rather 'peculiar' clothes for lack of better words.
She was wearing a black half jacket made of leather and a dark pink bra plus jean shorts and knee high boots.
If I train with this person I will most definitely pick up some bad habits…
Also, why is everyone completely ignoring my opinion and assuming I'm already the Guardian?
'Hey, nice place ya got. Care if we settle down? We've got a lonnnng talk coming up.' said Shura.
'Um…Sure.'
I lead them to the living room and the three of us settled down on the couches.
'Why do I need two tutors?' I asked.
'Well, we both specialize in different things that are important for you to learn so yeah…Anyways, we're here to talk to you about your ring.' said Luke.
I nodded and they got started on their lecture.
'Your ring is called the Moon Ring. The orb of light that helps the Family from the darkness of the night. It's… let's just say…unique.'
'How so?'
'Well…' He took out a little box and opened it to reveal…The. Second. Half. Of. The. Horrid. Ring. Of. Doom.
I just staaaared.
'…Shouldn't Varia have that?'
'Nah, they wouldn't have known about it.' said Shura.
'Huh?'
'The Moon Ring is different from the other rings. The Segreto Family keeps half of it and it's not absolutely necessary for one to become a boss. As a matter of fact, only the 1st, 2rd, and 7th had one.'
'…Your point is?'
'You're already the official Guardian. You've already got the whole ring so you don't need to fight the Varia for it.'
Really?
Great!
In that case, you can take it back and find someone else or even better, leave the position unoccupied!
Half the Bosses didn't have a Moon Guardian, right?
Why should I do it?
'Then why don't you keep it unoccupied?'
'Well you're perfect for the role so there's really no reason to.'
Perfect? Like heck.
'Hey kid, hate to break it to you, but you can't run away from the position. Your ancestor was the First Generation Moon Guardian and your grandfather was the 7th Generation Moon guardian so it's practically your destiny from birth.' said Shura.
'What?'
'Let me explain.' said Luke. 'I told you that there's no boss of the Segreto Family right? That was a lie. There's no boss yet is more accurate.'
'Why?'
'It's cuz she's still an un-trained little brat who doesn't know who she is.' said Shura.
Seriously? Sounds like a pretty crap boss…
Wait a sec. Un-trained little kid with no idea what's going on…
No.
Just no.
This CANNOT be happening.
'I'm the boss of our family?' I said in disbelief.
'Yep, so you better train your ass off or else you ain't gonna survive.' said Shura.
'WHY?'
'Well, the First Generation Moon Guardian was your great, great, great, grandfather. Before he became a guardian, he had his own mafia family. In order to be part of the Vongola, he deemed his family unofficial and made it Vongola's secret allies. That's the reason that to this day, we're still an unofficial family despite our power and influence.' Luke explained.
'So you're saying…that our Family is actually really powerful and I'm the freakin' boss.'
'Yep, that just about sums it up.' said Shura. 'Which is why, to avoid having our future boss killed, we're here to train you like there's no tomorrow! I look forward to it…' she said with an evil chuckle.
Tell me she's not a sadist…
'But why the heck would I have a mission of protecting the boss of another family if I'm the boss of this family?'
'The First Generation Moon Guardian protected Primo from the shadows and it's been continued by all his successors. Unfortunately, many of his descendants were far weaker than he was and couldn't follow his footsteps. Our Family began to weaken and relied on the Vongola Family's power to survive. Because of this, we were in their debt and a promise was made that the next successor will do everything within his/her power to aid the next boss of Vongola.'
'And that successor was me?'
'It was supposed to be your father. However, as the boss of the Segreto Family, he fell in battle and the promise was pushed onto you.'
…My parents died in battle…and this was what they had died for.
I looked at the ring in my hand.
Suddenly, I no longer wanted to abandon the position.
This was the duty I was born to fulfill.
I cannot run away from it.
I had to accept my fate.
'So, why now?' I asked.
How come I wasn't informed when I first found out about our Family?
'The Varia's boss, Xanxus, didn't make his move for the position until recently so we didn't tell you.' said Luke.
I see…
'Also cuz if by any chance this wasn't necessary, we would've left you alone but the Cervello claimed otherwise.' said Shura.
'Cervello?'
'The neutral force that becomes the judges when there's internal fighting in the Vongola. They said that since the Moon Guardian is already decided, you have to join the winning side.' said Luke.
'Excuse me?'
'It's a package deal. Ya win; ya get the position as Decimo and an exclusive kick-ass Guardian plus a mini army to ensure your position. You're involved whether you like it or not.' said Shura.
I'm a freakin' prize?
THIS IS A VIOLATION OF HUMAN RIGHTS.
'So ya get what's going on?'
'Yeah…'
'Great, then let's start training! As the now official soon-to-be-boss, there's gonna be all sorts of assassins after you!'
'Huh?'
'What? Did you really think life's easy? Enemy families are gonna be out to kill you because you're first priority after the boss.' said Shura.
'Why?'
'Ahem. You see, the Moon Guardian's a target for our enemies because in the past, Moon Guardians eliminated enemies for the Vongola Family from the shadows and became known as human weapons. Also, because they're the Segreto family boss and we are the second strongest Family in the alliance.'
'Our family is second strongest?'
'Yep. People fear us despite our size. Every member is extraordinarily powerful and if we attack, we can probably eliminate anyone and everyone. Well, maybe not the Vongola, but still...' said Shura.
That…is just scary.
'So how're we going to train?' I asked.
'I'll be working on your skills with weapons while Shura works on other skills that a member of our family must have.'
'Like?'
'Ya see this knife? Watch.'
Shura took out a long silver knife and suddenly, it was laced with red flames.
Then she took out a thick metal chain and cleaved it right in half.
'These are Deathperation Flames or Dying Will Flames. As you can see, it is extremely powerful. All members of our family know how to wield them. They are an important factor in future battles.' Shura explained.
I looked at the flames curiously. They reminded me of the flame on Tsuna's head when he's in dying will mode.
'Because you totally lack strength, size, muscles, and everything physical, flames are absolutely necessary if you want to survive.'
I winced at those comments.
As much as I hated to admit it, my strength was lacking extraordinarily and my size was…very small.
'I'll be training you to be able to control your flames and use them to increase your body strength and use it in close combat while Luke teaches you how to combine flames and weapons.'
I see…
'We'll be here to get you tomorrow so be prepared!' called Luke as he went towards the door.
'Where are you guys going to stay?' I asked.
'Oh, we'll show you. Communication is quite important after all.'
They walked out the door…and each entered one of the rooms on the sides of mine.
'You guys live next door?'
'Yep. If something happens, we'll definitely be around! Ciao!' said Shura as she went into the door on the right of me.
'We pulled some strings to get these rooms. Get a good night's rest. You'll need it.' And then Luke entered the door to the left of mine.
I just stared.
And deadpanned.
Then, I returned to my room…and screamed my lungs out into a pillow about the sheer insanity of everything that happened in the past half hour.
I was a boss.
My ancestor was the Moon Guardian.
I'm a prize in a freaky battle of mafia assassins.
My life was over and I have crazy training starting tomorrow.
Life rocks.
Really, it does…Not.
'You want me to do what?'
'You heard me. Walk on water.'
At the moment, Shura and I were somewhere in the middle of the mountains at the crack of dawn in front of a water fall and she was telling me that I was to walk on water.
'That's impossible.' I said flatly.
'It's possible. Or do you want to walk straight up a cliff? It basically the same principle.' said Shura.
'I have no clue what to do. At least give me some instructions.'
'Weeeeell…First, ya light up a flame on your ring. It should be quite easy, just picture a flame and imagine it on the ring. Then you do the same but concentrate on your feet and summon the flames underneath it to create a thin sheet allowing you to walk on water. Or you can just try flying. It's all the same.'
I deadpanned.
She made it sound easy.
'Hey, it's easy. Watch.'
Did she just read my mind?
She walked over to the little pool of water and took a stroll as if it was dry land.
'See?'
Okay, that does look easy.
Then she started walking up the freakin' waterfall while whistling a cheerful tune.
I just deadpanned. Again.
SHOWING OFF IS UNESSACARY. YOU'RE MAKING ME FEEL WORSE.
Alright, first things first.
Light up the rings.
I stared at the ring on my finger and imagined a flame on it.
I concentrated really hard, put all my strength into it, closed my eyes, focused…and failed.
Nothing.
Not even a spark.
How the heck do you do this?
'Hey, if ya can't even light up a flame you have no hope of getting stronger!' called Shura.
'Can you give me a couple more hints?' I asked.
It was hopeless at this rate!
'Resolve. What make you determined? What makes your blood boil? Think about it.'
Resolve?
What makes me determined?
Well, I'm fighting for survival here but that wasn't it.
What makes my blood boil?
Losing.
The utter humiliation I suffered when Squalo defeated me absolutely pissed me off.
It was a disgrace to my family and my dignity was totally shattered when I passed out cold on the battle field like a weak little girl.
I will become stronger!
I will not shame my family name!
Suddenly, the ring glowed as my conviction increased as I thought about the past events.
About my parents.
How they died and what they protected.
The pride of our family.
I was the boss wasn't I?
What sort of boss loses in such a pathetic way?
As I was thinking this, the flames increased and spilled out of the ring.
They were pure white flames, tinted with silver and lighting up my face.
'Oi, oi! Calm down! You're gonna destroy the place!' yelled Shura.
I blinked and snapped out of my trance-like state and the flames diminished to a little ember flickering on my ring.
The area around me was swirling and slightly cold.
Did I do that? Wow…
'That was great for a first time. Your resolve is firm and unwavering. Now you just have to control it or else you're gonna blow something up accidentally.'
Opps…But how was I supposed to know?
'Alright, the feeling of the flames should be dented in your memory. Concentrate and try to create the same sensation in your feet and then walk on water.
I nodded and took a deep breath.
Concentrate…Concentrate…I think I've got it!
I walked over to the little pool, took a step…and failed.
I went down with a splash and came up coughing water.
'Hahahaha! Keep trying!' Shura called from the top of the waterfall.
Aw, damn that was embarrassing!
I thought I got the hang of it!
'You need more flames than that! It has to be enough to support your own weight or else you'll fall for sure!'
I pouted and took off my jacket, shoes, and socks, leaving myself in a tank top and shorts.
Apparently, I should have done this from the start and avoid getting drenched.
CON-CEN-TRATE.
I tried again, this time, making sure that I felt more power than last time, I took a step.
My eyes widened.
I did it!
I was floating on the water!
Huh?
I started feeling myself sinking and ten seconds later I plummeted into the pool.
'Cough, cough!'
I climbed back onto the rocky shore and tried to clear my throat.
What the heck?
I'm pretty sure I floated.
'Oh, you got it? Good, now you have to stay on the water for at least 20 minutes without falling. Wake me up when you're done!'
You little-!
You're just gonna sleep while I train my butt off?
Some tutor…
I scowled and tried again.
After about 30 seconds, I was getting wobbly and I immediately fell in.
How the heck does she do it?
And what was I doing wrong?
Well, since trying and failing every time wasn't going to help me, I sat on the rock and thought about what I could do.
Add more flames?
That might work.
This time, I concentrated so hard that I could see almost see faint, transparent flames around my legs as I walked over to the pool.
It worked.
Sorta.
Instead of falling after a few seconds, the water underneath my feet was blown away and huge waves started forming and I lost my footing and fell.
Again.
'Oi, don't waste your flames! You'll run out of energy if you do that!' Shura called.
I thought she was napping?
Well, I did create a rather loud bang when I blasted the water…
Okay, so if I put in too much flames, I'll blow away the water.
If I put too little flames, I'll fall straight in.
It had to be absolutely perfect so I could float but at the same time, don't waste flames.
I could tell that creating flames costed quite a bit of energy.
I tried over and over for hours until my time extended to 5 minutes and 35 seconds.
I was soaked to the bone but at least I was improving, right?
The sun was high in the sky and I guess it was around noon.
I was about to go again when Shura called,
'Oi, take a break! You need to replenish your energy or else you're gonna pass out at some point!'
Huh?
Well, I was feeling dizzy and it took more effort to summon flames so I guess she had a point.
She jumped down and took out a little box.
'Let's have some lunch.'
She opened the box to reveal sandwiches and some orange juice.
I took one and dug in.
Food…It's been so long…
'Jeez, talk about overkill. Your flames are totally exhausted. I can hardly feel anything from you.'
Huh?
I looked at her questioning while taking a bite of my sandwich.
'Everyone has flames. It's like condensed energy and if you train yourself, you can detect them.'
Oh…Great to know, now gimme another sandwich.
'Can I have another one?'
'Go ahead.'
I took a sip of juice and continued eating.
Food has never tasted so good before.
'You ravenous aren't you? It's perfectly normal. Using flames kill more energy than physical movements so you need to eat or rest to replenish your energy. However, you should be used to this kinda stuff from training with Luke and the others last year.'
True.
Alicia gave me exercises that challenged the mind while toning the body such as handing upside down while memorizing documents.
Then, without a break, I moved straight into weapons and combat training so I was used to being run ragged.
I was feeling better already and I was prepared for more.
'Hey, how many minutes can you stay on water so far?'
'Around five and a half.'
'Hmm..that's good. Try to reach ten by the end of the day. If ya ever feel dizzy, make sure to stop and take a break because that means you're at your limit.'
'Alright.'
I continued my training cycle.
I found that it was easier to hold my position when I close my eyes, relax, and use mind power.
It was like burning energy with your brain.
My clues that my flames were fading was when my legs start to feel wobbly.
That's when I increase my flames and try to keep going.
I had noticed that when I'm doing it right, a transparent, but controlled, circle of flames surround my legs(I can tell because of the way the water parts) and when it starts losing its shape, it means I'm losing concentrating and was getting distracted.
Using these tips, my time gradually extended and I was floating on the water calmly without as much effort as it took in the beginning.
Truth to be told, I liked it.
It was quiet with an occasional bird chirp and sounds of splashing water.
The peaceful-ness helped my concentration but I was distracted when I heard a 'boom' in the distance.
Instantly, I plummeted into the pool and had to start all over.
'What was that?' I sputtered after recovering.
'That would be Decimo's Guardians training. Also, get dressed. Luke's training is gonna start soon and he should be on his way.'
I nodded and put on my clothes.
It made perfect sense.
Flame training in the day and weapons training at night.
And it seems I get a little break in between.
'Oi, here's some water, kid.' said Shura as she tossed a bottle over.
'Thanks' I caught the bottle and took a sip.
It must be to replenish my energy after using so much flames.
I sat down on a nearby rock and asked,
'Is Luke's training taking place here as well?'
'Yeah. This clearing is alright for both types of training and after you process in both, you'll be fusing what you learned.'
Fusing?
I see.
Shura was teaching me how to handle flames and control them for close combat while Luke was improving my weapons skills so when they fuse, I'll be quite strong in both close combat and weapons.
I was looking forwards to that.
'Hey guys! Sorry I'm late! I got held up lugging this thing up here!' Luke's voice called.
Lugging this thing?
Did he bring training equipment?
He was approaching I could make him out.
But behind him was…a giant collection of all blades known to mankind?
What the heck kind of training does he have planned for me?
I hope the Guardian position was okay.
I did it so the plot wouldn't change too much and the position actually made since.
I mean, there's a Sun Guardian right? Doesn't a Moon Guardian make sense?
Don't worry about Mei turning too strong if she learns flames.
I know you're probably thinking she's getting ahead of the KHR characters but trust me, she's not.
Did you notice that the flames weren't strong enough to be visible and pure? It just gives her attacks some more power behind it.
I wanted to do something for her lack of strength. Plus, Tsuna's doing extreme flame training so yeah...
I hope it's alright with you guys...
Please review and tell me your opinion!