Chapter 10: Marigold, Cruelty and Grief, Jealousy and Sorrow, Sacred Affection, Caress
Interlude, Part II.
Miyu was sitting in her room, as she had been every day for the past three weeks. She wasn't allowed outside. "For her safety," apparently. What a load of bull. As if she was stupid enough to think that they cared-they probably just wanted to prevent her from escaping. She had no way to contact anyone in the outside world, and Xanxus-a pained look crossed her face when she thought his name-seemed to have abandoned her. The only person she had seen, even less spoken to, was a man-if that was the correct word to address him with?-named Lussuria. Other than, of course the phone call made her first night in which she was forced to speak to her nephew on the phone-for fifteen seconds-to prove that she was indeed captive.
Right now, though, rather than sniffling and feeling sorry for herself, Miyu was raging. How dare he? How dare he kidnap her and use her a condition in the most ridiculous of bargains? How could he even think of abandoning his adoptive father and her Yoshi in the fight against the enemy? She kicked the door in her anger and then stared as it gently swung open. Had it been unlocked the entire time? Or had Lussuria forgotten to lock it from the outside?
Determined-and ready to give her former best friend a damned piece of her mind-she opened it all the way and wandered the corridors, which were mostly empty, until she found a very fine mahogany door that seemed to be almost in the center of the base. Only one person would choose such an ostentatious place to put a room, a very large one, it seemed, because there were no other doors on any section of wall on that one door's side. She was about to slam the door open when there was what looked like an umbrella at her throat.
"What the fuck do you think you're doing at the boss' door, bitch?"
She turned around and glared at the black-haired man-he must be Levi, she guessed, based on Lussuria's descriptions-and said, "I'm here to see your stupid boss, what the hell else?" They were speaking in hushed whispers, and she had no idea why, but the man's face suddenly twisted into an expression of anger and he took her by the hair.
"You're not even worth killing, bitch. You will not disturb the boss."
He motioned with his hand and a group of black-clad men she assumed to be his evil minions came forward. She struggled with him but he simply took her by the hair and jabbed his umbrella into her throat.
"Shut up."
"Ushishishishi, that's no way to speak to a lady, Leviathan, even if she is a fellow peasant."
She started as a grinning fiend with a tiara atop his head slunk out of the shadows, his hands thrown casually behind his head, his eyes hidden by an unruly mop of hair. Bel. She knew at once that he was the Varia member who thought himself to be a prince-Lussuria's descriptions of his "family" had indeed been most apt. The boy poked her with something wickedly sharp and she knew it was a knife.
"A bit plain, isn't she? Is this the woman the boss brought back?"
Levi shrugged.
"Does it matter? The bitch is going to die. You four, dispose of her."
The group of men that had come at his beckoning nodded and grabbed Miyu by the arms and proceeded to drag her away. "Let go of me," she shouted, tugging desperately, if futilely, against their solid grips. She was ignored.
"Levi, darling, what are you doing with my lovely daughter?"
Levi snarled in disgust.
"Lussuria, get your gay ass away from the boss' door. There's nothing to see here."
Lussuria had taken hold of Miyu, pouting.
"But you're having my daughter killed! I can't just stand back and watch!"
Levi shoved Lussuria back.
"This bitch needed to have learnt some respect when she was young. I won't tolerate her high and mighty bullshit, demanding to speak to the boss. Hell no. So back the fuck off."
Another voice joined the ruckus, and Miyu's heart was pounding in fear for her life. This was it. This was how it was going to end. In a strange place, away from all of her family and friends. A man with long white hair and a sword in his hand was brandishing said weapon viciously, berating them all in a heated whisper.
"What do you fucking think you're doing, trash?"
He wrenched Miyu from the Lightning Squad's grip. Levi glared at him.
"This bitch thought she could waltz right in and see the boss. If she's your whore, Squalo, she's your responsibility. Kill her."
Miyu glared at him.
"I'm not a whore, asshole!
After the most admirable attempt to control his volume he might have ever made, Squalo lost it, brandishing his sword in every direction, face screwed up in what would have been a hilarious expression of fury-would have, had this not been the man who should have been boss of the Varia, easily capable of killing a hundred men in seconds.
"VOIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII! YOU TRASH ARE GOING TO GET YOURSELVES KILLED WITH THIS SHIT?"
The door they had all been crowding around slammed open with a crack of thunder.
"What the fuck is going on out here, trash? You fucking dip shits had better have a good explanation for all this noise, because I am not in the fucking mood to deal with this shit."
Xanxus' crimson eyes scanned over the assembly of assassins and stopped on Miyu. She was held tightly in one of Squalo's arms, and Leviathan had strode over when she insulted him and forced her head back by grabbing her by the hair, looking as if he was about to slap her. Xanxus' hands were sparking dangerously.
"What the fuck do you think you're doing, trash?"
There was more than murder in his voice, there was the promise of a rampage, and Miyu was suddenly struck with terror down to her very core-was this the way the atomic bomb had sounded to mother's mother when it came down on Hiroshima and nearly wiped out a people? There was wrath, great and terrible and unlike anything she had ever heard before in his voice, and it terrified her more than any mortal thing.
"Xanxus-"
Snarling, he grabbed her and pulled her close to him in one arm, rendering her and everyone else in the hallway effectively speechless. His subordinates were frozen-their boss was holding the hostage almost protectively, and she had called him by name and he hadn't killed her. Xanxus' hand was like fire on Miyu's back-she couldn't move, couldn't breathe, was just as frighteningly still as Xanxus' subordinates were as they awaited their boss' order.
"You will never touch her again."
Without waiting for any confirmation, or perhaps knowing that those gathered were so shocked they wouldn't be able to speak, Xanxus dragged Miyu into his office with a snarl.
"What the fuck are you trying to do out of your room, woman? Are you trying to get yourself fucking killed?"
Miyu's voice stopped in her throat. He glared at her, throwing down a shot of something that he had grabbed off his desk and scowling. "I'm not," he started through gritted teeth, "going to hurt you, Miyu." His use of her name somehow gave her strength, reminded her of the boy she had known and perhaps loved.
"Why don't you just kill me then and go help Yoshi fight in Japan? Kill me and help your adoptive father here. Why are you trying to get out of fighting?"
He glared at her, stalking towards her with predatory grace. For each step forward he took, she stumbled two back, but the length of his stride caught him up to her in no time.
"I'm not trying to get out of anything. They can't afford to trade our help for you, no matter how much your nephew and our brother-in-law might want to get you back."
"Then why are you doing this? It doesn't make sense!"
"IT MAKES PERFECT SENSE," he snarled, turning on her like a wounded animal. She jumped back, her breath caught in her throat as he closed the space between them and she caught a glimpse of the raw feeling in his eyes before he squeezed them shut, frustrated, and pulled her into his embrace, his chin on the top of her head.
"I told you I'd come back for you, damn it."
It was then that it made sense-the impossible terms for her return. He knew. He knew that there was no possible way the Vongola would trade their most powerful allies for a useless woman. Or, at least, he thought he had known. And her Yoshi was genuinely considering going through with the trade. He had intended to keep her from the very beginning. Her mouth popped open in surprise and she gently pushed him away.
"Xanxus-you can't keep me here."
His eyes smoldered on hers, looking somehow darker in the dim light, more dangerous.
"I can do whatever I want with you."
Suddenly afraid, Miyu stepped to the side and backed up one, two, three steps.
"Xanxus, please. Don't-please, I'm begging you. Don't do this. I-I'm engaged."
His eyes were blazing-here was the definition of rage.
"To who?"
Miyu's left hand balled into a fist nervously and for the first time, Xanxus saw the glimmer of a diamond ring. His breathing was shallow-he hadn't ever thought of her being anyone's but his-he couldn't believe it, accept it. "H-Hibari," she stuttered, "Hibari Kyoya."
"That little shit? He's a fucking kid! A fucking moron!"
"He's a good man!"
"YOU'RE A FUCKING HYPOCRITE! I KNOW WHAT HIBARI FUCKING KYOYA DOES. HOW THE FUCK IS HE ANY BETTER THAN ME?"
"HE-LOVES-ME-"
"I LOVE YOU! WHY THE FUCK DIDN'T YOU WAIT FOR ME?"
It was the first time he had ever said it out loud, and Miyu was speechless. He was panting, raking a hand through his wild black hair, eyes like flames. She loved Kyoya, and she wasn't just convincing herself. Things had been rocky between them at first, it was true, she had resisted his advances as bitterly stubbornly as she could have. He had persisted though, and conquered. She couldn't possibly love him any more than she already did, and she was suddenly struck with a sudden, unfair guilt.
"Xanxus-I, I'm so sorry. I'm so, so sorry!"
A muscle in his jaw twitched when he saw her eyes fill up with tears.
"I don't want your fucking sympathy, trash. My conditions stand."
Miyu's mouth fell open. He really would do it. And her nephew, her idiotic, sweet, nephew, her Yoshi, was actually going to try and trade for her.
"Xanxus-I'll stay!"
He stopped in his tracks, his breath caught in disbelief.
"What?"
She clambered to her feet, her hand on the sleeve of his soft white dress shirt, so close to his own that he almost felt she was holding it. But she wasn't, and he could feel the ring pressing into his wrist through the fabric. Miyu was out of breath, biting her lip until it bled.
"I'll stay. I'll stay and I'll accept you as my boss. I won't take any orders from Yoshi and I won't consider myself as under his jurisdiction. I won't try to run away, I swear-"
"And in exchange?"
"Help him. Help Yoshi. And the Ninth-the whole Vongola. Help them end the war."
"And?"
She sucked in a shaky breath.
"Can I-I want to be allowed to visit for a week every month."
"No."
She moved in front of him.
"Xanxus-please!"
He growled.
"Three days."
"Five."
Her expression was so pleading he didn't have the heart to fight her. Not that he ever would have. Not when she looked at him like that. "Fine," he snarled.
"You're now a fucking member of the Varia. You answer only to me, and all of your official ties with Vongola are severed. Your first assignment is to get rid of that fucking ring and get the hell out of my office. Find Squalo and tell him what happened here."
Miyu could have dropped to her knees in relief when he said this and walked to his throne-like chair and threw himself in it-exhausted.
"Xanxus-thank you so much."
He grunted, and he was so like the Xanxus she had known as a child, tears started to spill onto her cheeks even as she smiled at him.
"You're a good man. Thank you."
Miyu stared out the window, her heart as heavy as lead. She was thirty-four, by no means young anymore. Although she had to admit, she didn't look like it. Being in the mafia seemed to do that to you, though. She sighed, staring out the window of her room in the Varia base, lost in thought. Tsuna and the others were fighting the Millefiore family again, and she was useless. Yes, she had learned how to administer first aid, in fact, she was handier with a bullet wound than most doctors were, and her stitches were neater than a seamstress'. But she still felt it wasn't enough.
"Miyu. The boss wants you."
She nearly jumped when Squalo spoke, turning only to see him leaning against her doorway, blowing a few strands of long white hair out of his face impatiently.
"Squalo-what do you think he wants?"
The man shrugged, walking over and offering her a hand up. They had forged a friendship over the years-Miyu, it seemed, had a talent for getting along with persons feared by most people, jaded as she was to insensitivity and violence. She also had a talent for understanding people who didn't want to be understood, and in the end, they either thanked or hated her for it. In Squalo's case, it had been the former.
"I think he's sending you away. We've received intelligence that the Millefiore are sending Funeral Wreaths here in an attempt to take us down," he said, snorting.
"As if we didn't just kick them out of our territory last week. Anyway-you should hurry."
She nodded, tucking the gun Xanxus had given her into the holster at her hip.
"Where are you going?"
Squalo grinned, an expression so wicked, Miyu shivered for all the poor scum that crossed his path later on in the day.
"Just taking out the trash."
She smiled at him and bumped him playfully with her hip.
"Mind and kiss Alo for me before you fight for luck, okay?"
"Why do I have to kiss my freaking box weapon? It's already weird when you do it," he grumbled, "imagine how weird it would be if I did it! You fucking spoil that thing."
Miyu rolled her eyes.
"You brush his teeth when you're on vacation. And you think I'm weird?"
She stood up on the tips of her toes and kissed his nose, a mischievous smile plastered on her face. "There," she teased, "that wasn't so weird, was it? Kiss Alo for me, like that."
The swordsman's face was red.
"VOIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII, WOMAN, STOP BEING SO WEIRD AND GET GOING. THE BOSS'LL BE PISSED."
Miyu's laugh was audible even from around the corner as he realized she had already walked off. He huffed but there was a hint of a smile on his face.
"Damn woman. Acts like my fucking mother."
"Here," Xanxus said, holding out his hand, "take this." One, two, three, four, five bullets were dropped into her open palm. She looked up at him, blinking.
"What are these for?"
He sneered at her, leaning back in his chair and drinking from his full wine glass.
"To use, obviously. What did you think I was giving you them for, idiot? To fucking bake a pie with them? You still have the gun I gave you, right?"
She nodded and he sank more comfortably into his throne-er, chair.
"Good. These bullets will only work in that gun. Only use them when you really need them because only six shots survived my flames and I had to test one to make sure they wouldn't kill you when you pulled the trigger."
Miyu's mouth fell open. His flames? That-it was a more personal gift than she thought could have ever been given. She knew he had made her gun, he had called her in to measure her hands, and the gun fit in them perfectly balanced, made with a care and devotion Xanxus showed in no other aspect of his life save, perhaps, one.
"Xanxus, you-are you sure you want to give this to me? That I…deserve something like this?"
The man reached up and stroked her cheek just as softly, as tentatively as she had when she first saw his scars ten years ago, then dropped his hand.
"I'm sure."
He suddenly glanced up lazily and frowned.
"Bester."
Before Miyu had a chance to ask what was going on, the building collapsed around them; something white barreled into her and everything went dark.
Marigold (Genus, Tagetes): Native to tropical America, a garden plant with usually yellow flowers. Means Cruelty, Jealousy, Sacred Affection, Sorrow, Grief, and Caress.
When I woke this morning there was a note on my bedside table. It said that Yoshi and the others were safe and that they would explain when they got back. It was signed, "your husband in this life." Somehow, this strange letter set me at ease. It seemed very familiar, though, and my heart ached at the thought of it. I wish I knew what was going on.
Marigold/End.