A/N: Sorry for the late update and for the weird timelining in this chapter. I have exams in two weeks and I'm freaking out like crazy but I just wanted to leave you guys with something before I leave for another month. Sorry for the late updates, I'm really sorry but my work is crushing me right now.
Yes. That's my sob story of the day. (pfft.) So yeah~ Enjoy!
P.S. This chapter has two parts. First part is about Hibari's adventures in the forest (That makes it sound way too merry, doesn't it?) and what he does leading up to present time, when he made the call for Dino.
The second part, of course, is a continuation of Dino and Moriko's side of the story from after they escaped the mansion and are taking the helicopter away from the thing.
~Part 1: Hibari Kyoya~
"Let me tell you a story. A story of your ancestor...You are curious about your past, yes?"
The voice was ancient, powerful.
Unease rippled through the forest. Birds flitted above him nervously, letting out short, high-pitched chirps as they rushed about. When he spoke, Hibari could hear the voice vibrating within his own skull, and his lips twitched upwards in a snarl. 'Mukuro', had been his automatic conclusion, but that soon proved to be wrong. No matter how hard he stretched his mind, he couldn't sense even a sliver of the slippery illusionist's trademark mist flames. For some reason, the lack of Mukuro's presence seemed to irk him even more. Perhaps it was because he couldn't understand the manifestation of something else that could reach into his mind just as Mukuro had done the first time the illusionist had possessed him.
He hated not knowing.
With his tonfas raised in hand, he stalked deeper into the forests' depths. There was something here, and he could sense it. The nervous chattering of all the small animals in the inhabited burrows around him only proved to strengthen his suspicions. Cautiously, he walked forward. He was all too aware of his own breathing, the quick inhales and exhales marked his steps as he made his way through the foliage.
Something darted behind him, and Hibari turned to follow the motion. It was gone in an instant, leaving nothing in its' wake aside from the slow flutter of leaves. When Hibari turns again to scan his surroundings, a thick silence has settled over the area, almost as if the forest itself was trying to hide the mysterious creature from prying eyes. Hibari narrowed his orbs, his pupils darting back and forth. If there were something moving, he would not miss it. He was going to get to the bottom of this mystery, right here and now.
Abruptly, the singing of the birds in the trees stopped. He turned, almost too late to block the blow that came hurtling at his head. Taking a few steps back, he tried to reassess the situation, but to no avail. Something rushed out and clawed across his arm. Hibari didn't even flinch, not even when the deep laughter bounced around the insides of his skull, giving him a headache. He wanted nothing but to bite the invisible creature to death. Hatred boiled in his veins; a feeling both familiar and yet so alien to him. Never had Hibari felt such vehement hatred towards a being, not since he'd met Mukuro, and even then his anger towards Mukuro's actions had somewhat calmed him down. This was a toying of his emotions to a new level, and Hibari hated, absolutely hated the feeling.
Unlocking the chains on his tonfas, he swept the surroundings with his chains, creating a web of metal where the chains wrapped themselves in the trees. He stopped and waited, a smirk adorning his face. A rush of cloud flames laced themselves through the links in the chains, enveloping his section of the forest in a harsh purple glow. The flames fluttered and licked eagerly at tree trunks, but didn't spread. They were under Hibari's control, and he will not lose control over such an insignificant creature.
Even so, when he finally came face to face with the being, his heart almost stopped cold. Slowly, the thing bore down on him and the two of them began to tear the forest apart. An age-old battle, Hibari Kyoya's heart told him.
He should've settled this conflict years and years ago.
He had crushed his pride. But even Hibari knew when a fight was lost, and he wasn't so proud as to walk away from something that could potentially take his life. That was the policy of all animals; survival over all else, and Hibari thought it wise to follow the rules of the animal kingdom.
It was fortunate that the being living in the forest had thought to let him leave. He had been certain that he'd be impaled on his way out, and so had kept his tonfa chains unravelled and at the ready, eyes darting from side to side for any sign of motion. The forest had grown deathly quiet, the birds had stopped singing, and the canopy had darkened with the passing of the day. Occasionally, a thin ray of darkening golden light would leak through the tough layers of leaves above him, splashing on the floor, tantalizing. But Hibari Kyoya knew better than to follow the well worn path, for it must lead to a trap.
He had turned to walk towards the heart of the forest, or what he thought was the heart of the forest. As he neared the edge and as he caught a glimpse of the sturdy brown brick wall that fenced the Cavallone estate, he could hear the deep chuckles reverberating within his skull, a grim reminder of how powerful the thing he had wanted to fight against.
When he reached the Cavallone mansion once more and had taken notice of Moriko and Cavallone's interaction, he had all but sighed in relief, but that relief was quickly chased away by the appearance of the disgusting mist flame wielder and his three herbivorous lackeys.
They had brawled, a fight that Hibari had confidently thrown himself into, familiar with the movements of his tonfas and the solid, metal strikes that had resulted from his clashing with Rokudo Mukuro. It was a fight fit for his skill level, a human challenge, and a victory that he was convinced remained in his grasp. But the fight had broken off all too quickly, and even he could see that there had been something bothering the mist guardian. While he wasn't usually one to care, the distracted air around Mukuro made for a disappointing fight, and besides, his whole body ached with the wounds from the forest encounter.
Although Hibari would loathe to reveal the pain.
He made his decision to leave a few days later, when Mukuro had taken his associates well out of his range and he had deemed that the Cavallone mansion had no more to offer him.
Of course, the bucking horse complained. Moriko's name came up many times in the effort to persuade Hibari Kyoya to stay, but even the thought of drawing out the vampire's potential didn't sit as well as him as it had first done. He wanted to leave this place, leave Italy for the safety of his hometown and for a few familiar sights. He longed to patrol the streets of the small and peaceful town, to stroll down the corridor of Namimori Middle and turn his nose up at the scurrying herbivores that occupied it's small classrooms. He wanted to lounge on the roof and gaze at the sky. But most of all, he wanted to be free of the constant death intent that spread its tendrils around the Cavallone grounds. It was a thin, murderous and invisible weapon that continually rammed into his mind, wearing down his mental barriers and eating into his very being. Moriko had sensed it occasionally, of that he was sure. This was why she stared into the forest so often.
Dino, of course, was being clueless. But then again, Hibari had always known that Cavallone Dino needed to have everything spelled out for him.
Hibari supposed that the first step to doing anything right was to find out about his ancestor.
You're right, little one. The forest creature had whispered into his mind the night before he was due to leave. Run, with your tails between your legs, heart quivering in fear. You have an impressive yearning for blood for a human body, but it cannot be compared to years and years of rage, anger, hatred. You will not be able to beat me, I ensure you.
So run while you can.
And on that night, Hibari vowed to kill the creature once and for all. And the only way he could do it was to consult a dead man, one who had done the very thing he set out to do.
The air was impossibly still back in Namimori.
As he took his usual morning stroll through the forest, he could sense a palpable fear lacing itself through the town's usually docile atmosphere. Hibari had almost slammed his tonfa into the nearest building out of pure rage. How was it that the creature was able to haunt him all the way over here? Had it become that powerful in such a short span of time? He knew he had to act quickly; the creature was gaining power with every second he spent mulling over his actions. But he hadn't thought that the being would be able to follow him all the way back to his sanctuary.
He had strolled the town like an animal marking it's territory, occasionally glaring into the forest that marked Namimori's borders. The mountains, which had once seemed so protective of the small town, now loomed over the buildings and its inhabitants, casting a dark shadow over everything. Even the sun's rays didn't touch the concrete anymore. It bathed the world around him in an eerily cold manner.
"Hibari, Hibari!" Even Hibird could feel it. He could see the fear present in his prized canary's beady little eyes. Hibird flapped its wings nervously at Hibari and flitted in the direction of the forest, circling back before he could touch any of the tree's branches.
Who are you, and what do you want? Hibari snarled in his mind.
A breeze wafted through the trees, ruffling the leaves and sending petals spiraling downwards. The wind sounded like laughter in Hibari's weary mind. He yearned to rest, lean against the nearest surface and shut his eyes to the world. But duty comes first, and Hibari would not abandon Namimori of all things to the monster's vulgar grasp. He would definitely fight tooth and nail for the town's continued existence, even at the cost of his own life.
So he put the existence of the ancient being right out of his mind, determined to continue his daily routine.
With every passing day, Hibari felt more confident. This was his home, his territory, and he'd be damned if he was going to give it up without a fight. Hibird seemed to fluff up in his confidence, and had gone back to circling the treetops, tweeting at the morning sun and chirping the Namimori anthem proudly. The old school song had begun to sound more like a war cry.
In the morning, he would go on his daily patrol. The people of the town were unaware of the danger that lurked right before them. They went about on their business without a worry in the world, shouting their wares and bowing nervously whenever Hibari strolled past, quivering at his cold gaze.
Finally, he reached his targeted destination. Before him rose Namimori Chuu, in his eyes the proudest landmark of this little town. The whitewashed walls remained gleaming and well kept. Class was still ongoing at the moment, so the grounds were quiet and peaceful. Striding into the main hall, he turned to look at the corridors that he used to patrol. He turned to head up to the roof.
And stopped, one foot on the first step leading up to the roof.
The ground had rumbled, almost as a warning to his actions. He could hear distant laughter in the back of his mind. His hand gripped the railings with enough force to dent the metal slightly, and he cast his glare at the ground. Was this an earthquake? No, it was his doing for sure. He was warning Hibari to tread carefully, because everything he owned could collapse within the blink of an eye.
Even his precious, sturdy Namimori Middle, the school that he had worked so hard to protect.
Deliberately taking another slow step, he registered the brief tremble beneath the floor once more. If he hadn't been tuning his senses into looking for this miniature earthquake, he wouldn't have felt it. He smirked. So then, his power wasn't fully developed yet. His appearance in Namimori was just a bluff, and Hibari needn't worry about his presence.
A low wind raked through his hair as he opened the door to the rooftop. He could feel his disgruntled retreat from his peaceful little town. As Hibari had expected; Italy was where he was currently located, and he had retreated for the time being. Hibari had unconsciously won this round, when he figured out that the tension strung through his small beloved town had been something more of a bluff than an actual threat. He smirked at the sky, challenging and confident. When his power was fully formed, he would be ready to take him on. And Hibari Kyoya never loses.
You are wrong, child.
The only sign of his surprise is his eyes widening a fraction. Hibari slammed one hand down onto the railing that fenced the rooftop.
"What do you want." He muttered lowly.
In order to conceal my true power, I have suppressed how much you can sense my presence. In fact, I'll show you what I'm capable of. Would you like to see?
The ground shook once more, harder, violently enough to throw Hibari momentarily off balance. Hibird came circling down from the sky, chirping in alarm. The canary didn't dare alight on the ground for fear of losing it's balance, and so fluttered nervously around Hibari's head. An alarm bell rang out in the school behind him; he could hear chairs and tables being pushed back and alarmed shouts sounding out in the corridors. The teachers had begun ushering the first classes out onto the field in the back of the school, where everyone sat in rows with their head bowed, trembling. The rest of the school followed in a torrent of panicked footsteps, the girls clutching onto each other in fright and boys clenching their fists and stumbling along.
The ground shook harder, and the people lined up on the field screamed. Hibari felt the very foundation of Namimori Middle move, the walls of his beloved school creaking under the strain of the earth's movement. He felt helpless. It wasn't like he could keep the school together through sheer will...
Could he?
Pouring his irritation and desire to bite HIM to death into his Vongola bracelet, he watched as the purple flames fed into the foundation of the building. But Cloud flames would not do much, they were meant for propagation, weren't they? His will wasn't enough. His will wasn't enough...
A loud crack sounded throughout the area, rendering everyone silent. He watched with widened eyes as a long, dark line snaked through the middle of the second building, running up along the walls and shattering windows. The children down on the field screamed as glass rained down on them. The teachers ushered them all forwards and away from the falling projectiles.
"EVERYONE, calm down! Please move away from the edge of the field!" Principal Kusanagi was shuffling along, pushing the children towards the middle of the field, his back turned to the creaking building that was slowly ripping itself in half. In front of him, one of the female teachers screamed and pointed upwards, yelling at him to move, move, move!
Hibari could only watch as a piece of glass rammed into the old principal's back. Blood splashed onto the field. The female teacher was still screaming, a thin keening noise that rented the air in two, slicing through the deafening silence that had followed the mindless violence that had taken place. Kusanagi slumped forward, pale and lifeless, his blood draining out of the wound in his back. The glass had impaled him cleanly, protruding from his chest like a jagged, bloodied dagger.
And then suddenly, the trance was broken. The students screamed and stood, thinking only of getting away from the scene, getting away from the glass, getting away from the school. They ran towards the gate with uneven steps, staggering and howling with confusion and fear. Another round of windows broke with the earthquake, glass shards raining down on the students struggling to get out of the field. The teachers could only watch helplessly as some of the children were struck down or jostled to the side because of the panic rush. Many of teachers bravely stood back and ushered them out to retain some semblance of order. Some of them walked over to Principal Kusanagi's limp body and heaved him upright, pulling out their phones and screaming for the ambulance to arrive.
Hibari's beloved Namimori was going to be ruined. Absolutely livid, Hibari pushed his total will into his purple flames, willing them to lace through the building's foundation and at least provide some semblance of protection for the already shaking concrete. He could feel his laughter, his delight at having caused so much damage on something so dear to Hibari, and he could feel the creature's anticipation at swallowing the whole of Namimori into the earth...
A loud wail cut him off.
"LAMBO-SAMA DOESN'T WANT TO DIE!"
Lambo was one of the only people left on the field, the now ten year old child bawling his eyes out amidst the mass panic that had just happened. Beside him, Ipin was tugging on his shirt, trying to get him to move so that he wouldn't get trampled by fellow students or impaled by the falling glass.
"Lambo! Don't cry now, we have to leave! Lambo!"
"LAMBO-SAMA DOESN'T WANT TO DIE!" Lambo repeated, screaming his fear into the surroundings. Ipin could only huddle helplessly next to him, shivering and terrified.
Without warning, lightning struck.
Lambo's fear had transferred into his will to survive, and his lightning flames crackled through the air, latching onto the walls, seeping into the ground, spreading throughout the area to root itself deep in Namimori's foundation. The buildings, which had retained a purple glow from Hibari's will to protect, was now laced with green. Hibari felt the power from where he was standing on the roof, felt the way Lambo's flames strengthened the concrete and laced through the glass to keep it together, knitting the building back upright.
And from the Cloud, Lightning struck. Lightning's ability is to harden and strengthen against opposition, a defence for the family.
Hibari closed his eyes. So the useless herbivorous lightning isn't that useless after all. He sent out his cloud flames to work with the lightning, expanding the network of cackling green flames and giving Lambo's flames a passage throughout the school. Lambo responded to his flames, unwittingly pouring his power into Namimori Chuu's walls.
The creature retreated with a disgruntled sigh as the crack slowly disappeared from the walls, the windows repaired themselves and gleamed with the hardened lightning flames.
A recovery process had started for the students of Namimori Chuu. The parents and citizens of the town wandered bewilderedly around, looking for their children, staring horror stricken at the pieces of bloodied glass littering the floor.
Everything seemed out of place. Namimori Chuu had gone back to being pristine as usual, showing no sign of the strains from the recent earthquake. Everything seemed impossibly peaceful. The officials were still trying to figure out where the glass shards had come from. The hospitals had filled up rapidly with shocked students, some of them sporting cuts from when the falling glass had narrowly missed them. Some of the students had more serious injuries from being pushed around by the crowd, tripping or having bigger pieces of glass fall on them.
The only fatality was Principal Kusanagi.
Strangely, the earthquake had only majorly affected Namimori Chuu. The town had felt the severe shaking, but there were no foundational damages, no pieces of glass and debris lying around.
A few streets away from the catastrophe that had become of his beloved school, Hibari was leaving the scene with hurried, purposeful steps, two ten-year-olds in tow.
"Hibari-san, were are we going?" Ipin asked curiously. Her blushing gaze was directed to the ground, and her heart thudded madly. She was glad Fon had let her seal away her pinzu time bomb before this happened.
"Back to the shrine. I have some business to attend to." He replied curtly.
"Um...if I may ask, why are we required to follow you then, Hibari-san?" If it weren't for Ipin's polite manner, and if it weren't for the debt he now owed the lightning guardian lagging behind Ipin, Hibari would've been tempted to just leave the two children at Sawada's old home and just attend to his business himself. But in the best of his interests, he decided to keep Lambo close for now, just in case he tried to deal any more property damage in his territory.
"You shall find out soon enough." Hibari answered, unwilling to say much more.
The cow child was being uncharacteristically quiet. Lambo was spent from using his power to keep Namimori together, and was visibly drooping in exhaustion. The only thing keeping him from collapsing was Ipin holding him upright by the arm.
To their relief, Hibari's traditionally Japanese half of the Vongola Japan base came into view. They slid through the hidden entrance easily, Kusakabe waiting with files and an open laptop on the other side. As soon as Hibari came into view, Kusakabe stood and bowed, opening his mouth to no doubt report some of his findings.
Hibari stopped him with one upraised hand.
"Take these two to the spare rooms and have them clean up and rest. We will discuss our next steps in the meeting room later, Kusakabe Tetsuya."
"Hai." Kusakabe bowed again, before turning to Ipin and Lambo and ushering them out of the main area quietly. Lambo still wasn't talking. Ipin was looking increasingly worried, no doubt having noticed that something was wrong with the current state of matters and that Hibari wasn't simply annoyed at his school almost being destroyed in a freak earthquake.
He sent Kusakabe Tetsuya to Italy as soon as possible, so that Kusakabe would be able to scout out the situation in Italy in Hibari's place.
The next few days had been spent in a kind of uneasy peace, with Lambo and Ipin hardly speaking for fear of incurring Hibari's wrath. They were kept in the spare rooms and looked after by other members of Hibari's Foundation. Hibari stayed calm, about the recent happenings in Namimori. The creature had retreated completely from Namimori, Hibari could sense it. There were no longer menacing tendrils of hate circling the small town, no more warning tremors whenever he walked the streets.
He supposed that a few days of peace would be enough for him to wreck havoc in another country altogether. A few days later, and Hibari decided to go on the offensive.
The first thing Hibari did was to make a phone call to the bucking bronco. He waited impatiently for the phone to pick up, and when it finally connected, he growled his message as quickly as possible.
"Herbivore, get out of there. The mansion is going to fall."
There was some muffled static in the background, much to his frustration. Hibari almost slammed his phone down in anger when Dino could only mumble a "what?" in response to his statement. "Herbivore, get out." He repeated, but then the line went dead.
The next number he dialed was Reborn's. Hopefully the arcobaleno would be able to give him some insight on what he should do next.
~Part 2: Dino & Moriko~
"Father?"
It had come to the point where Dino wasn't even sure if his father was listening to him anymore. He clenched his chubby little hand, one finger going to flick at the locks on the doors of the car. A few weeks ago, they had to leave their old home for an unknown reason. But Father was powerful and Father was wealthy, Dino had quickly learnt. There was already another big house being built for them, a big estate that would be even 'bigger' and 'better' than the one that Dino had been living in just a few weeks before. Or that's what Romario said anyway. Well, if Romario was coming with them, Dino supposed he didn't really mind. Romario was the only person who cared about how Dino felt anyway. "Papa, when are we going to arr-..."
"Stop playing with the lock." A deep rumble came from the seat in front. Dino flinched and withdrew his hand immediately, nervously running it along the seatbelt. Depending on his father's moods, Dino would get a slap to the head later or a really harsh 'talking to'. He knew he had been a little bit annoying on this trip, always asking whether they had reached the estate yet, and his father wasn't the most patient of men. In times like these, Dino wished for his mother's comforting presence. He wished for her sweet scent, her gentle touch. She would brush her hand across his hair, smoothing the fringe out of his face. She would sing to him softly, or beg his father not to treat him too harshly, for he was still 'a growing boy' and he was still 'learning from his mistakes'. His mother was tolerant and beautiful, and Dino didn't know why she had to leave. Memories of the fireball that had become of her car was still seared into his mind, and sometimes he would wake screaming for her, feeling the fire brushing across his skin and charring his flesh.
A few minutes later, they were switched over to a helicopter. Just before they got on, Dino's father yanked him off the steps leading to the machine. Dino came face to face with his father, a man with the same blond hair as his. Dino had inherited his mother's warm brown eyes, so the black pupils that stared back at him were alien to his own reflections in the mirror. Dino wanted to scream, to cry, like any other six year old would do when they were about to receive a severe scolding.
He stayed silent, watching as his father raised his hand, no doubt to hit him. Behind him, Romario bit his lip and watched on worriedly. The young assigned bodyguard and personal caretaker of Dino was quite fond of the young master, and it hurt to see the child berated for something so normal, for something so reasonable for his age. Dino was already so much more mature than he was supposed to be, growing up with books and weapons for company instead of playing outside under the watchful gaze of his parents.
The blow came down, quick and painful. Dino's head snapped to the side. Tears welled up in his eyes, but his father didn't stop to wipe them away, something that Dino was thankful for. If his father had stayed, it would only be to give him another blow for crying.
Romario was there in an instant, wiping away at the clear liquid trickling down the young master's face. Dino let himself feel cared for, only for a little while, before gently pushing Romario's hand away and hanging his head, one hand hiding the shameful bruise from sight.
They got onto the helicopter without another word and took off in silence. Dino glanced outside, watching as the scenery passed underneath him. They were flying over lakes and mountains, leaving their old house far, far behind. Dino's old home, where memories of his mother lingered, memories of happier days, where he was wanted and loved and his father had, on one occasion, even mentioned that he might just be a little proud of the 'little useless son' that he had raised. It had all changed when his mother had died, hadn't it?
Deep inside his little heart, Dino wished that it had been his father inside the car that day.
But that was impossible, and she was gone.
The droning noise of the helicopter roused him from his sleep slowly. Dino blinked and sheepishly wiped the drool from the side of his mouth with the back of his hand. Outside, the scenery passed silently by, only accompanied by the rhythmic whoosh of the helicopter blades striking at the air. Behind him, he could hear Romario's light snores. Moriko had become quiet, so silent, that he had almost forgotten that she was with them. Of course, it wasn't like he actually forgot at any given time; she was the very reason they were fleeing, wasn't she? Or so Dino told himself. The thing that had been bothering them was in some way related to Moriko herself, and also in some way related to the Mafia. Reborn had said something about holding it back, hadn't he?
Beside him, Kusakabe Tetsuya steadily drove the helicopter forward. Dino smiled. As usual, Kyoya was a no-show. He could just imagine the words that would come out of Hibari's mouth, words regarding herbivorous behavior and wasting his time.
A flock of birds drifted leisurely underneath the aircraft, and Dino turned as he heard Moriko's little, amazed gasp. He met her eyes and she shrunk into the shadows, her eyes immediately flicking away from his face. She seemed almost ashamed of meeting his gaze, and he supposed it was because of the way he rejected her confession. Well, what was he to do? Lie to himself and accept? Share kisses with a vampire? They weren't even of the same species, and that was far from the only thing keeping them apart. Dino didn't feel anything for her, apart from the feeling one would get with a friend whom one was rather fond of.
But is that really true? His mind tugged again at memories of an affection from a distant past, but he shook his head to get rid of the painfully nostalgic feeling. That's not me, he told himself.
If she had disappeared, Dino would miss her, but it would not largely affect what he was doing and planning on doing for the family. It may be hurtful for her to hear such things, but it wasn't something that Dino was planning on amending just for his sake. The Mafia functioned in such a way anyway; Famiglia first, love and everything else came afterwards.
Slowly, he turned back to face the front, his eyes scanning the horizon. He refused to let himself feel any remorse for what he had done, no matter how broken-hearted Moriko was. She was the foolish one for thinking that he would've developed feelings for her in such a short time. But still...Dino let a small, saddened smile cross his face. Maybe he would treat her to ice cream later. He hadn't meant to put it so bluntly. Perhaps they could still be friends...
Suddenly, the helicopter lurched to the left.
Kusakabe let out a yell of surprise and grabbed the joystick, which caused the helicopter to tilt to the right. Romario had started muttering quickly into the headphones, shuddering in his seat and struggling with his seatbelts so that he could help stable the helicopter with his weight.
"Romario! What's going on?" His train of thought had flown completely out of the window. He cursed silently; the sudden movements of the helicopter had caused him to bite his tongue by accident. The taste of his own blood filled his mouth, and he heard a stifled gasp from behind him.
Shit. When was the last time she fed? The smell of blood must be driving her insane! Unknowingly, Dino was leaning away from Moriko and out of her reach. He could hear her growling and thrashing in the back seat, strapped in with her seatbelt and unable to reach him. He felt fear growing within his stomach; what if Moriko decided that she hated him because of the way he rejected her? What if she just decided to rid him altogether? Such doubts circled in his mind, shot through with guilt and remorse. What would she feel if she found out about the way he was questioning her actions?
The helicopter lurched again, and Dino was thrown back into his seat.
Moriko had gone strangely quiet. He sneaked a glance at her.
She was sitting in the back, hunched into herself, wide-eyed with terror and conflicting emotions. She was baring her fangs, a sign of anger and fear, but she wasn't reaching for Dino. Her eyes were darting at the scenery, searching for something...presumably the thing that was holding their helicopter in place. Kusakabe was jerking at the joystick, trying to gain altitude, but from the shuddering of the helicopter, it seemed as if something had strapped them to the earth.
She bit her lip. Hunger raged deep within her stomach, boiling and yearning to be fulfilled. She wanted to lean forward and bite Dino, to taste the sweet blood running through his veins, to lap at his life liquid without a care in the world.
She clamped down on those disgusting feelings with a vengeance, turning away from Dino purposely and letting his presence fill her mind momentarily. Her hunger redirected into anger, sending violent reds through her vision. She wanted to claw and fight and survive. She should've never gotten into this metal deathtrap, but wherever Dino went, she went.
He struck a moment before she reacted. A thick tree root pierced the helicopter windshield, passing right through to the back of the helicopter and pinning it in place. Kusakabe let out a shriek of horror and fell to the side, the root having lashed a long line across his jaw. His blood trickled to the floor and Moriko groaned with hunger.
No, protect. Dino's here. I don't want him to see my animalistic side, remember? I don't want him to look at me with disgust!
But it's too late, isn't it? A tiny, rebellious voice whispered in her ear. He had already rejected you, Moriko. You'll have no chance of being with him anyway. Better to let him die? Better to rid yourself of this stupid obsession and to set your wild side free?
"SHUT UP!" She roared, lunging at the root and slashing into it with her hand. It felt like rubber more than wood and bark. She could hear the creature howling in agony as her fingernails dug deep into his flesh. Sap leaked from the cut she made, looking more like crimson blood than anything else. With great satisfaction she hacked away at the tendrils of the tree that had buried itself in the helicopter's interior, intent on pinning the helicopter to the ground like a mere insect.
Another root stretched impossibly high from the ground, lashing across the helicopter rotors. The helicopter stalled and then plummeted, right into the arms of the creature. Romario was yelling, Kusakabe was tapping desperately on the control panel to no avail. Dino was trying to undo his seatbelt and reach the parachutes in the back. Another root slashed into the belly of the helicopter and shot through the ceiling, ripping apart the seat that Romario had vacated just a few minutes ago.
And then everything stopped.
Dino held his breath as the helicopter creaked in mid air, only held up by the three roots that protruded from the metallic aircraft's belly.
A tree root rose, snaking through the air right beside the helicopter and tapping against the windows. It stopped at a position next to Dino's head, wavering there, looking uncannily like a beast peering in from outside, deciding whether Dino should be it's next prey. "B-boss?" Romario called uncertainly, but Dino was frozen with fear. There was a voice...a voice inside his head...
Cavallone Dino, hmm? I wonder, does humanity really need you?
Yes, he wanted to say. Yes, my Famiglia needs me, I need to live, I need to survive...
How selfish of you. But then again, that's human nature.
The root reared back and struck through the window. Romario yelled out in alarm and Dino closed his eyes, waiting for the finishing blow. He didn't even have time unleash his whip for defense, didn't he? And yet his hand had instantly gone for the sleek, familiar leather handle, as if in a last futile attempt to ensure his own safety.
Blood splattered onto Dino's shirt.
Dino opened his eyes and let out a shout of horror. Moriko had leaned over him and the root had gone cleanly through her chest, puncturing her lung and rendering her speechless and breathless. She leaned over Dino protectively, eyes slanted beautifully in a catlike stare of hatred at the being that had just jabbed itself through her body.
"Mo...ri..ko?" He spluttered.
She held the root back with one hand, the other clutching at her umbrella, the parasol that she so valued. The helicopter creaked precariously; Romario and Kusakabe watched the scene with gaping mouths. Dino leaned forward, almost disbelieving the sight before his eyes. "Moriko? H-Hey!"
She had lurched forward, her eyes flashing silver, a sharpness revealed that only surfaced when she needed to feed. Instinctively, he moved back from her and the hurt flashed across her face, too quickly for him to register immediately.
The root wrenched itself from her body and ripped the side door of the helicopter. The metal aircraft tilted to the side, and Dino watched as Moriko slipped, her hold on the her parasol loosening. She had lost too much blood, was far too weak to stay in place. She had tilted back and closed her eyes.
I don't mind dying for you, Dino. If only you could hear me now.
"Moriko!" He lunged forward and wrapped his arms around her to keep her from falling. Her legs dangled from the edge of the helicopter, and the bloodied tree root was snaking around her ankle, intent on pulling her down. With a growl of anger, Dino fought it off with his whip, keeping his hold on her steady. The living, writhing root retreated. Romario had darted forward to hold the back of Dino's shirt so that the Cavallone Decimo wouldn't fall out.
"Don't close your eyes, Moriko. We'll get some help soon, okay? Kusakabe! Phone Reborn and tell him what happened. See if you can get any of the controls to wor- well actually, nevermind, we're at risk of blowing up since the fuselage seems to have been wrecked by the attack. Romario, is there a first aid kit anywhere? See if you can get to it."
She was crying. Tears of desperation and pain streamed down her porcelain cheeks, splashing onto Dino's arms. He hushed her, hugged her close, apologized and thanked her, begging her not to give up. But he could feel the strength sapping from limbs. She was no more than a ragdoll in his arms, limp and unresponsive. Sunlight splashed onto her lower back. Her head lolled, and the only thing that he was sure was registering his presence was her liquid mercury eyes, fixated on his face. Her arms twitched weakly, as if she wanted to return his embrace. He shook her. "Moriko, come on, we just have to wait a little bit more, alright?"
"Cavallone Decimo-san, Reborn is approaching with Sawada-san and a rescue helicopter. They should be here shortly, providing nothing stops them from approaching."
"D-Dino?" Moriko managed. Crimson colored her lips, trailing down her jaw. Dino wiped her mouth with his jacket sleeve, hand reaching up to thumb away the tears that traced clear lines down her cheeks. "It hurts..." She whimpered at him.
"I know, I'm sorry, I shouldn't have been so careless as to stay motionless, I should've been able to defend myself, I should've been able to move out of the way, you shouldn't have had to get hurt, I'm sorry, I'm sorry." But Dino knew that he was apologizing for more than that. He promised himself that if they got out of this mess, if Reborn arrived fast enough and saved her life, he would never doubt her again. Heck, he'd stop fighting the rising feelings of affection within him.
"Hey, Moriko." Dino started, smiling down at her. Her lips twitched at him in an attempt to smile through her tears. A muffled sob escaped her mouth.
"Wait a little longer, okay? I'll take you out for ice cream after this, just the two of us. It can be a date, alright? We'll have fun together alright?" I owe her that much. She saved my life. She nodded weakly and smiled, really smiled at back at him.
"Y..you promise?" There was hope in her smile now, a hope that Dino hadn't seen since he had rejected her. Well, now the situation has changed, hasn't it?
"I promise." He whispered.
And then the root lashed out once more and wrapped around her waist, wrenching her out of his grasp. Dino cursed and stood, losing his footing slightly as the helicopter tilted once more. "MORIKO!" He screamed. "LET GO OF HER!" He went to grab his whip, all clumsiness forgotten, his movements fluid, furious. The root bobbed and swung out of his reach, Moriko securely in its grasp. Dino unravelled his whip and swung it towards the root, but the leather failed to snag the despicable monster, falling uselessly against the side of the helicopter. Responding to his cries, the root's grip on Moriko loosened and she fell into the canopy below.
Right in front of his eyes, he could see her falling, falling away from him.
He yelled her name, ignoring the crashing and cracking noises that came from below him. She couldn't be dead. She wouldn't be killed by such a fall, would she? She wouldn't, she was strong enough to survive. She was a vampire, for God's sake! She would be able to live on, wouldn't she? The canopy shifted to cover her location and Dino cursed. How would he be able to find her now?
He felt exhausted somehow, completely weary, in shock because of all that had happened since this morning. In shock, because Moriko had literally been ripped from his grasp, leaving a gaping hole in his heart that throbbed painfully with her absence. He prayed, really prayed that she hadn't died upon impact, but it was hard to tell, what with the strange supernatural forces shifting the forest and disorientating his vision. He wanted to cry. And so he did, grasping her left-behind parasol and shamelessly letting the tears trace their way down his tired face. The warmth, the feeling of her in his arms was slowly fading away with the setting of the sun.
In the distance, a green Leon-copter steadily made its way towards their mid-air wreckage.
A few seconds too late, Dino thought bitterly.
A/N: Hooray for ripping my OC shipping apart! :3 I hope you guys enjoyed the chapter. Please leave me with a comment! I'll try to get another chapter up before my exams, but no guarantees, alrighty? :3
Thanks to all those who reviewed my previous chapter: anyandeveryanime, kimichee, Alessia Kyouya, shanagi95, whitewhite, Star1006918, Eruruu4 and Jebli (guest)! I'm eternally grateful to all the support that everyone has given me thus far (including those who have reviewed before or those who favorited and followed my story hehehe).
Oh and thanks to all those who have pointed out inconsistencies or errors in my story so far heheh~ I'm really forgetful, so I'm really grateful that you guys helped me identify the errors. Everyone else, feel free to do so! I will definitely not take offense, teheheh~ in fact, I'll probably thank you like crazy. I'm sorry for not replying to individual reviews, I really do value all the effort that you guys have put into reviewing my fic, but I just hadn't had the time to reply. I'm really sorry! I'll make it up to you guys with a speedy update, hopefully. *bashes head* I'm sorry!
