[Glass: Chapter 11]
Hello! :D
I want to say a huge thank you to everybody who reviewed, followed, favorited, and especially the people who followed/favorited me as an author. I can't tell you how much the little email notification means to me….:P This chapter is pretty long, too. Over 3k words, yeah :3
Begging aside, I hope you enjoy the chapter! CrimsonSkyTamer helped with a huge chunk of it…
-Chrome's POV-
The pain hits me like a brick wall and I feel paralyzed, collapsing on the floor instantly. My hand twitches and I let loose a sound of absolute, undiluted suffering. I feel Mukuro-sama talk to me but at the moment, my brain can hardly register what is going on, let alone what he's saying.
No. No! I need to focus. Slowly, gently, using every fiber of strength in my body, I push my head up and try to listen.
Chrome, the ring is on top of the pole. You need to use illusions to push it down.
I…can't...
Chrome, you need to try! I can't transform into you and I can't bear to see you in this much pain.
Can't...Muku…Mukuro-sama...
But I did try. For him. I tried so hard but all I could do was to make the ring wobble slightly.
Tears stream from my eyes and I don't have the strength to stop them. I feel a thousand knives shoot through my body and a fire bursting up at my heart. It's only getting worse.
The Death Heater poison would lead to my death.
Large booms, followed by several shouts, happen in the distance. I don't know if it's reality or hallucination.
I hope that I don't die. I don't want to die.
I let loose a terrible, wordless sound of pain and my entire body shudders in a spastic, uncontrolled movement.
It's getting worse.
Time passes. I don't know if it was thirty minutes or thirty seconds, but all that I know is that as every second passes; I was a second closer to death's obsidian door. I can hear Mukuro-sama try to talk to me, but it's like he's yelling at me from across a wide field and I can't hear what he's saying.
The pole, Chrome, the pole! Xanxus destroyed it; get the ring quickly, or the poison will accumulate!
All of a sudden, I could hear him once again. Gathering all my strength, I raise my head ever so slightly, and catch a glimpse of the Vongola Mist ring about a meter or so in front of me. The Mist ring…
"Thank you…boss…" A high-pitched voice broke through my train of thought, as I see Mammon attempt to crawl towards the ring.
Mukuro-sama attempts to speak to me once more, but I need no persuasion. Pushing my body to its limits, I reach out for the ring with every fiber of my body.
"Ushishishi~ The prince has arrived to help." No…no. I can't…I can't survive now. My only hope now is if the other Guardians help me. But why would Gokudera help me? He doesn't even like me. And the others...the others will definitely save each other first. I'm not a part of their group of friends and so would be the last to save. A familiar voice echoes around the gym as its owner purposely steps on my outstretched hand, bending down to pick the ring. I cry out in pain, but he merely seems amused.
"Shishishi~ How could such a weakling have beaten you, Mammon?" Belphegor states, as he inserts the Mist ring into the hole in the wristwatch. Ah…so that's where the poison is coming from. A single tear escapes from my tightly closed eye.
All of a sudden, the amount of poison in my body increased drastically. I bite my lips, but a small cry still escapes as I slump down to the floor again, the heat rising. I can hardly feel my limbs now, and as blackness eats away at my vision, the last thing I hear is Mukuro-sama's faint voice.
My dear Chrome…I'm so sorry…
"Ushishishi~ Would you like to hand over the rings you're carrying? Otherwise, I'll peel the skin off her bones, and kill her in the most gruesome way possible."
That voice was so familiar…and my arms hurt, almost as if I'm dangling above the ground…
"Fuck you! You think we'd fall for that cheap trick?!" Storm-man…Bossu's right-hand man…why is he here?
Chrome! Are you fine?
Mukuro-sama's anxious voice reaches me. It's barely audible, but it's there…and it reminds me of the situation I'm currently in. All the memories rush back to me at once; the Sky Match, the Vongola Rings…and the Death Heater poison currently coursing through my veins.
The Cervello weren't kidding when they said that the pain increases as time passes.
I…t-think so…
Just then, I feel a knife being pressed against my left cheek, drawing blood. At least, I think so. The ability to feel individual wounds have become a distant memory. "Aah…" I want to cry out, but I'm exhausted just from trying to stay conscious. How easy it would be to let the darkness take over…
No. No. I can't let him down. Mukuro-sama's always protecting me…I need to be able to protect myself, before I can protect him. Gathering my remaining reserves, I focus, channeling all my strength to resist the poison and stay awake.
I just can't close my eye.
"Uwah~ The cheek~" The Varia guardian of the Storm grabbed my hand roughly and inserted something into the wristband.
The Vongola Mist ring…
The burning heat was suddenly replaced by a freezing cold. Opening my violet eye unsteadily, I saw the trashed gym, as well as Rain-man pointing his sword at Mammon's neck.
It's an illusion, Chrome…those fools fell for it the moment they entered the gym. Though I do think that the Rain candidate's plan was admirable…
Just as Mukuro-sama spoke, Mammon flickered and vanished, as did the Varia Storm guardian. Storm-man and Rain-man looked shocked; many illusionary Mammons had appeared, and the real Belphegor was standing in front of me…knife pointed at my neck. C-can't they see? The real Mammon…is none of these.
"Come on. Hand over the other rings, or the girl will be skinned alive." Mammon threatened. My violet eye dulls; I must have used up too much energy trying to fight the Death Heater poison. Is this…the end?
Something has to be said about the poison that it has inflicted so much pain onto me, Mammon's threat holds little impact to me. Maybe…maybe this made me stronger. I don't fear pain anymore.
Chrome, I…
Mukuro-sama?
I'm watching you grow up.
I don't know how I can even start to respond to that. I just focus harder. I have to survive.
I hear a shout in the distance. "Maximum Cannon!"
That must be…The punch of the Sun Guardian. I brace myself.
The gym explodes into rubble.
"What's that?" "From…the outside?!"
I close my eye on reflex as the dust clouds expand.
When I open it again, the gym is a patch of dilapidated rubble.
"What was that?" "The entire gym was blown away."
"That blow…Could it be?" Gokudera asks.
We both look in the direction of the punch, where Ryohei Sasagawa is standing tall.
"Sorry. I hate being dull."
"I'm glad you're all safe." He smiles.
"Safe?!" Gokudera Hayato explodes. "There are certain ways to save people! What if we had been blown away too?" He makes violent hand gestures.
Yamamoto lifts me up and supports me, carrying me over to where they stand. After the plan he had made just to save me, I can't help but trust him wholeheartedly.
"Come on, it's all right. Thanks to that, we were saved." He's sporting an eyepatch like me.
"Yamamoto's right." Sasagawa agrees.
"I don't want to hear you say it!" Gokudera explodes. I let out a faint "Uwah..." accidentally as I try to lift my head.
"Hey! Hang in there!" Yamamoto says to me.
"How's she doing?" Gokudera asks.
"She received the antidote. Nothing to worry about."
"Now we're all back in the game!" Sasagawa grins. I can't help but admire his spirit, just like I couldn't help but admire Yamamoto's quick thinking. I realize…I'm starting to trust these people like friends, and I'm starting to feel like part of their group.
"Damn it. I'm not sure how much of that was an illusion." Gokudera mutters. "That damned illusionist…"
Mammon's awake. The floor is vibrating. How…I try to tell them, but just as I raise my head…
"What a violent bunch." Mammon says mockingly. Just then, he and Belphegor burst out of the rubble.
"Ushishishi…And why are you just standing around, carefree? We're still fighting."
"So they're alive!" Gokudera yells.
"I didn't think it would knock them out." Sasagawa says.
"We got the girl back. We don't need to hold back anymore!"
"That's very admirable of you…but are you sure you're alright?" They're not. Yamamoto is exhausted, Gokudera is injured…The light in Sasagawa's eyes, too, are fading…And I'm utterly useless.
"There's not a single one of you who can fight normally."
"Get down here!"
"Idiot…Like we'd fight you." "We already have what we want."
They have…the rings.
"Damn…I'll take them back!" Gokudera launches at them, dynamite flaring.
"I…Illusions…" I whisper.
"What?! They passed through them?"
Louder this time, I say "Illusions." It's so hard, though. I have…no strength.
"Dirty tricks!" Sasagawa yells. There's…no point.
"We won't let you go!"
"Sorry. Bye-bi."
"You couldn't help it, don't worry about it." Yamamoto says lightly. He looks at me. My violet eye is dull, and I don't have the strength to stand up. I'm…embarrassing myself and Mukuro-sama.
"We saved this girl."
"We need to treat her injuries." Sasagawa says, also with a kind smile. Thank you…everyone.
I try to speak but I can't. I can tell that everyone else is also in so much pain, and I don't know what I can do. I'm powerless.
"You're right." Gokudera says. "Juudaime." He looks toward the sky. I don't know what's happening with Tsunayoshi…But I hope with all my heart that he is okay.
I hope that he can survive. The Varia…the Varia cannot be allowed to rule the Vongola. They aren't good people. If I learned anything today…it is that I can trust the Guardians with my life. That even though they want nothing more than to win, they will sacrifice it to save me.
I feel differently now. Before today, my only ally was Mukuro-sama. I associated with the Vongola because that is what he wished for me to do. But now, even though my bonds with him are just as strong as before, I have more allies. Now, I sincerely wish for the Vongola's well-being. Even Gokudera...who spoke so strongly against me when I fought in the Mist battle, was willing to sacrifice the rings so that I could survive.
I feel…I feel that I have a family in the Vongola. And because of this, I need to fight my hardest, right here, right now. I think about how I felt before I became Chrome Dokuro, where I had nobody who cared for me. Then, I had no will to survive. But now…Now, I want to fight for the Vongola with my last breath.
I stand up, hefting my trident. My eye radiates determination and I drop into a fighting stance.
"Chrome-san! You…" Yamamoto smiles and looks at me. Gokudera nods in appreciation, and Sasagawa grins. "Let's go! It's not too late to save Tsuna!" We run toward the main sounds of the explosions.
I gasp when I see that the Varia guardians are surrounding Tsunayoshi, who is on his hands and knees. His eyes are blazing orange.
"Stop."
We spring toward him. "Juudaime!" Gokudera yells.
"Tsuna!"
"Bossu!" Is he okay? We need to save him!
I scan around before I see it. Belphegor is about to put the Sky Ring on Xanxus. "Shishishi…Thank you all for being the audience to the birth of the new Boss."
No…Tsunayoshi is the Boss. We can't let this happen!
I'm frozen in place with fear. Somehow…I don't know why, but I somehow know that not all is as it seems. Xanxus…won't become the new Boss.
Mammon lifts up a chain and starts threading the Rings onto it. Tsuna's eyes blaze fire as he looks up.
"Vongola's greatest treasure, passed down through time." Mammon narrates as he puts a Ring…the Mist Ring…my Ring…onto a chain. "Give the young Blood of Vongola a great power!"
I stare, wide-eyed, as I see what he is doing. What can we do? How can we stop this?
Belphegor slides the Sky Ring onto the finger of Xanxus. All my muscles tense.
The ring glows orange, and I'm momentarily blinded by the light. "What's going on?"
"This…this is…" Is this supposed to happen? An explosion…
"An unending power is overflowing! This is proof of being the successor to the Vongola! Finally, finally, it's coming true!" His entire body shakes and he is brought to his knees.
This isn't right. Something is wrong.
He collapses. "Boss! What's the matter, Boss?"
He's not the true successor. The Ring…rejected him.
Mammon floats toward Tsuna. "You know something. What do you mean?"
"That's right. The 9th and I aren't real family!"
He tells us the story of how he was adopted by the 9th. All he ever wanted…was to be the successor. But this ambition was overpowering. He tried too hard and eventually, he couldn't make it.
I follow what they're saying, but there's one thing that stands out abruptly.
"Wasn't the reason that the 9th didn't kill you, even after being betrayed, was that he wanted to accept you to the very end?" Tsunayoshi asks.
Memories swirl in my eye. Even after my mother openly told the world that she didn't love me…I still wanted…still want, to accept her.
"Disgusting, voluntary love is completely worthless!" I thought so too, but now I know it isn't true. Voluntary love gave me the power to keep going, after being subjected to nearly thirty minutes of poison. It gave me the will and the strength to fight.
"All I want is the position of Boss! You trash have to support me…Revere me!"
"What a terrible guy." Gokudera mutters. I have to agree, but I…still know how he feels.
The ring slides off Xanxus' finger with a clatter.
The Cervello run forward. "Xanxus-sama, we must consult to determine if the Ring is suited to you.
"S-Shut up." He says. "If it won't come true, then I'll defeat everything in my path until it does!"
And that's the difference between us. When I wanted only one thing- the love of my mother, I became blank and almost unfeeling except for that. However...Xanxus reacts differently. He wants one thing- the position of Boss, he is now…Filled with rage. Wrath, I realize with a start. He is filled with too much emotion and I with too little. How similar, yet shockingly different.
"Xanxus-sama!" A Cervello says.
"I agree, Boss. Let's do it!" Belphegor laughs, Mammon floating silently at his side.
"Just as planned."
Gokudera runs forward, and before long, an explosion occurs and smoke fills the air. "How rotten can you be?" His voice contains the same feeling I am filled of- the love for my new family. The smoke clears to reveal Gokudera, Yamamoto, Sasagawa, and me. I lift up my trident and form a fighting stance, hoping my actions will convey Gokudera's words.
"Shishishi…You all couldn't even die properly."
That may be true. I lost count of the times people have saved me. But now…I will protect the Vongola.
A new pair of footsteps move closer. "Now we can finally settle things." Hibari growls.
"What are you saying? You're wounded all over. Shishishi…"
We all are. But even so…we can still beat you!"
"There's absolutely no mistake. You're all going to die."
"Don't you see? It's two against five. The odds are against you."
I size things up, imagining how the fight will go. I think I could take Mammon, if we fought again. I could at least hold him off. One of the others will probably help, and if it was two against one, we could defeat him. That leaves three to fight Belphegor.
"Two against five? What are you talking about?" What is he talking about? Mammon smirks. "Your opponents are a force several times larger than this. An elite Varia squad with fifty members will be here any moment…"
W-what? How can we…But I will fight with my dying breath. That's all I know.
"What are you saying?" Sasagawa yells.
"The Boss called enough support to deal with everything involved with this incident after he won. They are elites who are second only to us officers in fighting prowess."
"Everything involved in this incident?!" "Could he mean…"
"Please wait a second. We cannot allow outside interference during the match."
"I don't care." Belphegor smirks.
"W-what?" A knife slash so small I could hardly make it out leaves a Cervello collapsed on the floor.
"Very well. We will disqualify the Varia side and turn off the observation area's infrared sensors." The remaining Cervello jumps backward. If they can help us…then we have a chance.
She presses a button but I can tell immediately…the sensors aren't off.
"Wait!" I yell, but my voice is lost in the wind and the commotion. Reborn echoes my word.
"It's not turned off."
"We worked on those," Mammon says lightly. "We intended to kill them all in that cage."
My Chrome…please…don't do anything too rash. You need to survive this.
Mukuro-sama…
But it'll be fine. The Varia's assassination squad will not make it.
How can this happen? Why?
I don't believe you've met him. We- Kokuyo- used to have a guard, you see…But he left before you joined the Kokuyo. His name is Lancia. His physical fighting prowess is almost unrivaled. He is, I believe, taking out that Varia squad as we speak.
My heart burns with hope, and I accidentally speak out loud. "Mukuro-sama…Someone is coming?" Do I tell them?
I feel rather than see Mukuro-sama's amused smirk. No, that'll spoil the surprise. I told you, because I didn't want to see you do anything stupid. Your "fight with my dying breath" thoughts… very admirable, perhaps, but there's no way I can allow that. I'm not ever seeing you dead, my cute Chrome.