I stepped out into the fresh air and sighed. So far, so good. Maybe I should just turn around and lock myself in, hide under the bed and never come out. Yeah, that sounded much better than training. Before I could reenter my room, Feliciano ran up, "Ve~ fratello! You're just in time to walk with me to training!"
"Since when do you want to walk with me?" I glared. This was unusual. He typically went with that German … boyfriend (I shuddered at the word) … of his.
"I wanted to talk to you, Lovi." he smiled.
"About what? I mean seriously, why is every one suddenly wanting to talk to me?" my arms folded across my chest.
"Ve~? What do you mean?"
"Nothing. Just talk."
"Ve~? Okay." his hands connected behind his back as we walked, "I just wanted to thank you for letting me be with Luddy. I know you don't really like him, so it means a lot." I huffed and rolled my eyes, "I also wanted to say how happy I am you found someone to be happy with …"
"Wait! What?" I turned to him with daggers for eyes.
He whimpered and backed away, "Y-you and big brother Tonio … you were sleeping together, weren-"
"No! I mean, yes, technically, but we weren't doing anything damnit!" I hated the way my cheeks became pink and red like this! "He wanted to talk last night and I fell asleep. That's it!"
"Ve~? So, you're not with big brother Tonio?"
"NO! God, Feliciano, just when I thought you couldn't get any more stupid. As soon as we break up this troublesome dark angel business, I'm going back home. He can't go, so I'll finally be free of that bastard!"
"Ve …" he nodded and we continued on our way to the training spot.
"Good, you two are finally here. We can begin." the potato sighed, "Last night was a terrible loss. Sadiq barely even fought and we were brought to our knees. Because of their ability to apparently control an unwilling mind, like Heracles, we have to be careful. We don't know if that power extends to any of us. I'd hate to have to go into battle against a powerful enemy and someone who knows all of our battle strategies."
"Che," I huffed, "just like him to worry about strategies over our lives." someone sat down beside me.
"Aw, don't be like that, Lovi~ he cares, he just wants us to win, too." Antonio flashed his perfect – I mean, stupid – smile. I rolled my eyes.
"I don't honestly care. I'd prefer it if we got out of this as soon as possible. He sooner they leave or are destroyed, the sooner I can get off this rock and go home. Nice lazy days in the courtyard are all I need to be happy."
"You'll come visit me, right?" he chuckled. Was that sadness I heard? No?
"As if! Once I leave, I'm NOT looking back. I'd rather die than come back here and see you! Make it easier for yourself and just leave me alone, why don't you?" I turned away and wondered what he was going to do next. Maybe wrap his arms around me and call me some cu – stupid! – nickname and try and kiss me. Or maybe he would laugh it off and beg me to come visit him.
But no. he looked away, "You're not coming back ever?"
"Not if I can fucking help it, tomato bastard." I looked at him, wondering why he wasn't trying to hold me or something.
He looked at me with a faint smile, "Okay then, Lovi, I'll leave you alone now." he kissed my cheek and walked off to go join that blonde pervert's side. The pervert looked at him and they began talking.
"What the hell?" I muttered. I finally got what I wanted. The bastard promised to leave me alone, but why did I feel empty. Why did it feel like I didn't really want him gone? I shook my head of confusing thoughts and threw myself into the stupid training session. It could probably really help me since it was defense. I may have been a fighter but I didn't like fighting bigger and slightly scary enemies.
After the late training, I decided to take Savino and Peter into town and buy some clothes or whatever the two were talking about.
"Shit, you see that outfit?" Savino pressed his face onto the glass (mostly to annoy the store manager, who looked at him disapprovingly for smudging her window). "I'd give my left wing for something smooth like that! Think of how many ladies I'd get!"
Peter laughed and we continued on. The blonde angel wanted to stop and try some of the ice cream at this one shop, so I gave in and we got some. I hated being the guardian over two immature angels. You'd think they would be more mature being dead for so long but … honestly … it seemed to make maturity levels go down for some people.
I spotted a familiar sign in the distance and sighed. Mind as well see how Heracles is doing. He had been in that fight, too. Hell, maybe the lazy bastard would be able to tell me something new about our enemy, a weakness maybe?
I walked inside and told the other two to shut up, because I didn't want to hear 'why' I was in here in he first place. The building was mostly quiet, but I could hear shuffling in the back. And there were a few customers littered about the room. I noticed one pair had their eyes on me and the boys. A tall, pale man with glasses and dark hair and a woman with long pale brown locks, pinned back on one side with flowers.
"Romano?" I looked up and saw Heracles walk in from the back. Kiku was close behind him, looking uncomfortable as he walked over to the counter and began checking the food and making new food.
"Hey, Herac-"
"It's him!" Peter growled, causing a scene. I grabbed the back of his head and pushed down, ignoring his cries for help.
"Sorry about him. I actually came to talk to you about yesterday, do you have a moment?" he looked to Kiku then back to me. He nodded an motioned for me to follow him to the back. I dragged Savino and Peter along with me.
He led us to a weird room with a table low to the ground. I guessed it was Kiku's doing? There was a blanket sprawled on the floor next to a pile of pillows. Heracles sat there, "Sorry about the mess … Kiku is quite angry with me right now, so I've been forced to sleep elsewhere."
I nodded, "I see, but I didn't come here to talk about your sleeping arrangements. I want to know what the fuck happened yesterday? One day you're telling me you hate that masked bastard, the next you're gladly helping him kill us?"
His eyes shifted around the room, "Yeah, Gupta has that effect on others. It's not the first time I've fallen victim to that." he laid down and two small cats came out of no where. One was his grey spirit animal, the other was a black and white bob-tail.
He lazily rubbed the cats' backs and closed his eyes, "If you're wanting help fighting him, I'd be more than happy to put him in his place. Cyprus and I have been wishing he'd get off his high horse. It's a real bad influence on Kadri. And Kadri really does look up to Sadiq.
"He wasn't always this bad, I guess you could say he was a decent man up until a little while ago. Just like any villain in the story, there was something that made them the way they are. In this case, it was the reincarnated soul of a woman he had been in love with for many years. Let's see … all of once lived together during the Ottoman Empire … right? Yeah, that sounds about right. Cyprus and Kadri were taken in by my mother, a very strong willed Grecian woman. Over the years, a man came along. He was from Turkey, Sadiq as you must've guessed," his eyes fell on us, "A very cocky man who loved to help out my mother. He fell in love with her, but she did not love him back. My mother loved no man, not even my father. Sadiq had been filled with rage and slaughtered us all. Then, he too was killed. My mother finished her tasks in the after life and went on to become reincarnated, never truly forgiving Sadiq for killing me, Cyprus and Kadri. She could not care for her own life. I did not care either way, nor did the other two, and so we forgave him.
"I chose to fall, and Cyprus and Kadri fell with me, rather than separating what little family we had made, and for the longest time it was just the four of us, soon five, when Gupta came along. But things couldn't last. I'd met Kiku and Cyprus moved out with Kadri. Gupta opted to stay by Sadiq's side no matter what and our family had split. But do not be fooled, that is not what caused this change in Sadiq.
"You see, I mentioned before, my mother, whom he had been so deeply in love with, had been reincarnated. Well, he found her. She was just as beautiful to him as she was then, and even though she knew nothing of him anymore, it did not stop him from pursuing her heart. A soul never changes, even when the memories forget. My reincarnated mother still preferred a single, strong willed life to being strapped down to any man. She turned him down, over and over. You may think it's silly, but love is a very powerful emotion. It can will armies to move and cities to fall. It can bring both war and peace.
"Sadiq fell victim to the heartbreak, for the first time, letting his worry-free attitude fall. He discovered what great power he had that night. He was able to destroy anything in his path with just his blade. He killed her again, this time instead of becoming an angel, she became a reaper. You may find out about them one day …" he looked at me, before continuing his story, "Sadiq let the power consume his heartbreak and became something else. He abused his power and of course Gupta followed him without a word, a very loyal friend. Cyprus and Kadri still cared greatly for the man and tried to help him, but over time, accepted who he had become and in Kadri's case, looked up to him.
"Kiku had become quite fearful of angels for the longest time, but I finally coerced him to trust some of us again. But that was ruined a few days ago, when Gupta showed up. I don't remember much, but I do know that when Cyprus left me here, Kiku, who does not usually anger easily, was flustered and almost threw me out. I managed to convince him of Gupta's power and he let me stay here in the living room."
I nodded, not really knowing what to do with this information I had on Sadiq and Gupta. I looked at my brother and Peter, who had tears in their eyes, "That poor man!" they chimed together. Idiots.
Well, one thing was for sure, we didn't have to destroy Sadiq as long as we calmed down his power. In order to do that, all we really had to do was knock him down a peg and defeat him. That way, he knew not to keep up his fighting, that we could stop him. Right? Ugh, thinking this hard made my head hurt.
"Grazie, Heracles, for everything. I hope we can bring the man back to normal … or something like that." he nodded, but only closed his eyes and fell fast asleep.
I took that as our cue to leave, "Arriverderci, Kiku." I muttered. He waved and returned to his customers.
I stepped outside and took a deep breath, "Let's just get out here and head back now. I'm sure Feliciano is worried sick about us."
We could take no more than three steps when we were approached by the couple from the sushi shop. The woman had a soft smile, but I didn't quite trust it, not that I trusted anything, really.
"Hello." she said.
I raised my eyebrow, "Um, Ciao?" I began to walk around her, but the man moved in front of me. I glared, "What the fuck do you want?"
"We just want to talk to you about something."
"I'm getting sick of fucking bastards wanting to fucking talk all the fucking time!" I shouted.
She laughed, "My, my, my, very rude young man. We were honestly looking for some people who've been missing for awhile. One of my friends hasn't seen them in a long time and was beginning to worry. Besides, my Roderich has noticed a lack of an annoying friend of ours."
"What makes you think I've seen them?"
"Because my friend said you were the one they kidnapped. The last time she saw them, they were coming to meet you. Where are they?"
Wait, she wanted to know where the three bastards were? I rolled my eyes, "Who gives a shit? If you were really their friend, you would know, right?" I moved to pass them again, but was once again stopped, "You're really starting to piss me off."
"And you're making me angry as well. We just want to know if you'd seen our friends." she held open her hand to her side, summoning a weapon. She was an angel as well. Although … who in their right mind would have a frying pan for a weapon?
"Listen, they're at my fucking hotel. Put away your stupid frying pan and follow me. Maybe you'll convince the bastards to leave."
"You sure letting them go is a good idea? You and Tonio were getting kinda close – ouch! What was that for?" Savino yelled out, holding the spot on his head where I had hit him.
"For running your mouth about things you don't know anything about, little bastard."
The woman looked at us weird, "I'm Elizaveta, by the way and this is my ex-husband, Roderich."
I rolled my eyes, choosing to ignore them.
"I'm Peter, this is my best friend, Savino and his older brother Lovino, but he doesn't like it when people call him that."
"He prefers boring old Romano, instead!" Savino laughed. I threatened him with my fist and he shut up.
Elizaveta smiled. By the time we made it back, it was already dark, but everyone was sitting in the hotel parking lot, surrounding a little fire in a small barbecue pit. Where they got the stuff to make this happen, Mattie probably knew.
Speaking of, that fucking potato was sitting with my brother wrapped up in his arms and in his lap, while Matt was in the potato number two's lap, making out. Ew. The French pervert was trying to coerce Arthur into joining in the love fest, while Antonio, like Feliciano, had a marshmallow roasting on the small flame. It was a wonder this group hadn't gotten themselves into trouble by starting the fire in the open like this, not that it mattered with Mattie.
As we walked up, the guys all looked up and smiled or looked on with confusion. Francis, Antonio and Gilbert's eyes all lit up in joy.
"Roddy! Have you missed me? Come to let me steal your vitals?" the potato laughed, much to the man, 'Roddy's', chagrin.
"Ah, mes amis, 'ave you come to join the party?"
"No, no, we actually came to make sure you three weren't dead. You've been missing for sometime now, you know!"
"If I had my piano, I would be able to show you my utter disgust in you." I didn't like him. He annoyed me.
I looked at Antonio, but … for the first time … he didn't look back. He was busy talking with Elizaveta. I glared and crossed my arms, without really knowing why I was feeling a stabbing pain in my gut and heart. If he wanted to ignore me, then so be it! I stormed away and went strait up to my hotel room.
"Gah! It shouldn't be bothering me this much, damn it!" so why did it?