Beta'd by Ie-maru(thank you )
A/N: Edited author's note. I realized that my AN is making story look messy. So from now on AN will be short, if its long- will be at my profile. So you can skip it if you you for support:)
Chapter 11
Viper was shocked. He had never dreamed about harmonizing with a sky, not like other flame users. For him, harmonization was something to avoid. The only thing that he wished for was money. Money means power, money means freedom. Anything can be bought if you have enough to spend. That was a lesson he learned in his childhood.
Harmonizing with someone and being kept under his or her thumb was not something Viper saw as an ideal future. Despite that, it seems he's harmonized anyway. He could have, perhaps, learned to live with it under different circumstances; however, this sky had no money and no power. He lacked in nearly every aspect that Viper desired. This was an unmitigated disaster.
"—would have already founded a new famiglia of my own," Sinagra growled at Fon.
"I will stay with Verde and Lal to look after the sky," Viper said. He didn't know why he agreed to stay behind, but after Sinagra nodded Viper remembered a deal that he made.
'Now will be the best chance I have,' Viper thought as Sinagra, Colonello, and Fon left. 'Now that the main fighters of the group are gone, all I have to do is take out Verde and Lal.'
Viper looked over towards a brooding Lal and grinning Verde and said, "They're all being stupid."
"Oh, you think it's not wise to choose a second in command?" Verde fixed his glasses and stared at Viper.
"Do you really think we'd follow someone without question? We're all extremely independent individuals. I doubt that we could work well together, unless it's under extreme circumstances. Especially under that clueless sky," Viper said in a bored tone.
"Yes, it would be a stretch to assume so much out of a civilian sky," Verde agreed with a wan smile. Lal, who was still looking down, clenched her hand and hunched her shoulders further in.
"He couldn't even handle a single kick from a flame user. It must have hurt a lot too. I felt sun flames all over him. Sinagra must have healed him," Viper continued casually.
At his last sentence, Lal muttered about apologizing under her breath and stormed out of the room.
"Bravo, you succeed to chase her out." Verde smirked. "What's your plan?"
"Plan? I assure you that I don't have one, but you must have something." Viper sighed and shook his head minutely as he stared down the hall Lal had gone in. "It was much too easy to rile her. I thought it would be hard to fool a COMSUBIN member, especially so when she's their commander."
"I'm sure that if it wasn't for her guilt over her sky, she would've been more observant. Anyway, let's make a deal." Verde's smile slid off his face and he took up a more serious air. "I'll pay you two million dollars to help me kidnap Harry and escape from the others unnoticed."
"Harry? What happened to test subject?" Viper said, careful to hide his shock. Verde was a scientist who was known to sacrifice anything in the name of science. But now…he seemed to want to spend more time with his sky than experiment on him.
Viper was more determined than ever to finish his previous deal. He won't let himself be trapped like them.
Verde looked away and sighed. "Deal or no deal?"
"Three million, no less. It's possible, but I will be going against Sinagra and those other brutes. Let's check on Lal and the sky," Viper said as they went to the living room. Verde followed him with hands in his pockets. When they entered the living room and neared to the bedroom, Verde stalled.
"So, no deal? It's so sad, we would have worked together well." Verde suddenly attacked with his Electrico Thunder. His thunder shock appeared to hit Viper, but Viper's image distorted and eventually disappeared. Verde looked around and dodged to the side when he saw Viper's shadow extend behind him. Viper was there, unharmed. Still, he couldn't be sure if this was the real Viper or not. "It was an illusion, then."
"A good illusionist always prepares for all possible outcomes," Viper said. "Unfortunately, I can't stay and fight with you. Time is money and I have a reward to claim."
"Wah," Verde's whole body relaxed and fell to the floor. "Wha-aaat d-did..y-you d…ooo?"Verde glared at Viper tiredly.
"I just put something extra into the coffee. What's with that look? Ah, you're wondering what poisons work that fast. It's not poison, more like a muscle relaxant. A small dose, at that. I'm just using my mist flame to trick your body's system to accelerate the effects, otherwise you wouldn't even notice it. Your body is thinking that it had a much larger dose than its original amount. Don't worry, it won't kill you; it will just help you to sleep. After all, Vongola won't give a poison to customers, but something that helps them sleep…" Viper smirked.
From the moment he woke up, Viper had planned escaping from the sky's clutch. He asked for coffee, pain killers, and sleeping pills from the swift Vongola staff. Then he dosed the coffee with a meager amount of crushed sleeping pills. Viper would have liked to have more sleeping pills for a heavier dose, but the Vongola hotel doesn't give customers more than a certain amount. Something about giving killers a weapon and residents' homicide/suicide being bad for their hotel.
Viper wasn't really one for poison, but this time he was against a group consisting of the top-most experts in their field. Honestly, he was lucky that the fighters had left already. It would take a much more powerful illusion from Viper to take out all of them together, despite the aid of the crushed pills.
"Th…r…ee mi..l" Verde groaned.
'What a persistent guy,' Viper thought and used more of his mist to trick Verde's body. He needs to work quickly, so he could put more distance between the others and himself once things were underway. As it was, he was pushing things. Due to the small amount of pills, Verde would only sleep about an hour after Viper left, since Viper needed to be near and constantly inject his mist flame to keep the illusion running.
"Three million? Stupid! This isn't about money, not really," Viper said as Verde struggled to stay conscious. "I've already made a deal and I don't break deals. It's bad for business."
Viper started to walk away from Verde, but stopped when he grabbed the bottom of Viper's robe.
"H….r..y" Verde's glazed eyes looked at Viper.
"Annoying." Viper freed his robe from Verde's desperate clutch. "You became soft Verde. Don't worry, you'll thank me later."
Verde finally succumbed to Viper's illusion. Viper looked at Verde's unconscious body and muttered, "I'm saving you, all of you, from a prison of your own making."
'Now the only obstacle left is Lal.' Viper went to open the door to the bedroom, but it was swung open by the sky first. Viper looked at the unconscious Lal and arched a brow. The sky's face instantly shifted from panic to guilt as he quickly said "She fell asleep". Then Harry noticed Verde's unconscious body behind Viper.
Viper smirked. "Ah, he fell asleep too."
'What a curious sky we have here,' Viper thought as Harry threw an incredulous look at him.
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Two hours later
"Why don't you guys just give up?" Rene smirked as he dodged Fon's projected storm dragon. A blue bullet shot from out the left, but Rene expertly dodged it as well.
"Give up? No way, Kora!" Colonello's voice echoed from the trees.
"And stroke your ego? I don't think so," Fon said calmly as his dragon roared.
"Then let's see if you…" Rene grinned as he cocked his gun, but suddenly Lal's voice shouted through Colonello's radio, "COLONELLO, WE HAVE A PROBLEM!"
"Aw, we were just getting to good part!" Colonello groaned.
"Well, excuse me, I thought you'd be concerned if Harry were missing!" Lal said sarcastically.
"Wait! He's missing?" Colonello said. Rene and Fon quickly went to Colonello, who was walking out from his previous cover.
"It was Viper, he–Hey! Give it back Verde!" Verde and Lal's voices overlapped as they argued.
Rene snatched the radio from Colonello and ignored the man's protests.
"What happened?" Rene growled.
"It was Viper. He kidnapped Harry " Verde said with a sigh.
"We're on the way." Rene tossed the radio back to Colonello and hurried to go back. Fon and Colonello ran after him.
'What's going on there?' Rene thought angrily.
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One Hour Before
"You want to escape?" Viper asked. It seemed evident, considering the sky had somehow managed to knock Lal unconscious.
Harry fidgeted a little before he straightened up with a determined look and answered "Yes. Don't tell me that you actually want me here."
"I don't." Viper replied.
Viper never thought he'd be this lucky. A civilian sky had knocked out Lal Mirch! 'Maybe it would be – no, don't think about that. You're falling into the same trap as the others.' Viper shook his head.
"Don't get in my way, then!" Harry shouldered his way through the door and headed toward the exit. He was stopped by two smiling women.
"Can I help you, sir? Would you like room service?"
"I…no, I need to go." Harry tried to step around them, but they stopped him with that same, plastic smile.
"There is no need to go yourself. We will bring anything that you want straight to your room for you."
Harry looked at them with suspicion and tried to leave again. "No thank you."
One of them stopped him again and said, "You can't go without…"
"Leave him be, I am with him." Viper sighed as he noticed Harry's tenseness. Harry was going to run. Viper couldn't let him go without him.
"But…" one of them protested.
"Sinagra gave order that you can't let him out unless he's with one of us. So, here I am. Leave him be." Viper said with a touch of annoyance.
"Yes, sir." They bowed as Harry and Viper left the suit. Harry looked at them and then to Viper.
"Did Sinagra really give that order?"
Viper nodded and left to the lift. Harry quietly followed him. Viper pushed the lift's button and, as usual, the VIP lift door opened immediately. Viper and Harry stepped in and started to descend.
Harry took the chance to side-eye the illusionist. "I thought you only helped for money?"
"Yes," Viper said.
"So why are you helping me then? I don't have any."
"You don't like me, do you?" Harry said seriously.
"No, I don't. You're weak and I don't want to be bound to you," Viper said as he looked at his new sky. He eyed the space between them almost nervously. He couldn't get close to him. Viper won't fall for that trap.
The lift finally reached the lobby after a minute or so of awkward silence. Harry looked around the lobby in awe. The Vongola hotel was the finest hotel on the island and its lobby was enriched with golden pillars and famous arts. Viper mournfully looked at the expensive chairs put out for visitors to sit in. He wouldn't have used such expensive chairs for the lobby.
"They are spending too much on decoration," Viper grumbled as some kid with sticky hands smeared ice cream on one of the chairs. Harry nodded, which Viper ignored. He won't get close to him. "Let's go. You want to escape, don't you?"
"Yeah, but you don't." Harry followed Viper to the main street with a slight frown. Viper didn't reply, he just continued to lead the sky down to the docks. They walked through the shopping district on the way there. Harry seemed afraid at first. He tensed and looked back several times, but then he started to relax when the others didn't suddenly jump around the corner to chase after them. The street's lively atmosphere probably helped the sky relax even more, considering his civilian background.
Harry started to smile and give his attention to the shops and people they were passing. Viper quietly observed Harry as he smiled at kids and fluttered from one place to another. His– no, not his! –Harry looked curiously at stalls and various mafiosi. He was such a curious, innocent sky, but sometimes Viper saw a darkness in his eyes. There was a history behind those eyes, a reason for that strange dissonance.
'I wonder, is it a result of living on the streets? Of his life as a thief?' Viper thought, then shook his head. 'No! He's not here for me to study him, he's here to...'
"Aren't you forgetting about your escape plan?" Viper said as Harry touched something shiny on the stall.
Harry froze. "Yes! I forgot about that. No, ma'am, I don't want to buy a hammer gun! What would I do with hammer gun?" Harry shook his head at the trader and then looked at Viper. "Will you help me escape?"
"Why would you want to escape from here? You have five people who are bonded with you and who would do anything for you," Viper said curiously. It was unheard of for a sky to not want guardians.
"That's what I'm uneasy about. How much of that is forced on them because of the bond? I don't want to control someone." Harry shook his head as if he was trying to shake away bad memories.
"You say that now, but soon you will accept it and get power hungry. Just like them, you will start to control people." Viper said bitterly.
Harry whirled to face him and glared. "No, I will never do that!"
"They all say that. Don't talk about what you don't know." Viper said, annoyed. All humans were the same. Power is everything.
"No, you're the one who doesn't know anything!" Harry snapped and looked Viper in the eyes. Harry's eyes flashed with something which Viper couldn't immediately put his finger on. 'That's it, that darkness in his eyes from before.' Viper realized as Harry looked away.
"Anyway, are you going to help me to find a boat to the mainland?" Harry said, changing the topic.
"Let me guide you to the dock," Viper said. He sighed, determined that he wouldn't think more on his sky. In any case, it would soon be useless.
Harry tripped on something and fell. Viper started to reach out to him, then withdrew his hand at the last moment. He couldn't risk touching Harry. The sky flames were too much for him earlier. Since they bonded to Harry, none of them, bar Sinagra touched Harry. They don't know what it would do. Would the sky flames surge out a second time or was the first time just for harmonization?
"Ow. Hey, are you okay?" Harry stood up and grabbed Viper's hand with concern, turning it over in between his own. "Your hand is shaking."
'Idiot!' Viper thought as he closed his eyes. After a moment, he realized that all he felt was the warmth of Harry's hands holding his. Viper looked at their connected hands and mused, 'So it was one time thing.'
"Oh, sorry! It's just, you were shaking so I kinda, I mean I just...grabbed your hand." Harry mistook his stare and quickly withdrew his hands. "Anyway, where are we going?"
"It's strange that you didn't ask that question earlier," Viper said as he guided them back in the direction of the docks.
"Well, you looked like you hated my guts, so I thought it'd better if I shut my mouth." Harry wryly smiled as the docks came into sight.
"A normal person would ask that question first" Viper muttered.
They reached the docks and walked by private boats that various mafiosi docked, although you needed permission from the Mafia Island to do so. Most just came here by the resort's cruise ship, but some rich bosses liked to travel with their own private boat, despite the extra expenses.
"I'm not really what you'd call a normal person." Harry smiled as if he heard some inside joke. They reached the boat at the end and Harry suddenly stopped. "You're not here to help me, are you?"
"No, I'm not," Viper said as people came from the shadows.
Harry just stood there as men from the Bochi famiglia grabbed him. One of the men gave a silver suitcase to Viper.
"You're as great as the rumors say! Don't know why the boss would want to spend so much on one single thief, but that's not my business. Good job."
Viper looked at the quiet Harry and remembered the deal that led them here.
Flashback
"Just because it's the Mafia Land, I can't collect my bounty. Mou~" Viper was in a bad mood. He came here to finish a job, but the target already chocked on broccoli. A piece of broccoli! Then, he found a man wanted by another famiglia, but they wouldn't pay him because he hunted on the island!
"Hey, you," said a fat man that was passing by.
"Yes?"
"You are Viper, aren't you? Lucky! I need to catch someone. The reward will be huge. My men are already chasing him, but I doubt they'll catch this thief. He's slippery."
"How much?" Viper asked curiously.
"Five hundred! Do we have a deal?"
"No, go somewhere else to get help. I don't work so cheaply."
"Hey! Wait! Don't you know who you are talking to? I'm Bochi's boss."
Bochi, as in the new and very rich famiglia Bochi? Viper quickly assessed the information that he gathered earlier. Even though they were new, the Bochi quickly grew and got control of a decently sized territory in Italy.
'A good famiglia to make deals with. New famiglie deals are quick, easy, and pay well in hopes of establishing positive relationships. Catching one thief will be a piece of cake,' Viper thought with a small smile.
"Do you know who you are you talking to?" Viper released his mist to construct an imitating image behind himself. For such a weak willed man, it would be enough. "You can do better. I'm in a bad mood right now."
"Y-yes, sorry! Five million!" Bochi quickly agreed.
"It's a deal. Where do you want me to take him?" Viper said.
Bochi dabbed the beading sweat from his forehead with a handkerchief as he thought. "I have a ship tied to the end of the dock. We can make the exchange there."
"Agreed."
Flashback ended
The Bochi men quickly grabbed Harry and started to embark on the boat.
"Wait!" Viper ordered as they reached the cabin's door. He could only see Harry's back from here.
"Why aren't you shouting? I just sold you! Why are you just accepting it? Aren't you angry!" Viper shouted the last part.
"Because I understand you," Harry looked back and smiled at him. It froze Viper. He couldn't move, he couldn't speak. It hurt to breathe.
Then the boat pulled away from the dock, and he could move again.
Viper clutched the silver case close to his chest and thought, 'Money is everything. Money is power. Money is freedom…Then why does it hurt so much?'
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Two Hours Later
"Verde, did you get his location?" Rene said. He was running through the streets with Fon. Colonello went to security, while Lal and Verde went to the control room where the security cameras screens were.
"I have Viper's current location, but the footage with Harry ended when they reached the dock. Some kind of mist interference. We can't tell what happened there, but Viper returns without him."
"Where is Viper?" Rene bit out.
"Go left at the next corner, now right. Left, and then forward for two blocks. There! He went to that bar in front of you!" Verde exclaimed.
"Right" Rene kicked the door open impatiently and found himself in a crowded bar. People murmured and shifted anxiously, but otherwise didn't bring out weapons. Rene scanned the bar and found Viper sitting at the bar, nursing whisky.
Rene and Fon wasted no time in surrounding him. Rene took out his gun and pointed it at Viper's temple. "Give me one good reason why I shouldn't blow your head off."
A/N: So how was it? How many of you guessed Viper's action(betrayal)?
