Title: Our Bloodstained Bonds

Author: x Artemisia x

Disclaimer: I do not own the characters, only the story and my oc

A/N:

Skyla15699: hurhurhur maybe~ 8D ahahah ^^

shanagi95: Yes, more or less ^^;; I'll have them interact in the future most likely =D

BabyShinji: He is x3 and thanks =)

MusicIsInMySoul: Thanks so much! /


Chapter Twelve: So It Begins…

Stepping inside, Luna was instant caught up in the bustling liveliness of the place. Varia members were rushing around, and Lussuria was standing in the midst of them, looking rather annoyed. "You were supposed to have finished before we arrived!" He screeched angrily. "What kind of party isn't ready when the guest of honour arrives? Honestly." Crossing his arms, the sun guardian glared at them expectantly, daring any one of them to make excuses.

"S-sorry sir… We thought you said be ready five, not four…" One of them mumbled, his voice trailing off at the end.

A tick mark appeared on the green haired male's forehead, but before he could explode, Luna tugged on his arm, pulling him away from the group. "Erm… why not show me the new clothes you got for me? I should change into something nicer if it's a party right?" The whitenette knew she would probably regret these words later, but at the moment, keeping those men alive and in one piece seemed to be more important.

Just like that, Lussuria brightened up considerably and he clapped his hands together. "That's a wonderful idea Luna-chan~" He sang. Sweeping her up into a princess carry once more, he bounded up the stairs and straight to her room. Once there, she felt herself being dropped onto the bed before the sun guardian and fluttered away to her closet and was chattering happily about how lovely she would look once he was done with her. "Oh this dress…. It's simply divine… but not right for this occasion…" He was talking more to himself than to her, though the amnesic didn't really mind. She was never one to know much about clothes anyways, and her knowledge of fabrics and brands were incredibly limited. Not my fault school's more important… She thought defensively.

"This one's perfect!" Lussuria squealed from within her closet. Poking his head out, he looked back and forth between Luna and whatever he was holding out of view. "Yes." He nodded, "Yes yes yes!" Stepping out, Luna saw that he was holding a black, asymmetrical, strapless dress. The front was short and the back was long with cascading ruffles to make the length transition seamless. The back was laced up and the waistline was accented with small gems in a belt-like fashion. Upon seeing it in its entirety, Luna let out a small gasp. It was beautiful, and it looked much too expensive to be reasonable. "L-Luss-nee… How much was that…?" She asked in a small voice.

In response, said man merely waved her off, "It wasn't too expensive. Now come here honey and put it on."

"Uh… Isn't that a little too fancy for just a dinner…?" She mumbled.

"Pish posh, this is the Varia, Luna-chan~ We always do extravagant."

To that, she had nothing to say, especially since a part of her really did want to wear it… Caving in, she obliged and went over to where Lussuria was before relieving him of the dress and ushering him out of the walk-in closet. "I'll change… You… uh… just stay out there…"

"Yes yes, just come out when you need help with the zipper alright?"

"…" I knew I forgot about something… With a resigned nod, Luna shut the door before striping and pulling on the dress. Though she had been a bit skeptical earlier, it seemed Lussuria really had found out her exact sizes just from carrying her as the dress clung to her figure perfectly. Holding the front up with one hand, the whitenette opened the door once more and turned her back to the sun guardian. He didn't need to be asked, and was standing behind her in the next second, his deft hands zipping up the back of her dress.

"There. Now for accessories~" Spinning her around, the green haired male pushed Luna towards the vanity before making her sit. Picking up one of the necklaces he had laid out on the table, he held it up to her neck. "What do you think?" He asked gently. Luna glanced at it before her sky hues drifted down to the other ones laid out. Hesitantly, she shook her head, and instead pointed to one with a diamond crystal pendant with elegant metalworking forged into swirls around the top where it connected to the chain. When she heard nothing from Lussuria about her choice, she tilted her head up and looked at him with furrowed brows. "No good…?" Expecting to see a disapproving expression on the man's face, Luna was surprised to see the man seemed to look like he was on the verge of tears.

"L-Luss-nee?!"

Fanning himself, he took a few moments before answering her, "No, it's perfect." He didn't say anything else as he picked it up and clasped it around her neck. Laying it down at the base of her throat, he started on curling her hair before finally speaking. "That was… a gift to you for your birthday. I think it was the one before the Cradle Affair? Funny that you would choose it despite having no memory of it." He chuckled softly at the end as he finished pulling her hair up into an up-do, leaving several strands hanging to frame her face. "Pretty as a princess~" He hummed in approval.

Luna wanted to ask him about who had given it to her, seeing as it must have been someone important for Lussuria to tear up about it. However, she wasn't given the chance as he grabbed her hand and tugged her away from the vanity to where he had set out several pairs of heels. After glancing between her and them for a minute or so, Lussuria picked up a pair and brought them over to the whitenette. "These go best with how you look." Taking them from his hands, Luna stared at them for a bit. They were simple, sleek, black, and with the tiniest jeweled accents so they didn't make it seem too overwhelming when paired with the dress. Nodding in approval, she slipped into them before standing up and giving Lussuria a peck on the cheek. "Thanks Luss-nee. Shall we?" She took his arm and tugged him towards the door, feeling happier since it had been a while since she'd dressed up like this.

"Of course sweetie~ The brutes are already in the dining room, so be sure to make a grand entrance," He winked as they descended the stairs. Raising a brow at that, Luna joked, "So should I destroy the doors? That'd grab their attention for sure."

"Pfft. Why not? I think you have the right to this once." He chuckled. "It's replaceable after all. I say go ahead Luna-chan~"

"Really?" She asked incredulously.

Stopping outside said door, Lussuria nodded once more, giving her the go ahead. With a small grin, Luna reached out and let her fingertips rest on the surface of the ornately carved oak doors. Within seconds it had completely frozen over, and then with a series of cracks, the doors more or less exploded into trillions of tiny ice crystals, seemingly creating the effect of snow.

The members who had just been chattering away moments before all fell silent and turned to stare at where their door once stood. A second later, a familiar head of silver heard emerged from the crowd, breaking the silence, "VOIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII WHAT THE FUCK WAS-" His words died in his throat when his eyes came to rest on the one responsible for the destruction. Opening and closing his mouth like a fish for a few moments, it was as if Squalo had forgotten how to speak. "…WHO THE HELL ARE YOU?!" He finally yelled.

To that, nearly the entire hall burst into laughter, much to his annoyance, "VOI, IT'S NOT FUNNY!" The laughter quickly died down when he started waving his sword at people, and soon, all the lower Varia members had run for the sides of the room, leaving only the guardians in the middle. "Oh um… Hey." Luna smiled sheepishly as she and Lussuria reached where the others were, ignoring Squalo as he muttered things to himself. "Hope you won't miss the doors…"

"…"

"…"

"Muu… You're paying for their repair, and you're also going to pay for the ridiculous amount of clothing you bought."

"Ah… no." She immediately replied.

"…No?" Mammon twitched at that and was about to retort when Luna cut in. "You ran away from your battle, if I've been told correctly. So you still have to make up for it. Therefore, you can pay."

"Erk…" The Arcobaleno looked livid, but was unable to retort, so instead, he floated away, most likely to his room.

"Puttana… Looks like you're finally dressing how you ought to." A rough voice behind her sneered.

"I missed you too Levi." She said smiling angelically at him. Immediately, his guard shot up the moment he saw that smile, and just in time too as a steak knife was sent straight for his head.

"You…!" About to draw his umbrellas, Lussuria stepped forward. "Now Levi, stop acting like a child. It's a party for goodness sake."

While the two began quarreling, Luna scanned the area for Xanxus. She didn't have to search for long and her sky hues clashed against crimson ones. A second later, his gaze dropped down to her neck, narrowing slightly at the sight of her necklace before he looked away from her altogether, returning his attention to the drink in his hand. Tilting her head curiously, she wanted to approach him about it, but was distracted upon hearing a familiar 'ushishi' behind her. Spinning around, she found herself face to face with Bel, and feeling oddly relaxed. As it seemed at the moment, he wasn't about to try and behead her again.

"It seems even a merchant can look like a princess when wearing proper clothing."

Unsure if that was supposed to be a compliment or not, Luna gave him a small smile, "Thanks…?"

To that, she received a cryptic grin before the prince disappeared into the crowd once more.


It had been sometime since the party had gotten underway, and by now, people had finished dinner and were once again mingling or dancing. Even though she hadn't originally planned on it, Luna ended up having a few drinks here and there, most of them due to a toast of some sort. By now, the alcohol was making her head feel rather hot, and she was squeezing her way through the sea of people in hopes of getting to the patio. Almost… There…Huffing a bit, she finally stumbled outside and was instantly hit with the night's cool breeze. A sigh of relief left her lips as she walked over to the railing and propped her arms on it as she took in several deep breaths.

So nice…She hummed silently. The wind helped cool her down a bit and clear her mind, and she realized it was probably well past midnight by now. I'm sure no one will notice if I just slip away…Turning to head back inside, she stopped in her tracks when she noticed a figure seated alone at a table not far away. As it was off to the side and out of view, she hadn't noticed him coming out. "Xanxus?" Curiously, she went over to where he was and sat down beside him. "Why're you drinking out here?"

At first, his gaze merely flickered to her before away to his drink again, and he downed the contents in a single gulp before muttering, "Too fucking loud in there."

"Ah…" Glancing at the bottles, she frowned upon realizing the majority of them were empty. "You really ought to stop now…" Reaching forward, she snatched the bottle away from him as he tried to pour himself another glass. Doing so earned her a glare from him and he reached out to grab the bottle back. Standing up, Luna took a few steps back, clutching the bottle to her chest and shaking her head. "No. You're way too drunk." With a snarl, he stood up, and started towards her. "That's none of your business."

"Well… they might laugh at you if you do something stupid." She said referring to the others. "Besides, even if you weren't drunk, going through six bottles in one night isn't healthy."

"Screw my health." He growled and took another step towards her. Backing up some more, Luna realized she probably should have gone the other way when her back touched the wall. Oh… oops. Turning to escape to the side, she flinched back to her original position when an arm slammed into the wall beside her head. Turning to the other side, the whitenette found she was caged between the man's arms. Raising her head to meet his gaze, she felt her heart skip a beat at the sheer intensity of his gaze. It was as if he were staring into her soul. Shivering slightly at the thought, she cast her gaze slightly downwards and placed a hand on his chest in an attempt to push him back a little.

"Xanxus… I told you you're drunk. You're going to have a killer hangover tomorrow if you keep this up. Besides, it's not good for your li-"

"Look at me."

Stopping in mid-sentence, Luna peered up acquiescently with a hint of curiosity. His eyes were still as intense, but they also burned with something else, and that something held her captive. The amnesic felt her heartbeat pick up a bit as his face drew closer and his breath ghosted over her lips. It was hot in comparison to the chilly air and it caused goose bumps to rise on her skin. "…Xan…xus…?" He didn't reply, instead leaning forward, and Luna could feel his heartbeat against her hands, a rhythmic thumping that seemed impossibly slow compared to her own. But that fact was acknowledged in the back of her mind, as the rest of her was concentrating on his eyes and how close they were to each other. The tip of his nose brushed against hers, and her lips tingled as his breath ghosted over them once more, his lips nearly touching hers.

And then…

"VOIIIIIIIIIIIIII WHERE ARE YOU SHITTY BOSS?!"

Just like that, the spell was seemingly broken, and Xanxus drew back sharply, his eyes narrowing and his arms falling away from her sides as he turned. Without casting a single backwards glance at her, he left.

Releasing a breath she hadn't realized she had been holding, Luna slowly sank to the ground, wrapping her arms around her knees and hiding her beet red face in them. The tips of her ears burned, and she felt like her heart would explode out of her chest any moment now. What was that? Flustered, she abruptly stood up and set the bottle she had forgotten she was holding down onto the table with a loud clunk before dashing down the stairs on the side of the patio, opting to take a different route to her room than going back to the party. Her face was still red, and she didn't think she could handle having Lussuria or anyone else question her about it.

Once in her room, she quickly stripped and ran straight for the shower before turning on a cold stream of water to clear her mind. The effects were immediate, and Luna took a few deep breaths as she sorted out her thoughts and feelings. There was no point in reading into what had happened. Xanxus was most likely acting on impulse, and by now, she knew that he was the kind of person who didn't linger on things, therefore there's no reason for her to either. While she did admit to being attracted to him, and was a bit hurt that he probably didn't think much of what had just happened, she knew she'd only be hurt more if she stupidly pursued something that didn't exist. Xanxus was an assassin, not to mention a cold hearted bastard too. So the chances of being even considered as a lover by him were next to none.

That's that then. With a rueful smile, she turned off the water, stepped out, and got herself ready for bed. Tomorrow would be the same as every other day and she'd do her part by being herself. Taking two capsules of medication meant to help her memory, she fiddled with the bottle a little while more, some errant thoughts running through her mind. After a few moments, she gently shook her head and placed the bottle down on the table. Slipping into bed, she reached up to turn off her bedside lamp when the gleam of the necklace caught her attention. Smiling, she sat up and picked it up. It was familiar to her, and she quite liked it… Clasping it around her neck once more, she liked the weight and feel of it and decided on wearing it as a daily thing. With a small laugh, she eased herself back into bed before drifting off to sleep.


A/N: Blah… 'twas kind of short X'D

R&R please~