Friday, the day of the Ranking Tournament. Since Monday morning my Family had been training with the Executives of the Varia to hone their various techniques, and now we were ready to take the battle to the Varia Students in truth.
The night Hina and I had returned from the winery, I saw all of my elements briefly, as they all went to sleep directly after dinner, and had been in and out of our set of rooms since, barely a few minutes spare. I was still working on my own technique, but not as much as the others, and by Thursday morning, I had it down, leaving me with too much free time. Now we were assembled once more in the hall as we made our way to the gymnasium where the tournament would be held.
They were all in good spirits, even Vincio, who had taken to spending his free time with us as well. Specifically Zoe, an observation I only made when she was absent, which was rare. I knew that rumors started flying since Zoe and I danced, but with no confirmation from the rest of us, the position of our Rain was still unknown. Most expected it to be either Vincio or Zoe, though we knew that the girl was my pick.
Tanaka, I noticed, had slicked his hair back, revealing a small scar on the right side of his hairline. "Belphagor did it, but I've been thinking about what Haru said. I'm not as exotic as the rest of you, so I'm doing what little I can." He shrugged, but swelled when Emilia complimented it. Now that it was behind me, I realized this was how ridiculous Hina and I had looked to observers.
Stopping before the end of the hall, where dozen's of students were milling about as a nervous crowd, I addressed my elements. "We are going out there to represent the Dioli, even if they don't know it now. I won't demand you win, everyone here wants to stand at the top just as much as us, but do your best. Show them, no matter what, that we are strong. We have a person in every bracket except Cloud, so here's hoping." I paused, giving a single nod to the eager expressions on the groups faces. Putting one hand forward, the others piled on top of it. "For Family, for pride, for our Dying Will!" We cheered as we threw our hands in the air, turning a second later and striding into the hall.
The clamor died down as we moved toward the door, checking our weapons as we went. Each and every one of us was determined to win, and nothing was going to stop us.
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
"Winner! Celio Dioli!" I stood, releasing the Rain who I had smashed down into the ground. He stood, shrugging and shaking my hand. "That makes three wins for the Sympathetic Sky of the Special Squad!"
The announcer was a woman I had never met before, rather bright and cheery, and was apparently narrating the entire tournament. The Rain tournament was the first, the next match being Vincio and Zoe to determine who would go against me in the final. As I sat back down, the two Rain's of my Famiglia shook hands, taking position.
I flicked my eyes over to where the Storm's were preparing, the next group to be pit against each other. The clash of steel brought me back to the fight at hand, Zoe catching my attention as she slid under Vincio, leaving a trail of Flames in her wake. She went straight from her slide into a standing position, dashing to the right with her fans alight. Rain Flames were settling to the floor wherever she walked, bursts coming from the places her feet touched as she danced around her opponent.
My eyes narrowed, confused as to why she was using so many Flames, and leaving them everywhere. The obvious was that she was trying to make her opponent sluggish, but against another Rain that was used to the Flames? It didn't seem likely to work. Only time would tell.
The fatal move came when Vincio struck out, stabbing for Zoe with his impressive reach, except it was short. She smirked, ducking under his blade and slashing across his chest. Blood sprayed as she passed, her fans clicking shut on the other side of him.
The crowd clapped politely, though I think, they didn't realize the subtlety of her attack. Rain Flames were hard to gauge, sometimes the Tranquility factor would kill, slow someone down, or have little to no effect. What Zoe had done was show complete and utter mastery of her Flames and their capabilities, knowing the exact amount it would take to slow Vincio enough to finish him. Not flashy, but impressive.
"You okay?" Zoe turned, placing a hand on her opponents shoulder with a worried expression. "Come on, lets get you to the medics." She tried to lift Vincio, staggering under his weight. I went to help her, swatting away the others that tried to help. I wanted to make sure one of my men was okay, the tournament could wait.
"You guys get back out there. You need to finish the tournament, I'll be fine." Vincio waved us away with a smile from the cot he was placed in, nodding as I promised to return right after this match.
Stepping back onto the stage, Zoe and I parted, taking our stances a standard twenty paces away. "Celio Dioli of the Special Squad, versus, Zoe Donati of the Varia School of Rain, begin!" Flame alight, I rushed toward the opposing member of my Famiglia, drawing short a step sooner than anyone expected and firing blast of flame. She dodged, I knew she would, and to the right. Leaping forward, I lashed out with a foot, smashing into the side of her face.
There were some painful sounds coming from the crowd, none stronger than my own wince. I had thought she would dodge, but I was faster than I thought. Gingerly walking toward her, she spun herself like a top, her feet cutting across my shins, leaving painful gashes that trailed blood. I jumped back, Flames roaring as we faced each other down. The left side of her face was already bruising, the eye swelling shut.
Gritting my teeth, I prepared to end it. I propelled myself up and behind her, pushing to the right as she attacked with a wave of flame. I was on her side, taking a step forward I smashed my palm into her rib cage, pained to hear her yelp. Swelling the Flames in my hand to the size of a lethal blast, I stood over her as she lay on the floor.
"Winner! Celio Dioli! That conclu- hey wait what are you-" The announcer was cut off as someone wrestled the mic from her, the question of who being answered as the speakers peaked with a sharp note.
"VOI! DO TO THE UNIQUE NATURE OF CELIO DIOLI, ZOE DONATI WILL BE DECLARED WINNER OF THE RAIN TOURNAMENT, AND BOTH WILL MOVE TO THE WINNER'S TOURNAMENT!" Squalo finished, a string of cursing being clearly audible as he departed the announcer box, despite no longer having a mic.
"A-Anyway, we'll now move onto the Storm Tournament!" The announcer did an impressive job of retaining her composure after being threatened by the Varia Rain, and the Storm tournament progressed smoothly.
Tanaka made an impressive showing in every match, the first of which I missed visiting Vincio and making sure Zoe was healed. He went all the way to the final without using any techniques that he had developed during the week, of which I was told there was two. There, though, he was forced into a corner. His opponent had him at the edge of the stage, knife poised to strike, when he let his Flames fall. Long ropes extended from each of his Katar, his opponent inching back, watching the ropes with apprehension.
"Whipping Storm!" He lurched forward, slashing the air with his blades, the ropes of Flames flying with them. With a crack, Tanaka's opponent flew backward, his right arm smoking. My Storm raised his weapons to strike once more, his opponent calling surrender.
"Winner! Tanaka Hiraku will move on to represent the Storm Class in the winner's tournament!" The announcer said over over the roar of the crowd, then-after inviting the Cloud's onto the stage. The Cloud Tournament wasn't as exciting as the Storm, but ended quickly enough, with a boy by the name of Hanz winning out. He used a naginata, a good weapon for his propagating Flames.
The Sun's went next, Emilia, predictably, coming out on top. Unlike Tanaka, she didn't have to use her new techniques, instead relying on her superior martial arts. The whole thing was basically watching a MMA tournament, just fists happened to be on fire. Though it was evident that many of the other participants were disciplined in Muai Thai, it was also clear that none had been personally instructed by none other than Lussaria of the Varia.
"Winner! Emilia Chiavarone!" The announcer said with a wince, painfully watching as Emilia's last opponent was taken from the stage on a gurney. "Moving on, the Lightning's!"
Nero was the first to step up to the stage, looking as smug as he ever was. It didn't take long to figure out why, he was clearly at the top of his game, beating his first two opponents in seconds. Every slash, stab and shot were precise and dangerous. As his final opponent surmounted the stage, his eyes narrowed. It was the boy who had jumped his blade during the training and cost him an otherwise perfect record.
"Lightning Finals! Start!" The announcer's voice ended, a gunshot picking right where she left off. Before anyone even had time to blink, Nero's opponent had been disarmed with a precise bullet to the hilt of his sword. As the blade had passed his arm, it left a deep gash that was bleeding profusely, a clearly debilitating wound. "Winner… Nero Cipriani..." The announcer shook her head, face growing serious.
"Give us just a moment to check the recording!" She said, conferring with the audio/visual table. What was this about?
"They think that he moved before the announcement ended, it would be a violation that would meet with disqualification." Hina was at my side, having appeared with little to no sound. I assumed she had taken up some sort of stealth training, if her attire was anything to go by. Tight but flexible material patterned dark gray, with smatters of lighter and darker dots. For blending into shadows.
"What that's ridiculous?" I said it with conviction, because I knew Nero wouldn't break a rule like that, not when it meant so much to us, his Famiglia. The only thing on my mind was figuring out how he did it. And Hina's clothing, but that was not something I was about to voice.
"We have confirmed that Nero Cipriani has acted within the rules of the tournament." The announcement was met with some glares, and even one loud boo. "For the sake of their not being any doubt, we would like the candidates permission to show the footage." That struck me as odd, because then they thought it was a secret. Was it related to his training?
Nero shrugged, nodding to the announcer as he left the platform, heading toward Hina and I with a smirk. "You're gonna love this." Before I could respond, the TV screens above the crowds flickered to life. It showed Nero, drawing his gun only a fraction of a centimeter before it blurred forward, leaving bright green in its wake.
"It appears that Nero Cipriani used a propulsion technique to quick-draw his gun, and fired as it swung upward, using his arm as a guide." The next sentence showed the return of the announcer's pep. "And so we have a winner! Nero Cipriani of the Special Squad!"
"Finally, we're moving onto the Mist Tournament, our first match up, Hina Scott, versus, Concetta Campana!" Hina took a step forward, looking back to me with a smile.
Stepping back, she whispered so that only I could hear. "Meet me in the finals." My heart tightened as I watched her sidle onto the platform, dozen's of eyes following her every move. I was furious knowing that others were looking with much more boldness than they would if they weren't apart of the crowd, but I couldn't tear my own gaze away to pick people out.
Her opponent joined her, the starting announcement accompanied by a swirl of Mist Flames from each of the candidates.
Hina though, she was on a completely different level. Her Flames formed faster, denser, and with more intent than Concetta's. And that form, I recognized, but it was different now.
Hina's spider took form in only a second, too fast for her opponent to try and initiate a typical illusionist battle. "Jezebel!" The Real Illusion raised a single appendage, thrusting forward so the sharpened tip of its leg was only a hairsbreadth from mangling the throat of the weaker Mist.
"Winner! Hina Scott!" The announcer said with a start. The polite clapping started and ended quickly, the crowd markedly more disconcerted than before. But of course, the entire Mist Tournament would be like that.
It didn't take long for Hina to stand at the top of her division, sealing the bracket of the winner's tournament. I smirked, knowing that we had taken every single spot we could. If only we had a Cloud, then we would own the Varia's tournament. Even now, I was sure Xanxus was muttering quiet curses over the rim of his wine glass, even if he was wearing a self-satisfied smirk.
"These seven will be advancing to the Winner's Tournament, Celio Dioli, Sky of the Special Squad, Zoe Donati of the Varia School of Rain, Hanz Chestibor of the Varia School of Cloud, Tanaka Hiraku of the Special Squad, Storm, Emilia Chiavarone of the Special Squad, Sun, Nero Cipriani of the Special Squad, Lightning, and Hina Scott of the Special Sqaud, Mist!" The announcer said, met with a roaring applause. "There are only two spots of the Winner's Tournament being held by Varia trainees, can they beat the odds and win the Varia School Tournament?" More roaring.
The noise died down, the announcer continuing. "Now, let us announce the brack-" She stopped short, seeing me ascend to the stage. "Candidate, please step back into the waiting area, you may not be in the first match." Her voice, and the looks of the crowd, were uneasy. Even my Famiglia seemed confused, probably because this was a spur of the moment decision I shared with no one.
"I would just like to make a small correction." I paused for effect. "There is only one spot in the Winner's Tournament held by the Varia School. Zoe Donati, as of now, is my official Rain!" Gesturing a hand toward her, the girl came forward, allowing me to raise her hand along with mine, Dioli ring shining on her finger.
Applause shook the stadium as the crowd took it in, someone had found their Sky, a special event in anyone's books. A couple I had never seen was shown on the large screens, crying and hugging, with smiles on their faces. Zoe informed me that it was her parents. "I told them I was going to be having an announcement soon, but this wasn't what I had in mind." She said as we left the stage. "But I think this tells them a lot about you as a person."
"Thanks. I think." I chuckled, returning to my seat to wait for the bracket.
The first match would be Nero versus Hanz, the winner of which I would fight, the second Emilia versus Tanaka, the third and final, Hina versus Zoe. I wouldn't come in till round 2, so I got comfortable.
"Knock him de- unconscious." Nero laughed at my joke as he got up for his match, confidence pouring off him.
The Cloud and Lightning took their positions, each crossing their weapons over their bodies for defensive stances. They both knew that the other was a threat, and fought appropriately, a good choice on both sides of the field.
The starting announcement was followed by the sparks of clashing steel as Hanz went for Nero's throat. The Cloud was fast, beating at Nero at every opportunity with slashes and stabs, anything to keep them moving. Hanz seemed to decide to throw caution to the wind, a foolish plan.
Nero proved me right, glaring before unleashing a hail of bullets that hit nothing but air. Hanz backed off, afraid to be hit by a stray shot, that was his mistake. With the two yards now between the two, Nero had the advantage. My Lightning raised his pistol, shooting at Hanz several times, each shot being a hairsbreadth from putting him on the ground, but as focused as Hanz was evading bullets, he missed the point.
Literally.
Nero's sword sunk into Hanz's right arm, followed by another stab to the leg, the point of the blade settling at the Cloud's throat.
"Winner! Nero Cipriani of the Special Squad!" The host's announcement was met with loud groans, some booing, and general disgruntlement. "Hanz was the last shot that the Varia had of winning their own tournament, as of now, only Decimo's Special Squad has members in the brackets." The announcer explained, worry in her voice.
The Mafia world, and specifically the Varia, were going to be shaken because of this. The Varia were consider the best, the Executives thought only to be below the Decimo Guardians and the Acrobaleno, of which there was one in the Varia.
It certainly wasn't a defeat of the Execs, but it wasn't a small feat either. Personally, I was more pleased than afraid. Once the Dioli came onto the world stage properly, this would be one of the things I pointed to when we were challenged. If I had my way, it would be but a foot note to our accomplishments.
"Our next match of the Winner's Tournament, Emilia Chiavarone, versus, Tanaka Hiraku!" Storm and Sun ascended the platform, each throwing little looks and smirks that I couldn't interpret as anything but flirtatious. That changed when they faced off.
Each was a mask, their focus driving emotion from their minds as they thought of how best to defeat each other.
"FIGHT!" Tanaka rushed, bringing his blades up in a wide slash to force Emilia back. He followed with a few straight punches, each pushed aside by our resident martial artist. She had to over extend her arms, seeing as a blade was attached to the end of Tanaka's, but she was managing.
My Sun lashed out with a kick, forcing Tanaka back for all but a second before he was back at the attack again. The biggest worry I had with his strategy was him wearing down, in the best case he had another two fights after this with high quality opponents. Still though, if he didn't do his best against Emilia, she would win.
Emilia lept back twice, getting enough distance from Tanaka that she could jump upward, knee poised to strike at his face. Halfway through the jump, her leg ignited. "Rising Sun!" The attack was faster than he had anticipated, causing Tanaka to take a clean hit to the chin, Emilia landing behind him as he staggered.
I thought he was done, but I should have known better than to underestimate my Storm's Flames.
"Battering Storm!" He turned, raising his right blade into the air and generating a rope of Flames, a large ball of dense fire on the end. The ball came down, smashing into the right shoulder of Emilia, who was clearly surprised he was still standing. The impact sent her sprawling across the floor, her back and shoulder covered in minor burns.
Emilia tried to stand, wincing and faltering as she went. She fell to her knee, trying her damnedest to get back up. The Ref's whistle blew. "Emilia Chiavarone is no longer able to continue. Winner! Tanaka Hiraku!" I saw my Storm sag in relief, our Sun gritting her teeth and cursing the medical team that rushed to her aid.
"I don't need your friggin' help! Get of me!" She batted at the man and woman that were trying to assist her, quieting as Tanaka made his way to face her. There interchange was lost to my ears, but whatever he had said, she conceded to rise with the help of the medical team and be escorted to their tent.
"After that exciting match, we have the final match of the first round! Hina Scott, and Zoe Donati!" My Rain gulped from my left, Hina getting up with an unnatural confidence. Whatever she had on her mind, she was absolutely sure she was going to win. It was out of character for our typically meek Mist, but she had been getting a lot more confident as of late… maybe this was how she would be from now on.
"Start!" Mist Flames swamped the field before Zoe could do more than draw her fans, the thick clouds dispersing a second later in a massive explosion of murk to reveal the two combatants. Hina was behind Zoe, her knife held against the younger girls neck, keeping her in place. "Winner! Hina Scott!"
It took only a second and the defeat was clearly affecting Zoe as she left the stage. I could see curses eaving her lips as fast as they could form, impressively fast, I would like to add. She stiffened as Hina put a hand on her back, guiding her to the seats. As they sat back down, Hina crouched in front of our youngest member.
"Zoe, its OK. I'm older than you, I'm more specialized, its expected that I would win."
"I'm Varia." She said, still sulking.
"You are Dioli, and don't you forget it." My hand landed on her head, ruffling her long brown hair. "We're being pitted against each other in the most brutal fashion. I don't like it, it will only create division, and that's not something any Famiglia needs, especially not one as young as ours. You'll be strong, I can't guarantee you'll ever be as powerful as Hina, but all of the Dioli will be world class some day. I'll make sure of it."
"That doesn't make me feel better about losing right now." She replied, but she was smiling just a bit.
"Will ice cream?" I asked, looking at her from the corner of my eye. "Because mint choco chip sounds pretty great right now."
Her laughter was boisterous, a few of the crowd looking at us as the second round was prepared. "I'll hold you to that." Zoe said as I rose from my chair, preparing to face my Lightning.
As I made my way to the platform, I knew that I wouldn't be able to do anything except fight my hardest. Nero could still very well beat me, with that in mind, I prepared to use my new technique as well.
Once more out in the open stage, I faced Nero down, eyes flicking around his form. Gun drawn back near his head, tilted to the side, sword crossed over his body.
I pulled on the straps of my gauntlets one more time before bringing my arms up to cover my face, feet just a little wider than my shoulders. The announcer finished her babble about what Nero and I had done thus far into the tournament, and our affiliations, leaving a brief pause before the starting announcement.
"Start!"
"Infinite Propulsion!" The Flames encased my entire body in a giant whoosh of fire, leaving me a bright orange light on a field of white. "I won't think to do anything but give my all against you Nero. Get ready, because this is the best I have to offer!"
I was a blur, appearing behind him in a flash. I tried to kick his back, forced to retreat by his swinging blade. Ducking under the edge, now too far and with too much momentum to bring back around, I got in close. He took one punch to the ribs before firing down at me, the shot dodged by a narrow margin as my propulsion took over once more.
Flying up into the air, I dove, weaving in between his bullets as I got close. 'He would have killed any other Sky that wasn't me or Tsuna.' I thought as I landed, lashing out at his legs with a sweep.
A small jump brought him up and over, but even that second was enough for me to jump forward and kick him in the center of his chest. He sprawled to the floor, but kept his gun raised to ward off an attack. A single shot came for me, prompting me to return to the sky. He was down now, distracted by the effort it was taking to stand.
Looking down at my Lightning, I built the Flames in my hands, my palms extended to meet in front of my face. The Flames on my back grew in intensity, the ones in my hands hardening. "X-Burner Dioli Version!" I aimed just a little higher than Nero, and let off the blast.
The force of the beam pushed me back slightly, but I was still in control, even if the Lightning's ringing the stage to prevent attacks from reaching the crowd were looking nervous. The fire ended, the North-West corner of the stage nothing more than a crater, Nero a few feet from its edge with an awestruck look.
"Winner. Celio Dioli." The announcer said, seemingly hesitant as to whether it was really over. Breathing out, I descended to the stage. As my feet touched the ground and the Flames died, the crowd burst in raucous cheers, nearly deafening. I went to Nero, offering him a hand, one that he took with such force that I wondered if he was mad.
When I saw the confusion in his eyes, I realized he still wasn't all there, like he had gone into shock. "You OK?" I asked when we got back to our seats.
"Yeah… that was just.. something special. I don't think anyone but a Sky could manage something like that." He took a deep breath, gripping his knees till his knuckles were white. "I was so close to death."
"You know I would never put you in danger, but there were so few options to win. If I tried to beat you into submission, you would just keep getting up, no matter how many times I managed to hit you. Infinite Propulsion is honestly anything but, I can only use it for about twenty minutes at it's highest form, the kind I was using here." I paused, trying to figure out what I was trying to say. "I did what I thought I had to to win."
"Well, now you have to win the whole thing so at least I can say I lost to the winner." He chuckled, but still seemed shaken. Was that a mistake? It was definitely heavy-handed, but I thought Nero would appreciate seeing what he drove me to. Maybe I was over-thinking it.
There was no more time to think, though, Tanaka and Hina were getting on the stage.
"Tanaka Hiraku, the Storm of the Special Squad, versus, Hina Scott, the Mist of the Special Squad! Start!" This time, Hina didn't start with a rush of Mist Flames, instead, she charged.
Everyone, Tanaka included, was shocked. For a Mist to fight straightforwardly wasn't just strange, it was unheard of. Still, Tanaka managed to recover quick enough that he could go on the offensive, punching at Hina as she closed it.
My Mist took it in stride, spinning on the toe of her shoe to get past Tanaka's blade. As she passed on his left, he lifted his blade to allow the right to attack, anticipating this, she tossed something that looked like sand at his face, though it shifted like Mist Flames.
The Storm took two steps back, wiping the substance from his eyes, trying to keep them open enough that he could react to Hina.
Unfortunately, the distraction wasn't so that she could attack. Behind Tanaka, Hina's massive spider had already formed, deliberately putting one sharp leg to his throat. He stiffened, taking a deep breath that drew blood from a thin line where he touched the beast.
"Winner! Hina Scott!" The illusion faded, its creator flipping her weapon closed and making her way off the stage. Interestingly, she made no move to talk with Tanaka, even though he was clearly frustrated.
"Aren't you gonna say something to him?" I asked as I stood to be by her side, waiting to be called to the stage.
"Emilia will take care of it, if she doesn't, I will." My Mist smirked, flicking sapphire eyes over to me. "Ready?"
"As I'll ever be, but I don't want to fight you. I don't want to fight any of you, not like this." Out of habit, I readjusted the straps of my gauntlets, marveling once more at the fine workmanship.
"Celio, go out there and give your best." She turned to me, winking. "Or I won't forgive you."
"How would I ever recover?" I laughed as she rolled her eyes, the announcement coming for us to take our places on the stage.
We were face to face, our weapons drawn and defenses up. I knew that Hina was the most dangerous person in my Famiglia, and she was going to try and put up a fight. How much of one, I wasn't sure, but certainly enough to make me work for a win.
"Start!" My Flames extended over my body, my chest leaning forward to sending me hurtling toward Hina. Her knife was cloaked in Mist Flames as she flipped it to a rear wield. She lashed out, the blade whistling past my face as I drew back to avoid her range. Flying parallel to the ground, I kicked out with both feet, landing a solid hit on her stomach. She glared at me, eyes squinting a bit more for a second.
My eyes widened as I felt the cold presence behind me, forcing myself into the air to avoid the swipe of Jezebel's leg. Now above the spider, I spiraled downward, smashing it into the ground. Another punch to its head and thorax, and the Illusion burst into Flame, but Hina was upon me. Her knife was falling toward my body, with no time to evade. So I went forward, grabbing her knife-arm and putting my other hand to her face, the fire just an inch away.
"Your swing was too wide." My breath was coming in pants, mixing with her own.
"You freaked out too much when Jezebel came in." She smirked, eyes flicking from my hand to her hip, eyebrows gently rising.
Whatever she wanted, I didn't think to question, moving the flaming palm to where she directed, her wrist still in my grip. She leaned into me, eyes dancing with mischief as she got on her toes. Our lips connected to the collective gasps of the audience, a small yelp coming from the announcer. Hina pulled back, taking her position by my side, hands intertwined.
"This match will mark the conclusion of the Varia Tournament, thank you all for coming! Congratulations to our winner, Celio Dioli!" I raised a single fist in the air as the announcement finished, descending from the stage with my lover at my side. I was happy. We had won, we had proved that we were the best. And Hina and I could avoid hiding anything, now.
"You know, I should have probably met your parents before all this." I mentioned as we were walking back toward the seats, before we had to face our Famiglia and their jeering.
"Oh, they didn't know anything about it before I called them while you were visiting Vincio." She mentioned, my eyes widening. "I told them to make sure they watched the Varia Tournament and…" She flipped open her phone, closing it a second later. "57 missed calls, 43 voicemails, and 76 text messages."
"Hina… what have you done?" I sighed, thinking of what kinda backlash I was gonna get from this. To my understanding, the Scott's were an old Mafia famiglia based in New York, the traditional sort of business men. They were not going to take this lying down.
"Hmm… Oh, even Alex sent me one." She sighed, shrugging as she read. We were back at the seats now, but the others were waiting to see what Hina would say. "I'm pretty sure they'll be waiting back in Japan."
"Oh, just my fucking luck." From the Varia to in-laws. Great.
"Don't worry darling, you still have two sets of parents to meet before we leave. Zoe and Vincio's will want to know who they'll be serving under." She stretched upward, landing a kiss on my cheek, Nero gagging in the background.
"You know, you are all extremely hectic and make my life so much more complicated than it needs to be." I smiled, grabbing a struggling Lightning and my little Mist. "But I wouldn't have it any other way!"
And so, the Varia Arc draws to a close, for the most part. It was far from the best it could have been, but I'll have to live with that. Next week some promised events get sorted out, here's a hint: Parents.
Until then!