Hey everyone. Late as ever. Enjoy!
"VOOOI! WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON IN HERE?"
Squalo shout echoed in the small room, silencing both Nukid and Lussuria at once. Squalo, Belphegor, Leviathan & Mammon walked into the bedroom to see Lussuria-garbed in a nursemaids uniform- standing over Nukid. He held in his left hand a large syringe, filled with a strange liquid, while Nukid held both of his arms. He had seemingly been trying to force the Varia member back, his face frozen in a horrifed mask.
"Oh, there you are Squalo!" Lussuria chirped, still trying to push the syringe down "quick, help me keep Nukid down! I was gonna give him this so he could fall asleep again!"
"You're lying! That's poison and I know it!" Nukid cried, "he's gonna poison me and rape my corpse!"
"Seems like Nukid remembers Lussuria. Ushishishishi…" Belphegor cackled. Squalo slapped his head, growling madly at the two wrestling.
"That's enough Lussuria! We need the bastard awake anyway!" Squalo ordered. Lussuria looked reluctant at first, but with a defeated sigh, Lussuria straightened up and lowered both his hands away from Nukid. Squalo promptly walked up to the bed, looking disgustfully down at the former CP9 assassin.
Nukid returned the disgusted gaze with a bored one. He was however trying to hide his surprise that the Varia had saved him. With a huff, Nukid said, "long time no see, Squalo."
Squalo grinned back at Nukid, showing his shark-like teeth, "It's been a while…former Varia leader Nukid."
Two years ago…
Nukid stood in a large, old fashioned but expensive looking office. A huge mahogany desk stood before the assassin, big enough to hold a dozen men, while the curtains were drawn despite being day, giving the room a dim shading. As he had entered, Nukid had quickly analysed the whole room, but nothing-seemed out of pace in such a setting, alcohol filled cabinet, huge paintings, and various expensive looking ornaments. Everything in this room made it clear whoever used it was very rich and old. This wasn't the kind of place Nukid would likely start fighting.
Still, you had to be careful. Especially when entering the office of Timoteo, the 9th boss of the Vongola Mafia Family…
The said Mafia crime boss sat at the large desk, silently reading a document of some form, no doubt related to Nukid in some form. Nukid patiently stood in the centre of the room, waiting for him to finish reading. You had to know this man was a crime boss before meeting him, or else you wouldn't suspect him at all of being a part of such a business! Nukid couldn't help but think this man was just like your typical kindly granddad.
The Vongola IX was very fragile looking, Nukid thought. Very skinny and not very tall, despite his youth Nukid was taller. He had grey hair and moustache that looked barely combed, all shaggy and spiking out. What was most leading however was not his appearance, but his presence. When Nukid first entered, he expected to feel stiff and on edge when talking to the Vongola IX.
Instead, you couldn't help but feel a warmth and calmness when being in the same room as him…
"You have excellent credentials Mr. Monkey D. Matt" Vongola IX said, lowering the paper to look directly at Nukid. Nukid stood still, feeling the old mans eyes analyse him, almost test him to see whether the looks matched the deeds written on the paper.
"I prefer to be called Nukid" Nukid corrected. Nukid had forgotten the last time someone referred to him by the name of his foster family. His CP9 nickname had become a part of him; the young boy who once played with his brother-like friends Luffy and Ace was long dead.
"As I've been told…" Vongola IX replied slowly, stroking his chin as he spoke "…still, whatever you wish to call yourself is not my concern. The fact is your skills would be a major asset, and we are in dire need of a new leader for the Varia."
"Varia…that's your assassination squad, correct?"
"Yes, the pride of the Vongola Family…at least is was until the Cradle Affair" Vongola IX voice seemed to lower at the mention of the Cradle Affair, his eyes lowering, as if mere mention of this incident caused the man great sadness.
"Cradle Affair…care to elaborate old man?" Nukid asked somewhat disrespectfully, but he didn't care, he didn't like things to be kept secret from him.
Vongola IX nodded "The Cradle Affair was an attempted coup by the Varia over six years ago. We were able to stop their attempts at taking over…but the event caused me great suffering Nukid."
"Why's that?"
"The Varia leader was my adopted son; Xanxus"
"Ah…" Nukid nodded, understanding of the mans' grief. Nukid couldn't help but sympathise with the Vongola leader now. Nukid knew all about betrayal…
"So…what did you do with Xanxus?" Nukid asked, somewhat boldly
"He's still in the mansion, in our basement. He isn't very talkative, considering he's been frozen."
"I…see…what about the rest of the Varia?"
"I did nothing to them. Without Xanxus, their coup came to nothing, and frankly their skills as assassins are to great to just throw away. Since then, I've tried hard to find a replacement for Xanxus, someone who could mould them out of their rebellious ways and their intense loyalty for Xanxus" Vongola IX explained.
"Uh-huh…and how replacements were there before me?"
"23."
Nukid slapped his face, letting out a huge sigh "fan-fucking-tastic. And what makes you think I'll fare any better? Why did you offer me this job in the first place?"
Vongola IX looked Nukid directly in the eyes, and the strength of his gaze made it impossible for Nukid to look away. It was true; the Vongola had come to Nukid, not vice versa, with the prospect for joining the Mafia. Nukid had barely left the Grand Line with Sofia, and yet here he was, being targeted by people who seemed to know everything about him.
"The Varia are legendary for how their assassin skills are considered demonic," Vongola IX said, looking back down at the paper.
"You killed hundreds of World Government soldiers in a fit of rage…you just might be the most demonic person I've ever met."
The Varia office was surprisingly close to the office of Vongola IX. Nukid could see both pros and cons to that. On the one hand, if anything were to happen to Vongola IX, like an attack from another Mafia family, the Vongola strongest Assassins would be close by to reach the ninth to protect him, though Nukid suspected the old man was much tougher than he looked.
Still, there was one simple fact Nukid couldn't ignore. These guys had tried to overthrow the entire Vongola family…
Nukid walked out of Vongola IX office and headed straight towards the room that he'd been told was the Varia office. Despite not being far from Vongola IX office, Nukid passed several Vongola members as he walked, all older than him and clad in black suits. As he walked passed, he felt their cold suspicious stares. Maybe they did this to all new members, or maybe they all knew just what he had done when Maria died.
Nukid ignored it. He already regretted the horrible act he had committed that day, he had no right to complain if people thought bad of him. After all, no one thought worse of Nukid than Nukid himself.
Nukid stopped at the door with the sign "Varia" screwed on top. With a deep breath, Nukid grabbed the doorknob and walked sternly into the room of his new subordinates.
Within a second of entering, Nukid narrowly caught the sword that had been swung above him between his fingers.
Nukid looked up with an irritated scowl. One second into the job and somebody was already trying to kill him? That was probably a new record…probably
Nukid got a look at the man with long white hair that dangled from the rooftop like a spider. He stared down at Nukid with a massive grin, bearing razor sharp teeth that made Nukid think of a shark. Nukid never let go of the sword this man had swung down at him, no doubt aimed at the top of his skull.
Nukid noted the way this man handled the sword. He did not hold the hilt in his hand, there WASN'T a hilt. Rather, the blade was tied to the mans wrist, in a sense truly becoming an extension of his own hand. Nukid made sure to remember this. It was important to fully understand all of his subordinates' abilities and fighting styles…even if said subordinate was trying to kill you.
"Welcome to the Varia!" Squalo laughed, his sword arm twitching as Nukid held it between his fingers "congratulations! You're the first replacement in two years to block my first assassination attempt!"
"I'm honoured" Nukid showed a smug smile towards the Varia member. He wouldn't let this get to him. He would succeed where his 23 predecessor had failed "but seriously, it's taken two years for someone to dodge such a pitiful attack?"
Squalo right eyebrow twitched "well well, we've got a cocky one! You might've blocked my attack, but can you block the next?"
"Huh?" It was only a split second after that Nukid caught the wrist of another attackers hand, who had aimed a small but deadly knife straight for Nukids spine. Nukid glanced at the new attacker, seeing for the first time the crown wearing, banished prince Belphegor, with his usual sick grin.
He annoyed Nukid instantly.
"Ushishishishi…" Belphegor sniggered "been four years since someone dodge the first two attacks"
"First…two?" Nukid repeated with obvious confusion. He had no time to think on it though, because suddenly a figure had suddenly ran up to the young assassin. In a split second, the new attacker had swung his right knee upwards at Nukids chest. Nukid only just managed to lift his left leg up and block the knee shot with his leg.
Nukid grimaced when they connected. Yes he had blocked it, but the attacker had some kind of metal plating on his knee, and since he hadn't used Tekkai, he felt the brute force of it undefended. He knew that would be sore in the morning…
Nukid faced the third attacker, and was almost so much disturbed by his…colourful hairstyle he nearly lost grip of Squalo and Belphegor. This was the first time Nukid-unfortunately for him-met Lussuria.
"Oh my! We've got a toughie here guys!" Lussuria said in his loud and queer voice "this is the first time in six years someone dodge the first three attacks!"
"Let me fucking guess! There's a fourth attack huh?" Nukid snarled, fuming with anger. He turned his left and right, up and down "well where is he? Where is the son of a-"
Nukid then noticed something "…why are there Umbrellas floating in the air…"
"Levi Volta!"
At once, eight sword-like umbrellas that were floating around the fight suddenly began to illuminate with electricity. The eight Umbrellas sent the electricity straight at the fight. Nukid had been so surprised by the sudden attack, he was the only one who didn't jump out of the way.
The entire area surrounding Nukid was engulfed in the electricity, turning the ground to rubble and ash and blowing up much of its surroundings. Once the attack was finished, it seemed as though Nukid had been reduced to nothing but ash.
Leviathan, the large muscular man with spiky hair stepped into view besides Squalo, Belphegor and Lussuria, with a massive grin on his face. "Looks like I was the one who finished him off! When we rescue Lord Xanxus, he'll be so proud I-"
The four Varia members heard a noise behind them, and quickly turned to face it. To all fours shock, they saw Nukid, who had seemingly used Soru to dodge that last attack. He had not completely dodged it, his clothes covered with newly made holes and smoking in places.
Nukid looked at the four with a tired expression, before shrugging "well…what a way to greet your new boss."
End flashback…
When Nukid and Squalo started talking in the medical room Nukid was being treated, the two had tried to be civil and talk calmly. After all, there were pressing matters to be dealt with and both felt they needed to act grown up on this occasion.
They didn't last two minutes…
"VOOI! What did you say?"
"I said you're piece of shit who made my life a living hell while I was in charge!" Nukid spat, screaming despite his condition.
"You ungrateful little twat! If it wasn't for us you'd be dead right now!" Squalo retorted angrily
"I didn't ask for your help! Besides, all I remember YOU doing was saying 'Vooi do this' and 'Vooi do that' and 'Vooi I look like a woman!'"
Squalo gritted his teeth "at least I'm not an egotistical prick who can only either angst or get a boner at ever girl he looks at!"
"Coming from the guy who only seems to get a boner from sword fighting! What, you like to get hot and sweaty with other male swordsman, huh?"
"VOOOI! VIC MIGNOGNA REJECT!"
"SEPHIROTH WANNABE!"
Ass the two bickered, the rest of the Varia stood silently, watching the two with casual expressions. Seemingly, this confrontation between the two was nothing new to them. With a sigh, the cloaked baby Mammon hovered into the air, and flew towards the bickering assassins, stopping between the two and halting their heated talk.
"I hate to ruin this tearful reunion, but I believe it's time we explained the situation to Nukid, Squalo" Mammon suggested.
The white haired swordsman considered this for a moment, before spitting on the floor and nodding "fine. First, if you're even half the supposed great assassin you were said to have been, you'd know we're nowhere near L.A. anymore."
"I'd gathered" Nukid grumbled, looking around the room, seemingly truly noticing its familiar features "but…this room…it's a lot like the ones at Vongola HQ."
"That's because they are the medical rooms in Vongola HQ, baka" Squalo spat "we brought you all the way from L.A. to Italy."
"You…what? You're kidding!" Nukid threw up his bandaged arm "have you not seen the state I'm in? I couldn't have travelled that distance with such horrible injuries!"
"Lussuria used his Sun Flames to regenerate the cells in your body, and stabilize your body until we properly treated you" Leviathan informed.
"It was a pleasure to be your guardian angel, Nukid-san!" Lussuria flirted
Nukid shivered, but moved on "We-well what about blood? I lost a lot of blood you know!"
"Thank Mammon for that, Ushishishishi…" Belphegor sniggered "…he replaced your blood with a Mist Illusion, keeping you alive all the way from L.A. to Italy."
"R-really?" Nukid said in surprise. He turned to the baby assassin Mammon, looking at him with pure and open gratitude.
"Wow, thank you Mammo-"
"I expect 300,000 dollars sent to my bank accou-"
"OH SCREW YOU!"
Two years ago…
Nukid, standing up, sighed deeply "it seems as though we've gotten off to a bad start."
"What makes you say that?" Lussuria asked innocently. All five members of the Varia were seated on a long, black leather sofa that fitted all of them, looking up at their new leader, except for one.
"BECAUSE YOU'VE ALL TRIED TO KILL ME!" Nukid shouted, letting out his anger in one single burst. What made it worse for Nukid was that his new subordinates treated it all so laid back, like this was nothing but a game to them. Nukid wouldn't let them have their way with him…with that Lussuria guy, figuratively and literally.
"Not all of us. Mammon didn't attack you" Belphegor pointed out, talking of the small baby assassin whose face was mostly cloaked by his hooded coat. The baby sat at the right end of the sofa, counting a collection of dollar notes silently.
Squalo turned angrily towards Mammon "VOOI! What the hell Mammon? Why didn't you help us? We could've killed Nukid if you'd helped!"
Nukid right eyebrow twitched "…I'm standing right here you prick."
"Vongola IX has paid me to not get involved in your attempts at killing our new bosses" Mammon said, never looking away from his money "there's more things to life than loyalty."
"YOU TREACHEROUS BASTARD!" Leviathan roared at the baby, making Nukid jump in shock. He'd seemed the stoic and silent type to Nukid. The large assassin jolted upwards and attempted to attack Mammon, but Lussuria and Belphegor had quickly restrained him "do you not care about Lord Xanxus? The Varia is nothing without Xanxus!"
Nukid had to ask, "I know this Xanxus guy was the Vongola IX son but…what's so great about him?"
Squalo stared daggers at Nukid "Bastard…like you'd be able to comprehend the inspiration Xanxus gave us! We were all so fascinated by his rage, that we…that we devoted ourselves to sending him to the top! THAT is the reason we've devoted ourselves to him!"
"…Sounds like you guys are gay for him."
"VOOOOI! LIKE HELL WE ARE!"
"Well, he is kinda cute…"
"SHUT UP LUSSURIA!"
For several months, Nukid lead the Varia through several assassination missions. All of the talk surrounding the Varia was proven true right in front of Nukids eyes…well, he already knew they were mad, blood thirsty sadist, but now he saw that the level of quality the Varia put into their mission was undeniably superb. Each member showed that not only did they prove themselves competent fighting on their own, but the Varia understood each others skills and were even more deadly when they work together. They really were grade A assassins.
Though, Nukid thought nostalgically, they were not on the same level as the CP9. But then again, who was?
One thing Nukid was grateful for was their professionalism when it came to mission. While they still squabbled and bickered to each other like little kids, when the Varia were killing, they were like a well oiled machine. Accurate, serious, and-thankfully-obedient to Nukids commands. They followed his orders and carried them out without fail…granted, Squalo would bitch about it for five minutes beforehand.
Outside of missions however…Nukid was either dodging one of their latest attempts at killing him, or was suffering from a headache brought on from their shenanigans…
Nukid and his subordinates stood on the edge of a cliff, hidden by the trees surrounding the cliff. They looked down at a huge mansion, centered in the middle of the vast forest that covered the landscape. From this clifftop, the Varia had an excellent view of the whole mansion, like a bird watching its pray from the sky.
It was currently the fifth mission Nukid had been on, and it was by far the most tiresome. It being nighttime was not the only cause of this. They had stationed themselves on this cliff several hours ago, waiting patiently as they watched the mansion. There was a reason to this, this mission wasn't only being conducted by the Varia, but all this waiting with some of the most annoying men alive was tiresome to say the least.
"VOOI! How much longer do we have to wait?" Squalo growled at Nukid, swinging his sword in frustration. Each of the Varia were either sitting standing around the small cliff top-or in Mammons case floating-patiently waiting for the signal to begin the operation. While everyone else was quiet, Nukid had little doubt they were as impatient as Squalo too. Usually, the Varia did not have to wait so long to start a mission. However, this mission wasn't like most missions.
"Shut up Squalo. We're all sick and tired of waiting, but we can only start when the main forces attack first" Nukid reminded the shark teeth assassin. Squalo looked at Nukid with the cold and hate filled stare he always gave Nukid, before snorting loudly.
"We could've handled this alone. Why we have to work with the grunts on this one I don't know" Leviathan spoke up, muttering a further complaint under his breath.
Nukid slapped his face. He did know. They all knew, but they insisted on bitching about it. "We're taking out an entire Mafia Family; The Pescare Family. We let our grunts make a heads on charge and then we kill the leaders when they're still in shock."
"Guess this is what happens to those who tread on Vongola turf and causing us trouble. Ushishishishi" Belphegor sniggered. Nukid swore he'd pull out his tongue one day so he'd stop that snake-like laugh.
Though what he said was true. The Pescare Family weren't a particularly big Mafia family, but they were big in ego. They treaded on Vongola turf and started taking it from them, that including businesses under Vongola control. To be fair Vongola IX did try peaceful negotiations and come to a compromise, but in the end it was futile.
And when peaceful means fail, it will always lead to violence…
BOOM
Nukid looked down at the mansion where he and his men would attack, and saw the smoke rising from the side of the mansion. The attack had begun. By now the Vongola pawn will have engaged he Pescare family own pawns head on. And now the elite Assassination Squad; Varia, had to take out the king.
Looking at the ongoing battle, Nukid thought bitterly about his life up till now. Ever since his desertion from the CP9, his life had been hectic to say the least. He had no idea how he had gotten here; working for a Mafia family, but a bitter thought always trailed in his mind, especially before his missions began.
"I used to kill for justice…and now look at me…nothing but a glorified crook," Nukid whispered to himself, quiet enough so no one would hear. Breathing out, Nukid span around and turned to the Varia "all right, we stick to the normal plan. We go in, we kill, and Lussuria gets to keep the corpses."
"Right!" all five Varia members said in unison, Lussuria noticeably smiling. Using Geppou, Nukid jumped off the edge, down towards the ensuing battle. Before the Varia members could follow, Squalo raised a hand to halt them.
"Wait. If possible, I want you guys to keep any eye on Nukid" Squalo said to his unstable comrades. All but Mammon seemed confused by this, and Mammon was just because his expression never changed.
"Eh? Why do that?" Lussuria asked curiously. Squalo turned down towards where Nukid had gone, narrowing his eyes inquisitively.
"I'm not too sure but…" Squalo said unusually quietly "…I don't think I've seen Nukid actually kill anyone himself."
It all seemed to be over before it even began…
It was no surprise to Nukid that the battle was once this easy. The Vongola forces out numbered the Pescare family ten to one. By the time Nukid had reached the mansion, the mansion was littered with the bodies of Pescare family members. Lussuria must've felt like he was in heaven.
Despite Nukids earlier feelings of regret, he was glad about one thing; at least he'd picked a winning side.
And now all that was left was the Pescare Family boss, who in his fright had barred the door to his bedchambers, while his top subordinates diligently guarded the door. Nukid was impressed by their bravery, considering the force they may have to fight alone. Bravery was not enough however when fighting the Varia. In mere moments, the Varia had caught with Nukid and engaged the Pescares' top fighters, while Nukid walked towards the barred door.
All it took was a single kick to knock the door down, and a simple sidestepped the dodge the slash of a well polished Katana. The Pescare family boss-an old, chubby man with freckles-regained his composure and swung at Nukids head, who easily dodged it. Nukid was surprised by the mans skill, despite the mans age and weight. If Nukid were but an average grunt, he might actually be a challenge.
But to a former CP9 Agent, the Pescare leader had less chance than a one legged man in an ass-kicking contest…
After the boss swing his katana for the fifth time, Nukid stopped playing around. He grabbed the arm with his left hand, hearing the man screams from his iron grip. Pulling him forward, Nukid punched the Pescare boss in the gut, winding the old man and sending him to his knees. Nukid had little doubt he'd broken the mans rib cage, and now all that was left was to finish him off. Nukid raised his right hand, extending his first finger.
"Shiga-"
"Maria…." Nukid sobbed, crying over her dead body "…why didn't I listen to you? Why did I refuse to open my eyes? IT'S ALL MY FAULT!"
Nukid continued sobbing over her dead lover, while surrounded by the corpses of hundreds of Marine Soldiers
Nukid felt his whole body freeze stiff, his right hand trembling, trying to move it down, but it was like something had taken over the hand, and it refused to budge. Why did that memory flash before his eyes, just as he was about to kill someone? And why, why now could he not force himself to take another's life?
Seeing the now frozen Nukid, the Pescare crime boss smile smugly, albeit with a cringe from his broken ribs, reaching with his free arm into his coat. He took a small revolver, aiming it directly at Nukids heart. Before he got chanc to fire however, the end of Squalo sword stabbed the crime boss through the skull, killing the man instantly.
"VOOI! No one gets to kill Nukid but me!" Squalo growled, releasing his sword from the mans head, and the dead Pescare leader fell to the floor. Squalo looked directly at Nukid frozen with shock expression, and showed the former CP9 agent more disgust than he had ever shown him before. Squalo punched Nukid in his face, before yanking at his collar and pulling him up close
"VOOI! What the hell is wrong with you? Why the hell did you freeze like that?" Squalo demanded. Nukid rubbed the cheek he had hit, still in a daze, but the punch seemed to slowly snap him out of his shock.
When he finally truly noticed Squalo, Nukid violently pushed him away, and stomped off, talking to no one as he left the mansion…
End flashback…
Ever since his discussion with the Varia, Nukid had been getting regular check ups by Vongola doctors, and every time his injuries got less and less severe. He wasn't totally sure how they did-something along the lines of using Sun Flames to regenerate his cells-but by their fourth trip, Nukid was nearly healed completely.
However, he wasn't completely just yet. Much of the work had gone to his severe injuries, such as his broken ribs and the…hole that was in his chest, but now those were almost gone, all that was left were the bandages on his arms, which still felt sour and itchy, and his swollen face. Touching his right eye, he winced at the feeling of his swollen skin. He tried not to look in a mirror.
Squalo visited again shortly after, smiling smugly at Nukid "tch, tell me, have they fixed your face yet? I can't tell!"
"Haha, very funny asshole…" Nukid growled, ignoring Squalo loud laughing. Nukid looked down at his hands, deciding now was the best time to ask "Squalo…why did you guys save me?"
"Eh? What kind of stupid is that?" Squalo snarled "when one of our own is attacked, no matter what internal conflicts we have, the Vongola stand together to fight offthis threat!"
"But…I'm not a Vongola member anymore" Nukid pointed out. He was gonna point out it was his fault, but he decided best not to for now.
"The way Vongola IX sees it, you never truly left us" Squalo pointed out "and he also feels that those Author Fuckers-being your allies-are by technicality Vongolas' allies as well."
"Wait a minute…" Nukid whispered, disbelieving what he was hearing "…are you saying…"
"Aye" Squalo rubbed the sword on his right arm, smiling madly at the thought of battle
"The Vongola Family has decided to aid the Author Fighters…and declared war on the World Government."
Well, finally another update! Sorry if you were hoping for a FREAK Unit fight, but I needed some more time to plan those out. I'll only need one more chapter after this, so the wait won't (hopefully) be too long. Stay tuned!