Chapter 19: thieves and kidnappers
I don't understand how this could have happened, I sighed as I looked at the unbelievable scene of my kidnappers arguing with each other… with the reason of the whole situation being me.
"VOOOOOOI we have to return the fish!"
And the oddest thing is, that they didn't realize that they kidnapped me…
…
Flashback
"The preparations are done now boss." Dimitri smiled. I looked up from the crowd of humans to the forced smile on the face of the naturally pale man. "Are you ready for counterplan green?"
"Kufufufu, as ready as I can be…" I chuckled nervously. No matter how long that we've planned to stop Verde, our strategies and his mad attempts to use our inventions as a test dummy for his inventions are extremely dangerous. Especially now we have normal robot fanatics attending the 'event'… Normal as in civilian-normal! And we had to catch the thieves as well!
The plan initially didn't include civilians, only the members of the Neo Estraneo in disguise were to attend the fake robot convent in Milan. But then we couldn't get the thieves to take the bait… that and somehow a small crowd of robot fanatics managed to slip through the security… and managed to fool my disguised Famiglia members long enough until it was already too late.
"Please remind me to increase the security the next time that we are going to lay a trap for thieves… and that we have to be able to recognize each other in our disguises." I grumbled. It seemed that no one could recognize each other because of our disguises even though they were just casual clothes. Maybe the inventors and scientists are too used to see each other in their working attire.
I was wearing purple shorts and a white T-shirt with images of little clown fishes on it. To complete my 'disguise' I wore a light purple fedora with cat ears to hide most of my hair and fake glasses that Spanner somehow convinced me to wear as well. I pushed my fake glasses up and looked through the small crowd for a certain green haired baby.
"Boss, target green has entered the building." Dimitri warned me.
"Thank you Dimitri. Tell the others to prepare for the worst." I nodded before I walked to the fake Gola Mosca, the robot of which the designs were stolen. It was most likely that Verde was going after this robot because it was supposed to be the most destructive one in the event, however this was a fake to catch the thieves, so we had to protect it from the arcobaleno.
"Aww look at this little girl!" someone cooed at me when I almost reached my post. I looked up at the… very suspicious man with a green Mohawk, sunglasses and a jacket rimmed with red feathers… A boa in this heat?
"Leave the little girl alone Lussaria, we aren't here to pick up little girls." Another suspicious guy complained. This one had weird piercings and the same weird jacket as the other man, just without the feathers… but with umbrellas strapped on his back. Why is he carrying umbrellas even though it is sunny outside?
"Aw, come on Levi. Just look at those cute eyes and that hair! Little girl, are you perhaps related to Squalo?" the man called Lussaria asked me.
"Hmm… my parents told me to avoid talking to strangers." I sweatdropped. I had to go to the fake Gola Mosca soon, or Verde was going to-
BOOOOOM
…too late, I sighed. I looked at the fake Mosca and noticed that Verde already activated the trap that effectively glued him to the ceiling…
I should get the innocent robot-lovers out of here.
"Misters, you shou-"
"Oh no, we have to get you out of here!" Lussaria declared as he picked me up and ran away with me before I even got the chance to finish my sentence.
"Oi! Leave the girl behind Lussaria!" Levi shouted as I watched my fedora on the floor becoming smaller and smaller in the growing distance.
What have I gotten into this time?
…
And that was how I ended up in a high class hotel somewhere in Milan. And then I found out that they were a part of the mafia as well…
…
Flashback
"Here you go little girl, you are safe here." Lussaria smiled as he put me down.
"Oi Lussaria! I told you to leave the girl!" Levi shouted. "Now she knows where we are residing!"
"Hmm misters?" I began hesitantly.
"Yes little girl?" Lussaria asked in a friendly tone.
"Could you please return me-"
"Ushishishi, do we have a hostage now?" someone laughed. I looked past Lussaria and spotted a blonde teen with hair that covered his eyes and a tiara. I mentally noted that he was wearing the same kind of jacket as the others as well, could it be an uniform? Maybe cosplay?
The tiara does look like a cosplay accessory and that hairstyle reminded me of a character from KatekYoshi Hitmen Rebirth… princess Beelzebub if I recalled it right. But wasn't this hotel a bit too luxurious for simple cosplayers? I mean, why does this room have a chandelier hanging on the ceiling?! Rich cosplayers then? Or maybe they are a successful travelling theatre group or something like that…
"Meet our little guest Bel-chan." Lussaria smiled. "We saved her from an invention that exploded for no reason."
"VOOOI you can't simply take an civilian to this place!" A man with long white hair and the same jacket as the other occupants of the room shouted. I sighed, both in relieve and in annoyance. Relieve because at least someone had common sense here, except for the hair maybe, and annoyance because the man was as loud as Ryohei and, more often than not, Gokudera… now I think about it, all three of them have white hair…
Would I end up like that as well, since I shared the hair color as well?
…I hope not.
"Here you are Squa-chan! Here little girl, are you related to this man?"
"Hmm?"
"Muu, Squalo is from a mafia family so a civilian like her can't be related to him." A hooded person stated as they entered the room. I frowned when I realized that this person used mist flames to disguise themselves… They are quite skilled, I should be careful with illusions then…
…Wait did they just say… mafia? So they aren't a travelling theatre group? That means that I've been kidnapped… again… by a mafia Famiglia this time… damn it.
"I told you to leave the girl behind!" Levi grumbled.
"Ushishishi, this girl knows too much now. We'll have to kill her." Bel, or something like that, grinned.
Damn it, I can't die yet… not now I've found Renato… or now he found me. And I still have to find the ever untraceable Mukuro! Ok Zero, time to play innocent.
"Are you guys part of a travelling theatre group?" I flower-smiled. Everyone in the room looked stunned in my direction like I said something wrong. A moment of silence passed by, until Lussaria suddenly squealed and hugged me.
"Can't we just keep this little girl? She is too adorable to be returned to that dangerous place!"
"VOOOI let go of the brat!"
"Ushishishi, what is your name peasant?"
"…Nemo." I stated with a blank face when Lussaria put me down. Nemo wasn't my favorite name, but there was a chance that they would recognize the names of my former life's and my current one… and I'm bad with names. Levi looked at my shirt and sighed.
"…What an unfortunate name." He muttered sympathetically.
…
And then was when the chaos began…
…
Flashback
"Why do you think that we are a travelling theatre group?" the illusionist asked me. I tilted my head innocently and blinked confused.
"You aren't?" I asked with fake disappointment.
"I didn't say that, I just wanted to know why you thought that."
"Kufufufu, because you are wearing costumes for a play right?" I chuckled. I realized that the uniform could mean that they were part of an organization or an assassination squad or maybe something even worse than that, so I'd better keep on acting innocent. I couldn't die yet, especially now I've promised Renato … he would chase me in the cycle of rebirth to personally bring me back if I did die… I should watch out when I'm reborn again.
The illusionist nodded slowly and walked closer while I was still distracted by my thoughts.
"But now I think about it, you kind of look like the heir of the Gesso Famiglia." They muttered as they pulled my fake glasses off.
"Gesso?" Levi repeated. He came closer to me as well and squatted to observe my face closely. "Mammon is right, she does look like that guy."
"Ushishishi, so we do have a hostage here."
"VOI are you part of the Gesso Famiglia?" The long haired man asked.
"…Hmm… I do have a family if that is what you are asking…" I frowned in half-fake confusion. Who or what is Gesso? "But my name isn't Nemo Gesso."
"What is your last name then little Nemo?" Lussaria asked. I blinked calmly and panicked behind my calm façade. What is my last name indeed… Do I know anyone who wasn't a part of the mafia? But I don't want to involve Hana, Kyoko, Haru… or Nagi! Or any Nanimori citizen for that matter! Isn't there anyone I know who isn't a part from the mafia and who is able to defend themselves?
…wait.
…but…
…Isn't there another option?
…Damn it.
"Nemo… Hibari." I answered, praying that Hibari will never find out about this or that he won't bite me to death when he finds out about me borrowing his name. "My name is Nemo Hibari."
"Nice to meet you Nemo Hibari." Lussaria smiled.
"VOOI she isn't part of the Gesso Famiglia then!" Squalo declared loudly.
"Then she is useless." Bel pouted. "Can we kill the peasant already?"
"No we can't." Lussaria complained. "We won't kill this cutie as long as she isn't a target."
"She knows too much now, Lussaria, that is why I told you to leave her at the convention." Levi sighed, but he was ignored.
"The prince says that we have to kill her." Bel stated. I panicked when the teen approached me with a knife that appeared out of nowhere. If I wanted to survive… then I have to play along.
"Cool!" I flower-smiled. "So if you are a prince, can I be a princess?" Bel stopped in his tracks and tilted his head.
"Princess?"
"Kufufufu, yep." I chuckled. I can't believe that I'm saying this even though I've lived so many times already…
"Ushishishi, I like this fish. We can keep her." Bel declared and his knife disappeared. I sweatdropped inwardly when I saw his change of mind, could it be that he was an idiot? Maybe just simpleminded… or bipolar. And did he just call me fish?
"What about killing her Belphegor?" Levi asked.
"Ushishishi, the prince gets what he wants."
"Does that mean that we can keep her?" Lussaria asked hopeful.
"I'm not going to pay for her living expenses."
"VOOOOOOI we have to return the fish!"
…
And now we're back to the present, I sighed.
Well, at least they aren't paying attention to me now… so maybe I can escape. I looked at the now distracted illusionist and hoped that they weren't able to sense me when I use my flames.
I walked slowly to the forgotten glasses on the floor and put them back on before I formed an illusion of myself in the room and made myself invisible. Mist flames are so convenient if you are kidnapped, I mused as I left the room. Otherwise I had to use that poor excuse that Renato and I were taught by our mother to use when we were kidnapped for information…
No mom, being hit by a piece of cheese does not cause memory loss.
I encountered a maid in the hall, but because I was still hidden in illusions I could pass her without trouble. Chuckling, I let the illusion around me change to make me look like the maid that passed me, just for the thrill. I had to let out some steam after stressfully preparing for both the thieves and Verde after all.
When I almost reached the elevator at the end of the hall, which seemed way too expensive by the way, one of the doors to the rooms suddenly flew away. Luckily enough I was not too close to the door, so I wasn't hit.
Somehow I wasn't even surprised of the sound because of I was already used to explosions in our base, which was actually kind of sad, but I was surprised by the amount of flames that was used to blow the door away.
I quietly approached the door, which was completely destroyed by the time that I reached it, and noticed remnants of an interesting mix of sky and storm flames on the charred door. Flames of wrath, the kind of flames that Ricardo used.
"What are you doing trash?" an angry voice asked. I slowly turned around to the room which was doorless now and smiled a fake but polite smile.
"Just passing by." I answered politely before I walked away as fast as I could, inwardly wondering why the man in the room reminded me so much of Giotto's cousin and yet at the same time not at all.
"Oi trash! Bring back some alcohol!" He shouted after me. I winched at the volume and looked back in the direction I came from. As I feared, the door to the room that I just escaped opened and the illusionist peeked through the opened door. I quickly turned around and practically seen ran to the elevator. When the metal doors opened, I noticed that Mammon was looking straight at me before they looked back into the room and then back at me.
"Illusionist." Mammon muttered when the illusionist made the connection between the maid in the elevator and the girl in the room.
Damn it, they found out…
…
"I… never expected the glue to be this strong." Joseph chuckled as he tried to remove the glue in Verde's hair.
"Hey, be careful." Verde growled when he felt some strands of hair being pulled out.
"Right, right."
"You shouldn't have tried to do something weird to that robot, damned baby!" Chris smirked.
"Experimenting isn't 'something weird'." Verde argued. "Zero would have agreed with me! Now I think about it… where is she?"
"Zero-sama?!" Joseph called, but he got no answer from the girl. "How weird… does anyone know where she is?"
"I last saw her before the explosion, she was going to her post." Dimitri answered between the whispers of the mafia members.
"Zero wouldn't leave something as important as this." Chris frowned.
"Chrisiano! We found her hat!" someone in the small crowd of mafia members shouted. The grey haired man looked at the purple object that was being waved above the heads of the crowd and feared for the worst.
"She wouldn't have been… kidnapped or something, right?" He asked hesitantly. At this, various Neo Estraneo members started murmur in worry. Their boss was able to take care of herself, but she was still an eleven years old girl who was all alone in Milan. Who knows what could happen to her?
"We can track Nemo, right?" Spanner asked. "I mean, I installed a tracking device in her glasses. I wanted to install a camera as well, but I couldn't decide on which kind- time to get working on project 'finding Nemo', I guess." Spanner said when he noticed the odd stares that he received.
"Youngsters these days… do not have any respect for privacy." Verde sighed as Spanner started to work on his laptop.
"Like you can talk." Chris muttered.
Spanner frowned at something that he saw on the screen of his laptop and turned to the worried people.
"You'll never guess where she is…"
…
Why is everyone in the mafia so persistent? I scowled as I used my flames to disappear again. Even though I had a small lead in the beginning because of a very convenient 'malfunction' of the elevators, my kidnappers were starting to catch up with me. I was lucky that I had my illusions to create distractions and disguises, or they would have captured me already.
"VOOOOOOI come back stupid fish!" the long haired man shouted as he chased after an illusion. I panted slightly and stopped running to catch my breath, but the illusionist somehow noticed me so I used my flames to make me invisible again and ran further.
"Sorry." I muttered to the man who literally fainted when I suddenly became visible again, right in front of him. I looked around in the dark alleyway and sighed in relieve when no kidnapper was in sight.
"She went here." I heard Mammon say in the distance. I looked panicked at the fainted man and noticed the small badge on his clothes…
This could work out somehow.
…
"We are looking for a young girl around ten years old, with white hair and purple eyes." Mammon stated. "Tell us where she is, I know that she entered this shady place."
"…Sir, anyone who is younger than eighteen is not allowed in a bar." I said politely while I was practically smirking proudly inwardly. The illusionist didn't seem to notice that the man they were talking to was the person they were looking for.
"I'm older than eighteen." Mammon scowled.
"But he isn't." I nodded at Belphegor.
"A prince goes wherever he wants to be." The blonde grinned.
"The girl you're looking for is too young too-"
"Excuse us!" a familiar voice sounded from the door. "We are looking for a young girl with white hair and purple eyes." I looked at Chris and Seth who entered the bar and smiled politely at the men.
"Welcome to Quindecim." I greeted them. I somehow needed to tell them that I was right here, but I couldn't because of the other two… however, I can drop some hints.
"You are looking for her too?" Mammon asked.
"You are looking for her too?" Chris echoed.
"Excuse me misters, but we are not allowed to give information about our customers. However, I can lend you my assistance if you can win game from me." I stated, effectively catching the attention of the four in the room.
"What kind of game?" Seth asked.
"Kufufufu, poker." I answered. Chris and Seth eyed me suspiciously when they heard that and I winked at the men. Their suspicion melted into relieve when they realized that it was me, but that relieve quickly changed into horror when they realized that it was me they had to play against.
"P-poker?" Chris asked. I nodded in response and took a deck of cards that was conveniently on the bar counter in my hands.
"Poker." I confirmed as I opened the box.
"Why would you help us if we play a game with you?" Mammon asked suspiciously when I started shuffling the cards.
"Look around." I said as I nodded to the empty bar. "I've been bored for quite a while without customers… and I will only assist you when you actually win."
"Ushishishi, if it is a game of investing, Mammon won't lose." Belphegor snickered, earning two horrified looks from my uncles and a smirk from me.
Challenge accepted.
…
"I can't believe that you managed to get in a bar of all places, Zero." Chris sighed when we made our way back to the convention.
"I still can't believe that you actually won that game, Zero-sama." Seth sighed, remembering the heated game of bluffs, lies and deceit.
"Kufufufu, that illusionist was the best player I've played against in years." I laughed cheerfully. "It was fun." Chris and Seth looked at each other and sighed in defeat.
"Just… don't get kidnapped again, Zero-sama." Seth smiled wryly.
"They caught me off guards!" I pouted. "It's not that easy to kidnap me…"
"And don't challenge your kidnappers to a game." Chris continued.
"…Kufufufu, I can't promise anything." I chuckled. "And did we catch the thieves in the end?"
"Sadly enough, we didn't" Chris sighed. "But we did catch Verde and I got pictures of that… which would be useful in the near future."
"What do you mean, uncle Chris?" I asked.
"…Just read this mail Zero-sama." Seth smiled as he gave me a printed message. I carefully took the piece of paper and immediately dropped it in surprise when I read the contents.
Brother is getting married.
…
Omake: after it all
The man groaned as he woke up. He blinked a few times in confusion as he stared at the night sky and jolted up when he remembered what happened to him. He looked around in the dark alleyway and tried to breath normally… but failed to.
He remembered going outside to smoke before opening the bar like he was supposed to do, but before he could light his cigarette up something appeared in front of him.
It was mostly white and almost glowing in the shadows of the alleyway… most definitely a ghost.
The man chuckled nervously and shook his head. Maybe he was just hallucinating, ghosts do not exist… right? Then he noticed the note that was clenched in his fists that definitely wasn't there before.
Thank you and sorry
Z.E.
And the man fainted again… ghosts do exist after all.
Hey guys, doubleyy here.
Did anyone predict what was going to happen and which blueprints were stolen? I thought I made it quite clear… but that could be my imagination. I personally believe that anyone who was frozen for years would need at least a few months before they are able to move normally again… so that is why Xanxus is unfrozen now, the Kukuyo arc is nearing after all.
I am seriously considering clown fishes as Zero's box weapons right now, imagine Spanner when Zero wants to call it Nemo while his nickname for Zero is Nemo kufufufu. Or a skylark! Imagine Reborn's reaction when he hears that she borrowed Hibari's name and sees that her box animal is a skylark of all things… Does anyone have a suggestion (or more) for box animals for Zero?
And 153 follows? You guys flatter me too much :D… alright, here is another one…
Omake 2: the daily life of the Sinclair's part 7
Normally, Renato attended a special middle school on Mondays to Fridays, the school was founded to teach children of mafia or assassin families and required the children to stay at the dorms. That was why Renato could only stay at his own home in the weekends and why he missed most of the daily life of his little sister, but not all of it. Definitely not all of it. They had doting parents after all and the bug-spies were very useful for relaying information.
But now his sister was four, she attended an elementary school connected to the very same school that he attended so he could spend more time with her without that damned cat. Really, apart from killing hell spawns the feline had no other use than stealing the attention of his little sister from him…
Anyways, now Renato and Renata were attending the same school, Renato would pick her up on Fridays to go to their home together. Which is why the thirteen years old was walking through the corridors of the first years, expecting to see Renata patiently waiting for him… however he didn't expect what he saw just around the corner.
"You should be ashamed of your family." A four years old boy sneered at his younger sister. The said sister had her back turned to Renato, however he could feel the anger radiating from her small body… or was it his own? He wasn't too sure about that.
"And why should I?" Renata asked with a calm voice, all the usual warmth gone. The young boy blinked blankly at the girl before he smirked, not noticing the dark aura of anger that came from a certain someone who was spying on them.
"I have never heard of the Sinclair Famiglia, which means that your Famiglia is a lowlife Famiglia that unlike mine is idiotically weak." The boy began and Renato almost punched the wall he was hiding behind in his anger to see his little sister being bullied. "I can only guess that you were able to attend this school because of your useless brains and cute looks."
"What?" Renato muttered as he looked incredulously at the younger boy. Did he really hear what he thought that the boy said?
"Of course you have never heard of the Sinclair Famiglia." Renata chirped in a fake cheerful tone. "Carcassa Famiglia right? Sure, I've heard of that Famiglia… but compared to Famiglia's like, let's say, the Vongola it is nothing. And you know what? My father has many connections in the Vongola, he even knows the Vongola Ottava personally. He sells weapons to her, you know? And mother has connections within the Vongola too… have you ever heard of 'Lo spaventapasseri'?"
"The Scarecrow? Heh, I thought that someone as smart as you would have heard of the best hitman in the world, but it seems that you were stupider than I thought. That means that you are only cute." the boy scoffed and Renato narrowed his eyes.
Oh hell no.
"Hmm, I do know her. Of course I know my own mother." The girl smiled 'innocently'. "And I don't have to add that my brother is being trained by her, he is the best brother I could wish for you know? So I would appreciate it if you wouldn't badmouth my family…" The boy that was bullying the girl just seconds ago, paled when he realized what she said.
"W-wha-"
"Renata, it is time to go home." Renato stated calmly when he decided to reveal himself. "Go and retrieve your bag."
"Kufufufu, sure brother." The raven haired girl laughed before she hurried back into her classroom. The elder brother waited until his sister was out of sight before he turned his attention to the four years old boy.
"That is not how you confess." He deadpanned. "And if you want to date her, you have to go through me first."
When he walked Renata back home, he couldn't explain the smile on his face that was both joyful and, strangely enough, threatening. Being an elder brother is difficult…
But definitely worth the trouble.
I will leave the identity and fate of the boy to your imagination…
Anyways thanks for reading and please review.
Doubleyy out.