CHAPTER 34
CROSS WORLDS
Pinneapple-head's Evil POV
(What the- you'll pay for that you worthless author!)
*Stab*
(*Author falls down clutching her bleeding shoulder*
"Damn you, you ungrateful charac-"
*Tongue lolls out grossly*)
"Ehem..."
Mukuro shifted his stance to find his comfortable zone.
"Where were we? Ah! Here goes..."
Rukudo Mukuro, Future Vongola Boss, Future Husband of Sawada Tsunahime and the Most Powerful Guardian of All Time's POV
(?_?)
And so the engagement games began.
As you well know, I'm leading right now. I've been running for almost an hour and I'm getting tired of all this crap. Wherever my competitors are now, I don't want to know, nor do I care. Eating my dust, I'm sure, and I smirked with sound effects.
This game is too easy. If this goes on, the Vongola Princess and I will be wedded in a fortnight. Oh wait, make that tonight. Kufu fu fu.
(See how conceited this ungrateful character is? Totally turn off-ish mien.)
Die, you scumbags! Die! I kept chanting those horrid words while releasing a great deals of illusions to confuse (and especially kill) my enemies. Kufu fu fu! I, the mist guardian kept laughing (...his butt off- which is probably shaped like a pineapple anyway) until I heard a sudden rustle of leaves ahead of me.
I warily brought out my trident, and aimed to take the head of anyone who dared to face me now.
Standing alert for any further movements and poised to kill, I heard another rustle but on my right side this time. I turned to face the incoming foe and stabbed the bush savagely.
Stab! Stab! And Stab! Repeat the cycle until the pathetic bush and the creature hiding underneath the pathetic bush are dead and a pool of berry blood gathers on the ground.
(Wow...that was so sadistic! Imagine killing an innocent bush like that? It's the work of the devil!)
*Shing*
"What the-" I cussed when I saw a sword ready to slit my throat. As if that was going to happen!
"Voi! You coward! Killing a bush like that. You're a disgrace to the Vongola Famiglia. Spilling blood... of berries! Voi! Ha ha ha!", the Varia's rain guardian, this time around was the one laughing his butt of (which is probably shaped like a shar-)
*the author falls down from a gaping sword wound on her belly this time*
"Now, get a move on. Say you're last words, voi!"
"That's very nice of you, Kufu fu fu. But i'm not ready to die yet!" and with that said, I threw a ball which exploded into a smokescreen. Hitting my attacker's belly with the strength I've been carrying all this time (for I am amazing), I finally heard the satisfying grunt of someone in pain. The enemy doubled over and loosened his disgusting grip on me (how dare he touch me!) but managed to recover just in time to get away before my gleaming trident successfully impaled him.
He shouldn't have moved! It would have made things easier.
Both of us were on equal footing now (although I'm just being kind here...of course I have the upperhand). With the smokescreen around him, his sense of sight was as useless as it can be. There was no other choice but to rely on his sense of hearing and smell (which he doesn't have. Kufu fu fu).
I knew that we were both crouching close to the ground, shrinking our sizes as much as possible to lessen the target. Moving quietly like a feline stalking its prey, I inched slowly towards each sound I heard, no matter how minimal it may be.
Closer...just a little bit more.
A shadow of a man was standing stupidly in front of me. I grinned maniacally.
This is insulting. Does this scumbag think that I will fall for such useless tricks? Who would be stupid enough to fall for that?
And not a moment too soon, the "Stupid enough" person was shouting "voi!" while slashing the shadow man.
It took all of my self-constraint not to kill the stupid shark right then and there.
That was the stupidest thing I have ever seen in my life. He's the stupidest thing I have ever seen in my life.
I watched with blurry sight as the stupidest thing I have ever seen in my life went on and on at "killing" his enemy. I waited patiently, for the moment the true enemy would strike.
Which way will he come from? I know that this is Byakuran's doing. That bastard wants to steal my future bride huh? We'll see about that when I win this thing.
I inched my way closer to the edge of the smokescreen. The air was getting thinner and I was able to gain my sight slowly and soon enough the smokescreen was far behind me.
I started to run as soon as I left the smoke. They'll keep each other company while I take the prize! Kufu fu fu.
How are they killing each other now? A slit throat? Nah, too simple. Burning alive? No, that's too cliche. How about skinning one of them alive and rubbing salt on the exposed flesh? Oh that would be nice to hear. Slow and painful.
Kufu fu fu. I am so winning. After this I'm going to Vongola and command her to meet me by my bed tonight. She's mine!
KUFU FU FU FU!
KUFU FU FU FU!
KUFU FU FU FU!
KUFU FU FU FU!
(O.o)
...ooo00800ooo...
Byakuran's POV
What the heck? What was that weird laugh just now? Was it a wild jungle person or something?
Now, how to cross this river?
Yup, that's correct. I was the first one to manage to reach the Vongola river of styx. My enemies are just so stupid to fall for traps like that. I'll let them underestimate my abilities. It will make for a good show, seeing they're pathetic faces when I win this game.
I stared off into the distance and I admitted that my chances are kind of slim.
The Vongola river of styx was definitely unlike the rivers where you can wash your clothes, set a picnic or take a bath on. Sure, you can bathe on it, which is if you want to float as a skeleton after just one immersion.
It looks nasty. Instead of a beautiful and clear blue- green flow of clean water, the water that flowed was made of the blackest water I have ever seen. The smell was almost unbearable too. Bubbles that released gases with a threatening hiss ruptured upon hitting the water's surface. And I swear I even saw a melting skeleton once.
I've been standing here for almost half an hour now, planning the next step.
My first objective would be to find this guardian of the river styx. After I do that, I can just kill him and take his scythe.
Just like how he always wants it to, the voice in my head commented. "That's quite a peaceful river, don't you think?" His laugh reverberated in my skull.
"How many times do I have to tell you to stay away from my mind during the day?" I asked him (but I looked like I was talking to myself) with an irritated voice.
"You don't tell me what to do. I am you and you are me. We're one person, almost the same in every way." I really don't like this other version of me from one of the parallel worlds I have conquered. And the way he said "almost" suggested a hint of superiority that made me very annoyed. But I smiled smugly and said:
"Oh really? Unlike you, I'm quite alive, you see. You're just a spirit, floating aimlessly with the wind."
"Don't you dare!" A headache suddenly came unto me, like it was going to crack my skull open. I winced but maintained my stance. He kept talking.
I may be dead in my world, but I'm alive in yours. I will not rest until Tsunahime is within my reach for the second time.
(Anybody want a flashback? Here's your...)
Flashback
The Other Byakuran started appearing in my dreams a few months ago. Being able to communicate with my other selves from different parallel worlds was my ability and I did not mind that this one started appearing wreathed in white flames during my sleep.
He taught me how to control my powers more and helped me to hone them. We began to formulate a plan to conquer this world as he had conquered his. The plan was simple: wed the Vongola princess.
In his world, the Vongola has fallen deliciously on his lap when he wedded Tsunahime. For the first weeks after their marriage, Other kept leaking intel to me on how to bring down the Vongola. But gradually, he seemed to have started withholding information from me until one day, he stopped entirely.
I was furious at him for a month of not appearing before me. I tried to contact him many times but to no avail. I began to start thinking that he might have also lost his war in his world when on night, he visited me.
At first I was not able to recognize his flames, it seemed to be too much lively and unstable to be him. When he finally appeared, I was flabbergasted at the wide smile he was giving me.
"What the hell is wrong with you? Did you go crazy on the other side?"
To my disgust, he just laughed merrily.
"And what the hell is funny now? Why didn't you show up earlier? I had the perfect timing to take her!" In my anger, my flames built up until I looked like a human bonfire.
He suddenly looked at me with angry, and at the same time, guilty eyes.
"You can't." He said quietly after some time.
"What do you mean I can't? I can control the Vongola! I can conquer this world!"
He stepped forward, as if threatening me.
"Forget about it. You have to abandon the plan."
"W-what are you talking about? I don't want that! I have to sacrifice her!"
And the next second, I was flung into the air. He caught me as I was nearing the ground and pounded my body wholly into the dirt.
"Can't you see? Look at me! Can't you feel how light my flames are? How big my smile is? I'm happy! I'm happy that she's with me! She brought me to life!"
It was true, his flames were very agitated, as if unable to contain repressed emotions bursting forth from within him. His smile was true. His eyes were even twinkling with joy (as if that was possible).
"What do you mean by that? You can't be happy with her! She's just a stepping stone to winning this war! Don't you remember anymore what a mafia leader should be like? You're grinning like a crazed dog!"
To irk me further, he smiled. All of his teeth showed up.
"I remember. How can I forget? I remember the bad things that have happened to me as a mafia heir. It never left my mind. It even reached the point when I was filled with too much hatred that I have forgotten that once, even just once, someone smiled at me and considered my feelings for a moment."
"You're disgusting! She was just a child back there! She was not yet trained to bring down mafia family like ours!"
"That was what I thought too." And for a moment his face, which was very much like mine, darkened. "But after being wed to her, I have seen the truth. That she is not like the other heiress to mafia. She's strong, beautiful, kind and she's everything to me." His face lightened up considerably, all hate forgotten.
"You're a fool! A fool! She doesn't love you! She's just pretending, like a good whore should-"
And once again, I was flung into the air. He followed it up this time with a good punch to the face, enough to make me bleed, even in a dream. I was furious. Outraged, that he can be fast and strong and not letting me to even make a defensive move. I glared at him from the ground.
"You're the fool! I love her! And she loves me back! We're going to have a child soon!" His smug expression became a smile, then a laugh.
"T-that's crazy!"
"What's crazy? Well I guess we are crazy. Crazy for power that is. Of all the worlds I have seen, not one of us has had this chance on something this big. We are all full of hatred. This hatred we meant to carry with us to the grave to pass on to the earth, until the earth became poisoned and everyone stepping on it was dead.
It doesn't have to be like that. We still have a chance at something far greater than what we have in mind. You are me and I am you. I hope you see what I am talking about."
And just like that, he left. I was not able to meet him again for another month until...
Blood and fire...
Byakuran can still remember the vivid smell of smoke mixed with the metallic tang of blood.
The "other" him didn't utter a word that night. But one thing was for sure... Other lost everything he had in just one night, including his beloved wife and soon to be born child. Other was also dead himself, but his ability to traverse parallel worlds brought him to Byakuran. From then on, Other has been with Byakuran on every step of conquering the Vongola. And he will not stop until he took back everything that was taken from him- even if it means that he has to die for a second time.
…oo00800ooo…
Well, I hope this was good enough.
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Await the next chapter!