Kyandi: Greetings all!
Roksana: We came back sooner than she thought we would.
Kyandi: I'm excited. For those of you who are Dungeons and Dragons fan, I've been asked to join in on a stream with some players that should be going up on Twitch and YouTube. Go on YouTube and find The Bonus Role. We'll be playing on the seventeenth of this month. Not sure when the video will go up, though.
Roksana: She's been so excited, and nervous, that she's been writing a lot.
Kyandi: Granted, it's not all on this story, since I'm preparing for continuing with my Shokugeki no Soma story after this one is done, but I have been writing on this one.
Roksana: She was so excited that she got up super early today just to get the chapter out.
Kyandi: Yes, I did! So, everyone, please enjoy and review! And thank you to all of you who do leave reviews. It really gives me motivation to keep writing.
Roksana: Kyandi-sama does not own Katekyo Hitman Reborn.
Chapter 100 Meeting With The Mob
After separating, Reborn and Roksana gathered the few Roksana wanted to discuss her plans with. In the end, Tsuna, Enma, Basil, Byakuran, Xanxus and Mukuro were gathered in a small study that Roksana had obviously used as her own at home school most of her life. Roksana made sure the door was shut, insuring them that the room was sound proof, before she explained to them the plan and how Verde's little device fit into it.
When she was done, bewildered and shocked looks stared back at her before Tsuna rushed to his feet.
"You've been planning to do this even before we showed up?!" he asked.
"I was. Either way, it was my best plan yet. Still is. The only difference now, is that I have all of you to follow it up." Roksana reached out, placing the device in the center of a circle table they were all sitting out. "This device I asked Verde to make with be our greatest weapon against Nicoli. The man is always cautious of those he deems a threat and weilds a destructive force with his flames. This was the only thing I could come up with."
"So he uses Dying Will flames, too?" Basil asked.
"Yes. Much like me, he has more than one that he can use freely. Unlike me, who uses Moon flames to regenerate life and energy, he uses Storm flames to destroy." Roksana heaved a sigh as she took a seat in her chair. "But, like me, he also possesses Sky flames."
"Does everyone in your family use Dying Will flames?" Tsuna asked, sitting back down.
"No. Though I do have a theory with my father and what flames he might have if he was to learn." Roksana told him. "Look at Hayato and Bianchi. The two are siblings and both have Storm flames. Nicoli and I, are the same. We're niece and uncle and we both have Sky flames. I already know that both my Earth and Moon flames come from my mother, so my theory is that my father would have Sky flames."
"As interesting as that is, I'm more interested in this plan of yours." Byakuran drew the attention back to their original subject. "There's a lot that can go wrong with this plan."
"I'm aware." Roksana replied.
"Are you going to tell the others?" Enma asked.
"No, I'm not." Tsuna opened his mouth to protest, but Roksana held up a hand. "The reason being that I need their reactions to be genuine. Like I said, Nicoli is cautious where I'm concerned. If he suspects there's some kind of plan in place after he takes the shot, then his guard will never lower."
"And Hibari-san?" Tsuna asked.
Roksana's eyes came up to meet his from across the table. "Especially not Hibari."
"But why?" Tsuna asked.
"Nicoli is well aware of the relationship between the two of us and, quite frankly...Hibari is a horribly actor. If he is not genuinely taken off guard and angered, as he has been in the past, than Nicoli will know that there is something coming even after I push the button on this kamikaze attack. If this doesn't work and Nicoli doesn't go down, as long as everyone else is oblivious to the plan and reacts how they normally would, Nicoli will let his guard down because I will no longer be an issue. As idiotic as it seems to me, even together, Nicoli doesn't see any of you as being a threat to him. He will lower his guard. That's when the next step of this plan will go into effect."
"I still don't like it." Tsuna remarked.
"I agree." Basil chimed in, Enma agreeing.
"Of course you don't. Any plan that involves killing me is unthinkable to the three of you." Roksana retorted.
"You aren't going to ask where we stand on this too?" Mukuro asked.
"I'm already well aware where you, Xanxus, and Byakuran stand on this, Mukuro. Out of the three of you, the only one that would be even the slightest bit upset over my death, would be Byakuran." Xanxus' eyes snapped to Roksana, the girl watching him as she picked up a cup of tea that Maeve had served to her before leaving them to their meeting. "That is, unless you and Xanxus have something you want to admit. In which case, I'm all ears."
Byakuran broke out in laughter as Xanxus let out a scoff as he looked away from her. Roksana, hiding a smile behind her cup, turned her eyes to Mukuro, raising an eyebrow at him in a questioning look.
"I don't know what you're talking about." Mukuro told her.
"Exactly what I expected from a demon that needs to be exorcised. Remind me to introduce you to Father Labed before this is all over." Roksana told him, setting aside her cup. "He'd love to meet the spawn of Satan and be the one to send him back to the pits of hell."
"You're aren't going to let the demon thing go, are you?" Mukuro asked, one eyebrow twitching.
"You're smart, most times...what do you think?" Mukuro didn't bother answering that. He already knew the answer. Roksana would continue on with the whole demon thing until the day she died. "My point is that I'm well aware of the risks to this, but with Tsukuyomi back with me, those risks are considerably decreased."
"Wait a minute..." Tsuna trailed off as the implication behind her words hit him full force. The boy's face went white as he looked across the table at Roksana. "You were going to do this without Tsukuyomi and your Vongola Gear!?"
"I was."
"You would have died and stayed dead!"
"And now you are aware of just how far I was willing to go to take Nicoli with me." Roksana sat her cup down on the table as Tsuna, at his breaking point with her, hung his head, Basil patting his shoulder. "This way, though, that risk is cut down a great deal."
"If you still have the flames left by the time you go through with this plan. I don't think your uncle is going to let you get so close to him without there being a huge fight first." Mukuro pointed out.
"And that is where Belyy comes into play. Or have you forgotten his ability to absorb others' flames and turn them into flames I can use?"
Seeing her point, Mukuro shrugged his shoulders. Tsuna, though, was still concerned and had to voice those concerns.
"Are you sure about this, though? From what you told us, that device takes a lot of flames in order to work." Tsuna remarked.
"Hence why the goal is for him to kill me. If you haven't noticed in past fights, when I reincarnate through the use of my Vongola Gear, my flames surge for a temporary moment, and at levels far beyond what I'm normally capable of. Add to that whatever flames Belyy can give me from others and it'll be more than enough for the device. If nothing else, it'll cripple him enough for the job to be done. That is...as long as Ninth is able to get Nicoli's boss to pull support from him. I don't even want to consider the amount of forces we'd have to face if he can't. Especially now that I'm without Ninette."
"Ninette makes that big of a difference?" Enma asked.
"She does when it comes to the Raarone fighting force. As my Cloud Guardian, her abilities with the Cloud flame is unparalleled. Even Hibari pales in comparison and he was a natural with his flames. Once he knew about them, that is." Roksana replied.
"Speaking of which...I can't believe you hid it from us that you knew about Dying Will flames long before we went to the future!" Tsuna complained.
"Sorry, but it was a necessary evil. Had it come to light that I already knew, then there would have been questions I couldn't answer. As it was, I let it slip once about Dre teaching me about flames while we were infiltrating Irie's base in the future. It was a good thing Reborn couldn't hear it at the time or he would have figured this all out a lot sooner than I was ready for. As it is, no offense but...you, Ryohei, Hayato and Takeshi aren't the brightest of bulbs."
Tsuna hung his head when she said this. He couldn't really deny it since they had all let it slip when she had mentioned something about her knowledge of flames ahead of the time.
"It's quite a sight, seeing you as the leader of your own international organization, Roksana-chan." Byakuran remarked. "It's fitting for you."
"I would hope so. My mother groomed me for this from the time I could walk and talk. I've been in charge of this organization since I was ten. It's only been four short years, but it feels like a life time to me. Taking orders for a change was teeth grating at first, but...it was a nice change of pace. It was nice to just get away from everyone looking to me for orders. That being said, reality has set in once more and this needs to be dealt with." Roksana said with a sigh.
"What will you do with Raarone after Nicoli is dealt with, Roksana-dono?" Basil asked.
For a moment, Roksana's head tilted to the side, her eyes narrowing in thought. "I'm not sure. I would like to, ideally, send the girls back home and disperse the organization, but..."
"But?" Enma prompted.
"Each of my guardians and, in truth, most of the staff among Raarone, are orphans and without any family. That's why they came to me. I gave them all somewhere to belong and a cause to live for when just about all of them came from horrible situations. Some have started families of their own since joining the organization, but I didn't want those who worked for me to have to lie to their loved ones and my mother agreed. If I was to disband the organizations, the majority of those in my employment wouldn't have anywhere to return to. Especially my guardians."
"You still want to take care of them." Tsuna remarked.
"I might be the youngest of the organization, but I'm still responsible for them all. Even if my fight is done, I still need to consider what's best for them. For now, though, that's a thought for after this is all over." A ring sounded, filling the room with a chime that had Roksana pulling her phone out to peer down at the screen. "Looks like Cha-cha, my liaison, has made contact with the Turgenev boss. I need to go speak to Ninth. If you all will excuse me."
Roksana scooted her chair back as she rose to her feet, picking up the device off the table to slip it into her pocket. Byakuran spoke up then about something he had noticed the moment she had walked into the room.
"It's nice to see you back in your pigtails, Roksana-chan. It really suits you." he remarked.
Roksana paused, her hand going up to the pigtails she had tied her hair back into. Heaving a sigh, she dropped her hand and straightened her back.
"Yes, well...a certain someone about pitched a fit because my hair wasn't in the style he was use to. It was either tie it up myself or let him attempt to do it. I don't know about you, but I like my hair exactly where it is...in my scalp."
Dropping that little hint that Hibari had attempted to tie her hair up for her, Roksana headed for the door, leaving them all either smiling or chuckling lowly at the thought. However she wanted to phrase it, they all knew she was just trying to please her boyfriend after upsetting him by trying to leave as she had.
A feat that was easier said than done most of the time.
Leaving the study behind, Roksana went in search of Timoteo, finding him with his guardians and Iemitsu in the upstairs library. Having been raised with manners, Roksana paused at the door and knocked on the frame, despite it being her own house. All of the men looked up at her as she entered the library.
"Ah, Roksana. Is there something you need?" Timoteo asked as she approached the desk he was sitting on.
"I just heard back from my liaison, Cha-cha. She was able to get in touch with Turgenev's boss and set up a meeting with him." Roksana told him.
"Really? That was fast." Ganauche remarked.
"I only employ the best. Most of my employees may be young, but their geniuses in their fields. Cha-cha doesn't know how to take no for answer." Roksana replied before turning to look at Timoteo. "She arranged a meeting on neutral turf. It's a local restaurant here in Moscow that's pretty popular fair for both politicians and those of the underworld. He'll be there for the dinner rush."
"Is it really a good idea to meet him in a well visited location during a particularly busy time of the day?" Croquant asked.
"That's exactly why it's safe. Here in Russia, things are a little different than what you're use to in Italy. This restaurant, as in unspoken rule between the legal world and the underground world, is strictly neutral ground. It's a big no-go for anyone, regardless of who they are, to break that unspoken rule. It'll be to our advantage, too, to meet him here." Roksana replied.
"How well acquainted are you with the building's layout?" Timoteo asked.
"Very. My father and step-mother, as a weekly family nigh, eat there once a week. I've been in and out of that place since I was a small child. I know ever entrance, hallway, nook and cranny of that building, as well as every street and path leading to and away from it. I can have Elly get everyone a map, just in case." Roksana replied.
Timoteo feel silent for a moment, thinking it through before he looked up at Roksana. "What do you suggest?"
"Me?" Roksana pointed to herself in surprise, her eyebrows inching up towards her hair line. "You want to know what I think?"
"You have the most experience with these men. The fact of the matter is, you have a home field advantage and we're just guests here." Iemitsu told her.
Seeing his point, Roksana's eyes shifted to the side as she considered this. The men around her watched as she crossed her arms, her eyes narrowing in thought. When her eyes finally came back up to Timoteo, her expression was stern.
"In the case of meetings like this, it is customary for each delegation to consist of the bosses in question and no more than four guards. Well...within the restaurant, that is. It isn't uncommon for more to be stationed around the building. I do believe I know the best way to play this. That is, if you're willing to follow my lead, Ninth." Roksana told him.
"Of course."
Roksana nodded before explaining to them her idea. Going into the meeting ill prepared was not something she wanted to consider. She had only seen Turgenev's boss a few times in her life and always from a distance. She knew him to be an intimidating man. Perhaps even more so than Nicoli. Meeting him was bound to be an experience she wouldn't forget her whole life.
She just hoped the whole thing went their way.
-0-0-0-0-
That night found Roksana stepping out of a car in front of Snezhnyy Kot, a large restaurant located almost dead center in Moscow. Bundled up in her fur lined coat, Roksana stared at up the chic sign hung over the door.
"Are you ready, Roksana?"
Turning, Roksana fixed her attention on the four people about to enter the restaurant. On top of Timoteo, Iemitsu, Ganauche and Tsuna had joined her, while various members of Roksana's friends and allies had surrounded the building, all of them waiting just in case they were needed.
"About as ready as I can be." Roksana replied to Ganauche who had spoken to her.
"How can you be so calm!?" Tsuna asked her.
"When you grow up as I have, faced with men like this on a daily basis, you become a little desensitized. Compared to many of the situations we've been in just over the last two years, this doesn't make me as anxious." Roksana told him.
"Have you ever met this man before?" Iemitsu asked.
"Not in person. I have seen him from a distance, though. Like most men you'll find in the Russian underground, he has a very intimidating presence. That being said, he has a reputation for being very reasonable. As long as he doesn't bring Nicoli with him, I think we should be fine." Roksana answered.
"And if he does?" Tsuna asked.
"Elly is on stand by to evacuate civilians."
Tsuna turned wide eyes on Roksana. "You really think he'd start a fight in a public place with his boss here?!"
"Most definitely." Roksana didn't even hesitate in her answer. "Nicoli might answer to this man now, but it's nothing more than appearances. He's only using his connections to this family in order to further his own agenda. If he saw an opening to finally take that step he's been frozen at for years, then he'll betray anyone. I've been a thorn in his side for too long, even I've grown tired of it. The appointed time is fast approaching. We should head in."
Turning to give Timoteo a nod, Roksana lead the way inside. Since she was the one responsible for the meeting, Roksana was the one that approached the hostess. She exchanged some low words with the woman before the woman gave her a solemn nod and asked them to follow her. They were lead past the main dinning area to a room in the back reserved for special engagements.
"The other party has already arrived." the woman told them before opening the door.
The inside of the room was fancy, finely decorated and played home to a long table right down it's center. At the moment, five men sat along one side of the table. All five looked up as Timoteo lead the way into the room. It was the man sitting in the center of the line of five, that stood to greet Timoteo.
Much like Timoteo, the man was on in his years, somewhere around his sixties with neatly styled hair that had long since gone slate grey in color. His face was lined and weathered, but stern, his cobalt blue eyes giving off a no nonsense air that went well with his well pressed suit and stoic demeanor. As Timoteo came to a stop on the opposite side of the table from him, Iemitsu to his right and Roksana to his left, the man's eyes remained fixed on Timoteo.
"Greetings. I am Mikhail, the boss of the Turgenev Syndicate. I do hope that speaking English is alright with you." the man said in greeting.
"It's fine. I am Timoteo, the Vongola ninth boss."
Mikhail gave a nod of his head in greeting before his eyes traveled over the others with Timoteo, landing on Roksana and Tsuna to Timoteo's left. The man's eyes narrowed as he looked at them.
"You bring children to an important meeting?" Mikhail asked, his own men grinning as if they were mocking the Vongola representatives.
"Tsunayoshi is my heir and will be Vongola Decimo." Timoteo said, gesturing to Tsuna, who jolted out of nervousness. "Roksana is one of his guardians. They might be young, but they are strong."
At the sound of her name, Mikhail's eyes narrowed even further before they swung to Roksana, scanning her from head to toe. Roksana merely held her head high, refusing to appear as if she was intimidated in the slightest.
"Roksana? Do you mean Roksana Volkov, daughter of the politician, Alexei Volkov?" Mikhail asked, his men stiffening.
"I am, sir." Roksana confirmed.
"So...you're Nicoli's niece. That explains the sudden request for a meeting like this. I assume you are here to talk about Nicoli and his actions." Mikhail remarked.
"We are." Timoteo confirmed.
"Fine, then. Please have a seat."
With the invite from Mikhail, everyone took a seat, Mikhail's attention still remaining fixed on Roksana in interest. Once they were seated, drinks were brought for them. Before either Timoteo or Tsuna could pick up their cups, Roksana snatched the both from them.
"Roksana?" Tsuna asked.
"Never blindly accept a drink that you didn't seen prepared with your own eyes, Tsuna. Not here." Roksana told him before turning her eyes to Mikhail. "I mean no disrespect to you, sir, but Nicoli is apart of your syndicate and after he has made so many attempts on my life and on those of the ones around me, I believe the phrase, "Better safe than sorry." applies here."
Mikhail chuckled in the face of Roksana's caution. "You are quite a cautious girl, but you are right. While I did not bring Nicoli to this meeting, or even tell him of it, the man has always has his way of finding out about things like this. It would not be surprising if he chose to violate the neutral ground rules around this place and strike at you while he could. Do you wish for us to get you a taster or for you to over see the making of new drinks?"
"No need." Without a moment's hesitation, Roksana raised both glasses to her lips, taking a drink from both. "I am my own taster."
"Roksana!" Tsuna protested.
"I know you have a tolerance to poisons, Roksana, but I really wish you wouldn't do this kind of thing." Timoteo told her as she passed the drinks back to him and Tsuna.
"And I wish I didn't have to have such a tolerance, but here we are, Ninth." Roksana replied.
"I can see why you drive Nicoli off the deep end." Mikhail remarked. "I know the man works for me, but why approach me?"
"You back him, do you not?" Timoteo asked.
"I do. Are you here to ask me to pull my support of one of my own men?" Mikhail leaned back in his seat. "For what reason would I do such a thing?"
"I would think it would be a reasonable request."
All eyes turned to Roksana, Mikhail's expression betraying his intrigue. "Oh, how so?"
"Please consider this, sir...before recently, Nicoli attacked me. While he was picking a fight with a politician's daughter, he was able to cover it under the disguise of others attacking me to get to my father, but now...now he is attacking a guardian of the Vongola Family. In fact, he has attacked more just one and has even had his men attack the guardian of the Shimon Family, too. While Shimon is not big, it is an allied family to Vongola Decimo. The Turgenev Syndicate is large, very resourceful and powerful, but, sir...do you really relish the idea of one of your men inciting a war with the Vongola Family?"
Mikhail frowned as he saw the reason behind Roksana's words. If only to add more insult to injury, Roksana continued, leaning back in her seat to cross her legs.
"If that wasn't enough, you are aware that I am the founder and leader of Raarone, aren't you? Should I, in defense of myself and those around me, decide to take what information I have on the Turgenev Syndicate and bring it to my father's attention, then all the benefits you gain from Nicoli, would be flushed down the drain. Wouldn't you agree?"
"I see you're point. Is this your way of blackmailing me, young lady?" Mikhail asked, his eyes narrowing.
"Not at all. I am merely stating that the only benefit you have by supporting Nicoli, would be gone should I decide to act like the vindictive teenage girl that I am. Would it not better benefit you to take the high road and cut ties with one man to spare yourself the lose of potentially hundreds?" Roksana proposed.
Everyone at the table stared at Roksana as she stated this as simply as if she was talking about her homework with her friends. Hearing her so quickly state her mind, Timoteo had to wonder why he was there at all. Then again, he was sure Roksana had planned it this way to show that she did, in fact, have the support of Vongola behind her.
"You seem to be underestimating the value Nicoli holds." Mikhail remarked.
"I don't think I am, sir. I am, sadly, his niece and have been the target of his most relentless pursuit for quite a long time now. I am well acquainted with just how resourceful of a man he is. That being said, his only true value, to you at least, is that he is able to keep my father, and thus all politicians, off your trail. A value, I must point out, that is null and void should I decided to inform my father and a value that, should I, and Raarone, become your ally, can fulfill better. Believe me, I have never been a child prone to making up tall tales, so my father would believe me with very little to no evidence."
"On that, you have a point. I can see why Nicoli hates you so much...and why he has been unable to kill you thus far. He underestimates you greatly." Mikhail said with a sigh as he reached for his own drink. "So, what exactly is it that you want from me?"
"To be frank...I want you to cut ties with Nicoli, refuse to support him any further, and, regardless of what becomes of him, do not seek retribution for his inevitable downfall."
Mikhail eyed Roksana for a long moment, meeting the girl's steady gaze from over his linked hands. For a long moment they were sure that he would deny Roksana her request. Then he heaved a sigh, leaning back in his own seat.
"How old are you, girl?" he asked.
"Fourteen."
"So young and yet so clever. Nicoli bit off more than he could chew with you." Mikhail said wistfully. "Sadly, I have to agree with you. While we benefit from a man like Nicoli, with an enemy like you, especially with Vongola at your back, his value becomes nonexistent. Fine, you win. I do not wish to have the Vongola, or Raarone for that matter, as an enemy. I do hope you know what this will mean when Nicoli gets wind of this. He will come directly for your head."
"I'm counting on it."
Roksana's instant response had Mikhail breaking out in laughter. "I like your spirit, girl. If you ever decide Vongola isn't for you, I'm sure I can find a spot for you among my syndicate."
"I appreciate the offer, sir, but Vongola is more than just comrades to me. It's family. The one thing that Nicoli failed to understand is that family never turns its back on each other. Even when I tried to walk away, they didn't turn their backs on me, so I won't do it either." Roksana told him.
"I can understand and appreciate loyalty when I see it. Your uncle is a fool." Mikhail rose to his feet then, his men following his lead. Roksana and those on her side of the table stood too, Mikhail turning to Timoteo. "You are fortunate to have her. I hope we can continue a good relationship in the future. With her as correspondence, of course."
Timoteo smiled, reaching across to shake Mikhail's hand. "Agreed."
With their reason for meeting done, the two parties went their separate ways. Roksana heaved a sigh of relief as they stepped back outside.
"I have a feeling you didn't really need my assistance here." Timoteo remarked.
"Of course I did, Ninth. If he didn't see that I had the support of Vongola at my back, he might not have been so inclined to accept my terms, and I only promised the alliance of Raarone, so you and the rest of Vongola do not have to bare that burden if you find it to be more trouble than it's worth." Roksana told him, making Timoteo chuckle.
"You thought everything through, didn't you?" he asked.
"I wouldn't still be alive if I didn't consider every option at my disposal. Just because I don't accept the option, doesn't mean I haven't considered it. I do hope you forgive me for just taking over like that, Ninth."
"No, that's fine. It turned out for the best and it is your life that has been on the line." Timoteo told her, Roksana giving him a nod in thanks.
"Thank you. Now that we have his cooperation, we can plan for Nicoli's inevitable retaliation. It would probably be best to move everyone from the main estates." Roksana remarked, already forming plans in her head.
"Do you ever slow down for even a second, kiddo?" Ganauche asked.
"If I did that, I would have been a dead girl a long time ago." Roksana replied, quickly shifting gears back to the situation at hand. "I believe I know where to go. I had thought I would never return to the second estates I was born at, but it would be our best bet."
"We will take your lead, then." Timoteo told her.
Roksana nodded as their car pulled up. She already had her phone in hand, making calls and sending texts as they slid into the car's back. She had a lot to set up before Nicoli could come searching for her and her friends.
First things first...finding somewhere to hide her parents and brother and a reasonable excuse to banish them there.
END
Kyandi: You just jumped right on in there and took over.
Roksana: It is my life on the line.
Kyandi: True enough. Personally, I would have been shrinking in my seat.
Roksana: And that is where you and I differ.
Kyandi: Oh, definitely.
Roksana: About how many more chapters do you think you have left?
Kyandi: Well, I don't plan to have more than 105 chapters in total, so about four, give or take.
Roksana: We're closing in on the end.
Kyandi: Yep, but on the last chapter I'll have a surprise to revel to all of you. So be ready for that. Everyone, enjoy and review.
Roksana: We'll be back as soon as possible.
Kyandi: Bye-bye!