Chapter 21
Bei Li sat beside Isago on the plane, his black cross earrings dangled off his earlobe as he popped a shrimp into his mouth. His dark eyes were relaxed and filled with glee despite processing all the plans and betrayals for the Vongola a week ago. Well, he had quite the fun time throwing the contract in his family's face and walking away without a care in the world as his father screeched at him.
"So-" Bei Li munched on his seafood with his heavily accented English. "You need three more guardians."
Isago nodded silently, knowing that Adriano was right beside them.
"Mist, cloud, and rain."
"Which one are you aiming for, boss?" Bei Li teased, popping another shrimp into his mouth.
Isago smirked, tapping the screen that was in front of him. The world map appeared on command, spreading out then zooming in on a certain place. Bei Li was actually better at geography than Isago.
"Canada?" Bei Li jerked his thumb across the napkin that was folded neatly across his lap. "Damn, I'm excited to leave China, but isn't Canada known for their peace-loving- Rain flame?"
"Yes," Isago hummed. "The mist and cloud are more of the heavier personality ones. Although I have a rain flame myself, I need to ensure that those two will not clash."
"Well, no matter how heavy their personality is, I bet they don't look as good as me," Bei Li cocked his head with a smug grin. Isago only chuckled, shaking his head before his screen flickered black, then white. Isago was momentarily startled but then a familiar voice rang out of the speakers, calming him down.
"I suppose it's my time to fill in our deal?"
"Verde," Isago greeted curtly as the lightning arcobaleno appeared on the screen. His spiky green hair was eye-catching, but that smile he had was filled with underlying greed despite his eyes being emotionless.
Verde wore a white coat and had his hands shoved into his pockets like he was bored. Adriano on the side had bolted up from his seat, eyes wide as he stared at the baby then back at Isago with a face of alarm.
Bei Li at the side wheezed, coughing a few times and pointing to the screen with his finger then threw his hands up at Isago. "And I thought you were a genius-but now you're telling me that babies are able to hijack into a plane?!"
Adriano said nothing, only watching in both wariness and relief as he slowly sank down into his seat again, on edge. Isago could see the sweat rolling down Adriano's neck as he motioned for Adriano to stay in his seat. There was a hint of resistance but Adriano obeyed much to Isago's delight.
"The world is a big place," Verde said. "For your information, I have a total of 23 degrees from 6 different Universities."
Bei Li threw himself onto his seat, looking like he just lost his purpose in life.
"Don't worry, it's natural for Verde because he's lived two decades," Isago shrugged, turning back to the screen as the plane continued its course without any delay or turbulence.
"So you know about the Arcobaleno curse," Verde's eyes sparkled with interest. "Does Reborn know about this?"
"No," Isago replied, the smile that surfaced on Verde's face was like the devil's.
"Oh my, I am honoured to be the first to know," his half-lidded eyes blinked slowly with smugness. "But I'm afraid we must start with the experiment. I have sent a package to the airport under your name. Insert your flame into the staff daily until it indicates that it is full."
"As for my guardians' weapons?" Isago raised his eyebrow calmly.
"I will have them finished by the time I finish with my experiment. Also, after you have finished gathering your guardians, I will contact you again for further instructions. Well then," Verde's eyes gleamed humorlessly before shrugging. "Farewell."
The screen went completely black, then flickered back to the map of Canada. Bei Li on the side was completely gloomy, an invisible black cloud could be seen as he faced the window like an emo, murmuring "I am one in a million- I am one in a million-"
"Isago! Did you-" Adriano brought up instantly after Verde hung up, anxious with his fingers twitching at his sides. Isago could see Adriano's sweaty hands, resisting the urge to clench themselves and burst out. "Verde is a mad scientist! Whoever makes deals with him will ultimately die in his hands!"
Isago held up his hand and Adriano instantly clamped down his mouth like Isago had performed magic, instantly silencing him. He was tired- Isago really wanted to faint right now but he resisted the urge, blinking back his sleepiness.
"Let me clear things up first," Isago blinked back his own fatigue that was pulling down on his eyelids. "Verde had reached out to me to research my flame. I saw no harm in that because my flames were perfectly under control, and he had promised to give me a copy of the data and teach me how to use them."
"Simply," Isago concluded. "Verde was interested in the Flame of Eternity."
Adriano shook his head, still not sold on the idea that Verde was safe. "Isago, you have to know that that man is not what you think he is! I suggest that you break it off with him before it's too late."
"Then tell me, Adriano, who in this world has the same flame like me?" Isago held Adriano's eye contact. Adriano didn't respond, but the look on his face told Isago everything he needed to say to persuade this man.
"The flame of Wrath has Vongola secondo as the first user. But who in history has seen my flame?" Isago continued. "My flame is a liability right now, since I don't understand the limits and abilities this flame holds. What if the more I use my flame, the more I lose my lifespan?"
The question pierced concern onto Adriano's face while he knitted his eyebrows together, lips pulled into a line. "Fine, but still-anyone other than Verde-"
"But Verde is a mad scientist, no?" Isago interrupted. "He has all the equipment and will find out about my powers and its limits as soon as possible. Adriano, you said that you wanted to see me on the Vongola seat."
Silence filled the space while Adriano and Isago fought in a stare-off contest, both sides not giving up on their words. Bei Li exchanged glances with both of them, looking back and forth as he leaned back and fiddled with his cross earrings. Bei Li had no trace of worry, only amusement and awe, especially towards Isago.
Adriano gave a long sigh after holding his breath as he nodded mutely. "Fine, but only if I do a scan of the staff that Verde sent you and monitor your flames while you use it."
Isago gave a satisfied hum, agreeing with Adriano's suggestion. Isago had achieved what he wanted, not to mention he did want to have insurance on his body when he followed Verde's instructions. In the back of Isago's mind, he noted down that he had to move his pawn closer to Adriano.
"I'm curious though," Bei Li finally spoke up with a careless smile. "What's the Arcobaleno curse?"
As if Adriano remembered the conversation, he also nodded with Bei Li, leaning in to hear Isago's explanation. Isago smirked a bit, not knowing where to begin since there was a history with babies and the curse of the rainbow.
"Let's start with Reborn," Isago began, flexing his fingers as he stared at them, reminiscing about all the information having to do with the curse before looking up to meet his subordinates' eyes.
"The Arcobaleno is a group made of the world's strongest seven. Like our flames, they are separated into the seven colours of the rainbow. Similar to our Vongola rings that pass on their power through generations, the Arcobaleno are given pacifiers."
Isago paused.
"The curse is that they are turned into babies, and will live forever in that form unless they are killed. The sky Arcobaleno is an exception though. They are able to die from old age and their powers will be transferred from generation to generation."
"Wait, wait," Bei Li held up his hand, blinking twice. "You mean that they can't die from old age?"
Isago nodded.
"Holy heck! Isn't that more of a gift than a curse? Imagine retaining eternal beauty!" Bei Li gestured to himself and grinned smugly. "That would really make me a living portrait then!"
"I doubt beauty matters when you resemble a toddler," Adriano lowered his head. "My condolences to Reborn."
Isago pondered a bit, agreeing with both sides. After all, Reborn was one of the most important members of the Vongola.
"I do think of it as both a curse and a gift," Isago smiled. "If I had eternity, I would use it to achieve perfection."
"The toddler state is a pity," Bei Li crossed his legs with a yawn. "But it brings more advantages than disadvantages."
Bei Li was smart, no doubt. It was just that the teen carried more than a bit of laziness in his bones. But Isago knew that Bei Li would reap what he sowed if he lingered behind the group. Isago was curious to know how his lightning guardian would evolve once he realizes the fact that he was not special when put into a group of elites.
The rest of the ride was quiet, Isago finally taking a short nap after three days without sleeping.
(⊙ω⊙)
Isago woke up three hours later feeling like he had slept for decades. The corner of his mouth was dry as he moved groggily, glancing around to make sure that there was no one to witness his morning ugliness. Adriano was on the side, snoring with his mouth open. Bei Li was missing though, but Isago knew he was somewhere on the plane.
Isago felt the phone in his pocket buzz before yawning again, unbuckling his seatbelt and staggering to the nearest bathroom.
"How am I so handsome?"
Isago froze, mouth still containing the bits of bitterness from his sleep as he crept closer to the open stall that he was originally aiming for. Bei Li was there, standing in front of the mirror with both of his hands placed onto the sink and had an extremely grave expression on his face. His eyes were serious, turning his face to the side before he touched his jawline and examined it.
"Damn, I'm like the CEO of jawline."
Isago held back a snort, biting his lip hard as he listened to his narcissistic lightning guardian.
"Why can't there be two me's? I would totally marry myself since I'm the epitome of perfection," Bei Li leaned closer to the mirror, squinting. "Damn, I look good. This angle actually makes me look better…"
'You do you,' Isago fought back so hard against his laughing insides, twisting his heels to bolt down the other side of the corridor to not wake Adriano. The moment he reached the other side of the private plane, Isago wheezed, bursting into a fit of laughter as he slapped his hand onto the wall, trying to mimic Bei Li in a completely exaggerated way before instantly stopping with a frown.
It was a deliberate attempt to get rid of the tickling laughter in his stomach, but despite his efforts, his lips still curved up like a cat, still chuckling slightly. From an outside perspective, Isago looked like a hacking cat, trying to prevent anything from seeping out of his body.
After he finally calmed down, Isago pulled out his phone, peering down at the 64 missed calls from his muted brother and 1 call from Usagi. Yes, Isago did not change his phone number-he was too busy to. Instead, he chose a much easier way which was ultimately muting his brother. He didn't want to block Tsuna, just in case something actually happened, but the last time he checked his phone it was just before boarding the plane to Italy.
Isago clicked a few times on the pad, hearing Usagi's voicemail first.
"Isago, how are you doing? Erm-this is awkward, I don't usually call by phone. But don't overwork yourself. Other than that, I started utilizing my flames. It's really an out-of-mind experience now that I have tried it."
She paused.
"Okay, actually, I just really want to hear your voice but I know-"
"Isagooo, I think I can totally beat you now!"
Isago blinked at the sound of Aurelio's voice along with the sound of him snatching the entire phone out of Usagi's hand. In the back, he could hear Usagi's bubbling laughter of anger before a crash was heard and the start of a bunch of yelling.
"You can't catch me!" Aurelio cackled on the phone before yelling over some more. "I've started my flame training too, and guess what, I'll never need a shitty doctor ever again. I'm legit a walking healing potion-"
The voice was cut off by a chaotic scream and a bunch of yelps. Isago was grinning at his end of the line before the voicemail finally ended without anyone else following up. Aurelio was speaking perfect English the entire time.
"He learns fast," Isago whistled, completely awake now. His hand moved onto the other calls that were all from Tsuna, opening them one by one and listening.
"Isago- I'm sorry, I'm so sorry. Please come back- please! I know I'm a horrible older brother. I know I-"
Isago's expression didn't change as he clicked onto the next one. And the next one. And the next one. The first ten calls were of Tsuna's apologies, but if it was only apologies, then Isago thought Tsuna was being overly redundant. Then came the calls after their birthday.
They were twins, so of course, they felt attached to one another. But Tsuna was acting like a baby chick who lost his mother.
"Isago, today I met another baby," Tsuna's dry voice chuckled at the end. "I don't even think you're listening to this, but...this makes me feel better. Reborn has been going on about all the mafia stuff as usual, and apparently, he has added another child to the collection. I don't even know what he's thinking of- involving children in the mafia?"
Tsuna huffed.
"Her name is I-Pin, she came from China and now lives in our house. I just wanted to let you know in case you came back."
And on he went, describing his day. Isago narrowed his eyes in amusement. Did his brother actually turn his voicemail into a diary entry? Not that it was bad, because Tsuna was indirectly catching Isago up with everything that was happening-
But did that also mean that he could track down the cases happening in the Mukuro arc? Isago paused, still listening to Tsuna's other messages.
"Isago! Did you know what happened today? Reborn actually had the nerve to call over another mafia group! At least the boss was nice-his name is Dino and apparently-"
"Oh?" Isago's lips quivered. "Dino, isn't he the guy who was only useful if he had a subordinate beside him?"
Dino was from one of the famiglias that were allied with the Vongola. In the anime, he was the guy that served as a big brother figure towards Tsuna and his gang. Dino was also one of Reborn's former students. Isago really didn't know what to feel about all of this since he was missing out on Dino's official introduction and that Tsuna from the anime saw Dino as a brother.
It was conflicting.
But Isago ignored it.
In the first place, Isago was never supposed to be in the anime. His presence changed things for not the better or worse, in which he also decided to not touch Mukuro. Sure, Tsuna was able to update him on everything that was happening in the main timeline, but even if Isago got to Mukuro before Tsuna, there was a chance that Isago would lose if he didn't involve his own family in the battle.
Not to mention that Isago wasn't the protagonist and didn't have his entire 'I will save you from despair' speech. Yep, Isago decided to completely give up on Mukuro. He would rather have a loyal and hardworking guardian than an unpredictable subject.
"It's all Reborn's fault! We're stranded on a mountain and-"
It seemed so much like Reborn. He smiled lightly before listening to Tsuna call Reborn a spartan tutor. It was a bit overwhelming to hear all of that at once.
Isago drew out a long sigh after he had finished listening to all of Tsuna's messages. With a click of his pads, he deleted all of the messages. Isago only closed his phone heavily before shoving it back into his pocket and walking back to his seat as the plane rumbled in the sky a bit.
"My dear brother," Isago mumbled. "Such a pity we had to part ways."
(⊙ω⊙)
A few hours after landing, Bei Li had already shot off to the cities in Canada, enjoying his time with the limited credit card that Isago had given him. Of course, Isago could've given him the credit card that had no limit, but Bei Li seemed like the type to spend unnecessarily.
Isago sat in the hotel, blinking as he inserted some of his flames into the staff that Verde had given him. After Adriano's thorough check if the staff was fine, Isago was permitted to follow Verde's instructions.
The staff was more like a flame monitor. It was divided into three sections, the first one at the top was more like a lightbulb, round and had small circuits inside the seeming glass material. The second was a dashboard with basic controls that showed if it was full or empty. The third section was a handle that transferred Isago's flames into the ball.
Isago stared as his flames separated on the two circuits inside the ball, then merged back together into his Eternity flame. It was breathtaking. He lifted his head and studied the room, suddenly noticing Adriano's lack of presence. It was understandable because for the past few days Adriano had been conducting scans on this machine without taking a nap or sleep. Isago stood up and entered his flame state.
He followed the echo of Adriano's voice onto the balcony where he was talking in rapid Italian into his phone. Isago stood quietly, observing everything as it clicked that this was the moment he had been waiting for.
"[Yes, ninth. He had made a deal with Verde. Yes, I understand. Yes, I have done research on what the monitor was doing. The deal? Yes, it was-]" Adriano's eyes whizzed around when he heard a slight shuffle on the balcony. Isago was standing there with an expressionless face and leaning on the doorframe with his arms crossed over his chest.
The colour had slipped from Adriano's face as he excused himself with the ninth, instantly shutting his call and clearing his throat awkwardly. He had a very harried look and was sweating quite a bit. This was a sign of betrayal to Isago, and Adriano knew it well. The beads of liquid formed on top of his forehead as he hurriedly spoke his reason in English.
"That was- Isago, I was assigned-"
"I know," Isago smiled politely which seemed to make Adriano's voice crack into fevered apologies about how he knew it wasn't right without telling him and how it was his job to ensure Isago's safety.
"No, I don't blame you," Isago shook his head, raising up his hand to motion Adriano to stop his rambles. "I know this is to assure my progress to Ninth so that nothing unpredictable happens."
Adriano sighed a bit, eyes lingering on Isago's face in frazzled mortification and bitter joy.
"So you knew about the Cradle affair," Adriano tore his eyes away from Isago. "Did you conduct some research on the Vongola?"
"I figured that I needed to know the dark parts of the Vongola in order to become a good boss," Isago shrugged casually and closed his eyes. "Though I would have appreciated it if you had discussed it with me before I caught you red-handed."
There was both awe and humiliation that coloured Adriano's face this time. Isago could tell exactly what he was feeling because he had been studying Adriano ever since he arrived by Isago's side. Isago had already predicted that Adriano was reporting his every move to the ninth. That was why during the meeting in the Vongola base, Isago had asked Adriano to leave the room for private discussions.
It was because Isago showed no knowledge of Adriano being a spy for the ninth, nor any hints of betraying Vongola in general which was why Adriano had permitted them to have a secluded meeting. It was also because Adriano thought it was a test of his loyalty. Isago knew that, which was the first hint that confirmed that Adriano was reporting to the Vongola headquarters.
"I apologize," Adriano bowed a complete 90 degrees then stood straight. "I was afraid that you wouldn't agree."
Isago raised his eyebrows, "Adriano, you know that all my guardians are a bit too attached to me?"
Adriano mouthed an 'oh.' Isago had indirectly told him that he was the type to accept everything no matter if it was dark or ugly. He wasn't the type that didn't consider his subordinate's feelings or problems.
"I don't like secrets," Isago added, pushing Adriano's guilt even more. "Like the time with the Arcobaleno secret. I wasn't supposed to tell you because it would save me more questions from everyone else."
Isago gestured to Adriano who flinched.
"Verde too," Isago raised his other hand which had the staff and he shook it from side to side. "That's why I would like people who I trust to come clear with me."
"I- I apologize. I will tell you next time."
"If I have plans, I will tell you," Isago nodded calmly. "That way, it makes my work easier."
"Adriano," Isago called out lightly with a smile. Adriano raised his head to meet Isago's sparkling gaze. "I trust you. Remember that."
In contrast to his usual tone of voice, Isago's tone this time was heavy like lead. Isago turned around before Adriano could see anything on his face and smirked, knowing that Adriano was now his to use.
\(-ㅂ-)/
Reborn lifted his head from Baka Tsuna on the ground. Baka Tsuna had fainted halfway during his lesson when learning how to control his flame. Unlike Ragazzo who finished it in two days and trained on his own. Reborn frowned a bit, his mind wandering to his other student who he held high expectations for.
He wondered, only briefly, at how much that boy had improved at this time.
Reborn knew that Ragazzo would never be satisfied with his current state. At the very least, Ragazzo would be able to manipulate his flames past the 20-hour mark. However, there was the problem of Ragazzo's lasers mixed in with his flames.
Unlike Baka Tsuna who sprouted flames on his fists and could physically work with them, Ragazzo had to have a larger input of flames to produce his laser along with his body's usage of his flames.
Reborn's lips drew into a small frown as he looked at Baka Tsuna.
\(-ㅂ-)/
Isago had a feeling that he would find his rain guardian in Canada. He had a feeling that he would find the guardian today. He had a feeling that this guardian would be near the airport, where there was a magnificent view of the sea and rocky cliffs. Bei Li had waltzed off to the cities and Isago had assigned Adriano to look after him.
Isago had thought, that his lightning guardian would be the most problematic.
"Are you-suicidal?!" Isago wheezed, pulling the dark-skinned girl away from the cliff. The girl's thin frame shuddered, sobbing on the rocks as Isago stared at her, flabbergasted. The girl's hair was jet black but it wasn't long enough to flow in the wind. Her large eyes were red, squeezing them together before burying her head within her hands.
She didn't answer, but the sky had already answered for her, small droplets of rain falling down onto the ground, splattering it's wings and resembling a spiky circle.
Were all rain flames like this? Isago mildly remembered that Tsuna's rain guardian, Yamamoto, had also tried to throw himself off the school roof because he injured his arm and couldn't play on his baseball team anymore.
The girl gave a tight-lipped smile after wiping away her tears, pushing her hands on her knees as she tried to get up but wobbled before Isago shot up to support her. It seemed as if she sprained her foot. How was he supposed to solve this? Isago pondered a bit as the rain started to pour down on top of their heads.
"For now-" Isago winced at the waves that just crashed onto the Clift, drenching their entire lower halves. Isago grumbled a bit, scooping the girl up and carrying her to the nearest shelter. The girl flailed around, trying to push herself off of Isago and Isago's eye twitched. "Please stop! I'm just trying to help!"
"Then let me walk by myself!" Her thin voice spun out so suddenly that it surprised Isago. He sighed, closing his eyes before carefully letting her out of his arms. She limped a bit, staggering from side to side as Isago fought the urge to point out that the reason why he picked her up would be this.
"Just-" Isago sighed, closing the small distance he placed between him and her and gestured to his neck. "Put your arm around my neck."
She was extremely reluctant, regarded Isago's arm for a moment then finally leaned on him when a flash of lightning drummed across the sky. Isago smiled politely, mind on the lightning as if intrigued. He had never seen lightning close before. Usually, when he did, it only flashed in the sky.
"Thank you," the girl lowered her head and glanced guiltily for Isago's soaked clothes.
"You owe me an explanation for this," Isago said, gazing back at the gorgeous girl. There was an aura about her-something that just calmed him down just by hearing her voice. Was this her rain flame? When they reached the nearest shelter- which was a bus stop, Isago helped her down and drew out his own flame to dry out his clothes.
The girl stared with wide eyes, not daring to point out that fire literally sprouted from Isago's hand and that Isago seemed completely used to it. After drying his clothes, he lifted his head and gestured to the flame in his other hand.
"Would you like to dry yourself? There will be no touching, no burning, and if you want, I can close my eyes."
She eyed the flame a moment, shaking her head as a no. Isago noted that she was quite stubborn. It would be extremely awkward, him standing dry while she was still completely drenched when he knew away. Not to mention that she was his potential guardian.
"Please," Isago knelt down and looked at her softly. "I feel bad if I leave you wet. If you don't want help, then think of this as helping me because I feel guilty for not helping you when I can."
She froze from Isago's actions, clearing her throat as if she was embarrassed before slowly nodding.
"Please," she thanked him.
Isago worked carefully, staring at his flame which glowed brighter near its similar flame. There was a special thing about flames that came from the life force. The stronger the resolution, the clearer the flame, and the more you could do with the flame. Flame users could choose whether or not they wanted the flame to act destructively, or only contain some of a fire's abilities.
In the anime, Xanxus had used his flames to melt iron, so Isago naturally thought that he was able to create a flame that had the same warmth but had no destructive purposes. This was his first time doing it, and it had worked exceptionally well for his first time. The girl marvelled at the power Isago held in his hands, a bit entranced but shook her head to break off the spell. Her expression was so pure that it made Isago slightly chuckle. Definitely, this girl seemed more like the steady type.
"My name is Isago Sawada," Isago said without tearing his eyes away from his work. "May I ask for your name?"
"Thadeka," she thanked him again after he finished, fascinated with her dried clothes as she kept on touching them. Isago smiled, shaking his head as he took a seat next to her and watched the rainfall in heavy droplets. Silence rang out in the open, flooding the bus stop, but for some reason the silence was comforting.
Both of them knew that they didn't have to speak up unless they didn't want to, and they also knew that the other person didn't mind hearing only the echo of the puddles. The sky was gray, fluffy clouds now looked heavy in the sky, soaking up the tears from the rain.
"Thadeka, why do you not want to live?"
She blinked, swallowing thickly. Isago could tell that she wasn't the type to open her mouth, so he shifted a bit on his seat and turned towards her with sincere eyes. "I could serve as a listening ear to your worries. I promise I won't laugh or mock you."
To enforce his point, Isago drew out his flame again, eyes blazing red as they flickered in his hands. "If it makes you more comfortable, I can share my own secret with you."
Thadeka's chest heaved up and down before croaking out a wet sigh, biting her lip. It felt as if she was trying to convince herself to get it off of her chest.
"It's long. Would you still want to hear?"
"Always."
(⊙ω⊙)
Thadeka's black doe eyes slid towards the expanding puddles outside of the stop while she opened her mouth. It was weird, she knew it herself. How she felt as if she could pour her heart out to a stranger. A man too.
Follow the one whose eyes blaze as red as his ambition and will. Guide him like the sea, because that is your fate.
Her mom's last words echoed in her mind. It was her mom's last prediction for Thadeka. Her mom was a fortune teller in the past. Glancing a bit at the boy beside her, Thadeka really didn't know if she could trust her mom's prediction. After all, the boy seemed much younger than her. But before that, she just really wanted for someone to hear her.
"I had a family," she started, tears brimming on the edges of her eyes. "Papa, mama, my brother, and me. We were immigrants who came to America years ago in hopes of a better life. We walked past borders and even though we faced racial discrimination, we preserved. Those were tough times."
Thadeka sniffed, lifting her head up towards the sky as she kissed her fingers, sending them up like a prayer. This was a prayer that her parents had taught to her ever since she was a baby. "Life was hard being us. My brother he was-"
"-he was accused of breaking into a house when he really only mistook the house for ours. The woman in the house had called the police, and when they came-they didn't even-"
A cry escaped her lips and Isago lowered his head in silence. She missed her brother. Her shoulders started trembling along with her cracked voice which echoed in the air. She could picture the dead body of her brother when it was reported on the news as a burglar who tried to break into the house. The gunshots that she heard that night were terrifying. Thadeka clenched her stomach, feeling a wave of nausea. What was worse was that she was the only one who could have prevented her brother's death.
She was the one who didn't tell him where the key was to get back at him. It was a harmless prank, but it cost the life of her brother. Her fingers were deathly pale as she clutched them in front of her chest.
'I'm so sorry,' Thadeka whispered in her mind. 'I am...I wish I could have protected all of you.'
"My condolences," Isago's voice was quiet, the rain almost overpowering his words but Thadeka shook her head, wiping away her tears.
"Papa tried to avenge Amahle, but even in court," Thadeka's hands shook on her face, trying to press down her rising voice. "They were against us. They hated us because we were different. Because we had a different colour-but we placed it behind us."
The unanimous vote from the twelve juries is that Amahle is guilty!
The voices of the court still rang fresh in her head. It was just like what her mother had said to papa before he entered the court and tried fighting for his son's justice. Her mother had warned papa, that she had a bad feeling and that stepping into the court filled with bad luck. But Thadeka's father didn't listen.
She went on, memories crashing in and leaving wounds on her mind. The gazes that were directed at them, like they were bugs. The looks on their faces when they stepped into any building that was not their house. They burned-scorched their skin. Words tumbled out of Thadeka's mouth bit by bit, then vomited out like a waterfall.
How her father lost the case and was placed in jail because of him being under suspect for assisting his son in trespassing and potential murder. Her mother fell ill due to all the stress and her family broke apart because of the law. Because of the prejudices against them. Her father died mysteriously inside his cell and her mother died today which pushed her to the brink of crumbling. Isago listened to her story for hours, not interrupting at all as he took in her world.
Thedeka felt calm despite all her internal roaring and crying. She was thankful that this stranger had sat down to listen to her. She felt as if she was heard. The rain had cleared up, the sun starting to shine through the gloomy clouds and showing a bit of the dark blue sky.
"All we wanted was to protect ourselves from this world," Thadeka clenched her hands, crystal tears falling from her already wet cheeks. "All I wanted was a place that my family could live in- is that so hard?"
It wasn't fair. But what could she do?
The piercing and judgemental stares. They scared Thadeka to the core. Everyone who approached her saw her as a liability. They saw her only as dirt.
She didn't want revenge. She didn't want to cause a revolution because she knew that she was alone. That she didn't have enough power to do anything about it. She just wanted to protect her family. Isago's eyes shifted to the girl's dry and cracked hands, and Thadeka could see his face wince.
"I had a family," she repeated. "But not anymore. I can't live by myself anymore."
Throughout the whole thing, she never swore once. She wasn't angry with the world. She couldn't help it because that was how the world revolved. She was alone. Her brother, her father, and even her mother were gone.
"At the end," her voice quivered as she smiled strongly. "I think I just wanted something to protect."
She had no goal. She was empty. There was this constant void inside her that was telling her to just end it because it was too tiring. She had lost everything. Thadeka swallowed, knowing that her wishes were so cowardly unlike what her father had taught her. But she was crumbling inside. It was so cold.
"Then," the boy spoke up after a long time, gazing into her eyes. His red eyes were crystal clear and there was something glimmering inside of them. Just like how her mother had told her. The one with red eyes blazing with ambition. There was something that moved in her heart. He didn't see her with malicious intent in his eyes. They were glimmering with sincerity.
"Shall I give you a family?"
Thadeka froze.
"I should tell you a secret of my own," Isago said a bit lighter, smiling at her. "When I first aimed for Vongola Decimo, I was really just wanting the position because I thought it was cool."
Thadeka had no idea what Vongola Decimo was, but she listened.
"But while I grew up, I realized that I had so many chances in the past that I threw away. The position became my regret. A way to atone for my losses in my past," Isago breathed. "But then I met my first guardian. Usagi, the blunt girl who was abused by her relatives and called ugly because of her ambition."
"I wanted to prove that women weren't only limited to being a housewife. I wanted to prove that ambition did not lead to a person's destruction. I wanted to prove them all wrong."
His words hit Thadeka hard in the stomach.
"Then I realized that there must be more people that are similar like me. So I wanted to become a boss who could find all those who hide because of their own greed. I wanted to show the world that they weren't people to be scorned. After, I met Aurelio."
Isago gave a slight chuckle.
"He's thirsty for knowledge. So much that I realized that he was a genius and that most kids in the slums were like him too. They had no future because they didn't have enough resources to give them a future. That made me realize exactly how lucky I was to be born as one of the successors to the Vongola."
"Then came my lightning. So desperate to be needed. So pressured by his family to do well that he was swimming near the deep waters. So foolish yet so lazy."
Isago shook his head, staring at his fingers that were flexing because they felt tight.
"I want to protect everyone under me because they are the reason I have learned. I want to make an impact on the world so that everyone I bring will never be forgotten." Isago's red eyes flickered to meet hers. "But there will be blood."
"My family will welcome you with open arms," Isago's voice was full of sincerity. "Will you allow me to protect you in trade for your protection?"
Follow the one whose eyes blaze as red as his ambition and will. Guide him like the sea, because that is your fate.
Thadeka's heart thudded, almost flying out of her chest. Her mother was always correct. From Isago's words, she could tell that he was someone important. Someone who would become important in history. For someone like her to be following him...she wanted to protect his ambitions. His wishes.
His goals.
"Yes," Thadeka's eyes teared up again, lungs scratching against each other because she had overused them. Her lips were cracked, a dry mouth that probably smelled- but Isago didn't have a single hint of disgust on his face. "Please, let me protect your family."
"Our family," Isago smiled brightly, standing up and extending his hand towards her. She accepted it, finally finding something that she could do. And in return, her rain was bound to his sky.