DISCLAIMER I DO NOT OWN KATEKYO HITMAN REBORN

'What is that girl doing?' Squalo thought to himself. Currently he was watching their new hostage trying to sneak around the base. Having his room next to her's he easily heard her leaving. He had been following her for a good amount of time now without her realizing.

Watching Natsuki made him somewhat aware of her skills. She was too unpolished but with a lot of potential. She could hear when random members were coming and was able to hide from them. However, she wasn't able to tell that Squalo had been following her. Physically speaking her body was ideal for their line of work. It showed years of training and proper care.

Squalo was only going to observe her until he saw that she was trying to leave the building through one of the side doors. He didn't have to question why she was trying to escape. She was dragged out from her only home after the murder of her adopted family. Not exactly the warm welcome to her prisoner life.

He prepared himself to force her back when she suddenly turned in his direction. He was able to hide himself behind another wall just in time for her to not catch him.

"Huh? Must have been my imagination." She mumbled to herself.

Both this and yesterday showed that she definitely had the Blood of Vongola. Her flames were too weak compared to his Boss'. She had little to no control over it that it drained her fast. A product of them neglecting to work on that part of her. Same goes for her intuition. It was almost hard to believe that she was Ninth's remaining child with how little she focused on the one unique thing about her.

He rushed after her. He couldn't let her out of his sights. If anyone found out that she managed to escape after only one day, their Boss would have all their heads. Squalo was the one who knew what lengths he would through to be Vongola Decimo. That girl was going to be the key to getting the rings.

Following after her he found that instead of running away she was standing at the starting line of a track circle. Natsuki still hadn't seen him as she continued her stretches. As long as he didn't pose a threat, her intuition didn't warn her. It made him curious of the limit on her skills. If she had proper training she would be fit to be Decimo.

Squalo walked up to her in clear view. Natsuki stiffen up but still bowed to him. "G-good morning Squalo-sama. How may I assist you?"

"You do morning training everyday?"

"Yes, I'll feel too tense if I don't. Is this a problem? I'm still on Varia grounds so I thought that I would be okay and I didn't want to wake anyone to accompany me. I guess I'm raising suspicions by being by myself. Especially a day after my kidnapping. Often prisoners will try to strengthen themselves up in their cells in plans to break out. But I'm not trying to escape I should clarify! Not like I have much of a place to go to. Maybe find-"

"VOOOOOI WILL YOU SHUT UP?!" She quickly clamped down. He sighed loudly. "I asked a yes or no question that's all. You don't have to talk so much. Understand?!"

She nodded with her shrinking down a little. Bel did mention that she was a nervous talker. A show of her trying to find the right answer. He didn't know what was more annoying. Her babbling on or having to give her clear instructions in order to avoid that. As someone that was very outspoken, he couldn't understand her way of thinking.

"Do you weapons or are you purely close combat? Don't over word yourself."

"I have my own bow and arrow but I am okay in close combat."

"Wait here." Squalo left her to go back to her room. She probably left her weapons behind to avoid having more accusations thrown on her.

Natsuki's room was barren. Bel did take her unconscious that she didn't have a lot of possessions. The only thing that was her's was her weapons. A foldable bow and a small amount of arrows with twisted heads. Looking at them closer he could tell that she barely used them. She lived a very protected life that didn't require her to fight.

Going back to the training ground she didn't think to try running away. He handed her the weapons. She hesitated in taking them into her hands.

"Is this okay? I'm a hostage. Giving me something to help fight my way probably isn't the best plan. I don't know how Xanxus-sama will react." He pushed it onto her.

"It's fine! If Boss complains I'll deal with it!"

"O-okay." She strapped on the quiver onto her back.

"A race against time. Hold your ground for one minute."

"A race? What do yo-" She didn't finish her sentence before he attached on his sword and slashed at her.

In Bel's report he said that she was able to take out a few of his men easily. If they were going to be watching over her, for how ever long they were, they had to know exactly what she was capable of. And the only time he's seen her confident was when her fighting instincts came in.

He could see her sliver eyes sharpen as she blocked the attack. Squalo smirked finally seeing her get serious. Natsuki didn't take the hit straight on. She was already leaning back far enough that the bow was as a buffer shield. Years of experience told him that her mind was clear. For someone that was protected her whole life, she had the mind of an assassin.

Rolling backwards she managed to put distance between them. She crouched down with an arrow pulling the bow string back. She gave him one second as a way to tell him to recall his statement before releasing the string. He cut those out of the air, rushing forward to her.

She knew that she didn't stand a chance against him. Not only was his weapon incompatible with her's, he had a better physic, more experience, and overall just was more prepared for anything that was thrown at him. The Celeste famiglia is- was - known for machinery and tacticians, not for combat. Natsuki was at a disadvantage.

Charging at her once more she kept an arrow on the string. He held his sword up so that they could clash when she suddenly removed the arrow and spun around him. The position threw him off that she wanted to shoot him at a close range.

She took the arrow behind him, attempting to at least hit him in the back. He was still faster and blocked it with his sword. Seeing that her plan failed she had to quickly come up with something else that keeps her unhurt. One hit was all he needed to take her out. Her only options were to keep running or to face him head on. The first one not being possible. The latter not favourable. The latter it is then.

Natsuki dropped the arrow, throwing the bow over his head. Using their height difference she was able to choke him slightly. He grabbed the weapon, flipping her forward. She landed on her feet. Readjusting her hold on her bow she pushed it back against his throat.

It was dangerous to be so close to him but she realized she did have one advantage. Squalo couldn't kill her. With this close distance and how large his sword was, it would be hard for him to do damage that wouldn't kill her.

He still could hurt her though. He elbowed her with enough force for her to let go. There was no time between for her to reaction as he knocked her off her feet, stomping once on her chest.

"That's time." He removed the bow off his neck and handed it back to her coughing for air. She weakly took it.

"Can I ask... What this was for?"

"You do training every morning. I'm going to be supervising that from now on." After fighting her he was sure of it. She was not normal. Varia always welcomed fighters that were abnormal.

As time passed Squalo and Natsuki got on good terms. She never complained about his training methods and was quick to pick up everything. Some days they would fight with their weapons, switch to their hands, he would even teach her about mafia dynamics and what she needed to know as Vongola Ninth's daughter. This went on for half a year.

Today, they were going to do the same when Squalo caught the flu. Currently the two of them and Lussuria were attending to him in his room.

"VOOOOI I CAN STILL-" He cut himself off with heavy coughs.

Natsuki carefully pushed him to lie back onto his bed. "Please Squalo-sama you need to rest. You're only making your fever run higher."

"She's right, Squ-chan. I can go on this mission myself. Your health should come first."

Squalo was one of those types of people that didn't get sick often but when he did he was close to death. Didn't work well with today as he had a mission to go on with Lussuria. They had to practically tie him down to his bed in order to get him to drink some medicine. His stubbornness didn't stop at that as he was determined to go on this job.

"I was hired! I will go myself!"

"I'll talk to the employer. You don't need to worry about it. As long as I complete it, they won't care."

"I CARE!" Lussuria sighed. He looked at Natsuki for some support. She was caught in the middle. She did want him to rest but understood that his priority was in doing what he was hired for.

Lussuria couldn't force her to speak since he knew her way of thinking. "Then how about you sleep first? We're not suppose to leave for another few hours. I'll wake you up before leaving."

Squalo wanted to fight back but could feel every muscle in his body screaming at him. "Fine. But you better wake me up!"

"Yes yes now sleep. Nat-chan, let's leave him be for now." Lussuria gently pushed her out of the room. She followed him over to the common area.

"As expected of you to be able to settle him down. I hope you two do well on your mission. His condition is pretty bad that I don't think a short nap is going to be enough to bring him back to full health."

"I know. That's why you're going to fill his spot in today!" She stood still for a second.

"Me? Oh no no. I can't. I- I- Fill in for Squalo-sama? That's too much. I'm not to his level. Not by a long shot."

"What are you talking about? You'll do just fine."

"B-But what about Xanxus-sama? Should we ask for permission beforehand? What if something goes wrong? I'm not a member so I'll get some attention. What if someone recognizes me? Is that even possible? I'm suppose to be dead though so I doubt it. And technically I am leaving grounds with one of the officers so I am following his rules-"

"Yes that's the way of thinking! Besides this mission will be a piece of cake. Don't worry I'll take care of everything."

"I don't know Lussuria. Maybe you should take Levi or Bel. They seemed free last I saw. Shall I go get them?"

"Going with them is no fun. I understand that you're scared but aren't you a bit bored being trapped in here 24/7?" She continued showed hesitance. Going with him shopping was one thing. Joining him on a mission was completely different.

"I mean- I don't- My life before this wasn't very adventurous to say. I'm grateful enough that Squalo-sama and Mammon take their time to teach me things. And I'm even more grateful that I'm not trapped in a jail cell as a hostage. I shouldn't push my chances." Her last words were repeating Xanxus's warning.

He patted her on the head. "I get it. Wait here for a minute."

Lussuria ran out of the room. Natsuki sat there looking around the room. She was often left alone in HQ while the members went on missions. Times like this reminded her that she shouldn't be enjoying her time here. Remain a perfect puppet that listens to what is told. That's how she'll go through life. She was use to it.

He soon came back with a black plastic mask in one hand and a Varia jacket in the other. "Here, wear these. If you do, then no one will see your face and will assume you're another member. Wearing face coverings isn't anything new. You can leave all the talking to me!"

"But I-"

"Nat-chan, I'm saying this as a Varia officer. You're coming on this mission." A cheap move on his part to use his ranking over her but it was working. She wasn't going to fight back against him. He needed to show her that there was more to her than just being a hostage.

"Alright... I'll go."

Squalo opened his heavy eyes. His head still hurt like crazy but at least his body didn't feel like it was lit on fire. He held his head up as he forced himself to sit up.

"Ah Squalo-sama do you need anything?"

"Water." He said with a scratchy voice. Natsuki handed him a cup she prepared beforehand. After drinking some he gave it back to her. By that time Lussuria hand returned with some food.

"Oh Squ-chan, you're up. Perfect timing."

"How long was I out?" He took the food onto his lap.

"Roughly over 16 hours."

"WHAT?!" He moved suddenly that almost knocked the bowl over. Luckily Natsuki had grabbed at it before anything spilled out. "WHAT ABOUT OUR MISSION?! I TOLD YOU TO WAKE ME UP!"

"S-Squalo-sama you're still sick."

"Don't worry about the mission I already did it. Aren't you proud of me? I even took Nat-chan with me to show her the ropes."

"YOU DID WHAT?! I expected this from you, Lussuria. But you?! What were you thinking?! Our job is not something you can play around with! What if you got hurt?! Do you realize who would get the punishment?! You! That's who!" Natsuki shrunk down. This was exactly why she didn't want to go. She hated and was scared of the feeling of being scolded.

"I apolo-"

"Now hold on there. I was the one who dragged you to come so there's no need for you to be sorry. Squalo, if there's anyone that you should be yelling at it's me."

"Trust me. I was going to get to you as well. Did your hair dye chemicals finally seep through your skull?! Boss said-"

"Boss said we can do whatever we want with her and she has to listen. I wanted to take her with me. Not only did she follow his rules, she completed the mission with flying colours. See for yourself." He threw down pictures he took at the scene.

All of them had multiple bodies pierced with her arrows. Squalo inspected a few of the pictures. It was clearly her work rather than Lussuria's. From the pictures and that she was without a scratch next to him, he saw that she was capable beyond what his teachings.

"How did you feel when you did this?"

"Um I didn't really feel anything. Lussuria told me what to do and I did it. It's not like they were good people anyways. I already have blood on my hands that more people added to the list doesn't bother me." Some say that people who turned killers have something wrong with their heads. For Natsuki this was only fate. How she was raised, the circumstances to her birth, her current situation, everything almost pushed her to be an assassin. A mafioso.

Squalo groaned loudly. "Luss, where's Boss right now?"

"Last I saw he was in his office."

"I'm going to tell him about what you two did today. Got it?" She gave a solemn bow to signal that she understood. "And I'm going to tell him I want you to be a Varia member."

She shot her eyes between him and the smug smiled Lussuria. "Ehh?! Are you serious? Me becoming a Varia member? Aren't all of members held to a high standard? Are you sure I meet that?"

"I can't promise how he'll react though. Most likely you'll be put under Bel or I's squadron. Maybe even Mammon's. Using an alias will help out too. But you're ready for it. That's a certain."

Natsuki felt chills the way they both looked at her. She straightened herself to properly accept the offer. "Yes! Thank you very much!"

Mammon wasn't really sure why he agreed to teach Natsuki illusions. It was a difficult practice that not everyone had talent for. Maybe it was because she showed a genuine interest that was key for illusionists. There was also her intuition that made it a bit easier in her sense. In the end, 90 percent of the reason went down to her payments.

Ever since Squalo recommend her to be a Varia member she had been quickly rising in ranks. Now she leads her own squadron under the persona of Haunting Shadows. A masked assassin with zero background. Not only was her being masked give her attention, she had a near perfect job succession rate.

Training started out as her merely watching him. She always watched him intently and listened to everything that he told her. Her obedience made her an interesting subject to him. Slowly he gave in to the idea teaching her beyond basics. Like everything else thrown at her, she picked up on it easily.

Natsuki's illusions were fairly good for their short time together. No way they were going to fool anyone that was previously exposed to illusions but they were getting better with each session they did. Her main problem was in her control and how long she could hold it. The more realistic they were, the more it exhausted her.

He couldn't place his finger on why though. It was like her power wasn't her own at times. He had only felt this from his pacifier. Yet not exactly the same. He could blame it on her blood. The moment he saw Vongola Ninth's flames he knew that his boss wasn't the true son. As an Arcobaleno he was aware of the Tri-Ni-Sette and that Xanxus will not be able to fully inherit the rings.

Part of him wondered if that was a step of his boss' master plan. Having her own the rings but him having the title of Decimo. That being said its not like he knew the logistics of the connection between his pacifier and her blood line. Nor could he care less about it.

Mammon looked around the training room slowly dropping with snow flakes. The large room was working against her that she could barely dropped the temperature enough to keep the snow long lasting. Natsuki's breaths became more ridged the longer they continued this session. She didn't even last a minute.

"Let's end it here. You're pushing yourself again."

"Alright..." The snow disappeared causing her to collapse onto the floor. He floated over to her. Though he didn't care much for her condition, he didn't need her dying under his care.

"Sorry... Just give me a second..."

"Have you practiced your flames at all?"

"Prior to coming here? A bit here and there. Not in large quantities I should say. There were times that I even forgot about them because of how little I used them. They do come to me naturally though. Even without training I didn't find it hard to be able to create one. Haven't really found a way to use it for my benefit like Xanxus-sama. He's on a completely different level than I." He waited until she slowly died off her rants. Once she completed the task she reverted back to her shy self; waiting for his next instruction.

"Short answer being no."

"Yes..."

"That could explain your stamina with this. Previous Vongola descendants always had a natural affinity to use their flames. Illusions is all about the mind, your flames the same."

"You know about my flames? How I can control them?"

"More or less. How much about the Arcobaleno are you aware of?" It was highly unlikely that the Celeste taught her about the Tri-Ni-Sette. Not many knew about it. Natsuki did give off the feeling similar to the Sky Arcobaleno. Something more powerful.

"The world's seven strongest babies. Squalo-sama told me that you were a part of that. Explains why you're a child with the mind and skills of an adult. Not really anything more. Didn't sound like he even knew himself. To be honest I don't think even you know."

"Hyper intuition tell you?"

"My flames did. Though you are doing something to block that connection. Your powers they feel... Restricted." His suspicions about her were correct. There was something connecting her to his powers. And for someone wanting to break his curse, he was desperate to find any clue he can.

He dropped the chain covering his pacifier. Her eyes widen. "What is that?"

"A sign of my cursed status." Fantasma jumped off of him onto her shoulder. He was sensitive to his master's emotions that he didn't want to be near him whenever he talked about his curse.

The day of the fated, Mammon would give anything to rewind that. His body was no longer felt like his own. He was given a role that he never asked for. No one took him seriously. Perhaps it was his fate to die a gruesome death for all his greedy desires and black magic games he enjoyed. His pacifier was as cursed as he was.

"Cursed? But it's such a beautiful item."

His breathed hitched a little as she stared at the pacifier. "Beautiful?"

"Yes." She hovered her hand over it. "You feel it too, don't you? The incredible amount of power coming off of it? Yet it's still so fragile and clear. It feels like a living soul."

They were so close to each other. This was one of those rare times where Natsuki didn't feel nervous around him. She didn't even notice as she was so fixated on the item. He looked into her silver eyes. For a quick second he thought he could see them flash orange and white. She had a lot of power in her.

He had to admit, this was the first time he heard any call his pacifier beautiful. Not very often the assassin would receive compliments.

"I don't feel anything from it."

"You're lying."

"Your flames tell you that?"

"My intuition." They heard Fantasma croak slightly like he was laughing. She scratched him on the head, leaning away from Mammon.

"So tell me, if your intuition is saying I'm lying, then what's the truth?"

"You're scared. Or overwhelmed. I can imagine the role comes with a lot of responsibilities. That can be a lot to handle. You chain it up and hide it under your cloak. That shows enough about how you feel about it." She snapped herself about of it. "I mean that's just what I think! Not like I know anything about you. Or what you've gone through."

He could tell that she was referring to herself for a bit. She was only here because of her blood. A position she never asked for. Even prior to knowing her background, he knew that she was crushed by the pressure from the Celeste to be the future Decimo. She didn't use her flames like he didn't want to use his pacifier. Wanting to hide that part of them that reminded them that they were weaker than they admitted.

"Would you prefer if you never found out about your father?" Would he prefer not to become an Arcobaleno?

"Hmmm I'm not sure. Even now there's still a part of me that I feel like I don't know about. But when I found out about Mistress Celeste and the whole Mafia deal, I started to understand a few things. Both positive and negative points that I'm in the middle for that answer. I-Is that okay?"

'Strange such a powerful girl is burden by a weak mind.' She shivered. She still wasn't use to Fantasma communicating via telepathy.

"I'm trying to improve that. Thanks I suppose."

'Master, did you have answer to the question?' Mammon didn't. Hearing her answer, he hoped that she would change his mind. Make him see why the man in the iron hat choose him and the other six to bare the role. Though she didn't clear his head it did bring him some ease. Maybe because she was just as lost as he was.

"We can't change it now. At least you're paying me to supervise you in training." He took a few steps away from her. "I suppose your answer was sufficient. My chain is already off so I might as well us some of it's power."

He floated upwards. She glanced at Fantasma who, she hoped would explain what his master meant by that. Mammon held his hands up as his pacifier shined a brilliant indigo light.

"Viper mirage!"

In the blink of the eye the entire room turned into a winter wonderland. This made her snow from earlier children's play. It wasn't just that the room was covered in snow. He made it appear like they transported to the mountains. No walls could be seen, only a view that showed the horizon.

Natsuki bent down to pick up some snow. She smiled to herself feeling the coldness. "This is the full extent of his power?"

'He's only getting started.'

"Amazing." She knew that he was strong but this blew everything out of the water. She always trained and improved in combat but illusions were entirely new that she couldn't begin to explain how interesting it all was. The best person to teach her flying above her.

Mammon looked back down to her playing with the snow. She was laughing to herself as if she's never seen the solid water before. His illusions were primarily used to kill and deceive. Using them this way to entertain her was weird. He didn't regret it though. He'll let this go without payment only once.