Dinner was interesting. Half way through, they were all devouring meat like they were hungry lions. Though, it was impressive they still kept their manners. I mostly watched them eat so much versus eating my own plate.

"So, Shiori, what's school like here?" Lussuria questioned me with honest interest.

"It's like any other school but with uniforms that change depending on where you study."

"That sounds boring. Where did you study in Italy?" Lussuria kept asking questions.

"I studied in northern Italy."

"Have you studied in any other country?"

I put my utensils down and hummed. There were so many places I had to count on my fingers. "There was America, Canada, Italy, and Spain. I almost studied in Russia, but I decided to stay in Japan."

"I'm so glad you decided to stay. We would have been lost forever."

"I'm sure you would have figured things out eventually." I commented, putting a piece of meat in my mouth. It was the best meat I've ever had in my life.

"Still, that's impressive to have studied in so many places at such a young age."

"It's…something alright." I said quietly. It wasn't like I hated it. I was hardly around my parents. I knew they wanted to best for me, but sometimes I just wanted to shake them. It was frustrating.

"You must have friends all over the world then."

"Well…" I said softly.

"You didn't make any friends?" Lussuria questioned.

"I don't have any." Everyone at the table stopped eating when they heard me. They looked at me with some surprise.

"You don't have any?" Levi questioned quietly.

"No. Is it that surprising?" I asked, tilting my head with hopes it'll make them stop staring. It wasn't working well. Only Xanxus resumed eating.

"You're a pleasant person to be around. We're just shocked someone like you doesn't have any friends." Lussuria said with a frown.

"I'm mostly ignored." I replied.

"Why?" Bel asked.

"I'm too plain. I can blend in with any crowd and not be found."

"That has its benefits too." Lussuria said positively. He was trying to make light of everything.

"I'm well aware of the benefits." After being chased, I'm actually happy I can blend in. Those idiots could walk right past me when I take my ribbon off. Practically anyone can.

"Is there anything interesting about you?" Bel asked me.

"I wouldn't consider myself interesting."

I was just bringing down the mood. I had a feeling this would happen since it happens quite often. This was why I didn't want to eat with everyone. I tend to do that to any mood. Maybe that was my real super power other than blending in. When we finished dinner, we started walking around the streets. It was already dark out. How will I get home now? I looked at my phone and saw just how late it was. My parents weren't worried about me when they should be. I should have at least a message or two.

"What shall we do now, Shiori?" Lussuria asked, putting his hands on my shoulders.

"Well, I was hoping to go home."

"Don't you live two hours away?" He asked.

"I do."

"If you want to go home, I will bring you home. After all, the trains are all down for the night." I turned my attention back to that man. His younger brother wasn't with him.

"Look at that, Shiori. He's willing to help." Lussuria said happily.

"I refuse." I spat out.

"Huh?" Lussuria and his friends were confused at my answer.

"I gave you my answer earlier. It seems like you have the inability to listen as well." I said. He turned his back to me.

"I hope you won't get too hurt, little bird. I'll only clip those wings of yours tonight as a warning. I'll make sure you won't be able to fly anymore." He walked away.

"What was that about?" Squalo asked me.

Quietly, I started to stretch before fixing my breathing. I'll need to be on my A-game tonight to survive until the trains reopen. I do know the area quite well, so hiding won't be an issue. "Shiori?" I needed to get out of here quickly. He won't go easy on me or will give me time to run. I'm sure his men are already around.

"I'm sorry. I need to run." I said with a small smile.

"Is he after you?" Squalo questioned.

"Unfortunately."

"Why?"

I shrugged my shoulders. "I have no clue, but he's been after me for a while. He wants to talk to me but refuses to tell me about what."

"Why not just talk to him?" Bel asked.

I turned to him with a frown. "He tried to kidnap me once before. Why would I want to talk to someone like that?"

"Do you want us to help?" Squalo asked.

I tilted my head with confusion. I'm not sure how they'd help me. "I'm not sure what you can do, but I think I can handle things myself. I do have a special ability after all."

"You do?"

I took the ribbon out of my hair with a small smile. "I can walk all the way home as long as I'm like this." "Won't they recognize you?" That's when men ran past me. "See? I blend into any crowd well."

"You can stay with us for the night. We can protect you." Lussuria said seriously.

"That's okay but thank you for the kind offer. I'd rather not get you all involved in my business. I'd be too worried you'd get hurt on my behalf."

"What if you get hurt and kidnapped?" He asked.

"If that happens, it's my own fault for not being able to get away." I gave them a small bow. "I hope you find your hotel in Tokyo by tomorrow. The first train leaves here at five in the morning."

The Varia watched Shiori walk away from them. "I almost feel bad for her." Levi spoke quietly.

"I want to follow her." Lussuria said with his motherly voice. Squalo looked at Xanxus. He seemed in a daze.

"Xanxus." Squalo called out.

"What?"

"What should we do?" Squalo asked.

"Do whatever you want." They all gasped with shock. Did Xanxus, one of the most terrifying men in the mafia, not mind Shiori?

"Let's follow her! The poor thing is defenseless and weak against men." The Varia started following, however, lost her trace pretty quickly. The only one it surprised was Squalo. Xanxus started to lead the group.

"VOI! Do you even know where you're going?" Squalo yelled at Xanxus.

Xanxus ignored him and kept walking, as if being pulled in a certain direction. Lussuria was the only one who was interested in this. Xanxus never had tolerance for anyone and yet didn't say a word against Shiori. In fact, he's the one leading them to her. They heard a commotion and knew they were close. A couple more steps later, they saw Shiori at the top of a swing set kicking away the men climbing towards her.

"Just come down, little bird. We won't hurt you too bad." A man said.

"Go to hell, trash!" Shiori yelled, kicking a man in the head. He fell onto his back and didn't get up.

They looked at Xanxus. "She picked up on that without you even saying that." Bel said with a snicker.

Shiori stood up and walked to the other side and sat down. The men were losing their patience and started climbing both sides. Shiori was trapped. Once they got near her, she did the unthinkable and jumped from that height. She landed and tumbled. Getting right back up, Shiori looked up.

"Idiots. With that weight…" The entire piece of equipment fell to the ground. "With that weight, it'll break." Some got back up and glared at Shiori. "Oh, come on! Why can't you leave me alone?"

"You insulted our family."

"I did for a good reason. You use distorted logic and manipulation to force others to go along with it. It's honestly disgusting. I refuse to follow anything you scum want me to do." Shiori explained with a scoff. She seemed different than when she was with the Varia.

Someone was coming up behind her. For some reason, she was able to duck right before she was hurt. She elbowed him in the stomach and kicked him as hard as she could.

"She has a strong intuition." A voice in the shadow said.

"Mammon!"

"Where were you?" Bel asked.

"I was taking out our target in Tokyo while you lot had a vacation."

"Levi here got us lost." Bel explained.

Mammon kept his eyes on the mystery girl. "She can pack a punch too. Who is she?"

"That's Shiori. She helped us before being chased." Lussuria explained.

"Did you scare her?"

"No. She came right up to us speaking Italian. She didn't seem scared at all." Mammon was a little surprised. Usually, everyone is afraid of them, especially Xanxus.

They could all see Shiori was exhausted. There were still a few men left. She slowly backed up. Mammon saw her breathing slow down. What was she up to? She jumped up onto the uneven bars and lifted herself up.

"What is she doing?" Squalo asked with confusion.

She stood on top of the bar and took a few more deep breaths. It was as if time slowed down. She fell backwards. That's when she caught the higher bar and started to spin.

"I'm confused." Levi said.

"Can't you tell? She's a gymnast." Mammon said just as Shiori swung back to the lower bar and kicked a guy in the head. "She's using her momentum to give a more powerful attack. Though, I doubt she'll last much longer." Shiori collapsed onto the ground after getting punched in the gut. One of the men picked her up by her hair.

"Looks like you're done for." He threw her across the ground. The Varia watched her body roll on the ground as if she was a doll. Another man kicked her in the stomach. She didn't even yelp in pain.

"She's unconscious." Lussuria wasn't the only one who didn't like what was happening. One of them brought out a curved pocket knife and hovered over Shiori.

My entire body hurt. Why was I being targeted in the first place? Was it because I wanted to go to a cram school? Could it be because I escaped the first kidnapping? No one would get mad over that. At least, no one with a common sense would get mad. The way my mom has been acting lately made sense if I think about it. It could have been I didn't want to listen to illogical statements. I saw a man with a blade hovering over me.

"I'm surprised. You're actually conscious. If only you talked and went peacefully, I wouldn't have to scar you." He said with a demented smile.

Scar me? That didn't seem too bad. I wouldn't be in any more pain than I was in now. "Will you let me hear your screams?" I didn't feel like screaming. I was too tired. It was probably from how warm I felt. My eyes started to slowly close. 'Do you really want to lie and die?' A voice asked me. It was a voice from the past. 'If you're going to die, don't go without one hell of a fight.' I have no more fight in me. There's nothing left. My body relaxed completely. This was it I guess.

"Boss, we need to do something." Lussuria pleaded, but Xanxus kept watching.

"Wait." Mammon said.

"Why? She's going to get seriously injured." Lussuria said with worry.

"Look at her." Lussuria and the rest saw Shiori lift her hand.

"Does she really think she can deflect a blade with how weak she is?" Bel questioned.

"Keep quiet and watch." In a split second, she quickly grabbed the man's wrist and head-butted him with a battle cry.

"She was just playing possum." Levi said.

"That's not it. She's past exhaustion. She's running on pure instincts. We all have them. When our lives are at stake, we either fight or flee." Mammon explained.

Shiori got up and took the knife in her hand. She looked up with dull eyes, but Xanxus saw different. He saw a scorching fury that hid behind her calm composure. The man she stole the knife from ran at her. There was no hesitation, no regret in stabbing him. He let out a scream. Mammon let out a gasp. How could something like that be so destructive?

"What is it now?" Squalo asked.

"You can't feel it?" Mammon questioned.

"Feel what?"

"Never mind." They all watched as Shiori fell unconscious. Xanxus turned to his subordinates. "Retrieve the girl."

That was all they needed to hear to run over to Shiori. "Boss."

"What?"

"Did you feel it?" Mammon asked which made Squalo even more confused.

"No. I saw it." Xanxus replied. He'd never forget what that flame looked at.

"What are you two talking about?" Squalo asked.

"I've never known a cloud flame to be destructive on its own." Mammon replied to Xanxus.

"What?!" Squalo yelled.

Lussuria, Levi, and Bel walked back with Shiori in Lussuria's arms. "Some parts of her skin are burned for some reason." Mammon looked at Xanxus and then at Shiori. A cloud flame isn't supposed to destroy things by itself.

"Should we bring her to the hospital?" Levi asked.

"She's coming with us." Xanxus's word was final. No one questioned him.

"I have a car ready to go to Tokyo." Mammon said before floating in the direction of said car.

Squalo kept looking at the girl even when they got in the car. She seemed normal, but at the same time, she wasn't. She started to cough violently. Some blood got onto Lussuria who was still holding her.

"Don't worry, Lussuria. This is the first time she's used her flame. This is just a side effect." Mammon said, reassuring Lussuria.

"How do you know it's her first time?" Bel asked.

"I felt it being released. It was as if a gate broke down. She'll probably have a bad fever." Mammon explained. At first, Shiori's aura was calm. When her life was threatened and she succumbed to her instinct, it was like a large wave of power and anger radiated off her.

"Shouldn't we bring her to the hospital then?" Levi questioned.

"Medicine won't help flame exhaustion." "Can't you help her, Mammon?" Mammon sighed and floated towards Shiori. "I guess I can help ease her pain."

What Mammon saw when he peaked into her mind was something unexpected. It was beautiful actually. A field of white flowers as far as the eye could see contrasted with the black sky. However, he was able to find Shiori passed out in the field with her hands interlaced lying over her stomach. She wore a long red scarf. Usually, a person's mind tells a lot about them. Shiori's mind was different than what Mammon was used to. It was peaceful. If her mind was chaotic, she'd have a hard time recovering.

"So?" Squalo asked. Mammon had gotten out of Shiori's mind.

"Her mind is peaceful which is something I didn't expect. I didn't have to do anything." Mammon hasn't seen a peaceful mind in a long time.

"What did her mind tell you?" Bel asked.

"For some people, they have a clear, blue sky. Shiori was different. It was completely black."

"Doesn't black represent anger?" Squalo questioned.

"It does, but the ground was covered in white flowers. She was passed out wearing a red scarf."

"That's unusual." Lussuria commented.

Mammon nodded. "I'm not sure what the significance of the red scarf is, but it's what makes her feel safe." Mammon knew what the real significance was. If he told them, they'd start to worry. Red usually means scarring or something traumatic the person went through. Since it was clothing, she's been mentally scarred by something she couldn't talk about. It made sense she went through something bad considering how calm she was while being attacked.

At the hotel, everyone went to sleep. They were exhausted. However, Xanxus was having trouble sleeping. He went to check on Shiori for the heck of it. She was tossing and turning as if in pain. He walked closer and saw how terrified she looked. Sitting down, Xanxus kept watching. Mammon came into the room.

"I'm surprised you're here, boss."

"I can't sleep."

Mammon got on the bed. "She's having a more severe reaction than I thought. I can't get inside her mind. She knew I was in there and automatically went into lockdown mode after I left."

"So, we just wait?"

"Yes, but there is one thing that might work." Xanxus looked at Mammon. "A sky flame can harmonize with other flames. You might be able to calm her flame down."

"With my flame? I'd kill her."

"Despite your flame of wrath, it's still a sky flame. Just give it a shot. Make sure to be gentle." Xanxus got up and stared at his hand. A small flame appeared. It wasn't like his usual flame, but it took a lot of restraint.

"Just put the flame to her forehead." Once Xanxus did, her eyes opened wide. She stared intensely into Xanxus' eyes before slowly falling asleep. "It looks like it worked for now."

When I woke up, I was in an unfamiliar place. I must have been captured by those men. It only made sense. Though, I did feel a lot better and calmer.

"Good morning."

I quickly sat up with shock. "Lussuria?"

"You look a lot better. How do you feel?"

"I'm confused. Why are you here?"

"We helped you before those people took you."

"Why?"

Lussuria walked in and sat on the bed. "You helped us. It's only fair we help you."

"I didn't do anything to be worth saving. Did you get hurt?" I asked, looking all over to see if he was scratched.

"Your kind heart makes me so happy. There was no way those men would hurt me and the rest."

"The others are here too? Where am I?"

"In Tokyo." My eyes widened. We went from Kyoto to Tokyo. At least I knew the area. I'd be able to go home without any hassle. "We're about to leave to eat breakfast. Would you like to join?"

"Is that okay? I mean, you already saved my life. You don't need to be kind to me."

Lussuria put a hand on my head. "You talk about yourself like a burden on us. Don't worry, dear. You're far from one." I looked away and sighed. I wasn't used to this kind of treatment. While everyone would ignore me, these strange people did the opposite. "Let's go, Shiori."

When we walked to the main lobby, I saw the rest of them. "You're finally up." I bowed deeply to them. "Thank you and I'm sorry for being an unnecessary burden."

"You can repay us by showing us around Tokyo. This is where you're from after all." Lussuria chimed in happily. I looked at the rest and they nodded. "Okay."

"So, Shiori, where's somewhere good to eat breakfast?" Bel asked.

"Well, there are a couple of places, but if you don't mind, there's one I've been wanting to go to for a while."

"Go on and lead the way." Lussuria said softly.

I nodded and started walking, leading terrifying looking men. Some of the local yakuza stared at me. They didn't care about the men. They kept their eyes on me.

"Why are those punks looking at you?" Levi asked.

"It's a long story." I stopped in front of a traditional restaurant in an alley way. "Watch your heads." When we walked in, a bottle was thrown at me. I caught it with ease. "Your aim is still as impeccable as always, Syoko." I commented, putting the bottle on a small table nearby. An elderly woman laughed at my comment.

"Ah! It's little Shiori." She looked behind me. "My, you always attract the strangest of crowds."

"I'm aware. Can we get a table?"

"Of course! Go ahead and pick what table you want." I went to a large table in the corner at sat down. The rest followed my lead.

The guys just looked around. "Why are there only yakuza in this place?" Squalo asked me.

"The owner is the widow of a well-respected yakuza leader."

"How did you find this place?" He asked again.

"Shiori likes to explore and found this place while a few men were having a little fight. The poor thing was so pure and terrified. It pissed me off how the men stared at her as if she was a threat. So, I made her an honorary family member to protect her." Syoko said, putting tea down for us.

"You're yakuza?" Levi questioned me with surprise.

"Yes and no." "You are when you step in here. Will the special suffice?" Syoko asked. "Yes, please." She smiled and left with our orders.

"Special?" Bel asked.

"It's their specialty."

We waited for a few minutes in complete silence. Then, a few waitresses came out with our food. On the trays were our specials. It was essentially a traditional breakfast, but the portions were a lot bigger. Syoko came to my side with a couple extra pickled plums. My stomach rumbled, creating a loud echo. The men stared at me with surprise. "I'm hungry." I said with embarrassment. "Should I get extra rice?" Syoko asked me. "That'd be nice."

The men really liked the food and couldn't stop eating and complimenting. My extra serving of rice came out. "Can you finish all of that?" Levi asked.

"Don't doubt that stomach of hers. When she did gymnastics, she'd eat three times the amount she has on that plate of hers."

"Really?" I nodded, stuffing more rice into my mouth.

By the time everyone was finished, I was given an apple. "You can still eat more?" Squalo asked, almost in awe at my stomach. "I'll be satisfied after my dessert, but you all can leave if you'd like. I can find my way home."

"I want to see more of Tokyo with you, Shiori. You need to take us to the best places you know." Lussuria said. None of them seemed to disagree. Syoko smiled at me from a distance, urging me to go.

"There's an old school blacksmith around the area I know pretty well. I used be an apprentice for fun."

"You can make swords?" Squalo seemed to have fires in his eyes.

"I can fix any blade, but I can't create one. That takes many years of discipline and training I don't feel like doing."

"You keep surprising us." Lussuria said with a bright smile.

"Really?"

"Let's go!" Squalo demanded. We all stood and left after paying.

"Visit again, Shiori. You're the only one who doesn't destroy the place." Syoko responded.

"I will if I have time."

We left and kept walking away from Tokyo. "If I didn't trust you, I'd think we'd be going towards a trap." Levi said. He was slightly glaring at me.

"That's how I felt the first time I came here. I thought I'd be attacked, but it's like this to scare off people."

We could hear the sounds of a hammer hitting metal. We walked in. "Who the hell is here?!" "It's me, old man. I brought a few acquaintances that are new to town." Genzo, the owner, looked up and laughed.

"Still no friends?" He asked.

"Please leave the subject alone."

"Well, come in and make yourself at home."

Squalo kept looking at everything and commenting about the differences of each sword to us. It was specifically me he was talking to. Though, I knew all of that because of Genzo. Squalo would look too disappointed if I told him I knew everything. Plus, it was nice to see someone who has the same passion as Genzo.

"You seem like you know a lot about swords, boy." Genzo commented from his work station.

"I'm one of the best swordsmen alive! I need to know this!"

"One of the best you say? Let's have a chat. I'll be the one to determine if you're as good as you say." Genzo looked at me. "Go ahead and explore. This'll take a while."

I turned to the rest. "If you all want to hear hours of boring history and techniques, you can stay. I'm leaving." In the end, everyone left Squalo there. "Where to now?" Bel asked me.

"I don't know."

"Why are you walking without a destination in mind?" He asked.

"We might find something fun." We kept walking for a few minutes. Nothing was really catching my eye.

"Look what we have here, boys." A familiar, annoying voice said in the alley way we were in. I let out a heavy sigh and prepared myself for the worse. "Great. And I thought I got away from those idiots."