When I got back to Namimori, people were staring at me because of the kimono. It was strange to get this kind of attention. It wasn't just the staring either. They were also gossiping about me. It'll be one more thing the Hibari head will hear about. I knew Dino was at my place from all the men outside my house.
"Welcome home, Shiori." Romario greeted me.
"I'm sorry for worrying everyone."
"That's alright. Everyone is inside." I bowed and walked in my house. I froze when I saw Nikita. There were three cigar ends in the ash tray and one in her hand. I was in trouble. They all looked at me.
"You're back!" Dino said happily.
"Nikita?" I questioned.
"You have no idea how much I want to slap you." She said in a growl.
"I'm aware. You don't smoke that much unless you're extremely irritated." She waved her finger, beckoning me to come closer. I had no choice but to follow her command. Those who run will be given a worse punishment. I got on my knees in front of her.
"Shiori."
"Yes, ma'am?" She flicked my forehead.
"Do you understand the mess you gave my men?! I taught you better!" She belted out.
"I'm sorry! There were too many!"
"It doesn't matter! If you kill them, you clean up your mess. I take care of the legal side and you take care of the physical."
"Xanxus told me to leave before I could clean up!" She grunted. I shivered and felt danger run off her.
"And why did you listen to that man?"
"He has my best interest in mind. He told me to go to my grandparents." She raised an eyebrow, clearly testing me. I stood up and sat in the chair across the table. Dino, Squalo, and Timoteo were silent, watching what was happening.
"Are you sure he has your best interest in mind? He could be using you." I scoffed.
"I'm sure of that. No one would dare use me."
"Did I ever teach you to follow any man?"
"You didn't, but it was my decision to follow him." The grip on her cigar tightened.
"Have you ever thought about how Xanxus could be using you to get an heir?" Squalo looked pissed off but was silent because of Nikita's presence.
"If that's true, he isn't doing a good job at grooming me."
"I see you're not as dumb as I thought." I didn't reply. Instead, I just stared at Nikita with my right leg crossed over the left. I held my head in my hand, bored out of my mind. Dino and Squalo were looking back and forth between me and Nikita. "He makes you feel safe, doesn't he?" She spoke softly, staring at the smoke from her cigar.
"I feel safer with Xanxus than I ever did with Kanade."
"Does the screaming go away?" I nodded. "All of them? Even your own?"
"All of them."
"And your scars?"
"They don't ache."
"And if he loses your trust?" Everyone's attention was on me. What if Xanxus does something where I can't trust him? I know I'd lose control, but I wouldn't know what to do with myself afterwards. "Do you think he'll never lose your trust?" She asked me.
"If that ever happens and he loses my trust, I'll come back to you and take my place by your side." It'd be the best for me. I wouldn't have to worry about trusting new people.
"You'll become my replacement?"
"I'm your daughter, right? It's only right the family goes to family. If I'm in the Vongola, I can't do that. I know how you want the family to be a lone wolf." She burned out her cigar.
"That's right. The family needs help from no one." Nikita stood up, signaling me to stand. "I see you're serious about the Vongola and that man. You've never been this serious about anything." She put her hand on top of my head. I looked up at her. "Kanade was the only person in the world that brought you out of the dark. When she died, you refused to even live. You were an empty corpse, moving for the sake of normalcy. You've changed drastically since Xanxus entered your life."
"Have I?"
"You have and I'm proud. It hurt everyone to see you like that. Once you get over the Tokyo incident, you'll become a woman that will rival me and will strike fear in everyone's hearts. No one will dare cross you."
"You're too excited about that, Nikita. What are you going to do?" She chuckled happily. I knew that sound very well. She was either up to something or planning something.
"You'll see." My eye twitched. I knew exactly what this monster was going to do.
"You're going to start rumors, aren't you?" I accused her.
"Why would I do that?"
"You've done it before."
"You were there for that? I haven't started rumors in years."
"You treated me like an accessory when I was a kid. Wherever you were, I was there by your side." She hummed and looked away from me.
"I remember now. You were so small and light, I basically threw you over my shoulder." I let out a grunt.
"Basically? You did throw me over your shoulder!" She laughed loudly before taking a few steps back.
"See? The you a year ago wouldn't have outbursts. Hell, the you a few months ago wouldn't have acted like that. You'd just sulk and apologize for everything."
"I guess you're right about that."
"I'm right about many things. Well, I need to go. I did my job as your mother and yelled at you. I have a business to run." She walked to the door and opened the door. "You passed." She left without another word. I passed? This was all a test?
"Shiori?" Dino questioned.
"T-that woman…"
"What's wrong?" Squalo asked.
"That was all a test?! What the hell?!"
"You're pissed? I'm pissed she accused boss of grooming you to be an egg donner!" Squalo stood up and yelled. He was just as infuriated as me.
"It took me everything I had not to yell at her for that! Like Xanxus could even groom me!"
"He's shit at anything romantic! He can't even show gratitude towards us and we're his men!" Squalo and I were going at it, bickering back and forth about Xanxus and his incapability of grooming me and other subjects like that. Dino and Timoteo both watched. The two of us stopped and panted heavily.
"I feel better." I collapsed on my seat.
"That's weird. All of my stress is gone." Squalo sat back down.
"Looks like you two got out all your frustrations." Timoteo said with a chuckle.
"I'm tired from that yelling. How do you constantly yell all the time, Squalo?"
"I live with idiots. You'll see. You'll experience what I do." I made a noise of sarcastic fanfare.
"You can always come see me if everything gets too hectic." Dino suggested.
"She stays with us."
"She'll just be there for a visit. I won't get between Shiori and Xanxus. He gets scarier once she's involved." I looked at Dino with a mischievous smile.
"Don't piss me off, Dino. I might go visit you." He paled and let out a high pitched scream like Tsuna.
"Don't joke about that!"
When all the commotion was over and everyone fed, Timoteo sat down with Shiori in her room to talk. Xanxus already told him to be careful with his words. Even though Timoteo knew, Xanxus still had to reiterate how important it was.
"Is Xanxus having you scold me in his place?"
"You can say that." She let out a small, irritated sigh.
"I know I shouldn't have gone on my own. In my defense, I didn't know I was being targeted."
"I'm not going to scold you."
"You're not? You know Xanxus will throw a fit when he hears, right?" Timoteo chuckled.
Shiori knew his son more than most did. They understood each other on a whole different level. Most people wouldn't be able to even harmonize to this level. Their flames melted together unlike any harmonization. One flame can be used to calm the other flame and yet it could make it stronger. It's why Xanxus gave Shiori his other feather. He embedded his flame into the feather to calm Shiori.
"I'm aware, but he'll live. I just wanted to ask you a few questions."
"Okay."
"Are you serious about joining the Vongola?"
"I am."
"You're leaving behind Nikita's family. They practically raised you."
"I'm aware. Even though I have a place with Nikita, I feel wanted with Xanxus and the rest. They're overbearing in a good way, but they do listen to me. I'm sure Xanxus makes them listen though." Shiori's voice was soft and sincere.
"You really fit the definition of a cloud." Timoteo said with pride.
"Mammon said that when he was looking through my mind. That's the flame I have. He even explained the other flames."
"A cloud that cannot be bound protects the family from an independent standpoint. Though, your flame is special." Shiori tilted her head.
"How so?"
"Your flame destroys everything as if it was a bomb. It's similar to the flame of wrath which is a type of sky flame. It's a mixture of sky and storm. Xanxus has that flame. Your flame is a mixture of cloud and storm. I've never seen anything like it before."
"Is that a bad thing?" Timoteo shook his head. "Nikita told me to not use my flame because I'd go crazy."
"You just needed some practice. You seem to have a grip of it now." She let out a lifeless laugh.
"I still get very exhausted when I use it. Though, I can apply it to bullets. I killed the ones after me like that."
"You can do advance techniques like that?"
"Is it advanced?"
"It is." Timoteo knew Shiori was a genius, but he didn't know she'd be a natural at using her flame. "When did you first discover your flame?"
"During the Tokyo incident. All of my pent up anger exploded and so did everyone in the room."
"That's interesting. It would seem your special cloud flame unlocked itself which resulted in your dominant cloud flame and recessive storm flame to merge together." Timoteo was even more fascinated with Shiori's flame. Even his guardians wanted to see it in action again.
"Do I have anything to worry about?"
"There is one thing you need to be careful of. With how dangerous your flame is, there's a chance of you killing yourself." She didn't seem surprised. It was as if she knew her flame had that potential. "Did you know?"
"I had a feeling that'd be it. That was Mammon's theory. He said if I'm properly trained to use my flame, my body will learn to accept it easier."
"That's right. I'll find you a tutor who can help you." She looked surprised.
"You don't need to do that for me."
"Nonsense! You're family and I'll treat you as such." Plus, Shiori has done more than anyone else could have. She was able to tame Xanxus. He acts like a normal person when she's around or even mentioned. Though, he gets angrier than usual when she's in trouble and he isn't there to help. "By the way, Shiori, were you hiding your abilities from us?"
"Of course. Nikita trained me after all."
Shiori was extremely proud of her upbringing. She grew up around assassins and always felt out of place anywhere else. None of Nikita's men knew how to use flames which made Shiori feel like something was missing in her life. It's no wonder she fits right in with the Varia. She was meant for them. She was meant to be Xanxus' cloud guardian. If Timoteo brought up having Shiori be Xanxus' guardian, he'd have a tantrum and immediately refuse. He'd never put Shiori in danger even though she can take care of herself.
The next day, Squalo and Nono left. Dino stayed to check up on Tsuna and to keep an eye on Shiori. "Squalo." He turned to Nono. They were on the plane back to Italy.
"What?"
"How does Shiori fit with the Varia?"
"She's one of us and keeps Xanxus' anger in check."
"What would you think if she became the Varia's cloud guardian?" Squalo almost choked on his spit.
"You know Xanxus would never accept that."
"I have a feeling that after Shiori tells Xanxus everything, he'll change his mind."
"Why?"
"She's Nikita's daughter and was trained by men and women tougher than most of the Vongola. Shiori is a trained assassin who's also a natural flame user." Squalo knew Shiori was strong, but he didn't want to accept the reality. He wanted to think of Shiori as a regular girl, but even he knew Shiori had another side. "She has a cloud flame that merged with storm, Squalo. If used correctly, she'll be able to rival the top assassins in the world."
"Mammon told me."
"We're lucky to have Shiori, Squalo. She'd be Nikita's right hand woman otherwise. Nikita wouldn't hesitate to send Shiori to kill and she wouldn't hesitate." Squalo stayed silent. "You should get her room started." Nono said seriously.
"Is it her father?"
"It is. Dino told me of his condition. Shamal says it's only a matter of time. It's as if he's staying alive for Shiori's sake. If she were to tell him to go, he'd go."
"I'll tell Lussuria."
School started a week later. That meant dealing with people I didn't want to. I wanted to test out, but that wouldn't be good for my game. Gokudera ran up to me as cheerful as can be. It annoyed me. "Good morning, Shiori!"
"Good morning."
"How was your summer? Did you see Kanade?" I smiled with a small blush.
"I saw her for most of the summer. How was your summer?" I asked. We were walking to school.
"Well, Jyuudaime and I had loans to pay."
"Huh?"
"We blew up a pool."
"That isn't normal, Gokudera. No one just blows up a pool." He still smiled. It bothered me how happy he was about that. We met up with Tsuna.
"Good morning, Jyuudaime!"
"Good morning, Tsuna."
"Shiori?!" Tsuna freaked out to see me.
"Woah. Everyone is here this morning. Shiori, you're here too!" Yamamoto walked up to us. Gokudera was obviously annoyed. It wasn't like I wanted to be here.
"Gokudera followed me and we ended up here." I replied. The two looked at Gokudera.
"Are you still trying to date her?" A baby's voice asked. I saw a baby in a suit. This was the same one that was with Tsuna at the start of the year.
"I'm not, Reborn!"
"I don't believe we met before. I'm Reborn, Tsuna's tutor." Tutor?
"You must be a fellow genius as well. It's nice to meet you, Reborn. I'm Shiori." I bowed deeply.
"Likewise."
"Well, I'll meet you guys at school. I'd rather not be late. It was nice meeting you Reborn."
That baby was just like Mammon. Danger reeked off him. Was he part of the Vongola too? I let out a short hum. That'd mean Tsuna, Gokudera, and Yamamoto are involved too. I slowly paled. If they figure out I was lying about my relationship, Gokudera will be all over me again. This is why I'm glad to have Xanxus and Squalo. They'll put everyone in line. When I entered the school's gate, I saw Kyoya standing in the yard. He was watching everyone come in to catch late students.
"Good morning, Hibari." He made a noise of acknowledgement.
We haven't run into each other for a while. I wonder when we'll have another time when I'll scare him. It was fun to do that to people. School was pretty much the same. It was for the next two weeks. The only difference was me ending up walking to school every day with Gokudera and his friends. It was painful for me to be around them. All they did was talk and drain my energy. I could hardly make it throughout the day without a nap. How could they be this tiring? It was probably my flame that made me exhausted all the time. Still, they were so noisy. Even Squalo's screeching didn't make me this tired.
The next day, I went to school like usual. In class, I read the book grandpa gave me. It was interesting since there were accounts of the old days and how their days were. "Shiori Mori, report to the main office." Everyone looked at me. I closed my book and left. I wonder what it could be. Shamal would send me a message if dad passed or if anything was wrong. At the main office, I saw Nikita's cousin Adrian. He wasn't known in the mafia world at all. Only those who were close to Nikita knew him.
"Shiori." He stood up and looked down at me with mournful eyes.
"What's wrong?" He was hesitating to answer. Did something happen to Nikita? "Just tell me, Adrian."
"Yuko died." Those were two words I thought would never go together.
"Yuko?"
"I'm sorry, Shiori."
"When?"
"She was killed a few hours ago. I came as soon as my sister told me." Why am I surprised someone killed her? I knew her life was always on the line, but for it to actually happen was mind boggling. She was the strongest person I knew. The secretaries in the office kept their heads down low. "Go get your things." I nodded and left the office. Yuko is dead. The thought sounded foreign. She wasn't supposed to die. She's invincible.
'It's decided. I'll be your guardian angel whether you want it or not. I'll stalk you until one of us dies.' That's how she introduced herself to me. I always knew she was strange, but she had good intentions. According to her, she was my big sister. 'See this? It's my most treasured item. Sure, it's a gun, but it was from Sis. I'll teach you how to use one. You'll be as good as me when I'm done with you.' She was the one that taught me how to handle any and every gun.
I stopped in the hallway and looked out the window. I could see my faint reflection. My eyes were red. This wasn't a dream. I wished it was, but the pain was too real. "She's dead." I said to myself. The words felt like a foreign language to my tongue. It felt wrong.
"Shiori…" I looked and saw Gokudera. Seeing his shocked expression, I could tell he heard what I said.
"What do you want?" I asked.
"Are you alright?"
"Do I look alright?"
"No." I rubbed my eyes and slapped my cheeks. "What are you doing?"
"Making it so I don't look like I'm tearing up." He looked perplexed.
"You don't have to be strong."
"I'm not forcing myself to be strong, Gokudera. I'm holding it in until I get in the car to go."
"I'm sorry for your lost." I started walking by him.
"I lost someone I considered my older sister. That woman was always there for me even when I didn't want her around. I was her everything. She'd turn her back against the world if it meant protecting me. Someone killed her in cold blood. They stole my sister away from me." I stopped myself before I ended up crying. I walked into the classroom and packed my things up. Everyone saw me and immediately looked away. When I went to the main office, Adrian led me to the car.
"Will you be alright?" He asked.
"How was she killed?"
"She was gunned down by an enemy. They had at least eighty men. She took out half until she was killed." I took out my phone. I immediately dialed.
"Shiori?"
"Xanxus."
"What's wrong? Are you hurt?"
"Yuko…Yuko died."
Gokudera stayed where he was for a minute. He'd never seen someone look that empty before. It made him think of Bianchi. He didn't like her for her cooking, but he'd feel the same if she died. He took his phone out and sent a message to her. He wouldn't want to have any regrets if someone were to kill his sister. The bell for lunch rang. Tsuna and Yamamoto went out to find him.
"Gokudera?" He looked at Tsuna and Yamamoto.
"What is it?"
"Are you alright?"
"I'm fine. Do you guys want to get lunch?"
"Yeah."
"Hey, did you see Shiori by any chance?" Yamamoto questioned.
"Why?"
"She looked like she was crying. I wonder if something bad happened." Gokudera looked away. He shouldn't tell them since it wasn't their business.
"Gokudera." Reborn spoke seriously. "What happened with Shiori?"
"Let's go." Gokudera said, leaving the hall and towards an empty classroom. Once they were all in, the door shut.
"Well?"
"Shiori's sister was killed." Tsuna's and Yamamoto's eyes widened.
"Her sister?"
"They're not related by blood, but they considered each other sisters."
"No wonder Shiori looked rough."
"She was killed…" Yamamoto said to himself.
"She was murdered in cold blood." Reborn's fedora was tipped down. Shiori's life is falling apart. First, she had her family broken apart. Then, her father was put in a coma where he'll die any day. Now, this. That girl had the worst luck in the world.
"Tsuna." Reborn said seriously.
"What?"
"We should have Shiori join the family."
"What?!"
"She has no one, Tsuna. She's alone in the world. Her sister was killed and her dad is due to die in mere days."
"I don't want her involved." Reborn shook his head.
"Mafia isn't always about recruiting the strongest people. It isn't all fighting. It's about helping those who have nowhere to go. Shiori is a genius. You can stick her in a research position in a branch far away from any violence."
"I can do that?" Reborn smiled at how relaxed his student became.
"Of course. We can even make it look like a job opportunity so there isn't any suspicion."
"Wouldn't she figure it out? She's smart."
"She wouldn't know she was part of the mafia. The Vongola research branch deals with regular research like other facilities. It's just the family's private institute." Tsuna looked at his friends. They all silently agreed with each other. "I already know your answer, Tsuna. I'll have everything set up when she graduates."