"Speaking of Kanade, was she here?" Gokudera asked me. Everyone looked at him and then me. It was a tense couple of seconds that felt like minutes. I wasn't expecting things to pan out like this. I hoped Xanxus wouldn't attack Gokudera.
"Do they not know?" Bel asked me.
"I panicked."
"Over what?" Squalo asked.
"It'd be something you'd all kill Gokudera for." Xanxus opened his eyes and glared at Gokudera. I guess he was paying attention to what was going on.
"What did you do?" He demanded. Gokudera became considerably paled. He was frozen, unable to speak.
"He tried to ask Shiori out, but she declined over and over. He was very persistent, so she said Kanade was her girlfriend and was her first." Reborn spilled the truth with a smirk. The Varia then stared at me.
"Shiori?" They questioned.
"Well, her being my first isn't a lie. The truth is Kanade is dead. She's been dead about five years."
"What?!" Tsuna and his guardians shouted.
"Why did you lie about her?" Gokudera asked.
"I hate persistence. I'll panic when I'm met with someone as persistent as you. Usually, I kill them or knock them out, but I had Kyoya watching my back, waiting for me to break a rule as an excuse to get rid of me. It was a perfect lie. Dino knew of her but didn't know she died."
"Wait. You and Kanade were a thing?" Squalo asked me.
"For a night."
"One-night stand?" I nodded. The teens were all uncomfortable and their faces red.
"You should be able to piece together why we did that."
"A last hoorah." Lussuria said sadly.
"That's right."
"Why couldn't you just tell us the truth?" Gokudera questioned, obviously hurt.
"It's rather hard for me to open up to anybody. I lost my trust in the world. The only people I can trust is myself and sometimes Nikita. I'm still working on building trust with the Varia." Xanxus grunted. "Yes, even you, Xanxus. You're not special." He made another noise. "If it makes you feel better, I trust you and Squalo almost as much as I trust Nikita." He didn't make another noise. I guess he liked that answer.
"What the hell did she do to him?" Tsuna whispered.
"This is also Shiori's special ability."
"Special ability?" They questioned.
"The ability to calm boss down." Bel replied.
"Boss won't even hurt Shiori no matter what she does. He takes it out on Levi or Squalo."
"Don't forget her ultimate move." They all looked at Squalo for an answer.
"She's the only one in the world that can understand what the hell he thinks." Everyone looked at me and then Xanxus.
"They're two peas in a pod." Lussuria explained.
"How?" Reborn asked.
"They're stubborn like hell."
"Excessively angry."
"They can read each other's mind."
"They can have conversations with a single look."
"They call everyone trash."
"To top it all off, the two of them always-…" Xanxus and I pointed our guns at Lussuria. The entire Varia knew what he was about to tell everyone how we cuddle. Lussuria smiled.
"I wouldn't want you to paint Xanxus as anything other than cruel, Lussuria." I spoke in a calm manner. Xanxus only glared.
"I see what you mean." Reborn commented.
"How many years have you known the Varia?" Yamamoto asked.
"It's been about a year and I've only seen them a handful of times."
"How are you and Xanxus in sync like that?" Tsuna asked.
"We just explained it." Bel said with a snicker.
"You see, Xanxus and Shiori are the same but different." Squalo said.
"That's even more confusing."
"Allow me to explain." We all looked at Nono. "They understand each other on a deeper level. While Xanxus does what he wants, Shiori is there to remind him not to do certain things." Tsuna looked at me with worry.
"What if you get hurt?"
"Like the Varia has explained, Xanxus will not hurt Shiori."
"Why is that? Usually, you don't care for women." Reborn said from his side of the room. Xanxus ignored him.
"He doesn't hurt her because it's Shiori. To us, she's a precious flower. One small breeze and she'll bruise. We know she's strong and can take care of herself, but it doesn't change how we see her." Squalo explained.
"The Varia's flower that is protected by multiple beasts. It fits them." Reborn looked at Nono with a smile.
"I think it does as well."
"The worse she'll get from us is a lecture."
"When will you be leaving?" Tsuna asked me.
"As soon as possible. I already took my exit exam and have graduated high school on paper. By next week, I plan to have all of my things moved to Italy."
"What about learning Italian?" Gokudera asked.
"I'm fluent."
"What?!" The teens shouted.
"What about the Hibari family?" Reborn asked the single question that made the room freeze.
"I've decided to meet with the family head."
"What makes this time different?"
"I'll have Chen and Syoko with me." Chen smiled from her position.
"They know me real good." She said happily. Tsuna paled.
"If anything happens, I'll leave Kyoya alive since he is the Vongola's cloud guardian." I stood up and stretched. The Varia stood up. "Well, we'll be taking our leave. I'm exhausted. Squalo, make me food."
"VOI! Don't order me around like that!"
"Do it, trash." Xanxus demanded.
"Fine!"
"Just make sure you have enough for all of us." Bel chimed in.
"With how hungry I am, there's no way anyone else is getting anything from Squalo." I said with a scoff.
"Oh my. I'll help cook. What would you like, Shiori?"
"Mainly meat and vegetables." Xanxus grunted. I looked at him and he turned his head. "I thought so." We walked towards the door. Chen followed.
"Stay safe, Shiori. Don't hesitate to come to me for help. I'm still your mother." Nikita said softly. I let out a small chuckle.
"You don't have to worry all the time now. I have five idiots that worry constantly, and I'll be living with them."
"Five? Is Xanxus not counted?" Nono asked.
"He is. I'm not counting Mammon. No idiot deals with financing." Nono, Nikita, and Reborn laughed.
"Have fun, dear. I'll see you at your new home."
When Shiori left, Tsuna and his guardians were more than confused. They relaxed since the Varia's aura was too much for them. "See? You have nothing to worry about, Nikita. Shiori will be safe with them." Nono reassured her.
"I know. It's still my right to worry about her. To think a year ago, she wouldn't even talk more than a few words. Now, she's full of emotion. It's wonderful."
"What do you mean?" Reborn asked.
"To Shiori, she died a second time when Kanade died. She only lived because it'd be a waste of resources. She's been broken and empty until the Varia came into the picture. They brought her back to life."
"What would happen if the Varia betrayed her?" Reborn asked another question.
"It'd have to be specifically Xanxus to betray her. Depending on what happened, she'll come to me and take my place. Either way, she'll be a woman that'll rival me."
"I've seen her work close up. She can even intimidate me." Nono commented.
"Coming from you, we shouldn't take Shiori lightly." Reborn said.
"That's right. When she helped the Vongola collect money, even I was surprised at how she acted. Her negotiation skills are the best I've seen. Once she does her homework, she lays out a spider web of traps out for her victim. Once they take one step into the web, it's already too late." Nikita smiled proudly at Nono's explanation.
"Is she really that scary?" Yamamoto questioned.
"Listen boy, in our field, I'm known as a complete monster. I can only wash my hands with more blood. But Shiori? She can be worse than me. She's been bathed in blood since she was a kid."
"She was an empty shell without a guilty conscious. You took that and made her into an assassin." Reborn accused. Nikita shook her head.
"That's not the truth. When we found her in that underground bunker in Tokyo, the anger in her eyes was nothing I've never seen before. She didn't just hate the people she killed, she despised the world to what it did to her and all those other children. She still carries the same anger to this day. It's what attracted Xanxus to Shiori in the first place. I saw what she did to those men. She tore them limb by limb with her own hands. She had potential I haven't seen since I found Yuko. If I didn't get my hands on her and train her, someone else would have." Everyone took in what Nikita said. Reborn was shocked to hear Shiori was the sole survivor of the Tokyo incident. Nikita must have gotten Shiori before it was initially reported. Nikita took a deep breath. "I'm glad everything ended the way it did."
"Why? Shiori's father died. How is that good?" Gokudera questioned.
"My father decided to make a war zone of the country. Shiori was about to study in Russia. I told her not to and this is where we are. She could have died under my father's watch and I would have to kill him for that."
"You'd kill your own father?" Yamamoto spoke quietly.
"I would without hesitation."
"As she said, you can rest for now. She's protected by strong people." Nono said with a smile.
"I'm aware. I just hope she'll keep me posted with how things are going."
"I'll tell you immediately if anything happens."
After the meeting, everyone went home. When Tsuna got home, Dino was there waiting. He had drinks and snacks waiting for them. "Welcome back home." He greeted.
"How long have you been here?"
"A few hours. Romario and I left when the fighting stopped."
"I didn't realize we were gone that long." Tsuna muttered.
"Nikita had a long talk with Tsuna about how things work in the underground. It was very insightful. Even I didn't know some things." Reborn said, jumping to Dino.
"Like what?"
"There's something about an auction and different things to look out for. She told me to ask Shiori for help when it comes to blackmail or negotiations." Tsuna replied. Dino nodded with a smile.
"I've been to the auction before. It's terrifying place. I don't recommend going unless it's necessary."
"How did you go? You need really good connections."
"Shiori is a fox and a well-respected one at that." Reborn tensed right up, scaring Tsuna.
"Reborn?" Tsuna questioned.
"I wasn't aware Shiori was a fox."
"What does that mean?"
"She gives merchandise to the auction."
"Merchandise?"
"Basically, she provides people whether they're alive or in pieces. It's how she got rid of all the people who attacked her. That's how she was able to get money to pay for her father's medical bills." Dino explained quietly. He didn't want Nana to hear while she was watching the television in the other room. Tsuna lost all color.
"I would have never thought Shiori had a double life."
"I didn't expect it either. I thought she was just a regular girl with some problems. When she was with the Varia, she was relaxed. When she was helping the Vongola, she immediately changed. She was bubbling with excitement when she knew how everything would go. In some ways, she's worse than Xanxus."
"Wait. Hibari's dad sent people after her. Did she really kill them?" Tsuna asked. Dino nodded.
"Did Nikita tell you about the garbage men?"
"She did a little bit."
"Shiori has two of her own. They'll take care of the bodies for her."
"Tsuna." The two looked at Reborn. "Shiori is not the person we thought. She is a trained killer, a professional taught by another professional. She got under my radar. Not just anyone can do that. If she was the enemy, I'd be terrified right now." Tsuna sat down at the kitchen table with Dino. He couldn't see Shiori killing even though he witnessed it only a few hours ago. Dino's phone buzzed with a message. It was from Nono. "Is everything alright?"
"Nono wants to have a meeting with all of us at Shiori's house tomorrow. He said to have Tsuna and all of his guardians to come."
"We just had a meeting."
"We did, but this one will be about the Vongola. Did Nono say what the meeting would be about?" Reborn asked.
"It deals with Shiori's possible position." Dino responded. Reborn hummed with thought.
"What could Nono want from Shiori?" Tsuna wondered out loud.
"He has other plans for her other than being Xanxus' guardian. I wonder if Xanxus will accept it."
"If he doesn't, Shiori will put him in place. She's the only one who can tell him what to do and to eat his vegetables." Dino commented with a small smile.
"Like a wife." Tsuna was the only one to react. He let out a gasp. "I see you know of Nono's plan."
"He has multiple times."
By the next morning, I woke up to a large breakfast. I didn't have dinner last night since I fell asleep on the way home and no one wanted to wake me up. Either that or Xanxus threatened them. "Good morning, Shiori."
"Good morning, Lussuria." Everyone was at the table. I fell onto my seat and huffed.
"Did you sleep well?"
"Too well." A large plate of food was put in front of me. I smiled as I started to devour everything. It was delicious. After breakfast, Nono came by with all of his guardians. They must have come the second they were notified he was hurt.
"Good morning." Xanxus wasn't the happiest to see Nono, but he held his tongue. Behind Nono came Tsuna and his guardians with Dino.
"VOI! What the hell is everyone doing here?!" I noticed Kyoya which was surprising.
"It's too early to start yelling, Squalo. You'll hurt Shiori's ears."
"It's too late. They're ringing." I commented before standing up. "Make yourself at home. I'll be right back." I left to go get changed. I could hear laughing and screaming from everyone. It was annoying. When I went back down, the Varia got quieter which made Tsuna's group weary.
"Shiori doesn't like loud noises."
"I'm surprised a group like you would respect someone."
"Enough, Gokudera." Good. Tsuna is putting his dog in his place. I sat next to Xanxus.
"I wanted to talk to everyone about Shiori's position within the Vongola."
"She's our cloud guardian. She has a position already." Levi said. Nono shook his head and looked at me.
"How would you feel if you were the family's negotiator?"
"The negotiator?" I said quietly.
"What would she do?" Tsuna asked, still ignorant of how the mafia worked.
"When you want to make a deal with someone or another family, you'll send Shiori out to make the deal. She'll also go over contracts and deliver punishment when a deal is broken."
"Punishment…" I looked at Xanxus to see what he thought. He blinked and made a slight gesture with his shoulders. It was up to me. To him, it would get me out of missions but still in trouble. He saw I could handle myself with the Tachibana family which makes him more comfortable letting me do this.
"What do you think, Shiori?" Nono asked me. I looked back at him and then at everyone else to see their reaction. Dino was in the back and smiled.
"I'll do it."
"Is that okay with you Xanxus? She is your guardian after all." Nono asked him.
"It's not my decision to make." This surprised everyone but a few people.
"You'll let her go like that, boss?" Levi asked with worry.
"You idiots worry over nothing. She'll be fine." Squalo crossed his arms with confidence.
"I do have a few things I'd like in the position."
"What do you want?" Nono asked.
"Chen must accompany me along with a sniper during all transactions."
"That's acceptable. Would you bring your garbage men to Italy?" I nodded.
"I talked it over with Xanxus and got his permission to have them come to Italy to stay. From there, they'll start mingling with their contacts. I'll be in contact with people and the country's main and largest auction." The entire Varia were happy with my plan. Tsuna and his guardians were uneasy.
"When you get in contact with the auction, what do you plan to do?" Nono asked.
"You should know of my special skill. Those who are punished might be worthy of becoming merchandise. Plus, I'll get information no one else can get their hands on."
"Do you honestly think Italy's auction will allow a foreigner like you join?" Coyote questioned.
"If I was unsure, I wouldn't even go for the idea."
"Why not have one of the Varia members to go with you?" Reborn asked.
"There's a variety of reasons. I'd rather not have the Varia mixed up in this business for face value. If some of their men want to go, I'll also decline. I only trust my men to complete the job right. I can't afford anyone to hesitate. I don't want people who need verbal orders. I want the best of the best."
"Doesn't ever Varia member have to hold a certain standard?" Reborn asked Xanxus.
"They do, but Shiori is on a whole different level. She needs better than our members because of her methodology." Squalo replied.
"What do you do that is different?" Reborn asked me curiously.
"I use my men as pawns." The teens all gasped. "During a negotiation, the client might take one of my own as hostage. If I react the way I want them to, they'll have me in the palm of their hand. However, when I show I don't care, they'll steadily go insane."
"And if they die?" Gokudera asked me.
"They die and the target gives me a reason to kill them. It's simple."
"That's insane! Why don't you care about other's lives?! Are you truly that monstrous?!" Gokudera snapped and yelled at me.
"I don't care because I don't." He growled.
"Do you have no humanity?"
"That's enough, Gokudera." We all looked at Reborn. "Nono trusts Shiori to do the job for a reason. The Vongola may be strong, but others see us as weak negotiators. Word has already gotten out about the Tachibana family and what happened when they didn't give us our money. We'll be taken more seriously during negotiations because of Shiori."
"What did you do to the Tachibana?" Tsuna asked me.
"Let's just say the Tachibana family is no more. The leader mysteriously disappeared and the rest of the men were swallowed up by other families that could pay them."
"You probably killed him." Gokudera said under his breath.
"I might have sent him to his death, but I didn't kill him."
"I've told others what you did and they want to meet you. They've been bugging me if you'd become the family negotiator." I let out a sigh.
"Let me guess. You talked to Nikita about the idea and she said it'd be perfect for me. Is that why you asked me about the position?" Nono started laughing.
"You really do see right through me."
"It's not hard when you don't hide it." Nono stopped and looked at Tsuna.
"And Nikita taught you all of this?" Tsuna asked.
"She did. Everyone in the underground are terrified of Nikita. If they know she's coming, everyone walks on eggshells. Most of her negotiations end in her enemy being killed. She has no mercy for anyone. You're pretty much dead when she walks into a room."
"Well? What do you think of our new ally?" Nono asked. Tsuna looked at me. He was under pressure from everyone in the room. His friends probably thought of me as a monster while the Varia thinks I could do almost nothing wrong.
"Despite all the things she does and what she'll probably do in the future, I think it's good to have someone like Shiori in the position." I saw Reborn smile.
"Why?" Gokudera asked.
"If the Vongola is not tough on people we make deals with, we'll be walked all over. We'll be robbed of important assets. I'm sure Shiori won't kill everyone we deal with. I know she will with some, but when others hear about what the family does to those who break deals, there's a good chance other families won't try to take advantage of us. They wouldn't dare. And if they know she used to be one of Nikita's men, they'll be too scared." Tsuna is smart when it counts. Reborn and Nono looked proud and content with Tsuna's answer.
"I wasn't just one of her men, Tsuna. I'm her daughter. Just address me as Nikita's daughter and they whole underground will go into turmoil."
"With that, Shiori, you are now Vongola's negotiator. It'll start as soon as you've settled in at the Varia headquarters. Everyone is excited to meet you."
Everyone started to leave. Tsuna looked at me and then the floor. "What's wrong, Tsuna?" I asked.
"Can I ask you a few questions in private? I just want to know something."
"Me as well. I need to know a couple of things." The two of us looked at Kyoya. I wasn't expecting him to stay. Hell, I wasn't expecting him to behave so well during the meeting.
"Very well."