When the two left, I went to find some paper. A few messages will lift their spirits. As much as I wanted to stay, I wanted to go back home. I wanted my world back. I wouldn't care if I did get more than a lecture. I'd still have my version of the Varia back.
"Shiori? Did you need something?" Spanner asked.
"I was looking for some paper and possibly something to record a message on."
"I have all of that in my office." I followed him downstairs to a messy room of mechanical parts. He dug through a pile. "Here. Go ahead and take your time. If you need it to be sent to someone, I can do that after you leave." I went back into my room and sat at the small desk. I wrote three different letters. I then recorded a message for Kanade. She did the same for me, so I'll do it for her. I talked to the recording as if she was there. Once I was done, I felt happy with my result and went to bed. Once morning came, I went down where everyone was going to meet.
"Spanner, can you do me a favor?"
"Of course." I handed him the letters and recorder.
"There are instructions on when to send them."
"You know, other than being really strong and a bit more outgoing, you're not that different from our Shiori." Tsuna walked in with Reborn and his guardians.
"Shiori? How long have you been here?"
"I've only been here for a few minutes." I answered.
"Did they show up?" Reborn asked.
"No and I'm not expecting them to."
"VOI!" Everyone froze. The entire Varia walked in. Squalo walked over and smacked my back a few times. "Do you honestly think we wouldn't see you off?!"
"Honestly, yes."
Kanade and Xanxus stayed in the back of the group watching Shiori interacting with everyone else. "Aren't you going to at least say anything to her? You've been ignoring her the entire time. I know you saw how hurt she was." Xanxus only sighed. "Even in her world, you're still her husband. Are you scared you'll miss her again?"
"You say that like I got over her death."
"I never said that. You know, even a hug might make you feel better."
"I can't bring myself to do it. Even my voice gets lost when I try to speak." He admitted it. Kanade let out her own sigh and looked as Shiori's back was assaulted by Squalo's slaps.
"They don't have much time left here. Just get it over with and we'll go home. Then, we'll go see her. You're hurting more than everyone." Xanxus started to get annoyed. He never quite liked Kanade when she confronted him about anything. Even when she tried to force him to date Shiori, it was annoying as hell.
"I hate you."
"I know." She started pushing him. "Now, Xanxus, see your cute wife off." He was resisting, but Kanade had the strength of a gorilla when it came to Shiori.
"Fine."
"Squalo, please stop hitting my back. It really hurts." I pleaded.
"I'm sorry. I get carried away."
"I'm aware." I could tell everyone was quietly watching. Xanxus walked over to me. I got nervous all of a sudden.
"Shiori."
"Yes?" His eyes narrowed. He was deciding what to do. I tilted my head.
"Are you alright? You didn't have to see me off if it still hurts." I said quietly. He ruffled his hair with frustration until he stood up straight. He looked like he finally decided what he'd do. He cupped my cheeks and stared into my eyes. "Xanxus?" Our foreheads touched first and then our noses. My heart kept racing erratically. Once our lips touched, I felt him press into me harder. My eyes widened and my hands grabbed his shirt out of sheer disbelief and for stability. Everyone else let out a noise of shock. He let go with a smirk.
"You act the same." My ears were red. I didn't need a mirror to see. I could feel heat radiating off of them. I couldn't even look anywhere else other than Xanxus.
"You call that a kiss?!" Kanade stomped over.
"Let me show you what a real kiss is like, old man!" Before I could protest, Kanade wrapped one arm around my waist and her other hand gently held my face. "You treat her gently and then you go for the kill." Her kiss was gentle while Xanxus had an urgent sense of need. She let go with a victorious smirk. "See? Shiori still remembers my lips better than yours."
"Shut up."
"C'mon, Shiori. Who was the better kisser? Me, the past me, Xanxus, or the past Xanxus?"
My face went red. "I…we haven't even kissed yet." The two looked at each other and then me.
"Wait. I thought you were already married!"
"Not yet!"
"Dating?"
"Engaged."
"And no kisses?" Kanade kept asking weird questions.
"No!" She hummed before pulling my shirt's collar down a little bit.
"No kiss on the lips, but this? I didn't know you were into that, old man."
"Here, Shiori!" Reborn threw a book into my hand. The book started to shake.
"Kanade…"
"What? Don't be shy. You had a lot more marks from both of us."
"D-don't say it like that!" I took the book and smacked Kanade with all my might. Her body flew a few feet away. My body went on automatic and slapped Xanxus too. He stumbled back. "You two drive me insane! I'm ready to go home! I'd rather take a lecture over whatever this is any day!"
"When Shiori gets embarrassed, she releases pent up frustration by hurting anyone within range." Reborn said with amusement. He always loved watching someone as powerful as Shiori break down over something simple. Elizabeth started laughing.
"Is everyone here?" Irie asked suddenly. I guess we were out of time. He counted all of us. "Good! Make sure to leave your Vongola boxes behind." Everyone released their boxes to give a goodbye. Instead, I gave the box to Xanxus.
"The Varia should keep this." He took it and put it in his pocket.
"I'll keep it safe."
"I have no doubt you will." He took something out of his pocket and grabbed my hand. He slid a ring on my middle finger. "W-what's this?"
"Our promise ring."
"Are you sure?"
"It belongs to you. I gave it to you seven years ago when we were getting serious. I don't need it anymore. Knowing you still have it will put my mind at ease."
"Xanxus…" He kissed the back of my hand where the ring was. He tugged my arm to pull me into a hug. His grip on me was tight. He's going to have a hard time after I leave. He desperately took in my scent. I reached up and held onto his feather.
"Shiori?" I put my flame onto the feather the same way he did for me.
"There. That way, I'll always be by your side. Even if it's not the version of me you know, it's still me, right?" He gave a rare smile before giving me one more kiss on the cheek. He let me go.
"Go home, Shiori."
"I was about to until we were interrupted." I walked to the group of red-faced teens. "What are your problems?"
"Now I know why Shiori graduated early." Kyoko said happily. "I'm jealous that Shiori has her own prince charming." Tsuna looked defeated.
"Try when you're older." I patted his shoulder.
"I'll… try."
"Ready?" Irie asked. When we all nodded, he looked at Tsuna. I stared at a recovering happy Kanade, Xanxus, and Elizabeth. I felt better about leaving now. "Time warp, start!"
When they were gone, Kanade sighed. She'd miss Shiori. They all would. Still, it was good to see Xanxus smile again. "See? Aren't you glad you listened to me?" She asked Xanxus.
"I'm going home."
"Me too! I want to see and talk to mama. She told me to see her and talk as if she was there. That's what she did to get over aunt Kanade and she feels a lot better. Maybe I won't feel better by next year, but I trust mama when she said it'll help me feel better. Let's go, papa." Elizabeth took Xanxus' arm and dragged him out. The rest of the Varia left. Kanade stayed behind and saw something with Spanner.
"What are those?"
"These? Shiori wrote them and recorded a message. She said to send them on specific days."
"Can I see?"
"I'm not sure if I should let you see." Kanade grimaced.
"What would my best friend not want to show me?" He gave in quite easily.
"Fine."
"What are these for anyway?"
"One is to give the Varia on the next anniversary of her death. The next is at Elizabeth's wedding. The final is for Xanxus whenever he gets pissed off and wants to kill the Vongola."
"And the recorder?"
"It's for you. I don't know why she didn't write you a letter, but it works." Kanade took them and smiled sadly.
"That idiot. Even when she's physically gone, she'll never leave us. Thanks, Spanner. I'll deliver these letters to everyone."
When Kanade got home to the temporary Varia headquarters, she took out the recording. She was nervous to play it, but curiosity was stronger than her nerves. "Since you left behind a recording for me, I guess I should do the same to you. Though, I don't know what you recorded for me yet, but I'll wing it. So, to my favorite, precious stalker, thank you for being my friend." Kanade sat down and smiled even though her eyes were already tearing up. "I feel like I needed to say that. There isn't much I regret. Not voicing how much I cherished you was one of the few things I do regret. Something I didn't regret was going through with our plan all those years ago. Even if you did die and I was hospitalized for months, I don't regret it." Shiori hummed. She was trying to figure out what to say. "Do you still eat junk food all the time? You had a bad habit of not eating anything unless it came from the convenience store. I won't be there to scold you anymore. And you won't be here to scold me. See? We're even now."
Shiori got silent. Kanade thought the recording stopped. "Also, I'm glad you said you'd see my grave. I meant it when I said it helps. You should have seen me when I finally saw yours. I was so angry at you but mostly myself. I stomped on the ground and called you a weird stalker. Kazuma was with me. He was the one that encouraged me to go. He asked if I wanted to say anything else, but I didn't. That was your punishment. I guess the real punishment for both of us was seeing each other again and then separating to our different worlds." Kanade laughed. She could definitely see Shiori doing that as punishment.
"I feel alright with leaving you behind. It actually puts my mind at ease that somewhere, my best friend is living a life full of adventure. That is something you've always wanted. I hope you and everyone else can see it that way with me too. I'll be in my world safe from Byakuran and with my own Varia. The only thing I'm in danger of is getting lectures from Xanxus." She sounded bitter. He always gave her the worst lectures. "I think that's all I want to say. I don't know. Oh! Flip the tape over. There's a surprise. I don't know if we used to sing in your world, but we did in mine." Kanade nodded to herself. They used to sing on the roof together all the time. "J-just don't let anyone hear it. This is only between the two of us and a little embarrassing for me." The recording stopped. Kanade flipped the tape and hesitated to press the play button. She decided to lay down first before playing the tape. "For my world, my savior, and most importantly, my best friend. Thank you for everything."
When we got back to our time, we were at Namimori shrine. Tsuna, Reborn, and the little ones were missing. We all left as a group to find Tsuna. At his house, he came running out. A feeling of dread filled my body.
"You're pale, Shiori."
"He's here and he's pissed." I squeaked out nervously. I didn't know how he'd react if he was this pissed off to come all the way to Japan for me.
"VOI!"
"Mama!" We all looked as the Varia walked over. Elizabeth rode on Squalo's shoulders, waving her arm in the air. "Hi, mama! We got sad waiting for you, so papa said it'd be better if we got you. He even said we can see grandma!"
"Grandma?"
"Syoko and Nikita." I could feel my soul start to leave my body. Xanxus walked up to me. His eyes narrowed, telling me I was in deep trouble. I'd definitely be getting more than a lecture. Reborn jumped onto my shoulder.
"It was my fault, Xanxus."
"Do you have anything to say, Shiori?"
"I… y-you said to focus on you. S-so, I did focus on you. I know what happened when you thought I died. So, when I did die in the future… I wanted to cheer you up." I said as quietly as I could. I could feel my ears heat up. I refused to make eye contact for any longer than a second at a time.
"With an explanation like that, I wouldn't be so mad." Reborn commented. Xanxus sighed heavily.
"I can't be mad at that. I'm pissed at something else."
"At what?" I asked. Reborn got off my shoulder. He grunted and glared at me. The teens took a few steps back with a shriek. He took a hold of my face before kissing me on the lips. He left go and crossed his arms. "That's what I'm pissed about. Kissing someone else instead of me."
"It was still you, dumbass!" I blew up.
"It doesn't matter if it was me from another world. It wasn't me." I held my head. He was already pissed off, so I decided to go for my plan. Why not, right? I put my hand in his pocket and took his hair product out.
"Boss, she looks really pissed off." Lussuria said worryingly.
"What are you planning?" Xanxus asked with narrowed eyes. No one touched his hair product and survived. This man needed it as much as he needed me.
"No more hair products."
"Over my dead body." Before he could stop me, I threw it as hard as I could. Yamamoto whistled.
"You'd be good at baseball!" The two of us were in a staring contest.
"Are you mad you weren't her first kiss?" Reborn asked, amused at the show we were putting on.
"No."
"There's no world you'd ever be my first kiss. My first belongs to Kanade."
"She wasn't your first for everything." Xanxus said as if he won.
"Think again. We had sex." Everyone on both sides was gasping. They've never seen Xanxus act out like this. They didn't think it was possible in a million years. They all thought the same as Shiori. She'd always be reserved in public. They must be extremely pissed at each other.
"Squalo, stop them." Levi said as the two got increasingly angrier.
"I can't at this point." Xanxus took a hold of Shiori's wrist.
"It's punishment time." He said dangerously.
"Punishment?" His smirk made her look uneasy. The teens were a little worried, but knew the Varia would be able to deal with their boss. "Will it hurt?" She asked.
"All you have to do is sign your name." Her face paled.
"N-now?" He started pulling her.
"We're leaving." Xanxus looked at both groups with contempt. "Interfere and you'll all die."
"W-wait, Xanxus! Can't this wait?"
"I've waited long enough." Shiori looked back at the two groups and gave a small smile before mouthing 'thank you' to Squalo. He let out a very audible gasp. The audacity this woman has is astronomical.
"VOI!"
"What was all that about?" Tsuna asked no one in particular. He wouldn't have thought Xanxus to be like that.
"She looked like a blushing bride." Reborn commented with a smile, knowing exactly what was happening.
"That shitty boss."
"Where's he going, Squalo?" Lussuria asked.
"Tokyo."
"For what?"
"He's seeing Syoko and Nikita."
"For?" Bel urged.
"If you idiots haven't figured it out yet, I'm not explaining." Squalo said, rubbing his temples. Reborn knew he was right. Shiori knew what she got herself into and went with the flow. She seemed happy too. Wait. Did she know this would happen?
"Shiori… is a terrifying woman." Reborn spoke with unease.
"She's really strong. Of course, she's terrifying." Gokudera said.
"That's not it. I have a feeling Shiori knew this would happen."
"I'm out of the loop." Tsuna muttered. Squalo looked at the baby with disbelief.
"No. Shiori would never plan that."
"Are you sure about that, Squalo? Only Shiori knows her desires." The Varia got what was happening and panicked.
"We should really go after them. We can't miss this!" Levi said.
"What's happening?!"
"They're getting married!" The Varia yelled. Elizabeth gasped and pulled Squalo's hair from excitement.
"We have to go!"
"VOI! Stop pulling my hair!"
"Move and I'll stop!" The teens really didn't see that much of a difference between Elizabeth and Squalo's relationship in the future. They must have always been close.
"Let's quickly eat first. I have a feeling it'll take a while." Bel said.
"Why?" Elizabeth asked.
"It's almost your lunch time. We'll get in trouble if we don't feed you."
In Tokyo, Xanxus kept holding my hand. He wasn't gripping it as tightly and stopping walking at a fast pace. We were headed towards Syoko's place. "Is there something else on your mind? You've been quiet the entire time."
"I'm pissed at a few things."
"I know I should have told you about the future, but I did promise to tell you everything."
"We all saw what happened. It was like a dream. I'm confused. Why was Kanade there?" We stopped walking and got out of people's way.
"That wasn't our future. It was a parallel world. Byakuran already killed me in the majority of the other worlds. He only left me alive because I should have died from the Tokyo incident. He thought I wouldn't make it. Knowing you're not supposed to be alive is a feeling that's hard to come up with the words to describe it."
"How did you survive?" He asked, his hand squeezing mine tighter.
"Well, come to find out, I'm a descendent of Tamamo-no-mae and before you ask, yes the myth. It's because of her that I don't die easily." He sighed and started walking.
"Guess we don't need the blood test results then."
"I guess not. Is there anything else bothering you?"
"Are you fine with marrying me?" He asked. Was that his biggest concern out of this whole situation? I moved my hand within his to intertwine our fingers together. He looked back, not sure what I was doing. I leaned into his arm with a smile.
"You would have been knocked out the night you asked if I didn't want to marry you."
I could tell he liked my answer. He instantly relaxed against my touch and looked forward. When we got to Syoko's, we were met with a dimly lit room. Men sat alongside the walls. The tables were all moved out. At the back of the room, Syoko, Kaoru, and Nikita sat behind a small table with a piece of paper on it. My stomach was on fire. It was oddly tense. Xanxus gently pulled me further in. We took our shoes off at the entrance and let go of our hands. We walked to the three and sat down next to each other. Their stares were hardened. I haven't seen Syoko as tense as this before. I refused to break eye contact with her.
"Welcome back, Shiori, Xanxus. I see you two are ready to be serious." We nodded. This was no regular meeting. This felt more like a traditional yakuza meeting. "Don't be nervous. This might just be your wedding day." She said with no particular emotion.
"Might?" I questioned.
"There are a few… conditions to this marriage. Both of you will have to agree." Kaoru slid us a piece of paper. Written down were what looked like rules. My brows furrowed.
"Most of those are already met. However, there is a dowry. Depending on the size of your wallet, you may not be able to marry Shiori." I looked at Syoko flabbergasted. "Usually, the dowry would include four-hundred pieces of furniture and goods for Shiori and her home. However, times have changed. In this time, furniture has been replaced with money. Kaoru."
Kaoru slid over an empty cheque. The only thing filled out was the amount. My eyes widened like saucers. She replaced four-hundred pieces of furniture for four-hundred thousand dollars. "Is that the only thing left?" Xanxus asked.
"It is. What do you say, Xanxus?" Nikita looked at me. I looked at the cheque and put a hand on Xanxus' thigh to stop him from doing something. There was something a bit off with the whole situation but I couldn't tell what it was. "What's wrong? Do you not have enough to compensate me for taking my daughter?" Syoko taunted.
"The last thing I knew, Shiori was Nikita's daughter. You only see Shiori as a daughter. Only Nikita has claim to Shiori as her mother." Xanxus said, staring right into Syoko's eyes. Nikita had the smallest smile on her face. The room was silent. A pin could drop at the entrance and everyone would be able to clearly hear it. The tension also put me on edge. Syoko was highly unpredictable especially in negotiations. It's partly why Kaoru will do the negotiations for their meetings. I didn't know how she'd take Xanxus' statement.
"You're awfully brave, boy. No one goes against me. Do you think I'd honestly let you off because of Shiori?"
"Mafia wise, she is Nikita's daughter. Everyone recognizes her as such. For you to claim otherwise is bold of yourself, Syoko." He placed a hand over mine. I'll leave this to him. He can handle things just fine.
"Tell me, what do you think, Shiori?" She asked me.
"Eloping is always an option."
"You'd even go against me?"
"If you recall, we got grandpa's blessing before I left for Italy. I believe that is enough since he is my blood relative unlike you and Nikita."
"You've gotten feistier. I'd compliment you if you weren't going against me, Shiori. I can be very dangerous when I want."
"If you want the money, take it. However, I won't give the money as a dowry when you aren't her mother." Xanxus was firm in his decision. He wouldn't back down. That was the kind of man he was. Once he believed in one thing, he wouldn't back down until given definite proof of being wrong. I felt something being dropped on my shoulders. The two of us looked behind us and saw my grandparents.
"Sorry if we're late. I stayed up late sewing." On our shoulders were two kimonos, mine white and his black. The usual colors for a traditional wedding ceremony. I looked back at a pouting Syoko. She was not impressed.
"I thought you two were never going to get here in time. Though, I did have fun stalling."
"What?" I questioned softly, still not processing everything that just happened. She snickered with a large smile.
"Did I get you good? I'm surprised none of those idiots sitting by haven't sniffled yet. They were teary eyed the second they knew this would be happening." Kaoru sighed.
"I'm sorry, Shiori. Mom… got excited when Xanxus called." I turned my attention to the man in question.
"You planned this?!"
"Don't get angry on our wedding day. You'll stress yourself out."