Disclaimer: I own the OCs, the rest is Akira Amano's work.
Fratellanza
I kept jumping up and down.
"I guess your stupidity did something good this time," I told my brother.
"Ana!" he whined like a baby and I smiled innocently at him.
I thought I'd go see Dino and how he was settling down the next morning. I was swallowed by a turtle almost immediately. However, now, I was feeling good.
Actually, I had not felt that much energy in my body in a very long time. All of the physical exhaustion and stress were gone.
I plopped down on the seat on my brother's right side, between him and Reborn. I frowned at Dino putting a piece of carrot in front of my mouth, trying to feed me.
"What the hell?" He sighed deeply and ate it himself.
"You were so cute when you were a kid, why did you have to be hit by puberty?" he sulked, looking sadly at his bowl.
"What was she like when she was a kid?" Tsunayoshi asked innocently, simply curious. Dino perked up at that with a big grin.
"She was adorable! She didn't know what was polite or not when we adopted her, so for years she was calling people she didn't know 'sir' or 'madam' in a very formal tone because she didn't want to appear rude. Oh, and she always wanted to play with me! She would come in my office with a football ball and say 'play with me' in the most adorable commanding tone ever!" I facepalmed.
"You refused and I left for China," I reminded him the end of the story. "I have stories about you as well, don't forget it." He froze and went back to eating quietly. "So, Sky and Sun? Impressive."
"Well, Scuderia is Sky and Storm, it's nice to have Box Weapons with other Flame abilities when you have only one."
"Really, Sky and Storm?" He smiled softly at me.
"Yeah, you offered him to me for my thirtieth birthday two years ago." Hearing him say 'thirty' was...so weird.
"Right, the Flame of Wrath is Sky and Storm..." He nodded.
"Yeah, and Xanxus was so offended you got me this unlike what you got him." I raised a brow and he snickered to himself. "You booked him a room in a nursing home!" I blinked in confusion and Tsunayoshi choked on his food. Dino slapped him in the back. "You said that we grew up together, so there was enough teasing growing up between us. But for Xanxus it was different so you...made up for the lost years I guess?"
"Oh no, don't tell me he..."
"You met your match baby sis', and he's surprisingly good in his ways to annoy you apparently." Tsunayoshi had a weird face, probably trying to picture the guy who tried to kill him as someone who loved pissing off his younger sister for his own enjoyment.
But I loved pissing off Dino for my own enjoyment as well…
Huh.
In the afternoon, after my brother's party, we all gathered in the room used for bike practice. Reborn was on my head and I was next to my brother and Katryna, who had a calm smile on her face. Basil was also there, Lal as well on our side. Romario had Enzio on his head behind us, Arro next to him.
"Okay, everyone's here! It's time to start a serious training for each of you concerning your Box Weapon. First, I'd like to introduce you to Katryna." They looked at her and she nodded. "She's a medic and will go see you during your training to make sure you're not killing yourself by accident. Trust me when I say she's skilled, she has a Sun Flame and survived Shamal's medical training." That got her wide eyes and Hayato pointing an astonished finger at her. She blushed slightly, an embarrassed smile on her face.
"But you're a woman! How...how..."
"Don't worry Hayato-senpai, I know where to kick, your future self actually made sure of that." He was speechless for a second and crossed his arms, nodding firmly.
"Yeah, that's good, you better teach that pervert a lesson before he can teach you anything." Poor Shamal, I'd almost pity him.
Almost.
"As Reborn's oldest student, I'm in charge of over viewing all of your training. I'm looking forward to it."
"Can a failure like him..." Hayato didn't finish his sentence that Tsunayoshi pushed him back, making him fall. "Tenth, what..." Tsunayoshi rubbed the back of his head, showing the bullet impact where his foot was a second ago.
Dino shot me a look, the look, as I twirled my gun around my finger. I looked away in disdain.
"I can't wait!" Takeshi exclaimed, crossing his arms behind his head.
"Yeah, I'm charged to the extreme for this training!"
"I will also go around to check if Dino's doing a good job when I have the time." Then he kicked him brutally in the jaw, enough to draw blood at the corner of his mouth, before going back on my head. "After all, who knows what kind of mistake he still does today?"
"A...nyway, Chrome." She raised her head. "You were sent to this time but you are also an allied of Rokudo Mukuro. Can we count on you?"
"I...yes. I want to do better, to improve because…I believe it is what will bring me, us, to the past."
"Alright, that's what I wanted to hear. First of all, we'll need to have Lambo train seriously. I know," he said to Tsunayoshi, who had opened his mouth, "that he's a kid, but he's also a Vongola Guardian and the power of each Guardian will be vital for the fight." While he said that, I watched Lambo running around with a pen as if he were an astronaut or something. "I heard a few things about the Vongola Boxes from the Tsuna in this time. With that in mind, you will all engage in individual training regimes. I should mention Hibari Kyoya has already started his training with me." I averted my eyes to the door, basically away from everyone. He seriously called that 'training'? I mean...it worked in a sense but...beating each other to a pulp was not really… "Basil will also have his own training with Lal Mirch. Luciana will train with Reborn and Arro until her other tutor is here."
"A third one?" He grinned at me.
"Everything's going to be fine, he's perfect for you, trust me!" Then, he told everyone what they would be doing and we started to leave the room.
Katryna caught my sleeve and made me slow down. Once we were behind everyone, she pointed at a spot next to the bikes and I frowned.
Wow, the girls were well hidden.
When we were in the hallway, we leaned against the wall in silence and waited. They exited the room a few seconds later, a scarf around their head.
"Well good afternoon ladies," I greeted them with a smirk and they yelped, starting in their shoes. They spun around. "I didn't notice you were there until Katryna told me, congratulations."
"Ana-senpai, it's not..." I raised my hand, signaling Kyoko I wasn't buying any lie she would come up with.
"Yeah, I get it, Tsunayoshi didn't talk to you. Damn he really needs to grow a pair."
"Hahi, that language is..." Haru squeaked with a blush. Poor innocent Kyoko was immune by now.
"You must have more questions than before now, don't you?" Katryna asked them. "Oh, my name is Katryna, I get along well with your future selves, Kyoya and Haru."
"Nice to meet you."
"Same!" Haru said enthusiastically before the atmosphere dropped between us. "But...what are we supposed to do?"
"Can't you tell us senpai?"
"No, it's Tsunayoshi's story to tell. Maybe Ryohei's too for you Kyoko, but it's not my place to tell you anything." Although, screaming the sumo contest excuse was bullshit was tempting.
"But how can we make him tell us? If we just ask him he'll find an excuse not to tell us." Haru was not wrong there, so I shrugged.
"I don't know but you have my support on whatever you decide to do."
Of course, when news reached me they were boycotting house chores related to the boys, I was totally supporting them. Arro was not agreeing with me though.
"You seriously think it's the time to boycott!?" he basically yelled at me, making Hugin hide behind Reborn.
"They should have told them right when they were thrown into that era, I told Tsunayoshi he should tell them but he didn't, they had it coming!"
"What good will it bring them exactly!?"
"They were taken from their home and life and they don't even have the right to know why!?" I shouted back at him, fuming. "It's this time's Tsunayoshi, my future self, Shoichi and this time's Kyoya who are to blame for this situation, they're here because they're close to Tsunayoshi, it's their right to know they're here because of him!"
"Sure, but right now might not be the best time!"
"Byakuran wants the Vongola Rings, do you think he's below threatening them openly!? If they're threatened and..."
"Lulu..."
"What!?" Arro pointed at my right hand. My ring was flaming purple and my Flame of Wrath was present, burning brighter than usual.
I stepped back immediately. My inhaler in my mouth, I breathed with it, watching my flame disappearing slowly. Did the Cloud Flame I could now produce on a ring...made my Flame of Wrath stronger or…?
"Anyhow, the girls are boycotting and Tsuna has to find a solution, you don't have to do anything about it you two. I forbid it." Reborn then looked at me. "Get your flame under control, a fight with your best friend shouldn't bring out so much bad emotions in you. Fon trained you better than that."
"...yes..."
"Let's go back to training."
The bed was so comfy, and my pillow was warm.
And moving.
That was weird, my bed was pretty normal. I was pretty sure I passed out when Reborn threw me in the wall during today's training but...the room I was staying in was not that good. Dino was acting all weird today as well.
I opened my eyes and blinked, not recognizing the room. It was more luxurious and western-like than Kyoya's base.
I sat up and looked at my pillow.
It blinked back at me and started purring, showing me its belly.
"Well aren't you my Italian savior?" I whispered to him, giving him a belly rub. "Bester right?" He purred even more and used his paw to bring me back to the mattress, nuzzling his nose against my cheek.
After a few seconds of cuddling with that big cat, I remembered his owner. I got off the bed and shot him an inquisitive look.
"You didn't come here on your own, did you?" I left the room and entered a luxurious living-room. I was sure to be in a hotel suite now and Xanxus was on the couch in the living-room, working on… "Are those my guns?"
"Yeah," he replied, not batting an eyelash, not giving me a look. He was totally focus on the task at hands.
"But why?"
"Maintenance." I inched slowly toward him. "Might as well gain time while you were passed out on the bed." I stopped behind the couch at a right angle to the one he was sitting on. I laid my hand on the back of it.
"So...did you finally kidnap me?" This time he shot me a look and I was pretty sure it was a tiny bit of amusement in his scarlet eyes.
"Yes, just to throw you back there in a few days." I looked down when something soft was beneath my fingers and I smiled softly at Bester. He was so damn cute. "Luciana, sit." I did, not wanting to anger the man. He sighed and put down the part of Federico's gun he was cleaning. "You're going to be with me until you face Byakuran, so stop being awkward." I pursed my lips. "Keep that for my past self."
"So...so we really get along now?" He nodded.
"You lived at the VARIA HQ for three years, what do you think?"
"I worry for my mental health?" A smirk appeared on his lips for a second. "Never mind, how did we even..."
"Do you really want to know?" I blinked at him. Did I want to know? Was he really just okay with telling me?
"I...I don't know, I don't want it to ruin..."
"It won't, and if you can avoid it it would be better." I narrowed my eyes at him.
"Avoid the reason we got close?"
"I was planning on seeing you or at least talk to you on your seventeenth birthday."
"Talk." He leaned forward on his knees, not looking at me but with a harsh look on his face. He did not have...the 'aura' he usually had though. The Boss one. Right now, even if he was intimidating, he was...pretty normal. At least I was seeing...my brother I guess. It was weird to describe.
"You were kidnapped, in your own apartment. They managed to move you to Portugal before we got you back."
"...you came?" He frowned.
"These trash were not doing a very good job at saving you, so yes. It was private matters anyway."
"Pri..." His gaze was enough. My father managed to kidnap me, and from what he said earlier, it must have happened before my seventeenth birthday. Birthday which was in six months.
Yeah, I loved that scenario.
"So...you're my third tutor?" He nodded firmly, resuming his work on my gun. "Why you?"
"I'm the only one who can use the Flame of Wrath except for you," he explained as if it was the most logical thing in the world. It was...logical but...I wasn't fighting the way he was so… "Don't worry about details, I know what I am doing."
"Sure?" I was still sitting awkwardly though, my back straight and hands on my knees. "So, what are we going to do?"
"Today nothing, then you'll see."
"I don't think that..."
"You among everyone else should know not to overwork your body." I froze.
"You know," I stated in a whisper. "How much?"
"Too much for you right now." I brought my knees to my chest and laid my chin on them. "I've read Haneuma's report. You did good Ann'." I didn't really know how to react, so I just nodded hastily.
"Yeah...sure..." Bester pushed my legs with his front paw. I slid on the floor and sat at the coffee table. Without a word, Xanxus gave me another part of the gun and I started cleaning it. I noticed a whole box of ammo as well. "That's a lot of ammo."
"For you, you'll need it." I brought the box over and took one. They were not Cloud bullets. "They should suit you just fine, I made sure of it." My hand clenched harder around the object.
"Thank you Xanxus," I mumbled almost shyly before looking up at him. "And thank you for coming." On the outside he seemed indifferent, but I saw how he stopped moving for a second.
"You're my baby sister, I can't let trash take care of your training forever. It would be insulting." I blushed slightly at that, a small smile on his face and I went back to my gun.
'Younger sister' or even 'little sister' could have been possible. He chose 'baby sister' instead. It was...affection, wasn't it?
The next day, I followed him in the forest near Namimori. We stopped on a cliff and I shot a look down. Only trees, but they were very much down below.
"We're high."
"Yeah." Great conversation between siblings I'd say. "Jump." I turned a shock gaze at him.
"Sorry what?"
"Jump."
"Do you want to kill me?" He rolled his eyes.
"Federico's gun, use it to come back here."
"I'm not you, I can't use my flames li..." I screamed very loudly when he pushed me and even waved at me from his spot.
That son of a bitch!
I managed to turn around in the air, the wind now lashing my face and the trees below approaching too fast to my liking. What was it with people pushing me off cliff? Last time it was Federico, and it was in a dire situation, but here?
I took Federico's gun and charged it, the gun glowing orange. I shot, but it just burned tree branches and destroyed the ground, I was still falling. My eyes were tearing up because of the wind drying them.
My VARIA ring lit up almost automatically, the purple flame big and bright on my finger. The flame from the gun grew bigger, but it barely made me slow down.
I couldn't possibly die by my brother's hand, right? I mean...he thought I could do it, so...I...I had to succeed! It was my opportunity to show him I was capable, even if this version of Xanxus must have seen me fight already but...I wanted to impress him.
Please flame, help me with that!
It burned brighter, and I thought I saw a spark of orange before I was sent high in the air, way too much to my stomach liking. I looked behind me and bit the inside of my cheek. I needed one more shot to get back on the cliff but…
Well, let's hope I don't die or break anything.
I shot and landed harshly in the ground, breaking it by landing and rolling a few meters back. I was...dizzy when I sat up, and somehow was glad not being able to feel pain.
Although, I ended up on all four puking. I felt Xanxus crouching next to me and a bottle of water was put down next to me. I grabbed it, took a mouthful of it and spat it on the ground, in my puke. It was a lovely picture. I wiped my mouth with the back of my hand and sat on my heels.
"I don't know if I hate you or if I should call you a genius," I admitted to him.
"Do both." I chuckled briefly before he pulled me on my feet. "You can stand fine?"
"It's still a little dizzy." He sat me back down. "What...I'm not flying like you."
"No, you're not, but you can dodge at high speed and that's what I want you to learn."
"Damn your behavior's so different," I said in a sigh. He frowned. "I mean...I noticed in Namimori as well. You're different with me than when you're with your men. You're not nearly as scary as you can be." He sighed as well.
"I'm not going to treat you like trash Ann'. It would be like calling myself 'trash'." I narrowed my eyes at him.
"Thanks, I'm tou..." I groaned when his big, warm hand ruffled my hair, leaving it a mess. I glared at him under my raven locks, blowing some of them out of my face.
He looked too smug to my liking.
"I'm going to kick your ass." He raised a brow.
"I'd like to see that." He got up and stepped back, hands in his pockets. "I mean, with what I've seen so far...it's kind of disappointing." I slowly got up.
"You're trying to piss me off?"
"Yeah, and it's working." His face lost the slight amusement it held. "You and I both know how the Flame of Wrath works and when it is the most powerful." I gulped and nodded. "I know you trained with the Storm Arcobaleno to control it and you did a good job, but if you want to use Federico's gun, you're gonna need more flames, so more control."
"I'm gonna be furious at you all day long?" I summed up and he nodded, his hands reaching for his guns. "Great."
After a few days, where I learned where and when I was supposed to join the others for the Choice, I was done with my shower and sat on the bed. I took the VARIA ring with a grim look and turned it around. I pursed my lips.
The inside of the ring, behind the top of the ring where the stone was...there was a crack. It was small, thin, but definitely there.
Damn, I never would have thought my Cloud Flames would do that. Was...was it supposed to break this easily? I mean, the VARIA had to have good quality rings like the fake Mare Ring, so...why would it start to crack?
I left my room to go to Xanxus', but he was in the living-room, checking his phone. He put it away and looked up at me, asking me what I wanted with a movement of his chin.
"The ring, it's..." I groaned and simply showed him the crack once next to him.
"What do you want me to do about it?"
"But...is it supposed to break like that!?" He looked slightly offended.
"Of course not, they're quality, especially yours."
"Then why don't you look more concerned about it breaking!?"
"I knew it might happen at some point." I opened my mouth but he got up, towering me by a head, as the top of mine was just under his chin, and he put his hand on my mouth. "Keep doing what you're doing, don't think much about it. You still have the other Cloud ring, right?" I nodded. "Keep it on you."
The rest of the training was...intense. Xanxus was powerful and experienced, there was no doubt about it. However, his training methods were different from Reborn's or anyone else. I mean, for instance Reborn and TYL Kyoya would make long training sessions to make me work on stamina and tire me enough for me not to try to train again on my own. They were efficient, of course.
Xanxus worked differently because it was rare to train in the mornings, and if we did it would be a lot against Bester while he was clearly finishing his night against a tree at ten or eleven a.m. The sessions were also a lot shorter, but a lot more intense. Basically, Reborn was making sure I would win long fights in spite of my stamina, and Xanxus was saying 'fuck it, you don't have a lot of stamina so your fights will be short and you'll win anyway'.
Needless to say, my brain was working all the time, but most of all my survival instinct was kicking in like crazy. I wasn't fearing for my life, but Xanxus was not sparing any expense of using his Flame of Wrath, and I knew fully well how dangerous it was.
It was strange to be the target of it for once.
While training with my brother, my instinct was sometimes overlapping my brain and it was something that had not happened in years. At first it was disturbing, but after dodging another bullet, I let my instinct in control. It was exactly what Xanxus wanted anyway, he wanted me to take out any trash in the time I had and not try to adapt to the time they had.
In a way, Reborn's training and my brother's we both essential and complemented one another.
On the morning of the awaited day, Xanxus threw me a VARIA attire in my face when I was barely awake. The sun was not up yet.
"You're representing the VARIA today Luciana, don't disappoint me." My mouth was so dry.
"...sure..."
The uniform was basically a white dress shirt with the word 'VARIA' sewed on my right breast pocket, no tie so I left the three first buttons unbuttoned. Then, I had black leather pants with a beige strip on the inner leg and outer leg, very skin tight but it almost felt like I was wearing nothing at the same time. The jacket was light and in leather, slightly fitted at the waist, black with beige strips on the sides and sleeves and the word 'VARIA' once again on the right breast. There was also a hood with white fur around it, hopefully it was fake fur. Then, I was wearing black leather boots.
I jumped a few times.
"It's way easier to move in than I thought it would be." Xanxus looked at me with an appreciative glint in his eyes. I put my Boxes Weapons at my waist, rings on my fingers or pocket and my guns at my thighs. "I'm ready. Thanks for training me, it was...perfect for me." He looked away and closed his eyes, pretending it was nothing, but I wasn't blind.
He put a lot of thoughts into it and how it would make me progress as fast as possible without being overwhelming. It...also required a good knowledge of the other person and how they worked.
Any doubts I could have about my future self and him getting along were gone, because it was crystal clear I was close to him. I just had to remember how he was relaxed around me.
"Are you coming?"
"No, I have things to do." I was...a little disappointed, but the situation was too bad for me to...act bratty. "Here by the way." I caught the box he threw my way. I opened it and narrowed my eyes at the vials inside of it. They were small syringes with a bright yellow liquid inside. The color...was not natural at all. "If I say it's an activator, you understand what I mean I think."
"I guess..." I closed the box and slipped it in my pocket. "See you then." I was about to walk through the door that his voice stopped me.
"Ann'." I looked at him above my shoulder. "Give them hell, don't hold back." I grinned at him confidently.
"Sir, yes sir!"
I was not stressed about the coming battle. Instead...I was almost excited.
It was killed the moment I was with Reborn in the meeting room. He was the only one there.
He was holding Leon's tail in his hand. Leon who, with his tongue, snatched Cloud's box and swallowed it before changing shape.
"Congratulation Luciana, you're going to be very close to dying in the fight." I went pale. "On the bright side, Xanxus' training will not go to waste and you're going to fight."
"Am I supposed to be happy about almost dying?" I replied sarcastically.
It was not the right time for that, but should I even be surprised by now?
Fratellanza
Thanks for reading this chapter! Thanks to AutumnBee124 for their review!
Bye!