Disclaimer: I do not own KHR. This story was made from appreciation for the original author and work.
Warning: Expect explicit profanity. There will be Iemitsu-bashing and likely Vongola Ninth Bashing (or extreme dislike).
*Story Clue: The presence of She and She in the opening italicized scene(s) is significant. [I'll probably re-edit these sections in the future, but we'll see]
Chapter 3: What's Happening?
The first thing She noticed was Her height, or the lack of thereof. How disorienting, She thought. Her thoughts halted as She noticed the mirror. She opened Her mouth, crossed Her eyes, and finally stuck out Her tongue. The reflection did the exact same thing.
Every. Single. Time.
She frowned harder. It was Her face — Her body — but this wasn't Her.
She turned around in a slow circle, pushing any thoughts about the reflection to the back of Her mind. The room had trace elements of Japanese culture—a potted bamboo in the corner, a cherry blossom painting hanging on a wall, and a traditional tea set on a coffee table. But there were things She had never seen before. Her gaze eventually focused on the bookshelf. She slowly scanned the shelves, searching for the trio of teddy bears that She remembered. But there were no toy bears. Only books and...cylinders? She walked closer and squinted.
Nesting dolls stared back at Her with empty smiles.
Her mouth dried, and it was hard to swallow. Dazed, She heard a ding.
Suddenly, She couldn't control Her body anymore; someone—or something—took over, pushing Her to the sideline. With each step, She became more and more like a spectator. Her attempts to fight back did nothing but exhaust Her. Hopelessness crawled into Her heart, and She could do nothing but watch and feel as Her mouth opened unintentionally.
"Can I have a cookie?"
She wondered uneasily, why those words felt so natural.
She saw a man smile at Her before he put on a pair of oven mitts to take out something from the oven. The sight of the man made Her brain itch as though it expected Her to identify him immediately and found Her lack of success wanting. Frustrated, She could do nothing more than watch the rest of the scene unfold.
The little girl snuck a glance at the man, but his back was firmly turned as he answered the phone. With one eye on him and one eye on the plate of cookies cooling on the counter, She slowly reached for a cookie. Her hand was inches away from the treat when the plate was swiped. She looked up with a frown and scowled at the woman who casually held up the plate. The woman raised an unimpressed eyebrow.
Unconsciously, she growled. "Mine."
The woman's other eyebrow silently joined its counterpart.
She eyed the plate. "Mine."
"No," said the woman calmly. The woman repositioned the cookies far away from the girl's hands before she continued. "No cookies until you clean up your toys."
"No."
The woman sighed. "Neither I nor your Papa appreciate the attitude, pup. You've been grumpy all day now. What's wrong?"
She scowled as she looked away. A large hand landed on her head, and it was only the familiar presence of the man that stopped her from slapping it away.
"Your Mama has a point," commented the man plainly as he stood next to the woman. He grabbed a cookie and took a large bite. She narrowed her eyes at her father's faux innocent expression.
"Delicious," commented the man casually. To the woman, he added, "We should give some to the Yamamotos before they leave."
The woman nodded without taking her eyes off the girl.
What. Did. They. Say.
The man snorted at the girl's expression. He took another cookie as he leaned against the wall casually.
"We'll have to hide some," mused the man. "Takehiko's sweet tooth really hasn't changed over the years. If we're not careful, he'll just finish the whole set before they leave.."
The woman's lips curled up at the girl's twitch. "Maybe we should be more worried about his son. If the boy has his own sweet tooth, then we might as well just hand over all the treats."
Before the man could respond, the girl interjected with a harsh, "No."
The adults exchanged looks. The man started to speak, but she focused on the woman.
Her jaw tightened. "No."
The woman looked unimpressed, much to Her irritation.
She gritted Her teeth. "Oji-san is…fine. I don't know the boy. Don't know him. Don't like him."
"Contradiction," pointed out the woman. "You can't dislike someone when you haven't even met them, pup."
She gave the woman a flat stare. "Aunt Kira. Aunt Lena."
The woman paused, then slowly nodded. "I see your point."
"But," drawled the man even as he glanced at the woman with a bemused look. "It's always good to make new friends. Give Takehiko-Ojisan's son a chance, pup. While the grown-ups talk, you two could go pla—"
"No."
There was a long pause.
When she glanced up, the girl flushed at the expression on their faces. Dropping her gaze, her hands curled around the fabric of her skirt. She sensed more than saw them sit down on either side of her.
A cookie entered her range of vision, and she peeked through her bangs. The man smiled encouragingly, and even the woman didn't object to the obvious bribe. She snatched the treat before either adult could take it back. The girl took a large bite and chewed. The adults waited patiently for her to speak.
The girl spoke without looking up. "T-the other kids at the park think I'm weird. They called me a sand monster, because I don't let them in the sandbox. But they keep kicking down my stuff when I do let them in! They just want to dig holes or eat sand. And one boy even went pee-pee!"
"Takehiko's son won't be like that," assured the man. The woman was carefully looking away with a funny expression on her face.
The girl stared at the man unconvinced. Before the man could explain, they heard a knock on the door.
"Let's see if you're right." The woman helped her stand up and smooth down any dress creases. "You might not like Takehiko-Ojisan's son—"
"But you might," piped up the man.
"—but you shouldn't be mean to him," said the woman without missing a beat. "Give him a chance, yes?"
She frowned. "If I'm nice, then can I have cookies before dinner?"
The woman crossed her arms. "Let's see how lunch goes."
Disgruntled at the lack of cookie certainty, the girl gave a grudging nod. She looked at the man. "Papa, what's his name?"
The man smiled. "His name's—"
rememberWhowasitrememberwhathappenedremeberwhowhatwhyhowlremember
Sawada Household, Namimori
For the first time in years, Nana woke up without any children jumping on her bed or knocking on her door. Bleary-eyed, she stared up at the ceiling. She wondered why she felt like something was missing. Any remnants of last night's dream quickly evaporated as she gradually grew alert. Nana glanced at the clock and winced. It was far past the time that she was supposed to take a pill. She was out of bed and halfway to the bathroom when a sudden thought made her pause mid-step.
Did she have to take a pill?
Tsuna's study-sessions were extended. The younger kids were with him. Bianchi and Reborn were watching them all. Today wasn't even Iemitsu's weekly call.
Maybe, just maybe, she could go a day without the medication?
Nana bit her lip and took a deep breath. She slowly returned to the bed and sat down, letting her body sink into the mattress. She grasped her hands together as she thought. It's been five—no six days, since she was left alone. The first three days were bad, admitted Nana internally. She cleaned the entire house from top to bottom several times. Afterwards, she restocked the children's favorite snacks. Nana even had time to restock Iemitsu's favorite drinks just in case he decided to do a sudden visit. She also managed to knit five sweaters for Reborn and the children, a pair of mittens for Tsuna, and a scarf for Bianchi. To not leave out Tsuna's other friends, she baked cookies, brownies, blondies, and even a couple chocolate cakes. But no one had come by, so the treats were just steadily becoming a pile…
She couldn't even deliver the treats to Tsuna's friends' homes because Tsuna never told her their addresses. Well, Nana corrected herself, she did know where Takeshi lived. Unfortunately, she promised Iemitsu that she wouldn't go to TakeSushi without him or Tsuna. Nana's brow furrowed. She didn't understand her husband's request even though it's been years since he wanted her promise. Iemitsu seemed to like the sushi just fine, and he used to let her go by herself. She wasn't sure what caused the 180-degree turn, but she remembered that it was during their newlywed period; after they moved to Namimori but before she became pregnant with Tsuna.
If it was anyone else, then Nana might have considered it to be jealousy. But Iemitsu wasn't like most husbands. He was above such pettiness. Besides, the owner of that newly opened sushi restaurant was married. In any case, there wasn't any harm in saying yes, and Iemitsu asked her to do so few things throughout their marriage. Her husband did so much for her and their little family…how could she say no to such a minor request?
Nana shook her head and stood up. She would take the extra treats to Grandma Honda. There were always grandchildren in Grandma Honda's house. But she had to hurry, otherwise she would interrupt nap time. Grandma Honda might even take the children out for a walk, and then she would never be able to catch her in time.
She quickly dressed and packed the treats. In her rush to leave, it never occurred to Nana that she didn't consume any orange-colored pills that day.
Grandma Honda's House, Namimori
Nana pressed the doorbell and waited patiently. She took a moment to admire the row of ceramic animals sitting outside the house.
"How cute," observed Nana aloud. "It's the Zodiac Animals."
"An old friend gave it to me as a wedding gift," said an amused elderly woman's voice. Nana turned around and bowed towards the elder, who looked at her with kind brown eyes. "Why don't you come in and put down those goodies, Sawada-san? I've just made a fresh pot of tea."
The elder's house was a traditional Japanese house with fusuma, rōka, and shoji. After Nana put down the basket of baked goods, her body naturally settled itself into seiza. The older woman brought in two teacups and a clay pot of tea. Nana squashed the instinct to offer the older woman her help; if Grandma Honda needed help, then she had no qualms about informing others. Nana remembered when Grandma Honda told her not unkindly that she was old, not inept.
Grandma Honda was a short woman, shorter than even Nana herself with a stoop back. Her hair was completely white and usually tied back in a bun with a neat hair tie. She wore her usual dark green haori over a sweater and grey pants. Nana suspected that the haori was a cherished item from her husband, considering the masculine cut and Grandma Honda's frequent use. Considering how Grandma Honda had never asked in-depth questions about Iemitsu's absence, Nana felt it would be disrespectful to bring up Grandpa Honda who has been away helping another relative for several years now. The older woman casually poured tea for herself and Nana, before sitting down on the other side of the table.
They made small talk. Nana felt something in her stomach ease at the causal topics. As much as she loved the children, it was nice to talk to an adult who didn't care about her very busy husband nor Tsuna's marks.
Unknown to her, Grandma Honda was trying to discover why Nana Sawada came for a visit out of the blue. Sawada-san was an unusual entity that stirred up her curiosity. Most thought she was becoming slow in her old age, but Grandma Honda had a sixth sense for things that were different from how they appeared. And the woman in front of her sent the hair on the back of her neck on edge. Today more than ever, something was…different about the housewife.
"The kids aren't here today, but I'll pass along the goodies." Grandma Honda nodded at the basket of goodies. "My youngest grandchildren wanted to go to the zoo, so the older kids were roped into being their watchers for today."
"How wonderful," said Nana. "You must be so happy."
Grandma Honda smiled. "I love them, but I'm not as young as I used to be. How's you boy? Tsunayoshi, right?"
Nana's smile slightly tightened. "Tsuna is fine. He's studying with friends."
Grandma Honda nodded approvingly. "Good boy. It's about time that he started getting serious with his schoolwork. Better late than never."
"He doesn't need to get the best grades or go to the most prestigious university; I just want him to live his life to the fullest. Is that so hard to ask?" Nana sighed.
Grandma Honda said sympathetically, "These things take time, Sawada-san. He's still young, don't worry. He'll find his way."
"Things really took off when Reborn arrived," mused Nana.
"Reborn," echoed Grandma Honda. Nana blinked at the elder's strange tone. "What an unusual name. Reborn."
As Sawada-san continued to talk, Grandma Honda's mind raced. When the younger woman finally left, Grandma Honda's peaceful smile dropped. She took the house phone and carefully dialed the phone number for her eldest grandchild. A sinking feeling in her gut told her that "Reborn" was exactly who she suspected.
"Lord help us all," muttered the elderly woman. "Those Italian fools better not be messing up my town. I'll have to talk to the Hibari clan too."
Small Bookstore, Namimori
(The underline are quotes from The Prince by Niccolò Machiavelli)
It was a whim.
After dropping off the treats, Nana didn't want to go shopping for more groceries, cleaning supplies, alcohol, or candy. She let her feet wander, and Nana found herself standing in front of a small bookstore. Without thinking about it too deeply, the housewife crossed the threshold.
(Much, much later, she would wonder what would have happened if she had never went in.)
Nana's eyes roamed the walls with an unusual eagerness as though she was trying to take in everything at once. Unlike the much bigger and better-known store at the shopping center, this shop seemed to specialize in classics from around the world and lesser known works of literature. Of course, Nana recognized some of the more modern best sellers. But there was something different about the atmosphere in this little shop that gave Nana the impression that the owner wasn't preoccupied with sales. Perhaps it was the small size or the natural sunlight spilling into the shop. But it felt like a new world.
No, a different time.
Nana didn't know how long she stayed in the shop, but she absently knew that she walked in far enough that her view of the exit was half blocked by an astonishing tower of books. A larger part of her didn't care, because she just wanted to read. So, she kept reading.
She would pick up a book, read the back, and deliberate before putting it back or carrying it with her to be bought. Nana turned the page as she cradled the current novel in her possession. Her other selected novels were positioned on a nearby stack.
She didn't notice anything but the words in front of her until a cool breath grazed her exposed nape. Nana froze.
"'Men in general judge more by the sense of sight than by the sense of touch, because everyone can see but few can test by feeling. Everyone sees what you seem to be, few know what you really are; and those few do not dare take a stand against the general opinion,'" read aloud an unfamiliar voice behind her. "I never thought I would find a Machiavelli fan here. You are…?"
Nana swallowed. "Sawada-san."
"No, no I don't think so." The man's voice dropped lower, and his presence seemed to move closer. Nana didn't dare to move her head. Every instinct screamed at her to hold still. "Let's try again, shall we? Who are you?"
"N-Nana-san," whispered the housewife as her grip on the book tightened.
"Hmm, I suppose you are." His voice returned to the previous tone. At the surface level, his voice sounded polite. But it was too polite, too carefully crafted to be casual speech. Nana forced herself to refocus, because the man wasn't done talking. "It's been a very long time since I've encountered a case like you. I wondered what you did to make someone do this to you. It's quite a selfish thing — a horrible, selfish thing — and that's coming from me. I suppose it would be kinder if I did something, but honestly, should I? Should I really? I've got a lot to do, and time is ticking away."
Nana's brow furrowed. "W-what are you talking about? W-who are you?"
The stranger continued as though she hadn't spoken. "On the other hand, it's not the right time for the next step. Oh, it's close, but it's not close enough. Not nearly close enough for what is necessary. I could just do what I've always done but there's something new right in front of me. Oh, when was the last time I had the opportunity to do something new? Get involved in something different? Do something that will make this wretched cycle even slightly less boring? Tell me."
Nana didn't understand, so she said nothing. She flinched when a large hand landed on her neck with the fingers spread as though to emphasize how her life was in his hands. He didn't press down or squeeze tightly, but Nana could sense the potential.
She wet her lips nervously. "W-what?"
"…Ah I see. Sometimes I forget how slow it can be for others to catch up. It can be quite a curse to see so much more than others." The hand didn't leave, but somehow Nana felt the pressure lighten. "Allow me to describe a hypothetical: say you encounter a stranger and you realize that they are suffering from — let's call it a rare, unusual affliction — that has long-lasting consequences for the stranger's mental and physical well-being. In fact, the current state of the stranger's condition suggests that left untreated for another year or two, the affliction will advance to an irreversible state. You have the power to grant the stranger an opportunity. The opportunity is not a cure; it will merely improve the stranger's odds. Perhaps with enough strength and luck, they can cure themselves. Who knows?"
Nana opened her mouth, but a finger tapped against the back of her neck; a warning to let him finish.
The man continued, "You don't have to do anything. No one expects you to nor will you necessarily gain anything from a third-party. Of course, the stranger will owe you. The stranger will be in your debt, regardless if the affliction is resolved or not. That's just obvious. With all the advantages given to you – except maybe morality but let's not dwell on ethics — you could involve yourself with the stranger, but should you? Would you? Tell me, your honest thoughts Nana."
The hand lifted from her neck, and Nana impulsively tried to turn around. Unfortunately for her, the man was faster. Two hands held her shoulders firmly, preventing her successful turn and slaying her hopes of escape. His grip wasn't too tight, and he wasn't pressing himself against her. But, Nana felt nervous about an unknown man being so close to her.
As though he read her mind, he took a step back without lifting his hands.
She forced herself to breath in and out to calm down. Chewing the inside of her check, Nana tried to think. The 'right answer' should be helping another but was it so simple? The man didn't say that the stranger will be given the opportunity, only that the other person had the power to grant the stranger an opportunity. What if 'helping' the stranger meant something else to the man? Or, what if he wanted more details? Wait, why was she even thinking about answering him?! Iemitsu would know what to say, what to do! Oh, if only Iemitsu was—
Her stomach made a large gurgle.
Any thoughts about Iemitsu promptly scattered due to embarrassment. Without even looking in a mirror, Nana knew her face was scarlet. To make it worse, even the man behind her chuckled!
As she fought the urge to cover her face, Nana realized that she was still holding the book. Her eyes moved desperately as she searched for an answer. Unconsciously, she chewed the inside of her cheek as she tried to think of a reply.
The man's tsked. Nana accidently bit too hard, and her tongue tasted blood. The man's second tsk was distinctly impatient.
Stressed, embarrassed, and panicked, Nana impulsively pointed at something on the page. She shut her eyes to brace herself for the strange man's reaction. To her surprise, a burst of laughter erupted near her ears. She didn't dare to even breath as the laughter gradually faded. The stranger's tone was still amused when he finally spoke.
"'…Since love and fear can hardly exist together, if we must choose between them, it is far safer to be feared than loved,'" repeated the man. "I would tip my hat off to you if I had one. Hopefully, you'll prove amusing again in our next encounter."
"W-what—" A hand closed around Nana's mouth. Nana panicked as she could still feel two hands on her shoulder. Did this man have a third hand?! Was there another person in the room? What the fuck was happening—
Hotel outside Namimori
A baby dressed with a black cloak frowned balefully at their so-called "mature" and "intelligent" teammates. As soon as their pacifier began glowing, Squalo had somehow managed to simultaneously draw his blade and grab Bel's arm before the younger teenager could throw his knife. Bel himself was staring over Squalo's shoulder with an increasingly wide grin on his face. Inwardly, Mammon groaned as they could sense Bel's intense curiosity. The brat was going to be even more annoying than usual, they could just tell.
A side glance revealed Lussuria giving an unusual dark glare at Levi who stood in front of the door with his umbrellas out as though to prevent any threats from leaving the room. Looking closer, Mammon noticed a dark red stain on the front of Lussuria's white dress shirt. Levi must have knocked over the wine in his haste to get up from the table.
Mammon could understand how the sudden glow from their pacifier startled the other members, but they were supposed to be VARIA-QUALITY and think. Obviously, there was no need to be cautious after the pacifier stopped glowing. Levi's reaction wasn't a surprise, but the other three? Really? The only thing that would make the situation worse would be if Boss woke up right this second hungover and hungry.
"Mammon." Squalo scowled as he aggressively used his sword to point at the baby. "Why the fuck was your pacifier glowing?"
Bel looked like he wanted to bounce over and dissect the pacifier, but at least Squalo had the good sense to keep him in place. The bloodthirsty princeling was an impulsive brat, so his unusual patience (more or less) was suspicious to say the last. Just to be safe, Mammon had Fantasma discreetly position himself for any attack.
"VOI! Mammon—"
"I don't know," interrupted Mammon. ". I'll investigate and get back to you when I have more information."
"Hey, wait a minute you need to—to have a check-up before you go off," said Lussuria hurriedly. "Who knows what that glow did to you? Better to be safe than sorry! Doctor's orders! So, let's go back up to my room. Great, I'm glad that's settled. See you there!"
Lussuria nonchalantly shouldered Levi out of the way as he left the room. Mammon used their illusions to disappear. Squalo's eye twitched but before he could call out his fellow guardians, Levi's watch beeped which caused the larger man to storm out of the room yelling something about "Xanxus-sama's favorite steaks." Squalo cursed loudly and turned his head to bark orders at Bel, however the teenager was gone.
"BRAT YOU BETTER NOT BE FOLLOWING MAMMON!"
No reply came.
Furious, Squalo stalked out of the dining room. At least, Levi was predictable. It was the others that were going to cause trouble, he could sense it. They were going to start a fucking shitstorm amidst a developing clusterfuck because there weren't many leads beyond "I-had-a-feeling" which was a by-product of some fucking AI simulation or some other flame tech shit. As good as the VARIA were, there were limits, especially when you didn't want certain old farts realizing that key members weren't back in Italy with their tails between their legs as they prepared for the coming of the 'rightful heir.'
Knowing that Xanxus was bound to wake up in a bad mood, Squalo reluctantly made a few calls to get the room cleaned up and the correct order prepared for the boss. As enthusiastic as Levi often acted, Xanxus didn't only eat steak. Frustrated with his fellow guardians and the lack of progress in their search for Cloud, Squalo was halfway set on relieving his stress on some training dummies when the text came.
Mammon scowled as Lussuria took out his large black bag/kit to start an actual health examination. Gesturing for Mammon to take a seat, Lussuria proceeded to check their weight, height, ears, eyes, lungs, etc. When Lussuria was finally satisfied that the glow had no immediate detrimental physical effect, he put down his clipboard and declared Mammon healthy.
"Oh, don't pout," scolded Lussuria as he started packing away his tools. "You were exposed to that strange glow for a while, Mammon dear."
"It was barely minutes," deadpanned Mammon.
"A lot can happen in minutes!" Lussuria locked the kit with a large snap and returned the bag to its former place on the bedside table. "In any case, there doesn't seem to be anything wrong. But I don't want you to push yourself. If anything feels strange, then I want you to call me. Or, summon me. Whichever is faster."
"Fine." Mammon started to float away, however Lussuria cried out for them to stop. They turned back and glared. "What now?"
Lussuria pouted as he crossed his arms. "You promised to help me with Nana."
"I will." Mammon started for the door again. "Despite my physical appearance, I can do more than two things at once, Luss. I'll let you know when your involvement is needed."
Lussuria arched an eyebrow but allowed the baby to leave. Once the door shut, Lussuria sat down on a nearby chair and elegantly crossed his legs. He waited.
A heartbeat passed with no interruption.
Then another.
Just as Lussuria started to wonder if he should get up, the door opened silently, and a certain blonde royal teenager was entering his infirmary with the grace of a barely controlled baby elephant.
"Hello Bel," greeted Lussuria dryly. "What a surprise. It's such an honor to have royalty in the room."
"Ushishishihsi," snickered Bel as he plopped himself over one of the chairs with his knees spread out without a care. "Bask yourself in the glow of royal blood, peasant."
Lussuria raised his eyebrows as he lowered his sunglasses an inch. "Princeling, I have been giving your health check-ups, vaccinations, and bandies to cover any and all boo-boos since you came to the Varia at the tender age of eight."
"So…?
"Don't play with me, and tell Big sis Lussuria why you came to me rather than follow Mammon."
Bel blew a raspberry in his direction.
Lussuria rolled his eyes behind his sunglasses and walked over to the closet. While the teenager was being stubborn, he could finally change out of the stained shirt. Lussuria pursued his lips at his options. Between the memories of Fuck-that-Future and Boss' decision to find his Cloud, Lussuria had been forced to pack much less than what he would normally bring to a 'Find and Retrieve' mission. He knew he had excellent taste, but nothing really stood out to him. Or, more specifically, nothing spoke to the post-Future-memories Lussuria. The dress shirt he wore today was brand new, and now it was stained with Bordeaux wine.
Lussuria took off his shirt. He nearly punched Bel in the mouth when the teenager actually grabbed an arm and brought it closer to his face.
"You sneaky little shit," Lussuria cursed as he held back the instinctive punch. "Do you even care how close you were to getting a black eye?"
Bel ignored him and poked at the bruise on Lussuria's arm. Lussuria huffed and tapped his foot against the floor. While he could break free, Lussuria doubted the Storm would politely let it be. Worse, he'd escalate. Then they would get Squalo's attention, who would yell at them both before frogmarching them to face Xanxus. Eventually, Bel released his arm and returned to his seat. He gave Lussuria a shit eating grin as he played with a knife.
Lussuria rolled his eyes again and finished changing into a black tank top. As he debated between his regular trenchcoat or a civilian blazer, Lussuria waited for the teenager to spit out why he was still in the room.
"The prince will join you and the baby in hunting down the trash who bruised you," stated Bel casually.
"Bel, honey you have your own tasks today," replied Lussuria patiently. He gave his trenchcoat a wistful sigh, before putting on the civilian wear. It would be easier to approach Nana incognito as a civilian. "Besides, we're not hunting...well not the fun, murderous kind. In fact, I'm trying to not start a fight this time."
Lussuria easily dodged the series of knives that were sent in his direction.
Undisturbed, Bel continued to smirk. "Does Squalo know?"
"Why?" asked Lussuria absently as he pulled out the knives stuck on the closet door. "If you tell him, then I'll tell him that you went around orders and snuck in that sushi restaurant you like so much. Between my innocent—
Bel snorted.
"—sidequest and your direct contact with TakeSushi, I doubt Squalo will focus on little ol' me."
Bel opened his mouth, but the sudden opening of the door caught both of their attention.
A furious Squalo stomped into the room and kicked the door shut with a steel toed boot Leaning back against the door with his arms crossed, the Varia's second-in-command clenched his jaw as he looked around the room. Seeing no one else there, he locked the door, pushed himself away, and took a deep breath.
Bel cackled but covered his ears with his hands.
Lussuria merely resigned himself. He discreetly opened a drawer, taking out a bottle of whisky and a glass cup. As he took a sip, he slowly counted down.
took out a Three
Two
One
"TRASH, STOP SETTING UP NEW PHONES! THIS IS YOUR SEVENTH PHONE IN THREE MONTHS!" Bel blew a raspberry in Squalo's direction, while Squalo retaliated with a rude gesture. A small part of Lussuria hoped that Squalo would let him leave unscathed, but that part died a quick death when Squalo turned his attention to him. "AND YOU!"
Lussuria raised his glass, wiggling his pinky as he took a sip.
Visibly straining himself to not shout Squalo demanded, "What the shady shit are you doing with Mammon, Luss? Who the fuck got close enough to bruise you and still walk away? You and the brat better give me a goddamn good explanation before I drag you two to the boss!"
Despite the situation, Lussuria clicked his tongue. "Really, Squ-chan. We're right here. No need to shout."
It looked like it physically pained Squalo to stop himself from skewering them. If he wasn't in this situation because of Bel, then Lussuria would have joined in the teenager's cackles. As it was, Lussuria put away the bottle and started the coffee machine. Hopefully a nice, strong cuppa could curb Squalo's anger long enough for him to uncover the mystery behind Nana Sawada.
Sawada Household Neighborhood, Namimori
For a moment, Mammon wondered if staying in Namimori made the squad stupider. Perhaps, the youngsters were too relaxed in the town. Maybe, there was something with the water.
Ignoring the pressure on their cheeks as Bel continued to pull them in between his demands for the "baby to let him join in the hunt," Mammon glared at Lussuria. For his part, Lussuria coughed awkwardly as he stood next to an impatient Squalo.
Finally having enough, Mammon broke free and floated towards the two adults. They could hear Bel follow, but as long as the teenager stopped pulling on their cheeks then they could care less.
Mammon said dryly. "I thought you were sneakier than this, Luss."
Lussuria shrugged. "I didn't think our little Bel had it in him to message Squalo and convince him to eavesdrop on our conversation."
"I'm charging you extra."
"That's fair," agreed Lussuria.
"Enough," barked Squalo. He narrowed his eyes at the house. "Run by me what's going to happen."
Mammon sighed heavily but dutifully recited the plan. "Bel and I sneak into the house to investigate the target. I cloak Bel. He goes in through the back, while I teleport myself to the top floor. When we're done investigating, we meet back at the cafe."
Squalo interrupted, "Leave the Scum's room alone. Reborn probably booty-trapped it to all nine circles of hell. Luss, how do we know that we won't be caught by his spies or bugs?"
Playing along, Lussuria answered. "Tech from the R&D division will take care of the bugs; Reborn's been so busy training Tuna-sweetie that he hasn't found out about their recent breakthroughs. You and I will play lookouts at the cafe, because we'll be noticed if we linger around here."
"How long do we have to go unnoticed? Bel."
The teenager bared his teeth. "Thirty minutes."
"And what if the target comes home early?" countered Squalo.
Bel yawned. "Mammy and I hide or escape. If we get caught, then I play distraction until Mammy finishes their illusions."
Squalo asked through gritted teeth. "What kind of distraction?"
"No maiming or killing," recited Bel. He grinned. "I'll pretend to be a friend of the Scum; as one of his friends, I was just coming over to drop off my little 'sibling' for a play date."
To emphasize his point, Bel snatched Mammon from the air and pressed the baby against his chest like a toddler with his favorite comfort bear. Lussuria giggled at the imagery. Ever practical, Mammon took advantage of their proximity and proceeded to cloak Bel in an illusion that would allow the bloodthirsty teenager to blend in with the surroundings.
Squalo cleared his throat. "And if it's Scum and his team of brats?"
Mammon said boredly. "Abort at once. If they can't catch us, then we're in the clear."
Squalo nodded. He raised his wrist, so everyone could see the watch. "Ready?"
Once he saw everyone nod and moved into positions, Squalo made a decisive hand motion. Bel and Mammon launched into action. Lussuria grinned as he activated the research department's new shiny toy.
"Come on," grunted Squalo after they watched Bel and Mammon successfully enter the house. "We should get to the cafe."