Chapter 10

Slowly, Aoi unwillinglyopened her drooping eyelids that threatened to close themselves. Dazed, dizzy and confused, she looked around. Green. Wet. Alone. Alone? Where the hell did Fran go? He left without me? How long have I been out of commission anyway? She shivered. Cold. Eh… I have to follow his tracks. Was he expecting me to find him in this freaking rain? Still feeling feverish, she staggered up and searched for any indication to which direction Fran took. Frustrated at seeing absolutely nothing, she ran east, taking a wild guess. East seemed logical since she heard the beginnings of a box weapon fight at the mentioned way. Aoi soon reached a clearing. She couldn't help but snigger.

"Stop, what do you think you're doing?" a deep voice asked. Aoi sneaked a look at the guy, stifling a laugh; she committed his appearance to her temporary memory. He was somewhat tall, muscular, and lean. He had short hair and was wearing something that looked like a jogging suit, but wasn't one at all. The funniest part of him was his eyebrows. It was sooo thick… and his hair was uhm… in a bob haircut! The scary part? His sword, rather, his four swords. It makes one wonder how does he hold the other two, since he only has two hands like what normal people have. The Millefiore called him by the name Genkishi, but Aoi didn't know this… yet

"Ah… I should ask you the same question," answered Fran who was being encircled by Millefiore soldiers.

"Acting tough are you, Vongola scum, or should I say, Varia underling? Byakuran-sama was right. It would be useless to chase the other two Varia guardians for they would come here by their own accord," Genkishi laughed. If Fran was angry, or perhaps annoyed, he didn't show this. That displeased his foe even more. Awkward silence issued, tense seconds passed by. "So, answer my second question, where's the girl?" Genkishi asked once more, preparing to take his sharp weapon from its scabbard. He obviously wasn't taking 'no' for an answer. If it was necessary, he would torture the Varia scum (as he had put it) to pry out the precious information from him. Byakuran-sama specifically emphasized that the girl should be brought to him ALIVE and her companion as well, but if Genkishi should see fit to kill whoever came along with the girl, then so be it.

"Hm? Aoi? I left her sleeping under a huge tree in that direction," Fran pointed back to the area he came from. The Varia sure live up to their name, they would blackmail, and betray each other but forever remain loyal, and faithful to their boss no matter how scary he happened to be. Life in the Varia Assasination Squad was indeed difficult and its member slots were only reserved for the best. The Millefiore dude, that Aoi assumed was an officer for some sort, sent the remaining soldiers of his squadron to where Fran cruelly left her. Still feeling mildly upset with what the Varia illusionist had done, Aoi decided not to help. She watched as Fran's captor quickly injected a sedate that was suppose to lull Fran into deep sleep while the Millefiore dude muttered to himself that illusions won't work on him as he was a mist user himself.

Aoi almost made the loudest guffaw ever told in history. The thick eye browed commander neglected to notice that Fran started his illusions even before the 'so-called' mist user captured him. "Hello Fran," she greeted him with a sarcastic smile as she stealthily plopped down beside him in his hiding place. "Did you enjoy abandoning me?"

Fran didn't have time to reply. Both he and his clone crumpled into a cataleptic heap. Aoi raised her eyebrow. So the sedative was strong enough to put even the real person into sleep. Interesting. She raised the tree branch at her feet in order to block an incoming attack from one of Genkishi's swords.

"Omoshiroi…" she mumbled.

Genkishi took three steps backwards. "I need you alive. So be a cooperative little girl and take the tranquilizer without any arguments," he said.

"Begging your pardon, but I really don't feel like taking your offer," Aoi politely declined, being the smartass she usually was.

Now, it was Genkishi's turn to raise his eyebrows. In the speed of light, he ended up behind the only girl in the Varia. "That wasn't an offer, it was a command," he whispered as he plunged the injection needle just below her neck.

Great. Just great. I should have known he was a sly one. How stupid of me. It was Aoi's turn to crumple into a cataleptic heap.

Around this time, the soldiers Genkishi sent came back, sweating out of nervousness.

"Sir, there wasn't any signs of a single living creature in…" the captain of the platoon started to report to Genkishi, abruptly stopping himself as his eyes took in the scene, "Sir, we shall take them to the headquarters immediately," the fortunate captain saluted smartly and ordered his inferiors to carry the two Varia officers.

The small Millefiore army made their way to their base where Byakuran-sama was waiting… impatiently. Byakuran was devious, he was clever, he was crafty. He always had a plan within a plan. The Millefiore Boss didn't give a damn whether his subordinates died because of him. Whoever said that he needed them to die out of loyalty? Byakuran wanted them to follow his orders because he was scary, because he was the strongest, because he liked marshmallows. Yes, the ever so almighty potent loved marshmallows. Eating them every day gave him a tingle in the spine. It gave him the most delicious sensation ever. Marshmallows became like a drug, a vice that was hard to remove once attained. Just imagine the softness of those sweets as you crunch them with your jaws. Just imagine the taste of its heavenly sweetness. Did you know that they come in different colors? What are you waiting for? Buy the first marshmallow pack you see at the nearest convenience store! A new brand has awakened! It's the "Dan Dan Dan Marshmallows"! Guaranteed to fill up your hungry stomach! Tired after sending millions of people to hell? Annoyed at the members of your own Famiglia? Suspecting that your best friend is plotting something behind your back? Dan Dan Dan Marshmallows is just the thing to eat after killing everyone who opposes you! Okay, hold up a sec, it's starting to sound like a Marshmallow advertisement. The second best thing after razing then ruling all the parallel worlds are marshmallows. Byakuran knew that from firsthand experience. After all, he had destroyed all other worlds except this one, this one world where the Vongola generation still survived.

"Byakuran-sama," Genkishi repeated once more. He had explained the whole situation to Byakuran yet his boss wasn't responding at all.

"Hmm yes? Any report on capturing the other two Varia officers? " Byakuran asked. He was unaware that Genkishi had been talking to him for the past few minutes. Probably it was because he was thinking of a marshmallow advertisement…

"Byakuran-sama, I have successfully taken captive of the two remaining Varia. I did what you instructed me to do, I placed the illusionist along with his comrades and secured the girl in the torture room, both of them were in drugged sleep when I left," Genkishi dutifully repeated.

"Good, good, very good," Byakuran stood up from his comfy sofa. Like Xanxus, he had taken liking to huge comfortable chairs. Unlike Xanxus, the Millefiore Boss always smiles, no matter what the situation is, but more often than not, his smiles were not sincere. The white-haired boss glided gracefully across the clean, white room and opened the door, making his way to where Genkishi left Aoi. He had business to do.

"Byakuran-sama, what would I do with the other Varia? The ones you don't need," Genkishi asked out of curiosity.

"Leave them be, they have their own parts in the plan," Byakuran mysteriously replied. With this, he disappeared between the closing doors and left Genkishi alone in the room. After a few seconds, the Giglionero traitor left the room and went back to his quarters, awaiting orders from his boss like a loyal dog waiting for its master.

Aoi groggily woke up; it's as if her head was just split into two. It seemed like this kind of thing happened to her most of the time. It was not to her liking at all. She tried to rise up but found out that straps of leather and chains bound her to an examining table. Why did she feel that this had happened back in the past? Before she could have time to expound to this thought, the door to the room slammed opened and lo and behold. Byakuran entered. Aoi pretended to faint.

"That trick won't work on me, Aoi-chan," Byakuran sighed; he ran a hand through his hair in exasperation. Why were these Vongola scum so stubborn?

Realizing that her efforts were fruitless, she opened her eyes, giving Byakuran the same glare he was giving her. "Who the hell are you?" She couldn't have asked him in better words. Well, actually she could have said: "Who the fucking hell is the white-haired tattooed idiot blocking the light from my eyes?"

"You don't remember me?" Byakuran innocently asked back.

Aoi narrowed her eyes at his comment. As a matter of fact, she didn't remember anyone in her earlier years, except her brother, due to her memory being wiped out. She remained silent.

Byakuran, on the other hand, sighed again, "I'm Byakuran." He expected Aoi to flinch and screw her eyes shut but all he received was her blank stare. "You really don't know me anymore," he said dispiritedly.

It was Aoi's turn to sigh, "If you want me to remember you so badly then make me remember," she said. The answer was soo obvious. Why can't the guy in front of her realize the simple solution to his great dilemma? She rolled her eyes.

"It isn't as simple as that Aoi. Let's make a deal then, you join the Millefiore Family and I tell you all the frightening details of your miserable past. Trust me, you're in for a very big surprise," Byakuran proposed the Cloud Varia with a choice.

"As much as I want to get my memory back the quickest way as possible, I can't just join the Millefiore in a blink of an eye," Aoi refused, not taking a second to think before blurting out her answer. The Varia, no matter how rowdy, no matter how nerve-wrecking, no matter how aggravating, in a short span of time, the whole team, and the entire Vongola as well became sort of like a makeshift family to her. Heck, even her brother was roped into joining the Mafia's most influential Famiglia. There was no way; absolutely no way in hell was she betraying her comrades. Despite all the internal disputes, a perfect example of that would be the one between the Varia Assassination Squad and the Decimo with his six guardians, the Vongola sticks together whenever some extraterrestrial invader dares to oppose their powers, just like now.

"I would like you to reconsider your reply," Byakuran replied.

This is strange. He seems to be so diplomatic and calm. He probably predicted my answer… AGHHH… Owww.. Ugh…. Aoi writhed on the examination table. Horrible, horrible pain rushed through her head. She let out a bloodcurdling scream, "OWW!" She tried to clutch her head with her hands but they were tightly tied to her sides. Her usually pleasant face contorted into a picture that represented wretched pain. It hurts! It hurts like hell! Oww… Make it stop… MAKE IT FUCKING STOP! It was as if her mind was on fire, burning all information in her head. She bawled out again. This time, it was loud enough to reach to the other room which was soundproof.

Byakuran smiled. There was nothing compared to torturing his 'would-be' officer, mentally and then physically and listening to them shriek then beg for mercy afterwards. Well, maybe marshmallows could…

MARSHMALLOWS! AHHH! Byakuran seems sort of oc. Sorry. *sniff sniff*

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