Ciao, everybody~~ so thanks to the people that reviewed and gave me alerts! They make me happy~~ and I know this is irrelevant, but I had a dream where Xanxus was eating ice cream out of my fridge O_o Oh well, I hope you enjoy!
Yamamoto watched Asteria talk to the big guy, but he had no idea what was going on. He saw her flame grow on her hand and her eyes change.
"This… is not good," Iemitsu said, "we'll have to get away from here."
"What!? And leave her here!?" Yamamoto yelled.
"Hm? What are you talking about?"
"I mean… isn't that bad?" Yamamoto corrected his previous words.
"Look," Iemitsu said to the group, "I don't know if anybody told you about this, but Asteria-sama's ring can be very serious. Xanxus has dangerous intentions too. If the two battle here, multiple destructions can happen."
"But… we can't just leave new girl here alone!" Ryouhei said. Everybody looked at Iemitsu with strong eyes. He sighed.
"Fine. Just we'll have to stop her if anything gets bad."
Everybody nodded and watched what would happen next. Yamamoto was confused though. She didn't have a weapon and the big guy looked pretty strong. He watched her jump up to where Xanxus was and stand in front of him.
"What? Are you really planning to fight me?" he said. Asteria nodded and put her flamed hand by her lips. She blew on it and made silver snowflakes fly toward him. It landed on his jacket and burned until the area was ash. Xanxus' eyes grew large and stood up.
"Damn you… prepare to die." Xanxus pulled his guns out and aimed at Asteria. He jumped up and shot towards her face. Yamamoto expected her to do something drastic, but she just dodged it. She didn't jump or fly like Xanxus did. Yamamoto sighed and worried about what could happen. Xanxus continued shooting from all directions but Asteria didn't do anything.
"Hey, aren't you gonna attack, you piece of trash?!"
She was silent and made her flame larger. Xanxus went flying towards her. She stepped back and put her flamed hand in front of her. She made four lines; vertical, horizontal and two diagonals.
"What is that?" Tsuna asked. Yamamoto watched her put her flame in the center of the figure and saw it turn white.
"It's a snowflake." Yamamoto said. Xanxus flew in to the snowflake and it burned his coat and part of his face. He yelled and tried to escape it, but his hands stuck and he continued to get an icy burn.
"Wait, I don't understand. If it's snow, why is he burning?" Basil said. Asteria stared at Xanxus with cold eyes.
"Frost bite."
Everybody watched Xanxus slowly burn in pain and was surprised Asteria could do something that strong.
"Xanxus, give the half ring back."
He wouldn't respond and Asteria just watched.
"Asteria Rose Baranello!" a man behind them yelled. He continued to say something more to her in Italian.
"Doctor Shamal?!" Tsuna yelled. He looked angry and his words made Asteria's flame go out. She looked at Xanxus with trembling eyes, not knowing what to do anymore.
"Idiot Shamal! Now Asteria's gonna get killed!" Gokudera yelled at him. Xanxus glared at her with an evil grin and walked closer to her. She kept stepping back, terrified and looking around.
"I'm gonna kill you now!" Xanxus said and jumped towards her. She took one more step back and fell off of where she was standing. Yamamoto saw Squalo run to where she was falling. He caught her and made smoke come out of his sword.
"Hey, Cervello! Do your damn job and stop the fight!" he said.
"Uh yes. Xanxus-sama! Please stop attacking. We have decided new rules for the next battle."
"Huh? What are you stopping me for?" Xanxus growled.
"Because of what has just happened tonight, we have decided to make tomorrow's battle different."
"How long is this going to take?" Xanxus continued saying.
"I will be over shortly. The battle that will be held tomorrow will be an all-out brawl between contestants who only have half rings. Whichever side has the most full rings in the end will be the winning family."
"A-a brawl?!" Tsuna yelled.
"What did that idiot get herself into…" Shamal put his hand on his face. Yamamoto wasn't listening to anyone and was watching Asteria fall to her knees, holding Squalo's arm. Xanxus wasn't attacking her anymore but was threatening Tsuna. Yamamoto turned back to Asteria. Squalo was now holding her chin and looking directly at her. Yamamoto thought she was having another trauma moment, but she was just shaking and talking to Squalo in Italian. She looked more frustrated and her sentences weren't flowing like usual.
"Yamamoto, we have to go now." Tsuna suddenly said. He turned his neck really fast and almost hurt it. He looked around a little more and saw that everybody had left already.
"Oh, sorry, I wasn't paying attention." He admitted.
"What was there to not listen to? You didn't hear the rest of the rules or the threats they gave us?!" Gokudera yelled. Yamamoto honestly shook his head and shrugged his shoulders. He looked back to Asteria again. Squalo was pulling her up to her feet and she looked normal now.
"Hey, don't worry about her. She's in good hands." Shamal said to him.
"Okay guys, go home. You have a big day tomorrow." Iemitsu said as he pushed them towards the stairs. Yamamoto looked back one more time and saw the two conversing and Asteria was back to her calm self. He sighed and walked forward.
"Everybody," Reborn said, making everybody look at him, "don't go to school tomorrow."
"What? Why?" Tsuna asked.
"You all have to think about this brawl. There can't be any distractions."
"So, do we just stay home?" Yamamoto asked.
"No, everybody go to Asteria's house at nine am."
"What? Why her house?" Tsuna asked.
"Just do it." Reborn ordered. Everybody agreed to it and walked out of the school.
On his way home, Yamamoto still had confusions about Squalo's relationship with Asteria, and how she felt about Squalo. He wondered why he's always putting Asteria first when everyone is battling. Yamamoto thought he'd like to do the same sometimes, but he felt like he didn't know about Asteria as much as he'd like to. He sighed and looked up. Tomorrow is a brawl, which means everybody will attack anybody. This thought made him feel a tad worried, but he told himself a few things before he got to his home and fell asleep.
Asteria stared at Squalo. Squalo was staring back. He never understood why she always challenged him to a staring contest. A few seconds later she looked away and booed herself.
"You know you can be nice and let me win sometimes." She complained.
"That's not how life works."
"Okay…"
Squalo sighed and turned around.
"So are you going home or are you sleeping on this roof?"
"Oh, well I was planning to go home. Where are you going?" Asteria asked him.
"Where ever I feel like." He said.
"Then Squalo…" Asteria tugged on his coat sleeve. He turned his head to look at her.
"What?"
"Can you please walk me home?"
Squalo clenched his jaw. Her shy eyes reminded him of the first time she asked him to do the favor. He released his held breath and relaxed.
"Fine." He answered. He saw Asteria smile and he had to look away from it. His jaw clenched again and he was angry with himself.
"So shall we go now, Squalo?" Asteria started walking. He sighed and watched her walk ahead of him.
'She hasn't changed from the first time I met her.' Squalo thought. He hated how memories flowed back into his brain reminding him why he was given the job of protecting her. He looked at her one more time and she turned to look at him.
"Squalo~ you're really slow!" she said. Those words were the same as the first time also. He couldn't look at her as a little girl who he took care of anymore. Now, she was a girl growing up who he chose to protect with his life and couldn't stop having strange feelings whenever she looked at him. He hated feeling anything. He also hated when Lussuria used to describe that feeling as "love" or "adoration".
"Squalo are you listening to me?" Asteria said. He hid his surprise and told the truth.
"No. What did you say?"
"Well, I was saying that it's a little bit sad not living with you anymore. But I'm doing okay. How are you, mr. shark?" she asked.
"Agh, don't call me that." He said, looking away again and blocked his brain from anymore past memories.
"Sorry, it slipped out of my mouth." She sighed.
"Voi, Asteria." He suddenly said, startling her.
"What? No need to scare me like that."
"Are they treating you right?" Squalo asked. It killed him to know that she was in the hands of young weaklings who could barely protect themselves.
"Of course they are! They're very nice and welcoming." She said. That wasn't the answer he was looking for and he needed to know she would be safe here.
"What about you? Do you feel protected here?"
"I guess. I mean, Uncle Shamal is at school, and Iemitsu is here from time to time. I think I'm okay."
He was raging inside his mind. He imagined how they take care of her when there are black outs or huge storms.
"Squalo, will tomorrow be dangerous?" she asked, breaking him from his thoughts.
"Probably. But don't worry about it, if you stay away from Xanxus, you'll be fine."
"He wants to kill me now, doesn't he?"
"I don't know, he'd rather kill that Sawada kid first. Why are you fighting anyway? You don't matter much to the rings system." He told her. She suddenly stopped walking.
"What? This is still the street."
"But that's my house." She pointed. He looked and saw the place she was staying in.
"You didn't decorate the outside yet? That's unlike you."
"But I've only been here for about four days, I haven't had time. The inside is nice though!" she said. Squalo knew it what it looked like; he was with Lussuria when it was being designed.
"Are you coming inside?" she asked with a smile. He knew if he did, she would beg him to stay over.
"No, I should get going." He lied. Her smile vanished and she looked extremely sad. It wasn't a fake one either, and he hated this. That face made him regret lying to her.
"Voi! Fine, just today!" he said angrily and hoped she knew he wasn't angry at her. She smiled at him again. Those gross feelings were growing back.
"Thank you, Squalo. Let's go." She took his sword-less arm and led him to the door. He watched her lead him to the kitchen and hated what his body and mind were thinking. It was messing with him and he wanted to chop his other arm off.
"Squalo, are you okay?" she asked.
"I'm fine!" he yelled. He immediately mentally slapped his face.
"Sorry I asked, you looked a bit flustered. Do you want some water?" she offered.
"No, you need to go to bed." He said. She laughed a little.
"Okay, I will. What about you, where are you staying?"
"Somewhere comfortable." He said.
"Do you want to stay here?" Asteria said. He knew he shouldn't. Once he did, he'd never be able to leave.
"No, I'll find a place. Go to bed." He told her. She pouted and went to her room. He sighed and sat by her table. He didn't know what to think. He wished he was able to swing his sword around and rage to let his gross feeling out. He yelled in his mind and shook his head.
"Squalo." He heard Asteria say in a muffled voice. He looked up and noticed she was brushing her teeth.
"What!?" he had to yell.
"What are you so angry about?" she asked. He wanted to say he felt gross, but he knew she would think he's sick and make him stay at her home.
"Nothing. Don't pay attention to me." He said to her. She tilted her head, and walked back to the restroom. He rested his head on his hand and finally relaxed. He had to think of a way to protect Asteria while killing everybody else. The gross feeling came back.
"AHHHHHH!" he randomly screamed. He was sick of this feeling coming every time he imagined her. Then he realized the house was very quiet.
"Ah, damn it." He mumbled to himself and stood up. He walked towards Asteria's room and knocked on her door.
"Hey, are you okay? That was just me." He said facing the door. There was no response.
"Nothing's happening, you're safe here." He tried again. Still no answer.
"I'm not angry at you or anything." The door slightly opened and Asteria stood there, looking at him.
"Are you sure?" she asked. He sighed and closed his eyes.
"I promise." He looked at her, square in the eye. She opened the door all the way, showing the room. The ceiling had plastic stars and snowflakes dangling down and the walls were a dark blue which surprised him. Her bed was obviously white and snowflakes.
"Okay." She said and walked to sit on her bed.
"I'm gonna leave now." He told her. She looked down for a little while. He knew what question was coming next.
"Squalo," she started. He knew he should've left before he entered the house.
"Can you at least stay until I fall asleep?"
He sighed. He's done this job plenty of times, and never knew how to disagree to it.
"Please?" she asked one more time with begging eyes. He had to swallow his gross feeling down.
"F-fine." He said. Her eyes sparkled and she smiled. This is when he hated her. He hated that smile because it gave the grossest feeling of all. And now his chest was beating faster.
'What the hell is this supposed to mean!?' he thought. He walked toward her bed as she lied down.
"Good night, Squalo. Sweet dreams." She said with her eyes closed and immediately fell asleep. He sat by her and pat her back. He didn't know why he did that, but it just happened. His fingers started to tingle, but he used the word "sting." He kept thinking that bees were all over his hands, but he couldn't get his hand off of her. He looked over to her face. Her skin was porcelain white and strands of silver hair fell upon it. Then he noticed the chain.
'She still has that thing.' He thought. He remembered making it for her, and pulled his out of his pocket. His was a shark tooth. The memories began to invade his brain again and he looked back at Asteria. Without the chains, she could've been gone by now. He pulled hers out of her shirt and held the star. He put his by hers and let it sit for a while. A little while later, he took it back. He pat her back one last time and stood up. He walked away and looked at her sleeping. He clenched his fist and let a breath out.
"Asteria Rose…" he gripped his chain without saying anymore out loud.
He softly closed the door without flipping the light switch and left her house.
Okay, sorry it took a while and I'm sorry this is a short chapter. I really, really wanted a Squalo and Asteria moment and I didn't want many distractions from it. I will try my hardest to update the next chapter ASAP! And please review!