Hello~ so, I don't know how the previous chapter went, but hopefully everybody will enjoy this one!
Asteria woke up from one of her lightest sleeps. She sat up and felt something strange. Her chain was shinier and stronger than usual. She figured it was Squalo's doing. She sat up in her bed and got worried. She knew she needed to think of a plan for the evening, but she wouldn't be able to do it at school. She figured she should just stay home in hopes of Reborn coming to think things through. The Vongola was strong, but Varia is merciless. They haven't seen the real Squalo or Bel. Asteria looked at her chain again and prayed to it.
'Please… no one get hurt.' She thought. She got to her feet and stretched, knowing she would have to face the world eventually. She walked to the kitchen and was surprised by who she saw.
"Why is the entire Vongola in my house?" she asked. Everybody was sitting on her sofa and looked at her.
"You know why we're here." Reborn said. Asteria did, but she didn't expect everybody to be there.
"So… would you guys like some breakfast?"
"Quit changing subjects." Gokudera growled. Asteria hung her head and sat at the center table.
"Okay, the most dangerous person is… well, they're willing to do anything to win."
"So… injuries like Onii-san are a possibility?" Tsuna asked.
"Death is a possibility." Reborn said. The room stayed silent. Asteria was bothered that Yamamoto wasn't even speaking yet. She took her ring off and put it on the center of the table.
"Here's the thing; I don't think I'd be of any help to you guys tonight." Asteria admitted.
"You won't?" Tsuna asked. She shook her head.
"First thing, I'm the only qualification for the snow guardian. No one will fight me."
"What qualifications?" Tsuna kept asking.
"I'll explain later. And I'm not allowed to fight Squalo either." Asteria continued.
"So which side are you on?!" Gokudera yelled at her. A sudden anger grew in Asteria. She slammed her hands on the table and stood up.
"What about you then?! Are you fighting this for the sake of Vongola or Tsuna-san? Do you really think this is easy for me to handle? I'm going against my own famiglia for you and you treat me this way?" she yelled. The room became even quieter. Gokudera's snarly expression simmered and Tsuna was looking at her with fear. Reborn had his head down, trying to ignore the incident. Before she knew it, Yamamoto was standing by Asteria and had his hand on her shoulder.
"Calm down,"He said to her, "I know this is going to be hard, but think about how you would act if Squalo was here. What would he advise you to do?" he gestured for her to sit down. She did so and rested her head on the table.
"Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh." She sighed.
"You know what, go for a walk. You need to figure things out." Reborn commanded. Asteria didn't want to. She wanted to stay in her bed and dream all day. This brawl was not something she wanted to participate in, but thought it was best to. She stood up and put her ring back on. She went towards the door and heard footsteps follow her.
"Hey, let me go with you." Yamamoto said. Asteria looked at his calm smile and wondered where it came from. She nodded and walked out the door with him behind her.
"Where should I go?" she looked up at him. He shrugged.
"Wherever the wind takes you." He suggested. Asteria sighed and started walking. She felt her ring agitate and looked at it.
"What does that mean?" Yamamoto asked, looking at his ring.
"It happens to you too?" she said. He nodded and looked at her. Asteria truly didn't know what was happening.
"It stops when we realize it's moving though." He laughed. Asteria nodded and continued to walk. The two stopped by the river bank and ended up just sitting down. Asteria let Yamamoto sit beside her, but didn't take a look at him. Either he or Squalo was going to become the next rain guardian and one of them could possibly die.
"You don't think I can win, do you?" he asked. His hit her skin like ice. She didn't know how to respond. It's not as if she had doubted him. Squalo was just… stronger, she believed.
"I believe you could. I've just never seen Squalo lose." Asteria explained. This time, Yamamoto let a sigh out, and didn't respond for a while. Asteria didn't know what do to.
"It's a promise Squalo made to papa," Asteria began. She saw Yamamoto raise his eyebrows, seeming curious about what she was saying.
"He apparently said that in any situation, my safety comes first. This means, unfortunately, that if I stand before you in battle, you'll turn in to my enemy." Asteria rubbed her temples. She was waiting for Yamamoto to get mad and leave her, but he stayed put.
"But I'd have to fight Squalo somehow." He said.
"Yes…"
"Wait! How about you don't come to the battle at all? That way, you just leave with the winning family and you don't get hurt." Yamamoto suggested. Asteria wished it would be that easy.
"But as a member of the Vongola, I have to fight and support my famiglia."
"I see… then let's just wing it." Yamamoto ended up saying. Asteria was bewildered by this suggestion.
"Wing it?"
"Yeah, I mean, we never had a plan for the time we ran in to Mukuro and senpai didn't have a plan, but he won." He said. Asteria thought about it, and realized that it was true.
"But, You and Squalo…" she hid her face in her knees and held her ears.
"Hey, calm down." He was suddenly in front of her and lightly grasping her shoulders. She looked up with her eyes and stared directly at his light eyes. Her ring quivered again, but that was the least of her worries. She set her hands down and lifted her face. She felt secure. She felt her heart skip a beat, but melt away at the same time. But she still had that fear of his death, and she wouldn't be able to handle it. She felt his hand move to hers and the ring stopped quivering. His eyes still haven't moved and a light wind passed by. She reminded herself to breathe in her mind.
"I'll win. I can." He said as he gripped her hand. She felt her tears finally build in her eyes. One fell and another followed. She began looking down but his other hand lifted her chin and wiped a tear. She shook her head, trying to signal that she didn't want him close to her.
"Look, I understand that you don't want to lose him. I'm gonna do my best to win, but I'll swear that I won't kill him." He said. She wanted him to know that Squalo wasn't her only worry, but he was too. She just wasn't sure how to tell him.
"I-,"
"No, let yourself cry. It lets out stress." He interrupted her. She gazed at his soft eyes again and did as she was told. But she only let the tears out. There was no sobbing, or screaming. Only tears and her fears washing away.
Yamamoto still had her hand in his, but he was confused as to why he did that. Almost all the things he was doing were out of instinct and he wasn't really thinking about it. But the strange thing was that when he held her hand, his ring stopped moving. His confusion about it wouldn't simmer, but he didn't know how to ask about it.
"Okay, I'm done." Asteria said and looked at him with dry eyes. Her face was lighter and she didn't seem as stressed as before.
"Alright… so what do we do now?" he asked her. She shrugged.
"Relax and not think about it for a while." She said rested her chin on her knees. Yamamoto parted from her and crossed his legs. He looked at her calm smile and was struck. He never noticed how pretty she was. Sure, he was already growing feelings for her actions and her personality, but he never actually looked at her and realized her eyes. They were green with a natural sparkle and they almost glittered when she laughed.
"They're apparently from my mama's side." Asteria suddenly said. Yamamoto was surprised.
"A lot of people look at my eyes and wonder why they're so light." She continued. Yamamoto chuckled.
"I see." He pulled some grass out of the ground.
"Hey, I have to give you something." Asteria said, and reached for her side pocket. She had a chain in hand and gave it to Yamamoto.
"What's this?" he asked.
"A chain. It's to show unity between the snow and rain guardian. I have one too." She said and pulled out her chain that had a star on it.
"I haven't finished the charm for you yet, but I'm working on it. Squalo has one too, but these chains are really special." She explained. Yamamoto took the chain and looked at it.
"What makes it special?" he asked.
"You'll see. Now I have to go and give everybody else their gifts." She said and got to her feet. Yamamoto did the same, but looked at her.
"Thanks… for the chain, I mean. I'll take care of it." He said and put it on his neck. Asteria smiled and began walking back to the house.
"Wait, can I ask something?" he caught up to her.
"Depends what the question is."
"What's the relationship between you and Squalo?"
"Oh, gee… that's a tough question…" she put her hand to her chin. Yamamoto was worried that he might have asked too much, but was curious about her answer.
"His real role is my guardian. Like I said before, I'm in his care and he saves me from a lot of things. But in the end, he turns in to my closest friend and I really care about him more than he thinks."
"Oh I see." Yamamoto said. He wondered if he could do the same for Asteria. So far, he believed that Asteria saw him as a friend, but nothing else.
"I just hope tonight doesn't turn too bad. I have faith in you though, Yamamoto." She looked at him.
"Takeshi." He said.
"What?"
"My name; call me Takeshi." He smiled to her. He tried to contain the redness he was feeling on his face, and hoped she didn't see that his hands were shaking.
"Takeshi… did I pronounce that correctly?" she asked. He nodded and looked straight ahead.
"I know you're not going to fight much, but I'll do everything it takes to keep you safe too." There was a pause and the two walked in a calm silence. Yamamoto noticed that the distance between the two when they would walk was much smaller than before. He grinned to himself, forgetting about the battle and relaxed while they had the time.
Asteria opened the door to her house and everybody was in the same spot they were before. Even Ryouhei was there now with his hurt arm.
"Did you cool down?" Reborn asked her. She nodded. She looked over at Gokudera, who decided to look away immediately.
"Um… wait here." She said to Yamamoto and went to her room. She picked up a few things from her desk and slowly walked out. Gokudera still didn't budge and avoided her glances.
"Hayato, think fast." She said and threw a dagger at him. He dodged it and it went to the wall.
"WHAT WAS THAT ABOUT?!" he yelled.
"You were supposed to grab it, but I guess that works to…"Asteria mumbled and went to get it.
"Look, I'm sorry for what I said, but I don't think you have to kill me for it!" he said.
"Oh that wasn't my aim, I'm not mad at you anymore. It's for you. Use it to fight." She said and handed it to him. The handle had the Vongola crest and the back of it had a motto.
"Combatti per la tua famiglia… Fight for your family?" Gokudera said out loud. Asteria nodded and gave him the leather scabbard, which happened to be a burgundy color with his storm symbol carved out.
"What's this for?" he asked.
"You might need it." She said. Gokudera held it and looked at his reflection. Asteria left him alone and looked in the room.
"Is Hibari-san here?" she asked. Everybody shook their heads. Asteria sighed and held a jar that had cotton inside.
"What's that?" Ryouhei asked and almost opened it. Asteria turned her upper body away before he could touch it.
"If this gets opened unless you need it, disasters will happen." She said.
"What is it?" Tsuna asked.
"You'll find out. But don't touch it. It's for Hibari-san and nobody else." She said and softly set the jar on the table. She looked directly at Tsuna.
"I don't have anything special for you." She said. Tsuna looked a little surprised.
"It's not like she hates you. She has her reasons." Reborn said. Tsuna sighed.
"Ah… I don't know how to win this." He said.
"That's why I don't have anything for you. Your weapon is solely yourself and, as the boss, you make everybody secure. You don't need anything but your famiglia." She said. Tsuna slowly nodded and she could see Reborn give a slight grin from the corner of her eye. She let a breath out and looked at her new family.
"I'll still fight. I'll do whatever it takes for us to win." Asteria declared.
"That's good. Let's prepare." Reborn said and jumped to the middle table.
The evening fell and everybody gathered at the school. Asteria looked around and realized that Hibari or the mystery mist guardian wasn't there.
"They'll come." Reborn said. Asteria nodded and continued to look around. She knew Varia was already near, but she hadn't seen them yet. The air grew damp and a light fog started to settle. Asteria began getting fidgety because the sky almost didn't have any stars. Suddenly, the two cervellos jumped before the family.
"Welcome, Vongola." They said. Everybody remained silent.
"Here are the rules: The members that have already participated in a battle must not take part in this brawl. They are to remain in the seating area located to your right along with the non-participants."
"Ryouhei-san…" Asteria's voice trembled.
"You'll do fine, new girl, I'm sure of it." He said.
"Secondly, you must all separate before the brawl begins. You must be at least sixty feet apart from each other." The cervello continued. Asteria's mind went blank. She needed somebody to keep her secure during the battle.
"You have three minutes to split up. I would hurry; the Varia has already began hiding." They finished and jumped away.
"Asteria, you'll be fine." Yamamoto began saying to her. She was already scared and didn't know what to do.
"I know you're scared right now, but once the battle starts, I'll find you and you'll be safe. I swear it." He said. Asteria looked at him.
"Don't make promises you aren't sure of. I'm not scared, just nervous." She lied. She was terrified but she couldn't show it.
"Alright. I'll find you, fight safe." He said and ran off. Gokudera had nodded to her and left also. She stood in the same spot and waited. She looked at her sabre and spun it a few times. This one was her practice one, but she had her real one in the scabbard by her hip. She had faith in it and trusted the weapon. She let a breath out, knowing she had wasted two minutes just standing there. She looked up at the dark sky.
"Papa, please guide me." She breathed. Suddenly, a loud alarm went off and a man jumped in front of Asteria. He had a bronze edged sword and had it ready to attack her.
"Who are you? You're not a guardian." Asteria said.
"I'm Adalfieri, here to take your spot of the snow guardian." He said and charged at her. She just stepped to the side and let him fall forward.
"Are you an idiot or something? There's no way you can be a snow guardian." Asteria glared him down. Adalfieri got to his feet and looked at her also.
"Why not? If I can fight you off, I'm sure I can be." He said and swung his sword at her. She blocked herself with her sabre.
"You don't fit the qualifications." She pushed him away.
"What are you talking about?" he scoffed. Asteria stood, ready to attack at any moment.
"First thing," she started and swiftly swung her sword at him, "You kind of have to be the child of a rain guardian."
"Huh?" he said and charged at her. She took a step again and let him fall.
"Also, you have to be appointed snow guardian by someone, you don't fight for it." She said. He got up and ran to her again. Asteria rolled her eyes and got ready.
"Lastly," she felt her ring shine and Adalfieri swung his sword above her head. She stopped it and knocked his sword out of his hands.
"You have to be a girl." She said and put her sabre to his throat.
"I don't think you're meant to be a snow guardian." She said and kneed him between his legs. She was sure that he wasn't meant for it now. She ran inside the school, knowing Squalo and Yamamoto were there.
"What's with all this commotion after school hours?" she heard behind her. She looked over, seeing Hibari with his tonfas and an evil smile.
"Hibari-san! Take this before you get attacked!" she said and threw the jar at him. Thankfully, he caught it and she ran off before explaining anything else. After the second flight of stairs, she stopped. She felt a strange presence in front of her.
"I found myself a little snowflake to melt." Said a voice that Asteria feared. She looked right and left, but couldn't find Belphegor. A knife came at her, but she reacted too late, getting a cut on her arm. She looked the direction it came from, but he wasn't there.
"Too slow." He said and threw another, this time, slicing her back. She winced in pain and was confused about where he was.
"I guess I'm going to need this instead." She said and threw her sabre in a random direction.
"Agh!" Bel yelled.
"Oh, I guess I'm lucky." Asteria said. She saw Bel stand up. His crown was more crooked than usual, but his grin was bigger than ever. He got closer to her, but Asteria got her real weapon out.
"I'm trusting you." She said. It was similar to her other sabre, but the blade was made of something entirely different.
"You're getting that out? I guess I should feel honored." Bel said. Asteria put the blade close to her face, but the coldness was already flowing out. The blade was made of ice.
"I've known you too long, that weapon is like a popsicle to me." Bel said and threw a knife. Asteria used her sword and deflected it. The knife fell to the floor and shattered.
"Don't you remember that everything this touches turns in to ice?" Asteria said confidently. She saw Bel's grin grow even larger.
"Perfect."
Yamamoto ran in a random direction. He honestly didn't have anything in mind, but his body was automatically moving. He was ready for any sudden attack, but feared about what would happen to Asteria. He paused and felt his chain. It had the same feeling as when his ring would move. His thoughts were interrupted by the alarm, and before he could react, bullets came toward him. He crouched to the floor, and looked.
"Stop hiding, I'm going to find you anyway." The attacker said. Yamamoto stood up.
"Squalo." He said and saw him just a step away from him.
"You really think you're going to beat me aren't you?" Squalo snarled at him. Yamamoto didn't respond. Squalo began laughing.
"Well, this is some fun stuff!" he yelled. Yamamoto got irritated and got in a stance.
"Are we fighting or not?" he said. Squalo stopped laughing, and smirked at him. She swung his sword at his face, but Yamamoto was able to react to it. He took a step back, but was ready for more.
"I've seen your looks you give to Asteria." Squalo said to him as he almost sliced Yamamoto's hands.
"What?" he said, getting a little scared.
"Yeah, but you're not fit to be her guardian." He said and swung at his shoulder. Yamamoto used the dull edge of his sword and pushed him away.
"If you're going to fight me, do it right."
"Nope, I kind of made a promise to Asteria." He said. Yamamoto knew that he had to. If he killed Squalo, it would be equal to killing Asteria.
"ARE YOU SERIOUS! FIGHT LIKE A MAN! FIGHT LIKE A REAL RAIN-." Squalo's yelling was interrupted by a scream below. It wasn't just a scream, it was a call for help that the both of them recognized. The two looked at each other.
"It's Asteria." They both said.
So, how was that? I'm sorry for the late update again, but I hope you all enjoy this story still! I'm going to try my hardest to keep the flow going again!
Remember to read and review!