Hotaru was frustrated, and not just from dealing with Creed's obsessive behavior, Mukuro's lashing out as he slowly started to heal from the trauma inflicted on him in his short life, or even Reborn's incessant need for chaos.
No what made her frustrated was the fact she hadn't gotten any since she went out with Dino and with Creed's presence she wasn't likely to get any unless the man was positively suicidal.
Creed only had eyes for her and was beyond possessive. She would take offense if someone tried to date Hotaru and potentially take her away again.
Suddenly an idea occurred to Hotaru. A way to kill a few birds with a single stone.
And possibly put a lid on Creed's more...terrifying habits.
Hotaru's grin was wide and somewhat evil.
"I know that look. You're up to something."
"Tell everyone to avoid the apartment. I have a plan on how to deal with Creed's excessive energy."
Reborn took one look at her expression before snorting.
"Take your time... And have fun," he said flatly.
He was a notorious playboy, and it didn't take a genius to figure out that Hotaru planned to have a bit of bedroom fun with her Lightning and hopefully settle the girl down. Then again he was also aware that she hadn't exactly been getting any since she was dating Dino.
"I intend to. Though I will admit this will be a first for me."
Train hadn't really dated in his past life, and the closest he ever had to a meaningful relationship had been with Saya, as short lived as that had been.
It wasn't until Creed ran into him again after the mess with Eve that Train found out the real reason Creed had killed Saya. It wasn't that she was making him leave the life of an assassin behind... Creed had been disillusioned long before Train decided to break off from Chronos. Creed had been positively terrified that Train would forget him and leave him behind for Saya.
Creed didn't have many people he could call a friend, in either lifetime. But Train was one of the few who not only put up with his erratic behavior but actually had a camaraderie with him. He could even match Creed in a fight and not die if he went all out.
It had taken that single conversation for Train to fully let the fact Creed had murdered Saya go. He didn't forgive him, but he no longer hated him either.
Even if it did result in Rosethorn becoming Hotaru's Lightning this time around. At least now she would be assured that she wouldn't be left behind and forgotten. That she would always have a real, tangible connection to the one person who understood her the best and cared.
Now if only that understanding didn't lead to Rosethorn pretty much insuring Hotaru wouldn't get laid any time soon...
With any luck Rosethorn would mostly calm down with her behavior and whatever chemical imbalance she had would get a little reworking.
Rosethorn/Creed POV
The first hint of something odd about to happen came when she felt arms around her waist. Callused hands started roaming in places no one had been allowed to touch before.
Creed was all too happy to murder whichever pest that hung around his Train was trying to make a move on her...except that thought stalled in disbelief upon realizing who was behind her.
"Hotaru? What are you doing?" she asked baffled and more than a little confused. This was not how Train usually acted.
Train grinned wickedly.
"Well since you seem so determined to keep me all to yourself and I really doubt there would be anyone brave enough to date you long enough to sleep with you."
Come to think of it, Hotaru genuinely couldn't think of a single instance when Creed had gone out and gotten laid in their past life either. Maybe a one-night stand, but those were so rare and he never spoke of whether he had fun or not. And Train wasn't really that interested in that sort of thing and risking getting some disease or another. He was a bit more romantic than that.
So the fact Hotaru was clearly planning to have some fun of the bedroom kind with her of all people made Rosethorn's usually chaotic brain stall, big time. So much so that she didn't resist the gentle tug of her hand into her room.
"What about the others?"
"They're spending the night elsewhere and there's a special Mist area made by Daemon to deal with the sound. So let loose and have a bit of fun," said Hotaru wickedly. Catching Rosethorn flat-footed like this was entirely too much fun and so very entertaining.
She should have done this sooner if this was how she reacted.
Reborn wasn't the only one who stared at the relaxed, if exhausted figure that was Rosethorn Gesso at the table. Her usual energy was gone and she actually felt 'sane/stable' to the senses.
"Okay I'll bite. How did you settle her down?" asked Xanxus.
Compared to Rosethorn, Hotaru was positively chipper and perky. She was also far too smug.
"I know what she did," said Reborn amused. "So she just needed to get laid?"
Xanxus looked at Reborn with shock, then at the attitude of Rosethorn and Hotaru, before laughing. Long and hard.
"Pulled a fast one on your Lightning did you?"
"Can you really see just anyone actually being brave enough to sleep with her, much less take full control?" said Hotaru cheekily.
Xanxus snorted at that.
"So she was the submissive?" he asked, grinning at her.
"A very obedient submissive, once the shock wore off," said Hotaru far too impishly. "Once she started getting into it, it got even better."
Once Rosethorn got over the shock of the things Hotaru was doing to her, she really got into it and happily followed any 'order' Hotaru gave her.
No wonder Byakuran was always so cross about her ruining his dates.
"You're playing a dangerous game," commented Reborn.
"Not really. Just means I have to plan ahead for a proper threesome with Rosethorn joining in when bored. I highly doubt any man would turn that down so long as they understand she's mine."
Reborn and Xanxus both stared at her before smirking at each other.
When she put it like that, she was entirely correct. No straight man would turn down a threesome with two girls all too happy to share, even if Hotaru made it clear Rosethorn's only interest was in her Sky and no one else.
Even Reborn would happily agree to such an arrangement, though Rosethorn's personality left much to be desired.
Rosethorn certainly had no arguments to the matter, as she would happily lean into Hotaru long before they slept together. In fact she was almost purring.
Hotaru looked at Reborn.
"How does a trip to Japan sound to you?"
"What do you have planned?"
"My Intuition is telling me to visit my hometown, likely to pick a few people up. Besides, I haven't seen my twin or mother in over ten years. It would be interesting to see if they recognize me since I haven't bothered to re-dye my hair recently."
Hotaru had let her hair grow out for a bit while she was with Daniela, revealing her natural hair color was closer to a light caramel. However she had it cut after the funeral and hadn't bothered to have it dyed again...it was such a pain to hide her roots and everyone recognized her by now.
Reborn was silent.
"Are you retrieving your brother?"
Hotaru shook her head.
"He likely wouldn't recognize me, and if he did I would be very surprised. For now he is safe as a civilian since he's still an Inactive Flame and there's no telling if he's a Sky as well. However if possible I would like to try and cultivate Hibari as my Cloud Guardian...with the agreement that he keep a close eye on my mother and twin in Namimori, and only leave when I need his assistance."
Reborn looked rather approving of that. As a Classic Cloud, Fon's son would resent anyone that attempted to remove him from his territory. However making it a temporary thing and letting him establish a support base from it was far more reasonable and likely to earn his favor.
"Besides...I have plans to see if Byakuran can help mitigate the distance issue. If I remember correctly he mentioned something about a transportation system he made in an alternate world that allowed instant travel. Never mind the fact that a skilled Mist can do almost the same thing for a limited distance. I bet that would interest even Verde," said Hotaru.
If they could get around the distance issue and allow Kyouya to sleep in his own bed in Namimori while still being able to work in Italy during the day, then any issues over leaving his territory could be easily dealt with.
While she was cultivating a relationship with Fon as her potential Storm (Hayato still had yet to go Active, but she had seen many, many signs of Sven's little habits starting to appear), she didn't particularly want Verde as a Lightning.
For one thing, Rosethorn would throw a massive fit and possibly kill him. For another, she had seen enough amoral scientists to know she wanted nothing to do with one. She might hire him and let him play around on her payroll, but trust him with her exposed back, never.
"Meh. Just be sure to fill out the missing parts of your Sky soon, Hell Cat," said Xanxus.
Hell Cat being Hotaru's official Varia designation, even if she wasn't actually a member of the group. By this point she had gained the respect of the majority of the group, and the rest would follow Xanxus' lead anyway.
Thanks to her any remaining traitors who followed that fool Ottabio had met a very unpleasant end. The second even a hint of collusion was found, Xanxus had them quietly disposed of.
Fortunately the number of such idiots who hadn't already fled (and were subsequently killed if the Varia Elite tracked them down) were barely a handful at best. Out of the near three hundred members of the Varia, only five or six were permanently dealt with on top of Ottabio.
"Should I ask Fon if he would be interested in joining us?" asked Reborn.
"That might be a good idea. Though I do have plans for how I can tempt Hibari into joining our group."
Hibari was a very simple creature at heart. He desired strong opponents to test himself against, and while he tolerated companionship what he really wanted was someone strong he could rely on to have his back while allowing him to drift freely like the Cloud he was. Someone who respected his boundaries and accepted his claim on his territory.
The odds of finding a woman who could tolerate his habits and bloodthirsty behavior without flinching, much less have enough strength of their own to stand by him without him having to rescue them all the damn time were almost impossible to find. At least, not within the appropriate age range and not already married anyway.
Hotaru and Rosethorn could give him that challenge, and they could easily respect his claim on Namimori. If anyone understood the desire to have a strong opponent and wanting someone that they knew they could trust to have their back without faltering, it was them.
Besides, Hotaru was well aware that Hibari was quite the looker and he really needed someone to release that pent up energy inside him before he snapped.
(She still found it hilarious that Byakuran sent an entire rose bush of his sister's favorite flower for their rooftop gardens when he found out about the change in their relationship. So long as she was happy...and far away from him while he was trying to get a date...he was more than happy to send such gifts.)
Taking a deep breath of air, Hotaru felt a strange sense of nostalgia. It was funny...she had left over a decade ago and the place still felt like home.
"Anyone up for sushi? I've been having a craving for it for days since my intuition started acting up."
"Depends, are you paying?" asked Mammon.
Hotaru rolled her eyes.
"Nothing too expensive and I am not paying for the booze," she deadpanned.
"Acceptable."
"Shishishi... the Prince knows the best place to have sushi," said Belphegor happily.
"Why did you two come anyway?" asked Reborn.
"Belphegor was being a bigger pain in the ass than usual and he usually shuts up after he comes to eat here," said Mammon flatly. "Besides the Boss and Squalo are both pinned down by mission reports and paperwork, and we had nothing better to do."
"Figures. I can't wait to fill out my remaining Guardian spots, if only so I can get the Ring Battles over with."
"Which ones do you need and how many do you have?" asked Mammon curious.
"I have Daemon and Mukuro, both are high level Mists, though I'm still trying to get in touch with Verde to see if he would be interested in making a clone body for Daemon to inhabit. I have Rosethorn, who is a Lightning-Mist. Reborn who is my Sun and Fon who recently agreed to act as my Storm. I can feasibly act as a Cloud, but I would rather have an actual one in my group so I just need Rain and Cloud."
Mammon nearly dropped in shock.
Every one of her Guardians was extremely powerful in their own right, particularly Fon and Reborn. For her to be able to draw in such people would require equal or greater strength.
Xanxus was wise to ally with her, rather than try and challenge her claim as the next leader of the Vongola. It didn't hurt that she was far more partial to the Varia than she was to CEDEF.
Odds were that Federico would happily take over as External Adviser purely to kick Iemitsu out and help them get rid of the rot that had settled into the family during the Ninth Generation.
It was during their late lunch that Hotaru found a good lead on her Rain.
There was a boy about her age who was giving off all the signs of being close to going Active just drifting around as if lost.
Hotaru noticed the strong resemblance to the chef and it didn't take much to guess this was either his son or a very close relative like a nephew.
"Your son?"
The chef had a sad smile on his face.
"My boy Takashi. He suffered a set back recently and managed to pull through, but I'm afraid he's lost his path."
He had barely survived the attempted suicide and while his arm had healed his love of baseball had taken a massive hit. Worse, he had come to the hard realization that his friends were all fake and more interested in themselves.
"How good is he at playing baseball?" asked Hotaru interested. It had been some time since she enjoyed a good game.
"He used to be the star player until the incident. They cut him from the team after he got back from the hospital," said Tsuyoshi sadly. Even more damning was none of his former classmates would come in if they knew Takashi was there.
Especially after the not-so-minor incident shortly after his arm healed where Takashi killed a yakuza with his bat when they tried to gang up on him, and while he had gotten off with self-defense (the yakuza had jumped him in full view of the security cameras and were clearly intending to do life-threatening harm to him) the fact it hadn't phased him tended to scare civilians.
There was a darkness in his heart that made his son a natural hit man, and Tsuyoshi was genuinely concerned his son would end up with the wrong sort of people...particularly once he went Active.
Hotaru eyed Takashi, then Tsuyoshi.
"How would you feel if he was recruited as a Rain Guardian for someone making a bid as Vongola Decimo?" she asked in a low voice.
Tsuyoshi's knife paused, before continuing.
"Depends on how the Sky would treat him. If he finds someone who can bring him out of the depression he's in, I'll have no arguments against it. He might be better off in the underworld than he would trying to survive a civilian."
Hotaru nodded.
"So, baseball right? Know any good places where we won't accidentally cause collateral damage from stray balls?" she asked cheerfully in a slightly louder tone.
"As a matter of fact, I do," said Tsuyoshi smirking.