Episode 20: Blacking Out
"Never wanted this, never want to see you hurt… Every little bump in the road I tried to swerve… People are people and sometimes it doesn't work out. Nothing we say is gonna save us from the fall out…"
-"Breathe" by Taylor Swift
"You know, your friends are going to die in this contest."
I glared at him, with his perfect smile still on his pale face. I wanted to smack that grin right off his face. "What are you talking about? No, they won't! Tsuna-kun will never lose to you!" He laughed loudly in response, startling everyone. Xanxus even looked up from his chair with a fierce glare at the image.
Byakuran grinned even wider and asked, "Do you really think your friends will be able to win?" I nodded. "That's foolish. The younger you is much stupider than I thought, Najika-chan. Just so you know… This wouldn't have happened if it wasn't for you," he spat out, still smiling.
My hands clenched into fists. "I know." His eyes opened and he looked at least a little surprised. "I know that I'm a selfish traitor. I know that I stabbed Tsuna-kun in the back one too many times. And I know… that I won't ever make that mistake again!"
"You're foolish," the white-hair snapped.
"No I'm not," I shot back, glaring again.
He frowned, narrowing his eyes. There was a pause, a silence.
Then, Byakuran asked, "Do you even know what you're doing, Najika-chan? What you did?" I shook a little, taking a step back as his vicious smile returned. "You came to me willingly with that information. I didn't have to threaten you. You showed up at my doorstep, during one of your business trips to America and told me everything. About Tsunayoshi, about the Vongola, about you… about Hayato Gokudera." I froze, feeling my hands begin to shake. Seeming to notice this, he continued, "It was right after we graduated from college. Of course, you told me that your friend Tsunayoshi Sawada was planning to destroy the Vongola Rings, and you wanted me to know that. I knew everything that they were going to do before they did it. I won game after game, but they still asked for rematches."
I fell to my knees and shook violently, wrapping my arms around myself. My body shook in horror at what Byakuran was telling me. I shouldn't have believed him, since he was known for lying like that, but what if everything he was saying was actually the truth? I shook my head, trying to deny it to myself and to the people around me. "No… no, no… I wouldn't…"
"Yes, you did, Najika-chan. You gave me everything I needed. I knew all of those plans, and when you asked for me to meet with Tsunayoshi Sawada. I took that chance, and decided to tie up all the loose ends."
I couldn't help it. I started to cry. This just confirmed what everyone had told me. I was a traitor to the Vongola Family. I swiped at the hologram, my hand phasing right through the image created by light. "Leave me alone!" I shouted, my voice cracking harshly. "Get the hell away from me!" Byakuran chuckled a little. The hologram then disappeared, leaving no trace that he was ever there.
Bel knelt next to me, reaching a hand out to touch my shoulder gently. "Naji-hime… This isn't your fault," he said quietly, attempting to convince me out of my guilt.
Pulling away from him, I noticed my body shaking again. "Please don't touch me, Bel… I've got to go…" I stood up and stumbled towards my room again. I slumped onto my bed and began to cry again. I locked everything, even my bathroom door, and pulled the dark blankets over my head. I couldn't face anyone right now.
I remembered that Xanxus once said that the Vongola are one.
If anyone from the outside looked at us in that moment, they would see a strong, stable Family that stands together whenever the going gets bad. They would see a Family that would never betray each other, and would be such a tight-knit group that would always stand with each other.
But if someone from the inside looked, right there and then, they wouldn't see that. They'd see only some people standing together. There would be the Varia on one side. Tsuna, Hayato, Kyoko, Takeshi, and the rest of them would stand on another. Mukuro would be standing somewhere completely different, a side opposite from Hibari, and then Chrome, Ken, and Chikusa would always be near Mukuro. Finally, Basil, Lal, and the CEDEF with their backs turned from everyone, except Basil, who would be facing Tsuna.
As for me, I'd probably be in the background, watching, but not being. I wouldn't ever be able to forget what I'd done.
X Belphegor X
Not thirty minutes after Byakuran's message, Squalo and Lussuria had left to call the underground base in Japan, while Bel went upstairs to look for Najika. She looked pretty upset and scared when she left. Fran pulled him over. "I think you may want to hear this." He grabbed Bel's head, which made the blond glare, and pushed Bel's ear to Najika's door.
The first thing he heard from her room was the sound of crying. She really was torn apart. They had ten days before the main force in Japan would be fighting. Bel slid out one of his knives and growled at Fran, "Go get her something to eat." Fran nodded, although somewhat sarcastically.
It was most likely in response to the fact that it was Bel giving him the orders. He actually seemed genuinely concerned for Najika's safety.
When Bel finally used his knives to open the door, he found her on the floor in the corner of her room clutching a turquoise box. "Even now, Tsuna-kun was thinking of me. Even though I betrayed him and the rest of Vongola, he still tried to include me. This Box only proves what we already know." She laughed dryly. "Even after I betrayed him like I did, he still makes sure that I'm okay. I don't deserve this."
The Prince slid down next to her. "Look, if you wanna be down on yourself, go ahead. No one hates you, so just remember that, okay?" he snapped. "The Prince won't be very happy if you aren't."
That got a small smile out of her. "Thanks, Prince Bel." She leaned against his chest and asked, "Bel… Do you think I should go? You know, back to Japan to help… um, Tsuna-kun?" He heard the unspoken name that she never, ever said.
"No, that bastard is probably watching any way from Italy to Japan." She looked up at him, skepticism clear in her eyes. Bel simply sighed and admitted, "The Prince doesn't want his Princess to get hurt!" he exclaimed defensively. "I don't want you to leave yet." She smiled a little wider and hugged him.
She buried her head in his jacket and muttered, "I won't leave until it's time for the final battle. I should pay Byakuran back ten times what he gave me and everyone else I care about." Her voice was dripping with familiar venom, one that Bel remembered well, being saddened and frightened for her. She never lost herself like that, except when she was exceptionally hurt inside.
Bel lifted her head up so she was looking at him, his eyes looking directly into hers, despite the fact that his hair dangled in front of his vision. "Just promise me that you won't get yourself killed," he muttered seriously.
Najika smiled widely, grinning up at him, a slight red tint on her pale face. "I promise," vowed the girl, smiling even wider at him.
He knew he shouldn't have done it, but at that point, Bel couldn't help it. He'd wanted to do it for years, but she died in this time before he could. He'd been pushing back his feelings for ten years. No longer could he hold them back, not when she was right there, so close. Bel was known as a Prince, and Princes weren't known for their selflessness.
Leaning his head down, he let his lips gently brush against hers before pulling away. He almost laughed when he saw that she was a bright red. She glared playfully and tackled him, causing his competitive side to kick in and fight back, rolling around on the ground with her.
By the time they had finished their childish battle, Najika had ended up under him, giggling lightly, even when Bel smirked and leaned closer to her. He paused when his face was only just above hers.
He didn't really know why he was getting closer. He knew her feelings were for someone else, but he felt like he had to try. Those feelings were coming up again, and he couldn't help himself. She looked… so innocent. Bel wanted to reassure her that she wasn't alone. That she would always have him, no matter what happened.
Finally, after a long pause of hesitating, of thinking over his rash decision, he cut her soft laughter off, placing his lips directly over hers. Her purple eyes widened, but she didn't push him off. It was like she'd gone into shock.
When she didn't respond, he pulled away, biting his lip in a rare moment of hesitation. She looked as if she was still in shock and he sat up, pulling her up with him, all the while avoiding looking at her. With a small smile, she gently kissed his cheek. "I'm sorry, Bel… I just don't think I can return your feelings. I love you like a brother, but…"
"I know," he interrupted, his voice, for once, quiet. "You love Hayato Gokudera." He sighed. "I just thought that maybe, I still had a chance." He smirked grimly. "I guess I didn't." He should've known that he'd lose before the game even started.
She hugged him again, and he quickly returned her hug, burying his face in her hair. But a hand pushed him from his place in front of her, shoving the surprised blond to the floor. She just blinked at the sudden change in positioning. "You know that's sexual harassment, right, senpai?" the teal-haired illusionist named Fran asked flatly, putting a huge plate of pasta down on the table in the middle of the room.
Bel twitched a little before glaring at the Mist user. "Damn… you… Fran!" He pulled out his knives and hit the Frog in the back of his hat-covered head as the younger boy was turning away.
Looking back, Fran deadpanned, "That wasn't very nice, Bel-senpai. Throwing knives is no way to show that you love someone." Najika raised an eyebrow skeptically and Bel shook in anger.
He pulled out more of his knives and tossed them into the front of the frog hat. "I hate you, you damn frog!" Bel yelled, "You should knock, you know!" He tossed more into the hat.
Fran took each of the knives out and bent them before dropping them. "You're one to talk, senpai. You broke into Onda-sama's room and sexually harassed," he snapped dryly, his eyes staring blankly at the prince.
Bel growled, "You bastard… How dare you destroy the Prince's knives?!" Najika stepped in between the two.
A bright smile took over Najika's face. "I'm going to be okay now, you know that, right?" They both nodded, Bel still holding his knives threateningly. "Good. Now, stop fighting and come eat with me. This is way too much food for just me," she said, gesturing to the plate of pasta. Bel and Fran shrugged, then sent heated glares at one another.
"You say good morning when it's midnight… Going out of my head, alone in this bed ~ I wake up to your sunset… and it's driving me mad, I miss you so bad and my- Heart, heart, heart is so jetlagged… Heart, heart, heart is so jetlagged… Heart, heart, heart is so jetlagged…"
Bel and Fran looked for the source of the perky song and then, Najika pulled out her cell phone. "Hello? Basil-kun? Is that you?"
X Najika Kamiya X
Basil from the past was here? "Najika-chan! I… I am unsure of what has happened! I woke up in Spain, and I just got here, in Namimori! I'm outside Sawada-dono's house, and I-I… How in the world did I get here?"
He sounded panicked, desperate. I bit my lip. "Listen, Basil-kun. Don't worry about it. Tsuna-kun and Hayato and everyone else are in Japan. I can't help you right now; I'm in Italy. Just cover your Ring and block the signal. Like… freeze it or something. Find Tsuna-kun, but stay hidden! There's Millefiore operatives all over the place."
"Millefiore?"
I hesitated. "They're a Family with a lot of power in this time."
"In this time!?"
Sighing, I explained, "You've been transported ten years into the future in some way or another. The Tsuna-kun of this time is dead, and you have to keep your head down. The Millefiore wants to wipe out Vongola, and the only way that we can save ourselves was to bring in our past selves. Tsuna-kun will explain in detail; I don't know if the Millefiore is listening to this or not. Call me later!"
"Right!" he exclaimed. "Thanks for clearing that up. When I found the Ring, it had a small chain on it. I'll be sure to go find them!"
The dial tone rang in my ears. He'd be fine. I was surprised that he called me first, though. I guess it was desperation driving him to call me. "Who was that?" Bel asked, gesturing to the phone.
I replied, "It was Basil-kun. I guess that he was in Spain, and he was in need of some help." Bel nodded a little, but plucked a piece of spaghetti from my plate and swallowed it.
"Not bad, froggy."
"Thank you, Fake Prince." That earned Fran a few knives into his hat once again. "Ouch, Bel-senpai. That really hurt, and now there's creepy knives sticking out of my back…"
"You bastard… I'm going to kill you, Froggy." I let out a laugh. Those two would never stop…
Owari.
Still short. ;A; I have nothing to say about this.
Except Taylor Swift's new music isn't that great. But that's probably because it's annoying. I loved her album Fearless.
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