Beauty and The Beast: A Varia's Tale
Summary:
"Only true love can break the curse."
The Varia were so sure they'd never escape their fate now. Why? One. Their boss was incapable of falling in love with women. Two. Because he loved tequila more than anything. Three. And because of reason two, he'd NEVER find love. Or so they thought.
They didn't expect Miss Vongola Decimo, afteral.
[Fem!Tsuna x Xanxus]
DISCLAIMER: I do not own anything of KHR which is the best mafia related anime and manga in this whole wide world. Only Amano Akira does.
A/N: First off, with just the second chapter you guys gave me 83 follows and 64 favourites! And not to forget, all those wonderful reviews too! THANK YOU SO MUCH! You guys just totally blew me away! (T^T)/
And now here's a ten paged chapter three! Enjoy ^^
Also, do note that with the Varia comes curse words :'3
3. Independent will NOT dying will.
Previously,
"Mou~!" The Sun Guardian entered the room. "No fighting! We have a guest here with us~!"
The Varia's boss narrowed his eyes at the teenager who stepped out from behind his Sun Guardian. She looked up at him. Once more that day again, their eyes met.
The crimson eyed man's heart boiled with irritation and anger on seeing her. She looked so weak. So breakable. It annoyed him that this girl was the very same one who'd defeated him during the ring conflict a couple of years ago.
His old scars reappeared and he brought up his gun. Weak trash like her must disappear.
"HIIIIE!"
"FUCK!"
"TSUNA-CHAN!"
Xanxus. Wrath.
BANG!
And for a second time that day, he fired his gun at her.
"VOI!" Superbi Squalo waved his sword at the brunette who sat on the bed with a cup of hot chocolate in her hands. "You will STAY here until one of us comes for you. Got it?"
Sawada Tsunayoshi nodded a little too quickly. After almost dissolving into ashes just a while ago, she wasn't too eager to step out of the guestroom now. If it hadn't been for the white haired swordsman who'd flung her out of the way in time, she won't even be under the blankets again. Let alone; sip the hot chocolate which Lussuria had provided since he believed it helped one to "recover from traumatic experiences".
"And if you need anything, you press the bell and a maid will attend to you." Squalo said. "AM I UNDERSTOOD?"
She nodded again in reply since she was still too stunned to speak. Reborn, you will die by my hands. This I promise.
Tsunayoshi stared at the dark chocolate drink for a long time after the assassin had left the room. Something was off. She wasn't quite sure about it but her intuition told her so. Xanxus getting pissed off by her presence was nothing unusual. But to the extent of firing his gun at her with an intention to kill? Now that clearly proved that something was wrong.
After finishing her drink, she placed the cup on the side table and decided to get some sleep. She was tired. A yawn escaped her lips as she snuggled underneath the warmth of the blankets. The mansion felt cold even though it was summer. It was another strange thing but she was too drowsy now to even think about it.
When she woke, this time she didn't wake up with a splitting headache. Rather, she woke up to the sweet smell of apples. She buried her face into the source of the smell with a sigh. Whatever it was, it tickled her and strangely enough it felt like- hair!?
The once half-awake brunette was now fully awake. Her eyes were wide open and she was greeted with the sight of teal coloured hair. She was out of the bed in a flash. It wasn't everyday that she woke up to someone next to her. Well, there was a time when Lambo would sneak into her room to do just that when he had nightmares but that was a long time back.
"…uhmm…" The sleeping figure mumbled. "…cold…"
Tsuna cautiously approached her bed and let out a sigh of relief. It was just a familiar kid who seemed to be around the same age as Lambo. She sat on the edge and picked up the blanket which had kicked off during her graceful exit off the bed, and placed it over him.
He looked so peaceful and calm. Not like an assassin or an illusionist that had trained under her Mist Guardian.
What was his name again? She wondered as she absentmindedly brushed back the strands of his hair that lay over his face.
She bit back a gasp when his eyes suddenly flew wide open at the contact. He blinked a couple of times as he steadied his focus. The boy yawned. "Nee-san. Please tell the fake prince I'm not around if he drops by."
"H-Huh?"
The boy then pulled the blanket over his head. Tsuna sweat-dropped when he released a small snore a few minutes later.
"What did he mean by-"
SLAM!
The brunette felt as though her lifespan had just been shortened by ten years when the door suddenly slammed open. She lifted her head up to see who had just intruded. Please don't let it be Xanxus. Please- "Belpheghor-san?"
"Ushishishi." The blond tilted his head to the side. "So it was true when they said that the peasant had come."
"Eh?" Tsuna raised an eyebrow.
"Perhaps…to save us?"
"What do you mean?"
"Ushishishi. Have you seen that stupid frog?"
He just ignored my question. She felt her eyebrow twitch. "F-Frog?"
"Ushishishi. Yes. The prince is looking for the frog." He nodded with that grin which unsettled her. "He ran away when I was playing with him. He doesn't seem to be in the places where he usually hides."
Frog? He? Oh. Does he mean this kid? Tsuna thoughtfully glanced at the sleeping bundle. She remembered the boy's request and sighed. She was ranked number one as the Mafioso who never denied a request by Fuuta for a reason. "I haven't seen this…frog you're talking about."
Bel hummed as he spun around and walked straight out. "I see."
Whether he did so on purpose or not, the brunette felt thankful that the teenager just chose to peacefully exit and not put on a show with his knives. He was pretty nasty with them to begin with.
"But if you do see him…" The blond prince paused before shutting the door closed. "Do tell him that he'll be the model for all of my knives the next time I run into him…ushishishi."
Tsuna gaped at the shut door. What the heck-?
"Nee-san." The brunette felt a tug at her sleeve. "Can you sing me a lullaby or tell me a story?"
"I thought you were sleeping." Tsuna deadpanned as she turned her attention back towards the young illusionist.
"I was…" The teal haired boy nodded with a serious look. "But the fake prince came and ruined it and now all I dream of are fake princes and pineapples and strawberries trying to eat me."
Sawada Tsunayoshi stared at the boy with an unreadable look as she tried to make out whether he was pulling her leg or something. With that monotonous voice and the straight face, she wasn't sure anymore.
She sighed. My singing has barely improved so…"I-I'll try to tell you a story."
"Yay!" He exclaimed in a monotonous drawl. "I want to hear about 'Snow Apple and the Seven Pineapples'."
A book suddenly appeared in his hand as he handed it over to the surprised Decimo who took it. She resisted the urge to pinch the bridge of her nose as she stared at the front cover of the book.
Why is Mukuro in there? No wait. What the hell is wrong with Xanxus's hair!? And the title of this story…I'm pretty sure this isn't the right one…
Tsuna cleared her throat as she flipped open to the first page of the book which was definitely a creation using illusions. 'Cause the last time she checked, books normally didn't have pictures that moved. "Okay. Once upon a time in the land of…Varia…"
"…and so until the Vongola brats find the supposed fairy, the Decimo will be with us-VOI! ARE YOU EVEN LISTENING TO THE REPORT, YOU FUCKING BOSS!?"
"Get. Out." Xanxus growled as his eyes snapped open.
"I will get out ONLY after I know that you've heard every fucking word I have to say!" Squalo's eyebrow twitched. "Think of this as another mission we-"
The white haired swordsman didn't have the adequate time to react as his hair was pulled roughly and his face brought close to the furious boss. The crimson eyed man did not look pleased. "GET. OUT. TRASH!"
Squalo landed with a crouch as he was thrown across the room and crash into a wooden table which broke at the impact. The swordsman stood and dusted himself before pointing his sword at his boss. "FINE! I'M GETTING OUT! AND SHE'S FUCKING STAYING HERE BY THE ORDER OF THE NONO!"
"If I ever see that trash again, she won't see the next day."
With those words, Squalo marched out of the room annoyed. Now he had to deal with a 24x7 enraged boss and ensure that the Decimo stayed in the mansion in one whole piece before she could return back to her family. This was not how he had imagined things to go on.
He ran his hand through his hair and froze. As he slowly lifted his hand off his head, he caught sight of strands of his long hair which had detached itself from its roots just with the slight contact. This…t-this…HAIR FALL!?
Lussuria had said something about this to him before. Hair fall was a common result of…stress. Stress. The word seemed to echo in his mind as he continued to stare at his hand with wide eyes.
"VOI! WHAT THE MOTHERFUCK!?"
Dinner was served rather early in her room since she had requested for it. She just wanted to wind up her day and go to sleep. Also, she wasn't keen to have a gun fired at her again. Two near death experiences in one day was more than enough for her.
After eating she resigned to bed but then, she realised a rather annoying fact. She couldn't close her eyes.
"I slept a lot earlier." Sawada Tsunayoshi groaned as she brought her hands to her face. "And now…I can't sleep."
The brunette got out of her bed and went towards the window. She peeped outside and found herself smiling as she admired the stars that hung above in the night sky. They reminded her of home. Namimori.
A feeling of loneliness crept into her. "Hah. It's barely even been a day and I'm missing home already. Even though it's quieter here…"
"VOI! THAT WAS MY STEAK!"
"…or not." She deadpanned as the white haired swordsman's voice echoed throughout the mansion. "They're probably having dinner."
The brunette walked around the room, carefully observing the layout since she hadn't had the time to do so earlier. Her hands traced around the walls as she openly admired the painted gold leaves on it that gave the room a rather enchanting exterior. The bookshelf caught her eye. There was an assortment of classics and they looked all too new from the lack of being read.
"…Frankenstein…" Tsuna muttered as she scanned through the books. They were all in English and though she couldn't properly read the language, she at least knew the basics of it. No thanks to a certain tutor.
She shuddered as she ran a finger across the spine of the gothic horror novel. This book had been the most memorable since her hitman tutor had made her read the whole thing aloud in just one day to test how much she had improved with the language. And for every mispronunciation…there were efficient dynamite to ensure it won't happen again.
Her eyes then shifted to the book that sat next to novel she was reminiscing over. 'Jane Eyre' read the title. She pulled out the book out of mere curiosity and flipped through the pages and came across a certain page which had been marked with a bright colour. The brunette squinted as she slowly read out the highlighted section.
"I am no bird; and no net ensnares me: I am a free human being, with an independent will." She found herself furiously nodding her head in agreement. "I agree with you Charlotte-san."
The brunette looked to her left and right before lifting up the book and pointing at the marked page. "Reborn! Do you see this? Independent will NOT dying will!"
Tsuna felt stupid. Of course her tutor wasn't around. If he was, he would've dramatically appeared long back. She sighed and put the book back to its former position. The girl then proceeded to scan the rest of the books to find something interesting.
Time had flown by as she did. This she was sure of because it had become much quieter. Surprisingly.
Her feet brought her towards the door and after much of a silent debate, she turned the handle. She poked her head out expecting someone to pop out and shove her back into the room. But the hallways were empty. There was no one in sight.
Tsuna experimentally stuck her foot out. She sighed. "What am I thinking? It's not like they placed some sort of barrier or something…"
She silently closed the door behind her, wincing as the sound echoed even though she did it carefully. Her heart was pounding. The brunette slapped her cheeks lightly. "Come on Tsuna! Stop being a coward. I just want to look around. Not like I'm committing a crime."
The Decimo slowly gained courage with every step she took. Her footsteps on the plush carpet were light and could barely even be heard unless one strained to hear it. Even her breathing had calmed down. The hallway as she observed, was lavishly furnished. Every now and then she came across paintings that hung on the walls. They were either portraits or sceneries.
There was a certain scenery which she found herself staring at. It reminded her strangely of the cherry blossom viewing festival back in Namimori. She nodded to herself as if in approval. "This is good."
In an attempt to find more paintings which gave her the feeling of home she ventured further, completely drawn in by her newly found task. So far she had come across a few paintings which pictured Mount Fuji, some important landmarks in Japan and the display of the exquisite cuisine.
"Lovely…" Tsuna muttered as she stopped in front of a painting that showed some Japanese castle. The girl rubbed her eyes which felt heavy. She smiled at the thought of tiredness coming back to her. Now I can go back and sleep peacefully without-
The brunette went stiff as a horrible truth dawned over her. She turned back and hurriedly tired to retrace her steps. She was now regretting that because she ended up being even lost. Tsuna stepped into a darker corridor with unease as she fastened her pace.
"Definitely not here…I don't even remember coming here…"
Suddenly, her hyper intuition flared alarmingly and she froze in her spot. Not a few seconds later, she heard a low growl which was definitely not human. Her eyes surveyed the darkness and were met with a pair of yellow orbs that seemed to grow closer.
She soon got a good look of the creature who was still growling as though warning her, saying that it was its territory she almost set foot into. The brunette sharply inhaled when she realised what she was dealing with. It was a feline. And a really big one too.
Moreover, the fact that it looked pretty hungry made her want to turn tail and run.
It wasn't reassuring at all. But running right now would be an even worse idea. She didn't want it to presume that this was a game and have it pounce on her. This whole situation felt like what had happened in the Namimori Zoo with the lions. She felt utterly helpless.
"G-Good kitty…" The brunette put her hands in front of her as she slowly edged backwards.
I'd rather a Reborn than a beast. She found herself thinking. To her utter dismay, the big cat only stepped forward whenever she took a step back. So much for keeping a distance between us.
The big cat was white with black stripes. It looked like a lion but a tiger at the same time and gave off a familiar feeling to the girl. Sky flames?
Her eyes widened with realisation when she finally understood what she was really dealing with. Of course the Varia wouldn't just let some beast roam free in its mansion. Even if it was for security there was a great risk of having its own members being attacked. No. This was a box weapon. And she knew exactly who the owner was.
"B-Bester?" Tsuna called out trying to sound brave but failing drastically. She knew that it could probably already smell her fear.
The liger narrowed its eyes when she'd called out its name and released a small growl. It crouched a little and that was when Tsuna knew things were going to go terribly wrong. She knew that stance. It was the same posture her box weapon Nat-su would take on before playfully pouncing on her. Before she could even react, it pounced.
She squeaked and shut her eyes waiting for her demise. How hilarious. And here, I thought I would end up dying in the hands of the Mafia.
The brunette waited for the pain. She waited for the feeling of the sharp claws digging into her flesh. But strangely, she felt nothing. Tsuna opened an eye and almost suffered a cardiac arrest when she spotted the liger so close to her, staring at her with utmost interest. It bowed its head and rubbed it against her still outstretched hand.
Sawada Tsunayoshi stared aghast as it began to purr. Wasn't it going to kill me just a while ago?
She ran her fingers through its surprisingly soft and fluffy fur. It felt so…pleasant. The cat seemed pleased with her actions and continued to purr louder.
"Good kitty." Tsuna smiled to herself with pride at being able to pet a fearsome creature without being mauled to death first. "Reborn should see this. I totally handled you without my pills or a bullet to my head."
The cat pushed its head more against her hand causing her to stumble back a little. She laughed at its feat and stroked its fur with her two hands. Tsuna leaned in and buried her face into its fur with its sigh. Sure she was getting carried away but it wasn't like this was something bad. Right?
"Bester."
The brunette abruptly broke away from the liger when she heard an all too familiar husky voice echo through the corridors. Her heart beat began to race. Bester however seemed oblivious to its master's calling and growled at the girl when she stopped stroking it,
"I'm sorry. But you have to go now!" Tsuna whispered as she frantically attempted to push the cat away from her. "He's coming this way and honestly, I don't want to die right now!"
"Bester."
The voice of the Varia's boss grew closer. The Decimo could already hear his footsteps. He seemed to be looking for his liger which was currently too preoccupied with the female he purely detested. Tsuna gulped. This wasn't good. She should have just stayed in her room. Now, she was truly regretting the fact that she hadn't listened to Squalo's instruction.
"VOI! You will STAY here until one of us comes for you. Got it?"
The white haired swordsman's words replayed in her mind.
Tsuna pushed the liger away from her with all the strength she could muster. It growled furiously and pushed back. Right now, she didn't care of the possibilities of being attack by the beast. Instead, she was solely focused on getting away from the man who would most possibly give her a more gruesome death than the big cat.
It's now or never! She told herself as she gave up trying to convince the cat and turned around, ready to break into a run. The Decimo had suddenly gotten a boost of courage. "My Vongola ancestors are with me!"
"You."
The brunette hadn't even taken a step forward when the voice she dreaded to hear called out to her. She already had comical tears flowing down her cheeks as she slowly turned back. My Vongola ancestors have abandoned me…
Tsuna did an inhumanly ninety degree bow, not daring to look at the Varia Boss. "I'm SO sorry! I didn't mean to be of any disturbance! I just wanted to look at the painting on the walls and I ran into Bester and I totally meant to go back to my room but Bester won't let me go and-"
"Shut up."
"HIEE! I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to annoy you!"
The liger edged towards her and rubbed its face against her. It began purring contentedly again. Tsuna didn't know how worse things could turn out. It's totally ignoring Xanxus!
"Get out of my sight you piece of fucking trash."
The brunette didn't know whether she was just plain lucky or whether the ancestors of the Vongola had really saved her as she heard the sound of his footsteps as he walked away. She lifted her head up and stared at his retreating back with surprise.
"U-Umm. Xanxus-san?" She squeaked.
The man stopped in his tracks, shockingly waiting for her to continue speaking.
Tsuna gulped. "C-Can you tell me the way back to the guest room? I-I seemed to have lost my way…"
"Huh?" The black haired man tilted his head back a little, his crimson red eyes narrowing at her as he angrily snapped at the girl.
"HIEE! It's nothing!" She inwardly cried as his glare made her legs wobbly.
"Tch." He muttered as he continued walking. "Trash."
The girl heaved a sigh of relief once he had fully disappeared from sight. She faced the still purring liger that did not leave along with its master. She patted its head. "You don't supposedly know where the guest room is right?"
Bester grunted in response and the brunette rolled her eyes at it. She looked behind her with a frown. Maybe I'll just follow this path…
The feline's sudden growl made her jump a little as she snapped her head to face it. Tsuna never felt happier when she found a Varia member approaching the duo as he eyed the liger warily. The brunette soothed the beast with assuring words before flashing a bright smile at the male who averted his eyes away with a small blush.
"I-I've come to lead you back to the guest room." The brown haired male cleared his throat as he looked anywhere but at her.
"Thank you so much!" Tsuna only smiled brighter, totally oblivious of what it was doing to the man.
"It's n-nothing. Master Xanxus told me to."
"Xanxus-san?" The Decimo's eyes widened.
The man nodded in response. "Yes. It's this way."
The brunette silently followed the man with Bester who didn't seem to leave her side, trailing after her. A small smile graced her lips as she remembered her guide's words. I should thank him the next time we meet.
Xanxus couldn't believe the brat had just ordered him. He scoffed as he remembered her words. It was a pity that he didn't have his guns with him or he would have gotten rid of her there and then.
The brunette had said she was lost. The Varia boss smirked. He hoped she would remain lost and die of starvation in some corner. That would be nice. But his thought was interrupted by what his Rain Guardian would do. He could almost hear the white haired swordsman yelling his ear off about letting her lose her way.
A frown appeared on his face not too long after. "That damned brat just had to get lost."
Xanxus continued walking with irritation. A door opened a member of the Varia stepped out with a yawn as the brown haired male stretched his hands. He turned around and jumped at the sight of his boss. The male immediately saluted the crimson eyed man with shaking hands.
"You will take the Vongola brat back to her room." Xanxus growled in Italian as he picked the unfortunate male off the ground by his shirt front. "She's down the hallway."
"YESSSS SIR!" The brown haired male squeaked as he was let down before taking off in a rush.
The Varia Boss swiftly walked off to his bedroom. He really felt the need for tequila right now. And a whole crate of it.
A/N: How did you like it? Loved it? Hated it? It was okay perhaps? :'3
DO LEAVE YOUR REVIEWS! ^^
Natsu Yuuki – Well, I just needed a year for the bottle of wine so I went all "Hey why not 1827?" so I put that in for fun. Xanxus just hates the taste of the wine. Probably :'3
Nekohana – The others as you've read in this chapter weren't fully aware of her arrival. And you've also seen here that Squalo DID save her. They'll all slowly warm up to her. Probably xD "Why Tsuna?" and "Who's the fairy?" the answers to those questions will be slowly revealed soon :')
Thanks for your reviews! I enjoy reading them A LOT! :'D