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.
Warnings: With the Varia comes colourful language. Watch out for grammatical errors and forgive me if this chapter seems rushed. I redid it again in a few hours time today xD
8. Of will-o-wisps and strange things.
Previously,
Xanxus scowled. He did not like the report Squalo had brought to him regarding the meeting they would need to hold with the Vongola and also the information his Rain Guardian had gathered on the wolves from the latest victim.
The woods attached to the Varia manor never housed wolves as far as he was concerned. He knew it was that fucking fairy's doings. He had had a hunch all along so when he'd heard that the wolves were twice the size of a normal one and were white as snow, he immediately placed his finger on the fairy.
He needed to get rid of them before they got rid of more of his men. Those enchanted beasts or something of that fuck for all he cared would die in his hands. And then he'd laugh at her fucking face.
A surge of anger flowed through him. He won't let her play with him anymore like this was all just a game. As usual, he ignored as the mark on his chest over his heart burned.
Xanxus. Rage.
He would crush her.
A dream. It's all just a dream.
But…
But why does it feel so real?
Tsuna walked through the forest of tall pine trees, unsure of what she was even doing here. But it was a familiar place. She had been here a couple of times before even though she never really had a chance to walk about like she did now. Those previous moments had usually only involved her catching glimpses of this very place before she woke up.
The fog was thick and heavy. However, she could still see with much clarity the path that stretched out before her. She paused in her tracks and looked about, hoping to catch sight of something else, something that wasn't all trees.
As though hearing her thoughts, a ball of blue fire popped up and danced before her.
She stared at it with narrowed eyes. It was a will-o-wisp. Gokudera had once said that following them would make you lose your way. But this was a dream so there was no harm in doing just that right? And her hyper-intuition was not screaming out at the thought so she presumed it would not be something that would end up having her harmed in any way.
Come.
The brunette snapped out of her musings when a melodic voice called out to her. She was very confident of the fact that the ball of fire had just spoken to her even though such an idea seemed incredulous.
"Ah! Hold up!"
She found herself running after it. In this strange forest, the ball of fire seemed like the only thing that would keep her safe. She just knew that she had to be by its side or fear that she would lose herself in this place.
The girl gasped as she felt her skin tear when she stumbled through a bush. She glanced down and winced at the cut which now decorated her leg with her blood. It stung, she realised with astonishment. But this was a dream wasn't it? Why then could she feel pain?
As she contemplated what she should do with the wound, she heard a growl; a soft one which she wouldn't have picked up if her hyper-intuition hadn't flared at the same time. She slowly lifted her head up and scanned her surrounding with apprehension. That was not Bester's growl afteral. And that would mean that there was some creature lurking around here.
Her eyes widened when a thought struck her. What if it can smell my blood?
She tried to take in deep and steady breaths to calm herself down. Tsuna kept on chanting to herself that this was all a dream. Nothing but a dream and that she would wake up soon. Plus she had faced her share of dangerous creatures before, no thanks to her hitman tutor. So if one decided to appear, she would have no problem facing it off on her own right?
With the reassurance, she reopened her eyes which she had shut when she slipped into panic mode, only to shut them quickly again and have her heart beat abnormally quicken.
There was a wolf. A huge wolf. A huge white wolf with glowing yellow eyes that stood just a few feet before her while snarling and showing off its great white teeth. And that was bad. Really, really bad because she had no idea to do and she had also seen more pairs of glowing eyes when she had opened her eyes for that split second.
She never could love canines after being traumatised by a certain Chihuahua when she was younger back there in Namimori.
This way.
Tsuna snapped open her eyes when she heard the same melodic voice. She turned to her side where the will-o-wisp danced through the trees as though waiting for her to make a move already and to follow it. She didn't have a choice anyway. It was either the wolves or the blue fire. And she didn't know if her flames could be activated in her dream world. So yeah, she decided to go with the fire.
The wolves snapped their teeth as they bounded after her. They were so close, just a little closer and she knew she wouldn't have been alive.
Run Vongola Decimo. Don't let them catch you. Trust me.
Tsuna then made a fatal mistake of glancing behind her and it cost her. She hadn't seen the tree infront of her as a result of which, she slammed into it face first.
She groaned as she tried to shake off the dizziness that had suddenly overcome her, making her slump down to the ground. Wait. Pain? Dizziness? Why was it that everything that was happening seemed too real to be considered as a dream? Since when did one's senses work so effectively when the person was in a dream?
At a rather painful tug of her hyper-intuition, she glanced up and froze. She watched in slow motion as one of the wolves jumped towards her with the promise of pain and the possibility of death. This was it then? Her life would end here? In her dream world of all places?
The wolf descended upon her and—
Tsuna found herself staring at the ceiling back in her bedroom in the Varia manor.
She was breathing heavy and sweat trickled down her neck. The brunette blinked her drowsiness away as she struggled to sit up. The clock that hung on the wall declared that it was a few minutes past midnight. She ran her fingers through her hair with a sigh. Just what on earth had happened?
Tsunayoshi froze for a moment at a sudden thought then immediately kicked off the blankets. She stared in surprise at the wound on her leg. The blood had dried up but that didn't matter because the wound was very real. She hesitantly reached down and traced it with her fingers, her breath hitching as she realised it wasn't simply her imagination. And that scared her.
She scrambled out of her bed, making the sleeping Bester grunt in protest, before heading straight towards the French window and throwing it open. The brunette took in deep breaths of the chilly night air that greeted her. She needed to get her thoughts straight and maybe even try to figure out what the hell had just happened to her.
A few minutes later, she had finally calmed down a little and was curled up on a chair, reading a book under the light of the table lamp. She had resorted not to think of the peculiar dream and firstly focused on getting her racing heart to slow down. Tusna doubted she could go back to sleep again. The incident was far too strange for her to comprehend. She hoped "ghosts" had nothing to do with it, or she would make a mad dash out of the manor despite Reborn's warning.
She would rather the assassins than 'ghosts'.
As she found herself slowly and rather reluctantly drifting off to dreamland, she jerked awake when in her dreamy state she spotted a very awfully familiar looking ball of fire. The girl shot out of her seat in an instance and rubbed her eyes to make sure she wasn't seeing things. She realised that her vision was perfectly fine when the will-o-wisp still appeared to be floating by the door.
Help me.
Tsuna's eyes widened as it called out to her again. But in a softer tone which seemed to be in pain this time. Having the kind heart she was born with, she decided to follow the will-o-wisp. It would lead her most definitely to the person who needed her help. And also, maybe then she would find answers to the bizarre dream she had woken from.
Two birds with one stone.
"Lead the way." She whispered as she opened the door.
The blue ball of fire slowly drifted out of the room and down the hallway in response.
For some reason, Tsunayoshi felt that this would definitely not end well.
The mission was to be held tomorrow.
That was the plan the members of the Varia had concluded with after spending three long hours in the planning room two days ago. Well, it was mostly Squalo who did the whole thing himself since the boss was absent and the rest of the members were busy in their own worlds —except for Viper who had contributed to the plan because she found the wolves a nuisance and she was going to get paid for the mission anyway.
She doubted the rest of them even understood why they were there in the first place.
Squalo had guaranteed that with the information they had gathered now, the pack of abnormal wolves who had taken up residence in the Varia manor's woods would be annihilated for good. As for their positions, Fran and Belphegor were to take up the Northern area, Leviathan and Lussuria were to look after the West and finally, Squalo and Viper were to handle the other two areas, that was if their boss didn't show up.
The other squads of the Varia were assigned to handle the wolves which managed to escape, something which was an unlikely possibility since the Xanxus's guardians were blood-thirsty from being deprived of missions for two weeks and counting.
The absence of their boss from the meeting was not an unusual thing for them since it happened sometimes. But there was something wrong. Viper had been the first one to notice it a day before the meeting. And it had to do with Xanxus's appearance.
His old scars were slowly reappearing on his face. Like the time when he fought with Tsunayoshi during the ring conflict years ago. She came to a funny realisation that this had started about a week ago but it was only in that moment she had truly noticed his scars were growing more distinct. No one else had noticed probably because the rest of the people in the mansion were too scared to look Xanxus in the face and her other fellow guardians didn't really care of their boss's facial appearance.
Then Squalo had casually mentioned how their boss's eyes had turned an even bloodier shade of crimson and looked "kinda funny" after he had dropped off the mission files in Xanxus's room.
Their boss did not appear for their usual meals since that night. He simply ordered for everything to be brought to his room.
Then, yet again, Viper came across the frantic looking Lightening guardian who was asking for some medicine from Lussuria since their boss was apparently "in pain". A headache from the sound of it which was nothing unusual since the man would obviously experience hangovers from the amount of alcohol he consumed.
But…Xanxus never really bothered to show pain because of such reasons before…
It was only on the night before the attack that she realised what was truly happening to him; after she personally met with him to convey a message on behalf of Squalo. She remembered how chills ran down her spine as she faced him.
His face was marred with the old scars which were fully visible now and his eyes were just as how Squalo had mentioned them to be along. But the white haired swordsman had clearly forgotten to specifically mention that Xanxus's pupils were like slits, almost like a cat's. No wonder he had commented that their boss's eyes looked funny.
When he spoke, she couldn't help but stare for a few stunned seconds at his canines which had become more prominent. It was as though she were staring at the mouth of a feline. It was then that she realised it was all the work of the curse, of course. It was all the fairy's doing.
She had all along known that ignoring the curse would lead to dire consequences and a quicker route to death. But she clearly hadn't been expecting this at all, that the result of ignorance would make one become almost horrid. And this was simply just the beginning.
Viper had found herself unable to sleep that very night before the mission so she thought of doing something productive. Hence, the reason why she was busy flicking through the notes she had compiled together on the wolves, their weaknesses and their vulnerable spots from the reports of the witnesses who survived as well as a few references from here and there. It never hurt to be extra sure of those little facts.
Then something strange happened when she finally decided to call it a night.
It was almost midnight when Viper felt a pulse of energy which had stopped her on her tracks from getting into bed and tucking herself in. It was strong and felt almost ancient. And there was only a certain someone she knew who would have been the cause of that. Someone who was rumoured to have possibly lived for almost a century, enchanting and cursing people, killing them all in the end.
She frowned as she waited for another reaction or something to tell her she did not just imagine that. But why would the fairy so boldly barge into the mansion again? What could possibly have been her purpose? Why would she even bother doing so when she had her minions running amok in the Varia's woods?
At exactly fifteen minutes past twelve, she received her answer. And it came in the form of a fairy, a different one though, who happened to be a male this time.
Xanxus had woken up with an extremely dry throat and a migraine. He sat up, massaging his temples as he did. He had probably gone off to sleep on the leather couch after downing four and a half bottles of tequila. The man grumbled as he got off the couch, kicking the empty bottles out of his way as he staggered towards the bathroom.
He had originally planned to dip into the scented warm water that filled the mini-pool made of marble and lined with gold designs. It was what he usually did after waking up with these splitting headaches as the soak and smell of the herbal mix in the water would somehow ease the pain. However, all thoughts of the relaxing bath was thrown out the window the moment he caught sight of his reflection on the gigantic mirror that greeted him as soon as he stepped into the bathroom.
A beast.
He looked like a beast. A dry laugh escaped his lips as he caught sight of the newest change to his appearance. Claws. His fingers were now sporting fucking claws! The laugh turned violent and he was left shaking in amusement as he mused upon this cruel joke he was being turned into.
Before he knew it, the mirror was smashed and his now bloodied fist had shards of its glass sticking out of his knuckles. He gave an inhuman growl which transformed into choking fits of laughter at the thought that it was befitting for beasts to growl.
However, his laughter stopped short when he caught sight of the reflection of a blue ball of fire from the broken mirror.
Xanxus languidly turned around and stared at the will-o-wisp.
Did you miss me? A sly voice called out, an all too familiar one which made his blood boil.
He instinctively reached behind him and ripped off a loose piece of the mirror from the wall. The raven head flung it towards the ball of clue fire only to have it pass through it with no damage done. He narrowed his eyes at it as the glass shattered when it hit the ground.
The will-o-wisp danced about as though mocking him before darting out the open door, the sound of the fucking fairy's laughter echoing out after it. Blinded with rage, he stumbled out of the bathroom with intent to kill and his curse mark burning even more this time.
Hate. Hate. Hate.
He knew where it was leading him to by the time he registered that he was outside the manor. Xanxus knew this was reckless of him but oh well, his hatred towards that fucked up being overpowered his other emotions. He just wanted to find her, wring her neck or be the cause of her slow and painful death.
It was funny how anger could change a person entirely.
The greenhouse. That was where the will-o-wisp was guiding him off to. The very place where something he entirely loathed was resting; the hourglass that tied him to the curse and to his death. The "gift" the fairy had left behind.
He stopped when he noticed that the door was open. Someone was in there.
Xanxus felt rage.
He stepped into greenhouse and snarled at the lithe figure that stood before the table, back towards him. He could see the glow of the blue sand that ever so slowly trickled down from the upper portion of the hourglass. And he hated it.
The figure turned around, eyes wide with fear and surprise as they caught sight of the newcomer.
The raven head man gave a deep-throated growl as he recognised the person. "Sawada Tsunayoshi."
The Vongola Decimo did not know just what she had gotten herself into. She had followed the will-o-wisp and somehow ended up in a greenhouse. The one that was located farthest away from the mansion and even thought it was tended to, served more as a storage room for things, she had realised. And it was also pretty close to the eerie woods that surrounded the manor.
She didn't know what she had been expecting. A girl bound and tied for her to rescue was one of the scenarios she had in mind but an hourglass with glowing blue sand? Now that was something else. Also, she hadn't expected to run into anyone in the middle of the night. So when she heard a snarl as she reached out to touch the hourglass, she whipped her head around in surprise.
Xanxus.
After registering who it was, her mind went blank.
Run. He'll kill you. Run.
The soft voice which she had heard from the will-o-wisp earlier, called out to her again. She had no idea why she was even listening to it. She was just compelled to. Plus he seemed so enraged, she couldn't think of anything else to do; and seeing him after quite some time in such a dishevelled state while leaking so much bloodlust did not help either.
It simply terrified her.
And so, run she did. Ducking out of the raven man's grasp and sprinting off towards where the blue ball of fire led her— straight into the woods of the Varia manor.
A/N: Okay. I know I promised fluff but it just couldn't fit in here. The chapter would have become a really long one and more rushed than it is now. Do forgive me for rushing this but I just wanted to complete it and put it up since I did promise this chapter would be out before the end of October xD
Well, happy late Halloween to all!
I can't believe I totally ditched my economics project (which I haven't even started) due tomorrow just to finish up this chapter. Oh well, I am the Queen of last minute prep *shrugs* THANK YOU FOR READING! ^^
Thank you for the favourites and follows :')
A big thank you too to GiuliaZe, Ghiro, SilverMidnightKitten, FANactic Writer and (you who likes to flip fishes and happiness) Kiome Shino for your reviews xD
I am ever so grateful to you for them! ^^
Xanxus and Tsuna dancing to tango music? Hmm…I was thinking more of a classical tune :'3
Yes, Ghiro, they will be "dancing" in one of the future chapters to come ;)
Until then, THANK YOU ONCE AGAIN TO ALL FOR YOUR CONTINUED SUPPORT!