Chapter 4: Between Prologue and Epilogue
"If you can't get permission, you can always apologize later."
-Fred Jones (Tools for Teaching Second Edition)
"Here we are. At the gate. The one that leads me to the plane that will take me back home."
"… you're not moving, Princess."
"Thanks, Sun Wu. I was not aware of that fact until you pointed it out to me."
"I've notice you've gained quite a bite, per say," Sun Wu said, quirking an eyebrow in amusement at my words, "in these two years."
"I blame Master," I said without hesitation. Wavering, I took a single step. Hesitating once more, I turned to face the man who had escorted me the second I stepped foot in China, and who was here now to see me off.
"Thank you," I said with a slight bow, genuine, "for everything." Barely, he seemed surprised by this. Then, he smiled softly and returned my gesture.
"It's been an honor," he said, "to see you grow."
A moment of serenity was shared.
"But if you don't get on the plane now, I will kick you in the gateway myself, Princess."
And with one last goodbye after that prompt and helpful warning, I turned on my heel and boarded the plane.
(I was heading home)
I nearly tackled Ivan the moment I saw him. And by nearly, I mean full, running start and wrapping my arms and picking him up before quickly putting him down again due to our size difference. He returned the favor immediately.
"Princess!" he said with a large smile as she spun me around, only frowning upon releasing me. "Have you gotten heavier?"
"Watch it."
The reunion with Bono, who had been waiting for us at the car, was mirror-like to Ivan's. We chattered happily on the drive back, which proved a great distraction for me. I was dreading facing my brother, and I had no clue how he would react when he saw me again (Reborn only gave me vague responses in the texts I had sent him, the bastard).
But soon enough, what felt like too quickly, I ended up at the stairs of my home, with my brother at the top of them looking down at me. My first instinct, naturally, was an incredibly awkward and forced smile. I didn't move, and allowed him to descend the few steps it took to reach me, my eyes only flickering to Romario and Reborn (who was looking rather smug with his arms crossed) behind him before actually meeting my brother's eyes.
He met me, and leaned forward, taking me up in his arms and squeezing me tightly. He released me, but kept his hands on my shoulders, maintaining both distance and intimacy in such a simple display.
"I missed you," he said seriously, "and you really shouldn't have done that…" and here, his eyes slipped to the side as I frowned, but finding resolve, he looked back to me, repeating, "but I missed you, and I am so glad that you're safe and back."
He pulled me in for another hug, and this time, I returned it. He separated again but, curiously, his hands went to my hair.
"It grew so long!" He said with a genuine smile, but even with that, the smile, the remark, the tone?
He was still angry, I could tell.
But he understood.
(Which was more than I could ever ask for)
"You've… matured, huh?"
I hummed easily in response, looking up from where I was gently poking Enzo, Dino's new pet he had received from Reborn in my absence. Flittingly, I had felt guilty for missing Dino's 'trial' where he had received both his whip and Enzo, the sponge turtle, from Leon.
("Does that make Enzo Leon's baby?" I had asked curiously. Dino did not have an answer for that one)
But Dino had assured me that he was glad I wasn't there for that disaster.
"They would have taken you hostage too," he had told me with a frown, "and there were already too many lives at stake."
"But you saved them, didn't you?" I reminded him with a smile, which he hesitantly reflected.
Now, after having walked through most the garden (a sight that I had longing to see for so long, and missed dearly. I was glad to see the family had kept it in beautiful condition like I asked, and I was even more excited to plant some of the herbs my master had given me), we had settled near the pool and sat at a table beside it. I had been relaying my two years to Dino, after he had detailed what happened to him and the family in my absence.
"You've grown too," I responded to his comment. I barely narrowed my eyes and frowned. "Wait," I muttered, and pushed myself up and over the table. Dino respond accordingly and uncomfortably, leaning away as I did so. I scrunched my nose in realization.
"I missed you going through puberty, didn't I?"
"Cloud!" He squeaked, his voice cracking and face going slightly red.
"Ah," I said, plopping myself back once more, "maybe not completely." He shifted, uncomfortable, and huffed.
"You meet any boys I need to be worried about in China?" he asked, eager to change to subject.
"No, and no girls either for that matter," I tutted, tilting my head and grabbing the drink that our men had provided us earlier, "Don't be so heteronormative."
Dino blinked, taking this information in. He then slumped, in defeat.
"That means I'm going to have to look out for girls too…" he said, already stressing over this fact.
"Hey, I'm only ten," I reminded him, "so I'm not going to be flirting with anyone anytime soon. And besides, I'm more of a go with the flow kind of person, right? So, if something happens," I said with a roll of my shoulders, "it happens. And it's not like you're going to be able to stop something from happening."
Dino retained his slumped position, and nearly muttered, dully:
"I'm almost scared to ask what something is."
"But you on the other hand," I smoothly transitioned, stirring my drink and lifting the straw to point at him, "are 18. Which means suitors are lining up for the young boss of the Cavallone, am I right?"
He pushed himself up with a sigh.
"You're not wrong," he said, crossing his arms and leaning on the table, "but I don't have time for any of that, you know? And besides, I'm pretty reluctant to go on any dates since that little incident you caused–"
"That," I snapped, gesturing with my straw, "was not entirely my fault."
Dino's expression dead panned.
"Cloud," he addressed me blankly, "you literally didn't think March 31st ex–"
"So, what else does Enzo do?" I changed the subject quickly, looking down at the turtle who had managed to move more towards his master. Dino seemed eager enough, happy to talk about his pet.
Unfortunately, this eagerness was displayed in hand movements as well.
"Oh, Enzo is great! He's special too since he – "
And in that moment, with a single flick of his hand, Dino sent Enzo flying into the pool beside us.
We blinked in unison, staring at the water, watching as the turtle sank. It rippled. And we ran, accordingly.
I didn't even look back, feeling the water Enzo expended as he burst from the pool on my back. No doubt, he was huge, but I didn't risk the chance of me losing my speed to look back as I ran, easily surpassing Dino.
"Wait, Cloud!" He called reaching out, "Don't just leave me!"
"Every man for themselves!" I called back to him.
"I thought we were bonding!"
Seeing a large shadow, I dove to the side, barely missing Enzo as he fell completely. A moment, and I pushed myself from the bush I had jumped to. Cautiously, I approached the humongous turtle's head, Enzo now seeming warm and content, bathing in the sun. There was no sign of Dino.
"Shit man," I told the turtle, "I think you crushed him." The turtle snorted in response, ruffling my hair with it's breath.
There was a muffled response, somewhere beneath Enzo. I clicked my tongue, my hand going to absentmindedly pet the turtle.
"It's amazing that Reborn or Leon even trusted him with a pet," I observed sagely.
Enzo huffed again, almost if agreeing with me.
He had matured, sure. But Dino was always going to be the same old Dino.
Certainly, it was a benefiting decision to send Nikita Cavallone to Fon. Reborn observed the girl, watching her movements, mannerisms, changes carefully since her return. She was far more observant, despite being quite the observant child in the first place. But now? It was far more in a physical sense than just a mental. Her body was now attuned to the awareness that her mind already seemed to have, a trait that Reborn noticed when first meeting the girl. Yes, she was a strange child, and had always been according to the family.
(But there were many strange children in this world, and so this girl was just one of many outliers)
It would be beneficial to his own student for his sister to be able to hold her own, and so Reborn had always planned to help Nikita improve herself in some way. He had been pleasantly surprised when she had showed him her drive to achieve this herself, with very little of his own help. Which is why he had sent her to Fon in the first place; after all, he wouldn't send just anybody to another Arcobaleno, no matter the relation to his student. And another Arcobaleno wouldn't agree to train just anybody either, no matter their blood or family.
She had proved herself just by Fon accepting her, and went beyond coming back and showing results to Reborn. She was a child still, he was well aware, and still had a lot to amount to.
But she was growing. And that was enough to gain approval from Reborn. In the end, everything he did was for his student after all. And ensuring Dino's beloved sister's survival, if only a small percentage more? This was definitely beneficial to his student.
Dino's strength and weakness was his family after all, Nikita more than any of the others. And Reborn was well aware and careful about this fact.
Reborn noticed something else about Cloud when she came back. Beyond the physical changes, Reborn noticed something else, perhaps not as obvious at first;
She seemed happier, he realized.
But was that a product of herself, or because of the fact that she was now more adept at protecting her family?
("Do you love yourself, Cloud?")
"Reborn, this is a bad idea. And neither of us want to do this."
"Are you saying that my ideas are bad, Dino?"
In response to his tutor's dangerous question, Dino opened his mouth, closed it, opened it again, before groaning, letting his head fall back before widening his stance, taking his whip from his side.
"Cloud?" Reborn said sweetly, looking to me next, "Do you have anything to say about this?"
My eyes narrowed, but wisely, I kept my mouth shut.
Reborn had decided that it was a brilliant idea for us to spar against each other.
(Hooray)
And once Reborn decided something? Well, let's just say that neither Dino and I were looking forward to this, but we weren't going to hold back either (for fear of death by bullet via demon tutor baby hitman).
My hands settle on my guns uncertainly, and then retreated, going against that; spar or not, I didn't want to wound my brother with bullets. But he was a mid-range fighter, wasn't he? Which was problematic. But, another part of my mind supplied, wasn't this a good opportunity, since I needed to practice against mid-range fighters?
(I hated how that voice sounded like a strange mix of my master and Reborn. It was weird)
Reborn shot to the sky, signaling the start of the fight. Immediately, I went forward, dodging Dino's first lash of his whip. I was hoping to close in, limiting his lashes, and rendering him to blocking. Which, surprisingly, was going well and seemed to be an effective plan. Another thing I had on my side: speed and agility. I was much smaller than Dino, and although in the end, he had more strength and weight, I knew where to strike. Which, unfortunately for him, happened to be his eye.
In that moment, I winced, realizing what I had just done, He took advantage of this; using his whip to wrap around my arm, he pulled me forward and then to the ground. I took advantage of this, however, pushing my body up and swinging my legs, taking his legs out in turn.
In that moment, I could have sworn his clumsiness helped him, for once in his life. That, or he meant to land right on top of me.
From the side lines, Romario sighed and shook his head in disbelief, watching as I squirmed beneath my much larger brother.
In the end, Dino had won, pinning me to ground (really, he fell on me, but that sounded much better).
Although, I wasn't the one who sporting a wicked black eye as a result of our little spar.
"And with this," Dino said, signing the last of the papers, "I am officially your guardian." He smiled at me. I gave him a thoughtful look, which immediately, caused his smile to drop.
"So, does this mean I have to ask you for permission for stuff now?" He frowned.
"You had to do that before, Cloud." I blinked, my expression going blank with this realization.
"Oh, right. Well, this just makes if more official," I concluded, nodding my head confidently, as if that explained everything. I blinked, then added, "But you do know I'm just going to do what I want anyways, right? Like I usually do?"
He sighed, slumping in his chair. I shrugged, taking this as my cue to leave the room. Dino looked back at Romario, who seemed rather amused by the entire situation.
"You see," Romario said, his smile sympathetic, but barely so, "this, boss, what you're feeling right now?"
"A sense of dread, just thinking of having to deal with Cloud?" Dino clarified.
"That's what Ivan and Bono feel all the time," Romario informed his boss.
A moment. And Dino spoke:
"God. I need to give them raises."
"You already did half of these!" I whined, falling back into the couch after reviewing the list, already filled with check marks and lines, along with amendments to some of the pranks.
"What?" Bel said indifferently, "A prince waits for no one," he said cheekily, grinning and snickering at my exasperation.
"Goddammit, Bel," I muttered, sending (fake) offended eyes his way. "I really wanted to fill Levi's parabolas with glitter."
"Yeah," Bel recalled with a grin, "The dumbass was sparkling for three weeks straight." I pouted further.
"And you got Mammon to do the thing where Levi didn't have a reflection?" He frowned at this, but then smiled again.
"That cost a bit, but I swear Levi thought he was a vampire at one point," Bel finished with humor, despite knowing how much it cost. "Worth it."
"And the paranoia thing went well?"
"I just followed the bastard around and giggled. It was great," he said, then allowed me a sample of said, trademark laugh.
I grumbled, pleased by the image, but still upset that I had missed so many. I scanned over the list again, watching from the corner of my eye as Bel worked on his wire technique; throwing knives at seemingly random spots (with the bar traces of wires glinting, only seen if you knew what to look for), and then sending knives through the air, giving the illusion of them flying as he conducted meticulously.
"What about this one?" I called to him, and the knives ceased their movements. With a few flicks, they collapsed, and easily, he collected them before coming closer to me to see what I had picked out.
"Simple," he said with a scrunch of his nose.
"But effective," I told him, raising an eyebrow in question, "and besides, you took all the good ones." This, he allowed me:
"Sure. Let's do it, then."
I grinned, and pushed myself off the couch.
"I'll get the saran wrap."
Bel looked up an hour later as I walked into the lounge, looking rather dejected.
"I can't find him," I said with a huff, hopping on the couch next to him. Bel titled his head.
"At all?"
I shook my head, only to freeze, both of us turning towards a voice.
"What are you doing?" Mammon asked monotonously as they entered the room, easily walking far under the saran wrap we had placed over the door way, same as I had done when I entered the room.
"I'm so glad you weren't floating," I sighed, addressing the illusionist as they went to the table. They paused, turned to us, then looked to the doorway, taking further notice of the saran wrap.
"Yeah, Baby," Bel addressed, snickering and leaning back, "You're lucky you didn't get caught."
"Who," Mammon asked, with the slightest touch of regret in their voice for doing so, "if that supposed to be for?"
"Levi," Bel answered simply.
"He's not here," Mammon answered back simply, "Mission. If you want more information, you'll be charge for it."
"Not here?" Bel repeated with a frown. I sighed, slumping back further.
"So that means this was a waste," I said, gesturing to the saran wrap. We froze, however, hearing someone else approaching, rather loudly, and with a seemingly fast pace judging from the footsteps.
"…is that–" I managed to half-way ask, paling in realization just as Bel grabbed my wrist, pulling me from the room and to the wall of the door. We waited in apprehension, while Mammon sighed once, simply, before true chaos began.
"Oi, Mammon I need you – VOOOOOIII! WHAT THE FUCK"
I winced, seeing Squalo run straight into the saran wrap, having been too occupied with the paper in his hand to notice it before it was too late. While Squalo struggled, the wrap sticking to his hair and creating static, Bel tugged me forward, past Squalo and to the hallway.
"VVOIII! BRATS! YOU TWO ARE FUCKING DEAD!"
"Hide out for the rest of the night?" Bel suggested with the bare trace of nervous laughter. I sent him an annoyed look and gestured with my arm uselessly as we sprinted away from our doom.
"The fuck do you think?!"
"Shit."
Bel looked over from me, nearly swallowed by the numerous (and useless) pillows that covered his bed. But, I was sure I looked similar to him, and possibly even more cartoonish, considering I was smaller and far more easily buried by the monstrosity of satin and fluff that was the prince's bed.
"What?" He asked, looking up from the book I had let him borrow.
"I forgot to tell Dino I was spending the night," I said with a bare wince. A moment. And Bel shrugged.
"Ah" he said simply, "that's all? Just say I kidnapped you." My expression deadpanned.
"Because that would make a wonderful first impression," I said dryly. He shrugged again, a callous roll of his shoulders.
"It's not like he hasn't already met me." I blinked then shifted, looking over at him.
"What do you mean he's already met you? When did you ever meet my brother in person?"
Bel hummed, then clicked his tongue.
"I knew I forgot to tell you something," he said, ending with snicker, as if recalling whatever he was alluding to with humor.
"What?" I said flatly, and then repeated, "What? What the fuck, kind of first impression is that?" I responded after he had relayed to me his adventure with Dino, which had started after he had ran from the Varia due to cavities (an ordeal I could see myself easily fixing if I had been around, which fortunately and unfortunately, I was not due to my training), and had somehow ended up in my brother's care. This led, naturally, to all sorts of shenanigans, which ended with my brother shipwrecked on an island with a head injury, and the Varia bringing a now cavity-free Bel back with them, his dental problem fixed due to the salt water.
"It's his fault for not recognizing the prince," Bel tutted simply in response, twirling a knife into the air in a bored manner
"Bel," I said, sighing and then holding the bridge of my nose, "He won't let us hang out if you give him an awful first impression like that."
"So? It's not your brother can stop me from getting to you, Princess~"
"… if you weren't already my best friend, that would be hella creepy."
"And besides, with the state he was in at the end, I doubt he remembers much of it."
I opened my mouth, and then closed it, sighing and falling back on the bed next to Bel. He giggled at my reaction, clearly amused. He quieted however, as if realizing something.
"But if he does…" He tutted, catching his knife before sitting up. He put a hand on his chin, and continued, "I suppose it would be difficult when it comes to getting his permission to marry you."
I blinked up at him. Blank.
"What."
He looked over at me, his bangs moving slightly, revealing a small glint of curiosity (and something else, indistinguishable?) before being covered by hair again.
"You're marrying the prince of course," he said with an easy smile, stating this as a fact, "Didn't I tell you?"
"The fuck," I said, sitting up, "I am. You can't just decide that!" I said, poking him in the chest. "For fuck's sake, I'm ten and you're twelve!"
"So?" He said with the tilt of his head.
"So," I repeated with a wave of my hand, "We're young! We don't have to think about this shit yet! Hell, I don't want to think about marriage until I'm well past my fucking twenties! Unless," I wavered, shrugging a bit, "you know, I meet someone and really hit it off – But now?!" I snapped back, coming back to the subject, "You can't just decide this now, Bel."
"Why not?" he replied, "You're the only princess I can stand. And we get along, or I don't want to kill you like others, so that means something, right? Besides, this happens all the time with royalty," he added with shrug.
"What about feminism?" I snapped, "What about asking what I think, what I want?" I could easily imagine him blinking blankly at me.
"Why? You're okay with it."
A moment. And then I pushed him in the chest.
"The fuck I am!" I said with another push to his chest, which seemed to amuse him further if going by his grin and snickers (but was there hesitation before his grin?). I groaned loudly, falling back on the bed, putting a hand over my face.
"Princess?" He asked, but it was in a teasing manner. It was clear he had found my reaction to this hilarious, and was simply saving me grace by not outright laughing at me. That was consideration for me, albeit twisted (But that was Bel, wasn't it?).
"You're not going to let go of this are you?" I asked him needlessly, already knowing the answer.
"Nope," he said cheekily, plopping back down on the bed to lay next to me.
"Whatever," I relented finally, "I'll negotiate with you about this later when I'm not so tired."
"And until then," He said, and despite my arm still being over my eyes, I could practically feel his grin, "consider us betrothed."
I sighed. And conceded:
"Just don't let Dino know about this. He'd flip."
Belphegor had always had sympathy for interesting things (although perhaps his definition of sympathy differed from others). And Nikita Cavallone was interesting to him. She was smart, maybe not a genius like him (of course not a genius like the prince, no one could compare to him), but she was mature and intelligent, especially considering her age. Despite this, she treated him differently. Not as an equal, for she was cautious when around him, especially in the beginning, and knew he was strong and dangerous, but she didn't look down on him because he was a child, nor did she worship him because of their age difference or his royal status.
To her, he was Bel. Prince Bel, a title he would never give up, but still Bel. And that was interesting. Her calm was a nice balance to his eagerness, without influencing his sloth-like nature too much. Squalo was certainly happier, seeing that Belphegor had someone else to occupy him occasionally, instead of torturing other, lesser, Varia members like he had before Nikita came along (despite the pranks, which Squalo could deal with as long as they didn't affect him or their work too much).
It had only been logical that they were married the moment Bel heard one of her men refer to her as princess. She was from a high standing family, and all the other "princesses" Bel had reviewed were boring or annoying. But Nikita? She was his. She wasn't annoying and knew when to step back and let him do what Bel wanted. She knew to not tell him what to do, unless he directly interfered with what she wanted to do; which was always interesting to discuss with her, when small conflicts came up like this.
It made sense, to Belphegor. To be king, he'd had to have a queen. And why wouldn't it be Nikita, his princess,
His first friend? Best friend, she had referred to him as.
He liked that.
Her reaction to the engagement however (something that he had decided long ago)? In a way, it almost hurt him (but princes did not get hurt over something like this). Why wouldn't she want to marry him? Weren't they friends, like she said? Wasn't she his?
But then, he realized:
Ah, ah, ah, it was the act of not asking her, that she disapproved of. Not the thought of marrying him eventually.
Mental note, the prince made to himself, watching her amusing rant, to ask before matters like this, simply out of convenience. After all, like Belphegor himself, Nikita did not like being told what to do. And he could at least acknowledge, if not respect that.
They were friends after all. She was his friend.
(His first friend)
(Best friend)
Sneaking back into the Cavallone estate the next morning had been easy, especially with Bel's help.
The downside?
Reborn had noticed I was gone.
"I kept Dino preoccupied last night so he wouldn't notice the absence of his dear sister," the hitman told me, easily sipping his espresso and sitting on the dining room table. My eyes narrowed, and I tilted my head back, tossing my apple in the air.
"What do you want Reborn?" I asked blatantly. He blinked innocently.
"You don't believe that I did that out of the goodness of my heart?"
"We both know that's bullshit," I accused, and he smirked in response.
"You owe me, Cloud," he said simply, hopping down and tossing me his empty cup, "That's all."
"That's all?" I repeated, turning to watch as he left.
"That's all," he confirmed as he walked out. "Oh, and Cloud?" He called just before leaving.
I turned, almost hesitantly to meet his eyes.
"I never forget when people owe me."
He then left me alone in the dining room. A moment. And I sighed.
"Goddammit."
(It was never a good thing, owing Reborn)
"Hey, can I get a tattoo?"
Dino stared at me from across the table.
"No."
I frowned, and responded accordingly, having expected this. After all, I had been eyeing Dino's ink for a while.
"You have tattoos," I argued, crossing my arms. He hesitated, and then stoned his features, putting sternness into his voice
"Do as I say, not as I do," he chided, almost as a mantra. My expression dropped and I gave him a look of utter disappointment.
"Dino, that's one of the most inefficient, pathetic arguments I have ever heard," I deadpanned, "and it's not like I want to get anything bad. I just want one on my stomach that looks like this." I brought out the picture, and added a bright smile, hoping to sway him. He stared at it quizzically.
"Why do you have it with you?" I shrugged.
"To be prepared." He blinked, and then narrowed his eyes.
"You were prepared to have this conversation? Which means you've been planning–"
"Which shows responsibility, and I've already looked into maintenance and care–" I went through my spiel, but was interrupted by him in turn.
"No way, Cloud. I'm against you getting a tattoo anyway, but you are definitely not getting one on your stomach. End of discussion," He finalized, putting his mafia boss face on. I scrunched my nose, displaying my obvious dislike of when he used his commanding presence on me (one usually reserved for his men, or family affairs).
I held back the strong urge to stick my tongue out at him, and instead opted to fake acceptance, and continued my meal.
(We both knew this wasn't over)
(but I could wait)
"Hey, Bel," I said, looking up at the ceiling, "Do you think I'm pretty?"
We were both laying on my bed, Bel having once again snuck into my room.
("Squalo still pissed?" I had asked him, but just received nervous snickers in return)
Just bored, he had said, but we both knew the truth. He looked up from my manga, considering my question.
"Yeah, sure."
I beamed.
"But your personality is a complete turn off." I frowned, and tossed a pillow in his direction, which, easily, he caught.
"What?"
He snickered and continued:
"Sure, your looks are good, but you start talking and ruin it with your blunt attitude." Childishly, I stuck my tongue out at him.
"What do you know, anyways?" I brushed it off, trying to ignore my slightly wounded pride. He shrugged.
"But I have to deal with that, I guess," he said playfully. However, I pursed my lips, this being a subject I had put some thought into lately.
"About that whole marrying thing," I sat up and crossed my legs, facing him, "I think… I think I have an alternative proposal for that. Or at least," I said with a small shrug, "a clause of sorts."
"Are you saying that the prince is not good enough to marry?" I hesitated, sensing something else he wasn't telling me and watching his body language carefully (something I had grown keen with, seeing that was really the only way to tell Bel's mood, due to him covering half of his face).
"It's not that," I assured him, adding a gentle smile, "You're a close friend of mine, so we get along and I hope we'll still hang out for a while anyways. But…" I trailed off, barely hesitating, but going forward, deciding this was the best way to usurp this:
"I feel almost trapped by this," I told him, rather truthfully, "and you know me. I really don't like to be confined. So, let's just keep this as an open deal, okay?"
A pause, and then he spoke:
"I have to share?" Obviously, seeing how he scrunched his nose, he was not pleased with this. But I took offense to his words too.
"Oi," I snapped, throwing another pillow, harder this time, "I am not a thing, got it? And what I mean, is if we don't find anybody that we like better, then I'll marry you, okay? God," I said with a sigh, the words just now hitting me, "this is so weird to talk about when I'm just eleven."
Bel considered this, and then sighed.
"Fine. If it makes you uncomfortable…" he said the word strangely, almost uneasily; as if struggling with the concept of taking someone else's feelings into account, "then I suppose the prince will comply. But if you start getting too old and ugly, then the entire marriage off."
I huffed at this, reaching for another pillow, but he beat me too it, snickering as I caught the pillow he threw at me.
"Look, I'm still pissed at you being the reason I owe Reborn," I told him, throwing it back half-heartedly, "and Dino still won't let me get a tattoo!"
"How is that the prince's fault?"
"At this point," I told him coldly, "I'm just blaming everything on you." He scoffed at this, and then looked to the window considering.
"Let's," he said with a grin, hopping up and moving to the window, "do something. Let's go out."
"Where?" I asked, moving to the edge of the bed.
"Surprise," he told me, looking back at me with a tilt of his head as he opened the window.
"I barely got away with it last time," I reminded him, "and I really don't want to owe Reborn another thing if he covers me again."
"So?" Bel said callously, jumping on the window sill, "What If you get in trouble? Who cares? You do what you want anyway, right?"
He held out his hand to me as I approached. I titled my head, almost curiously, considering.
"Fine," I said, taking it, "Let's paint the town red."
(What an odd thing to say to Prince the Ripper)
(Odd, but fitting)
"Did you really think you wouldn't get caught, Cloud?"
"Honestly Dino, what kind of question is that?" I asked my brother. He sighed, slumping a bit in his chair before straightening.
"You stole a car out of the garage–"
"Technically, Bel did–"
"You snuck out without letting me know–"
"I was with an ally and feared assassin, and really, he kidnapped me–"
"And you got a tattoo even though I said not to," Dino finished, narrowing his eyes, as if daring me to interrupt him again.
"Although," I said, causing him to fall back into his seat out of exasperation, "Bel paid for the tattoo, I was the one who wanted it and planned for it. So, I'll fess up to that one. But," I said, lifting my shirt to show the wrap around the tattoo, "it was totally worth it."
Dino opened his mouth, and then closed it again. Then, he spoke:
"I can't tell if this is your teenage phase starting early, or if Belphegor is being that bad of an influence on you," he said, running a hand through his hair and leaning back, as if giving up.
"I'm going to be honest," I said with a shrug, "I think it's just me being me."
Dino blinked, then sighed, slumping further in his chair.
"Goddammit, Cloud."
I walked back up the familiar steps, brimming with nostalgia. I smiled as I saw the house that had easily come to be my second home.
"Master!" I called, running up to the door, "I'm back!" I stuck my head inside and was greeted with the soft smile of Fon.
"Welcome back, Cloud. There's someone I want you to meet," he said, and gestured to a figure that was slightly smaller than him, halfway hiding. I smiled, gently, already knowing who it is, having expected her to show up sometime. I bent down as Fon whispered words of encouragement in her ear. She shyly toddled towards me.
"Hello. My name is Cloud. What's yours?" The small child with the overly large forehead (a rather cute trait, I thought) gazed up at me, not hiding her curiosity and instead allowing it's brilliance.
"Ipin," she managed to get out after a few seconds, and a slight blush.
"Well, Ipin, since we have the same master, I'm basically your sister, okay?" she blushed further, taking her sleeves to hide her face. I tensed, hoping I didn't embarrass her too much and trigger her countdown.
Luckily, nothing happened, as she didn't seem too embarrassed. Taking this at a good sign, and after a nod of encouragement from our master, I continued:
"So you can call me Big Sister if you want, and I'll call you Little Sister, that is, if you don't mind."
This earned a small smile from Ipin, who, although still behind Master, seemed to be growing more confident with talking to me.
"Okay...Big Sister."
I held out my hand, and hesitantly, she took it. We walked towards the training grounds as I spoke gently to her the whole way, telling her about myself, and in turn getting to know her as well.
Fon smiled and followed us, proud that his two students were getting along so well.
(another member of the family)
(another precious person to protect)
The subject came out of the blue one day, but it also came from a place of concern.
(And fear? Did it derive from that too?)
"Dino," I asked him one day, swinging my legs as I sat on his desk, the rest of the surface covered in paper, along the laptop he was currently working with. He glanced over at me, and seeing my expression, he took his reading glasses off, setting them to the side. I had his full attention; something I truly appreciated.
"Do… do you drink?" I asked him. He blinked, slowly, considering the question. Or really, considering why I would ask.
"Not often, no," he answered truthfully, "Only socially, really. Why," he said carefully, voicing his true intention, "do you ask, Cloud?"
"Papa… Our father was an alcoholic," I told him slowly, remembering the hateful looks that man would give me when he was drinking (and kept drinking, and kept drinking).
"That's all," I assured him, seeing his concern and seeing he was about to speak to me more about this. I jumped from the desk and faced him as I walked backwards from the room. "I just wanted you to know that, okay?"
And I nearly ran before he could say anything else.
Reborn was out in the hallway, and I slowed, turning to face him as I did. He gestured, and walked with me.
"Eavesdropping?" I accused.
"Always," he quipped. A moment, and he spoke again:
"I was going to test Dino's alcohol tolerance," he told me, and I barely reacted to this, knowing he was gauging my movements.
"And?"
"I won't," he said, "anymore."
I blinked, slightly surprised as I looked down at the hitman. Barely, he tilted the brim of his hat down. Leon shifted with the movement, but then winked at me. I smiled, gently.
"Thank you, Reborn."
I let myself relax, closing my eyes and giving in, just as my master had taught me. For a while, I felt at peace.
That is, until Bel sniffed beside me. I held back a grimace, but managed to ignore it, eventually falling back into pace. Then he coughed. He blew air out of his mouth. He sighed, loudly. Eventually, I couldn't take it anymore.
"Can you not?" I asked him, opening my eyes to glare at him irritably.
"Not my fault that it's so boring," he complained, putting his hands behind his head and falling back on my bed.
"You're the one who wanted to learn how to meditate in the first place," I reminded him.
"Yeah, that's because it looked cool at first," he retorted, sitting himself up and tilting his head, eyeing my hair. I sighed in defeat and shifted so that my back was facing him. "But now I know it's boring."
"Meditation isn't about looking cool," I chanted as he began braiding locks of my hair back. "It's an ancient art for training the mind to promote relaxation and develop-"
"Princess, even you explaining it is boring," He interrupted me as he continued to work. I sighed in defeat, giving up on the subject.
"Well, at least you tried it."
Dino approached me while I was sun tanning by the pool. I tilted my sun glasses down, scrutinizing his forced smile.
"What do you want, Dino?" I asked, pushing my sun glasses back up and closing my eyes one more.
"Well, dear, wonderful, sweet, beautiful, lov-"
"Even though all of that is true, I'd much rather you spit it out. You're not the sweet talker in this family, after all."
Dino barely scrunched his nose, but he allowed me the quip. Meaning, he really wanted something. Interesting.
"I need you to go on a date."
I rose and quirked an eyebrow at him, not fully knowing how to respond.
"... aren't you against me dating, Mr. Over Protective?" He sighed.
"A family has offered an alliance with us and the next boss is your age. Reborn somehow gave him a picture of you and the kid wants to go on a date with you? We checked out the guy and he doesn't seem dangerous; nothing you can't handle. Plus, Bono and Ivan will be nearby. I just need to know if this guy is trustworthy," he finished and waited for response, the look on his face clearly saying that he was expecting me to refuse.
I considered, and shrugged.
"Why not? Bel's on a mission and I'm bored anyway," I hopped off the lawn chair and headed towards the mansion, leaving behind a very surprised Dino.
(How bad could this guy be?)
A couple hours later, I was sitting inside of a nice restaurant, surveying while retaining the image of the Cavallone Princess. I had the decency to hold back an eye roll my when I spotted Bono and Ivan, sitting a few tables away. Back straight and sitting proper in my dress, I played up the image I was expected to convey. Although I disliked it, keeping images helped with negotiation, and more importantly, upped intimidation. Being as young and often underestimated as I was? That was something I needed at this time, but I knew I would later forgo completely. I was never the type to follow rules, anyway.
"Yo! Yo! Nikita Cavallone, right?" I looked up and gaped at the boy making his way towards me, nearly disregarding my etiquette entirely. His eyes bulged when he saw me.
"Whoa! You looked WAY prettier in the picture! What happened, huh?" I stared at the guy, my eye barely twitching at the blatant insult. His hair was spiked and he was covered in chains, jewelry, tape and bandages. In other words, trying way too hard to look punk. He plopped down in the chair in front of me, putting his feet up on the table.
"Oh well, since I'm such a gentleman, I'll stay," he drawled, obviously not picking up on the looks the other patrons gave him, along with the look I was giving him.
"And who are you exactly?" I managed to say after a calm sip of water.
"I'm the Tomaso family's eighth generation leader-to-be, Longchamp Naito!" he introduced, holding up peace signs. I blanched.
Nope. Nope, nope, nope, not him of all the people I had to go on a date with. Ironically, this expression, he seemed to notice.
"Peace! Peace! No need to be starstruck!" He exclaimed, getting the wrong message. I thought back to his earlier words.
"Exactly what picture do you have of me?" He pulled it out of his pocket and handed it to me.
"You look SUPER cute in the picture, but a bit of a letdown in real life!" he commented, looking me over again. I scanned over the picture and scowled. It was during a bizarre time where I had been extremely sick, only due to Reborn's strange bugs bringing stranger things in the manor (in the end, it's all Reborn's fault, because there was no doubt he was the one to take the picture in question. Bastard). I winced, truly seeing how awful I looked in this photograph.
I took a breath, and handed the picture back to him.
"Nope," I said with a nod, "Not going through this," I concluded, standing up to leave. Longchamp jumped up to stop me.
"Wait, we were supposed to talk about the alliance!" I ignored him, blatantly, and tried to leave, only for another strange figure to try to stop me.
"Don't worry, Longchamp! I'll make sure she stays!" Mangusta, the butler (?) that follows Longchamp around, jumped up from one of the tables and pulled out a gun. I immediately slipped into defense mode, about to take my own guns out as I saw Bono and Ivan rise behind me. The other patrons in the restaurants panicked, some even fled. I relaxed when I realized that he wasn't aiming at me, but at Longchamp. But that could only mean...
He shot and it hit Longchamp right in the forehead. The boy fell back, and for a moment, didn't move. Then he got back up and hugged his knees, only in his underwear, having shed the clothes he was wearing like a cocoon.
"The desolation bullet will definitely change her mind!" Mangusta shouted in early victory behind me.
"My past has been complete darkness, my future shall be complete darkness..." Longchamp drawled, tears streaming down his eyes. "I came here all the way from Japan to try to prove that I can negotiate, but I know I can't. I tried to prove that I could be a good boss, but I'm a complete failure. I also came because I knew there would be a girl here that looked kind of cute from the picture, just to get back at my ex."
"Surely, you feel sorry and want to negotiate with him now!" Mangusta said to me. I eyed Longchamp, who was still on the floor crying.
"Pathetic."
And with a flip of my hair, I walked out the door. Mangusta fell to the floor from the shock.
"She withstood the effects of the desolation bullet! The Cavallone is formidable indeed!"
I was sun tanning again when Dino approached me for the second time.
"So, Cloud," he started, "How'd it go?"
"He was too pathetic to negotiate with," I answered without looking up. Dino sighed and shook his head.
"Whatever you say, Cloud."
"Wow, Ipin! That was great!" I complimented her from the side lines as she defeated her sparring opponent. "You're incredibly promising for your age!" Master nodded in agreement beside me. Ipin blushed madly.
And then the Pinzu-Timed Super Explosive began counting down.
We froze, spared one look to each other, and then sprang into action. I picked her up, only having 8 seconds left, and looked around wildly.
"What should I do with her?" I turned to our master.
"You have to throw her," he said, way too calm for the situation.
"Throw her?! I can't throw my little si-"
"2 seconds left." Forgetting my earlier argument, I threw my dear little sister as hard as I could. The blast sent a wind that ruffled our hair. Fon sighed and I cupped my head in my hands, shaking it in disappointment.
"I am a horrible, horrible big sister."
"...I'll begin working on locking it."
Dino and I laid in the snow, our cheeks warm and red as we allowed the light snowfall to continued melting gently as if fell on the little exposed skin we showed. Dino let out another puff of laughter, recalling the snowball fight.
"You," he said," pushing himself up and glancing over, "have good aim." I shrugged.
"I was trained by your demon tutor," I reminded him. He paled if slightly, and pointedly looked away.
"God, I forgot about that…" he shook his head, and turned back, his smile much softer this time. I blinked, then sat myself up, finding his look rather odd.
"What?" I asked him suspiciously, lifting a gloved hand to my face, thinking something was on it. He laughed gently at my action, and lifted his own hand to mine.
"You… I'm happy to see you like this, Cloud," He told me. I blinked, and softened, guilt biting at the bottom of my stomach.
"What do you mean?" He almost hesitated, frowning, but then answer truthfully:
"I worry about you, Cloud. Well, I used to, a lot when you were younger. You always seemed older than you are, and you still do," he admitted with a small shrug, "but now… it's different. You're happier. A lot happier. Lively. That's why I like moments like this for you, where you actually act like a kid," he smiled sadly. "It makes me worry less, you know?"
I blinked slowly, looking away from him in favor of watching the snow fall. Guilt; I felt it immensely for making him feel this way. But instead of showing this,
I grinned at him, covering this remorse easily.
"It's okay, Dino," I dismissed his worries, slugging him slightly in the shoulder "I'm alright. I have people that I care about… and that's what matters, right?"
He seemed to accept my smile, and my words (and agree with them, wholly) and with a grin, he fell back into the snow. Laughing lightly, I mirrored this, allowing another moment of serenity between us. A cloudy, soft sky greeted us, and we were reminded.
"Snowman contest?" I suggested, shattering the established serenity. My brother turned to me, grin lopsided.
"You're on."
"I just have to hold my breath, right?" I asked, preparing to spar against Ipin (who was rather nervous about it). Fon cocked his head.
"I suppose that's the idea, but it's easier said than done, Cloud." I waved him off.
"I'll be fine." I looked towards Ipin and smiled. "You ready Little Sister?" She nodded and prepared her Gyoza-Kempo. We started.
Turns out, I could hold my breath for about a minute or two. I inhaled the garlic. My muscles faltered and I fell to the ground.
In the end, I was not fine. Ipin was ashamed of herself.
"I'm sorry, Big Sister."
Dino passed me in the living room while I was reading poetry. He glanced down and continued moving on, stopped suddenly and ran back.
"Cloud," He asked, trying to hide his shock, "Are you reading that in Japanese?"
"Yeah," I replied, flipping the page, not even sparing him a glance. He stared at me for a while. I sighed and looked up. "What?"
"I didn't know you could read Japanese."
"I can speak it too," I informed him. I raised his brows in shock.
"You can?" I nodded, patient with his disbelief.
"While we're on the subject, I can also speak Mandarin, English and French. Fluently," I added, and then quieter, "but I can curse in way more. Blame Squalo."
A single twitch, and Dino smoothly bypassed that last bit of information.
"...you can speak 5 languages fluently?" He asked in disbelief. I tilted my head, looking up at him with a blank expression.
"Dino," I said, then pointed to myself, "Prodigy." His expression dead panned at this, almost verging on annoyance.
"Honestly, I forgot about that…"
"Also," I added with a shrug, giving credit where credit's due, "it helps to have a genius best friend. Bel's already teaching me a bit of German."
He blinked, staring down at me. And then, spoke quietly:
"I only know four…."
"Oh Dino," I tutted, shifting to my knees and rising enough so I could pat his cheek, "it's fine; there's usually only one prodigy per family." I gave him one more sympathetic pat and then hopped down.
"I'm going to the kitchen. Bis spater, Bruder." I walked off, lazily waving my hand back, leaving behind a very bewildered and slightly annoyed Dino.
"Dino."
He shrieked jumping and nearly tripping over the chair as he whipped around to face his tutor.
"Reborn!" He heaved, clutching his heart, "You could have killed me!"
"But Dino," Reborn squeaked innocently, "it's absolutely unacceptable for you to die when your 13 year old sister knows more languages than you. I'll just had to amend that before I leave."
(it was that moment, in all the years that Reborn had trained Dino, that his soul finally left his body)
"Schisandra can calm anxiety and helps with nervous, immune and endocrine systems. Gotu Kola helps with anxiety too, but also mental fatigue and irritability…. Maybe I should have made you tea with gotu kola in it instead, now that I think about it." Squalo sighed and rolled his eyes across the table from me.
"This is fine, brat," he grumbled. "As long as it helps with insomnia like you said."
"Also, emotional balance and anxiety. A lot of herbs help with anxiety now that I think about it," I added thoughtfully, taking a sip of my own tea.
"Why the fuck do you know so much about herbs and teas anyway?" Squalo asked, taking a sip of his tea, and then trying to hide his expression after tasting it. I shrugged, ignoring his reaction to it's bitterness.
"I made a lot of teas with Fon while I was in China," I began, then, after putting more thought into his question, my attitude became reserved when I truly realized why I always held onto information like this. "And Mama always liked those sort of things. She used to love teaching it to me." I didn't try to hold back my clear sadness, because I knew it would be useless to in front of someone who's job (and life) depended on observance.
My sudden depressing mood startled Squalo, and it was clear that he didn't know how to handle this.
"T-the tea you made me is really good," he lied awkwardly. I allowed a small smile.
"Liar."
"You sure you have to go, Reborn? There's still a lot I want to learn, you know." Reborn looked up at Dino and responded:
"My work is done here. You're no longer Pipsqueak Dino." Dino smiled at this, fondly remembering the hitman (and blocking the memories of fear and torture). "And anyways," Reborn continued, "I have to go train the next Vongola boss. I hear he's a complete loser."
Dino laughed, while I steeled my expression, knowing the exact truth of Reborn's statement.
"Don't be too hard on him, Reborn," my brother teased lightly
"Don't tell me what to do," Reborn retorted. The Arcobaleno then turned to me, and response, I stood a bit straighter.
"Cloud," he addressed, "You're the smart one. Keep your idiotic brother out of trouble." I mock saluted him.
"Aye, aye, captain."
"Ciao."
And with that Reborn left, heading off to Japan. Dino turned and went back into the mansion, a little sad that the tutor he had grown close to was leaving. I was in opposition, however;
I knew that we would see Reborn again soon enough.
(So what's the use of feeling blue?)
"What's past is prologue. What's future is epilogue. This right here is maybe chapter four or five."
-Welcome to Night Vale
AN:
So I actually added elaboration on Bel's side of his and Cloud's relationship. Especially at this time, and even later, it's not romantic; in Bel's mind, it's just logical, to eventually marry his friend that he doesn't want to kill. Bel's a weird kid, and obviously doesn't have many "normal" relationships, and therefore just comes to conclusion and makes decisions on his own. And besides, he thinks hanging out with Cloud is fun, so why not? It's just logical to him. So, even though he views it as an engagement, and kind of sees Cloud as his, there's not really a romantic subtext to it. Bel just kind of views it this way, and Cloud knows this, and just goes with it (because she's way too tired to go against Bel on this, especially since she kind of picks up on his way of thinking about this). And I felt like people would miss this little relationship if I didn't keep it in? So why not. Eventually, it becomes more of running gag to Bel and Cloud as they grow older.
Also, some Reborn POV about Cloud!
So this concludes her growing up arc? Next is where canon starts, so yay! I've definitely enjoyed rewriting this so far, and I've definitely had fun slashing stuff (I feel like the grim reaper with a large scythe, lmao), but mostly I've enjoyed fleshing things out. That's been fun and productive. Also, I really couldn't help myself but to put both the Night Vale Quote and the Steven Universe reference there at the end.
Reminder: you can ask question and request things about this story as well at the tumblr blog she-has-her-fathers-eyes! Feel free to check it, there have been some asks about Cloud~
-Evenly