Chapter 15: Definitions of Forgiveness
"Dead people receive more flowers than the living ones because regret is stronger than gratitude."
-Anne Frank's Diary
"What are you guys doing?" Prince the Ripper questioned the two lackeys that were peeking inside the training room. They jumped at the voice, and spun around, his presence startling him. They bowed slightly and looked at each other, trying to decide which one would talk. The right underling sighed and stepped forward.
"Sir, forgive us, but… there's a girl in there."
"Hm? A girl?" the prince titled his head in slight confusion, and stepped past them to look in the room himself.
"Yes sir. She's… she's sleeping, along with two animals. We think they're box weapons."
"I see…" his eyes narrowed and he frowned, recognizing both the girl and the animals.
"Scram," he told the two men, with a wave of his hand. They complied quickly, not having to be told twice, well aware that there would be knives in their backs if they didn't leave immediately. As he entered, the red panda, once curled up at the girl's side, lifted its head, its ears perking up as the prince neared.
"Haven't seen you in a while…" the prince muttered as Kashi happily padded over the greet him. He smirked as he scratched under the animal's chin, knowing very well that it was her favorite spot. She practically purred at the contact. Bel looked back over at Jian, who simply gazed at the prince lazily, but made no move to greet him so he didn't disturb the girl sleeping peacefully against the panda's fur.
"What an idiot," Bel muttered softly, walking over to Nikita with Kashi right on his heels. He picked up the notebook near the girl and flip it over, scanning over its contents. "Fell asleep while training, huh?"
He glanced around the training room, noting the indents and holes in the wall, fully aware that they were made from her ultimate defense. After all, he was one of the few that had seen it, and knew it well. He had trained with her many times, using his own weapons against the formidable box. It was a shame, the prince thought, that she never really used it. He glanced back at the sleeping girl, clearly worn out from training. But perhaps, the prince rehashed, it wasn't for his Nikita to use.
"Maybe they were for you," he muttered thoughtfully, hand on chin as he stared at the girl, "She prepared all this for you," he realized, looking back at the notebook, almost smirking at the very badly drawn pictures of Jian and Kashi, with diagrams only she herself could possibly understand. He sat down himself, and leaned against the wall, continuing to flip through the book, growing comfortable in the silence with only the soft sounds of drowsy breathing. After a while, Belphegor glanced back at the girl's sleeping features and titled his head, for the first time, not seeing the ghost he had been attempting to avoid. He allowed a soft grin to grace his features, and let out a light snicker.
"Maybe this will work, little princess," He muttered to himself, scratching underneath Kashi's chin once more as she made herself comfortable between the prince and Cloud. "Maybe this will work after all."
"You're alive?"
Mukuro raised an eyebrow.
"You sound surprised," he said, almost offended, "Do you truly think I'd allow myself to be killed, little Cavallone?" I let out a relieved laugh, feeling the void I had for so long being filled with one look at him, establishing our connection quickly.
"No," I agreed, smiling, "You're too stubborn for that." He scoffed. My eyes narrowed as his form softened, some parts beginning to fade into mist before he managed to pull himself together again. "Are you okay?"
"That's adorable," he smirked, "you're concerned about my well-being."
"Well it is kind of my fault that you got injured so badly," I admitted, crossing my arms.
"You and I both know that I was going to fight that man one way or another," Mukuro reminded me, "I was merely hitting two birds with one stone."
"But," I repeated firmly, frowning as his shape wavered again, "are you okay?"
"I'm simply weakened; a temporary state," he reaffirmed me.
"You should feel honored that he's even here right now," Fran inputted, reminding me of his presence, "with how pathetic he is now, you must be really important for him to visit-" He stopped as Mukuro appeared beside him and stabbed him violently in the head with his trident.
"One so little," the older illusionist sneered coldly, "should not be spouting such useless nonsense. However," He added, walking over to, "I did want to check up on you; transitioning to the future can be…. difficult, after all. Especially with the death of your future self." I frowned, and looked away, almost pouting.
"Don't tell me you're going to treat me weird too," I sighed. He chuckled at my reaction.
"Of course not, little Cavallone," he chuckled and reached down to ruffle my hair. I huffed and leaned away, attempting to swat his hand. "Your future self and you are two completely different people; you should know this best, out of anyone," he sent a side look to Hannah, who glanced away angrily.
"Not the same person at all. You are your own person," he leaned down to look me in the eyes, "remember that. However, you still need protection from Byakuran, so I will advise you to be careful in this unfamiliar future. The last thing we want is for your future self's death to be in vain."
"Big Sis's always prepared," Fran commented.
"Naturally," Mukuro retorted. "Although her goal was to not get you involved and into the future, she still set up precautions where you'd be safe and able to be protected in case is did happen."
"Like the notebook?" I questioned, ignoring the spike in irritation when he said I need to be 'protected'. He nodded.
"That was for your own knowledge, so you'd at least know how to defend yourself. Although we'd like to think that this scenario wouldn't happen, it did. And that's inevitable," He shrugged, then frowned again as his form wavered once more.
"It appears that my time is about up," he muttered, then turned to Fran. "Keep her safe." I frowned, irritated, as if he didn't think I was capable of taking care of myself.
"You're leaving?" I asked, as he began fading away completely.
"Kufufu… no need to worry, little Cavallone," he cooed, his smile almost completely gone at this point. "I'll be sure to visit again."
I huffed, as he disappeared entirely, then turned to Hannah, still miffed.
"And what's wrong with you?" She opened her mouth to reply, but Fran beat her too it.
"Ah, she just got chewed out by master," he hummed, looking nonchalantly around the garden.
"Don't tell her that!" Hannah snapped at him, her face heating up.
"What do you mean got chewed out?" I questioned Fran, eyes narrowed. He opened his mouth to respond, but promptly closed it at Hannah's look. I raised an eyebrow, looking in between the two, then sighed.
"Whatever," I said with a dismissive wave, "I'll find out whatever is it you're trying to hide from me eventually, Hannah." I gave her a pointed look. "You know I will."
"Little Sis," Fran drawled, looking at our surroundings, noticing the flowers and plants slightly shivering. "You're still angry."
"Why do I need to defend myself?" I questioned, arms crossed and fists clenched. "Defend myself? Why can't I fight for myself? Why just defend? And he asks you to protect me?" Fran blinked then turned to Hannah.
"Should I be offended?" He asked her. She shrugged.
"Sure, he doesn't treat me like I'm dead," I continued, on a roll at this point, "but he's still treating me like a fucking kid!"
"But you are a kid," Hannah pointed out, her expression softening, throwing me off a bit, "at least, in this timeline you are to him. And the others to."
"I can fend for myself," I shot back, still irked, although seeing her point. "I'm not just a little girl anymore. I've trained," I muttered, raising a hand to look at it, "I've grown stronger…." My hand clenched into a fist. "I can protect them now, but I can't do that it they don't let me fight."
"It's too risky," Fran said. "You heard master, you have to be protected. We can't let you fight now."
"So you just want me to sit around letting people get hurt for me? Play damsel in distress?" I shot back, looking at him with angry eyes. He met me with a cool stare. "Then why am I learning how to use my box weapons?"
"A precaution," he replied simply. "And, they are yours now. It's not like anyone else can use them." I sighed, his mellow attitude nullifying my anger. I puffed my cheeks and narrowed my eyes at him.
"Why aren't you treating me like a kid?" I wondered out loud. "You're about the only one." He blinked, not expecting the question.
"Hm?" He scratched his chin. "I dunno. I guess it's cause Big Sis was older than me? And now, you're just a few years younger. I never really saw you as a kid like the others, I guess." I sighed and sat down again, eventually laying down to look up at the leafy canopy. I heard Hannah sigh as well, and move to sit beside me.
"I'm sorry for earlier," she said softly. I raised and eyebrow and glanced at her.
"Earlier? What did you d-"
"For what I said," she cut me off, looking away as she brought her knees up to hug them, "about Dino. I was just edging you on, not helping at all. I haven't been much help at all, lately." My stomach dropped, being reminded of the conversation with my brother.
"He didn't deserve it," I whispered, the air turning cold around us. "I shouldn't have said that. He didn't deserve it." I turned on my side, away from Hannah. Fran looked up and held out a hand as soft snow drifted down.
"Are you going to apologize?" Hannah asked. I bit my bottom lip and hesitated to answer truthfully.
"I don't know if I can."
"You awake?"
I drowsily blinked, taking in my surroundings all at once, having to remind myself where I was. Jian shifted from under me as I pushed myself up.
"Bel?" I muttered, rubbing one eye. No, I corrected myself. This wasn't my Bel.
"How far have you gotten with training?" I blinked, the question throwing me. Seeing my confusion, he elaborated. "Have you been able to absorb flames or tranquilize your opponents with Jian?"
"You know about that?" I questioned him.
"Naturally," He said with a small smirk, clearing replaying fond memories. "I helped her train with them, after all."
"Ah," I muttered, not really knowing how else to respond, "Well, I haven't really had any opponents to test it on," I admitted, rubbing the back of my head. He shrugged nonchalantly, making a decision.
"I'll train with you," he stated. I blinked at him, then narrowed my eyes.
"Why?" He snickered.
"It's the prince's duty to help the little princess," he explained with a flick of his hand. "And besides, she left this for you, didn't she? The least I can do is help out." My stomach dropped, realizing that he was only doing this for her sake, not for mine.
"Thanks," I said softly.
"We have to get you prepared anyways," he continued, either not noticing or ignoring my change in mood, "since the attack is in four days. We can't have the little princess getting hurt, now can we?" My eye twitched, getting the same feeling from Bel as I was from Mukuro.
"Okay," I said, coming to a resolve. "Teach me how to fight with these," I told him, giving him a determined look. "I need to know how to hold my own with these box weapons." His expression remained blank, as if startled by my determination. Then, it morphed into a grin.
"Haven't seen that look in a long time," he snickered, his mood now ecstatic. "It's nice though," He said, pushing himself up so he was now standing over me, "reminds me of happier times." I accepted his hand and he pulled me up.
"Almost wish that the bronco was here to see it," he commented offhandedly, pulling out his own box weapon. My stomach dropped, not liking the conclusion I came to.
"He left?" I said, a cold, regretful feeling filling me. Bel looked at me, confused.
"Not yet," he replied, shrugging. "He was making his way out about the time I stumbled on y-" I was out the door before he finished his sentence, not wanting – no needing to find Dino.
He wasn't leaving without a goodbye, I told myself.
(Not again)
"Dino!"
He turned to me with a shocked face that morphed into hurt once more as he met my eyes. Romario, standing in the open door, leading to one of the many metallic walled hallways, stared between us sadly.
"Before you leave, Dino," I breathed out, reaching out to him, my features mirroring his pained look. "We can't just leave things like this, ple-"
"No, Nikita," he choked on my name. "It's fine. It's fine, there is nothing more you can say. It will be better, less painful," he corrected himself, "if we leave it like this. I'm sorry that I hurt you," he said sincerely, "but you and I both know that I can't do it. I can barely look at you," he admitted, looking away, almost angry. "We both know that. So, it's better this way," he concluded, turning to leave. My fist clenched and I pushed myself forward once more, not letting him go, not like this.
"It's okay," I told him before he fully turned. "It's okay if you don't want to look at me because I remind you of her. It's okay if you can never look at me the same again or if you don't even want to see me." I couldn't see his expression, a shadow covering it.
"I'm sorry," I choked out. "I'm sorry for what I said, and I'm sorry for what she did." His head shot up, and he looked at me with a pained expression.
"No, no," he muttered, reaching out to me and moving forward. "That wasn't you, that wasn't your fault." Now standing in front of me as I looked down, he gently caressed my face. "You and her... you and your future self, my sister... you're not the same person," he said sadly, wiping away the single tear that rolled down my cheek. "You don't have to apologize for anything she did," he whispered, and kissed me on the forehead. "That wasn't you."
"I'm sorry..." I repeated, bringing my own hand up to hold his, pressing it to my cheek. "I'm sorry for everything," I sobbed again, both of us aware that this apology wasn't for him, but for the Dino of my timeline.
After all, this wasn't my Dino. He didn't need this apology.
He sighed; a heavy, guilty sound.
"I forgive you, Nikita," he replied softly, bringing my hand up to his lips and then letting it drop. Romario began walking out the door with one more look back at me, but my eyes remained on the ground as my brother turned to leave.
And I let him go.
It was Fran who found me later, my head buried in my knees, crying softly. At first, he simply stared at me, leaning around the corner, not knowing what to do. I sniffed, and looked up at him irritated.
"What do you want?" I snapped at him, roughly wiping my eyes. "Why the fuck are you just standing there?"
"Well, frankly, Little Sis," he started, fully walking around the corner now that I acknowledged him, "I don't know how to react to this." He made a general gesture towards my person. I sighed and looked at the wall in front of me.
"That makes two of us," I muttered. I listened as Fran came to sit down beside me, leaning against the wall and hugging his knees as well.
"I know," he replied, then after a moment. "Is it because of your brother?" I hesitated before I nodded, not familiar with him knowing me so well. "Little Sis," he chanted, noticing my hesitation. "You can talk about it with me. We're like this," he held up two crossed fingers, "remember?" I gazed at him, then sighed again.
"He's not my Dino," I started slowly, deciding that, yes, I needed to get this off my chest, "but talking to him, lashing out at him, at everyone…" I bit my bottom lip, regret filling me again. "It made me realize how awful I've been treating Dino...my Dino, my brother who doesn't look at me like I'm dead…but, seeing how much pain I cause him with just being here, and seeing how everyone else looks at me, and the pain that I caused them... with my situation and the fact that I'm not supposed to even be here," I said, more tears leaking out as I hugged myself tighter.
"Hannah hates me for taking her life, Mukuro got hurt because of me, my brother doesn't even want to look at me, and Bel's only helping me because he think it's my future self's dying wish or some shit like that…" I let out a sob, looking away from Fran. "Maybe I just shouldn't be here at all, you know? It's not like I'm doing any good." There was a beat of silence, then Fran sucked in his breath.
"That was heavy," he commented.
"Yeah," I agreed, still blinking away tears.
"And it kind of sucks," he added, "that you think that. You've done a lot more than you think you have," he told me, staring at the wall in front of us as well. "You just haven't seen it."
"How do you know?" I questioned him hollowly. He shrugged.
"I just do. You'll see, Little Sis," he reassured me. "You're a lot cooler than you think. And besides," he drawled, "even if you haven't done anything useful, why should that matter? Whether it's your first, second or sixth, it's your life. Why should you have to do something important with it? Just live it," he concluded, then blinked. "I feel like that's something you would say."
I sniffed, wiping away my tears again, actually feeling better after talking to him. I sighed and leaned on his shoulder, closing my eyes.
"Thanks," I muttered softly, simply enjoying his presence at this point. "I needed that."
"Did my awesome pep-talk cheer you up?" He said, glancing down at me.
"A little," I admitted, "but you're kind of ruining it," I informed him coyly, cracking one eye to look at him.
"Oh…" He nodded, understanding, then after a moment, added, "do you need a hug?"
"…. You suck at comforting people, Fran," I told him, sighing in defeat then letting out a small laugh.
"What are you talking about?" He retorted. "I got you to smile, didn't I?"
I easily dove out of the way as Mink lunged toward me, streaking red flames on the wall as he did so. Pressing both my cloud and then sun rings into Kashi's box, I multiplied her form, sending the red pandas to corner Mink with bamboo shoots. Seeing that they left him with only one escape route, I quickly brought Jian out, careful with the amount of flames I fed him, already having used enough with multiplying Kashi. As soon as Jian formed, he hit the ground with his paws, trapping Mink with bamboo. The weasel squeaked in protest, unable to escape in time and was eventually trapped in a box, which a now considerably smaller Jian grabbed, his paws radiating with rain flames, subduing the other box weapon and growing in size as the panda absorbed its flames.
"You've gotten the hang of it pretty well," Bel chided from the side lines, leaning against the wall with his open box weapon.
"Jian," I called, catching the panda's attention. I motioned for him to let Mink go, which he happily complied with. As Jian absorbed the flames, the storm mink flung itself out of the box and shook itself. It glanced around the room, and spotted Kashi, whose doppelgangers I had already absorbed back into the box, sitting and grooming her own fur.
Sporting a wicked grin, mirroring it's owner perfectly, Mink tackled Kashi, earning a squawk from the red panda. I snorted, walking past their play fight as Kashi pinned Mink to the ground, playfully biting his neck, and approached Bel.
"You're going easy on me," I accused him blankly.
"And what makes you say that, little princess?" He asked, a ghost of a grin on his face.
"You're just sending Mink in," I replied, pointing an accusing finger at him. "You're not stepping in at all." He frowned.
"That's because you just need to know how to defend yourself," he explained casually. "There's no need for you to fight, especially with us around to protect you." My fists clenched again, once again reminded of how they saw me.
"I'm not a child, Bel," I reminded him heatedly. He scoffed.
"Nobody was saying you were."
"Well, everyone sure is treating me like one," I retorted, crossing my arms and turning away from him. Bel opened his mouth to speak again, but Squalo walked in before he could get any words out.
"Bel, we n- what the hell happened in here?" He said, taking in the damage of the room.
"The little princess was getting used to using her box weapon," Bel explained. Squalo's eyes narrowed and he glanced at me.
"For defense, right?" I groaned loudly, clutching my head.
"Not you too, Squalo!" I whined. Squalo raised an eyebrow and gave Bel a look.
"The fuck is up with her?" He asked. Bel sighed.
"She wants to fight-"
"Like hell we're letting you fight, brat!" Squalo turned to me, angry even before Bel could finish his explanation. "We already decided; it's way too fucking risky to have you fighting, so you're going to sit your ass down and stay near us where we can protect you!"
"You already decided?" I repeated. "What the fuck?" I asked, reflecting his mood, "did you guys sit down and talk about this or something?" I blinked, noting their reactions to my words.
"Holy fucking shit, you guys did talk about this! Did you guys also collectively decide to distract me with 'helping' me with training, but only showing me how to defend?" By the click of Bel's tongue, and Squalo huffing and turning his head, I could easily see that I was right. I seethed, turning away from both of them, getting angrier by the second. "And here I thought that maybe you'd be one of the only ones to have a little faith in me," I shot at Squalo. He reared back, as if he were offended.
"This isn't about having faith in you brat," Squalo sneered, grabbing my arm and turning me towards him. "For some reason Byakuran wants you, and like fuck we're going to let him get anywhere near you. This isn't about your strength; it's about your protection," he concluded. I huffed, puffing my cheeks out as we stared each other down.
"You really expect me to sit around and let other people get hurt for me?" I said, a flat repeat of my conversation with Mukuro, reminding me that my point was not getting through.
"This is war," Squalo coldly reminded me, "not the time for you to be playing hero."
"I'm not playing hero," I shot back hotly, "I'm standing for myself; I'm fighting my own battles and dealing with my own consequences." Squalo scoffed.
"Listen up, brat," He said, roughly throwing his arm around me, beginning to cart me out of the training room. "You're one of us, right? The Vongola is one, especially during times of crisis. These aren't just your consequences and it's not just your problem," he explained roughly, while basically dragging me out. I gave him a sour look, as I pushed back, and went under his arm, only for him to grab my shirt collar and lift me up to where he was looking me in the eyes once more.
Bel snickered behind us, finding the situation amusing at this point. Our argument had somehow morphed into a sibling squabble, it seemed.
"Voi, brat!" I gave him an unimpressed look.
"…what?"
"What's the most important thing to you?" My expression softened, the answer coming almost immediately.
"Family," I muttered, seeing where he was going.
"And what does family do for each other?" I puckered my lips, thinking of many answers to his question. "They fucking fight for each other!" Squalo shouted, getting annoyed when I didn't respond immediately. "So," he said, pulling me closer to his face. "Let your fucking family fight for you." I looked away sourly, then glanced back between him and Bel.
"….fine." Squalo 'hmphed' in triumph and Bel snickered.
"Ushishi, so no more of this wanting to fight shit, right little princess?" Bel asked in a teasing manner. I huffed, crossing my arms.
"No promises." Bel shrugged, then walked past us.
"That's about as close to a promise as we're going to get, Captain," he informed Squalo.
"Can you put me down now?" I asked Squalo pathetically, still being held up in the air. "This is kind of uncomfortable, and I want to get back to messing with my box-" I shut my mouth, the look on his face clearly telling me that was the wrong thing to say. With one graceful movement, he slung me over his shoulder and began walking forward, following Bel's tracks.
"Where are we going?" I asked sadly, knowing I wasn't getting away from this (I could easily slip out of his grasp of course, but I really didn't feel like having another yelling match I know I'd lose).
"To dinner," he answer curtly. "Have you even eaten anything all day, brat?"
"Ipin came by to give us lunch earlier," I replied.
"Did you have breakfast?"
"… I forgot." I could practically feel his anger rising.
"You better eat your fucking fill at dinner," he seethed. I sighed, finding this Squalo to be more irritated than the one from my timeline. But for some reason, I didn't mind it at all. It's because he missed me, I realized. I blinked, it hitting me all at once. He's pissed because he missed me, and now wants to protect me. This realization caused a warm feeling to spread through me.
"Since when have family dinners become so important for you?" I asked quietly to test my theory.
"Since my family start dying," he replied with robust. I sighed sadly.
"If I say sorry, will you get mad?" I asked him quietly.
"The fuck do you think, brat?" I sighed, a soft smile gracing my features.
"Thanks, Squalo," I said genuinely. He paused then, put my down from off his shoulder, turning to face me with a confused look.
"For what?"
"For being one of the few who genuinely miss me," I said softly, truthfully. He blinked, and an awkward look passed over his face, not knowing how to react.
"W-whatever, brat," he snarled, whipping around and walking forward again. "You better not try to sneak off to training again since I let you down," he warned me, not bothering to look back. "I'll personally skewer you if you do." I smiled, and let out a small laugh, quickly moving to catch up with him. I hummed happily walking by his side, and retorted.
"We both know that's an empty threat, Squalo."
Somehow, I managed to be seated by Xanxus at dinner. The boss of the Varia himself did not seem to mind, and actually surprised me by greeting me with a slight nod of his head before completely devouring the meat in front of him (which, coming from Xanxus, that was a feat in itself. Usually, one was lucky enough to be ignored by him). However, being on Xanxus's left put me in the position sitting across from Levi on Xanxus's right. This led to the man glaring at me across the table, partly out of shock, and partly out of anger.
"Why…" he muttered. I blinked across at him, fork innocently in my mouth, having been ignoring him after realizing he was simple going to stare at me for a large portion of the meal.
"Hm?" Squalo looked over from the animated conversation he was having with Bel and Fran (and by animated, I meant on the verge of a full blown fight with Lussuria happily trying to quell their argument). "Why the fuck are you staring at her?" He addressed Levi.
"Why is a younger Nikita here?" We blinked at him.
"You mean," I started, slowly, "nobody told you I was here?" Squalo frowned, and his head snapped towards the teal-haired illusionist.
"Voi! Fran!"
"Hm?" Fran moved his head slightly to dodge a knife. "Yes, Captain?"
"I thought I told you to tell him that the brat was here?"
"Ah. When you said tell anyone important," Fran began explain himself, "I assumed you didn't mean Levi."
"Naturally," Bel stated, snickering and flashing more knives. I glanced back at Levi, whose eye was twitching in anger, actually feeling sorry for him. My eyes lingered back to Fran at the sounds of clanging, and I looked over to see his plate lifted in front of him, as a makeshift shield against Bel's knife. Unfortunately, the remainders of the illusionist's meal was now messily discarded on the table, a sacrifice Fran needed to make in order to protect himself.
"Is that why you sat me over here?" I asked Squalo, looking up at him beside me.
"If you weren't near the boss, you'd lose your food in seconds thanks to those two bastards," Squalo explained, carefully watching their fight in the corner of his eye. "Sitting in between the shitty boss and me is the safest place to eat."
"You're telling me that my food is safe next to him?" I asked, gesturing with my head at Xanxus, who was now on his fourth (?) plate. Xanxus snorted, having heard my comment.
"Even I'm not low enough to take food away from a scrawny animal like you," he sneered, giving me a look that I distinguished as amused. My eye twitched.
"What's up with everyone calling me scrawny lately?" I muttered irritably, returning to my plate once more, stabbing at my sides. "First Zhanna and now you," I whined, almost miserable. "I'm not that little." Xanxus snorted at my complaints.
"Please," he breathed out, his plate cleared once again and now taking a sip of his wine. "You're as small and tiny as they come." I sighed in defeat, not knowing whether to be astonished by his words or offended.
Xanxus, for one, was certainly amused.
"Nike, my goddess!" Dayita cooed, hugging me from behind. I sighed, and allowed her to, knowing that she'd act hurt if I didn't. Bel scowled, motioning for Mink to halt his assault. I motioned for Kashi and Jian to do the same, the two smaller animals immediately starting another mock fight, while Jian plopped down, looking like he didn't know what else to do.
"What are you doing, Yita?" I asked her, easily making her release me form her grip with a few well-placed pinches. She pouted as I stepped away and turned to face her.
"Bored~" She sang out throwing her arms up and crossing them behind her head.
"And?" I prompted, noticing Bel's sour mood and expression out of the corner of my eye, and noting his uncharacteristic silence.
"And I decided to watch my two favorite people train," she conclude, sending a wink at both me and Bel. I tilted my head, smiling slightly, but still confused.
"Your two favorite people?" I questioned. She hummed in agreement, her eyes lighting up.
"You're not invited," Bel stated coldly, coming to stand beside me, almost protectively.
"You of all people know best, Belphegor," she cooed, leaning forward and clasping her arms together, pushing her chest forward in a seductive manner, "I don't need an invitation to go where I want." I raised an eyebrow, looking between the two.
"I'm guessing that you two don't like each other?" I tried, deciding whether I should step back or not, noticing I was easily in Bel's line of fire.
"That's not it at all, Nike," Dayita gasped, mocking offense. "I simple adore the prince. I'm afraid that he's just jealous of me." Bel scoffed at the notion.
"As if a prince could be jealous of a snake like you," he sneered, a dangerous grin on his face and a knife already in his hand. I took a wise step back as Dayita sighed dramatically, putting a hand on her cheek.
"How could someone so attractive, have such a vulgar personality?" Yita sighed, looking Bel over and shaking her head sadly.
"I could say the same for you," Bel shot back, twirling the knife in his hand with vigor. Dayita smiled coyly batting her eyelashes at him in a lustful style.
"So you admit that I'm attractive?" She teased. He made a small 'kaching' sound and threw the knife, but much to my surprise, he missed his target by about a foot, hitting the wall behind her instead. He scowled, as Dayita giggled, casually making her way until she was behind me, holding my shoulders. Bel however, didn't seem to notice this until I reacted to her touch, turning around and giving her a pleading, tired look.
"Please don't use me as a shield," I sighed. "Don't drag me into this." Bel grinned, and Dayita pouted.
"Nikita," she whined, "I just hate that you can't see illusions! You end up giving me away."
"I think it's a great gift," Bel commented, already armed with another knife and once again twirling it in his fingers. I held up my arms, after realizing that Dayita was not moving from behind me.
"Here's an idea," I put out before Bel had a chance to throw his knife, only guessing that Dayita was still behind me thanks to her illusions. "Let's not try to kill each other? Please?" I said in a more serious tone. "Can't you guys try to get along?"
Bel's grin faltered and I wondered if I said something wrong. I turned my head slighting to see that Dayita had lost her playful look as well. She sighed and released my shoulders, giving me a curious look.
"It's strange," she commented idly, almost dreamily, "It's almost as if I forget that you're the same person, and yet, I also have to remember that she's gone."
I shuffled awkwardly, realizing I must have said something my future self said. Bel sighed and turned away.
"Sorry," I apologized softly, not wanting to go back to the awkward phase I had believed, hoped, wished we already passed.
"Oh, honey," Yita cooed, coming towards me and gently cupping my face. She gently tilted my head down and kissed me on the forehead. "You have nothing to apologize for," she told me softly, warmly, making me want to believe her illusion she was creating with words. "You didn't know, darling," she whispered to me, gazing at me with mildly amused, sympathetic eyes.
"Ignorance is a beautiful virtue," she told me gently, "and it is our harshest sin."
My eyes snapped open, and my hands immediately moved to my gun under my pillow, aiming it at the door. Narrowing my eyes, I stared at the door, trying to figure of what was making the strange scratching and mumbled growling noises on the other side.
For a moment, there was a beat of silence, and for that moment, I thought whatever was on the other side had moved on. I was proven wrong as the door handle slowly turned and the door was pushed open, allowing a large feline body to slip into the room, bumping its hip against the door to close it once it was completely inside. I froze, the beast fixing me with a stare, mild surprise in its eyes.
"…. Bester?" I questioned, not knowing anyone else in the base to have a lion box weapon. Not answering, it stared at the gun in my hand, and let out a soft growl. Getting the hint quickly, I put down my gun slowly, and held both my hands up, letting him know I was no threat. He huffed in approval, and sauntered over to me.
My eyes narrowed and I resisted the urge to scoot away as the lion (liger, I corrected myself. I just couldn't see its stripes at the moment because he wasn't angry. Thank god) neared the bed.
"What are yo-ufh!"
He balanced his weight on top of me and I gasped, attempting to scoot upwards so I was not completely buried by the animal. I let out a ragged breath, having managed to at least get my head and the top of my shoulders out from under Bester before he had completely settled. I let out a wheeze, finding the weight of the liger to be quite a burden. Bester, however, seemed to remain uncaring of my situation, and stared down at me his bored eyes before yawning.
"Bester…" I whispered urgently. He huffed, as if annoyed that his new pillow could talk. "Please, Bester," I said again. "You're going to kill me."
He rolled his eyes, as if saying I was being over dramatic. I blinked as he yawned again, and my eyes widened as his head swayed.
"Bester, no!"
His head fell gently, landing directly on my neck. I resisted the urge to spit the hairs of his mane out, fearing that it would somehow offend the liger. I made a small sound, and he let out a soft, warning growl, telling me not to move.
And so I didn't move. After all, I had no plans of becoming Bester's morning snack. Not today. Not ever.
"Hm?" Squalo paused in his exit from the boss's office, noticing an open box weapon on the corner of his desk. He picked it up, and looked at Xanxus with a raised eyebrow, which the boss met with a bored expression.
"What?" Xanxus asked blankly. "You know he doesn't like to stay in there." Squalo's eye twitched.
"Box weapon's aren't pets," he reminded Xanxus, who snorted in response.
"Try saying that about your beloved shark." Squalo's face grew angry, with the slightest bit of embarrassment.
"You can't just let your fucking box weapon wander around the base," he seethed, "especially since it has your temperament!"
"He's fine," Xanxus lazily waved him off, "I know all his usual nap places. He won't bother anyone."
"His usual-" Squalo stopped himself, before he got angrier, and took a moment before he began speaking again. "How many fucking times have you done this?" Squalo's face fell when he saw that Xanxus had to think about the question. "What many times a week?" he hissed, rephrasing himself.
"Probably four," Xanxus mumbled, still considering the question. Squalo stared at his boss, almost in utter disbelief.
"Maybe six," Xanxus said with a shrug. Squalo growled, and whirled around, storming out of the room. "Where the fuck are you going?" his boss questioned, raising an eyebrow.
"To find your shitty box weapon you shitty boss!" the captain yelled back. "Before he kills someone!"
"You're overreacting," Xanxus replied, not the least bit worried, and in fact, casually sipping his tequila, more focused on his drink, than the problem at hand.
"He hasn't killed anyone yet."
"Have you seen the little princess?" Ipin and Lussuria looked up at Bel, stopping their conversation as they stared at him in the doorway.
"Not since last night," Ipin stated, recalling their conversation she and her sister had, talking about fond memories of their master.
"Same with me," Lussuria answered, getting a little worried. "Why? Is she missing?" He asked, getting more and more worried, attempting to not jump to the worst conclusion.
"We should know if she left the base," Bel explained, crossing his arms. "But, she didn't meet for training, which is strange for her…." He trailed off, deep in in thought. He clicked his tongue and exited, deeming the two others in the room no longer useful.
"I bet that Frog knows…"
Levi paused in his trek through the hallway. He blinked, then turned towards the door he just passed. He almost put it off as his imagination, but that theory was squashed when, yes, he heard another loud snore coming from the room.
"Isn't this…" he stared at the door, squinting his eyes, "where that brat is staying…?"
He almost hesitated opening the door, knowing, really hoping, that the loud, animalistic snoring was not the young girl's. And for once in his life, Levi was right. He stared in shock, easily recognizing his beloved boss's box weapons lazily sprawled out on the bed in the room. As the animal let out another loud snore, he noticed color standing out under the white mane of the animal.
Pleading green eyes stared at him from under a mass of both her own and the liger's hair. After getting over the urge to burst out laughing right then and there, Levi moved to step forward, deciding it wise to save the girl form getting crushed by the lion ("Since she was in boss's favor," he told himself as an excuse), and he would have helped the girl,
if Bester hadn't snapped his eyes open the moment Levi stepped into the room. Levi froze as the liger's eyes met his, paling at the intensity that radiated off the animal.
One rumbling growl was all it took for Levi to shut the door and begin walking away as if nothing had even happened.
"Sorry, boss," he apologized with a sigh, "she wasn't worth it. I'm not becoming Bester's chew toy… again."
"Haven't seen her, dear," Dayita drawled lazily, sprawled out of the couch, fanning herself with her cards.
"Not since yesterday," Fran replied to the prince's question, frowning as Dayita laid a card down. "Hey, Yita," Fran called out blankly from his seat across the coffee table, "using illusions is cheating."
"Who says I'm using illusions?" Dayita cooed, blinking innocently over at him.
"Hunch." Dayita scoffed, rolling her eyes.
"Oh please," she mulled, rolling her eyes. "With who your master is, you should be able to distinguish illusions on more than just a hunch."
"So, you admit you were using illusions."
"Of course not," she scoffed, watching as the prince scoffed and exited the room with a sly smile, her eyes lighting up as he moved on with his mission. She turned back to Fran, her eyes simply ecstatic. "You should know by now, Fran," she chided, "true skill lies behind every party trick I play."
Squalo wore a glower on his face as he stalked the hallways, while Bel wore a slight frown, becoming slightly concerned since he had been searching half the day, and still had not come across Nikita. He eyed Squalo as the captain aimed to storm past him, only stopping when the prince questioned him.
"Oi, Captain," Bel addressed him. "Have you seen the little princess? Nobody has seen her all morning." Squalo froze in his tracks, and paled, immediately jumping to the worst conclusion. He whipped around to face Bel.
"Have you checked her room yet?"
"Not yet," Bel answered, a bit confused by the slight panic in Squalo's eyes. "I was going there next."
"Shit," Squalo cursed, knowing, just knowing that his shitty boss's pet had something to do with this. He just hoped it wasn't what he was thinking. "Fuck!" He cursed again, and began to quickly make his way to the brat's room, Bel right on his heels.
"Voi! Brat!" Squalo yelled, throwing open the door, Bel right behind him. Both of them froze as they took the scene in, easily seeing the young girl, almost completely covered by the large box weapon, who was flicking its tale lazily, quite comfortable with its new favorite pillow.
There was a moment where the two elite assassins could only stare as Nikita silently pleaded for them to do something, having become quite uncomfortable thanks to the large animal that had been laying on top of her for a majority of the morning.
That moment was shattered with both said elite officers bursting out laughing, Bel even doubling over.
"Help me, dammit," Cloud muttered urgently as the two almost lost it, "before he-"
She immediately shut up as the liger shifted. Bester cracked one eye open, and then let loose a loud growl, causing both the men to stop laughing. Lifting its head, the liger's lip lifted, revealing a row of teeth that almost put Bel's knives to shame.
Nikita let out a sigh of relief as the liger stood up, but that relief soon turned to extreme worry as marks began to appear on the animal. Gently scooting back against the wall, careful not to touch the animal, she watched as it stared Bel and Squalo down, who had smartly began backing towards the door once more, with their weapons readily at hand. The two grinned nervously and a single bead of sweat slid down Bel's face.
"…shit."
"Hm?" Xanxus's eyebrows knit together, remembering something that could possibly be deemed as important. "That's right..." he muttered, staring the ceiling as he leaned back in his throne, an empty whiskey bottle in hand. "Bester's favorite napping spot is the brat's room…" he thought for a moment, trying to decide if that was a problem or not.
He huffed, and pushed himself up, moving onto his own problem that actually mattered to him; the lack of alcohol in his office.
"I'll let the shitty shark deal with it," he decided as he exited.
"If I say that you two deserved it for laughing at me," I said as I finished healing the scratch on Squalo's cheek, ready to move onto the various other scratches covering his arm, "Will you get mad?"
Squalo sent me a glare, answering my question. Bel clicked his tongue from his seat, showing his annoyance with the whole situation as well. Then again, I reminded myself, I could imagine their pride being wounded by the fact that I saw them being chased out of the room by Bester and then promptly tackled to the ground by said box weapon only a few feet away from my door. Unfortunately, Squalo had it worst out of the two of them, haven taken the full force of the liger's tackle.
Bester nudged my hand, and I was yet again reminded of the liger's presence and the fact that he had grown somewhat attached to me. I sighed, but still gentle petted his mane, knowing that he would complain again if I didn't.
"What the fuck happened to you?"
The three of us looked up to see Xanxus himself, leaning against the open doorway, fresh bottle of tequila in hand.
"Your fucking box weapon attacked us, you shitty boss!"
"Hm? Is that so?" Xanxus muttered, a small smirk appearing on his lips as his eyes traveled to Bester, comfortably taking up most of the couch, and his head still resting on my lap. Xanxus took a large swig of his bottle and nodded towards his box weapon.
"Good kitty."
I pursed my lips, and Squalo narrowed his eyes. I opened my mouth to retort, but he cut me off.
"Not one word," he demanded. "You're helping Lussuria heal during the attack and that is final."
I opened my mouth to say, 'I'm not a healer', and then I realized that, yes, I am very much so a healer. Scrunching my nose, finding that argument void, I moved onto my next point as the other members of the Varia watched in vague amusement.
"Then what did I train for with my boxes?" I asked him defiantly.
"I thought we agreed that you wouldn't argue this, brat," Squalo recapped.
"She said no promises," Bel reminded him, a grin slipping on his face as Squalo turned on him.
"Stay the fuck out of this!" he snapped, then turned back to me.
"Well? Why did I spend all that time learning how to use them?" I asked again, an eyebrow raised.
"For defense," Squalo said, "just in case one of us isn't there for you, which will not happen," he reaffirmed.
"And for distracting me?" I asked, eyes narrowed.
"And for distracting you," Bel affirmed. Squalo gave him another irritated look, causing Bel to shrug, "She figured it out the first training session."
"Little Sis's smart," Fran commented, resting his head on his own arms, crossed on the table of the conference room where Squalo had just finished discussing the plan of attack for tomorrow's attack on the Millefiore.
"At least you get to go to the battle, Cloud," Ipin sighed from her seat between Lussuria and Levi. "I have to stay here in case someone contacts the base."
"If I can't fight, then at least let me stay here," I tried, knowing I was running into dead ends.
"And what if the base gets attacked while we're gone?" Squalo questioned. "There's no one strong enough here to protect you, so our best bet is to keep you close to us, where we know you'll be safe," he explained again, putting emphasis on the last three words.
"You'll be fine, darling," Lussuria called from across the table. "I'd love the help! Your healing ability are perfect for an on-field medic, after all." I sighed, softening up a bit, being reminded that I'll still be helping people.
"And you'll be near the boss," Squalo reminded me, "which is the safest place for you to be. Whatever you do, do not leave his side. Remember that, you little shit." I huffed, crossing my arms and defiantly looking away from him. Squalo's eye twitched, but he was very much familiar with my rebellious nature at this point.
"Well, brat?" He asked again. "You going to follow orders?" My eyes turned to meet his, our intentions clearing clashing.
"No fucking promises."
Extra: Lussuria's interview!
"Hello, everyone! I'm the Varia's mother, Lussuria! I've stolen some time from that girl's program again to discuss a very important matter! This time, not only do I have a sign, but I also have a bigger TV screen to help us discuss this important matter! Welcome to my harmonious household! Isn't it lovely?"
"You call this place harmonious?"
"Ah, Cloud!" Lussuria looked over as the teenager walked in, looking around with a bored expression. "Come, sit down darling!" He then turned his head back to the audience as the girl reluctantly obeyed with a suspicious look on her face. "This is our youngest and only daughter, Nikita,! Although she often goes by the adorable nickname, Cloud!"
"… daughter? Since when did I become part of this family?" The girl asked, raising an eyebrow. Ignoring her, Lussuria raised a hand, blocking his mouth from her view.
"She's actually adopted, but still part of our harmonious little family!" He informed the audience, not even bothering to lower his voice.
"Harmonious?" Nikita questioned again, trying to fit the image in her mind. "You're kidding, right?"
"Cloud!" The girl jumped and leaned back, startled as Lussuria slammed his fist on the kotatsu and leaned forward. "We have a very serious problem to discuss!"
"And what problem would that be?" The girl asked a bit nervously. Lussuria sighed and crossed his arm.
"Now, Cloud," he began, wagging a finger at her, "I know you're the only girl in the family-"
"-I was not aware I was part of this family-"
"and that makes you our little girl-"
"-when exactly was I adopted?"
"But that does not give you permission to run around with so many different people! You have a problem, Cloud!" Lussuria finished, slamming his fists on the table once more for emphasis.
"A problem?" She repeated slowly, her eye beginning to twitch.
"A love problem!" The flamboyant man confirmed. "You run around, flirting with too many people!"
"I do not!" The girl huffed out as she crossed her arms and looked away. Lussuria sighed and shook his head sadly.
"Poor thing, she's in denial. This is something you need to realize and come to terms with, darling!" he cried heroically, causing the girl to lean back with an almost terrified look on her face.
"Lussuria, I don't have a prob-"
"Oh, do you? Look at this!" He pointed at the screen behind them, which flickered to life, showing pictures of Cloud and Yamamoto. "Boy number one! Yamamoto Takeshi!"
"He's just a friend!" She argued. "A cute friend, and yeah we did technically kind of date" she added, "but we decided to just stay friends!"
"Let's see," Lussuria hummed, pulling out a notebook from under the kotatsu. "You took him to Italy for a trip, and while in Italy, you went on a date to a baseball game-"
"If anyone was on a date that day it was Marco and Yamamoto who are now happily still talking, although I don't know if they're official yet," Nikita pointed out. Ignoring her, Lussuria continued.
"Almost every time you see him, you latch onto his arm-"
"I don't do that anymore!"
"But you admit you used to do it! Onto to boy number two!" Lussuria gestured dramatically to the screen. "Mukuro Rokudo!"
"Why the living fuck is he on this list?"
"It is an undeniable fact that you two share some sort of bond!" Lussuria declared. "Plus, you two bicker like an old married couple." Nikita gazed at the Varia's Sun Guardian blankly.
"Mukuro… and me… married…" Nikita numbly mumbled with blank eyes.
"And not only do you flirt with him," Lussuria continued, disregarding the girl's horrified expression, "But you also flirt with his student! Fran!" This seemed to snap out of the trance she was thrown into.
"Wait?! Fran? He's just a kid!"
"Not in the future, dear!" Lussuria reminded her, gesturing to the screen which showed a picture of Fran holding Nikita close to him, her head resting against his chest and him holding her against him. "See! We have proof!"
"That picture is taken totally out of context," the girl pointed out, her cheeks faintly blushed with pink. "And he's still just a kid in my timeline!"
"But in the future he's only four or so years older than you, so it could still work."
"The hell? It could still work?" She repeated his words, eyeing him suspiciously. "It's like you want us to get together or something."
"Oh, no, darling!" Lussuria waved his hand dismissively. "Fran's only my second choice for you!"
"Second choice?" She parroted. Lussuria nodded, humming dreamily.
"I've saved my first choice for last," He admitted shyly. "You know what they say! But for now, onto to boy number four, Sawada Tsunayoshi!" Nikita blanched.
"What's wrong with all these examples?" She complained, slamming her first down. "I can get Takeshi because we actually dated, but all these others are bullshit! Tsuna's like a brother to me! No, he is a brother to me," she corrected herself. "There's no romantic relationship at all."
"But, Cloud," Lussuria reached over and grabbed her hands, almost pulling her across the table as he leaned over to look into her eyes with a dreamy expression. "What if, in order to prove the good relationship between the Cavallone and the Vongola, you and Tsuna, the next boss of the Vongola, were forced into an arranged marriage, where at first you both despised the idea, but slowly fa-"
"That doesn't even make any sense," she reminded him, "The Cavallone and the Vongola already have a good relationship, and Dino wouldn't force me into an arranged marriage anyway! Lussuria," she said with a serious tone, "instead of talking about my 'problem', shouldn't we be talking about your soap opera obsession?"
"But, Cloud, your problem affects a lot more people! You can't flirt with all these people! Moderation, darling, moderation!"
"… are you implying that I'm a whore?"
"Onto boy number five!"
"Don't ignore me!"
"Hibari Kyoya!" He gestured dramatically at the screen which revealed a scowling Hibari glaring directly into the camera. Cloud tilted her head in confusion.
"Kyoya? He's on the list? How?"
"Oh, dear, you really are oblivious aren't you?" Lussuria tutted, shaking his head. "But it is quite impressive that your powers of seduction can tame even this wild beast!"
"…powers of seduction? Are you calling me a slut now?"
"Of course not, dear! We're addressing the problem now so that you don't become one later. No daughter of mine will be called a slut!"
"Haven't you been implying that I'm one this whole time?"
"Now onto the ladies you've shown interest in," Lussuria cried out dramatically, gesturing to the screen. Nikita's face grew red immediately and she buried her head in her hands.
"Fuck me, I'm too gay for this," she muttered as the first girl appeared on the screen; Kyoko, cutely winking into the camera and holding up a peace sign.
"Kyoko! How scandalous," Lussuria exclaimed, throwing another hand over his forehead, "taking away the love of another!"
"What the fuck," Nikita, her head snapping up, "I mean, she's cute and all yeah, but I wouldn't do that to Tsuna." She paused however, considering it before reconfirming, "Yeah, I wouldn't do that to him. And besides, Kyoko's just a friend!"
"Oh, please as if I hadn't heard that one before," Lussuria said, covering his mouth and throwing a wink to the audience.
"That's because I've been saying it for every person you throw up on the fucking screen!"
"Next, everyone's favorite and buffest Russian assassin," Lussuria said, gesturing for the picture to change, "Zhanna!" Nikita's eyes narrowed at the screen, showing a picture of Zhanna wearing a sports bra and athletic shorts, holding her phone in one hand (taking a picture) and a large weight in the other.
"Is that… is that from her Instagram?" she asked, tilting her head, before shaking it violently, looking to Lussuria, "okay this one is definitely bullshit. Zhanna's hella ace and is extremely open about it."
"Ah," Lussuria said, mouth forming a small 'o'. "We'll move right along then! Next, one of the beauties of the world, Dayita!"
"I just fucking met her!" Nikita hissed as a picture of Dayita that many would label as scandalous appeared on the screen (earning a few whistles from the audience), "And besides," she added, "she ways older than me!"
"Again Cloud," Lussuria tutted, "that's only in the future! In the present, she's only 2 years older, and wouldn't it be romantic? Reuniting in the present, having met in the future?" he said, staring off dreamily.
"What the fuck are you even-"
"And for the last lady featured," Lussuria said, interrupting her, "Chrome Dokuro!"
A moment passed as Chrome's picture appeared on the screen. A moment, and Lussuria looked over, surprised that Nikita wasn't protesting. He titled his head, seeing that her face was once again buried in her hands.
"…. I'm actually interested in this one I think," she admitted shyly. Lussuria tutted, and leaned over to pat her shoulder reassuringly.
"Oh honey, you really are too gay for this," he said with pity, "You really have to learn to talk to other girls, you know?"
"Fucking tell me about it."
"And now, for the final one in the line-up!" Nikita's expression deadpanned as the lights went out, only leaving an overly dramatic, large spotlight on the blank TV screen, annoyed that Lussuria moved on so fast.
"The final and best love interest, is… Belphegor!"
"Wait, wait, wait!" Nikita stood up, signaling the light booth to turn the lights back on. Once the stage was properly lit once more, she turned to Lussuria with a hard look.
"You," she pointed at him, "Ship me," she pointed to herself, "and Bel?" Lastly she pointed at the screen, which was now going through a lovely slideshow of pictures of Bel and Nikita together (it should be noted that most the pictures had cartoon hearts added to them, something Lussuria was quite proud of, since it was his first time editing photos in any way).
"Of course!" Lussuria practically squealed, cupping his own cheeks. "I watched you two grow up and fall in love with each other! You two are my OTP!"
For a moment, Nikita stood there, staring at Lussuria, simply not knowing how to respond to this new information. She opened her mouth, then closed it again with a very confused look. After repeating this two more times, she finally spoke.
"Lussuria, why-no, how-"
"This is why, Cloud," Lussuria launched across the table, grabbing the girl's hands and pulling her down to a sitting position once more, interrupting the girl's sentence. "You have to choose Bel!"
"Choose?" she asked with a blank expression. "There is no," she made quotation marks with her fingers, "choosing. There is no list. There is no problem!"
"Cloud, honey, you have a harem," he kindly pointed out, lightly patting her cheek. "There's definitely a problem."
"The harem isn't even in this version of the story! Why are you so involved in my love life anyway?"
"I just want you to be happy, darling!" was the man's loving response.
"Lussuria, I am happy now, but I'm just too busy to think about this kind of shit right now," the girl stated bluntly.
"But, when will you find you true love, or more importantly," he pointed at the screen, "get to together with Bel!?"
"I don't know," the girl stated, blushing slightly, "Later in life? When I actually have time to think about this stuff rather than thinking about battle strategies and how I'm going to survive every day?"
"And when will that be, Cloud?" Lussuria asked curiously.
"I don't know. When this fucking arc is finally over? It's taking forever," she complained, rubbing the back of her head and sending a pointed look up at the ceiling. "Anyways," she shook her head, then turned sharply to Lussuria.
"You're over here talking about my problems and yet you're not even addressing your own! Should we start on the Soap Opera obsession? Or, you know, the fact that you have a collection of dead bo-"
"And that's all the time we have for today, darlings!" Lussuria quickly cut her off, turning to face the audience with a single bead of sweat rolling down one side of his face. "I hope you enjoyed helping out our beautiful daughter with her problems! Please visit us again in our harmonious little home!"
"You're still trying to pass this off as harmonious?"
"Ciao!"
AN:
So a little bit shorter chapter, but this one definitely has a theme that wouldn't carry well in what happens next. Still on a roll and knocking out chapters left and right! Wow, thanks being snowed in and insomnia!
As always, let me know what you think, and thanks for all the reviews, follows, and favorites!
-Evenly