Chapter 24: Operacao Gafanhoto
"I don't need to be reminded that we're up to our heads in dark water. I just want you boys to remember that we're the gods-damned sharks."
-Scott Lynch (Locke Lamora: The Lies of Locke Lamora)
"One day, you're going to be the death of me, Nikita, I swear," Dino sighed, running a hand through his hair and shaking his head, snapping his phone shut after confirming his men were already at Tsuna's house and had set a perimeter.
"Well," I said, tilting my head a bit, and shifting Fran slightly, "I've already died twice, technically. Does that count for something?"
Chrome stifled a giggle, causing Dino to send her a betrayed look. Fran grunted and nuzzled his head more into the crook of my neck. I swayed my head again, swinging my pony tail lightly. Luckily, with the help of Chrome, I had managed to put my hair up despite the one, shorter side, and effectively hid how obvious it was with the other girl's help.
"What? Too soon?" I asked with mock concern.
"Way too soon," Dino mumbled, slumping a bit, "I'm just glad Dayita was around and that Madhi could save you. You've have too many close calls, you know that?"
"With our life style?" I reminded him, "I'd say that I'm doing pretty good. So, only a few people know I actually… you know?"
"Died?" He finished for me, "Yeah. Only me, Squalo, Fon, and Kyoya know that you actually died and were technically brought back to life. Well, and you too, Chrome," he addressed, nodding in her direction.
"I won't tell anyone," she promised quietly, smiling reassuringly, "I'm just happy that Nikita's okay."
"Yeah," Dino scratched the back of his head, "Your friend made it pretty clear that she didn't want us telling anyone about that particular power."
"With a few, well placed and subtle threats that promised pain, misery, and complete corruption of you life as you know it?" I guessed, easily imagining Dayita relaying this information with a terrifyingly elegant smile.
"Yep," he answered, then stated, "again, as always, I question your choice of…." he struggled for the word, "friends. But, this one pulled through when it really mattered, so I guess I can't complain. And I trust your judgement, of course," he admitted, crossing his arms behind his head, "but seriously. This one," he pointed back at Chrome with his thumb, "keep her. I mean it. At least she's sane."
"Don't worry, Bro," I said, sending a smile and a wink back at Chrome, causing her blush to deepen, "I intend to."
"But back to the point," he continued as we neared the house, already looking packed full of people, "the others only know that you got attacked, if anything. And the details aren't well known, but I figured they'll get the point since your new scar is, well, obvious." His eyes once again trailed to my shoulder and traced the gruesomely healed skin, considerably lighter than my normal, deeply tanned color.
"Yeah," I muttered, looking down at it myself, then frowning, "I'm going to have to get someone to fix my tattoo." My brother's expression deadpanned.
"That's your top priority?!" I ignored him, and turned my head, shaking Fran awake.
"Yo, up and at 'em," I told him as he came too, simply blinking and then jerking his head up suddenly. He looked around with wide eyes, taking in his new surroundings before regaining his neutral expression. He yawned, and slid off my back, reaching out to grab the bottom of my shirt with one hand and rubbing his eyes with the other. I bumped him slightly with my hip to get his attention.
"Go find Dayita," I instructed, "she should be in the house somewhere, hopefully talking to Mukuro about the gloves like I asked." He barely grumbled, his hand falling away from his face, but his other still attached to my shirt, almost like instinct.
"Why can't I stay with you?" He asked, almost pouting. "We've barely gotten to hang out."
"You can spend time with me after all this, okay?" I promised him, softening a bit before poking him lightly in the center of his forehead, "Look, if Dayita's not talking to Mukuro like I told her to, then I give you permission to annoy her until she does, okay?"
I noticed his eyes light up mischievously. He nodded once, then weaved through the dense amount of people gathered outside the house.
"You're actually pretty good with kids, you know?" Dino noted, having noticed the interaction after relaying more orders to his men (calming them a bit, the information about me being attacked having spread through the family quickly. I met most of the concerned looks, lingering once again on my revealed scar, with bright smiles, glad that the rest of it wasn't out in the open).
"Nah," I dismissed, "I'm just good with weird kids. We're the misfits, you know? We've got to stick together."
"Uh-huh?" He teased, causing me to look over at him, noticing his sly look. I grumbled and pushed his chest lightly, prompting him to put me in a light head lock, using the opportunity to ruffle my hair. Chrome stepped to the side, smiling warmly at our antics, but brightened and moved forward suddenly.
I looked up as I pushed my brother off playfully, seeing Kyoko and Haru approach the house, looking a bit apprehensive until they saw Chrome. I approached at my own pace, first having a quick conversation with Ipin, who jumped out of Haru's arms to run up to me, giving them time to talk before they focused their attention on me. Chrome looked to me first after I had finished talking to my little sister. I noticed she was holding up a small object proudly. It looked to be a small charm, with a rather cute skull sown on the front along with the kanji for 'safety' and 'absolute victory'. Chrome was practically glowing as she showed me her charm, and for a while, I was too distracted by her smile and how happy she was to notice Kyoko approach me as well.
"Here's yours, Cloud!" She said happily, causing me to blink then look over at her, then look down at her hands. I blushed slightly, looking over the charm Kyoko offered me.
"I noticed that you always wore those panda rings," Kyoko told me, taking initiative and putting the charm in my hands, "and so we put a cute panda face on the front! Do you like it?" Kyoko wondered, her expression drooping a bit after noticing that my slightly shocked expression hadn't changed.
"No, I love it!" I assured her quickly, giving a small smile, causing her to brighten, "I'm, well, I'm just not used to these things, you know? Thanks, really," I moved forward, giving her a small hug and a light peck on the cheek. I laughed at bit as her cheeks darkened in turn and moved past her, patting Haru's shoulder as well. I said a quick goodbye to Ipin, convincing her to stay with the girls before noticing someone approach me from a rather unconventional direction.
"I forget how affectionate you are, Cloud~" Byakuran greeted as he wafted down beside me, swinging an arm around my shoulder and pulling me closer. His fingers barely traced over part of the exposed scar on my shoulder, and then his eyes shifted to mine. I gave him as assured look, then a smile.
"Says that one who has a habit of nearly picking me up whenever you see me. Honestly, I'm worried that you're just rubbing off on me," I teased, pushing his chest a bit as I stepped forward and turned my back on the house to look up at him. My smile dropped, seeing Dino behind Byakuran. Byakuran raised an eyebrow as my expression dropped and I paled slightly.
"Shit."
He had seen our friendly interaction. Chrome had a confused expression as well, standing behind my brother, but Dino, a vast array of emotions passed through his eyes, looking between me and Byakuran, how close we still were, replaying our reactions, how he had immediately touched me: anger, confusion, suspicion, disbelief.
"Dino," I started, but was cut off, surprised as Byakuran stepped in front of me to approach my brother.
"I'm deeply sorry for the actions of my future-self," he said seriously, looking Dino dead in the eyes, "and even though I can assure you I am a different person now, I don't expect you to forgive me like your sister has."
Dino sent me a look at these words, almost an accusation. I smiled back apologetically. He let out a rugged sigh, running a hand through his hair. Still angry, of course, naturally, and confused, and I had a feeling he was going to give me a talking to about this later.
"I trust you, Nikita," He relented, but then gave Byakuran one last look, almost a warning, "I'm uncomfortable with it, honestly, but you already know that."
I gave him another apologetic smile. Byakuran laughed, clapping his hands together, causing Dino to stiffen, going into a defensive stance.
"That went better than we thought, huh, Cloud?" My expression dead panned, and I gave Byakuran a blank expression. Dino sighed once more, before putting his hands on my shoulders and Chrome's, pushing us past the smiling Byakuran and into the house. I perked up, and nodded towards Dino and Chrome in question. Dino nodded in return, then turned back, relaying final orders to his men before settling down himself. I looked to Chrome, but paused, seeing her attention elsewhere.
My eyes shifted, and I met Mukuro's. A solid understanding passed between us.
Not now. Later.
I broke contact, then continued stepping across people to reach the Varia, pausing when I nearly tripped over Enma as he scrambled to get out of the way.
"You guys okay?" I asked, gripping his shoulder, and stopping him from falling backwards. He blushed heavily and nodded quickly, causing me to smile softly.
"We're fine, just a little beat up," he said, becoming more confident as he looked to the rest of his family. I looked too, meeting eyes with Adel. She opened her mouth, looking like she wanted to say something, but paused, shifting slightly, and stiffening her posture, looking forward and regal once again, as she always did. I shared a few more words with Enma, who still seemed to be flustered about his slight over reaction of his attempt to move out of my way, before reaching my original destination.
"Glad to know you're not dead, princess~" Bel greeted as I sat with the group, sending a look to Tsuna beside me, still talking to his guardians briefly. Squalo barely stiffened at Bel's words, eyes snapping away from my scar. I, however, laughed lightly, accepting as Bel slung his arm around my shoulder casually. I ignored the way his fingers barely brushed over the new scar, outlining it lightly.
"What can I say?" I shrugged, causing him to cease his movements, "I'm hard to kill." Bel snickered at this, but I was surprised to hear Xanxus speak up.
"I see you got that bitch involved," he noted, indicating to Dayita. I looked across the room, seeing that Fran had found Dayita like I had told him too, and also noting that the Indian was discussing something with Mukuro (albeit, both of them seeming a bit annoyed, but still professional).
"She's staying of her own accord, really," I told the boss, waving back after Fran noticed me. Xanxus gruffly hummed in acknowledgement. Lussuria clapped his hands on my shoulders, pulling me back slightly.
"We're just glad you came out in one piece!" he cooed, frowning down at me, "You gave us a scare there for a while, dear!"
"Sorry about that," I said, laughing again a bit, earning an irritated look from Squalo, causing me to become more serious, "but this time, we have a plan." This statement earned curious looked from the Varia, but they ceased their questions as Tsuna stepped forward and began his explanation.
I leaned forward as he talked, receiving a marker and paper pad form Gokudera, who nodded at me reassuringly. I sent a smile and wink towards Takeshi, who covered his concern with a grin per usual. I made a note to talk to him after all this was over.
Having heard Tsuna's theory this morning in detail, I set to work on illustrating the details of our plan we had discussed. I only paused and looked up when Byakuran underestimated the Vindice's strength.
"There's no way just you and Tsuna can beat them, Byakuran," I called him out, causing him to frown, "I mean, it's been pretty obvious; even ridiculously strong teams have had problems with just two of them, and if they all fought together, then we have no chance without a good strategy. Plus, Jager is on an entirely different level than the rest…." I trailed off, frowning and looking towards Tsuna.
"Cloud's right," he restated, "after both fighting him," I nearly puffed at the word, not really considering my encounter with that monster an actual fight, "it's clear… we can't see a limit to his battle strength."
"You fought him, Nikita?" Enma said, deeply concerned. I grimaced, eyes looking to my shoulder momentarily, and meeting Squalo's gaze before answering.
"I was attacked by him, yeah," I said, rolling my shoulders a bit, "but it's actually because of that that Tsuna and I both realized something really important."
"And it's only because we both fought him, that we came up with this plan," Tsuna finished, confidently looking around the room. "We think that's there's still a small hope that we can win this." He almost faltered, concern leaking into his eyes, "of course, this fight is still way too dangerous…"
A sense of humor washed through the room, and a few chuckles sounded at his words.
"You have the face of someone that shows no intention of losing," Mukuro pointed out, smirking.
"What are you planning?" Xanxus demanded behind me, then commanded, harsher, "Spill it."
Tsuna stiffened, having met eyes with Xanxus, but relaxed more when his eyes fell on me.
"Well, Cloud and I made a plan this morning, and we even discussed some of the details," he began, looking over at me to finish.
"We think we know Jager's weakness, "I bluntly stated.
"You think?" Squalo repeated, narrowing his eyes.
"Educated guess," I admitted, shrugging a bit, "we reasoned it out, and as soon as we test it?" I looked at Tsuna, then smiled. I held out a single arm and Tsuna pulled me to stand beside him, our plan we had meticulously discussed ready to be presented in my arms. I looked around the room, feeling confident and supported by the family in the room, the family that surrounded me.
"We'll know immediately and use it against them to win," Tsuna concluded answering my question with a confident smile of his own, feeling the same way, completely supported and backed by our family.
"This time, we'll go on the offensive."
"It's not your fault," I told my master after having put my shirt back on. He glanced back over at me, the same extremely guilty look in his eyes remaining after he had seen the impressive scars I had received from Jager.
"You died for my sake," He told me solemnly, "I can't just let that go."
"It was my choice," I shot back, "I knew what the stakes were, and I accepted them the moment I put those watches on my wrist." He sighed sadly, looking out the window.
"You don't have to fight for me anymore," he told me seriously, but not looking me in the eyes, still looking out the window of my hospital room.
"Well that's too bad," I said with a joking smile, "because I'm going to keep fighting, no matter what you say." He frowned, looking over at me, clearly not appreciating my humor.
"You've already given your life, Nikita," he reminded me. "Literally."
"And I'm going to keep giving," I said with a shrug, pushing myself off the bed and moving around the room to pick up the other few belongings scattered about the space, "because you'd do the same for me, for any of us," I said, thinking of Ipin as well. He sighed once more, but remained silent, not wanting to argue.
"I'm going to fight for you, and your life whether you want me to or not," I restated firmly, looking him in the eyes.
"I knew coming into this conversation that you weren't going to yield," he admitted, putting his arms together and closing his eyes, then, allowing a small smile, "but, I would expect nothing less from you."
"Honestly, a storm of all people should know," I reminded him, grinning, "that you can't stop a cloud from doing what they want." There was a pause, and then a soft chuckle.
"I suppose that is true."
Adel looked down at the watch on her wrist, flexing it slightly then shifting her entire body, prepared for the battle that was coming. The decoys were in place and ready to go, entirely convincing. Meanwhile, the group she was battling with remained to the side, hidden by the skillful illusions of both Chrome Dokuro and the child, Fran. Adel blinked slowly, then closed her eyes, thinking back to when she was handed the watch in the first place.
Adel did not understand Nikita Cavallone.
She was well aware that Adel was the one who murdered the Giegue. She had underestimated the girl's intelligence, not expecting her to recognize her weapons the instance Adel bared them because, dammit she should have been more careful, because she knew that Nikita was the one who tried to heal, tried to retrieve the lives Adel had taken. She knew the girl was skilled in that area, but she didn't know to what extent and what other areas she excelled in (weapons being one of them, it had to be, being able to discern the type from the wound and knowing right away).
But it wasn't the first time she killed for her family and it would not be the last. But despite knowing that Adel had killed those people, Nikita said nothing and even held back when provoked.
Adel didn't understand her intentions or her exact thoughts. But fighting. Battles were different. Adel was adept in that language, and perhaps that is where she first started to grasp Nikita Cavallone.
Adel was angered, offended even, when she realized that Nikita would never fight her seriously. Not truly, unless Adel did something truly drastic to hurt the girl's family. She saw this change when the girl transitioned from fighting Adel to fighting Mukuro. With him, she was fighting with rage. Intensity. Adel was awed by the sheer ferocity the girl showed.
It was as if she was undetermined about where to place Adel. Obviously, she was not in the same category as Mukuro. But neither was she at the level of Nikita's other opponents, the Varia. Nikita fought seriously with them as well, but it appeared to be more out of respect than ferocity. With them, she fought mercilessly, yet tactfully. With Mukuro it was rage. And he returned it. And it worked beautifully. And Adel was in awe, watching her fight, finding a small sliver of understanding doing so.
Nikita Cavallone was always fighting for someone. That was clear to Adel now.
Perhaps it was because Adel saw so much of herself in the girl that she loathed her so much. Or maybe it was because the girl forgave her so easily.
Either way, this didn't matter at the moment.
Adel's eyes snapped open, her weapons already prepared, her body already equipped. Her eyes narrowed as she took in the Vindice figures, and watched as Gokudera and Yamamoto went forward, making the first move. She steeled herself, stopping herself from going into the battle now, thinking of Enma and her family. Thinking of the state she had found them in and how guilty she had been that night, not being there for them.
Now wasn't the time to be thinking of a small, trivial rivalry. Now was the time for vengeance.
And Adel would take it gladly.
"How did you even figure out this weakness?" Squalo questioned.
"Well, it was weird wasn't it? That Jager, the strongest of the Vindice would attack me instead of you guys, or Tsuna's team, or literally any other team that posed a threat," I pointed out. I saw the gears turning in Squalo's head, my words enlightening him to this realization. "And then Tsuna and I started talking about how many flames his warping would take," I further elaborated, my eyes travelling around the room, making sure everyone understood our thought process.
"If warping takes as large amount of flames as we think, then wouldn't you want to eliminate any opponent with a weapon that would calls for a lot of warping?"
"Your defense," Mukuro realized, narrowing his eyes.
"And the only other person with a similar defense is Adel," I pointed out, "who's team's watches were already taken, and who's watch was already destroyed," I said, nodding to her. She looked almost embarrassed at the attention, and looked away from me pointedly. Enma gave her an awkward, yet calming smile, before turning his attention back to me.
"Both of our defenses would be a nuisance to warping, and it would end up depleting their flames quickly, that is, if the defenses were implemented right," I continued, "therefore, it was to their advantage to eliminate any threat to that weakness, and might as well do it as quickly and efficiently as possible. What they didn't count on however, is having a strong ally not involved in the battles," I looked over at Dayita, who gave me a dazzling smile, "and their own out of bounds fight ended up turning on them. They didn't know that my watch had survived, and could only know that Team Fon was still in the game by looking at the last recap."
"So they'll probably be pissed," I figured, frowning slightly, "but it's because of that, that we now have four extra watches," I patted our brief case by my leg, "and that we figured out a possibly weakness."
"We also have another theory," Tsuna spoke up beside me, "that stems from the amount of flames an Arcobaleno can hold in their body. By putting the details of both our fights together," Tsuna side eyed me once more, and I steeled myself, feeling a twinge of guilt, "we picked up on something we can use against Bermuda."
I quickly shifted my eyes to Byakuran, then Mukuro. Up until a few hours ago, the memory that had to do with the Vindice had never made sense. If had always been a brief glimpse of what I had assumed to be the final fight, and someone yelling about how Bermuda kept returning to Jager's shoulder to replenish him. During my discussion with Tsuna earlier, this small detail suddenly made an alarming amount of sense. With a few well placed lies of the details of my fights, and some key and slight manipulation, I managed to place the idea in Tsuna's head as well. My eyes lingered on Mukuro before going back to Tsuna, giving him a reassuring smile while holding back a small click of my tongue,
Bastard was rubbing off on me after all, I noted dryly.
"We think that Bermuda himself is continuously supplying his subordinates with his own flames, and replenishing their supply, making it possible for them to keep warping," I explained.
They didn't need to know the details, I assured myself, looking around the room as the group took in this new information; they didn't need to know the aspects of my manipulations. They just needed to trust me; to trust Tsuna (which they would, I told myself, of course they would trust him, and he trusted me, fully). I needed them to take the bait that I was giving them.
And they bit.
I let out a jagged breath, then quieted it, calming the small rift of uneasiness that rippled through my presence. I quelled once more, erasing my presence again, training my eyes on the monster group facing Jager and Bermuda. Mukuro's eyes flickered to me momentarily, before going back to the threat in front of them.
They seemed to be talking, but I wasn't paying much attention to the conversation. I focused once more, feeling Kashi's doubles, hidden with Mukuro's illusions at their feet, paws on the ground and ready. I mentally rechecked the plan, watching Jager intently.
And then that plan came into use. I willed my flames, my ring flaring with purple flames, and bamboo erupted from behind Squalo the moment Jager appeared behind them. I could see anger and recognition flash across his features, but that ended quickly as he became preoccupied, Squalo having swung around and tried to attack him. He warped again to avoid Squalo's blade, his eyes flickering to Byakuran. I activated the double with him, and it seemed to have the same effect, blocking Byakuran before Jager could attack, and from the easy smirk on Byakuran's face, this planned seemed like it was working.
I went cold quickly, however, as Jager's other hand warped without the rest of his entire body and appeared again, piercing Byakuran's stomach behind the wall of bamboo. Bykuran's smirk disappeared and he immediately coughed out blood and fell back, his hands going to clutch Jager's disembodied hand.
A look of shock passed over the entire group as e all suddenly realized the same thing.
He can warp individual parts of his body.
My intention spiked for a moment, seeing Byakuran fall lifelessly to the ground, wanting to immediately go to him. This was a mistake however, as Jager's head snapped to me immediately.
A chain shot out, wrapping around my leg and dragging me forward, nearly tearing into my leg as it did. The breath was knocked out of me as my back and then head hit the ground roughly as Jager snapped me toward him, dragging me roughly across the ground, out of the cover of the forest and into the open.
"You guys are not fighting him one on one," I said, putting my fists down on the table and looking at the group in question.
"But, Cloud~" Byakuran whined across from me, "I won just now! That means-"
"Shut up," I snapped, causing him to drop his easy expression, becoming more serious, "you are not fighting him one on one. The whole point of putting this together is that the strongest fight him all at once. Fuck, he's not even going to respect you wanting to fight him like that," I said, making sure to meet all their eyes. Xanxus huffed, rolling his eyes.
"Please," He grumbled, dismissing my worries, "me and the shitty shark could easily take him on."
"No," I repeated again, firmly. Xanxus's eyes snapped open in challenge, but I met them, determined.
"You haven't fought him like I have," I explained, never breaking eye contact, "he attacks without code or conduct. He sees an opportunity to kill and he goes for it. The only reason I came out like I did was because of my defense and how quick I can dodge."
"What we need to do is mix our best qualities," Dino backed me up, once Xanxus grumbled again and broke eye contact, grudgingly seeing my point. "If your theory is right, then we should be able to tire him out, then someone," he trailed off, looking around the group almost nervously, making a point not to mention a specific name.
"Can take him out and get the glory," I finished, sighing a bit and slumping, glad to feel the animosity towards each other go down now that they understood we couldn't make this a competition. I looked around the group, feeling a small flutter of confidence in this now that we quelled them a bit. This could work after all, I told myself.
"I swear," I muttered, rubbing my temples and holding back a small smile, "I'm surrounded by battle maniacs."
There was a sharp sound, and then the sounds of chains shattering. I stopped suddenly, but rolled a bit, the force of both Jager pulling me towards him and the force of the chain breaking suddenly causing me to come to a rough stop. I closed my eyes tightly, wincing as my head throbbed, knowing it would take a few seconds before I could get up and see things straight. I heard footsteps and then worrying hands on my shoulder.
"Nikita, are you okay?" I heard Dino's voice, and managed a small nod, opening my eyes slowly. I pushed myself up, Dino helping me, wincing as I tried to stand on my leg.
"It looks worse than it is," I promised Dino, before turning to look where Jager had went. I blinked, seeing a large green mosca, and then recalled who was controlling it.
"Up, brat!" Squalo ordered, quickly approaching us and jerking me on my feet. Dino opened his mouth in protest but Squalo glared. I gave him a reassuring look, forcing myself to stand on my bad leg. Squalo knew I could take way more pain than this.
"That won't hold him for lo-" And sure enough, Squalo's words came true. Jager warped both his hands, taking off the arms of the machine in one go. And soon enough, he was looking towards out group again.
Xanxus shot, but Jager warped again, this time right behind us. I turned just in time to see Squalo taken down, Jager's arm going straight through his shoulder. A double of Kashi appeared, the illusion wearing off as it used the rest of its flames to put a wall between Jager and me, encasing his hand, still covered in blood. Dino used this opportunity to attack Jager while he was stalled momentarily. However, Jager warped once more, and Dino dove forward, but still was sliced across his back.
I felt sudden rage and foreboding, and looked to see Xaxnus, scar covered, shoot a large, furious blast at Jager, who dodged instead of warped, his arm getting caught in part of the blast. Xanxus gave me one look and then barely glanced at Squalo and Dino. I nodded, and moved forward quickly.
"I'm fine," Dino assured me, raggedly breathing.
"He's breathing too," I let out a sigh, checking Squalo's wound. It looked extremely bad, but it was only a hole in his shoulder.
"I'll take him to the group nearby," Dino assured me, moving over and bringing out a small vial, stabbing it into Squalo's leg, "this should help him until he's patched up."
"And you?" I asked, worried, looking at the blood staining the back of his jacket.
"I'll be fine," he said, smiling for my sake, "go help the others!" I grimly nodded, then look back, to see Jager barely dodging Xanxus's rage filled shots. I quickly dismissed Dino and Byakuan's Kashi doubles, returning their flames to me, and then opening a battery box, feeling relief fill me as I replenished my own flames. Making a bamboo rod, I shot up to stand by boss's side, eyes narrowing as I saw Bermuda on Jager's shoulder, helping him taunt Xanxus. I immediately noticed that Jager was no longer out of breath as he had been before, to an extreme extent.
"You're supplying him with flames!" I called out, confirming to the others that our theory had been right. The man who gave us the watches popped out the bushes, reprimanding Bermuda for breaking the rules. However, despite this, Bermuda laughed coldly, taking his time parting from his representative.
"I suppose I should congratulate you on figuring it out," he said, "but I've already given him enough flames to finish this once and for all. After all," he reviewed us coldly, Mukuro now standing with Xanxus and me, "there's only three of you still standing. Well," he said, referencing me, my leg still bleeding, "barely."
Jagers arms suddenly flashed and Xanxus and I parted immediately, both arms having gone after us. Jager's body went for me, as his arms warped again, going for Mukuro. I was prepared to face him, when someone attacked instead, blocking Jager's hand from behind me.
From the corner of my eye, I saw plants burst forward in front of Mukuro, entangling around Jager's arm before it warped once more, returning to the main body, helping it to block the endless barrage of attacks it was dealing with.
Help had arrived.
"So I'll be there to provide both my defense and medical assistance. Tsuna will have one of my sun vials and Chrome will have another, just in case they have any problems. Then Dino," I nodded to him, "will have the fourth in case someone needs it in the middle of the battle immediately and can't be pulled aside."
"The moment they see you though," Squalo reminded me, "they're going to take you out immediately, already knowing about your healing abilities."
"You're forgetting," I reminded him, giving a small, sly smile, "we still have one ace that they don't know about yet."
"You've had enough time to watch?" I asked Dayita, who was giving Mukuro a sly, coy look while flexing the gloves on her hand.
"More than enough," she purred, "and I will admit, although I'd much rather prefer bare hands, these gloves do have their perks," she admitted, petting one of the monstrous plants she had created.
"You're just lucky that the professor made two pairs," Mukuro muttered, coming to stand beside me, watching too as Jager was fending off Hibari and now Xanxus. "I believe he mentioned that you were the reason he made back ups now," he accused me. I frowned, watching the battle rather than participating in the conversation.
"Even without warping his body, and just using small warps," I noted, narrowing my eyes, "he's still a pain to hit. Even they're having trouble." Mukuro frowned, seeing this as well.
"You're thinking to get him in situations where he has to use full body warps," Dayita guessed, taking in my facial expression.
"And tire him out," I finished. "By this time, I'm guessing that he has two more full body warps…?" I trailed off, looking to Mukuro for confirmation. He nodded, then glanced down at my leg, raising as eyebrow.
"I'm fine," I assured him, then forced myself into action, holding back a wince. I ran around the side, and yelled out Kyoya's name. He gave me an irritated glanced, but understand as I held up my hand, pointing to Jian. He barely nodded before releasing his box weapon. Xanxus quickly retreated to the side, looking miffed, but understanding after looking over at me.
Spiked balls covered the area thoroughly, casing Jager to barely dodge them. I slid underneath one, and used Jian's ring, bringing Bamboo shoots up to trap Jager, until I finally pierced him directly, using more shoots to keep him in one place. Seeing his opportunity, Kyoya went for the watch with his chain weapon.
Jager's eyes widened, and he warped out of my bamboo cage. I winced, and dove to the side, Jager barely clipping my neck as I moved. I fell back, letting Mukuro go forward, seeing only half the illusion him and Dayita were casting.
It was impressive really, seeing their seamless mix of both real and regular illusions. I put a hand to my neck, and kept on eye on the battle. The vines Dayita created suddenly latched onto Jager's ankle, and took the rest of his body before he could warp his foot. Other nightmarish tentacles shot out as well, soon drawing Jager's body taut and almost suspending him.
Jager used his last warp to escaped before a large carnivorous plant could swallow him whole, appearing out of the ground below him. I heard a childish pout from Dayita before Jager appeared in front of her, attacking mercilessly, but only being met with mist. The mist grew larger, enveloping him, before turning into thick ice, and then steel, keeping him in one place with the combined power of Mukuro and Dayita.
Xanxus stepped forward like a deity, his frustration from being kept from the battle having reached a boiling point. He raised his gun and the message was clear;
he had the finishing blow.
He snarled and grinned wickedly as the trigger was pulled, just as Jager ripped his arm, shattering it's restraints and shielding his watch with his body. But even that couldn't help him. I held a hand up, shielding my eyes from the bright, impressive flare. Xanxus's expression fell however, as the light went down, revealing nothing but remains of Jager's restraints.
"Honestly," a voice said from behind us, turning my blood to ice, "I didn't think I'd have to resort to this." I turned, seeing a strange, small figure setting Jager's beaten body down, watch still intact. I looked at the watch on its wrist, and paled.
"I'll use my limited time wisely," Bermuda said, his face eerie, unnatural, "after all, I've only got two minutes."
"Hey, Yita?" I called. She hummed lightly. Thanks to the sun light and the angle, I could see her eyes flitter over to me under her sunglasses. I shifted myself lightly, now laying on my side to face her. I lifted my own sun glasses to the top of my head before continuing the conversation.
"How exactly are you able to use your illusions so well?" I wondered, "Like with the Varia. In the future, you were able to pull them into such small illusions and get away with it."
"You see, Nike-dearest," she cooed, shifting her legs them crossing them again, the switch of topics clearly not stopping her from continuing to sun bathe, "It's all about knowing your opponent. Being able to predict their movements and then showing them what they want up until the moment the illusion is dispelled. You should know this," she pointed out nonchalantly, "isn't that something you learn in martial arts?" I shifted again, settling on my back once more, looking up at the clear, blue sky.
"Predict your opponent's movement before they make them; counter them before they even attack," I recalled one of my lessons.
"Exactly," Dayita held up a dainty finger, waving it lightly in the air, "I've simply mastered this concept completely and applied it to illusions. Of course, this would mean nothing if I couldn't read people, but luckily, people are children's books in my eyes. I can determine their personality and will from one simple look; pick out old injuries, changes in demeanor and facial expressions; all of these give me hints about that they truly want to see, and so, being the kind person I am, I give it to them."
"It's easy for you, isn't it?" I asked, "Especially when all they want is to win, or just kill their target."
"Exactly," Dayita sang out, putting her finger on her nose and smiling beautifully, "I knew you would understand easily, Nike. After all, you have a slight talent for this as well. You wouldn't be able to fight like you do if you didn't."
In one moment, Bermuda was behind Xanxus, and taking both his arms and tearing them before he could shoot. I held back a cry and I went forward out of instinct, slamming the end of my staff down and sending spikes of bamboo at Bermuda. He warped again, and I was prepared for him to be right in front of me, but instead, he appeared between Kyoya and Mukuro, making indent in both of their shoulders.
"I can't predict this one," Dayita barely breathed out, a look of horror on her face. She quickly removed her gloves, revealing a hell ring on her hand. Flames danced to life on it, but then sputtered out and a hand appeared through her chest. I stared as blood dribbled out of her mouth, for a moment, blending in with the color of her lips before it ran to her chin. She fell forward, revealing Bermuda behind her, flicking the blood off his hand. He stepped on her watch for good measure, shattering it.
I blinked once, and his hand was around my neck, choking me as he picked me off the ground. I coughed, sputtering as he stared up at me, almost curiously.
"Unlike Jager, I can warp as many times as I want," he told me, completely emotionless, "You have n-"
My eyes widened, Bermuda getting hit suddenly, and being forced to release me. I dropped to the ground, landing on my bad leg. I let out ragged breaths, not knowing whether to attend to my neck or my leg. I looked up, blinking, seeing furious Tsuna in front of me.
His eyes went to me, concerned. I gave a him a very small, weak, but reassuring look. There was a small sputter of laughter, and we looked to see Bermuda standing up from the small crater Tsuna had made when he punched him.
"I'll admit, Sawada Tsunayoshi," he said, getting up and brushing himself off, not looking to be injured much by the blow, "you surprised me there. But that," he said, warping again and appearing behind me, "was a one time thing, I promise." He nodded and then shot his hand forward, breaking my watch.
"For good measure," he muttered, and I felt a sharp pain in the back of my head.
The last thing I saw before passing out completely was Tsuna's rage filled face.
I scrunched my face, coming too, and taking note of my surroundings first. I moved my fingers, feeling soft fabric, and then switching to a confused expression.
I shot up, the events of the battle coming to me suddenly. Jager. Bermuda. Dino and Squalo. Byakuran. Xanxus. Dayita.
"Everyone's fine, Nikita." I looked over, seeing my master sitting in a chair pulled near the bed. "I knew that was the first thing you would think about," he said with a small, soft smile.
"Dayita-"
"Actually managed to give herself an illusion heart until she received a transplant," Fon explained, "Her family immediately found a donor, it seemed, and the problem was resolved quickly. Byakuran is safe as well, along with Xanxus. Everyone is here and resting." I let out a sigh, slumping down again.
"I'm glad," I relented, feeling large weight lifting off of my shoulders, "So, Tsuna defeated Bermuda? Did his other plan not work…?" I trailed off, recalling the second part, frowning as I realized that my master was still in the same form.
"No, his plan did work," my master corrected, causing me to raise an eyebrow, "The curse is lifted. However, if appears that we will just age naturally. Lal was the only one that changed forms and reverted completely back."
"Because she was partially cursed?" I asked. He nodded.
"That's what we figured."
"But, the curse is still lifted then?" I asked, forming a smile. He nodded, returning it. I grinned and shot forward, picking him up in a hug. "I'm so glad, Master!"
"As I am, but I would be a lot gladder if you released me," he said, voice muffled. I laughed, letting him go. He bowed in thanks, but remained on the bed.
"In the meantime," he continued, "you need to rest. Your leg was badly injured, and your neck is still heavily bruised." I pouted.
"Can't I just-"
"No," He said firmly, "you also tired yourself out using your flames. Let your core rest as well. And don't," he warned, "just heal yourself anyways. I will be personally watching over you until I leave, and after that, I believe Chrome Dokuro showed interest in taking care of you until you've recovered."
"You're leaving?" I asked, perking up. He nodded.
"I've decided to take another trip," He explained, "and plan to take Ipin with me. You're more than welcome to come as well, Nikita," he offered, "the invitation is open. I'll let you think over it, of course. I know you still have many loved ones here, and I plan for the trip to take at least a year, perhaps longer."
"I'll…" I hesitated, mind racing, "I'll think it over. It's a really tempting offer." I admitted, looking up and to the window, the sun filtering in.
"About my leg…" I addressed, turning back, trying to look as pitiful as possible, "I know I can't heal it myself," I said quickly, "but can I at least move around? The others are in this hospital, right?"
I smiled innocently at my master's stern expression. He sighed in defeat, knowing I would keep bothering him about it no matter what.
"I suppose you visiting them isn't out of the question." I clapped my hands together, grinning widely.
"Thanks master!" I chirped, then frowned, my hand going to my hair. "First things first, I need to talk to Lussuria about my hair…."
"Love the new hair, love!" Dayita cooed, running a hand over the shaved part.
"I thought I was going to regret saying that he could do whatever he wanted," I admitted, titling my head, still getting used to the lack of hair, "but I really love what he did."
"It truly is a change," Yita hummed. My smile faltered however, again looking at the scar on her chest. She clicked her tongue and rolled her eyes.
"Have a little decency, dear," she joked, then became more serious, "it's such a pain that you can't see illusions. Honestly."
"I'm just…. you didn't have to even enter the battle."
"Quite right," she agreed, "it was my choice, which," she said, eyes glinting, "is why you need to stop worrying about it," she snapped. "It's quite annoying really. And besides," she tilted her head, a Cheshire grin spreading across her face, "this only adds to your debt to my family."
I paled at this, having forgotten this fact. There was a knock, and after Dayita's consent, Madhi poked her head in.
"Your transportation is here, miss," Madhi said. I blinked, still not used to her being so small. Dayita sighed sadly and then leaned forward, kissing me on the cheek.
"I'll contact you soon." It was almost a warning, then after she had wafted to the door, she turned and blew a kiss, "until then, love!"
I sighed, slumping on the bed. I was alone now, with Fon and Ipin having already left, and Chrome at school. My eyes drifted to my leg, heavily bandaged. I begin picking at it, sending looks at the door every now and then.
"Chrome won't be too mad…."
Luckily, I was done healing my leg entirely before the 'fun' began. I immediately tensed and dove down, breaking into a roll as a beam shot through my room and went into the next. I paused, then looked up, standing and peeking wearily through the new hole in the wall, seeing plenty of my other friends and family, all looking rather blood thirsty. I blinked, hearing Reborn's cheeky voice mention a pillow fight.
"Nope," I stated, shaking my head adamantly, "not getting involved."
Knowing this group well enough, they'll turn this more into a pillow fight. As in, an actual fight to the death. And after actually experiencing death (technically twice), I did not plan to die again anytime soon.
"Master did say to get some rest," I muttered, dodging a bullet as I left my room, hoping to find refuge in Dino's. He was on the other side of the hall, after all. My escape, however, was halted when I met Chrome in the hallway.
I gave her a charming smile. Her eye, however, was on my previously injured leg. Which was now bare. Which I was now standing perfectly on. My smile became more forced as her eye went to my face and she crossed her arms, looking rather intimidating for someone so small and cute.
"Does it help if I told you I didn't heal my neck?" I hoped.
It didn't.
Xanxus's eyes lifted, going from his second in commands to the girl who had just opened the door and leaned in. She smiled brightly, seeing both of them and entered, Bel following a long per usual. Xanxus examined her as she greeted Squalo, watching as she so casually interacted with Bel, the prince slinging his arm casually around her shoulders, his fingers absentmindedly tracing the noticeable scar.
She had changed, Xanxus realized. He had met her as a child, and in many ways, he still viewed her as the strange little girl who always seemed to be at the mansion. And he figured he always would view her this way, because his image of people did not change typically. After all, he still saw Bel as the weird, homicidal little boy, and still viewed Squalo the same as the first day they met. Xanxus was a good judge of character after all, despite what people may think. He could read people easily, and saw them plainly as soon as he met them.
And although Nikita was still that same child, he saw change in her. He saw her growth.
She had changed her hair style drastically; it was half shaved now on her right and chopped off, layered, much shorter than before on the left. It bounced as she talked and moved her head, tilting it as she always did and laughed while talking to Squalo. He thought, amused, that it fit her rebellious personality more. It fit her more in general. It revealed more of her jaw and showed off the shape of her face more, and now, her eyes seemed to pop more, seemed to have more intensity. But perhaps, that was because of something else entirely.
She was muscular, more than people would think, more than they would assume, but that was given, with the weights Xanxus had noticed she constantly wore. But they were off now, ever since the battles started. The scar suited her, he thought, standing out drastically against her tan skin, but perhaps it was because it reminded him of his own, and he was glad that she showed it proudly.
She had changed, but she was still a child. She was still young. And she was happy, he thought with a slight frown. He thought back to the conversation he had with Squalo, how the man had brought it up for discussion multiple times. Xanxus himself had been thinking about the subject for much longer than his second in command. His eyes narrowed dangerously, watching as Squalo's expression changed and a decision was made.
"Voi, brat! We've got something to as- GAH!" The second in command was promptly and harshly kicked off the edge of the bed and fell to the ground. He got up immediately, turning to glare at his boss.
"What the hell, you shitty boss!?" he roared. Nikita stepped back, holding back a smile, while Bel was outwardly giggling.
"Shut it, trash." Xanxus gave him a harsh look. Squalo's eyes widened slightly, understanding immediately. He raised an eyebrow, but said nothing.
"You're fine, yeah?" The girl asked Xanxus, who simply nodded in return, leaning back to rest on his pillows. She smiled in relief. "I'm glad that they attached both arms back. I was worried for a while." Xanxus snorted at this, which caused the girl to laugh lightly.
"I should probably go find Fran again," she said, beginning to walk about backwards, then looked towards Bel, "You coming?" He grinned, twirling a knife in his hands as Cloud pivoted, walking slowly until he fell into step with her.
"I'm always up for frog hunting," he said, following.
"You can't skewer him with knives, Bel," she reprimanded.
"But, princess~ that takes the fun out of it! And you're just trying to avoid that girl."
"I didn't expect that much backlash from her, okay? She's a lot scarier than I thought!"
The conversation continued down the hallway. Squalo did not turn to him until the couple was completely gone.
"The fuck was that?!" He hissed, "I was about to ask her like w-"
"Wait," Xanxus interrupted, still calmly resting, "until she's sixteen. We'll ask her then." Squalo opened his mouth, then paused. He grumbled, pinching the bridge of his nose, then relented.
"Fine. We'll wait."
"Feed me, Cloud," Byakuran whined, with his arm covering his eyes dramatically, "I'm too weak to feed myself."
"Bullshit," I said, not even looking over at him while picking up another piece of sushi with my chopsticks.
"You're no fun, Cloud~" He teased, sitting up and stealing a piece of my sushi with his fingers, popping it into his mouth. I rolled my eyes, but allowed him to do this, only poking him harshly with my chopsticks when he went after my favorites. After all, Takeshi had brought me a lot more sushi than I could ever eat. I decided to visit Byakuran after the group had left, Tsuna, Gokudera, and Takeshi having stayed until the very last minute, and were forced out by the nurses.
Chrome had come by, per usual, before and after school, and was letting up a little bit, and not being as strict as before. I shuddered slightly, thinking of the lecture I had received from her, even Dino having backed off, having witnessed part of it after walking in on us. It wasn't exactly the fact that she was angry. No, it was the immense amount of disappointment that was terrifying and so very effective.
"So, what are you going to do after this," Byakuran asked curiously, "back to Italy?" I stopped, looking out the window in thought.
"I don't think so," I admitted sheepishly, "I've actually… been thinking of staying in Japan."
"Ah? Really?"
"To finish out the school year," I supplied, "and to maybe stay with Fran." I scrunched my nose. "Shit. I've still got to talk to Mukuro about that."
"Have you two made up?" I titled my head, face scrunched in thought, causing Byakuran to chuckle.
"Kind of? Fuck," I sighed, slumping a bit, "I don't know. I don't know where we're at…. but," I paused, then confirmed, "we're farther than before. That's for sure."
"Progress is progress," Byakuran chirped.
"I guess," I relented, the shrugged, "I need to thank him anyway," I added sadly.
"For?"
"Saving my life…" I frowned, bringing my knees up and curling up on the bed. Byakuran's smile fell and his hand went to my knee.
"Want to talk about it?" I paused, then shook my head.
"He… he really deserves to know first," I admitted, "so maybe later?" Byakuran smiled softly.
"I'll be there for you," he told me, "because that's the least I can do, for what I did."
"Are you really just trying to make up for killing me?" I asked, looking over at him. He shrugged.
"I felt that I needed to. Like I felt I needed to give my life for Uni. Because she saved me. To make up for my sins that could never be forgiven," he stated, "It's the least I can do." A smile appeared on his face again as he reached over to grab the last piece of sushi from the tray.
"And besides," he said, sending me a wink, "by this point, I'm invested."
I looked up at the leafy canopy, feeling a gentle wind rippled through the garden. I took a breath, and closed my eyes, only opening them hearing soft footsteps approach. I didn't open then until I knew he was sitting down beside me. No throne. No illusions. Just him.
"I see you let me back in," Mukuro stated.
"Yeah," I said, eyes still closed. "We need to talk."
"About?"
"So many things," I breathed out, letting a small smile loose and laughing a bit. "So many fucking things." He let out a small chuckle to and the garden grew warmer.
"I suppose we do," he admitted, putting his trident down and laying down to look at the canopy with me.
And we did.
With a soft jingle of keys, I opened the door, Chrome close as she followed me in. I stopped, looking around the empty space, and turning to see a smile on Chrome's face as well. I spun our new keys on my finger and grinned as she moved closer to me.
"It feels like a new start," she said, looking around and sighing softly. Happily.
I looked over at her, and linked arms, bumping her lightly with my hip.
"It does, doesn't it?" And we moved forward to fully explore our new home together.
"There's a million things I haven't done, but just you wait. Just you wait."
-Lin-Manuel Miranda (Alexander Hamilton: Hamilton)
AN:
And now we're rolling up the story again! Kind of. There's still some fun stuff coming up, and some other loose ends to tie before this series actually ends. I may do a few other polls however?
1) Although there will be an actual endgame pairing in this version, I may do alternate pairings if other characters get vote, so please leave a review/pm telling me who you ship Nikita with this time around, and I'll do a pairing/ending for them.
2) also, I may do a poll to see if there us a lot of people interested in me posting the original story as well. Just a warning though, I'll probably just post it as is if anything because I don't think I have it in me to proofread read it all again. But if there's enough support, then I'll probably post it.
As always, thanks for all the reviews, follows, and favorites!
-Evenly