Chapter 39: The Failure vs. The Natural Part 2
Characters:
Hizashi Hyūga (mentioned) / Solare Soleggiato
Hiashi Hyūga / Giornaliero Soleggiato
"What are you talking about?" Voluta asked, stepping closer to Antifrizione. "It's clear who the winner is!"
"No it's not!" Gelato threw a knife between Voluta and Antifrizione, causing them to separate. "I'm sick of your stupid mind-games! That's what made Aurora lose! But I'm not falling for that, and I'm not going back on the promise I made to her!"
Upon hearing this, Aurora's heartbeat sped up, but it also caused her to cough up blood. Zanna noticed, and escorted her to the infirmary that was located on the first floor of the arena. Voluta sighed and walked up to Gelato.
"You failures are all the same, working hard and thinking that you'll achieve great things," Voluta said, standing in front of Gelato's face. "But in reality, all that hard work adds up to nothing! I had to learn that the hard way, being born into the branch family of the Soleggiato clan!"
"What does that have to do with being born a failure?" Gelato asked, after a brief cough. "You're stronger, smarter, and older than I am, so what are you complaining about?"
Voluta gritted his teeth. "I may be all of those things, but I'm not on the same status as Aurora, because I have the Slave's Brand (Cursed Seal)!"
"Slave's Brand?" Gelato's eyes widened as Voluta removed the tie from his dress-shirt. Then after unbuttoning the dress-shirt partway, Voluta revealed to Gelato a green tattoo on his chest shaped like a double-edged axe.
"Every member of the branch family is branded with this tattoo by the main family members. It's to signify our status, and to keep us in line if we don't do what we're told. Like my father before me, I too was given this Slave's Brand when the head of the main family's daughter Aurora turned three. This deemed me her protector, but my father Solare saw that I had more potential. This caused him to bear a grudge against his older twin brother Giornaliero, who was and still is the head of the Soleggiato clan.
"One day, Solare got into an open argument with Giornaliero, causing him to wave his hand over Solare's chest, which caused him to have a severe muscle spasm for two hours. If it had gone on for any longer, he would've died right then and there. So those of us in the branch family have to constantly live with the fear of death every day, because the main family members have the power to do that if they wish."
Upon saying that, Voluta glared up at the man with same eyes as Aurora's in the seats. The man frowned, and looked down.
"After all, we're the ones who are supposed to protect the main family from those who would try to steal the secret of the Bianco Occhi eyes, which could be very dangerous if they fell into the wrong hands," Voluta continued. "Such an incident occurred a few months after I had been given the Slave's Brand, when a Soldier from the Nuvola (Cloud) family tried to kidnap Aurora, even though the Nuvola and the Foglia family recently made peace agreements.
"Unfortunately, Solare didn't react fast enough to protect Aurora, since I was too young, so Giornaliero ended up killing the Soldier instead. This made the Nuvola Boss angry with the Godfather, and he demanded that the killer of the Soldier die as payment. The Godfather agreed to the Nuvola Boss' terms, because he didn't want to start another war, but instead of Giornaliero being the one to die, it was Solare. They looked exactly alike, so no one could tell the difference. It was then that I came to the conclusion that the only reason my father was born a few minutes after his brother was so that he could die for the sake of the main family, and no one would care about it except for me!"
After he buttoned his shirt and put his tie back on, the crowd was silent. Gelato didn't say anything either, but then he suddenly broke out into laughing. This made Voluta grab the collar of Gelato's shirt and say, "What's so funny, a**hole?"
"You think you've got it bad? Well, guess what, you're not the only one whose suffering!" Gelato said, trying to twist out of Voluta's grip. But Voluta just threw Gelato aside, causing him to hit the ground again. Then as Voluta walked up to Antifrizione, Gelato got back up and continued, "Look at Aurora! She has to put up with expectations that she can't meet, and people like you shoot her down when she tries to improve herself! Some lousy protector you are!"
"Enough! I've had it with your idiotic excuses! You failures will always be failures! End of story!" Voluta charged at Gelato once more.
Rosa clenched her fist. Maiale sighed. The man with the same eyes as Aurora's looked away, and Cielo smiled, thinking the match was over. But to everyone's surprise, Gelato didn't try to get out of the way. He just stood there, with his eyes closed, and concentrating hard.
All right, you stupid snake! I need your power now! Gelato thought, putting a hand over his navel. I'm all out of nature energy, and if this kid hits me one more time, it'll be the end for both of us!
The hiss of the Hydra responded, and soon, Gelato felt cold, but not uncomfortably like the previous time. A sudden rage overtook him, causing him to roar as a bright blue aura surrounded him, taking the form of snakeheads like the time he fought Fiera. All the elders in the audience, including the Godfather, were shocked, because they knew what it was, while the younger members looked on in amazement. Voluta stopped charging and observed the aura with his Bianco Occhi eyes.
"What kind of nature energy…is this?" he muttered. Then in his vision, a snakehead looked directly at Voluta and hissed, causing him to step back. "This is no ordinary nature energy…it's something else entirely…and more powerful than anything I've ever encountered!"
Once Gelato finished his rage-filled roar, the previous wounds he had were gone, which surprised Antifrizione, who was standing close-by, but out of range from the fight. He too recognized the Nine-Headed Hydra, but he did not say anything out of fear. Then in an instance, Gelato vanished, only to reappear behind Voluta. Voluta blocked him, being prepared from the last time, but then Gelato ran past him with a supersonic punch, but Voluta barely missed it. Activating his Bianco Occhi eyes, he saw Gelato as a blur of blue fire, but he managed to see where Gelato was going to strike before blocking him. After a few more bouts of this, Gelato leaped into the air with a Throwing Knife drawn, still charged with the Hydra's power. Meanwhile below, Voluta also drew a Throwing Knife, and spun, replicating his Twelve Zodiac Wheel of Fists again. The two forces clashed, resulting in an explosion that blinded everyone, including Antifrizione.
When the concrete debris settled, there were two holes in the floor. One had Voluta lying on his back, while the other had Gelato lying on his side. Antifrizione cautiously approached them, and then just as he was about to call the match a draw, Voluta stirred. He slowly got up, and wobbled a little as he tried to stand, but he managed to look at the unconscious Gelato, and gloat.
"What a fool you are!" Voluta said, rubbing the debris from his face. "I guess that strange nature energy you emitted was just a fluke."
But then, a hand came up from the ground beneath him, followed by an arm, and then Gelato's body as he punched Voluta below the chin, causing him to be thrown backward. Everyone was startled, especially Cielo, who leaned back in her chair so far that it broke. Gelato weakly stood, clenching a bloody hand as the Gelato sitting in the hole dissolved, revealing another hole underneath.
"So you…put a Homunculus in your place...to fool me, so I couldn't see the hole you were digging to get to me," Voluta said, coughing, followed by chuckling. "I guess I should've seen it coming. After all, creating Homunculi is your signature move."
Gelato chuckled in response. "Yeah…but that wasn't always the case."
Voluta's eyes widened.
"I was actually pretty bad at making Homunculi. In fact, I failed the Initiation Test three times because I couldn't make a goddamn Homunculus. But that didn't stop me from joining the Foglia family, and being apart of the branch family of the Soleggiato clan certainly didn't stop you from doing the same!"
While Antifrizione lifted Gelato's hand, causing the crowd to erupt in cheers, Voluta was taken away by the Healers to the infirmary, where he saw Aurora lying in a bed parallel to the one he was placed in, with the man with the same eyes as hers standing over. When he saw Voluta, he was initially surprised, but said nothing as the Healers took care of Voluta. When the injuries were healed, they left, leaving Voluta and the man starring at each other.
"Master Giornaliero," Voluta said, struggling to sit up. "Are you here to kill me, because those things I said about the clan?"
The man, Giornaliero, shook his head. "I originally came to check on my daughter, but now that you're here, I would like to clear up some misunderstandings you have regarding the death of your father."
"What do you mean?" Voluta clenched his fist.
"On the day that he was killed, I told him a few hours before what the agreement was between the Nuvola and the Foglia family, and that it would be better for the clan's survival if he die in my place. But I was reluctant, and willing to die instead, but your father had insisted that he take my place. He didn't do it for the sake of the clan, but for me, because we were brothers. I'm sorry that I didn't tell you this sooner, and will try to make up for the grief I have caused you. After all, despite your status as a branch family member, you're still my nephew."
After a brief sigh, Giornaliero left. Voluta was too shocked to say anything, but as he sat there, he felt a heavy weight being lifted off his chest. He looked at Aurora, who was still unconscious, and then at the ceiling, as he lay back down with a genuine smile on his face.
End of Chapter 39