A/N: Finally, we get to meet Shizuka's future Sun! I had another character I could have used but they were almost a carbon copy of Reborn. *shivers* I think one of him is enough. And I figured if CEDEF have spice names then Cervello would use flowers, that's just my headcannon. Hope you all enjoy the chapter and feel free to leave a review!
A Glimpse of Sunlight
A teen with long pink hair wandered around Namimori, trying to find the building where the Ring Battles would take place. Rosa's going to yell at me for getting lost again. She thought, a gloomy aura starting to surround her. Violet was a healer in training, meant to take care of any life threatening injuries during the battles. Most of the women in the Cervello organization were Mists, so she was the odd one out with Sun flames. There were other reasons she stuck out but this was one of the more obvious.
"Meow." Violet looked down at a black cat, unnerved by the intelligent look in its green eyes. It rubbed its body against her leg then stood in front of her, its tail twitching impatiently. "Does it... want me to follow it? Whatever, I don't think I could get lost more than I already am." She grumbles. If only she knew the kind of trouble the feline was leading her to, she would have been more hesitant to follow.
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Shizuka yawned, deciding to relax outside with her many cats. Flames subconsciously leaked from her flame form, the cats around her purring in content. "How long are you going to stay in that cat body Mukuro? You need to visit your real body every once in a while before your soul detaches itself completely." Shizuka comments, Mukuro growled. "How would you like to be put in a sensory deprivation tank?" Mukuro demands, Shizuka deadpanned. "Sorry for not being sympathetic to the guy that wanted to possess my big brother's body to destroy the mafia. But even I wouldn't want my worst enemy becoming a wandering spirit." She says bluntly.
Mukuro scoffed. "It's hard to believe that you would care for anyone outside your family." Shizuka raised an eyebrow. "Chrome seems to like you, and she was skittish around everyone. So you have to have some redeeming qualities. It's difficult for people to escape death unscathed, let alone multiple. Hell, why didn't you just plead insanity due to all the horrific experiments that Estraneo did?" Mukuro's tail twitched. "You're assuming that the Vendice are fair. They're far worse than the mafia they police." "I know, they're the demons of the mafia that no one has the guts to stand up to." Shizuka comments.
"You were leading me to a Sky?!" Shizuka looked up, the other cats glancing at the pink haired teen curiously. Kuro didn't look bothered at all, a mischievous glint in his eyes. "Well, guess that means you're part of the mafia then. It seems collecting strays isn't limited to cats anymore." Shizuka grumbles. Kuro walked smugly to Shizuka, looking at her expectantly. "For such a lazy cat you're as crafty as Mukuro. That's kind of terrifying." She comments, standing to her feet.
Violet didn't know what to think of the person she was lead to. Her body was primarily made of indigo and orange flames, blue eyes glinting with amusement. "I'm Shizuka, and yes I am a Sky. My... circumstances put me in a very unique position. And you are?" She asks. "You're going for a full set." Mukuro says bluntly, Shizuka ignored him. It wasn't something she'd planned but she noticed that every time she welcomed a new guardian she felt stronger. Before she could only stay in a human form for a couple minutes, now she could keep the form for hours when needed. She could actually lead a somewhat normal life at this point but she still wanted more.
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"Where did Shizuka run off to this time? We're supposed to walk to the school together aren't we?" Tsuna asks, Reborn deadpanned. "Did you remember to tell her?" Tsuna froze, it may have slipped his mind that Shizuka wasn't there when the Cervello informed them where the Ring Battles would be. Yamamoto just laughed. "She'll find us eventually. It's like she has a Tsuna detector or something." The baseball player joked. Gokudera was already writing it down in his notebook, Tsuna was positive that there was an entire section with observations on his sister. If he didn't know the interest was only scientific Tsuna would've found it very creepy.
Shizuka did eventually arrive at the school, another girl trailing behind her. She had a wide grin, something that unnerved Tsuna greatly. The last time she had that expression she had her cat army idea. "Shizuka? Why is one of the Cervello accompanying you?" Reborn asks, Shizuka just shrugged. "Violet got lost so they asked me for directions. I might a ghost but I don't have Vongola intuition. You need to tell me about these sort of things." She says, Tsuna smiled sheepishly. "Sorry, I'm used to you being in the background."
Unlike the rest of the Cervello, Violet was unusually skittish. One of the older members spotted Violet and sighed. "There you are Violet. Honestly you need to stop wandering off." She scolds. "Sorry, please don't tell my sister!" Violet squeaked. "The first battle will be between the Suns guardians. Please follow us." The woman says, ignoring Violet's plea. Shizuka just patted her on the shoulder, which was strange since Shizuka usually avoided Sun users like a plague. "I'm sure everything will be fine."
The Sun battle would take place in a steel cage, a subtle nod to Ryohei and Lussuria's fighting styles. "Shizuka, you should extremely join the cheering circle!" Ryohei exclaims, Shizuka shivered. "No thanks. Nothing against you but I think I'd die, permanently." She says bluntly. Viper and Belphangor were both giving her dark looks and it dawned on her that if she wasn't one of the participants in the ring battles they would have attacked her by now. She clutched at her half of the Mist ring, wanting to hide behind one of her guardians. Unfortunately she was only there as a Mist, not as a Sky.
"Ryohei, fight!" The guardians shouted in unison, Ryohei walking confidentially into the ring. "There is to be no outside interference in the ring battle. The winner will be the guardian with both halves of the ring." The Cervello acting as the referee announced as they turned on a dozen spot lights. Even the guardians outside of the ring could feel the intense heat they were radiating. "Hey, that guy is wearing shades! How is that fair?" Shizuka demands. The battle involved intense light and their Sun just happened to wear shades? Something about this situation didn't seem right.
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In a fight between a teenage boxer and an assassin trained in Muay Thai, a person would think the victor would be the assassin. It would be a logical conclusion to come to if the teen in question wasn't Ryohei Sasagawa. While he was no longer constantly radiating Sun flames, his were still the strongest of the guardians. That still hadn't prepared any of them for the Maximum Canon, a move that looked like it was taken straight from an anime.
The attack destroyed the spotlights and one of Lussuria's advantages. Colonello had also dropped by to watch the fight, being carried by a falcon. "Honestly, I've given up on anything mafia related being normal." Tsuna says dryly. "At least no one is eyeing you like a predator. I wouldn't put it past their Mist to try taking me out before our battle." Shizuka says, shivering. Even with the playing field now even, Lussuria still had an advantage of being more experienced.
Their salvation would come in the form of Iemitsu leading Ryohei's sister to the ring, solidifying Ryohei's resolve to fight to protect. Shizuka let out a sigh of relief, they were off to a good start. Violet went to check on Lussuria, only to be stopped by a warning shot from the Gola Mosca. "What the hell? The kid just wants to help!" Shizuka exclaims, Squalo sneered. "The Varia look out for their own brat." Shizuka stepped forward, only to be held back by Tsuna. "Just... let it go Shizuka." He says quietly, eyes hidden by his hair. He was just as disturbed by the uncaring display as his sister was. A shiver ran down the sibling's spines at the Cervello's next announcement. "Tomorrow evening's battle will be between the Lightning guardians."
Mischievous Felines
Shizuka had so many cats in her army, no one bothered to learn all the names she had given them. They all had individual personalities, some more mischievous or lazy than the others. At the last count, there were twenty felines and a very confused dog under her command.
Kuro, a black cat, was often in charge. He was the one that Shizuka doted on the most since the cat reminded her of someone, not that she would ever admit who. When he wasn't napping Kuro was one of the more active felines, instinctively knowing when their keeper needed something. If anyone took a closer look, they would notice the faint trace of Mist flames that the cat had.
Mister Mittens was more prim and proper but wouldn't hesitate to claw someone's eyes out. The cat would also constantly challenge Kuro for supremacy, only for Shizuka to disrupt the cat fight with a flare of her flames. Mittens would bristle whenever Shizuka would coo over them being "friends." Honestly, if it wasn't for the food and relaxing presence he would have scratched the stupid human.
Wisp tended to come and go, preferring to wander around Namimori. She knew the town like the back of her paws, from the residents to the best places to find food. She also had an odd friendship with Bruce and would claw at anyone that would pick on the dog. She was also an attention hog, making Shizuka stop whatever prank she was planning to play with her.
And Bruce... wasn't the brightest dog. The bulldog had been raised by cats and thought that he was one. Shizuka sometimes liked to poke at the dog's wrinkles and mess with his jowls. As long as she gave him a treat and a belly rub he'd endure almost anything with a happy expression.
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"You know, as long as Mukuro is a cat I don't think he'll be a problem." Shizuka says, watching the cat the Mist inhabited relaxing under her flame's influence. "No, no way Shizuka. He tried to kill me, there's no way I'd want him as my Mist!" Tsuna yelped, Shizuka raised an eyebrow. "So? Maybe a taste of a normal life will calm him down. I'll still act as the Mist representative during the ring battles." Shizuka says reassuringly.
"It would be cruel to leave him in mafia prison." Tsuna eventually agreed, Shizuka clapped. "Perfect! How about we build an insanity case to get him released from Vendicare?" "Are you insane?!"