Hey guys, Naintarlow here.
At this point, I don't think I will ever bother with excuses. Life happened, stuff happened, happy I was finally able to finish this chapter.
Little happens in this chapter, mostly me exploring different characters and showing how the changes Tsuna inadvertently caused are slowly affecting them, and their relationships with each other. One more chapter to wrap up this mini-arc, before things turn really serious.
Hope you guys enjoy, as usual please leave reviews so I can know what you guys thought of the chapter.
Nain out.
Chapter 21: Birth of a new resolution
Cover: Tsukune in dying will mode, wearing Varia Arc Tsuna's clothes and equipment meeting Tsuna, wearing Xanxus's Varia uniform and scars, in the middle in an epic showdown. The whole scene is in a large bubble, showing Lambo under them, sleeping on his futon with sweat running down his face, revealing the whole thing to be a dream.
-0-
Cold. All Kurumu felt as she slowly woke up was bone-chilling cold.
Her head throbbed in pain, her body hurt at almost every point and she felt shivers constantly run down her spine, forcing her to pull her arms and legs closer to herself, while also trying to understand what was going on. Her head was a mess and it was hard to even properly think at first.
She remembered eating lunch in the club room, away from everyone to get herself under control. Then, if she remembered right, Tsukune showed up, embracing her. The mere memory sent her heart beating and heat slowly returning to her body before she suddenly stilled.
That's right. She was embracing Tsukune and then started feeling cold. Oh so cold. She started struggling in his grip to no avail, he didn't react to her painful yelps or cry for help, He just stood there, cold and unfeeling to her plight as she slowly lost the feeling in her body. It was horrible, a scene straight out of a nightmare.
A nightmare where her beloved simply watched her slowly die, no remorse or recognition in his gaze. It was worse than the cold itself, that feeling of never earning his love, never earning his acceptance or forgiveness of what she did when they first met. That feeling that was always at the back of her mind, that his kindness was never real and that she could never claim that spot in his heart, no matter what she did.
She suddenly sat up, eyes wide and awake as she looked around frantically.
"Tsukune!" she called out to her beloved but even she was not sure why she did it. Was she asking for his help, his forgiveness, or simply in alarm, pleading him to let go? No immediate answer came and as her heart slowly calmed down, she finally took note that she was no longer in the classroom of their club.
It was dark around her, showing it was already nighttime, which was quite shocking since last she knew it was just the middle of the day. She must have been out for more than she initially thought.
Despite the darkness around her, her eyes almost immediately adjusted to it, a trait shared by most youkai but especially among her species, as a creature of the night as some humans would say. Thanks to that she quickly noted that she was inside a dormitory room, sitting on a futon that was clearly not her own.
It looked bare as if its owner didn't even put any effort into decorating it. More than that, it looked almost unnaturally average, nothing in the room telling her about the person who owned it. It was a bit disconcerting and made her feel a bit more nervous than before. Who found her? And what did they want with her?
For a moment she entertained the thought of Tsukune taking her up to his room before the memory of that cold embrace came back, causing shivers to run down her spine and clutch the blanket in her hands close to her body. She felt like freezing once again, despite the sweat pouring out of her body.
She felt paralyzed. She wanted to get out of bed, learn what happened but was terrified at the same time of the truth. In the end, due to her indecision, the choice was taken out of her hands.
"You're awake." a bored voice spoke up from her right, causing her to jump out of the futon in sheer fright, clutching her heart as she tried to calm down. A moment later, the fact that there was someone else sank into her mind, prompting her to turn around, while backing up.
To her right, just outside of her field of vision stood a single table and a chair. The one who spoke up was sitting on said chair, a single table lamp framing his body, making it hard to immediately make out who he was. All Kurumu could tell at first was that he was a man.
"Who are you?" she asked, putting her hands around herself defensively but the man-made no move, only watching her as he half-turned in his chair, his chin resting on one of his hands. A moment later the succubus's eyes got used to the sudden light and began to make more details out of said man. Namely, his messy, brown hair that turned into soft-looking spikes."Tsuna-san?"
A pair of brown eyes stared into her own impassively and Kurumu suddenly felt rather vulnerable, going as far as to pull the blanket still in her hands to cover her chest. It came belatedly that she realized that she was not wearing her school uniform, rather than a large bathrobe that was secured safely on her waist, keeping her cleavage and other body parts safely hidden.
Her mouth opened, ready to hurl various expletives and accusations at his head, with all the rage of a wronged maiden but before she could even get a syllable out, Tsuna simply held up a hand and the words got stuck on her throat. Her normally nonchalant part-time teacher's eyes were unusually intense, carrying a sort of presence that demanded authority and respect. In some way, it reminded her of the vampire side of Moka.
"Before you start jumping to conclusions, I didn't change your clothes. I asked Yukari and a few of her classmates to bring you a new set of uniforms and dress you up. I saw nothing." he calmly explained, before letting out a small snort and looking to the side."Not that I would have looked anyway."
Despite her hazy memories and the uncertainty of how she ended up here, indignation arose in her at Tsuna's callous words. She might not be the smartest or strongest even in their little group but one thing she did hold pride on was her beauty. Even as tired and weak as she felt, there was no doubt in her mind that she looked absolutely beautiful, thanks to her succubus heritage.
Which made Tsuna's casual dismissal of her and her form all the more infuriating.
"What's that supposed to mean?" she asked angrily, her cheek reddening as she glared at him. To further infuriate her, the enigmatic teen hardly looked affected by it.
"Flamboyant girls like you are simply not my type," he answered with a complete deadpan, appearing bored by the conversation.
"Why, you..." she growled and stood up, about to throttle Tsuna when she suddenly lost all feeling in her legs and started to fall forward.
Only for Tsuna to grab her shoulders and catch her, before she even realized he moved, her chest pushed against his, creating a rather intimate picture from the outside. Cheeks reddening more out of embarrassment this time, she looked up at him.
The effect was completely ruined by how unimpressed he looked at her.
"What's that look for?" she found herself frowning, trying to push herself out of his grip to no avail. Either he was too strong or she was too weak. Probably both.
That he only sighed before gently putting her down back to the futon didn't help her indignation, nor the almost caring way he made sure she wouldn't fall before stepping away and going back to his chair.
Smug bastard. At least have the decency to decide what he is like. Either an asshole or a kind person, not both. There is a reason why male Tsunderes are not that popular.
No, they were very popular and hot but she needed a reason to stay angry with him.
"Well you seem to be recovering better than I thought if you could ramble like that," he noted with a small snort, shaking her out of her thoughts.
"Huh?" came the rather intelligent response as she looked at him in question.
"Thankfully I managed to get you in time before hypothermia could set in but you looked really bad. It took most of the day to even warn you up to the point where you weren't shivering. Honestly, I thought I might need to go to the Nurse's office but considering the situation, I wasn't sure it would be safe there." he admitted quietly, leaning back on his chair and resting his head on one of his hands.
This guy is way too paranoid, which was what went through Kurumu's head before his earlier words registered in her mind.
"Hypno-thermi..." she asked back dumbly before she finally understood the meaning of the word and felt cold spread through her body once again, feeling like she was reliving what already happened. Her arms came up to hug herself but they achieved little in warning the cold away." The cold...it was so cold and I couldn't do anything...Tsukune...he...so cold..." she began to mumble incomprehensibly, losing herself in a memory she desperately wanted to never recall.
She was hyperventilating, she realized this as she was busy gasping after air but was unable to focus on that. All that she could recall was Tsukune's cold eyes, the cold seeping into her body, and the realization she could never have his forgiveness, let alone love, She-
She felt a hand grab her shoulders, rather gently considering the circumstances, and lightly shook her. From that point of contact, a feeling of warmth began to spread through her body, banishing the cold memories and the feeling of freezing, leaving a gentle, peaceful feeling behind. She found her body relaxing and leaning forward, instinctively seeking that source of heat and wanting to get more of it.
"Try and stay put. While I said you are recovering well, it doesn't mean you are still not a little weak. Geez, I thought Tsukune was reckless. You are truly a match made in idiocy." Tsuna complained as he slowly withdrew his hand but thankfully at least a fraction of his warmth remained behind, slowly warming her up.
Yet she still could only focus on the gaping hole in her heart, that ached at the mere mention of her destined one, her one, and true love, and all she could do was to hold back a sob.
"Tsukune..he..." the words hurt Kurumu who found herself curling into the ball, screwing her eyes shut to keep the tears out. Only to once again find herself snapped out of her self-pity by a rather vicious flick to her forehead.
Hissing in pain, she raised her head to glare at Tsuna who passively returned it, not looking the least repentant about it as he lowered his hand.
"That wasn't Tsukune." he said in an even tone that all but demanded her to listen."It was some kind of puppet made of ice, looking like Tsukune. By the time I found you, you were almost encased in ice but thankfully I was able to get you out of it. That definitely couldn't have been Tsukune since I left him in the cafeteria, where he was sulking about you being angry at him."
Kurumu felt herself listening to his words with rapt attention, a small ray of hope blossoming at the thought that her destined one didn't hate her. It was small, part of her still afraid that Tsuna was wrong but even that small hope managed to set off a fire in her heart.
"Geez, why do you guys insist on almost dying in one way or another whenever I look away?" the brown-haired teen complained under his breath as he stood up, drawing Kurumu's attention.
Now that she looked, Tsuna looked exhausted. Though that was almost the norm for him, there were visible circles under his eyes, his hair was a mess, even more than usual and he looked pale and he could barely stand on his feet.
"Are you alright?" she found herself asking, despite the situation, as unusual as it was. In response, he only gave a tired smile, before turning away from her and walking toward the door.
"Get some rest, you should be better by the morning. Then you can come with me and rescue Tsukune from whatever trouble he no doubt ended up in," he explained with a wry tone before simply leaving her in the now dark room, only the soft sounds of a nearby air conditioner disturbing its quiet.
She just looked in the direction he left with mixed feelings, before letting out a sigh, a small smile appearing on her face. Tsuna was many things but he was honest, most of the time, and his word was one she could trust. If he said it wasn't Tsukune then it wasn't him. And that's what all that mattered.
Not to mention, he let it slip that her beloved Tsukune was sulking because she wasn't with him at lunch. Maybe a little distance was all they needed for him to realize how much she meant to him?
She found herself giggling as she lay down, giddy beyond belief. Yes, how could she think that her Tsukune didn't love her? Didn't he show plenty of signs for his feelings? What kind of monster was she, doubting the sincerity of his feelings?
"Don't worry Tsukune-kun. I love you with all my heart and forgive you for being an idiot and defending that creepy girl. Because you will always be my destined one." she murmured dreamily as she slowly fell asleep once again, a large smile on her face this time.
-0-
"As expected of an illusionist, so immersed in her own world to the point she confuses reality and her view of it. She bounced back pretty quickly from that." Tsuna murmured as he silently stepped out of his room, the cold air outside almost welcoming in contrast to the heat from inside."Whoever talked about the fragile heart of teenagers haven't met Kurumu's brand of stubbornness."
His shoulders slumped tiredly, heaving a sigh as he leaned on the door. To tell the truth, he got lucky. After lunch he went to the clubroom to get a few of his things, managing to stumble on Kuruno slowly becoming an icicle.
He hurried to her aid after overcoming his shock but it was not easy. Even using the meager amount of flames at his disposal, he found it very difficult to thaw the succubus out before it was too late. It wasn't normal ice, he was quick to determine, rather it acted similar to the tranquility property of rain flames as his own flames came into contact with it. It was worrying beyond doubt.
"I am still rather pathetic huh?" he asked from himself with a wry smile."My greatest strength, the dying will flame and I can't even use it fully and I even found something that can stand up to it."
His eyes fell to the watch on his right wrist, its color slightly faded and a single, small crack running through it. He had to use the sky flames Dino stored in it to stabilize Kurumu, but even using the borrowed flames exhausted him greatly. Worse, he now had a possible enemy who he knew nothing about, whose power could be the best counter to both his and Tsukune's main method of fighting.
"Reborn always said a mafia boss should prepare for every possible outcome and have a contingency for every possible threat. Yet I am still just fumbling in the dark. Some student I turned out to be." he laughed bitterly, a hollow smile on his face.
He could pretend to be all he could but none was more frustrated at his situation than himself. His new friends, dare he say his new family, were out battling various threats they bump into every second day and all he could do is stand at the sidelines and try and do damage control without actually fighting. Even his, comparably small, tussle with those hitmen was more taxing than his current body could take.
And he finally had enough of it.
Clenching his hand into a fist, Tsuna stared into the night sky with a determined gaze before suddenly turning to the side, a newly lit fire in his eyes.
"I have a message to your Mistress," he said into the empty air seemingly, before said air rippled like a stone was dropped into the water and a young girl materialized in its place.
She looked familiar, after all, someone looking exactly like her visited him in the middle of the night before. Only the color of her clothes and eyes, both of which were violet at the moment, told that she was dealing with another one.
One of the attendants of the mysterious woman only known as The Merchant. Tsuna wore a wry smirk on his place, not at all surprised by the candid response. In truth he wasn't sure that someone from that woman was keeping eyes on him, only having the vaguest sense of someone hiding nearby but it seems his gambit paid off.
It would have been horribly embarrassing otherwise.
"Of course, I am at your disposal, Vongola-dono," she said as she bowed slightly, in a way that came across as subservient and timid. Something he knew she wasn't at all.
'Time to get back into the game properly." he thought wryly to himself as various plans started forming in his head.
-0-
The sun slowly came up, the light slowly overcame the darkness as students slowly woke up, or went to sleep in the case of some who favored their nighttime activities over their life as students. Crows cawed high above, sometimes landing on the dead trees as they surveyed the slowly moving corpses, aka those unfortunate to have club activities first in the morning with curiosity and not a little amount of hunger.
This world was survival of the fittest and only those prepared to make the most of their situations could prevail. And a certain human hiding among the various monsters was doing exactly that, but he was not alone.
A certain pink-haired vampire girl was fighting her own battle, in her own way.
"Have you still not changed your mind? It's not too late to at least have Tsu- I mean Sawada take off the rosary just to be safe." The usually silent and grump Ura-chan asked, a hint of worry in her voice as she appeared in place of Moka's reflection just as she finished her morning preparations.
It was a recent thing they discovered. It seemed the vampire side of Moka could appear in the place of Moka's reflection, at least to her eyes as far as they knew, whenever she wanted to talk to her and she happened to look into a mirror-like surface. It was rather handy, so Omote didn't have to talk to herself or into her rosary below her neck.
It almost felt like they were really two people, sisters even, talking to each other, rather than the two sides of the same person, separated by a seal that neither could unlock on their whim.
But as much as she appreciated Ura's willingness to acknowledge her existence and talk to her, even finding a bit of joy in her blatant overprotective nature, she still couldn't listen to her in this instance. She flashed her silver-haired self a somewhat sad smile before she turned away and stepped out of the bathroom.
"I'm sorry, but as I said, this is something I need to do, not something I want to do myself. Not you, not Tsuna-kun, or even the others from the club," she replied with a determined nod that successfully hid the small doubt she felt.
"Where did that newfound stubbornness come from? Where is the meek girl who let everyone walk over her and let her friend deal with everything?" her other self asked back a bit snidely, a hint of accusation in her voice as Moka grabbed her stuff for school and left the dorm.
"That girl has been woken up to reality," she told her, said stubbornness coming out in the form of a pout as her vampire self scoffed in audible doubt. It's not like she couldn't understand why she was surprised by her new attitude.
Omote, ever since the two remembered, was a gentle, kind girl who never wished to hurt others. She was easily scared, unsure and a bit of an introvert, who couldn't get over the trauma caused by being an odd one among teenagers who just entered puberty and looked for anyone to hurt and make themselves feel better.
This kind of willfulness was definitely an odd thing from here, not unwelcome but one that was hard to understand. Even though it wasn't some huge secret or anything at all. She simply had enough.
She had enough of playing the damsel in distress.
"You have always protected me," she said softly, remembering the confrontations she had in this school, Saizu attacking her, getting rescued by Tsukune, Ura, and indirectly Tsuna. The situation with the mermaids, Kurumu, and all other battles she faced."You, Tsuna, and Tsukune always fought for my sake, while all I did was stand on the sidelines. But I had enough."
She vividly remembered when those youkai cornered them, how utterly powerless she was as she tried to save her friends, yet could do nothing without Tsuna to unlock her seal. All she could do was cry, even when Gin showed up or when Tsuna arrived to save the day. For all the others who tried to reassure her, nothing could dismiss that sense of uselessness she felt.
"I don't want to just stand aside and do nothing while my friends are hurt." she suddenly stopped, fighting back the tears that threatened to come out. Thankfully she was in an empty patch of the forest, after taking a bit of a detour so hopefully, no one will stumble upon her current state."I know I don't have your strength, Tsukune's determination, or even Tsuna's smarts. I know that, but at the same time, I want to stop being the one to rely on others."
She wanted more to be than a pretty face, a 'school idol'. She may lack the strength that the others have but that shouldn't mean that there was nothing she could do. Moka desperately wanted to find that one thing she can do herself and the first step to finding it was to finally stand on her own two feet without relying on others.
"Yet you still seemed willing to follow the demands of that guy." Ura commented, disgust dropping her tone as she referred to the 'vampire' who started hanging around Moka."Are you willing to stay away from Tsuna and the others and put up with that narcissistic idiot? Is that your resolve?"
"No." she was quick to cut her sealed self off, surprising her with the sudden heat in her tone. "I thought I could protect them by obeying but I realized something crucial. I am incredibly selfish." she stated and if she had a body or even a mirroring surface to appear Ura would have gaped at her.
"Selfish? You?"
"Yes, me. Because I had to spend a whole day staying away from my friends, I realized just how selfish I was. Because even if it meant endangering them to the consequences of Inui's threat, those wonderful friends that I found, I don't want to lose them. Even if it's dangerous." she declared, with a newfound resolution in her eyes as she started walking forward with strong, purposeful steps.
Her other self remained silent for a long while, to the point Moka slightly began to worry about her, before Ura let out a laugh, sounding happier and freer than almost any other time.
"Who would have thought that little shy you would decide on a course of action like that. I am really impressed. Though maybe we shouldn't copy that human's insane recklessness of all things." she slowly calmed down and paused for a moment to gather her thoughts."You know that even if you do this, I won't be able to help you right? No Tsuna will magically appear to help you out, you can count on no one but yourself, even if that guy turns out to be stronger than you." she warned, an edge to her voice as she thought about possible if improbable scenarios that could happen.
With no way to unlock the seal without Tsuna, even if she could not offer her help, were the words that went unsaid.
Despite that Moka had a serene smile on her face.
"Don't worry I have a perfect plan in mind, inspired by Tsuna-kun." she declared happily, even began skipping on the road.
"And what, pray tell me, this plan is?" Ura asked back, sounding just a tad skeptical.
"I'm going to hit him very hard if he continues to be mean. And if that doesn't work, I will just hit him harder." she declared, positively beaming as she held one fist as if emphasizing her point, before letting out a quiet laugh."Just joking. But I won't allow him or anyone else to walk over me, just like that. Never again."
The vampire inside the seal could only sweatdrop and wonder where that one came from. Despite being the two sides of the same coin, there were times she really couldn't understand how they were related at all.
Humming to herself, Moka continued her walk to school, her resolution unshaken and ready for whatever happens.
-0-
"You know it's not like I dislike you hanging around, but what are you doing here, at the very dawn of morning already?
"Well, that certainly sounds like you don't like having me around."
"That's because instead of joining our morning exercise, which would only be polite if you barge in and interrupt us, you are just lying there, LIKE THE LAZY BUM YOU ARE!" Haiji, captain of the karate club cried out, losing his temper by his last words and thrusting his fist out in a devastating punch that went through the wall of the admittedly small dojo without much resistance.
Around him laid the broken remains of his brave club members who once again started the day by being beaten up into a purple mass of aching flesh by their captain. Masochists all of them.
On the other side of the room, lying on the floor with one hand propper up to hold his head, was Gin. He didn't seem to really mind the position or the disrespect shown as he was slowly chewing through a cinnamon roll that he got by some unknown means, even having the gall to let out a huge yawn toward his year mate as he finally lost his temper.
"Isn't that a bit early to get so angry? If you continue this trend, you might get gray hairs before even finishing school you know." the werewolf drawled, not moving an inch and showing no wariness at the clear hostility aimed at him.
"If I get gray hairs, then it will be because of you and all the trouble you pull me into." Haiji retorted back fervently, an angry vein throbbing on his forehead as he slowly stalked toward the still relaxed Gin."What are you even doing here? Don't you have a club of your own to lead and oversee? Go pester them."
Lazily opening one eye, the president of the Newspaper club stared at his old-time rival slash friend, then had the audacity to yawn at him.
"Who knows? Now that they have a little bit of free time before our first paper is getting printed out, they just went all over the place. And knowing that paranoid guy, Tsuna probably keeps an eye on all of them so I have nothing to do. So I came over to annoy you." he admitted without the slightest bit of shame, even smirking at Haiji in a challenge.
Predictably, the burly-looking karate trainee roared in fury before his fist punched through the air occupied by Gin's head a moment ago, its momentum carrying it forward until it broke through the wooden flooring creating a large hole. The sheer strength behind said punch also unleashed a wave of air that sent flying some of his club members who were trying to stand up.
The werewolf, on the other hand, snickered as he patted himself down lightly, straightening up just behind Haiji, even going as far as to throw a taunting grin at his opponent.
"Now, now. Is that the way to treat a dear friend?" he asked while making no effort to hide his mirth.
Haiji in answer simply grunted as he slowly straightened up, his body as tense as a coiled spring, ready to burst into motion as he glared at the unrepentant pervert he had the misfortune to get acquainted with.
"Who are you calling a friend? I don't remember us doing anything more than tolerating the other's presence, and even that was out of respect to someone who is not here right now. Meaning, there is nothing stopping me from kicking you black and blue." he said with a broad grin as he slowly took up a classic karate stance, his right fist held in front of him.
"Huh. And here I was thinking we were going to be best buds. Too bad." Gin's grin was just as eager as he slouched forward, hand in his pockets as he watched his opponent like a hawk.
At first glance, he didn't look like someone who took seriously the threat given to him, but for Gin whose main specialty was his speed and mainly was using his legs to attack, it was the best position to take, with his legs bent and ready to launch him into motion at a moment's notice.
"I've been looking forward to this." Haiji spoke, his grin all but radiating the sheer anticipation both of them felt."Hope your fangs haven't dulled much, Mad Dog."
"Don't get your feathers in a twist. It makes you look even more like the idiot you are." Gin shot back without mercy, even getting a laugh out of his taunt.
Tensions rose as the very air seemed to still, the two fighters releasing an invisible aura that permeated the air. Normal people might not have noticed, save for the feeling of uneasiness, but this was a school for monsters, where all students, save for a single, well two or technically three, let's just say, a few exceptions, were monsters. Monsters who knowingly or unknowingly used energy called youkai energy to accomplish feats that human logic would deem impossible, and therefore were rather sensitive in several ways, that fell outside of the realm of human understanding.
Nearby students felt shudder travel through their spines, looking in the direction of the dojo with anxiety. The weaker ones found themselves instinctively running away, while those stronger fought against the urge to find the source and join in on the fun. Inside the dojo, the unfortunate members of the karate club could only watch the two squaring off with muted horror.
Most of them were still lying on the ground, tired and now completely paralyzed as they could only watch with nervous sweat rolling off their bodies. Those with slightly more strength in their legs managed to at least get up to a half knee, arms braced in front of them in case of any stray blows.
Haiji and Gin took no notice of any of that, they eyed each other, mad grins on their faces as they both got ready to fight. The anticipation was killing the unfortunate spectators, as neither were in any hurry to start despite their eager grins, though knowing them, in their head, they already thought up countless strategies to attack and counter the other.
Or knowing these two, it might be just as possible they imagined repeatedly punching the other in the face and simply got lost in that thought. Judging by the positively giddy smirks on their faces, it was a real possibility.
Just when the tension seemed to skyrocket, when the two fighters slowly bent their knees, both of them clearly aiming to cross the distance in an instant, all of it was simply destroyed by a simple act. And that act was someone throwing the door open violently, the loud sound, even louder due to the quiet before it, surprised them so much that both second-years jumped slightly, before falling to the ground in a comedic heap, feet sticking into the air and twitching slightly.
The perpetrator, Tsukune, was completely unaware of what he just did, or the reason why the other members of the dojo looked at him like a saint, with some even going to bow in front of him, as the young human stepped inside and looked around with a surprisingly focused gaze.
Unfortunately, he didn't seem to find whatever or whoever he was looking for because he let out a soft curse before turning around and leaving in a hurry.
"Sorry for the intrusion," he called back absentmindedly, remembering to close the door behind him.
With all the tension gone, the members of the karate club cautiously stood up on their feet, looking at their captain and his 'friend', wondering whether they were gonna start fighting with the interruption gone.
They didn't need to be worried. Slowly, the two sat up, looking a bit sheepish and disgruntled at the same time, with Gin scratching his head with a slight frown. Haiji similarly looked like he lost all interest in an all-out spar with his rival, looking around and noting the wariness of the others and letting out a soft laugh.
"Well so much for all that build-up. And here I thought I would get a proper workout for once." the captain commented, sending a grin at Gin who only shrugged, appearing completely unaffected.
"Good riddance. I don't need all the unnecessary bruises you would leave while I was beating you."
"Funny. That almost sounded like you implied that I would lose." Haiji laughed at that, though there was an edge to it as he glared at the werewolf.
Gin seemed ready to retort back, probably restarting their earlier square off, maybe even without interruption this time, but a moment later he seemed to lose his momentum, his shoulders hunching as he simply lazily sat down next to the closest wall.
"You know what? I'm too tired to continue arguing with you and the mood is completely lost anyway." he yawned as he made himself comfortable, sending one last, calculating room in the direction. "Tsukune was quite in a hurry though. Usually, that guy would be so shocked he would be frozen in place if he interrupted us just before a spar."
Haiji grunted noncommittally as he thoughtfully looked in that same direction. He had rather limited contact with the teen in question, their only interactions when Tsuna dumped on him to beat- train him, and those times Tsukune was mostly just trying to stay alive, not leaving much time to socialize. Still, even he could tell that the kid was acting a bit different than usual.
"Do you think he ran into some trouble? Seemed in an awful hurry," he asked, remembering both Tsuna and Gin complain how much of a trouble magnet Tsukune could be by simply existing.
"Knowing that idiot? I'm sure he ran into something troublesome again." Gin drawled as he put his hands behind his head, looking a moment away from dozing off.
"Shouldn't you step in? You seem to care a great deal about your kouhais." his rival asked back with a teasing grin, subtly reminding Gin when he came to ask for his help against the youkai hitmen who cornered Tsuna and the others.
The werewolf in response only closed his eyes with a smirk on his face.
"Nah. The last time I only intervened because the girls were involved too. Besides, the kid can take care of himself and if he gets in over his head? Knowing that smug idiot, he probably has his eye on Tsukune and will intervene if needed." he said a bit later, his voice coming out drowsy and barely awake.
"Despite your usual attitude, you really have a lot of trust in Tsuna don't you?" Haiji said with a small smile as he closed his eyes in thought.
To be fair he also experienced that strange feeling that came from Tsuna at difficult or dangerous times. That feeling of security, confidence, and that everything will be alright. It was a little humbling. As a martial artist, someone who was as familiar with fighting as with breathing, he knew the fear of losing, of facing an opponent who couldn't be overcome. He experienced it himself, saw it with others, even with Gin, despite how cocky he was acting to cover it up.
Not Sawada. Either he was really good at hiding it, or the sickly-looking kid was that confident in himself and those fighting with him. It was a bit humbling really.
"Well, nothing to it. Knowing him, he will find a way to get us involved if he needs us. Until then, there was a morning sparring practice that had been delayed. That's unacceptable." he declared, much to the pained groans of the members of the karate club, as he turned back toward Gin.
Only to discover his longtime rival had enough audacity to actually fall asleep in his dojo, with even a small bit of drool escaping his mouth. Haiji felt his eyes twitch at the sheer disrespect as a dangerous aura started to surround him and he approached Gin.
"Boys, stand back a bit. Looks like we have a volunteer to be my sparring dummy," he advised his club members who quickly made themselves scarce, a malicious grin spreading to his face.
Anyone wandering close to the dojo could only hear the furious sounds of fighting, objects breaking and people crying in fear. No one dared to try and investigate, deciding to leave it to nature, to decide who will live or die.
-0-
Like a person possessed, Tsukune ran forward, his eyes darting from left to right, searching for something so furiously, he wasn't even sure if he knew what he was looking for. He ran past students on their way to morning classes, the various haunting buildings of the campus, and the dead, decayed trees of the forest, without barely stopping in a few places, his search neverending.
He would have loved to say that his morning started much more peacefully but that would have been a huge lie. His life nowadays was just this kind of hectic, with no sign of stopping anytime soon.
Yesterday alone was enough to fill someone's quota for trouble for a whole year. What's with that strange girl, Mizore appearing out of nowhere. After lunch, she even caught him complaining to himself and declared no one but her can understand him and told him to leave his friends in the newspaper club, claiming that they wouldn't be able to understand him. He disagreed heavily.
The next part was kind of expected, really. She got mad, transformed into some kind of yuki-onna, along with large claws made of ice, and attacked him in a blind rage. It was kind of painful to admit but he was so used to it, that he did have a dying will pill on standby, just in case.
What came after it, could hardly be called a fight. It was mostly him jumping around her wild swings, in his underwear and shouting like a madman, trying not to be frozen into a popsicle. He didn't try to attack her, content on simply staying alive, since aside from her violent outburst and stalkerish tendencies, she didn't do much against him. Or at least a lot less than almost everyone else, including most of his friends, did to him. But he also knew it couldn't go forever.
So in the end, he turned to offense, delivering a beautiful right hook right to her face, sending her flying a few feet away. The punch seemed to have done its job, since Mizore stopped fighting, for the most part, only staring at him without comprehension, as if the very notion of him fighting back was impossible to imagine. The broken, pleading, and lost look in her eyes was enough to snap him out of the dying will state, leaving him to stand next to a frozen lake, only in his underwear and in the company of a seriously messed up girl.
He told her calmly once again, that she shouldn't choose who he can be friends with, then simply left her to think about her actions, hoping that it would be the end of this whole incident. He really wished that was all it took to end it.
As usual, it wasn't meant to be.
Come next morning, surprisingly with no surprise ambush from Tsuna, save for a note to tell him that he got a free day from training, and he was already greeted with the rumors circulating the student body, much to his horror.
Apparently, sometime after he left her, Mizore ran into some members of the school's football club (which privately didn't make much sense, who would they be playing against?), and she beat them up brutally after first freezing them. From what he heard, even with the faster healing rate, compared to humans, most youkai possessed, it would take months for the unfortunate guys to get back on their feet. Unsurprisingly, there were already whispers about the possible expulsion of that stalkerish girl.
The shudders several upperclassmen developed, whenever someone mentioned the Public Safety Commission getting involved, along with the plain fear as they frantically looked around, had him a little concerned.
Even then, he shouldn't have let that bother him. She made her bed, after attacking him, so shouldn't he just stand aside and let her face the consequences of her actions? Of course, Nekonome-sensei had to catch him and tell Mizore's sob story, of why she wasn't around at the start of the semester, and like the idiot he was, he took off running, checking place after place, looking for the yuki-onna.
Even if one were to question him, he couldn't give a clear answer of why he was doing this, running across the campus like an idiot. It had nothing to do with him. At the very least, if he was so determined, he could have asked for Tsuna's or any of the others' help, instead of trying to do it himself.
It didn't make sense. Mizore did nothing but trouble him since she showed up, making him class representative and somehow managing to anger Kurumu to the point she avoided him. Yet here he was, trying to find her anyways, not even what he would do if he found her. Would he plead with her, trying to get her to see reason and not attack students? Should he fight with her? At least it seemed to work with Kurumu, the succubus seemingly turning into a completely different person after their battle. But even then he had Tsuna and Moka to help and make an impact.
What could he do by himself, he found himself asking as he slowed down gradually, before finally stopping, just in the middle of the forest. Even with the dying will pills, it didn't change the single fact that he was just a human. A human who somehow wound up in this school and had to constantly hide his origins, less he would be executed for them.
A human who even with his additional training, knew very well how helpless he was against stronger monsters. And despite his luck so far, he knows it will eventually run out when he encounters someone so far out of his league.
Yet, at the same time, it was exactly why he did what he did.
Maybe he was getting used to all those close calls, all the friends he found in this school. Maybe he was buying into that whole monster and human coexisting thing that's supposed to be the goal of this school. Maybe he was just that kind of idiot.
In the end, to him, it didn't matter. More than her questionable actions, the most obvious thing that stood on Mizore was how lonely she was. There was probably more to the story, but no matter how much he thought about it, it seemed she was simply trying to reach out to some she thought to be a kindred soul. Even if what she did was wrong, was this enough reason to condemn and simply ignore her plight?
It was stupid, he was aware of it. His mind, in a really lifelike imitation of Tsuna's voice berated him for his stupidity, of throwing his life and all that his friends to him away without a second thought. He knew all of that.
"I still can't leave her alone though." he muttered with a bitter smile as he looked up, his eyes clear and determined."Even if it's futile, I want to see, no I want to live in a world where humans and monsters can coexist, just like I do with my friends. Sorry senpai, guess no matter how hard I try, I remain a stubborn idiot. But it's alright. Because this idiot might be just stubborn enough to make it work." he cried out, trying to raise his own spirits, with a little old anime-style power-up speech.
Of course, that confidence immediately shattered when a few nearby students who were hurrying to their class, looked at him surprised and confused. He felt his face practically emit heat as he quietly murmured an apology and ran away with his tails between his legs, his earlier resolution already shaken.
Why couldn't he have done this in a spot where there was actually no one? Actually, why didn't he at least look around before giving himself a cheesy line like that to raise his self-confidence? Why was his luck constantly so cursed?
As he would later learn it, that wasn't even the end of his troubles.
-0-
Extra Story: Dissipating Mist in the Eye of the Storm
To say that the situation went fubar was as much of an understatement as it was physically possible.
When the Vongola's moved in, after seeing an enormous explosion, they were wary, not knowing what to expect. The picture that greeted them was closer to some description of Hell than anything that should be found on Earth. Yet here it was, so real that some of them thought they were spotted demons of hell, only for it to turn out to be nothing but some shadow made by the raging fire. Some hoped it was nothing but an illusion but the few mist-users among them had to disappoint them. It was reality.
There was nothing that remained of that formerly poor neighbor, only ash and the red, ominous fire that even with the combined rain flames of the Mafiosi, they were barely able to put out. Not even a single brick or any of the foundation remained untouched, only a large, smoking crater remained. It was frightening to think of what could bring this much destruction. Not to mention, there was no sign of their leader, Coyote Nougat.
The Ninth Boss's Storm Guardian instructed them to stay back and keep a lookout when he went off to hunt down the elusive former guardians of Sawada Tsunayoshi, bluntly telling them that they would be just in the way. While some of them were insulted by the notion, after all, they counted among the elite of the Vongola as the personal men of the right-hand man Nono, the stern and unyielding visage of Coyote soon quieted all discontent. Only when the situation looked out of control did they disobey his order but by then, there was too late.
Even as they started to destroy all evidence of dying will flame usage and anything that would link the Vongola to the incident, lest they incur the wrath of the honorable law keepers. Even as the loyal subordinates of the Storm Guardian anguished at seeing no trail of the enemies their leader set out against, nor the man himself, they resolutely set out the task given to them. To keep the Family out of any kind of retaliation.
In the end, after hours of tireless searching, all the mafioso found was the mangled and badly burned left hand of the man who was once known as the hammer of Vongola, along with one of his boxers.
-0-
"Senpai, I am getting tired. Can I leave the body here?" Fran's high-pitched voice echoed in the rather small and tight server as they tracked through the mud and, well, shit.
The Mist Officer looked completely unfazed by the various waste around him, even as it easily reached his ankle, no doubt soaking his boots. His frog-themed hat was slightly off to the side, a moment away from falling off, and his clothes looked slightly burned but mostly intact. There wasn't even a trace of exhaustion on his face, in contrast to his words, even as he had a rather large body on his back.
Coyote let out an unconscious groan on the illusionist's back, as he seemed to be in great pain. It was no surprise, his body was burned in various places, his impeccable suit was torn to pieces, nothing remaining of it. His shirt was sporting several holes, burns, and was red from blood. To top it off, it was easy to notice that he was missing his left hand, seemingly cut off and the wound only getting the barest treatment to stop him from dying to shock or blood loss.
Not that it meant much. The man was old enough that there was a real possibility of him simply just giving up before they could get him to more treatment. Also dragging him through the sewers wasn't doing anything good for his health, making him little more than a deadman waiting for that point of no return. At least Fran seemed to think so, judging by how he offered to just leave him among the dumps and other things for the fifth time in five minutes.
"Shut up Fran. Before I kill you myself. The Boss told us we need to bring back the old geezer alive." Bel grumbled from in front of him, a large frown on his face. The reason was rather easy to guess, for the self-proclaimed prince was nothing worse than having to go through the sewers of all things, to avoid detection by the Vongola's men. But orders were orders and even Bel was not crazy enough to ignore an order.
Not one that came from the Boss himself at least. Both of them knew the reason Bel was even following him was his strength, the strength that demanded fear and respect from even the most skilled assassins.
"Then why aren't you the one carrying him, Senpai?" Fran, despite the not at all hidden threat to his life, continued to complain with an expressionless face, probably just for the sake of further annoying the assassin.
Judging from the malicious shine in the Prince's eyes, he seemed to have succeeded in that regard. Already, Bel was turning to face the illusionist, several knives in his hand and lighted up by the flames of the storm.
It seemed a bloodbath was inevitable, when a calm and level voice interrupted them, coming from behind Fran.
"If I may speak up, Fran-dono? Having Bel-dono free to react to any attack or obstacle we might run into is much more advantageous compared to him having to carry Nougat-dono." the doctor who initially treated Chrome said without a single change of his face's expression, showing a surprising amount of calmness even as Bel reflexively turned his knives in his direction.
In sharp contrast, the older man no longer wore a shoddy version of a doctor's coat, nor did he act so shady or easily scared. Instead, he proudly wore the black uniform of the Varia, the small badges and modification of his uniform, like his pockets changing into bigger and sturdier material, holding a large number of strange-looking syringes, painted him more than a common grunt and possibly a rather high-level officer. The indigo lining of the inside of his coat also told him he belonged to the infamous Mist Division.
In his arms was Chrome, being princess carried by the doctor, her face flushed from fever but showing a more healthy color. Thankfully she was also properly dressed and free of any injuries that she might have gotten just by being near the previous battle.
"Speak," Bel ordered him a bit sharply but at least he lowered his knives, and even the bloodlust he radiated decreased slightly.
Knowing of the infamous temper and how childish he could be at times, it was lucky that so far Prince the Ripper managed to hold himself back. And while outwardly he appeared calm, the older man was definitely sweating bullets.
Unfortunately, someone had to be the voice of reason. And in the mafia, especially among the Varia, it was a rather perilous job position to take on. But it was part and parcel of the job of those who are called Quality
"In a small space like this, Bel-dono's expertise in fighting in restricted conditions along with his potent storm flames would be much more useful to avoid any unnecessary injury than your expertise with illusions Fran-dono. Frankly speaking, Bel-dono's position as a vanguard in a situation like that is the most ideal, so please bear with it for a bit more. Sir." he added respectfully, nodding his head with a confident if submissive motion.
Fran blankly stared at him, not saying anything, which was more unnerving than almost any other action he could have made. Then he blinked as if suddenly just realized what was said and a strangely fitting, childish pout formed on his face.
"But I'm tired." he continued to complain, acting more like a child of his age than whatever he was supposed to be.
"Word of advice, don't try to reason with those idiots. Words like logic, sanity or thinking mean nothing to them. Or rather, they always choose to ignore them without hesitation." a voice came from behind the doctor, tired and not at all amused as the last member of their group finally caught up to them.
Gokudera definitely took a beating, with his clothing barely in a wearable condition and various cuts and bruises covering his body. Thankfully it was nothing serious, most of them barely more than a bother, since he was able to keep away from the backlash of his last-resort attack.
The bomber still had his cannon equipped and ready to use any moment, and by the slight glow of his eyes, he had the other equipment of Sistema CAI out, not allowing to lower his guard even for a moment. Considering that the people he was surrounded with could be either allies or enemies in any given moment, it was a sensible decision.
"Gokudera-dono, please don't say stuff like that." the old doctor hastily spoke up, taking a step back and looking frightened. If it was of Gokudera or Bel and if it was real or not, he had no idea but it didn't matter.
Not like he would trust even a word of what a mist illusionist was saying without some added insurance.
"Oh, the little peasant seems to have grown some fangs. Don't you think you should quit while you're ahead? Don't want you to get eaten by the big league." Bel was of course incredibly amused and annoyed at the same time at the byplay, turning his bloodthirsty smirk at Gokudera who didn't even blink as he stared him down, which caused Bel's smirk to widen even more. "You seem like you have learned some new tricks. Nice work for a dog." he said, eying the various boxes strapped to the bomber's belt with clear intrigue.
"Well I figured that most people connected to the Vongola would be familiar and ready for the usual Sistema CAI, so I made sure to upgrade it a little. Unlike my future self, I had a bit of head start to think about making it even more perfect." he said with a slight smirk, answering the unasked question but a moment later his face turned serious as he stared down the assassin."We are far away enough from any possible pursuer that I think it's time to clear the air. Why did you help us?"
While subtlety was a trait highly valued in the mafia world, Gokudera at his core will always remain a blunt and short-tempered person. And considering they were talking about the Varia, it made more sense to be as direct and honest as he could when dealing with them, resulting in hopefully fewer headaches.
"Well, look who is suddenly ungrateful. Well, we could have let you and the little girl there be killed by the old mangy guard dog, you know? I expected a bit more praise."
Bel snickered a little at his joke, while unnecessarily poking Coyote in the ribs, causing the unconscious man to groan before falling silent. And while Bel found it hilarious, Fran was a bit more annoyed. Well, as annoyed as he could get with his face and voice remaining as blank as ever.
"Senpai, I will drop him if you continue this. And then you will have to carry him, while he is smelling like a toilet. Or twenty."
"Guess you really want to die today, froggy." Bel's maniacal laugh was a big enough red flag and there would have been even more bloodshed if Gokudera did not cut him off, turning his wraith away from Fran.
"Will you cut the crap?" the teenage storm snapped at them, an impatient frown on his face."We are by no means allies. Even when the Boss was the appointed Tenth, our cooperation was tenuous at best and if it was left to you, I don't doubt you would have slit our throats. That means you were ordered to help us and take us with you, alive. So rather than lying and misdirecting each other, I would prefer if I got a simple response. What is Xanxus planning?"
An eerie silence fell between them as tensions rose once again. The old doctor moved slightly to the side, maybe out of self-preservation or thinking of his unconscious patient in his arms. Either way, it left Gokudera and Bel to stare down each other without any interruption. The bomber was careful not to show any sign of aggressiveness, keeping his cannon pointing downward, to avoid needlessly provoking a fight when it was not needed.
He was a hothead but he was also not a total idiot.
Even then, it looked like it was a fragile moment away from actually exploding in his face when suddenly Bel let out a laugh. It was not that crazed bloodthirsty laugh he was so used to from the Varia Storm but an honest, almost childlike giggle, that caught him off-guard. From the way Fran had his mouth open and openly gaped at his Senpai, he was probably also similarly shocked.
"The little dog not only got fangs but balls too. You are more and more amusing." Bel commented with a smirk, though his usual crazy and bloodthirsty persona soon covered up that brief moment of simplicity."As for what the Boss wants? Who knows? All I know he told us to gather you guys, preferably alive and without little fuss but for what purpose, I could care less. I just enjoy the chaos that unfolds thanks to it." with that the self-proclaimed Prince turned away and started walking forward, barking out orders to Fran to keep up.
Gokudera could only sign and let his shoulders slump in defeat. He started following Bel's lead, lest he wanted to fall behind and the old doctor simply joined him without a word, letting him stew in his thoughts.
It's not like he expected anything different. The Varia and Xanxus especially were always like that, doing their own thing and not caring about anyone else, nor trying to explain themselves. It left them only as tentative allies, even if the boss never showed their loyalty to the Vongola. But now that the Vongola changed so drastically, the whole Mafia in chaos and disorder, just what were the aims of the 'bastard' son of the Ninth? Was he an ally? Or an enemy whose lair he was willingly walking into?
In the end, it didn't matter, he decided with a frown as his eyes hardened. He knew a bad situation if he saw it, so for now he will simply follow their lead but will not drop his guard. A choice between fighting the Varia and getting caught by the Vongola, or going along with them, for now, was no choice. Not to mention he also had the weakened Chrome to worry about.
Regardless, he will not fail. His boss trusted him to find out as much from his end, and he would rather acknowledge that Baseball Idiot as the boss's right-hand man, than allow himself to betray that trust. Never again.
"Oh, I almost forgot," Bel spoke up suddenly, pulling him out of his thoughts, just as a small object sailed towards his head, Gokudera only barely managing to catch it.
He was expecting many things, a knife, a bomb, or something harmful, he was surprised to feel his hand closing around a small, round if slightly wet object. Raising an eyebrow at the Prince who already turned away and acted as nothing happened, he cautiously opened his hand and looked down.
And then immediately got his breath stolen again by the sheer surprise.
Because in his hand, dirty and bloodied but real all the same, was the Vongola Ring of Storm.