[ Closed Log] Blood is thicker than Poison
Who: Gokudera Hayato and Bianchi
What: Hayato and Bianchi finally meet after a long time. Sibling bonding over lunch and an adventure.
When: Beginning of the Semester
Where: Starts out with Hayato in Italy and Bianci in Campus then Cafe Amore and around town
Rating: PG
Genova, Italy
"Is there anything else you need, bocchan?"
"No, thank you." Hayato Gokudera closed the door and looked around at the familiar room he had lived in as a child. It'd been a while since he last slept in his room and most of it had remained unchanged, except for the bed which has been recently changed to a bigger one, since the old one would probably not fit the 19 year old young master. He smirked as he wandered around, exploring his old things - a lot of them unchanged since he left about 10 years ago.
He picked up a binder of old piano sheets he used to master as a child. There were pictures of him on his baby grand piano, most of them smirking or full on frowning. In one of the pictures, he was glaring at
Bianchi. He smirked and shook his head. It'd always been that way anyway. A picture on the corner of one of the top shelves got his attention. It was of him and his mother - the woman he only saw on his
birthday and whom he'd liked the most.
The talk he had with his father today was fruitful, albeit full of flying insults and threats. At least he knew where he got his potty mouth. In the end, the whole matter about his mother and their relationship had
been settled. His father didn't say it in so many words, but the old man was apparently proud of him being the Vongola Decimo's Guardian of the Storm. There were no more questions about why he had forsaken his blooming musical career for sticks of dynamite, and a forewarning was issued to him to never shame the name of Gokudera by failing the Vongola Decimo. In the end, he was given keys to the manor, a car, a private lab in the manor and a warm welcome by the Gokudera Family.
He looked over his desk where a brand new computer was set up. Glancing over to his pictures, he stared at a pink haired pigtailed girl and allowed a small smile to form upon his lips. Hayato turned around, turned on the computer and started to write an e-mail to his sister.
-----------
To: Bianchi Gokudera < poison_scorpion@rebou.co.jp >
From: Hayato Gokudera < storm10_righthand@vongola.co.it>
Subject: Ciao from Genova
___________________________________________________________________________________________
Aneki,
Ciao.
I know you're thinking that it's rare that I would be writing to you, but I guess you are the only person right now who I want to talk to. I
am currently in Italy right now at the Manor. Shocking, isn't it? I have talked to Papa and it seems that we have finally made our peace. Father sends his regards.
You have mentioned before that when we were in the future, you had some letters that you wanted to show me. I was thinking that when I return to Japan, maybe you could share them to me. I'd like to know more of my own family's history. Do you still have them?
Anyway, that's it. Don't go overreacting. I still don't like you.
Ciao.
Hayato
--
Reborn University, Japan
Bianchi had been in the middle of creating a new poison when she had received the message in her inbox - hence, she hadn’t been able to see who it was from until she had finished and had packed away her supplies. Once she was in the relative privacy of her dorm room, though, a flick on the mousepad of the laptop showed the new message. She was honestly surprised to see that it was from her dear little brother, but the content made it even more interesting.
Hayato is in Italia…? That would explain why I haven’t seen him around…
The mention of their father sending her his regards made her snort - after all, they hadn’t left on good terms. The letters that were also
mentioned currently lay in a sack underneath her bed - she had already had a look through them, of course, and found them quite…fascinating. Hayato would definitely be interested in reading them.
Another tap on the mousepad, and a new email window opened up, before Bianchi began to write an email in reply to Hayato’s. Well, he had told her not to overreact…
--
To: Hayato Gokudera < storm10_righthand@vongola.co.it>
From: Bianchi Gokudera < poison_scorpion@rebou.co.jp >
Subject: Re: Ciao from Genova
___________________________________________________________________________________________
Hayato,
I’m happy to see that you have decided to make up with Father. When will you be coming back to Japan? I still have the letters - I think they
would interest you very much.
By the way, if I were to cook you a welcoming feast, what would you do?
Your loving older sister,
Bianchi
--
Another tap sent the email off, and Bianchi leaned back in her chair, reminiscing about those days when she had still been living in the manor with the rest of her family. Those were the good days…
--
Genova, Italy
Gokudera Hayato didn't really expect her to answer; after all they didn't have that kind of relationship. He was in his room, playing a tune on the old baby grand piano when he heard the distinctive blast from his computer. He’d gotten mail.
He stepped away from the piano and went to the computer, checking the pop up that had come on screen. Opening it, he was half-pleased,
half-cringing to see that it was from his sister. A quick read made him smile a little. Aneki was being Aneki - however twisted it was.
He quickly sat down and began to type his answer.
To: Bianchi Gokudera
From: Hayato Gokudera
Subject: RE:RE:Ciao from Genova
___________________________________________________________________________________________
Aneki,
That was a fast reply. I wasn't expecting that from you at all. I'll be back in Japan around the 18th, but don't bother with the welcoming feast. I
beg you.
Ah, you still have the letters, eh? Let's meet up when I get back there. I'll have stuff for you as well. I prefer to meet in a cafe or a
restaurant - if that's alright.
And, please don't forget your goggles/glasses or something when you do come meet me. I don't want to be unconscious before I start to talk.
Hayato
Hayato sighed. Something in him must have snapped if he was willingly going to meet his sister. But he had to read those letters, and he did make a silent pact with himself that he would be a better brother from now on.
Just as she was about to head to bed - because after all, there was a seven-hour gap between Italy’s and Japan’s times - the soft chime from her laptop alerted her once more to the presence of a new email. Bianchi smiled as she read the email, tapping out a quick reply and sending it off before she turned the power off and went to bed.
To: Hayato Gokudera
From: Bianchi Gokudera
Subject: Re:Re:Re: Ciao from Genova
___________________________________________________________________________________________
Hayato,
Did you think that I would abandon my dear brother, just like that? Any contact at all from you is rare. Oh, so you don’t want any of my
cookies? They got better, I assure you.
There’s a little café a short distance away from the university. We can meet there when you get back - just remember to tell me when you’ll be there.
I’ll remember them, if it’s for you, Hayato.
Bianchi
--
Hayato wasn’t waiting for it at all. It was merely by coincidence that he was at his computer researching about new attachments for his belt when the blast was heard again. He quickly clicked off his browser and looked at the pop up. It was her. Smirking, he read the quick response of his sister. He cringed at the thought of any of her cooking; he was sure that one look at those poisoned cookies would send him careening off into unconsciousness. He sighed and tapped out a quick response. It was about time for him to get to the Vongola HQ anyway.
To: Bianchi Gokudera
From: Hayato Gokudera
Subject: RE:RE: RE: RE: Ciao from Genova
Aneki,
The cafe sounds fine. We should meet there. I will surely inform you of my return to Japan. But save the cookies for next time. I am not sure I could handle that poison.
See you soon.
Hayato
--
A quick click and it was sent. Now, he has to get back to the headquarters to register his weapon. He smiled a little as he gathered
his things, making sure he had catnip for Uri. It would be good to see Aneki again.
Bianchi smiled as she saw the message, her hands busy with sorting out the various herbs she had picked from the greenhouses - today was one of her free days, so she was restocking on the various foodstuffs that she needed in her kitchen.
She couldn’t wait to talk to Hayato again, after so long, and she spared a glance for the sack of letters sitting next to her, before returning to
her task at hand. In just a few more days, she would be able to see him again… And she was also looking forward to the things that he had
brought her, though he hadn’t said they were.
---
Reborn University
August 21
Sunday.
He was finally glad it was Sunday. He’d finished fixing his room yesterday after he finally got out of detention. That cat really was a
lot of trouble and as punishment, he had locked the box weapon in with a chain so the stupid cat would get his time out. That was, after he had returned to normal and finished chasing Uri all over the campus. He frowned. Uri really didn’t mean it, but he got into enough trouble as it was. Riccardo’s punishments were not to be messed with. What a way to start off in the university!
Looking around his room, he was satisfied. Things were finally in place. A huge pink and white paper bag with odd looking stuff in it caught his attention. Aneki. He had to meet her sometime to give her those. He had forgotten to inform her that he was here in Japan already; he had some free time today so he figured that dinner with Bianchi might not be too bad.
He pulled out his cellular phone from his pocket and started to type.
Aneki, I’m in campus. Have time today? Let’s do that lunch thing. That is, if you’re not a scorpion anymore.
Bianchi was thankful that the experience of being a scorpion had only lasted an hour and a half - she had no desire to repeat that experience. A blip from her phone alerted her to a new text message, and she raised an eyebrow as she picked up the phone to check who had sent it, though that expression soon smoothed out to become a smile. It took only another minute for her to send her reply, before she glanced at the sack of letters under her bed. She’d found that she had been glancing at it more and more lately, no doubt due to Hayato reminding her about it in that first email; seems like it was time to pull the bag out from under the bed.
Hayato, that would be wonderful. I’m free for all of today - what time would suit you?
That was fast, as usual. It seemed that his sister was excited to see him and he was surprised that it didn’t make him cringe. Hayato looked at the digital clock in his room and thought that it would just be fair to actually spend the afternoon with her. He sat down on his bed and started to type.
Anytime actually. But how about after lunch? What was the name of the Cafe you mentioned? Give me quick directions and I’ll meet you there. And remember, NO COOKIES.
She pouted slightly when she read the emphasized ‘NO COOKIES’, but of course, Hayato couldn’t see her. After lunch, though, would be a
good time, and so she sent back her agreement along with the directions to Cafe Amore. A quick glance at the clock showed her that she had about three hours to get ready - she had best start looking around for that pair of goggles that she had left somewhere around here...
12:45 PM- Just outside Cafe Amore
Hayato was early. Not because he was excited, but more like he wanted to make sure that none of his sister’s poisoned cooking would ever make it to his plate. He intended to be conscious the whole time he was with her so he brought his goggles and some dark shades with him just in case.
He had a lot to talk to his sister about. First, there were those letters that he needed to read and discuss. Then there was the matter of his
relationship with her. He wanted to get over the Bianchiphobia and finally have a semi-normal relationship with her. The trip to Italy had
changed him, somewhat, or perhaps this was the influence of the Tenth. He was turning into a softie.
When was the last time he really talked to her anyway? Perhaps it was after the Millefiore attack... He couldn’t even remember. Whatever. At least he was starting now. If the Tenth knew about this, he’d be so proud of him. The Tenth had always wanted them to be on good terms.
Hayato adjusted his stance. The presents he had for his sister were heavy, but he was sure she’d love them. At least the ones from him. He looked around - she should be here any minute.
Even though Hayato had been early, she had already been in the cafe waiting for him - behind the counter, in fact, as she had made good friends with the owner of the cafe, and he had allowed her, on some occasions, to be part of the staff when they were short of hands.
Bianchi had slipped from behind the counter when she had first noticed the arrival of her brother to claim a table in the corner of the cafe, a cup of strong coffee and a plate of biscuits in front of her. She had been observing her little brother from behind rose-coloured goggles - it
seemed like, from the set of his shoulders and the expression on his face, that he had grown up a little during the time he had spent in
Italy.
No longer did he seem so wary of the world around him, nor so prone to throwing dynamite everywhere, and she let her eyes trail over him,
lingering on the bag that he had brought with him. The sack of letters that she had brought with her lay at her feet, tucked neatly underneath
the table - she nudged it with a foot to make sure that it was still safe, taking another sip of coffee.
Eventually, though, she smiled and called out to him, raising a hand to beckon him over.
“Over here, Hayato.”
“Aneki.”
The Storm Guardian felt a wave of mixed emotions when he heard the voice and saw her. The first reaction was panic, but when he saw that she had her goggles on, he calmed down. He was happy to see her yet he was afraid of her. Perhaps it was the psychological trauma, but part of him wanted to just run away. He took a deep breath, and arranged his face into his normal scowl then walked towards to where his sister was.
Seeing the plate of cookies set in front of her made him gulp, though it looked safe enough to eat. But knowing Bianchi, there was probably some kind of trick to it. He distinctly remembered something about a 3 hour delay Poison she had created once so he made a mental note not to eat anything she touched.
He stopped in front of the table, unsure of how to greet her. He fidgeted around awkwardly for a while before deciding to raise his hand for a
casual “Yo.”
As awkward as ever, I see, she thought, before gesturing to the chair opposite her.
“Take a seat. Relax, Hayato, I didn’t make those cookies.” A shame, that. She had so wanted to greet her little brother with some of her cooking made with love. But he had explicitly told her not to cook anything, so she had listened (for once) and not brought any of her food.
Anyway, she had been experimenting with her poison touch, so she could now control what she poisoned and what she did not, though not many knew that. It was something that she rather preferred that she keep to herself, lest she lose any of that fearsome reputation she had carved for herself in the underworld.
“You look so unhappy to see me.”
Hayato sat down before responding. He put the package of goodies for Bianchi beside him and then took a good look at his sister. She was undoubtedly beautiful. Her long pink hair was smooth and her skin was fair and flawless. And despite the fact that she was wearing goggles (for his safety) that hid the brilliant jade green eyes that they both had, she still looked stunning.
He noticed that the men in the Cafe gave more than a glance at Bianchi and that made him irritated. He gave the room a glare and the men avoided his eyes. If it had been the younger him, they would have been blown away by now, but his stormy temperament had indeed mellowed a little as he had grown up. Blowing them away would be a waste of his time and energy so he settled for glaring. When they had all stopped staring, he shook his head and turned his attention to his sister.
“You’re looking well, Aneki,” he said to her, his face softening a little as he allowed himself a small smile.
She stifled a laugh as she watched Hayato get into his protective mode that was rarely seen - it was nice to see that he still cared about her,
though of course, she could take care of herself. Once her brother turned back to her, she nodded at the menu on the table in front of him,
before responding to the pleasantry.
“As are you. Italy did you some good, I think.”
“Tch. Maybe.” He looked at the menu. That was when he realized that he was indeed hungry. Hayato didn’t have time to have any lunch at all as he had been busy preparing everything for this talk. With his sister within his sights, it was relatively safe to order food. He at least knew that
no one would poison him. Perusing the menu, he decided on a light meal.A Lunch chicken Panini and a tall glass of strawberry limonata was soon ordered.
“So, what’s up?” He asked casually, trying to make small talk to break the awkward silence. He knew he should ask about those letters but he also didn’t want to sound too eager for them. “The manor still looks the same, Papa still has tacky tastes. Though they added an extension for
some kind of business. I didn’t bother to ask about it.”
He thought that he should open the topic up at least. After all, he was the one who had called her out here.
Bianchi grimaced as she heard about the family back in Italy, though she was reluctant to call that man her father - he had disowned her, after she had left the man that she was supposed to marry naked and hanging in front of the manor, dead after he had tried to grope her inappropriately.
The man that had been so accommodating to her father’s wishes back then had been a filthy pervert once he had been able to get her alone, and so, simply put, she had killed him; to prove that she was not a weak and fragile bloom, and to prove to her father that she would not accept this pathetic excuse of a man as her husband. Shortly after that, she had stormed out with only a bag containing her most precious belongings,
determined to make her way in the world, through whatever means necessary.
Not once had she regretted it, and she had never looked back. But she shook herself away from the dark memories and nudged the sack underneath the table once again with her foot.
“I have the letters here... But finish eating first, before you have a look at them.”
he was content to wait, though she was rather curious as to what Hayato had brought her from Italy.
“Then you should have a look through these while I’m eating,” Hayato pulled the heavy bag of gifts and pushed it towards her. “Some of these are from Papa - the clothes, perfume, bags and stuff - but the other things are from me. I thought you’d like them.”
He had taken care to get Bianchi some odd mushrooms and herbs from Italy. Not to mention some of the rare ingredients he had found in an occult store he had managed to find back home. Bat wings, bat eyes, newts and other preserved animal parts and poisonous wares were in there, as well as measuring equipment and some books about poisons. Not that his sister needed those; she was probably an expert on the subject, but at least she could use it for referencing. He was just glad that Vongola’s influence was just that great that they didn’t even question his baggage in customs.
He nodded at the waiter who arrived with his food and began to eat. “Just be careful... I think the scarabs or some of the insects are still
alive.”
The presents from her father gained a raised eyebrow, and she left them aside to look at later - for now, though, she rummaged through the
things that Hayato had brought her, grinning happily at the ingredients that popped out of the bag. Ohh, to think of all the things she could
make with these...A faint scuttling had her digging further, to reveal a glass jar full of said scarabs running around, and another jar that emitted a faint humming sound - a flying insect of some sort, no doubt, though the glass this time was covered with a wrap of some sort, designed to keep the light out of the jar. No matter, though - she would have all the time in the world to look at it later.
“These are lovely. Thank you for them, Hayato~” Her grin turned rather devious as she thought of what new things she could make with these
ingredients, and in thanks, she leant over the table and brushed a fleeting kiss against her brother’s cheek.
“ERK!” Gokudera Hayato was nice but he wasn’t that nice. “Stop that! I’m going to lose my appetite, woman.” He scowled at her. That was well and good,as it masked the feeling of relief he felt when he saw his sister grinning over the oddities he had brought over. He bent over his food
to hide the rose blush that appeared on his pale cheeks.
Bianchi’s smile just grew wider as she pulled back - who knew her little brother could be so cute at times? No doubt he was blushing, and trying to hide it - she would laugh, but she knew that Hayato had his own pride, and she didn’t really want to make him flustered enough so that he would storm out of the cafe. They did have those letters to read, after all.
“Tch..” Hayato didn’t look at his sister when she pulled back. He had finished the sandwiches quickly and was now draining the last of the limonata. That was good. He couldn’t believe he had just eaten a full meal in front of his sister and didn’t double over in pain or puke. Then again,
Bianchi was surprisingly well-behaved. Perhaps she was just getting in the mood, like fattening up the calf before killing it.
“So, where are those letters?” he asked her, now that his meal was done. It was time to get to business. He knew that Bianchi had them underneath the table. He was looking forward to learning about things about the mother he never knew.
A part of him scolded himself, saying that he didn’t need to know anymore than he did now. He has done fairly well in the last ten years
without really knowing anything and it should be fine that way. That would maybe be true if he hadn’t talked to his father while he was in
Italy, but now that he knew more he couldn’t help but want to piece together the fragments of his past.
Bianchi wasn’t one to play around when it came to serious matters - and in this case, Hayato was a serious matter. So once he had finished eating, she carefully packed away the presents he had brought her and set them on the ground, before pulling the sack out from under the table and setting it on the table. The rope that had held the bag closed had slipped, and the slight opening revealed the many stacks of letters within the bag.
Before Hayato could reach for the bag, though, Bianchi stopped him with this sentence and a somewhat sad look:
“Do you think you are prepared for these letters, Hayato?”
The emotions he would feel after he read them would throw him into turmoil, she felt, but if Hayato said that he was ready to read them, then so be it.
Hayato looked at the letters and nodded. “I could never fully grow stronger if I keep running away from something. I’ve been running away from the past but not anymore. I have to do this, if I want to grow and become a full person. These things are fragments of my past that I have to accept - painful or not, this is me. It’s not like I could ignore itforever.”
He looked at Bianchi with a softer expression. “I’ve decided to face you too. I have to get over you and the trauma I got from your horrendous
cooking. If I can get over that, then I could consider myself powered up enough to begin the next phase of training. I want to be stronger,
Aneki. I want to be strong to protect the Tenth and be the best righthand man for him.”
With that, he extended his hand towards the letters ready to accept them and whatever pain that these things may cause him.
“... A good answer.”
Now that she knew that Hayato wouldn’t run away from the past anymore, she pushed the bag towards him, fishing out one of the letters and offering it to him. The paper it was written on was somewhat yellowed, being almost twenty years old, but the elegant writing upon it was still
legible.
“Here. This one is the first.”
Gokudera Hayato devoured letter after letter after letter. The sappiness of all the letters got to him, but he read on. The letters had been full of
love; it seemed that the old man had been telling the truth. His parents had loved him - his dad in particular had had a fondness for him as he
would carry on the name of Gokudera. As he read on, he could see the whole story unfold in his mind. They were in love, passionately, truly,
madly and deeply in love - but her race and her status in life didn’t allow her to be a part of his world. At the same time, the old man had
been protecting the love of his life from the world he was in.
Hayato’s head processed it all in logical form, the truth behind his past unravelling with every word written in those sweet letters. The pain of
longing to be a true family; the pain of not being able to be; the feeling of being loved; those were things that he thought he had thrown
away and forgotten, but were now resurfacing in his heart. He had tried hard to keep a straight face but streams of tears had gone unnoticed as
he had read on.
When he was finally done, he mopped his face with his napkin and looked at Bianchi. He had no words for it but his jade eyes had formed a
realization. He wasn’t alone anymore. He had a sister. He had responsibility for his family as well.
She was fairly certain that she had cried as well when she had read those bittersweet letters, though the pain in her heart as she had read those
letters had developed into a sort of understanding at what the two, both her father and the music teacher that she had so loved, had had to
sacrifice to keep their affair secret. Bianchi knew herself the trials of love.
She knew that if her mother, the official wife, had found out about the affair, then she would have immediately ordered the death of the
mistress. Her birth mother had been cruel like that - Bianchi had admired the sweet and gentle piano teacher so much more than she had
admired her own mother, who had tried to mould her into the perfect mafia wife.
A single droplet had gone unnoticed, trailing down Hayato’s face - Bianchi used her finger to wipe away the tear, reaching across the table
to intercept its path and bear it away delicately, before folding her hands underneath her chin and looking back evenly at her little brother.
“Now you know the truth.”
And even though they had different mothers, Bianchi loved her brother just the same. Even if, in her mother’s eyes, Hayato had never existed, even if he was a bastard child, he was still family. And that was all that counted, right?
Hayato allowed himself a smile. “Aye, Aneki. It’s good to know that I have someone worth fighting for.” He said as he fixed the letters and put
them back in the sack. He was about to say something sappy when he felt an odd energy behind him....
Someone was watching him.
He turned to look around him. There was no one. He conveyed his thought to his sister silently by uncharacteristically holding her hand. “We
should move, Aneki.”
Bianchi had opened her mouth to say something when she had felt eyes upon her, and a hostile intent - she knew that Hayato had felt it as well, judging by how he had taken her hand uncharacteristically. She had been through enough attacks and ambushes to know that this one was most likely because of the hit that she had carried out last month in that bar, and so she nodded slowly, smiling as if agreeing with something that her little brother had said.
It was best to keep up the pretense that they had not noticed the hostile eyes upon them; it would be easier to deal with these would-be attackers
if they thought that the two of them were off guard and unaware. She beckoned to one of the waitresses to pay, quickly handing over the necessary money for her food - Hayato’s as well - before letting go of her brother’s hand and collecting the bags that Hayato had brought with
him, while he took the precious letters.
“Yes, I think it’s time for us to leave...”
They had been able to leave the Cafe peacefully, but the eyes still followed with the burning murderous intent behind them. He didn’t like it. Not
at all. He still had so many questions and so many things to say to his sister that it pissed him off that these people are ruining that moment
he had prepared for so long. His pride had finally allowed him to talk to her and now these people were just about to kill it. He adjusted the
sack of letters that was slung upon his back. He wished that he could stash them somewhere before they had to fight - if they had to fight at
all.
Whoever it was, it looked like they were just watching them, for now. He tried to chat with his sister amicably about random things like the weather, her shirt and the university just for show. He lit a cigarette to keep his hands busy from throwing dynamite at whoever was watching them and to have a ready igniter just in case.
“Ne, Aneki,” He said as he came to a bakery. “Those cream puffs do look tasty. Though I wonder how it will fare against your own... ” Hayato
used his eyes to motion to her. The guy behind them was getting annoying.
“Oh, I don’t think anything could compare to my own cooking.”
And so saying, she casually tossed three smoking cream puffs a way behind her, disguising the movement as a mere flick of her hair - the smoke would grant anyone downwind from the two siblings a rather painful death, and unfortunately, the wind was working in their favour.
“We should try and cook together sometime. I’m sure your fire would come in handy. What about at two o’ clock today?”
Two o’ clock referred to Hayato’s front, but slightly to the right - there was a man in the bushes there, waiting to spring out on them. Discreetly, she also sent out her scorpions to scout the area, confirming the presence of approximately twenty more men, spaced out along their route. This should be a good after meal exercise, she thought, unknowingly echoing a certain white-haired man’s sentiments.
Hayato yawned and with the stretch of his hands, flicked two mini bombs North East at the direction of his sister. He smirked. This kind of mindless battle with his sister was fun. A small explosion and a yelp confirmed a hit and then he looked at his sister to continue their nonsensical conversation.
“I suppose, though I was supposed to meet some friends for tea at five. Maybe you could bake us some pie for that?” He asked, sickeningly sweet. He almost had to laugh at his own folly. “Maybe cherry, or pecan? What do you think, Aneki?”
He knew that they were coming. More of them; the boss was probably around here somewhere. But that didn’t even worry him. They were wrong if they thought they could mess with a Gokudera.
“I think cherry pie would be a good choice - I’ve been waiting to use those fruits in the greenhouse on something worthwhile.”
The scorpions went to work, spreading their Storm flames around some of the men in the undergrowth subtly - the flames flared up and consumed the men hungrily when she willed them to, before dying away and leaving no trace that suggested that anyone had been there in the first place, thanks to the destructive ability of the Storm flames.
Another was daring enough to actually try and come up behind the two to eliminate, though one touch from her turned the knife he was holding to
poison, before a bomb in his face sent him reeling back, the scent of charred flesh marring the clean air and causing her to waft it away from
her face casually.
“Would you need anything else apart from that dessert?”
“I think that would be it,” Gokudera actually smiled at his sister, mentally high fiving the gorgeous woman. “It has been a long time since
we have played like this. We should do it more often.” The pleasantries were merely a facade as they walked in public. A few had turned to look
at them curiously at the small explosions that were heard. Most have brushed it away as sound effects from the arcade that they were close
to, and paid no heed to the screams.. But the Dynamite Expert knew better and tossed his bangs away to the air as they were attacked by
streams of expertly aimed needles.
He pushed his sister lightly, as if he was joking. “Well, I wouldn’t mind if you turned up to tea with a buffet of goodies. I’m sure they would
enjoy it. I might light up the party as well, you know, with a BANG!” He emphasized as he threw out a few of his dynamites to the invisible
attacker. It missed. Tch. This must be a higher level thug.
Hayato looked over to his sister who seemed to be truly enjoying herself. It’s been a long time since they both fought together. this was fun.
“I might turn up if I’m not busy. Where will it be held? In the gardens? Because I could bake some scones along with that pie for you to take…”
The needles were avoided easily, Bianchi swaying away from the stream thanks to Hayato’s push, before draping an arm over her brother’s
shoulders and steering him away from another attacker that had appeared behind them. She lashed out at the man with one of her legs and caught him in the face, sending him flying away, all without breaking a sweat.
Luckily, the area they were in now didn’t have many people wandering around - those people that were present never caught the flash of khaki, as she had moved her leg almost too quickly for it to be visible; they had only seen the man flying back and away from what looked like a couple for no reason.
The man shuddered and spasmed where he lay on the ground, before white foam appeared upon his lips and his movement ceased - on closer inspection, it would show that he had died, though if an autopsy were to be conducted, it wouldn’t show the cause. Poisons which couldn’t be
detected, though, were one of Bianchi’s specialities.
Hayato smirked at the display of skill by his sister, but a nagging intuition inside him told him that they hadn’t seen the worst of it yet. The enemy
was getting bolder as they approached, as the siblings walked towards more uninhabited areas. They were also getting smarter and tougher. He
grinned a little as he thought about the whole thing like a video game, where the first few levels were very easy and it gradually grew tougher
as the time went by. He anticipated the next level, knowing that tougher targets were coming.
"Ne, Aneki," he said casually as he flipped a medium sized bomb towards a rushing enemy. It probably annoyed the enemy that he was still casually speaking to his sister instead of attacking them head on. "Do you remember when we used to play Mario Brothers?" He asked with an amused grin on his handsome face. "I remember we used to challenge each other on who could beat King Koopa faster. I bet you that I could win again today."
Bianchi pouted when Hayato brought up the game they had both been obsessed with in their shared childhood, punching another goon in the face dismissively as she replied, her voice slightly sulky:
“You had so much more practice with the game than I did back then, Hayato. But this time, I’ll win.”
The scorpions took out a wave of the men rushing towards them by sending up a storm of flames, the crimson hurricane of fire wrapping around the men and carrying them off to devour them. The drain on her flame reserve increased slightly with that move, but it was nothing to worry about.
Hayato laughed outright at that. “Try again sis. I’m starting off with the Power Flower.” He said as he launched a few rocket bombs over to a few
of the “Koopa Troopers” in their path. Didn’t these people notice that the siblings were just toying with them? What stupid person would try to
mess with The Smoking Bomb and the Poison Scorpion? Then he went to watch as the men writhed underneath his sister’s scorpions.
“Not bad,” He smiled as another guy tried to attack him from behind. He dodged the man and sent him flying with a couple mini-dynamites. He
didn’t even bother trying to get the Flame Arrow out. It was too easy. He could consider this additional training in hand to hand and non-box
combat the way the thugs were trying to them. He laughed at the nonchalant way his sister waved off her scorpions. He wondered if any of
these men are going to prove a challenge for them.
“Then I guess I’ll just have to... match your score!”
Bianchi grinned and slipped in between the bodies of the men rushing towards them - a touch here, a foot lashing out there, a punch carefully aimed at a sensitive area, and a face full of poisoned cake later, she was standing victoriously on top of a pile of groaning men, digging the heel
of her shoe rather unmercifully into one man’s cheek.
One of the men tried to pull her down by wrapping his hand around her ankle, but she kicked it away easily, and a nudge from her foot sent the
man rolling down the pile to land with a rather sickening crack at the bottom of it.
“I think I’ve beaten you, Hayato~”
“For now,” the younger Gokudera smirked at his sister knowing that the best of his attacks are yet to come. Light footed men in invisible suits were all around him - they thought they came undetected but Hayato knew better. His sensitivity to sound was second to none. He launched his
rocket bombs around them knowing that they’d hit as he casually walked away, stepping on an unfortunate one in the crotch.
However, that was Hayato’s biggest mistake. He didn’t realize that there was someone else behind them, someone whose presence he didn’t detect. He gasped as an odorless and colorless gas took him by surprise, locking him into place as he choked. Invisible chains held him in place even as he tried to move his legs, the gas brought him to his knees as he sent a warning shout to his sister.
“Aneki! Get the fuck out of here!” He cried out desperately between chokes. He had to figure out how to get away soon.
There was no way that she would leave Hayato there by himself, to suffer at the hands of this mysterious assailant - her only response to her
brother’s shouting was to leap off of the pile of bodies and head straight for the cowardly bastard that had dared to lay a hand on her
family, hidden behind a simple illusion of invisibility. She had been utilising the frail sensor for Mist flame users that some Family had
developed, and had given to her as payment on one of her contracts - at times like this, its usefulness was unparalleled.
The gas that had crippled Hayato made her throat burn, her skin prickle in warning, her limbs threatening to give out, but it was as if she had a
coat of armour on - it had no effect on her, protected by her love forher family. Of course, once the Mist user saw that it was useless to try and deter her with more gas, he instantly tried to escape - it was too bad for him, then, that she had concentrated her dear scorpions around
him so that one move from him would burn him to ash, leaving nothing behind to hint at the fact that there had once been a human standing
there. The wind soon came and blew away the pile of ash, erasing the evidence, the grey particles swirling and dancing about in the breeze
before dissipating into their surroundings.
Hayato was on the ground, coughing , wheezing and weakened as he watched his sister single handedly wipe out the bastard who had him down on the ground. What the fuck just happened? He frowned as he tried to get up, but the poison had seeped into his system already. How could he be so weak? He thought he could easily handle this and this was a nobody that decided to pick on them. How could he lose to some stupid idiot?
He coughed again. He must train. He must study again. He must figure out what he did wrong and make himself better. He can’t be like this. He
must learn how to be invincible to protect the Tenth.
The poison gas in the air was strangely familiar to her - no doubt she had made something that had emitted this particular fume sometime in the
past, and had gained an immunity to it through that. She gave the pile of ash that had been the illusionist one last contemptuous glance, before strolling back over to her younger brother, who seemed to be having trouble with the poison he had inhaled.
“You can’t move, can you?”
Before he could answer, though, she had already scooped him up, carrying him bridal-style, somehow managing to shoulder the sack of letters and the bag of gifts as well, slowly making her way back towards the university with her precious cargo in her hands.
Gah! If he could move right now, he would be so willing to blow up his sister. He wanted to curse at her but nothing came out of his voice box
aside from a weird gargling sound and another bout of coughing which left him wheezing in the end. He allowed her to carry him as the situation needed it. Perhaps, if he behaved she might have an antidote and as soon as he gets it and gets better he’s gonna blow her up. Glaring with as much pride as he can, he sighed. There was nothing he could do about it right now.
Luckily, they weren’t deterred by any more goons on their way back - soon enough, they reached Bianchi’s kitchens on campus, where she dumped Hayato into a chair, dropping the letters and gifts beside him, before bustling about, collecting the things needed for the antidote.
Remembering the ingredients of the poison that she had made all those years ago was difficult, but with reference to some of her notes that she had taken over the years, it was soon made up, the vile smell wafting throughout the kitchen. Sometimes, the cure just had to be worse than the disease.
The antidote was injected into a cupcake for easier consumption, before she held it in front of Hayato’s face, murmuring:
“Eat. The antidote is in here.”
As much as he wanted to run, he didn’t have much of a choice. Hayato stared at the cupcake that was thrust in his face. He made a face at
it, but couldn’t do much about it in his current state. It was either eat it or die. He chose to live, he still has much to do with his life and he doesn’t want to die in such a lame way.
He gulped before he nervously nibbled at the cupcake. As dangerous as it looked, it actually tasted quite wonderful. He looked at it curiously
before devouring it whole and then stared at his sister for good measure. He didn’t want to admit it, but the cupcake was delicious. A mix of cinammon and apple spice blended with just enough vanilla cream exploded in his mouth just like a dream. Maybe his sister’s cooking wasn’t so bad after all.
He lay back and glared at her for a moment, remembering the 3 hour delay poison that she created by accident once in Yamamoto’s sushi place. Then again, he figured that if his sister wanted to kill him, then she would have succeeded already. He closed his eyes in exhaustion, he still felt horrible after the poison attack from the enemies. If not for his sister, he would have been lost there.
“Thanks,” he managed to utter with a small smile.
“No problem,” she returned easily, standing up and ruffling her younger brother’s hair fondly, before moving to pack up the things that she had
used to make the antidote. The Lord knew that she would do anything she could to save Hayato, who, in her point of view, was the only family she had left. At least her cute little brother hadn’t refused to eat the cupcake - that was surely an improvement compared to all those times
that he had fainted by even looking at a piece of her cooking.
“You know--” she started casually as she started washing up the measuring cups, “-- maybe you should start working on your resistance to poison. Serving as Tsunayoshi’s Right Hand Man will no doubt involve such things as surprise ambushes and so on, and in that case, the enemy will use everything they can to take you down, including poisons and gas.”
She turned from the sink to fix her gaze on Hayato, who was still slumped in the chair, looking rather tired and wan as the antidote went to work
on the poison in his system.
“I could train you, if you like.”
She left the offer hanging in the air, her hands moving even as she watched the other for a response.
“Ugh,” Hayato cracked open one eye to stare at his sister. “What was that?” He asked as he feigned hearing the older woman’s suggestion. He was still weakened by the poison that hit him - though, the antidote had lessened the pain he felt as when he tried to breathe. He looked away and considered it.
What his sister said was absolutely true - once the Decimo ascended to power, the quickest way to eliminate the Vongola Godfather was to first
eliminate the guardians and the Right Hand man which was him. He knew that people would try everything in their power to get him to drop down
and die so he had to be prepared for all kinds of contingencies. A training with the Poison Scorpion herself with Poisons and Gases would
prove beneficial to him as well as the tenth. Training with Aneki would make him immune to poison that could possibly be used to kill him or the
Tenth.
However, the training would be gruesome. He couldn’t imagine willingly eating poison that his sister could cook up. But, he turned his head towards her and gave the faintest nod. He has to do this. All for the Tenth.
The nod was all she needed for confirmation - she had been expecting Hayato to accept, because she knew that he would do absolutely anything for the Tenth Boss of the Vongola. There was something about Tsunayoshi that drew people to him, a magnetism, and with time and careful nurturing, that charisma would make even the Vongola’s worst enemies fall victim to the Don’s charm.
“We will begin as soon as I procure a room for us to use, then.” The equipment was left to dry while she pulled up a chair beside Hayato’s, frowning slightly - she would have to negotiate with Reborn for another classroom that had the properties that she needed, and as far as she
knew, there currently weren’t any. The goggles were irritating her, and she thought that Hayato might as well start getting used to seeing her
without any obstruction to her face itself, so she reached back and started to pull them off.
“Gah!” Hayato gawked and choked when Bianchi pulled the goggles off and promptly turned away since he had no strength to run from her. “What the hell are you doing?” He sputtered wildly clutching his already aching stomach. He writhed in his spot, wishing that she could just disappear, but that wasn’t possible. He knew that she was there to check up on him and see if the antidote was working.
“It’s your fault anyway, Aneki,” he started to say after he had closed his eyes so he could properly speak to his sister. “If you didn’t feed me
those cookies before then I wouldn’t have Bianchiphobia. Do you think I like being like this every time you’re near me?”
He let a frown cross his face, thinking about the times they spent in the mansion together. Back then, he was all about her. He loved seeing his
sister, he loved making her laugh and smile. Back then, they were best friends and they truly cared about each other -- up until her sister
started to cook. Then, things turned sour.
"How the hell did you learn how to cook like that anyway?”
“You might as well start getting used to seeing my face without anything to obscure it. I can’t have you fainting every time you show up for
lessons.” When it came to teaching, even if it was her darling brother, she had no mercy - she was a ruthless teacher, and a far as she was concerned, the more practice Hayato could get in between tutorials, the better. And what better to start off with than her face? She knew that he had an odd phobia of her face, though it was fine when she had something covering it. Strange, really.
“I was bored.”
She shrugged carelessly, though Hayato couldn’t see it. Her mother had been baking with her, claiming that every mafia wife needed to know how to cook - she had been naive and obedient then, and so she had followed her mother’s instructions on how to bake simple almond biscotto. But for some reason, they had turned out rather... strange. In time, she learned how to control her touch; unfortunately, that had happened after Hayato had run away from the mansion, and so she couldn’t show him what she had accomplished. Not long after that, she had run away herself, seeing nothing left for her at the mansion but a dull life full of suitors and the falsities of mafia society.
Hayato turned his head towards her and nodded. “I always thought you were smarter than those people Aneki,” he said softly. “Glad you didn’t turn out like them.”
A small sad smile formed on his face as he slowly opened his eyes tried to focus on his sister’s face. The pain that usually followed that
action began to activate again, but he forced himself to stay put. It was necessary that he stay that way to emphasize his point.
“Even though I hated your cooking, you were the only real family I had in that mansion,” he said honestly.
She let out a somewhat weary laugh at that, reaching forward to ruffle Hayato’s hair before drawing away again and standing. “You’re not the only one that felt that way, Hayato.”
It was good to see that her little brother was trying to keep conscious while looking at her, and she found herself smiling despite herself at
his determination. These next few sessions with him could turn out to contribute much to healing the bond between the two of them.
“Stay here for as long as you need to. I’ll be around.”
With that, she grabbed the bag that Hayato had brought over for her from Italy and lifted it easily before beginning to walk away to the
storeroom to sort everything out properly, leaving the other on his own.
Hayato nodded and watched his sister leave. Her response had made him happy, though he would never dare show it in front of her. He wanted to keep on talking to her, but his body had other plans. Just as he thought he could control himself in front of his sister, his stomach rebelled
against him again and he doubled over in pain. The Storm Guardian cursed himself inwardly as he choked and gasped for air.
Damn, that Poison Scorpion, he thought to himself before he was knocked out unconscious by the phobia again.
What: Hayato and Bianchi finally meet after a long time. Sibling bonding over lunch and an adventure.
When: Beginning of the Semester
Where: Starts out with Hayato in Italy and Bianci in Campus then Cafe Amore and around town
Rating: PG
Genova, Italy
"Is there anything else you need, bocchan?"
"No, thank you." Hayato Gokudera closed the door and looked around at the familiar room he had lived in as a child. It'd been a while since he last slept in his room and most of it had remained unchanged, except for the bed which has been recently changed to a bigger one, since the old one would probably not fit the 19 year old young master. He smirked as he wandered around, exploring his old things - a lot of them unchanged since he left about 10 years ago.
He picked up a binder of old piano sheets he used to master as a child. There were pictures of him on his baby grand piano, most of them smirking or full on frowning. In one of the pictures, he was glaring at
Bianchi. He smirked and shook his head. It'd always been that way anyway. A picture on the corner of one of the top shelves got his attention. It was of him and his mother - the woman he only saw on his
birthday and whom he'd liked the most.
The talk he had with his father today was fruitful, albeit full of flying insults and threats. At least he knew where he got his potty mouth. In the end, the whole matter about his mother and their relationship had
been settled. His father didn't say it in so many words, but the old man was apparently proud of him being the Vongola Decimo's Guardian of the Storm. There were no more questions about why he had forsaken his blooming musical career for sticks of dynamite, and a forewarning was issued to him to never shame the name of Gokudera by failing the Vongola Decimo. In the end, he was given keys to the manor, a car, a private lab in the manor and a warm welcome by the Gokudera Family.
He looked over his desk where a brand new computer was set up. Glancing over to his pictures, he stared at a pink haired pigtailed girl and allowed a small smile to form upon his lips. Hayato turned around, turned on the computer and started to write an e-mail to his sister.
-----------
To: Bianchi Gokudera < poison_scorpion@rebou.co.jp >
From: Hayato Gokudera < storm10_righthand@vongola.co.it>
Subject: Ciao from Genova
___________________________________________________________________________________________
Aneki,
Ciao.
I know you're thinking that it's rare that I would be writing to you, but I guess you are the only person right now who I want to talk to. I
am currently in Italy right now at the Manor. Shocking, isn't it? I have talked to Papa and it seems that we have finally made our peace. Father sends his regards.
You have mentioned before that when we were in the future, you had some letters that you wanted to show me. I was thinking that when I return to Japan, maybe you could share them to me. I'd like to know more of my own family's history. Do you still have them?
Anyway, that's it. Don't go overreacting. I still don't like you.
Ciao.
Hayato
--
Reborn University, Japan
Bianchi had been in the middle of creating a new poison when she had received the message in her inbox - hence, she hadn’t been able to see who it was from until she had finished and had packed away her supplies. Once she was in the relative privacy of her dorm room, though, a flick on the mousepad of the laptop showed the new message. She was honestly surprised to see that it was from her dear little brother, but the content made it even more interesting.
Hayato is in Italia…? That would explain why I haven’t seen him around…
The mention of their father sending her his regards made her snort - after all, they hadn’t left on good terms. The letters that were also
mentioned currently lay in a sack underneath her bed - she had already had a look through them, of course, and found them quite…fascinating. Hayato would definitely be interested in reading them.
Another tap on the mousepad, and a new email window opened up, before Bianchi began to write an email in reply to Hayato’s. Well, he had told her not to overreact…
--
To: Hayato Gokudera < storm10_righthand@vongola.co.it>
From: Bianchi Gokudera < poison_scorpion@rebou.co.jp >
Subject: Re: Ciao from Genova
___________________________________________________________________________________________
Hayato,
I’m happy to see that you have decided to make up with Father. When will you be coming back to Japan? I still have the letters - I think they
would interest you very much.
By the way, if I were to cook you a welcoming feast, what would you do?
Your loving older sister,
Bianchi
--
Another tap sent the email off, and Bianchi leaned back in her chair, reminiscing about those days when she had still been living in the manor with the rest of her family. Those were the good days…
--
Genova, Italy
Gokudera Hayato didn't really expect her to answer; after all they didn't have that kind of relationship. He was in his room, playing a tune on the old baby grand piano when he heard the distinctive blast from his computer. He’d gotten mail.
He stepped away from the piano and went to the computer, checking the pop up that had come on screen. Opening it, he was half-pleased,
half-cringing to see that it was from his sister. A quick read made him smile a little. Aneki was being Aneki - however twisted it was.
He quickly sat down and began to type his answer.
To: Bianchi Gokudera
From: Hayato Gokudera
Subject: RE:RE:Ciao from Genova
___________________________________________________________________________________________
Aneki,
That was a fast reply. I wasn't expecting that from you at all. I'll be back in Japan around the 18th, but don't bother with the welcoming feast. I
beg you.
Ah, you still have the letters, eh? Let's meet up when I get back there. I'll have stuff for you as well. I prefer to meet in a cafe or a
restaurant - if that's alright.
And, please don't forget your goggles/glasses or something when you do come meet me. I don't want to be unconscious before I start to talk.
Hayato
Hayato sighed. Something in him must have snapped if he was willingly going to meet his sister. But he had to read those letters, and he did make a silent pact with himself that he would be a better brother from now on.
Just as she was about to head to bed - because after all, there was a seven-hour gap between Italy’s and Japan’s times - the soft chime from her laptop alerted her once more to the presence of a new email. Bianchi smiled as she read the email, tapping out a quick reply and sending it off before she turned the power off and went to bed.
To: Hayato Gokudera
From: Bianchi Gokudera
Subject: Re:Re:Re: Ciao from Genova
___________________________________________________________________________________________
Hayato,
Did you think that I would abandon my dear brother, just like that? Any contact at all from you is rare. Oh, so you don’t want any of my
cookies? They got better, I assure you.
There’s a little café a short distance away from the university. We can meet there when you get back - just remember to tell me when you’ll be there.
I’ll remember them, if it’s for you, Hayato.
Bianchi
--
Hayato wasn’t waiting for it at all. It was merely by coincidence that he was at his computer researching about new attachments for his belt when the blast was heard again. He quickly clicked off his browser and looked at the pop up. It was her. Smirking, he read the quick response of his sister. He cringed at the thought of any of her cooking; he was sure that one look at those poisoned cookies would send him careening off into unconsciousness. He sighed and tapped out a quick response. It was about time for him to get to the Vongola HQ anyway.
To: Bianchi Gokudera
From: Hayato Gokudera
Subject: RE:RE: RE: RE: Ciao from Genova
Aneki,
The cafe sounds fine. We should meet there. I will surely inform you of my return to Japan. But save the cookies for next time. I am not sure I could handle that poison.
See you soon.
Hayato
--
A quick click and it was sent. Now, he has to get back to the headquarters to register his weapon. He smiled a little as he gathered
his things, making sure he had catnip for Uri. It would be good to see Aneki again.
Bianchi smiled as she saw the message, her hands busy with sorting out the various herbs she had picked from the greenhouses - today was one of her free days, so she was restocking on the various foodstuffs that she needed in her kitchen.
She couldn’t wait to talk to Hayato again, after so long, and she spared a glance for the sack of letters sitting next to her, before returning to
her task at hand. In just a few more days, she would be able to see him again… And she was also looking forward to the things that he had
brought her, though he hadn’t said they were.
---
Reborn University
August 21
Sunday.
He was finally glad it was Sunday. He’d finished fixing his room yesterday after he finally got out of detention. That cat really was a
lot of trouble and as punishment, he had locked the box weapon in with a chain so the stupid cat would get his time out. That was, after he had returned to normal and finished chasing Uri all over the campus. He frowned. Uri really didn’t mean it, but he got into enough trouble as it was. Riccardo’s punishments were not to be messed with. What a way to start off in the university!
Looking around his room, he was satisfied. Things were finally in place. A huge pink and white paper bag with odd looking stuff in it caught his attention. Aneki. He had to meet her sometime to give her those. He had forgotten to inform her that he was here in Japan already; he had some free time today so he figured that dinner with Bianchi might not be too bad.
He pulled out his cellular phone from his pocket and started to type.
Aneki, I’m in campus. Have time today? Let’s do that lunch thing. That is, if you’re not a scorpion anymore.
Bianchi was thankful that the experience of being a scorpion had only lasted an hour and a half - she had no desire to repeat that experience. A blip from her phone alerted her to a new text message, and she raised an eyebrow as she picked up the phone to check who had sent it, though that expression soon smoothed out to become a smile. It took only another minute for her to send her reply, before she glanced at the sack of letters under her bed. She’d found that she had been glancing at it more and more lately, no doubt due to Hayato reminding her about it in that first email; seems like it was time to pull the bag out from under the bed.
Hayato, that would be wonderful. I’m free for all of today - what time would suit you?
That was fast, as usual. It seemed that his sister was excited to see him and he was surprised that it didn’t make him cringe. Hayato looked at the digital clock in his room and thought that it would just be fair to actually spend the afternoon with her. He sat down on his bed and started to type.
Anytime actually. But how about after lunch? What was the name of the Cafe you mentioned? Give me quick directions and I’ll meet you there. And remember, NO COOKIES.
She pouted slightly when she read the emphasized ‘NO COOKIES’, but of course, Hayato couldn’t see her. After lunch, though, would be a
good time, and so she sent back her agreement along with the directions to Cafe Amore. A quick glance at the clock showed her that she had about three hours to get ready - she had best start looking around for that pair of goggles that she had left somewhere around here...
12:45 PM- Just outside Cafe Amore
Hayato was early. Not because he was excited, but more like he wanted to make sure that none of his sister’s poisoned cooking would ever make it to his plate. He intended to be conscious the whole time he was with her so he brought his goggles and some dark shades with him just in case.
He had a lot to talk to his sister about. First, there were those letters that he needed to read and discuss. Then there was the matter of his
relationship with her. He wanted to get over the Bianchiphobia and finally have a semi-normal relationship with her. The trip to Italy had
changed him, somewhat, or perhaps this was the influence of the Tenth. He was turning into a softie.
When was the last time he really talked to her anyway? Perhaps it was after the Millefiore attack... He couldn’t even remember. Whatever. At least he was starting now. If the Tenth knew about this, he’d be so proud of him. The Tenth had always wanted them to be on good terms.
Hayato adjusted his stance. The presents he had for his sister were heavy, but he was sure she’d love them. At least the ones from him. He looked around - she should be here any minute.
Even though Hayato had been early, she had already been in the cafe waiting for him - behind the counter, in fact, as she had made good friends with the owner of the cafe, and he had allowed her, on some occasions, to be part of the staff when they were short of hands.
Bianchi had slipped from behind the counter when she had first noticed the arrival of her brother to claim a table in the corner of the cafe, a cup of strong coffee and a plate of biscuits in front of her. She had been observing her little brother from behind rose-coloured goggles - it
seemed like, from the set of his shoulders and the expression on his face, that he had grown up a little during the time he had spent in
Italy.
No longer did he seem so wary of the world around him, nor so prone to throwing dynamite everywhere, and she let her eyes trail over him,
lingering on the bag that he had brought with him. The sack of letters that she had brought with her lay at her feet, tucked neatly underneath
the table - she nudged it with a foot to make sure that it was still safe, taking another sip of coffee.
Eventually, though, she smiled and called out to him, raising a hand to beckon him over.
“Over here, Hayato.”
“Aneki.”
The Storm Guardian felt a wave of mixed emotions when he heard the voice and saw her. The first reaction was panic, but when he saw that she had her goggles on, he calmed down. He was happy to see her yet he was afraid of her. Perhaps it was the psychological trauma, but part of him wanted to just run away. He took a deep breath, and arranged his face into his normal scowl then walked towards to where his sister was.
Seeing the plate of cookies set in front of her made him gulp, though it looked safe enough to eat. But knowing Bianchi, there was probably some kind of trick to it. He distinctly remembered something about a 3 hour delay Poison she had created once so he made a mental note not to eat anything she touched.
He stopped in front of the table, unsure of how to greet her. He fidgeted around awkwardly for a while before deciding to raise his hand for a
casual “Yo.”
As awkward as ever, I see, she thought, before gesturing to the chair opposite her.
“Take a seat. Relax, Hayato, I didn’t make those cookies.” A shame, that. She had so wanted to greet her little brother with some of her cooking made with love. But he had explicitly told her not to cook anything, so she had listened (for once) and not brought any of her food.
Anyway, she had been experimenting with her poison touch, so she could now control what she poisoned and what she did not, though not many knew that. It was something that she rather preferred that she keep to herself, lest she lose any of that fearsome reputation she had carved for herself in the underworld.
“You look so unhappy to see me.”
Hayato sat down before responding. He put the package of goodies for Bianchi beside him and then took a good look at his sister. She was undoubtedly beautiful. Her long pink hair was smooth and her skin was fair and flawless. And despite the fact that she was wearing goggles (for his safety) that hid the brilliant jade green eyes that they both had, she still looked stunning.
He noticed that the men in the Cafe gave more than a glance at Bianchi and that made him irritated. He gave the room a glare and the men avoided his eyes. If it had been the younger him, they would have been blown away by now, but his stormy temperament had indeed mellowed a little as he had grown up. Blowing them away would be a waste of his time and energy so he settled for glaring. When they had all stopped staring, he shook his head and turned his attention to his sister.
“You’re looking well, Aneki,” he said to her, his face softening a little as he allowed himself a small smile.
She stifled a laugh as she watched Hayato get into his protective mode that was rarely seen - it was nice to see that he still cared about her,
though of course, she could take care of herself. Once her brother turned back to her, she nodded at the menu on the table in front of him,
before responding to the pleasantry.
“As are you. Italy did you some good, I think.”
“Tch. Maybe.” He looked at the menu. That was when he realized that he was indeed hungry. Hayato didn’t have time to have any lunch at all as he had been busy preparing everything for this talk. With his sister within his sights, it was relatively safe to order food. He at least knew that
no one would poison him. Perusing the menu, he decided on a light meal.A Lunch chicken Panini and a tall glass of strawberry limonata was soon ordered.
“So, what’s up?” He asked casually, trying to make small talk to break the awkward silence. He knew he should ask about those letters but he also didn’t want to sound too eager for them. “The manor still looks the same, Papa still has tacky tastes. Though they added an extension for
some kind of business. I didn’t bother to ask about it.”
He thought that he should open the topic up at least. After all, he was the one who had called her out here.
Bianchi grimaced as she heard about the family back in Italy, though she was reluctant to call that man her father - he had disowned her, after she had left the man that she was supposed to marry naked and hanging in front of the manor, dead after he had tried to grope her inappropriately.
The man that had been so accommodating to her father’s wishes back then had been a filthy pervert once he had been able to get her alone, and so, simply put, she had killed him; to prove that she was not a weak and fragile bloom, and to prove to her father that she would not accept this pathetic excuse of a man as her husband. Shortly after that, she had stormed out with only a bag containing her most precious belongings,
determined to make her way in the world, through whatever means necessary.
Not once had she regretted it, and she had never looked back. But she shook herself away from the dark memories and nudged the sack underneath the table once again with her foot.
“I have the letters here... But finish eating first, before you have a look at them.”
he was content to wait, though she was rather curious as to what Hayato had brought her from Italy.
“Then you should have a look through these while I’m eating,” Hayato pulled the heavy bag of gifts and pushed it towards her. “Some of these are from Papa - the clothes, perfume, bags and stuff - but the other things are from me. I thought you’d like them.”
He had taken care to get Bianchi some odd mushrooms and herbs from Italy. Not to mention some of the rare ingredients he had found in an occult store he had managed to find back home. Bat wings, bat eyes, newts and other preserved animal parts and poisonous wares were in there, as well as measuring equipment and some books about poisons. Not that his sister needed those; she was probably an expert on the subject, but at least she could use it for referencing. He was just glad that Vongola’s influence was just that great that they didn’t even question his baggage in customs.
He nodded at the waiter who arrived with his food and began to eat. “Just be careful... I think the scarabs or some of the insects are still
alive.”
The presents from her father gained a raised eyebrow, and she left them aside to look at later - for now, though, she rummaged through the
things that Hayato had brought her, grinning happily at the ingredients that popped out of the bag. Ohh, to think of all the things she could
make with these...A faint scuttling had her digging further, to reveal a glass jar full of said scarabs running around, and another jar that emitted a faint humming sound - a flying insect of some sort, no doubt, though the glass this time was covered with a wrap of some sort, designed to keep the light out of the jar. No matter, though - she would have all the time in the world to look at it later.
“These are lovely. Thank you for them, Hayato~” Her grin turned rather devious as she thought of what new things she could make with these
ingredients, and in thanks, she leant over the table and brushed a fleeting kiss against her brother’s cheek.
“ERK!” Gokudera Hayato was nice but he wasn’t that nice. “Stop that! I’m going to lose my appetite, woman.” He scowled at her. That was well and good,as it masked the feeling of relief he felt when he saw his sister grinning over the oddities he had brought over. He bent over his food
to hide the rose blush that appeared on his pale cheeks.
Bianchi’s smile just grew wider as she pulled back - who knew her little brother could be so cute at times? No doubt he was blushing, and trying to hide it - she would laugh, but she knew that Hayato had his own pride, and she didn’t really want to make him flustered enough so that he would storm out of the cafe. They did have those letters to read, after all.
“Tch..” Hayato didn’t look at his sister when she pulled back. He had finished the sandwiches quickly and was now draining the last of the limonata. That was good. He couldn’t believe he had just eaten a full meal in front of his sister and didn’t double over in pain or puke. Then again,
Bianchi was surprisingly well-behaved. Perhaps she was just getting in the mood, like fattening up the calf before killing it.
“So, where are those letters?” he asked her, now that his meal was done. It was time to get to business. He knew that Bianchi had them underneath the table. He was looking forward to learning about things about the mother he never knew.
A part of him scolded himself, saying that he didn’t need to know anymore than he did now. He has done fairly well in the last ten years
without really knowing anything and it should be fine that way. That would maybe be true if he hadn’t talked to his father while he was in
Italy, but now that he knew more he couldn’t help but want to piece together the fragments of his past.
Bianchi wasn’t one to play around when it came to serious matters - and in this case, Hayato was a serious matter. So once he had finished eating, she carefully packed away the presents he had brought her and set them on the ground, before pulling the sack out from under the table and setting it on the table. The rope that had held the bag closed had slipped, and the slight opening revealed the many stacks of letters within the bag.
Before Hayato could reach for the bag, though, Bianchi stopped him with this sentence and a somewhat sad look:
“Do you think you are prepared for these letters, Hayato?”
The emotions he would feel after he read them would throw him into turmoil, she felt, but if Hayato said that he was ready to read them, then so be it.
Hayato looked at the letters and nodded. “I could never fully grow stronger if I keep running away from something. I’ve been running away from the past but not anymore. I have to do this, if I want to grow and become a full person. These things are fragments of my past that I have to accept - painful or not, this is me. It’s not like I could ignore itforever.”
He looked at Bianchi with a softer expression. “I’ve decided to face you too. I have to get over you and the trauma I got from your horrendous
cooking. If I can get over that, then I could consider myself powered up enough to begin the next phase of training. I want to be stronger,
Aneki. I want to be strong to protect the Tenth and be the best righthand man for him.”
With that, he extended his hand towards the letters ready to accept them and whatever pain that these things may cause him.
“... A good answer.”
Now that she knew that Hayato wouldn’t run away from the past anymore, she pushed the bag towards him, fishing out one of the letters and offering it to him. The paper it was written on was somewhat yellowed, being almost twenty years old, but the elegant writing upon it was still
legible.
“Here. This one is the first.”
Gokudera Hayato devoured letter after letter after letter. The sappiness of all the letters got to him, but he read on. The letters had been full of
love; it seemed that the old man had been telling the truth. His parents had loved him - his dad in particular had had a fondness for him as he
would carry on the name of Gokudera. As he read on, he could see the whole story unfold in his mind. They were in love, passionately, truly,
madly and deeply in love - but her race and her status in life didn’t allow her to be a part of his world. At the same time, the old man had
been protecting the love of his life from the world he was in.
Hayato’s head processed it all in logical form, the truth behind his past unravelling with every word written in those sweet letters. The pain of
longing to be a true family; the pain of not being able to be; the feeling of being loved; those were things that he thought he had thrown
away and forgotten, but were now resurfacing in his heart. He had tried hard to keep a straight face but streams of tears had gone unnoticed as
he had read on.
When he was finally done, he mopped his face with his napkin and looked at Bianchi. He had no words for it but his jade eyes had formed a
realization. He wasn’t alone anymore. He had a sister. He had responsibility for his family as well.
She was fairly certain that she had cried as well when she had read those bittersweet letters, though the pain in her heart as she had read those
letters had developed into a sort of understanding at what the two, both her father and the music teacher that she had so loved, had had to
sacrifice to keep their affair secret. Bianchi knew herself the trials of love.
She knew that if her mother, the official wife, had found out about the affair, then she would have immediately ordered the death of the
mistress. Her birth mother had been cruel like that - Bianchi had admired the sweet and gentle piano teacher so much more than she had
admired her own mother, who had tried to mould her into the perfect mafia wife.
A single droplet had gone unnoticed, trailing down Hayato’s face - Bianchi used her finger to wipe away the tear, reaching across the table
to intercept its path and bear it away delicately, before folding her hands underneath her chin and looking back evenly at her little brother.
“Now you know the truth.”
And even though they had different mothers, Bianchi loved her brother just the same. Even if, in her mother’s eyes, Hayato had never existed, even if he was a bastard child, he was still family. And that was all that counted, right?
Hayato allowed himself a smile. “Aye, Aneki. It’s good to know that I have someone worth fighting for.” He said as he fixed the letters and put
them back in the sack. He was about to say something sappy when he felt an odd energy behind him....
Someone was watching him.
He turned to look around him. There was no one. He conveyed his thought to his sister silently by uncharacteristically holding her hand. “We
should move, Aneki.”
Bianchi had opened her mouth to say something when she had felt eyes upon her, and a hostile intent - she knew that Hayato had felt it as well, judging by how he had taken her hand uncharacteristically. She had been through enough attacks and ambushes to know that this one was most likely because of the hit that she had carried out last month in that bar, and so she nodded slowly, smiling as if agreeing with something that her little brother had said.
It was best to keep up the pretense that they had not noticed the hostile eyes upon them; it would be easier to deal with these would-be attackers
if they thought that the two of them were off guard and unaware. She beckoned to one of the waitresses to pay, quickly handing over the necessary money for her food - Hayato’s as well - before letting go of her brother’s hand and collecting the bags that Hayato had brought with
him, while he took the precious letters.
“Yes, I think it’s time for us to leave...”
They had been able to leave the Cafe peacefully, but the eyes still followed with the burning murderous intent behind them. He didn’t like it. Not
at all. He still had so many questions and so many things to say to his sister that it pissed him off that these people are ruining that moment
he had prepared for so long. His pride had finally allowed him to talk to her and now these people were just about to kill it. He adjusted the
sack of letters that was slung upon his back. He wished that he could stash them somewhere before they had to fight - if they had to fight at
all.
Whoever it was, it looked like they were just watching them, for now. He tried to chat with his sister amicably about random things like the weather, her shirt and the university just for show. He lit a cigarette to keep his hands busy from throwing dynamite at whoever was watching them and to have a ready igniter just in case.
“Ne, Aneki,” He said as he came to a bakery. “Those cream puffs do look tasty. Though I wonder how it will fare against your own... ” Hayato
used his eyes to motion to her. The guy behind them was getting annoying.
“Oh, I don’t think anything could compare to my own cooking.”
And so saying, she casually tossed three smoking cream puffs a way behind her, disguising the movement as a mere flick of her hair - the smoke would grant anyone downwind from the two siblings a rather painful death, and unfortunately, the wind was working in their favour.
“We should try and cook together sometime. I’m sure your fire would come in handy. What about at two o’ clock today?”
Two o’ clock referred to Hayato’s front, but slightly to the right - there was a man in the bushes there, waiting to spring out on them. Discreetly, she also sent out her scorpions to scout the area, confirming the presence of approximately twenty more men, spaced out along their route. This should be a good after meal exercise, she thought, unknowingly echoing a certain white-haired man’s sentiments.
Hayato yawned and with the stretch of his hands, flicked two mini bombs North East at the direction of his sister. He smirked. This kind of mindless battle with his sister was fun. A small explosion and a yelp confirmed a hit and then he looked at his sister to continue their nonsensical conversation.
“I suppose, though I was supposed to meet some friends for tea at five. Maybe you could bake us some pie for that?” He asked, sickeningly sweet. He almost had to laugh at his own folly. “Maybe cherry, or pecan? What do you think, Aneki?”
He knew that they were coming. More of them; the boss was probably around here somewhere. But that didn’t even worry him. They were wrong if they thought they could mess with a Gokudera.
“I think cherry pie would be a good choice - I’ve been waiting to use those fruits in the greenhouse on something worthwhile.”
The scorpions went to work, spreading their Storm flames around some of the men in the undergrowth subtly - the flames flared up and consumed the men hungrily when she willed them to, before dying away and leaving no trace that suggested that anyone had been there in the first place, thanks to the destructive ability of the Storm flames.
Another was daring enough to actually try and come up behind the two to eliminate, though one touch from her turned the knife he was holding to
poison, before a bomb in his face sent him reeling back, the scent of charred flesh marring the clean air and causing her to waft it away from
her face casually.
“Would you need anything else apart from that dessert?”
“I think that would be it,” Gokudera actually smiled at his sister, mentally high fiving the gorgeous woman. “It has been a long time since
we have played like this. We should do it more often.” The pleasantries were merely a facade as they walked in public. A few had turned to look
at them curiously at the small explosions that were heard. Most have brushed it away as sound effects from the arcade that they were close
to, and paid no heed to the screams.. But the Dynamite Expert knew better and tossed his bangs away to the air as they were attacked by
streams of expertly aimed needles.
He pushed his sister lightly, as if he was joking. “Well, I wouldn’t mind if you turned up to tea with a buffet of goodies. I’m sure they would
enjoy it. I might light up the party as well, you know, with a BANG!” He emphasized as he threw out a few of his dynamites to the invisible
attacker. It missed. Tch. This must be a higher level thug.
Hayato looked over to his sister who seemed to be truly enjoying herself. It’s been a long time since they both fought together. this was fun.
“I might turn up if I’m not busy. Where will it be held? In the gardens? Because I could bake some scones along with that pie for you to take…”
The needles were avoided easily, Bianchi swaying away from the stream thanks to Hayato’s push, before draping an arm over her brother’s
shoulders and steering him away from another attacker that had appeared behind them. She lashed out at the man with one of her legs and caught him in the face, sending him flying away, all without breaking a sweat.
Luckily, the area they were in now didn’t have many people wandering around - those people that were present never caught the flash of khaki, as she had moved her leg almost too quickly for it to be visible; they had only seen the man flying back and away from what looked like a couple for no reason.
The man shuddered and spasmed where he lay on the ground, before white foam appeared upon his lips and his movement ceased - on closer inspection, it would show that he had died, though if an autopsy were to be conducted, it wouldn’t show the cause. Poisons which couldn’t be
detected, though, were one of Bianchi’s specialities.
Hayato smirked at the display of skill by his sister, but a nagging intuition inside him told him that they hadn’t seen the worst of it yet. The enemy
was getting bolder as they approached, as the siblings walked towards more uninhabited areas. They were also getting smarter and tougher. He
grinned a little as he thought about the whole thing like a video game, where the first few levels were very easy and it gradually grew tougher
as the time went by. He anticipated the next level, knowing that tougher targets were coming.
"Ne, Aneki," he said casually as he flipped a medium sized bomb towards a rushing enemy. It probably annoyed the enemy that he was still casually speaking to his sister instead of attacking them head on. "Do you remember when we used to play Mario Brothers?" He asked with an amused grin on his handsome face. "I remember we used to challenge each other on who could beat King Koopa faster. I bet you that I could win again today."
Bianchi pouted when Hayato brought up the game they had both been obsessed with in their shared childhood, punching another goon in the face dismissively as she replied, her voice slightly sulky:
“You had so much more practice with the game than I did back then, Hayato. But this time, I’ll win.”
The scorpions took out a wave of the men rushing towards them by sending up a storm of flames, the crimson hurricane of fire wrapping around the men and carrying them off to devour them. The drain on her flame reserve increased slightly with that move, but it was nothing to worry about.
Hayato laughed outright at that. “Try again sis. I’m starting off with the Power Flower.” He said as he launched a few rocket bombs over to a few
of the “Koopa Troopers” in their path. Didn’t these people notice that the siblings were just toying with them? What stupid person would try to
mess with The Smoking Bomb and the Poison Scorpion? Then he went to watch as the men writhed underneath his sister’s scorpions.
“Not bad,” He smiled as another guy tried to attack him from behind. He dodged the man and sent him flying with a couple mini-dynamites. He
didn’t even bother trying to get the Flame Arrow out. It was too easy. He could consider this additional training in hand to hand and non-box
combat the way the thugs were trying to them. He laughed at the nonchalant way his sister waved off her scorpions. He wondered if any of
these men are going to prove a challenge for them.
“Then I guess I’ll just have to... match your score!”
Bianchi grinned and slipped in between the bodies of the men rushing towards them - a touch here, a foot lashing out there, a punch carefully aimed at a sensitive area, and a face full of poisoned cake later, she was standing victoriously on top of a pile of groaning men, digging the heel
of her shoe rather unmercifully into one man’s cheek.
One of the men tried to pull her down by wrapping his hand around her ankle, but she kicked it away easily, and a nudge from her foot sent the
man rolling down the pile to land with a rather sickening crack at the bottom of it.
“I think I’ve beaten you, Hayato~”
“For now,” the younger Gokudera smirked at his sister knowing that the best of his attacks are yet to come. Light footed men in invisible suits were all around him - they thought they came undetected but Hayato knew better. His sensitivity to sound was second to none. He launched his
rocket bombs around them knowing that they’d hit as he casually walked away, stepping on an unfortunate one in the crotch.
However, that was Hayato’s biggest mistake. He didn’t realize that there was someone else behind them, someone whose presence he didn’t detect. He gasped as an odorless and colorless gas took him by surprise, locking him into place as he choked. Invisible chains held him in place even as he tried to move his legs, the gas brought him to his knees as he sent a warning shout to his sister.
“Aneki! Get the fuck out of here!” He cried out desperately between chokes. He had to figure out how to get away soon.
There was no way that she would leave Hayato there by himself, to suffer at the hands of this mysterious assailant - her only response to her
brother’s shouting was to leap off of the pile of bodies and head straight for the cowardly bastard that had dared to lay a hand on her
family, hidden behind a simple illusion of invisibility. She had been utilising the frail sensor for Mist flame users that some Family had
developed, and had given to her as payment on one of her contracts - at times like this, its usefulness was unparalleled.
The gas that had crippled Hayato made her throat burn, her skin prickle in warning, her limbs threatening to give out, but it was as if she had a
coat of armour on - it had no effect on her, protected by her love forher family. Of course, once the Mist user saw that it was useless to try and deter her with more gas, he instantly tried to escape - it was too bad for him, then, that she had concentrated her dear scorpions around
him so that one move from him would burn him to ash, leaving nothing behind to hint at the fact that there had once been a human standing
there. The wind soon came and blew away the pile of ash, erasing the evidence, the grey particles swirling and dancing about in the breeze
before dissipating into their surroundings.
Hayato was on the ground, coughing , wheezing and weakened as he watched his sister single handedly wipe out the bastard who had him down on the ground. What the fuck just happened? He frowned as he tried to get up, but the poison had seeped into his system already. How could he be so weak? He thought he could easily handle this and this was a nobody that decided to pick on them. How could he lose to some stupid idiot?
He coughed again. He must train. He must study again. He must figure out what he did wrong and make himself better. He can’t be like this. He
must learn how to be invincible to protect the Tenth.
The poison gas in the air was strangely familiar to her - no doubt she had made something that had emitted this particular fume sometime in the
past, and had gained an immunity to it through that. She gave the pile of ash that had been the illusionist one last contemptuous glance, before strolling back over to her younger brother, who seemed to be having trouble with the poison he had inhaled.
“You can’t move, can you?”
Before he could answer, though, she had already scooped him up, carrying him bridal-style, somehow managing to shoulder the sack of letters and the bag of gifts as well, slowly making her way back towards the university with her precious cargo in her hands.
Gah! If he could move right now, he would be so willing to blow up his sister. He wanted to curse at her but nothing came out of his voice box
aside from a weird gargling sound and another bout of coughing which left him wheezing in the end. He allowed her to carry him as the situation needed it. Perhaps, if he behaved she might have an antidote and as soon as he gets it and gets better he’s gonna blow her up. Glaring with as much pride as he can, he sighed. There was nothing he could do about it right now.
Luckily, they weren’t deterred by any more goons on their way back - soon enough, they reached Bianchi’s kitchens on campus, where she dumped Hayato into a chair, dropping the letters and gifts beside him, before bustling about, collecting the things needed for the antidote.
Remembering the ingredients of the poison that she had made all those years ago was difficult, but with reference to some of her notes that she had taken over the years, it was soon made up, the vile smell wafting throughout the kitchen. Sometimes, the cure just had to be worse than the disease.
The antidote was injected into a cupcake for easier consumption, before she held it in front of Hayato’s face, murmuring:
“Eat. The antidote is in here.”
As much as he wanted to run, he didn’t have much of a choice. Hayato stared at the cupcake that was thrust in his face. He made a face at
it, but couldn’t do much about it in his current state. It was either eat it or die. He chose to live, he still has much to do with his life and he doesn’t want to die in such a lame way.
He gulped before he nervously nibbled at the cupcake. As dangerous as it looked, it actually tasted quite wonderful. He looked at it curiously
before devouring it whole and then stared at his sister for good measure. He didn’t want to admit it, but the cupcake was delicious. A mix of cinammon and apple spice blended with just enough vanilla cream exploded in his mouth just like a dream. Maybe his sister’s cooking wasn’t so bad after all.
He lay back and glared at her for a moment, remembering the 3 hour delay poison that she created by accident once in Yamamoto’s sushi place. Then again, he figured that if his sister wanted to kill him, then she would have succeeded already. He closed his eyes in exhaustion, he still felt horrible after the poison attack from the enemies. If not for his sister, he would have been lost there.
“Thanks,” he managed to utter with a small smile.
“No problem,” she returned easily, standing up and ruffling her younger brother’s hair fondly, before moving to pack up the things that she had
used to make the antidote. The Lord knew that she would do anything she could to save Hayato, who, in her point of view, was the only family she had left. At least her cute little brother hadn’t refused to eat the cupcake - that was surely an improvement compared to all those times
that he had fainted by even looking at a piece of her cooking.
“You know--” she started casually as she started washing up the measuring cups, “-- maybe you should start working on your resistance to poison. Serving as Tsunayoshi’s Right Hand Man will no doubt involve such things as surprise ambushes and so on, and in that case, the enemy will use everything they can to take you down, including poisons and gas.”
She turned from the sink to fix her gaze on Hayato, who was still slumped in the chair, looking rather tired and wan as the antidote went to work
on the poison in his system.
“I could train you, if you like.”
She left the offer hanging in the air, her hands moving even as she watched the other for a response.
“Ugh,” Hayato cracked open one eye to stare at his sister. “What was that?” He asked as he feigned hearing the older woman’s suggestion. He was still weakened by the poison that hit him - though, the antidote had lessened the pain he felt as when he tried to breathe. He looked away and considered it.
What his sister said was absolutely true - once the Decimo ascended to power, the quickest way to eliminate the Vongola Godfather was to first
eliminate the guardians and the Right Hand man which was him. He knew that people would try everything in their power to get him to drop down
and die so he had to be prepared for all kinds of contingencies. A training with the Poison Scorpion herself with Poisons and Gases would
prove beneficial to him as well as the tenth. Training with Aneki would make him immune to poison that could possibly be used to kill him or the
Tenth.
However, the training would be gruesome. He couldn’t imagine willingly eating poison that his sister could cook up. But, he turned his head towards her and gave the faintest nod. He has to do this. All for the Tenth.
The nod was all she needed for confirmation - she had been expecting Hayato to accept, because she knew that he would do absolutely anything for the Tenth Boss of the Vongola. There was something about Tsunayoshi that drew people to him, a magnetism, and with time and careful nurturing, that charisma would make even the Vongola’s worst enemies fall victim to the Don’s charm.
“We will begin as soon as I procure a room for us to use, then.” The equipment was left to dry while she pulled up a chair beside Hayato’s, frowning slightly - she would have to negotiate with Reborn for another classroom that had the properties that she needed, and as far as she
knew, there currently weren’t any. The goggles were irritating her, and she thought that Hayato might as well start getting used to seeing her
without any obstruction to her face itself, so she reached back and started to pull them off.
“Gah!” Hayato gawked and choked when Bianchi pulled the goggles off and promptly turned away since he had no strength to run from her. “What the hell are you doing?” He sputtered wildly clutching his already aching stomach. He writhed in his spot, wishing that she could just disappear, but that wasn’t possible. He knew that she was there to check up on him and see if the antidote was working.
“It’s your fault anyway, Aneki,” he started to say after he had closed his eyes so he could properly speak to his sister. “If you didn’t feed me
those cookies before then I wouldn’t have Bianchiphobia. Do you think I like being like this every time you’re near me?”
He let a frown cross his face, thinking about the times they spent in the mansion together. Back then, he was all about her. He loved seeing his
sister, he loved making her laugh and smile. Back then, they were best friends and they truly cared about each other -- up until her sister
started to cook. Then, things turned sour.
"How the hell did you learn how to cook like that anyway?”
“You might as well start getting used to seeing my face without anything to obscure it. I can’t have you fainting every time you show up for
lessons.” When it came to teaching, even if it was her darling brother, she had no mercy - she was a ruthless teacher, and a far as she was concerned, the more practice Hayato could get in between tutorials, the better. And what better to start off with than her face? She knew that he had an odd phobia of her face, though it was fine when she had something covering it. Strange, really.
“I was bored.”
She shrugged carelessly, though Hayato couldn’t see it. Her mother had been baking with her, claiming that every mafia wife needed to know how to cook - she had been naive and obedient then, and so she had followed her mother’s instructions on how to bake simple almond biscotto. But for some reason, they had turned out rather... strange. In time, she learned how to control her touch; unfortunately, that had happened after Hayato had run away from the mansion, and so she couldn’t show him what she had accomplished. Not long after that, she had run away herself, seeing nothing left for her at the mansion but a dull life full of suitors and the falsities of mafia society.
Hayato turned his head towards her and nodded. “I always thought you were smarter than those people Aneki,” he said softly. “Glad you didn’t turn out like them.”
A small sad smile formed on his face as he slowly opened his eyes tried to focus on his sister’s face. The pain that usually followed that
action began to activate again, but he forced himself to stay put. It was necessary that he stay that way to emphasize his point.
“Even though I hated your cooking, you were the only real family I had in that mansion,” he said honestly.
She let out a somewhat weary laugh at that, reaching forward to ruffle Hayato’s hair before drawing away again and standing. “You’re not the only one that felt that way, Hayato.”
It was good to see that her little brother was trying to keep conscious while looking at her, and she found herself smiling despite herself at
his determination. These next few sessions with him could turn out to contribute much to healing the bond between the two of them.
“Stay here for as long as you need to. I’ll be around.”
With that, she grabbed the bag that Hayato had brought over for her from Italy and lifted it easily before beginning to walk away to the
storeroom to sort everything out properly, leaving the other on his own.
Hayato nodded and watched his sister leave. Her response had made him happy, though he would never dare show it in front of her. He wanted to keep on talking to her, but his body had other plans. Just as he thought he could control himself in front of his sister, his stomach rebelled
against him again and he doubled over in pain. The Storm Guardian cursed himself inwardly as he choked and gasped for air.
Damn, that Poison Scorpion, he thought to himself before he was knocked out unconscious by the phobia again.