Souhei pounds his fist into the wall. “Just what the hell did you think you were doing when you announced this to the Varia?” He glares at Ran with burning resentment. “You really are some other kind of stupid!” He reaches out at Ran as if to strangle him, but Shin restrains him, preventing him from doing so.
“Souhei, calm down! There wasn’t much we could do at the moment anyway!” Shin tried to pacify his comrade, but Souhei was too blinded by anger to listen to reason. Despite his small stature, he had no trouble overpowering Shin and knocking him away. “Ngh!” Shin staggered and fell to the floor. He watched as Souhei drew closer and closer to Ran— like a beast in fury.
“Bullshit!” Souhei seized Ran by his throat and slammed him into the wall. “I ought to finish you right here for what you did!” He threatened. He tightens his grip around Ran’s neck when he doesn’t receive a response.
Ran grunted in pain. His injuries screamed at him.
“That’s enough, Souhei.” Kiou muttered from afar as she made her way over to the group. She kneels down, helping Shin up to his feet. “What’s done is done—”
“NO!” Souhei slams his fist to the wall. “Damn it, Kiou! It’s not!”
“Oh? Tell me, Souhei,” she says, “What is any of what you’re doing going to accomplish?” She folds her arms. “Do you think that this—beating an answer out of your own teammate—will bring Nobu back?” Kiou slowly approaches the two. “Currently, you are the second generation’s only officially appointed guardian—act like one.” She places a hand on Souhei’s shoulder and pulls him away, separating the two. “Whether the Varia will be able to walk over us or not depends on you.”
Souhei slaps her hand away. “What the hell, Kiou?” he mutters quietly. “You were supposed to be on my side!” He growls and storms out of the hallway in rage.
Kiou makes no attempt to look back and chase after him. She turns to Ran, “And you—don’t assume that I have placed you without fault. Since you’ve decided to announce the existence of Sawada-sama’s second child to Alexander, I’ll assign her under your care. You are to be suspended from any other activities until further notice—that includes the search for Nobu.” Kiou’s gaze burned intensely as she stared down at Ran.
“What?” Ran stares at Kiou with wide eyes. “No, I will not agree to that—”
“I wasn't asking for your opinion.”
“Do not toy with me, Kiou!” Ran lashes out furiously. “I am not going to just sit here and wait!” His breaths are ragged, but he continues in his rampage, only seeing red.
“You will do as I say.”
“I will not—”
“Yes,” Kiou said firmly this time, “you will.” She grasps onto Ran's collar, pulling him close until their faces were only inches apart. “Do not forget that I hold superiority over you.” Her gaze is cold and menacing. Her words lack in empathy as she retells the situation as she had analyzed it. “You are merely a disciple selected by Nobu. He is gone now, so you are expendable. I am not—I was born into this and I have more than enough earned my position. You have done nothing!” She shoves Ran to floor, looking down at him with a mixture of loathing and impatience.
“Ngh!” Ran falls back with a thud.
“This is neither about you, nor is it about your petty one-sided friendship that he has already abandoned. This is about the Neo Vongola.” Kiou takes in a deep breath before regaining her composure. She calmly says, “So, reassess what you're thinking of doing. Think of what is best for the Neo Vongola and forget about your personal affairs because you are not the only victim to what has happened.”
Ran stares blankly ahead, unable to respond. He could hear every single word that Kiou has said clearly, yet he is unable to come up with a proper argument.
“Now, if we’re done here, clean up and get ready. I won’t have you meet Sawada-sama’s daughter in such a sorry state of appearance.” Kiou whirls around, walking off without taking a second glance back.
---
The wooden door sounds with three knocks, startling Nanami. She remembers Kiou’s instructions to not open the door for anyone, and remains silent. A bead of sweat rolls down the side of her forehead when she sees the doorknob being turned. She prepares herself for the worse, but lets out a sigh of relief when she sees it is Kiou at the doorway.
“Please do not be alarmed, Nanami-sama. It is only I.” Kiou walks toward the soon to be successor of the Neo Vongola with caution. She makes sure to not make any sudden movements.
Nanami pulls on the bed sheets around her uncomfortably. “Kiou,” she says, “I don't feel quite right. Something feels off.” She puts a hand to her forehead. “I... What's going on? Why have you taken me here?”
“Nanami-sama,” Kiou says carefully as if treading on thin ice, “I need you to listen to me. It is very important that you understand all that I am about to tell you.”
Nanami brought her full attention to Kiou, listening attentively. She soon found herself in a state of shock when she learned of the situation at hand. A frosty feeling pricked at her body. Nanami remained still and unmoving, unable to respond to a single thing that Kiou told her. Finally, when Kiou was finished, her gaze drifts downward to the floor.
“That's not possible,” Nanami begins to say, but realizes that she is unable to continue. Kiou would not lie to her. She has no reason to. However, her brother would not become a traitor to the Neo Vongola either—or at least she believes that he would not. “There has to be a reason for this,” Nanami says, searching her mind and trying to sort through every single conversation that she and Nobu has had in hopes of finding some sort of clue for his sudden behavior.
“I am sorry, Nanami-sama.” Kiou's voice breaks Nanami's train of thought. “I realize that you must be very confuse at the moment. However, the situation the Neo Vongola is currently facing is dire, which is why I have brought you here. You must become Secondo in... Your brother's place.” Kiou hesitates for a moment, finding it difficult to say Nobu's name.
“I... What? Me? But...” Nanami avoids Kiou's gaze. There is uncertainty in her voice.Her grip on the bed sheets tightens. “I can't. I'm sorry.”
“Nanami-sama, this is not something you can just say no to. If you decline then the position will go to Alexander of the Varia.”
“What's wrong with that?” Nanami asks, feigning innocence, but she knows the exact reason why Alexander cannot be Secondo. It isn't a matter of who is a better leader because Alexander is a great leader. Should he become Secondo then there would be no chance for him to let go of the position in the future. The Neo Vongola expects Nobu to come back. Nanami is just a temporary replacement.
“Nanami-sama...”
“Alexander would make a great leader if he became Secondo. He'd probably be even better Nobu...” Nanami's sentence trails off. She begins to remember the times between the three of them: her, Alexander, and Nobu. “He'd definitely be a better leader than me...” she mummbles.
“Yeah,” Nanami hears, “he definitely would.” She looks up to see Ran standing at the door, fuming and annoyed. She didn't even notice when it was that he had opened the door. “You're a pathetic excuse for a candidate to become Secondo. I've misplaced my trust it seems. You're nothing like Nobu.”
---
A/N: And the plot thickens... Nuehuehuehue... If you've noticed, each character (in this chapter, it's Nanami and Kiou and in last chapter, it was Souhei and Shin) has their own little complex. Can you guys identify them? The hint is to look at the words I've italicized. ;D
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VONGOLA RELOADED!
Fanfiction25 years after Sawada Tsunayoshi became the Neo Vongola Primo, he left the second generation in the hands of his son, Nobu and departed for Italy. All things go wrong, however, when Nobu declares himself as Vongola's traitor, attacks his own rain gu...
