Chapter 4: In Which There are Brothers OR: Attack of the Cats

Enrico, Massimo, and Federico hovered in the lobby of the mansion, their curiosities piqued. Earlier, their father had left in a rush after receiving a phone call from a(near)hysterical woman. He'd been gone all morning and the brothers were growing bored from all of the waiting, the excitement draining as the hours wore on.

(Their excitement, however, grew again once they found out that he'd called for two more cars to escort him.)

"What d'you think he's even doing?" Federico, the youngest, drawled. His eyes never left his GameBoy, the sounds of his game echoing down the hallway loudly. Massimo shrugged, his own gaze never leaving his phone. It lit up, indicating a new text.

"Man who cares. Maybe he bought us a harem each," the middle brother leered, furiously typing on his phone. Enrico scowled and thumped his brother over the head.

"How vulgar can you be, Massimo?" he asked rhetorically, scowling. Massimo huffed and pocketed his phone. His hands cradled the back of his sore head.

"What? I'm just saying," he replied with a sneer, huffing. "Am I right brother, or am I right?" he asked Federico, who held his hand out in a gesture of stop.

"Don't you drag me into this, old man," the ten year old replied. Massimo's mouth dropped wide open and his face grew red in anger. Enrico could practically see the steam rising out of his brother's ears.

"Old man?! I'm fifteen! You little brat!" he spat, lunging for the youngest. Federico frantically ducked under his brother and hid behind Enrico, who sighed and caught the fifteen year old. Massimo pushed his weight forward in an attempt to get at the boy but Enrico was stronger and successfully held him back. Federico nearly stuck his tongue out in triumph but Enrico shot him a glare that dared the other to gloat.

"Cut it out Massimo. It's a joke. You'll live," he reprimanded, internally groaning. God, he was already nineteen. Breaking up a potential fight between his younger brothers was not the ideal situation at all.

(And yet, it was better than the alternative: Breaking up a potential gun fight between families.)

"AAAAAAHHH!" Massimo yelled, abruptly slumping over. Enrico shook his head at the antics, dropping his brother onto the floor. "Ow! What the hell En?!"

"That was for trying to go after Federico. He's ten. He's supposed to be a snot nosed brat," he pointed out. Massimo snorted and crossed his arms, turning his head away from his brother.

"Traitor," he hissed lowly. Enrico rolled his eyes at the statement, turning to Federico.

"And Federico, who do you have to rile him up? You know Massimo is sensitive." Massimo's face reddened once more, his eyes practically on fire with the intensity of his glare. Enrico ignored him, giving Federico a pointed look. "I might not always be there to stop him you know. And what would Father's subordinates think? You both need to start taking things more seriously."

Massimo scowled, pulling himself to a stand. Federico wasn't looking at either of his brothers, his stomach churning in barely-concealed anxiety.

"Hey weren't you just saying that he's ten? Leave the mafia business at the door or in the office, brother," Massimo spat. He wasn't one to bring up the mafia-preferring to reap the benefits of the Vongola's success without stepping into the dark world-and he'd be damned if anyone tried to sway his younger brother into joining the bloody world.

(Massimo was not the smartest but even he knew of the mafia's darkness-particularly the Vongola's.)

"Do you think that you can protect him forever? He's already ten! When I was ten, I was learning how to negotiate with rival families, not play games!" Enrico retorted, unexpectedly angry. Usually he kept his calm during a fight but Massimo knew that this was a different fight.

(And Enrico was always quick to give in to his anger when it concerned his precious Vongola.)

Before Massimo could retort, there was a scratching sound that cut him off. Pausing, the brothers stopped their fight and tilted an ear to listen to. Curios, they rushed towards the source of the noise that was only growing louder. All three exchanged looks at the front door, where the noise was loudest. As one, they grasped the doorknob and twisted.

(They really shouldn't have.)

A hoard of cats raced through room as suddenly as a flood. Massimo tripped and fell when he tried to back away, sneezing horribly. He was soon buried underneath the fur mountain, coughing and sneezing without pause.

"Massimo!" Enrico cried as the middle brother sunk to the floor, helpless to the stampede of the felines. The eldest reached out to pull him up but he too toppled over the skittering cats.

"Enrico! Massimo!" Federico yelled out in horror, having witnessed the downfall of both his brothers. He flinched and grasped the doorknob with both hands, his GameBoy forgotten in the pandemic.

"What's with all these cats?!" Enrico screeched. He wiggled around in an attempt to escape but that proved futile. Massimo stopped struggling, choosing to accept his gruesome fate.

(His only regret was that he never got to go on that date with the pretty redhead.)

"You're all a bunch of idiots," an unfamiliar, young voice sneered. Federico gasped and twisted to look at the intruder.

The younger boy snorted and stuck a dirty finger in his mouth. He whistled and the cats stopped rushing about the mansion, happily trotting back to the kid. They sat on their haunches in front of him, some choosing to groom themselves. The brothers blinked, in awe of the strange wild child, as they stood.

"Xanxus, it isn't nice to call your brothers idiots," Timoteo admonished lightly, his cane held loosely in his grasp. He tapped Xanxus' side with it in an effort to reprimand the child. The boy only rolled his eyes and crossed his arms, eyes never leaving the hoard of cats.

"Father? Who is this child?" Enrico asked, the first to snap out of his daze. Timoteo had called the kid Xanxus, hadn't he? Timoteo smiled, but it was strained. Massimo hunched his shoulders automatically, tension running through his veins like a drug. He could tell that whatever Timoteo was about to say would be unpleasant.

"This is Xanxus, your long-lost brother."

(He was right. Massimo hated it when he was right.)

Xanxus stared defiantly at the three older boys, his eyes narrow and full of mistrust. Federico flinched at the intense look and hid behind Enrico. The eldest was staring at their father, questions on his face and in his soul.

(They cackled at the tension in the air internally.)

"Father, you can't be serious," Enrico said, his tone light and bordering hysterical. Xanxus' gaze drifted towards Timoteo, wondering what he would say to that. That was a heavy accusation.

(The eldest, She whispered, is in the mafia. He has the look in his eye. The other two don't.)

"Enrico! Hold your tongue," Timoteo snapped, uncharacteristically harsh. Xanxus' mouth nearly dropped open but he kept it tightly clamped together to prevent it. Massimo and Federico, however, weren't nearly as controlled as the six year old.

(How sad was that? Xanxus could read both of them like a book, even without Her help.)

(Then again, he was a street rat. And knowing how to read others was essential to his survival.)

"Now, Xanxus, a maid will help you to your room. You may re-decorate it any way you wish. I need to speak to your brothers," Timoteo continued, gentler, to Xanxus. He was tempted to sneer but refrained from doing so.

The promised maid was a younger woman with tightly braided gold locks who obviously adored children. She knelt in front of Xanxus with friendly(if a bit confused)eyes and a friendlier smile. Xanxus tried to maintain his scowl but it fell flat on his face.

"Hello little one. My name is Abrianna," she stated gently. Xanxus grunted and nodded his head respectfully.

(He may have been a rude fuck, but being unnecessarily rude to women was not high on his list.)

"Xanxus, ma'am," he said, clearing his throat. Abrianna simply melted into a puddle of goo, cooing at how "polite" he was.

"Alright then, Xanxus dear, let's go get you cleaned up. You're simply filthy!" she stated, attempting to grab his hand. Xanxus shook his head at the gesture.

"I can walk by myself, ma'am," he said, slightly harsher. She appeared taken aback but hurriedly smiled to placate him.

"Of course dear. Right this way," she said, leading him away from the tense atmosphere. Xanxus was a little sad to not see the outcome of the inevitable explosion but shrugged and followed obediently.

And of course, his cats followed after him. Abrianna didn't appear to care, only occasionally shooting glances at Xanxus and the animals that trailed his steps. It spoke measurably of her professionalism, and Xanxus mildly wondered how much of a maid she really was.

(The facade was not easily seen through. Abrianna was a top notch assassin after all.)

(Still, Xanxus didn't discard the notion as ridiculous. This was the Vongola mansion after all.)

"Here we are Xanxus. There is a bathroom inside the room. Will you need any help?" Abrianna clearly didn't dismiss the boy either, if her tone had anything to suggest. Mildly appreciating it, Xanxus shook his head. Abrianna waved to him and left, probably to report to someone about his existence. Rolling his eyes, Xanxus entered the room, ushering the hoard into it.

(Thankfully, Abrianna seemed to take into account the sheer number of cats he had.)

(Xanxus wondered absently if she would be swayed to his cause. It was so hard to find thoughtful subordinates, even if he hadn't ever dealt with any, period.)

For weeks after that first day, Xanxus hadn't been allowed to do much of anything. He was on, essentially, bed rest. He was apparently sick, without actually knowing it, and needed to heal from it.

(Clearly, the bullshit meter was broken in someone else's head, but not Xanxus'.)

(Then again he did frequently throw up after eating. She blamed the rich food on his malnourished body but the Vongola doctors "wanted to be absolutely sure.")

Then, he chanced upon an opportunity.

After sneaking out of his room and wandering through the mansion, Xanxus ran into a man that made his blood curl. He leapt away hurriedly, body positively trembling. Even though he didn't know this man, his instincts seemed to know that he was a danger and warned him accordingly.

(She gently took over, soothing his frightened mind with Her balm.)

The Sword Emperor Tyr eyed the boy critically, automatically cataloging everything he could about the trembling form.

(You didn't get to be that powerful and just dismiss seemingly weak opponents. Tyr knew this fact all too well.)

Xanxus stood up straighter, squared his shoulders, and looked Tyr in the eye. Though he was afraid, he wasn't going to give in. This could be a chance to sharpen himself, if he played his cards right.

(They didn't know how the original Xanxus became as powerful as he did. But They knew that They needed to surpass him.)

"I'm Xanxus," he said, fighting to keep the tremble out of his voice, "Who are you?" Tyr waited, though, watching him with dark black eyes. After what felt like years, he let out a snort. Xanxus scowled.

"Cute, kid. Real cute. I like you. The name's Tyr. You're the new Vongola brat, right?" Xanxus nodded, his stomach churning violently.

(This was Tyr. Tyr!)

(The same Tyr who would fall to Squalo. The same Tyr who was the Sword Emperor. That Tyr!)

(They were violently excited, so much so that Their nausea was returning.)

"If you like me so much," They said slyly, a small, feral smirk forming on Their face, "then you wouldn't mind teaching me how to be an assassin, would you Mr. Sword Emperor?" Tyr's laughter echoed loudly through the hallway at the request. Xanxus didn't falter in the slightest at it, the smirk on his face never so much as twitching. After the older man caught his breath, he laid a dark, heavy hand on Xanxus' shaggy head.

"Oh boy, this isn't good kid," he told the boy, a much more lethal smirk on his own face, "I really, really do like you!"

Omake: New Cats

Xanxus pulled out their phone, grunting at the red notification on the App Store icon. They snorted and checked the update section lazily, perking up once they saw that it was for Neko Atsume.

There were new cats available, as well as goodies and wallpapers. Feeling somewhat giddy, they pressed update and impatiently waited for the app to finish. Once it did, they hurriedly scrolled through the new goodies, buying them as soon as they passed them. Setting the goodies up, they exited it and began to wait.

They didn't have to wait long.

Half an hour later, Xanxus opened up their app again to find two new cats that they had never seen. Their steel heart melted a little as they clicked on the cats and learned their names.

(Ganache and Apricot…..almost as good as Spud, They decided.)

Bam, double update! I was off from work today so I was like...let's do this. Anyway, there's some smol plot stuff here! The three Vongola boys, Enrico, Massimo, and Federico were fun to write. TBH I wrote Massimo as like...a womanizer simply because he kind of looked like it? IDK! But what I do know is that Massi and Enrico looked p ugly lol. ANYWAY, Enrico was kind of hypocritical huh? Claiming to keep Federico out of fights with his brother then turning around and pointing out that he SHOULD be training for the mafia. SMH GOD.

Abrianna apparently means mother of many nations and she was like last minute? She is a maid but she's also a hired assassin. If someone were to breach the fortress and they got through all those low level lackeys, they'd end up facing her and many of the other assassins stationed throughout the manor lol. So basically, a half-way boss like in LoZ.

And now we have Tyr entering! I imagine Tyr was a lot like Takeshi-he's loose and relaxed normally but god damn he can kick some serious ass when he needs to. But the key difference between the two is that he's deliberately laid back. It's all a front to hide his sadistic nature and his blood thirst. Make no mistake though, he isn't as unhinged as Belphegor. He just knows how to appreciate the fine things in life.

Another Neko Atsume omake too! The app just updated today and I was so excited to see the new cats/goodies! And there's wallpapers and a new style for remodeling!

frustrated: Bro, thank you for speaking up! TBH there was something bothering me about this fic before you said something but I couldn't put my finger on it. It might have been because it's been soooo long since I've even glanced at the WIKI let alone the manga/anime of KHR that I completely forgot how Xanxus is ACTUALLY portrayed and yeah, I WAS basically turning him into the canon Xanxus. It's actually very hard, in my opinion to take a character who is ALREADY very...ruthless/cruel/villain-like and make them WORSE. I hope I can, at the very least, try to write this in such a way that it becomes obvious that my Xanxus/Emilio isn't just Xanxus. He's also another, entirely different person underneath Xanxus, the person he was before he died. (AND I REALLY SHOULDN'T SAY THIS BUT THAT FACT BECOMES PLOT RELEVANT LATER ON.)Again, THANK YOU for pointing out that Xanxus was becoming...well, himself. And that isn't EXACTLY a thing that I wanted to happen. Like yes, he'll still be a ruthless, cruel murder with an insatiable need to become Decimo but he's ALSO careful, cunning, not ruled by his anger, not acting on his impulses, etc. It probably isn't very clear right now WHAT I'm trying to do right now, since this is the fourth chapter after all. HOPEFULLY, Xanxus will smooth out with time. He's still 6 ish.

Eep. I wanna cry but I won't because I'm an Adult™

Next time: Training montage episode, and you might wanna be prepared. It's gonna be ugly.

(I'm using the Zoldyck™ method soooo...it's gonna be bad. Xanxus wasn't ENTIRELY prepared for THAT lol PLUS he's behind by about oh, 6 years so he has to make up for it quickly.)