This is going to be my first published fanfic in KHR! (Although I do have other ideas...) And it's going to be a series of drabbles of Vongola from different POVs from KHR characters to er... OCs I guess. Also, it's a GEN fic, no pairings. Just good 'ld family and friends.
I'm really just trying to get my mind to flow to be honest, since I have been pitifully stuck on my other stories... so this is going to be something to update on my down times - for the lack of a better word.
Alright, I won't say much since majority of the people don't even read A/Ns.
Disclaimer: I do not own KHR
Setting: My take of how Mochida Kensuke is introduced to Vongola. It's set seven years since the start of the KHR series.
Key: "Japanese"
"Italian"
Thoughts
Mochida Kensuke blinks.
He never did expect much out of his life other than being good at Kendo due to his father being the owner of a dojo. He has been swinging a sword - a bamboo sword - around for as long as he could walk. So when his father told him that he would take over the dojo once he graduates high school (he didn't have a high expectation of Kensuke attending college because of his… poor grades), he wasn't surprised, but he wasn't happy either.
He didn't want to follow after his father's footstep and forever be his old man's shadow.
And so… he somehow - just somehow - ended up in Italy.
(Just… why?)
And - was that who I think I saw?
The young man looks through the crowd once more, trying to catch sight of a familiar head of black among the sea of blondes, brunettes, and all other hair colors native to Europe.
Kensuke sighs when his short search yields no result, but then again, why would Yamamoto Takeshi of all people be in Italy? (Unless there's a baseball game around, which is most likely the reason.)
He scratches his head out of frustration hours later. He has been stuck in the Sicily region for far too long - and with the language barrier, that makes it even worse.
He wanted to go sightseeing (because he got it in his head that maybe, just maybe, touring Italy [apparently] would give him a calling of what he wants to do in life - that and he's trying to dodge his old man's demand of taking over the dojo), but seeing as the day is already ending and he still has no luck of getting out of the city because he is an idiot for losing the map - he'll never admit it though.
"Dammit." He'll have to resort to his broken Italian that he has learned along the way. He needs a place to stay after all.
(He is running low on money though…)
He picks the first person he sees and approaches him - a blonde. He didn't fail to notice how suddenly tense the latter got, but he ignores it. Here goes...
"Excuse me, do you know..."
The blonde man blinks.
Kensuke sighs in frustration again, knowing that he definitely had something wrong. He takes a few seconds to run over the vocabulary that he remember (which isn't much considering he's more of a hands-on learner, which explains why he's good in kendo. He's body has better memory than his brain), but before he could repeat himself with a different set of words, he felt a hand clasps on his right shoulder.
That caused him to jolt in surprise and his head to whip around so fast that he almost got a whiplash.
The sight of Yamamoto Takeshi (He really did see him earlier!) both shock and confused him.
"What -"
"Yo!" The ever-cheerful baseball lover greets with a raise hand, then directs his gaze to the blonde. Kensuke sees the slightly sharpness in his eyes, which is strange. Yamamoto didn't seem like a man that can be serious - and how did he get a scar on his chin?
He and the blonde falls into a short conversation -
Yamamoto speaks Italian?! And he's fluent?!
- and Kensuke is pulled away from the man by his former schoolmate afterwards.
"You shouldn't speak to strangers." The baseball lover admonishes lightly. "Especially not in this part of the city."
"What?" Kensuke furrows his brows at Yamamoto's warning, baffled. First of all, he didn't think the jock would recognize him since they rarely even talk in middle school. Secondly, why is he dressed in an expensive-looking suit? And thirdly - "Why are you in Italy?"
It wasn't the best question to ask in the pool that has suddenly been filled to the brim in his head, but it was the first one he blurted out.
Yamamoto blinks at the sudden redirection and laughs while scratching the back of his head, where a slim, deep blue cloth-bag (he notes that it's as long as a katana) is slinged. "Maa, I have work around here."
Kensuke raise a skeptical brow. "... There's a baseball game around here?"
"What?" Yamamoto looks lost, but then laughs it off anyways. "Oh, well… um, actually, there is one a few days ago so you might have missed it if you arrived today."
He then cocks grins, which really irritates Kensuke because of how carefree he is. Is he trying to get on his nerve?
"I didn't know you're interested in baseball, Mochida-senpai!"
"... I'm not." Kensuke replies briskly, and turns away from Yamamoto's look of confusion. "I - uh… kindofsortagotlost." He mumbles the last part so fast that the baseball lover didn't understand it.
"Sorry, I didn't catch that last part."
"... I got lost." He suddenly snaps, his glare daring the other to make fun of him. He has his pride after all. "Got a problem with that?"
Yamamoto stares for a few more second (which is really unnerving Kensuke because he feels that those wood-brown eyes are judging him) before flashing another of his happy-go-lucky grin. "Oooh! So that's why!"
"Why what?" His nose scrunch up, half puzzled and half irritated.
"Nothing!"
The guy is definitely trying to get on his nerve. "Look, if you're done minding other people's business, then back off."
"Maa maa," Yamamoto raises his hands up in an act of submission. "I was just trying to help you, is all!"
"... how is shooing me away from someone when I'm trying to ask for directions called helping me?"
"You were asking for directions?" Yamamoto looks as if he's trying to stifle a laugh. "But you… y-you were a-asking for - pfft - banna elephants doing water polo!"
... Oh.
Kensuke's ears turns steam red when Yamamoto translated what he had said to the stranger, and he wanted nothing more than to bang his head on a wall.
"S-stop laughing!" He tries, which only works against his favor because Yamamoto just burst out in a fit of laughter.
"Ugh!" Kensuke groans and turns around. "Forget it! I'm leaving!"
"Ah, wait -" Yamamoto catches his breath and stops him. "-where are you going? You just said you're lost."
"Better than being around you." Kensuke hisses, shaking off the hand on his shoulder.
"Tell me where you're going, I'll direct you in the right way." Yamamoto suggests with a grin. "I know my way around here."
"... why." Suspicion drips in his voice as he narrows his eyes at the supposed-baseball player.
"Huh?" And as oblivious as ever, he did not get the message.
"Why do you know your way around here?"
Yamamoto tilts his head to the side in ignorant confusion. "I work around here, didn't I already say that?"
"Not you -" He didn't get to finish when a ringtone interrupts him. He watch as Yamamoto fish out a… is that one of those high-tech branded phones that have a limited supply in the market? And it's customized?!
"'Sup!" Yamamoto greets in the blue cased phone with an somewhat blocked insignia that Kensuke remember seeing somewhere, but he couldn't pinpoint where… "Sorry sorry, I got a bit side -... No! I'm fine! Don't worry - eh? No - No! I didn't cause…. Uh… too much trouble this time… I think."
… What. Kensuke watch with a hint of incredulity at the one-sided conversation. He didn't understand since he only heard half the conversation, but from the sounds of it, Yamamoto… causes trouble often? What trouble can a bat and baseball cause?
"Haha! Sorry for giving you more paperwork!" Yamamoto placates with a nervous edge to his voice. "I'll see you guys at dinner time!"
Yamamoto ends the call and sees the perplexed look on Kensuke's face. "Is there something wrong?"
"... Nothing." He is still trying to wrap around the question of how baseball could lead to paperwork. "Can you just tell me where this Beccico hotel is at? I need to tell them I need to stay longer..."
Yamamoto looks thoughtful for a moment before his face lights up in recognition. "Sure! You want me to tell them to give you a discount in the VIP section too?"
"... what?"
And that was the last he saw of Yamamoto Takeshi... At least that was what Kensuke thought. It wasn't until later, when he finds himself in Palermo City, did he thought how wrong he was - and more.
He has heard of the Italian mafia before. Heck, his old man even has contacts with some yakuzas and mafiosos (though the old man only has them to keep up with underground news and in case of emergencies, like when trouble comes knocking on their dojo).
Maybe that's why he wasn't surprised when he encountered mafiosos - or so they claim to be.
He had brought his trusty shinai for self protection (like hell he would bring an actual sword. He didn't want to go through the pain-in-the-ass international security for that). And the night he went scouting for a place to eat for dinner, he bumps into some shady figures. He was never more glad at his decision to bring his weapon that night.
Despite him being a grown man and is able to reign in his emotion (somewhat), he is still sorta short-tempered (not as much as his younger self though - thank god for that). So when he is about to apologize, the two men started shouting at him in Italian.
He may not understand it, but he knows when insults are being thrown and he does not tolerate anyone yelling at him. Period.
So, being his smart, short-tempered self, he yells back in Japanese.
(It was both the worst and best decision of his life, as he reflects back later.)
And that's when guns are pulled out.
Having years of training in the art of Kendo, Kensuke would like to boast that his reflexes are top-notched - compared with normal civilians, that is.
He has the two men down after the scuffle, sporting a few bruises but avoided the pistols nonetheless. And for the first time in awhile, he has never felt so alive. The closest thing that ever gave him this blood-pounding sensation is Kendo, but it is never this… this thrilling.
A third groan from the alleyway catches his attention and he immediately tense.
"Who's there?" He has all but demanded as he sees another guy falling out into his vision, a gun knocked a few feet away.
"Not bad," a man donned in a suit like the two guys he defeated comes into view, a smirk sporting his face. "You look like you enjoyed yourself back there."
"... who are you?" Kensuke is somewhat of a man with his doubts about everything. So when the obviously European guy comes out and starts speaking Japanese in Italy, he has his rights to be suspicious.
"Alfred Tedeschi," The man introduced, stretching a hand out. "Nice to meet you."
Kensuke stare at the hand with caution, then looks back at Alfred - or was it Tedeschi? Definitely Tedeschi. Why can't all people take a page out of Japan have on name order? "What do you want from me?"
Tedeschi wears a look of… approval. What?
"Always on guard," He points out. "A good trait to have."
"... thank you?" Kensuke did not know if that was supposed to be a compliment.
"Say," Tedeschi close the gap between them but Kensuke didn't budge. His has his sword in his hand, ready to strike if needed (not the best defense against modern weapons, but still defense). "What would you say if I'm a mafioso looking for recruits?"
Kensuke arches a brow in question and try to gauge if the man is making a joke.
He's not.
He shouldn't really be that surprised by it anyways. This is Italy after all. If there is one history lesson that he remembers (due to his old man connections) then it was that the Mafia originates from Italy, and is the center of all Mafia-related activities.
"Well," Kensuke tries to word his sentence carefully. Then again, he's never good with words. "I don't really care."
He shrugs at his response. "I'm just a man trying to find my calling."
Tedeschi's face lights up with satisfaction - and a hint of hope? "From what I can see, you just found it."
Kensuke mulls over the statement in thought. He did enjoy dancing on the tightrope between life and death - not that he would want to do that all the time (he still values his life, thank you very much). But then he would be involved in shady business that would most likely result in the end his of normal life and his family wouldn't take it took well and he would have to avoid the law enforcers and -
Oh to heck with it.
"Sign me up." I need some cash anyways.
Tedeschi grins and passes him a business card. "Come over to this place tomorrow for more information and show the receptionists this card, they'll know what to do."
Kensuke takes the card lazily, examining the sleek black surface and fancy golden letters. And when he looks up to ask something, the man is already gone as if he was never there in the first place.
"Huh, didn't know they can be ninjas." Kensuke steps over the unconscious bodies and continues his search for food.
He stares. And stares. And stares. And - who in their right mind would make this building a designated place for the mafia?!
The fifty-story-tall skyscraper is practically shining with the squeaky clean windows and the fancy name in large letters reading something in Italian (Translate: Vongola Corporation) but he is positive that it's this building's name.
He steps in, basking in the cool air for a few seconds (because it is sizzling hot outside!) before taking in the interior. Squeaky clean tiled floor (you can probably eat off of it), escalators to his far left and right, tables and chairs stationed throughout the lobby along with well-cared for potted plants.
The lighting, as he can see, is mostly from the natural sunlight in the dead center (he realized that the skyscraper is designed to be hollowed) with occasional lights in the darker areas. Also basking directly in the center of the natural light is a crest - probably the company's.
A winged-clam is seen on top of a shield (that also have a clam in the center) while vines weaved around the shield in an intricate but beautiful pattern.
Feeling like he has seen that somewhere but just couldn't pinpoint where, he decides that it's better to find the reception desk - which is right at the back of the lobby and too obvious to not notice.
He avoids bumping into people who seems to be too busy looking through the paper they are carrying to watch where they're going, and goes up to one of the pretty receptionists (if he had been younger, he could have attempted to flirt).
"Hello, how may I help you?"
Not understanding Italian and not trusting his Italian, Kensuke wisely remain silent and show the black car he obtained last night.
The receptionist gives it a cursory look and gives him a nodding smile. She speaks to her co-worker before leaving her post and gestures for Kensuke to follow.
He decides to speak out as they enter the door next to the reception desk. "Um… do you speak Japanese?"
The woman glance at him confusedly (which is more than enough to answer his question) and replies in Italian, looking apologetic.
"It's fine." He waves her apology off (what else could it be?) He hopes that there's going to be someone who can get pass the language barrier in here that he can talk to…
He is ushered into an office a few corridors from where they had entered, but not before the receptionist speaks with the person inside first.
"Ah, took you long enough!" Kensuke looks from staring at the somewhat messy office to the speaker and finds Tedeschi Alfred smiling back at him.
"Thank god for someone who speaks Japanese." Kensuke speaks exasperatedly (he really did not want a repeat of what happened a few days ago), receiving a chuckle from the other occupant in the room.
"Sit down, so I can give you the outline of what you're getting yourself into." Tedeschi gestures to the chair in front of his desk. "Get your application in and approved, and sort out the details to your incorporation to the ranks of the trainees."
(He never knew there was such an… organized procedure to recruiting in the Mafia. He just thought that once you're in, you're in [which is basically what happened, but still!] He didn't think there's a proper procedure that could be compared to professional jobs.)
"But let me just be the first to say this," Tedeschi continues with wide-spread arms. "Welcome to the Vongola Famiglia!"
And that's how Mochida Kensuke gets himself recruited into the strongest Mafia Famiglia in Mafia history.
(Wow did he land himself in a good spot.)
I apologize for any grammar mistakes - I'm trying to write in present tense but there might be some switching in tenses somewhere along the line... again Sorry!
And thanks for reading!