Chapter 1: Maria's Final Request Part 1
"Il mio amore, please wait let me explain!" Young nineteen year old Timoteo yelled chasing after his crying eighteen year old girlfriend who, at this very moment, was racing out the front doors of the Vongola Headquarters. Hot on her trail the young man finally grabbed onto her wrist jerking her back to stop her. "Maria my love, please stop." Her head snapped towards him. Her beautiful sapphire blue eyes, the ones he fell so in love with, were glazed over as tears continued to fall.
"I'm through with you! You've only been Vongola Nono for six months and suddenly you think you're the greatest thing on earth! Well listen here Vongola, just because you have power and money doesn't mean you go around shoving your tongue down some girls' throat when you've had the same girlfriend since you were fifteen!"
What he did was wrong he knew, he also knew the scene she had seen had broken her heart into fragments, so small it would take years to put them back together perfectly. Maria, the woman he loved, had stayed by his side for so long. Timoteo had made so many mistakes he was surprised to even still have a loving relationship with her. She was so kind and gentle with certain things, yet could hold a grudge for a lifetime. And he knew from what his hyper intuition could tell, he wasn't ever going to making any more mistakes. Well at least not to her.
"Maria I know since I've taken over things have been hard on us-"
"Us. It doesn't seem to be very hard for you."
Pulling her close he wrapped his arms tight around her waist blocking any possible escape. Maria struggled for a minute before giving up and standing in his arms not returning the gesture. Timoteo kissed her head multiple times before taking in the scent of her chocolate brown hair. "Please, please forgive me. I-I know I made a mistake, a big mistake, but please..." His throat closed up on him as he felt water starting to gather in his eyes. Looking forward he saw Coyote, his Storm Guardian, standing by a black limo eyes down casted.
Other subordinates who were witnessing the scene held sorrow as they stared at the two youngsters knowing Maria, their hopeful Nona for the family, wasn't going to stay.
"How many times have you said that to me?"
Tsunayoshi Sawada sighed leaning back in his black leather chair within his office in Italy as his paperwork seemed to finally be decreasing. The following months after the defeat of Byakuran and his family have been rough on all the allied families of Vongola. The reconstruction has finally been finished and all the loose ties are finally coming to a close, with the help of Hibari of course. The midday sun was starting to sink into the horizon as the Vongola landline telephone began to ring.
Tsunayoshi stared at it quite confused as only high ranking officers have the secured landline number, but all usually call his cellphone when needed. Picking up the phone Tsunayoshi leaned back into his chair. "Hello?"
"…Timoteo?" A hoarse voice whispered over the phone. It sounded like an elderly woman by the pitch and he assumed it was since the lady was asking for Timoteo. The twenty-five year old pulled back to look at the phone in confusion for a second before placing it back upon his ear.
"I'm sorry but this is Tsunayoshi Sawada." The line went cold for a moment before a small chuckle came from the other voice.
"So you must be…Vongola Decimo. Yes…it does seem about that time where Timoteo would have stepped down." Tsunayoshi went to reply but the woman cut him off. "May I…speak with him?"
The Vongola Don couldn't help but smile sadly. "I'm sorry but…Vongola Nono is no longer with us anymore."
A sigh came from across the line. "It's a shame that you feel the need to lie to me Vongola." Tsunayoshi froze. "I may have not…seen Timoteo or have been to Vongola in over… fifty years but I know if something happened to that man. But I understand your desire…to keep him a secret. So may I ask you to do this old woman a favor?"
How had she known Vongola's current classified secret? How could she have possibly known that Vongola Nono was still alive and well? It took well executed planning (courtesy for Hibari) and dangerous and unperformed techniques (with the help of Chrome and Mukuro) to portray the former Vongola as dead and yet secure him in an undisclosed location. And he couldn't, with all his might, muster up the feelings of suspicion upon the older woman's request.
"I'll try my best." Tsunayoshi replied.
"Can you tell him…Maria Olivieri called and would like to see him within the week?" Decimo went to reply but the door to his office door opened revealing the black haired hitman with a coffee cup in his hands. "Please…"
Tsunayoshi smiled a little. "Of course."
"Thank you…"
Tsunayoshi hung up the phone and watched the hitman tutor sit down on one of the couches. He wasn't sure how to approach the current situation with his former teacher but he's learned throughout the years that Reborn's usually the best person to throw ideas off of. "I received a call from a woman asking for Timoteo." Reborn sat silently waiting for the younger man to continue as he took a sip of his espresso and picked up a magazine off the nearby table. "When I told her he was dead she said I was lying because she would know if he was." Laying his hands in his lap the Japanese man leaned in his chair staring up at the ceiling. "She hasn't seen him in over fifty years and suddenly-"
"Did she call him by his first name or by title?"
Tsunayoshi stared questionably at Reborn as he flipped a page. "First name, she never called him Vongola Nono or any other version." Seeing the hitman smirk Tsunayoshi placed his head in his hands and sighed. "Please tell me that you didn't just figure out who I was talking to from that little information."
Placing the magazine and cup on the table Reborn stood up tilting his fedora down, shadowing his eyes. "Timoteo will be glad to hear Maria called."
"And you did." Standing up also Tsunayoshi followed the older man out of his office. "A little explanation would be nice."
Reborn walked down the hallway, hands in his pockets, casually towards the stairs. "Maria Olivieri happens to be the original Vongola Nona."
Tsunayoshi froze in step confused. "But Timoteo said his wife died years ago." He said before running to catch up with Reborn. Going down the stairs Reborn rolled his shoulders back to release some tension.
"Vongola Nona did die but Maria never actually gained the title of Nona. She left and disappeared when Nono was nineteen. But having to continue the Vongola line, Nono married another women who became the Nona we all know. Still Timoteo states that the only woman who was suitable to rule Vongola beside him was Maria." He said as they came to the main floor. "I'll explain more later."
"But why would she call now of all times." Tsunayoshi asked motioning for someone to bring the car around as he and Reborn walked out the front door.
Reborn smirked. "You still have a long way to go No-Good Tsuna." The Vongola Don gave a half-hearted glare to the hitman. "Did she give a time limit?"
"Within the week." He replied pulling out his phone to contact the Guardians to let them know of the situation and their destination.
Reborn leaned on one leg as the car came around and one of the subordinate got out the driver's seat and bowed towards the two of them. Tsunayoshi got into the passenger seat as Reborn took the wheel. "She's dying."
The drive was no short trip. The location of the former Vongola Boss, given to the Guardians of Vongola and Varia (per Xanxus's…request) only, was hard for even them to travel to. Without the help of Chrome or Mukuro the location would be all but impossible to locate for even the Hyper Intuition that Tsunayoshi and the Varia Boss had.
Along the way cars carrying the Vongola and Varia Guardians joined behind Reborn's vehicle. It wasn't particularly hard to figure which division the driver belonged to. Hibari's car was all the way in the back to gain some distance from the others. Xanxus's was right beside Reborn's with Squalo driving, obvious from the shouting of 'Don't you see I'm trying to drive'. Belphegor's was the vehicle constantly swerving from side to side cutting off a Vongola issued car driven by Gokudera.
Mukuro had appeared in the backseat of Reborn's car with legs crossed and a laugh. If Tsunayoshi was his fifteen year old self he probably would have screamed of fright. However with a wave of the Mist Guardian's hand the road became easier to navigate. The trees began to reside as they approached and reappeared once each car had passed through.
The trip took a total of two hours and fourty-five minutes, as bitterly expressed by a phone call from Xanxus to Vongola Don. The home of Vongola Nono was a single floored compound made of white cement and many windows. It laid on 3 acres of land surrounded by a metal fence with only two entrances. A back entrance that ventured in the forest and the large gate that led to the circular drive way with a beautiful replica of the Vongola Fountain at Headquarters.
Reborn stopped in front of the main entrance and rolled down his window then waited just a few moments before a small bird perched himself on the door frame and stared at the three Mafiosi. Eventually the bird chirped and flew away from the car and landed on top of the gate before jumping off and flying away. The gate not a moment later opened to Reborn. However as soon as Reborn had crossed that threshold the gates closed before Squalo could get through. Another bird, and different shade, color, and size flew up to their window and repeated the same process.
Reborn pulled the vehicle around the driveway to give room to the other members who were slowly coming through the gate. Tsunayoshi and his Guardian stepped out into the now night time air just as Squalo parked behind them. The passenger door to the Varia styled car was kicked opened causing the car door to fly and land a couple meters away. Squalo screamed in shock as the tall, tan, and dangerous son of Vongola Nono stepped out, hands in his pocket.
"Why the hell did you kick the door off? I can't drive with a missing door." Squalo yelled as Leviathan quickly jumped out the back seat and rushed over to the fallen door, picking it up, and trying to place it back on the door frame.
"The old man will have an extra car." Xanxus replied as Belphegor slammed on his brakes behind his boss and second in command. A loud thud was heard and a girlish whine followed it.
"Why the hell would Vongola have an extra car? He can't leave!" Squalo yelled as Reborn finally got out the vehicle and locked it with a click of a button.
It took a couple more minutes until the last two cars were let in and parked before anyone stepped towards the front door. Gokudera was yelling at Belphegor, who just ignored his fellow storm flame. Lussuria was rubbing a large red bump on his forehead as Fran was kicking a small rock around. Ryohei and Yamamoto were having a lively conversation and Lambo was standing very close to Tsunayoshi, shaking in fright, as he had rode with Hibari to the compound.
Reborn walked up to the front door and knocked twice before stepping back. A click of the lock was heard and the door slowly opened to reveal a small, possibly 5' tall, young nurse looking up at Reborn with an innocent look. "Vongola Nono is awaiting you in his room, Mr. Hitman and Company." She spoke stepping back and opening the door wider to let everyone in.
A knock on a simple oak door sounded through the hall. "Vongola Nono your guests have arrive safely...unfortunately." The young nurse murmured opening the door while sending a glare to Xanxus who gave her some trouble on the way to the room. A small laugh sounded through the room as everyone entered one by one.
"Now who would be so mean to cause trouble for my nurse, Xanxus." Vongola Nono asked his son. It was a simple white room with some medical devices surrounding the large bed. A TV sat on a stand in the corner displaying the news. The former boss laid in his bed extremely pale. His gray hair, thin and fragile, but his smile still shone like the sun. Tsunayoshi smiled brightly as he walked up to the elderly man with arms open.
"Nono how are you?" He asked wrapping the senior in a hug. Timoteo chuckled giving a light hug in return.
"I'm not dead yet, much to everyone's surprise. Now why have Vongola and Varia graced me with their presence?" Timoteo asked as the young nurse handed him a cup of tea.
Vongola Don turned to his Storm Guardian with a nod. Gokudera went over to the TV and plugged in a thumbdrive. Taking the remote he changed the setting on the TV and selected the document he wanted to display. A 'Classified' screen appeared on the TV and Gokudera handed the remote to Reborn. "So this isn't a pleasure trip." Timoteo commented as he leaned back against his pillows.
Reborn turned his attention to the former Vongola. "Maria has made her appearance." He started clicking a button to show a picture of Timoteo and Maria when they were teenagers. Lussuria made an 'aw' sound as Squalo told him to shut up. Timoteo sat up straight and looked at Reborn with a serious look. "She called earlier today on the Vongola landline asking to speak with you. Not knowing Tsuna had become Boss and knowing you were not dead even when told you were, she wanted a message to be sent to you." Reborn continued as he brought up Maria's file. "She would like to see you within the week."
Xanxus snorted as he sat himself in an empty seat near his father. "Old hag probably wants some money for retire-"A pillow hit Xanxus on the side of the head causing him to stop. The Varia Boss shot a heated glare at his father who was staring back in a scolding manner.
"You will not talk badly about Maria. If she wishes to see me then it must be for a dire reason." Timoteo said before taking a deep breath as his body relaxed back into his pillows. "I have been looking for her since the day I realized she wasn't coming back to me. Over 50 years it's been and I have yet to find her. I will see her before I die or before she does. Reborn," Timoteo called to the hitman, "do you know where she is?"
Reborn clicked another button and the map of Italy appeared on the screen, a scanning program in process. Gokudera stepped up to speak. "We have Irie and Spanner locating the phone call and going through security systems and others to find her trail. They've narrowed it down to the Southern half of Italy. It will take a few more hours to have a general region. When we have that information, Decimo has given us orders to start heading out in that direction so no time is wasted."
Timoteo smiled. "I expected nothing less from a daughter of the Olivieri family."
Yamamoto turned to Squalo. "What's the Olivieri family?"
Squalo twitched before screaming. "VOI how the hell did you become Vongola without knowing such information?!"
"Oh Reborn asked me to." Yamamoto replied with a smile as Reborn tipped his hat down to hide his smirk.
Belphegor laughed at Squalo's anger. "Shishishi~ the Olivieri family is known for their ability to disappear without a trace. Their relationship with other families is solely based on their ability to also relocate important mafia members until they no longer need to be in hiding. It's virtually impossible to find them once they decide to vanish."
Fran snapped his fingers. "Maybe I'll have them relocate you Bel-sempai so I never have to see you again." Sharp knives imbedded themselves into the large frog hat the Varia Mist Guardian was wearing.
"You wish frog shishishi~. The Olivieri family dispersed about 20 years back when their blood line ended. Apparently the eldest daughter of the boss had disappeared over 50 years ago and the child of the remaining sibling had died of cancer."
Everyone looked to Vongola Nono who smiled kindly. "Shall we start getting me ready to go? I have to look like a Vongola Boss before we can leave. Also I have an extra car, incase someone's in need of it."
I am so incredibly excited to finally post this story. Fran is one of my favorite characters and I've been thinking about this story for a while. Thank you for taking the time to read this and I hope you stay along for the journey.
Viper'sGirl~