United Blood
Summary: When Vongola Primo retired and passed on the legacy to Secondo, he was aware that Ricardo would turn Vongola, his vigilante group, into mafia. Thus, when Primo and the rest of his remaining loyal Guardians moved to Japan, he recreated his vigilante group in the form of SAWADA.
Vongola Primo turned Sawada Shodaime swore that he and the rest of his Guardians would reincarnate in Secondo's bloodline as the Tenth Generation of Vongola to reconstruct Vongola into its former glory.
What Primo didn't count on was needing to wed his great-great-great-great grand daughter, in the form of his reincarnated self as Giotto di Vongola, Vongola Nono's youngest son. G27
Giotto x Fem!Tsu
Chapter One
Funerals were never a happy affair in the Vongola Famiglia.
Perhaps it was the gloomy atmosphere, the grim expressions, or because of the grieving cries of loved ones. Maybe because everyone was draped in black, how even the curtains of all the rooms in the mansion were switched from the usual warm velvet to a dinky pitch black.
'But,' Giotto mused, 'Perhaps it's because this is the third consecutive funeral to be dealt with in the span of one year.'
His eldest brother, Enrico, was killed in a gunfight at the start of the year. It… was really not something completely unexpected—death had always hung over famiglias, especially one as bloody as the Vongola—but of all the ways to go down, the Vongola had not expected that a gunfight would take one of their own.
Enrico had been a hulk of a man, with flames that burned as passionately as his love for his family and for the people he would lead in the future. He had not personally been all that close to Giotto due to their relatively large age gap, but Enrico had not once treated his youngest brother unkindly. Giotto fondly remembered being given piggy-back rides in the back of their estate—remembered his brother's deep voice that would nag at him to eat because God, you're so skinny I could break you like a twig.
That being said, it really didn't come as a surprise when it was later discovered that Enrico had died to protect his subordinates, his friends, in spite of the fact that it was their job to protect the heir and not vice versa.
The man always did have a bleeding heart—it would become his downfall.
Giotto remembered placing a burning white lily on his coffin—he made sure to eat three meals a day.
Timoteo, his aging father, had barely recovered from the first death when the next in line, Massimo, was drowned. Massimo, unlike his older brother, had been betrayed by his best friend. They had gone on an outing like the plenty of other escapades they had been on before, and no one had suspected a thing. Rodrick was Massimo's childhood friend, and Timoteo had entrusted his son's life to the other man.
Even before leaving, Massimo had gently reassured Giotto that seriously, Rodrick would never let anything happen to me, even though his Hyper Intuition was telling him that somethingiswrongsomethingiswrongsomethingbadisgoingtohappensomethingiswRONG.
It was the last words that Massimo would ever say to his family
Giotto had scattered the ashes of another burnt white lily over the obsidian polish of Massimo's coffin. In the back of his mind, he recalled the traitor's famiglia being burnt to the ground, completely and utterly decimated.
It comforted him.
His Guardians (only friends, at the time) had said nothing about the bloodthirst leaking behind Giotto's azure blue eyes.
The third consecutive funeral was a little different from the others, but only because there was no body to bury. Just ashes. Federico's cause of death was frustratingly unknown, but Giotto had the feeling that a third party was involved—likely the yakuza. Timoteo's similar suspicions only solidified the theory.
Federico was actually closest to Giotto among all his brothers, mostly because Federico was around Giotto's age, at twenty-six compared to his twenty-four. They had practically been attached by the hip when they were kids, and were known for being a terror duo, always causing trouble for the servants and their various other caretakers.
Whenever Giotto's Hyper Intuition acted up—when the enhanced senses became too much to handle—he always sought comfort from Federico, who would distract him from the overriding sensations by babbling about the simplest of topics, subconsciously using his own Sky Flames to soothe the mental ache.
It had only been a couple days, and Giotto already missed his brother.
He missed all his brothers.
Giotto glanced over his shoulder, watching his father in concern. His ageing amber eyes reflected exhaustion, grief, and sorrow. Giotto couldn't imagine what it was like to lose one's child, especially three. There was a term used for a minor who's lost both parents (orphan), and a term for a woman who's lost her husband (widow), but what about a parent that's lost their child?
It was every parent's nightmare to outlive their own children.
He reached over, placing a strong hand on Timoteo's shoulder. His father, in turn, placed his own heavily calloused fingers on Giotto's arm, just briefly, as if he was assuring himself that his last-living-birth-son was alive.
Giotto silently swore that he would not experience the same fate as his brothers did, if not for himself, then for his old man. Timoteo was human; he'd made many mistakes through his reign as Vongola Nono, and one could say that Timoteo diddeserve to lose his children because of the many lives he had claimed. But that was a cruel way of perceiving his mistakes. The man really tried, but the stigma of all the sins committed by the Vongola Famiglia had followed him like a grim reaper, just as it had done to all the other bosses.
Knowing that he would take up the mantle one day sort of worried Giotto.
"Timoteo, Giotto."
Giotto turned to the man who had spoken to them. He was nearing middle-aged, and had short, spiky blond hair, tanned skin, and grim-looking brown eyes. The younger blond immediately recognized the man.
Sawada Kyuudaime, otherwise known as Iemitsu Sawada. He was the ninth boss of the Sawada Family, a vigilante group that sought to help people; in other words, it was the recreation of Vongola in its purest form, built by Vongola Primo and the rest of his remaining loyal Guardians when he had moved to Japan.
The Sawada Family reflected Vongola in many ways, since they also held the tradition of having Guardians. In fact, when Vongola Primo passed on his legacy to Secondo, he and Secondo agreed to split the rings—Sky, Storm, Rain, Lightning, Mist, Cloud, Sun—in two, so the divide in power would be even; it also developed a sort of truce between the two Families. The bosses of Vongola respected Primo's vigilante group enough to leave them alone throughout the years, although relations between Vongola and Sawada were a bit strained, considering their differing views.
However, the latest bosses of the two families, Timoteo and Iemitsu, were fairly close, in spite of all their many disagreements.
Since the Sawada's home base was in Japan, neither got to see each other too often—
Funerals had always been a common meet-up for unintentional reunions.
"Iemitsu." His father greeted with a hint of a smile—the first one of the entire day, in fact.
Giotto merely inclined his head in acknowledgement. He had visited the Sawada home base when he was younger, and he remembered being baffled at the many similar traits the Sawada base shared with the Vongola mansion.
They were like estranged siblings; raised in the same place, but in the end, sought different paths.
The Sawada family had welcomed he and his father quite warmly, treating the guests like extended family. Giotto recalled a young girl, about seven or so years younger than him, greeting him with a shy smile, before ducking behind the broad form of her father.
'She was a brunette.' He remembered. 'And she had the widest, caramel eyes.'
"I wish we could have met under better circumstances, Timoteo." Iemitsu said wryly. "It's good to see you again." And your remaining son alive, was left unsaid.
"Thank you for coming, old friend." His father smiled again, just slightly. "Giotto and I appreciate it. It must have been a long trip."
"I'm used to it." Iemitsu said, waving his hand dismissively. "It was the first time my little tuna-fish was able to go on an airplane—she's always been a tad bit sheltered, which is my fault." He smiled in a self-depreciative manner, causing Giotto's brows to raise. Was it a touchy subject? "You should have seen her face; Nana had to hold her hand to calm her down."
Nono cocked his head to the side. "You took your family here?" He asked softly. "Isn't that a little dangerous?"
Silently, Giotto agreed with his father; Italy was not a safe place nowadays, what with the mafia lurking in shadows and lingering in every other corner. He couldn't help but be a little concerned for the Kyuudaime's wife and daughter.
"They'll be fine." Sawada assured. "A few of my daughter's Guardians and Rebornare accompanying them. They should be sight-seeing now."
At the mention of Reborn, both Giotto and Timoteo relaxed. If anyone could protect a vigilante group heir, it would be the hitman.
They continued to chat, with Giotto lingering silently. He learned that Iemitsu's daughter, Tsunaki (he filed the name away in his brain, linking it to the little girl he had met all those years ago), was currently sixteen, and had gathered all her Guardians two years ago, way back when she was fourteen.
Reborn, the World's Number One Hitman, had started tutoring the girl around the same time, after an attempt on her life by the Yakuza.
Giotto was glad that Iemitsu had decided to take precautions after the incident, recalling a very similar situation that had happened to him.
He had been kidnapped, way back when he was around eleven years old. Little Giotto was able to escape himself with the use of his Sky Flames, but had been severely worn out afterwards. He'd stumbled all the way back home, nearly giving Nono and his older brothers heart attacks.
From that day, Nono had decided that, although Giotto was not the first in line, he probably had the most potential out of all his sons and should have pseudo-Guardians for himself. Having also garnered his older brothers' support, the idea was set in stone.
By the time he was sixteen, Giotto managed to find all of his "pseudo-Guardians". He had discovered G, Asari, Knuckle, Alaude, Lampo, and Daemon throughout his little moments of free time as one of the heirs to Vongola, managing to bond with each and every one of them, forging loyalties perhaps even stronger than that of their predecessors and Timoteo's own Guardians. Alaude and Daemon were perhaps the hardest to forge loyalties with, but after several spars with Alaude and unknowingly helping Daemon's little sister out when he wasn't available to protect her, he managed to prove his worth as a leader.
When Giotto had officially presented his pseudo-Guardians, they managed to shock the hell out of the Vongola famiglia and his family. It didn't take long for them to make a connection between he and his Guardians and the first generation of Vongola. Several rumours rose from the ashes, many of them considered to be quite ludicrous, but the most popular rumour was that Giotto and his pseudo-Guardians were reincarnations of the first generation of Vongola.
Admittedly, the theory was not so far-fetched. Giotto had seen pictures of Vongola Primo in the past, and even he could admit that the resemblance was eerie as hell.
About an hour later the funeral came to an end. Flowers and prayers were offered, and stories were shared. When it had been Giotto's turn to share a few words about Federico, his eyes watered, but no tears were shed. His Guardians (not pseudo anymore, since they were considered official Guardians now that it was certain that Giotto would take up the mantle), standing in silence amongst the crowd, had shot him comforting glances. Even Alaude and Daemon had nodded in his direction, acknowledging his grief, and, in their own ways, showing their support.
They bore the strength that Giotto momentarily needed. They had been awfully quiet throughout the entire procession, a drastic contrast to their usual rambunctious behaviour. Since Knuckle was the one conducting the ceremony, his usual volume was also absent.
Before Federico was buried within the Vongola's bloodied grounds, Giotto hooked a white lily around the obsidian containment.
There was no use in burning the poor flower if his brother was already reduced to ashes.
G27
It was dinner now, and Iemitsu had invited Timoteo and his son to join his family at a secluded restaurant for dinner. Iemitsu, with a comforting smile, told Giotto that he was more than welcome to bring his Guardians along.
Giotto knew that if he and his father were left to their own thoughts they would end up drowning in grief for the rest of the night. Timoteo may even bring out the alcohol, and invite his remaining birth son to join him—they had drunk their sorrows away after the first two funerals as well, ending up with a massive hangover by the next morning.
G was usually the first to find him, sprawled out on his bed, reeking of alcohol—he was also usually the first curse him out. The magenta-haired man would snap a towel over his shoulders and tell him to take a damn shower and get his life back together. It was his Storm Guardian's way of telling him that he cared.
After a shared glance, Timoteo and Giotto graciously accepted the offer. A change of pace would be good—the liquor cabinet would not budge for that night.
After a quick chat with his Guardians, G, Asari, Lampo, and Chrome—Daemon's little sister—had decided to tag along.
Alaude chose not to go, which was expected due to his blatant dislike for crowding; he also refused to miss his annual patrols around Vongola territory, saying something along the line of "Herbivores will always crowd when a carnivore is injured." Giotto took comfort in knowing that Vongola would be in good hands in their absence.
Knuckle had apologetically told him that he needed to take care of several of Vongola's men at the hospital wing—something about a field mission gone wrong. Giotto had easily waved off the apology, saying that people's lives were far more important than some dinner. He made a mental note to visit those men and thank them for their efforts to keep Vongola safe.
Daemon had said that, as much as he so wantedto go (the sarcasm was impossible to not catch), he had a date with his fiancée, Elena, and had sent Chrome to go in his place. Giotto felt a little bad for the poor girl, since she never did react too well to strangers. The only reason why she'd probably decided to go in the first place was because her dear brother asked her to go.
Giotto often wondered how a sweet girl like Chrome could be related to an utter demon like Daemon.
"My nephew is probably among Iemitsu's group." G announced, once they were comfortably situated in a limo. Giotto raised his head, remembering the fiery kid that sprinted down the halls of the Vongola mansion, leaving a path of explosions in his wake.
Gokudera Hayato. Lavina's—G's older sister's—bastard son, and G's nephew.
G had been very young when Lavina managed to attract the attention of a mafia boss during one of her piano performances. A seven-year-old at the time, G had been incapable of protecting his older sister from the lecherous boss, and soon she was unwillingly impregnated.
As the rules of the mafia underworld went, when Hayato was born, he was taken away by the mafia boss, leaving Lavina completely and utterly broken-hearted.
G had completely snapped when, years later, Lavina was assassinated by the very same famiglia that had impregnated his older sister. With the Vongola Famiglia's aid—Giotto and G had met and become very good friends by then—G was able to raze the famiglia to the ground, leaving only Bianchi and the innocent servants alone. Ever since then, G had taken in Hayato, and had become an honorary member of the Vongola Famiglia.
When Hayato turned fourteen, he was invited by Reborn to become the Sawada's Storm Guardian (and, by extension, the right-hand man). Hayato had jumped at the chance, like the impulsive teen he was, and Giotto hadn't seen the temperamental boy since. He was aware, however, that G regularly checked up on him, and that he'd requested Shamal to take care of Hayato through his stay in Namimori.
"It's to be expected, as the Sawada Storm Guardian and the self-proclaimed right-hand man." Giotto chuckled, fondly remembering Hayato's declaration that he would be an even better right-hand man than his "old man". Kids were so spunky nowadays.
"So we get to see Pinky's brat again." Lampo drawled, huffing. "I thought we'd managed to get rid of him."
The only one who had protested to Hayato becoming an honorary member of Vongola was Lampo, mostly because he didn't want to deal with another brat—especially not G's brat. In response to that, G had told him, quite frankly, to "suck it."
"You're only a few years older, Lampo." Asari reminded the Lightning Guardian, causing Lampo to stick out his tongue to rebuke. He was pouting childishly, reminding Giotto that Lampo was still very much the kid that Giotto had met at one of Vongola's many parties quite a few years ago.
Chrome giggled softly at the display.
"How has your nephew been doing, anyway?" Giotto enquired, leaning back in his seat with an odd sort of elegance.
His right-hand man hummed. "Been a while since I've seen the brat, actually." G sighed. "Shamal told me that he's been acing his classes, and he would have been considered a favourite by the teachers if he was a little less violent. Personally, I don't really care." The tattooed man stared out the window contemplatively. "Admittedly he has been less... impulsive, ever since meeting your daughter, Kyuudaime." He directed the last sentence to the boss of the Sawada Family.
Iemitsu practically beamed. "That's my daughter!" He boasted, and started to reiterate small tales revolving around his daughter and her Guardians. Giotto was silent, but he listened intently, cataloguing the names of the young Sawada's Guardians; Hayato, Takeshi, Lambo (a mere toddler, and also the Lightning Guardian. He was very amused by how similar the name Lambo was to his own Lightning Guardian, Lampo), Ryohei, Kyoya (wasn't he Alaude's younger brother?), and Mukuro (whose description eerily reminded the future don of Daemon). Among all the Guardians mentioned, only Hayato, Takeshi, Lambo, and Mukuro were going to be at the dinner, since Ryohei had a boxing match, and Kyoya refused to leave Namimori alone.
The Hibari brothers were evidently eerily alike.
About fifteen minutes later they arrived at the restaurant. It was located in a rather quiet part of Italy, and very few people were lingering on the streets. The men all stepped out of the limo, looking a quite out of place in their formal attire. Considering that they'd just stepped out of a funeral, it wasn't all too surprising.
Giotto glanced at the restaurant that they were supposed to have dinner at. There was a large white sign pinned against the double-framed wooden doors, with thick red letters stating "CLOSED".
"Don't mind that." Iemitsu said when he noticed what had caught the heir's gaze. "I reserved the place for the night. They'll let us in."
He knocked on the door twelve times, pausing at every third beat. The doors were opened then, revealing a middle-aged woman donned in a silk burgundy dress. She had jet-black hair and cool jade green eyes, which were framed by laugh lines. The air surrounding the woman was lighthearted and familial.
She wasn't a threat.
"Welcome!" The woman spoke. "We've been expecting you." She bowed low, and flashed a disarming smile. "Allow me to lead the way."
They stepped into the homy restaurant, and the doors were shut closed behind them.
G27
The future Vongola Decimo was a little awed by the light atmosphere the place seemed to exert. Federico's funeral had been awfully oppressive; his chest had felt heavy throughout the entire affair. He eyed the decor acutely; the place used actual plants, not the fake ones. They appeared to be well-taken care of as well.
The burgundy walls had floral patterns, and were also lined with paintings of various things, like the ocean, a mug of coffee, and—Giotto narrowed his eyes at this—was that a goat? There were several tables, but unlike most restaurants, they were located quite a distance away from each other. There were only a few employees lurking around, but most of them were minding their own business. They'd nodded politely at the customers, though, which Giotto found himself returning.
"This way, please." The hostess called, leading them further into the restaurant. They were guided to a relatively large room that resembled a typical middle-class dining room, just a lot bigger. The furniture was also much better quality, but it wasn't quite noticeable unless observed with a trained eye. A gigantic chandelier hung from the ceiling, looking as though it was on the verge of collapsing on the elongated table below, but Giotto's intuition told him that it was completely stable.
It was only then that Giotto noticed that the long table, covered by a burgundy coloured sheet (to match the walls, probably), had occupants.
There were a total of seven people.
There was only one adult, and was likely the eldest out of the group. She wore a simple yellow sundress, and white ballet flats. Her dark brown hair was shoulder-length, and her eyes appeared to be the same shade. They were also quite wide, as strange as it was to admit, and exuded a sort of innocence that could melt even the coldest enemies' hearts. Giotto confidently concluded that the woman was Nana Sawada, Iemitsu's wife.
Two kids also caught his attention. The first one appeared to be seven years old. He had emerald green eyes, and a curly mess of black hair that kind of resembled an Afro. Giotto blinked when he noticed the two horns protruding from the boy's head. It appeared that his Lightning Guardian wasn't the only one to use horns as a primary weapon. The boy also wore a cow printed sweater, zipped closed, black jogging pants, and red-and-black running shoes. At the sight of the other half of the Lightning Ring wrapped around the boy's finger, it was obvious that the child was Lambo, Tsunaki's Lightning Guardian.
The other kid was someone who Giotto knew very well. The child had pitch black hair, which was mostly covered by a fedora, but the accessory did nothing to restrain the boy's two curly sideburns. His suit was immaculate, and a bright yellow pacifier peeked out from his dress shirt.
Reborn.
Before teaching Tsuna, he was Giotto's full-time tutor. Then again, that had been when Reborn was still an adult—when he was Renato Sinclair. He was one hell of a spartan teacher, and even though he now resembled an adorable child, he was likely to be the same demon he had always been.
He caught the spartan teacher's gaze with a respectful nod, which was returned with a cool smirk. He missed Reborn's constant presence from his youth, although Giotto would never admit it.
He certainly didn't miss the thugs that Reborn would constantly sic on him as "training".
There were four other teens in the room, all about seven or so years younger than Giotto and his Guardians.
He immediately caught sight of Hayato, who was heatedly glaring at his uncle, G. He'd gotten taller, Giotto noticed, and was that another piercing? The teen wore ripped grey-black jeans, a blood red undershirt, and a black sweater. Giotto nearly beamed from pride when he noticed that the second half of the Storm Ring was worn with pride by the rebellious teen. Yes, he'd already known that Hayato was the Sawada's Storm Guardian, but seeing it in the flesh made it all better. Truly, he was becoming more and more like his uncle as the days passed.
The teen beside Hayato was visually and personality-wise the opposite. He was of obvious Japanese descent, and sported short, spiky black hair, sharp hazel eyes, and tanned skin, akin to Iemitsu's.
'Takeshi Yamamoto' his brain helpfully supplied. Judging by the muscles on the boy's arms, and the callouses on his hands, he was a swordsman. And had been a baseball player at one point.
'He likely gave it up to further invest in swordsmanship.' he mused. The future don started to feel a little melancholy. 'Just as Asari had done with his flute.' Both incarnations of Asari had given up the flute, in fact.
The eldest teen of the group bore an eerie resemblance to his own Mist Guardian, and according to the other half of the ring he was wearing, Mukuro was the Sawada's own Mist. He was observing the new occupants of the room with a keen eye, and seemed to have taken interest in little Chrome. No doubt, if Daemon and Mukuro met, they'd have a hell of a time trying to get along, especially since Daemon was especially protective over his little sister. Giotto was secretly glad that Daemon had not chosen to come that day.
The last teen was the youngest, and the only other female in the group. Judging from her own half of the Sky Ring, she was the heir to the Sawada family—the future Sawada Jyuudaime. Images of the younger brunette he had met years ago overlapped with the older version, and honestly the girl hadn't changed too drastically. She wore a knee-length dark grey skirt, calf-high black socks, and sleek black shoes. A white blouse was tucked into her skirt, and a red ribbon was wrapped around the collar of the shirt. She resembled her mother quite a lot, since her hair was cut in a similar fashion—short and ending just above her shoulders. The girl had the same caramel eyes of the memory, and she sported just a hint of a tan.
She was staring at him quite evidently, actually, mouth gaping in surprise. He raised a brow at the amusing expression. Did she recognize him?
"G-Gio-nii?" She sputtered in Japanese. She was promptly hit upside the head by Reborn, and Giotto winced on her behalf. He knew how much that hurt.
"Stupid Tsuna." Reborn said, in that squeaky, child-like voice of his. "Show more respect. If you're going to be a boss, you've got to start acting a little more like one."
Tsunaki nodded meekly, and turned back towards Giotto. Everyone else was oddly silent, watching the exchange between the two soon-to-be bosses. Tsunaki stood up from her seat, walking towards Giotto. Once she was in front of him, she bowed low. "I'm sorry for my behaviour earlier." She said, voice wavering a bit. It was obvious that she was nervous, although she did a good job hiding it. "I was just a little surprised, seeing you again, G-Gio-nii."
Giotto was once more glad that Asari had taught him Japanese, though he did retain some knowledge of it from his previous incarnation. He smiled softly at the girl, showing her that he wasn't going to bite (unlike what a certain skylark would do).
"It's quite alright, Tsunaki-chan." Giotto said, waving his hand dismissively. As he was taught, he bent down on one knee, gently grasped her hand, and kissed Tsunaki's knuckles. He chuckled softly when he noticed how the girl's face burned scarlet, all the way down to her slim neck. "I apologize for our abrupt entrance." He murmured against her knuckles.
The future Decimo stood up, and patted Tsunaki's shoulder gently. He glanced back at the girl's father, who'd been watching the exchange with a strange expression. "Was our coming not informed?" He questioned.
The man had the gall to look a little sheepish. He scratched the back of his head, laughing a little nervously. "Er... no?"
Giotto heard Reborn mutter something along the lines of "Stupid Iemitsu".
"We have plenty of room, still." Nana butted in, bearing a sweet smile. "We haven't started to eat yet." She gestured to the empty plates lined on the clothed table as emphasis.
"Thank you, Nana." Timoteo said, smiling warmly. Everyone rearranged themselves so the Sawada Family would be sitting across from the Vongola Famiglia: Tsuna sat across from Giotto, Timoteo sat across Iemitsu, who sat beside his wife (who, in turn, had Reborn perched on her lap), G sat across a still-surprised Hayato, Asari sat across Takeshi, Chrome sat across Mukuro—and was blushing from the older teen's leery gaze—and Lampo reluctantly sat across Lambo, whom he deemed brat at first sight.
"Oi, Stupidera!" Lambo called. "Why does the pink-haired man look like you?"
"It's magenta." G corrected with a growl.
"Shut up, cow!" Hayato snarled back at Lambo, though, as Giotto observed the exchange more closely, it seemed almost affectionate and familial.
Tsunaki's eyes were noticeably flitting over Gokudera and G. She probably also saw the resemblance between the two Storm Guardians.
"G is Hayato's uncle." He explained to her, though it was loud enough for everyone else at the table to hear.
Her eyes widened in understanding. "So this is the man that Gokudera-kun talks about." She spoke, awed. "He told me that he had an uncle that worked with the mafia, but he never said that he was the Vongola Storm Guardian..."
Hayato looked surprisingly contrite. "I'm so sorry, Jyuudaime!" He apologized, bowing his head. "It just never came up!"
G was almost startled by his nephew's abrupt change in personality. So, the Sawada Family really did do good for his charge.
Tsunaki waved off the apology with a gentle smile. It acutely reminded the future Decimo's Guardians of their own boss. Perhaps the Sawada Family reflected the Vongola Familglia in even more ways than one.
The rest of the night was filled with pleasant chatter, even when Hayato did blow up a couple times, especially when it came to Takeshi. The "sword freak" seemed to aspire Hayato's more aggressive behaviour, even though Takeshi didn't really do anything to spur on such intense emotions. If Hayato wasn't yelling at Takeshi, he was loudly arguing with G.
In spite of the shouting matches between the uncle-and-nephew that took place right beside them, the two Rain Guardians got along quite well, talking about everything and exchanging various recipes to try out on their free time.
Giotto had suspected that they would get along just fine.
Lampo was acutely annoyed by Lambo's immature behaviour, but they seemed to share a mutual dislike for octopus-heads, so they did at least have that much in common. They would often take part in shouting matches of their own, if they weren't hurtling insults at G and Hayato.
It was apparent that Chrome had actually taken quite a liking towards Mukuro, likely because he was so much like her older brother. It mildly surprised Giotto, considering that Chrome was usually so shy around strangers.
"They all seem to be getting along." Giotto said with a fond smile. "Your Mist Guardian seems to like Chrome a lot."
"Yeah, it's kinda strange." Tsunaki chuckled, observing the amusement dancing across Mukuro's eyes. "I've never seen him acting like that before."
There was a comfortable pause between the two future bosses.
"You know," Giotto murmured after a couple minutes of silence passed between them. "It's been a while since we've seen each other." He forked the steak on his plate, guiding the utensil into his mouth.
"Y-yeah." Tsuna stuttered softly. "I was... ten the last time? Six years ago..."
"I was seventeen then, I believe." Giotto said. "You were such a cute kid, Tsuna."
Tsunaki blushed, ducking her head. She stared at her food, which consisted of pasta, and nervously played with it with her own fork. "I, er, uh—th-thank you?"
Giotto couldn't help it. He laughed.
"Yep." He mused out loud. "Definitely cute."
"Sh-shut up, Gio-nii." She stammered, scratching her apple-red cheek. Giotto merely laughed again, ruffling the younger girl's hair. Tsunaki glanced up to meet Giotto's cool azure-blue gaze, admiration clear in her bright caramel eyes.
Unbeknownst to the future bosses, Timoteo and Iemitsu were observing their children closely. They shared a look, borderline devious.
So maybe their plan to properly merge the Vongola and Sawada wasn't too impossible after all.
A/N[2016-09-02]: Writer's bloc sucks. Ideas would be greatly appreciated.
