Disclosure on Rating: This story is rated T for now, but if it takes a darker turn (violence wise) I will up the rating to M.
The Great Ruckus
The enemies of the Vongola decide to fight back, and the death of Nono's two sons is only the beginning.
Caught in the emerging mafia war Tsuna's best hope for survival is the freelance hitman Reborn, but at what cost? [Fem!Tsuna][Adult!Reborn][AU]
Chapter One: The Game Begins
Bella Napoli. Tsuna could see why the city had garnered such a name. True, it was a gritty place with decaying buildings and uneven cobbled streets that scooterists flew over with reckless abandon, but beneath all the grit, the chaos, there was an unmatched bittersweet beauty.
She'd only been in town a few hours, stopping long enough at a quiet hotel to reserve a room for the night and drop off her main traveling bag before setting off to see the sights. The city's Museo Archeologico Nazionale di Napoli had been her first stop.
Remnants of Pompeii and Herculaneum weren't open to the public (she didn't have any interest in the Gabinetto Segreto to begin with, so she didn't mind), but she'd thoroughly enjoyed the Farnese Bull, Artemis of Ephesus, and the multitude of frescoes among other things.
Reaching into her shoulder bag, she pulled out her small compact, pretending to check her lip gloss while really using the mirror to look over her shoulder. Halfway through her exploration of the museum she'd noticed her stalker, and by the looks of things he was still following along; though, he was doing a terrible job of it in her opinion.
Rechecking her mental map of the area, Tsuna turned right down the next narrow street. The quiet, near silent, feeling that originated from somewhere deep inside her nudged her to lose the man quickly. She didn't need told twice. Luckily, the afternoon was waxing old, and soon the evening would be upon them. Naples was far more lively at night according to all the articles and brochures she'd read.
Another right, a quick left. Walking past an open stall Tsuna quickly grabbed a light scarf and hat, laying more than necessary down for payment. "Keep the change," she said as the stall keeper, an older woman with laugh lines and graying hair gave her a crooked smile.
"Grazie."
Another internal nudge, and Tsuna slipped down the nearest narrow street. Quickly putting the hat on her head, and stashing the scarf away for later, Tsuna took a few more turns. If her mental map was correct the Catacombs of San Gaudioso were just ahead. Weaving through the growing number of people as she neared the tourist destination, Tsuna subtly picked up her pace, the voice inside growing more insistent.
Entering through the Basilica of Santa Maria della Sanita the Dominicans had built over the catacombs in an effort to incorporate the many frescoes found within, Tsuna made for the main altar at the back, wishing she had more time to properly admire the architecture. A glance behind her as she went down the stairs showed the man had friends. Another person bumped into her, apologizing. Tsuna gave them a distracted nod. The small disturbance had brought the attention of one of the men in her direction.
Her instinct flared. Run.
Turning and descending into the cool depths, she sought out a dark corner behind a stone wall. Hand going to her bag, Tsuna felt around until her hands slipped over the cool metal. Hana and Kyoko always said she kept odd things in her bag, but they may just prove handy yet.
Pulling out the scissors, Tsuna pulled off her new hat. Whoever these men were, they didn't have good intentions. Her gut told her that much, and unfortunately her gut seemed to only know how to speak in absolute truths.
Securing her hair in a quick ponytail, Tsuna took the scissors to the spot just above the elastic. Her hand hesitated for a moment when she heard voices.
"She's in here somewhere. The catacombs aren't very big. Don't let her get away or the boss'll have our heads."
"We'll go right, you two take the left. Pichoni, stay here in case she doubles back."
"Right."
A moment later her hair was much shorter than it had been in a long time. A quick twist of the hair in the front and a snip gave her bangs she hadn't had in a long time either. Stuffing the scissors and hair back into her bag, she pulled out the scarf she'd stashed there earlier. They'd seen her in the hat, so it disappeared into the bag as well.
Folding the scarf with practiced hands, she soon had her head and lower half of her face covered. It helped some with the musky smell that permeated the air. Slipping out of her hiding spot, she snuck deeper into the small maze of catacombs.
By pure luck, she found a tour group on their way out and easily slipped herself into the middle, making sure to keep her head down. They walked right past two men in suits. When they reached the stairs, she made sure to make her presence as small as possible, blending with the crowd as they walked right past the man she was sure was left to watch for her.
Dispersing from the group, Tsuna made a beeline for a lost and found section. Her own coat was put in the box after a quick empty of the pockets, and she picked out a new one with a cap too. Pulling the scarf down to rest around her neck, she threw on her new clothes and made her way out onto the crowded street. The cool autumn breeze tussled her much shorter hair — she'd need to get it professionally cleaned up.
Still, her inner voice wouldn't calm down. Glancing around, she could see why. Just how many friends did the first guy have? And what did they want with her? Everything in her body was screaming at her to run, but her mind knew that would only draw attention.
At the purring sound of a scooter motor coming up from behind, Tsuna skittered to the sides of the street with the rest of the pedestrians. The scooter came to a stop near her, and looking up, Tsuna saw a man in a suit with a fedora somehow still in place on his head holding a hand out in her direction.
Go, her mind whispered, urged. Safe, it seemed to hiss. Without a moment's hesitation, she reached out and took the hand, finding herself on the back of the scooter, wrapping her arms around the man's waist to keep from falling off.
Soon, they'd left the catacombs and her unwanted followers behind as they zipped through the crowded evening streets of Naples. Tsuna had brought a hand up to keep her hat in place, and silently enjoyed what she could of the scenery as they passed. Her mental calculations told her they were nearing the area her hotel was in.
They stopped a street away, the man turning to look over his shoulder at her. Dark obsidian eyes bore into her own. "If you can't carry it, leave it behind."
"Wha?"
"We've bought some time, but they'll converge here sooner than later, now go." Staring into the dark depths of his eyes, Tsuna felt something inside her shift. It was a split second decision, but she narrowed her eyes and nodded.
"How much time can you buy me?"
"Depends." Dark eyes flashed dangerously. "Why do you need it?" His hands tightened on the handles.
"Ninety minutes. If you can give me that then I'll be able to transform beyond recognition." Tsuna continued her stare down with the man, trying to decipher what was going through his head.
"Sixty. Beyond that more will swarm this area than I want to deal with."
Tsuna bit her lower lip. That was definitely pushing it for the transformation she had in mind, but she'd make it work."Fine," she said, whipping out a paper and pen from her bag, "but I'll need you to return with these items and five minutes to spare." Shoving the note and a clip of cash into the man's hand, she hopped off the scooter.
"I'm not your errand boy."
"Not the time to argue Mr. Whoever-you-are," Tsuna gave him a glare. "It'll be worth it, I swear." He stared at her before shaking his head.
"Fifty minutes, Tsuna. Not a second more." Letting out a huff, Tsuna didn't bother asking how he knew her name. He obviously knew more about what was going on than she did. Instead, she turned and took off as the man revved the scooter back up.
The biggest thing was taking care of her hair. Luckily, she'd seen a salon just down the street from her hotel. Jogging there, Tsuna let out a sigh of relief that they took walk-ins and there was no line.
"Oh my, what happened to your hair!" The stylist exclaimed as Tsuna told her what she wanted done with it.
"My little sister thought it would be fun to cut it." Tsuna sighed, putting on an annoyed look. "Can you do what I asked quickly? I have a date tonight."
"Just leave it to me," the woman replied in a professional manner as she set about fixing Tsuna's hair. "I can have this done in twenty minutes."
"Grazie." Watching the stylist get to work, Tsuna let her mind get down to business. She needed to disappear off the map. When that guy (whatever-his-name-was) got back, even he couldn't recognize her. She hated when her instinct told her to trust complete strangers, but it hadn't been wrong yet.
So, a disguise she could live in. Her overall impression was this trouble wasn't going away anytime soon. Well, she'd go for the complete opposite of what they were looking for. As for the personality? Something she could maintain without flaw… Staring herself in the eyes as more hair left her head with each snip, Tsuna smirked. Yes, that would work nicely.
When the haircut was finished, Tsuna ran a quick hand through her hair. It now sat in a messy tapered look with her hair coming forward from the back giving her long bangs.
"I must say, while it is a man's hairstyle, it quite suits you and your facial features." Tsuna gave the stylist a smile while she rang her up.
"Yeah, thanks for fixing it so fast. Can I get some black hair dye and styling creme to go?" With a pleasant "Of course!" the stylist finished ringing her up. Taking her bag, Tsuna jogged back down the street. By her estimate almost thirty minutes had gone by. This was going to be a close call.
Reaching the hotel she skipped the elevator, taking the stairs two at a time up to the fourth floor. Her room door hadn't even finished slamming shut when she pulled out the dye box and ripped it open.
Shucking the coat she'd taken, Tsuna stood in front of the bathroom sink running the dye through her hair as fast as her fingers could fly, making sure to get all the way to the root; especially in areas the roots would be easily seen. If she'd had more time she would have let the stylist do it, but that wasn't an option.
Satisfied it was thoroughly into her hair, Tsuna washed her hands off and tore open her suitcase, grabbing out the important things like her passport. Her over the shoulder traveling bag was quickly stuffed with the few things she absolutely needed. Taking off her top and bra, Tsuna bound her chest with bindings, glad that she'd left them in when she packed. Over that she threw a gray t-shirt that could function as an undershirt.
Snatching her makeup kit, Tsuna rushed back to the bathroom. It wouldn't be her best job due to time constraints, but she'd make it work. Her friends didn't call her The Chameleon for nothing after all. Several minutes later with a few secret tricks and shortcuts she knew, Tsuna's face had taken on a far more masculine look; though, even as a man she was more fine featured.
Turning on the tub, she ran her hair under the hot water, getting rid of the excess dye and loose hairs from the haircut. It wasn't the full time for the dye to set, but black usually took very well being the darkest color, so it would pass with a few of her tricks for now.
Hands toweling at her hair to get it dry, Tsuna started at the sound of the window to her room opening. A nervous glance out the bathroom door revealed the guy from the scooter. "Did you get what I need?" Letting go of the towel to catch the package thrown her way, Tsuna grinned.
The man didn't seemed too impressed as he turned to look back out the window. "This isn't going to work." Ignoring him with an eye roll, Tsuna retreated into the bathroom. If he was here she had five minutes to finish her ruse.
Three minutes later had her in all new clothes that she'd had the guy grab for her. Burgundy pants, shoes with matching socks, and belt with a light grey long sleeve button up that had the faintest of pinstripes to it. Over that she'd put on a charcoal grey vest, a mustard yellow tie, and a blue pocket square was folded up neatly in her breast pocket.
Despite the time being cut short, her hair had taken to the black dye quite well. It only took half a minute to have it styled, still damp as it was.
"Ninety seconds, and then we're leaving whether you're ready or not." Came the guy's voice. Smirking, Tsuna put on her last touches by pulling her colored contact set out of her makeup kit. Warm brown eyes turned a deep ochre.
"Sixty!"
Breathing in, Tsuna let the breath out in a huff, leaving herself behind in the process. The person staring back at her in the mirror wasn't Tsuna anymore. Snapping her makeup kit closed, she exited the bathroom, threw the kit into her traveling bag and threw that over her shoulder. Everything left in her larger suitcase — mainly clothes — could be left behind.
"I finished with thirty seconds to spare old man. Are we going out the window since that's how you came in?" Her voice was several tones deeper now — a rich tenor with a warm timbre to it. The man twitched, spinning to face her, gun drawn in his hand.
"Whoa, easy there," Tsuna gave a lazy smirk as her hands raised up to show she was harmless. The man's eyes widened minutely before returning to normal as a smirk graced his face.
"Not—"
Something inside Tsuna screamed, run now! Responding simultaneously as she was want to do sometimes, Tsuna had her foot on the windowsill and was out the window and onto the roof. The hand closer to the guy had grabbed his sleeve, bringing him along, but to his credit he landed on his feet like he expected it all along.
Up above, they could hear the crash of the door to her room being smashed in. Sharing a glance with the man, Tsuna crossed the roof as lithe as a cat, disappearing from the sight line of her room's window with ease. It helped that the night was cloudy, so the moon couldn't help give them away.
On the opposite side of the building, Tsuna began lowering herself down. At the sound of clattering feet against the roof tiles she froze, eyes darting up and to the side. The man had stopped, turning back to face their pursuers. A strange muffling whistle sounded several times as bodies started dropping like flies.
A silencer. Whoever this guy was, he was good, and he was deadly serious.
Forcing her eyes away, and not thinking about the fact that those men were most likely dead now, Tsuna soon found herself within dropping distance to the ground after using the various window sills and rough walls to climb down. Dangling, she let go, dropping the last few feet to the ground with a quiet thud.
Hide!
Sprinting across the street, Tsuna hid behind several large boxes in the narrow alley. With a frown she watched as more men seemed to appear out of nowhere. It's like they were literally growing out of the woodwork. Creepy.
"It's only one guy, and we're just trying to capture one little girl! It shouldn't be this complicated!"
"Yeah, but none of us have seen the girl since we lost sight of her earlier at the catacombs, and I think that guy up there is him!"
"Him?"
"You know, that guy. The one everyone's starting to say might be the greatest—" Tsuna flinched as a bullet went in the guy's forehead and came out the back. Her stomach curled in disgust. If it hadn't been so long since she'd eaten, she probably would have thrown up then and there. Sure, Hibari beat the tar out of people, but this…"
Without a sound, the guy appeared next to her with annoyance radiating off him in waves. "Two streets over there's a dark green '71 Mangusta. Get in, start it, and wait for me."
A set of keys fell into Tsuna's hands, and before she could protest he'd vanished like he'd appeared. Rolling her shoulders, Tsuna got up from her crouched position and took off. Hopefully the car wasn't a stick shift. She was terrible with those.
She made it two streets over without any issues. Now, to find the...Mangusta? She let out a silent huff. Car models were not her thing, but colors she could do. Dark green. Looking left and right, Tsuna narrowed her eyes. A lot of things looked black in the dark.
"Left." If Tsuna was being herself at the moment she would have jumped in surprise. As it was, she just blinked and smirked as she followed after the guy.
"Just so ya know, if it's stick, I can't drive," Tsuna called quietly after him, chuckling when he thrust his hand behind him for the keys. Shoving them in his hand, Tsuna ran for the passenger side of the car he pointed to.
Getting in as soon as the door unlocked, she was seated with the door shut, seatbelt on, and bag at her feet before the engine had fully turned over. The guy revved the engine up, smoothly shifting from first to second gear and a few seconds later up to third.
"So...mind telling me your name? You obviously know mine, and it's getting kind of old referring to you as 'that guy' in my head." Resting her elbow on the door, Tsuna rested her head in her hand as she looked over at her mysterious companion. He shot her a strange look before letting out what could almost be called a snort.
"It's Reborn." Tsuna gave a half hearted shrug. Weird name for a weird guy. Figures. The glare Reborn shot her told her he wasn't impressed with her reaction. She just smirked and made herself a bit more comfortable.
"Fine, fine. So, Reborn, think you can fill me in on a few details here? I was supposed to be enjoying a nice vacation right now, not running from some random guys that don't seem to have my best interests at heart."
Watching as Reborn checked the mirrors, Tsuna stretched her legs out a bit. The voice inside her had finally receded. They were safe, for now.
"The fact that you noticed they were following you says something about how terrible their skills are."
"If you knew me better, I'd be hurt by your lack of faith in my skills, Reborn." Looking out the window at the passing street lamps, Tsuna couldn't help but wonder where they were going now. "Though, they were pretty terrible at it."
"Smaller famiglias usually lack talent." Turning back to look at the driver, Tsuna raised an eyebrow.
"Something tells me you're not talking about regular family here, and since we're in Italy...in Naples of all places…" Tsuna let out a low groan. "Why do I have mafia goons after me, Reborn?"
"Because your father is high up in the most powerful mafia family in Italy, and you and the last remaining son of the current leader are the only eligible heirs left."
Tsuna blinked. That...that was not what she was expecting, but… "Explains why the jerk never comes home," she muttered under her breath, catching Reborn's stare in the rearview mirror.
"What?"
"For a civilian you're taking this all rather well."
"Gee, thanks." Tsuna stared back at the eyes glaring at her in the mirror with an air of nonchalance. "Par for the course really. Can't say I'd ever have called my life normal. But..." Shifting to get more comfortable, Tsuna adjusted the seat back a setting. "It ain't about how hard you can hit. It's how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward."
Reborn gave a low hum as comment. "They say that the flower that blooms in adversity is the most rare and beautiful of them all."
Tsuna let out a snort, she couldn't help it. "I quote the great Rocky Balboa and your comeback is from Mulan?" Chuckling, she gave Reborn an impish grin. "I'm out to avoid the Italian mafia, not save all of China."
"Even if you get a talking dragon for a sidekick?"
"You gonna pull Mushu out of your suit coat there? Cause if so I'm totally down for saving China."
If Tsuna had to guess, Reborn seemed amused by her answer if his loosening grip on the steering wheel was anything to go by. Perhaps now would be a good time to try and get a few more answers.
"Do I get to know what our destination is?"
"Hasn't anyone ever told you that life is a journey, not a destination?"
Tsuna raised an eyebrow. "Going philosophical on me now? With an American poet no less? Harsh. Couldn't you quote one of the greats instead?"
"You can stop that, you know," Reborn turned his head to actually look at her instead of exchanging glances in the mirror as they both kept an eye out for anyone following them.
"Stop what?"
"That."
Chuckling, Tsuna shook her head. "You have something against tenors? Unfortunately, my voice doesn't go low enough for baritone like yours."
Reborn gave her an appraising look. "Where did you learn to…" he swept his gaze up and down her in a quick motion.
Folding her arms over her chest, Tsuna sighed. "I've always liked theater and the arts and languages. Being the only child and not having a dad around, my mom did everything she could to help me with my passion. She signed me up for classes, ordered tapes and CDs when those came around. Books, videos...I don't think she meant for it to happen, but it was something we really started to bond over."
The thought occuring to her, Tsuna shot Reborn a look. "My mom isn't messed up in all of this is she?"
"So far, no, and measures are being taken to keep it that way and keep her safe."
"Why has this only become an issue now, and not for the duration of my life?"
It was both fascinating and a little unnerving to watch Reborn's eyes turn into dark pools of anger and nothingness at the same time. "There was a breach in the Vongola." Tsuna assumed that was the family name that she belonged to. Clam...weird. Maybe they first started as fishermen or something. "Only a handful of people even knew you existed, but somehow that information got out and I was brought in to clean up the mess."
"Wait, so you're not part of the Vongola family?"
"Nope. I'm a freelancer, more recently known as the world's greatest hitman."
"Are there actually competitions for that sort of thing?"
"Not officially, but when word gets around that you never fail a hit and anyone who gets in your way ends up dead — including other hitmen — it leaves a certain impression behind."
"Charming." Tsuna tried very hard not to think about the men on the roof, or the one she'd watched the bullet go through. Her attempts weren't working very well. Her hands slowly clenched into clammy fists underneath her folded arms.
"I told you, drop the act."
Giving Reborn a smile that was only slightly strained, Tsuna shook her head. "Sorry, but the act is the only thing holding me together right now. Until you think it's safe for a few hours for me to fall to pieces and gather myself back up so that I can deal with this, the act isn't going anywhere."
Reborn's lips turned down just barely at the edges, but he didn't press the issue. Grateful, Tsuna tucked her chin to her chest and closed her eyes. Maybe she could catch a little bit of sleep.
RESEARCH NOTES - google and blogs about Italy were my best friends.
Bella Napoli - Beautiful Naples
Museo Archeologico Nazionale di Napoli (National Museum of Archeology) - is one of the most ancient and important museums in the world. The first impulse for the museum was given when Charles III of Bourbon promoted the excavations of Pompeii. At about the same time he also wanted to set up a unique Museo Farnesiano based on the rich collection inherited from his mother Elisabeth Farnese. It was his son Ferdinand IV who chose the current location to house both the relics from Pompeii and the Farnese collection.
Farnese Bull - (Italian: Toro Farnese), formerly in the Farnese collection in Rome, is a massive Roman elaborated copy of a Hellenistic sculpture. It is the largest single sculpture yet recovered from antiquity. Along with the rest of the Farnese antiquities, it has been since 1826 in the collection of the Museo Archeologico Nazionale Napoli in Naples, inv. no. 6002, though in recent years sometimes displayed at the Museo di Capodimonte across the city.
Artemis of Ephesus - The Ephesian Artemis, the "great mother goddess" also mentioned in the New Testament (Acts 19), was extremely popular in the ancient world, as we might deduce from the fact that copies of her cult statue have been excavated in many parts of the Roman Empire. One of Artemis' characteristics is that she protects fertility.
Frescoes - a technique of mural painting executed upon freshly laid, or wet lime plaster. Water is used as the vehicle for the dry-powder pigment to merge with the plaster, and with the setting of the plaster, the painting becomes an integral part of the wall. The word fresco (Italian: affresco) is derived from the Italian adjective fresco meaning "fresh", and may thus be contrasted with fresco-secco or secco mural painting techniques, which are applied to dried plaster, to supplement painting in fresco. The fresco technique has been employed since antiquity and is closely associated with Italian Renaissance painting.
Pompeii and Herculaneum - an exhibit from the Museo Archeologico Nazionale di Napoli that is often closed to the public. Housed in the Gabinetto Segreto (secret closet) it is full of highly erotic art that was very popular and mainstream in ancient Roman times.
Catacombs of San Gaudioso and the Basilica of Santa Maria della Sanita - Google catacombs of San Gaudioso and click on the first link.
'71 Mangusta - the De Tomaso Mangusta is a sports car produced by the Italian manufacturer De Tomaso between 1967 and 1971.
END NOTE
This was partially inspired by a movie my husband was watching several weeks back called The Saint. I only caught a few minutes of it here and there, but I loved how the guy changed disguises as he ran through the city.
Also, I will be updating Call Her Queen soon. This just took over my brain along with other stuff going on, so for those of you that like that story, don't worry, it's coming.