BLACK UNNOTICED
written by A. E. Stover
this version is not edited
[i]
First step into Reborn; don't know where I'm going with this one, though. Maybe I'll just freestyle...?
[i]
At sixteen, Sawada Tsunayoshi attends his grandfather's funeral.
He is one of many who come, one figure in a sea of black suits that darken the grassy lawn of the Vongola cemetery. They all watch in respectful silence as the casket holding Timoteo is lowered into the ground, and Tsuna feels that a part of his childhood wretched away from him is being buried, too. It's funny how he can feel this way, he thinks to himself, because this is the man responsible for ruining his normal, hum-drum life. Tsuna had never wanted to be a part of this (he still can't say it without his stomach lurching), least of all become its successor, until two months ago.
Two months had brought a lot of change.
Right now, though, Tsuna doesn't think about it, trying to focus on his grandfather instead. He's glad that his grandfather went peacefully, and after everything had been settled and dealt with. It makes him feel better — makes him feel as if he hasn't screwed up completely.
Tsuna stands and watches dirt being shoveled into the hole in the ground. He hears the soft ring of metal scratching against dirt, hears the dirt hitting wood, and hears the hole gradually fill up until cold, upturned soil makes a contrasting brown sheet over a rich green lawn.
And then he feels the crowd disperse as the grave is set and there is no more to the burial ceremony. From the corner of his eye, he sees the few who remain — his Guardians and Enma, Xanxus, and the surviving members of CEDEF. But one by one, they all leave, until only Gokudera and Yamamoto are standing behind him. And after a long while, they too take their leave.
But hours later, Tsuna stays as he is, staring silently at the dirt that is piled atop his grandfather. And suddenly, the sight is too familiar, the memories it conjures too fresh, and Tsuna can't help but let his watery eyes flood tears down his face. His shoulders shake, and he thinks he hears himself gasping back wet sobs, thinks he feels his knees dig into grass and dirt, thinks he smells the wormy soil in his face.
He wants to go home, but he's not ready to face the haunting emptiness that awaits him — that's been waiting for him for two months.
The whole time, Reborn just stands quietly by his side.
And then it starts to rain.
[x]
Tsuna meets Shoichi again when he turns seventeen. He's in Dublin when it happens; he lets his old panicking nature settle in at the realization of oh shit it's super dark and I don't recognize any of these streets and was back-pedaling away from a noisy crowd of fist-shaking, grinning, red-cheeked men in the street when he crashes into someone who had more or less been doing the same.
This is also the day he sees Spanner again, who shows up mercifully not a moment too soon to pick them up and lead them away from the street brawl and to their home. It takes surprisingly little effort to get a conversation flowing; they talk about everything and nothing — Tsuna's surprise birthday party, Lambo and I-Pin's progress in school, Giannini's recent gadgets, updates to the new Mosca version Vongola X…
Tsuna eventually gets a call from Gokudera at one in the morning; his Storm Guardian is practically in hysterics by this time (Tsuna's phone had died and it had to be charged), and Tsuna has to spend the next five minutes assuring Gokudera that no, he had not been kidnapped, taken hostage, or harmed in any way; he'd just been with Shouichi and Spanner and he was just fine. Tsuna is offered to crash the night, but Gokudera is already on his way with Yamamoto and Tsuna never did get to his own party (he'd gotten lost), so he politely declined the kind offer with a promise to see them the next time he could.
A decision well made, Tsuna thought in hindsight, not because Gokudera would probably storm the flat with his "keep juudaime safe!" plans, and not because the only thing Yamamoto would do in response is laugh his amiable laugh. It's just that he would feel as if he were intruding.
Shoichi and Spanner had only one bed in their apartment.
[x]
Tsuna builds a somewhat workable system of dealing with Varia at eighteen. At least, with Squalo. And as long as Yamamoto and Ryohei act as his messengers. It comes in handy when the Ostrica famiglia decides to add a pearl to their family crest in the early days of summer. They had, according to Varia, essentially eradicated their 100-year cease-fire status with the Vongola and needed to be crushed. Tsuna just thinks maybe it was for aesthetic purposes — you know, because Ostrica was Italian for "oyster."
Ryohei went to the extreme in trying to placate Varia, especially when Ostrica seized a number of ports in Southern Italy Vongola used to secure their shipment of various goods. Negotiations came to a fierce deadlock, forcing Yamamoto and Squalo to be tied to their swords for hours upon end at each meeting ("VOOOIII! THE FUCK DO YOU MEAN YOUR BOSS STILL WANTS TO TALK SHIT OUT?" "Haha, well, that's Tsuna for you…")
Tsuna had planted himself at his seat behind his desk for the first two weeks of June, diving into a sea of reconnaissance and wire-tap reports, treatises of old famiglia traditions, and I-Pin's Chinese dumplings. He figures this whole thing will blow over; Ostrica was a well known, but very small family that posed minimal threat. Vongola's alliance with Ostrica focused mainly on sharing economic assets more than anything else. According to documents, that's all Ostrica did — make alliances with other families to get a hand in their vaults of gold. It's what's been keeping them afloat for the past ten years. And with the current economic condition of the global market, Tsuna doesn't blame the Ostrica for behaving this way.
Besides, Tsuna tells himself again and again, pearls were a great aesthetic upgrade for a group named after oysters.
Tsuna's delicate system of handling Varia crumbles with his office door when Xanxus trails his blaze of wrath all the way to his desk in the third week of June the morning Ostrica hangs their new crests throughout Vongola territory in Southern Italy. Xanxus threatens Tsuna with a coup (how many did this make, now?) if the Vongola didn't act, and Tsuna tells him Gokudera and Yamamoto are already on their way to speak with Ostrica's boss.
Xanxus stares him down with a murderous glare.
Tsuna matches the stare with a calm look.
When Xanxus finally leaves, Tsuna needs a new door and a new desk. He considers asking Giannini to design one for him as he sits on the cold, flame-repellant carpet of his office. Reborn stands on the splintered remains with an impassive expression.
"Varia seems furious," is all he says.
Tsuna can't help but drop his head to his knees and laugh.
[x]
He's nineteen years old and leaving his college classroom when it happens; the windows are blown through with a stream of gunshots. Two hit the girl next to him who goes down without a sound while many others drop or flee with shrill screams. Tsuna's hit (he thinks his left side, near his kidney, and maybe even the back of his left thigh, too), and when he goes down it's with a sense of disappointment. He'd promised I-Pin and Lambo that he'd spent time with them this afternoon.
He lies on the floor, absolutely still, and can feel the pain spread through his body. It's a dull pain, though, because he's definitely gone through worse. He can't imagine why rival famiglia think guns are gonna hurt him when he's been at the mercy of Xanxus' flames of wrath, Byakuran's finger, and Hibari-san's tonfas.
At least use a weapon with an automatic, rapid-fire shot, he wants to tell them.
If he closes his eyes and lies absolutely still, maybe whichever family that tried to kill him this time will think they actually killed the Vongola Decimo and leave him alone.
But he can't do that, he tells himself; Gokudera-kun would be so upset if he played dead.
And Reborn would hit him.
He wonders what it says about his state of mind when he fears a seven-year-old child more than the assassination attempts he's been subjected to.
Probably not something he'd want to know.
[x]
Two days after Tsuna turns twenty, he is called in to the communication center.
Giannini, overworked and on his third day without sleep, is seated at a row of monitors. Gokudera is beside him, as is Yamamoto and Ryohei. Their backs are turned to the door, and turn only when the door opens with a mechanic swish.
No one says anything at first, just stands where they are despite having been the ones requesting Tsuna to come down.
Tsuna sees Ryohei turn back to look briefly at Gokudera before turning fully around.
"There's a bit of bad news," he says, reaching for something in his breast pocket.
With the way everyone had been looking here and there and standing silently, Tsuna isn't surprised at all.
But he is surprised at what Ryohei produces from his pocket.
A tiny green lizard rests in Ryohei's bandaged palm, looking morosely at nothing.
Tsuna feels his eyes widen a little. He comes forward with an outstretched arm, fingers gently touching the top of the lizard's head. "Leon," he hears himself say, and feels the way his voice shakes.
The lizard weakly lifts its head up and opens it mouth. A tongue slips out to lick at his fingers once, twice, and then it closes its mouth and lays flat against the palm of Ryohei's hand.
Tsuna turns to his guardians. "Is he sick?" The question sounds stupid in his ears. And he knows it's because it is.
"Juudaime," Gokudera starts, staring only at his feet. "…We can't find him."
There is a hollow feeling that engulfs him when Tsuna hears it. His ears start ringing with those words; he's trying to understand who and what and where and why without having to accept it all. He doesn't want to admit that this is actually happening because it shouldn't; their strongest ally, their most experienced ally — their friend — was…
"How… long?"
"Two weeks." It was Reborn who spoke (when did he get here?). Reborn stands at the door without his hat, wearing a plain outfit of a white shirt with dark trousers. "We lost contact with him shortly after he'd arrived at the target. We haven't been able to establish communication since."
Tsuna turned and stared at his old tutor. Reborn, despite being eight years old, stared back at him with a harrowed expression.
"Only I made it back. CEDEF has already located Hibird, and is searching further."
Tsuna's mind starts to reel. He should've gone with him; he shouldn't have to send his men — his friends — out every time something happened; he should've done more to follow up; he should've—
"Tsuna."
Reborn looks at him expectantly.
"What do you want to do?"
Tsuna feels his hands clench at his sides. Everything. He squeezes his eyes shut. "I'm going."
He feels Gokudera come forward with anticipation, feels Ryohei's energy spike and burn, feels Yamamoto discard his self-imposed retirement without hesitation.
Tsuna's own resolve burns; he's forgotten what that feels like. He looks to Reborn, then turns back to his guardians — his friends.
"I'm going to find Hibari-san."
[x]