The Legend of Namimori
Summary: Once, there was a mighty dragon named Kyouya. One day he meets a reluctant pipsqueak in shining armor, who is on a mission to slay him. Meet Sawada Tsunayoshi, Tenth Head-in-training of the Vongola Royal Knights.
Chapter One: Prince Tsunayoshi
It was hot, almost unbearably so for the young man sitting on the side of the worn dirt path. He had taken off his shining silver helmet for the moment, sweat-drenched brown locks sagging down from their usual spikes. He swiped his fingers across his face, smearing dirt tracks across his cheeks. It was so damn hot today, which was unusual weather for a country like Namimori. Most of the time it was pleasantly cool, with constant showers of sunlight to help with the growth of farmers' crops. But for some odd reason, the temperature had been climbing higher than usual for this year's autumn season. It was bizarre.
The rumors had started not too long ago, rumors of a malicious black thing with eyes the color of blue steel, equipped with razor-sharp teeth and equally terrifying curved claws that shone like polished ivory. The thing was the cause of this abnormal weather change, the country folk whispered. It must be killed. Someone, slay it.
Now, the rumors had been retold again and again, passing from town to town, until some were so widely over-exaggerated and overblown with ridiculous details that even the teller himself would have a hard time believing it. There were such things like how the creature would descend from the sky, steal all the crops with one swipe of its claws, fly over to a town badly stricken with poverty, and burn the crops right in their faces. Which was stupid, of course, because if something like that had truly happened, there would be a civil war on the scale of World War I within Namimori itself.
It just so happened, by luck or sheer coincidence, that some of the less out-of-proportion rumors had made their way to Namimori Palace, where the Royal Knights of the Vongola famiglia resided in union with the royal family of Namimori: King Iemitsu and his lovely queen Nana, and their only son Prince Tsunayoshi. Prince Tsunayoshi happened to inherit the genes of his great ancestor, Giotto, and so was chosen by the Ninth Head of the Vongola Royal Knights, Timoteo, as his successor at the tender age of fourteen. In his following six years of brutal training under the Royal Knight heralded as the strongest man in the world, Reborn, Prince Tsunayoshi gained skills in combat and politics. He managed to maintain that sweet, charming personality that he was known for in his younger years, and because of it he accrued a small group of loyal followers:
Gokudera Hayato, a foreigner from a distant land who wandered into Namimori in his youth, had chin-length silvery hair that hung to the sides of his face, which was slightly spiked in the back to make him look more like a delinquent. He had bluish-green eyes that were filled with admiration, respect, and pride whenever he looked at the man he had promised his eternal loyalty to. He constantly proclaimed that he was Prince Tsunayoshi's trusted right-hand man. He was known for his rather explosive temper. One couldn't help but wonder at the coincidence that he happened to be a master at exploding weapons. He could hide them anywhere and everywhere on his person and no one would be able to tell. He owns a Box Weapon in the form of a Storm-class cat named Uri.
Yamamoto Takeshi, an apprentice swordsman under Master Swordsman Superbi Squalo of the Vongola Family's independent assassination unit, the Varia, had pledged his loyalty to Prince Tsunayoshi when the prince had saved him from falling to an untimely death from the top of the banister at the palace while they had been messing around. He had short, messy black hair and cheerful chestnut-brown eyes. He was known for his carefree grins, relaxed personality, and ability to settle conflicts quickly. He had been taught the Shigure Souen style by his father, but he taken up apprenticeship to the greatest swordsman in the world because he felt he needed refining. He owns two Rain-class Box Weapons in the forms of a swallow and a dog, named Kojirou and Jirou respectively.
Sasagawa Ryohei, an earnest physical combat fighter who loved to do things 'to the EXTREME', had become a part of Prince Tsunayoshi's posse when he witnessed the prince's combat abilities during a fight with a rival Knight. He had short white hair covering his scalp and dark-gray eyes that were filled with fiery spirit. He was known for his motto of "living to the extreme!" He happened to have a younger sister named Kyoko who worked as one of the maids in the royal palace, although it was often commented upon that they looked nothing alike. In his free time he practices boxing and combat tactics, which he learned from his former mentor Colonello of Vongola's special Arcobaleno unit. He owns a Sun-class box weapon in the form of a kangaroo named Kangaryuu.
Lambo, a lazy coward with a fetish for cows, was a member of the Bovino Famiglia until he was sent to live in the royal palace with Prince Tsunayoshi. There he underwent multiple reality checks at a young age, and he was trained to harness and use electricity as part of his fighting style under a shrewd scientific genius named Verde, who was part of the special Arcobaleno unit. He had messy, curly black hair and dark bluish-gray eyes. His right eye was usually closed, and his left eye tended to be half-lidded. To help him gather and store electrical energy, he used a set of yellow horns, which could be attached to the sides of his head. He also had a special device called a Ten-Year Bazooka, which, when used on someone, could swap that person with their future selves ten years ahead. He rarely uses it nowadays, choosing instead to store it in his closet for emergency purposes. He owns a Lightning-class Box Weapon in the form of a bull named Gyuudon.
Chrome Dokuro, a petite, quiet woman who loved to make illusions, joined Prince Tsunayoshi when her older brother Rokudo Mukuro came to Namimori in search of decent opponents. She had purplish-blue hair that she kept tied back in the style of a 'pineapple', similar to the way her brother wore his hair. She was known for her meek personality and the unique black skull patch she kept over her right eye. She and her brother suffered harsh times in their hometown after their parents died, so as a result she did not have much contact with normal social life. She did not know how to react whenever females of her age, or anyone beside her brother and Prince Tsunayoshi, treated her as a friend and equal. She always carried around a silver trident, which she used as a weapon to imitate her revered older brother. Mukuro was the one who trained her to use illusions, although later she would come under a temporary apprenticeship with Mammon, the illusion specialist of Vongola's special Arcobaleno unit. She owns a Box Weapon in the form of a Mist-class owl which bears no name, but Mukuro is capable of possessing it to help his younger sister when he himself is not around.
Rokudo Mukuro, Chrome's suave older brother, was a bit of an enigma to the royal family. He supported his younger sister with all the pride of an older brother, but at the same time his creepy personality insinuated that he held an ulterior motive when it came to Prince Tsunayoshi. The prince himself knew that for some bizarre reason Mukuro wanted to take control of his body, but he never allowed the blue-haired man to do so. Mukuro was known for his eerie bi-colored eyes; his left eye was blue, but his right eye was blood-red, usually with a Japanese number in it (from one to six). The numbers represented his "six paths of power," which he could tap into just by changing the energy flow into his eye. The number displayed told which power he was using. Mukuro also had the odd pineapple hair-style, which Chrome had copied. He remains somewhat loyal to the prince, but only the prince, since he despises being associated with the Royal Knights.
I-Pin, a teenage martial artist and childhood friend of Lambo's, was taken in as an apprentice to Fon, the martial arts master of the Arcobaleno unit, when she was a child. She grew up alongside Lambo while receiving training from Fon, so she has lived in the royal palace for most of her life. She is extremely flexible in her movements, as well as speedy. She wears two braids tied in halfway into double loops at the back of her head. Since she has known Prince Tsunayoshi for a long time, she has promised to protect him to the best of her ability as long as she was alive, and as long as he did not commit an act of betrayal to the Famiglia.
Miura Haru and Sasagawa Kyoko, two young women who have been living in the royal palace since they were younger, work as maids. Haru usually washes and mends clothes, but she has been found in the kitchen and bathrooms before, cooking together with Kyoko and the others or just cleaning up the bathroom for future use. She had shoulder-length dark amethyst-colored hair that she kept in a ponytail behind her head. Kyoko took care of some of the kitchen duties and a lot of the cleaning duties around the palace. It was a big place, so it took several maids to clean it in a day or two. Kyoko also sometimes talks to Prince Tsunayoshi to cheer him up when he seemed sad or moody. She has short orange-ginger hair that curls outward at the tips.
Fuuta, a teenager with a special skill in observational analysis and ranking, regarded Prince Tsunayoshi as an older brother of sorts. He has the power to rank anything in the world, which was gifted to him when he was still an infant. He does not know who gave it to him, but it has helped the royal family and the Vongola Royal Knights out of many situations that would have gone down more chaotically if it weren't for him. Timoteo assigned him to the Vongola Strategy Unit to aid in planning with his unique ranking powers. That way they would know who to send without wasting too many lives trying to defeat an enemy only the prince could defeat.
Irie Shouichi, an extremely smart strategist who has not revealed everything about his past (only that he ran away from his former boss). He is good at mathematics and calculations, so Timoteo appointed him the captain of the Vongola Strategy Unit. He has messy, slightly wavy red hair and blue glasses. He has the uncanny ability to fall asleep in the most unusual positions when he is extremely tired (like that one time the maids caught him sleeping against the wall in the middle of taking his shirt off). He respects Prince Tsunayoshi a great deal and does everything he can to help the younger man along.
Spanner, a foreign blond mechanic who ran away with Shouichi, is a technology geek beyond comparison (except to Giannini, who constant challenges him to contests to determine who is the better mechanic/inventor). He has blond hair that curls on the left above his ear, an odd ink tattoo on the left side of his neck, and usually wears a green jumpsuit with brown boots. From time to time he is seen in only a white T-shirt and dark cargo pants, usually when he isn't working in his technology lab. He loves creating robotic soldiers which he calls "Moscas," thereby leading to the creation of the Vongola M.O.S.C.A. Military Unit (Mission Operatives for Security, Combat, and Assault). He created special contact lenses to aid Prince Tsunayoshi in his attempt to perfect his most powerful attack at the time, the X-Burner. Prince Tsunayoshi still uses them to this day.
Now, moving on to the core problem. In order to be able to fully take control as the Tenth Head of the Vongola Royal Knights, Prince Tsunayoshi needed to prove his worth and resolve. So the Ninth Head held a meeting with the King and Queen of Namimori, along with the special Arcobaleno unit, to discuss what they should have the prince do. The meeting was long (lasted a good five hours) and the decision was difficult to make. On one hand, King Iemitsu and his wife objected to having their only son do anything that required him to risk much of his life. Reborn wanted to send him on the hardest mission they could come up with. Timoteo was leaning more towards Reborn's idea, though with less interest invested in the 'dangerous' area. The other Arcobaleno offered their own pieces of information, but for the most part sat back to watch the royal family argue over the issue with the Head of the Vongola Royal Knights.
Once the meeting was adjourned and a decision had been reached, the heavy-hearted King and Queen made their way slowly to their son's room to tell him about his trial. It wouldn't be pretty.
The prince was sitting at his desk, absently staring out the window as he rested his cheek against his palm. A smile played at his lips, lighting the joy and content present within those orbs of honey-brown. King Iemitsu swallowed, and bravely stepped forward even though he did not wish to disturb his son's moment of tranquility.
"Tsuna," he called, raising his voice loud enough to break through his son's trance.
The prince snapped out from his daydream and turned to give his parents a quizzical glance. "Well?" he asked softly. "What do I have to do?"
Queen Nana sobbed softly and hid her face into her husband's broad chest. King Iemitsu himself sported a grave expression, which told Prince Tsunayoshi all he needed to know. He knew the look well. His father often wore it in troubled times, particularly when he was weighed down by guilt and grief.
"It's bad, isn't it?" he said quietly, his smile falling into a neutral expression. "What I have to do…"
"I objected to it, but the final vote was against me," replied his father sadly. "I'm so sorry, son. Your trial test to become the Tenth Head of the Vongola Royal Knights will be the worst one out of all the trial tests that have been administered to former Heads of the Vongola Royal Knights. Tell me, have you heard about the mythical black beast yonder?"
Prince Tsunayoshi's brow furrowed a little. "Yes, I have. What of it?" Don't tell me…
"Your goal is to find this beast, slay it, and bring back proof of your victory."
Prince Tsunayoshi paused. "What is the form this beast takes?" I knew it… I have to kill -
Queen Nana took in a shuddering breath. King Iemitsu held her steady as he replied darkly, "A dragon."
I have to kill… a dragon…
Not too long later the twenty-year old prince found himself at the palace doors, fully clad in his custom knight's armor. He stored his Sky-class Box Weapon, Nuts, and his special mittens in the knapsack he had packed with rations, toiletries, and spare clothing. All the people in the royal palace were crowded in the foyer to see the young prince off on his journey. In the front were the King and Queen; Queen Nana was still sobbing softly and praying her son would come home safely. Prince Tsunayoshi's personal posse was standing in a huddled group off to the side, concern clearly reflecting in their faces. They had been told that this trial had to be completed by the prince alone, and it killed them to have to remain behind at the palace while the prince went on his journey.
"Juudaime," choked Gokudera. He was the prince's right-hand man, he shouldn't have to be forced to stay at the palace. He did not want Prince Tsunayoshi to go alone. Who knows what might happen to his beloved leader without him there?
"Bossu," whispered Chrome, peering at him with her one good eye. "Be careful."
Prince Tsunayoshi tried his hardest to smile at everyone, to assure them that he was going to be okay. Deep down he knew that he might not return - he was facing a legendary dragon after all. He was the royal prince, born with rare Sky flames inside him, but he was only human.
One of the maids, Kyoko, stepped forward. "Prince Tsunayoshi, please accept this token of safety I made for you," she said. He held out a hand and she walked forward to drop it into his palm. He looked at it in surprise. It was a small blue charm with a fish in the center, and written on it in red was the word for 'safety'. He smiled gratefully at the retreating maid. Light pink dusted her cheeks as he thanked her for the gift.
"I'll keep it close to me right here," he said, unbuckling one of the shoulder guards to slip the charm into the hidden pocket in the padding underside. He strapped the shoulder guard back on and beamed at them. "See? Fits perfectly."
"Good luck, Tsuna," called Yamamoto. He laughed as Gokudera spluttered about how he shouldn't be so familiar with the prince. Prince Tsunayoshi waved at them, his lips curling into a small smile at their antics. He would miss them dearly. He shook his head lightly.
"Goodbye everyone," he said. "I'm off now." As he turned to walk away, loud trumpeting signaled his departure from the royal palace. His friends ran after him until he exited the gates, and from there they watched his shining silver back disappear down the path. Who knew when he would return?
And eight days later Prince Tsunayoshi found himself sitting at the side of the road sweating his brains out. It was so, so hot. He had finally managed to obtain a rough estimation of the dragon's whereabouts. It lived in an abandoned castle high up on Namimori Mountain, but the path there was steep and hard to climb. He groaned at the thought of tripping and falling to his death. The irony! Knowing his clumsiness, he was bound to trip on a rock or two. Or three. Or four thousand.
He grimaced at his sweat-soaked shirt, which clung unpleasantly to him like a second skin. He needed to find a river to wash off in. This was unacceptable. He could almost imagine bursting into the dragon's lair, sweat dripping from his pores so the floor became slick enough for him to slide on, and he would undoubtedly do so and smack straight into the wall. Or, in the worst case scenario, slide right into the dragon's open mouth and be digested as the dragon's next meal. He shivered at the thought.
Prince Tsunayoshi finally willed himself to move from his spot. He put his helmet back on, and trudged off in search of the nearest source of water. He needed to bathe. And replenish his water supply.
First KHR fic. What do you think? Please review. This idea was stuck in my head and wouldn't disappear, so I wrote it out. I have a vague idea of how the interaction between Tsuna and Kyouya will play out. And I have this totally epic scene planned for later.
MangaFreak15
