Disclaimer: If I owned it, there would be a lot more Ho Yay (Homoeroticism, Yay!) in the story in general. And it's already overflowing, so just imagine it ten times more explicit and even more obvious.
The day was dark and stormy, which wasn't exactly the most common sight in Italy, but it seemed to be reflecting the mood surrounding the Cavallone mansion. It was raining heavily—not quite a downpour, but it beat against the windows without mercy, creating a drumming pattern. Lightning and thunder struck at intervals; not close by, but not entirely far away, either.
A sinister, almost evil aura seemed to be hanging around the lavish estate, and all the guards standing watch seemed to be worried, and kept glancing back at the manor behind them. Indeed, today was not a good day.
"Romario, tell me again why I need to do this?"
The bespectacled, black-haired male surveyed the blond before him calmly before straightening his tie in an almost compulsive manner. "It is only right that you attend your mother's funeral, Boss," he attempted to reason, causing the younger male to sigh.
"Actually, I was talking about this paperwork," he responded, frowning at all the documents before him that needed signing. "However, on that note, I'm still in debate. Mamma was a good woman, and I loved her dearly, but babbo was not the only reason the Cavallone Famiglia was in debt before I took charge," the boy pointed out, avoiding the real issue but still making his point clear.
Yes, it had been well known that the wife of the ninth generation Cavallone boss had been inflicted with a gambling addiction, though it was rare for her son to bring it up. The blond looked up from his dreaded paperwork, all too glad to have a serious distraction from it, even if the topic was not his favourite.
Romario approached the desk slowly, his posture perfect as he stood still, obviously thinking over his Boss' words. "You've been asked to send word by this evening regarding your mother," was what his bespectacled subordinate finally decided on.
The brown-eyed male didn't seem all that happy to hear such, and he ran a hand through his messy blond hair. "Inform them that I will be there then," he decided, if not lacking in enthusiasm.
However, Romario merely bowed slightly. "Yes Boss." And then he was gone, off to relay this new information. Meanwhile the blond remained at his desk, forced to continue his paperwork. A particularly loud crack of thunder sounded just then, followed by a flash of lightening, and along with the heavy rain, one could just barely hear the curses emerging from the study. "I am Dino Cavallone, tenth generation boss of the Cavallone Famiglia! I shouldn't be stuck here doing paperwork!"
His exclamation was followed by a loud thud and a drawn out cry of pain. After all, it was well known that without his family members, Dino was horribly clumsy and had no hope when it came to...well, anything. "Enzo, when did you get in here...?"
The funeral was a large but muted affair. Nearly everyone in the Cavallone Famiglia attended and even others who were not in the family, which meant quite a crowd—one of over six thousand, taking into consideration the fact that they were the third most influential family in the mafia world.
Though the storm had settled down long before, the rain hadn't ceased once in the week since Dino had agreed to attend—common for November; and he stood under a black umbrella, his funeral suit crisp and clean, but worn. After all, funerals were a common thing when one worked in the mafia.
At least she had simply died of old age—if forty-five could be considered old. Dino was only twenty-two himself, but he'd lost his father many years ago, in a fight between famiglie. He watched silently as his mother's coffin was buried, but he did not—would not—cry. As the Boss, he had to be strong, and show that strength to his subordinates; to his family.
It was a long funeral, half in part due to the thousands of people there, and the blond was forced to spend nearly five hours standing where he was and accepting condolences from people concerning his loss. Dino had to wonder how many of them actually felt anything, and how many offerings came from the heart.
But the mafia business was a cruel business; the boy had known that from the time he was born. It was a life he had grown up in, and it was a life he would die in.
The event drained the twenty-two-year-old, and as he got into the backseat of his car, he let out a long, dramatic sigh, loosening his tie and leaning his head back. The car started up, and Dino lifted his head, meeting the gaze of Romario, who was driving, through the rear-view mirror.
"Don't go home," the brown-eyed male instructed, despite the fact that he wanted to go check on Enzo, as he felt guilty that he'd had to leave him at home. "Take me to see Iemitsu."
The Cavallone Famiglia was part of the Vongola Famiglia Alliance, and Iemitsu Sawada was the Outside Advisor of the Vongola Famiglia. He was a friendly man, and often made a point to drop in and see Dino whenever he could.
However, he had not attended the funeral, which worried the twenty-two-year-old, but as the car approached the Vongola manor, the Cavallone boss suddenly understood exactly why.
The outside of the mansion was in utter chaos. That was the only word the boy could think of to describe what he was seeing. There didn't seem to be any damage, which was good, but everyone seemed to be running around in something of a panic, not un-similar to a chicken with its head cut off.
For a moment Dino considered leaving, but when he caught a glimpse of Iemitsu through the crowd, the blond quickly told Romario to stop the vehicle—and without waiting for him to listen, the Bucking Horse flung open his car door, jumping out and hitting the ground rolling, even as his driver/subordinate quickly screeched to a stop.
"Boss!" the older man cried, but the Cavallone paid him no heed, instead running directly into the crowd of people, pushing past them as they jostled him about. "Iemitsu!" Dino called out, though quickly let out a curse of frustration at the fact that the older blond did not seem to hear him.
"Iemitsu!" he repeated, louder this time. And finally did the Young Lion of the Vongola Famiglia turn, the recognition clear on his bearded face as he made his way toward the younger boy.
The two met in the middle of all the panic, but Iemitsu quickly grabbed Dino tightly by the arm, ignoring the blond's slight flinch of surprise and pain, dragging the twenty-two-year-old toward the outside of the crowd, raising his voice above the din.
"Why are you here?" the Outside Advisor asked, his voice gruff, though not unkind. Dino blinked, his eyes widening. "Well, I was...I think I came at a bad time. What's going on? I haven't heard anything about this."
That was definitely the most confusing part, as normally when bad situations rose up, famiglie called their allies; and yet there had not been a single word this time.
Iemitsu finally stopped dragging Dino once the two were standing by the Cavallone's car, but he avoided eye contact with the boy, a fact that was not missed on the young blond, though he kept it to himself. The bearded male straightened his tie almost awkwardly, and for a moment, his demeanor seemed almost depressed, but before the brown-eyed boy could question such, it vanished, and the Young Lion stood tall, all traces of doubt gone.
"Yes, normally we would call for assistance, but the situation at hand is...not only was the problem only discovered this morning, it's also not exactly what one would consider the standard."
"What do you mean?"
"I shouldn't say—but I trust you, Dino, and I may need your help. It's about Vongola IX," Iemitsu began, speaking slowly.
"Vongola Nono? Is he alive?" The question was never "is he okay?" When one was in the mafia, injuries could usually be healed—death was another matter entirely.
Unfortunately, the Cavallone's question was not given a satisfactory answer. "We're not sure," Sawada replied. "However, we discovered that the one who was giving orders currently is actually a fake. We have no idea where Timoteo is at this moment in time."
"A fake?!" Dino asked incredulously; instantly denying the accusation in his head.
But Iemitsu did not take it back, instead giving a short nod of his head. "We're currently looking for Vongola IX, but until then, the Vongola Famiglia is without a head."
Dino stared in shock, absorbing all the information, if not quite comprehending it. "But...there was an heir in mind, right?"
The bearded male gave a word of assent. "Vongola IX isn't as young as he used to be. Though we have no idea when he first went missing, I know he was considering who to choose as his heir."
"And did he ever choose?" The younger blond asked, a hint of desperation entering his tone.
"Well...no," Iemitsu confessed. "But we only had so many candidates, and many of them had rather...untimely deaths. That leaves only two choices."
"And they are...?" Dino enjoyed the male's company, and he understood that the Vongola Famiglia had taken a huge blow with this new information, but the way the Outside Advisor couldn't just seem to tell the boy the whole story all at once was driving him crazy.
"The first is Timoteo's adopted son, Xanxus. The second is my son, Sawada Tsunayoshi."
Xanxus was a familiar name to the Cavallone; a very familiar name, even if he did not know the man well (though what he did know of him was enough information that he instantly rejected the thought of Xanxus becoming Vongola Decimo), but the latter was completely lost on him.
"You have a son?" was in all honesty, the first and foremost question he could think to ask.
Despite the seriousness of the situation and the tenseness in the air, Iemitsu stared at the Bucking Horse for a moment, blinked, and then threw his head back and laughed without abandon, an action that had the brown-eyed male extremely confused.
The twenty-two-year-old opened his mouth to ask just exactly what was so funny, but the bearded blond beat him to it, having finally stopped laughing, attempting to get his composure back.
"Yes Dino, I have a son, and I'm very proud of him, though I haven't seen him in many years."
"Why not?" slipped out next, being the only logical question the blond saw fit to follow his first inquiry.
"He lives in Japan with my wife, Nana."
"Japan!" The Cavallone exclaimed. For some reason, it hadn't even occurred to him that Iemitsu had been to Japan despite the fact that he knew the older male was Japanese.
"Yes; and..." Sawada trailed off for a moment to glance back at the crowds of Mafioso still running around outside, as if unable to get their bearings, and the bearded male thought about it for a moment, before turning back to Dino.
"Let's discuss this at the Cavallone estate, alright? Here isn't the best place for such talk."
It sounded reasonable enough, and so the two got into the tenth boss' car, the young blond instructing Romario to take them home.
Dino and Iemitsu sat in the living room of the Cavallone manor as Romario served them caffè, both blonds rather quiet; which for anyone who knew them, was a rare thing indeed.
"So you're telling me," the Bucking Horse broke the silence first, "that you want me to go to Japan and look after...Tsuna, you called him?"
"That's right."
"But that's crazy! I've never been to Japan before! I don't even speak Japanese!" Dino protested.
Iemitsu sighed, running a hand through his short, ruffled blond hair. "Yes, I realize that. And that is why I am going to teach you."
The younger blond blinked. "What if I decide not to go?"
The Young Lion chuckled, smiling almost ruefully at the Cavallone. "I know you, Dino. And I know you'll say yes."
Well, Iemitsu had him there. For a long moment, silence reigned supreme throughout the household, but then the Bucking Horse hung his head in an almost regretful manner.
"Okay, I'll do it."
The older blond broke out into a grin, looking fairly satisfied considering the situation at hand. Of course, this was a crucial matter; a very serious issue, and the fact that he was entrusting it to the Cavallone meant more than the twenty-two-year-old possibly realized.
But still, the boy didn't quite need to know that.
"Now, Tsuna attends Namimori Middle School..."
And as the onslaught of information began, Dino groaned slightly, though continued to pay attention. He was sure Iemitsu's kid was nice, but honestly the boss didn't think he was the right person for the job—but the Outside Advisor wanted him to do it, and so the Cavallone would.
But still. Did Japanese have to be so difficult?!
Notes: Translations not provided, because I'd like to think that the words speak for themselves. If not, use a translator or something, you're intelligent people. Only Italian was italicized this chapter. This story will turn into an eventual D18, so be prepared for that, however long it takes. Hibari won't be coming into for a few chapters, though. So, feel free to drop a review, I'd love to know what you think!