The coronation passed with no problems.
Eighteen year old Tsuna, clad in his best suit and surrounded with his six (seven, including Chrome) guardians, formally accepted his title as Vongola Decimo under the watchful eyes of various allied families, the irritable glare of the Varia, and the prideful gaze of his father, his home tutor, and his closest friends.
He had been a nervous wreck before the ceremony began. Even as he courteously greeted all who approached him, there was a harried and frightened way to him that only those who had stayed by his side for years on end would recognize. His guardians all attempted to soothe the boss in their own way. Even Hibari and Mukuro inadvertently reigned in their disastrous ways to some extent, though they would never admit to such actions. His father and Dino assured him it would be fine, that their was nothing to worry about, and it'd be over quicker than he realized. Reborn knocked him upside the head, teasingly warned that he couldn't make a fool of himself in front of so many mafioso, before reminding him of the growth he had accumulated over the years and the man he had now become.
Tsuna appreciated every bit of their kind words and attempts, but it only barely scratched the surface of his frenzied thoughts. While he was no longer as clumsy or self-deprecating as he had been in younger years, Tsuna couldn't help but wonder if his no-good way would rear its ugly head once more. It bothered him for the entire evening and never so much so as when the entire process started, though he schooled his face into something far less worried and much more business like.
Thankfully, as his father and Dino had said, everything passed by fairly quickly. The position was handed down with stern words and steady promises and suddenly everyone was back to mingling and making small talk. Mostly, they were all attempting to speak to Tsuna, who was surrounded by mobsters on all side. They were all vying to get his attention, wanting to get in good with the new boss of the strongest family to exist in the present time. Tsuna took it all in stride. He smiled respectively, arranged future meetings, and established contacts with a few here and there.
Still, the knot of dread tightened in his stomach as more and more unfamiliar faces bombarded him. He was trained to not show one hint of vulnerability, which he did well, but he couldn't help feeling overwhelmed. He barely had time to contemplate the new life ahead of him before being thrown into the shark pit.
To be fair, Gokudera and Yamamoto stuck close to his side and worked to keep many people at a fair distance. The others, like Ryohei and Chrome, flanked his peripheral, while his Mukuro and Hibari were likely monitoring from outside the lavish Italian mansion. His friends had fallen into their role as effortlessly as Tsuna had his so it was natural that they tried to protect their cherished boss from such pushy people, but when a room of mafioso wanted something, it was unlikely they'd back down after just one failed attempt. At least the majority of them were respectful enough.
Nonetheless, after almost three hours of greetings and hard-hitting talk, Tsuna decided he needed a break. He told Gokudera and Yamamoto he was going to sneak away and get some fresh air. They initially wanted to go with him, but Tsuna had talked them down. He promised he'd only be a few minutes and he had Hibari and Mukuro looking after him should anything occur; that didn't assure them at all, but one look from their boss made it clear he would listen to no negative words about his mist and cloud guardians. He trusted them both and that would be the end of that. Besides, Tsuna was so quick to fall into hyper dying will mode now that it was unlikely anything could get to him before he was on it. Eventually, his childhood friends stood down, though they eyed Tsuna's retreating form warily as he slinked away to the back of the room, where the large glass door leading to a huge stone terrace were.
Tsuna had only been outside a few seconds when he heard the latch of the door behind him. He repressed a sigh, closing his eyes tiredly. Of course. He could find no peace in a room full of people fighting for his attention. That would be too kind of the universe.
Putting on a mask of pleasant surprise, Tsuna turned to face the newcomer. Almost immediately, his façade faded and a genuine smile lit up his face.
"Enma!" He exclaimed, throwing his arms around the petite red-head once the latter had approached him.
Enma returned the hug with no questions asked, wrapping his wiry arms around the brunette tightly. He buried his nose into the crook of Tsuna's neck and a grin appeared on both their faces as they stood there. Tsuna enjoyed the company of his best friend, perhaps the one who he had the deepest connection with, after such a hurried night whereas Enma simply reveled in the fact that he had managed to get Tsuna alone and away from the rough crowd inside.
Years had passed since the fight that had nearly torn apart their friendship and Tsuna and Enma were closer than ever. They had put up with bullies and enemy families and wild guardians together and, instinctively, they had forged a bond so deep, it could hardly be understood by any other around them. Now, both were on the path to fulfilling an inescapable destiny-Enma's coronation had been two months prior, in fact. At the very least, they had the support of one another as they fell headfirst into such unfamiliar terrain.
"I was wondering where you had gotten off to." Tsuna voiced as he unwillingly broke the embrace.
Enma reddened (a habit he had never really grown out of) and shrugged.
"It was loud in there. Busy too. I couldn't find a good time to jump into the fray." The shorter boy admitted sheepishly.
Tsuna groaned, shaking his head back and forth dramatically.
"Everywhere I turn, there's someone who wants to start trade or discuss this or talk about that or get lunch sometime. I don't think I've ever had such a headache."
Despite his complaining, a small smile lingered on Tsuna's face as he took in the dapper form of his best friend. Enma, in turn, was laughing quietly at him. His amusement was clear though there was a small ounce of pity in his eyes. He couldn't say he understood how overwhelming it must be. There wasn't a large crowd at his coronation, all things considered, but, as word of his association with Tsuna spread, more and more requests were landing on his desk. So, at least, he was coming to some understanding.
"You only have a couple of more hours left. Then you can rest."
Along with his encouraging words, Enma had rested his hand on Tsuna's shoulder and squeezed. Tsuna gave the shorter a boy a grateful glance as reply. A few moments of silence passed as they watched the starry night sky above them. They weren't particularly thinking of much, which was a rarity in itself anymore, and the calm atmosphere worked to quell the nerves that hadn't dissipated upon Enma's arrival.
"I didn't think I'd end up here." Tsuna admitted suddenly.
The brunette still had his eyes locked on the expanse of sky above them when Enma looked over at him. He said nothing though and let Tsuna continue with his thoughts.
"I mean, I fought it for so long. I really didn't want this. I was grateful for the friends I made along the way and the confidence I gained. I was really happy that I could finally protect the people I cared about. But, even so, I never wanted it to be under these circumstances."
Tsuna drops his gaze and Enma fears he'll see a hint of regret or bitterness intrude Tsuna's passive being. While he could understand it completely, having at once felt the same as the Vongola beside him, Enma had believed Tsuna to be accepting of all that was to come. He wouldn't have gone through with the inheritance otherwise...would he?
Hesitantly, Enma searches Tsuna's face once more and is surprised to find not a hint of remorse in the boy next to him. In fact, Tsuna has a small smile on now, and he appears lost in his thoughts as his eyes are burning brightly the way they do when he is in the midst of battle. When Tsuna speaks once more, the wistfulness that had sounded so prominent before appears to have disappeared all together.
"Only, now that I'm here, I feel..." He pauses, shakes his head, thinks for a second.
"Determined." Enma supplies. He's surprised the word escapes his mouth, but he realizes quickly that there is no other way to describe the feeling. He felt it too, after his own procession. It seems to be the right thing to say too, as Tsuna wheels around to face him, a grin on hand and his eyes shining passionately.
"Exactly! I want to do this. I know I can do this, Enma. I can make the Vongola what it used to be, what it was meant to be. Everything that Primo worked for, I finally have the chance to do that and, the best part is, I can do with the people I love right by my side."
Tsuna wraps Enma up in a tight hug once more, which Enma hurriedly returns, and says, "I'm scared too, of course. There's so much danger going into this, for everyone, but I can protect you all now. I have that power and I've never felt it so strongly before. It's like-I just-I feel liberated, Enma."
Tsuna pulls back from the smaller boy once more. He looks rejuvenated and prepared to face the horde of people who have no doubt started wondering where he's at. It revitalized Enma's own usually timid nature and a grin blooms before he can stop himself.
Tsuna returns it whole-heartedly before clasping Enma's hand in his own and tugging him towards the door and back to the party.
Ahh, I'm not happy with this.
This is my fourth document pertaining to the second chapter. I could not, for the life of me, decide what I wanted to write on. I ended up stopping mid-way and starting over completely so many times. All of the ideas were okay, but I couldn't formulate the words. I'm surprised I managed to squeeze this much out, to be honest. I'm not even sure it makes a lot of sense though.
I really just wanted to write with Enma or Yuni. I love Enma so much. He's such a precious little thing and I think he and Tsuna have both gone through such similar treatment that it'd forge this unbreakable bond between the two. I guess it came across as a bit shippy though, which, truth be told, might have been unconsciously my fault.
I also had to mess with a bit with timelines and story lines. I knew Enma was the tenth boss, but I didn't know if he had a ceremony prior to the inheritance arc and, honestly, a lot of details were fudged for this. It's been awhile since I've read the last bit of the manga so forgive me.
Also, again, this is being corrected by nothing more than the computer so I'm sorry for any mistakes. Reviews are always welcome so I know if you enjoyed it or not! Or if you'd be willing to send me scenarios you'd like to see, that'd be awesome. I think Mukuro will be the main focus of the next chapter. He's my favorite~.
Anyway, thanks for reading! xo