A/N: I'm glad to have received such positive reviews on my first chapter! I was worried about rebuilding a reader base, but I'm happy that I've attracted some interest!
Two weeks later…
"Stop acting like you have a stick up your ass kora!" shouted a blonde man with striking light blue eyes and dressed in camouflage.
"Shut up, Colonnello," grumbled Reborn, throwing a shot glass at Colonnello's head. "I never asked you to drag me out for a damn bachelor's party anyway."
"You act like I want to be here," retorted Colonnello, shooting the glass out of the air with his anti-tank rifle and shocking a few other patrons. "I'm only here because Lal Mirch asked me, saying something about if you're going to marry her former student, you better go through all the motions."
Even though Tsunade was already technically married to Reborn, Tsuna and Yuni decided that a wedding ceremony was necessary to appease both famiglias. The Giglio Nero famiglia had to be reassured that the Black Rose Hunter was being used to apprehend The Puppeteer, and the Vongola famiglia had to know that their beloved boss's sister wasn't doing anything scandalous. They managed to keep it a small ceremony limited to the famiglia's higher ups so that Tsunade's real gender wouldn't be completely revealed, but it still contained quite a few people.
Reborn sighed. "You two act like a married couple," he said. "Haven't you proposed to her several times already?"
"Yes," snapped Colonnello, obviously unhappy with this subject. "But she keeps breaking off the engagement over some stupid reason!"
"Maybe it's because you're such a pain in the ass."
"Do you want to fight kora?!"
"It'd be more interesting than trying to get drunk at a bar!"
"Let's calm down guys," said the third person at the table that Reborn and Colonnello overlooked in their argument.
"Shut up, Kureko!" growled Colonnello. "I'm going to splatter his brains all over the wall!"
Kureko ran a hand through his short black hair in exasperation. "Look, I don't think any of us came out tonight to get arrested," he said, glaring at Reborn and Colonnello. "So would you two please stop pointing your weapons at each other! Especially you, Colonnello, your anti-tank rifle has a particularly strong shock factor."
Reluctantly, Reborn and Colonnello set their weapons down. Reborn had few people that he regarded as friends, but Kureko, an interrogator with the Giglio Nero famiglia, was one of them. They met after one of Reborn's first missions for the Giglio Nero famiglia, which involved bringing back an uncooperative informant. Kureko impressed Reborn with his talent for strategy and psychological manipulation, and after learning Kureko also had a Master's Degree in mathematics, the two of them became fairly close, discussing the various mechanics of mathematical theories with each other.
"I'm not fighting you just because you're getting married tomorrow kora," muttered Colonnello, sitting back down. "Otherwise I'd beat you into the ground."
"You know I'm only following through with this for Luce," said Reborn, crossing his arms. "The marriage itself means nothing to me."
"Even so, Tsunade is a good match for you," said Kureko. "If anyone can match your fighting prowess, it's her."
"I can't believe Yoki turned out to be a girl," said Colonnello, lighting a cigarette. "He—er—she certainly doesn't fight like it. Not that women are weak! Don't tell Lal Mirch I said that!"
Reborn smirked at the way Colonnello's voice became pleading when he mentioned Lal Mirch. "How great of a fighter is Tsunade? I've only heard rumors."
"You know how the Vongola Decimo began the Vongola Hitman Competition as a way to relieve the tension between famiglias in the alliance?" asked Kureko.
Reborn nodded. Tsuna was concerned that hitman within various famiglias would grow restless since they no longer had any reason to attack other famiglias. In order to avoid unnecessary conflict, Tsuna decided to hold an annual competition for all the best hitman from the famiglias to compete in as a sort of friendly sport. Though it seemed like a long shot to Reborn, it worked surprisingly well, and though Reborn never had any interest in competing, he occasionally helped decide the competition brackets.
"She's won almost every single competition since the event began," said Colonnello. "In fact, Tsuna had to ban her from competing every year four years ago and limited her participation to once every three years."
"What's more is that she inherited a rare bloodline trait from her mother," said Kureko, surprising Reborn.
Reborn raised an eyebrow. "From Nana? She's the most ordinary person I've met. Even now, she doesn't know Tsuna is involved with the mafia."
Colonnello snorted. "Iemitsu really does love Nana, but do you really believe the Vongola Nono would let his son marry just anyone? Nana's ancestors had what is referred to as the 'Fated Eyes'. If this trait manifests, the user is able to see and feel emotions. Yoki once explained it to me as 'seeing a moving shroud of colors around everyone. Depending on what the person is feeling, the shroud changes colors.' She can also tell if anyone is nearby because physical obstacles don't inhibit her ability."
"So if someone is lying or trying to sneak up on her, for example, she can tell instantly," Kureko explained. "This skill, in addition to her extensive knowledge of nonverbal body cues, makes her an excellent interrogator. If she wasn't such a skilled fighter, I'm sure Iemitsu would've asked her to become a CEDEF interrogator."
Reborn furrowed his brow. Something didn't add up. "I don't understand," he said, confused. "Listening to what you've said, it's obvious Tsunade is the stronger twin. In addition to that, she was raised in the mafia world, whereas Tsuna had a normal life with Nana until I came to tutor him. To me, it seems like she was much more suited to be the Vongola Decimo than Tsuna was when he started out, so why didn't Timoteo pick her?"
"First reason is that Tsuna is the older twin," said Kureko, leaning back in his chair. "However, the most likely reason why Tsunade wasn't the first choice for Decimo is because she can't use Sky Flames, or any Flames for that matter."
"Ah, I see," said Reborn. Sky Flames were absolutely necessary to being the Vongola Decimo because it was impossible to use the Ring of the Sky Version X, or any of Tsuna's equipment, without them.
"It's a huge disability," said Colonnello, taking a long draw on his cigarette. "Yoki can definitely hold his—her—own against Flame users, but she's an outcast in the hitman world. They call her 'Flameless'. Tsuna has the affinity for Sky Flames. Yoki has the 'Fated Eyes'. I guess this just goes to show that you can't inherit all the best qualities of your parents."
"It doesn't matter anyway," Reborn said with a sigh. "As long as she's strong enough to stay alive until The Puppeteer comes after her, I couldn't care less whether she can use Flames or not. How do you two know so much about her anyway?"
Kureko laughed. "You can thank Colonnello here for that. After she crushed him in the last Vongola Hitman Competition, he enlisted my help in finding her dossier."
Colonnello turned bright red and stamped out his cigarette "Shut your mouth kora!" he shouted at Kureko, who was still laughing. "Or else I'll shut it for you!"
Reborn let the two of them argue and got lost in his own thoughts. His fiancée was certainly an interesting character, and she had to be pretty strong to defeat Colonnello, but he still didn't see the connection between the Black Rose Hunter and The Puppeteer.
Luce…
He was one step closer to avenging Luce, and this marriage was just a mere tool for him to use to achieve his goal. There would be no personal feelings involved.
Revenge was all that mattered.
The next day…
"Come back here, Tsunade!" demanded a woman with straight black hair that reached halfway down her back.
"Like hell I'm letting you near my face with those tweezers, Keiko!" snapped Tsunade, storming out of the room. Keiko was an interrogator with CEDEF and practically grew up with Tsunade, who was raised by Iemitsu away from Tsuna. She was the one who convinced Tsunade to become Tsunayoki when Tsunade turned 13 because of the lecherous threats from hitmen that were already jealous of her obvious talent. Keiko was one of Tsunade's only friends, and Tsunade trusted Keiko with her life…
…just not her face.
"There's no reason why I have to wear makeup," said Tsunade, dodging Keiko's efforts to grab her.
"No reason?!" shouted Keiko. "Sawada Tsunade, you are getting married in four hours, and you think there is no reason for you to put on makeup?! You've been living as a male for so long that you've lost your mind!"
Tsunade was about to reply when she felt a hostile, yet familiar, aura near her. She tackled Keiko to the floor just as three bullets flew over them.
"What's with all the ruckus?!" hissed a voice in the doorway. Tsunade looked up in exasperation at the blue haired woman wearing a brown tank top and blue skinny jeans whose shotgun was still smoking.
"Lal, please refrain from trying to kill me," said Tsunade. "I'm running for my life here."
"Making a mess is what you're doing!" replied Lal Mirch snarkily. "You're not the only one that lives here, you know. I don't pay rent to be a cleaning lady for two of my former trainees."
Tsunade sighed. Lal Mirch was the one who trained her and Keiko at CEDEF for ten years. An extremely no-nonsense person who hated jokes, Lal Mirch pushed them very hard and immediately recognized Tsunade's potential to surpass her strength and Keiko's talent at interrogation. Even after training and Lal Mirch's decision to join the Giglio Nero famiglia, the three of them still lived together in a modest apartment located in the suburbs.
"You're the reason why we're not getting the security deposit back," said Tsunade with a sigh.
"Whatever," muttered Lal Mirch, rubbing the flame-shaped scar on her face. "I accomplished what I intended to do."
Tsunade froze in horror as she realized that Keiko had her hands clamped down tightly on her wrists. She slowly turned to look at Keiko and cringed at the evil glare she received.
"Now, Tsunade darling," said Keiko darkly. "We can do this the easy way, or we can do this the hard way."
Tsunade sighed deeply. "All right, I give up. This is what I get for having an interrogator and a hitman instructor as my roommates."
Keiko dragged her back to her room and promptly began plucking her eyebrows.
"You won't have us as roommates for much longer," said Lal Mirch, watching the scene with a smirk. "Congrats for snagging the World's Strongest Hitman as your husband."
"It's not like—ouch—I had a—ouch—choice," replied Tsunade through gritted teeth. "You both know it's—ouch—a political marriage."
"Speaking of marriage—stay still, Tsunade—when are you getting finally getting married to Colonnello?" Keiko asked Lal Mirch. "You two have been engaged on and off for several years already."
"We will get married when he stops being an infuriating pain in the ass!" snapped Lal Mirch, though Tsunade could see that she was blushing.
"Hurry up and get hitched already, Lal," said Keiko calmly. "Once you both move out, I can invite my boyfriend to move in."
"Kureko?" asked Tsunade. "The interrogator—ouch—that you've been working with—ouch—from the Giglio Nero famiglia? I think you two—ouch—will get married before—ouch—Lal and Colonnello do."
"Hey!" shouted Lal Mirch. Tsunade and Keiko laughed, and Keiko finally put down the tweezers.
"Before I continue, you need to put on your wedding kimono first," said Keiko, standing up and going to her closet.
Tsunade grimaced. The idea of a white wedding dress with a long train made her sick, but Reborn refused to wear anything other than a suit. As a result, Tsuna and Yuni agreed that a traditional Japanese wedding/Western wedding fusion was the best option, and Tsunade agreed simply because she didn't want to spend too long on wedding deliberations. However, she still wasn't particularly fond of women's clothing because she found them too restricting.
"You never see someone fight in a dress," muttered Tsunade as she threw on the under-kimono Keiko handed her.
"And for good reason," said Keiko. "Who would want to ruin this?" Keiko shook out the blue cloth, revealing a stunning kimono that transitioned from a deep cerulean blue at the bottom to a soft sky blue at the waist, then fading to a pure white at the top. Black roses were embroidered in a continuous line around the lower hem up to the waistline.
"I designed it myself," said Keiko proudly as Tsunade gaped at it. "I thought the blue would complement the gold of your eyes."
"It's actually very nice," said Tsunade grudgingly. "You could be a fashion designer if you weren't such a top notch interrogator."
Keiko beamed. "Thank you. Now, hurry up and put this on so we can move on to more serious makeup and hair."
"You girls seem to be having so much fun that I guess I'll join in," said Lal Mirch, smirking.
Tsunade groaned but didn't say anything, deciding that keeping her mouth shut would streamline the process. The other two women helped her put on the kimono and tie on the obi before moving on to hair and makeup. After a couple hours of protests and thinly veiled threats, they were finished. Lal Mirch and Keiko stepped back to admire their handiwork.
"Looks like the pain and suffering I experienced in the last two hours were worth it," said Lal Mirch with a smile.
"You're absolutely beautiful, Tsunade," said Keiko, beaming.
"That's funny," muttered Tsunade, though her ears were quickly turning red. "Last I checked, I was a hitman, and hitmen don't do beautiful."
Keiko rolled her eyes and dragged Tsunade over to the full length mirror. Looking at her reflection, Tsunade almost couldn't recognize herself. After being disguised as a male for so long, it was shocking for Tsunade to see herself in such feminine attire. Her light brown hair was pulled up into a Dutch Flower Braid, a nice deviation from Tsunade's usual simple ponytail, with a few loose wispy strands on both sides of her face. Her lips were a pale pink that suited her slightly tan complexion well, and Keiko's masterful use of eyeliner resulted in beautiful winged eyes that brought out the gold in her eyes.
"You are very beautiful," said Keiko softly. Tsunade blushed slightly.
Lal Mirch sighed. "Hurry up, girls," she said impatiently. "Keiko, don't forget we have to get dressed too."
Keiko shot up. "You're right! We better get started soon!"
Tsunade turned around to leave them alone, but she was surprised when Keiko suddenly hugged her.
"I know this is just a political marriage," said Keiko. "But I hope you can find happiness with Reborn, You've been through too much in the past already."
Tsunade stiffened, and her heart clenched. "Thanks Keiko," she said with a strained smile.
"Same from me," said Lal Mirch. "Who knows? Maybe the person you need in your life is an arrogant hitman tutor who refuses to get along with most people."
Tsunade smiled slightly, and Lal Mirch and Keiko went to their respective rooms to get dressed, leaving Tsunade to sit on her bed and think about Keiko's words. Reborn was already in love, and it wasn't with her. She remembered the way he said Luce's name. Tsunade knew Luce well, but she could never tell anyone about how they knew each other because her past…was classified, and it held too many painful memories for her to think about it.
He stood over her, clutching his eye in pain. With a deranged grin he stumbled back, and before he made his escape, he made a terrifying promise.
"I will destroy everything you love, Tsunade, because you destroyed the one thing that made me happy, and you know who I'll start with."
She shook the thought out of her head violently. This is just another mission, she thought, balling her hands into fists. My personal emotions don't matter. I'm doing this for the Vongola.
My past doesn't mean a thing.
A/N: Thank you to a Guest and Mingyu'sBabe for reviewing! Please Read and Review!
