Chapter 2
"What are you doing just lying there?"
Tsuna didn't notice the small hitman beside him until he'd spoken.
"Reborn!" Tsuna exclaimed as he rubbed his wrists, "Where have you been?"
"I've been here the whole time. I was observing."
At this, Tsuna wondered to himself whether it was worth the effort getting annoyed at his mentor for using their fight as some sort of research project. He soon decided it was probably not worth the kicks he'd receive in response. Reborn, all the while, looked as annoyingly calm and all-knowing as ever.
"What did you discover?" he asked instead.
"Well…" Reborn said, trailing off into thought, "Not much."
Tsuna eyed his mentor wearily as he stood up, careful not to move too quickly. Unfortunately, his back still ached in protest as the fabric of his t-shirt rubbed against raw skin. Tsuna took this opportunity to inspect his wrists gingerly, noting that there were indeed rope burn marks beginning to show.
"You stood by doing nothing, watched us get beaten up, and still found out nothing?" Tsuna huffed quietly to himself, but then noticing a malicious glint in the baby's eyes, Tsuna fumbled to cover for himself, "He had a strange power, didn't he?"
Reborn rubbed his chin in thought. "I don't know what it was. I've never encountered anything like it before."
Tsuna stared at Reborn in shock, not quite believing there could be anything Reborn hadn't experienced before.
"He wasn't overly fast," Hibari's voice came from a little further off, and Tsuna jumped, surprised that the cloud guardian was even talking to them. "But I couldn't hit him."
Hibari looked frustrated at this, or as frustrated as a stoic Hibari could look. It was like he couldn't quite understand how someone slower than him could've dodged his attacks.
"It must be his ability." Reborn supplied and logically it made sense. "Whatever that ability is, he was able to dodge your attacks without physically moving it seems."
Hibari's eyes narrowed dangerously.
"An illusion?"
Reborn tilted his hat downward, hiding whatever expression he'd been wearing.
"Perhaps."
Hibari's face darkened further at this, if possible, before he turned toward the door. It seemed that was all the talking Tsuna could expect from Hibari for one night.
He almost sighed in relief when he realised Hibari was leaving. It wasn't good for his heart to spend too much time with a violent, unpredictable cloud guardian after all. However, Hibari paused at the door turning to pin Tsuna with an icy glare.
"I haven't forgotten your damage to the school. You will be punished in due time."
And then with a flutter of his jacket, Hibari Kyoya stalked out of the room and Tsuna was left staring after him in pure terror. He was definitely going to get bitten to death.
-V-
They traveled under a blanket of darkness. Swift and on high alert, avoiding every person or creature they seemed about to cross and keeping completely out of sight. The encounter earlier had left Rikuo on edge. He'd never fought anyone with such strange power before, and if it weren't for Kubinashi and Zen appearing at that exact moment, he'd probably be in a world of trouble. The trio paused at the river, exchanging a glance in silent agreement as they descended beneath a nearby bridge.
Kubinashi remained on watch as Zen lay the duck-demon onto the ground and, hidden in the shadows beneath the bridge, proceeded to check his wounds. As he tended to the demon's injuries, Rikuo sat nearby and watched him with glazed eyes, his mind running at a mile a minute.
"What's bothering you?" Zen asked after a while, not taking his attention away from his patient. He was currently in the process of cleaning an open wound on the demon's head and applying some sort of salve. Rikuo watched on with mild interest as his sworn-brother worked, silently admiring the litheness of his fingers and the precision of his application.
"He engulfed himself in purple flames." Rikuo uttered, "Were they demons?"
Zen pursed his lips in thought, brow furrowing.
"It didn't feel like fear." Zen replied, "They looked human."
"Then who exactly were they?"
They were silent for a heartbeat before Kubinashi supplied,"Vongola." from his perch on a nearby rock. Zen stilled at the word and, seeing this, Rikuo felt all the more confused.
"Vongola?" Rikuo asked, "What's that?"
The neckless boy looked unusually serious.
"The largest mafia family in the human world, they're probably as close to the Nura clan in age as any Human family can get." he explained, "We encountered them a few times during your father's era, but he preferred to avoid them when he could."
Rikuo was surprised by this development.
"My father," he said in bewilderment, "he fought against them?"
"As I said, he didn't like to be caught up in their politics but Vongola is a vast family. We had some altercations with them in the past. Lost quite a few good demons in our battles."
Rikuo took a moment to process this information, allowing the idea of an age-old mafia family to truly sink in. A mafia family that, apparently, his father had fought in the past and had lost demons to. Were they truly that strong?
"But they're only kids! How can they be a part of the human mafia?" Rikuo asked incredulously.
At this, Zen sent him a withering look.
"In case you hadn't noticed young master, you're 13 and you command an army of demons," he said with a sniff of wry amusement.
"13 is the age of adulthood for a demon." Rikuo argued, "Why would human kids my age be a part of the largest mafia family in the world? It doesn't make sense."
"Well, it may not make sense Rikuo-sama, but I believe it to be true." Kubinashi said, "It would, for one, explain why they wield such a power."
Rikuo had to admit that was true. No ordinary person would ever be able to conjure flames from thin air, nor use it to attack in such well-practised fluidity.
Or fly.
Rikuo almost snorted aloud at the ridiculousness of the thought. If he hadn't fought that boy face to face whilst the latter was hovering a good metre in the air, then he wouldn't have believed it. Only extremely powerful demons could fly without wings, and since that boy had neither been a demon nor had wings, the thought was almost ludicrous.
"There have also been rumours that the 10th heir lives in this town." Kubiashi supplied, and at this Rikuo's eyes widened.
"10 generations? They're that old?" Rikuo asked incredulously. Then, after a moment, Rikuo's face fell as another thought occurred to him. "Does that mean one of the two we just met could be the heir to the largest mafia family in the human world? We may have just fought against Vongola the 10th?"
"It's possible." Kubinashi replied, looking grim.
Zen snorted before muttering under his breath, "One of those brats will be taking over the family? What is this strange sense of déjà vu I feel?"
Ignoring him, Rikuo once again allowed himself to get lost in his thoughts. Vongola, a large mafia family, had an heir in Namimori. Said heir obviously wasn't very widely known as even Kubinashi seemed to have no idea who it was. Murders. Of all places, he had been sent here on a mission. Pieces of the puzzle began clicking into place, his mind making connections which weren't possible prior to this newfound knowledge.
"Our mission here…" Rikuo began, "It's probably not all it seems."
He could almost see the answers, threads of thought dangling so tantalisingly close that he could almost, just almost, reach out and grab them. However, he was still missing something here. When both Zen and Kubinashi looked at him curiously, Rikuo sat up a little straighter.
"I was thinking it was weird for the old man to show interest in my night parade. He's never recommended any demons before, so why would he begin now?" Rikuo explained, eyeing his two comrades in all seriousness. "There must be something else happening here."
The Previous Day
"You called, grandpa?" Rikuo announced as he slid the door to his grandpa's room open, kneeling at the doorway politely. The old man was sitting cross-legged on his tatami mat, a small table adorned with teapot and teacup directly in front of him and his pipe in one hand.
"I have information for you." Nurarihyon said, leisurely taking a puff from his pipe and exhaling a gust of smoke.
"Information?" Rikuo inquired curiously, "What type of information?"
"There's been sightings of a strong demon a few towns over. They say he's a lone wolf," clarified the elder, sending Rikuo a significant look through the smoke.
Rikuo blinked slowly at this, slightly confused.
"You're telling me to go recruit him?" Rikuo asked.
Nurarihyon smiled far too knowingly for Rikuo's liking but having experienced the sensation many times prior, Rikuo managed to suppress his annoyance at the man's ambiguity. Noticing this, the elder gave his grandson a shrewd smile.
"All I'm doing is giving you information. What you choose to do with it is up to you, Rikuo."
Present
All three of them exchanged an irked look.
"That man, will he ever tell us anything straight?" Zen huffed, applying a bandage perhaps a little tighter then strictly needed.
"But for your grandpa to send you here so specifically, it must mean there's something really big happening." Kubinashi said, and Rikuo nodded in agreement.
"It's probably got something to do with the infamous locals." Zen supplied, snorting in slight contempt.
"I would suspect so too." Kubinashi agreed.
Rikuo let out a sigh, feeling suddenly exhausted.
"Why did I ever agree to come here?"
-V-
"I wonder what happened last night. Hibari's been more violent than usual today." Yamamoto Takeshi, rain guardian, said to his two companions. "And also, room 2-A and the art room are a complete mess."
"He's been stampeding around the school with those metal sticks of his all morning." Gokudera Hayato added, taking a puff from his cigarette. "He's already threatened to 'bite me to death' eight times and slammed me into five walls."
From their usual position on the roof Tsuna watched in pity as Hibari punctured a hole in the soccer ball which had rolled too near to him and toss the deflated thing back to the students on the field. Gokudera snorted when Hibari sent a tonfa into some huge guy's stomach. The poor boy had apparently thought he'd been strong enough to confront Hibari head on. He was either incredibly stupid or new to the school. It seemed that as long as Gokudera himself wasn't on the receiving end of Hibari's temper, he found the whole thing quite entertaining.
"Who's that kid? Is he new?" Gokudera asked with a wry smile.
"Now that you mention it I've never seen him around before. He must be one of the exchange students." Yamamoto supplied helpfully and Gokudera snorted again, muttering a 'figures'.
Tsuna thought back to earlier this morning, when their class had been introduced to an exchange student of their own. He'd all but jumped out of his pants at hearing the name 'Rikuo'. Having not been paying attention- his thoughts of last night had been ruling his mind- Tsuna had leapt out of his chair, fists raised, expecting to see long white hair and blood red eyes.
Instead, he was met with the shocked gaze of a small bespectacled boy, shorter than he was amazingly, with spiky brown hair and wide eyes. Tsuna had felt his heart calm, relief flooding him, but had found himself still unable to relax. The class had proceeded to snicker in response to his antics as the teacher told him to sit down with slight exasperation. Gokudera and Yamamoto eyed him weirdly as he sat down rigidly.
Rikuo was seated directly behind Yamamoto and, being the kind of guy he was, the baseball player instantly turned and introduced himself. Tsuna watched the exchange carefully, his mind racing. Rikuo wasn't all that common a name. In fact, before this week Tsuna hadn't ever encountered someone with that name and yet, he'd now met two in the past two days alone. Was it a coincidence?
He watched as Rikuo laughed brightly at something Yamamoto had said, uninhibited and free and felt himself doubt this intuition. Was he wrong? Or was there something more to Rikuo than met the eye?
Tsuna was brought back to the present by Yamamoto's voice.
"Wow that guy's pretty tough. If it were anyone else, they'd be on the ground from just one of Hibari's strikes."
Tsuna drew his focus back and noticed, astounded, that the huge boy indeed still stood. Not only had he not fallen, but he'd also managed to grab one of Hibari's tonfas mid-strike.
"Tch."was all Gokudera said, but Tsuna could tell that even the storm guardian was suitably impressed.
Hibari and the exchange student glared at each other for a long moment and Tsuna became increasingly worried that a fight would break out.
Before it could escalate however, he saw a figure running toward the two and, with a start, Tsuna realised it was Rikuo. The small boy grasped the large boy's arm and pulled, saying something rapidly to him. From their distance, there was no way Tsuna could hear what was being said but whatever it was, it seemed to serve its intended purpose.
The large boy released Hibari's tonfa, to which Rikuo gave a small smile of approval. Hibari however, was not placated, immediately aiming a hit at the boy's stomach. This time, the boy skidded backward from the strength of it. He did not raise to the challenge however, choosing instead to follow Rikuo as they both bowed to Hibari in apology before scurrying off.
"Ah, so he was Rikuo's friend. It's amazing that such a small guy can stop a fight like that." Yamamoto said admiringly, "Right, Tsuna?"
Tsuna rubbed at the back of his head, not knowing quite how to respond to this. Gokudera however, spluttered.
"What are you saying you baseball idiot! The 10th could probably stop one hundred fights like that!" Gokudera exclaimed in outrage, before turning to Tsuna, "Right, 10th?"
You have no idea that you just insulted me do you, Gokudera-kun?
Tsuna laughed wearily as the two began to bicker. Well, by bicker he meant Gokudera spouting insults at Yamamoto whilst the latter simply laughed them all off as if the insults were not directed at him. Tsuna found himself smiling at the familiar sight. Those two would fight endlessly, but anyone could see how much faith they had in each other when it mattered.
Speaking of fights…
"Actually guys, I wanted to tell you something." Tsuna began, and instantly his two friends looked to him in full attention. "It's about last night."
-V-
"All that really happened last night?" Yamamoto asked looking shocked.
"To think that I wasn't there to help the 10th when he needed me!" Gokudera seemed devastated at his own absence. "What if you had been seriously hurt?"
Tsuna felt the dull throb of his back and eyed his wrists, marked but hidden beneath the sleeves of his uniform.
"I'm fine Gokudera-kun." Tsuna assured him in the gentlest voice he could muster.
"But 10th! What kind of right-hand-man can I call myself if I'm not there when you need me?"
Tsuna wanted to sigh, but instead gave Gokudera a helpless look and turned to Yamamoto instead.
"Yamamoto-kun, I wanted to ask. What do you think of Rikuo?"
"No matter how you look at it, they sound too different." Yamamoto said, looking thoughtful, "Though, he might be a mist user."
Tsuna recalled that Hibari had reached the same conclusion yesterday and it was indeed a plausible answer. If Rikuo was a mist user, he'd be able to freely manipulate his appearance. But it required a lot of energy to maintain an illusion so flawless, and for these illusions to be solid, tangible beings, was a feat Tsuna doubted even Mukuro himself would be able to maintain for long. There was also the question then, of which one was the real Rikuo. Was it the one he'd fought last night? Who's eyes pierced him so thoroughly and who's strength felt so very real? Or was it the small, fragile boy Tsuna had come to know during class today? If Rikuo utilised mist flames, which perfect illusion had he managed to sustain?
"Hibari and Reborn said the same thing, but even Reborn wasn't sure." Tsuna admitted.
"Well, why don't we just ask the expert?" Gokudera, who was seemingly finished with his self-pity, suggested.
"Who do you mean?" Yamamoto asked and Gokudera shot him a condescending look.
"Chrome of course, idiot."
Tsuna nodded at this, his face lighting up.
"That's a great idea Gokudera-kun!" Tsuna exclaimed, not quite believing he hadn't thought of that before.
At his precious boss's praise, Gokudera smiled modestly and rubbed the back of his head. It was an uncharacteristic gesture that everyone knew was reserved for Tsuna alone.
"No, no, not at all 10th! I was merely reaching the logical conclusion." Gokudera said, a little too loudly, and then proceeded to laugh just as loudly.
Tsuna smiled at Gokudera, the boy who was positively glowing.
"We'll go ask her after school." Tsuna replied.
-V-
"Well that answers the question of whether or not grandpa wants us to stay here." Rikuo murmured dryly, eyeing his enrollment forms powerlessly, "I can't believe he enrolled me here without my knowledge! And you two as well! Just how far ahead did he plan?"
"It's a great school though, isn't it Rikuo-sama?" Tsurara Oikawa exclaimed, ever eager. "It feels almost like home."
Rikuo smiled at her enthusiasm, grateful that she and Aotabo were once again by his side. After all, when it came to school, these two were what he was used to. Their familiarity was comforting amidst all the unanswered questions. The school too, wasn't all that different from his school back home in Ukiyoe. Even the architecture and layout were strangely similar.
"I would agree if it weren't for that kid trying to knock me down earlier." Aotabo, or Kurata in his human form, said with a slight sniff.
"He was one of the ones we fought last night. He seemed rather violent." Rikuo noted, and Aotabo nodded perceptively.
"He was strong." The large man observed. "He managed to push me back quite a way."
The three of them clambered up the empty stairs, heading for the roof. Rikuo vaguely wondered if it would be empty here too. It always baffled him how few other students would use the roof during lunch when it was such a pleasant place to eat. It had gotten to the point where Rikuo began to consider calling it 'their' roof.
"You shouldn't have left without us last night Rikuo-sama. It was dangerous!" Tsurara pouted as she spoke and Rikuo's smile turned apologetic.
"Sorry Tsurara, I thought a smaller group was all that I'd need. I would've gone alone if Grandpa hadn't mentioned to take Zen along. Kubinashi happened to be there as we were heading out and insisted on coming along too." Rikuo explained, "Although, it's probably better that they did come after all."
Both Tsurara and Aotabo exchanged a concerned glance.
"No, no, not at all 10th! I was merely reaching the logical conclusion!"
All three paused as they reached the door, a little surprised at the voice. Rikuo frowned in thought at the strange name. What kind of nickname was '10th'? And then it hit him, and Rikuo's eyes widened. His instincts acted before he had a chance to stop them and impatiently, he pushed the door open.
He was met with three surprised gazes, two of whom he only vaguely recognised and one which he recognised all too well. One got to know the appearance of one's enemy if he managed to lock you in such close combat after all. Rikuo had learned his name in class earlier, after asking a classmate.
"Oh him? His name is Sawada Tsunayoshi, but most of us call him Dame-Tsuna. He really is hopeless at everything."
Tsuna's eyes widened as he saw them, and for a moment they stood in complete silence, both parties seemingly shocked at the sight of one another.
"Rikuo-sama?" Tsurara asked, concerned at his strange silence.
At this, Tsuna visibly tensed and in response, Rikuo also stiffened.
Does he recognise me? Maybe he recognises the name. Of course he would recognise it! It's not like 'Rikuo' is very common. I should've thought to use a different name.
After a moment of tense silence, Rikuo decided this was far too ridiculous for their first official meeting. With slight reluctance, Rikuo advanced toward Tsuna's group, not failing to notice the way his two companions, even the easy-going Yamamoto, shifted ever so slightly to place their bodies between them. It much reminded him of what Aotabo and Tsuara sometimes did for him when they sensed danger.
They suspect us already. Well, at least I know who's guarding who.
"I wasn't expecting anyone else to be on the roof. At our school, it's usually empty." Rikuo said in greeting, hoping to diffuse some of the tension.
For Yamamoto, it seemed enough for him to relax. Although, Rikuo doubted he was even aware he'd been on guard to begin with. Both Tsuna and the silver haired boy though, remained unmoving.
"We often eat up here at lunch." Yamamoto said, friendly.
Rikuo smiled at him. "It's really pleasant up here, isn't it?"
Noticing that the other two still seemed suspicious, Rikuo laughed awkwardly.
"Sorry, we haven't been properly introduced yet have we? You probably already know but I'm Nura Rikuo, this is Kurata and she's Oikawa." RIkuo hoped his friendly act was convincing. "We just transferred here today."
"Look, I don't know who you think you are," growled the silver haired boy.
Tsuna placed a hand on Gokudera's shoulder and, with a slightly indignant look, Gokudera stopped short. Rikuo noted the unfaltering obedience of the so called 'Gokudera' with interest. If he had been unsure before, this all but confirmed it for him.
"It's alright Gokudera-kun." Tsuna said with a small smile which Rikuo couldn't decide was entirely genuine or not. "It's very nice to meet you, Nura-kun."
It truly is a pleasure to meet you, Vongola Decimo.
"Likewise, Sawada-kun."
A/N: And so they meet! I hope you're all enjoying this story thus far, it really is a joy to write!
