A Look Through Glass

Pairing. Hints of AriaGamma if you squint (?)
Rating. PG
A/N. as usual, unbeta'd, and for this particular chapter i'm thinking i really could've used one D: i'm too lazy though. boohoo. anyway, this glimpse begins in Italy and once again centers on the Varia arc with a small mention of the future.

Gamma had been absolutely against the idea at first. According to him, he already had a Mafia Family and a Boss whom he cared about deeply, thank you very much. Thus, one can imagine his surprise when he walked into his Boss' office one morning, and found himself presented with the Vongola Thunder Ring.

He had met the candidate for the position of the Vongola's Tenth Boss, Sawada Tsunayoshi, about a month earlier. The Giglio Nero Boss, Aria, had been in Japan on business and she'd decided to take a side trip to Namimori to meet up with fellow pacifier-holder and renowned baby hitman, Reborn.

At the time of the encounter, Reborn had been tutoring Tsuna, and Gamma had been faithfully accompanying his Boss. From what he remembered, Sawada Tsunayoshi was a short, thin pipsqueak who was as far away from being a big bad Mafia Boss as Gamma was of being Queen of England. He refrained from commenting however, because Aria had taken a liking to the kid and it was none of his business. Gamma had assumed he would never meet the kid again.

Fate, however, had a funny way of screwing up his plans. In this case, fate came in the form of one Sawada Iemitsu, Tsuna's father and the Vongola Ninth's External Advisor. Before leaving Italy for Japan, Iemitsu stopped by the Giglio Nero Family's house. According to the man, Reborn had sent him a letter detailing Aria's meeting with Tsuna, and had pinpointed him as a possibility for Tsuna's Thunder Guardian.

Presented with this, Gamma did the only thing he could do. He refused, promptly and surely. Iemitsu, that tricky man, smirked before turning over to Aria, and informing her that if Gamma refused to do his duty (what duty? He hadn't agreed to anything), the Vongola Tenth would be forced to include not one, but two five-year-olds in his circle of Guardians. Aria nodded, and quickly turned to Gamma, who was once again wholly ready to meet steel with steel and refuse.

(He found himself on the same plane as Iemitsu not three hours later, gritting his teeth and pointedly ignoring the overly cheerful man the entire flight.)

When they finally arrived at Namimori, the Ring Battles had already begun. The first battle had gone in the favour of the Vongola, who now held the Sun ring.

(Gamma was still unsure how an elite member of an also elite assassination squad was beaten by a middle-school girl. The information only served to strengthen his belief that this entire thing was a sham and that the Vongola were doomed anyway, so why try at all?)

Gamma, despite being the midst of the conflict, refused to take his position as Guardian candidate seriously. He also wanted to go back to his Boss and ask her what in the world she was thinking. Thus, he opted to face the Varia's candidate, Levi-A-Than, armed only with his trusty gun.

(His ass had been handed to him and he was electrocuted to unconsciousness, only to end up being saved by Tsuna, who, despite knowing Gamma hardly at all, had risked not only Gamma's half-ring but also his own Sky ring for a man whom he'd had a fond memory of.)

Gamma woke up right before the Sky battle, and despite being heavily injured, had to endure the poisoning and the fight due to the meddlesome Cervello. By then, however, his mind had already been made up. He owed Sawada Tsunayoshi his life, and because of that, he'd be the best damn Thunder Guardian the Vongola had ever seen.

But before he made that decision, he waited for his previous Boss to visit him at Namimori's local clinic. Aria came in, beautiful and deadly as always, with a pleasant, understanding smile on her face.

"So, I'm talking to the Vongola Tenth's Thunder Guardian, right?" she asked, chuckling.

"Cut it out Boss, there's no need for that," Gamma replied, blushing lightly and mentally damning his pale complexion.

"And there's no need for you to call me Boss anymore either, is there?" she countered cooly, raising her eyebrow. Gamma frowned at that, because Aria was still, and always would be, his Boss.

"That's not true Boss, you're still my Boss and Gilgio Nero is still my Family – I just also happen to work for the Vongola now too," he informed her. Aria stared at him in surprise for a few seconds, before bursting out laughing. Gamma stared and stuttered in response.

"It's just – you said it so solemnly! Of course you're still part of the Giglio Nero Gamma – I was just teasing! I've already contacted the Ninth about a possible alliance given the new position of one of my best men in the Vongola," she smiled, chuckling as his expressions changed, from slight anger to pleasant surprise.

"You are, of course, a firm part of the Vongola now, and there's nothing I can do to change that if it is what you want – just know, you'll always be welcome in the Giglio Nero," she smiled one last time, tightening her hold on his hand, before leaning over and kissing his temple. Gamma, once again, blushed, and he continued blushing as she walked out the door without a backward glance.

The pale man was later on escorted out of the hospital by Sawada Nana and Reborn, who'd introduced Gamma as "Tsuna's new tutor, Mama, nothing to worry about, he just needs room and board". In the next few days, Gamma became a firm part of the ever-growing Sawada household, getting to know his new Family and especially his new Boss.

As he tutored the youngest Sawada, Gamma came to appreciate and recognize the kid for who he was. Sawada Tsunayoshi may not have been the most conventional of Mafia bosses – he did not have a clue how to disarm a gun, for one. He may not have had any idea about Mafia history – his knowledge was limited to "I use Primo's gloves, whoever he was". He may not have had even the basics of Italian down – the most anyone had gotten out of him had been "Bovino" and "Vongola".

But Tsuna had something else. Tsuna was the kind of Boss who would choose to give up the fight instead of seeing his loved ones get hurt (as was revealed to him through both the Thunder and Storm battles). He was the kind of Boss who extended the hand of friendship to those who had meant him harm. He was the kind of Boss who didn't even want to be a Boss, but would take on the duty if it meant being able to protect those he cared about. And for all that, for all the changes he brought to his life and for how he opened his eyes, Gamma swore, he would stand by his side.

Thus it was that, when they were transported to a daunting future, Gamma stood straight and true next to his Boss, his billiard weapon ready and his twin black foxes with him. Because if there was one thing Gamma was, it was fearless and wholly sure of the man who would come to lead the Vongola. Because if there was one thing Gamma excelled at, it was being there whenever his Boss and the other Guardians needed it, standing up for what they all believed in, even when it meant having to forcibly open the eyes of his previous Family.

And if there was one thing Gamma would go down in Vongola history for, it was being the Vongola Tenth's feared Thunder Guardian and Right-Hand Man.

A/N. so, i never did say all of Tsuna's guardians would be the girls. thus, partly because i am very fond of Gamma as a character and partly because i realized how uncommon Thunder flames seem to be, he's this worlds Vongola Thunder Guardian. plus, i have always wanted to explore the possibility of Gamma taking Gokudera's place and viceversa, since they're both such loyal right-hands to their respective bosses. this fic allowed me to do that - if only for Gamma. i might someday write Gokudera's perspective, or maybe even the fight between the two of them in this universe with switched roles. i've become quite fond of this alternate world of mine, and a bunch of ideas have been sprouting for one-shots centering around it, to explore many of the things i haven't fully been able to explore here.

Gamma, as much as i love the man, was an absolute pain to write - especially his feelings regarding the Giglio Nero and Vongola and his working for both. therefore, if you tell me characterization is off in certain parts, i'd be eternally grateful. i'm really not too pleased with this one, and the only way i can think of fixing it is maybe rewatching Gamma episodes, but i'm still not too confident in my depiction of him. thus, comments and concrit regarding that would be much appreciated.

in other news, i'm up-to-date with the Nurarihyon no Mago anime, yaaay. -had only read the manga-

concrit, flames, comments! all welcome!