"Apologies for earlier."
Everyone in the room turned to Adult Reborn, hands raised in a sign of peace.
Silence.
"...Ah, d,don't worry about it. I understand, really." Tsuna hesitated, "You've been there for me through worse."
The others were silent, watchful of him. Reborn gave him a long look then with movements just a tad slower than normal, took a seat farthest away from the kids.
An appeasement. Or a peace offering? He wasn't sure.
Awkward silence.
He snorted, raising an eyebrow, "Worse than even waking up to a hundred years in the future, learning your own Sky was a traitor, and you and your family are scattered across the continents with no knowledge if you even have them to count on because you're not sure if they're even the same people and you haven't just been dropped in a parallel universe?"
Tsuna opened his mouth. Closed it.
Hayato crossed his arms, huffing and grumbling, "Right about that parallel universe part."
Takeshi laughed, "It's more common than you'd think, huh."
"Ho?" He raised an eyebrow curiously.
"Oh, hello! Tsu-kun didn't tell me that we have a guest."
Before Tsuna could even get a word out, Renato stood up and executed a smooth bow, briefly taking off his fedora.
"My apologies ma'am. I didn't send notice. My name is Renato Sinclair, an associate of your son and Reborn-kun's older brother. Reborn-kun felt home sick and I'm taking over his job for now. I hope I'm not intruding and sorry for this abrupt change."
He gave a winsome smile, looking suddenly much younger without his hat on.
Tsuna blinked, poleaxed.
Nana laughed, waving a hand reassuringly, "Don't worry, I like having people over and meeting Reborn-kun's family is so great. Reborn-kun has always been so well behaved and polite, you must've done a wonderful job raising your baby brother. And you even have the same fashion sense, he must idolize his big brother!"
Renato chuckled modestly, "No, no. Reborn-kun has always been like that, I barely did anything really."
"Do you want to drink anything Renato-kun?"
"Ah, if you wouldn't mind I'd love some coffee."
"Waaah! So cute! Reborn-kun always orders the same too. Just wait here, I've already had some ready for Reborn-kun I'll get it for you."
The air around him was a thousand times lighter and for all intents and purposes, he seemed genuine.
Tsuna shivered.
A complete 180° from the hit man who'd just been a squeeze of a hand from killing them in cold blood. It was eerie!
Renato turned back to him, but his eyes bypassed Tsuna and looked straight over his shoulder.
"Kufufufu~, what an interesting turn of events."
Tsuna choked on a shriek, jumping. A pair of hands held him in place though. Mukuro!
"W,what are you doing here?"
Heterochromatic eyes glanced down at him with sadistic mirth. And, Tsuna thought, he detected pensiveness in the tightness around his eyes.
"I'm sorry Juudaime! I was the one who contacted him!"
"Gokudera-kun?!" You had his number?! Tsuna was more perplexed by that.
When did that happen?!
Mukuro -and Chrome, standing a little behind him with the kids (Tsuna had unconsciously put himself between Renato and them)- stared at Renato strongly.
Tsuna was feeling nervous about this.
The kids and Chrome disappeared.
"It is your fellows you seek, right?"
Reborn watched them silently. Mentally, he hummed in approval at both the Storm and the pair of Mist's actions.
"What family did you say you are?" Tsunayoshi had mentioned it earlier, and anyone who'd walked the halls of the Vongola mansion with the life sized portraits of the first generation would know. Renato really just asked for the sake of asking.
"Vongola."
The Sun noted the steel gradually seeping into the boy now that the others were gone.
Willing to bow to others whim for his family. And willing to fight with them.
...Huh. Better than Renato's first impression of him honestly.
He commended his future/past self for teaching a student like that.
"I may have information about your Storm." Mukuro cut in and pointedly diverted his attention off of Tsuna.
Renato lost all humour.
"You do?" Tsuna exclaimed.
The bluenette grimaced slightly but ignored him. "The south from here, go straight. Now if you'll excuse us."
Tsuna was swallowed in a cool indigo that had his heart easing from the stress the morning had provided him.
Only for it to return ten fold when he was met with the battered and bloody body of the resident demon prefect lying on a couch in the -Tsuna saw the pictures on the walls and realized that they were in the Sasagawa household. Ryohei was by Kyoya's side, tending to him.
"What happened?!" he demanded.
"Who got the drop on him?" Hayato, with Lambo in his arms -a rare sight- asked warily.
"Do you need any help senpai?"
"No, thanks though Takeshi. It's almost done." He didn't even look up at them.
If that was 'almost done', then it didn't look like it. Tsuna felt nauseous just imagining what Kyoya must've looked like before Ryohei got to him.
Tsuna turned to Mukuro.
"...the Arcobaleno Storm did that to him."
There were exclamations. Fon?!
"What?! Why?!"
Mukuro scoffed, learning on the wall by Chrome, "I wouldn't know. I was actually just... dropping by when I happened upon him being pummeled to the ground by the adult Arcobaleno."
Tsuna swallowed. "B,but why would Fon-san-?"
"Juudaime if I may?" Hayato cut in quietly. Lambo and I-pin sat dociley on his lap in the corner and both Fuuta and Takeshi sat close.
"I think we should stay here for the meantime," he glanced at Ryohei, "Or at least somewhere we could be together. I know it might be hard but... they're not the Arcobaleno we know. Not the Reborn-san... Anyways, we need the Mists right now. I don't think we can even put up a fight against them if they turn on us again. We need to... hide."
Hayato had said so many things that must've been hard to swallow much less voice out, but rather than looking hesitant, he looked determined. Tsuna felt warm.
And proud.
This was his Storm. His right-hand- he cut himself off, inwardly shaking his head and feeling exasperated at his thought process and the successful brainwashing Reborn had pressed on him.
He wasn't a right-hand because Tsuna wasn't a boss and he was proud because his friend beat down his pride for them.
"I think so too."
That seemed to surprise the bomber.
"Onii-san, where are the girls?"
"I extremely sent Kyoko to Haru-chan with Hana!"
"Chrome-chan, can you bring the kids there? Mukuro-kun," Reborn would've never hurt Nana, but as Hayato said, this was not Reborn, "Please pick up Mama, and Bianchi-san too if you can. Chrome-chan please keep the others from the house with Bianchi-san's help -get out of Namimori if you can. Gokudera-kun, do you have Shouichi-kun's number? Also please check in with Enma-kun."
Hayato and Takeshi said something to Fuuta quietly and with a ruffle of his head from the Rain, they handed him Lambo and I-pin.
"Yes, Boss." "Fufu, the gall of sending me on an errand." Mukuro and Chrome simultaneously disappeared, taking the kids with her.
"I'm on it Juudaime!" Hayato excused himself to make calls outside.
Takeshi headed straight to the kitchen unprompted to pilfer some snacks to go around.
Tsuna watched Ryohei go over Kyoya with Sun Flames and a first aid kit, thoughts gnawing at him.
He recalled everything he'd told Rebo- Renato earlier and knew that he'd been right to not make a single mention of Checkerface.
Tsuna needed to get to Kawahira first.
If there's any contradictions or grammar problems, just tell me and I'll get it fixed as soon as I can. Oh, and also, there won't be any schedule for the updates. I'm not very good with that.
I'll update a couple of chapters at the same time or just whenever.
And fanfiction eat lines