OooOoOooO

Interlude: Calming of the Storm

Was it just Momo or was Mamushi a lot tenser than usual today?

In fact, the other boy had done nothing but glare at him throughout the day. It wasn't nothing actually unusual but those other times, Kaidou's glares were actually only filled with annoyance. But these ones were full of anger and determination. It honestly scared him, though he didn't show it.

Echizen actually ignored him today for some reason when, occasionally, the freshman would order him around as 'part' of his training to be a Mafia Boss (something Momo hadn't still been over about). His gut was somehow queasy today too and he couldn't stop fidgeting at all. Momo felt really uneasy today and Mamushi's glares were not really helping, only intensifying the nauseous feeling.

Once it was lunchtime, Momo gave in to the urge to get the hell away. He didn't know what he really meant but he just had to get away. His instincts were practically screaming at him to run. And he didn't understand just why, damn it.

He blinked as he realized that he had reached the rooftop. Momo panted as he leaned his palms on his knees, the feeling didn't go away and he decided that he shouldn't be here.

But before he could act on said decision, the door to the rooftop suddenly closed with a loud bang that Momo almost jumped in shock. He whirled around in surprise as he saw Mamushi standing by the doorway, expression closed and calculating. He hadn't even noticed that the boy had followed him. Momo knew that there was something different in the way Kaidou glared at him… and dared he say it, with regret too. He really marvelled how his fellow regular looked so different without his customary bandana or how it was really foreign to see the other standing so straight, tall, and almost proper. Though, he knew that he was only distracting himself.

Momo hadn't even realized that he had taken a step back defensively. There was just something about Mamushi's stance that sent his hackles rising like a cat's.

"You idiot," Mamushi hissed at him with narrowed eyes.

"What the hell do you want, Mamushi?" Momo stated uncertainly and noticed for the first time how Kaidou seemed to be hiding his left hand behind his back.

Kaidou didn't speak instantly as his jaw clenched almost visibly.

"To get my brother back," Kaidou replied lowly, almost hissing in contempt. "And this is the only way. Ace had agreed to give me the lead that I had been looking for. If I have to, I will have to get you out of my way."

"Who the hell's Ace?" Momo demanded with panic as he saw the grim determination in Kaidou's eyes. "Mamushi, can't we talk this out?"

"Momoshiro Takeshi," Kaidou interrupted with a pensive frown. "The grandnephew of the Eleventh Vongola. And you're going to be the Twelfth. So I will fight in honor of my family and I shall give everything to uphold that pride." He recited the usual opening for a battle between Mafioso where the stakes were highly personal to the Famiglia.

Momo's eyes had gone round as he listened to Kaidou's words. He had never thought of anyone in his school – even his friends or acquaintances – to be part of the Mafia. But… Kaidou had proven him wrong. He might not be knowledgeable in a Famiglia's honor (since Echizen had only drilled him with his position first) but he knew that Mamushi was serious. Very serious if he put his family's honor in the line (Echizen did say that it's the highest bargain between Mafia Families in the underworld).

"H-How do you know about that?" Momo knew it was stupid to ask. Kaidou was clearly part of the Mafia for longer than he was (which hadn't even been a week) and the other might have only been keeping tabs on him. Echizen mentioned that the Vongola was the most powerful Famiglia in Italy, right?

"Fsshuu," The other boy hissed in frustration as he pulled his left hand from behind his back and revealed a long silver bow, its cord shining dully under the sunlight. Momo could have sworn that the ends looked like some kind of cobra's head.

"Whoa," Momo, despite the present danger, couldn't stop his look of awe as he eyed the weapon with admiration. And the way Kaidou held it firmly and confidently spoke of how much he knew how to handle said weapon.

Suddenly, Kaidou pulled the string back and Momo had to blink twice just to reassure himself that he hadn't imagined the thin silver needle-like rod now by the string. He hadn't seen the other boy pull arrows from his back or from his person, so where could those have been from? Though, those thoughts were washed away as the tip of the rod ignited into red flames. Momo's eyes further widened – what the hell!

When he had been in his partial Dying Will Mode, he didn't notice his own flames and since Echizen had yet to tell him anything, Momo was pretty much clueless about it as his eyes zeroed on the red fire.

"W-Wait! You're not serious about this, are you?" Momo retreated several steps back and now understood why Kaidou had locked the door.

But Kaidou wasn't listening as his eyes narrowed dangerously, firing the arrow at unbelievable speeds and Momo almost didn't manage to dodge. Amethyst eyes widened fearfully as he watched the incinerated ground where the flaming arrow hit. Though, he looked back just in time to see Kaidou fire another several in quick succession. None of them hit him (Momo mentally sighed in relief) though, before he could get comfortable, he felt his movements get restricted.

His eyes widened as he realized that strings were attached by the arrows as they looped around him. Perfectly sealing his movements. He followed the source of the strings just to see them protruding out of Kaidou's sleeves.

Momo felt fear envelop him. Was this it?

But then, a loud gunshot was heard and everything blurred into orange.

O.o.O

"And here I thought the brat finally took it seriously," Ryoma muttered wryly with a light scowl.

If he had been a second too late in firing the real Dying Will Bullet, Ryoma Echizen – Ace – knew that the future boss would have been burned or exploded upon. Kaidou would never kill children his age or below (or as much as possible from what he remembered of the boy's profile), but Ryoma wasn't taking any chances. Momo would have been hurt unforeseeably and the boy would lose the chance to prove himself to Kaidou Kaoru in order to pull the Archer to be his ally (or part of the Famiglia).

If anything, this was just a taste of what Momo would be dealing with. The brat hadn't even taken a full bite of the whole thing.

O.o.O

"Allegro's worried about him?" Rosalia wondered with a pout as she watched how easily the seemingly missing 'Snake Archer' (which appeared to be untrue as she watched) easily captured the current Vongola Heir in one of the basic traps that the boy had been known for. She didn't even understand why she had to sacrifice her sweets in order to spy on a weak kid like Momoshiro Takeshi. Though, as she watched said boy's Sky Flame come to life, maybe, just maybe, there was something worth looking into.

O.o.O

"Saa, Kaidou's already moving." He commented blithely as he watched the ensuing fight from the window of an abandoned classroom.

It looked like he wasn't the only one who had been on the hide after all.

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