03. Level I: Behind the Scenes

Namimori, Japan – Kokuyo Building

Hikaru could do little more than stand and gape at the sight that greeted him as they stepped outside the car that had picked them up from the stadium. He had already known that the Clam was not your average Family, of course. Once the battle was over, the Sun guardian had practically dragged him away to the waiting room, where a frantic woman had begun fussing over them both without even seeming to notice that he had been an enemy not five minutes ago.

They had dressed his wounds and applied Sun Flames to stop the bleeding and close the wound; the woman –who had been introduced as Sasagawa Kyoko, the Sun guardian's sister- had insisted on taking him to the hospital, but given what he had done during the match, he didn't want to risk going to such an obvious –and public– place where he would be easily traceable.

All it had taken had been a passing remark, something along the lines of 'I wish I had met your Family earlier', and the eyes of the Sun guardian had lit up; before the sixteen year old could say anything else, he already had his cellphone out and was punching the call button. As soon as it connected his sister plucked it from his fingers, flashing them a polite smile before focusing her attention on the conversation with the unknown receiver.

"I've wanted to have a kouhai for a while now! Do you like boxing, Hikaru?" Ryohei laughed.

The teen resisted the urge to look at his practically non-existent muscles, and instead he focused on the other part of the sentence, "Kouhai?"

"Well, you are joining us, aren't you?" The silveret frowned. "You are not staying with those yakuza?"

"No!" The auburn haired boy shouted, waving his hands in front of him. "Of course I won't! But… uh…" Luckily, Ryohei beamed and decided to save him from his stuttering, thumping him hard on the back.

"Don't worry, our boss is one extreme guy! I'm sure he'll like you! Hey Kyoko, let me talk to him!"

After that short conversation, the poor boy had been too confused to fully process what had happened, and before he knew it Hikaru was standing in front of one of the richest (and most recent) sectors of the city, in front of a very classy building.

He exhaled a nervous sigh, looking around before hurrying after the siblings, who were a few steps ahead of him. They stepped into a neat hall, past a security guard who was reading the newspaper balancing on two legs of his chair and towards a file of elevators on the furthest end. There were a few people coming and going, and all of them took the time to greet the Sasagawa duo or ask about the match, looking curiously at his bandaged wrist.

Once they were into the elevator and the doors closed behind them, Kyoko took a magnetic card from her purse, flashing it before the machine. "We are going to the Clam's private area. You need permission to enter," she explained before he could voice his question, before turning around and resting her back against the wall, still smiling.

Uneasy, the teen looked away, trying to gather his thoughts. That revelation was not surprising; most Families liked to keep their secrets hidden, and the Clam had to be one of the most zealous in protecting them. No one knew where they had come from, or exactly how many members they had in his ranks; their boss in particular was completely surrounded by mystery. They ascended in silence, until his curiosity beat his fear.

"Were these people part of the Family as well?" He asked, puzzled. It certainly seemed odd that they only had a Sun player then. The woman chuckled a little, but it was her brother who answered.

"Of course not!" Ryohei said with surprise, as if that should have been obvious. "Only the two top floors have members of the Clam; most of the middle floors are flats and the lower floors are rented to small offices. They are all civilians."

"What?" Hikaru exclaimed, unable to believe his ears. "What if someone tries to attack you here?" How careless could they be? Even if the games were the only form of violence between Families that was sanctioned by the Company, very few Families played fair, and no one could prevent accidents from happening. These people, despite all of their strange quirks, were still players and as such they could not be so naïve. Unless, of course, they had an ulterior motive to do something that irresponsible. The thought of purposefully using civilians to shield themselves…

"You are putting their lives in danger!"

Kyoko shook her head, putting a comforting hand on his shoulder. "That's not true. They are safer here than they would be anywhere else. Our head of security is the best, he would never allow anything to happen." Seeing that he was still not convinced, she continued with a small frown. "What you need to know is that Sky would never allow anyone to get hurt on his behalf. All the normal people that live or work here, he helped them. He gave them a place to stay, and now he gives them the protection they would not find elsewhere. Or do you think that only flame users have it hard?"

Her eyes were shadowed; it obviously was an uncomfortable topic for her. Before he could think of something else to say however, or ask any further, the elevator came to a stop and the doors opened with a soft 'ding'. Taking a few seconds to compose herself, Kyoko sighed before stepping out managing a small smile. "Well, if you stay around, you'll understand eventually." The three of them made their way down the hallway, until reaching one of the many doors in it.

Kyoko knocked softly and, sharing a confused look with her brother when no one answered, she tried the doorknob that didn't put any resistance to her efforts. Slowly she stepped inside, followed by her two companions.

The office was spacious and well-lit, but it lacked any kind of personal objects, almost as if no one used it; on the contrary, it looked like the kind of aseptic room that one could find in a magazine.

"Kyoko, Ryohei," a man greeted them. He looked older than the three, his serious expression clashing horribly with his strange hairstyle, which looked like something out of a comic book. His gaze rested on Hikaru, and the teen had to fight the impulse to fidget under the scrutiny. Seeming to reach a conclusion, he advanced, offering his hand to shake.

"I am Kusakabe. A pleasure," he said, straight to the point.

"Ah… I'm Fukui Hikaru. Pleasure to meet you."

The man gave him a curt nod before turning to the silveret, "He'll come shortly… which reminds me, you and Yamamoto have a new mission. I suggest you look for him as soon as possible, Sasagawa."

Ryohei nodded, and they waited in silence until the door opened once more, and someone came inside. Instantly the three people stood up to greet him, but he smiled and waved his hand, taking a seat behind the desk. With one last nod, Kusakabe left the room, leaving them alone. The Clam's boss then directed his attention to the teen. The boss was not what the ex-Kuroi member had envisioned, not at all. Yet at the same time, he was, that and much more. His eyes glinted with understanding and knowledge, and despite his deceivingly weak appearance, past the kind front he presented; the observer could see the leadership skills and fierce disposition of the man in front of him.

"It's great to meet you at last; you have impressed one of my guardians, and that is not an easy feat," and even if the words were simple, the sentiment behind them was so strong and clear that the teen could not doubt the leader's honesty. "I'm sorry you had to get hurt," the brunet said, and a strange expression darkened his face for a second, but it was gone before he could try to decipher it.

"It wasn't your fault. I should have been quicker," the Sun guardian by his side said, and an unspoken message understood only by the two was passed between them. "Still, we won."

The boss nodded absently, not fully appeased by Ryohei's words, before resting his chin on top of his hands and looking at the younger boy. "What are you going to do now, Hikaru?"

Caught by surprise by his bluntness, he could only blink. "I don't know. I can't go back with the Kuroi Chi, and I wouldn't want to even if I could. Besides, I doubt they would be very happy with me at the moment."

"Would you like to live here for now?" He continued before anyone could interrupt him. "It does not have to be as part of the Family. I'm sure you have seen some of the tenants living in the building; just tell your decision to Kusakabe-san, and he will give you one of the empty apartments."

"Why would you do that? What can you gain from it?"

The guardian and his sister snickered, and even the boss seemed amused. "Well," he said with a hint of laughter in his voice, "Honestly, it's not like we need any more money than what we already have." Hikaru felt the blood rushing to his cheeks, and lowered his head to hide the blush. The brunet's tone adopted a serious tone, and he added, "We have the power to change things, even if it is for just a handful of people for now. In that case, isn't it our duty to do so?" For just a second, an orange flame passed behind his pupils, showing the strength of his beliefs.

Defeated, and feeling more tired than he had ever felt, the Sun user sighed. "I… think I wouldn't mind joining you but… I don't know if I want to keep fighting."

"Well," The boss said with a smile, not seeming surprised by his reticence, "Even if you had your mind made up already, you technically can't do neither until the week after the next. You can take that time to adjust," he said with a smile, and the teen realized that they had been dismissed. A bit dazzled, he exited the room followed by the Sun Guardian, while Kyoko remained behind.

Once they were out of earshot, Ryohei smiled, punching him in the arm. "So, what do you think of our boss?"

"He is… different. Well, ah… I guess you all are… different." He fidgeted, and a flash of pain made him clutch his side, suddenly remembering him about his recent injury. The Sun guardian noticed, and frowned.

"You shouldn't strain that arm. I did all I could, but it will still take a while to heal completely."

Thankfully Hikaru had Sun flames as well, and even if he had never mastered their healing abilities, his body would still react quicker than the average against a threat to his health. He rubbed the back of his head, still a bit overwhelmed by the events of the day.

"I just need to go talk with… Kusakabe, was it? I can manage, if you have other things to do."

Ryohei seemed about to argue further, but in the end he agreed. "Well if you are sure, I better go find Takeshi. See ya around!" The boxer beamed and broke into a light jog down the hallway, soon disappearing behind the corner. Hikaru sighed, glad to finally have some time alone to sort his thoughts. Only…

"Wait… now where do I go?"

Tokyo, Japan – Hotel Ritz

During the following days, the dark haired man had kept the same routine, waiting and spying inconspicuously on one corner of the cafeteria near the hall. Today, as always, his mark appeared on the dot, once again with a different conquest by his side.

He observed as the loud red-haired man advanced, talking loudly about some imaginary exploits trying to circle his right arm around the waist of a woman that, despite his courteous nature, the observer could only classify as horrifying. She was almost as wide as she was tall, with short legs and a round bun that only amplified the illusion of being in front of a balloon. She was listening to her host without trying to hide her boredom, oval eyes scanning the room idly until, after coincidentally resting on his figure, they twinkled with something akin to curiosity.

Normally he would have feigned interest in a random column of the newspaper in his hands and ignore the multiple dates of the man, but not today. He and his partner had been spying on their target for almost a week now, and wasting any more time would only increase their chances of failing. So, with a gait in his step and a smile on his lips, he approached the couple, easily slipping into the role that would best suit his interests.

Luck was on his side, as the girl noticed his approach and, with what seemed like a flirtatious bat of her eyes, she disentangled herself from her date.

"Good afternoon, lovely lady." He said, giving a half-bow and showing his white teeth; she giggled, making a sound that seemed oddly out of place coming out from her body. "May I know the name that fits such beauty?"

She wobbled around, coming face to face with him; casually, Takeshi took a step backwards to glimpse his target, Naito Longchamp, who was still blissfully unaware of the drama taking place behind him.

"Shouldn't you give your name first?" She said, and her loud voice finally seemed to attract the Tomaso leader's attention.

He narrowed his eyes at the same time that the swordsman, throwing a smug smirk in his direction, answered the woman, "I am Yamamoto Takeshi, of the Clam Family. May I invite you to a drink, my dear?"

The woman opened his mouth –to accept, no doubt-, but before she could make a sound, Longchamp was already shouting, moving in front of her, as if he was trying to protect her from an assailant (even if it was painfully obvious that few would get away unscratched were they to attack such a monstrosity)

"What the hell are you doing to my Hanako?"

Takeshi lifted his chin, affecting contempt, before answering with a sneer, drawling his voice, "I can't see why it is your business, but if you must know I was only offering her the chance to spend a good time in the city."

"She is my girl, you bastard!" The red head shrieked, falling right into the trap; before he could try and take back his words, Takeshi incensed him even more.

"Is that so? She was obviously getting bored with your pathetic attempts at courting."

"That's it! Do you think you can come here, steal my girl and insult me? Do you know who am I?" Ah, that was almost too easy.

"Can't say I do. The question is, do you know who I am? I am the Rain guardian of Japan's most powerful Family," though that probably wasn't quite true, but Longchamp was too angry to fully register his words "I doubt you have anything to offer that I can't."

"Ha! Think again, pretty boy! I am Naito Longchamp, the leader of the Tomaso Famiglia! And if you are the best in Japan, then I am the best in Italy! So take that!"

"Care to prove it?" Takeshi asked smoothly. "Or are you all talk?"

"Of course I can! The Tomaso Famiglia challenges you, Rain guardian of whatever to a Game! Whenever and wherever you want! What do you say? Or are you all talk?"

"It's a deal." Takeshi gave him a disarming smile, before taking his phone out with a flourish to pick a number from his list of contacts, as he motioned for the table he had been occupying before. "Shall we discuss the details?"

Tokyo, Japan – Deijii Stadium

The day of the match came quickly, and the stadium was full to the brim; it was not every day that one of their national Families fought against someone from the cradle of the White Orchid Games, Italy.

Among the enthusiastic crowd, there were two women. One of them was short and lively, a mass of energy waiting to be released. Her dark, wavy hair was tied in a ponytail that bobbed every time she took a step; she elbowed her way down the grades until she reached the front row, where she sat crossing her legs and proceed to increase her score in a game on her iPhone, ignoring the people around her.

The other had a more serious demeanor, dressed smartly as she waited near the waiting rooms, her eyes darting up and down as she scanned the people passing by. Not one person who had seen the two of them standing next to each other would ever guess that they were, in fact, partners with a shared goal.

After a while, the older woman's own phone beeped, and she gracefully opened it, rolling her eyes at her partner's choice of words. Haru had always had a taste for theatrics that Hana didn't share.

'R u going to see the game? im diing to see the Clam ;p heard they r amazing *o*'

Rolling her eyes, she composed her reply, her polished nails tapping quickly against the screen as she finished surveying the place.

'I wonder if there will be anything worth mentioning in today's Game.'

'u r so stiff xo. The guy I have behind cld learn something from u'

Her eyes turned to slits as she read; another non-flamer, huh? She wondered if he was just there to observe like her, or if he was part of Tomaso's strategy. And if so, what could it be.

'Problems?'

'No, cn handl it d(^.^)b'

Hana snorted, 'You can talk without all those emoticons, you know.'

'Nope ToT gonna go c ur friend? Ive found the pieces he was looking 4'

'Where?'

'Ive 3 at home, seen some in the mall across town. Btw a really rude guy bumped into me omw here DD:'

'Something else?'

'no, thats all'

'I'll see you later'

'Cyl :D'

Closing the device, she leisurely went to one of the locker rooms, and after making sure that no one could see her, she came inside. The room was bare, extremely functional, with only one occupant in the room, who was sitting on the floor with his legs crossed, meditating. Clearing her throat to alert the swordsman of his presence, she said, "It is time, Yamamoto."

He nodded and slowly stood up flashing a smile that did not reach his eyes, since his mind was already focused on the battle ahead. "It's been a long time, Hana."

She buffed, shaking her head, "You know that I can't help in every match, I do have a job that I'd like to actually keep. But today we can't afford to let you go there alone, especially since it is a ranking match. It's a pity that we could not be with Ryohei the other day, but this is how things have to be. Anyway, Haru has already located various non-flame members of Tomaso all around the stadium, and they will try something."

"I'm sure you can handle them." Hana pinched the bridge of his nose, frustrated by her partners' nonchalance.

"I'm sure we can," she said sarcastically. "But be careful. You certainly riled their leader up with your little stunt. "

"It was that or insulting his date and that wouldn't have ended well for me." He chuckled, "And he can't interfere personally in the match, can he? Relax Hana. We'll be fine."

He brushed her shoulder as he left the room, and she sighed before following him, wondering once again why she had joined such insane people. The loudspeakers were already bellowing the introductions when she finally stepped outside, lifting a hand to her face as her eyes adjusted to the light.

"And here it is, the representative of our national Family, the Clam! Ladies and gentlemen, give a round of applause for the Rain guardian, Yamamoto Takeshi!"

I know that some people are concerned by the OCs in the story; while there will be several of them and they will all have an impact on the story, I can promise that the focus will still be on Tsuna and his guardians. Even Hikaru will step out of the limelight for a few chapters, but I wanted to show the family from an independent point of view, hence the focus of the first part. However I'll do all I can to prevent any Mary Sue from slipping into the story. ^^

Next chapter, we finally get to the long-awaited battle between the Clam and Tomaso! Originally it was supposed to come in this chapter, but then it would have been twice as large and it wouldn't be out in at least another month, so it's split in two. ^^

As usual, thank you to all of you who reviewed, favorited, followed and read this story, and a special thanks to my beta, WhitishBlack! Please leave a review if you liked it!

Until next time!