Giovanni Chiavarone stared expressionlessly at the Vongola mansion in front of which he was standing.
The Vongola was a young family, and still relatively unknown, but in the year since it had been formed, it had been growing at a startling rate. Part of the reason for its unnatural growth was most likely the fact that the Arcobaleno had entrusted them with one set of the trinisette, now known as the Vongola rings, which they had been safeguarding for almost half a millennium. But still, Giovanni knew that couldn't be all there was to it. Not many people would follow someone whom they didn't believe worthy of their respect. The fact that the young leader of the Vongola, a blond by the name of Giotto, had been able to gather so many followers in less than twelve months entailed that he had abilities beyond those of which one his age should have.
There was no doubt that the Vongola would one day grow to be one of the most influential Families in Italy, which made Giovanni's decision that much harder; if he were to make a mistake here, the Chiavarone Famiglia could lose a potential ally, or worse, gain a terrifying enemy.
"Is there something wrong, boss?" asked a young man who looked to be in his early twenties.
Smiling at his friend, Giovanni said, "Not at all, Romario. I was just wondering what kind of man this Giotto is."
Romario nodded, easily guessing what his boss must be thinking. They had been invited to the Vongola HQ to discuss a possible alliance with the young family. Romario himself was against the idea of allying themselves with the Vongola. The Chiavarone was a very old family, and they had a lot of power. If the Vongola were to gain such an ally so early on, their influence in Italy would increase drastically, and the sudden power could corrupt them.
"Come along, then, no use standing out here," said Giovanni, breaking into the twenty-three-year-old's thoughts.
As the two approached the mansion, the large double doors flew open before Romario could even ring the doorbell.
"Welcome, signore Chiavarone, it is a pleasure to have you here," greeted the elderly butler who had opened the door for them. "Please, do step inside. Vongola Primo is waiting for you in his office; I am to lead you there."
Nodding curtly, Giovanni followed closely after the elderly man, not wanting to lose his way in enemy territory. He had to admit, the mansion was indeed splendid, beautiful paintings hung on the walls, and expensive looking carpets covered most of the floor. The furniture looked beautiful and delicate, but he knew it was all a lot sturdier than it looked, and glass chandeliers lit up all the rooms. The layout, though, was more than a little confusing, and he found himself wondering (on more than one occasion) how the occupants kept from getting lost.
After a few minutes of walking, the little party of three arrived at a pair of ornately carved double doors which, without a doubt, were the entrance to Vongola Primo's office.
The butler opened the door for them, and Giovanni stepped in, looking around at the lavish office in which he suddenly found himself.
The room had a cozy feeling, with cream coloured walls and plush sofas surrounding a black coffee table in the middle of the room. The walls were devoid of paintings, and in their stead hung many photos of Primo and his guardians; pictures in which they were all smiling and laughing happily. Immediately upon seeing the pictures, Giovanni felt himself warm up to the boss a little; it was obvious the man cared for his Family.
Before long, his eyes were turned upon the blond himself whose sky blue eyes were dancing with kindness despite the serious expression he wore on his face. The man was about half a head shorter than him, and his unruly blond hair was sticking every which way.
Behind the young mafia don was his rumoured right-hand, a man known only as G. G had chin-length, pale red hair that looked almost pink, and eyes that were just a shade darker than his hair. On the right side of his face was a red tattoo that seemed to represent a storm flame, and his expression seemed less than friendly.
As Giovanni was studying him, Giotto as doing the same to him, taking in his strong green eyes, and raven black hair that was cut to the nape of his neck, with a few streaks of silver running through it; the only signs of his true age. Despite being in his late thirties, the man had a young face, and he was quite handsome, even considering the long, thin scar that ran from the corner of his left eye down to his chin.
"It's a pleasure to meet you, signore Giovanni. My name is Giotto, and I am boss of the Vongola Famiglia of Milan, Italy," said the younger boss, holding out his hand in greeting.
Shaking his hand, Giovanni nodded and smiled, returning the greeting. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Giotto."
Almost an hour after Giovanni had arrived at the Vongola HQ, he and Giotto were still talking, but they'd both relaxed quite a bit. Giotto was seeing that the boss of the prestigious Chiavarone family wasn't as scary as he'd once thought, he was actually quite nice; and Giovanni was finding that Giotto, despite lacking in experience, had the makings of a great mafia don. Even Romario, who had been so set on rejecting the Vongola's request for an alliance slowly found himself changing his mind. All they needed was one little push to make the decision; and that's when it happened.
Giotto had begun explaining how he had come to the decision to form the Vongola and had somehow gotten sidetracked with a story on how G had gotten the tattoo on his cheek when there was a knock on the door.
All the occupants of the room jumped a little in surprise; what could be so important that someone would interrupt the meeting of two mafia dons?
"Come in!" called Giotto, immediately switching to boss mode, something Giovanni had noticed in the last hour they'd spent together. With different people, the young man had different personalities; with friends, he was just plain old, sometimes childish Giotto; with subordinates he was the boss they looked up to, etc. It seemed that Giovanni had gradually fallen into the friends category.
Slowly, the door opened, and in came a dishevelled looking maid.
Curtsying once, she immediately began apologizing. "I'm very sorry to interrupt you, master Giotto, but young masters Tsunayoshi and Hayato have woken up and they won't stop crying."
The Chiavarone Family boss' eyebrows rose to his hairline. Young masters?
"We've tried everything," continued the maid. "We've tried feeding them, but they're not hungry, and they keep spitting their pacifiers out. We even checked their diapers, but they're clean."
"What about the other guardians? Where's Elena?" asked Giotto, who really wanted to go comfort his son right away.
"Everyone except master Knuckle is out, and he has his hands full with young master Takeshi."
Flicking his eyes over to the Chiavarone Family boss, Giotto hesitated for a second, then finally said, "Bring them both in here, and get Antony and Alessandro in here too."
The maid's expression became relieved, and she said, "Right away, Master Giotto!"
When she had left, Giotto turned back to Giovanni. "I apologize greatly for this disturbance," he said, bowing his head a little.
"No need to worry, no need at all," said Giovanni, who was quite curious to see who these young masters were. A few moments later, his question was answered as the sound of distant wailing came closer.
Finally, the door burst open, and in came two maids, carrying two crying infants followed by two burly subordinates dressed in expensive-looking black suits.
Immediately, Giotto and G both got up to meet them halfway and took the crying babies from the maids, who quickly scurried out of the room. The subordinates, however, stayed.
Giovanni then watched a curious scene unfold as Giotto first placed a kiss on the head of the baby whom he was holding, then walked over to his desk and opened a drawer. Out of the drawer, he took two . . . pacifiers? Opening one, he popped it into the mouth of the infant he was holding, and threw the other one to G, who did the same with the other baby.
Giovanni watched in fascination as Giotto's personality made another change; now he was the concerned father. Even G's scowl, which he'd worn the whole time they were there, had softened to a gentle smile as he calmed down the baby in his arms.
Before long, both babies were asleep, and Giotto and G resumed their previous seats, with the babies still tucked firmly in the crook of their arms. As the two subordinates took their places beside Giotto and his right-hand, Giovanni belatedly realised that they were bodyguards.
Smiling apologetically, Giotto said, "Please forgive us, Giovanni, Tsunayoshi and Hayato only joined us here at the mansion a few months ago, and they still get spooked if they wake up and don't see anyone they recognise.
Giovanni nodded in understanding; he himself had a seven-year-old son, and he remembered how hard it had been for him and his wife the first few years.
"What about their mothers, though?" he asked curiously.
Giotto sighed as he heard the question he had known was coming. "They're no longer a part of our lives," he said, forcing a smile.
Giovanni nodded understandingly and didn't say anymore.
After a moment of silence, he stood up, saying, "Anyways, I apologize, but I really must be going now. A lot to be done."
"Oh, yes, of course," said Giotto, getting up to shake his hand, shifting Tsuna to his left arm..
He would have said more, but Giovanni cut him off with a smile, saying, "When can I expect the contract to be done?"
The younger man's eyes widened marginally before he schooled his expression, and said in a polite voice, "I will have someone start working on it right away. It will probably be done in a week or two."
Nodding, Giovanni smiled brightly, his eyes twinkling with amusement. "Great. Oh, and Giotto, there's really no need to be so formal. We're friends now, hm?"
At this, a wide grin broke onto the blonde's face and he probably would have hugged the older man if he wasn't holding Tsuna. "Friends it is, then. You should know that this means you'll have to come over often so we can all get to know each other."
The Chiavarone boss merely let out a small chuckle and said, "Will do. I hope you won't mind if I bring my son Dino with me. He's quite a bit older than your kids, but I'm sure they'll all become great friends in the future."
"That's great!" exclaimed Giotto as he walked his newfound friend to the door. "Mukuro and Chrome, my mist guardian's one-year-old twins, don't get to spend time with other children much. It could be a good experience for them."
"Well then, I'll be sure to bring Dino with me next time. Until then, farewell Giotto," said Giovanni with a smile. After being led back to the front door, he waved goodbye, and made for his car, which was already waiting for him in the driveway.
As Romario drove off Vongola property, he asked, "So, what convinced you?"
"Pardon?" asked his boss, sounding confused.
"Before the meeting, you were reluctant to agree to an alliance," his friend stated bluntly. "What convinced you?"
Giovanni thought for a moment, then said, "There were a great many things, but I guess what really convinced me was his son."
Romario nodded once, as if he had expected this, and his boss continued.
"Giotto seems like a very kind man, and I can tell that he sincerely cares for his Famiglia. Even before the maid interrupted us, I was close to accepting, but when I saw the way in which he interacted with his son, with such endless patience, that was what really made me want him as our ally. He is one that would do anything to protect those he cares about; the mafia world needs more men like that. I know that there will be a day on which the Vongola will stand on equal footing with us, or possibly even surpass us. When that day comes, I want the Chiavarone Famiglia to stand proudly by their side."
SkyGem: So, what did you think? Please do review and tell me what you thought, ne? Oh, and the time skip which I promised will probably be in the next chapter. Anyways, until tomorrow, ciao~