Edit: Since I don't know who guessed first and I suppose it wouldn't really be fair... this chapter is dedicated to everyone who guessed Renato was Reborn. LOL Great job guys. I guess I put in too many hints if so many people got it...
Everyone give a hand to brightonlovesfrance for betaing! Thanks so much!
Disclaimer: Again, I no own!
Back to Tsuna and co.! Read and review!
A Day in the Life
Chapter 4
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For the first time ever in his life, Tsuna woke up early.
He yawned as he stumbled to the window and lazily observed the bustling streets of Italy. Although it was around five in the morning, people were already up and going about their daily errands.
An optimistic smile snaked its way onto the teenager's face as he realized that they would also be busy today.
Last night before he'd gone to bed, he'd thought of an extremely clever escape plan. If what Timoteo had said was true, then Renato was still out there somewhere and they were going to find him!
Tsuna was absolutely certain that with a little persuasion and smooth talking, the former boss candidate would be willing to help him out. It was perfect!
This was precisely why the brunette had awoken bright and early on this particular day. They obviously had a lot of work to do if they were going to gather information on Renato!
"Now let's see, we'll have to ask all of the crazy mafioso we know," he mused out loud. "That would include the Varia, Aria-san's famiglia, the Cavallone, and CEDEF. Plus we need to see if there's anything at Vongola HQ."
His eyes widened a little as he realized something: he didn't want to see the majority of those people! He groaned in dread as he picked up his phone from the bedside table.
Maybe if they split up, the chances of him getting killed would lessen. With that thought in mind, Tsuna began dialing several numbers onto the keypad.
Now came the hardest part of his plan: waking and gathering all of his guardians.
Unbeknownst to the future Decimo, one of his friends had been wide awake for a while.
Takeshi Yamamoto breathed in the cool, crisp Sicilian air as he ran past vendors, early shoppers, and people commuting to work.
He hadn't slept very well last night. At around four in the morning, he had bolted upright in his luxurious bed and paced around the hotel room several times. Finally, he'd decided that perhaps a morning jog would help him settle down.
Ever since that talk with the Ninth yesterday, the dark-haired teen had been especially on the edge. Not only was he unhappy about moving soon, he also felt guilty for keeping a particular secret from the rest of his frends.
Speaking of which, he'd almost forgotten! The swordsman abruptly stopped in the middle of the sidewalk and searched for an area with more privacy.
He quickly ducked into a nearby alley and scanned for any suspicious looking bystanders. Once the coast was clear, he took his phone out of his coat pocket. His fingers trembled slightly in anticipation as he dialed in a familiar number.
"Hello? Who is this?" a voice answered. In the background, the clatter of silverware and plates could be heard. It must be time for breakfast over there.
The athlete stared intently at the ground, sorting out what to say in his mind. "It's Yamamoto."
The rain attribute sighed and watched as a tiny ant crawled away from his shoe, obviously intimidated by him. He was probably just as scared as that ant right now.
"Oh, it's you. How did that meeting go?"
"Not good. We discussed our futures," the baseball enthusiast replied. "The Ninth mentioned you, by the way."
A pause. Yamamoto faintly heard a feminine voice humming and more clinking of silverware. "What for?"
"Tsuna still doesn't want to lead the famiglia and he asked about you. I'm guessing that we'll probably be looking for you, Renato."
A loud shatter echoed, even though the phone's speakers. The other male had obviously broken something. A plate or a coffee mug perhaps?
Yamamoto gulped as the voice on the other line turned from casual to steely. Now he'd made him angry! "And what did you say?" the speaker questioned menacingly.
The younger of the two laughed apprehensively. "Don't worry, I didn't say anything about you. I promised to keep it a secret after all!"
"...Good. Now keep it that way." the mysterious individual retorted. "And Yamamoto?"
"Y-yes?" The younger male tugged on his jacket collar nervously. He made a mental note to try to avoid associating with people like Renato from now on.
"Just in case you forget to be quiet about this, I want you to keep something in mind." The person stopped then, as if to prolong the suspense. "Do you recall the time that you trained with me?"
Yamamoto suppressed the involuntary urge to shiver. Of course he did. Training with him had been the most terrifying and painful ordeal he'd ever undertaken. He chose to remain silent.
Renato continued his threat. "If I hear that you talked, I won't hold back this time. I guarantee you, no one will ever find your miserable carcass. Understand?"
The normally cheerful boy's breath hitched in fear. Contrary to popular belief, he wasn't as oblivious as everyone thought. This time, his so-called natural instincts told him that Renato wasn't joking.
"O-of course I do."
Just as quickly as the wrath had appeared, the older male's tone was immediately replaced with satisfaction. "Excellent! I knew I made the right choice telling you my secret, Yamamoto!" the voice chirped. "I need to go now, but don't forget that I'll be in Italy soon!"
And with that, the dangerous conversation ended and Renato hung up. Yamamoto leaned against the wall and ran a hand through his spiky hair. If he'd known this would happen, then maybe he'd been better off unaware!
The rain flame user winced when he spotted the ant from earlier lying motionless on the ground. Apparently, it had been crushed by his foot during his anxiety.
Yamamoto shut his eyes tightly and tried not to think about the similarities. If he revealed anything, Renato would surely crush him, just like he had to the ant.
The part-time swordsman jumped in surprise when his phone rang once again. He composed himself and managed to answer the incoming call somewhat calmly. "Hello?"
It was Tsuna. "Yamamoto! Where in the world are you? We're having a meeting at the hotel conference room and you're the only one missing!"
Said teen laughed sheepishly as he replied, "Haha! Sorry Tsuna! I went for a run this morning and kinda got lost." Yamamoto sincerely hoped that he'd hidden the wariness in his voice, otherwise he was in big trouble.
Thankfully, the brunette failed to notice and continued to scold him in that gentle way of his. "It's fine. Just get over here as soon as you can!"
Effectively masking the rest of his inner turmoil, Yamamoto replied to the command with fake cheer. "If you say so! I'm on my way!"
After he hung up, the raven haired boy frowned. His guess had been right after all. This meeting was probably about searching for Renato. It's a good thing he'd remembered to warn him ahead of time.
He snorted at the irony as he kept on jogging to his destination. Instead of calming himself down, this morning jog had done the complete opposite.
Tsuna pinched the bridge of his nose in exasperation. Couldn't any of his guardians learn to behave?
"Save some bacon for others, Turf-top!" Gokudera shouted.
"Bacon is an extremely good source of protein, Octopus-head! I need lots to keep up my strength to the extreme!"
As the two argued loudly, Lambo, of all people, was quietly sitting in a plush chair eating his breakfast.
The typical chaos was cut off, however, when the doors slid open and their missing member stepped in the room. Right off the bat, Gokudera sent a scathing glare at the newcomer and proceeded to scold him.
"Where the hell have you been? How dare you keep Tenth waiting, you baseball idiot!"
Yamamoto laughed and scratched the back of his head sheepishly. "My bad! Kinda got lost in the city this morning!"
"It's alright Yamamoto. Just take a seat please," Tsuna butted in before the silverette could belittle his fellow guardian any further. The brunette looked around at his family in satisfaction. Since they were all here, the meeting could finally get started.
"Today we'll split up and try to gather information on Renato. I'll start with Ryohei. Big brother, you and Lambo will go to Varia and see if they know anything."
The energetic boxer rose and pumped his fist into the air. "Yeah! Come on Lambo! We'll find him to the extreme!"
The childlike pair set down their plates and raced towards the door. As they headed to the exit, the others heard Lambo giggling. "Whahaha! The great Lambo-sama will find him first! Back off!"
Those remaining blinked in surprise. Had someone slipped the young boy any caffeine this morning?
Gokudera glanced uncertainly at the door. "Tenth are you sure it's a good idea to send those idiots to the Varia?"
Tsuna shrugged. "They'll be fine. Besides, big brother is on pretty good terms with them."
The brunette cleared his throat and continued once Ryohei and Lambo had gone. "Anyway, I've somehow convinced Hibari-san to talk to Dino. But for some reason, I can't seem to find Mukuro or the rest of Kokuyo anywhere."
Tsuna clapped his hands together and beamed at his best friends. "So then! Gokudera-kun will go back to Vongola HQ and search for any records of Renato. As for you, Yamamoto, I want you to visit CEDEF and see if they know anything."
"Of course Tenth! I'll do my very best!"
"I guess I could do that, Tsuna!"
And with that, the sky attribute was the only one remaining in the room. Tsuna sighed and glanced at the mess they'd made. He put 100 Euros in the middle of the table and stood from his seat. If he was going to leave this disaster for the employees to clean up, he should at least leave a good tip.
Like the rest of his friends, Tsuna began walking out the door, intent on acquiring much-needed information. He smiled smugly to himself as he strode past the lobby.
If he didn't want to see any of those psychos or read a ton of books, it only made sense to leave the easiest task for himself right?
All he had to do was see how the Giglio Nero were coping with memories from the future.
Ganauche III glanced around the damp, dark room and shivered. It sure was creepy here.
He willed himself to stay instead of turning around and running for his life. After all, he had important business to take care of.
He looked up when the door opened and a cloaked figure stepped in. Chains attached to the cloak rattled and loose bandages dragged on the floor as the figure stepped towards him.
The lightning user cringed when the head of Vendicare Prison, Bermuda von Vichtenstein, towered over him and sent him a bone-chilling glare.
"Why have you come here, Vongola?" he questioned.
Ganauche struggled to retain his composure as he replied, "I'm here to inform you of some interesting news."
At this, Bermuda's eyebrows rose skeptically. "And what could you possibly know that we Vindice would find intriguing?"
"Do you recall when I went here on a mission and you told me about the eighth flame?" Ganauche cast an expectant look at the corrupt warden but received no response. "Well he's alive. My boss accidentally confirmed it during a meeting."
The Vindici noticeably stiffened at the mafioso's bold declaration. "I beg your pardon?"
Regaining a bit of his earlier bravado, Ganauche crossed his arms and repeated the previous statement. "That's right. Renato Di Capo is alive."
For a while, the dim room remained deathly silent. Then, Bermuda burst into fits of laughter.
"Do you really expect me to believe that? My most trusted subordinate told me he'd witnessed the death himself!"
The short tempered man scowled and glared at the ominous looking figure. "I'm not lying, I swear!"
A cruel glint appeared in the infamous jailer's eyes. "Really now? Would you be willing to bet your life on that?"
Ganauche's eyes widened in surprise. "Wh-what?"
An evil chuckle escaped from Bermuda's mouth. "Alright. I'll play along. But if I find out that you're lying, then you're as good as dead. Capisce?"
The younger male nodded arrogantly. It had to be true! "So will we look for him now?" the ninth generation guardian queried.
Bermuda shook his head as another sinister laugh echoed throughout the gloomy area. He leaned against the wall casually, as if plotting someone's demise occured on a daily basis.
"Of course not. If what you say is true, then I suppose that foolish Sawada Tsunayoshi and his friends are searching for Renato as we speak."
The Vindici gazed at the wall pensively. "And when they do find him, we strike," he finished. "That damned Vongola will regret breaking the deal between us."
Ganauche smiled in satisfaction. "What about the flame?"
"Don't you worry about that. That's private Vindice business. Now leave, before I change my mind and kill you right now," Bermuda said crisply.
The man held up his hands defensively and obliged with the order. Ganauche hurriedly walked down the halls of Vendicare and averted the other guards' curious gazes. His job here was done.
Back at the shadowy room, Bermuda cackled loudly. That imbecile had no idea what he'd just started. When Renato was found, the missing eighth flame would finally be his once again! And when that happened, his plans could finally be set in motion.
Bermuda relished the very thought of making that blasted Di Capo suffer as he made his way to his "trustworthy" subordinate. He needed to have a talk with that traitor.
And so the plot soup thickens! Ohoho, and now we add Vindice to the mix...
For some reason, this chapter was really difficult for me to write. Oh well, lemme know what you thought! Whether you loved it, liked it, hated it, or didn't really get it, I want to know! :D
Sorry for a short update. Don't panic! I've already got chapter 5 typed out! Now it just needs to be corrected...
If you feel like making any plot predictions, I'd like to hear them by the way. Those make me happy.
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