Tsuna pressed a small bundle of ice to his lip and watched Dino and his teacher silently, the blonde, the group had learned was named Basil, he worked for The External Advisors for the Family, they're organization was called CEDEF. The boy has been tasked to bring Tsuna and his family members whatever was in that black box that had been stolen.
"So, Now that this 'Squalo' has it, Do we go after him?" Tsuna asked curiously from his seat.
"Well the thing is," Dino started, producing a box that was identical to the one that had been stolen "I have the real ones right here."
"Ones?" Tsuna questioned
Dino opened the box, revealing a small circle of half rings in the centre was a slightly larger ring of the same kind, Tsuna didn't really know what to make of the contents of the box.
"Those, Are the Vongola Rings'." Reborn announced flatly staring at his student seriously "The person who possesses them is recognized by every member of the family as the next successor to the Vongola Boss."
Tsuna picked up the ring in the centre "They are only half rings though."
"Yeah, That means it's obviously troublesome." Reborn explained cryptically.
"Tsuna, The succession usually goes like this," Dino began "The boss and the External Advisor choose candidates for the successor, most of the time these two parties agree on the successor and the full ring is sent."
"But if one disagrees each successor receives half of the ring," Tsuna finished following the process easily enough "So what now?"
"The Ring Conflict," Reborn uttered darkly "We don't know who your opponent is, But you certainly will need training, you couldn't even scratch Squalo today, you need to be stronger."
Tsuna nodded his head "There are seven rings, who gets the other six?"
Dino held out a small chain, Tsuna took it and threaded the Vongola Ring onto it "Don't worry, They will all be delivered soon enough, for now go get some rest for your training."
Tsuna stared at the taller blonde apprehensively for a minute before nodding his head "I'll come back tomorrow."
The pair nodded as Tsuna left the room.
Tsuna walked down the corridor and stepped into the waiting room of the small medical facility Dino owned, he sighed as he mentally prepared himself for his walk home, Kyoko's back was turned to him as he entered the room silently, he cleared his throat and she turned around and smiled her normal heartwarming smile, a small gentle smile played out on his face as he spoke "Let's go home Kyoko-chan."
She nodded her head and got to her feet, the two fell into step as they left, Kyoko watched Tsuna carefully as they walked, it was pretty obvious Tsuna had something on his mind, the way his eyebrows furrowed was a telltale sign. She stepped ahead of him quickly and give his forehead a light flick, his eyes widened in surprise "What's wrong, Tsu-kun?"
He chuckled "Am I that obvious?"
Kyoko nodded and he sighed and looked around himself, spotting a nearby park he gestured for her to follow him as he found a bench and sat down "I promised to tell you what was going on when I found out, but there is something I need to tell you before that."
Kyoko waited patiently for the boy to form his words properly before she cut him off "You mean the Vongola, right?"
Tsuna's mouth just hung open as all his well thought out explanations and apologies flew out of his head "Y-Y-How, uh, why do you know about that?"
"Onii-chan told me, He explained that just because you are in a mafia you're not 'bad' I didn't believe him at first, so I confronted Gokudera and Yamamoto about it too, it was while you were still unconscious from the fight at Kokuyo Land, they told me you didn't want me to hate you so you kept it hidden, I wanted to wait for you to tell me, but you seemed to worried just now I thought I'd make it easier." Kyoko explained quickly, Tsuna had a little difficulty following it properly but he nodded his head slowly in understanding.
"So, uh…You don't care?" Tsuna asked slowly
Kyoko shook her head vehemently "I care about you, I don't like the idea of you fighting, I don't like anybody close to me getting hurt. But I know you are not bad, neither is my brother, or Gokudera-kun or Yamamoto-kun and I know you will all protect each other."
"Well, everything just got quite a bit more troublesome." Tsuna began, removing the ring from the chain under his shirt he leaned forward as Kyoko pulled it up to examine it "This is a Vongola Ring, there are 7, including this one. Each one will likely go to the people closest to me and 4 others, but the thing is, we only got half of the rings."
"Why?" Kyoko asked
"The External Advisor and the Ninth, the current head of the Vongola, are apparently arguing over the successor, "Tsuna explained as he looked off into the distance "We are going to need to fight for the other half, who we are fighting I don't know. But I won't lose."
Kyoko chuckled "You know," She leaned her head against his shoulder and the boy placed his hand on her shoulder "You're surprisingly competitive, you were the same with Mochida."
"Huh? That was totally different," Tsuna defended "I only did that because…well, um."
"I know, to defend me or whatever reason you had at the time," Kyoko laughed, her head fell off his shoulder and landed in his lap as she stretched over the bench, she placed a hand on the brown haired boys cheek and rubbed it with her thumb slowly as he smiled gently down at her "But I know you won't lose."
"Well, I had better get you home, you will definitely want to interrogate your older brother when he gets back from his date right?" Tsuna chuckled
"Can we stay here a little longer?" Kyoko asked, puffing up her cheeks and giving him the most painful of puppy dog stares she could muster.
"I-I, you didn't have to manipulate me into it," Tsuna complained scratching the back of his head in embarrassment "I guess we can stay a little lo-"
He cut off as Kyoko grabbed his collar tightly and pulled his head down to meet her, she let him go just as quickly and just sat in stunned silence "Haru was right, It really works."
Tsuna shook his head "Don't take advice from Haru and Gokudera!"
"But it's interesting." Kyoko pouted and looked up at him.
"Nope," Tsuna closed his eyes and turned his head away "Not this time, stop taking their advice, it's not fair."
"You're wide open!" Kyoko exclaimed as she pounced towards him, the movement was so subtle she barely caught it, Tsuna snapped around and twisted, she flew past him before she was caught and spun around, his face hovering dangerously over hers, a wicked smile over his face, heat flooded Kyoko's face as she held her breath as his eyes flickered from her eyes to her mouth and back.
"Ah, Okaa-san, Look a couple!" A small child suddenly shouted, the pair of teens rifled up and slid to opposite sides of the benches, cheeks alight with red as the older woman hushed her child and moved him along lightly.
"So, Uh, better get you home." Tsuna laughed nervously
"Yeah," Kyoko nodded "Wouldn't want my parent's to worry."
The walk back was spent in silent embarrassment, neither wanted to speak first and so neither spoke at all 'It's so awkward!' Tsuna thought to himself 'Why did I do that? I let myself get carried away that easily?!'
'We were so close, Why'd that little kid have to come along right there, I'm just trying to make Tsuna take some initiative for once.' Kyoko thought as she walked, her face slowly twisted into a scowl and a frown set upon her face.
Tsuna glanced at his girlfriend out of the corner of his eye 'She's mad right? She definitely looks mad, but she seemed pretty open to the kiss.' He shook his head, interrupting that train of thought as soon as it started as the girls gate came into view, the pair slowed down slightly, each had a few things they wanted to say neither really knowing how to go about it.
"Sorry."
"Tsuna."
The two spoke simultaneously and started, before Tsuna took a deep break and continued "Sorry, I let myself get carried away so easily."
Kyoko stared at him wide eyed "No!"
Tsuna was slightly startled by the exclamation.
"I mean," Kyoko continued "You don't have to apologize, I…wanted you too." She trailed off at the end and Tsuna only barely caught it.
His cheeks reddened slightly "Oh." He let out quietly
They got too Kyoko's gate and the girl turned around to face him, before Tsuna's hands wrapped around her waist and pulled her flush against him, his lips pressed to hers for a firm second before she leaned her head back to look up at him, he turned his head away slightly "You wanted me too, right?"
Kyoko smiled "Yeah." She pecked his cheek one more time before going inside.
Tsuna placed his hands in his pockets as he made his way home.
Ryohei rubbed at his forearm for a moment as he stared at the nameplate in front of a small suburban house, Kurokawa Hana, he closed his eyes took a deep breath and reached forward hitting the small button underneath the nametag, a few seconds passed before a voice crackled through the speaker.
"Yes?" A older feminine voice asked through the intercom.
"Good evening, It's Ryohei Sasagawa, I was looking for Kurokawa-san." He decided to be level and respectful, fake date or no he was going to go all out 'Well it's either that or forget my motto.' He grimaced slightly at the thought.
"I'll send her down, Ryohei-kun." The voice replied kindly
"Thank you." Ryohei inclined his head, although nobody could see him, he leaned against the concrete fence and took another set of deep breaths 'Calm down, it's just Hana, not like she can magically become a super model in two days, she'll just insult me as usual and I'm trying to make the night fun enough that she forgets about the bet.' Ryohei mentally reassured himself, although the image of the pair kissing flashing through his mind snapped his already frail resolve, He straightened and thought about running, telling Hana that she won cause he felt sick or something.
"Oi, Ape." He froze and turned around, maybe it was just the moonlight or his crazed mind just playing tricks on him, but in that single moment he had never seen a more beautiful person in his life. His mouth dropped open, as he looked the girl in front of him up and down, the light sky blue gown covered her modestly, showing a small amount of her chest and stopping just before her knee's, a small white jacket covered her arms and shoulders to guard from the cold, a white scarf wrapped around her neck, a small amount of makeup was on her face, making her lips seem fuller and her eyes glow slightly. The white high heels completed the look perfectly, her pearly skin seemed to glow in the light and Ryohei forced himself out of the stupor with a quick shake of his head.
"You look…really beautiful." He muttered flatly, it was the honest truth and he wouldn't take the words back no matter how many replays of that moment he got.
Hana's eyes widened at the white haired boy in front of her, granted she hadn't been expecting much at all, it took her a long time to finally speak up after she left her home, the black suit Ryohei wore made his hair stand out quite a bit more, his grey eyes glowed in the light and the orange undershirt he wore was unevenly tucked in, the right side hanging over his leg, the shirt hugged his body dangerously tightly, Hana knew how many years of devoted training had forged the small buffet for the eyes underneath the shirt, she briefly imagined what it would be like to run her fingers over them, the scar on the left corner of his left eye gave the smile on his face a certain glint that made her heart beat faster in her chest whether she liked it or not "Um, thanks." She uttered quietly not quite trusting her voice.
"Um, this is for you." He held out a single white rose, she took it in her hand and smiled warmly, it was an expression he had never seen before, his heart beat rapidly against his chest.
"Hang on I'll go put it inside." She took it from him and went to turn around, he caught her wrist quickly and she raised an eyebrow at him, he took the rose back, he had bought it so the thorns had already been removed, her bent the stem around quickly and placed the small flower over the corner of her dress, it sat just below her collar bone against her rapidly beating heart.
Ryohei smiled warmly at her "I like this way better."
Hana brushed a strand of hair behind her ear and took a quick breath "So, What stupid place are you taking me too ape?" She demanded curtly
"Don't worry, Tonight is going to be extremely romantic, I promise you that." Ryohei boasted simply
"Hah! I hope you are ready to throw that motto of yours out the window, You'll never make my heart skip a beat!" Hana exclaimed defiantly
Ryohei smirked at her "Well, we will see, I hope you don't mind me as your first kiss."
Hana's mouth moved but no words came out, instead the two fell into silent steps as she followed Ryohei into the shopping district of Namimori.
Hana's mind continued to place herself with the loudmouth beside her, even she had noticed her was quieter lately, if the reactions of the girls in his class were anything to go off, he was rapidly gaining popularity now that he wasn't screaming at anyone to have an extreme day. She had fully expected him to run away or feign some kind on illness, but she had enough faith to get dressed up and wait for him, when her mother said she was their she even felt relieved, she was well aware at her mind and hearts contradictions, but that didn't mean she was going to lose.
He pulled open the door to small restaurant and waited for her to walk though, the place wasn't anything amazing just a small comfy kind of place, with a warm atmosphere and smiling staff. He came her often when he wasn't training the food was good, it was the best place he knew off.
"I've never actually came in here," Hana admitted simply "It's a nice place isn't it?"
"Yeah, I come here when I am taking breaks," Ryohei replied as he walked up to a waiter standing behind a small pedestal with that nights reservations, the two spoke quietly for a minute and then they were being led through the small establishment, finally they were taken upstairs and into an extension, the room was a table tucked in the corner and a pool table in the centre, it seemed more like it was made for parties than a two person date, Ryohei noticed Hana's look of confusion "There isn't a better view of the sky in the city, trust me."
"Please call if you need anything, Sasagawa-san." The waiter bowed politely before leaving the room, Ryohei pulled out a chair and gestured for Hana to sit down, food was already placed on the small table, on Ryohei's side was the same thing he always ordered, a hamburger with a large side of chips and a coke, Hana raised her eyebrows at her own meal, as far as she knew she had never told him her favorite food, so either he was really great at guessing or he asked someone for help.
"So, did Kyoko help you set this up?" Hana asked as she sat down.
"No," Ryohei frowned "Why?"
"When did I ever tell you I like Lasagna?" Hana shot at him
"You ordered it all the time when we used to all go to family restaurants with your folks and mine, I just remembered." Ryohei replied as he sat down himself.
Hana stared at the boy across from her in disbelief, their families had gone on one outing ever, what kind of mind does a person have to remember what the younger sisters friend ordered, she sat down quietly and began eating.
As the two were finishing up their meals the lights in the room dimmed considerable and Hana started slightly, she sore Ryohei gesturing for her to look out the window, contrast to the darkness of the room, the night sky was alight with stars, the moon was halfway hidden by a mountain, the whole vista was simply amazing, she glanced at the boy across from her, it was definitely the light, but he seemed so much more mature in it, her heart beat hard against the small flower on her chest and she placed a hand over it. She felt something nick her finger and she drew a sharp breath and winced, lifting her finger to inspect it she spotted a small droplet of blood leaking from the side of her finger, she glanced down at the small rose and noticed a single thorn still attached, she pulled it off her other hand, Ryohei took her hand while she was distracted, she froze as he held her fingers lightly, as if he were afraid they'd break if he gripped them too tightly, his hands were warm, incredibly so, the skin was hardened from all the years he had practiced boxing, he lifted her finger and placed it in his mouth, clearing the blood away after a second, Hana just stayed frozen still as the boy released her hand, she was most definitely not going to lose, although apparently her heart hadn't heard the message at all as it beat hard against her chest once then went silently for what seemed like forever, before a second powerful thud beat against her chest.
"Hana, You okay?" Ryohei questioned worriedly, he had his hands on her shoulders and she shook herself lightly as she realized he had moved, the worry on his face was so foreign to her she actually laughed.
"I'm fine." She replied simply
Ryohei looked at her apprehensively, the lights returned to their full light and the pair stood up from their meal and made their way downstairs and back out onto the street. As the pair walked Hana remained quiet, Ryohei just watched hr curiously from the corner of his eyes, she seemed to be internally arguing about something, but he doubted she'd tell him even if her asked, if she wanted him to know he'd find out quickly. As they made it to a corner a car honked loudly as it rolled the curve, Ryohei flicked forward and spun Hana around, her eyes widened as the world spun around her before she was met with an unfamiliar scent and all she could see was a mess of orange, a gentle but firm grip on her back and wrist, the smell was comforting and the warmth radiating from the object reminded her of a warm summer day, her head rose slightly to meet two concerned grey orbs looking down at her, their noses were practically touching as Hana leaned forward on her toes and Ryohei lowered his head, the two met momentarily in a quick kiss. Before Hana's mind finally caught up to her, she shoved the white haired boy away harshly.
'I can't lose now.' She thought resolutely "What do you think you are doing?!"
Ryohei faltered "Uh, sorry, I wasn't thinking at all."
"Weren't thinking?!" Hana demanded "DO YOU EVER THINK?!"
"Hey, I think a lot, I worked really hard to make this night go well!" Ryohei shouted back
"All so you could keep your stupid motto?! Guess what you lost, My heart didn't move at all!" She felt like vomiting the moment the words left her mouth, she'd never lied through her teeth before.
Ryohei's eyes widened a little "I see." His head dropped slightly and he seemed like he had just been shot.
Hana wanted to reach out and grab him into a tight hug, 'You're not supposed to do that,' She thought as she gripped the small white rose in her right hand tightly "Exactly." She shot at him, despite her mind she continued the farce, believing she was to deep in it now to just turn around.
"I understand, getting kissed by someone you hate so much has got to hurt." Ryohei lifted his head forced a smile onto his face "I'm terribly sorry, you win, I'll never use my old motto again."
"Good." Hana replied flatly, she walked away and rounded a corner before she broke into a run that didn't stop until she had flopped down onto her bed heavily, the rose in her hand still clutched tightly.
Ryohei looked straight up into the sky and placed a hand over his eyes, thunder cracked somewhere in the distance and rain suddenly began pelting onto the street, a single line of water fell from his right eye just before the rain began to fall, as he turned and began walking towards his home.
The next morning, Tsuna sat in the waiting room in Dino's medical facility patiently, Reborn had called everyone to meet here, Tsuna was the first to arrive, the whole Ring Conflict had been on his mind and he was having trouble sleeping. The doors slid open, revealing Yamamoto and Gokudera, they greet Tsuna in their usual ways.
"Tsuna, You know anything about this?" Yamamoto held up a small black ring, a small rain drop was cut in half in the centre.
"Yeah, I got one too." Gokudera held up his own, it was almost identical, although the small signet was a cut in half Tornado.
"Oh, You two go the same things huh?" Ryohei sauntered it, he held up his fist, the black half ring had a cut in half circle in the centre.
"So, We are all in the same boat?" Lambo walked into the room casually, holding up a ring with a half lightning bolt in the centre.
"I got one too." Tsuna replied removing his half ring and holding it up.
"Yes, they are the Seven Vongola Half Rings." Reborn announced as he walked into the room, followed closely by Dino.
"That would mean" Gokudera started but was cut off be Dino.
"Yes, The Ring Conflict has begun, we have around two weeks before your opponents figure out the ones they stole are fakes." Dino explained.
"We also discovered who they are, They are the Elite Vongola Independent Assassination squad." Reborn announced simply.
"The Vongola are trying to kill me?!" Tsuna demanded "Why?"
"It would seem that Varia's boss is your opponent, Tsuna." Dino explained
"That's right, you have two weeks to get as strong as you can," Reborn smirked "But don't worry, I've called in a few favors, You'll have the best teachers possible."
"Hey, Which one of these maggots is mine?" A baby about the same size as Reborn padded into the room, a seagull was perched on his head and a large military rifle was sling on his back, a small blue pacifier glowed on his chest, he wore a green military suit and a bandana the numbers 01 on the side.
"Ryohei," The white haired boy lifted his head as Reborn spoke his name "This is Colonello, he's going to train you."
"Sure, I'm itching to hit something really hard." Ryohei growled, clenching his fist angrily.
Colonello smirked "Good, You'd better be ready."
The two left the room first.
"Tsuna, come with me." Reborn ordered
"Wait, Reborn! What about the rest, Lambo, Gokudera and Yamamoto?" Tsuna asked in confusion.
"Don't worry Tsuna, I know who I'm asking." Yamamoto waved off as he jogged out of the building.
"Me too." Gokudera inclined his head slightly and ran out of the room.
"I'll train a little more with I-Pin I think." Lambo announced casually before he left.
"See, they have it under control." Reborn stated calmly
"Wait, there are seven rings who where are the remaining two?" Tsuna asked as he followed the infant.
"Don't worry, your guardians all have their rings and they will show themselves when they need too." Reborn replied cryptically.
Hibari pushed his chair back as he twirled the small black ring he had found on his desk over the top his finger, the door to his office slid open and he peered at the newcomers calmly "And who might you gentlemen be?"
"I'm Dino, this is Romario, I came here to tell you about that ring you got in your hand." Dino replied calmly
Hibari leaned forward and smiled darkly "Interesting, let's hear it, I will decided whether or not to bite you to death afterwards."
'This kid.' Dino chuckled.
"Everything is moving accordingly, Mukuro-sama." A feminine voice said quietly
"Of course, you are welcome to greet your fellow comrades at any time. Don't let me hold you back." Mukuro chuckled
"Of course, Mukuro-sama." The feminine voice replied calmly.
"Oi, Gokudera-chan!" Gokudera clicked his tongue in annoyance at the old man that laid atop a hill, the famous Hitman had taught him once before, Trident Shamal, whilst Gokudera acknowledged his skill, he still hated everything about the perverted old man.
"What?!" He demanded angrily.
"Want a hint?" Shamal asked casually
Gokudera raised an eyebrow at the man "It's like flirting," The old man finished "This plane is a beautiful girl, your bomb is you, How do you woo her?"
Gokudera closed his eyes and took a deep breath, the man loosed the plane, Gokudera lit a stick of dynamite and flourished it into the air, before plucking it out of the air with his left hand and launching forward, just as the stick came close to the plane it exploded, the shredded pieces of plane fell to the ground a small distance away and Gokudera smirked.
"Very good, again." Shamal announced casually.
Ryohei wasn't calm at all, he was already angry before he came up into the mountains, but now, he was just laying on the ground staring at the sky, doing literally nothing, which left his mind completely clear of anything, but eventually one thing would rise to the surface and make him recall an entire night.
"Uh, Colonello-sensei," Ryohei asked flatly "When are we going to start training?"
"Right now," Colonello announced getting to his feet "Surprisingly you actually have been resting the last few days on your own, so we can get to it much quicker."
Ryohei raised an eyebrow at the small child.
"Ryohei, how do you make a blow hit harder?" Colonello asked as he unslung his rifle.
"I clenched my arm into my side tightly and rotate my entire body into the blow." Ryohei answered
"That works, but it will never bring the full potential of your punch out." Colonello smirked "Focus, put all of your resolve in your fist and unleash it in one massive strike."
Colonello's eyes narrowed slightly as he pulled the trigger "Maximum Shot!" He shouted loudly, a large blue round flew from the barrel of his gun and slammed into a nearby boulder, the stone was eviscerated and Ryohei covered his eyes against the debris flying at him.
"Now, You try it, break that rock there." Colonello gestured to a large boulder a small distance from them.
Ryohei nodded his head, he didn't really care what he hit as long as he got to hit something and he got to hit it hard, he raised his fist behind him and closed his eyes, his fist tightened as he focused his mind on his fist, he poured all his rage into the strike, his fist began to glow a violent gold and it shook slightly as he held it there before he launched it forward, it hit the rock and produced a thundering crack, before the stone suddenly splintered in front of him and fell to the ground.
"Well done!" Colonello shouted "Let's go again!"
"Yeah!" Ryohei shouted
"Ah, Takeshi your back earlier than I expected," Yamamoto's father chuckled as he waved to his son "Come round here and help me out a bit."
"Dad," Yamamoto said seriously as he sat down opposite his father, Tsuyoshi placed his knife down and watched his son carefully "I need you to teach me how to use a sword."
Tsuyoshi stared at his son for a few minutes before he untied his apron "Hang the Holiday sign on the door, I'm going to drill everything I know into you in two days."
Yamamoto nodded his head and darted to his front door, he hung up the sign and moved out the back to follow his father.
Lambo rolled his arm and neck as he walked, the stiffness in the joints refused to go away "I-Pin can be a Spartan too sometimes," He complained as he yawned "Well, She's still cute either way." He laughed to himself as he bought himself a drink from a vending machine in the park and took a sip, the sun was beginning to go down "We don't have that much time left."
"You don't have any!" A unfamiliar voice roared, Lambo dodged to the side quickly as a straight black object flew passed him and slammed into the vending machine, Lambo rolled over on his hands and slid to a stop, his drink had been cut in half he tossed the top half of the can away "Well, I guess I can buy another with the money I beat out of you." Lambo growled
The masked man in front of him had white hair, he wore the uniform of the Varia and held a parabola I his hand, the thing only looked like one though, on closer inspection it was more like a rapier or fencing sword. The white haired man's eyes narrowed and he charged the young Hitman, Lambo sidestepped the thrust and kicked the weapon out of the man's hands, the man spun into a kick and Lambo blocked, before delivering a strong kick to the man's other leg, the man flew into the air as Lambo, rotated his leg and brought his heel down on the man's chin, a crack rang around the park, Lambo could hear the crackling of a radio and he crouched down and pulled the device from the man's ear.
"Tre! What happened? What's going on? Over." The voice crackled through angrily
"Tre's taking a nap, but since you guys are after me, Why don't you come here so I can line you all up next to him." Lambo droned through the microphone.
"Cocky child!" Another man clothed the same way as the last launched himself towards Lambo's back, Lambo turned a lazy gaze to the man as he was slammed into the ground by a powerful left hook.
Ryohei gave a thumbs up towards Lambo and smirked.
"Due?" The voice questioned through the microphone
"Where's Uno, that way we can line up the one two three." Lambo asked through the microphone.
"Don't get too complacent!" The third man dressed the same way leapt into the air and lined up Lambo in the air, a small stick of Dynamite flew into his side, before the man could register the object it exploded, sending him slamming into the ground.
"Tch, I hope the rest of the Varia are stronger than these fools."
"Neshishi, I guess he doesn't what know underlings are for," A tall blonde chuckled from an elevated section of the park "Are you stupid?"
The group turned to face the group above them, to the left of the blonde, a green haired man wore a Varia uniform and dark sunglasses, an orange section of fur lined his hood. To his right was a black haired man, tattoo's of lightning bolts spread across his face and he glared at Lambo fiercely. A large hulking man stood behind the group, steam flew from the gas mask that covered his face he made no other sound. A small infant like person hovered a few feet from them, Tsuna thought he looked a lot like Reborn or Colonello, he just lacked a pacifier. The long white haired swordsman watched Yamamoto with a wide grin on his face.
"Voi! I can't wait to slice you brats into fillets!" He shouted loudly
"Shut up, Trash." A large dark haired man stepped through the group and glared down at Tsuna, Tsuna returned the look calmly.
The last member of the Varia had a large scar on his left cheek and another above his left eye, a small raccoon tail hung from the piercings in his ear, a few feathers sat around that, He wore the Varia uniform jacket over his shoulders like a cloak, wore a white button up shirt with a loosened tie and black pants, he turned his glare on each of the members of Tsuna's party.
"Trash, all of you." A smirk appeared on his face as he lifted his hand, a dark orange glow appeared in his hand, it resembled Tsuna's flame, only there was something he considered off about it.
"Whoa now," An unfamiliar voice warned, Xanxus felt his knee get kicked inwards and fell forward, a hand enclosed on his hand and around his chin, forcing him to stare at the dark brown eyes and blonde hair of, Sawada Iemitsu, "Hey there Tsuna, How have you been?" The man asked casually as if the two groups of people weren't ready to kill each other.
Xanxus's flame died down in the man's hand and Iemitsu pushed him away "You wanted to be boss so badly, this is the result, You can't harm each other outside of the ring conflict."
Xanxus scoffed "What's wrong? Afraid your boy's gonna get killed?"
"Don't push it Xanxus, the Ninth approved this, but that doesn't mean I can't kill you and frame somebody else for it I don't have to like it," Iemitsu warned darkly "You might all want to get some rest, The Ninth's representatives will announce the first match soon enough.
"Actually, We will do so right now, Sawada-san." Every head in the park turned to the newcomers, apparently appearing out of thin air, the two longhaired women were dressed identically and had long pink hair "The first match in the Ring Conflict, will be between…The Guardians of the Sun, at Namimori High School tomorrow evening."
"Oha! First!" The green haired man exclaimed happily, clapping his hands together and eyeing the teens carefully.
Ryohei tilted his head and looked at his opponent calmly, the man chuckled "See you tomorrow little doves." He announced loudly as he walked away, the group slowly dispersed, save for Tsuna who waited for his father to get down from the small section of elevated ground.
"Yo, Tsuna!" His father greeted casually
Tsuna took a moment to consider his next action, as his father jogged up to him he launched a right hook into the older man's jaw, the man slacked and fell back onto the ground "You're the reason?! That me and all my friends are in danger?!"
Iemitsu scratched the back of his head "I guess."
"Don't bother explaining it, I don't care. Take care of mom since your obviously not worried about me or anyone I care about." Tsuna growled as he stormed away from his old man.
The next day passed way too quickly for any of the groups liking and Tsuna was waiting at Namimori first, being the fastest to get there, he leaned against the wall with his arms crossed, Yamamoto and Gokudera climbed over the schools gate shortly after, Ryohei was the last to arrive, Tsuna could have sworn the older boys mind wasn't focused on the fight at all, although he couldn't place what was wrong, the boy seemed distant.
"Are they running late?" Ryohei asked as he looked around.
"No, They've been here awhile." Tsuna gestured towards the roof, the Varia had spread out in their owns ways and were watching Tsuna and his guardians carefully.
"The arena is this way." The two pink haired women from the night before announced, pointing to a large boxing ring.
"Well, lucky for us." Gokudera admitted simply.
Ryohei wiped at his lip simply, the other three expected him to go in his usual boxing gear, the boy wore a loose fitting black suit with an orange undershirt and black tie, he removed a small object form the front pocket and placed them over his eyes, the other looked at him in confusion.
"It's the ring battle of the sun, Colonello told me to bring these just in case and looking at those lights, make me think I am going to need them." Ryohei explained simply as he placed the lack lensed glasses over his head.
"Ah, Ryohei!" The boxer turned his head to the sound of the infant that was always around Tsuna, the small baby tossed a small white bundle too him, it was a simple pair of fingerless white boxing gloves with a small insignia on the back he didn't recognize, he slipped them on and clenched his fists before hitting the tops together.
"Let's do this then." He rolled his neck and hopped on his feet as he entered the ring and raised his hands.
The green haired man followed in "Boxing huh?"
"What of it?" Ryohei asked flatly, glaring over his hands at this opponent.
"It's a little old isn't it?" The man cooed with a wide grin "I, Lussuria, practice Muay Thai."
"The Battle for the Vongola Ring of the Sun, Begin!" The two women shouted loudly
The lights in the ring turned on, Tsuna squinted against the light before he realized Reborn was holding something out to him, a similar par of sunglasses as to what Ryohei wore "Colonello brought them." Reborn explained simply.
"Hey, I made it in time." Colonello floated down beside the group and landed casually.
Lussuria moved towards Ryohei and stopped a few steps from him, he moved his feet to the side and began circling Ryohei with enough speed there seemed to be ten of him, Ryohei's eyes followed his opponent as best he could, when the image suddenly lagged a moment longer than it was before he shifted back and threw a strong left hook, he clipped the man's chin and he stumbled back, Ryohei's mouth spread into a small smirk.
"I've fought faster." He taunted.
"Doesn't Ryohei seem," Yamamoto started
"Off, Yeah." Gokudera finished
"He hasn't shouted extreme once since that night last week." Colonello explained simply.
"Huh? Ryohei hasn't, is he sick? That's his one word, it's been his motto since before I knew him!" Tsuna exclaimed
Ryohei dodged back out of another kick and launched forward, his hand struck something and a metallic clang rang around the ring, Ryohei winced as he felt his left hand crack painfully 'These damn lights are annoying', he brushed his right glove against his chin and launched a punch into the air, the lights above him shattered, he pulled the glasses off and tossed them out of the ring.
"Much better." He announced, his neck popped as he rolled it.
"The lighting doesn't matter, you can't break this metal knee," Lussuria taunted "You're going to die, little dove."
Ryohei shifted and brought his fist back sending a fierce glare at the man opposite him, Lussuria moved in the same pattern, seeming to disappear. Ryohei breathed deeply and blocked everything out, focusing all his energy into his fist, a single face flashed through his mind and he gritted his teeth in annoyance as he heard Lussuria moved towards him, he rotated and rifled the punch forward, a loud metallic clang rang round the ring and Ryohei took a heavy blow to the face that knocked him down, blood fell from his nose and lip as he lifted his head to glare at his opponent.
"Not even a scratch, is that the best you can do?" Lussuria cooed.
"Something keeps distracting his focus, he can't release a full cannon like that." Colonello sighed
Ryohei got to his feet and clenched his right fist tightly, his arm shook as the knuckles glowed violently 'If anger's what I have then I'll use it.' He thought to himself as his eyes narrowed on the man in front of him, Lussuria darted forward and sent the metal knee forward.
"Maximum Cannon!" Ryohei shouted as he rifled his arm forward, the blow impacted the ring was obscured from vision for a second, when the light cleared, Lussuria hopped once and launched a roundhouse into Ryohei's gut, the boy coughed and fell to his knees, he coughed and blood stained the mat beneath him. He gritted his teeth, his hands hurt, his face felt like it was on fire and his entire body ached, so why. 'Why is Hana the only thing I can think about?!' He thought angrily
"Colonello-kun?!" Kyoko shouted as she jumped the schools gate, she darted over to the group and looked at their worried faces before turning to look inside the ring, her mouth stopped working for a moment as Ryohei stayed on his knees and stared up at Lussuria flatly.
"You DAMNED IDIOT!" The voice caught everyone's attention, Kurokawa dropped over the gate and ran as close to the ring as she could get, apparently forgetting everybody else in the area, Ryohei turned his gaze onto her curiously.
"What a coincidence, I was just thinking about you." Ryohei chuckled
"Are you really still thinking about that?!" Hana shouted at him "You honestly think I could just tell the truth in that situation!?"
"I would if I were in your shoes." Ryohei countered
"I'm sorry," Hana shouted, more accurately cried "I'm sorry, I lied but I expected to see you once in the last week to explain myself," She paused and took a long breath "OF COURSE MY HEART SKIPPED A BEAT YOU DAMNED FOOL!"
Ryohei shifted on his leg and the kicked flew past him, rifling upwards he caught Lussuria square in the chin, the man stumbled backwards and glared at the white haired youth in aggravation "You still won't break this knee, Sorry, my little kitten but your boyfriends going to die." Lussuria addressed Hana casually.
"You'd better not lose, idiot!" Hana ignored the green haired man completely and shouted at Ryohei.
"Why don't we try that again?" Ryohei growled, bright gold enveloped his entire body "Your knee against my cannon." Ryohei's eyes glowed a bright gold as he lifted his fist behind him, the flames around him caused his jacket to billow outwards, he glared at Lussuria flatly.
Lussuria hopped once before launched forward.
"Maximum Cannon!" Ryohei roared as he sent his fist forward, the same gold light blocked everyone's vision a moment, the light winked out of existence and Ryohei rolled forward, locking his grip around Lussuria's surprised face and slamming the green haired man into the ground harshly.
Ryohei grabbed the other half of the ring around the man's neck and yanked the chain free before getting to his feet and standing tall "That was pretty extreme." He smiled widely "I got it!"
"With possession of the full Vongola ring, we, The Cervello, declare Ryohei Sasagawa, winner of the Sun Ring battle." The Cervello women announced simply.
Ryohei placed the two half's together and threaded them over his own chain that he dropped over his head, he stepped out of the ring slowly, his likely broken bones and aching muscles catching up to him, Hana practically tackled him in a hug "Uh, Hana, pain."
"Shut up!" Hana ordered as she pulled back and slammed his head into hers, Ryohei moved her away from him stiffly, his cheeks achieving new shades of red.
"I KNEW IT!" Kyoko shouted gleefully.
"Nice job, Senpai." Yamamoto joked
"Nice, turf head." Gokudera teased.
Hana quickly realized her own blunder and the group could have sworn steam was coming from the girls ears as she ran away from them, still clutching tightly to Ryohei's hand, the white haired boxing captain let himself be dragged along.
A/N: Annnnd done! I was going to get this up yesterday, but it got late and I went to bed so I finished it off tonight. Now, set of things I need to cover, First I hope you all enjoyed my Sun Ring Battle, I know I skipped over a few things when it came to the training, specifically Gokudera getting Shamal's help, Honestly it's a combination of Laziness and chapter length, its already nearing 8,000 words as is and is there really a point to that, I know Gokudera technically learns to treasure his own life in that part, but in my story I think he has more than enough reason's to live without Shamal telling him, so I cut it out, Yamamoto's is still there because he needs to be physically taught from scratch, Gokudera just improves his already existing combat might. Secondly, I hope you enjoy my Ryohei/Hana arc, I am super happy with how it turned out and I hope you all like it as well. Thirdly, Regarding Tsuna's dad, Now I shifted this sequence around quite a bit, But I decided that both Tsuna's Mother and Father will be in the story as minimally as possible, there are multiple reasons, first being all the characters are older and don't move into his home, Second being I think Iemitsu would want to protect his wife more than he expresses in the Anime, so he is going to be keeping her close to him in my story. As for the Animosity between father and son, I think Tsuna should have gave his dad a good punch in the face for this, I mean, while there would be no epic tale for me to write if he didn't making your son a Mafia boss is kind of a dick move. This is a long ass Author's notes, for any of you who stayed round till the end I hope you enjoyed and I will see you in the next one, peace!
