A Jaded Family
Disclaimer: The Harry Potter universe belongs to J.K. Rowling while Katekyo Hitman Reborn! belongs to the genius of Akira Amano. I make no claim to ownership on either of them.
A/N: In this chapter, Harriet is referred as both Harry and Iris. Generally, if the person who is speaking is in a Mafia context, she will be referred in the last way – Iris can be considered her 'Mafia persona'. Furthermore, this chapter has been edited.
A/N: Before you start reading, here some translations you may find useful:
Ragazzina – Little Girl;
Cielo - Sky;
oOo
In which there is acceptance, meetings happen and iris Sinclair is a nosey little brat.
oOo
Chapter 9
1st August 1998 – Undisclosed village, Germany
Trident Shamal - Mist Guardian.
It was as ridiculous as it sounded and still, it had happened. He had bonded with a fifteen-years-old brat. Reborn's fourteen years old brat. The unfortunate soft spot he had developed chasing her around Italy had developed in a full fledging Guardian bond with a mere touch and a smile. He didn't know what scared him more, the fact that after twenty years of searching he had finally found his Sky or that said Sky had managed to piss off half of the Mafia community and almost got herself killed.
It had been fun watching the CEDEFs ran around like headless chickens in the beginning. Now that he was the sole Guardian of a civilian Sky? Not so much. Undoubtedly, his future wouldn't be peaceful.
Shamal stared at his mobile phone in despair.
Part of his brain screamed to run away as far as possible while the other half, the one focused on the orange Flames of the little Brit, urged him to find his Sky and glue her at his hip.
Shamal's mind was reeling and, before he could even stop himself, he walked up to the girl. She was curled on the floor next to the bed, skinny arms around knobby knees and shoulders trembling with suppressed sobs. He knelt down next to her and raised a comforting hand to lay it on her bowed head.
Or tried to, since she flinched back so bad that she almost slammed against the bed.
Shamal shut his eyes tight, rejection making it way in his very soul, as he let himself fall down next to her on the floor. He took a breath that was a little too stained. "Right, no touching."
"S-sorry, I'm so, so sorry..." She croaked.
The Italian let out a bitter bark of a laugh. "It's me that should say sorry, ragazzina. Now you are stuck with me."
Shamal knew he was no Guardian material, even less for a teenage girl Sky. He was lazy, capricious and a perverted asshole all day around; something people have no problem to remind him. So no, despite his powerful Mist Flames he was no prime choice for instantaneous Harmonization. Or Harmonization at all.
However, his self-deprecation was interrupted by red-rimmed eyes and a painful pinch. The awful pair of glasses did little to hide the hardness of her gaze and the orange that was slowly taking over the shadowed green of her irises. "What the bloody hell is wrong with you?! It's me who ruined your life forever!"
Her freaky powers made sure of that! With a flash of light, she had bound someone to herself- completely against his volution- and she liked it. She liked how his Flames intertwined with her own, how his powers were warming her very soul and made her feel safe. Her stomach churned at the very thought.
He took a while for him to react. "...What?!"
"Don't look at me like that! I may not be from the Mafia but I do know about your stupid Flames thing. Of how the weather ones are bound to the will of the sky and its ambitions. Sorry, but I have no desire to rule over brainwashed people!"
At this point, the Doctor didn't know if laugh or cry. How his little brat had managed to destroy centuries of traditions and myths with a couple of phrases he didn't know but he felt strangely relieved that her biggest problem with their Bond was her unwillingness to dominate her Guardians and Elements. The process of Harmonization was a tricky one; it wasn't just based on Flames capability and output, even if it was a significant part of it. Chemistry, personalities and unconscious psychological needs- something in their souls had been similar and bounded them even before they realized what was happening.
For some reason, he found her intriguing despite her young age and she trusted him despite her paranoid behavior.
That's why, despite being the strongest seven Flames Users alive, the Arcobaleno had no real Guardian Bond with Aria, and before her, Luce. Their ambitions were simply too different to create one. They cared for each other in their own way, of course- years suffering from the same curse brought them closer- but they weren't 'Elements under the same Sky'.
However, he had no idea what he could offer to a civilian teenager. Hopefully, she would give him the chance to discover it.
With a wet chuckle, he pulled Iris' body into his embrace- too small, too thin, too fragile his mind whispered- and wrapped his arms around her tightly, tucking her head under his chin. "Silly child, you know nothing..."
The teenager froze up but he took no note of it, too focused on making her understand. Their future depended on it. "Harmonizing... harmonizing is a blessing. The hight form of connection, the deepest bond two persons can create. It's trust, it's solace, it's belonging."
She leaned back and looked at him incredulously and he smiled, for once devoid of the usual seductive charm. "It's about being a family, Iris."
"B-but, but he said..."
"He? Who's he? Don't tell me you trust Don Albani, a man who tried to kill you, more than me!"
"But I- he-wha-," she stammered, red dusting cheeks and making its way down her neck, as his laugh boomed amused in the room but still quiet enough to not disturb the sleeping child in the bed.
Raising a hand to her eye level, he let his Flames gather around his hand, the Mist Ring around his shined misty indigo. "If you want I will explain everything to you at the best of my abilities." He whispered, offering his palm to her, his very soul glittering in the flecks of his chocolate eyes. "I'll teach you, I'll protect you," he added as she slowly- finally- weaved her fingers between his as her Flames surged just beneath her skin. The orange energy felt soft and delicate, almost timid, while it pushed and intertwined with his Mist.
Peace flooded him from the contact and from the fluttering of eyelashes he was sure she was feeling the same; the Bond sang and resonate between them, getting stronger with each heartbeat. He felt almost drunk from the sensation. "Can you..." he swallowed uncomfortably after a couple of moments. "Can you give me a chance?"
Iris retracted her hand from his fire and lowered her eyes, indecision painted in every feature of her face. In the end, she seemed to have taken a decision and murmured wearily in his shirt, "I have to take Teddy home…"
This didn't deter him. "I can get a flight to Heathrow in a couple of hours."
"I don't have our documents anymore," she said, indicating first the sleeping baby and then herself.
Shamal smiled lightly and ruffled his hand gently in her black curls. Her view blurred with tears. She never felt more fragile. "It's not a problem, I'll take care of it."
For a couple of minutes neither spoke, the alarm clock on the nightstand tickled away seconds full of repressed tension.
"May I…" He licked his chapped lips from their dryness and loosening his shirt collar with a sharp tug. Unconsciously his chocolate eyes took an indigo hue and continue, "…May I come with you?"
If she were a good person, she would say no. She would get him rid of herself and the craziness and the tragedy that came with associating her. A good person would tie another to oneself in this way.
She lowered her head against him and nodded.
She wasn't a good person.
.
.
.
True to his word, Harry found on a plane to London that same evening- a little commercial aircraft who had only the two of them and her godson as passengers. And despite knowing that it was most certainly obtained with less than legitimate means, the only thing she felt was relief at the thought of going back home. Andromeda had been ecstatic at the news when she called her too.
And now she was back on the British soil, looking at the poorly dressed assembly of magicals who were waiting for her. Among them, she recognized easily Mrs. Tonks in her outdated polka dress- one who Tonks had dragged her to buy as a gift for her mother. She grinned at the thought.
"Andromeda!"
Her scream echoed in the hall, attracting the attention of more people she normally would have liked. However that wasn't a normal situation and she sprinted toward the group, the little metamorphmagus secure in her arms, and stopping at less than a couple of steps from the older woman's face. Her silver eyes widened and then watered, beaming as large as she could despite the skin not yet healed from the burning in her right cheek. It was easy to see that she had never felt more ecstatic in meeting two identical bottle-green eyes and windswept hair.
Then Harry said the words the woman had been waiting to hear for months.
"We are home, Andy."
The child in the Gryffindor's arms gurgled happily at his grandmother, almost to confirm his godmother's statement.
"Teddy!" Andromeda took Teddy in her arms, almost shaking in her enthusiasm, and she studied the baby. Dressed in a soft cotton shirt and adorable jeans, the baby was the image of the healthiness. Still, her eyes jumped frantically up and down searching for inexistent injuries while kissing his chubby cheeks and carding her fingers in his black locks. "Oh my little bear, I missed you so much, so much!"
Then she turned towards her pseudo-cousin.
"Thank you, thank you!" Andromeda whispered hugging the girl tight, balancing Teddy on an arm. She distanced herself, enough to watch Harry in the eyes to study her features, her heart flooded with relief and gratitude. She kissed the young Potter on her forehead, "Thank you!"
This seemed to give the green light for all the other member s of the welcome-group.
"You are back!" Exclaimed an excited Neville, ripping her from Andromeda's arms and taking her in his own. He had grown up yet again, she noticed. His atrocious orange shirt highlighted his new height and broad shoulders. Even his dirty blond hairs were shorter than what she remembered. Still, those brown eyes were as familiar as ever. "Never, ever leave again! I can't handle all that paperwork alone anymore!"
Harry burst out laughing, the sound ringing happily for the first time in months, and reciprocate the hug.
"Hey, hey! Don't hog her all for yourself!" Interrupted a playful voice.
Harry froze at the sound of it. She never thought he would come here, to welcome her back. Not after everything. She blinked, stupefied. "George…"
"What?! Thought I wouldn't come?" He said as a smirk curled a corner of his lips. The sad air around him retreating for a moment. "Going to a rescue mission without your favorite prankster! Shame on you, lil sis!"
Harry threw herself in his arms, gripping his shirt and bawling her eyes out on it, letting out of months of torment. The Weasley twins were her favorite Weasley, her favorite big brothers, and she lost them. One to death and the other to grief. The chasm the Battle of Hogwarts created between her and George, one Fred-shaped. One she thought the wizard would never let her close.
But here she was, surrounded by his scent –potion ingredients and soot, her mind supplied- crying tears of relief like a baby!
A couple of drops splashed against her collarbone and his ginger hair tickled her skin as he buried his face in her shoulder, trying his best to squeeze the stuffing out of her. This was the confirmation that she wasn't the only one relieved to be together again almost sent her in another round of tears. "I missed you…" She muttered in the end, drying her face with the back of her hand. He smiled in reply, little dimples adorning his freckled cheeks.
"He missed you too!" Interrupted another voice- one more musical and feminine than George's. Luna, indeed, made her way from behind the red-haired man, dressed in an awfully colorful floral dress and bottle caps necklace. Her ever-present radish earring put a smile on her face.
"Luna, you came too!" she exclaimed, honestly shocked to see her spacey friend out and about in the Muggle world. Nonetheless, she was pleasantly surprised when the blond even gifted her a kiss on the cheek.
"Of course I came, my Rainbow," the blond answered back as wistful as ever, a flicker of something in her serene expression. "I couldn't possibly miss the introduction of our new friend."
Harry blinked for a second, wondering if she was feeling more surprised at the apparent omniscience of the Ravenclaw or the fact she had completely forgotten of the Italian Mafioso traveling with her. For his part, Shamal, who till that moment had step aside to let his Sky reunite with her loved ones, moved closer to the group, hands full of their bags and a smile on his lips.
He found himself scrutinized by different shades of eyes color and his Flames been poked by two different flavors of Flames. Sending a look at them, he realized they were both looking at him with different degree of protectiveness and suspiciousness but that their prodding had been completely unconscious. The young men where Flames Active and well on their way to Harmonize with his Sky.
"This… this is Dr. Trident Shamal," murmured his Sky, tugging nervously the end of her t-shirt. Her old ripped sneakers had never been more interesting than at that moment. "He looked after us and examined Teddy."
The grandmother -and he really hoped she wasn't Reborn old lover- bowed deeply at him, the more as graceful as it was old fashioned. "Thank you so much for taking caring of my Teddy."
"Ah!" He answered, founding himself strangely tongue-tied for a second at the woman's gratitude. Despite her burning marks and atrocious dress, she was still a beautiful lady and didn't happen often that they didn't run away from him screaming. "It was my duty," continued with a good dose of charm.
Iris snorted at the light dusting on Andromeda's cheeks.
His response was not equally appreciated by the boys present who answered with a fixed smile- Neville, the Rain Guardian- and with a grunt by the red-head next to him. The Cloud Guardian, who he was certain had been a Lightening before his decadence, was drilling a hole in his forehead. In fact, his mischievous smile was everything but kind as he said, "You don't find old men willing to help a lone, young girl every day. How gentlemanly of you!" Neville seemed to concord with him.
Shamal giggled nervously, feeling like Iris had definitely blabbed too much about him on her calls. They pinpointed his character all too well. Or maybe it was their big brothers' instincts pinging. Those worked extremely well against pervs. Iris, next to him, face-palmed- probably as embarrassed as he felt.
Andromeda shot them all a reproaching glare over Teddy's head, covering his innocent little ears. The way her eyes fleshed showed that she would be keeping an eye on him.
He resisted the urge to cross his arms, offended and yet pleased. 'Not that it'll be needed. Iris is my Sky- I'm not so shameless…'
"Well, for my part, I'm happy you are here," remarked the only blond of the group- Luna, if he understood correctly. A slim girl with fathers and beads weaved in her hair and an absent air around her. She pinned him with unfocused blue eyes."You'll be more needed more than you think."
He swallowed with difficulty. Despite his confident front, he still felt like he was taking advantage of this whole Harmonizing thing. He was more than twice their age and he didn't have a lot of in common with teenagers. While he had been yearning for years for a Sky, he had no idea what he could contribute the bond with.
Feeling his discomfort, Iris put a cheeky smile on her face and made him get down to her level. "Don't mind, Luna. She is a bit strange but harmless," she whispered in his ear. "The boys too. Mostly."
'Yes, she was strange,' he thought, staring to the other remaining Active Flame present. 'But she knows exactly what to say.' He was happy that Iris' Sky Fames were anchoring to reality the damaged ones of quirky Mist. She was a sweet girl. The boys? Well, the boys would always be boys and Guardians were always territorial of their Sky. His pondering was interrupted by a tug on his shirt sleeve. Quirky Girl. "Pardon?"
"Mrs. Tonks will take Teddy to the Hospital for an additional check-up," Luna repeated, nodding toward Iris and Andromeda who had moved a couple of meters of distance to talk in private. A metallic glint showed the exchange of a flash drive between the two women. "We need to find you a place to stay."
"Don't worry, Moonbeam. I'll just book a room somewhere."
"There is no need. You are our family's benefactor, we couldn't possibly let you stay in a hotel room. It's been a while since someone lived in Marauder's Den but it will do for the immediate future."
Iris jumped at that, not expecting for Andromeda to have followed both the conversations. "…Marauder's Den?"
"I will explain another time" Andromeda muttered rummaging in a pocket of her dress and handing it to the teenager girl, careful not to jostle Teddy in her arms. A dog decorated the key-ring. "And you will live with him, obviously."
"Yes, of course… wait! What?!"
Her exclamation was echoed by two different baritone- one deeper than the other- but both expressing incredulity and outrage. Shamal's and Neville, respectively. Luna instead didn't seem as indignant for she smiled dreamily and explained, "Well, you decided to take him back, now you have to take care of him." Her tone clearly indicated that she thought the others were the unreasonable ones.
"He is a Mafioso. The others won't like this. We don't like this" George grumbled under his breath, indicating himself and the scowling boy next to him. "Mum won't like this." He stressed, staring the Sky down with flashing eyes.
She cringed. And Shamal could swear up and down that he heard her curse something about Merlin's underwear before making her way out of the Airport. Brits sure were strange.
oOo
1st August 2008 – Vongola Hideout, Namimori
Tsunayoshi honestly thought he had become immune to everything since Reborn entered in his life. From infernal babies to mutant turtles, he had seen it all.
And apparently, he was wrong.
Because his sadistic killer of a tutor had succeeded not only to impregnate someone with the body of a five years old, but he managed to have a granddaughter too!
He choked on his own spit at the thought, cutting off the high-pitched scream he was emitting since the woman in front of him greeted them. No, not them. Only the child next to him.
Her grandfather.
It was just his luck that of all the Italian words he was trying to learn- and with Reborn's stimulating encouragements and Gokudera best rooting he was trying- Nonno was the only one that stuck. Just because he was so used to call the old Ninth Vongola Boss that!
"Eh," he stated, then stopped and closed his mouth. He tried again without success. What could you ever say to the granddaughter of his kiddie tutor? He turned towards his friends for help, a desperately hopeful expression on his face, wishing that at least they have to say intelligent something. He almost cried in despair in seeing their shocked faces.
'They are as shaken up as me!' He screamed his mind, already half-way to a full out panic attack. And if his thoughts were a little hysteric at that moment he was sure no one couldn't fault him.
As his brain tried to reboot and digest the new information, Tsuna focused on the woman herself, mouth full open in a gap. She was beautiful in a normal, unobtrusive way with her long black hair barely restrained by a braid, leafy almond eyes and delicate features. She wore no make-up or jewelry but for a little chain that disappeared behind a light blouse. As for the rest, it was just a pair of shorts and ankle boots. The riskier thing she had on was the black leather glove in her right hand. No weapons that he could see.
All in all, she seemed more a college student than a mobster.
"Don't be deceived by pure appearances, Dame-Tsuna!" And a dive-kick slammed against his skull and embedded him into the ground. With much more force than usual.
He groaned as the world started spinning, trying to push himself up and touching lightly his throbbing head, searching for a bump. Had he been ranting out loud again? Reborn looked at him like he was particularly slow on the uptake – which he usually was- so he took it like a solid yes.
"Are you ok, Juudaime?!"
"I-I'm fine," he reassured his Storm as Gokudera's boomed in his throbbing head followed by the laugh of his Family. As his friend helped him get off the ground and hovered over him like a frantic mother hen, Tsuna brushed his pants from the dust, sending a subtle glare to his violent mentor. Reborn's childish face seemed to be carved into the stone while his grip on the Leon-gun was so white-knuckle tight. His dark eyes seemed to take every bit of the woman, with a dangerous intensity despite his impassive façade. Tsuna was sure that the killer had never been so wrong-footed before now.
'It must be as much as a surprise for him as it is for us…' he thought and, almost like the pint-sized man read his mind, Reborn's eyes flashed with murderous intent. He broke in a cold sweat.
Luckily, Yuni decided to smooth the situation for the Vongola Sky drawing the attention back to the strangers.
"Let me introduce you to Lady Iris Sinclair, Boss of the Black Family," the thirteen years old girl intoned, thin arms still curled around the woman and nuzzling her head in her side with a blissful sigh. She had missed her pseudo-cousin so much. Then remembering of the man, she turned toward the remaining Brit and opened up in an apologetic smile. "This, instead, is her right hand and Rain Guardian, Neville!"
The abovementioned man nodded his head in greetings- with the sleeves of his shirt rolled up at the elbows and jeans, he was the image of nonchalance. His Sky, instead, graced them with a cheeky grin, "It's a pleasure to meet you all… again!"
Tsuna's good manners kicked in and bowed clumsily, almost planting his face on the floor again despite his best intentions. Absentmindedly, he heard Yamamoto start a small talk with his new fellow Rain, interrupted periodically by nii-san EXTREME declarations and Hibari's death threats at the general crowding; he could only give his thanks to whatever Higher Being existed for Lambo to be still asleep and not add to the general chaos that followed his Family. Instead, he focused on his side, he heard Gokudera muttering to himself and counting on his fingers.
"I don't remember a Black Family in the Famiglie allied to the Vongola…" Hayato admitted in the end, frowning heavily and mentally chastising himself for the lapse of knowledge. As a Right Hand, it was his duty to keep up with the alliances and the treaties between the Vongola and the various Mafia Families.
"Because there isn't one in our timeline. But maybe it will be."
At Reborn's cold reply and following inquiring looks, Dino, who had been silent till that moment, pushed himself between the two groups. The move was strangely protective. "The Black Family is a relatively new Mafia Family. It has only been founded five years ago." He explained blandly, watching the older female Sky with arms folded and complicated expression on his face. "And you are wrong. The Black Family isn't allied to the Vongola, never had been. They are neutral at best and don't involve themselves in Mafia disputes."
Tsuna blinked, surprised and a bit unnerved at the news.
"What?!" Gokudera roared, stepping threateningly towards the newcomers. His whole countenance one of fury and distrust. In the same way, Yamamoto and the male Sasagawa instinctively pushed back the girls behind them, their open expressions changing in more serious ones as their hands hovered over their weapons.
"Oh, don't look at me like that!" Iris playfully retorted, eyes steely even though her expression was tranquil. Really, these kids were way too suspicious; just because someone didn't work for them it didn't mean they worked against them. Spanner and the Varias would have never let her near the Hideout if she cozied up with the likes of Byakuran now, wouldn't they? "The Black Family intercede as in-betweens for potential alliances and as neutral arbitrators for warring Famiglie."
"Like the Cervellos…" concluded Bianchi, from behind the Tenth Generation, eyebrows furrowed in wondering.
"Exactly like them," the Black Lady confirmed, snapping her leather covered fingers and gifting the female assassin a smile. "Just not as easily corrupted!"
At the explanation everyone relaxed, who more visibly than others - Haru and Kyoko even half bowed in apology. Still, Tsuna noted that Reborn's countenance didn't change, his pint-sized body still deceptively loose and hostile, his gaze focused on the Cavallone Boss and Lady Sinclair. Gulping, the young Vongola Boss looked at his friend and, indeed, the blond Italian was as unreadable as ever. His Hyper Intuition whispered of unresolved pain and grief, almost a lack of trust, between the two adults. So he wasn't surprised when Dino said, "This doesn't explain why are you here Iris. I seem to remember you didn't want anything to do with the war between the Millefiore and the Vongola Family."
'Ah! What a way to make things awkward…' thought the sixteen years old, scratching the back of his fluffy hair and looking around the room. He could understand her reluctance in involving her Family in a war not her own- if he could, Tsunayoshi himself wouldn't involve his Family in a war against the Millefiore, future enemy or not- but apparently Iris and Dino (and maybe the older version of himself, now that he thought about it) had been friends and her decision to wash her hands of the whole thing had obviously hurt the Italian. A lot. 'I suppose these are the dangers of being a Mafia Boss; sometimes, the good of the Family went before everything else…'
Before the woman's temper could explode- and from the dangerous glint in her eyes and the spasmodic clenching of her jaw, it wasn't far off- Spanner butted in the conversation from his station at the computer, pointing at British Sky with his thumb. "It's because this one isn't able to mind her own business!" He exclaimed, not even bothering to turn around to look at the woman he was mocking and effectively lightening the atmosphere.
"Ah, ah, ah, very funny." she hissed back, punching her Rain on the shoulder with as much force as she could when he started to laugh along with the Italian mechanic. The man didn't move an inch. Shaking her hand in pain, she decides to ignore the two ingrates and to focus back on the young time-travelers. "Byakuran is getting rid of my clients," she explained, almost uncaringly and crossing her arms unsympathetically. Most Families worked for and with the Vongola; not a good thing when they were on the losing side of a war. "Not good for my business…"
"What Iris means," interrupted Neville sending her a glower to his Sky, "is that we may be neutral but that doesn't prevent us from helping you on the sideline. So we are here to help you kids training with the Weapons."
Iris seemed like she didn't hear him interrupt her and keep going on, talking over her Rain and smiling brightly. "…And I do want to see how the Blessing impacted on your Flames."
Neville promptly smacked his forehead in exasperation.
At this point, Tsunayoshi didn't know what to think anymore and the rest of his friends seemed to be on the same wavelength because they all stared at her with various level of incredulity. Because, yes, apparently Spanner was right and Iris Sinclair was a hopeless curious and she didn't, in fact, mind her own business. The woman simply lowered her head and raised her shoulders, trying to look embarrassed and failing miserably. "What? I'm curious!"
Feeling like they were going off-topic, Reborn, face hidden behind the shadow of his fedora, said in a frigid tone, "They have already tamed the Weapon Boxes."
"Have they?" She argued back with a raised eyebrow and sarcastic smirk on her lips, staring at him. They eyes met for a second -an unheard conversation happening between a blink and the next- before both Sinclair focused on someone else apparently reaching an agreement. Iris, in particular, moved her gaze on the young Sawada. "Humor me, do try, little Vongola!"
Tsuna took his Box from the front pocket of his sweater, a strange foreboding sensation squirming inside him despite having activated and trained with Natsu for a while. The knowing sparkle in the green eyes of the Black Boss made his stomach drop on the floor even before activating it. Still, he pushed his Flames into his Sky ring and smashed it against the opening on the box, waiting for the little lion to come out.
Instead, the orange cube absorbed his Flames, pulsed dangerously and then released them at high speed with an ear-splitting bang- effectively making them explode on his face.
"But what the hell?!" Cursed Gokudera, for once too shocked to be worried about his dear Juudaime. He took out his Storm Vongola Box and activate it. The result was the same, his chin-length silver hair sticking up in every direction, charred and smoking. For once, Hayato was truly a smoking bomb.
The adults exploded in a burst of wild laughter. The Tenth Generation could only watch their Boxes in incredulity.
"You had a power-up, kids," explained Neville, chuckling at the ash covered visage of the Tenth Generation. "You don't have control over your Flames. Again."
Iris' lips curled in a very familiar way. One that made Tsunayoshi involuntary gulp. "And you know what it means…"
"…Welcome back to hell." Concluded the miniaturized killed for her, smirking just as sadistically as his granddaughter. And Yuni- sweet, caring Yuni- giggled next to the woman at their expenses. In that moment, Tsuna knew that the next training session would be grueling- even more if a 2.0 female version of Reborn would join his tutor in the fun. However, he could appreciate her goodwill, as reluctant as it was. It would have been a nightmare to fight Byakuran again just to discover that their own Flames were working against them.
"-na!"
The sound of voices calling him forced the young Vongola Boss to snap his attention back to reality. Everyone was looking at him expectantly.
"Sorry, Yamamoto, I was lost in my mind… What do you think of them?"
His Guardians and friends turned all towards him, unconsciously getting closer a step or two. His question seemed to shift the attention all the time-travel group from the last shocking revelation; however, their lips remained parted, the color on their faces drained and their eyes still shone with horror. Even Ryohei, with his eternal optimism, didn't seem so EXTREME at that moment.
"Dino-san didn't seem very happy to see Sinclair-san," Yamamoto admitted after a couple of seconds, pulling himself together and staring at the Cavallone Boss. The Italian boss was still glowering at the woman in front of him, lips pursed in a straight line- something he kept doing since the moment she entered the room. On the contrary, Spanner seemed to be ecstatic, even relieved, that the two Brits were here. He scratched the back of his neck, torn.
"For once, I'm with Baseball-head, Juudaime!" Gokudera whispered furiously at his beloved Boss, a frown darkening his face. The Storm Guardian had been feeling all keyed up since he realized they would have to start to train their Vongola Weapons from scratch under the supervision of an unknown, 'neutral' Family. "There is something fishy about those two!"
"Tsuna…" Even Kyoko's normally sweet voice was shaky and her chestnut eyes wide and unsure. Behind her, Haru was trembling lightly, the sleeping Lambo in her hands seemed to be the only thing keeping her upright. Next, to them, Chrome was curling around her trident, trying to make herself disappear, violet eye darting apprehensively around the room, never focusing on the newcomers for too long.
Tsuna grimaced, his mind reeling as his eyes shifted to a golden-orange shade as his Hyper Intuition activated. A second later, his voice took a deeper tone. "Maybe, but somehow I believe they are really here to help…"
"Then trust your instincts, Dame-Tsuna."
The sixteen years old jumped lightly, effectively exiting his Hyperactive Form, not expecting his tutor to speak or to get comfortable on his shoulder. Since the introduction of the newcomers, Reborn's temper had been dangerously volatile, especially toward him- like it was his fault if Iris Sinclair, his unknown granddaughter was here. His eyes returned to their natural butterscotch color and stammered, "Reborn?"
The killer didn't speak again but his unfathomable gaze never left the younger Sinclair's back. "Just don't let your guard down."
The Vongola Boss couldn't help but wonder if the last piece of advice was really for him or Reborn himself.
