Chapter XVII: Res firma mitescere nescit (Sawada Household / Namimori / Current Day)
Tsuna started his Sunday morning by taking a walk to the store to do some shopping for his mother while making a phone call he knew would rile certain people. That made it a much better idea to make that call well away from them. Now that he'd overcome one enormous obstacle with the acquisition and retention of Verde for the Family, he needed to set the next steps into motion. He knew, however, that his next victory would require some patience, a whole lot of tolerance and possibly some begging on his part.
"Do you even know what time it is here, you brat?" The voice on the other end of the line radiated annoyance and irritation in waves that were practically visible. Tsuna winced slightly, not having done the mental calculations before realizing that no matter what time of day it was, the chances of Xanxus being asleep was high. "Haven't we done enough work for you this month? Did you want me to help you with your homework? Or did you call just to chat?" The snort that followed that question told Tsuna what Xanxus thought of that idea.
"I need you to come to Japan when the others fly back." It was better, Tsuna figured, to stick to business when dealing with an irritated Xanxus, although in his experience, Xanxus was pretty much always irritated. "I'll have the schedule sent over to you today."
"I'm beginning to wonder if you're retarded," Xanxus snarled. "We kill people. We don't babysit or bodyguard. Get your brat brigade home on your own."
"Have you ever considered counseling, Xanxus?" Tsuna blanched as the words slipped out and slapped his forehead for not leashing his mouth properly.
"I'm going to kill you, and then I'm going to have you stuffed and mounted, so I can use you for target practice." Clearly the answer was no.
"Well it's not like a little talk therapy couldn't help, right? I mean, throwing things at people has to be a sign of some sort of inner trauma." Tsuna slapped himself again.
"I hope you're running already, Sawada Tsunayoshi."
"Wait! Waaait! Before you plan my death, what I needed to see you for is real work." Distract Xanxus, that's what Tsuna needed to do at this moment. "I have a list for you, approved by the Ninth. Eight names over the next six weeks."
"Eight?" It must have worked, at least a little, because it seemed as if Xanxus was focusing more on Tsuna now and without that edge to his voice that meant pain was coming Tsuna's way.
"Yeah," Tsuna sighed and bit his bottom lip as he leaned against the wall. "I have the dossiers for you here. There's no point in flying everyone over, however, as all of the names on the list currently reside in Europe or the United States."
"This isn't going to be boring, is it?" Everyone knew how much Xanxus enjoyed sleeping through boring assignments.
"I'm asking you all to do this because if we don't handle these people, they will become a clear and present danger to the Family within the next few years. Currently none of them have significant backing from any Family, so it's a good time to move without causing conflict."
"All right, I'll come. But I'm not staying at or anywhere near that hotel of a house of yours." The mental image of Xanxus in Tsuna's mother's house almost made Tsuna faint in horror. To Tsuna, Xanxus was like a lion. He was long, lean, powerful, dangerous and absolutely unpredictable. The idea of someone that terrifying sitting at his mother's table was just wrong.
"I'm sure Dino will let you use his place. I'll make the arrangements." Tsuna would make sure somehow that Dino agreed. "Oh, and as a special thank you for your earlier work, sometime soon Varia should have new rings. More compatible rings."
"Do you really think it's smart to keep making Varia stronger? We're not all that fond of you, you know."
"I think," Tsuna paused for a moment to sort out his words. "I think that when outsiders threaten Vongola, we should all stand united, no matter what we think of each other the rest of the time. I should be clear on this, too. We are being threatened. It's just not obvious yet."
"Maybe all that tutoring is doing you some good after all." Xanxus hung up on Tsuna then, and Tsuna sighed with relief.
"It's like a walk through a field of landmines," he muttered to himself, tucking his phone away. "Aren't there any normal, calm, laidback people in Vongola?"
"Only the lackeys," Reborn's voice came from behind Tsuna and had him spinning around and yelping in surprise.
Even a few months ago, Tsuna would have given himself away by demanding to know how long Reborn had been there, or what he'd heard. That was months ago, however, and now Tsuna forced himself not to. Instead, he smiled and shook his head.
"Sorry, Reborn. I guess I still have things to learn when you can sneak up on me like that." In an instant Tsuna decided not to wonder whether he'd been overheard. What was done was done. He did, however, have something that it was important for Reborn to hear.
"I'm glad you're here, though. I was going to go looking for you. I need you to reach Dad for me."
"Iemitsu? Why? You haven't asked about him in a while." Reborn was watching Tsuna intently now, and Tsuna could practically see the cogs spinning in Reborn's head, trying to piece things together but still missing some of the facts.
"Because I need him to reassign Lal to Japan," Tsuna replied, resuming his walk to the store.
"Why?" Reborn asked, hopping up onto Tsuna's shoulder.
"I'll need her help soon. I'm pretty sure that sometime within the next six weeks, someone will try to kill me."
Reborn was silent for a few moments and then he leaned against Tsuna's head. "Why would someone want to kill you, Tsuna?"
"Because I'm protecting my Family." For some, Tsuna knew, that was more than reason enough. "Some of the things I've been working on with Grandfather are going to make me more noticeable now, and there's going to be some backlash soon. Especially after the next round of orders go out."
"And you won't tell me what you're doing that's putting you in so much danger?" Irritation practically seethed from Reborn and his hand closed tightly and painfully on Tsuna's ear. "I understand that you want to protect the Family, Tsuna, but my assignment is to teach you and make sure you live to take over the Family. This constant keeping of secrets makes that extremely difficult. Wouldn't it be better to simply let me help you?"
"I'm sorry, Reborn, but I can't." Tsuna could feel himself tensing further. He hated arguing with Reborn more than just about any of the other unusual and stressful things his mafia life hand dropped into his lap. This, however, was something he didn't want Reborn involved in. He knew his tutor and knew that his reaction to things this dangerous would fall well into the category of 'seek and destroy' without consideration. "Grandfather and I agreed that it's better to keep you out of this problem. When I can tell you, I will. I promise."
Reborn went silent then, and remained so through the rest of Tsuna's errand. When they returned to the house, he disappeared upstairs quietly. Tsuna looked in on him regularly through the afternoon, worried at the mood he'd caused in someone he valued so much. Each time he glanced over to Reborn's corner in his room, however, he was blatantly ignored while his tutor communed with his various agents, random insects and animals. At least Reborn had taken the first part of what Tsuna had said to heart, if he was already establishing a solid information network to keep an eye on him. Tsuna made a mental note to be more careful now in how he communicated, because Reborn was going to know where he was at all times.
Strangely, some part of him felt relief at the fact that Reborn was focusing on what he would need to do to keep a close eye on him. It meant that while Reborn was angry, it wasn't necessarily with him as much as with the situation. They both knew there had been plenty of times in the past when Reborn had been forced to withhold information from Tsuna in similar circumstances. All Tsuna could do now was show his understanding and acceptance of Reborn's anger by silently settling in his room nearby and working on his homework diligently, keeping him company.
By dinner Reborn had relented somewhat, at least enough to steal half of Tsuna's food, ignoring his outraged protests about being a growing boy and smugly diving in for his next theft. His mood had definitely improved by the time he reviewed Tsuna's homework and gave him corrections to make while he lounged in his chair comfortably. By bedtime, things were still strained but a lot closer to normal, and Tsuna found himself sighing in relief as he slid into bed. He hated doing things that hurt or upset Reborn, because it reeked of distrust, and that wasn't the case at all.
Tsuna trusted Reborn absolutely. It took time, but within months of meeting him, Tsuna had learned that the welfare of the Vongola, the Family, and in direct relation, Tsuna, was always Reborn's absolute priority. It was that knowledge that made keeping secrets from his closest friend all the more painful.
"I'm sorry, Reborn," he whispered later that night as he struggled to sleep, hearing Reborn's soft and regular breathing from his hammock. "But I would sacrifice everything to avoid losing any of my precious people, and you the most. Our Family isn't a Family without you here to guide us. We'd be lost without you."
Rolling onto his side and facing Reborn's corner, Tsuna sighed sadly. "You taught me that to be the boss is to protect the Family from any and all attacks. To hold them all the best way I can and keep them safe, so that they can keep our Family strong. I know I'm not being fair right now, but I know if I brought you and the others into this, you'd rush out to protect me, and I'm not the one who's at risk here."
"It's difficult to consciously trust your instincts, Tsuna." Reborn appeared out of nowhere on the edge of the bed, watching Tsuna with serious eyes. "Especially with things that are morally challenging. Our world is a dark one, Tsuna. It's not a burden you're expected to carry alone. Stronger men than you have failed. You should trust the people around you and rely on them."
"There's no one in this world that I trust more than you, Reborn." Tsuna rested a hand on Reborn's shoulder and squeezed gently. "And I know that if you really wanted to know what I was up to, you could bully it out of me or put the pieces together yourself. All I can do is ask you to trust in me and let me handle this until I can tell you what comes next. I'm worried that if I involve you too early, I'll lose you."
"It's rare, Tsuna, that anyone would think that I need to be protected from something," Reborn said, moving forward and claiming the majority of Tsuna's pillow for himself. "Especially you."
"Arcobaleno curse or not, Reborn, you're human. You're a man, not a child, and while I know you're unbelievably strong, I also know all it takes is one lucky moment for someone else. The majority of the time I don't have to worry about even that, because you're so strong you'd never allow someone to get that lucky. These people, though, they're unnatural." Tsuna laid back down, his head flopping onto what little pillow he'd kept for himself, and watched Reborn with fond eyes. "I'll kill them with my own hands before I risk letting them get that lucky."
"Tsuna..." While it looked like he had more he wanted to say on the subject, Reborn settled in for the night on his pillow, pulling the covers up to cover him properly, staying silent in the end.
"We'll talk to Dad and Lal, and come up with a way to make sure I'm safe," Tsuna said, reaching out sleepily to catch one of Reborn's small hands in his own. "I promise I'll do whatever you all think I should, even if it means less freedom for me. I can't leave you guys alone with the way things are, now can I?"
"You'd better not, Tsuna. I'd have to bring you back to life just to punish you." A deep breath, and then Tsuna heard the tell-tale snore that indicated Reborn was asleep now.
Tsuna's conversation with Reborn seemed to have bought him some peace for now, and it made things somewhat easier. He knew Reborn wasn't the least bit happy with this, but the willingness of his tutor to let him continue on and to not interfere told Tsuna a lot about where Reborn thought he was in his growth. They'd had their shared moments over the years where Reborn would go silent and simply smile at him, always a sign that whatever choice had been made was the right one, but this felt different. It was deeper and more overwhelming. Tsuna felt as though he was finally becoming the kind of boss that Reborn himself would follow, not out of obligation but out of respect.
Content with having resolved their argument, at least somewhat, Tsuna snuggled comfortably back under the covers. His hand remained firmly around Reborn's, and the fact that those small fingers were holding onto his just as tightly meant the world to him. He took his own deep, soothing breath, and then another, and then he fell asleep as well.
*Title translates to "A firm resolve does not know how to weaken".