Interlude III: Mors ultima ratio (Vongola Estate / Venice, Italy / Six Years Future)
A/N: This is set six years in the future from the current timeline. There's been some clamor for more R27 time, so I went for that here, but I got more of Reborn than Tsuna in the end. I do think it conveys well how he looks out for Tsuna without being overly obvious about it. Don't worry, though. There's more to come!
The next interlude will be the flip side of Chapter II, which will show us all what happened to poor Kyoya on the future side, and what happened when they switched back. I'm just polishing that Interlude chapter up today and possibly tonight before posting it. So you may see it today, you may not. I tend to post in clumps of chapters.
From that point forward, we're going to see more action and excitement, including the return of Mukuro (and some nice, steamy fun between Mukuro and Tsuna), an assassination attempt, and more! Oh yes, and Iemitsu. Because no boss is complete without a crazy father, right? Oh, and some Lal as well, and a few other characters I may have been neglecting a bit. Enjoy!
Assassination wasn't something one did on a whim with some random gunfight outside a bar late at night. It was something that came with a checklist of requirements that needed to be met, all of which had to be memorized so there would be no kind of paper trail. It was to be handled efficiently and cleanly, with no way to trace it back to either the hit man or the client.
Sure, there was the occasional flashy, so-called 'impossible' hit, where a group like Vongola's Varia rampaged in waves of fire and blood to accomplish their task, but those were pricey and less common than most would think. No, most mob-related hits happened in quiet secrecy and were never, ever acknowledged outside of the payment received. Those were the hits that Reborn preferred.
For all of his ego and arrogance, Reborn preferred his assassination the way he liked his booze, dark, smooth and with a bite that came when you least expected it. He liked to hit hard and silently and leave no trace that he was every there except the brutal result of his work. He would receive his orders, perform his job with exquisite grace and skill, and slip out into the darkness to return home.
These days, he went out rarely on a job. There were the kids now, to handle the easier hits, and Varia was picking up more of the slack than they used to. Reborn wasn't sure what Tsuna had done or said to motivate Xanxus, but it certainly allowed him stay closer to home, which he preferred. Being at home meant being close to Tsuna, which meant Tsuna was safe, secure and in his arms.
So when Reborn did find himself out on a job, it was one even the Varia had turned down as too dangerous or too unpredictable. As crazy as the Varia were, there was a limit to what they considered acceptable loss. When jobs came up that no one else could handle, that was when Tsuna had to send Reborn out to take care of it. There was simply no other choice.
This, of course, made the task of assigning a job to Reborn insanely difficult for Tsuna, because he knew, by the time it got to that point, exactly how dangerous it was. Reborn knew this, but over the past several years hadn't managed to find a way to make it easier. Instead, they'd both come to an understanding that the good of the Family sometimes must surpass their own happiness. It was inherent in their natures to make that sacrifice, but it had been painful all the same.
There was a routine to it now. Reborn could tell for days, sometimes even weeks ahead of time when something had come up that only he could handle. Tsuna would go quiet during meals, in the evenings, even in meetings with the others. His face would be paler than normal and his eyes would take on that glazed, dangerous look that they used to only see when Reborn took the Dying Will bullets to him. At night, it was even clearer to Reborn, because Tsuna would wrap around him tightly in his sleep, almost to the point where Reborn couldn't move without an enormous amount of work to unwrap himself.
Tsuna was the source of balance and harmony that kept their Family together, and so eventually his emotional state would start impacting the others. It would start with the occasional sneer or harsh word and devolve from there into challenges and fights in the hallway if it went on too long. By the time that property damage began, Reborn would normally figure he'd better intervene soon.
That would be the time when Futa would reappear unexpectedly for a visit home, at first from his high school dormitory and then later from his first year at college, and nod quietly to Reborn in understanding while on his way in to visit his Tsuna-nii. They'd stay locked in Tsuna's office for hours while random things floated outside the door in odd intervals, until Tsuna came to some acceptable decision or plan.
Futa would stay the night, eat dinner with the family and head back to his dormitory in the morning, with a tidy addition to his bank account from Reborn. He'd protest that it wasn't necessary, as Tsuna-nii was special to him and they were Family, but Reborn would simply point out that food costs money and students had unexpected expenses and that he was simply increasing his allowance for the month, just in case. Then he would hug the boy and quietly thank him for coming so quickly.
Within a day after Futa's visit, the official summons for Reborn would come, which was vastly different than the text messages Tsuna would send him when he was bored or wanted company during the day. This summons would come in the form of Hayato, tie loose around his neck, collar open, hair a mess from the number of times he'd run his hands through it, tracking him down and looking at him unhappily. That was where Hayato and Reborn found themselves in the middle of one sunny afternoon in the library where Reborn had been reading the newspaper with his espresso.
"Reborn," Hayato was clearly unhappy and strained. "The boss wants to talk to you about a job. Can you come now?"
"I always have time for the boss, when he needs me," Reborn replied, setting aside the paper and standing. It was a formulaic response, a pattern he and Hayato had created between them to soothe the boy's nerves when he was sent to ask things like this.
Reborn often thought Hayato had one of the hardest jobs of all of them, because he had to ride herd on Tsuna and communicate for him. It meant that while Tsuna was giving the orders, Hayato often had to relay them, and face the backlash of emotion. So he'd decided early on that he would be one of the people Hayato could always rely on to be obedient to Tsuna's will.
"Let's go, Hayato." Reborn led the way to Tsuna's office, calm and steady, which calmed Hayato as well. "I had a feeling I'd hear something today."
"I'm sorry, Reborn," Hayato said softly, tossing his hair back. "This isn't one I'd want to go out on myself, but if I thought I could do it, I'd do it for you. The boss is unhappy about it, even more so than usual."
"It's fine, Hayato," Reborn reassured him as he stopped in front of Tsuna's door. "I'll take care of it."
Stepping into Tsuna's office, his eyes were drawn immediately to his boss. That was the blessing and curse of Tsuna for Reborn. He was drawn overwhelmingly to Tsuna at all times, and it was hard to look away if he had a choice in the matter. Today, his Tsuna looked exhausted, with dark bags under his eyes. He was pale and obviously unhappy, with his breakfast tray pushed off to the side of his desk, untouched.
"You haven't eaten yet," Reborn commented, moving over to the desk to sit across from him. "That's not healthy, Tsuna. We've talked about this. That flame inside you requires fuel. If you don't take care of yourself, it will consume you."
"I know," Tsuna replied, shooting him a rueful look. It was the source of a regular argument between them, one that Reborn always won in the end. "Hayato's next stop is for something a little warmer than what I forgot to eat this morning, Reborn."
"Good." Reborn leaned back into his chair and nodded his approval of that lazily. "You have a job for me?"
"I do." Tsuna bit his bottom lip unhappily and handed over the dossier that had been sitting in front of him. "I'm sorry Reborn. I don't like this at all, but you can only give a person so many chances before you have to accept that they're always going to be a problem."
Reborn took the file from him and nodded his understanding before opening it and taking the time to read it thoroughly while Hayato brought in a new tray for Tsuna and took the old away. He firmly continued reading it until he heard Tsuna start eating and kept reading until he was satisfied with the amount of food that had been eaten. Some days, it was all about winning the battle by holding out the longest and waiting out the opposition.
"You've spoken with Aria about this?" He asked Tsuna, finally looking up from the paperwork. "Normally this would be something that a Family would handle themselves."
"She asked me personally if we would take care of it for her," Tsuna replied, looking sad for a moment before switching to Japanese for privacy's sake. "It's breaking her heart to have to do this, but the information is too reliable. He's definitely selling her secrets and putting Aria-san and her entire Family at risk."
"Then it's not a problem, Tsuna." Reborn nodded his understanding and brought them back to Italian gracefully as he set the folder down onto the desk again. "I'll leave this afternoon. It shouldn't take more than a few days, really. I should be back by the weekend."
"Be careful Reborn," Tsuna said, watching him with anxious eyes. "He doesn't have the same sense of honor we do. Don't pick a fight with him or challenge him. Just kill him, take his box weapons and rings, and leave him to rot where he falls."
Reborn could only blink at Tsuna for a moment in shock. "This isn't like you, Tsuna. Why are you so angry?"
"There are only a few people in the world I'll never forgive for what they've done, Reborn. He's one of them. I want him dead and gone before he's ever a risk to our Family again." Tsuna's hands were clenched almost painfully on the arms of his chair, the knuckles white and strained.
Years ago now, Reborn had learned painfully that there were some things Tsuna would simply never tell him. They were dark and painful things, and it tore at him to watch him suffer with memories and information that none of the rest of them truly understood. He'd gained some glimmer of insight by simply watching Tsuna's choices and being there for him. He knew enough to realize Tsuna had seen or experienced something dangerous that Reborn didn't remember for some reason, no matter how he prodded his memory or what he tried to break the truth free from his own mind. Those were the times he cursed himself for his earlier choices to block out the past from himself. It had obviously made him more vulnerable to similar techniques.
When Tsuna was like this, there was only one thing Reborn could do to help him, and that was to obey without question. "Then I'll kill him for you."
Kyoya had asked Reborn once why, when he knew he was going out on a dangerous mission, he didn't stay the night and spend it with Tsuna before he left. Reborn's answer was simply that Tsuna wouldn't rest peacefully until the mission was done, and that as much as he enjoyed his time with Tsuna, he'd rather take care of what was bothering Tsuna, than watch him suffer. It was more efficient that way, and Tsuna was happier faster.
So he left the estate with a respectful bow to his boss and a promise to return as soon as possible. Their eyes met for a moment and he could see the comfort Tsuna took from the calm assurance in his eyes and his absolute comfort in taking on this mission. It was a nasty piece of work, but not one he was overly concerned about. He'd do it, and come home and comfort Tsuna. He'd take his time with the job, though, to make the bastard Tsuna hated so thoroughly suffer for whatever he'd done, or would have done, that hurt Tsuna so much.
Two days later, as he stood in the woods on the outskirts of the Giglio Nero estate, Reborn took aim at one of the roots of Tsuna's problems and blew a hole in his thigh with one sharp shot. As Genkishi fell to one side as pain blossomed unexpectedly in his body, Reborn blew a hole in the other leg, taking him fully to the ground. There was something dark and cold moving through him, the type of deep anger, almost rage that he hadn't truly felt since Tsuna appeared in his life.
"You're a fool," Reborn said, stepping out of the woods and making his way over to stand over him, a dark shadow of death. "To betray your boss, Genkishi, when she values you so much, isn't just foolish, it's suicide. Luckily I'm here to help you with that last part."
He didn't give the other man a moment to reply, because he had no interest in whatever the man would try to say. Instead, he took his final shot between Genkishi's eyes with no mercy. As he died on the ground, Reborn followed his orders and took every ring and box the other man had on his body, pocketing them. Then he pulled out a coin from his pocket and looked at it thoughtfully before placing it on the man's chest, watching the Vongola crest gleam in the afternoon sun. It was a strong sign to anyone else who would consider crossing the Vongola and their allies.
"Wherever you end up in the afterlife, you bastard, I hope you beg for forgiveness for an eternity for whatever you've done in this world or another, to make my Tsuna hurt like that."
With that, he left the corpse behind him and strolled back through the woods to his car. He'd have a Family messenger deliver the boxes and rings to Aria the following day, when she'd be expecting them. Within minutes he was on his way home, one hand busy on his cell phone, texting his confirmation to Hayato, knowing he'd inform Tsuna.
By the time he arrived back at the Vongola estate and parked, his head had cleared and his mood had calmed somewhat. He'd sworn long ago he'd never go to Tsuna when his temper had snapped. He stopped in the kitchens for a quick meal and headed down to his private quarters, knowing Tsuna was still in his office working, and that he'd been notified of the success of the mission, and his return to the estate.
Rather than disrupt the rest of Tsuna's day, he unpacked and changed into workout clothes and went to vent the rest of his temper in his private gym and sparring area. The idea of a close Family member betraying their boss that way infuriated him, especially with it being Luce's daughter put at risk. He realized he was proud of Tsuna for making this decision, and viciously satisfied that he'd been the one who had delivered the punishment for such betrayal. So to reassure his boss, he blew off the last of his steam with a hard workout in private.
He was toweling the sweat off and heading towards the bathroom for a shower when he heard his front door chime as it opened. Listening for a moment, he relaxed muscles that had tensed instinctively. The footsteps were familiar and meant that Tsuna was here with him. Detouring, he made his way out to the living room to meet him, dropping a kiss on his cheek as Tsuna shrugged out of his suit jacket.
"You smell," Tsuna told him, wrinkling his nose slightly as he dropped his jacket on the couch. "I say that with all the love in the world, but you really, really need a shower, Reborn."
"That's the smell of hard work, Tsuna," Reborn teased him before wrapping his arms around him, mercilessly rubbing sweat all over his shirt. "You should embrace it and be happy I work so hard for you."
Tsuna blushed and looked vaguely guilty for a moment before shaking it off and giving him a suspicious look. "You're picking on me, Reborn. I'm not fourteen anymore. I can tell when you're trying to mess with me."
"Tsuna, I'm hurt," Reborn replied, looking mournfully at him with puppy eyes. "How can you think something like that, after I've been away from you for days? Haven't I suffered enough?"
"Now I know you're fucking with me," Tsuna muttered before kissing him softly. "Otherwise you'd have told me to live with it and stripped me and we wouldn't be talking at all right now because I wouldn't be able to think."
Reborn laughed at that and pulled him close again, burying his face against Tsuna's neck and breathing him in for a long moment, feeling his spirit settled and calm as Tsuna's presence had its natural effect on his own fiery energy. "I missed you, Tsuna. I might pick on you for a few days until I forget being away from you for so long."
"It figures," Tsuna griped lightly, arms sliding around him tightly. "You can't just be all sweet and romantic like a normal person. When you miss me you have to pick on me." His soft laugh clearly indicated he didn't mind so much. "Welcome home, Reborn. I missed you, too."
Reborn kissed him again then, this time drawing it out to something long, slow, deep and sweet, his hands sliding up to cup Tsuna's face carefully. It was another part of their routine. No welcome home was ever the same. Sometimes it was sweet and romantic, others hot and passionate, and then sometimes it was filled with humor and everyday life, something Reborn cherished just as much as the other options.
"Let's go get cleaned up, Tsuna," Reborn whispered softly against his mouth, "and then we'll see about that other part, you know, making it so you can't think at all."
*Title translates to "Death is the final accounting".