AN: Thank you everyone for the kind words and many more thanks to those of you who dropped some money in the tip jar. My tumblr (kaliade . tumblr . com) has a link to my Kofi page. I've also started an original story on my side blog (silvertome . tumblr . com). If you like fantasy, poerful women, romance and political intrigue, please consider checking it out.
Enjoy!
Day broke. Tsuna groaned and curled deeper into Takeshi's arms to escape the damnable sunlight peeping through the bedroom's window between curtains that hadn't been shut completely the night before. Takeshi murmured and hugged her tightly to his chest, his nose burrowing further into her hair. She felt warm, safe and content.
"Tsuna," Rumiko called as she burst through the bedroom door. Twin moans came from both of the bed-bound teens as they sent acerbic glares toward the woman. She grinned brightly and grabbed the bedsheets off of them.
"Rumiko," Tsuna hissed as she scrambled to grab for the sheets. Takeshi groaned as he got an elbow to his side. He rolled over and threw his arm over his eyes.
"Up," Rumiko demanded. "We had a visitor."
"Who?" Tsuna grumbled as her feet hit the floor.
Rumiko laughed and grabbed Takeshi's ankle. He kicked out at her but finally gave in and got up. He sent a nasty look the older woman's way before he began to strip out of his sleep clothes. Tsuna, also changing out of her bedclothes and into the houmongi kimono Rumiko had picked out the previous evening, watched as he pulled his shirt over his head. She turned to Rumiko. The two females shared a look.
"So, who was our visitor?" the yakuza boss asked as she worked on tying the obi correctly.
Rumiko huffed in amusement and took over for her boss. Hands moved with experience as she correctly tied the piece of cloth. "Fujimoto, again. He's still trying to get some time with Takeshi."
"No," Takeshi bluntly, tonelessly said as he shrugged on his dress shirt and buttoned it.
"If he's this persistent, he's likely not going to take no," Tsuna said as she grabbed a hairbrush and ran it through her spiky tresses. The spikes laid flat for a moment before springing back up to their normal state. Rumiko chuckled at the sight.
"Let him be persistent," Takeshi grumbled.
Tsuna frowned and clicked her tongue. "Did you call your dad last night and tell him about old Fujimoto wanting to talk to you?"
"Yes," he tied his tie, "he hasn't gotten back to me."
"Try calling him again before breakfast," Tsuna said. "I'd rather not have to deal with the man again. He's bad enough in the meetings, what with being such a staunch traditionalist. I don't want to deal with him during my downtime."
Takeshi sighed and turned away from her stare. His jaw clenched tightly and tongue pressed against the roof of his mouth. "Yeah."
"Well, that can wait until after breakfast," Rumiko chirped and glided out the door. "Ryohei, Mochida, and Ikeda went to get food. They should be back before long."
"Takeshi," Tsuna whispered as she watched her boyfriend pull on his jacket. The black stood out against the white of the shirt. She sighed. Her lips pursed before she shook head, her spikes bouncing with the movement. She grabbed her phone and walked out of the bedroom to the sitting room. Yuusuke sat reading a newspaper in a chair. She waved halfheartedly to him before taking a seat on the couch. She opened her address book and selected a name.
Ring.
"Tsunami," Reborn's voice greeted her.
"Reborn," she replied back. "I need some information."
There was a paused. "What's happened?"
"Several deaths, murders. An enforcer for one group and an entire group in total murdered."
"I thought the Gathering was a Vindice enforced peace get together."
"Outsiders. The Vindice have already said the contract between our groups hasn't been violated, so only an outsider could do this."
"What do you need, Tsunami?"
The conversation continued on for several minutes, Tsuna wringing the information she needed from her tutor. She dialed another number and gave her information to Asano. The Gathering's host thanked her profusely for what she was able to tell him and promised that he owed her a favor. She smiled, a dark light entering her eyes, as put her phone down. A favor from the Asano family would be so very useful in the future.
"Morning," Takeshi greeted as he finally came out of the bedroom and sat next to her. Rumiko, still putting on the final touches of her makeup, peered into the room from the bathroom of the connected suite. A knock on the door kept her from saying anything. A moment later the lock turned, and the three missing members of the group walked in, laden down with food once more.
"You're up," Ikeda grinned at them as he set a bag on the bar. Ryohei, laden down with several cups of hot beverages, began to hand them out. The smells of tea and coffee filled the sitting room as the food soon followed. Mochida slumped against the side of the couch as he nibbled on a breakfast bar. Ryohei nabbed a packaged bread of some kind before sitting at the window, looking down at the people wandering the street below.
"I talked to Reborn," Tsuna announced as she finished off her breakfast. She preferred her mother's cooking, but whatever conbini the boys had found had a decent breakfast. She sipped her tea. "I've got a good idea what is going on. Again, no one goes anywhere alone. Mochida, you're with me. Takeshi, be ready to saturate the air with Rain Flames at a moment's notice. I've already told Asano what I've found out."
There was silence as they all finished off their food. Takeshi stared at his hands before sighing. "I talked to Dad."
"And?" Tsuna encouraged.
"He suggested I agree to meet him." Takeshi winced.
"You taking his advice?" Ikeda asked from his seat against the wall.
He sighed and slumped over his knees. Tsuna ran a hand down his back. "I don't want to."
"But you're going to," Mochida finished for him with a nod. "You respect your dad too much not to listen to him."
"Try to see if he'll talk to you before the morning meeting. Then he'll have a time limit," Yuusuke suggested.
"It's extreme you're doing this," Ryohei said as he threw his cup in the trash.
Tsuna snorted as a thought crossed her mind. Everyone turned to look at her, Takeshi going so far as to peer up between his fingers. "I'm just thinking, today, before the morning meeting when everyone is present, is when I'm bringing up the Squalo merchandise I have to sell."
Everyone stared before breaking into laughter, even if Takeshi's sounded forced.
The Akatora retinue made their way down to the large conference hall. Unlike the first day here only the heads and their seconds could attend, the second day was more a sort of socialization day. The only formal meeting would last barely an hour and was more for alliance announcements. The rest of the day was for drinking, talking, and gambling. Tsuna's lips twitched into a smile as she looked over the gathered people in the conference hall.
The Squalo merchandise was going to bring in so much money.
A few heads turned in their direction. A handful of smiles greeted the group. Tsuna nodded respectfully to those that deserved her respect. Rumiko chuckled from beside her, eying up the gathered yakuza and mentally marking the ones she was going to have to speak to later. A few words whispered in the right ears, and the price they could demand their merchandise would rise to the heavens. They were going to be rich.
"Rumiko…" Tsuna began. Her lips twitched.
"I know," the prostitute chirped and clapped her hands together with a broad smile on her face.
"Ah, Sawada-san," Matsushita called out and waved a hand. The woman hadn't recovered her usual exuberance, though she was perkier than most of those in the room.
"Tsuna-hime," Takeshi leaned over to whisper in her ear, his eyes focusing on his grandfather's form, "I'm going to go see what Fujimoto wants."
"Understood," she whispered back. "I'll send Ryohei or Mochida after you if you don't return in an hour."
Her swordsman broke off from their group and walked, head held high, toward the old man. The rest of the group headed for Matsushita. Tsuna sent up a mental prayer toward whatever deity happened to be listening for her swordsman.
"You look so intense," Matsushita stated as Tsuna sunk into a chair.
"There are things that I am concerned over," Tsuna said blandly before a wicked grin crossed her face. "Say, Matsushita-san, your daughter's husband, he's a fan of the Sword Emperor of Europe, isn't he?"
The old woman sighed and rolled her eyes. "Yes, as much as I hate to admit it."
"Then…" Tsuna motioned for Rumiko. The prostitute placed an envelope in her outstretched hand. "If I remember correctly, his birthday is coming up. Here's a gift from the Akatora to the heir of the Matsushita."
The old woman looked at the young boss and back to the envelope. Her eyebrow quirked upward as she took the envelope and opened it. Her slightly arthritic fingers pulled a photo out. She froze at the sort of choked sound coming from her bodyguard. She turned to look at him, possibly chastise him for making a scene, only to stop at the googly-eyed look on the man's face. He let out a tiny squeak far too high pitched for a man of his size.
"That's, that's," the man sputtered out, finger-pointing. "That's Superbi Squalo! I've never even seen that picture before. Where did you get it?!"
That caught the attention of everyone within earshot. Heads snapped toward them. Eyes instantly tracked to the picture in Matsushita's hand. Necks craned to get a glimpse. Tsuna suppressed a faint smile at the covetous looks being sent their way. Time to set the trap.
"Took it when Squalo and my Takeshi fought."
A wave of whispers radiated out at that declaration. Conversations stopped. Everyone turned to look at her. The apparent fans of the Sword Emperor looked shrewdly at her. A few patted their pockets idly. Those who weren't fanboys of the swordsman still knew how good the man was, and how often he left survivors. That is none. For the Akatora swordsman to still be alive, that meant the boy had won. The smarter men shared looks and made mental notes to not get in the boy's way.
"I have photographs—both black and white and color—and film. Film comes in forms with and without audio," Tsuna announced in just a loud enough voice to be heard by the interested parties. Those on the very fringe of the slowly creeping in crowd got the information from their fellows. "I'll be opening up sales after the meeting."
"How wonderful of you," Matsushita drawled as she stuffed the photograph in the envelope and handed it to her remaining aide, the one who did not look so starstruck.
Tsuna grinned. "Thank you."
"Where is your talented swordsman, by the way?" Matsushita leaned forward, her hands curling together in front of her as a wicked gleam appeared in her eyes.
"Fujimoto," Tsuna spoke in a deadpan. "The old man has some things he wanted to discuss with Takeshi."
The old woman blinked and shook her head. She clicked her tongue. "And your swordsman willingly went to talk with him? Miracles do happen."
"I know…" Tsuna's voice faded. A chill ran down her spine. Her skin went pale. She stood up and looked around the room. Her hands began to shake. Her people shared a look and began to search for what set off their boss.
From his position on the opposite side of the room, Asano went tense. He motioned for his men to fan out and search the area. His men fanned out. They were armed, something typically not done at the Gathering. Keeping an eye on Sawada was a good idea. He'd have to remember to reward the subordinate that came up with it.
"Tsuna?" Mochida hissed. The hairs on his arms stood on end beneath his clothes. He felt that sort of static buzzing in his head. Nostrils flared, and he swore he could smell ozone. "You feeling this?"
Tsuna's head jerked around. Something was wrong. Mochida was connected to it, sensing whatever it was at a higher degree than she was. Her hands twitched. Eyes tracked over nothing. The hall quickly fell quiet at her odd actions. A moment later, after looking over the crowd, a realization slammed into her.
"Takeshi," she whispered in horror before turning to Mochida. "Find Takeshi. He and Fujimoto are the target. Move!"
Takeshi fought the urge to fidget as he walked beside Fujimoto. He refused to even think of the man as his grandfather. He had lost the right the moment he tried to kill his daughter for falling in love with an assassin. A growl threatened to escape his throat at the thought. His hands curled into fists at his side as he glared out the corner of his eyes.
"You've grown strong, boy," Fujimoto complimented him.
"Dad's work," Takeshi immediately shot back.
Fujimoto shifted and growled. "Yes."
Takeshi smirked, a slight victory. Fujimoto's face twisted as he had to admit that the assassin had done well at something. He pushed a side door leading to a private room open and motioned for his grandson to go inside first. Takeshi looked at him before peering into the room. His senses were in overdrive, trying to find any sign of treachery. After scanning the room from the outside, the swordsman motioned for the old man to go in first. Fujimoto frowned at him before stepping into the room.
"Are you always so paranoid, boy?" he asked as he heard his grandson step inside. "And close the door. This talk isn't for public consumption."
Takeshi rolled his eyes but pushed the door shut. He turned back around to the man he shared blood with and stared. He may have agreed to listen to what the old man wanted, but he did not promise to be civil. The cold shoulder was too subtle for the man who had threatened him in the womb.
"You have your mother's stubbornness," Fujimoto said with a sigh as he sat on one of the chairs in the room. He looked the teen over from head to toe and fought back a wince at the way the boy looked so much like his assassin father. Though, looking closer at the line of the boy's jaw and the shape of his eyes, he could see his daughter's contribution to the boy's genetics. He motioned for the boy to sit.
Takeshi shook his head and remained standing. His muscles itched to move. He refused to give the man the satisfaction of seeing him so tense.
"Just sit, boy. I'm not going to get a cramp in my neck looking up at you while I talk."
"Right," Takeshi said as he lowered himself slowly in a seat. Anything to get this over with quickly. His legs shook as he managed to get settled in his chair.
"Good, good," the old man muttered and nodded.
"What is this about? You made it seem so important," Takeshi growled.
"Straight to the point like her, too." The old man frowned. "I loved my daughter, boy. Never doubt that. We did not get along, especially after she met your father. I never stopped loving her."
"And yet you tried to kill her and me," the swordsman snapped. His eyes glowed a faint blue as he used his Flames on himself to keep calm. He reminded himself to give Colonello a gift for teaching him the skill, even if he had thought it useless at the time.
"Grandson…"
"My name is Yamamoto Takeshi," he bit out. "Now, what is it you needed to tell me that was so important?"
Fujimoto stared at his grandson for several seconds before sighing. "Isamu is dead. Stomach cancer."
"I see," the Rain said with a tilted head. Isamu, his mother's older brother.
"Isamu's son is not the sharpest knife in the drawer. He prefers his art to properly leading the family. I can't rely on such a flighty person to take over when I pass. The family will be ruined. I am here, asking if you would be willing to become my heir. You know how things in our world work. You have a reputation already built. You have experience." The old man placed his hands together. "Please, grandson, become my heir so I will not see all of the hard work I have put into the family go to waste."
Takeshi stared for several seconds. His eyebrows rose with every word the old man said. After a few seconds of silence as the old man looked at him with pleading eyes, he broke down in laughter. "You seriously think I would leave Tsunami?"
"You'd have wealth, power…"
"Both of which I have no need nor want for. The Akatora provides plenty for me, and I swore my life to Tsunami years ago." Takeshi grinned light glinting sinisterly off his teeth. "I made an oath to always stand by Tsunami's side. Nothing short of death will take me from her. I will kill anyone who tries to make me."
"You foolish boy!" Fujimoto roared as he rose from his seat. Takeshi felt the hairs on his neck stand on end. His nerves lit in apprehension. His eyes scanned the room as he tried to figure out why he was getting those feelings. His hands curled into claws as dread flooded his system. The faintest taste of his Sky's Flames began to surge through his bond with his boss.
He barely had the chance to move.
Something shimmered in the air as Takeshi flipped out of his chair and landed in a roll on the floor. He kicked to his feet and gaped at the three long slashes that appeared where he had been. He reached out and grabbed Fujimoto arm, flinging the old man behind him. He was not getting blamed for breaking neutrality. Some idiot in Fujimoto's lot would make an accusation, even if Takeshi had died, too. Pulling from deep within, he flared his Flames outward in hopes that the Tranquility fate would slow whoever or whatever it was that was attacking.
"Takeshi!" Tsuna's voice screamed from the hall. A wave of Sky Flames slammed into the door seconds before the door flew open. Mochida, taking point for the group, ran in. His eyes, glowing a vibrant green, charged. Hands flashed as tiny static bolts leaped off his hair. A sound of pain came from thin air, which wavered for half a second before shimmering into the form of a tall man, one with a large chunk of his stomach ripped out. Blood ran down Mochida's arm as he stared in horrified awe at the blood. He turned a green color that had nothing to do with his Flame type.
Tsuna, not to be idle, charged in behind her Lightning. She looked around the room for several seconds bore springing at a seemingly empty piece of air. There was a flare of Sky Flames and a scream as a body, this one much smaller than the other, became engulfed. The air burned with a searing heat for several seconds before the bright orange Flame faded. The charred corpse of a small man hit the floor with a dull, dry thud. Tsuna stood up from her crouch and looked over at the appraising and impressed Fujimoto and the impressed and mildly aroused Takeshi.
"Someone go get Asano-san. I think we just took care of his problem."
The gathered yakuza heads watched as Asano's men dropped two corpses at the front of the room. One had its stomach region shredded. The other had been burned. Tsuna, standing beside Asano, kept her head lifted high as she picked bits of the burnt fool out from under her nails. Mochida kept wiping at his now clean hands with a wet rag from behind her. He swore he could still feel blood on his skin.
"My thanks to the Akatora for taking care of the outsiders who dared kill our fellows," Asano announced, though with a bit of a sour tone. He owed Sawada a favor, a large one. He hated owing anyone favors.
"Your welcome," Tsuna stated and looked down at the most intact corpse. She pushed it with her foot and frowned. "I've got a good lead on how they did this."
"Then please, tell us," Fujimoto demanded. His face burned a bright red. He had nearly been killed and only the intervention of that girl had saved him. To top it off, his grandson refused to take his place as heir.
She looked up at the group of agitated, ruthless yakuza and grinned like a satisfied tiger. "Verde, the Lightning Arcobaleno."
The room broke out into whispers. Asano looked over at her and quirked an eyebrow. She turned her grin to him. She flashed her phone in his direction, the screen with Reborn's picture. His eyes widened a fraction before he nodded faintly. That explained her information source.
"Ah, so you do know of me, Vongola," a young male voice drawled from nowhere.
Mochida froze up. His eyes went wide. Green static sparked off his fingers. Dark brown eyes turned a brilliant green. His head snapped to the side. He kicked. The air shimmered as something or someone the size of a toddler jumped away.
"Show yourself," Asano ordered and made a motion for his people to aim at the suddenly empty area. The yakuza parted and formed a circle around where they thought the infiltrator was.
"Fools," Verde scoffed as he dropped his stealth field. He looked balefully at the two corpses on display. "I must thank you for assisting with the field testing of my stealth suits."
"You son of a bitch," Matsumoto snapped. Her second reached out and placed a hand on her shoulder both to calm her and act as a restraint should the old woman try to take justice into her own hands.
Tsuna hummed in the back of her throat and stepped up beside Asano. Her eyes began to change to a dull orange. Her Flames began to flare outward. Many of her fellow yakuza heads glanced at her and started to do the same. Sky met with the mixture of Mist, Cloud and Rain circled together. Verde's eyebrows drew together as he felt the charge in the air. His hand drifted down to his side under his lab coat.
"I wouldn't," Tsuna warned as her eyes turned from dull to blazing. A shiver ran straight down the back of several yakuza. Enforcers and seconds reached for weapons they had, by accorded rules, left in their rooms. "Draw a weapon here, and you will die. Arcobaleno or no. Reborn assures me it is possible to kill one of you even if you can't kill each other off."
The scientist scoffed but let his hand fall to his side. He glanced around. "Just give me back my suits, girl."
"No."
A shiver ran down Verde's spine at the ice in the girl's voice. "Do not try to fight me, girl."
"You came in here and let these two idiots break accorded peace," Asano roared, his voice booming. "How dare you?"
"Your accorded peace. I have nothing to do with that agreement or with the fact these two decided to test your security." Verde smirked, light glinting off his glasses.
"So you claim you had no idea these two were going to kill off an entire delegation in addition to an enforcer from the Matsushita-gumi?" Asano gaped at the toddler-sized scientist. Tsuna, next to him, growled. Orange flames sparked over her fingers. She felt Takeshi's Rain Flame reach out for her in an attempt to calm her down. She shook her head ever so slightly.
"What they did with my suits are not my concern. I only gave them to the idiots for testing. Return them to me," he demanded. Tsuna twitched. The feeling in the room turned more hostile. The Italian mafia may think they have a monopoly on Flames, but the yakuza, much like the Triads of China, had been creating techniques relating to life energy for centuries. The oppressive atmosphere pressed down on the Arcobaleno. He inhaled sharply. His pacifier took on an ominous shimmer as he tried to pull on his Lightning Flames.
"No," Asano said and motioned for his people to fire. The yakuza leaped out of the firing line. Tsuna watched with a discerning eye as a forcefield of some kind appeared around the scientist. She snorted and lifted a hand engulfed in bright orange fire. The Flames pulsed. Her people grinned, and as the gunfire fell silent, Ryohei pounced. Sun Flames augmenting his strength, he slammed head first into the barrier. It shuddered before falling spectacularly. Verde let out a surprised yelp as he flung a sparking piece on technology at the charging boxer. Glowing yellow eyes met dull, genuinely alarmed green. The toddler sized-scientist almost didn't manage to get out of the charging teen's way.
"What the hell?" Verde hissed as he landed. A strike of Lightning Flames zipped by his ear and impacted the ground. He spun around to see another teenager flicking his fingers toward him. The boy swatted heavily, each spark of lightning making him wince. Apparently not a mastered technique.
A wall of Rain Flame slammed into the scientist out of nowhere.
Though resistant to the tranquilizing effect, Verde stumbled on his feet. He managed to keep his feet beneath him and whirled out of the way. His eyes went wide as a flaming orange fist met his face. His body arced over the heads of the gleeful crowd and impacted the far wall. Tsuna stood up from her punching stance. She smirked.
Verde groaned and got to his feet. He glared at the Vongola brat. Orange eyes bore into him. He fought the urge to shiver at the malice that dripped from the girl. Green eyes snapped over the room, looking for a way out. The girl was going to kill him. He could feel it. He reached out for a specific device on his belt. He tucked into a ball to avoid the next strike. He felt a wind blow over the back of his neck. He dropped a steel orb on the ground at his feet. It shook for a moment before a steady stream of noxious black fog dreamed out of it.
Tsuna cursed as the smoke burned her eyes. She stepped back. Her intuition blared. She stepped to the side, avoiding two prongs of some type of taser. The leads drifted to the ground. After a second of waiting for the ventilation to clear out the black smoke, everyone stared at the empty space. Tsuna looked around. The scientist was nowhere to be seen. She had a faint idea of how he managed to get out so quickly. Mochida was capable of moving very quickly when he channeled his Lightning Flames into his muscles after all.
"Damn it," she snarled as she reigned in her Flames. "Coward, honorless son of a goat."
"Spread out and search," Asano ordered his people as he snapped out of his stupor. He had not expected the Tiger to react the way she had. Such ferocity in such a small package. His lips twitched as he fought the urge to smirk as her people converged on her. Yes, he may owe the girl a favor or two, but he had the feeling that having a connection to the young woman would pay dividends in the future.
