The world spun.
As soon as he stepped out of the car, nausea hit him like a tidal wave.
If Yamamoto is to baseballs, Gokudera is to cars. The guy drives like a lunatic. He inwardly thought, suddenly thankful that he didn't eat much food during lunch.
"THAT WAS THE BEST RIDE EVER! TO THE EXTREME!" he vaguely heard Ryohei shout as he tried to regain balance by leaning on the car door.
"Pull yourself together, Dame Tsuna. It's embarrassing to see a boss pass out from a simple car ride."
"I don't think that ride was anything but simple, Reborn." He said steadying his gaze from swerving uncontrollably as he recalled how the roads going to the place were almost akin to a rollercoaster.
"You all right Tsuna?" he looked up to Yamamoto who like the other seemed unaffected by the Storm's driving at all.
"Tenth! Why didn't you tell me I was going too fast?" he saw Gokudera rush towards as him with a worried and remorseful look on his face.
Because I was too busy holding on for my own dear life! He wanted to say but refrained as didn't bother to voice out a reply while the world around him started to steady.
After all the fights and trap-filled training courses, he still gets car sick so easily.
"Let's go. Leave him there to pull himself together for a while." Reborn said to the others, Tsuna couldn't help but notice how those black eyes seem to have garnered a familiar sadistic gleam.
He gulped in dread on whatever new training method Reborn planned to include in his crazy lesson plan.
"Tsuna, be done in five minutes or else." It was clear threat and he could only cringe at the image of Reborn holding a big green machine gun filled with weird bullets.
"I'll be right back Tenth." Gokudera said as he too joined the others leaving him to gather himself.
He was just about to regain himself when he saw Dino approach him. He was a bit perturbed when the easy smile turned into something akin to a mixture of surprise and bitter denial.
"Tsuna! Is that what I think it is?" The Cavallone boss could not help but gape at the work of art standing before him. He was going to check on his little brother after he heard he got a bit car sick but all his attentions were diverted to shining Ferrari his little brother was leaning on to.
"Huh?" asked the confused teen.
"Tsuna. This is a newly released FERRARI TRINITY, the EDITION M TURBO they only made three in the whole world! How the hell did you get it!" said the boss still staring at the car before him.
"Um… Dino-san. That's Gokudera's car." He didn't understand a thing his friend was muttering but he merely informed Dino of who the probable owner is so that he could ask him all the questions. Of course, he could only stare as Dino turning into a petrified statue a few moments and became utterly possessed by some banshee.
"YOU! YOU GOT YOUR HANDS ON THIS TREASURE! HOW?" he cried as he turned to the right-hand coming back with some water for Tsuna.
So much for formality. He mentally commented only to remember what Reborn told when he insisted that Dino isn't the formal type.
"The host sets the atmosphere. It is his decision to be formal or not. As a guest you can only comply."
"Really, Reborn. I have this feeling that Dino-san won't really be this formal. This time anyway." He insisted.
"Just shut up and get dressed. It's impolite to assume." He replied with a look that told Tsuna not to contest him.
To say 'I told you so' would be so good. But… I'm not that stupid or that suicidal. He concluded with a sigh as he returned his attentions back to the two.
"I don't know. B – " Tsuna saw the guy back away bit after seeing Dino's crazed look.
"Gokudera-kun, where did you get the car?" he asked disrupting the two Italians' banter.
"Well…my tutor kinda lent it to me." answered the teen rather sheepishly.
"You're tutor lent you a Ferrari?" Tsuna said in disbelief since he really expected the teen borrowed the thing but for his tutor to actually let him drive this kind of vehicle was a bit too much.
As you sure this person is a sadist?
"Yeah, lets me drive it around Italy once in a while." He shrugged in nonchalance.
Both bosses looked at him in shock this time, inwardly wishing that Reborn would let them drive something as cool as a limited edition Ferrari.
So much for formality. He sighed as he took a bite of his tender loin steak.
He honestly expected a more formal setting, being raised in the Mafia, he was used to dinner always equating to formality and etiquette.
So for the host to run charging towards him like a renegade from an asylum and interrogate him on how his tutor managed to get a Ferrari Trinity was not by far polite let alone formal. However, he had to consider that Dino's bond with his boss was a different kind compared to normal alliances. They were blood brother and perhaps Dino actually considers his time with the Vongola Decimo a nice break from their world of shadows and lies.
Well, he is the host so I guess there's nothing wrong with this. Besides, the Tenth 's seems more comfortable in this setting anyway. He concluded as Dino asked him another question.
"So where you keep it? Does your tutor have his own facilities here where you can just go and get the M Turbo?"
"Sorry can't say." He answered already hinting that it was classified and not to push anymore further.
"Fine. But… I don't suppose you could lend it to me." Dino urged on shining him a pair of puppy dog eyes that a man in his age and position couldn't possibly posses.
"I don't know… Like I said the thing isn't mine." He reminded, not even the slightest affected by the puppy dog trick.
"I promise to return it in one piece and not tampered with, just let me drive it just this one time."
He was almost going to concede under the condition that he drives the car with his men around so he doesn't turn into a clumsy oaf when Reborn interrupted.
"I suggest you don't he's lousy driver even when his men are around." He chirped taking a sip from his espresso.
By suggest he obviously meant, he's telling me not to.
"Reborn!" the Cavallone boss cried out in indignation only to be silenced with one of the arcobaleno's sharp looks.
"You already have a number of Ferraris, which I would add you have dented and if not, crashed." Informed the Arcobaleno as he added more weight into his 'suggestion'.
"B-But."
"No buts. Gokudera, don't lend Dino your car. I don't want to see a thing of beauty ruined by clumsiness." The hit man turned to him in emphasis.
"What kind of person do you think I am? I'll willingly pay for the damages." Dino said in defense from Reborn's insult.
"If my tutor gets word of me lending the Ferrari and that said person ruined it. Even with the paid damages, I'll still be paying for it in, I quote 'blood, sweat and tears'." He added in. He couldn't help but recall his previous conversation concerning the new Ferrari.
"Let me get this straight, you actually sent a Trinity back to Namimori? Dare I ask why in the hell would you do that?" he asked in disbelief, as much as he likes driving it, he couldn't help there was a catch involved.
"Yes. Just in case you might need it of course." Nodded his tutor as if lending priceless limited edition racecars to teenagers are a daily occurrence.
"Okay, let's say I might actually need it. What happens if it broke or something?" his eyes narrowed in suspicion as he waited for a reply.
"That's a silly question Hayato. You'll pay it for it as you usually do. In blood, sweat and tears." The sadist said in a cheery tone and a sweet smile to boot.
"You just want to have an excuse to train the living daylights out of me." He spat out in indignation.
"Perhaps. Well, take of Melodia for me." The tutor merely shrugged as a familiar knowing smirk curled upon those lips.
"Who's Melodia?"
"Come on." Groaned Dino in exasperation shattering his path to memory lane. He would never understand why the sadist named the M Turbo, Melodia, so why would he even bother.
It'll just give him a migraine anyway.
"Enough! Sometimes a boss needs to know that he can't always get what they want nor can they force themselves on things." Said Reborn as a shot from Leon rang out signaling the end of the conversation pertaining to taking Melodia for a test drive.
"Anyway, we have some news for you." Mentioned Reborn as he took on a more serious atmosphere than earlier and as if sensing it, the rest on the table went still and listened.
"News, what kind of news?" Dino's eyes narrowed in reply finally looking like a boss trained by Reborn.
"Serious news." Said the Arcobaleno.
"I see. This has to do with the attack on the Morte, right?" Dino leaned back as the air around them grew heavy, his caramel brown eyes sharpening to a certain degree as they merely nodded in confirmation.
So Don Cavallone finally decides to show. He thought as he slipped a look on the others who also assumed a serious look.
"We have already been notified by the Ninth." He informed levelly, his tone was clipped and formal so unlike the happy-go-lucky guy from earlier.
"That's good we can't afford another incident." Said Reborn with a visible frown on his chubby features.
"Incident?" the Tenth asked, he was clearly not well oriented to the issues at hand.
"Morte held a group of innocents to get their demands. Vongola refused." He answered as he quelled the bubble of anger that threatened to show. The last thing he needs right now is acting like an overly emotional fool in front of them.
"So they let a bunch of civilians get killed." His boss voiced with hints of indignation and injustice for those lost innocents.
He couldn't help but wonder what would happen if his boss was actually there in the middle of it all. Images of a boy running to kill himself just to save those people came to mind. It was clear the Decimo can't handle such pressures in his current state, he doesn't have the heart to sacrifice innocents.
He's still too kind for his own good.
"It pains me to see such pure hearts be tainted by the harshness of reality. It even pains me further to see them forced to enter our dark world of death and blood."
The words echoed in, reminding him that in time, his boss won't be as kind nor as forgiving as he once was.
He hopes that time won't come too soon for them all.
"If we give them Vongola, you think they'll stop at that?" Reborn challenged in turn making the young heir grit his teeth in frustration.
"No." he answered in defeat but somehow, with the way those brown depths flare, they conveyed anything but defeat.
You can't save them all Tenth. He wanted to say but refrained knowing it wasn't the right time or the right place to do so.
Dino was about to speak when a couple of sharp knocks interrupted him, they waited in silence as Romario came in with a stern look on his face.
"Boss, there's a call for you on the video phone." He said, the look on his face told them he didn't like who was calling.
"Who is it Romario?" asked Dino, as he mimicked the sternness on his right hand's features.
"They didn't say, boss."
Sharp looks were exchanged.
Conclusions were made.
None were too good.
"Put him on screen." Consented the Cavallone boss as they all straightened in their seats when Romario took out a remote and a large screen was lowered from the ceiling.
They waited as the call connected and when it did, Gokudera gripped his seat so hard to prevent himself from snarling at the stranger.
That seal. His mind registered as he took note of the seal similar to that of Vongola except, instead of clams and guns, skulls and snakes took its place.
"Good evening, young Cavallone. I am Gregor Despoti the new boss of the Morte. We would like to make negotiations with you." Greeted the enemy boss, the hood shielded most of his distinguishing features but even the shadows could not blur the prominent seal of their Famiglia upon the brooch that held the man's cloak.
For what began as a friendly dinner turned out more what they've bargained for.
…to be continued…
A/N: So guys, what do you think? I don't know how they name cars… let alone Ferraris…so the Trinity Ferraris are obviously fictional cars… Thank you for reading. Please review…
P.S. Melodia… it means Melody… I don't speak Italian so I get my translations on the net…