"Who's this kid and that guy who attacked me earlier?" Jyuichi looked down at boy who had shown up earlier today. He was out cold.
"He's on our side, and the man with the long hair works for the Vongola." A blond man- Dino- explained, leaning against the wall, the gentle *beeps* of the heart monitor going at a steady and even pace in the background.
"I think I just misheard you." The brunet commented. "Will you please repeat that? Because I don't think someone in Vongola would attack the Vongola Decimo."
"Technically, you aren't the Vongola Decimo, yet." Reborn corrected.
"WHAT?!" He looked at Reborn in disbelief.
"I'm training you to be Decimo, but there are others who can claim a right to the title. The box that this boy had has valuable rings inside. They're called the Half-Vongola rings. They have a long history of bloodshed behind them."
"And now that Long haired guy has them" Jyuichi slightly smiled at that. Then that means I could get away from this situation!
"Hey, don't worry, look what I got." Dino pulled a box for his jacket that looked exactly like the one that the long haired man had taken. "That's why I'm here. Someone asked me to pick this up today and give it to you."
Jyuichi visibly deflated at that as Dino handed him the black box. He opened it and looked at the rings inside. He sighed before handing the box to Reborn.
"I don't know what to do with that, but you do" With that, the brunet left with a gloomy aura.
~0~
After a long walk to help collect himself, Jyuichi finally headed back home. Hanging outside their house were several outfits for drying and by the door was a pair of well used, muddy boots.
Turning the corner, Lambo, I pin and Fuuta were sitting and drinking out of sake bottles. Fuuta looked like he was trying to drown himself in the alcohol. Jyuichi quickly snatched them away from the kids and he soon noticed a familiar figure that was sleeping on the floor, surrounded by sake bottles.
For a moment, he just stood in the doorway, watching his dad sleep there. It was strange, instead of seeing him with that dumb look on his face, he was crying while mumbling 'Tsuna' in his sleep. His heart clenched at the name. Ever since that day, Tsuna's name had been a taboo. His mother would cry day 'til night whenever Tsuna's name was mentioned. They even locked the older brunet's room just so Nana or him wouldn't stay there, sobbing to themselves until the next day.
Without another delay, Jyuichi approached his father and woke him up. Out of all of them, Iemitsu has the heaviest burden. Because up until now, he still blames himself for Tsuna's death.
~0~
Gokudera Hayato looked at the ring on his finger with mixed emotions.
On one hand, he had done his research after he had been told that he had the chance to be Decimo. He knew the Half Vongola ring when he saw it. If the partial symbol he saw was anything to go off of, this was the Storm Guardian ring. He should be overjoyed to be such an important part of the Vongola, the largest and most powerful mafia family.
But on the other hand, it felt wrong. It's not like he thinks that Jyuichi is incapable. The brunet has been like a gift from Kami. He doesn't mistreat his subordinates or use them like weapons. Jyuichi sees them like a second family, and Hayato was more than happy that he did so.
But something was wrong. Something missing.
It's as if Jyuichi is not the right Sky for him.
"Hey, Gokudera!" Hayato stopped in his musings at the cheerful voice of a certain baseball idiot. He turned a bit to see the grinning face of Yamamoto Takeshi. "Imagine running into you here!"
"What are you doing baseball -idiot?" Hayato glared at the raven head, who just kept on grinning like his face was permanently stuck like that.
"Maa~ maa~ Gokudera, I was just saying hi. My dad found this in our mailbox this morning. I wanted to see if maybe Dino knew what it was. Maybe it's part of the mafia game. We seem to be playing it more often lately." Yamamoto held up his hand to reveal a half ring on his finger.
"Do you even know how important that is?!" Hayato demanded angrily. Yamamoto shrugged.
"No, but something weird seems to be goingon. I bet its part of the mafia game." The silver head snorted at that. How wasthis guy supposed to be a guardian?
"Gokudera-san? Yamamoto-kun?" A familiar voice called out to them. Looking to the right, they saw Sawada Jyuichi jogging towards them. "What are you guys doing here?"
"We wanted to see if Dino- san knew what these were." Yamamoto help up his ring, grin as wide as ever and Hayato raised his fist so that the brunet could see his' too.
"What?!" Jyuichi looked taken aback. "Aren't those the rings that Dino-san gave me?"
"Yes. And they've been chosen. It's now theirs." Takeshi and Hayato turned to see Dino walking towards them, Reborn on the window ledge right next to him with a knowing smile on his face.
"There are seven total Vongola rings and are meant to be held by seven different people. The six that aren't yours have been given to the people who will be able to protect you best. You, along with six people are the core of the family."
"Wait, what?! Protect me?!" Reborn just stared at Jyuichi's confusion. "If you're training me to be stronger, then I don't need anyone protecting me!"
Reborn smirked. "Yes. Not because I am training you doesn't mean that you could pass every trial that will come your way, alone. You need people that will stand by your side through all of it, just so you wouldn't lose yourself"
A warm feeling spread through the brunet's heart at his tutor's words. Reborn really is his family's salvation from grief.
"Tenth, it is such an honor to wear this ring!" Hayato exclaimed with as much excitement as he could.
"Gokudera has the 'Ring of Storm' and Yamamoto holds the 'Ring of Rain'." Reborn informed. "The first Vongola each were very different from each other. Primo was said to be the enveloping sky that surrounds everything, thus Ieyasu has the 'Ring of Sky'. His guardians then took up other aspects of Rain, Storm, Cloud, Sun, Mist and Thunder. But the rings you have right now still aren't the full Vongola rings, only half of them."
"Well, it looks cool and all, but I play baseball. I don't really need a ring." Yamamoto took off the ring.
"That really is too bad then." Reborn sighed, an evil glint in his eyes. "If you kept that ring, you would've had a chance to fight the man from yesterday again."
Yamamoto tensed up at the mention of the long haired man, grip tightening on the ring as Reborn reached to take it from him. Hayato couldn't blame him. Just thinking about their humiliating defeat yesterday lit a burning resolve to get better and redeem himself.
"In only ten short days he will be back." Reborn said, taking his sweet time on just reaching for the ring. "Really, it's probably for the best that somebody at your skill level stays out of this. You'd probably be more of a liability than anything."
"This is mine right?" Takeshi clenched his fist around the ring, and away from the hitman's grasp. "On second thought, I think I'll keep it. Guess I don't want to just stay there as a loser."
Then the raven haired baseball ace went running.
"I promise I will change completely in these 10 days so that I will not be the embarrassment I was yesterday and be worthy of this ring!" Hayato declared, already planning out a training routine in his head.
"O-oi!" Jyuichi exclaimed in shock before turning to his spartan tutor "Reborn! That was unnecessary!"
The infant hitman only smirked before disappearing from view.