Chapter 34

Of course, Isago wasn't going to tell Reborn about his reincarnation.

That was one thing that he wouldn't tell anyone in this life unless it would save his life at the last moment.

"Isago!" Nana leaped into Isago's open arms and kissed him twice on his face. Isago laughed, squeezing her small body with his own before sighing once at his mother's emotions. Her face was teary and there was a giggle when Isago muffled out of his mother's shoulders, looking back at Tsuna who was smiling widely. Reborn went back on Tsuna's shoulder, and despite all the intimidating words that they had exchanged earlier, Reborn had a small smile curved onto his face when he saw the reaction from Nana.

Isemistu was on the side, smiling and ruffling Tsuna's hair before Tsuna yelped and told his dad to stop that. Isago had booked his family a good hotel to stay near his area to avoid confusion and a house overload of things. Lambo had his eyes wide as saucers and they instantly teared up at the sight of Isago. There were soft spikes in his eyes as he stepped closer to him.

"Isago…?"

Nana released her hug on Isago and smiled. "Isago, Lambo really missed you."

Isago smiled, kneeling down and extending his hands at the baby. "Lambo?"

"Isago!" Lambo grinned while his small footsteps leaped on the ground, throwing himself at the older brother that he had always been attached to. Behind Lambo, there was a child that stood there in the hallway, smiling at the family while Bianchi stepped out of the kitchen wearing an apron.

"You're back," Bianchi nodded slowly, placing a smile upon her lips. Although the smile seemed somewhat like a Mona Lisa smile where Isago "Welcome back."

"Haha, thanks, Bianchi. Thank you for not melting my house when I was absent," Isago clutched the baby who was sniffing in his chest as he started telling Isago about how Baka Tsuna was abusing him in the process of his absence.

"I did not!" Tsuna protested, his eyebrows furrowed on his face like he was suddenly insulted. Iemitsu only teased his son and made the boy flush even more. The boy in the back stepped towards Isago and leaned his body a bit, smiling pleasantly as he introduced himself as Futa.

"Nice to meet you, Futa," Isago nodded as his yellow eyes twinkled knowingly. "This might be late, but welcome to the family."

Futa's eyes sparkled.

"Can I also call you brother? Isago-nii?"

"Permission granted, Futa."

There was a growl from Lambo's stomach as the baby looked at his own stomach aloofly, turning his head up to look at Isago as he sucked his thumb. Isago chuckled, patting him on the head before he asked his mother if there was anything to eat.

"Let's celebrate Isago's return, honey!" Iemitsu grinned and rubbed the back of his head as if he was asking for permission to celebrate. Nana nodded, hopping towards her husband and pecked him on the cheek.

"I'll do something extra special today!"

"Oh, honey!"

Nana giggled while Iemitsu wrapped his arms around her neck, kissing her lightly on the lips. Tsuna at the side was bright red before he covered his eyes with his hands, peeking through his fingers while Reborn's eyes stayed on Isago. There was a second before Isago held his gaze, smiling mischievously at him. There was a glint in Reborn's eyes but he lowered his head as the hat's shade covered his eyes.

Isago didn't find that a negative sign though.

(～￣▽￣)～

"Isago, can I…" Tsuna knocked on Isago's door before entering warily into his brother's room. Isago was at the table, typing on his computer before he turned it off and twisted his chair to face Tsuna who was holding a pillow in his arms. Tsuna's face was bright red and his lips were mumbling words that Isago couldn't quite pick up but after slumping his shoulders, Tsuna cleared his throat, looking at anywhere but him.

"Can we sleep together?"

Isago smiled and glanced towards the clock.

"Of course, Tsuna. I was about to sleep anyway," he said, turning off the lamp lights before standing up from his chair and walking towards the lights that were behind Tsuna. Tsuna shifted with a bashful chuckle, before crawling onto Isago's bed. There was a slight flinch from the coldness of the bed before Tsuna's lips thinned into a straight line again.

Isago ignored it, simply walking over to his bed and plopping down on the outside and pulled up the covers for them. The warmth from Tsuna's body radiated next to Isago and his older brother shuffled next to him, staring at Isago with his soft eyes.

"Isago, I missed you."

"I did too."

Tsuna's hair was on the pillow as Isago pondered on the emails that he had just received from the Vongola once again. Apparently, now that the traitors were caught, Iemitsu had attended a meeting just a couple of days ago to conclude the Leilei brothers' death sentence. Many wanted to interrogate the brothers for more information, but in the end, the whole conference was a stalemate. Some wanted to kill the brothers right now, but there were others who wanted to torture them for their betrayal.

"Isago?"

"Hm?" Isago snapped back from his work before looking over at Tsuna's whose eyes were very uneasy. There was no shimmer, only dim worry with a frown that did not suit his brother's face at all.

"Stay with me," Tsuna's warm hands found their way to Isago's, gripping them tightly. Isago paused for a second before Tsuna added in again, this time a bit more desperately. "Promise me, Isago. Promise me that we'll stay together forever."

Isago chuckled lightly, patting his free hand on Tsuna's head with a bit of fondness.

"I promise."

As long as Ninth chose Isago at the end, though.

Tsuna sighed in relief before blinking once again and tearing his gaze away from Isago. "Isago, I…"

Tsuna's mouth clamped back down as his eyes glimmered with conflict. There was a moment before he flushed red before tugging at Isago's shirt underneath the blankets. Isago thought that Tsuna might be trying to tell him about his underlying crush on his own brother. He furrowed up his eyebrows, not liking where this was going. If Tsuna confessed to him right now, then Isago would have to give him a definite answer. That wasn't good for either of them.

The best situation would be to lead Tsuna on while forcing him to keep his mouth shut by some kind of inner conflict. Well, Tsuna was quite tight-lipped when it came to small crushes like that, so Isago didn't worry much.

"Tsuna, you've been through a lot today," Isago cooed, squeezing Tsuna's hand with a warm smile. "Sleep, I'm also tired."

Tsuna widened his eyes, nodding instantly as he closed his eyes like an obedient dog.

A few moments later, Tsuna fell asleep like a log.

It was also at this moment that Isago felt so salty about the fact that his brother was able to sleep on command. What was he, a normal human? Isago clicked his tongue, then removed his hand from Tsuna's grasp, slowly slipping out of his bed and picked up his fully charged laptop. It was around 11 pm at night, and Isago knew that mom and dad were in their room.

Futa and Lambo had gone to sleep at 9 pm while Bianchi never left her room after 10 pm. Isago sighed, threading his hand into his hair before he reached the kitchen, seeing no one there. Good.

With a smooth motion, Isago sat the laptop on the kitchen table and opened it to reveal a meeting room that was set up on his computer. Isago had emailed the representatives of Vongola's allies to discuss the problems with the Leilei brothers. There was still ten minutes before the meeting started so Isago poured himself a cup of chamomile tea. He sipped on it before blazing his flame up after adjusting the camera lenses so that it wasn't able to see what Isago was wearing.

When the meeting began, everyone was already there and waiting for the head to start the meeting. The head being Isago.

"Thank you all for attending," Isago placed on his usual business-like smile as everyone greeted him almost encouragingly. "It must have been a long wait for you."

"No, we appreciate you for reaching out to us, successor," Simon Famiglia lowered their head with an equally polite smile. This was the atmosphere that Isago had portrayed in the first meeting. First impressions were important, and unlike Xanxus or his unknown brother who was named as the first successor, Isago had given off the impression that he was easy to talk to and was respected by all the different families.

Respect. That was what the next Vongola head needed to have despite inheriting the world's most powerful mafia family.

"I should also congratulate you for winning your first match, successor. It was marvellously played by your sun guardian."

"Thank you," Isago said, not leaking any surprise that he had not known of the battles being recorded. "I'm surprised that the news travelled so fast though."

"Of course," the Nero representative laughed, stroking his beard. "We have been rooting you from the beginning. I was astonished at how you ordered your guardians to heal your opponents. Truly, a generous successor Timoteo has brought up."

Isago raised his teacup to his lips, covering the smirk that he was wearing.

"While the Bovino family is also delighted by your victory…" the Bovino head trailed off. On the screen, Isago could see the man looking downwards as if he wanted to say something but couldn't.

"Rest assured, Bovino Famiglia, I have already told my lightning guardian to protect Lambo Bovino with all his strength from Varia. His safety is our top priority."

"I-" the Bovino head looked surprised. "Thank you, successor."

"Naturally," Isago smiled. "Now, let us get onto the topic of the Leilei brothers' crimes."

They were fairly civilized under Isago's inspection. Well, Isago made it that way. The moment one family showed hostility towards another, Isago would step up and calm things down. The Cavallone Famiglia, Tomaso, Bovino and Simon Famiglia were for the decision that they did not want the Leilei brothers to die only for their betrayal. According to them, they wanted them to atone by being under strict surveillance.

The rest, though, wanted to put the brothers under a guillotine.

"We cannot have them live! They could have exposed our secrets to the black market!"

"Beccio Famiglia, this human lives we are talking about! Although the Leilei brothers have betrayed us, they served under Vongola for ages!"

Once again, the reason for betrayal was thrown through all their minds again. Ninth became radio silent on their contracts.

"Personally, I do understand both sides," Isago spoke up after a moment of listening to all their reasons. "While I do understand that the Leilei brothers have served us for years…"

Isago paused, building up the suspense before staring back at the screen.

"Cavallone head, I believe you might want to see this."

With a few taps of Isago's pad, he sent the information he had Adriano dig out from the Leilei brothers. The Cavallone family belonged to Dino. They were prominent for their financial problems and peaceful measures to the citizens that lived on their land. The material that Isago had sent was simple. One of the most important cases that Cavallone placed under their files, and the hidden power that they had placed under the third room in their underground storage.

Only the Leilei brothers knew that.

"This! This is-"

"I understand your concerns, Cavallone. They were trying to sell the information just before the Vongola caught the two."

Cavallone's head frowned.

"You have my word," Isago nodded sympathetically. "I swear upon the Vongola name that I have not shared this with any other members of my family."

"...Thank you, successor."

"Not at all," Isago said. "Other than that, please look at this."

And Isago revealed all the information that only the Leilei brothers knew about. It wasn't easy getting the information at all. With the constant email exchange and Vongola's hackers, he had gotten half the information that was handed out. Only that was not enough proof. That was why before the Leilei brothers were actually caught, Isago sent multiple people to fake their identities as the Leilei brothers. Other than that, Vongola had a very nice torture chamber that was soundproof.

Yes, Isago had taken Lucas to the Vongola torture chambers just before he had stepped into Verde's flame extension machine. Using Lucas' power, he had fished out all the information from the brothers. In any case, the betrayal was unforgivable. Isago had to set an example of what would happen if someone betrayed Vongola. Ironic, wasn't it?

Isago was basically doing a free job to help the Vongola even though he wasn't going to be part of it. Well, what mattered wasn't the name of Vongola that had solved this problem. What was important was that Isago's face and name would be stamped into all the allies' minds. He was the one that caught the brothers and solved the situation flawlessly. Not the Vongola, nor any other successors.

"...I allow for their deaths."

"Approved from the Bovino family."

"...Yes."

The rest of the families seemed satisfied by their responses.

"I understand all your concerns for life," Isago nodded. "But what the brothers have done is unacceptable. For the protection of everyone, unfortunately, it seems that we must place a cap on this lid."

"Let this hold as a reminder," Isago spoke up after a long time and lifted his eyes along with his grave expression. "The Vongola treasures all of you. We will protect you with all our abilities but we will not show any mercy to anyone who wants to cause us harm."

With that, the meeting ended with an overall pleasing note.

Isago sighed, feeling the pressure finally lift off his shoulders as he sank into his seat while typing another email to both the information department and the interrogation unit to execute the brothers and send videos as the witness to all of the famiglias. That was one case done, but there was still a pile of work that the Ninth had left untouched after his absence.

"Well done, Ragazzo."

Isago flinched before turning his gaze to the baby who was leaning against the kitchen entrance. Reborn had his arms crossed across each other and was wearing his usual suit. There was a small but perceptible smile on his face as he walked closer to Isago.

"I can't say I didn't expect you," Isago raised the corner of his lips before eyeing his tutor with amusement. "Couldn't sleep?"

"How ironic," Reborn chuckled, shuffling his feet towards the chair across from Isago's seat. With a sadistic smirk, he leaned his two hands onto the table. "One expresso, please."

"I'm not your errand boy," Isago scoffed, but he obediently rose up from his seat and started preparing the coffee. There was nothing but comforting silence while he worked on the drink, placing the coffee bag into the dispenser and clicking it to 'espresso.' He felt Reborn's eyes on his back, not moving.

"How much have you been hiding, Ragazzo?"

Isago paused his hands, placing them on the counter and turned back to face his tutor. He smiled only sweetly before tilting his head in a condescending way.

"I don't know what you mean, Reborn."

"Don't pretend to be innocent, Ragazzo. I've asked Adriano and he said that you portrayed evident composure in a conference, for the first time too."

"Oh?" Isago chuckled, leaning on the counter and eyeing the hitman. "Have you thought about my invitation, then?"

"Don't change the subject," Reborn clicked his tongue and Isago could only smile. It was definitely amusing to be playing cat and mouse with Reborn."You're hiding something that not even your family or parents know about."

"I have many things indeed," Isago mused. "Like my top three hentai tags and masturbation material, or the time that I had peed my pants in first grade."

Reborn blinked.

Isago blinked back.

"Ragazzo."

"Yes?"

"Your humour is too open."

"Gracias."

Reborn smirked.

"I am very interested in hearing your top three tags."

"Ah, that would be too much information for a normal person."

"Then amuse me."

Isago stifled a laugh and the coffee dispenser behind him beeped. He took out the cup from underneath the lid and placed the drink near Reborn. The smell filled his nose and Isago took his own cup from the table to make himself more caffeine.

"You've gotten used to coffee?" Reborn raised his eyebrow and sipped his own cup.

"Italy was a very... mind-blowing experience," Isago glanced back with a grin. "Coffee was the most common drink over there. I came in contact with so many cheese dishes that I almost vomited after the 34th pizza."

"Italy is famous for their pasta and lasagne, Ragazzo."

"Si, but my favourite stands as garlic bread to this day."

Reborn smirked.

"And so, how was your first experience of sitting in an airplane?"

Isago laughed and his eyes shimmered with a certain feeling as he took the coffee from the dispenser, placing it on the table before shutting his computer down and pushing it to the side of the table. They drank in silence for a moment before Isago lifted his face off of the cup. That was not his first experience of sitting on an airplane.

"You were right about one thing, Reborn."

"Which is?" Reborn curled up his mouth.

"I have one secret," Isago lifted up one of his fingers and slyly smiled. "That no one in the whole world knows. That secret links to all the secrets that I have currently."

Reborn's eyes glinted.

"What is your real age, Ragazzo?"

Isago had a broad smile.

"What makes you go to that area?"

"Just a guess, Ragazzo."

Isago tried so hard to not laugh right now.

"I'm turning 16 soon," Isago replied nonchalantly, smirking. "Did you think I was in the same situation as you were?"

"That's impossible."

"Exactly," Isago nodded and jerked his thumb against the cup, feeling the heat radiate under the mug. So ironic, indeed. For some reason, Isago felt comfortable teasing Reborn, but he knew that Reborn was playing with him. Purposefully leading him to tease the baby so that he would eventually slip up. Isago was a careful one, though. He lifted his eyes off of the cup and tapped twice on the table.

"One hint," Isago cocked his head to the side. "Don't treat me as a child or else you will regret it."

"I already knew that, Ragazzo," Reborn sipped his coffee without batting an eye. "You don't play fair with your opponents, do you?"

"Mhm. If you want to know more, then join me."

Reborn closed his eyes and opened them after a while. "It's impossible."

"What do you mean?" Isago questioned.

Reborn looked at him for a long and hard minute before changing the topic.

"What are your goals?"

"To prove that I'm alive," Isago said and didn't push any further. He held Reborn's intense eyes with his own lopsided grin. "To make sure that my family will never have to suffer again."

"Do you not feel that you are alive, Ragazzo?" Reborn played with his sideburns before smiling sarcastically. "Heh, even a young child like you, huh?"

Isago gave a strained smile himself.

Since when was it that he noticed it? Since when did the fear start crawling up his arms and he couldn't stop it? He didn't want to prove that he was alive in the way that Reborn saw it as. He just wanted to leave a mark in history. So that no one would forget him. Even now, Isago realized half the reason why he wanted to be surrounded by people and work to the core.

It was because he was afraid that he was in a dream. It was because he had already gotten so attached to this world that all his achievements made him feel insecure. He had worked so hard, but then he realized that everything he did here just might be a mirage. He felt so artificial. As if he could just melt away in thin air because of the drug. Was he even real? Was the reality that he lived even an existing one?

Because this was an anime.

Was anything that he was doing anything real?

He just wanted to bury himself in work because that was the only way he could prove that he was alive.

He was tired.

But that didn't matter. That didn't matter. If he was afraid, then he would just accept it. After he had accepted it, then he would find ways to deal with the problem and prevent it from happening. Moping did not suit him.

"Ragazzo."

Reborn's voice snapped him back to reality. Isago plastered on a smile. Reborn was looking at him with a concerned look.

"...You're only a kid."

"What?" Isago knitted his eyebrows together.

"You're overthinking things, Ragazzo," Reborn's gaze resembled a hawk that made the shivers on Isago's arm crawl up. "You're only a child. There is no need to take things on like an adult."

"Only a child, huh?" Isago laughed dryly. His voice echoed the halls even though he tried to keep silent. "The only thing that you can help me with is by joining my family."

Reborn was silent but he gazed back at Isago.

"Reborn," Isago's gaze was glistening with intention. "Become my sun."

(～￣▽￣)～

Reborn lay in his hammock while dangling his arms over the sides.

He didn't like the feeling Ragazzo was giving him. No, he didn't like how Ragazzo was making him think and act. It felt like he had been reverted back to his past. That reckless and glorified past that he had thrown away and erased every inch of.

But Ragazzo had reminded him of his past achievements. The child held him so high that it was almost impossible to not recall the thrill of being in his own body. He had everything- money, strength, women- anything that he wanted.

If he wanted it, then he would have it.

Simple, just like that.

He never had to rely on other people. People had to rely on him. He didn't need to lift a finger to finish small tasks. He reaped the luxury and danced in his victory without batting an eye. At his prime, he had pampered himself endlessly with pleasure. There was no one who could defy him.

He was the strongest in the world.

Just by hearing his name, people would shrink in fear. Just by him showing his appearance, it would make anyone who had heard of him tremble in respect. All his hard work of building up a reputation. All his achievements.

He was untouchable.

But now.

Now he had shrunk.

No longer were his hands there. No longer was the power that he held in his hands anymore. He couldn't even walk by himself without breaking a sweat. He couldn't even take a sip of alcohol without fainting directly.

'How pathetic.'

Yes. Pathetic.

That was what Reborn currently was.

He was at his peak. He was at his peak when everything was stolen from him and stripped him naked with nothing but his few connections that he never thought highly of. He had never thought that he would have fallen. Fallen so easily, like a fragile flower who was just plucked out for someone's amusement.

Snap.

Reborn's fingers twitched at the sound.

Just like that.

(～￣▽￣)～

Isago opened his eyes the moment Tsuna shifted on his bed. He couldn't sleep again. Isago mentally groaned, placing a hand across his eyes in frustration as he felt the weight of his arms press down on his sockets. He knew that it was bad for his eyesight, but there was nothing else that Isago wanted to do right now than to bury himself under a pile of rocks.

It was even at this time that Isago thought of asking Usagi to create some kind of mini coma pills. After Usagi's success with the healing potion, he had found that Usagi was really some kind of genius. Well, geniuses weren't that uncommon in an anime. Take the example of Bianchi, she created poisons herself. What about Shoichi and the other blond-haired guy who helped Tsuna create the X-burner?

There were sure a lot of weirdos in this world.

Once again, Isago was reminded that the world he was in was an anime. He wasn't supposed to be born. Even if everything was real, Isago felt artificial. He was the creation of a pill. Science. Isago sighed once again, covering his mouth with his hand as he stared up at his ceiling. Outside the blankets, it was freezing, and Isago was hesitant on if he actually wanted to step outside of his covers. Tsuna at the side flung his leg out of the covers and onto Isago's stomach.

Isago lurched a bit, glaring amusingly at Tsuna who unconsciously kicked him in the stomach. He had returned to bed after checking a few more emails from Usagi telling him how Bei Li had ordered the most expensive dishes in the hotel and spent over 1000 dollars just on their dinner.

Well, Isago emailed her back and told Bei Li to enjoy what he had right now because, in the future, the credit card they'd be using wouldn't be unlimited anymore. A couple of hours later Isago received a bill from the hotel, stating that Bei Li had spent a couple thousand on clothes and renting out the whole entire pool deck. His guardians must have had quite a good time yesterday.

Bei Li knew how to party. And Isago was extremely delighted by the fact.

Not to mention, Bei Li was also intelligent enough to not order any alcohol for the underaged kids or himself since he had a battle today. Isago could imagine him punching Bei Li once in the stomach if he showed up to the battle with a hangover.

There was also the question of the mist battle. Even though Isago was quite sure that Lucille could take over the entire battle and win with the help of Lucas on the outside, it was Mukuro that they were dealing with. Oh, Mukuro and the other baby. His name was Mammon, the mist Arcobaleno. The strongest mist flame.

How did Mukuro even beat Mammon anyway?

Isago curled his lip at the thought.

If Mammon had the strongest illusions, then Mukuro had the strongest supporting powers. Isago couldn't find any information in the mafia base about Tsuna's mist guardian, but according to his memories, Mukuro was seriously overpowered.

He had the six paths of Reincarnation in which Isago had no idea what those six stood for. Even if Mukuro was a reincarnation, Isago was still ahead of him with the memories of the anime.

"Illusions, huh?"

Isago thought for a full minute.

If Mammon were to cast an Illusion, then Mukuro would cast an illusion countering another illusion and vice versa. Lucille...even though Lucille was practicing with his mist flames, from what he had seen in Lucille's process was that Lucille was able to make an illusion from whatever he was thinking- however, his illusions were weak compared to the normal mist guardians. That didn't mean that his flame was weak- no, Isago could bet that Lucille's flames were just a level under Mukuro which was already extraordinary considering Mukuro was a monster.

Lucille's killings and tactics were more based on his power to feel the minds and locate them within a room.

Hm.

Isago needed Lucas to be positioned in a place where illusions wouldn't be able to reach him. By sending the actual information without any of Mukuro or Mammon's illusions, Lucille would then be able to grasp the minds and immobilize them. The question was, how to destroy an illusion?

For that, he would have to ask Verde for more information. The mist battle wouldn't happen for some time so he had a few days before it was Lucille's battle. But then again, Verde did specifically say that Lucille's wristband weapon could 'swallow anything.' Verde didn't specify-

Oh.

Oh.

"That goddamn scientist," Isago cursed with a raised eyebrow and a small smile. If he was right, then Lucille's protection barrier was able to swallow illusions. What an ironic situation. Initially, Isago was worried when finding his mist guardian because he feared that his mist would fall before Mukuro. But now thinking about it, Lucille was the direct counter to illusions.

Isago felt another light shift coming from his brother before the breathing in Tsuna's chest hitched a bit. Isago turned his head to see Tsuna staring at him with his eyes wide and frozen in place.

"What?" Isago smiled carelessly. "Is there something on my face?"

"No," Tsuna shook his head, a bit of pink-tinted on his cheeks as he covered his eyes with his fingers. "Um- I was just surprised that you were awake beside me-"

He squeaked. "Uh- Isago, did you sleep well?"

"I did," Isago chuckled and sat up from his bed. There was a chilly air that blew across his entire body when he did, forcing him to shudder. Isago was tired. Very much so but he couldn't voice it out and make his brother fret over such a small thing. Stating about insomnia, since when was the last time that he took Adriano's prescribed sleeping pills? Oh right, that was the night before he left for Verde's laboratory.

"That's good," Tsuna shuffled his blankets and also sat up, physically sneezing after he did. Afterwards, his hands flew directly to hug his body as his teeth chattered while he looked around, shocked. "Why is it so cold?!"

"You didn't know?" Isago said without any emotion, staring at Tsuna. "Your room has a heater because you kept on complaining to mom that it was too cold when it wasn't summertime. Since an embedded heater costs a lot in Japan, we could only install it in a couple of rooms."

Isago then plastered on a vague smile.

"Maybe next time I should move to your room instead."

"Geez, Isago, you should have told me sooner!" Tsuna panicked and crawled back under his covers, still shivering with his pale face. Tsuna's soft and brown eyes turned to Isago with a strained tension, not knowing what to say. "I'm your brother, you know."

"Yes, yes, and that brother of mine is currently going to be late for school," Isago scoffed, flipping open his covers and jumped out of his bed with a carefree toss of his hand through his hair as he yawned with his hand over his mouth.

"Get up, Tsuna. You have an entire day to go through."

(～￣▽￣)～

Tsuna had gone to school early in the morning with Reborn. At first, Isago had thought that there might be a certain tension between him and Reborn since Reborn had brutally rejected Isago's invitation yesterday night, but all went, as usual, him greeting Isago with a happy chirp and Isago replied like how he did in the past. Iemitsu had left early in the morning for his so-called 'mining' work in disguise to find Ninth. Recently there was a report from the headquarters that said Ninth's flames were sensed in Japan. Isago didn't say a single thing about it. He only leaned back and watched his father search for the old man.

Mom was in the kitchen cleaning the dishes before Isago came to her with his own plate and Tsuna's leftover plates in hand. Bianchi had gone out to the zoo for shopping and Lambo had snuck out with Futa to find I-pin.

"Mom," Isago grinned at his mom's aloof smile before leaning towards the sink and grabbing the dishcloth away from her hands. Nana tilted her head with a slight shift of her body. "I'll do the rest. I feel guilty anyway for having you take care of Tsuna alone when I was gone."

"I had a lot of help from Tsuna's friends!" Nana laughed before drying her hands on the towel beside her. "Other than that, I heard from Reborn that you were studying at a school overseas?"

Isago paused a moment before grinning sweetly.

"Yes, it was a school in Italy, in fact. I made a bunch of friends over there and finished my first year within a couple of months," Isago improvised. "I'm sorry that I had to leave abruptly. Tsuna and I were in a fight at that time, and I thought it was best for us to separate for the time being. We were a bit too close for siblings."

"Don't worry about it," Nana giggled, patting Isago on the head while her eyes glimmered with fondness. "I know you're always placing Tsuna at first place for everything."

"How can you say that, mom?" Isago shook his head and shrugged. "I place my entire family before me."

"And yet you failed to even say goodbye to me before you left!" Nana pouted and placed her two hands on her hips. "Tell me beforehand next time!"

"Will do, mom," Isago chuckled and finished his last few plates in the sink. There was a moment of silence before he wrung the towel and placed it neatly on the rack. "By the way, I'm home because I asked for a vacation from the principal, but most likely I would have to go in a few days."

Nana widened her eyes before frowning for just a second. But then she shook her head as if to stop all her negative thoughts and smiled radiantly at Isago.

"Good luck with your studies then, Isago! When will you be leaving?"

"I'm not sure about the exact date since I'm on call for the vacation, but probably less than two weeks."

Nana mouthed an 'oh' before placing that smile again.

"Then I'll be sure to create feasts every day so that you won't miss my food!"

Isago laughed, wiping his hands on the towel before pulling her into a hug. Most likely, after the battles, he would not see her again. The fact stuck a cotton swab in his throat but he ignored it, swallowing it all down. Nana was also a bit stunned but as if she could feel that her son was going to leave her, she hugged him back, patting him gently on the back.

"I'll support whatever you do in the future, Isago," she reassured, squeezing him tightly in her arms. "Just make sure that you don't get too hurt while pursuing your dreams, okay?"

Isago smiled bitterly and closed his eyes.

"I'll come and visit again if I have time, mom," he said, not promising her anything else. Nana sighed, understanding the fact too.

"You really don't like lying, my little Isago."

"I don't," Isago lied. He opened his eyes, looking at the ceiling before letting her go with a sad smile.

"No matter what you do," Nana said with her eyes glistening with moisture. "This house will always welcome you back."

(～￣▽￣)～

Isago moved his way past the doctors, a bouquet of flowers in hand while stopping in front of a room labelled 'Sasagawa.' Knocking on the door once, Isago slid open the door to see Ryohei sitting on the bed and screaming 'extreme' at his sister. Kyoko laughed, that smile slow but bitter on her face before she turned towards the door and greeted Isago. Her expression slightly faltered, but she got up and thanked Isago for saving her brother on the battlefield.

"It's natural, Ryohei is also my upperclassman and friend," Isago smiled, releasing the get-well flowers to the girl and she told him that she'll get a vase for it. Ryohei for once was quiet behind her, but after she left he greeted him with the same enthusiasm that he once had in the past. Kyoko shut the door behind them and Isago walked over to the bed, sitting on the chair that was next to him.

"Extreme, Isago! The battle yesterday was extremely fun!" He grinned with a voice that could only be described as dry. When Isago looked at him without saying anything, Ryohei's grin fell down. "Kyoko...Kyoko doesn't want me to fight."

He lowered his face and clenched his fists.

"I promised her to never get hurt and yet…"

Isago closed his eyes and leaned against the chair, staring at him. This was why he needed all his guardians to know what they were getting themselves into. Isago had a feeling that this would happen, so that was also why he chose to visit instead of training himself and his guardians. He had time to spare in fact, since his level was already way past the other two candidates as successors. He listened to Ryohei's story about saving his sister from bullies when they were only children and how Ryohei wanted to prevent anyone else from harming her. That was why he took up this sport. It was ironic because Ryohei's signature word was 'extreme' but during this whole story he had not mentioned the word at all.

"Do you want to keep fighting?" Isago said.

"Yes! I need to fight with extremes!" Ryohei nodded his head and his lips were tight into a thin line. "I need to protect my sister and my friends!"

"Then I'll talk to your sister for you. Sometimes an outside person is better than no one at all."

"Isago," Ryohei looked up at him, his nose a bit red and eyes a bit moist. "I'm extremely sorry for calling you playing dirty yesterday."

Isago nodded a bit. "I understand. Ryohei, I know that you are concerned for both women and children in battle, but you need to know that all my friends know what they're getting themselves into."

"But children and women are supposed to be protected!" Ryohei pounded his fist into his chest, his eyes unwavering as he directed his serious face at Isago. There was a crease in between his brows but Isago took everything in very calmly. "I also saw girls in your group! Don't tell me that they were also extremely aware that they will get extremely hurt!"

"They do," Isago lifted up his eyebrows, not liking how Ryohei was a bit narrow-minded. "Ryohei, they're fighting for the same reason as you."

"Huh?!"

"Who said that women and children couldn't fight if they wanted to? Who determined that they will be weak compared to men? Take an example from your battle. My guardian Aurelio, he's only nine years old but he could defeat two grown teenagers without batting an eye and having fun while he's at it."

"But that was extremely dangerous!"

Isago only stared at Ryohei.

"I'm not here to lecture you, Ryohei," Isago kept his voice down and glanced outside the window. The trees were starting to turn into a shade of brown since it was so close to autumn. Outside, Isago could see the wind starting to pick up its pace, making the grass dance to their delight. "Your sister and other girls may be the case, but not all women want to be coddled and protected."

"There are girls who want to protect," Isago continued, making sure his voice did not contain any hint of hostility. "Thadeka, I'm not sure if you saw her yesterday, but she is the brown-skinned girl who stood behind my guardians. She lost her family and that is why she's desperately trying to prevent that from happening a second time. Are you saying that instead of her trying her best she should just relax and rely on others to save her?"

Ryohei opened his mouth but nothing came out. Isago could see his inner self struggle with his words but the conflict was raging on two different sides.

"Then- have the men protect her dream!" Ryohei clenched his fists even tighter.

"From my perspective," Isago sighed. "I look at their skill and their ambition. If they cannot handle it, then I will not allow them to. But women are just as capable as men are. Within children, there will be the birth of geniuses."

Isago stood up with a small smile.

"Ryohei, three days later Thadeka will fight for the sake of protecting her family. If you're free and healed up, please come to the school and witness her reason. Other than that, please take care of yourself. I will talk to Kyoko and you can decide what you want to do yourself."

He walked towards the door, feeling the passionate gaze on his back before he cut it off by closing the door behind him. Isago's eyes flickered to the side and greeted Kyoko who was standing next to the door with her face lowered to the ground. She lifted her head, eyes shimmering because of the tears that were rolling down her eyes.

"Give me a minute," Isago gently said and turned to the other doctors for some tissues. They sat on the metal chairs beside Ryohei's room, Kyoko wiping away her tears with a wry smile.

"I'm sorry you had to go through all of that," Kyoko uttered and Isago shook his head.

"Your brother wants to fight for the sake of you, Kyoko. I know you're worried, but he's doing his best."

"But he'll get hurt!" Kyoko cried, sniffing into her tissues again. "I just want him to be safe- is that so hard to ask for?"

Why were these two siblings again? Right, because they were both persistent with their decisions. Isago mentally applauded himself for avoiding Kyoko enough so that he wasn't influenced by her stubbornness. It wasn't like he could outright tell Kyoko that Ryohei was already in the mafia and that if he didn't practice for her sake, then in the future they would be slaughtered like lambs.

Kyoko was unlike Usagi or Thadeka.

She was one of the main cast members. Which was why Isago wanted to roll his eyes so much at this girl beside him. Were all normal girls in this anime ignorant and selfish? Kyoko wanted to chain her brother down while being oblivious to the situation. Haru wanted to protect the so-called babies so much that she didn't even listen to any explaining that Tsuna gave her. Chrome and Bianchi were exceptions but as Isago said, they were not really in the 'normal' girls section.

Who else was normal in the anime?

Isago couldn't recall anymore.

"I think you should talk to your brother about your feelings," Isago said. "Because I have a sibling myself, I can tell you that I've been through the same thing. But Kyoko, you must understand that in the end, you and Ryohei are separate people. It's suffocating if you tie the other down."

Isago smiled when he saw Kyoko's tears start to dry.

"He is your brother. But he is also a human. Our different goals define us as humans. That is why, please understand that you cannot force Ryohei if he really wants to protect you from danger."

Why was he using such a gentle method again? Right, because she was Kyoko.

What Isago really wanted to say though was something along the lines of, 'seriously, your mindset of forcing someone might just be the cause of people snapping at you but Ryohei wouldn't since he's your brother.' Unlike Isago who never carried himself attached to the title of being Tsuna's brother, Ryohei was different. Isago stood up, excusing himself of another task and stepped out of the hospital, finally sighing because his work there was done.

"Sheesh, anime characters."

(～￣▽￣)～

It was sundown when Isago took a step out of his house.

"Bei Li," Isago nodded in greeting as his lightning guardian approached him with a shrug of his shoulders. The two hoops were looped around each of his wrists, surprisingly, they had shrunk. When Verde was creating the weapons, Isago only helped with a few. The hoop was one case that he didn't know.

A fellow lightning type, huh.

Verde's emotionless voice rang in Isago's head as he scoffed. Behind Bei Li, Usagi, Thadeka and the twins were there. The other two were headed to Verde's laboratory. That was why Isago could discuss his future plans later out in the open. They were waiting in front of the Sawada residence to pick Isago up.

Nana came out of the house, greeting them and inviting them to a party later on. Apparently what happened earlier was that Iemitsu piped in the idea of having all the guardians from Tsuna and Isago's side attend, and introduce themselves to each other. What a great way to bond with their future enemies.

"Aurelio will be so disappointed," Usagi giggled, and accepted the invitation with a 90-degree polite bow. Tsuna ran out from the house with Reborn on his shoulder. Today, there was a small sense of panic on his face. Reborn on the other hand, looked as chill as usual. He glanced at Isago, but then the hollers of both Yamamoto and Gokudera rang from the end of the street.

"We'll go first, Tsuna," Isago waved with a smile before gesturing to his guardians to leave. "Be careful of Bianchi when cooking, mom!"

"Good luck! Isago!" Nana shouted with both her hands around her mouth so that she could echo it louder. Although she had no idea what Isago and Tsuna were doing, the most she had figured out was that they were attending a competition of some sort.

"Wait! Isago-"

"Tenth!"

Isago turned his back to them, walking towards their destination as Usagi and Thadeka chatted at the back while the twins were exchanging glances behind him, most likely talking about the upcoming battle. Bei Li had his shoulders slouched, the earrings and bracelet for some reason both shining under the gray sky. Isago looked up, breathing in the wet air and noting down that Cervello had intentionally chosen a day where there was going to be rain.

Perfect for a lightning battle.

The sun was just setting down the mountains in a certain direction as they walked without any conversation between Bei Li and Isago.

"Be careful, Bei Li," Isago said and smiled at him. "You've met Levi before."

Bei Li's gaze hardened while he stuffed his hands into his pockets. There was a tight-lipped smile but the expression Bei Li had could not be called hostile. It was only wariness and a mixture of frustration and annoyance.

"Honestly, boss? I don't think I can last him throughout the entire match."

"Flame exhaustion?"

Bei Li nodded slowly.

"I started too late." Bei Li clicked his tongue but then smirked. "At least I'll look good in battle though."

"The key is to get rid of your opponents first," Isago raised his hand and patted Bei Li on the shoulder with a humourless grin. "Get rid of Lambo first. I'll introduce you to him later and try to be nice to the child. When you go up, knock him out and throw him to me."

"Isago, you sound like a child abuser," Bei Li poked in his direction with a careless grin. "But don't worry, I wouldn't like a child interfering with my plans either."

"For Levi," Isago hummed and looked up into the sky again. "Do you remember what Usagi has told you about him?"

"The 8 umbrella thing," Bei Li waved dismissively. "I already have a plan to destroy those before he can use his Affondo Fulmine."

Bei Li paused.

"What did he name Affondo Fulmine anyways? It sounds like some kind of food."

"Seriously? I thought it sounded like alfredo fool mine," Isago tilted his head with a mischievous grin.

The two boys snickered.

"If you ever need help, I'll stun him for a few seconds," Lucille chirped, skipping next to Bei Li with a smile. Bei Li widened his eyes for a minute before looping his arm around Isago's shoulders with a smirk.

"How about it, Boss? Can I cheat?"

Isago laughed. "You know my personality, Bei Li."

Bei Li winked to Lucille, "I'll need all the help I can get, Lucille."

"Oui!" Lucille nodded sweetly. "Just snap your fingers when you want him to freeze."

Lucille had a very unique power indeed. Isago smiled at the child and remembered the first time when Lucille introduced his power as pressuring brains. Well, at this rate, Isago might as well change it to having a grip on the physical brain. The only con to that power was that Lucille could only use it a limited amount of times before passing out. Of course, that was linked to his age, so in the future, it wouldn't prove that much of a problem.

"I'm going to look so handsome stepping on Levi," Bei Li chuckled darkly before a glint appeared in his eyes and he turned to the girls behind him. "Thadeka, can you catch all my moments on camera? I need to keep it as a souvenir of my dashing self."

Thadeka laughed before nodding, swiping her cell phone out of her pocket. "Already prepared, Bei Li."

Usagi on the other hand puffed up her cheeks before bursting into a fit of giggles and Thadeka soon joined. Lucas on the other hand scoffed but still smiled a bit.

(～￣▽￣)～

When they reached the ring, Cervello greeted them and said that Varia's Levi had already been waiting for them for 45 minutes. Isago lifted his eyes off of the two pink-haired girls and gazed at Levi with a bit of amusement. The man glared at Isago, crossing his arms in front of his chest to look physically larger.

"Cervello, since the battle has not started yet, may I talk to Levi?" Isago gestured and they both nodded. They were still waiting for Tsuna's family to come so that was enough time to prepare for the plan. Isago paced towards Levi, feeling him stiffen the moment Isago stepped onto the platform. Surveillancing the battlegrounds, Isago noted that it was also able to send electricity through the ground. The platform was shiny and smooth, unlike the rough boxing ring that he had touched yesterday night.

There were also four poles on the corners of the ring.

When Isago reached Levi, he noticed exactly how stunned the man was. The man kept calm but there was a wary and frustrated look in his eyes as he grimaced. From the anime, Isago had remembered that Levi was said to be an extremely loyal subordinate. Even though Xanxus treated him like trash. Well, not that Isago didn't like that attitude.

"Levi A Than," Isago greeted with the full name. The large man grunted back.

He looks ugly, Lucas said.

Isago resisted the urge to smile but his lips quivered up a bit.

"I want to propose to you a deal," Isago let out the smile that he was holding within, however, this time he embedded it with malicious intent. "I wish for my brother's lightning guardian, Lambo Bovino, to be safe. Of course, I won't ask you to do it, my own guardian would get rid of him. But I wish that you will wait until my guardian gets rid of the baby before starting the match."

Levi didn't say anything for a couple of seconds.

"I only follow Xanxus-sama's orders."

"Xanxus isn't here right now nor will he listen to you before the match starts," Isago cocked his head to the side and his eyes instantly flashed red. Deliberately, Isago leaked out his murderous aura which cloaked around his body, wavering in beats and wrapping their wrath around the man's neck. Levi flinched from the mental pressure.

"I will give you the lightning ring no matter how the battle turns out."

That made the man's eyes widen and his jaw slightly slack.

"If you win, then that would be good for you, but if my guardian wins, then I will still give the ring to you. A win-win situation, isn't it?"

Isago raised his hand with a smile.

"The baby probably isn't even going to last from your attacks. What's the harm by letting my guardian take care of him?"

"How do I know you won't go back on your word?"

"I swear on the name of Vongola," Isago's eyes shimmered. "You may also attempt to kill me if I don't give you the ring."

Levi slightly narrowed his eyes and pursed out his lips before shaking Isago's hand reluctantly.

"A pleasure making a deal with you," Isago's eyes curved before he turned his back and walked off the platform. The ring wasn't needed. Not at all. When Isago reached his family, Bei Li was already at his side and waiting for him.

"Seriously? No prize?"

"We have the Mare rings, Bei Li."

Bei Li shrugged. "Fine. As long as I win, right?"

"Si," Isago patted his shoulder while his gaze trailed to the last couple of students coming through the school gates. In the corner of his eyes, he saw Xanxus and his family appear on top of the school rooftop, seemingly eyeing Isago with a frown.

Tsuna and his family- well, half his family trickled in with an expression of loss. Tsuna was fumbling with his words, shouting at Reborn on how Lambo couldn't participate. Yamamoto was holding Gokudera back who was trying to convince Reborn with his dynamite. In Tsuna's hands, Lambo was looking back and forth with confusion.

"Don't worry, Lambo-san will save the day!" Lambo pounded his small fist on his chest with a proud puff. "Lambo-san will vanquish all evil!"

"Your brother sucks at leading," Bei Li watched the group argue then turn his amused gaze back at Isago's group who was nonchalantly blinking back at him. Isago chuckled, gesturing to Bei Li that it was time to introduce himself.

"Tsuna," Isago came up to him and saw Gokudera's eyes narrow almost instantly, holding back a snarl. Honestly, Gokudera reminded him of a dog. Loyal to his owner, but other than that...

"Isago! What should I do? What should I do?! Lambo is too young to be fighting-" Tsuna gestured at Levi who was looking at them. There was an apparent crease on Tsuna's forehead before Isago flicked Tsuna directly in the forehead to calm him down. Tsuna yelped, but he stopped fretting.

"I have the problem already solved."

"You what?" Tsuna exclaimed. Reborn at the side frowned a bit.

"Ragazzo, don't tell me you forfeited the match for Tsuna."

"Not quite," Isago smiled and gestured to Bei Li who stepped forward. "Lambo, this is Bei Li. He wants to be friends with you."

Lambo's green eyes sparkled before jumping out of Tsuna's grasp and looked up at Bei Li who crouched down and placed on a small smile. Gokudera was about to say something but Yamamoto shut him up with his usual laugh.

"Haha, isn't that great, Lambo?"

"Lambo-san is great! Lambo-san will protect his friends!" Lambo cheered before Bei Li started introducing himself to the baby. Isago flickered his gaze back to Tsuna who swallowed thickly.

"Isago? What...did you do?"

"Oh, I convinced Levi to let Lambo go," Isago shrugged and Tsuna's shoulders instantly slumped down in relief.

"Thank goodness…"

"Ragazzo, what did you exchange?" Reborn furrowed up his eyebrows.

"Ah, just something that he wanted," Isago said without a care.

"You exchanged the rights of the ring?"

There was a playful glint in Isago's eyes and it made Tsuna nod slowly. His brother apparently agreed with his ways but Reborn didn't seem like he approved.

"Ragazzo," Reborn frowned but he didn't say anything else. Reborn's gaze hardened after Cervello called the lightning contestants to step up onto the platform. Isago turned to look at Bei Li and tapped the side of his head to remind him to be careful. Bei Li smirked, holding Lambo as they went towards the stairs.

"I agree with Isago, Reborn," Tsuna frowned a bit. "Lambo is too young to battle. The rings aren't important enough compared to Lambo's safety."

That made Isago smile. It seemed as if his brother had grown. Definitely, his goals were clearer now. Even though that hypocrisy from Tsuna was almost disgusting. If it was like this, then Reborn had a better chance at leaving Tsuna's side if he were to ever agree to Isago's invitation. Though, the problem was that the last time that Isago had asked Reborn that question, Reborn deliberately walked out on him.

"Naive, Baka Tsuna," Reborn slid on his poker face as he glanced at Isago. "Do you know the consequences of Xanxus getting all the rings?"

Isago smiled pleasantly. "I know what I'm doing."

He did know what he was doing. In the future, even if Xanxus did manage to get all the rings, that man would still not be able to use the ring because he wasn't truly a Vongola. Not to mention with Isago's memories from the anime, he was sure that Xanxus did some kind of sly grab and blackmail to get a ring from Tsuna's side. Really, it made no difference who got the ring until the bearer of the ring placed it on their finger. With that, he walked back to his own group that was positioned near the battlegrounds.

(～￣▽￣)～A certain timeline Ten years into the future

"Lambo, do you remember what happened during your battle for the lightning ring?" I-Pin asked, her two braids fell across her shoulders as she turned to meet the young teen's bored gaze. The girl was thin, wearing a white coat and white headband for her casual wear when she was not going around and delivering her orders. Her trousers displayed a dragon tattoo that represented her graduation from her teacher's teachings. They were standing near the ocean where one of Vongola's bases was situated.

Lambo scratched his head, pondering over his past with one eye closed and the other open. There was a beauty mark near his eye as he slouched, even more, blinking drowsily.

"I actually don't recall anything," Lambo said after a while, glancing back at I-Pin who had a perplexed look on her face. "I don't even remember if I attended the battle in the first place."

"But you somehow won?" I-Pin tilted her head.

"Yeah, maybe my baby self performed a miracle, but I received the ring sometime after the entire succession. Perhaps my ten-year-old self activated the bazooka."

"You still have your bazooka, right?" I-Pin asked with a small smile on her face.

"Of course, it's my family heirloom! Though-"

A roar of wind blew into Lambo's ear as he stuffed his hands into his pockets, gazing outside at the crashing waves.

"My bazooka has been flickering for no reason, recently."

(～￣▽￣)～

AN:

I haven't watched the anime in years, but I do remember Lambo saying that he didn't remember entering the ring in the original anime. LOOPHOLE right there! Not to mention, even his older self [20-year-old self] had no mention of remembering the battle either. Could it be that Lambo just never participated at all?

Not sure, but this helps with my story, hohohohohohohooho.

Also, I might post a trailer for this fanfic soon. o(￣▽￣)ｄ