"... Tsuna-kun, slow down."
"Ajghgahahajgcdgbdrsagagcsaf..."
"...are those even words?"
Tsuna guzzled down ice tea, clearing his throat. He was so anxious he couldn't stop shovelling food in his mouth.
"She mentioned siblings. Do you think..."
Byakuran dug around his pockets, pulling out nine pictures. "That's the Watanabe children. They're originally a group of orphans from different orphanages, but due to a series of coincidences, somehow or another, they became acquainted. The eldest is Yuan Watanabe, 21 years old. He has custody of the younger ones."
He tapped the picture of a younger man with dark green hair, green eyes, square glasses, lightly tanned skin, and wearing casual polo, jeans, and shoes. The photo was taken on a random street.
The hair was much darker, his signature labcoat was missing, and he looked younger -or rather older- but undoubtedly, it was Verde.
Tsuna could feel his heart rising up in his throat and he finally pinpointed a boy with curly sideburns, dark eyes, dark skin, wearing a taunting smirk and a generic uniform, and a bag slung over his shoulder among the photos.
... He looked fourteen? fifteen?
"Ha... Ha... haha..."
Oh the irony.
Tsuna felt tears gather in the corner of his eyes.
Bang!
"VOOOIIIII! Vongola trash! Prepare to die!"
Well that cleared his tears very quickly.
Conspicuously wiping at his cheeks, he saw the other customers watch nervously as the Varia approached him. Belphegor flashed a grown man a smile. Tsuna sympathized with his apparent desire to run.
He wished he could pretend he didn't know them.
"I thought you guys were in Italy, how did you get here in three hours?"
"Ways." Fran shrugged.
"So where the fuck are they, trash?"
Taking their seat, Lussuria made sure to press against Byakuran. Tsuna was torn between pitying him or taking glee in his situation.
He frowned uneasily at Xanxus, uncertain how his news would be received.
"That's the thing. I don't think Mammon-san actually remembers that they're, well, Mammon-san."
A silence fell on the table.
"What? Why?" Belphegor demanded nastily.
"I don't think any of them remembers. My people have been watching them for months and yet, nothing. No illegal activities, not even flames. For all intents and purposes, if not for their identity, they're just normal people. Kind of." Byakuran informed the table as a whole.
"The fuck we care about the rest! You said months. Why weren't we told of this!" Squalo glared at Tsuna as if it was his fault.
"H-Hey, I just found out about it today too-"
"Shut up, trash."
From the way he glared at them, Tsuna concluded that Xanxus meant it in plural. The older man's eyes were trained on the counter. More specifically, the door beside it leading to the kitchens. This caught the rest of the Varia's attention.
"Boss?" Levi asked.
Xanxus pushed himself up with predatory grace, eyes hard. "I don't care what their reasons are. In the end, they still haven't reported for ten years now. They're already past the deadline, I'll drag them back myself if I have to."
...eh?
Ah! Of course he would know Mammon's flame signature well.
"W, wait! Xanxus, you don't understand-" Tsuna attempted to stop him. He was ignored.
"Yeah!" Bel exclaimed, "Mammy's in trouble~"
"Wait, you guys, there's something you have to know-"
"VOOOOIIII! Mammon! Get the fuck out of here!"
The Varia rallied.
... its in these kinds of situations that Tsuna wished he had Mist Flames to turn invisible with. Like what Fran did.
It was hard not to notice the ruckus they were causing and the person handling the counter was quick to call the manager.
"Sirs, Please calm down, what is the meaning of this?"
"Get out of the way motherfucker! We're here for Mammon!"
"S-sir?! Please mind your language, there are children here! And you must be mistaken, no one here is called Mammon."
Xanxus shoved the guy away. Tsuna whimpered. He just knew he'd be the one paying for this.
He always did.
The manager screamed, hitting the corner of the desk. The girl who called him shrieked in alarm. A customer was speaking to her phone, calling for the police.
And Tsuna couldn't bring himself to stop them.
Because he remembered all those enemy (just suspected, really, they never actually did anything to earn Varia's ire) famiglia Xanxus had razed to the ground, the people Squalo screamed at, the multiple breakdowns Belphegor had, and just the general darkness that had consumed the Varia in the earlier years of their search for Mammon.
Tsuna stayed his hands and watched the train wreck with a smiling Byakuran.
As if entering the stage, the door from the kitchen swung open and Mammon slipped through with a tray of dishes, face adorably scrunched in confusion. From here, Tsuna could see the rest of the staff behind her, drawn by the noises.
Xanxus abruptly stopped before her. Did he expect the infant Mammon? He probably did, huh.
Mammon gazed up at him warily, eyes absent of recognition.
...Tsuna wondered how it would feel, when Reborn would look at him with those same eyes.
The other officers also screeched to a halt, stunned.
Mammon blinked at them. Then looked around at the mess they made.
The manager ran towards her, pushing her back inside and behind him, "It's dangerous here Mayumi-chan, please stay inside."
He faced the Varia, chest puffing, obviously doing his best not to fold in front of such intimidating and wild looking men, "Please leave the premises or we will call the police-"
Too late. The sirens could be heard even from here.
Xanxus hadn't moved his glare from the bewildered preteen. When he looked at the manager, the man flinched.
Squalo clicked his tongue, "Come on, Boss. Let's leave."
For now.
Tsuna imagined he wasn't the only one who heard it.
"...I bet fifty we'll be waiting somewhere to ambush Maestra." Fran said, watching his co-workers make their exits.
Tsuna felt his soul start to wilt, "Aren't you guys professionals? Shouldn't you guys be more, I don't know, professional?"
Byakuran chuckled. Oh, he's enjoying this wasn't he? Bastard.
"If you haven't noticed yet girly Vongola number one, we're nothing but a bunch of primitive savage beasts when we're not killing people. Except for the stupid Prince. He's always primitive."
... there's something wrong with the things he said, Tsuna just couldn't pinpoint it- oh wait, maybe everything?
Tsuna saw the manager heading towards him. Likely, he'd heard that they were with him.
He grabbed Byakuran's sleeve and ran after Leviathan.
Years of experience had let him adapt and evolve.
And just as Fran predicted, the Varia waited on a random rooftop overlooking the eatery the thirteen year old (and very female) Mammon was working at. To add to that, Tsuna was dragged with them.
Insurance, Squalo said. So that if this turned out to be fake news, then there'd be someone close by they could vent on.
Byakuran tagged along willingly, looking like he was watching a Broadway show.
They waited for three hours. The sky was already painted orange by the time Mammon -or rather Mayumi wasn't it- slipped through the backdoor, dressed in a baggy cream coloured sweater and a green skirt.
Tsuna marvelled at the novelty of it.
This was Mammon the Miser, ex-Mist Officer of Varia. Arcobaleno and assassin. Thirteen years old sweetheart.
They let her get as far as two streets over before they cut her off. Mayumi, absent of the smile from earlier, tensed and narrowed her eyes at them.
... A bunch of grown men cornering a girl like her.
Anyone would think odd things about this.
Before anyone else could speak, Mayumi opened her mouth, sounding like she was reciting a script, "I've already called my brothers and if I'm delayed even a split second they'll call the police. Now leave me alone."
No one moved,.
"We have a job offer." Squalo began calmly.
"Yeah, that's what they say. I don't believe you but for the sake of it, I'll tell you to contact my guardian. Now fuck off."
Where was the sweet girl from earlier?!
"Also, why would anyone work for someone who, not just a few hours ago, caused a public scene in a respectable establishment? You even hurt my boss, you know. Also you," she brazenly pointed at Tsuna, "committed eat and run. Rich guy my ass. If I work for you, you'll probably rip me off. I'm not interested in guys like that."
There was double entendre on that last comment. She was a highschooler!
This was just wrong!
"Or maybe Tsuna-kun is just dirty minded~"
Did Byakuran read his mind?!
"Scram."
She made to walk around them. Xanxus shot out his hands.
Tsuna watched in despairing, exasperated, horror.
At least take into account her side of things?! Just this one time, show some kind of restraint!
He was either going to make her scared or mad. Or both.
This wasn't something he could just bash through with sheer force. Not this time.
Squalo made an aborted motion.
"Xanxus." Tsuna rebuked.
A second too late.
A messenger bag went flying past Tsuna's cheek and hit Xanxus a second after he pulled Mammon behind him.