A/N Hello.
There's actually quite a lot of reveals this chapter (and probably the next), to the point it might get hard keeping track of who knows what, who knows a little, and who knows nothing at all.
This might be the point where people simultaneously start coming together and apart (as weird as that sound). I'm also trying to pull and mash together everyone's guardians (note that Tsuna's aren't changing, so it's really Ieyoshi I'm talking about). And that's more or less done (I'm pretty proud of how unexpected they are beside a couple...maybe, y'know I dunno).
That being said, was there any magic fortunetelling paper (like Naruto) that told flame affinities? Or did it actually just boil down to accurate guesses on personality and resemblances to the first generation? That's my question of the day (and if the answer is 'no', you can bet that something like it will pop up anyway).
~Chapter 12 - Disclosure
Ietsuna had realized long ago that she was dreaming, but was having particular difficulty waking up. At first the field of flowers had been a pleasant surprise, but the longer she stayed the more unsettling it seemed. In an endless field of pure white lilies, and under a striking, empty, blue sky, Tsuna felt as if she might lose herself. The only thing that kept her grounded was the suited man who seemed content to merely watch her. Blonde hair, amber eyes, pinstriped suit and a mantle, she recognized him from the painting that had enamoured her long ago, and was positive he was nothing more than a figment of her imagination. He was silent, or rather he stopped trying to speak once he realized no sound was coming out. They alternated between staring at each other and the flowers below. There was little else to do.
"…Primo, was it?" She sighed out. Her words were barely audible but he had heard, his mouth opened, closing soon enough as he remained muted. The man was forced to try and convey his message with his expressive gaze, but there was too much for her too understand. Too many feelings and thoughts she couldn't understand. So much grief, too much sadness, but underneath there was a pride that had not wilted and a kindness that felt built into his core. This man was the founder of Vongola, a mafiaso, and judging by the similarities, they could have possibly been related. Yoshi looked a lot like him, especially if he grew his hair out, and discounting the colour of their eyes.
"Yoshi…" Her voice caught his attention again but she said nothing more, stuck in a mess of her own thoughts. The man beside her probably died at a young age, after all being a mafia boss was a dangerous profession. And Yoshi was supposed to succeed such a dangerous line? How could such a thing be allowed?
"Come with me." He all but ordered the moment they showed up at the gate, left foot tapping impatiently as if he had been waiting. His first instinct was to tease the bloodthirsty teen, to mock him for one thing or another, but the concerned presence beside to his side had him pausing. In the two years they had known the skylark he had never called them out, nor would they be seen near one another without the small, amber-eyed girl that connected them all.
"Did something happen to Ietsuna-chan," Chrome asked nervously, her gaze still searching for the source of her admiration.
"Hn." The small noise of confirmation was almost inaudible, just like the subtle tilt of his head went mostly unseen. It was all so obvious to the both of them though, because of course the only time they could be civil towards one another was when it concerned Ietsuna. A car pulled up, black with tinted windows, equal parts eye-catching and illusive depending on who saw it. For Mukuro, it was hackle-raising, especially when he noticed the sheen of bulletproof glass. Despite that fact, they still allowed themselves to be ushered in without much fuss, yet another thing to attribute towards the missing girl.
"Will you be elaborating?" He asked the other, disguised eyes staring at the scenery they passed.
"She was admitted into Namimori General yesterday afternoon," Hibari replied dispassionately, "And hasn't woken since."
"What happened?" The younger girl pressed, receiving an uncharacteristic shrug in return.
"I don't know." Was the answer the prefect gritted out with an added glare. It wasn't directed at her, or her infuriating brother, but rather at his own sense of inadequacy. Something was off, and the whole thing irritated him beyond reason. How did one get admitted to the hospital with blood loss but no obvious wounds? How did a high-school girl go about receiving a scar, most likely from a gun by the looks of it, without anyone's, his, knowledge? That sort of placement would have meant damage to internal organs and possible death without treatment, but she hadn't been admitted since a panic attack at the age of seven. He growled lowly to himself, slamming open the door a fraction after the car stopped, and stalking into the hospital with his two guests.
They made it to her floor without fuss, the only other person there being the despondent, former, baseballer who looked as if he couldn't bear to be in the room but couldn't find it in himself to stay away. He gave a single nod of acknowledgment, but otherwise remained unresponsive. Mukuro had no problem understanding why as he entered the room to see the object of his fascination swamped in the white he hated so much.
"Ietsuna-chan…" Chrome was by her side in an instant, lifting up the slim, too-pale hand into her own.
"What happened." The navy-haired boy repeated with a frown stuck firmly on his handsome face.
"When I find out I'll let you know." Hibari promised begrudgingly.
"Do that," Mukuro nodded in approval, beckoning Chrome back to his side. He commended the prefect for going as far to let the two of them know, and thought that he could perhaps return the favour with some of his own information digging, "We'll take our leave then." He levelled the prone body with one last look before sweeping out of the room, eyes turning a cold like steel.
"Yamamoto was it?" He heard an unknown voice outside that left his hand lingering on the doorknob, neither pushing nor pulling, "You should get some rest." It was young, that of a boy around their age.
"I'll consider it," Yamamoto replied blandly as the illusionist finally followed through the simple motion of opening the door, "Ieyoshi." The name was familiar Mukuro remarked to himself as he glimpsed the unfamiliar boy, but not as much as the face he was wearing. It all came back to the former mafiaso rather suddenly then, Ieyoshi Sawada, the boy who was rumoured to be the next Decimo of Vongola. He held back a strangled laugh and smothered himself and Chrome in an illusion before they caught either boys' attention. And if Yamamoto noticed the discrepancy in those entering and those leaving, he never said a word.
That day Rokudo Mukuro left the hospital with his mind far too noisy and disordered, as half-dead plots revived and recovered, transforming themselves into what could only be known as a wavering attempt to both realize his ambition for revenge and dare he say, protect her.
"You're awake." A voice stated before she had fully roused herself. Tsuna knew that voice, feeling the familiar warmth of his aura wrap over her.
"What happened?" She asked, blinking her eyes open, her voice hoarse. There was a painful ache around her stomach and she wondered how exactly she was still alive.
"The kidnappers were dealt with," The person by her side answered, helping her sit upright, "And now you are in Namimori Hospital." Tsuna accepted the glass of water he handed her, feeling something amiss with his kind actions.
"Thank you for saving us, Reborn-san." She told him knowingly after the water had eased her throat. This man was a killer, her heart told her, and she knew for a fact that 'dealt with' had been just a positive euphemism. But she didn't fear him as much as she expected, feeling a sort of acceptance along with gratitude.
"It is merely part of my job," He answered though it wasn't strictly true., "Speaking of which, did the kidnappers happen to tell you anything?" Tsuna was rather torn at this point, and at the cost of lying, could possibly remain 'ignorant'. But that was not what she wanted, nor was what she felt right.
"Ieyoshi, is the Vongola Decimo." The amber eyed girl uttered, still not wanting it to be true.
"Not exactly," Reborn replied, the gears in his mind turning frantically, "He is a candidate."
"It makes no difference," She sighed, flumping back down and throwing a bandaged arm over her eyes, "Papa stilled dragged him into the mafia."
"You knew," The hitman said with sardonic mirth in his voice, "How long have you know for?"
"Since that first trip to Italy" There was no use lying to him, even if she somehow got him to believe her words, "Papa liked taking Yoshi and I to the mansion where he would hand in reports." Reborn felt the urge to laugh but settled for a small chuckle. If Iemitsu had really wanted to keep a civilian family, he should have been less of an idiot.
"And how do you feel about this all?" He questioned, tilting his head with a charming expression.
"I am afraid," She admitted aloud for the first time, lured in by his 'comforting' presence.
"Of the mafia?" He probed, "Of assassins and murderers? Of getting kidnapped and shot again? Of dying?" Tsuna bit the inside of her lip anxiously.
"If you had asked me this before I would have said yes," She answered slowly, wearing a pained smile that felt far too familiar to Reborn, "But I realized that it hurts less being the one that gets shot, rather than watching someone I care about get hurt-"
"So you cared enough for a stranger to take a bullet for him?" He was scolding her she realized distantly, her face warming into a gentle smile.
"I was taking responsibility, seeing as it was my fault he got into that mess." She felt a calloused hand on her head, her brain struggling to believe that it belonged to the normally cold-looking Italian. "I'm not afraid of the mafia, but what might happen to Yoshi. He's not even a boss, and yet there's already a target on his back. I'm scared because I might lose him and there is nothing I can do."
"You could take his place." Reborn suggested dangerously. Ieyoshi Sawada would have been a decent successor but that was all he would ever be. Deep down the hitman felt something special about Ietsuna, something that Nono would definitely agree with.
"Take his place?" She looked at him as if he was an idiot but he pushed his annoyance aside.
"Of course," He continued, leaning back in his chair and playing with his curled sideburn, "The only reason why your brother was considered was because he was a descendant of Primo, something that applies equally to you." Her suspicions were confirmed. "It's all in the blood." He tilted his head, the "You could be the Decimo instead. I doubt you can get him out of the mafia, but you can wear the target instead."
"Tsuna!" Takeshi was at her side the instant he tumbled through the door, carrying dark bags under his eyes and looking dreadfully pale despite his tanned skin. He grabbed at her hand, squeezing with borderline painful strength, just to reassure himself that she was here and that she as alive. "Thank god you're ok, Tsuna." He clutched her smaller hand between his own, bowing his head into it in mock prayer, and continuing to utter phrases of relief.
"I'm okay, I'm okay." She told him softly, with a sad smile that he failed to see. There was a tremble in his hands, a small one, but one nonetheless. And it just broke her heart to see his confident, jolly self start to crumble. It was vastly different from the last time, but it affected her just as much… even more when she realised it was because of her.
She let him have the time he needed to compose himself again, flexing the hand in his grip every so often, waiting until he brought his face up and cracked a watery smile at her. It was only then did she address the stranger in the room. "I'm sorry I dragged you into this mess," Her voice was laced with apology, but her eyes begged for him to stay quiet, "I'm Sawada Ietsuna."
"No blood no foul," He replied though the phrase seemed immensely inappropriate, "I'm Sasagawa Ryohei." The white haired teen was covered in bandaged, more of a precaution than necessity, though it still had her sinking into the gloom of reality. How could he smile at her like that, considering what she put him through? It was an idiot's grin, not unlike Takeshi's, toothy and bright enough to warm the room.
"So what exactly happened?" Takeshi asked, noticing how his friend seemed to not want to meet his eyes.
"It was just some thugs trying to make some cash of a kidnapping." She explained, her eyes pleading for him to not ask further, as if she could just sweep all her problems under one cosy rug.
"Tsuna…" He gave in and didn't push, I'm glad you're safe." It seemed like there were a lot of things Tsuna was hiding from him, and the best he could do was smile and stay by her side until she decided to tell him.
"…Are you two dating?" Ryohei asked very suddenly, with a furrowed brow. Both of their faces seemed to flush, though Tsuna's more obviously as Takeshi let out a light laugh.
"Yes."
"No."
"What!" Tsuna did her best to ignore the shout of her eavesdropping brother. She gave her friend a piercing stare that he received with a nonchalant shrug.
"...We've been on dates." He stated calmly.
"But you aren't going out with one another?" The white-haired teen reworded his original question with a certain gleam in his eye.
"Not exactly." It looked like it pained Takeshi to admit the fact, something Tsuna refused to feel regret for. She refused, and yet her heart faltered. Ryohei seized his opportunity the moment she let her guard down, reaching down to take her free hand into his own. She blinked in surprising, tilting her gaze away from her best friend and towards the older boy. He had closed the distance quickly, and his nearness made the next smile extra sunny, splashes of bright yellow flickering into her vision with a honeyed warmth. She remembered this feeling, but as soothing as it was though, she knew he hadn't had it earlier.
"In that case would you extremely like to go out with me?"
"What?! NO!" By this point Ieyoshi had had enough of hiding, swooping in to 'rescue' his darling sister.
A/N Thanks for reading.
Just some casual plot thickening and aftermath processing. There's some ramping-up that needs to be done if we want to get to the Kokuyo arc (because it will happen one way or another even if a little differently). Although I did almost forget about it...haha...hah...
I'm also wondering at one point the harem will actually pop up into existence (because it will, I assure you guys). Maybe Xanxus will be the unlikely catalyst (because that wound be equal parts amazing and hilarious to me)
I hope you look forward to the next chapter.
