Disclaimer: I own the OCs, the rest is Akira Amano's work.
Fratellanza
I was quietly sitting next to Hayato as they were talking about Mukuro's gang whereabouts and Chrome. I crossed my arms and legs when Tetsuya explained they tried to break Mukuro out of Vendicare five years ago.
Obviously they failed.
"Mukuro...is against the Millefiore, isn't he?" I asked carefully.
"From what our information told us, he is," Tetsuya replied.
"That and pretty often, Fran acts accordingly to his orders," Arro added, leaning against the wall next to the table.
"Fran?" Hayato repeated. Arro nodded.
"Mukuro's apprentice. After the failed jail escape, Lulu...I mean, this time's Lulu, ended up his legal guardian."
"He helped me escape Italy," I told the younger ones. "In any case, I doubt Mukuro is going to get killed unless he goes head to head with Byakuran. Information is power, especially against the Millefiore."
I listened quietly as they kept talking, me smirking at the cropped picture of an owl Mukuro apparently took possession of. Yeah, sneaky, it was sneaky like the sneaky bastard he was.
I raised my head to the screen when there was a signal.
"It's in Kokuyo Land," Giannini stated seriously. Arro walked up to him and leaned one hand on the desk.
"Kokuyo?" Tsunayoshi repeated in shock. "Could it be..."
"Most likely Chrome," I finished for him. "Honestly, if the signal we got is a strong one and with us here, I wouldn't be surprised if it's the Chrome from our time." Arro told stuff to Giannini, technical stuff to localize the ring, but I didn't understand half of it so I stopped listening. Just a few minutes later, red symbols appeared on the screen with an annoying noise. "Someone's trying to contact us?"
"Yes."
"This code is..." Reborn started.
"It's the VARIA, there's no doubt about it." I tilted my head on the side at Arro's statement. The VARIA huh?
I still wondered how my future self...adapted to this...environment.
Let's just say it: from what I've seen they were a bunch of savage morons.
"So, Giannini?" Reborn inquired after a few minutes.
"There's a link to a video, just give me a minute..."
"But the VARIA..." Hayato mumbled with a weird face, face mirrored by Tsunayoshi.
"Actually, there are a lot of groups like them in this time," Tetsuya told them.
"Nah, it's them," Arro said with confidence.
"The code belongs to the Vongola, just like I thought."
"Then..." the Decimo started.
"I'll put the video on the monitor." Did they get along with the Tenth Generation no….Huh? Why was Arro putting on earplugs?
"VOOOOOOOOOOIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII!" Let me explain. I was leaning on the table using my elbow.
The scream surprised me. My arm was gone. My head hit the table. I raised it, glaring at the image of Superbi laying in a couch.
He finally grew out his bangs huh...it was better now though.
"Are your head still attached!? Damned lousy brats!" Ouch, I felt insulted. I glared at my best friend though, who was just whistling while removing the earplugs from his ears.
Selfish man. Leaving me and my poor already abused ears at the mercy of Superbi's voice…
How did he still have that much voice anyway?
"That's him..." Hayato muttered in despair.
"Ten years in the future…" Tsunayoshi continued.
"Squalo!" Takeshi finished happily.
The guy tried to fucking kill him and yet...whatever…
I tensed at Lal's killer intent.
"Turn off that crap! I can't stand listening to it!"
"Y...yes! I'm trying..." the technician replied.
"Might as well slice his vocal chords..." I mumbled and from the corner of my eyes, I saw Hayato nodding in approval.
"Listen you damn lousy brats. Stay where you are! Even if you've picked up the signal of a new ring outside!"
"Kokuyo?" Reborn guessed easily.
"Ushishi~," someone laughed behind Superbi, and messy blond hair with a tiara appeared on the screen. Belphegor's cheschire grin was still there. "If you understand, then more simple instructions will come later. Until then, be good and stay put kids!"
"The knife bastard..."
"Instructions?" Lal wondered out loud.
"Damn he needs a haircut," Arro sighed. "Why are they all so weird?" My question buddy…
"Vooiii! What are you doing here!?"
"The Prince was bored and came to bug you!"
"If you interrupt me again, I'll kill you!"
"Wanna try?" Superbi didn't need anything more to jump on his colleague.
Xanxus...you had a thing for choosing weirdos or what?
"I hope we can meet again in this lifetime! You better make sure you don't die!" Superbi yelled with an unwanted zoom of his face, blood dripping from his forehead.
I should just stop trying to...understand the VARIA dynamics, shouldn't I?
Needless to say, when a twenty-five year-old Ryohei appeared, carrying an unconscious teenage Chrome, I snickered quietly. 'Simple instruction' Superbi said? Damn, that was brutal.
Hopefully, it was not as true as it was for the Ryohei I knew.
"Onii-san!" I moved closer to the two newcomers with the guys. "And Chrome Dokuro!"
"Did they make it back safely?" I asked Ryohei. He must have been with the VARIA if Superbi knew about him going to Namimori. The Sun shot me a briefly look and nodded.
"Yes, they all made it back safely." I sighed in relief.
I curled up my toes in my boots when Ryohei told Haru and Kyoko there was a sumo tournament in Italy he attended to.
I needed to have a word with Tsunayoshi about this.
Ultimately, Ryohei announced there would be a global attack from the Vongola on the Millefiore in five days and that, Tsunayoshi's approval or not, the VARIA would attack. Nothing surprising in there.
As they all started to leave, Tsunayoshi grabbed my sleeve.
"Hum?"
"What...what do you think about this?" I raised a brow.
"Why are you asking me?"
"Aren't you supposed to be the second-in-command during emergencies or something like that!?" I hit my fist in my open palm.
"Right. I forgot about that." I dug my hands in my pockets, Reborn jumping on my head. "Well, I mean, we should go for it." He widened his eyes in fear. "I mean...we're not going back to our time by some miracle and I'm not staying here waiting to be killed. Attack is the best defense."
Even if, from what I've seen in Italy, we needed an actual miracle to...win.
"The big fight isn't ours but...a part of it is," I finished. He looked down with a grim face and I patted his shoulder. "It's my opinion, ultimately if you want to call off the operation it's your decision." I turned around and left. "What do you think he'll do?"
"Hum..." Reborn replied. "I think he knows what needs to be done but is not ready for the risks that come with it."
"He'll never be ready though."
"Sure." He jumped down in front of me and looked up. "But now or later, a decision such as this one would have come. It's up to him." I sighed.
Poor Tsunayoshi.
Fucking Byakuran.
There was nothing interesting going on. Well, I was training pretty much all the time and Kyoya had to keep me from leaving my room at night, but there was nothing interesting. Apparently, Lambo did something stupid and caused ruckus, but I didn't take part in that.
However, I noticed Lal...was not great. Reborn explained it was because of the Anti Tri-Ni-Sette Radiations but…
She couldn't fight.
I was so lost in thoughts I didn't block Reborn's attack.
"You're not focusing," he told me sternly, Leon going back on his hat.
"I'm thinking about Lal." He raised a small brow at me. "In the state she's in, she can't fight. She'd be a burden too quickly and we need her brain more than her power." He smirked.
"And you think she will obey?" I scoffed.
"Nope. I mean, there were times where she would not obey Iemitsu so..." I sighed and crossed my legs, wiping the blood from my nose with my sleeve. "If I pull the 'I'm your Boss' card, she'll throw into my face I'm not yet."
"It's your problem Luciana."
"Geez, thanks."
"I mean it. No matter how you look at it, Lal is part of the CEDEF. She is your subordinate, just like the others are Tsuna's. You need to learn how to be respected. You did against Xanxus."
"Yeah well, it's slightly different this time." Two purple bullets shot through the floor, aimed at Reborn. He didn't even have to dodge them that they disappeared. "And it still needs more training."
"At least now they come out of the ground where you want them to."
"Yeah, at least I have the surprise effect now." I jumped on my feet, suppressing the dizziness.
"An hour break." He started leaving. "I'm curious about Yamamoto's training, go check on him."
"Sure. Sorry for destroying your jacket though."
"Don't worry about it. If you couldn't afflict any damage at all I would have to go harder on you." I took a breath from my inhalator.
I only partially opened the sliding door in the Japanese dojo-looking room when I got there.
There was a lot of water around and a bird was flying around Takeshi. In front of him was Arro, blue flames dancing around his katana, a light blue fox at his feet. Said fox raised his ears and ran toward me. I stepped back quickly but he still literally ran through the paper door and jumped on me.
"Zoro!" Arro and Takeshi appeared in front of me as the fox was licking my face. "Lulu? Aren't you training?"
"An hour break," I informed him, pushing away as I could Arro's Box Weapon. I sat up. "Rain and not Storm?"
"It's easier for me to use Rain Flames for now, and Yamamoto is a Rain type as well, might as well show him the opportunities he has." I nodded and looked at him, the sparrow on his shoulder.
"How is it going?"
"It's going I guess. Arro's super strong!" Yet, I was pretty sure it was nothing next to what he learned in the past ten years.
"Let's take five as well Yamamoto," my best friend told Takeshi, who nodded. "I totally could have beaten Superbi ten years ago, I'm sure of it now."
"Ten years ago you were already fighting with Flames. You had a huge advantage." He snorted.
"Yeah, you know he kept bugging me to spare with me when he started using Flames. Something about him being the oldest so he had to be the strongest too." I chuckled.
"You made up then?" He crossed his arms and leaned against the wall.
"We...talked. There are some subjects that are still touchy, we don't see each other often but...we're family, I guess we have each other's back." He pursed his lips. "Even if he is a part of the reason you left the VARIA."
"Huh?"
"Yeah, he pissed you off because he didn't acknowledge your skills and you left. Not that...you really just wore the ring to make Xanxus happy but you never were his Cloud."
"It makes more sense, the guy's my brother and it's enough." He grinned.
"Yup. Afterward we left with Reborn anyway, and then you were back in the CEDEF, so it wasn't a big loss. It's not as if you ever planned on staying in the VARIA forever anyway."
"Right, why did I agree to join it the first place?" He raised a brow.
"Hum...if I remember well she told me she wanted to see for herself if the VARIA Officers were good enough for Xanxus or something like that."
"And Iemitsu ordered me to keep tabs on them?" He pointed a finger at me, nodding.
"Yeah, that too. At first you kept traveling between Italy and Namimori, so it was quite hard but..."
"That's stupid. If I joined the VARIA it meant my mission in Namimori was over, right?" He looked uncomfortable out of sudden.
"Ye...yeah, sure but...you visited often." I blinked.
"Oh okay." It was silent for a few seconds. "Hey, how did my future self manage to do the trick where the multiplied bullets come out of the ground and stay?"
"Hum...training? A lot of training, a lot to find the good amount of flames and then keep them focused on one point." Right, I needed more flames to make them move in the ground and stopped giving so much once outside because they were too hard to control.
I needed to find the in-between…
I grabbed my necklace and put my inhalator in my mouth. Arro was kneeling next to me in a second.
"Lulu? A crisis now?"
"It's..." I looked down at my necklace. It was the medium Mukuro used so why…
Why was this feeling of terrible dread going through my body?
"I need to see Chrome," I stated, standing on shaking legs. "Mukuro...I need to..." I sprinted away.
When I got there, Tsunayoshi was exiting the room. I took a peek inside the room. Kyoya was by Chrome's side...Chrome whose stomach was gone…
Shit.
"Kyoya, what's..."
"Leave," he said coldly without a look.
The door was shut. If...If Mukuro couldn't keep up with Chrome's illusion organs then…
Something happened to him.
"Sawada-san, Ana-san, you shouldn't stay in front of the door," Tetsuya advised us. I gulped quietly, my throat dry.
"Senpai?" Tsunayoshi called me. I turned empty eyes to him and he gently took my hand. "Let's go, okay?"
"...'kay..." I whispered back. We didn't go far. Once in an empty hallway, we both sat down on the floor, against the wall.
"Do you...do you think Mukuro's de..."
"No," I said immediately, a little louder than usual. "I mean, his apprentice helped me get out of the Millefiore HQ, I'm sure he helped him. He's not dead. Probably badly injured but...he's not dead." I pushed my hair back. "Shit, what kind of shit show is that?" I took my inhalator. Suddenly, the walls of the base felt suffocating.
Let's not mention how I didn't like Kyoya getting so close to Chrome.
"Are we going to die?" Tsunayoshi asked me so quietly I almost didn't hear him. I pursed my lips and removed my breathing aid. "I mean...what chances do we really have…?"
"We can't just stay put and wait," I replied in a voice as soft as possible, trying to replicate the voice Dino always used with me when I was in doubts.
"I know but..." His face broke as he grabbed his face, eyes wide in terror. Without a word, I hugged him, tucking his head under my chin and running my hand up and down his arm. "It's just..."
"I know," I interrupted him, "trust me I wish Dino was here with us right now." We stayed like that for a few more minutes until he took a deep breath. We got up and went to the briefing room.
As they vented up their frustrations, Hayato hissing at Kyoya because he was not a doctor, I stared at the ceiling. If Mukuro...had been extremely hurt, then I couldn't let a burden come with us. The enemy was too powerful to let that happen, and with the three teenagers having never lost someone in battle, if Lal were to come and die they wouldn't be able to continue the mission.
Lal could not come.
Lal would not come, period. I didn't care if we never really talked in this time.
So, when she stood up after we got news Chrome was fine but couldn't be ready in time, my voice rang in the room without my brain registering what was happening.
"What?" she asked me with a frown. I exchanged a brief look with Reborn and crossed my arms, setting my cold ruby eyes on her.
"I said 'no'. You're not partaking in this operation Lal." She bared her teeth at me, her being in her adult form giving the action a lot more meaning.
"And who do you think you are to give me orders!?" I raised a brow and slowly got to my feet.
"I'm your fucking Boss, or have you forgotten that if you make Tsunayoshi acts as the Vongola Decimo he has yet to become, then I will act as the External Advisor, the Head of the CEDEF and your direct Boss, Lal Mirch?" A faint glint of surprise flashed through her eyes, her probably not expecting me to act that way. "Your body is not in good enough shape to keep up with an operation like this one, you'll end up being a burden and you know it. If you were to die, then these three," I showed the teenagers next to me with my thumb, "won't continue the mission in good conditions and we're all doomed. Right now, your brain will be more efficient than your fighting skills. You're staying here with Reborn and keep your body from being exposed to Anti Tri-Ni-Sette Radiations even more." I frowned as well. "The way you're acting is against everything you and Iemitsu taught me for years." She slammed her hands on the table.
"You just showed up in this time and you're playing the Boss now Luciana!? You don't understand that fight!" Mare Ring, potential wielder...I gritted my teeth behind my lips. "Viper, Skull, Fon...they all died because of the Millefiore!"
"Yeah, I know that, but I'm not letting you and your thirst for revenge destroying our chance to go back to our time!" She opened her mouth but fell with a groan. I quickly walked up to her. "See? You can't even stand on your feet."
"Shut up!" She slapped Bianchi's helping hand away. "Don't touch me! I can stand on my own!"
"Do I have to send you in a hospital bed myself to make you obey your superior?" I asked her and she froze.
She knew I was being serious and that my patience was running thin.
Damn, she knew I was channeling my inner Iemitsu and his behavior when CEDEF members were begging to go on suicide missions.
"I'll be fighting by their side this time," I continued, "and you trained me. Like Fon, like Reborn. Ryohei will be enough as 'guide' for this era." Because honestly, Kyoya was not going to babysit us and now I was sure I would go with Tsunayoshi's group and not him.
"So Sawada, what do you say?" Ryohei asked him. "Should we cancel the operation?"
"I'm fine! Don't listen to her!"
"For Christ's sake, Arro!" Quiet up until I called him, he nodded and was behind Lal in the blink of an eye, Rain Flames against her neck. Her body fell in his arms, even she was still conscious. "I told you I'd put you in bed myself if I had to."
"Let's do it onii-san," Tsunayoshi stated, his head lowered and his eyes hidden by the shadow of his hair. "If we go to the enemy hideout, not only can we find a lead on how to go back to our time, but we can find more about what happened to Mukuro. We could also look more into the Anti Tri-Ni-Sette, though if we take our time...However, I feel it might be too late." I turned my eyes to him. "And...I really don't want us to stay in this position any longer." He clenched his fists.
"Tenth..."
"Tsuna..."
"The same goes for my friends from Namimori. Chrome and Lal Mirch. This kind of place is totally unsuitable for them!" He blushed when he realized how confident he sounded, and what he was saying exactly. "I...I mean it's what I think!"
"Well said Sawada!" The boxer grabbed his shoulders. "You've just talked like a real man to the extreme!"
"Brat..." I heard Lal muttering from her spot.
"In any case," Tsunayoshi said, swallowing a pill. In the blink of an eye, he was in HDM, a bright orange flame on his forehead. "There's only five days left, we can't waste any more seconds."
We all broke into actions, going back to our training. I was just leaving the room that I stepped back a little.
"How long have you been standing here?" I asked Kyoya, who was casually leaning against the wall. He raised a brow at me.
"Long enough." I furrowed my brows.
"Yeah, that's not an answer," I replied, leaving for good.
"Sen...pai?" I narrowly avoided Reborn's bullets going around a piece of the floor I had broken earlier. I gathered my Flame in my hand and slammed it on said piece of concrete, which broke it and sent the different pieces toward Reborn.
He had already lost his hat and suit jacket. I hid in illusions when I saw him ready to shoot again and ran around the room. However, Leon went from a gun to goggles and Reborn was coming at me. I dived to the side, the weights around my right ankle stopping his tiny, powerful fist.
I pretty much looked like I was ready to score in a football game. European football.
I pushed Reborn back, at least I tried, but Leon was now a whip wrapped around my ankle and Reborn threw me in the floor.
My illusions broke and I tilted my head back, laying on my back on the floor. Reborn landed on my chest and we both looked at Tsunayoshi expectantly.
"Need something?" I asked him, unbothered by how he seemed shocked and in awe at my state, I was bruised all over, and the fact I was giving Reborn a run for his money.
A small run but...having Leon was cheating.
Did you have any idea how hard it was to keep coming up with new strategies on the spot when the regular gun was turned into another weapon or even a frying pan?
"What are you doing here Tsuna?"
"Well, my training with Hibari-san is done because he needed a nap..." Seriously, sometimes Kyoya was just acting like a five-year-old kid. "...and Lal said hers would start in four hours." I sat up.
"Enjoy your break." I remembered Kyoko and Haru out of sudden. "Hey, you should tell the girls the truth you know." He widened his eyes.
"What? Have you lost your mind!?" Wow, he could scream. And glare. "It's safer for them if they don't know!"
"They're already in danger, the least they deserve is to know the reasons why," I countered back. "The longer you wait to tell them the truth, the worst the consequences will be and..." He stormed off furiously. "...and they can handle it." I looked down at Reborn. "What did I say?"
"It's not what you say Bakana, it's just Dame-Tsuna thinking he can protect them from everything." He raised his eyes to me. "They told you they wanted to know, didn't they?"
"Yeah, the very day I arrived actually. In this time, they even have rings, to defend themselves." Reborn hummed in thoughts.
"Ultimately, it's Tsuna's job to tell them. Take a thirty-minute break, drink some water."
"Roger that," I agreed, immediately going for my water bottle. Sweat was clinging to my skin and I considered cutting my hair because even if it was in a high ponytail right now, 'twas too much hair.
Thirty minutes later we were not back to training but heading to Tsunayoshi's training room. We saw Arro and Takeshi on the way.
We all heard the big explosion and felt the base shaking, didn't we?
"Shit Tsuna!" Takeshi yelled once we were in the room. I joined him quickly and, as he was helping his friend, I looked up. Tsunayoshi's impact was so strong even his hair…
"The imprint even got your hair right," I commented with a small smirk. He ignored me.
"Do you think you can do it?" Reborn asked him as Arro shot me a quizzical look. I waved him off.
"Hum...Huh...I think so yeah..." He passed out shortly after.
In the end, Reborn decided to stop training for today and that I was showing a lot of progress already. I wasn't totally happy about it but went back to Kyoya's base, him drinking tea quietly and staring at his laptop screen.
"Isn't it napping time?" Apparently, I wasn't even worth his attention anymore because he ignored me. "Jerk," I muttered under my breath.
"You stink," he shot back at me without a look.
"Seriously, you just hear what you want to hear," I mumbled as I left for the bathroom.
I was pretty happy finding the comfort of my purple kimono once again after a hot shower. It was even hiding my feet and I could hide a weapon in the sleeves with no problem. When I went back to the living-room, there was a fuming Earl Grey tea waiting for me in front of…
Oh, it was next to Kyoya this time. I sat down and took a sip. It was just the good temperature.
"What's that?" I asked him curiously, the white round device on the screen intriguing.
"New information from Rokudo." I almost choked on my tea. "By now, it should have reached the Vongolas as well."
"And...what is it?"
"I don't know." I pursed my lips. "But it seems important for the enemy."
"So it's the target?" I looked up at him. "By the way, you're okay with me going with them?"
"Would it change something if I weren't?" he asked back and I smirked.
"Not really, I can't let them go on their own." He smirked a little and closed the laptop. "I'll take part in the meetings about the plan as well. But...the pressure, I'm handling it." His eyes turned to me.
"Aren't you nervous about the operation?" I shrugged, Hibird settling in my hair.
"Not really. After all, infiltrating, getting information and all of that, it's what I was trained for and what I'm good at. I'm glad Reborn sent me to Fon, it would have been a waste of my Flame if I had tried to use it the ways Xanxus does."
"It's too flashy for you," he added quietly. I nodded and raised a brow when Kyoya decided to lay down, his head on my lap. "I haven't napped yet."
"I'm torn between a child or a cat," I told him.
Once he was asleep, I looked at the ceiling. Nervous? I wasn't nervous.
We didn't have that much of a choice, however…
I looked down at Kyoya. There was...something. I couldn't say what it was, but there was something. I mean, he could have lied to me about the Mare Ring. We would have fought to go back in our time without caring...well, not 'without caring', but the Millefiore wouldn't have been as 'important' I would say than now, at least to me. Kyoya told me though.
There was something he wasn't telling me, but I was sure that he was trying to make me see it in a way. At least I thought so.
I would know when it was time for me to know. I trusted Kyoya, he knew what he was doing.
The fight at the Merone Base was more important for now.
Fratellanza
Thanks for reading this chapter! Thanks to AutumnBee124, RoLouA, janinesherynasalalila, TranquilRain11 for their reviews!
Bye!