In the end Tsuna decided to go to Rosetta's place for her dinner of goodwill, so he met up with Gokudera and Yamamoto and together the three teens walked to the address written on the invitation given to them.
Oddly enough the address led them to a normal looking single floor house with a small shed near the back of a somewhat large yard.
Hesitantly the teens approached the front door and knocked. When it was opened for them they noticed two things. The first was the unnaturally heavenly smell wafting from within, and the second was the slim dark brown haired stranger who answered the door.
For a moment they stared at each other silently until it sank in and the Vongola boss to be became confused. "Ah! Um…This is Rosetta-san's place…right?" He asked aloud to no one in particular.
"Yes, you must be confused as we haven't properly met yet," the man stated in reply with a gentle and polite smile. "I am Rosetta's right hand man, Antonio. It is a pleasure to meet the tenth Vongola boss and his men."
"Oh, um…It's nothing really?" A flustered Tsuna said in response.
Antonio then allowed the three teens entry and they walked in, taking in the sights and smells around them.
"It smells really good in here." Yamamoto commented with a hopeful tone.
"That may be the case but the food might be poisoned." Gokudera muttered. "So don't let your guard down…"
"Quite admirable for a right hand Gokudera Hayato." The elder man stated as his aura became intimidating. "But the harsh truth is that my boss could've erased you long ago if she so desired."
"Antonio, are you threatening our guests?!" Rosetta asked as she peeked out into the hallway.
Her right hand man turned to her, his aura returning to as it was before. "They were too tense so I was just having a little fun with them."
"You'll give them the wrong idea though," the Mezzanotte boss pouted a little before aiming a reassuring smile at the teens. "Don't mind him boys. I'm in the final stages of getting the food ready so you'll still have to wait. You can go join the others in the living room."
As she finished she pointed to the door across the hall closest to the front door.
"The others…?" Tsuna asked curiously.
"Yes, your mother is here, along with Lambo and I-Pin. I also ran into Kyoko and Haru while out shopping." Rosetta explained. "After we got acquainted and I told them about the whole situation they decided to come over and help."
Once the brunette teen knew she had finished speaking he noticed that she didn't mention a couple of people. "What about Hibari and Ryohei?"
"Oh, I figured Hibari wouldn't be showing up because Dino mentioned that he didn't like crowds," she replied simply. "As for Ryohei…his sister said he was doing some important training and couldn't make it but she'd take some of the leftovers home for him."
"Well it looks like there'll be one surviving Vongola at least." Tsuna heard his right hand mutter and he chuckled nervously.
"You youths await your impending doom in the living room while we finish." Antonio suggested with a menacing smile while ushering the teens into said room. "We'll let you know when everything's ready."
The two adults then retreated into the kitchen while the boys waited. Only a few minutes passed before dinner was announced. Gokudera advised that they stay back so they could make a quick getaway if something happened that would warrant one. When they happened to see the amazing spread of Italian and Asian dishes however they couldn't help but salivate at the sight of it all.
"Like what you see? Antonio made some Chinese dishes and helped me with the Italian dishes, and the girls made a few dishes of their own, so dig in!" Rosetta announced cheerfully.
"And if you are still a bit…apprehensive, rest assured. I will personally taste everything to prove to you that it's safe to eat." Antonio added softly from beside Gokudera while resting a reassuring hand on the teen's shoulder.
That didn't need to happen though as everyone else was already starting to eat by then. After seeing for himself that the food wasn't laced with anything the Vongola's right hand relaxed a little as he and the other two boys followed suit.
"Lambo's gonna eat it all!" The tiny cow-print wearing child suddenly exclaimed with delight while grabbing at every dish he could reach, even I-Pin's.
"No! Lambo share!" I-Pin stated firmly while Lambo cackled, deaf to her plea.
"Now, now," Rosetta spoke up with a surprising motherly tone. "There's more than enough for everyone."
"We even made some desserts." Kyoko added excitedly.
"Wow you pulled out all the stops for this one, Rosetta." Dino commented, sounding impressed.
"Well I didn't want to disappoint my new alli-er friends." The Mezzanotte boss said in response while blushing lightly. "Though I may have overdone it but I can't wait to try everything we've made."
"Your plate seems to be telling a different story however." Antonio pointed out aloud and it was true. His niece's plate only had a few things on it.
Immediately her friend became concerned due to this, as he knew her appetite was a bit bigger than that. "Are you feeling okay, Rosetta?" He asked.
"Yeah, I'm just a bit exhausted from cooking so much, that's all." She explained, looking a bit tired indeed. "You don't have to worry about me though. Just continue eating."
Dino did as she asked but made sure to keep an eye on her during the rest of the banquet. She didn't eat that much and only had a bite or two of dessert before excusing herself for a while to rest. Antonio then took it from there as he did most of the clean up and seeing everyone off.
Gokudera however stayed behind as he requested he see Rosetta before she left. She accepted and met him in the front yard alone.
"Couldn't leave before letting me know one more time that you distrust me, hm?" She commented as their gazes met.
"No, I wanted to confirm something." Gokudera stated seriously. "You said you didn't lace the food with anything so why did you leave the table looking ill? Did you change your mind about poisoning us and took in the poison yourself, because-."
"I-It's nothing like that!" The Mezzanotte boss objected suddenly, looking hurt from his assumptions. "I can't disclose any personal details, but just know that I've been feeling ill since before the banquet."
The silver haired male narrowed his eyes and stared at her silently for a minute before turning away, clicking his tongue and saying, "Whatever."
He then started to walk away, but stopped short when his name was called.
"Gokudera, I know you tend to patrol around Namimori at night on occasion." Rosetta stated seriously once their gazes met once more. "I suggest you leave it to Antonio and I for a while. I don't want anything happening to you…"
Just as she trailed off the silver haired teen started stalking away. Rosetta realized this and chased after him out onto the sidewalk. "Gokudera, you heard me right?" She continued desperately. "No more patrols!"
He didn't say anything and instead just waved without turning to face her. The following day Rosett heard that Ryohei and Gokudera hadn't attended school. She was told that Ryohei tends to focus on training more than school and Gokudera occasionally played hooky anyway but it still made her worry enough to start patrolling under the guise of daily evening strolls.
No one really questioned it but the fact that she'd go out alone was cause for concern. Because of this, one such night Rosetta happened to run into Reborn on her way back to her home.
"Another peaceful night then?" The small hitman asked casually as she noticed and approached him.
"Eerily peaceful…" the Mezzanotte boss answered. "What are you doing out and about Reborn?"
"Dino expressed his worry in the fact that you go out alone every night so I decided to walk you home for him." He stated in response. "I did tell my pipsqueak of a student to do it himself but he was afraid that you'd turn him down."
Rosetta chuckled a little before becoming sullen. "So has there been any sign of Ryohei's or Gokudera's return yet?"
"Not a word."
"Oh…How is Tsuna-kun taking it…?"
"He's worried but he knows those two can hold their own." Reborn replied, smirking. "Plus I told him that you're looking for them too, so he's trusting that you'll know what to do if you find them."
"They're not the only ones I'm looking for though…" the brunette suddenly spoke with a dead serious tone under her breath.
The hitman tutor happened to hear and continued. "You also happen to be searching for Nero. He's hiding here in Namimori, isn't he?"
Rosetta flinched in response, then grinned sadly. "You're as sharp as ever, Reborn. Yes, I'm here to find and detain my brother, so that I may finally find out what happened to our family."
"Why are you keeping everyone in the dark then?" The small hitman asked curiously after a moment of silence. "Surely things would be easier if you had more allies to help."
"I have only heard rumors but Nero is a very dangerous man." The Mezzanotte boss stated firmly. "So before he can cause some serious damage I must find him on my own."
'I'm afraid it may be too late though…' Reborn thought to himself with a grave expression on his face. He then saw that Dino had been waiting for them at the gate and once again adopted his usual stoic expression so he wouldn't make him worry.
"Hey," the Cavallone boss greeted with a soft smile aimed at his friend. "Did you have a nice stroll?"
"Yes, I just needed some peace and quiet to do some thinking." Rosetta replied, avoiding his gaze for a moment.
"You should join her next time instead of making your old tutor do it for you." Reborn strictly informed his student while kicking him in the back towards her.
"Only…" Dino uttered shyly, blushing. "Only if it's okay that I tag along next time…"
"Dino, if you really wanted to accompany me all you had to do was ask." The Mezzanotte boss lectured with a pout before smiling. "But yes, you can join me next time."
'I just hope that next time we don't run into Nero…' she added in thought.
The Cavallone boss grinned once more. "Great. Shall we go to bed, then?" He realized what he asked and quickly corrected himself. "O-Only because Rosetta offered a room and it's better than paying for a hotel!"
Reborn would've made a snarky comment in that moment but decided to let it slide as he watched the two of them walk to the front door after they wished him a good night.
The following day everyone discovered that the two who had disappeared were admitted into the hospital after being found by Antonio.
"They're stable, but I don't think they'll be conscious for a while yet." He replied when Rosetta asked about their conditions.
"And Nero…?" The Mezzanotte boss questioned further.
"He didn't show himself, but it was obvious that the ambush was his doing." As Antonio continued he looked more concerned. "What do you suggest we do moving forward?"
Rosetta thought for a moment. "We continue on our own for now and increase patrols. Call some back up if we have to. We must apprehend my brother before he can claim more victims."
Unfortunately Nero was too clever for them, as he went back into hiding for a while once more. As for Tsuna…He was glad that his two friends were found but it took some persuading to get him not to worry about any possible big threats to them. Things seemed to calm down for a while, at least until the morning that followed a solo patrol led by Antonio.
"Antonio…?" Rosetta called out after searching the house and not finding him. "Uncle Antonio, where are you?"
She looked around some more before hearing Dino come in through the front door. "Hey, is everything okay?" He asked when she rushed towards him with a worried expression on her face.
"Uncle Antonio is usually up before I am but he's nowhere to be seen." His friend answered. "Have you seen him lately?"
"Hmm…No. And I don't recall ever seeing him return from his walk last night…"
Suddenly the two of them heard a text tone and Rosetta (knowing it was hers) scrambled for her phone to check it. Seeing that she had a message from her uncle she opened it, only to feel an intense chill run down her spine.
"This…cannot be…." She mumbled, reading the message over and over, trying to make sense of it.
It read, 'Your uncle decided to meddle with my business, so I had to teach him a lesson. It would be wise for you to do as I ask from here on, or there will be more…consequences…'
Attached to the message was a couple of photos, showing images of a beaten and bruised Antonio along with…
"No…" Rosetta uttered as tears welled up in her eyes, almost dropping her phone from the shock. "No!"
"Rosetta, what's wrong?" Dino shouted with concern while approaching her. "What does the text say…?"
"Antonio and Hibari…" the Mezzanotte boss replied, unable to hold her tears any longer. "Have both been kidnapped and are both injured!"