Manga Chapter 48-50 , 44
Even as he spoke, Tsuna looked so tired that Reborn was tempted to call off the explanation. Brown eyes stared down at the bed before he spoke "Let me tell you everything I know about Mary and then I'll get to how we met, okay?"
Reborn's answer was a nod while Shamal muttered "As long as I can still examine you." Tsuna extended his arm and beside the occasional sound of pain or discomfort, there were no interruptions.
Tsuna cleared his throat "Mary was born in either late 1940's or early 50's, I don't really know. She was born to a British father and Chinese mother in Hong Kong, and I don't really know too much about her parents other than her father traveled a lot for his job and took Mary with him. She told me that growing up she visited all sorts of places, Shanghai, Beijing, Qingdao, and she loved them, but she loved Hong Kong the most, with its mix of people and cultures."
Reborn waited and even Shamal's practiced movements slowed as he listened to his patient "She grew up, got married, she had two sons and a daughter that she loved very much, all in Hong Kong. Then the talks of returning Hong Kong to Chinese rule started-Mary was concerned that there weren't enough protections to keep the city as it was, the unique place rather than making it another Shanghai or Beijing."
The next words were quicker than the others, almost like he wanted to be done with them "She joined a group that peacefully petitioned for more protections-they had no issue with returning the city. But tensions escalated and her husband left her and took their nearly grown children with him. She took this stoically thinking that when everything was said and done, they'd have their fight then move on. Then her friends started getting killed."
Shamal's soft voice cut through Tsuna's panting "Breath. Slowly. Don't rush."
Following the instructions, Tsuna's next words were slower after a few deep breaths "Someone started targeting her group, killing people and ransacking their homes. The police were no help, and a few killings later she realized that they were using what they found in those homes to find their next target. She realized that if she wasn't next, she wasn't far behind and fled here. She got a job as a local translator and that's pretty much all of what I know about her story."
It was a question stewing in Reborn's mind that had to be answered "Who was killing them?"
Shamal shot the hitman a stern look as Tsuna flinched before taking another deep breath and answering "A merchant group hired a gang to do it-not the Triad, just a street gang. They figured the faster that Hong Kong came under Chinese rule and with the fewest protections the better, they'd have a new market for their products and they wouldn't have to compete with imports. I don't think it worked out but what happened, happened."
Tsuna closed his mouth and stared at the bed again prompting Reborn to ask "Alright, but how do we get to you?"
"What I remember is that-what happened was-" The young man took a deep breath before attempting to start again "My memory is hazy but people have talked about it a bit so what I think happened was that after I was abandoned, I started searching for them" the them was understood to be his parents "I walked down the street asking anyone and everyone I could if they knew where they were. Eventually I either wound up talking to someone in the Hibari clan or the police or something but I remember a clan member walking me down the street to Mary's house. After that, I remember being with her a lot." Snorting lightly, Tsuna added "Now that I think about it, I wouldn't be surprised if the clan knew about them being mafia-if half of what you said is true, they probably couldn't get involved…" He shook his head "Doesn't matter. What happened was that after that she taught me how to get by, she was the one who gave me the tools to navigate my life until now. She was there when I had nobody. At least until she died, uh, I think it was a heart condition. I didn't know but she had gotten back in touch with her children after we met and they came to take her ashes back home."
There was nothing that either mafioso could say to that.
After a short time, just enough to make sure that Tsuna was done talking, Shamal spoke up "Well, I have some bad news. From what I can tell, you ripped up your muscles pretty badly-your sudden marathon and acrobatics" he said the phrase with light sarcasm "led to a significant amount of tearing across a large number of muscles. The burns on your hands should be fine, although there will be some pain and discomfort." The doctor made pointed eye contact with both of them "Until you get back and I examine you again, consider anything but light exertion off limits. I'm also giving you a prescription for two pain medications, one to be taken in the morning and evening and another to take as needed, I'll let you read the instructions on that one. Now, with that being said, the pain killers I injected you with earlier should be wearing off soon, so I'm going to go ahead and give you one of the twice-daily."
That prompted Reborn to glance at his watch "We should have enough time to get you some clothes and to the hotel." He turned to the doctor "If there's nothing else we need to do here tomorrow, we can have the boat leave fairly early in the morning?"
Shamal took a second to think everything over "Just pick up your meds."
Both of them looked to Tsuna who grunted as he moved "Alright, help me up and we'll be on our way."
Within a few minutes Reborn and Tsuna were walking, slowly, down the street towards a resale shop. Obviously, Reborn had some issues with that "I know that right now tailored clothes might not be on the table but why buy someone else's used clothes?"
Already both tired and tired of this conversation, Tsuna's voice was a touch sharp "Well, it's been what I've been wearing since I can remember so there's that. Also, it's not like they keep the stuff that can barely be worn-think about it, a lot of what they get is in pretty good condition, it has to be. Some stuff they get from people who found it shoved in the back of closets, or it was a family member's who died, or people gain and lose weight, there's a lot of reasons they get stuff."
A non-committal "hmm" was all that Reborn gave before they entered the first shop. Although Tsuna found a few items, it wasn't enough and they left to go to the next store only to have a similar experience. On their way to the third one, Reborn finally spoke again "Seems like we're not finding a lot."
With a shrug, Tsuna replied "Sometimes it's hit or miss. It's just part of shopping at these places." The third store seemed different, far better stocked and soon Tsuna had the beginnings of a new wardrobe.
As Tsuna dug through the racks, Reborn tended to wander, both helping Tsuna but also just to observe what was going on. In all fairness, he had never been in a shop like these before, part of the perks of being from a well-off family. With a disinterested eye, he sorted through the shirts only to stop with goosebumps running up and down his arm. Without taking his eyes off his target, Reborn called "Tsuna, you need to try this on."
"It does look very nice," Tsuna admitted "and it looks like it might fit but what's up?"
Lightly shoving his charge towards one of the fitting rooms, Reborn only said "I'll tell you as you're changing." As the door closed, Reborn started "That is a complete Anguria suit-they are a well-known famiglia that specializes in quality clothing. They aren't the best suits but they are very good for their price."
Tsuna stepped out and Reborn couldn't help the smirk that came on his face. The shoes notwithstanding, it was a great suit for the heir-black pants, a white shirt, a thin black tie with a silver fleur-de-lis pattern that was repeated on the black vest, and a soft black suit jacket. All of it mostly fit Tsuna and would need only minor alterations. Interestingly, Tsuna had what Reborn would call a barely restrained smile "I…I get why people say 'look good, feel good' I like the way I feel in this. I feel…like I can take charge of things."
Reborn let Tsuna change back without comment and when the two of them went to pay, the young woman behind the counter smiled "Ah, picking up Granpa's old suit. I hope it does well for you!"
Tsuna let out a soft 'Thank you' but Reborn countered "Your grandfather's old suit?"
Bagging up a few other pieces of clothes, she continued the conversation easily "Yep! Granpa died about four years ago and we decided to sell the suit but nobody's picked it up yet! I get it thought, I mean, the people who would wear suits it probably wouldn't fit-Granpa was a smaller guy, and the people it would fit probably shouldn't wear that quality."
Reborn let out a faint hum as he handed his card to the clerk.
The walk to the hotel was slightly longer than Reborn anticipated but watching Tsuna's occasional unsteady steps was more than enough justification for the hitman. For the first time in longer than he cared to admit, Reborn was watching someone out of a desire to protect and help them, even with Dino, money had been a factor, as had the idea of strengthening ties with the Cavallone. Tsuna had brought out this change in Reborn since day one, since he realized that his own actions had helped put Tsuna in that house alone.
The evening passed relatively quietly with Reborn helping Tsuna pack both because the boy was inexperienced with travel and because some of the damage made things difficult, especially the fine motor controls of his left hand. Dinner was just room service and they passed a few hours watching a movie. Eventually, Tsuna went to sleep and Reborn got to work. While travel plans were already taken care of and physical training was not on the table until after they got back, Tsuna couldn't afford to fall behind so the only thing he could do was study and it was Reborn's job to make sure he got in information he needed.
The next morning, Tsuna was woken up by a gentle rap on the door "Wha?" For a moment there was utter incomprehension of where the hell he was. Then there was panic that shifted quickly into anger and sadness before everything fell back in place and he just felt tired with everything. And pain.
Reborn stepped into the room and seemed to understand what his student was thinking. Along with a cup of water, he handed Tsuna a small bottle "Here, your morning meds. I picked them up while you were asleep." As the young man tossed back the pills, Reborn laid out his plans "After you get ready, we'll head to the ship where we can get some breakfast, after that I'll put you through a few lessons and see where we end up."
Tsuna nodded before concentrating on standing despite the screaming protest of his muscles. Getting ready was more of a challenge then he would ever admit but soon they were in a cab on their way to the port where they would board a small cruise ship to reach their destination, which Reborn hadn't said much about. During the drive, Reborn noticed Tsuna flinching and watched his student unobtrusively before realizing that Tsuna's own fidgeting was making him move and feel pain. "Nervous?" the hitman asked.
The boy thought about it, obviously caught off guard by the question "I think…yes, but that's a different thing."
"Oh?"
"I'm nervous about going, about the house, about a bunch of things. I'm having trouble sitting still because I…" he trailed off and looked out the window as if he didn't want to see Reborn's reaction "because I've never been to the beach-never even seen the ocean."
Taking a gentler approach, Reborn replied "Then it's a shame we won't spend too much time there right now since we'll have to board right away. At least you'll get a good view of the water after we depart."
Tsuna nodded and lapsed back into silence as he stared out the window. When they reached the docks, the two of them were loaded onto the ship for a quick trip to Mafia Island. Reborn took the time to sit Tsuna down and explain the rules before the ship left "Mafia Island is as close to a neutral zone as you can get, no hostilities are tolerated partly because nobody wants to deal with that while they're on vacation but the other part is that the island requires the support of all the organizations involved. Even what activities are allowed are highly regulated and deviating from them may get you expelled from the island. I wouldn't worry about it too much though since we're going for you to rest and recover."
"That makes sense." Tsuna replied before adding "So it's not likely that anyone will try to start something with me?"
"Pretty much zero."
Tsuna nodded again and stared down at his lap "That's not zero."
This time, it was Reborn who nodded "True. Unfortunately, no matter how many times we say it, there's always someone who breaks the rules. Usually, it's a minor infraction but sometimes people do stupid things. If I gave you a guarantee, I'd be lying, but fewer than one time in a hundred is pretty good odds, especially since we're not making waves."
"Is it wrong that I'm scared?"
"No, not at all. I'd actually say you're pretty justified in it-going to a new place when you're in a condition that would make it difficult to protect yourself and you only really have my word that most of the time people aren't going to cause issues." He glanced at the clock "But let's see if we can push that to the side for now and get some breakfast."
At the sound of a meal, Tsuna's stomach grumbled and the boy nodded "That sounds…nice." going to the dining hall was difficult, the once shaky steps had gotten worse and the rocking of the boat made it very slow going.
What happened next was very odd to Reborn.
The cruise ship had a room with several chefs that would cook what the patron ordered, nothing out of the usual. But as soon as they entered, Tsuna froze. Curiously, Reborn stated "Just order what you want."
Tsuna's voice was very soft "I…I don't know."
"What do you mean you don't know? Just order what you want from one of the chefs, it's not a big deal."
When Tsuna turned to meet Reborn, the hitman realized that there was something going on beyond his understanding. Tsuna's eyes were confused and scared "I've never…never ordered food, I've always cooked. I-I don't know what sort of food they can make, I don't even know what's really acceptable, like what sort of procedure is there?"
It was a stunning and sad admission from the young man but Reborn tried to approach it with logic by using the boy's own past experienced "When you were a runner, didn't you get ordered to do things?"
But Tsuna was already shaking his head "Nothing like this. Whenever I was needed, I just got instructions screamed at me and ran off to do it. N-nothing this polite."
Reborn suddenly realized how much harder this was going to be than he envisioned "Alright, then let's start at the basics. What do you want to eat?"
Tsuna was beginning to twitch "I-I don't know, my mind is blanking."
Reborn gave a faint hum before asking "Is it alright if I decide?" Tsuna was barely able to nod but Reborn started talking his student through things "Alright, you probably need something light but filling. Something greasy might not be good but something sweet might be nice. Would pancakes or crepes be alright?"
"Reborn…what are crepes?" Tsuna asked hesitantly.
"Basically, they're a thin pancake that can be rolled and filled with things like jam. I think you would like them." Thinking through his next steps was particularly hard for Reborn because of the sudden realization that there were so many basic social skills that, even after all this time, Tsuna still lacked. And not just lacked but had no idea that they existed outside of the bubble he had operated in for so long.
Reborn was so engrossed in his own thoughts he missed Tsuna steeling himself and stepping forward to one of the chefs who had no patrons "E-excuse me? Sir?"
The chef realized that the boy was more than nervous and gave a gentle smile "Hello there, what can I do for you today?"
Tsuna's eyes met the chef's before they slid down "Could I please order some crepes?"
"I'll get those right out for you," the chef replied with a positive but soft voice "What would you like those stuffed with?" the boy froze, he could see the trembling in his lip and faint movement in his hand that reeked of panic. Stepping in before it got overwhelming, he started "I would suggest the blueberries, if you're not allergic that is, they're very good right now."
Immediately, Tsuna's panic was curbed and he nodded "That sounds very good, thank you."
"Anything else?"
"Um…could I please get some coffee?"
"Of course."
It was a small interaction lasting only a few minutes, but for Tsuna it was step towards something different than where he had been, it was a step past his own problems. For Reborn, it was a stark reminder that he had only come into the boy's life recently and the mountains of issues that had built up since his birth were still there. Tsuna, no matter how much better he seemed to be doing, still had deep scars that would take a long time to start healing.
After they had gotten their food and sat down, Reborn asked "So what do you think?"
"He's nice," came the immediate answer.
"Not what I mean, what do you think of the crepes?"
"They're good too. Different, but I like them."
Reborn glanced around to the other passengers before he said "We should reach the island by tomorrow, most likely around noon."
Tsuna paused before asking "Is the island that close or is the boat…ship that fast?"
"This ship is deceptively fast. Although I don't have specifics, these are some of the fastest ships on the seas. As for how close the island is…well, that's is a closely guarded secret."
"I guess that's a good thing. It might be really bad for a plane to fly over an island when there isn't supposed to be anything." Tsuna replied.
Reborn didn't reply but continued on with his breakfast. After the duo was finished, Reborn changed his tone "I want to get as much of your lessons done as possible so that we can avoid spending too much time on them once we arrive."
Nodding, Tsuna agreed "Yeah, get it out of the way."
"Alright, we'll see what we can get done for your normal schooling first then we can move on to your mafia lessons." Reborn took a moment "we might be able to cover more material if we can switch between the two when you start to feel overwhelmed but we'll have to see about that."
To Tsuna, this seemed like a good idea to do exactly as Reborn said, keep him from being overwhelmed but still get the lessons done. To Reborn, this was true but it was also a bit more, it was an attempt to see how Tsuna mentally shifted gears. This information would be vital to any member of the Mafia, but a boss could not afford not to do it well.
By lunch, it was obvious that Tsuna was exhausted, hungry, and in pain. A meal with medication fixed the latter two problems and Reborn managed to convince Tsuna to take a nap to fix the former. Which gave him time to call Dino. He waited until he heard his former student's greeting before asking "How are things going?"
He could hear the hesitation in Dino's voice "Well, we have a blueprint-something like we had talked about, and Nono's building crew is here. We have some issues but they're being worked out, nothing for you to worry about."
Reborn let out an unconvinced "hmm" before adding "As long as it gets built, and built right, before Tsuna returns there's no problem." He paused "Dino, don't overdo it with this. I understand your feelings but pushing yourself too hard will do no good."
Dino let out a soft sigh "I know, it's just…it's just that this is all my fault." Reborn let the young man continue "He doesn't like me because I didn't understand what he was telling me, he doesn't like me because I don't understand what he's gone through, he doesn't like me because I destroyed his home." Reborn listened to Dino's panting for several seconds before he added "I just want to do something right by him."
"Then make sure the work is done well, and the only way to notice problems is by being cognizant of what is going on. Something you can't do if you don't take care of yourself."
"You're right Reborn." Dino agreed. "I'll...I'll take some time off tomorrow and sleep, maybe go to the mountains."
Nodding, Reborn replied "Good idea. Just know that we'll be reaching the island soon so communication will be more limited."
"Alright, thanks Reborn." Farewells were given in quick order and Reborn went back to mulling over the conundrum that was his current student.
In hindsight, from much, much, further in the future, it was a blessing that the rest of the trip was peaceful. It was also almost a curse because when the situation came to a head, it was released full force. It was planned that Reborn and Tsuna would skip all of the posturing and testing that would be expected of him before entering Mafia Land for the first time and be allowed to procced directly to the hotel.
Obviously, this was not how things went.
Immediately, Reborn was caught up in a wave of people that dragged him away from Tsuna and by the time the hitman found Tsuna it was his student's turn at the bribery test. And while no one watching had expectations for the young man, let alone for him to pass, they learned to fear him.
The set up was simple, a small room with a coffee table and a chair on either side, behind each chair was a door, one leading back to the docks and the other to the interior of the island. A briefcase filled with money was shoved into Tsuna's hands and the only instructions given were 'bribe the man inside to go through his door'.
Reborn rushed to the observation deck but his worst fears were coming to life as he caught Tsuna limping into the room. He could only hold his breath and watch.
Wincing as he lowered himself into the chair, Tsuna placed the briefcase on his side of the table and gave a deceptively innocent smile "Hi, I'd like a moment to talk to you about facts and decisions."
His target blinked with utter confusion "Facts and…decisions?"
With that same sweet smile plastered on his face, Tsuna nodded "Yes, you see, the fact of the matter is that I don't mind giving you this briefcase if it would allow me to pass. Then, by fact, you have a decision in front of you-you can take the money and let me pass, you can take the money but not let me pass, not take the money and let me pass, or not take the money and not let me pass."
The proctor was still visibly befuddled "And if I don't let you pass?"
The smile dropped and a cold indifferent intensity came over Tsuna's face as he replied "Then I have the decision on what method I want to use to see how much pain it takes to break you. Because the final fact of the matter is I am going through that door. Do you understand me?"
Even as a veteran of thousands of these bribery tests with a large number turning to intimidation, the man couldn't swallow the knot in his throat and could barely breath as he made eye contact with the boy. He could see that the other was serious and all he could do was nod and barely manage to squeak out "By all means! A-and please don't worry about the briefcase!"
With a curt nod, Tsuna staggered to the door where he shoved the briefcase into the attendant's hands and continued down the path until he met with Reborn who wordlessly stepped beside his student while directed him through the streets of the island. As they got closer to the hotel, Reborn asked "You're in pain. Are your meds in your bag?"
Nearly panting through grit teeth Tsuna nodded "Before they picked up the bags, they told us to put all medication in them. It was to make sure no meds got stopped between the ship and the hotel."
As much as the logic made sense, Reborn couldn't help but wrinkle his nose at it for this one instance. The two soldiered on for only a few minutes more before they reached the city, and only a few minutes after that they reach the hotel. As they entered the lobby the desk clerk started a mad scramble for their key and Reborn could see his student's shoulder lower a bit at the thought of getting his medication.
But they were stopped. Tsuna's hackles were instantly up and if the person who was stopping them was not very careful, they were likely to find themselves on the sharp end of his ire. "Hey! You!" a sharp voice called out as they were only 30 feet from the desk. Turning, Tsuna found it was a young man with a remarkably large head who had called out "We need to talk to you!" his tone was abrasive enough that Reborn found Tsuna's lips in a half snarl even as they stopped.
A very tall man dressed like a bellboy immediately asked "You are the Vongola heir, yes?" his pompous tone continuing to grate on Tsuna's already frayed nerves.
Reborn could hear the soft growl rumbling through his student's chest as he glared at the duo, beside them a girl in a gothic Lolita outfit gave a deep bow as if to silently apologize for the other two. The final member of the group looked dim but that expectation was shattered as he smacked the big-headed one lightly on the shoulder "Hey, quieter-he's right here, no need to yell." It wasn't a whisper by any means but it was miles softer than the other's voices and there was tangible concern, enough that Tsuna stopped growling. "Sorry to bother you while you're hurting but I really do need to ask, you are the Vongola heir?" when Tsuna nodded, he continued, just as softly "Maybe we could meet here sometime after you feel better?"
The group in front of them jerked back as Tsuna rasped "Tomorrow, noon, here?"
Recovering quickly, the young man nodded "That's perfect," he paused "Oh, I never introduced myself, my name is Longchamp Naito."
"Tsunayoshi Sawada." Longchamp beamed before waving and, along with the girl, dragging the other two away. The desk clerk was nearly trembling as Reborn jumped onto the counter to grab the keys. Having stayed in the penthouse before, Reborn realized that Tsuna wasn't taking any of its beauty because his eyes had locked onto his bag where he was frantically clawing through for the plastic bottles.
With a cup of water in hand, Reborn told his student "I think you'll be more comfortable on the bed waiting for those meds to kick in."
Tsuna's voice was tight as he held the pills with a near death grip "I think you're right."
Reborn ordered softly "Take the pills, lie down. I'll get you a wet towel for your head, that might help a bit."
A few moments later and Reborn found himself standing in an utterly dark room as his student laid on the bed. With Tsuna's face covered it was impossible for the hitman to read his expression as he asked "Reborn, I have three questions. How did they know who I was, who are they, and what do they want?"
Settling into the side of the bed more comfortably, Reborn replied "I've been thinking about that myself. How they knew who you were was probably a combination of things starting off with the recent news that there is an heir at all, second that it's a teenage male. The Mafia is both weirdly close-knit but also isolating so any new faces can, under the right circumstances, make a person stand out. That being said, the biggest thing was probably me being with you, the Vongola and I have a history so it wouldn't be illogical to assume that if I'm with an unknown person who matches the very vague definition they got about the heir…" he trailed off with a shrug.
"Makes sense," Tsuna begrudgingly said before continuing "So who are they?"
"That was the Tomaso Famiglia. They are an old family that has an…interesting history with Vongola. In particular, that was Longchamp, their own heir, although he was much more perceptive than I was led to believe. The tall one is Mangusta, he operates as something between a tutor and a butler for Longchamp but it seems that he is more of a servant than a teacher. Lunga was the one that stopped us, he is a core member of the group and rather impatient but I don't know much else about him. The woman was Pantera, another core member, she is considered very sensible and often puts the breaks on the…stranger ideas. From unofficial channels, I've heard that Longchamp may be engaged to Pantera, although that is, again, not something I have a lot of confidence in."
Tsuna pressed the towel into his eyes "I take it that 'interesting' means they aren't exactly friends?"
"Well…" Reborn thought about the question "it's a…complicated story."
Shrugging, Tsuna replied "I'm not going anywhere."
With a sigh, Reborn started "Very well." Closing his own eyes, the hitman started "This all begins with Primo before he created the Vongola, it started out with him wanting to protect the innocent people around him because they couldn't count on the government or police to do it. With that in mind, he began to look for allies, one of which was the shipping company that eventually became the Tomaso who still specialize in cargo transport. Although they were separate entities, they worked very closely and very well together up until Primo abdicated and left for Japan."
"Do many famiglia start as something else?" Tsuna muttered.
Reborn let out a faint 'hmm' as he mentally tallied things "It's not terribly uncommon, a very rough estimate, maybe 30% or so." After the question was answered there was a silence that Reborn took to continue "After Primo left, Secondo took steps to formally recognize the groups of the time, both allies and enemies, and consolidate power by absorbing as many groups as possible. When Secondo approached the Tomaso, they declined joining Vongola and did not want to formally bind themselves to any group which led to him labeling them as 'privileged trade partners' meaning that they would get preference whenever Vongola needed goods or services.
Reborn continued "That was the status quo until Sesto, the Sixth boss, who was far more…radical than his predecessors. He demanded that all groups be classified as either allies or enemies-it was a very black and white approach that you can still see the effects of today. As you can probably tell, the Tomaso were classified as enemies. With that, they lost a lot of business with Vongola itself as well as losing access to any route that Vongola controlled, it was a major blow but not so devastating as to destroy the famiglia."
Even under the towel, Reborn knew that Tsuna was rolling his eyes as he said "That just sounds really stupid, why make enemies of these people?"
"Agreed, which is one of the reasons that his successors are falsely considered somewhat unremarkable-they had to spend an egregious amount of time and resources undoing his decisions and mending bridges." Reborn concurred "But the Tomaso weren't a priority-they were doing well enough even without the Vongola business and they understood that Sesto's views weren't shared by the rest of the famiglia. In fact, it took until Ottavo before something happened, she started reaching out to the Tomaso asking what, if anything, they wanted to do regarding doing business together. That conversation was passed down to Nono.
Reborn could feel Tsuna's attention growing sharper, this wasn't just a history lesson anymore, this was addressing the problem "Nono and the Tomaso met and built a comprehensive agreement, everything was covered and negotiated, how payments would be calculated, how much damage would be considered acceptable, everything. The agreement was finalized, everything was ready to go as soon as the paper was signed. But it never was." Reborn let out a sigh of displeasure.
"What happened?" Tsuna asked cautiously.
The silence was heavy but eventually, Reborn spoke "Nono had three sons. They died within a six-month period." It was several seconds later that he added "When the last one died, he retired almost immediately."
With unexpected sympathy, Tsuna lamented "You can't blame him for that."
"No. No indeed." Reborn studied his student again as he mulled over the unexpected words "But after that…Decima…took over." It was always hard to talk about Nana, part of that was he never knew how to label her, what to call her, when speaking with his student. Another part was how his student reacted almost involuntarily when either of his parents were brought up. This time, he just flinched which allowed Reborn to sally on "Decima has focused on maintaining the status quo-no new treaties have been signed since she took over, no old treaties decertified. Everything is operating as it has been. Which is extraordinarily sad because she has stated multiple times that if the agreement had been signed by Nono she would abide by it, even though she actively wants it to happen."
"So they want me to sign it. Could I even do that?"
Looking approvingly at his student, Reborn agreed "They want you to sign it. And yes, you could-as the recognized Vongola heir, you have the ability to sign a treaty already verified by a Vongola boss."
Shuffling the towel off, Tsuna glanced at his tutor before closing his eyes again "What would I need to do?"
"It sounds like you're actually interested in this."
The tired sigh that came from Tsuna set Reborn's nerves on edge "I'm just, once again, cleaning up their messes."
Moving forward with the question, Reborn explained "With where you are at in your training, there would be six signatures, you, Longchamp, me as your witness, their witness, and then two independent employees of Mafia Island. They do this sort of thing often enough that they have procedures and staff to do it."
The next question stunned Reborn "How long would it take you to get a copy of that treaty that we could sign?"
"Are you sure you want to do this?"
Shrugging, Tsuna retorted "Someone has to and I'm usually cleaning up messes so why not?"
For those of you who have read the manga, don't worry, the Tomas won't be anything like they were in cannon-I think it was a major oversight to have this foil for the Vongola then do absolutely nothing with it. Also, it is part of my six-month plan to have the next two chapters both written and published and seeing as how the action is picking up, I think it might be a bit easier for me to write as well. Hopefully.
Alright everyone, thank you for reading, I hope you're all doing well and, if not, I hope it gets better.
