Disclaimer: KHR belong to Amano Akira
Meeting in the Past
Chapter 6
The next day.
"So how did you get to know Giotto's descendant ?"
Gokudera threw G a suspicious look before answering.
"I was brought in to test Jyuudaime when he'd just started being a heir candidate, of course Jyuudaime is the best boss and immediately proved his worth and even saved the life of a guy like me so since this day I swore to become his right-hand man and follow him no matter where he went." Gokudera proclaimed with clenched fist raised.
G observed him, and frowned a bit. His loyalty was a good thing but following blindly was not.
"But if your boss went down a path you think is wrong, that at the start he would have thought wrong too, could you advise him to stop ? If not, a yes-man only following is not needed in a right-hand man, obeying orders unquestioningly is the domain of foot soldiers."
Hearing G questioning his ability as a right-hand man, Gokudera's temper started to boil.
"Then you saying you don't trust Primo and question his every move ?!"
"Of course not. In our case, I've known Primo since we were small, we grew up together and I was there from the beginning as the Vongola took shape first in his head and then in reality. That's also why I know what paths he never want to take and remind him of it if there's a need. We had to learn to compromise on some things as we grew older, as Vongola grew bigger, but each of the guardians bring something to support their boss, and all are needed. I won't say it's easy even now that it's not just Giotto and I, but that's also the thing, Sky attract people to them and always will, trying to separate him from others will do more harm than good. And as a right-hand man it's your duty to take care of them when the boss cannot. Well Storm always have an explosif temper, but in the center of it is the calm, and what is needed to learn to recognize allies from ennemies. Treating allies as enemies just because of a belligerent temper will reflect badly on the boss, so will bringing trouble recklessly."
Gokudera's own temper had fizzled out the more he listened and by the end he was remembering some of his past actions who had brought trouble to the Tenth.
"I can't really teach you anything, after all everyone has his own path to follow but I'll tell you one last thing. I usually call Primo as such in most situations, but when it's only us or with the other guardians and trusted close friends I call him Giotto, one part of it is because that's who he's always been to me long before he was Primo. But the other reason is because as his right-hand man I'm the closest person to him and the sense of distance between Boss and subordinates in some instances would be detrimental to our relationship. Our boss don't just need their guardians support in work and in battle, more than that the emotional support is what's important so they don't burn out."
Gokudera couldn't help but be pensif at those words, even though he'd accepted the fact the Tenth treated him as a friend during the whole Shimon debacle but he'd never called him Tsuna, it just wasn't the Mafia world he was used to and grown up in, it felt like a subordinate being disrespectful but then again things were different with the Tenth and his famiglia, and their Boss always seemed happy to be treated as a friend.
"No matter what I'll become a man worthy of being the Tenth right-hand man !" He promised more to himself than to G who was still observing him.
"And I do consider T... Tsuna...-sama to be a friend. My first friend." He added in a small voice that G still caught smirking.
Lambo was playing hide and seek. Though the others didn't know they were playing, not until they'd come to seek anyway.
He opened a door to enter a lavish room who was rather to his taste but froze upon hearing something make a noise. Tiptoeing further into the dark room he came to the foot of the bed. The green-haired nii-chan was sleeping in it.
"Gu gu gu." Lambo let out a sneaky laugh that the whole Tenth generation would have understood as the precursor of mischief.
Without hesitation the seven-years old threw himself on the bed, landing like a cannonball on its sleeping resident.
"Gyahh !?"
"Ha ha ha ! Bow down to Lambo-sama ! Mama always say sleepyhead wouldn't get breakfast and won't grow big in the future." Lambo said arrogantly. He totally believed her, after all Mama said Tsuna was a sleepyhead when young and he was the smallest of all the nii-chans now.
"I'm already much bigger than you stupid brat !" Lampo caught the cow-kid.
"Ah ! I'm gonna get killed !" Lambo struggled in the grip panicking.
"As if the awesome me would lower himself to take care of a brat." Lampo released him disdainfully.
"What !? It's me the incredible Lambo-sama who could make paste out of you if I wished ! I just don't want to, so you're lucky !" Boasted the afro wearing child.
"Hmphf ! You wouldn't be able to give me a scratch if you tried. To think a brat like you is a Lightning guardian, giving a bad name to my legacy." Lampo crossed his arms.
"What did you say ?! I'm the best Lightning guardian ever ! Even Tsuna think so !"
"Your Boss is a brat too, mine is much better !"
"Tsuna's the best ! And he always play with me and sometimes give me candy and prevent Reborn from killing me !"
"Well Primo is the strongest in a fight and an elegant gentleman !"
"But Tsuna is like my older brother !" Lambo said in a 'I-win-this-fight' kind of matter-of-fact way.
And just like that the conversation between the Lightning guardians devolved into a bragging contest over their Boss/older brother figure and their own awesomeness.
In another side of the mansion the Sun guardians were having a more amicable conversation if energetic.
They were talking about their favorite sport, boxing, and sharing their best memories of it.
Looking at the young man facing him, Knuckle thought it had been a long time since being happy talking about this part of his life. He hoped nothing would come to tarnish Ryohei-kun's passion like it did his.
"Being passionate is good, but don't forget not to lose yourself into it so you'll come to regret it one day like I did. Overcoming this was the hardest trial God ever gave me, but Primo also extended his hand to me at that time, saving me." He reminisced.
Ryohei who was listening uncharacteristically nodded seriously.
"When I was hurt in a fight when I was young, I promised my sister not to fight anymore outside competition. But after getting to know Tsuna I couldn't stay still as my friends fought and broke my promise though in the end my little sister understood why we were fighting and forgave me for breaking my words. But I'd do it again if I have to fight for my sister and my friends."
"Hearing this, I feel there is no need to worry about the future." Smiled Knuckle. "I leave supporting Tsunayoshi as his Sun guardian to you."
"Yosh ! Leave it to me !" Ryohei got fired up.
When Ugetsu had come from Japan to help Giotto leaving behind everything, it was not much of a consolation but Primo had remade one of the room into a Japanese tea room. Since then the Vongola Boss and his guardians would sometimes come to drink tea, have a chat and relax.
Right now Ugetsu was serving tea for Yamamoto while the younger man tried to explain baseball to him.
"I cannot say I'm familiar with this game, though if it's a ball game I do know of British cricket that has similarity."
"Ha ha ha ! Well it won't become that known until a few more decades." Yamamoto smiled before sipping his tea while observing proper tea ceremony etiquette, informal one at least. Reborn had taught him the basics when training him in the future, in the few breaks he'd been allowed, and he'd picked it up quickly.
"I'm a bit envious Takeshi-kun, you still pursue your dream while being a guardian. It is something I could not do."
"Becoming a pro baseball player is my dream but being together and helping my friends is one of my dreams too. I just don't want to give up either. That's what I decided."
Ugetsu saw his determined expression and smiled gently.
"Then I sincerely hope both will be fulfilled. It is not easy being a guardian, and if Vongola is still there in the future, it must be bigger than it is now. The rain element is not as active as most others and won't take immediate actions like the storm, rain sometimes wait a long time before falling but once it does it will wash away everything. This is our role within the guardians at time keeping peace and sweeping clean the enemy to the last." Serenely but seriously spoke Ugetsu.
Yamamoto though his eyes were serious, simply smiled.
"Tsuna's my friend, I'll always be there for him, same as he would for any of us."
Both smiled and sipped more tea, chatting on about lighter subjects.
Thanks for all the follow, favorite and reviews! And today's the 10/10 so Happy Birthday Xanxus! Hope you still enjoy the story so far!
