The Vongola Rings

A blinding light dragged me out of my sleep. My head ached. I sat up, forcing my eyes open. I looked around myself, noticing that I wasn't in my room. My right arm was bandaged up.

"Are you finally awake?" The door gently slid open revealing a young man. He had messy blond hair, and hazel brown eyes. He was wearing a green jacket and a blue and white tattoo was peeking out from his shirt. He was followed by another man, wearing a black suit and glasses. He made his way to my left, taking my pulse.

"Where am I?" I asked, disoriented. "Who are you?"

"I'm the tenth boss of the Chiavarone, Dino. And this is my subordinate Romario. He is the one who treated your wounds," he replied as he extended his hand towards me. "It's nice to meet you Sora Li Walker."

"How do you know my name?"

"I knew your mother. She was something," he replied with a strange smile on his face. He pointed at a table near the window. "Here's a spare change of clothes. You should head downstairs afterwards. Thank Gokudera and Yamamoto while you are at it." He headed towards the door and closed it slowly behind him and Romario. Silent fell upon the small white room. I stayed still, sitting in the bed for a few moments. Yesterday's fight replayed in my head. How could we lose so miserably? More importantly, are Gokudera and the others safe? Are they hurt? I glanced at my left arm, bandaged up, looking pathetic. I got out of the bed. My feet made contact with the cold tiled flooring. I walked towards the chair and got changed into a white tee shirt and black jeans. I laced up my combat boots and headed

Down the hallway, I spotted Gokudera and Yamamoto. Gokudera wasn't in a good mood nor was Yamamoto but he forced to keep a smile. Gokudera's face lit up when he saw me coming their way.

"Sora, are you alright?" Yamamoto asked. Gokudera simply looked the other way.

"I'm fine, what about yourselves?" Yamamoto's smile suddenly turned into a frown. Gokudera made a "tsk" sound. The entrance door slid open, revealing a worried Sawada.

"Good morning Tenth!" Gokudera yelled.

"Ah, good morning. Sorry about yesterday, even though you are the ones who saved me." Sawada replied. Silence fell between us. I fiddled around with the hem line of my tee shirt.

"Besides that, there is something weird is going on. I receive this in the mail yesterday." Yamamoto pulled a ring out of his pocket. Gokudera did the same.

"We thought it something to do with the guy from yesterday. The buckling horse told us about this place." Gokudera added.

"Ah, those rings are dangerous. If you have those, you'll be targeted," Tsuna replied, worried. "Also, why do they have them?"

"That's because they were chosen." Reborn was sitting on the counter along with Dino. "There are a total of 8 Vongola rings and they serve a purpose when 8 people bear it. The other 7 seven rings were delivered to 7 other people who are worthy of protecting the next Vongola boss, Sawada Tsunayoshi."

"But there were only 7 rings in the box." Sawada said. "Where is the eighth ring?" The entrance door was suddenly cut in half. A women with long black hair tied quickly into a bun appeared. She had flaming red eyes. Her left arm was bandaged up the same way as I, but not for the same reasons. It was that way for as long as I remember.

"Speaking of the devil," Reborn muttered.

"So my daughter is involved with the mafia." She glared at Reborn before pointing her sword at him. "I thought I made my intentions clear."

"What are you doing here mother?" I asked, clearly shocked. "Aren't you supposed to be in Italy?" She simply ignored me. Reborn tipped his fedora and grinned.

"It's been a while Kathy," he said calmly. She made a "tsk" sound. She glanced at Sawada. She was now pointing her sword at him. Gokudera and Yamamoto flinched. Sawada stared at the tip of the razor sharp blade.

"This is the Vongola Decimo?" she asked, glaring him.

"Yes, and I was sent by the Ninth to train him." Reborn answered. My mother analysed Sawada, from head to toe. She stepped back, retracting her blade.

"He is weak. He isn't fit to be a Vongola boss." She crossed her arms, continuing to analyse Sawada. Her gaze now shifted to Gokudera and Yamamoto and then finally me.

"He has what it takes. He just needs a bit of straitening," Dino replied. My mother looked at Dino and grinned.

"Well if it isn't the Buckling Horse Dino. It seems like you finally became the boss of the Chiavarone family. It took you long enough." She headed towards him and gave him a light tap on the shoulder. Dino simply returned the smile.

"Has he arrived in Japan yet?" my mother asked Dino in a low voice. She was speaking Italian.

"It seems he has arrived just yesterday," Dino replied, his smile disappeared. My mother sighed.

"It's that time again huh?" This time, she spoke in English.

"Do you mind explaining to me what is going on?" I asked her, in English. She looked at me, her red eyes were furious.

"Do you mind explaining why you are in Japan?" she snapped back. "Next thing you know, Allen allowed you to come here in Japan to attend a public school and then you get involved with the mafia. How joyful is that?" I looked down at the ground. She sighed.

"Excuse me, but can you please explain what is going on?" Sawada suddenly asked, in the midst of this mess. "What do you mean there are 8 rings?"

"It's the tradition of the Vongola. The Vongola rings belong to the 8 core members of the family and are passed on as a proof of one belonging to the Vongola family. In every generation, the 8 core members of the family will have to take on the 8 rings. That's the rule," my mother explained, or more rather recited. Gokudera's face lit up.

"Tenth, I feel extremely honored!" he said. My mother's facial expression remained indifferent.

"Storm, Rain, Sun, Lightning, Cloud, Mist and finally Wind; those are the 7 guardians of the Vongola Boss. Gokudera Hayato is the Storm Guardian and Yamamoto Takeshi is the Rain Guardian." She searched for something in her pocket and flicked it at me. I barely managed to catch it. A ring?

"And finally Sora Li Walker is the Wind Guardian of the Vongola." Sawada suddenly became pale.

"Why did you give her a ring?" he asked sounding furious. "She doesn't need to be a part of this."

"Then it's up to Sora," Reborn said. He looked at me. "I'll ask you this once more; would you like to join the mafia?" My eyes widened. I froze. I glanced at the piece of jewelry. I was afraid. I didn't want to get hurt. I looked over at Sawada and the others.

"What is your resolve?" I turned around. My mother was leaning against the counter. "Tell me what you wish to protect." Her eyes were honest, without a hint of fear or guilt.

What did I want to protect?

Flashbacks of yesterday's events came into mind. Why did I pick up the boomerang? Why did I choose to fight, even when my entire body was shaking because of fear? Why didn't I simply run away?

There are two things you can do with your past: you can either run from it, or learn from it. Either way, it's your path. You make it as you walk it. Do you wish to run away again?

"I…" What did I wish to do? "I don't know what I want to protect but I know that I won't run away anymore. I won't hide behind anyone anymore. I'll stand up for myself." My mother smiled and looked at me straight in the eyes.

"You can't turn back now Sora. Are you sure of your decision?" she asked, pushing herself off the counter. I nodded. Her eyes softened.

"She resembles you," Reborn muttered. She laughed.

"She isn't nearly as strong as me." She walked up, towards us. "Sawada Tsunayoshi, your ring is the ring of the sky. It is said that the first boss was like the sky that colors and engulfs everything. Thus, his followers were portrayed with the kinds of weather that color the sky." Her gaze shifted to Gokudera.

"The ring of storm: the wind that fiercely whirls about." She then looked at Yamamoto. "The ring of rain: the shower that washes away everything."

"The ring of the sun: the sun that illuminates the sky. The ring of cloud: the floating cloud that won't be caught by anyone and goes its own way. The ring of lightning: the lightning that holds a harsh strike. The ring of mist: the illusion that cannot be captured." Reborn added.

"What about the wind?" I asked.

"There was an exception," Reborn explained. "There have only been 2 bearers of the Wind ring in the history of the Vongola; you, and the first Wind Guardian."

"The wind is not a weather, but rather is constantly blowing. That is the ring of the wind: The gentle breeze that constantly blows, never stopping for anyone," my mother added. "But that can turn into a raging hurricane when needed." I glanced at the tiny piece of metal. It had a very odd shape for a ring.

"I don't need this," Sawada said, clutching to the chain around his neck.

"I'm sorry to say this but, I play baseball, so I don't wear rings either," Yamamoto said with a smile on his face. "Besides, I don't really understand what is going on."

"Also, if you carry that around, troubles are bound to come your way, like that long haired dude from yesterday will target you again!" Yamamoto's face grew serious as well as Gokudera's.

"I'm guessing yesterday's defeat took quite a blow in your ego, has it?" my mother pointed out.

"But isn't it dangerous? And also, he's gonna come in only 10 days!" My eyes met Gokudera's. They were determined to win. Besides Sawada's attempts, they were going to do it. They won't back down. They clutched onto the ring as if it was their last strand of hope.

"This is mine, right?" Yamamoto said, looking at the oddly shaped ring. "I guess I'll be taking it after all. It looks like I'm the type who can't just be left there as a loser." He rushed towards the exit and was soon out of our sights. He was quickly followed behind by Gokudera.

"I'll change myself in 10 days to not come an embarrassment as the wielder of the ring! Next time, I'll definitively beat him!" Soon, he too was gone. I looked at my own ring. Then, I looked at my mother.

"Mother, please train me for the next 10 days!" I bowed down in front of her. I clutched my fist. I wasn't going to fall behind. I wasn't going to be a burden.

"Go to school, Sora." Her answer was quick and sharp. I looked up. "Weren't you the one who wanted to attend a school?" She smiled. I nodded as I grinned.

"I'll be in your hands then!" I rushed out the door and didn't turn back.

"I see, so your sick mother came to visit." I stood there in the teacher's room waiting for an approval.

"Very well Walker, head on to class now," the teacher replied as he returned to correcting the tests. I bowed before catching a glance of Gokudera's exam. Not a single trace of red ink was on his paper. I guess this wasn't unusual coming from the smartest guy in our class. I smiled before walked out of the teacher's room.

I got to the classroom and spotted someone sitting at my desk. She had beautiful long red hair, a similar shade to my eye color. Her eyes, were pitch black. She had the body of an athlete. She was reading a manga and had a Pocky in her mouth. Her head was propped up on the desk with the help of her left arm.

"Excuse me," I said, tapping on her shoulder gently. "I believe you are sitting at my seat." She looked at me and smiled.

"I'm sorry! I didn't mean to!" she replied as she moved her manga and box of Pocky.

"It's fine. Are you new here?"

"Yes, I just transferred here today! The name is Frederique Willingham! But you can call me Fred." She extended her hand towards me. I shook it.

"I'm Sora Li Walker. It's nice to meet you. You can call me Sora if you'd like." I smiled at her. She held out her box of Pocky.

"Want one?" I laughed as I took one.

"You aren't Japanese are you?"

"How did you guess?"

"You have a slight accent when you speak. Also your last name is Willingham." She grabbed another Pocky and stuffed it into her mouth.

"Well I'm not fully Japanese. My mother is though!" That would probably explain her pitch black eyes.

"Do you want to exchange phone numbers?" I asked her as I pulled out my cell phone from my pocket. Her eyes lit up.

"Alright! Just let me get my—" Just as she turn around, she tripped on something and fell face first.

"Are you alright?" I asked her as I kneel down next to her. She got up and laughed while scratching the back of her neck. Her attention went back to the floor.

"Ah, my Pocky!" she cried out as she held up a crushed box. That's when I noticed that her right arm was bandaged up. She was also covered in bruises. She seemed to notice my worries and grabbed my hands.

"It's okay! They don't hurt anymore," she replied with a huge smile on her face. For some reason, she reminded me an awful a lot of Yamamoto.

Something suddenly fell out of her pocket and vibrated.

"Ah, my phone was in my pocket," she said sticking out her tongue and laughing. She reached for it and read the message. Her eyes suddenly widened.

"Is something wrong?" I moved closer to read what was written on the screen. She pressed the delete button and turned towards me and smiled.

"What's your number?" she asked, pretended as if nothing happened.

"Ah, it's…" She entered the number. Soon after, my phone received a text.

"Mind showing me around the school?" I smiled. I stood and extended my hand towards her. She grabbed it and pulled herself up.

"Why are you all the way down there?" she asked me, as she dusted herself off. It was true. Fred was very tall. I looked like a dwarf compared to her. She was probably a full head taller than me and even more.

We came towards the nurse's office when I suddenly spotted Gokudera. Just as I was about to call him, Dr. Shamal came out of the room. Words were exchanged and the door slammed back shut. Gokudera was left there, alone in the hallway with a disappointed face. He pursed his lip. Fred suddenly rushed past me. She tripped over something, once again. She ended up falling onto Gokudera.

"Oi, woman! Get off of me!" His face turned light pink.

"Ah, I'm sorry!" Gokudera pealed her off of him. He stood up and brushed the dust off of his shirt.

"What happened?" I asked him. His olive green eyes caught my crimson ones.

"Nothing, it's none of your business." He turned his head the other way.

"What is this?" Fred asked, popping in between us. "Is this a lover's quarrel?" Gokudera pulled out a stick of dynamite. I felt the heat rising up to my cheeks.

"G-Gokudera, she didn't mean it." I placed myself between Fred and Gokudera. He glared at me before putting his stick of dynamite away. He turned and walked away.

"Your face is the same color as your eyes." Fred had her head placed on my shoulder. She had a grin all the way up to her ears. "I sense a little couple coming."

What do you fight for? What is your resolve?

My mother's words came into mind. Then, it snapped. I finally realized.

I liked Gokudera.