Minna-san, I'm sorry for the delay in updating, I've been a little busy lately with college, besides I'm writing another KHR fanfiction, which I intend to start posting in Oct. 27.
As always, a big thanks to my super-beta tora-chan83, her help is crucial for me ^ ^
Enjoy!
Disclaimer: KHR belongs to Akira Amano-sensei, only the plot is mine!
Cloudy Sky
Three weeks before...
The majestic Vongola mansion was located in Palermo, the capital of Sicily in Italy. Also known as the General Headquarters, it is the home of the largest and most powerful Mafia Famiglia. Which was currently in the care of the Tenth Generation, as the old boss, the Ninth, Timoteo and his Guardians, were retired and partially out of action. And it was this same very beautiful mansion, presently being bathed by the first rays of the sun, that was significantly more agitated than usual. Taking into account its illustrious inhabitants who were noisy by nature, this was quite an achievement. The fact is that all this agitation began about twenty minutes before the hour of breakfast...
All were already gathered in the large dining room, waiting for the head of the family, the Vongola Tenth, Sawada Tsunayoshi. Tsuna, who long ago lost the bad habit of being late - courtesy of his Spartan and sadistic by nature tutor, who goes by the name of Reborn - had not shown signs that he was awake.
"Neh, Vongola is late, at this rate, Lambo-san will arrive late to school." - said a very bored Lambo, getting a deadly look from Gokudera.
"The stupid cow is right, Tsuna should have arrived by now." - Reborn said, leaving the room and heading toward the bedroom of his 'ex-dame', but still student.
Well, maybe the Don still had a little 'dame' within himself for be so late, but something told Reborn that this not the real reason for Tsuna's delay.
"Reborn-san, I'll go with you." - Gokudera announced, chasing the Hitman without paying attention to the others, feeling that something seemed a little out of place today.
Soon, the two reach the corridor of Tsuna's bedroom. As Reborn reached the door, he turned Leon into a big green hammer. The inhumane tutor wondered himself if he would have to re-educate his student. Opening the door, ready to jump on the bed and slam the hammer on the young Tenth, the Arcobaleno and Gokudera were faced with an organized and clean spacious room, colored in a bright shade of orange. The organization wasn't surprising, since Tsuna had become very responsible and organized, so different from the kid whose bedroom sometimes looked like a war zone with objects, clothes and papers scattered everywhere. But Tsuna was nowhere in sight. "It's cold." - Reborn remarked, putting his hand on the impeccably tidy bed, with Leon now resting on his fedora hat - "It seems that either Tsuna woke up a long ago-"
"Or hadn't returned to the bedroom last night." - Gokudera completed the sentence begun by the Arcobaleno, both had the same dark thought forming in their minds - "I'll check the office." - the silver haired man declared, already launching out of the bedroom without losing a single second after his announcement.
"Ah." - Reborn muttered, pulling at the fedora hat to hide his face, before following the Guardian of Storm, something was wrong.
Gokudera hurried his steps to the point of rushing, as he sped down the wide hallways of the mansion. It wasn't like the Tenth had never spent a whole night awake, working on paperwork which seemingly had no end. Indeed, in the first years when the brunet had assumed the position of the Vongola boss, this kind of situation occurred frequently, with the entire mansion being awake the next morning to the sound of gunfire from a furious Reborn finding his student sleeping with his head on the desk in the office, or with dark circles and a crooked smile for being caught by his tutor again. But this had stopped happening after Tsuna fainted on the way to an important meeting with a Famiglia who was interested in making an alliance with the Vongola. Since then, the young Tenth always made sure to sleep, the worst cases being only six hours per night. This had been going on for over three years.
For this reason, the fact that his Jyuudaime had not returned to the bedroom last night, could only mean that something was very wrong, because his boss does not break any promises.
Without bothering to knock on the door, Gokudera entered the office. The scene he came across was something he never wanted to see in his life. Tsuna was lying a few steps away from the door. His handsome face was terribly pale and contorted into a look of pain, while a trickle of blood stained the left corner of his mouth. Running to his boss, Gokudera didn't notice that Reborn, Ryohei and Yamamoto were at his heel. They came bursting into the room as he was supporting the unconscious Tsuna in his arms. Even without a thermometer, the right-hand man could tell that his boss was burning with an abnormally high fever.
Three days. Three long and miserable days was the time in which Tsuna remained unconscious and burning with a fever that seemed to consume his body from the inside out. Along with this, he was writhing with visible signs of extreme pain. This alarmed them even more, because the young boss was known for his exceedingly high pain tolerance - something that he had acquired from the long and painful hours of training that the Spartan Arcobaleno had imposed. Not even any of the colds that young Tenth had caught over the years were strong enough to hold him to a bed for more than half a day, and in most cases, he would only stay due to death threats from Reborn. But now, Tsuna seemed incapable to even maintain his own conscience.
During those three days, while the Guardians plunged into despair, chaos raged in the mansion. Even Shamal, who hates dealing with men, didn't dare to move a foot away from the Vongola headquarters while the Tenth was ill. Dino left everything at the Cavallone Famiglia headquarters and refused to leave the mansion until Tsuna was better, the same applied to Enma as soon as he got the news - he was the only one, beyond Dino, who was informed of Tsuna's status. As soon as he heard, the red head took off in his private jet in company of Kaoru and Rauji, leaving the Shimon Famiglia Island in Adelheid's care. Reborn reluctantly eventually moved away from the bedside of his pupil to tame the mess and try to calm people down.
As expected, during this time Gokudera refused to abandon his Jyuudaime's side. It got to the point where Shamal had to sedate him so that he could also rest - something that was requested by Bianchi - Gokudera had overcome the trauma of his troubled childhood and, therefore, was now able to see the face of his half-sister without being affected.
For three damn days, the Guardians, except for Hibari who had left the week before for a mission, remained in the mansion. Even Mukuro was present, with his excuse being 'I need to ensure that the body that I'll possess is healthy and well' - but everyone knew those were just empty words.
The nightmare ended on the morning of the fourth day, when Tsuna finally opened his beautiful and soothing hazel-brown eyes. As they flickered open, brindle-orange eyes were exposed, filled with the pure determination to continue living.
The 'Sky' was not willing to give up.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Ҳ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Present Time...
The big clock in the living room sounded, indicating midnight. With a small yawn, Tsuna walked silently through the corridors toward his bedroom. At this hour, there were few employees who were still awake inside the Mansion, the same not applying to some of his Guardians, like Yamamoto, who Tsuna earlier saw go toward the dojo with his Shigure Kintoki, the dojo was specially built for him, or Gokudera, who probably, at the moment, was reading a magazine about supernatural things in his bedroom or watching some bizarre documentary on the subject - a hobby he hadn't lost even after a decade. Sometimes Tsuna would even find himself being dragged by an excited bomber to watch an event involving aliens and mythical beings. Chrome, last time that he had verified, was still in the infirmary making sure that Luca-san could rest a bit from the harassment of a drunk Shamal. Although, Tsuna suspected that this wasn't the only reason for the permanence of the Mist Guardian in the room since she was sitting next to the bed of a certain former Prefect, who was still unconscious.
A bath and a change of clean clothes are more than welcomed. - the young Don mused as he finally reached his bedroom, the fatigue was starting to bother him. Pushing his weariness away, he straightened up before bringing his hand to the doorknob - But it seems that will have to wait. - Tsuna mentally sighed. The day was turning out longer than expected.
The young chief opened the door and without going to the trouble of turning on the light, walked over to the glass door leading to balcony and opened it.
"Good evening, Tsu-chan ~ " - greeted a figure with white hair and lavender eyes, calmly sitting on the railing of the balcony with a big smile.
"Shiro-chan, you know you can visit me using the front door of the mansion, like a normal person does, and at reasonable hour, such as tomorrow morning." - the young boss grumbled slightly, annoyed by another one of his sudden visits.
"Uhn, I prefer to be informal and to visit of this way ~ Also, by doing this, I avoid finding some of your Guardians, especially your guard-dog occupying the right-hand function. You know, he does not like me much ~"
"And we both know why." - Tsuna responded, slightly amused, while the other's smile faltered a bit - "So why the visit at this hour? Even you're not the type who enjoys evening walks."
"I got the information you wanted." - the white haired man said, taking a more serious stance as he delivered a folder to Tsuna, who until then, had been resting on his side on the guardrail - "After taking a look, I thought you should see it immediately, even more so after I heard about Hibari-chan from Sho-chan ~ "
Hibari-chan?! - Tsuna ignored his thought on the strange man's sense of nicknames, as it was a freedom that Byakuran had taken a liking to over the years, the brunet even accepted some. With this thought, he browsed through the folder, quickly checking the content. Immediately, the young boss narrowed his eyes, which were beginning to acquire an orange glow.
"Shiro-chan, is this data correct?" - The Tenth asked, his tone leaking more seriousness than usual.
"Yes ~" - Byakuran confirmed with smile.
How did we not realize this before? - Tsuna thought, his eyes narrowing a little more as he re-analyzed the data carefully.
"Looks like someone has been working hard to keep it all a secret. Whatever it is, something big is about to happen. And judging by your reaction, it seems that you know something. You're not as shocked as I thought you would be, and even I was surprised by this~ " - The Gesso Don commented, noting that the young Tenth had stopped a few steps ahead him.
"Does anyone else know about it?" - Tsuna asked, ignoring Byakuran's last comment.
"Nope ~ Just you, me and Kikyo. I asked him to investigate in secret. Only told him it was about a suspect of mine. I hope you don't mind that I didn't mention that the suspect was actually yours." - He said, tilting his head to the side like a child wondering if he did something wrong.
"No. Of course not. I even think that's better."
"Well, now that I've fulfilled my mission, I really have to go back. I got out hiding ~ In addition, I believe you prefer to think alone. But remember, Tsu-chan, you also need to rest. We do not want you to have another collapse." - Byakuran said, a serious expression taking the place of his usual smile.
"Shiro-chan, you..."
"Tell Hibari-chan ~ I wish he recovers fast" - the man said, spreading his wings.
"Okay. And... Thank you, Shiro-chan."
"See you, Tsu-chan ~" and with a last smile, Byakuran took flight and disappeared.
Ah, if only rest would resolve everything... Anyway, Shiro-chan is right, something big is about to happen, and I doubt that it will be restricted to the mafia world -Tsuna reflected, glancing at the sky, thick clouds were starting to let the moon's light pass through and illuminate the earth.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Ҳ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Blue-gray eyes opened with slight difficulty. His head felt a little groggy, probably due to blood loss. His body was a bit stiff also, as if it were asking him not to move too much. Something that he decided to accept since he didn't feel a dangerous presence. Speaking of presence, there was someone else in the room with him. A man more or less his height, standing next to the window on the left, just steps away from his bed. The figure was partially bathed by moonlight, casting shadows on the floor and wall. The person was wearing a black suit and had familiar and unruly blonde hair - no, it wasn't blond. Not any more, although his appearance, and even his voice had not changed.
"Ah, so you finally woke up."
This expression also had not changed, his warm smile, which at the same time was preoccupied. The man had decided that in spite of not understanding this person, it had become unnecessary for him judge the other. For some reason, over the years, he had come to accept that fact, but it didn't mean that he would have to like it. It was this person standing near the foot of his bed, who had along the way no longer just become an unimportant herbivore, but a regular part of his life. Even though, he didn't like to admit that he had become accustomed to the idea.
"Hn" - was the only answer to the other, and, as usual, it was understood.
"I heard from Kusakabe-san about your reckless refusal to receive medical treatment." - his boss said in a tone of disapproval.
"Neh, you stayed here until now only to lecture me?" - The injured man shot back, opening a little debauched smile, something which had begun to occur with some frequency over the years, in return, he got a hard look of the other, he stayed -"You were right. They are moving." - He continued, his usual cold expression coming back.
A shadow passed through the pale face of the man in front of him. Pale. Truly paler than normal. More than he was one month before. The ex-prefect narrowed his eyes in recognition of this fact.
"I received some data from Byakuran just over an hour ago. It seems that they had been acting for longer than we thought. At least six months earlier than we suspected." - the other informed, his voice leaking frustration, but mainly concern as he clenched his fists.
"I imagine that Kusakabe Tetsuya informed you about the black flames." - Hibari said, slightly forcing his body to assume a sitting posture, he was starting to seethe in anger for being in such a state.
"Ah, he told us that he couldn't see them while you clearly could, and about the strange blades, too." - The Sky responded, forcing a little more on his closed fists.
"I recovered the piece. Before returning, I put it in a storage Box that Irie Shoichi made specifically for me, so that nobody would be able to open it." - the black haired man paused for a moment, revolving his coat, which was lying on the chair beside his bed, before pulling out a purple Box from his pocket - "It's ironic that something like that, saved me from those flames. If I wasn't with him at the time he was hit, the result would have been much worse." - As he said this, Tsuna immediately turned his attention to the Guardian.
"Then the flames ..."
"Hn"
"It wasn't like I didn't suspect..." - The brunet said, furrowing his brow a little - "Anyway, this explains why Luca-san's Shinu Ki no Hoono of the Sun was unable to cure you completely. It seems that the injury caused by the black flame, in some way, was rejecting the attribute 'activation' of the Sun flames. The question is if the other attributes will react the same way." - While Tsuna talked, Hibari slid his fingers over the bandages on his shoulder and chest, the wound was still there, smaller, but still there - "With that, things are going to get complicated." – The Don mumbled to himself, although the other heard it - "Looks like someone is about to open 'Pandora's box' again." - The young boss completed, opening a dark crooked smile at the idea.
"So, what will you do, Sawada?" - Hibari's eyes were once again on the young Tenth.
"I already made my first move. I gave Mukuro the mission that was reserved for after your return. Something made me feel urgent, so I anticipated his departure. He went to Milan two days. Also... If things continue like this, I think that soon I'll have to see them." - Tsuna answered with a sigh of annoyance.
"What about the others? You know that you cannot avoid this any longer."
"Ah. I believe the time is coming... And I really do not want to do this, but ..."
"Do you remember what you said to me back then?" - The strongest Guardian asked, although what he said was not really a question, his blue-gray eyes narrowed at the man.
"Then I will deal with the consequences when the time comes. I just..." - Tsuna's voice dropped into almost a whisper as he put more pressure on his wrists, a habit acquired as a way to relieve stress and frustration, but it eventually resulted in the palms of his hands bleeding, a movement that was about to happen.
"What did the other herbivore say?" - Hibari questioned, changing the subject.
Hibari is always insightful - the Sky thought, noticing the split second change of attitude in his Guardian of the Cloud. A mild and gentle smile played on his lips.
"You, better than anyone, know that Enma and I are far from being herbivores." - Tsuna commented, this time with a little mocking smile on his face - "I was talking to Enma shortly before you arrived. I told him that the time to pay him another visit is near." he explained, assuming a serious expression and returning his gaze to the large window, the sky was still overcast and partially hindering the brightness of the moon from crossing the grasps of the dark clouds.
A brief silence fell over the room, while Hibari narrowed his eyes, watching his boss - something that he would never admit. Sawada Tsunayoshi was beyond visibly paler, he was also thinner with a tired appearance, though, his eyes still burned with the same unwavering determination that he knew. This same determination which lured him, also made him stand beside the Vongola as a Guardian - another fact that his pride would never allow him to admit out loud.
"You're sick, Sawada Tsunayoshi." - the tonfa wielder said, again, not as a question but a statement.
Straight forward as usual - Tsuna thought, with a little sigh - It seems useless to try to deny it.
"You can say that." - he replied, without facing the Cloud.
"Hn. And you didn't tell the other noisy herbivores or the Akanbō."
"Ah, you can say that too."
Again, the silence formed in the infirmary. Only the two were present, since Tsuna told Luca to rest in the bedroom in front of the ward while he waited for Hibari to wake up. His Intuition, plus the years they had spent together, informed him it would not be long before his awakening, and, as usual, it was right.
"Abstaining from sleep is not a smart thing to do, Sawada Tsunayoshi. Tomorrow morning I will give you the report containing all information on this mission." - Hibari's voice was the first sound to break the peaceful silence in the room, which had lasted no more than a few seconds.
So this is his way of saying that I should look after my health. So direct in a few things, but he finds it hard to do the same for other topics.
"Okay. And Hibari, welcome back." - the Tenth said, opening one of his warm smiles, reserved solely for members of his beloved family.
"Hn. You haven't changed after all." - the bloodthirsty man grumbled, returning to lie down and ignoring the other's presence.
"I think the same doesn't apply to you." - he responded, leaving the room before seeing the murderous look that the irritated Guardian gave him.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Ҳ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The smooth and melodious sound of the piano invaded the halls of the Vongola mansion. Although it was too early to be awake, this soothing and peaceful melody was nice to awake up to in the midst of the turmoil created by recent events. At least that's how it felt for Tsuna as he opened his eyes, still tired and sleepy. After a quick shower and a new suit, the young Tenth headed down the stairs, the gentle music continuously playing in his ears. In his family only two people knew how to play the piano, but only one could play with such intensity. Interestingly this person also held the most explosive temperament among them all, and he was none other than Gokudera Hayato.
The Storm Guardian had recently begun to walk with more irritation and anxiousness, for someone who was screamingly overprotective, this was not normal. Tsuna knew that his health was the real reason for his right arm's agitation. Not only the Storm, but everyone: the Guardians, Dino, Enma - the only one who knew the truth - Reborn - who was reportedly distrustful, as he was having a hard time holding himself back from forcing his student to tell the truth, however, since the Tenth was no longer so dame, and did not fear the threats too much, he confined himself into waiting for Tsuna to make the first move and talk about what was happening - even Byakuran and the newcomer Hibari. Everyone, was in some way affected. And knowing that he was the one making his family suffer, hurt him deeply. Even though he knew that the truth would only worsen the situation and certainly shatter them from the inside.
"Jyuudaime, how long have you been in here?" - Gokudera questioned, realizing his boss' presence, who, was standing in the doorway with his eyes closed.
"I just arrived. The music woke me up." - the Tenth informed him, opening his hazel-brown orbs and giving him a gentle smile.
"Tch! Sorry Jyuudaime. I just couldn't sleep anymore and decided to play a little. If I knew that it would wake you, I would have stayed quiet."
"It's okay, Gokudera. It's much better to wake up to the soothing sounds of the piano than with bullets and Reborn's Leon hammer." - Tsuna commented, walking into the comfortable living room where the black piano was, he chose to sit down in an armchair in front of the Guardian - "Would you mind continuing to play until the others come down?"
"Not if it's a request from Jyuudaime." - the bomber responded with a gentle smile, returning to fingering the piano keys.
Gokudera had thin skillful fingers, which he had inherited from his mother, an accomplished pianist, who also showed him how to play. It was a custom to have small 'concerts' like this for the family once or twice a month. Whenever Tsuna asked him, he would quickly comply. The piano was the same as the one Lavina had taught him to play on. Bianchi had claimed it for him from their father's house but, unlike the time they were in the future, where the piano could be found at the base in Japan, the big black instrument was brought to the mansion about five years ago.
Out of all the times that it rang, his favorite moments were these ones. When only his Jyuudaime could hear it. It was a moment for only them, and although no words were exchanged, it is something that is truly appreciated by Gokudera. Not that Tsuna didn't reserve some of his time to spend with all of his Guardians individually and collectively. Even the aloof Hibari was sometimes dragged to some dinner or even a picnic with the 'family' - although the Guardian spent that time as far away from everyone as possible. It was just that, Tsuna was the sky who held and comforted them all, so, therefore, every moment spent with him was more than precious, and each time was unique.
"And you never know when the 'sky' will be taken from you..." - with the words he had heard from Reborn years ago about the Arcobaleno of the Sky ringing in his mind, Gokudera did something rare - miss a note.
"Gokudera, are you okay?" - Tsuna asked, seeing the sudden arrest after the wrong note.
"Oh, I'm fine, I just missed the last note. Sorry." -The pianist responded quickly, without looking at Tsuna's eyes, something not lost to the hazel-brown orbs of the brunet - "I'll start again from the last part." - He assured, still not facing his friend, picking up from where he had left off, he berated himself for the mistake, after all, his boss shouldn't have to deal with more problems, especially not the fears of his right arm.
In his armchair, Tsuna sighed again.
It seems like its going to be another long day after all- he thought, leaning back a little more in the cushion. His Hyper Intuition was beginning to disturb him once again this week.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Ҳ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The sound of the piano reigned through the halls of the mansion for longer than twenty minutes by the time everyone had arisen to have breakfast. Yamamoto was the first to emerge in the cozy room where Tsuna and Gokudera sit, attracted by the familiar fingering of the piano. Then came Fuuta, who sat down beside his Tsuna-nii, and not long after the sweet Chrome timidly joined the group. Lambo was the last, as usual, sleepy and muttering something about 'why do I have to go to school when I've studied most things with Gokudera-shi?' Which earned him a look of disapproval from Gokudera, who had by then already ended the last part of the melody, and a sigh from Tsuna. And so, the group finally headed for the dining room with Tsuna at the front. They were greeted by a solitary figure waiting in the large dining room of the Vongola mansion.
"Oh, Kusakabe nice to see you!" - Yamamoto was the first to call out, as he spotted the right arm of the former mayor, sitting at the table with a strained expression - "Why didn't Hibari go down with you? I went to the infirmary earlier today, but he had already left. I thought he would have shown up for breakfast." - the swordsman said with a smile, while Kusakabe squirmed in his seat, clearly uncomfortable.
"Ah, good morning..." - the man greeted, making a small bow toward everyone, especially Tsuna - "Actually... Kyo-san is very angry at having received help yesterday, and prefers to be alone at the moment." - Kusakabe informed them, unable to disguise the nervousness leaking from his voice.
"Hm, what a pity, I really wanted to hear more about those black flames." - Yamamoto said absently, pulling out the chair from the left side of Tsuna before sitting down.
"Tch! Irritating as always." - Gokudera muttered, taking his usual place beside the Jyuudaime.
Well, this is Hibari that we are talking about - Tsuna speculated with an amused smile on his face.
"Sawada-san, Kyo-san wants to warn you that after breakfast he will send the report on the mission as he promised."
"Ah, right. Thanks, Kusakabe-san."
"Tsuna, did you ever talk to Hibari yesterday? Did he say anything about what happened?"
Tsuna observed Yamamoto for a moment while pondering his words. Over the years, the Guardian of the Rain surprised everyone - even Tsuna, who always felt that something was wrong with all the smiles and carefree looks from the baseball lover, which were present no matter what the circumstances - when he revealed that he always knew the mafia which Tsuna, Gokudera and the kid spoke of, was real, and not a game as he often said.
"Ah. I waited in the infirmary until he woke up."
"Jyuudaime, you know you shouldn't be losing sleep!" - Gokudera warned him with a worried expression.
"You sound like Hibari, telling me to go to sleep." - he said calmly, ignoring the shocked looks from Lambo and especially Kusakabe.
"Tch, at least for once that bastard said something useful." - Gokudera grumbled, still not completely quiet.
"Anyway, more on that after I read the report he prepared." - Tsuna continued, receiving a nod of understanding from Gokudera and Yamamoto - "And before I forget. Chrome, can you and Fuuta go along with Lambo to school today?" - he asked, his eyes landing on the other three, whom upon hearing their names, immediately turned their attention to Tsuna.
"Hai, Boss."
"Sure, Tsuna-nii, it will be my pleasure."
"Yare, yare. I had forgotten about that." - Lambo said absently, still a bit sleepy, waking up early was not his forte.
"Sorry, Lambo."
"No problem, Vongola." - The teen reassured, opening a smile to his 'nii-chan.'
"Ah, thank you." - Tsuna appreciated, his lips raised up, forming one of his warm smiles, the same which no doubt would have made a lot of women blush.
It was not long until Pizio emerged from the kitchen, followed by some employees bringing breakfast to 'Cielo-sama'.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Ҳ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Hibari doesn't talk much, but he certainly knows how to write in abundance." - the Tenth murmured opening a crooked dull smile, loose on his big mahogany table was the report, it was more than fifty pages long, not counting the handwritten notes in a notebook lying next to one of four huge piles of damn paperwork resting defiantly around the table, which he was eagerly trying to ignore.
Then Alonzo Mantovani was the 'main contact' disappeared with everyone dead in his property, which Kusakabe-san told us about - Tsuna contemplated, closing his eyes and leaning back in the black leather chair in his office, while a sigh that could be interpreted as tiredness or irritation, escaped his lips.
Alonzo Mantovani was one of the few businessmen that Tsuna met in the underworld that was really worthwhile to consider as a 'friend'. Although that man also lived immersed in this world of crimes and irregularities, he was fair and always kept his business within the law the most he could. Alonzo was the one entrepreneur in the exporting business that the Tenth had the pleasure of knowing for about four years. During which, the Vongola was still in the transition and adaptation to the new form of leadership that was Tsuna - and still is - determined to deploy within largest Famiglia of the Mafia. The first time they met, the manner and even a little of his appearance had reminded Tsuna of Dino, excluding the brown eyes of the Cavallone boss by gray-green of the other blonde, and beyond the scarce smiles. Mantovani was much more serious and focused than his 'Aniki'.
The two met at a clean meeting - as Reborn usually refers to something that doesn't involve the criminal underworld - among leading business figures that move the economy of Italy. To the outside world Vongola was nothing more than a large group of companies based in countries around the world, strangely having a single leader. The meeting was held in Rome, which the Tenth had appeared accompanied by Ryohei and Gokudera - a choice that had miraculously worked out since Ryohei had control of himself throughout the journey. Although Tsuna suspected that the hour long talk behind closed doors between the noisy Guardian, Gokudera and Reborn, had something to do with the sudden stillness of the bright sun of the Vongola. After this first meeting, the young boss and the entrepreneur on the rise, kept in touch. Later on, Alonzo invited him to form a partnership in his latest investment - which was to build a new headquarters for his company in Japan. After evaluating the pros and cons, Tsuna accepted the partnership with a smile, and this lasted until the present day.
I really wanted to make sure that Alonzo-san was fine, but considering the information that Shiro-chan gave me... I wonder how much it will worsen? - Tsuna considered, still leaning back in his chair. Suddenly, Tsuna opened his eyes, a soft orange tone mingling with his brown-hazel - Looks like I'll have my answer sooner than I expected... - he sighed. Standing up, the brunet headed for the dining room before anyone could call him to come. His Hyper Intuition was adding more pressure on his brain and creating a deep uneasy feeling in his stomach.
"Oh, Tsuna?! Are you ready?"
"Boss, we were going to search for you to go to lunch." - Chrome announced, accompanied by a smiling Yamamoto, the two had come from the opposite direction of the hallway, but stopped at the sight of Tsuna, who approached them.
"It seems that I went ahead today." - their boss said, opening one of his warm smiles, which made Chrome blush and find the Portinari painting on the corridor wall really interesting - "I'm sorry. Actually I felt you guys coming toward the office and decided to come join you." - Tsuna said, the only woman among his Guardians, the other half of the Mist Guardian, didn't lose the flush on her face, and upon seeing this, his lips rose up into another smile, which only worsened the red spreading over Chrome's face, Tsuna really didn't how his stunning appearance was and that it could wrest the breath of women.
The trio soon entered the beautiful dining room, which had a large crystal chandelier hanging imposingly over the long table, around which, a still afflicted Kusakabe and Fuuta awaited them.
"Eh?! Gokudera is not here yet?" - asked Yamamoto, walking toward his place.
"Now that you mention it... I didn't see Gokudera for most of the morning." - Tsuna said, he had been lost in thought as he read Hibari's report and notes, and hadn't seen the passage of hours, the brunet had only realized it was lunch time by chance.
"Jyuudaime! Sorry for the delay." - Gokudera apologized as he rushed into the room - "I had to resolve some things with ¹Shibafu's squad leader, since he was in the Varia."
"It's okay, Gokudera." - Tsuna reassured, holding a little more in his look, as he stared at his Guardian of the Storm and faithful right-hand man, his Hyper Intuition was telling him that this wasn't the whole reason for the delay, but knowing Gokudera very well, Tsuna decided to finish the conversation at this point, pressing someone was not always the best way to deal with some situations.
Indeed, it seems that the answer decided to get here faster than I expected. I wonder what will it be this time? - Tsuna regarded with a small sigh escaping his lips.
"Hello, onii-san!" - the brunet greeted, sitting up and turning his gaze to the door, while everyone in the room moved their eyes from their boss to the door.
At the announcement, a tall gray-haired man with a bandage over his nose, entered the room. A big smile adorned his face accompanied by his signature greeting.
"It's extremely good to see you, Sawada!"
"Oi, Shibafu no Atama¹! What are you doing here?" - Gokudera snarled at the arrival of the Guardian of the Sun
"I extremely came to bring news to our boss, Takohead²!" - Ryohei answered bluntly.
I expected that. Something very serious must have happened, for Xanxus to send back onii-san during the training of their subordinates. - Unconsciously, Tsuna begins to massage his temples in a futile attempt to relieve the severe headache forming in his already heavily loaded brain - another habit acquired over the years.
"Onii-san, we'll talk about it after lunch." - warned the Tenth, the look on his face told the Guardians that their precious boss does not want sensitive issues to be discussed lightly, especially during the lunch hour, this fact immediately made everyone move to lighter topics.
With Ryohei settling himself beside Kusakabe, Pizio soon emerged from the kitchen bringing lunch, which, as always was plentiful and tasty. The meal went quiet - or quieter if one were to compare the times when the majority of the Guardians were meeting. Ryohei was telling a little about his days coaching the 'bit extreme' beginners of the Varia in between his heated arguments with Gokudera, who started it by saying, 'stop being annoying by talking about the damn bastards in the Varia'. During this time, Yamamoto tried to stop them from fighting during the meal.
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The Guardians present at the mansion - which included Chrome, and excluded the irritated Hibari who sent a nervous Kusakabe to represent him - and Fuuta - who the young boss reluctantly allowed to be present - were all currently gathered in Tsuna's office.
"As you've probably imagined, I was sent by Xanxus with news." - Ryohei started, as soon as Tsuna made the sign to speak - "During this daybreak, seven men of the squad on orders by Leviathan, were attacked during a mission. But the strange thing is that their injuries were similar to Hibari's, according to what Yamamoto described to me. Except for one, all other the injuries were lighter than his, but four did not survive. Also, I had a really difficult time healing those that remained. For those who died, the Shinu Ki no Honoo of the Sun had no effect on them." - The boxer informed, with undisguised bitterness.
Silence. A deep weight had fallen on each person, and the deafening silence that came along with it reigned for about a minute in the room. The new information was hammering in the brains of each present in the office. Kusakabe's face took on a new shade of white, one that almost equaled to the face of the young boss, a sickly white, but the right arm of Hibari Kyoya was certainly not sick. Chrome was paralyzed, hardly seeming to breath. Yamamoto's usual joyful expression became cold and his aura started screaming 'danger' as his swordsman half took over his baseball lover side. Tsuna in turn had his expression unreadable, having hidden it under his fluffy brown hair.
"Oi, Shibafu no Atama! What do you mean by the flames of the Sun were not able to cure them?! Among the Vongola you're the one with the biggest and strongest Shinu Ki no Honoo of the Sun!" - An exasperated Gokudera exclaimed, apparently the first to drag his brain out of the self-imposed trance.
"Gokudera, calm down. And Ryohei, are you sure about the injuries?"
As they heard Tsuna call the boxer by name, and not the nickname he that always used, with a neutral tone that was eerily quiet, but still heavy, the climate of the room tumbled again; Tsuna was really serious. After all, he only addresses Ryohei in this form when his 'boss mode' was activated followed by another mode, which was also very familiar. Turning to the Tenth, it was of no surprise to they to find a flame shining on the forehead of their boss, while, at the same time, his eyes became completely orange- like the pure flame of Sky. The X-Gloves remained the same, but Tsuna had gone into Hyper Mode.
"Jyuudaime..."
"Tsuna..."
About six years ago, two months before assuming control of the Vongola, Tsuna surprised everyone - especially his Spartan tutor, who did not expect his dame-student to be able to do something similar as the Primo. The First, among all the Vongola bosses, had been the only one capable of this feat. During one of many surprises full of torture, which Reborn called 'tests', Tsuna had gone into HDW Mode on his own - this meant without the aid of the special bullets or pills that he had used in the past. The brunet threw himself into the air before a seven ton metal ball landed at the place, where a thousandth of a second before, he had been standing. It was thrown in his direction by a mechanical experiment very similar to a giant catapult, which, his sadistic tutor had convinced Spanner to build. The most remarkable part of all this, was the huge amount of flames and the expansion of time that Tsuna was able to maintain in that shape. The duration of his stay in Hyper Mode had almost doubled, while his flames became even more refined. If this really was impossible to occur, the Tenth Vongola proved otherwise, to the astonishment of the underworld and joy of the Arcobaleno - which he disguised by pulling down his fedora hat. From that time on to the present day, Tsuna had further extended his stay in Hyper Mode.
"I personally checked all the injuries to be sure. One of the wounded died before I even started to heal him. And of them were all strong men, Sawada. Certainly no one came close to Hibari's level, but they couldn't be classified as weak. Before I left the Varia castle, one of those who had been able to escape, mentioned something about a serrated blade and a strange black flame. This was the same weapon used to hurt Hibari, right? Sawada, you are sure that Hibari is okay? "
"Ah. As for this you need not worry. Shamal examined him and said he only lost consciousness due to exhaustion and lack of sleep. Moreover, Hibari left the ward as if nothing had happened." - Tsuna answered in his calm tone.
"Huh, I would still like to see how the wound is, maybe I can finish healing him." - the Sun said casually.
"Sasagawa-san! Please let Kyo-san rest alone for now! Even I want you to finish curing him, I really fear for his safety! Kyo-san is seething with anger! He only allowed Sawada-san to talk to him because he was the reason why we returned to the mansion so suddenly!" - An exasperated Kusakabe exclaimed, finally emerging from his thoughts, his face was still pale, but for a different reason now, the fear of his boss' reaction overwhelmed him, while cold sweat slid down his face.
"I don't see why Hibari wouldn't want to see me." - Ryohei argued, putting his hand to his chin and frowning - "We are extremely friends!" - the dense boxer completed, as if stating something obvious.
"Tch! Leave that bastard alone for now. As Jyuudaime said, he's fine. If you disturb him now, he will certainly get some confusion." - Gokudera reasoned, but inside he thought that the ex-prefect would gladly take out some of his anger on the Shibafu no Atama, injured or not.
"Maa, maa. Sasagawa, Gokudera. This is not the time to be discussing it. Tsuna seems to be focused." - the peaceful Rain said, while launching his thumb back toward his boss, whose expression was once again hidden beneath his brown hair.
"Jyuudaime..." - Gokudera murmured, as everyone turned their eyes to their beloved boss.
So they decided to start acting more openly. That means that they are either getting careless, or believe they have nothing to fear... Whatever the case, the situation is worsening - Tsuna gathered his thoughts, while feeling the flames grow and shine even more than before. His determination was visible in his orbs as he found the eyes of his family on him - Seems that the time for action has arrived.
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¹Turf top, lawn head, etc
²Octopus head
Minna-san, do not forget to comment on what you thought of the chapter, I'll love to read what you are thinking about the story!
Ah, I'm riding the 'soundtrack' of this fanfiction with my Brazilian readers, so I decided to do the same here with you. Leave in the comments or send me a pm with the name of some songs that remind you of this story - and the name of who sings too. I'll download the songs and listen to them and add them to the soundtrack that I hear as I write. Where the song list is ready I will post it in a future chapter. ^ ^
So until the next chapter! Ciao, ciao!