Previously…

Tsuna's grandfather passed away and Tsuna's left alone to fend for himself. One day when he goes out to the market, Tsuna gets caught in a middle of a shootout and meets Vongola's Rain Guardian…


Chapter 6

~EO!~

"Yatta!" Yamamoto shouted with both arms raised high in the air. Chrome came out of her inner thoughts immediately and looked down just in time to see Tsuna accept a business card from the Vongola member—Vongola's Rain Guardian.

"Kufufufu…and the real mission starts now," Mukuro said. "Although he hasn't accepted anything from the man yet…from how Tsunayoshi grew up, he'll want to learn how to fight."

Chrome narrowed her eyes. "The Rain Man might not have good intentions. We don't know the Vongola of this world…"

Mukuro chuckled. "That's why Tsunayoshi is there, isn't it? Kufufufu…I can't wait to see what hell he will make the Vongola go through."

"Speaking of the Vongola…How are the others?" Chrome asked.

"Are you talking about Gokudera and the rest?" Yamamoto asked with a grin. "I looked in on them two days ago and they seemed to be having a bit of trouble—nothing they can't fix. We can read about their adventures when the rest of them return. Their mission is winding up, after all. Mukuro, didn't you—eh? Oi, where are you going?"

"I haven't finished reading what happened in our previous lives." Kufufu…after all, many Mafia families who appear in our old lives will also make an appearance in Tsunayoshi's present life. And we don't know what will come next…in the Elgan Order or Earth.

~EO!~


Adelina paced back and forth in front of Tsuna's apartment, glancing at the elevator once every few seconds. She should have gone with him. What if he was injured? They didn't release names, but a shootout before a few people were shot by someone—maybe an undercover policeman or something.

Ding.

"H-Hayate-sensei?"

"Giotto, I was so worried!" She pounced on him like a worried mother cat. "Are you alright? What happened at the market? I heard about the shootout. They said the Mafia families were fighting against one another again. They never do stop, do they? Always getting regular, normal civilians injured during their battles—"

"H-Hayate-sensei," Tsuna choked out and patted her back. "C-Can't breathe."

"Oh! Gomen," she said and released him.

Tsuna gasped while waving it off. "It's on the news?" He fumbled with his keys in his haste to unlock his apartment. When he was finally in, he ran to the television.

Her brows knit together, Adelina followed him in. "Are you sure you're alright?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. I wasn't that close to it; I just heard shooting and ran to hide like everyone else," Tsuna said as he flipped the channels. His eyes were filled with uncontrolled panic but since he was facing the television, Adelina missed it.

"Just an hour ago, two gangs were fighting in H Market Square. Luckily, there were no casualties. However, a young girl was taken as a hostage for a short period of time before the police arrived and controlled the situation—"

Tsuna sagged onto the couch as the woman continued the voice-over while the camera panned the market. Tsuna's face was nowhere in sight.

"Such a disaster," Adelina said. "This is the second time since I've lived here that there was a shootout between gangs."

"The second time?" Tsuna repeated. Then he remembered his manners and went into the kitchen to get them both something to drink.

"Yes, the first time was…gosh, it was a few years ago. There was a gang that had been on the rise, slowly gaining an infamous reputation: Puniamo. They purposely target the cops who are part of DOCI—"

"—the what? What's DOCI?"

Adelina laughed and took a sip of her water before continuing. "It's the department that fight against the mafia. DOCI—Department of Organized Crime Investigations."

"H-How do you know all of that?"

"What? Oh, I took a course in Criminology when I was in university. It was really fun. We did a lot of research and case studies that had to do with Mafiosi and other criminals."

I-I thought you were only interested in teaching, Tsuna thought. He shook his head and asked, "So, that gang targets people who work against the Mafia?"

"Yes. They…punish them." Adelina said it with disgust as she set down her glass. "Avoid them at all cost, Giotto. They aren't afraid to commit murder. The news said police officers have gone missing or were found dead in alleys."

Tsuna shivered and nodded his head. "I'll definitely avoid them. Ah, can you tell me more about the other gangs that are in the area? N-Nonno told me about the…Cavallone…"

"The Cavallone? From what I understand, they are quite big, but the police can never find enough evidence to pin the boss down or to keep any of their members in jail for more than a few years. They look after their territory so that others won't take it. The boss is nice enough—sort of a hero of the people around here. That's another reason why the police leave them alone. They would rather go for the really bad guys than the bad guys that might be able to stop the really bad guys, if you get my meaning." Adelina paused. "And…there's also the Vongola."

Tsuna sat straighter. That man said he was Vongola's Rain Guardian. Whatever that rank was, Tsuna was pretty sure it meant that he should stay away from that man.

"The Vongola is probably the biggest group. The police have been after them for generations."

"G-Generations!"

"They're an old Mafia group," Adelina said. "They've been around since the beginning. They're the bloodiest, the most ruthless, and the richest Mafia family. There's not a lot of public information on them or the Cavallone—we only know what we see. The Cavallone boss is seen in the slums a lot, taking care of the people. That's his public image and he doesn't look like a Mafia boss at all, but almost everyone knows he is one.

"As for the Vongola…they mind their own business and seem to side with the Cavallone if there's a fight. That implies that they have the same morals and common interests but we don't know a lot since none of their higher ranking members have been caught or have become turncoats."

Higher ranking members...those are guardians.

Tsuna blinked. Where did that thought come from? Setting that aside, he focused on Adelina. "That's a lot of information."

Adelina scoffed. "You hear things after living in the area for as many years as I have. You see things, you hear things, and you learn things. You talk to people. You get into messes and you get out of messes. You'll eventually meet some gangs. I just hope that you won't have to," she said and ruffled Tsuna's hair.

I-I already met three of them…

"Keep up with your studies," Adelina said and stood.

Tsuna quickly followed suit. "Yeah, I'll do my best."

"Good night!"

"'Night."

Tsuna waved as his apartment door slid shut and he locked it. He sighed and sat on the floor. "Vongola," he said to himself. "Vongola," he said louder and cocked his head. "VON—GO—LA," he said, firmer than before. "Strongest Mafia family…Vongola…hm…"

It was strange. The Vongola didn't give him goosebumps like how the Puniamo did even though they were more of a mystery and were, according to Adelina, stronger than everyone else. Maybe it had to do with that man who acted like a normal person and actually offered to help him learn to fight.

He pulled out his phone and dialled the number on the card.

"Hello?"

Tsuna dropped the phone in surprise. Did he really just call that number? Why did I do that!? he wailed in his head.

"Hello?"

He fumbled for the phone. "H-Hello, this is Giotto…"

"Giotto! I'm glad that you called me. So, what's up?"

"You said that if I ever wanted to—to um, to learn more about how to defend myself…?"

"Oh, of course! I said that, didn't I? I guess you're interested, since you're calling."

"Yeah, kind of. Could you perhaps tell me what I might be well…learning?"

"Sure, no problem. Why don't you meet me somewhere?"

"W-Why can't you just tell me over the phone?" Tsuna asked. I don't want to meet a stranger! Then again, I'm calling one, aren't I…?

"That's because this phone line's not bug-proof. Do you remember where we met last time? I'll meet you there tomorrow morning, around eight."

"O-Okay. Bye." He sighed once the man hung up. "What did I just do?!" he cried out and rolled on the floor while clutching his head.


He couldn't believe that he was doing this. He, at age thirteen, was going to meet a Mafioso that he knew for less than a day.

Tsuna waited just inside the alley for the man to appear at the decided time. He himself was five minutes early, not sure if it was all a hoax, and had waited in the shadows. After doing so for just a minute, he felt stupid and walked out. It's not as if anyone was going to ambush him or set him up right? He wasn't special.

He heard someone whistling while they walked toward the alley.

"Morning," the man said and raised a hand. "Let's get to the point. Do you want to work for me then, since you're here?"

Tsuna gasped. "N-No! I mean, I don't know. I want to know what that means first. I know that you're part of the Mafia!" he said, pointing an accusing finger at the man.

The man laughed and relaxed. "Caught me there! I thought you knew when you heard the name."

"Are you talking about Vongola?"

"Mhm."

"Odd name for a Mafia family," Tsuna said under his breath.

The man cocked a brow with a smirk on his lips. "Funny that you're not afraid of offending me."

Tsuna's eyes widened and he took two steps back. "I-I d-didn't—!"

He laughed again at the boy's anxious look. "There is more significance behind it than you might think. Anyway, let's talk about what we came here to talk about."

Tsuna nodded and eased his breathing.

"You won't be working for me right away. You might not even want to but it's an option that will help you earn some money. What I am offering you is a chance to train your body and mind.

"If you accept, you will come to me and my friends to learn how to fight, both with and without weapons. That's the main thing, but to achieve this, you'll have several teachers who will teach you in their own way at their preferred level—studying, combat training, meditation..."

"Meditation?" Tsuna asked. "What does that have to do with anything?"

"It calms the mind and helps you think. You'll have to ask your teacher for the full explanation. We won't train you to just fight senselessly.m You'll know when to fight and when to back down. We don't want to train someone who will just fight because they're told to. You will have to pick your own battles but we expect you to listen to others' commands and understand the reasons for doing things—that is for later, if you do decide to work for us."

Tsuna stared at the man as if he had grown another head. "Why…are you offering me this again? Are you taking in any random kid you find on the streets?"

"No, I'm not! I just took a liking to you. And you have potential. I said that before, haven't I?" It seems a waste to let you live out your life as a common person when you could be so much more, the man thought.

"O-Oh…who are these teachers that you keep on talking about?"

"They're friends of the Vongola. Some of them, like me, are Vongola's Guardians. They're the best."

"If you guys are the best…why are you training me? No matter how much potential you say I have, I can't believe that you guys will take your time to train me."

"I may be called the Rain Guardian now," the man said, "but I once led a simple life. I used to help my dad run a restaurant and deliver the food on a bike. I used to own the second-last ranking at my school and I was the star of the baseball team. I still love to hang out with my friends, go to the beach, and play pranks on them even though I'm in the Mafia. The same goes for my friends. We can recognise a kindred spirit when we see one."

The Rain Guardian grinned and ruffled Tsuna's hair, pressing the boy's head until he was unbalanced.

"Hiie!"

"So, what do you say?"

"I-I guess I can try…"

"Great! When are you available?"

Tsuna blanched. "Uh…U-Uh…U-Well, I uh…have school…and…work…and…lessons."

"…Lessons are different from school?"

"Yeah…"

"Hnnn…"

Wh-What do I do now? Tsuna thought. I can't just quit work!

"What if you resigned—" I knew he'd say that! "—And we paid you?"

Wait…what? "You'd pay me? Why would you do that?"

The Rain Guardian gave him a surprised look. "Why not? You need the money, we want to teach you, we can afford to pay you, so why shouldn't we?" The man received a blank stare. "Say something, kid."

Tsuna watched the Rain Guardian's expression and couldn't help but laugh at how normal the man thought the offer was. He held his stomach as he laughed at how ridiculous the situation was as well as how lucky he was. "I-I'll take you up on it," Tsuna said.

The Rain Guardian beamed a smile at him. "That's great! Do you think you can start today?"

"What—now!?" Tsuna shrieked.

"Do you have to be somewhere?"

"N….No….?"

"Great. Just follow me. I'll give you a ride."

"A ride?" Tsuna glanced down the street before following the man deeper into the alley. He avoided the litter on the pavement and the leaking garbage bags as they turned a corner, not sure what to expect. They continued walking until they reached an intersection that led to another alley. The Rain Guardian gestured for Tsuna to follow and he went into it.

This was no different from the one before, though there was something covered by a black tarp which the Rain Guardian pulled off with a flourish.

Tsuna's eyes widened as he saw the vehicle. It was a simple hover-cycle in a dark shade of blue and white with the licence plate clear and visible on the front and back. The Rain Guardian folded the tarp and stored it under the seat.

"Hop on, kid. And you'd better wear this—I don't remember when minors stop being minors," he said and tossed a helmet to Tsuna. Tsuna snatched it out of the air and held it securely, afraid to drop the brand-spanking new helmet. Upon closer inspection he realized that it was actually just well-cared for. Even with several scratches on the helmet, it would probably still sell for quite a high price because of the brand name.

He gingerly climbed on behind the man, not sure where they were going. He didn't even know why he placed so much trust in the man, but he hadn't done anything to Tsuna…yet.

"But I do have school and work tomorrow!" Tsuna said as an afterthought, in case he was wrong about the man.

"Yeah, you said that already! You'll be back in time. Hold on tight."

"HIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIE!" Tsuna almost flew off the hover-cycle as it came to life and shot out the way they entered. He latched onto the Rain Guardian's shirt as the streets whizzed by.

Never in his life had he been on such a fast-paced ride before. Even when Donato "borrowed" his sister's bike for a ride, they had taken it easy, knowing that they'd both be killed if she found it returned with even a single scratch.

The man merely laughed at Tsuna's scream, which left the boy's throat whenever they turned a corner or swerved between other vehicles on the streets.

After a few turns, Tsuna closed his eyes and didn't open them fully until the hover-cycle had come to a complete stop. They were parked outside a house in an upper-middle class area that Tsuna vaguely remembered being similar to his own, once upon a time.

He got off the bike and waited for the Rain Guardian to do the same before giving back the helmet.

"How'd you enjoy the ride?"

"It was okay," Tsuna said. I never want to go on a bike with him again.

The man walked up to the house and pressed the doorbell. "What?" said a man's voice from an intercom.

The Rain Guardian spoke into it.

The door clicked and slid open to the side. Once they were through, the door shut and locked itself behind them.

Tsuna removed his shoes and took his first good look of the house. It was large—that was to be expected—and opened up to a drawing room of sorts. In it held a black and shiny grand piano, set strategically in the room with a low table and couches filling up the rest of the room. One wall held a large cabinet, its display case filled with wine and wine glasses. The wall held landscape paintings that would ease or intrigue the minds of guests.

They passed the room to enter another, this one less decorated and more for comfort. The only one in the room was a small boy, tucked in a tiny ball on a couch near a bookcase. He had dark hair that was short enough to not be involved in any messy activities the boy might get himself into. The boy looked up mid-way flipping a colourful page to smile at the Rain Guardian.

"Ciao."

"Ciao," the Rain Guardian said. "Where is your father?"

"He's in his study."

"Thanks. Come on, Giotto."

Tsuna gave the child a nervous smile, one that was returned before the boy returned to his picture book. He and the Rain Guardian walked down a hallway and up a flight of stairs, lined with more pictures. When they reached the second landing, the man led Tsuna down the hall. All the internal doors were electronic, motion- or touch-sensitive, and easy to open, unlike his current apartment which was still using manual doors. The door they stopped in front of was old fashioned, with a door knob.

The man rapped on the door and without waiting for a reply, opened it. The inside of the study was quiet and smelled of old books and leather. Tsuna tried to take in everything at once. It wasn't lacking any modern technology, per say, but it was also well furnished with items that seemed to belong in previous decades, such as the iPhone 5s that was set next to a wall outlet to charge, or the remote control and television set that was placed on the opposite side of the wall.

The man they were here to see was standing in front of a screen, studying the graphics displayed on it. He commanded: "Save and shut down," when the Rain Guardian entered the room. He approached them with a bored expression, first looking at the man and then at Tsuna, his gaze staying on Tsuna's face for a long moment.

"This is Giotto," the Rain Guardian said.

Tsuna gulped and tried to smile at the stranger who only stared at him in an uncaring way.

"Giotto, this is Vongola's Cloud Guardian."

"Should you be revealing that to him?" the Cloud Guardian asked the Rain Guardian.

The Rain Guardian laughed and waved off the concern. "Boss won't mind. Giotto has agreed to take on our training. I've also promised that he'll be paid—" The Cloud Guardian raised an eyebrow. "—And will learn from many of us. You promised to organize everything, right?"

The Cloud Guardian nodded. "The others will be arriving in five minutes. You will stay until the meeting is over." It wasn't a question. After all, the Rain Guardian was the one who brought in the stray, so he had better stay until the matter was settled.

The Rain Guardian reassured his fellow guardian smoothly and told Tsuna, "We'll meet with the others in the meeting room. You'll like them."

Don't be so sure! Tsuna thought as he gave the intimidating Cloud Guardian one last look before following the Rain Guardian further into the house and into a spacious room with a black table placed in its centre.

"Take a seat—" the Rain Guardian started to say as the doors behind them opened again.

"Yo."

Tsuna whirled around and saw another man, though he looked significantly younger than the others; while the Rain and Cloud Guardians looked like they were in their late thirties or early forties, Tsuna estimated this man's age to be ten years or so younger than them.

"Giotto, this is our Lightning Guardian."

"N-Nice to meet you," Tsuna said. This man didn't look much more excited about meeting him than the Cloud Guardian did.

The Lightning Guardian nodded and took a seat. Giotto sat at the edge of his own seat, eying the others nervously. The door opened again to reveal a man and woman, who were the Mist Guardians.

These are the high ranking guardians...They're so weird, Tsuna thought. And the names…rain, cloud, lightning, mist…what's next—sun and moon?

The two newcomers settled near the other end of the table. Tsuna was sitting nearest to the doors, with the Rain Guardian next to him. Across the table were the two Mist Guardians. Between Tsuna's right and the Lightning Guardian's left were two empty seats that took up the remaining space.

The doors opened and revealed the Cloud Guardian who had an irritated expression on his face. He looked at the seats and opted for the one next to the Rain Guardian. Coming in right after him were two men arguing with each other. They quieted when they spotted a stranger in their midst and took the two seats next to Tsuna.

"They are the Sun and Storm Guardians," the Rain Guardian introduced. Tsuna nodded to the two men and gulped when the Storm Guardian glared at him.

"Oh!" the Sun Guardian exclaimed, "is he the one who was with you in the market?"

"Yeah, he's the one who shot the Puniamo."

Puniamo…that's the other Mafia gang! Tsuna thought. They're supposed to be the ones who went after the police, right?!

"And now you want us to train him…" the Storm Guardian said and eyed the teen. Before the meeting was planned, they had researched the boy. What they found wasn't the worst thing that they've seen, but it wasn't all sunshine and bunnies either. Losing his parents at a young age and then realizing that all their money was stolen left the kid and his grandfather in a tight spot. In order to survive, they had moved to an apartment in one of the worse-off neighbourhoods to find cheap rent. Not long after that, the kid's grandfather had passed away as well, from cancer that would've been treated if they had the money.

Now, the kid was living on his own—god knows how he avoided social services for this long—with a part-time job while going to school. He seemed to only be close to one person, a woman who lived on the seventh floor. While she may be a parental figure for the boy, he still got into trouble on the streets, which led to cuts, bruises, and sometimes broken bones. He had learned to fight dirty so he could get home with his wallet left untouched.

The Storm Guardian had to hand it to the boy: he knew how to survive on his own. But with that trick in the market, it's possible that he'd be wanted by the other Mafia gangs, for either recruitment or revenge.

"Let's set everything up then," the Storm Guardian said. "What is he going to learn?"

"Obviously boxing!" the Sun Guardian roared. Tsuna let out a small yelp and jumped in his seat.

"Not just boxing. He's going to need to know any other forms of combat," the Rain Guardian said. His expression darkened as he thought of the Puniamo. "Giotto, you should find a weapon that suits you and practice using it."

Wh-Why are they speaking as though I'm going to need one!?

"We can leave that to Lal and Colonnello," the female Mist Guardian said.

"Okay," the Storm Guardian said with a nod as he jotted something down onto the tablet in front of him. "I will take care of his basic research skills. That will include recon—information gathering and how to use it properly. We'll see if he has any potential in strategizing. If he does, we'll bring in Shouichi."

"I can help with the information gathering," the female Mist Guardian said. "You have too much to do as the right-hand man."

The Storm Guardian scowled. "Will you be able to teach him properly?" The other guardians shared a look with each other. "What?" he demanded.

"We're worried that you might teach him too much."

The male Mist Guardian spoke up for the first time. "If you really want to do something, you can introduce him to the rings and flames."

"Oh, alright," the Storm Guardian said, giving another glare to his friends.

"I can fight him," the Cloud Guardian said.

"You want to fight small fry?" the male Mist Guardian said with a snort. "My, how your standards have fallen."

The Cloud Guardian's glare could have burned the male Mist Guardian on the spot. "I will only fight him after he has gone through training and has found a weapon of his choice."

The Lightning Guardian sighed. "This is such a bother. What am I going to do then?"

"You and I both know you don't want to do anything. For once, you won't have to," the Storm Guardian said, much to the Lightning Guardian's relief.

With most of the matters settled, the Rain Guardian turned to look at Tsuna. "Giotto, are you okay with these arrangements?"

Tsuna gulped. "Yes."

"And you do know that we're in the Mafia."

Tsuna hesitated before nodding.

"You're still okay with being connected to us?"

No…not really, Tsuna thought with a shiver. "If…I don't train…the Puniamo will be able to find me, and take revenge...that woman I shot—she was one of them, wasn't she? T-The Puniamo seem to like getting their revenge…"

The Storm Guardian snorted. "That's true enough."

"I-If you all don't mind…please…help me stay away from them?" Tsuna asked, knowing that he won't stand a chance against them if they decided to come after him.

"Don't worry about a thing," the Rain Guardian said.

The Cloud Guardian stood from his seat and gave them all a stern look. "Don't fight in my home. And don't ever come here again." He directed the last line at Tsuna.

"O-Okay!"

When the Cloud Guardian left the room, the Lightning Guardian snickered. "He was joking! Well, maybe. He usually doesn't mean it."

"S-So he doesn't actually kick you out of his house?" Tsuna asked.

The Lightning Guardian opened his mouth but closed it as he considered his answer. "It's better if you stay away for a while after he says something like that. Just be glad that he stopped threatening to kill people on a whim."

Tsuna nearly tripped over his own feet at that comment.

"I think we'll try to perfect your aim first," the Rain Guardian said as they all made their way down the stairs and out of the Cloud Guardian's home. "Then you'll learn the most important thing: how to defend yourself. That means we'll be meeting with Lal and Colonnello."

"Um…who are Lal and Colonnello…?"

"They are part of…the Vongola. They've been trained by…others…and will teach you how to lay traps and handle guns. Make sure you pay attention and don't piss them off."

"What happens if I do?"

"…Just don't," the Rain Guardian advised. He pulled out his phone and dialed a number.

"I'll speak with the boss," the Storm Guardian said. "The rest of you can go back to whatever you were doing. Don't you two have a plane to catch?" He looked at the Mist Guardians, who both shrugged and disappeared.

Tsuna walked into the Rain Guardian when they did so and screamed. "What was that!? Some sort of magic trick? A hologram?"

The Storm Guardian snorted as he walked ahead."They're our Mist Guardians, so of course they're going to show off their skills in manipulating the Mist," he said and unlocked his black car.

"Wait, I'm going with you," said the Lightning Guardian. He quickly got into the back seat of the car while the Sun Guardian sat in the front. The Storm Guardian rolled his eyes at the two of them before getting in himself.

"See you there, then," the Rain Guardian said and pocketed his phone. He glanced at Tsuna, who was still gaping at the spot where the Mist Guardians vanished. "What's up?"

"They—they just vanished into thin air! How did they do that?'

"Uh…I'll explain that to you some other time. Come on, I want you to meet Lal."


A/N:

"Vongola Decimo" and "Guardians" aren't our beloved canon characters; they are OC. But you'll find that sometimes they react similarly to our canon Guardians. Remember: in this story, our canon Guardians are part of the Elgan Order (EO) and are "angels". That's why I refrain from referring to the Guardians by name, since I didn't give them any and I didn't want to confuse anyone.

Anyway...I'll see you guys next month!

Updated 2016-02-18th


-LLM