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HoneyGrl: Thank you for following my story!
Very depressed that my edit was deleted by the power of terrible internet... Anyways, at least I got the chapter out? I apologize if there are any grammar/ spelling errors. (-_ - ) Thank you everyone for supporting me thus far! (^ㅅ^)/
30/04/2016 Edit:
Okay, so I reread this chapter and holy shit there were way too many mistakes plot related and otherwise. I fixed the majority of them, but I apologize if there are still some left.
Summary:
What would happen if the gentle sky of the underworld and the arbitrator of the overworld meets? Now, five years later, how will Tsuna change as the true face of the mafia stares into his soul? Will he break into the abyss or will he emerge stronger with his beacon of light? Will the irony of his life pull him backwards or forwards? 5YL. Slight AU. Perspective changes from CC to OC
"Speech/Dialogue"
'Thought'
Warnings: Slight AU, slight OOC, Change in Perspectives, Un-betaed
All credits go to their respected owners.
Previously:
Before Enma could answer, Renata turned her heels and left with the wind. Staring dumbfounded at her leaving form, Enma's heart nearly stopped when a body held him from behind.
"Enma-kun~! You finally talked to that lady! I knew you could do it~"
"B-Byakuran what are you-?"
Munching on his marshmallow pastries, he leaned his chest against Enma's back. "And you got a present too~ You sure work fast Enma-kun~"
"B-Byakuran! It's not like that!"
"So did you get to first base yet?"
"Byakuran!"
"Haha! Let's go home I'm bored~"
Sighing in defeat, Enma followed closely behind Byakuran seriously reconsidering his choices in friends.
It was quite busy in the Vongola mansion today as the news of two very important guests arriving riled up the nervous servants of the manor. With the promise of a large celebration taking place the servants ran around to every room ensuring the best of service for the two mafia bosses. The windows were polished, the floors stripped and waxed, curtains and rugs dusted, and any surfaces visible were thoroughly scrubbed.
Even the guardians of the mansion were quite busy. Having to deal with their respective duties, personal lives, training, and attend important missions and meetings they had no time to relax. Not to mention Tsuna's coronation was approaching faster than anticipated with Vongola Nonno's failing health.
Gokudera was handling the job of Tsuna's right-hand man- dealing with established alliances, disputes, and trades all the while trying to soothe his angry girlfriend because he bailed on their date yesterday. Their relationship was no cruise liner instead it was more like a fragile dingy on a rocky shore, unable to stabilize to smooth currents. Although he knew that she knew the reason for his absences and loyalties to Tsuna and the Vongola, nevertheless she was human and bound to feel some forms of jealousy.
Yamamoto, trying lower his friend's stress and workload, took all the missions that needed to be handled in person as well as operate the mass media sector. The mass media sector was a section within the Vongola where secret messages and cover-ups were done such as creating fake news. News like 'Cat was saved by a Stray Pitbull' almost seemed insignificant but in reality it had implicit meanings and codes if one were to read in between the lines. As much as it was wrong to hide all their dirty deeds like hypocrites, there were no other options. To keep the dark side hidden as well as protect the family from the public, this was necessary.
Ryohei was packing for a mission to Japan as a support to an allied mafia family to both establish a good relationship with them and train his Sun flames. The best part for Ryohei was that he could also spend some time with his younger sister Kyoko and his girlfriend Hana, who he could only speak with over the phone when he wasn't so busy (which was not long or very often).
Mukuro was still in Italy to God knows where, his only link being the finished mission reports he sent over to the mansion occasionally (rarely). Chrome on the other hand was in the Vongola mansion brushing up on her verbal skills and mafia etiquette for social gatherings and banquets she would've had to attend after she was officially instated as a Tenth generation Guardian of the Vongola.
Hibari was Hibari. Doing his own justice as the aloof guardian of the Vongola Cloud does. He already had his own Foundation to train but instead of researching just about box animals and flames like their 'past' future selves, they were also a 'vigilante group' protecting their (more specifically Hibari's) territory. He wouldn't have stayed in, let alone transferred to, Italy if not for his debt to the young Vongola don. So to compensate, he claimed Venice as his own to govern as he pleases under all his predatory glory.
Lambo was the most relaxed, just watching anime and cartoons waiting until Tsuna called him to go out shopping around town for the perfect Valentines present. On the outside, he was just playing his online games, watching episodes of his favourite shows enjoying himself. But on the inside, he felt a pang of loneliness he wanted to escape from.
Earlier that morning, he pulled a series pranks on Gokudera until he was literally thrown out of the room and ignored by the others- including Tsuna who was dead tired from battling an all-nighter with paperwork. All he wanted was just a bit of attention. He thought that since Tsuna agreed to go to town with him, Gokudera would like to join as well. Then Yamamoto will join with Ryohei and Chrome. Even though Lambo would regret it, he wanted Mukuro and Hibari to be there as well so they could have a full family outing. Lambo even considered invited Reborn too (not that the Hitman would let Tsuna out of his sight outside anymore).
But atlas, Lambo's awkward methods that translated more towards an annoyance was the reason why all of them pushed him away. It honest to God wasn't because they despised him (though Mukuro would beg to differ), it was just that they were busy and the last thing they needed was a loud hyperactive child getting in their way. Though they thought that Lambo would be used to this by now. It was like when Reborn would deny his existence or Hibari refusing to drink after the incident- the usual.
But no one including Tsuna ever bothered to ask if Lambo was really okay. His fragile glass heart chipped away every time someone ignored him, the shards cutting his flesh from the inside. How could they when they were so blind to each other's needs anymore? Lambo's blood was crying, his world screaming for someone to rescue him from the endless abyss of the mafia. Of his past life.
But no one ever heard him.
So to escape reality, he indulged himself in games ranging from first person shooters to MMORPGs talking in his headset with strangers cursing over the microphone about how terrible someone was at the game. Honestly at this point, insults from strangers (that he couldn't even see) meant nothing to him.
Throwing the headset off, he left the game and shut his computer down, bored with the constant repetitive activities. Getting an idea, he put on his favourite cow print jacket and left his room and did something maybe he shouldn't have.
Leaving the Vongola mansion.
Alone.
On the overworld of Venice, Renata woke up and performed her usual morning routine: hygiene, organization, planning, and feeding her adorable little friend. Halfway through its meal however she found that the bag of mealworms she had was empty as the starved bird chirped for more.
"Oh dear, looks I have no more to give you. You eat quite a lot don't you?" Renata said petting the bird with her finger.
Liking the feeling, it extended its neck. "Ren! Ren! Ren!"
Renata giggled as she grasped the bird gently and perched it on her shoulder. "Well, how about after I get dressed, we go to the market to get you some food?"
It flapped its adorable wings in response- its soft feathers brushing her cheeks. "Alright, give me fifteen minutes."
Like clockwork, Renata came out exactly fifteen minutes later wearing a white sun dress (over some shorts) and a rather large straw hat on her head. Slipping her feet in her brown sandals, the passerine bird perched on her hat comfortably nesting itself there. Snatching the shopping bag off her shoe rack, she left through the front door with it in tow.
Back to the underbelly of the world, Tsuna woke up from his nap- considering how long he worked he wouldn't label it as sleep. Having used to this routine already, his body felt heavy but a healthy façade covered his exhaustion. Lifting the covers off of his body, he left the warmth of the satin blankets and headed towards the bathroom for his outing.
Cracking his stiff and sore muscles, he felt rejuvenated just thinking of going out with Lambo and having some fun for a change. Although he knew doing anything with Lambo ended in disaster, nevertheless he was excited to spend this time with him.
Getting dressed, he made sure to pack his concealed weapons, dying will pills (for emergencies), wallet, and any other necessities to go outside. Checking himself in the mirror just one more time, he dyed his hair blonde and wore modern clothes like the time he first met Renata. Putting on his fake glasses, he took his bag and left his quarters heading towards Lambo's room.
'Knowing Lambo, he'll probably be playing or asleep,' Tsuna thought as he chuckled, 'I hope he's excited.'
Arriving in the front of his room, avoiding the busy servants (Tsuna didn't want to disturb their work with his presence), he knocked.
"…"
No answer.
Tsuna knocked again. "Lambo? Are you still sleeping?"
Tsuna leaned his ear to the door and heard nothing. No crying, no laughing, no whinnying, no swearing coming from his games, just… nothing. Worried if Lambo slipping into a standing comma from his candy again, Tsuna barged in- inspecting the room. His eyes scanned every inch of the area unable to find a single living soul.
"L-Lambo? Please come out, we need to go," he said uncertainty filling his voice.
His heart rapidly thumped as his palms became sweaty. He felt the hairs in his neck stand up as a cold sweat ran though his back with every breath he swallowed. He frantically turned his head to every corner of the room, behind every curtain, beneath the beds, and even trudged through the messy sheets spewed around.
Tsuna panicked, unsure of what to do. "Lambo! I get it you win this game so please come out?"
Silence.
Balling his fists he barged out of the room heading towards the second most place he knew Lambo loved to stay in the mansion. Tsuna was no fool. He knew Lambo wasn't there but for once he just wanted his hyper intuition to be wrong.
'Please, please let him be safe,' Tsuna prayed to no one, 'please...'
Gokudera was just absolutely livid. With stacks of paper rivaling the height of skyscrapers, he frantically organized all his responsibilities for his precious Juudiame's coronation. Although this job would've usually been passed onto the previous generation of the family, Gokudera wanted to bear the responsibilities himself to show his undying devotion towards Tsuna.
Thankfully his resolve to finish his duties burned strong for the mafia don. However despite his tendencies to do quite well in his work and his mellowing anger issues, he still struggled with one thing.
His significant other.
He remembered this very morning when he video messaged her.
Their always smiling face contorted into a frown...
Her anger that veiled her dried tears on her plump cheeks...
The reddened eyes, the sniffling, and her disheveled hair...
Quickly wiping her (and his guilty conscious) out of his mind, he focused solely on his work until he heard a knock on the door.
'This better not be Lambo again,' he thought bitterly. With a stern voice he spoke. "Who is it?"
Gokudera's eyebrows lifted as he saw a mop of tawny hair layered by gold. Feeling relieved that it wasn't Lambo or one of his men (with more shit he had to deal with) he smiled.
"Juudiame may help-?" But he was interrupted by Tsuna rushing over to his desk panting and eyes full of worry.
Offering him some water, Gokudera spoke softly (anger management courses are very effective) trying to soothe his nervous boss. "Juudaime? Are you alright? What happened?"
Thanking him quickly for the water he spluttered on his words. "L-Lambo! He's disappeared!"
Gokudera bit his lips frowning. He had an idea but didn't want to follow it. "Juudaime, I'm sure he's just hiding somewhere."
Tsuna shook his head. "I wish Hayato-kun… But my intuition says he's missing. I don't think he's in any immediate danger but I can't shake off the feeling that he's in trouble somehow."
"Aho-ushi!" Gokudera gritted his teeth. "Don't worry I'll come and look for him for you Juudaime. Please rest, I'm aware of your hectic schedule lately."
Tsuna shook his head. "No, let's look for him together Hayato-kun… I just…"
Seeing his boss's frowning face shot a pang of pain in Gokudera's chest as his brows furrowed. "Juudaime, I think I might know where he might have gone. No, I'm certain." Taking out his work cell phone, his thumb practically glided over the keys.
Tsuna's eyes widened in surprise as his frown partially faded. "Where? How are you certain?"
"All throughout this morning, he's been coming into my office and generally being a totally annoying brat. Nothing unusual but… he kept making me try and chase him outside. Usually he would've just messed up my work and ran to his room."
'He wanted Hayato-kun to come with us on our trip,' Tsuna assumed.
"And drawing from that conclusion, I believe that Aho-ushi went to town… alone," he finished closing his phone.
"What!? Doesn't he know how dangerous it is? With my inheritance so close, assassination attempts on our family have increased significantly! What if Lambo is in danger!? What if one of the hired assassin's guilds got to him already!? I have to go-!"
Gokudera firmly grasped Tsuna's trembling shoulders stopping his shuddering lips. "Juudiame! Please calm down. I've called Yamamoto and the others. I've informed only our closest members to the situation as well. I've also informed The Shimon and The Gesso."
'I completely forgot that Enma and Byakuran were coming!' Shaking that thought for now Tsuna smiled at his friend's thoughtfulness. "Thank you Hayato-kun. Now, let's go to town. I doubt he got far without transportation or an accomplice."
Gokudera face lightened as he saw Tsuna's mood lift up a bit. He hated to abandon his duties like this, but spending time with his boss and friend came before anything. Though a small part of him promised hell upon Lambo for pulling his precious Juudaime into this mess.
"Ren! Ren! Ren!"
Renata smiled at the little bird flapping its wings on her straw hat. Seeing it excited made her worries disappear a smidge as it happily sang a catchy tune.
"Midori tanabiku Namimori no~ Dai naku shou naku name ga ii!~"
Although some notes were off (at least she assumed so) the song sounded like a foreign anthem of some sort. But Renata was more surprised with how many words the little bird could sing without stuttering or mispronouncing (again, she assumed so).
Humming the oddly enticing notes, Renata smiled at her friend as they arrived at the heart of the city. Going to a fresh farmer's street market, Renata went into her university spending mode or in other words, buying the freshest for the cheapest. Price matching, bargaining, and even negotiating with the vendors for a better deal, her bag slowly filled with fresh fruits, vegetables, and other groceries.
Checking off her mental list, she smiled at the day's conquest. "Well it seems like I got everything I needed. Why don't we go to the pet store to buy you some mealworms?"
It chirped and hopped whimsically on her head. "Ren! Ren! Ren!"
Going to nearest pet store, she picked out a large bag full of mealworms. On hindsight Renata shouldn't have fed it because now she had bonded with it. But that was the exact reason why she refused to give it a name.
As her friends would say:
"Once you named something, you're fucked."
Though she doubted it would've changed anything since the bird and its friends relentlessly invaded her property regardless of her actions of rejection.
Paying for the bird feed, she put it in her shopping bag and headed towards a nearby café. After ordering an iced black coffee and picking a bit (a lot) of sweet confections from the counter, she went outside and sat down at the edge of the café- away from the bumbling mass of people.
The table was off to a far corner behind the short café fence in the shade of the trees, as overgrown vines and greenery tangled around the elegant metalwork of the tables and chairs. The top was covered by a large round glass partially opaque and dusted with leaves.
Brushing the blades with her napkin, she covered her chair in a thin layer of linen and sat down. Rummaging through her bag, she took out a miniature roost she bought from the pet store. The bird perched on the fake branch as Renata took off her hat- hanging on the ear of her chair.
She sipped her drink through her straw balancing the bitterness of the drink with the sweetness of her pastries. Giving a small cake to her petite friend, it pecked into the dessert lathering its feathers with thick cream and sponge cake (which it later shook off). Renata smiled at it and indulged herself in her treats blissfully ignoring the loud ruckus of the outside world.
She leaned back on her chair letting the calm and mellow sounds of Venice soothe her soul, looking at the slow moving world beyond the fence. She stared back at the bird as it pecked her cheeks in appreciation and flew away into the drifting clouds, waving it goodbye.
Reaching for anther cream puff, her fingernails tapped the plate as she saw a little boy with messy black hair wearing a cow-printed jacket stealing her treats. After addressing his crime, she peered into his choices in apparel.
'Frankly I don't understand the children's fashion sense nowadays…' she thought raising a brow.
She watched as the boy consumed her food; practically inhaling it at the rate he was gulping them down. His face showed immense happiness as he happily ate like the gusto of a ravenous mutt.
Handing him a napkin Renata wondered if the boy was lost, missing, abandoned, alone, or even escaped victim of circumstance. He didn't look particularly thin or famished but his mouth would differ. His hair was messy, but clean and well groomed so Renata assumed the possibility of the child lost or torn away from his parents.
He snatched the napkin and smiled his legs kicking the air as he wiped his mouth. "Lambo-sama wants more!"
Renata frowned at his rude manners crossed her arms. "Where are your parents and, or guardians?"
Lambo dodged her accusing eyes and ignored her question. "L-Lambo-sama wants more!"
'Such a rude child…' Renata shook her head. "I'm afraid I can't do that. You've already stole a plate of my cannolis and frankly you should be lucky that I haven't disciplined you yet."
Lambo flinched in his chair a brief image of Hibari flying past him. The last time he saw Hibari was the time he accidentally dropped a fruit parfait on his kimono and he bit him to near death (thankfully Ryohei and Yamamoto were there to calm him down).
Slightly intimidated by Renata's stare, he squirmed in his seat. Today was not a good day for him. After he left the manor to, in Gokudera's words, 'cause a complete fucking mess to everyone' around him (or play in Lambo's words) he got chased out by the new pack of guard dogs in the Vongola mansion's security bureau.
Thankfully outrunning the trained canines (running away from his destructive family prepared him for this moment) he found himself lost in Venice without any aid or idea of where he was going. Alone and scared he kept chanting the same repetitive words to himself like a mantra.
"Gotta… S-Stay… Calm…"
Lambo contemplated in using his ten years bazooka but stopped himself when a pang of fear and uncertainty hit him. Shaking off the feeling he tried walking back but unfortunately he didn't know around the canals and got himself even more lost. Pearls of tears forming in his eyes, he fled the canals running in any direction his feet took him.
He got chased by what seemed to be a corgi puppy that scared the shit (almost literally) out of him and ran off in the opposite direction, tears bleeding profusely from his eyes.
Like his younger self always did, he somehow made his way out of the canals and into the main streets where rows of people slowly passed by him. Lambo held his rumbling stomach and frowned as he hiccuped from the after effects of crying. Following the scent of food, he ran towards the nearest café and saw woman roughly in her twenties eating a cannoli from a large plate stacked with it.
An overjoyed grin crept up his face as he sneakily walked up to her table and sat down on the chair across from her and started to eat.
And now all his decisions climaxed to this. A woman he didn't even know giving him a scrutinizing stare as guilt came flooding in like a broken dam.
"L-Lambo's not saying sorry!" he yelled, his voice quivering in fear, "Lambo-sama was hungry! Baka-dera was being mean! Dame-Tsuna was being mean too!"
Lambo didn't think as he spouting anything to try and get away from her stare. Renata distracted by his nervousness failed to notice the names he said and sighed.
'I didn't mean to scare him…' she thought slightly guilty. "Alright, alright, so these people were being mean to you and you ran away?"
Lambo nodded his head as he pouted. "It's not Lambo's fault…"
'Considering his lack of social awareness, those people were probably just either disciplining him or ignoring him because he was an annoyance to them. But as for the people he's talking about, they must not know how to properly handle children.' Renata waved down a waiter and ordered another round of sweets.
Silence flew between them as Renata merely observed Lambo's actions and expressions trying not to scare him. On the flip side, Lambo just sat there as reality sunk in. He was away from his family without protection at the mercy of this stranger. Deciding to flee, he hopped out of his chair but a hand stopped him.
Lambo turned around and saw Renata smiling down at him offering a cream puff fresh from the waiter's tray. "You said you were hungry right?"
Salivating at the temptation of the sweet, he begrudgingly (except not really) sat back down biting into the cream puff in his hands. Biting into the puff pastry his teeth sank into the outer shell, cream making its way onto his mouth and cheeks. Using his tongue and fingers he quickly wiped them off and sucked on his fingers savouring the flavour.
Renata ate her own share of pastry as she took out a phone and looked through any files containing missing children reports or amber alerts. However her search was interrupted when she felt his eyes peering into her half-eaten plate of puffs.
A grin crept up her face looking at his eyes full of desire. "Do you want it?"
He nodded saliva drooling from the corners of his mouth.
"Tell me where your parents and or guardians are and I'll give you all of my leftover pieces."
Lambo bit his lips fiddling around with his fork between his teeth. On one hand, the well being and elusiveness of the family was important… but on the other hand the desserts here were absolutely divine. Renata noticing his dilemma chuckled through her nose.
'Well he doesn't look scared or alarmed so it's not like he's being abused is mistreated. He really must have gotten lost after a dispute- probably from a rich family too if he's this spoiled. And if my assumption his correct, I doubt he'll want to be found. Unless…' Renata thought handing the plate over to him.
Lambo savoured the sugar puff on his tongue swirling around the batter and cream. "You're nice so Lambo will forgive you."
'Whoever cares for him really needs to focus on his dietary habits. He'll get serious health problems if he intakes this much sugar… Though I'm not making it much better.' Renata ordered some juice as she got up.
"Lambo… was it? I need to use the restroom so stay right here okay? Don't go with strangers and I'll find you some help."
"D-Don't call the police!" Lambo said jumping out of his chair. Even if Venice was under Vongola territory, everything was free game in the mafia.
"Why? Don't you want your family to come and find you?"
The pain of his family ignoring him flashed through his mind. "Lambo-sama doesn't forgive them. They were mean, ignoring Lambo," he replied dejected.
Renata just couldn't leave him alone and knew that if she had let him go, he would get even more lost or worse kidnapped. The best option was for her to at least keep him in a public place until his family reached him. "How about I speak with your family with you? You won't be alone and I can help your conflicts. At least if I can't, I know someone who can. I'll be gone just for a bit so promise to behave?"
Lambo reluctantly nodded chewing the metal fork with his teeth as Renata smiled and ruffled his hair, leaving. Looking at her retreating form, he touched the warmth that pooled around his hair from where she had touched him. Smiling at human contact (that wasn't some form of violence for once) he hadn't had since yesterday from Tsuna, he stayed put like he promised.
"Lambo? Please come out!"
"Oi! Aho-ushi! Where are you!?"
"Lambo! Come on let's play a game of baseball together!"
"L-Lambo? Bossu is really worried about you, please come out…"
"LAMBO! REAL MEN DON'T HIDE FROM THEIR TROUBLES! COME OUT! I PROMISE A GOOD FIGHT IF YOU DO!"
Walking through the maze-like canals of Venice, five figures ran weaving through the pathways looking for their lost family member.
"Oi! Sagasawa! Shut up! We're trying to find him without our enemies noticing he's gone! Also you suck at negotiating!" Gokudera said, a burning hatred fueling his heart surrounded by these people (except his beloved Juudaime), "as for you Yamamoto! Who'd want to play a game of baseball with a crazy baseball-freak like you!?"
Ryohei pumped his fists in the air. "OIII! WHAT DID YOU SAY!? LAMBO LOVES SPARRING! MEN SPEAK WITH THEIR FISTS! LAMBO JUST NEEDS TO PUNCH SOMETHING TO GET HIS STRESS OUT AND HE'LL BE FINE!"
Gokudera bonked Ryohei's head with his own. "Not everyone solves all their problems by punching things Sagasawa! Why don't you try and use that non-existent brain of yours for once!?"
"IF MY BRAIN IS NON-EXISTENT, HOW CAN I USE IT TAKOHEAD!?" Ryohei replied grinding his forehead against Gokudera's.
Tsuna sighed. 'I don't even think Onii-san is aware that he insulted himself…'
Chrome stepped towards Tsuna and whispered in his ear. "Bossu if they keep this up, they'll break the illusion barrier…"
He sighed again. "I'm losing more air in my lungs than that time I was strangled," he mumbled to himself.
The illusion barrier was set so the enormous group of foreign (not to mention obnoxiously loud) Mafioso wouldn't stand out or become that target of a potential enemy lurking around. Although Venice was within the Vongola's jurisdiction, it was better safe than sorry. Besides if they didn't, the point of searching for Lambo incognito was pointless.
Luckily Yamamoto's sharp ears caught Chrome's words and hastily made his way to his two friends. He came in between them pushing the other away with a firm hand on their chests.
Smiling one of his radiant smiles, he spoke calmly in a playful manner. "Maa, maa. Let's all calm down for now. Worrying will get us nowhere. Let's all get along, ja ne?" But then his eyes sharpened as his lips dropped. "Lambo's missing and we're wasting time fighting amongst ourselves."
This was one of the few moments that Tsuna was grateful and astounded with his Rain guardian's abilities. The Sun and the Storm were clashing elements that were relentless, unable to back down without chaos ensuing. Thankfully the calming Rain was the link between these two these naturally destructive elements.
Sensing Yamamoto's natural killing intent, the two backed down, scowling at the other. Giving him a thankful nod, Tsuna concentrated on his hyper intuition to lead him towards his lost family member as Chrome reinforced the barrier.
He started to breathe in and out- submitting his vision to the darkness, matching the tempo of his breathing and aligning it with his intuition. He blocked off all the sounds ranging from the temperamental whispers of his friends to the water dropping off the window sills onto the floor. Ignoring the scent of the humid air mixed in with the water vapour and greenery, ignoring the dense air clothing his skin, and instead focusing on his heightened senses, he searched for people's flame signatures.
Blocking off one's surroundings to see the 'spiritual flame' realm was a technique Reborn taught him as Neo Vongola Primo. It was a useful skill to find your enemies or allies however the skill itself was a double-edge sword. For the ability to sharpen his hyper intuition, he had to sacrifice his awareness. Going into this mode took ten seconds and getting out of it took eight. However in a real battle, he would be dead before he even knew it.
At first he felt vulnerable, scared of leaving himself open for anyone to take advantage of him. It reminded him of his middle school days where he was weak, and unable to defend for himself. But then he was reminded of the bond between his friends and all the insane obstacles they had to overcome with each other.
'I trust them. I trust them with my life...' he thought nine seconds in.
Like bursts of fireworks during the New Years, the once blank canvas he 'saw' was now filled with vibrant colours. He recognized his friends' large ones. A furious and savage red for his Storm, a soothing and whimsically bouncy blue for his Rain, a faint but recognizable purple for one of his Mists, and the ever shinning 'EXTREMELY' yellow for his Sun (Tsuna's physical eyes somehow managed to hurt from looking at Ryohei's flames).
Then he 'saw' himself. Within a pool of orange Sky flames engulfing his flesh (this scared him the first time) he had faint orange strings connecting to everyone of his friends to himself. However, for his guardians and Reborn, the string was much thicker than the red string of fate. Like a widow's web, the strings overlapped but never tangled as it made intricate designs which stretched beyond the white horizon.
Besides him and his guardians, Tsuna saw a few other flame signatures that were unrecognizable. A few of each type of flames (leave Sky) were scattered around. Although having a flame was not entirely uncommon, honing and using it was a different story. From his observations, they were small, probably from civilians Tsuna assumed since the majority of the mafia knew about flames, having a large to medium sized one was the norm- it reflected majority of their strength after all.
However he couldn't solely rely on this mode as he was still in training. At his level, he was able to clearly seek flames of anyone he had a close enough bond with (his guardians for example) taking distance into consideration. However, he could only locate the flames of strangers and acquaintances that were one hundred meters or less- anymore and the world slowly became blurry to his 'eyes.' After this point, his detector ran on luck, his senses unable to stretch further beyond the one hundred fifty meter point.
Concentrating, he found Lambo rather easily. Following the string with a faint green fulgurous lightening trickling on it, he saw an immature yet massive horde of lightening flames crackling vigorously about one hundred sixty nine meters away from his very spot.
Though what Tsuna didn't seem to notice was the strong and elusive Cloud flames overshadowed by Lambo's.
Snapping out of his Flame Signature mode, he turned to his friends. "Everyone! I found Lambo he's about a hundred sixty nine meters northeast from here."
All the guardian's faces brightened at the thought of their beloved family member found. Gokudera especially reflected reassurance in his eyes- a relieved smile forming on his face that outshined even Yamamoto's- though he quickly covered it with a scowl.
"Aho-ushi is going to pay for troubling Juudaime!" Gokudera quickly mumbled gridding his teeth.
Though his legs were even quicker.
Lambo sat at the café alone waiting for Renata to come back sipping his juice through a green straw. Dangling his feet of the chair, he thought back on what he had to do from now on. He wasn't stupid enough to find his way from strangers (that could be potential members of an enemy famiglia) -that would be considered suicide- but having never traveled far off from the manor before (without guards), he was unfamiliar with routes of the city.
Getting the last droplets of the sweet nectar his ears rang as he heard familiar voices. Looking around no one seemed to notice and he started to consider his sanity until the voices sprang up from an alleyway across the street.
"I fucking told you it was this way!"
"NO YOU DIDN'T TAKO-HEAD! YOU SAID LEFT AND AFTER WE WENT LEFT WE GOT EXTREMELY LOST!"
"Are THAT stupid that you can't tell it was MY left turf-top!? I even pointed at the damn direction!"
One by one, the silhouettes covered by the shade of the canals exposed themselves to the light; the first one out being Tsuna looking around plugging his ears with his fingers while the rest followed closely in tow.
Waving his hands and laughing euphorically was Yamamoto. "Maa, maa, calm down Hayato. We got out of the maze right-o?"
Balling his fists, Gokudera veins popped. "Shut the fuck up Yamamoto and stop using my given name! Besides you're the one who got us even more lost because you just had to chase after that corgi puppy!"
Supporting his head with his arms back, he smiled. "But it was really cute y'know? Besides it looked like it haven't eaten it days."
Ryohei interrupted the conversation pumping his fists into the air. "YEAH! THAT DOG JUST WANTED TO BE FED TO THE EXTREME!"
Shuffling his head furiously Gokudera yelled in frustration. "This is why I hate travelling with you people!"
Tsuna sighed, his headache pounding his forehead. 'This can't get any worse…'
"Oya, oya? I believe it's all of you that need to be quiet. I'll gladly use my illusions on you if you so wished to be killed," Mukuro said chuckling darkly.
'And it just did…' Tsuna thought pinching the bridge of his nose.
Along the way, Chrome managed to contact Mukuro about their situation. Although he would've cared less about if Lambo died, much less lost, Chrome's face as enough to convince him to come out of whatever hole he was hiding.
About a minute later she telepathically contacted him, Mukuro teleported himself directly to Chrome and claimed that he knew how to get out. 'Offering to help' he guided them out of the canals.
Except he didn't.
They managed to get even more lost until another fight erupted amongst themselves and the corgi pup Yamamoto fed guided them out (leaving afterwards).
"Like you have any say in this, you're the reason why we were stuck in there for an extra hour! Not to mention you kept laughing your piss drunk laugh! Where the hell were you before this, a Speakeasy!? Get your damn priorities straight, you directionally challenged pineapple!"
Mukuro chuckled darkly. "Kufufu. I advise you to never speak those words kitty. Unless you want me to show that little lover of yours her untimely death."
All restraints broke off after hearing the threat as Gokudera's anger management courses went to the damned.
"YOU PIECE OF-!"
Immediately Ryohei rushed over to Gokudera (with dynamites in between each finger) locking him in a hold as Yamamoto swiftly sliced the lit fuses in half, avoiding a potential bomb threat. Helping Ryohei calm Gokudera down Yamamoto held him back. Like a wild bull that saw red, Gokudera's restraints were broken and rusting as Mukuro merely laughed at his behaviour, taunting him even more.
"Kufufufu. What's wrong, cat got your tongue? Or is it the fact I'll make that lady of yours cry? Though I doubt I'll make her cry more than you'd have. However, I do love a good challenge~"
Rage fueling his body he thrashed in their arms. "LET ME GO! THAT BASTARD! I'LL FUCKING KILL HIM!"
His muscles straining and covered in red streaks from Gokudera's nails, Yamamoto ignored the sharp pain restraining his erupting anger. "Hayato! Mukuro didn't mean that. Besides he never follow through on his threats to us before."
Ryohei sympathizing to an extent (he had Hana after all) still held him back. "HE'S JUST TRYING TO PROVOKE YOU HAYATO!"
Realizing his squirming was fruitless effort with two physically built guardians holding him down, his rage simmered down but burning resentment filled the void. Grinding his chapped lips with his teeth, puddles of blood sprouted from the wound.
"Not if the bastard in question can use realistic illusions!"
Mukuro mocked the three, cockily leaning on his trident. "Kufufufu. Do you think I was kidding? I can give her nightmares that'll make her beg for death."
The ashes reigniting Gokudera blew his fuse. "I'M GOING TO FUCKING KILL YOU! I'LL BLOW YOU UP AND ON YOUR LAST BREATH I'LL FUCKING SLICE THAT DAMN MOUTH OF YOURS BEFORE I KILL YOU-!"
Chrome released her flames trying to cover up the fight that was going to emerge. The full force of raging beast was unleashed, pulled back only by two people who partially sympathized with him against an entity whose desire was to create chaos. Rubbing his temples in frustration and mild anger, Tsuna slipped into his hyper dying will mode.
"Minna."
Like a blade of an assassin, Tsuna's voice silenced everyone present. No dared to speak or move (even Gokudera) as they heard the deep anger-laced tone of their boss. There was no doubt Tsuna was irritated seeing as he reverted back to Japanese (which only happened when Tsuna was emotionally strained or terribly tired).
As someone who was incredibly hard to anger, one thing he didn't tolerate was any forms of threats to civilians or anyone outside their immediate friend zone. Tsuna knew that Mukuro wouldn't do it, seeing as he wasn't that bad of a person, however the stress piled on from his sleep deprivation and a lost Lambo mixed with his friends fighting was not something he needed right now.
"Minna. I will not tolerate this childish behaviour. Hayato, although your behaviour is understandable, your anger won't solve the problem. You know her love for life and you are stronger than that. As for you Mukuro stop throwing empty threats provoking others."
Mukuro slightly amused chuckled darkly. "Empty? Do you really wish to see what I'm capable of?"
"Mukuro."
Tsuna's voice penetrated Mukuro's skull as he began to become wary of his words, standing straight. "Tsunayoshi you dare-"
"Mukuro."
Gridding his teeth Mukuro stopped knowing better to provoke a sleeping lion. Sighing, Tsuna took a deep breath in and exhaled. As he did however, he spotted a mop of ebony hair with an all too familiar cow printed jacket.
Their eyes locking, Tsuna rushed over to Lambo's seat jumping over the fence to engulf in his arms. Squeezing the ever loving life out of him, Tsuna put him back on his chair as he knelt in front of him. A warm feeling bloomed in Lambo's chest as he saw the rest of his family (save Hibari) following closely behind Tsuna.
With a stern look in his eyes, his hands firmly grasped his shoulders. "Lambo, I'm glad you're alright. But don't you ever scare us like that again. I'm sorry I ignored you, but I had work to do."
Lambo the heartfelt feeling wilted as his eyes were downcasted. "Of course you were…"
Sensing this Tsuna gave him a small smile. "I was doing extra work for you Lambo."
"What?" Lambo asked staring widely into his eyes.
"Juudaime signed all his documents and finished his paperwork in advance so he could spend his time with you Aho-ushi. You better appreciate what Juudaime has done!" Gokudera answered.
Looking at Tsuna for proof, he gave him a reassuring smile convincing him it was the absolute truth. Ducking his head down, Lambo buried his head in Tsuna's shirt- the snot and tears soaking the fabric.
"Yeah, Tsuna had to work non-stop, Hayato too. I think he wanted tag along with you guys." Yamamoto's words quickly grasped Lambo's heart.
"S-Shut up! I didn't I just wanted to help Juudaime!"
Lambo was no fool. He could see the fighting blush of his brother as he just sputtered excuses.
"WE COULD'VE GOT HERE FASTER BUT TAKO-HEAD KEPT GETTING US LOST!"
"What!? Don't blame me for your stupidity and inability to follow simple orders!"
Tsuna, still supporting Lambo in one arm, sighed. "Onii-san. Hayato-kun. We're in public please keep your voices down."
"I-It's alright bossu. I can handle this much," Chrome said lips slightly curved.
Mukuro seconded the notion. "Kufufufu my dear Chrome is stronger than you'd think Tsunayoshi."
Nodding in agreement Tsuna turned back to Lambo. "Come on, since we're here anyways, let's-"
"Aho-ushi!" Gokudera's booming voice startled the light-hearted of the group. "Who the fuck is going to pay for all this!?"
Gokudera's index finger pointed a trail to the pile of plates stacked neatly on the table. From the looks of it, not a single crumb was left.
Lambo immediately clung onto Tsuna's shirt, holding it onto dear life. "L-Lambo-sama didn't eat all of it!"
"Who else but you would finish their plates off so clean-!?"
"Tsuna?"
The young don in disguise perked up hearing that gentle and powerful voice. Turning his head he found a blinking Renata with a tray full of croissants in one hand and in the other a cup of coffee.
Renata gave a weak smile breathing out. "We keep running into each other don't we?" Putting the tray and cup down she tilted her head towards Lambo. "You're little brother?"
Tsuna still a tad fazed from their encounter dumbly nodded. Silence weaved itself through the two of them until Renata tore it.
Slightly tilting her head, her hair hanging in the air, she raised a brow. "So… Are you going to introduce me to the rest of your friends?"
Looking back, he saw his guardians just staring at the two of them wondering who this person was to their boss. Scratching his head, he smiled.
"Let's get a bigger table first then I'll explain."
Instead moving to a nearby park for better seating not to disturb the café, the rather large group sat down underneath a large tree. Tsuna and Renata had iced black coffee in their hands sipping away underneath the shade. Gokudera sat next to Tsuna, chewing the straw of his iced lemon tea arguing considerably with Yamamoto nipping at the straw of his iced green tea.
Ryohei finishing his one litre bottle of water (for his 'extreme workout regimen') sat adjacent to the others with Lambo drinking his grape juice. Sitting next to Lambo was Chrome sipping iced chocolate latte with Mukuro leaning on a tree slightly further away from the group holding the same drink as Chrome.
In the middle were large quantities of sweet confectionery and quick little nibbles for them to enjoy. Finally getting settled, Tsuna reintroduced everyone.
"So everyone this is Renata a special friend of mine," Tsuna said smoothly, "Renata, these are my closest friends."
The guardian's ears perked catching onto the code word said by him. 'Special' was a term used in the Vongola family (courtesy of Reborn) to distinguish between civilians and Mafioso in public. Since the mafia was now their norm, the term was only used for people like Tsuna's mother, Nana- a person who is not aware or doesn't have ties with the mafia.
Being the most analogical one, Gokudera caught onto the gist of Tsuna's tone when he said special. 'Che. This must be the girl Reborn-san was talking about. She must be an Apostle spy,' he thought.
Going around the circle Gokudera spoke first. "Gokudera, I'm Juudaime's right hand man. If you make any troubles for Juudaime I'll handle you personally."
'Ah, the feisty little kitty,' Renata thought chuckling quietly.
Yamamoto noticing how Gokudera only gave his surname followed in tow, giving him a slight nod in understanding. Chuckling reaching out a hand. "Maa, maa, Gokudera." Then he turned to face her giving her a bright smile. "My name's Yamamoto! Nice to meet you!"
Shaking his hand she smiled. 'Probably the spacey dog…'
"EXTREME!" Renata's heart hammered her ribs as she felt a hand slap her back. Wincing in pain Ryohei spoke in full volume. "I DIDN'T KNOW TSUNA KNEW SOMEONE LIKE YOU! NICE TO MEET YOU I'M SAGASAWA RYOHEI!"
Gokudera mentally face palmed, annoyed at the fact Ryohei didn't pick up on the vibe. 'I swear if she finds out about us, it's your entire fucking fault Sagasawa.'
Plugging her ears, Renata smiled still sore from whatever hell he unleashed on her back. "A pleasure to meet your acquaintance as well." 'The Sun for sure.'
Lambo, his mouth stuffed with cake, smiled. "Call Lambo, Lambo-sama!"
Giving an amusing snort she received an apologetic look from Tsuna. 'No doubt the cow. That reminds me, I have to seriously talk to Tsuna about proper child care.'
Continuing with introductions, hiding behind her drink Chrome looked up at her shyly smiling at Renata. "Hello… My name is Chrome."
"A pleasure," Renata replied sincerely. 'If this is the girl with the haircut that must mean the one over there is… Ah, the Pineapple Duo.'
Mukuro shifting his bangs closed his eyes smirking. "Kufufufu. Rokudo Mukuro."
Renata furrowed her brows knowing that she had heard of that name somewhere before. But like the wind, it blew past her, unable to grasp it within her palms. Meanwhile, Gokudera gave a dirty look towards Mukuro conveying his friendly thoughts.
Laughing his signature laugh in response, Mukuro merely closed his eyes savouring the flavour of his sweet beverage. He was no fool; he knew exactly who this woman was. Or at least as much as Reborn knew. But despite all that, it amused him how someone from the law, not even corrupted, managed to ties friendly knots with their polar opposites. He wouldn't have believed it with his cynical outlook on the world if not for the information directly coming out of Reborn's mouth (not that he told him, he just kept a careful ear out).
Besides, if she was who they assumed she was, he had a use for her.
Obstructing the train of thought Renata was processing, Tsuna spoke in volumes. "E-Everyone! So, what should we do now?"
Silence rolled in waves as an awkward tension gripped the air. Lambo ever the golden child, finished his drink (unable to read the mood) as he turned to Tsuna. "Tsuna! Lambo-sama wants to go buy stuff!"
Renata tilted her head. "You were out shopping?"
"Well, yes," Tsuna replied. Getting closer to her ear he cupped his hand and whispered, "We originally planned to buy Lambo a present for his crush."
Renata stared at Lambo and smiled, swallowing a rather large chunk of cake in her mouth. "That's adorable. However, you shouldn't spoil him too much Tsuna, sheltering him isn't going to allow him to make mistakes and mature."
"Haha… Yes I know." Grabbing a napkin he leaned in towards her. "You have a bit of cream on your cheeks."
Renata blinked, embarrassed. "I apologize, I'm not usually this messy."
"It's no problem, even when people grow up, no one's perfect right?"
The tenth generation Vongola all stared at the scene in mild amusement, surprise, and in Gokudera's case seething anger and annoyance. Like if the sky became the earth, it was unnatural for someone like Tsuna to show public displays of affection. Even when he was dating Kyoko for that short while he refused to kiss her in public and it took hours just for them to hold hands in a crowded area.
Yamamoto leaned in towards Gokudera slinging an arm around his shoulders. "Hayato I think Reborn, Hibari, Mukuro, or I'm going to win that bet."
Gokudera angrily shrugged his arm off trying to control his burning anger. A few years prior (still in Japan), when Ryohei and Hana started to date, the Vongola started to discuss which member would find their significant other next. At first it started off as nothing too serious. It was just a casual conversation between Tsuna, Gokudera, and Yamamoto.
But the conversation casually transferred into their annual Vongola meetings where Reborn caught a wind of their conversation and the friendly discussion turned into a life-or-death bet. The once back and forth friendly exchange shifted into a game where the winner would be able to do anything they pleased with the losers. Needless to say, it escalated quickly with Reborn in charge.
The rules were simple:
1. You must refer to at least one person and their time of finding their love.
2. The more people you choose, the better your reward
3. Once you vote, you cannot back out.
The obvious, Tsuna and Gokudera refused to participate in the game while as the others agreed willingly or nodded in silent agreement- even Hibari and Mukuro agreed. The prior wanting to do nothing but fight the others at full power anytime he wishes and the latter agreeing just to spite the others. Mukuro had too much confidence he'll win (using his illusions) until Reborn pointed out that cheating in the game results in a penalty.
Vongola style.
With a touch of Reborn.
But it was too late for Mukuro to back out since Reborn was involved. Now everyone was participating regardless of how much they proclaimed their human rights.
Besides, Tsuna, with his mutual break-up still lingering within the depths of his heart, commented apathetically about how he was probably never going to or be the last one to meet his significant other. Gokudera challenged him eagerly rejecting the idea that Tsuna is anything less than perfection and instead too worthy of all women and men.
Unfortunately for them, in just their off comment banters they unknowingly casted their ballets unable to pull out from becoming a player in the game (Reborn had the conversation recorded and saved in his archives).
Yamamoto, the ever loving player, participated in the game willingly along with Ryohei. The latter voted that Chrome was going to find her significant other first solely on the fact that she was an 'EXTREME' single girl (Gokudera scoffed at his illogical reasoning). While as Yamamoto placed his future with Gokudera first because he knew of his friend's good qualities as a person while placing Lambo last because of his age.
Chrome strongly argued that Tsuna would be the first in finding his one true love because of his tenacious kind heart to accept everyone. Surprising everyone in the room with her confidence, Tsuna just gave her a bitter smile as thanks that didn't exactly reach his eyes.
Lambo was disqualified from the game when Reborn promptly ignored him moving onto the more idiosyncratic members of their family.
Mukuro placed his life on the fact he would be dead last in finding someone to love as he humoured himself at the fact that anyone would love someone like him. Besides something as fickle as love didn't appeal to him. With betrayal always at his throat, he refused to open himself up to anyone.
Hibari merely glared at Tsuna, his eyes conveying his promise to bite him to death when he wins this game. Yawning he merely said, "Hn. Delinquent herbivore, crowding herbivore, annoying herbivore, weak herbivore, dead pineapple" and left his seat heading back to Namimori.
It basically translated to Gokudera, Tsuna, Yamamoto, Chrome, and then Mukuro.
When he's dead.
Tightly venting his anger on his fingers squeezing the neck of his trident, he disappeared in a mass of mist with his signature laugh doused in venom. Following closely behind was Chrome fading away with her own Mist flames as she gave Tsuna a polite bow in departure.
Reborn, amused with the results put in his own name into the fire. "Gokudera is first. Finding a woman who would break your shell will be easy considering your impulsive attitude. Next will be Yamamoto. Rain guardians of the Vongola had a track record of finding their significant other quite easily. Then it'll be Lambo. I-pin would make a good Mafioso but since she's a special case, a civilian wife."
Lambo couldn't hear him through the crunch of his grape candy (as usual) and Gokudera wanted to argue but knew it was futile trying to go up against Reborn while as Yamamoto scratched his cheeks in embarrassment.
"Chrome will be next, her strength and personality in the mafia makes for a great partner. Then it will be Mukuro and Hibari. Who knows? Perhaps they'll share a partner," Reborn said smirking, casually sipping his coffee.
Both guardians immediately clenched their weapons in their respective areas to contain their unyielding rage coming from somewhere. If it was anyone but Reborn, the person who dared to say that would be bitten to death while their minds would be probed and broken until hell became a real estate paradise.
Meanwhile, the remaining people in the room spit out their drinks and coughed violently. Chuckling into his cup watching the reactions of the Vongola family, he continued. "-and then at dead last my no-good student Tsuna."
Unsure if he should be offended at his tone or proud that Reborn actually agreed on something he had said for once, Tsuna nodded dejectedly.
Sending the others a smug smile, Yamamoto inwardly thanked his father for his Hitman intuition (who knew it actually worked on love and sport?).
The other guardians continued to observe the confrontation between the two. As Tsuna pulled away, he smiled- his lips stretching into a genuine crescent that touched his eyes. Thanking him, Renata smiled in response and relaxed, the prickling blades of grass lightly poking her bare legs.
Watching the others (like them to her) she saw, no she felt the undying bond between all of them. Even at first glance she was able to see the abnormalities that clothed the group and yet unlike most other people, the difference didn't separate them, but only strengthen the bond. Although some were weirder than others, especially that man Rokudo Mukuro (who she swears she had heard of before), being around them was like associating with the sky.
Renata felt as if the essence of their very being reflected the everlasting sky. Free, and beneath its protection, a pleasant buzz echoed in her chest spreading warmly through her veins. The world was generally quiet only the sound of their words drifting through the air. With a peace of mind, she started to hum the tune her passerine friend was singing earlier.
"Midori Hmm~ Hmm~ Hmm~ Hmmm~"
Tsuna, sitting directly next to her widened his eyes along with Gokudera (who had been observing her intently) and Yamamoto (with his Hitman intuition). Quickly putting the straw in his mouth to hide his whispers, Gokudera gave a sneaking eye to Tsuna.
"Juudaime! She must be a spy! She's taunting us!" he said grinding his straw with his teeth.
Putting his own drink to his curved lips, Tsuna buried his heart in a calm facade containing his uneasiness. "Hayato-kun... Don't accuse her like that without solid evidence. She's not a spy. A-At least I hope…"
Yamamoto leaned in his eyes sharp. "Tsuna I don't think she's a bad person but… I don't she's just an ordinary civilian either."
Unknowing to the suspicions of the group, Renata in her own peaceful tranquility continued to hum the song repeating the same two verses on repeat occasionally adding in her own mix to keep the song alive.
"Namimori no~ Hmmm~"
The song continued as the mere note of that tune sent disgusting chills down their (mostly Mukuro's) spines. Renata's voice was not of the angels but not one of the ear wrenching, tone deaf banshees either. It was quite fair to a point where it was tolerable to pleasant but for some members of the group, they'd prefer if she could've hummed some other song. They did not want to be reminded of their aloof and violent Cloud any more than necessary.
Tsuna sighed unable to think of a logical answer. 'No, no, no. I'm sure Renata heard that song somewhere. Maybe Hibari's Foundation had that song out somewhere… Who are you kidding Tsuna? The Foundation is still a part of the underground world if she knows that song that would mean she really is an- No! She's not. She can't be.'
In the mists of confusion, they failed to sense a small bird gliding through the air. Chirping, it grabbed the attention of the group, as it flew to Renata perching on her extended index finger.
"Ren! Ren! Ren!"
Unable to contain the building uncertainty, Tsuna rose pointing at the bird. "What is Hibird doing here!?"
Flinching at the unexpected reaction, Renata blinked. "You… know this bird?"
Embarrassed with his sudden outburst in quickly sat back down his ears a flaring red. However before he could explain himself, a rather large presence shown himself.
Renata stared curiously at the man behind Tsuna. She felt his sharp steel grey eyes pooling with authority and grace pierce her very soul watching her every move. Raven black hair shaded the upper area of his face mirroring his mysterious yet dangerous nature.
Crossing his arms, his narrowing eyes scrutinized the crowd of people in front of him. His lips curved down formed an unpleasant frown making his eyes twitch. And yet, the irony of his stature was clashed by a little yellow bird perched on his shoulder.
Hibird flew over to Renata's shoulder as it conversed with the other one. "Hibari! Hibari! Hibari!"
"Ren! Ren! Ren!"
Glaring at Renata with a rich deep tone he spoke. "Herbivore. Anyone who dares to taint my school's anthem will be bitten to death."
"Kyoya!" Tsuna jumped again his embarrassment building. "W-What are you doing here?"
Ignoring him, he headed straight towards Renata ready to brash out his tonfas. "Herbivore."
Squinting her eyes, Renata wondered where she had seen or heard of this man before. Closing her eyes for a moment realization sparked in her brain as she gave a small yet sincere smile.
"You are Hibari Kyoya are you not?"
Hibari flinched and stopped in his tracks raising a brow. Releasing his tonfas in a defensive position, he glared. "Hn. Identify yourself."
Yamamoto immediately got up stepping in between the two of them guarding Renata. "Maa, maa, Hibari-sempai calm down."
Ryohei sprung off the grass and roughly punched Hibari on his chest (which he effortlessly blocked with a tonfa). "OIII! HIBARI WHERE WERE YOU!? I CALLED YOU HOURS AGO TO HELP FIND LAMBO!"
Glaring at ever bright shining rays of the Sun, Hibari swung his tonfas (which Ryohei blocked, wincing). "Don't get in my way loud herbivore."
"Kufufufu. My, you must been quite infatuated with her if you didn't notice my presence," Mukuro chuckled in the shade.
Hibari threw a disgusted eye. "If you wish to be noticed go back to the produce section. I'll gladly bite you to death now and ship your body there if so desired."
Conjuring a trident Mukuro ticked, his strained vein wildly erupting. "Kufufu. Don't you know birds are the airborne pests of the world? I'm sure they wouldn't appreciate someone like you anywhere near their presence."
"Hn. Like I care of the opinions of mere herbivores."
Subconsciously (her curiosity overcoming her) Renata interrupted the incoming fight (she heard how destructive they can get from Tsuna's rants and right now it didn't seem like a joke) fueled by murderous intent and smoothly snatched Mukuro's trident and one of Hibari's tonfas.
Inspecting them, she could feel the weight of both weapons. They were real. But how was that possible? Perhaps the tonfas she could understand as Hibari's reputation precedes him as the devious watch bird of Venice attacking anyone, anywhere guilty of disrupting the peace with his twin rods. Though the only reasons she knows that are because she was an Apostle of La Scala di Puruel (not to mention crime and justice was her personal hobby).
But as for the trident, how did it appear out of thin air? More specifically, out of thin purple mist? Renata pondered the logical reasoning behind it. Perhaps he was a magician? She did hear of Tsuna's vivid tales of his odd family members so it defiantly a possibility.
'No but that would still be in the realm of reality. What he did was something straight out of a fantasy game or movie,' she thought, 'so how did he make this? Some kind of trick? Chemical reaction? Concealed weaponry?'
Pouting disappointingly at the lack of logical answers she racked up in her brain, Renata felt the tips of the rod to check the realism. 'This trident is just too real to be a mere prop…'
When Renata took away their weapons, the two antisocial guardians failed to notice until a few seconds later. Yamamoto, Gokudera, Ryohei, Chrome, and Tsuna (Lambo was sound asleep) observing the scene left their jaws hanging and their eyes exposed to the madness in front of their eyes.
Hibari Kyoya and Rokudo Mukuro were underhandedly appropriated by a civilian and of course if this was a mafia war, their lives would've been compromised. Noticing this, the two stopped abruptly and turned to face the woman with their weapons.
Tsuna on the other hand couldn't contain his surprise and continued gape. Chrome scooted towards his ear grasping her trident tightly. "Bossu. I put up an illusion on all our weapons but I couldn't override Mukuro-sama's and the Skylark's I'm sorry."
Tsuna absentmindedly shook his head as his soul reattached to his body. "N-No it's fine Chrome it's not your fault. But how did she even manage to do that? If I could feel her presence even without my hyper intuition, it should be no problem for Mukuro and Kyoya…"
Chrome lowered her gaze and furrowed her brows tilting her head. "Bossu? I may be mistaken but I couldn't feel her presence at all. It's almost non-existent."
"Really? Are you sure Chrome?"
"Yes bossu… I'm sorry perhaps I'm too weak."
"No, it's not that Chrome. It's something else." 'Renata… please do not be an Apostle…'
"I didn't say this before but, back at the café, she managed to notice us through my illusion. Of course it may be because of Lambo but… a normal civilian shouldn't be able to do that bossu."
Tsuna bit his lower lip slightly trying to deny the truth staring directly at him. He knew Renata was special. She was special in a way where she was an innocent but still a possible potential danger to his family. If there was one thing that would never change was the love and devotion to keep his family safe.
No matter the cost.
Mukuro sauntered over to Renata like a cat on the fence ready to pounce on its prey below. "Oya? How peculiar…"
Renata still within the confines of her mind failed to notice the winged predator circling around her defenseless form. "Herbivore."
Finally snapping out of her trance, she bowed. "I apologize, but I just had to check if they were real." Giving them back to their rightful owners she stared at the two of them. "I see that your reputation precedes you Hibari."
"Hn." Hibari turned away crossing his arms leaning against a tree.
Smile fading, she turned her head to the other guardian. "As for you Rokudo, how did you manage to conjure that weapon out of thin air?"
Mukuro raised a brow at her behaviour. The once smiling special civilian had eyes that of the reigning judge of hell, Minos. 'Oya, oya. Perhaps she's not as innocent as I first assumed…' Smiling, he gave her a charming smile. "Kufufufu. Illusions are quite the feat aren't they?"
"Illusions? Are you magician? Do you have a permit to carry around such weapons? I'm quite sure that weapons -especially blades over four centimeters- were banned unless one was a part of the defense ministry, registered through the government, or part of the force. Not to mention concealed weapons are prohibited. Though I'm not too sure on tridents."
"Ho? You know quite a lot for a delicate little thing," Mukuro sneered, "how can someone like yourself know this much?"
Throwing him an intense glare, Renata roughly snatched Mukuro's tie and pulled him towards her face. The raging flare in her eyes pooled magnitudes as it bore into Mukuro's own. "One. I am not delicate. I will hurt your manhood, the little that you have, if you ever speak down on me again. And two, I am a lawyer and my own person. I have high interests in criminal law and I won't hesitate to demolish even the filthy scum of the mafia myself."
Mukuro grabbed her hand on his tie and pulled away laughing. "Kufufufufu! Hahahaha! You? Demolish the mafia? You have not even scrapped the skin of the mafia yet. Don't speak in pathetic volumes of the darkness you can't even comprehend."
'How does he know so much about the mafia-? Wait, Rokudo Mukuro… Rokudo… Mukuro…' Renata furrowed her brows finally getting a gist of who this man was. All she needed now was confirmation for her suspicions. And with these two's personalities, provocation was the best technique.
"And you have? What can you possibly know about the mafia? As for you Hibari, how is it that the Foundation took over Venice in a mere year? Do the both you work together and extort others for your own personal gain?"
Before Mukuro and Hibari were about to answer, Tsuna jumped in. "Hahaha! C-Calm down everyone! Let's all just enjoy this day out okay?"
Renata, Hibari, and Mukuro scrutinized Tsuna with a glare silencing him right away. "Quiet." The three of them said the latter two attacking him in unison.
Quickly releasing more flames, Chrome covered up the fight in a thick blanket of mist flames successfully but could only managed to make the all-out bloodlust fight into a mere 'knife' fight with their physical weapons (her goal was to make them stop fighting all together).
From an outsider's point of view, such as Renata, she saw three nearly grown men winding up a storm with all three of them attacking each other- no partnerships or allies. Hibari was just as the rumours entailed. Rough, lightning fast moves that swiftly pierced the air with his momentum connecting his metal tonfas to his victims- supposedly with enough force to break a steel wall.
Mukuro on the other hand, was much more elegant with his steps, preemptively calculating his opponents against to Hibari who was brash and to the point. Though it still didn't excuse Mukuro as a conservative being- no, it made him even more frightening. With his long trident, he maneuvered it in all the intent to maim and kill his targets. Although Renata found it odd that he would pound the ground with the base of his trident at times.
Contrary to his petite structure, Tsuna faired against the two quite well. Unlike the other two, Renata actually saw his hands dive into his pants pulling out what seemed to be something in between metal knuckles and decorative gloves.
His moves were more agile and accepting. He would launch for an attack but only when the time was right. He wasn't as cautious as Mukuro but it didn't mean that he was as rash as Hibari's raging lust for battle. What surprised Renata about Tsuna wasn't the fact that he looked like the most innocent thing in the world holding his own against the two most violent but the fact that he was unnaturally calm. With blank expression in sight, he moved flawlessly between the two oddly stretching his arms out at times.
But the reality was that Tsuna panicked as Hibari ignited his flames around his tonfas engulfing the chains he had pierce through the trees and dig into the walls. Mukuro spouted strong realistic illusions with his flames knowing that Hibari for one still hadn't build up an immunity to it. It was harder to fool Tsuna but he had confidence in his abilities to catch the young don off guard.
The sky became the earth as patches of grass melted from the heat stemming from the vine woven lava pillars that split the earth- suspending it in space. The air was dense and humid making it harder to breathe as their quarrel raged on. Although anyone outside of Chrome's counter barrier was unaffected, for the three of them the world fell into the never ending abyss of Mukuro's sick sadistic mind.
Though all of them suffered, Tsuna was at the receiving end of all of this. He did have intense training over the past few days Reborn came back, he still couldn't quite defeat Hibari without going all out (he wouldn't dare to use his Ultimate Dying Will mode on his friends and family). Alternatively, it was quite easy overpowering Mukuro's illusions… if Hibari wasn't here. With him splitting focus on two people, his mind was going into overdrive. Having not used to fighting multiple strong and violent opponents Tsuna glided through the air defending himself from the onslaught of attacks.
Pillars of lava spouted out the land as the world started to rot and chip away, leaving behind dark matter. Silently thanking Giotto for his Vongola blood, he arched his back midair narrowly avoiding Hibari chains but an illusion vine caught him by surprise and slammed him down harshly into earth creating a massive crater.
Grasping sharply for a breath his eyes bulged at the sound impact, his spine contorting and muscles tightly pulling against each other creating friction from the heat. Tsuna had no time to rest however as Hibari dove straight towards Tsuna with a murderous flare in his eyes.
Tsuna rolled wincing in pain, and swiftly sent a kick to Hibari's sides which he just barely blocked with his tonfas. The latter smirking increased his speed, his flames becoming much larger. Swinging at a spiked speed, Hibari unleashed his even more of his flames trickling down his chains until it ignited the spiked tips. Tsuna hopped from side to side trying to avoid a tonfa-induced comma as his mind went into overdrive.
'Kyoya is enjoying this a little too much!' Tsuna thought gridding his teeth.
But the illusionist wasn't left out as he speared his trident directly towards Tsuna's chest as the metal met with metal when Tsuna quickly bent his knees hanging on a limbo, the screech of their weapon's conversations screaming in his ear with the sparks stinging his exposed skin.
Tsuna took the opportunity to escape with his flames immediately reaching for his Sun tablets in his inner shirt pockets. The clash of the two were relentless none of the two wanting to back down. Sparks spewed from the touch, their muscles strained to overpower the other.
Glaring at Mukuro for his escaped prey, Hibari bared his fangs. "Get out of my way annoying herbivore."
Mukuro gave Hibari a dirty smirk in response. "Kufufu. I should be saying the same Uccellino. Why don't you-"
Both of them stopped glaring when they had to move out of the way as an enormous burst of flames blazed a wall between them- the steam train of Sky flames splitting the two apart. The pressure blew away the all the debris and chunks of earth, going back to the ground as Mukuro's dimensional illusions started to temporarily fade.
The presenting end, having a shining Sky flame lit on his forehead with his eyes reflecting the fire in his heart. Tsuna's lips curled down clearly disappointed and annoyed at his two most arguably mature yet ironically immature guardians. Resolution to stop the two fueled his body, going into full blown Hyper Dying Will Mode with Natsu at his side.
Hibari smirked, his sleeves slightly burning off with scorched marks fraying at the tips of the fabric. "Wao."
Mukuro like a mirror image to Hibari dodged at the same time, his sleeves also torn and scorched the ends. "Kufufufu~ As expected as much of the body I'll possess soon enough."
"Gao!" Natsu roared, slightly annoyed with Tsuna.
Tsuna gave him an apologetic smile. "I said I was sorry Natsu."
"Gao!" He gave Tsuna's hair a tight tug.
"Natsu! I'm sorry I was just so tired I couldn't hold my flames for any longer!" Wincing in slight pain Tsuna frowned remembering the incident.
It was yesterday when he released his Mantello di Vongola Primo after going back to his room after the coronation rehearsals. Apparently, Natsu felt neglected from fading away like that as if he was nothing but a piece of dead leaf drifting through the wind.
But just like his own forgiving heart, Natsu rubbed Tsuna's cheeks immediately forgiving him. Tsuna smiled at the gesture but it fell as he focused his attention to his idiosyncratic brothers in crime.
With a rich stern deep voice Tsuna's gauntlets glowed in an orange hue. "Natsu, Cambio Forma Version Vongola Gear."
Both their eyes narrowed as nothing but mercy filled their eyes.
"Gaaooo!"
So much mercy.
The two guardians slightly regretted provoking their boss's anger-prone tired state as they just barely managed to avoid Tsuna's speed- comparable to the speed of the Vendice's warp holes. However neither one wanted to back down; that would be considered an act of submission to the other- something Mukuro and Hibari would never stand to live for.
With their flames bristling wildly, their weapons marked each other, clashing in a fierce force of light and pressure spinning rapidly through them- the density of which harshly blew them back- their internal organs screaming in pain.
Hibari was the first to get up- his clothes tattered and ripped miraculously still covering some parts of his bloody body. Picking up his tonfas again, his pupils faded as the raging beast within him roared for survival. He rushed towards his closest target, Mukuro who was just as battered as him and struk him through his head. However his smirk faded when Mukuro's body started to fade and a trident glided past his head slicing a few strands of his hair off.
"Kufufufu…"
With glare strong enough to break stone, Hibari sharply pivoted and launched his body towards the real Mukuro- who still recovering from the blast. The tips of the tonfa brushed Mukuro's cheeks just before Tsuna propelled his body forward, his leg intercepting the line of force before it made full contact.
"Both of you, stop!"
But atlas the world resented poor innocent Tsuna as the two shifted their attentions back to the mafia don.
Hibari had an expression that was in between a smirk full of lust for battle and a raptorial glare conveying his annoyance. "I'll bite you to death!"
"Kufufu. Try me Skylark!"
"Both of you-!"
An incredible force surrounded the three as gales of powerful wind blew strongly against Chrome's barrier, the latter trying to keep her consciousness with the help of Ryohei's healing Sun flames and Yamamoto's calming Rain flames to balance out the excess Sun flames directly beaming into her body.
Thankfully the battle itself drew in Renata's eyes, the outer flames silent in her eyes. Although it was for an instant, Renata managed to catch a faint orange tint radiating off from Tsuna's eyes amidst the chaos of the three men.
Renata observing the fight intently pondered this rather odd group. 'Tsuna fights better than I initially would've thought… There's no way he's a regular person; there's absolutely no possible way his friends are just mere violent people. There's more to them- I know it.'
In a deep trance, the ringing and flashing of her phone went unnoticed by her as the two birds lightly nibbled on her hair- tugging it gently. Pull the lever on the train, Renata flinched and focused her attention on the vibration in her hips.
Lifting her dress and slipping the phone out of her pocket she checked the caller ID as the two birds leered in. The phone wasn't her normal professional and personal use one; no it was her work phone. Or in other terms, one the many phones in her possession she held for undercover missions so her identity was kept anonymous.
[UNKNOWN CALLER]
2 Missed Messages.
Received 10 seconds ago.
Read?
A fulgurous glint overtaking her eyes, she pressed the large 'yes' button and typed in her absurdly long password to read the messages from the one and only…
Vincent Sirene.
Putting her phone away for now (Renata knew better to look at private messages in public) she saw the birds fly away to the crowd. Reaching over her bag to grab some paper and a black ink pen, in beautiful penmanship, she wrote:
Dear Tunaroll,
I apologize for leaving without any prior notices but I had some arrangements I needed to attend to. Thank you for paying for my drink and all the desserts I ate- though next time let's split the bill alright?
It seemed to me that you were all quite busy with your 'family dispute,' so I'll take my leave here. Feel free to call me if you need someone you need to complain to again though I may be busy for quite some time.
May God connect our lives again? So far God has listened to my wishes so I have high hopes.
Arrivederci Tsuna and to all the others as well.
Renata.
Lifting the straw hat, she nuzzled it on her head and placed the note under the plate of sweets in the middle of their picnic area (after she took one last sfogliatelle). Tucking her bag in the fold of her arm, she placed her unfinished drink in the recycle as she stretched and left the area with a satisfied grin.
'Vincent Sirene… I hope you prayed that the tide washes you away from the flames of judgment.'
Translations:
Uccellino- Bird in Italian (I leaned more towards the implicit meaning of 'birdie')
Minos- King Minos is the temperamental, cynical Judge of the Damned, who resides in the circle of Limbo. He is the second boss encountered in Dante's Inferno. He judges the souls and tells them on what Circle of Hell will the soul go by wrapping his tail in his body a certain times (Taken from Wiki)
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