This will be one of 3 or 4 final posts before I go on an extended hiatus for about a month. More information on my profile. This is also an aweful chapter, I'll edit it when I have more time, I just wanted to get something out to you guys, my wonderful readers.
Dear guest: I do enjoy Mammon as a girl... but I think the reason is because writing Mama-Mammon is just so cute w I don't actually like gender-bending characters that much... but Mammon just works... I've changed the age a little; I hope that makes more sense. Thank you for reviewing!
Sorry that this is no longer, '20 months' but things make a little more sense if the children are a little older, specifically their speech etc.
Unbeta'd (for now)
Definition of Family.
3 Years old: Nap time with the Vongola Children.
The Vongola estate was vast and mighty. It housed not only the Vongola and Varia mansions, but many of the butlers and maids that helped to run the mansion, too. The lands were vast and lush, tended carefully and with pride. Vongola, as a famiglia, were self sufficient, they could provide food for themselves and cater to every whim; but they didn't. They sold their produce cheap, or supplied it to their people, and they bought locally, to keep ties with those under their care strong.
However, even as Grande as this, it was the main mansion that truly caught the attention and the limelight. Only a select few were trusted to work there. The guardians, Nono, and his sons lived there, and their work hours were spent arduously in the front of the estate. What people didn't see were the back wings where the famiglia put down their suits and guns- figuratively, unfortunately- and simply relaxed together.
An older gentleman was headed towards the family wing, or more specifically he was heading towards the children's wing in the far eastern corner of the mansion, separate from but close to the main residence.
This gentleman was tall and aged well, grey dominated his once born hair, and his eyes held that scarred, yet powerful darkness to them of a man from the Mafia. Still, as he pulled his three toddling packages along the halls of the estate there was that warmth that drifted through him; a man who loved children, and had once sired his own.
"You three need to be well behaved today, okay?" He chided softly, "Don Vongola and his guardians have been kind enough to let you play with their grandchildren. So I expect you to behave well."
The oldest looked up at his handler with a smile, and the kind of calculative look in his eyes that didn't suit a six year old. "They're not really related though."
Alexander sighed through his nose, "No, they aren't really related, but they are treated as such. So there is, Byakuran, no difference."
The white-haired boy pouted. But he kept up with his handler well, dragging a redheaded child along with him. "Shoichi, keep up!"
The red-head nodded, tripping over his feet as they ran- or he ran and the other walked briskly. He had a bad feeling about the visit. It was Byakuran's first time meeting Tsuna, and though Shoichi and Spanner has both played with Tsuna multiple times they had only met the other children who lived on Vongola grounds once or twice, and only for short periods of time.
"Y-you sure 'bout this, Jii-san?" Shoichi bounced with surprising articulation and intelligence in his voice.
He and Spanner were both geniuses, at only four years old they were already displaying a knack for engineering and level heads. The Giglio Nero had supplemented their mental growth from a young age, and even if they both slipped up occasionally, many mistook both Shoichi and Spanner for children of five or six.
"Dont wory, Sho. Byaku'an will like Tuna." The blonde companion holding onto Alexander's other hand mumbled around a sugar-free lollipop as they strode through the halls.
As Alexander entered the orphans' wing of the estate he was surprised to find not the usual care worker, but instead Luche, the sky Arcobaleno. She wore her usual dress and the white wrap accented with orange, her hair was tied back and her hat sat on her head. She was smiling and singing to the children sitting at her feet.
"Ah, miss Luche." The man bowed slightly in greeting, "I didn't realise you were looking after the children today. Perhaps I have the date wrong?"
The addressed woman looked up suddenly, her blue eyes glimmering happily as she motioned for the children to remain sitting for a moment.
"Ah, Alexander, just call me Luche, 'miss' makes me feel old." She giggled good naturedly with sparkling eyes, "You have the date correct, I simply decided that I wanted to spend time with my lovely Tsunayoshi."
Upon hearing his name, the young brunet stopped the conversation with his two friends in favour of attracting himself to the woman's legs. He smiled brilliantly up at her, greeting the man as he did.
"Shoi-thee!"
Said red-head looked at the brunet and smiled, waving shyly. His blonde companion was not so shy. "Vongole," Spanner mumbled, "did Verde give you 'nything this time?"
Tsuna shook his little head, walking over to the pair. He knew and loved Shoichi and Spanner, having played with them many times when the Millfiore family needed a break and Tsuna was lonely. While the pair wasn't hated, the way they crowded around Tsuna wasn't appreciated, especially by one overzealous 'guardian'.
"Sho-chan, who is the cute, little rabbit?" Byakuran appeared beside the red-headed child with a smirk pulled on his little mouth. He stretched out a hand to ruffle the soft, brown hair when a shout cut him off.
"Go away f'om Juudaime!" a bolt of silver appeared before the brunet.
"Haya!" Tsuna laughed, he hugged his 'guardian' from behind and looked at the strange white-haired stranger. "It's fine, fratello."
Gokudera Hayato was not one of the orphans, but was instead Coyote's- Nono's storm guardian's- grandson. His daughter, Lavina, married into the Gokudera famiglia when the boss wife passed away from complications of a disease she had been fighting since her own daughter's birth four years prior. From the marriage between Lavina and the Gokudera don came beautiful Hayato, well loved by the famiglia and overly protective of Tsuna.
Nono and his guardians found the little affection adorable, and Lavina was someone who encouraged her little son to protect the lovely little brunet. Everyone loved Tsuna, and all the children, and the little outbursts of overzealous jealousy were entertaining and promised good things for the future of their little family.
"Haya, Tsuna's fine." a taller child, leaner than the others approached the pair, snaking an arm around the spitting silvernet's shoulders with a placating smile on his face. His eyes, Byakuran observed, were not so placating and kind.
Takeshi Yamamoto also was not one of the orphans in the Vongola wing; in fact he was the son of Vongola Nono's most trusted swordsman. Takeshi's father, Tsuyoshi Yamamoto, had retired upon his son's birth. However he still trained young Mafioso and fulfilled favours for the Vongola Don, therefore Tsuyoshi was still regarded highly by the guardians and Vongola famiglia alike. Upon his wife's death, when Takeshi was one, Tsuyoshi grew tired of living alone with his son and so he often spend time on the estate until a small apartment was set up on the east side, Tsunayoshi was often found helping the chefs or the younger swordsmen; naturally Takeshi went wherever Tsuyoshi did and the black-haired child's meeting with Tsunayoshi had resulted in a tight friendship and an protective streak equal to Hayato's, though the two children fought for Tsunayoshi's attention; not that Tsunayoshi was stringent at all.
"Sword-freak! ge' off me!" the little boy bristles some more, throwing both Tsuna- who only giggles- and the tall black-haired boy to the floor all at once.
Tsuna just continued to smile, however something white and fluffy caught the corner of his eye. The boy was pale, to the point that Tsuna wondered if he was sick, and he had a strange little birthmark on his face. Not one like Tsuna had on the back of his thigh that was a white paint splatter; this birthmark was actually purple, it matched the boy's eyes. His pretty, violet eyes.
"Sho, who is this?"
Shoichi turned to see Tsuna off the floor and in an enthusiastic embrace from none other than Byakuran. "Sho-chan, why didn't you tell me about the cute bunny?"
"Bunny?" Shoichi and Tsuna asked in unison, though for very different reasons.
"Byakuran-" Just as Shoichi was going to answer his friend a look of confusion surfaced in the violet eyes and Tsuna disappeared from their view, only to appear in the equally enthusiastic pair of arms of another child approaching them. Tsuna, a little surprised at having been taken in an illusion, simply smiled and snuggled into the embrace, giggling a greeting to another of his brothers.
"Ohayo, Muku-nii."
"Oya, good morning, Tsunayoshi-chan. Who is this, touching my little kitten?" three more people appeared behind the dark-haired boy. The six year old pushed Tsuna behind him, smirking as he continued to approach the white-haired child.
"You okay, bossu?" Tsuna found his arm held by his big sister, and he couldn't help but smile warmly and kiss her cheek, like his Papa-Reborn and Papa-Col had taught him.
"Hmmm? Who dragged in the strays...and the strange fruit?"Mukuro twitched and Chrome sunk back behind Tsuna at the strange violet gaze. However, before Mukuro could sent out a childish retort-
"You can't talk to Mukuro-sama like dat, byon!" the shaggy child next to Mukuro started spitting out insults, only held back by his monotonous friend.
"Sh'up, Ken."
"Wa' zat, Kakipi?!"
When Tsuna's grandfather had gone away from the mansion for a long period of time when Tsuna was one, the old man had come back with four children, all of which were mangled and twisted by their bloodied experience of family. They were all young and volatile- all of them two years older than Tsuna-, stronger than they should have been and even Nono's most compassionate guardians thought the children would have to be committed to specialist care.
But it was Visconti who had taken it upon himself to care for and rehabilitate the children. He was adamant that the children needed to be shown that they were safe and that yes, the mafia is vile and disgusting-will kill and hurt children- but it also comes with the benefit of a tight-knit and loyal famiglia willing to do anything for each other. If you could find the right family.
Within the year, and with Tsunayoshi's constant presence in their rehabilitation sessions, Mukuro, Chrome, Ken, and Chikusa were finally readjusted. Not normal by any stretch of the imagination, but at least they didn't shy away from Vongola hands as violently, and they weren't trying to run away or kill their care-givers. Their possessiveness of the little Vongola brunet was disconcerting- spitting like animals (Ken at least) when Tsuna was with them- but it meant that they were making connections and that was fine by the adults.
Mukuro, Chrome, Ken, and Chikusa were orphans. Their family has been deemed dangerous and unruly by Vindicare and Vongola alike, and after the famiglia threatened the lives of the children under an ally's care the Vongola were quick to dispatch the wretched family, though not before there were casualties.
Mukuro was cynical and violent, he was often found speaking under his breath, as if he could hear and see other people, which wouldn't surprise the adults, he had been sent to hell seven times. Mukuro was quick to explode in a subtly violent rage if cornered, and was not one to hide his sarcastic tongue when looked down upon. There were two people he was obsessively possessive of, Chrome and Tsuna. But he was a promising mist user, and already was being trained under Mammon's hand, she assured: "-to make Vongola strong and keep Tsuna safe. If he wants to be possessive of my child so be it; but he will be strong enough to protect him."
Chrome looked much like Mukuro; in fact they were born of the same genes, twins that had been experimented on in the same twisted way of their strange family, leaving her sickly and changed. Chrome has a weak constitution but the most pure and beautiful personality. She was shy and doted upon by the three males who she was raised with and the Vongola as a whole once they were all rescued. Other than her dear brother and the two who were rescued with her, Chrome got a long with few others, Tsunayoshi and Takeshi a small example. She too was a promising mist, and Mammon trained her with the same motive as Mukuro, adding only: "She wishes to be strong like her brothers, and I can't help but want her to fulfil that wish."
Ken was the most violent of the bunch, and was also the most untamed and affected by the rehabilitation. He was loyal and aggressive, relying too much on the animalistic senses engineered into him. He was brash and true, not able to hide his emotions as well as he liked to think he could. While Visconti was assured about his rehabilitation, he was sure that Ken would be the most difficult. But apparently, like his animalistic counterparts from which his senses were taken, Ken was quick to sense out those who were safe and meant him no harm quickly attaching himself to Tsuna like a puppy, or a guard dog. Clashing spectacularly with Hayato for mirroring reasons.
Chikusa didn't act or look changed by his experience with the family, but he was probably the most scarred, leaving him without the curse and lessons that pain and emotions can give someone. He was twisted to be a soldier, leaving him without a large percentage of his childhood. Tsuna seemed to be able to sense this and spent a lot of time just sitting with Chikusa, probably hoping to bring those emotions back out. Every small smile and little twitch was a mammoth success for Mukuro, Chrome, and Ken that Tsuna would never truly grasp.
The children continued to squabble, Tsuna and Takeshi trying their hardest to settle the fighting while Hayato just laughed at the stupid pineapple and white-freak argue about aesthetics. It was entertaining, and even if Tsuna was panicking he was laughing and giggling just as openly.
The adults, who had quietened their conversations upon the Hayato's loud protests watched on in interest. The older man smiled happily having not seen Byakuran look so happy; it meant that he was planning something, but at least it looked like the young Vongola grandchildren could handle themselves.
"See Alexander, you have nothing to worry about." Luche smiled softly and ushered the man towards the doors. "I'll call you if anything happens; now go get some things done. I'll be fine."
Though worried, Alexander nodded to the Arcobaleno-boss and headed his way outside, only sparing one more look at his wards and sighing when he noticed Byakuran and the older 'pineapple' gearing up to spar.
"Thank you again, Lady Luche."
"Any time, Alexander."
"It seems like this marshmallow has a death wish," Mukuro chuckled, spinning his 'toy' trident in a circle. "maybe I should grant it to him?"
"Hmmm, Sho-chan, you didn't tell me there was such an interesting pinapple here I could play with."
Mukuro twitched and even Ken shut his mouth when he heard the statement. "That boy's gonna get it now." and even Chikusa could only nod and watch on as the two older boys clashed in a spectacular way...for mafia children at least.
"Fightin' iss bad! Muku-nii needs to get awong wiss eve'yone!" Tsuna pressed himself between the two boys, wriggling when he realised there wasn't much space. "And...B-Byaku needs to get awong too!" Tsuna wasn't really sure who the new boy was, but he was Shoichi's friend, so the little brunet could only surmise that the boy was both safe and friendly; even if he has a strange birthmark and name.
"Oya, Tsunayoshi. You told me to get along with your siblings; why would I get along with a marshmallow?"
"Tsunayoshi? What a cute name for a little rabbit~." Byakuran hummed, ruffling the soft hair. However his hand moved when triplet spiked touched his throat in a rather uncomfortable, threatening way, "Hmm, is the pineapple jealous."
"Muku-nii, Byakui you bof nee-"
Tsuna was cut off when a sudden tug pulled him from between the two boys and into Ken, who pulled him away from the warring children and towards the other side of the room. "Ignore them, Tsunayoshi. They'll be fine."
"Yeah, Mukuro-sama can handle himself, byon. You'll just get yerself hurt, Tuna."
Having been forcibly removed from between Byakuran and Mukuro- whom Tsuna insisted were getting along really really well- by Ken and Chikusa, he played cars with them and ignored Mukuro and Byakuran as they made friends.
All three children were making vroom and screech sounds as they crawled across the floor, enjoying their time together. After a while Chikusa was replaced by Takeshi and Ken by Shoichi and they were reabsorbed into their little game with little disruption, so were all equally surprised then Hayato called out in a rather abrupt and loud voice-
"Juudaime, look!" Hayato almost tripped as he handed Tsuna a page with scribbles of red crayon all over the page. "It says 'Juudaime is da best!'. Cause Juudaime iss!"
"Haya can wwite?!" Tsuna's eyes grew larger as he took in the weird shapes of what was not entirely Italian or Japanese. "Sugoi."
"haha, Haya is so smawt." Takeshi swung his arm over s sputtering, blushing toddler; apparently oblivious to the effect of two compliments one after the other.
"Iss my writing!" Hayato declared, still red to the tips of his ears, "G-witings, for Juudaime!"
Tsuna mouthed 'for me?' before giggling and hugging the page as if it were the most precious gemstone in the world. He toddled in a circle with a huge smile showing off his teeth before grabbing the taller child's hand. "Come on Take! Lets show Chrome."
"Haha, m'kay Tsuna."
As Tsuna and Taksehi walked away, Shoichi had a chance to survey the explosive storm-grandson.
"Why do you call Tsuna Juudaime, Hayato?" Shoichi began, having been unable to ask before, "He's not da next boss."
Hayato regarded the red-head with a sudden sharpness before spinning his gaze to his Juudaime, who was playing with Spanner and the Chrome girl. He had nothing against either person, they both cherished his brother, but he didn't like the new white-haired boy that had arrived with the tech-boys.
"Juudaime is Juudaime." Hayato nodded simply. "He's 'mazing. Boss or not, Tsuna is my Juudaime."
With that, Hayato toddled over to the group, yelling childish profanities at Spanner for knocking his 'Juudaime's' tower over. Shoichi would swear, even though the toddler was only three, Hayato had a sharp mind- probably equal to Shoichi's own.
A few hours later, while the arguments, drawings, block towers and laughter started to drift around and become more lethargic, Luche uncurled herself from the couch, placing Chrome and the book she was reading to the girl down, and instead focused her attention on the boys scattered around the room doing varying levels of activity.
Shoichi and Spanner were building what looked like a castle with Hayato; Mukuro and Takeshi were playing with what looked like a trident and a baseball bat; Ken and Chikusa were babbling on about whose drawing looked more like a gorilla, for which Chikusa's argument was something along the lines of 'I'm drawing an elephant, Ken.'; leaving Tsunayoshi and Byakruan in the middle of the room lying on their stomachs facing each other, Byakuran smiling placating while Tsuna babbled childishly with his stuffed Lion acting out some kind of scene.
It's so nice to see everyone get along.
"Time to settle down everyone!" a soft woman's voice called out over a loud chorus or chatter and whiney children. "It's time for your nap."
"Che, dun sweep, W'man."
"Now now, someone is cranky!" The woman chirped happily, she scooped the once scowling, now shocked child into her arms and walked towards the bedroom, a horde of nine children toddling quickly after her, like ducks in a row.
"Oya, s'mun needs sleep~"
The child in the woman's arms started to kick up a fuss, trying to kick out, though not as aggressively as his words seemed to make out.
"Now now!" Tsuna mimicked his mama before screeching in laughter, clapping his hands in happiness when his mama smiled at him.
"Ma ma, Tsuna, time to sweep!" An enthusiastic child called out to Tsuna as he looked between the various groups of children that were lying down to sleep.
Tsuna ended up lying down next to the two quietest, most withdrawn children; one had strikingly red hair, and the other a lazy, uncaring air to him. Smiling and snuggling up to the children, Tsuna quickly lead the others to go to sleep to.
While the group had continued to talk and giggle for a while, none of them noticed that they had begun to shift closer to each other.
Byakuran rested between Shoichi and Spanner, and their heads were in a circle with Tsunayoshi's.
Hayato and Takeshi had taken to arguing quietly at Tsuna's left, their heads touching his torso.
Mukuro took the open spot next to Spanner, the least annoying of the children in his opinion, with Chrome next to him, resting by Tsuna's arm.
Chikusa dropped off to sleep almost as soon as he shifted to lay by Tsuna's right, next to Chrome, and Ken flopped himself next to Tsuna's hip, like Takeshi, his leg was flung across Tsuna's and his arm rested against Tsuna's stomach.
Soon enough the quiet, babbled conversations and light giggles faded off at the end, and light snoring replaced the sounds from certain individuals. Blankets and pillows alike were scattered around, and some limbs tangled together in uncomfortable flops that only children cold really pull off.
As things quietened down, Luche went to check on the children, hoping the silence meant that they were finally sleeping. She knew from experience that a certain swordsman in training and little monkey could get rather cranky if they didn't get enough sleep. The sight she was greeted with had her scampering to find Lussuria and a camera.
It always amazed the black-haired woman; Tsuna had unknowingly gathered every one of the nine other children to his side. Surrounding him, some touching in a tight embrace, others just birthing hands and hair, each child was in some way close to Tsunayoshi, who sat in the center of a sleeping mass. Each child faced him, sleeping peacefully though they were fighting with each other just hours before.
"Kufufushishishi!" Tsuna giggled as he watched each and every person in the room either wince or drop their jaw. "I have nuf time for all of you, tras'! Voooooiiii!" of course he started giggling in the middle and the words dropped onto a fit of uneven tones.
After a beat of silence and quite the look form Squalo it was Belphegor that broke the silence.
"Ush- I can't, ushishishi, the Prince can't handle it!" He grabbed his stomach and the fifteen year old assassin dropped to his knees before rolling onto his back, he contorted with tears on his face as Tsuna continued to laugh and prance around. "Little princess, you- ushishishi- you have to stop it!"
So I've decided, this time, that we're going to switch it up. I'll give you who and you give me what. What is the title this time? It'll probably go back to guessing who, but I couldn't think of the snippet to give you without revealing who Tsuna was spending time with w
3 and a half years old: _ with Mama and Papa Varia, Bell-nii, and Mukruo-nii!
In case you are a little confused, the Millfiore exists in this universe just the same as the Vongola. It is still a combination of Giglio Nero and Gesso, but in this universe they were both allied families of Vongola, probably about six generations old. They united in the current generation making Byakuran technically Millfiore Primo. Uni will appear eventually, but not for a while. She was about eight years younger than Tsuna, I think.
Thank you for reading, sorry for the delay,
Much love, and I would really love a review,
~~Bleach-ed-Na-tsu :3