Note: Brace yourselves; this chapter is the longest one I've written for this story so far.
Waking Up With the Sun: Chapter 7: Impression
Track: Who's Theme | MINMI
"You didn't answer my question though, who are you calling an idiot, idiot?" he asked, leaning closer with furrowed eyebrows and a sour frown, their eyes locked.
Their bodies grew closer, and Hazuki stared into those steely eyes as his calloused hand brushed the stray hairs that fell naturally around her face.
"You, of course," she teased.
It was quiet except for the muffled sound of the music coming from inside. He could feel the warmth of her breath barely ghost his lips, and she the same. They stared at each other intensely, inching closer and closer.
A loud buzz interrupted whatever moment Ryohei and Hino were about to have, and the latter immediately snapped to her senses, pulling her phone out of her skirt pocket, answering it with a formal greeting that meant whatever moment Ryohei and Hino were about to have, it was gone. Ryohei clenched the wood of the bench as he stared at the ground. He noticed a car pulling up, and watched as the driver put the car in park. He continued to watch as the driver stepped out, revealing a tall man in a nice suit.
The woman finished her phone call and walked over to the seated man, refusing to look him directly in the eye, "I… I have to go. I'm sorry."
Ryohei stood up and walked her over to the car, making eye contact with the driver.
"You must be one of Hino-sensei's associates. My name is Hanzou, it's a pleasure to meet you," he held out his hand.
Ryohei pulled himself together and shook his hand, "Sasagawa Ryohei. The pleasure is mine."
"Hanzou-kun is the producer for A Smile for Smiles. He and my assistant had to leave town after the girls' last concert, but they've come back to help us move back to Tokyo," Hino explained, eyes still downcast, "tell Tsuna and the others I had to go, but I promise that we'll hang out one last time before I leave."
With that she got into the car and they left. Ryohei stood there and stared at the empty road for a few minutes before finally going back inside.
*U*U*U*
Hino sat in the car and held her face in her hands as her colleague drove them back to the hotel. She refused to look him in the eye, knowing exactly what he was going to say.
"So did I interrupt something important?"
There was no response except for the rumbling of the car's engine and the soft murmur of the radio.
"No, not at all. Have all the preparations been made?"
"Yes. You have the day after tomorrow off, if you want to address any… unfinished business."
"There's nothing to address. I'm already walking a fine line by even communicating with the Vongola."
"You're the one who agreed to their request."
"And you're the one responsible for this mess."
"… Touché."
The rest of the drive was silent. Hino spent a good amount of time in the shower, zoning out mostly, letting salty tears mix with the bitter taste of soap as the water ran.
*U*U*U*
Sawada Tsunayoshi had a lot of good qualities about him, and his intuitiveness was a skill that he possessed that saved lives and sometimes aggravated guardians. His guardians were well aware of how Tsuna could pick up on the slightest things, so when Tsuna called Ryohei into his Namimori office alone, Ryohei immediately knew what was up, and what he was in for.
He was spared the lecture as the two sat face to face, both knowing that Ryohei's behavior was bothering Tsuna, and that something needed to be done about just what was eating at his future brother-in-law.
"Onii-san," he began.
Ryohei let out a heavy sigh and hunched over, staring into his boss' eyes, "Yeah…"
"I know you and Hazuki-san are very close. Yamamoto told me how you're very good at handling her… outbursts. Initially I assigned her to you because of your friendship from years ago, but…"
Ryohei finished Tsuna's sentence, "I'm getting too close."
Tsuna nodded.
"The first incident can be forgiven, due to its circumstances… But even if I know you're well capable of handling this, I can't have you assigned to her anymore. I've given the job to Yamamoto."
Ryohei clenched his bandaged fists, but he didn't answer back. He let out a heavy sigh and leaned back onto his seat, staring at the ceiling, "Sawada. You're a good person, you know that? I'm glad it's you that's marrying Kyoko."
Tsuna smiled, "I appreciate that, onii-san. I'm sorry to be the bearer of bad news to you."
"Don't worry about it. Yamamoto's enough to handle her. But I feel sorry for the guy, too. That woman is crazy."
Tsuna laughed. They both sat in silence before Ryohei broke it by getting up, "I'm gonna go to Hibari's for a bit."
His boss nodded and just as the man reached to open the door, it slid from under his hands to reveal Yamamoto and Gokudera, both possessing all-too knowing eyes. They greeted each other and Ryohei left.
The Storm and Rain guardians sat down, and Gokudera spoke first.
"Jeez. That stupid turf-top is gonna get us all killed."
"If you don't blow us up first, ne Gokudera?'
The swordsman laughed as the other man swore.
"Yamamoto, are you sure you're okay with this?" Tsuna interrupted.
"Maa, maa, it's no big deal. I'll just be shadowing her, right?" Yamamoto pulled out a folder and handed to Tsuna as he answered, "All the information we could find on Hanzou is here. Some of it was actually harder to access, but people are working on breaking down the encrypted files right now."
He continued his explanation, "Hattori Hanzou. Producer of A Smile for Smiles. He's worked with Hazuki for as long as she's been in the International Blacklist. Turns out he was actually the assistant to the previous Japan representative. His background is ambiguous and his information is spotty, as he has the same name as the historical figure. Most information on him has been altered repeatedly, and we have reason to believe his name is just an alias. It's recorded that he has been with the IB for at least ten years, and any information beyond that is still encrypted."
"So Hazuki-san has been in his hands ever since…" Tsuna murmured.
"Tenth, this woman keeps pulling more and more cards out of her deck. This situation is becoming way too complicated. I say we just ditch her and address the Niochavi problem ourselves, family to family, in true mafia diplomacy," Gokudera seethed.
"Hayato-kun, if that was the best option available, we would have done that earlier. I just want Hazuki-san to gather more information on his plans for us. You heard it from the other representatives. Most nations don't care about internal crime rings so long as it doesn't affect their profits. The International Blacklist is an economic market first and crime syndicate second. Alessandro Niochavi is attempting to use his power as a mafia family head to influence his position in the IB—"
"-EXACTLY! If we take Niochavi down now, then that stupid Blacklist should be grateful to us!"
"Oi Gokudera! Tsuna's still speaking."
"Shut your mouth, sword freak. You've seen firsthand what the Niochavi family is trying to do, especially when trying to challenge the power of the Vongola!"
"Hayato-kun, please. If we do that and if we take out representative of theirs, they lose business, they lose customers. We'll be seen as the enemy before even having the chance to explain ourselves. Their bureaucratic system runs completely differently from ours. This is why we need Hazuki as our inside man. To make sure that once Niochavi is finally eliminated as a threat, there would be a smooth transition of power and that no bad blood will come between our family and their group."
Gokudera clicked his tongue in defeat and hung his head, "I apologize, tenth. It was rude of me to object."
Yamamoto patted his friend's back, but the man shrugged his hand off.
"Don't worry about it, Hayato-kun," Tsuna smiled gently, "you're just being a good right-hand man."
*U*U*U*
Hibari Kyouya did not like having guests. Especially loud ones. Loud ones who wouldn't shut up. Loud ones who wouldn't shut up because they brought a large bottle of imported Italian red wine and emotional issues.
Hibari merely stared at the mess of a man before him, used to the sight of a drunken Sasagawa Ryohei.
I don't know if I should pity him or punch him.
This happened before, of course. Multiple times. Ryohei would come to the man about his love life woes. It happened in college. It happened after college. It happened with Kurokawa Hana (she's much better off without him, Hibari would admit).
It happened a week and a half ago when Ryohei slept with Hazuki.
And it's happening right now.
Hibari cursed Kusakabe under his breath as the other man left him alone with the boxer.
Fed up with the man's anguish, Hibari threw a water bottle at the man as well as a glare, "Sober up or I'll kill you before your heartbreak does."
"I'm not heartbroken you asshole!"
Ryohei drank the water anyway.
"It pisses me off to the extreme! I've know that woman for years and all of a sudden now I'm having feelings for her?! What the hell kind of bullshit is this?!"
Hibari's stoic face remained unchanged.
"And-and-and! Sure she's got a banging body and sure the night we had sex was ama—"
"-I don't care to learn about your sexual divulgences, herbivore-"
"—zing and stuff! But I mean we were kind of almost just best friends! That's it! Sports rivals! Extreme competitors! AUUUGGGHHHHHH!"
The man was on his back now, staring at the ceiling, "Ever since we became full-fledged guardians, I knew our lives would change forever. I knew things would get more complicated. And to think that Haz—Hino is part of this shit underground world… It pisses me off…"
Hibari said nothing as Ryohei verbally vomited. At least it was a barrage of words and not his lunch. He probably would have killed him if it was the latter.
"To think that someone I considered to be a special person to me would be part of this world we live in… She wanted to become a teacher, you know?"
Hibari stared at the man in silence. Ryohei sat up and fixed himself, almost completely sobered from his already high metabolism having processed and broken down the alcohol in his system. Having sun flames helped, too.
Hibari sipped his glass calmly, "Why are you telling me all of this, herbivore? Do you think I would have pity on a man who fell in love with someone he was already compatible with? Pity for someone who knows the difference between what's right, what's wrong, and what's for the best? Frankly, I'm surprised that you're able to find anyone that isn't completely put off by you or deaf from your loud mouth."
Hibari merely drank his wine gracefully as Ryohei slammed a fist on the floor.
"Hibari. You're my best friend that's a man. And you truly are a man. An honest man. One that I respect on the most extreme levels. Thank you."
Said man leaned onto the wooden frame of the sliding door that led to the garden, and stared up at the night sky, closing his eyes as he heard his companion leave.
*U*U*U*
When dealing with the mafia, one needed patience and skill. When dealing with the Vongola mafia family, one needed patience, skill, understanding, an open mind, and a good health insurance. Yamamoto Takeshi had all of these qualities and more. He was a perfect hitman, of course. So Yamamoto had come to deal with many things in his life, earning him experience in the mafia as a guardian and as a man. Though he could handle time travel, a senpai with a sword for a hand, Gokudera's bombs, and much more, he still had trouble dealing with women.
As a guardian he was well trained in how to diplomatically (or violently) deal with a woman, whether it was a political interaction or a fight.
As a man, it wasn't to say that he was inexperienced with the opposite sex, but more or less (though much more capable than some of his fellow guardians) barely capable of dealing with a woman as … a woman.
When Tsuna told him he was assigned to shadow Hino in Tokyo, he was mildly surprised, but immediately understanding, given that Ryohei and Hino being close could lead to something disastrous (in one way or another).
His mission was fairly simple. Follow her. Make sure she wasn't being tailed or stalked by any of Niochavi's men or Jan de Medici. Make sure she didn't do anything stupid, etc.
He didn't expect any difficulties at first.
Until Hattori Hanzou appeared.
When they first gathered information on Hazuki, it was all fairly standard, except for the whole International Blacklist part. But the IB was hard to get into. The only reason they were able to access more information than from the initial gathering was because of the flash drive Hazuki gave them.
Then as they started digging, more cards appeared on the table, and the can of worms they had opened turned out to be the entire world connected through illegal black market dealings with international representatives and a branched out network that had formed over the course of human development. Though mafia, yakuza, and other crime syndicates were well aware of the existence of the black market, and vice versa, each was left to their own devices (sans actual black market transactions of course).
But now Yamamoto now had to deal with this one woman who had too much on her plate and who had bitten off way more than she could chew. He wasn't annoyed or anything, it was his job. Hazuki was cool. She was a friend. She's nice. It's an assignment given by Tsuna and he was to follow it. But even though he was perfect for it, it didn't feel right. He shouldn't have been the guardian that Tsuna chose, even though there was a completely valid reason that it shouldn't have been Ryohei.
He sighed to himself in aggravation as he drove home. He needed a hot bath and maybe a beer.
*U*U*U*
The onsen that the Vongola owned was, in Hino's eyes, absolute perfection. The slightly secluded location and its lack of a surrounding town or village meant no locals, no tourists, and it also meant security.
Not just from any possible assassins or a piece of shit ex-husband, but also security from rabid fanboys who would profess their love for their current idol obsession as they walked down the streets.
If there was one thing Hino was grateful for during this mafia mess, it was the fact that the Vongola were generously wealthy (and smart about Namimori facilities). She would definitely help out Tsuna and Kyoko with their wedding now.
Hino relaxed in the hot water of the onsen bath, separated from her wards by a tall bamboo wall. The girls had their own sector closed off from her, just in case she needed to make any important phone calls.
While the four teen idols relaxed in the women only bath, she secluded herself to the coed bath used mainly by elders who didn't have a damn to give. Although nudity in that bath wasn't discouraged, wearing swim suits was highly encouraged.
She had long abandoned the bikini top and sat in blissful ignorance as the towel on her head slid down to her face.
Her peace, was of course, interrupted. Something she was used to by now, considering this city and its occupants and it history.
However, her eyes lit up as soon as she saw just who walked in.
"Kyoko-hime! Uwahhh!"
The younger girl was startled by the sudden greeting as her older friend stood up, baring her chest to the world.
"Hahiiiiieeeee! Senpai's chest!"
A brunette popped out from behind the girl Hino had greeted, and she pointed to her exposed upper body.
"Ah, gomen gomen. I was alone for a while so I thought I'd just take it off," she apologized, "but what are you two doing here? The women's bath is down the hall." Hazuki covered her chest with her arms, smiling at her former underclassman.
Kyoko was the one to answer, "Ah! That's because everyone here wanted to come to the onsen, but if we were all separated it would be kind of lonely, since Haru and I are the only girls here!"
"Everyone? We all? Separated?" Hino quirked her head, "you mean…"
Her question was answered as the girls were interrupted by loud shouts from just outside the door. Her face turned red as she quickly sat back down in the water, fumbling for her top.
She had just tightened the knot behind her neck when Haru and Kyoko stepped into the bath, enjoying the hot water. The three girls didn't have a moment to spare as members of the opposite sex swarmed the room wearing nothing but swim trunks with a towel in tote.
Okay not so much swarm, seeing as there were only four of them, but they were still outnumbered.
Hazuki felt the blood rush to her head as four toned bodies made their way to them. She could only stare in admiration and awe before she realized what was happening, and quickly sank lower into the water.
"Ah? Someone's already here? Sorry about interrupting your peace and quiet…" Tsuna spoke first, dipping his foot into the water before stepping into it completely.
Hino sheepishly rose partway out of the water, and wiped her face of the sweat from the heat, "It's okay ahah, I was just leaving anyway." That last part was the absolute truth of an excuse. There was no way she could deal with this situation. Especially as she made eye contact with the man she almost kissed a few nights ago. Said man was currently on the far end of the hot spring. He waded to that rocky edge quite quickly after everyone realized who she was.
"Ah! Hazuki-san! I didn't mean to intrude," Tsuna apologized.
"Tsuna-chan, you don't need to apologize. This is your family's onsen after all. I'm surprised you didn't see my name in the guestbook earlier."
"We usually just walk in… Most times people come and go without saying anything, really."
"Makes sense… But this is perfect anyway. I told you that I would find a way to spend some time with each other before the girls and I head out, ne?"
Hino turned to greet Yamamoto, Gokudera, and reluctantly, Ryohei. All greeted back with a signature smile and wave, a look of annoyance, and a look of reluctant avoidance.
Ryohei cursed to himself as Hazuki wiped the sweat from her brow. And neck. He didn't dare look anywhere else and used the time to look around the big open room instead. His head tilted in curiosity at a tuft of black hair behind some rocks and he waded over to the area, only to let out a very surprised (read: loud) reaction. Everyone turned to look at him as he grabbed an arm and pulled, revealing a very annoyed Hibari. Needed to say, there was quite a ruckus. Hibari threw a glare at Ryohei and nearly submerged the man underwater, hoping to keep him there for longer than necessary. Ryohei laughed and threw an arm around him, dragging him over to the Storm and Rain guardians at the far edge of the water.
Hazuki nearly fainted. The minute she walked into the room she called out to see if anyone was there, and with no response she had immediately taken her top off and jumped into the water.
She could feel her face turn red from embarrassment (and shame) as she sunk into the water while her friends greeted their Cloud guardian.
Hibari said nothing, but nodded in acknowledgement of their existence. She could swear that she saw him smirk for a split second.
"Well since you're all here and I'm not there, I think I'm going to head over to the girls' side and not be here! I don't want to intrude on your family time," Hino let out an awkward laugh, standing up to get out of the water.
Kyoko and Haru pouted and she couldn't resist, "But Kyoko-hime and Haru! Come with me ahaha there's no gross men in the women's bath!"
She avoided death by not looking anywhere towards said 'gross men' as she took Haru's and Kyoko's hands.
"B-but Hino-senpai! Everyone is here! We should have fun together! Like a big family!" Haru pleaded. Kyoko looked at her earnestly.
Hino had to hold herself back from retorting. I'm not part of your family.
She bit her lip and hid behind an all-too convincing fake smile, "S-Sorry, ne? I just feel awkward in this sort of situation, ahahah…"
Kyoko's eyes sparkled as she took one of Hino's hands into hers, "Gomen ne, if you don't feel comfortable here, I don't want to force you to do anything you don't want, Hino-chan!"
Hino felt a pang in her heart and moved her head to glare at Tsuna, "If you don't make Kyoko happy as her husband I will personally come to steal her away from you."
Tsuna laughed awkwardly as Kyoko giggled.
"But I do need to get to the women's area. My girls are all there unsupervised by an adult!" Hino clapped her hands together. Haru and Kyoko nodded, as did Tsuna. The others didn't pay much mind to the girls' chit chat, since it didn't really involve them.
Hazuki stepped out of the water and Ryohei mentally denied the fact that he watched water droplets slide down her long legs, muscle still refined from years of athleticism. He mentally denied watching her as she wrapped a towel around her body, and how it hugged her curves. He mentally denied all sorts of physical attraction to her and dunked his whole body and head into the bath water, resurfacing a few seconds later. He ran a hand through his wet hair, and then down his face to wipe away any excess water.
Hazuki tried to avoid eye contact throughout the entire interaction with anyone but Haru and Kyoko. There were too many muscular, toned bodies in the area. It was tough to keep her composure, and keep up the act of being a matured young woman. She had just turned to wave to the others when a magnificent site appeared before her. She covered face in embarrassment with a smaller hand towel, her eyes catching a fully-wet Ryohei doing that thing with his hand. She wiped the sweat collecting on her face as she saw Yamamoto standing and wading towards him and that man had a really nice body.
In any other given situation, with any other people, she would have openly stared and gawked at the display of bodies before her. Instead she turned on her heel and exited the area, heading in the direction of the women's only bath, keeping her mind only on the path ahead.
*~*U*~*
One of the most refreshing things anyone could have after a hot bath is a nice, cold refreshment, namely beer.
Namely a large bottle of expensive beer.
Hazuki's companions appeared after the girls had finished bathing, joining them in their relaxation and bringing a very nice bottle of beer with them. A mischievous smile appeared on Hazuki's face as she made a grab for it, but she was expertly avoided. The one in charge of the drinks would be Hattori Hanzou.
The adults sat together as they watched four girls team up in a ping pong match against each other. Miko and Tanaka versus Kori and Reina. It was a very intense game from the start. As the game progressed, Hazuki leaned back into her chair and relaxed.
"Tokyo doesn't sound as fun as it used to…"
"That's only because you have more paperwork to address once we get back. And sensei, the CosPlay group wants a meeting with you as soon as possible," the other man began. Hanzou had done most of the talking since the two got there, and Hazuki looked over to the younger man.
"Mou, Bansai-chan, don't be like that. That's why I hired you as my assistant in the first place~! Boss has a lot to do already…" the woman pouted, batting her eyelashes.
The one known as Bansai smirked, "I heard that Boss did a lot here already."
Hazuki narrowed her eyes and opened her mouth in protest, only to be interrupted by a loud howl of a laugh. She'd recognize that racket anywhere. The woman rubbed the bridge of her nose before looking at the two men across her, "Speak of the Devil, and he shall appear."
In this case, the devil took form of five men and two women in their twenties, all at the center of the Vongola web.
"Oh?" Hanzou smirked.
"Don't do anything I would regret," his boss quietly demanded.
"But there's not a lot you would regret, or is there too much?" Hanzou responded, smirk still plastered on his face.
"Sensei, is that them?" Bansai asked, completely ignoring Hazuki's weak punches to Hanzou's arm for the comment, turning his body to look at the commotion that had joined their four pop star wards.
He was promptly answered by Gokudera's 'Juudaime' and a string of other words he didn't pay attention to.
"Ah."
Hazuki sighed, "And here I'd thought we'd have a little more peace and quiet before this night goes wild."
Her assistant and her co-worker both looked at her with dead eyes, and she waved her hand in dismissal before standing up and straightening herself out.
She walked over to the crowd and called out, "Stop harassing my girls. I'll sue you for invasion of personal space."
No one reacted to the threat, and Hazuki felt a twitch of annoyance. She opened her mouth to repeat her weak threat, only to be flanked by her two companions. Tsuna was the first to notice them, followed by the rest. He and his friends immediately put their guards up, glancing at the two men.
Hazuki pulled Haru to the side, asking her to go with the other girls to get drinks and snacks for everyone, handing her a few thousand yen. The younger girl eagerly complied, nearly skipping as she held Kyoko's hand, leading the troupe of young teenagers.
"Ara? So this is the famous Vongola family, ne?" Bansai smiled, "pleasure to meet you. My name is Kawakami Bansai, thank you for taking care of my boss."
Bansai bowed and Tsuna returned the gesture. The first thing Tsuna (and everyone else) noticed was his smile. The fakeness of it was clear as day, and there wasn't a doubt in mind that he was incredibly suspicious looking. The man continued to smile, placing a hand on his boss' shoulder.
"Sensei has told me that quite a lot has happened since she returned to this quiet little town. I guess it's not as quiet as we thought, ne, Hanzou-kun?"
The taller, older man did not answer, but looked straight on ahead at Tsuna, bowing, greeting him, "My name is Hattori Hanzou. I work with Hazuki-san as the producer for A Smile for Smiles, but you probably already knew that. This suspicious smiling man is Hazuki-san's assistant."
Hanzou completely ignored Bansai's protest about being suspicious. Hazuki chuckled under her breath at the description.
Tsuna extended his hand to shake, extending the formality, "Sawada Tsunayoshi. But you probably already knew that. These are my guardians, Gokudera Hayato, Takeshi Yamamoto, Hibari Kyouya, and Sasagawa Ryohei."
The tension in the room was almost unbearable as eyes wandered, matching names with faces. Being more so annoyed at the silence and tension than wary, Hazuki spoke up first.
"Well now that that's settled. Why don't we have a friendly competition?"
The only woman in the room smiled as she held up the bottle of beer Hanzou was guarding earlier. Hanzou pinched the bridge of his nose as he grabbed the bottle and held it out of her reach, "This isn't for you, sensei."
"Think of this as a parting gift, and a memento of thanks for taking care of Hazuki-san. It's a fine beer brewed in Hokkaido. Other than certain stores up north, it's only available seasonally at a small store in Tokyo."
Hanzou bowed and held the bottle out to Tsuna, who accepted it graciously, but warily. He handed it to Gokudera, who looked completely disturbed at the interaction, undoubtedly holding no trust in the man's words.
"Sensei isn't allowed to have alcohol anymore. Not after a certain incident a while back. We thought she'd be okay while she was here because Namimori is so small, but I guess that just wasn't the case, ne sensei?"
Hazuki found herself getting irritated by the minute as Bansai spoke, the amount of attitude in his voice nearly pissing her off.
She took a deep breath and smiled, "Gomen ne. I guess you caught me!"
If there was one thing Tsuna and his four friends could agree on, it was the fact that the three talked to each other as if they held nothing but spite for each other. There was nearly no respect in the tones of their voices as they spoke to each other, and they all smiled at each other with all too obvious fake smiles.
Hazuki turned to Tsuna and bowed, "I apologize for my companions, Tsunayoshi-kun. They don't really know how to act in front of an important person. I was actually thinking of cutting their pay, but now I'm sure I will!"
She clapped her hands together and smiled.
"It's… It's no problem, Hazuki-san…" Tsuna smiled reassuringly, actually unsure how to respond, "But in fact… I do have a few questions about you and your friends."
"Oh?"
"Why don't we all sit somewhere more private for our conversation…?"
There was a small, empty room with plenty of sitting space, and a small, square table. The walls were concrete, so overhearing or eavesdropping would be nearly impossible. Hazuki sat at one side, Tsuna sitting opposite her, both sitting cross-legged on the tatami floor mat. Ryohei sat in the corner of one room, Hibari next to him, leaning on the wall. Yamamoto stood in the other corner, leaning against it. Gokudera sat at the middle of the back wall, keeping a close eye on Hazuki and the two males. Both Hanzou and Bansai were kneeling in line, a few feet behind Hazuki, as if it were a standard practice for them.
"How much do you wish to know, Tsunayoshi-kun?"
"It's clear that Hanzou-san and Kawakami-san know who we are. I'm wondering how much they know and why."
"Hanzou and Bansai know everything. They work under me for the IB. Their jobs as the producer and my assistant are purely for cover, while being legitimate jobs. Hanzou is a veteran. Bansai is potential."
The woman seemed unphased by the Vongola boss' question, and Tsuna would admit that it was slightly unnerving.
"Please tell us about the inner workings of the International Blacklist."
Hazuki paused, clenching her fists for a brief moment before responding, "I'm sorry, but I cannot disclose that information to you."
Before Tsuna could even speak, he was interrupted by a fist hitting the wall. Everyone turned to Gokudera, whose patience had run out.
"Oi woman! Stop fucking around! We've had to be patient with you and your attitude and your actions, and you can't even give us important information?!"
"Gokudera! Calm down!"
"Shut the fuck up, sword-freak! We've wasted valuable time here, when our family is being threatened on a constant basis by Niochavi! We should have just stayed in Italy and fixed the issue ourselves! Coming back to Namimori was a mistake, because it's been nothing but a fuck up ever since!"
Gokudera's rant was cut off by Ryohei grabbing the hem of the man's shirt, "You're too loud, you know that?! We're the ones that requested her help, so you can shove your questions up your ass!"
Gokudera sneered, grabbing Ryohei's wrist, "Oh yeah, you're the one who's received the most help, huh?"
Ryohei was about to punch Gokudera in the face, his arm held back by the tight grip of the tenth Vongola boss.
"Gokudera-kun, please."
The serious look on Tsuna's face stopped both of them, and Ryohei retreated to the corner where he sat earlier. Gokudera hastily exited the room, chased after by Yamamoto.
"I apologize for the actions of my guardians, Hazuki-san. I assure you it will not happen again."
"There is no need to apologize, Tsunayoshi-kun… Your guardians are only doing their job. They really care for you," Hazuki spoke softly, "it is very admirable. Unfortunately, it is an enforced law within the IB community to not discuss certain aspects of it. At this point, I'm already walking a fine line between treason and just helping out."
"That's understandable."
"Though I don't mean to overstep boundaries, I must request that the Vongola stop investigating the IB. While I'm merely helping you out with your Niochavi situation, betraying another IB representative is at the same level as betraying the Blacklist itself. If in the future, you have any questions, Hanzou is the man to talk to. There really is no more that I can say."
At the mention of his name, Hanzou moved towards the two and placed a small business card on the table. Hazuki slid the piece of paper towards Tsuna, who bowed his head as he accepted it. The card was almost the same as Hazuki's, the difference being only in the title and the phone number.
The conversation, while eventful, was brief, lasting only about twenty minutes. It ended just in time, as the small group had just arrived at the main lounge when the other girls showed up with drinks and snacks for everyone.
Miko and Kori giggled as they each grabbed one of Hazuki's hands, dragging back down the hallway they just came from. Tanaka and Reina smiled at each other as Tanaka grabbed Hanzou's hand and Reina grabbed Bansai's hand.
Everyone was thoroughly confused, but Kyoko grabbed Tsuna's hand and smiled, "On the way back we found a karaoke room!"
Haru, who had been eagerly looking around for Gokudera, had a slight look of disappointment on her face. It was Hibari who calmly told her that he was outside having a smoke. The girl chirped a quick 'thanks' and headed towards the patio.
"Miko-chan told us that Hino-chan is a great singer! And since she's leaving so soon, Haru-chan and I want to hear her sing!"
Tsuna smiled and nodded as he walked with Kyoko towards the karaoke room, leaving only Ryohei and Hibari in the lounge.
A minute of silence passed before Ryohei finally spoke up, "Are you gonna go, Kyouya?"
The other man responded with silence.
Another minute passed, and both could hear Gokudera yell loudly and Yamamoto laugh, followed by Haru's loud chatter.
"Have you resolved your personal issue, herbivore?"
Hibari glanced at the boxer, whose pensive attitude was starting to get on his nerves.
Ryohei's response was him getting up from his seat and walking slowly down the hall. Hibari followed and walked with him at the same slow pace.
Hazuki was wild with laughter as Miko handed Hanzou the karaoke microphone. They decided on the order by jan ken po, and Hanzou lost first, followed by Bansai, then the girls, and then Hazuki. Kyoko suggested that they all go first, since they were the ones leaving.
"Hanzou-ossan! Ganbatte!" Miko smiled.
The older man sighed, and loosened his tie. At least he got to choose the song.
The room quieted down and the backlights were off, leaving only the dim stage light. The producer took a deep breath, and opened his mouth to sing.
Hazuki's mouth dropped, as well as the other members for the A Smile for Smiles team.
Hanzou had chosen an enka song, and the entire audience was silent until the song ended. He was… good. Hanzou finished and sat down, giving Bansai the mic.
Reina spoke up in a small whisper, "Maybe Hanzou-ossan should be the singer and not us…"
Bansai coughed, having chosen his song and hoping to redirect the attention. Hibari and Ryohei walked in as the music started playing. Hazuki recognized it as a pillows song. The four pop stars and Hazuki cheered throughout his performance. Bansai smiled, genuinely this time and bowed to his audience. Tsuna, Yamamoto, Kyoko, and Haru joined in on the clapping.
"Applause! Applause! Sing another song, Bansai-chan!" Hazuki jeered, nudging the man in the arm with her elbow. Her assistant handed Tanaka the microphone, while smiling (the creepy fake one this time) at Hazuki.
"Actually, I know we decided on the order, but I want Hazuki-sensei to sing with us!" Tanaka piped, pointing at her manager.
"Eh!?"
Hanzou had an expressionless face as he and Bansai, still smiling, pulled Hazuki to the stage. Haru and Kyoko laughed and cheered along with the other girls. Before she could protest any further, the two were seated and the music started playing.
"I cannot believe this."
The quick beat caught her attention immediately, and she was cut off by Tanaka and Reina singing at one mic as soon as the words started. Most of them recognized it as a song the singers had performed many times. The fast pace song had Reina and Tanaka paired up, Miko and Kori paired up with a spare microphone, and Hazuki was handed a third mic.
As the others took the verses, she was given the choruses and the bridge.
But I cannot tell that I like you,
That day's me did not think about falling in love
But if it is now, whatever face I am making,
Can I even say that from then on I cannot forget about you?
It's uncool but I love you.
The words came to her naturally, the woman only needing to check the lyrics screen once in a while.
I purposely ignored and acted like I don't care
I acted stubborn like a child
The truth is I wanted to see you so much that I gathered everyone for a meeting
As always, our eyes won't meet just like oil and water
My actions and feelings don't match
I secretly stole a glance from you, you really are the cutest
By the end of the song they were all singing together, and the song had all of them caught up in the energy of it, dancing along, with the girls from A Smile for Smiles using choreography from their performances, two girls flanking Hazuki on each side.
The song ended, and Haru and Kyoko were chanting, "One more time! One more time!"
Miko and Tanaka nodded to each other as Reina chose a song. Kori was in charge of keeping Hazuki on the stage as Miko and Tanaka grabbed Bansai from the audience.
Bansai was standing in for the male vocals of the song and handed a mic. As each girl sang the respective parts, they urged Hazuki to sing along. Of course, having continuously worked with them and helped not only with recording and concerts, they knew the lyrics.
At the bottom of the girl's heart
The girl's mind is wavering
We are in a bubble
That damaged delusion is loose
Hazuki found herself getting into the song, the lyrics resounding personally a lot more than she thought it ever would. What she didn't notice, was that the accompanying singers had stopped, and left her to do most of the singing.
Sitting next to me
You are the funniest
I'm everything but empty, "I'm in love!"
With my colorful ice cream(Oh baby, close to me)
The pained face of the warrior(Oh baby, let me be)
Is easy to wear(Oh baby, can't you see)
"Why wait?"(Oh baby, let me be)
By the end of the song, she had sung about half of it by herself, and didn't notice it until she saw Miko and the other girls at the side of the stage, cheering and jumping. Haru and Kyoko ran up, each grasping a hand, stars in their eyes.
"Hino-chan, that was amazing! Sing with us, too!"
Haru and Kyoko were almost jumping up and down as Hino blushed in embarrassment. Miko came up behind her, smiling, "I told you, Haru-nee! Sensei is really good!"
The older woman removed herself from the grip of the other girls and gathered her composure, "Of course I sing well. How am I supposed to acknowledge talent if I don't even have any?"
Bansai put his hand on her head, ruffling her hair, "Sensei, don't get too bashful, ne? You don't even come close to Hanzou."
Hazuki brushed his hand off, and glared. She looked around the room, noticing that most of the male occupants were occupied with something else, clearly only there out of courtesy for Haru and Kyoko. She found herself looking at Ryohei, who was conversing with Hibari. The former turned his head, and for a brief moment, they made eye contact. She immediately turned her head back to the people in front of her.
Ryohei, who had serious bouts of anxiety throughout the whole of the last song, tried to direct his attention anywhere else. So he focused on talking to Hibari. Haru and Kyoko were up next, and Hazuki had politely declined their request, saying that they can sing together later.
The rest of the night went from smooth and fun to rambunctious when Yamamoto left and re-appeared with the beer from earlier, chilled to perfection, and a bottle of sake.
Hazuki was then dragged (read: kicking and threatening pay cuts) out of the room as Hanzou and Bansai bid them farewell. The four girls followed after, saying that they'll call Haru and Kyoko for one last hang out together before leaving for Tokyo.
*~*END*~*
=u= I finally updated. I planned out this chapter like a month ago lmao and it's been in the works but I didn't know how much content to put in it, let alone end it.
I originally intended for this fic to be funnier and I planned out a relationship initially, but I don't know when it started taking a more… angsty (?) direction. I don't have coordinated action points planned, but there will be fights in the future. I have the next four or five chapters planned out, and there's definitely going to be a change of pace once we're set in Tokyo and Italy.
Initially this was going to be a kinda romantic-ish chapter focused on the karaoke scene, but then I started writing and lol anger and angst. Then I finished it and put the karaoke scene at the end to end the chapter on a better note oops. But I finally have a sort of moving plot…
I actually don't know where Hazuki and Ryohei's relationship is going, so because of that I've taken a turn of writing more general setting interactions, a little less focused on Hazuki and more focused on the Vongola, and then sprinkle into that Hazuki/Ryohei tension.
Also I keep taking names from Gintama, so please bear with me. A lot of Gintama characters are based on real life Japanese historical characters, given the setting. I'm not creative with names at all, so if you see a name that looks like it's from an anime, it probably is.
Hanzou, Bansai, and Hazuki have a very violent dynamic. Not like physical violent, but Hazuki is easy irritable, and Bansai is a prick. Hanzou is older, so sometimes he likes to antagonize Hazuki and sometimes Bansai. Bansai respects Hanzou, but treats him like an old man. I'll develop a little bit more of them as the story progresses, but I won't focus too much on them.
I actually kind of have ideas for what they'd sound like LOL.
Hanzou: Takehito Koyasu
Bansai: Miyano Mamoru or Suwabe Junichi
Hazuki: it's between Miyuki Sawashiro, and Maaya Sakamoto.
Niochavi is going to play a much bigger role in the future, too.
And HAHAHAH I have a bad ending planned out already and I'm trying to develop ideas for a good ending. So I might just post both. WELPWLWPWLEP
Song List:
Hanzou: Usonaki by Jero
Bansai: Funny Bunny by The Pillows
A Smile for Smiles ft. Hazuki: Kakko Warui I Love You! By French Kiss, Sket Dance OP1
A Smile for Smiles ft. Hazuki (encore): Wo Ai Ni by Takashi Hitomi x BEAT CRUSADERS, it's a Gintama ED
Note: It would be much appreciated if people could tell me who they would like to see more of. I don't really have the characters of A Smile for Smiles planned as important plot points, so they're pretty much there for filler. If there is something people would like to see, it would help me greatly in writing future chapters.