The plane landed at the estimated time, unsurprisingly, and Ieyasu's group unboarded the Vongola jet in an Italian airport. Only Gokudera could understand what anything said, and led them out. Hibari was getting restless with all the people staring at them. Such obvious disrespect would have deserved a bloody nose at the very least, if he had not agreed to harm any bystanders during their visit.
Reborn had sent a list of 10 rules, which he named the 10 commandments of Stupidity. All 8 family members had been required to sign it before they got off the plane (some more easy than others). Ieyasu, reading them the first time, had thought they were, of course, very stupid. However, seeing his guardians confused and curious at the foreign culture around them, realized those rules were doing him a huge favor.
I. For no reason, even if near death, speak of or validate any affiliation to the mafia.
II. Do not wander or explore to any part of Italy alone or without someone who speaks Italian.
III. Mention of Vongola will be punished by ****** that will eternally traumatize you.
IV. Follow the lead of any chaperone assigned to you, and give them more respect than normally.
V. Kill any bystanders, innocents, and such, and you will be unable to kill ever again.
VI. Do NOT shake hands with anyone or sign your name on anything.
VII. Don't even think of buying anything without a chaperone.
VIII. Don't talk to anyone you don't know.
IX. Lose your phone and you will die.
X. Do not wake the lion in the middle of the night.
To say the rules were a little confusing would be an understatement, but they all eventually signed it. They were in the air for an entire extra hour because Hibari refused to adhere to V., IV., and II. But even though he took the longest, it was not with acquiescence that any of them signed the sheet. Almost everyone didn't like II. and IV., even Ieyasu himself. Only Gokudera knew enough Italian, and the only others they knew that spoke it were Vongola, Varia, and the Chavellone. Spending too much time around any of the three tended to warp your mind. It was also unfortunate no one could get to know the people, but they were only going to be there a month anyway.
The story about the mansion they'd be staying in, however, was the prime source of concern. Reborn was always one with a sick and sadistic sense of humor. However, a ghost story was too weird, especially because it explained Reborn's absence. But what Ieyasu was more nervous about was that he may be living with a ghost for a month. Sighing, the blonde looked around, surprised they were now outside the airport and in the middle of town.
"Baka-Yasu, you weren't keeping track of your environment, were you? In Palermo, that could have killed you," a familiar deep voice chastised him. Gasping, Ieyasu looked up, staring into the black orbs of his home tutor, who stood proudly on a lamp post. "Yeah, sorry. Just jet lag and the fact I'm in a country I'm clueless about," the blonde grumbled. Reborn quirked an eyebrow, smirking. "Was that a whine I just heard?"
Ieyasu shook his head, barely managing to stifle a gulp as the raven jumped down. "Reborn-san!" exclaimed his right hand man, greeting him with all the respect he deserved. The others also acknowledged the arcobaleno presence in one way or another, before he spoke up. "Alright, you group of idiots! We going to the mansion right there. Don't look at anyone directly in the eye, and just keep walking."
The groups responses varied from compliance to rejection, but they all followed him anyway. After All, there wasn't much they could do in a different land. Not one of them had the proper means of returning or, for some, to live without another. So, the large party of 9 headed down the street in Palermo. Despite the silent tension surrounding the people, locals easily ignored the suspicious persons. It was everyday they saw strange, dangerous mafioso; why would today be special just because of foreigners. However, a few did spy a glance to the headstone—Reborn.
They knew well of his infamy. 100S of times too many has he drenched their city in blood. He was the deadly servant of Vongola, the Greatest Hitman in all the world, Reborn. What they were more confused about, however, was what he was doing in the middle of the day guiding middle schoolers as if it were a field trip.
Normally, they only saw him during the twilight hours of dusk or dawn, or glimpse his feared silhouette in the wicking hours of the night. They didn't want to see him any more than that, for the 'man' was a herald cloaked in black and masked with scarlet.
Casually, Reborn looked around the procession, as if checking if everyone was still present. However, all those that were on guard of his presence could feel the warning he drilled into their very essence. Shivering, the local townsfolk immediately scurried off, trying desperately to forget they had witnessed Reborn, and that, only for a second, drew his attention. There was nothing more frightening than being in that dark spotlight.
Huffing, Reborn mentally rolled his eyes at the response and barked at the future Vongola family to hurry up. The street they were walking on was a normal, small brick paved crevice of Italian society. Despite the architecture and people, the actions of both orient and western were similar. Pulling back his sleeve to read the time, the raven smirked. Just on time.
Ieyasu obediently trudged after his tutor. He wasn't sure of anything, but knew that they would be staying out of Japan for a month. Whatever hell the Arcobaleno would put him through was unknown, and knowing the hitman, Ieyasu probably shouldn't know. The expression on his face said they were closing in on the target, so the heir sighed, and walked alongside him. Not much else he could do.
However, when the family stopped in front of the mansion, Ieyasu could honestly say he was relieved, shocked, and so happy he had been dead wrong.
What appeared to be some sort of high class inn was 4 stories tall, with freshly painted white coating. It must have been applied within the last 24 hours, since the metallic scent hadn't left the air. The window sills were also new, neat and orange colored, and the windows were polished with pristine, reflecting the sun right into their faces. The lawn was a healthy green, trimmed to perfection, and assorted foliage dotted the lawn strategically for just the right amount of balance. The estate seemed to scream youth, leisure, and Italy. What was strange was, after seeing almost all of the houses below the hill crammed together, was this huge mansion, alone and aloof, like a detached guardian of Palermo. In fact, the people below didn't even look in the direction of the hill.
It was possible the building was Vongola HQ, to which Ieyasu slightly shrank, but Reborn had clearly stated they would be staying in a mansion. The blonde prayed that was the case, and the alternative was they'd spend a month literally on the the ground or in a cave, and though Ieyasu knew that was not going to be enjoyable, he was positive his guardians would kill him. Hibari Kyoya was not an agreeable person, if you could call him that, after all.
Taking a deep breath, Ieyasu resolved to follow his tutor anyway. There wasn't much he could do worrying about. However, since he was one of the first to snap back to normal (besides those that are always composed), and noticed (most likely because of his oh-so handy hyper intuition) that Reborn was also minutely surprised at the appearance of the mansion. He didn't see any change in the smirk that adorned his face since the hitman had picked them up, but Ieyasu could tell there was something different in the way he looked at it. There was confusion, and pride.
After only a brief pause to take the mansion in, Reborn continued up the narrow path that streaked the lawn to the porch. As the 8 teenagers crowded around it, they clearly saw the fascinating engravings, studying them as closely as they could before, without even knowing, the door creaked open. Luckily the late morning sun flooded the building more than enough to illuminate it fully, otherwise they all would have been shocked stiff by the action.
(((((( Reborn POV ))))))
7 a.m. sharp, Sunday, August 2
Reborn opened his eyes, waking from another dreamless night. Immediately, he pulled the yellow silk sheets off his form, casting them off to the side and making a reminder to fashion them presentably after his morning routine. Shifting his body into a sitting position, he glanced at the clock on his bedside. Reading 7, he supposed the late waking was excusable, as he had just learned the truth of a ghost and had barely slept in 10 days, the normal human capacity of sleepless survival.
Walking to the center of his room, which was clear with exception to the rug displaying the Vongola insignia, and started his work out, beginning with warm ups. Deeming 500 push ups, 500 sit ups, 500 pull ups (those are actually really freaking hard!), 20 miles sprint good for 30 minutes. The people of Palermo had grown lax, apparently, because they still stared at a half naked, smexy as hell assassin when he did his morning workout. Of course, Reborn only did this when able, usually at 3 to around 5 (never in front of his students) and would do up to 10 times that amount. However, his time was more restricted than usual, and did this meager amount.
After 10 minutes, a light sweat coating his well built muscles, he began the actually muscle and cardio building activities. Endurance was every mission, so after less than 20 minutes, he finished the immense amount of exercises that would probably take his student several hours to complete and head to the bathroom. Taking another shower, Reborn dried himself, groomed his hair, and ironed his suit. Tightening the black tie around his neck, the hitman jumped out the window.
He checked the jet, pleased it was on route, and unsurprised it was delayed due to the presence of a number of idiots. Reborn was positive they would eventually all agree to his terms. If not, he would have to tortu-'tutor' hia idiot student in leadership skills again.
Reborn checked some of the other strings he had pulled, and made sure they were all good, before going back briefly to HQ to verify something with Nonni. After that, the raven leisurely walked around Palermo. He hadn't been to the city since he had started training that idiot, Ieyasu. Even though that brat never got boring, the Italian scenery was definitely nostalgic and refreshing. However, he had chosen a traveling occupation for a reason (although, he could exactly 'choose', and his 'job' wasn't exactly an occupation...). Staying in one place was like settling down, or weighing anchor. That meant Reborn would have lay his burden onto some poor place, and that burden is best carried by himself. Even if the hitman accumulated more and more 'weight' after each job, Reborn didn't regret his situation. His resolve had been set long ago.
Time flew by as the raven busied himself for an hour, and soon enough it was 9 when he arrived at the airport. Reborn kept his eyes sharp, looming over the people from the rafters and he searched for his idiot student. It took him not even a minute, the colorful group gaining a lot of attention fast. Scoffing at their stupidity, Reborn jumped down from the metal beams so fluidly and swiftly not one noticed his dark form descend. Lurking in their blind spots, Reborn decided to test if they would really follow the rules he set, and followed them for a few minutes.
Pleased that the idiots hadn't killed someone or talked to anyone after a while, the raven approached them. To his disappointment, Ieyasu didn't sense him. In a new environment it's crucial to be alert in a new environment.
Jumping from the tree he was hiding in, Reborn landed on lamp post, squatting down, to get a closer look. Seeing that the idiot still hadn't at least shuddered, the raven smirked, and scolded him.
"Baka-Yasu, you weren't keeping track of your environment, were you? In Palermo, that could have kill you." The middle schooler nearly jumped, lifting his head to find his tutor 10 feet off the ground, now standing. "Yeah, sorry. Just Jet lag and the fact I'm in a country I clueless about," the blonde sneered, crossing his arms defiantly as he spat out the sarcastic answer. Reborn raised his answer. He really couldn't leave the idiot alone for even a week with the heir getting back his ignorant tongue.
"Was that a whine I heard?" Reborn replied with a dangerous glint in his eyes, still bearing a smirk. Satisfied with the fear shooting up his student, the hitman jumped down. Only then did the small crowd realize his presence. Ieyasu's storm guardian welcomed him, and the other acknowledged his presence. "All right, you group of idiots," Reborn declared, "We'll be going to the mansion right there," he said, pointing at the large villa on a hill a mile or two away. "Don't look anyone in the eye and just keep walking."
With, the raven headed off. He knew that the idiots were hesitating, but they all fell into line behind his back. Monitoring the guardians every once in a while to make sure they followed the commandments, he noticed the stares he was amassing. Sighing internally, the raven shot a warning glare at them and continued to Tsuna's mansion. With his pace, they arrived within 10 minutes.
Reborn was astounded at the difference from what he had seen not just several hours ago. The white wash brightened the place significantly, and the orange window boards popped, giving the mansion more life than he thought it ever could have, and complimented the broad door well. The lawn looked and flowers looked perfect, as well. He was greatly impressed that Tsuna had managed to tidy it so quickly.
The hitman hesitated, however, in walking the path to the door. He wondered if all of Baka-Yasu's group could enter the field, but then reminded himself that if they couldn't after all they've been through, they didn't deserve to be guardians. So, after only a moment, Reborn strided up the brick path to the door. All 8 teengaers behind him followed quickly, obviously curious if he had told them the truth about the mansion, and openly surprised that the building was in such a good state.
Calmly, the raven watched as the door moved on its own, silently thanking Tsuna, and amused at the shocking expressions that responded to the action. Minutely shaking his head, Reborn walked in. The inside looked even better, with the walls repainted a warm beige and the carpet now sienna-orange, reminding him of the owner's eyes. The torch and candle holders were now polished, shining gold, and the chandeliers were also polished. There wasn't a speck of dust to be found anywhere.
About to walk further in search of Tsuna, he noticed no one had entered yet. Rolling his eyes, Reborn barked, "Are you going to stay there all day?" Most of them glared at him, weighing the options, when both Mukuro and Hibari willing stepped into the house. Smirking, Reborn quirked at the rest of them, goading them all into bracing the entrance and walk through the door. Content with their response, the raven was about to step forward when a voice stopped him.
"Reborn! Sorry, I was just finishing cleaning! These must be my new tenants," a flustered brunette exclaimed, smiling happily at the group. He had appeared from the hallway to their left, suddenly, without any of them noticing him. Everyone stared at him in surprise, but Reborn quickly regained his composure, walking over to the apparent young adult. The guardians were more slow to recover, gawking (or just intensely staring) at the person.
"No worries. You did such a good job, I hardly recognized the place," Reborn complimented, giving a casual half smile. Tsuna took it in happily, saying how he had just gone with how 'Giotto' liked it best. "How'd you repaint everything so quickly?" Reborn asked, honestly curious. Chuckling, Tsuna replied, "There are more creatures here than you think. I simply asked them." The hitman scoffed, folding his arms over his chest. A creature like that spider? He wondered, glancing at him questioningly. The only response an even brighter smile.
"W-Wait! Um, w-who are you?" the blonde idiot student asked. Tsuna calmly addressed him, not even batting an eyelash, "Reborn didn't tell you? I'm the spectre that owns, or should I say owned, this house. Natsu," he called, any immediately an orange lion appeared, much to the guardians' horror, at his side, rubbing affectionately on his leg. "This is my friend, who has helped me protect this mansion for centuries. Reborn came more yesterday, asking permission for you to be here. I said yes, even though he had already made preparations without my consent. I had to clean really fast, and just barely finished in time."
"why did you say yes?" Hibari suddenly spoke, eyeing the herbivorous spirit. "This was the first Vongola HQ, and I so loved it when Giotto and the rest stayed here, calling this home, and befriending me. I thought it'd be nice to do that again, but..." he paused, his warm chocolate eyes sagging slightly, weighted by sorrow as he inspected them all, "As I worried, you look much too like them..."