Summary: Daemon Spade has finally been defeated, and Tsuna has gained yet another ally with the Shimon family. The inheritance ceremony has gone on as planned, and though Tsuna is now the official heir, there are still doubts that he was the right choice. The Varia are running wild, and the Ninth hopes that by bringing them to his side, Tsuna may gain the support he needs. So the Ninth charges Tsuna with bringing them back under control, but how will Tsuna deal with a disillusioned and embittered Xanxus? Eventual X27 and perhaps some 8059 and D18 as well. We shall see.
Disclaimer: I don't own Katekyo Hitman Reborn or any of its characters.
Warning: Xanxus is in this chapter, and he uses some very strong language. From this chapter on, expect a lot of that.
"speaking" thinking
A Family United Chapter Two: Family Reunion
"Oi! Wake up; it's time for breakfast."
Tsuna immediately lurched out of bed, instinctively covering his head and screaming, "Ahh, Reborn!"
"Relax, Tenth. It's just me, your loyal right hand man here to wake you up."
"Ah, Gokudera, thank goodness."
"Actually, speaking of Reborn, I see you've got a letter from him on your nightstand. We all got one. He must have dropped them off some time in the night. At any rate, you'll have to hurry up and read it. You still need to breakfast, shower and change before we leave for Varia HQ. We are supposed to leave an hour from now. I'll come check up on you fifteen minutes beforehand to make sure you're ready. Okay, Tenth?"
"Yeah, thanks, Gokudera."
A letter from Reborn? Why?
Tsuna carefully opened the letter, half expected a bomb. Instead he found plain white stationary covered in a neat, precise script:
Tsuna,
I had hoped to give you this final advice in person, but the Ninth has called me away on urgent business, so this letter will have to suffice. I am officially no longer your tutor. I know this not because the Ninth has ordered me to another assignment but because Leon has stopped manufacturing any bullets whatsoever, a clear sign that your time as my pupil has come to an end. Leon has, however, made one last thing for you and your guardians. In the closet you will find a suit with the Vongola crest and the emblem of the sky ring. This is my final gift to you. It is strong armor and capable of resisting all but the most powerful deathperation flame attacks.
Now, there is some advice I must give you. First, from now on, always speak in Italian in public. People will not trust you if you're constantly jabbering away in a language they don't understand. My second piece of advice is about the Varia. The Ninth has advised me on his plan and the assignment you have been given. It is a good idea to try to get Xanxus on your side, but I do not believe it is likely to happen. The Ninth and I have discussed this, and we are in agreement that, should you fail, Xanxus must die. More to the point, you must kill him. You will be fending off threats and coups forever unless you destroy Xanxus yourself. If you do that, then at least some will be convinced of your power.
As for what you should say or do to bring Xanxus to your side, I have no idea. I will tell you this, though: consider carefully who you bring with you to Varia HQ. Do not bring anyone likely to arouse Xanxus's anger or stir up trouble. Bring those who he might find some measure of respect for and who you can trust.
One last final piece of advice: never forget why you are here. You may not want to be Vongola Decimo, but it is the only way to protect those who you love. Be strong, because your strength determines whether those you love live or die.
Until we meet again,
Katekyo Hitman Reborn
xxxxx
The words of Reborn's letter played through his head again and again as he prepared to leave. With ten minutes left, he walked out of his door to find all of his guardians assembled outside of his door in suits similar to his own. Even Lambo was there, crawling on the floor and insisting he wanted to go play with everyone else.
"All right!" Ryohei said as he threw his fist in the air, "We're ready, Sawada, let's go and do this assignment to the extreme!"
"No one's told us what's going on yet." Chrome admitted timidly, "But if you're going, Boss. I want to go too."
Everyone's here, but I can't take them all. Lambo's definitely out of the question. Reborn said people who won't agitate Xanxus and who I can trust, but he didn't say how many. Think, think! What would the Vongola Boss do? Come to think of it, Nono usually only has two guys with him in meetings, either that or he's alone. Two seems right, but who? Yamamoto, definitely. He gets along well with Squalo, and we need all the tranquility we can get, but who else?
Tsuna's eyes then met with Gokudera's hopeful emerald orbs, and he felt that sinking sensation in his stomach. I want to bring Gokudera, but he's sure to cause trouble. Still, a boss wouldn't just leave his right hand man behind. I can't leave Gokudera. There's no one I trust more than him. He deserves to be my right hand man. There's no one more loyal or harder working than him. He has to come, whether Reborn thinks it's the best choice or not.
"Actually," Tsuna addressed his guardians at last, "I can only bring two of you. Gokudera, you are my right hand man, so you're coming. Yamamoto, you are my left hand man, so you'll also be coming. Everyone else will meet after this. I have a feeling there will be a lot to discuss."
"All right! I hope your mission goes extremely well! In the meantime, I'm going to be training to the extreme!"
"All right, good." As the remaining guardians cleared off, Tsuna sent Yamamoto ahead to the car, but had Gokudera hang back. "Gokudera, I want to talk to you about something. To be honest, I don't think Reborn wanted me to bring you on this assignment."
"I know."
"What?"
"In the letter, he told me you wouldn't bring me, because I would be the wrong choice."
"Well, he may be right about that, but you're my right hand man, and I trust you. I'll explain in the car, but this mission is going to require that we all be very calm and patient. Just promise me that no matter what happens, you won't allow yourself to be provoked. Even if you see getting beaten to a pulp or knocked unconscious, promise me that you won't make a move unless someone physically attacks you directly. Can you promise me that?"
"I can, but, if I may, I want a promise in return. Promise me that you'll be careful, and that this, whatever it is, is the best thing for the family."
"Gokudera, I promise. I'll always do what's best for the family."
"Then," Gokudera said as he kneeled down and pressed his head to the floor, "I swear too, to obey your commands in this and every other matter as your right hand man."
"Gokudera, you don't have to kneel! Come on, get up. We don't want to be late."
"Anything you say, Tenth."
xxxxx
Despite Gokudera's assurances, Tsuna couldn't help but feel nervous as he stood in front of Varia HQ, not only for Gokudera but for all three of them. As they strode up to the imposing front gate of the headquarters, a sudden terror gripped Tsuna. What am I doing here? I'm in Italy about to confront the head of the most powerful assassination squad in the entire mafia world. This can't possibly be right. This can't possibly be me. I should be home in Japan, enjoying summer break, preparing to go to high school. What am I doing here? I can't do this. I don't belong here. I'm not mafia. I have to get out, before it's too late.
Then the last words of Reborn's letter played in his head again: Be strong, because your strength determines whether those you love live or die. With those words Tsuna was able to remember his resolve to protect his family and all those precious to him. We can do this.
When they arrived at the door, they were admitted by a member of the Levi Lightning Squad who explained, "Most of the Varia captains are on a mission, though they are scheduled to arrive soon. I understand that you will be speaking with them before you leave. At any rate, only Captian Levi and the boss are home right now. Shall I bring you to my Captain?"
"No, I will speak with Xanxus first."
"O-okay." The tremor of fear in the man's voice was unmistakable. Since his realization that there truly was no turning back, the eerie calm of his resolve had settled over Tsuna. So while he could certainly sympathize with the fear of the now visibly tremboing Lighting Squad member, he did not share in it. Still, his senses, heightened by his strengthened resolve, told him that this level of fear was unusual even where Xanxus was concerned. His suspicions were confirmed when the man stopped them at the beginning of a long corridor. "His office is the last one on the left."
Too scared to even take us all the way to the door. What the hell has Xanxus been up to?
"All right, thank you very much for your help. I'll have Gokudera or Yamamoto alert you if we need anything else." With that dismissal, the man nodded and walked away from the corridor at a pace to put any speed-walker to shame. Setting the man aside, Tsuna turned to his guardians. "Gokudera, I want you to stay here and guard this hallway. No one is to come in until I'm finished with Xanxus, but remember your promise. You must not provoke anything. I will not have it said that the next generation came into Varia headquarters and started an unprovoked fight with senior Vongola members. Yamamoto, will you notify all of the captains that I will be meeting with them each individually as soon as I am finished with Xanxus. The others should be back by then, but we'll start with Levi, and I want to speak to Squalo last."
"Wow, Tsuna! You're really beginning to sound like a boss." Yamamoto commented with his classic 1000 watt smile.
"You think so? I don't know about that. Well...Anyways, you're both clear on what your job is?" After he received a nod from both of his guardians, Tsuna said, "Well then, I have to go speak with Xanxus. This may take a while, but remember what I said and stick to your parts."
That said, Tsuna headed for Xanxus's office, and he realized belatedly that he had no plan whatsoever for confronting Xanxus. Idiot! You worried so much about Xanxus, and you didn't even come up with a plan! Soon all thoughts were banished from his head as classical music being blasted on high volume began to assault his eardrums. He had caught a faint murmur of it at the end of the hall, but as he neared Xanxus's office he began to realize that it was, in fact, painfully loud. Ordinarily Tsuna would have knocked, but he reasoned that with music at that volume, Xanxus would never be able to hear him anyways, so he just walked right in.
There, enthroned in all his glory upon a red velvet chair, sat the head of the Varia Independent Assassination Squad. The moment Tsuna opened the door Xanxus's voice cut across the music, "The fuck do you want, trash?" Then as he got another look at Tsuna, his eyes narrowed and he simply said, "It's you." Then he pulled out his guns and blasted two huge bullets at Tsuna.
Tsuna only had a chance for one last coherent thought. Shit! He's going to kill me before I even get a chance to take one of the pills! Then the bullets made impact, and as the rubble cleared Tsuna realized that, as luck would have it, Xanxus had missed.
He missed by a lot, nearly three feet. Lucky! Or maybe not. This whole place wreaks of alcohol, and it's filthy. There are empty liquor bottles everywhere. It looks like he's just too drunk too see straight.
"What the fuck are you doing here, Tsunayoshi Sawada? Get out, before I kill you."
"No, Xanxus, I can't do that. Vongola Nono sent me here to speak with you."
"The old man, huh? Finally sent you to kill me off did he? What are you waiting for then, trash? Bring it on!"
"Actually, your father sent me here to try to reason with you. I'm to kill you only as a last resort, but that's not going to happen. I will reason with you."
"My father? You know that bastard is a liar. I'm not his son, and don't you ever fucking lie to me and say I am. So what, you and the old geezer think you can reason with me? You think I'm just some fool you can bend to you will? Just because you went through the inheritance ceremony doesn't mean shit. Once a piece of trash, always a fucking piece of trash."
"Enough. Xanxus, I hoped to come here today to talk with you, but I see now that's pointless. You're not in a fit state to have this kind of discussion, but we will have this discussion. I will come back in a week, and we will talk then, and you will be sober. That means no more alcohol."
"Oh yeah, and how are you going to stop me? You can't order me around, damn kid." With that said, Xanxus pulled out his guns and aimed. Once again, he missed by a long shot, but this time, Tsuna responded. He quickly popped a dying will pill. Then, he walked up to Xanxus and immediately sucked every flame out of his body using his Zero Point Breakthrough Custom. Without his flames, Xanxus was reduced to little more than a drunken mass of anger and bitterness.
After cutting off the insufferably loud music, Tsuna turned back to Xanxus. "I'm taking your guns." Tsuna informed him. "I'm taking your box weapon too. You can have them back when you're fit to be the boss of the Varia. In the meantime, I'm sealing you here."
As Tsuna explained that, he saw for the first moment an expression other than rage cross Xanxus's face. It was brief, but there was an undeniable look of terror. Seeing that, if only for a moment, Tsuna couldn't help but pity Xanxus. Tsuna knew then, that sealing him again would accomplish nothing.
When Nono sealed him, it only served to fuel his anger. I can't do that to him again, but I have to get keep him here until he's sober. Not to mention his subordinates need a chance away from the craziness. There's only one thing to do. I'll have to seal this entire room.
Decision made, Tsuna turned to Xanxus, "Are there any other rooms connected to this one?"
"The fuck kind of question is that?"
"Xanxus, please, just answer me. I'm trying to find a way to keep from sealing you away and wasting the next decade of your life."
After considering that for a moment, Xanxus said, "There's a private bathroom connected to this room. Nothing else."
"Is there a shower in it."
"What are you gonna take a bath? Need to clean up after you kill me? Wouldn't want to go back to Headquarters with the blood of Nono's bastard son now would you?"
Slap!
The sound rang clearly across the room, and Tsuna seemed just as shocked- if not more shocked than Xanxus- at his own actions. "Enough. I'm not killing you. I'm not sealing you. Nono made a mistake when he tried to just lock you away. No, I'm going to deal with you whether you like it or not, because it's the only way I can save you. Now answer my question. Is there a shower in the bathroom?"
"And if there is?"
Slap!
"What's the matter, trash, too weak to actually punch me? Too weak to fight me?"
"No, Xanxus, I won't fight you, because you're not worth fighting, not like this. You're drunk and weak and pathetic. If you want me to fight you, then you need to be in fighting condition. What is this? The Xanxus I know would never just sit here, wallowing in his own misery, feeling sorry for himself. I don't know who you are, or what you've done with the real Xanxus, but either give him back or answer my question. Is there a shower in the bathroom?"
"Fucking trash. Yes, there's a damn shower."
"Good. In that case, I won't have to move you at all. I am going to seal you in here."
"I thought you said you weren't sealing me, trash. You're a fucking liar, just like the rest of them."
"I am not sealing you personally. I am sealing the room. You will be unable to get out. You will, however, still be able to move. You will not be frozen."
Upon hearing this, Tsuna saw a brief shimmer of relief in Xanxus's eyes, but then the ever-present rage overpowered it, and Xanxus was back to his usual state. Frustrated, Tsuna merely sighed before getting to work. He first rooted through the room for every last ounce of alcohol and tossed it all out of one of Xanxus's windows. Then he proceeded to seal every wall, floor and ceiling of the Varia Boss's office using Zero Point Breakthrough First Edition. It was a tedious undertaking, and Tsuna was frequently interrupted by a livid Xanxus, who did his best to impede the process. His best was certainly not impressive. Tsuna immediately perceived why Xanxus had heretofore remained seated. The Varia leader was quite literally falling down drunk. That didn't stop him from repeatedly trying to attack Tsuna, until Tsuna had at last sealed everything but the office door.
After wresting the key from Xanxus, Tsuna was able to seal everything but the door knob and lock. He managed to keep the hinges intact, and the door was still able to swing open and closed. For the moment, Tsuna locked the door from the outside. That would keep Xanxus occupied for a while, but it would not be long before Xanxus regained his flame. At which point he would burn the knob to a crisp and use the empty hole to swing the door opened. Tsuna definitely did not want to let the now completely infuriated wielder of the rage flame escape. Though admittedly, if it did happen, he wouldn't be hard to fine, since Tsuna was sure Xanxus would immediately seek to settle the score between them.
Nerves frayed and at the limits of his patience, Tsuna left Xanxus fuming in his office, only to be confronted by an equally frustrating scene in the hall corridor. To his credit, Gokudera had perfectly obeyed Tsuna's instructions. He did not seem to be attacking at all. Instead, he and Yamamoto were standing behind System C.A.I., and Gokudera was defending a barrage of attacks from both Squalo and Levi. The other Varia Captains, though not engaging in the battle, were all watching and shouting words of encouragement or placing bets.
"ENOUGH!"
Tsuna's scream, loud enough to make Squalo's "VOII!" seem like a quiet whisper in comparison, startled everyone from the impending fight between Varia and Vongola guardians. After he had everyone's attention, Tsuna continued in a quiet, yet equally forceful voice. "As of today, there are going to be some changes around Varia HQ. I have already spoken with your boss. Now, I am going to speak with each of you individually, but first I am going to debrief you all. I'll be happy to answer any questions then. Anyone who has a problem will end up like Xanxus who is currently sitting entombed in his office, which I have frozen over with the Zero Point Breakthrough First Edition until I feel like letting him out. Now unless you want to join him, you will stop fighting and listen while I explain the new procedure around Varia HQ."
"Voi," Squalo began clearly stunned. "You've really got some guts, Vongola brat. Come on, the conference room is this way." Gesturing down another hallway, Squalo began to lead Tsuna and his guardians along with the rest of the Varia Captains to what promised to be a very interesting meeting.
xxxxx
a/n: That's all for now. This chapter wasn't very much fun, since Xanxus was too drunk to do anything interesting. I promise it's going to get a lot better once he's sober. Next chapter will be coming soon. I'm worried that I've made everyone really OOC. Please review and let me know what you think.