"We're nearly there." Tsuna's head practically touched the roof of the jet's cabin, startled by the voice right beside him, which was now chuckling at his reaction. Turning, he found Ganauche standing beside his seat, bending over so that they could speak at eye level.
"I didn't mean to scare you." He apologized between his poorly hidden snickers. "You caught some hang time there."
"A-ah…" Tsuna rubbed the back of his head sheepishly, his cheeks heating up in embarrassment. Halfway through the trip, he had opted to move to a seat separate from his three friends in an attempt to get some sleep. All he had succeeded in doing was staring out the window as his mind ran in circles, leaving him no less tired than he had started out, which in turn left him much easier to startle. "Sorry. I was just thinking, I guess."
"Well, I would certainly hope so." The Ninth's lightning guardian replied casually as he leaned against the back of Tsuna's seat. He and Coyote had been assigned to escort the four of them, which Tsuna was thankful for. Out of all the ninth generation guardians, from what little he had seen of them, he found Ganauche to be the most approachable and amiable. "You have a lot to think about."
"Ah…" The boy sighed heavily, sinking low into the seat, which was far too soft and wide to be considered a typical airplane seat. It must have been what sitting in first class felt like – if not even more luxurious. "I can't help but wonder if I've gotten in over my head."
"I would've assumed you had already considered that long before now." The man's eyebrows lifted in surprise. Tsuna couldn't help but laugh a little at the truth of his statement.
"Every single day," His tired response gained him a sympathetic look. "But this is the first time I've actually considered the option seriously."
"Well…" Ganauche tapped his chin, looking upwards thoughtfully. "It's not going to be easy. I'll be frank and tell you that up front right now. But it can also be a lot of fun!"
"What sort of nonsense are you spouting now?" A new voice joined in. The growling tone made Tsuna jump again and he grit his teeth in an attempt to hide his jumpiness. This time, even Ganauche flinched, and they both turned to find the Ninth's intimidating storm guardian.
"O-oh! Um…" Tsuna flinched as the elderly man's harsh gaze shifted onto him. He really looked rather intimidating. His face had gained a few new scars since Tsuna had seen him last, and he was almost certain he knew the reason behind it. "Eh…I-it was, um…"
"Hm?" The man lifted an eyebrow, making Tsuna swallow nervously.
"I mean, um, your name…it was C-Coyote, right?"
"That is correct, Tenth." At this point, he looked as though he were growing impatient with Tsuna's nervous stutters, which honestly didn't help the boy's nerves.
"I'm, um…" Tsuna scratched the back of his neck awkwardly, trying to figure out how to phrase his words correctly. Oh, you're not dead? That's great! That probably wasn't the best option, no. "I'm glad you're okay."
Ganauche had begun to snicker again, holding his hand up to cover his mouth as Coyote's eyebrow lifted even higher.
"Last I had heard, I mean, at the inheritance ceremony – I only heard that Enma and his family had discovered you following them. I didn't really know if you had, um…" Taking a deep breath, Tsuna let it out slowly, trying to calm himself down enough to utter a coherent thought. "I'm sorry for the trouble that caused you. I'm grateful that the consequences weren't worse."
At that point, both of Coyote's eyebrows had lifted into his hairline. Ganauche had stopped laughing, and was simply smiling warmly at the young, flustered boy.
"…Thank you, Tsunayoshi." Coyote finally said, clearly surprised by Tsuna's words.
"Well, would you look at that," A female voice broke into the conversation. "Timoteo's heir is a little sweetheart."
A woman was standing in the doorway that led to the jet's cockpit. She looked to be only slightly younger than Coyote, with short graying hair that had been styled neatly under the bulky aviation headset she had on. That, along with the crisp navy uniform she wore, made her look both professional and utterly intimidating. Though she was smiling, Tsuna was frozen in place as soon as he locked eyes with the woman. They were a smoky shade of blue, nothing particularly unusual, but her gaze possessed such an air of intensity that he felt a shiver go down his spine.
"Tsunayoshi, this is Lyric Fondante. She's a member of the Ninth's inner circle who just happens to specialize in aircraft." Coyote took the chance to formally introduce the two, either unaware of the fact that Tsuna was practically cowering in his seat, or choosing to ignore it. "In my opinion, flying planes is all she's good for."
The woman adopted an unamused expression, lifting an eyebrow challengingly at the old storm guardian.
"Is someone still sore over the fact that I beat him on the shooting range yesterday?" She teased, gaining an irritated grumble from him. Tsuna's eye twitched slightly. Perhaps it was his hyper intuition kicking in, but it didn't take a genius to pick up on the energy that had suddenly become so potent – he honestly didn't feel comfortable watching two elderly Mafiosi flirt passive aggressively.
It was bad enough having to deal with that in high school, but this was just plain weird. His uncomfortable squirming caught Lyric's eye, and she shot him a slightly apologetic smirk.
"Anyways, I was just popping out to let you know we're due to land in just a few minutes, so get yourselves seated and buckled in." She chuckled, cutting her conversation with Coyote short.
"Couldn't you have used the intercom for that?" Ganauche asked as he maneuvered himself into a seat, Coyote following suit.
"Wanted an excuse to see our little heir's cute face," She shrugged, shooting Tsuna a wink. She laughed as the boy's face turned a pale shade of pink. "Why don't you pass the message on to your boys in the back? They've been getting pretty rowdy."
He nodded, getting up quickly. As she returned to the cockpit, he pushed through the curtain that led to the common seating area. Sure enough, the three boys were as loud and rambunctious as Tsuna would have expected. Reborn was, predictably, nowhere to be found.
"Tenth!" Gokudera exclaimed as soon as he saw Tsuna emerge, despite the fact that he seemed preoccupied with Ryohei.
"Oh, Shawahda!" The boxer yelled as well. Tsuna blinked, taking in the sight before him. Ryohei seemed to be trying to mess with Gokudera's hair, while the other struggled to keep him at bay by smashing his hands against his face. Currently, the boxer's cheeks were being stretched out, butchering the pronunciation of his words.
"Yo, Tsuna!" Yamamoto greeted brightly from where he sat, laughing at the spectacle.
"Uh…" Tsuna stared at them blankly for another moment, before taking the seat beside Yamamoto. "W-we're landing soon. The pilot says to put your seatbelts on."
"It's about time!" Gokudera growled, shoving Ryohei away again by planting is palm against the boxer's nose, making the other grunt with a small snort. As the jet began to descend, Yamamoto happily explained that he and Ryohei had discovered Gokudera's particular hatred of puns.
In the short amount of time it took for the jet's wheels to touch the ground, Gokudera had gained Tsuna's sympathy, as the boys seemed to have an endless supply of boxing and baseball themed puns stored away. It was almost as if they had been storing them away for an occasion such as this, which Tsuna was beginning to strongly suspect might be true. How in the world could someone have so many sports puns?
As they exited the plane single file, Gokudera had been reduced to little more than an agitated, grumbling mess. Tsuna laughed awkwardly, doing his best to calm him down. He could tell the bomber was feeling particularly tense, as the boy was keeping a maximum distance of just a couple inches between the two of them at all times. He was practically clinging onto Tsuna, which would have been endearing if he wasn't spewing a long string of cuss words while clutching a stick of dynamite, threatening to blow the jet to pieces. As they passed the cockpit on the way to the exit, Lyric caught part of his mutterings.
"Kid, if you put so much as a scratch on this plane…" Her eyes narrowed, leaving the rest of the threat unspoken. Gokudera immediately bristled, and Yamamoto placed a hand heavily on his shoulder before the angry boy could open his mouth and spout something undoubtedly insulting.
"Come on, let's go see what it looks like out there!" The baseball player suggested happily, firmly steering the bomber out the door. Tsuna let out a small breath of relief, silently grateful he had Yamamoto to help keep Gokudera in check. The boy, suitably enough, was like a bomb, ready to go off at the smallest provocation.
As they climbed down the steps from the jet directly onto the landing strip, Tsuna squinted against the bright sun. It looked to be about late afternoon – the air was pleasantly warm, a small breeze just barely rustling the grass growing off to either side of the runway. Staring directly ahead, though, Tsuna could only gape. Directly before them, a massive mansion sat regally, the intricate architecture spanning outwards as far as the eye could see.
"This is EXTREME!" Ryohei exclaimed in excitement, being the first to break the silence while the other boys remained speechless.
"Is that the airport?" Yamamoto asked, clueless.
"No," Lyric chuckled. "It's Vongola Headquarters."
"This is where you four will be staying for the duration of your visit," Coyote elaborated, causing their eyes to widen. Ignoring their reactions, Coyote began making his way towards the mansion, beckoning for them to follow. "Come. The Ninth is waiting for you inside."
"Just a moment," Lyric interrupted, holding Tsuna back with a light touch to his shoulder. "There's someone that would like to meet you before you leave, Tsunayoshi."
"Is this really the time?"
"It'll only take a minute, you impatient old coot." Meeting Coyote's disapproving gaze, she rolled her eyes. Tsuna blinked a few times in confusion as she turned him back towards the jet. A young woman he had not seen earlier now stood by the exit, her hands folded politely as she waited patiently. She had long red hair tied back into a neat bun, and wore a similar uniform to Lyric. "This is Fiammetta, one of my trainees and my co-pilot on this particular trip."
"It's, um, nice to meet you?" He greeted hesitantly.
His confusion only grew as she ignored his extended hand, simply sinking down to one knee before him. She kept her head bowed as she placed a loosely clenched fist over her heart.
"It's an honor to meet you, Vongola the Tenth." She declared loudly. Tsuna was speechless. He was still beyond perplexed, but seeing her kneeling before him felt far too uncomfortable.
"Y-you don't have to do that! You can stand. Um, p-please," He told her frantically. Lifting her face to look at him, she got to her feet hesitantly.
"I'm overjoyed to have you visiting us. I hope the trip wasn't too uncomfortable." She said, looking nervous.
"Not at all," Tsuna replied with genuine surprise. How could he have been uncomfortable on a plane like that? He grinned, laughing a bit at how ridiculous her question sounded. "It was great!"
She looked surprised for a moment, before a warm smile spread over her face.
"I'm glad to hear that, Vongola Tenth. I sincerely hope you enjoy the rest of your stay here." Her Japanese was oddly formal, with a slight hint of an accent. It was clearly her second language, even though he had no trouble understanding her.
"Th-thank you." He replied, flustered by how genuine she sounded, before turning back around. Lyric had taken him by the shoulders again, steering him away as Coyote continued to glare daggers in their direction. She leaned down to speak into his ear as she guided him back towards the mansion.
"You'd better get used to this now." She murmured with an amused smile. "She specifically requested to accompany me on this flight, so that she could have the chance to meet you in person."
"Me?" Tsuna repeated, shocked. "Why?"
"You're the Ninth's heir. You've already earned the title of 'Tenth', whether you want it or not. Even the mafia isn't free of gossip, Tsunayoshi – word has spread about you and your abilities. She's not going to be the only one treating you like a king here. Consider that my bit of friendly advice for the day."
"Are you done?" Coyote growled as they approached the group, Tsuna stuttering incomprehensibly. The stern man shot him a curious glance, but didn't comment.
"Yes, yes, the kids are all yours. Give the Ninth my regards." Lyric responded casually, pushing Tsuna towards them. "I'll see you around."
She waved over her shoulder as she turned to leave, walking back towards the plane. Ganauche chuckled as Coyote grumbled under his breath, ordering them to follow him once again.
"Are you okay, Tsuna?" Yamamoto asked with a worried tone as they entered the mansion, able to clearly see that he was out of sorts. Blinking hard as his eyes adjusted to the new lighting, Tsuna pulled himself out of his shock and tried to give the baseball player a reassuring smile.
"A-ah, I'm fine." He could tell the boy wasn't buying it. "I'm just a little overwhelmed, that's all."
"It is pretty big!" Yamamoto agreed with a laugh, completely missing the point as usual, but he was able to make Tsuna smile and relax just a bit more. Coyote and Ganauche led them down to the very end of a long corridor, which in turn led to a pair of large oaken double doors. Knocking sharply, Coyote waited for an invitation from within before opening the doors.
"Tsunayoshi and his guardians have just arrived." He announced as he entered.
"Send them in."
Stepping aside, Coyote motioned for them to enter. As the four of them stepped into the Ninth's large office, their escorts hovered in the doorway. The Ninth sat behind a large desk in the middle of the room, setting aside a pile of paperwork.
"Thank you, Coyote, Ganauche. You may leave us for now." He told them with a smile. Bowing their heads in respect, the two men backed out of the room, closing the doors behind them.
"So," The Ninth said as he put his pen away. He turned to face them with a warm smile, folding his hands in front of him as he leaned forward. "Welcome to Italy. How was your trip?"
Tsuna was surprised to find the other three remaining completely silent. Glancing around, he realized they were all standing rigidly, their faces betraying how nervous they must have been feeling. Somehow, knowing he wasn't the only one that felt intimidated by all of the formality made Tsuna feel slightly more at ease.
"I-it was very comfortable." He replied on their behalf.
"That's good to hear." The Ninth said with a grandfatherly smile. "I imagine you're tired. I've arranged for a room to be prepared for each of you, and I made sure to clear your schedule for the rest of the day so that you can rest if you need it. I've asked your guides to hold off on visiting until tomorrow."
"Guides?" Tsuna asked.
"Yes. I would like for you to begin familiarizing yourselves with the surrounding area as soon as possible, so I've arranged for each of you to have a designated guide that will show you the relevant parts of the city. Gokudera," He said, turning to the bomber.
"Y-yes!" The boy stiffened, causing the Ninth to smile in amusement.
"You're already somewhat familiar with the area, correct?"
"I knew it well before leaving for Japan," He affirmed.
"Wonderful. I imagine some things will have changed, though, so I've arranged for your sister to be your guide – she'll get you up to date."
"U-understood!" Gokudera made a small choking noise as soon as he heard the word 'sister', but nodded agreeably, clearly not wanting to disrespect the current boss.
"Perfect. Then, Sasagawa Ryohei," The Ninth turned to the boxer next. "I understand you're familiar with a former COMSUBIN member known as Colonello?"
"Oh!" He exclaimed excitedly. "He's an extreme trainer!"
"Good," The Ninth said with a smile. "He's agreed to be your guide for at least one day. And Yamamoto Takeshi," He turned to face the swordsman as Ryohei cheered loudly.
"You'll be with me." A familiar voice interrupted as Reborn appeared from out of nowhere, as he was known to do.
"Yo!" Yamamoto greeted him with a happy laugh, hardly fazed. "I'm looking forward to it!"
"And finally, Tsunayoshi-kun," Tsuna tore his attention from his friends' various reactions to face the Ninth. "I've arranged for you to have a local guide, a lower member of the Vongola family that is fluent in Japanese and will function as your translator. I would like for you to begin meeting other members of the family as quickly as possible. The sooner the better, don't you think?"
"Eh…" Honestly, Tsuna was petrified of the idea. He was envisioning spending the day being led around by a violent, burly Mafioso, and he was less than thrilled by the idea. Despite that, he didn't want to disappoint the Ninth, who was looking at him with an expression of pure joy. "Yes. I-I think that would be good."
"Wonderful! I'll have someone show you to your rooms, then, and I'll begin making preparations for your day out tomorrow. I look forward to hearing what you think, and I hope you enjoy your time here."
"I'm looking forward to it as well." Tsuna replied, mirroring the man's smile. Perhaps it was simply the Ninth's mood rubbing off on him, or maybe it was the nerves finally settling down, but Tsuna was surprised to find that he genuinely meant what he said. He was excited to see what Italy had to show him, and the thought made him almost giddy. He certainly wasn't regretting his decision yet, and though they had only just arrived, he felt encouraged by that small fact.
Maybe, just maybe, this wouldn't be so bad.
A/N: And we're in Italy! I decided to try playing around a bit with the ninth generation guardians. I was disappointed that we didn't get to see more of them, but I liked the concept as well as their character designs. Since I don't have very much to work with, I'm taking some liberties with their personalities and relationships. I hope I did a decent job - I had fun with them, so hopefully I'll have the chance to bring them back and even work with the other guardians, but we'll see.
Again, thank you for reading and taking the time to leave such kind reviews! I hope you enjoyed this chapter!