Tsuna felt her smile fall right off her face when she opened her bedroom door to find a young boy, probably ten years old, sitting at her table in the middle of her room.
"Clearly, I need to install locks on my door and window," Tsuna grumbled. "Kid, out."
"But... Tsuna-onee-san, please..." the child begged.
"Whatever it is, it can be talked about in the lounge room, where guests are supposed to sit, and not in my bedroom, which is supposed to be my private space," Tsuna ordered, and pointed firmly out of her door. Tsuna was also going to talk to her mother about letting people into her room, just in case the kid had been shown up by Nana, rather than sneaked in. "Out."
Once Tsuna had gotten changed, had a quick chat to her mother, and made herself a cup of tea, she went to sit across from the boy who had – as instructed – taken a seat in the lounge room.
"Alright Kid, now, who are you, and what do you want?" Tsuna asked, blunt, but not unkind.
"My name is Fuuta," the boy said. A name completely incongruous with his distinctly European looks. "The Mafia is after me."
"Of course they are," Tsuna groused with a sigh. "Why?"
"He's also known as 'Ranking Fuuta'," Reborn said as he hopped up onto another chair. "He's an information specialist who has no equal when creating a ranking. Fuuta's ranking accuracy is one-hundred percent. Meaning, if one were to use his ranking book to create a strategy, he could win any battle, and it would be easy to take over the world."
"So, are the Mafia after the kid, who clearly needs to learn to lie, or the book, which he shouldn't have made in the first place?" Tsuna checked. "Because if they're just after the book, then we should probably burn it somewhere that the Mafia after the boy can see."
"That would just make them more likely to go after Fuuta himself," Reborn pointed out, even as Fuuta wrapped his arms around the book protectively.
"So follow the burning with blatantly inaccurate rankings," Tsunahime said with a shrug. "If you want to be safe from people who want to use you for your ability to rank things, then you're going to have to stop ranking things, or stop writing them down at least. I'm sorry, I can tell that the book is precious to you, but it really isn't sensible to write those sorts of things down."
"But I forget them if I don't," Fuuta protested.
Tsuna shrugged.
"But why do you need to remember?" she countered.
"Ah, and this is why Sawada Tsunahime-onee-san is ranked number one for solving conflicts without committing direct violence..." Fuuta said weakly as he clutched his book very tightly to his chest. He clearly didn't like the idea of burning it. Tears sprung up in his eyes as he slowly, shakily, handed over the book of rankings. "Thank you, Tsuna-onee-san."
~oOo~
People were being hospitalised. The captain of the kendo club was first, then the captain of the judo club, then Sasagawa Ryohei who was also captain of the boxing club, and many more. All of the victims were strong fighters who attended Namimori Middle. Even a few members of the Discipline Committee were being taken to the hospital.
Tsunahime spent a lot of money on flowers that weekend, and a lot of time at the hospital. Then again, a lot of people were spending time at the hospital. A lot more as concerned friends, than as the injured, thankfully.
"Hm? What's this?" Tsuna asked when she returned home from visiting at the hospital. There were a lot of flyers on the kitchen table. "Judo, kendo, aikido..." There were more than just those on the flyers as well.
"Which do you think is best, Tsu-chan?" Nana asked.
"Are you going to learn one, Mama?"
"No, but I'd like you to learn one. With all the violence going on right now, I worry," Nana explained. "You should be able to protect yourself."
"Ah, I see. Except that in this instance, that would seem to be counter-productive," Tsuna pointed out, even as she bent to look over the flyers again. "The people getting beat up are only those who have invested their time and effort into learning how to fight. Becoming proficient might make me a target, rather than keep me safe."
"I'd like to ask Ranking Fuuta which of these styles would be best suited to you," Reborn added thoughtfully. "Unfortunately, he's disappeared."
"He ranked me as number one for solving conflicts without committing direct violence, remember?" Tsuna prompted him with a narrow look. "And if he's missing, maybe that should concern you more than which fighting style you think I should be learning."
"You don't hesitate to use violence on Gokudera," Reborn countered.
"That's negative reinforcement," Tsuna quibbled. "If he fails to remember something I told him, he gets punished. It was obvious from the beginning that he won't listen to words that aren't backed up with action. Negative reinforcement is not the same as direct violence."
"And your first confrontation with him?" Reborn prodded. "Your threats to Dino and his men?"
"Extreme negative reinforcement. Initially developed for extreme cases. Incidentally, it is also extremely effective."
~oOo~
My Dear Vongola the Tenth,
I've heard from Reborn about how much you've grown. It seems like the time has come for you to take the next step. I am giving you an order: capture Mukuro Rokudo and the other two escapees and rescue their captive.
I wish you luck.
Vongola the Ninth.
PS. If you refuse, you'll be treated as a traitor and will be killed.
~oOo~
Tsunahime considered the letter that Reborn had brought back from his flying visit to Italy. The pint-sized hitman had confirmed that the person who was terrorising Namimori was actually someone who had been kicked out of the Mafia.
And now she was being told to clean up after their messes – or die.
"Well," Tsuna said as she passed the letter – it was in Italian, not Japanese, but the language was something that Reborn had been tutoring her in since he'd arrived – back to Reborn. "That is certainly interesting."
"Oh?" Reborn pressed.
"Did you, or did you not, tell me when you arrived that I was the last viable heir to the Vongola?" Tsuna reminded the hitman.
"Ah, yes, I did," Reborn confirmed.
"Which means that, if I am killed, Vongola would be without a viable heir," Tsuna pointed out.
Reborn didn't blink. His expression went very suddenly blank though. Tsuna's private theory about Reborn not having eyelids at all gained a little more credence.
"I'm beginning to wonder if that isn't what the Ninth actually wants," Tsuna mused thoughtfully.
"What makes you think he would want that?" Reborn demanded.
Tsuna shrugged. "I don't know. It just seems suspicious to me. Maybe he doesn't want to share the power, maybe he wants the Vongola to fall, maybe he wants to live forever and rule the Vongola forever. I don't know. It's definitely suspicious though, that I'm the only living heir, and he's ordering me into a life-or-death situation, with the threat of death if I don't comply."
"Hm... Tsuna -"
"I'll go," she cut him off. "I'm worried about Hibari-sempai. He should have been back by now, regardless of what this Rokudo person did to get kicked out of the Mafia. And the vice-chair of the Discipline Committee, Kusakabe-sempai, had both legs broken and was badly concussed just outside of the hospital not long ago."
"Mukuro killed an entire Famiglia."
"Is that all?" Tsuna asked, surprised. "I'd think that would have the various Mafia Families clamouring to welcome and claim him. Huh... and yet, he's left every one of the Namimori students alive. Nearly critical in some cases, but still... Huh."
~oOo~
"Kyoko-chan."
"Tsuna-chan?"
"You know your brother lied about how he hurt himself."
"Hai. He was beaten up by somebody."
"Feel like returning the favour?"
"... Hai."
~oOo~
"Hana-chan."
"Tsuna-chan."
"Strap on your stilettos."
"Haa?"
"There are some monkeys that need to be taught not to throw their shit."
"Hm," Hana hummed with a smirk.
~oOo~
"Miura-chan?"
"Hahi! Oh, Sawada-chan! How are you? I've heard about all the violence, desu. It seems that... that... your school is being targeted."
"Yes. I've found out who's doing it. Will you help me?"
"Hahi? Help you? Sawada-chan, what are you going to do, desu?"
"Repay them in kind. The people who did it got kicked out of the Mafia, but they haven't killed anybody here yet. I'd like to keep it that way, and teach them the error of their ways."
"Oh. Okay! Haru will help, desu!"
~oOo~
"Yamamoto-san."
"Oh, Sawada-chan!"
"You've noticed that some people aren't playing by the rules of polite society, ne?"
"Mm. All those people in the hospital..."
"Please collect the special bat that Reborn-san gave you. We're going to put these people in a time-out."
"Hahaha! Sure thing, Sawada-chan!"
"Rules for engagement with the opposing side are to give no quarter. Beat them the way they have beaten our friends."
"Ah, so," Yamamoto said, and that lightness, that joking attitude, faded from the boy's eyes in favour of a cold hardness. "I understand, Sawada-san."
~oOo~
"Bianchi-san."
"Tsunahime."
"I see that they already got Gokudera-san."
"They did."
"Big sister prerogative?"
"They will regret ever laying a finger on my little brother. If you tell him I said that, however..."
"My lips are sealed."
~oOo~
"Jyuudaime, I'm coming too!"
"You're in no fit state."
"I'm coming! As your right-hand man -!"
"Yare yare. I've told you before. That position is already taken. I'd slap you for being an idiot, but you're bad enough off already."
"I'm coming with you, Jyuudaime!"
"I'm going to get one of the doctors to strap you down to the bed."
"Jyuudaime!"
"And maybe ask them to put you in a room with Sasagawa-sempai."
"Jyuudaime..."
~oOo~
"Mama."
"Oh, Tsu-chan. You're wearing a very serious face."
"I need you to mind Lambo-kun and I-Pin-chan. I-Pin is actually a skilled fighter, but she's also only five, and Hibari-sempai is... missing."
"Ah, I see. We'll stay in and do colouring."
"Thank you, Mama. Reborn-san! Are you coming?"
~oOo~
The first ones were tall, bald, ugly, and not very smart. They'd followed Kyoko and Haru, for some reason. Possibly someone thought they would be good hostages down the line.
Haru attacked her tail with her hockey stick. She cracked it down very firmly across the back of his neck. There was a distinct crunch. He was still breathing, but he was definitely not getting up. In response to this, Reborn gave Haru a steel hockey stick, much like the baseball bat that he had given to Yamamoto.
Kyoko had grabbed the shotgun her father kept in his office, in case of burglars, and shot out both kneecaps of her assailant, and then his shoulders as well. For a while, she stood over him and just watched him bleed out. Reborn gave her a bandoleer loaded up with appropriate rounds for the large gun.
The third one, well, they met him at the former Kokuyo Centre, where the fugitives from Mafia Law were hiding out. Bianchi had melted the rusted lock on the gate with her poisonous cooking (seriously, the stuff could eat through metal as well as the lining of your stomach), and they'd gone in the front way.
Yamamoto had noticed something that looked like animal footprints in the dirt, and had been surprised into falling backwards quite hard when the one who made the footprints leapt out of some nearby bushes.
The generally happy-go-lucky jock fell through a weak spot they hadn't known was there, crashing through into the conservatory that had been buried by a long-ago landslide. His attacker gleefully jumped in after him. Haru was standing a little too near though, and tumbled down as well.
"Hahi!" she wailed as she fell.
"Yamamoto-san, Miura-chan, are you alright?" Tsuna called down.
"We're a little bumped and bruised, but more dirty than injured," Yamamoto called back.
"That will change soon," an unfamiliar voice informed the pair.
"Hahi?" Haru yelped, and brought her hockey stick to bear.
"It seems that our foe is in here with us," Yamamoto noted as he also took out his piece of special sporting equipment. "I don't see very well in the dark," he admitted softly as he flexed his fingers around the grip of his baseball bat.
"Neither, desu. Back to back, or bait and switch?" Miura suggested.
"Both," Yamamoto suggested as he tugged her out of the way of their charging assailant.
"Reborn-san, I don't care who you have to call, I want more background on these people," Tsuna informed her tutor, voice soft as she watched the fight going on down below. "No person comes by that kind of... that's not natural. At all."
"Dino sent us what he did as a favour to a junior pupil of mine," Reborn countered. "I'm not likely to be able to get the information you want so cheaply as that."
"Bill the Ninth," Tsuna growled.
Yamamoto had the majority of the bruises, but Miura had been bitten. It wasn't bad – she had pulled on her sport padding and even a couple of pieces of samurai armour, as well as grabbing her hockey stick – but a couple of teeth had dug into a bit of her arm that hadn't been protected and managed to break the skin, which was definitely unhygienic. Kyoko had come prepared for injuries though. With her brother being such an enthusiastic fighter, she always carried bandages – just so she could re-wrap his hands – but for this outing, she had brought a full first-aid kit. Which included an antiseptic spray.
"Sorry for letting you get hurt, Miura-chan," Yamamoto apologised sincerely as the girl winced at the sting of the spray.
"It's fine," Miura assured him, and waved off the apology with the hand that hadn't been injured, and wasn't being bandaged. "Just a scratch, desu. It isn't even Haru's dominant hand! And Yamamoto-kun was able to knock out the bad-guy because he was distracted trying to chew on Haru!"
~oOo~
"I play the clarinet," Hana stated blandly when they were confronted by the next... pawn of Rokudo Mukuro.
Their opponent was dressed in a Kokuyo school uniform, carried a clarinet that apparently made atoms vibrate dangerously, and had introduced herself as M.M.
"That instrument should not be able to do what she is making it do," Hana asserted. "It is an offence to not only music, but also to logic and physics."
While M.M's weapon offended Hana, the red-head's little digression about money being the most important thing insulted Bianchi. The girl checked her stilettos, and the woman leapt over the table they'd ducked behind after the first attack.
While Bianchi charged, with two trays of poison cooking in hand to act as a shield, Hana followed behind just as swiftly, in the shadow of the older woman.
"That's enough!" Bianchi ordered, and threw the two trays, one after the other, at the red-head with the clarinet.
She had to stop playing to dodge.
"Short cake!" Bianchi... summoned. There was no way she was hiding that thing in her tiny little bag. For that matter, she shouldn't have been able to fit the two trays of food she'd used as shields in there either.
"Wah!" M.M yelped as she dodged, then she smirked. "Did you really think I'd scream?" she demanded, and twisted her clarinet. It came apart, as any clarinet should when twisted that way, but it didn't come apart properly. There were chain links holding the sections of the instrument together.
The woodwind instrument had just been turned into a three-piece nun-chuck.
"I'm good at close-range combat as well!" M.M declared as she whipped the weaponised instrument out as the rose-haired woman.
"Bianchi-san," Hana warned.
Bianchi moved to the side.
Hana moved in, and caught the chains holding the sections of clarinet together around the toe of one shoe. The with other, she slashed the sharpened, pointy heel across her opponent's face, at the level of her eyebrows. A truly impressive kick.
"Ah!" the red-head screamed in pain.
Hana wrenched the clarinet from M.M's hold, and Bianchi shoved a biscuit down the girl's throat before she kicked her firmly in the gut. M.M went flying into the wall of the nearby building. If she got up again within the next ten hours, without help, that would be an impressive thing.
"Ooooh-ji-ji-ji," a creaky old voice laughed from nearby.
As if pulled by a string, six heads turned to face the one who made that sound.
"I'm quite glad you got rid of that avaricious girl," said an old man with a cane, glasses, and two yellow canaries perched on his person – one on his left shoulder, the other on his hat.
"No friendships among felons," Tsuna quipped.
"Now now," the old man said with a wide, oily smile. "Calm down and look at this," he bid, and held up a remote. He clicked it, and two images appeared on the wall beside him.
"Oh, those guys!" Kyoko recognised.
"That's right, your friends are being targeted by a pair of cute hitmen, serial killers who are loyal to me," the old man said. "The Bloody Twins."
Glances were exchanged.
"Hey, old man," Yamamoto called over. "Have you looked at that footage?"
"Bloody does describe them, but probably not for the reason you mean it to," Tsuna added.
It was dented and broken forms of the two that Haru and Kyoko had already defeated.
"Eh?!" the old man yelped. He turned to see what they were talking about, and started to shake when he realised that he did not, in fact, have hostages to bargain with. "Ah... Rokudo-san's mission levels are too high. Please excuse me..."
Tsuna laced her fingers, pushed the palms out to crack all of the joints, rolled her neck and shoulders, and stepped up to the old man. She swiped his walking stick from him, then kicked out at his legs, so that he fell down. Then she pressed the butt of the walking stick into the old man's neck.
"You are not excused," Tsuna informed him plainly, then reversed her hold on the walking stick and used it as a tool of negative reinforcement.
The old man was fragile, which was probably why he went for hostages. He was easily concussed and rendered unconscious.
