Buongiorno from Roma! Italy's so amazing omg but anyways, I'd like to thank everyone who reviewed/favorited/followed this story. Your support is greatly appreciated! Here's the next instalment of Storm Clouds! c:
Disclaimer: FANfiction. I only own the OC. Any changes to the original canon story is due to the fact that this is fanfiction.
Warning: May contain coarse language.
Tsuna gawked as he recognized pretty much everyone milling about in the restaurant. Gokudera had dropped by his house to pick him up, telling him that Reborn had asked for the both of them to be present at Takezushi. Tsuna hadn't anticipated for the Arcobaleno to throw a party for a reason that he had yet to discover. But knowing Reborn, the Vongola Don had a very bad feeling about what was about to happen.
Said man was serenely sipping at a cappuccino that did not fit with the traditional Japanese layout of the restaurant. He looked askance at his student with a reproving glare. "And here, I had thought you'd become more smarter in comprehending situations," he set the cup down on the saucer he held in his other hand with a shake of his head.
"What's that supposed to mean!?"
Ignoring Tsuna's indignant exclamation, the self-proclaimed tutor continued to talk. "As the tenth boss of the Vongola family, you're required to make good connections with certain factions for the benefit of the family. Currently, the Varia only answer the call of the ninth, and refuse to acknowledge you as their boss," at the mention of this, Reborn shot his student another reproachful glare from underneath the brim of his fedora, "We must take this opportunity to get to know them,"
"Why are you always scheming behind my back!?"
"Because if I openly schemed in front of you, nothing would ever get done."
"But they hate us!" Gokudera insisted, clearly displeased with the current predicament. He hadn't gotten rid of the grudge he held against the Varia for their adversity that had stemmed during the Rings Conflict. "There's definitely no reason for us to throw a party for them!"
"So says the half-breed peasant who hates everyone but the Vongola peasant," a mocking voice commented from behind them.
A silver eyebrow twitched in irritation as the Italian clenched his fist, and Tsuna rested a hand on his right-hand man's shoulder in an attempt to calm him down. Reborn's face lit up with a half smile as he raised his espresso cup. "Ciaossu,"
"VOOIII!"
A tiny child with a cloud of black hair looked up from his messy plate. His hands held a pair of chopsticks at an awkward angle, and pieces of rice clung onto his face. "Huh?" Lambo stared at entrance, which was blocked by Tsuna and Gokudera, with a clueless expression before returning to devouring his food.
Another child, a girl with a wide forehead and braided dark hair, sat across the table with a worried look on her face. "No Lambo! You can't start eating when the others haven't!" her Japanese was slow, and paced, as if she had some difficulty speaking it.
Yamamoto popped up from behind the sushi bar where his father usually worked. A delighted grin crossed his face when he heard the loud roar that left the rest of the restaurant's occupants with ringing ears. "Squalo!"
The Varia had arrived. A smirking Belphegor dominated the front lines accompanied by a sullen Mammon, with an enthusiastic Lussuria waving his arms around in excitement while telling the two sour-faced men - Squalo and Leviathan - behind him to lighten up.
"Eh…hi?" Tsuna laughed nervously as he greeted the squad with reluctance.
"Not a bad way to welcome us to Japan, Vongola!" Lussuria gushed as he surveyed the restaurant.
"I'm assuming that the bill will not go to the Varia?" Mammon asked as he sniffed in contempt, "Because if it does, I'm not parting with a single cent that belongs to me,"
"Sushi. Nice," Belphegor commented with a cryptic snicker as he broke away from the group to sit at the bar. "Sushi's best in Japan, after all,"
"I still prefer Italy, though," a feminine voice commented with a sigh. Belphegor looked up with his signature grin, seeing the dark-haired Varia mascot standing next to him. "When can we go home?"
"What are you saying? Aren't you Japanese?"
"Half, Bel. Half. And I've lived in Europe my entire life."
Tsuna and Gokudera gawked at Riko's sudden appearance. Neither had noticed her entering the restaurant. She slid into the stool next to the prince, a saccharine grin on her face as she rested her chin on top of her clasped hands. "Hey there, Takeshi," she swept an appreciative gaze over the dark-haired boy, "I'm liking the uniform a lot,"
The sword-wielding guardian had on a traditional Japanese chef's uniform, which had been left open at the chest. His rain necklace gleamed proudly against the bare, hardened ridges of his muscular chest, and Yamamoto chuckled as he tightened the sash around his waist. "It's a special night, so dad said I had to wear the proper uniform," he lifted a finger to point at the headband that had been twisted into a rope tied around his head, "Not too old-school, is it?"
"It's just the perfect amount of old-school, don't you think, Bel?"
"Don't ask me to look at other men, Riko. I don't care for them very much."
Yamamoto smiled as he hopped over the counter in one fluid motion. "Come on in!" he beckoned the rest of the assassination squad to join Tsuna's family.
Squalo scowled as he stomped further inside the restaurant. "VOI! Stop wasting my fucking time and let's get this over and done with!"
Gokudera growled menacingly, itching to grab the sticks of dynamite in his pockets. His hands were being restrained by Yamamoto, who was good-naturedly smiling at his fellow swordsman. "Let go, you baseball idiot!" the argent-haired boy snapped, tugging against the athlete's strong grip.
"G-Gokudera!" Tsuna wanted to dig a hole and bury himself in it. Why, oh why, was Reborn so cunning!? This was a disaster definitely well underway.
"I think it's an extremely good time to start the festivities!" an boy who looked to be a few years older than Tsuna suddenly burst into the restaurant from the front entrance. There were strips of bandaids that looked relatively new, plastered on various parts of his face, but no one seemed to be too alarmed at the sight of them, for it was just another normal day for the Vongola's Sun Guardian - Sasagawa Ryohei. A pair of teenage girls, and an older woman wearing a pair of orange goggles strolled inside after him, chatting amongst themselves. It seemed that Reborn hadn't forgotten to invite the girls, after all. Haru and Kyoko looked up from their conversation and smiled at Tsuna before taking a seat at the table with Lambo and I-Pin.
'Not Haru and Kyoko too!' Tsuna was horrified to see that the two girls were present at yet another mafia event. He threw a desperate look in the hitman's direction, but Reborn ignored it and nodded at the newcomers, completely dismissing Bianchi, who was lovingly rubbing her head against his chest with one-sided affection.
"Thanks for bringing them, Ryohei. Now we can start." Reborn said.
"Just hurry the fuck up!" Squalo growled, his left arm trembling and itching to move around. Tsuna eyed the man's prosthetic hand, highly aware of the fact that an extremely lethal blade was strapped onto it, and could be brought out at any time. Nervous sweat started to dampen the back of his shirt.
Lussuria shook his head lamentably. "Squ-chan, you have to be more polite! You were invited as a guest, remember?"
The swordsman glared at the boxer as he was pulled along to the table where the remaining members of Tsuna's family sat at. "Fuck that! That idiot boss didn't even bother showing up, so why should we!?"
"I came in the boss's place," Leviathan announced as he followed suit.
Riko made a face as Belphegor surveyed the sushi lined up on a wooden block in front of them, which made the prince snicker as he picked up a pair of chopsticks. "Why the ugly face, Riko?"
Riko merely returned the question with a pointed look. "Hardcore boss-worshippers freak me out," she informed him as she picked off a slice of raw salmon off the rice and popped it inside her mouth, "Levi just gives me the creeps."
"Tch," an irritated look was on the blonde's face as he picked up the leftover rice with his chopsticks. "Don't be so extravagant, circus peasant," he flung the rice at the girl, who blocked the projectile with an empty plate.
"Who's being extravagant, wasteful prince?"
"The both of you obviously don't know how to appreciate free food," the Mist Arcobaleno stated dryly as a look of horror registered itself onto Tsuna's face at the sight of Riko and Belphegor shamelessly playing around with the food.
"H-Hey!" Tsuna was at a loss, having no idea on how to control the rowdy Varia bunch.
Gokudera, clearly displeased, clenched his fists menacingly while glaring daggers at the pair. "Listen to the tenth, you disrespectful freaks!"
"Bel-chan! Ri-chan!" Lussuria strode up to the two teenagers, grabbing both by the collars of their jackets, "Don't play with your food! What would daddy say if he heard about it?"
Allowing himself to be dragged away, as the difference between their brute strengths was evident, Belphegor merely snickered while grabbing a disgruntled Mammon along with him. "Boss would definitely say-,"
"-he doesn't give a damn for what we worthless trash do," Riko finished as she obediently permitted the flamboyant man to lug her towards the table where a stoic Leviathan and a glowering Squalo sat. A weary Tsuna joined them reluctantly, driven by a threatening Reborn, at the table with both Gokudera and Yamamoto.
"Now, now! That's no way to be talking about your own father!" Lussuria reprimanded as he seated the two teenagers of the squad on the empty chairs beside Squalo.
Tsuna laughed awkwardly as he ran a nervous hand through his spiky hair. Gokudera scowled, arms folded across his chest as he sat beside Tsuna. The silver-haired Italian grumbled under his breath before directing his jade eyes towards the girl seated beside Belphegor. "You!"
Riko looked up from inspecting the sleeves of her sweater. "Tè per me, per favore,"
Gokudera's eyebrow twitched in irritation at the girl's flippant words. "Io non sono tuo servo!" he spat back in Italian.
"Oh, I assumed you were. You ooze servitude."
"Bitch-!"
Before another fight could break out, a loud clinking of glass attracted everyone's attention. Reborn stood at the head of the table, and placed the cappuccino cup back on its saucer and onto the table. "On behalf of Tsuna, the Vongola Decimo, I officially welcome the Varia squad to Japan."
There was a drizzle of applause as some of the more enthusiastic party guests clapped at the man's introductory words. "Now, to kick off! It's never a Vongola party without a Vongola twist!"
The colour drained out of Tsuna's face upon hearing his mentor's words. This was it. What he had been afraid of. Yet another one of Reborn's twisted party games that usually caused more destruction than fun. "Not another one!" he yelped involuntarily, unable to keep the words in his head.
Reborn set his mouth in a tight, almost vindictive, smirk. "Now, if you raise your left pinkies-," he raised his own, "-you'll find that there's a string attached to it."
Everyone stared at their own hands, and belatedly realised that the Arcobaleno was right — it was barely visible, but there was indeed a string attached to their pinkies. How had he gotten them there without anyone knowing? Even Squalo had one - though it was tied to his right hand instead.
"How cute!" Kyoko smiled as she looked at her own string, and Tsuna's face warmed when she caught his eye and directed yet another smile at him. For a split second, he was no longer mad at Reborn.
"How romantic!" Haru gushed dreamily, a pink coloured her cheeks as she raised her hand, "Is this a compatibility game?"
Reborn coughed into his hand. "Of some sorts. The aim of the game is to pair up the with person on the other end of your string, and present a presentation of sorts. I'll be ranking each pair performance with points, and the one with the highest number of points will win and get a specially autographed poster of me,"
With a grand flourish, he unfurled a massive poster of himself, his gangly body elegantly draped across a plush, velvet chair. His head was cocked lazily in an angle as he raised a shotgun in one hand. His name was autographed in a fancy script at the bottom of the glossy poster with a silver marker. A satisfied smirk found its way to the Arcobaleno's face. "It's not a bad one, if I say so myself."
"No one wants a poster of you!" Tsuna exclaimed at Reborn's shameless self-promotion, to which the assassin responded with another smug smile.
"I'm very famous in Italy," he said this as if it were common knowledge.
"Think we're paired up together, Takeshi?" Riko winked flirtatiously at the swordsman.
"Wouldn't that be nice?" he said smilingly.
The mascot tugged tentatively at the string, and yelped when the other end of the string was yanked violently, making her lose her balance and fall forwards.
"Fuck!" she cursed loudly as she sat up, and Bel snickered beside her.
"Looks like you aren't with the sword peasant, eh Riko?"
"Shut the fuck up, Bel," Riko snapped, before jerking the string again. The person on the other end responded with another mighty pull, and before she knew it, she was being pulled towards a certain direction as the other end was being reeled in at an incredibly fast pace.
SMACK!
"Jesus Christ!" she smacked right into the sliding door of the restaurant. Confusion clouded her as she belatedly realised that the string was wedged between the small crack of the closed door and the doorframe. Was her partner outside?
For some reason, an ominous sense of dread crept down her spine.
The door slid open.
Her goggles were almost immediately yanked down.
Her eyes met a pair of angry, blue-grey eyes. She knew those eyes.
Shit.
A malicious smile replaced the unamused frown from seconds earlier. "Yang Riko."
"Kyoya."
"What a surprise to see you here, Hibari! You two know each other?"
The sudden interruption from the baseball ace made the unwilling partners look away from each other. Yamamoto stood there with a grin, accompanied by a very unhappy Gokudera. They had both been paired up, and it was clear that the arsonist was less than pleased with the match up.
"Yang Riko is my underling," Hibari said coldly, "And you're crowding," he looked behind Riko and at the massive group gathered around a long table, and his eyes narrowed into disapproving slits, "You're all crowding."
Tsuna, who had been unfortunately paired up with Belphegor instead of Kyoko like he had hoped, blanched at the sight of the irritable cloud guardian standing face to face with Riko. Turning desperately towards Reborn, who had his arms folded across his chest, he waved at his mentor urgently. "Reborn! Hibari's here! Why didn't you say anything about that!?"
"It's a family event, Useless Tsuna. Of course Hibari's going to be here. I may have mentioned that I had invited Mukuro and his crew as well, but I guess I forgot to include the part where they declined the invitation like they always do," Reborn then added, "Why don't you start preparing your act with Belphegor?"
The blonde prince perked up at the Arcobaleno's suggestion. Holding up a knife, he said, "Why, you're absolutely right. I do need to do some target practice."
"Heeh!"
On the other end of the room, Riko had jutted her bottom lip out defiantly as she glared at the prefect. "You know what? I'm just going to cut this string. I refuse to be your bitch," she started marching towards the kitchen, pulling an impassive Hibari along with her.
Facially impassive, anyway. The aura radiating off the cloud guardian was verging on being suffocatingly murderous, but this was lost on the livid girl as she seemed hellbent on cutting the literal tie between her and Hibari.
Reborn cleared his throat, which stopped the mascot in her tracks. "What?" her tone was harsh and unforgiving as she glared at the manipulative hitman.
"You can't cut those strings," came the confession. His glee was barely masked as he continued, "I'm the only one who can remove them, and I'll remove them when I've seen your performance."
Revelation hit the girl like a thunderbolt. "You can't be fucking serious."
"Well, yes. I am."
"No fucking way."
"I hate crowds, herbivore. You're testing my patience."
Shit. Shitshitshit.
A corner of Hibari's mouth lifted. He held up a tonfa. "I'm going to bite you to death."
She was in for a very very long night.
Scheming Reborn is my favourite, don't you agree? I can just see him secretly pairing up everyone he ships x)
Tè per me, per favore - tea for me please
Io non sono tuo servo - I am not your servant
Review if you have any questions, or if you just thought it was good/great! I like hearing from you guys c:
Delphoxi