Target 21: The Trouble with Grandparents
Hitomi hated holidays. Well, it wasn't the holiday part or the getting gifts part, those parts were pretty great in we opinion. No, it was the relative part. On other occasions, Hitomi had no problem with her relatives coming over and spending a few days with them. It didn't make much of a difference to her because they usually came over when Hitomi had school and she'd usually just spend afternoons and spare time with them.
They were nice enough, old Grandpa Iemitsu and Nana. And Nana Angelina was pretty great too. But only when they were apart. Iemitsu and Angelina didn't get along too well, and that made Hitomi's holiday hell.
Hitomi shivered, pulling her jacket around her body tighter and looking up into the snow filled sky. It was one of those rare days when Hitomi was all alone. Katsumi and her family had left the country for Italy. Hitomi couldn't be bothered to figure out why, as the girl was speaking so rapidly and moving so fast, Hitomi could barely keep up. She vaguely remembered Kita doing the same thing at some other time prior to Katsumi picking up the habit and blamed it on their closeness since Reborn's training plans had them paired together often.
Thinking of the baby Hitman, Hitomi hadn't seen him since that morning, when her mother told her their grandparents were coming over for the holidays. Masayoshi cleared the house, saying he'd crash at a friend's should and was quick to leave. Not long after he'd left, Chrome, Takeshi, Hayato, Lambo, Emiko and Lucia.
However, Solana brought him back real quick, he wasn't even gone for an hour. He was more afraid of his mother than he was of seeing his grandparents. And so, Hitomi and Masayoshi were made to dress up in clothes they hated and wait for their grandparents to arrive from the airport. Tsuna had gone to get them, begrudgingly and when he walked in, Hitomi could tell the three grandparents talked nonstop in the car.
The look on Tsuna's face when they had arrived was one that made her want to just go in her room and hide from them for the rest of the holiday, but she knew that wouldn't happen. The man looked mentally and physically drained as he excused himself to finish up something. Hitomi stood there, watching her grandparents' attitude shift when Solana walked towards them. Her mother greeted them enthusiastically, hugging them all and Masayoshi slipped off to his room, pretending not to be there.
Hitomi stood there, a little awkwardly as Angelina was the first to hug her, followed by Iemitsu and Nana. "How are you?" Nana asks, genuinely interested in Hitomi, "We haven't heard much from you, you stopped writing and calling." Iemitsu and Angelina traded looks, they hadn't known Hitomi called and wrote.
"O-Oh, well I just suddenly got busy in the past few months… Eheheh…" Hitomi rubbed the back of her head, "B-But I'll try not to let it get in the way too much next time." Nana nodded, smiling.
"Well how about we move out of the hallway, huh? The living room is this way." Solana clapped, pointing towards an opened door. They followed the blonde, though Iemitsu stopped short, surveying the place for a moment. Solana looked at him, confused, "Something wrong?" She asked, making everyone else turn as well.
"Did you… remodel?" He asked, "I mean, our old house didn't look like this." Hitomi flinched, frowning and Nana looked to Solana, she had noticed before but didn't say anything, "Did something happen?"
"Ask Tsuna…" Solana growled, walking ahead, "Go ahead, just ask Tsuna." She crossed her arms as all eyes went to the brown-haired mafia boss that was trying to slowly creep away, "Tsunayoshi Sawada, where are you going?!" Solana yelled. Tsuna jumped, hitting his head on the door as he slammed it closed.
"U-Uh, nowhere, Soly, why would you think I was going somewhere hahaha…" Tsuna chuckled nervously, "Uh, the door was open… so I was closing… it…" Hitomi face-palmed herself, shaking her head.
"Answer the question, Tsuna." She narrowed her eyes, "Why aren't we living in the house your parents gave us?" Tsuna gulped, looking around.
"Well… you see…" He scratched his head. "It, um, broke."
"Broke?" Nana questioned, "Tsuna, houses don't just break."
"When he's around they do…" Hitomi mumbled, crossing her arms, when they all looked at her, she gulped, scratching the back of her head. "Uh, what he meant to say was—er, something happened and the house is being… um, rebuilt." Tsuna nodded quickly, removing himself from the door to push everyone into the living room.
"Yeah, that's exactly what happened. Oh!" He looked at his wrist, "Well would you look at the time? I have… um, things to do. Things that aren't here. Kay, bye! Gokudera, Yamamoto, c'mon." He gave them a two-fingered salute and left, the door slamming behind him.
"Well Tsuna called for us…" Takeshi said, pointing, "It was nice seeing you again." Both men bowed before they too left. Emiko looked to Hitomi, her eyes darting between the door and Hitomi.
Hitomi stared at her strangely for a few minutes before her eyes widened in realization. "O-Oh! Mom, me and Emiko have to go… to the library, for…uh…"
"A project!" Emiko filled in, "Yeah, our two classes are doing a project about the ecology in Namimori, so we have to go and research!" Solana crossed her arms, not really believing the two, yet she sighed, waving her hand.
"Fine, but be back before dinner and if you see your father, tell him I said the couch is free." Hitomi nodded at her mother and pulled Emiko out of the room.
"Bye!" She called, slamming the door and leaving Chrome, Lambo, Lucia and Masayoshi alone with her mother and grandparents.
Right outside, Hitomi and Emiko saw their parents standing by the gate. Hayato was smoking while Tsuna and Takeshi were talking. "Hey!" Emiko called. Quickly, Tsuna dived into the nearest bush, pulling Takeshi and Hayato with him. Snickering, the two girls made their way over to the three men.
"Dad, it's only us." Hitomi said, pulling the bush apart a little. Inside, the three men were squished in close to each other, though she couldn't see Hayato's face. Tsuna and Takeshi were sitting on him in an awkward position.
"O-Oh, hey…" Tsuna chuckled nervously again, "Wh-When did you get out here—did your mother see us?"
"No, but she said that if I did see you to tell you that the couch is free." Hitomi dug her hands into her coat pocket. She hated this dress, but she wasn't going back in that house anytime soon.
"It wasn't very smart of a mafia boss to hide out in his front yard where everyone can see him." Emiko added, "You have a car, you should've left."
"Hush, brat." Hayato climbed out the bush first, dropping his cigarette, which had lost its light into the snow and smushing it out. "Anyway, what're you two doing out here?"
"We're going to the library." Hitomi said.
"Were you serious?" Emiko looked at her, "We don't have a project like that."
"We don't?! I've been fooled!" Hitomi snapped, "But I'm not going back in there anytime soon… Angelina-O bāchan and Iemitsu-Ojīchan are crazy."
"How so?" Tsuna scratched his head, "They were fine in the car…"
"Yeah, but they're not too… fond of each other. You should hear them fight when mom and Nana-O bāchan aren't around." Hitomi shook her head, "Anyway, where are we gonna go instead?"
"The arcade." Emiko shrugged, "Dad, give me some money….uh, please?" Emiko held her hand out to Takeshi who was the last to remove himself from the bush.
"I don't have any singles. All I've got are 5,000 banknotes." He replied, pulling out his wallet.
"Well give me one of those. They can make change." Emiko replied. Hayato sighed, pulling out his wallet.
"You're stupid for not having any small bills and you're equally stupid for asking him for money. How much do you need?" Hayato asked, sorting through the money he had.
"Just, like, 1,000¥." Emiko said. Hayato pulled out a 1,000 yen note, handing it to Emiko. Hitomi looked to Tsuna, not voicing her question.
"I suppose you want some money too?" He asked.
"If it's not much trouble." She said. Tsuna shrugged, pulling out his own wallet, surprised he even had it.
"Eh, I don't have change either, so here." Tsuna said, pulling out and handing Hitomi a 5,000¥ note.
"Thanks, dad." Hitomi nodded, "Alright, are you ready?"
"Yeah, but you need to change. You look like you're going to church." Emiko snickered, "We'll stop by my house. Bye." The two waved, leaving the yard.
"So… What're we gonna do now?" Takeshi asked.
"Are they here?" A new voice came. Peeking around the corner was Dino, along with Ken and surprisingly Hibari. Kamiko, they saw, had gone off with Hitomi and Emiko.
"Yeah, they're inside." Tsuna replied, "That's why we're hangin' out here."
"I hope Solana doesn't notice-." The door flew open and standing there was Solana.
"Tsuna! You didn't even leave me—Oh! Look, mom! It's Dino, Hibari and Ken!" She called, "Great, now all of you come inside!"
"Aw, dammit. How did she even know?!" Dino whispered as they all slunk towards the door.
"I don't know…" Tsuna replied, "She has this fourth sense of some sort. I don't know how she does half of the stuff she does and I'm married to her."
"That's… scary." Takeshi commented.
"Not as scary as when I put my foot up your ass, get in here you idiots." Solana opened the door wider, "Why would you follow Tsuna? I knew he was only gonna stand outside. You should've gone with the girls to the arcade." She rolled her eyes, closing the door, "You're all dumb." Hayato would've protested, but he knew there was no winning against the woman, and that was a sad fact.
When Hitomi, Kamiko and Emiko had returned, it was significantly darker than when they left. Everyone had already settled down and in the living room there was only Teru, Reborn, R.J., Angelina, Iemitsu, Masayoshi and Ken.
"Oh, Hitomi!" Masayoshi practically screamed, "You're back! You've returned!" He threw himself at his sister, "It's a Christmas miracle!" Hitomi pushed him off and came into the living room, sitting on the couch.
"What happened?" She asked, looking around.
"They're nuts, I'm telling you." Masayoshi spoke, though only Hitomi knew exactly what he was saying. "They asked who my favorite grandparent was! Hitomi, you gotta help me!"
"Calm down, Masayoshi." Hitomi replied, also speaking English, "Don't you know it's rude to speak another language in front of people who can't speak it?" Masayoshi frowned, getting up and pulling Hitomi out of the room as he excused them.
"Hitomi, they're asking about favorites again." Masayoshi repeated, "I can't handle that!" Hitomi's eyes widened.
"Shit, I thought we held them off for a few years from asking that question." Hitomi said, "We got them all the same thing!"
"I guess that only works for so long. We gotta think of something and fast." Masayoshi scratched his head. Silence enveloped the two as they began thinking, unaware that Reborn was standing near them.
"Oh!" Masayoshi snapped. Hitomi looked up, "I've got it!" She made motion, urging him to continue, "Let's...leave town!" Hitomi face-palmed herself.
"That's an awful idea! Not only will we have to deal with them, but we'll have to deal with mom, too! Remember what happened to the house?!" Masayoshi shivered, shaking his head.
"You're right... Bad idea. So what now?"
"I've got an idea." Reborn spoke, drawing both of their attention to him. Hitomi's eyes widened in alarm, but before he could yell, Masayoshi covered her mouth, giving Reborn a thumbs-up.
"Go ahead, tell us. We're accepting any and all ideas." He said. Hitomi looked up to her blue haired brother, and liked his hand, making him scream and let go as he began rolling around and digging in the pockets of his jeans for hand sanitizer, "Hitomi you're disgusting! I don't know where your nasty mouth has been! Mom! Hitomi licked my hand! I'm going to die from all of her germs!" He screeched.
"Hey! Hitomi! Don't lick your brother and Masayoshi, stop whining so damn much! You're related! You have very similar DNA and whatnot!" Solana's voice floated in from the kitchen, "Don't make me come in there."
Immediately, Masayoshi stopped his moving and sprayed hand sanitizer all over his hands, "Go ahead, Reborn... Tell us your plan." Hitomi sighed.
"One of you says your favorite is Iemitsu and the other says it's Angelina." Reborn responded easily, "It's not that hard if you do it right."
"Well we can do it after I have another bath! Hitomi, I hate you!" Masayoshi yelled, running up the stairs.
"Oh calm down, weirdo." Hitomi said, following him.
"Why are you following me?! Mom!" Masayoshi yelled. "Stop following me, Hitomi!"
"My room is up here too! Hey! Mom-Masayoshi put that broom down! Mom!" Hitomi screamed as something fell and the blond went up the stairs. More loud noises were heard and Reborn shook his head.
"I'm kind of glad Tsuna's sister was hardly ever around." Reborn commented.
"So?" Angelina said, glaring at Iemitsu before her gaze dropped to the two kids seated on the floor in front of the couch. It was after the uneventful dinner that Masayoshi and Hitomi were actually alone with their two feuding grandparents. Nana was elsewhere, doing something with Solana and Tsuna had gone off with his guardians and Dino. Kamiko and Ken had left too, not being able to deal with them any longer and Teru and RJ had gone off to get plane tickets for Italy, though Hitomi wasn't sure why.
"I-Oh." Hitomi responded, "Yeah, you wanna know who our favorite grandparent is." Masayoshi nodded along. In theory, it seemed easy, but now that they were alone with their grandparents, neither could actually come out nor say it.
Masayoshi gulped, scratching his head and the tugging on his dark-blue hair. "After careful consideration-"
"Oh!" Iemitsu laughed heartily, "I see, you're too afraid to admit that both o' ya like me better than this old bat, that's it right?"
"N-No..." Hitomi said, "That's not it..."
"It's..." Masayoshi said, looking to his younger sister.
"You're both so great, we can't decide!" They both yelled. Angelina raised an eyebrow while Iemitsu gave them a confused look.
"Well then..." He said, scratching his head, "I guess this means it's time for a Vongola trial!"
"That's right, you old geezer!" Angelina stood up, "When you're in the mafia-or anything at all, really you can't have both! It's one," she pointed to herself, "Or the other." She glared at the other elder.
"And in accordance to the Vongola Trials rulebook, when a person, or in this case, persons can't decide on who should have a certain title, they must fight to show their worth!" Iemitsu said.
"But nobody's fighting physically we don't eat anybody old dying... Unless it comes to that." Reborn said, "Instead, these two will be vying for the right to be called the favorite grandparent by Masayoshi Carter Sawada and Hitomi Angela Sawada. Through any means other than fighting physically."
Hitomi gulped, looking over at her brother. "What have we gotten into?" They asked each other.
"Reborn, why would you encourage them like that?!" Hitomi asked, pacing around her room. Masayoshi was seated on her bed, hugging one of his stuffed animals.
"Because this will read you how to make decisions." Reborn replied, "At dinner mama asked you if you wanted soda or juice and you freaked out because you weren't sure which one you wanted. What happens when you're a mafia boss and you have to choose between allying with one family and allying with another? You can't have both all the time and this will teach you how to choose, you haven't learned much since I got here and you're still skipping class just as much."
"That's because you're crazy!" Hitomi replied, "You tied me to Ryota and we almost got blown up the other day!" Hitomi said.
"Yeah, and we all know that Nana-Obāchan is our favorite—but we can't possibly tell those two that!" Masayoshi input. Hitomi nodded, though Reborn was surprised.
"And why not?" Reborn crossed his arms, looking up at them, "If you can admit it to me, you can admit it to them, can't you?"
"No!" Hitomi shook her head, "Have you seen them when they're sad? It's awful." Reborn returned to Hitomi a blank look and she sighed, shaking her head, "Fine, then. Fine." She stopped pacing to sit down in her computer chair, "I guess we'll just have to find a way to let them down easy."
"Yeah, but for safety reasons, I'm sleeping in here." To prove his point, he snuggled into Hitomi's covers, "There's no telling what grandpa might do." He shivered at the thought, burying himself further into the covers. Hitomi sighed once again.
"Fine then, but you better not take all the cover." She said, "I know how you are, Masayoshi." Hitomi climbed into the bed next to him and pulled the covers away, "Anyway, let's get some sleep."
"Hitomi…." He whispered, "Hitomi, get up. Oji-chan's gonna take you out today~!" Hitomi's eyes snapped open, though she wasn't fully coherent. A windmill kick caught Iemitsu by surprise and knock Hitomi and Masayoshi off of the bed. Above, Reborn was still sleeping, not even paying attention to the commotion below.
"Whoa! You've got some fight in you!" Iemitsu laughed, standing up shakily and cracking his back, "Must've skipped yer dad's generation and went straight ont' you!" Hitomi rubbed her eyes, feeling a dull pain in her head from hitting it against the nightstand. She yawned, blinking blearily and staring at her grandfather.
"What do you want?" Her voice was rough, unbefitting her appearance and Masayoshi was fully awake, looking at his sister with wide eyes.
"She's been possessed!" He practically screamed, "Quick! Spirit, be gone! Spirit, be gone!" He began chanting, Iemitsu joining in.
"I'm not possessed!" Hitomi yelled, "Leave me alone, you idiots!" She replied, hitting both of them over the head. Masayoshi frowned, putting down his fan and candle.
"Well how was I supposed to know? It really sounded like it, right?" He asked, looking to Iemitsu.
"Yeah," The other man said, walking closer, "And I needed you back here!" Confused, Hitomi looked at him, "Well I'm taking you out today!—both of you!—I'll show you for sure that I'm the best grandparent there is! And that's why…" He pulled out a pickaxe from seemingly nowhere, "We're gonna go train!"
Hitomi and Masayoshi paled, "Oh no…" Iemitsu just laughed, giving them a thumbs-up.
About an hour later, Masayoshi, Iemitsu, Hitomi, Tsuna, Reborn and Emiko were all in a secluded mountain-like area of Namimori. The oldest of the group and smiling, giggling to himself as he put the finishing touches on his obstacle course.
"I've been working on this all night!" He said, "If you can win, then you'll be my favorite grandkid!"
"Wait… weren't you competing to be our favorite grandparent?" Masayoshi asked. Iemitsu laughed heartily, doubling over.
"What? No! Where'd you get that kinda idea from?" He said, "Alright! Now go!" Hitomi and Masayoshi began running, the latter tripping over a pothole.
"Ah! Hitomi it's trying to eat me!" He screeched, clawing at the grass.
"Don't stop Hitomi! Or the monster will get you!" Iemitsu called, pointing behind them. There stood Iemitsu's box weapon, a large Lion-Panther trotting towards them at a slow pace. She looked bored, stepping on Masayoshi and sending him down into the hole with a scream as she came closer, licking Hitomi and settling down by her feet.
"What-? Mitsi won't hurt anyone." Hitomi said, reaching down to pet her. "Mitsi doesn't even listen to you! If anything, she listens to me more!"
"Well then how about I use… Natsu!" Iemitsu plucked the small lion cub from Tsuna's shoulder and tossed him at Hitomi. Claws bared, he accidentally scratched Mitsi, sending her into a rage with Hitomi in the middle.
She screamed, trying to run away from the two box animals who didn't seem like they were going to stop anytime soon. Natsu had even transformed, becoming a full-grown lion, at least one and a half times bigger than Mitsi. In a jumble of lion-like creatures, dust and sharp objects, Hitomi managed to drag herself out of the fight just before the finish line.
"C'mon, Hitomi!" Iemitsu called, "Just a li'l further and you're at the finish line!"
"No!" She yelled back, "I'm not moving an inch." A gunshot made her scramble across the line, and she looked back, squeaking, "Hey! What the hell?"
"A-ha! I knew Hitomi was the best! She's my favorite grandkid." Iemitsu laughed, "Sorry, Masayoshi, but you've been fired from the position."
"That's fine, because it's my turn, anyway!" She was hefted into a hold under someone's arm, "Don't you worry, you two. I won't put you through some stupid obstacle course!" Masayoshi, who was on the other side, waved at his sister, "With this, I'll be the favorite grandparent!"
"What are you even fighting for?!" Hitomi yelled, only to be ignored as Angelina walked away with the two still under her arms.
"I'm confused." Emiko said. She looked to Tsuna, "What exactly is everyone… training or fighting for?"
"Well, my dad wants to be the best grandparent… but he's old or something, so he mixed it up and assumed that Masa and 'Tomi were fighting to be the best grandkid. He'll figure it out soon enough…"
"Hey! Bitch-alina! I'm supposed to be the favorite!" Iemitsu yelled, running after them.
"See? Told you." Tsuna said, whistling. Natsu came back to his side, shrinking in size. "Let's go see what they're up to now…" He and Emiko made their way through the snow covered grounds, unaware of the person watching them from a distance.
"Soon…" They chuckled, disappearing in a cloud of smoke.
When Angelina stopped walking, they had arrived at a house that Hitomi had never seen before. It seemed extremely old and was overrun with plant life seemingly everywhere. The only two people to recognize the house in the group at the moment were Tsuna and Angelina, something of which even Angelina was surprised about. "Ah, this is your old house, right?" Tsuna replied, smiling, "The gate has a weird closing mechanism."
"How would you know that?" Angelina raised an eyebrow, to which Tsuna pushing his pointer fingers together, looking anywhere but at the woman.
"O-Oh! Well, w-why are we here anyway?" Tsuna quickly changed the subject.
"I'm using this old place to win these two over! In the basement of this house is a treasure." Angelina began, "A treasure… of science!" Only Masayoshi seemed to perk up at this. "I need you two to go get it!"
"Of course, Angelina-Obāchan!" Masayoshi saluted, "C'mon, Hitomi!" He said, pulling his sister over to the gate.
"You gotta jingle the gate and then push it and hold. If you can't, you should go around back cause that gate's broken." Tsuna told him, earning stares from Emiko, Reborn and Angelina.
"Seems like someone was here a lot in his youth, huh?" Reborn chuckled, "And here I was wondering where you'd snuck off to."
"It-It's not like that!" Tsuna tried to defend himself… "Um… look, they got in!" Hitomi and Masayoshi were on the other side of the gate.
"Why couldn't she come get this thing?" Hitomi asked, walking around the various piles of wood and debris.
"Because she's old… plus it's science!" Masayoshi emphasized, "Science, Hitomi! We're doing this for science!"
"Aren't you majoring in law?" Hitomi asked, "Why do you care so much about science?"
"I switched to Biochemical Metaphysics, if you must know." Masayoshi said, "Because science is the only woman I need!"
"Right…well, that's not creepy or anything, Masa." Hitomi said as she pushed on the front door, watching it open with ease.
"That's creepy as hell." Masayoshi said, stepping in first. "But don't worry, li'l sis. I'll protect y—AH! What was that?" He screeched.
"H-How should I know?!" Hitomi replied, "I mean, if we're speaking seriously—ohmygod."
"W-What?!" Masayoshi said, "Hitomi, what is it?!"
"T-This place is haunted!" She screamed, pointing at the figure coming closer. Neither moved, however and Masayoshi joined in and soon there was a third voice.
"Calm down, will ya?!" Iemitsu said, digging in his ear, "Y' both scream like li'l girls. Hitomi, that's alright for you… but Masayoshi…" He shook his head, "'Nyway, what're y' doin' in this old bat's dirty house?"
"She wants us to get science things." Masayoshi replied, shaking.
"They're supposed to be i-in the b-b-basement." Hitomi said.
"Well c'mon, let's get going." Iemitsu led the two siblings into the kitchen.
"How'd you get in here, Ojīchan?" Masayoshi asked, "You didn't come in through the front."
"Nah, I came around the back. Tsuna was right, gate's broken and the back door is torn right off! Some kinda beast musta came through! But not t' worry, cause I'll protect y'!" The old man grinned.
Hitomi and her brother traded looks, gulping as Iemitsu tossed open the door to the basement with more force than he needed. The door unhinged itself and Iemitsu set it next to the wall, only for it to crumble to pieces, scaring Hitomi.
"J-Just how old is this house?" Hitomi whispered as they descended into the basement.
"Well it was old when they moved in." Tsuna replied, "It was about thirty years old when they moved in and it's been about thirty more since they left." Hitomi screamed, hitting her head on the banister as Masayoshi tumbled down the steps. "Oh… sorry, did I scare you? Angelina sent me in to see what was taking so long."
"How'd ya get in?" Iemitsu didn't seem at all phased by Tsuna sudden appearance. "If y' used a gate, we woulda heard it."
"Hoped over the wall." Tsuna shrugged.
"Hitomi, are you alright?" Emiko asked, concerned. Reborn, however, stayed put on Tsuna's shoulder.
"Y-Yeah… I should be fine…" She said, accidentally stepping on Masayoshi as she reached the bottom. Both screamed, Masayoshi rolling away and screaming about getting dirty.
"Masayoshi! Hitomi! Quit that screaming!" Tsuna yelled as his voice hardened into a stern tone. Both instantly quieted, looking anywhere but at their father, who they could still see, as he was illuminated by the light.
"Well I guess I'll go wait outside with that old bat." Iemitsu said, walking past Emiko and Tsuna and out of the basement.
"Right, well, let's just keep going. I brought a flashlight." Tsuna pulled it out of his coat pocket, trying to turn it on. "…that apparently doesn't have any batteries."
"No worries, I've got torch sticks." Emiko said, pulling one from her coat pocket and breaking it in half. The tube lit up, acting as a flashlight. "Here, one for all of us. Now let's keep going." Hitomi reluctantly took the lead with Emiko next to her, Masayoshi in-between and Tsuna and Reborn bringing up the rear.
"How big is this basement?" Masayoshi said, "It's more like a labyrinth than a basement!" To prove his point, he shined his torch down another hall, which looked as if it led down three more.
"It's huge." Tsuna replied, "You don't wanna get lost down here. Probably won't make it." An awkward and tense silence consumed them, though Emiko was the first to break it.
"Your Obāchan said to just follow the straight path, however." She started, "It'll take us right to the vault with no problems." A little more confident, Hitomi led the group down the hall and right to the vault.
"What's the password?" Hitomi asked, looking at her dad.
"What makes you think I know?" Tsuna returned.
"Well you knew a lot about how to get into the house and you seem to know something about the basement. It was only assumed you when the code." Emiko crossed her arms.
"Just because you assume, doesn't mean it's always true, smarty-pants." Tsuna stuck his tongue out at her, "Anyway, it's your mom's birthday."
"So you did know it." Emiko said, "Hm, I bet you used to sneak over here all the time, huh?"
"Hush, brat. You don't know what you're talking about." Tsuna scratched his cheek. Masayoshi stepped up to the door, punching in the code and stepping back as the door slid open, revealing a clean and mostly empty space.
"There, in the middle!" Hitomi stepped inside, grabbing a metallic box, "Ack! It's heavy!" Masayoshi came and quickly took it from her, even though it was still heavy for him.
"Well let's get-!" Tsuna looked back as he heard a loud scream from outside. "C'mon! Let's get going!"
Once they had gotten back outside with a few mishaps, Tsuna looked around, not seeing any sign of his father or mother-in-law. "Where'd they go?"
"Maybe it's got something to do with this spot of blood." Reborn said, hopping off of Tsuna's shoulder to point at it. The air was tense as Reborn stuck his finger in it, bringing it up to his eyes.
"B-Blood? Does that mean…?" Hitomi trailed, fear beginning to rise.
"Well, lucky for us, they shouldn't be in too much danger." Emiko squatted next to Reborn, as she, too, scooped up some of the red liquid onto her finger.
"She's right. I'm mistaken. This is sauce." Reborn said as Leon licked his small finger clean. Emiko rubbed her finger on her jeans, frowning.
"But what kind of sauce?" Tsuna asked.
"Spaghetti sauce." Reborn replied, "Expensive spaghetti sauce. It's the only kind that Leon eats. Imported straight from Italy."
"So that means there's only one place they could be." Masayoshi said, "C'mon! They could be in trouble, let's hurry!"
"Where is it, you old bat?" The man yelled, frowning deeply as the woman just upturned her nose, not even thinking of giving him an answer.
"Ah, these ropes are itchy!" Iemitsu complained from right next to her, "Why can't ya let me go? I ain't do nothin'!"
The man scowled, "Yeah? Well you were out there with her, old man. So you had to come too. Can't have you tellin' on us, can we?"
"Ah, you act like someone's going to come rescue us." Angelina spoke. "You brought us to a restaurant. What do you even need my device for? To create better pasta sauce?" She chuckled. His face darkened in anger.
"No! We're going to use it to destroy our rivals!" He replied, "Ah, why am I explaining myself to you, anyway! You're not important; just give me the damn device!"
"No." She answered simply. Before he could say anything else, the door to the kitchen busted open and a bloodied member of the staff leaned against it.
"B-Boss! They're… they're maniacs!" He managed to say before an explosion pushed him further into the kitchen.
"What's this all about?" He looked towards the doors, motioning some of his men to follow. Kicking the doors open, he found the front area a mess.
Emiko stood in the middle of it while Tsuna and Masayoshi stood outside. Hitomi was hiding in the corner and Reborn was standing on the windowsill. "Give us the old people back!" Emiko said.
"No way." He chuckled, "What makes you think that I'm gonna give them back?" He motioned his men to attack Emiko. The silvernette smirked, getting into a battle stance.
"Hitomi! Deal with the leader!" Tsuna knocked on the window, shouting, "Take him out!"
"No!" Her voice cracked, "Why do I have to do it?"
"Because it's your problem." Reborn said, "Now get going before I shoot." Hitomi got up just as Emiko finished with the grunts. She was panting as she watched Hitomi step into the line of fire.
"Hitomi's gonna kick your ass!" Emiko boasted, smirking proudly, "Show him, Hitomi!"
"I…I don't know what to do!" Hitomi said, looking from him to her two grandparents, which two more grunts had brought out, one of them cocking a gun.
"Well you better think of something, doll. Or else I'll have ta kill them, hm?" He said, smiling wickedly, "I've got an idea, actually. Give me that device." He pointed to what was in Masayoshi's hands, "And I'll give you these two."
"Hitomi, don't you do it." Angelina warned, "We'll be fine."
"I…I…." Hitomi looked around. It seemed as if everyone was yelling at her. She couldn't' take it. She just wanted it to end when… it did. The gunshot quieted everyone and everything. It was all so still.
That's what you wanted, right? Someone whispered. For it all to end. To be peaceful?
"Y-Yes…" Hitomi replied, "Y-Yes… and… and… no. I want it to end, but I don't want it to end… and ending this, I'll do it the only way I know how…" She surged up, "By being… REBORN!" In a sudden fit of rage, Hitomi practically flew at the men, tackling all three and beating them mercilessly.
As Emiko watched, she crossed her arms, "I'll never get tired of seeing that."
"Well, ingrain it into your memory." Reborn began, "Because this is the last time you'll see Hitomi… like that." He pointed to Iemitsu and Angelina who were freeing themselves, "You were fine this whole time."
Iemitsu chuckled sheepishly, "Yeah… but our competition isn't over."
"We thought that if we left ourselves get kidnapped and these two had to choose, that person would be the favorite grandparent."
"So you're saying this was all just a ploy?!" Masayoshi said as he and Tsuna came into the restaurant.
"Yes. That thing in your hand it just a block of steel." Angelina said, "It's nothing important. We orchestrated the whole thing."
"Well now that we know this, I wouldn't choose either of you!" Hitomi said, walking over, angry. "I'm naked, it's cold and I was practically mauled by two large cats today! And I find out half of it is fake?!"
"Hitomi-chan, calm down." Emiko tried and failed to calm down the brunette.
"No! Forget this, I'm going home!" She walked back over to the men, taking the leader's long black coat and boots, shoving them on and walking to the door. "And one more thing, Nana-Obāchan is my favorite, so there was no point in this contest!" With that, she slammed the door and walked down the street, Emiko following after her.
"Takes after her mother." Angelina laughed.
"So… neither of you are mad?" Masayoshi said, putting the box of steel on the ground.
"Nah," Iemitsu said, "I guess you could say…mission accomplished."
"But my part in this was way better." Angelina bragged.
"Yeah, right you old bat! If I weren't there, you wouldn't have thought up half the shit y' did!" Iemitsu defended. Angelina began throwing chairs at him, but Iemitsu dodged, using his pickaxe to chop them in half. Masayoshi was surprised at the way they acted.
"I guess some things never change, huh?" Tsuna chuckled.
"What does that mean?" Masayoshi asked.
"Ah, nothing. C'mon, I think it's about dinnertime and you know how Hitomi eats when she's mad."
"So how many times has it been?" The distorted voice asked. Reborn sighed, but didn't move himself.
"About ten."
"I'll catch the next flight to Japan then." With that, the call ended.
"And so it begins." Reborn smirked, "Let's have some fun, shall we, Leon?" The lizard nodded, smiling at his owner.
Well that's the end of that chapter. Just one more to the new arc. I've gotta say, I kind of liked this one. Maybe because there was so much Masayoshi in it. I don't know. Or maybe because Hitomi was kind of mature? Maybe a little too mature? Well, that might just be her mother's side, but whatever. Anyway, R&R! :D