The Darkness of the Heart
Iemitsu shook his head as he apologized to his former in-laws after leaving Nana a wreck in the Divorce.
Not only that, to avoid going to jail in Japan, he needed Vongola, his daughter and Shido to testify for him by telling the police what happened to her in the years they were gone while she lived in Ura-Shinjuku. So while Nana was in custody for Abandonment along with Psychology Appointments, he's traveling with Kyoto Police to Tokyo about the matter.
'Where'd Tsunade go?' Iemitsu blinked as he doesn't see his daughter in the house. His boss was gone too and only Amon is at home.
'Oh, dinner shopping with Hayato.' said Amon cheerfully. 'You're not under arrest or anything, are ya?' he asked, sweatdropping as he was with two different police groups.
'Well no, I just won a court battle not long ago but the police still want proof I'm in my daughter's good graces again.' said Iemitsu awkwardly. 'I already got Shido's testimony, all that's left is Tsu-chan herself.'
'Oh...well, I'm stuck on guard duty and since your boss and his subordinates are going to dine here, they're helping out with shopping while Mr. Timoteo's in my room for now with his physician. Bad knee acting up again.' said Amon. 'You guys can wait in the living room.' he took out his phone. 'Tsunade, six more guests to shop for because the police are here~!'
'Er, are you guys really from the slums?' one of the police asked.
None of them can believe it due to the house, and how Amon dressed.
'Well used to be. Its hard work setting this place up since we live with Extended Family.' Amon grinned as the numerous cats and dogs present looked at the officers and not even blinking which was CREEPY. 'That's before Shido moved out to be with his honey and gave Tsuna-chan their house.'
'What about all these guys?!' another cried as the house is full of cats and dogs, even birds that the house has a deep, rich smell of Eau de Animal in it that the air outside was fresher. Its even worse with air conditioning around!
'Monthly Vet visits and we got numerous licenses to keep our family around and offering adoptions to those interested. While its easier with cats and dogs, Shido's literally got a zoo he rescues from the Black Market or neglectful Zoos.' Amon quipped. 'Man, society's such a bother...why, in our day in the mountains, we don't need licenses and stuff, they just live with us in safety and comfort while here its either get some papers from the government or they go to jail too small and inhospitable for the animals while some corruption here and there they'd be the next fur coat or expensive rug on the floor or taxidermy for display, despicable.' Amon scoffed in disdain. 'Well, its feeding time I gotta go to the barn.' and Amon left with the animals following him.
'...your daughter lives with an interesting bunch.' said a Tokyo Officer wryly.
'No kidding...I'm just glad she found good people to be with while I didn't know what happened behind my back...' Iemitsu sighed. 'I work abroad because money in Japan can't keep a family happy yet you have to work a lot of overtime for nothing while in the west, your overtime gets you plus play it was worth it!' he moped. 'I worked for that house in Namimori only to learn it wouldn't last long.'
Well, they thought, it was a very good property and a really big house since the Guest Rooms are a 'just-in-case'. With Iemitsu's monthly income, its possible to keep it with little stress and good budgeting skills. But since his wife ended their family herself...that house was now wasted money as his daughter wanted nothing to do with that town so Iemitsu thought of selling it to whoever can afford it once clean-up was made.
Their intelligent daughter hit a horrible slump in school that led to bullying and abandonment yet regained her smarts in the slums, and hears word that her cooking was godly-levels. They have YET to confirm that, thank you! And the brother works as a Freelancer in a team with the sister and will do all jobs as long as it pays well that safe to say they earn millions in a month as the lowest they charge in a high-risk job was around 300k. And they take 8-10 jobs in a month...sooo yeah, they get paid more than white-collar workers! So the makeshift family, is quite well-off on their own judging by how their house looks, and their furniture.
Just that, they're definitely NOT ordinary people who do not abide by common sense they've all grown up with.
The people of the slums will do anything to get out of there. Literally. The few who could, are lucky because Iemitsu told them how horrifying Ura-Shinjuku was, when their friend took them on a tour, and they get attacked every few minutes...Tsunade described it best as 'Strip-Killed' if you're weak and careless. Its a world of Hyenas in the slums so they were also survivalists. That, and the people there who are strong, work as Freelancers nobody'd miss if they're killed on a job but hey, they'll do anything for money! So killing enemies is pretty much normal for them.
So when Iemitsu meets his daughter again, she damn near killed him with her fighting abilities out of hate until he had to explain his side of the story and that, he did not abandon her as she believed he and his co-workers barely survived her.
He claims to have pulled and twisted a lot of muscles in desperation to avoid being killed and currently on painkillers and he really does pop pain meds every hour.
Hours later when they were back...
'We're back!'
The police had to deal with a young girl with some bloodstains, carrying grocery bags. The boy with her also has bloodstains!
'Kids, what's with the blood on you?!' the Lead Inspector cried, wide-eyed.
'Oh, this? Well someone's trying to take my title away back home they simply paid the price for being idiots.' said Tsunade non-chalantly. 'So, you staying for dinner?'
'Err yeah, don't mind us!'
'Tsu-chan, go get changing alright? Those guys could have STDs for all we know and you got blood on you!' Iemitsu freaked out.
'Yeah yeah, they don't got STDs or they'll look devilishly happy while dying.' Tsunade drawled. 'I'll cook first THEN a bath!
The two groups of officers exchanged disturbed and concerned looks.
Clearly a far cry from a typical 13 years old...
'...what title is she talking about?' the Inspector hissed to Amon.
'Ah that? She's a high-ranking member in their old gang VOLTS and some guys as old as me and you don't take too well that she, a kid, is higher-ranking than them just a notch below the Four Kings. In the slums, strength and ability rules, not age.' Amon quipped. 'There's only very few guys stronger than her and they don't even get past ten. Heck, she's stronger than even me and she's training Hayato, the white-haired kid with her.'
'Are you serious?!'
'In our world, strength and ability rules, not the stuff society cares about.' Amon waved dismissively. 'Why should we care about society who never cared about us anyway? And why should we care about your beliefs and opinions when they did nothing to stop what happened to us when some of us called to the government for help yet they did nothing just because we're not worth the effort just for being slum rats?' he stated with a cold gaze in his eyes that disturbed both police and mafioso. 'Those were the views we inherited from those before us before we were born. So frankly, we don't care what you think about how we live our life.'
'That's kind of harsh young man.'
'S' the truth.'
(hours later, they looked for names and backgrounds in records. While Tsunade certainly existed despite being off-radar for years, Natsuki Amon, Gokudera Hayato and Fuyuki Shido certainly did NOT. No papers whatsoever).
Soon, at the kitchens, the police watched with the other men in the house while Gokudera was on standby with Amon.
She was too skilled and fast with knives for her age and popped gum in her mouth before doing the onions to avoid crying(now that's an idea, they all thought with irritated, teary eyes)...
She did prep work with food while cooking the rice, and worked on desserts next...clearly a chocolate cake, but prepared different types of chocolate...and even made chocolate decorative molds, with prepared edible paint!
And this is someone who grew up in the slums?!
Once she started cooking and baking...the aroma released, was tantalizingly DELICIOUS.
What about the taste?!
And so...when everything cooked according to how she wanted it, it was a juicy-looking steak when not long ago, its expensive marbled meat...and now she's preparing the sauce...the meat alone was fragrant, the sauce was stronger in impact as it cooked.
And when the cake baked? It was done in a way that its checkered fluffy cake of mocha and chocolate and it was layer cake so there was a spread of chocolate icing to hold the two cakes together, and when she put the icing...it was shiny and glossy...then the decor! The last to be made, was the soup.
Everything was video-recorded by phone.
Once the cake was done, she put it in the fridge to cool and set.
And the food was done.
Even the plain rice was a work of art due to how fluffy it was...before she mixed raw eggs and some choice flavorings into the bowl.
'Um, raw egg on rice?' Coyote looked worried. His fellow guardians and boss looked squeamish.
'Its OK, farming standards in this country is absolutely clean we have no typical raw egg bacteria fears.' said the Lead Inspector dismissively. 'We can even eat it for breakfast as many times as we want and unlike westerners, no fear of bacteria and disease! It all depends on the farmer in the end in how they raise their chickens.'
'Ohhh...is that so?'
'Besides, its tasty and healthy, what do you complain about?' thus the meal is served.
"T-This is...!"
"Too delicious! Too delicious for words!"
"I can't believe a kid made this!"
'To die for...huh?' Reborn choked out as he was blushing from deliciousness. Gokudera bragged on her cooking, its clearly no joke!
'W-wow...good thing I videotaped everything...this can teach my wife some tricks though meat is too expensive in these parts...' one of the officers moped. To think these guys can normally enjoy A5 meat so casually...
Next is the chilled chocolate cake...
'OHHHH MYYYY GOOOOOOD!'
xxx
'It really makes me wonder what kind of place you grew up in...' the Lead Inspector commented as they finally got to talk to Tsunade herself after she took a quick shower and change.
'You really wanna know?' Tsunade drawled.
"Will she tell about what makes Mugenjou special?" the mafioso wondered.
Tsunade did not.
But how she described Mugenjou during her time and Makubex's time that Ura-Shinjuku now became Tokyo's Most Dangerous Place was so accurate they can picture what goes on in their heads as she talked(with a little help from Bouche) they had no idea reached to such an extent while slowly but surely, Mugenjou is becoming a safe haven for outcasts, non-existents and runaways...assuming they get past Ura-Shinjuku, that is!
Originally, they had a previous leader who left VOLTS for 'health reasons' while her brother took her out of Mugenjou though she was the successor, disqualifying her so that left the last who did not leave to become the new leader.
If Tsunade's a genius of skills learning, the leader is a genius at computers he can effectively monitor all that happens in Mugenjou and the borders of Ura-Shinjuku. And they're both fifteen-below!
Then the Tokyo Inspector paused.
'Wait a minute...when we hired your brother and that shades guy through your Mediator to steal that Aphrodite Statue and other hardcore proof to help us arrest that Drug Kingpin...were you with them?'
'Duh.' Tsunade chirped. 'I'm pretty good at sabotage and guerilla warfare I leave the front action to them. Wanna test me?'
Her smile, was chillingly frightening despite how child-like she sounded in the way she spoke just now. Smile aside, her malice was so potent and thick it was hard to believe a KID can be like THIS it disturbed even her relatives.
Reborn thought that if she can smile like that...she's wasted in her chosen career when she can make men sweat and shudder in fear with that smile.
xxx
After the police got what they wanted after mentally being on a whirl with their experience, meeting her alone got these officers talking to their superiors about The Case of Sawada Tsunade and how to keep a better eye on kids into NOT becoming like her by looking harder into Social Welfare Programs for 'damaged kids'.
From the picture Iemitsu painted of her before he left for work, abandonment by mother clearly led the girl into a dark path. That could have been avoided so easily but...
xxx
In which when the police left after a free dinner...
'Tsunade...' Reborn spoke up.
'Hmm?' Tsunade asked after Gokudera volunteered to wash the dishes and she let him.
'You're wasted as a Freelancer.' he stated flatly. 'You can cow men into shaking wrecks with just your smile, how many Donnas can claim to do that? The only one I know who can do that is your great-aunt who's this guy's mother.' he said, jerking a thumb at Timoteo. 'Not to mention you have a great ally in Dino.'
'Uhhh what about him? I don't think Mafia and Italian Intel go well hand-in-hand...'
Reborn snorted as Vongola knew Reborn will drop the bomb...
(what they don't know, Tsunade knew long ago but she acted really good and both Amon and Gokudera played along when she 'freaked out'. by tantrum, cue Flame Explosions though it didn't damage the house one bit)
'...c-calmed down now?' Iemitsu squeaked nervously.
'I need a freaking drink! Hayato, beer, now!'
'You're underage!' the mafia protested.
'Like I give a shit! Beer! NOW!'
'Hai!' Gokudera scampered into the kitchen.
'Tsunade noooo!'
xxx
Hotel, hours later...
'That, was interesting...' Timoteo shook his head. 'In such a short time they became good friends, until she learned he's a fellow Decimo...'
'According to records I got, since Dino left for Italy after his stay in Tokyo, he sends her favors for her to do for him.' said Reborn when he looked up records. 'All cost-free. It really makes me wonder what the heck Dino did to warrant this from her. Ma, I'll make him talk one way or another.' he said matter-of-factly, closing down Leon-Laptop Mode. 'I'll hang around and persuade her into becoming Decimo. She has potential. She knows every crime and murder-types humankind can do thus can counter it and turn Vongola Turf into a Crime-Free Territory. Her hacking skills are top notch as she claims when the Inspector had her demonstrate her hacking into Stock Trading and sacrificed 50 million yen and ensured she won triple the amount into her account...she's wasted as she is now. She must see the perks of being boss.'
'However, as an Arcobaleno, I know where she's coming from, being neutral entities ourselves for the highest bidder. But she's all Vongola's got left unless Iemitsu marries and pops out another sprog.'
'Oi!' Iemitsu twitched.
'He's right and you're still young Iemitsu.' said Timoteo. 'I on the other hand, am too old to sire another...just that this time, be a good judge of character, won't you?' he sighed in a deadpan. 'I too, thought Nana to be the perfect wife since she doted on her family...but alas, with our weakening bloodline, it failed us at the worst timing possible and we are grateful to the last of the Fuyuki to awaken the stagnating blood in Tsunade.' he shook his head. 'Before we leave for Italy again, I want her to awaken us as well and clean up our remaining messes for her ascension to Decimo.' said Timoteo. 'For it is shameful to make our successors clean up their predecessors messes.'
'Remarrying huh...' Iemitsu moped.