Hey everyone, Naintarlow here with the newest chapter.
This one is relatively short, as I said, right now I have a lot less time on my hands, so I chose to post smaller chapters but with that, hopefully, I can stick to at least once a month update.
It's mainly setting up the upcoming events, Tsuna is not giving up, far from it. He just needs to be a little sneakier than usual. I hope you don't hate too much how slowly we are going, I want to go to the more interesting and intense parts of the Rosario story but I also don't want to rush and leave something unfinished.
Thank you for the support you guys showed this fic, it means a lot to know I'm not only writing for my own amusement but there are others who are enjoying it.
Now, for the reviews:
setokayba2n: Even if he called Lal (or Dino) they are still in Italy and not in the easiest positions to help. As for the headmaster, Tsuna right now has no trust in him at all.
LightJakRises: I'm happy that you liked the post office guy, there will be a few cameos of him and his club in the future. Kurumu in a literature class? Not a bad idea at all, though honestly, I have so many ideas that I want to write into the story that I don't even know if I will ever get to at least the public safety commission fight. Tsuna still has a lot of growing to do, to get out of this paranoid funk he is in right now but he is on his way.
Gold1992: She joined after they helped her out but the initial reason she was introduced because Tsukune's articles in the newspaper inspired her or, at least that was in the manga. That's why I'm a little uncertain about how to introduce her before the PSC fight. While some people gained future knowledge, it certainly wasn't everyone and even if they knew that there are boxes and flame animals, it's a different thing to replicate it without understanding things. At least that's how I see in this story. There are works in the background to make working flame technology and maybe there is some who has access to it, but it's nowhere as widespread as we were told in the 10 years later world.
Of course, mines' are dirty, he is Reborn's student after all.
The more I plan Gin's role in this arc(?) and later ones, the more I began to like his character. Except to see me use him a bit more than in the anime/manga. I have yet to actually decide if any will have Earth flames or unique flames but right now I'm leaning toward mostly Sky since it's more developed. Honestly, with the exception of the flame of earth, I felt the other earth flames were just too bland, thrown into be a parallel and a new challenge for the guardians.
Youkai do have physical bodies so I don't think it would be a problem, also since they are working so closely, the mafia and youkai world, so probably the Vindice has a special policy regarding them.
You won't have to wait for too long (at least I hope seeing how slowly I'm working through the early part of Rosario canon), just be a little patient.
GoddessOfFanfictionn: Glad to see you liked the chapter. The cure will be quite difficult to make, it will require a few things that' hard to come by and a few lucky coincidences. Moka's family won't be involved in the cure, at least by my current plans. But as I learned since I began to write that things could easily change by the time you get around to write it down.
DPSS: Tsuna as a cloud? Nani? What gave you such an outrageous idea? *Looks at notes, befoe quickly hiding them* Really, readers nowadays, they think of strange things.
On a more serious note, it's mostly intentional the way I have Tsuna act now. This arc is partially made in a way to force himself to face his faults, to, in your words, stop acting like a cloud. And honestly, I think it's way more interesting to see this Tsuna handle things than have an OP mastermind Tsuna who makes no mistakes. I love writing this Tsuna a lot, though I am working on making him grow little by little. And yes, Tsukune will have his own box weapon, maybe around the time boxes as technology makes an appearance. Enjoy yourselves.
Once again thank you for all the support, the patience, and the indomitable will to go through these ramblings of mine.
EDIT (10/04): Thanks for calling me out in it, I fixed the many underlines placed in the story. I have no idea how they got there since I didn't use them at all and they weren't there when I was uploading the chapter.
Cover: Mei in school uniform sitting on a tree trunk humming to herself is shown from above behind her, her shadow is stretched out with four arms and the silhouette of a rather scary smile
Chapter 12 Preparations
"Tsuna-nii, is something wrong?" Lambo asked, rather subdued for him as he watched his big brother figure silently staring at the phone in his hands. He was like this ever since he came back to their room, much later than Lambo, who stayed behind to help Moka and Yukari tidy up in the newspaper club though not by choice.
'Moka-nee is very scary.' he thought to himself, trembling as he remembered the otherwise kind vampire giving him a cold smile that even made him freak out, despite growing up within the mafia and being known for being thick-headed.
He was getting a little worried, Tsuna didn't react for the 4th call of his and that meant to the young hitman it was time for drastic measures.
"Tsuna! Play with me!" he laughed boisterously, jumping at the Tsuna's back, intending to annoy him, just like he did when he was younger and the young mafioso was too busy to play with him.
Without even looking in his direction, Tsuna reached out and grabbed him before he could reach him, showing only the smallest struggle with holding him up with one hand.
"Lambo, just what do you think you are doing?" he asked with an eery voice as he finally turned to look at Lambo who gave a guilty smile.
"You were gloomy and silent and you were just staring at your phone like a creepy guy." at the teen's annoyed expression Lambo laughed to himself."You make so stupid faces, I couldn't help myself."
Tsuna looked away from him, deep in thought, before hurling him away with all his strength before he took a breath and forced himself to calm down. He looked at the still laughing kid for a moment before giving a sharp smile.
"Lambo, how many weapons do you have here?" he asked, prompting the young hitman to stop laughing and looking at him with a confused frown.
"A lot. I have grenades, a couple of rocket launchers, maybe even a machine gun or two. Why?" he asked, not understanding why Tsuna asked about this. He sometimes used Lambo's weapon cache to train Tsukune or even Lambo himself but those times were mostly heat of the moment ideas. But the intensity in the older teen: a gaze told him it was for a far more serious reason.
"I ran into some trouble and I will need your help. Can I count on you?" Lambo looked taken aback by the question and for once took the time to seriously consider his answer before he gave a confident nod back. In response Tsuna let a soft smile appear on his face, giving the young boy's head a gentle pat. Then he turned to the phone in his hand, quickly dialing a number.
It didn't even ring for half a minute before it was picked up and Tsuna had to move it away from his ear with a grimace as a voice shouted out from him.
"Tsuna! Finally, my little brother called me! I was so worried when you didn't call, I was worried that the package didn't arrive at you. Your big brother was ready to cross over the sea to make sure you are alright, you should have called the moment you got the phone." Dino, the boss of one of the largest mafia families rambled on without any control."Did you get the watch too? Is it working? Do you feel better? Any negative effects?"
"Please try to act like your age." he murmured to himself with a sweatdrop before cautiously putting the phone to his ear when Dino stopped to breathe and began to speak."Yes, I've got the watch and it seems to help a little so thanks to that. Listen, I ran into a little problem and I will need your help." he stated, deciding not to beat around the bush.
"What happened?" suddenly completely calm and serious, Dino questioned him."Should I go to Japan, or send some of my men?"
Tsuna bit his lip as he thought about the offer. He was on two minds about it, a part of him, stubbornly refusing the idea of aid, not wanting to put his trust into others than himself, while the other was still like the civilian kid who was swept in this whole mafia business and looking for others to tell him what to do. But he was also aware that the situation right now was delicate enough that he couldn't risk his friends' safety by involving Dino too much.
"No, right now it would be more trouble than it's worth." he answered in the end."A couple of youkai who are involved with the mafia found me and blackmailing me but my gut says it's more than that. They are threatening to attack my friends who are aware of the mafia and they would get tipped off if you or your men appeared over here." not to mention he didn't know if Dino had the pull to even enter the school grounds since he had relatively little contact with this world."I need your help to look into two things. They claim they are affiliated with the Todd Family, please find out as much as you can about them."
"The Todd? They are a rather small family from what I gather and had been staying quiet for a long while." Dino mused out loud before he sighed."I understand. You know better than what the situation is but don't forget you can count on my help, you only need to ask. I look into the Todd, what was the other thing you wanted me to look into?" It was clear to all how much he didn't like the idea but despite acting all goofy, he knew when to act as befitting of a boss.
Tsuna didn't immediately answer, looking to the side deep in thought. Just as Dino on the other side was about to ask him what was wrong, he finally spoke up. His voice was heavy, filled with old hurt and resignation that sounded out of place in a teen's voice.
"Please try to check into if there is a bounty placed on me, probably among those who are unaffiliated with any famiglia so they could plead innocence. They probably were very circumvented about it but I doubt that there are no traces left, please try to find out the bounty's origin."
"From your tone, I gather you have a solid suspicion." his big brother commented, probably coming to the same conclusion.
"It has to be the Vongola, no one would have a big enough motive for it. The only question is who exactly is behind it. I particularly think of two people and I'm not sure which is the worse one." he commented quietly with a frown on his face.
Dino stayed silent for a moment, before giving out a sigh. Privately, Tsuna thought that Dino must have sighed a lot more since he knew him but with the mafia, it was not a sure bet.
"I'll look into it." he spoke up, sounding tired, something that Tsuna could sympathize with."Please stay safe and whatever help you need, please call me, okay?"
"Yeah, I promise."
After ending the call, Tsuna ran a hand through his hair, leaning back in his chair. He looked tired, not physically but more mentally and emotionally. He honestly enjoyed this slice of peace he had since he began to attend this school. They had some close calls but overall it was kind of nice if a little boring.
And now all of that came crashing down because his past kept chasing him. Worse, it's not even himself that was targeted but his friends were about to be included and that's something he could let happen.
"Guess some things didn't change. I still hopeless at refusing to be involved." he laughed quietly to himself before he looked at the side and spotted a slumbering Lambo who fell asleep while he talked with Dino. With a small smile he carefully picked up the kid who was not so small now and placed him on his futon before he went to his."You are right Lambo, no use worrying now. Let's get some sleep." he murmured mostly to himself.
-0-
"Tsuna-kun, good morning." Moka greeted him when Tsuna walked into class, just five minutes before class started, quite late for himself.
Tsukune looked up from his desk at the greeting, looking curiously at his trainer. Before he even had a chance to get ready for the day Tsuna showed up and told him that training would be canceled that day and then left him without any explanation. To further worry him, he looked tired, like he didn't get any sleep and was visibly distracted.
Even now it was still obvious. His hair that was a mess on its own usualéy looked even more haphazard, and there was a noticeable slump in his shoulders.
"Hey." he waved at them before a yawn overtook him."Man, I'm dead. Hopefully Nekonome-sensei lets me sleep during homeroom." he mumbled to himself as he sat down at his desk and immediately rested his head on it, indenting to sleep.
Moka frowned at the unenthusiastic reply before she stood up and walked to his desk. Tsuna was usually reserved and tended to remain the voice of reason in their little group but this behavior was unusual for him. Add to that, the things that happened in the last few days it was natural to be worried about him, right?
"You just want to know what happened with that confession, don't you?" Ura commented with an amused laugh from inside the seal, causing a light blush to appear on her cheeks."Though I will say he is unusual and intriguing, he is still just a human. I do not approve, so no funny business."
With a furious blush, Moka began to shake her head out of nowhere, wishing desperately that she could talk back to her other self, without looking like a weirdo.
She still got a look from Tsukune who raised an eyebrow at her. Giving him a small smile, she turned to Tsuna, gently shaking his shoulder prompting him to lift his head and give her a bemused look.
"Are you alright, Tsuna-kun? Tsukune said you canceled training and you didn't look all that well," she asked, her worry overwriting any other thought, that definitely had nothing to do with the love letter Tsuna got yesterday.
"Nah, sleepy that's all. I had a few errands to run, that's why I postponed Tsukune's training. And with the work at the newspaper club, figured I could cut him some slack." he answered with another yawn, in the end, placing an arm under his head to keep it upright.
Where he sat next to Tsuna, Tsukune couldn't help but frown. Excusing him from training, wasn't something Tsuna did. Even when they were neck-deep in exams, or when he was just literally cured of a fatal disease, that taskmaster from Hell still demanded him to go out and try not to die. Something was going on, he wouldn't do this without any reason. And he could only think of one thing that could make him change his mind.
"What happened yesterday with that love confession? Did anyone show up?" he asked curiously and was a bit surprised to see Tsuna stiffen and frown before he quickly put an impassive mask over his expression. Moka on the other hand began to intently look at him.
Their class also quieted down and tried to hear the newest piece of gossip, with several guys already quite loudly planning to comfort the heartbroken Moka out of the goodness of their heart. The brown-haired teen didn't have to look back to feel the gaze of Mei burning into his back.
"No, I waited for like twenty minutes before I had enough and left. Waste of time that was." he said, putting on a carefree smile, to calm them down.
Moka frowned, finding something wrong with Tsuna's words but she couldn't call him out on it as Nekonome-sensei entered the classroom. She quickly turned and took her seat, thinking about her friend's strange behavior.
Just as Tsuna was about to try and doze off a little before Nekonome-sensei noticed it, his instincts suddenly screamed, causing him to straighten up in alert. A moment later he turned to the side, catching a paper ball that was thrown straight at his head. Looking in the direction it came from he met the amused eyes of Mei who winked at him before turning away.
Lowering his hand, he looked around but thankfully it seemed no one noticed the little interaction. After making sure no one was paying him any attention he examined the paper ball, unfolding it.
'Don't forget about our deal' was written on it, reminding Tsuna of the exchange happening later that day. With a frown he crumbled the letter and hid it in his bag, all thought about sleeping disappearing from his mind.
Just then he heard a faint voice, so soft that he barely heard it. It was familiar but for the life of him, he couldn't think of where he heard it before.
"I thought...anything...everyone..." the voice murmured, making him look around frantically but he saw no one speak, even as he heard the soft words like someone was whispering to him. It was definitely male, but sounded young, maybe a middle school student? He sounded distressed, and Tsuna felt an echo of an ache within him at hearing them."...this kind of power...make me...all those mistaken...I'll..."
Soon the words stopped and Tsuna suddenly found himself breathing and sweating heavily, feeling as if he ran through a marathon. That voice was so familiar, it almost hurt but no one came to mind when he tried to concentrate on it. It was surreal.
'Just what's going on?.' he thought, bewildered as he proceeded to tune out whatever their teacher was talking about. It must have been something exciting to her because her tail was swishing wildly but Tsuna found himself unable to concentrate on her at all.
-0-
"Kurumu won't join us for lunch?" Tsukune asked with a small frown from Yukari when she sat down at their table with her lunch tray. Usually, Yukari and Kurumu came together since they were in the same class, and despite their constant arguments and little fights, they got along well.
Moka, Tsuna, Lambo, and he were already seated at their usual table and were waiting for the last of their group to arrive before digging in. It became a sort of routine that Tsuna couldn't say he disliked.
"She said she had some extra work to do for one of her classes, so she skipping lunch to finish it." the young witch explained, though she couldn't hide the frown on her face."Which is strange because I don't remember hearing anything about it before." While Tsukune and Moka shared a worried look, alarmed by the unusual behavior from the succubus, no one noticed the dark look that was gone a moment later from the brown-haired teen's face.
He doubted Mei and whoever was helping her would have done anything to Kurumu just yet. She was their bargaining chip, they wouldn't dare to do anything to her until they had what they wanted. It was more probable that she simply didn't want to show up because she felt flustered or something like that over what they must have had on her. It better be the case, because dying will or not, he will show them that it is not advisable to anger him, even if it kills him.
He shook his head, trying to shelve those thoughts for later. He had a plan to deal with these mafioso wannabes, and if he wanted t to work, he needed to keep his head in the game.
"I wouldn't worry so much." he spoke up, wanting to get away from this topic. "Anyway, we will meet her after classes at the newspaper club, so you can interrogate her about it. How is your tutoring going?" he turned to Yukari, referring to how she was asked to help a few of her classmates after their not so successful exams.
The young witch visibly brightened as she began to chatter away, happy to have someone who listened to her. Moka quickly joined in with a small smile and soon everyone stepped away from the topic of Kurumu except for Tsukune who looked down at his food with a frown.
The others' attention diverted, Tsuna leaned back on his chair, his gaze turning to Moka, more specifically to the seal on her neck. Recent events forced him not to pay attention, but Moka and the secrets surrounding her intrigued and alarmed him at the same time. On one hand, the word seal left a bad taste in his mouth after his flames were sealed as a kid, but on the other hand, he was also wary, wondering if there was a valid reason for Moka's powers to be sealed.
Until now he mostly stayed away from this topic, wanting to respect Moka's, both Mokas' privacy but his curiosity and paranoia always led him back to it. The most prominent question he had, seeing the seal basically controlled if Omote or Ura was in control, which one of them was the original Moka? The naive, cheery Omote or the somewhat more mature and controlled Ura. If either of them could be called the real Moka what does that make the other? A product of the seal?
It seemed he was too absorbed in his thoughts and stared for too long at the vampire because she noticed and looking at him with a large blush on her face, a hand reaching up and twirling a lock of pink hair in a shy manner.
"Tsuna-kun? Is everything alright? You are staring at me really seriously." she commented softly. Tsuna saw a soft glow coming from the rosary and Moka's blush deepened and suddenly she couldn't meet his eyes.
He looked away from her, scratching the back of his head, feeling strangely embarrassed at being caught staring at her. He didn't have to lo kat Yukari or Lambo to see the teasing grin on their faces and privately resolved to make their life hell if they tried to say anything.
"Sorry, kind of got sidetracked. I was just wondering that you didn't drink my blood in a while." he said, trying to think up an excuse but could only come up with that lame one. From the snickers coming from the others, it was just as weak as he thought.
Amazingly enough, Moka didn't call him out on it but instead wore a small smile as she looked up at him.
"I remembered that sometimes you get tired when I drink too much, so I thought since we all had to work so hard, I didn't want to make it harder for you." the next part came out in a lower voice as her gaze slid down to his neck. "And, well, after we finish the newspaper, it would be a sort of celebration to drink your delicious blood. It would be my own appreciation day." she declared cheerfully.
Tsuna blinked, feeling caught off-guard. Similarly, the others also could only watch in shock at the abrupt reason given by the resident vampire. The silence was broken when Tsukune comically faceplanted on the table.
"I, but that is, I can't even, he is not a bloody vending machine." he said with shock still evident on his face as he sent pity-filled looks to the brown-haired teen who stared back in pure annoyance. Tsukune privately thought that he was wrong that he envied Tsuna for being the target of Moka's appetite and resolved to be more supportive of his fellow human.
"So Moka-nee and Tsuna-nii will finally...it's too soon for my heart." Yukari mumbled with a beat red face, too far gone to contribute to the discussion.
"Ah, what's wrong, did I say something wrong?" Moka asked worriedly, her previous embarrassment forgotten.
"It's more the phrasing is the problem." Tsuna said, massaging his temples, trying to ward the incoming headache away."That and Yukari is frighteningly perverted for age."
Before anyone could say anything, Lambo who was struggling to hold back his laughter, finally lost the fight and burst out laughing in a loud, high voice that instantly attracted the attention of everyone still in the cafeteria who wasn't already eavesdropping on their conversation.
"Gahahah! Moka is gonna eat Tsuna! Tuna-sandwich! This is so funny.!" he laughed without any control until Tsuna had enough and hit him on the head, not enough to cause any real hurt but gave enough shock for the small hitman to stop laughing.
"I don't want to hear bad name puns from a broccoli monster." Tsuna said with an annoyed grin, reminding him of the old nickname that he got from I-Pin.
"Baka-Tsuna! I'm not a broccoli monster!" was the mature reply from the Bovino kid, which caused the two of them to bicker among themselves, ignoring the others.
"It's always so surprising how they can go from getting along to fighing with each other." Tsukune commented with a small laugh, mostly talking to Moka since Yukari was still in the middle of a daydream. "Must be nice, having a sibling." he said with a small wistful smile on his face.
"You are an only child, Tsukune-kun?" the vampire asked, her head tilted in curiosity, quickly forgetting the original reason the two of them began to bicker with each other.
"Yes, though I have a cousin who was sort of my older sister but ever since her family moved away we meet a lot less." he answered with a sheepish laugh, thinking about his tomboy cousin. "What about you, Moka-san?" he asked, curious since like Tsuna he didn't know about Moka all that much outside of school-related things,
"I have two elder sisters and one younger one." she answered with a smile."Though it has been a while since all of us had been together since I was sent to a human school before attending youkai academy. And even then, I didn't have that sort of easy-going relationship with my own siblings that Tsuna and Lambo have." she said, looking at the two of them fondly.
"Come to think of it, Tsuna's even more tight-lipped about Lambo than most of his past." the black-haired teen mused with a small frown."I mean he let small bits of his past out from time to time, but the only thing we know for sure about Lambo that he sees Tsuna as a brother figure and is from Italy."
Moka also had a small frown on her face as she watched them but she shook her head slightly, one hand going up to grab her rosary and she allowed a small smile on her face.
"Uncle! Uncle! I give up." Lambo's cries turned their back their attention to the duo, along with Yukari who seemed to wake up in the process. What they found caused all of them to sweatdrop. Tsuna was holding Lambo's arm behind his back, bending it until the young boy cried out with tears in his eyes.
For a moment everyone worried he is gonna break Lambo's arm but as soon as he gave up, Tsuna released him, Lambo cradling his arm but looking no worse for the wear. Looking up Tsuna met their shocked stares and shrugged.
"What? You do remember that he is probably tougher than most of you? He hardly felt a thing." he said, pointing at Lambo who indeed looked like nothing happened, busying himself with his food and ignoring everyone around him."See?"
"The relationship between you sometimes confuses me to no end." Tsukune admitted with a sheepish laugh.
Tsuna only shrugged, silently telling them that he considered the matter closed. He looked down at his tray, noticing that he ate his lunch with all the ruckus going around. He stood up, with the tray in hand, ready to leave.
"I'll have a few things to do, so I have to hurry along. I see you guys in class." he received a chorus of nods from the others, even as Tsukune and Moka shared a look. For some reason, Tsuna seemed especially busy today, what with his 'errands' in the morning, and even now after lunch. "If you feel weak or anything, just tell me, I'm not gonna die from the loss of a little blood, alright?" he asked, looking Moka in the eyes to convey how serious he was about that.
"Don't worry about it, I'm alright. I still have enough left of my supply and tomato juice helps a lot. Though it's not as good as yours." she shyly looked at him, unconsciously biting her lip. Around them, various people passed out with blood gushing from their noses at the picture and even Tsuna had to avert his eyes a little. "After the paper is done, can we?" she asked, uncommonly uncertain.
"Sure, it's a date." he said with a small laugh, turning around walking away, not noticing the full-body blush that overtook the vampire, nor Yukari and Tsukune trying to revive her.
-0-
"Today's the day, huh? Can't wait to see how it will go down." Mei said, giggling to herself as she leaned back on the fence of the roof. She was in her school uniform, though she had a few buttons of her shirt unbuttoned, showing a cleavage. "Wonder what sounds he will make when I get my hands on him?" she asked from herself with a haughty look on her face.
She and her two allies met at the same roof they watched Tsuna and his group a few days ago, using the lunch break to go over their plan, so no one would accidentally screw things up. The short Shikaku was next to her with a cigarette in his mouth and frowning at her.
"You are a psycho as usual. What do I want to know why are we even doing this complicated scheme? It would be way easier to simply kill him and cash in the bounty." he asked as he lighted his cigarette and turned to their last member. Their third member sat under the nearby shade, content on being silent and just watching for the time being.
"What are you an idiot? Didn't your mother teach you to play with your food?" the girl asked back with a savage grin that unnerved even Shikaku a little since he took a step away from her."It's the best when you strung them along, letting them believe there is a chance in victory. Then comes the fun part."
"You are wrong, that's not why we are doing this." their silent member said in a low voice as he stood up and stepped closer to them.
He was a mountain of a man with short brown hair. He was twice as wide as any normal person and he was so tall that he probably had to pull his head down if he wanted to use any normal-sized doors. He was heavily muscled underneath his school clothes, showed by how much his clothes struggled to contain him. He had a large scar going over his right eye that looked more like a crack in stone than a scar on flesh.
He had a small frown on his face and looked very intimidating. Shikaku who opened his mouth to retort immediately backed down, careful not to meet the giant's eyes, showing the power dynamic between them. Mei on the other hand, only gave him an innocent smile, not at all bothered by the hard look sent her way.
"Then why are we doing this, Saru?" she asked, putting a finger on her lip and tilting her head. The giant, Saru was not at all moved by the cute pose she showed.
"Sawada Tsunayoshi is not an opponent we can afford to underestimate. Despite his appearance, he was trained by the Arcobaleno Reborn and is a competent fighter." Saru began to explain, his rough voice as if rock crashing into other rocks."The key to our victory is to keep him off-balance, not giving him a chance to gain the upper hand."
"Then we should have just attacked him yesterday." Shikaku said, gaining back a little of his bravado."According to Mei, his responses were so slow, he would have no chance if all of us attacked. But now he had time to prepare, to know that someone is after him, so what was the point?"
Saru didn't look angered by the constant questioning, he really didn't show any emotion. He only looked silently at the smaller teen who once again lost his nerve and looked away before he spoke up again.
"Right now, he thinks we only want to extort him, not kill him. That makes him less likely to be able to put up a fight, especially if you and that pervert do your part and hold his friend hostage." he said to Shikaku who only grunted quietly."Aside from the prestige and wealth, his bounty will bring us, we have a chance to obtain the Vongola's prized secret, the dying will bullets and with that, we will have access to dying will flame technology."
"What's so important about the dying will bullets? Isn't our powers as youkai already put us above humans?" Mei asked him, not condensed, but moe curious.
"Those who use dying will flames at times could match or even defeat youkai. Now imagine that power in our hands." both teens began to smirk at his words, thinking how powerful they could become."In recent ways, a lot of new technology came up that strengthened this untapped power but it's incomplete, not suited for battle yet. These last years, everyone in the mafia hurried, trying to perfect this flame technology, and with the dying will bullets in our hands, using the Todd family, we could finally rise to our places."
"Then why are we working with those humans?" Shikaku challenged Saru, despite the frown on the larger man's face showing he was slowly losing patience with the insolent kid."Wouldn't it make more sense to act on our own, after we got those bullets from the former Decimo? With our own power, and with that spooky flame power we would be unstoppable."
He stopped talking when a heavy hand was placed around his throat, not tightening around it but reminding him how powerless he was compared to the other man. Saru glared down at him, simply the weight of his hand without really trying to, almost sent Shikaku to his knees as he looked up fearfully.
"That's because you are just a naive grunt who has no idea how the world works." Saru said with a low voice, while next to them Mei was also listening while cheerfully humming to herself."Both in our world and the mafia, three things can take you anywhere. Power, wealth, and tradition. If we are successful with killing the former Vongola heir and also acquire those bullets, our standing within the Todd will become greater. With the dying will flame, we will have power, we will have wealth thanks to the bounty and the bullets, and while the Todd is a small family, they have enough history that using them, controlling from the shadows, we will not look like upstarts and the older families would be warier in taking steps against us. And as long they don't think about cooperating with each other, and we will stay within the laws made by those Vendice, no one will oppose us. Understood?" he asked as he slowly released Shikaku who did fall to his knees after that, breathing heavily.
"I...I understand." he wheezed out, Saru giving a satisfied nod and stepping away from.
A moment later Mei was in front of him, leaning into his face with a devilish smirk.
"It's a pretty bold plan. But didn't you know that I was found and raised by the Todd family? What should I do with this information? Should I go and report it to the Boss?" she asked, giggling to herself.
Instead of being unnerved, the large teen just watched her calmly making no move to do anything, not even speaking up.
"Just kidding." Mei laughed as she stepped away and began to walk away."I owe them or you for that matter no loyalty. I don't care what your plans are, what methods you are using. The only thing I care about is being entertained. And if you prove yourself to be boring, I'll kill you." she pleasantly told them before she left them on the roof.
"That chick is screwed in the head, why are you so insistent on keeping her with us?" Shikaku asked, rubbing his neck as he stood up, though his legs were shaking.
"Because she is strong. And if my observations are wrong and Sawada Tsunayoshi is as powerful as they say, we will need her help." Saru replied calmly, though he had a frown on his face.
-0-
"That was fun." Haiji laughed as he swiped the sweat from his forehead. In front of him were three members of his club on the ground, hardly recognizable by the bruises covering their bodies, only able to give out pitiful whimpers as answers."A nice, slow spar is the perfect thing to do after lunch, to keep your body in top shape."
He got no answers from his club members who struggled to stand up but were only able to crawl. He was in the club's dojo, enjoying a nice after lunch spar as usual.
"You don't ever change, do you? A muscle-head till the end." a familiar voice drawled from the direction of the entrance, causing Haiji to turn towards it.
Standing at the entrance, lazily leaning on the door was Gin, smirking at the captain of the karate club. At first glance it was nothing wrong, Gin was his usual self but Haiji knew his sort of a friend long enough to instantly see something was wrong. He was tense and there was a hardness in his eyes that he didn't see since a long time ago. Since the trouble, the newspaper club had last year.
"Yo Gin, fancy meeting you here. Did you come here to have a nice spar?" he asked, as he stepped closer to the werewolf, despite his words, he had a serious face on. Gin shook his head as he stepped inside, stopping in front of Haiji.
"I'm not stupid enough to want to spar with you, you know that. I found something interesting and thought I share it with you." Gin left his smile as he met his eyes, showing how serious he was.
"That's a change. Just what could make Mad Dog Ginei so unnerved to ask for my help?" he asked back, keeping his voice low. While he trusted his club members, from Gin's expression it seemed serious enough that he didn't want to involve them.
"Some punks think they can mess with my club members and I thought about showing them how much of a bad idea that was. How do you feel about helping out a mutual friend of ours?"
Haiji gave a wild grin as he already knew who he was talking about.
"I knew that guy would be interesting to hang out with." he said, his right fist punching into his open palm."Count me in."