Notes:
Hi!
I have had the idea of this series in my head for ages now and I just wanted to put some of it out there to encourage myself to set this straight.
So basically this is more for me than it is for you but feel free to comment and tell me what you think :)
If I finally decide to sit down to write this seriously, the summary and these notes will change.
*The work is going to undergo thru constant edits.
Chapter 1: Initial observations
It was barely dawn in the small town of Namimori when a small figure wearing a fedora arrived at the train station. The world's number one Hitman had arrived at the direct instruction of the elderly head of the Vongola family, Vongola Nonno, an old acquaintance of his, to prepare his successor.
Everything Reborn knew until then about the young woman who would be his apprentice came from a file, currently in his possession, that was wildly outdated (if the photo in it of a little girl said anything), short and written in a non-objective manner by Iemitsu himself. Reborn understood that Iemitsu and the Nonno tried to keep his daughter as low profile as possible to keep her safe - no one mentioned it out loud, but this also included keeping her safe from the ninth's own children.
However, this was simply too much.
The file in question described Tsunayoshi Sawada simply as a bubbly and cheerful girl, who has a bit of trouble in school, quite shy, without many friends or facilities to make them, and a bit clumsy who adores her parents, living in a house from the suburbs only in the company of his mother, and who currently attends Namimori High School.
That was all.
The other information on the file corresponded to her birthday and a physical description that was no longer applicable, beyond the pair of brown eyes and hair like her mother's. It also attached a list of the agents who had been sent to monitor mother and daughter over the years to guarantee their safety. There was only one copy of it (as well as the folder in his possession in the entire vastness of the Vongola archives. Another security measure he supposes) and this was also personally handwritten by Iemitsu. A surprisingly short list, too short for someone who was technically a possible heir to all of Vongola since they were born, however slim the possibility may have been.
Reborn always wondered how Iemitsu could be so good at his job and yet such an idiot. For him, the man was a complete mystery of nature. Iemitsu wanted to keep his family safe, and yet he never kept quiet about it. Always bragging about his beautiful wife and his Tuna Fish to whoever would listen. How Iemitsu believed that would do anything to keep them safe was beyond him, but well... This wasn't the time to stop and reflect on the stupidity of an idiot, he had work to do.
It didn't take him long to track down the Sawada residence and the Namimori school his next student attended. As in any mission, the first phase was reconnaissance. Reborn would take a couple of days to observe his student before coming into direct contact. He always liked to know who he was dealing with before dealing with someone, after all, as they say, knowledge is power.
From the outside, Namimori High School looked like an ordinary high school in any rural town in Japan, but it was enough to simply observe carefully for a few minutes to get out of that mistake. What stood out the most was the so-called Disciplinary Committee, currently lined up at the entrance receiving the other students, who could constantly be seen patrolling the school inside and outside of class hours, calling attention to those students who broke the rules, but who also acted as a kind of militia that fought not only with troublesome students from other schools but also with criminal gangs in the area, making Namimori one of the safest towns in Japan, even with the influx of thugs who come from other places to test their strength or try to conquer territory.
Of all the Committee, the one who stands out the most is its mysterious President, who seemed to have the school and all of Namimori completely under his control. A rather quiet and aggressive second-year boy named Hibari Kyoya, apparently the last living member of an ancient family of great renown in the area. The boy did not bother to speak to any student outside the Disciplinary Committee other than to threaten to "bite them to death" and then proceed to beat them using a pair of metal tonfas. In the entire city there were only 5 exceptions to that rule:
Yamamoto Takeshi:
First-year student and star of the school's Baseball team. A very popular student with little to no sense of survival who insists on keeping completely unilateral conversations with the bity boy.
The Sasagawa Sibilings:
Ryohei, the oldest, (a second year like Hibari, and who in fact turns out to be Hibari's classmate), president of the boxing club, much bigger and stronger than the rest of the children his age and who apparently shares with Yamamoto the null sense of survival by, from time to time, hitting Hibari's shoulder while carrying out a one-sided conversation with him.
Kyoko, the younger sister, (first-year student. Quite a sweet girl who apparently happens to be the most popular in school), occasionally comes over to have a word or two with him, usually when he's overdoing it. of the tonfas (presumably this also has to do with her level of popularity), but unlike her brother and her friend Takeshi, she is more respectful of Hibari's personal space, so her presence and Kurokaga Hana's, the fourth and final exception, also a first year and best friend of the younger Sasagawa, is usually much better received or at least... not with an aura of death like the other two.
Beyond the eventual fights in which the boy with the tonfas found himself involved late at night during his patrol trips to the city, there was not much more to rescue from the first days of observation, although he will try to save those observations for later, when the time comes for the new sky to gather its elements, but right now the raven-haired man had a problem:
Reborn still have not seen a single hair of the one who was supposed to be his student, not even during the time while he was guarding the Sawada residence.
Seeing how the mother remained calm, following her daily routine without showing any signs of concern and his instincts did not tell him anything, he decided to wait, but as the days passed and the weekend approached, his concern increased. There was a reason why Reborn was number one at what he did, not only had he never failed a mission, but he had excelled at each and every one of them, and he definitely wasn't planning on failing this one. If the girl didn't appear soon he would have to start taking action.
But he didn't have to worry about that, as all that suspense came to an end when one morning he noticed an abnormal level of commotion within the school. Hallway whispers came and went at a frenetic speed as the disciplinary committee reminded everyone who entered the school about the school assembly that would take place that morning.
Namimori High School had won an important regional Jiu-Jitsu tournament that would open the doors to the nationals and the Principal had asked the Team Captain to give a short speech at the assembly.
Now, why all the fuss about it? Apparently, the origin of all this turmoil was not the situation itself but was precisely the triumphant return to school of the famous Captain of the Jiu-Jitsu Team.
Reborn had initially judged that Sasagawa Kyoko was the most popular girl by how everyone in her seemed to know her, how they addressed her, or the type of comments that were made about the younger Sasagawa when she and her best friend weren't around. However, it seems that such a conclusion was too hasty.
While Sasagawa Kyoko's virtues were a common topic of conversation in the hallways among both the female and male population. This paled in comparison to the frantic and excited murmuring raised by the head of the Jiu-Jitsu team. It took little for Reborn to learn that such a level of admiration wasn't directed at her just for having led the team to victory or for having won first place in the tournament herself.
Oh No.
It turns out that the Jiu Jitsu Team Captain was not only the Jiu Jitsu Team Captain, but she was also none other than the President of Namimori High School's Student Committee: An extremely respected and acclaimed figure within the student body.
From what Reborn managed to extrapolate from what the students were saying, it seemed that Namimori High School was under the control of a very delicate balance of powers between Hibari Kyoya, President of the Disciplinary Committee, and the aforementioned President of the Student Committee. Two big fish in a small pond who tolerated each other enough to coexist with each other and who worked together to keep the school and all of Namimori safe and under control.
From what he was able to find out thanks to one or another comment made by members of the Disciplinary Committee, these two powers were not only in a truce, but it could be considered that, in fact, they were friends, or at least known people for a long time.
Some rumors spoke of "childhood friends" and one or another comment, said in a whisper, dared to insinuate that they were "something more than friends," to which another, equally quietly, responded that that was impossible. because she "very clearly already had something with Yamamoto-san!" capturing Reborn's attention. It seemed like a central piece of the Namimori High School puzzle had been missing, and things were about to get interesting.
It was early Wednesday morning when Tsunayoshi finally got off the bus back in Namimori. They had stopped at a gas station to have breakfast and clean up a bit. After this, the bus would drop them off at school, and from then on they had been given the day off as a reward, but she didn't have time to rest, she had work to do. The director had sent word through their coach that he was requested to make a short speech at the assembly that morning regarding the championship victory and a couple of administrative-level announcements that needed to be made. Tsuna took a breath, counted to three, and then let go. "That old idiot" she muttered in her mind while clenching her jaw. She's just coming from being away for days and traveling several hours during the night for him to come and ask her to do his job.
Of course, she could have refused, but she had an image to maintain. She didn't even think about stopping by the house- She drank a double Americano in one gulp and headed to the station bathroom.
She could be sleep-deprived and exhausted but she still had to look presentable.
She quickly changed into her uniform in a cubicle, brushed her teeth, washed her face, and put makeup on the dark circles under her eyes, scanning her face for any other imperfections to cover, and was satisfied when she found none.
She brushed her hair using a straightening brush, applied cream and hairspray to make sure not a single hair in her usual hairstyle was out of place, and put on delicate gold and pearl earrings, her favorites. She finished her hurried version of her morning ritual as always, running her hands over her uniform as she scrutinized herself in the mirror, making sure not a single wrinkle or lint ruined her impeccable appearance. With everything done, Tsuna squared her shoulders and smiled at her reflection.
It was show time.
Leaving the bathroom feeling like herself again, she walked with her head held high towards her teammates and her teacher in charge to board their transportation back to school. As soon as the bus arrived at the entrance Tsuna asked to get off, she wouldn't wait for it to go all the way around to enter through the parking lot. She said goodbye to her teammates and coach, once again receiving a round of congratulations for her first place interspersed with the goodbyes, and landed on the sidewalk with a jump.
The members of the entrance disciplinary committee were still there in their usual formation receiving the latecomers, making sure that everyone was wearing the uniform properly, complying with the dress code, and making them tremble with their reproachful grimaces, fearing they would be bitten to death.
- "Good morning, guys!" - Tsuna greeted them amused. To which they responded by extending their greetings and congratulations, loosening their frowns as she advanced toward the door. Kusakabe Tetsuya, Hibari's second in command, was already waiting for her.
-" Good morning Tetsu-san!" - the brown-haired girl greeted him with a singing voice and widened her smile.
- "Good morning Tsunayoshi-san. The assembly is about to begin, I suggest you hurry up. "Kyoya-san is already there and he's going to bite you to death if you're late" - Kusakabe responded, to which Tsuna of course just laughed.
- "Then let's not keep Mr. Carnivore waiting" – she mentioned in a playful tone. Kusakabe just smiled and shook his head as he watched Tsuna advance down the hallway at a quick and cheerful pace, smilingly waving at whoever she passed, with everyone in the hallway waving back with great enthusiasm.
It didn't take long to reach the entrance next to the amphitheater stage, from outside she could hear the director already addressing the students.
Kyoko and Hana greeted her with a big hug at the foot of the stairs, with whispers of congratulations and comments about missing her, checking her from head to toe making sure she was ready to go on stage. They were also part of the Student Committee so they were allowed to be there, much to the chagrin of poor Takeshi, who often had to stay alone in his seat during official events. Although of course... In reality, he was never alone because he was always surrounded by his teammates from the baseball team. But anyway, Tsuna would make sure to give him a bear hug too when this is all over.
She soon heard the director mention her name followed by a thunderous round of applause.
It was her moment.
Straightening her back and squaring her shoulders Tsuna stepped onto the stage. From the podium, she was able to locate Takeshi, Ryohei and Kyoya. She made eye contact and waved at them by raising her eyebrows in greeting, Takeshi and Ryohei returned an enthusiastic wave, while Kyoya just narrowed his eyes at her, he hadn't missed the detail that she had barely arrived there on time. She would appease the beast by giving it a fight after class.
Tsuna seriously suspects that half of Kyoya's character problems are purely due to stress, and the other half, (which may or may not be related), is due to how emotionally constipated he is, seriously, Tsuna would love him. If only he would let her. For God's sake, they've known each other since they were kids, he was never the biggest fan of displays of affection when they were kids, but this was ridiculous. Tsuna spent hours hugging Kyoya when his family died, she was always there for him, until one day he decided to act tough and push her away. Since then every show of affection on his part is received with a death glare and a tonfa. Tsuna understands, she doesn't pressure him and prefers to take it with humor, taking advantage of teasing him at the same time, she knows that he still appreciates her, sometimes even the fearsome Hibari Kyoya has his moments.
And… She was lost in thought again. Tsuna blinks and smiles at everyone as the applause ends.
She begins her little speech by happily greeting everyone with a simple "Hi!" to which the entire audience responds back with some giggles.
Tsunayoshi was in her element.
-"Well, first of all, I would love to announce, in case anyone hasn't heard yet, that the Namimori High School Jiu Jitsu team has won the regionals and is going straight to the nationals" - Tsuna pauses to receive the acclaim of the attendees.
- "Taking advantage of the opportunity that the director has given me, I would like to congratulate my incredible team that fought tooth and claw to win that final. I know better than anyone how many tears, sweat, and blood it cost us, but I warn you that we are going for more. " - Tsuna blurted out with a biting smile that triggered an even more excited reaction from the audience.
- "Leaving that aside, the principal also asked me, this time as president of the student committee, to make a couple of public utility announcements for this new school year: For this year's alliance season, the rules of conduct will be changed and there will be much harsher punishment for those who start food fights in the cafeteria. Yes, I'm looking at you Hajime" - Tsuna pursed her lips to avoid joining the giggles that were heard among the crowd of those who had witnessed the spectacle.
- "As well as the use of megaphones and musical instruments in general during class hours will also be prohibited" - This time none of those present broke into laughter.
Okay, it was very likely that the implementation of this last rule was Tsuna's fault. From where she was she could clearly see Takeshi slumping in his seat.
As if he hadn't helped, the damn bastard.
- "Those are all the announcements, Thank you very much for… Ah! and... the nurse sent to say that if someone has a stomachache in the morning and knows they are sick, to please DO NOT come to class to avoid incidents like last year, that's all" -
Of course, the whole school remembered that incident, having someone vomiting in the cafeteria in the middle of lunchtime was definitely not a pleasant moment for anyone, but now that it was all in the past half the school was laughing their heads off. remembering the incident, poor Takeo.
Amidst the laughter and applause of the crowd, Tsuna walked off the stage feeling satisfied. Kyoko was laughing too and Hana just shook her head at her with a smile as the principal went up to dismiss everyone back to their respective classes. With everyone up and moving, Takeshi and Ryohei took the opportunity to get closer to where they were, catching up with them as they left.
-"Hey Tsuna! "Good speech, and congratulations on the tournament." - Takeshi said with a smile as he put his arm around Tsuna's shoulder as they continued walking. The brunette only laughed, leaning on the other, more than used to her best friend's gesture. - "Hello to you too Take, Ryohei-san" - Tsuna greeted them, to which of course the white-haired man responded by shouting with enthusiasm - "You went to the extreme in that championship. That's how Sawada is done!" - how could it not be Another way. Kyoko couldn't do anything but smile at her brother's personality and Hana just mumbled something about "monkeys" under her breath.
As Tsuna and her friends made their way down the hallway chatting, laughing, and responding to everyone's greetings, to the rest of the mortals watching them pass, they were definitely a pretty impressive bunch.
Not only because of the variety of its individuals but above all because it was made up of the most popular people in the school. If we were in the typical clichéd American high school, it could be said that they were the classic group of the popular.
Classifying them solely based on stereotypes, they would be: Ryohei as the brainless jock, Takeshi as the attractive and popular boy, Kyoko as the one who was just a pretty face, Hana as the girl who wasn't that pretty but had brains, serving just like someone else's shadow and Tsunayoshi, as the queen bee, the mythic bitch.
If the school were an ecosystem, she would undoubtedly be the Apex predator.
All of them are attractive, untouchable, and always the talk of the hallways. Everyone stops when they see them passing, everyone wants to be like them. It was almost as if they existed in another world parallel to their own, living out the teenage fantasy in real life.
But well, the truth is that none of them exactly fit those stereotypes: Ryohei-san might be someone who is too focused on boxing, but he didn't necessarily do badly in school and otherwise, he is actually a very helpful person.
Takeshi-san is much more than a face and a friendly attitude. He has a more serious side to him that not everyone knows about and that he only allows himself to show to his closest friends.
Kyoko-chan is obviously much more than a pretty face, not only is she genuinely a very sweet, thoughtful, and kind person, but she is accompanied by a spine of steel that few know about.
Regarding Hana-san, it is enough to exchange two words with her to know that Hana-san is not and will never be anyone's shadow, her strong character and quite mature for her age are legendary at school due to a couple of incidents that involved someone not respecting boundaries with Kyoko-chan before Tsunayoshi-san arrived at school.
Namimori High School is proud that there has been no bullying in its classrooms or hallways for years, not only due to the incessant patrolling of the disciplinary committee but also due to the actions of its Student Council President. Tsunayoshi-san has never allowed another student to be spoken down to or belittled in his presence. In fact, when someone new comes to school and he thinks they might start knocking over other people's supplies or scratching tables, they soon realize. realize how wrong they are. There is always more than one humble witness who is more than willing to report what happened to Tsunayoshi-san, who will directly confront the person in such a way that he will never feel like behaving in such a thoughtless manner again.
The fact that Tsunayoshi-san personally ensures, in collaboration with Hibari-sempai, that there is always a good atmosphere within the school is something that, regardless of the constant fear of being bitten to death, everyone always appreciates.
As they arrived at their respective classrooms to continue with a normal day of classes, Tsuna couldn't help but sigh after finally leaving behind the frenetic pace of the last few days. However, she surprised herself by still feeling tense, she had the feeling that she was being watched, well… more than usual. Her intuition told her that there was something out of place and her intuition had never failed her.
— Mmmh… She will ask Mr. Carnivore about it after the fight, but she still will be warning him to be alert. —
From one of his secret hiding places, Reborn had carefully observed every movement made by the girl since the old man in charge of the school had announced that the brunette-haired girl would take the stage. None other than Tsunayoshi Sawada, his missing future student, to his delight. Who apparently was also the center of all the murmurings in the hallway.
It wasn't difficult to realize that there were a lot more things wrong with Iemitsu's file than he initially thought, but more importantly, Reborn had finally found his student.
It was time to introduce himself.