Welcome back darlings. Have a fluffy chapter to soothe pain from the other angsty fic :)
Readers who follow THE SKY THAT BONDS. I'm going to be absent for a while due to school/traveling. I'll try to update this month, but if I can't, know that the structure for the next chapter is already done and I'll write as soon as I'm able to.
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Dino blinked, trying to break the hallucination from his mind but the little fairy was still blinking down at him. Her honey eyes sparkled gold in the sunlight, it was such a mesmerizing sight, he could swear there were sparkles floating around her too. Or maybe that was the concussion after being hit in the head by a green mallet.
"Am I dead?" He whispered, making her giggle.
"I just asked you that"
Dino was by no means a creative person, and in his final moments, he doubts his mind would dream the image of a little girl speaking Japanese coming to greet him. But no, his head still hurts and blinking did not make the apparition go away, if anything it made everything felt more real.
"What are you doing here? Are you lost?"
"No, I found you!" She said with a toothy grin before scrunching her little nose "Are you in the Mafia?"
"You know about the Mafia?" He sat up with a jolt, feeling dizzy and a little sick that someone as young as this girl knew of the does of the underworld.
"I'm the Mafia!"
Who was this adorable, ignorant creature?
With all of Reborn's lessons, he knew there was no daughter, cousin or little sister in the Vongola family branch. And he doubts the maids would bring their children and let them roam free in such a dangerous place. Still, that didn't answer where she came from and what she was doing here unsupervised. Just last week there was a crossfire in Vongola's east wing, and he doubts security would let an innocent soul wander the grounds like a lamb for slaughter.
"Hey, are you sure you're not a ghost?"
"I'm fine, see? Living and breathing" He patted his chest to prove he was solid before smiling quizzically at her. "Who are you, little lady? You shouldn't be alone in big places like this"
"I'm Tsunayuuki" She smiled back, bright and merry "And I'm not alone"
Too sweet and too trusting, good thing he was raised a gentleman.
"Pleasure to meet you, I'm Dino" He shook her hand as he was taught how to, relishing in her giggles and stood up without releasing his hold on her in fear she would disappear. "Let's go inside, yeah? I'm sure someone must be looking for you"
"I'm playing hide and seek! He hasn't found me so I'm winning!"
"Of course" He played along, and walked with her towards what he thinks is the way out of the gardens. His sense of orientation wasn't' bad, but knowing his luck, he wouldn't be surprised if they somehow entered a maze and got lost for hours or days. "Say, are you Vongola?"
"Vonora?"
"Nothing" He shook his head, hoping - praying - he hadn't just broken omertá and dragged a poor child into a mess bigger than her own shadow "Anyway, how old are you?"
"I'm one, two… five!"
"That's nice. Seven more years and you'll be my age! But hey, has… has your mom ever told you about stranger danger? You shouldn't give information to people you don't know"
"Then why did you ask?" Dino stumbled, over a rock, maybe a twig, perhaps due to the invisible dagger on his back, and he only had half a second to release her hand in fears of dragging her down with him. "Are you okay?"
"Y-Yeah, this is normal for me, don't worry"
"It's okay. I fall a lot too!"
And wasn't that depressing? He groaned as he sat up, pulling and stretching his injuries and dusted his already dirty suit. Damn. His father wasn't one to scold him over appearances, heck he even suggested Dino get a neck tattoo with their Famiglia crest, but the one who cared about immaculate image was also the one with the whims to kill him.
"This is all Reborn's doing" He cursed as he stood up.
"Who is Reborn?"
"The devil!" He turned to the little girl looking up at him with utmost attention, and he almost had the insane reaction to grab her shoulders and shake her to share his troubles. "Listen, if you ever see a baby with a black hat, you stay away from him!"
"Why would a baby wear a hat?"
"Because he's a hitman! Um… a person who goes on missions and ki-beats bad guys"
"Is he a hero?"
"N-Not exactly!" How do you describe the profession of an assassin for hire to a little girl?! "He's just someone really strong who can make others stronger if he wants to. He's my tutor, actually"
"Can you make fire too?!" She gasped in excitement, and really looked up at him with stars in her eyes; bright, light & golden.
"Fire? Flames?" He asked in dismay at the fact that yeah, the girl knew somehow about the mafia and it's workings "I'm afraid not"
Reborn has been trying, firing bullets left and right for him to turn on fire like some sort of fire salamander despite his family line not possessing the hyper dying will mode. Rumor has it that even some Vongola heirs couldn't enter it either, so how can someone wimpy and clumsy as him even get it?
"It's okay. I'll learn! And then I'll teach you!" The girl said, and what else could he do but smile.
"Thank you!"
Their walk back to the mansion was filled with chatter.
His Japanese wasn't the best - not yet if Reborn had a say in it, and he did - but he understood her simple words and short sentences. He learnt she was from Japan, that she was on vacation and living in a summer palace. In Vongola's summer villa it appears, its location secluded to anyone external, but with his famiglia being in close ties with them, he knew of its existence. And the mystery of who the girl was, why she was here and how much she knew kept on growing.
She was cute, and while he despaired for being an only child, he was glad he did not have a little sister that could get hurt for being, well, young, innocent and a girl. Whoever she belongs to better be taking care of her, or else he fears she'll be whisked away by the shadows. He would love to protect her, but he also knows that if Reborn knows, he will try to take her away for his own entertainment. So no, he needed to stay away and pray she lives a happy, civilian life.
Which is why he almost had a heart attack when she let go of his hand to run towards the brooding, black mass that was Xanxus Vongola lounging on the gardens.
"Found you, I win!"
"Get lost, scum"
"Xanxus!" He squeaked - because puberty - and not due to the dark glare the older teen was giving him. "H-Hi"
"Is he your friend?" The little girl asked the violent teen, who was miraculously surviving not being kicked despite the bad mood Xanxus seems to be in.
"You get lost too, fucking brat"
"Where is my prize?"
"You are not getting shit!"
"But you owe me a flower!"
"I don't fucking care, now move!"
"Hey! Don't talk to her like that!" Dino quickly grabbed her and pushed her behind him to prevent Xanxus from really shooting her. His hands were bleeding orange, and Dino was wary to step closer to Vongola's black sheep and his dangerous deviation of Sky flames. Oddly enough, despite his careless methods of teaching, Reborn warned him about not going against that power yet.
And for someone who gladly throws his student in front of a blood thirsty Lion, that could only spell trouble he wasn't ready for. But to save the little girl, he wasn't scared to try.
"Get lost, Cavallone" Xanxus demanded.
But never before - just with Reborn - has Dino felt his self-preservation screaming at him, so he grabbed Tsunayuuki and walked as fast as he could without tripping, ignoring the girl's hey! at being manhandled and carried away and the loud scoff at his cowardly retreat.
"What's his deal?" He muttered with a glare, watching his steps on the grass for any hidden stone.
"Is he angry with me?" Tsunayuuki peered behind his shoulder to see Xanxus disappearing from view as they crossed a corner and found themselves on the path back to the garden's entrance of the mansion.
"Nah" Dino said with dry humor "Xanxus is very grumpy, like a cat! A big lazy cat, so be careful with him"
"I love cats!"
He shared her smile, and distracted her from Xanxus fixation by asking her about the fluffy felines. He doubts he will see her again, but he will keep an eye out for her just in case. And Tsunayuuki kept talking about the kittens and then of rabbits and pretty birds singing songs in her window; who in turn listened about turtles, dogs and big horses galloping the meadows.
Mafia, she thought, was maybe something beyond fights and lies.
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"Did you have fun, Tsuna-fish?"
"Mn"
As soon as Dino returned her to that quiet room, he scrambled away yelling about tutors and lizards and ran as quickly as he came. Not too long after he disappeared, the man from before returned looking scared and winded. Tsunayuuki only blinked at his frantic expression and smiled at his funny appearance.
She liked Dino, but on their way back he made her promise not to tell anyone about meeting him or Xanxus, the boy with the red eyes. She didn't understand why she had to keep it a secret, even the ghost from behind the walls made her swear not to tell anyone about the tree. Scared she would get them in trouble, when her father finally returned and asked about her day, she told him she saw the gardens from the window and really wanted to go.
Hand in hand, they walked through the same path she just came from, but she didn't see Dino or Xanxus again.
Bummed and hungry, she let her father parade around the garden and walk into a tall maze like the ones from a fairy tale; she gripped his hand tight not to get lost, and she felt brave enough to lead with his grip securely on her.
Of course she got lost, but he laughed loudly and helped her out, and then he got lost and she giggled. Thoughts about the penguins and the Mafia long forgotten from her mind as he carried her high on his shoulders so that she could find the way out.
When they finally exited a long corridor of bushes that led into a secret clearing with flowers, fountains and trees, there was an iron tea table where an old man was waiting for them.
"So this is dear Tsunayuuki" The old man approached them with a kind smile, Tsunayuuki felt shy when he knelt in front of her "Hello, I'm Timoteo di Vongola, but you can call me Grandpa Timothy if you like"
"Grandpa Chi-mo-chi?" She scrunched her nose at his weird name and tugged at her father's hand when she couldn't pronounce it correctly "It's hard!"
"Her t's and r's are still a struggle, but she's so cute~"
"How do you say grandpa in italiana?" She asked.
"It's Italian, Tsuna-fish"
The old man - who was her grandfather - gave her a mischievous smile she couldn't understand.
"Nonno"
"Sir"
"Nono" She eventually said, making Iemitsu sigh and for Timoteo to chuckle "Hi, Nono!"
"Hello. Did you have a good time in the mansion?"
"It's big. Are you lonely?"
"No. My family lives here with me, we are together"
"If we are family, why don't we live here too?"
"Ahh" Iemitsu did an aborted motion with his hands, stuck between holding his daughter at his side and stopping whatever answer his boss was going to say. Timoteo, however, didn't stumble.
"Because your Mamma and Pappa wanted to spend some time with you. You're on vacation, and once you feel ready to end it, you can move here with us"
"Nono"
Iemitsu didn't raise his voice, didn't threaten or warn him, but Timoteo merely gave him a tiny nod as Tsunayuuki considered his offer before she shook her head and hugged her father's knees.
"I want to stay with Mamma"
"That's alright" Timoteo said before standing up and offering his hand "You can always visit, no?"
"Hai!"
Hand in hand, he led them to the table where sandwiches and tea were waiting for them. Tsunayuuki's focus quickly shifted, especially with the tower of macarons that were in many colors. She started munching her lunch and choosing all the pink macarons while the adults talked above her with a cup of tea.
"She's a charmer"
"She is, isn't she? She takes after my sweet Nana!"
"Take care of her, Iemitsu" Timoteo said softly "I'm not against your family settling in the Villa, that's your birthright. But here in Italy, her blood must remain secret to all. I fear the wolves will devour her if it doesn't"
"It will never come to that" He stated seriously, eyes flashing orange by the spark of resolution.
"For you and me both, my friend, I pray the gods are on your side"
Religion was tied to the Mafia in a way, for if prayers didn't work in heavens, then the only place to go for help was the underworld.
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It's been days since her visit to the big castle, and Tsunayuuki was living an adventure everyday. Her days were spent between exploring her new house, the very big grape trees and the market her mamma goes to buy fresh food. Everything felt so different from their lives in Japan, more quiet and magical, relaxing and peaceful.
There were mornings where she would wake up to soft humming and fingers in her hair, the sun bright and warm on her window making it possible to dream a little longer of butterflies and fairy lights. Those were the best days, there was a warmness that stayed with her all through the night, and in her fingers as she drew.
She tried to draw Dino and Xanxus from memory, but she wasn't that good yet at remembering. She was getting there, though. She drew Daemon in funny looking clothes and people she didn't know, but somehow did. Her imagination was powerful, her mamma had said. It was good practice, her father had said.
So she kept drawing people, things, and places she didn't know.
Other mornings were not so pleasant, however, as there were snakes and monsters pulling her feet and her body out of the bed by a very rude ghost.
"Gyaa!"
"You don't have intuition. How disappointing" He tutted, ignoring the fact she was sprawled on the floor and crying loudly.
"Quiet child, you can't cry everytime someone scares you"
"Y-You're mean a-nd, and scary!"
"If I wanted to kill you, you'd be dead"
Tsunayuuki cried louder.
"Mamma!"
"Tsu-chan, did you fall from the bed again?" Her mother couldn't see her ghost, so everytime she screamed and cried and pointed at him, her mamma would wipe her tears and play along. But even if Daemon was prone to scare her and haunt her, he appears to have no real intentions to hurt her or her mamma.
He wasn't there everyday, but when he was, he didn't leave her alone. Always walking besides her, changing forms and playing tricks to keep her alert from her surroundings. The more her father was away from the house due to work stuff, the more the ghost prince haunted the hallways and made it his new home too.
He was also very bossy.
"Don't waste food"
"But it's yucky" She stuck her tongue in disgust at the steamed broccoli on her plate.
"I'll turn it into a monstrosity if you don't eat it"
"You're a mean ghost"
"I never said I was friendly" He sneered at her half attempt to finish her meal. Her mamma was trying to write a cookbook with Italian recipes, but most often than not her meals consisted of healthy dishes that tasted bad but were apparently good for her. And she had to eat it. Because if she doesn't then her mamma will be sad, and her ghost will make the broccoli raise and attack her "You're a mess, child. You can't have a resilient mind if your body is weak"
"But it's evil!"
"Vegetables are not evil"
"Then you're evil!"
He didn't disagree, instead, he made chains appear from nowhere and tied her to the chair until she finished her yucky plate and when her mamma returned from the kitchen, she was given a bowl of fresh blueberries as a reward; chains and ghost long gone. Tsunayuuki didn't want to cry in front of her mother again, so she quickly grabbed her fruits and ran to the gardens.
She wasn't allowed to go past the grape trees, which ran in long lines that seemed never ending. She had to tell her mamma if she was going to explore it, and grab a yellow ribbon to find her way back, and if the ribbon was gone, she needed to turn back and return right away, preferably before the sun starts going down.
Of course, it wouldn't be an adventure if she didn't find something interesting. She saw some pointy red rocks that didn't belong to the soily ground, so she started following them. She lost the yellow ribbon, but she could still see the house so she kept going. Going and going, following the rocks till she found red crosses painted on the barks.
Crosses usually meant treasure, so she started to dig. Which is how Daemon found her, knees and hands buried in soil and dirt. He sneered and cursed as she found a chest buried in the vineyard. It was big and heavy and she couldn't open it, her ghost told her to leave it alone if she didn't want to be cursed, but she really wanted to know what was inside.
Daemon didn't let her, he returned her to her room, forced her to shower then he would drag her to the patio to whatever plan he had for the day.
"Come child, you shall train"
"Am I going to turn myself on fire?!"
"No"
She pouted, and dug her heels to stop him from walking but it was as if she weighed nothing and he kept pulling her along. When she told him she wanted to become a hitman he didn't laugh and took her seriously by starting to teach her how to fight. She didn't want to fight someone, but apparently it was something you had to do.
"This is a dagger," He told her one afternoon as he handed her a small knife. It was small and heavy, but shiny and cool too. But it was also heavy and her arm was starting to hurt as he tried to teach her how to hold it. "If someone attacks you, you stab them"
"Won't it hurt them?"
"It will. In the Mafia, it's either you or them"
Mafia, Mafia, Mafia. Everyone was talking about the Mafia while pretending not to speak of it. The maids from the house, vendors in the market, even the gardener that tended to their vineyard. It was a hush-hush conversation, something she wasn't supposed to know like the secret tree behind the wall, but she did. And she couldn't tell anyone either that she knew.
Not even her mamma.
The dagger was pretty but she didn't like it. And it showed because Daemon created huge spiders that tried to eat her so she had no other choice but to try and use it. She was on high alert, scared something else was going to pop out as the sun was going down and it was time to go inside. Her ghost had disappeared, but she didn't trust him not to scare her.
So when she saw a shadow approaching her, she attacked.
Only to have pretty red eyes staring back at her.
"You came!"
"The fuck are you doing here!?"
"I live here" Dagger and danger forgotten, she grabbed the boy's hand before he disappeared and tugged him towards the direction of the vineyard, hoping Daemon wouldn't ruin her fun again "Come one, come on, I found treasure!"
Against his better judgment, Xanxus followed her. The brat just tried to stab him, it was weak and sloppy and he easily knocked it out of her hand, but it was a huge leap from her childish wanting to play hide & seek.
All he wanted was to escape the suffocating ball happening at HQ that would announce Massimo coming of age as the next in line, and the Villa which was supposed to be unoccupied was the least place for the dogs to sniff him. Fucking karma for the brat to be living here of all places. And fucking idiot to allow himself to be dragged by the tiny fool.
Her hand was small and sweaty, and she didn't shut up as she led him towards the vineyard, looking at the ground and searching for rocks.
Stupid. Ridiculous. Idiot.
But the more he walked, the less his anger simmered, and when he recognized they were halfway past the vineyard, he saw the open ground revealing a half buried chest and the brat's satisfied smile.
"Mr. Ghost said it was cursed and we shouldn't touch it"
"What ghost?"
"The ghost from the tree- Oh! It's a secret" She sucked her lip and quickly shook her head "No one!"
"You suck at lying, brat"
Dismissing her worries, he kicked the chest, listening in delight as glass bottles rattled inside.
"I'll give you a coin if you open it"
"I can steal it all" He scoffed loudly and pushed the idiot away.
"But stealing is bad" She said, but jumped when he gave the chest a very hard kick that forced the lid to open on itself. She gasped, but before she could gush about his strength, she became confused when instead of golden coins shining in the sunset sun, brown bottles shone. "Bottles? Why would someone hide bottles?"
"It's rum" Xanxus grinned, already grabbing one and whistling at the year of sealing. It truly was a treasure.
"Like the pirates? Are you a pirate?"
Why the fuck was he even entretaining this brat? Other than the fact she led him to very good alcohol. And that she tried to stab him, the pathetic fool.
"This is boring. And you'll get cursed because you drink it. Maybe you'll turn into a ghost too"
"You're boring, stupid brat"
He drank half a bottle, relishing the strong burn it left in his throat. He has come to find that the more he uses his flames, the less it is to actually get drunk. His Sky flames were just getting too strong and potent that they burned whatever didn't belong in his body. He raged when he found out, destroyed his room, and drank an entire barrel. If he can't get drunk without giving his flames up, then he just has to drink even more.
The brat was grumbling something, disappointed about her treasure and kneeling next to the chest to count the bottles when he sensed it.
Rustles. Movement. Sour stench of flames hiding in plain sight and spices of an amateaur killer intent.
In a breath, Xanxus drew out his gun and shot the man that came out of the bushes with a gun of his own. A mist user, albeit a very weak one. He sneered down at him, turning his body with a kick to show no crest affiliation, but he wouldn't put it past the sniveling fools to send someone to try and get rid of the competition now that the elder was a step closer to the throne.
Or maybe it was someone hoping to kidnap the brat. Xanxus walked here without worrying about security, anyone else could do it too.
He'll have to get rid of the body by the old ways, burning it would alert his position and this truly was a good place to set a secret operation base to sleep and drink without annoying pests lurking.
The brat has officially scaled from annoying brat to foolish brat. He had to give an approval when she didn't scream like any normal child would at seeing someone get shot. Though she was shaking and staring wide eyed at the sight, she didn't flinch when he turned her around and pushed her back to the Villa's path. Maybe there was promise in her.
"W-What… what did you do?" She whispered.
"That man was going to kill you"
"Why?"
"Because you're a girl"
"But I didn't hurt him"
"You didn't need to" He said as he gave the body one last kick to make sure and hoisted the chest of bottles up to carry "Scumbags like that don't give a fuck about it, they follow orders from even more fucked scumbags. That's the way of the Mafia"
Mafia, she burned the word in her mind, hugging her arms and wishing she had held onto the dagger instead of letting it drop to the ground. She tried not to sniff loudly when Xanxus pushed her again to start walking, everything happened so fast, Daemon had made her see ugly things but never actually… that. What if that man tried to hurt her mamma? She wasn't strong enough to protect her, and if Xanxus wasn't here, she fears what could have happened.
She didn't want that to happen.
Was the Mafia really bad?
"Is my father a good man?"
"No"
"...Will I be a bad person too?"
"You can" He peered down at her "Will you?"
"I don't want to"
Simple. As if it was really that easy to choose a path in life.
How naive and innocent of her, he thought sourly. She already knew too much, there was no going back for her. Her blood alone would make her a target, her age and gender just added to the factor.
The girl needed to be trained, or else she wouldn't survive.
Did he care? Not really.
But he could recognize an untainted spark thirsting to be alit.
"Are you a superhero?" She asked on their way back, shaky but curious.
"Superheroes don't wield weapons, brat"
"But you fought evil and you saved me! Thank you"
"Whatever. You're trouble. Get lost and leave me alone"
"Hey! That's not the way home!" She tugged him in a different direction, one hand holding a yellow ribbon, the other his hand.
Maybe it was the rum, or maybe a flame-induced fever, perhaps even a ridiculous flare of intrigue, but he followed her. Suffering her endless chatter as he counted the rum to hope he can at least get drunk from this. She only let go of his hand when they neared the patio, where a female figure was standing and already waiting.
"Mamma!" Tsunayuuki crashed into her mother's arms, and breathed in her peach scent to try and forget the image of the man falling down. She was going to have nightmares that night, and the next one and the night after that, but for now, being hugged by her spooked every scary thought.
"There you are. You know you're supposed to be back before sunset, you worried me" Nana chidded her as she hugged her up and looked curiously at the boy her daughter had dragged home "Friend of yours, Tsu-chan?"
"Mn!"
"Well, welcome dear, would you like some berry crumble?"
Iemitsu was going to be away for the night, it was just them in the silent Villa. So after reprimanding and grounding her daughter not to go into the vineyard alone again, she turned in the radio and brought out the crumble from the oven.
"I hope Tsu-chan didn't bother you much. What's your name, dear?"
"Xanxus Vongola" He replied with a nod, sitting at the table with the chest at his feet.
He can be polite if he wanted. Which was almost never, but he could.
The point being, a mother's love was unconditional. It could be a blessing. It could be a curse. But if there was one thing in the world Xanxus never took for granted, was a mother's determination to see their kid succeed, no matter if it meant burning herself out for them. He never understood why his father never took his mother in and let her rot in the streets, still doesn't after all these years.
Family was supposed to be the most important thing, and yet all he cared about in the end was heirs and blood.
Blood, it seems, was the sacred motivation that moved the world.
Sawada Nana could be deemed a silly housewife; naive and an airhead. But Xanxus saw the protective and almost fierce cautiousness in her eyes at her little daughter hanging out with a mysterious guy half her age carrying an old chest with rum bottles. And if she held onto the knife a little longer as she served them dessert, he didn't mention it.
Not bad, he thought as he chewed the pastry. At least there were brains in the family.
Plus, her cooking was good.
The brat had the potential to be groomed as a minion.
And the Villa was secluded and quiet, perfect place to hide from the noisy trash.
If he comes again tomorrow, it will be due to the favorable situation, nothing else.
.
.
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Of course, his peace was violently interrupted by a loud shark wielding a sword.
Xanxus swears there was someone else living in the Villa. The brat kept saying it was her ghost but Xanxus didn't saw shit whenever he came. But he knows he felt a presence, not in the sense of it being too weak to notice, but rather, it being too strong to masterfully cloak themselves from his instincts. It was a good mystery, and whenever the brat showed him a trick she learnt in her 'training' he became more intrigued.
Secrets were a norm in the Mafia. She refuses to say where she was learning them, just as he made her swear not to mention his presence to her father. Which seemed useless, because the man was absent more and more often from the house.
Which is why one morning when Nana went to the market alone after gaining his trust, and he was supposed to make sure the brat finished her breakfast, the bubble was broken by loud yells and hysterical curses. Curiosity perked, the brat went to investigate, and as the designated adult he was supposed to be, he went too.
The brat brought her dagger, he brought his gun.
What they found were two idiots rolling around in the grass, fighting or something. It looked more like one was beating the other one with a sword, but they were idiots he recognized.
"Dino!"
"Tsuny~"
The blond annoyance seemed to be making roots here too, in the Villa and with the brat. The first time he saw him lurking, he shot him away. But the idiot kept coming back and after Signora Nana offered him pumpkin pie, Xanxus knew there was no way to kick him out unless he incapacitates him outside the Villa.
The other one, was a hitman amateur that has been hunting him like a predator circling its prey for weeks now.
"Who's the trash?"
"This is Squalo, my best friend!" Dino introduced the silver haired boy.
"VOOI! WE ARE NOT FRIENDS, YOU STUPID HORSESHIT!"
"And this is Xan, my best friend of friends!"
The brat lied, and he glared the 'if-you-fucking-dare-laugh-I-will-kill-you' glare of murder. The brat was worse than mold, he has tried to get rid of her with words, and threats and guns and actual flames threats, but she was sticky and stuck closer than permanent glue. And then he will go find another base to set, but it was noisy, dirty and low quality. There wasn't free food either.
"Who's the brat?" Squalo looked at the tiny things with disdain and an eyebrow raised, eyes instantly falling on the dagger.
"What's that you got?" Dino asked.
"A knife" She grinned and raised her hands "I'll become the greatest hitman girl in the world!"
It was quiet for a moment, both guys giving bewildering looks to her and Xanxus.
"VOOOIII, what are you teaching her? Her grip it's all fucking wrong!"
"What does funkin mean? Is that italian?"
"It's a very bad, very mean word!" Dino bemoaned, trying to stop Squalo from correcting her grip and glaring at Xanxus for corrupting her. Who was ignoring them all in favor of turning to go back inside.
"There!" Squalo released her and moved his hand to show her "You hold it like this and you move it like that"
"I don't like it, my hand hurts" She already told Daemon this, but he was relentless she knew at least how to stab someone. This funny looking person with a real sword in his hand wasn't going to change her mind.
"Good!" Dino exclaimed before taking the dagger and hiding it in his pocket. "You are too young to be using weapons"
"But I want to be cool and fight mean people too!"
"What have you been teaching her?!" It was Dino's turn to yell after Xanxus, who grunted in annoyance at the accusation, the brat was already holding a knife when he met her so this hitman business was not his fault. He cursed when he was followed and pretended they didn't exist. If he shoots them now, he won't have enough time to hide the bodies before Nana returns. Better not risk it. Yet.
"You" The shark looking boy claimed after him "Become my Sky"
"Get lost"
"I'm the best. You'll never find a better Rain like me"
His grin was as sharp as his blade, and it was sinking its jawas down his core. Xanxus could feel his Rain flames wrapping around him and trying to flood him, drowning him. But he was anything but docil, he wouldn't let loud trash just claim him as their Sky without making them bleed. They had to prove their worth, and most of all, their loyalty. He wouldn't allow anyone in just for the sake of having elements, no matter what Massimo bragged about his guardians' pedigree or the old man's preachings about bonds and camaraderie.
He wanted the very best.
He deserved it.
Or he would have none at all.
This wasn't the first time this crazy swordsman stalked him, he doubts it wouldn't be the last, and if the idiot didn't draw his blade against his guns, then Xanxus was going to shoot him dead.
Dino sighed heavily at the sight.
Well, there goes his Rain, he thought. His body could already feel the torture of Reborn's punishment for having lost a potential guardian in a span of two hours. Only that morning his tutor assigned him the task to bond with a Rain, and he failed spectacularly. True, Squalo had already set his eyes, jaws, and sword on Xanxus from some unnamed mission where they crossed paths, so there was never a chance to steal him.
Didn't mean the hitman wouldn't use it against him for not being able to court a guardian properly.
"What does the Sky mean?" Tsunayuuki asked him, having stayed with him to take her knife back. He pretended to forget about it and grabbed her hand to walk towards the Villa.
"A Sky. A Sky is the leader of a group, very rare, strong. Special too"
"Can I be one?"
"You can't" Xanxus barked a few meters ahead of them, and it would have been funny if he didn't leak some killer intent. Dino didn't understand it. Xanxus was a violent brute who killed and got drunk, and yet he was willingly hanging out with a little girl, letting her play hitman and putting up with the civilian life. And no matter how much Dino had begged Tsunayuuk's attention away from him, she always went back to him.
In the farm, there was a name for it. Imprinting.
So far, Xanxus seemed to be indulging her without letting her fall deeper into the shadows, but for how long he could keep her standing, that is yet to be seen.
"Dino. Dino! Give me back my knife" Tsunayuuki demanded, tugging at his jacket with her free hand.
"Your knife? What knife? Did you have a knife? Tsuny, using a blade is bad!"
"VOOOI! You shithead! Can't believe you are stealing weapons from little girls now"
"Shut up. Want to trade your sword with this?"
"I can still kill you with it" Squalo sneered at him, letting Xanxus walk away but not giving up in claiming him as his Sky. In fact, he changed tactics for an interesting project. "You want to be a hitman, brat?"
"I do!"
"Then I'll train you. After all, I'm a hitman"
"Really?!"
"Oi" Xanxus glared, displeased and angry but Squalo grinned sharp teeth. This wasn't a weakling playing pretend with a little girl. What he saw was a beast and its cub, and the only way to appease the bigger one, was to guide the lost kitten towards the right path. If the brat wanted to become a hitman, then he WILL turn her into the best hitwoman, after him of course.
"There won't be any mercy, brat. We train now!"
"SQUALO!" Dino yelled in horror, fear and anger all the same. It was a miracle he didn't combust.
"VOOOIIII, Don't be a sissy! You were going to steal her away too!"
"I wasn't planning to!"
"You're so fucking loud! Get lost, fucking trash!" Xanxus on the other hand had no problems lighting his hands in roaring flames.
"YOU'RE THE LOST ONE, FUCKING ASSHOLE!"
"Guys, there's a child present!"
"Testa di cazzo!"
"Mangia merde e morte!"
"Switching in Italian doesn't help!"
Tsunayuuki just pouted at being ignored, and tried to dig inside Dino's pocket for the dagger. She doesn't want to find out what Daemon will do if she loses it, but before she could grab it and someone could throw a punch, the doors from the Villa opened.
"Ara, we got quite a crowd, ne Tsu-chan?"
"Mamma!" She sprinted towards her and pointed at the white-haired boy "I made a new friend!"
"Is that so?" She smiled sweetly at them, sharp and threatening. "Welcome! Would anyone want some lemonade?"
Dino merely patted Squalo's shoulder in consolation as Xanxus released his flames from view.
In Italy there is a saying, never underestimate the power of a mother's cooked meal. It could save you or it could kill you. If a mother willingly fed you, it meant she was placing her trust in you and if you refused, then ruin would befall on you. And no one; civilians, mafiosi, politicians or hitmen in the making alike, turn down the gift of homemade food. Sawada Nana was not Italian born, but her food was a test all the same.
And so, they stayed.
And so, they ate.
And Tsunayuuki stared at the full table with bright eyes.
Mafia, she had thought, five and tiny. Family.
.
.
.
And so, the story begins!
Meeting little Tsuna be like:
Daemon: I'll look after Giotto's spawn. To groom her, of course. Vongola will be ours. Brush your teeth and eat your vegetables!
Xanxus: Fuck no. Abort. Abort! Dumb brat. Is this /my/ dumb brat? Fuck.
Dino: I've only known this adorable creature for one minute and I'll kill and die for her.
Squalo: VOOOOII! WHO GAVE THE BRAT A KNIFE!? SHE'S HOLDING IT WRONG!