fightingthetides

[fightingthetides]

“Hm…” The worker looked at the two in front of her, noting that the man wasn’t much of a talker- perhaps really shy. Nunnally mentioned thinking about trying a wheel, but her mentioning of being beginners might have been for his benefit. “If you’d like, there is a station for the wheel over there that’s right next to the first table for people who want to work with a slab. If you both would like to try working on a slab as beginners you can sit at any open two tables,” the worker explains, trying to provide a happy medium for both parties.

“When you finish making your piece, we’ll have to dry out your pieces before they can be put into the kiln, so there will be a longer lead time before you can get your final pieces, hopefully you’re okay with that?”

Ravein had already read into the services of the shop, so he quietly nodded his head. He didn’t mind waiting, in fact, he was great at it. When children were running around nearby, Ravein looked at them with a complicated expression as he thought back to his own history and the life that he’d recently left behind.

“Oh, yes, we do allow customers to purchase drinks from us or from outside the store. We just ask that guests who bring in drinks from outside to remove the drinks once they’re finished.” Given that pottery could take a long time, they capitalized on selling drinks to customers. Perhaps a bit on the pricier side, but they had to make money somehow with long lead times and the store reaching capacity if people took their time with creating their pieces. At the very least, each drink came in a fun mug that was created by staff, or it was a piece donated by a customer!

“The drinks can be purchased in that corner over there, we offer tea, coffee, and blended drinks. You can choose from the mugs on display to have your drink in. They’re mugs that were made here.”

Ravein’s attention piqued at being able to choose a mug that was crafted here to choose from and he tugs on Nunnally’s sleeve in the direction of the drinks bar area. He wanted to see what options they had for the mugs, so maybe he could get inspiration!

If she was accepting of being led by his sleeve tugging, he'd lead the way to the corner to first stare at all of the mugs. There were so many colors and designs, and one stuck out to him, it was a mug someone made with a bunny sculpted into the side. He always had a fondness of bunnies, so it instantly caught his eye. The next important question was to figure out-- what to put in the mug.

Oh! There was a chocolate smoothie, that was close enough to a hot chocolate, wasn't it? By flavor- anyways, and not by temperature, of course. He fishes out a small notebook.

[Do you want a drink?]

See? He was learning to write a bit more. Extra context sure was nice, huh?

Although Nunnally should have known that her behavior might have been confusing for Ravein, she was not fully aware of the changes in her demeanor. Too focused on herself. And for some (long) moments, she was in her own world of the past, of memories, where no-one but her had access.

But, Nunnally was soon back in the "current reality", where she was enjoying happy moments with Ravein. Still unaware that her smile had made Ravein confused of what was going on. But perhaps by now they should have get used to them having their secrets that sometimes had shown (but had been never openly discussed or explained)?

It was to be expected that they, as new visitors, would be approached by one of the workers. Though Nunnally (slightly) regretted she had not been given enough time to simply enjoy the place with Ravein. Without being interrupted. And, of course, she was aware that it was her role to reply. But what should she reply? She was not sure what Ravein wanted. Should she choose?

Nevertheless she still offered a polite smile, and nodded in agreement; --

“It is. It’s our first time here and yes, we were thinking to make our own pieces…” – did it look odd if she were the only one speaking and Ravein was to remain quiet? She was concerned with this issue, and regretted she had not that idea to ask Roberto what to do. In fact, she had not expected that they would be left alone. – “I have some experience with clay. Though it was a long time ago so I am not sure how much I’ve forgotten… Though they say skills like that are always remembered…somehow…”

“We would like to make mugs. For ourselves. I…was thinking I’ll try the wheel… But perhaps it’s easier to work with the stab...if we are the beginners…?” – she turned her head to face Ravein – “I think it would be nicer for both of us to work with the same technique…” – then Nunnally faced the attendant again – “What would be your recommendations?’

And just when the worker finished explaining it’s a children-friendly place, as if to confirm her words, the group of young children passed close by; filling the room with laugher and happy voices. Nunnally was not too good with children. It wasn’t even that she disliked them, but they were confusing at best.

Would Ravein be all right with them?; she gave him a worried look as if she was expecting he’d lead them out.

“Well, of course…” – Nunnally muttered in reply – “Is it possible to purchase a drink here…”

“Would you care for some tea, Rav?” 

[fightingthetides]

[水] 

“Mmnnn sometimes that works, but a lot of the times they’re so focused on their own sport they don’t have time to think about romance.”

Or rather, all the girls he was ever into were that way- but that’s also partially why he liked them! He likes the drive, but it was a bit counterproductive for relationship building. What irony!

“Or you get the situation where someone cheats because both sides are too busy all the time.”

Not from personal experience, but he’s seen it happen. Of course, there were some success stories too! It just hadn’t born any fruit for him thus far in life. He casually shrugs his shoulders.

“I’m not in a rush for a relationship anyways.”

Vivian was safe for a while longer yet. He was probably going to stay single for quite a while longer so she’d have company!

“Mmm… assertive men is a classic. It’s a good trait to like in a guy. Ya gotta make sure they’re still respectful tho’ cuz there is a difference between assertive and just being a pushy ass.”

He didn’t need to tell her that, of course, she was an adult, but he still felt the need to cast a warning! Mizumachi cared for his buds, and she had to be careful! Some guys out there were asses and they deserved to get thrown into a pool.

“That’s your type in women, huh? Hmmmm Japan has a lot of kind and patient girls, but I dunno how many of them have unusual hair colors at the same time.”

Vivians type in women may be harder to find, but assertive men shouldn’t be that hard to find. Though, to his earlier point, a lot of guys thought they were being assertive while they were in fact… an ass.

“True, you don’t gotta worry about reciprocity, but what about sharing? Ya gotta share with other people, right? Gonna fight off the other fans?”

He wasn’t too keen on the idea of sharing, but he didn’t have a strong opinion on the matter. You can’t really decide on something until you’ve tried it at least once! That’s how Mizumachi thought, anyways.

Imagine Vivian fighting off the many fans of her favorite characters, though. That would be a fun sight to watch! Maybe he could give her some tips on how to punch someone in the solar plexus, haha!

    "O-Or you could maybe date someone who is also into sports?" Vivian suggests, because now that she thinks about it, a fellow athlete might actually be understanding about his preoccupation with American Foot Ball. "I dunno... could be worth looking into." Despite saying this, on the other hand, she did subconsciously wish Mizumachi stays single, because if he ended up getting a girlfriend like everyone else... well, then that would mean he'd suddenly turn into a normie and have even less time for her, which would suck immensely.

    "A-As for my type..." Sure enough, Vivian then proceeds to bashfully roll around a strand of black hair between her thumb and forefinger. Honestly, she had hoped this topic would never come up, because her answer honestly differed depending on the gender; in fact, if it was a masculine presenting person, her type could be best described as someone who was dominant and a little bit mean, and if it was a feminine presenting person, her type could be best described as someone who wasn't hyper-feminine, had short hair, and enjoyed being humiliated or teased... but there was no way she could possibly tell him all that.

    Why, even if gender itself didn't exactly play a role in her attraction, to the point where she would even find a non-binary person attractive in the event they had white hair and wore an eye-patch, there was no way she could simply divulge she was pansexual to him without then having to explain the nuances of her sexuality... and she just didn't feel like doing so at the moment.

    "Welp, if we're talking about three dimensional ones, I think I like assertive men... the kind who ideally doesn't beat around the bush and is willing to make the first move," Vivian finally admits at long last, which if nothing else, wasn't necessarily a lie, for dominant men did tend to be pretty assertive. "But when it comes to women, those who have short hair and unusual hair colours tend to catch my eye. P-Personality wise, though, they have to be kind and patient... yet then again, not many people in real life happen to fit those criteria or even like me back, to the point where I find myself sticking to 2D. A-After all, you don't gotta worry about reciprocity with 2D..."

[fightingthetides]

Yamamoto wasn't very good at disingenuous tactics, Hibari was right about that.

"Haha! True, I'm surprised you called me out on it."

He'd expected for Hibari to let it pass, but he didn't. A bit of a surprise, and yet somehow... it felt correct too. Odd, huh?

The athlete certainly didn't appear tired physically, but if one knew what to look for, they'd probably see it in his eyes that he was tired. So much rested on the shoulders of young teens- and it quite frankly was exhausting. Many kids their age just had to worry about school work and what they wanted to do with their future, but the Vongola 10th generation also had to consider the mafia!

He wouldn't lie and say he didn't grieve over the fact his future with baseball would inevitably be cut short, but it just meant he had to really treasure the remaining time he had left.

A small sigh escapes him before he knows it.

"Do you ever think about what life would've been like if the Mafia stuff never happened?"

He asks because he has, of course.

UKIGUMOS - »❝浮雲❞«

Yamamoto Takeshi must know by now that he wasn't exactly subtle in the eyes of Hibari Kyouya. Emotional intelligence and consideration with reflective statements to validate was one thing, however, there was a certain risk that came with it. Namely projection.

An amused huff slips out as Kyouya watches the couch become more occupied.

"Disingenuous tactics don't suit you."

Perhaps his wording was rough or even overboard, but it was true. He appreciated a straightforward state.

Leaning over ever so slightly, Kyouya's eyes narrowed as he observed Yamamoto Takeshi's facial features. He was searching for any signs of fatigue. Perhaps a nap was in order. Or a productive distraction.

"..."

[fightingthetides]

[水] 

Japan didn’t have a large Christian denomination, so Mizumachi wasn’t very knowledgeable of it, but he could understand that most had the mentality that you were a good person if you were religious. It’s something that he’d seen a lot in his time here in another country.

He did wonder if being religious was enough to discredit someone from being a yandere or anything else outside of the social norm. Not that he doubted Vivian, of course, but it was just a wonder if Yandere was a popular sub-genre among otaku because they weren’t religious? He should throw this puzzle at someone back at home to think through!

“Oh yeah? I know a lot of people like that too, preferring 2D over real life.”

He did come from the land of Otaku, after all. He’s met people who claim to have married a 2D character. Wasn’t there a man who legally married that one virtual idol girl, or something?

“Kinda curious about your type now, I like a lot of energetic girls! Someone with drive.”

It was only fair to reveal his own preferences when asking her as well, right? 2D characters were all sorts of flavors, so he wanted to know what she liked. Was it the inhuman bias? Maybe a weird colored hair bias. What do they call it now? Aura-farming? Girls go crazy for the Aura-farmers these days.

“Guess my only options are to ‘get good’ and go pro, or wait until I retire from American Football to find someone. Haha! Guess we can support each other through our single-ness.”

Either way, it sounded like it would take quite a while for him to find someone- kind of a shame, but he also wasn’t in any hurry to find someone and settle down either.

    "Y-Yeah... intense," Vivian confirms, only to sheepishly crack an awkward smile when next Mizumachi brought up the word 'yandere', because he was honestly so off the mark, she didn't know where to start. Then again, how she was even supposed to explain to begin with when her version of 'intense' was more so something that happened to be pretty good indicators she was hypersexual?

    "Er... not exactly. I mean, yes, a yandere is certainly intense, but at the same time, it wouldn't be very Christian of me to turn a knife against someone for reasons other than self defence, you know? And rather than possessive, I like to think I'm pretty a nice girl," Vivian finally states. Why, at one point, she remembers even telling Mizumachi she attends Sunday mass, so truly, the last person that would be described as a 'yandere' was her.

    "But I won't deny I can be a tad bit obsessive," she adds, only to let out a nervous laugh when next he insinuated she would have no problem finding someone. Oh, Mizumachi honestly had no idea how wrong he actually was. "I-I somehow doubt that; besides, I prefer 2D, so real men aren't even within my personal radar most of the time," Vivian admits. Granted, she couldn't imagine herself saying 'no' if a guy she at least likes on platonic level were to ask her out, but at the same time, she couldn't really imagine anyone being into her like that.

    "And now that you mention it, I guess you do have a point; after all, not many people would want their boyfriend to never have much time for them... though, I'm not exactly friends with enough girls who would wholeheartedly support you in pursuing American football to your hearts' content, so perhaps like me, you're also destined to be single," Vivian sighs. Honestly, the only person she could think of that wouldn't mind him always playing football was her because she had enough hobbies to distract her and keep her occupied, but at the same time, she doesn't see Mizumachi really going for her.

[fightingthetides]

[水] 

Mizumachi could only laugh in response, but it wasn’t something that he expected many people to know about. American football wasn’t all that popular in comparison to other sports like soccer, tennis, or basketball.

“I don’t know too much about otaku stuff, so we both are an expert in something the other doesn’t know!”

Given his… intelligence stat, Vivian definitely excelled in more things over him, but that wasn’t important! Something he could gloss over!

“Yeah? Intense?”

He wondered what that could possibly mean, to be intense. Going back to her comment about otaku culture, he did know a little bit from talking to some of his buds in class. What was it again…?

“A yandere or somethin’? They’re pretty intense, right?”

Don’t they go all psycho-killer on people in the name of love or something? The guys seemed to like it because they found it exciting or whatever. A ‘dangerous love’ or whatever, but Mizumachi was sure that was just fantasy talking, because they probably wouldn’t like that in real life.

“What is a normal amount, anyways? Is there a standard?”

Being unable to love someone a normal amount either meant she loved too much, or she loved people not enough. Both could work depending on the person that they were with, but as with every relationship it took compromise and practice. As they say, there is plenty of fish in the sea! The important part was finding the fish that was compatible with you, and that was the hardest part.

“I bet you could find someone who would be fine with it. I haven’t dated much, cuz I’ve always been busy with sports and stuff. Haha! Career over guys, right?”

Guess the quiz was right, after all! The girls in school loved dating a jock for something like social cred, but then a lot of them couldn’t accept a boyfriend who spent a lot of time with so many sweaty guys, practicing for hours on end on a sport that they didn’t care for. It was kinda rare to find a girlfriend who was fully supportive and would be understanding.

“I dunno, I guess I just gotta find someone who would be okay with me liking American football so much.”

Surely, someone out there exists… or maybe he has to be really good at the sport and make a lot of money before he finds someone? Damn… that’s kinda sad if you think of it that way.

    "Indeed they do!" she easily concedes. "Don't expect me to name any professional football player off the top of my head, though; after all, my area of expertise is more so centred around things related to otaku culture." Why, compared to Mizumachi at least, her knowledge on sports and football wasn't exactly the greatest, so for as slow on the uptake as he was, she doesn't doubt he knows more than her.

    The moment he asks about what she thinks her own personal red flag was, however, Vivian's quick to let out a pensive hum before clasping both hands against her cheeks. "Hm... probably that I'm kinda too intense?" came her eventual guess. because when it came down to it, she definitely thinks her lack of neurotypical behaviour and extroversion probably drives a lot of people away from her. That, and during the rare, infrequent instance she finds herself actually catching feelings for someone, she'll end up developing a strong, unhealthy attachment towards them before subsequently ghosting them when she learns the feelings itself were less than platonic.

    "Like, I'm unable to L-word... er, that is to say, love someone a normal amount," Vivian then adds for further clarification. Of course, how she very much reacts during relationships would ultimately depend on the gender pertaining to whoever she is with... but considering she was more attracted to men than women or those that couldn't be classified as either, she didn't exactly enjoy thinking about herself in real life scenarios where she would be dating someone non-fictional, since when it came down to it, reality proved disappointing.

    To that end, even if someone happened to miraculously return her feelings, sex would be something that had to be navigated at some point... which stressed her out beyond belief, because what were even the chances someone she was interested in also happened to have a degradation and humiliation kink? Furthermore, her desire to be fucked by men wouldn't just go away the moment she entered a monogamous relationship with another woman, so her own love life was not something she really enjoyed thinking about when chances were high the sex wouldn't be as good compared to fanfiction.

[fightingthetides]

Continued from: [x] || @ukigumos

Yamamoto settles onto the couch next to him with a smile. The one thing he appreciated about Hibari was the fact that he never saw fit to pry for information, and likewise never expected others to do the same- rather he’d prefer you didn’t. He kept to himself and dealt with his problems on his own, similar to how Yamamoto acted.

The main difference was that Hibari was quite honest about how he felt, whereas Yamamoto sometimes hid behind veiled smiles as to keep the peace. He didn’t want to worry everyone else. Did it mean that all of his smiles were fake? No, of course not, but the fake ones were sprinkled in here and there.

“Alright, I won’t try it.”

He wasn’t the sort to force others into speaking if they didn’t want to, so he wouldn’t do anything Hibari outright rejected. Sometimes, he felt a sense of kindred understanding, in the way that they both kept a lot to themselves. Hibari probably picked up on it- his veiled smiles. It was just a gut instinct, really.

“Maybe I was the one who just wanted some silent company.”

His tone slightly apologetic that Hibari was getting roped into it by giving him some room, but maybe… he was expecting this too.

[fightingthetides]

[水] 

"Hmm... yeah, the questions did seem that way, but that's part of the fun too! It means I'm very driven!"

That's considered a good trait for a guy, right? He's expected to be ambitious or whatever? Mizumachi had to wonder if because he was a guy it would cancel out that it was a red flag? Then again, everything had to be done in moderation.

Though Mizumachi liked girls, he had no qualms about guy love or anything like that. To each their own, and he wasn't gonna judge! He didn't think too deeply on it, but people have certainly questioned him when they saw how close he and Kakei were in their highschool days... good times!

"True! Professional American Football players exist too. I guess I do do put a lot of importance on it."

He hums in thought, thinking that the quiz had him pinned perfectly.

"What do you think your red flag would be? The quiz was kinda fun!"

Should they go and hunt down the quiz? Maybe!

    "I-It's not that you can't take it! The magazine's demographic just... welp, targets young women and I'm pretty sure the quiz itself is meant specifically for those who are attracted to men; in fact, something tells me the one who published the quiz you're talking about did not intend for the results to even have a platonic interpretation," Vivian sheepishly points out.

    ...Then again, she supposes Mizumachi could not exactly be straight. Still, the context revolving around 'What red flags a guy would see in you?' seemed to be more geared towards those who were interested in pursuing a sexual or romantic relationship with another man and while there was nothing wrong with a guy potentially swinging that way, she figured she should at least clear the air first before people accused him of being 'gay'.

    "And I guess it is? I mean, surely, being a sports player must count as a job, right? Why, if it wasn't, Wayne Gretzky wouldn't have been able to make a living, playing hockey," Vivian then reasons. Of course, since she was Canadian, the first athlete that immediately came to mind for her was a hockey player... and not, say, LeBron James, the one that most people would envision when imagining a famous athlete.

[fightingthetides]

Continued from: [x] || @unladielike

[水] 

“Ha? Why can’t I take it too? What if I also wanna know what kind of red flags a guy can see in me?”

Some girls were talking about it in the library, and they patiently took the time to explain it when he walked over to inquire about what they were talking about. They probably humored him because he was so genuinely curious about it, and they were equally as amused by the end result.

“I think it was somethin’ like that? Casumo or something? It was kinda fun! The other girl had something like ‘too emotionally detached’ or something like that.”

Mizumachi didn’t know if that was enough to be considered a red flag, but someone who was a bit detached was just someone you had to work harder to get to know. You had to have the patience to wait for them to eventually open up to you- or they tell you to get lost. That’s how it usually went, wasn’t it?

“Ya think that playing American football in this case counts as my career?”

[fightingthetides]

Ravein as always wore clothing that was dark in color, and a jacket that could zip up to cover up the bottom half of his face. He was often wearing some kind of jacket vest or something as he enjoyed being kept warm, as he often found himself feeling chilled easily. More often than not, there was more skin being covered than being shown because that was simply his preference. It was an occupational hazard, of sorts. The less people could see to identify him with, the better. It meant less witnesses to get rid of during his assassination work.

Roberto just wore casual jeans and a polo shirt. Perhaps the most dressed down he’s ever looked, but there was no reason for him to dress up well today, especially not if he was going to be working with paints. He couldn’t risk getting his sweater vests and slacks dirtied. He left the two younger people to do as they pleased. He mostly saw his involvement here as a chaperone, someone who would help Ravein feel comfortable being out in the public, and to facilitate any conversation issues if there were any.

That being said, he also would give Ravein and Nunnally freedom to operate as they wanted. The best way to learn was to experience things first hand was his mentality.

The ex-assassin had played with mud, but never worked with clay before. He was much better with his hands, so whittling down a piece of wood down with a knife was more his speed than doing something with clay, morphing it with delicate movements on a wheel. Though, he did see that some people weren’t using a wheel and were pretty much going at it with their slabs of clay.

He wasn’t really sure, but he felt that there was something about her eyes that seemed different than usual. Something about it made him feel bad, but he wasn’t sure why. Perhaps she was upset by something? That was the initial thought, but her smile looked so genuine that it made him even more confused by what was going on. He’d never made any pottery before, but she seemed excited to do it, so he wanted to try. She did invite him to try making their own things, so he wanted to brave it and say yes.

Nodding his head quietly, he walks over to the other side of the room where people would be given the time to play around with clay to create their own masterpieces. He’d noticed that Roberto had been eying him as he made his decision to try making a unique piece alongside Nunnally. Seeing that the two made their decision, the older man focused on painting his own piece.

Ravein and Nunnally were approached by a worker, “Hello, is this your first time here? Are you interested in making your own piece? We offer places at the wheels, or you can take a slab of clay and try shaping it into whatever shape you’d like- of course, we do ask that you keep in mind this is a child-friendly place. Do you know what you’d like to do today?” She explains. Such subtle reminders had to be given because some people needed a reminder to be considerate towards others.

The man goes stiff and tugs at Nunnally’s cardigan sleeve, hoping that she’d take the lead in answering the questions.

It was a sunny day. Nunnally was wearing a rather short, knee-length, flowery dress, and a red cardigan was carelessly wrapped around her shoulders. It still wasn’t summer, and Nunnally preferred warm weather (despite that her looks remind of winter).

It seemed that so far Ravein (and Roberto) were seeing her more feminine side; heavy military boots (that she sometimes wore) and a more rebellious look was usually a sign that Nunnally was less happy with her life. She would never admit it (at least not now and not openly), but her friendship with Ravein had had an odd influence on her perception of (her) life. Her becoming kinder (and more compliant) made everyone around Nunnally to gain similar traits. Even her father(?). It almost seemed that Nunnally had started to smile to the world, and the world had smiled back to her.

No, she had not noticed Ravein was more excited than usually. These were still these tiny details that would escape her attention. Though the truth was they didn't spend that much time together. Perhaps it could at least partially explain her unawareness of his habits. Nunnally did notice, however, that Revein was in a good mood. And she did notice that little bounce in the way the ex-assassin was walking; for a few moments she considered how was that possible that she had not noticed that before. Then she wanted to ask Roberto about that detail, and then she had forgotten all about it as something else caught her attention.

She was relaxed and it was easy to say.

The shop was crowded. Perhaps not extremely, but Nunnally could immediately see it was a popular spot. She hesitantly looked at Roberto, as if to look for the confirmation that it was okay to stay. But the older man simply walked in, and then disappeared in the other side of the shop to paint a ready-to-paint mugs. Leaving both of them to decide what they wanted to do.

The idea of crafting her own piece made Nunnally nostalgic. The last time she tried to work with clay was…

…long time ago. When she was still that little fair-haired girl who was absolutely certain her life would be perfect. Because how otherwise it could be… Absent-mindedly, Nunnally headed where various kind of clays were stored and her long pale digits touched the earthy material. She could hear her own laughter from back then.

…no!; she shouldn’t be thinking about that. It was too painful.

“Would you like to try…?” – she asked looking at Revein; her eyes were still a bit sad, but the smile that her lips were curled into was a genuine – “I mean making our own things…”

[fightingthetides]

Here is part two of the series of building up background stories by exploring some scenes that would’ve changed for @signorinavongola's verse. I will reference some arcs, and just touch upon some scenes because I don’t have the patience to re-write everything. I just touched whatever I thought would be interesting to touch upon. Leave the rest up for imagination. Part 1 for the series found [here]. Original batch that inspired this multi-part series [here].

Word count: 10,400+

-

       [Revamped ch.82-83 scene as I thought there were some important and interesting things that would change with the AU]

As it would turn out, Tsuna’s father was going to be returning after being away for so long. He was often away for work, but this time, he was away for a considerable amount of time- to the point that Haru wasn’t sure if she remembered seeing him for years. (In fact, it was 2 years since he’d been home)

On one hand, it was nice that he was finally coming home, but on the other hand, because he was very seldomly home to begin with, it was clear to see that there was going to be some awkwardness between him and Tsuna. Haru wouldn’t be surprised if they were estranged to begin with.

In order to help take her mind off things, everyone had come together to hang out together, and the girls were invited to tag along. Haru and Kyoko became quick friends and they quickly became a common sight in the Sawada household, with Haru doing her best to ensure that Gokudera wouldn’t bully Lambo too much. As a childhood friend of Tsuna’s, Haru was comfortable being around, and she got along well with Nana.

Aside from Gokudera being a jerk (as always), Haru was having fun with her friends (+ two boys). Well, things were fun until something suddenly slammed into Tsuna, knocking her down! Upon closer inspection- it’s a boy! “Tsuna-chan, are you okay?” “Hahi! Tsu-chan! Hey now, get off her!” The two, being closest to Tsuna, Kyoko and Haru were at her side, trying to assess what just happened. Kyoko was checking on her injuries, and Haru was trying to pull this weird offender off her friend.

It didn’t take long for Gokudera and Yamamoto to come running up to them either.

“Juudaime!” “Are you okay, Tsuna!?”

Arriving late with Starbucks- Reborn walks up, more curious about why this person was here. Before anyone could question him on what he meant, a new voice booms overhead.

“VOOI!! What’s this? There’s outsiders parading around. I’LL SLICE UP ANY TRASH WHO GET IN MY WAY!” A woman with long platinum hair blew in the wind and… she had a sword? IN PRESENT DAY JAPAN? She was clearly a foreigner by the looks of things, so how could she get a blade through customs? That’s what Haru wanted to know.

The woman had good projection, Kyoko would note, considering that they could hear every word she shouted from atop a building.

“You and Haru should flee this place,” Reborn whispers to Kyoko. In such a situation it would make sense to state that girls and children should leave, but he wasn’t going to be leaving his student, and Tsuna had to remain behind.

“Reborn-kun! But—what…” She stops herself from asking further. Something told her that this wasn’t the time to ask. In order to not cause any trouble, it would be best for her to leave with Haru. Kyoko was curious as to why Tsuna-chan was allowed to stay behind in a seemingly dangerous situation.

Out of the corner of her eye, she can see that the new person and Tsuna-chan were whispering among themselves. ‘Hm? He has a flame on his forehead? Doesn’t Tsuna-chan do that too, sometimes? They must be friends.’

“I just met thee… yet I’ve already dragged thee into such a dangerous situation…”

Wow, such a dated way of speaking.

The new guy suddenly grabs Tsuna’s arm and starts running. Gokudera and Yamamoto followed behind.

Locating Haru, she was ushered to Kyoko’s side. She had ensured Lambo’s safety during the confusion and was trying to calm him down. Reborn stepped away from Tsuna’s side for a brief moment to escort the girls to safety.

On one hand, he trusted Gokudera and Yamamoto to do their best to keep Tsuna safe. Basilicum who was personally being trained by Iemitsu was also a formidable opponent who should be able to hold his own against the Varia for some time.

On the other hand, there was an inherent level of trust between Tsuna and Reborn- and he would see to it to lead the girls to safety, so he can reassure Tsuna later that they were safe. With that, his student can fully focus on the task at hand, without needing to worry about Haru and Kyoko’s safety.

If Reborn reports that they’re safe, Tsuna wasn’t going to question him, that’s how strong their trust was in each other.

Reassurances that she was whisked away to safety was enough for Haru to follow along compliantly. Once the girls (and Lambo) were escorted safely somewhere else, Reborn quickly returned to Tsuna’s side. The sound of Gokudera’s explosives were always so convenient when you were looking for him (made it a pain to explain to officials, however).

As it were, wherever Tsuna is, Gokudera is bound to be nearby. On his way back to Tsuna’s side, he pulls out his phone to dial up a number really quickly. He needed answers.

Of course, after having sent his disciple over, Iemitsu was expecting a call from Reborn and picked up instantly, concisely explaining the situation to Reborn so that the call only needed to be less than a minute long.

Arriving on scene with Gokudera and Yamamoto being defeated by the swordswoman, Reborn knew it was time to get Tsuna involved in the fight. They held out as long as they could, and it was enough.

Still… that Yamamoto held back against an opponent because he worried about her. Not only that, they both were too overly aware of Tsuna’s presence, and were too busy focusing on keeping her safe than actually focusing on the fight in front of them. 

Mental note: Talk to that Yamamoto about that later.

Tossing a pair of gloves atop Tsuna’s head, “whether you’re having your palm read or even if it’s a boiling hot summer day, keep those gloves on.” In other words, always be prepared for battle, regardless of how unassuming the day starts. “You need to shape up, if you want the others to fight to their full potential.”

They’re holding back because they’re concerned for you- is what Reborn’s words really meant. In their world, hesitation and a loss of focus could be fatal, so Tsuna needed to learn to be a respectable fighter in her own right if she didn’t want to hold her friends back.

Don’t worry Tsuna, Reborn will make sure that’ll happen. A future training montage is in your future.

-

--

-

       [Mostly referencing ch.87, but there are a sprinkle of other chapters referenced. Given that Haru and Tsuna are childhood friends in this AU, I do believe Haru would actually take it seriously that Tsuna is a mafia-heir and not think it a game. This will somewhat clear up the loophole of Haru being shocked about the mafia business in the TYL arc]

Everyone was so busy doing their own training or whatever that the girls haven’t really seen the guys around. Well, Kyoko could still see Ryohei because they lived in the same house, but everyone else was a rare sight.

Haru knew something had to be up when Kyoko mentioned something about her brother training with an infant that seemingly came out of nowhere. Where else has she heard that an infant came from nowhere and started training someone?

(Can you hear the ‘ciaossu’ in the distance?)

Yamamoto also seemed to be doing something aside from baseball (a shock, she knows!), and the kids were being watched by the Sawada couple for the most part. Lambo didn’t have the chance to chase after Tsuna as per usual… and that really was suspicious.

After inquiring about Tsuna’s whereabouts, she came to the conclusion that Tsuna was off doing something mafia related with Reborn, considering Nana was left blissfully unaware about what her daughter was really doing. She had the idea that the tutor and student pair had gone on an exploratory expedition to learn about nature. Something about how learning to become one with nature may center her chakras to help her learn better or some nonsense.

There was only one area near Namimori that would fit such a description, so she set off. She did see Gokudera, and she called him over… to only get ignored! (Jerk!) She did call out to him one more time because she noticed he seemed injured, but he just yelled at her to leave him alone. Hmph!

Tsuna wasn’t near him (weird), so Haru just ignored him to continue her search for her friend.

She finally found Tsuna and Reborn down a cliff… and a conveniently placed rope was dangling there, so she started climbing down.

“Hahi! Haru can’t get down!! Help!” She didn’t check to see if the rope goes all the way down to the bottom!

What a rookie mistake!

Tsuna helped her friend down, surprised to see Haru all the way out here without prior notice. “Haru was talking to Kyoko-chan the other day about how her onii-san has been training with a baby, and Haru thought about you and Reborn-chan. Your Okaa-san mentioned that you were out here becoming one with nature, so Haru decided to drop by with some snacks for you to enjoy while on break.” She looks down at the blanket wrapped around Tsuna’s small frame.

‘They’re definitely doing something weird.’ Tsuna always becomes something of an exhibitionist when she’s doing something weird with Reborn. The Mafia sure is a weird place, huh?

“Oh yeah! Haru also saw Gokudera-san along the way. Not sure how he’s doing with his training. Haru saw him across the bridge, and called for him, but he ignored her. He looked injured, so she called out to him again, and then he yelled at Haru to leave him alone. Hmph!”

“Wasn’t anyone else with him?” Reborn asked, knowing that the only person Gokudera would’ve considered to ask to help train him to be Dr.Shamal.

“No, he was alone...” she’ll try checking on him after she’s done with Tsuna.

The infant sighs, shaking his head, understanding the situation instantly. “Gokudera, that idiot. He was durned down by Shamal. There’s no way Shaml will let his training be so rash. He’s probably training on his own improperly.”

Tsuna fussed over Gokudera, and ran off to check on him. “Guess Haru doesn’t have to check in on him later after all.” Tsuna going to check on him was enough. Now that she was alone with Reborn, she sits down on the log, aiming to take advantage of this time.

“Ne, Reborn-chan, must Tsu-chan train this hard? Why is everyone training so hard all of a sudden?” She didn’t forget about how some random scary woman came out of nowhere and started attacking. Haru would have to be an idiot to not find a correlation. “Is something dangerous happening?”

Being a Midori student, Haru naturally had a high sense of curiosity and a willingness to learn, so she wasn’t at odds about being candid about her curiosities.

Reborn, knowing Tsuna wouldn’t want Haru to know the full truth of the mafia world, had to respect that and keep quiet about a lot of the details—such as the Varia, an elite assassination squad was coming to Japan. They would probably have to engage in a grueling battle between adults for the right to be the next mafia boss.

Tsuna knew that Haru was a worrier, and telling her too much could do more harm than good. Heaven knows that girl can do something dangerous when she acts impulsively, and she most often did so when she wanted to protect someone else. It was something Tsuna and Haru had in common, always ready to act in favor of others.

A good hitman tutor is able to study people and get a firm understanding of their character, and Haru was one who wouldn’t give up on learning the truth. For such a character, you had to give them some information , enough to satisfy them and then they back off for a while.

“Tsuna and her guardians will have to meet with another candidate for the position of next boss. Due to circumstances, Tsuna can’t simply waive her right to succeeding the role.”

Nodding her head, she listens. It was understandable (though lamentable) that some positions couldn’t easily be denied. There were politics involved and sometimes it was policies. “Hahi? Guardians? What are those?”

“They’re the people who will support and protect Tsuna,” he knew what Haru was going to ask next, “you can’t become one of her guardians, the positions have already been filled.”

Pondering over the information in her head, she can reasonably guess a few of the ‘guardians’ based off their recent behaviors. There was Yamamoto who was focusing on something other than baseball, there was Ryohei who was training with another super baby, and of course Gokudera would have a stroke if he wasn’t offered a position of guardian.

Surely there were more than 3 guardians, but maybe Haru will be able to figure that out later.

“Can Haru be a guardian? If Tsu-chan can be a future mafia boss, why can’t Haru be a guardian? It couldn’t be Haru’s age or her gender that’s the problem.”

Shaking his head, “the issue is that you’re a civilian and Tsuna’s friend.”

“Hahi? Yamamoto-san and Ryohei Onii-san aren’t civilians? They aren’t Tsu-chan’s friends?” Haru argues back, getting quite upset that she was being disallowed the chance to be able to support her friend. Why couldn’t she protect her friend? Why couldn’t she support her? Haru isn’t useless!

Rare, but Reborn gives her a small smile, “you have an important role of motivating Tsuna and being a ‘home’ to come back to. She wouldn’t forgive herself if you jumped into danger for her sake. You are her normalcy.” The very thing that Tsuna craves, to return to a normal life, one where she can be a regular teenager all over again.

No longer does she have to worry about her life or her friends being attacked.

“So, Haru has to play dumb… is what you’re saying,” she can read between the lines well enough to understand what Reborn was hinting at. “Why? Why does Haru have to do that? Why can’t she take a more active role? Is Haru not good enough?”

“No,” Reborn understood the importance of Haru in Tsuna’s life. The one childhood friend that she treasured in her life. The person Tsuna tried to hide away from as to not disappoint her about her being a ‘Dame-Tsuna’ at school. The affect Haru had on Tsuna wasn’t small, and it seemed that Haru didn’t understand this- as she’d always believed that Tsuna had plenty of friends to hang out with.

Who wouldn’t come to like such a lovable soul like Tsu-chan?

“Your presence is more comforting to Tsuna than you know. Your cheerful support means more to her than you know. This is the role you need to take, even if it’ll hurt.” Regrettably, Reborn knew that it was a lot to ask of Haru.

The ex-hitman was effectively asking her to understand that her friends were doing dangerous things that could hurt them, but she had to act unawares of the dangers they were facing… all because her innocence was comforting. It was motivating to have something to protect.

Even though she knew they were doing something dangerous, she had to act like she knew nothing. Even though it would be scary, and it would be frustrating to be unable to do anything, Reborn was asking her to stay.

Stay and support her friend silently.

“Passive support is just as important as active roles, because it protects the heart. You’ll protect her heart, won’t you?”

How can Haru say no if you put it that way? “Fine… Haru will do it, for Tsu-chan.”

“Thank you.”

If Haru really wanted to play a more active role, she’d have to ask Tsuna about it herself and get her to agree to allowing it. It wasn’t Reborn’s place to make that decision.

-

--

-

       [I’ll jump to random parts of the Varia arc (will specify below) as a way for me to practice with some of my muses and to flesh out some things. I mostly will focus on Kyoko and Haru because I think it would be interesting to highlight them.]

[ch.91]

It was dangerous enough as it is for children to go missing late at night, but Haru was armed with the additional knowledge that some dangerous people were going to be coming to Japan to fight with Tsuna and the others for the right to be the next mafia boss.

There was some kind of politics involved that necessitated Tsuna to compete against the other candidate.

So frustrating.

What kind of politics were involved that disallowed a young teenager from walking away from the role of being the next mafia boss? She clearly didn’t want it. She was raised in a normal household, but to suddenly be told to get ready to be a mafia boss? What kind of nonsense is that?

Two girls were looking left and right, calling for the children trio who had gone missing. Children were easy to misplace if you weren’t paying close enough attention with their size and their speed. Haru had to make a mental note to herself to pay extra attention to the kids the next time.

(She’ll also try to give the kids a stern talking to later to least keep close by if they’ll run off. It’s for their own safety.)

“Tsuna-chan!” Kyoko noticed the girl running out from the corner of an adjacent street, “did Fuuta-chan and the others go home already? Fuuta-kun, Lambo-kun, and I-pin-chan were playing together, but then we lost them along the way.”

“We were hoping that they had gone straight home…” Haru’s voice trails as she quickly looks down at Reborn, who shakes his head. Tsuna replies that the children hadn’t gone home yet, and that prompts an immediate worried response from the two girls.

They were just with the children and felt responsible for their safety. Tsuna did try to reassure the two girls that it was probably not a serious matter. They’d return home when they get hungry.

Reborn, however, remembered Iemitsu’s request that they look after the lightning guardian, especially with them being so inexperienced and young.

“That’s bad, we’d better find them before they do,” Reborn’s vague but pointed reminder informs Tsuna of the true danger- that the Varia may find Lambo before they can and eliminate him. The gravity of the situation required for Reborn’s experienced callouts, “Haru and Kyoko, you go down that street in search for the brats. Tsuna and I will take this street.”

Kyoko looked like she wanted to say something, like ‘wouldn’t it be better if we all searched together?’ but spreading out would widen the net, which wasn’t a bad thing.

Haru looked at Tsuna before settling at Reborn again, she mouthed “them?” She was referring to the ‘bad guys,’ of course.

“… Yeah.”

Understanding the urgency, Haru worked quickly to cooperate.

“With so many people looking for them, we’ll find them in no time! Let’s go, Kyoko-chan, maybe if we jiggle this bag of candy, Lambo-chan will pop out from a bush.” Haru tries to crack a small joke to lighten the atmosphere.

-

[ch.93- specifically the part where Kyoko talks to Tsuna at school, because I thought it’d be fun to play with]

-

Kyoko had noticed something was different these days, and it made her nervous. She chalked it up to the fact that she was still on edge after the attack on Namimori students- which included her brother.

It still made her shiver when she recalled the image of her brother on the hospital bed in her mind. Her brother wasn’t weak, being the captain of the boxing team, but the perpetrator not only managed to break bones, but also pull out some of his teeth?

Hm? How did she know someone had done that to her brother rather than him falling from a chimney at a bathhouse?

It wasn’t exactly news that students of Namimori were being attacked, and none of the victims were who you’d consider to be weak. It doesn’t take many brain cells to put the facts together to understand that her brother would inevitably be targeted.

Her brother also wouldn’t go around climbing a chimney when he could go climb something like a telephone pole or a tree instead. It was far more efficient to do something that wouldn’t possibly label him as a pervert.

Also, she overheard Tsuna and Ryohei talking about it before she rushed into the room like the gullible sister Ryohei wanted her to be.

She still didn’t know why Namimori students were being targeted, but she understood that everything got solved at the end of the day.

You’d think she could rest easy now, but it was the uncertainty that filled her with fear and worry. So, when something else felt amiss, she couldn’t help but worry. Kyoko wanted to ask Tsuna about it, but she’d been out due to a cold up until now.

There she is! Kyoko walks over to her with a slightly faster stride than normal.

“Tsuna-chan, good morning. I’m glad that your cold got better.”

They’d just seen each other last night when she and Haru had accidentally lost sight of the children, “Sorry again about yesterday for losing Fuuta-kun and the others.”

Tsuna was quick to deny Kyoko of any wrongdoing, which helped Kyoko feel a bit comforted, but it still bothered her that she lost sight of the children at night. No one knows what could happen, and the thought of that nagged at her conscience.

“Um… Tsuna-chan…” Kyoko fiddled with her fingers nervously as she ran through her mind for the rehearsed lines she wanted to say. “It seems that my brother is focused on something other than boxing these days and it’s strange.”

Everyone knew how important boxing was to her brother, and seeing him focus on something other than boxing was a rarity. She could barely recall a time when he focused on something other than boxing, and that was enough to set off her sus-o-meter.

There was something going on, and Tsuna probably had some idea of what was going on. For whatever reason, Tsuna seemed to be in the center of all the weird things going on in Namimori these days.

“Do you have any idea of what’s going on?” Kyoko asked quietly, as she observed Tsuna’s reaction.

There was a reaction alright, and that’s exactly what Kyoko wanted. Tsuna had an expressive face that was easy to read if you knew what to look for. To get more information, she had to pry some more:

“It seems like my brother keeps taking Colonello-kun out somewhere too.”

“Eh!? Kyoko-chan, you know Colonello?”

“Eh? Well, he’s been staying over at our place for a while.” Kyoko was taken aback, thinking that Tsuna should’ve already known this, but her surprise was genuine.

When Kyoko thought it over some more, she realized that she was expecting too much from Tsuna. The girl had just returned from a bad cold recently, right? Even if she and her brother were getting along, it didn’t mean she had to know everything that was going on about Ryohei’s recent antics.

Still, her gut instinct wasn’t usually wrong about things like this.

Time for one more test.

Guiltily, “but when I think about it, there’s no way you would know when you were absent. I’m sorry for asking you such a strange thing.”

In situations like these, her title as the smiling school idol comes in handy, because she’s very seldomly seen with a frown, so people tend to be sensitive to when she’s actually upset.

It was obviously effective with how Tsuna folded- about to tell her something when Ryohei barged into the room to interrupt their conversation. “It’s a sumo competition!! I’m training since I’m going to do a sumo wrestling match with Gokudera and Yamamoto. Sawada is going to come too. Colonello tags along because he likes watching sumo, too.”

Ryohei hung his arm around Tsuna’s neck and nudged for her to follow him, “Sawada! Let’s go do sumo-style leg stomps!” The duo quickly exited from the conversation before Kyoko could get another word in.

“Isn’t that suspicious?” Hana asks, watching the conversation unfold from her desk.

“Hana?” As expected of her best friend to have picked up on it. It was obvious for Kyoko that Ryohei was trying to avoid having Tsuna talk any further with Kyoko. If Ryohei were truly training hard on sumo-wrestling, he wouldn’t have shut up about learning new techniques and about how he’s changed his training regimen to be the best that he could be.

Seeing as he’d rather opted to drag Tsuna away, it was indeed suspicious.

‘There’s nothing that can be done about it.’

For now, she’ll have to give up on finding the truth.

-

[ch.95 & 96- More introspection on Kyoko time!! Neo needs to brush up on her Kyoko muse some more]

-

She knew it, that there was something fishy going on. She read a bedtime story to Colonello, and when he had ‘fallen asleep’, Kyoko checked in Ryohei’s room to see that he wasn’t in. At some point into the night, he’d snuck out… no, maybe it was that his light night jog went for longer than it normally would’ve.

Though worried, she retreated into her room, letting the silence settle into her bones until she heard quiet movement in the other room- the one Colonello was temporarily staying at.

Even though she wanted to chase after him right away, she knew that in doing so, he’d take her on a wild goose chase to make her lose his tail- or worse, go right back home and wait until she fell asleep.

In that case, she’d never get to catch her brother in whatever act he was hiding from her!’

There was something she failed to take into consideration… and that was the fact the baby often travelled by air, and that was much harder to follow on foot.

As best friend telepathy would go, Hana felt a disturbance in the force and looked out her window to see Kyoko sneaking out in the middle of the night, frantically looking around.

Hana did as any best friend would do in this situation: sneak out as well!

That’s how the two girls ended up searching all over for the missing Colonello, inadvertently coming across Iemitsu- Tsuna’s father. He led the way, citing that he knew where everyone was at.

Kyoko wanted to see this ‘sumo-wrestling’ tournament her brother kept hyping at the dinner table for herself.

Well, that’s what she thought on her way there.

When she finally arrived, she started having second thoughts.

Her heart sank to the bottom of her stomach at the sight.

There he was standing in a brightly lit ring, screaming in pain as he clutched his prized boxing arm. Colonello was watching calmly along with the others. Of course, Tsuna was there too, as expected.

“Onii-chan…?” She cautiously called out to him as if she was afraid of believing the reality of what she saw before her. How could her brother be in such a predicament? Why did he look so battered? Wasn’t that blood she saw on his cheek?

Kyoko phased out the voices around her as she tunnel-visioned on her injured brother laying on the ground of the brightly lit ring, an imposing man standing overtop him. A surge of anxiety overcame her, and her fight or flight response became muddled in the confusion of the situation before her.

How could she accurately decide on what to do when she couldn’t wrap her mind around what was going on? All she knew was that she couldn’t just leave her brother here, injured.

“This looks dangerous, Kyoko.”

Even if dangerous, Kyoko couldn’t leave without knowing he was safe.

“Oh my, are you this boy’s little sister? Your brother is going to lose a battle against me and get killed ♡”

The man was obviously serious by the looks of his prideful demeanor and the fact that her brother was already a bloodied mess. “Onii-chan, stop! You promised you wouldn’t fight!”

Hana tried to stop her best friend from getting too involved and becoming yet another casualty, but Kyoko wasn’t having it. “Onii-chan!”

Ironically, that was the motivation Ryohei needed to get back onto his feet, “Yeah, when I cracked open my head… I made a promise to not fight again…” Of course, boxing was another story.

That was a sport, not an actual fight.

Ryohei picked up fighting in order to learn to protect himself from older bullies- and it was also a way to help Kyoko. The poor girl was such a mess when he went to the hospital from a cracked head.

It was rough to start. Kyoko would flinch any time he received a punch, and she’d cry if he ever so much as fell over. There were many nights were Kyoko would wake up sobbing at the memory of seeing her brother get beaten until his head cracked because of her.

He came to her rescue.

She came out of the incident feeling like the unwilling culprit to his injury, and he came out of it feeling like the guilty sinner who was the reason for her tears. It was because he was weak!

Ryohei had to become strong to protect them both.

In time, he honed his skill, dodging punches that came his way, training his body to pull his weight through to the ends of his fists. He would see to it that no matter what, he’d see the end of every battle and he’d come out the victor, because that was the only way to stop her from crying.

Did it hurt? You bet it did, but what hurt more was seeing the little girl who would crawl into his bed and clutch onto his shirt, drenching it in her tears from a nightmare. She had a nightmare something happened to him and she wouldn’t rest until making sure that he was okay.

This was a constant thing until she slowly came to trust that he was fine. Waiting for her to walk into his room, eyes full of tears on a nightly basis hurt more than anyone could understand. It made him feel like a failure of a brother.

He’s the older brother! When she was born, he promised his parents that he’d love and protect her! No one would make her cry!! – but that’s not the reality. He made her cry, a lot.

She’d always blamed herself for his injury, and his scar was the permanent reminder of their shared trauma. He guessed that she still blamed herself to this day, but it wasn’t her fault. He, nor their parents believed it was her fault, but she wouldn’t ever see it that way.

Why did his innocent sister have to feel the guilt of what some nasty older kids did to feel a sense of superiority over younger kids?

He’d train and train with the determination to never see that little girl cry her eyes out over him again. He’d rather die than see even a single tear come out of her eyes. His sweetest little sister didn’t deserve that.

No matter what, he’d become so strong that she no longer worries over him getting hurt. She’ll forge the confidence that no matter what, he’d win!

Even if he loses, he’ll do so with a smile.

Yes, he did promise he wouldn’t fight anymore--

Pushing himself off the floor, body creaking and aching in protest, “… but I also told you this…”

“But I’m still a man… so there will come a time when I just have to fight… but if you’ll continue to cry like that-”

“I won’t lose!”

Reinvigorated with the will to stop Kyoko’s fears even by one more second, he pushes himself off the floor and back onto his feet, rushing at his opponent, “I’ll show you! This is the true- MAXIMUM!! CANON!!!”

Fist met metallic knee, and surprisingly, the man executing a beautiful flying knee drive was on the ground clutching his crushed knee cap. An ironic parallel to how moments prior Ryohei was in the same situation clutching at his arm.

“Your right fist appeared to have been glowing. Kora! You did well, Ryohei.” Colonello was proud of his student. Praise now out of the way, he turns to Kyoko and her friend, Hana. “Well, let’s go home, Kyoko!”

“Colonello-kun! Wait, Onii-chan is still--!” Colonello was tugging at Kyoko’s sleeve, “It’s already finished. Hey, I’m sleepy.”

It was time for the young warrior to celebrate his victory with his comrades. It was a well-earned victory, not one to be spoiled by a worried sister nagging him over being reckless.

Yes, he understands that it’s unfair to her, but this is Ryohei’s choice, and it was something she’d have to accept.

Besides, he knew well the stance the Varia took to failure.

Kyoko and Hana didn’t need to see how Lussuria would end up after losing his battle to Ryohei.

-

[ch.97- Focusing on Lambo simply because I wanted more areas to practice my Lambo muse in]

-

How great was this? Everyone is paying attention to Lambo-san! Usually, Tsuna and the others just ignore Lambo, or hand him some candy and tell him to go and play with I-pin or Fuuta.

Eh? Yeah, Lambo-san has fun with those two, but that’s not the point! Lambo wants to be a big kid and play the big kid games too! He’s a full-blooded Mafiosi, you know? His family sent him all the way to Japan on his own because they trust him! They acknowledged his skill!

He still hasn’t killed Reborn yet, but he’ll do it soon! Promise! They really do believe him!

It isn’t because they find him annoying!

It isn’t because they wanted him out of their hair so they could focus on the important Bovino famiglia members!

It wasn’t because… they didn’t care for him…

It couldn’t be.

Tsuna and the other big kids could be mean sometimes (looking at you, Aho-dera!), but they weren’t like the Famiglia who would ignore him, or make fun of him, or bully him.

They didn’t send him away to a faraway land all by himself… rarely asking him about how he’s doing. They’d send more weapons if Lambo-san asked for it, but that was it. No one asked how Lambo-san was doing. They didn’t ask if he was eating well, or sleeping okay.

Only Maman would do that. She was more Maman than Lambo-san’s real Maman.

Pulled into the huddle, Lambo-san was so excited! It was like he was a big kid too! They finally acknowledged him! Nuhahaha!

Lambo! Fight!!

“Gahaha! That was fun! Do it again!” Lambo-san wants to feel the jiggly feeling of being supported! To be genuinely rooted for, it wasn’t something he would remember.

This, was just the small signs of a child who was only given negative attention or hardly any at all. Ironically, when he flew away from his real family, he found a new one, in the Sawada household.

Tsuna said something about how he didn’t have to fight if he didn’t want to… but Tsuna really doesn’t get it. Lambo-san wants to be with the cool big kids. They do some really cool stuff, and they go and beat all the bad guys! They’re mafia, but they’re still good guys!

Lambo-san wants to be one of them! He can’t run away now! Not when he’s been accepted into the huddle of big kids!

“My, my, my, Tsuna doesn’t know? Lambo-san can’t die because he’s invincible.” That’s how he really felt! With the acknowledgement of the others, he’ll be sure to beat the ugly weirdo-man!

Would you believe Lambo-san if he told you that he beat the ugly weirdo-man in 1 minute? It’s true! Lambo-san didn’t get electrified and smacked until he burst into tears and used the secret Bovino 10-year bazooka!

Tell Lambo-san who told you those lies right now! He’s got a knuckle sandwich waiting for them!

Ehhhhh? You need Lambo-san to stop narrating? Booo, whateverrrr! It’s time for the older me, anyways! Gahahah!

…

SIGH

Yare yare. Even though he asked Tsuna to disallow his younger-self from using the 10-year bazooka to summon him… it happened anyways.

“I didn’t think that dumplings were going to be my last supper…” If he knew that, he would’ve splurged and asked for something else instead.

No, that’s a lie. He chose something simple and easy to eat on purpose because he knew that he’d get called into battle this way, anyways. He couldn’t trust that cry-baby child to NOT abuse the 10 year bazooka in this situation.

“I had a feeling this was going to happen… anyways, young Vongole, when I absolutely have to do something, I can be a man.” After all, he learned from the best around him. When the situation grew dire, everyone stood tall and fought together.

Right, that’s how things were… but they weren’t anymore. Everyone was scattered, and it was hard to know if any of them were still alive. Everything was a mess, but there wasn’t anything he could do about it.

Even now, they shield him from a lot of the truth. He’s also a guardian, you know? He was roughly their age when they first got thrown into the mafia-life, but they still treated him like he was the 5 year old child they first met.

Isn’t that unfair? Lambo was BORN into the mafia-life, just like Gokudera was, and yet even Gokudera treats him like a kid! (Traitor)

“Don’t stand out more than me.”

Taking one look at his opponent, he recognizes the insignia. Varia. Don’t stand out more than him? Please, Lambo does that just by breathing. Look in the mirror and then look at Lambo again.

Do you have the conscience to tell him to not stand out more than you again when you have a face like that? Yes, Lambo was a bit cocky about his looks, but it was for a good reason. He was popular.

“You’re Varia? That’s an impossible request,” he attaches his horns onto his head in a smooth movement. “I’m star material.” See? Smooth.

His skin tingled, and his hair stood on ends, just like how it would before lightning would strike. “Thunder. Set.”

Right on cue, he was struck with lightning. Don’t underestimate the Elettrico Cuoio. Did you think it was mere accident that he’d been struck by lightning so many times that he’d developed this physique? It wasn’t.

Bovines are known for having thick skin and having stubborn natures, and they were taught to hone their bodies and skin to be resilient. For him, it was chosen that he’d be bathed in electricity to develop his talent for working with electricity.

How else could he use the Thunder Set Cornatta without even the physique to handle it?

To be honest, if you asked him, he couldn’t begin to tell you if he’d volunteered readily to gain such a skill or if he’d been thrown into it without as much as a choice- so he fooled himself into thinking it was his will.

Realistically speaking, he knew that it was his family that forced it upon him. It was tradition for the family to possess skills that relate to horns, their trademark. Yes, it was true that he had some innate talent when it came to accepting electricity through his body, but that still meant that they subjected a child to being hit by lightning multitudes of time.

Compared to the others, he wasn’t that talented, to be fair. Maybe that’s why they didn’t really care for him as much as the others, but they also couldn’t dismiss him because he at least had the Elettrico Cuoio.

Lightning coursed through his body, sending electrifying tingles throughout his body, but with his skillful maneuvering, he focused the lightning into the horns. Posturing, “Take this! Elettrico Cornatta!!”

Like the Bovino family symbol, he charged forth like a mad bull!

“You stand out too much. The one who’ll fulfill the role of the Thunder Guardan and gain the most trust from the boss will be me!” Parasols opened, concentrating the collected electricity to the center, directly at Lambo.

Damn, even with the Elettrico Cuoio, this was too much. Lambo crumbled to the floor in pain. “Ugh… to…lerate…”

He tried to convince himself that he could handle it. Was this any worse than the training he struggled through? The very training that gave him permanent damage after he made a mistake, rendering one eye unable to open without struggle? It wasn’t a stylistic choice (a common theory among his fans) that he kept one eye closed.

He had some nerve damage from training with electricity that weakened his eye, so he couldn’t open his eye without strain. It happened a few years back, and that hurt a lot!

Okay, he can’t lie, this really hurts!

You know the funny thing? Lambo has been a cry-baby from a young age, but he matured a lot over the years. So, why is it that he still cries now, even after being a full-fledged guardian for so long?

Every time he’s in pain like this, it reminds him that the others are missing. Where did they go? Why did they leave him alone? He didn’t want to be alone anymore.

Any time he got into trouble, he knew he could trust Tsuna or Gokudera to be by his side to support him- but they weren’t here anymore. They were gone. Missing.

The ones behind him weren’t his big bros and big sis. He felt so unbearably alone and lost. “Uwaaahhh! It hurts…”

When he used to cry like that, Tsuna would always come to his rescue, like a HEROINE. It was like a summoning cry, but at some point, it stopped working.

How silly of him to believe that she’d come and pat him on the head and tell him all would be okay.

“I won’t let you run away.”

Soon, a sharp pain pierced his shoulder. “U-aahhhh…” Lambo still didn’t want to believe it. He wouldn’t! The others had to be busy doing something super important! It was so important that it was on the scale of saving the world!

That’s the only reason why they weren’t around to be with him anymore.

There’s no way it was because they thought him useless and discarded him. No.

“I’ll kill you thoroughly, I’ll cut you up and make steak out of you.”

If he was too weak to handle the opponent… then what about him another 10 years into the future? He’d be super cool and strong then! See if Tsuna and the others can disregard him then!

POOF!

Electricity coursed through the pink smog, “Ah… this situation… if I’m not dreaming, I must be in the past, thanks to the 10-year bazooka.”

What a rarity. The 15 year old version of himself didn’t resort to the bazooka that often because he’d become a full-fledged guardian by that point. In order to prove himself capable, he had to stop resorting to the usage of the 10 year bazooka.

He had proven himself capable of carrying the mantle and he was striving hard to make the others proud of him.

You know how teenagers are, they crave recognition. He mentally bemused over how his 15 year old self was constantly called to the past by the 5 year old grubby child in comparison.

If he recalls correctly, that was also the reason why the 15 year old teen rarely called upon himself with the 10 year bazooka.

The teen understood how it felt to constantly be dragged into troubles because his kid self couldn’t handle the situation. Well, that worked out for the better, because that wet behind the ears teen wouldn’t be able to handle living 20 in his timeline for long.

“Is that really the dumb cow?”

“Lambo seems… really reliable now.”

Hm?

The adult slowly turns his ears to the direction of the sound to see such painfully nostalgic faces.

“I didn’t think I’d get to see you guys again.” He felt so filled with emotion, “all your faces… how nostalgic…” because of the others still coddling him and treating him like a child, they shielded him and protected him from the truth. They sent him, I-pin, and the women away to safety.

They took his symbol of being the Thunder guardian away from him so prevent him from being targeted for his ring.

He didn’t want any of that though. He would’ve rather died alongside the rest of them instead of surviving with survivor’s guilt seeping deep into his bones, chilling him to his core.

It was only with the flow of electricity that he truly remembered how it felt to be alive and not a hollow husk of regret and longing.

“It’s enough to move me to tears, but it seems like this is no time to be emotional.” Maybe through this, he can resolve through some of his regrets of not being given the chance to fight for his famiglia… no, his TRUE FAMILY.

Was this the same as fighting for the ones he’d long lost in his timeline? No, but maybe it’ll suffice to abate some of his survivor’s guilt.

“There’s a very rough-looking person staring at me.”

“It doesn’t matter who you are. I’m going to kill you.”

“…” Lambo notices the fallen ring and chain combination laying on the ground. It’s so reminiscent of how he used to carry his ring around when he was younger. “It seems my past-self encountered quite a hassle…”

Eyes trained onto Leviathan, a member of the Varia, judging by the insignia. Hm.

“- but I’m different.”

“Enough talk. DIE!”

Once more, the parasols opened, concentrating the collected electricity in the middle.

“Ugh…” Lambo could already feel the anticipatory tingling of his skin. That was going to be a pain to deal with…

… but only that.

“Argh!” All the electricity made contact, bathing the surroundings in bright light as the violent current surged forth, fully intent on decimating the victim to ashes, but again- he’s different from his younger self.

“He will be burnt to ashes. I wish the boss could see this light.”

Did you think he stopped training his ability to take in electricity? What else could he do to numb the pain of being a failure? All the guardians died, fighting against evil, but he was the only one left alive.

He wasn’t given the choice to fight alongside them.

Lambo was ROBBED of his choice, and he had to watch as news came in one by one of the deaths of his supposed comrades.

It hurt more than they could ever know to know that they abandoned him. They may believe they were saving or protecting him, but in truth, they cast him aside. Their actions told that teenager he wasn’t worth fighting with to the end.

He wasn’t really one of them, he was someone to protect, rather than someone to trust with their backs.

They returned him to the Bovino famiglia, where he was once again subjected to harsh treatment—but it was worse this time, because he had the dishonor of being removed from his position of Lightning Guardian.

Fueled by the upset and his anger towards the ones who took his family away from him, he turned to his training. He wanted to become strong enough to defeat the enemies that took down the Vongola’s legacy.

That’s why he trained and trained for no reason other than to make something of their sacrifices. He would channel all his pain and anger into creating the perfect vessel of taming electricity.

He’d avenge them or die trying. Then, he’d be able to reunite with them in heaven with his head held high knowing he did his best.

The way the violent currents ripped through his body, sending numbing tingling through his skin was somehow therapeutic, like… it stopped making things hurt.

He could forget about how much he missed everyone and focus on the electricity flowing through his veins, trying to kill him if he wasn’t careful.

Yes… he took the bull by the horns, broke it, and tamed it.

SIGH

“Where do you think you’re going?”

“WHAT!?” No one could believe the man was still alive after all that.

“Watch.”

Even if he’s now in the past, he’s confident that they’re watching him. If he knew his worried older sister and brothers well enough, they were watching over him. If he’s sent into the past, they’ll cling onto him and chase after him.

So, watch. This is how far he’d come. The potential you sacrificed yourselves for.

“Elettrico Reversal!” Commanding the electricity violently ripping through his body towards, it ran its course through the building, cracking windows. For a moment, that building seemed like a dangerous lightbulb. “Electricity is like a kitten to me. Do you understand now? I perfected the impeccable Elettrico Cuoio.” It was in honor of the other guardians and his ‘big sis’.

Did you see that? Are you proud of him?

“I don’t know what’s going on, but it looks like we have the advantage!”

“Yes! This battle is in the bag!”

“Praising me like that…” it really filled his heart with warmth. How he wished he could hear his time’s counterparts saying those same things to him… but they were already gone. “It embarrasses me.”

Guess he could settle for this.

“I’ll kill you no matter what! Watch me go straight for the heart with my electricity.”

Man, this guy doesn’t give up, does he? Doesn’t he know he’s severely outclassed in the art of using electricity?

Hm? Those horns on the ground…

“!? That’s…” Levi pierced the horn that Lambo picked up, which cracked the paint covering of the horn revealing the ‘Dumb Cow’ writing that Gokudera wrote on them years ago.

“I reported these missing to the police a week ago. I didn’t think they were here. The impact just now knocked the paint off the surface, revealing their true form.”

Underneath the paint was the ‘Dumb Cow’ that Gokudera wrote on the horns years ago. To the kids here, it was mere minutes that Gokudera had scribbled on these horns… but for Lambo… it had been decades.

He’d been distraught over having lost a rare memento that reminded him of one of the Guardians, but here they were.

Lambo would never know that it was the Bovino boss who had used the 10 year bazooka to steal these horns from him to serve as a ‘hint’.

“You won’t get away this time.”

What a funny thing to say.

“I wasn’t planning on running away. These certainly feel better than the backup horns. Now, I can give it my all. Thunder set! Elettrico Cornata!” The signature move of any prideful Bovino man.

“Idiot, that won’t work, because it has a fatal flaw.” Levi knew this well, that the flaw lay in the fact that your enemy had to be within range of the horns short area of effect.

A smile. How he’d been waiting for this. Tsuna would’ve been proud to see him like this, surely. “That was then.”

Suddenly, the current extended well past his horns, increasing the range of effect. Not only that, but you could also truly witness how much control the Lambo of this time had over electricity.

A kitten indeed, you know?

“AAAAHHH!”

This was the price to pay for underestimating the 10th generation Vongola.

“You’re still not good enough. Go home and practice more.”

Levi was finally cracking, feeling fear that he may actually lose. “I-I can’t lose! Impossible! Bo…ss. Please, praise me again! Bos!”

Lambo could sympathize with the sentiment, all too well. “Back down, or…” you’ll never have the chance to get that praise, “you’ll die.”

POOF!

“GUUPYAA!!”

So much for wanting to resolve some past regrets.

Good luck, kid.

-

[ch.100- Gotta have a follow up of Lambo in the hospital!

*If I remember correctly, the anime added a scene that alludes to this, and so I’m adding it in because I thought it makes sense. ]

-

“Sawada-san!”

“Kyoko-chan, Haru-chan, you guys came!” Nana was sitting by Lambo’s bedside with I-pin on her lap. The two were waiting for the cow child to wake up and laugh like he always does, but he’d only been sleeping this entire time.

It was almost eerie seeing him this way, and Nana had let the girls know that something had happened to the child that they often played with. They had the right to know that he was in the hospital, so they wouldn’t be surprised if they came to visit to see the house empty.

“How’s Lambo-chan!?” The girls rushed to Lambo’s bedside to see that he was on assisted breathing. You could also see the damage to his skin, but neither of them could figure what it was. It didn’t quite look like he’d taken a fall. He should have more bruising and cuts if he’d taken a nasty fall, right?

“He finally got through the critical stage and stabilized. We can only wait patiently until he recovers consciousness next.”

It was unnerving to hear that a 5 year old child who was boisterously laughing and running around mere days ago was laying in a hospital bed like this. “How did Lambo-kun become like this?” “What happened?”

Nana averted her eyes from the girls, somehow feeling guilty. In truth, it was unfair that she was put into this situation, but she didn’t see it that way. It was the most unfair for Lambo who was put into such a precarious situation where his life was teetering on the edge just last night.

“Looks like the thunder yesterday struck his umbrella and then he rolled down a slope…” It was the best answer she could provide because she too didn’t really know what happened. The doctors did confirm that Lambo had severe burns, probably from the lightning strike… so that had to be true… but did he really roll down a slope?

The reported lightning and thunderstorm was more severe than anticipated last night, so the girls could believe such a story. What was the alternative? Believing some man could harness the power of lightning and command it at will?

“How can it be? Poor Lambo” “Lambo-chan...” The girls stared at the little child with concern and anxiety. Haru knew a little bit of what was going on and Kyoko had seen her brother get battered in a so called ‘Sumo-wrestling’ match days ago.

(Onii-chan, she knows what a Sumo-wrestling ring looks like, and that wasn’t it. You’re lucky she didn’t grill you about it later the next morning. Hmph!)

Just as he didn’t want to see Kyoko’s tears, she didn’t want to see him fraught with worry and anxiety over her worries. A troublesome sibling pair they were, hm?

Nana thought back to the previous night with her daughter and her school friends. They brought Lambo to the hospital and were waiting for Nana when she arrived after the call from her husband.

“Please take care of Lambo… I can’t tell you the reason now...” “You can’t tell me… you guys…?” “Sorry!” “Tsuna…!”

Her eyes move towards Lambo. Where was the family of this child? Though Nana didn’t know Lambo’s situation, it was clear that he’d been in Japan all by himself without any guardian or supervision.

That was why Lambo was staying in their household for the time being. I-pin was an orphan, and she’d followed her master to Japan, so she did have a  guardian. He was often busy hard at work, so I-pin was left alone a lot. Seeing how she and Lambo got along so well, Nana offered to let her stay with them as well.

What was one more child to the mix? Then Bianchi came to stay with them too. Iemitsu had to work hard to provide for the growing family living under his roof.

I-pin and the occasional Fuuta were always welcome under the Sawada rooftop if they needed it. They were also equally free to leave to go home if they wanted to. Lambo, was the special case where he didn’t really have a home to go back to.

“Maman, let the kid crash here for a bit.” “Hm? What’s this, Reborn-kun? You want your friend to stay here for a few days?” Nana had seen a new kid running around the house today and noticed that Reborn and the child were playing some pretty dangerous looking games. Reborn shook his head, “as it turns out that kid has some circumstances that disallows him from returning home, so he’s stranded in Japan right now without any guardians to protect him. His home life… is troubling.” The mother was shocked to hear this, not understanding how any parent could allow such a young child to be alone. How troubling can a household be that a mere child has come to another country by himself? “When can he return home? Can I expect to meet his parents?” Nana certainly wouldn’t judge them right to their face, but she did want to get a look at such irresponsible parents. Regardless of your circumstances, how could you leave a child all by himself? Without any guardians, no less? “With the circumstances being what they are, he might as well be abandoned.” She couldn’t believe what she was hearing! How could such a young child be abandoned? “I’ll talk to my husband about letting him stay with us for now.” It was going to affect their financials, but Nana wanted to do this. The young child who was running around with Tsuna at the moment was such a sweet child. To think he’d been abandoned in another country by himself… she couldn’t just leave him to fend for himself on the streets. Iemitsu would understand and allow her to take him under her wing and ensure that she had enough to basically raise another child under their roof.

Nana didn’t really understand it, but Lambo apparently was tasked a mission in a whole different country, and he wasn’t allowed back until he completed it. She wondered if this was abandonment… or… maybe something nefarious was happening in the background and this was a way to have him escape into peaceful Japan.

She wished to believe that his parents made a difficult choice for his future, but their general apathy in his affairs made it hard to believe.

Lambo did talk about some scary things, like violence and punishments. It wasn’t something that a 5 year old child to talk about so callously, so it was possible that his home situation was dangerous.

For such a child, he should be treated with care and be protected!

A note she kept in her pocket was her husband’s handwriting. He was asking for her to help Tsuna without asking questions. What in the world were they doing that landed a child in critical condition?

*

Waking up to see that her husband wasn’t in bed, she walked around the home to find him, to hear hushed voices talking in the kitchen. He was talking to Lambo in Italian, and it was something she couldn’t understand, but it did seem somewhat serious. Lambo was handed a phone and he listened to the voice on the other end. He sounded so excited at first, and then dejected. Whatever could make this energetic child so sad, she wondered? Soon, the child bounced back with excitement, seeming determined. What she couldn’t understand at the time was that Iemitsu had contacted the Bovino famiglia to discuss the prospects of allowing Lambo to be the Lightning Guardian for the 10th generation Vongola boss. The boss very readily agreed, because having connections to the Vongola was a precious thing and if they were to gain it, all they had to do was offer Lambo up- what was there to lose? The Vongola would take that annoying child off their hands, and they wouldn’t have to worry about him anymore. Of course, they’ll still keep some contact with the child- to make use of their connection to the Vongola. They had to show him a certain level of care to make him compliant with their needs. To a regular family, that was an outrageous mindset, but this was the mafia. In their own roundabout and messed up way, this was for the best. Lambo didn’t have a good standing within his own famiglia, and he wasn’t treated well. However, could he be disparaged if he’s a Vongola Guardian? It was a dangerous position to be in, yes, but he would be protected by their name. Iemitsu confirmed that he would be raised well in peaceful Japan, and that honestly was a relief. The madame could rest easier that her young child who was ousted out of Japan- out of her control, could be raised with the care he clearly needed. Nana, not wanting to disturb them, went back to bed, missing Iemitsu requesting to see the 10 year bazooka, so that he could also have a chat with a teen version of the cow child before him. Given how Lambo would likely use the bazooka in the battle for the rings, he also needed to give his consent to joining battle.

*

“What is he doing!? I’ll scold them good when they come back!” She was going to scold both her daughter and her husband for whatever recklessness they were doing and for allowing such a young child to get injured like this!

Out of respect for her husband, the man of the household, she won’t ask any questions- but she won’t let anyone stop her from scolding them! They needed to be more careful with children!

If a child comes back in critical condition while in your care, you’re in for a scolding fest! It was a mother’s unspoken right to do so! Lambo may not be her true child, but he’s taken to her as his motherly figure, and so she has to do her part to protect him.

Even if it is from her beloved daughter and husband.

Of course, she had faith in her family to not be intentionally harming this child, but that’s why this situation was so concerning. What could’ve possibly happened for Lambo to come back in such a state?

It’s settled.

She’s scolding them both for this when Lambo recovers. Iemitsu won’t be able to sweettalk her out of her anger this time! As Lambo’s honorary ‘Maman’ she has to protect and defend him!

-

            [Unfortunately, I’m skipping the rest of the Rings arc because it either won’t really change much from canon, or that I think it should be more of a collaborative effort, ie Yamamoto vs Squaletta or the final boss battle. The same will go for the TYL arc, so I’m skipping that too. I’m more than open to discussing it in private to figure how things can be adjusted for the canon-divergent changes. I also avoided Xanxus scenes because I’m not that comfortable with him yet LOL]

[fightingthetides]

He shakes his head as a simple answer.

Ravein hadn’t painted before, but he used to play with mud a lot when he was a child. That was probably the closest he got to playing with clay. They did have a lot of pottery at home, but they were something that his father bought during his trips into town to buy the necessities. He would enjoy learning pottery because he enjoyed working with his hands, so it was something that appealed to him- working with pottery, that is.

Seeing Nunnally so excited by the idea, it brought a tiny smile onto Ravein’s face, knowing that his idea was well received. It was excited to try something new, and having pleasant company would make the experience even better!

Nunnally was escorted part of the way by Ravein before he turned around and went back home. When she came close enough to her home, it was safer for her, but more dangerous for him to stick around, after all.

-

The day arrived for everyone to go to the store where you could paint mugs from ready-made pieces, or you could choose to create something yourself in their workshop. The plan was to meet at a designated location before traversing together to the final location. Ravein was visibly excited if one knew what to look for, like his faster than usual gait, or the slight bounce in his steps.

When they walked into the shop, they were given a brochure that explained how things worked. The shop was split into two, where one half of the shop was dedicated to people who wanted to craft their own personal piece, while the other half of the shop was dedicated to painting pieces. Most people chose to paint a ready-made piece of pottery, but for those who opted to make their own personal piece, they had to wait for their pieces to go through the kiln first before the glazing process.

So, it really came down to: were you willing to invest time and energy into finally receiving the final result, or did you want to receive the final result much quicker?

Roberto had a feeling that whatever the other two decided, they probably wouldn’t need him sticking around for very long. They’d both learn ways to communicate with each other better.

“I shall go over on this side to paint a ready-made mug. You both should take your time to decide what sounds most fun to you.” He was here for moral and emotional support, yes, but that didn’t mean he had to hover around them like some kind of babysitter either. He trusted that giving them some space would do them good.

Ravein stared at the brochure, unable to decide which option would be best. He turns to look at Nunnally and tilts his head, as if asking her what her opinion was.

It was good to have Roberto around. Not that she felt uncomfortable staying with Ravein alone, but, indeed, it seemed that the older man knew Ravein well enough to be able to "translate", when their communication started to be difficult. Of course, it was a process that should lead to Ravein and her ending up not needing such help, but for the time being it made things easier; Nunnally wondered if Ravein felt similr. Was she a bit of a challenge for him as well?

She smiled upon Ravein’s drawing, like it was a small commentary to a pleasant day they were to spend together. But obviously it gave Roberto (some) more information or ideas than she could make out of it. For a short moment, Nunnally wondered if she would ever be able to reach that level of understanding with Ravein; in another she questioned herself if it was really Ravein’s idea that got communicated through Roberto’s mouth, and not Roberto’s own suggestion.

But surprisingly Nunnally didn’t spend too much time thinking about it. She would never learn as she was not to ask. Was it unimportant? Or was she attempting not to let her nature of an over-thinker to rule her life? Or at least her relationship with Ravein.

“That’s…that’s, indeed, a great idea…” – her enthusiasm was visible (and audible) – “I love painting…and drawing…”

“I didn’t do much with clay…apart from…long time ago…but it will be nice to have that experience again…” – well, of course it wouldn’t be the same as it would be just decorating something that already existed. Previously Nunnally had worked with fresh clay that she was forming into something that later she would have adorned with colours. But, indeed, it wasn’t as easy as it might have seem (to those who had never tried it before) so painting was just enough. For now: --

“Have you ever done something similar, Rav?” – she couldn’t recall if they had ever touched on the creative art. Sipping on her coffee, Nunnally started to imagine what she could put on her mug.

“We need to do three…!”—she suddenly exclaimed; a bonding exercise of a sort? No, Nunnally didn’t think about it in such a way. She just wanted to have fun. With the two of them.  

It was a day full of changes in mood and unexpected events, and Nunnally deeply regretted it was about to end soon. But as the coffee was slowly disappearing from her mug, she would probably need to make her way out. Walking back home, to the manor she called 'home', but hardly ever felt there like at home, made Nunnally think how awkward life could be. But she was not ready to change anything in her life.

“Well…” – she started putting her mug on the counter – “I guess I will soon be going…”

[fightingthetides]

It wasn’t just Yamamoto who just stared at Hibari in confusion at his reaction, as Haru tilted her head in confusion, but something came to mind. She’s seen that reaction before… like when a girl is trying to hide something related to her crush from her friends lest they tease her relentlessly for days on end. Ehhh? Oho?

Yamamoto didn’t let his mind ponder on it for long. It didn’t seem like Hibari wanted him to see something, so he wouldn’t push it. He was pretty careful about the boundaries of others- like a team player would do! Ya gotta respect boundaries and stuff!

“Huhu~ Looks like Haru won the battle of cuteness.”

Was it even a competition? If she lost- no, but since she won… it was ABSOLUTELY a competition! Still, Yamamoto started it all with the apple rabbits, so he gets an honorary mention! She thinks about it and looks at her phone to check the time.

“Haru has to go do something so she’ll have to leave now. What about you, Yamamoto?”

“I don’t have much to do today…”

The athlete just looks at Hibari, as if wordlessly asking him if he was going to be evicted or allowed to stick around.

UKIGUMOS - »❝浮雲❞«

Grunt!

Kyouya turned his body to shield his phone.

Even his own instinctive dodge caught him off guard. Only someone who was ashamed would react with such a quick retraction of the body. He took a quick glance at his wallpaper and snapped the phone shut, tucking it away.

Best not to address it.

He turns his attention back to Miura Haru. Perhaps he should bite at this topic change before the atmosphere takes a plunge in an odd direction.

"They're all quite adequate." He states, feigning indifference. "However, I suppose the hedgehog earns 'extra points'."

[fightingthetides]

Hm? Hibari had swiped the phone quickly and pushed some buttons without wasting time, so Yamamoto couldn’t see how the picture turned out.

“Let me see, how did it turn out?”

Surely he didn’t delete the picture or worser yet… crop him out of the photo? Harsh, if so.

Haru couldn’t see that Hibari had changed the wallpaper of his phone to the picture that was just taken, and it was probably for the better. Had she known, she would’ve clocked the fact that Yamamoto seemed to be special to Hibari in a way that she could relate to- because she had a picture of Tsuna as her own wallpaper!

Feeling quite proud over their creations, the happy duo sport matching smiles, it was giving off ‘happy doggo’ energy. No, perhaps a happy dog and a happy hamster?

That was all of the fun fruit animal tricks that they’d learned, so there wasn’t anything else to show off, luckily for Hibari. Who knew if he was going to be able to eat everything that they cut up for him. Well… fruit is good for you! ← How the two rationalized in synchronization. The mindset of two positive beans.

“They’re silly and cute, right Hibari-san? Which one was your favorite? Haru thinks the apple crab is funny, but you can’t beat the classic apple rabbit.”

If you were to ask Yamamoto, he’d just say he preferred just eating a peeled apple, it was quicker and easier to eat. Eating one skin and all if you were on a time crunch.

UKIGUMOS - »❝浮雲❞«

Kyouya leant over, close enough so that he could feel the heat of Yamamoto Takeshi's body. His breathing stopped for a moment. Once he confirmed that the picture was taken, he returned to his position with a lengthy but silent exhale.

Such affectionate gestures like snapping photos was still very foreign to him. He couldn't quite place a name on the feelings stirring inside, much less deem them clear enough to examine further.

Kyouya took back his phone with a swift swipe. A few button presses later, he had changed his wallpaper. Hm. Yamamoto Takeshi effortlessly glowed, even in pictures.

"The objective was met."

Kyouya said bluntly in response. It wasn't outstanding, but everything was in frame and it served its purpose. What made it different was the one who took it.

He lifts his gaze from his phone to look at the newcomers. Snrk. These ones are quite dorky. Kyouya smirks, prodding the dolphin with a finger.

[fightingthetides]

《𝓣𝓱𝓮 𝓔𝓵𝓾𝓼𝓲𝓿𝓮 𝓒𝓵𝓸𝓾𝓭》

——————————————————————————————————

Kusakabe received the gift the Vongola Boss wanted delivered to the Cloud Guardian. He wasn’t sure of the contents of the box- as it wasn’t his business to know, but he did have some concerns. The box was beautiful, but the Sakura blossoms was something that was something that was a ‘sore spot’ for  Hibari, as it reminded him of his first loss that truly damaged his pride considerably.

It's been years, so shouldn’t he have gotten over it already, you ask? That’s not how the Hibari Kyouya operates, you see. A grudge from that man is everlasting.

When the man in question receives the box, his eyebrows crease inwards with displeasure. Once upon a time, he quite liked the delicate blossoms characteristic of Japan’s aesthetics and sense of beauty, but one loss changed that forever.

He reads the note and settles the box somewhere in his office. It wasn’t hidden away, but it also wasn’t out in plain sight either. The note, however, sat right in front of the box. Though he felt disdain for the delicate blossoms, he would at least set some of that aside in favor of Tsuna’s good intentions. Though, her comment about the ink being ready for use only if he wanted to, he wondered if there was a hidden meaning behind it.

Everyone knew about his dislike for Sakura blossoms after his loss to Rokudo Mukuro years ago, so it was an interesting choice for her to gift him something so emboldened with Sakura motifs. He’ll keep her gift around, but there was no telling if he would ever choose to use it. Perhaps one day.

𝐀 𝐒𝐔𝐁𝐓𝐋𝐄 𝐆𝐈𝐅𝐓 𝐅𝐑𝐎𝐌 𝐅𝐋𝐎𝐑𝐄𝐍𝐂𝐄

birthday thread for @fightingthetides

Since Kusakabe had already become a 'Vongola courier', Tsuna decided to rely on his discretion. She could trusted him to ensure that birthday present will decorate Hibari's desk just at the right moment.

It wasn't anything extravagant – just a minimalist black box with a gold sakura ornament on it, containing a bottle of calligraphy hand-mixed ink. The combination of charcoal and sakura created a very interesting, contrasting and yet harmonious ink - dark, but with a subtle touch of tenderness. The brunette had chosen it purposefully because it reminded her of their dynamics.

And a note written in Japanese with this special ink.

"I know that words weigh more for you when they are silent. However, if the moment comes when you want to let them out – silently, precisely, irrevocably – this ink is ready. But only if you want to."

Under light, the ink might have a subtle tinge of burgundy-pink or brownish, depending on the balance of sakura extract and the type of charcoal.

[fightingthetides]

☆ put this star into the inbox of your favourite blogs. it's time to spread positivity!

[Unprompted ask] @signorinavongola

Kekek answered this on the other blog too, but likewise! You're one of my favorites as well! Always appreciate the times we get to chat with each other and the fact that you send things in even after time has passed since I reblogged something is always so heartening.

[fightingthetides]

At first glance at the letter, Yamamoto’s eyes went wide- Italian really wasn’t his forte, and though he did put effort into learning it, he still wasn’t that great at it. You could say he was conversational at best… very basic conversations, haha. He got through maybe the first paragraph and a half before he started flipping the paper over to see just how long this letter goes on for- but surprise surprise!

There it is! English! The revelry was short-lived, because he also wasn’t that strong in English either- but it was at least a tad bit stronger than Italian (Sorry, Tsuna).

Eyes slowly glide over the written words with the penmanship that somehow fit Squaletta with it being precise and controlled, but with a flare of freedom- unrestrained.

A snort, he was calm, but there were times where that ‘calm’ was a mere façade for the turbulent feelings he hid behind the smile… just waiting to surge forth and slice into the jugular of this opponent the first moment he gets. It is the ocean that is a cruel mistress, and he mirrored that sentiment. Calm and his pleasant smile was nice to look at, but you could easily find yourself swept up in a violent riptide if you underestimate him.

Credit where due, Yamamoto was incredibly observant when it came to others, which is how he was so good at knowing when to stay quiet and when to speak up. It was only natural for him to also know how to read between Squaletta’s insults, because you had to pay attention to Squaletta as a whole. Merely taking her words at face value result in losing so much meaning, but when you pair her words with her tone, her body language, and her actions, you realize there’s more to it.

By the end of the letter, he was smiling. He wasn’t expecting such a lengthy letter from Squaletta, but he didn’t think if out of character either. The woman was more sentimental than you’d give her credit for, but never outwardly. She never made it obvious, and more often than not, she’d much rather put a stop to those feelings than to sit in them, but that didn’t mean she never got sentimental. Her reaction to his gifts for Christmas was testament to that fact.

This letter was a sign that she was opening up to him more and was willing to take that step to allowing him to take another step towards her. Patience is a virtue, as they say, and he embodied that well with his patience in allowing Squaletta to come to terms with her feelings and motivations.

The other gifts drew a chuckle from him, “once I stop being such a smiley idiot, huh?” That’s such a Squaletta thing to say.

He attaches the chain onto his belt loops, so they wouldn’t get in his way operating in daily life, but also would be somewhat out of sight as to not draw too much attention. Being lowkey was probably the best option, but leaving it on his desk to collect dust wasn’t an option either (not that he’d let them collect dust even if he kept them at his desk)!

Figuring it would be embarrassing for her if he also wrote a long letter expressing his thoughts, so he decided to keep things simple in his return letter:

[To Squaletta, I’d challenge you to give me a reason to stop smiling so much, but I don’t think you could do it. I just smile around you. - The Prey that fights back P.S. Thanks for the gifts]

“Man, guess we’re never going on a trip together, haha!” What a cruel condition, ha! They both know she couldn’t be 100% serious with that condition though. It’s his job to play along!

𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐄𝐍𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐍𝐓𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐏𝐑𝐄𝐃𝐀𝐓𝐎𝐑 𝐍𝐄𝐕𝐄𝐑 𝐅𝐎𝐑𝐆𝐄𝐓𝐒

Birthday thread for @fightingthetides

Yamamoto,

Non so perché ti sto scrivendo. Forse perché voglio che tu stia lontano da me. O forse perché mi rendo conto che sei una delle poche persone da cui non voglio essere lontana.

Qui. Sei. Calma fottuta. Sorridi sempre, anche quando piove, anche quando stai sanguinando, anche quando qualcuno (come me) ti taglia quasi una mano. Pensavo di essere debole. Ma sapete una cosa? Non sei.

Non supporto come riscis a leggere tra i miei insulti. Come sai quando stare zitto quando gli altri parlano e quando parlare quando io sto zitta. Come mi guardi quando pensi che io non stia guardan. E ancora di più, non supporto come cerchi di capirmi.

Sei probabilmente l'unico con cui non mi dispiacerebbe essere vulnerabile. Ma se mai lo menzioni ad alta voce, ti giuro che ti farò un duello che ricorderai fino alla pensione.

Hai più di me di quanto ti dire mai. E se stai leggendo questo… ti ho permesso di saperlo.

Prendersi cura di se stessi. E non lasciare che ti uccidano. Questo è un ordine.

— S. P. S. I hope you still remember some Italian, but just in case you don't and you made it this far, I wrote it for you in English on the back. Surprise. At least you brushed up on your Italian a bit. I didn't want to write it in Japanese because you know how much I hate all those polite phrases, right?

**********************************************

The back side of the letter

Yamamoto,

I don't know why I am writing this. Maybe because I want you away from me. Or maybe because I am realising you are the one of the few people I don't want far away from me.

You. Are. Annoyingly calm. You always smile, even when it's raining, even when you are bleeding, even when someone (like me) almost cuts off your hand. I thought you were weak. But you know what? You are not.

I can't stand how you can read between my insults. How you know when to stay silent when others talk, and when to speak up when I stay quiet. How you look at me when you think I am not watching. And even more, I can't stand how you try to understand me.

You are probably the only one with whom I wouldn't mind being vulnerable. But if you ever mention it aloud, I swear, I'll give you a duel you'll remember until your retirement.

You have more of me than I would ever tell you. And if you are reading this… I allowed you to know it.

Take care. And don't get killed. That’s an order.

— S.

************** And now no one knows whether it isjust a friendly and playful letter or a love letter, since there is a kiss mark on the envelope. Everyone knows well that Squaletta loves to tease.

A map was attached to the letter. A world map with places marked where they could have a duel together or just go on an adventure. Of course, Squaletta didn't write what each place was about, so Yamamoto can only guess. But she didn't forget to add one note: "Once you stop being such a smiley idiot, we will go."

Also included was a small box with two pendants on a chain – a raindrop and a shark. The raindrop symbolized his calm nature. Squaletta would call it sweet. In the box, Yamamoto also found a note: "Because sometimes you are too sweet. That needs to be balanced." That's why she added the pendant of wild strength, the shark. It represented her desire to protect him. But since the blonde swordswoman can't do it any other way, her playfulness couldn't be hidden. If Yamamoto happens to turn the shark pendant over, he would find another meaning behind why it is on the chain. It was engraved with – And now you are my prey.

[fightingthetides]

Happy Birthday Yamamoto !