"Are you holding up?"
It was Fon. His voice, as always, was calm, unhurried and far too confident. "I can... Handle this much. No... Problem." I huffed out, holding my hands steady before me as I maintained my horse stance. Sweat was beginning to form on my forehead as I felt my legs burning from the inside.
"What's this for anyway?"
"You have heard of horse stance, but you don't know what it's for?"
"That's why I'm asking!" I barked rather impatiently. "Is this going to improve the strength in my legs?" "Of course." Fon answered bluntly. "That and many other things..." He just sat there, a few feet removed from me as he ate in silence. My stomach growled as the scent of his cooked meal reached my nostrils.
"Must you eat in front of me?" I groaned as I clenched my teeth, trying to control my temper. Fon remained silent as he chewed on his food, making me grumble a string of profanities under my breath. He can't be serious!
"Stay focused on your horse stance."
"But I'm really hungry!! Why'd you tell me not to eat anything for breakfast!!" I complained. "By practicing the horse stance, you have to have a large amount of patience and perseverance." "I already have those." I lied as I eyed the meat bun in his tiny hands. I don't think I can handle any more of his cruel treatment. Especially when it involves food!
"Your mind is set on eating... Just focus on your training."
"Easy for you to say." I grumbled, as did my stomach.
"This is important. You have to develop a sense of patience and serenity by practicing the horse stance." Fon explained. "If you cannot, I'm afraid the road to becoming a well-balanced Wind Representative ends for you."
I frowned upon hearing Fon's harsh words. Hey, he might be harsh... But he knows what's best for me. I should have more faith in him.
"S-so... How long should I stand like this for this whole patience thing to kick in?" "You're required to practice this form for three-to-six months..." Fon answered.
"THREE-TO-SIX MONTHS?!! ARE YOU NUTS?!!" I exclaimed in total shock.
"I am well aware of the time limit. But you must show dedication and loyalty to me if you want to move on to the next phase of your training." Crap... Why did I take those stupid rings anyway!! We would have gotten more time!! I screamed in my head.
"Do not mind the time limit... You are the wind. You hold the power to influence the remaining weather phenomena that supports the sky." I felt a sudden urge to look my home tutor in the eye, which I did. He was dead serious.
"Without you there to support them, the balance will be disturbed, much like the balance in nature will be destroyed if the wind were to vanish from the face of the earth." The baby explained my position in this all-out mafia war. It certainly is something to think about.
"You carry the winds of war inside of you, together with the winds of change."
It became silent. Ironically, a light breeze passed right through us, causing for the leaves to rustle in a restless manner.
"Alice," Fon says after a bit, and I realize that I zoned out for a little while there.
"What?"
"Are you angry?" The baby asked, growing weary of my slight hesitation. "So you've been telling me."
"No, I mean right now. Are you angry of the fact that you have such a big role in all this."
"No." I say softly.
"It's an honor, to think that I, a mere troublemaker and a huge pain in the ass, am considered to be the best choice for such an important job. They depend on me...They rely on me...They need me..." The burning sensation in my legs ceased as I grew accustomed to the horse stance. Fon smiled in my direction, feeling the change in my body and mind.
"How could I be angry at them? How could I be angry at anyone?"
"Your anger has subsided, and your beginning to use your head."
"Is that good?" I asked. Fon merely smiled, keeping his eyes locked with mine. "Good enough to move on to the next phase of your training."
**********
Yamamoto Takeshi loves baseball.
Some people are passionate about football, or music, or a game of chess, or clothes, or even food, but Yamamoto Takeshi loves baseball.
All the years spend practicing his powerful swings in the batting cage in the afternoon, basking in the summer sun. Or simply seating himself in front of the TV, gazing at the professional baseball matches, as if watching them play will give him the strength and skill of a professional baseball player.
While other kids his age had pictures of footballers or pop stars on their walls, Takeshi had pictures of baseball players.
A true baseball nut he is...
But what he doesn't know, is that his little game of baseball isn't all fun and games. He's about to learn the truth of his beloved game, the hard way.
The sound of a bamboo sword hitting its target could be heard echoing in the empty dojo, followed with a loud thud as Takeshi slid across the finely polished wooden floor. Takeshi groaned softly, being caught off guard by his Father.
"Goddammit... Not again." The boy muttered out under his breath, smiling faintly despite the pain as he struggled to get on his feet.
"Since when do you swear, Takeshi?" Tsuyoshi asked, bemused as to why his son chose to curse at a time like this. In front of his old man, no less.
"No reason. I gotta vent out my frustration in a way, right? Cursing is the best way to do so." Takeshi replied without shame, sounding a lot like his American classmate. Alice's constant swearing seemed to have rubbed off on me. Takeshi thought to himself while grinning, wondering how her training is coming along.
But there was no time for that. Tsuyoshi was already out of sight, striking with his bamboo sword, effortlessly knocking Takeshi down. As soon as Takeshi got back up again, readying himself for another round, the boy felt a burning sensation in his back.
Once more, he hit the ground with a loud thud to follow, his eyes widening as a wave of pain ran through him. Together with the pain he felt, he came to realize something. He's dead serious!
"Takeshi… If you're here to play around, you should go home." Tsuyoshi looked down upon his only son, panting loudly in his tired state. "I'm not… I'm not playing around." Came Takeshi's response. His Father shook his head. "You still think this is some kind of game. But it isn't. The Shigure Soen Style is a deadly sword style. It's nothing to play around with."
Takeshi calmed down, his back still sore from the rough treatment earlier. Be that as it may, Takeshi ignored the pain and stumbled on his feet again. "I know, Oyaji. I know." "You say you know, but I haven't seen any traces of your resolve. You haven't shown me anything, Takeshi."
Takeshi's hands fell to his sides, signaling defeat.
"I can't pass on the Shigure Soen Style to you. It wouldn't be right." It is with a heavy heart that he said those words, having no choice but to come to this decision. He turned his back on Takeshi, determined to leave behind the dojo and his self-limited son.
What did I come here for… The boy thought to himself as he gazed at his Father's retreating back. Did I come here to make a fool of myself? To make myself look like a pathetic dog, begging for some attention? Is that it?
Takeshi held onto his bamboo sword, his knuckles turning white as snow.
What is my resolve? What am I here for?
A flashback penetrated his troubled mind. A clear image of Superbi Squalo and his recent destruction flashed before his eyes, along with the image of Alice, being stabbed through the shoulder, dangling in his tight hold.
The look of anguish on Alice's face back then said enough.
"Oyaji…"
His chocolate brown orbs hardened within a mere second. There was no trace of the unsure Takeshi, replaced with a Takeshi that looked quite menacing, at the same time filled at the brim with self-confidence. It was practically pouring out of him as he stood there, earning Tsuyoshi's attention as he turned around to face his son.
"I can do this… Please don't take away my only chance of protecting my friends." "You look like you're ready to take the challenge… But I can't help but feel that you still think this is all a game, just like baseball." The raven-haired man spoke. Much to his amazement, Takeshi got down on his knees, letting go of his bamboo sword. He bowed down on the wooden floor.
"Please… I know I can do this. I can complete the training. I have to." There he was, begging for a chance to prove himself once again.
Takeshi closed his eyes as the faint image of the sorrowful Alice entered his mind again, clenching his teeth as he held back his raging emotions. Most of those emotions were pointed at himself, in a way that he still blamed himself for what happened to Alice.
"It was my fault a close friend of mine got hurt. I left her behind… I'm responsible for her cuts and bruises." Takeshi poured out his heart to his Father in a pleading let's-be-reasonable tone of voice, not ashamed in showing his vulnerable form.
Tsuyoshi walked up to his pleading son. A smile graced his face upon realizing what this was all about. "Prince Charming, I presume… Riding to the rescue." Upon hearing his Father's voice so close-by, Takeshi looked up from his position, looking quite shocked. Tsuyoshi raised him on his feet, dusting off Takeshi's shoulders while his son kept his gaze on him.
"So there's a romantic twist to the story, huh? You should have told me so!" He laughed. "So you'll pass it on to-" "Of course! I don't want you looking bad in front of the damsel in distress." The old man finished off.
"Seeing you act like this brings me back to the old days…" He grinned, messing up Takeshi's hair. Tsuyoshi's words triggered something inside of Takeshi. The sadness overwhelmed him as he thought about his Mother, feeling the need to look his Father in the eye. Tsuyoshi stopped grinning altogether, his facial expression turning serious.
"She's proud of you, you know that, right?" The boy nodded wearily, not really agreeing with his Father. "She was proud of me." Takeshi corrected, earning an odd look from his Tsuyoshi. He decided not to push it and let it slide.
"Are you still up for another round with your old man?" He asked, trying to change the subject. "Like I said… I don't want for you to look bad in front of the damsel in distress." Takeshi rolled his eyes with a laugh to follow. He just couldn't picture Alice, the ever so violent and troublesome American, to stay put while he slays the silver-haired dragon, let alone picture her in a typical princess-like gown.
Knowing her, she would pick up her own sword and slay the dragon herself.
"Believe me when I say that she's nothing like a damsel in distress, Oyaji." Takeshi retorted, having cheered up significantly. "That's right… She isn't. But that doesn't mean you need to show up unprepared." His Father argued.
"So let's get started. We've wasted enough time already."
Takeshi grinned, picking up his bamboo sword from the wooden surface.
"And don't worry about your little crush… It'll be our secret." The raven-haired man teased his son, switching over to serious mode in the blink of an eye.
"Bring it."
**********
"The thing is, I look at you and I just want to yawn." "Whose fault do you think it is that I'm so boring to look at, huh?!!" Gokudera complained. "You're supposed to help me out here!!"
"So now you're placing the blame on me, huh? That's awfully unkind of you. You should be grateful that I actually took some time off from work to be here." Shamal sighed as he held onto a paper airplane, playing with the contraption as he proved the total opposite of working; which is goofing off on the job.
"You hardly take your job seriously!! All you ever do is flirt around with girls!!" Gokudera tossed a dynamite stick in Shamal's direction, secretly hoping it would miraculously lit up and blow the perverted man to smithereens.
It was already long in the afternoon and Gokudera, having just started with his training, was already plotting to kill his home tutor for his childish behavior. "Are you giving up, Hayato? In that case, I'll give you a hint." "Again with the stupid flirting reference…" Gokudera muttered under his breath, his dream of blowing the man up intensified by the second.
"It can't be helped if you're not good at flirting. But if you really want to hit your target, just think of your sweetheart." Shamal winked in Gokudera's direction, which pissed him off even more.
"You'd better not be referring to Babyface!! I already told you, I don't see her that way!! She's barely a friend of mine, so there's no way she would ever be considered girlfriend material!!" Gokudera was cut off by Shamal's whistling tune as he kept playing around with the paper airplane.
In other words, he's not really listening to him.
Gokudera hissed dangerously, his bangs covering up his eyes as he practically cracked the fresh load of dynamite sticks in his hands. "She's barely a friend, huh? So there's still some hope for the two of you."
So he was listening…
"No… There is NO hope for the two of us!!" Gokudera struggled to hold in the anger and distain he felt for Shamal. After all, he wouldn't want to chase of the one person that can help him improve his dynamite skills, no matter how annoying he is.
"Come on. Just try it out. You never know what might happen." Came Shamal's lame excuse to the matter. "Hell no… Just thinking about Babyface gives me the urge to blow her up, along with someone else I happen to know." He muttered under his breath. Shamal tossed the paper airplane with ease, creating a loop into the sky.
"Here goes nothing." Gokudera lit the fuses of his dynamite sticks while keeping an eye on the paper plane. He tossed the staves into the air, followed by an explosion afterwards as he looked around for the torn plane.
"Missed again." Shamal piped in as Gokudera jerked his head in the man's direction, almost giving himself a whiplash. "The smoke hasn't even cleared yet!!" The young Italian roared in his dismay, only to fall silent as the paper plane emerged from the smoke, still in one piece.
"Come on!! Give me a break!! Stupid piece of crap!!" Gokudera spat out in his anger. He was really losing it. "You weren't thinking of your little girlfriend, right?" "GAH!!" Gokudera was too busy pulling on his grey hair to listen properly.
"Trust me. It'll become clear once you think of her."
"That doesn't make a difference!! You think it's as simple as that?!! That I'll hit the target as soon as I think of that brat?!!" Gokudera freaked. He turned to the accursed paper airplane, preparing another batch of dynamite sticks as they lit up.
The faint image of Alice filled his head, mocking him with her stupid expressions. You can't do it? And you dare call yourself a Right-Hand-man… What would Tsunami think of you now? Once a Yes-man, always a Yes-man... She would throw her head back and laugh at him with no shame, sending the chibified Gokudera who was shivering in a corner an I-told-you-so look.
In his imagination, Alice transformed into a life-sized version of a twin tailed Godzilla, picking up the shivering Gokudera with a loud roar as she continued taunting the squirming Gokudera, her eyes gleaming evilly.
"You done for today Hayato?" Shamal replied lazily, putting a stop to Gokudera's wild imagination before it got out of hand. Gokudera didn't answer. Instead, he kept his cool, giving Shamal a faint signal to throw another paper airplane.
Shamal grinned as he did just that. The paper airplane hovered high in the darkened orange sky, signalizing the day was almost at its end. This was Gokudera's last chance for today. Alice's mocking words entered his mind, in which he shook his head in disbelief.
"She's got nothing on me!" Gokudera yelled out as he released another salvo of his dynamite staves. As if by a stroke of luck, the paper airplane disintegrated into tiny pieces as the dynamite staves hit their target head on. Gokudera gazed at the scene, not really believing it at first. But when realization slapped him in the face, he became overjoyed as he pumped his fist in the air.
"It really worked!! Check it out, Shamal!!" "Lucky you…" Shamal muttered under his breath. "What do you think of that, Babyface! I can't wait to rub it in her face." Gokudera smirked evilly, throwing his head back as he cackled like a villain, about to put his evil plan into motion. Shamal couldn't help but to chuckle to himself.
"He's got it bad…"
**********
The change in Alice was unbelievable, heartwarming. For once in her life, Alice discovered, she had acted on impulse and it had paid off.
"How do you feel?" Fon asked, playing the role of an overpaid psychiatrist. "I feel… I feel great." Alice answered as she gazed at the destruction she caused. A humble crater stood in place of the tree she just happened to destroy with a powerful kick of her leg. A few branches was all that was left of the tree as several leaves rained down on them.
Alice was amazed, to say the least. And to think Fon just told her to control her anger by breathing abdominally and to calm down, letting the energy circulate throughout her body in order to release her hateful emotions in a devastating blow.
Adult I-Pin's frantic clapping could be heard in the background. Alice turned to her fellow sparring partner, raising her thumb as she accepted Adult I-Pin's praising words. "You did well, Pierce-san. I'm amazed at how much you've progressed in such a small time period." Alice blushed slightly while scratching the back of her head in a shy matter.
"Gosh… I couldn't have done it without you, I-Pin." "Nonsense… You have yourself to thank, and of course, Tatsujin-sama as well for his bottomless patience." Adult I-Pin pointed out as Fon remained silent and unaffected by the compliment, unlike Alice who instantly received a big head because of Adult I-Pin's words.
"You make it sound like I was a pain in the ass for the past few days." Alice pouted in which Adult I-Pin couldn't help but laugh. "It doesn't sound like it… You really were a pain in the ass." Adult Lambo piped in with a lazy look gracing his face as he leaned against the trunk of a tree. His hands were stuffed in his pockets, giving him a posh-type of aura.
"Done crying?" Alice asked, arching her brow as she crossed her arms over her chest. Adult Lambo looked away, unable to look her in the eye. "No…" He added silently in shame.
Alice smiled to herself. Even though Adult Lambo was considered to be a burden at first, he proved to be quite useful in Alice's training. The Alice from before couldn't stand Adult Lambo, whereas now, she can't help but to feel sorry for the guy. It is a sign that her useless emotions packed with hate, anger, rage and irritation has decreased tremendously.
Even better.
Thanks to Fon, she has found a way to use her useless emotions, as the baby puts it. "Man! I can't wait to use this technique in a real battle." She beamed, thinking of turning the tide when she'll find herself standing before the ever-fearful Hibari Kyoya.
"As long as you don't use it against your teammates…" Fon commented, already knowing what she's up to without even looking at her. As to be expected from a member of the Arcobaleno group of powerful infants.
"I wasn't planning on doing that." She frowned, having yet to know about Hibari's offer to fill the role of the Cloud Guardian. And that's just the tip of the iceberg. Imagine if she found out about Dino; her prince charming on the white horse, sparring with Hibari; her mortal enemy and arch rival.
"Geez. You never take my word for it." Alice turned away from her home tutor, looking at the damage she caused. She felt a pang of guilt run through her, remembering the tree she destroyed.
"Do not worry about the tree. Remember… You are the wind. Without you, the trees couldn't have possibly survived for so long." Came his wise words. "The tree you destroyed carried plenty of seeds. Those seeds will spread out and sprout into trees as well… With the falling of a life-form, another life-form will fill its place."
The baby stretched out his hand, allowing for a lost leaf to twirl down on his sleeve-covered palm.
"The wind balances everything out." Alice muttered under her breath, holding out her open palm as well. With the feel of a leaf on her open palm, she locked the leaf with her delicate fingers in a tight hold, coming to understand how it works.
"That's right." Fon smiled genuinely, having grown a liking of Alice. She might be a pain in the ass, but there were times where she managed to catch Fon, both literally and by surprise.
"It seems that this is the end of the road for me." Fon said, his voice holding a disappointed tone, in which Alice turned to face him properly. "You're dying?!" She asked in disbelief, covering her mouth with her hands. Adult I-Pin sighed. "The training is over, Pierce-san." "Oh, right." Alice said.
"Wait, what!?! Is that all you're gonna teach me!?! B-but I'm not ready yet! I'm not-" "You're ready. You've fully grasped the concept of your role as the wind. There really is nothing more I can teach you." Fon held a sorrowful expression on his chubby face, but he managed to conceal it quite well with his usual smile.
It was silent. Alice didn't know what to say. It felt as if all the oxygen had been sucked out of the air.
Alice picked up the Chinese baby with care, totally dismissing the thought of him looking exactly like Hibari. She knew now that looks aren't everything. Unlike Hibari, Fon is truly a gentle soul.
"Master…" She struggled to say, her lower lip trembling as her crystal blue orbs filled to the brim with unshed tears. "There's no need for tears." Despite hearing Fon's words, she just couldn't stop the tears from overflowing, rolling down her cheeks like an endless waterfall.
"You know I can't stand to see you cry."
"I know that! But I just can't stop crying!" Alice wailed.
Adult I-Pin understood her reaction better than anyone else. Why, it wasn't long ago that she cried over the same reason. To see her Master in this state is truly a refreshing sight to behold. Somewhere along the line, Adult Lambo joined in as he stood beside Alice, crying his eyes out as he found it impossible to keep it in.
"Alice… As my pupil, you must keep my identity a secret from the others." Alice sobbed quietly as she nodded her head, resembling a bobble-head doll. She didn't even think of questioning her Master on the subject.
"Remember what I taught you. Shì yǒnggǎn de, wǒ de xuéshēng." (Be brave, my pupil.)
"Does this mean you won't be there to see me defeat the enemy?" Alice asked, keeping her hopes up. Fon shook his head, destroying the last sparkle of hope Alice had left. She hung her head. She was really, really hoping for him to be there.
"I guess this really is goodbye then, huh? No more random blows to the head? No more Chinese gibberish?" Fon smiled, his orbs sparkling for a split second. "Do you want for me to smack you upside the head one more time?" He joked, but the ditzy Alice took him seriously and was already closing her eyes to brace herself for the impact, only to feel a gentle stroke of Fon's warm hand as he ruffled up her hair, making it stand on end.
Alice looked up as the tears welled up again, but she managed to hold it in.
"Go and get some rest. After that… You can kick the ever-loving crap out of the Varia crew." Alice couldn't help but to laugh at that last statement. It seems that Alice wasn't the only one who learned something from a culture completely foreign to her. Fon picked up a few things as well, as he just demonstrated.
He's quite the trash-talker when he wants to be.
An explosion occurred as Adult I-Pin and Adult Lambo reverted to their original size, looking around in their bewilderment as the smoke cleared up. Fon jumped down, followed by his loyal macaque.
"Take care Alice." The baby said with his back turned to her. Alice gazed down at Fon. She felt proud for having survived his harsh training schedule, but that feeling was accompanied with the feeling of sadness and disappointment to see him leave.
Be that as it may, she still lifted up her head and smiled, bearing her sparkling teeth in the progress. "You too, Fon." She said with a faint wink to follow, as if telling him not to worry. "Lambo-san's scared!!" Lambo cried out as he held onto Alice's leg, pointing at the rustling bushes. Alice picked up the cowboy with care as he kept crying in fear.
A wild bear emerged from the bushes, standing on its hind legs as it roared out. I-Pin got into a fighting stance, ready to protect her friends if necessary. Fon jumped in-between the bear and I-Pin in a quick reflex. "Tatsujin-sama!" "Leave…" I-Pin still held her foot down, but it didn't really matter as Alice grabbed a hold of her, catching the Chinese girl off guard.
"I'll leave him up to you, then." Alice grinned from ear to ear as she practically strangled both I-Pin and Lambo in her grasp. "But I'll repay the favor someday, so you'd better show up again!! It's a promise, you hear!!" The blonde made a run for it, leaving a trail of dust in her wake.
"Foolish American." Fon smirked, planning on keeping the promise Alice forced upon him.
Alice's POV:
Saying goodbye didn't get any easier. But still, it beats saying goodbye to Aiden by a long shot. I was on my way back to Namimori and my throat was aching dreadfully with the effort of not making myself look like a crybaby.
Lambo carelessly picked his nose, his olive green orbs moving about in a lazy matter. I-Pin struggled to say something, but decided otherwise as she averted her eyes on the rocky road ahead.
I halted to a stop as I came to realize something. "Umm… Does either of you know the way back?"
"Lambo-san knows the way back!" Lambo pointed his finger upwards. He jumped out of my arms as he took a good look around. "Lambo-san definitely knows the way back to Mama." The cowboy smirked as he arched his brow in my direction, his olive green orbs sparkling mischievously. He's up to something…
"Lambo-san will help you out, IF, you give Lambo-san some candy." He held out his small hand as he looked away, acting as if he wasn't really interested in the candy. But he was. You can read it off his face!
"I don't have any candy right now, Lambo. But I'll tell you what," I leaned down to his level, letting go of the frowning I-Pin.
"I'll get you some candy as soon as we get back home, kay? We'll go to the candy store together."
Lambo grinned from ear to ear as he rubbed his hands in anticipation of all the sweets he'll receive. He regained his composure by coughing ever so loudly. "Pleasure doing business with you, Babyface." My bangs covered my eyes upon hearing that last statement.
"It's Alice." I growled under my breath as Lambo backed away from me, shivering from head to toe. I decided to let it slide. It's not Lambo's fault anyway. Hayato's a bad influence on the cowboy. "Which way." I sighed as I got back up again, still a little grumpy.
"Lambo-san wants to go that way!!" He pointed in a random direction, afterwards picking his nose again. "You want to go that way?" I sweat-dropped. Following him is gonna be the death of me…
"This is hopeless."
The sound of heavy footsteps reached my ears. "Little Miss United States is lost, it seems." A manly voice spoke to me. I turned my head to come face to face with what seemed like a construction worker, wearing a typical orange overall. He tilted his yellow safety helmet upwards, taking a good look at me.
"Alice Pierce, right?" He smiled in a goofy matter, leaving for me to distrust this man even more. "Let me guess… Bob The Builder, right?" I copied the man as I took my sweet time looking him over. Suddenly, the man threw his head back and laughed, seeming to enjoy my sense of humor.
The thing is… I was dead serious.
This jolly Bob The Builder didn't stop laughing as he wiped away the tears at the corner of his eyes. "You're just as I pictured you to be. You're a strong, independent, amusing and witty person. And that's just your personality." He winked in my direction. I inched away from him. Is he getting on to me?
He noticed my retreating behavior and arched his brow at this. "You haven't got a clue as to who I am, hmm?" He took a few steps in my direction. Lambo and I-Pin gazed at the funny scene, seeing me step back and Bob The Builder taking a step in my direction to close the distance between us.
"Listen dude. I've never seen you before, so you can't blame me for staying away from you." He sighed. "Well then. Allow me to introduce myself." Without another word, he removed his safety helmet acting as if it would actually help to clear his name, not to mention his identity. "The name is Sawada Iemitsu. I'm Tsuna's Father." He grinned.
"You're the irresponsible lazy bum?" I exclaimed as I pointed at him in a rude matter. "Guilty as charged!" The man chuckled. "You gotta be kidding me." I sighed as I slapped myself in the face. "Adults… Who needs them." I turned my back on him as I walked off.
"Where you goin'?"
"I can get down this mountain myself. You take care of the little ones."
"B-but Lambo-san's candy!!" Lambo stomped his little foot down, getting quite upset. "I don't know about that. The little ones clearly don't want to be left behind with me." "I don't blame them." I retorted as I climbed up a random tree, looking for a path down the mountain.
"Trust me. I know how to get down from here, no problem. It's the kids I'm concerned about."
"I know. Reborn told me all about the trial you had to pass in order for you to become a full-fledged member of the Vongola Family." "Exactly..." I said drily. My crystal blue orbs looked him over again from the tree as he smirked in an all-knowing matter.
"So you're involved with the whole mafia business as well, huh? Lucky you." "Well that's a shame. I thought that you of all people would like the idea of seeing Tsuna's Papa in the mafia. Like Father like son, right?" He walked up to the tree. I hooked my legs around the branch I was sitting on, dangling upside down the tree.
"Can you sprout a Dying Will Flame on your head?" I asked while tapping my forehead. "Nope." He grinned. "I'm guessing you have the same bad taste as your son when it comes to wearing lame-ass undergarments." I commented. He just kept grinning. This guy is way too easygoing for my own good. Like Father like son my ass. He ain't nothing like his son!
"Fine." I rolled my eyes at him as I got down from the tree. "Are you sure you're Tsunami's old man? I mean like, one hundred percent sure?" I was caught off guard when Iemitsu hung his arm over my shoulders as he chuckled softly. "I have a feeling you and I are going to get along just fine." I looked away while removing his arm in a rough manner.
"Since you're Tsunami's old man, I'm willing to give you a solid warning… Don't get friendly with me on the first meeting, Pops." I walked off with Lambo and I-Pin trailing behind me. Iemitsu shook his head as he reattached his safety helmet on his head, softly tapping the brim of it.
"I can tell Tsuna had his hands full with her."
He said to himself, following them afterwards.
Third POV:
The moment Iemitsu kicked open the front door, he came face to face with his shocked looking wife. It felt like five minutes later when Alice woke up, when in fact, it took them nearly an hour to get off that accursed Death Mountain.
"Oh my goodness, what happened?" Nana asked while placing her hand on her lips, still in a state of shock. Alice was in shambles. She was a total mess. "Alice went BOOM!!" Lambo piped in as he laughed. "It can't get any worse than this." Alice hissed under her breath, utterly hating herself for being such a klutz at the wrong time and place.
"Pierce-san?! What on earth happened to you?!"
Tsuna came running down the stairs upon seeing Alice in her critical state. Soon enough, Haru, Bianchi and Fuuta who happened to be there joined in as well, all the while looking at the grumbling American. "Poor Alice-nee." Fuuta said with a pout to follow.
"You look like someone ran you over." Bianchi commented with a blank expression gracing her face. "I'm fine!! For real, geez!!" Alice struggled to get out of Iemitsu's hold, in which he placed her down carefully.
"Are you sure? Here, let me help." Tsuna inched closer to Alice as he carefully placed her arm over his shoulders, determined to help her out for once. Iemitsu smiled at his son's actions. "That's my boy." His heart was filled to the brim with pride for his only son. After Alice indicated that she wanted to sit down, Tsuna made sure she felt at home as he fluffed up random pillows, throwing a blanket over her with care.
All the while, Alice couldn't help but to eye him in a curious manner. What the hell's gotten into him?
"There! That's much better."
"I'm fine, Tsunami. I'm gonna head back home in an hour or so, so don't make me feel too much at home." She laughed. "You're not staying over, Alice? That's a real shame. I was looking forward for your company. The house is even livelier with you around." Nana walked in the living room, as did Bianchi, Haru and Fuuta. Lambo and I-Pin hid behind Nana's legs, gazing at Alice from the distance.
"I'm sorry, Mrs. Sawada. But I really was heading for home after my training session. Blame it on your husband for bringing me here, the lazy bum." She grumbled the last words under her breath, not wanting to insult Nana. Not like she isn't used to it anyway.
"But I was going to make hamburgers for dinner, and I've heard from Tsu-kun that you love them. It can't be helped…"
"Is she serious?" Alice mumbled to Tsuna, keeping her eyes on his Mother. "Hamburgers!! Hamburgers!! Hamburgers!!" Lambo and I-Pin chanted over and over again while running circles around Nana, making her laugh heartily at their enthusiasm.
"I'll spice it up for you." Bianchi commented as Tsuna's face turned pale.
"I'll pitch in-desuu!!" Haru rolled up her sleeves as her eyes flamed up in all the excitement.
"Come on, Alice-nee. Please stay for dinner." Fuuta used his puppy dog eyes on Alice. Alice tried to suppress a stab of guilt as she sighed. "You guys got me with hamburgers for dinner." Haru laughed at her words, soon joined in by the rest. Nana quickly wandered into the kitchen, about to prepare a big feast.
"I'll be taking a nap, then." Iemitsu yawned as he walked up the stairs, leaving the two teenagers alone. "Your Dad's a weird dude." Alice commented. "Don't pay him any attention. He's always been like that."
"Right…"
The silence overwhelmed them. Alice couldn't help but feel that something's bothering him. "Ano… Pierce-san." Here we go. "It's just that… Eto..." She arched her brow upon seeing Tsuna fumble with his thumbs, keeping his head down. Realization dawned upon her, giving her the shock of a lifetime.
"H-hey Tsunami. I'm telling you now; I don't see you that way."
Tsuna's head shot up.
"What are you talking about?"
"Isn't it obvious? You have a crush on me." Alice shuddered, giving herself goose bumps.
Tsuna was taken aback for a moment. His brain registered what Alice said, and after a few more seconds filled with the uncomfortable silence, Tsuna's laughter reached Alice's ears. He clutched his stomach as the pain became unbearable, still laughing as he gasped for breath. This time, it was Alice's turn to be taken aback by Tsuna.
"I guess not." She sighed, feeling relieved and insulted at the same time.
"I-I'm sorry. I didn't mean to laugh at you." He finally calmed down a bit, facing the American teenager with a big smile. "Okay... Apology accepted." Alice eyed him in a weird manner. "You scared me there, seriously." "How do you think I felt when you started talking about me having a crush on you." Tsuna retorted as he lied down on his back, looking up at the ceiling.
"Then... What did you want to say? Is it about Hayato?" "Nope." Tsuna answered as he tucked his hands behind his head. "Damn Hayato. God, I miss pestering him. It's been five days… Five days!" Alice pouted in a childish manner, followed by Tsuna chuckling softly afterwards.
"I was worried, is all."
"Worried?"
"I thought you changed. I thought you would turn into a different person after you finished training." Alice gave an elegant snort of amusement. "I'm not changing for anyone. I'm gonna stay a pain in the ass for the following years to come."
"Yeah, but I ju-" "OK. Stop." Alice held up both hands like a traffic cop. "I'm telling you, I'm not changing for anyone." She repeated. Tsuna sighed while rolling his eyes in a playful manner. Seeing Alice getting so bossy and forceful over something so little is a clear sign. She hasn't changed a bit, that's for sure. Tsuna thought to himself.
"Pierce-san..."
"Hmm?" Alice chimed in.
"Are you sure you're going to join the fray? I mean, it's going to be dangerous." "Hey, we're RB's, aren't we?" Tsuna faced her again with a look of utter confusion gracing his face. "Royal Babies?" "Ring Buddies!" Tsuna got struck by a random pillow lying close by Alice, repeatedly slamming the soft object on the boy as he used his arms as a shield, trying to protect himself from Alice's wrath.
"Ring Buddies... You'd better remember it next time." She slammed the pillow one last time on poor Tsuna, not like it caused any damage. "Right, okay. Ring Buddies." Tsuna laughed as he sat up again. "Tsunami... I know that you have the tendency to worry, but you should trust me. You should trust us." Alice thumped her chest, feeling the need to comfort Tsuna.
"I have a right to be worried." This is a war we might not survive, but I guess that doesn't mean everyone will give themselves over to the enemy and leave me to fend for myself. No Family does that. "Tap my fist." Alice broke the boy's thoughts. He came face to face with her fist. The one with the sparkling Ring of Wind.
"Wha? Tap your fist?" "Tap. My. Fist. Is that so hard to understand? Here…" She reached out for Tsuna's Sky Ring, sliding it on his finger. Tsuna looked at Alice. Slowly but surely, he did as he was told and tapped her fist lightly with his own.
Tsuna held his breath, as if expecting for a ray of holy light to shine down upon their connecting fists. Alice's heart swelled up like a giant marshmallow as her face beamed up, which kind of reminded Tsuna of the holy light, making him laugh.
"See? What did I tell you. Ring Buddies, dude." It was a silly gesture, but somehow, it got to Tsuna. This was good enough for him. His facial expression softened as he retreated his fist, gazing at the sparkling half Vongola Sky Ring on his finger.
"Yeah… Ring Buddies."
"Say it with more enthusiasm, Tsunami!" "E-eh? No way. It's way embarrassing." Tsuna commented with a sigh to follow. "Ring Buddies!!" Alice shouted at the top of her lungs, embarrassing Tsuna even more.
"Knock it off!"
"Ring Buddies?"
"Gah! When you get something in your head, it's hard for you to let go!" Alice laughed upon seeing Tsuna turn red from embarrassment. "Okay, Okay. I'm sorry… Ring Buddy." "Cut it out! Why aren't you the one who gets embarrassed easily!?" Tsuna pointed at Alice in an accusing matter.
"And that's coming from the guy who does wild stunts in his underwear." Tsuna didn't bother anymore as he hung his head in defeat. I'm beginning to think it was a mistake to let her stay here…
**********
A satisfied and stuffed Alice heaved a heavy sigh of contentment. Her hand was placed on her stomach, unable to move anymore. "It's been a long time since I've sunk my teeth in such a delicious tasting meal." "Ara, I'm so grateful you enjoyed it!" Nana exclaimed as she gathered the dirty plates. "You sure eat a lot, Alice-chan. And you don't get fat." Haru pouts as she felt envious of the young American.
While Alice was already finished with her meal, Reborn's beady eyes scanned the untouched hamburger on his plate. "What's wrong, Reborn? You don't feel like eating?" Bianchi looked worried. In the background, Lambo managed to gulp down another hamburger, his big tummy expanding even more. His olive green orbs were fixated on Reborn's hamburger.
With a faint glint in his eyes, he reached out for the burger when Reborn struck out with his fist, sending Lambo flying into the kitchen. A faint sobbing could be heard as he cried his eyes out. "Well, I think I'll be going now. I've overstayed my welcome." Alice ignored the cowboy crawling towards her feet. He clamped himself on her leg as he stuck his thumb in his mouth, nibbling on it ever so often.
"You're leaving after dinner?" Haru gasped in disbelief. "Sort of, yeah." Alice shrugged. "Let her leave. She ate right through our food supplies." Tsuna commented as he gazed at the empty plates before him. The wind? She more like a destructive tornado, sucking up all of the food Mom worked so hard on. Tsuna thought to himself.
"Thank you for the food." Alice bowed down lightly, causing for Nana to well up with pride and joy. "Tsunami is a lucky guy. He has such a wonderful Mother with excellent cooking skills." She's really getting into it! "You're like the daughter I never had." Nana wiped away her unshed tears with a handkerchief, getting emotional all of a sudden. Alice eyed Tsuna with a smug look on her face. And Mom's totally buying it!!
"See you later, Ring Buddy!" Alice waved at her classmate as she turned her back on him. "Take care, Miss United States!" "So you finally woke up, did you…" Tsuna sweat-dropped upon seeing his Father enter the room. "Peace out!" Iemitsu gave her the peace sign, acting as if he grew up in the rough streets of the ghetto. He didn't really catch the concept of the whole Ghetto thing. The girl inched away from him.
"And yet, you make a fool of yourself once again." Tsuna smacked his head down.
By the time Alice walked out the door, the sky had already become dark. Time really flies when you're having fun. She thought silently as she glanced over at the Sawada house. Laughter could be heard from within the confined walls of the building.
Her lips formed a faint smile upon hearing Tsuna's loud protests, which has something to do with Reborn, no doubt. Alice turned away from the house and began her little walk back home. The streets were practically empty. No fellow passengers crossed her path as Alice sped up her pace.
A sudden rustle over to her left made her stiffen. Every hair on the back of her neck stood on end. Holding her breath and straining her ears, her heart nearly leapt out of her mouth when a broccoli-like figure emerged from the darkness, bawling its eyes out.
"Alice!!"
Lambo clamped himself on her leg for the third time that day. His tiny body was shivering like crazy. Alice relaxed as she scratched the back of her head. "You followed me because of the candy I promised you, right?" She sighed, regretting having made that promise with the cowboy from the moment the words came out of her mouth.
"This is all Alice's fault! Lambo-san didn't do anything wrong!" He sobbed. "You shouldn't have followed me in the first place! Isn't it past your bedtime already?" "Lambo-san wants his candy!!" "Alright, alright…" Alice rolled her eyes. There's no arguing with a five year old. She rummaged through her pockets in the hopes of finding something sweet. A little something that resembles candy. But no such luck.
"I'm broke…" She hung her head. "Lambo-san-" "I get it!! I get it!! But I don't have anything on me!!" She retorted loudly. What is she supposed to do? Make the candy magically appear in her pockets? "That would be sweet." Alice checked her pockets again.
"God-dammed sweets…" She muttered under her breath.
"Whatever… Just go home Lambo. There's nothing I can do about your candy dilemma today." "G-go h-home?" He stuttered out, instantly shivering even more. "I don't need this." Out of the corner of her eye, she saw a glimmer of electricity, although it could have been her imagination playing tricks on her.
Alice hushed the crying cowboy, in which he snuggled his face in her blue jeans, muffling the sound of his choking sobs. Her eyes darted from side to side. With a sudden uncanny feeling that they were being watched, Alice decided to trust her guts, telling her that something didn't feel right.
Sure enough, the faint sound of crackling electricity reached her ears as she jumped aside in the nick of time, followed by a devastating blow to the concrete where she stood just mere seconds ago. "Lambo-san isn't scared! Lambo-san isn't scared!" The cowboy cried even harder then before, proving the exact opposite.
A dark figure dropped down from high above. His face was partially concealed by means of a black mask. Judging by his black attire and his weapon of choice, which consisted of a rapier of some sorts, he was out for blood.
"Who the hell are you supposed to be?!!" His dangerous getup didn't seem to intimidate Alice. Not for a long shot. This kind of behavior only seemed to aggravate her even more. The masked man inched closer towards Alice while keeping his rapier in place.
"Kay… I get where you're going with this. You wanna pick a fight?" Alice got into a fighting stance, momentarily forgetting about Lambo. "Lambo-san's… Scared…" The cowboy struggled to say as his olive-green orbs refused to stay open.
"Gah! He fell asleep!" Alice held onto Lambo as she shook him awake. He was out cold.
"Don't do this to me!! I can't look after you and fight at the same time!!" The man positioned himself to shoot a volt in Alice's direction when she dodged it rather skillfully, all the while holding onto the sleeping Lambo.
"Shit." The man cussed under his breath as he closed the gap between the two of them, lashing out with his electrifying weapon like a madman.
All the while, Alice kept doing what she was extremely good at. Dodging every blow he threw at her. As frustrated as he was, he kept going. In a blink of an eye, he finally managed to strike Alice across her face.
But his victory was short-lived as Alice lifted her front leg, bending her knee and throwing a kick in his direction. The upper part of her foot connected with his head, sending him flying into a brick wall. Amazed at her own strength, especially when she though she held back on him, Alice checked out the male for any signs of movement.
He lifted his head as he groaned in pain, only to see that his attacks didn't do any damage.
Alice managed to dodge the last blow by a mere centimeter as she pulled away, deceiving the man thus buying her enough time to strike back.
A loose brick landed on his head, rendering him unconscious.
"And this little guy is still asleep." Alice sighed as she held Lambo close. "I guess it can't be helped. I'd better go before the cops get here." She shifted her eyes in a nervous matter. As soon as she turned around, she found herself surrounded by the unconscious male's co-workers in crime. There were three of them this time. There was no room for any mistakes.
"I suppose there isn't a chance of letting me pass without a fight, huh?" Alice scratched her cheek as she laughed, finding the situation funny for some reason.
The three males glanced over at each other in disbelief. They were determined to finish this nonetheless and prepared themselves for battle. "Get her!" One of them lashed out at Alice, in which she evaded and moved aside without breaking a sweat. Another one attempted at sneaking behind the careless Alice, but she saw right through his attack and managed to knock him off balance with a swift round kick to the heels.
"Little brat!" The guy spat out, burning with rage.
The sound of running footsteps made Alice look up. One of the thugs noticed this and decided to take his chance to take her out once and for all. "You're done for, little sh-Oof!" Alice punched him square in the face, all the while gazing at Tsuna who just entered the scene with Reborn.
"Pierce-san! Are you alright-wow!" He hit the brakes as soon as he saw the damage that was being caused by Alice's hands alone. "What the hell's going on here?! I thought you'd be outnumbered!" "NOT ANYMORE TO THE EXTREEEEEME!!" Ryohei came running down the street, punching one of the thugs at random.
"Hey! Pick on someone your own size!" Alice dismissed the fact that Ryohei came to give her a helping hand. "What?! What's that supposed to mean?!" The boxer placed his full attention to Alice, frowning his eyebrows in his dismay.
"Why are you looking at me like that? If you're trying to hypnotize me into saying I don't have to fight, it's not going to work."
"I wouldn't do that to the extreme! I might try to hypnotize you into fighting with me! Boxing all the way!!"
"What are you guys talking about?!! The enemy is close-by!!" Tsuna freaked. Reborn smirked, finding their quarrel quite amusing to watch. Two of the thugs charged in again, their bloodlust and annoyance growing by the second.
Alice and Ryohei saw this coming, and as if in a quick reflex, Alice locked her hand with Ryohei's, being careful not to drop the snoozing Lambo with the other. As they switched positions, the two of them combined their fist and leg strength in a powerful display of strength and skill.
Ryohei punched his opponent's lights out, while Alice delivered a solid kick in the gut, causing for the leather-wearing punk to stumble backwards. As the thugs lied there on the ground, their limbs twitching ever so often, Ryohei and Alice stood back to back, still taking on their fighting stance.
"Wow…" Tsuna stammered out, feeling rather proud of them.
"There's still one left." Reborn mentioned. Sure enough, the last one made a run for it.
"He's getting away to the extreme!" Ryohei roared. The sound of a sword cutting through the air could be heard. The leather-wearing guy didn't manage to get far after all as he crashed down to the ground.
"I told you to leave that guy to me!" A shadowy figure complained. Alice's face lit up at the sound of hearing that cranky voice. "Come on. What was I supposed to do, let him run off like that?" "That's why I'm telling you to leave that guy to me, baseball idiot!!"
The two shadowy silhouettes revealed their identity.
"Hayato!!" Alice lowered her guard, as did Ryohei.
"And Yamamoto as well!" Tsuna felt relieved to see his friends still in one piece.
"Hayato!! I've missed you!!" Alice ran up to the grey-haired Italian, engulfing him in a big bear hug. Gokudera, being all grossed out at the moment couldn't pry himself out of her tight hold. "Y-you idiot!! Let go of me!! You're sick gesture is way beyond the borders of just disgustingly weird!!" "L-Lambo-san can't breathe!!" The cowboy managed to say, having woken up as soon as he felt the air being pressed out of him.
"Looks like Iemitsu made it, somehow." Came Reborn's news-rapport. "Sorry for showing up this late. Looks like the two of you already cleared out most of them." Yamamoto scratched the back of his head. "Alice was the one who did most of the damage to the extreme." Ryohei gladly placed all the glory on Alice's shoulders.
"I can tell…" Gokudera groaned, feeling his ribs give way under Alice's pressuring hug.
"Good work with protecting Lambo, Alice. From the looks of it, you gave it your all while training. Your home tutor wasn't at all that bad, ne?" "Meh. Piece of cake." She lied through her teeth. All the while, she released her tight hold on Gokudera. Gokudera felt insulted by her random burst of affection, dusting off his jacket with care.
Ryohei gave him a what's-wrong-with-you look, in which Gokudera glared right back at him.
"Geez… First, I find out that the Stupid Cow has a Vongola Ring. And just when I thought things didn't get any worse, the dumb blonde steals my thunder and puts her germs on me. Just great…" He kicked away a stray rock with his hands in his pockets.
"I'm not a dumb blonde!!"
"You're blonde, Blondie!!"
"Shut up!! I knew I shouldn't let you in on our Ring Buddy system!!"
"What the hell is that supposed to be?! Ring Buddies?! That's a stupid idea. You really have too much free time on your hands, Babyface!!"
"Oh yeah? Tsunami liked it. He happened to be the first to tap my ringed fist." Gokudera glanced over at Tsuna. His expression was one that held both sadness for being left out and anger, which was mostly placed on Alice for touching the Boss without his consent. Not like he would agree to it in the first place.
Gokudera's the right-hand man, not Alice.
"D-don't take it to heart, Gokudera-kun." Tsuna laughed nervously as he raised his hands in the air. Alice clasped her chest. "Like a dagger in my heart." "You'd be better off with one in your stomach!!" Gokudera managed to say as he raised Yamamoto's bamboo sword, about to cut her to pieces when Ryohei and Yamamoto held him back.
"What the hell is up with him? This ain't no Jerry Springer, you know." Alice managed to add oil to the burning flame that is Gokudera by talking to Tsuna as if she had nothing to do with it. "At any rate," Tsuna changed the subject. "How's Lambo doing-he fell asleep?!!" He cut himself off upon seeing the cowboy sleep soundly in Alice's arms, sucking on his thumb like a little baby.
"Geez… How did that idiot get a hold of a Vongola Ring?!" Gokudera argued, clearly not liking the idea of being piled up in the same heap as Lambo. "He's a Ring Buddy too?" Alice asked innocently.
"Tap my fist." She turned to the child, completely oblivious of his sleeping state. Tsuna slapped himself in the face after that. Yamamoto stared at his own fist as he kept it steady. His Half Vongola Ring of Rain sparkling for a split second. Alice tapped her fist against his with a big smile to follow.
"You're a Ring Buddy too, Takeshi!"
"Ain't that swell! A perfect fit!" He laughed.
"But still, I'm glad everything worked out okay." Tsuna grinned, feeling relieved at the moment. "They certainly were weaker then I imagined them to be." Came Ryohei's opinion on the situation. "That's just being naïve. And it's not over yet. He's coming." Reborn warned them.
A soft thud made them look up. Alice eyed the man who showed up out of nowhere. There was something different about this guy. He's definitely not going to be easy to take down. "Did you do this?" Came Levi's intimidating voice as he scanned the battlefield to see his men scattered in their unconscious state.
"We just happened to walk through here. We're on our way to a party, dude." Pierce-san just had to say something! Couldn't she have said something more intelligent?! Tsuna freaked, losing hope already. "Who holds the Thunder Ring?" Levi ignored Alice. His frown deepened as he practically glared in Lambo's direction.
"Is it that curly-headed brat?"
"N-no! We don't know anything about a Thunder Ring! W-we were heading over to a… Party." Tsuna explained. In the end, I'm going along with her lie. The boy sweat-dropped. "If you get in the way, I'll kill you."
"Let's see you try!!" Alice protected Tsuna by standing before him. She shook her fist at the enemy, earning a low growl coming from him. Levi arched his brow as he noticed the sparkling ring on her finger.
"What the hell are you doing, moron?!" Gokudera hissed in her direction, growing embarrassed of the lame stunt she just pulled off. As Levi prepared himself for battle, Ryohei, Yamamoto, Gokudera and Alice got ready as well. Tsuna backed away a bit in fear.
"Hold on, Levi." A bubbly voice cut in, stopping the man from attacking. A series of thuds later, the whole Varia crew was gazing upon their fresh prey. "You can't hunt them down by yourself." Lussuria, the owner of the bubbly voice finished off.
"Share the prey." Belphegor grinned in a wicked manner. He couldn't wait to cut them open. It was written all over his face. "The situation has changed." Mammon explained. "The other Guardians of the Rings are here."
A faint gnawing sound reached Alice's ears, but she didn't seem to know where it was coming from. The American teenager didn't have enough time to say anything about it as a white blur launched itself on the Wind Representative with a disturbing roar to follow.
"Alice!" Yamamoto called out to her as the creature was about to sink its teeth into her flesh. Luckily, something pulled him back in the nick of time with a hard tug. "Lussuria! Keep him under control!" Squalo scolded his queer colleague.
"My finger slipped." Came his excuse as he pulled on the chain in his hold, pulling Pazzo closer to him. "What a freak." Alice muttered under her breath, ignoring the fact that she was shivering all over.
"You okay, Babyface?" Gokudera said, feeling the need to ask. She couldn't keep her eyes off of the lunatic, who was now trying to bite his way out of the white straightjacket he was wearing. His eyes were as red as freshly spilt blood, his pale skin made him look like a creepy porcelain doll, and his short brownish-golden hair was sticking all over the place.
"Yeah… I'm fine." She answered, trying to change the subject. Gokudera sensed this and let it drop. He was responding to the Ring. That much I'm sure of. Alice thought silently to herself as she gazed at her Ring of Wind.
"I should let him cut you to pieces for tricking me, you trash." Came Squalo's warning. He hasn't forgotten about Alice. Alice, who was still in a state of shock, whether she likes it or not, couldn't find the courage to throw him some nasty comments as she always does.
"VOOOII!! I want to savor the taste of your pain and misery when I make mincemeat out of you!" "That's enough." Yamamoto pushed Alice back in a gentle manner. She looked up at him, appreciating his selfless actions.
"Keh… Which one of you has the Rain Ring!" Squalo spat out, losing interest in Alice. "That would be me." Yamamoto was itching to put the silver-haired shark on his place. He wanted to make him apologize for what he made Alice go through. She's still suffering from it now.
"So it's you? You're no exception, Sword Boy! I'll thoroughly enjoy cutting you up!!" "Out of the way." Xanxus made his entrance, pushing a dazed Squalo out of the way. "He's here. I never thought I'd see him again." Reborn's beady eyes scanned Xanxus over.
"Xanxus…"
Just when Alice felt her muscles relax under Squalo's murdering gaze, Xanxus's presence made I hard for her to breathe. Her throat closed up as if she were being strangled by his deadly aura alone. "W-who is he!" Tsuna panicked under Xanxus's gaze.
"Sawada Tsunayoshi…" His deep voice broke Alice out of her trancelike state. His right hand began to glow, signalizing for his men to back away from him. "B-boss! Are you going to use that so soon?" Lussuria panicked as Pazzo shielded his eyes.
"Are you going to get us too?!!" Squalo spat out as he shielded his eyes as well. "Die." Tsuna turned away from Xanxus as he feared for his life. "Hold it, Xanxus." All the attention was placed on Tsuna's Father, Sawada Iemitsu. Basil was there with him as well.
"That's enough. I'll take charge from here."
"Dad?!"
"Why are you here?!" An enraged Squalo asked ever so loudly. "Xanxus, are your subordinates going to point their swords at the external advisor?" "What 's he talking about to the extreme?" Ryohei turned to a frightened Tsuna. "You think this is the face of someone who knows all about it?!" The boy snapped.
"I've been having issues with your conduct and the Ninth's approval of it. I send a letter to the Ninth with my doubts and questions, and this is his answer." He held up a scroll, containing the Ninth's message. "This is a direct order from the Ninth."
"Why do you know all this, Dad? What does all this mean?" Iemitsu looked down at his son, sending him an apologetic smile.
"Vongola's external advisor. That is his post within Vongola." Reborn took it upon himself to explain. "One who is Vongola, and one who isn't." "I hate riddles." Alice grumbled, having recovered from her paralyzing state.
"Want me to smack you?"
"No sir…" Came her response as her sense of shame kicked in.
"Normally, he's an outsider, but during emergencies, he has the right to succeed the Boss. In actuality, he's number two." Tsuna turned pale. His Father, being number two? "No way!!"
"And the external advisor has a part equal to the Boss in deciding the successor. He has the right to give the Half Vongola Rings to whomever he chooses. You must have both halves to be the successor." The baby hitman placed his beady eyes on Alice. "Although Alice's Wind Ring is something completely different. The vibrations coming from the Ring on her finger is attracting that Pazzo kid, which is why he tried to lash out at her, no doubt. It shows that the Ring of Wind is nothing to mess around with."
Basil handed Tsuna the paper scroll, in which he opened it. "Yeah… I can't even read English properly, and you expect for me to read Italian?" Iemitsu laughed. Apparently, he was expecting too much from Tsuna at once. Either that, or he forgot that Tsuna hasn't even once left Japan, let alone learn another language.
"To translate and summarize, this is what it says: Until now I thought that Iemitsu's son, Sawada Tsunayoshi, was a worthy successor, and acted as such. However, perhaps because I am close to death, by intuition I changed course and chose a new successor.
My son, Xanxus. He is truly worthy to become the Tenth."
"H-he's the Ninth's son?!" Tsuna piped in.
However, there will be those who are unhappy with this change. That is why Iemitsu fought against handing the Rings over to Xanxus. "Damn straight." Alice taunted Squalo, which took effect. "VOOOII!!" "Shut up." Xanxus hissed dangerously, in which Squalo retreated from Alice's foolish taunting with his tail between his legs.
"However, I do not wish for my family to fight amongst itself for no reason. Thus, we will begin the decisive battle to decide who will be the official successor, through a method we can all agree on." Upon seeing the puzzled expressions of Alice, Ryohei and Tsuna, Iemitsu sighed, thinking of a way to make them understand.
"This is what it means. Vongola successor candidate, Sawada Tsunayoshi."
"That's you." Alice whispered lowly as Tsuna chose this opportunity to slap himself in the face. "Also a successor candidate, Xanxus!" Tsuna gulped upon taking a better look at Xanxus. Scary
"The Vongola Rings that you both require to become the true successor… To decide who has the right to these, we will begin the decisive battle between Tsuna's Family and Varia!"
