[Fic]: Suono Di Violenza (Act 2. Part 1/3)
Title: Suono Di Violenza
Fandom: Katekyo Hitman Reborn!
Rating: T
Genre: Gen, Family
Status: WIP
Disclaimer: Not mine. Amano-sensei owns Reborn!
Summary: Following the death of Vongola Nono, Tsuna immediately left his home for Italy, learning more about himself on the way. AU. Tsuna-centric.
Note: Took place 4 years later, particularly on the 1 to 3 days after Vongola Nono's death. Tsuna had yet to control Hyper Dying Will Mode completely. There will be copious amount of Hibari later on. Written for the writing shuffle challenge, so this fic is loosely based on the song "This Is War" by 30 Seconds To Mars.
ACT II
When Tsuna returned to his room, Reborn didn't ask him about the conversation with Iemitsu. What Reborn did ask, however, was what happened at school this morning. Tsuna told him about the attempted assassination, but most of all, he told Reborn how he drew out the Hyper Dying Will Mode without any pills.
"Did you use any Dying Will pills before that attack?" Reborn asked, perching on the edge of Tsuna's bed. He didn't look at Tsuna, which was strange because Reborn always initiated eye contact, and Tsuna the one who averted it. Something was bothering Reborn, and this made Tsuna felt unsettled.
"I didn't," Tsuna replied. "I haven't used any since the skirmish two months ago." Things had been relatively peaceful, saved for the expected loudness that came with having mafia-in-training as friends.
"So you drew out the Hyper Dying Will Mode unconsciously?" Something changed in Reborn's tone. Tsuna wasn't sure what it was, but he felt a strange relief washed over him. Whatever bothered Reborn before, well, he wasn't thinking about it anymore, not when Tsuna's well-being was at stake.
But then again, Tsuna didn't want anyone to worry about him, even though a selfish part of him was glad that someone did.
Tsuna suddenly wanted to meet Reborn's eyes.
"I think so." Tsuna could still feel the power of his flame now, lingering in goose bumps on his skin whenever he thought about this morning. It was unlike any other times that he had used his flame, even the times when he was at the brink of death and his desire to protect his family was so overwhelming that it manifested itself in Hyper Dying Will Mode. This morning was different, but Tsuna wasn't sure if it was a good kind of difference. The flame came as easily to him as breathing, and the thought of hunting down the snipers even more so. Usually, he had a good control of his consciousness in Hyper Dying Will Mode, but this morning, a thirst for a fight stirred violently within him, and that was even more frightening than the enemies themselves.
Reborn looked thoughtful at that. "You've become stronger." He tapped his finger against the edge of the bed, and Tsuna watched the steady rhythm of his wrist, feeling uneasy with the compliment.
"What do you mean?" Tsuna asked with trepidation.
"Your resolve had grown," Reborn explained. His face was half-hidden in the shadow of his fedora, but Tsuna could see the hint of a smile. Tsuna remembered seeing the same smile whenever he did something that made Reborn proud of him, but this was odd considering Tsuna hadn't done anything to earn Reborn's pride. It definitely wasn't because Tsuna's flame or the fact that Tsuna's resolve had grown. It was something else, but Tsuna didn't know what he did.
Before Reborn said anything, Tsuna felt that he needed to be cautious of Reborn's words, but was this what Reborn wanted to see from him?
Reborn wanted Tsuna to doubt him. Impossible. Doubt wasn't something that he was supposed to show to his family. There was no reason for Reborn to want Tsuna to feel doubt.
Reborn's expression showed nothing. Tsuna couldn't read him.
"Because of your growing will power, you were able to draw out the Dying Will Flame unconsciously without the pills. However, you're not yet strong enough to do it consciously," Reborn continued, seemingly oblivious to Tsuna's internal conflict, but Tsuna had a feeling that obliviousness was a pretense.
That was fine. He had something more worrying to take care of, mainly his uncontrollable Dying Will flame.
Tsuna remembered that his father was able to go into Hyper Dying Will Mode without pills or bullets, but he recalled the thirst for battle this morning, and he wasn't sure if this was the kind of strength that he would like to gain.
"What is it?" Reborn asked, sensing the hesitance in Tsuna.
"I…when I drew the flame out this morning, I had wanted to fight. To kill." That wasn't right. Tsuna had never willingly wanted to take someone's life before, but in that moment when his body felt like it was being turned inside out, he had wanted to hunt down those snipers and-and-
He didn't want to think about it.
"That's normal," said Reborn. "You've been showing signs that you could control your flame when necessary."
Reborn didn't understand.
Tsuna clenched his fists, feeling irritated for reasons that he couldn't quite grasp. He felt like he was in front of his father again, in front of Iemitsu and his suffocating hope and expectation that Tsuna was to be the Vongola Decimo, and-
"But I didn't want to!" Tsuna protested. He didn't know why he was so upset that he was growing stronger, but there was something about maturing into a mafia boss that scared him. "I-it was like my own thoughts were not mine anymore."
"That's not good," said Reborn, and Tsuna snapped his head up to meet Reborn's gaze. Tsuna didn't notice that he was looking at the floor until he glanced up. "When you go into Hyper Dying Will Mode, you should always retain your consciousness." Reborn peered at Tsuna with a tilt of his fedora, so that Tsuna could only see his left eye from underneath the shadow.
"What you did was an incomplete Hyper Dying Will Mode, where your Hyper Intuition went out of control."
"Incomplete?"
"Yes." Reborn crossed his arms. "In drawing out your flame without the pills or the bullet, you need more training and a stronger resolve to maintain your consciousness. If not, pure survival instinct takes over, and that could quickly get out of control."
"Out-out of control?" Tsuna recalled the wild storm sweeping all rational thoughts from his mind, and knew that what Reborn said was true.
"On the road to Italy, if you're being attacked, try to maintain calmness in your mind as best you can," said Reborn. "Use the pills I gave you, and don't, under any circumstances, draw out your Dying Will Flame without them."
"Oh." He could do that. "Will I be able to learn how to control Hyper Dying Will Mode by myself?"
"Yes," said Reborn. "But not now. You might not be able to for a while, no matter how much training I put you through."
"What do you mean?" Tsuna was surprised. He had thought that Reborn would train him to death until he reached that stage; for Reborn to admit that his training would not be enough was…unusual.
"Until you learn to accept yourself" was Reborn's reply. "And that's something I can't help you with."
"What does that mean?" Tsuna asked, but instead of answering, Reborn jumped on Tsuna's desk, peeking through a gap between the close curtains. There were other things that Tsuna wanted to ask, things like 'why are you acting stranger than usual?'
But most of all, he wanted to know if Reborn was upset. There was something unusual about Reborn's manner, and Tsuna wanted to ask, but he didn't dare to because he didn't know what he would do if he found out that Reborn was upset, that Reborn was not okay with everything that had happened thus far.
Tsuna knew that he couldn't be a coward. It was a routine that both of them were familiar with: Reborn feeling bothered, Tsuna pretending that Reborn wasn't, and Reborn let Tsuna indulged in denial.
"Reborn-" Tsuna began, but couldn't finish.
Tsuna could see the slight turn of Reborn's head, an indication that he'd heard Tsuna and perhaps was waiting for what Tsuna was going to say. However, Tsuna's word hung in the heavy air between them, untouched.
"Are you o-" Tsuna didn't have the chance to finish before Reborn cut him off.
"Your guardians are here early," said Reborn." Something is wrong."
If Tsuna didn't know any better, he would say that Reborn was trying to avoid his question.
QQQ
When Tsuna and Reborn walked downstairs, everyone was standing in the hallway, and Gokudera reported right away. "Everyone's here. Hibari is outside."
"Are you guys alright?" Tsuna asked, taking in the disheveled state of his friends, while Reborn asked, "What happened?"
Tsuna would rather know if his friends were okay first, but he kept a hold on himself. Gokudera had a small gash on his left shoulder, and Yamamoto had a shallow cut along his jaw. Luckily, Ryohei and Chrome seemed unhurt, but Chrome hovered by the doorway, keeping a good distance from everyone else.
Gokudera answered Tsuna first. "No one's hurt. Someone ambushed baseball idiot and me, but we took care of them. I've gathered everyone because I wasn't sure if they were going to attack the other guardians, and I thought-"
"We should leave before they attack again," Tsuna finished Gokudera's train of thoughts. It had only been a few hours and everyone was already in danger.
"Yeah," Gokudera said. "I'm sorry."
"Oh no, it's not your fault, Gokudera-kun, you don't have to apologize," Tsuna said, keeping his eyes on his shoes because it suddenly became difficult to look at anyone in the eye.
"Tsuna." Reborn's voice was sharp, and Tsuna remembered 'The mentality of the Boss is the mentality of his Family.' He couldn't afford to be in self-doubt because he could throw everyone else into confusion. His family had been strong for him. He had to be strong for them to.
"Do you have everything you need with you?" Tsuna kept what he hoped was a reassuring smile on his face.
"Yes, Tenth!" Gokudera said, suddenly motivated by Tsuna's mask of confidence.
"Everything ready." Yamamoto gave Tsuna a thumb's up. Of course, because it was Yamamoto, Tsuna felt like Yamamoto was cheering him up rather than the other way around.
"To the extreme!" Onii-san seemed as cheerful as usual.
Tsuna turned to Chrome, who looked like she wanted to blend into the walls. "Chrome?"
"I-I don't have anything to take with me," said Chrome.
"You could borrow some of my clothes," his mother's reassuring voice drifted from the doorway. Tsuna gave her a grateful look.
"I don't want to impose-"
"It's alright," his mother said. "You could give them back when you return. When all of you come back."
"We will come back." Tsuna knew that it was a large promise, but he had to keep it not only for his mother's sake but for all of his guardians as well.
"You shouldn't make promises you can't keep." Tsuna was shocked to hear that from Iemitsu, whose no-good father attitude was suddenly replaced by a cold, professional demeanor. He watched his mother's retreating back, and abruptly felt a burst of anger.
"Sometimes, it's good to try and bite more than you can chew," Reborn's calm voice cut in Tsuna could find a way to retaliate. He shot Ietmitsu a sharp look, and Tsuna was surprised at the sudden hostility.
"Reborn," said Tsuna, feeling surprised with Reborn's words. Reborn wasn't one to get into Tsuna's fight for him.
Iemitsu and Reborn stared at each other, neither saying anything nor breaking away their gaze. It felt like a contest, and that made Tsuna nervous because they couldn't afford to have another internal conflict now, not when Tsuna needed everyone's cooperation.
Luckily, Iemitsu was the first to look away.
"You've raised my son well," Iemitsu said, although Tsuna sensed another hidden meaning behind his words. He wasn't praising Reborn, but Tsuna didn't know what he was trying to do either.
"Only as splendid as you did with Basil" was Reborn's reply; a gibe that even Yamamoto knew wasn't a joke.
Noticing that Gokudera, Yamamoto, and Ryohei looked uncomfortable with the exchange, Tsuna decided to cut the not-argument between Iemitsu and Reborn. "Let's head to the kitchen and talk about how we're going to leave for Italy."
<<< ACT I
ACT II. Part 2/3 >>>
Fandom: Katekyo Hitman Reborn!
Rating: T
Genre: Gen, Family
Status: WIP
Disclaimer: Not mine. Amano-sensei owns Reborn!
Summary: Following the death of Vongola Nono, Tsuna immediately left his home for Italy, learning more about himself on the way. AU. Tsuna-centric.
Note: Took place 4 years later, particularly on the 1 to 3 days after Vongola Nono's death. Tsuna had yet to control Hyper Dying Will Mode completely. There will be copious amount of Hibari later on. Written for the writing shuffle challenge, so this fic is loosely based on the song "This Is War" by 30 Seconds To Mars.
ACT II
When Tsuna returned to his room, Reborn didn't ask him about the conversation with Iemitsu. What Reborn did ask, however, was what happened at school this morning. Tsuna told him about the attempted assassination, but most of all, he told Reborn how he drew out the Hyper Dying Will Mode without any pills.
"Did you use any Dying Will pills before that attack?" Reborn asked, perching on the edge of Tsuna's bed. He didn't look at Tsuna, which was strange because Reborn always initiated eye contact, and Tsuna the one who averted it. Something was bothering Reborn, and this made Tsuna felt unsettled.
"I didn't," Tsuna replied. "I haven't used any since the skirmish two months ago." Things had been relatively peaceful, saved for the expected loudness that came with having mafia-in-training as friends.
"So you drew out the Hyper Dying Will Mode unconsciously?" Something changed in Reborn's tone. Tsuna wasn't sure what it was, but he felt a strange relief washed over him. Whatever bothered Reborn before, well, he wasn't thinking about it anymore, not when Tsuna's well-being was at stake.
But then again, Tsuna didn't want anyone to worry about him, even though a selfish part of him was glad that someone did.
Tsuna suddenly wanted to meet Reborn's eyes.
"I think so." Tsuna could still feel the power of his flame now, lingering in goose bumps on his skin whenever he thought about this morning. It was unlike any other times that he had used his flame, even the times when he was at the brink of death and his desire to protect his family was so overwhelming that it manifested itself in Hyper Dying Will Mode. This morning was different, but Tsuna wasn't sure if it was a good kind of difference. The flame came as easily to him as breathing, and the thought of hunting down the snipers even more so. Usually, he had a good control of his consciousness in Hyper Dying Will Mode, but this morning, a thirst for a fight stirred violently within him, and that was even more frightening than the enemies themselves.
Reborn looked thoughtful at that. "You've become stronger." He tapped his finger against the edge of the bed, and Tsuna watched the steady rhythm of his wrist, feeling uneasy with the compliment.
"What do you mean?" Tsuna asked with trepidation.
"Your resolve had grown," Reborn explained. His face was half-hidden in the shadow of his fedora, but Tsuna could see the hint of a smile. Tsuna remembered seeing the same smile whenever he did something that made Reborn proud of him, but this was odd considering Tsuna hadn't done anything to earn Reborn's pride. It definitely wasn't because Tsuna's flame or the fact that Tsuna's resolve had grown. It was something else, but Tsuna didn't know what he did.
Before Reborn said anything, Tsuna felt that he needed to be cautious of Reborn's words, but was this what Reborn wanted to see from him?
Reborn wanted Tsuna to doubt him. Impossible. Doubt wasn't something that he was supposed to show to his family. There was no reason for Reborn to want Tsuna to feel doubt.
Reborn's expression showed nothing. Tsuna couldn't read him.
"Because of your growing will power, you were able to draw out the Dying Will Flame unconsciously without the pills. However, you're not yet strong enough to do it consciously," Reborn continued, seemingly oblivious to Tsuna's internal conflict, but Tsuna had a feeling that obliviousness was a pretense.
That was fine. He had something more worrying to take care of, mainly his uncontrollable Dying Will flame.
Tsuna remembered that his father was able to go into Hyper Dying Will Mode without pills or bullets, but he recalled the thirst for battle this morning, and he wasn't sure if this was the kind of strength that he would like to gain.
"What is it?" Reborn asked, sensing the hesitance in Tsuna.
"I…when I drew the flame out this morning, I had wanted to fight. To kill." That wasn't right. Tsuna had never willingly wanted to take someone's life before, but in that moment when his body felt like it was being turned inside out, he had wanted to hunt down those snipers and-and-
He didn't want to think about it.
"That's normal," said Reborn. "You've been showing signs that you could control your flame when necessary."
Reborn didn't understand.
Tsuna clenched his fists, feeling irritated for reasons that he couldn't quite grasp. He felt like he was in front of his father again, in front of Iemitsu and his suffocating hope and expectation that Tsuna was to be the Vongola Decimo, and-
"But I didn't want to!" Tsuna protested. He didn't know why he was so upset that he was growing stronger, but there was something about maturing into a mafia boss that scared him. "I-it was like my own thoughts were not mine anymore."
"That's not good," said Reborn, and Tsuna snapped his head up to meet Reborn's gaze. Tsuna didn't notice that he was looking at the floor until he glanced up. "When you go into Hyper Dying Will Mode, you should always retain your consciousness." Reborn peered at Tsuna with a tilt of his fedora, so that Tsuna could only see his left eye from underneath the shadow.
"What you did was an incomplete Hyper Dying Will Mode, where your Hyper Intuition went out of control."
"Incomplete?"
"Yes." Reborn crossed his arms. "In drawing out your flame without the pills or the bullet, you need more training and a stronger resolve to maintain your consciousness. If not, pure survival instinct takes over, and that could quickly get out of control."
"Out-out of control?" Tsuna recalled the wild storm sweeping all rational thoughts from his mind, and knew that what Reborn said was true.
"On the road to Italy, if you're being attacked, try to maintain calmness in your mind as best you can," said Reborn. "Use the pills I gave you, and don't, under any circumstances, draw out your Dying Will Flame without them."
"Oh." He could do that. "Will I be able to learn how to control Hyper Dying Will Mode by myself?"
"Yes," said Reborn. "But not now. You might not be able to for a while, no matter how much training I put you through."
"What do you mean?" Tsuna was surprised. He had thought that Reborn would train him to death until he reached that stage; for Reborn to admit that his training would not be enough was…unusual.
"Until you learn to accept yourself" was Reborn's reply. "And that's something I can't help you with."
"What does that mean?" Tsuna asked, but instead of answering, Reborn jumped on Tsuna's desk, peeking through a gap between the close curtains. There were other things that Tsuna wanted to ask, things like 'why are you acting stranger than usual?'
But most of all, he wanted to know if Reborn was upset. There was something unusual about Reborn's manner, and Tsuna wanted to ask, but he didn't dare to because he didn't know what he would do if he found out that Reborn was upset, that Reborn was not okay with everything that had happened thus far.
Tsuna knew that he couldn't be a coward. It was a routine that both of them were familiar with: Reborn feeling bothered, Tsuna pretending that Reborn wasn't, and Reborn let Tsuna indulged in denial.
"Reborn-" Tsuna began, but couldn't finish.
Tsuna could see the slight turn of Reborn's head, an indication that he'd heard Tsuna and perhaps was waiting for what Tsuna was going to say. However, Tsuna's word hung in the heavy air between them, untouched.
"Are you o-" Tsuna didn't have the chance to finish before Reborn cut him off.
"Your guardians are here early," said Reborn." Something is wrong."
If Tsuna didn't know any better, he would say that Reborn was trying to avoid his question.
QQQ
When Tsuna and Reborn walked downstairs, everyone was standing in the hallway, and Gokudera reported right away. "Everyone's here. Hibari is outside."
"Are you guys alright?" Tsuna asked, taking in the disheveled state of his friends, while Reborn asked, "What happened?"
Tsuna would rather know if his friends were okay first, but he kept a hold on himself. Gokudera had a small gash on his left shoulder, and Yamamoto had a shallow cut along his jaw. Luckily, Ryohei and Chrome seemed unhurt, but Chrome hovered by the doorway, keeping a good distance from everyone else.
Gokudera answered Tsuna first. "No one's hurt. Someone ambushed baseball idiot and me, but we took care of them. I've gathered everyone because I wasn't sure if they were going to attack the other guardians, and I thought-"
"We should leave before they attack again," Tsuna finished Gokudera's train of thoughts. It had only been a few hours and everyone was already in danger.
"Yeah," Gokudera said. "I'm sorry."
"Oh no, it's not your fault, Gokudera-kun, you don't have to apologize," Tsuna said, keeping his eyes on his shoes because it suddenly became difficult to look at anyone in the eye.
"Tsuna." Reborn's voice was sharp, and Tsuna remembered 'The mentality of the Boss is the mentality of his Family.' He couldn't afford to be in self-doubt because he could throw everyone else into confusion. His family had been strong for him. He had to be strong for them to.
"Do you have everything you need with you?" Tsuna kept what he hoped was a reassuring smile on his face.
"Yes, Tenth!" Gokudera said, suddenly motivated by Tsuna's mask of confidence.
"Everything ready." Yamamoto gave Tsuna a thumb's up. Of course, because it was Yamamoto, Tsuna felt like Yamamoto was cheering him up rather than the other way around.
"To the extreme!" Onii-san seemed as cheerful as usual.
Tsuna turned to Chrome, who looked like she wanted to blend into the walls. "Chrome?"
"I-I don't have anything to take with me," said Chrome.
"You could borrow some of my clothes," his mother's reassuring voice drifted from the doorway. Tsuna gave her a grateful look.
"I don't want to impose-"
"It's alright," his mother said. "You could give them back when you return. When all of you come back."
"We will come back." Tsuna knew that it was a large promise, but he had to keep it not only for his mother's sake but for all of his guardians as well.
"You shouldn't make promises you can't keep." Tsuna was shocked to hear that from Iemitsu, whose no-good father attitude was suddenly replaced by a cold, professional demeanor. He watched his mother's retreating back, and abruptly felt a burst of anger.
"Sometimes, it's good to try and bite more than you can chew," Reborn's calm voice cut in Tsuna could find a way to retaliate. He shot Ietmitsu a sharp look, and Tsuna was surprised at the sudden hostility.
"Reborn," said Tsuna, feeling surprised with Reborn's words. Reborn wasn't one to get into Tsuna's fight for him.
Iemitsu and Reborn stared at each other, neither saying anything nor breaking away their gaze. It felt like a contest, and that made Tsuna nervous because they couldn't afford to have another internal conflict now, not when Tsuna needed everyone's cooperation.
Luckily, Iemitsu was the first to look away.
"You've raised my son well," Iemitsu said, although Tsuna sensed another hidden meaning behind his words. He wasn't praising Reborn, but Tsuna didn't know what he was trying to do either.
"Only as splendid as you did with Basil" was Reborn's reply; a gibe that even Yamamoto knew wasn't a joke.
Noticing that Gokudera, Yamamoto, and Ryohei looked uncomfortable with the exchange, Tsuna decided to cut the not-argument between Iemitsu and Reborn. "Let's head to the kitchen and talk about how we're going to leave for Italy."
<<< ACT I
ACT II. Part 2/3 >>>