[Fic]: Suono Di Violenza (Act 2. Part 2/3)
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"No" was Tsuna's answer. "Absolutely not."
The plan was simple. They were going to make a false leak in their communication network. Then, the group would be split into three fractions-first would be Gokudera, Yamamoto, and Chrome, second would be Hibari and Tsuna, and the last would be Reborn, Ryohei, and Lambo. They would leave Japan in that order, and each group would take a different route.
Naturally, the enemy would attack Gokudera's group first. Where the right hand man was, the boss was.
"I don't want to risk Gokudera's group like that," Tsuna said. "We're stronger when we're fighting as one."
"Traveling in a large group is more risky," said Reborn. "If the enemy decides to kill us all at once, they can."
"We don't know what the enemy is capable of," Tsuna pointed out. "We could be killed just as easily if we split apart."
There was no way that he was going to permit using Gokudera's group as bait.
"But we do have an idea," said Reborn. "If the enemy managed to assassinate the Ninth within the presence of all his guardians and the security force, then they will have no problem killing you with all your guardians. We need a tactic beside our physical strength. "
Tsuna knew that, yet- "I can't leave my friends to face danger without me. Besides, Hibari-san wouldn't have agreed to it." He was sure that Hibari wouldn't want to be tied down with Tsuna.
Gokudera was silent, and Tsuna wished that he would speak up. Usually, Gokudera would protest that there was no need to leave Tsuna in the hands of Hibari, of all people, but now, Gokudera said nothing.
"I've spoken with Hibari," Reborn said. "He agreed."
"But-but-" Tsuna spluttered.
"Tenth, have faith in me," said Gokudera. "It's my duty as your right hand man."
"You're my friend first before you're my right hand man," Tsuna said. He couldn't believe that after all these years, Gokudera couldn't understand that. "I can't use a friend like that." He caught Iemitsu's disapproving look, but he didn't care. He wasn't going to utilize friends like they were tools.
"Tsuna," a gentle hand at his shoulder startled him, and Tsuna turned to face Yamamoto's carefree smile. "We want to do this for you because you're our friend. We can't let a friend be killed without protecting him."
"Yamamoto."
"They aim to kill you, Tsuna," and here, Yamamoto tightened his grip on Tsuna's shoulder. "We'll fight with everything we have to keep you safe because we know you would do the same for us."
"Believe in us, Sawada!" Ryohei pumped his fists in the air. "We'll protect you to the extreme!"
"I…." Tsuna didn't know what to say. There was something pricking at the back of his eyes, so he looked away and blinked a few times.
"Tsuna," Reborn said, and Tsuna met Reborn's gaze even though he didn't want Reborn to see his eyes becoming wet. "Trust your family."
Tsuna blinked a few more times to get his eyes dry. He looked at Gokudera's determination, Yamamoto's confidence, and Ryohei's enthusiasm. He then turned to Reborn, who had nothing but patience, as if he had faith in what Tsuna would decide.
"Let's go with the plan," Tsuna said at last, and felt a tension bleeding from the room. The sudden lightness shocked Tsuna, and he didn't quite understand it until Reborn pointed out. "Your decisiveness kept your family confident."
"Oh." Tsuna then remembered that he had to keep a strong mentality for his family's sake. He was coming to understand Reborn's lesson.
It was a frightening power, this leadership. Just one sentence and he had control of everyone's motivation. He almost wanted to wrap it up and return it to wherever it was from.
"I will make sure the base is safe when my group arrives first, Tenth," said Gokudera.
"Thank you, Gokudera-kun." Tsuna didn't have anything else to say now, not when his friends were so determined to risk their lives to protect his. "Thank you, Yamamoto-kun, Onii-chan."
They talked about the technical details of the plan-the transportation, the routes to the base, the time, how weapons would be transported. Gokudera already took care of the plane tickets since they couldn't use their private planes. Tsuna didn't want to be a danger to a flight filled with innocent passengers, but Reborn pointed out that the enemy would be reluctant to catch the attention of national and international security ever since the other plane incident. Each group was going to Italy through different route-Tsuna's, in particular, involved getting off a plane in Southern Italy and then driving up to base. A fake driver's license was ready for Hibari.
"Hibari knows how to drive," Reborn said before Tsuna could protest.
Chrome joined the conversation when most of the plan was already thought-out. She didn't say anything when she came in either, just walked to the back wall and watched everyone talked things out. Tsuna thought about asking what she thought about their plan, but whenever he caught her gaze, she looked away.
Tsuna approached her afterwards.
"What do you think of the plan?"
Chrome seemed startled that Tsuna had asked. She folded her hands together, keeping her eyes on the floor instead of meeting Tsuna's gaze.
"I think it's very good."
"Chrome-san, I'm sorry that we plan everything without asking if you're okay with it first." It was short-sighted of him to exclude her. Now that Tsuna thought about it, throughout many of their battles, Chrome rarely voiced her opinions or her worries. She had always kept to herself, and Tsuna had been too focused with the whirlwind of everything else to see that she was often left behind.
No one in the family should be left behind.
"It's fine," Chrome played with the hem of her skirt. "It didn't matter because I wouldn't have much to say anyway."
"I don't think that's true."
"Eh?" Chrome let go of her skirt, glancing up at Tsuna in surprise.
"I think Chrome-san has a lot to say," Tsuna smiled. "One day, I'd like to hear it."
Chrome fell silent at that, and Tsuna knew that she would speak to him when she was ready.
"Thank you, Sawada-san," Chrome said softly, finally meeting Tsuna's eyes. "One day," she promised.
"I'll wait." In these times of trials, they needed to be more united than ever, and Tsuna didn't want anyone to feel rejected.
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Gokudera, Yamamoto, and Chrome left around 1 AM, when the rain had stopped completely, but the streets were still wet, and a strong mist lingered in the air. It was not the best weather for traveling, but Gokudera reassured Tsuna that they would be cautious on the road.
"Everyone, please be careful," said Tsuna.
"Tenth," Gokudera began, but paused in his track, and Tsuna didn't know what to think of his hesitance because the Gokudera he was familiar with always jumped into things without a second thought. Tsuna realized that while he had grown stronger, Gokudera had matured as well.
The thought was reassuring and saddening.
Gokudera smacked both of his hands on Tsuna's shoulders and gripped them tightly, and perhaps Tsuna had changed more than he thought because his body didn't even flinch at the impact. "You've taught me that I have people I need to return to. I will do everything I can to protect you, but I will remember to take care of my own life as well."
"Gokudera-kun-"
"Not only because you're my boss," Gokudera continued. "But because you're my friend."
There was a time when Gokudera would leap into death with welcome arms because it was all for honor, for the name of the mafia, for the Vongola boss that he thought Tsuna would become; but today, the life that Gokudera was going to risk, all that his friends were willing to sacrifice, were for Tsuna too; Tsuna, the friend.
Tsuna didn't know what to say. The stinging at the back of his eyes returned, so he blinked a few times to get rid of it, only to find his lashes wet against his cheekbone.
"Thank you."
Have faith in us.
Tsuna watched as they left, their figures disappearing in the early morning mist. He wiped his eyes on his sleeve and stood at the front porch for a long time, watching the darkness that swallowed the world beyond the comfort of his home in a bottomless pit.
It would be his turn soon to be devoured by that darkness.
"What are you standing around for?"
"Hiieeee!" Tsuna jumped, turning to meet Hibari's gaze. "Hibari-san!"
Hibari was leaning against the tree, well hidden in the shadow, his arms crossed and his face scrunched up in an annoyed expression. Tsuna wondered if he had watched the whole exchange without a word. Strange.
"Well? Stop crowding around me with your pathetic presence."
"Yes, Hibari-san!" Tsuna wasn't sure how well traveling with Hibari was going to be, but it might be even more challenging than Reborn's harsh training.
"If those herbivores died, then they were too weak to be worthy of living," said Hibari. "Now stop moping around and scam."
"Yes, Hibari-san!" Tsuna immediately opened the door, intending to get out of Hibari's sight as quickly as possible, but stopped in his track when a thought occurred to him. "Would you like to come inside, Hibari-san? It's cold."
"I have no intention of joining a crowd."
Tsuna knew it.
"Do you want me to bite you to death?"
"I'm going right away!" Tsuna ran into the house and slammed the door behind him before Hibari could change his mind and turn him into a bloody pulp. Hibari-san was always Hibari-san, no doubt about it.
But-
Hibari had stood by that tree the whole time, and he didn't say anything, even when Tsuna, Gokudera, Yamamoto, Chrome were crowding. Tsuna still had a long way to go, but he thought that he might be on the road to have Hibari respect him.
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Reborn was in Tsuna's room when Tsuna was looking for him.
"Reborn."
"What is it?" Reborn was staring out the window again. He didn't turn when Tsuna spoke to him.
"Thank you," said Tsuna.
Reborn did turn his head to the side at that, but not enough to look at Tsuna in the eye.
"For what?"
"For that…thing…with my father." Tsuna didn't know how to describe it, but he was grateful that Reborn stood up for him when Iemitsu shot down Tsuna's promise to his mother that he would return. It didn't do any good to have others fought his battles for him, but a small part of him was glad that Reborn did.
When Tsuna was seven, he had gotten into a fight with another boy two years older. The other boy overpowered him completely, partly because he was older and bigger than Tsuna, and also partly because Tsuna couldn't fight back. When they went to the principal's office with their parents, the other's boy father had defended his son fiercely, and Tsuna's mother had told Tsuna to apologize to the other boy. His father was nowhere to be found.
"You shouldn't get into fights," his mother had said, and Tsuna was so angry and jealous because it wasn't his fault, and he really wanted that thing that the other boy had and he didn't. He had wanted his father to defend him like that boy's father defended his son.
The older Tsuna knew that he shouldn't let his father fight for him, that he needed to fight for himself, but a small part of him craved that childish parental protection. 'It would feel warm,' he thought. 'Comforting, like being loved. But then when you grow older you feel embarrassed for having it.'
Reborn, who would never let Tsuna back down from his own fight, had given Tsuna a small glimpse of childish parental protection, even though Tsuna didn't need it. And it felt just like Tsuna thought it would: comforting because someone tried to protect him, but embarrassing because he didn't want to be treated like a child.
"He was upsetting Nana as well," Reborn said. Tsuna could hear the unspoken 'He was upsetting you.'
Tsuna smiled. "Thank you."
Reborn met Tsuna's eyes at last. There was a deep frown in his face.
"Reborn?"
"You can't rely on Iemitsu, Tsuna," said Reborn. "You can't rely on me either."
Perhaps Reborn did want Tsuna to keep a reasonable amount of doubt for him, but...
"I know," Tsuna smiled sadly. "But thank you anyway."
"I mean it," said Reborn.
"I understand," said Tsuna. There would come a day when he had to stand on his own, but for now, Tsuna would like to have at least this small remaining trust.
Reborn's frown slowly melted away, and Tsuna felt relieved. Even though he knew it was coming, he didn't want to think about the day when Reborn would leave him-when Reborn had nothing left to teach him. He didn't want to think about the person that he would become after Reborn either.
Just when he thought their conversation was coming to an end, Reborn beckoned him to come closer with his fingers.
"What is it?" Tsuna asked cautiously, walking slowly toward Reborn.
"Sit," Reborn ordered when Tsuna was in front of him.
Tsuna sat on on the floor and leaned his back against the bed. Reborn was still perching at the edge of the bed, expression unreadable.
A tiny hand reached for the top of his head, and Tsuna froze as Reborn ruffled his hair.
Reborn's touch felt warm. It made Tsuna thought of his younger self listening to his mother's soothing voice and cold nights when he snuck out of his room to sit on the front porch, waiting for a father who wouldn't come home.
"You have to stop trusting others so easily," Reborn sighed. "What if I intended to kill you just then?"
"You wouldn't."
Reborn retracted his hand, and Tsuna almost regretted saying anything.
"I mean it about Iemitsu, Tsuna," Reborn said sternly. "I know he's your father, but you can't always trust fathers."
Tsuna wanted to argue, but something in Reborn's eyes stopped him.
Tsuna wondered what kind of person Reborn's father was.
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