Title: Grave Conversations
Author: ofphenwa
Rating: PG13
Summary: Serious discussions about the past, present and future.
A/N: I'm not sure if I handled the characters' reactions correctly...Feedback is welcome as always. :)

Grave Conversations

As predicted, Nana was positively giddy at the prospect of having Gokudera in the household for the time being – it was like having two sons. Nana decided on cooking an impromptu welcome feast for Gokudera and had banished both Tsuna and Gokudera from the house until dinnertime. Bemused, Gokudera faced Tsuna and commented,

"Wow, your mother is quite enthusiastic."

Tsuna waved his hand dismissively as he walked off in the direction of Takesushi. He wanted to see what Reborn was up to at Yamamoto's place.

"Well, I think that it allows her to pretend for a bit that her husband has come home after twenty years."

"Twenty years?"

Gokudera questioned with a confused expression; he had thought that Tsuna's father was supposed to be dead. Tsuna bitterly laughed,

"Yep. He just up and left without a word and the only thing that stops us from thinking that he's dead are the infrequent postcards of him in random locations around the world. I don't care anymore what exactly he was doing on the Pyramids in Cairo…"

Gokudera raised an eyebrow and pointed out something that never occurred to Tsuna.

"Well, your grandfather was the Don Vongola so…perhaps, your father was trying to protect you by leaving. It's highly likely that he is involved with the Vongola Famiglia. There's got to be a good reason why Nana is still faithful to your father all these years, if he was the dead-beat dad you described."

Tsuna's eyes widened. He bit his lower lip and turned away from Gokudera, not letting him see his face. His fists clenching, Tsuna gritted out,

"I don't care anymore about what Dad's reasons were! It doesn't excuse the fact that he left his wife and son alone for twenty years without even a visit or a phone call!"

Cokudera backed off with his hands up, realising that it was a sore topic for his new boss. He straightened up and formally apologised,

"I'm sorry if I upset you, Boss."

Tsuna slowly released his fists and breathed deeply for ten seconds. His shoulders slumping, TSuna faced Gokudera again with a faint deprecating smile,

"Don't call me boss, Gokudera-san."

Tsuna then looked out to the running river beside them and said to Gokudera,

"Well, I'm thinking of bringing you to Takesushi if you're up to eating some local food. Reborn will be there with this guy I went to school with."

Gokudera shrugged nonchalantly.

"Fine by me."

--

"Oh hey, Tsuna! Who's the fella with you?"

Yamamoto Takeshi greeted Tsuna cheerfully from behind the sushi bar. He was on shift today and a very busy one at that. Takesushi was quite crowded today for some reason. Tsuna squeezed through the crowd with a wary Gokudera trailing behind him. Tsuna replied,

"Hello. This is Gokudera Hayato from Italy. Gokudera, this is Yamamoto Takeshi."

Gokudera nodded in acknowledgement at the dark-haired sushi chef who was really tall for a Japanese. Takeshi grinned and apologised,

"Hey, nice to meet you Gokudera-san. I'll like to shake your hand if I could, but I'm kinda busy cutting fish."

The knife flashed quickly as Takeshi expertly filleted the salmon, impressing Gokudera. Gokudera replied politely to his boss's civilian friend,

"That's alright, Yamamoto-san."

Tsuna looked around with interest and couldn't see Reborn anywhere among the mostly female crowd. He leant forward to ask over the noisy chatter,

"Hey, where's Reborn? And why are there so many women around?"

Takeshi laughed and pointed at a group of squealing school-girls in the corner. Tsuna recognised their beige uniforms as the familiar outfit from Namimori High School. Tsuna mentioned for Gokudera to stay put at the sushi bar and walked towards the group to see what the fuss was all about. He had a faint inkling.

"Wow, you're so clever, Reborn-chan!"

One of the girls exclaimed as she finally grasped what Reborn was explaining. It was a strange sight to see a young child tutoring people many years older than him in Calculus. Reborn smiled charmingly and sweet-talked,

"No, you can be quite good if you put your mind to it. I merely gave you a new perspective."

"Thank you so much!"

The girl hugged Reborn and pecked him on the cheek. She got up from the table and with a smile, she waved goodbye to the group. Tsuna bemusedly walked up to the table and crossed his arms,

"I'm impressed, Reborn."

Reborn looked up at his charge with a neutral face but Tsuna recognised the frustrated glint in his large dark eyes. Used to his tutor's antics, Tsuna shook his head in mild amusement and informed him,

"Gokudera-san is staying at our house for now till he's able to find a place so Nana's preparing a welcome feast."

Reborn glanced over to the sushi bar where Gokudera quietly sat and quickly hopped down from the seats. He said to the girls,

"I'm sorry that I'll have to end the discussions. It was very nice to meet you, ladies."

"No problem! Will you be here again tomorrow?"

"Perhaps. Good luck on your exams."

Reborn saluted the girls as he walked back with Tsuna to the sushi bar. Takeshi grinned at the child,

"Smooth, Reborn-chan. You had those girls twisted around your little finger! You should work here as a waiter – you sure helped business a lot by attracting all those patrons."

Gokudera flicked an incredulous gaze at Takeshi who actually dared to call the assassin by that moniker. Reborn had given up on getting Takeshi to call him simply Reborn and grumbled,

"I just don't get their unique Japanese preoccupation with all things 'kawaii' and 'moe'? What the heck is 'moe' anyway? Those girls were just pretending not to understand just to spend more time around me."

Tsuna snorted at the cootie-adverse act Reborn was putting up for Takeshi's benefit. Au contraire, Reborn loved the ladies. Gokudera blinked in confusion at Reborn, not quite following the situation. Reborn informed Takeshi,

"I gotta go soon. Nana's making a special dinner tonight."

"Ok. Oh and before I forget, I've got four tickets for the upcoming Tokyo Swallows baseball match! One of them is mine, of course, and the rest are for you two and Nana. Sorry about that, Gokudera-san."

Takeshi sheepishly smiled at the newcomer who simply shrugged, not really interested in baseball in the first place, anyway. Tsuna took the tickets from Takeshi in grateful surprise. He was actually a pretty nice guy to buy tickets for someone he only met recently. Tsuna questioned,

"Wow, thanks! But why're you buying tickets for us? We've only just gotten to know each other recently."

"Haha well, since we're old schoolmates and after that fun game Reborn came up with, we might as well dispense with the formalities, hmm?"

Reborn chuckled at Tsuna's groan at the memory – it had been awful. Reborn thanked Takeshi for the tickets and the trio then left the restaurant.

--

"Gokudera, what is your impression of Yamamoto Takeshi?"

Reborn suddenly asked as they were strolling along the riverside, prompting curious glances from both Tsuna and Gokudera. Gokudera cautiously replied,

"Yamamoto Takeshi is quite good with the knife…"

"Go on."

"He's quite tall for a Japanese and he has very quick reflexes – he was able to catch a plate from crashing to the floor behind him in a split second while he was still slicing the fish. His athletic build and tanned appearance indicates that Yamamoto probably does a lot of sports, most likely baseball from the earlier conversation. He is also quite friendly and is on good terms with Sawada-san and Reborn."

Reborn nodded.

"Very good. I'm pleased that Tsuna had the foresight to bring Gokudera along today because it makes it more convenient for me to tell you this."

"What?"

Tsuna looked at Reborn with a feeling that he wasn't going to like what Reborn said next.

"Yamamoto Takeshi is a prime candidate to become another Guardian of Tsunayoshi, much like GokuderaHayato."

"Why?!? Surely not him!"

Tsuna cried out in shock.

"A civilian?!"

Gokudera protested, not comprehending why Reborn wanted a civilian with no training to become a mafioso. Reborn calmly replied,

"Because, he is the last heir to the Shigure Soen Ryu. His father, Yamamoto Tsuyoshi, is the current master and I used to work with him on a few missions years back. I can personally vouch for Tsuyoshi's tremendous skill though I cannot say the same for Takeshi since I have not seen Takeshi demonstrate any swordsmanship other than sashimi preparation."

Gokudera finally understood but Tsuna did not understand the importance of Takeshi's background, yet.

"Shigure Soen Ryu?"

"It's said to be the most powerful and efficient school of kendo with its swift and flexible strokes. Shigure Soen Ryu has been around since the Heian era and has only been passed down to worthy successors but there are few due to the nature of the destructive succession – only one can exist at any time. In order to be recognised as a new master of Shigure Soen Ryu, you must demonstrate the current eight katas flawlessly as well as create a new kata that surpasses the previous katas created by the seven masters of Shigure Soen Ryu."

Gokudera explained, impressing Tsuna with his knowledge. Reborn agreed,

"Yes. If Yamamoto Takeshi were to become part of the Famiglia, he could become a powerful asset. Now, do you understand, Tsuna? It's your responsibility to bring him in as the Don Vongola Decimo."

Tsuna shook his head, upset by the prospect of bringing someone else into his mess; someone who was completely unsuited to the Mafia. He looked at Reborn in the eye and said,

"No. I can't do that to Yamamoto Takeshi. I'm sorry…but I just don't think that he will want anything to do with the Mafia."

Tsuna was scared; he had actually outright refused his tutor-assassin who could put him through a lot of pain for this. Reborn eyed his charge, slightly surprised that Tsuna had actually disagreed him on such a serious issue. He acquiesced on realizing that Tsuna was serious,

"Very well, I will not approach Yamamoto Takeshi about this…but at the very least; as part of your duty, tell him about his candidacy as your Guardian. If he comes to you out of his volition, you do realise that you will have to take him in as one of your Guardians, Tsuna?"

"Yes. I understand. Thank you, Reborn."

Gokudera looked back and forth at the duo, feeling like a third wheel all of a sudden. Personally, he didn't really care whether Yamamoto became the new Guardian or not. Only that the new Guardian was worthy of the position and capable of protecting the boss.

--

The funeral of Don Amaranta had been a brief and solemn affair. The guests had already left, leaving large bouquets of white asphodel flowers strewn on the fresh earth. Dressed in mourning black, Bianchi was standing before the grave, staring hard at the chiselled words in the grey granite headstone.

Giovanni Amaranta

1952-2020

Cruor Quod Chalybs Altum Nostrum Amaranthus

"Blood and steel nourish our Amarantas… That's the motto of the Amaranta Famiglia."

A familiar voice quietly said behind her. Bianchi didn't turn around to greet the stranger. The stranger sighed and walked up to her side and introduced himself,

"Hello, Bianchi. I'm Dino from the Cavallone Famiglia."

His blue eyes were red-rimmed as if he had been crying all night long and his blond hair was limp and dull in the grey morning light. He was impeccably dressed in a formal dark Armani suit and sleek leather shoes. Bianchi looked at him with some concern. Dino added the bouquet he was carrying to the pile and commented,

"My father… Don Antonio Di Cavallone, he's also dead. So I understand how you feel."

"My condolences, Mr. Cavallone."

"But it's not only our fathers. Tenebre, Tarantino, Giorno and Agnello are dead too. Basically, all the La Costa Nostra leaders were killed by the Don Vongola Decimo. Everything's now different and people are still confused but the confusion will soon turn to competition for the La Costa Nostra positions."

Bianchi now understood why things had been so quiet lately on the grapevine in the aftermath of Don Amaranta's death. This was merely the calm before the storm. Dino ruffled his hair and spoke clearly, outlining his plans to Bianchi.

"I'm going to stay in Italy and try to stabilize the political situation among the clans and figure out what the hell the Vongola Famiglia is trying to do before the situation implodes and causes an all-out war through out the whole of Italy. We don't want that to happen ever again…"

Bianchi wished him good luck. Dino glanced at the woman and finally cut to the chase.

"But I'm concerned about you, Bianchi. You're the last of the Amaranta Famiglia and you can't be the new Don without getting married. What are you going to do now?"

Bianchi lifted her chin and said coolly,

"Blood calls to blood. I shall go to Japan and inform my half-brother if he's still alive. If not, I shall simply carve out pound for pound of flesh from Don Vongola that was taken from my family."

Dino lowly whistled at Bianchi's audacious words. She would not be swayed from her decision. He extended his arm to her and Bianchi placed her hand on the crook of Dino's elbow. Together they walked out of the cemetery in silence. Outside the gate, there was a car with a man waiting beside it. Bianchi let go of Dino and before he entered the car, Dino had a contemplative expression on his face. He quickly bent forward and brushed his lips against Bianchi's cheek and whispered,

"If your heart wasn't already taken, I would be glad to marry you so you could become Don Amaranta."

Bianchi laid one hand on Dino's face and kissed him on his cheek too. It was warm and was fragrant with jasmine, Bianchi's favourite scent.

"Thank you, Dino Di Cavallone. You don't have to worry about me. Go."

Dino then got into the car and the window went up, cutting off Bianchi's view of the man who had been closest to understanding her pain. A breeze picked up, rustling the bare branches of the trees and her long hair fluttered in the breeze like red fire leaping into the pearly grey winter sky.

Dino leant his head back on the plush leather seats and sighed. He watched the lonely figure diminish in the head-mirror and mentally wished her well.

Buona fortuna, Bianchi.

--

Glossary

Buona Fortuna – Good luck