The sky was covered in a moody grey blanket of clouds, raining down big fat raindrops that splashed every which way, soaking all surfaces.
The air was thick and humid, and most people were either indoors, or were running home with bags held over their heads to try and keep dry.
However, amidst this torrential downpour was one man who seemed to not be in any kind of hurry at all.
Approximately twenty-two years of age, he had soft brown eyes like freshly ground coffee beans and hair of the same shade, which stuck up every which way. He walked with leisurely steps through the streets of his little town, clad in a finely-made black kimono.
Accompanying him was a young twenty-year-old man by the name of Kurosawa Naoki, who had only just entered the Asarigumi, and was therefore extremely nervous to be accompanying his oyabun.
"Are you alright, Naoki?" asked Sawada Tsunayoshi in a soft voice, and Naoki's eyes immediately snapped to him.
He met his boss's eyes - like freshly ground coffee beans - for a fraction of a second before looking back down at the ground.
"I'm fine," he replied, adjusting his grip on the umbrella and making sure once again that his oyabun was properly covered and wasn't getting wet.
Suddenly, Tsunayoshi stopped in his tracks, and only Naoki's quick reflexes helped him stop just in time so that the older male didn't get wet.
He was looking at Naoki with a troubled expression on his sweet, usually serene face.
"Won't you stop treating me so formally, Naoki? I'm only two years older than you!" he said, his voice pleading.
Naoki shook his head.
"You're Asarigumi Juudaime," he said. "Vongola Decimo. And I am just a faceless nobody. A grunt. One in a million. It doesn't matter if you're two years older than me, or twenty. I must be respectful."
Tsunayoshi's eyebrows knit together in frustration.
"You're not just a faceless nobody!" he insisted. "You're an important member of my Family!"
"Juudaime," said Naoki, looking up finally. "You run a Family with thousands of members in both Italy and Japan, and more joining every day. You command people with the strengths of a nation's armies and minds that could be counted among the top in the world. Are you really trying to tell me that someone like me actually matters to someone like you?"
"Yes!" insisted Tsunayoshi, the subtle air of power around him shifting uneasily as if he were upset. "Because, while it is true that there are thousands of other people in my family, there is only one you, Naoki-kun."
Naoki kept eye contact with him for a few seconds longer before looking away, contemplating what he'd just been told.
"Do you know why I began the Asarigumi, Naoki-kun?" asked Tsunayoshi after a few more moments of silence.
Naoki looked up, suddenly intrigued.
He had no idea.
"I was thirteen when I was told I would be inheriting the Vongola," started Tsunayoshi, and Naoki felt his eyes widen.
Thirteen? But that was so young!
"I have been the official Don of the Vongola since I was eighteen," he continued, looking ahead as they kept walking. "And you know, at this point, I think I may be more Italian than I am Japanese."
He laughed, but it was a self-depracating laugh, and Naoki felt the need to jump to his defense.
"But I take pride in my heritage. And I feel there is a lot the yakuza can bring to the Vongola in terms of honour and tradition."
Here, he looked down at Naoki with a sweet smile.
"Naoki-kun. You are a part of what I hope the yakuza will bring to the Vongola. People like you who are earnest and hardworking and loyal."
Naoki immediately cast his gaze to the ground, his cheeks burning red.
There was an amused chuckle from beside him.
"Come along now," said the Juudaime.
"Let us return home."
SkyGem: The end! Hope you liked! This little drabble is an idea I had a little while ago that I was discussing with Bleach-ed-Na-tsu and we both fell in love with it. The idea that Tsuna would establish a yakuza chapter of the Vongola in Japan, and would base it in Namimori. It's called Asarigumi for obvious reasons. Anyways, I was wondering if there was anyone at all that wanted to see more of this verse? If not, I'll leave this as a one-shot, but if there are enough people that want more, it might become a drabble series, showing life in the Asarigumi, and more about how it was created and etc. So, please do leave a review and let me know waht you thought! Ciao!