Another Path Part 37 : That suffered a fairy infestation

I'm glad my take on nurturing/possessive Skies was well-received. To make it simpler, Skies are either very hands-off or very hands-on with their Elements. Tsuna feels the need to meddle at the slightest issue and gets prickly if his friends hang around an unrelated Sky – he's thus deemed 'possessive' – while Xanxus is happy to leave his Elite to their shenanigans unless the ask for assistance directly – and is deemed 'nurturing'. The Mafia likes its labels and its subsequent stereotypes (just look at the Flame types).

If you want a vague timeframe now that we're drawing closer to canon, this takes place roughly at the start of the manga/anime. Tsuna is almost 14.

Also, I'm not going to lie, I've moved on from this fandom. I'll still finish this story, because I put too much effort to let it go now, but updates are going to be sporadic, although in exchange, I'll try to keep the quality as is. Hopefully you can understand.

"The latest report on Namimori." Said Ganauche as he placed a file on Timoteo's desk, expression grave. "The Sawadas were unaffected, thankfully, but it could have easily gone completely out of control. We need someone in Japan, Nono, no matter what Iemitsu wants for his family."

Timoteo hummed, already reading through the report. It wasn't very thick, which was a problem in itself and could be explained by their lack of a foothold in Namimori; it took way too long to even realize a Famiglia had infested the place, allied with local yakuza and taken control of the town before being wiped out a month ago.

With his three blood sons dead and Xanxus not in the running for the Vongola throne, Timoteo's only viable heirs came through the Sawada line, and since Iemisu couldn't take the role, it fell to one of his sons to become Decimo. Sad as it was to remember, little Tsunayoshi had been gone in the wind for years (likely long dead, despite Iemitsu's ongoing search), so there was only Ienobu left, and they had to make sure the last drops of Vongola blood didn't fade away or worse: wind up in enemy hands.

Iemitsu had opposed any interference in Namimori until now, hoping to give his family a peaceful life for as long as he could afford it, hence Timoteo sealing his youngest's Flames when they manifested (if it also prevented the kid from threatening his then living sons' position, then all the better). But now, the hands-off policy had to come to an end; the only known surviving descendant of Primo could not be lost because of something as ridiculous as dreams of a civilian life.

Vongola blood belonged to the Vongola, there were no two ways about it.

(Honestly, after Tsunayoshi's disappearance, Timoteo had thought Iemitsu would come to his senses and agree to a small team settling in Namimori, if only to monitor the town and the remaining Sawadas. But no, the young lion had persisted in his decision to keep Namimori entirely separate from the Mafia and to this day he continued his desperate and vain search for his older son while leaving his last remaining child unprotected.

Iemitsu could be a sentimental fool sometimes…)

But now a – admittedly small, but still inadmissible – mafia war had happened right in front of the last Vongola blood's doorstep, and Timoteo had only learned of it a month after it came to an end on its own. Hell, he still had little to no information on what had really taken place in Namimori, and that was unacceptable.

Iemitsu would have to come to terms with the fact that his peaceful civilian family life had always been a pipe dream.

Now, who to find that would both induct young Ienobu into the Famiglia in a way that advantaged them, would teach the almost fourteen-year-old boy what he needed to know (and keep secret what he did not need to know for now) and investigate last month's incident without drawing any attention to Vongola's interests in Japan?

()()()()()()

"Aaaaaaargh!" Tsuna jerked from his translating work when he heard the scream from the other side of his home. "You fucking monkey! What the hell is wrong with you?! What kind of deranged baboon keeps attacking people at random like that?!"

He arrived just in time to see Kyoya aim another (slow, so much slower and lighter than the devastating strikes he could do) swipe of his tonfa in Hana's direction. With a shriek of terror, the girl threw herself to the floor to avoid it, probably scraping her knees in the process. She started yelling obscenities at the Cloud before she even scrambled back to her feet. "You're a sick monkey, you know that?! I knew you didn't like me, but this goes way too far!"

The ruckus had drawn the other residents of Caeruleus to the second floor living room. Tsuna thought they looked a little too eager (either to see Kyoya verbally flayed or Hana physically pummeled to the ground), and chastised himself for having remained just as passive so far. As the leader, it was his job to settle disputes. "What's happening here?" He asked over Hana's screams.

Thankfully, Kyoya stopped his assault on the spot with a dissatisfied scowl. Without tearing her eyes off him, Hana straightened and gestured wildly at the Cloud. "Didn't you see?! This is the eighth time in a week this ape has tried to murder me, and I know he attacked the other girls too!"

Tsuna turned to his oldest friend, knowing full well that if Kyoya had truly had enough of the girl, he could have obliterated her without wasting a breath. "Kyoya?"

"I'm training her. She and the other new Herbivores are too weak. They need to learn."

Ah, right, Kyoya's special brand of love where he attacked you out of the blue and pushed you beyond your limits in mock-battles so that you learned to defend yourself when he wasn't there to do it. Although the Cloud always took great care never to hit harder or faster than his 'students' could handle, it remained a terribly violent way to show affection and acceptance into the group.

It had worked wonders on Tsuna, but some people never took to it, like Shoichi and Spanner. Thankfully, Kyoya's goal was only to make his companions learn self-defense, and he had no issues with alternative ways to protect yourself, like an arsenal of gadgets or killer robots. The moment the two inventors had demonstrated that they could withstand a mild assault from Kyoya, the Cloud had backed off and only made sure they came to the underground training room once a week to maintain those abilities.

Unfortunately, Hana didn't have alternative means of defense. She couldn't create nifty gadgets or killer robots (something which Tsuna thanked every god out there for; one Mosca was enough) and neither could Haru and Kyoko, which meant Kyoya kept harassing them and dragging them to train at every opportunity.

It was his way to look after the pack: to ensure that, if they were under attack, they could all keep themselves safe long enough for him to deal with the problem.

"I see." Replied Tsuna, thinking of how to explain his Cloud's seemingly wild behavior to the newcomers. Chrome, Takeshi and Ryohei flourished under Kyoya's 'tutelage' while Skull had Oodako and enough Flames to throw around that he could stall almost any assault pretty well – Tsuna often forgot that the goofy man in a baby's body was still an Arcobaleno. As a young kid, Kyoya sorted Fuuta into the 'small animal' category along with I-pin and Lambo, so the Cloud kept to showing him the ropes without bashing his head in. Hana, Kyoko and Haru, however, obviously took the full brunt of the Cloud's well-meaning ambushes.

"You see?!" Repeated Hana in affronted bewilderment. "That's all you have to say? You see?!"

Kyoko, who had run to her friend the moment Kyoya stopped moving to check for any wounds, was the only reason Hana couldn't leap to throttle Tsuna dead, or so he felt. "No, I mean this is a miscommunication problem. Kyoya attacks everybody who joins Caeruleus to train them, no murder them. He thinks it's important for every member to have some solid bases in self-defense, and this is his way to ensure that."

"Hn." Replied the Cloud as assent.

Hana blinked, visibly more gobble-smacked by Tsuna's hasty explanation than by Kyoya's assault. "What?! And you find that normal?!"

From the muffled grunts behind him, yes, most of his friends found that normal, which was a whole other problem in itself. "I find it EXTREMELY enjoyable to have a strong opponent to spar with!" Agreed Ryohei with a wide grin. Hana shot him a glare of mixed disgust and annoyance, making Ryohei step back, cowed (in a display of more self-preservation than Tsuna thought he had). At least his genuine enthusiasm helped the girl move on from disbelieving rage.

"Yeah, you would love that, but normal people shouldn't find this either fun or acceptable!" She replied, her voice no longer dripping with venom. She still sounded pissed, though.

"It's not so much a problem of normality or fun." Sighed Tsuna. "With how much trouble we all fall into on a regular basis, you have to admit that self-defense is a necessary skill. We can't have members be completely vulnerable every time a fight breaks out around us."

"That doesn't really excuse Kyoya attacking us." Argued Kyoko in a much more gentle voice than her best friend, although the Cloud's recurrent ambushes seemed to have drawn her annoyance as well.

Kyoya had probably gone a little easier on Kyoko and Haru, who both had softer temperaments, so they both dealt with his assaults better than Hana, who was naturally more suited to confrontation personality-wise. Unfortunately, that didn't mean she liked getting attacked at random.

"I guess it doesn't." Tsuna agreed, if only to keep the conversation rolling. "But what else do you suggest?"

"We could sign up for self-defense lessons. Learn a martial art with a normal teacher that doesn't try to break our bones." Sniped Hana with a glare at Kyoya. Of course, the Cloud scoffed and glared right back.

"We both know that won't be even remotely enough against a Flame-user." Retorted Tsuna. "You can't find suitable training for that in the civilian world."

Thank the gods Hana was more reasonable than most of his friends. She took the time to think his reply over, to consider her options, before answering him. "Maybe, but I'm sure we can find something better than this that would still be good enough."

Tsuna could work with that, and probably make Kyoya accept a concession if it meant the girls learned something – because so far, his approach wasn't working. Next to Hana, Kyoko looked hopeful, and no doubt Haru would be interested in another option as well.

Their Flame training was going well enough. Of the four newcomers that had not manifested any Flames prior to joining Caeruleus, Haru had by far the strongest Flame, although her Lightning couldn't rival with Lambo's. In terms of sheer power, Tsuna placed her somewhere between Shoichi's Sun and Spanner's Lightning.

Hana had managed to summon wisps of Stormy red, but it was clear this would never become her forte. Kyoko and her pale Sun Flames, so thin compared to her brother's overflowing ones, was in a similar situation.

After much difficulty, Fuuta had eventually spawned watery blue Rain Flames, but so little that it barely counted. According to the resident scientists' theories, his connection with the 'ranking planet' (yeah, Tsuna still felt silly just thinking about it too) interfered with his ability to create Dying Will Flames.

Not that Flames were a requirement to join or stay in Caeruleus, a point which Tsuna had made sure everyone understood clearly. Only that ability was pretty handy and he preferred everyone to at least be able to use it a little, out of sheer convenience.

(And because it helped strengthen his connection with them. His Sky could link with anyone, Flame-active or not, but them being able to summon even wisps of power certainly made the bond in his head much clearer and helped him sleep at night with the full awareness of his Elements in easy reach.

He could almost hear Xanxus and Fon laugh at him for being 'possessive' again.)

However, if Flame-training could be considered a relative success, physical training was definitely not, and given how vital it had proven so far (and the fact that in front of civilians, this was the only skill they were allowed to display unless they wanted Vindice back on their case), none of them could skip it.

If Kyoya's methods didn't work, then they'd have to find another way, because being able to defend themselves was not negotiable.

"I suppose it wouldn't hurt to look for alternatives, since Kyoya's regimen clearly isn't working for you." Agreed Tsuna after a moment of reflection. If Hana was willing to consider his thoughts, so could he reflect on hers.

"No slacking." Barked Kyoya. Hana was already gearing up to retort that just because they didn't follow his training didn't mean they were goofing off when Tsuna interrupted her. He had years of experience to guess this was not what the Cloud meant.

"Of course, you will have to approve of the eventual other options we find. If it's not to your standards, nobody here will take it." He threw a long look at Hana, because that was only the truth. There would be no point in the girls (and anyone else) following a course in self-defense only to still be too weak to protect themselves.

Then, because concessions had to be fair on both sides, Tsuna looked at Kyoya pointedly. "In exchange, while they look for a training regimen that suits them better, you will go easier on them. For instance, you could only spar once a week in the training rooms, and stop attacking them out of the blue. If you really want to keep ambushing them, restrain yourself to simple spatial awareness training: a surprise but no hits."

Kyoya scowled, looked at Hana's and Kyoko's determined faces (Haru was out with Spanner buying new robot parts – the brunette had proven amazing at managing money and preventing the others from splurging with the company's earnings. It warmed Tsuna's heart to see her move away from Hayato and confidently socialize with the others). After drilling through their souls with his steely gaze – the girls didn't flinch, which Kyoya definitely approved of – the Cloud turned back towards Tsuna with a terse nod. "Hn. But I have to approve."

"We can work with that." Agreed Hana, mimicking his short nod. Beside her, Kyoko beamed, visibly relieved that Kyoya's surprise assaults would stop.

Yeah, Tsuna hadn't thought that through when he brought them here. The rest of his friends were crazy enough to appreciate the Cloud's antics, but Hana, Kyoko and Haru were much more… civilian.

The Sky didn't like what it said about the rest of them that they were not.

()()()()()()

Ryohei's strong point, besides his strong lungs and his undeniable talent for boxing, had quickly proven to be his touch with kids.

The Sun was an older brother to the core, protective and strong, but attentive to younger children's whims and babbling without yielding to their every tantrum. His patience with kids surpassed even Tsuna's – who could endure Lambo's endless rants with a smile – and he easily got them to play together with him safely and happily.

Given the staggering amount of babysitting jobs they had gotten since the beginning and how few members could be left alone with kids without triggering a bloodbath or years of therapy, his arrival was welcomed with open arms by the group.

There was a saying about this situation, wasn't there? Something about your own kids being more tolerable than those of other people…

Hana took over a good chunk of the administrative and legal work. Tsuna suspected the eagerness she displayed for a task most considered tedious betrayed how badly she wanted to find a place among them. It took some time for her to truly let her guard down and start interacting with more than Kyoko and Haru, but the first time Tsuna found her arguing good-naturedly with Hayato about his UMA over sandwiches, he knew everything would be alright in the end.

Given the exponentially increasing number of jobs both available and relevant to their expanding skill set, Kyoko volunteered to stay at the Office and act as a receptionist/secretary. Sure, her Italian was far from perfect (although it did improve in leaps and bounds), but with a decent online translator and her open, friendly personality, that was barely a hurdle. Kyoko also proved to be quite adept at sniffing out dubious jobs (either because the customer intended to cheat them of their dues, or because it bordered on illegality) and turning them down in ways that didn't offend the client.

Compared to most of his friends' so-called 'diplomatic' or 'innovative' solutions, this meant a lot less furniture to repair or replace…

When she was not managing their accounts or ensuring the other members weren't spending all of the company's money, Haru dealt with all the clothes-mending little jobs they got from time to time. She sewed up quite a number of damaged plush toys, which somehow led to her starting an online cosplay store, with – and the less Tsuna thought of that association, the better for his dwindling mental health – Mukuro, of all people.

Chrome slowly started branching out from Mukuro (in part because she had no interest in dressing up in outlandish costumes) and was tentatively looking for her own way. Tsuna thought she would end up in something related to decoration or art, because the shy girl had a keen eye for colors and aesthetically pleasing arrangements – she'd already suggested a few changes to the Office to make it more welcoming to customers.

Of course, since her timid proposal made a lot of sense, they did the painting job and re-arrangements, which boosted Chrome's confidence. Tsuna had no doubt she would soo find her own specialty and her place in Caeruleus before long.

It didn't take long for the combined genius of Shoichi, Spanner and Verde to build a motorcycle that Skull could drive. It also allowed him to perform stunts, carry Oodako in his smaller form or other kinds of packages, race as fast as he wanted and shoot rubber bullets (originally, the bullets had been lethal, but Tsuna had argued until the scientists changed it, and Skull himself wasn't all that keen on driving such a deadly vehicle either. The rubber bullets allowed him to defend himself without the guilt of possibly killing someone). Since his career as a stuntman was still tanked as long as the Arcobaleno curse held, Skull couldn't go back to being a performer, but just being able to feel the wind at high-speed when he worked as a delivery man seemed to cheer him up immensely.

(Tsuna still couldn't believe that none of the Arcobaleno with criminal contacts had ever offered to make Skull a fake driving license claiming him to have dwarfism or another medical condition to explain his size. It wouldn't have cost the Strongest Seven much, but it would have brought the Cloud so much joy…

Fon had already expressed remorse for that oversight and had apologized to Skull, but neither Verde nor Mammon had seemed the least bit sorry until Tsuna threatened to remove some of the former's research materials and to inform Xanxus of the latter's disregard. Of course, Xanxus didn't give a damn about Skull's plight, but he liked his young fellow Sky enough to do him a small favor, which Mammon knew and refused to risk her money over so little.)

Takeshi had taken to following Kyoya to the dojo where the Cloud 'taught' his students and had started kendo classes of his own. Sure, Takeshi only had a few weeks of practice, but – according to Squalo's expert opinion after several mock fights – was a natural at swordsmanship and already had all the basics and more down, enough to teach novices.

His 'playdates' (Xanxus' word, not Tsuna's) with Squalo did wonders on Takeshi's social skills, apparently teaching him how to channel his strong Rain Flames without letting them devolve into fixations. Ryohei's friendly battles with Lussuria had similar effects, allowing the younger Sun to slightly lower his extremeness levels to more tolerable levels.

With Fuuta happily signed up for online schooling under a fake name (the same institution as I-pin and Lambo, whom they deemed a bit too unique and violence-prone for regular kids. The older members were dispatched across several other schools to mitigate risks of discovery), everyone from their latest trip to Japan had more or less found their place in Caeruleus.

With some efforts on everyone's part, Tsuna's makeshift family found a new stable routine.

()()()()()()

Caeruleus was on one of their regular 'maintenance' visits at the Varia when Xanxus took Tsuna aside.

"I need a favor, mini-trash." Started the Varia boss without preamble. "You take on babysitting jobs, right?"

For a hot second, Tsuna thought Xanxus asked for Belphegor, but no. It didn't make sense. Bel, despite being of similar age to Tsuna, went on all the same missions as the rest of the elite – the mere idea of him staying behind would undoubtedly drive him in a murderous rage.

"We do." Agreed Tsuna cautiously. "Why do you ask?"

Xanxus dropped on the closest chair with more weight than usual. The young man usually moved with feline grace, yet right now he exuded nothing but heavy exhaustion.

"We took in a new member a week ago. Mammon found him during a mission, already Flame-active and with a good disposition for Varia, but… he's too young for all our outings."

Oh? A new member Tsuna had yet to meet? "Where is he?"

"With Bel and Mammon. And I blame you for my Mist bringing a stray in. She never did anything before if she couldn't get money from it."

Someone less familiar with Xanxus's general demeanor would have taken this as an aggressive accusation. Tsuna caught the underlying fondness and cheekily smiled back.

With a grunt (and a hidden smile), Xanxus turned around and walked away, fully expecting the younger Sky to follow.

The newcomer in Varia turned out to be a boy around Fuuta's age named Fran. He spoke Italian with a thick French accent and seemed utterly unfazed by Bel's constant attempts on his life. Several knives stuck out of the ridiculous frog hat Mammon had apparently forced him in as proof that he was apprenticed under the Mist Arcobaleno.

Right. Of course, 'a good disposition for Varia' implied a few serious gaps in one's mental health and no self-preservation. Tsuna didn't know what else he had expected.

"Oh, a cotton candy fairy." The kid said in the most deadpan voice as yet another throwing knife embedded itself in his hat's left eye. "Are you here to take me to the Land of Caramel Muffins?"

Tsuna glanced at Xanxus who observed the exchange from afar in amused silence. The traitor clearly found it all hilarious. Mammon floated nearby, counting bills in her hand while Bel lounged over a wardrobe and lazily threw a knife from time to time in Fran's direction.

Business as usual in the Varia headquarters.

"I'm afraid I don't know what the Land of Caramel Muffins is, sorry." Said Tsuna to the green-haired and green-eyed boy before him. "I'm Tsuna. Xanxus asked me and my friends to take care of you for a few days while he goes on special missions."

"Ah, yes. The cavity fairy leader said that I couldn't come along with missions where they'll raze down enemy fairy encampments. He's afraid I'll make a mess of their extermination campaign."

Oh, this was going to be a loooong babysitting job. "I see. Well, I hope we'll get along for however long it takes to… destroy enemy fairy encampments."

Tsuna had long made it a policy not to look into the Varia's affairs. He knew they were the Vongola's assassins and exterminators, but the details of who they killed, how and on whose orders were better left unknown.

Apparently, said details don't bother the boy in front of him as much.

A disposition for the Varia indeed.

"We'll be gone for a week starting this evening." Xanxus stepped in when Tsuna stayed silent a beat too long. The mean cavity fairy. "We'll pay you for making sure the frog trash doesn't kill himself before we return."

"At your regular babysitting rate and not a cent more." Mammon felt compelled to add. As if Caeruleus had made it a habit to scam them; in fact, considering the amount of work they had to do to fix the mansion and the recurring attacks on him and his friends by grunts and elite alike, Tsuna could very well ask for double the price they paid him, if not more.

Another knife landed behind the frog hat's head. Fran didn't seem to notice.

"Sure. I'll tell the others we're bringing a guest home when we're done here." Promised the younger Sky, already imagining all the ways this could – and would – go wrong.

Fran didn't exactly assuage his fears when they parted with a wooden "Tell the other candy fairies hello for me!"

()()()()()()

In Namimori, Japan, a small figure prowled in the shadows. Vongola Nono had given him a job, a very prestigious mission that he fully expected to complete.

For now, he gathered information about the events of a few months ago and stalked his target, a teenager that would one day sit in the Vongola's bloody throne, molded under his hands until the boy was worthy of the power it represented. He could already tell there would be a long way to go before his target could even think of assuming the mantle, but he would get there. He always did.

After all, even if he hadn't been hired for an assassination this time, he wasn't called the world's Greatest Hitman for nothing.

After so long, you finally get a glimpse of Reborn! Although since he didn't meet Tsuna and the others, I'm not counting it as the character introduced this time. Sorry, this was just a teaser.

Congratulations to Tempest's Rain and Dman4869 for guessing Fran would come next. For some reason, I love the little weirdo.