Target 56: Disarray

As always, if only because he had been far too used to it by now to need being awoken by Squalo in fear of being late, Tsuna was descending the stairs in a timely fashion, facing a day like any other. By now, Spring was at its bare start, and Tsuna's first year in middle school nearing its end, marking almost a year since Squalo had arrived to supposedly make him into a mafia boss. Tsuna had the slightest feeling Squalo couldn't care less about teaching him how to be a mafia boss, but that was one of the positives about his existence, so Tsuna had little room to complain about his irresponsibility.

"Anyway, I really think Tsuna could benefit from some fencing lessons from you!" Nana exclaimed from the distance, presumably speaking to Squalo; the only other member of the Sawada residence. "You are his tutor, after all, and you're always carrying that sword around. I'm betting you're a very strong swordsman!" Tsuna had only been able to see her when she was by the end of her suggestion, and she was smiling cheerfully with that comment, standing opposite of Squalo's seat. Tsuna had entered the kitchen just as he saw Squalo's eyes narrow as though from processing Nana's topic.

"Voooii, Tsuna?! With a sword?! Over my dead body!" Squalo shouted, and Tsuna had realized then he had actually been squinting in light of the mental image of Tsuna wielding a sword, as though it was so horrific he could not have kept the reaction to himself. "The moment he'd even start swinging it, he'd find a way to stab himself!"

"H-hey, what are you even talking about over there?" Tsuna interjected as he took a seat next to Squalo, if only because his plate was placed there, and Squalo eyed him with a raised eyebrow as if to watch for Tsuna's behaviour. "And it's not like I ever wanted to wield a sword like you, so who cares if I'm not good at it?"

"Well, your mother apparently does!" Squalo easily answered, motioning towards Nana who was offering Tsuna a smile. Tsuna, meanwhile, had started eating sourly considering the loud noise and Squalo insulting him off the bat. "She's telling me to teach you how to fight because some students in your school have been getting attacked lately!"

"They have?!" Tsuna flinched hearing that information, interrupting his momentary eating to stare at both Nana and Squalo in shock.

Nana blinked in surprise, only to place a hand under her chin as if pensive. "You didn't notice? You should start paying more attention to your surroundings, Tsu-kun," Nana remarked with nothing but concern, earning Tsuna a grimace. He tried avoiding that negativity by continuing to eat, listening to his mother. "I heard this from a few neighbors, but there have been a lot of students going to the hospital just to check on them. I can't help being worried over something like that."

"I guess..." Tsuna half-heartedly muttered, unable to even process an incident so alarming. Regardless, his mother's concern was justified, so he didn't elaborate on his thought process and let the conversation die out for a silent breakfast. Squalo and Tsuna would usually have little to talk about at such a time, and Nana would be busy taking care of chores such as washing the dishes, so a peaceful breakfast was fairly normal, and often boring; though, it was better to have peace than to think of the reality that delinquents could approach Tsuna and beat him enough to send him to the hospital.

"Oh, I know!" Nana suddenly exclaimed, having likely been quietly pondering in that moment of silence, where even Squalo would have seemed like a regular man with no problems in the control of the volume of his voice. "How about you take him to school, Squalo-kun? If you're around to protect Tsuna, I'll have nothing to worry about."

However, that was quickly ruined when the idea was ultimately brought to Squalo's attention mainly, and he was looking up again to glare at Nana. "And since when did I become his bodyguard, huh?!" Squalo countered in protest, while Tsuna nodded along him for once. Sorry, mom, but as safe as you'd feel having him around, I sure don't wanna deal with him screaming at me about how boring walking me to school is!

"Be-besides!" Tsuna added to support Squalo's argument, and appease his mother's reasonable concerns, just as the matter popped to mind. "I'm planning on going to school with Mochida-senpai, so it's not like you need to worry about me that much today!" And the last person I'd want next to me while trying to talk to Kyoko-chan is Squalo...!

"My, you're going with Mochida-kun again?" Nana said with a hint of curiosity. She sometimes would spot him by the window, and he seemed like a spirited young man when she met him, so he had left a good impression on her, warranting a smile. "He's always carrying a sword on his back, too, so I suppose that's also reassuring."

"You mean that piece of trash that's always complaining? If anyone ever gets beaten with the sword he's got, they've gotta be the lowest of the low!" Squalo countered, as the other extreme end of opinions about Mochida, mainly concerning his habitual presence near Tsuna, rather than anything he was putting into words now. "You can count on him to buy time for Tsuna to escape, if anything!"

"As if I'd use him like that!" Tsuna exclaimed, indignant, looking bitterly towards his breakfast while eating it after having acted out as he saw in this moment others. "Everyone's always weak in your book, anyway..."

"Voi, of course they are!" Just as pictured by Tsuna, Squalo was retaliating with an argument of his own after talking out of order; in a normal person's standards, of course. "There's no one in this dump who could even stand to beat me, after all! Especially not that kendo kid!"

While Tsuna was technically used to being talked down by Squalo, and, as well, seeing his friends get the same treatment, lately, that was an attitude hard for him to swallow. Tsuna and Squalo were not always antagonistic to each other, but ever since the day Squalo had questioned him about Fuuta, Tsuna had been unable to hold back from saying to him what he thought were his opinions, knowing that no matter how scary he was, he was still tied down by his 'mafia obligations', which included not hurting the next Vongola boss. "Well, even if that's true, you don't have to berate my friends every time they come up!" Tsuna retorted, snapping back in his direction after a few seconds of having tried to simply let Squalo go.

He did know it was a bad decision, and, in regretting it, Tsuna was only further frustrated as he watched Squalo continue grin as though to overpower his supposedly meaningless whining. "Or what?! You'll kill me?! I'd like to see you try even putting a scratch on me without tripping over yourself!"

"I shouldn't even need to do anything like that!" Tsuna argued, "I don't wanna have anything to do with violence!"

"Then don't think you can stand up against me!" Squalo countered in quick response, raising an eyebrow as he seemingly noted the genuinely angry expression in Tsuna. "Since when did you start thinking you could back-talk me, anyway? Do you even know who you're talking to?!"

"As far as I know, I'm talking to my home tutor!" Tsuna retorted, causing Squalo to blink as though momentarily bewildered, and as Tsuna continued speaking, Squalo was frowning as he listened. "That's all you ever let me know about in the first place!" Tsuna set down his bowl and stood from his seat, having only caught a glimpse of Squalo's death glare and hand starting to move as though to point his way accusingly.

"Voooooii, running away?!"

"It's not like you'll actually use that sword, so I don't need to!" Tsuna answered as he took his school bag, and started heading for the front door.

Tsuna was out of Squalo's sight by then, but he knew well his words would be well heard. "You're damn right I won't use the sword!" Squalo shouted, standing as well without any thought beyond the anger that came upon him from Tsuna's annoying arguments. "My fist's enough to put you in your place, you brat! You'll regret underestimating me!"

"Now, now, Squalo-kun," Nana interjected just as Squalo was starting to walk, forcing him to turn around to glare her way. "Your breakfast is still on the table, you know?"

"You think that's reason enough not to beat your son 'till he learns his lesson?!" Squalo said, though he did not seem to be moving. In truth, he was at a point where, logically, he had already deemed it fruitless to chase after Tsuna, when he truly wasn't supposed to harm him. Even so, there was always a part of him that could not quite comply whenever he was angry, which was being stopped the more he was being faced with Nana and the reality that he did happen to have been calmly having breakfast before Tsuna arrived to foil everything.

"Lesson? Isn't it nice seeing Tsuna finally starting to acknowledge you?" Nana questioned with genuine surprise, and not due to Squalo's entirely rude threat; Nana had already learned to translate that into common speech. Seeing Squalo's face contort in confusion, eyebrows furrowed, Nana began to show a small smile as she reminisced. "He used to be so scared of you before, but now you get along so well. When I look at you two, I can't help smiling."

Squalo's right eye twitched reflexively, the sheer sounds having come from Nana so surreal Squalo first struggle to come up with a retort, even though he was certainly confident in his ability to show people how inferior they were to him. After a few seconds, as Nana's smile did not fade and she did not reveal any sign of noticing the ridiculous discrepancy between her words and reality, Squalo was compelled to utter, "Voooooii, are you blind or what?! Not only does Tsuna hate my guts, but the feeling's mutual! He keeps on acting like I'm no big deal just because I can't kill the brat and smiling like it's suddenly alright for me to throw him to the sea like the trash he is before complaining for no reason! Even worse, he has the gal to talk back to me of all people when he's just a scrawny middle schooler! He might've started thinking my sword's for show, but I could slash him in three before he could even spot the blade glinting in the dark!"

Nana blinked for a moment, as if overwhelmed by the full extent of Squalo's rant. "In other words..." she pensively muttered, only to slightly tilt her head aside as if in an effort to conjure a conclusion. "You think Tsuna isn't taking you seriously?"

"I don't think so, I know so!" Squalo protested, "He thinks he can get away with anything because I'm just a home tutor, but that's just because I haven't knocked him out yet! He'll see!" However, against his expectations, Nana began to chuckle loudly, as if she'd come across a situation that hilarious. Confused, but simultaneously offended, Squalo pointed his sword in her direction. "Voi, what are you laughing at?!"

"Oh, I just...!" Nana wiped a tear from her eye as she attempted to calm herself, taking a deep breath. "I just thought it was surprising seeing someone like you have those kinds of worries," she responded cheerfully, contrasting with Squalo's pointed irritation.

"Huh?! What kinda worries?!"

"Well, about how Tsuna perceives you—"

"Vooooii, I don't care what Tsuna thinks!"

"—Though, the way I see it," Nana said with almost no pause to her words, as though Squalo hadn't spoken at all (much to Squalo's chagrin), "the reason Tsuna's behavior towards you has changed is actually because he's starting to respect you as a home tutor, instead. Have you noticed he's been treating you like one, lately? Before, he'd complain to me about how you're nothing but a scary freeloader!" Strangely enough, though he expected otherwise and to put a stop to her conversation by way of shouting as an interruption once more, Squalo was instead bringing himself to consider the content of Nana's words. Naturally, Squalo was not always there to watch over Tsuna, but if there were moments he would talk alone with his mother, he had always assumed they would be about how despicable it was to have Squalo there; especially because he had overheard him before and used that to berate him once. However, despite that, he wasn't able to deny that transition while also being unable to agree as a tint of confusion surged in his mind. He rose an eyebrow, and awaited Nana's input on the matter. "But now he's completely stopped talking about wanting you out of this house. Besides, he's gotten so motivated to study and train in comparison to his past self. I'm sure the reason he smiles and talks to you honestly is because he's starting to trust you to listen and guide him in the right direction. So, in the end, you never needed to worry about Tsuna hating you or not taking you seriously at all."

Even Squalo could not quite place the reason he wasn't ardent in anger from the barrage of insolent words that'd come from Nana Sawada. Perhaps it was the irony that came with the honesty in her words; maybe it was because there was some other feeling welling up inside that he couldn't discern getting in the way; it could even be both at the same time, and knowing that should've triggered his loud fury. However, Squalo, after locking eyes with Nana, who smiled his way genuinely once more, calmly stood from his seat. "Hmph," he uttered, "I don't even have the patience to argue with you anymore. I'm going for a walk."

"Squalo-kun? What about your breakfast?" Nana asked with a frown of concern, but Squalo turned around and began to walk, unfazed.

"Lost my appetite."

Nana watched as Squalo stomped his way out of the kitchen, and heard the sound of the front door opening. "W-well, have a nice trip out there!" She'd even scrambled to shout the usual parting words, as pure surprise and confusion remained in her gaze, especially when she looked down towards the dining table. He didn't even finish it. "There's always a first time for everything, I suppose..." she muttered to herself, though it failed to erase her somber mood. "Whatever it is he's mulling about, I hope he's alright..."

. . .

Kensuke Mochida liked to think he was a fairly kind-hearted guy. Rather, his every memory of past actions only pointed to that conclusion, so Mochida was, in fact, certain of his good nature. Even as Tsuna and Kyoko disappeared into the horizon, their smiles were etched into his mind, and he pretended he hadn't noticed himself scowl, perhaps out of jealousy (though, there was no reason to be jealous of Tsuna of all people, he repeated to himself, especially when Kyoko was nothing special to begin with), Mochida concluded he was executing yet another one of his good deeds. Tsuna himself seemed to be convinced Mochida was out for revenge, but leaving it that way kept the situation dramatic. Tsuna was better off not knowing, Mochida noted with a half-hearted smirk.

Such a good upperclassman he was. Seeing Tsuna's despaired eyes whenever he was by Kyoko's side, Mochida had rushed for his thankless aid. Unbeknownst to the slight mirage of his own self the moment he'd caught sight of Tsuna, Mochida sought invisible glory and left the altruistic situation with the added benefit of getting to know Tsuna. An interesting fellow, that Tsuna; always in some kind of trouble by the hands of a pure lunatic. Frustratingly enough, said maniac was as demanding as he was strong, and his training had been doing wonders on Mochida as well, but he would never admit that openly. Squalo was someone to be resented, an anomaly that looked down on a gentleman such as Mochida. He would've pitied Tsuna, had he not mercifully offered to stay by his side.

Not because he was lonely or anything of the sort. After all, it wasn't as though his club members made fun of him behind his back or— Regardless, Mochida was not friendless, and definitely not lacking in classmates who only wished to have his company, even after the fluke that was Kyoko's rejection. As such, Tsuna was only lucky to have Mochida around, and he was sure Tsuna would eventually notice that. He only started approaching Kyoko on his own due to Mochida's insistence, and Mochida could at least find himself proud of that development. If anything, I'm more of a tutor than that sword maniac is, so I've even got that going for me. If he can't even notice that, he doesn't even know what he's missing out on...!

... Mochida sighed despite his thoughts, as there was no one in his surroundings, and Tsuna was already more than out of his sight, and he was left with nothing but reality. He's annoyed at me, if anything, he thought, cursing his own dejection, He thinks I'm just there for revenge. I mean, I wish I could get revenge on that Kyoko woman, but— Ugh, who am I kidding? After being exposed to her idiot of a brother, I just couldn't care less about her. I just wanted to figure out what Kyoko saw in Sawada and for him not to go through what I did, and now I'm just a nuisance. But then again, I can't go low enough to admit I'm just there because it's fun being with the guy plotting how to snatch Kyoko's heart, so it's a stalemate!

Mochida grimaced, only to blink in confusion when a dull green color surged in the horizon. The presence of another person forced him to tense and regain his composure, and Mochida scratched his head wondering if the young man walking for him had noticed anything about his thoughts, but was forced to stop in his tracks when the other person voiced, "Hey, hey." It was clear he was a student, but his uniform differed from Namimori Middle School's, so he was a complete stranger to Mochida. His hands rested in his pants' pockets, and he grinned slyly as light brown eyes locked onto Mochida's. Mochida, on the other hand, was noting the scar by the bridge of his nose with some unease. "You Kensuke Mochida?"

The casual stance from the stranger warranted further displeasure from Mochida, who perceived it as condescension. Mochida crossed his arms, and stated, "That I am, but what's it to you? If you're gonna challenge me, make it when I'm free and announce it properly." Mochida, not exactly only due to his status as captain of the Kendo club, was familiar with the stance of those who habitually fought, or were taunting their fellow man, and that condescending gaze was nothing but telling. Even still, as of late, he would never get into a fight without just cause, so all he had fought so far were people from other Kendo clubs who had confronted him, in turn, with nothing but blind anger. He couldn't recognize the boy in front of him, but he was starting to assume the captain of his club probably had a grudge against him, and scowled, raising his arms ever so slightly to prepare for a defensive stance, because he knew his re-scheduling excuse and bluff would only work sometimes.

"What, you want a letter or somethin'? Gimme a break, kendo boy," the stranger remarked with a huff, and removed one of his hands from his pocket. It had been positioned faintly behind his leg to the point Mochida couldn't discern what exactly it was holding, but it was clear that there was something on his hand. "Who'd go through that kinda trouble when you could be the wrong guy? You're lucky I even came up to you. Wanna know how I usually do this kinda thing?" The stranger stepped forward, towards Mochida, with his tongue out after licking his lips. Mochida's face scrunched up in disgust, but, in starting to realize the student wasn't looking for any kendo match or something revenge-related, he tensed, expecting the worst. "I sneak up on my prey..." Mochida stepped back in turn, feeling as though he could've given him a clear opening had he let him be too close, and watched the stranger's unpocketed hand rise and reach his teeth with what he perceived to be artificial fangs. He was almost reminded of the one time he dressed up as a vampire for Halloween and wryly smirked thinking someone so ridiculous would seek a fist fight, but he was immediately forced to move by a sudden swing of twitching claws. "And lunge at 'em!"

Mochida jumped back, only to look towards his shoulder. The claws had nearly contacted his skin, and his uniform was slashed as if an exceedingly sharp sword had cut through it; his arm held a light scratch though he swore the claws should not have touched him. He directed wide eyes towards the insane stranger snickering elatedly and ducked in reaction to another horizontal swing of his claws, too fast to process. "What the...?!" Mochida would have assumed the stranger's clawed hand was his left hand, which had been in his pocket before he'd begun attacking, but the second attempt at a slash involved his right hand, which now seemed to sport the same kind of long, sharp fingernails he could no longer excuse as artificial. How did he suddenly get those claws?! What's going on?! As he stood, Mochida grabbed at the bag containing his bamboo sword behind his bag and shoved it in front of the stranger before quickly dashing back, ensuring his safety. With eerie ease, the stranger's claws had not only cut through the fabric of the cylindrical bag, but through the bamboo as well, and its pieces fell to the ground unceremoniously. What a monster...! "Y-you! You won't get away with this! If you're just asking for a fist fight, it's possible you're even the culprit behind the attacks on Nami-Middle students!"

"Huh?" The stranger's eyebrow rose almost dramatically. "You only figured that out now? Slow on the uptake, aren't ya?!" He then charged at Mochida, who felt almost as though time had stopped that very moment. He had no weapon: were he carrying a wooden sword, he could have had a chance to truly damage the Kokuyo Middle School student, but the Kendo club didn't have wooden swords for safety reasons, as they could easily be used as weapons; not that he had confidence he could use one, but it flashed in his mind eerily. Furthermore, assuming he could get close to his opponent and engage him with his fists, the chance of being scratched with his claws was too high because it was clear his speed was far beyond Mochida's own level. What do I do? How do I win?! Part of him wanted to cower and run away, but he simultaneously knew he could not afford to escape without a chase, and he'd lost the chance to give himself a head start after he sacrificed his bamboo sword. He considered sacrificing his school bag, and wondered if he could create an opening similar to the last one to attack the stranger, but he quickly concluded that would only present him with the opportunity to hit him once. He wouldn't be able to punch him in the stomach, as his front would be in the range of the claws, but his back wasn't particularly soft, and he needed a blow that would have his opponent recoil enough to allow for more hits and weaken him. Aiming for his side, near his kidneys could be effective, but it was a nothing more than a hypothesis. If Mochida were to fail in his plan to make up more openings beyond one punch, he would easily be overwhelmed by the claws of the student clearly more used to fighting than Mochida, who would now usually be fighting in Kendo matches. They at least served him well in some way, as Mochida was remarkably composed and knew how to seek openings. Even now, he planned on dodging the stranger's hit and execute the plan he'd thought over afterwards for the sake of having better timing to hit him.

However, just as the student's jump was almost reaching Mochida, he felt wind brushing past his body from behind, and the corners of his eyes caught sight of tiny, square-like objects that flew in the stranger's direction. Mochida saw the objects glint, and, just in case, stepped back in shock. "Wha...?!" He heard the stranger awed by the circumstances accompanied by multiple explosions surrounding him, which warranted a scream akin almost to a dog's whine by Mochida's opponent. Mochida had last seen the stranger's eyes wide from the surprise, but white smoke now covered the premises, and he could hardly believe he'd witnessed the activation of explosions. Had the shockwave not almost knocked him to the ground, he would have doubted his eyes, and he was unsure whether it was safer to keep his eyes on the stranger or to look behind him to see the origin of the explosives. If anything, he wondered if the stranger was even alive.

"Vooooooooii!" The familiar voice had Mochida flinch, jolted awake from his panicked train of thought. Renewed focus allowed him to spot a shadow flying back from the smoke and landing by the fencing of a house to Mochida's right, but Mochida couldn't help but turn around to confirm the nigh impossible possibility that originated from the shout he'd heard. "Goes to show you're not any normal civilian trash if you survived that! Which Family are you from?!"

The apparent origin of the explosives dropped down from the roof of a house behind Mochida with overwhelming ease in spite of the height, and managed to land in front of Mochida with his sword pointed the stranger's way. Naturally, Mochida could recognize that long silver hair and constant hold of a blade anywhere, but the context of his presence baffled him to the point he stepped back further, unable to even note that he may have landed in front of him as a defensive measure. "S, S, Squalo?! You did that just now?! W-with the explosives?!"

Squalo glanced behind him, and smirked after seeing Mochida tremble from a mix of shock, anger and fear. "If you're impressed with just that, you'd get a heart attack seeing the rest of it!" He turned back to the stranger, who appeared to be smiling while holding other sets of artificial teeth on his right hand once more. "Anyway, you! Answer my question or you'll be rust on my blade! Which Family are you from?!"

"Looks like I got the right guy after all," the stranger remarked, though his expression of glee was notably strained. Many spots of his uniform were charred, revealing even some burnt skin, and it was unknown how well he could move considering his current state. In fact, Mochida was surprised he got away from those explosions so lightly, even if red leaked into the fabric of his clothing ominously. Even so, as if unaffected, he whistled. "Now that's a welcome, mister! Don't look much like a middle schooler, but Kendo boy over there knows you, so close enough!" The stranger proceeded to cough while chuckling, and the sight of blood jumping from out of his mouth was beyond disturbing to Mochida, who could hardly blink on a good conscience seeing such injury. "Still, heh..." He then licked the blood from his vacant hand, only to lock eyes with Squalo. "Think I'd tell ya anything? I'm the one who's gonna ask the questions here! You're part of the Vongola, aren't you?"

"Voi, that's some guts for someone who can barely stand straight! I wouldn't even need three seconds to kill you as you are, and you're saying I'm gonna answer your questions?! Get real, trash! If you don't spill your secrets right now, you're dead meat!" Squalo started stepping in the direction of the stranger's position, and said Kokuyo Middle School student scrambled to jump away, using his claws to assure his position on top of a tree branch. He pulled himself up, and frowned knowing the swordsman was serious about his words; a true killer, he noted.

"Tch, I've still got fight in me," the stranger claimed, "If I went down just from that, I'd be way worthless! Just watch!" Mochida saw the Kokuyo student pulling his current fangs out as Squalo hopped for the top of the fence, and he was right in assuming the stranger would replace the set of teeth, but he was not expecting the consequent changes to the young man's body. Squalo, on the other hand, narrowed his eyes and only frowned as he stood upon the fence, as if to at first scrutinize the full extent of his opponent's ability. The stranger's hair was dyed a fiery orange, and his teeth grew as long and sharp as the artificial set displayed. Naturally, his claws were just as long, but Mochida was even more shocked seeing darkened spots appearing in parts of his body. "Cheetah Channel!"

To further add salt to Mochida's wound, Squalo seemed entirely unimpressed by the show of power, and held no trace of fear in facing the bizarre stranger; perhaps because he was bizarre himself, Mochida concluded. The student lunged at Squalo, or rather, to his side so as to better avoid a swing of his sword, but even that was to no avail. In the blink of Mochida's eyes, the stranger was already falling to the ground from a movement so quick his eyes were unable to catch it even in comparison to the surprisingly slower (yet fast in its own right) charging motion of the stranger. From Mochida's understanding, it seemed as though Squalo had simply targeted the back of the stranger's head and hit him with a clean chop, using only his right hand. Then, Squalo kicked his legs, halting his attempt at achieving some form of balance by landing on the fencing and dropped down to the ground to aim his sword directly to the student's chest with a proud huff. "Not even worth using my sword for!" Squalo exclaimed, "Now, this is your last chance, trash! Which Family are you from, and what are you trying to pull with the Vongola?!"

"Damn... You..." Hearing the stranger mutter something apart from his desired response, Squalo approached his sword to him to the point it touched his ripped shirt, and he groaned. At present, his mind was a daze: Squalo's pinpoint blow to the back of his head was executed precisely so as to stun him by rattling his brain; an attack that only a professional could pull off without mistakes. It was perhaps the only reason he hadn't died yet for his words, and he was certain such a merciless man would not let him live even if he did speak out (something he would never even conceive doing). "Who the hell... Are you...? You're stronger than... Even my—"

"You better hurry up answering," Squalo warned, "You don't have another chance. If you try anything funny, you'll be in three before you know it!"

"You... You're gonna kill him...?!" Squalo glanced behind him, recalling Mochida's presence. "F-for real?!" Mochida questioned in pure shock, but he could barely muster the courage to even run. "So, when you and those other two talked about the Vongola and family or whatever—"

"If you don't wanna watch, get the hell out of here," Squalo asserted, "You're an idiot, but you're not stupid enough not to know what'll happen if you blabber anything you saw to other people, are you?"

It was then Mochida truly felt a chill running down his spine. Squalo's cold gaze, as though his heart could truly never hold such a thing as empathy, combined with his clear voice unrelenting and lacking in hesitation carried the weight of the current events with accuracy Mochida did not want to know and realize. The painful reality settled in, and Mochida wished he could run, but his body only stiffened, and he could no longer speak. Even if he felt like warning him of a presence creeping up to Squalo from his opposing side, and the stranger's wryly smiling form, Mochida could not even will himself to. Instead, a slight grunt from the soft voice of the child that dashed from behind had Squalo flinch in surprise before shifting his sword to his right, swinging it to guarantee a safe distance between himself and the mysterious attacker.

Squalo scowled, though his eyes were wide from the very fact that someone had managed to go unnoticed by him, but the identity of the assailant further shook him. "Ranking Fuuta...!" Squalo sidestepped him out of reflex, only to glance towards the stranger, who managed to stand quicker than expected despite his physical condition, and smirked in victory while jumping back.

"Nice going, kid!" the stranger exclaimed before coughing. "Ah, damn it... Thought I was a goner back then..."

"Ken." Squalo snapped his head in the child, Fuuta's direction again, and quickly noted another student with the same uniform as the stranger and his apathetic expression looking over his comrade. He stood near Fuuta, but his position was not particularly for the sake of protecting the child, and his eyes were solely focused on the stranger, whose name was supposedly Ken. "I know you're excited you got the right guy, but we're retreating."

"Wh— Kaki-pi, for real?!" Ken questioned, blinking his partner's way. "I'd get it if I was by myself, but with you here on top of that?! Hell, even the kid could make a nice meat shield to stop his sword! No way we're passing this up like it's nothing!"

Meanwhile, Squalo grimaced as he watched, if only because the familiar figure had thrown him off balance. That Ranking Fuuta is teaming up with these people? What exactly is going on here...? "It's an order," the other stranger, 'Kaki-pi' uttered in a matter-of-fact fashion. "If it weren't for the kid's warning, you'd have been dead by now."

Ken recoiled, surprised, only to scowl as he cast his gaze downwards. "Fine," he said, even if hesitantly, "If those are his orders, I'm going. There's still stuff I can report, anyway!"

"Voi..." Squalo's voice garnered the attention of the two immediately, and he stated bitterly, "You two think you're gonna escape now that you went through the trouble of being noticed by me? I'm still not done with you, whatever it is you're planning to do with the Vongola boss candidate!"

"And we're sure not done with you either, damn it...!" Ken countered, "Just you wait, we'll sniff you out and you'll—"

"Ken," his partner asserted, "We're leaving."

"Oh, no you don't!" Squalo charged their way, but was immediately forced to jump back and slash through the darts flying for him, launched at speeds abnormal for the regular fighter. Squalo's gaze lingered on the shadow of Ken's partner even as he'd thrown another explosive hoping to neutralize the trajectory of the rest of the numerous darts, left as an extra precaution for Squalo were he able to catch up from the first barrage. "Tch, damn hitman..." The hell is he doing with Ranking Fuuta, anyway? By the time the smoke had dissipated, the three attackers were gone from his line of sight, and Squalo was standing near Mochida again. While Mochida remained frozen upon witnessing the events that transpired in the otherwise peaceful neighborhood, Squalo was currently faced with the prospect of dropping his chase on the enemy. They're targetting Tsuna, and by the sound of it, they're planning on coming back. Even if I don't go after them, they'll show up just to taste my blade, so...

Squalo's eyes narrowed as he formed the quick conclusion and turned around to face the civilian that was Mochida, who truthfully did not quite constitute as a normal citizen by that point. The Ninth, at least, seemed to have expectations out of him after Reborn had gracelessly bothered to share information about his meeting with Squalo, and he'd since then demanded reports on Tsuna's status with his 'prospective guardians'. Considering the shock the brat was experiencing, however, Squalo knew better than to take said guardians seriously. Squalo's gaze drifted to the floor when he noticed the remains of a bamboo sword lying torn in half, pitifully so; a wasted weapon. He locked eyes with Mochida then, and said, "Because I showed up, they'll be associating you with me from now on. If you don't step up your game and keep losing like the trash you are with that poor excuse for a weapon, you'll be dead meat before my sword gets to you."

Mochida blinked, showing signs of hesitation, unconscious movement as his hand barely twitched, but Squalo was already turning around to leave. "W-where the hell are you going?" Mochida asked, desperately so, as if afraid he could go on a killing spree unstopped.

Squalo did stop in his tracks upon listening, and with a single glance, he said, "Voi, since when can you afford to stick your nose into my business?" Then, he smirked, as if the pitiful expression on Mochida's face had set off more thoughts than just of the present situation, even if subconsciously. "I always thought you were the weakest link, but I didn't imagine I'd get rid of you this fast. Just wait for the others to join you there, will you?! In the after life, that is!" Squalo stomped away from Mochida afterwards with roaring laughter, heading in the direction of the Sawada residence, leaving that taunt behind for Mochida to grit his teeth over the moment he'd finally enabled himself movement.

"Damn it...!" Thinking back on his display of pure cowardice, outright becoming paralysed in front of his enemy, Mochida couldn't bring himself to deny Squalo's insulting words, and that only frustrated him further. He'd laid eyes on the bamboo sword on the ground, broken, and imagined himself in a similar state were Squalo not there. More importantly, the mere fact that he could not even rely on his kendo to defend himself was further proof of Squalo's initial words, and reflected perhaps the notion that, somehow, Mochida was inferior to others such as Yamamoto and Ryohei. Yes, even Ryohei, who was at least known to win fights regularly, fair and square. What of Mochida? Mochida wasn't a fighter anymore. He would run; he would cheat if necessary, and he was content with being the cool upperclassman like that.

... Though, even he could hear his club members' whispers about him. "Damn it, damn it all...!" What the hell is wrong with that maniac?! I'm Kensuke Mochida, and I'm the captain of the kendo club! Who wouldn't think I'm great?! It's his fault thinking I'd even need to do something as unclassy as fighting, anyway! Against assassins, of all things! It's only normal I'm just in Kendo, a safe and cool sport! And kendo certainly had a cool ring to it, one he could mention to women and get some appreciation from. For at least a single moment, they would hold interest, and drift away from his about five conversations afterwards for reasons unknown. Just like most of his acquaintances, really: the moment Mochida had nothing more to offer them, they would part ways with him.

Mochida shook his head violently. No, they're just jealous! And this situation sure as hell wasn't my fault! It's all because of the mafia!

"Because I got involved with Sawada..." He's the one—

"I don't want to see you getting in trouble because of me! I just want to get along with you like a normal person!"

Mochida could not will himself to think further in his attempt to turn despair into resentment. Tsuna's earnest gaze cut deep through his rationalization, for it was one of the few times it had ever been shown to him in a life where he had promised himself success beyond compare. Even though it truly had all been related to those on Tsuna's side, of Tsuna's circumstances, Mochida knew better— He knew Tsunayoshi Sawada, and those who surronded him.

"I'm through with arguments between you and my friends!"

He, too, had been struggling. From the very start, before Mochida had even known him, Tsuna had likely known everything, and was keeping it a secret, so that Mochida would not be placed under any danger. Despite all doubts, all the insecurities— He could not deny Tsuna's own words; he was a friend. It wasn't a foreign empty word for Mochida, but from Tsuna's mouth, it had come out genuine enough that resentment became apathy before flashes of hollow respect, betrayal, formalities and pretences, of which Mochida wanted none of. All Mochida wanted was—

Mochida twitched, urging himself to walk because, more importantly than even himself, he was sure of what he had seen when Squalo was in the vicinity: the small figure corresponding to a child he knew well; Fuuta, from the Yamamoto residence. At the time, he said nothing, like the coward he was, even though he knew that Fuuta could not have joined assassins of his own volition. He did nothing to stop him, and that was a burden that he did not want to continue carrying, for more than his own sake. I need to tell Yamamoto about Fuuta. I need to tell them about the mafia, because if I'm already getting targeted, they're in danger. I'm already done for, but...

Mochida's pace quickened, his steps gaining some stability, as he planned to await the hours for the end of class for both Yamamoto and Ryohei. But, they don't deserve that fate. They're Sawada's friends...!

. . .

It wasn't as though Squalo had any secret to keep from Mochida back then. The brat was simply being so demanding that Squalo couldn't help taunting him for the loser he truthfully was. As such, he didn't even bother to tell him he was simply returning home (and it certainly was none of his business where he went), just in case Nana Sawada could be put in danger, after his suspicions having been confirmed that the attacks had not been any normal result of delinquency. Unlike Tsuna, who had at least two meat shields at his disposal and would probably not be found out just yet, Nana was a defenseless woman with no sense of danger; the hitmen could eventually trace Squalo back to the residence and catch her off-guard. Hell, they could knock on her door and she would let them inside. The worst part were the consequences of an attack on the CEDEF boss' wife, seeing as Iemitsu Sawada was just as known for his Young Lion days as much as he was for his love for his significant other. It was already a miracle the Ninth managed to get Iemitsu to approve of Squalo's stay, but it would require another phenomenon of the sort to get the entirety of the CEDEF not to scream bloody murder were Nana harmed in any shape or form on Squalo's watch. While the prospect of fighting multiple CEDEF members was actually appealing for the swordsman, Squalo knew better than to inconvenience Xanxus by giving the CEDEF reasons to disband the Varia, so he slammed the door behind him and immediately caught Nana by the entrance, staring doe-eyed at a letter. "Voi, I'm back!"

Nana flinched, startled only now by the noise, and looked up at Squalo. She offered a smile then, and stretched out the arm holding the letter. "My, welcome back, Squalo-kun! I was so distracted by this letter that you scared me for a bit there! It looks like it's for you, too." Squalo grabbed at the letter immediately, and noticed the familiar seal; it was from the Ninth, surely. "By the way, are you alright?"

Squalo snapped his head up to Nana's direction again as his face scrunched up in pure confusion. "Huh?!"

"Well, when you left, you didn't seem like you were in a good mood," Nana explained, "It was like you were actually troubled by something, for once. I was just wondering if anything happened."

Squalo blinked, almost as if trying to remember what the hell she was even talking about. Then, he grimaced. "You should start caring about things that actually matter, like watching out for strangers who break into the place! The moment anyone puts their mind to it, you'll be kicking the bucket faster than I can even swing my sword!"

"There you go again, worrying about me and the house," Nana remarked, "Everything will be fine! More importantly, you should start paying more attention to yourself, and how you're feeling. Otherwise, you might just lose sight of what you really want."

Squalo scowled. "Vooooi, you're more hopeless than Tsuna! I don't even know why I tell you anything anymore!" While Squalo wanted to divert his attention from Nana's infuriantingly meaningless advice and read the letter from the Ninth so as to not waste further time, it was just as evident from the way the Sawada residence had been left that Iemitsu Sawada had made a point to hide any sort of mafia circumstance from Nana and Tsuna; and Nana likely was not negotiable. In that sense, if he were to read the letter in front of her, Squalo would have to be confronted with its contents, and telling about the mafia to Nana would equally cause multiple CEDEF officers to scream bloody murder his way. "And, voi, don't you have anything better to do?! You're always doing some kind of chore right about now!"

"Well, I was checking on the mail and planning on cleaning the living room floor—"

"Then do that! These letters are just stuff I get from Italy! They're none of your business!"

"So that's what it was," Nana said, "I was wondering what kind of letter would have such a fancy seal, but maybe that's just part of your culture. If it's personal, I won't pry, so read to your heart's content!" Nana walked away on her own, satisfied for what he was sure any normal person would consider no reason, but her apparent idiocy was conversely convenient to Squalo, who watched her leave before he stepped towards the stairs to read the letter as far from Nana as possible. As he ascended them, Squalo tore the seal away and had a modest paper revealed to him, likely bound to explode, filled with fewer words than expected from a decree from the Ninth.

Generally-speaking, receiving a letter from the Ninth was very rare, and the instances he got them had been handled by Squalo without Nana even noticing. They never bore good news, since they were directives related to educating Tsuna as the Vongola Boss, and how his friends and environment were to be included in that education process; nothing to care for in any genuine manner. He expected to be receiving some sort of reprimand for Tsuna's subpar academic performance, but when he scanned through the contents of the letter, his hand was trembling in boiling anger the more he considered and processed the shocking news.

Summarized in his mind were multiple points of grave importance: firstly, that three fugitives from a prison for mafia criminals had been confirmed in Namimori, likely correponding to the hitmen he saw, of which Mukuro Rokudo was the most important; secondly, it was Tsuna's mission to defeat these fugitives that were plotting against the Vongola, and bring them to justice; thirdly, beyond all odds, it was decreed that, from now on, Squalo was no longer allowed to intercept assassins targetting Tsuna, or to aid Tsuna directly at all in any fight whatsoever. To entirely top off that disgusting, unrealistic list was the fact that all information on the fugitives had been provided by the Cavallone Family, and he had an idea of who was pulling that Bucking Bronco's strings, and, consequently, the Ninth's, in all likelihood; though he had no clue why that infant had such influence. However, for there to have been such a change when, so far, Squalo had been admonishing the Ninth's suggestions of bringing Tsuna to battle with statements of how it would be too early for him, there had to be a cause, a voice to sway him. It was that infant's doing...! That damn infant, who's doing everything he can to stand in my way...!

Just as he was ripping apart that letter with a single hand trembling in fury, he felt a vibration notable to belong to a throwaway phone, the one he had registered to the Vongola as a means to contact him; but he had a different phone for the Varia. He had taken that phone, leaving the shreds of paper on top of him as he noted that, as only natural, the number calling him was unknown. Either way, he took the call, pressing the phone to his ear with a deep grimace. "Ciaossu," was the first word Squalo heard from a familiar, harmless-seeming voice which awakened him to the conclusion he had just made about the letter, with special consideration to the timing of the call.

"Vooooii! You're the one who got the Ninth to do this, didn't you?!" Squalo asked Reborn with the full volume of his voice when he was in a bad mood, and while he pictured the infant to not be as affected, he had wished he were.

"What are you talking about? He's the boss. I just follow his orders," Reborn casually answered, but quietly enough that it could be assumed he was considerably far from the other end of the call.

"Then why the hell am I just being forced to sit around and watch Tsuna die to hitmen?! It's obvious he's not ready for battle! Hell, he'd need a lifetime just to get to the level of a normal person! It's what I've always been telling the Ninth on my reports!"

"Did you sink as low as to make up excuses?" Squalo tensed, surprised someone would even refer to him in such a demeaning manner, and equally struck by the pinpoint retort made so fast it was as though Reborn had already been expecting his arguments. Squalo could not immediately answer, and Reborn continued just as relentlessly, while sounding more matter of fact than anything: "No matter how bad or good Tsuna is, it's your duty to get him ready to face these life-threatening dangers knowing they could show up at any time. It only makes sense the Ninth would get impatient with you holding back for so long."

Even after that, Squalo could not bring up a counter-argument that could possibly let him get away with not doing as the letter stated and keep his pride intact at the same time. After all, despite the context, Reborn had only stated facts; truth held even by the Varia, and himself. Denying them involved more than a white lie, and the anger he had was being calmed by mere cold, calculating thought. "You didn't call me for nothing, did you?" Squalo uttered in a surprisingly calm fashion. "Spit it out."

"No need to be so pushy," Reborn said in turn, with a voice more squeaky than usual as though to feign some kind of innocence, leading as well to Squalo being unable to keep that cool he achieved.

"You're the one who called me!"

"Anyway," Reborn said without minding Squalo, in his normal, nonchalant tone, "I figured you should know by this point that Dino and I have been keeping a close eye on the going-ons of Giappone. We're planning on giving our full support to Tsuna, and that includes filling you in on the fugitives."

"Really, now?!" Squalo countered as though a taunt, laced with enough resentment that the consequences of that letter were palpable. "You're too late, then! I already ran into two of them! They were partnering up with Ranking Fuuta, to boot!"

"... Fuuta was with them?" Reborn asked slowly, as if with the slightest hint of bewilderment.

"Didn't know that one, did you?! I got them to retreat, but now I just got the stupid letter and can't pursue them anymore!"

"This is bad," Reborn commented, more to himself than Squalo, his voice seemingly grave, for a change. "If they've got Fuuta, they'll have his book, too. Fuuta himself probably won't be helping them out voluntarily, but even you know what that book alone could provide for a bunch of fugitives targeting Tsuna."

"Of course I know that," Squalo said, "He wasn't carrying it, either, so it's obvious Mukuro Rokudo's the one who got it. You know where they're hiding?"

"They're in Kokuyo," Reborn answered, "a town nearby. Ten days ago, Mukuro Rokudo and his followers transferred to Kokuyo Middle School and subjugated all of its delinquents. From the way they've been gathering there lately, it's been made clear that his hideout is located in the Kokuyo Recreational Center. If I were you, I'd go for an assault."

"Hmph, I'll do whatever I have to do, no matter what you say!" Squalo shouted back, feeling as though underestimated by the suggestion. "Anyway, I've gotta take care of making sure Tsuna doesn't drop dead, so if you've got any more information, it better be important! I don't have time to be talking to you!"

"Fine, geez," Reborn said in a purposefully sulky fashion, causing Squalo to almost shout again, but he was quick to speak over him before that would happen: "Don't go disappointing the Ninth, Squalo."

"Like Hell I would!" Squalo ended the call forcefully there, without regard for any parting words from Reborn. He stored his phone before taking the ripped paper with his right hand, and crumpling it in his grasp; he had his ways of disposing of a letter. He descended the stairs again, and, reminding himself of the existence of Nana, who was supposedly concerned for him (for no reason seeing as he would never be distraught by anything), he deigned to turn towards the direction of Nana, and exclaim, "Voi, count your lucky stars because I'm actually gonna teach your son some self-defence now! I'll be back by dinner!"

He did not care for the response to that, so he merely opened the front door, and slammed it behind him as always, with one clear destination.

. . .

The moment Squalo reached Namimori Middle School, he clicked his tongue. He's already in class by this point, huh... With only a light glance through the gates, he noted the abnormal amounts of uniformed students by the gate, but he was sure they differed from normal. Their stances upright and rigid, they were glaring Squalo down coldly as though to intimidate him. Bunch of brats thinking they can stand up to hitmen... Even regardless of the added patrol to the school clearly due to the attacks on it (though why it was made up of students was beyond Squalo's comprehension), Squalo stomped forward without hesitation, fast enough to pass by the students before they could even turn around. "Hey, you there!"

Squalo paid the 'guards' no mind and continued to walk by, even in light of the protests heard from behind. Surely one or two of them could be edging by him to stop his progress, but Squalo certainly did not have the patience to check with his own eyes when he could easily sense their presence. Now, where the hell does Tsuna have his classes? Damn school, Squalo thought with another glance to the building. Faster to jump than walking through the stairs.

Just as he was pressing his feet to gather momentum, however, Squalo was forced to look aside with narrowed eyes, near the entrance to the building. From there he felt the first bout of genuine killing intent in the vicinity, and it emanated from just another student as far as he could see. The armband on his loose coat depicted the same word as the other members at the gate, but said other members were now distancing themselves from the scene with slow steps. "Ch-chairman...!" Squalo directed his gaze to the brat again: in comparison to the others, his stature was surely smaller and leaner, but trained eyes such as Squalo's could note the considerable difference in skill from his attempt at an infallible guard. The openings on the supposed chairman were few and far in between, but that was only a positive feature to Squalo, who finally deigned to smirk.

"You," the boy cooly uttered, "don't look like you're faculty or a parent." He eyed the sword on Squalo's artificial hand with a smirk, only to look back to Squalo's own condescending expression. "Who are you? The attacker that's been harassing my school?"

"Hmph, don't lump me together with a bunch of amateurs," Squalo claimed, "I don't have business with anyone but my pupil!"

The chairman's eyes narrowed further, and he hummed pensively, though in a disinterested fashion. "If I'm not mistaken, you looked like you were about to lunge at the windows. Were you going to disrupt class just to see him?"

"What, you got a problem with that," Squalo retorted, "brat?" Squalo locked eyes with the chairman, standing perfectly still if only because he was gauging his opponent, and intentionally looking unimpressed.

"... I wasn't imagining things, then," he muttered with hidden delight in his softened voice before Squalo was blocking an impeccably timed strike from the brat's weapon. A tonfa? "You do want to get bitten to death."

"Voi, you've got some nerve saying that when you were the one just waiting to pounce the moment you had the chance!"

The boy's smirk widened, and he said, "Disrupting ongoing classes without permission is against the regulations of the school. That's enough reason to give due punishment to an outsider like you."

"Isn't there a rule in there about not bringing in any weapons, too?" Squalo forced the chairman's tonfa to the ground from the sheer force and the following vertical slash used its momentum to cut even through the other tonfa on the boy's right hand. His eyes widened ever so slightly as he saw the tip of Squalo's blade near his throat. "I don't wanna hear anything about rules and punishment from a delinquent kid like you! Now, get out of my way or your head'll roll to the ground!"

"Chairman!" Such shouts were heard from a distance, and hordes of those guards were rushing for Squalo and the brat in face of the clear danger. Squalo grinned at the panic, elated gaze peering into the boy's. He probably thought himself so strong, Squalo noted. But in the end, he's just a big fish in a small pond. Not a match for my own killing intent! Squalo threw himself back, avoiding the other students and watching as the brat was quickly reaching for the other tonfa.

"Heh! Be grateful I'm in such a hurry, brat!"

The supposed delinquent was frowning now, uttering, "You're not getting away...!" It was to no avail, as Squalo had already dashed for the school building's interior at unfathomable speeds.

Where the hell was his classroom again? Squalo thought as he ascended the stairs. He was a first-year, wasn't he? Like he needs any damn school if I'm already bothering to teach him! What a waste of my time! He rushed for the left, and the hallway continued unceremoniously into rows of classrooms; three, he noted with his quick gaze. Peeking through the first door, he could not spot Tsuna. The second, however...

He kicked the door open, and it flew as far as the window to the opposite end of the classroom. "Voi, Tsuna!"

"S-Squalo?!" From the middle of the classroom where Tsuna was seated, Squalo saw him practically jump from his seat in shock, but wasted no time waiting for any further words from him. He glanced back, predicting the other boy's running speed and headed for Tsuna immediately.

"Wh-what is the meaning of—"

"We're out of here! You've got better things to do than hang in class!" By the time he was exclaiming that, Squalo had punched Tsuna squarely on his abdomen, only to hoist him over his shoulder. He could hear other gasps, and Yamamoto was staring in shock from the corner of his eye, but Squalo only stormed off with a huff, even before the protests of the teacher who had tried rushing off to contact some form of aid. However, the proceeding grunt of pain Squalo picked up on belonging to a suitably old voice had surely originated from the entrance, and he was sure why that was.

He spotted the chairman brat brandishing a single tonfa near the collapsed teacher; no doubt a victim of his weapon. "Voi, weren't you supposed not to disrupt the class?!"

"I don't want to hear that from you," he simply retorted before charging, but Squalo was already by the window at that point.

He smirked before the straightforward charging motion of the delinquent he had met, and said, "Don't wanna hear from me again? Wish granted!" Squalo then leaped through the window, Tsuna in tow, with disregard for the voices of shock resounding from the classroom.

Yamamoto, who had finally stood due to the incredulous nature of the turn of events, shouted, "Wait, Squalo!" Despite his own speed, he was not able to react fast enough to the jump, but he had passed by the chairman, the famed Kyoya Hibari without so much as a glance when Hibari had firstly been trying to reach the area. Yamamoto looked past the window, verified with blinking eyes the state of the escaping Squalo and Tsuna as a alive, and frowned. "Just what is going on with Squalo...?"

"Hey..." Yamamoto turned around in confusion, and suitably froze in face of the prefect staring him down. "You sound like you know the intruder." Hibari narrowed his eyes, brandishing a tonfa with nothing more than the promise it would truly be used. "Could you tell me more over at the reception room? I won't take a no for an answer."

... Yamamoto gulped.

. . .

The tattered location offered only a dim light to the room, dishevelled in its gathering of debris. Nothing of worth could be noted in there if not for a simple couch nearing a torn curtain, from which the gap provided sunlight and revealed the silhouette of a young man. He sat lying in wait, his intent gaze focused on a single point: the exit of the room, from which they would arrive with the news. The young man knew from the moment the boy he'd sent to scout the area returned speaking of an explosion that it corresponded to the correct target. He praised himself inwardly, releasing the faintest of chuckles, for his expectedly adequate foresight into the circumstances: considering the identity of the current tutor was not publicly disclosed, their might was equally as uncertain. Without any sort of precaution, his followers could simply fail to bring results.

And he would tire of hiring other toys, truly. All of them interesting, but none especially reliable; he hoped they could at least provide him with information should his hypothesis prove true. Now, his eyes narrowed, and he brushed aside the fewest strands of dark blue hair obstructing the sight of his single red eye, which shimmered lightly even while shaded. Three figures emerged from the doorway, with no way to politely open or close the door, or any such formality the young man would consider in wry irony for mere entertainment purposes. He observed the first two, one limping next to the other, breathing heavily. His gaze was resolute, distinctively ardent in its strength of will despite his injury, as if derived by an urge to prove himself; certainly a trait of Ken Joshima to bark almost more than he would bite in that regard. By his side was the silent follower pushing his glasses upwards, unwilling to serve as a support to his injured friend, as only was expected, knowing the other party would have equally left him to rot.

Those who would rot were simply not strong enough, after all. Both knew that. Chikusa Kakimoto kept a precise distance from Ken, however, if only not to soil himself with the blood. An amusing sight, but not a priority. The young man briefly eyed his little spy, his smile widening, only to lock eyes with Chikusa, the one most fit to speak. "Well...? Did you confirm it?"

"Yes," Chikusa quickly and succintly answered, "Ken's target was decidedly the right one."

"And if memory serves me correctly, Ken's target was..."

"I-it was number 10," Ken interjected, hoping to answer before Chikusa would have the chance,"Kensuke Mochida; class 2-B, seat number 15. While I was fighting the guy, a hitman ambushed me!"

"Kufufufu..." His laughter softly reverberated in the humid room. "Did he, now? For this hitman to be able to render you like this, he would have to be of considerable skill. Would you describe this fellow to me?"

"It was a long-haired guy," Ken said, "Silver hair and eyes, black leather clothing, and he was wielding a sword with a gloved hand..."

"Oh? A swordsman, then?" the young man uttered, though the deduction was nothing if not obvious to him. The Vongola Family had its share of competent hitmen, but swordsmen in particular were surely few and far in between, so his thoughts sifted quickly through the information he had been compiling from the very start, and during his prison sentence useless to someone who could travel beyond the physical realm.

"He threatened us as we escaped, but he didn't give chase," Chikusa added so as to conclude the report, as the content of that event did not give any further hints. "Though, considering he was able to dispatch Ken in less than a second—"

"H-hey, it was more than a—"

"—It should be assumed he could be the mysterious tutor of the Vongola Boss."

"... I see," the young man uttered, though, even in that regard, he was already trying to guess the swordsman's identity with Chikusa's conclusion in mind; someone considered capable enough to shape the mind of a young, impressionable heir. "A swordsman of renown, working on the side of the Vongola. Well..." The young man paused, eyes narrowed. "I can't say I've never heard of one with that particular description. Assuming he is the mysterious tutor and the one I'm envisioning, however, I believe we should act with caution. Our goal, after all, is Vongola boss candidate, and nothing else."

"If I may ask," Chikusa said, "Who is the swordsman occurring to you...?"

"Squalo Superbi," the young man promptly answered, "more famously known as the second Sword Emperor."

"Sword Emperor...?!"

"Now, time is of the essence," the young man uttered, finding it pointless to entertain Ken's confusion. There was much he knew, that he never revealed to Ken or Chikusa, and it would be kept that way for his convenience, so he held all the power. "Ken will be on stand-by to recover from his injuries. You, Chikusa, will spy on number 10, Kensuke Mochida, and find out his connection with the Vongola. Are we clear?"

"But, Mukuro-san," Ken interjected, helpless, "I can still move around!"

"Nonsense, Ken," the young man admonished, without even the intention of hearing his lowly arguments, "You should conserve your strength. If we're to capitulate the Vongola and all involved parties, we must be constantly well-prepared. Simply do as I tell you, and we will succeed." He faced Ken with a smile perhaps considered gentle and polite to a naive, ignorant passerby, but it was nothing more than a mask, and it did not inspire confidence or positivity in anyone in the area, as the young man's gaze pierced Ken's with overwhelming authority. "I'm expecting you to use your better judgment. Would there be any more objections now? As I said, time is of the essence."

"N-no," Ken said, looking away so as to not further give in to the pressure, "It's as you say. I'll obey your orders, Mukuro-san."

"Good," the young man said, "Now go, Chikusa, Ranking Fuuta. Your task, incidentally, will be unchanged from before."

"Yes, Mukuro-sama," Chikusa answered, while Fuuta, the last person that was addressed, spared the area no words, as if the very act would strain him. The two were quick to depart then, and Ken was left to limp away with a grimace, hiding within him some jealousy for Chikusa, repressed only because of his loyalty.

The young man chuckled the moment Ken abandoned the room, possibly to find somewhere better to rest and tend to his wounds, thinking of his circumstances. Squalo Superbi... If you really are one of the opposition, this may prove interesting on my end.

. . .

As far as Tsuna knew, he had been dully attending a History class hoping the minutes would go by faster. In the span of mere seconds, however, he was seeing Squalo's fist contact him. The next moment he even was conscious, he could not feel his feet on the ground. His surroundings were a blur of greens he was familiar with, and the cold breeze indicated the nearby presence of water. He had shrieked regardless, only to be struck again by Squalo.

He was not as surprised the next time he awoke, collapsed near a boulder of his old training spot. Part of him even thought he was dreaming it. "Voi!" The ear-piercing volume of Squalo's shouting cut that fantasy short, and Tsuna flinched in place as his eyes widened in shock. "Are you ready to go or what?! We don't have any time to waste here!"

"H-huh? What are you even talking about?!" Tsuna questioned, reasonably so as far as he was concerned, but Squalo's quickest response was to pull Tsuna by his arm, forcing him to stand. "Woah, wait, seriously! What's going on here?! One moment, I was at school, and now you're just—"

"Listen to me, because this is gonna be the most I'll explain to you for the whole time you'll hang around here," Squalo asserted, his voice not loud in volume, but loud in sheer presence, more than he had ever conveyed to Tsuna; even in comparison to the day Tsuna hid Fuuta. "Right now, three fugitive mafia criminals are on the loose and raring to take your boss candidate head for themselves for a reason I don't know and don't care about."

"Wh-wha—"

"While I was hauling my ass making sure none of these low tier assassins even got close to you, the tables turned on me because the Ninth just forbade me from fighting," Squalo explained, allowing not interruptions, even if Tsuna himself could barely even voice a reaction coherent enough to process the situation. "So, you're gonna have to fight these fugitives yourself and prove I'm doing my job right or both of us are getting in trouble. Got it?!" Squalo released Tsuna's arm, but noted Tsuna seemingly motionless before his explanation. "You hear me?!"

"I— What are you even saying...?"

"Voi, who said you had time to think about it?! The bottom line here's that you gotta start training how to fight, and fast!"

"Fight? You want me to fight criminals?!"

"The Ninth wants you to fight the damn criminals," Squalo countered, "and you got no choice but to make it through. Now, start getting ready for the worst because you're up against me, and I'm not letting you go until you know how to defend yourself!"

"HUH?! N-no way, against— Agh!" Sent to the ground with a single chop, Tsuna was unable to speak, almost swallowing dust that very moment. He felt sharp pain on his back and noted that whatever it was that happened truly confirmed Squalo's training, and trembled in his first instance of fear in the past weeks.

"And consider yourself lucky I'm just using my hand," Squalo said as an afterthought, "You'd be dead if it were the sword." Tsuna twitched, groaning ever so slightly. Goes to show he got something out of the training, Squalo thought, Any normal kid would've been done for from the pressure of that one, and he's standing up. Additionally, he was not supposed to have awoken as early as he did before he knocked him out the second time. Even so, he grimaced, because the amount of opening Tsuna had coupled with his staggering lack of speed were enough to already bring disgust to Squalo when it came to imagining him fighting anyone. "Voi, get the hell up already!"

"Ah—" Tsuna winced when Squalo made sure to pull him up again, likely from the blow to his back. "Wait, Squalo—"

"I'm not waiting!" Releasing his arm again, Squalo swung his fist once more. "Either you start using that damn intuition of yours to dodge, or you're not living to even see the fugitives!"

"Intuition...? You've gotta—" Squalo's fist flew through his face, knocking him back down.

"Voi, start talking after you can hold your ground," Squalo lowly uttered, "The training's already started. You're not leaving until sundown, from now and the rest of the days you can even afford to stay around without risking an ambush from the three fugitives." Yet again, Squalo grabbed at Tsuna. "So, if you wanna survive, stand up and fight like your life depends on it! I sure as hell am not standing for you dying now, of all damn times!"

"S-Squalo..." Tsuna muttered under slow breaths, and wobbled as he stood. Squalo assessed that he was still recovering his bearings, and tempted knocking him out again. However, verifying pure silence from Tsuna then, Squalo's eyes narrowed, even as Tsuna was staring at him with a dulled shimmer in his eyes, as if unable to bring out his maximum energy. He's still got a long way to go. Tsuna continued to tremble, and that fear was weighing his stance down considerably. If only because there was no point to it, Tsuna was not voicing a single complaint. He knew Squalo would not listen. Regardless, his lightly widened eyes in awe conveyed all he did feel that moment.

Tsuna took one step back, in a bout of cowardice that forced a scowl out of Squalo. He almost felt as though he should say something, some kind of taunt; anything to change that expression. For what, he thought finally? Without an answer to fill the void, he proceeded as planned, and sent Tsuna flying with added strength belying fury. Damn trash... At the very least, he was twitching, struggling to stand on his own. A tear dropped to the ground when Tsuna was removing his face from the dirt, and Squalo's fist tightened with strength enough to feel his glove ever so tighter into his skin, watching essentially Tsuna confronting the reality Squalo had known he was avoiding, for he was nothing more than a child.

He stepped for Tsuna, watching with resentment the reflection of the contrary figure to the one he truthfully followed, and rushed for another hit.

Author's Notes:

So commences Katekyo Swordman Squalo's dark descent into the Kokuyo arc, pretty much devoid of comedy this time around! Just bad stuff happening for everybody lol is this even the same series? Well, there was that scene with Squalo straight up murdering a guy. Whatever the case, since the last target, this story got 7 favorites and 8 followers, all of which have my gratitude! I was late for a variety of reasons of which include real life issues, but I hope I can keep a monthly schedule from here on out (though unfortunately I likely won't be able to upload in bulk)! As you can see, the word count jumped dramatically, so the limit on the amount of sentences for my author's notes will also be off!

I thought of keeping the same format before but it was kind of wishful thinking from my part if I wanted a well-executed version of the Kokuyo arc with Squalo in it. Even then, because of the general unfamiliarity I was feeling in portraying this story in a long fashion, I feel almost like it wasn't quite good enough. Right now, this chapter is a set up, and it actually takes place somewhat before the Kokuyo arc proper. Nana knows about the attacks earlier because Squalo's got his ears peeled for anything that could happen to Tsuna, and further proof is in the fact that Hibari had yet to get into Kokuyo Land, Mochida was being targeted and so on and so forth. If anything, this early start was all for poor Mochida's sake, hahaha.

I could've taken one character out like how canon incapacitated Ryohei, but there are few characters as is. If I took any out, it'd just be a waste. Besides, it's an AU precisely so I can have Ryohei participate, no? Oh, and Mochida. Though, he's not looking all too good. We had enough of Chikusa attacking and getting injured, so I switched to Ken here and I loved every second of writing him. You just have no idea how rare a chance it is writing these Kokuyo people, it just doesn't compare to the feeling of apathy I had writing Hibari here ='D Besides, the third person limited on Mochida was pure gold to me, and Squalo's entrance along with everybody's pretty much heightened the experience.

Ken is like this embodiment of instinct loyal to Mukuro, so he's just so easy to write, especially when he's being the bad guy. He's a predator; he likes hunting unknowing prey. Meanwhile, Chikusa is his calm, tactful foil, and they work as well together as expected. Considering I have to make characters like these interact with Squalo despite the completely different situation from canon and no instances of interaction between these two parties, I was understandably nervous, but I then remembered Squalo was just as easy to write and rejoiced for his existence lol Squalo's like the evil guy that's on your side by circumstance but would much rather be doing anything else right now, it's great. His way of speaking is like shouting at the mountains, so writing him can even be therapeutic.

He was a bit harder to nail by the end, though, with Hibari and Tsuna and whatnot. Hibari was by far the hardest here, but it doesn't surprise me. At this point, I've been writing Hibari so often (in completely different stories I haven't posted yet hahaha) I actually don't feel any excitement finally getting to him in this story, but in a way, it's a solid moment: Hibari made an appearance in this story for once! And it was to try to bite Squalo to death. You'd think I'd give Hibari's power level the benefit of doubt against Squalo, but there's no way. Hibari can't even win against Dino at this point, and Squalo's the Sword freaking Emperor Varia assassin— He could've Scontro Di Squalo Hibari's ass and slashed him where he stood, exploded Hibari, just about anything with Hibari like this. Hibari himself only improved to the extent he did through many matches with Dino. Heck, I don't even think Yamamoto won against Squalo because they were evenly-matched: Yamamoto literally just caught Squalo off-guard and got lucky in hitting Squalo with 100% accuracy in the precise spot necessary to knock him out. And this was the only serious hit Yamamoto got on Squalo, by the way! I'm only excusing Yamamoto's win on circumstance because I don't feel like saying it was bad writing excusing Squalo not just kicking Yamamoto's ass then and there (let's be real here, Squalo could've so won the Rain match it's not even funny, and the way he was defeated hardly lived up to his name and skill-).

Squalo surviving jumping off a window made too much sense to me since he just jumps around roofs all the time, and he was just jumping from the first floor. Despite the darkness in Mochida and Squalo talking at around the beginning, I think the heaviest scene ends up being the last one with Squalo starting his training. I still remember Future Squalo just kicked Yamamoto's ass the first time he saw him and proceeded to take him away; you don't even know what the hell he did with Yamamoto afterwards. You just know it damn worked to make Yamamoto stronger since he just about dominates Phantom 'Strong Enough to Rival Future Hibari Without a Vongola Ring' Knight in Choice. I think Squalo's more of a hardass than even Reborn is, so I appropriately had him cut the bullshit and just force Tsuna to fight back until he actually does it right. If his track record with Yamamoto means anything, maybe he'll succeed? People keep wondering how Tsuna will get through this without the Dying Will Bullet but, pffft, trinkets? They're no match for Squalo's tutoring prowess! Look forward to the next Target?