I Will be the One
Post Future arc. Seven snapshots as Tsuna’s Family swear their loyalty to him.
“You need to kiss Tsuna’s ring."
"What?!"
Stories by Branch
Rain on the Mountain
TYL Hibari and Yamamoto in a tranquil moment.
Feet move softly over the mats of his private rooms, and he listens to them come, leaning in the open screens and looking out onto his small, private garden.
Nine Years, Eleven Months, Twenty-seven Days
On the anniversary of something that doesn’t happen, Tsuna’s Guardians gather around him.
Yamamoto was the first one who came, tapping brisk but quiet on the door and slipping inside, shadows falling across his face.
Seven Pleats
Hibari likes watching Yamamoto. Yamamoto rather likes to be watched.
Kyouya sat, composed, at the side of a large, airy room, tea cradled between his hands, and watched the Rain.
The Beauty of Obligation
Filling in missing scenes of Hibari’s training with Dino, and how it might have convinced him to Tsuna’s side.
And just who did Cavallone think he was, to judge Kyouya’s skill? He wouldn’t even fight properly, all avoidance and evasion.
Still. The fact that he could evade and avoid spoke its own language, and a far more convincing one than the flowery nonsense about frogs and wells. As long as Cavallone showed up, Kyouya would fight him.
Now if he could just make the man fight seriously.
Breaking of the Day
Tsuna gets taken off to Italy to get better acquainted with the Vongola. While he’s there, he has to come to some kind of terms with Xanxus. Kind of, sort of, mental Tsuna/Xanxus.
"I can’t believe you told Kaa-san this was overseas study," Tsuna grumbled as he was frog-marched to his doom.
Well, all right, not really frog-marched, his dad had his hands in his pockets and Reborn wasn’t tall enough, but the effect was the same.
"It is overseas," his dad said, cheerily. "And it’s definitely higher education."
Breaking of the Day – Omake
Because I really couldn’t resist. Toward the end of Tsuna’s investiture as the Tenth Boss, Xanxus puts in an appearance.
Xanxus stopped in the middle of the room, feet spread, and glared at him. "I hate your fucking guts," he declared.
Tsuna considered this blunt, frontal statement of the obvious for a moment and relaxed. "I know," he agreed, quietly.
A Question for Dusk
Takes place just before Breaking of the Day: Omake. As Tsuna prepares to inherit the family, he comes to Xanxus with a condition.
"Do you plan on staying with the Vongola family?"
The hot eyes narrowed on him. "The hell are you saying?"
Sakura Growing Upside Down
Hibari seeks out a rematch with Mukuro. Mukuro has his own agenda for this.
Two days after the battles for the Vongola rings were over, Kyouya cornered Sawada and asked who that Chrome girl was, and why she carried what looked remarkably like Mukuro’s staff.
And then he went hunting Dino Cavallone.
Where On Your Palm is My Little Line
Gokudera has a thing for Tsuna’s Dying Will Flame.
Watching Tsuna fight was thrilling, but it was nothing to the shiver that went down Hayato’s spine standing in the middle of Tsuna’s office on a quiet afternoon and watching gentle, smiling eyes turn deep and serene under the flare of the Dying Will Flame.
Lighter Than a Feather
This came out of me wondering how Hibari could have been convinced to identify himself with the mafia. Dino finally figures out a way to get through to him.
"He really would do well among us. It’s too bad he doesn’t know anything about our history, I think he’d actually approve."
Untamable
Dino helps Hibari figure a few things out. It doesn’t take Hibari long at all.
Dino knew Kyouya didn’t believe in socializing, but honestly. He was going to get more than "well enough" out of Kyouya if it killed him. Which was still a possibility, if less so these days, but Dino felt he owed the risk to both his little brother and his not-exactly-student.
Moments of Mind and Self
Yamamoto reflects on the meaning of being a born killer.
Yamamoto Takeshi had never killed.
Sex Sells
What if the box weapon maker wanted more funds? What sells better than weapons? Box sex toys!
"You didn’t actually ask what they did?"
"Oh, come on, Koenig always names the boxes bizarre things."
"Yes, but… ‘Purple Ecstasy’?"
Off-label Use
Dino is reading up on Japanese history and culture, and finds just the thing to provoke Hibari with.
Note: This will be funniest if you’ve read any of the Edo period reams of love-advice for samurai, though it should make sense even if you haven’t. If you haven’t I quite recommend them, they’re very entertaining.
Dino sat cross-legged on Kyouya’s couch, reading down a page in his book and ticking things off with a highlighter.
Five years whole-hearted devotion, check. Kyouya certainly didn’t leave much room for anything else, at least if a person wanted to live on with all his bones intact.
Choice and Necessity
Fai and Kurogane get to have their cake fangs and eat with them too. Written for the promt: Kurogane/Fai, an ideal ending.
Kurogane frowned. "I thought that was supposed to go away when you got your magic back."
Fai prodded a still-sharp tooth with his tongue. "It doesn’t seem to have."
Time-lapse
Post-canon. Yukimura has recovered and Fuji has left tennis. They cross paths over art and weave a new acquaintance.
"What are you thinking?"
It was not the kind of question Seiichi expected to hear out of the blue, but he recognized this voice and so it surprised him less. "Fuji."
Unpainted
In bed with Ludwig, Naoji considers the effect Ludwig has on him.
Naoji didn’t realize how much he had relaxed until Lui plucked loose his hair tie and drew it free, and long fingers slid under the fall of his hair to stroke his neck. That pulled him taut, flushed with sudden awareness.
The Nature of You
As Tsuna grows into his position, his conflicts with Xanxus escalate again and finally break.
Tsuna sat at an oval table with the advisors and lieutenants so newly inherited and tried to feel leader-like. It still wasn’t easy.
What’s Love Got to Do With It
The Ninth helps Xanxus find someone he can bear to be.
It wasn’t that Tsuna didn’t trust the Ninth, because of course he did. And it wasn’t that he didn’t think the Ninth could handle Xanxus, even, or especially, now, because he did, really. It was just… well, his dad had made him solemnly swear he’d make sure the Ninth didn’t overstrain himself.
And that was really the only reason Tsuna kept just happening to pass Xanxus’ rooms or the balcony beyond them to check on them every couple days.
I Said, You Said
Xanxus finally hears what Tsuna means when he says Xanxus is one of his Family.
Gokudera leaned an elbow on the back of Tsuna’s chair and chuckled softly. "You sure have a way with people like that, boss."
It’s All a Metaphor
Remixed ending, a kind of AU to the rest of the arc. This is another way Tsuna and Xanxus might have come to their final understanding—a somewhat more dramatic one.
"Your Flame is strong enough." Xanxus took Tsuna’s wrist and pulled his hand up, placing it flat against his chest. "Show me, again."
Tsuna swallowed, trying to get his voice back from wherever shock had taken it. "Xanxus. I don’t know if…"
Xanxus eyes were burning, locked with Tsuna’s, and his words vibrated through his chest under Tsuna’s palm. "Show me."
Fire on the Mountain
As the new Strahl are inaugurated Nicholas watches the upsets among his fellows.
Nicholas had seen a younger student thrown from his horse, earlier that year. The boy’s leg had been broken. He’d sat and stared at it, face perfectly blank while everyone else ran around shouting.
He hadn’t screamed until they’d moved him.
Nicholas didn’t think Lui would ever scream. He respected that. But he didn’t like the way both Helmut and Camus were watching Lui lately.
Light to Walk By
Years have passed. Nicholas is a member of the Strahl, and finding that people simply don’t understand what’s between he and Ludwig.
He didn’t know why more people didn’t understand Lui. All you had to do was take everything he said and turn it thirty degress, but practically no one around here noticed. The best and brightest, in his considered opinion, could be pretty dim.
Sartorial Splendor
Nicholas has been appointed to a post he likes, with a uniform he doesn’t.
"I don’t care what our historical ties to the Magyar are. I don’t care how symbolically significant it is. I am not wearing that lavender velvet top hat!"
If You Want to Kiss the Sky
Nicholas corners Lui about his trust issues.
"Orpheus knows what to do with loyalty," Nicholas growled. "You could learn a few more things from him."
Lui looked away. "I doubt that."
"Hah! The problem isn’t even arrogance, or wanting all the control is it? Loyalty is the one thing that scares you, is what it is," Nicholas threw at him.
A Brighter Shade of Red
Crossover of Saiunkoku Monogatari and Fushigi Yuugi. Shuurei has a friend and advisor who is apart from the capital’s politics; Yui has a place for her abilities and a lover who reminds her of them.
Yui curled up on the bed, one hand propping up her head, and watched Shuurei pace the room, sleeping robe fluttering around her ankles.
"And then! And then! He said we couldn’t do anything about Haruki, even if he is taking bribes, because he has a patron from the Heki clan, and I should know that the Heki are going to be the deciding voice in the land redistribution this year!" Her brown eyes snapped like sparks; Yui felt she might warm her hands at that fire of Shuurei’s, melt the ice out of her bones, where it had settled years ago.
But For the Love of You
Tsuna accepts what Gokudera offers, so that he can give what he can.
Tsuna had thought, ever since he started to think about it at all, that the reason Gokudera seemed harsh to most people was that the brash manner he wrapped around himself clashed so with the fine elegance of his mind and presence. In the rare moments he let himself quiet, Gokudera seemed quite gentle to Tsuna, voice lowered into smoothness, the lines that usually caged his eyes tight relaxing into something like serenity.
War of Aggression
Squalo meets Xanxus and Xanxus meets the Varia, and everything follows from that. Beginning overlaps the end of “Blood Will Tell“.
The sword was everything to Squalo—the purity of a single goal and the cleanness of perfection. In a world that hid so much, despite the stark edges of every word and action, the sword was one thing that made perfect sense. It made him a little crazy that no one else seemed to understand that.
Really crazy.
Give One Heart
Hibari thinks it’s about time someone told Kyouko and Haru a few things.
He remembered the point in his past, his old past he supposed he should say, when Kyouko had finally coaxed the truth out of her brother and Sawada; it had been the first time he’d thought the girl might have teeth after all. He remembered the impressive black eye and the hangdog expression that Sasagawa and Sawada had sported, respectively, afterwards; the bruise had faded sooner. He remembered the fierceness in Sawada’s eyes when he’d demanded Kyouya’s word that he would protect the younger Kyouko and Haru, when they came forward; only after that word was given had he, reluctantly, agreed to the whole plan.
Of course, in Kyouya’s opinion, the best way to protect someone was to sharpen their teeth.
Saints of Palermo
The Giglio Nero boss talks to Kyouko and Haru about the other side of the mafia.
"I did mention that those girls were transparent?" She nibbled on the end of her pen. Coffee, yes, that would be… unthreatening. "If we’re to be allies, I’m not letting Vongola stand around with a weakness like that hanging out where anyone can aim at it. And those boys probably won’t even see it until far too late."
She Danced Across the Mountain
As Kyouko and Haru settle into their lives with the mafia, sometimes they need advice.
"…and never, ever accept red flowers. All right, I think I got all that." Kyouko sat back, one hand rubbing her forehead.
Unità’s lips quirked in sympathy. "You’re doing very well, for someone who’s never even traveled abroad before."
Kyouko’s soft smile was more wry than usual. "And here I thought that, once I was done with the university entrance exams, I wouldn’t be studying any more."
A Scratched Record
Kyouko and Haru meet Uni as she’s introduced to Tsuna, and get a shock.
Abruptly Haru’s mouth snapped shut and her eyes narrowed. "Your necklace," she murmured, as if casually. "Is it your rememberance of your mother?"
The quirk to Uni’s mouth turned a bit sour. "Exactly."
Kyouko looked down at the pendant, puzzled. She’d seen it once or twice before, though Unità usually wore it under her clothes. It was an odd shape, she remembered…
And then her heart nearly stopped as she really looked at it for the first time.
May Flowers
Tsuna gives his people whatever they need, and Yamamoto is no exception.
It was easier, he thought, to give Gokudera what he needed. Gokudera was far more straightforward. When Yamamoto came to him, Tsuna had to look harder and make guesses.
Sometimes Yamamoto just sat quietly at his feet for an evening. Sometimes he wanted to hold Tsuna, to shelter and shield him, and Tsuna rested against his chest until his arms relaxed and loosened. Sometimes he wanted to touch, slow and gentle, and kissed Tsuna’s fingers softly until he said yes.
And sometimes he needed to not be the protector, for a while.
Gray Willow Catkins
Yamamoto decides Gokudera is broken and needs to be fixed. It takes a while to find the right opening.
Gokudera’s constant growling had always kind of amused him, and he admitted that every now and then he sort of poked Gokudera just to get him going. Like playing with a cat; a few scratches were fair trade for getting to watch it flail at you. Actually, Gokudera reminded him a lot of a cat, sometimes, a feral cat that would only let one person pet him without biting, and that person was Tsuna. Even when they’d just met it had made Takeshi wonder a little how often Gokudera must have gotten kicked, to be that way, and now he was wondering more seriously.
Body Language
Gokudera’s trust issues are Yamamoto’s new hobby; he has his work cut out for him.
"Delivery!" Takeshi called, cheerfully, banging on Gokudera’s door. It took a few minutes for Gokudera to answer the door, and another for him to finish staring in disbelief.
"What are you doing?"
"Bringing you dinner." Takeshi dangled the bag of carryout from raised fingers.
Clean Printing
Ink Burns is now print-ready. When a story is printed off through the reader’s browser, the header, sidebar and comments will not appear, and the story itself will be styled nicely for clean reading. This should also be true if you chose “print to pdf” in your browser’s print dialogue box.
Comfort Food
Gokudera is sick and being stubborn, and Yamamoto decides to step in.
Warning: May cause tooth decay. To prevent cavities, brush thoroughly after every reading.
"’mb fide," Gokudera muttered around his wad of handkerchief. It hadn’t moved far all day, but when it had his nose had looked absolutely raw. "Not goig to slack off by job ’cause of a code."
Takeshi sighed and made a note to himself that Gokudera got more stubborn and foul-tempered when he was sick. He wouldn’t have thought it was possible if he hadn’t seen it with his own eyes.
Some Sweet Day
After a hard workout, some privacy finally leads Gokudera and Yamamoto to a significant intimacy. Takes place some time between Comfort Food and Going Back Someday.
Gokudera hissed when he tried to reach his back with the sponge and Takeshi looked up from rinsing his hair and shook his head at the black and blue starting across Gokudera’s ribs and shoulders. "You’re going to have a lot of bruises."
"Yeah, I got that part," Gokudera grumbled, twisting gingerly on the bath stool.
Going Back Someday
Yamamoto comes to visit Gokudera and they navigate around their trust and need for each other—indirectly as always.
"Takeshi?" He blinked, hands full of his front door and his math textbook, neither free to adjust his reading glasses the way he felt a momentary need to.
"Hey." Takeshi leaned in the doorway, grinning. "Thought it was about time I stopped in for a visit."
After over a month away. Hayato sniffed, but stood aside for him. "I suppose you might as well come in, yes."
Working Till the Sun Don’t Shine
Gokudera has a stressful day and wants Yamamoto to help him unwind, which Yamamoto is perfectly happy to do.
Hayato closed the door to his office carefully, breathing deep and slow.
"That didn’t go very well," Takeshi observed from where he stood looking out the window.
"No. It didn’t," Hayato said, with what he thought was a commendable lack of screaming rage, under the circumstances. He hung his jacket on a chair and undid his tie with short, precise movements, eyes narrowed at empty air.
It’s the Motion
Gokudera thinks it’s unfair how good Yamamoto looks on a motorcycle; Yamamoto thinks it’s the perfect opportunity. Written for DW’s inaugural comment porn meme with the prompt: Yamamoto/Gokudera, motorcycles as aphrodisiacs.
It was easier, Hayato decided, when Yamamoto was actually driving the motorcycle. And it was easier because Yamamoto was an idiot, and liked to do silly, flashy moves, and it was easy to roll his eyes at someone popping a wheelie and laughing like a kid.
The hard part was when Yamamoto was holding still on the damn thing. And the hardest part was keeping his eyes away from long, long legs spread casually over a sleek machine and not, not, looking at the way worn denim pulled taut over Yamamoto’s thighs.
Reversal
Hibari looks at the world differently than most people. Written for the drabble exchange prompt: Hibari, Possessive.
"I have to say, you’re not the one I’d expected to be the most protective of the Vongola’s reputation." Dino folded his arms and leaned against the wall, one foot braced, and considered. "Actually, I guess you and Gokudera are probably tied. But I didn’t expect that, either." He kept coming back because Kyouya kept surprising him.
The Finest Things
Atobe deals with some trouble among his officers.
"How badly were Taki’s forces defeated?" Tarou-sama asked, evenly, eyes
on the men passing him."Completely," Keigo reported, keeping his voice dispassionate, no matter
how much he wanted to grind his teeth with frustration. "They would
have lost two out of three, had we been in the field."
Detachment
Yukimura and Sanada discuss the future a little.
Yukimura turned his head back to look up at the ceiling. "I may not be with you at Kawanakajima this time." The curve of his mouth could not be called a smile.
On the Clock
Tatsumi tries something new to get Tsuzuki to do his paperwork.
"Anything to make you spend more time at your desk, Tsuzuki-kun."
Oh, was that it? Well, then…
Tsuzuki looked up hopefully. "So, if I get my paperwork done on time, can we do this again?"
Watermark
Alexiel has a talk with Hatter. Hatter is unexpectedly drawn in. Shameless wingfic.
"Hatter! I hadn’t realized anyone was in here."
Belial tried not to grind hir teeth. "One was just finishing," se said, stepping up out of the water. "Don’t let one interrupt you."
"Not at all." Alexiel slid into the water with a pleased sigh. "It can be nice to have company."
Belial made a noncommittal noise, wondering a bit grumpily how Alexiel had retained Setsuna’s obliviousness.
In Joy and In Sorrow
Before it all starts, Kou is a bit of a brat. Ryuuko scolds him. After it’s all over, Kou is still uncertain of his place. Ryuuko reassures him.
"KOU!"
Kou dashed down the hall, laughing, and dodged around a startled Ryuuko-sama to hide behind him.
Contractual Obligation
Shirogane is in a temper with Kou and it pushes him to be a lot more forthright with Akira than he has, heretofore. Akira decides he’s all right with this. Set in the loose vicinity of issue 27.
Shirogane stalked down the street, cataloging all the things he was going to do to that insolent sprout of a rei, Kou, just as soon as the current situation had been settled.
"Shirogane?"
Surely Ryuuko wouldn’t begrudge him. Kou learning some respect could only be beneficial to all concerned.
"Um. Shirogane? Could I have a shadow back?"
But One Thought Between Them
Companion story for Lys ap Adin’s "Firebrand". Xanxus fights Mukuro’s possession, but not for quite the reason one might assume.
Xanxus wanted what Mukuro wanted. He gloried in the destruction. But he still fought possession every time, spirit clawing viciously against being pushed aside.
Eventually Mukuro asked why.