Visiting Old Friends

Matsumoto Ayumu

This takes place about 7-8 years later.

Warning for Varia, and slight OOC behavior.

This is un-beta'd.

See end of the chapter for more notes.

Matsumoto Ayumu, a new Varia recruit, was excited to be a potential member of one the most elite forces in the underworld.

Ayumu's parents are members of CEDEF, which stands for "Consulenza Esterna Della Famiglia", meaning "External Advisors of the Family". His father pushed him to work hard his whole life, always encouraging him to do his best in order to be useful to the Famiglia when he was older.

He was on track to become a valuable member to assist the Family, and he couldn't be any happier.

Ayumu believes that good things were in store for him in the future.

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Tsuna was going to be late!

True, Xanxus might not care, but Reborn and Commander Squalo do, and they were going to end him for it.

The young Sky hurried through the entrance to the Varia's castles, nodding distractedly at the guards that greeted him, all the while silently cursing his Guardians for starting a fight the very second he stepped out the door, forcing him to step in and stop them from destroying anything and everything in their way. Again.

Honestly, you'd think that they'd mature a bit since they were in middle school. But alas, it seems that he spends less time leading the Famiglia than he does babysitting those destructive nutjobs he calls family...

He loved them, truly he did, but sometimes he just wanted to murder them all and finally get some peace and quiet. 'But things wouldn't be as fun without them around.' He thought with a little smile.

Tsuna hurried through the hallways, heading to Xanxus' office, unconsciously categorizing and memorizing everything and everyone in his way, a habit beating into him (literally) by Reborn. He noticed several of the older members that he was familiar with nod in greeting, while those he was on friendly terms with added a smile to that, while the newer members and the new recruits watched him curiously.

It was that particular habit that caused him to tense and prepare for a hostile encounter before his councouse mind could assess what he saw and the possible danger it might have on his person.

Up ahead a group of what looked like new recruits and Varia soldiers standing together, talking loudly among themselves. One of the recruits, though his back was turned to him, stood out in Tsuna's subconscious, an old instinct made him tense and brace himself for... something, something unpleasant.

A couple of people that he knew well noticed him, smiling and waving politely; knowing their place with the Don (at least in public), despite becoming friends when he spent three hellish months living and training with them when they were new recruits, which caused the rest of the group to turn and look at what caught their comrades' attention.

Aside from the Varia Command and the few then-recruits that he became close to, few in the Varia knew that he was actually the head of the Famiglia; some think he's a high ranking enough member in the family that requires him to attend meetings with Xanxus, but most know that he's their boss' nephew (thanks to a nasty incident that occurred towards the end of the time he spent living as a varia recruit), which means that they don't know just how powerful and influential he is in their world.

One of the recruits that turned to see what their friends' attention seemed vaguely familiar, but Tsuna couldn't place him; a young Japanese man, in his early to mid twenties, straight short black hair, small brown eyes, average height, muscular. The man, on the other hand, and unlike the rest of the recruits, seemed to know who Tsuna was, at least partly.