#khrlb

“Allegedly,” Reborn says.

“Allegedly,” he agrees, still perusing the contents of the file. “A… talking octopus? Who is this, a cousin of Oodako?” Someone snorts. “Mach 20 speed… He plans to blow up the earth too unless someone else can kill him. A lot of professionals have already tried.” He looks up at Reborn. “Did you get contacted about this?”

“I was. I didn’t take it.”

“Why not?”

He taps the file and Tsuna obligingly continues reading until the end.

When he finishes, he leans back in his chair. “The octopus wants to be a teacher before he blows up the earth.”

“Indeed.” Reborn smirks. “Sound familiar?”

Tsuna huffs. As though Reborn’s tutoring had ever been altruistic. “You didn’t take the job because you think there’s merit in his request; you just want to find out more about him—where he came from and why he’s going to destroy the earth.”

“Correct. However?”

“However,” Tsuna continues with a sigh, “we can’t let a matter like this go unchecked. Governments from all over the world will be keeping an eye on this, especially the Japanese government, since this octopus requested to be put into a specific class at a specific school—which is suspicious all on its own. At any rate, they’ll be sending in their own man as a handler and a teacher, and likely others will soon follow, either legal officers or underworld assassins.”

“An adequate analysis of the situation,” Reborn praises. Tsuna rolls his eyes. “You’ll also notice that the kids themselves will be in training to kill the octopus. We might find some hidden talent.”

“We are not recruiting from a bunch of fourteen-year-olds again.”

Reborn pouts dramatically. Such open emotion is a privilege only within this office.

“But I do agree that we should keep an eye on this,” Tsuna adds. “We’ll send in our own teacher—Basil, maybe. Or perhaps Haru.”

Chrome interjects, “Boss, Haru’s identity is too precious and her civilian work is too public. We can’t afford to risk connecting her to such a high-profile case.”

“Basilicum is busy,” Hibari says.

Tsuna frowns. True, Haru is an excellent spymaster, so they don’t like to advertise her association with them, lest anyone find out that Haru Miura the costume designer and part-time actress is a Vongola; and Hibari values Basil’s input as a senior member of the CEDEF, so they can’t afford to give him a long-term mission in another country either when there’s already so much on his plate.

“Perhaps a different option,” Reborn offers graciously, which means he was definitely looking for an opening. “We send someone undercover, who is largely anonymous but who can also afford to be revealed if it comes down to it. Someone, like Lambo.”

“What?” Tsuna exclaims at the same time as Lambo, who jumps to his feet from where he was lounging on the couch.

“Reborn, we can’t just send Lambo into an unknown situation!” Tsuna continues. “He’s not ready!”

“I don’t want to go to school!” Lambo exclaims, which gets him the stink-eye from Hibari.

“Is he or is he not a Vongola Guardian?” Reborn challenges.

“Future Guardian. Future. He’s still too young,” Tsuna insists.

“But he’s being trained for it and has been since he was five. He may not be able to do anything against a Mach 20 monster, but he can certainly take initiative in a pinch for a bunch of civilian children.”

“Did—was that a compliment?” Lambo asks.

“It’s risky,” Tsuna argues. “He wouldn’t have any supervision.”

“He’s had solo missions before, and leadership training,” Reborn counters.

“Leadership training that he hasn’t completed yet! And the solo missions didn’t bring him far from home!”

“We have many Vongola bases in Japan, and Hibari spends half of his time there. He’ll be able to stay with your parents.”

“Iemitsu’s face is too well-known in the mafia, even now. If someone were to follow Lambo home and see him…”

“Iemitsu is terrible at many things, but he does know how to hide.”

Tsuna lets his head fall into his hands for a moment. He really doesn’t want to send Lambo away, and certainly not all the way to Japan. They’ve kept his identity on the downlow for the past nine years. He’s trained, of course, and he’s participated in missions and is well-informed on the goings-on in the underworld, but that doesn’t mean Tsuna wants him completely exposed before he’s even graduated high school, much less middle school.

With a sigh, he looks up again, scanning the faces of his Guardians around the room before landing on Lambo. He’s still standing, looking uncertain and, suddenly, so much smaller than usual.

“What do you think, Lambo?” Tsuna asks softly. “You’ll be without all of us for a year, except for Hibari’s check-ins—which he will do, if you agree to this. We don’t have a lot of information either.”

“You’ll also get real experience,” Reborn adds. “Information gathering on an undercover long-term mission—it’ll be good for you, and you’ll be able to help the Family more.”

“Um,” Lambo says, eyes darting between the two of them. “Um, well, I mean—" Already, Tsuna can tell that Reborn appealing to his usefulness is working. “Er… I think… I think I can do it. Yeah, I can totally do it! I’m your Lightning Guardian Lambo-sama after all!” He puffs out his chest as his bravado kicks in. Reborn sends a smug smile Tsuna’s way.

Tsuna groans in defeat. “Fine. Lambo, this will be your mission. Please be safe. I’ll give you all the details once everything is straightened out.”

"And how many interviews would this make?"

"Lucky number seven," Kakavasha says brightly. He drops the act almost immediately, slumping over the table with a groan. "I swear, it was not this hard to get a job last time."

Ratio raises an eyebrow. "A bold claim, considering that particular job interview was your murder trial."

Kakavasha shrugs dismissively. "I passed, didn't I?"

"A miracle only you could pull off, dear gambler."

It would be an alarming conversation if anyone around them was paying attention, but luckily, this cafe was just busy enough that a quiet conversation between two men went unnoticed.

'Last time', of course, didn't refer to any of Kakavasha's previous six interviews, or the multitude of part-time jobs he'd worked since he was a teenager. No, it wasn't that normal.

'Last time' referred to their last life—the life where they had first met among the stars, as Aventurine of Stratagems and renowned scholar Dr. Veritas Ratio.

This life has been a cushy one, all things considered. There's no interstellar travel or gods gazing indifferently on their people. Kakavasha may have lost most of his family again and he struggles to make ends meet every day, but his sister is alive and well; they talk frequently and it may never stop being a marvel. His greatest problem nowadays is landing a proper, full-time job. At least when he was with the IPC, he only had to worry about his rank.

Ratio is pretty much the same, now a proper medical doctor at some fancy private hospital or something, though apparently his focus is still mainly research. Meeting him and realizing he also remembered their past life was a welcome surprise; over a year later, here they are, catching up regularly over drinks. Almost like friends.

Crazy how these things happen.

Ratio's phone buzzes on the table. Whatever he sees on the screen makes him sigh heavily.

"Duty calls?" Kakavasha asks.

"Unfortunately. I'm almost certain the only reason they're calling me is because my colleague is being…" Ratio grimaces. "Himself again."

"That's the other doctor that needs to be threatened to treat men and should probably lose his medical license, right?"

"Indeed. Sadly, he is good at his job. When he actually does it," Ratio grumbles and starts packing his things. "I apologize for cutting this short. Would you like a ride? I can make a slight detour."

"No, you go first, I'll finish my food before heading home."

"Alright, I'll text you later. Good luck on your job interview tomorrow."

"Thanks. Good luck on whatever's going on at work."

"I'll certainly need it," Ratio says dryly before bidding a final goodbye and exiting the cafe.

Kakavasha finishes the rest of his meal within a few minutes and heads out too. When he had left his apartment earlier, it had been sunny and mostly cloudless, so he had elected to walk to their meet-up, but as he steps outside he notices grey clouds beginning to roll in. He sighs and walks quickly, hoping to return before the rain catches up to him.

It's only a twenty-minute walk back to his apartment. After barely ten minutes, he gets the distinct feeling that he's being followed.

Cushy though this life is, it's not without its own troubles. Sentient beings are the same in every universe, committing violent acts against one another for made-up reasons. In this life, as in the past, Kakavasha has been targeted for plenty of reasons, his appearance or his traditions, and his sense for danger has never dulled.

He doesn't change his pace in any way. Casual as can be, he takes out his phone and taps the screen a few times.

Right as his thumb presses SEND, pain blooms across the back of his head, and everything goes black.

***

He wakes up in a small room with grey walls, no windows, and one door, sitting at a metal table with his wrists tied behind the back of his chair. Aventurine of Strategems has been kidnapped plenty of times, but in this life, it's a first for Kakavasha. He allows some confusion and anxiety to cross his face, just in case anyone is watching from the camera he spots on one corner of the ceiling.

It's not long before three men enter the room. The two who stop on either side of the doorway are brawny, their suits straining against their large muscles, with their guns badly concealed at their hips. The third who sits across from him is skinny and handsome in an easy-to-forget sort of way, with a smile deliberately crafted to appear friendly.

So—guards, interrogator.

Mafia.

It's an open secret that some mafia Family walks these streets, but he never thought it would have anything to do with him. Kakavasha only has a moment to wonder what the hell put him on their radar before the interrogator starts asking him questions about Ratio, and at that point he can only sigh internally and ask, Oh Ratio, what have you been up to?

He doesn't tell them anything, obviously. He couldn't even if he wanted to, although it's not hard to guess based on the direction of their questions. Even though Kakavasha is just a normal guy now—minus the whole reincarnation thing—his memories of being Aventurine haven't dulled enough for him to not be able to talk his way through this.

We met at a bar a while ago.

Uh, no, we're not dating.

I didn't even go to college, why would I know anything about his research? Isn't he a private doctor or something?

Seriously, I don't know what you're talking about!

They're displeased with his answers, but he chooses to be less provocative than he used to be, having no weapons or organization to fall back on, so they don't whip out the threats and violence just yet. Instead they leave him alone for a bit to stew in anxiety, with the intention of coming back once he's "remembered a bit more."

Kakavasha has no intention of enduring another round of this farce. Just because they're not planning on hurting or killing him right now doesn't mean they won't—actually, they'll likely kill him no matter what. He doesn't know if or when Ratio will come for him, so his best bet is to make his own escape and figure it out from there.

The camera in the corner means any big movements would be noticed quickly, so he doesn't make any movements. He waits, pretending to be scared and struggling to remember anything Ratio may have told him, until the interrogator and guards return.

"Have you recalled anything?" the forgetfully-handsome man asks.

"I have," Kakavasha says, and meets his pleasant smile with his own Aventurine grin.

Then the room floods with blue fire.

An interesting thing about this world: there are no gods, at least none that can be proven, but there exists some sort of magical power. It doesn't appear to be public knowledge, something that just anyone can have. His sister made him swear never to tell anyone or use it unless it was necessary.

He thinks this is a pretty necessary situation.

To keep his promise, he hasn't experimented much with his abilities, but he knows its basic functions. It only looks like fire, but hardly acts like it. For example—Kakavasha tugs his wrists to each side and the ropes, shrouded in ice, shatter. The men are unable to react as the onslaught of flames have rendered them practically immobile. Kakavasha wastes no time leaping to his feet, slamming the interrogator's head into the table and grabbing the guards' guns for himself. He checks the cylinders—fully loaded, how nice—then shoots the men to keep them down.

He swings the door open, ducking to the side and shoots at those waiting before he dares to step out. Other than those he just killed, there's no one else in the hall, but that'll change soon he's sure. He moves swiftly, keeping his eyes and ears open, and it's not long before he hears pounding footsteps and shouting.

"That bastard was lying! He has Flames!" someone cries. He tucks that little tidbit away as he ducks into an empty room. Another thing to ask Ratio about later.

Their noise is helpful in telling him where not to go. He makes good progress in his escape, managing to descend a few floors without being seen and only needing to sneak-kill a couple guys in the process, but then a wrong turn brings him to a wide open area and he's spotted in moments.

"There he is!"

Kakavasha dives behind a counter as bullets rain upon him. He has to think quickly—there are a lot of men and nowhere for him to go. He doesn't know the limits of his ability or if they'll be able to counter it. He's cornered, except for the window behind him.

He eyes it consideringly. This is the third floor, if he remembers correctly, and while he doesn't understand his powers, he can still use them.

…He's taken worse odds.

So without hesitation, he leaps for the window and breaks straight through the glass. In the brief moment of suspension in the air, as the dayglow catches his face, Kakavasha looks down and beams. "Doctor!"

Below, Ratio snaps his head up and his expression shifts from agitated worry to alarm. "Gambler?!"

Kakavasha laughs joyously. Coating himself in blue fire and sending it downwards, he soon makes the softest landing into Ratio's outstretched arms. He grins, looping his arms around his neck. "Nice catch, doc."

Ratio grunts as his power disperses, dropping his full weight onto him, but it's nothing he hasn't carried before. "What on earth were you thinking, gambler?" he snaps.

"I was thinking I was cornered with a bunch of mafia goons shooting at me, so I really had only one option," Kakavasha answers cheekily. "Thanks for coming to my rescue, though." Based on the sun peeking through the clouds and the familiar scent of air after rain, it can't have been more than a few hours since he texted Ratio that old code from their former partnership. He moved quickly.

Ratio's face darkens. "Right. We'll talk about this later." He turns to look over his shoulder, and that's when Kakavasha finally makes note of the others following behind him. "I suppose I'll leave that—" he jerks his head towards the building "—to you."

A small Japanese boy nods, flicking amber-orange eyes between them. "Right. Take care of your friend, Ratio-sensei." He waves a hand at his two friends—also teenage boys—then lights his feet on fire and jets himself through the window Kakavasha just leaped from. The distant screams from inside sound distinctly like a bunch of grown men being attacked by a teenager with big round eyes and fluffy hair. Wow.

One of the teenagers left behind, the taller one, laughs freely. His silver-haired friend growls in Japanese, "Come on, we can't let Tenth do all the work!" He grabs the taller one by the arm and begins marching them towards the building.

The tall one waves to Kakavasha as he lets himself be pulled. "Nice meeting you, Ratio-sensei's friend!"

Kakavasha blinks, but before he can respond in kind, the silver-haired one barks, "Idiot! He probably doesn't know Japanese!" and then they disappear through the front doors.

Ratio looks down at him. "Do you speak Japanese?" he wonders.

"Of course I do," Kakavasha answers. "You can let me down now, by the way."

Ratio blushes hotly and hurriedly, though carefully, sets him back on his feet. "How are you feeling? Did they hurt you? Show me where you're injured."

"I'm not injured."

"Don't lie to me."

"Seriously, doc, I'm fine!" He spreads his arms and spins once to show off just how fine he was. "They didn't go straight to torture and I was being pretty sneaky, up until, well, just now. If anyone's a liar this time, it's not me," he says pointedly, crossing his arms. Ratio winces. Kakavasha smirks.

***

Ratio does not answer his questions right away. After the teenagers are done apparently taking over the building—or maybe the whole Famiglia?—he's taken to a large manor where he can be evaluated properly. There's an older, scruffy-looking man in the medical room who takes one look at Kakavasha, mutters something about not treating men, and retreats behind a curtain. Probably the colleague Ratio hates, then.

Meanwhile, the teenagers introduce themselves as Tsuna, Yamamoto, and Gokudera.

"New ducklings, doc?" Kakavasha asks cheekily.

"Hardly," Ratio scoffs, then sighs. "Rather, Tsunayoshi is… my boss."

Kakavasha laughs, not out of disbelief, just pure mirth. Ratio wouldn't lie about something so absurd, which means it has to be true. "You must be quite special for Ratio here to acknowledge you as a superior," he tells the kid, who stammers a denial that is immediately washed out by his friends heaping praise onto him. How adorable.

Ratio grumbles to himself but doesn't deny it. Kakavasha subjects himself to the rest of his examination under glowing yellow fingers before trying to get answers again.

"So when were you going to tell me that you're a private doctor for the mafia?" he asks nonchalantly, resting his cheek on his knuckles.

Ratio hesitates. "I… wasn't," he admits.

Kakavasha is not impressed by that answer. "Oh come on, you couldn't have possibly thought I wouldn't find out. We see each other every month, Ratio, I'd have started asking questions eventually. Or were you planning on ghosting me at some point?"

"Of course not!" Ratio protests, which sends a wave of relief through his body despite himself. He waits a few seconds, and finally Ratio says quietly, "Can you blame me for not wanting you in danger?"

Haha. Well that's. Mmm. Like a prey animal facing its death, Kakavasha does not so much as twitch, rendered frozen by the admittance. Their teenage audience make a hasty exit; he hopes the other doctor does too, but he can't bring himself to check or kick him out himself. Ratio looks back at him, slightly apprehensive but always earnest.

When Kakavasha was fifteen for the second time, living in a tiny one-bedroom apartment with his sister, there was a day where they nearly tore into each other. Kakavasha's hormones clashed with his spotty memories of being an adult man, and his sister's coddling protection felt like chains to a boy he wasn't. He screamed at her. She shouted at him. Their neighbors pounded on the walls and they both kicked back and Kakavasha would have fought them in the parking lot if his sister hadn't pulled him by the collar and dragged him to the park across the street to cool down.

Even in this life, whether her or Ratio, their care feels like fingernails peeling tissue from his heart one painful strip at a time. It exists, and he has known this since his walk through oblivion, and it still tastes like blood coagulating in his throat.

Kakavasha looks away first, leaning back on his palms to gaze up at the white ceiling. "Funny, after all the grief you used to give me over the exact same thing."

"That was not my intention—"

"I know. I'm not actually mad at you." He tilts his head back down again, meeting his eyes. That pretty dawn carried over into this life. "But the fact still is that I wasn't prepared for the possibility of being kidnapped by your enemies, so it's kind of a moot point now, hm? It's a good thing I knew a little about how to use that fire stuff to defend myself."

Ratio frowns. "Yes, I did notice. What a strange use of Rain Flames…"

Kakavasha chooses to pack that away for a later conversation. Not another thing he wants to dig into right now, no thank you. "Anyway, it's too late now. I'm here, I know about your little crime job, it's either join or die now, right?"

"It doesn't have to be," Ratio tries, but the look on his face says a normal life is no longer in the cards.

That's just fine with him. 'Normal' was never in his deck to begin with.

"How much does the mafia pay anyway?" Kakavasha wonders. His lips twitch at Ratio's immediate dismay.