Moment In Time

Chapter 56

Chapter 56:Unexpected

When Tsuna goes down, when he is taken out of a fight, his Guardians get vicious- as is to be expected.

The unexpected thing about that?

The most vicious of the lot is neither Gokudera- who was so violently protective of his boss- nor Ryohei who took protecting his little brother very seriously.

No. The most vicious of the lot are Mukuro and Hibari.

The two Guardians who most people assumed hated their Boss or planned to kill him were the two who were most protective of Tsunayoshi when he couldn't defend himself.

Mukuro knew he was a twisted and jaded individual. He knew that everyone who knew what he had done before Tsunayoshi wanted him dead or locked away for life, looked at him and thought 'Monster'.

Everyone except Tsunayoshi.

Tsunayoshi, who had gone toe to toe with the Vindice over his freedom and won even before he had earned their gratitude and respect after the whole Representative Battle mess. Tsunayoshi who had basically told the entire world to 'fuck off and keep out' when they fought his choices, who had gathered Mukuro and his gang and given them a place of their own, no catches or hidden motives in his actions beyond wanting them all to have a clean safe place to call their own.

Mukuro often threatened to possess the Young Vongola, to take over his body and destroy his mind, said all of this loudly and often in sight of everyone, but Mukuro was a Mist.

It was basically there in the job description.

Creating something from nothing, and nothing from something; thus bewildering the enemy, to render the Famiglia's true form intangible with visions of deceit.

Bewilder the enemy and render the Family's true form intangible.

Mukuro couldn't count the number of people who had approached him in an attempt to 'take care' of his Family due to the fact they thought Mukuro meant to kill and possess Tsunayoshi and would betray him and help them.

He killed them all.

He was a possessive man. When he claimed something as his own he protected it, and Tsunayoshi Sawada was his Sky and he was loyal to that man alone.

When Tsunayoshi went down Mukuro was there: vicious and thorough in his defense of his home- the wide open Sky that let him wander free and destroyed any who tried to cage him.

Hibari was a lone wolf at heart.

Or he had thought so until Tsunayoshi Sawada bumbled his way into his life.

He liked solitude and space, but this did not mean he liked being alone.

Hibari had not realized there was a difference until Tsunayoshi came along and reached out to him even when he was terrified.

Tsuna had actually caught Hibari's attention by continuing to reach out to him even when Tsuna was terrified. It was that interest that had him agreeing to the position of Cloud Guardian. (After all, no true herbivore continued to approach an obvious carnivore)

Hibari hadn't realized that the little animal had snagged him into his orbit, had earned himself a place as someone Hibari would defend, until the Varia Battles when he looked over and had spotted the fear in Tsuna's eyes and on his face- a fear that was so different then the kind he saw when Tsuna approached him- and loathed it commanding him to watch his fight and get the stupid look off his face.

Tsunayoshi allowed him to roam around and do as he wished. He gave Hibari no chains or restrictions while offering him a place to come back to, to call home, to rest.

Tsuna gave him a place where he knew he was welcomed with open arms and no expectations whenever he tired of the solitude and silence.

Tsuna gave him a pack.

Hibari hadn't even realized he was looking for a pack until Tsuna had given him one. Hadn't realized that the constant fighting he went through - while it was partially a desire to have order and protect the territory Hibari saw as his- was also out of a subconscious desire to find a pack Hibari could accept as his.

Tsunayoshi was his home.

His Sky.

Hibari was naturally aloof, naturally wandered from place to place, but when the man he had chosen as his Alpha went down, Hibari was vicious.

This pack was a mess of contradictory people, was loud, fought amongst themselves often, and annoyed him on a good day, but they were his pack. Anyone who caused problems in Namimori and remembered it after the beating Hibari gave them could tell you how possessive and protective Hibari was with the things he considered to be his.