badfic_manor | [Video/Memory] Everyone was young once...

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[Video/Memory] Everyone was young once...

[It's a little hard to tell what's going on at first - there's ... well, quite a few explosions. A LOT of explosions. And whatever it is, it doesn't...really look controlled.]

[Wait, wait, there IS something in all the smoke and chaos that's visible - and whoever it is, they're either sorta tiny, or not more than fifteen or so... and first really visible after they end up on the ground from getting thrown into a wall, then scraping up and scrambling on, one hand on a hat, a steady stream of swearing in Italian going on.]

[This, children, is a mission gone Situation Normal: All Fucked Up, because even when you've already been earmarked as one of The Strongest Seven, you have your limits...And accidentally setting off some chain reaction explosions in a compound is, well, not the best way to go about a quiet assassination.]

[There's a bit of something that could almost be set to Benny Hill with scrambling to get out of the way of debris, flames, further explosions, and occasionally getting thrown into walls and around thanks to failing at that last "avoiding further explosions" part, and somewhere in between explosions, there's some other voices that sound very very angry and apparently have guns.]

[Yep, someone fucked up but good, and the gunfire only makes that scramble all the more frantic and the swearing a bit more colorful.]

[Except the number of people off in the smoke yelling and chasing seems to be dropping - and was that one cut off in the middle of what might've been an order?]

[either way, after a minute it's mostly quieter, and the poor sod ends up hitting one last good "whoops", staggering away from the wall, and tripping flat on the ground in the fading smoke...now a little more visible, with a black suit and black lump that happens to be a very distressed chameleon pretending to be one with the suit.]

[And then he looks up to see a squirrel right in front of him, staring at him... and further up to the feet of a lady with short, dark hair in a white dress, a star tattoo on one cheek, who's shaking her head in wry amusement; next to her is another boy with a camo jacket and a sniper rifle, trying and failing not to crack up laughing.]

[And the kid who'd been doing the scrambling? Just gets a miserable lineface and gives up, slumping his face into his sleeve with a muffled, "Shove it" at the sniper, which is enough to break that "trying not to laugh" and get the lady to roll her eyes.]

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[Gokudera watched the broadcast, without recognizing ANY of the people involved. He had never seen the Arcobaleno as normal kids before... he had more or less just assumed they were super-babies. So he watched this absolute butchery of what he claimed as his specialty, and felt that id anyone had the right to make a comment- it was him.]

What a total dipshit!

[Because clearly he had never done this before. CLEARLY.]

[Well, to be fair, Reborn hadn't been the one setting off the explosives. No, that's what happens when things go wrong involving gas lines and smuggled arms stockpiles.]

[But that is a reply! And it's Reborn! And boy does he seem chipper!]

Oh, of course. Nothing like any of the times things have gone wrong for you.

[He's too chipper. If you remember anything, Dera, you should recognize the SPECIAL kind of cheerful that usually precedes HORRIBLE THINGS HAPPENING, even if it's usually Tsuna that's the target. Also you know, that your reply is coming from him and how these broadcasts have been working.]

[Oh he would realize it... if he could read your social cues properly. And besides, there's no way that clown could ever be the great, amazing, top-hitman Reborn! So for the moment his delusions of your grandeur are outweighing the rather blatant logic.

But judging by Reborn's tone he might have some family training exercise of some sort in mind! Reborn always seemed really hapy right before mafia training! If only the boss was here! Then they could do it together!]

Reborn, do you know that guy? Are you the one that blew him up! [He laughed] You really are a great hitman!

[.....you...have a LOT to learn.]

After a manner of speaking, yes. I know "that guy" VERY well, and know exactly what went wrong for everything to blow up like that.

[Smiiiiiile. YOU ARE LUCKY HE IS PATIENT AND USED TO DEALING WITH KIDS BEING STUPID, GOKUDERA.]

A truly great hitman understands the value of subtlety and stealth.

[Which were both in short supply, that day.]

Oh! So he was another person you tutored then?! [Clearly.] Was he a boss to another family too?! How did his training turn out?

[So very lucky indeed... as he just continues to dig himself further in the proverbial hole...]

Not quite on the tutoring. [Really he's just glad Colonello isn't here to be reminded...and gloat again.]

And he's not a Boss... but he did grow up to be one of I Prescelti Sette.

[THIS IS A CLUE, DERA.]

[Give that smile a moment to fade a little as that little bit sort of starts to sink in, but NO that couldn't be right! This was REBORN. Top notch Hitman! There's no way that was him!

And don't mind him just forcefully deluding himself some more, since he REALLY REALLY REALLY DOESN'T WANT TO OWN UP TO WHAT HE SAID EARLIER.]

Which chosen seven, Reborn?

[...Please say any chosen seven but the one he's thinking about.]

[Everyone starts somewhere. :| Take comfort in the fact that Reborn was almost as much a dork as any of you at your age.]

The Chosen Seven.

[Yes, Dera, it's the ones you're thinking about. See that lady that looks an awful lot like a somewhat older version of Yuni, and gee that sniper rifle's probably familiar too!]

[...]

[Give him a second.....]

Wh-what...?

[CEREMONIOUS REPETITIVE HEAD-TO-FLOOR MASHING IS A GO.]

REBORN! I AM SO SORRY! IT WAS STUPID OF ME TO EVER DEGRADE A HITMAN OF YOUR SKILL LIKE THAT! I'M SORRY! I'M SORRY! I'M SORRY!

[And Reborn ... is not really that bothered, all told. If anything there was ... probably one of those things Gokudera could use to learn, as much as it was coming at the expense of his dignity.]

[...what little of it still existed.]

Well, at the time, it was true. I was young, and stupid, and learning my lessons the hard way; it's how you get to be the strongest. [Just...don't let Colonello know that you saw this.]

[Gokudera just blinks a few times, trying to process the fact that Reborn was making words that did not translate to 'I am the greatest hitman ever, you just didn't see it right', so of course Hayato took the liberty of doing that FOR him.]

B-but you're the world's greatest hitman! I'm sure you still got the job done flawlessly!

[And he's already gone about rewriting everything he had previously thought about what he had seen and reformed it into what was obviously the greatest hit he had ever seen.]

[...Sob. Brilliant kid, but sometimes, your head is a leedle bit in the clouds.]

Well... it did get done...

Just with a lot of cleanup, I was pretty beat-up...

And if Colonello shows up, never let him know you saw this. I already paid him off enough to never speak of it again.

I'm the greatest now, back then, I was a cocky teenager.

[Well, it was a feather in COLONELLO'S cap...]

[Reborn... a teenager?]

B-but.... how?

[Excuse him for a moment... there's this thing in his brain that is not clicking... Of course he had a basic understanding that the Arcobaleno where special... but was completely unaware that they had ever been teenagers...]

[Right. Dera's from an earlier timeline point, when certain cats are still, somehow, in the bag.]

[Well, he'll be finding out soon enough anyway, and that made it obvious.]

I haven't always looked like this.

[What? Reborn looked like a normal person?! Just whatwhatwhatwhatwhatwhatwhat. How is he supposed to fit 'he looked normal' into his already pre-thought-out delusions of Reborn grandeur?]

B-but then... h-how

[So much for the 'genetically engineered super mafia baby' theory...]

[Well, he certainly looked a Hell of a lot more impressive when he got a bit older ... and wasn't eating mud with Colonello and Luce saving his ass.]

It's a long story; manage to impress me and I'll have to fill you in some time.

[You really haven't thought about some of his comments about having at least three ex-girlfriends or the nature of his relationship with Bianchi, have you?]

[No of course not. Girls have cooties. And they're insane.]

[But don't mind him... time for some sparkly eyes and the biggest smile at that offer... you know, just like how he is before he runs off to do something ridiculous and over the top?]

R-really?! I'll get to work right away Reborn! Y-you won't regret it!

[~~Yes you will.~~]

[...This is going to take a lot longer than you think it will, Dera.]

[But Reborn is ~smiling~. ~~The smile that strikes terror into Tsuna's heart.~~]

This will be a good thing, I think; give you something to work towards - but don't think I'll be easy on you.

[Welp. He may've found a way to solve that "Dera doesn't feel like he has something constructive to do" problem for a while.]

I don't expect you to! Please! Don't go easy on me at all!

[Hahaha. He has no idea what he just agreed to.]

Well then. I'll be seeing you soon with your training plan.

[And he's...way too happy about this.]

I look forward to it Reborn!

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[Video/Memory] Everyone was young once...

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