[IC] KHR: The Mafia War [Jakeozzy|Demon Shinobi]

[Jakeozzy]

Part I - Baptised in Flames

"Priority target is heading east, leaving the high school building. Potentially moving to our identified entrance of the Vongola's main base... All units, maintain cover until the boss gives a green light."

The agent took his finger off his earpiece after he'd finished transmitting, and simply watched the school girl run around the next street corner. Within a second, another agent reported he had had eyes on her. She clearly wasn't aware of them, and seemed to be full of energy - no doubt excited for the apparent reunion. Disguised mafioso continued to stalk and watch discretely as young Miss Sawada ran through the peaceful streets of Namimori town...

----------

Ringo sprinted without pause, the excitement driving her all the way through town, up towards the shrine where she could use the closest entrance to get into the base. She usually wouldn't head there unless it was important, but today, there was nothing more important in the world! Mamoru was here, and so was the Shimon Family. After running up the steep steps to the shrine, Ringo was exhausted, but managed to carry on and enter, disappearing from the public eye.

She knew her way around and figured the meeting must be in the conference room. Not stopping for breath, she just carried on running through the underground halls, dodging the busy staff of Vongola Base. When she found the room, she burst in to find her father and Mr. Kozato in the middle of a greeting. She disregarded any kind of formality and found her friend amongst the many guardians straight away!

"Mam-...!" she tried to exclaim, but all that came out was heavy breathing. She put her hands on her head and tried to catch her breath, all the while turning a slight shade of red - the room went silent and all eyes were on her, but everyone seemed amused by the girl. At least they weren't offended! She kept watching her friend's reaction, cracking a smile at him after the shambles of an entrance. Ringo's father cleared his throat then, and chuckled as he gestured to her, "For those of you who don't know, this is my daughter. Improv as ever."

"Uh--" she composed herself as best she could, stood up straight and took a formal bow before the Simon Guardians, and Mamoru's father. "Excuse me! I'm Ringo Sawada... Welcome to Namimori, everyone!" she greeted them. Her gaze then quickly fell back to Mamoru. They had so much catching up to do.

[Demon Shinobi]

It had been a relatively simple day for Mamoru. He'd expected his father, Akihiko, to be late in getting ready as was the usual, but he was surprisingly in good spirits and ready to move. The sentiment of seeing a good friend wasn't lost on the teen. He smiled and shook his head. He'd dressed himself up formally as was the typical attire of the Simon and Vongola. Especially for meetings like this. It helped that he he had begun home schooling roughly 2 years ago so as to begin his training and induction into the mafia world. So, he didn't need t worry about public school things.

For as long as anyone could remember though, the Simon and Vongola had been known to break tradition. This was especially noted by the style of suit worn by the heir of the Simon. He wore a custom made suit with a red lining and a hood of all things. His father wore red as well, though it was in the form of a red undershirt, mostly covered by his black tie and jacket. He had moments of unorthodox decision making and behavior, but he was still a traditional mafioso. As the two began to head for the airport Mamoru noticed Akihiko put on a pair of sunglasses and a hat. It would help hide who he was when traveling, due to spying eyes, even if just a bit. He put on sunglasses of his own and then his hood.

---

Far away, an unknown onlooker spoke softly to radio information to his allies. "The mice have entered the maze." He said as if trying tofurther mask his behavior.

"We're the only ones with this radio frequency and it's constantly shifting to avoid compromise. Talk normally you idiot." Another voice, a female responded. The two bickered for a moment, but were soon interrupted.

"If you two are done. We have our own flight to catch. The time is fast approaching." The voice was female, though it struck a note in the two. Whether it called for fear or obedience was a blurred line, but all the same, she commanded respect and she got it.

"Yes ma'am." The two responded in unison.

"Now move." She ordered.

**********

Soon the meeting was underway. Mamoru sat quietly though could occasionally be caught sneaking peeks around the base, the rooms they sat in and the doors when they finally came to the meeting room. The 12th Vongola Boss and his Guardians meeting with the 12th Simon Boss and his Guardians, all for the spectacle of a young man set to become the 13th boss of the Simon Famiglia. And all he was waiting for was his childhood friend. Come to think of it, why hadn't she been here already? She better not have been slacking off while he was gone.

Then she burst in. Ringo Sawada. In all her quirky, awkwardness he couldn't help but crack a smile. Still it vanished the second his father's guardians looked at him. they'd never let him live that down. "Nice of you to join us, dork." He teased as he stood up to greet her. "How've ya been?" He added as he walked around everyone, stopping only when he was in front of her. He held up his hand for her to take. "Hope you haven't been getting into too much trouble while I was gone."

[Jakeozzy]

"No, no trouble! Just a lot of study and exercise. I'm doing great, to be honest!" Ringo happily chattered away as she shook Mamoru's hand gently. He looked sort of different than last time they met. So much more like the future boss of his family... Of course, Ringo wasn't even close to where he stood - confident and prepared. Dad just wouldn't give her the tools and know-how to lead and to fight. She was his gentle, caring girl, but only she could inherit the Vongola Family.

"Ringo, don't drag him off to the surface just yet," Sora chuckled. The kids would probably want out of here, he assumed! The Vongola Guardians all went to take a seat, typically the Guardian of Cloud was absent. He was a teacher at Nami High, so the base wasn't far - he just didn't entertain mafia business.

"I want to give you something first," Sora continued, glancing at a sealed box on the table, encrusted with a golden clam on the front of it. He reached back and picked it up, handing it to Ringo along with a key. "Keep this safe until later, won't you? We'll talk about it at home..." he explained.

Ringo took the box and looked it over, guessing what it might be. Dad's Guardians were all wearing different rings today. She shoved the box into her bag and nodded, closing it up and throwing it over her shoulder again. "Sure..." she replied. She knew enough - these were going to be for her own generation. Not that she knew the extent of their power, or so much how to even use one!

Her eyes flicked to Mamoru then, waiting for him to decide whether to stay with the gathering, or to go back to town.

[Demon Shinobi]

M A M O R U

---

• Namimori Town •
_{{We should think of a date}
@Jakeozzy}

---

Mamoru chuckled at the antics of his old friend. She hadn't really changed much. He wasn't so sure if that was good or bad to be honest. Still, things were good, and even proceeding nicely. He grinned at his dad as if to say, 'I told you so.' when Ringo's father presented her with the box. He'd been gifted something very similar not long before this meeting. In fact, the box and its contents were on him, albeit he'd created a much smaller carrying case, utilizing the material used to make mammon chains. He's developed the box on his own, and it was small enough to fit in a pocket on the inner lining of his suit.

"I know I know," his father verbalized before giving a small smile.
"Now that that's settled, I'm..."
"Going out with Ringo," Akihiko interrupted him. "Enjoy your date."
"Wha?! It... It's not a date dad!" Mamoru's face flushed, matching the inner lining of his suit. "Geez... We're just friends," he added almost immediately.

Akihiko laughed a little bit with his guardians quickly joining in. Mamoru huffed and turned to the the Vongola boss and guardians. "Th-thank you for having me." He said quickly before turning and skulking out of the room, more than just embarrassed. He couldn't believe his father, even if he knew the man was just poking fun at him. Mamoru all the same was walking away, assuming his friend would follow soon after.

[Jakeozzy]

"Have fun, you two!" Sora chuckled, waving as the two left. He felt a little uneasy as he watched them walk away... He reassured himself that nothing was wrong. After all, everyone he could count on was right here. If anything came up, it could be handled easily.

----------

Ringo would quickly tag along behind Mamoru, only stopping to take a fast, polite bow on their way out. She had no idea how to react to her friend's father teasing him, but figured that ditching was the best thing to do if Mamoru was already on it! As the doors to the conference room shut behind them, Ringo noticeably relaxed, exhaling quietly as they headed for the nearest surface exit.

She glanced occasionally at Mamoru, breaking into a quiet chuckle after a moment of silent walking. "To be honest, I'd hardly call hanging out a date... But to onlookers, I guess it looks..." she trailed off, "Heh, it's just so great to see you again! You look like the model mafioso with your cool suit!" she complimented.

[Demon Shinobi]

M A M O R U

---

• Namimori Town •
_{{We should think of a date}
@Jakeozzy}

---

It was quiet. It was so quiet it was awkward. Knowing her... She'll find a way to make it more awkward. And almost as if on cue, Ringo spoke. "Gah!" He threw his hands in the air in annoyance. "Date this and a date that! What is it with you guys?!" He spoke referring to his father and his friend. "It's not a big deal. I mean, we've been friends forever. We're just..." He stopped as she moved on quickly.

"Y-yeah... Thanks." A light blush spread across his face at his own outburst and lack of cool as he would probably put it. He sighed and shook his head. "Anyway. Big day huh?" His flushed face transitioned to a grin of glee. "Got the box and everything." He turned to face Ringo, walking backwards and somehow avoiding anything he might have walked into perfectly. If she looked close enough she might see the slight shine in his eyes, caused partially due to the shift in lighting and the contact lenses in his eyes. "We should stopped by one of the training rooms before we head out though."

There was a small pause as Mamoru stopped walking. "Maybe we can go at it for a bit. A light spar," he said softly as he turned to face a door. He began to pull his bag off his back and turned the handle opening it calmly. "Plus... I wanna give you something and that jerk of an old man I call dad would've never let it go." He said with a small laugh as he walked in.

[Jakeozzy]

Ringo followed her bestie along to the training room, stepping inside after him and quickly setting her bag down next to the door. It'd been something like a week since she last exercised her power, but she never really found a partner to help her grow. She hadn't had much actual combat training besides scrapping some training drones on her own. Dying Will Mode was something she hadn't mastered, and beyond that... she had even less training in the 'Hyper' form, barely able to sustain it the one time she'd used it. The flame and form needed a solid resolve and constant training to keep up. She wasn't in the best of shapes, but she had her great grandfather's weapons, and that always seemed like a good enough start...

"What is it?! Did you bring a memento from your hometown?" she asked excitedly, at the same time digging out two mittens from her school bag.

[Demon Shinobi]

M A M O R U

---

• Namimori Town •
_{{We should think of a date}
@Jakeozzy}

---

Mamoru chuckled at Ringo's excitement as he surveyed the training room and placed his bag on the ground. "Before we worry about the gifts, I wanna see how you've been doing. I'm getting pretty good as controlling Dying Will Mode myself. I can even sustain it for longer than 5 minutes too." He boasted proudly as he began to reach into his bag. "Of course, I haven't been able to properly manifest the Simon Gauntlets. I've been working with knock offs." He said as he slipped a B-rank ring onto his finger. He pulled his headphones out of his bag and put them over his ears. "But once I master using the Simon Ring, I'll kick some major ass. For right now, everything's just a fraction of its true strength."

The young mafioso grinned at his friend and even pull out to odd looking machines. They looked like they were pulled out of a video game or something. "Activate." He said softly. Soon they whirred to life and began to hover around him. "Now, I'm assuming you've been getting shot left and right by a certain little person. But since he's away on business, I'll lend you this." He pulled out a small pill container and spilled two into his hand. He held it out. "Take one. But remember the rule. Make sure you've got a damn good goal in mind." He instructed her before taking his.

He was silent for a moment before he released a loud roar like yell. His face became much more aggressive and angry and the flame of dying will appeared on his head. It's likely his clothes may have been destroyed had he not already received a special set of flame resistant clothing. "I'm gonna kick your ass with my dying will!!" He seemed more in control than was expected for Dying Will Mode as he clenched a fist, now covered in a black gauntlet. Still, he was yelling and ready to attack all the same. Thus, without another word he charged forward heading directly for his childhood friend.

[Jakeozzy]

"Mamoru wait-! CRAP!" Is all Ringo could say before he threw the pill in his mouth. She guessed he must've been looking forward to this for a long time, to just.. screw her over like this! He broke into a charge, and she quickly took her pill with one resolute objective in mind.

"I'M GONNA GET REVENGE WITH MY DYING WILL!" She screamed, the flame engulfing her forehead, while her clothes just exploded from the sudden burst of power around her. It would be revenge for this - for not waiting for her to change into something flame-proof! When this spar ended, she knew she'd have to face him wearing nothing!

In response, and according to her final wish, she rushed straight at him and started with a leap, and a fist aimed for his nose. So began the naked battle...

[Demon Shinobi]

M A M O R U

---

• Namimori Town •
_{{We should think of a date}
@Jakeozzy}

---

Mamoru growled, no visible change in reaction to his childhood friend now being naked. As she came at him his drones fired beams of energy at her to help slow her down. With that distraction he leaped over her using a blast from his gloves to propel himself, and a much weaker form of the gravity manipulation typically expected of the Simon Gauntlets adorning her hands to control his trajectory. He did say he had been using knock off after all. As he used the gloves to land himself on the wall behind Ringo he pressed one down and lifted the other. He aimed a blast at her from behind and fired.

As he did so his drones began to circle her are amazing speeds. If this was all she had, he'd be severely disappointed after they finished. Of course, only after he got over her being naked and got her some clothes. He face would probably be as red as the storm flame, if not more so. But for now, he was gonna win. All he really had to do was knock her out of Dying Will Mode.

[Jakeozzy]

With a mind clear of anything but the desire and drive to meet her goal, Ringo initially took the small blasts from the drones and 'dealt with it', leaving scorch marks on her skin. She slowed down, gauging whether it would be easier to punch the crap out of the drones, or go straight for Mamoru. With her friend preparing a strong attack, she decided on the latter and turned ready to dodge. The mitts from earlier had transformed into the practically indestructible gloves so many Vongola bosses had used since Decimo's era. 'Soft' Sky flames burst out of the X-Gloves, letting Ringo propel herself sideways, all the while his drones chasing her to harass her movement.

She certainly hadn't mastered flying in this form, and opted to use the gloves for bursts of speed where needed. Her focus needed tempering, and her body needed further training, otherwise she'd be unable to handle that second pill or bullet when the time came...

Having dodged the worst of the smaller blasts, Ringo boosted herself toward Moru in zig-zags trying to get close enough to start beating him up! That and, those drones made it pretty painful to stand still for too long!

[Demon Shinobi]

M A M O R U

---

• Namimori Town •
_{{We should think of a date}
@Jakeozzy}

---

Mamoru watched her movements as he prepared the blast of energy comprised of the earth flames. He couldn't quite utilize gravity to its fullest potential, but he could most certainly fire off a large attack. He pushed off the wall as she got close. He press a foot on one of the drones, which had positioned itself under him perfectly, and kicked off of it. "1 Ton Blast!" He said as a sphere of the concentrated flames flew at her. If she watched able to dodge, it'd hurt like hell, but it'd also increase her own personal gravity until it was difficult to lift a finger, let alone move. A more experienced and in control opponent would have had no trouble. Either they'd have dodged, or they'd have stomped him before he could concentrate enough flames. Ideally, he'd need more time to pull this specific attack into its strongest form though. This blast was premature and not up to its full potential.

[Jakeozzy]

More or less zoned into the fighting in this goal-obsessed form, Ringo had followed her opponent's movements and knew to simply dodge and continue trying to get close enough to do damage. But of course, this form was almost all braun, with a pretty severe lack in brain. At least, for her untrained mind it was... Charging in was reckless, but the shortest path. The moment Mamoru fired, Ringo used her whole body to twist around the flames and carry on - but underestimating the size of the attack meant she'd slow down soon enough...

Ringo didn't notice, but her whole left side had grazed the Earth flames, causing a minor pain, but ultimately caused the left side of her body to suddenly get heavier, with more pressure weighing her down with every passing moment. By the time she was in range to leap at Mamoru, she only managed to jump a small distance, and hurtled to the floor, confused and close to slipping out of Dying Will Mode. "Need revenge... Can't move... Can't get revenge...!" she grunted as the shine around her began to dissipate.

It wasn't her best shot, surely? Maybe she just lacked a lot of resolve, to go down so easily. When she came back to her senses, she spared no time in curling up and covering up! The sting from DW Mode's exertion kicked in, leaving her wanting to writhe in pain, but also to keep whatever modesty there was left!

"M-m-my bag! Throw my bag!"

[Demon Shinobi]

M A M O R U

---

• Namimori Town •
_{{We should think of a date}
@Jakeozzy}

---

With the battle complete Mamoru was left with an accomplished goal and fading power. It wasn't until the effects of Dying Will Mode wore off that his face began to glow a shade of red rivaling the inner like of his hoodie. "Oh shi... Um... I... I'm so... I don't..." He began to immediately stumble over his words in an attempt to apologize as he turned away to look for Ringo's bag. "I didn't mean... I didn't think..." The young mafioso began to shuffle around like a chicken without its head until finally he tripped over the bag in question.

"H-here!" He finally shouted as he slid the bag across the floor to her and turn to face the wall. He was breathing heavily, still internally freaking out. But other thoughts popped into his head (not like that). She should have been prepared for battle at a moment's notice. She should always have clothes that wouldn't burn off when introduced to the Dying Will energy. She'd really been slacking in her preparation and probably more so in his basic Mafioso training. It was upsetting to say the least. She had one of the largest, most powerful Mafia families to care for and nurture. Even if it wasn't ideal, even if it wasn't normal, they'd talked about this, dreamed about it even, since they were younger.

Mamoru almost turned to glance at her, but remembered the situation and calmed his nerves. That would just be more embarrassment. For both of them.

[Jakeozzy]

It didn't take long to throw the proper clothes on, the ones she wished she had time to change into before this failure of a spar. Ringo's outfit was made up of a pair of boots, jeans, and an orange and black hoodie with the Vongola insignia on the upper right arm, like any army unit would have their own. She flicked her hair out of the hood and finally began to calm down. She cleared her throat and called over, "You can look now..."

Ringo started walking over to her friend, still slightly red in the face. Less because he might've seen her all over, but more because she wasn't ready for the training. She could see in his expression, he wasn't overjoyed. Had she really gotten to a point where she was completely vulnerable?

"I uh, ..." she held her arm, "At least you're strong enough for the both of us?" she tried to joke.

[Demon Shinobi]

When Mamoru was finally given the okay to turn around he narrowed his eyes at her. His furrowed brow was enough to express his annoyance at her casual joke about what had just happened. Was it embarrassing? Yes. But more than that, more than anything once he thought about it more critically, it was infuriating. "Is that all you have to say?" He asked, annoyance evident in his tone. The young man was always making sure to stay on top of his game, always trying to better himself as a future mafia boss. The Vongola, and even his own Simon, Famiglia was an amazing organization, ever since it'd changed from a criminal group to something more a vigilante organization. Did they still break the law? Yes, but there was a code, a sense of honor and chivalry.

"What would have happened if you were actually attacked?" He raised his voice, though he didn't mean to. "The mafia world may have changed over the years, but we could still be attacked and killed at any time! And what's with that weak performance you gave during the fight? Can't you control the Dying Will Mode at all?!" He turned away from her and punched the wall.

Mamoru took a deep breath. He sighed once he'd calmed his nerves and turned back towards her "We promised that we'd get strong to protect our families and each other. You need to take this seriously. You should always be ready in case a fight breaks out. You should always be prepared to defend yourself and anyone else you might be with. Otherwise, what's the point of you have those rings? What's the point of me putting my all in it, if you aren't gonna be doing the same? Why even bother?" He asked this time stopping, almost as if he were waiting for an answer, though he wasn't actually expecting one. What could she offer right now that wouldn't be seen as an excuse? He wasn't sure, but whatever she had to say, whatever it was that she wan't it, he wasn't looking forward to it. Still, this needed to be said.

[Jakeozzy]

“It’s... not what my dad wants for me,” Ringo said, her quiet voice shaking as she tried to find a reason for her weakness. “I only have myself to blame for slacking off, but he always hints toward me moving away, studying, being better off in some peaceful life.”

She paused, and exhaled, trying to compose herself. She’d never really witnessed Mamoru get angry like that, so it took a while to process. It was easy to understand his point of view. “I’ll try harder! I just can’t find a ‘resolve’ to push myself with. I don’t know what I’m aiming to become, or what I need to do to reach that point. You know?!” she tried to explain. “I keep being kept in the dark with all this mafia stuff...”

“Maybe giving the rings to me is dad finally giving in,” she thought aloud, visibly nervous, and hesitant to look Mamoru in the eye. There was nothing worse than the fact that she’d let him down, and not come through on her side of their promises.

[Demon Shinobi]

Mamoru temper flared once more with the response Ringo gave him. "Not what your dad wants for you?" He questioned once incredulously. "NOT WHAT YOUR DAD WANTS FOR YOU?!" Mamoru shouted this time before pounding his gloved fist into the wall beside him. Even so, as she continued speaking, his blood quickly decreasing from a boil to a simmer. "Well... You damn well better work harder." He finally growled after a moment of deafening silence between the two of them. He turned away from her and opened the door back up.

"Now, lets go get something to eat or whatever." Mamoru added sounding a bit more like himself, though still clearly "meh" about what had just transpired. He was still gonna be a bit grumpy for a while. It was how things always were. And he wouldn't just let Ringo off if she tried to play cute or make him laugh! Not this time! _Probably...

[Jakeozzy]

“Y-You know me! Once I set my mind to it, I’ll catch up really quickly! Especially if you’re helping me out!” Ringo rambled on as she grabbed her bag and followed hot on Mamoru’s heels, perhaps feeling the need to sugar coat her plans to get better. There wasn’t a lot she could say to make him calmer, other than just being herself. She seemed so cheerful, despite being berated moments earlier. She still had her gloves on, reverted back to their innocent, non-threatening form, but kept them on regardless.

Ringo hummed quietly for a moment as she considered something, still following Mamoru. “I know what can make this right.. or at least make you less salty. Pizza! An Italian place opened up recently in town. We’ll both feel better after that! Yeah?!”