The smoke of the cigarette filled the stuffy room. Loud music boomed through the bedroom, as the girl moved her hips at the sound, with the cigarette dangling from her mouth. There were cases of CDs spread through the floor, papers by their side and some strange things that once were food.
The girl didn't mind, her bare feet stepped on all of that, as she danced crazily at the sound of the music. Her eyes were closed; her mouth was twisted upwards as it mouthed the words that the singer sang.
With one hand, she gripped the cigarette from her mouth and expelled the fumes. Her back was turned to the door, where, a man, roughly twenty four, stands watching her.
Her body slowly moved to the sound of the piano, making twists and turns, absent minded of the man that watched her closely. She was forgotten to the world.
"Hat." The man spoke over the loud music. Hat didn't answer. "Hat." He tried again.
This time, Hat, raised a hand telling him to wait.
She continued to dance and smoke, while Tsuna waited for her. Once the song finished, Hat turned to the player and turned it off. Silence spread throughout the small apartment but Tsuna's ears still rang from the loud noise. He stared at the girl.
Hat turned to Tsuna and smiled crookedly. She already knew that Tsuna was there, but she had the tradition of waking up and dance and she wasn't going to overthrow it just because the man showed up earlier than he was supposed to. Hat released her locks of green hair that were tied up into a bun and they fall onto her shoulders as they curled up.
Tsuna coughed to his hand. "Hat. Can I talk with you?"
Hat cocked one eyebrow. "Shoot, Tsuna."
Tsuna looked around the bedroom for a place to sit. Hat, taking the hint, moved some clothes from the bed, to the floor, and motioned to Tsuna to sit. Tsuna nodded and walked to the bed, avoiding the garbage on the floor.
While he sat on the bed, Hat leaned against the desk. It was positioned right in front of the bed, so Hat was looking at Tsuna directly. She crossed her arms, waiting for the man to speak.
Tsuna seemed apprehensive. What was so important that he had to come at her apartment at seven in the morning?
"We have a leak in the Vongola." He started. Hat nodded. "Someone has been selling our plans to an enemy family. We don't know who and why. And that's where you come in."
"What plans?" Tsuna sighed.
"The plans aren't exactly ours. They belong to the Foundation."
"Hibari's little group?"
"Yes." Hat shook her head.
"Who would dare to sell plans from the Foundation? Even better, from Hibari?"
"We don't know. We just know that is someone from the inside. Someone that we placed our trust and friendship is betraying us." Tsuna glared at the wall. "I can't believe that someone would do this. Inside the Vongola, we are all family. Friends. We don't betray one of ours." Hat chuckled.
"Well, you can't really say that Hibari is 'one of ours'. But I'll look into it." She said. "I need full access to the Vongola Estate and the Foundation, as well as the entries and exits of everyone." Tsuna nodded.
"I'll give you everything."
"Don't worry Tsuna. I'll have him on a plate before you know it."
II
After Tsuna left, Hat enjoyed the silence of her apartment. She lighted another cigarette, and walked to her kitchen. After making some coffee, and pouring it to a cup, she walked to the living room, where her laptop rested.
She sat on the couch and opened the laptop. The contraption immediately turned itself on, and several pages appeared.
Hat must've forgotten to turn off her laptop from her last job.
She closed all the pages and started to open new ones. She sipped the hot coffee, as she entered the Foundation database, and read the latest information. The Foundation had its system well guarded, so it must've been a very good hacker to be able to access the data. Hat was a good hacker; she had worked as an informant a couple of years back before working as a private detective. She knew where to get information and where to sell it, at a good price, in Sicily.
In Sicily, Mafiosi cram the city. There were Mafiosi everywhere, assassins and thieves and others that had problems with the law. If you looked for a place to become an outlaw, Sicily was the best choice.
Hat watched as pages and pages opened up before her. Hibari was doing an excellent job. According to the files, he was researching box weapon technology. Hat already knew that. Was that what was stolen?
Something so menial?
She digs further. Her fingers tap on the keyboard as she opens new files until she reaches a very good entrapped file. With her top-notch skills she's able to open it, and starts to read it.
The file was about something called the Zero Ring.
The Zero Ring was a ring capable of controlling the elements of the planet, giving the user of the ring, the power to manipulate earth, air, water and fire at their will.
Hat's mouth opened slightly.
She had never heard of this ring.
She prints the information and places it on a manila file. She turns off her computer and walks to her bedroom to get dressed. She had to go to that Vongola Estate. What did Tsuna know that he didn't tell her?
Once dressed, she walks out of her apartment, with her computer on her bag and the file under her arm. She runs to her car and drives off to the Vongola Mansion.
She arrived in less than thirty minutes. The Vongola Mansion was situated in the middle of nowhere, only trees and trees could be seen. She drove through the open gate and placed her car near the white mansion.
On the door, Kyoko was cleaning the entryway with a broom. Once she saw the green curly hair of Hat, a smile broke free.
"Hat-chan!"
"Hello Kyoko. Is Tsuna in?" Kyoko nodded.
"He just arrived." She spoke. "But I thought he went to your place."
"Oh, he did."
Hat entered the mansion and searched for Tsuna and his company. She met them in the meeting room.
"Tsuna." She said, as she opened the doors. All eyes turned to her. Gokudera instantly frowned. What was she doing here?
"Hat?" Tsuna asked bewildered. "What are you doing here?"
Hat threw the file to Tsuna. Tsuna caught it with both of his hands and read it. A glare was formed in his face.
"How did you find out?"
"It wasn't hard."
Tsuna grabbed Hat's arm and pulled her out of the meeting room. Hat didn't protest, she followed him quietly.
"Hat. This information is private."
"You hired me Tsuna." Hat said. "I have to know everything so that I can perform my job correctly. Now, tell me. Is that the 'plans' that have been leaking?"
"…" Tsuna silenced himself, as he stared at Hat.
"Tsuna you'll have to trust me. If you want me to catch whoever is behind this, you have to trust me." Tsuna sighed.
"Yes. This is what the leak has been trying to get their hands on."
"Walk with me, for a minute." Hat said.
Tsuna nodded and led Hat to the garden in the back of the mansion. There had a bench where the both of them sat. Tsuna gripped the file harder.
"So, tell me the truth." Hat commanded, as she fished for a cigarette.
"This ring, the Zero Ring, is a powerful ring. As you've read, it is capable of giving the users the ability to control the elements."
"Do you know where it is?"
"Yes."
"And?"
"It's here. In the mansion." Hat expelled the fumes, frustrated.
"You think it's the best place to hide the Zero Ring? I mean, if the rat is in your crew…"
"They'll never think that the ring is in here. They'll probably think that Hibari-san hid it somewhere else." Hat nodded.
"It's a possibility. But you can't afford to count on their naivety. They could be smarter than you think."
"What makes you say that?"
"I've looked into the system of Foundation. It's hardcore. It super locked, a normal hacker couldn't get in. We are looking at a person that is bright and intelligent. And doesn't get fooled easily."
"Gokudera?" Tsuna blurted. Hat looked at Tsuna.
"It could be. But do you really think that your right-hand man, your best-friend, is capable of betraying you?"
Tsuna led his hands to his hair. "I don't know. At this time, I don't trust anyone! How could I? One of my friends is trying to betray me!"
"What about your enemies? You have some, don't you?"
"Of course I have." Hat nodded.
"I'll explore that possibility, before we think of someone else. We could have someone that wants you to think that your friends are betraying you, to lead you off. So we'll start with your closest enemy: Rokudo Mukuro."