When Monday morning rolled around again, it was Xanxus instead of Cress that woke him first thing in the morning. Then again, Tsuna had been jumpy since the assassination attempt and it was likely they'd sent Xanxus in as the only way to safely wake him. He'd stopped himself from hurting Cress so far, but there had been some close calls the past few days. Once, he'd woken up with his fist a mere inch from Cress' face. Even in his sleep he'd stopped himself, however. The second time, he'd woke to find he was pointing his gun at the poor manservant. That time, too, Tsuna nearly had a heart attack when he realized what he almost did in his sleep. Only luck had named Cress as 'friend' even to Tsuna's sleeping mind and had saved the man.
Tsuna spluttered and instantly came fully awake from the cold water that was dumped on him Monday morning, however. He wiped his face and looked at Xanxus in surprise. First of all, why the hell was that man in Tsuna's room? Second, why was he so pleased other than the fact he'd just tossed a bucket of water on Tsuna from ten feet away? Third, why was he in Tsuna's room again?!
"Get up, brat," Xanxus scowled when he didn't immediately jump out of bed. "Get fucking dressed. We're going overseas for a few days to do some jobs. Don't bother packing. Anything you bring would only get in the fucking way. You have ten minutes before I drag your ass out of here even if you're naked." He started to leave, but Tsuna's squeal made him pause.
"What about school?!"
"The old man called them and told them you'd be back next week," Xanxus replied. "Great thing about that trash place you go to; no one asks questions when a boss says one of the shitty students will be missing for a while." He looked at his watch. "Nine minutes left," he warned before walking out. Tsuna was glad that he was used to running late for once. He was dressed and ready within five. Xanxus merely grunted when he appeared before Xanxus had to drag him out.
"You said we're going overseas to do some jobs?" Tsuna prompted after they were comfortably seated in a car. The car pulled away from the estate swiftly, heading toward the airport.
"Someone made off with plans to Gola Mosca a while back. The old man finally tracked them down and it's our job to silence every scumbag involved."
"S-silence?"
"Shoot, kill, and otherwise fuck them the hell up," Xanxus confirmed. He laughed when all the blood rushed out of Tsuna's face in an horror-filled instant. "What's wrong, trash? Think you're too fucking good to get your hands dirty like the rest of us? Don't think I haven't noticed, shit-for-brains, how I have to fucking talk your ass into doing the work. This time if you hesitate, your ass is going to be looking up from six feet under."
Tsuna swallowed. Twice.
"Welcome to my version of Hell Week, scum," Xanxus laughed.
Xanxus motioned silently for Tsuna to follow him through the airport. Tsuna did, feeling oddly uneasy without his Glock holstered at his back. Xanxus had made him take it off before even entering the airport back in Italy, claiming that he'd have it waiting on him once they reached New York. After that, the rest of the trip had been eerily silent. It had almost been as if Xanxus pretended he didn't exist.
He was surprised when Xanxus led him over to the luggage conveyor belt. They hadn't brought any luggage. His eyebrows flew up when Xanxus grabbed a black case from it and silently walked toward the bathroom. Tsuna followed him, perplexed. He waited silently while Xanxus was in a stall, assuming he'd get answers eventually. Xanxus gave him a look when he exited. Tsuna's confusion was obvious, making Xanxus grit his teeth in irritation. Grabbing Tsuna by the back of his neck, Xanxus propelled him into the same stall he'd used.
Once inside with the door fastened shut, Tsuna saw the reason for all the silence and strange behavior. Laying open on top of the toilet was the luggage Xanxus had swiped. Looking at it carefully, the tag attached to it had a Vongola Crest. He smiled to himself and reached for the Glock stored carefully within. After a quick inspection, he confirmed it as his own. Xanxus must have went in first to retrieve his X-Guns. The feeling of uneasiness Tsuna had vanished the moment the Glock was stored in the previously empty holster at his back. He pulled his shirt down over it to ensure it was safely hidden from sight.
Tsuna left the stall with the empty bag. Xanxus took it from his hands and Tsuna followed him back to the luggage conveyor. There, he tossed the empty bag back to be reclaimed by the 'handlers' hiding among the airport workers. With a glare, Xanxus once again motioned for Tsuna to follow. They quickly left the airport and grabbed the first available taxi. Tsuna looked around like a normal sightseer as the car began navigating traffic.
Within minutes, they were in a part of town not much different than No-Man's Land. Tsuna assumed that every large city had an area like that. It was places like these that new Families tended to rise out from in effort to band together and protect themselves. Xanxus started to curse when the driver refused to get any closer to their destination. Not that Tsuna could really blame the driver. The guys on the streets were looking crazier and rougher the deeper they went.
"Come on, kid," Xanxus grumbled softly when the driver started begging them to get out around apologies. Tsuna was surprised that Xanxus didn't threaten the man to go farther, but he guessed that either Xanxus didn't want attention or they weren't far. His second guess was proved correct when after a mere six streets later, they came to a stop in front of three men around a streetsign. Tsuna raised his internal flame a bit in preparation. One never knew if first meetings would go bad.
"Yo, it's freaking cold out here. I wish the weather would change," one man said to his friend as they walked up, oblivious to the clear and sunny sky. Xanxus smirked for a moment and paused. The men looked at him expectantly.
"Enough with the fucking games," Xanxus growled. "What are you, fucking retards?" The men continued to glare at him, waiting for his pass-code. "Sky. Dark. Night." Xanxus snapped in quick succession, not bothering to phrase it in case someone was listening.
"Yo, man," one guy objected. "Now we gotta change it all up for the next cousin that comes to visit."
"I'm Xanxus," Xanxus said, ignoring their objection. His lip curled up in distaste of their attempt at secrecy. As if three local guys meeting up with foreigners wasn't enough to make them stick out. These three wanted to play wargames, too. Tsuna stayed silent, knowing that Xanxus' hyper-intuition would have told him if there had actually been a need for secrecy. "Are you the fucking Nubo scum or what?"
"Man, you need some damn lessons in keeping things down low. You're gonna fuck up our shit if you keep it up," the man replied. Xanxus gave him a dangerous glare and Tsuna merely watched with his poker-face intact.
"Just take me to your shitty boss," Xanxus ordered.
"Watch your lip, man," another guy warned. Xanxus laughed at the threat, making the man turn red in anger.
"Tell me that after we've talked to your shitty boss," Xanxus replied. "Now, if you take any fucking longer, I'm going to get real fucking angry. I don't think your boss would like me angry." Xanxus raised a glowing hand in warning and Tsuna looked around to make sure no one was watching. It would be really bad if Xanxus decided to act. Not only were they in broad daylight, they were out in the open. Tsuna sighed in relief when he didn't see nor sense any watchers nearby.
"What's that?" One guy asked curiously. "A fucking glow-stick?" Tsuna paled when the man started reaching toward Xanxus' hands to touch it. How stupid could a person get? He reached out automatically and grabbed the man's wrist firmly, saving him from making the last mistake of his life. Xanxus wasn't playing games. Xanxus smiled knowingly at Tsuna's action.
"Damn, kid. I thought I was finally going to have fucking fun with these shit-for-brains," he said with a laugh. Tsuna turned to the man's wrist he held, oblivious to the looks of anger they were giving him over the fact he'd grabbed him. He gave the man a warning shake of his head which only seemed to make him angrier. That look disappeared when Xanxus touched his glowing hand to a nearby trashcan and it melted instantly.
Tsuna let go of the man's wrist, knowing that there was no way that he was going to tempt fate after seeing Xanxus' display. The looks of anger quickly turned to those of gratitude, but Tsuna kept his bored poker-face in place. He was incredibly relieved that he'd managed to stop the man, but he had a feeling that he couldn't show that to these guys. His intuition told him that he had to pretend that him and Xanxus were a close-knit team, regardless of their true relationship.
The man rubbed his wrist and led them down into an alley. After several switchbacks and countless turns, they came to a cellar door. Two guys opened it wide while the third led them inside. Apparently going in the front was out of the question. They crossed the cellar and went up some stairs. Tsuna blinked when he saw they were in a Pizzeria kitchen. The man led them through with a few cheerful greetings to the staff along the way. Tsuna had to suppress a laugh when they passed a stack of prepared empty boxes. The mascot for this place was Reborn in chef gear. He recognized that face anywhere.
He quickly found himself and Xanxus seated at the room's best table. A big round man that he faintly remembered from the Calcassa invasion of Mafia-Land walked up. Tsuna wanted to groan when the man's eyes widened in recognition. With a single look from the boss, the work crew quickly emptied out the room of customers while their guide waited patiently. The moment the room was empty, the boss immediately turned to their guide and started smacking him on the head.
"You damn, fucking shit-head," the round man said between smacks. "You brought the next Godfather through the back fucking door! What the hell were you thinking?"
"Yo," the man said, covering his head to protect it from the sudden attack. "You said Xanxus would be dangerous and to bring him through the back."
"Not Xanxus, you shit-for-brains!" The man yelled. "Don't you know Vongola the Tenth when you see him? I know I told all you shit-heads to memorize his face from the picture I handed out!"
"I-It's okay," Tsuna interjected. Both men paused. The guide paused in surprise. The boss paused in what Tsuna recognized as fear. Tsuna paused at that look of fear in his own surprise. Was the man afraid he'd take insult for something like being brought through the back? Apparently so, considering his anger at the guide turned into an instant salvo of apologies. Tsuna blushed, his poker-face completely destroyed.
"I-It's okay," Tsuna repeated. "He didn't do anything wrong. I'm here as Xanxus' second, not as the Tenth. So no harm done." He looked over at Xanxus, silently pleading for help before the boss got any more outrageous in his apologies. Xanxus smiled cruelly at the look.
"Let's get down to fucking business," Xanxus growled loudly. Tsuna sighed when the Nubo boss wiped his head and nodded. He was still giving Tsuna worried looks out of the corner of his eye, but he seemed willing to go along. Tsuna smiled at both of them reassuringly and let Xanxus take the lead. Tsuna had no clue what they were here for anyway!
He quickly found out as the Nubo boss presented a list of names and addresses. Tsuna looked at the list in dismay. There were nearly twenty people listed, if not more. From the gleam in Xanxus' eyes, it was a list that they'd have to complete. He silently prayed that they weren't executions. Other than the accidental death of Jack, Tsuna had never really killed before. He never wanted to again, either.
After that, the Nubo boss offered the second floor of the restaurant to be their base of operations. Once again, he started apologizing for not setting up anything better. Once again, Tsuna had to step in and reassure him it was fine. Xanxus led him upstairs to debrief him after the boss finished, concluding that he'd need another day to track down the final thing the Ninth had requested from him.
Tsuna collapsed into one of the waiting couches in the otherwise empty room. The day had barely started and he already felt completely worn out. That feeling only got worse when Xanxus started talking.
"We'll complete the whole fucking list tonight," Xanxus said with a cruel smile. At Tsuna's open look of dismay, he laughed. "Don't worry, brat. These are only punishments. A body part here, a beating there. It'll be easy." Tsuna started to object, but clamped his mouth shut at Xanxus' knowing look. "Since we're doing all of them in one night, your ass better not hesitate."
"Can you at least tell me why," Tsuna replied with a bowed head. He figured Xanxus should at least tell him that much. Xanxus growled at the request, but answered after tossing himself into the room's second couch to wait out the rest of the day.
"Sealing the leak," he said simply. Tsuna looked at him, his lack of understanding obvious from the blank look on his face. "The plans got out from fucking somewhere, right? Use your brains. We're going to punish every hand that touched them along the way."
"But there are so many people on that list..." Tsuna replied with wide eyes.
"Exactly," Xanxus said with an wicked gleam in his eye. "We've got to beat the living shit out of each of them first to ensure they didn't make any damn copies, then punish them for their hair-brained actions. Every single one of those fucks knew the price they would have to pay if they were caught. We're just going to make them pay up."
Tsuna sighed in resignation. At least the worst he'd have to do is cause bruises and maybe a few broken bones. A beating should be good enough punishment for a simple information exchange. It could be a whole lot worse. Xanxus seemed to follow his train of thoughts, however.
"You wish, brat," he laughed. "If they made a single shitty copy, we have to take souvenirs."
Tsuna couldn't suppress a moan of dismay at the knowledge.
Tsuna collapsed back on their hideout's couch at dawn. Normally he'd be sick after everything that had happened during the night, but he'd passed that point hours ago. Now he was simply tired and heart-sore. Seven people had made copies. Seven people had been beaten and hurt until they'd given up the names and locations of the copies' owners. Those would be left for tomorrow night, however. For now, Tsuna merely wanted rest.
Several of the targets had been together. A few had gotten lucky punches in before Xanxus and Tsuna had overwhelmed them. His jaw still hurt from the punch that the four-hundred pound wrestler had managed to land. His ribs hurt from where he'd landed badly after the same man had thrown him through a table before he was subdued. Somewhere along the lines, he had wrenched his shoulder, too. That might have been when Xanxus had made him ram a blocked doorway when kicking it in had proved impossible.
He was sure he had a black-eye, as well, from the woman who'd tried to stop them from hurting 'her man'. Tsuna had completely screwed up on that one and Xanxus still mocked him over it. Hesitation could be just as deadly as Xanxus had warned. He was lucky that the woman hadn't been armed. Tsuna had quelled on hurting her since she was an innocent bystander and her attack had caught him by surprise. In the end, it had been Xanxus that had coldly knocked her out and tossed her on the target's bed. But that had only been after she'd landed a powerful right fist into Tsuna's unprotected face.
He couldn't even count the amount of people he had hurt anymore. They hadn't only had to subdue their targets, but their targets' friends if they were accompanied. On top of that had been the punishments for the copies. Two of the seven who'd made copies had their tongues cut out. Three now had missing fingers. In the case of one, he'd lost his whole arm before they'd even managed to finish beating him. That one had been a real fighter. The last one had ended up dying.
Tsuna wasn't sure how to feel on that one. The man had jumped off the roof after being chased through his apartment building. Tsuna had tried to catch him, but the man had hit his head on the fire-escape somewhere during his descent before Tsuna had reached him. After landing, Tsuna had wanted to save him, but the man's skull had been too damaged. In the end, Xanxus had turned the man into ash to cover their trail. It would be too strange for the man to be found on the ground after falling without going splat. Had he not left blood evidence on the fire-escape on his way down, it would have been possible to leave him intact. Xanxus had given Tsuna an option, but Tsuna refused to take the man back to the roof and drop him again. So, that had only left Xanxus' method of cover-up.
In a single night, Tsuna had done more horrible things than he'd done in the whole time he'd been in Italy. Somewhere down the line, he'd gone numb. Maybe it had been after he lost his dinner. Maybe it had been after he took the third souvenir. Maybe it had been when that man had died halfway through the night. He didn't know.
But he knew he was tired and worn, inside and out. He barely noticed when Xanxus tossed a cover over him before leaving the room. He was asleep the moment he shut his eyes, for once sleeping deeply enough that the nightmares didn't come.
