~.~.~

Phantom Thief Decimo

Previously: News about Tsuna's use of Sky Flames spread quickly through the criminal underworld, and it wasn't long before the first group - the Triads - made their move. Foolishly, they tried to force one of the legendary Arcobaleno to cooperate by kidnapping his apprentice. Working together with Fon and Namimori's protector Hibari, Tsuna was able to repel the Triad, but he knew it would not be long before word reached the Varia in Italy.

~.~.~

"Hello, Japan~!"

Spreading his arms wide, Lussuria greeted the city of Namimori with an ecstatic proclamation. His voice was lost in the chilly winter wind, not even reaching the throngs of people in the streets far below. The skyscraper Levi had chosen to study the lay of the land certainly offered a good view of the town, spread out around them, between the forest and shore, but it was also miserably cold, so far up.

That didn't seem to deter Lussuria much, and he laughed cheerfully, glancing over his shoulder at Levi and his assembled Lightning Strike Squad. "Did we really have to rush off so fast? I wanted to see Tokyo Tower!" he whined, wiggling his hips.

"We're on a mission!" Levi snapped. "And no one asked you to come."

"Oh, don't be like that," Lussuria chuckled. "I had to make sure you didn't do anything rash. You do tend to get carried away. It's all well and good to act quickly, but do you even have a plan? You didn't even bring Mammon. It might be a small town, but searching the entire place is going to be so dull..."

"That illusionist's been useless anyway," Levi grumbled. "No one else can be relied on to carry out Boss's wishes properly. I'll do it myself, and prove that I'm the one most suited to be his Guardian."

Lussuria's smirk widened. "You have an idea!" he crowed knowingly.

"I'm going to finish this quickly, before Boss has to get involved," Levi said, crossing his arms.

"Wonderful. Maybe we'll get back home in time for Christmas!" Lussuria cheered. "We're coming for you, Phantom Thief~!"

~.~.~

Chapter 10: Enemy ~ The Power to Stand Against

~.~.~

Despite the chilly weather, Namimori Animal Park was teeming with visitors, mostly families and groups of friends, with a few couples here and there.

The trio of Tsuna, Gokudera and Lambo looked a little odd by comparison. Tsuna wondered what the girl at the ticket counter had thought of them - two young men and a child. He wondered if it would have been better if Nana had come along, but she had shooed them out the door before Tsuna could even float the idea.

"Na-ma-ha-ge-kun! Na-ma-ha-ge-kun!" Lambo chanted as he dragged Tsuna along to where the small play was scheduled to take place. Fortunately, Tsuna had the foresight to take him by the hand as they entered, or the boy would have long since disappeared into the crowds.

They were a little early, though the benches set up in front of the small stage were already beginning to fill with eager parents and children. Gokudera glanced around them with a scowl, no doubt mentally calculating the likelihood of a hitman hiding among them. Hopefully, he wouldn't acoust some poor innocent mother and child in his paranoia.

However, Tsuna was more concerned about Lambo. The boy had already tried to sneak out some of Gokudera's dynamite to arm himself - fortunately, Gokudera was well-trained after so long with Tsuna and easily caught him. Even without any weapons, Lambo could still throw a massive tantrum or start kicking people in the shins or somehow end up setting the entire stage on fire, the way he had that poor souvenir stand.

It would be best not to give him a chance to get bored, Tsuna decided. A bored Lambo only led to tears, mostly Tsuna's.

"Since we've got some time, why don't I take you backstage?" he offered, jerking his thumb toward the area behind the stage, which had been cordoned off and surrounded by curtains.

"Is that alright, Tsuna-sama?" Gokudera asked.

"Of course," Tsuna said easily. "She loves kids, and I want to introduce you guys."

"Lambo-san can meet Namahage-kun?" Lambo wondered, putting a finger to his lips. It never ceased to amaze Tsuna that Lambo's annoying, arrogant demeanor could somehow also seem very cute at times.

"Yeah, you can meet Namahage-kun," Tsuna said, grinning.

Leading them around the corner of the stage and out of sight of the assembling audience, Tsuna held up the curtain and gestured for them to duck inside. They emerged between a costume rack and small vanity littered with makeup.

The three people inside looked up in surprise, but before Gokudera could do more than tense, all three broke into smiles and cheerful greetings.

"Tsuna-san!" Haru rushed up to them first, grasping Tsuna's hands in her own. She was already mostly in costume, a red jumpsuit with a straw cloak and skirt. "Thank goodness you're here! We need another stagehand to move the background props!"

'And just like that, she ropes me into working again,' Tsuna thought, not even so much stunned as resigned. It was just like Haru.

Gokudera was not nearly so sanguine about it. "Woman! Don't just presume upon Tsuna-sama's time!" he yelled.

Haru turned to Gokudera with puffed cheeks and glare. "Tsuna-san always helps! And just who are you anyway?"

"This is my friend, Gokudera Hayato," Tsuna said quickly, before things could degenerate further. "And this is his cousin, Lambo."

Being even fictionally related to Lambo made Gokudera scowl, but he bit his tongue and kept silent. Lambo probably wouldn't have, but he didn't know the word for cousin yet, so he could only eye Tsuna distrustfully, unsure of why or how he had been linked to "Ahodera."

"Oh, he's so cute!" Haru exclaimed, crouching to the boy's eye level. "Hi there!"

"Lambo, Gokudera, this is Haru, my old tutor," Tsuna introduced. "She's the one who plays Namahage-kun, and the one who first started the performances."

"Wow, really?" Lambo said, admiration shining in his eyes.

"I couldn't have done it without Tsuna-san's help!" Haru said, winking and holding up a victory sign. "I made so much money tutoring him, it was great!"

"Good to know how much I'm worth to you," Tsuna commented dryly. Gokudera had begun to growl ominously, so he hurriedly continued the introductions, gesturing to the remaining three people backstage. "And these are my former classmates, Yamamoto Takeshi and Sasagawa Kyoko."

"Yo, Tsuna," Takeshi greeted him cheerfully. He looked much better, his smile honest and open. "So you'll be helping out? That's good. I'm volunteering too."

He was dressed in an all-black outfit that made him look like a ninja - fitting, since what people thought of as ninja outfits originated from stagehands in old plays.

"We ended up short a few hands, so I asked him to," Kyoko added. "We were going to have my brother help, but he has to work at the dojo today, and I'm acting - I'm an onmyoji."

That explained her old-fashioned robes and tall black hat, in the style of a traditional magic user, diviner and exorcist.

"I guess you're using a new script this year," Tsuna said.

"Of course not! We're doing it the same as always - improvisation!" Haru declared, puffing up proudly.

"Of course," Tsuna muttered. "I remember how it goes."

He did. He remembered it clearly. Curling his arms around his stomach, Tsuna groaned quietly.

"Oh, don't be like that," Haru said, patting him on the back. "You were great!"

"They thought I was the villain!" Tsuna shot back. "It was horrible. And you! Making me repeat that embarrassing stuff over and over to 'get into character!' I was dreaming corny phrases for weeks!"

'And I still spout them off without even meaning to,' he added mentally. 'In fact, it's probably all your fault that the Phantom Thief is such a melodramatic showboat! It's all because of the character you made me play!'

"Wait, you played the Tanuki in the very first play, right?" Takeshi said. "You mean he wasn't supposed to be the villain?"

Tsuna sighed heavily, but Haru just laughed. "No, I was supposed to be the bad guy," she said. "Namahage are monsters who come to take away children who've been bad, you know? So the Namahage was supposed to 'take' a child from the audience, and the brave and sly Tanuki would steal them back."

Hence the improvisation, according to Haru's original plan. Since there was no way to control what the child would do or say, they'd have to make up their lines as they went along. But that was why they had to really get into character, she exclaimed cheerfully, before making Tsuna stand on top of a park bench and yell things like, "I've come to take you away!" and "There isn't a thing that I can't steal!"

After the third day, he was just too worn down to even be embarrassed anymore, no matter what kinds of looks the passersby shot him.

"But it didn't work out like that. The boy we picked didn't want to go back and wanted to stay with the Namahage," Haru sighed. She brightened immediately, however. "So we improvised! The Tanuki became the villain that forced that boy back to his dull school life. But the brave Namahage-kun promised to visit every winter, as long as the boy was good!"

"It was a great play," Kyoko said, nodding. She was the only one who had been in the audience at the time, coming to show her support as Haru's "cake friend."

"It was definitely very popular," Haru agreed. She looked thoughtful as she turned to study Tsuna again. Something about her focused gaze made him shiver. "Hmm… maybe it's time for a dramatic return from the Tanuki," she suggested suddenly. "I could definitely whip up a costume for you, Tsuna-san."

"Absolutely not!" Tsuna protested. "Never again! And anyway, that wasn't even a real costume. You just made me wear a cape, ears and a tail."

"And face paint," Haru added, "and a leaf on your forehead. Those are important too!"

"That's not the point!"

Watching them argue, Gokudera tried to imagine what Tsuna would have looked like in costume. He knew what a tanuki was, academically - a Japanese raccoon-dog, Nyctereutes procyonoides viverrinus. The face paint would have been to create the black "mask" markings, the little ears would have been rounded, and the tail would have been thick and bushy, though not being an actual raccoon, it would not have necessarily been striped.

However, being far less familiar with Japanese folklore, he could only puzzle over what the leaf was for. 'On the forehead...'

The only thing that came to mind was the painting he'd seen of Vongola's leader - and the flickering flame on his forehead.

A cape and a mask - the Phantom Thief - together with fluffy ears and a tail - and in Dying Will Mode…

Gokudera buried his face in his hands to hide his expression. He wasn't even sure what to feel at that mental image.

"Anyway, you've already decided what to do, right? And you need another stagehand. I'll do that," Tsuna said, trying to make Haru see sense. "Otherwise, Kyoko is going to have to give up her role, and I'm sure she's been looking forward to it."

He prayed Kyoko wouldn't act nice just this once and contradict him.

Haru looked put out. "Well, what about…" she began, turning to Gokudera.

"He needs to stay with Lambo," Tsuna quickly cut in. "His Japanese is still not very good, so Gokudera will need to stay with him."

Sighing, Haru finally caved. "Alright, I guess it's no go. Oh, well! Our play is going to be great anyway!" she said, bouncing back quickly. "There's a spare stagehand outfit over there. We'll be starting soon, so let's hurry and finish preparations!"

Before either of them could protest, Haru shuffled Gokudera and Lambo outside. Tsuna waved to them, smiling awkwardly. 'There's not really any point in arguing with her,' he thought. 'Haru always gets her way.'

"The play's going to be pretty simple," Yamamoto explained, as Tsuna quickly changed into the spare outfit. It really was ninja-like - black pants, black shirt, a black hood and even a black mask. "Kyoko's an onmyoji who comes looking to exorcise Namahage-kun. They'll run around a bit, and we'll change the scenery in this part. Then Kyoko and Haru will lead the kids into proclaiming that Namahage-kun is their friend and not a bad monster. So the onmyoji will change her mind and depart."

It sounds almost ridiculously simple when explained like that, but Tsuna knew Haru had a way of making her plays amazingly fun for the kids. He might have hated participating, but even he admitted that the interactive improvisation method worked really well.

Then, it was time for the play to start.

Hiding behind the scenery props - all created by Haru herself - Tsuna watched as the Namahage lumbered onto the stage, to deafening cheers from the audience.

"Like I promised, I've come back to play with you again!" Namahage-kun announced, in a falsely deep voice. "I'm so happy to see you!" Haru spread her arms wide, as if trying to engulf them all in a giant hug.

"Welcome back, Namahage-kun!" the kids chorused.

"Have you been good while I was gone?" Namahage-kun asked. Suddenly, she pointed to one of the kids in the second row. "You! Were you good?"

"Yes!" the boy declared, puffing up. "I helped Mama carry the groceries! And I cleaned my room!"

"Is that true?" Namahage-kun wondered, leaning toward him dubiously, then turning to the mother. "Is it?"

"It's true," she said with a smile, ruffling her son's hair. "He's been good all year."

"That's great!" Namahage-kun cheered, clapping her hands. "Then, we can play again! What shall we play?"

Behind the prop bushes Yamamoto and Tsuna exchanged a nod. Grabbing the handles made on the backs of the props, they slid them aside swiftly, leaving Kyoko, who had crouched between them, in plain sight.

Kyoko sprang to her feet, pulling out a handful of fake ofuda slips and brandishing them aggressively. It was, Tsuna thought, absolutely adorable.

"Not so fast!" the onmyoji yelled, pointing dramatically at Namahage-kun. "Stop right there, you monster!"

The children gasped, while Namahage-kun made a show of flinching away in surprise. "I'm not a bad monster!" she protested, waving her hands in denial. "I haven't corrupted these kids at all! I've made them all promise to be good!"

"Don't lie! I know that Namahage steal away children!" the onmyoji said. "I won't let you!"

"No!" some of the children yelled. "You're wrong!"

But the onmyoji wouldn't listen. She brandished her ofuda talismans and, using the gesture as a cover, surreptitiously reached into her wide sleeve for some "stage magic." Out of sight, Tsuna and Takeshi prepared to do their own part. This was where it got a little complicated, when the onmyoji and the Namahage did battle.

However, a sudden electric screech made everyone cringe and freeze in their tracks.

It had come from the PA system of the zoo, and for a moment, Tsuna thought there had been some kind of malfunction.

Then, the announcement began.

"To all visitors," a harsh, cold voice filtered through the speakers, "this is a warning. We have placed bombs across the zoo, at the entrance, along the perimeter and at strategic locations. Do not try to escape, or you will be killed. To the staff and security forces, do not interfere. Any attempt to evacuate or disable the bombs will lead to their immediate detonation."

These ultimatums had been delivered in clear, almost mechanical Japanese. The rest of the message came in equally cold Italian.

"To the Phantom Thief, your time has come," said the Varia, because it could be no one else. "This message will be broadcast across the city. We know you will hear it. We will begin detonating the bombs precisely an hour after this announcement. The first will be inside the reptile exhibit. The second will follow ten minutes later, at the aquarium. The third, in the ferris wheel and the carousel, and so on until all this pathetic little park and all the hostages within have been eliminated."

Haru, Kyoko, Yamamoto and the audience beyond were looking up at the speakers with expressions of confusion and fear. They glanced at each other, looking for some hint of what was being said in the unknown foreign language. Was it a new event, someone wondered, or a practical joke?

Yamamoto's eyes, darting to Tsuna, narrowed as he saw that the other had paled dangerously and begun to tremble.

"We are waiting for you, Phantom Thief," the Varia continued, a taunting, sneering tone seeping into the cold recitation. "Come and stop us, if you are able. There is a single detonator. Can you steal it before time is up?"

Closing his eyes and clenching his teeth, Tsuna tried to keep himself from shaking. More than fear, what he felt was anger. He was so, so angry.

They weren't even threatening him. Not, "We'll kill them if you don't come." The lives of these people - Haru, Kyoko, Yamamoto, and the children - didn't even matter that much. This was just a challenge. "Can you do it?" Everyone caught in the trap was just collateral - pawns to make sure their message was broadcast and heard by everyone in Namimori.

It made him sick.

But the announcement wasn't over.

"As proof of our intent," it continued, in Japanese again, "we will now destroy the entrances. Do not attempt to leave. We will be monitoring the perimeter. Disobey, and your lives will be forfeit."

There was another electronic shriek as the announcement cut off, then the entire plaza - the entire zoo - was left in stunned silence.

Then, the explosions came. One, the largest, from the direction of the main entrance, followed by a sequence of smaller ones from where the side entrances must have been.

Someone screamed, on reflex. Then, the full gravity of what was happening began to settle in, and everyone was screaming, crying, yelling all at once.

"Everyone!" Haru's voice rang out over the chaos, bringing a momentary lull. "Everyone, please stay calm! I don't know what's happening, but if it's true… if it's true, we can't afford to panic or go running off. Please stay calm. I'm sure the police are on their way."

The children were still crying, but the parents and chaperones gathered their wits about them. They had to stay strong, after all, for the kids' sake.

"Oi, Ahodera," Lambo spoke up, his usually clueless face set in a worried frown, "that was, you know-"

He hesitated for a moment, his limited Japanese clearly failing him. Before he could switch to Italian, Gokudera cut him off, clamping a hand over his mouth. It would be a disaster if someone connected them to what had been said over the PA system.

"I know," he hissed. "We need to lay low for now, until Kaitou-sama gives us a sign about what to do." His eyes darted to the stage, where he knew Tsuna had hidden as part of the performance.

Crouched behind the stage scenery, Tsuna had frozen in indecision. Taking a deep, shuddering breath, he forced down his anger. He needed to think.

There were too many people involved. Not just the entire audience, but everyone in the zoo. He couldn't afford to worry about them, or he'd paralyzed with hesitation. He had to focus on resolving this as quickly as possible. He had to get to the root cause.

The Varia. He had to find them and end this. One detonator? Fine then. He'd show them that there wasn't a single thing he couldn't steal.

But first, he had to find the Varia. It wouldn't be hard. Tsuna was certain they would make their location as obvious as possible.

Unfortunately, he was more right than he could have imagined.

~.~.~

With the Lightning Strike Squad dispersed around the perimeter of the zoo, with orders to beat down anyone who tried to exit, or enter, only Levi and Lussuria had made their way to visitor center, where they forced their way in and made their announcement.

"Time to settle in for a wait. Stakeout are the worst," Lussuria mused, dropping into the leather chair that had been pushed away from the broadcasting console. He didn't spare a glance to the crumpled bodies of the technician and security guard, casually propping his feet up on the side table.

"Hmph. Stay here if you wish," Levi said, already turning away from the microphone. "I'm going to make sure our message is heard."

"Oh? Going to try something else?" Lussuria asked, spinning around in the chair and sliding smoothly to his feet.

Levi smirked, apparently pleased with the chance to brag a little. "I saw a camera crew as we were heading here," he revealed, "and an announcement for children's performance. That should draw the most attention quickly."

"Your methods are as graceless as ever," Lussuria complained, shaking his head, but there was still a smile on his lips as he shrugged and followed.

The camera crew had expected to do a simple story about the local zoo and the holiday crowds, but they had wasted no time in catching the strange broadcast and then running for the main entrance as soon as the explosions went off.

"-can see behind me," the reporter narrated, as her cameraman filled the scene of destruction behind her, "the terrorists have carried through with their first threat. Explosions have rocked the Namimori Animal Park, cutting off attempts to escape. We have not yet been able to confirm if anyone… Hey, wait!"

The reporter barely had time to cry out before Levi snatched the microphone from her hand and batted her aside. He pushed the camera down forcefully before it could capture his face, and demanded from the terrified camera man, "Is this live?"

Receiving a frantic nod in return, Levi smirked. "Then I'll give you the story of your career," he said, snatching the man by the shirt and dragging him along. Sighing and shrugging helplessly, Lussuria followed.

It wasn't far to the small plaza where the Namahage performance had been set up, large colorful signs pointing the way from the main entrance. Levi burst into the plaza with the cameraman in tow just as Haru and Kyoko were able to settle everyone down, prompting screams from the families sitting closest.

He - and Lussuria, following behind - painted a frightening picture with their dark coats and dangerous demeanors. Their foreign appearance stood out and, combined with the unknown message that had been broadcast, the hostages' minds jumped to the obvious conclusion, even before Levi forced the cameraman to pan across the terrified faces of the children and parents and began to speak into the microphone.

"This is just a small group out of all those we have captured," he announced coldly. "This is not a joke or a game. Should our orders be disobeyed, they will be the first to pay."

Reaching over his shoulder, he pulled out one of the sword-like weapons strapped across his back. Although its point gleamed sharply, it held no edge. Still, the families closest to him cringed away in fear.

However, his target was different.

Lighting sparked along the length of the Parabola and, as Levi swung the weapon, shot out to strike the ground in the middle of the audience. One strike, a second, and a third drew screams of fear, the last hitting the stage between Haru and Kyoko.

The moment the Varia appeared, Tsuna had ducked backstage, through the dark curtain. Without thinking, he had pulled Yamamoto with him, and the two watched the ensuing scene through the small gap, both tense and growing tenser with every moment.

At Haru and Kyoko's startled yelps, Yamamoto's control snapped. He started toward the stage, only to be pulled back by Tsuna's surprisingly firm grip on his arm. Meeting and holding his gaze, Tsuna shook his head.

"They're the terrorists!" Yamamoto said, struggling to keep his voice low. "I might be an amateur with Dad's style, but I can fight. And you… you have that power. We could…"

Tsuna shook his head again. "No," he said, his voice shaking a little under the strain of holding back his own need to act. "We'd only get killed. Fighting them is no good."

He hesitated, glancing back outside. Seeing the cowering audience beyond the curtain, his grip on Yamamoto's arm tightened, and he seemed to come to some decision.

"We have one hour before they blow the next bomb. He has the detonator, the only one," Tsuna admitted slowly. "I'll get it. You need to go to the broadcast center and tell everyone to evacuate when it's safe. I'll give you a signal when it's time."

'How do you know?' he expected Yamamoto to ask. But the other young man only studied him for a long moment before nodding sharply.

"What kind of signal?" Yamamoto asked, already moving swiftly and silently away from the stage and the Varia.

"Oh, you'll know," Tsuna assured him, glancing around the backstage area.

He would be borrowing a bit of Haru's "stage magic" - and a few other things.

~.~.~

The lesson had just wrapped up, and the dojo rang with the happy voice of tired but excited children.

"Good job, everyone!" Ryohei, Kyoko's brother, yelled, thrusting his fist into the air. "To the extreme!"

"Extreme!" the kids chorused, imitating him.

The assistant instructor, watching over the spectacle, could only laugh awkwardly. He hoped that particular habit didn't stick. He imagined the parents wouldn't be too pleased if the children took after Ryohei in his more eccentric habits. That was the double-edged sword of Ryohei's popularity with their younger students.

At least he hadn't tried to teach them boxing like last time. That had not gone over well with the head instructor.

"Thanks for your help today," the assistant instructor said, clapping Ryohei on the shoulder as the last of the young students filed out. "I'm sorry about the short notice. I heard you had other plans."

"It's fine. Kyoko understood," Ryohei said easily. He had such a wonderful, kind sister, he thought, nodding to himself with a smile. "I'm heading over there now, to the extreme!"

"But the zoo's on the other side of town. It'll take more than an hour, so won't everything already be over?" the assistant instructor pointed out.

Predictably, Ryohei didn't seem deterred, only making a thumbs-up and grinning. "I'll run all the way!" he declared.

Faced with Ryohei's extreme enthusiasm, there was nothing to do but sigh and go along with it. "Okay, leave the clean up to us," the assistant instructor told him.

Ryohei changed in record time and, having packed his bag, was slipping on his shoes, when the assistant instructor suddenly burst around the corner, calling for him.

"You have to come see this," the man said, a scared, tense look in his eyes as he grabbed Ryohei's arm and dragged him around to the more modern section of the building.

The rest of the present dojo staff were gathered in front of the small television in the office, the volume turned up to full. Their expressions were the same as the assistant instructor's, and, catching sight of Ryohei, they parted quickly, letting him through.

The images being shown didn't make any sense - smeared flashes of pavement and bushes, a pair of legs appearing for a frame, a glimpse of a brightly colored sign. A voice that must have belonged to the newscaster was narrating rapidly.

"This is the live broadcast from our own crew within the zoo, which has been commandeered by the assumed terrorists responsible for the explosions," the newscaster was saying, but the words didn't seem to make sense to Ryohei. "Even now, we are working to identify and translate the foreign language message broadcast by the terrorists…"

The scrolling text across the bottom of the screen read, "Hostage situation at Namimori Animal Park" and smaller "Explosions at main and side entrances. Police special forces mobilized in response."

The video suddenly jerked to a stop, the camera lifting and stabilizing to pan across a small plaza filled with parents and children, sitting on benches arrayed in front of a temporary stage.

Ryohei's breath caught as he recognized the figure of his sister up on the stage. Kyoko looked terrified, eyes wide and face pale as she stared in the direction of the camera. The newscaster's voice cut off suddenly as someone else began to speak, but Ryohei couldn't make out the words over the rushing that filled his ears, momentarily defeaning him.

"Wait, Sasagawa!" the assistant instructor called out as Ryohei spun on his heel and burst out of the dojo office and took off down the street.

~.~.~

Tsuna's hands were surprisingly steady as he silently went through Haru's haphazard array of performance equipment, pulling out everything he thought he'd need.

He had a little less than an hour until the bombs went off. However, Tsuna wanted to move as quickly as possible. There was a chance that any moment he spent waiting someone else tried to climb over the fence and escape or the police attempted their own actions, and the Varia had no doubt stationed people along the perimeter of the zoo to deal with anyone who interfered with their trap.

It wouldn't take Yamamoto more than ten minutes to make it to the broadcast station, Tsuna calculated. That was more time than Tsuna needed.

He had seen where Haru kept her pyrotechnics when Kyoko got what she needed for her "onmyoji magic." Sure enough, there were a few smoke bombs among the equipment, which Tsuna quickly tucked away in his black clothes.

What else did he need?

What did the Phantom Thief need, to be immediately recognizeable?

Haru didn't stock a tuxedo or a tophat, unfortunately. He'd have to made due without them.

He'd still need a mask, but the right kind. Pulling off the hood and face cloth, Tsuna searched through Haru's costume accessories, but of all things, she didn't seem to have the most basic of basics - a domino mask.

"Face paint it is," Tsuna muttered, remembering Haru's earlier words about drawing a "mask" on him. It would be enough.

With the black paint smeared around his eyes, Tsuna grabbed the most important part - the cloak. It was a different color than he was used to and a slightly different cut, but settling it around his shoulders made him feel… ready in some indescribable way.

Taking a deep breath, Tsuna knelt silently beside the curtain. Had it been ten minutes yet? Was Yamamoto in place? He wasn't just waiting for Yamamoto, however. Tsuna also hoped to have Hibari and his men on the scene. While an apparent terrorist hostage situation was far from the Disciplinary Committee's area of expertise, Hibari would still come to monitor such a disturbance in Namimori, and hopefully he would be able to intercept any action the rest of the Varia would take.

Outside, he could hear children sniffling, the parents doing their best to stiffle their sobs to avoid drawing the Varia's attention. Lussuria cooed over their cute, terrified face, but kept back, letting Levi take center stage.

For his part, Levi stood silent and motionless, arms crossed, like a towering black sentinel over the audience - a constant threat to everyone among the hostages. Unheard by the civilians, updates streamed in through his earpiece, the Lightning Strike Squad putting down the small resistance some of the hostages had dared to put up.

The cameraman continued to film the deadlocked scene, despite the way his legs were visibly trembling, too afraid to stop.

With the stage and the audience between him and the Varia, it would be difficult to act, Tsuna mentally calculated. He could circle closer by going behind the bushes on the left...

But before he could make a move, someone else chose to act.

Like the rest of the hostages, Haru and Kyoko had been unable to do anything except wait silently. After the scare of Levi's lightning strike, they had huddled on the stage, knees pulled up to their chests, heads bowed.

However, the building tension had reached its breaking point for Haru. She stood suddenly, every eye darting to Namahage-kun's figure. Even the camera turned reflexively toward her, and Levi's eyes snapped open, pinning her with a deadly glare.

Haru quailed, but only for a moment.

"Why are you doing this?" she blurted out, her thick-gloved hands clenched in front of her as if in prayer. "What did we ever do to you?"

Levi sneered. "Nothing," he said coldly. "You are nothing to us, and you couldn't begin to comprehend our reasons."

The sheer dismissal in his tone seemed to cut off anything else Haru might have said. She could only stare at him, shaking.

"Then… please, at least let the children go," Kyoko tried, standing as well to support Haru. "Please, they're not involved."

His glare sharpening, Levi reached for a Parabola. "Whether they're involved or not is meaningless," he snapped. "You're all just a means to achieve our goals. Your lives have no meaning beyond that, and I suggest you remember that."

The girls cringed as he swung the weapon toward them, and Tsuna tensed behind the curtain, ready to act to defend them. But fortunately, Levi was only aiming to intimidate.

It didn't work. Haru glared back, her expression hidden by the Namahage mask, but her entire bearing conveying her defiance. "What goals?!" she insisted, her voice rising, high and quivering. "What could be worth this? Children are… children are pure and innocent! There's nothing worth endangering all these kids for!"

"Shut up!" Levi yelled, becoming agitated in turn. "This is all for Boss's sake! I'll do anything to accomplish his will!"

"Is your boss really going to be happy that you're threatening children?" Haru demanded. "Just what kind of person is he?"

"Oh, you've done it now," Lussuria muttered under his breath, hiding his face in one gloved hand.

Whatever tenuous hold on his temper Levi had snapped at Haru's words. "How dare you even speak about Boss!" he roared, pointing the Parabola at her. Lightning ran along the length, crackling threateningly. "Boss is the person best suited to become Vongola Decimo! Not some impostor! It's because he won't hesitate over something so meaningless that he will be able to lead the Vongola!"

"Levi, you're saying too much," Lussuria spoke up, his voice growing hard in turn.

"Meaningless?! How can you call lives meaningless?" Haru yelled back, too angry to be afraid any longer, even as Kyoko grabbed hold of her straw cape and tried to physically rein her in. "How can you work for someone like that?! A person who doesn't value lives doesn't deserve to be followed!"

That was too much. She had gone too far.

With an inarticulate roar, Levi thrust his Parabola toward the stage, lighting shooting out again - brighter, stronger this time, enough to kill anyone it hit.

Haru and Kyoko didn't even have time to scream before the lightning struck the stage. The wooden floorboards exploded, sending fragments flying, and the curtains behind the stage burst into flame.

Tsuna had reacted just in time, lunging out and shoving both the girls forward, off the stage. The lightning had passed over their heads, and so did the worst of the explosion, as the three of them hit the ground hard.

He hoped distantly that Yamamoto didn't take that to be the signal, but it didn't really matter. Tsuna was already moving, leaving Kyoko and Haru on the ground among the audience and propelling himself forward with a sweep of Sky Flames. Levi had been taken by surprise, but that only granted Tsuna a split second to act.

He need to make sure the audience didn't get hit by a stray lightning bolt. He needed to clear the way out of the plaza so they could escape. He needed to get that detonator.

There was no time to think or plan, and Tsuna didn't bother trying.

Levi was much taller and heavier than Tsuna, but he still staggered, mostly out of surprise, as Tsuna collided with him bodily. At such close range, he couldn't use the Parabola, but he still managed to drive an elbow into Tsuna's side, hard enough to make Tsuna's grip on his coat falter.

One of Haru's smoke bombs dropped to the ground, activating immediately, and Tsuna let himself be flung away, leaving Levi to stumble blindly in the sudden haze.

The speakers screeched violently once again, cutting through the screams and sobs of the audience.

"Everyone, run for it! Now!" Yamamoto yelled, his voice coming across the speakers awkwardly unmodulated. "Go! Go!"

The audience hesitated for a moment, caught up in the confusion. Lussuria drew their attention, stepping forward with the intention of interfering with their escape. Tsuna had moved in the opposite direction, away from both Lussuria and the way out of the plaza, in hopes of drawing the Varia away. If Lussuria chose to go after the hostages instead…

"Take this!" Gokudera shouted, jumping to his feet from his place among the audience to launch a barrage of dynamite at Lussuria. The Varia member dodged, naturally, but Gokudera had aimed well, forcing Lussuria back and clearing the last obstacle. In the moments he had bought them, Gokudera gestured to the rest of the audience and ordered, "Let's go! Move it!"

He didn't hesitate to grab Lambo and lead the way, sprinting out of the plaza as Kyoko and Haru urged the parents and children to do the same.

Levi and Lussuria, recovering quickly, moved to interfere, but Tsuna caught their attention instead.

"Over here!" he shouted, waving his arms to further prove his point. "You wanted me? I'm here! Is this the best the Varia can do? I've already completed your challenge!"

In one hand, he held up the detonator he'd taken from Levi.

"Isn't there something you want from me?" he continued, holding up his other hand. The Vongola Sky Ring gleamed on his finger, shining with the Flames Tsuna purposefully lit just to agitate the Varia further. "Come and get it!"

That proved more than enough, as Levi snarled and launched himself at Tsuna, all thoughts of the hostages long forgotten, and Lussuria was not far behind.

~.~.~

Gokudera hadn't gone far past the plaza, hanging back in case he needed to cover for the hostages again. They streamed past him quickly, parents carrying children as they rushed to get away from the supposed terrorists doing battle behind them.

Kyoko and Haru brought up at the end, helping along anyone who fell behind. As they hurried past him, Haru hesitated, glancing back - in search of Tsuna, Gokudera realized. Or rather, of the Phantom Thief, whose dark cloaked figure could be seen staying just a step ahead of the two Varia members.

"Go!" he told her, and after a moment, Haru obeyed, understanding the futility of staying behind.

Gokudera lingered for a moment longer himself, but he remembered all too well what had happened during his last encounter with the Varia. If he tried to fight, or was even just drawn into the battle, he'd be nothing more than a liability.

"Aho-dera! Go back! Go back right now!" Lambo protested as Gokudera began to drag him away. "We have to help him!"

"That's what we're doing!" Gokudera snapped back. "We're helping him by not getting in his way!"

Scowling, Lambo dug in his heels and refused to move any further. Somehow, despite still being a short, scrawny thing, he could not be budged, no matter how hard Gokudera pulled.

"Listen to me, you brat," Gokudera hissed, "you're just going to get in Kaitou-sama's way. Who do you think he's even fighting them for? It's so we can escape! Don't you dare spit on his kindness by running back there to get killed."

"Lambo-san… Lambo-san isn't weak!" the boy tried to protest. But under Gokudera's hard gaze, he found himself quailing. The memory of the Varia's previous attack stood out in his mind, and he couldn't stop his legs from shaking.

This time, he didn't stop Gokudera from hauling him along.

'I know exactly how you feel,' Gokudera thought, glancing back at the column of thick smoke that had begun to billow out of the burning remains of the stage. A bitter feeling of frustration at his own helplessness welled up within him. 'Next time,' Gokudera swore to himself, 'next time, I'll stand beside him!'

They were among the last to make their way out of zoo, the entire area having emptied and fallen almost unnaturally silent. However, there was one person who had remained behind. Despite his trembling and obvious terror, the cameraman had remained as well, hiding behind a slightly dented trashcan, his reporter's instinct forcing him to hold the camera steady as he struggled to follow the battling figures.

The plaza itself had been reduced to a warzone. The benches were scattered and many in pieces, the pavement had been cracked and scorched. The entire stage had become a massive bonfire that threatened to spread to the hedge surrounding the area.

Members of the Varia usually worked alone, and if they cooperated on a mission, it was usually on different aspects. However, they were all too skilled to make a rookie mistake like getting in each other's way if they were forced to fight together.

To say that Levi and Lussuria worked well together was an overstatement, but they had quickly fallen into a rhythm - Lussuria pressing in to attack close-range, while Levi stood back and hounded their target with lightning strikes from the Parabolas that circled the battlefield overhead.

Somehow, Tsuna managed to stay one step ahead. If there was anything he had learned from Hibari, it had been how to dodge, and Kagerou was clearly affecting Lussuria, the heavy Sky Flames in the air making his vision waver and sweat to run down his neck and back, despite it being the second half of December.

The same clogging, sense-confusing effect was hitting Levi as well, and more than that, it was interfering with the lightning that passed through the same Sky Flame infused air, making it almost impossible to aim properly.

The longer the battle stretched, the more frustration built up in the two Varia officers. It was clear from the tense curl of Lussuria's smile - no longer even bloodthirsty so much as murderous - and Levi's deepening growls. Finally, as Tsuna ducked under Lussuria's kick, grabbed hold of his jacket and flipped over his head, simultaneously spinning Lussuria around dizzyingly, Levi lost all patience and restraint.

"Enough!" he roared, throwing his arms wide. All eight Parabolas shot out and circled the small battlefield, lightning crackling between them.

"Levi!" Lussuria protested, realizing that he was also about to be caught in the attack.

However, he seized the opportunity that presented itself - Tsuna had hesitated for a second, glancing up at the Parabolas as he tried to understand what was happening. In that moment, Lussuria moved, making a wide sweep with his leg that caught Tsuna off guard and sent him sprawling.

He didn't wait to see Tsuna twist and land on all fours. Instead, Lussuria lunged out of the way, just as the electricity within the Parabolas built to its maximum level.

"Eat this! Levi Volta!" Levi yelled.

The Parabolas flashed, and eight bolts of lightning lashed out, coming together in a blinding display. At the same moment, Sky Flames flared in the center, shooting upward like the trail of a rocket.

Or rather, something else shot upward. Thrust upward by the burst of Flames, Tsuna found himself momentarily suspended above their battlefield, looking down on Levi's furious expression and Lussuria's awkward sprawl, before gravity reasserted itself.

Yelping in surprise, Tsuna began to fall.

Most importantly, he had seen that the Namimori Animal Park stood empty around them. It was time for him to get out of there.

Channeling more Flames through the Vongola Sky Ring, Tsuna prepared to let off one more burst to push himself sideways, away from the battlefield - to run, once he landed outside the plaza.

However, in the moment before he could release his Flames, Tsuna felt his every instinct and sense of danger flare up. He was moving to redirect his Flames into a shield before he even realized what was happening.

A massive, powerful blast of Flames impacted against his half-formed shield, sending Tsuna crashing to the ground, plowing a path of destruction through the plaza. Groaning, he rolled over and tried to lever himself up. His vision wavered for a moment before he managed to focus on the dark figures of his opponents.

There were Levi and Lussuria, but both of them scrambled into kneeling positions, turning their backs to Tsuna. Their attention was caught by the third - a tall man with a dark coat draped over his shoulder, who had appeared seemingly out of nowhere. In his hand was a still smoking gun emblazoned with a crimson X.

'He's...'

"Boss," Levi murmured, his voice shaking with both fear and reverence. His head was bowed, as if he was too afraid to gaze upon his leader. "I deeply apologize for forcing you involve yourself. I will handle this rat, please leave everything to me."

Xanxus, the Varia leader, sneered down at his subordinate. "Like you've done so far, you trash?" he said mockingly. "He's been playing you two for time from the start. And he succeeded. All your hostages have escaped."

"What?!" Levi's head jerked upward, but he forced himself to bow again before he could meet his leader's eyes. "But my Lightning Strike Squad-"

"-Have all been defeated, by some local gang," Xanxus cut in coldly.

Levi ground his teeth in frustration and humiliation. "I will deal out the harshest punishment to them, Boss."

"I've dealt with it," Xanxus dismissed him. His expression shifted into an ugly sneer. "Failure has no place in the Varia." There was no mistaking his meaning. He had dealt with his subordinates in the most permanent way possible, both dispatching those no longer worthy and eliminating possible liabilities.

It hadn't taken Tsuna long to recover, but even knowing that he should run, he remained in place. He could feel Xanxus's attention on him, even as he dressed down his subordinates. Should Tsuna attempt to flee, there was no doubt he would simply be shot down again. And…

Something else kept him from moving as well. The same something that made him meet Xanxus's gaze as the Varia leader finally turned to regard him.

"Watching you flail about has been a disgrace to the Varia," Xanxus said, no longer even bothering to look at Levi, "but at least you managed to draw out this trash. Heh," he smirked, pointing his gun at Tsuna, "that works just fine. I'll take care of you myself and take back what is rightfully mine."

This was the man he had been hired to stop from becoming Vongola Decimo.

Tsuna hadn't thought about it much, accepting Nono's judgement, but now he wondered - why had the Ninth refused to make Xanxus his successor?

A man who let his subordinates run wild across first Italy and now Japan. Whose only concern was that they hadn't killed Tsuna - not the many people they had put in danger. Who had then thrown away his own men for a single failure.

All for what? Some ring?

There was nothing worth endangering all those lives for.

Just what kind of person was he?

Never even letting the weight of lives affect his judgement…

What kind of Vongola Decimo would he become?

Where would he lead Vongola? Where would he lead the alliance and all those whose fates were tied to Vongola's? The Ninth and Tsuna's father, Reborn and Dino, Fuuta and Lambo… All the reasons why Tsuna had first taken on this dangerous special job, plus everyone he had met along the way and even completely innocent civilians, everyone would be dragged along onto whatever path Xanxus chose.

And that path would be...

"A person who doesn't value lives doesn't deserve to be followed," Tsuna repeated under his breath.

Sky Flames gathered within Xanxus's gun, making it take on a faint orange glow. Without any thought or command, an answering Flame lit up within the ring on Tsuna's finger. Xanxus's crimson eyes narrowed as Tsuna straightened, refusing to back down.

But even as the two Flames grew brighter and brighter, neither of their wielders attacked. Not yet.

"...Why do you want to become Vongola Decimo?" Tsuna asked, his voice quiet but carrying in the tense silence.

"Isn't it obvious?" Xanxus sneered. "I'm the one most suited to lead Vongola! I'm the only worthy of it! It doesn't matter whether the Ring reacted to you or not. In the end, you're just a thief! You could never become the Vongola Boss!"

Xanxus began to laugh, a crow-like harsh sound that held no joy and more than a tinge of madness.

'I really can't give it to him,' Tsuna thought, with a strange sort of calm. Even his anger gave way now, leaving only simple resolve. 'I can't let him have the ring.'

Tsuna's expression had smoothed out, but something in his demeanor must have given away his thoughts, only fanning the flames of Xanxus's anger.

"Planning to run?" he asked disdainfully, raising his gun higher. "That's all you can do, isn't it? It's too late for that, trash! I won't accept anything else than your life!"

But this time, he was wrong. Tsuna had run and run and run, across Italy and even to Japan, but that was over. It was the end of the line.

"You're right," Tsuna said calmly. "I'm a thief. But I'm not just any thief. I'm the Phantom Thief, and there isn't a single thing I can't steal. I stole the Vongola Sky Ring! And I'll steal the others as well! No, more than that… I'm going to steal Vongola itself!"

There was a moment of stunned silence.

Then, Xanxus began to laugh again.

"What a comedy!" he howled. "Steal Vongola? Hahaha!"

"That's right," Tsuna continued, as if he wasn't being mocked. "You said Vongola is yours by right? I'll take it from you. This is a notice! No, a challenge! I'm going to steal the position of Vongola Decimo from you! Try and stop me!"

Xanxus's laughter died away, his lips twisting into a snarl once more. "You're taking it too far now," he growled. "Challenging me? You trash!"

But all the same, when Levi moved as if to protest or defend his boss's honor, Xanxus made a sharp gesture to keep him in place.

"Ten days from now," Tsuna said, refusing to surrender the initiative.

It wasn't that he thought his chances would be better after just ten days. Rather, it had to be the time and place of his choosing, just like always. Ten days - New Years' Eve. The place… Somewhere far from people, where no one else would be hurt.

"At the Kokuyo Center. We'll settle everything there," Tsuna decided.

"You've got no right to- to just challenge Boss! Don't act like you're a real candidate!" Levi burst out. "You're just planning to run-!"

A low-powered shot from Xanxus's gun quickly silenced him.

"I accept your challenge," Xanxus told Tsuna, not even bothering to glance at his downed subordinate. His strange, almost blank expression twisted into a smirk again. "And if you run… you might live long enough to regret making it, before I hunt you down."

He didn't wait for a reply. As Xanxus departed, Lussuria moved toward Levi - to help him up, or at least haul away the body - but the other Varia member snarled in response and levered himself up, and both of them hurried after their boss.

Tsuna watched their departing forms. "I'm not going to run," he said, almost absently.

Once he was alone, his legs gave out under him and he crumbled to the ground, shaking and gasping for breath.

Just what had he gotten himself into?

~.~.~

Notes

Q: So Tsuna was in a play?
A: Yes, that's where he learned all the Phantom Thief's melodramatic habits. Haru made him practice until he lost all sense of shame and could spout of cliche nonsense without even thinking. Tsuna was a tanuki, which are known to be shapeshifters and illusionists. To transform, including into humans, tanuki are often shown putting leaves on their foreheads.

Incidentally, Haru's Namahage costume is from episode 38, when Haru was testing Tsuna to see if he's still kind. Kyoko's onmyoji costume is from episode 17, when Tsuna is hospitalized.

Q: When will Reborn come back?
A: Next chapter.

Q: What about Fon?
A: He's like Fuuta, a one-episode character. He went off to deal with the Triads and won't be back for a long time, if ever.

Why does such an important chapter end up sucking so much? Ergh….

You guys, I wanna go read Naruto fanfics, not write this stuff. Why can't this story be over already?

~.~.~

Next time: Sasagawa Ryohei

~.~.~