The screen fizzes with static for a few seconds before it abruptly clears, showing a young man dressed in black sitting ram rod straight in his chair. Behind him an angry looking teenager stands with his arms crossed next to another with a pompadour and a clipboard.
All three of them are wearing school uniforms with armbands, one with an indistinguishable kanji written on it, and another on the opposite arm with a stylised crow.
The boy in front is recognisable as being the missing Vongola heir.
"Welcome." Sawada Tsunayoshi says with a tense smile, staring at the camera with the kind of intensity you see in dark rooms and bar fights.
"We are The Crows. And we won't become Mafioso." Here he pauses, cocking his head like a bird of prey.
He smiles.
"And we can prove it."
The camera turns, showing an empty but dim room, before it fixes itself on one corner.
Hanging in a slightly glowing glass tube, Reborn sleeps. The wires going from the contraption spread out in a morbid facsimile of a spider web.
The camera swings back towards the three boys, except now there's a large crowed gathered behind them, wearing blank masks and hoods. At least a hundred people stand straight backed.
"Let's negotiate." Tsuna says, hands resting in front and posture relaxed.
Sawada Iemitsu stares at the screen, and his son, with a numb sort of shock. It doesn't feel like he's facing a naïve young boy, doesn't feel like he's dealing with teenager rebellion.
Some of the people gathered behind the boy must be at least twice as old, based on height. And yet the presence and attitude he sees is that of a respected Mafia boss.
Or, he amends, staring at the screen, an anti-Mafia boss. He pauses the video and turns towards where Cecilia is standing.
The woman is still shaking, hours later. There's a wide-eyed look to her as she clenches her hands together, still reeling from her visit to the supposed abandoned warehouse.
It was abandoned maybe, except for the mist trap disguised as a lighting barrier, designed to deliver an unforgettable ultimatum.
Iemitsu is unsure if her shock is to do with the trap, or the contents of the video it held. He himself is feeling a little shock at the image of Reborn floating in a mad scientists wet dream.
"Status?" He asks, refusing to go back to the video before he can get a more accurate idea of the situation. Part of him is hoping that she knows something to disprove his son sitting there on screen. That she can tell him this is some sort of trick.
Cecilia's wide eyes find his and she swallows.
"We've lost all communication with any team up to 40 kilometers out of Namimori. Some of them have been disappearing from neighbouring towns. No sign of your wife. The Varia have also disappeared, but that seems to be deliberate on their part. No reports yet on how Reborn was captured." She says, mostly evenly.
Iemitsu nods, hands clasped in front of his face. He stares at the paused screen some more before sighing. Unpauses it.
"We claim the land of Namimori as under our protection. Any move by a family, or individual allied with a family, will be taken as a threat. Any move to coerce a resident of Namimori, including descendants of previous Mafioso, will be seen as a threat."
Here his son pauses again, before nodding the boy with the clipboard, who clears his throat and continues.
"People who will be actively hunted if they set foot in the boundaries of Namimori include Sawada Iemitsu, the Ninth Boss of Vongola, Dino Cavallone, all members of the Varia, Reborn, and the Vendice. Those from other families or who are not of the list may petition for admittance but must abide by the rules set forth."
"Failure to comply will result in extreme action."
The video pauses once again, as Iemitsu brings his head to his hands. Behind him Basil and Cecilia fidget but give him his space. It feels like he is already mourning.
He takes a few deep breaths, more to remind himself he can then because he needs to, and continues watching.
The video pans back towards Reborn floating in the strange contraption. The boy's voice continues but no one bothers walking into frame.
"As to what will happen with the Hitman Reborn, we will hold custody of him for trespass until such a time that it can be determined he is no longer allied with Vongolo or else he abandons his mission to capture Sawada Tsunayoshi. Once those requirements are met we will release him. If they are not met, our scientist has developed a serum that will force a hibernation on even an Arcobaleno."
A pencil snaps behind Iemitsu, but he doesn't turn. He can't. He feels almost mesmerised by the small shape in the blue water.
He's never really liked Reborn, has butted heads against the baby sized man more then once, but he also never thought he would see the hitman brought so low. It sits in his stomach like a knife wound. It feels like it should go completely against reality.
"…They're 13 years old." Basil murmurs, somewhat in awe and somewhat in dismay. Iemitsu knows the feeling.
"We underestimated them." He says grimly. It's not something he's going to be doing again.
"No one could have expected their resources." Cecilia agrees. Perhaps her mind is on two innocent seeming middle school boys. Or maybe it's on the machines that mimic actual flame use.
On screen, Reborn floats softly, and a voice evenly describes ultimatums and consequences.
"By now, a copy of this recording will have arrived at every major Mafia house. The information of where those are will be released if we do not have an answer in 43 hours. The information we have at our disposal is large, if we want, we can leak extremely sensitive data. Don't make us."
The phone rings and the vide cuts out. Iemitsu picks it up numbly. He already has an idea of who's on the other side.
"Tell me you didn't know about this." Timoteo says darkly. Iemitsu closes his eyes.
"No one knew about this." He says. He thinks back to his wife's distant smiles and thinks that might be a lie.
He's not going to say that, though.
Tsuna makes tea for two and puts it down on the small table. He's alone in the room, or appears to be, and he lets himself relax his shoulders some now that the camera's are gone.
Everyone left a while ago, and now there's just a skeleton crew in the house. Hibari and Tetsuya are still downstairs with Shoichi organising their next step, but Tsuna has something he needs to do here first before he joins them.
"Are you sure that was wise? You are even more of a target now" A voice says from his left. Tsuna doesn't bother turning to look and simply takes a long sip of tea.
"I made you a cup too, Mukuro-san." He says when he is done, gently putting the china down. It's one of his mother's sets, and she would be sad to see it damaged.
A hair-raising chuckle is his answer, but a hand does reach out to pick up the other cup. The two sit in silence until the morning comes.