"The 9th isn't a rash man," Reborn said in answer to his thoughts. "Once told of your reasons, his anger will be manageable. After all, a Boss thinks of his Family and that's exactly what you're doing." Reborn gave a little pat to Tsuna's shoulder. "You did well. Though, I wonder what the 9th was thinking. It's unlike him to put one person's safety as a priority over a whole Family's."
"He's scared," Tsuna answered, somehow knowing it was the correct one. "The incident with Gola Mosca reminded him of his own mortality. He's trying to protect the future of the Vongola by protecting me."
"I see."
"R-Reborn," Tsuna trembled. "Maybe you s-should go back to Italy. I'm still probably going to be branded as a traitor for disobeying direct orders. I..I don't want you blamed for--"
Reborn thumped Tsuna on the head lightly with his small hand. "I'm not someone you have to protect, Baka-Tsuna," he said seriously, although he couldn't help but smile.
"What now, boss?" Gokudera asked, as the elevator doors opened to the crowded first floor. The rock walls were filled with the usual amount of people and he could see a line waiting outside again.
Tsuna stepped out and stopped, the reassuring presence of his friends--no, he amended, they were his Family--behind him. "We need to prepare," he said confidently. "We need to be prepared for anything that either our former friends or our enemies might send at us." He nodded to himself. "First things first," he said, waving for them to follow him. First, he led the way to the Juice Bar.
"Listen up," Tsuna said loudly to the crowd, instantly getting attention. "As of now, the Juice Bar is temporarily off-limits. You all have exactly one minute to leave before I will be unable to ensure your safety. Yamamoto, give me a countdown." Slowly, the confused crowd started stepping outside the bar. Mr. Guru looked at his employer curiously before silently standing outside as well. As Yamamoto finished counting down, Tsuna turned to Gokudera. "Get rid of the eyes," he said simply.
Gokudera nodded, and with a flash of his hand, several mini-bombs went flying. All across the wall, the booths exploded as each of the television monitors were hit. Tsuna nodded to himself. Now they could train without giving the enemy the ability to see their progress.
Tsuna turned to Mr. Guru. "Sorry about the mess. It's all yours again." Before the poor man could react, Tsuna was already walking through the shocked crowd. He went outside to where the attendant was keeping track of the occupancy. "There was an accident in the Juice Bar," he told her. "As a result, the occupancy limit will be halved until further notice." The poor woman's eyes widened, but didn't argue.
Leading the others into the Dojo, Tsuna gave a sigh once the door was shut. "So, what was that all about?" Yamamoto asked, finally breaking his silence.
"I can't shut the place down completely," Tsuna answered. "That would be like saying 'here we are, come and get us'." He rubbed his eyes, feeling a headache coming on. "I don't like the idea of so many people here, though. Also, we can't train while allowing the enemy the ability to watch us in comfort. But by damaging the Juice Bar, we took out the eyes and lowered the amount of possible bystanders at the same time."
Before he could say more, a very angry Ryohei came bursting through the door. "I'm EXTREMELY pissed off!" he yelled as he charged forward. Sensing his life in danger, Tsuna increased his flame to dodge Ryohei's Extreme Rush.
"W-W- Damnit! What's wrong?!" He was barely managing to stay ahead of the dangerous fists. Ryohei pushed forward, sending his Extreme Right straight for Tsuna's head. Pain flared across his cheek as it grazed him.
Ryohei was trying to kill him, he realized. The boxer wasn't holding back at all. Tsuna flared his gloves and threw himself into the air, hovering out of reach. Gokudera and Yamamoto took that moment to leap in, tackling the angry man and trying to pin him down.
"What the hell are you doing, lawn-head?!" Gokudera yelled. With a roar, Ryohei jumped back to his feet, throwing the two off of him as Kyoko came running in the door.
"That's Extremely unfair!" He yelled when he realized he couldn't reach Tsuna. "Get down here so I can reach you!"
"Are you crazy? You're trying to kill me!" he squealed.
"Big Brother!" Kyoko yelled. "Stop it, big brother! He didn't do anything!" Tsuna noticed her eyes were red.
The boxer was looking around for something to climb on. "He made you cry. That's enough for me!"
Tsuna finally realized what was going on. He went cold, his flames instantly quenched as he landed. "I'm sorry," he said quietly as Ryohei advanced on him. Tsuna didn't try and dodge as Ryohei's Extreme Right came flying at him. He didn't even flinch. He just stared into Kyoko's brother's face with a look of remorse.
An inch from his face, the fist came to an abrupt stop. Looking down, he saw Kyoko's hand on Ryohei's wrist, gently but forcefully asking him to stop. The boxer obeyed the silent command. "Why?" Ryohei asked him in a deadly voice, pointedly not looking at his sister. "Why did you make her cry?"
Tsuna couldn't help but give a small, sad smile as he looked at Gokudera. "He wants to know why." He suddenly felt like laughing insanely as he put his face in his hands, but didn't. He looked up at Ryohei again when he had calmed himself. "Because the alternative is much worse," he said trying to put into his eyes all the words he couldn't say. Ryohei cocked his head and somewhere deep down in his single-minded brain, he seemed to understand. As Tsuna watched, the boxer relaxed. "If you forgive me, then I need you to start preparation. We've got another...uh...Sumo Tournament coming up."
At the boxer's nod, he told them, "I'll be in my room for a little while, resting. Don't interrupt unless you have to." He turned his back to them, intentionally not looking at Kyoko, and retreated before anyone could say anything.
Tsuna sat on the couch in his resting room, his mind blank about what to do next. Reborn, being the only one to automatically ignore his request, sat down beside him after getting some coffee.
"Reborn," he finally said, "I don't know what to do."
His tutor smiled at the words he'd heard so often in the past. "Let me give you some more information then and see if that helps," he replied. "The information about the enemies' methods were gotten from that intruder you caught. He wouldn't tell us which family he was from or anything about his suit. However, after a bit of persuasion, he was willing to tell us everything he knew about his mission. He had been assigned to kidnap your mother and, if possible, as many others as he could."
"He was there to kidnap them?" Tsuna asked, trying not to think about what kind of persuasion was used. "But the dream I had showed something far worse."
"Likely what you saw was a warning. Not only of the time and place of the kidnapping, but of the aftermath." Tsuna nodded at Reborn's words. His face turned pale and his stomach churned at the thought, but he knew it made sense. "Vongola scientists took a look over the man's suit. It's definitely one of Verde's creations, but the safety precautions have been taken out."
"Safety precautions?"
"I couldn't see them," Reborn said. "Verde's old suits were made so that people under a certain age could see through them, remember? But these had been altered. I can't think Verde did that willingly. He's always been fanatical about keeping his inventions from being used against him."
"So it's possible that Verde has been captured by the enemy?"
Reborn nodded. "We sent squads to check out his lab, but it was empty."
"So we know how. But we still don't know anything else," he cried.
Before he could say anything else, the door to his room opened. It was the last person he expected.
"Dad?" Tsuna asked, unsure of what to say after the confrontation upstairs. The man quietly closed the door behind him and leaned against it.
He rubbed his eyes and said, "I said before that I had a feeling you'd be surprising us a lot, but I never expected you to do something like this. I don't know whether to be angry that you disobeyed orders, or proud of you." Unsure himself, Tsuna stayed silent. They looked at each other for a long moment while Iemitsu seemed to come to a decision. Finally, he warned, "You're prepared to be punished, right? The 9th won't be able to let it slide completely, you know. Heir or no heir." At Tsuna's nod, the look in his father's eyes softened.
"I'll see if I can buy you some time," he told Tsuna. He pulled his cell phone out and dialed. "It's me," he spoke to the unknown person on the other end. "I seem to have ran into a problem. No, no, not that. Well," he was obviously making it up as he went, "I seem to have lost the orders that the 9th sent. No, don't bother sending someone else. I'll come and retrieve a copy instead. Really, I don't want there to be a fuss. Ah, okay. Fine. I'll be there in the morning." He looked at his phone in disgust as he turned it off. "The 9th wants to see me, it seems. I have to leave immediately, but that should buy you a few days." He reached out and put a hand on his son's head.
"Dad..." Tsuna's eyes filled with tears as he realized what his father had just done. "Thank you."
His father smiled and left only saying, "Make sure you protect your mother."
After he was gone, something inside Tsuna seemed to solidify. He stood and walked out into the Dojo. Putting his fingers to his lips, he gave a loud whistle to catch everyone's attention and waved them over. Thankfully, Tsuna noticed that Kyoko was gone. "Okay," he said as they got close, "we don't know who the enemy is or when he'll be coming. We do know that they will be going after our Family, though. Those that are close to me will be in danger first." He turned and looked down at Reborn. "Can you get in contact with Bianchi and fill her in? Have her and the others keep an eye out for mom?" Reborn nodded as Tsuna turned to Ryohei and Yamamoto, "I'll leave your sister to you, for the most part, Ryohei. Yamamoto can serve double-duty by watching her in class and getting the assignments I'll be missing."
"What about me, 10th?" Gokudera asked, ready and willing to do anything.
"You have flares, right?" He asked his ever-loyal friend. At Gokudera's confused nod, Tsuna continued, "Then I want you to watch over Haru. Her school is almost all the way across town, so you're the only one that can send a signal if something happens. Blue flares for a warning, Red flares if you sight the enemy." He looked around at all his friends. "Train as you watch over them," he said.
"What are you going to be doing, Tsuna?" Yamamoto asked. Tsuna remembered the confrontation they'd had in the boy's bathroom. The swordsman wasn't going to like this, but it was what he had to do.
"Since I haven't had any combat practice with my gloves in a long time, I need to get as much of my battle senses back as I can. So, I'm going to be sparring with Hibari for the most part," he said while raising a hand to forestall their objections. "I'll see if Chrome will be willing to help. I'm sure she has the power to make us invisible outside a certain range, like the illusionists did during the ring battles. I'll also keep Sakura on hand in case something happens."
"Not good enough," Yamamoto objected. "If anyone gets inside that range, you'll have no one that can fight watching your back. And Hibari isn't someone you can spar with while keeping your mind on other things."
He was right, Tsuna realized. "Fine," he said grudgingly. "We'll do it at the school then. If anything happens, Ryohei can take over watching Kyoko and you'll be free to help me."
Gokudera didn't like that in the least. He wanted to be the one protecting the 10th's back instead of the 'Hahi' girl. But the 10th had given the orders out and there was no one else that could call for backup from that far away. He stuck his hand out suddenly, looking away and turning red.
Everyone else looked at him, confused at curious at first. Then they smiled at each other and one-by-one they put their hands on his. "Family! Fight-O!" Ryohei yelled.
"Fight-O!"
It was, after all, the Sawada Family way.
Tsuna had two places he wanted to stop before going to see Chrome. First was to an ATM, where his eyes crossed at the number of zeroes on his balance sheet. Second, he decided to go to Patchwork Jewelry. That ring had been nagging him in the back of his mind for several days now. He'd forgotten about it while he'd been focused on training, but he lately he'd been waking up with half-remembered images of the flame-etched ring in his head.
He had to get one, he decided. Gokudera and Yamamoto would probably be mad at him later, but he had Reborn watching his back right now. So, without any more than a single moment's hesitation, he made his way to the shopping district.
As he entered the worn-down shop, Reborn jumped off his shoulder. Once again, no one was minding the store. He assumed that it was to be expected with such an unnoticeable shop. They probably only got one customer a day, if they were lucky. "Um, hello...?" he called back.
The girl he remembered from before came out of the back room. She started to give the normal greeting when she looked up and saw who it was. "Oh," she said, "it's you." Taken aback at her rudeness, Tsuna didn't know what to say.
A light cuff from Patchwork hit the girl from behind. "Don't be rude to the customers," the muscular woman scolded.
"Why not? He already said he was broke. It's not like he's going to buy anything." The girl had turned indignant as she pulled on her long braid.
"Actually," Tsuna piped up. "I've come to buy one of those rings."
Patchwork smirked at the look of amazement on her daughter's face. "Your tutor talked me down to seven million. If you pay now, I can have your ring ready in two days." She put up a warning finger at his satisfied look. "Assuming I don't object to your flame."
"My flame?" he asked.
"The little guy," she said, pointing down at Reborn, "didn't tell you?" The answer was obvious from the blank look on his face. Patchwork sighed and leaned on the counter. "I was wondering why you took so long to come and get one. I guess it's to be expected. Demitirus smiths have been in hiding for generations."
She put her hand up where he could see it. He noticed that she was wearing several of the black rings on her fingers. "Come on out, Adamant," she said. As he watched, the flame on one of the rings seemed to dance and swirl. He noticed it was a pure white flame, totally free of any color. As the flames flickered and seemed to get stronger, Patchwork continued explaining. "My flame is the Hephaestus Flame. To make items that can hold flame, one has to use a Dying Will Flame devoid of any other attributes. You could say that this is the flame that isn't." While she had been talking, the flames on the ring had burst into reality, dancing and emitting heat.
Then the flame leaped into the air, taking Tsuna by surprise. Looking closely, he could see it was still getting bigger, although at a slow rate. When it reached the size of his palm, it stopped growing and started swirling instead. "W-What's going on?" He asked, completely mystified by the flame hovering between them.
Patchwork smiled as she answered. "Demitirus gives life to flame. It stores a person's flame and gives it a separate consciousness that's typically loyal to it's creator." She pointed down where Leon was positioned on Reborn's hat. "I can't tell what this little fellow's base was, since it's not flame, but he was probably created the same way." Reborn kept his poker face intact, leaving Tsuna to wonder what the woman had meant.
The sound of crackling drew his attention back up to the white flame. It had shrunk a bit, but was seeming to solidify. He was starting to be able to make out bird wings of some kind. "Right now, it's still trying to take it's shape. The flame first propagated itself and now it's compressing itself. When it's done, you'll be able to see my partner, Adamant."
After another half-minute passed, the flame had taken the complete form of a bird. A dove, he realized. The little thing flew over to Patchwork, it's wings sending off sparks, and jumped on her shoulder. It gave a little nibble to the woman's ear in greeting.
"May I?" he asked, amazed beyond comprehension. With a nod, he reached out to pet the little creature. Although it had seemed to take a solid form, the little creature was still made of flames, he realized. As he petted the bird softly, he could feel a feather-like texture beneath his hand, but he could also feel a controlled heat being emitted. It didn't burn him. Instead it somehow reminded him of the warmth he'd felt when he'd hugged Kyoko.
The little bird chirped in pleasure as his hand brushed the feathers on it's neck. "She has feelings and thoughts of her own," Patchwork said as she smiled at her little friend. "She's no different than any other living creature once you get past the fact that she was created from flame." She looked at Tsuna seriously. "Now, this is my partner created from my flame. What kind of creature do you think a flame full of anger and destruction would create?"
Tsuna's eyes widened as he thought of what might be created if Xanxus got one of these rings. Patchwork nodded as Tsuna dropped his hand. "Now you see why Demitirus smiths went into hiding. They couldn't stop creating but they didn't want to be responsible anymore." Patchwork sneered. "Hogwash," she said. "I'm from the newer generation. We consider it our responsibility to find worthy people to bestow rings on, instead of staying in hiding. If we make a mistake in giving a ring out, we fix it."
Tsuna nodded in understanding. It was hard not to use your abilities once you've gained control over them. "So," Patchwork concluded, "now you know why I need to see your flame." The little bird stretched her wings on Patchwork's shoulder. "You can go back to sleep if you want," she told it.
With a little chirp, the bird jumped down along the woman's arm. When it reached her hand and touched the ring, it started to shrink and lose it's form. Finally, with a small flicker, the flame and creature disappeared completely. Looking closely, he could see the flame etched on the ring swirl and dance before it, too, settled back down into a near-lifeless pattern. He could still see a slight movement, but it was so slow he couldn't be sure if his eyes were just playing tricks on him.
"Show her," Reborn said, speaking for the first time since entering the store. Tsuna nodded, increasing his flame until a bright orange spouted from his head. Patchwork's daughter jumped back in surprise, while Patchwork herself widened her eyes.
"Hmmm," she muttered. "I didn't think I'd ever meet someone with the Sky Flame. Pretty impressive." After a moment of thought, she asked, "Do you still want a ring?" Although she asked him in a tone that suggested she didn't care about his answer, he could tell she wanted to get started right away. He nodded. He couldn't explain why, but the need and desire for one had become almost unbearable in his mind.
"As soon as possible," he confirmed, pulling out the golden card that Reborn had given him.
As he entered the gate to Kokuyou Land, Tsuna put his guard up. Last time he'd walked into this place, he'd nearly been killed by Mukuro. He wasn't going to take any chances this time around. Chrome might be one of his Ring Guardians, but Ken and Chikusa weren't. They'd kill him in an instant if they thought he was going to do anything that might break their only link to Mukuro.
He stopped as he heard the sound of something coming down the path. Before he could wonder what it was, Ken came into view, moving at an incredible speed. From the mark on his cheek, Tsuna recognized the "Cheetah Channel". "What do you want?" Ken asked aggressively.
"I need to ask a favor from Chrome," he answered simply. He had no reason to hide it.
"I'm here, boss," a female voice said as Chrome came out from behind a tree, carrying her three-pronged trident before her. Suspicious at how quickly she had appeared, he allowed his inner flame to flare as he took a second look.
"Your illusions have gotten more solid," he complemented the fake girl.
"Thank you, boss," she said quietly. "You said you needed something from me? Or did you wish to speak with Mukuro-sama?"
He shook his head. "No, I think you're strong enough for what I need," he answered. "All I can really say is that the Family is in a bit of a crisis. I need someone to provide cover for me while I'm training and I thought of you."
"Geez," Ken griped, "Why should we help you?"
"I don't suppose I could bribe you with bubble gum and sushi, could I?" He quipped, causing Ken to growl.
"I'll help, boss," Chrome interrupted. She looked at him with earnest eyes. "I think that's what Mukuro-sama would want."
"Thank you," Tsuna said with a small bow. "I'll be sparring with Hibari at the school, so if you could just erase our presence from view to those outside the grounds, I'd be appreciative."
"I can do that," she replied. "But I'll need to be within viewing range."
"I'll set something comfortable up for you, Ken, and Chikusa. If you'll come in the morning, I'll have it ready." She nodded as she released the illusion of herself. Looking up, he saw movement from one of the upper windows of the facility. He assumed she'd been projecting from there.
Ken growled, obviously wanting Tsuna to leave. Not wanting to irritate the guy anymore, he turned and left.
At the gates, Tsuna looked at the sky and realized he'd only have time for one more stop before he needed to be home for dinner. He couldn't put it off any longer. It was time to talk to Hibari.