Tsuna groaned and picked himself off the ground while Cheri gave him an apologetic look. He sighed, unable to blame her for her choice in attack. First of all, it was completely legitimate to attack in a blind spot. Second, he wouldn't be able to compensate in battle for that blind spot unless she gave him reason to need to. Nearly a week had passed since he'd first returned back to school. During that time, it had become clear who truly didn't care what he did and those who found him despicable.
It actually wasn't hard to tell at all.
The way the people split up to watch him and Cheri fight was telling enough. Cheri's true supporters, the ones that had cheered her on before she'd stopped sparring in both Tsuna and Hibari's absense, stood on Tsuna's side where Tsuna's supporters accepted them in complete understanding. The ones that were merely there in hopes to see Tsuna get thrashed were the ones grouped up at her back. Cheri herself didn't like the fact, but there wasn't much she could say about it.
"That's enough for today," Dr. Fyllable called. Tsuna nodded and loosened up from his fighting stance with Cheri mirroring him. More than anything, he wanted to spit in frustration. Cheri was good, but she wasn't helping him gain any of his lost speed and power. The only way she even landed a hit was when she used her agility to dodge into his blind spot and catch him unawares. Only the fact that she didn't want to truly kill him was why her long daggers weren't already in his gut.
"Sorry, Tsuna," Cheri called apologetically, knowing that she was only making him look weak even though they both knew that she was the one who kept truly loosing.
"It's okay," he sighed. "There's really no helping it. There's no way that Hibari--"
"OOOOOIIIII!" A voice called out across the sparring grounds, making everyone snap to attention and stare. Tsuna was no different. He felt his jaw dropping when he turned to find the Varia completely assembled outside the sparring grounds.
"What the hell are you doing here?!" He exclaimed with his eyes automatically darting toward Xanxus.
"Orders," Xanxus spat, walking up toward him. "The old man said you weren't being challenged enough. So, we're here to challenge your ass."
"Eh..EH?!"
"Get ready, kid," Xanxus growled while handing a sheaf of papers over to Tsuna's very confused Gym teacher. Dr. Fyllable shrugged at him after a moment, telling him that the orders were legitamite.
"Cheri," Tsuna warned, increasing his Flame back to full in resignation, "You might want to take cover."
"Why?"
"This is the guy who dared to mock Hibari and managed not to get bitten to death," he explained, keeping his guard up against the man already entering the sparring grounds. "This might get pretty nasty and--" Tsuna cut off, seeing Xanxus dart forward without wasting any time. It was a measure of how out of shape Tsuna was that he was unable to dodge even with seeing the blow coming. Xanxus gave Cheri a small grin of open amusement while he boosted forward to continue his onslaught before Tsuna even crash landed. In panic, Tsuna reached for his Flame and sent out a burst in effort to dodge. He gasped a moment before he went flying into one of the grounds' restraining walls, completely dodging Xanxus' blow but also completely out of control.
"What the fuck are you doing?" Xanxus growled while Tsuna's classmates began openly mocking him.
"It wasn't me," he snapped in return. Shaking his head to clear it, he stood out of the rubble and looked at his Glove in surprise. He'd almost completely forgotten about his hard Flame and he suddenly realized that he didn't know how to control it in combat. Even worse, it was suddenly jumping into his grasp as if begging to be used on Xanxus. "Shit."
Tsuna hissed as Ryohei tended to another of the multitude of scrapes on his body. He was a mass of knots and beaten flesh. The sad part was that only half of his damage had been caused by Xanxus. The other half had been caused by his own faltering attempts to get his hard Flame under control despite the laughter of nearly everyone that had been watching them. Xanxus hadn't held back, even after Tsuna had explained the problem. Tsuna had been forced to use Zero-Point Kai more than once merely in order to keep moving despite the way that using his hard Flame sapped his energy.
In the end, Xanxus hadn't stopped until Tsuna had finally managed to knock his X-Guns away and meet his hands force-for-force much like how the Sky Battle had ended. Xanxus had jumped back in retreat at the cold chill that had passed through Tsuna's Gloves, instantly calling an end to the match without caring in the least at how the sudden forfeit looked to those watching. Namely, how no one but they two knew or understood the threat that Tsuna had given him. To everyone else, it was nothing more than Xanxus giving up for no apparent reason, which reaffirmed false opinions of Tsuna's abilities. It made Tsuna want to spit when he realized the knowing looks he was getting. They were completely ignoring the fact that none of them would have lasted even thirty seconds against Xanxus while Tsuna was able to fight him to a standstill.
Tsuna hissed and jerked as Ryohei pressed another cottonball to yet another wound in effort to sterilize it. Irritated, he snatched it out of his hands and threw it across the room.
"Calm down, Tsuna," Ryohei growled. "You weren't the only one to have a bad match today. I couldn't get a single punch to land against Lussuria's footwork. The asshole learned from the Sun Battle and didn't--"
"I know," Tsuna snapped, jumping to his feet and pacing to release some of his pent up anger. "I know that you all had problems, too. It's just I...I..." In frustration, Tsuna sent a fist into the nearest wall, shattering it completely without meaning to. He stared at the large hole and rubble sheepishly, wishing he'd chosen a different wall to smack his fist into. Namely, since this particular wall happened to connect to the showers, which were presently full.
"Oops," he mumbled with a red face, wishing even more that the women's locker room hadn't been built next to the men's. Thankfully, no one on the other side seemed injured. Yet the screams he recieved as girls went running for cover made it seem as if every single one had been hurt.
"What the hell do you think you're doing?" Cheri snapped angrily with her hands on her hips. Tsuna turned an even more interesting shade of red as the steam and dust cleared, revealing her to have been one of the women who had been in the middle of showering. Despite himself, Tsuna found himself staring at her well-toned muscles along with several other appealing features she owned. Tsuna forgot how to breathe, nearly turning from red to blue in his embarrassment. Cheri froze her foot tapping, realizing where exactly Tsuna's eyes were locked...which definately wasn't her face.
"Now that's Extreme," Ryohei commented, also staring through the large hole. Cheri's face, neck, and much of her upper body turned red. Before Tsuna could so much as manage to remember that he should speak, she darted out of the room with a squeal matching those that had ran out before her.
"Great..." Tsuna growled to himself, once again able to think once she was gone. "Now I'm more than just a perv in everyone's eyes. Now I'm an undiscriminating perv."
"I though you were used to being public enemy number one," Ryohei laughed, guiding him back into a different section of the men's locker rooms.
"It's one thing to be a public enemy for crimes," Tsuna murmured painfully. "It's another to be considered a sexual deviant."
"Well, it could always be worse," Ryohei replied in an attempt to soothe him.
"Don't remind me," Tsuna groaned. Ryohei raised an eyebrow and Tsuna found himself sighing. "Mukuro finally gave me his answer. He wants freedom. I'm only waiting on Timoteo's decision to trust my judgement."
"Are you sure you can trust him?" The boxer inquired worriedly. Tsuna nodded, not wanting to tell anyone about the contract he was going to make using his very soul as barter. He doubted that Mukuro was the one that his ancestors had expected him to use it on. When Prometheus had explained how the Cloud chain was used in creating soul-links, Tsuna was quite sure he'd told him in belief that Tsuna would wish to use it to attach himself to his beloved Haru. Tsuna wanted to laugh at himself, knowing that the Storm Chain probably wasn't going to be used as intended, either. Prometheus had told Tsuna that it was given to him for his own protection in case he ever needed to completely destroy something that he couldn't manage on his own.
Tsuna had been tempted to use the link on Haru and save the Storm Chain in case of any possible need. Yet, after some thought, he realized that such a thing was impossible for him. He couldn't give into his own selfish wants when the Chains could be used to serve the Family. Not when using them would bring someone in the Family a happiness that they couldn't achieve on their own.
"Is anyone in here...?" Basil called hesitantly into the locker room.
"I'm back here," Tsuna replied from where he and Ryohei had retreated to. "If you're here about the wall, I really didn't mean to--"
"Wall?" Basil inquired, poking his head around the lockers. Tsuna snapped his mouth shut with another blush, realizing that Basil had come for a different reason. Thankfully, Basil didn't question any further. "The Ninth has requested two tasks of me, Tenth," Basil said with a small bow. Tsuna raised his eyebrow at the formality.
"Basil, we're alone...you don't have to--"
"Forgive me, Tenth," Basil interjected. "I do. The Ninth has requested that I begin reporting directly to you. If you agree to my appointment, I will be your direct contact to CEDEF and will become your second."
"Wait," Tsuna gasped, instantly turning pale. "Second...you mean...?"
"The same position as thy father was to the Ninth," Basil confirmed with his head still bowed. "I will be your Outside Advisor and will stake my life on keeping Vongola safe from an outside standpoint. In a state of emergency, I will have rights to direct Vongola in your stead if you should be unable to do it yourself. And, like your father, I will be given the honor of choosing Vongola's next heir."
"Why now?" Tsuna mumbled in shock. "You've been working as a liason...but why now is the appointment suddenly becoming official?"
"It was decided upon thy father's death," Basil replied, bowing his head to hide his sadness at his own words. "Due to interference, the appointment was never officially finalized. The Ninth and CEDEF have been working together to correct the errors made in the past year, which includes this quandary. All that is left is your approval, Tenth." Tsuna stared at Basil, uncaring at the poleaxed look he knew must be on his face. He'd never thought about the fact that he'd would have to agree to the appointment of the Outside Advisor. In the back of his mind, he'd always assumed that the Ninth had taken care of it along with Iemitsu's 'retirement'.
Tsuna's thought and his own shock came to an abrupt halt when he saw Basil try to hide a small tremble when Tsuna didn't immediately agree. It suddenly hit him that as hard as it was for Tsuna to think about putting someone into place to fill Iemitsu's gap, it was another thing altogether for Basil. Basil, who had been trained and practically raised by Iemitsu. Basil, who had to somehow try to fill Iemitsu's place. Basil, who even now was probably hurting even more over Iemitsu's death than Tsuna himself could ever dream to.
"I think Dad would be proud to have you as his successor," Tsuna said quietly. "You were like a son to him, Basil, and I would be honored to consider you my brother. I can think of no one else who could be my Advisor nor anyone who I could trust with such an important position." Tsuna smiled gently in understanding when Basil let out a small sob at his words and rubbed his arm across his face to scrub away tears that kept wanting to form.
"Thank you, Tenth," he replied after taking a moment to get control of himself. "I will work hard." Tsuna nodded in acknowledgement and allowed Basil to kneel down to kiss his Vongola Ring in respect, making the appointment official through tradition. Tsuna gasped the moment that Basil's lips touched the ring, since something happened. The cold metal seemed to heat for a mere moment and Basil lurched backward with his fingers pressed to his lips like they'd been burned. Tsuna felt himself reaching out to steady himself as a wave of pure...feeling...washed over him and the ring cooled once more on his finger. "What was that?!"
"I change what I said before," Tsuna gasped while clutching onto Ryohei's shirt in effort to keep from falling over. "I know that no one else could be my Advisor. Holy hell. Talk about a message from the other side."
"T-Tenth...?" Basil murmured without understanding. Tsuna merely shook his head to clear it, unable to put into words all the emotions that had hit him upon the Ring's acceptance of Basil.
"You said there was two tasks the Ninth assigned," Tsuna prompted in effort to change the subject while releasing his grip on Ryohei's shirt.
"I am to escort you to the Vendiche prison," Basil answered quietly.
"So he agreed?"
"Ah," Basil confirmed. "I wish to make my objections clear in this matter. Mukuro is not to be trusted. I do not believe that freeing him is the correct course of action. He was a traitor to his own Family and destroyed Lanchia's kindred. The years he has been imprisoned so far is not sufficient for him to have atoned."
"I understand," Tsuna said softly. "I understand your objections. They follow my own reservations, so it's not hard for me to agree with you. Even so...this is something I feel I have to do. Locking him up will never be punishment enough. Not with how easily he can still grasp freedom through Chrome. Yet, Chrome has done no crimes. Locking her up wouldn't be fair. Plus...he's my Mist Guardian, Basil. He's aided me numerous times so far and I wish to give him a chance in return. I have found a way to keep him under control, I think. Using that, I want him to complete his penance by using his strength for Vongola's sake. Maybe, with time, he'll come to regret his past choices. Even if he doesn't, though, I...I can't just leave him alone."
"Reborn said that thee would say as much," Basil grumbled quietly. "Very well, Tenth. If that is your heartfelt choice, I will honor your resolution as is my duty."
"Thank you," Tsuna replied.
Tsuna couldn't help but shiver as the Vendiche guards slowly led him alone into the depths of the eerie and dark prison. It seemed so incredibly cold and lifeless, despite the multitude of people caged within stasis chambers. Basil had given him the run down of this particular facility during the two hour flight to the hidden island it was stationed on. This was where people who had been deemed to dangerous to roam free but also too useful to kill were imprisoned. Some, for purpose of study. Others, for purposes unknown to even Basil.
The Vendiche hadn't been happy when Tsuna had brought all the neccessary paperwork to free Mukuro. The only reason they even agreed was because Tsuna had declared personal custody of the man. Which meant that Tsuna would be punished alongside him if Mukuro chose to turn traitor once more. Tsuna was willing to take the chance, however, since he knew that Mukuro would be bound against such actions with his own soul at stake.
"This way," his Vendiche escort directed in a monotone voice. Tsuna nodded and responded to the man's gesture, slowly walking down one of the catwalks spread throughout the monsterous cavern. Without needing to be cued, Tsuna paused in front of Mukuro's cage and stared at him with a heavy heart. He was bound in heavy chains, so much so that even if he had been capable of awakening, he probably wouldn't have been able to free himself. Water filled the container, keeping his body temperature regulated by force while he drifted in its embrace. Tsuna knew from Basil's report that the breathing mask strapped in place over his face was laced with a tranquilizer to keep him from being able to move or become conscious. Several feeding tubes ran through it and into his throat, sending him enough nutrients to sustain him at the bare minimums of neccessity. His arms bore marks from repeated study on him and his normal eye had been stapled shut. The most horrifying thing, however, was the large tube attached to his other eye among the other wires and probes attached to his body.
"Get him out of there," Tsuna ordered, clenching his eyes shut against the sight before him. The Vendiche nodded and began fiddling with the controls beside the grotesque prison. Something within it began to grind and shudder. With a loud rumble, the water began to drain out of the stasis chamber at a quick rate. Mukuro sagged in his restraints, held midair only by their undeniable strength. Tsuna raised a hand to make the Vendiche pause once the glass door to the cage was finally opened.
Tsuna watched quietly while the Vendiche entered the prison and began removing Mukuro's chains and bindings. The Vendiche didn't seem to care when he tumbled to the ground due to the lack of restraints holding his unconscious body up. The Vendiche knelt down next to him and began slowly pulling off the monitoring wires and other attachments on Mukuro's body. Tsuna found himself turning his head away at the sickening sound of Mukuro's mask being pulled off and the tubes being pulled from his throat. He clenched his eyes shut, as well, at the squealch that came with the eye probe being removed.
"He is ready to be transported," the Vendiche finally said, standing once more over Mukuro's still unconscious body.
"There's something I have to do first," Tsuna warned. "Go ahead and send for a gurney, but I can't take him out of here until this is done."
"As you wish," the Vendiche replied without inflection. Tsuna nodded and stepped within the confines of Mukuro's prison, his footsteps splashing in the remanants of water still slushing around the base. Kneeling down next to him, Tsuna took one of his hands and intertwined Mukuro's fingers with his own while trying to not pay attention to the coldness penetrating Mukuro's flesh. Closing his eyes, Tsuna focused his will into summoning the last two Chains still held trapped within him. He felt his escort lurch in surprise when they appeared on his body. Ignoring the man, Tsuna grabbed the Cloud Chain and the Storm Chain with his free hand. With a small sigh of resignation, Tsuna pressed one end of the chains into the small break between their hands. Then he focused all his will on the restrictions he wanted in place.
"Bind."
His Vendiche escort watched silently as the two Chains began to rattle and intertwine with each other before slowly beginning to wrap themselves around Tsuna and Mukuro's joined hands. Tsuna sighed when the Storm Chain sank into their flesh, it's order to simply destroy that which it bound if the restrictions on the Cloud Chain were broken. The Cloud Chain, however, reacted slightly differently. Tsuna could feel it lock into place with the intended restrictions in place, but it didn't disappear. Tsuna stared at it for a long moment before biting his lip in understanding.
Mukuro's conscious agreement was required for the binding to finish.
"Finally awake, sleepy head?"
Mukuro slowly opened his eyes as he woke. He quickly closed them again as the light from a nearby lamp hit them, scouring his brain in pain.
"Hold on," a nearby voice murmured quietly. "I'll turn it off. You haven't used your eyes in a few years now. I'm sure they're sensative." Mukuro moaned in agreement and tried to figure out where he was without any visual cues. He lay in a bed. He could tell from the soft cushion under him and the blanket wrapped snuggly around him. The air was warm rather than cold, which told him he wasn't in a hopital. There was also the faint scent of clove cigarette smoke in the air along with what smelled like lavender. Most interesting of all, however, was the his wrist was pulled slightly as the person moved to turn off the bedside lamp.
"Ts--" Mukuro cut off, finding his mouth unwilling to work properly as he willed and his throat dry and cracked from unuse.
"Here," Tsuna murmured, carefully propping his head up with some pillows before reaching over to press a cup to Mukuro's lips. "You should be able to open your eyes now," he said as Mukuro drank greedily, raising his free hand to shakily tip the cup even more. "It's night and the only light left in here is a candle I have shaded. It shouldn't be enough to hurt your eyes."
Deciding to take the cue, Mukuro slowly opened his eyes again as the empty cup was pulled away and set down. As Tsuna had promised, the only light was the soft glow of a candle behind a screened holder, sending out faint light without hurting his eyes. Even knowing that, he was strangely hesitant of opening them more than a mere crack.
"So, is my bed comfortable?" Tsuna asked with an amused grin. Mukuro's eyes snapped wide open at the words, just as Tsuna had intended. He moaned when he tried to sit up, only to find his muscles were as bad off as his tongue. "Go easy," Tsuna warned worriedly, jumping to his feet to hover over him and gently help him sit up. Mukuro raised an eyebrow in askance for Tsuna's reaction. "T-The Vendiche weren't kind," he explained softly with sadness and pain lancing through his eyes. Mukuro stared at him for a long moment before weakly chuckling in understanding. Tsuna was feeling guilty over Mukuro's harsh imprisonment. He was hurting on Mukuro's behalf!
Mukuro raised a hand up to rub his face, wondering what kind of demon he'd decided to make a contract with. Then he froze as another hand, which wasn't his, touched his face. Surprised, he grabbed the hand, only to find that the touch had been unintentional. Tsuna's hand had rubbed up against him due to the chains holding their wrists bound together. When his hand had moved, Tsuna's had been dragged along with it. Mukuro looked at Tsuna once more with eyes wide in surprise, only to get a sheepishly faltering laugh in return.
"Um," he finally said with a blush, seeing the questions in Mukuro's eyes. "Everything is in place, but you have to give the bind command, too. Linking souls is kind of a big deal, so I need you to give knowing agreement. Now would be preferable, since no one else has seen this yet. It would be kind of hard to explain, you know." Tsuna paled at the slow smile that creeped across Mukuro's face. "Don't get any ideas!" He cried. "The Storm Chain is already in place and it didn't have to have your agreement! The restrictions are in place, too! So if you give me anything to regret freeing you, you're a goner! You are bound, it just needs your command to tie me into it, too." Mukuro sighed in understanding. He'd only be screwing himself over by not giving the command, since not giving it meant that Tsuna wasn't yet bound by him in return.
"B--" Mukuro cut off once again, but not by his wish. He couldn't get his voice to come out right since his voice box had been utterly unused in years. Having made not so much as a sigh in so long, creating sound proved to be a more difficult task than he anticipated. At Tsuna's worried and encouraging look, he tried again. Once more, he could barely get out the first faltering sound before his voice cut out on him. Tsuna cursed when a third attempt proved no better.
"Hold on," he murmured after a second. Mukuro raised an eyebrow when Tsuna dug his phone out of his pocket.
BLACKX: Are you awake, Sakura?
CEDAR: Good morning
CEDAR: What's up?
BLACKX: Middle of the night here
BLACKX: Got a question
BLACKX: And don't really want to wake a doctor
CEDAR: Shoot
BLACKX: Got a friend who hasn't spoken in years
BLACKX: Think long term coma patient
BLACKX: Now he's trying to talk and can't
CEDAR: Is he capable of making sound?
BLACKX: Barely
CEDAR: Probably just underused then
CEDAR: It's rare but it happens
CEDAR: Have him get checked out
BLACKX: I will
BLACKX: Any suggestions for now, though?
BLACKX: Kind of in a strange position here
CEDAR: Have him make any noises that he can
CEDAR: Slowly build its strength back up
CEDAR: It'll take a few days, but he should be able to talk again
CEDAR: At least from the little info you gave me
CEDAR: A doctor on site could tell you better
CEDAR: After an exam
BLACKX: Shit
BLACKX: Thanks, but that means I'm pretty screwed
CEDAR: ?
BLACKX: NVM
BLACKX: Need to go
BLACKX: Later
CEDAR: Bye
"Well," he groaned. "It looks like we're stuck like this for a few days. I'll have the doctors check you over in the morning, but Sakura says that you'll have to build your voice's strength back up."
"Let me try this way," Mukuro said. Tsuna blinked and looked at him in surprise. Then he realized that Mukuro's lips hadn't moved. "Perhaps an illusionary voice will be sufficient."
"It's worth a shot," Tsuna agreed.
"Bind," he ordered softly while Tsuna held his breathe in hope. He groaned once more when the Chains didn't so much as rattle.
"Looks like it has to be your real voice," Tsuna said unneccessarily.
"So it seems," Mukuro confirmed with a sleepy note in his mental voice. Tsuna automatically reacted to it and pushed Mukuro back down into the bed.
"You're still weak," he warned gently. "Don't try to make any more illusions. That drink I gave you should help, but only after you get some real sleep instead of the fake kind that your mind has still been awake for." Mukuro nodded in acceptance, feeling more drained than he'd ever had before. He looked up in curiousity to find Tsuna biting his lip over him. Curious as to what he was thinking about, Mukuro once again raised an eyebrow in silent askance. "Arrgg," Tsuna finally said in irritation. "Screw it. I've been up all night and it doesn't look like I'm going to be able to get rid of you for a while. I'm not going to be up to dealing with everyone unless I get some sleep, too. Just...Just no funny stuff!"
