Chapter 8

You can't hide forever

Tsuna looked at the slums in front of him. Mukuro and company said that they had other stuff to do, so they didn't come along.

"Who'd want to go with Mafia scum anyway?" the illusionist quipped.

But, the reason he was in this location was a result of their suggestion.

Mukuro looked at the lost puppy look directed at him and clicked his tongue.

"Didn't you tell me that you split with that Bovino brat? If the rumors are correct then you'd see him in the slums. That's where he's sighted usually.

So stop staring into space and get lost already. I don't want to be captured because they found a suspicious kid at these quarters."

'Is Bovino really going to be here? I thought if you're in the Mafia, you'd be in a really large shady mansion...' the brunette thought skeptically as he took side glances as he moved in the sidewalks.

Suddenly, a hand fell on his shoulders.

Squeaking he fell to the ground expecting the worst of scenarios. A rugged man towered upon him condescendingly,

"You're looking for Bovino Lambo?"

'Was Lambo expecting me? Smart kid.'

"Yeah."

The man grunted and turned around. Tsuna jumped to his feet, his nerves already tensed to the peak after observing the grim surroundings he'd been walking on.

When the man glared at him to hurry up, the brunette took a final glance around and decided to follow him.

'Regardless of whether I'd get ganged up or beaten to death, there's nothing I can do anyway.'

Squaring his shoulders and hunching forward, he tried to make himself look as small and insignificant as possible.

The walk was silent, save for the hoots and shouts from the quarrels from their sides.

Finally, the man opened a door and ushered him in. The shutting of the door made his blood go cold and he hoped he'd live a bit longer.

And it seemed like that wouldn't get answered when suddenly his vision got cloudy as a smell he could distinctly identify as chloroform overcame anything else he smelled at the moment. His eyes burnt with unshed tears as despair muffled him, just like the cloth over his mouth.

"Tsunayoshi-kun~ Get up already."

A cheerful voice woke him up. Tsuna tried to make sense of his surroundings, ignoring the feeling of someone poking his sides. When light tunneled into his vision, he saw a face that made him paler than snow.

All at once, blood filled his ears, a loud ringing filled the room and his body grew completely stiff.

His visitor didn't like the fact that he was screaming apparently, seeing that he shoved a sock into his mouth.

"Geez, after seeing an old friend, the first thing you do is scream." the teen in front of him pouted.

Tsuna jerked his head to check for escape routes in the white room he was tied up in and panicked when he didn't find any visible doors or windows. Then the guy in front of him forcibly grabbed his attention by the chin. When he spoke, the scent of marshmallows was strong and Tsuna could swear everything around him was pure white- the room, its decorations, the clothes of his kidnapper, the food said kidnapper ate.

"It's been a long time- or should I say, nice to finally meet you?" Byakuran Gesso said as he brought out an incense stick from his desk and lit it, placing it next to their chairs.

He then took out the socks, looking mildly disgusted at the saliva and threw it at the brunette's feet.

"How do you know-"

"I get that you got lotta questions, but I'm not interested in playing 21 questions. I don't like getting interrogated you see~

Let me just say one thing for the intro- just like how your future self has kept contact with you through technology, it's not like no one could figure what they were doing for precautions, especially the mafia group that won in the timeline. Especially since you lost and seeing how scared you were when you saw me, you know exactly how you lost.

It's not fair if you're the only one who got a head start, you see~"

"Those guys wouldn't have divulged the info about the fact that the Tsuna there was sending info to me."

"Sure they wouldn't. Those guys were a pain in the neck. But it's not like the most influential group in power and information couldn't tap into it."

"Weren't Irie and Sawada friends?!"

"But the Vongola that won against the Gesso group weren't from this timeline, so the you from the future wasn't reliable enough to get Sho-chan to team up with them. Sad story right?"

The brunette looked shocked at his words. Then, in this future... he didn't have to fight them? Or was it just another Sawada from another parallel world who got that privilege? With hope building up, he asked the white-haired teen.

"So does that mean you still want to conquer the world? In that case, I should tell you, I don't plan on being the boss if I can do anything about it."

He was met with the most pitying of looks as the other told him.

"There's no more conquering worlds since we'd already done it. What's the point in doing over things again and again?"

Tsuna could feel the beginning of a smile at his face.

"But you not wanting to become the boss? Wow. That's the only thing you have so far in common with the Tsunayoshi-kun that won.

Either way, that's going to be very difficult."

"I've not done anything that'd make me stand out like that-"

"Hah? Are you kidding me? Not stand out? Like how you broadcast the Estraneo information?"

It felt like there was cold water spilled all over him and he looked wide-eyed at the Gesso heir.

"Geez Tsunayoshi-kun, you'd be in a hitman list for even managing to do that. What was the future you thinking, giving a kid such information? Look what have you done with that."

Getting no reaction, Byakuran turned towards him and patted him on the shoulder.

"But don't worry Tsunayoshi-chan, I've taken the blame in putting them down to feed our reputation. So let me see a smile in that face" he said showing all his pearly whites.

"... … … What do you want me to do?"

"Huh? How about giving me a smile?"

"What did you gain from taking the blame?"

"...

So suspicious. I guess you'd have that after you twisted the students from Namimori to harbor malicious intent towards you. In fact, it was twisted to watch. You getting bullied, you provoking them to get bullied harsher. What a vicious cycle."

"Please don't redirect the conversation. I want to know what are the conditions and what I owe you in exchange for the survivors' safety."

"A protection fee, huh? Pretty shrewd of you to try to get another favor."

"Well you're a Mafia syndicate and they usually give services for protection for a price right?"

"Is it really fine to strike a deal with the Mafia? You might lose a limb or two~"

"It's not like I can get free since you've got dirt on me."

"Hmm~ But it's not like I can use you since you're just an ordinary citizen~

Hey, how 'bout I tell you what I've done and what you have to repay."

"..."

"Say Tsunayoshi-kun, did you think you could actually leak all the information between enemies and get away with, 'a hacker did it or the group did it to sabotage each other?'

Sure you went about it in a smart way, choosing where to start and where to end... but in that short time frame with really smart people monitoring you? That's a suicidal plan, kid."

'I'm not letting a word slip about Mukuro and the others...'

"You're lucky we directed all that info to us and that we spread it through our diverse information network.

And...

You're lucky that I egged Hibari to try shutting down Estraneo."

"If you've done your research, you'd know that Hibari doesn't let people get close. He would much rather bite me to death rather than protect me if that's what you're implying."

"Huh, really?~

The new heir would disagree, especially since I showed the scars you've gotten from this tryst."

Tsuna's chair cluttered as he jumped at that information. Byakuran merely laughed at his reaction and continued-

"I mean if someone sent you important information, isn't it normal to check the source and how legitimate it is? It's just that in our case, we hacked the surveillance cameras near the computers a bit since the others were mysteriously switched off" he said teasingly. He continued shrugging.

"Hibari was a tough customer. He didn't want to listen to a word I said until I tried my luck on the relationship between you guys in the future by showing the video on the torture.

He was pissed, is an understatement. In fact, the reason why the Estraneo shut down in that short time could be mostly attributed to him.

Man, the Hibaris are so scary~" he said, inching towards the brunette. Towering over him at a face's distance, he whispered,

"I would wonder what you did to get his loyalty this early on? But then again, I had the front rows for the things you've done before. You've both employed such similar methodologies. No wonder you're all Sawada Tsunayoshis.

I have to say, you keep things interesting, Tsunayoshi-kun. But I won't forgive you if you try and take the easy way out. You've got a debt to fulfill."

"...I'm not being a Mafia Boss, Gesso."

"Call me Byakuran, like you've done in the future. If you can get away from being a member of the Mafia, go ahead and try. I'm of the opinion that you're already a part of it~" he said slipping a card in his hand.

Tsuna looked at it curiously;

"That's your ticket back to Namimori, as per your cloud guardian's condition-"

"He's not my cloud guardian-"

"And the way to keep in contact with me. You know what'd happen if you lose it, right?"

The brunette gulped.

"It's gonna find you, silly~ It's got honing features. You can't burn it, dissolve it, tear it or disintegrate it. And if you try to avoid me, I'll be so sad~ My friend would contact you though, you'd know them.

Now shoo. Hibari-chan would have my head otherwise." he chirped, cutting the wires and helping the brunette stand up.

"It's the room from the right of the floor below. Happy journey."

Tsuna walked towards the door disoriented and confused. When he was about to exit the room, he heard the parting words the heir shouted that sent shudders through him.

"If you think that the bullying was bad, wait till you experience what the people in your missions do to the 'soft-hearted', 'wimpy', 'loser' you. I doubt you'd have any fun in the missions."