Chapter 9

I'm home

One doesn't have to have psychic intuition or be a great detective to figure out that it's a bad idea to try rebel in a house full of mafia men and women. But Tsuna had the utmost pleasure to hear first hand, about what happens when someone tries that out. He tried his best to keep his vision to his boots after hearing muffled screams from the depth of the corridors. It was quite unfortunate that the sharp hearing he developed from years of being bullied bit him back in the worst of places.

'I need to get rid of the card somehow...' He thought with his pale knuckles gripping tightly onto the card, when suddenly.

He yelped, startling the guards surrounding him to focus their attention to him.

'I forgot about that burned hand.'

But the guards didn't look away even when he explained the pain from gripping with his wounded hand.

Then inspiration struck, and the brunette decided to test his luck.

"E-excuse me, sir... Could you keep a hold on this card?"

On seeing their suspicious glances, he quickly rectified.

"I-I'm sorry for asking so much... but, my hand got burned very badly when I was captured in Estraneo. Byakuya-san really helped me to get out of there... ha..ha... But it hurts so much..." he said, clutching his wound tightly enough to bleed a little, just to get his tear ducts working.

'Now this is the important part. This will determine Gesso's character.'

"Give it to me. Byakuran-sama told me that the card was to be present on you when we reach Namimori." a guard said taking the card with him.

Tsuna grinned internally to himself at the discovery.

"Thank you very much."

The rest of their journey to the private hangars was fairly quiet and Tsuna took the time to plot.

"Here's the card. It has an RFID tag which you have to swipe in the sensor to disarm the security devices for moving through the hallway."

"What about the security in the hallways?"

"Overhead sensors for biometric recognition. It's the state of art. We will reach Namimori safely, there's no need to worry."

"You guys are amazing. I heard that the Gesso Famiglia had impressive technology, but it's another thing to see it with my very eyes."

Amber eyes focused on the slightly proud puff the men gave, as pride filled them.

'So I was right... These guys weren't given complete information if they're taking the time to explain these things to me... Not to mention that they didn't object or look distrusting when I said nonsense to get them to take the card...

Luckily I didn't have to weave another set of lies to get the story to fit what happened.

So Gesso doesn't trust these guys deeply huh? Or maybe, it's because they're the grunts of a Mafia organization...

Either way, these guys have misunderstandings regarding my identity.'

The hallway was pretty long, so Tsuna could make complete use of the time.

"I didn't think that the Gesso could intercept Estraneo like that."

"We have the best of technicians in the world. It was only natural that we could get the upper hand from that famiglia sooner or later."

"I heard all of their sensitive information got leaked."

"It was the quick decision from Byakuya-sama. It sunk them quite fast since we moved fast after we got the information."

"That worked well for us too. It will help build relations with our famiglia and yours."

"An alliance with the Vongola will be very favorable for us."

'Could it be? That Bovino was right? That I have a relation to the Vongola...? Maybe... Let's try to find information on which side of my family I got that from.'

"But why did you decide to create a tie with my family's side of the Vongola?"

"Information can determine who lives or dies. Naturally, a tie to the external CEDEF would be like striking gold."

The brunette paused for a minute, just to remind himself to keep walking and breathing normally.

'It's not the time to panic, dammit' he thought, frustrated that his breathing got quicker.

'Come on! Pull yourself together! I'm not going to be a Mafia Boss like that Brunette identity thief!'

There it was, in front of him, a sleek, gleaming private jet. It was an experience Tsuna would pay any amount to avoid ever facing.

'A 24-hour cage with these guys?' he heard clicks and his pulse quickened as he remembered seeing the guns surrounding the adult version of him in a white room. Not to mention they were inside the pure white hangar with an equally white jet.

'I want to puke.'

Blood rushed as he saw that they were just checking their guns and its safety mechanisms for a checkup.

'I can't understand why would Tsunayoshi give his whole life to protect people from the Mafia. I can't live in this kind of environment for the rest of my life.'

Then a calm washed over him as a resolution filled his consciousness.

'If I can't get rid of that card by the time I reach Namimori... This time...

I won't fail a suicide attempt. I won't chicken out like I always do since all I have to do is pull the trigger.'

"Hey, from the Estraneo incident, I've lost my gun. Do you have an extra?

Don't worry, I won't be using it to betray you guys. My dad already got informed of what happened in Estraneo. The deal's sealed, so it wouldn't make any sense for me to pull any triggers."

'Well it's true that dad would get to know about the Estraneo, but not my existence, if Gesso is as sharp as I think he is. It would harm his famiglia since I wasn't supposed to be there in the first place.'

They looked a bit reluctant, but they threw a gun over to him.

Tsuna could feel his heart in his throat as his stomach felt like it could sink into the depths of oceans, as he woozily thought.

'A headshot could never fail me.

Who's gonna be dragged into missions as a favor? If my imagination serves me true... I'm gonna be dragged into the Mafia world with the promise of exposure into the life of a Vongola.'

He looked into his current world detached, seeing the stairs descend and he threw his card towards a slightly dazed guard, and as he hoped... the guy shot at it reflexively.

Then successive sounds of the safety being released resonated through the building and Tsuna shivered. But he had to continue the charade.

"Hey, it's just my card. I threw it to you since it would hurt my palms, remember, they're burnt?"

The other relaxed slightly and despite feeling suspicious eyes on him, he continued.

"Ah. Was it too sudden? Sorry about that."

"You're to keep it with you until the end of the flight so that you won't lose it by the end of the flight."

'Damn. So that plan's a failure huh? Then Plan B.'

"Then could you bandage my hand and give me gloves? Civilians tend to get shaky when they see bandages."

Hearing a grunt of approval, Tsuna released a breath of relief.

'Now the window of opportunity would lie in the plane flying in altitudes with fewer chances of communication monitoring.'

"How about we go through the route from the Netherlands, then to Finland to gulf coast through the Meghalaya of India to reach Japan if it's not too much trouble?

Byakuran-san told me that agents would communicate directly to me for the information I should pass to the headquarters. You see, I couldn't stay long enough in the Gesso quarters to complete negotiations."

'Well, that's a lie. Gesso wanted me out because of Hibari and most probably to prevent information leak to the CEDEF, since my very presence in Italy would be a liability to the Gesso famiglia.

But anyway, since Gesso wasn't trusting these guys I can feed them any amount of half-truths and lies to get away with things since communication can get one sided

And these guys would say that they chose the route to allow communication to flow smoothly, and they would interpret it as the airway passage caused interference and wouldn't report it to the higher-ups.

If that isn't the case...' the weight in his slacks made him gulp.

With woolen gloves snugly fit into his hands, Tsuna hoped for the best for the second part of the plan as he muttered praise for the card's ability to stay in one piece despite the fact that a bullet shot right at it.

When he entered the plane and sat in the midst of two burly men, he tried his best to ignore feeling claustrophobic and started rubbing his hands commenting that the AC was too cool for a person like him who stayed in a tropical country like Japan.

Then the plane took off and Tsuna hoped that the plane wouldn't crash because of the route he chose to get his plan to work.

The brunette ignored his brain as he flinched with every rub and tried to engage in small talk to keep the men from observing his behavior too deeply.

When the first turbulence washed over the jet, Tsuna felt his lips tip towards a smirk.

And as if right on cue, an announcement rang over the aisles.

"We will experience some turbulence since the jet has maneuvered into thunderclouds. Please do not panic and stay calm during the series of turbulences."

'Now, to begin the sabotage of the card due to unfortunate circumstances.'

He rolled a sleeve back during turbulence with his teeth as he synched himself to a fall, and during the next turbulence, with his arm shouldering his card he moved his dry, woolly glove towards the bullet dent (as shallow as it was) and felt a sharp tingle on his arm.

'Now with that static electricity, the card's done for with lightning to blame'

The turbulences got worse with time and the cabin lights had to be switched off and he felt people shoving him from both sides due to the harsh rocking and he allowed himself to fall forward and bump his head directly at the seat in front of him.

The impact was harsh and Tsuna could feel himself lose consciousness, but he could also feel his card slip out of his slack's pocket.

The next moment he woke into consciousness, he found himself in Namimori grounds. The first thing he did was do a full body check to see if he had any card on him and felt a rectangular shape in his bag and disappointment well into him.

Fishing the card out, he grumbled to himself.

'It was... just my Namimori ID card.'

He let out a deep breath and spread out in the lawn near the Namimori shrine he was left at.

'It doesn't really make any difference that I'm in Namimori or I'm at Italy' he thought darkly.

'Hibari already heard that I was at a Mafia famiglia from Gesso. That guy would have probably told him about my relation to the Vongola. If that demon prefect didn't believe him with the pictures, then he'd have investigated and figured I helped out an illegal immigrant Mafia associate from the Bovino famiglia' Tsuna gripped himself into a hug to protect himself from the fear encompassing him.

Tsuna always knew... that it took only one person, to bring people to believe that what they could do to someone was completely acceptable.

After all, that was how he was bullied.

One day, someone called him out publicly and jeered at him, teasingly, mockingly, affectionately gave him a nickname, justifying it. Then it started with small shoves, talks and whispers, giggles at his expense. Then followed his belongings shuffled out of its place as if people decided he or his things didn't belong there. Because he didn't meet their standards. Because he couldn't pick things the way they could. Because the constant jeering and contempt made him too nervous to speak properly. Because the constant pulling the rug from his feet made him be too self-deprecating to make people like him. Because the constant craving for recognition made them find him an attention whore.

Then the feeling of burning tear glistened eyes, feelings of rocks lodged in his stomach and throat became his normal... as he lived a life he couldn't feel was that of a living breathing human fledgling.

People found it acceptable that he could have anything done to him, including having his pants stripped out of him in front of everyone in class, only to get the nickname of piggy since he folded and shriveled into himself in burning shame as the children laughed merrily.

He found that if his body, traumatized by the aspect of going back to class got him a fainting spell, he was called sleeping beauty. He found that if his stomach protested against the bugs his classmates got for him when his box 'mysteriously vanished' in the form of a puddle as large as the ones his tears made, he'd be called gero-chan.

He found that he couldn't give back his assignment question papers back to the teachers since they tore after being soggy from his tear ducts that could for some reason never stop even though everyone around him scolded, screamed, shouted at him for being such a crybaby.

Then somehow, it became weird for people to actually care about him. Since the ones who tried, later on in the years somehow came to him and apologized before completely ignoring him from the next day, or somehow disappear from the school. It also made his skin tingle uncomfortably when people didn't hurt him since he'd be left in locked spaces he thought everyone would assemble in.

And somehow, all his budget got spent in first aid kits and materials his mom bought him... and his eyes that lingered on toys, and new things his classmates bought... remained lingering over them.

And then later, he finally got friends! And it was very painful... but he was used to it, but he realized that they lost interest and left him alone when they weren't stressed or they finished de-stressing. And that was no good. So he manipulated to grow their range a bit because as everyone claimed, he was an attention whore...

And before the summer vacation, his lips stretched to both sides in an upside down manner from what he had experienced in his life and he felt something he didn't want to let go off yet. It was something he could beg for if they wanted him to since his old 'friends' made him do that for their precious company.

And now... since Gesso revealed unnecessary things to Hibari, he would bite him to death... and then everyone would get the OK to continue what they did before.

But Tsuna...

Tsuna wanted a bit more time in that dreamland... and he knew he was selfish to ask of that... and from observation, he remembered Yamamoto who went with the flow, so he wouldn't do something stupid like be the only one to be his friend in the town since that was how people 'mysteriously disappeared' from the town.

'I've always felt that when people get born in this world, you can determine whether they're a winner or loser from one thing' he thought as big fat teardrops fell from his eyes.

'It was the ability to choose

Since for people like me, things are chosen for us and we have no right to refuse or no opportunity to refuse

Since people like Yamamoto could refuse to have something done to them and get their opinion listened to.'

He couldn't move from his spot, his body didn't want to face the music. If he could drown in his fantasies, he would. Wait, he still had the gun-

Suddenly, he heard footsteps shuffling hurriedly towards him as bushes scrunched loudly and his heart beat loudly muting his surroundings.

Two figures broke into his field of view, one sweating and the other breathing fast. Almond colored eyes pinpointed his prone figure just as violent eyes flared at his sight.

"Tsuna! We finally found you! We've been searching all over for you today!" Yamamoto shouted gleefully as his posture slackened instantly, moving closer to the brunette.

"Hibari's committee member told me that they spot suspicious people leaving the shrine, but they lost track of them." the jock tried explaining their presence to calm the brunette down a bit looking at his tense form.

Hibari, on the other hand, marched straight towards him and squatted, forcibly removing the gloves and the bandages and glared with so much malice, Tsuna wished he could bring up his courage and tail out of there. Yamamoto's expression didn't lessen that feeling.

'This is it.

It's all over'

"I'll bite them to death."

"Hibari-san, we already run them out of town. It's pointless to track them down and teach them another lesson since the last one already got them prostrating to the ground."

Yamamoto ran a finger over the burnt skin, earning a hiss from the brunette making his eyes dim a dark brown.

"Sorry, Tsuna... We weren't there when you were in trouble. I knew that I should have forcibly brought you along for our vacation if this was to happen..." he said angrily.

"It was an oversight for the discipline committee to leave the forest alone. It was used for trafficking and other illicit activities." Hibari growled, a dark aura seeping all over the area.

The prefect towered over the brunette's frame.

"I've received information from an irritating marshmallow. How much of it's true?" his eyes gleamed in a way that promised punishment for any lie or misdirection.

"It's true"

Then Hibari's eyes shone menacingly and he spoke-

"Don't think I left you off the hook from misusing the system I established in Namimori. But that would come after I bite those herbivores to death for encroaching what I protect."

Tsuna looked at the prefect in shock until the taps at his shoulder directed his attention towards the jock.

"Seriously Tsuna, you get yourself into really big trouble. I'm just letting you know in advance, that's gonna be the last time things go this bad. From next time, I'll be here facing a pissed Hibari-san with you covered in bruises, ahahahaha."

Hibari looked at Yamamoto in irritation and clicked his tongue as he reluctantly accepted that the other would be lingering around both of them. He turned to Tsuna.

"As for the punishment, you would be the Disciplinary Committee Chairman, seeing how easily you exploit the flaws of the system. You will correct them, right?" he threatened.

"Heh?! What about you Hibari-san?!"

"As the new Hibari head, Namimori is already under my jurisdiction. I don't need an official title to keep an eye on the town. Besides, I'm working on establishing a network to monitor activities that 'influence' Namimori" he said side glancing the brunette making him anxious about how much he knew.

"I refuse." it slipped before he could rein himself in. He tensed preparing himself to be bitten for disobedience, but it never came.

Hibari just boredly suggested an alternative,

"You either do that or form a Vigilante group, seeing how much you like getting people out of trouble, going how far you go to direct every rage to yourself."

Yamamoto perked at that and piped in,

"Hey, that sounds pretty interesting. Since you're a trouble maniac, we could be like a ragtag group of superheroes.

Prepare for trouble, make it double-"

"That's a villain's line! And I don't search for trouble."

"Right... tsundere.

Since I don't hear you complaining about the idea, let's make one."

'I can't even manage my own problems, and you want me to help others?

… Well... I've never tried that out. I wonder how that will play out? I wonder if it'll matter' he thought, remembering laughter from all sides and wondering if there is anyone who'd like it if the worst, most stupid, weakest and most worthless person in Namimori, Dame-Tsuna helped them?

But leaving that aside, amidst the one-sided cheer from Yamamoto, the stoic attitude of Hibari the peace he felt made him wonder...

If this was what it felt like to be home?