Another Path Part 20 : That contracted with strange customers
Hey, sorry for the late chapter. I was busy trying to find a room, and then going back and forth between my home and university for a while. Didn't have much time to write or the mood for it, but everything is now settled, I'll continue my normal schedule. In fact, I might post a bit more often now, we'll see.
As promised, here are the names of those that guessed the new character(s) correctly : battle manga, Silentreader, setokayba2n and KITSUNE TAKAHARI. Don't flame me if I have missed your name or misspelled it, please, just tell me and I'll correct it.
And for those who are asking, no I don't plan on any pairing for this story, apart from a few canon ones MAYBE. Like, I don't see how I could not write Colonello with Lal, but don't count on a romance (one-sided or not) between Tsuna and Kyoko (who will only be a minor character, I promise). But that's all.
As Tsuna expected, Byakuran fit like a glove with the rest of Caeruleus. Which means that Kyoya attacked him on a daily basis, Lambo and I-pin shared sweets with him (he had to put a restriction on that : the white-haired teen could do what he wanted, but the two five-year-olds couldn't live on candy), Chikusa ignored him for the most part, Hayato and Ken yelled at him every time they were in the same room, and Mukuro and him seemed to have some sort of competition to see who could rile the others up the most. The brunet believed them to be at a stalemate : Byakuran reminded him of a hyper Mukuro with Lambo's sweet tooth.
Strangely enough, the newcomer got along very well with Shoichi. After a few days of wariness on the Sun's part, they discovered that they both liked chess and strategy games and bonded over that. The inventor was delighted to finally have someone with which to share his complicated ideas and to play with, since none of the other members of Caeruleus really had a mind for tactics.
Byakuran was in and out of the shop with no identifiable pattern, however Tsuna had to admit that he was diligent when he put his mind to it. The brunet had feared that he had only applied for the fun of it and would neglect his job, but the newest member had always completed his chores and never once complained about them. He was paid proportionally to the amount of hours he spent working (on a job or in the Office) and he being there noticeably reduced the workload of all the others.
So after his three weeks of probation and talking about it with all the other members, Tsuna had offered him a permanent part-time job. As expected, Byakuran cheerfully accepted. The problem was that he now had to be told about their connection -however unwilling- to the Mafia and the Flame business.
Tsuna had barely started on the subject when the older teen brushed him off with his customary grin. "Don't worry your little head about that, Tsunayoshi-kun. I have all the time in the world to learn how you are related to Mafia later -and I actually already have some pretty good leads. And I've known about the Flames of the Sky for years now. The couple who adopted me came from a low-level Famiglia and told me all about it. In fact, they only adopted me because they found out I am a Sky, like you if I'm guessing right, but less powerful. Don't look at me like that, Tsunayoshi-kun, I promise I no longer have any real contact with them, they only send me money monthly, I'm no Mafioso! But I am curious to see how much you all know about Flames. I'll go see Shoichi right now to see his research! His lab is in the basement, right? And now that I'm a proper member I can go there too, right? Then I'll go immediately!" He popped some more marshmallows in his mouth -Tsuna still had not found out where he hid them- and skipped towards the stairs with a beatific smile before Tsuna could get a word in edgewise.
After staring blankly at the place Byakuran used to stand in for a while, the brunet just shook his head to clear his thoughts. The teenager's behavior bewildered him, but there didn't seem to be any issue anymore, so he left it at that. Shoichi would explain everything the knew about Flames to the over-excited boy. Better the red-head than him...
()()()()()()
Meanwhile, the construction of a second floor was well underway. The company Byakuran had talked about had actually arrived the day after and had started working on it immediately. Tsuna had not asked them any question about why they owed the white-haired teen a favor and had advised his friends to do the same. He had the strong feeling that it was something unsavory.
The second floor would have 14 bedrooms, three bathrooms (to a total of 22 rooms and seven bathrooms in the house if you counted the two in the basement near the training rooms), another living room and a small balcony. Chikusa and Hayato had expressed their fears that it was too much, but Tsuna had just shaken his head and explained that his Intuition seemed to think that hey would need each and every room. After all, two of these new bedrooms were already booked for I-pin and Byakuran, and given the speed at which their recruited weirdos and abandoned children, they would probably fill the place quickly. Nobody could object with that.
They also used the opportunity to learn what they could about construction. The workers were very open and most of them seemed happy to share their craft. Sure, the member of Caeruleus could not build a house from scratch, but they did learn how to raise a partition or to set a floor. They had had a few job offers about construction work, but they had had to redirect the customers to a professional company because they didn't have the skills. Now they could accept some of them.
Shoichi had seemed especially interested in learning construction and how to create blueprints, to the bafflement of the others. The red-head was more an intellectual than a manual type. When asked, he answered that he wanted to work on reinforcing the basement, especially the training rooms, with a new kind of Flame resistant material he was working on. Kyoya seemed to approve whole-heartedly of the initiative, to the surprise of absolutely no-one.
()()()()()()
Exactly a month after their first appearance, Vindice had manifested themselves again. If Tsuna had to choose one word to describe that meeting it would definitely be 'underwhelming'.
Over the weeks, they had built a lot of tension thinking about the different outcomes of Vindice's investigation. They had planned various scenarii in case they needed to escape, but didn't have much hope of them working. They all knew they had no chance of evading or defeating Vindice if it came to this. Even Byakuran, who had been made aware of the circumstances, had stated that as they were now they could do nothing if the policemen of the Underworld decided they were threats.
So they were all understandingly grim when the dreaded day arrived.
However, none of their predictions involved two members of Vindice (one of which was probably the leader of the earlier group if his outfit was anything to judge by) arriving from the front door and greeting them courteously.
They had replied equally as politely, more than a little bewildered and lost as to how to react. The leader of the first time had then almost casually explained that their investigation proved that Mukuro, Chikusa and Ken had indeed been victims and could not be held accountable for the two Famiglia's destructions. As such, all charges had been dropped and Vindice had sent a message to all Famiglias that the three of them were no longer wanted. Most of the members of Caeruleus had then felt their knees weaken in relief, still staring wide-eyed at the two jailers in front of them. In a rare and uncharacteristic display of care, the leader of the squad had advised the three no-longer criminals to still stay under the radar, since they had yet to figure out the reason to Vongola's involvement. Ken and Chikusa had blankly nodded their agreement while Mukuro had broken in 'Kufufufu' that were on the wrong side of hysterical.
The second Vindice member, who had yet to say a word so far, then gave his formal apologies to the whole of Caeruleus for the problems they had caused them (all the while blatantly ignoring the demented bluenet's guffaws) and offered to let Tsuna keep his mark of contract in reparation. He could use it to contact them once if they ever had trouble with the Mafia. It seemed like a good idea at the time, and none of them were thinking straight, so Tsuna agreed and thanked them for everything in a daze. He got two nods in return and the Vindice walked out of the door with no more words.
It felt completely surreal.
A few seconds of baffled silence later (only interrupted by hysterical 'Kufufus') and all the tension fell down at once. Shoichi crumbled on a couch, holding his stomach in pain, Ken collapsed next to him, clearly still in shock and Byakuran joined Mukuro in his demented laughter.
Chikusa was sitting on the floor trying to come to terms with what had just happened. Lambo and I-pin, who had likely not completely understood everything that had happened ran towards Tsuna with a thousand questions on their mind. Hayato was babbling quietly about the Vindice and his Boss' greatness. Even Kyoya had to sit on the nearest armrest to recover.
It took some time, but Tsuna eventually felt a large smile bloom on his lips. It was over. He didn't have to worry so much for three of his elements anymore. Ken, Chikusa and Mukuro were finally free!
()()()()()()
Sometimes, Tsuna couldn't help but wonder why he always found himself in this kind of position. Did he anger some deity? Was he evil in a past life? There had to be something, because there was no other reason why he kept stumbling into dangerous situations, especially so soon after the whole Vindice affair.
He shared a glance with those of his friends that were here. Hayato was next to him on the sofa, ever the dutiful right-hand man. He was trying to appear calm and composed, but the Sky could spot his eye twitching slightly and his fingers itching to pull his dynamite from wherever he hid them.
On his other side was Shoichi, who was trembling faintly and was clutching his aching stomach while trying to make it look casual. It failed spectacularly, but Tsuna didn't have the heart to tell him.
Kyoya stood behind the couch, a bit sideways, probably so he could jump forward without hitting any of them if needed. His arms were crossed, but Tsuna could tell it was so that he could reach his tonfas under his jacket faster. The raven was staring straight ahead to the customers on the opposing sofa.
Chikusa had been with them in the Office when the clients had turned up, but had managed to escape to the private area before they got a good look at him. Given that Lambo and I-pin had not barged in so far and that Mukuro and Ken had not yet returned despite having only been out to run a few short errands, the Tsuna figured that the Rain had managed to contact his two comrades and keep the two youngest members busy. Although Vindice had rescinded the arrest warrant on the three former outlaws, it would be unwise of them to appear in the open in front of this type of customer, and nobody wanted the two kids to be present either.
Thankfully, Byakuran was not here that day, or he would have already said something that would have lit the tension in the room into flames. Literally, since Tsuna was positive that the three customers in front of them were Mafiosi. He didn't need his Intuition to figure that out.
Indeed, the three individuals had an aura that all but screamed murder and violence. The apparent leader was a man with long flowing silver hair who didn't seem able to communicate without screaming at the top of his lungs. Even more peculiar, one of his hands was severed and instead was a device that looked like it could hold something, but was currently empty. He kept bickering loudly with the other two.
To his right was a... man. Yes, definitely a man, with an extravagant, multicolored hairdo and a very feminine voice. He was busy cooing over them, commenting on how cute they all were. Including Kyoya, which raised the question of how sane a man could be if he thought the raven's murderous scowl was endearing.
The last individual was a baby. Well, an Arcobaleno if Tsuna was not mistaken. His aura felt similar to Fon's, although it was somewhat veiled. Still, the brunet doubted that any actual infant would hang around the other two (at least he prayed so), so he was pretty sure it was indeed an Arcobaleno. Its gender was impossible to tell, since the baby wore a hooded cloak that only showed his lower face and the two triangular tattoos on his cheeks.
Yeah, there was no doubt that those three were Mafiosi, despite them not being willingly threatening or having any weapon visible. Really, that didn't mean anything, and Tsuna knew it : Mukuro could manifest his trident through his Flames, Kyoya and Hayato could hide their arsenal in what he was convinced was a dimensional pocket, Ken just changed his teeth, Chikusa's weapons looked like harmless yoyos most of the time and Tsuna himself used innocent-looking gloves. Hell, even Shoichi could make weapons that looked like unimportant gadgets, Lambo could hide anything in his black hole of an afro and I-pin was a proficient bare-handed martial artist.
Still, the three were officially clients and had yet to threaten any of them apart from with their very presence. Tsuna could not ask them to leave based on that.
"Uhm, would you like something to drink? We don't have any alcohol, but we have pretty much anything else." He was grasping at straws to try and lower the pressure in the room. Thankfully, the effeminate man seemed to understand and went along with him.
"Oh, you're so polite! Yes, sweetheart, we would like a drink. Whatever juice you have would do."
Tsuna nodded and looked expectantly at Hayato. Kyoya would never leave the room while 'Carnivores' were there, Shoichi was paralyzed by his stomachache and Tsuna wouldn't risk leaving the others without surveillance. The silveret, bless him, got the message and cautiously went to the kitchen to get drinks.
The following minutes were spent in heavy silence. The long-haired man with a stump kept staring at Tsuna like he was waiting for him to admit something. It made the Sky very uncomfortable.
Finally, Hayato returned with the drinks. Three glasses of grape juice for the customers, Japanese tea for Kyoya (one of the few things that could calm him down at least a little) and Tsuna, herbal tea for Shoichi to soothe his stomach and a carbonated sports drink for him. Living every day with people helped you know exactly what kind of drink they liked or needed.
Now that this was over, they had to start talking. Great... "What can Caeruleus do for you gentlemen-" Tsuna's Intuition rang mid-word. "-and ladies?" So the hooded Arcobaleno must be female then, since the other two were definitely not, despite their haircut and voice.
The silver-haired man was still staring strangely at him in silence, so the one with a colorful hairdo stepped in again. Thank goodness at least one of them was open to discussion. "Well, deary, we were looking for a company to help us renovate our villa, but for some unknown reason, all the previous companies we hired always end up resigning and refusing to contract us again." Right, unknown reasons my ass. Just looking at them gave Tsuna and his friends plenty of ideas as to why they quit. "We were getting pretty desperate in our search for a shop that would take our contract, since our home requires renovation on a regular basis. That's when we heard of this company, and we thought 'why no ask them?', so here we are." He finished with a cheer.
It was only Tsuna's long years of dealing with or ignoring the weirdness of his friends that allowed him to reply with a straight face. "I see. Please don't take this the wrong way, sir, but I must remind you that our company only deals with legal jobs. We refuse to be involved with any shady business, so I must ask you clearly : is this contract really only about renovating your villa, and can you promise that we will have absolutely nothing to do with anything... unsavory?"
Tsuna really didn't know what he had said, but the silver-haired man's stare had increased in intensity. What was his problem? It was not like they were trying to appear as harmless civilians, was it? "Of course. We would never let anything happen to adorable children like you." Squealed the effeminate man. Tsuna could physically feel Kyoya repressing a snort behind him.
"Does that mean that you can do the job?" Came a voice from the other side of the sofa. The Arcobaleno.
"That would depend on the extant of the needed 'renovations'." Replied Hayato reasonably. Tsuna really will have to buy him something after all that.
"Let's see... There are a number of holes in the walls, some of them crumbled or were slashed down, although the load-bearing walls are all intact -they were made to be strong enough to withstand explosions." Supplied the cheery man. Tsuna heard Shoichi whimper silently besides him. Yes, he had arrived at the same conclusion : bullets and other weapons. Plus the comment about the supporting walls was pretty revealing : who would need such strong walls apart from people who expected their house to be under attack regularly? "Then there is some damage to the floors and ceilings. The structure of the villa is completely fine, it's the rest that need some working on. Finally, there is some decoration to be done. There are various stains all over the house, the paint is chipped pretty much everywhere, most curtains need to be changed and so on." He paused in thought, finger on his lips. "That's all I can think of. Will you be able to do it? If you do a good job, and stay until the end, you will be paid handsomely and we might become regular customers of yours. It's so hard to find a reliable business these days... "
The children all exchanged looks. It was a good opportunity, provided the deal was clean. They could work for Mafiosi, as long as they did nothing illegal or related to crimes; rebuilding a villa, even if it has been damaged by Mafiosi and housed some more was something they could do. And they could gain a regular client.
After seeing his friends' nods or shrugs, Tsuna turned back towards the customers. "If the extant of the damage is as you said, then yes, we should be able to fix it. But we won't sign a contract until we have agreed on a few points. First, as I said before, we will have nothing to do with any illegal activity. Second, you will make sure that we are safe while we work. Third, you will remove anything incriminating or traumatizing before we arrive. There are some young children among us, and I don't want them seeing anything worse than some drops of blood. The place needs to be clean." The effeminate man nodded at each point. Good, because they were not negotiable. "And finally, our names and appearances will not be disclosed outside of your company or family or whatever else you represent today."
"Why is that?! Why is it so important that you remain anonymous?!" Bellowed the silver haired man. It was the first time he spoke since negotiations had started.
Tsuna frowned. "Our reasons are our own. None of us are criminals, that I can guaranty. However, some of us have a reputation, and others are in hiding. We don't want to be found. If you can't accept these terms, then there will be no contract." And really, they had no choice. Tsuna was sure that his father was still looking for him (Iemitsu was a moron, but he genuinely cared for his sons), Mukuro, Ken and Chikusa were outlaws until just recently and there were likely still people resenting and hunting them, Hayato had ran away from his father. Kyoya and Shoichi had likely been linked to the brunet's disappearance by now, so they couldn't be found either. Lambo was from a Famiglia that might have enemies stubborn enough to harm him, and even I-pin had been left here by Fon so that she wasn't roped in by the Triads. And who knew what Byakuran's true circumstances were...
The silver-haired man stared at him some more, but this time, the Sky held his stare. Tsuna was beginning to fear that he had recognized him due to Iemitsu's search, but that was unlikely. The brunet looked nothing like his father, and he knew for a fact that the most recent picture of him that his father had had been taken when he was four. Nana had never bothered to photograph him, and Iemitsu had not been home enough to think about it himself. Plus, who would expect Sawada Tsunayoshi to be living and running a company with a bunch of other kids in Italy?
Eventually, the silver-haired man nodded and stopped trying to bore a hole in him with his gaze -he still stared at Tsuna pretty heavily, though. "Alright!" He yelled. "But if you ever try anything funny on our grounds, you'll regret it!"
"How much money do you want?" Interjected the Arcobaleno before the other could continue his threats.
Thus followed a long negotiation about the prices of labor and equipment. Apparently, the fake-baby had only come along to discuss prices. In the end, a compromise was found where the customers would provide all the needed materials and the equipment (that a previous company had left there after leaving in a panic and had never demanded back. Tsuna didn't want to hear more details). Caeruleus employees would be paid by the hour, with a bonus for each renovated room, decoration and all. That way, they would still be able to finish their other contracts and take new ones and go to the new clients' villa once they were finished.
Once the terms decided, Tsuna drafted a contract under the watchful eye of the Arcobaleno -who was evidently obsessed with money. He used all his knowledge on legal documents that he had learned through his translations and was extra careful not to leave any loopholes. He couldn't afford any with these customers. The baby besides him seemed to be satisfied by his work if his approving nods were anything to go by.
Once the contract finished and checked twice, he signed his part and handed it over to the silver-haired man to sign and add the official name of the customers. The man read it quickly, apparently trusting his small companion for the small detail. The effeminate man read it over his shoulder and suddenly exclaimed. "Oh my goodness! With everything going on, we never introduced ourselves, how remiss of us! I'm Lussuria, and they-" He pointed towards the silver-haired man, then the baby. "-are Squalo and Mammon. We work for a... uhm, company called Varia."
Hayato started choking on his saliva beside Tsuna, and the brunet had to pat him on the back to get him breathing again. So the silveret knew about this 'Varia', then?
Does this count as a cliffhanger? You can still try to guess which character will appear next, even if they won't be in the following chapter (because the rest of Varia don't count, it's too easy), I'll still count your vote for next time.