Another Path Part 30 : That labored under an extreme Sun and unexpected Clouds
So, nobody guessed the second character introduced today! I'm laughing so much : it means my careful ploy has worked!
No, really, I'm kinda happy about it, and kinda worried, because I know some of you won't like it. Please be kind in the reviews, and thank you so much to all the people who took the time to comment, read and like so far!
Tsuna would be the first to admit that he had no idea what the base of an evil syndicate was supposed to look like beyond what he saw in movies. Yes, he had visited – multiple times – the Varia mansion, he had even helped repair it and decorate it, but he also seriously doubted that all buildings owned by criminal organizations were subjected to the same abuse.
Surely the Momokyokai (and most yakuza and mafia families) didn't shoot, slash, hit, explode and otherwise damage their homebase on a daily basis. Because while the Varia were a boon to their company with how often they called for repairs (and sometimes, for a friendly – by Varia standards - chat), Tsuna dearly hoped that they were one of a kind and no other crazies like them existed for the sake of humanity.
So no, he had no real preconception about the inside of the Momokyokai base, but did it absolutely have to be this filthy?!
While there was no rubble or chunks of torn concrete like in the Varia mansion, Tsuna couldn't take a step in any direction without walking on broken bottles, crushed beer cans, smashed and ripped boxes of energy bars and smelly remains of half-eaten fastfood. All of which was covered with an (un)healthy layer of dust and grim.
Yuck.
He felt Hayato shudder in disgust behind him. The Storm was a bit of a clean freak, so this place must be right out of a nightmare for him. Tsuna would have to be doubly attentive to make sure he didn't try to get rid of it by blowing everything sky-high.
A few levels lower, Kyoya was clearly using the yakuza to vent the anger and frustrations of the past week. Their shaking of the building and the cries were probably waking the whole neighborhood, but Namimori was an old hand at ignoring strangeness. At least the Cloud was doing a wonderful job as a distraction : there was not a single individual remaining on Tsuna's floor. The interrupted game of cards on a – dirty, like everything else – table and the upturned chairs showed how quickly the people here had left to help their colleagues.
It was almost disappointing how easy this was. Days of fruitless research and patrols ending with such a simple infiltration. Hayato looked a little dejected not to have anything to blow up, but at least Kyoya was having fun, and maybe Mukuro was too, even if he didn't encounter any opposition either. The illusionist enjoyed the weirdest things sometimes. And Chrome's confidence might increase if the operation went smoothly.
Anyway, they had checked the whole top floor and the one below it and there was no trace of Sasagawa's sister. Since Kyoya seemed to have things well in hand on his side, they had plenty of time to study the various files and cabinets. Hayato was more than happy to melt the few padlocks in their way with his Storm Flames and without touching them directly (even those were filthy. How could people live around so much grim?).
There was only a limited amount of paperwork here, hinting that this was not a very important base, but there was more than enough for Tsuna and Hayato to gather vital information for their quest to rid Namimori of criminal influences (except for the Discipline Committee's, which was not quite a criminal organization, but was definitely not a civilian or lawful one).
There would be time to study all of the files later – away from this disgusting place – so they stuffed everything in a bag that Hayato pulled out of seemingly nowhere, and went to regroup with the others. The desperate shouts of earlier had long stopped, which some might have taken as a sign of Kyoya's defeat, but they knew meant he had finished utterly annihilating his opponents.
As expected, when they reached ground level (after taking a cursory glance to the other floors, who were all sleeping areas and not very noteworthy), they found the unharmed Cloud sitting victoriously on top of a pile of his unconscious victims. It was sadly the cleanest spot in the room.
"Had fun?" Inquired Tsuna as he tried to smother a smile. There was no way the yakuza had somehow naturally fallen on top of each other to form a small hill. Kyoya must have stacked them after he knocked them all out (although some of them were still moaning softly in pain) to create his metaphorical throne and wait for his friends to gather.
It was awfully endearing to imagine the sulky boy drag his victims and pile them up.
Kyoya grunted in agreement with a satisfied smirk. "Some of those Herbivores had Flames. Weak Flames, but Flames." He warned.
That was not entirely unexpected, since they knew the Momokyokai had a mafia Famiglia backing them up, but it was still bad news. Hayato swore behind him, and Tsuna was about to try coaxing more details out of his oldest friend when an indignant cry interrupted him.
"How dare you touch me! You will regret this, I swear, I'll make you pay!"
They all turned to where the awfully shrill voice came from, in time to see Chrome emerge from stairs leading down. She was focused on controlling her lotus vines so that the limp body in their grasp didn't hit the walls or the floor (Tsuna was impressed by how much she had progressed in such a short time). She was entirely absorbed by her task, but she still managed to briefly raise her head to greet Tsuna with a tense 'Boss'.
The unconscious boy, about Kyoya's age, looked exactly like the description Sasagawa and Kurokawa-san had made of Sasagawa Ryohei. He was breathing evenly and didn't look to be in pain or injured beyond a fading black eye and some bruises, which was odd given the beating his sister recounted. In any case, his life didn't seem in danger, or Mukuro wouldn't have left Chrome practice her illusions on him (the older Mist could be a bastard, but even he wouldn't risk the health of a grievously injured teen if he could avoid it).
Obviously, neither he nor Chrome were the cause of the strident cries that were still piercing their ears.
Mukuro arrived a moment later, lips pursed in disgust (he was even worse of a clean freak than Hayato), and twirling his trident like a cheerleader, one of the tells that he was nervous.
"The boy is fine." He began, going straight to the point which was another hint of how uneasy he was. Tsuna realized that something went wrong in their plan, but he couldn't figure out what. They had defeated the yakuza and rescued Sasagawa, what else was there? The origin of the high-pitched screaming? "He was conscious when we found him, but he didn't listen to us when we told him we were there to help. He tried to attack, so I knocked him out. He destroyed a wall in a single punch, so we couldn't exactly let him rampage."
That... was unexpected, but not enough to explain Mukuro's tenseness. He had no qualms about knocking out anyone. "What happened?" Wondered Tsuna.
"And who the hell is screaming like that?!" Demanded Hayato, whose temper was already frayed by the dirtiness of the place, and further shaken by the shrill cries still breaking his eardrums.
Mukuro huffed tiredly. "Complications." He eluded as he motioned with his trident. The cries cut off abruptly.
Lotus vines crawled out of the basement, much more realistic and solid than the ones Chrome commanded, but also much more malevolent-looking somehow. Large, pale pink flowers bloomed everywhere, but Tsuna couldn't find what the problem was. All he could see was a humongous plant stretching all over the place.
Until a panicked, muffled gasp drew his attention to where the vines were tightly coiled in a knot a bit larger than the size of a football.
There were tiny feet sticking and shaking frenetically out of the vines.
With dejected sigh, Mukuro gestured to loosen the illusion and allow whoever was stuck to breathe. Tsuna heard the individual take a lungful of air before the shouting came back with a vengeance.
"You, you monster! Trying to strangle the great Skull-sama! When I get back Oodako, you're going to regret ever being born!"
Through the loosened vines, Tsuna could see a tiny figure clad in what appeared to be a biker suit with a purple pacifier around his neck. He was vainly struggling to escape the illusion's hold and screaming his lungs out at the same time, shouting a mix of outraged complaints and weak threats. Even without knowing his name, the Sky knew exactly what he was faced with.
An Arcobaleno. They had found another freaking Arcobaleno!
How was it that they met so many of the almost legendary Strongest Seven?! Fon was- was maybe understandable. He was Kyoya's relative, it wasn't abnormal for them to meet every now and then. Mammon was a part of Varia, who became their regular client through some twist of fate. Tsuna could accept that. Verde was already stranger. Even if they crossed paths in a science convention, there should have been no reason for the Lightning Arcobaleno to notice them and follow them home (where he had apparently decided to stay).
But now they met a fourth Arcobaleno, the Cloud given the color of his pacifier. And no matter how much Tsuna wanted to deny it, he knew that they would somehow end up staying in contact and he wouldn't be surprised if he unwittingly harmonized.
With how his friends were sending him covert exasperated glances, they knew that too. Hayato, who was the only one with Sun Flames here, was checking Sasagawa's health and was trying to be discreet about it, and Chrome was still too new and too focused on maintaining her illusions to do much, but Mukuro and Kyoya were definitely shooting him accusing looks. Like any of this was his fault!
Well, at least now he knew why Mukuro had looked so uneasy. He tuned out the Arcobaleno's screams and looked to his Mist for an explanation.
"We went in through the back door." Recounted the illusionist without prompting. "Little Birdie had done his job and attracted everyone in the building." He threw a brief mocking smirk at Kyoya, who growled in warning. It had the advantage of shutting up the Arcobaleno, and they all mentally heaved a sigh of relief at the blissful silence.
"We found the boy without a problem. Like I said, he was violent and didn't listen to me, so I knocked him out. Just as we were about to turn around and head out, Chrome, who had stayed behind as lookout, noticed this one lurking in the shadows and heading to the cells. She called me, and I arrived in time to capture the annoyance."
Said annoyance was trembling in his binds. The helmet hid his eyes, but from the angle, Tsuna could have bet that he was looking at Kyoya in terror. Compared to the four (yes four! How was that his life?) Arcobaleno they had met so far, he seemed a little... subpar.
Tsuna held back a sigh and went to stand close to their prisoner. He was the Sky and leader of their little group, it was up to him to assess the situation. He forced a friendly smile on his lips, to reassure the shaking man (he had grown used to thinking of Fon and Verde as adult men and Mammon as a woman, he wasn't going to change that, even if this one looked more childish).
"Hello! I'm Tsuna, and I'm guessing you're an Arcobaleno." The cursed baby stopped trembling and turned his helmet towards him. "I happen to know a few of your fellow companions, and I was wondering what such a famous figure was doing all the way in Namimori."
The Arcobaleno wasn't moving, and Tsuna wondered if he hadn't layered it a little thick with the flattery. Then the diminutive biker did a 180 and started bragging (still trapped midair in Mukuro's vines; it lost some of its panache). "Oh, so you've heard of the great Skull-sama! Good, good! At least some of you have good taste!" He grew a little more hesitant. "Uh... which other Arcobaleno do you know?" He asked gingerly.
"Fon, Verde and Viper." Replied Tsuna without hesitation, using Mammon's old name. This 'Skull-sama' didn't seem to be a bad person (or at least a very menacing one), so he decided to be honest. He really needed to know what he was doing here. If an Arcobaleno, even one as nonthreatening as this one, was involved, then maybe the Famiglia backing the Momokyokai was more influential than they'd hoped. "And what is Skull-sama doing here?"
The fake baby froze, before he starting throwing his legs in the air nervously. "The Famiglia I work fo- I mean, the Famiglia that works for me came here to help their ally. I was forced to- uh, no, I was all for acquiring more subordinates, but then I heard that the allies had kidnapped a kid! I'm part of the Mafia!" He preened, but it sounded a little empty to Tsuna's ears. The Arcobaleno didn't sound all that proud beyond his facade. "But I- I don't condone involving civilian kids." His tone grew more subdued, and Tsuna was having trouble following the haphazard mood swings.
And once again, the cursed biker spoke arrogantly. "So this great fighter decided to show the yakuza who was the boss! I sneaked i- no, no, no! I walked proudly through the ba- through the front door to give them a piece of mind! Since everyone was occupied with the scar- with the other kid, I went downstairs to free the kidnapped boy while they were all distra- I mean, before I would return to give them a lesson! But then this awful Mist-user saw me and used a moment of distraction to cheaply capture me!" He pointed an accusing foot (his hands were still bound tightly) at Mukuro.
The illusionist, far from intimidated, returned an ominous smirk to the Arcobaleno. The air around him seemed to darken (or maybe it was an intentional effect on his part, the drama-queen) and the fake baby shuddered and quickly lowered his leg.
Honestly, this Skull-sama looked a little pathetic. But he also clearly came here with good intentions, even if he was a bit cowardly. Tsuna's forced smile turned more genuine.
"I guess we're temporary allies, then, because we came with the same intention. Since you seem to be against the yakuza here, maybe you would agree with helping us completely getting rid of them? We could certainly use the help of the great Cloud Arcobaleno."
Mukuro and Kyoya snorted at the same time, before realizing what they had done and glaring at each other. Tsuna ignored them, used as he was to their antics. They probably didn't need the help of 'Skull-sama' now that they had a breakthrough, but the Arcobaleno didn't look happy with his Famiglia and their doings if his previous speech was anything to judge by, and Tsuna, bleeding heart that he was, didn't want to leave him so miserable if he could help it. Besides, his friends seemed to have been resigned to this at soon as they realized who Skull was.
"Really! You'd take me- I mean, you would work with this great one? Then it's a deal; you can count on the amazing Skull Demort, the stuntman that Death hates!"
Now that he knew where to look, Tsuna felt the distinct feeling of wild, joyous Cloud Flames slotting in next to all his other bonds. He willfully ignored the new harmony and all that it entailed and floundered for a different topic.
He didn't need to look for long, because his frantic searching was stopped by a thunderous bellow of "EXTREEEEME WAKIIING!"
They all startled, pulling out their various weapons reflexively. Chrome was so surprised that she lost her grasp on her illusions. Her vines vanished, dropping the unconscious boy.
But the Sasagawa brother was not unconscious anymore, and neatly caught himself before he crashed on the floor. He flipped himself standing, looked around curiously for a moment, and then realized where he was with a comical start. The white-haired teen then took a boxing stance and started throwing threatening punches in the air, daring them to come fight him.
"You villains! I'll EXTREMELY defeat you and return to my sister! You won't be able to take me down again TO THE EXTREME!"
Tsuna sweat-dropped. Before he left, after Sasagawa and Kurokawa-san had given him a physical description of the abducted teen, they had hesitated before giving him one last warning.
"My brother," had begun Sasagawa gingerly, "his personality is a bit... he is..."
"He has an extreme personality." Cut in Kurokawa. At Tsuna's bewildered look, she had only added "You'll understand when you see him." Before she dragged her friend back to their shared room and locked the door. The Sky had had no idea what to make of that piece of 'advice', so he had kept it in a corner of his mind and left.
Now that he had said brother awake in front of his eyes, he understood what they meant. He also would have liked more of an explanation beforehand.
"What the fuck!" Bellowed Hayato, looking at the shadow-boxing teen with a mix of outrage and disbelief. He wasn't quite as loud as Sasagawa, but he came close. After Skull's shrill cries and Sasagawa's shouting, it was a bit much for Tsuna's abused ears. "Who the hell do you think you are, calling us villains?! We came here to save you, you stupid lawn-head!"
Sasagawa paused mid-punch, looking at Hayato, then the rest of them curiously. "Really?" Tsuna nodded dumbly. Beside him, Kyoya made a move that for anyone else would have been throwing his hands in the air, and left the building. Either to gather his men and have them take the pile of knocked out and injured criminals away, or to find something (someone) else to bite to death, the Sky didn't know.
"Then I thank you TO THE EXTREME!" Continued Sasagawa, bowing energetically to each of them, including Skull, whom Mukuro had still not released and seemed exceedingly proud to be thanked for someone who had done nothing in the end. Chrome blushed and stammered, Mukuro looked increasingly dubious, and Tsuna had no idea what expression was on his face, only that he was starting to regret ever getting out of bed today.
The boxer, once his gratitude properly expressed, looked at all of them thoughtfully. Tsuna felt a growing feeling of dread in his chest when Sasagawa went to speak – yell – again. "You all look younger than me! To show my appreciation TO THE EXTREME, you can all call Ryohei-nii, or just Onii-san!" He offered, like that made any sense and they had not defeated a bunch of yakuzas, leaving their moaning remains in a pile in his line of vision. And Sasagawa – Ryohei-nii, ugh – must have seen that stack, because he added. "I look forward to facing you all in an EXTREME boxing match!"
To further illustrate his excitement (as if the volume of his voice wasn't enough), he made a few more shadow-boxing moves; only this time, Tsuna was looking at him properly (and wasn't stuck in a disbelieving daze), and noticed the tiny, barely-visible yellow sparks that fell from his fists with every punch.
Finally guessing where the earlier feeling of dread came from, he focused once more on his Flames and his bonds, and, in addition to Skull's vivid Cloud Flames, he caught a hint of energetic Sun Flames that were definitely not there before.
At least now he knew why Sasagawa's (Ryohei-nii. He was really going to have to call him that now, wasn't he?) wounds had healed so fast. Maybe the teen would be kind enough to help him deal with his own broken bones after Tsuna finished announcing the news to Kyoya and Mukuro and to the rest of his friends, although those two would likely be the most unhappy. Two loud, very loud additions to his ridiculous bonds; forget Sun Flames, they were going to murder him.
He couldn't hold back the thin, hysterical laugh that bubbled out of his mouth. He was so done for.
So, congratulations to sweettooth4pie, aGnamZer0, Alisha, CloudSkylark18, pres1dentp0verty, felli46, Great, Aruka Zaldyeck, KITSUNE TAKAHARI, Estellise, Dman4869, Mikan18, Cristy1969, lazzbeyond and Hina-cchi for finding Ryohei.
As I said earlier, no one thought of Skull, but, believe it or not, I had planned to introduce him like that since the first chapter I wrote. I sort of like Skull, for some reason. I mean, he's an Arcobaleno; he has to be able to do more than whine and be bullied by his fellow cursed babies. He'll calm down a little once he feels more secure and accepted (looking at you, Reborn :\ ), just like I intend to tone down Ryohei's EXTREMENESS over time. For the sake of my capslock.
I hope you, your families and loved ones have all been well in this strange 2020 year, and I thank you again for giving this (not-so-little anymore, I mean, over 125 000 words, how the heck did that happen?!) fic a chance!
So, who can guess the next character this time?