Chapter Twenty-Four

Tsuna tightened his jacket around himself as strong breeze slammed into him. He turned to Terasaka who was lagging a little. He waited for the latter before they moved to the side to see Takaoka who was holding the bag of 'antidote' for the 'virus' and a remote to detonate the bomb attached to it if they don't obey him.

He kept quiet even though he got some glances from the two teachers and his classmates. It can't be helped. Almost all of his theories about the situation were right. The mastermind was Takaoka. According to Karasuma-sensei's accusations, the man couldn't be contacted with the three hitmen he hired himself unless he withdrew all of the Ministry of Defense's secret funds that were meant to be used for the assassinations. Other than those, a colleague disappeared because of Takaoka.

But really, it can't be helped. Even if he wanted to say that the 'virus' does not exist, they won't believe him. Maybe because he wasn't believable? Maybe because he didn't explain properly. Yet even if he did... Heh. It really can't be helped. Even if he hinted that Takaoka was behind all of this from the very start explain why and how, no one will trust him. It was only Karma who believed him.

Should he step up and actively do his part of being omnipotent to save them from disasters? Perhaps he could help Koro-sensei too if he does.

Brown eyes went to Takaoka. The man became well-built, thinner than his previous body where he had a big stomach. Perhaps the fact that he was beaten up by a kid stressed him out so much. Heck, the fact that he said he's itchy awhile ago was an anxiety and impatient sign that he wanted to remove that failure from his record. To even call them his 'children' when no one acknowledged him from the start. He has been scratching his cheeks, to the point that they're starting to have scars and some abrasion already. In conclusion, Takaoka is already out of his mind.

"Did you have a change of heart, Takaoka?" Karasuma-sensei said, brows furrowed with anger. "You hired hitmen with money stolen from the Ministry of Defense, and you violently threatened students with a virus!"

"Hey, hey! I'm extremely upright!" Takaoka assured with his creepy smile. "This was a plan to save the world. If you had let those two obediently bring me the bounty, my assassination plan would've gone smoothly. In my plan, that girl, Kayano or whatever— I was originally supposed to use her. I completely filled the bathtub in the room with anti-sensei material. And then I'd have her go in while holding the bounty.

"Then I'd bury them alive in cement. In order to return to his original form without touching the anti-sensei material, he would have to set off an explosion, which would affect the students and all. But Koro-sensei is too considerate of his students. He wouldn't do such a horrible thing, right? I thought he would just quietly dissolve."

Tsuna took Terasaka's wrist after those wordings and pulled him closer to Chiba and Hayami who turned to him. "The guns... How many bullets are left?"

The three stared at him with wide eyes.

"The moment I realized you had all snuck in here, I was shaking in my boots, but my goal is still pretty much the same. Because my mood will determine how many of you live."

"Do you think you'll get away?" Koro-sensei said with restrained emotions. "With an act like as this?"

"This is still a humane method." Takaoka defended.

Tsuna laid his hand. "Please hand them over."

"Sawada-"

"I don't trust him one bit." He whispered to the three. "The way he gripped that remote, he'll blow it up. He won't give up the antidote we want."

"Compared to what you guys did... Compare to that inhumane treatment..." Takaoaka laughed as he scratched his cheeks. "The humiliating gazes, and that knife from the sneak attack, they all feel so itchy whenever they cross my mind. I can't even sleep at night!"

Chiba gave up his gun. Tsuna quickly checked the ammu and nodded when out of eight, there were seven. Chiba did fire only one. He said a small thanks as he put the barrel back to its place and turned it up.

"I'll respond to my lowered reputation with results. I'll return the humiliation I received with even more humiliation." Tsuna looked as Takaoka raised a hand and pointed a finger to Nagisa who is just in front of him with Karma and Kayano. "Especially you, Shiota Nagisa. I'll never forgive you for tainting my future!"

He caught Nagisa who stepped back. The teal-head looked back to him and he replied with a pat on the shoulder.

"Sawada was right. The fact that he wanted the short students... So he was really aiming for Nagisa." Chiba said in realization.

"This grudge is totally unfair!" Yoshida exclaimed in offense.

"Heh. So that means you called Nagisa over to cleanse your resentment." Karma started off, looking pissed. "Would you really be happy from going all out on this little guy. I might be able to provide you with a little more entertainment though."

"You're going senile. You just lost to Nagisa with the rules you set yourself." Terasaka said beside him. "Let me tell you something, whether you won or lost back then, we still would've hated your guts."

"I never asked you rug rats for your opinion!" Takaoka shouted at them. "Don't forget that I can get rid of half you damn rug rats with the tip of my finger!"

The class's hackles tensed up terribly.

"Hey shrimp, come up here alone." Takaoka said as he went for the helipad's stairs with the bag of antidote. "All the way to the top of this heliport."

"Nagisa, you can't go." Kayano tried to persuade.

Nagisa looked down to the gun Tsuna has in his hands before passing Koro-sensei to Kayano. "I don't want to, but I'll go. If he's that agitated, who knows what he'll do. I'll try to talk to him and calm him down, and I'll try to get him to hand over the antidote without destroying it."

The teal-head was about to go when Tsuna took his wrist. Blue eyes turned to him. "I know it's impossible, but don't be surprised if he does blow up the antidote."

The class gasped at him.

"He's that kind of a scum. If he does, don't worry. Don't let your emotions consume you. I've said it again and again, if the virus was that dangerous, I won't be here with you. Remember, we have Smog in custody. We can make a deal with him to give us the same antidote Takaoka has in hand, in exchange for his freedom and immunity to anything that occurred here tonight."

They all turned to Karasuma-sensei who nodded in confirmation of his statement.

"And Nagisa, regardless of how we believe that you can give him his ass again," Tsuna glanced at the class then stared straight at the other's eyes. "we got your back. We won't let him kill you."

Nagisa smiled easier. "I know."

They watched him go up the helipad. Tsuna wasn't surprised when Takaoka pushed the stairs away from the port so no one can climb up there if ever. They watched as Nagisa tried to negotiate. He even apologized and went to Takaoka's request to do a dogeza and apologize. And after that, the fucker blew off the bag with a maniacal laugh.

Tsuna watched as Nagisa turned back to them. To him and Terasaka. But it wasn't pity. He was asking for assurance that they'll be okay. With Terasaka's hand on his shoulder, Tsuna nodded. Everyone thought that Nagisa lost it when he picked up the knife. Heh. If only they know.

"For safety measures though," He turned to Terasaka who looked really to keel. "you look so weak, Terasaka-kun."

"Asshole." His classmate spat to him that he soundlessly chuckled at.

"Please cool Nagisa-kun's head. You're the only one who can do it, Terasaka-kun." Koro-sensei stated beside them.

Terasaka did it. Tsuna watched at the stun gun flew to the air and hit Nagisa's head. He winced at how the latter lurched since the object hit the latter at the back of his head.

"Don't get carried away, Nagisa!" Terasaka shouted. "You should worry about yourself, you bean sprout bastard! Sawada and I are okay! All we need to do is sleep this virus off! Sawada said so himself, it's not dangerous! He'll be bedridden by then if it is!"

The class gasped. "Terasaka! You-"

The brunet grimaced as he took the other's arm to assist when the latter stepped forward. "Even if it's trash like him, if you take his life, you'll be charged with murder. Are you gonna let go of a chance to get ten billion yen, just because you couldn't keep your cool?"

"It is as Terasaka-kun says, Nagisa-kun." Koro-sensei added. "There is no merit in killing that man. If you become frantic, it will only put you at a disadvantage. Besides, he doesn't have any knowledge regarding the antidote. Let us question the poison-user below as Tsuna-kun suggested. Simply stunning this man should be enough."

"Hey hey. Stop trying to put out the fire." Takaoka called out. "This'll all be meaningless if he doesn't seriously come at me for the kill. I'll destroy this kid's earnest intent to kill in a humiliating way, and then, for the first time ever, I'll be able to erase my shame."

Nagisa didn't really make a fuss and picked up the stun gun.

Tsuna slowly let Terasaka sit down as the other wobble. The teen still looked up as Yoshida and Kimura came over. "Do it, Nagisa. Beat his ass, just shy of killing him."

"He's fine." He assured to the class. "He just did well enough to endure."

"Look who's talking." The other panted, glaring at him. "You're the one who threw up some blood and still acting okay when you feel exhausted."

He smiled little. "We just have to sleep it off, right? Now let's watch what will Nagisa do."

"Sawada, that gun..." Isogai pointed out.

He shrugged as he got up. "It's the least I could help with."


Tsuna sighed as he watched the class go and praise Nagisa for his second win against Takaoka. He looked pretty happy and shy even if he was beaten up.

He eyed the stun gun on the teal-head's hand and shook his head. To think Brovski taught a technique like that to Nagisa. Maybe he saw the potential. He never really saw the technique in his counterpart's memory, but Reborn mentioned it once. During a lesson about surprise attacks to get an enemy off his guard. It is quite terrifying, but it has flaws. It cannot be used to a person who knows how to deal with it and to a person who is anticipating it. In a sense, Nagisa has to use the technique wisely. But execution wise, he was excellent. He surprised everyone and it was a victory.

"What do we do?" Nagisa asked to them. "Everyone's antidote- The amount I took from Takaoka-sensei is nowhere near enough."

The class stared at the remnants of the antidote.

"At any rate, we need to escape this place." Karasuma-sensei sighed with his phone in hand. "I called for a helicopter, so you guys are on standby. I'll go bring the poison-user."

Tsuna turned to the door when his intuition hummed towards there.

"Hmph. You guys don't need no antidote." Gastro said with Smog and Grip on both of his sides. The class turned to them and went alert. "Brats, did you guys think that you'd all leave here alive?"

"Your employer has been defeated. You should have no reason to fight anymore." Karasuma-sensei negotiated. "I've recovered for the most part, and my students are pretty strong. Why don't we end this here and prevent any more casualties?"

"Mm." Gastro hummed, eyeing all of them. "Su-re."

"Don't you guys know how to give up?! We're pissed here too because we don't have the antidote and-" Yoshida cut off himself in realization.

"Eh?" The whole class blurted.

"Revenge for the boss wasn't included in our contract." Gastro shrugged. "Besides, didn't I already tell that kid over there? You guys don't need any antidote in the first place."

"What I served you guys is this." Smog showed a container with a liquid in it. "It's an improved version of the food poison bacteria. It'll stay active for about another three hours, but after that, it'll quickly become inactive and become innocuous. And the one the boss told me to use, is this one." Then he raised his other hand to show a tube. "If I used this one, you guys would've been in some serious trouble."

"Right before using it, the three of us had a discussion-nu." Grip stated. "The time limit the boss set for negotiation was one hour. Which meant, even if we didn't use the deadly virus, we could still accomplish the tradeoff."

"I have a large variety of poisons to meet all sorts of negotiation conditions." Smog bragged. "But it was enough for you guys to fear for your lives, right?"

"But that means, you guys went against that guy's orders, right? Is it okay for you to do that when you're receiving payment?" Okano questioned.

"You idiot," Gastro called out. "if you think a pro will do anything for money, you've got another thing coming. Of course, we do our best to act in accordance with the will of our client, but the boss was never planning on giving up the antidote to begin with. Either we become the perpetrators of a mass murder of some upstart middle school students, or we get caught for going against our orders and our reputation as pros drop. Which of these carry a higher risk for us after all of this is over? All we did was calmly weigh these on a scale."

"Before that," Tsuna called out with a hand raised to take the three's attention. "can I have the antidote for the liquid you gave us, Smog-san?"

"Heh." The man tossed him a bottle of tablet with an amused smile. "I'm sad to say, none of you are going to die. Have the patients take those nutrients and put them to sleep. They'll work so well you'll want to send letters to thank me and say, 'we're even healthier than we were sick'."

Tsuna opened the bottle and took a pill for Terasaka. The delinquent took it and accepted the bottled water from Kimura.

"I'll decide whether or not I can trust you guys after I see the students recover." Karasuma-sensei said against the loud sounds of helicopter rotors as the two contraptions approach. "I want to question you guys for some information as well, so I'll have to restrain you three for a bit."

"We'll guess there's no choice." Gastro sighed. "I have another job coming in next week, so only for within that time period."

"You drink some too." Terasaka panted as soldiers went down and took Takaoka. "You're as infected as I am."

"Later." He gave in. "You're who I'm worried of. At least mine is not that bad. I'm not even suffering from the fever."

"But really, we should've believed you, Sawada." Yoshida said in an apologetic sheepish tone, gaining the attentions of those near them. "You've repeatedly assured us that the 'virus' doesn't exist and it's not dangerous. That the others could've been dead by now if the hitman's intention was to kill us. You also hinted us that Takaoka-sensei is the one who's behind all of this, just by saying that it's fishy to why he specifically requested for Nagisa. You tried saving us from that poison-user too and didn't really complain about wearing women's outfit like Nagisa. Plus, you came with us and never voiced out that you're exhausted after being infected too. Really, Sawada. I'm sorry."

The class turned to each other before one of the class representative stepped up.

"We're sorry, Sawada." Isogai apologized sincerely. "We should've believed you."

"It's fine." He waved off and looked down to the gun in his hand. "If you did believe me, you won't be as careful as you were. Besides, there are a lot of good outcomes to all of this."

"What are you going to do with that gun?" Okano queried as he started to pull out all of the bullets from the barrel.

"I'm gonna throw it." He answered as he pocketed the bullets and flipped the barrel in place.

"Wha-t? So you don't want a revenge match, Old man-nu?" They turned to Karma who smiled at Grip who is being escorted. "Don't you hate me enough to wanna kill me?"

"I can't explain how much I want to kill you, but I've never killed a person for a personal grudge-nu." Grip replied and patted Karma's head as he passed by the latter. "I'll wait until the day someone sends a request to kill you. So you need to become a person worth targeting-nu." Then the three of them hopped to the starting off helicopter.

"A-nd there you have it, kiddies!" Gastro yelled to them. "If you guys really want us to come and kill you, you need to become someone worth killing! When that time comes, we'll show you a professional hitman's full course!"

"Hey Smog-san!" Tsuna called out as he jogged to catch up. The man turned to him. He gave a small devious smirk. "I don't break promises!" And he threw the gun with all the strength he could muster in Yamamoto Takeshi pitching style.

He watched as Smog tried to evade the gun, only to be hit by it right on the face. The two immediately went and tried to help the guy as they flew off.

"What the heck?!" His class exclaimed.

He shrugged as he went for Karasuma-sensei and surrendered the bullets. "Here, Sensei."

"That was..." The teacher stared at him before shaking his head in amusement. "Good job, either way."

He nodded. "I'll go and take my seat on the helicopter."

Karasuma-sensei nodded before shouting at the others to go on-board too. He sat near the door. By the time they flew off, he was already drowsy. He felt someone take a seat beside him and he knows it was Karma. He didn't protest when the redhead took his head and guided it to his offered shoulder.

"Good night, Tsuna." Karma bid.

He sighed as he let sleep consume him. "Good night, Karma."


"Is that okay?" The saleslady asked politely to him as he fastened his belt.

He looked at himself over the mirror before nodding. He looks presentable enough. "Yes." He took his wallet out and pulled the card he will be using alone for the first time. "Please use this to check everything out."

"Okay, Sir." The lady smiled before going off.

Tsuna took the bag that contains his used clothes and carried it to the counter. The saleslady thanked him for the purchases and returned the card to him. He expressed his gratitude back as he slipped the card to his pocket before going off. When he went out, he decided to walk back to the hotel they're staying at.

It's currently eight-eighteen in the morning, twelve hours since they did an infiltration on the hotel up the mountain. He's one of those people who woke up early, but his classmates are mostly out like logs. Even Karma is out like light. He even put his blanket on the redhead to keep him warm. And since he can't go back to sleep, he decided to take a bath and go out to buy himself some change of clothes.

"You're already up, Sawada?" Karasuma asked as the brunet stepped by the intersection that directs him to the beach, their rooms and more rooms somewhere from the hotel lobby. The teacher is with Irina-sensei who is getting ready for a day of enjoyment.

"Good morning, Karasuma-sensei, Irina-sensei." He greeted first before raising the bag of clothes. "I had to. I don't have any change of clothes. But you're the one I should be asking, Karasuma-sensei. You should be asleep too."

"Last night was a speck of my usual missions." The man answered before presenting him Koro-sensei who is grinning at him. "Take care of this."

"Ne, Tsuna-kun! Do you want to stay with me for a while in the lounge?" Irina-sensei asked to him with a charming smile.

"Sure, Sensei. Do go first. I'll put my bag away in our room." He replied after taking Koro-sensei. "Good morning, Koro-sensei."

"Good morning, Tsuna-kun." The teacher greeted back as he walked for his right. "How are you feeling?"

"Energized enough." He replied with a small cheer as a thought crossed his mind. "I'm going to meet some people, Sensei. Do you wanna meet them too?"

"Are they like the Varia?"

He hummed in thoughts. Well, Byakuran and Yuni are still little. They got bat shit crazy, like Vongola crazy level, when they grew up so... "If Varia is on level eight on my rankings, they're currently on level one."

"If you're this excited to see them and they aren't that rowdy, then I'm also excited to meet them." His Sensei agreed.

He smiled a little before engaging Koro-sensei in mundane talks. He dropped his clothes back to the room and covered Karma again. Koro-sensei chuckled at how 'caring' he is. They went to the beach to join Irina-sensei. He stationed Koro-sensei by the table so he could see Irina-sensei's figure. It was a small treat for the teacher who is trapped in his little world.

He was reading the book he found by one of the bench when his intuition alerted him. He closed his book as he heard his name being shouted by two high-pitched children voices. He stood up and excused himself and Koro-sensei to the blondie teacher before walking towards the three figures by the bar. The two kids ran up to him with excited cheers and he couldn't help giving a small appreciative smile.

"Yehey! The Tri-ni-sette skies are complete again!" Byakuran cheered as he took Tsuna's hand. Purple eyes turned to Koro-sensei and they turned to happy slits. "Hi Koro-sensei!"

"It's so nice to finally meet you, Koro-sensei!" Yuni greeted too, with her dreamy angelic smile.

"O-Oh. Hello to you too." The teacher responded, winded with how the two children are so nonchalant of his presence.

Tsuna hummed and bowed a little when they reached Gamma. "Good morning, Gamma of Giglio Nero."

"Gamma! Don't be mean to Tsu-chan!" Byakuran admonished cheekily. Even Yuni went and pouted at the man who sweat-dropped.

"I'm not." Gamma denied before nodding to him. "I'll be nearby and watching over you three."

"Thank you." He expressed before guiding the three to the vacant table. "Let's go there."

"Yes!" The two children answered enthusiastically.

(Koro-sensei felt them. The sky flames from all three snapping in places and easily making everything so warm and settled.)

(Beady inky black eyes watched as those usually tense shoulders slowly relax as the two children chatter on and on about things. It was... Relaxing.)

(All they needed for one Sawada Tsunayoshi to ease up was two sky children who can understand him and his struggles.)

(Maybe they can see Tsuna smiling next in the days coming.)