AN: We now have a Vietnamese version of this story translated by phieubong. And you can find the link on my profile! We also have a french version currently being done by Kitty Purple! Her link isn't up yet, but we will both get to it soon! Thank you both, I cannot thank you enough and to think that Boogie Man would get this popular to be translated into foreign languages! Thank you!
CHAPTER 24: THE GENUINE ARTICLE
Tsuna stared at the stage, everything around him in darkness. The others were all sleeping, with the exception of Levi and Xanxus. But knowing them, they weren't really sleeping at all. They were far too serious in their job to even consider the idea. Even so, they were very good at acting they were doing so. He looked at Xanxus, who was barely taking any attention on the program, glaring death at Byakuran, who was quite absorbed into the play. He himself had long stopped hiding from the white-haired man. There was no point, he didn't even remember him, and if he did, he honestly looked like he didn't care. "Xanxus, can I go to the bathroom?"
The man only grunted. Never had he once seen Xanxus look so...bored. He got up, shuffling over the others' feet. Tip-toeing, he opened the door, the bright light of the hallway illuminated the box for a brief moment before he closed it quickly in consideration. He looked around to his left and right, eyebrows furrowing. Where was the bathroom? He walked down the stairs, feeling almost naked, it felt weird to be alone publicly. Recognizing the masked man from before he tapped on his elbow, "Excuse me," He spoke up shyly. The man turned to look at him.
"Ah. Varia." He said, recognizing him too, "Is there something you need?"
"I was wonder where the bathroom is...and uh..." He trailed off with a descriptive hand, feeling lame.
The masked man pointed to another door, close to where they had entered from, "Over there is the male facilities."
Tsuna nodded his thanks, slipping into the door the man had pointed out. After relieving himself, Tsuna studied himself through the mirror. He looked silly in these clothes, they just didn't suit someone like him. Sighing, he leaned against the stall, he missed jeans and shirts. And sneakers. He hated wearing these loafers and long socks. And he was sick of suspenders and blazers. Adjusting his cravat, and his stud, he stepped out of the stall and washed his hands with soap, taking his time. He willed minutes to pass as he did so, he wasn't that interested in the play either. They spoke strangely and their story was too complex for him to follow.
Stepping out the bathroom he sighed heavily, ready to go back. He fixed his hair as he walked, and he gasped, walking right into someone.
He had expected running into a broad chest of a man but was surprise to collide with a body as small as his. He blinked, and stepped back in embarrassment, "Sorry!"
It was then he realized who he had run into. It was a girl, a very pretty girl. Her face was so pretty, it rivaled that of Chrome's. It was the same girl that sat with Byakuran earlier. Up this close, he could see her hair was a dark forest green, not black. Strange. What was she doing on this side of the theater? He shook it off. It wasn't his business. But she wore really strange clothes. Even strange for Cielo. Her hat was ridiculously eye-catching and big, and Tsuna wondered why he hadn't noticed that before. He could tell she was wearing a formal dress with a Black Spell uniform under her too-big Millefiore cape.
He relaxed, realizing she was only a Black Spell. Black Spells are good, he recalled, White Spells aren't. "Um," He began, "You're from the box across mine, right?"
She didn't answer, it was as if she hadn't heard him though he knew he spoke loud enough. His eyebrows furrowed at the lack of her response and he couldn't help but feel conscious of himself. Did he say something wrong? Her behavior was really strange, she'd look like she was listening to what he was saying but it would come in one ear and out the other. He tried not to let it bother him so he stepped away once, back towards the Varia's balcony, "Well, uh. Bye," He resisted the want to say 'see you later' but he felt it was too intimate for their first meeting. He turned around and stopped dead on his feet, his stomach dropping.
There, in front of him, was Byakuran. He was casually walking in, hands in his pockets. The lilac-haired man smiled, his eyes looking past Tsuna, "Uni-chan," The boss started, as he walked past Tsuna, "If you wanted to go to the bathroom, why come all the way across here? There's a restroom on our side, you know."
Her head bobbed once, eyes blank.
Byakuran spun around, and his eyes curved pleasantly in Tsuna's direction, "Excuse us. She's such a bad girl. She must've bothered you, huh?" Then, for a frightening split second, Byakuran actually looked like he recognized him. His eyes opened, squinting, as if trying to remember. His eyebrows furrowed and his lips curled downwards. Tsuna took another step away, angling his face to the floor.
He had to get away. Byakuran may start remembering. His heart hammered in his chest and he was a bit afraid the Millefiore boss could hear it. "It's alright," He said quickly, walking backwards as he said so, "She didn't bother me." He turned around as naturally as he could without looking like he was running away. He wanted so badly to sprint up the stairs but forced himself to go slow.
"I knew it. The kid was gone too long, you and Princess here weren't in your seat, and I go out and what do I find? A reunion and I wasn't invited?" A voice hissed above them. Tsuna stilled his movements, recognizing his master's voice. He looked up, seeing Xanxus descend the stairs towards him. He snarled at Byakuran's direction, "I knew you'd be behind this." Xanxus wrapped a large hand around his forearm and gripped so hard the boy felt his blood circulation stop. He pulled the Tsuna roughly behind him.
Byakuran took a discreetly-possessive step in front of Uni himself, his shoulders shrugging, "It was only coincidence, I just so happened to follow Uni-chan here." He gestured to the expressionless girl, "She wanted to use the bathroom."
"On this side?" Xanxus questioned with a growl. Tsuna tried to ignore the fact that he glared at him as he said this, as if he was suspecting a secret meeting between him and Uni. It was a coincidence! He tried to say it through his eyes, only really, really bad luck too.
"She always has been a strange girl…" Byakuran flicked his eyes in Tsuna's direction in interest, "She never acts unless it's necessary."
"I know what you're playing at," Xanxus bristled, and stomped down the stairs, Tsuna still in tow, he lifted the arm that held the boy and shook him in example, "You've come for him, haven't you?"
Byakuran smiled, his pearly white teeth showed, "Maybe. I honestly didn't know that was him. You just confirmed it for me." He turned to Uni, "Good work. Maybe you weren't such a bad girl after all." And Tsuna saw it. A flicker of sadness flashed across Uni's eyes, her face was still turned downwards but he could see it. It was so brief that he almost believed he had imagined it.
He grinned challengingly at Byakuran. "It's been awhile since we last fought."
"It has," Byakuran agreed with a laugh, "But I'm afraid I have no time for our usual games. I need Uni-chan and that person to come with me now." He looked to Tsuna and the boy felt compelled to meet his magnetic eyes, "I knew I recognized you. You escaped me before. And you've been quite the rebel, haven't you, Prince of Spades? You even freed the most notorious criminal in Cielo for the sake of your own safety. Your not very smart, are you?"
Tsuna flinched at this, partly at the deliberate hit to himself. The other reason was because the remembrance of freeing Mukuro wasn't a good thing lately. "Mukuro..." He began slowly, unsure of what to say, "...Why did you have him in there?"
Byakuran snorted in a strange graceful way, "'Why did I have him in there'? Do you have any idea how much trouble he is? Did you know he once tried to 'capture' me? He's rather stubborn too. Rokudo Mukuro couldn't give up so he tried aiming for Uni-chan here when he couldn't even come close to me and Mr. Diamonds over there," He patted her head, and gently tucked a stray hair behind her ear, "I did all of us a favor of locking him up."
His respect for Mukuro was slowly sinking lower and lower. He even tried kidnapping Uni? Tsuna stared at her small, defenseless self, tiny compared to everything else around her; like a kid. He bit the inside of his mouth. It was no mistaking the regret in his chest. If Tsuna really was the Prince of Spades, then would Mukuro have thought differently of him? Would he have...tried to forcibly contain him too? Tsuna stared at his feet. "Why keep him alive though?" He whispered aloud, and all strained their ears to hear it. He thought of the strange water-filled tube, the oxygen mask, and the strange thick rubber wire that stuck to his one red eye. It was obvious though; they were trying to keep him intact. Why preserve him when he was so much of a nuisance to them all?
"Rokudo Mukuro can't be killed so easily. He has the Six Paths of Rebirth in his right eye. he skills granted from the individual paths varies from enhancing his physical and mind-controlling abilities, as well as his power of his illusions, enabling him to control and summon animals." Byakuran looked at Tsuna's amazed face for a moment before continuing, "That's not all; he is able to possess and control the body of anyone that he has cut with his trident. He can possess several bodies simultaneously, and he is also still able to enter the Six Realms, granting him the ability to use a different skill for each body. The only way we could keep him under control was to contain him."
The way Byakuran described him...Tsuna shuddered. Mukuro sounded so...inhuman. He recalled far back to his days in the Kokuyo bureau. He vaguely remembered Mukuro had been experimented on when he was only a kid, but he never dreamed, or imagined, what he went through, or why the indigo-haired man looked so...angry at the thought of his childhood. Had all those powers he received just experiments? His stomach flipped at the thought of people pushing all this hellish power into a little kid. Why was Cielo so...messed up?
The Millefiore boss seemed to be enjoying Tsuna's sickened expression because he continued with much more exaggerated fervor, "That is why he must stay alive, he's already too powerful; killing him would only be doing him a favor in gaining another path. He's truly the master of illusions himself, our Jester." Byakuran smiled pleasantly, "But you freed him. You freed this monster and now its only a matter of time before he gets us all."
"Who said he was going to?" The Varia boss interrupted.
He looked up at Xanxus's enraged eyes and he didn't even see his hit coming. Xanxus threw him. Actually threw him to the side. Tsuna gasped as he skidded the carpet, the naked skin of his knees taking up most of the fall. Xanxus ran towards Byakuran like a hungry beast zeroing in on a slab of meat. There was a clash of orange. And Tsuna's eyes widened, Byakuran stopped Xanxus with his hands. But it was different, it wasn't like how Xanxus and he fought. Byakuran's only flame was at the ring in his middle finger, not his entire hands.
They broke apart, the Millefiore boss danced away with a laugh and Xanxus lifted a fist high in the air and brought it down to the empty space where Byakuran was. "Coward!" Xanxus accused, running after him. Xanxus brought his fist into the wall, missing again. The wall was left with a large dent in its wallpaper and Tsuna watched the following ripple of cracks that bended upwards to the fragile-looking ceiling. The rubble crumbled after every hit and the walls shook at the intensity of Xanxus's missed hits.
And then it clicked. Byakuran was purposely trying to make Xanxus hit the walls. He turned towards Uni, who stood there as if she hadn't notice that the entire room had turned into a tiny version of what the end of the world would look like. He looked up, seeing the ceiling bend under the shaky support of the cracked walls. He didn't give a chance to think. He ran towards Uni as fast as he could, running completely on instinct and adrenaline and he grabbed her by the arm and tugged her out of harm's way. It was so deafeningly loud, he couldn't even hear the screaming. He heard his own cry though. The ceiling finally gave out, half of it tumbling down to them. Even throughout the chaos of the room he could still hear the two strong bosses fighting without break, not evening noticing they were missing. He stood up shakily, coughing and swatting away the smoke of the debris, still holding onto Uni's hand. "Hey!" Tsuna said through a covered mouth, "Are you alright?"
If Uni heard his concern, she promptly ignored him. He realized then that she was looking at the floor for something. "What's wrong?" He yelled over the roar of battle, "Did you lose something?"
"Ribbon…" She said only, her voice faint.
He looked to the floor, squinting through the grey smoke. He kicked at the rocks, keeping Uni close behind as he did so. He kneeled down, releasing her hand for a moment and picked up something pink. He held it up close to his eyes to examine it. It was certainly a ribbon, tied at the end was what looked like an orange pacifier. He turned around, holding it out to Uni and he put it gently in her outstretched hands. Their eyes met. Then the most strangest feeling came over Tsuna. Like electricity jolted up their bodies, the two jumped in the air like they were just shocked with a defibrillator. She gasped. And Tsuna's eyebrows furrowed in confusion.
He wasn't given a chance to think more into it before another boom of Xanxus's fist meeting a wall resounded throughout the large room. He grabbed Uni's freehand, the one that wasn't holding the ribbon, and ran with her in tow, imagining the floor plans of the room before Xanxus destroyed it, judging where the exit was. His freehand was running against what was left of the walls and he could smell the outside of Cielo. They were close.
They emerged from the smoke, finally meeting an exit. What met their eyes was total chaos. People. A lot of people running away from the theatre. Some bumped into Uni, who looked troubled and confused by the roar of panic. He mentally registered how she wasn't at all expressionless anymore, her eyes apprehensive.
The two looked back, the sounds of more walls coming down in Xanxus's rage. He had no time to idle around. "Hurry!" Tsuna didn't want to waste time in the parking lot, if nothing else, this was his chance to escape the Varia. "We should go somewhere safe!"
"Wait!" Uni protested, grabbing his arm with shaky hands to stop him, "Wait! We have to wait for him! Them!"
"Byakuran?" Tsuna questioned incredulously, He was close to just leaving without her. If she wanted to stay with Byakuran then that was totally her choice.
"No!" She breathed out, and she actually looked at him strangely, as if he suggested something obscene. "We must wait for Gamma and Gokudera-san!"
His breathing stopped. He was happy to know that Gamma was alive, thrilled even, but…did he hear right? Did she just say Gokudera? Surely he heard wrong.
A familiar voice shouted out over the sound of the crowd, "Princess!"
The first to come into view was Gamma among the cluster of many unfamiliar faces, his suit dusted a gray color from the smoke. He jogged towards them, giving Tsuna a long look. They didn't have time to talk, Tsuna knew that, but he knew he'd have to explain how he escaped to Gamma later. And he wanted to know how he survived Byakuran's threats. But those thoughts came and went so fast he forgotten it the moment he proposed it to himself.
The girl and Tsuna looked at each other again, but this time the girl had a teary expression on her face. It surprised him. Why was she so expressionless only moments before? The blond-haired man hugged Uni close to himself preciously. Swinging her arms around his neck, "Gamma!"
The blond-haired man looked stunned, "Princess?"
"Gamma! It's me! I'm back!" The girl whispered, her voice tearful, "I'm back..." Gamma stared hard into her eyes, whispering her name once then held her head between his neck and shoulder. They embraced each other with great meaning among the panic and confusion and Tsuna couldn't help but think how beautiful it looked. He also felt like he was witnessing a very private moment. But he wanted to talk to Gamma. He wasn't sure what to do. Casting away his need to interrupt, Tsuna took a step backwards, hoping to at least stay out of ear-length. The girl in Gamma's arms jerked away at his movement and she gave him a desperate look, "Wait! Don't leave!" Tsuna blinked, he wasn't planning to, actually. The girl grabbed his hands, squeezing them. Tsuna's eyes widened, confused and shy by the sudden action. "You're...Giotto, aren't you?"
Tsuna blinked. What? Well, he hadn't been expecting that. "Um, uh, sorry, I think you got the wrong person-"
"No! I may not look like it, but it's me, Luce!" The pretty girl insisted, "You're only a tiny bit different, but you're him...you're really him...thank you, thank you so much..." He jumped, squeaking when she suddenly cupped his face gently with both hands. Now he was really confused. This girl was acting like she knew him.
He took another step back, his hands held up defensively, "I really, really think you got the wrong person. I'm not Giotto."
"What is your name?" She asked him instead, staring deeply into his eyes.
He stuttered to reply, overwhelmed by the attention of the girl, ignoring the fact that the intensity of her face so close to his was almost blinding, "Sawada...Tsunayoshi."
She smiled, a smile so dazzling it could've lighten up the entire city if she wanted it to. "Tsunayoshi. Finally…I found you."
He was about to question the strangeness in her words but then he heard it. A voice he hadn't heard in so long that he had almost forgotten it. It was a little different but he could pick it out easily. "Uni!" It sounded older, deeper, and stronger. It was just as husky as he remembered it. Tsuna scanned the panicking crowd for the owner of the voice.
And there he was, looking much older than he had last seen him. Emerging out in a coughing fit was Gokudera, glaring at the outside and its people with an expression of annoyance. His gray hair looked better on his matured face, his eyes smaller, nose longer, chin sharper. Had time passed that much for them? He turned his irritation at the back of Gamma's head, then it morphed into relief as he caught sight of Uni, safe and sound, and then he moved to him, standing rigidly at the girl's side.
Their eyes met.
Gokudera's expression morphed into stilled shock, his eyebrows furrowing, he looked as if he didn't believe what he was seeing. Tsuna could not hear it, but he could see Gokudera mouth his name, 'Tenth?'
It was then Tsuna's world turned upside down. His gaze was forcibly ripped from Gokudera's and there was a strange pressure at his stomach. He then realized he was being carried away over someone's shoulder. "No!" He yelled, kicking against his capturer. He saw Uni and the others grow smaller with distance.
Uni gasped at the empty spot where Tsuna once was, "Tsunayoshi!" She turned to follow but Gamma grabbed her and held her close. He barked orders at Gokudera, who snapped out of his trance. With fierce determination, he began to push roughly and ran as fast as he could against the flow of the crowd.
"Tsuna, calm down! It's me!" Levi protested against his flailing. He only struggled harder, hitting everything he could in reach. He'd rather die than go back! Gokudera was right in front of him!
"Let me go!" Tsuna demanded, "Let me go right now!" He punched against Levi's broad back, "Gokudera-kun!" Gokudera was further enticed by his call, and he began resorting to punching random strangers to advance in Tsuna's particular direction. Tsuna felt Levi throw him and he landed on his back in the familiar black car. The door slammed shut behind him.
Fran was instantly at his side, "Tsuna! What happened? You just disappeared all of a sudden! Are you alright?"
Tsuna got up, pushing Fran away with a shake of his head, "Let me out, I have to go!"
"Don't worry," Fran tried to reassured him, as Levi got in the driver's seat shortly after. "The boss and the others are fighting the Millefiore. It's turning into a full-out war in there. But they'll be fine, they're strong."
"No, that's not why I have to go," Tsuna said as he shook his head again, hands reaching for the doorknob in panic as the car's engine started up. Fran grabbed his hands to stop him and Tsuna twisted away to glare at the two Varia members. "Gokudera-kun is outside! I have to go to him!" He looked outside to see Gokudera yelling muted obscenities at their car, the crowd pushing against his will. Even so, he was still advancing rather quickly. Levi seemed to notice this because the car began to move away.
He honked once at the panicked pedestrians and they parted to let the car through. Once a clear path was certain, the car shot off and Tsuna and Fran felt themselves being pushed by the law of gravitation against the leather seats. Tsuna gasped, "I said stop the car!" He looked back, watching Gokudera sprint uselessly after them, and finally turning into a tiny figure in the horizon of the road, "Stop!" Tsuna put his hand to the car door threateningly, "Stop or I'll jump out!" That was definitely a bluff, and even he knew it.
They stared eachother down for a moment before Levi sighed, breaking the tense silence, "Fran, sorry to say, I think you have to knock him out for a bit. Boss said to take him back and its probably best we do it without him killing himself."
At hearing this proposal, Tsuna looked at Fran, begging with his eyes, "Don't do this. Please."
Fran gave him a pitying look and he felt his hope deflate in his chest. "I'm sorry, Tsuna."
And the world went black as he blinked once.
—
"There's been a big change in plans," Hibari quickly explained, his grip on the handles tightening, "Tsunayoshi has been taken back to the castle." He had caught sight of the monkey king, but unfortunately did not locate the boy. There were snippets of conversation among the others that he had happen to overhear. Xanxus had order the boy be taken back away from the danger. And a part of Hibari was grateful at his unexpected consideration but the other part was furious that he slipped through his hands again.
"Shit," Reborn cursed through the phone. It sounded wrong, despite how well he used the curse and at the appropriate moment for it, it was still offending to hear from a child. "What are you going to do?"
"I already said, I'm not going back until I have him."
"Then you're just going to waltz in there? Alone? Hibari, that's reckless. Stop your bike. Turn around. We'll try another day. We can't lose you."
"We can't lose him either," The boogie man easily countered, "He's more important than my well-being." He realized how easily misunderstanding his sentence would have been in another's ears. The words sounded strange coming out of his own mouth; it was foreign to admit it, but it was true.
Reborn let out a ragged sigh, "I'm heading to the old Acrobaleno base. And at least make a distraction of some sort. Put my old heart at ease. "
Hibari hung up.
—
When he blinked again, before he even knew it, he was at the Varia estate. He looked blearily around, his eyes comprehending what his brain didn't want to believe. They had long since stepped out of the car and now climbed up the white pristine steps of the castle. He looked to his left, watching from a side-ways angle as the gate that lead to his freedom was growing smaller and smaller as they walked. His body felt slack, like he couldn't control it. They really had knocked him out. What did Fran do to him? He looked up, watching with angry eyes at the person carrying him. Levi tried his best to ignore it.
"Tsuna!" A voice called, worried. His eyes flickered up to Lussuria, who was suddenly at his side. Even though he knew the man was not responsible for what had happened, he glared at him too.
Lussuria looked vaguely stunned by this, but after sharing a glance with both Fran and Levi he understood somewhat. Tsuna was very mad at them. And he couldn't help but put Xanxus to mind as he thought of the cause. "Take him to his room, Lussuria," Tsuna felt himself being exchanged gently from Levi to Lussuria's hands. "And...make sure he isn't injured."
The sunglasses-wearing man nodded mutelessly and turned around, making a beeline to the Varia member's quarters with the boy in his arms. The multi-colored haired man didn't speak as they made their way. It was increasingly awkward for the sun-user, but if Tsuna wasn't so angry he'd probably be twice as embarrassed for being carried in such a shameful way. Lussuria opened the door with one hand, balancing Tsuna's motionless body in one arm. Nudging it with his foot open he took a step in the room and laid Tsuna gently down on the soft bed.
Lussuria sent him a worrying glance, taking a step back outside and closed the door with a click so quiet it was barely a whisper. It was that moment that felt like he failed. He failed at life, at everything really. He was so close. So close to Gokudera, and maybe he was so close to going home. The sound of that door only reminded him that he was back, back in the castle, back to where he had started. Even though he wasn't really expecting anything from the mission he had happened to see a old friend of his. To say that he was okay with only that would be a very bad lie.
Tsuna let a strange sound erupt from his throat. The teenager realized he was crying. He let out another sob, throwing a hand over his eyes. He was so close! He saw him, only meters away! What was he even doing? Why didn't he see Levi coming? Why didn't he run when he had the chance? Why was he so amazingly useless? He gritted his teeth, shoving a pillow over his face as if to suffocate himself to death. He pressed it against his mouth and nose, willing his breathing to stop.
He wanted to go home. He wanted to go home now. He sat up, feeling the effects of Fran's illusion fade away. He walked to the desk, for apparently no reason. He wanted to walk, to feel like he was in control of the situation. Slamming an angry fist onto the surface of the desk, he stood tensely there for a moment, staring at his reddening hand before Tsuna allowed his body go slack soon after. He slid down the side of the expensive furniture, rubbing the tears away furiously. It was so frustrating, and he voiced it, "I... was so close." He whispered into the wood, "I was so close..."
He was about to go off repeating it uselessly too but a loud explosion stopped him mid-sentence. It was so unexpected, so uncalled for, Tsuna actually did stop breathing. He sat up straighter, using the desk to level himself up. He wiped off his wet face with his sleeve. What was that?
—
"Go, go, go!" Ken snarled at the others, they did, running ahead. Chrome waved her trident, tapping it once against the floor, and some fell right away to the ground from the intensity of her illusions. Others, the more stronger ones in intuition were easily picked off by Lanchia. He swung his chain ball, and bodies flew brutally in all directions.
M.M talked rapidly on the phone to Mukuro, "Mukuro-sama, it's time, find him quick then get out of there!"
Mukuro on the other line nodded, his hand gripping the phone tightly as he hung up. Mukuro had planned to just take Tsuna quietly without them noticing But their plan had failed when the two bosses of the Millefiore and Varia decided to rip the entire theater apart. It would've been easy to just grab Tsuna then but it was too late, the Varia threw him in the car and sped off. After Chrome explained that the uproar in pedestrians confused them, they quickly followed the car. It wasn't hard, Ken could run surprisingly fast in his cheetah channel. He was the first to come, carrying Chrome on his back. Upon arriving at the Varia castle, Chrome contacted Mukuro, and one thing led to another shortly after that.
Mukuro put a hand to his forehead as he scanned the hallway in front of him, wondering where to even start. He didn't have all the time in the world to check every room. By now, word of an invasion probably made news to Xanxus miles away. Knowing the stupid king, he'd be back in a flash to kill them all.
They weren't elite, but at least they could pick off some people. Most of the strongest members weren't here. The explosion, however, was only Chrome's illusion, may have been a big giveaway to the rest of the Kokuyo gang but it was a great distraction for Mukuro. He couldn't idle. And he couldn't open all the doors. He needed to find Tsunayoshi fast. Somehow.
"My, my." A child-like voice said flatly from behind him, "This is quite a surprise."
Stopping mid-step, he relaxed at recognizing the voice that spoke. Mukuro closed his eyes and smirked, "Same here. I never thought we'd meet again."
"I was sure that Byakuran had imprisoned you," Mammon commented, "How in the world did you escape?"
The indigo-haired man laughed, "Oya, you're interested?" He paused dramatically to put a finger to his lips, "...It's a secret." He turned around, to see a lone, short figure in the middle of the hallway, "What I'm interested about is how you and the Acrobaleno turned out like this. Did something happen to your boss?"
"Uni is a failure as our leader," Mammon replied, "She was tricked easily by the Millefiore. We had even told her countless times not to approach them. A kind heart is unhealthy for this world. Not only that, we suffer from her mistake. Now look at us. We're...children. So do not be stupid, Rokudo Mukuro. You may look at me as a child, but I have an experience that expands far more than you can ever comprehend."
"I wouldn't dare," Mukuro denied with a low chuckle, "I know behind that cute face is an elderly man."
—
There was a knock on his door. Tsuna's eyebrows furrowed. He wasn't sure whether to ignore it or not. He was still very sore about earlier though. He honestly didn't want to see anyone, not even Fran. He was still hurt that his closest member would even knock him out. He sighed, staring at his feet and he chose to ignore it until a voice whispered through the door with more knocks, this time with urgency, "Sawada-dono, it's me."
Tsuna blinked. That voice, it could only be one person. Frieda? "Come in." He called, straightening himself out.
Frieda flew into the room, her dress billowing as she approached Tsuna. "Sawada-dono, we don't have much time," She explained quickly, pulling him to the door by the arms, "I know that you don't know me that well, but I'm actually from Vongola and I'm here to bring you back to safety." She pulled on his arm and he tugged his arm away.
"Wait, wait, wait. Slow down." Tsuna protested wearily, not liking the way this conversation was going, "Vongola? Listen, as much as I want to get out of here, I really don't want to belong to another organization. I've gotten into too much trouble as it is." He was sick of being involved into things he never wanted to be part of. First Millefiore, then Kokuyo, after that Varia, now Vongola? There was no way he was going to willingly throw himself into more danger no matter how much he wanted to go home. He went to missions for the sake of looking for Hibari or Gokudera and look where that led him! Being sold as some power-slave to a ruthless monopolizing boss!
"I understand it's alot to take in," She reassured him, "But the reason why Xanxus had moved you to this room was because he suspected a spy among the Varia, me actually, but no, Sawada-dono," Frieda pleaded, "You must come! Hibari-dono is here! He's here right now looking for you!" Tsuna's eyes widened.
"He's really here?" Tsuna asked doubtfully.
"I swear it on my life," Frieda nodded solemnly, "He was looking for you in the Al Forno theater but then...all of a sudden you came back here and..." Frieda sighed, "Please believe me Sawada-dono, my job may be all about lying to people but I swear that I only speak the truth this time. He' s been looking for you for ages, he's hardly taking care of himself. I promise he's here, I really do." Tsuna stared at their connected hands and Frieda continued, kneeling on both knees, "Remember earlier I was saying that I finally found something and I was really happy? It's you, Sawada-dono. You were under my nose all along and I hadn't even known your surname until yesterday. I was told to look for a boy called 'Sawada Tsunayoshi'. I was ordered to find you because you went missing from your home. Vongola is your organization, Sawada-dono. We were created for the purpose of protecting you. Please," She begged harder, "Please believe me."
Tsuna looked to the window at the gray sky, wondering if he should take the bait or not. He's been too kind-hearted all this time. He remembered a time when he would've just naively taken up the offer without much thought. Now, there was always a sense of doubt in the back of his mind. When had he changed so much? He looked down at Frieda, pulling her up to meet eye to eye. "I believe you. Where is he?"
Frieda sighed in relief, and Tsuna felt relaxed at her sincerity. She straightened up, "I will lead you to him, do you have any belongings?"
Tsuna looked to his nightstand, the pink purse looked odd against the colors of his new room. If he went now then it wouldn't be his room anymore. He breathed in and out deeply and grabbed the bag, but didn't swing it over his shoulder. It clashed horribly against his formal suit. "I'm ready."
—
"Well, this is really bad." Iemitsu put a forehead to the table. "Ok, let me get this straight," He sat up, staring at Reborn through the computer screen, "So not only is Hibari going to infiltrate the castle by himself, I'll repeat, by himself, there is also the Kokuyo there?"
Reborn's childish face scrunched up, as he adjusted the monitor. "I know. The guy just won't listen to me this time. He's rather thick in the head when he's set on something. He won't even answer his damn phone. Most likely," Reborn glanced at his oversized watch at his wrist. It had been his when he was...bigger, "He's there. And fortunately for us, Kokuyo's invasion made a good distraction, Hibari came at a good time. I actually doubt anyone but us knows he's in there. He's the master of hiding after all."
"I know," Iemitsu groaned into his mug, "I would know. He's been stalking my son for years now."
Reborn chuckled for a moment but forced his face to turn stony to assess the seriousness of the situation, "Basil is helping him. I contacted him briefly and explained what was going on. Right about now, he should be helping Tsuna get to Hibari safely. But..." Reborn sat back, putting his legs onto the table, "I'm concerned about the Kokuyo. It's a known fact that they want the royals. I think they somehow found out who Tsuna really is. Why else would they bother attacking the castle when Xanxus is out otherwise?"
"You're probably right." He shook his head to correct himself, "You're always right." He looked to the ceiling with pained eyes, "Please Tsuna. Please be safe."
—
Frieda stopped Tsuna with a motion of her hand, peeking over the corner, "Alright, it's this way."
"Where are we going?" Tsuna asked quietly, staying close behind.
"Originally we planned to meet up at the greenhouse. There is hardly anyone there right now. But then the castle right now is almost completely empty."
"What?" He exclaimed in a whisper, "Why?"
"Well, a majority went to help at Al Forno. There's a huge turf war going on right now over there between the Varia and the Millefiore." Tsuna shuddered here, and he saw it all start too. He prayed with sincere feelings that Gamma, Uni, and Gokudera made it out alright. "And the other..." Frieda paused, as if contemplating the right words to say, "Let's just say they're all very busy in the front of the castle. Your best bet is to escape from the back."
Tsuna nodded in agreement and gasped inaudibly as Frieda pulled him away into a room. She pushed him further back, peeking out through a crack in the door.
A woman Varia member ran past, yelling to her companion, "Damn those Millefiore! And those Kokuyo! They're probably both working together damn it, they're picking on us at the same time!" Tsuna blinked, making out the word, 'Kokuyo'. They were also fighting the Varia right now?
"There's no helping it," The other said to the woman, "Boss is here now, he'll take care of those annoying kids."
Frieda and he exchanged panicked stares. Xanxus was back. Was there no hope at all? Frieda helped Tsuna stand up as the hallway became empty again. "Sawada-dono." Tsuna looked up, staring into her mesmerizing blue eyes. "I'm going to ask you a very selfish request. Will you listen to me?"
"Of course," He answered, "What is it?"
"Sawada-dono, I need you to go on without me."
He blinked, not sure he heard that right, "Excuse me?"
Frieda closed her eyes, "Sawada-dono, you may not know this, having been confined in your room almost all the time, I'm actually Xanxus's door maid. My positions are simple; near his room, near his study, near him in particular. I hear his every complaint, every order, that's how I came to serve you. He ordered me to. I can't stay with you if he really is back. Once he realizes that I'm not near his door, through rain or snow or invasion, he will know something is wrong. The reason I'm here is to be the other eye of the Vongola and its necessary for me to stay here to, what you would say, spy on them. Do you understand?"
Tsuna nodded, mutely, stricken by the barrage of her words. "So I have to go...and meet him myself?"
There was a hesitant moment, as if she was looking for a better way to put it. She found none and nodded solemnly.
He suddenly felt afraid. It was ridiculous. It was only moments before, he was begging and praying to see Hibari with all his might and when the moment finally came he wished to be away for awhile longer. He honestly didn't know what he wanted anymore. Maybe he was afraid Hibari would seriously hate him for being away for so long. Maybe he was afraid of what Hibari would think of him, knowing too much about him. Maybe he was just afraid of him. He was comfortable with going with Frieda because well, she seemed like an ice-breaker in the situation. Now that she wasn't going to be there, he wouldn't know what to say or what to do when they finally reunited.
"Sawada-dono?" She questioned, only slightly worried that he still wanted her to come despite her good reasoning.
"I...I'll do it." He accepted, voice heavy with burden. Frieda sighed a big sigh in relief. He continued, "But I don't know where to go. You're going to have to give me instructions." After quickly explaining the layout of where to go, Tsuna smiled at Frieda with sincerity he had almost forgotten. "Thank you Frieda, you've helped me so much."
Frieda looked a bit confused. Then she giggled as if he told a good joke, her laughter like bells. "There's something else I should tell you, Sawada-dono."
Tsuna blinked, "Yes?"
She leaned in, her hands cupping around Tsuna's ear to whisper, "My real name is Basil."
He jerked away to look at her face, to see if she was really kidding. The blue-eyed girl laughed, shaking her head, "I'm being completely serious. My real name is Basil."
He stared at her face, trying to find a clue for the suspicion growing in his mind, "Then...wouldn't that mean...you're.."
"A boy?" She—no, he laughed, his voice sounded strangely masculine now that he knew his true gender, "Yes. I am." Tsuna's mouth dropped, his eyes widened. And guessing by the look on the other boy's face, he was completely serious. So all along since day one, Frieda was...a boy? And all this time he thought the guy was kinda...pretty? After wiping away a joyful tear away, Basil smiled at him, "It's time for me to go."
"Wait!...Basil," Tsuna called out uncertainly as the crossdressed boy turned his back to the teen, "...Why don't you just come with me? Then we can go back to Vongola together?"
The sandy-haired boy smiled, feeling warm inside by Tsuna's concern. "I'd love to go with you, but I have some unfinished business to wrap up. But I promise; you and I will meet again soon."
—
Chrome's lower lip quivered and the only thing keeping her upright was her shaking legs. Fran stared quite blandly at her, his eyes almost seeing through her, "I never thought we'd meet again, Chrome-sempai."
Chrome's one eye stared uncertainly at her feet, her trident gripped loosely in her hands. She bit her lip, "I'm younger than you, Fran. There's no need to call me that." She looked at the others, completely preoccupied with their own situations that no one had even noticed Fran approaching her. She took a wary step back, "I see that you...are still here."
"Yes," Fran replied sadly, "I'm quite happy here."
"That's good," She said quietly, but was sincerely happy for her old friend. "Does everyone treats you fairly, Fran? I heard that you...found someone." She recalled hearing about Belphegor before when she and Chikusa had come here a long time ago to observe Fran's progress back when Tsunayoshi was still with them. Even though they had parted ways, everyone still missed the neon-haired male. He was still near and dear to all their hearts though some of them didn't like to admit it.
"Yes," He confirmed, "Even though there is an occasional stab to my head from Bel-sempai, and even if boss is a bit of a slave driver, they're all very nice people despite their reputation. They are alot like what we used to be; misunderstood."
Chrome closed her one eye, feeling it water up. A flood of emotions swept through her and she just then realized how much she missed talking with him. Fellow illusionists always did understand more about each other than others. It was just all this talk about Fran's new life that overwhelmed her with sadness. "I see." Was all she could manage out, a choke to her voice.
"Chrome-sempai," Fran began hesitantly, and the girl looked up, wiping her eye, "Why did you come here?" He asked, but he probably knew why.
The violet-haired girl saw no reason to lie. "We are here for Tsunayoshi. He is a good friend of mine and Mukuro-sama's, actually."
Fran stared at her, uncertain of her answer, "Not because he's the prince?"
She paused for a moment, searching for the easy way out the truth, but found none. She nodded her head very sadly and slowly, "That too."
—
Tsuna stumbled, his feet going faster than his brain was running. How was it possible to feel so much for one person? Though he did not really know where the man was at the moment, or if he was already there waiting for him, but he could feel his entire being singing out to Hibari. He could feel him, and it ran deeper than his bones. It was like a magnetic force was pulling him towards one direction, where he knew he'd be.
Had this situation happened months earlier, Tsuna probably would've been exhausted by now. But his body was toned, long runs never tired him easily now. It was different-feeling. He could tell he had changed, and he was scared and eager. Eager to know and scared to find out what Hibari's reaction would be. But not finding, out to him, was worse than dying.
He turned the corner, nearly leaving his shoes behind from the leg-breaking pace as he pivoted. If he had actually left his shoes, he probably wouldn't even come back for them. He sprinted through the long hallway, distinctively hearing some screaming in the back of his head. He was going insane, his body couldn't stand another second away and it was like he was rocking his chair on its legs, knowing there was a chance he was going to fall, but not stopping all the same.
Finally, he met a long, tall set of doors and he recognized the dining room as he opened it. To his immense disappointment, there was no one there. Despite the chaos that had happened here between the fight he and Xanxus had, it was completely pristine and untouched by the spoils of their little war. The table was already set, the multiple pairs of spoons and forks decorating each side of the plates aligned each chair, a real and palpable definition of symmetricality.
The chandelier that hung majestically above, he remembered, it had been in tatters only hours before, was polished and bright against his eyes. He stepped rigidly near his normal chair, awaiting, for something, anything to happen. The air felt tense under his nervousness, he couldn't bring himself to take a seat, because if he did, he knew that he'd just jump back up to pace around the room.
So he stood, coiled and waiting.
The door behind him opened.
—
If you ever asked Hibari when he was ever going to find Tsuna again, he would've always said, 'soon' with a blank stare and pressed lips. Even he could not resist the rising guilt in his gut whenever someone stared at him with accusing eyes. People had often blamed him for Tsunayoshi's disappearance, and he couldn't agree more, despite his life-time unlimited celestial-sky-high amount of pride. But nothing he ever did before was as close as he was now. Everything felt like it was burning around him, his feet barely made a sound as he ran through this invisible fire, his tonfas at his sides for any unwelcome company. It quickened his steps, enticing him to never stop and just keep looking. He was also well aware of people spotting him, but they were so preoccupied by the invasion of the Kokuyo and the turf war at Al Forno they spared no second glance to the mysterious black-suited man that ran with so much urgency past them.
In a way, Hibari felt just like them now. Strange how all his life he felt like he never belonged with others yet here he was; acting like a complete fool over some child as others were fools for the safety of their fort and organization.
Maybe he was just trying to correct his mistakes, to prove them wrong, or maybe, just maybe, for once this wasn't about him. Maybe all this pain and misery he felt for the past months has been nothing but the thought of Tsunayoshi on his mind. Naive, stupid, thick-headed Sawada Tsunayoshi.
And the only thing separating them both, was but a single door.
—
He turned around, his heart feeling like it would combust out of his chest.
What met his eyes was completely unexpected.
"Mukuro?" Was the name that fell out of his mouth like throw-up. The indigo-haired man stepped in, closing the door behind him with gentle hands. He never took his eyes off Tsuna, as if he was a fierce animal ready to tear out his throat at the next notice. And by the way he felt, Tsuna almost felt compelled to do so. He choked out a sentence, "What are you doing here?" It sounded rude, even to his ears.
"I've come to rescue you," Mukuro said slowly, trying to calm Tsuna down with his smooth voice. It didn't work. It only drove him over the cliff, it confirmed what he was seeing was truly real.
"You..." He began, taking a step away from him, "You shouldn't be here." He took another step away, his hand grabbing a fork from the table. "You're not suppose to be here."
"But I am here," Mukuro said, putting his hands up, to show he wasn't going to hurt him. Tsuna wondered what he looked like, rabid? Crazed and mentally incapable? He pointed the fork at Mukuro as he stepped towards Tsuna, "Calm down, Tsunayoshi. It's me." He squinted at Tsuna, wondering if the boy was under an illusion. When he could not uncover one, he felt seriously alarmed. "It's me, Mukuro." He tried again, hoping his name would at least ring some bells.
"I know who you are." Tsuna breathed out in a whisper, he quoted Byakuran's words, "A killer." He felt guilty the moment he said it too, because Mukuro flinched visibly at the word, and he also knew exactly what he was talking about and stared at Tsuna with wide eyes, disbelieving. He continued to justify his point and to hide the regret, "Y-You lied to me. You lied to Chrome and M.M and Ken—how could you do that to them? How could you just push all this hope onto them when I can't even accomplish it? I can't do something like that." It was then, instantly, Mukuro realized that Tsuna knew who exactly he was and why he was after him. He closed his eyes, thinking of what to say. Tsuna felt his back hit the wall. He was cornered and he knew it, "I can't make wishes come true."
Mukuro's eyes darkened, realizing where Tsuna was going with this, "You think I'm only here because you can grant my wishes?"
"Yes!" Tsuna hissed, breathing hard against the back of his hand. "Stay away from me," He edged away to the other corner of the room as Mukuro began to slowly zero in on him. He could've used his flames to threaten him or to run away but there was still a tiny voice in the back of his mind telling him not to do it. He couldn't raise a hand against someone he knew. It was different than hitting targets in the practice room. "D-Don't come closer," He begged as Mukuro backed him into the other corner, his mismatched eyes narrowed and angry. The indigo-haired man slammed his hands on both sides of the boy's head, and Tsuna whimpered as the older man's face came closer, so close, Tsuna's last chance of escape was suddenly thrown away like a distant wish. "W-Wait. Wait, Mukuro, wait..."
"That's not true, that's not true at all..." Was the hot whisper that came, the heat of the words fanning against his face.
Before he even knew it, or could even question it, the guy kissed him.
—
Putting pale fingers to the doorknob he twisted his wrist. It opened rather slowly, he let it though, ignoring the fact that he was suddenly nervous. Silently letting out a deep breath, Hibari stepped into the room. He lifted his eyes. At first, he was alarmed by the presence of someone who did not look like Tsunayoshi at all. The man had a dark blue shade to his hair, a common hair color among residents in Cielo. The man in question was crouched in the corner of the long dining room, and it was difficult to make him out in detail from so far away. He stared at the strange pose, wondering what on earth this man could be doing alone. As he studied further, he realized they were not the only two present.
Looking past the shoulders of the indigo-haired man was brown hair. Brown hair. The hairstyle. The position the two were in. Two and two came together.
And it clicked.
Hibari snarled, his throat hurting from its intensity. He ran to the couple in the corner, he didn't even have to put much thought to it. He lifted his tonfa, it was as quick as lightening as he brought it down the unknown man's head. His tonfa easily ripping through the wallpaper like tissue, but Hibari stumbled into the wall, disorientated by his own fury. He realized that he had missed. He looked up, staring death and hate at the indigo-haired man.
—
It was just so sudden that Tsuna did not understand what had just happened. It was only a split second where he felt Mukuro's lips touch his, then he was suddenly jerked forward into a hard chest. He stood, confused and troubled by the sudden action then heard a bam of a wall meeting contact with something hard, the resounding rip of paper, and deep breathing. He had to stared at Mukuro's shirt before he could comprehend what he was doing and where he was before his felt his head boil in anger, feeling absolutely violated of his rights. He looked up and opened his mouth to yell at Mukuro, or protest, anything, or just tell the man off and to leave him alone when he realized that the illusionist wasn't even paying attention to him. Mukuro stared, over Tsuna's head at what was behind him.
He turned his head, almost casually.
He stared, his heart racing, eyes watering, his brain stuttering. Was he dreaming? Was this an illusion again? Tsuna would not be surprised if someone had told him that he was sleeping this whole entire time. Even though he had been expecting this moment for awhile now, he'd still believe he was imagining all this.
How many times had he pictured their reunion? How many times had he imagined the moment when they would meet eyes again? They all were countless, all unique in their own special way, but none of them were as palpable as the real thing. None of those silly imitations could compare to the authenticity of the moment. If he thought that he was aware of everything only minutes before, he had the knowledge of the world in his hands now. Riplets like ribbons of emotion flooded through his body like a tidal wave, and his body shook because it could not withstand the overwhelming torrid of feelings. Whatever happened to boundaries? When did he ever think he was 'enough' to defeat Xanxus? It was only now he felt disillusioned and strong. Now, he felt like he could take on the whole world.
There were no limits, because he was right there in front of him. This was not a fake, this was not a foggy-faced man in front of him or even a wisp of a cheap illusion. This was Hibari, the genuine article.
AN: DAMN. Was that intense or what? I was close to peeing my pants and hell, I was the one writing it. Let's go over a few things because next chapter will be a lot of answering.
So much just happened, I seriously feel like my brain just imploded from all these events. But I'll recap; First of all, we just found out Byakuran and Uni are the other two royals and discovered why Mukuro was kept in the Millefiore base alive and preserved. Not only that, we also found out that Gamma is very much still alive and Gokudera is somehow working with them. Just when Tsuna is about to meet Gokudera, he is taken back to the Varia castle. The Kokuyo follow them, infiltrating their castle, illusionists meet again (Fran and Chrome, Mammon and Mukuro). Frieda is Basil! He's been crossdressing, the little slag 3 Mukuro gets to Tsuna first but not in the way you all expected. And that's not all, Hibari walks in on Tsuna's very first kiss. (Did you all remember that Tsuna still owed Mukuro a kiss? He just took it by force.)
Wow. I am amazed I just wrote all that in one chapter. Was that too fast? Also, this confused some people; I wouldn't say Hibari 'knows' what he is feeling for Tsuna, he's got an idea, but he really really doesn't know what it is. He's got this idea in his head that 'Sawada Tsunayoshi is off limits'. Okay. Spoiling too much. Will be explained later.
Also some have been asking me how long exactly Tsuna has been in Cielo. Let us go back in time and think about the events so far; Reborn's and Bianchi's wedding was in June, and Tsuna already knows his birthday has passed making him 15-16 years old (he doesn't know) and therefore it has been a little over four and a half months since he's been gone. Satisfied? Good. :D Hibari's age? I don't know. Please just imagine he's 25 forever. D:
Sorry I type a lot in my author notes. ;-;