Chapter 20
Tsuna winced as he woke up with an aching headache. He must have hit his head with something as he fell. Realization came to him immediately and sat right up, only his head to hurt again. Gentle hands held his shoulders as he was steadied. He remembered this kind of gentle hands before, but he just couldn't put it into picture.
"You have to lay down a little more, Decimo-sama," a woman's voice echoed.
Tsuna grumbled as the image of Moon Raven and the rest of the agents in a white room. It was dimly lit, and he could barely make out their faces because of the dimness of the room. "What…? What happened?"
"We fell into several traps that the base has," Tsuna noticed Spider Lily sitting on one corner beside Amaryllis, a laptop on his lap.
"And we can't get any connection on the base. We must be really deep down or all modes of signals are blocked in this place…" Amaryllis informed. "I can't gather any signal no matter how much I try…"
Tsuna was wondering by then on where the others had gone, considering almost all of them are agents. Phoenix Dawn noticed this distress, "Don't worry Decimo-sama, I bet everyone is fine. Anything is, other than this place…" he assured.
"Where are we anyway?" Tsuna wondered again. He really couldn't help but get the feeling that something was not right. That something will go awfully wrong would come his way if they stayed here any longer.
"Why, the Heart of the Millefiore of course!" a sinister voice echoed. Just after the voice spoke, the room, or rather, box that they were on began to move downwards again. It made everyone in the box room hang in for the wall as to not hit the ground in full force face first.
The movement of the container they are in moved in a rapid speed downward and because of the speed, they were momentarily lifted from the ground.
"What the hell is going on?" Anemone complained as they were lifted off gravity by three meters from where they were sitting on just moments before. Clearly no one knows when the movement downwards could stop but they know that it will hurt if they fall face first on the ground.
"What do you think idiot?" Red Rose questioned. "We will fall face first if we ever stop moving down! This thing is like a carrier of some sort!" she warned. As she did, the movement suddenly stopped and all fell to the ground with a resounding thud. All sat up as to return their saneness for a while before observing and guessing where they might have stopped.
Tsuna was the one who regained his mindset first, "That voice…it's Byakuran's. Darn it where did he bring us this time?"
"That man has many crazy thoughts than one sadist could have," Lightning Wolf commented.
"I agree on that notion," Blue Moon stated.
Suddenly, one side of the box-like room was lifted, revealing a white tunnel with a bright light on the end of it. Everyone stared at it for a while until Spider Lily had the guts to come out of the container. Noticing the stares, she spoke, "What? It's not like we're going anywhere with that stupid box room," she said and left. The others followed in tow.
They all walked in silence, making sure that if anything funny happens in the interiors of the tunnel, they will be ready for it.
Tsuna couldn't help but feel that something is not going to be good. He has been feeling that ever since he woke up from the trap set up by Byakuran all over the base. Maybe that was the reason why the base has no guards to start with, but at what expense? And how on earth is he planning on using his daughter for it? As the seconds passed, he really couldn't stop worrying for her. He has only encountered her less than five times, and he was rather an idiot for not noticing what was in front of him from the moment he has seen the 'coincidental' resemblance. He should have issued an order to find out facts about her right away.
Anemone was beside Tsuna at that time, and he has been noticing the worried expression his eyes were making. Paternal instincts, that's what it was. He has always seen it at Himeno's father every time they have a dangerous mission and ends up getting hospitalized for sprains and wounds. "Decimo-sama," Tsuna looked at him, "Please don't be worried about White Lotus too much. I know she is strong and she can endure anything that comes her way. She's not a fragile glass. Believe in her strength," he comforted.
Tsuna smiled, "Why are you telling me this? Is Himeno important to you in a way, Anemone?" he wondered.
Anemone smiled, "Let's just say she is somewhat my best friend in the organization. In fact, if it wasn't for her, I wouldn't be here with the other agents…"
They arrived at the end of the tunnel fifteen minutes later.
The room they went into was full of contraptions and machines of different kinds in automatic mode. There at the middle was a white cylindrical container and below its stand was where the white devil resides, reading through a file.
…
Just at that moment, all connections with Tsuna and the agents went back, starting with Irie. "I got them back!" he announced.
"So did I!" Athena informed the others. One by one, the connections to the missing people for the last ten minutes were finally back.
It was then when Azalea noticed something. "They seem to be talking to someone else,"
Without hesitation, all groups who were left behind replied in unison "Patch it to us. It might be him," they insisted.
The technicians did all they could to let them hear the conversation, but Irie did something else, "I'll bug the cameras in the room to see things clearly," he informed.
It took thirty seconds before the screen focused on only the room where they are now.
…
"Byakuran…" Tsuna seethed.
As if not feeling the killing intents of the people who entered the chamber, the man smiled, "Welcome to the Heart of the Millefiore Base! I'm surprised you didn't land here face first," he mused.
"Where's White Lotus?" Anemone demanded his rage evident in his masked eyes.
The man smiled widely as he stood and tapped the white frosted container, "In here of course. I had to restrain her or she will resort in destroying the whole base with her unbelievable flames because of her rage to me," he commented as he waved up the file labeled 'Himeno Suiri-Sawada/White Lotus Observations'.
"What did you do to her?" Blue Moon demanded as she clutched at her husband to restrain her temper and to prevent herself from attacking, knowing that it would only be suicidal to do so.
"Me? Oh nothing really. After I abducted her, I placed her in a little sleep and observed her here," he explained. "You should have seen her face when she found out that contraptions were attached to her and we took her two rings—sun and sky unsurprisingly—and her metal gloves. She gave out quite a shock to the thermal meter of the dying will flames. Of course, I placed her to sleep again so that she wouldn't destroy the contraptions by malfunctioning…" he mused. It was a wonder that he could still maintain his smile after telling them on how he dissected the hidden vulnerability, that when ticked off, will produce disaster.
"You bastard…" Red Rose seethed.
Moon Raven stopped the girl before she could attack the man unnecessarily. "What would you gain with White Lotus in your disposal?" she questioned.
Byakuran tilted his head. Placing the file on the table he was at, he pressed a button opening the container. Out came Himeno, in a rather exhausted state. It was like all the physical energy in her was gone and was sucked out of her. She looked like a total mess that could be compared to someone who has a high fever. "Hm…well, there's destroying the lives of the Vongola Boss and Guardians, how about that?"
Tsuna was in disarray right now. He really couldn't decide whether he should be worried about Himeno or finding out a way to remove Byakuran's head clean off his shoulders. In that moment, Himeno opened her eyes weakly. They could tell that she was only half awake. "Let go of her!" Tsuna and Phoenix Dawn shouted in unison.
Byakuran smiled, "My, my, two fathers? You must be Mori Suiri, am I correct?" he guessed. Then a thought came to his mind, "Well, before I wake this little one up," he said nudging at the girl, "I've been curious as to who you masked people are. Why don't you guys take off your masks?"
"No way, the mask is the concealment of every agent," Red Rose countered.
The man's eyes turned sharp, "Then you wouldn't want something bad happening to her, now, wouldn't you?" he then took out a short blade and aimed it at Himeno's neck.
Azalea was seething seeing that her foster cousin was in such a state. "Damn it…" she cursed.
The teens clutched their hands. In desperation, Spider Lily, Amaryllis and Red Rose took off their masks first. It shocked the whole people in the room and in the Vongola Base Control Room. What appeared before them was none other than Himeno's school companions, Ai, Shinkiro and the Student Council President Risa respectively.
Btakuran's eyes widened with interest, "My, my, I guess the saying 'birds of the same feather flock together' was true after all. But I could understand the logic behind why you are in the same school though,"
Azalea slammed her fists on one of the room's tables. "To think he would persuade them to take it off…"
"What is the significance of the masks anyway?" Athena asked who was also clearly shocked that the closest people of them in the school would actually be a group of agents from Vendetta, as if they were living normal lives—the lives that they themselves wanted.
Azalea calmed herself before answering, "For us, the mask is a sign that no matter what we do in this organization, we are still apart from it. So to say, we are different in actions as a person and as an agent. It is the only sign that tells us that we can still live normal lives in the society of normality. Once an agent takes off their masks purposely, unlike the scene before you, it is a sign of resignation or retirement. Our grandfather did that when Himeno arrived to us three years later to live as a normal man for the rest of his life…" she explained.
Byakuran eyed the five people left. Himeno's foster parents took of theirs, since Byakuran already know their identities. But the three were struggling. They don't know whether they will take it off or not.
Anemone was having the hardest time among them. His identity was something he didn't want from the day he knew how his life is. But Himeno was the one who gave him a happy childhood and friends. She was the one who taught him that there are better things than locking himself up and listens to what was being shoved into his ears. He has no family to turn to ever since, and Himeno treated her like her own twin brother. The same goes for her foster parents. If they loved Himeno as their real child, then they had done the same for him. He had learned how to love a family, and how to be loved by them.
And he had great gratitude to her family—to Himeno. He would do anything for her...even if it means blowing who he is.
Slowly touching his mask, everyone anticipated who the best friend of the famed White Lotus was. He pressed a button on the sides of the mask and unclipped the hood that was hiding his hair and let down his mask.
There they saw in wonder as it revealed a mass of white fluffy hair and violet eyes that looked like a certain white devil in human form. But this version was more innocent than him. The boy showed determined eyes, eying the girl he had considered family more than his own.
Byakuran's eyes widened as he saw the boy in front of him that was the closest person to the Vongola Eleventh. He suddenly felt hoodwinked and played at. He looked at the boy with anger as he lowered the dagger a bit from the brunette girl's neck "To think that my own son would betray me…" he seethed. "I knew there was something up with you when you chose not to come with me on this particular occasion…but at this very reason? To go against your own father?" he questioned. The boy kept silent, and so did the others, "Answer me Julian Gesso!" he demanded.
At the control room, everyone was dead silent; all were looking pale at the shock to find out that Byakuran's own son sided with them rather than his father, a blood relative no less. They all looked at Azalea who seemed calm.
Kantaro snorted as he listened along with the future guardians, "I knew there was something weird about this guy," he muttered.
Rolo chuckled, "To think that we were evil to him for the past weeks…"
"Only to find out that Himeno's trust in people is always given to the right ones," Narumi continued.
"This is surprising," Gilbert commented on the other line.
"Cool! So Julian is really on our side then," Seishiro stated with a contended smile.
Back at the Heart Chamber, Byakuran was still waiting for Julian's answer. It took a minute before he looked at his father eye to eye. "I betrayed you because I treat Himeno as a sister," he answered. "You were never a father to begin with, so I had no 'debt' to you, maybe except my living expenses and such, but that was all. You were doing it because you have to for what my mother had left behind when she died," he informed. Julian never told anyone that his mother was just a normal citizen that Byakuran had spent time with, only to find out that she was a rich heiress. When she died, all her properties were sent to Julian according to her request and until Julian turns eighteen, these properties were carried out by his maternal grandfather. So ever since then, Julian was taken care of financially by his grandfather and Byakuran provides his education. "Since when had you told me to follow your orders all the time? You are my father, not a boss," he answered cockily.
Byakuran regained his composure as to not lose it this early. "Betreyal aside," he dismissed, "What I would like to know is to who implanted thoughts in your head to further go against me besides this little brat's-" he nudged the unconscious girl, "—thoughts and family?" he was looking directly at Moon Raven's direction.
Lightning Wolf, who still has his mask on along with his mistress, smirked, "I thought you would have guessed by now, Byakuran," he stated. "To become a leader of a powerful assassination organization, one must erase his identity on the outside world and create a solitary new one," the man then started to unclip his wolf mask.
They all stood in their places as they saw the man's familiar face, although it is aged. The former Gigilio Nero right hand man, Gamma, stood beside his mistress in full pride.
Tsuna recovered from his shock first. As he looked at Gamma, he also looked at the head of Vendetta. He then realized the sudden familiarity when she had touched him a few minutes ago after they fell into a trap door. "So that means…" he trailed off.
"So I see…" Byakuran muttered, "So you have been hiding under the cloaks of Vindice…"
Moon Raven closed her eyes as she took off her mask. "Gamma is right. No one had recognized me after all these years," she stated as she revealed the mark on her cheek of the Gigilio Nero Famiglia and showed her matured face. Her hair was the same length as they were when she was younger.
"Yuni…" Byakuran and Tsuna muttered.
CHAPTER CUT! So? What do you guys think? This is almost done! Just a few more chapters and I will be getting back in rewriting Long Time Affections (Prince of Tennis) under a new title! I would like to inform you that I am already working on its fifth chapter, but they are still unpublished. I placed the first chapter of it already for a teaser. Feel free to read it if you're a PoT fan too!
See ya next chapter! (Which won't be in a while)HimHHHd