Hello.
This story is a prequel to Where Rainbows End. It is more or less a supplementary read to this story. You don't need to read it to understand this story. Besides, each chapter there's as long as fuck.
If you intend to read about Tsuna and his other guardians within the first chapters, I suggest you to stop reading. Really. This is not their story. I don't want to mislead you into thinking that this is some fanfic bait, even though it partly is (with Giotto's appearance and his guardians). This is more of something else.
It intends to reconstruct KHR. I don't want it to be anvilicious in its approach though. I hope it doesn't rub you that way. But yes, it intends to criticize how the work crashed and burned, salvage the good left in it, and try to see it in a different, better light that still rings true.
In other words, this is an ambitious story four years in the making. I hope that the time I spent just to piece this puzzle together earned its worth. I wrote this fic for the people who think KHR deserved better. This is for the people who believe KHR needed a conclusive ending.
Most importantly, this is for the people who never did get over Reborn.
So here you go. Let's search for Tsuna together.
Chapter 1: The Unexpected Guests
Tsuyoshi Yamamoto, eighteen yet already weary from the world, was rarely a smooth talker and easily gives in to spokes of nostalgia. That was why in Renato two hours into his shift as the novice bartender, it was sensible by his standards to nearly drop the Cinderella he was serving to one pretty Cervello lady when he sees Basil from the first time in four years since graduation.
But that time, Basil was unrecognizable. His unkempt long hair then was severely cut into a tight near-bob that showcased both his pale blue eyes, who had the same look of near-airy amiability as he laughed along with his companions. There was a different air around him this time, as to he often kept his hands nestled in the front pocket of his grey knit sweater and walked with much confidence and ease within his circle of friends. They did not look like Renato's typical customers, he mused. For one, they were quite young, with the eldest-a white-haired man with a smile like a thousand suns- whose face bore the age of someone in his late twenties. Tsuyoshi then recalls of a time he met his auntie, whose face screamed twenty when she was already forty years old and corrects himself. He should ask him later if he was older than he looks, how he kept his face like that. Or if he didn't have an ailing mother to take care of.
Later, Basil will tell him that Byakuran was twenty-five that time and he could be none the wiser. And he had no family except his circle of adopted friends.
During that time, Tsuyoshi could not stop looking at Basil and the others as the other customers made way for them, seemingly in awe of his presence and his multicolored-hair gang. He could not describe them better, as they all look like punk wannabees. Or hipsters. He must be getting old. Even the Cervello, already looking like high class socialites, bowed to them with reverence, most especially to the white-haired man. Tsuyoshi could not put a finger to who the hell that boy near the rear was but he felt like he knew him.
The way Basil called out his name made him remember how he called out Giotto's five years later when he and Lavina- his ex-crush and still the hottest woman he ever met- stepped inside in broad daylight (as he was preparing to leave because of his second job) to search for their best friend they haven't seen in nine years.
"Tsuyoshi-san?"
He could only wrap his finger around the oddity he felt taking place when Basil pointed his finger at him and he was nearly beside himself for seemingly forgetting who he was talking to.
"Tsuyoshi-san! It's me, Basilicum!"
Oh. He no longer uses –dono.
"Who the fuck are you? I haven't seen you before!"
"Now, now, Bluebell. The last thing we need is for you to bully the new bartender again."
"But he looks more delicious than the last."
"Geez, you sound like a fucking slut, what the fuck Bluebell-"
"Fuck you, you horny-mmph- get the fuck off Kikyo! I'm giving this shithead a piece of my mind-"
Tsuyoshi looks in wonder as Basil's companions began their scuffle near the counter. Then the eldest- Byakuran, his name was- he thinks- silences them instantly through a raise of a hand.
"You know our new blood here, Basil-kun?" he turns to Basil. The three now shuffle to Basil's back and was eyeing Tsuyoshi surreptitiously. Tsuyoshi could only stare at his shaker to avoid their picking eyes. The last thing he needed was getting beaten up by these guys, and judging from their movements earlier, they were fucking strong.
"He was my friend in middle school," he hears Basil laugh and looks up. His voice was a deeper baritone from what he remembers. His left hand, now raised to scratch his nape- his reflex to embarrassment- had a tattoo of a small chameleon in his palm.
He felt both familiar and enigmatic to him as he now stares at the bruise now visible on his right cheek and the bandage taped to the ridge of his nose.
"Order for us then," Byakuran said as he takes his leave to the right, where the richer customers usually had their private drinking space hidden under the wooden sliding doors.
He left both of them in an awkward situation he was unsure he could handle. This reminded him way back, two years ago, to the time he and his ex-girlfriend broke up somewhere in an art museum. Or was it the war museum? He was never a big fan of the small details.
Basil takes out a sheet of paper and a small pen from his pocket without missing a beat.
"I'm going to write their orders in case. Kikyo-san and Daisy-san are very specific with their drinks," he says, reminding Tsuyoshi of the days of yore when Basil would tutor him in his neat handwriting some math equations he never needed once he took his first job as a typist somewhere in Namimori. He was the same polite and helpful Basil he remembered, but the curiosity regarding the tattoo and his cut-up knuckles was gnawing him.
A lot must have changed in Basil's life within the past four years and it was embarrassing for him to ask what happened.
"How are you?" he finally blurts out as he takes note of the first order and begins shaking. One orange sunrise, comin' right up.
Basil's eyes were alight with bewilderment for a moment before cooling down.
"Better, I guess."
There was something almost painful tying those words together.
"How about you, Tsuyoshi-san? It's the first time I ever saw you here. Or in Xan-Xan for that matter."
"I- moved here in recently. Two months ago. This is my first real job since moving here," he says as he pops ice and pours the first drink in. "I'm from Naito. Lived there for two years."
Basil says nothing as he now slides into a stool. Tsuyoshi now begins working on the Martini. There was no trace of hesitance in his voice. In middle school, maybe also due to his upbringing, Basil had treated himself like dirt. Now, however, comfortable under his own skin, he was able to listen without any inhibitions.
"The hospital fares are cheaper here, see. Mum's getting worst. Time to work my ass off. I work as a tutor during the day. It's fucking worse if you have ten children to teach. I used to laugh at Miss Iris or Mister Birds during our middle school days, now I worship them for keeping themselves from whacking our asses in sixty minutes."
"You're an ass," Basil says and Tsuyoshi laughs in surprise, nearly outpouring the lime juice. It was the first time he heard him swear.
"Can I be rude for a moment? You don't act like the pussy we used to bully. Lavina will be proud of you."
The smile on Basil's face vanishes and Tsuyoshi quickly realizes he used a taboo word.
"Yeah, that might be true." Basil smiles again and Tsuyoshi nearly clutches his heart in relief. The last thing he needs is for Basil to close up on the reason why he left Namimori three years ago. "How's Nana-san, by the way?"
"Oh…" Tsuyoshi's smile grew fainter. The last drink was fucking strawberry milk. He laces it with tonic. "We broke up after I stopped during my second year of high school and before I left for Naito."
"I'm sorry-"
Tsuyoshi waves it off. "That's so long ago. The last thing she needs is a guy who stopped school. Plus I have my mom to worry about. My dad had us kicked out of town."
Something hot surged through his brain and was making him see red.
"It's fine," Tsuyoshi stops Basil from apologizing again and continues as he pours the milk into the glass. "It turned out my mom was woman #2. His wife found out and threatened to kill us. She could fucking do it, I guess. She was the Espada famiglia's boss daughter. Turned out the government didn't snuff out the loyal Mafia families who were willing to pay for the city reconstruction. Wars can't kill all vermin.
"Oh right. So he dropped us off in a whorehouse in Naito. It was a good thing he left some cash. We survived for awhile. But eventually, I had to fuck for a living. I told my mom she shouldn't. When I found out she had AIDS, it was too late." Tsuyoshi stopped. He surprised himself even, for telling so much to this person. He just stared at him and listened.
It was oddly comforting.
"You wasted some good milk in there," Basil now points out. Tsuyoshi curses as he sees the mess and hastily begins wiping the table. "But thanks. Thanks for sharing that to me."
Tsuyoshi smiles. "What can I say, you're the most level-headed person I know."
Basil drinks the milk and nearly retches. "There's something else in here."
"And why the fuck should you order milk in a fucking bar?" Tsuyoshi attempts to sound angry but caves in to laughter.
Later, he finds out that Basil slipped five grand in his pocket without him noticing, more than the weekly salary of his jobs combined.
-X-
They came on most days, and sometimes it wasn't only Basil with visible bruises on his cheeks.
He got to know who they were eventually. Byakuran was the leader and the makeshift father in their small gang. They call themselves the Millefiore, a pussy name, and which Tsuyoshi wouldn't dare say out loud and get himself smacked in the face by Bluebell and Zakuro. Bluebell was the sailor-mouthed blue haired girl who was already twenty but looked twelve. Zakuro was the vermilion-haired dude who wouldn't dare shave. Daisy was the creepy stitched up guy who was not a practicing nurse despite finishing in some bigshot medical school. Basil reckoned his stitches were from some botched plastic surgery to make himself look like a girl. According to Byakuran though, it was just make-up Daisy liked to put on himself to creep the hell out of the rest. The sea green-haired guy was Kikyo, a queer who never forgets to put on green eyeliner and doesn't take shit from anyone unless it involved a job opportunity in a bigshot firm.
They were the kind of friends Tsuyoshi didn't expect Basil to have- but made perfect sense the more he ponders about it. He remembers- vividly now- in middle school how Basil would often gravitate to people who were larger than life. Giotto and Lavina were two people he didn't expect to become friends- and Basil was the glue that held them together. Basil might no longer be the glue in this group dynamic, but his presence was felt all the same as he keeps them in line when Byakuran was too high to care. He never gets drunk, mostly because his orders are plain strawberry milk or black tea and usually because he always plays blackjack with the others until dawn. He was pretty good at it. He, when there are few customers, or they're just too piss-drunk, sometimes sneaks in to their door and gets to play and chats a little. It was anticlimactic for him to find out about the source of the mysterious bruises- and from none other than Byakuran himself.
"Oh, they're from the underground knuckle brawls we do some days of the week. Most of the guys in this bar are part of the audience."
"That's why they worship you so much?"
"It's just because we win most of the time, Tsuyo-chan~" he laughs heartily. Just beside them, Bluebell was already strangling Basil by the collar and demanding a rematch. She just sucked at card games and was losing a lot of money. "And the money we rake in is good. About six to eight grand if you're a favorite. They fix fights here and there though. That makes more money. But I don't approve of it." He opens his eyes and Tsuyoshi nearly backs away at the venom they spouted. "It's a good thing the Shimon- the people who organize our fights- are quite ok people. They don't pressure us to give free passes."
"Is Basil… good?" He now eyes Basil, his bruise on one eye visibly grotesque and blackening. He was already shuffling a new set of cards as Bluebell watches beadily.
"If he wasn't, we wouldn't be here celebrating. If we're not here anytime in a week, it just means one of us lost. He tries his best to see you again, I think. I really don't get his train of thought most of the time."
"Yeah, he's not the same guy I remembered. For Chrissake, he has a fucking tattoo!"
"Basil-kun?" Byakuran then calls out.
"Yes, Byakuran-san?" Basil asks patiently as he takes one card.
"Could you take off your shirt for a moment?"
"Eh?!"
"You should show your tattoos to Tsuyo-chan."
"Ahaha, b-but it's so cold-"
"JUST HURRY AND FUCKING DO IT. IT'S MY FUCKING TURN TO DRAW A CARD, DAMMIT!" Bluebell hollers as she snatches her own card.
Basil sighs and throws of his red jumper and the plain white tee underneath.
Tsuyoshi merely gasps in awe to how lean and well-toned his muscles were. Much more was he when he sees his back and sees a fucking dragon snaking from his spinal chord up to his chest. Much more were the small ace of diamonds bordering his forearm, different kinds of flowers (representing the Millefiore) on his chest, seven rings scattered on his forearms…
Basil just stares at his cards.
"H-How much is the dragon?" was the only thing Tsuyoshi could mouth after five minutes of silence. Byakuran laughs along with the others.
"Don't scare me like that!" Basil punched Tsuyoshi's arm lightheartedly. Tsuyoshi doesn't tell him his punch felt like he got rammed by a fucking tank. "I know a place you can have it for cheap. We'll go there together if you want."
"And you'll hold my hand while I scream in agony? Yeah, thanks but no thanks. I'm still saving up for my mother's operation next month."
"Byakuran-san was there when I got it inked. I am not ashamed. I can loan money to you, if you're not that scared."
The ooh's of the others nearly made Tsuyoshi's head throb in exasperation. No, more like adrenaline and GABBA were seeping through him from ten glasses worth of shots. He needed an outlet.
"Alright then, let's see if you're really that good. If you knock me out I'll get that damn dragon."
The others were laughing and cheering at the same time. Basil continued to stare at his cards.
"Please sit down, Tsuyoshi-san. You're drunk."
"Go on, Basil. It's an interesting match-up. Let's see what your friend's made of," Kikyo egged on. Zakuro was clapping. Bluebell was now more interested at getting Basil to rise up.
"Ah, Bluebell-san- I don't-"
"In the red corner, weighing at 1XX pounds, we have our bartender and new Millefiore member, Tsuyoshi Yamamotoooooooo~" Kikyo was tuning in his inner ringside announcer and everyone was loving it.
Everyone except Basil. He stood up.
"And in the blue corner, weighing at- what's your weight again Basil? Basil dammit-"
Basil was already out of the room and promptly closed the door.
The others stared.
Even in his drunk state, Tsuyoshi knew he did something terrible. Along with everyone, he looks at Byakuran.
"Ok, who wants more drinks?"
Tsuyoshi doesn't ask again after that.
-X-
Basil was waiting for Tsuyoshi outside the back door as his friend proceeded to lock the door.
"I'm sorry for acting that way," he says quickly before Tsuyoshi could react and bows low again and again. "I couldn't control myself. I should've understood you were drunk and played along-"
Tsuyoshi, then already sober and guilty began to titter. His friend looked up at him quizzically.
"You barely changed at all, haven't you?" Tsuyoshi said amicably and motions him to walk along. Slowly the two walked past the gate and onto the arms of dawn. "Did you wait there the whole night?"
"Y-yes."
To this, Tsuyoshi roared again.
"It's really stupid of me, isn't it?"
"Nah, I should've known already when not to press further," he shrugged. "You don't like fighting too much, don't you?"
"Not outside the ring," Basil meekly admitted. "It's an unspoken rule for us fighters out there. I should've taken earlier as a joke. I'm so sorry."
"Yeah, yeah. I would've gotten KO'ed anyway. Byakuran-san told me the whole story. How he found you and trained you."
"He was the first and only opponent I ever lost to," he said, turning red. Tsuyoshi could only stare in awe as if he just saw a chameleon change color. "I thought he'd finish me off, but he paid for my hospital bills and proceeded to train me. It was the best thing I could get from a God. I never thought I could be good at something. It helped kept me and my brothers alive. I even got them to school. Hopefully until high school, unless Fuuta gets that college scholarship."
"How are the two?"
It was the first time Basil actually opened up this much to him. He wanted to keep the conversation going.
"They're doing fine. Fuuta's a good kid. Overachiever, but down-to-earth. He reminds me of him."
He doesn't even say his best friend's name, but Tsuyoshi understood.
"Lambo is really a handful but he's really obedient. Sweet kid."
He understood in those few sentences how much they mean to him. It was only a few months before graduation when he found out about his father's demise. They were the only family Basil had left, and he was giving them everything he could.
He earned more than Tsuyoshi's respect. He deserved his mother's sushi.
"Hey Basil, remember those sushi I bring to school way back? Tell you what, let's meet up after our day jobs, and surprise the kids with those. Sounds like a deal?"
His eyes immediately light up. It was something Tsuyoshi could not help but smile to.
He hasn't felt like this in awhile. Not since with Nana.
-X-
The two kids, like Basil, were bigger than he remembered during graduation day when they tottered along with Basil across the aisle.
Fuuta was a precocious ten-year-old, who'd randomly spout quotes in the Moby Dick book he was reading. He also was the one who kept following Tsuyoshi, often asking questions about the meal as Tsuyoshi began rolling the rice.
Lambo meanwhile, was always the one who mimicked Tsuyoshi. He was also very touchy, always willing to attack him wearing a mask with a dying will flame and his own X-gloves.
The three were energetic youngsters, and Tsuyoshi quickly grew tired of chasing them around (as Gola Mosca).
"Wah, Zero-Point Breakthrough!" screams Lambo as he flips one hand and sends him reeling with laughter. The way he does that reminds him of Basil so well.
As Lambo attempts to make him freeze, a sick feeling churns into his stomach as he quickly remembers why Basil felt so much like a stranger.
He never mentioned Reborn.
-X-
The two boys would thank him four years later as he climbs his way up the ranks to becoming the unofficial cook of their household.
During that time they would be ascending their teenage years, and both never acted like the Basil he remembered in middle school. They had the weight of years on them.
"Tsuyo-nii," they said one day with the birthday card they made in colored paper. "Thanks for staying with us."
"Don't mention it. It was a pleasure," he said. By that time, he was just waiting for Basil to arrive and was smoking in the balcony. Basil and his brothers lived in an abandoned RV in the outskirts of Xan-Xan, along Pickpocket street. It was one block away from Renato. Ever since his mother died two years ago, he'd spent five days a week sleeping there especially on long nights.
"No really, you helped. We were kids then, but we know how much it means to Nii-san for you to be his friend."
"Yeah, and helping him return home after his fights," said Lambo.
"Nah. I don't think I was that much a life-changer as much as he was for me. I'm sure this might sound too heavy for you kids but…" what the hell, he should just confess to them. They had stuck together for four years. "I thought I had nothing to live for when my mom died. I couldn't be happier when you took me in and gave me something else to stay for."
"You sound so cheesy, Tsuyo-nii," said Lambo and soon the three of them were laughing and poking fun of it.
"I think it's the other way around, Tsuyo-nii," said Fuuta as he now sits beside Tsuyoshi, who quickly throws his cigarette away in alarm.
"Nii-chan said it takes two to tango."
"Lambo just said if you didn't choose to be with us, we wouldn't be this happy. Thank you."
"Thank you!"
The two then give him a hug.
Tsuyoshi merely closes his eyes as he returns it to them. It had been a long time since he felt this much love.
He remembers the time, two years ago, when he found out his mother requested that they pull the plug. It was a beautiful day, and he felt like life was mocking him then.
It took him three days before he broke it to Basil by getting himself tipsy. By that time, it was only the two of them walking home.
"My mother died a few days ago," he said without pre-emptive warning just to get it over with. By then, his body reacted and proceeded to shake all over. He looked up at the sky. It mocked him all the more because of the clouds.
Basil doesn't reply and continued walking along.
"Can I ask you something, Basil?"
He grunts in acknowledgment.
"Why did it take you so long to tell Giotto and Lavina that your father died? Heck why did it take you so long to ask for help in burying him?"
Basil did not answer immediately. He only looks at Tsuyoshi with glazed eyes.
"The grief in me then is different from the grief you're feeling now," he just answers.
Tsuyoshi blocked his way. This was the chance, he thought, he could at least bond with Basil in grief. Yet he always seemed further away.
"Dammit, what grief am I feeling then?"
"I don't know."
He wanted to leave instead of punching Basil over his callousness. But it feels so tempting to hit this asshole. He wanted him to at least feel human for once. Never once in the two years they were together did he show sorrow. Never once did he mention about his two best friends who was sure by then had never given a hoot. Never once did he mention how KHR died in him.
"It sickens me, this feeling of how lucky I am to have… something. I mean- I have my brothers. You don't have anything left, and it sickens me to think that I'm so lucky to still have a reason to be here."
It was Basil whose eyes were swimming in tears.
"I really. I really want to say that I know what you're feeling, but I don't. I'm so sorry. I'm pathetic aren't I?"
By then, Tsuyoshi also quickly began to cry and was now embracing Basil. He did not know if it was grief over his own loss, or grief at his weakness of letting his friend cry for him.
He may not have the right words to say, but at least he was there to cry on.
-X-
"I never saw Basil-nii cry even when dad died. He was never the same after that. Kindness for him feels… forced. Yeah, something like that."
Tsuyoshi pushed on further. It had been more than a month since his mother died. "Right, and it's pissing me off. He's like a bomb waiting to explode."
"Lambo and I thought that there's a chance he'll change. That his love for Reborn will get stronger and he'll keep the dying will flame alive but… it died along with dad. He may not show it but it's really obvious. He changes the subject when we talk about it."
"Tell me what happened after our graduation."
"It's hazy for me. All I remember was we lived with our auntie that time. She wasn't biologically our auntie, but we loved her a lot. She was really nice, but she wasn't dad. Basil-nii was at the height of his KHR fervor then. This is just my speculation, but he might have joined a family. He was working part time then as a delivery boy for Romario-san- one of dad's old friends. All I remember that night was that auntie got shot. Basil-nii was bleeding in the arm and was dragging us out. We managed to flee to Xan-Xan and lived here ever since."
"I don't remember much sorry Tsuyo-nii."
"Have you asked Basil about it?"
"No. Onii-chan is scary when we try to bring up the subject."
"What about Giotto and Lavina? Do you know about them?"
"Yeah! I kinda remember Giotto-nii! Lavina-nee… I don't think I remember her."
"They were Basil's best friends. We dubbed them 'The Terrible Three.' You'll never see friends as close as they were."
"No. We don't know much about them."
"He's more fucking secretive than I thought, huh?" Tsuyoshi sighs as he puffs out smoke from his cigarette.
"Maybe, but it's kinda obvious. He's trying to be Hibari when he's not."
"So you're saying he's trying to find himself?"
"I don't understand what you're saying Tsuyo-nii!" Lambo attempts to butt in and coughs out the smoke.
"I don't understand either," huffs Tsuyoshi as he ruffles his hair. "All I know is, whatever he's trying to do right now, he will die trying."
-X-
Basil's guardian angels came to Tsuyoshi first though, two years later and three weeks after his two adoptive little brothers thanked him for his efforts.
It was the trigger of the chain of events that will change his life, he'll realize years later as he tells the narrator his story.
Like Basil, the rest of the Terrible Three were people he could no longer recognize.
"Yamamoto-san?" It was Giotto who spoke first, his tone both commanding and retiring as his azure blue eyes rested on him.
It had the same calming effect he remembered. He was still, almost unassuming. Fucking assholes to barge in here just after closing time-
It no longer crossed his eyes once Giotto walked closer.
His hair was longer and tufted in unpredictable places, making him look all the more similar to his namesake in a certain series Basil grew out of.
"What took you so long?"
Those weren't the words he should've let out too soon. Emotion won though.
It had been nine years since they've left Basil out alone.
"You're the last ones he wants to see." He wishes those words rang through, but his face betrays him. "He's not the same person you remembered."
"Maybe that's true. But we need to see him," Giotto continues as he now sits near the counter, His Armani get-up was so out of place there. In Xan-Xan in general.
"Then why tell me this first?" Tsuyoshi laughs darkly. "Good luck with that. I've been with him for four years, and rarely a chink."
"To say hello," Giotto says, taking out his black leather gloves. He can clearly see the blue orb nestled in the silver ring of his right forefinger. "And ask if you want to return to Namimori with us."
Two days later and he'll see these two old friends square off each other just for the sake of returning or not.
It almost felt foreordained who won.
-X-
The first time he saw Basil fight was after their first meeting three weeks later. He had to ask his customers the usual venue, something he tacked on a code red when he visited. However, the people were nice, and Daisy was there to escort him at ringside. Zakuro was one of the people currently squaring off by that time, winning almost easily as he outpunched and outkicked his opponent.
"A-Are y-y-you b-betting Y-Yamamoto-san?" Daisy asked in a low voice full of undercurrents and weird pitches. His sentence barely seemed like a question.
"Quit creeping me out for Chrissake," he muttered as Daisy suddenly slid behind the people who were pushing him up to the ring and nearly sandwiching him. He began fighting for his spot when Basil entered along with his opponent, who appeared about the same age as him.
Basil won under thirty seconds and Tsuyoshi wished he could understand what the fuck was going on, but he last remembers Basil's kick that knocked his opponent to the ground before punching him until he was a bloody pulp.
It took awhile to register how the Basil he remembered was capable of such efficient brutality. When they raised his hand in victory though, Basil's eyes were wide and brimming with ecstasy. He smiled under his mouth guard and now helped his fallen opponent walk on the back door.
"So how was it?" Daisy now asked.
"I'm never coming here again," was Tsuyoshi's quick reply.
He kept his promise until four years later when Giotto and Lavina said hello.
-X-
He saw Nana Yoshimura amongst the crowd that night, hair now long like Lavina's and was wearing one of her signature shocked faces once their eyes met before turning away.
He couldn't stand how beautiful she had become. But she was no longer his, and he had other things to do. He quickly files past the others and runs straight into the dark door where the fighters usually enter. It was one match until Basil's, and he was getting more and more disoriented. He expected the two to follow him there, but the lack of blond or silver hair was driving him nuts.
He comes face to face with Byakuran, to his relief.
"Hiya! Fancy seeing you here, Tsuyoshi-san!"
He was happy to know he was the bodyguard and quickly inquires about Basil.
"Oh, you didn't know? He's forfeiting. He said he's not coming here again. He must've gone home. Have you called him?"
"My phone's dead so- wait what?!" By some brilliant twist of fate, he would've just charged his phone instead of leaving the bar in a panic.
Byakuran continued looking at him. "He left ten minutes ago. Why are you so bent on visiting him?"
"He- He- I want to tell him his old friends have returned." That was half-true. There was still some mystery shrouding their return, and he should at least warn him before they get to him first. "W-Why did he leave?"
"Oh, he just couldn't take in the fact that I'm leaving Xan-Xan with the others," he laughed. "We're going to Namimori. I have a job there that requires my expertise. I guess that's all I can tell you," he adds as an afterthought.
"And he's not?" Stupid Yamamoto, of course he isn't.
"He refused," Byakuran replied flatly. "Tick-tock, Tsuyo-chan. You should hurry to Basil. He'll be more than happy to know his old friends are visiting."
"More like murderous," Tsuyoshi says apprehensively before turning. "I guess I'll see you around? Take care. There are lots of shady guys out there."
"We'll manage," Byakuran says good-naturedly before waving. "And I hope we don't meet again."
It was for the best, Tsuyoshi wished. Maybe it was for the best.
And yet he wishes that they never left. They were the family that Basil needed. Now that they're gone, he wishes Basil will be fine.
Chillingly, he wonders how bad Basil's refusal was.
-X-
He reminisces middle school back in Namimori. It was during the eve of the Athletics Festival, and he, along with Basil and Nana were part of the cheer dancing competition. He wasn't yet a couple with Nana, so this happened at his first year? He vaguely recalls.
"Looks like you're against your best mate. Think you're up to it?" he said as he pats Basil's shoulder. He was clinging onto the ring on his neck like a rosary and chanting something he couldn't make out.
"I wish my Dying Will Mode will happen tonight," he mutters as he fans himself with his robes. They're theme was Oriental Dragons, complete with flame dances. The teachers will either flip out or be thrilled. "I-I don't think Giotto-dono will think of me as a challenge-"
"Yeah, I wonder how he's handling it out there when most of the Giotto fan club is on the White Team's side?" He would've added in jealousy that Lavina was there, but he gets drowned out by their team captain, Massimo, who was now keeping them first years in line.
"Wah, by our Dying Wills, we can do this!" he hears Basil scream and the others were laughing at him heartily as he takes the lead along with the other good dancers with their flame torches.
They surprisingly won against all odds.
By then he and Yoshimura were amiably talking when Giotto approached Basil and whacked him in the head.
"Good job out there," he says as he high-fives his best friend, who promptly bawls.
"I-I am honored, Giotto-dono," he says as Giotto laughs and asks him to teach him a move Basil made that was one of the critical routines in their session, to which he quickly proceeds to dance along with.
Oh right, Lavina still wasn't a part of their team yet.
-X-
He secretly wished to be part of the Terrible Three back then. But then he fell in love, family complications arose, and he had a lot of things to care about for him to have time to spend with them. He curses himself from being blinded by Nana and her innocent eyes.
By then, he felt he would've had a right to march inside Basil's house even with Lavina's pistol aimed at his temple.
"Get the fuck out of here," she said curtly, the gun threatening enough for him to raise up his hands. There was something remarkable about Lavina. She was no goddess, but she was the tangible definition of beauty. Her hair, then a boyish cut now cascades in soft curls around her head. Her eyes, a venomous shade of green looked at him in caprice. Her body, though stringy, was voluptuous enough to show past the black velvet of her gown.
But the last thing he needed was to be seduced by Aphrodite herself.
"Let me pass. I need to talk to my friend."
He remembers back then before Giotto how he managed to talk to Basil during their walk to school. He'd often let him ride on the back of his bike as they rode up the hill to Namimori Middle School.
He remembers the Basil who would talk nonstop about Reborn.
He remembers the time when they played dodgeball and he ended up protecting him then from getting hit too hard because he was a boy from the slums.
"Giotto's talking to him. We're asking him if he wants to come with us."
"And use him for your self-interests? Basil's not that stupid-"
"Back away you son of a bitch. If you take one more step-"
The sound of a bullet whizzing past one's ear made him more alive. It was five centimeters away from death and the last thing he needed was this woman giving him a death wish.
He unsheathes his wakizashi from his chest.
A sinister smile forms on Lavina's lips as Tsuyoshi takes a low stance to strike.
"Basil means that much to you, eh?" she coos as she takes out another pistol from her gun strap.
"Get out of my way, Lavina."
Even Tsuyoshi was surprised at the anger lacing his voice.
"Only Giotto gives me orders," she says silkily and quickly begins aiming her guns at him.
His mother taught him a lot about blades. He was six when he first met his grandfather, an owner of a dojo and one of the participants in the infamous Mafia Wars in Namimori. His grandfather died when he was eleven, and his mother filled in the gaps.
One of the best things they taught him was blades were only good with close quarters combat. And for that, he needed to be like a fucking bunny.
He told Basil this information back when they were twelve. He thought Basil would be afraid of him, but his eyes shone in earnest once he found out.
"Ahhh! Just like Asari Ugetsu-dono!" he exclaimed in delight. "You're a definite candidate to be my Rain Guardian when I become a Mafia boss!"
He missed those days. He missed that old Basil.
And it's your and Giotto's fault he no longer smiles the same way again!
It took him five seconds to file past the bullets and aim the sharp end at Lavina's neck.
Only. Lavina had a couple of more surprises.
She spat out a flat blade that misses his mouth by a few centimeters. He doubles back as Lavina unsheathes small knives of her own.
"What a waste for our class salutatorian to become his old rival's secretary," he says as he raises his blade.
Lavina curses as she touches her left cheek and sees the red.
"And what a waste for a samurai-baka to be reduced to a bartender who can't even mix Bloody Mary right," she drawls before taking the offensive.
Tsuyoshi could only remember the sound of metal and the curses spouted by his opponent as the whirlwind of blades made their mark around them. Lavina wasn't just a fucking gun and blade master, but she was a good martial artist, able to maneuver her kicks and elbow strikes without getting struck the second time.
This got him winded and frightened. His skills were only put to the test then. Judging by Lavina's manner of fighting though, she's already got enough experience to last through the night.
He was about to slash through Lavina's dress when the door opens.
Both of them freeze midway once they see Basil's face, white to the point of murderous. Tsuyoshi quickly returns the blades back.
He couldn't hide the damage though. His shirt was ripped to shreds and he was bleeding profusely.
"What are you trying to pull, Giotto?" The Giotto from inside and the neighbors were now beginning to crowd around. The ripple of cacophony was quickly silenced by the inexplicable fury present in Basil's voice. It was the first time he had heard him call someone without an honorific.
Lavina now edged farther as Basil stepped out into the lawn and in front of Tsuyoshi. He holds up Tsuyoshi's heavily-slashed right arm. "You ok, Tsuyoshi-san? I'm sorry about this. I should've known. I- fuck- fuck this."
His deep voice made the hairs on his neck stand on end as he turns to Giotto and Lavina.
"Fuuta, Lambo, call an ambulance. Call the police and have them arrest these- these felons." The two scampered inside as he now turns to his two visitors. "Get the hell out of my property if you don't want to get caught for attempted homicide."
"I didn't even try killing him!" Lavina says as she raises his gun but Giotto raises a hand in front of her.
"I propose an ultimatum then," Giotto said quietly. "You and I, Basil. Tomorrow at sunrise, we fight. If you win, we'll leave you alone and burn every gathered intel we have about Iemitsu-san. If I win, you come with me to Namimori and join the Chiavarone."
There was a stunned silence between the other players inside Basil's premises.
"So be it," says Basil finally, violently shaking as he lets his knuckles ram through the vehicle. "Now get the hell out of my house before I do something I won't regret doing."
-X-
Tsuyoshi was bewildered when, after returning from the local clinic and not getting reprimanded for nearly bleeding out and still staying conscious, he sees Lavina and Giotto making themselves at home inside his dingy apartment just in front of Renato.
"What the fuck-" he could not even finish his sentence as he plops himself on the couch, breathing heavily. He did not have enough money to take the cab, so he had to squeeze every ounce of lactic acid left in his body to drag himself home.
"Hiya, Tsuyoshi-san! Lavina got the keys from your fight earlier," chirped Giotto as he gives him a cup of tea. He must have gotten the tea bag from his wares, along with the cup. He secretly wished they were not still long past the expiry date.
He then, upon quick realization, begins feeling his pants for those supposed keys. Apparently they were in Lavina's possession.
"Care to explain why the fuck you're here?" Tsuyoshi wanted to bark angrily, but he just continues sinking back to his chair.
"We don't want to sleep in the car," Giotto said earnestly. "And we figured we can catch up, since our talk was cut short earlier, no thanks to Yoshimura-san~"
"Just cut to the fucking chase and tell me what the hell happened while me and Lavina were putting a show earlier," he waved tiredly. It unnerved him, this bouncy, relaxed, and child-like Giotto. It did not feel in-character with the person he remembered. "Don't fuck with me. I can't win him over for you."
Giotto's dazed look vanishes. He turns to heat the kettle again. Lavina looks at him and now sits beside him.
"Whoever cleaned you up is a fucking nut job," she then says after examining him for a few seconds and takes out a big black bag from behind her. "What's it with people pretending they know how to dress wounds…"
"W-What is she doing…" he now looks at Giotto's back for help. He was still looking at the kettle. Lavina was now taking long gauzes and snipping them without missing a beat.
"She's a doctor, though unlicensed. She's my personal medic aside from my bodyguard."
"Even the Chiavarone boss treats me with respect, don't degrade me that much," she wags a finger at Giotto before casually ripping out Tsuyoshi's bandages, sending him howling in pain as she dabs medicine on his wounds.
"I suppose too," Giotto begins as Tsuyoshi perks up. "You have a right to know, since you stuck with him all these years. More than we ever stuck with him through."
"It's classified stuff though," she adds as she quickly wraps the first set of bandages by his chest. She had a tender set of hands. Tsuyoshi would've believed her to be a caring kind of physician instead of Lavina herself.
"Just spill it!" he shouts in sync with another quick dab of medicine.
Both Lavina and Giotto stole a quick glance at each other before turning at his direction. Lavina resumed working while Giotto turned off the fire and swiftly began pouring more water at the teapot. He sits down slowly once he finishes, eyes upward at the dusty lamp before closing his eyes.
"Basil's not the same person we remembered."
"No shit! I warned you," Tsuyoshi scoffs. Lavina whacks his nape, sending him howling.
"We intend to revive the KHR series. We're reprinting the manga and we wanted him there in Namimori to talk about his love for the series. I should have known that… he did not see it as something good."
The way Giotto said good made his spine prickle, much like how he imagined him turning down Byakuran's offer.
"At least that's how it looks on the surface."
"It should make sense to us," says Lavina grimly. "I mean it makes sense that we outgrow the stuff we loved as a kid."
"Yeah, that's true."
"But as humans, we tend to cling onto stuff that established us as who we were. KHR was a part of Basil's identity," she continued matter-of-factly. "I'm sure you saw that since you started elementary school with him. Whereas, I was too busy filming then like some obedient idiot."
"Yeah, it spooked all the other kids away from him."
"That's why it feels… weird to have divorced himself completely from the series. He did not outgrew it. He rejected it."
"We picked up Lambo and Fuuta from their school. They warned us beforehand that it was taboo to mention 'KHR' but we did not think it would amount to him being actually silent about it. He glossed over it. He was silent the whole time I discussed my reasons for being there to pick him up. He clearly hated it. He clearly hated me."
"Makes sense, since he told me you never gave him a hoot." Tsuyoshi's mood lightened at the thought of Basil staring daggers at Giotto.
"I guess you're right. It is our fault," Giotto hangs his head. "I left him out of my life."
"I commend you coming here though to make amends," Tsuyoshi waves off, his stomach stirring rather incessantly. "So what do you want to do then? You haven't even told me half of what you told him."
"And who the fuck are you to make such demands on Giotto? Why don't you ask Basil? Or, oh right, you're not that much of a friend for him to confide his shit on you?"
"Lavina-"
"No, let me finish Giotto. I just had enough of how condescending he tries to be. He's been sticking with Basil and I never felt any genuine fucking connection between them. He did not even walk home this bastard-"
"Funny how much you have the right to talk me down, don't you, Lavina? You didn't even have the guts to fucking come to him all these nine years you were absent. I'm sure as hell the reason why you're here is to fucking use him for your own ends, or for that fucking Famiglia of yours."
"Is that ringing from personal experience, Tsuyoshi-san?" Lavina drawls, quickly snipping the last of the bandages away, making Tsuyoshi look less the mummy he was when he returned to his flat less than twenty minutes ago.
"If you speak anymore Lavina, I would want you to sleep in the car with Nana-san. Don't ever use personal issues to your arguments please," Giotto just says as he covers his eyes with his hands. "Tsuyoshi-san has every right to know."
"And what makes me sure you're telling the truth Giotto?" Tsuyoshi starts again, firing all cylinders because he has enough- he has enough- of being kept in the dark all these years starting from Basil, he does not even feel like a fucking human being with a right to know. "What makes me sure that my arguing with Lavina was not part of a fucking script to win me over? What makes me sure I can trust the lot of you?" He did not add the angry thought of sticking with Nana.
Giotto finally looks at him. For a moment, his face was devoid of expression, his blue eyes unreadable. But then slowly, a weary smile creeps into his mouth.
"You have no certainty, Tsuyoshi-san. You will never be sure if the reason we're here is for his greater good."
"No shit! You could've just said 'I don't know what you're talking about' or 'Why are you accusing us of this kind of bullshit'-"
"And do you think if we said those, you'll still believe us?" A wry smile places itself on Giotto's lips. "The more we try to convince you, the more you're sure we're making you. The more predictable we are, the more you reinforce your beliefs. Or was that too condescending?" His tone was weary, almost to the point of breaking as he inhales. "Before I continue, can I ask you a personal question, Tsuyoshi-san?"
Tsuyoshi bites his lip. There was an air of playfulness around this person. He was inviting him clearly, to dance to his tune, like he had no other choice but to. He by then, realized that the reason he thought Giotto was beyond him was that he was unpredictable. It still makes him wonder what went on Giotto's mind to befriend Basil, or why he decided to join the Mafia, or why he did not establish his own firm and rake in the millions like he deserved.
Fuck it, I'll take a bite and see how it goes. "Ok, shoot."
"Who do you think should win tomorrow?"
Tsuyoshi was taken aback. There was still that cheerful smile on Giotto's face. What was his preference? But he said who should win, so it must be of necessity. Wait, why the hell should Giotto ask such a stupid question? It was obvious at whose well-being he should look onto.
He chose the safest route. "It depends, I mean I don't know the whole story. Your story."
"Yes, I guess that was stupid of me to ask," Giotto laughs, and judging by how genuine his titter sounded, Giotto must have asked it at the top of his head, no harm done. Or was it really? He keeps contradicting himself he must be bleeding out of this. "I think it's best to begin with telling you to discard whatever prior thoughts you of me during middle school. I'm not the perfect valedictorian you remembered, Tsuyoshi-san!" he laughs again and then pauses. "I'm… I'm actually a coward. The reason why I never contacted Basil was that I thought it was too late to become his friend again."
"What made you change your mind then?"
"Just that thought. It started eating through me. Basil. I mean, he helped me a lot during my middle school days. I always thought I should be this and this and this but… he made me slow down. Realign my priorities. Have fun! I was never any actual help when his father died. I mean, it was Lavina who helped with the expenses and all. Plus in how the publisher swindled them of their cash when Reborn was really popular… I was never able to salvage even a penny when I became a lawyer. That one took awhile to settle. It kinda frustrated me. When I hit that wall."
"That one took three years through court," Lavina grumbles. "I almost lodged a bullet to one of their heads. Or had Giotto force some of his men in the family to sic on them. Fucking greedy assholes."
"So I hit that wall again. But then another thought occurred to me- ah don't laugh- it's not funny- it must be the hand gestures, right? Oh my god, don't laugh."
Tsuyoshi could not help it. Giotto was too much an orator. He wonders how Giotto must be like in court. Maybe the jury could not take him seriously?
"I thought about KHR. You can say that it consumed me for half of Basil's absence. I wanted to know what made Iemitsu-san, then who barely finished high school, to draw a manga about it. Better yet, why he died drawing it. His death seemed too timely to be true. In the brink of debt because of those leechers despite its popularity, succumbing to drugs, et cetera, et cetera. It made too much sense for a person who doesn't know Iemitsu-san. He really made it clear that he cared for his children. I've been to their house once, and Iemitsu-san was the father I never had." Giotto took another sip of tea. Lavina was too busy texting someone-must be Nana, Tsuyoshi adds- to care. But by then, Tsuyoshi secretly commended Giotto for having his full attention, and going to such lengths to mend his friendship with Basil. He felt terrible at himself. He wasted five years of friendship without actually helping him.
"So you're saying, that Iemitsu-san was killed instead of OD-ing."
"Yes, but let's look at their background first. Basil's mother was- to put it kindly, a comfort woman during the Mafia Wars. Fuuta's and Lambo's mothers were too. Iemitsu-san never settled when it came to love, but he loved his sons so much."
Tsuyoshi remembers about Basil laughing it off when he mentions he and his siblings don't look too similar. Did he already know?
"I should mention, that the wars forever changed Namimori. The former powers, the Mafia, are the shadows of their former glory before the socialists revolted. It's been more than thirty years since the wars ended, but Namimori still bears the scars. They are still afraid that it will happen again. So back to where Iemitsu-san comes in. He wasn't just a survivor. He was one of the patriots that helped end the last war. He was a Mafiosi too, only he was from the Chiavarone-"
"The cowards my dad keeps despising," Tsuyoshi laughs darkly. "And Basil's dad ended up becoming a pauper instead of getting his own seat in the government?"
"Yes. He won't be able to tell us why, but yes. He was one of the unheralded patriots though. He was one of their top assassins. At least that can explain a little why he chose to make a manga about KHR."
"So… he got murdered because there are people who want to settle a score with him? Wait, how the fuck were you able to deduce he got murdered in the first place?"
"Lavina worked for the hospital his dad was rolled into. The person who performed an autopsy on him vanished the next day, along with the real results."
"The idiot didn't even copy his handwriting," she yawned. "I got the results from one of his assistants in hiding. Someone injected it to Basil's daddy while he was sleeping. Jammed it to him, more like."
"I think it's a different reason altogether, why he was murdered," said Giotto thoughtfully. "They might have concluded that he was revealing too much and it was better his assistants finish it off and let it go to hell and be forgotten."
"Too much? What do you mean too much?" Tsuyoshi gaped as he looked at the two of them. Lavina was still busy texting who-knows-who, while Giotto was now rummaging the inside of his suit to reveal a small box of blue velvet. He then places it carefully on top off the table. He did not expect this kind of development, even from Giotto himself. "It's not fucking possible Giotto. How the fuck did you jump to that conclusion?"
Giotto merely smiles as his hands lift up the lid of the box. Inside, nestled on a small pillow of white silk was a metal ring, looking like it was crafted yesterday. It eerily reminded him of one of the things Basil wore around his neck years and years ago. He slipped it into his ring finger.
"My boss gave it to me when I asked about Iemitsu-san. Said it was a gift from him to his predecessor. He thought it looked old, yet almost worthless."
"It's almost identical to the ones Basil often lugged around his neck," Tsuyoshi sighed. "You really think that's enough to convince me?"
"It brings me to my other reason why I hope Basil would come with us," Giotto smiled. "This is not the only ring Iemitsu-san gave. He had other rings he gave out. I collected them all already, with some help."
"So that's it then? That there's a probability he wasn't lying in his stories? Giotto, it's not that much a big deal I mean, we get inspired by our works all the time-"
Tsuyoshi could barely finish speaking once his eyes, now almost the size of his alarm clock ogled at the flame now surrounding Giotto's hands. It was the cool color of electric blue.
"My Boss' father never thought of the Dying Will," he said, bemused as the flames diffused and he placed the ring on his finger. "I never quite understood it either. Basil often said then it only comes to you when you have something to fight for. Cheesy, right Tsuyoshi-san?"
"Holy canoli, did you see that?!" he yelled as he points at Giotto's formerly blazing hand.
The two were now bursting with laughter as Tsuyoshi tries clawing to the ring. It felt… normal. He even dropped it out of fear that it will burst into flames.
"The Rain was Basil's favorite element, but I think the Sky will do for him," Giotto smiled. "Try it on, Tsuyoshi. It might work for you."
"Where the heck did Iemitsu-san get this?" Tsuyoshi mouthed. Giotto shrugged.
"We want to know if Basil can get to the bottom of it. It might lead us to the killers, and to the heart of the KHR series itself."
Tsuyoshi shakily placed the ring in his forefinger and closed his eyes. By the time he opened them again, the blue flame earlier was absent.
"You can try next time, Tsuyoshi-san," Giotto laughs. "It will work in a few more attempts, I'm sure. It took me quite awhile."
He looked at his two house-crashers quietly. Giotto was still wearing his big grin while Lavina was already up and opening the door behind him.
"So, who do you want to win tomorrow Tsuyoshi-san?" he smiled. Tsuyoshi hears the door open, and that familiar voice rang through the room.
"Don't push your luck Giotto, the kid's as built as fuck."
It was not the same voice he remembered. There was a certain deepness to it, more than a ten feet drop in case he does fall.
He does not turn around as she walks in quick yet powerful steps to his front, just on Giotto's left as she takes out her tablet and gives it to him. He then walks over to Tsuyoshi to extend her hand.
"Hey, nice to see you again," she says coolly, and he can only look at her long rosy hands, bare of anything. There was still that same set of hazel brown eyes that matched her long strands. Her face was longer, with a perfect aquiline nose and plump lips in icy pink. As he looked on further, he can see the curvature of her chest from her black knitted sweater.
"Hey, how're you?" He can only say as he takes her hand almost precariously, but Nana quickly lets go and hovered closer to Giotto as he asks the files he should access.
"Nana's our personal informant," Lavina's sweet voice drawls from behind him. "And our driver."
"Umm, what should I be watching?" asks Giotto, sending Nana to whack him in the head, surprising Tsuyoshi. Back in middle school, Nana wouldn't even dare being a few feet from him.
"I'll have Lavina take over," she says as she throws the tablet to Lavina, who quickly begins scrolling down the files. "So I want to tell you that you might get killed if you face Basil, especially since he harbors a personal grudge against you."
"Enough with that issue. I want to know about Byakuran-san."
"Yeah, he was the top hitman before everything, twelve years ago. His supposed families were victims of the lands he strafed. He was a soldier before becoming the hitman, and he's coming out of retirement. He's heading to Namimori soon as we know it."
"So who's the lucky employer?"
"I think you have a clue who," she says petulantly, sitting at the chair Giotto was occupying earlier, just across him.
"Yeah Boss just texted you Giotto. We really should be going back tomorrow after your skirmish with your ex-friend," she says irritably as she throws the iPhone to Giotto, who barely catches it skidding to a teacup.
"Timoteo's back," Giotto read.
"Lucky bastard," Nana confirmed as she stood up and wiped her lap despite the absence of anything there. Out of habit maybe? Tsuyoshi mused. "Anyway, you're a lost cause. I'll try begging to him to spare your life, but don't hope that you'll win. He's been eight years fighting for his life underground. And the only fighting you do is aim your gun with Lavina's help-"
"You're embarrassing me, please," Giotto just laughs, giving his phone to Lavina, who then hands the tablet to Nana and thanks her.
"You are an embarrassment, don't state the obvious already, please," she replies sarcastically before striding to the door. "Thanks for the tea, Yamamoto." And with that the door closes shut.
"Any chance you'll get back together, Tsuyoshi-san?" Giotto asks earnestly.
"She can't even look at me straight," he snorts as he finally drinks his cold tea. "So who is this Timoteo guy?"
A cold silence erupts as both of his guests hung their head.
Giotto attempts to break the ice, but he could barely open his mouth to explain. Lavina bit her lip and turned to stand behind him, hands on her back, like a quiet servant in wait.
"Timoteo's the Boss of the Nono Famiglia. They're one of the families who instigated the Wars. He was exiled somewhere in Quad-3 because of his crimes."
"He's a dangerous man. Him and his sons. He has plenty of connections with the rebelling families. I'm sure that's how he got out of Quad-3."
"So you're saying… he might face Basil if he does come to Namimori. Him and Byakuran-san."
"Yep."
"And… you might die if you face Basil tomorrow."
"Yep. At least take it as the price for having Lavina nearly bleed you to death."
"Ok," Tsuyoshi breathed heavily. "Ok," he repeated as he drinks the last from his cup. "I think I need more tea."
"You're not saying Basil should win yet," Giotto laughed as he pours him another cup. "You're cheering me on then?"
"I dunno. Fuck, I don't know anything, man!" Tsuyoshi just roars before sipping again. "Fuck this tea, it's not calming me down!"
"It will if you let it," Giotto continues tittering along with Lavina. "So, you want Basil to lose?"
"I'm at a loss. I mean, it's obvious that I want the best for him but-"
"Define 'the best for him'."
"Having a secure life. Having his brothers finish school. That's all he wants, I think."
"We discussed it with him. I'll have him stay at my sister's house with his brothers. It's bigger and my sister and my brother-in-law's welcome with the thought of having children-"
"Y-your sister's married?"
"With Nana's elder brother apparently," Giotto sighs. "That's basically why Nana even bothered helping us in the first place."
"And how did Basil react to that? After you told him?"
"He did not say anything. He just told me to leave. He stood up, I think? He stood up and led me to the door. His cheerfulness felt off. I saw his brothers shrink a little."
"He arrived a little while later after we picked up his siblings," Lavina continued, her face grave. "I didn't like the way he looked at us. That's why I was outside in case I wanted to put a bullet between his eyes."
"So you were just taking some air when I came?"
"Yeah. And I was getting bored. I never intended to kill you. I could have killed you less than a hundred times earlier but never seized the chance."
"Don't flatter yourself Lavina. He gave you a hard time!"
"Shut the fuck up, Giotto I don't know what the fuck you're talking about!"
"Ok, so yes he didn't take it well." Tsuyoshi had already expected that kind of silent treatment from Basil and how his pent up anger might kill Giotto tomorrow. He sipped another cup. The tea was working. "I don't blame him." He tries to add more to defend Giotto, who was looking absent-mindedly on his phone, probably on the message across it. He was also angry at him too but for reasons that border more on the sentimental than Giotto's real failings.
"I never saw him that furious before," she said, the smile on her angelic face he swore was half-mocking, but he also swore also sorrowful. "Funny how my fucking subordinate here was enough to turn him that livid."
"Don't separate yourself too," said Giotto, his face mirroring hers almost exactly, except Tsuyoshi could not take it seriously. "It was your fault too."
"I'm just following your fucking orders," Lavina purred as she sat on the chair. "And stop stretching the conversation. I'm sleeping on the sofa. Ask Yamamoto for extra beddings."
"You think I have those when I barely live here?" said Yamamoto.
"Let's crash on Basil's place then!" Giotto sang out, which earns him another chop to the head from Lavina.
"You're not kidding Yamamoto? You really don't have extra beddings?" eyed Lavina at him beadily.
"Y-Yeah. I rarely come here. Most of my stuff's at Basil's! I just pay the rent and sleep here when Byakuran and his friends sleep over there, which rarely happens."
"What the fuck," Lavina hisses and proceeds to clear out the tea set. "Aren't there any nearby hotels here?"
"There's only one hotel here, and I doubt there's an extra room." Xan-Xan never bothered to think about travelers, since there really was nothing to see there. He remembers the erstwhile mayor planning to put a zipline somewhere, but most of the people were against the idea of tourists polluting their peaceful (on the surface) little town, so no one bothered to change anything. The present mayor was more concerned with the increase in shootings and robberies that happen mostly in Pickpocket street. It was surprising how he never heard from Basil that happening to him.
"So we really have to fucking sleep with Basil," Tsuyoshi just guffaws because it was absurd and annoying and he really did not have the guns to make them stay there. He also had something to say to his friend after hearing their take. "Ok, I'll call a cab."
~X~
It took twenty minutes before he managed to talk Basil- more like begged him- on his knees and grovelling- to actually let them enter the house. Basil looked understanding, peaceful even but almost did not budge, if not for his two brothers whispering in his ear to let them in.
"If you do something funny, I will promptly kick you out," he warned, more to Giotto and Lavina than him before coming inside to take in the beddings.
"Yo," says Nana in the living room, making Tsuyoshi go rigid. She was playing cards with Basil's two brothers. "Nice to see you here."
Tsuyoshi was about to say something to her but quickly decided against it and took the extra beddings with Basil. They took another twenty minutes discussing the bed arrangements. The three brothers ended up sleeping in Basil's room, while Nana and Lavina slept in the younger brothers' room. He and Giotto ends up sleeping in the living room. After ten minutes of preparation, Basil promptly called a lights out and had the others retreat to their rooms. Everyone was too sleepy to protest; Giotto was snoring by the time he hit the pillow.
Tsuyoshi tapped Basil's shoulder before he was also going to retreat to his own room.
"Can I talk to you for a minute?" he says.
Basil's face was unreadable for a moment but he manages a small smile. "Sure. Let's go outside."
They sat by Basil's porch, one he and Tsuyoshi made from the extra plywood in Basil's construction job just two blocks away. They got the yellow paint from a neighbor who had too much from painting his house. His younger siblings joined in the fun and they proceeded to paint the entire thing. The vines only crept naturally from the seven years they had stayed there.
"Umm," Tsuyoshi was finding it difficult to start. He scratched his nose apprehensively as he looked at Basil. "So she's here, huh?"
"One of Giotto's dogs. I can tell just from smelling her," he said, making his blood run cold at the sound of Basil's contempt. "I was kidding on the last part. But really, I can tell." His light tone returns, making Tsuyoshi shudder at how his anger might explode tomorrow. "She hitched me a ride earlier from the fighting circuit to here. Might as well return the favor."
"I came there. Byakuran-san told me."
"Yes I feared the worst when the two came to my house. Much more when they wanted me to give a damn about my father. I'm sorry, I'm just so spiteful right now I can't control my word outtake. I'm sorry Tsuyoshi-san."
"They told me what they told you. At least they did," Tsuyoshi tried not to be bothered by Basil's shaking voice. "They even showed me that ring."
"I wonder how the pyrotechnics worked on that one. It was almost real. It feels really humbling to know how far someone would go to beckon you to their side. I've always idolized Primo because of that. He was really persistent to get what he wanted. It's just funny how he attempts to jab at my childhood fantasies to reach out to me. It's insulting, honestly."
Tsuyoshi swallowed. He did not want to light the fuse, but this was possibly the last time he might ever be close to understanding how Basil truly feels.
"You hate him that much?"
"Yoshimura-san asked me the same question. I think I do. I hate my father more, and I despise him for bringing him up."
Basil said nothing else after. He was too busy looking at the people passing by in front, some drunk.
"So you're leaving as soon as he loses?"
"Yes, probably to Simon-Mon or to the next town after."
"Are you… are you willing to kill Giotto?"
"I can't answer the question. I'm sorry can you ask something else?"
Tsuyoshi rolls his tongue again and again as Basil looks onward.
"You're coming with them, aren't you?"
He swallowed again and placed his hands in front of him. Basil was still looking on ahead, eyes feeling vacant.
"Is that what you wanted to tell me?" he added, now looking at him and mustering his sad smile.
"I… I want to see Namimori again. And, honestly I want to start anew. Fix my shit with my dad, with Yoshimura," he adds hesitantly. "I mean, I want to let go of the shit I need to let go of."
His companion merely nods his head in understanding.
"I don't want to force you to go too. The city holds bad memories for you. It's just, I don't know. I just feel," Tsuyoshi wanted to stop himself from saying it, but it was taking him to long to admit and they might go on their separate ways tomorrow. "That it's been- It's been five years and I barely know you. I never truly felt like your friend and- and- there's no point staying- if it'll remain that way."
A pregnant pause came out of it. There was a warm tenderness of Basil's gaze towards him, but he then locks away and looks again at the road.
"You're right," he says finally before standing up. "I let my personal trauma get the best of me. I'm sorry."
With that, Tsuyoshi now looks ahead. Another man was in drunken stupor onward, unable to fully function forward as he slumps to the ground, moaning in a low voice.
"Goodnight and goodbye, Basil."
"It's not the perfect time to say goodbye, Tsuyoshi-san," he says before closing the door.
~X~
Next Chapter:
A Transcription from another time.
B: Let me see… I was sixteen when I first fought in their circuit. I was a gullible kid, hungry for money- I'll rephrase that- I was just hungry- when Aoba-san offered me good money when I competed and won in their contests. I was a new face in Xan-Xan, so I knew nothing about the consequences. I remember how I only wore my shorts and taped hands, staring at the light in the ring. Everything was just… white noise. By the time Byakuran-san entered from the opposite end, I felt my mistake of entering without any experience. He was obviously bigger and battle-worn. I wanted to cry then (laughs) believe me- I wanted to cry and beg for my father to resurrect or something (laughs) yes, it was funny looking at it now. Maybe that's why Byakuran-san was smiling at me. He was even kind enough to make me remember to put on my mouth piece and direct me to go to the other side after we touched gloves. I took it after him to do the same to my inexperienced opponents. I mean, it sucks for newcomers. I let some win even. I study my opponents before going in the ring with them. I grew close with Aoba-san. So when the bell rang and he was about to give me hell I did not know what to do with my hands (laughs). He hit me straight in the nose, and I wanted to cry right then because it wasn't that painful (laughs), as if I lost control of my senses or something. He gave me a good beating, but I was blocking my face too much for him to knock me out. He was having too much fun, I think, so he did not mind. He let me get a few good kicks on me too. He directed me throughout one round how to kick properly. If I did not get it, he'd hit me (laughs). He eventually ended it in the third round. I still haven't built my stamina, so I was pretty dizzy when he came to strike me down. He was gracious about it though, telling me it won't be as painful, so he got me in a chokehold and made me lose consciousness. He didn't leave me when I was unconscious. He personally carried me to the clinic and paid my bills. He also gave me the winnings he won. He was a really kind person to me. So yes, that was how he became my makeshift trainer. I was always with him and his family. It felt really nice to be the youngest there. We often went out, sang karaoke in Kikyo-san's place or just trained in Byakuran-san's hovel just near the warehouse. I mean, it's legal in Xan-Xan to stage stuff like that. It brought lots of income. Maybe that's why when I fought here, I was already well-known. I never fought Byakuran-san again, even if the audience was often asking for it. I had beaten Zakuro-san and Torikabuto-san by that time. I think it's because Byakuran-san said that we shouldn't fight again to the superiors? (Laughs) I don't know the exact details. There was one time, people were chanting our names after my fight and he really stepped in the ring, gloves and all. I was about twenty at that time and I was crying (laughs). I really didn't like the thought of hitting him. It was just a joke though. I mean, I was prepared to lose and we touched gloves and I thought the bell was late since he just hovered to me and I had my eyes closed to take the first punch while bawling my eyes out but he just took me by the shoulder and whispered it was all a joke! (Laughs). He was angry for some reason, calling the audience out to fight him. You could hear a pin drop in the room- I promise- it was that quiet (laughs) when he led me out. He was laughing with the rest of the fighters the whole time after we went to the locker rooms. I mean, they often took advantage after every match. It was always the loser's short end of the stick and we were having none of it. I thought fewer people would come after that, but even Bluebell-san swore- she's one of the managers of the place- that twice the number of people came to challenge Byakuran-san (laughs).
T: But Basil-niisan still didn't come with him to Namimori.
B: No (laughs). I hated my town more than I loved him and I loved Byakuran-san a 's a funny thing, you know. I mean, I'm not even sure if his name's really Byakuran. I may just be lying to you about him. Or about everyone's names. I get them mixed up with my memories of Reborn. I get it mixed with KHR a lot. But there are some names that inspired my dad's work. My ex-best friend before Giotto and Lavina for instance, Cozart, he was in my dad's work. Same with my two best friends. Some of the people I met too, since my dad met them already. CEDEF existed.
T: Where do you think Byakuran-san is now?
B: (long pause) I think he's alive, somewhere.
T: (after long pause) Basil-niisan is hopeful, ain't he?
B: Niisan is hopeful about a lot of things, but nii-san won't see them coming true.